Song Rig

Bathtub Gin

Trey Anastasio · A Picture of Nectar · 1992

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

The A Picture of Nectar era Trey tone — slightly more defined and polished than the early Junta recordings. The Mac guitar through the Languedoc cabinet produces a warm, resonant foundation for the funky, rhythmic intro riff before opening into expansive lead improvisation.

Signal Chain

1Paul Languedoc custom guitar (Languedoc pickups)
2Paul Languedoc custom amp/cabinet
3Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger
4Boss DD-3 Delay

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume4

Bass6

Mid7

Treble7

Reverb3

The Languedoc setup provides a specific, hard-to-replicate combination of warmth and articulation — the handbuilt guitar and amp interact in ways a commercial rig does not. The clean-to-slightly-driven tone is the Phish improvisational vehicle.

Technique

How to Play It

Rhythmic funk riff transitioning to jazz-influenced improvisation — Bathtub Gin begins with a syncopated rhythm figure before Trey opens into improvisation that incorporates jazz vocabulary over the funk groove. The transition from composition to improvisation is seamless.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Stratocaster or similar → Fender Twin Reverb clean → Electric Mistress Flanger → Boss DD-3 → practice the rhythmic Bathtub Gin intro riff, then study Trey's harmonic approach: he uses whole-tone and bebop scale patterns over the funk groove.

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