Rush''s Alex Lifeson on his return to Gibson, emotional attachment to gear, and his epic gearbox.
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Snakes and Arrows was Rushās 27th album to appear in the Billboard Top 200, and it turned into a long, good ride for the band. The album was followed by a marathon tour spanning two years and two continents, a double live album, and the November 2008 release of the three-disc DVD/Blu-Ray, Snakes and Arrows Live, in which Rush puts on a clinic on how to play a rock concert.
As a musician, Alex Lifeson has occasionally been overlooked, in part because he is a guitar player dedicated to serving the song instead of stepping on it. As most guitarists know, that kind of restraint is no easy feat. Of course, serving a Rush song can be like serving a 12-course meal. As the sole guitarist and one third of the worldās most complicated rock band, Alex has served well. About to release their twelfth compilation CD, Retrospective 3, I spoke with Alex Lifeson, and we talked about (what else?) guitars and his notable return to an all-Gibson lineup.
Congratulations on the Snakes and Arrows Live DVD/Blu-ray that came out in November! It is stunning in its sound and picture quality. I see itās doing great in the charts.
Thank you. Yes, itās doing very well on the charts. We were at number one for a while and then we were at number two. Then we started to slip down and now weāre back at number two.
Snakes and Arrows has been quite a ride for you guys.
Yeah, itās been great. The tour was great, I thought we played really, really well. The recording of the album was a lot of fun. We had a great time with [Snakes and Arrows Producer] Nick Raskulinecz. We really loved working with him, and it was the first time that we made a record where we were just feeling so positive throughout the whole experience. So there was just a great energy surrounding the whole project and ending with this DVD. Particularly in Blu-ray, it has a great look to it. We filmed it over two days, so we got great angles and lots of perspectives of the band playing. Itās really a DVD about us playing, rather than in the past where we brought in different elements, like on Rush in Rio, for example. That was about that event and our connection with the audience. This one is really about our show and us playing.
Your first ārealā electric guitar was your Gibson ES-335. I wonder, why that model, since the guitarists you were listening to, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix for example, were playing either Les Pauls or Strats?
Well, yeah, but I was also into people like [Jefferson Airplaneās] Jorma Kaukonan, and Alvin Lee. And that guitar was always a beautiful guitar. Iāve always really liked that whole sixties San Francisco music scene, and that guitar was probably the prevalent guitar at that time. So to me it seemed like a natural place to go. And I just grew with the instrument.
You played Gibsons almost exclusively until Rushās Permanent Waves album in 1980?
Correct.
And then you went through a Fender period?
Yeah, I sort of went through a Fender period. In fact, we did a gig with Blue Oyster Cult at the Nassau Coliseum in the late seventies, and one of the horns had fallen off of the stack and then fell on my 335, as well as a double neck that I had. It sheared a headstock off the double neck, and it took a real big gouge out of the neck of the 335. So I decided, āOkay, the 335ās going home, thatās not going to be on the road anymore.ā I got a Strat as a backup, and I just wasnāt quite comfortable with it, you know, coming from the Gibson world. So I got a Schaller neck for it, and I put a humbucker in the bridge positionājust fooling with it a little bit, trying to get something that was sort of a hybrid between a Gibson and a Fender.
Had you modified your Gibsons previously?
No, not really, I think the only modifications I ever did was I might have put a Bill Lawrence L-500 in one of them.
Is the ES-355 used on the Snakes and Arrows tour the original, or is it the Alex Lifeson Signature Model?
I had them both out. I used the original at the end of the show, and I used a prototype of the āInspired Byā model earlier in the show on āThe Trees.ā
Your 355 was wired to mono. Was that just to facilitate gigging, or was there more to it?
Yeah, mostly for that reason. But I didnāt feel the need to utilize it as a stereo guitar. For me it had greater utility as a mono guitar.
Photo: Ross Halfin |
I notice that the crowd reacts to you strapping on your ES-355. Why do you think that is?
