THE AXEMEN GUITAR INTERVIEW : Alejandro Bravo / Weight of Emptiness

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

Alejandro Bravo and I play guitar in Weight of Emptiness.

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar

First of all, my brother Omar Bravo who forced me to play the riff guitars so that he could do solo guitars on top.

And then I really liked the Megadeth riffs (D. Mustaine and M. Friedman) which motivated me to learn the songs of that band.

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

I am self-taught in three instruments. First I learned to play drums, then the bass and finally the guitar.

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

I read some music, although the scores or tabs are easier for me.

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

I still can't get the sound I want, although I know how I want to sound. I need more knowledge of electronics and the actual operation of amplifiers.

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

I have a 2005 dinky Jackson guitar, Japanese, black, very beautiful.

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

My guitar has passive pickups, I like its sound, although with active pickups they have more presence. In particular I prefer some pickups that do not couple as much as the emg-h

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

I really like the sound of Randall amplifiers although I have been advised by Mesa Boggie amplifiers and obviously with their relative speakers.

9.Do you have a pedal board? 

Tell us about that badboy

I use a Line6 POD HD500X pedal. My partner on the strings also used this multi-effect pedal, and it worked quite well for us, but I still think we haven't achieved the sound we are looking for, especially me.

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

As I said before, I am not very learned in the electronic part and new technologies for guitar. So I have to internalize more to get the kit I need.

11.What guitarist can you not stand?

In fact, anyone who does not strive to harmonize guitar solos well or simply conforms to simple things. Almost all pop rock music has very simple lead guitars that fall into boring for not wanting to put more heart. And I would not have someone specific but rather many.

12. Is tone more important or is technique?

Tone and technique go hand in hand. If I have good tone or sound and I perform poorly, it is most likely that it sounds bad or imperfections are noticed; and in turn if I have an excellent execution and sound bad, the same will happen !!!

In conclusion one must practice a lot to achieve perfection.

13. Name your top 5 guitarist

Kee Marcello, Marty Friedman and John Petrucci are for me mentors and so there are many more. I believe that each person has a style and there must be a guitarist who plays that style to which one aspires. I do not believe there is a master's degree.

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist

Overrated?

 I think Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are very listened to and followed and maybe very overrated, but for those who want that style. BB King too. It is very good jazz and should be a reference and overrated for those who like that style. For me I think they are all good as long as they enjoy and execute their style well.

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

I would love to share and learn from my mentors Marty Friedman and John Petrucci. For me it would be an honor.