01
Year at a Glance
Early–mid 1996
MarMar remains primary guitar · MTI Rotophaser in use
Trey opened the year with the same two-rack setup from 1995. The MarMar was his main guitar, the MTI Rotophaser handled Leslie duties.
1996 — date unconfirmed
Two racks consolidated into one
Rack A was retired. All effects, amplification, and reverb units moved into a single rack — Rack B's road case — simplifying the stage footprint considerably.
Through the Clifford Ball — August 16–17, 1996
MTI Rotophaser last confirmed in use
The Clifford Ball — Phish's first festival — represents the last confirmed appearance of the MTI Rotophaser in Trey's rig before it was replaced for the fall tour.
Fall 1996
MTI Rotophaser replaced by Motion Sound Pro 3
For the fall tour Trey switched to the Motion Sound Pro 3 Leslie unit — a more sophisticated rotating speaker system that would become a central part of his sound going forward.
Late October 1996 — before Halloween show
Koa guitar debuts · MarMar retired for the year
Trey's third Languedoc hollowbody — a Koa body instrument — debuted sometime before the Halloween 1996 Remain in Light show in Atlanta. The MarMar was set aside for the remainder of the year.
1996 — date unconfirmed
Small percussion kit added to stage setup
Trey incorporated a small percussion kit into his stage setup at some point in 1996. The exact date of its introduction has not yet been confirmed.
02
Guitars
Primary — early/mid year Carried over
Languedoc MarMar
The original Languedoc hollowbody — maple top, padauk body, Marley headstock inlay — remained Trey's main guitar through the majority of 1996 until the Koa instrument was ready.
New guitar — debut late Oct. 1996 New '96
Languedoc Koa Hollowbody
Paul Languedoc's third custom hollowbody build for Trey, featuring a Koa wood body. An evolution of the first two instruments in construction and feel. Initially fitted with a tune-o-matic bridge; a custom brass saddle bridge was later installed, date unknown. Debuted before the Halloween 1996 Remain in Light show in Atlanta.
Alternate tuning — Fall 1996 From early '90s
Languedoc Spruce / "I'm the Mar Mar"
The 1991 Languedoc backup guitar — spruce top, maple body, with the "I'm the mar mar" adult Marley headstock inlay — was used on the Fall 1996 tour as a dedicated alternate tuning guitar for performances of "Waste." Rarely played in the early 1990s, it found a functional role here as a tuning-specific instrument. Its use can be seen on the official JEMP Records DVD release Coral Sky, which captures the complete 11/2/96 show at Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL — the only outdoor shed show of the Fall 1996 tour.
Koa guitar — bridge note
The Koa hollowbody was initially fitted with a tune-o-matic style bridge by Paul Languedoc. At some later point — date not yet confirmed — this was replaced with a custom brass saddle bridge. The exact timing of that modification is an open research question.
Halloween 1996 — Remain in Light
Phish's Halloween 1996 costume was Talking Heads' Remain in Light. The show at the Omni in Atlanta is one of the most celebrated in Phish history and represents the confirmed on-stage debut window for the Koa guitar — Trey had switched to it before this performance.
Las Vegas, 12/6/96 — Larry LaLonde plays the MarMar during Harpua
One of the most remarkable appearances the MarMar ever made came on the final night of the Fall 1996 tour at the Aladdin Theatre in Las Vegas. During an epic Harpua encore, Phish welcomed three guests on stage: Larry LaLonde and Les Claypool of Primus, and actor Courtney Gains — best known for playing Malachai in the 1984 horror film Children of the Corn. LaLonde played Trey's MarMar Languedoc hollowbody for the performance — a rare instance of another guitarist handling Trey's primary instrument mid-show — making it one of the most celebrated and bizarre encores in Phish history.
Acoustic Guitar — Fall 1996
- Song "Talk" — the Peter Gabriel cover — was performed with Trey on acoustic guitar at multiple fall 1996 shows. This is the primary confirmed acoustic guitar appearance of the year.
