Name: Anna Conner
Bands: Thrushes
Websites: https://thrushes.bandcamp.com/

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

Anna – My first guitar was a shell-pink Fender Stratocaster, bought in 1996 (I think). It is my one & only guitar I use!

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

Anna – I have a Fender Blues Deville combo amp. I run my guitar through some delay & reverb pedals, & use the reverb setting on my amp.

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

Anna – I would have a reverb/delay/vibrato pedal.  Would be able to switch between the settings or use in combination. & it would be shell-pink.  Maybe with a cat painted on it J

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

Anna – I have always wanted an American made Fender Jazzmaster.  Maybe one day! 

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

Anna – I like the Malekko ID-300 Delay Pedal & their Chicklet Reverb. I use them every time I play.  I also like the Earthquaker Devices Afterneath pedal.  It can make some pretty crazy echo effects.

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

Anna – I started playing when I was 14.

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

Anna – I think maybe now? But who knows, I think I learn something new with guitar every day.
 
QRD – How many hours a week do you play guitar & how many hours would you like to?

Anna – I probably play at least 6 hours throughout the week by myself. I’m pretty comfortable with that, but would add more full band practices with other musicians to the mix.

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

Anna – I do get it set up every now & then.  I use a business in Baltimore called Big Crunch. (http://bigcrunchamprepair.com/) they have a great staff of engineers & luthiers who can basically fix any issue with your amp or instrument. It’s easier for me & they give me great results.

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

Anna – I use tab when I’m jotting down notes or chords, usually in a little notebook right next to any lyrics I’m writing.

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

Anna – I tend to rest my pinky finger of my right hand on the high E string when I’m picking or soloing. It’s bad form, but I’ve done it forever & now stuck with it.

QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s guitar playing?

Anna – I started with piano.  I didn’t love it, but it really helped me understand chord structure.

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

Anna – Man I wish I could shred like Van Halen.

QRD – What’s your favorite guitar gadget (Ebow, capo, slide, string cutter, etc)?

Anna – I do love capos.  If I’m stuck in a rut, sometimes using a capo helps me think of new ideas.

QRD – What’s a guitar technique you’d like to master, but haven’t?

Anna – Finger tapping.  But I’m working on that now. J

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

Anna – I started with lessons when I was 14 & my teacher taught me all the basics & made me more confident. He was a great teacher.

QRD – Where can people hear your best guitar work?

Anna – Probably in Thrushes album Exposing Seas.