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