Three questions for Johan

[Pobin]

Hi Johan!
Im a big fan of yours and i truly appreciate your guitar playin' on the SW albums.
I play guitar myself and have always looked up to you.

Im very curious about you and your guitar playing so i have cooked up some questions for you :
1. What first got you interested in playing guitar and when you started playing how much time did you spend with it?
2. Who is your biggest guitar influence?
3. What do you look for when you write a solo?

Thanks in advance, you are great!

 

[EddyRX10]

Also if you get time, I'd very much like to know what equipment/settings you use. You can hear each individual note in every chord you play, its like the perfect balance between distortion and clean.

 

[Johan Liefvendahl]

Thank you so much!
Nice to see some guitarplayers here (and not only people that tries to be a hard rocking guitar-man, like the ones with a 6-sting bass, perhaps?, Oh I´m not talking aboute you Andreas)

I started to play guitar when I was around 8 years old after seeing my brother, who was trying to play some silly swedish popsong on his guitar and I remember that I said: Hey I can do that better! (of course I didn´t know anything aboute playing guitar at all) but after a couple of days I had learned that song. So in the biginning I think I played only 1 hour/day but after a couple of years when I descovered people like Yngwie, Vai, Gilbert I realised that you have to play much more than 1hour/day! And I did! And still do..
I have to say that my biggest insperation is Nuno Bettencourt. He is playing rythem guitar like no one else! Listen to this and you will understand

About solos I think a good melodie is most important thing! If you can do a combo between a great melodie and some tricky stuff then you are a winner in my eyes (sorry ears.

My equipment is diffrent comparing studio and live. In the studio I play through my Dual Rectifier without any effects at all and live I have a Line 6 Pod X3 Live. Very easy! I like when it´s simple
-Johan

 

[fizodan]

I wouldn't have guessed Nuno. He is a shredder though. The Pornograffiti album is awesome. I thought it would've been more Yngwie.

 

[Pobin]

Thank you soo much for the respons Johan!
I had a blast reading your answers, very interesting and funny ofc
I will try to get up to your level of playing someday, i promise
Btw, Nuno sounded great and I can see why you are great to!
Can't wait till i get to see you play live!

 

[tommidt]

I meant to ask you about these things after the Jyväskylä-gig, but forgot then... Good thing though, that we both praised Nuno so much in the discussions after the gig backstage. Nice to know that we speak the same "musical" language.

 

[Kazar]

.....About solos I think a good melodie is most important thing! If you can do a combo between a great melodie and some tricky stuff then you are a winner in my eyes (sorry ears.....

This!

 

[Pobin]

Totally agree with you Kazar!

 

[Frankgate]

agree with Johan

 

[joedog]

3 more Johan questions.

1. When did you switch from the EBMM EVH to the Wolfgang?
2. Why?
3. Is it the Peavey or Fender version?

 

[EddyRX10]

Thank you so much!
I have to say that my biggest insperation is Nuno Bettencourt. He is playing rythem guitar like no one else!

I never would have guessed that Nuno was your main inspiration, but now that you've said it I can totally hear it in a way Very rhythmic riffage

Love Extreme!

 

[MAXX68]

Thank you so much!
Nice to see some guitarplayers here (and not only people that tries to be a hard rocking guitar-man, like the ones with a 6-sting bass, perhaps?, Oh I´m not talking aboute you Andreas)

-Johan

ahahah BimbinAndreas...Hey Johan don't you remember that he triesd to play a guitar during the acoustic show at Loft in Atlanta ;-)))) ihihih

You're the greatest (in my life soundtrack together with Vito Bratta/White lion, Europe, early Extreme, etc...)

Grande Johan

 

[Johan Liefvendahl]

Thanks again
I recently bought a EVH (Fender) because I needed a great backup guitar and also becouse I want to have more guitars then Yngwie Just kidding!

 

[joedog]

Thanks for responding! How are you liking it compared to the EBMM? I've been a big EBMM fan for about the last 10 years, but I had an original USA-made Wolfgang (Peavey) that I adored and have been considering the new EVH. I've heard the full spectrum of opinions on it all over the web, so it had me kind of worried that the quality wasn't there (for the price). I loved the feel of the Peavey, and wish I hadn't sold it now. I love my Axis and JPM 7-string too though.

 

[joedog]

ahahah BimbinAndreas...Hey Johan don't you remember that he triesd to play a guitar during the acoustic show at Loft in Atlanta ;-)))) ihihih

You're the greatest (in my life soundtrack together with Vito Bratta/White lion, Europe, early Extreme, etc...)

Grande Johan

Dude, you aren't kidding! The rhythm parts on all the SW discs really show the influences now that I think about it. Nuno, Vito, EVH, etc. Those 3 are amazing rhythm players!

 

[EddyRX10]

Could you give us a basic layout of how you built your tone on the Duel Rectifier / POD if you have time?

 

[JenniferLynn]

I have to say that my biggest insperation is Nuno Bettencourt. -Johan

Man, Johan, I like you even more knowing you're a Nuno fan!!! Bettencourt always had a little something extra to his grooves - I've always thought his guitar work in "Peacemaker Die" was pretty freakin' bad ass...

I still break out Extreme's stuff and am amazed by the fact that he is self taught... I even picked up Satellite Party's (with Perry Ferrell from Jane's Addiction) debut because Nuno was on it... Porngraffitti was an amazing album, but for some reason, I love III Sides even more...

 

[Black_Sheep]

Nice topic


Johan: what's your opinion about 7-string guitars? ..I've been playing guitar for almost 8-years now, and few months ago i bought my first seven... and so far im very happy with it. Songwriting-wise it's very cool because of the extra low string (B). And no need to tune down

 

[joedog]

Man, Johan, I like you even more knowing you're a Nuno fan!!! Bettencourt always had a little something extra to his grooves - I've always thought his guitar work in "Peacemaker Die" was pretty freakin' bad ass...

I still break out Extreme's stuff and am amazed by the fact that he is self taught... I even picked up Satellite Party's (with Perry Ferrell from Jane's Addiction) debut because Nuno was on it... Porngraffitti was an amazing album, but for some reason, I love III Sides even more...

III Sides is the pinnacle for me! I love Pornograffiti as well, but man, III sides is just amazing. It's just got a little bit of everything on it. The "3rd side" just leaves me speechless every time I listen to it. The grooves, jazz, funk ... everything is on that album!

 

[JenniferLynn]

III Sides is the pinnacle for me! I love Pornograffiti as well, but man, III sides is just amazing. It's just got a little bit of everything on it. The "3rd side" just leaves me speechless every time I listen to it. The grooves, jazz, funk ... everything is on that album!

I couldn't agree more!!! "The Truth" side is extremely powerful and moving.. Cherone's inflections on the chorus for 'Who Cares' gets me every time... That CD was HIGHLY underappreciated