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 Geoff Thorpe (Vicious Rumors)
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I was a late starter… I dreamed about for 5 years and hit 15 and finally started practicing and taking it seriously! My first guitar was from a department store call Sears, the guitar was called a Hi Low… it was so thin when I played standing up and turned fast you could hear the sound warp a little ..I loved it…. a year and a half on that and a Fender Telecaster was my first good one… but I was drawn to flying Vs and wicked shapes.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
Hendrix, Page, Beck, Blackmore, Mick Ronson, Peter Frampton, Frank Marino, in the beginning. Then Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Tony and Sabbath, Dime, … then the twin Guitar got me Priest, Glenn and KK, Scorpions, Accept, I could go on and on. Love rock n roll and heavy metal guitar!!!
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I Have about 14 now… 22 at the most! Love my 4 – Dean Razorbacks! It’s like playing a bolt of lightning! I have a beautiful sounding Gibson Les Paul and Fender Strat I leave at home for recordings and other projects.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
I really like the EVH heads and almost any quality guitar. Plenty of gain and feedback (the good kind) love my Dean’s, Gibson and Fender sound crushing with some delay and chorus in the effect loop!! Plug that into 2 of my 4-12 Hiwatt cabs and we’re ready to kill it!!
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I guess if you really know what to do, those Kempers, Headrush etc. can sound good, but I just did 10 weeks on tour in USA and Europe. I used an amp, and my other guitarist used a Kemper… I don’t know, I couldn’t really hear him. It was so thin compared to the amp sound… for me its amps whenever possible!!
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
I used a mix of EVH, Mooresound, Kemper (whole different ball game in the studio) with Dean V, Razor, Les Paul and Strat. Juan Urteaga (Producer) gets a huge sound anyway… That’s one of the reasons we always go back!! We also do some reamping to a huge effect.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
Don’t try to hold me back man!!! Haha to many is never enough!!! Turn it up to 11 and see ya on the road!!
