J.B. I think he’s one of the great original voices in rock. There are good singers, and then there are good singers with an edge that draws you in because there’s something special there. I think Kendall has an absolutely amazing quality to his voice, and no amount of training can give that to someone.

4. The songs on “Crimes of Virtuosity” are all great, showing your talent and passion but I wonder if there is one that you hold as your favorite that you could share some of the history with us and why it is special to you?

J.B. I honestly don’t have a favorite; it’s really apples, oranges, (and kiwis for lack of a third fruit). The tracks are all very individual visions, but one of the things I’ve always held myself to, was never to record anything I didn’t really feel connected to emotionally. When you’re the sole musical decision maker, you don’t have to deal with material you’re not that fond of making it onto your albums. So many albums are so clearly 2 cool tracks, and 8 tracks of filler material, I have to wonder why people bother to buy them. My goal has always been to make every track a great one and I’m really self critical about it.

5. While this album is fresh out I know that everyone will want to know what to expect next, so could you tell us what is on your agenda and what we can look forward to?

J.B. I’ve been on a bit of a break for the last two years because of a number of events; 9-11 really affected my writing in a way I decided I was unhappy with, and then a major family tragedy, and then also, working to establish my guitar company has taken up a lot of energy. I’m hoping to build my vision of a musical instrument manufacturer into commercial success, and eventually I’ll be putting out some more music.

6. Guitar magazine gave you credit as being “One of the 10 best guitar players you have never heard of”, this is just one example of the way the world looks at you as a guitar player, or better yet; guitar great! Would you take a minute to tell us how and when you started playing and what the guitar has meant in your life?

J.B. I became obsessed with the guitar on September 18th 1970 when I saw Jimi Hendrix for the first time on television because he had died. The obsession has meant endless hours of practice for the first 25 years, and everything that goes with the industry; bands, broken up bands, good shows, shows from hell, an endless string of musicians who send me tapes, some good, some horrid, sleeping on sofas to having lunch with Ozzy at the Beverly Hills Hotel, bad contracts it took years to get out of, better contracts that actually made me a bit of money, swearing I’ll never make another record to making another record. Wood chips and sawdust in the basement, mind bending software I had to learn. It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s been damned interesting.

7. I know that there are a lot of fans out there that practice to develop their own skills and look at you and the other greats for style and advice, what words of wisdom do you have for those looking to follow in your footsteps?

J.B. Not to be glib, but don’t follow in MY footsteps. Every path is going to be unique from the beginning, so just begin with that. I’m asked for career advice all the time and although I always end up giving it, it always feels hypocritical; I never took advice myself. If I had, I’d never have pursued some the things I’ve pursued. My best advice is this; Forget the “rock star” dream if you’re serious about being a musician. The odds are against it no matter how good you get. I’m not saying you shouldn’t grab the brass ring if it comes to you. Just that you have to love music, and eventually your own music, more than anything else that you do or you’re going to have far more frustration than you can imagine. At the end of the day, being happy with what you’re doing now has to be important. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t strive, but that you strive because you’re enjoying the music. Maybe the glory days of stellar musicianship will return, but look around at what’s left of the music industry and understand that you’ll be a lot better off hanging your hat on enjoying your own playing, than believing in something you really have no control over. You do have control over your playing, and to become a great player, your goal has to be first to become a great player. In a lot of ways, the music industry is dead now; people who can barely sing are “enhanced” with pitch correcting software, technically advanced instrumental performances are long gone in rock and the well played guitar solo is extinct. The reasons one dedicates themselves to becoming a great guitar player are no longer the same reasons they were in 1970; I had to find different, better motivations to keep going in the late 1980’s, and anyone entering in now will also have to find better reasons to pursue becoming great on the instrument.

8. On your website www.jamesbyrd.com you have an Ask Byrd section that I can see gets used quite a bit! Can you tell us what it is and why you take the time to be so involved with your fans, which I think is highly commendable and is something I would like to see a lot more musicians do!

J.B. Why not! When I was 23 years old, I was Competitive with a capitol C. I just don’t have that mentality anymore. One of the really good things about getting some recognition as a guitarist that can happen to you, is that you start running into other guitarists who’re really good. When you’re 23, it doesn’t feel good. But if you have the right attitude, eventually you come to recognize that no matter how good you think you are, there will always be someone out there who leaves your jaw on the floor when you hear them. The late Shawn Lane was one of those guys. I mean really, you hear a guy like that and what are going to going to do about it? It’s humbling and it needs to be. If you’re going to survive, you’ll have to mature as a person and then use that to mature as a player. I remember years ago when Eddie Van Halen came on the scene, reading about how he’d play with his back to the audience so other guitar players couldn’t see his two handed tapping technique. This is so typical of how one thinks when they’re 23 and living in L.A. When you’re competitive, you’re always on guard, always trying to find and keep an edge. When you’ve been around long enough you start seeing things differently; Unless you’re a very shallow person, you’ll eventually realize that a guitar is a hunk of wood with some wires on it, and in the greater scheme of things like war and peace, life and death, the meaning of life, it’s not your center and never was. It’s just a tool you use to express you. And whether it’s guitars, or amps, or scales, or what pick you use, none of these things are anything more than tools to express yourself. I LIKE giving advice to other players to help them sound better. As far as I’m concerned, the more good players there are, and the better they sound, the better off the state of guitar is. I have no “secrets” and I’m not worried about someone getting an edge on me because I only compete with myself these days.

