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

Rick – A Silvertone Les Paul copy hollow body electric, got it in 1967... it cracked in half a few years later.

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

Rick – 1968 SG or 1985 Strat, A/B switch to go between guitars (the Strat has a GK1 to guitar synth) tuner, rotovibe, wah, compression, octave divider, A/B between two distortions one path EQ & tube distortion, the other transistor distortion, noise gate, phaser, stereo chorus, stereo flanger, analog delay, volume pedal, analog delay, flanger doubler, digital delay 1 second, digital delay 2 second, Echoplex to Peavey Stereo Chorus Amplifier.

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

Rick – 1968 SG.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why? 

Rick – Peavey Stereo Chorus... very powerful & clean.

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

Rick – 1968 SG because it plays great... low profile frets, like the fretless wonder Les Pauls which you cannot get anymore.

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

Rick – Just what I’ve got now.

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

Rick – Tube Distortion with good EQ on it.

QRD – How many guitars do you own? 

Rick – Six.

QRD – How & where do you store your guitars? 

Rick – All over the place... easy access to play at any time inspiration hits.

QRD – What do you wish guitar cases had that they usually don’t? 

Rick – They’re fine like they are.

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

Rick – Feel & sound.

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

Rick – Cheaper than what they’re going for, that’s for sure.

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

Rick – Pretty much stick with what I get, but I do adjust them to my liking.

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

Rick – Read about it & try it first if possible.

QRD – Do you change your rig around often? 

Rick – Not much.

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

Rick – Depends on the song, yes.

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

Rick – My 1973 Les Paul Fretless Wonder... had it for years, sold it to an old drummer of mine, under the condition that later on in life I could buy it back... he died & the whereabouts are unknown.

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

Rick – Upon first learning... it’s the person, not the guitar.

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

Rick – Never made a bad purchase... the best was the 1973 Les Paul or my current 1968 SG.

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

Rick – Old Gibsons... not new ones, the frets are like railroad ties... MXR old & new.

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

Rick – Probably one of my tunes or a Beatle tune.

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

Rick – Six.

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

Rick – I started getting pretty good around 13... but my best playing is right now.

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

Rick – Not sure of that one.

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

Rick – Whatever the person’s passion is.

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

Rick – It’s my sanity keeper.

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

Rick – George Harrison, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Steve Morse, John McGlauphlin, Greg Lake, Robert Fripp, Phil Keaggey.

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

Rick – Companies name them, I guess artists can to... I don’t.

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

Rick – Cracked my first guitar in half by tuning it up way to high.

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

Rick – Just playing “ALL THE TIME”.

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

Rick – Probably about 30 hours a week... & that’s probably enough.

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

Rick – Heavy... more control than thin ones.

QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why? 

Rick – 10’s... better feel... less breakage.

QRD – How often do you change strings? 

Rick – Definitely before every gig... & whenever they start to sound dull.

QRD – How often do you break strings? 

Rick – Too much.

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

Rick – I believe they’re equal... both as quick as each other.

QRD – What tunings do you use & why? 

Rick – Mostly standard... I’ve experimented with others & recorded some things that way, but I like standard tuning the best.

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

Rick – Memory.

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

Rick – Not too high, not too low.

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

Rick – Can’t think of any.

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

Rick – I like playing piano also & believe that has helped my musical knowledge.

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

Rick – Some of the classical type of picking I’d like to some day get to.

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

Rick – I think I’ve met the ones I’ve set up... just getting better all the time is the goal now.

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

Rick – Not into tricks.

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

Rick – None.

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

Rick – Some day, classical picking technique, although it’s not a high priority.

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

Rick – When I was a kid I did... didn’t learn anything from the teacher... so I learned myself.

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

Rick – Chords are “THE” most important thing when learning... everything else is secondary.

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

Rick – Learn the “Lost Chords” that I’ve found & pay close attention as some of it goes by fast & complex. 

QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems? 

Rick – Electrical Tremolo or Vibrato? If the vibrato systems... I like what’s on my SG & Strat.

QRD – How often do you adjust your tone knob? 

Rick – I don’t.

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

Rick – I’m both... so for me... no difference.

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

Rick – No... you can be the best guitarist in the world, but if your songs suck or the other musicians suck... so do you.

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

Rick – I’m happy with what I’ve got... don’t need or want someone else’s guitar.

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

Rick – Phil Keaggy always surprises me as does Robin Trower... Frank Marino’s pretty inventive... Steve Morse is always coming up with unheard of things.

QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work? 

Rick – Some cuts can be heard at www.myspace.com/therickrayband

QRD – Anything else?

Rick – You can also checkout www.rickray.net