- Nov 9, 1996 The Palace of Auburn Hills, MI — Talk featured Trey on acoustic guitar.
- Nov 14, 1996 Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA — Talk featured Trey on acoustic guitar.
- Dec 30, 1996 FleetCenter, Boston — Talk featured Trey on acoustic guitar. New Year's Run show.
Note on Red Rocks (8/5/96) and Deer Creek (8/13/96)
Neither of these summer 1996 shows has confirmed acoustic guitar notes in the Phish.net setlist data — consistent with the MTI Rotophaser still being in use at the time and no acoustic segments documented for those dates.
03
Amplification
Preamp Unchanged
Custom Audio Electronics SE 3+
Carried over from 1995. Now housed in the single consolidated rack alongside all effects and reverb units.
Power Amp Unchanged
Groove Tubes Dual 75
Carried over from 1995. Still driving both Languedoc 2×12 cabinets.
Speaker Cabinets ×2 Unchanged
Custom Languedoc 2×12 ×2
Both Languedoc-built plywood cabinets continued in use, both loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s.
04
Rack — Single Consolidated Unit
The two separate racks from 1994–1995 were consolidated into a single unit in 1996. Everything that had previously lived across Rack A and Rack B now lived together. The rack is divided below by function for clarity, but all units shared one road case.
The most significant mid-year change within the rack was the swap from the MTI Rotophaser to the Motion Sound Pro 3 Leslie for the fall tour.
Single Rack — All Gear
Road case · 1996
Amplification
1U
CAE SE 3+ Preamp
Preamp Carried
2U
Groove Tubes Dual 75
Power Amp Carried
Effects
1U
Rack Tuner
Tuner Carried
1U
Ibanez DM2000
Digital Delay Carried
1U
Ibanez TS-9
Overdrive Carried
1U
Ibanez TS-10
Overdrive Carried
1U
Ross Compressor
Compressor Carried
1U
CAE Super Tremolo
Tremolo Carried
1U
CAE Black Cat Vibe
Univibe Carried
1U
MTI Rotophaser Through Clifford Ball
Rotary Replaced fall '96
1U
Motion Sound Pro 3 Fall tour onwards
Leslie New fall '96
1U
CAE 4×4 Audio Controller
Loop Switcher Carried
Reverb
1U
Alesis Microverb — "Reverse"
Reverb Carried
1U
Alesis Microverb — "Vast"
Reverb Carried
1U
Alesis Microverb — "Full"
Reverb Carried
MTI Rotophaser → Motion Sound Pro 3
The MTI Rotophaser was last confirmed in use at the Clifford Ball (August 16–17, 1996). For the fall tour Trey switched to the Motion Sound Pro 3 — a more capable rotating speaker unit that would become a long-running fixture in his rig.
Small percussion kit
Trey added a small percussion kit to his stage setup at some point in 1996. The exact date of introduction has not yet been confirmed and is an open research question for this era.
05
Floor Pedalboard
Same as 1995 — with Whammy II
The floor pedalboard continued from 1995 — CAE RS-10 MIDI controller, Ernie Ball volume pedal, Dunlop Crybaby wah, Whammy II, MTI Rotophaser control pedal (until fall), and the CAE Super Tremolo rate pedal. The Rotophaser floor control was presumably retired when the unit was swapped for the Motion Sound Pro 3 in the fall.
06
Signal Chain Overview
Simplified signal flow — exact internal order not fully confirmed
Guitar
MarMar /
Koa
Koa
→
Wah
Crybaby
Wah
Wah
→
Rack
TS-9 /
TS-10
TS-10
→
Rack
Ross
Comp.
Comp.
→
Rack
DM2000
→
Rack
CAE
Tremolo
Tremolo
→
Rack
Black Cat
Vibe
Vibe
→
Rack
Pro 3 /
Rotophaser
Rotophaser
→
Floor
Ernie Ball
Volume
Volume
→
Rack
CAE SE 3+
Preamp
Preamp
→
Rack
Groove Tubes
Dual 75
Dual 75
→
FX Loop
Microverb
×3
×3
→
Cabinets ×2
Languedoc
2×12 ×2
2×12 ×2
All rack units now in a single consolidated rack · Highlighted border = changed in 1996 · Dashed = effects loop
Leslie node shows MTI Rotophaser (through Clifford Ball, Aug. 1996) replaced by Motion Sound Pro 3 (fall 1996 onwards). Exact internal signal order not fully confirmed.
Leslie node shows MTI Rotophaser (through Clifford Ball, Aug. 1996) replaced by Motion Sound Pro 3 (fall 1996 onwards). Exact internal signal order not fully confirmed.
07
Era Summary
1996 was a year of consolidation and transition. The most visible structural change was the collapse of two racks into one — a simplification that made sense as the rig matured and its contents became more settled. With the core amp system and effects now well established, there was less need for the sprawling dual-rack architecture that had developed through 1994–1995.
The mid-year Leslie swap was significant. The MTI Rotophaser — Trey's first rotating speaker unit, in the rig since 1995 — gave way to the Motion Sound Pro 3 for the fall tour. The Pro 3 was a more fully realized Leslie simulation and would become a fixture going forward.
The other major story of 1996 was the arrival of the Koa guitar. Paul Languedoc's third hollowbody build for Trey debuted before the legendary Halloween Remain in Light performance in Atlanta — one of the most celebrated shows in Phish history. The Koa would go on to be Trey's primary instrument for years. Its initial tune-o-matic bridge was eventually replaced with a custom brass saddle, though the timing of that modification remains unconfirmed.
08
Listen on LivePhish
1996 is well-documented on LivePhish. Deer Creek 8/13/96 (Live Phish Vol. 12) is the canonical summer release — the consolidation of Trey's rack into one unit captured at its finest. The Halloween Remain in Light show (Vol. 15) is essential for any Koa guitar documentation — the guitar's debut came just days before this show.
Aug 13, 1996
Live Phish Vol. 12 — Deer Creek
Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
The definitive summer '96 release. The consolidated single rack and Motion Sound Pro 3 Leslie at the height of their powers — Mike's Song > Lifeboy, Weekapaug > Somewhere Over the Rainbow on theremin.
Stream or download →
Oct 31, 1996
Live Phish Vol. 15 — Halloween: Remain in Light
The Omni, Atlanta, GA
The Talking Heads' Remain in Light as Phish's musical costume, with Karl Perazzo on percussion. The Koa guitar had debuted just days earlier — this is one of its first major documented outings.
Stream or download →
08
Open Research Questions
Research needed
The following items represent open questions for this era — areas where documentation is incomplete or evidence is not yet confirmed.
- Acoustic guitar — make/model The specific acoustic guitar used for "Talk" (Peter Gabriel cover) at Auburn Hills (11/9/96), Ames (11/14/96), and FleetCenter (12/30/96) has not been confirmed. Make, model, and year of the instrument are unknown.
- Rack consolidation — exact date The precise show or tour leg at which Trey's two-rack setup was consolidated into a single rack in 1996 has not been confirmed. It is placed sometime in 1996 based on available evidence.
- Koa guitar — brass bridge modification date The Koa hollowbody debuted with a tune-o-matic style bridge. At some later point a custom brass saddle bridge was installed by Paul Languedoc, but the exact date of that modification is not confirmed.
- Small percussion kit — debut date Trey incorporated a small percussion kit into his stage setup at some point in 1996, but the exact show at which it first appeared has not been confirmed.
09
Photos
Trey with the Koa guitar — late 1996
The Koa hollowbody — Languedoc Build #3
Motion Sound Pro 3 Leslie unit
Consolidated single rack — 1996
Clifford Ball — August 1996
Halloween show — Atlanta, Remain in Light
MTI Rotophaser — last era of use
Small percussion kit on stage
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