98
Era 06 — Stripping Back & Looping Forward

The Year of 1998

A year of gradual simplification — the big Languedoc cabinet stack that had flanked Trey's rig since 1994 disappeared after the Island Tour, the Europe tour ran a stripped-back rack, and the fall brought a new instrument: the Boomerang Phrase Sampler looper joined the rig, and an acoustic guitar made stage appearances for the first time.

Guitar Languedoc Koa (primary, all year)
Amp Modified Fender Deluxe Reverb
New this year Boomerang Phrase Sampler
Key dates Island Tour (Apr) · Farm Aid (Oct) · Hampton (Nov)
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Four distinct configurations across one year Island Tour (April) held onto the Fall '97 setup with a backup Deluxe Reverb added — but it was the last time the Languedoc 2×12 cabinets appeared. Europe (July) ran a stripped rack with no evidence of the Leslie 925. Summer saw the full Kriz-Kraft rig with the Leslie relocated to a road case. Fall added the Boomerang looper and an acoustic guitar. Farm Aid in October saw Neil Young sit in with Phish playing the MarMar through Trey's spare Deluxe Reverb. Hampton in November brought the MarMar back again for "Sabotage."
01

Year at a Glance

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April 1998 — Island Tour
Fall '97 rig continues — dual Languedoc cabinets make their final appearance
The Island Tour (April 2–5, 1998) carried over the Fall 1997 setup largely intact — Fender Deluxe Reverb as primary amp, Kriz-Kraft rack, Goff Leslie 925, and both custom Languedoc 2×12 cabinets. A second backup Fender Deluxe Reverb was added to the right of the main amp. After these shows, neither Languedoc cabinet would be seen for the rest of 1998 — the last vestige of the old CAE/Groove Tubes stage presence was gone.
July 1998 — Europe tour
Stripped rack · no Languedoc cabinets · no evidence of Leslie 925
The Europe 1998 tour ran a significantly pared-back rig. Trey used a small, slimmed-down version of his normal effects rack — no large Kriz-Kraft case, no Languedoc cabinets, and no confirmed presence of the Goff Leslie 925 head. The Fender Deluxe Reverb remained the primary amp.
Summer 1998
Full Kriz-Kraft rig returns · Goff Leslie 925 moves to a road case at stage right
Summer tour saw the main Kriz-Kraft 17U rack back in place. The Goff Professional Leslie 925 head returned, but its placement had changed — it now sat off to the right on top of a separate road case rather than on top of the rack as in 1997.
Fall 1998
Boomerang Phrase Sampler joins the rig · acoustic guitar debuts on stage
By fall 1998, the Boomerang Phrase Sampler — a dedicated hardware looper — had been added to Trey's rig, most likely joining around the fall tour. An acoustic guitar also appeared on stage for songs like "Sleep" and "Driver," marking the first time Trey had an acoustic as part of his live setup.
October 1998 — Farm Aid
Neil Young sits in with Phish · MarMar loaned to Neil for Runaway Jim > Arc > Down By The River
At Willie Nelson's Farm Aid benefit concert, Neil Young joined Phish on stage for a historic sequence: Runaway Jim > Arc > Down By The River. Neil played Trey's MarMar Languedoc hollowbody for the sit-in — one of the most remarkable appearances the guitar ever made. Neil was most likely plugged directly into Trey's spare Fender Deluxe Reverb. Trey continued on the Koa for the performance.
November 1998 — Hampton Coliseum
MarMar guitar used for "Sabotage" alternate tuning
At the Hampton Coliseum shows in November, Trey brought out the original MarMar Languedoc guitar — his primary instrument from the early years — to use as a dedicated alternate-tuning guitar for Phish's cover of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage." The Koa remained the primary guitar for all other songs throughout the year.
02

Guitars

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Primary — all year Carried from '97
Languedoc Koa Hollowbody
The Koa — debuted before the Halloween 1996 Remain in Light show — was Trey's primary guitar for all of 1998, as it had been throughout 1997. No change to the primary instrument this year.
Farm Aid & Hampton, Oct–Nov '98 Special appearances
Languedoc "MarMar" Hollowbody
The original MarMar Languedoc had two notable appearances in 1998. At Farm Aid in October, Trey handed it to Neil Young for his sit-in on Runaway Jim > Arc > Down By The River — Neil most likely running direct into Trey's spare Deluxe Reverb. Then at Hampton Coliseum in November, it appeared again as a dedicated alternate-tuning guitar for Phish's cover of "Sabotage."
Acoustic — Fall 1998 New fall '98
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar appeared in Trey's stage setup from fall 1998 onwards. Specific make and model not confirmed. Confirmed appearances: Bridge School Benefit (Oct 17–18, Shoreline), PBS Sessions at West 54th taping (Oct 20), Greek Theatre (Oct 29 — Driver and Sleep acoustic), KBCO Studio C in-studio broadcast (Nov 3 — full acoustic set: Driver, Wading in the Velvet Sea, Possum, Roggae), UIC Pavilion (Nov 7 — Driver and Brian and Robert on acoustic), Murphy Center (Nov 15 — Driver acoustic), Pepsi Arena (Nov 25 — Sleep and Driver acoustic), and MSG (Dec 28). The acoustic was used most consistently for Driver and Sleep throughout the fall run.
Farm Aid — October 1998 · Neil Young sits in One of the most extraordinary moments in the MarMar's history came at Willie Nelson's Farm Aid benefit concert. Neil Young joined Phish on stage and played Trey's MarMar Languedoc hollowbody through a sequence of Runaway Jim > Arc > Down By The River. Neil was most likely plugged directly into Trey's spare Fender Deluxe Reverb — the backup amp that had been added to the rig earlier in the year. Trey continued on the Koa. The MarMar — the guitar that started Trey's Languedoc relationship — ended up in Neil Young's hands for one of the year's landmark moments.
03

