Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr. formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984, with J Mascis on guitar and drums, Lou Barlow on bass, and Murph on drums (after Mascis moved to guitar). Mascis had previously played drums in the hardcore band Deep Wound. The band's early albums — Dinosaur (1985), You're Living All Over Me (1987), and Bug (1988) — established a sound that combined Neil Young's melodic lead vocabulary with a volume and distortion density that had no precedent in indie rock. J Mascis's guitar rig is built around the Fender Jazzmaster — he bought his first one in the early 1980s when he couldn't afford a Stratocaster, paying $300 compared to the Strat's higher price. The Jazzmaster's floating tremolo, shorter scale length, and wide single-coil pickups suited his approach of extreme string bending and sustained feedback. He modifies most of his vintage Jazzmasters with a Tune-O-Matic bridge for improved intonation and jumbo frets for easier bending. His main recording and live guitar is a 1963 sunburst Jazzmaster. In the studio he also uses Telecasters and Gibson P90-loaded guitars. The amp setup is multiple Marshall stacks run simultaneously at enormous volume — two late-1960s Marshall Super Bass full stacks, a vintage Hiwatt DR-103, and a Fender Twin Reverb or Victoria tweed Twin clone in current live configurations. Mascis has described the volume as structural rather than performative: the sheer volume creates feedback, sustain, and harmonic density that cannot be replicated at lower levels. He wears earplugs on stage in front of his own amplifiers. The primary fuzz pedal has always been the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi — specifically Ram's Head versions, which he acquired on tour in 1987. He has one of the largest personal collections of Big Muff variants in existence, including original equipment manufacturer versions that EHX produced for other companies. The Ram's Head's darker, bass-heavy character combined with the Marshall Super Bass's midrange and the Jazzmaster's single-coil top end creates the specific Mascis tone — melodic Neil Young-influenced pentatonic leads emerging from a sustained roar of distortion. Barlow was fired by Mascis in 1989 and replaced by various bassists before the band broke up in 1997 and reformed in 2005 with the original lineup. The reunion has been prolific — Dinosaur Jr. has released six studio albums since reforming, all regarded as legitimate extensions of their classic period sound. Key gear: Fender Jazzmaster (1963 sunburst, primary), Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Ram's Head versions), Marshall Super Bass (late-1960s), Marshall Super Lead, Hiwatt DR-103, Fender Twin Reverb, Victoria 80212 tweed Twin clone, ProCo RAT, Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, Rangemaster treble booster clone.