September 2015

Add some Cream to your tone Vintage Alnico voice, more power than ever For guitar players hooked on the richest boutique vintage tones, the new Celestion Cream combines the unmistakable sound of our legendary Alnico speakers with a maximum power handling of 90 watts. From high-gain, high volume stacks to low-wattage studio combos, experience crème de la tone.Find out more celestion.com

AMPS CONT’D BULLHEAD SCORPIO Nashville amp builder Scott VanFossen came to NAMM with his new Bullhead Scorpio head in silver covering. Built to celebrate his 10th year in business, the 20-watt, class AB head features a 6V6 power section, 3-band EQ, presence, depth, and master volume, and a series effect loop for $2,600 street. bullheadamplification.com PARK ROLAND JC-40LITTLE HEAD 18 AND ROCK HEAD 50 To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic Jazz Chorus amp, Roland has released the 40-wattThe Little Head 18 (top, approx. $2,199 street) uses the same preamp as JC-40 ($599 street). The stereo box brings thePark’s venerable P45, but has a cool self-biasing power section that accepts famous “JC clean” tone and signature chorus6V6, 6L6, EL34, and other octal tubes—including rectifiers—without effect, but also includes evolved features formodification. Meanwhile, the EL34-powered, two-channel Rock Head modern players like enhanced onboard effects and50 (approx. $2,500 street) was inspired by the ’70s Park Rock Head, but a front-panel stereo input.adds extra flexibility with a switchable cascading gain stage and a cathode- rolandus.comfollowing tone stack. parkamplifiers.com50 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

© 2015 PRS Guitars / photo by Marc Quigley The S2 Vela: A New Breed Born in our Maryland factory, the new S2 Vela is a wholly unique guitar for PRS. Featuring a brand new plate and barrel style bridge, a Starla treble pickup and an all new type-d singlecoil this guitar has all the spank, sparkle and vintage vibe you could want. American made, reliable, great sounding and easy on the wallet.

EFFECTS ANALOG OUTFITTERS SCANNER This glorious spinning, twirling, plexiglass mechanical monster puts repurposed mechanical-vibrato and spring-reverb units (and cabinet wood) from a recycled old Hammond organ into a head-sized cab. The vibrato is expression-pedal controllable, and both effects are switchable via the included footswitch, but the Scanner also has line and XLR outs for outboard studio use. At $1,599 it’s not cheap, but man—it sounds fantastic. analogoutfitters.com CAROLINE WAVE CANNON MKII Inspired by past infuriation over great-sounding classic distortions that didn’t go far enough with clean amps, or that were quieter than unity gain or the bypassed signal, Caroline brought the nasty with the new Wave Cannon MKII ($199 street). The pedal can do some very cool mild- and medium- crunch tones, but is also capable of really overwhelming your amp. The rumble switch yields more low end. carolineguitar.com SPACEMAN ORION PITTSBURGHZak Martini has always very deftly fused MODULAR SYNTHESIZERS PATCH BOXpracticality and classic sounds with a touch ofwooly and weird. This summer he unveiled the We’re pretty stoked about these first-time Summer NAMM exhibitors, whoOrion ($399 street), an amazing, authentic spring brought the super-tweakable, super-rad Patch Box, a $349 (street) switchingreverb that sounds massive at even the most shell that can power up to six shallow Eurorack-format effect modules (notextreme dwell settings, and is just 6.25\" x 4.75\". included). Pittsburgh’s own modules—which range from LFOs to filters,spacemaneffects.com analog phasers and delays, digital reverb, distortion, bit crushers, and more— range from $99 to $399 each, and yield an insane variety of sounds you rarely hear out of standard stomps, digital or otherwise. pittsburghmodular.com DAREDEVIL NORTHERN CREEPER This six-transistor silicon fuzz (approx. $140 street) is inspired to some extent by the Shin Ei Super-Fuzz and Maestro FZ-1S, but it strips out a lot of the less- functional aspects of those designs and concentrates on their heaps of fatness. It’s surprisingly versatile, with just the right amount of octave, and has a ton of range. Did we mention it sounds freaking huge? daredevilpedals.com52 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

ANY GEAR, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE At Guitar Center, you can experience the latest effects pedals and multi- effects stations. Whether you need a classic stompbox or a palette of digitally modeled sounds, you can find the gear you need at Guitar Center.LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE | RISK-FREE RETURNS | EXPERT ADVICE | BEST SELECTIONGET HANDS-ON AT ONE OF OUR 265+ STORES NATIONWIDE OR SHOP ONLINE AT GUITARCENTER.COM

BASS GEAR TECAMP MTS CAB The German bass gurus’ ingenious new cab (around $1,000 street) is outfitted with 10\" and 12\" drivers, plus three kinds of tweeters—a 4\" paper cone, a horn, and a neodymium-magnet tweeter—that you can select in any combination (at full or half engagement) via a trio of side-mounted 3-way switches. The result is an astonishing variety of sounds perfect for everything from warm, thumpy R&B to Jaco-style soloing, bright funk snapping and popping, and much more. tecamp.de GUILD STARFIRE II The latest version of the storied Starfire II semi-hollowbody features a laminated mahogany body, center block, individual volume and tone controls for the BS-1 BiSonic humbuckers, and rosewood saddles for $1,299 street. guildguitars.com MTD SARATOGA WAMPLER LOW BLOWBuilt in New York City, luthier Michael Tobias’s Brian Wampler brought some love fortotally revamped Saratoga 4-string includes a new bassists to NAMM with the Low Blowheadstock design, roasted wood options (including ($209 street), a stomp that features twoswamp ash), active/passive electronics, and pickups clipping modes—“smooth” offers classicfrom Nordstrand, Aguilar, and other boutique overdrive sounds, while “jagged” is moreoutfits. mtdguitars.com aggressive—a 3-band EQ that delivers plenty of tone control, and a switchable notch filter helps clean up cabinet woof without having to turn things down. wamplerpedals.com SEYMOUR DUNCAN APOLLO J PICKUPS These new 4- and 5-string units ($95 each) feature parallel linear wiring to add a little oomph and definition to the J recipe while also decreasing extraneous noise. The 5-string version is available in 67/70 mm and 70/74 mm models. seymourduncan.com54 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 55



ACCESSORIES DYNAMOUNT ORIGINAL FUZZROBOTIC MICROPHONE MOUNTS STRAPSThis fledgling outfit came to NAMM to debut their Nashville’s Original Fuzz broughtnew app-controlled mic mounts practically at the last a cache of beautiful new straps tominute—after getting 150 percent of their Kickstarter NAMM. The straps themselves featuregoal. The motors let you adjust grille proximity, lateral Peruvian fair-trade, hand-dyed woolpositioning, and mic angle from the convenience of a weaves, and Indian-stamped cotton. Thestudio control room or offstage tech station. Shipping company works without a middleman,in October, Dynamount models range from approx. so the revenues for materials go straight$200 to $600. dynamount.com to the textile makers—making these straps not just comfy, pretty, and unique, but also super cool in terms of international-trade ethics. The Indian- print models are $60, and the Peruvian models are $85. originalfuzz.com WIFO REMOFINGER The slick new RemoFinger’s wireless foot-controller and proprietary, suction- cup-equipped Touch Pointers enable hands-free control of Android and Apple apps (e.g., GarageBand) by letting you assign each of the four footswitches to a pointer (top) that conducts current equal to the human finger. What’s more, it uses the latest ZIGBEE wireless technology—which reportedly switches faster than Bluetooth while using less power. If Wifo meets its Kickstarter goal, RemoFinger is expected to ship in November for $159 street. wifocorp.compremierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 57

