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

Brian – I started on bass, a generic P-Style, then I bought a Hohner acoustic guitar (new).  I bought an electric Ibanez, used... & got rid of it... replaced it recently with a Gretsch re-issue...  I eventually traded the bass for a sweet electric blue guitar & I still have the acoustic, & consider it my main guitar.
 
QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier?

Brian – Guitar to a stereo delay... L to delay (L-to another delay-Amp - R-Amp) - R to pitch shifter (for some low-end)-Amp-Delay-amp.  I use a lot of delays - one of which has some reverb... sometimes I run clean into my Vox so you can hear a clean guitar signal plus the mountains of delays & reverb.... 

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

Brian – My mind & my hands... but also delays.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?

Brian – Well, for years it was my Marshall 65R cause it was loud & raw, but now I have a twin Vox & it sounds better & is louder...
 
QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make it such?

Brian – My acoustic.  All my songs, no matter how wacky, start on my acoustic.

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

Brian – It would have a built-in dual delay that would be able to feed into itself & have four outs (2-left & 2-right).  It would probably look pretty traditional, like an SG or something like Cobain where I would cut two in half to make one
 
QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what would some of its features be?

Brian – Delays & loopers.
 
QRD – How many guitars do you own?

Brian – 4, I gave a couple away... so now I just have my acoustic, my Gretsch electric, that blue guitar I traded my bass for, & a pawn shop guitar for noise making... & a Daion bass - I also play drums, so I have a 4-piece Gretsch Catalina.

QRD – How & where do you store your guitars?

Brian – Basement in cases.…

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

Brian – A recording device.
 
QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar?

Brian – Feel & range of sound.  I don’t play a “style;” I like to capture sounds, so... I like guitars that can go from metal to twang in a heartbeat.
 
QRD – How much do you think a good guitar should cost?

Brian – I’d balk at anything more than $600.

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

Brian – Out of the box.
 
QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment before buying it?

Brian – Ad nauseum.…
 
QRD – Do you change your rig around often?

Brian – Yes, but trying NOT to much more.…

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

Brian – I change my tones & tunings constantly... but I like to lock it in & balance different tones against each other.

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

Brian – Some of the old school tape delay pedals would be sweet if I could be able to afford.  I’d like a really, really nice Tele & Princeton amp, classic, vintage P-bass, any high quality vintage tube amp, like a Vox or something; man I’d love an SG like none other & a full Marshall stack, rock that shit!
 
QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first guitar that aren’t always there?

Brian – My first electric Ibanez had a tuning lock; which was really nice for a beginner, because it went out of tune a lot less.

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

Brian – My best was catching a guitar store going out of business.  I picked up like $450 worth of stuff for like $150.  No horror stories, I’m pretty conservative when it comes to spending money on equipment... & a “purist” in that sense... creativity not equipment.…
 
QRD – What are some effect, amp, & guitar brands you particularly like or dis-like & why?

Brian – Boss, you can’t go wrong.…
 
QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a guitar?

Brian – A C chord or an A minor... I have no idea why, it just happens, then I run through some scales & start working o the song I was playing last.…

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

Brian – 22.
 
QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best guitar playing?

Brian – 30.
 
QRD – Why do you think a guitar fits you more so than other instruments?

Brian – The range of expression that an audience can feel also.
 
QRD – Do you think guitar should be people’s first instrument as often as it is?

Brian – No, piano.
 
QRD – Do you see your guitar as your ally or adversary in making music?

Brian – Ally - I think I make guitar music, but I’m also disillusioned.…
 
QRD – Who are the guitarists that most influenced your playing & sound?

Brian – Originally... Billy Corgan, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd (Syd in approach & Gilmore in style) & John Fahey; now I would add Omar Rodriguez.

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

Brian – Natural, but I don’t nor probably ever will.

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

Brian – I haven’t ever doe anything fun (like smashing one).  I cracked the head on my Ibanez while getting emotional while experimenting

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

Brian – Smashing Pumpkin songs & scales
 
QRD – How many hours a week do you play guitar & how many hours would you like to?

Brian – 16-20. 80.
 
QRD – What type of pick do you use & why?

Brian – I actually just started to feel the difference & I really like Dunlap 60s, they just feel good, & I drop them less for some reason.
 
QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why?

Brian – Heavy... I tune low & I like the thicker sound.

QRD – How often do you change strings?

Brian – Not as often as I should.
 
QRD – How often do you break strings?

Brian – Not as often as my music may express.
 
QRD – Which do you feel is more proficient, your strumming hand or fretting hand & how does that effect your style?

Brian – Strumming... I do a lot of strum/beat emphasis.…
 
QRD – Do you set-up your guitar yourself or send it to a guitar tech (or not set it up at all) & why?

Brian – All by myself.
 
QRD – What tunings do you use & why?

Brian – Standard down about 1.25 steps... it seems to be better in tune with my voice/body resonance... but I don’t sing so go figure.
 
QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas?

Brian – I created my own notation system for myself; but if I have to deal with someone else, I use tab.
 
QRD – How high do you hold your guitar when playing (strap length)?

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

Brian – Getting stuck in the same old runs & I probably don’t have the best fret-hand positions.
 
QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s guitar playing?

Brian – Piano, drums (mostly to understand rhythms better).
 
QRD – What’s a type of guitar playing you wish you could do that you can’t?

Brian – Classical.  I wish I was classically trained so I could throw it all out the window.
 
QRD – What’s a guitar goal you’ve never accomplished?

Brian – Properly learning some of the songs I’ve set out to.
 
QRD – What’s the last guitar trick you learned?

Brian – I’m not very adept at many tricks, so I usually do those as overdubs, just started getting into finger tapping though.
 
QRD – What’s your favorite guitar gadget (ebow, capo, slide, string cutter, etc)?

Brian – Capo, then my ebow.
 
QRD – Did you ever take guitar lessons & if so, what did you learn from them?

Brian – Two - 12 bars blues in the form of black magic women.
 
QRD – What would you teach someone in a guitar lesson that you don’t think they would generally get from a guitar teacher?

Brian – How to make up their own chords & the variety of ways they can be used.
 
QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style?

Brian – Not know how to play!  & get really good at beats & rhythms.
 
QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems?

Brian – Meh... I use them once in a while, but....
 
QRD – How often do you adjust your tone knob?

Brian – Never.
 
QRD – What do you see as the difference between lead guitar & rhythm guitar players?

Brian – Usually the ability to understand chords & then the ability to understand “beat” separate from “rhythm.”
 
QRD – If a band has good guitar work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good?

Brian – No, absolutely not.

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

Brian – Syd Barrett... kind of off-the-wall.
 
QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative guitar player & why?

Brian – Omar Rodriguez... the creativity that spews out of his fingers is just unmatched... from record to record, consistent & constantly different, not afraid of his “style”’ versus his “sound” versus “the song.”

QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work?

Brian – My latest EP, but I haven’t really done a ‘guitar centric’ album... yet.…