THE LINEUP
Tonemeister Ariel Posen stops by the Guitarist studios for a chat about his latest album and the long list of guitars he used to make it happen
Many would agree that seeing Ariel Posen live is an unforgettable experience. His understanding of all the elements that go towards creating great guitar tone – whether it be in standard tuning or dropped to the depths of his custom baritone – have gained him the respect of both his peers and audiences alike. His latest album, Reasons Why, came out in the autumn of last year and the ensuing European tour saw him playing in our very own backyard. And so the invitation went out for him to join us for a debrief – plus an accompanying video – about his latest venture.
What sort of mindset did you have when entering the studio to record
Reasons Why?
“The impetus was not to do the things I always do. I’ve done a lot of ‘put tremolo on this, put a lot of fuzz on this…’ And it was even more so in the chord changes or the harmony side of things. I tried to run the other way, catching myself each time to say, ‘Hey, you’ve done that a few times already – try something different!’
“I wanted to get more creative with soundscapes and building pads underneath the songs, messing with delays and stuff like that, almost to a point where certain sections sound like there’s a broken tape loop that keeps repeating. So there’s a handful of songs where I just went crazy with the Chase Bliss and Hologram [Electronics] effects that can make a sound continue on for minutes and just sit there. Find a good loop, then let it record, then put another one onto it and mix it all together. And it turned out pretty cool.”
What about songwriting – do you find that comes fairly instinctively to you these days?
“It did at the time because it was at a point where I had my biggest creative burst ever. I wrote 30 songs and chose 10 of them that I thought were the strongest. Songwriting is instinctive, but sometimes, especially when I’m on the road, it doesn’t ever hit me because there’s too much going on. When I’m in the right mindset and I’m at home, it’s like going to the gym; if you consistently do it, it gets easier and easier.”
Which gear did you take into the studio for the recording sessions?
“I used my Two-Rock Traditional Clean on everything, except there was one song called Broken But I’m Fine where, on the solo sections, I used this Greer Amps Mini Chief. It’s a little box that sounds like it’s blowing up. That was cool. And there were a couple of songs where I used a r