I got that guitar in 1976, so Iāve had that guitar for quite some time, and I used it almost exclusively from that period up until around the late seventies. And I guess maybe that itās so connected to me? That white 355, you really donāt see them around. I canāt think of anybody else that uses that particular model.
Do you use the Varitone switch live?
Not really. I think I may have in the old days when I had just the one instrument, or just a couple of guitars. Thatās why I put that little micro-switch in, so I could pre-set that knob, and then just hit the micro-switchāso Iām always defaulting back to the number one position [bypass] rather than turning that rotary knob. In the studio I might use it, but live I donāt.
Was having your signature model ES-355 a big deal for you?
Yeah, it was! I was very excited about it. You know, Iāve gone through a lot of guitars over the years, and obviously at home I have lots of different guitars, and I use them all. But it was nice to come back to Gibson after not having been there exclusively for a long time. And theyāve been terrific in working with me and the kind of things I want modified on a guitar and set up the way I like. When they approached me with the 355, it just seemed to make a lot of sense. This was a model that was probably more in the background of their catalog. So it was nice to bring that to the forefront, because it really is such a beautiful instrument. It just sounds great.
Before the Snakes and Arrows tour, you were primarily using Paul Reed Smiths.
Yeah, they sent me a couple of guitars in the early nineties. I think I was using Signature at the time, which was made here in Canada. They had active pickups, and just the kind of a sound that I was going for in the late eighties. But when I started playing these PRSs, they were fantastic! They came out of the case and they were still in tune and they were set up perfectly, just the way I wanted. And for a long time I used them probably more than anything else on stage.
And really, I donāt have a problem with them. I love the instruments; I still have all of them. In fact, Iām sitting here in my office, and they just sent me a 245 to check out. But I just wanted a change. I wanted to go back to a more classic sound and a classic feel on stage. I wanted to go back to Les Pauls. Thatās really the only reason. In the studio, I use everything.
In the making of the Snakes and Arrows documentary, I think every time I saw you playing it was a Tele.
Yeah, the Tele is the one I really gravitate to in the studio. Itās my favorite writing guitar. That Tele is a ā59 reissue, but we changed a few small things on it like brass saddles, and we took the finish off the neck so it just feels really different. I love it. And for me, writing on that guitar is just a very natural kind of thing. It just feels like the right instrument for me to be writing on.
In the studio I like to incorporate that sound against something like a Les Paul or a PRS. I find that it provides a really nice contrast on top of the thickness of that humbucker sound.
What pickups are in that Tele?
Just the stock pickups.
And on the Gibsons?
On the Les Pauls that I have, I switched over to the Jimmy Page wound versions. Theyāve got a nice, smooth top end, and the bottom is nice and tight. And my 355 has the same [stock] pickups that have always been in there.
Some guitarists describe the PRS tone as a Fender/Les Paul hybrid.
Yeah, I would say thatās pretty accurate, probably leaning a little more toward the Gibson side than the Fender. I think they have a unique sound, a slightly smaller, tighter sound than what the Gibson is, particularly if you look at a model like the 245 or the McCarty and A/Bād it against the Les Paul. I think the Les Paul has just a little more weight and size to it, a little more growl in the lower end of the guitar. The PRS has very nice clarity. Thereās an ease in the way you play them. They do such a great job on the neck.
What do you look for in a neck?
I donāt really have a preference. The neck on my 355 is very small, and it was typical of that era in the early to mid-seventies. The neck on the āInspired Byā version is a much bigger, more contemporary neck. I have to say that I really like playing that neck, too. I donāt like anything too big or too thick, but what I like is having the variety. I think there is a tendency to play a little differently when you pick up any particular instrument.
Photo: Andrew McNaughtan |
I started with the Standard Howard Roberts. Paul Northfield, who engineered Moving Pictures and a few other records that we did, had one in the studio and it was just beautiful. So I ordered one from Gibson way back in ā78 or ā79. And then later that year or the following year, they brought out the Howard Roberts Fusion and to me, at the time, it seemed like the perfect guitar. It was a hollowbody, it looked like an oversized Les Paul, and it had a nice balance to it when you played it. So it had all the things that I looked for in a guitar, and itās still one of my favorite guitars to play to this day.
Is the solo from āTom Sawyerā on that guitar?
I think all of āTom Sawyerā is on that guitar.
I assume you canāt go to a guitar shop and poke around, is that a problem for you? Do you miss it?
Well, itās not a problem for me now, but I kind of missed it. I grew up that way. Every Saturday I used to go to our local music store, Long & McQuade here in Toronto, and theyād let me play anything on the wallāusually it was an SGāfor about an hour and theyād they say, āOk, get outta here, kid.ā And then Iād come back the next Saturday, theyād let me play for an hour and then theyād say, āOk, get outta here, kid.ā To this day when I go into a music store, I feel like a kid again. Thereās always something I want to buy. Whether itās a little effects box or some picks, [laughs] everything that I donāt need! But thereās some magic about music stores.
Are you the kind of player that has an emotional attachment to a particular instrument?
Well, my 335, my 355 and that Tele, and the first CE bolt-on that I got from Paul Reed Smith, as well the one I used for most of the 1990s and early 2000s, which again was a CE bolt-onāwhich is not their fanciest model. Those guitars right there are probably my most important kids, and I wouldnāt want to get ridof any of them. Iād be heartbroken losing the others, but⦠oh, and a couple of these other Les Pauls that I have currently, because theyāve been set up exactly the way I want them. So I guess they could all go except for those.
And what about the Howard Roberts?
Well, I definitely need the Howard Roberts, yeah.
OK, so you would keep pretty much all of them?
[laughs] Yeah, now that you mention it. Iām thinking, āWell, thatās not really fair to that Gretsch sitting over there, so...ā
Your gear list for the tour lists six Les Pauls, mostly Customs and Standards. Tell me about them.
Well, a couple have piezos, and a couple have Floyd Roses. Oneās got a Bigsby. And the tonality is different from one to the next. Iāve got a Custom that weighs about 80 pounds, and Iām sure that that last E chord I played is still ringing out! Itās amazing! Itās such a heavy piece of wood that sustains like crazy. And then the Gold Top is great. Itās a ā59 reissue, and I love the neck on it. That one is set up with a piezo with no vibrato. They all have their own job. They are tools for me.
Thereās some debate going on about the āSwiss cheeseā body Les Pauls versus the chambered body Les Pauls, do you have an opinion?
They sent me [a chambered] one and I checked it out, and it is nice to have a lighter Les Paul [laughs]. I would have to say itās lacking a little bit, but really, I would want to spend a little more time with that guitar and put it through its paces. I got it when we were on tour, and Iād like to see how it reacts in the studio. It is kind of nice to have that little break for your shoulder, but Iām not sold on it yet.
Lifeson in the mid-70s with his Gibson EDS-1275 that was damaged by a falling speaker horn in Uniondale, NY. After repairing a broken neck and repainting the guitar, Lifeson gave it to Eric Johnson as a gift. It was stolen from Johnson within weeks. Photo Neil Zlozower |
Well, the double neck made it to rehearsals, just in case. [Laughs] But it didnāt make it on the road this time. But you never know; itās there, itās waiting...
How do you go about choosing a particular guitar to play live?
Well, for this tour, because I had a lot of tunings and different requirements I had to try to set up for, it made the whole selection process much easier. But I think increasingly over the years I like to mix it up a bit, even if itās just bringing one particular guitar for one or two songs. I know it drives Bucky [Alexās guitar tech Bob āBuckyā Huck] crazy because itās just that many more string changes he has to do on a daily basis. Itās a lot of fun to have all these instruments around for a three-hour show.
How loud is Rush on stage?
