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Guitarist
Interview
with Phil Mitchell of Double Handsome Dragons March 2011 Name: Phil Mitchell Bands: Double Handsome Dragons Websites: doublehandsomedragons.bandcamp.com, myspace.com/doublehandsomedragons QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it? Phil – It was a Rosetti Airstream 3 bought from a junk shop in Norfolk, UK for £60. I’m told its worth nearer £300 now. It’s still in my guitar rack. I love it. QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier? Phil – I have my trusted Gibson SG Faded, a Boss Tuner, Deucetone Rat, & Ibanez Delay pedal through to a Peavey 4x10 Combo (I forget what its called but its awesome). QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig – guitar, amplifier, or effects? Phil – The guitar. It has to be easy to play & easy to throw around. Mine is nice & light. QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why? Phil – I have a Peavey 4x10 Combo as my main amp because it’s small enough to carry around. I also have a vintage Marshall JMP with 4x12 cab which I use on special occasions. QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make it such? Phil – A Gibson SG Faded Cherry Red. It plays really well & it’s light. I also have a sentimental attachment to it - my granddad bought it for me just before he died. QRD – If you had a signature guitar, what would it look like & what would some of its features be? Phil – It would be bright red, have over-sized pick-ups, really low action, large knobs & tuners, & be called the Mitchellometer 3000. QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what would some of its features be? Phil – It would make a noise like “waaaarrrrrrrr”. QRD – How many guitars do you own? Phil – Six. QRD – How & where do you store your guitars? Phil – In my studio in a big rack. QRD – What do you wish guitar cases had that they usually don’t? Phil – I wish they were full of a never-ending supply of money. QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar? Phil – It must be red. QRD – How much do you think a good guitar should cost? Phil – Less than £500. If you spend over that you’ll be scared to play it with any enthusiasm. QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your guitars or just stick with what you get? Phil – Just stick with it. QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment before buying it? Phil – I go on Harmony Central briefly. QRD – Do you change your rig around often? Phil – No. QRD – Are you after one particular guitar tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot? Phil – I have my own sound & know exactly where to turn my knobs to to get it. QRD – What are some guitars, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after? Phil – None really - I’m not much of a guitar geek. QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first guitar that aren’t always there? Phil – A lot of cheap guitars are hard to play. The action is too high. QRD – What have been the best & worst guitar related purchases you’ve made? Phil – Best guitar was my Gibson. Worst was a guitar made of plastic I bought off a friend for £10. QRD – What are some effect, amp, & guitar brands you particularly like or dis-like & why? Phil – I’m not a brand person. QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a guitar? Phil – An E minor. QRD – How old were you when you started playing guitar? Phil – 15. QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best guitar playing? Phil – 29. QRD – Why do you think a guitar fits you more so than other instruments? Phil – It allows you to be a lot more expressive than other instruments. & you can run around with it. QRD – Do you think guitar should be people’s first instrument as often as it is? Phil – Yes. QRD – Do you see your guitar as your ally or adversary in making music? Phil – Ally. QRD – Who are the guitarists that most influenced your playing & sound? Phil – Omar Rodriguez - he changed how I thought about guitar. Before that it was Kurt Cobain. QRD – Do you think people anthropomorphizing their guitars is natural or silly (e.g. naming their guitar)? Phil – It’s ridiculous. QRD – What’s the most physical damage you’ve done to a guitar & how did you do it? Phil – I used it a bit like a surfboard on stage. The neck snapped. QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing? Phil – Nothing. QRD – How many hours a week do you play guitar & how many hours would you like to? Phil – I don’t play enough. An hour at home & a couple of hours at practice. QRD – What type of pick do you use & why? Phil – A Dunlop .88 vinyl because it gives just the right amount of flexibility. QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why? Phil – 10s because they give just the right amount of definition for my sound. QRD – How often do you change strings? Phil – If I don’t change before every gig they snap. My sweat is corrosive & I play too hard - bad technique. QRD – How often do you break strings? Phil – All the time. QRD – Which do you feel is more proficient, your strumming hand or fretting hand & how does that effect your style? Phil – Strumming. I can’t do solos. QRD – Do you set-up your guitar yourself or send it to a guitar tech (or not set it up at all) & why? Phil – I set it up myself - badly. QRD – What tunings do you use & why? Phil – Just the standard E to E - it saves messing about. QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas? Phil – I’ve never written my stuff down. I don’t understand it. I have a good memory. QRD – How high do you hold your guitar when playing (strap length)? Phil – It covers my crotch nicely. QRD – What’s a bad habit in your playing you wish you could break? Phil – I’m always bashing my fingers on my strumming hand - I wish I had learned properly to avoid that. QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s guitar playing? Phil – Piano/keyboard. When I play my microkorg it always gives me ideas for my guitar playing. QRD – What’s a type of guitar playing you wish you could do that you can’t? Phil – I wish I could shred. Shred really fast. QRD – What’s a guitar goal you’ve never accomplished? Phil – I’ve haven’t written the best song ever yet. QRD – What’s the last guitar trick you learned? Phil – I learned how to tap a bit. QRD – What’s your favorite guitar gadget (ebow, capo, slide, string cutter, etc)? Phil – My fist. QRD – What’s a guitar technique you’d like to master, but haven’t? Phil – Tapping. QRD – Did you ever take guitar lessons & if so, what did you learn from them? Phil – I’m totally self-taught. No lessons at all. I just learned by writing my own songs. I don’t know how to play any body else’s songs at all. QRD – What would you teach someone in a guitar lesson that you don’t think they would generally get from a guitar teacher? Phil – I would teach them that what’s in your heart is more important than in your head. QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style? Phil – They would have to have very bad technique & listen to a lot of interesting music. QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems? Phil – They should die. QRD – How often do you adjust your tone knob? Phil – Never. QRD – What do you see as the difference between lead guitar & rhythm guitar players? Phil – Lead guitar players are responsible for ruining a lot of good songs. QRD – If a band has good guitar work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good? Phil – No no no. Drums & bass are the most important part of a band - they are the backbone. Good drummer = good band. QRD – What famous musician’s guitar would you like to own & why? Phil – I would like to own a Pete Townsend Telecaster - I don’t know why. QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative guitar player & why? Phil – I have no idea. The guys from Battles are pretty innovative. QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work? Phil – On Double Handsome Dragons latest EP, although the previous one was pretty good - just recorded badly. QRD – Anything else? Phil – Yes.
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