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 Tuomas Heikkinen (Leverage).
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing in the late 70’s, and yes I do remember my first guitar, it was a Finnish made Landola nylon string guitar.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
I was a huge Beatles fan as a child from 4 years old on, but right after hearing Rising by Rainbow I was sold. I guess my list is very usual for a veteran player, I grew up with Ritchie Blackmore, Edward Van Halen, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen etc.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I have maybe a dozen guitars lying around, some are not in ’active’ condition, I actively play 4-5 of them. I love Strats in general, but have lately played my two Les Pauls more often. I don’t use Floyd Rose equipped or 7-string guitars anymore. That has changed.
Photo:Johanna Ahonen Photography
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
Sometimes you get your hands on a guitar that feels great right from the first note or chord. Even when not plugged in. It vibrates, feels ’alive’. I’ve had that feeling with many different types of guitars. In general I like playing and practicing with small combos, but I really love my 150 W Engl Invader with a 4×12 under it, it’s like a big powerful machine, just haven’t had too much use for it lately with all the silent stage IEM trend going on.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
Modelers make life easy. I use a Quad Cortex more than anything else these days, it is an amazing ’swiss knife’. I also have the ToneX and in general it seems those things are getting better and better all the time. But anytime you plug direct into a good tube amp it just feels so good, the feel and dynamics are still somehow better than on any modelers. Or maybe it really is just a ’feel’. I don’t think you really can hear any difference in recorded audio, but like said playing one or the other has a different vibe.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
The two Gibson Les Paul Customs I have, some parts with an Ibanez and a Fender Strat, a tiny bit with a Brian May guitar and a Seagull acoustic. I used Quad Cortex amps and some captures of my Engl Rig, I doubled a lot and played a lot of leads with the Neural DSP Gojira plugin (which is amazing), Bogren IRs and the IRDX plugin, so it was all digital this time.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
The late 70’s Ibanez strat I have had from new is an amazing guitar, it has been very much rebuilt, frets, bridge, tuners, nut, wiring but I played it so much growing up that it just feels ’right’. In general I feel a good HSS type strat style guitar with a vibrato is a pretty safe bet for anything.
