Lovesliescrushing's Scott Cortez told Gearwire he was making air guitars when he was nine--actual, physical guitars. They didn't play but they didn't need to; they were air guitars. But then who "makes" a guitar to play air guitar? This gives insight into the psyche of the man behind the dense and dreamy music of lovesliescrushing (and also, in part, behind Astrobrite and Chicago's Star).

Now that he has real instruments we asked Cortez how he went about getting his sound --from a gear perspective.

"I just need huge reverbs, distortion, delays and looper devices. I use the distortions to color the sound, easier to get certain frequencies. Lately I have been using less distortion. I am trying to get pure tones now. I have been focusing on doubling reverb units, eq, and delay/looper pedals," says Cortez. "I use gear to color the guitar tone. I will have to start building my own instruments so that I can have a pure tone to start with. I am talking about 2 by 4's with piezo's in them and tons of strings. i want to get away from the whole laptop aesthetic. I love them, love the glitch, but I have to feel the sound in my hands, know that I am generating the tone."

When it comes to the differences, sonically, between lovesliescrushing and Star Cortez says it is a matter of "stripping down" the sound. In Star, less is more and the more traditional, fun pop sound of the band does not require the dense layers. Lovesliescrushing needs all the tools in the kit to stretch the guitar and wash it out.

Cortez uses a Wurlitzer guitar.

These guitars were, according to an article in the July 1997 issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine, made at Holman-Woodell guitars in Neodesha, Kansas. The company made guitars under a number of names (Wurlitzer, Holman, LaBaye, Alray, 21st Century) from the mid to the late 1960s before they were buried under a sea of cheap Japanese guitars. According to the article the dates these guitars were made are sketchy and how many were made is unknown. Since the company never employed more than 20 people the numbers are unlikely to be large.

"It is pretty strange with otherworldly pickups. It is just a tone generator. I would be happy with a 2x4," says Cortez. "Although i did play a Fender Jazzmaster in Peru and that instrument was lovely, incredible tone and depth. the effects are still more important, it is my timbre set."

The oddball, rare, guitar somehow fits in with the band's aesthetic but Cortez still misses another guitar and some gear that went with it) that he sold when the need for cash arose. The guitar was a Fender Jaguar and the gear was a Digitech PDS 8000 Echo-Plus. The scoop on the 8000 seems to be that it has an analog-esque feel and sounds that other, similar units do not. Not always the easiest unit to use it, again seems to be almost designed for determined musicians looking to make unigue, subtle sound. You can find these pedals here and there used. When they still work well they can run upwards of $200. When there are glitches and problems with the unit you can find them from under $100. Similar Digitech items like the PDS 1002 can be found for under $20. But the delay is only two seconds and it just isn't as interesting a pedal.

"The PDS 8000 was the llc sound, that was the secret weapon. " says Cortez.

When it comes to a new bit of gear that Cortez does not have but lust after he has one real object of desire.

"The new Jamman/looper pedal with 6 hours of sampling time. I could do insane things with that live," says Cortez. "Sort of like the solo piece I did in peru for about 15 minutes with the Lexicon Jamman."

Still more with Scott Cortez to come.