Amplification

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Primary amp — all year Carried from '97
Modified Fender Deluxe Reverb
The heavily modified silverface Deluxe Reverb from fall 1997 remained Trey's primary amp throughout all of 1998. Same modifications as 1997 — independently voiced channels, carbon comp resistors, NOS tubes, midrange controls on both channels.
Backup amp — Island Tour only New April '98
Second Fender Deluxe Reverb
A second Fender Deluxe Reverb appeared at the Island Tour (April 1998), positioned to the right of the main amp. Functioned as a backup unit. Not confirmed to have been carried beyond the Island Tour.
Cabinets — Island Tour only Retired after Apr '98
Custom Languedoc 2×12 ×2
Both Languedoc Celestion Vintage 30-loaded 2×12 cabinets were present for the Island Tour in April 1998, connected to the CAE SE 3+ and Groove Tubes Dual 75 (functioning as backup and visual). After the Island Tour, neither cabinet was seen again for the rest of 1998 — closing a chapter that had been part of Trey's stage setup since 1994.
End of the big cabinet era The Island Tour was the last stand for the dual Languedoc 2×12 setup. The CAE preamp and Groove Tubes power amp — which had been the primary amp system from 1995 through mid-1997, and backup visual presence from fall 1997 — also made their final appearance here. After April 1998, Trey's amp setup was simply the Fender Deluxe Reverb, with no large cabinet stack behind it.
04

Leslie

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Island Tour & Summer/Fall Carried
Goff Professional — Modified Leslie 925
The Goff-modified Leslie 925 head was present for the Island Tour (atop the Kriz-Kraft rack) and returned for summer and fall 1998. By summer, its placement had shifted — rather than sitting on top of the rack as it had in 1997, it was now positioned to the right of the main rig on top of a separate road case.
Europe 1998 — Leslie not confirmed There is no confirmed evidence that the Goff Leslie 925 head was taken on the Europe 1998 tour. The Europe rig ran significantly leaner than any other 1998 configuration, and the Leslie appears to have been left behind. It returned for the summer and fall tours.
New placement — Summer 1998 From the summer tour onwards, the Goff Leslie 925 head moved off the top of the Kriz-Kraft rack and onto a separate road case positioned to the right of the rig. This gave the Leslie its own dedicated footprint on stage — a subtle but visible change in the rig layout.
05

New Effect: Boomerang Phrase Sampler

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The most significant new addition to Trey's rig in 1998 was the Boomerang Phrase Sampler — a dedicated hardware looper that allowed him to record and loop phrases in real time during performances. The Boomerang most likely joined the rig during the fall tour, though the exact first date is not confirmed.

The Boomerang Phrase Sampler (original version) is a floor unit with a large footswitch for record/play/overdub and a separate stop switch. It records up to 64 seconds of audio and allows overdubbing over existing loops. Its arrival opened up new textural and compositional possibilities in Phish's live improvisations — Trey could lay down a repeating phrase and then solo or comp over it, something that would become an increasingly prominent feature of live performances in the years ahead.

Why this matters Prior to the Boomerang, looping was not a tool in Trey's live setup. Its arrival marked a significant expansion of what he could do solo on stage — laying down repeating figures and improvising over them would become a hallmark of his playing in the late 1990s and beyond, and the Boomerang was the piece of gear that made it possible.
06

Rack

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The rack configuration varied noticeably across 1998. The Island Tour used the full Kriz-Kraft 17U setup inherited from fall 1997 — including the CAE SE 3+ preamp and Groove Tubes Dual 75 as backup amp. Europe ran a significantly stripped-back small rack. Summer and fall returned to the full Kriz-Kraft 17U, minus the Languedoc cabinets that had previously given the backup amp system something to drive.

