Citation:
Let's talk about you, as a guitarist. Do you prefer certain keys to write or play in?
CG: I like C# and F#.
For your voice or for the sound of the guitar?
CG: For the sound of the guitar, especially C#. The open low E, over it, that position always amazes me. It's like a Robin Trower position or something. I like odd keys; I like F also. It's probably because I'm bored with E and A, from playing and jamming in those keys so much over the years. You become dogmatic, and automatically go to that position, with the open octaves and stuff.
Do you get into alternate tunings?
CG: Yeah. I have my own tunings that I like to use. I have an A major and an A minor tuning that I use quite a bit actually. It's from tuned down low to tuned up high, and it's probably not too good for the necks of the guitars. I could play in it for hours.
When in standard tuning, do you sometimes tune down?
CG: Depending on whether or not I'm touring a lot, or if I'm playing a lot, I'll have a tendency to drop a half step down, from what normally would be E to E flat, maybe even to D. It also depends on the band and the shape my voice is in. I really have no rules on that. "Masters" records are tuned all over the place, and half the time I can't even remember what I tuned to. [Laughing]
It must be difficult when touring, all the different guitars in different tunings.
CG: Well, I'll standardize the tunings for a tour. I'll go to like E, E flat for touring, for a happy medium.
Let's talk about gear.
CG: I'm a Telecaster man. My two main Telecasters are a '65 and a '69.
You utilize so many tones that it's hard to identify them as Telecasters.
CG: They're set up unlike any other Telecasters really, with DiMarzio X2N pickup systems. Overblown pickups, and custom wiring jobs also. Their sound resembles Les Pauls a lot. At the same time, it's a really wide range of sound. I use the tone pot a lot. I can go from a totally clean, almost jazz sound, to a Robert Fripp sound just with the volume and tone pots on the guitar. It's really controlled mainly from the guitar. I rarely use any pedals live, just for lack of coordination. It's hard enough to sing and play, let alone step on something. [Laughing] Unless I've got to do something with an octave divider or maybe a reverb on/off switch, most of the time it's guitar, tuner, amp, and that's it.
For big stages I use a Marshall JCM-900. They made some nice 900s in the early 90s. I had to go through about fifty of them before I found the two that I really liked, that I have still. I tour with those two all the time. When playing in a club or jamming, I'll either break out a couple of my Supros, I have some Thunderbolts, or I'll break out my old '61 Super Reverb. I used to pick up the Supros for a couple of hundred dollars apiece; they're worth a fortune now. For recording, I use small amps exclusively, usually the Supros. You can hear the tubes ring, and they have a great midrange. Kind of a furry and a ringing midrange. And the highs are easily digestible, too. If I do use any pedals, I like the new Z. Vex pedals that are out now. They're kind of over the top. They're like hand painted, custom pedals.
There are no rules when recording guitars. I use small Fenders and small Supros most of the time, and sometimes old Silvertones. I like something that sounds broken up and old. The microphone really likes that. I'll even plug into a small Peavey, depending on where you put it and where you put the microphone. I'll even go direct a lot, into the board, maybe through a funky, old pedal, or even distort the mic on the board. Anything goes really. Whatever presents texture, I want to see the texture of the tone.
The Supros all have Jensens in them. That makes a big difference. I'll bring my Marshall heads, and the cabinets are all provided by the Backline Company. I use the 1960 Celestions. For strings, I use GHS Boomers, the 9s.
