CREEM SHOWCASE

CREEM SHOWCASE

DEPARTMENTS

by

Billy Cioffi

What was the first guitar you ever owned?

I don�t know what brand it was exactly. It was an acoustic guitar my mother gave me for my birthday. I didn�t have too much interest in playing it, it was a piece of shit, not very good. Eventually I started putting pick-ups and stuff in it, messing around with it. I put a homemade tremolo bar on it. I got my first electric guitar in 1971 when I was eight years old...it was a �Clear Sound.� It was bought from a catalog. The neck was very good on it, actually.

Who was your earliest influence?

Jimi Hendrix.

Do you remember the song?

�Hey Joe.�

What�s your main axe?

I have so many guitars, you know?

Then what�s the one you walk on stage with?

It�s always different ones. I have six or seven that I really use on staqe. Additionally, maybe 30 or so Strats.

What kind of pick-ups are you using in the Stratocasters?

I�m using DeMarizo HS-3, which I designed with Larry DeMarizo. I told them what I wanted and gradually we refined it. That�s the best pick-up I can think of.

What kind of amps are you using?

Marshalls, 50-watt: older Marshalls, anywhere from five to ten amps depending on the hall we�re playing.

Do you use any pedals?

No.

None at all, just straight into the amp?

No.

What is the line from the guitar to the amp?

I use a Roland echo, DCIO. I have all sorts of shit on the floor but I really never use it. It�s just sort of there in case I get a whim. Basically, with the exception of the echo, your sound is unadulterated.

I never use the echo, either. I use it for a couple of things but I never use it during solos. Recently I started using wireless systems.

CLASSICALLY SPEKING: THE YNGWIE MALMSTEEN INRETVIEW

They�re very good in many ways but in other ways they�re very bad. There are all these terrible problems with humming and crackling.

So you don�t feature too much bullshit around the guitar sound? You just go for the natural sound of a powerful guitar through the Marshalls.

Definitely! That�s the only thing I do. I mean, I have an octave divider and a wah-wah pedal and all that other stuff which I used to use quite a lot, but not anymore. What players are you paying attention to?

I think there�s many guitar players that are very good and so forth, but none of them I really listen to or get inspired by or try to cop their licks.

Actually that�s not what I�m asking. Do you listen to any players for entertainment?

I really don�t. It happens, but I really don�t. When I listen to music it�s 99 percent what I record in my own studio. I�m too involved in what I�m doing and I never listen to any rock �n� roll. Of course it happens, buy a few drinks and listen to AC/DC or Judas Priest or something heavy. I don�t listen to it for musical pleasure. I just like to hear heavy music when I�m drunk. As far as listening to music,

I listen to 99 percent classical. You have Rising Force, your band, and your solo album. What�s the difference?

It�s quite complicated; sometimes I don�t know myself. When I was still in Alcatrazz the record company, Polydor, wanted me to make a solo album and didn�t want any vocals. So that�s why my first solo record only has two songs with vocal. It was a solo album to display my playing. It wasn�t at all an attempt to do a career on my own. Whereas on the new album I just finished up I�ve been working really hard with my new touring line-up. It is more a song format and that�s called Marching Out and the band is called �Yngwie Malmsteen�s Rising Force.� It is the second album that I�ve done on my own—the first is called Rising Force and it�s a solo album. The second is a solo album too, because I wrote every note and every word. The way it�s done is very different from the first because it�s more like a rock �n� roll album. Where the first is just...I don�t know (laughs), wanking off. Are you going to continue to do solo albums, commercial albums and so on?

No, this other album is my solo album too! There�s a couple of tracks on the new album that are not �radio� commercial, and then there are a couple of tracks that can be played on any radio station in the world! That�s what I�m going to do—I want to have both on my albums. I�m not going to have purely freaking out or purely commercial either...there�s going to be a mixture.

Why don�t you name a few musicians who influenced you early on when you first began playing?

Back then it was Jimi Hendrix and Ritchie Blackmore. No other guitar player really I liked Jean-

Luc Ponty and Keith Emerson. These are the contemporary guys. The actual main influence I have is classical music: Bach, Niccolo Paganini and Beethoven, all the main dudes. I�m not interested in 12-tone stuff.

Like Stockhausen, Weber etc. ?

Yeah, that �new� stuff makes me sick.

You�re not interested in Stravinsky?

No, not at all. As a matter of fact, some classical music I really hate! What I really like is Vivaldi, Bach, chamber music. The very structured stuff: take this piece called �Aire In G� by J.S. Bach. That to me is the essence of composing. You can�t compose anything more beautiful than that.

It has mathematical perfection as well as soul.

Everything!

Do you read music?

Yes.

Did you study privately or at a conservatory?

No, there is something I definitely don�t believe in: it�s teachers. I think you cannot learn art. You cannot learn to express yourself and be creative and do things in an original way. I mean you can learn to play somewhat, of course, but you�ve got to have it inside of you, the total urge and love for what you�re doing. You can�t just go to a guitar school. I mean you can, of course, but that�s not what I consider really art. I don�t think playing �Johnny B. Goode� or most rock �n� roll, hard rock, heavy metal whatever you hear today, I don�t call that art. If that�s what you want to learn, sure, you can learn how to play like anybody on the scene in a year. It doesn�t take anything, it�s like driving a car., it�s like wanking off! It doesn�t have any soul, any depth, nothing!

So you feel one is born with innate ability...

Which does not necessarily have to be music, but you have to be born with a strong will and a strong mind. You will have to be ready to sacrifice a lot socially. You�re going to have to accept that people will think you�re egotistical. People will think that you�re not caring about anything but yourself when, in fact, what you�re caring about is your art.

How old were you when you started playing live on stage?

I was just a little kid. I did one of my first shows when I was nine years old.

Were you considered a �boy wonder" when you started playing?

I don�t really remember so much what actually happened back then. I was an artist from the beginning. My mother�s an artist and that�s what I started doing very early on in life. I started painting and drawing a lot and that�s what everybody thought I was going to pursue until I was about 10.1 remember people used to think I was really great as an artist—and some thought I was kind of cracked in the head because what I drew was advanced and also very weird. I never took guitar playing in the beginning seriously. I never understood why everyone thought I was a good guitar player.

What kind of rig do you use in the studio?

The same as live, exactly.

What kind of miking do you favor in the studio? Do you close mike and room mike as well?

Of course it depends on the room, but usually I have one close up and that�s it. I generally want to get as tight a sound as possible—no natural slap. I tend to play very fast. If I�m playing and I utilize the technique I have it sounds very clean. If I have slap it doesn�t sound as clean. That�s why I never use echo or delay—I use reverb. Usually what I want is a really dry sound onto the tape and then I split up in two channels and have one clean and one with reverb.

So you don�t dilute your signal as much as many of your contemporaries?

No, what I�d really like to point out is playing classical guitar is a lot different than playing electric guitar with classical influence. The way I play guitar is more like a violin, more single notes, a longer span of octaves. The classical guitar really doesn�t span a lot of octaves and it�s very nice but I find it limiting.

So do you consider yourself a modern classical composer?

Sometimes. It depends on the mood I�m in and what composition we�re referring to. I guess I look at it more that way as opposed to pounding out a few chords.

How often do you practice?

I really don�t. For awhile I practiced all the time, hours and hours a day. For the last five years I haven�t played all that much. I think that when you reach a certain point you shouldn�t practice so much as think more about what you�re doing. I believe it�s not how much you practice, it�s what you practice. You do the right thing and do it five times and you can practice the wrong thing 150 times and not be a better guitar player. You have to know where you want to go; otherwise you�re just going to be another unemployed guitar player on the street. Everybody doesn�t have it, and you have to have the will. One of the best guitarists I can think of is Django Reinhardt and he didn�t have all his fingers and nobody had to teach him how to play...he just had it!

