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| Burhard G Lehle, the man behind the switchers |
The brightly colored boxes with the mushroom- shaped footswitches popped onto the scene a while back, offering up Teutonic quality and innovation along with a difficult to pronounce name. Having scored U.S. distribution last year with Dana B. Goods, Lehle-branded boxes (pronounced lee-la) have found their way onto quite a few pedalboards stateside in a short amount of time, many of which belong to artists notorious for their search for the ultimate tone. Figuring these guitarists were onto something, our own intrepid Dirk Wacker tracked down Burkhard G. Lehle to ask, “Dude, what's up with those switches?"
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How did you end up specializing in switching solutions?
It all started one day when a customer came into my shop and asked for a special switching solution. I'm always open-minded to new things, so I started to investigate and I soon realized that there were no practical solutions. Due to the void in the market, I built two prototypes and showed them to some exhibitors at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany. When I returned home, I had several orders for my switcher. My first prototypes were built into the standard Hammond die cast cases, using standard mechanical switches. As demand increased, I developed my first generation of switchers in 2001. These switchers had the bigger, mushroom-shaped knobs and the indestructible switching matrix. These raised a lot of international interest; that's how it all started.
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What sets your switchers apart?
The special thing about my switchers is the design and the exclusive use of relays and switches with gold-plated contacts. My pride and joy is the Hi-Z transformer that I developed, which is used in the Dual SGoS, Little Dual and the P-Split. I really believe that it's important to keep the individual interaction of the guitar, amp, playing style and the cable alive, even when you need to switch. The signal that comes out of a typical guitar or bass is so weak that a crappy cable or cheap contact materials can noticeably ruin your tone. To switch such weak signals without any tone loss, you need very special contact materials and a special design. Nothing beats gold-plated contacts for switches and relays. This is the only guaranteed way for switching weak signals without any degeneration.
In general, my switchers are passive, without any semiconductors in the signal path. The sound of a guitar and bass is created by the interaction between the weak instrument signal and the amp's sensitive input stage. With an active buffer, you can dramatically change the sound and feel of a guitar. Buffers and other active elements can be very useful and sound good, but in my opinion, they should not be involved in any switching process.
Could you tell us more about the transformer?
I developed the LTHZ transformer because when you are routing a guitar signal to two amps, you will typically have two problems: ground loops, which are especially annoying when using overdrive; and phase inversion, possibly causing a thinner sound. Both problems can be cured by using a transformer. Standard transformers are not built for guitar signals; even the most expensive models will change your tone noticeably. A guitar pickup isn't like a mic, with even bass, mids and highs. The typical electric guitar sound is the product of the resonant frequency in the mids of the pups in combination with the guitar's electronics, your cable and the input stage of the amp. When you use a standard transformer together with a guitar signal, you will shift this mid peak towards the lower frequencies, resulting in a completely different sound, often perceived as a loss in high frequencies. Strong signal sources like active outputs from a keyboard don't have any characteristic peaks and a standard transformer will not change the sound noticeably. A guitar signal is a much weaker signal, comparatively, while its input impedance is much higher than any line-level input.
You can use this effect to build a low-cost, A/B/Y box. You only have to boost the signal with a small active preamp, then you can use any standard transformer afterwards. This will get rid of the phase and ground problems we talked about, but this way will also destroy the interaction between the guitar and the amp. The best thing to do is to use a transformer that keeps this interaction untouched – that does not change the resonant peaks of the pickup in combination with the amp. Because there was no manufacturer producing such a transformer, I developed my own, starting from scratch. This transformer, used inside the Dual SGoS, Little Dual and the P-Split II, has a very high impedance and leaves the guitar signal untouched. The typical input impedance of a guitar amp is around 1 Megohm. The native impedance of my transformer at 1kHz is approximately ten times higher. Because of this, the transformer will not influence the mid frequencies in any way. At the same time, the coil's DC resistance is very low while the coil inductance is very high. Because of this, the signal will not lose any volume. Coupled with a low-impedance source like a mixing console or a preamp output, it is possible to stay absolutely linear between 20Hz and 100kHz. I also sell my LTHZ transformer to audio and hi-fi manufacturers.