TONE TIPS Speakers: The Final Frontier BY PETER THORN Using different E lectric guitarists are always ballpark—proving the huge impact that have an amp speakers for tinkering. Be it amps, guitars, speakers have on overall tone. rated at 50 pedals, or pickups: There’s watts RMS, that different tones seemingly no end to the tonal variables Ceramic magnets don’t compress as means you should use a can yield great we can obsess over. But what about much at higher levels and will generally cab rated at no less than 100 watts power speakers? My good friend John Suhr once sound more even at different volumes. handling (such as a classic Marshall 4x12 results, but if told me that speakers are like a filter—the This could be good or a bad depending with four 25-watt G12M Greenbacks). If you need to final EQ that shapes our guitar tone. This on what you’re going for. In general, they you have a 100-watt Marshall plexi head, month, we’re going to look at speakers exhibit a more even-frequency response know that it will put out 100 watts ofchoose just one and how they contribute to shaping our and tighter bass through a wide range of clean power, but it can put out in excess “all-rounder,” tone. I’ll mainly reference various British- volume levels, and sharper, more-defined of 150 watts peak. You’d need two 4x12 the Celestion style guitar speakers (since I have the and less-compressed highs at higher cabs (each loaded with four 25-watt G12H-75 most direct experience with them), and I volumes than alnico speakers. G12M speakers) to safely absorb all that promise to keep things in layman’s terms! power. Pick your speakers not just for Creamback is a Magnet weight. Generally, the heavier tone, but also for longevity. It’s no fungood contender. Cabinets. While my focus this the magnet is, the more efficient the blowing speakers at a gig! month is on speakers, I should briefly speaker will be. And more efficiency touch on cabs since the cabinet you equals louder. Celestion G12M Different speakers for different load your speakers into also has a huge Greenback speakers have a relatively small tones. What if you like the tone of impact on tone. 35-ounce magnet and produce an output Greenbacks in a closed-back 4x12 for in about the 96-97 dB range. G12H distorted tones, but you dig an open-back Open-back cabs exhibit an airy tone speakers feature a 50-ounce magnet 4x10 for clean tones? Using multiple cabs with great dispersion and chime, and and will generally produce 98-100 dB. with one amp in the studio is easy, but are generally a great choice for clean and Remember: Every increase of 3 dB results live, it’s not so simple. light-gain/distortion tones. Closed-back in a perceived doubling of the volume cabs have more punch and tighter bass level (100 dB will seem twice as loud as There are devices that allow you to response, making them great for mid-gain 97 dB), so if you’re trying to tame a really switch between different amps and/ to higher-gain distortion tones. The type loud amp, a less-efficient speaker can or speaker cabinets on the fly, such you choose should depend on your tonal help. Insofar as tone, H-magnet speakers as the Ampete 222 or 444 (MIDI- end goal, yet there really are no rules. As a seem to exhibit more highs and lows, controlled amp and cab switchers) and general guideline, you might lean towards whereas M-magnet types have full mids the Radial Cabbone (a pedal switcher an open-back cab if you play country, and a “creamier” midrange. that allows toggling between two cabs jazz, indie rock, or blues. If you play using one head). Or, you can come to classic rock, hard rock, or metal, then a Dust caps. The “dust cap” is the part a compromise and find the best “all- closed-back cab might be the way to go. at the center of the speaker. Most guitar rounder” speaker and cab. I really like speakers have either two 1/4\" inch dust the Celestion G12H-75 Creamback Magnet composition. Most guitar caps, or larger 4\" dust caps. Examples of speakers for what I do. They sound great speakers utilize either alnico or ceramic Celestion speakers with smaller dust caps both clean and dirty, and can handle 75 magnets. Alnico magnets tend to be are the Blue, Gold, G12M, G12H, and watts of power. bright at low- to mid-volume levels, but Vintage 30 models. Some examples of sound warmer and more compressed speakers with the larger 4\" dust caps are the Speakers are a huge component of the harder you drive them. They are a Celestion G12T-75 and G12-65 models. A your guitar sound, so I hope these tips huge part of the overall tonal equation larger dust cap will soften and diffuse the help you on the path to speaker-tone when coupled with certain amps such highs, which can work great with certain nirvana. Until next month, happy as early Fender tweed designs or the bright amps or guitars with single-coils. speaker swapping and I wish you nothing venerable Vox AC30. In my opinion, Also, players that use heavy distortion but good tone! an AC30 doesn’t really sound like an might prefer them since they help to AC30 with any speaker other than a smooth out abrasive high-gain tones. PETER THORN 12\" alnico Celestion, or similar variant. is an L.A.-based guitarist who has Interestingly, I’ve found that you can Power handling. My friend Jim toured with Chris Cornell, Melissa plug just about any amp into a 2x12 Seavall (owner of Scumback Speakers) Etheridge, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, and with Celestion alnico speakers and recommends using speakers with a total many others. He released a solo the resulting tone will be in the AC30 wattage rating that’s double the RMS album, Guitar Nerd, in 2011. Read wattage rating of your amp. So if you more at peterthorn.com.58 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com





Photo by Scott Legato/Atlas Icons Firing on all cylinders One band is not enough for Mark Tremonti, and neither is one album. The prolific guitarist discusses working with Wolfgang Van Halen on Cauterize and Dust, and staying inspired through alternate tunings and fingerpicking. BY JOE BOSSOpremierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 61

From left to right: Bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, guitarist Eric Friedman, and Mark Tremonti playlive as Tremonti. It would be perfectly understandable if Mark Tremonti Baskette to cut All I Was. The album marks Tremonti’s debut woke up some mornings asking himself, “What band as a lead vocalist. am I in today?” In addition to his two-decade stint as a member of the multi-platinum outfit Creed, the The bass slot in Tremonti’s band has been a bit of a sticking guitar virtuoso leads a double (or is it triple?) life with point until recently. For those keeping score at home, it goes the successful four-piece Alter Bridge and the recent something like this: Friedman played bass on All I Was, and Creed/ solo project that bears his surname, Tremonti. Alter Bridge bassist Brian Marshall performed with the group “It can be a bit of a juggling act, but it’s not as crazy as you briefly on tour. When Marshall had to bow out, Tremonti’s good might think,” Tremonti says with a laugh. “I just have to do friend Wolfgang Van Halen replaced him, becoming a full-fledged a lot of planning ahead, but that’s okay because I like to keep band member in 2013. Van Halen plays bass on Tremonti’s just- busy. No matter what band I’m working with at any given time, released follow-up, the altogether robust Cauterize, as well as on I’m always in songwriting mode, and that makes everything the upcoming Dust, due later this year. But as it goes with this easier for me. Sometimes when you shut it off for a few months, gang of multitasking musicians, Van Halen had to forgo touring it’s hard to get it back. I’m always firing on all cylinders when it with Tremonti to hit the road with that arena-filling group his comes to keeping the imagination going.” father leads. Tanner Keegan is filling in as Tremonti’s live bassist. Tremonti’s restless nature was the impetus for his latest “It was definitely a bummer when we found out that Wolfgang venture. Back in 2011, Alter Bridge singer and guitarist Myles couldn’t tour with us,” Tremonti says, “but we always knew that Kennedy was booked for a three-month tour fronting Slash’s might come up. Van Halen is, obviously, his priority, and we band (later rechristened Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and understand that. There will be other opportunities down the line to the Conspirators), so Tremonti, flush with songs, rounded have him play live with us, and we can’t wait for that to happen.” up rhythm guitarist Eric Friedman, drummer Garrett Whitlock, and longtime producing pal Michael “Elvis” We spoke with Tremonti about his two new albums, working with Wolfgang, his foray into fingerpicking, and whether Creed will ever return to action.62 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com



The newest The first album was you, Eric, and member of Garrett, with Eric overdubbing bass. Tremonti is Did it feel more like a band this time Wolfgang Van with you, Eric, Garrett, and Wolfgang? Halen, who Absolutely. Having all of us togetherplayed on both makes a big difference, especially when Cauterize and you’re piecing song ideas together with all Dust. “He’s the guys playing at the same time. When definitely one you don’t hear that bass guitar fillingof the best bass those frequency ranges, you don’t feel that players I’ve low end and you’re just hoping for the encountered,” best in the end. This time, we heard that says Tremonti. low end right away, and I think it helped the songs, the vibe, everything. Wolfie really locks in great with Garrett. This music is quite different from what he plays in Van Halen. Did it take him a while to get used to working with another drummer? No, not at all. He’s a master at what he does. He just comes in and owns it. He’s a very gifted musician, and it only takes him moments to get a grasp of riffs and ideas. He’s definitely one of the best bass players I’ve encountered. What’s it like knowing that, because of YOUTUBE IT Wolfgang, Eddie Van Halen is going to hear your guitar playing? This live clip gives a up-close look at Mark Tremonti I don’t really think about that too annihilating his fretboard on the title track to his new much. We’re just buds hanging out and album, “Cauterize,” including a cool fingerpicked outro. being excited about our music. Sure, it’s YouTube search term: awesome knowing that Eddie Van Helen Tremonti Cauterize live at Welcome to Rockville 2015 is eventually going to hear your records, but it’s not something we’re constantly ways to express myself. Working with Is it ever awkward working with talking about. When Wolfgang is around, alternate tunings has been my creative Brian Marshall? He was in Tremonti he’s just Wolfgang. We don’t really think savior. Whenever I hit a wall, I just find originally and left the band, yet you of the Van Halen thing because we’re not a new tuning, and suddenly I’ve got a still play together in Alter Bridge. around it. The only time that happens is whole new world of possibilities. No, not at all, because he never was when we play L.A., and his dad comes to a really in Tremonti—he was just filling show. Then it’s like, “Oh, man…” and you What kinds of lead tricks were you in on the live side. He didn’t play on remember, “This is Eddie Van Halen.” trying not to repeat? the record, and I think he only played There are certain patterns I love and three or four dates with us. He had the Are there still things that you can’t do gravitate toward. If I’ve done them three opportunity to be in the band, but he on guitar, but want to? or four times in my career, I try to be had personal stuff going on and had to Oh, absolutely. I’m always trying to aware of that and change things up. I step out to deal with some things. We challenge myself and learn new things, always want to come up with something had to find a replacement, and that’s so when the next record comes out I’m that pushes me in another direction. how we got Wolfgang. not just repeating myself. On the last few records I tried not to do some of my favorite lead tricks, just because I’ve done them before. I need to come up with new ideas, techniques, tunings, and just new64 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

