This article series is about the tools of popular guitarists. What are their favorite guitars and how is it related to them? This time with James Skrtich (guitar) and JP Cross (bass) from the band „A Killer’s Confession“.
Who am I interviewing?
James Skrtich, guitar player.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
Right now I’m using a Legator 7 string but my first guitar ever was a black with white pick guard Fender Stratocaster.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
When I started I was a huge Metallica fan. Both James and Kirk and their different styles really sucked me into a lot of fast down picking and fast metal. Over time I’ve fallen into down tuned tones and more heavy groove.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
Right now I have 5. I’ve gotten to a point where if I don’t play them they gotta go. I have the Legator 7 string. A custom Monkey House 7 string. 2 custom 24 prs and a solar.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
I can’t answer the perfect guitar. All the guitar I have all have their own feel and vibe for what I’m doing and recording at the moment. As far as amps go I’ve used a lot over the years but for the past 10 yrs I’ve been using Fractal Audio Axe Fx. I’ve gone through all 3 models and I wouldn’t use anything else. The tones I’m able to create in the axe fx are all I need. They sound great and the extra packs available are basically unlimited.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I went from tube to modeler full time in 2015. For me it’s the consistency I love about the modeler. If something doesn’t sound right I know it’s the guitar. I don’t have to worry about the pre tunes or tubes going bad. Just makes less to worry about. I’ve got it to the point where if it sounds bad it’s time to change strings.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
Our new album Victim 1 that comes out in Sept was wrote and recorded before I joined the band. To answer this I reached out to our producer/ engineer Dusty Bowles and he said he used Neural Dsp for the tones. For the guitar he used an ESP E2 Telecaster.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
That’s hard to answer. I’ve kept the guitars I have for the different uses I have for them. It all depends on what tuning and style I’m playing to which guitar I grab. For Akc I’ll always grab a 7 string though with at least 70g strings.
Who am I interviewing?
JP Cross , bass player of A Killers Confession
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
I started playing Bass and Guitar at age 12. Honestly, I do not remember the model it was but it was an old hollow body Gibson bass. I wish I still had that thing. But after having it for about 2 years a guitarist I was jamming with at the time dropped it on concrete. It ended up busting the hollow body on it all the way around. After that I picked up an old 80’s Kramer bass.
What are your influences and which bass players are your favs?
Duff McKagen from Guns N Roses and there isn’t even a close second when it comes to who influenced me. I watched him play live and after that I wanted to play guitar and bass. It was one of those moments when you see something, and it hits you. I’m going to do that.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
At the moment right now, I own 4 basses. (LTD B-205 5-string bass, Epiphone Thunderbird 5 string bass, Spector Custom 2 4-string bass, Ibanez SR306 6 String bass). Right now, I tour with the LTD and the Thunderbird. I do prefer my Spector over all of them. It’s just an amazing built bass.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
For me it’s just how well balanced a bass is. For example, the LTD I’m playing live is just weighted nice, the neck feels great, and it has a solid tone. Then the opposite side of it is my thunderbird. I love my Thunderbird, but it is really heavy and it has horrible neck dive. However, the tone on my thunderbird is absolutely over the top amazing. So I’ve moved the Thunderbird as a backup bass. Because the LTD is so well balanced all the way around. Amp wise I never run amps anymore. I have stuck exclusively to Darkglass pedals. I ran a Darkglass Alpha Omega pedal for a while. Then a couple of years ago I switched to the Darkglass Photon. I love them. Especially the Photon with being able to pre-save my settings. It has just a great distortion that you can blend. The pedal just has so many options in such a small pedal. Amp sims, compressors, and distortions. It I just has everything I need. I plug it into my computer when I’m at home. Or if I’m on the road I plug my phone into my pedal then run headphones out of the pedal. Play tracks right there through the pedal itself. It just works for me.
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
Honestly if I can only take one bass with me on the road it would be my Thunderbird. Mainly because it is just a tank. I rarely have to do any adjustments to it. I just grab it and go. I had so many issues on our last tour with my LTD’s neck moving and having to adjust it every few days due to heat. That if I had to choose between the two, I’m currently touring with it 100 percent would be the Thunderbird.
