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 Hei’an (Matevž Počič/ guitar and Peter Smrdel/ bass).
Who am I interviewing?
My name is Matevž Počič, I play guitar for the Slovenian modern metal group Hei’An.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing classical guitar aroud the age of 9 when I enroled into a music school and then around the age of 13 picked up my first electric guitar and started learning to play everything I got my hands on. I don’t remember exactly, but I’m pretty sure my first electric guitar was some off brand red stratocaster and that I bought myself an epiphone explorer as soon as I could afford one.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
My influences might be a bit unusual for the type of music played in Hei’An, but I’ve always been attracted to the tech guys of guitar world. I really love Rafael Trujillo from Obsidious, Scott Carstairs from Fallujah is really important for me, Jason Richardson is also somebody I keep coming back too, Tom „Fountainhead“ Geldschläger has a super unique, one of a kind style with the fretless stuff that he does, I love the raw power and agression of death metal guys like Vogg from Decapitated, Ian Jekelis from Aborted; and Cryptopsy is one of my favourite extreme metal bands for example, then the more modern „what the hell is going on“ stuff like Humanity’s Last Breath and Vildhjartha, and of course the best metal bend to ever exist – Meshuggah. I also really love Periphery guys and all their side projects, Mike Stringer from Spiritbox, BMTH… I could go on and on forever.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
Currently I own 4 guitars and for the models I’m not really that picky. If it plays great and sounds great, then I am sold no matter the brand or shape. I would love to own a proper vintage Gibson 339 at one point. Also pretty much any Aristides model and I’m good for life.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
– For them to show some history and character. I don’t like factory new stuff. It’s great and nice and all but I want the dings, the repairs, the belt buckle finish rubs, the used up frets. The instruments need to be worn in, so that they really start sounding and feeling like they’re supposed to and that takes a few years of use and abuse. But these kinds of amps and guitars are my favourite.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
Well nobody can deny how convinient it is to own a modeler and use it in live situations these days. Saves a bunch of space, time and your back. Of course it all depends on the situation. In some the modelers might work/sound better then tube amps and vice versa. If I have the opportunity to play on a sick analog tube amp rig and feel the ground beneath me move, cuz it’s so loud, then fuck yeah but if not I am also fine with that. The modeler stuff has came so far that you can hardly tell the difference. In general, both can sound great and both can sound like shit, really depends on the player 🙂
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
We might have gone a bit overbord with guitars on this one, but in our defense, we used every single one of them for something on the KOGG record. Main guitar was an LTD Deluxe H – 1007 with a pickup mod made by Blaž Lončar and that was layered by two different Ibanez 7string superstrats, of which I don’t remember the exact model, then we used a Strandberg Haken signature 8 string and a Fredrik Thordendal ibanez sig for layering lower stuff, there were also 2 gibson LP studio pro guitars used, my Kiesel Vader 7 string, Solar V and an Ibanez Xiphos for some lead stuff, D’angelico 339 a Sterling Cutlass and a Fender tele for the clean stuff. Regarding the amps, most of the record was done with the Mike Stringer plugin from Mixwave, but we used a mix of Quad Cortex, some Neural DSP plugins and a Peavy 6505+ paired with a vintage Mesa 4×12 speaker cab on two songs.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
-Tough question… From the ones I have right now, I would take none, since I am currently searching for a new guitar that would cover all my needs, but from the one I think I would want to have I haven’t tried any yet, so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would be something in the direction of either the new Pierre Danel Vola Vasti Signature or a completely custom Aristides model.
Who am I interviewing?
Hello, my name is Peter Smrdel. I am the bass player for the post-metalcore band Hei’An, hailing from Slovenia. In addition to performing, I work professionally as a musician and producer, and I teach at the Jazz Conservatory in Ljubljana.
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
I began playing bass at the age of 14, around late 2008, when I joined a punk rock band. The first song I learned was Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana—raw, defiant, rebellious. It wasn’t just music, it was attitude, a kind of electricity I hadn’t felt before. I didn’t even own a bass then just borrowed one from a friend, a Fender Squier Jazz Bass that felt like holding a weapon more than an instrument. In 2009, my father bought me my first bass at Musicali Rossoni, a music store in Trieste, Italy. It was a grey Yamaha TRBX, a four-string, and I still remember the way it felt in my hands the first time I played it. That bass became part of me. I don’t play it anymore, but I’ve never let it go and never will. It even bears the signature of T.M. Stevens who signed it after I had the honor of performing with him in 2013. That bass holds the story of my beginnings.
What are your influences and which bass players are your favs?