You wrote 25 songs for Cauterize. There are slower songs, heavier songs— impression again. So yeah, things can floatWhen did you know it would yield both albums have pretty similar flows. to the top of the pile like that sometimes. I’m glad I split them up because I wantanother record? people to be hungry for the next record. I How do you and Eric divvy up guitarNot until a little later. I talked with want them to know this record inside and parts in the studio?Elvis, and I said, “I’ve got a ton of out before the next one comes out. If it I just have my parts and I play them.material I want to get out. Let’s make was a really long record, they might have Then Eric puts whatever he wants onthe most of your time.” We decided too much to sift through. top of them. In this band, I’m notto do 20 of the 25 songs I wrote—we some dictator telling everybody hownarrowed them down in preproduction. What’s the ratio of riffs you keep to to play their parts. I just come up withThen we went ahead and recorded ones you ditch? the original ideas. Whatever anybodyeverything, not knowing how we’d The older I get, the looser I get with just puts on it is up to them, unless it’srelease it all. When it came down to erasing ideas. Back in the day, I used to completely distracting, which neveralmost the mixing stage, I looked at the horde ideas. If something was decent, I’d happens. Everybody’s so talented inwhole package and decided, “I grew up keep it. Nowadays I go through what I this band— that’s why I partnered upwith records that had eight songs on have, and if something doesn’t excite me, with them.them. That’s how I see this.” I immediately get rid of it. [Pause.] Well, not always. If something’s decent, I’ll let What were your main guitars on Records with eight or 10 songs are it live for a little bit before I erase it. I let Cauterize?very digestible. When I was a kid, that’s it give me a few opportunities to impress My signature model—that’s all I used.how many songs were on records, and me or just to bore me. For this album, my brother called PRSthey’re some of my favorite albums ever. and got them to send us 12 guitars,They never seemed short. Now when A lot of times I write and don’t and we tracked 12 of the songs withbands put out 15 or 16 songs on records, look back at what I’ve done for a good those individual guitars. Those are theI get lost—it’s too much stuff. month or so. That way something will guitars that fans were able to get. TwelveDoing two shorter records with as many be completely fresh—I’ll have that firstdynamics as possible feels right to me.premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 65

Mark Tremonti is MARK TREMONTI’S GEAR a man of many bands, and a GUITARS man of many PRS guitars. But PRS Mark Tremonti Signature Model, SE, SE this charcoal- Custom Mark Tremonti Signature Model burst single-cut is his absolute Amps favorite. “I use that on Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier anything tuned Bogner Uberschall PRS Archona half-step down Cornford RK100 or in standard Van Weelden Twinklelandtuning,” he says. Effects Morley Mark Tremonti Wah Ibanez TS 808HW Tube Screamer T-Rex Mark Tremonti Phase Shifter Dunlop Uni-Vibe T-Rex Octavius Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus Voodoo Lab Ground Control and GCX Switcher Radial Tonebone Picks and Strings D’Addario strings (bottom three strings from an .011 set, top three from a .010 set) Dunlop 1 mm nylon picks of the songs we tracked with different What amps did you use? run with the effects to make all the Photo by Scott Legato/Atlas Icons signature models. I brought in my Mesa/Boogie Rectifier, atmospheric stuff on top of the rhythms. my Bogner Uberschall, my Cornford I’m more of a straightforward kind of Now, which signature model are we RK100, and the PRS Archon for all the guy—my tone is very direct and dry. I talking here? You have more than one. lead and rhythm stuff. Depending on the don’t really like anything other than just Yeah, I have three versions. There’s an sound, we’d mix and match amps. For a slight delay on my stuff. Every now and SE, SE Custom, and the American- some of the cleaner or half-dirty stuff, then if I’m feeling moody, I’ll put a Uni- made signature model, which I used on I used the Van Weelden Twinkleland. I Vibe on. I like the T-Rex Octavius pedal, the record. The other guitars are made brought in a ton of amps, but those are too, but I hardly ever use it. in Korea. the ones that made the cut. Let’s talk about some of the songs on What about the other eight songs What about effects? Cauterize. On “Arm Yourself,” the solo you recorded? We’re fans of the [Electro-Harmonix] is very languid, and you play some I just picked my favorite two guitars. I Micro Synth. That thing has definitely country-sounding double-stop bends. have a charcoal-burst single-cut, which showed its face on a lot of Alter Bridge I like the opportunity to do a solo is my absolute favorite PRS. I use that and Tremonti records. There’s this Foxx that’s a little untypical of me. Playing a on anything tuned a half-step down overdrive that Elvis loves—we use that. fingerstyle thing made it different from or in standard tuning. Anything below Of course, I use a [signature] Morley the rest of the album. I like giving myself that, I would use one of my other Power Wah. But in both Tremonti and a challenge like that. I’ve been getting single-cuts. Alter Bridge, it’s Miles or Eric who really into fingerstyle stuff recently. Actually,66 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com



Tremonti is my fingers are killing me today, because I “My fingers are killing me today, releasing two went full blast at it the other night on an because I went full blast at it thealbums this year acoustic guitar. It just about tore up my other night on an acoustic guitar.” and planning three fingers because they’re not used to it. Maybe there will be more fingerstyle “Fall Again” is a strange track—in a songs. “Fall Again” was one of them. one with his on the next record. Who knows? That intro was me doing volume swellsother band, Alter good way. Did you always have that with my guitar. I found this really greatBridge, for 2016. “Dark Trip” is a very somber song, ominous reverse delay intro and outro? preset on a plugin called Atmosphere— but you offset the overall sound with a I did, yeah. When Creed was breaking it sounds incredible—so I used that for As for Creed? screaming solo. up and I was putting Alter Bridge the intro and outro. Actually, what you “You never say I’m glad you pointed that one out. The together, I bought a studio and took hear is from a demo I did in 2001 or never,” says the “Dark Trip” solo could be one of my some engineering courses. I bought a 2002. We tried to recreate it, but the favorites on both the records. It was one I Pro Tools rig and recorded about 10 guitarist. wanted to put a ton of emotion into. It’s not too much flash, but it’s got just the right amount of notes. I wanted it to be powerful, Photo by Scott Legato/Atlas Icons but also something that would just sing.68 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

original demo sounded great, so we just In preproduction, he becomes the fifth this is a really fun song.” I was like,kept it. band member in terms of arrangements “See? I told you.” and transitions. When we put togetherIn the outro to the song “Cauterize,” the 25 songs I wrote for these records, First impressions are always tough.you play a delicate fingerstyle version we worked up arrangements as quickly That’s the toughest thing about being aof the chorus. Is that how you first as possible, knowing that we were going producer: Bands have lived with stuff forcame up with the song? to go back in and tear the arrangements months or years, and you’re just hearingThat was actually the whole origin of the apart during pre-production. Elvis their material for the first time. Notsong. I was playing that part and really becomes another crucial decision-maker everything is an instant listen. With “Armliked the melody, so I started singing over in things like, “Hey, how can we make Yourself,” I think that song just took himit, and I thought it was a great chorus. this transition better?” He’s just great a minute to figure out.The fingerpicked part got kicked to the with the flow of songs.curb, but I didn’t want to let it go to Are there any plans to do a Creedwaste, so I brought it back for the outro. But do you ever lock horns? Sometimes record or tour? Obviously, Scott StappI play that kind of thing at home. I sit a strong dissenting opinion can be a has had some issues recently …down to write and I float around on good kick in the pants. We don’t have any plans right now. I’vesome fingerstyle stuff, and before I know We rarely butt heads like that. The only got so much going on at the moment thatit a melody comes out, which I have to disagreement we had on this record was I’m happy with, so it’d be tough to fit inchase down. I get a lot of ideas that way. when he said that “Arm Yourself ” was anything else right now. But you never say his least-favorite song, which took us never. We just haven’t had anybody approachYou’ve worked with Elvis for quite a all by surprise. We were all like, “Wow, us and say, “These people want you forwhile. How does he push you creatively? that’s one of our favorites.” It’s probably a tour,” or “So-and-so is interested in aI just trust him. I know that when the heaviest song on the record. By the record.” And like I said, I’ve got two recordsthe album’s done, it’s going to sound time we recorded it and it was time for that have to come out this year, and I’ve gotamazing, and it’ll be the best it can be. me to do vocals, he was like, “You know, an Alter Bridge record next year. My plate’s pretty full at the moment. It’s all good.premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 69

IF IT AIN’T BROKE ... Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan reveals why the band chose to mix covers and reinterpreted originals on their latest album, and why he still plays the first guitar and amp he bought as a kid. BY ALEX MAIOLO70 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

Photo by Dusdin Condrenpremierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 71

When did you first start playing guitar? I had some folk guitar lessons when I was very young—before I was 10, for sure. My mom played guitar, so I grew up around it, and both my parents were folk music fans. The Weavers loomed very large in our household and community, and I’m sure Hootenanny was an influence on my parents. Both of them wanted their kids to take music lessons of some sort, and when I showed interest in the guitar, they encouraged me to take those lessons. Did you identify guitar with a particular band you admired? Like a lot of people my age, seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show was a turning point. I started playing my nylon string acoustic with a pick, which beat the crap out of the wood. My mom had a pickguard put on it because I was just sanding it down, inadvertently, with the pick.F or 30 years, Yo La Tengo has been combining fuzz guitar freak-outs and When did you get your first electric? gorgeous vocal harmonies to create sweet, somnolent pop served with an I bought a Stratocaster in the late ’60s or arid sense of humor. While many guitarists who were part of the ’90s indie- very early ’70s—it’s the one I continue rock explosion steered clear of lengthy solos, YLT’s guitarist and singer Ira to play today. I wanted an electric guitar, Kaplan embraces them. Equally at home throwing out a flurry of notes or and a neighbor told me about someonebending a single tone into howling feedback and holding it for measures, Kaplan draws he knew who was selling a guitar andequally from downtown NYC minimalists and such Bowery hotshots as Robert Quine. amp. Pre-internet, I somehow managed to determine it was a good deal. So I bought Though Yo La Tengo has a deep, eclectic catalog of original songs, fans have come this Stratocaster and Vibrolux I use to thisto expect a few inspired covers in every live set. Released in 1990, Fakebook contained day. I don’t know the exact year of either,11 such favorites, and now—a quarter of a century later—YLT has released Stuff Like but the Vibrolux is a blackface.That There as its companion. Who were your main electric guitar We spoke with Kaplan about this new album, his first electric guitar and amp (both influences?of which he still uses), what it’s like to be content with aging effects, and his other Oh god, I was never that person. I nevercovers project. tried to learn songs off records. I’d try to72 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

