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TONEHEADZ

Mark Baker

Guitars:

I have 4 guitars - A Paul Reed Smith Custom 24, an Epiphone Les Paul given to me by Billy, an Epiphone 335 dot neck, and a G&L Telecaster.

Pickups:

All of my humbucker equipped guitars have Seymour Duncan SH-2 Jazz pickups in the neck.  The Jazz has a clarity that prevents the sound from mudding out as humbuckers in the neck position can do when you wind them up.  It’s a lower output pickup, but I am not trying to drive the front end of the amp.  I want tone and the Jazz has plenty.  It also has nice sustain and warmth.  It’s like Seymour combined the clarity of a single coil with the power of a humbucker.

I haven’t standardized the bridge pickups yet, as I use them much less frequently.  My PRS has their Vintage Treble, the Epi Les Paul has an SH-4 Jeff Beck, and my Epi 335 has a Duncan 59.  Having different bridge pickups gives the instruments individuality.  The JB is a powerhouse, while the ’59 and PRS pickups are reminiscent of Gibson’s classic PAF’s.

The G&L has stock single coils that look and sound like P-90’s, but warmer and cleaner.  They have great tone, with impressive output and sustain.

Amps and gear:

I use a VHT Super 30 combo.  It’s a 30 watt, class A amp with a single 12” speaker.  The amp has a clean and a dirty channel.  Being class A, the amp has a “spongier” sound and the low end is not as tight as class A/B amplifiers.  As a result, it’s a very warm sounding amp that really sings.  I run the VHT into a THD 2x12 extension cabinet.  I play pretty clean these days, especially for a “rock guy.”  The VHT’s preamp on the dirty channel is set around 1 o’clock.  This gives me a nice, thick sound without losing the guitar’s tone.  The clean channel only has one volume, so it overdrives the way all old class A amps do.  I use both channels for soloing and am turning to the clean channel more often.  Working with Billy has made me more cognizant of tone and how good a guitar can sound without a lot of gain. 

The only processing I use is a Maxon compressor that provides more sustain with less distortion.  The Maxon is set to round off the jagged edges without squashing the note.  Every guitar and amp combination favors some notes over others; the Maxon levels things out.  The amount of compression is very slight, just enough to tighten up the low end a bit and facilitate smooth transitions between notes.

Soloing:

My philosophy on soloing is play from the heart and make a statement.  A solo isn’t just a place for me to make noise; a solo is my opportunity to speak with the guitar.  I don’t work out leads and don’t believe in repeating myself unless I come up with something I can’t improve upon, which doesn’t happen often.  Performing a song will lead me toward the framework of a solo.  Once this happens I will work within the framework until I’m comfortable.  Then I will make myself approach that solo from another perspective and start the process over.  I’m very conscious of the rhythm section and what they do shapes where I go.  I have a terrible memory for solos, so if I really nail one and someone says, “Play it that way every time” I probably won’t be able to.  My best solos come from those moments where I am not thinking about where I am going, but am transferring my mood to the strings.

On a more nuts and bolts note, I approach soloing from a modal perspective.  The first thing I have to do is analyze the chord progression I’m soloing over.  If I’m playing over A7 and D major the chord tones are” A, C#, D, E, F#, G.  Fill in the missing note (B) and it’s a D major scale.  It’s also A Mixolydian.  When I’m soloing over this progression I will play a D major scale, but I consider A the tonic.  I’ll also throw in some minor pentatonic if I want the flat 3^rd.

My goal these days is to play melodically, which is a lot harder than stringing a bunch of pattern licks together and calling it a solo.  Patterns are fine and we all use them, but I am trying to go beyond that and create melodic statements that emulate the way good horn player solo.  I use the concept of theme and variations on a theme quite a bit.  I also stop and “breathe.”  I employ two techniques to pace my playing.  I will sing a verse in my head and play along with the phrase (not the actual notes of the vocal).  I’ll play several themes over the same vocal line.  When the line stops so do I.  The other way is to actually take a breath and let it out naturally.  When it’s all gone stop playing until I’ve taken another.

Slide:

I play slide in standard tuning, as I don’t do enough of it to devote a guitar to an open tuning.  My slides are either brass or glass, depending on the guitar and the sound I want.  Brass is darker and has more sustain; glass has a sharper attack and brighter tone.  I don’t use the medicine bottle slides, as for me they are too thin.  I put the slide on my ring finger and pluck the strings with thumb and index finger.  My approach to slide solos is to play vertically rather than across the fingerboard.  I try to emulate a horn player when “sliding,” and will continue up a string until I find a nice place to move across.  Two string figures and arpeggios are good transition points.

Working with Billy Moss:

Billy pushes me to play to my potential.  If I am being lazy and playing crap solos he’ll let me know and tell me I can do better.  Sometimes it’s not what I want to hear, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Billy and I approach the guitar from opposite perspectives and as a result we complement each other nicely.  We play off each other in a manner that reminds me of Duane and Dickey.  I know that’s saying quite a bit, but I stand by it and once people hear us live I think they will agree.  I have a lot of respect for Bill as a guitarist and a composer, but he’s not just a guitarist I work with.  Billy is a friend and I value that every bit as much as I value our musical relationship.

If you have any questions or comments about what I’ve written please feel free to contact me at: markbaker3@hotmail.com

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