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 Benjamin Hilpert (Helldrifter).
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing guitar when I was 8 years old with an acoustic guitar and I had guitar lessons in classical guitar. That wasn’t an easy start, playing that wide neck and the strings of a concert guitar and learning musical notes. But in those three years I learned literally the basics of playing guitar. My dream was definitely to play electric guitar and I often went to a friend after school to play his electric guitar. Finally at the age of 11, I got an electric guitar for my birthday. It was a Kramer super-strat model, I think it was called Pacer. It had a beautiful swirl finish in black and red and it was quite nice to play.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
At that time when I had my first electric guitar, I was a big Metallica fan and I love that tight rhythm riffing of James Hetfield. So I learned playing one Metallica song after the other. And I still like many of these classic Thrash Metal Bands and playing their stuff. Other favorite guitar players are Gary Holt, Rob Cavestany and Jeff Waters. When I expanded my musical preferences to more extreme metal genres, I learned songs from Jeff Loomis, Alexi Laiho and Dimebag Darrell.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I have 7 guitars, but like many other guitarists, I can’t have enough guitars in my collection 😊. I love Flying Vs and in the last years I played my ESP SV the most. It is so reliable, stands in tune and feels great to play. Then I have a Dean Angel of deth with that beautiful Megadeth design on it and a Chapman ML1 Pro as a backup guitar. For very low tunings I have a LTD H-1007 in black. My FGN Expert Flame is a single cut guitar and has a beautiful flame maple top. And for playing acoustic stuff, I have a Hanika. My newest guitar, I actually have for one month is a Flying V from a finnish custom shop named Kiiras Instruments. I always wanted to have an instrument with all the details I want without any compromise. It has a mahagony body with an ash top, Floyd rose, passive Humbuckers from Bare Knuckle Pickups a neck with natural satin finish and my custom Taurus inlays.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
For me playing a great guitar is all about the feeling. I mean the look is definitely important and also the specs matter to reach the sound you have in your mind. But there are so many guitars out there and each of them is different in playing. It’s such a great success, when you find an instrument that really supports your playing and inspires you. A big importance for me is the neck shape and the neck paint. I really like to feel the wood of the neck and hate to stick with a thick painted neck. Regarding amps, I like that tube driven roaring sound that I found with my Diezel Amp through a 4×12 Cab. There are amps with those I really can’t get along. If I have an amp, that has an appropriate basic sound and can tweak small sound details to find my sweet spot, then I’m fine.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I’m definitely a tube amp guy. Especially when it comes to live playing. I love the natural sound and the interaction you have between your guitar and the amp. Also at home I play through my tube amp. I like being at a concert and hear those different flavors with tube amps, for example between a Mesa Rectifier, a Marshall JCM800 and an Engl Powerball. I haven’t heard such details with modellers. But of course sometimes the effort is too high to take tube amps and Cabinets on a tour, especially when you have to carry all on your own.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
I used my Chapman ML1 PRO for the rhythm parts and my ESP SV for the solo parts. I sometimes like to use the whammy bar in a solo and for rhythm recordings the fixed bridge of the Chapman reduces the noise. The guitars were recorded digital and then we did Re-Amping with my Diezel Hagen.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
While still loving my ESP SV, it would be definitely my Kiiras Valkyrie, I mean we are still in the honeymoon phase and it’s a badass guitar 😊.
