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 Juan S. Garces.
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
My first attempts were at about age 5, but not with a guitar, because it was too big for me. Instead, I started learning with a „cuatro“, which is a Venezuelan folk instrument shaped like a classical guitar, but much smaller and with only four strings. I learned the first notes and chords from my father. I got my first guitar later, at 10 years old. It was a black Squier Stratocaster with white pickguard, that came in a pack with a Frontman 10G tiny amp. That guitar was a gift from my parents during a trip to the USA.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your favs?
My father is an avid music lover and collector, so I was born into a home were rock, classical music, Latin-American folklore and popular music, and various other genres and styles were constantly being played. A big part of that was classic and progressive rock like The Beatles, Camel, Deep Purple, ELP, Genesis, King Crimson, Led Zeppelin, Marillion, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, Yes, just to name a few. Later in life I broadened my collection with the likes of Dream Theater, Megadeth, Pain Of Salvation, Porcupine Tree, Symphony X – and even more extreme stuff like Arch Enemy, In Flames, Lamb Of God, Opeth and Soilwork. All while still appreciating blues, jazz, pop, etc. Regarding guitar players, I will most likely repeat the same names you hear over and over again. But I hold a special place in my heart for „the great Steves“ (Morse, Hackett, Rothery, Howe, Vai), Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Brian May, John Petrucci, Kiko Loureiro – and I honestly believe Andy Latimer is the best guitar player to ever live!
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I currently own three PRS Custom 24s. They are the same model but in different colours. The reason I have three is because I set them up for different tunings: Standard, Drop D, and Drop C. PRS makes beautiful, reliable instruments, and I love them! I also (kind of) own a Sakurai classical guitar (it’s my dad’s, but I can use it whenever I want to). I am still in the search for the „perfect“ guitar or my favourite model. I had other guitars in the past that I ended up selling for one reason or another – and I know which guitars I hate! I’ve tried stuff from Music Man or Shur and those were fantastic. But I am really tempted to get my hands on a Mayones, or three! I haven’t played one yet, but I have a feeling there could be some magic there.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
I have been working doing guitar setups and maintenance for a long time now. Through the years I have learned how guitars work, but also the many ways they can fail. There are so many variables: design, construction, hardware, electronics, finishes, etc. The perfect guitar would be the one where none of those aspects ever fail. That has nothing to do with price or brand. I have seen very expensive „big name“ guitars that don’t work at all! And budget guitars that are way more reliable and play like a dream with a good setup.
I have had less experimentation with guitar amps. Reliability is a crucial factor there too! The perfect amp would be the one that provides all the tones and functions the player requires. For me, that means: from beautiful super clean tones, all the way to tight heavy distortion, ease of use and great switching capabilities, in a housing that is easy to move around by one person without breaking their back!
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
In my opinion, that answer is very clear: tube amps! The reason is simple but very commonly overlooked: When you play through a real amplifier, there is a direct two-way interaction between the guitar and the amp. Even the room comes into play. In contrast, when you play through a modeler, your guitar signal is converted into digital, and half of that interaction is gone. There are ways to simulate or work around those issues, but it is just not the same. One is called amplifier, the other is called modeler. The answer is in the question.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
I used two of the aforementioned PRS guitars to record my new album, PERSONAL WARFARE. The green one (Leprechaun Tooth) in standard tuning was used for most of the album, except for one song. The last song was recorded with the red one (Fire Red Burst) in Drop D tuning. After what I said in the previous question, you will probably laugh at me, but that’s okay! I did not use real amps on the album. All the guitars were recorded directly into my computer and later processed with modelers, or in this case, plugins. I do not have a space where I can play through my amp at loud volumes for extended periods of time. Renting a studio for that purpose was way out of my budget. The positive side of modelers is precisely convenience in situations like that (or live gigs). Fortunately, nowadays some of them sound great! I could sit in my room for countless hours, focusing on recording my best performances, without annoying anyone else while doing it or breaking the bank.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
I don’t have many to choose from! Haha. I would do just fine with any of the Custom 24s. One day – like most guitarists I presume – I would love to have a guitar built to my specs. Then, of course that would be my guitar of choice.
LINKS:
WEBSITE: https://www.juansgarces.com
Bandcamp: https://juansgarces.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juansgarces
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juansgarcesofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juansgarces
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/juansgarces
Donate: http://paypal.me/juansgarces
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/juansgarces