Can you tell us a little bit about your new generation products?
I worked two years on the new generation of my switchers. My main goal for developing these new switchers is easy; I wanted to develop the best switchers ever. The new design of the switchers was developed by two young and very talented industrial designers, Busse and Medugorac. I designed the first generation, but my main work is engineering, so I decided to let these two guys do the design work for the new generation of switchers. I think this was a good decision because I'm pretty sure we will hear their names again in the future – they did a really fantastic job.
From a technical point of view, the first version of my D-Loop, with its programmable and MIDI functions was the first product in the new direction of my switchers. Besides some new helpful features, like the tuner-out of the Dual SGoS or the controllable buffer stage of the new D-Loop, the main difference between the first and second generation is the network ability.
A lot of customers asked me for bigger solutions for more than two amps or two loops. Building bigger switchers with more loops would be one way to go, but I think it's much better to connect the loopers to build a complex switching matrix.
For example, you start with two effects chains connected to two loops with the D-Loop SGoS. You can change the loops or bypass all the loops with only one step. When you need additional loops because of more effects or changing effects combinations, you can keep your old one and use an additional D-Loop SGoS connected to the first one with a standard stereo patch cable to build a network. Now, when you step on one switcher, the other one will follow, while all the possible combinations are freely programmable – you can even connect a third switcher. The main idea behind this new concept is switching everything with a single step. The complete communication is realized using the MIDI program change standard, so you can also connect the switchers to any other MIDI device.
Lehle has an impressive roster of users – guitarists like Peter Stroud and Carl Verheyen. Have any artists helped develop Lehle products? What is the design process for a new pedal?
All Lehle products are based on customer requests. Most of the requests are coming from less popular musicians, but I treat them the same as if they were famous rockstars. When several musicians are longing for the same product, and it fits my product line, I will release it. There are also well known artists like Carl Verheyen who helped to develop a product with their input and ideas. The tuner-out of the Dual SGoS, as well as the fourth mode (aka “Carl Verheyen-mode") of this box are good examples of this. Carl was one of the better-known guitarists who used the Dual on an everyday basis. He wanted an additional tuner-out and a preset mode from standard A/B boxes – one switch is for A or B, another one for A and B and the third is for the tuner. I built this as a custom version for Carl, then started receiving a lot of requests for this setup. I did a redesign of the old Dual to implement those features and the Dual SGoS has been one of our best sellers ever since.
Not long ago, I met Joe Bonamassa in Bochum, Germany. He has been using my 1@3 switchers on his pedalboard since 2001 and stated that this is the only switcher that is 100 percent transparent, without any tone coloration. I brought him a new 1@3 SGoS switcher that he tested right before his gig. I think that Joe is a real sound purist, recognizing even the smallest differences in tone – I'm happy that I had the chance to talk about tone and switchers with him.
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Where did the “mushroom" footswitches come from?
I soldered my first switchers by hand and I connected the three switches to the PCB with cables. This method was not very production friendly and also notorious for malfunctioning. Standard footswitches have a very limited lifetime, and to be honest, I really don't like the design. Based on my experiences repairing amps and stompboxes I knew that I also didn't want a solution where the switches are soldered directly to the circuit board because of the risk of a broken or damaged PCB. Production costs and the risk of malfunctions are low with this design, but what can you do with a switcher that's unreliable?