LL16R Get to know L-Series here: 4wrd.it/LSeriesPRG Catch Yamaha L-Series on the road this summer with The Smashing Pumpkins’ ©2015 Yamaha Corporation of America. All rights reserved. In Plainsong - An Acoustic-Electro Photos of Billy and Jeff were shot on location at Chicago’s Virgin Hotel. Evening tour!Monuments to an Elegy

No relic job learn the chords off records, but the idea YOUTUBE IT required: Ira of learning parts—“Oh, I love this JeffKaplan digs into Beck song, I’m going to try to figure out In this video for “From a Motel 6,” from YLT’s 1993 album, Painful, his worn ’60s what he’s doing”—was so alien to me. I indie film director Hal Hartley has the band set up and take down Strat—his first didn’t even realize I was supposed to be their gear just for the brief freak-out guitar solo. ever electric. doing it. I came from a real hippie town, YouTube search term: U-MV170 – Yo La Tengo – From a Motel 6 “It’s the one I so the long guitar solo was definitelycontinue to play a popular item in my circle of friends. late-’70s bands like Television. album definitely caused a huge change intoday,” he says. Whether it was the Allman Brothers, the In the period I’m talking about, those my listening habits. Grateful Dead, or Eric Clapton, I was bands didn’t exist yet. The Velvet soaking up all that. Underground existed, but I wasn’t Stuff Like That There is Yo La Tengo’s Photo by Matt Condon familiar with them until later. The first second covers record, and covers have That’s surprising—I’ve always record of theirs I heard was 1969: The always been a big part of your live set. associated Yo La Tengo with a very Velvet Underground Live, but I certainly How do you pick them? downtown New York feel, in the vein of didn’t hear it when it came out. That It just happens. I remember a show we74 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

Occasionally IRA KAPLAN’S GEAR WORLD’S LARGEST ... I’ll get so DIRECT CUSTOM tangled up in GUITARSwhat I’m doing SHOPthat James and 1960s Fender Stratocaster ORDER YOURS Georgia have 1960s Fender Coronadoto kind of lurch TODAY to turn what AMPSI’m doing back always madeinto something 1960s Fender Vibrolux in resembling 1960s Fender Super Reverb america music.” EFFECTS www.CarvinGuitars.com Boss Tuner 858 GUITARS Vox wah Pro Co RAT (2) PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 75 Boss Turbo Overdrive Boss Compressor Boss EQ Line 6 MM4 Line 6 DL4 DigiTech PDS 8000 Echo Plus STRINGS & PICKS Dunlop Tortex .60 mm .011 setsplayed in Asheville, North Carolina, when You’re already releasing covers as Yo Lathere was a biblical rainstorm. I honestly Tengo, so what inspired you to record adidn’t believe anybody was going to come out covers record under the band nameto that show, but a couple of people did. We Condo Fucks?thought well, let’s make this day topical, so at That wasn’t planned. When I have time, I playsoundcheck, we worked up three songs about with the A-Bones [a Brooklyn garage-rockrain. We’ve also played parties over the years band]. They were playing at a bar in Brooklynand taken requests. we were fond of that was about to close, so we offered ourselves as the A-Bones’ opening act. We draw up a list of songs we feel like We weren’t going to do a Yo La Tengo set, sodoing again and then simply whittle it down. we wanted to perform under a different name.Both Fakebook and Stuff Like That There were We came up with the name Condo Fucks andsimilar in that regard. If I remember correctly, picked 11 songs to cover that night. Thennone of the covers on Fakebook were new to James [McNew, YLT’s bass player] had gottenus when we recorded them, but in the case of some new microphones or a Pro Tools update,Stuff Like That There, there are actually four or perhaps. Whatever the reason, James suggestedfive songs we learned specifically for it. Once we record a rehearsal so he could practice.we’d mentally committed ourselves to making We ran through the set twice and recordedthis record and started rehearsing, all sorts of it. Listening back, we thought, “Wow, thatideas kept coming to us and we kept trying sounds good, we should put this out.” Onceout different things.premierguitar.com

we came up with the title Fuckbook, we the singer from the ’60s band, the Box you’re going to take an extended solo orknew we had to release it. Tops, who had that song “The Letter.” draw a song out a little longer? This was before Big Star. It seemed It depends on the song. There’s usuallyYo La Tengo predates early-’90s British impossible that this was the guy from the a look. You can only go so long, butdream pop and shoegaze bands, but Box Tops. It was so different from that, occasionally I come out of those thingsyou get lumped in with them a lot. Did and I loved them. on the wrong beat. I’ll get so tangledyou feel any kinship with those bands? up in what I’m doing that James andWell, My Bloody Valentine, for sure. We Soon after that show, I found out Georgia have to kind of lurch to turncertainly felt a kinship with gazing at how much of Alex’s solo repertoire was what I’m doing back into somethingour shoes and nothing else. I remember from the three Big Star records. Two of resembling music.a friend of mine giving us a copy of them had been released, but Third hadn’tLoveless, saying we should hear it, been issued yet. At that point, I started You sometimes play a Fenderthinking we were going to love it as much tracking down Big Star’s music, getting Coronado, which has a reputation asas we did. We were big fans of that band copies of #1 Record and Radio City, and difficult to play and handle. What doin particular. then I snapped up Third when it came you like about it? out. I don’t know if it’s just because That it’s difficult to handle [laughs]. It’s aHow much of an influence did the that was my introduction, but in a lot feedback machine!more poppy bands of the ’70s, like of ways, I preferred Alex’s solo band toBig Star, change the way you thought Big Star. The anarchy of it all. Third is If you had to limit yourself to threeabout guitar? a perfect record in every way, but the pedals, tuner not included, what wouldWell, my introduction to Big Star was “what’s going to happen next?” aspect of they be?actually through Chris Stamey, of the the solo shows was really special to me. Well, I’ve used a RAT for so manydB’s. I went to see Alex Chilton’s solo years. I keep wanting to use somethingproject at CBGB. A friend suggested Your band is unrestrained and able to else, something groovier. We have allgoing to see him, and identified him as improvise fairly easily. How do things these boutique fuzz boxes, but I’m so fall into place onstage when you decide PLAY LONGER PLAY LOUDER PLAY HARDER www.bourns.com/proaudio76 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

comfortable with the RAT. I can get a You can’t be different if you’re playing what everyone else is. Visit reverendguitars.com to start your journey to becoming an individual. bring avariety of sounds with it, and I know howto get them quickly. to the Along similar lines, I’ve used my old PREMIER GUITAR SEPTE6M/16B/1E5R 2101:1455 A7M7DigiTech Echo Plus for so many years. It’sa delay pedal that also has looping. Eventhough it’s so noisy and hard to get repaired,it just feels like the 7th string of the guitar.Then there’s a more modern delay with alooper that I like—the green Line 6 DL4.It’s just so easy and great to use.Take us through your signal path.Two RATs, a Vox wah, a Boss Compressor,a Boss Turbo Overdrive, a Boss EQ, andthe DigiTech Echo Plus, mainly. Once Iget something, I rarely switch from it. Asyou’re probably discerning, I’m not someonewho tries out a lot of new things and thenthinks, “Oh, this is doing the same thing,only better!” It’s more like, “I’ve already gotone.” So things that I’ve had over the yearstend to stay. I have a switch that routes the wah toone amp or both amps. Everything to theright of the wah is going to both amps, andeverything to the left of the wah is goingjust to one of the amps. That’s why thereare two RAT pedals. I have the option ofplaying one amp clean or using both amps.And what are those two amps?One is the old Vibrolux I’ve had forever.It has a 12\" speaker in it instead of two 10s.The second amp is usually a Super Reverb. Ifonly one amp is distorted, it’ll be the Super.Your reverb and tremolo come from theamp and not stompboxes?That’s right.In the video for “From a Motel 6,” thewhole band sets up its gear, you playa 15-second solo, and then the bandimmediately tears everything back down.Who thought of that?That was mainly [film director] HalHartley’s idea. I had the idea of us settingup and breaking down as part of it, but itwas Hal who had the concept of makingthat the entire video. I figured it was justgoing to be an element, but it turned outto be the whole thing. I thought that washilarious.premierguitar.com VintageKing_PG_0615_Guitar_PRINT.indd 1

