2022.01.09 - Pedal of the Day - Interview with Richard

How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place?

Started on violin when I was 5 and studied the Suzuki method. Also started playing drums around the same time. Started on guitar around 12. My father was an accountant, but he worked for a company that made musical instruments. So there were always instruments around the house. I was very intimidated by guitars, as they had long necks and 6 strings. I had my hands full with 4 and the little neck of a violin. So it took me a bit to warm to the guitar.

Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present?

Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana were huge to me when i was just starting out. Then players like Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, Tommy Bolin, Hendrix, Mick Taylor and then later – Al Dimeola, John McGlaughlin, Steve Morse, Pat Metheny, Snakefinger, Marc Ribot.

What drew you to using pedals initially? Have you been using them throughout your playing career? How have pedals helped to shape your sound, or influence the style that you’ve created?

The only pedal I used during the first 4 or 5 years I was playing, was a rack mounted analog delay. Then I started experimenting with Boss pedals and landed on the Roland GP-8, which was 8 analog Boss effects, in a programmable rack unit. This was in the 80’s and rack gear was what was popular. In the 90’s I started getting in to vintage fuzz pedals and buying some of the earlier boutique pedals by Prescription, ZVex, Lovetone, Moog, etc.

I listen back to a lot of albums I did from the 90’s and hear so much Experience Pedal, Meatball, Fuzz Factory, Seek Wah, MuRf, etc… The second Love Spit Love album really features the Experience pedal. I love those. They are best when running direct! A lot of the songs on that album were really inspired by that pedal.

How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place?

Started on violin when I was 5 and studied the Suzuki method. Also started playing drums around the same time. Started on guitar around 12. My father was an accountant, but he worked for a company that made musical instruments. So there were always instruments around the house. I was very intimidated by guitars, as they had long necks and 6 strings. I had my hands full with 4 and the little neck of a violin. So it took me a bit to warm to the guitar.

Who have been some of your major musical influences, past or present?

Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana were huge to me when i was just starting out. Then players like Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, Tommy Bolin, Hendrix, Mick Taylor and then later – Al Dimeola, John McGlaughlin, Steve Morse, Pat Metheny, Snakefinger, Marc Ribot.

What drew you to using pedals initially? Have you been using them throughout your playing career? How have pedals helped to shape your sound, or influence the style that you’ve created?

The only pedal I used during the first 4 or 5 years I was playing, was a rack mounted analog delay. Then I started experimenting with Boss pedals and landed on the Roland GP-8, which was 8 analog Boss effects, in a programmable rack unit. This was in the 80’s and rack gear was what was popular. In the 90’s I started getting in to vintage fuzz pedals and buying some of the earlier boutique pedals by Prescription, ZVex, Lovetone, Moog, etc.

I listen back to a lot of albums I did from the 90’s and hear so much Experience Pedal, Meatball, Fuzz Factory, Seek Wah, MuRf, etc… The second Love Spit Love album really features the Experience pedal. I love those. They are best when running direct! A lot of the songs on that album were really inspired by that pedal.

What’s your current setup look like? Do you use different setups with different bands/projects? Take us through your rig(s):

My current live rig with G n’R is pretty simple – I’m using a Voodoo 100 watt clone of the ‘73 Jose modded Marshall that I bought from Mick Mars and a Magnatone Twilighter. I hit both amps all night and have a switching system with a bunch of pedals. Most of the pedals in the rig are to cover the Chinese Democracy songs – DOD Envelope Filter FX25, H.O.G for the solo in Madagascar, a Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe, the new UA Starlight and Golden Reverberator, a Jeff Beck Archer, Love Pedal Eternity overdrive, Salvation Audio Vivider, a Unit67 by Drybell, an old Arion Stereo Chorus, script logo Phase 90, a Catalinbread Adineko and a Whammy pedal. A really important part of my tone is the SoloDallas tower. With other bands or album projects, I’ll put together a board that fits what I’ll be doing. For example, i just got back from Texas where I was doing an album session and i put together a board that was primarily focused around single coils (Strats and Teles). So I was using the Kingtone Duelist and Fuzz, an Isle Of Tone Haze 67, a Texan Twang and Gypsy Vibe by Pedal Pawn and an old MK II Tone Bender and an old Hiwatt tape echo.

Favorite type of pedal (drive, delay, fuzz, etc. – more than one answer is always acceptable!):

That’s an impossible question! I love EP3’s. There’s something magical about tape echos. But fuzz and phasers are also essential!

You’re stranded on a desert island – name 3 (of each) instruments, amps and pedals you couldn’t live without:

Electric guitars – my signature model Gretsch Falcon, my 1958 thin top ES 335tdn, and my 1960 burst
Pedals – Schumann PLL, Mutron Bi-Phase, Prescription Electronics Experience pedal
Amps – (this is the toughest for me)- my tweed Twin, my ‘65 Park and my ‘64 2×12 AC15

I’d have to put acoustic guitars in their own category – 1940 Martin D28, 1935 Gibson Jumbo, 1911 Martin Parlor

Covid-19 has obviously affected us all – how have you as a musician been able to stay positive and upbeat? What’s up next for you/your band(s), as far as concerts/live streams/recording/etc,?

I hate to say this, as so many have truly suffered the last couple of years, but if I’m going to be completely honest, it was the best couple of years of my life. Being able to be home with my family was amazing. I was very fortunate to have a lot of work coming in and I have a studio in my house, so I was home every day with my daughters. We’d have all of our meals together. It was incredible. I’d never been home for a full summer since my teenage daughters were born! I really dove in to focusing on orchestrating and orchestral composition. Something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while. It’s been incredibly rewarding. Guns goes back out on tour in May, we’ll start rehearsals in April and will be out through the end of the year.

The Klon hype: Love it or Hate it?

I’ve been using Klons since 2002 when I joined Guns. I absolutely love them. The Beck Archer is even better than my favorite Klon though.

What’s up next for Guns N’ Roses? What about any other new bands or upcoming projects?

I’m working on a couple of exciting projects, but nothing I can really get in to yet.

Any last comments, promos or anything you’d like to talk about?

I’m super excited about my 2 new Gretsch Falcon models. One is a white 25.5” scale with a B6, tortoise binding, double cut away with a chambered spruce center block. The other model is the same guitar in black but 24.6” scale length and a stop tail. Also with tortoise binding, center block and double cutaway. The thing about them that truly makes them unique though, is the pickups. We spent so much time getting them right. THey are very much a hybrid (both in tone and construction), of a vintage PAF and a Filtertron. Totally unique sounding and very expressive and very interactive with the volume knob. The treble bleed cap value is perfect for those of us that really rely on the tonal variations of a volume knob!

https://www.pedal-of-the-day.com/2022/01/09/weekly-interview-1-11-22-richard-fortus-of-guns-n-roses/