While looking for a suitable solution, I visited an electronics tradeshow in Munich, and found aluminium knobs with a plastic bearing, engaging a micro tactile switch inside the case! Naturally, this is not my invention; the method of “indirect engaging of a switch" has been well known for industrial applications for many years, but the design is especially developed for the needs of musicians. All of the components – the aluminium mushroom knob, the bearing bushing, the retaining spring, the microswitch on the PCB and the relays – are designed for at least two million switching actions. With a little luck, a standard footswitch will survive 20,000 switching actions. I think the best proof that our switchers are very reliable is the 1@3 that Joe Bonamassa uses – it has spent seven years on the road without any problems. With the Little Lehle, I released a second system that works with the same knob, but inside there is no microswitch. Instead, a specially shaped flexible sheet of metal is engaging a high quality slide switch with gold contacts. I use this system in the Little Lehle, the Little Dual and soon in the Lehle Parallel-L.
Tell us more about the Little Lehle – what was the idea behind the design?
The Little Lehle is our beginner's model, offering the same quality in sound and construction as our big switchers. The Little Lehle switches a stereo stompbox or as a symmetrical signal into the signal path. You can also use it as a stereo A/B box for two amps or two instruments. The Little Lehle is loaded with two slide switches in parallel with gold contacts, which delivers eight individual switching stages. Because of this, you can switch a signal in stereo or symmetrical while also switching the grounds. Of course, it can still function as a mono switcher. When you are using the Little Lehle as an A/B box for one guitar and two amps, it's impossible to get any ground loops. The lifetime of the gold-contacted slide switches is drastically expanded compared to standard footswitches. Also, they will not produce the typical popping noises that often occur with standard switches. Since it was released, the Little Lehle is my top seller and my goal is to equip every guitarist with one.
This summer I will release the Little Lehle II, offering the same new design as my big switchers.
What else is on the horizon for Lehle?
The Sunday Driver is coming next. It's a clean boost with two boost options; the “driver mode" where the box is working as a linear line driver and the “Sunday mode" where it works like a buffer, very similar to the D-Loop buffer function. Next, I plan to release the little line-mixers Parallel M and Parallel L, which will convert a serial effects loop to parallel. Another big project is the design of several channel-switchers for amps that can be connected to my SGoSseries products, working as a network.
Lehle
We’ll take this moment to be completely honest.
We love Austin as much as the next guy wearing a tie-dye “Keep Austin Weird” tee, but Summer NAMM in Nashville is the shit. Since there’s pretty much an incredible picker around every corner – and on many of the corners themselves – you couldn’t turn around without hearing someone playing twangy, bent double-stops better than you.
Whether it was the demo guy in the booth or the entertainment at industry parties large and small, Nashville felt like a celebration thrown for guitarists by guitarists, and we just happened to get the invite.
Interestingly, some of the major industry players like Seymour Duncan and Paul Reed Smith opted to eschew the booth to instead scope out the show from the floor, and even Gibson – whose coinciding Summer Jam was a massive draw – scaled back the booth in their hometown. But after a show that exceeded every metric, from excitement to traffic, NAMM could be back in Nashville to stay – and SD, PRS and Big G might be bringing a lot more next year.
Of course, there were still tons of new products to check out on the show floor, and they weren’t all the Moog Guitar. Here’s a sampling of some of the gear that got our mouths watering in Nashville. When you’re done with these pages, head online to premierguitar to see exclusive videos from the show, including some great performances by pickers like Brent Mason and Vince Gill, and our exclusive interview with George Gruhn. Here’s to Music City USA.
