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

Russ – It was a Les Paul copy made by a company called Lotus. I traded it in for my 2nd guitar.

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

Russ – I don’t really use an amplifier anymore, as I don’t play live anymore & I live in an apartment. Most of my playing is done through various plug-ins in Pro Tools.

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

Russ – Well, I guess the guitar is pretty important. The effects can be just as important, however. I don’t feel inspired to play if the right tone isn’t there.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?

Russ – The last amplifier I owned was a Marshall JCM 900 half-stack when I used to play in bands. Haven’t owned an amplifier for about 10 years now.

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

Russ – It has most recently become an LTD Viper 300-FM. It is comfortable & has nice active EMG pickups with great frequency response.

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

Russ – It would be a mid-70s Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Deluxe if I could afford one again.

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

Russ – I always liked the original Ibanez Tube Screamer from the 80’s. Very Metal. I also had an imitation Scholz Rockman from the Sears catalog that had a bitchin’ over-the-top distortion sound.

QRD – How many guitars do you own?

Russ – Two. The LTD & a custom built Flying-V.

QRD – How & where do you store your guitars?

Russ – In my apartment, on a stand, or leaned up against the wall.

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

Russ – A snack machine. But seriously, I don’t take my guitars out of the house anymore, so cases are kind of irrelevant.

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

Russ – Something that’s easy for me to play. 24 3/4” scale. Thin neck.

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

Russ – The Viper was around $600. I think that was pretty fair.

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

Russ – Changing strings is about the extent of my upgrading.

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

Russ – Long enough hopefully.

QRD – Do you change your rig around often?

Russ – I gots no “rig”, so no.

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

Russ – I like all kinds of crazy shit, but most of it involves lots & lots of distortion.

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

Russ – The aforementioned Les Paul. I would also dig having my 2nd guitar back which was a Westone Concord III... but I’d be willing to bet I wouldn’t play it much.

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

Russ – Low action.

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

Russ – Best - The aforementioned Les Paul that left me in a time of dire financial straits. Worst - Some sort of Epiphone with a Floyd Rose.

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

Russ – The ever-elusive skinny-necked Les Paul. I like Marshall amps. I don’t care for 99.9% of strats or anything pointy with skulls. Bolt-on necks bite.  Amps with no master volume are right out. Single-coil pickups are wimpy.

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

Russ – Probably just some random wanking.

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

Russ – Thirteen.

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

Russ – Probably 17 or 18.

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

Russ – Because KISS LOVES YOU, ROCK & ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Russ – No. More people should play cello or bassoon. I wish I would have learned to sight-read when I was a kid.

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

Russ – Depends on the music.

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

Russ – Ace Frehley, Bob “1” Mothersbaugh, Eric Clapton (pre-1970 - really anything after Cream is useless to me), Jimmy Page, Frank Zappa, Dave Gilmore, Robert Fripp, Billy Gibbons, Prince, Steve Vai (Pre-1990 - before the guitar-god albums).

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

Russ – Completely daft.

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

Russ – Do you mean by accident or on purpose? Dropped my Westone down a small flight of concrete stairs once but the worst that happened to it was a little chunk out of the back of the neck. On purpose I once attempted to fuse an acoustic guitar & a bass into a new instrument which I dubbed “The Gabajar”. That did some pretty serious damage, let me tell you.

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

Russ – What else is there?

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

Russ – Sometimes I do not play at all in a week. It would be nice if I could find an hour a day, but it rarely works out.

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

Russ – Dunlop. The yellow ones. They’re nice.

QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why?

Russ – Ernie Ball 08-38. Never understood why people want to torture themselves with anything heavier.

QRD – How often do you change strings?

Russ – Whenever it seems pertinent.

QRD – How often do you break strings?

Russ – Rarely. Usually I have decided to change them before they break.

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

Russ – I think they’re about equal... at a skill level I would call “Medium-Rare”. I don’t try to play fast anymore because I don’t have the chops for it or the time to develop them.

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

Russ – It stays pretty set-up on its own in its comfy indoor home.

QRD – What tunings do you use & why?

Russ – Standard tuning down 1/2 step because that’s how KISS did it.

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

Russ – I don’t write down guitar ideas, therefore the question is moot.

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

Russ – Gut-level, which can be tricky with a substantial gut.

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

Russ – Repeating familiar patterns.

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

Russ – I find it much easier to visualize & build chords on a keyboard. Not sure if that really helps guitar playing or not.

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

Russ – Classical.

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

Russ – Making anything Lydian or Locrian sound believable.

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

Russ – Creating a fake wang-bar sound by bending the note with your right hand behind where you have it fretted with the left.

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

Russ – I had an Ebow for a while... it got boring pretty quickly.

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

Russ – More weird chords.

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

Russ – I took guitar lessons from a couple people very early on. I learned that it’s mostly best to just teach yourself.

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

Russ – Play hard, play fair, nobody hurt.

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

Russ – Practice a whole bunch for about 5 years & then just slack the rest off.

QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems?

Russ – I would love the Floyd Rose if it came with a personal guitar technician to be at your beck & call 24/7. Too annoying to deal with maintenance-wise.

QRD – How often do you adjust your tone knob?

Russ – Only if I want to sound like Santana, which isn’t very bloody often.

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

Russ – Size of face in album artwork.

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

Russ – No.

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

Russ – I know I just said Strats suck (which they do), but it would be cool to have that blondish Strat that Frank Zappa played on the ‘84 tour... but it has a Floyd Rose so there would have to be a personal guitar tech that came with it.

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

Russ – Mike Keneally. He plays like a mother fucker & writes funny & interesting songs.

QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work?

Russ – All of my 80+ releases since 1982 are available for free download at www.russstedman.com

QRD – Anything else?

Russ – Every Good Boy Does Fine.