ACOUSTIC SOUNDBOARDThe Intersection of Creativity and TechnologyBY LARRY FISHMANItravel a lot and meet all types of peo- dozen classical albums for my dad and cables” in the past without ple. Casual conversations on airplanes some Leroy Anderson pop stuff that being impressed, I didn’t give his or in hotel bars invariably lead to my mom liked. Boy, did it sound great! suggestion much further thought.“what do you do?” questions. Sometimes I listened to each album hundreds of But six months later, during the last hourswhen I’m tired, I feel like telling people times. The first record I bought was Fats of a four-day NAMM show, I found myselfI’m a plumber or insurance salesman. If Domino’s rock ’n’ roll classic “Blueberry walking by the small booth showing theseI say I design acoustic amplification gear, Hill.” I was hooked for life! cables. I bought a couple of 1/4\" instrumentthe response is often, “Gee, I thought cables and one microphone cable. I shipped‘acoustic’ meant the guitars weren’t ampli- Another lifelong passion was awakened them back to my shop, where they sat onfied.” It can take substantial energy to about the same time during a visit to my workbench for four months.explain the difference between acoustic my grandparents. My grandfather was aguitars, electric guitars, and amplified tinkerer who was always fixing things. He I often work late. Once I found myselfacoustic guitars to a non-musician. gave me a canvas bag of old hand tools finishing a new transducer design at and some beat-up lawn-mower engines to 1 o’clock in the morning. I needed to When you think about it though, their mess around with. Much to the chagrin hang around for another hour while theresponses are natural. After all, acoustic of my parents, I was soon bombing adhesive hardened on a pickup I wasamplification often means applying modern around the neighborhood in my own testing. While waiting, the cables ontools and technology to musical instruments wooden go-kart running on baby carriage my bench caught my eye, so I decidedthat were designed and optimized centuries wheels and powered by a lawn-mower to check them out. Since I was in anago. The art of the instrument designer, engine with no muffler, belching smoke engineering mood, I did some tests,the technology that we bring to bear, and and spewing oil. I was convinced I would measuring their electrical propertiesthe creativity of the musician who will be the next Stirling Moss. and running some sweeps and impulse-ultimately play the instrument all reside at a response tests. As I’d expected, I foundbusy and often confusing intersection. Okay, you’re asking yourself, what nothing outstanding compared to the does this have to do with acoustic lower-cost “standard” cables in our studio. Properly understood and applied, amplification? Plenty! My earlytechnology can open the floodgates of experiences led me to literally thousands But as I was about to leave, I decidedcreativity. But when technology isn’t of blues and jazz gigs as a bass player, to actually have a listen. I plugged in aunderstood or properly applied, its years of great car building and racing really nice Martin guitar, and what I heardmesmerizing nature can impede or even experiences, and later, a career as a made my jaw drop! By the time the sundestroy the creative process. The most mechanical engineer and amplification rose hours later, I’d played literally dozenssuccessful navigators of that intersection gear designer. These life experiences have of guitars and basses through our recordingof creativity and technology are those shaped the way I approach problems. gear and every amp in the shop. I waswho recognize that their personal biases There’s creative passion from the musician totally blown away! The sound clarity andand tendencies can easily corrupt the side, but also an engineer’s analytical touch responsiveness was far better beyonddecision process. approach to gear. And it’s precisely this anything I’d ever experienced. mix that almost prevented me from We all have a story. Here’s mine. experiencing something very special. I’d indeed chosen the right road at that critical intersection. If I’d strictly followed myThe Fishman Flyer Cable Reconsidered analytical nature, I would’ve totally missedI grew up in a very small town in the About three years ago I was working on something remarkable yet unexplainable.foothills of the Catskill Mountains in a project that required serious recording When you find yourself at a crossroads, beupstate New York. I have fond memories with very high-end guitars and very special aware of your story and your nature, and tryof summer trips to the mountain lakes, microphones. As usual when I get involved to set aside your biases and preconceptions.bike rides with my friends to our favorite in this type of project, I travelled to Nashville You never know what amazing experiencesfishing streams, climbing trees full of to work with my friend and recording might be just around the corner.apples in the fall, and endless hours of mentor Bil VornDick. Several times duringsledding and ice skating on frozen ponds the three-day session, Bil would urge me to LARRY FISHMAN is presidentin the winter—plenty of fun, but nothing check out a new mic and instrument cable and founder of Fishmanparticularly inspiring. design he was enamored with. Transducers, which he began in his garage in 1981. In the early This all changed when my parents From my perspective, wire was wire. ’90s, he also co-founded andbrought home a brand new Silvertone Having tried many expensive “miracle managed Parker Guitars (whichconsole record player, along with a half was later sold to U.S. Music Corp.) with his friend Ken Parker.78 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

50 years ofcraftsmanship,tone and beauty.Introducing the new Alvarez 1965 seriesFor more information, please visit: www.alvarezguitars.com/1965-series



Photo by Stephen Odompremierguitar.com PROG MASTERCLASS Between the Buried and Me’s Paul Waggoner discusses his evolving technique, how to play with feel, his new signature axe, and why he’ll always love his pedals. BY TZVI GLUCKIN PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 81

What did you listen to growing up? I became a teenager in the early ’90s when the Seattle/grunge/alternative thing was happening. I fell in love with that sound and that style of guitar playing. I would learn Pearl Jam songs, Nirvana songs, Alice in Chains, all that stuff— Smashing Pumpkins was big for me. From there I got into heavier music and obviously metal and stuff like that. I also got into jazz fusion players like Pat Metheny and Allan Holdsworth. Were you learning Metheny and Holdsworth songs note-for-note like you would with rock songs? I didn’t necessarily study their music note-for-note—it was more that I loved their playing styles. It became apparent to me that I also wanted to develop a style unto my own, using those guys as inspiration. rogressive metal—progressive rock’s redheaded stepchild—embraces How did they inspire you? virtuosity and overindulgence in all their unfettered glory. Think In the case of Pat Metheny, I just 10-minute songs, ambitious themes, linear soundscapes, tough-to- thought he wrote really good songs. I execute unison phrases, odd meters, and racks of high-tech gear. loved the structure of his music and At the genre’s outlier edge, if you will, crafting intricate album- the perspective of creating these very length compositions and challenging listeners with each release, linear soundscapes, as opposed to just is the North Carolina quintet Between the Buried and Me. verse/chorus/verse/chorus-type songs. I Guitarist Paul Waggoner and singer/keyboardist Tommy Rogers loved their approach to melody and also founded the band in 2000. They recorded two albums with their tones. Holdsworth has that very various musicians before settling into their current lineup (Dustie distinctive tone—it’s very horn-like—and Waring on guitar, Dan Briggs on bass, and Blake Richardson on I appreciated that as well.  drums) with the release of their third album, Alaska, in 2005. It’s rare to find guitarists who play BTBAM is unquestionably prog, but their metal roots run deep. with proper technique. How did you Front and center is the twin guitar assault of Waggoner and Waring. Both develop yours? guitarists boast serious skill, killer tone, and keen melodic sensibilities. They use In my formative years as a player, I took high-end guitars, too—Waggoner plays his signature Ibanez PWM100 and Waring lessons for about a year and learned uses his signature PRS model—and run them through Fractal Axe-Fx units, Mesa/ the value of playing properly. It wasn’t Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty amps, and Port City cabs. so much playing for speed that was The band’s just-released seventh full-length album, Coma Ecliptic, is heavy and important—rather, it was being able to thematic, and it has more keyboard than previous records. “That’s a new thing for hear the notes and hear some clarity in us,” Waggoner says, “and as a guitar player you have to make room for that.” It’s also a the playing. There has to be some control tough pill for a metal 6-stringer to swallow. “It’s kind of a sting to the ego,” he admits. to your playing, especially with the type “Sometimes it’s been about bringing the guitars back a notch and playing less—you of music we play, which is sometimesknow, that whole ‘less is more’ thing. But it always seems to have a positive effect.” very technical and rigidly structured. It Be it more keyboards or cowbell, BTBAM is ultimately a guitar band. Waggoner has to be played well, otherwise it won’tshared his thoughts on developing technique, his new signature guitar, and why— sound very good. But I’ve also recentlydespite his Fractal Axe-Fx—he’ll never stop using stompboxes. learned that there’s value to being what I call a “feel player”—just feeling the music and not hyper-focusing on the technique aspect. I think a little bit of both is82 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com



Between the important. But my specialty, I suppose, is Buried and Me the technique. Playing for clarity, cleanlyco-founder Paul and in time [laughs].Waggoner plays Did you spend a lot of time practicing his signature with a metronome? Is that importantIbanez during a for younger players to do? blistering tent I definitely did in the early days. I didset at Bonnaroo the whole thing: start slow, increase in Manchester, the speed, back it off some more. The metronome was a huge part of my Tennessee, on practice regiment. It is important. I June 12, 2015. recommend it for kids, especially when you get into more advanced techniques. Kids these days want to do sweep Two Head(stock)s Are Better Than One picking and economy picking and techniques that allow them to play faster, Between the Buried and Me is a two-guitar band by design, with Paul but if you can’t play in time and with Waggoner and Dustie Waring splitting the job. “I’ve always liked clarity, it’s kind of pointless. dual-guitar attacks,” Waggoner says. “A prime example is a band like Iron Maiden. They’re sometimes doing three-part harmonies with Do you do different exercises to keep three guitars. I love guitar harmonies. Just about any lead we do, we harmonize. To me, that is what guitars are supposed to do.” your fingers limber? I have my own little routine I came Two guitarists can create incredible music, but the formula doesn’t up with over the years, which involves always work. Guitarists can be notorious egomaniacs. According to string-skipping exercises. I do a mixture Waggoner—the pair’s senior member—BTBAM doesn’t have that of legato exercises as well as alternate problem. “We’ve been playing together for long enough that our picking exercises. All those things for chemistry is very natural. I can’t even remember a time recently me now are just to get me loosened where we had a debate over who plays what.” up. The hope is that I’ve been playing long enough now that most everything Part of this success stems from the players’ different styles and is motor memory. But you do have to approach to effects. “Typically, if it’s a more mechanical, technical loosen up your muscles, especially as you kind of part, I’ll play that,” says Waggoner. “That’s my forte. But if it get older and they don’t work as well as calls for something kind of bluesy or more effect-driven—like swells they used to. or things played on a delay patch—that’s more Dustie’s style. We each have our own style, and that makes it easy to decide who plays what.” Do you practice with or without an amp? Usually if I’m just doing my little warm- Both guitarists use the Fractal Axe-Fx, but similar gear doesn’t ups, I do it without an amp. You can necessarily mean similar tones. “Even with rhythm tones, Dustie’s really tell if you’re playing well without sound is a bit more saturated—a bit more low end,” Waggoner says. an amp because there’s nothing there “Mine is less gainy with a little more punch. You have both ends of to mask poor technique. When you’re the spectrum, and they work well together.” playing through an amp, especially with distortion on, there’s a lot more For Coma Ecliptic, Waggoner and Waring spent hours in the studio margin for error. I force myself to play discovering tones and searching for the right sounds to fit their without an amp just so I can focus on the parts. “We approach every single variable with the utmost attention,” nuances—you know, pick attack and stuff Waggoner says. “Like, ‘Let’s use this guitar. Let’s split the coils on like that. You can hear if a note buzzes the pickups and see what that sounds like.’ And it isn’t just about the and say, “Oh man, I’m not hitting that as Axe-Fx. We used Mesa amps and PRS amps and Fenders—anything cleanly as I should.” that had the sound we were going for, we were willing to give a shot. Sometimes we would come across a sound we really liked and then Did you study theory and harmony? try some other stuff. But then it was like, ‘You know what? After Photo by Douglas Mason When I was in high school, I took an everything was tried, the first thing was best.’ And that’s just part of advanced placement music theory course the process.” and learned the basics of theory—part84 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

