This article series is about the tools of popular guitarists or bassists.. What are their favorite guitars or basses and how is it related to them? This time with Brian McClelland & Rah Davis from the band „Filth is Eternal“.
Interview with Brian McClelland (guitar), Interview with Rah Davis (bass) below.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
Yeah, definitely. I started playing guitar around 13 or 14 years old after playing bass for a year or two. My first guitar was a classic pawn shop special, an old MCI jobber. It was tele shaped with two humbuckers and a pointy headstock. All black with red binding and black hardware. I think I wanted a Tom Morello look, so I tried to sand and file the headstock into the banana shape of his Arm the Homeless guitar. An experiment that I failed at fantastically, haha. Luckily, it still made sound.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
Oh man, there are so many incredible guitarists out there. I love lots of the classics like Nirvana, Black Flag, My Bloody Valentine, Weezer, Queens of the Stone Age, etc, then lots of newer punk stuff, like CANDY, Gulch, Craft, Black Breath, Magrudergrind, then really fun experimental bands like Oranssi Pazuzu, Botch, Xiu Xiu, stuff that’s more angular with different instrumentation.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I have 10-12 depending on which ones I’ve loaned out recently. That’s counting basses as well. I play bass in a band called Haunted Horses and teach guitar on the side, so I have guitars and basses set up for standard tuning, our C Standard tuning for Filth, plus one or two setup for transitional tunings like baritone G Standard. Some live in certain places so I can access the right one when I need it, some live strictly at home. Every guitar has a certain purpose, but I love the way the Fender Jaguars play. I’ve tried a number of
different builds, but I always come back to the smaller offset style. I think it just fits my body the best.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
The perfect guitar and amp combination has to do with even distribution of sound. I used to play really, really cheap guitars for fun just to see how good I could set them up, or use weird vintage amps to see what kind of disgusting sound you can get from them at show volume. Can this First Act sound as good as a Les Paul, etc? The problem was one was never keeping up with the other. Now, I think a lot more about the balance of the guitar with the amp. Can the amp respond to the frequencies that the guitar is tuned to or resonates at? Is the guitar setup in a way that gets the preferred attack from the amp? Do pedals in the way help or hurt the overall clarity.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
Each is a type of tool. Sometimes you need a hammer and sometimes you need a paintbrush. Personally, I prefer big ass tube amps for live shows, but I’ve blown some up on stages. When recording, I like my tube amps, but I also like to use solid state setups. I primarily use Mesa Boogie, but I’ll run guitar through crazy home stereo setups, or samplers. Anything that makes a cool sound is fair game to me.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
On our newest album, FIND OUT, I primarily used a Mesa Boogie Mark V and a Dual Caliber DC-10 chopped into a head from a combo. I also brought a RadioShack Realistic PA that I had modded into an amp head. We almost always bring a Peavey 260h in the case that we need that grungy Black Flag solid state sound for either bass or guitar.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
Thats a really tough one since each carries it’s own memories, but I would probably pick my ’94 MIJ Fender Jaguar HH. I got it brand new about a decade ago and it’s roadworn to hell. It’s got trinkets from my family carved in and nailed to it, so it’s got lots of good vibe.
Interview with Rah Davis (bass)
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
Picked up the guitar first with vague interest at eleven, but made the transition to bass around thirteenwith a deeper connection towards the low end sound.
What are your influences and which bass players are your favs?
It really depends on the genre. Early on my favorites were virtuosos Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke and Chris Squire. Over the years, I really prefer the simplicity and distinctive styles of Tina Weymouth, Mike Watt, Tiran Porter, and David Sims. Starting to prefer those pummeling ‘less is more’ basslines as I get older.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
Right now I own six basses: Four electric and two acoustic. The only model I consistently play with Filth is a Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass. My other favorite model to leisurely play is my Hofner Violin Bass, which I use primarily for finger-playing technique and different styles.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
It truly depends on what type of sound you are trying to achieve. For me and our style of music, I prefer amps with power and grit and a bass with dial-in features distinctive for both warm and bright sounds to create the perfect punchy tone.
Which basses and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
Used my Fender Jazz and a Mark Hoppus Signature Precision Bass to gain more bite on some of the material. Ran both basses through a Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine Bass Amp, while using our Filth Bass Preamp prototype and Wren And Cuff’s (Thanks fellas!) Pickle Pie Hella Fuzz Pedal as an extra layer of grit, through a Mesa Boogie 2×15 cabinet.
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
I will always choose my Fender Jazz bass for this project. It supplies and supports every feature necessary for my playing style and our band’s sound. And that provides me comfort.