| The Moog Guitar Hands down, the debut of the Moog Guitar was the biggest buzz at the show. Featuring revolutionary technology that works its magic on the strings themselves (instead of working through an effected signal), the Moog Guitar can indefinitely sustain a string or remove energy from the strings in Mute mode, yielding a number of cool, banjo-esque sounds. Also included is a Moog ladder filter and a completely blendable piezo pickup for an extreme range of sounds. Combine all of that with a 5A maple top, a swamp ash body and ebony fingerboard (which look much better in person, we’ll note) and you have, without a doubt, the innovation of the year. $6495 moogmusic.com |  |
 | Retro-Sonic Effects Even though it was the company’s first NAMM appearance, they had seven fully featured pedals to show off. Included was the company’s Chorus, based on the Roland CE1 but much more guitar friendly (smaller and 9V compatible), and their Phaser, which is based off an old MXR Script 90 pedal and features Level and Depth controls. Every pedal sounded impressively deep and expansive. Thanks, Canada. starting at $175 retro-sonic.com |
| Peavey 2084V6 Head Peavey is poised to get into the custom amplifier business within the next couple of months. One example of these handmade, point-to-point amplifiers is the 2084V6 head, which features both EL84s and 6V6s in a diminutive frame; players will be able to select between the two via the rear panel. Featuring 20 watts, a selectable tube or solid-state rectifier and custom colored tolex, these amps look to be worth the wait. price TBA peavey.com |  |
 | Hahn Guitars Model 228 If you’ve been searching for a time machine back to the Golden Era, luthier Chihoe Hahn has an unbelievable deal for you. Made from a solid piece of swamp ash and packed with Lollar pickups, the Model 228 is truly a handmade instrument; even the hardware is fabricated in Hahn’s Garnerville, New York shop. The 228 also features a wafer-thin nitro finish and a Bakelite pickguard. This has to be heard to be believed. starting at $2800 hahnguitars.com |
| Duesenberg Vintage Analog Effects Duesenberg is getting into the analog effects game and their three new pedals have all of the German sensibilities that we’ve come to know and love. The Red Echo provides up to 600ms of delay, the White Drive is a classic booster that works well with your guitar’s volume, and the Green Comp is a vintage-style compressor with a more controllable attack. While the names aren’t the most inventive, they are hand-wired, feature Neutrik jacks and are true bypass. starting at $369.98 duesenberg.de |  |
 | The String Cleaner Voted Best in Show, the String Cleaner promises to dramatically extend the life of your strings. A microfiber pad made up of hundreds of thousands of little loops is pulled across your strings, soaking up all the oil and dirt without chemicals or solutions. The pads are cleanable under water or in the dishwasher, and we’re told that the pad itself can last for several months. MSRP $12.99 thestringcleaner.com |
| Babicz Crescent Series 12-String From the brilliant minds at Babicz comes an ingenious solidbody acoustic. Packed with Fishman’s Aura technology, four acoustic images (including a Shure SM58 and Neumann condensers), a gorgeous book matched maple top and the company’s signature adjustable neck system – allowing for action adjustments with the turn of one screw – this could very well be the first 12-string that you’ve had to purchase. Did we mention it’s completely made in the U.S.? $2100 babiczguitars.com |  |
 | St. Blues White Lightning One of our favorite companies from south of the Mason-Dixon line, St. Blues heated up Nashville with some tasty designs, including the debut of new U.S. models from their Memphis Custom Shop. The White Lightning features three custom wound P-90s and a push-pull tone control, which activates a passive overdrive. Their Custom Shop Mississippi Bluesmaster is completely made in the U.S. and features Fralin pickups and a Honduran mahogany body (price TBA). Expect good things from these folks. $1100 saintblues.com |
| Paige Capos This company surprised us with some cool twists on old ideas. The company’s 12-string model features rings around the fretbar to ensure even pressure on all 12 strings without putting undue tension on the neck. Their “extreme bender” model was designed to keep your strings in check and in tune under the craziest of Tele bends. The fact that they are on the guitars of players like Vince Gill and Keith Urban means that they actually work. starting at $24.95 paigemusical.com |  |
