WOLFGANG VAN HALEN

A minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo to the airport, we grabbed a chat with the Mammoth WVH frontman, who carries guitar-playing history on his shoulders.

- Mammoth WVH

GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?

WVH: Yes, a 0.6 Max-Grip Dunlop. It’s the pick I’ve played with for 10 years - it’s what my Dad used and it’s the only thing that works for me. At one point I went through a huge order from Dunlop and basically tried every single pick, only to realise that I was most comfortable with the pick I was already using. It was a good way to decide what works, so I still got a lot out of doing it!

GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band? If so, what, and have you ever done it?

WVH: Yes, I write all the parts and play all the instruments on my albums.

GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?

WVH: No, not at all.

GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of?

WVH: Aaron Marshall from [Canadian rock band] Intervals. I am just in love with the way that he plays guitar and he melodically represents himself. I think it’s just an incredible way that he plays melodies.

GT: Your house is burning down: which instrument do you salvage?

WVH: The Frankenstein is safe, it’s in a fireproof safe so we’re good there; the SAs are safe at the studio. I’d probably pick up my used Takamine acoustic that I’ve written everything on. It’s also the acoustic guitar I play for almost every acoustic part you hear on my albums. I recorded Distance with it. That guitar is very special. So I would save that acoustic Takamine I bought randomly before the 2015 Van Halen tour.