to be that guy in the system.
[ CG ] In Megadeth you are stepping into more than just the legacy of the other guitar players that have been in the band. I grew up in the San Francisco bay area and saw Dave when he was still in Metallica. There is a heritage and a history – the Thrash scene that started here has grown into a worldwide genre. As a player, what is it like to step into the legacy of the band and the music? How do you step into the shoes of those amazing guitarists while still remaining true to who you are? playing for almost 30 years. But it’ s not just about the chords, scales, and notes. When I go on stage, all of those other elements help me to understand what I’ m doing there and how to respect the legacy and how to react to the fans. I’ ve been really cautious about that and doing a lot of research and study and learning and asking. A lot of guys from the crew have been there for ten or twenty years with Megadeth, so it’ s great to talk with them as well. Brian, the lighting designer, did the Rust In Peace tour and the Countdown to Extinction tour over 20 years ago, so it’ s great to talk with him. think it is a great lesson for any band where the members are getting older. Dave and David are fifty-something now, and we release a new album and are still making history. Not just by copying ourselves, but by doing fresh stuff and making history with new ideas. I’ m very happy to be a part of that and to help bring the new freshness to the band.
[ Kiko ] Good question! That’ s basically my work – to find that place. It starts with learning the songs and learning the solos and respecting the musical side of things. But the first thing I did when I met Dave was I bought his book and I started reading it, studying and watching him as I got more involved. I’ m a Metal fan, and of course I knew Megadeth and was a fan. I grew up listening to their music. But it’ s different now. Now I’ m a part of the band and I need to really know everything about the band. I have to understand the personalities and understand the past history of the band. I had some great moments while talking to Marty Friedman, and Chris Broderick. I’ m with Dave every day, but reading the books, getting to know the family, and talking with the other band members was really important.
When I went to the studio to record Dystopia, I remember that Dave invited me to stay at his house for a few days, and it was great! I got to know him as a person and met his wife and son and daughter. It helped a lot. For me, I can say I’ m an experienced musician because I’ ve been
All that information together helps me to find my place and to understand my role. I don’ t want to copy anyone. I just want to be the 2016-17 guitar player who respects the legacy but still moves forward. I think that Dystopia shows the style and concept of the band, but at the same time sounds very modern and up to date. And that was our goal while we were recording – we wanted to respect the legacy and concept, but at the same time be fresh and up to date. And now we’ re doing the tour and bringing a freshness to it, I think that we’ re getting there! We had the 3 rd spot on the Billboard charts when the album was released. It was Justin Bieber, Adele, and Megadeth, which is just amazing! This year we got the Grammy for Best Performance.
I think the fans are responding too. We are playing six songs from the new album, which is amazing from a legendary band that has so many albums and over 200 songs. We are playing half of the set off of the new album, and the people sing along and love to hear the new material. This is quite an achievement. I
[ CG ] Your signature Ibanez guitar features an“ S Series” body that is made out of Alder instead of the traditional Mahogany. How did that come about?
[ Kiko ] Actually, I had a first prototype in Mahogany, and then another prototype in Alder. I wanted to have a kind of“ super-Strat”, so after comparing the two prototypes the Alder was just better. It was clearer and sounded crisper. Also, the neck was something that we tried several different types before I found the one that I liked. We first tried something more like the Satriani neck, which is more round and smaller. It’ s cool for the fusion music and the bluesy stuff, and a little more like a Strat. And then they have the Steve Vai neck, the Wizard neck, which is larger and thinner. It’ s great for tapping and for the fast runs. In the end, I found something in between that was the best solution for me. It’ s not super thin like the Wizard neck, but not as round and thick as a Strat. I think in the end it was a good compromise.
You have a little bit of this classic feeling, kind of like a super-Strat, but it can also be Metal, or Fusion, which is something that the“ S” model brings. It can be fusion, but it can be metal
Ibanez KIKO100 Signature Model
20 Jul � Aug 2017 CollectibleGuitar. com