Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit

An Interview with Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit - Part 2

The following interview was conducted in mid-October, 2010, just after Scale the Summit began tracking guitars for their next Prosthetic Records release at Audio Hammer Studios in Orlando, FL.

Be sure to check out the accompanying HD video lick lesson.

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IC: How would you characterize the change in Scale the Summit's sound since you wrote Carving Desert Canyons, and what could fans expect from the next record?

Chris: I would say the biggest difference or change is more dynamics in our writing. The next change will be the production on this record. We're working with Producer/Engineer Mark Lewis who did the last Black Dahlia Murder, Devil Driver, All That Remains, etc... Clearly the bands are nothing like us, but it’s all about the production aspects here. The guy really knows his stuff. We're about a week into recording and just finished up the drums. Pickiest engineer we have worked with yet, and it’s great, it’s going to make our next record sound amazing. He'll be helping us capture the "huge" sound we were missing from the last record. Can't wait to get it finished.

IC: What guitars, amps and gear will you be using on the upcoming album?

Chris: We have quite an assortment lined up for this album actually. I'll have my Artinger Custom 8 string, my blonde Sherman 7 string, and my newly finished Headless Strandberg 7 String. Travis will be playing a few of those as well, but he will also be using his to 2 Music Man JP7 Family Reserves. Right now we have a whole mess of amps stacked up in the studio. Bogner Uber, Peavey 5150, 5150 II, 5150 III, Randall LynchBox, Mesa Rectifier, Mesa Mark V, a modded Marshall JCM 800, a Fractal Ultra, Mesa and Marshall 1960 cab's, and I think a few more I can't remember right now. We spent nine hours working out our main clean, rhythm and lead tones and I can't believe what won. We're using the 5150 III for our main distorted Rhythm, Fractal for the cleans, and the JCM 800 for the leads. Tomorrow we're actually going to compare the LynchBox with the JCM 800 again as it was sounding good as well. So we may use both. Its crazy how amazing the lead tone is on the JCM 800. I have never been a fan of Marshall, until today of course.

IC: How does your recording setup differ from your live rig?

Chris: I normally use a Mesa Mark V head with Mesa Stiletto cabinets live, but studio sounds are a lot different from your live sounds. Most of the time your distorted rhythms are tracked with a lot less gain than normal for tracking purposes, so it’s always good to try as many different amps as possible. So that’s why we have about twelve different heads in the studio right now. It’s weird, my Mark V sounds amazing live and in rehearsals, but mic'd up it just wasn't working today so we tried the others. Using the same guitars that I normally play live. Then basically a bunch of your normal studio compressors, di box, re-amping, effects, etc... that you wouldn't normally use live. It’s fun stuff, but incredibly frustrating at the same time. We spent two hours today on one sound, playing the same riff over and over again.

IC: What did you draw inspiration from while writing the new songs?

Chris: I'm not really one of those guys that likes to listen to a lot of music when I'm supposed to be writing. I like to keep my head free of what others are writing, playing, and what they sound like. I think it helps to get more of "me" in my songwriting. So far it’s been working great for me!

IC: Is there a release window set for the new CD?

Chris: They are shooting for a March, 2011 release for the album.

IC: Any touring plans you can speak of yet?

Chris: Sadly nothing is planned as of yet, but we'll definitely be touring non-stop in support of the new album. We're hoping to make it over to Europe early next year. Fingers crossed on that. U.S. is a guarantee, so keep an eye out!

IC: Many fans and listeners refer to bands such as Scale the Summit and Animals as Leaders as the future of instrumental guitar music. You've already achieved a high degree of success with STS, so what sort of goals do you have in mind for the band at this point in your career?

Chris: Well I think that the biggest goal for any band, especially one that has already had a pretty good amount of success, is to be able to continue playing, touring, writing and recording. It takes a great deal of effort and time to keep a band together, and a lot of work to keep the band busy. I don’t know what I would be doing without guitar. Everyday I consider myself blessed to be playing music for a living. I hope I'm able to continue doing this, and I appreciate everyone’s support!

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Be sure to show your support and check out the new instructional:

“Chris Letchford’s Guitar Technique Book”

cover letchford_instructional_book

InstruMentalCase.net

Putting the "MENTAL" in instrumental guitar!