 | Flaxwood Guitars Billed as “the first real breakthrough in the design of a solidbody electric in at least a generation,” by an enthusiastic rep, Flaxwood guitars will appeal to the conservationists out there. Five years in development, Flaxwoods are made out of a wood-based, injection molded material that promises to create one of the most stable, toneful instruments on the market with a lot fewer trees. Impervious to heat and cold, packed with Seymour Duncans and featuring a truss rod that only requires adjustment once, you’ll want to check these out if Space Age materials are your thing. Starting at $2800 flaxwood.com |
| Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition ’51 Nocaster Okay, we’ll admit we’re suckers for this stuff, but Fender’s Custom Shop continually releases unbelievable relics like this ’51 Nocaster, featuring a body of lightweight ash, a Twisted Tele pickup in the neck and a Nocaster “U” shaped neck. With only 50 to be available worldwide, you’d better get approved for that line of credit quickly. $5000 fender.com |  |
 | Pedalflex Effects Pedal Remote Sure, you may not think you need this, but consider how many times you’ve tried dialing in a knob on your pedal with the tip of your shoe, only to discover that your shoe was not made for precision adjustments. If you’re tired of groping around dark stages for the Drive control, Pedalflex’s new Effects Pedal Remote will allow you to adjust up to two knobs from the comfort of your mic stand. While it’s still a mechanical system and a little limited in scope, it’s better than nothing. We were also informed that a wireless system is in the works, which will open up the possibilities greatly. starting at $69 pedalflex.com |
| Bourgeois Guitars Ricky Skaggs Limited Edition Dreadnought Based out of a small shop in Maine, the folks at Bourgeois Guitars amazingly produce 400 guitars a year. This year ten of those will be their Ricky Skaggs Limited Edition, featuring (stunning) Brazilian rosewood back and sides, an Adirondack spruce top and an ebony fretboard. If those select cuts of wood aren’t enough to get you going, the guitar features tasteful appointments like a mammoth ivory bridge, ivory heel cap, engraved tuners and handmade bridge pins with raised ivory centers. $15,000 pantheonguitars.com |  |
 | TiSonix Titanium Bridge Pins The folks at TiSonix are obsessed with improving the tonal transfer of your instrument. From acoustic bridge pins (shown here) to saddles and complete bridge assemblies, TiSonix’ all titanium components promise more sustain and a clearer tone. If it’s good enough for battleships and the International Space Station, it’s gotta be good enough for your guitar. $55 tisonix.com |
| With the release of his latest album, Requiem, John 5 has been a busy man. Between touring with Rob Zombie and playing clinics for Guitar Centers around the country, it seems that his subtly unnerving brand of gothic rock has struck a nerve with fans. They’re absolutely eating it up everywhere he goes, perhaps because it’s something different in a world of homogeneity. From his best-selling instructional DVD, The Devil Knows My Name, which blends twisted horror imagery with lightning fast licks, to his new album, chock full of allusions to the darkest ports of human exploration, it would seem that John 5 has found a healthy musical and stylistic niche to exist in. |
Of course, it’s never quite that easy. John 5 is a musician full of tough, disorienting contradicitions – things that might make sense if it wasn’t for his darker-than-dark image. The former guitarist for shock rocker, Marylin Manson, John 5 is actually a friendly, passionate guy who is happy to answer any and all of your questions, whether its about his guitar or his floorlength leather coat. He is upfront about his love for old country pickers like Jerry Reed, and peppers Requiem with some of the hottest picking you’ll ever hear on an album with song names inspired by torture devices. He’s made a name for himself within guitar circles for producing punishing riffs with a Telecaster and Marshall, an odd combination that stands in direct defiance of what many assume to be a standard-issue rock rig. There’s absolutely no pretension surrounding him, and the fact that there isn’t is almost maddening – why can’t he just be what we expect him to be?
Needless to say, within the first minutes of our interview we stopped trying to label John. Instead, we talked about his beginnings due to a cornpone television show, his collection of classic Telecasters and why he’s a Marshall man for life.
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What I loved about it was that Hee Haw was a show that everyone crowded around the TV and watched together because it was the thing to do. I remember one time there was a little kid on there. He had to be ten or eleven, and he played banjo like nothing I’d ever seen. I mean, you’re shocked when kids do things, but this kid played the banjo so well I couldn’t believe my eyes! It always stuck in my head.
