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 James Harper (Cross Country Driver, Fighting Friday, Red Star Black, Funeral Puppets).
When did you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I was around 14 when I started playing and did my first gig at 15. Initially I had ordered a Peavey T-60 from my local shop Godfrey & Sons in Upstate New York, but it never came in so they instead gave me an Ibanez Artist for the same price. It was an AR105 cherry sunburst and had an amazing flame top. When the pointy headstock Charvel became all the rage, I sold it but have always regretted it. It was a tremendous guitar.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
George Lynch is a big one, of course EVH, and Randy Rhoads, but I also really like Paul Gilbert, Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani, Warren Dimartini, pretty much all the ballsy hard rock bands form 70’s-2000’s. Bands like Queensryche, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden were huge with me as were the 70’s bands like Foreigner, Frampton, Styx, Kansas and Skynrd.
pic. Kelly Davidson
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
At any given time it’s around 13 guitars. Usually if one comes another one goes. Hands down Tom Anderson Guitarworks are my favorite guitars. I’ve been a long-time endorser but long before then, they were it for me. I do have a fender strat that once belonged to a late friend and mentor of mine (Mark Debellis) that I love, and have a really amazing Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop relic with my signature pickups by Black Cat Guitars. They are a bit like a Duncan JB/59 combo but more dimensional and have incredible clean tones. On the acoustic front, I have a killer Martin and we used a lot of great sounding Seagull guitars for the Cross Country Driver record.
pic by Tayasha Fuller
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
A Marshall Plexi with some pedals cranked through a Marshall TV style greenback cab is THE sound. You can’t improve on it. For cleans a fender deluxe or sometimes a vox is the perfect clean amp. What makes for a perfect amp is the one that lets you be you, both in feel and sound and that doesn’t break at a gig and can be set up and torn down in 10 minutes and sound the same night after night. For me that’s the Fractal Audio AxeFX3. I’ve been gigging and recording with them for over 10 years.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
For me the Fractal AXEFX3 is better than anything I’ve ever owned and the technology has surpassed what’s possible with a traditional tube amp set up, so its modeler for me.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
My guitar tones were the Fractal Audio AXEFX3. I mostly stuck with the Marshall’s, Carol Ann’s, Friedman’s, Fenders and the Morgan AC-20 for funky clean parts. I used a greenback 4-12 TV IR that is stock in the AXEFX. Guitar wise, because the bassists had such huge signature tones, I found myself reaching for my Tom Anderson Short Scale T Classic . This guitar fit the mix best and sounded incredible clean or dirty. I also used my Tom Anderson Drop Top for thicker tones. It has a maple neck and a mahogany body and a crazy nice quilt top.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
My yellow quilt top Tom Anderson HSH. There is no tone you cannot get with that guitar and it plays effortlessly and stays in perfect tune. It is the pinnacle of guitar building.
With Fighting Friday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGUYDXVPW_I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBj473WRDjU
With Red Star Black
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pCZQLHQf9A
With the Funeral Puppets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QerbkhThcjA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVNOAojKyag
