© Chad Batka/Corbis
From the Guitar Techniques archive, we ask a famous guitarist all those little questions you really do want the answers to… This time, Squeeze mainman Chris Difford.
Do you have a type of pick that you can't live without?
A plastic one. It's grey and it's bendy and I have hundreds of them in my desk at home.
If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?
The only pedal I use is the one on my bike, and that's not very often. Other than that Jon Dickenson has made me a lovely power valve pedal.
Do you play another instrument well enough to do it in a band?
No not really, I keep it simple with the one guitar…
What kind of action do you typically have on your electric guitars?
Low.
If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?
No, but I would try to and look clever and nod my head to one side.
Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours?
Only if you plug them in, but what make I don't know…
Is there anyone's playing (past or present) that you're slightly jealous of?
Glenn (Tilbrook, also from Squeeze); he is amazing on guitar...
Your house/studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage?
My James Olson acoustic - then I would run back in for the rest!
What's your favourite amp and how do you set it?
It's a Jon Dickenson Crome amp - I turn it on and it sounds amazing…
What guitar strings do you use?
John Pearce.
