THE GENIUS BEHIND BRIDGE OF SIGHS TALKS FLAMING AMPS, FAVORITE STRATS AND WHY HE STILL PRACTICES EVERY DAY
— Joe Matera
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What was your first guitar?
A Rosetti cello F-hole guitar. My dad bought it for me for Christmas when I was 14. It cost him seven pounds, 10 shillings. Eventually I got a pickup for it, so I plugged it into the back of the radio and started to play through it. That radio was my first amp.
What was the first song you learned to play?
It might’ve been an Everly Brothers song that I tried to work out, but I don’t think I ever got it. My mind never ran in that way, where I was learning other people’s songs. I was just fooling around on the instrument until I was 16. That’s when I started to get songs off and play them through completely, together with a friend of mine, Chris Copping.
What was your first gig like?
Chris and I did a tiny little gig to about 10 people with my brother Mick singing. I think it was maybe in some sort of bar or something. It was a long, long time ago. The first proper gig, though, was when I had my band, the Paramounts, in the early Sixties with Gary Brooker, Chris Copping and Mick Brownlee.
Ever had an embarrassing moment on stage?
Not sure if it was embarrassing, but it was certainly one of the weirdest. I was playing a gig with Jack Bruce, and one of my amps suddenly burst into flames! I think I was driving it a bit too hard. A stagehand who was part of the crew ran out with a fire extinguisher. Luckily enough, my guitar tech stopped him from spraying it, which would’ve completely ruined it. I did get it repaired later and started to use it again.
What’s your favorite piece of gear?
My Strat. I’ve had the custom shop at Fender make my signature model, and it’s got everything I like about Strats — all in one guitar. It’s got a Fifties reissue pickup in the neck position, the middle pickup is a Sixties reissue, and in the bridge position, it’s got a Texas Special, which is slightly higher gain than the others.
Suppose the building is burning down; what one guitar from your collection would you save?
It would be this beautiful custom Strat knockoff that my guitar tech created for me. And again, because I’ve always been into automotive stuff and drag racing, it’s painted metal flake green, which is almost like an automobile finish on the outside. It’s
