SIXTY SECONDS with...

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 Daniel Davies; son of The Kinks’ Dave Davies and guitarist with horror movie maker and composer, John Carpen

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

DD: I’ve always used Herco 76s. I found one in my pocket and I’ve been using it ever since. The other ones I tried don’t feel right.

GT: If you had to give up all your stompboxes but three, which ones would they be?

DD: I’d keep my Moog Drive because it has a great tone and I like that it has a frequency knob. Earthquaker Dispatch Master has a great long reverb, and of course the Digitech Whammy - I like the octave and harmony sounds. When I’m playing with John Carpenter on Distant Dream, pedals are a big part of the sound. I am using Earthquake Devices’ Bit Commander and Disaster Transport to make the sound. It doubles what John is playing on the synthesiser and adds to his sound really nicely.

GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to be in a band? And have you done it?

DD: I also play keyboards on the John Carpenter tour but it’s stationary and I prefer to be able to move around on stage.

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

DD: I haven’t looked at a chart since high school, and I wasn’t very good at it back then. I never put in the time and I would just cheat because I just can’t help playing by ear.

GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? If you think so, then what make are yours?

DD: I want my cables to lay right, uncoil properly and not get tangled up. I’ve always used Mogami cables and I never had any issues with them.

GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of?

DD: I like the feel of Freddie King; no one can imitate it.

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

DD: AHHHHHH! As many as I can carry at once!

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

DD: Vox AC30, set up the middle. What I like about the Hand Wired series AC30s is that they have a master volume which helps drive the amp while keeping the volume respectable. In general I keep the Moog Drive pedal on but when I want to clean up my tone I use the guitar’s volume and tone knobs. I mainly use a Gibson ES-335 for this project, and on most Gibsons there is a sweet spot for the volume knob between 5 and 7 where it effects the sound, so I can clean it up or add more drive from there.

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

DD: I like it feeling loose and as low as possible.

GT: What strings do you use?

DD: I use GHS Boomers, gauge 11. I got used to their feel by playing my dad’s guitar as a kid.

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

DD: I grew up in a rock and roll environment, always surrounded by music. Then when I really started to play, I would listen to old blues and rock records, figuring out the licks of Elmore James, Robert Johnson and Jimmy Page among many others.

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

DD: A 1954 ‘black beauty’ Les Paul with P90s.

GT: Your ideal guitar?

DD: I am using a 1959 Gibson ES-335 reissue as my main guitar; a non-reverse Gibson Firebird with three P90s and a Goldtop Les Paul with P90s. They all work great for this project. One of the main things is to make sure the guitar isn’t too noisy. With this type of music I have to come in and out cleanly. With the 335’s humbucking pickups that’s not an issue but for the guitars with P90s it is, so now I’ve replaced them with noise cancelling P90s to solve the problem.

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

DD: With John Carpenter last year on Halloween night in London. It was one of those special nights!

GT: …and your worst playing nightmare?

DD: I have never really had a nightmare gig.

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

DD: To be patient and trust my own instincts.

GT: Do you still practice?

DD: No, I’m always playing.

GT: Do you have a pre-gig warm-up routine?

DD: No, I don’t.

GT: If you could put together a fantasy band with you in it, who would the other players be (either dead or alive)?

DD: Jimmy Page and Jeff Lynn.

GT: Present company excepted, who’s the greatest guitarist that’s ever lived?

DD: Too many to pick from.

GT: Is there a solo by some other guitarist that you really wish you had played?

DD: I love to listen to the solo that Jimmy Page plays on Since I’ve Been Loving You.

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

DD: I’m proud of the work I’ve been doing with John and Cody Carpenter these past few years.

GT: Which is your favourite John Carpenter track to play on, and can you tell us why?

DD: I really enjoy playing Assault On Precinct 13; It has a mean riff and I like the overall tone of the piece. I use an octave pedal on a low setting to play the main riff then add another octave pedal set at a high octave to play the lead. Having two octave pedals going at once, one set low and one set high, creates a unique tone that fits well with a synth based song. It’s important for me to be able to sit in the track with the synths but be able to jump out and sound like a guitar when needed.

GT: What are you up to at the moment: gigs, touring, etc?

DD: A lot of things are happening with John Carpenter. We’re going back on the road at the end of October to support the Anthology album (movie themes 1974-1998) that’s out now. But I’m also working on my own album and that’s coming out soon.

i use an oct ave ped al set low to play the main riff then add anot her one set high to play the lead