NIGHTMARE TOYS

Friday, October 11, 2019

THE AXEMEN SERIES : Adam Ashbridge of Acherontia Styx


1.Tell us your name and the band you play for

My name is Adam Ashbridge, I'm 32 and I play Acherontia Styx. We are a 3 piece Death Metal band from the North East of England.

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar

Zakk Wylde. I started playing guitar when I was 10 years old, and that's when i first heard Ozzy's No More Tears album. Every time I heard him play I was just blown away by the sheer ferocity of his playing.

        *zakk plays better than me with his eyes closed - moose


3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons?

I am totally self taught. I went to one lesson when I first started playing, and the teacher said 'Right, we are going to learn Twinkle Twinkle little star'. I left immediately, as I wanted to play metal and be like Zakk Wylde! I've never looked back… I have been playing over 20 years now.


4. Can you read music, Can you read tab?

I can't read music notation, but I know a bit of theory. People think that I know a lot more theory than I do by the way I play. I can definitely read tab. That's how I learnt songs, a mixture of that and using my ear.   


5.Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ?

I feel like I have my own sound. I have been told by many people that they can tell it's me by hearing a recording of me.

6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color )

I have an Ibanez RGDIX6PB 2018 model. It's a surreal grey/blackburst finish. It's a gorgeous guitar, and it plays like a dream.

     



7.What about pickups? Passive or active ? Tell us about them

The pickups are passive. They are Dimarzio Fusion Edge pickups. They were designed by Dimarzio and Ibanez especially for these models. For stock pickups, they are fantastic.


8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc

Believe it or not, I dont actually own an amp at the moment. I'd stopped gigging for a while before I joined this band, so I (stupidly) got rid of any any unused stuff.
    

I use plugins on my pc to get my tones for recording and jamming. I'm using STL Tones Andy James guitar plugin suite at the moment for all of my tones. It is absolutely amazing.

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy

I don't own a pedal board sadly...

10..Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail…..

My dream rig is as follows:

Guitar: Andy James signature Kiesel 7 string with Evertune Bridge.

Amp: Mesa Boogie MKV Head and 2x12 Mesa Cab

Pedals: Horizon Devices Precision Drive, Dunlop John Petrucci Wah, TC Electronic Dreamscape, Seymour Duncan Dark Sun.


11.What guitarist can you not stand?

Hmm, that's a tricky one, as there are quite a few! The guitarist I can't stand the most is Noel Gallagher. Not only is he an arrogant man, but his ability does not match that level of arrogance...

I12. Is tone more important or is technique?

For me, they are both equally important. There are too many guitarists who have ridiculous technique these days, but their tone absolutely sucks! That's why I have worked equally on both for years and years.

13. Name your top 5 guitarist

1. Andy James
2. Jeff Loomis
3. John Petrucci
4. Zakk Wylde
5. James Hetfield

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist

For me, the most overrated guitarist is Jimmy Page. I know this choice isn't going to go down too well with some people, but I'm from a time where even local guitarists are better than him. Don't get me wrong, it was revolutionary for the time, but there's never been any of his guitar parts that have made me go 'WOW!'
    *The picture is for the kids, this guy was in Led Zepplin oh and WHAT?!?!?!?!?!!?

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?

Definitely Andy James. This guy's technical proficiency is unmatched. He also has all the feel and emotion that you don't expect a shred guitarist to have! 


 

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