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 Mark Abrahams (Wishbone Ash).
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I believe I was 8 years old when I first started actually learning the guitar, however I was obsessed with guitars and watching people on television playing guitar – I remember having small guitars as a kid but my first real guitar was a steel string acoustic guitar made by Orfeus, Bulgarian I believe. Interestingly that guitar came from a family friend and the first thing he showed me how to play was the Wishbone Ash song ‘Blowin Free’ I still own this guitar!
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
It’s no secret that I have been a huge Wishbone fan since I was a kid so I have to start with Andy, Ted and Laurie but my other big influence has been Mark Knopfler. I’m also a big blues fan and have taken influence from people like Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Gary Moore and Stevie Ray Vaughan – all the good stuff!
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I own around 30 guitars and really go for the classic Gibson or Fenders mainly. My current guitar of choice is a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior Double Cut, I actually have 2 of these and both are amazing. I’ve also recently got into PRS guitars again after many years and have been playing a Gold Top McCarty model with custom P90 pickups made by my friend Pete Flynn in the US. I also often play a Gibson Custom Shop ‘57 Les Paul Gold Top and a very nice Fender Custom Shop ‘62 strat. With Wishbone I have also used several custom guitars, built for me in Leeds, Yorkshire by my friend Dennis Elvidge.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
Well there’s the old thing that Fender guitars sound great through Fender amps and Gibson guitars sound great through Marshall’s – personally I think any guitar will sound it’s best played through a Fender amplifier, but really I tend to find my sound no matter what I’m playing through. Currently on stage I’m playing through an Orange amp rig and it sounds great to me.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
Great question, to be perfectly honest, the only amp I play through at home is a Kemper, I have the Kemper Kabinet with it or I will also use it through my Focal studio monitors – I absolutely love it!
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
On the last Wishbone studio album ‘Coat Of Arms’ I used the Les Paul Junior a lot, my Gold Top, the Strat and also my Gibson ES 335 on the track ‘Personal Halloween’. The 335 has the Peter Green out of phase sound when using both humbuckers which features heavily in this track. I also played a very nice Martin D28 on all of the acoustic parts – sadly I don’t own this guitar though unfortunately.
For the new Wishbone Ash live album ‘Live Dates Live’ we’re recording at Daryl Halls ‘Daryls House Club’ in Pawling New York. My guitar’s didn’t arrive into the US from the UK for these shows so several friends came to the rescue and loaned me some guitars. I played mainly a Black Gibson Les Paul Standard and a Stratocaster which I converted to lap steel for the song ‘Rock n Roll Widow’ I had my usual pedalboard with Friedman and Xotic drive pedals and the amps were a Fender twin reverb and an old Vox AC30.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
Right now I’m so attached to the 1959 Les Paul Junior, I can’t put it down and I don’t see that changing anytime soon – it’s a simple thing, 1 pickup on a slab of great old mahogany and it sounds killer!
