Who is this guy...
I've been playing guitar since 1986. Before I used to play bass since the very late seventies in various garage rock bands. But before that I was like most of the kids mimicing in front of a mirrow, embarrasing, huh? Tell me about it.. But I was just 11, and had no idea how to play as never seen anyone except some grumpy looking elderly jazzy guys playing a big hollowbody on TV. But, I learned to tune that damned thing. By the way it was a gold flaked Framus Hollywood, which now spends its days hanging on the wall. I ruined it a bit with decals and stuff. Anyway, it is and was more or less unplayable. Body is ultra light like made of balsa. No sustain out of that.My earliest influences were the Beatles, Wings and T.Rex. But I was more into more powerful stuff and that lead me to Slade and Sweet. Jimmy Lea got me in to playing bass in the first place (bass player of Slade, that guy laid his tracks with that right aggression, no kidding, just listen to their versions of "Hear me calling" and "Born to be wild" in Slade Alive!..).
So I still reckon Sweets "Sweet Fanny Addams" a great album of it's time. Most of people remember for the hit machines of ChinnyChaps but this album is far more than that, yes it got some ChinnyChap tunes. But it is far more heavier and rich in sounds as a reslut of experimentations, check the chello on "No You Don't". I remember playing that album all of the time. It was cool as the sound was good and there were much of "singles" on it and the album was soundwise tied together. Like Beatles's Abbey Road was.
Eventually I turned in to more heavier stuff. From Kiss, New York Dolls, via Aerosmith, into Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent and Scorpions. But obvisiouslly I got bored rehearsing in dusty basements, garages or even in public bombshelters! so since 1984 I've been playing on my own. Now no one tells me what or when to play. Itīs cool!
One day one radio show played a tune with a new west coast band, I had during that time a short stint of listening in to Eagles. The band called themselves as Van Halen and the song was "Running with the devil", and that blew me away... Do I have to add that bassplaying got pretty boring after that...huh?
And a bass player needs to play with a drummer to keep up the sence of pace and ryhthm and frankly playing bass on your own gets pretty boring...,
Especially when you got serious gunslingers like Eddie Van Halen and Gary Moore around. Those two guys have cost me alot of money..
So I wanted to switch to guitar in the early eighties, and I was in the market for a guitar but I couldn't find what I was looking for. Back then guitars were Les Pauls or Strat copies, with singel coil pick ups with no "dat" sound I was looking for. So I bought a cheap korean made Les Paul with all kinds electric junk built in to it, But finally one day I found what I was looking for, a Charvel which was built up kit guitar with a single humbucker on it and the whammy arm all dressed up with a nice fat wide neck! Just perfect for a bass player..... It was equipped with a Mighty Mite pickup humbucker and I got it cheap and I was perfectly happy with it untill a year later I was shopping strings for my bass and since I was not in a hurry, I picked up a '87 model of Ibanez RG550 and fooled around with it. A couple of hours later I said to the clerk that he sold the axe, and that guitar has been my main squeeze ever since.... The only parts I have replaced on it is the whammer arm which broke in two pieces. Itīs still a great guitar. I use Earnie Balls super slinkys on it and play through a Yamaha FX500. or lately playing through my amp.
And let the good times roll...
Of course I am allways in the market for a good RG-550 or a JEM, or something else like it, but the prices have risen a bit high on the new ones and the second hand ones are not allways in a good shape. People doesn't give the instrument much attention unless it's a freaking Gibson or a Fender. They should.....
