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Monday September 16th, 2002
Kravitz and crew dig Gibson's Custom Shop
By Michelle Nikolai for gibson.com
Lenny Kravitz and guitarist Craig Ross took a whirlwind tour of Gibson's Custom, Art & Historic division Friday afternoon, Sept. 13 prior to their Nashville concert stop. Kravitz checked out a number of guitars and scrutinized Custom's selection of hardwoods, hand-selecting the book-matched maple top pieces that will be crafted into a new '59 Les Paul Standard.
Kravitz is finishing up the final dates of his North American tour in support of his 6th album, Lenny. The multi-talented singer, songwriter, producer and arranger won a record fourth consecutive Grammy this year in the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance category for his song "Dig In." In prior years, he picked up Grammys for "Again," his cover of "American Woman" (from the soundtrack of the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) and his well-known rock anthem "Fly Away." He also won his first American Music Award for Favorite Male Artist (Pop/Rock) earlier this year.
The soulful, electrifying live performance Friday night left the frenzied Nashville concert-goers pumping their fists in the air, screaming for more, and showcased his skills on his custom Lenny Kravitz '67 Flying V and a custom mirrored Flying V (natural finish). Bandmate Ross strutted his stuff with the new Gibson USA Firebird VII. The two master axemen changed guitars often and traded hot licks on matching white Les Paul SG Customs. Ross also rocked out on a Les Paul Custom (Black Beauty). "Gibson USA makes the best motherf***ing guitars in the whole world!" Kravitz shouted to the cheering masses.
With a film crew chronicling his every move, Kravitz sat with us for a few minutes to talk about his music and why Gibson is his guitar of choice.
What was your first guitar?
My first guitar was a Fender Jazzmaster, and then I traded it in for a Les Paul Deluxe at Guitar Center on Sunset Boulevard, the old one - the old Guitar Center.
You acquired it by doing a trade-in, basically?
I'd always wanted a Les Paul, that's what I wanted. And then my dad got me the Jazzmaster, which was cool - but I always wanted a Les Paul. And so I traded it in when I had some money, a couple years later and got my first Les Paul.
What was it about the Les Paul that made you want it?
It was the guitar. At the time, I was a major, major KISS fan, and Ace Frehley played the Les Paul.
Do you have a particular guitar that you use when you write?
No, whatever's around. I write in my head, so I hear everything in my head first. Guitars have inspired songs, though. In fact, when I did "Fly Away," on the 5 album, I was in the studio checking some guitar tones, I wasn't even doing a session at the time, I had a Les Paul Goldtop and a Park amplifier. I was just checking it out to see how the guitar sounded, and certain guitars - obviously because of the way they're built - sound full and at their most at a certain point on the neck. So, I started playing the progression to "Fly Away," just because it sounded right. The guitar played those chords in such a beautiful way. And that's how that song came about, so that was completely inspired by a Les Paul and an amp.Where did the lyrical inspiration come from?
After that, it just came to me. After I cut the track, I was playing the tape in my Jeep - I was in the Bahamas. And I was going up and down the beach really fast, just listening to it. So I was thinking about just getting away from everything, and leaving all of the bad [things] behind. So I can say Gibson had something to do with it.
How have your songs and your music changed, as of late, as you've grown older and wiser?
I just keep moving. In life, you continually grow. I just write about my experiences - as my experiences broaden and as I grow and change, I just write about it. It's kind of a natural progression. I don't think about it.What would you like your musical legacy to be - what would you like to be remembered for?
Just being an honest musician, somebody who expressed himself from the heart.
How do the different guitars affect the moods of your songs?
Well, once I write them, obviously each guitar is a different animal, so when I'm in the studio I have many guitars at my disposal. And I just keep playing them until one feels right for that particular song, you just know it when you pick it up and plug it in - no, this guitar is not going to work. Then you pick up the right one and it just feels right in your hand, the tone is right, and you know that it's right for the song.
You're a fan of vintage recording gear. Do you have a particular setup that you like to use?
Oh yeah, I have a studio full of the fattest vintage equipment, from microphones to preamps to compressors to, you know, old reverb plates and old boards. And I also have the newest technology as well. I like to combine them now. But the vintage equipment has such a warm, full sound. I prefer it.
Do you have a particular place you like to write?
No, I do it wherever I am, wherever it hits me. I don't choose it, it just comes.
What guitars are you playing on stage now?
I'm playing my model, the Flying V that I designed and had done here at Gibson, and the Les Paul Custom SG with three pickups, and the Epiphone Sorrento, and that's it for this tour.
What do you look for in a guitar? When you sat down to design your guitar, what thought did you have in mind?
Just customizing it. I like the Flying V - that's my model - and so I just kind of hooked it up a little, customized it, got the dimensions right, the neck the way I wanted, the body - and then put together the aesthetics. I put the gold mirror on, and did it in a black sparkle, and just everything right, the way I wanted it. And the pickups.
How have the North American audiences been?
It's been incredible, we've had a great tour, been sold out every night. And it's been wonderful.
Below are Gibson exclusive photos from Lenny's visit to Gibson's Custom Shop and his Nashville concert.
Lenny gets turned on to a ES-5 Switchmaster.
The classic L-5 CES sounds too good to pass up.
Edwin Wilson, curator of the Historic Program, helps Lenny hand pick
the flame maple top for a new '59 Les Paul from newly arrived wood.
Guitarist Craig Ross checks out the hand selected flame maple block.
Seeking a vintage sound and look, Lenny finds a '68 Les Paul Figured Top.
Craig Ross jams on his Firebird while Lenny plays a custom V-Factor with a mirror pickguard.
Note: Kravitz finishes his North American tour tonight in Toronto and begins the Japanese leg of his tour on Sept. 28 in Tokyo.
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