May 2013
Bands: Lore City
Websites: www.lorecitymusic.com
QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it?
Eric – A used Fender Squier Strat - it only survived a few years of guitar lessons.
QRD – What’s your typical set-up from guitar to effects to amplifier?
Eric – Lap Steel & Guitar > Combiner Pedal/Tuner > Effects > Volume Pedal > Effects > Amp.
QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig - guitar, amplifier, or effects?
Eric – The instrument. I could have all the fancy effects & amps in the world, but the source sound has to be of good quality.
QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?
Eric – Peavey Special Chorus 212. It provides a really nice range of tone control, it can project the sound well, & the cabinet is fairly lightweight compared to other amps of its size.
QRD – What’s your main guitar & what are the features that make it such?
Eric – Joe Morrell Pro 6-String Lap Steel & Gibson Les Paul Studio. They’re well made, durable instruments.
QRD – How many guitars do you own?
Eric – 2 lap steels, 2 guitars.
QRD – How & where do you store your guitars?
Eric – At my studio in gig bags.
QRD – What features do you look for when buying a guitar?
Eric – Made in the USA.
QRD – How much do you think a good guitar should cost?
Eric – I believe the cost of the instrument should be proportional to providing it’s builder a living wage, first & foremost. Infrastructure, logistics, & marketing of the product should be secondary.
QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your guitars or just stick with what you get?
Eric – I’ve upgraded the pickup on one of my lap steels, by recommendation of my guitar tech.
QRD – How thoroughly do you research or test a piece of equipment before buying it?
Eric – Within reason.
QRD – Do you change your rig around often?
Eric – Yes, all kinds of environment factors can affect sound!
QRD – Are you after one particular guitar tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot?
Eric – I try to keep tone as consistent to recordings as possible.
QRD – What are some guitars, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after?
Eric – It would be great to have my pedalboard wired properly by a pro!
QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first guitar that aren’t always there?
Eric – Excellent quality tuners.
QRD – What are some effect, amp, & guitar brands you particularly like or dis-like & why?
Eric – It’s great when utility & effect pedals are compatible with each other. It’s disappointing to flip a perfectly good pedal simply because it doesn’t perform well with other sounds in the signal chain.
QRD – How old were you when you started playing guitar?
Eric – Sometime in elementary school.
QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best guitar playing?
Eric – 30.
QRD – Do you think guitar should be people’s first instrument as often as it is?
Eric – Guitar is a highly accessible & widely available instrument in the west. Depending on where you are in the world, a saz, oud, or hammered dulcimer may be more common. All of these instruments have the potential to be stimulating & challenging for the beginner.
QRD – Who are the guitarists that most influenced your playing & sound?
Eric – Richard Bishop, James Blackshaw, Christoph Hahn, Loren Connors
QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing?
Eric – I listen to music constantly. New & old & in various formats.
QRD – What tunings do you use & why?
Eric – E, G#.
