Chords for Cory Wong of Vulfpeck on Drives, Compressors & Stratocasters | Reverb Interview

_ _ [Am] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ [G] _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ [A] _ So, the first part about my tone, I guess, obviously just comes from [C] my hands.
The way that I play, the way that I attack.
[Db] I have a pretty light attack on the strings.
[C] I don't pick super hard.
I [D] break [Em] one string a [D] year, maybe [G] max.
I don't need a [Am] compressor, but I [Em] like a compressor [C] because for whatever reason, it kind of feels
like that little extra [G] level of professional sounding.
Okay, so here it is with the [E] compressor off. _ _ _
_ _ _ [E] On. _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ _ _ Lately, what I've been using is [Abm] the Wampler Ego Compressor and the Walrus Audio Deep 6.
_ I like both of them because they're compressor pedals with a blend knob.
With the Wampler, I felt like it pairs well with my guitar.
For this style, _ it's pretty much just all straight up and down the middle and I use
the blend like 30% in.
Like if it was just [E] the compressed sound, _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _
[A] _ _ [E] _ _ [F] _ you can really hear it squashing there.
So, I like to blend it, I don't know, [E] like a third of the way up.
_ _ [F] _ _ [D] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ I have used _ far too many drive pedals because there are not enough stores in Minneapolis
to carry a variety, so I've had to go to Reverb.com and try out several of them.
So I've bought a bunch of drive pedals.
One of my friends had this Walrus Audio Mayflower on his pedal board.
I was like, I've tried every drive pedal, whatever, it's not going to be great.
He showed it to me and was like, oh, never mind, that's it.
I can understand all the notes in the voicings still when I'm playing with this pedal.
So [E] if I'm _ playing_
_ [G] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
[Am] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ I can still understand the notes a lot easier than a lot of other drives that I [B] was using.
The drives sounded good, really heavy, or kind of light, but they didn't do the in-between
as well as I wanted to still be able to distinguish _ _ notes.
For some reason, the way that this _ drives feels aggressive, but at the same time,
_ the way the overtones [Am] line up, there's a lot more clarity in it.
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
Stratocaster feels like home to me.
[A] For a long time, I was trying [G] to figure out what my sound was, what my [B] thing was [Eb] as a musician,
[E] as a player, [C] really find my voice.
It was a several-year journey.
I started on the Strat, [G] that was my first instrument.
[B] I walked [Eb] home and my dad had it waiting for me in my bedroom as [G] this amazing gift that
I was [Am] just so thrilled [Bb] about.
For a while, I was [Ab] trying to be a jazz [G] guy.
_ [E] I have a couple jazz boxes.
_ [C] I like playing a Tele for certain things, I [A] just like the sound.
I have a [Bbm] Les Paul when I [B] need to do that for [D] sessions.
_ [A] But I've been on the hero's journey [D] to find my voice, and finally this last year, I finally
realized that _ Stratocaster is where I feel at home.
I really basically only ever use fourth position and sometimes fifth position.
Like if I'm using _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ a drive [Am] or even if [D] _
_ _ [A] _ _ I needed to cut a [E] little bit more.
_ _ _ _ That just [C] kind of feels like me though.
Like when I hear this, I'm like, oh, that sounds like my voice.
_ _ _ [B]
[Ab] That's me, like if I'm a little angry.
_ _ I use third position on _ one song.
I use it on in the Wolfpack set on [Dm] Beastly.
I have this good _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
part _ during the A sections. _
I use like a Mutron filter, like an envelope filter.
And for whatever reason, it just cuts the right way in third position.
_ Only time I've ever used third position in my [E] entire life.
And I stumbled upon it because I accidentally hit the pickup switcher thingy in the middle
of the set.
Oh, it _ _ [Eb] sounds great.
[B] It sounds better than what it was.
Oh, I'm in third bow.
Who would have known?
[E] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _
_ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _