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 Leonardo Duranti (IT’sALIE).
When you start guitar playing and do you remember your first guitar?
I started playing when I was 6, and I started with classical guitar so my very first one was a little classical guitar that I still have somewhere. The first electric probably arrived one year later, it was a Stratocaster copy, a gift from my parents
What are your influences and which guitar players are your faves?
I’m influenced by a lot of different kinds of music and musicians, and I’m really into blues
music so I have to say Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix, Derek Trucks and the Allman Brothers in general, Eric Gales, Joe Bonamassa, Philippe Sayce and Henrik Freischlander, an unbelievable German guitarist. I love old school funk too, like The Meters. I also love some blues/jazz musician like Robben Ford and Scott Henderson. And of course I have a big rock background, probably Van Halen had the biggest impact on me when I was a kid.
How many guitars do you own and what are your favorite models?
I try not to have too many! I like to play my guitars, now I have 7, and I like all of them. My current favorite is my Maybach Albatroz ’65, and my Gibson Les Paul.
What do you think makes the perfect guitar and amp?
Whatever makes you want to play! I still think is pretty hard to beat the combo Gibson/
Marshall, but it all depends on what you are looking for.
How do you feel about the question of modeler or tube amp?
I must say modeler and profilers nowadays are great. And I actually like to use them, sometimes it’s easier to achieve a great tone with them especially heavy ones. I’m using the new Universal audio Lion ’68 instead of my real amps on stage. But I also love amps, so I don’t want to choose one or another!
Which guitars and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
Brunetti XL Revo 2 as the main head, and Universal Audio Ox Box to simulate the cab. I think I always used a 4×12 with greenbacks. Guitarwise I recorded pretty much every song with my Gibson Les Paul, sometimes it’s paired with the telecaster. Same things for the lead parts, I used the Tele for 2 or 3 solos, and everything else is the Les Paul. I only use a Sire to record the solo of Believers of leaders, essentially a tele equipped with humbuckers and a tremolo. I think it’s called Sire T7 FM.
When you only can choose one guitar, which one will you take?
Well it depends on what you have to play, but if I have to choose now I would say my Maybach Albatroz, light weight and great sounding guitar. But honestly Les Pauls and Teles to me are always been jack of all trades.
