Ravi: What else do you use now on the gig?
Mo’: I play several different guitars. I’m all over the map with guitars, so it is hard for me to pinpoint a particular brand I like. Every brand has a guitar I like. As far as acoustics, I prefer the small bodied parlor-sized guitars—the 12th fret at the body type. I like the tighter sound. As far as electric guitars, I’m playing a Hamer right now. I also play Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, Silvertone, and of course National. I’m playing a ResoRocket on the gig now that resembles a tri-cone, but it is a single cone and it’s a cutaway. I like it because of the cutaway. You can slide up a bit further. For amps, I generally use a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. My favorite amps are the Boogie Mark IV and a Fender Deluxe—a blackface old Deluxe, not the real old tweed Deluxes, but the ‘60s Fender blackface. I also like the Full Tone distortion pedal. The MXR 6 band EQ, and that big blue triangular echo/chorus box (he was referring to the Visual Sound H2O Liquid Chorus and Echo pedal).
Ravi: What about Shure? I saw you play their NAMM party a couple of nights ago.
Mo’: Oh yeah, Shure in-ear monitors, and probably the most consistent things I use are Shure microphones. I use them for live gigs and surprisingly, a lot for recording. I also like the Groove Tube mic pre with the Shure SM-7 for vocals. For guitar, I like a B&K condenser mic. It sounds great through anything.
Ravi: Do you go into music stores these days?
Mo’: Yeah, I do, but I really like pawn shops. Used music stores I like. I like new stuff, but I like old stuff too. I really like old stuff—things that have withstood the test of time. New things are cool, but in my particular job in the blues, and being an old guy—well not an old guy, I’m only 55; it’s not like I’m about to die, I’m going to live a long time so 55 is very young—I tend to like things that are like me. They have a little time on them. It’s like clothes. When I go looking for clothes, I want something classic, nothing trendy and new. Classic, timeless things. Whether it is a new instrument or a used instrument, I’m looking for something that has a “classic” feel to it. It can be new, but things that are shaped like rockets and made of plastics or brand new materials or innovative designs, I tend to stay clear of. Even if it sounds great, I’d use it in the studio but I won’t take it out on the stage. It just doesn’t feel right. In the studio, no one sees it, but on stage, it’s theatrics. There is the element of theatrics to it. The instrument is your tool, but also your prop and part of your persona. So it has to reflect a lot of that. First, it has to play so your soul can come through on it, that’s No. 1. But I think it should have a look to it that reflects who you are.
Ravi: When I went to Portland last year, you told me to visit Carrie at the Portland Music Company, the Acoustic Shop.
Mo’: Yeah, my cousins live up there and the lady that runs it, Carrie, is a friend of the family and they happen to have a cool music store. So I like to go there and hang. They have a sofa in there and a lot of cool guitars. I sit and play and hang and every now and then I might even buy a guitar—once in a while.
Ravi: Do you think there are ways that music stores can better serve you?
Mo’: Yes, one thing they can do, and I won’t mention any names, but they can stop playing music in the store! That really annoys me, and I don’t really understand that. It creates a noisy atmosphere and you can’t really hear an instrument.
Ravi: What’s your best piece of advice for up and coming musicians?
Mo’: Be committed; be honest and be committed. Be committed to your art and your love of music, how that shapes up your music, and how that puts itself together for you in its own unique way. Each one of us is a unique individual that time has been waiting for—waiting for us to show up, and then we are gone.
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