Youād be shocked! Iām sure your stereo at home is louder. The loudest thing on stage is Neilās drums, acoustically. Thereās no monitors on stage. Geddy goes direct so thereās no bass rig on stage. My amps are down very low, just loud enough so that I can get some feedback if I step right up to them. And the reason we do that is we want to have a nice, manageable sound on stage that we can pump clearly through the PA.
How much guitar is in your in-ear monitors?
My mix tends to be pretty representative of the whole sound. I have a nice, full drum mix and keys in stereo, and vocal and bass up the middle. I probably have a little more ride cymbal, hi hat, snare and kick, in the whole balance of the drums. The guitars I typically have on the left side, and then I do a short eight-millisecond delay on the right side, just so I can get guitar hard left and hard right.
When is Rush going back into the studio?
Well this tour, it really, well⦠it killed us! We did 120 shows on this tour. The show is over three hours, and weāre no spring chickens, thatās for sure. So we decided we would take a year off and get it out of our systems. Whether Geddy and I get together sometime in the spring and do a little bit of casual writing, thatās fine. And we probably willāwe get a little antsy. But I donāt think weāll get into anything until the fall, and whether thatās going to be a new record or another tour or what exactly, Iām really not sure. Iām assuming at this point we would be working on another album.
Is it hard to decide what songs to play live?
Well, itās really hard with all of this material, and we have so many songs that we sort of have to play. As much as I enjoy playing on everything, I kind of get a little tired of it. It would be fun to do some stuff that we havenāt done in a long time. I think it would be really interesting and keep us on our toes, and that would make for a very interesting DVD as well.
Any chance of another a solo album for you?
You know, I just did a big renovation in my studio, and Rich Chycki, who engineered the last couple of records and DVDs, has moved in with me so weāre planning on doing a lot of things. Iād like to do a little bit more producing, working with some other artists, and Iāve thought about doing another solo project⦠thatās definitely along there somewhere on the stovetop. Weāll see.
ALEX'S GEARBOX
Guitars 1 Gibson Black Les Paul Custom 2 prototype Gibson Les Pauls with Floyd Rose tremolo 3 reissue Gibson Les Pauls (ā59 Gold top, ā58 sunburst, ā59 tobacco sunburst) with Fishman piezo system 2 Gibson Howard Roberts with Fishman piezo system (one Fusion with Tune-O-Matic Bridge) 2 1976 Gibson ES-355s (Alexās 1976 original and Alex Lifeson āInspired Byā Model) 1 Garrison OM-20 Octave Mandolin 3 Martin D12-28 Acoustic Guitars Amps and cabinets 2 Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 100 Guitar Amp Heads 2 Hughes & Kettner Alex Lifeson Signature Triamp MKII Guitar Amp Heads 8 Hughes & Kettner 4X12 Guitar Cabinets | Effects and Routing Furman PL-8 and PL Plus Power Conditioner 1 Dunlop DCR 1SR rack wah 1 Ernie Ball 250k volume pedal 1 Mesa Boogie 4channel amp switcher 2 Axess Electronics CFX4 Amp Switchers 2 Axess Electronics GRX4 Guitar Router/Switchers 2 Behringer Ultralink MX-662 6 Channel Splitter/Mixers 4 Audio Technica AEW 5200 Guitar Wireless Receivers 3 Fishman Aura Acoustic Guitar Modelers 2 Custom Audio Japan GVCA-2 Rev.3 Midi Programmable Volume Controls 1 TC 1210 Spatial Expander + Stereo Chorus/Flanger 1 Behringer XR4400 Multigate Pro 4 TC Electronics G-Force guitar effects processors 2 Hughes & Kettner Rotospheres 3 Palmer PDI 03 Speaker Simulators |
Columnist Janek Gwizdala with heroes Dennis Chambers (left) and Mike Stern (right).
Keeping your gigging commitments can be tough, especially when faced with a call from a hero. But itās always the right choice.
