Phil Hilborne on John sykes

A seriously aggressive slice of rock rhythm and soloing to illustrate a few choice aspects of the Whitesnake man’s style

ENGLISH RoCk GuITARIST John Sykes has worked with a number of different bands through the years – Streetfighter, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Badlands, Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott, Whitesnake and Blue Murder – and from 1994 to date he has worked under his own name as a solo artist. His long‑awaited new solo album, A Brand New

Day, is set for release this year. Stylistically, I’d describe John as a player who has great classic rock/blues feel and who is also a very accomplished composer and vocalist. He always plays with tons of attitude and passion and has a highly evolved technique that covers the whole range from slow and soulful to super‑frantic and intense. His fast alternate picking – often heard in his rapid, nearly tremolo‑ picked soloing and also in his ‘signature’ doubled‑note lines such as the main riff from the Blue Murder track Billy – and also his wide fret‑hand vibrato are models that are well worth aspiring to.

He’s always had a huge rock guitar tone and is synonymous with playing his modified late‑70s Les Paul Custom – which, incidentally, Gibson released as a signature model in 2006. Amp‑wise, he’s well known for using Jose Arredondo‑modified Marshalls (JCM800s) live. In the studio, however, both Mesa/Boogie Coliseum heads and the Marshalls were often used, with no drive/distortion pedals. The only effects live were rack‑mounted chorus and delays. In the studio, the effects used were what was in the studio at the time – chorus, delay, ADT, EQ, reverb and so on.

This issue, I’ve come up with a short piece featuring a typical fast rhythm guitar part and an accompanying wailing ‘shred’ solo that hopefully both illustrate some key elements of John’s playing style back during 1987’s classic Whitesnake album period. www.philhilborne.co.uk