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 Patrick Hemer.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started with piano at the age of 7 or 8. Then I started to play a little guitar at the age of 10, and it wasn’t until I got my first electric at 13 that I started practicing like crazy. My first electric guitar was a fairly cheap Strat copy. It was soon fitted with humbuckers and was my only electric guitar for 3 years. So you could say it was really used and abused. I gave it a few years later to a friend of mine who I believe still has it.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your favs?
Even though I listen to a lot of Metal, I think everything I’ve ever listened to and liked has had an influence on me. So that includes Classic Rock, Blues, Classical, Jazz, some World Music, the Beatles, and I forget…I always have a hard time understanding people who claim to be music lovers but always listen to the same style. For me, it’s a kind of contradiction. As for my favorite guitarists, the list could be very very long… But if we limit it to 20, I would say: Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Frank Gambale, EVH, Yngwie, SRV, Shawn Lane, Ritchie Blackmore, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Guthrie Govan, Rory Gallagher, Al di Meola, Angus Young, Brian May, Ron Thal and Jeff Loomis.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I don’t know how many guitars I own. It changes all the time. :D. For metal, my favorite model is the Jackson Kelly. I have both 6 and 7 string versions. Great sound, awesome feel, 24 frets, neck thru construction, Floyd Rose and Explorer-like shape. Then, besides Jacksons, I also love Gibsons. Explorers in particular, and I have a special affection for SG’s because my first really good guitar was an SG I got when I was 16.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
The perfect guitar should play effortlessly, have excellent natural sustain and never go out of tune. The perfect amp has to reproduce all the nuances of my playing, sound punchy, accurate and fat, and have a big Marshall logo on the front.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I’ve almost always played Marshalls. The first one was a used JCM 800 that I got when I was still in high school. So I can’t be objective since my playing has developed around the response of a Marshall and I never feel perfectly comfortable on any other amp. I hear a lot of great guitar sounds from other amps played by other guitarists, but if I’m the one trying those amps, I’m always missing something. Just because they are different from the reference that’s tattooed in my brain. And that’s the reason why I clearly couldn’t switch to modeling. On the other hand, it’s really interesting but it’s something else. I have a Line 6 XT Pro that I use regularly, but it’s more of a studio tool to use for special situations, to look for textures, etc. But I could never use it for my main sound on my solo project. It sounds way too synthetic to my ears. The only thing I could use is a Kemper. But that would be to profile the sound of my amps…
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
As far as electric guitars are concerned, I would say that there are at least 75% of Kellies, 6 and 7 stringers combined. The rest is Gibsons, mainly Explorers, or an SG here and there, and I sometimes use a Strat for clean sounds. For acoustic guitars takes, I generally use a Takamine, sometimes mixed with the Kramer Ferrington I use for acoustic guitar solos. Finally, I used the same amplification for all of my solo stuff : Marshall JMP1 preamp > Marshall 5100 power amp > Marshall 19604×12 cabinet. This is what works the best for me. Then, feel free to visit the new www.patrickhemer.com that wil be online in March or April. You will find a lot of info and some cool pics on the Gear page.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
It would certainly be one of my 7-string Kellies, but this situation will never happen. 😀
That red Jackson is so nice! <3