Don Broco Guitarist Interview (Drop C, Riffs & Gear) Si Delaney

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This interview with Doom Broker guitarist Sy Delaney dives deep into the band's modern approach to live guitar performance, focusing on their fifth album "Nightmare Tripping." Sy demonstrates songs including the title track, "True Believers," "Hype Man," and "Cellophane," revealing the technical setup and creative decisions behind their distinctive sound.

The conversation centers on Sy's transition to the Neural DSP Quad Cortex as the brain of his entire rig. The Cortex handles everything from automatic patch switching between clean and distorted tones to MIDI-controlled octave effects and even expression pedal automation for whammy solos. For the current tour, Sy recorded MIDI automation for expression pedal movements because his cheap expression pedal cable is too short to reach the front of most stages - a practical solution that highlights the flexibility of modern digital rigs.

Sy discusses his guitar choices, primarily using a PRS CE 22 bolt-on for its snappy attack in drop C tuning, alongside a PRS Custom 22. Drop C became necessary to match the vocalists' preferred keys, with most songs originally written in drop D then transposed down. The interview reveals how digital processing has eliminated the tuning constraints that limited younger players - now you can transpose to any tuning with a knob turn rather than restringing guitars.

Technical demonstrations show Sy's approach to keeping guitar parts simple to serve the song. The "Nightmare Tripping" chorus uses straight power chords while piano handles the harmonic complexity, avoiding muddy low-end frequencies. "Hype Man" features rapid patch changes switching between electric and acoustic guitar inputs that would be impossible to execute with pedal stomps alone. A custom-tuned fifth guitar plays a Spanish-influenced section that Sy developed entirely by feel, not theory - finding intervals and open strings that felt right rather than following scales.

The interview emphasizes precision muting as essential technique, particularly for "Cellophane" where gate effects require perfectly clean note separation. Sy admits he can't move around stage during this riff - the muting demands such accuracy that he stands completely still to execute it properly, contrasting with other songs where his movement is purely aesthetic choice.

Influences discussed include Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger's approach to tone-crafting and sonic landscapes over technical shredding, plus the band's journey from JCM800 amps to digital rigs for reliability and control. While Sy misses the stage volume of real amps, the silent stage (except drums) and total tone control via in-ear monitors has been game-changing for consistent live performance.