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| about
this issue
Guitarist Interviews with: Francesco Candura Justin O’Connor C Joynes Brandon W Pittman Killick Hinds Kyle Arthur Miller Mark Wol Dan West Olaf Rupp Lorne Hind Mark Nelsen Jordan Ferreira Willy B Andrè Erbyeah Shane Handal Interview Series Updates: Andras Fekete Martin Newman |
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January 2013
Bands: Olaf Rupp
Websites: www.audiosemantics.de
QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it?
Olaf – A Framus acoustic steel string I found in the attic when I was 12.
QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier?
Olaf – Guitar > Kemper Profiler > RCF TT08
QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig - guitar, amplifier, or effects?
Olaf – Guitar & amp.
QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?
Olaf – Kemper Profiler. Being able to control the volume with a foot pedal without loosing the sweet spot of the saturation is crucial for improvised music.
QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make it such?
Olaf – My new Warmoth Strat with a wider fingerboard (almost like a classical) & a 2Tec bridge.
QRD – If you had a signature guitar, what would it look like & what would some of its features be?
Olaf – My new Warmoth Strat with a wider fingerboard (almost like a classical) & a 2Tec bridge.
QRD – How many guitars do you own?
Olaf – 6.
QRD – How & where do you store your guitars?
Olaf – In their cases.
QRD – What do you wish guitar cases had that they usually don’t?
Olaf – Wish my Hiscox case had a waterproof rim profile.
QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar?
Olaf – Tone.
QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your guitars or just stick with what you get?
Olaf – That’s the fine thing with Stratocasters, that you can change things so easily.
QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment before buying it?
Olaf – A lot.
QRD – Do you change your rig around often?
Olaf – Every time I play.
QRD – Are you after one particular guitar tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot?
Olaf – I look for the same tone on all equipment.
QRD – What are some guitars, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after?
Olaf – Do you have a Ramirez Auditorio for me?
QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first guitar that aren’t always there?
Olaf – Acoustic (classical) should have a good string action & good & fresh strings for beginners. Electric guitar beginners should have a good tube amp (Fender Champ or so) or a modeling amp so that they can set the amp to the sweet spot where the whole resonance is totally different.
QRD – What have been the best & worst guitar related purchases you’ve made?
Olaf – Best: Kemper Profiler. Worst: TS-808.
QRD – What are some effect, amp, & guitar brands you particularly like or dis-like & why?
Olaf – I like Fender amps because they have a well-defined sweet spot to turn from clean to crunch.
QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a guitar?
Olaf – Open strings to tune it.
QRD – How old were you when you started playing guitar?
Olaf – 12.
QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best guitar playing?
Olaf – 12.
QRD – Why do you think a guitar fits you more so than other instruments?
Olaf – It is polyphonic & yet it is portable. & you can form the tone much more than on a piano.
QRD – Do you think guitar should be people’s first instrument as often as it is?
Olaf – Why not?
QRD – Do you see your guitar as your ally or adversary in making music?
Olaf – It is my vessel.
QRD – Who are the guitarists that most influenced your playing & sound?
Olaf – Evan Parker & Paul Lovens.
QRD – What’s the most physical damage you’ve done to a guitar & how did you do it?
Olaf – Never.
QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing?
Olaf – Rasgueados, tremolos & very, very, very slow attack exercises for tone development. Also very slow yoga exercises for the left hand over the fretboard.
QRD – How many hours a week do you play guitar & how many hours would you like to?
Olaf – 21. 35.
QRD – What type of pick do you use & why?
Olaf – Fingernails both on acoustic & electric.
QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why?
Olaf – Acoustic: Hanabach High Tension > good resonance into the wood. Electric: 0.12 > good tone, more fundamentals.
QRD – How often do you change strings?
Olaf – Before every gig.
QRD – How often do you break strings?
Olaf – Never, I 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?
Olaf – Both are equally important. The left hand is very often neglected, that’s a big mistake!
QRD – Do you set-up your guitar yourself or send it to a guitar tech (or not set it up at all) & why?
Olaf – I fix it myself when I can. I like that & that way I can do it as I want it.
QRD – What tunings do you use & why?
Olaf – Only E-A-D-G-B-E. I am too stupid to learn other tunings.
QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas?
Olaf – I am an improviser, so I hardly ever write. If I do, then it’s sheet music.
QRD – How high do you hold your guitar when playing (strap length)?
Olaf – No strap.
QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s guitar playing?
Olaf – Any other instrument can widen your horizon. Preferably wind or bowed instruments because their long tones help to think in long tones on the guitar too.
QRD – What’s your favorite guitar gadget (ebow, capo, slide, string cutter, etc)?
Olaf – Guitar.
QRD – What’s a guitar technique you’d like to master, but haven’t?
Olaf – Picados.
QRD – Did you ever take guitar lessons & if so, what did you learn from them?
Olaf – No.
QRD – What’s your take on tremolo systems?
Olaf – I like to hear them on others, but for me they don’t work.
QRD – How often do you adjust your tone knob?
Olaf – Hardly ever.
QRD – If a band has good guitar work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good?
Olaf – No.
QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work?
Olaf – Solo, live.
Links:
Official Website
