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 Michelle Fallmann (Celestielle).
Who am I interviewing?
Hey! My name is Michelle Fallmann and I launched my Black/Doom Metal solo project Celestielle this year. I started my journey on Instagram by doing metal guitar covers when I was 18 years old and only three months into learning guitar! Over the years, I explored different genres and came to love black metal. Through discovering this love, I found the motivation to create music myself, all on my own. That became Celestielle. And now, I will finally be releasing my first EP “REQUIEM” on December 12th.
When did you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
Yes, I actually do! We always had acoustic guitars at home because my parents were always interested in music. My father has always played a few chords and melodies occasionally. But I really had a key moment when my father and me went to see Alice Cooper in Mannheim, 2019. I was 18 years old then! And there, I saw Nita Strauss playing her solo on the castle stage. I was so astonished by her presence. That was the moment I promised myself I wanted to do this and dive right into it. Fortunately, we already had an electric guitar at home, so I was able to start right away.
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
Well, the only real “idol” I have in this category has to be Nita Strauss. But to be honest, for me it’s never about skill level, but about how you use the guitar as a tool to create the vibe you want. I never reached a professional level, but that’s fine for me because I still get to make the music I want. Impact is not only about technical skill. But another musician I want to mention is Sophie Burrell. I know her from my time posting covers on Instagram and she was always super sweet and incredibly talented! She worked so hard for her success.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I think it must be five. My first one was a Gibson SG that my parents gifted me—I think for finishing school? We got a great deal on eBay, and I still love this guitar to this day. It’s so light and was a really good starter. All of my other guitars are from Ibanez. Of course, I’m a bit biased because of Nita, but I just love slim necks and bodies. The most precious one I own, which is also my favorite, is Nita Strauss’ signature model, the Ibanez Jiva Jr. It is just so beautiful and extremely comfortable to play. The sound is perfect for me! I was so proud when I finally had the money to buy this guitar all by myself.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
Since I’m really not a gear or software nerd (I tried, but it never stuck with me), I just go with the flow. My rule is: if it fits, it fits. Just pick whatever feels good to you!
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
Again, I’m not really a nerd about it, so I’m going to be honest: I don’t really care. I love both! When you try to reproduce a certain sound, of course it’s important. But for me it was a blessing to be able to just plug my guitar into an interface and play with headphones, since I wasn’t really able to use huge tube amps in my 16-square-meter student apartment, haha. But I own quite a few at my parents’ place because my father is a technician and buys quite a lot of broken stuff and repairs it—which is very impressive.
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
For the first song, “Crucify Him,” I used the Ibanez GRG121SP because it was the only guitar I could tune to Drop D. The rest of the songs are in E Standard, and I used my Jiva for all of them. I recorded everything with the Neural DSP Archetype: Gojira plugin and basically just used the standard setting with some extra reverb. I really went for the bare minimum there but I loved the sharp sound of the plugin.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
My beloved Jiva Jr!
