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 Loida Liuzzi.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
My first attempts with the guitar were when I was 9 years old, and at that time my first guitar was my father’s Spanish guitar, then at 16 I decided to study at a Rock school and my first electric guitar was a Dean with Floyd Rose
What are your influences and which guitar players are your favs?
My first influence on the guitar was the G3 album with Steve Vai, Satriani and Eric Johnson, from there I listened to a lot of guitarists like Gary Moore, Andy Timmons, Vinnie Moore, Richie Kotzen, Greg Howe and currently many others like Lari Basilio Scott Henderson. I also learned to discover the magic of the classics like Hendrix and Jeff Beck
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
Since last year I have been an endorser of Kiesel and with them I built 5 fantastic guitars that today satisfy all my needs, the first was the green Vanquish with which I recorded all the Leads guitar of my Album The Journey, then a Single Cut type LP, a 7-string Aries Multiscale, a Headless with tremolo and a Delos Classic Strat type. In addition to the Kiesels, with my partner we already had several guitars that we still have, a couple of Les Pauls, a couple of Fenders (Tele and Strat), a PRS Custom 24, an EBMM Axis and some more. It is impossible to choose just one!
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
For me, the most important thing in a guitar is, first of all, quality, it doesn’t matter if it is made in the USA or Korea, but it has to feel well made, noble woods and good finishes, in that aspect the Kiesels are always outstanding, but the same thing happens to me with the PRS Core, the Gibson LP or the EB Music Man, Fender doesn’t always get it, and the other brands are more variable.
In terms of Amplifiers, I’m looking for the same that everyone else, a tasty clean and if it has a Hi Gain channel, better! but that can be solved with good pedals.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I think it’s a pointless discussion, I recorded my entire album with the Line 6 Helix because it gave me the practicality and good results that I needed in my Home Studio, but now I’m working with tube amps thanks to the wonderful Two Notes Torpedo Captor, which allows me to record my PRS MT15 to the maximum without blowing the roof of my house, with that I also dusted off several pedals that I didn’t use with the Helix.
But I’m not fanatic, I usually take the Helix to shows because it’s much more practical
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
To record The Journey I did the whole process with the Helix, I only added Reverbs and compression in the DAW, my Helix patch is based on the modeling of a Twin Reverb with different Gain pedals and a couple of custom IRs.
Regarding guitars, the Leads were all recorded with my Kiesel Vanquish and the more powerful Riffs generally with my Les Paul Standard 92 and the Cleans with my Telecaster or my Strat 93 (I love the 90´s classic guitars)
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
My ideal guitar should have a humbucker in the bridge, 24 frets and a tremolo! Like my Kiesel Vanquish or my new Kiesel Vader, because that is what I need to be able to play anything, if I had to go on tour with only one guitar today it would be the Kiesel Vader 6X, because it has everything I need and it is also light and super compact to transport in the cabin of an airplane.
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