Saying āyes!ā to everything early on has put me in a place now where I can say no to almost everything and still be okay. That wasnāt without its challenges. Iād like to share a story about a āyesā that would haunt me for years.
As bass players, we can, if we choose, quite easily find ourselves in a wide variety of situations without having to change much about our sound or our playing. If your time is good and youāre able to help those around you feel good and sound better, the telephone will pretty much always ring.
Playing jazz as an electric-bass player living in New York City from 2000 to 2010 was somewhat of a foolās errand in terms of getting work. No one wanted electric bass, and bandleaders would go to the bottom of a list of 100 upright players before they would even think about calling you. Not only that, but I wasnāt even at the top of the electric list when I first moved there. Not even close. Anthony Jackson, Richard Bona, Will Lee, Tim Lefebvre, James Genus, Lincoln Goines, Mike Pope, John Benitez, Matthew Garrisonāthatās a whoās who of the instrument when I first moved to town, and I was very much a freshman with almost no experience. Almostā¦
Iād been lucky enough to play extensively with Kenwood Dennard (Jacoās drummer), and a little with Hiram Bullock (Jacoās guitarist) before moving to NYC which helped create a little momentum, but only a VERY little.
This is where the story begins:
Iād sent Mike Stern a demo back in late ā97. Heād not only taken the time to listen to it but had called my parentsā house right after I moved to the U.S. to tell me he loved it and wanted to hang. I missed the call but eventually met him at a clinic he gave at Berklee.
Of course, I was buzzing about all of this. It helped me stay laser-focused on practice and on moving to NYC as soon as possible. I got the typical ālook me up when you get to townā invitation from Stern and basically counted the seconds through the three semesters I stayed at Berklee until I could split town.
I arrived with a ton of confidence but zero gigs. And nothing happened overnight. It really took saying yes to literally everything I was offered just to keep a roof over my head. Through that process, I felt like I was getting further away from playing with my jazz heroes.
The early gigs were far from glamorousālong hours, terrible pay, and sometimes, after travel expenses, they cost me money to play.
āWhenever I have a single moment of doubt, I think about the time I had to say no to my heroesāthe reasons I moved to America, the reason I do what I do.ā
When Stern finally called, a few years into living in NYC, things started to move pretty quickly. I began playing a lot of gigs at the 55 Bar with him, and short road trips became a thingāa four-night stint at Arturo Sandovalās new club in Miami, gigs in Chicago, Cleveland, and upstate New York, and then some international work, including a tour of Mexico and a trip to Brazil, if I remember right.
But the hardest phone call of my career came from Mike not long into my time touring with him. It went something like this:
āHey man, whatās your scene in April? Lincoln canāt make a trip to the West Coast. Itās just one gig. Trio⦠with DENNIS CHAMBERS.ā
Mike didnāt shout Dennisā name, but thatās how I heard it. My all-time hero. Someone Iād been dreaming about playing with for over 15 years. And hereās the kicker: I had to say no.
Iād just committed to six weeks with Jojo Mayerās band Nerve in Asia and Europe, and there was no way I could bail on him. And there was no way I could afford to ditch six weeks of work for a single gig with Mike. To say that haunted me for years is an understatement. I was destroyed that I had to turn it down.
The tour with Jojo was amazingāthe posters hang in my studio as a reminder of those times to this day. And thankfully, I was able to go on some years later and play dozens of shows with Mike and Dennis all over the worldātruly some of the highlights of my career.
I still think about that phone call, though. Whenever I have a single moment of doubt, I think about the time I had to say no to my heroesāthe reasons I moved to America, the reason I do what I do. I get emotional writing and thinking about it even now. But I've learned to never have regrets and understand you just have to believe in the process and maintain the willpower to continueāno matter what.
