Guitar Special Vol.301 with Ian Crichton (SAGA, SIX BY SIX)

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 Ian Crichton (SAGA, SIX BY SIX).

When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?

I started played a bit when I was 7yrs old, a few chords, trying not to have my hand cramp up playing them lol, then I sold the guitar and bought a bicycle :), I started really at 11. I got the bug to play from my brother Jim, started played bass like him at first then within a year switched to guitar, my first guitar was a huge Guild semi acoustic that had the head broken off and glued back on, 80 bucks it cost. Darn thing was as big as me almost lol, within 2 years I got a job in Toronto at 13 that payed 65 dollars a week 8 hours a day on a bike downtown, I went to a pawn shop and put down 50 bucks a week on my white Stratocaster that at the time cost 350 bucks,…I lost a lot of weight doing this lol.

What are your influences and which guitar players are your favs?

I’m self-taught, I learned guitar from playing vinyl records and putting my thumb on the edge of the record to slow it down so I could understand the lick better,…which changed the tone also but once I got the lick I could play along at real tempo, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, then I got into John McLaughlin etc.. but at 15 yrs old it was time I thought to be myself and make my own sandwiches…guitar playing.

How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?

I’ve always played 2 guitars on stage mainly because of the tuning, 1 guitar is normal tuning and the other the same except the low E is tuned to D. I have 4 musicman guitars, my 1964 Stratocaster that did the first 5 Saga records, Lado guitar I’ve recorded with for 30 yrs, Fender 12 string acoustic, Takemine steel string and also nylon classical, Vox Tempest 12 electric 12 string, my favorite was the Strat but the musicman guitars work better for me.

What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?

The perfect guitar and amp is personal really, one guys this the other something else. I’ve changed amps many times, Hywatt, Marshalls, H and H, 5150, Soldano, roland jazz chorus 2X12 for clean, beautiful amp that is, I been using a Herbert Diezel for years now, but also use the Amp 1 from Thomas Blug, German amp.

How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?

I have mixed feelings on that mainly because I suck at using them lol, some guys are more tech interested and can make them work like Steve Vai for instance, I’m not a sound engineer I like an amp that has all I need to just play, the only time I’ve using plug-ins was on the record Sagacity, to me when I was finished recording the record it sounded fine but when I heard the master I had no bottom left on the guitars, for me I’ll never use them again.

Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?

I used my Soldano 100 watt, Diezel Herbert , Amp 1. I mic’d up my custom 4×12 cab with a single Shure 57, the cabinet has vintage 30 watt celestrian speakers. The magic came from the direct out on the Amp 1 mixed with the speaker’s mic’d.

When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?

Normally I would have said my 1964 Stratocaster but if it was touring and recording I would have my Musicman, they’re 2 octave guitars which I prefer ..and fit me really well at 5 feet 7 inches, :)..