Ultra-talented jazz guitarist Gilad Hekselman stopped by the Reverb office to show off some of his favorite pedal tricks for performance, using the Boss OC-3 Super Octave and the Electro-Harmonix Freeze.
Hekselman has played in many different bands, and sometimes finds himself in the predicament of not having a bass player. While that’s OK sometimes, he says, there often are times when a bottom end is necessary to provide backbone. That’s where his Boss OC-3 comes in.
The OC-3, he explains, splits the instrument’s register, with the lower three strings providing a meaty bass sound while the upper three strings remain in the guitar’s typical register. Hekselman routes the clean top end through his regular pedalboard, while he sends the bottom end directly to a bass amp for a clean out.
This interplay gives Hekselman the ability to build his own harmonies, letting the voices move into and out of one another rather than sitting on top of one another, more akin to the interaction between a pianist’s hands.
The Electro-Harmonix Freeze also plays a large part in Hekselman’s bag of tricks. The switch was modded to be silent, ridding his live playing of frustrating clicks so he can get the smooth sustains that are so perfect for jazz. Functioning very similarly to a piano sustain pedal, using the Freeze allows him to riff over gorgeously drawn out notes for smooth, jazzy harmonies.
Watch our most recent Pedal Tricks video with Gilad Hekselman to see exactly how he uses these pedals to his advantage, and make sure to stay tuned through the end of the video to hear his band Real Feels play a gorgeous tune.