New RAT Sound Solution Offers a Refined Evolution of Distortion
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āThe Sterling Vermin was born from a desire for something different ā something refined, withthe soul of a traditional RAT pedal, but with a voice all its own,ā says Shawn Wells, MarketManagerāSound, ACT Entertainment, who designed the pedal along with his colleague MattGates. āBuilt in small batches and hand-soldered in ACTās Jackson, Missouri headquarters, theSterling Vermin is a work of pure beauty that honors the brand legacy while taking a bold stepforward for creativity.ā
The Sterling Vermin features the LM741 Op-Amp and a pair of selectable clipping diodes.Players can toggle between the traditional RAT silicon diode configuration for a punchy, mid-range bite, or the BAT41 option for a smoother, more balanced response. The result is a pedalthatās equally at home delivering snarling distortion or articulate, low-gain overdrive, with a wide,usable tonal range throughout the entire gain spectrum.
The pedal also features CTS pots and oversized knobs for even, responsive control that affordsa satisfying smoothness to the rotation, with just the right amount of tension. Additionally, thepolished stainless-steel enclosure with laser-annealed graphics showcases the merging of thepedalās vintage flavor and striking design.
āFrom low-gain tones reminiscent of a Klon or Bluesbreaker, to high-gain settings that flirt withBig Muff territory ā yet stay tight and controlled ā the Sterling Vermin is a masterclass indynamic distortion,ā says Gates, an ACT Entertainment Sales Representative. āWith premiumcomponents, deliberate design and a focus on feel, the Sterling Vermin is more than a pedal, itāsa new chapter for RAT.ā
The RAT Sterling Vermin is available immediately and retails for $349 USD. For moreinformation about this solution, visit: actentertainment.com/rat-distortion .
The Miku was introduced about 10 years ago and is based on the vocal stylings of Hatsune Miku, a virtual pop icon. But it does much more than artificial vowels and high-pitched words.
Itās tempting to think of this pedal as a joke. Donāt.
It all started a few years ago through a trade with a friend. I just wanted to help him outāhe really wanted to get a fuzz pedal but didnāt have enough cash, so he offered up the Korg Miku. I had no idea then, but it turned out to be the best trade Iāve ever made.
Hereās the truth: the Korg Miku is not your typical guitar pedal. It wonāt boost your mids, sculpt your gain, or serve up that warm, buttery overdrive youāve always worshipped. Nope. This little box does something entirely different: It sings! Yes, sings in a Japanese kawaii accent thatās based on the signature voice of virtual pop icon Hatsune Miku.
At first glance, itās tempting to dismiss this pedal as just a gimmickāa joke, a collectorās oddity, the kind of thing you buy for fun and then forget next to your Hello Kitty Strat. But hereās the twist: Some take it seriously and Iām one of those people.
I play in a punk band called Cakrux, and lately Iāve been working with a member of a Japanese idol-style girl groupāyeah, itās exactly the kind of wild mashup youād ever imagine. Somewhere in the middle of that chaos, the Miku found its way into my setup, and weirdly enough, it stuck. Itās quirky, beautiful, occasionally maddening, and somehow ⦠just right. After plenty of time spent in rehearsals, studio takes, and more sonic experiments than I care to admit, Iāve come to appreciate this pedal in unexpected ways. So here are a few things you probably didnāt know about this delightfully strange little box.
Itās Not Organicāand Thatās OK
Most guitar pedals are chasing something real. Wah pedals mimic the human voiceāor even a trumpet. Tube Screamers? Theyāre built to recreate the warm push of an overdriven tube amp. Cab sims aim to replicate the tone of real-world speaker setups. But the Miku? It breaks the mold. Instead of emulating reality, it channels the voice of a fictional pop icon. Hatsune Miku isnāt a personāsheās a vocaloid, a fully digital creation made of samples and synthesis. The Miku doesnāt try to sound organic, it tries to sound like her. In that sense, it might be the only pedal trying to reproduce something that never existed in the physical world. And honestly, thereās something oddly poetic about that.
