QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it?

Ashkelon – My true first guitar was a nylon string my parents got me when I was still in the single digits. I wish I still had it.  My first electric was a phony Les Paul made by Epiphone.  I traded that in for a bass after about 3 weeks.  I was much more interested in playing bass during my teens.

QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier?

Ashkelon – I run my signal first through a Yamaha FX500 Rack unit, which gives me settings for Compression, Distortion, EQ, Modulation, & Delay; in that order. Modulation can be relocated to post-delay in the effect chain, but I think it sounds tacky if you do that very often. The FX500 unit has a proprietary type of modulation called Symphonic, which is like a double chorus, & I really like to use that.  I send that signal through an Alesis Midiverb 2 to get the reverb sound I like, & then it goes through a 30-band rackmount EQ which I use to comb filter frequencies that I don’t find quite so tasteful.

QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig – guitar, amplifier, or effects?

Ashkelon – That’s like asking what’s the most important corner of a hypotenuse triangle.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?

Ashkelon – Vox Valvetronix VT Series. My favorite amp ever.  www.voxamps.com/valvetronix/vt-series

QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make it such?

Ashkelon – I have an Ibanez Artcore series that looks like a Gibson 335. The low-end frequencies are extremely sweet.  I also have a Danelectro Baritone, & the thick strings make a very rich sound.  It has the Lipstick Pickups too, which have extraordinary dynamic sensitivity.  I have another Ibanez, a Talman Series, which I keep tuned to drop D. It’s a very lightweight guitar & it has more of an airy tone, as opposed to the other Ibanez, which is watery, or the Danelectro, which is definitely more earthy.  About 15 years ago I was using a hand made seven-string guitar pretty extensively.  That one definitely has a fiery sound. I have not used it for any recordings in quite some time.

QRD – If you had a signature guitar, what would it look like & what would some of its features be?

Ashkelon – It would have to say Ashkelon Sain on it & it would be made out of that stuff they make mood rings out of, so it would glow different colors in sync with the mood of whatever song I play on it.

QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what would some of its features be?

Ashkelon – My pedal would be capable of self-destruction in the event that it ever fell into enemy hands. Whatever it did would certainly remain top secret.

QRD – How many guitars do you own?

Ashkelon – Seven at last count.

QRD – How & where do you store your guitars?

Ashkelon – They’re either leaned against the wall in the studio, or they’re in hardshell cases.

QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar?

Ashkelon – Primarily I judge a guitar by how it sounds compared to other guitars.

QRD – How much do you think a good guitar should cost?

Ashkelon – I feel like the value of money is too ambiguous to say. I can’t come up with an answer.

QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your guitars or just stick with what you get?

Ashkelon – About 19 years ago I customized the bridge of my Fender Jazzmaster with
Telecaster string saddles.  That’s about all I have ever done.  I set my own intonation & I do my own soldering & repairs whenever possible.  & I have nothing against customization, but I haven’t resorted to it much.

QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment before buying it?

Ashkelon – I think it’s really important to know your options.

QRD – Do you change your rig around often?

Ashkelon – Not much at all. I like being able to replicate things I worked on previously.

QRD – Are you after one particular guitar tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot?

Ashkelon – I use a palette of a few main sounds, which I customize further as I incorporate them into songs I’m currently recording or performing.

QRD – What are some guitars, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after?

Ashkelon – I could really go for having a Danelectro twelve-string.

QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first guitar that aren’t always there?

Ashkelon – A new set of strings.

QRD – What have been the best & worst guitar related purchases you’ve made?

Ashkelon – I’ve seen people get ripped off on Ebay. It’s not uncommon for people to sell “high end” gear on there with all the “high end” parts removed & replaced with “low end” substitute parts.

QRD – What are some effect, amp, & guitar brands you particularly like or dis-like & why?

Ashkelon – I love Fender Guitars, but I’ve never particularly agreed with the tone of the Fender guitar amps I’ve tried.

QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a guitar?

Ashkelon –
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - 4 3 - - - - - - 1 - - - 6 -
- - - - 5 - - 3 - - - - 1 - - - 3 - -
- - - 5 - - - - 3 - - 1 - - - 3 - - -
- - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

QRD – How old were you when you started playing guitar?

Ashkelon – Nine. But I didn’t get serious about it until I was more like 14.

QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best guitar playing?

Ashkelon – I think it might be fair to say I had my best sense of intuition around age 25-30; but technique-wise, I’m better now than I’ve ever been.

QRD – Why do you think a guitar fits you more so than other instruments?

Ashkelon – Electric sitars are difficult to come by & my lips don’t respond to the reed thing all that well.

QRD – Do you think guitar should be people’s first instrument as often as it is?

Ashkelon – I think voice is often people’s first instrument, whether they realize it or not. A little singing ability goes a long way when you can play a guitar.

