What was the first serious guitar that you bought with your own money?
“The first proper guitar I really remember aspiring to for a very long time was my Les Paul. I had a Squier Telecaster prior to that, then I graduated up to an Epiphone Les Paul that my old man very kindly bought me – and then it was the Les Paul.
“I was a huge Slash fan when I was growing up and so I was intent on getting a bona fide Gibson Les Paul at some point. It was sort of hovered over my head as an incentive to do well in my GCSE exams by my parents, as long as I met them halfway on it. Of course, the first thing I did with it played a gig at a club in Newport called TJs. I opened up the case to proudly show it to the rest of the band and stuck it through the ceiling in the venue, taking a big lump out of the corner of the headstock. I surreptitiously tried to cover it up with black masking tape so that my old man didn’t notice…”
What was the last guitar that you bought and why?
“The last guitar I bought was a bit of a strange one. It’s a rare Gibson that they only made 150 of, which is an ES-355 signature model made for this guy called Shinichi Ubukata. He’s in a couple of Japanese bands and obviously very well respected there, but doesn’t seem to have much of a profile outside of his own country. Dave Grohl picked one up and there are rumours as to how heavily involved he was with the design of the guitar because it’s quite similar to his own model – a kind of Trini Lopez thing with the diamond f-holes. I stumbled across a picture of one on Instagram a year or so, I guess, and I was really intrigued by it right away.”
What’s the most incredible find or bargain you’ve ever had when buying guitars?
Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms