On his preffered guitar necks:
"I have been fortunate to personally know and have guitars made by some of the best "guitar minds" in the world. Dean Zelinsky from Dean Guitars, Wayne Charvel and Grover Jackson. All 3 are my friends. Most of my 53 guitars are built by these great guitar makers. The "Rocket Guitar" on Speed Kills was designed by me with help from Jim Gillette and custom made by Wayne Charvel. Wayne preferred unfinished necks that needed to be oiled occasionally. His necks played great. He was one of the first to make the slim "speed" necks usually associated with Ibanez 550's, etc... Dean is different. He prefers to finish necks, still keeps them thin and has a gift for making a guitar feel and sound great. Dean built my very first Double-Guitar. I think Dean necks are fantastic. To answer the finished or unfinished neck question I would say that I like them both. Equally. What I do not like is a thick, round neck that feels like a baseball bat cut in half by a bandsaw. Finished or unfinished to me makes no difference. I am not faster on one or the other. It is solely the neck "feel" that makes the difference for me. The subject of fingerboards- Maple and Ebony each respond very differently. Also, there is scale length. To me these issues are as important to the "feel" of a neck as finished or unfinished."
The Rocket Guitar:
"The "Rocket" Guitar has 29 frets. This is so I could reach a high A. Also, we mounted the pick-up right next to the neck so that it would still sound like a front pick-up (versus a middle pick-up considering the neck length)."
Chromatics:
"I use Chromatic scales all of the time. If you are familiar with my solo CD's like "No Boundaries" you can hear Chromatic scales in much of my soloing and in my writing. There is a song on "No Boundaries" called "I Do For You" that has a very complicated main riff that is in 7/4 and Chromatic in nature. I have used Chromatic scales since I was about 13 years old. I like the idea of an indeterminate tonal center. Chromatic scales can be Major, Minor, Augmented or Diminished in sound."
The cover of No Boundaries:
"The photo is a collage of different Chicago buildings. It was designed and put together by noted graphics artist Rich Seigel. We got permission to photograph from the top of the Tribune Towers in Chicago and the rest was done on computer. The "No Boundaries" cover photo is probably my most talked about CD artwork."
Gear Questions:
(1) Are you still using Duncan JB's? What's your neck pickup of choice?
A). I don't use JB's much anymore. More importantly, I use very high output pick-ups. I have DiMarzio's and Bartolini (hope I spelled that one right) pick-ups on my new USA Dean Guitars. They sound fantastic. The reason- they are loud, powerful, resonant, hence high output.
(2) How is your RHINO BEAST amplifier?
A). I changed the tubes and it made a HUGE difference. Tube choice is everything on a good amp. The Beast has a nice mid range tone which is what I prefer. The "in your face" tone you mentioned sounds to me more like an EQ preference. I like warm, round, violin like tones for lead playing. The YM amp is more vintage and "throaty" sounding.
(3) Do you think lighter string gauges like .009 - .042's are better suited for SHREDDING? I currently use .009 - .046's but am thinking about switching back to a lighter set. I was even thinking about putting together a "hybrid" set of .042, .032, .024, .017, .013 and .010. I've done it before and it feels a little more....balanced.
(A). I use 10 to 46's. I also tune down 1/2 step on most of the songs on my solo CDs. The "Speed Kills" intro was tuned down 1 full step.
Also, no one has ever mentioned and I mean EVER mentioned how I got some of the vibrato sounds. Does anyone hear that I used an original WHAMMY pedal on that song? I worked really hard on my vibrato as well as my tone and intonation. Just a bit of info on the "Speed Kills" theme song."
More Gear Info:
"I have a BBE Sonic Maximizer as well as several compressors in my studio Guitar rack. I do not use the BBE much. Never on Lead guitar parts, seldom on Rhythm Guitar parts. My tone, especially in the studio relies too much on the Mid Range frequencies that the BBE takes out.
As far as compression- I tend to only use compression on Clean guitar sounds. Amplified guitars are very constant in volume unless you use a volume pedal or a gain switch so there is not really much of a reason to compress guitars- live or in the studio.
The Bass Guitar has been compressed in the mix of EVERY CD I have ever been involved in.
Adding one more thought concerning compression on guitar. I use compression on clean guitar parts usually along with a stereo chorus to add shimmer and warmth to a track. I also brighten up the tone a bit. I have several ways of adding compression. Foot pedals, rack FX units through the amp FX loop and as outboard gear during a mix if I think the song and sound warrant it.
I also use Intellifex's. They have great sounds and stock presets. I have 4 Intellifex's and 1 Replifex in my studio rack. As far as BBE's-I have heard that before- that they do not technically remove mid's. I think that the BBE Sonic Maximizer is a high quality product. My ear tells me that mid range frequencies are removed or better yet, high and low frequencies are enhanced when I process my sound through a BBE. Sometimes I want this sound, sometimes I do not."
Advice For Begginers:
"It is best for a beginner to learn first position chords, finger exercises (like in the Speed Kills DVD) and simple songs. Bar chords and tuning by ear come later.
