Name: Nevada Hill
Bands: Bludded Head
Websites: bluddedhead.com, nevadahill.com
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QRD – What was your first guitar & what happened to it?

Nevada – A Kramer POS, I think it fell apart.

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

Nevada – A Baritone SG. Through a Snarling Dog wah> Ad-50> mid-fi glitch computer> FCK Cancer reverb then split out to a Sound City 120 & a Bad Cat Hot Cat 100.

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

Nevada – The Sound City 120 & the Bad Cat with the Ad-50. The Ad-50 is a Roland Double Beat fuzz wah. It was made in the 70s. It was offered to me in 2000 by a guy who owned a guitar store. I thought it sounded weird. I like it because it has a unique tone. I wanted to use something different then a Muff or a Rat. The wah on it with fuzz engaged makes it sound an analog synth.

QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why?

Nevada – That’s hard. I bought the Sound City in 2004. I wanted one because I really wanted a Marshall Plexi. So I have used it for a long time.  I bought the Bad Cat 2 years ago. I love that amp. Loud as hell, but still crisp & clean sounding. The drive channel sounds fantastic too. I need to buy a foot switch so I can use it more.

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

Nevada – I used a desert rose Rickenbacker 330 that I bought in 2001. With Bludded Head I decided to do everything in Baritone tuning. I didn’t have enough money to buy a Baritone, so I just tuned the Rickenbacker to a Baritone tuning. I did it that way for years. I finally bought a baritone Gibson SG. I always wanted to own a Gibson. So now I primarily use the SG. It’s made for the type of music I’m playing.

QRD – How many guitars do you own?

Nevada – Five. Two are acoustic.

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

Nevada – A catering service. I get hungry a lot.

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

Nevada – Is it loud? I will admit it has look interesting. I don’t really care how fast the neck is.

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

Nevada – $300-$975.

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

Nevada – I finally got the SG worked on this winter. I’m glad I did. It made the whole band sound better.

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

Nevada – I love research. So I do a lot of research.

QRD – Do you change your rig around often?

Nevada – Not really.

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

Nevada – I change all the time. I’m doing rhythm & leads so sometimes I need something in the higher frequencies.

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

Nevada – I don’t lust to own a piece of gear. I’m satisfied with what I have. I still like to buy equipment.

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

Nevada – Best: Sound City 120, ad-50, SG.  Worst: I forgot you.

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

Nevada – Line 6, Guitar Center brand. Many other things...

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

Nevada – An open chord. The noise.

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

Nevada – 13.

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

Nevada – I have no idea.

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

Nevada – It was advertised to me the most. I wish I would have played the piano.

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

Nevada – No, I think piano should be.

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

Nevada – Weird. Sonny Sharrok, Hendrix, Derrick Bailey.

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

Nevada – It’s silly but fun. I quite enjoy doing it.

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

Nevada – Sawing into an electric guitar.

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

Nevada – Work on muscle memory & position of fingers.

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

Nevada – I try to do an hour a day.

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

Nevada – A guitar tech. I never learned.

QRD – What tunings do you use & why?

Nevada – Baritone. It sounds evil.

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

Nevada – Scribbling on scrap pieces of paper.

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

Nevada – Lifting my pinky or index really high off the fret board.

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

Nevada – A custom Electrical. All aluminum

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

Nevada – I took jazz guitar in college. I learned how to build chords.

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

Nevada – Dereck Bailey. His soul is inside it.

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

Nevada – Gregg Pickett from Unconscious Collective. Also Andrew Hawkins from Baring Teeth.

QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work?

Nevada – Bludded Head’s new album Stage IV.