(Photo credit – Warehouse 37 Photography)
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 Caleb Bingham (Athanasia, ex- Five Finger Death Punch)
When did you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing when I was eight years old. My first guitar was an old Gibson Les Paul standard I bought from my vocal teacher for $75. I still have it!
What are your influences and which guitar players are your favs?
I have a long list of those… I first picked up the guitar after hearing the music of Jimi Hendrix for the first time when I was a kid. Over the years some of my favourite guitar players have been (in no particular order) Eddie van Halen, George Lynch, John Sykes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Wolf Hoffmann, Gary Holt, B.B. King, James Hetfield, Trey Azagthoth, Jon Nödtveit, Dimebag Darrell, Marty Friedman, Michael Schenker, Andres Segovia, Tom Scholz, Brian May, Richie Blackmore, Karl Sanders, Peter Tägtgren, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bill Steer, Erik Rutan, and probably a thousand others I’m forgetting right now…
How many guitars do you own and what are your favourite models?
Currently about 12 or so… I think I was up to 14 at the highest point. I tend to favour Gibson style guitars having first learned to play on one. My number one guitar is a Washburn WV-1800 Flying V copy which is an absolutely fantastic guitar in all regards.
Photo credit – Gert Slagmolen
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
In guitars I look for good balance when strapped on, low action, perfect intonation from low to high, tuning stability under heavy bends and vibrato, fast attack and bright top end, a pronounced midrange, and a big but controlled bottom end. Certainly my Washburn V has all of that… In amps I look for the same tonal characteristics I like in my guitars, as well as high headroom in the power section to not only allow for more volume but also to keep the attack fast and the low end tight even at those high volume levels. Early period (let’s say pre-1980) 100 watt Marshalls meet those requirements perfectly to say the least!
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I think digital has come a long way in a relatively short time, and certainly one can’t argue with the convenience, reliability and consistency digital emulations of amplifiers can provide. Certainly for home recording and/or fly gigs it’s very handy to have a good modelling device on hand and most of the audience will likely not be able to hear the difference between that and the real thing. With that being said, I’ll always prefer the real thing whenever possible and will be taking my beloved Marshalls with me to the grave… (How Egyptian! ;P)
Photo credit – Anabel D-Flux
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
I used my Washburn Flying V into my Mike Soldano modded 1979 Marshall MKII Master Lead 100 with a Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ in front…
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
Easy… My Washburn WV-1800! „