writing, scale theory, chord theory—and “There are times where we’rethat really stuck with me. I wouldn’t say alternating between measures of 5/4it’s vital to what I do, but it certainly and 7/4 and 5/8—that can all happenhelps. It does two things: First, itallows you to communicate with other within the confines of one riff.”musicians. Then, as a songwriting tool,it gives you a guideline—like a multiple try to do rhythmically—our drummer That’s the goal. If we can get a non-choice. When you get stumped and can’t is really good at it—is to make it groove musical ear to listen to it, think thattell where you want to go to next for in a way that doesn’t sound like it’s in an it sounds good, and think that it hasa certain part, sometimes good theory odd meter. Not necessarily in 4/4, but a a groove, then we’ve done our job.knowledge allows you to have options. more groove-able odd meter. There are Sometimes there are certain parts where times where we’re alternating between we’re able to achieve a solid groove,Talk about playing in odd meters. Do measures of 5/4 and 7/4 and 5/8—that but there are other parts designed toyou just come up with grooves, or do can all happen within the confines of one sound super crazy and weird. We don’tyou deliberately seek out unusual riff. The real challenge is to put that all necessarily want the listener to knowtime signatures? together and make it sound seamless, like what the hell we’re doing—it’s meant toThat’s a good question. When I was one solid groove. sound like pure chaos.younger I was always trying to do stuffin odd meters because I was trying to be You see it when you watch your Does everyone introduce ideas for songs?different—or rather, we were trying to be audience. They’re pumping their fists We all write and come up with ideas.different. But now—people don’t believe in the air in time. Sometimes we send ideas back and forthus—it’s just natural. We just write music,and it ends up being in some bizarremeter. Oftentimes it might even changefrom measure to measure. One thing wepremierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 85

PAUL WAGGONER’S GEAR Photo by Douglas Mason86 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 GUITARS Ibanez PWM100 Paul Waggoner signature model with Mojotone PW Hornet signature pickups AMPS Fractal Axe-Fx II Mesa/Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty power amp 2 Port City 2x12 cabinets (one with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers and one with WGS Veteran 30 speakers) EFFECTS Wampler Faux Tape Echo Wampler Leviathan Fuzz Strymon TimeLine Delay Port City Salem Boost TC Electronic PolyTune STRINGS D’Addario strings (.011–.056 with a wound G) premierguitar.com

over the computer. We have a whiteboard “We all feed off of one another.at our rehearsal space [laughs]. We all Once you get four other people givingfeed off of one another. Once you get their input, that’s when the ideas fleshfour other people giving their input,that’s when the ideas flesh out and start out and start sounding really cool.”sounding really cool. You don’t run the Axe-Fx direct, but pretty bright-sounding wood. I designedHow do you know when is song through a power amp. some pickups with Mojotone that we’reis finished? Yeah, we don’t do the direct thing like a calling the PW Hornets. They highlightA lot of people would say we don’t know lot of people do. We still prefer a tube the brightness of the guitar withoutwhen it’s over soon enough. [Laughs]. I power amp. We run through a Mesa overdoing it. The bridge pickup has adon’t know. It just clicks. And sometimes Stereo 50, and from there into two 2x12 ceramic magnet that gives me that punchwe take layers away. A lot of “addition by Port City cabs.  I need for the high gain stuff. The necksubtraction” happens. We just tinker with pickup is a totally opposite approach:it until it sounds right. Tell us about your Ibanez signature It has an alnico magnet and a friendlier guitar. sound. The guitar will come stock withLet’s talk gear. You have the Fractal It’s called the PWM100. It’s like the those pickups. They sound good in otherAxe-Fx, so why do you still use pedals? S-series guitars Ibanez has been putting guitars, too—we put them in mahoganyI’ve always liked stompboxes and I don’t out for years, but a little thicker guitars, and they sounded great. It justthink I’ll ever totally get away from than a stock S-guitar. It has a super so happens that when we were tryingthem. With the Axe-Fx you can get just lightweight swamp ash body. It’s a to dial them in, we were using myabout any sound you could ever want,but there’s something about having aphysical stompbox under my feet that Ireally like. Delivers Pure Inspiration —Pro Audio Reviewpremierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 87

swamp ash Ibanez as the reference. It’s that it’s just less of a difference between as a guitar player, and I want this toa very bright-sounding guitar, and you that and the D string. To me, it’s a more stay fun for me. The way I do that, Ican’t just throw any pickups in there. stable sound. There are drawbacks: think, is to keep pushing forward, notMojotone did a good job of dialing in It’s harder to bend notes. Sometimes repeat myself, and not be afraidthe perfect balance. bending a step up can be a total chore. to look over the edge and see what’s But for me it’s 100 percent about the down there. I really like the idea ofWhat type of neck does it have? intonation. It sounds more in tune, and growing as a musician and growing asIt’s a 5-piece maple/bubinga neck, which I think it’s because it’s wound. a guitar player into my later years. Iis basically the Wizard III, but there don’t want to ever hit that plateau might be a slight difference. Growing What are your long-term musical goals? where you just do what you do, andup, the necks were my favorite things It’s always been about the music. In that’s it. I want the story to continue—about Ibanez guitars. The playability was the short term, we’re super-duper excited to keep playing and writing musicexceptional. I didn’t want to mess with it to get on the road, play this new stuff, that’s meaningful and somewhattoo much. and tackle that challenge of presenting impervious to the effects of time. the new album in a live format. But in I would love for our music to beWhy do you use a wound G string? the long term: I’m 36, and I would love timeless, so that you can listen to itI started using the wound 3rd because to be doing this when I’m 46 and 56 and in 20 years and be like, “Man, thatI thought it intonated better. The G beyond. I want to keep pushing myself was a cool record.”string can be super-duper pesky aboutremaining in tune all the way up the YOUTUBE ITneck, especially the octaves. I alwaysstruggled to keep that thing in tune. Check out Paul Waggoner’s lyrical, deceptively simple solo at 8:30When you tune low [BTBAM tune their during the song “Memory Palace.” With echoes of Pink Floyd, Wag-guitars to C# standard], the wound 3rd goner channels Gilmour both literally and conceptually during thisintonates much better. My theory is 2015 Bonnaroo set. YouTube search term: Between the Buried and Me “Memory Palace” live Bonnaroo 2015Slick Guitars Legendary Guitarist Earl Slickoffers up his latest designs. Ashbodies, Alnico Pickups, thin vintagefinishes. The feel and sound of avintage instrument without theprice tag. Sold exclusively warehouse-direct. Slick® Guitars start at $229. Slick® Brand Products are distributed in the USA by www.Guitarfetish.com premierguitar.com88 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015

Mini MonstersThe Peavey Classic® 20 MH, 6505® MH , and ValveKing® MH Mini Heads authenticallyproduce the legendary tones of their iconic big brothers in a small, portable package.These amps boast modern features like the USB record output, a plug and play portthat allows the amps to be used as an audio interface into your favorite recordingsoftware. Stop by your authorized Peavey dealer or visit us online to learn more today!www.peavey.com