A World-Class Buffer
Hereās a fun fact: I once saw a big-name Indonesian session guitaristāyou know, the kind who plays in sold-out arenasāwith a Miku pedal on his board. I was like, āNo way this guyās busting out vocaloid lines mid-solo.ā Plot twist: He only uses it for the buffer. Yep, the man swears by it and says itās the best-sounding buffer heās ever plugged into. I laughed ⦠until I tried it. And honestly? Heās not wrong. Even if you never hear Miku sing a note, this pedal still deserves a spot on your board. Just for the tone mojo alone. Wild, right?
āThe Miku is one of those pedals that really shouldnāt work for your music, but somehow, it just does.ā
Impossible to Tame
Most pedals are built to make your life easier. The Miku? Not so much. This thing demands patienceāand maybe a little spiritual surrender. First off, the tracking can be finicky, especially if youāre using low-output pickups. Latency becomes really noticeable and your picking dynamics suddenly matter a lot more. Then thereās the golden rule I learned the hard way. Neverāeverāput anything before the Miku. No fuzz, no wah, no compressor, not even a buffer! It gets confused instantly and says āWhat is going on here?ā And donāt even think about punching in while recording. The vocal results are so unpredictable, youāll never get the same sound twice. Mess up halfway? Youāre starting from scratch. Same setup, same take, same chaotic energy. Itās like trying to recreate a fever dream. Good luck with that.
Full Range = Full Power
Sure, itās made for guitar, but the Miku really comes to life when you run it through a keyboard amp, bass cab, or even a full-range speaker. Why? Because her voice covers way more frequency range than a regular guitar speaker can handle. Plug it into a PA system or a bass rig, and everything sounds clearer, richer, way more expressive. Itās like letting Hatsune Miku out of her cage.
The Miku is one of those pedals that really shouldn't work for your music, but somehow, it just does. Is it the best pedal out there? Nah. Is it practical? Not by a long shot. But every time I plug it in, I canāt help but smile. Itās unpredictable, a little wild, and it feels like youāre jamming in the middle of a bizarre Isekai anime scene. And honestly, thatās what makes it fun.
This thing used to go for less than $100. Now? Itās fetching many times that. Is it worth the price? Thatās up to you. But for me, the Korg Miku isnāt just another pedalāitās a strange, delightful journey Iām glad I didnāt skip. No regrets here.
Two guitars, two amps, and two people is all it takes to bring the noise.
The day before they played the coveted Blue Room at Third Man Records in Nashville, the Washington, D.C.-based garage-punk duo Teen Mortgage released their debut record, Devil Ultrasonic Dream. Not a bad couple of days for a young band.
PGās Chris Kies caught up with guitarist and vocalist James Guile at the Blue Room to find out how he builds the bandās bombastic guitar attack.
Brought to you by DāAddario.
Devilish Dunable
Guile has been known to use Telecasters and Gretsches in the past, but this time out heās sticking with this Dunable Cyclops DE, courtesy of Gwarsenio Hallāaka Jordan Olds of metal-themed comedy talk show Two Minutes to Late Night. Guile digs the Dunableās lightness on his shoulders, and its balance of high and low frequencies.
Storm Warning
What does Guile like about this Squier Cyclone? Simple: its color. This one is also nice and easy on the back, and Guile picked it up from Atomic Music in Beltsville, Maryland.
Crushing It
Guile also scooped this Music Man 410-HD from Atomic, which he got just for this tour for a pretty sweet deal. It runs alongside an Orange Crush Bass 100 to rumble out the low end.
James Guileās Pedalboard
The Electro-Harmonix Micro POG and Hiwatt Filter Fuzz MkII run to the Orange, while everything elseāa DigiTech Whammy, Pro Co Lilā RAT, and Death by Audio Echo Dream 2āruns to the Music Man. A TC Helicon Mic Mechanic is on board for vocal assistance, and a TC Electronic PolyTune 3, Morley ABY, and Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 3 Plus keep the ship afloat.