TREMOLO AU GO-GO

While most of today s manufacturers call their systems �Tremolo,� the actual function of these inventions is a �Vibrato� effect. The term vibrato in music is best described as the raising and lowering of pitch, while tremolo generally is considered the rapid alteration of volume. Before we take a look at what is now the state of the art in these systems, it might be a good idea to look at how the device developed. An historical observation of interest: from the moment someone stuck the first pick-up on an acoustic guitar he started messing around with tailpieces to alter the pitch. One of the earliest tailpieces was patented in 1929 by Doc Kauffman and was featured on the early Rickenbacker. Primitive in design, it was used throughout the �30s and �40s. The next significant development in vibrato arms took place in 1946, when legendary picker Merle Travis asked designer Paul Bigsby to make his solid body electric. From there Bigsby went on to design and patent the Bigsby Tailpiece. The Bigsby vibrato became the industry standard until 1954 when Leo Fender introduced the Stratocaster. The guitar itself was a revolution in design with its contour body and three pick-ups but another giant was the Strat�s tremolo unit. Bigsby�s original design was an add-on unit that was quite popular, but the Fender unit was built into the instrument. Right hand vibrato technique was quite accepted by then but one of the Bigsby unit�s problems was that it tended to send the guitar way out of tune or not return the strings to normal pitch (more discussion on this problem later).

The Stratocaster�s vibrato system was based on a floating bridge carried on a dense, castmetal block. The block was then fixed to five heavy-duty strings that were concealed beneath a plate on the back of the guitar. The springs were adjustable for varying degrees of tension and resistance to the pull of the unit, and a detachable rod moved the system up and down. As the unit moved, the string length was varied and thus the pitch of the note was changed. The Fender unit was much more flexible than its predecessors in that it allowed for a much greater range of pitch stretching. But while revolutionary at the time—it did not totally deal with the problem of tuning. With the exception of Mosrite, whose unit was noted for its light touch, and the Gibson tailpiece—which was a little-used option—the Bigsby held sway for the country and jazz use while the Fender unit dominated rock. Aside from the delicate and subtle use by players like Chet Atkins—and after the surf music craze died down—the vibrato arm was pretty much out of favor among rockers for a couple of years. All of that changed when an electric fireball rocketed across the airwaves and, in some respects, changed our concept of the guitar. His name was Jimi Hendrix.

While Hendrix�s use of the Fender tailpiece was extraordinary (if not visionary), it also pointed up some of the shortcomings of the Fender unit. In nearly all of Hendrix�s live output the struggle with intonation is readily apparent. I have heard from several guitarists that the wide vibrato Hendrix used with his fretting hand was developed while trying to play in tune after especially violent use of the vibrato. In the last 10 years three different companies have emerged that have captured the fancy of guitar players: Floyd Rose, Kahler and Washburn. All three utilize different principles and by no means are we attempting to endorse any of them except to say they are all high-quality, precision-made machinery. What we will attempt, however, is a glance at the differences and the similarities of each unit.

In choosing a tremolo unit, one has to decide which is best for his own particular needs. With any unit—if you break a string the guitar is going to go out of tune, some a little more than others. We tested each by snipping a string and none of them stayed in tune...but let us hasten to point out that this is the case on any guitar, whether you have a tailpiece or not. With all of the tailpieces you have fine tuning screws at the back of the bridge, all placed somewhat differently. The Kahler and the Floyd Rose jut vertically from the back of the unit and the Washburn is horizontal. One of the better (yet unheralded) pluses in all three units is that the fine tuning allows the player to tune from the back of the axe so you never have to take your hands off the instrument. All the new vibrato systems employ a locking nut system at the head stock, each with some variation—and the locking nut is the key to why the units work as well as they do. It prevents the strings from becoming slack between the nut and the tuning pegs, thus eliminating friction which would result in tuning problems.

FLOYD ROSE TREMOLO—KRAMER

The �Floyd,� as it has been nicknamed, is the child of Floyd Rose�s impatience with inconsistency in the tremolo hardware of the early 70s. The prihciple is that of previous systems: The fulcrum system basically comes down to the tension of the strings versus the tension of the springs. This tension is balanced on the edge of the piece of metal and �floats� as the bar directs the tightness (up about a full tone) and the slack (full dive bomb release). But Floyd Rose is responsible for refining two very important innovations.

