If you’ve ever seen Philip Sayce perform live, you’ll know just how ferociously he attacks the instrument, leaning into giant bends and setting off avalanches of cascading licks during his virtuosic solos. So who better to kick off a series of articles on strings and tone than Sayce – who must surely be one of the world’s most demanding players when it comes to tone, durability and feel? Sayce is best known as a Strat player, so we kick things off by asking what his go-to choice of strings is…
“I use D’Addario strings and I pivot between 11s and 10s; 0.011 to 0.054 or 0.010 to 0.054,” he explains. “And really that just depends on how many shows we’re doing, depending on how things feel. If you play five or six shows in a row, and you’ve been playing hard, by that sixth show you might be feeling like, ‘Man, I’m getting a little tired,’ and that’s just reality. And I think listening to your body is really important.
“One of the things I’ve noticed is that people don’t talk about injuries in guitar playing very much. But it’s a real thing, man. Especially if you’re following in the footsteps of somebody who’s a heavy blues player with a lot of bending, a lot of vibrato – and you’re in that world, getting things like bigger frets and figuring out what is the right fit for your body makeup. Not everybody has hands as strong as Stevie Ray Vaughan, right?” says Sayce.
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra October 2019-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
Sonic Shaper
Electro-Harmonix revisits the effect that launched the company with the LPB-3 Linear Power Booster and EQ
Platinum Blonde
PRS has updated its Texas-voiced David Grissom signature amp with more features, lower wattage and a more approachable price tag
TAN LINES
Many of us regard straps as a bit of an afterthought, but to find one that matches the quality of a custom or vintage guitar, Rod Boyes of Pinegrove Leather can help
ELECTRIC STRINGS
Your tone starts with your strings - strike a balance between sound, tuning and durability with six of our favourites
DIFFERENT WINDS
While there's no end to repros of all the classic pickup styles, more and more pickup makers are mixing things up to move forward - Cream T is a good example
Long termers
A few months' gigging, recording and everything that goes with it - welcome to Guitarist's longterm test report
Top Guns
Chapman's new factory move coincides with a bit of a rethink. We track down the key players all around the world
the Wishlist
Dream gear to beg, borrow and steal for...
Reach For The Star
Earlier this year Guild reorganised its 70s-era Polara range. We spent some time with this mid-range 2024 model: a modern pawn-shop prize or a copy too far?
HIGH FLYER
Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX remembers the flight path - and turbulence behind Chris Buck's Electric Lightning overdrive/boost, named after a fighter jet and packing a bona fide valve