People for a compressed Tray

Phish Fans Hungry for Trey Anastasio’s Old Tone Present Guitarist With Ross Compressor

1/7/09, 12:15 pm EST

Photo courtesy of Tom Marshall

Phish fans will do anything for their favorite band — anything. While eagerly awaiting the band’s upcoming return, a devoted crew lamented a subtle evolution in Trey Anastasio’s guitar tone from Phish’s mid-Nineties heyday to their breakup in 2004. A group of devoted “phans” posting on the Website PhantasyTour.com blamed the change on the loss of Anastasio’s trademark Ross compressor.

A compressor is a guitar effects pedal that limits the highs and lows of the instrument’s sound to create a more evenly distributed tone. Phish’s intricate compositions benefited from the compressor’s ability to boost more quietly picked notes and increased sustain.

Anastasio’s childhood friend and primary songwriting partner Tom Marshall stumbled across the discussion board and brought the matter to Anastasio himself. The guitarist lamented the disappearance of the compressor and said he would entertain the possibility of bringing it back — if he could only find it.

The message-board community quickly responded, forming the “People for a Compressed Trey” group and gathering donations to purchase a new compressor for their beloved Big Red. Marshall presented Anastasio with his new toy yesterday, posting pictures and a thank-you note from the grateful guitarist.

Phish will reunite this upcoming March for three sold-out shows at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. As the Smoking Section reported today, earlier this morning, Live Nation released ticketing information for a June 18th visit to the Post-Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania (though they have since pulled the link). This, coupled with the rampant speculation that Phish will headline two nights at this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival and embark on a subsequent summer tour, means the Ross will be put to good use soon.

Related Stories:

• Photos: Phish Through the Years
• Phish to Headline Bonnaroo 2009, Sources Say
• Phish Reunite, Plan Virginia Concerts for March 2009
John Vilanova

Phish és un grup de culte als US, una versió actualitzada dels Greatful Dead capaços de fer jams de hores i hores, fer versions integrals de LPs d'alló més variat (el White Album dels Beatles per exemple). Donç bé, han aconseguit que part dels seus fans muntin una agrupació per demanar que el guitarrista i lider, Tray Anastasio, torni a utilitzar un pedal compressor que havia fet servir fins el 2004, impressionant...