Brent Paschke reveals what it takes tohold down guitar duties for one of the world’s biggest artists. BY EMILE MENASCHÉS peed. For most guitarists, the word datebook, which includes session work is synonymous with shredding. for such hitmakers as Snoop Dogg, Katy But for Brent Paschke—the Perry, and Rob Thomas. The Twin Citieslongtime session and touring guitarist native was a member of the pop/rock bandfor the Grammy Award-winning singer- Spymob when he began working withsongwriter and producer Pharrell Pharrell nearly 15 years ago. The NeptunesWilliams—speed means something else: (the production/writing team of WilliamsIt’s about delivering the right part and and Chad Hugo) were Spymob fans, andperfect sound at a moment’s notice. they hired the band to record and tour with their hybrid musical side project, “With Pharrell, time is very limited,” N*E*R*D. The opportunity would changesays Paschke. “We can be bouncing from Paschke’s career and expand his approachroom to room quickly, so I have to adjust to the guitar. As he explained during ato his workflow. If I had to tell him I need break from Pharrell’s 2015 tour, backingfive or 10 minutes to adjust mics and check one of the world’s most digitally savvyout different amps, I’d totally kill his vibe— producers means combining old-schooland that’s the first thing to keep intact.” tone and feel with cutting-edge skills in technology, arranging, and recording. Paschke knows a thing or two aboutnurturing the vibe, as evidenced by his90 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

premierguitar.com Does a session player need a special approach for electronically produced pop and urban music? My studio work differs a bit from the traditional session musician. I work with a lot of producers who use keyboards and do a lot of programming. In these sessions, I usually get very little time. Because parts can be fixed “in the box,” things are a little more immediate. I’ll often be given some direction, but typically there are no charts, so you just have to be prepared to figure out what’s needed and do it fast. Start times can be 1 a.m., and you can be waiting for hours before recording. It’s all part of the session and you have to be flexible. But overall, it’s not just about playing the part. If that’s all you’re worried about, you probably won’t have a pro gig for long. You need to get to a more spiritual level. What is the appropriate feel? What is the purpose of this song? What is supporting the vocals? What is my role in this song? How can I make this performance better without thinking of myself, but rather thinking of the song? Do you write parts, or do you take your parts from demos? Pharrell is a “100 percenter,” meaning he usually finishes whole songs by himself. I’ll sometimes suggest parts, but a song is finished in his head even before it gets onto a recording platform. When you’re asked to play on songs by producers like Pharrell, Rodney Jerkins, Ryan Leslie, and Tricky Stewart, the tracks are already really dope. These guys know how to make stuff sound amazing right inside a keyboard. So the trick is to not screw it up. If they’ve recorded a keyboard part using a guitar sample and they want it recreated on a real guitar, you have to figure out what voicings, tone, and feel are going to either complement or replace those parts, while making them sound a little better. What are the special challenges in adapting parts written on a keyboard or programmed in a sequencer? A keyboard usually sounds a bit, for lack of a better term, flat. So that might mean my job is to add some excitement to the parts by double-tracking them. But some keyboard parts I’m asked to copy may also have chord voicings that can’t be played on guitar. In that case, I have to be careful with what notes I play on top of the chord. If it’s a major 7, for example, and the seventh is the top note in the keyboard part, I need to make sure my voicing matches it. Also, timing is an issue. If I’m doubling, I have to get that as tight as possible. Otherwise I’ll have to either manually nudge the notes in Pro Tools or use a plug-in like VocAlign to match the parts. How do you perfect the ability to get into the groove? Practice, practice, practice—but practice the right things. It’s not enough to spend a week, or even a month, saying, “I’m going to practice being a funk player.” It’s something PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 91

“Pharrell has that takes years. In today’s world where been asking for you can get lessons from pretty much anyone you want online, it’s easy to stop older sounds at just learning the technique. It takes recently,” says more than just technique. You have to get guitarist Brent that feel in your bones. Paschke. ‘He’llsay ‘Chuck Berry’ I used to spend hours on end playing or someone in some of the simplest funk riffs over andthat style. I know over to records. Still do to this day. Not because I need to learn the technique, that usually but because I need to get that feel means a semi- ingrained in my body. All the time I hear professional drummers talk about hollow body, good guitarists not being able to lock and that was into the simplest feels. Take the riff in “Sweet Home Alabama.” It’s fairly simple my excuse to play, but can you get it to feel like for getting a Lynyrd Skynyrd? I’d have to spend a little time making sure I had that. If it was me good 335.” in the studio, I’d be in my headphones working over and over to get it to feel as close to Skynyrd as I could, with as much heart and proper respect to the original as I could. That’s the difference between someone who gets studio gigs and someone who doesn’t. Does playing outside traditional YOUTUBE IT guitar genres make you stretch beyond Pharrell Williams performs “Happy” on Saturday Night Live, April 7, “typical” guitar skills? 2014. Paschke is on the right. Some days I’ll get asked to play guitar, YouTube search term: Pharrell Performing Happy on SNL but make it not sound like a guitar. The producer will want that hint of a guitar, like if it’s played once using the root and I’ve ever met, would always tell me, “Buy but he doesn’t want it to sound totally once using the fifth—but then copied the best tools you can.” This is very true organic. Recently I did a lot of work and pasted each time? Then maybe a in the guitar world. on the upcoming Rob Thomas album, little of the end of the note is taken off. which was produced by Matt Serletic—an Or maybe it sounds better if the fifth is I’ve been recording with Pharrell for amazing producer with a big track record actually just pitch-shifted from the root, almost 15 years now. He’s used to hearing of huge pop hits. Matt will layer a lot, let rather than played. Or maybe it sounds my favorite guitar—a ’57 Tele—and my you stretch out a bit, then start choosing better if the fifth starts later. These are Matchless HC-30 amp. He has no idea parts from there. On Rob’s album, the some of the tweaky things I might think what kind of guitar it is, what amp it is, approach was to really tweak that guitar— of and do on sessions. how expensive it is, how old it is, or how to go for something different. That means dope it is. But he does know great classic having Pro Tools chops, Melodyne chops, What are some other keys to finding tone. And when he hears it, he always plug-in chops, and Beat Detector chops. success as a pop/urban session and approves it. The moral of the tone story I’ll record and then start editing. I’m really touring player? is: You usually get what you pay for. If good with the computer and I’ve learned I think sound is a big one that a lot you want a great amp, it’s usually going to think like a producer. of guitarists miss. Obviously, the right to be a handwired boutique amp. A great sound depends on what style you’re guitar is usually going to be either vintage At these sessions, just being a hotshot doing. But one thing is universal: My or handmade. There are exceptions to guitar player won’t get you the gig at all. dad, who is the most conservative guy this, of course. I’ve played some really You need to understand what’s going on great cheap amps and guitars. But if you with guitars in pop music and how to get there in the computer. What does a straight root-five power chord sound92 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

My dad, who is the most conservative guy I’ve ever Another way to improve your timing ismet, would always tell me, ‘Buy the best tools you can.’ to use a click live. At first, a click onstage can feel like it cages you in. But over time This is very true in the guitar world.” it doesn’t. You start to get that internal push and pull within it. Also, with otherwant that killer tone, you’ll spend less times, a couple of verses, and a bridge. players in the band on a click, you alwaystime by investing some more money. So you’d spend a lot of time with your have a reference—and the same reference. drummer in a rehearsal room with a Live, my job is to be the foundation forDo you always stay with Teles and click, locking in feel and timing. Are Pharrell. I need to make sure what I’mtubes? Funny, I’d associate that you pushing or pulling a little before the doing is supporting where he is going.combination more with roots rock than chorus comes for some extra excitement? So the click is keeping me in line, buthighly produced pop. A great drummer will also sometimes Pharrell is deciding where the vibe isWe do use modeling tools, like the lay back on a fill going into a section, so going. Is he pushing? Is he wanting toKemper Profiler amplifier, but I’ve spent when it gets to the one of the new section, be more intimate for this verse? Does heweeks working with different profiles, it feels like a slingshot and pulls you in. want to take it out a little? Make it feelprofiling my own amps, and setting it up choppier? Lay it back? The list goes on.to make sure there are no curveballs for How do you get that feel when you’rehim—or me for that matter. recording to programmed beats? How did you hook up with Pharrell? In the studio, I think it’s best if I can My band, Spymob, was shoppingOther than sound, what’s the key to play the whole song through. If not, of for record deals in the late 1990s, sokeeping a gig like yours? course we can cut-and-paste or punch-in publishing and record companies had ourAnother really important thing some easily, but hey—why not go for feel and demos. We were a pop-rock band—ourplayers miss is timing. Back in the days of get inside the song and see if I can pull main influences were Steely Dan, Toddrecording to tape, timing was everything. off the whole thing? You can practice that Rundgren, and ’70s pop. At one point,You usually had to play the chorus three just by recording a lot. Pharrell and Chad of the Neptunes gotpremierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 93

