Rob: You have worked with some of the top guitarists of our time, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Steve Vai etc. Did they share anything in common which helped them achieve their potential?
Ed: Well basically they all had a very clear vision of what they wanted to do. In other words when they walked into the studio they pretty much knew what was going on and where they were going to go. I think that’s what they share in common, they have an attention to detail and a clear image in their mind of what they want to achieve. I know Jimi [Hendrix] did - he would walk into the studio with a song and then it would be pretty clear after the first run through where it was going, because he knew in his mind the final result. This is something that Jimi and I shared, after a run through of a tune I can pretty much always see the end result. I think you can say that about pretty much any great guitar player who is the leader of a band – it’s a clear-headed inner vision, almost as if they have blinders on so that nothing really detracts or moves them away from the end game. Next question.

 

 

Rob: What do you think makes a really great guitar tone? You must have heard almost every amp and guitar combination by now, does anything stand out?
Ed: Well that’s a tough question because it’s all so subjective. I mean, you may think that a tone is fantastic and I may think it’s the worst thing to ever darken my left ear, however there are some basics required. If we were to generalise, would we say Jimi Hendrix had a great guitar tone? Well, yes absolutely for Jimi, but then if someone else tries to copy the set up down even down to his picks and it might sound horrible. Why? Well let’s try to analyse that.
Is it the guitar.. is it his hands? Is it the way he strikes the strings? Is it the set up strung upside down? Is it the huge Marshall stack? Maybe it’s the sound of the room or the microphone… I mean the list is endless.
Are Jimmy Pages guitar tones always wonderful? I don’t know, but they are certainly wonderful for Led Zeppelin. Guitar tone is a synergy, it’s the centrepiece of what that guitarist, in his own world at that moment is doing.
Essentially you could have the worst sound since guitars were strung and hit, but it may fit perfectly with that particular song. Even if it’s just 8 bars of the shittiest sounding thing and yet it has a purpose, that is tone.
Having said that, there are established tones which people recognize as being great, Fender Twin, Vox AC30 and lately the Orange Tiny Terror you introduced me to which is the most marvellous thing since sliced bread.
But there are always variables, like tubes, how long was it on for warming up and is Brian May playing it. Great tone is whatever supports the song at that time, that’s what I look for. It takes gut instinct and experience that tells you when you have the right tone for your tune.

 

Rob – I remember someone telling me they were lucky enough to play through Peter Green’s rig back in the 60′s and it just sounded horrendous, but then when Peter played it the tone was perfect. I think at least half the tone is the player.
Ed: Well of course! Yeah I think I approach tone differently from a guitarist in that they tend to be looking for that one elusive magical tone and I look for tone more on a song by song approach. Just like when we went for a run-through of your track If You Want It on acoustic guitar and we kept it, and ditched the full band version because that stunning Faith Saturn acoustic just sang perfectly in that take; it was the guitar, the shadow pickup, the Dunlop strings, the room and the fact that you didn’t know we were recording so you were having fun. 
If you are a guitar player and you are starting out trying to get a sound, you must experiment. Try every known speaker cabinet, tube, amp combination. If you are a Strat guy make sure that your guitar has enough bottom end, warmth and fatness to compensate for the natural top end, and if you are a Les Paul guy make sure there is enough top end coming from the amp to give a balanced sound.
Your style and your sound will develop at the same time, you are bound to go through many different amps and guitars to finally land on that one set up that you feel comfortable with, but trust me the journey is worth it.
The great blues players generally used one amp and one guitar, like Buddy Guy and BB King. They didn’t vary it too much other than volume, but things became more complex over the last 30 years and now we have a tremendous number of great amps to pick from.
A lot of it is to do with how you react as an individual to the tone that you create, just like you do with the PRS and the Orange Tiny Terror and Rockerverb blended together with a 1×12 and a 4×12 it is your tone and you feel it and work with it well.
It has the balls of the growly Orange and softness of the sensitive PRS which balance nicely, and I know how to get the best out of you when you feel your tone, because when you are happy and confident with your tone my job is so much easier. Of course it helps that you are a great player, all I have to do is mic you up and go just like Jimi and Jimmy did.

 

Rob: So, Mr Kramer sir, I had these preconceived ideas of how you would be before I recorded with you. I had heard rumours that you were scary, thrived on confrontation etc… Where does all that come from?
Ed: Well you know that’s all just rubbish. I mean I am like that to a point, the thing is I can’t stand people that don’t know what they are doing, they drive me insane. I tend to get people personalities pretty much straight away through many years experience being locked in dark rooms with them.
The whole process of recording is an interesting one, because it’s a journey that you embark upon with four or five individuals, and the common thread is the song. If the band is capable of communicating their thoughts and their emotions though the material in an effective way and they are capable of playing there instruments really well and all together, which is another prerequisite [Eddie laughs with a sarcastic tone] in today’s market and is very important because so many bands can’t.
Then the producer/engineer’s job is to coax the best performance from them, to get the message of the song expressed in the best possible way. There should be immediacy about the song so that when you hear it on the radio/internet it just hits you like a pound of power! Generally this is achieved though lots of pre production and rehearsal beforehand.

 

Rob: What’s your take on vintage gear over modern gear? I assumed before the recording we did that you would be a staunch traditionalist and yet you seemed open to modern technology.
Ed: The way I look at it is this, the world today is so amazingly technically advanced that you can afford to take the very best of modern pedals, effects units and digital amps and now even digital guitars and combine them with the very best traditional vintage valve gear and it’s proven to work fantastically in the studio and live.
This is the modern world and new digi stuff is all part of that big palate that you can choose from, just like when I recorded your band “The Black Hand” we used tape delay, tube mic’s and EMT plate all put down to tape, but then dumped on to Pro tools to work with, it’s the best of both worlds.

 

Rob: Is there anyone out there that you would like to work with and haven’t had the chance?
Ed: Prince… seriously, he is a genius.

 

Rob: Well then lastly are there any bands/guitarists out there that we should look out for?
Ed: Firstly I would honestly have to say The Black Hand, you guys are just great, I haven’t seen musicianship as good as yours in yonks, great tunes, hardworking and nice guys you have all the ingredients for success, seriously. Secondly there is a guy called Davey Knowles from the Isle of Man in a band called Back Door Slam. He is like 21 years old and he’ll make you sick, he’s like a young Eric Clapton. Those are my top tips for 2008. Blues rock is coming back and thank god.

 

Rob: Eddie, I can’t thank you enough. This whole experience was a real pleasure for me. Do you have any final top Kramer tips for the budding Jimi’s out there?
Ed: No problemo and yes, know your fucking instrument inside out and upside down, get some technique, but remember I’d rather you knock me out with two notes than bore me with fifty. Learn how to play any style, because it all helps, blues rock, classical, metal it’s all part of the same thing. Through learning different musical cultures you expend your own horizons which help you find your own sound and that’s critical.  Admiral out.