One day I was having a conversation with Tony Lee, a well-known guitarist in the New England area, about the problem I was having with my Fender Stratocater. Knowing that he also worked on guitars, I asked him could he look to see if my guitar noise, could also be a grounding problem. He said he would take a look so I gladly handed the "Buzz" over to him.
A few days later I gave him a call and he told me he thought my problem was the stock, single coil pickups. I asked, "What do you suggest?" He said, "let me think about it for a moment and get back to you." Tony emailed me his suggestion by writing; "Hi Lionel, The Pickups that I'm feeling for this modification are as follows; * Neck position - Dimarzio Virtual Vintage 2.1 ( DP401 ). * Middle Position The Same. And finally in the Bridge position; Dimarzio Virtual Vintage 2.2 ( DP410 ). "
It took about a day to get over my separation anxiety from my single coil picks ups, with the buzz. I knew I had to fix the problem, because using a noise gate would only cut off my note trails and make my playing choppy and I also couldn't use the guitar to record. I took a deep breath, called Tony up and told him I would order the pick-ups. I got them to him, then waited. A few days later I got the end result.
Lionel: I love the sound of my new guitar (Laughs). I mean I know it's the same old guitar, but the sound is new. No noise! How did you do that?
Tony: Technology for guitar electronics is great these days. It used to be that you had to put up with that buzz because of primitive early pickup designs. Early noise canceling designs got rid of the buzz, but also compromised the best elements of your sound. Guitar pickup designs have evolved to a higher level to where the buzz is gone, but enough character remains.
Lionel: Many folks know you in this area as an exceptionally talented guitarist. You have worked as a sideman in several New England area bands and you have also lead your own group as well. I have certainly enjoyed listening to you play just as much as I have enjoyed performing in the same rhythm section with you. Although we both played guitar, and guitar players are notorious for big egos, but egos never got in the way. We always cooperated to get the job done.
Tony: There are always opportunities to make your statement as an individual. I think it's more effective to try and make a statement as a band along with the other members of the rhythm section as a default approach. Two guitars in a R&B setting is not that common these days but we got the job done.
Lionel: The first inkling I had that you worked on guitars and actually knew what you were doing, was several years back when you mentioned, you had built your brown and white guitar from scratch. Did you mean from stock parts or are you like the Paul Reed Smiths of the world, carving guitars from the trees. (smiles)
Tony: I don't chop down the trees, but I do carve out my own guitars.
Lionel: Why did you decide to build your own guitar?
Tony: In high school I took courses in woodworking and electronics. After paying incompetent repair guys good money to trash my guitars I figured it was time to fine tune what I knew and put it to use.
Lionel: I recently saw you perform at the Raging Cajun in Hartford, CT and admired your playing but definitely loved your tone. I know that tone comes from several combinations of things. It can even be shaped by the way your pick or fingers make contact with the strings, but which factors do you most attribute to the shaping of your tone ?
Tony: Tone to me is just your own pre-formed concept of what you want to sound like. After that it's just your ability to achieve that with the tools that you are using. I'm sure that Hendrix could plug into anything, twist a few knobs, and sound like himself. Then we would all be saying, " listen to that tone ". The main factors in my tone are my guitar/amp combination. They really like each other. The next thing is constant scrutiny towards anything that I put in between the two that might impede that sound.
Lionel: Tone is like a human voice. Some players can hit one note and from their tone you could tell right away who was speaking. On that note, who are some of your favorite guitarist and perhaps you can tell us why?
Tony: I like all of the players that have made their mark and that are well known, Carlos Santana, George Benson, B.B. King, and more. Lesser-known players would be Jan Akkerman (Dutch Guitarist), Kazumi Watanabe (Japanese), Frank Marino (Canadian), and more. The reason I like all of these players is probably their unique approach to the instrument. In addition, they all have the ability to stand out from the band while still making a larger statement as a band. Eddie VanHalen is one of the best examples of that approach.
Lionel: Now allow me to go back to the guitar repair issue for a moment. Why did you choose the Dimarzio Virtual Vintage pickups for the guitar modification?
Tony: I've always liked that company's product. As far as noiseless pickups, they have been evolving right along, and those are the very latest offerings from Dimarzio. Cutting edge stuff.
Lionel: As a teenager, I worked on my own guitars out of necessity, but grew to realize that I loved playing more and wasn't crazy about the technical stuff, but I knew enough to get by. Are you really crazy about the technical stuff?
Tony: Yes and no. Technology is only good to me if it can help me do my thing better and or more efficiently. I'm kind of seduced by new technology so I have to make choices based on my needs rather than wants.
Lionel: Yeah, kind of like me and new equipment. Is there anything that we didn't cover that you would like to say here?
Tony: Yes. There are less places to see good live music. We should all be aware of that and support it when we can. That is our expression, not only as players but as consumers of music. Enjoy.
