Pic by Dawn Kingston
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 Douglas Blair (W.A.S.P. , signal2noise).
Pic: Dawn Kingston
*** When did first start playing guitar, and do you remember your first guitar?
>>> I still own my first guitar: it is a ‚Silvertone‘ beginner’s model, a small student-sized acoustic steel-string guitar that my Dad, Emil, bought during his service in the US Army. It was always around the house, leaning in the corner. I think I started fooling around with it when I was about 7 or 8 years old. My Mom, Millie, says that I used to sing the Beatles „I Love You Yeah Yeah Yeah“ when I was a young baby.
What I did though, when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, was sand off the dark tobacco sunburst that it was painted in, and refinished it, very crudely, in a natural color — with a hand-drawn (black magic marker) edge ‚binding‘ design and a ‚rosette‘ design around the sound hole. I also cut the headstock top into a new shape, and wrote ‚Martin‘ on the face. My modification ‚bug‘ started very early.
Pic: Oreo
*** What are your influences and which guitar players are your favorites?
>>> My early guitar influences are the typical late 60’s Page/Iommi/Hendrix trilogy. Clapton and Beck were knocking, but not coming in — I was too young for the Beatles. The next wave was Alex Lifeson (Rush), Neil Schon (Journey), and Eddie Van Halen(RIP)! Meeting the latter two in my teens gave me the confidence to know anyone could do it… and others like Pat Travers, Robin Trower, Judas Preist guitarists Downing and Tipton, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Ted Nugent, Brian May and Ritchie Blackmore were also becoming interesting for their own diverse styles and great music.
The next wave was closer to my age, I suppose: George Lynch (Dokken), Warren DeMartini (Ratt), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and Yngwie Malmsteen completely opened my eyes to the width that electric guitar could take. Guys like Steve Vai or Randy Rhoads even — and the subsequent wave of neo-classical shredders like Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore for ex., did not find their way in so much. Also, incidentally, W.A.S.P. guitarists Chris Holmes and Randy Piper did not pique my interest at that time. Conversely, Bryan Adam’s stellar lead guitarist Keith Scott’s phrasing and style has found its way into my own playing!
Pic by Slade
Coming up in the Boston clubs in my early power trio Run21, we played many club shows with Extreme, as Nuno was just coming into his own (even their showcases). This direct connection and friendship has always affected and inspired me.
My only contemporary guitar influences would be Steven Wilson(Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend and Charlie Hunter(8-string guitarist). Guys like Guthrie Govan inspire me!
As far as trying to name my ‚favorite‘ guitarists at this very late stage, it would boil down to more of their cumulative careers, and even moreso, the personal connection that I feel to their playing and/or music. In those regards, guys like Eddie VH and Neil Schon have fallen, due to the drop in their music output. Neil, George and Steve Stevens play better than they ever have and continue to inspire me. But Steven Wilson and Devin Townsend continue to push and redefine various genres within guitar music — and icons like Alex Lifeson and Jimmy Page will always be my top two, due to the absolute strength of their catalogs and histories, which will likely never be outdone by any guitarists.
Pic- Patrik
*** How many guitars do you own, and what are your favorite models?
>>> This is hard to say: maybe there are about 30, but I have groups of distinct types and concepts, including Blair Mutant double necks (7), ESP EC models (4), Washburn N4 models (2), Blair Les Paul ‚Turbo Blade‘ models (2), a Gibson Les Paul Studio model, a custom Blair Mockingbird, 8-string GuitarCross instruments (5), A.S.I.A. 12-string nylon/steel-string acoustic guitars (2), Takamine New Yorker steel-string parlor (with Tronical TransTune ‚robot‘ tuners) and nylon-string cutaway acoustics (2), and a Crimson Oath aluminum Telecaster. I also have three custom Blair super strats I made in the 80s that live in Los Angeles for recording only.
My total favorites would be my 1992 Washburn N4 with the backlit church window ornamentation and Sustainiac sustainer which I have used to record most all of my leads on the last two W.A.S.P. releases; my original prototype Blair Mutant Twin steel-string double neck, the first one I built, and the guitar that got me the W.A.S.P. gig in 1992; and my modified white 2018 ESP LTD ‚Oreo‘ EC-1000TCM, the last guitar I have acquired(through my ESP endorsement).
They are almost all tuned to Eb or various open tunings on the acoustics, and all electric necks are ’scalloped‘, fully or partially.
Pic by Ronny Zeisberg
*** What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
>>> The perfect guitar and amp are the ones that extend seamlessly from your body and mind — that let you express yourself in every and any way you can possibly imagine. This very belief has led to my development of my ‚dual-format‘ instruments, that combine two ‚formats‘ that a guitarist can easily control and use musically and emotionally.
Hence, the Mutant Twin combines electric guitar with 6/12 steel-string, nylon-string or Dobro acoustic guitar, while the GuitarCross combines long-scale 5-string electric guitar with 3-string electric bass, and the A.S.I.A. combines acoustic 6-string steel and nylon formats.
*** How do feel about the question of modeller or tube amp?
> Being an experienced live sound engineer, there are pros and cons to both. Modellers offer more control in limited live environments, but still sound weak compared to loud amps pushing air, in a large and loud environment. Of course, for smaller performances, and extensive and/or unique situations (like my ‚dual-format‘ instruments, which can then be presented in ’surround sound‘), the control, programmability, isolation and routing capabilities of modellers and associated digital controllers have offered an unimaginable level of flexibility — only limited by one’s imagination!
Pic: Dawn Kingston
*** Which guitars and amps were used for recordings?
>> We use 1970s 100 watt Marshall Super Lead Plexi and Metropalous boutique heads, driven only by an old 1980s DOD 6-band EQ pedal, which has a certain sound. We have what is called ‚Luke’s Box‘ — an enclosed box housing two Marshall 4×12″ cabinets loaded with various G12M 25W and 30W Greenback speakers, and various permanently-mounted microphones which then come out to dedicated Neve and various pre-amps. We always record guitars first to a Studer 24-track 2″ tape machine, and I am allowed to use two tracks for my leads.
>> I mainly use my Washburn N4, the Gibson LP Studio and ocassionally one of the old SuperStrats. They are both tuned to Eb, and use GHS Boomer strings .009″-.046″ and .010″-.052″ respectively.
Pic: Karolina W.
*** When you can only choose one guitar, which one will you take?
>> My original 1989 prototype Blair Mutant Twin 6/6 double neck: because it also has a Tronical TransTune ‚robot‘ tuning gears on the acoustic neck, with programmed memory providing 6 or so open/alternate tunings that I have written songs in. The electric neck and side is one my best playing and sounding guitars of all I have.
very cool write up…a hell of a player….always love the Band