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RAW POWE

From page 17 of Classic Rock Magazine August 2009

Cover of August 2009 issue.

Light your fire?

The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger waxes lyrical about one of rock's greatest guitars the Gibson SG.

THE SG REMINDS Inc of a Devil's pitchfork, with its two horns. That's what first turned me on to them. A lot of guys have used SGs over the years. Clapton's used them, Peter Green, Pete Townshend, and Angus Young is the main guy associated with it. Even Hendrix used one a coupla times. I guess everyone's tried SGs at some time. For playing live I love them because they're so light . Also, the double cut-away makes it easier to play high up the neck. I like the sound of the SG, it sounds a lot like a Les Paul but it's different.

I have a coupla Les Pauls, and they're heavy. Some people think the heavier the guitar, the better the sound, but I've found the opposite is true. You get a little more sustain out of a heavier

model, hut to me that doesn't [natter, because sustain on an electric guitar is more a function of the amp. With an SG lean get a little more feedback and get every sound I need.

I've got five or six. I wish I still had that first one I ever had, but somebody stole it. I do have one favourite, which I'm using now, which I bought maybe 10 years ago.

For years an er I he Doors were done hack in he 70s I started using a 355 — also a Gibson — which is a great

sounding guitar, and I was playing more jazz-fusion type things. When I started doing Doors songs again with Ray [Manzarek, keyboards], my roadie was in a shop and saw an

SG that looked like my old one. I said: 'Buy it! Quick!' It wasn't my old one, but it looked like it — arid it sounded like it. It was just a lucky find. And I've been using it ever since. And that's the one that my new guitar for Gibson [see below] is based on.

RobbyrIcrieger, guitarist, The Doors

INSPIRED BY ROBBY

Gibson's new ...Krieger SG model.

In terms of looks, sound, feel... Gibson's Inspired By Robby Krieger SG only 150 of which will be available to buy copies the Doors legend's favourite scratch for scratch, but has a neck that's a hybrid of that guitar's and a Les Paul Junior's_

"One of my guitars back in the day with The Doors had the pickups accidentally wired out of phase," Robby explains. "So the two main differences between the new guitar and a factory-standard model are the neck and the out - of-phase wiring." In a blindfold test could Robby tell the difference between his and the copy? As you would expect, his answer is "Of course." But would you? Probably not