David Fiuczynski Talks about the Seven-String Guitar
by Chris Buono
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Fuze on the seven string at the Balieuese Bleues
Festival, Paris 2006 Photo by David Grimbert© |
David Fiuczynski is not just a supreme guitarist, he's a consummate artist. Not only is "Fuze" in command of a completely unique playing style, he is a master composer, a revitalizing arranger, and possesses a propensity for creating and fusing previously unimaginable rhythmic concepts. Since 1994 Fuze has consistently produced compelling music with today's most highly-coveted musicians, while at the same time helping to bring to light some of the superstars of the next generation.
As the leader and primary writer for the inimitable Screaming Headless Torsos and the sole proprietor of the jazz-meets-the-Middle East textures heard in his trio, Kif, Fuze has toured the globe in an epic musical journey that has been documented and
praised throughout the world press. As a sideman, Fuze is in high demand and has appeared on nearly 100 albums. Within myriad stylistic settings throughout his recording career, he has always been able to generate his signature sound and make invaluable contributions to each session. From his ingenious whammy bar techniques to the Holdsworth-esque legato runs, or from the complex harmonic excursions to gorgeous delay-induced soundscapes-David Fiuczynski has become a modern-day legend in his own right.
Like other great artists, Fuze continually immerses himself in pursuits that are likely to enhance the depth of his music and help insure its constant evolution. One such endeavor is evident in Fuze's active participation in designing several avant-garde guitars. These designs include microtonal fretted guitars, unique double-neck guitars, and fretless guitars- which comes as no surprise as Fuze is regarded as one of the best fretless guitarists in the world. Currently, Fuze's main axe is a visually breathtaking custom double-neck made by Johan Gustavsson which sports a short-scale fretless guitar neck on top and a seven-string guitar on the bottom with a clever bridge layout.
Amidst a busy schedule that includes running FuzeLicious Morsels-the independent label Fuze started with his wife Lian Amber, maintaining his full-time position as an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, and putting the final touches on the next Kif CD and a long-awaited instructional DVD, Fiuczynski took the time to answer a few questions about his approaches to the 7-string guitar.
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The tall cool one laying into the fretless, Paris 2006
Photo by David Grimbert©
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After successfully performing and recording on a 6-string exclusively for so many years, what made you start exploring the 7-string?
I needed LOW-end crunch for heavy power chords and more spread-out jazz chords with unusual upper chord tensions. Also, I need a drone string for some of the Indian and Arabic melodies I'm experimenting with as well having the range to play bass lines instead of just comping chords under bass solos.
When writing music for your various projects that involve the seventh string, what are some of the advantages and disadvantages that you have to keep in mind?
The thing to do is to avoid getting in the way of the bass player's inherent frequency range. Unison lines always work well, but you still have to be careful-it can get muddy quickly. As I mentioned before, playing bass lines when the bass player is soloing in the higher registers is an option the seventh string affords me now. At the same time, sometimes I just tell the bass player to lay out for certain passages and I let the guitar take over the full spectrum. I use the seventh string a lot for alaps and taksims. Those are rubato melodic introductions found within Indian and Arabic music, which I’ve incorporated into my trio, Kif.
Tell me about your custom model Gustavsson Fuzeblaster?
It's a custom double-neck with a 7-string on the bottom and a 6-string fretless on top built by Swedish luthier Johan Gustavsson. [Acknowledging my design input] it's called the Fuzeblaster. On the bottom guitar the standard six strings are set up on a Gotoh tremolo bridge set to float and the low seventh string has an individual fixed bridge. The top guitar is set up to be a double-course 12-string with a short scale (21-inch) fretless neck, but currently I'm only stringing it up as a 6-string. The microtones that I'm going for can be better articulated with the fretless set up this way; with twelve strings,
it has more of a mandolin sound. I wanted a versatile instrument that had a warm, full sound for clean comping and jazz style soloing, a seventh string for blasting low end power chords, while at the same time having a fretless guitar for blues and Indian-style slides and Turkish/Arabic microtonal maquamat (modes). I think Johan builds incredible guitars. You can check them out at
jgguitars.com.
Why did you choose Johan as you luthier and what input did he have in designing the instrument?
I needed a better-sounding instrument and my good friend Matte Henderson has had many incredible instruments built by master luthiers like Michael Stevens, Gene Baker, and Saul Koll. Matte is a great player, writer, and producer and I take his recommendations very seriously. Matte had a couple of Gustavssons laying around that I played and they felt and sounded great. I designed my guitar based on Johan's Blues Master model-hence Fuzeblaster-and some of Matte Henderson's suggested specs like the Korina body with a maple top, one piece Korina neck, and straight string pull.
What made you anchor down the seventh string at the bridge with a fixed saddle, separating it from the floating six-string bridge?
I got the idea from Matte Henderson as well. It makes the low seventh string independent from the floating whammy, allowing me to detune the seventh string to different notes for various applications. For instance, I'll tune down to a low A so I can play two-note power chord passages that only require one finger barring the seventh and sixth strings. More importantly, it allows me to tune to different drone notes for alaps and taksims. If I were dealing with a conventional 7-string whammy setup, detuning like this would be a nightmare.
What pickups did you choose for the 7-string guitar?
I chose a Seymour Duncan '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge, again on Matte's advice. They're nice and warm and very even sounding. Johan had suggested the DiMarzio 7-string single coil in the middle because volume-wise, they balance better with the louder humbuckers.
What gauge strings do you use and do they come in one set or do you have to buy the seventh string separately?
Actually I get single-string sets in the sizes I need from Ernie Ball whom I endorse. Currently I'm experimenting with this configuration: 1st -.011, 2nd - .015, 3rd - .018, 4th - .028, 5th - .038, 6th - .050, and for the 7th - .065 or .070.
How do you keep the other six strings in tune with the absence of a locking nut?
That's where the straight string pull I mentioned before comes into play. It simply means the strings stay in a straight line from the nut to the tuning heads. This, along with locking tuners and a well set up tremolo, keep my guitar in tune. For added measure, I also lube the bridge and nut with graphite putty. If you ever find yourself in a pinch, try lip balm-it works just as well.
Let's talk about your amps and effects and how they react to the low end the seventh string produces.
The seventh string sounds great with a V-Stack BHM Edition guitar pre-amp put out by First Act guitars. Amp-wise I have a Trace Elliot Speed Twin 100-watt head and 2x12 Rivera cab. For low-end power chords a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier sounds great too. Besides that there's also the VHT Deliverance and Bogner Uberschalls that will do a great job for low-end seven crunch.
Did you ever find it difficult going back and forth between six and seven-string guitars?
Yes!!! I would get lost picking the A, D, and G strings. For example, my left hand would fret a note on the D string, but I would intuitively pick the A string with my right hand thinking that I'm still on a six-string. This happens less and less, though.
It seems as if you've really tailored the 7-string to your own playing and writing. Do you play 7-string on sideman gigs as well?
Yes, I use it whenever I have the opportunity, be it jazz, rock or experimental. This is how I find new ways of using the 7-string and where I can immediately bounce new ideas off of whomever I'm playing with at the moment.
Will we see a 7-string fretless in the future?
Anything is possible. I like that sound and have been playing "bass" more and more in my trio when the bass player is soloing. I sometimes bring a bass amp to the gig and go through an octave pedal. With this setup I can maintain the overall groove and bottom end. I find this to be refreshing and fun. Playing bass lines has helped me improve my time and feel and become a better guitar player.
For more information on all things David Fiucyznski, please visit:
www.torsos.com.
About the Author
Chris Buono is an Assistant Professor at the famed Berklee College of Music and a seminar instructor at the National Guitar Workshop. Active as a band leader and session player, Chris has appeared on national television and numerous major and independent releases, performed in most of the industry’s major conventions as well as countless clubs and theatres across North America and Europe. Chris’ most recent appearances on record include the upcoming Graham Haynes CD on Ravi Coltrane’s new label, RKM, and his collaboration with Canadian guitarist Dave Martone for the upcoming Liquid Note Recordings shred compilation, The Alchemists, Volume 2.
As a music journalist, Chris is a regular contributor to Guitar One Magazine and Just Jazz Guitar Magazine. Look for more articles by Chris Buono in Guitar Sessions in the near future.
To learn more about Chris Buono and his music, please see his website at: www.chrisbuono.com
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