Twenty-One Today! With Jason Sidwell

We ask Jason Sidwell twenty questions: about strings, cables, guitars, amps, the best player that ever lived, his worst playing nightmare, and more…

GB: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?

JS: Yes, but there’s a few - I veer between a red Jazz 3 XL, a Red Bear Big Jazzer M and a Blue Chip Jazz LG 40. All are great picks – the XL works for all styles, the Red Bear is very comfortable to hold and has a warm tone and the Blue Chip is great for quick picking.

GB: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?

JS: Tricky as I have two pedal boards! But if push came to shove, I’d opt for the Ethos Overdrive, Eventide Modfactor and Providence Chrono Delay. I do love the new Providence Flame Drive pedal though and have a soft spot for the Electro Harmonix Micro Pog 2….

GB: Do you play another instrument well enough to be in a band?

JS: I can play bass and get by on keyboards as long as it was a chord chart – nothing approaching ‘Bach busy’ please!

GB: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?

JS: Yes, I read a lot for my job (senior music editor for Guitar Techniques, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazines) and for various solo gigs and musical shows. It’s a priceless skill for a musician to have.

GB: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours?

JS: Yes, they do. I use Elixir cables sometimes but my preference is Providence for speaker cable, patch cables and instrument cables. Their quality, consistency and thought to what musicians want is outstanding.

GB: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) of which you’re slightly jealous? (And why?)

JS: Tricky, I don’t tend to get jealous as time and passion can get you close to most players if you really want to be similar. Of course, there are players that wow me – the Eric Johnson live in Austin and Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott’s are two DVDs that always make me appreciate more what is possible on the guitar when combined with a vision. I love other guy’s playing styles though – players like Shawn Lane, Steve Morse, Larry Carlton, Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Lukather, George Benson, Paul Jackson Jr and Nile Rodgers spring to mind.

GB: Your house is burning down: which guitar do you salvage, and why?

JS: Probably my red PRS red single cut satin trem. It’s almost violin-like with it’s sound and the feel. It’s a sophisticated guitar and very more-ish once you’re playing it.

GB: What’s your favourite amp and how do you set it?

JS: I like my Ceriatone Overtone special head – very good tones. I recently got an Egnator Rebel 30, partly due to its small size. Its clean and drive tones with the tweakable options and reverb are very appealing.

GB: What kind of action do you have on your guitars?

JS: About average, maybe a little under average. I play a lot unplugged so don’t want strings to flab out with strong pick strokes or choke from string bends so I avoid an action that’s too low.

GB: What strings do you use? (Make, gauge and why?)…

JS: D’Addario 10s are great for longevity, tone and tension at pitch.


GB: Who was your first influence to play the guitar?

JS: I remember watching the Irish Rovers and Mamas and the Papas on TV as a little kid with my wind up mickey mouse guitar. Years later when I was around 12, I got into The Shadows via a TV appearance playing Telstar of all tunes! I then went backwards to hear Foot Tapper and Wonderful Land. Around the same time I loved listening to John Williams playing the Rodrigo Concerto. As a budding classical guitarist, it was later in my mid teens that I got into rock/pop guitar styles.

GB: What was the first guitar you really lusted after?

JS: A good full sized classical guitar was what I was keen on. This resulted in a K Yairi classical which is lovely and I still have it. Electric wise, I wanted my first electric to be a MIDI guitar so I got hold of a Casio MG-510 electric MIDI guitar. This has been around the world with me and (refrets and pickup upgrades aside) is an admiral workhorse. Still have it too!

GB: What was the best gig you ever did? JS: There have been a few but playing solo guitar for a 500 guest wedding event in Chelsea in the late 90s was fun. I played well enough to have everyone sit down, stop chattering and listen to me instead – most unusual for an event like that! I think audience numbers don’t matter that much though - sometimes small venues are the best where you can see an audience’s response. Ultimately, it’s the music and fellow players that matter most - I’d rather play ‘niche’ music with top players than do a ‘balaclava gig’ (ie you hope no-one recognises you!) playing cheesy covers.

GB: And your worst playing nightmare?

JS: An uncomfortable memory was Playing Satriani’s Day At The Beach on a cruise ferry – the situation wasn’t helped by having not practiced the piece standing up. Lesson learnt – don’t have guitar height vary too much between sitting down and standing up otherwise you’re playing is compromised for the worse (even more so when the ferry is rocking around)!

GB: What’s the most important musical lesson you ever learnt?

JS: Practise slowly, be all eyes and ears on gigs and make eye contact with the audience. Oh, and abiding by the three rules for gigging – a gig must involve at least one of the following concerns otherwise don’t touch it (not in any order): 1) be fun, 2) be good for the CV and/or 3) be financially rewarding.

GB: Do you still practise?

JS: Yes, have to as I flit between so many projects and gigs!

GB: If you could put together a fantasy band with you in it, who would the other players be (dead or alive)?

JS: It’d be a blast to play with Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards and Tony Thomas – a top class rhythm section!

GB: Who’s the single greatest guitarist that’s ever lived? (And why?)

JS: Recently, I’ve been filling up on Jeff Beck – his taste, his old skool bluesy style, his bravado, his tone shaping concerns and the quality of his repertoire is outstanding. Then again, there’s Larry’s sophistication, Nuno’s funkiness, Shawn Lane’s lyrical melodies….

GB: Is there a solo you really wish you had played?

JS: It may sound strange but not really. It’s nice to learn iconic solos but I don’t feel I should have played them rather than those responsible!

GB: What are you up to at the moment?

JS: I’ve nearly finished The Complete Guitar Manual, a guitar book/DVD for Dorling and Kindersley that has a worldwide release in march/april of next year. Just a few days more filming left then all done!

Other than solo guitar gigs, soul/funk gigs and various show commitments for 2011, I’ve a great four piece instrumental band, Contusion that will be playing more next year. Stuart Ryan (Guitar Techniques magazine tutor and head of guitar at BIMM Bristol) shares guitar duties with me and it’s loads of jazz rock fun – Stevie Wonder to Jeff Beck and beyond. I’ve also a jazzy duo with the singer Tracey Kelly – we’re half way through demoing standards and originals for an album. I’ve also started recording electronic+guitar instrumentals as I’ve loved synth music since my teens, from Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre to Giorgio Moroder and Tangerine Dream. Overall, I like to keep musically agile so gig/project opposites are ideal!

Thanks Jason.