QRD – Do you see your guitar as your ally or adversary in making music?

Ashkelon – What?

QRD – Who are the guitarists that most influenced your playing & sound?

Ashkelon – Robin Guthrie. Robert Smith. John Vallentine Carruthers. The Edge.

QRD – Do you think people anthropomorphizing their guitars is natural or silly (e.g. naming their guitar)?

Ashkelon – I plead guilty as charged.

QRD – What’s the most physical damage you’ve done to a guitar & how did you do it?

Ashkelon – I cracked the body of my bass while playing aggressively.

QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing?

Ashkelon – I imagine playing & I imagine the sounds I’d like to create.

QRD – How many hours a week do you play guitar & how many hours would you like to?

Ashkelon – A conservative estimate would be anywhere between 10-20 hours a week. Maybe more.  I play in two bands & I have 6 guitar students, so I know I play a lot.

QRD – What type of pick do you use & why?

Ashkelon – Clayton .63mm, standard shape. They wear out at the edges, but they don’t break. I use the same pick on guitar & bass.

QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why?

Ashkelon – They’re different for each of my guitars.
On my Baritone I use the D’Addario 14-68 gauge set.
On my standard tuned Ibanez I use a normal 10-46 gauge set.
On my lighter drop D guitar I use a 9-42 gauge set. Very, very slinky, but it sounds really good.
Ultimately, I decided it’s way more convenient to use the sets that are easy to obtain in shops.

QRD – How often do you change strings?

Ashkelon – Pretty often.

QRD – How often do you break strings?

Ashkelon – Very rarely. I avoid guitars with sharp bridge saddles. & it’s very true that new strings break way less frequently than old ones.

QRD – Which do you feel is more proficient, your strumming hand or fretting hand & how does that effect your style?

Ashkelon – Whenever I run across issues like that I just practice a whole bunch.

QRD – Do you set-up your guitar yourself or send it to a guitar tech (or not set it up at all) & why?

Ashkelon – I like to do it myself. Getting the height & intonation exactly perfect can be tedious & time consuming. I can’t afford to pay by the hour for that stuff.

QRD – What tunings do you use & why?

Ashkelon – You can get some happy accidents when you mess with the tuning. Sometimes I’ll retune the guitar to something strange & if I come up with a riff that I like, then I’ll tune the guitar back to normal & figure out how to play it that way.

QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas?

Ashkelon – Whatever’s quickest for the idea.

QRD – How high do you hold your guitar when playing (strap length)?

Ashkelon – Not like Steve Howe, but certainly a little higher than average.

QRD – What’s a bad habit in your playing you wish you could break?

Ashkelon – I rarely upstroke when picking.

QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s guitar playing?

Ashkelon – Women.

QRD – What’s a type of guitar playing do you wish you could do that you can’t?

Ashkelon – Flamenco.

QRD – What’s a guitar goal you’ve never accomplished?

Ashkelon – Setting it on fire.

QRD – What’s the last guitar trick you learned?

Ashkelon – Hendrix’s opening solo in “All Along The Watchtower”.

QRD – What’s your favorite guitar gadget (ebow, capo, slide, string cutter, etc)?

Ashkelon – I love all that stuff.

QRD – What’s a guitar technique you’d like to master, but haven’t?

Ashkelon – Making the guitar sound like a piano.

QRD – Did you ever take guitar lessons & if so, what did you learn from them?

Ashkelon – I took lots of lessons. I learned far more than I could include here.

QRD – What would you teach someone in a guitar lesson that you don’t think they would generally get from a guitar teacher?

Ashkelon – How to play Siouxsie, Joy Division, & The Cure in an authentic manner.

QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style?

Ashkelon – Make very strange faces when they play.

QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems?

Ashkelon – As long as they stay in tune, I’ll take ‘em.

QRD – What do you see as the difference between lead guitar & rhythm guitar players?

Ashkelon – One’s named Angus, the other is named Malcolm.

QRD – If a band has good guitar work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good?

Ashkelon – Maybe possibly the first time I listen to it. Maybe.

QRD – What famous musician’s guitar would you like to own & why?

Ashkelon – I’ve never thought about it.

QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative guitar player & why?

Ashkelon – I think the Radiohead guys have continued to be very inventive.  & you know who else?  Porl Thompson - since he adapted all of The Cure’s keyboard parts into his live renditions (2008 - present) - Porl is on fire!

QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work?

Ashkelon – “Atrocious Virgin” by Trance to the Sun.  “In a Case of Fire” by Submarine Fleet.  I was recently listening to the Trance to the Sun cover version of Cocteau Twins “The Thinner The Air” from 2001. I think that has some super excellent guitar playing as well.

Other QRD features with Ashkelon Sain:
Trance to the Sun interview (october 1997)
Trance to the Sun interview (september 1995)
I Heart FX - Ashkelon Sain (Trance to the Sun) 1998?