Redd Volkaert *Redd
AMG interview
03/24/2007

AMG. Everything I have heard from you sounds like a Tele and the videos I have seen show a Tele, would it be safe to say that a Telecaster is your choice instrument, why?

Redd. Once I got used to one I couldn't give it up, kinda like anything good!

AMG. Describe to me what kind of rig you are using. i.e. amps, effects, what amp is your favorite, how old is it, who made it or them? 

Redd. My favorite guitars are my 51' Nocaster & my 58' Esquire with a Gibson, Charlie Christian pickup in the neck position.

They are both stock except for the CC pickup.

I have a hand made Tweed Twin a friend in Tennessee made for me in 2000, its a high power twin (80 watts) with a home made three knob reverb hid in the back. It has one JBL D120 and an EV12L to give me both sparkle and clean punch together.

My effects are an Boss pedal tuner, a Durham Electronics Sex Drive, for clean boost, a Durham Electronics Mucho Boosto, and their Crazy Horse for two extremely different types of distortion, and last through an old Boss DM3 analog delay which isn't as glassy & digital sounding as the rest. 

AMG. How do you do that big rig horn sound on the guitar? 

Redd. It's my only secret, if I tell you I'd be out of work!

AMG. I always see you with a sunburst Fender Tele with a white pick guard can you describe to me more about this guitar and the electronics in it?

Redd. It's one I put together so I wouldn't have to worry about my old ones so much. It's a 3 1/2 lb body made by Brian Poe in Houston Tx painted by Mark Jenny in California, the neck is a 1" thick maple I got on Ebay, just shellacked it to seal it, and a Glendale compensated saddles & stainless nonmagnetic bridge pan. I put a set of Alan Hamel Blackguard pickups in it.

Its a wonderful guitar, but I swapped it off to a friend of mine, who's wanted it since I put it together, so I gave in after two years, but that's just an excuse to find something else now. I've been playing a new Glendale guitar with Amalfitano pickups in it, and it's working out great for me, so far.

AMG. Do you have more than a couple American made guitars? If so what are the year makes and models and describe to me what you like about these particular guitars?

Redd. All my guitars are American except an Australian "Tomkins" Tele that's a fabulous guitar with a red cedar body and a maple neck, it's great.

I haven't played anything else made anywhere else that feels good to me.

Assuming your talking electrics, like Strat's, Les Paul's, 335's, Rick's. I have one of each of those, all vintage.

To me, nothing compares to a vintage one of those, I did say to me now, there's plenty of folks that'll disagree, but all the relicing and distressing, muriatic acid, freon, rusty pickups, rolled edges on the necks, etc. does not make a reissue guitar feel like a real 50's or 60's original guitar.

{Flame away torchers!} (you'll get some letters to the editor on this topic!)

AMG. What strings do you use?

Redd. I use LaBella 11-52 only on all my guitars.

AMG. What is your favorite chord progression?

Redd. 6251 (A-7 D-7 G13/9 CM7)

AMG. Are you working on new material?

Redd. I'm way behind, but I'm working on material for a new cd, I thought I'd be done this summer, but it doesn't look good. I'm a work hog so I find it hard to turn down work, just to sit around and be creative. I need a wife with a job I guess. Oops, NO I don't !! I just got rid of one that wouldn't work. Any way I'm slowly piling stuff together to put a new cd out, hopefully soon.

AMG. How is your classic car holding up?

Redd. I have a 67 Valiant with a 318 on Nitrous, it runs pretty good, I lost my 53' Studebaker in my divorce, I sure do miss her!

AMG. What advice do you have for git pickers when it comes to selecting a guitar? What do you look for?

Redd. Something that the neck feels instantly comfortable to YOU not your friends

It stays in tune after 20 minutes of steady playing.

The weight feels good to you, and the sound pleases you alone.

Don't buy something just cause it's the cool guy thing to have, find the guitar that suits your style and will work with as many different types of music you like to play.

AMG.“Do you have any thing (instruments amps) on your wish list”? Now that would make a good country song. 

Redd. Naw, just like the country song, I wish I had all the old stuff back!

AMG. Whose music are you currently listening to?

Redd. Anyone dead or well on their way. All styles though.

AMG. Who is currently in your band line up?

Redd. My drummer is Chris Gilson, 7 yrs
Bass is Nate Rowe, 2 yrs 
I alternate fourth pieces, kind of, who ever is available, I use Cindy Cashdollar on nonpedal steel guitar & slide.
I use Rich Harney on piano, sometimes fiddle players too, and once in a while if a gig pays enough I use all of em' and have a dream Western Swing wannabe band. We also do quite a bit of trio work too.

AMG. What is the funniest on the road story that you know or can tell?

Redd. The funniest ones, the "code of the road" says you can't tell em' publicly, sorry

AMG. Do you still have that 58 esquire?

Redd.You bettcha! Since I was 13

AMG. Who does your guitar work?

Redd. I do all my own, except refrets, and I use Bill Giebitts, and Ed Reynolds, both in Austin Tx.

AMG. Finally if there is anything else you can tell me about American Made Guitars or yourself that I didn’t ask about please do. 

Redd.  I'm sure the guitar came from Europe, but I believe it got perfected here, because obviously.

Most American music has guitars in it, (Country, Blues, Rock, Jazz, Pop) and the popular stuff stays popular with musicians, because we spend our lives trying to emulate our hero's licks, phrasing and tones & sounds.

Sometimes a new sound sneaks through the cracks, but mostly it's old sounds copied from a certain style, then transposed to different genre's of music, so it sounds new to that genre's fans. 

Bottom line is I guess to ME, if it worked for my hero's and their sound they got, etc. That's makes me want to learn all there is about them their style, sound etc. then those great old American guitars were part of that, thank God and the manufacturers!