Island Tour — April 1998 Kriz-Kraft 17U · inherited from Fall '97 · final appearance of CAE/GT amp
Backup Amplification (last confirmed appearance)
1U CAE SE 3+ Preamp Preamp Final appearance
2U Groove Tubes Dual 75 Power Amp Final appearance
Effects
1U Ibanez DM2000 Digital Delay Carried
1U CAE Black Cat Vibe Univibe Carried
1U CAE Super Tremolo Tremolo Carried
1U CAE 4×4 Audio Controller Loop Switcher Carried
Reverb
1U Alesis Microverb — "Reverse" Active Reverb Carried
1U Alesis Microverb — "Vast" Inactive Reverb
1U Alesis Microverb — "Full" Inactive Reverb
Europe 1998 — July Small stripped rack · no large Kriz-Kraft case
Effects — exact contents not fully confirmed
— Core effects units — Ibanez DM2000, Black Cat Vibe, CAE Super Tremolo Likely carried
— Alesis Microverb — "Reverse" Likely carried
— CAE SE 3+ Preamp / Groove Tubes Dual 75 Not present
Europe 1998 — a genuinely lean rig The Europe 1998 tour represents the most stripped-back Trey had run since before the Bradshaw era. No large Kriz-Kraft road case, no Languedoc cabinets, no confirmed Leslie 925. Just a small rack with his core effects, the Fender Deluxe Reverb, and the floor pedalboard. The specific contents of the Europe rack are not fully documented — this area warrants further research.
07

Floor Pedalboard

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Island Tour — April 1998
Same as Fall 1997
  • Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer(s)
  • Ross Compressor
  • Dunlop Crybaby Wah
  • Whammy II
  • Ernie Ball Volume pedal
  • Custom A/B channel switcher
    (Normal ↔ Vibrato, Fender Deluxe)
  • Dual footswitch — CAE Super Tremolo
  • Goff Leslie 925 control
    (Mute & fast/slow footswitches)
Summer 1998
Full rig, Leslie repositioned
  • Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer(s)
  • Ross Compressor
  • Dunlop Crybaby Wah
  • Whammy II
  • Ernie Ball Volume pedal
  • Custom A/B channel switcher
  • Dual footswitch — CAE Super Tremolo
  • Goff Leslie 925 control
Fall 1998
Boomerang added · acoustic on stage
  • Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer(s)
  • Ross Compressor
  • Dunlop Crybaby Wah
  • Whammy II
  • Ernie Ball Volume pedal
  • Custom A/B channel switcher
  • Dual footswitch — CAE Super Tremolo
  • Goff Leslie 925 control
  • Boomerang Phrase Sampler
    (Record / overdub / play / stop)
08

Signal Chain — Fall 1998

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Fall 1998 configuration · Boomerang position within chain not fully confirmed

Guitar
Languedoc
Koa
→
Floor
Crybaby
Wah
→
Floor
TS-9 /
Ross Comp
→
Floor
Whammy II
→
Rack
DM2000
→
Rack
Black Cat
Vibe
→
Rack
CAE
Tremolo
→
Floor — New
Boomerang
Sampler
→
Floor
Ernie Ball
Volume
→
Primary amp
Fender
Deluxe Reverb
→
FX Loop
Microverb
"Reverse"
→
Leslie
Goff
Leslie 925
Red border = rack unit  ·  Amber border = floor pedal  ·  Highlighted red border = new in fall 1998  ·  Dashed = effects loop
Boomerang position within the signal chain is approximate — exact placement not fully confirmed. No Languedoc cabinets from summer 1998 onwards.
09

Era Summary

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1998 was a year of steady simplification with one significant new addition. The Island Tour in April drew a clean line under the big-rig era — after those shows, the dual Languedoc 2×12 cabinets and the CAE/Groove Tubes amp system that had been part of Trey's stage setup since 1994 were gone. The visual statement of the large cabinet stack was over. From summer onwards, it was just the Fender Deluxe Reverb and the Goff Leslie, and the stage had noticeably more space.

The Europe tour in July took that further still — a genuinely stripped-back rig with a small effects rack and no confirmed Leslie. It was the lightest Trey had toured with in years, a pragmatic touring setup that sacrificed none of the core tone.

Fall brought the year's most consequential addition: the Boomerang Phrase Sampler. The arrival of a dedicated hardware looper opened new territory in Trey's playing — he could now lay down live loops on stage and improvise over or around them, a capability that would inform some of the most exploratory moments of Phish's late-1990s performances. The Boomerang became a permanent fixture from this point forward.

The MarMar making a Hampton cameo for "Sabotage" was a moment of fan delight — the guitar that started everything, dusted off for a Beastie Boys cover in alternate tuning. The acoustic appearing for "Sleep" and "Driver" was quieter but equally telling: Trey's palette was expanding beyond the electric.

Boomerang Phrase Sampler Island Tour — final Languedoc cabs CAE/Groove Tubes retired Acoustic guitar on stage Leslie 925 — new position Farm Aid — Neil Young sit-in MarMar returns — Hampton Europe — stripped rack Fender Deluxe Reverb DM2000 Black Cat Vibe
10

Open Research Questions

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Research needed The following items represent open questions for this era — areas where documentation is incomplete or evidence is not yet confirmed.
11

Photos

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Island Tour — dual Languedoc cabinets, April 1998
Island Tour — backup Fender Deluxe Reverb at right
Europe 1998 — stripped rig
Summer 1998 — Goff Leslie 925 on road case, stage right
Fall 1998 — Boomerang Phrase Sampler on floor
Fall 1998 — acoustic guitar on stage
Hampton — Trey with MarMar guitar, "Sabotage"
Trey live, Fall 1998 tour

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