Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Stevens with Idol
Artists “The last thing we wanted to do was say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell’”: Steve Stevens on the new Billy Idol album
Steve with Billy Idol in 1984
Artists “The pirates are on their way!”: How guitarist Steve Stevens kickstarted Billy Idol’s hits White Wedding and Rebel Yell
Yngwie Malmsteen: the Swedish guitar maestro holds his trusty Fender Stratocaster aloft and screams onstage in Oakland, California, on a stage lit in red.
Artists Yngwie Malmsteen on why guitarists should look beyond the guitar for inspiration
Brent Mason
Artists “You hear the record and they took you off!”: Ace session guitarist Brent Mason reveals how he made it to the top
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straights performs onstage in 1985 with his red Fender Stratocaster. He wears a dark suit and a burgundy shirt with an open collar.
Artists How Mark Knopfler grew up wanting to be Jimi Hendrix until he ditched the pick and went fingerstyle
Michael Thompson
Guitarists “Then it’s how you smack it, or zing it or strum it”: Guitar legend Michael Thompson talks clean tone
Brent Mason performs at Guitar Town at Copper Mountain, Colorado on 29 July, 2007
Artists “I said, ‘Damn, I wish I'd cut that song faster!’”: How a master guitarist made a cult classic instrumental album
  1. Artists

Brian Setzer talks dream gear and learning from Chet Atkins

News
By Total Guitar ( Total Guitar ) published 28 August 2014

Essential advice from the rockabilly king

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

I got my first real six-string...

I got my first real six-string...

“My very first guitar was a Harmony Rocket. My dad was a labourer and he didn’t have any money, so that was a big deal.

“And the defining moment for me to play the guitar was seeing a picture of The Beatles in a record shop. George - just being a wise-guy - had the neck of his Gretsch across the necks of the other Beatles.

“I’d already heard The Beatles on a jukebox when I was about seven, and I loved it, but my parents weren’t musical and I didn’t know what made that sound. So that’s when I thought, ‘That’s the thing that makes the sound I love.’”

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Three steps to heaven...

Three steps to heaven...

“The dream guitar was the orange Gretsch 6120. Y’know, the Eddie Cochran guitar. And I did get it.

“I found it in my local newspaper, in the ads. It was a hundred bucks. I went over and the guy had the guitar on one side and all the electronics in a shoebox - and no case. A hundred bucks: take it or leave it.

“A gentleman by the name of Jess Oliver put it back together for me. He was the president of Ampeg, but he was a local guy who loved kids, and he’d take you in his basement and show you how stuff worked.”

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
On an island in the sun...

On an island in the sun...

“My setup hasn’t really changed since I was 17 years old. I’ve never been able to beat the ’63 Bassman.

“It was a really odd year, because they only made it for about nine months, then they changed the circuitry. So I’d take the 2x12 Bassman to a desert island, along with my ’59 Gretsch 6120 and the Roland Space Echo. That makes the magic for me. I’d be happy with that, y’know.”

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
There goes my hero...

There goes my hero...

“You can always get a guitar lesson from someone. Even if you’re Chet Atkins, you can still learn. And I was actually gonna say Chet - but I did get a guitar lesson from him, so I’ve actually fulfilled that dream.

“Of course, he’s been gone a long time, but on the jazz side, wouldn’t it be amazing if you could get a lesson from Wes Montgomery? He was so outside the box. I’d just like to say to him, ‘What were you thinking?’”

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
Built for speed...

Built for speed...

“It’s hard to talk about your own playing, but I think my biggest strength is my diversity. I mix everything up, all different styles.

“But there’s always room for improvement. Sometimes, I catch myself going a little too fast. Sometimes, I need to just stop and hold a note. It can mean more than playing a dozen of ’em.”

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Rock 'n' roll high school...

Rock 'n' roll high school...

“I can give you a piece of advice on songwriting, actually, from that guitar lesson with Chet Atkins. He said to me, ‘It’s good that you’re playing in Bb and Db, because that’s thinking outside the box’.

“It’s funny the stuff that comes out of your guitar in weird horn keys. Most rockers play in E or A. But when you play in Bb, listen to how cool the riffs sound.

“There’s different tricks you can pull off in flat keys and sharp keys you can’t do in natural keys. Try fooling around in C# - you might come up with something.”

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
Don't let me be misunderstood...

Don't let me be misunderstood...

“I think the biggest misconception about me is from people who think my style of playing has to be strictly limited to rockabilly.

“Everyone has a different opinion on what you should be doing. Some people want you to just do one thing, right down the middle... but that’s not me, y’know? I absorb many things, and it just comes outta my hands. I can’t even describe how it happens.”

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Social Links Navigation

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Stevens with Idol
“The last thing we wanted to do was say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell’”: Steve Stevens on the new Billy Idol album
Steve with Billy Idol in 1984
“The pirates are on their way!”: How guitarist Steve Stevens kickstarted Billy Idol’s hits White Wedding and Rebel Yell
Yngwie Malmsteen: the Swedish guitar maestro holds his trusty Fender Stratocaster aloft and screams onstage in Oakland, California, on a stage lit in red.
Yngwie Malmsteen on why guitarists should look beyond the guitar for inspiration
Brent Mason
“You hear the record and they took you off!”: Ace session guitarist Brent Mason reveals how he made it to the top
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straights performs onstage in 1985 with his red Fender Stratocaster. He wears a dark suit and a burgundy shirt with an open collar.
How Mark Knopfler grew up wanting to be Jimi Hendrix until he ditched the pick and went fingerstyle
Michael Thompson
“Then it’s how you smack it, or zing it or strum it”: Guitar legend Michael Thompson talks clean tone
Latest in Artists
Beach Boys
Unpicking the Beach Boys’ classic that confirmed Brian Wilson’s creative genius
Ed Sheeran, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
How Ed Sheeran generated royalties for Bob Dylan by borrowing from Jimi Hendrix
Richie Hawtin
“All my equipment kind of glowed and then shut down”: The weather event that shaped a Richie Hawtin classic
Rockette Morton
“You’re the only one who made it to the end of the song — you’re hired!”: The madness of Captain Beefheart's masterpiece
lyra pramuk
“It’s about reconfiguring what a human voice is so it’s not just aesthetic, but political”: Lyra Pramuk turns vocal processing into protest on new project Hymnal
Bono black and white in glasses
“Our band is...three musicians. And a salesman”: Bono suggests next U2 album will have a looser feel
Latest in News
Home studio
You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Ed Sheeran, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
How Ed Sheeran generated royalties for Bob Dylan by borrowing from Jimi Hendrix
Richie Hawtin
“All my equipment kind of glowed and then shut down”: The weather event that shaped a Richie Hawtin classic
Bono black and white in glasses
“Our band is...three musicians. And a salesman”: Bono suggests next U2 album will have a looser feel
Apple's new Automix
Sack The DJ: Apple launches its new feature that can mix tracks using AI
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: My pick of Father's Day deals for musicians include $400 off the Polyend Play+, $200 off a Martin acoustic and so much more

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...