our demo from some label or publishing After having those for a few years, it BRENT PASCHKE’S GEARcompany. They really loved Spymob, so was hard to settle for less, so I just waitedwhen we lost our deal with Epic records, until I had the money to build up my ELECTRIC GUITARSwe signed to [the Neptunes’ label] Star collection of “standards.” Of course, ITrak, with Pharrell and Chad. needed a Les Paul, so I searched out an ’82 1957 Fender Telecaster, Heritage that sounded amazing. Next was non-original pickupsWas it hard to go from being part of your my 335. Pharrell has been asking for olderown rock band to being a session and sounds recently. He’ll say “Chuck Berry” 1964 Fender Stratocastertouring player doing hip-hop and R&B? or someone in that style. I know that 1976 Fender Stratocaster with customHonestly, this was a dream come true for usually means a semi-hollow body. Andme. At that time the mixture of hip-hop that was my excuse for getting a good 335. Seymour Duncan pickupsand live instruments wasn’t that common. 1974 Gibson ES-335I loved all the rhythmic elements and new Do you usually go direct or miccutting-edge things that were being done a cabinet? 1982 Heritage single-cutwith drum machines, and really wanted My amp is almost always a on a two-mic 1987 “Loch Ness” Ibanez JEMto make a record with someone blending combo—a Royer 121 and a dynamic, Custom pink Plexiglas Strat-stylethose. The bonus for me was that Pharrell usually a [Sennheiser] 409 or a 421,and Chad wrote amazing songs to play whichever sounds best. I also try to have ACOUSTIC GUITARSover. This was the beginning. N*E*R*D’s a great mic pre—something like a GreatIn Search Of... is where that all started for River 1073 style—and I usually like it 1996 Collings D1me. That still stands as one of my most pushed almost into the red. I always like 2006 Gibson J-45proud recording moments. to record with some compression and prefer [Empirical Labs] Distressors. Default AMPSWhat are you using in the studio settings are usually a 4:1 ratio, a bit slowthese days? of an attack, a bit slow of a release, and no 1996 Matchless HC-30I pick guitars according to the kind harmonic distortion engaged. Matchless 2x12 w/Celestionof work I’m doing. For a session, I’llusually take my ’57 Tele, 1964 Strat, This is when I have the chance to set G12H30 and G12M1982 Heritage single-cut, 1974 Gibson up amps—which is rare these days. But 2000 Blockhead FirstbornES-335, 1976 Strat, and Gibson J-45 and in a perfect world this is what I do. On 2x12 cab with Celestion BluesCollings D1 acoustics. the Snoop album, it was all amps and all 2014 Kemper Profiler head miked up this way because we had time. People know me most for my work EFFECTSwith Pharrell, and with him, my main What do you do when you have less time?sound is my Tele with my Matchless. I’ve been using my Kemper more and Bob Bradshaw RST 16 foot controllerMore recent is probably the 335 through more. I’ve spent quite a bit of time configured with four presetsdifferent Kemper models. But that said, I getting to know it and making it work ZVEX Fuzz Factory 7seem to work best with my standards and for me. Pharrell shoots very much from Analog Man Bi-Compressornot going too far out of the box. the hip and doesn’t overthink. You’ll Boss Octave OC-2 rarely find an artist so in touch withThat’s a pretty nice arsenal. his inner bliss. It’s about the part, the J. Rockett Tim Pierce OD & PowerampMy theory on guitars is to first get at least feel, and the sound—and probably in Strymon Mobiusa couple of amazing default “standard” that order. To Pharrell, the process is as Strymon TimeLineguitars. I feel that would be a Strat, important as the song, and all of that getsTele, or Les Paul for starters. They will printed. And when I stated that order— Wampler Deluxe Pinnacleusually cost you a bit, unless you get a the part, the feel, the sound—if you Vintage Script Logo MXR Phase 90lucky find. I bought my ’57 Tele when have “the sound” ready, that’s one thing Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 4x4 (2)I was in my early 20s, so early on I had scratched off the list.a taste of an amazing sounding, playing, STRINGS & PICKSand recording guitar. My ’64 Strat was So using the Kemper works well for menext. For years, they were really the only for a few reasons. One big one is that I can D’Addario EXL 115 .011–.049guitars I had that sounded amazing no be adjusting everything in my headphones. (’57 Tele, ’64 Strat, ’82 Heritage)matter what. Some guitars just have that As Pharrell is working on a track or D’Addario EXL 110 .011–.046:correct midrange, tight low end, clean recording a vocal, I’m checking out differenttop end—a balanced sound. guitars, trying different modeled amps, (’76 Strat and custom reverbs, stompbox settings, and delays. Plexiglas Strat-style) D’Addario EXL 140 .010–.052 (’74 ES-335) Dunlop 2.0 mm and .60 mm picks94 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

I’m getting everything ready at a touch of always note the guitar and amp setting I Fifteen years is a long time to worka button, so when P asks for something, used for any potential punch-ins later. with any artist, especially one as diverseI’ll have it ready. The Kemper gives me as Pharrell. How do you keep that kindflexibility because I can record anywhere, How does your touring rig compare to of gig going?at any time. With P’s schedule, you don’t your studio setup? Recording with him is a very coolknow where you might be recording. It This has been a moving target for me. experience, and you have to treat it asmight be backstage before a show. When I’m using real amps live, I’m just more than just a “session.” These are copying my favorite studio rig: Matchless songs that are not about proving howWhat’s the biggest challenge under that HC-30 miked with a Royer 121 and a cool you are, how hard this beat is goingkind of time pressure? 409 through a Great River mic pre and to hit, or how much money it’s goingTo know the part. Pharrell sometimes Distressors. Live, I’m mostly using my ’76 to make. These songs are extensionswrites a few different ideas really fast. maple-neck Strat with pickups custom- of Pharrell—his personal feelings, hisI’m not sure which one he’s going to end wound by M.J. at Seymour Duncan. hopes of getting a positive message out,up working on, so I’ll chart everything his hopes of giving someone a song thathe does. The studios know to always I have a Bradshaw rig that controls all will make them perform at the besthave a note pad and paper ready for me! my pedals—a J. Rockett Tim Pierce OD, they’ve ever performed. So you don’t goP can write some really complex chord Strymon TimeLine and Mobius, Boss in thinking, “I’m just a session player.”progressions, so I’ll be working all these Octave, ZVEX Fuzz Factory 7, Analog Man Rather, I’m a person who is here to helpout and figuring out what scales work Bi-Comp Compressor, Wampler Pinnacle Pharrell with a vision—I’m not just aover the progressions. For example, I Distortion, MXR Phase 90, and a gate. For guitar player at this point.might be soloing in the Lydian mode wireless, I’m using a Shure ULX-D.the whole time, but when I get to the And let me note: None of this Pharrelllast chord on the turnaround, it might On dates where we’re flying most of sits down and tells you. You have towork best to use Mixolydian with a flat the time, however, the Kemper works figure it out. And you could be the best6. Along with charting all this, I’ll try to great. I can check my whole Kemper guitar player in the world but if you don’t rig—with the Bradshaw included—on a get that, it won’t work. commercial plane. It’s great. Over 65 years of STROBE tuning technology PACKED INTO A PEDAL TUNER MAKES THE STOMP CLASSIC THE “BOSS” OF ANY TUNING TASK. • 1/1000th of a Fret Accurate Tuning • True-Bypass for No Tone Coloring • 25 SWEETENED TUNING™ PRESETS • Die-Cast, All Metal Housing • Built-in, Studio-Grade DI • USB Programmability The Sound of Precision /petersontuners ©2014 Peterson Tuners. The terms Sweetened Tuning and Stomp Classic are trademarks of Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc. Buzz Feiten Tuning System is a registered trademark of Buzz Feiten Design Co., Inc.premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 95

Photo by Josh Weichman96 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com

He loves Roy and Chet. He studied jazz and classical guitar. He’s played in thrash and punk bands. He even builds his own guitars. And Alabama native Jeffery Salter and his sextet, Banditos, just released one of the year’s most compelling roots-rock albums. BY DAVID VON BADERThere’s no shortage of artists having avoiding the Dixie-rock clichés many Fender-inspired guitars under the name a go at classic Americana, roots, young country acts rely on, Banditos Pyrose Wood Works. His instruments and country music, but few do as sound simultaneously familiar and fresh. feature premium parts and killer wood-impressive a job of revitalizing the tried-and- Punctuated by fiery Tele licks and tasteful burned decorations, and he plays themtrue as Banditos. Now based in Nashville, flourishes of lap steel, their music also boasts exclusively—both in the studio and on tour.the group emerged in Birmingham, sophisticated arrangements by lead guitaristAlabama, and their eponymous debut LP Jeffery Salter, who studied jazz and classical PG spoke with the guitarist/luthieris a soulful celebration of all that is great guitar in college. about his journey from jazz to countryabout traditional country music served up music, the band’s from-the-hip writingwith a rock ’n’ roll twist. While successfully When Salter isn’t on the road with and recording process, and the rare gem Banditos, he’s busy building unique, of an amplifier that he swears by.premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 97

Banditos How did you get into country and YOUTUBE IT guitarist Jeffery Salter plays one roots music? Banditos play “Golden Grease”—a track from their self-titled debut of his self-built My parents’ good friend taught me how album—at Licha’s Cantina in Austin. Dig the rave-up that hits at 4:40. to play guitar when I was a kid. He was YouTube search term: Banditos - Golden Grease - Audiotree Live in T-style axes an older blues guy—a fingerpicker. He Austin 2015 at Chicago’s was a random player who couldn’t seem Millennium Park to finish a song, but when you could geton July 20, 2015. him to settle down into something he was really good. When I was 13 or 14 years old, he loaded me up with a bunch What happened after that? I do now. I didn’t for years, but as time Photo by Michael Jackson of albums—Tom Waits, John Hammond Fingerpicking just came naturally, so I went on with this band, I found it was Jr., some Chet Atkins, and some ended up going to school for classical hard to fingerpick lead guitar. I wasn’t a Mississippi John Hurt. That’s what hit guitar because it made sense—I didn’t lead guitar player when we started this me the hardest, I think—the Mississippi really aspire to be a classical guitarist or whole thing. Early on when we began John Hurt stuff. anything. this band, I was studying jazz guitar and trying to figure out how to play leads. My That was the start of me searching How far did you take your formal bandmates were asking me to play leads through all this music. I didn’t even music education? too, so it was a matter of finally putting really know I was playing country music In school I was primarily a classical guitar it all together. I slowly started learning until much later. We were playing in player, but they had the option for us how to hybrid pick, which has become a thrash-metal and punk bands, and I’d to study jazz too, so I took lessons from necessity for our music. go home and practice Chet Atkins tunes Carlos Pino—an amazing jazz guitarist in because they were fun. Roy Buchanan is Birmingham. I took about four years of Does your jazz background inform a huge influence, too. His guitar playing private lessons from him at school. your writing with Banditos? is so vocal—the instrument just cried Oh yeah, absolutely! Even if it doesn’t when he played. So you began as a fingerstyle guitarist. always come through in the playing, I’m Do you play with a flatpick too? a total theory nerd. I love music theory98 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2015 premierguitar.com