The first bassist who had a major influence on me was, of course, Flea. I remember blasting Naked in the Rain from Blood Sugar Sex Magic and jumping on my bed, bass in hand, completely immersed in the moment. That album was everything to me funky, dirty, punk-rock-ish, wacky. It opened up a whole new world of how the bass could sound. I used to close my eyes and imagine I was onstage, playing in front of thousands of people, completely lost in the sound. It wasn’t just daydreaming it was a kind of rehearsal for the life I wanted. That feeling, that fire, still fuels me to this day. My father is a massive jazz enthusiast and thanks to him, I was introduced early on to some of the greatest bass players to ever pick up the instrument, legends like Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, John Patitucci, Jeff Berlin, Steve Swallow, Mark King, Richard Bona… the list goes on. Their records became my textbooks. I spent countless hours locked in with my bass, trying to emulate the slap techniques of Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten not just their chops, but the musicality, the phrasing, the sheer authority they brought to every note. Their songwriting also deeply inspired me; it wasn’t just about playing it was about telling a story through the instrument. But if there’s one bassist who fundamentally shifted the way I understood groove and the true role of the bass, it’s Bootsy Collins. His feel was untouchable loose but precise, playful yet commanding. I would binge-watch videos of him performing with James Brown, then later with Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton, P-Funk All Stars, and Bootsy’s Rubber Band. Every fucking note had attitude, every rhythm felt alive. Seeing him live at Jazz à Vienne in France in 2011 was a full circle moment, like watching a force of nature in real time. That experience burned itself into my musical DNA. In 2010, I saw T.M. Stevens live for the first time at Kino Šiška in Ljubljana. He was performing with Cindy Blackman on drums and Kat Dyson on guitar in a project called Challenge. I already knew T.M. was a monster on the bass, but seeing him live was something else entirely…a godlike experience. His energy was explosive, larger than life. It wasn’t just a performance—it was a spiritual event. For me at least. At one point during the show, he did this thing he was known for: he’d pick someone at random from the audience, bring them on stage, strap his bass around their shoulders, and have a “bass-off.” Usually it was someone who had no idea how to play just for fun. But somehow, out of a crowd of over a thousand people, he picked me. To this day, I still can’t believe it. I just stood there thinking, Holy f**, what are the odds? And then, just like that, T.M. and I were trading licks onstage. A full-blown bass battle. I was in heaven. After the show, he told me he loved my playing and that moment turned into a friendship that would last for years. We kept in touch, and every time he toured Europe, we’d meet, hang, and play together. T.M. became a major influence in my life not just musically, but personally. We’d talk for hours. He told me stories about recording with James Brown, how he ended up singing vocals on Living in America, what it was like touring with Joe Cocker, Stevie Salas, Tina Turner… He had lived it all. And he shared that world with such warmth and intensity. T.M. Stevens’ Shocka Zooloo project completely reshaped how I perceived music. The way he sang and played bass at such a high level, effortlessly was unreal. He made it look easy, as if anyone could do it. He passed away in 2024, and I miss him deeply. He was more than just a musical titan, he was a force, a mentor, a friend. He really was a f***ing beast.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
I currently own five basses, each with its own character and story. There’s my very first one, a Yamaha TRBX, a grey 4-string that I’ll never part with. Then there’s a MusicMan Stingray 4HH in Vintage Sunburst, and a Fender Jazz Elite 4-string with a natural maple finish. I also have a custom Fender Precision that I assembled with a friend, which has a lot of sentimental value. And finally, my Fodera Emperor 5-string in Fiesta Red—an absolute powerhouse. I bought Fodera in October 2022 at Guitar Center in Los Angeles, during the time we were recording the Live at EastWest Studios session with Hei’An. It was a bit of a spontaneous decision, but the moment I picked it up, I knew it had to come home with me.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
That’s a tough question, honestly because I think the “perfect” bass and amp setup is
deeply personal. For me, it’s all about how it feels and how it moves air. I’ve always gravitated toward tube amps there’s just something about that warmth, grit, and punch that no plugin can truly replicate. My go-to amps are the Aguilar DB751 or DB750, and the Ampeg SVT-II or SVT-3 Pro. When I’m plugged into one of those, it feels like I’m the God of Thunder. I love a tone that’s juicy, warm, thick, but still has presence and definition. And when it comes to recording, the Tube-Tech MP2A preamp is my secret weapon. I can track anything through it—bass, vocals, even keys and it always delivers. It’s my go-to studio preamp without question.
Which basses and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
On the recording of Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye, I used my Fodera Emperor for every track except What Do You Have to Save, which was recorded with a Fender Precision. We didn’t use amps, just digital plugins, mostly by Neural DSP and MixWave.
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
If I had to choose just one bass, it would be the Fodera. It’s the most versatile and inspiring instrument I own—there’s just something about the way it responds that feels completely natural to me. Idk. I love playing it.
