with... Sixty seconds

A minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo for the airport we grabbed a quick chat with award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist Mark Sullivan.

GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?

MS: I do like Dunlop Ultex,0.79. They feel great in my fingers and they have very good balance and feel, especially when strumming and picking. I find them easier to grip than other picks.

GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?

MS: It would to be my wah-wah, my EQ, and my reverb. My wah gives me great tone when soloing, plus I can also gain a lot more sustain from cocking the wah and not moving it during solos. This is a great sound to play about with. My EQ gives me a slight boost when changing from a strumming part in a song to a lead section with a smooth exchange. Also the reverb enables me to keep a good level of my specific tone from venue to venue and dealing with different venues’ acoustics.

GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to be in a band?

MS: I play the piano really badly and am teaching myself at the moment. I sometimes write songs with a piano. I’m nowhere near at a level to be playing in a band with my piano skills!:

GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?

MS: I Learnt to read music at college when I was younger but have never really used it since. Most of my stuff is done by ear now. I could maybe remember a bit and fumble my way through it but I couldn’t promise anything!

GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours?

MS: Yes definitely, a good cable always gives you a good signal. I like Venom or Monster, and Planet Waves are great.

GT: Is there anyone’s playing of which you’re slightly jealous ?

MS: To name a few: Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Andres Segovia, John Mayer...

GT: Your house/studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage?

MS: It would have to be my 1979 USA Strat or my 1968 Gibson J-45 - I really can’t choose...

GT: What’s your favourite amp and how do you set it?

MS: It’s my 1971 Marshall JMP 100w. This amp has such a great clarity and tone to it. It has to be cranked to get those valves flaming. You get great fat bottom end and soft top end through this head, I love it.

GT: What kind of action do you have on your guitars?

MS: I love my action as low as possible on electric and acoustic guitars as long as it doesn’t affect the sound. The saddle on my Strat is lowered completely so I can get more use out of the tremolo arm. My acoustics are normally bevelled out around each string on the top nut to stop the strings from sticking at the nut when I bend notes (as they sometimes do).

GT: What strings do you use on your electrics and acoustics?

MS: For my electric guitars I use Ernie Ball Power Slinky gauge 12; and for my acoustics I use Elixir Nanoweb gauge 13s. I also like Martin MSP4200. All these strings are reliable, great sounding and hold tone and life in their sound for a good amount of time. There’s nothing worse than hearing that your new strings are dead before the gig is even finished.

GT: Who was your first influence to play the guitar?

MS: George Harrison. I was brought up with my parents loving The Beatles and was familiar with their songs from a very young age.

GT: What was the first guitar you really lusted after?

MS: Martin D-15. The sound of a mahogany-bodied guitar is like nothing else.

GT: What was the single best gig you ever did?

MS: There’s been so many, but it would have be The Big Feastival or the Isle Of Wight Festival. They were both amazing gigs.

GT: …and your worst playing nightmare?

MS: It would have to be breaking a string mid solo and the whole guitar goes out of tune. You then find yourself half bending all the rest of the notes in the solo to try and keep it in tune. Or not being able to hear yourself through the monitors when trying to sing. That’s a killer.

GT: What’s the most important musical lesson you ever learnt?

MS: Practice makes perfect; it’s helped me in many things in life.

GT: So do you still practise?

MS: Yes, I play all the time. You can always learn. I hear things every now and then and have to work out how to play them. It keeps it interesting learning new things. The day you think you know it all, is the day that it gets boring.

GT: Do you have any pre-gig warm-up routines?

MS: Some vocal warm-ups, some playing on my guitar to loosen up my fingers – and a beer!

GT: If you could put together a fantasy band with you in it, who would the other players be?

MS: John Bonham (drums), Flea (bass), Donny Hathaway (piano, vocals) and me.

GT: Present company excepted (and notwithstanding the stupidity of the question!), who’s the greatest guitarist thats ever lived?

MS: That’s hard. There’s too many but I would have to say Jimi Hendrix.

GT: Is there a solo by someone else that you really wish you had played?

MS: I Could Have Lied, by John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. What a solo!

GT: What’s the solo or song of your own of which you’re most proud?

MS: I really love my track Take It Back from my forthcoming EP, Still Good For Nothing. I’m proud of the vocal take and the solo on this song. It’s got a real relaxed soul feel to it.

GT: What would you most like to be remembered for?

MS: If I can impact someone’s life with my music in the same way music has been such an important role in mine, I’ll be a happy man. I’m grateful for being able to create music that’s true to me, and hopefully I can connect with other people through it.

GT: And finally, what are you up to at the moment?

MS: I’ve just finished a UK university tour promoting the new EP, Still Good For Nothing, and I’m about to embark on UK-wide Caffe Nero tour in March. My single, Warm Your Bones, is out on 17th March. You can also follow me on Facebook (Mark Sullivan Music) or Twitter (@MarkSullivanMus), and of course check out my music on Spotify, iTunes etc.

i’m grateful for being able to create music that hopefully i can connect with others through