Alternate Picking Advice:
"True Alternate picking is the ability to play every note, every phrase in a down, up (or up, down) picking sequence without variation. If one uses 3 notes per string, then changes to a new string, you HAVE to hit the new string on an up stroke if starting with a downstroke. (What a sentence!)
The problem is the distance between the strings makes it hard for some people to continue the down, up motion while cleanly hitting a new string. The exercises I have devised over the years help you to isolate and solve this problem. They concentrate the hitting of a new string on an upstroke. Alternate picking is very hard to master. If you think of guitar playing like a violinist thinks of bowing technique you begin to realize that Alternate picking is a sound that is aggressive and very different sonically from "Sweep" or what I termed as "Alternative" picking. The choice to use Alternate picking or Hammer and Pulls, etc... is determined by what you want the phrase to sound like.
I have found that Alternate picking is extremely hard for most guitarists to master. It took me 2 years of practicing hour after hour, day after day to "conquer" this technique. The majority, probably 90% of my fast playing is strict Alternate picking. Why? Because I love the sound of it. It is the most aggressive guitar sound to me. Also, I studied Jazz in school and many of my favorite Jazz Guitarists, George Benson, Django, Charlie Christian, Hank Garland, etc... employ this technique. By knowing what hybrid style you use, it sounds to me like you have analyzed your playing. That's great. That is the main step to being a better musician. Knowing what and how you are playing gives one the knowledge to know what they have to learn and improve on. Strict Alternate picking is only a technique. What you do with it is up to you. That is what I try to teach in Speed Kills. This will work for you. My suggestion to anyone trying to get better at Alternate picking is to practice the exercises with a metronome focusing on your picking hand. Watch it, learn how YOU play and analyze what YOU are doing. That is why I can continue learning and being a better musician- I know my own technique.
I stand by what I have said since day one. "Learn to pick a new string on an up-stroke". Use and master what I term "economy of motion". The "angle" of the pick can be called "chiff". This is the equivalent to air coming up on a pipe in a church pipe organ before the sound is heard. That sound is called "chiff". In other words the "attack" of the note before the actual note itself is heard. The same thing applies with using a pick. The attack, the note, the decay, the release of the note. To slant your pick slightly is good. It is desired. It is a sound that is aggressive. The 4 note sequences mentioned- called "melodic sequences" are hard because most guitarists change the almost straight picking line that is needed to play the passage. They create a flawed hybrid circular picking motion that complicates and slows things down. The old adage- the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line applies here. The straighter the picking line the faster and cleaner you will be."
On who's better, him or Yngwie Malmsteen:
"Do I think that I am better than YM? I will say this. I am extremely confident in my own ability. I know that my guitar sound is great. That I play with aggression, soul and passion. I feel I am a better guitarist now than I was 5 years ago. I feel I will be a better guitarist in 2008 than I am now. I KNOW YM feels the same way about himself. I think Yngwie is great. I have always thought he was great. I was with Mike Varney at YM's very first show in L.A. with Steeler. Mike Varney also discovered me.
I have never felt that I am in a race or that it is possible to compare styles saying one is better than the other. Music in my opinion is too subjective. Technique for me is only a means to an end. I just wanted to be able to translate to my fingers what I heard in my head. That is it. I have always sincerely tried to help people in my videos and now DVDs. I take guitar playing extremely seriously, have a great time and try to do the best, original "live show" that I can- the Over-Under, the Double-Guitar, etc... What I want to be remembered as is a person who helped make the guitar community a wiser, more educated place. That I helped guitar players and musicians be more open minded. To understand themselves better. To add to the vast knowledge already known, written, spoken and performed on the guitar. I have tried to show up close how I play. The way I play-not to have everyone play like "Mikey" but to use what I have learned to help YOU be a better player in what ever style you choose to use this knowledge with."
Can you play guitar with your feet?
"I get asked all the time if I can sign my name, autograph photos, etc... with both hands at the same time but never- play the guitar with my feet. Sorry. I don't think you'll be seeing that one from me anytime soon!"
On what makes the perfect solo:
"Before I do (mention) that I would like to mention that my very first major label CD is being re released by Atlantic Records. The band is called "Holland". The CD is called "Little Monsters". It will be available in late July. Why am I mentioning this here? Shameless self promotion? Yes. But, every solo I recorded was worked out. Every solo I played on this CD has elements of what most of you talked about as being a good or great solo. When you hear "Holland" you can tell it is me. A very early Mikey, but the essence of my playing is there. The alternate picking, Major 7th arpeggiated section in the "Speed Kills" intro piece was taken from the "Holland" song "High Life". One of the hardest things for players to learn IMO is how to have taste with feel and not make things sound contrived or laid back. Just because a solo is tasteful does not mean it is good. Taste combined with feeling and passion hopefully is the desired goal. Check out the soon to be released "Holland" CD. The disc sums up what my early ideas about solos were. We will have MP3s up on my site as soon as we receive advance copies."
On Buckethead:
"I have several Buckethead CDs. A fan of mine named W. Compton in Northern California told me about him a while ago. BH has a fun, humorius side to his playing. I really like his CDs. I saw him this year in L.A. at a NAMM show. I was going to talk to him but he would not take the bucket off his head! He was "in character" the whole time."
