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Thomas Blug - A Profile
(23 Feb 06)
Gear
Thomasī 61 Strat
EV: Your trademark instrument is your 1961 Strat. Thereīs a lot of info about it on the website, but.. lemme ask a few questions on that. Was it your first guitar ?
TB: No! I had an Aria copy first, then 80īs Fender and Squires....And finally I sold all of those to buy my ī61....
EV: Other than the different pickups, was there something changed about it throughout the years ?
TB: I have only changed the middle pickup. Now it is reverse wound. I also have a dummy coil that I activate with a push-push-switch on my tone control.
I used a black plastic pickguard when I got that guitar... I thought it looked cooler in those days. Then i switched back to the celluloid one, since it sounds better!! Itīs true!!!
I also worked a bit on the screws of the vibrato to minimize tuning problems...
EV: Does it require a lot of maintenance by a luthier or tech ? Like refretting, or adjusting the truss rod etc. ? I mean, is it a reliable instrument ?
TB: It always works. It has been refretted a couple of times. No maintenance required! I just got my frets redone they have been too worn out. It feels a bit too clean at the moment, but in about half a yearīs time it will feel alright again.
EV: Have you compared it to other 61 Strats ? Other than the fact yours has been played so much ( which I am pretty sure makes a good difference ), were they different ?
TB: Every strat is different! Mine sounds a bit thinner then most others. But I know how to compensate that with my amp settings. I have also played better Strats then mine...unfortunately those were not for sale!
EV: What would happen if, at some point, it wasnīt playable anymore ( god forbid ! ). Would you replace it with another vintage guitar, or would you use any of your current spare instruments as your new main instrument ?
TB: I have another white "Frankenstein Strat" that was put together from some older and some new parts... Itīs getting better and better. And I find myself using it more and more, especially when I travel to some trade shows.
It looks almost like the real one too!
Thomasī backup Strat
EV: Can you sum up what you think about the current vintage market ( like the prices paid etc. ), or some of the opinions of hardcore vintage freaks like "Forget about new guitars, original old guitars is where itīs at !" ?
TB: Well the prices are crazy!!! But there is something about vintage instruments, or better: instruments that have been played a lot throughout the years.
Some instruments are magical. But it does not always have to be a mint ī61 strat... thatīs bullshit! You can find magic in a used G&L maybe, or a Squire from the 80īs.
Maybe change little things and you might get a killer sounding instrument!
EV: What about amps... is the amp you use stock ?
TB: The Triamp is stock, but I changed two tubes to E 83 cc for less gain and a more vintage tone.
Thomasī Triamp
EV: Where you involved in sound-designing that Triamp MK2 ?
TB: Yes! And I also designed the MK1 10 years ago, together with Bernd Schneider, the senior tech at Hughes&Kettner.
EV: On your website, in the gear-section, there also is a pic of some ANCIENT Marshall heads and a Fender Bassman. Do you use those to record as well ? If yes, how much do you use them, compared to the Hughes & Kettner amps ?
TB: I use them when needed, but only in the studio. Every amp has itīs own unique quality. My Triamp is on the same level as all these old Marshalls and Fenders and my Vox. Sometimes I use a Plexi, sometimes I prefer the Triamp... Listen to the Stratkings album ( a compilation of songs by Strat players EV ): thatīs my Triamp and it sounded better than my Plexi for that song!!
Thomasī vintage amps
EV: Are you more of a "if it works donīt fix it" kinda guy, or do you like to change things around about your rig ( other than the guitar of course ) to keep it interesting ?
TB: There are times when I like to fiddle around with things, but then I can live with it for years, even knowing that itīs not perfect! I always am aware that there might be something better anyway! ;-)
EV: Are you completely happy with your current sound, or do you sometimes feel as if there is something missing, something you maybe canīt even grasp fully ?
TB: My sound is ok at the moment, but I have a vision of how it could be: more like the voice of Joe Cocker....
EV: What do you think about all those virtual / modelling amps ? Have you tried those, and do you occasionally use them ?
TB: Yes, I have been involved in developing the Zentera and the Warp VST modelling for Hughes & Kettner and Steinberg. I still use the Warp on my laptop, when Iīm on the road recording in the hotelroom.
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