The first is the introduction of two large, heavy-duty screws on either side of the bridge, which replaced the six screws on which the Strat would pivot its strings. The actual pivoting on the Rose model is on the �knife edge� of the fulcrum. The second—and most important—was the locking nut. The Floyd nut differs from the Kahler and Washburn in that the guitar�s existing nut is replaced by the Floyd machinery and the locking is fit behind the existing nut. Installation of the Floyd requires that two holes be drilled through the neck. Earlier Floyd Rose vibratos did not have fine tuning bridges, but they are now stock.

The Floyd Rose tailpiece is stiff but the metal work is uncommonly strong. You�d have to be Hulk Hogan to break the tailpiece. For this reason it�s preferred by many aggressive players who enjoy radical pitch bending and dive bombing. The Rose will take a lot of slack and bounce back right on pitch, yet some players might find the stiffness distracting. Again, it depends on the style of the music and the musician.

KAHLER TREMOLO BRIDGE SYSTEM

On the other side of the world, unknown to Mr. Rose, New Zealander Dave Storey was working on his own design. Storey is a guitar player who for economic reasons (poverty that is) was building his own instruments and hardware. Later on, after relocating to England, he obtained English patents and eventually formed an alliance with Kahler to manufacture in the U.S.

The basic principle in Storey�s design is a cam: a metal bar which pivots over ball bearing braces. The tension is held by two heavyduty springs underneath the surface plate. The Kahler will take a standard string ball without cutting or alteration and they also manufacture a string line with a soldered end recommended for use with the unit. The unit allows the player to raise the pitch higher because of its design...so there is a bit more range than with the Floyd. The Kahler arm is very sensitive; Dave Storey likens it to power steering in an automobile. This is a good analogy, but at the same time not everybody likes power steering. There is room for adjustment in the tailpiece, however, and the tension of the arm can be increased enough to approximate a �Floyd� type action. Another excellent facet of the Kahler device is that it allows you to improve the quality of your unit piece by piece, because all the parts from the bottom to the top of the line are interchangeable.

For example, if you bought the least expensive stock tremolo bridge system, you could—over a period of time—replace every item in your unit with parts from the most costly unit. The unit comes in epoxy-coated brass, chrome and Black Krome, so you can mix and match colors as well. The Kahler also manufactures a �Palm Bar� which places the control of the pitch underneath the palm of the guitarist�s hand. Instead of grabbing the bar with his fingers, the player presses the shorter, flatter arm with his hand, thus allowing for more sensitivity in single note and chord work. The mounting plates are available in stud and flat style, with a patented fourway bridge saddle, fitting a wide range of guitars.

WASHBURN �WONDERBAR�

The Washburn �Wonderbar� is the newest entry into the �Big Three� and it has quickly picked up a large number of stalwart supporters. The tension in the �Wonderbar� is created by a torsion bar that is basically a ribbed round metal bar used in lieu of springs to counterbalance the string tension. While a softer torsion bar is available, the stock unit is stiffer than the Kahler and closer to the �Floyd� in response. One of the biggest innovations of the Washburn device is its simple installation. The unit requires no routing and can be installed at home by simply drilling two holes on either side of the bridge and four for the locking nut. The ease of installation saves the consumer time and money and fits flat and archtop guitar models. The Washburn also loads the strings without ball end snipping or retainer hooking.

The tremolo system has been refined quite a bit since it was first conceived over 55 years ago. The three names we have discussed are by no means the only companies. who have a tailpiece system available. G&L, Leo Fender�s newest company, has a patent on a lacing nut system that is said to be extremely competitive with the more well-known units. Schecter, Rockinger and Yamaha Gust to name a few) are all working to perfect the idea of extending the guitar�s range. There is also quite a bit of controversy within the tailpiece industry concerning counterfeiting...designs made to look exactly like the famous brands. Kahler and Floyd Rose have both been plagued by �knock offs.� All three companies urge you to buy from only recognized dealers, which also goes for installation. Finally, it is the opinion of most guitar collectors and traders that it is not wise to put one of these units on a vintage or rare guitar simply because any screw holes or routing on a valuable axe finish decreases the value immediately.

The possibilities of the vibrato system with the new structural designs are endless. The variances and nuances open to a guitarist with imagination can alter his entire conception of the instrument.

(The author would like to thank Zeke Zirngiebel for his technical advice on this article.)