9. Also I noticed you have a website www.byrdguitars.com For those that aren’t aware of your line of guitars what can you tell us about it and what makes a Byrd guitar special? What is the importance of the wing design?

J.B. In 1997 I decided to design and build my own guitar. I’d had endorsements with pretty much everyone over the years, including Fender. In my career, I had favored two guitars, both of them good, but neither of them perfect; the Flying V, and the Strat. No one made, nor was anyone willing to make what I envisioned as the perfect guitar, so I decided to do it myself. It wasn’t originally to do anything but have my dream guitar for myself, but others who saw it wanted it immediately. A friend of mine who was a manager of a local Guitar Center saw my first personal prototype, and said “I have to have one”. That, and the invaluable assistance of a man named Lynn Ellseworth, founder of the entire guitar parts after market with his company “Boogie Body” is what lead me to widen my vision into the idea of actually making these guitars for the public. Lynn provided me with parts cut to my patterns.

The patented body design is called the “Balance Compensated Wing” ®. When I began designing this guitar, I knew I wanted the unfettered upper neck access that only a generally ‘V’ shaped guitar could provide. But there was always a problem with Flying V’s: They don’t balance properly because the upper half of the guitar is actually heavier than the lower half due to the need for cavities for the controls. And the large upper wing is not very comfortable either. So I looked at the physical balance, and also human anatomy when I designed this guitar which eventually came to be called the “Super Avianti” ® “Balance Compensated Wing” ®. The whole instrument leans forward; the wing tips, the neck joint, the patented headstock. It’s designed to mirror the body and hands perfectly, and also when played sitting down, to put the player in the correct classical position with the space between the wing tips resting over the right leg. You can even take both hands off the instrument and it just stays. The guitar’s sound is very much along the lines of a great Stratocaster from the 1950’s, but with 7 possible pickup combinations instead of 3 or 5, and with more balanced string tension because of the way I engineered the headstock. It also features a unique pickguard; unlike every other guitar, the pickguard assembly is not screwed “on” to the guitar; it’s screwed IN. It’s actually flush because it’s inlayed into the body. Nothing on the face of this guitar sticks up unless it’s needed. As I developed the guitars, I played them, recorded with them, and made continual improvements over the course of five years until I considered them to be better than anything else I’d ever played. I don’t want to write a book about why they’re different, but trust me, they are, and there’s a lot more information on my guitar site at http://www.byrdguitars.com for those who want to know more.

10. A large part of who you are is your guitar(s), and I know there are a lot of different guitars and equipment out there so I’d like to open up the floor for a quick run down of what you feel is important when choosing your equipment, both for the Pros and those just starting out…

J.B. I can really only put forward my own philosophy here because everyone is different. But for me, the most important thing in a guitar, is that it sound right before you plug it in, and that it be comfortable and make maximum use of minimal components. Some players like a hundred switches and knobs on their guitar. I don’t. I want to concentrate on playing, not operating a mixing console or fumbling about for a setting. I want a few controls that yield maximum tonal variety, and I want them exactly where I can reach them without missing a note.

To me, the guitar needs to retain it’s character as a guitar, and anything you do beyond that, detaches you from the immediacy of good wood and hot tubes. It has to be organic to be it’s best or it’s something else. And I like the challenge of this directness; it makes you very conscious that your playing has to be good, and this in turn, makes you play better. I think too many players rely on huge amounts of distortion and effects. Put an acoustic guitar with heavy strings in their hands and suddenly they don’t sound too good. So it really does depend on what sort of player one wants to be. I want to play the guitar, not a bunch of devices and set up that takes the character of the performance away. As for advice, here it is; practice without an amp, or with a totally clean sound most of the time. Learn to make the notes sing with nothing more than your hands. You’ll hear every flaw, and hopefully make adjustments until those flaws are gone.

10.And, last but never least; do you have a closing message for your fans around the world?

J.B. I don’t create music for everyone, and I really appreciate the people who’ve been supportive of my music, so thank you.

Posted by Kathy at August 16, 2005 02:57 AM