The other thing that stuck in my head was that everybody played Telecasters – I just thought that it was the electric guitar. I wanted an electric guitar and I wanted it to look like that.
As you began learning the guitar, what did you cut your teeth playing?
I started learning from Jimi Hendrix and people like that. I slowly learned Jimi’s riffs and then I learned “Happy Birthday” for my dad. I loved playing, but I wasn’t learning songs that I loved. Once I learned “Crazy Train” and a few other favorite songs, I never put the guitar down. I was like, “Wow! I can play my favorite songs!” If someone wants to learn guitar, I’ll teach them a couple of songs and then I’ll teach them songs they really love. That’s what my teacher did for me; I had a very smart guitar teacher in that regard. If someone loves Neil Young, I’ll teach them an A and an F chord, and then introduce them to a Neil Young song they can play – at that point, they’re just amazed.
Did you ever get into guys like Don Rich or Roy Nichols because of that Hee Haw connection?
Of course! Those guys, and players like Jerry Reed, were awesome. I loved that stuff and still do today.
It’s nice to see that you have a wide range of influences and favorites. Most musicians seem to lean predominantly towards either rock or country.
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You’ve made a name for yourself by playing absurdly heavy music with a Tele. How do you create those sounds? Why don’t you just pick up a Les Paul?
[Fender] built these guitars, Subsonic Teles, which are really low, like baritone guitars. It’s like having a seven-string, but in a sixstring form. And, as you know, they had those back in the day – they could have been playing Korn songs back in the sixties with these types of guitars. They have always had those guitars as an option; they have been around longer than most people care to remember. I just love the feel of the Telecaster – I love the Les Paul, too, but I just feel more comfortable with the Tele. It’s like an old friend of mine.
Can you tell me more about your three signature Telecasters created by Fender?
The first one I created was when I was in Marilyn Manson. At the time, Fender had a guitar called the Maverick and they also made a 12-string guitar called the Villager – both had similar headstocks from the sixties. I thought both of these headstocks were cool, which is where I got the idea for the headstock on the first guitar I created [the Fender Custom Shop J5 Bigsby Signature Telecaster]. It’s elongated and has a similar layout to 12-string guitars, but we shaved a little bit off the bottom of the headstock so I could do the behind the nut bends and things like that. I love the rosewood fingerboard, too.
I put the Bigsby on there for those old country guys – I always thought it looked so crazy. Although I like the Floyd Rose, I don’t like depending on them; I like being able to use a little finesse here and there with the Bigsby. I also put a Hot Rail pickup in there and chromed it up. With the next version I did [the J5 Telecaster], everything stayed the same, except we put a humbucker in and replaced the Bigsby with a hardtail, because, as everyone knows, the Bigsby is very tough to string up and keep in tune.
After that, I wanted to take it to the next level and just knock it out of the park with the old three humbucker [J5 Triple Tele Deluxe]. It looks like an old, mean Harley with all that chrome. I’ve always loved triple humbucker guitars and I don’t think the Tele had ever done it before. The headstock goes to a seventies Fender Tele Deluxe; I also liked adding the Deluxe pickguard.
I also noticed that your guitars come with Fender’s Enforcer humbuckers. What do you like about those?
I like that I can get a heavy enough sound to play with Rob Zombie, but it’s clean enough to play with Chet Atkins. That’s what I said to Alex [Perez, Fender Artist Relations Manager] and that was the first humbucker that he mentioned, and it works perfectly.
I understand you have a pretty healthy Tele collection.
Well, I have a very collective personality, so I was trying to get one from every year, starting with the first year. But let’s be honest; it’s not an easy task. It wasn’t something I set out to do in a few years or even ten, but something I can enjoy doing for the rest of my life. Anybody can find these guitars, but the key is to find them in original and excellent condition. I don’t want any issues, refinishes, re-dressings, overspray, or even knobs or wires changed. I want them all to be original, which is the hard part. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt.
