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 the band Maelføy (Lars Riedel – guitar & Christopher Maaß- bass)
photo by Denise Andörfer
Who am I interviewing?
This is Lars, guitarist in Maelføy.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing guitar back in 2011, took my first lessons in 2012 and made first band experiences in 2014. My very very very first guitar was an off-brand acoustic guitar my dad got way back in eBay for like 20€. But my first electric was a cheap Epiphone, which I still own and have hanging high and proud on my “wall of guitars”.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
My favorite guitar player always was and still is Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold but for some reason, the influence on my playing isnt really that high haha. Maybe because I couldn’t play all his stuff anyways. Other influences are Caleb Shomo and what he does for Beartooth as well as many other Modern Metalcore guitarists from bands like Bring Me The Horizon, I Prevail or Dayseeker.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I own 10 guitars of various size and usage. My favorite guitar ever is my Schecter Hellraiser which I still use for all our Drop C songs. Lately I have been playing a lot of 7-string Drop G however and for that cause I am using my Solar A1.7. The evertune on the latter is a game changer and it plays so well!
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
Of course its all about the tone. It needs to sound huge, defined and punchy when it comes to distortion but clear and bright when it comes to clean guitars. For me, guitars need to just “feel” right and that begins with the fretboard. I cant stand fretboards that are too thin or narrow.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I know the days of carrying 50kg amps and cabinets downstairs into a cellar club and I am glad those days are gone haha. Nowadays I prefer modelers over tube amps, its just so much easier and fits right into our live rack through MIDI. And you just have so much for flexibility when it comes to tone etc.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
We recorded everything digitally through Neural DSP and my Solar A1.7 guitar. Don’t forget to get fresh strings!
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
That will always be my beloved Schecter Hellraiser! Just so many memories with this one.
photo by Denise Andörfer
Who am I interviewing?
This is Chris, bassist in Maelføy.
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
I started playing bass 10 years ago back in 2013. My first bass actually a bass owned by our guitarist Lars who lended it to me to get some lessons. It was an LTD bass in explorer shape, quite fancy but did the trick when it came to learning the fundamentals.
What are your influences and which bass players are your favs?
As a bassist by heart I love Flea, obviously, which bassist doesn’t? But next to Flea I also get influenced quite a lot by Modern Metal bassists in general, no specific person but just the genre in general. Oh but the bassist of “Unprocessed” – David Levy – who we played with together over 4 years ago in Münster is also someone I look up to a lot.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
I own three basses but my favorite by far is my Sandberg bass.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
You just need to “feel” it when it comes to playing the instrument. For the amp, tone is obviously the key. It needs to sound gritty, lots of lowend rumble but still crystal clear. For me, my Darkglass Microtubes does just that!
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
If I can only choose one bass it will be my Sandberg bass 100%!
