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 Will Wagstaff (Enforced).
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing guitar when I was about 14-15 years old. I started playing music as a piano player and then went to drums, I played drums in some bands in high school and early in college, but always kept guitar on the side. My first guitar was my father’s old classic Yamaha guitar which I still have to this day. I remember being so hyped up when I was finally able to play a nice power chord on the classical LOL – then making the switch from classical to electric I was like oh my god I could’ve been playing power chords a long time ago, this neck is way smaller!
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
I love taking influence from 70s guitar players, Tony Iommi, Uli Jon Roth, KK and Glenn from Judas Priest, Randy Rhoads, Ritchie Blackmore, etc. I also love hardcore/metal guys like Bill Steer, Trevor Peres, Sean Martin, Tom Warrior, Hanneman/King, etc. etc.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I am an avid collector of BC Rich guitars. I believe my latest count was 18. They are BC Rich, Gibson, Jackson, and Yamaha. 14/18 are BC Rich. I have many models, but I love the Warlock, I have the most Warlocks haha. I have played Warlocks, Rhoads, and Jackson Soloist/BC Rich Assassin models, but mainly Warlocks.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
Perfect guitar is a 24 fret, ebony fretboard, bolt on or neck through doesn’t matter to me, they are both great. Neck through obviously feels ‘nicer’ but it isn’t a deal breaker. Seymour Duncan JB or Dimarzio Super D in the bridge, and PAF or 59’ in the neck. Perfect amp is an overdriven, eq’d single channel, that’s what we’ve been playing for-almost-ever.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I have to play a tube amp. I have never really messed with a modeler, and I can imagine for consistency’s sake they can be nice, but I like keeping things the old school way.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
Guitars: 95’ Gibson Les Paul studio, 89’ Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Orville Les Paul Custom, BC Rich NJ Series Warlock. All either JB or Super Distortion in the bridge. Amps: Zach and I both used my 1996 Marshall 1959SLP 100W reissue, and we each used our JCM800 2203s. Mine is a 1983 and is in amazing shape. I saved forever to buy nice amps and guitars and now they are pieces of equipment I’ll use forever. We A/B’d cabs so there are 2 separate guitar tracks for each guitar, and they were stock 1960 with Celestion T75s and the other cab was a 1960 with V30s.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
To a gig – my BC Rich NJ Warlock without a doubt, if I was going to a desert island and could only take 1, my 89’ Epiphone Les Paul Custom. That was the first electric guitar I bought with my own money and I’ve had it for 15 years and it’s still amazing, and I got it for super cheap.