	InstruMentalCase.net Putting the "MENTAL" in instrumental guitar! About Interviews Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit - Part 2 Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit - Part 1 Ethan Meixsell Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal Brian Gore Andy Timmons Michael Angelo Batio Mattias "IA" Eklundh Don Maloney Reviews Rotosound Strings Bumblefoot Guitar Cable Rusty Cooley - Basic Training DVD Lessons Chris Letchford's "Age of the Tide" Licks Jason Black's "Triple Lick" Lesson Jason Black's "Legato Lick" Lesson Videos Guitars SUCK Shawn Lane Tribute "Never Enough" by 7-4-2 Trace Bundy - Love Song Rusty Cooley - Live in Houston Downloads Contact Me Links Donate An Interview with Chris Letchford of Scale the Summit - Part 2 The following interview was conducted in mid-October, 2010, just after Scale the Summit began tracking guitars for their next Prosthetic Records release at Audio Hammer Studios in Orlando, FL. Be sure to check out the accompanying HD video lick lesson. -------------- IC: How would you characterize the change in Scale the Summit's sound since you wrote Carving Desert Canyons, and what could fans expect from the next record? Chris: I would say the biggest difference or change is more dynamics in our writing. The next change will be the production on this record. We're working with Producer/Engineer Mark Lewis who did the last Black Dahlia Murder, Devil Driver, All That Remains, etc... Clearly the bands are nothing like us, but it’s all about the production aspects here. The guy really knows his stuff. We're about a week into recording and just finished up the drums. Pickiest engineer we have worked with yet, and it’s great, it’s going to make our next record sound amazing. He'll be helping us capture the "huge" sound we were missing from the last record. Can't wait to get it finished. IC: What guitars, amps and gear will you be using on the upcoming album? Chris: We have quite an assortment lined up for this album actually. I'll have my Artinger Custom 8 string, my blonde Sherman 7 string, and my newly finished Headless Strandberg 7 String. Travis will be playing a few of those as well, but he will also be using his to 2 Music Man JP7 Family Reserves. Right now we have a whole mess of amps stacked up in the studio. Bogner Uber, Peavey 5150, 5150 II, 5150 III, Randall LynchBox, Mesa Rectifier, Mesa Mark V, a modded Marshall JCM 800, a Fractal Ultra, Mesa and Marshall 1960 cab's, and I think a few more I can't remember right now. We spent nine hours working out our main clean, rhythm and lead tones and I can't believe what won. We're using the 5150 III for our main distorted Rhythm, Fractal for the cleans, and the JCM 800 for the leads. Tomorrow we're actually going to compare the LynchBox with the JCM 800 again as it was sounding good as well. So we may use both. Its crazy how amazing the lead tone is on the JCM 800. I have never been a fan of Marshall, until today of course. IC: How does your recording setup differ from your live rig? Chris: I normally use a Mesa Mark V head with Mesa Stiletto cabinets live, but studio sounds are a lot different from your live sounds. Most of the time your distorted rhythms are tracked with a lot less gain than normal for tracking purposes, so it’s always good to try as many different amps as possible. So that’s why we have about twelve different heads in the studio right now. It’s weird, my Mark V sounds amazing live and in rehearsals, but mic'd up it just wasn't working today so we tried the others. Using the same guitars that I normally play live. Then basically a bunch of your normal studio compressors, di box, re-amping, effects, etc... that you wouldn't normally use live. It’s fun stuff, but incredibly frustrating at the same time. We spent two hours today on one sound, playing the same riff over and over again. IC: What did you draw inspiration from while writing the new songs? Chris: I'm not really one of those guys that likes to listen to a lot of music when I'm supposed to be writing. I like to keep my head free of what others are writing, playing, and what they sound like. I think it helps to get more of "me" in my songwriting. So far it’s been working great for me! IC: Is there a release window set for the new CD? Chris: They are shooting for a March, 2011 release for the album. IC: Any touring plans you can speak of yet? Chris: Sadly nothing is planned as of yet, but we'll definitely be touring non-stop in support of the new album. We're hoping to make it over to Europe early next year. Fingers crossed on that. U.S. is a guarantee, so keep an eye out! IC: Many fans and listeners refer to bands such as Scale the Summit and Animals as Leaders as the future of instrumental guitar music. You've already achieved a high degree of success with STS, so what sort of goals do you have in mind for the band at this point in your career? Chris: Well I think that the biggest goal for any band, especially one that has already had a pretty good amount of success, is to be able to continue playing, touring, writing and recording. It takes a great deal of effort and time to keep a band together, and a lot of work to keep the band busy. I don’t know what I would be doing without guitar. Everyday I consider myself blessed to be playing music for a living. I hope I'm able to continue doing this, and I appreciate everyone’s support! -------------- Be sure to show your support and check out the new instructional: “Chris Letchford’s Guitar Technique Book” © 2010 David Bishea Contact Me