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Here are the other guitars that I own right now: a beautiful blonde 1952 Esquire in perfect condition; a 1953 Telecaster; a 1954 Esquire; a 1958 Tele; a 1963 Esquire; a 1964 Custom Tele; a 1966 Esquire; a 1967 Custom Tele with a maple neck; a 1968 Thinline – the first year of that model; a 1969 Thinline with a rosewood neck – the first year that was an option; a 1971 blonde Tele; a 1972 Fender Deluxe; a 1973 Custom Tele with the single-coil pickup and the humbucker in the neck; and Teles from ’75, ’76 and ‘77. In 1978 I started getting them in the international colors that they introduced, like [Capri] Orange, [Maui] Blue and Arctic White. I plan on stopping at 1980, at least for now. Once I get the missing years, maybe I’ll go on from there.
Do you play these guitars or are they just hidden away in some vault?
I play them sometimes, but most of them are just for my visual enjoyment.
I noticed you also use Marshall’s Mode Four heads.
Yes, I do use Marshall Mode Fours, but I’m changing it up a little bit and just started trying these new Marshall JVMs. They are the Vintage Modern Series and are very cool.
What do you like about Marshall?
I think they are just very familiar to me – I’ve always used them and loved them. They are well made amps and I like their quality. Just like Mercedes and BMW, they are always well done, and I love quality.
I think it gives you a really unique, identifiable sound. You really don’t see the Tele-Marshall combination all that much.
No, you rarely see it, but that’s why I like that setup. It’s a great guitar and a great amp, so why not put them together?
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When I record an album I love using old effects. One of my favorites for the rhythm parts is the pedal by Electro-Harmonix called the Bass MicroSynthensizer. It’s such a cool sound and it makes the rhythm parts sound so nasty. I’ll also use some old Fender phasers and fuzz-wahs and things like that, but when I’m live, I don’t use them because some guy once said, “Oh, John 5 is all effects,” and I was like, “Oh my God, no I’m not!” So, I never use effects live – I just play the distortion parts and the lead parts with them.
Do you throw an overdrive in your signal chain or are you relying on the Marshall to give you most of that?
Oh no, I use a [Boss] Super Overdrive, a Noise Suppressor and a tuner. I usually have about three little pedals in my rig, but sometimes I use those Boss analog delays to make it feedback when you twist the knobs and things like that.
We’ve touched on your beginnings a little bit, but I’m wondering about your progression as a musician. What did you do after that inspirational Hee Haw moment?
Well, I grew up in Gross Pointe, Michigan. My first real gig was with this band called Dirty Tricks. I was in sixth grade and we just played a bunch of Van Halen tunes. In seventh grade, we did this battle of the bands thing – the lead singer and I were the most popular kids in town because we were in a band. We did that show and felt like the Beatles – all of the girls were screaming. I think that just gave me the bug to play live music.
Eventually, I started to play with bands in the Detroit area and worked on my craft as a live performer. I was in a band called Vampirella with all these dudes with long hair and we played in smoky bars. Another band I was in was called Pepperland, because of the Beatles. After that I moved to Los Angeles and started as a session musician, and things just took off.
You had the opportunity to work with Diamond Dave on his DLR Band album. What was that like for you?
It was incredible. All I ever wanted to be was Eddie Van Halen. Back in the day I kept saying to myself, “All I want to do is play with David Lee Roth.”
How did it come about?
I was sitting at home, looking at the bookshelf, and saw Dave’s book, Crazy From the Heat. I called his manager and asked if they needed any songs. Of course they had no clue who I was, but they told me to send them some stuff. I recorded some songs that sounded like old Van Halen and Dave liked them, so I finally got to meet Dave. He said that we should make a record. And so we did this record in something like two weeks because Dave is old school. We just got into a room, played live and tried to create the best record we could. It was an incredible experience and I’m happy to say that I’m still very close with Dave. It’s not only a highlight of my career, but a highlight of my life.
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I played with [Marilyn Manson] from 1998 to 2003, and that was an incredible journey. I learned a lot from being in that band – I was in it at the perfect time, when they were on top of their game. I was lucky and am still fortunate for that opportunity.
I really enjoy playing with great musicians in general. I recently wrote a song with the Scorpions for their new record, which was great. In the past, I’ve worked with Paul Stanley and Meat Loaf; now I’m working on some songs with Lynyrd Skynyrd. I’ve been with Rob Zombie for over three years now and it has been great working with someone I’ve been a fan of for such a long time.
Playing with Zombie, have you had to make any changes to your style or rig?
No, actually he told me to be my own person and player, which is just great and relaxing. I’m lucky enough to be my crazy self.
Is Zombie still going after that intense industrial sound, or has it changed?
We’re doing it a little more rough and live. It’s not so tape-heavy, but it’s still one of the most amazing live shows you’ll ever see in your life.
You’re such a busy guy – you put out a pretty popular instruction DVD a while back called The Devil Knows My Name, which mixed healthy amounts of horror footage with your guitar playing. Depending on who you are, that sounds like an incredible concept.
Once you watch it, you’re going to freak out. It’s not like anything you think or may have seen before. It’s been a number one seller at Guitar Center for a long time. There’s a lot of guitar solos, but there’s also a lot of nudity and debauchery. It’s not necessarily a horror movie, but it has a lot of craziness – you know, naked girls with big heads. What guy doesn’t like guitar solos and nude women? It’s totally filthy and when you see it you’ll love it.
Did you encounter any negative reaction from it? Was there anyone saying, “This is too over the top?”
Everyone loves it. I got the thumbs-up from everyone. The only negative thing I got was from Hal Leonard, which I’m surprised they even left in what they did of the movie, but they did take out this one, very brutal scene at the end.
Are there plans for another one?
You know, I don’t know. This went so well, and with anything, when the original is successful, there’s always another one.
Your latest album, Requiem is incredibly intense. I’ve heard you describe it as, “everything but the kitchen sink.” What were you thinking about as you headed into the studio for this release? I like to take each instrumental record to the next level, starting with Vertigo.
This record has a little classical, western swing, bluegrass and lots of heavy shredding, which has created some crazy songs. The album is a guitar player’s wet dream because it’s so intense.
Can you give us some insight into your recording process for Requiem?
Well, I recorded it in [producer] Scott Humphrey’s house. He’s got this massive studio. It’s one of the nicest studios I’ve ever been in in my whole life. It’s in the Hollywood Hills and Motley Crüe, Zombie and Metallica have all used it. They were so busy that I had to record in the middle of the night and my mind would kind of get a little crazy. Requiem is one of my favorite things that I’ve ever done. Everyone that worked on the album did an incredible job and I’m extremely proud of it.
All of the song titles on Requiem are named after torture devices; the song, “27 Needles” on The Devil Knows My Name is an homage to serial killer, Albert Fish. I’m sure our readers are wondering where your fascination with the darker side of life comes from.
I think people have things in their closet they like to watch. It’s so true – look at the [former] New York governor, Eliot Spitzer. Everybody has deep, dark secrets, and I have an interest in serial killers and crazy stuff. I would never want anyone to get hurt, but I am just interested in how people’s minds are so twisted. There is this song called, “The Washing Away of Wrong,” and it’s about this serial killer that thought washing his hands after brutally chopping someone up would make everything okay. I just think it’s crazy how someone’s mind works like that.
What’s on your plate looking forward?
I’m doing these Guitar Center clinics and saying thanks to all the people that have bought the album and have supported me throughout the years. I am also finishing up my work with Lynyrd Skynyrd and currently working on the new Rob Zombie album. I’m pretty busy, but I totally appreciate and love it.
| John 5’s Gearbox When John 5 is tearing it up with Rob Zombie, here’s what he’s plugging into.
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John 5
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