< Guitar Gab: February 2000 Guitar-gab with Gavin
February 2000
Written by Jon Wiederhorn

Gavin Rossdale is best known as the voice behind Bush -- the screams, yowls and snarls that make the band's music so riveting. But he's also a skilled string-slinger, and unlike the many frontman who wear a guitar as a stage ornament, Rossdale plays in a way that's as emotionally intense as his singing. In addition, he knows gear, and excitedly chatters about manufacturers, pedals and technique.

Guitar.com: Tell us about your rig.

Rossdale: Basically I use of Bob Bradshaw rig, so I switch between a basement Bob Bradshaw 100 watt head and a Fender Tremolux. And then I have about five or six pedals that I use -- a bunch of distortions and a few flangers -- Electro-Harmonix stuff. And then I basically use my maple Strat with humbuckers. That's my live set up. In the studio I've got my Gibson 330 that I really love. And I've got a '57 Les Paul Gold Top, which I prefer to play clean because it's so distinctive. And I used a custom amp, which has the best tremolo of all. I'm never satisfied with my distortion pedals in the studio, so I'm always changing them. And often I just use the amp settings. Also, I did a lot of stuff using the Veridrive pedal, and I've got a little Hendrix pedal and a Big Muff. I've got a little Boss flanger, and the Electric Mistress, and I use that a lot. But you can't use them too much or it sounds really overdone.

Guitar.com: How would you describe your perfect guitar tone?

Rossdale: Smooth, overdriven, sexy and warm, but with enough pop that it cuts. I spent years with Jazzmasters. And I don't use my Jazzmasters anymore because live I couldn't be heard next to Nigel's Gibsons. Volume-wise there's all that middle, and it's so loud. You play a Jazzmaster next to a Gibson and you might as well be strumming a cardboard guitar. It just doesn't cut the same way. That's when I got my Strat because it pissed me off. I couldn't cut through what he was playing. My thing is a smooth overdrive. I like to hear the guitar more than the distortion.

Guitar.com: Do you write on electric?

Rossdale: Yeah, I always write with drums and electric guitar. I love programming funky, weird beats. I like the Line 6 stuff a lot. And I like the Amp Farm. I have one in my bedroom. And I like the Pod because the pedal is really good. That stuff is a lot of fun, but when I'm writing, basically I just need rhythm, my guitar, a pen, paper and a small Walkman and a guitar and I'm fine. You can't let technology write the song unless you just wanna do computer music.

Guitar.com: Any tips for players inspired by Bush?

Rossdale: Although my technique is sorely lacking and could do with 1,000 miles of improvement, the best thing that you have as a guitar player is yourself and the feel you bring in. That's the only reason I play guitar. Nigel [Pulsford] is the most brilliant guitar player I've ever heard, and really in theory I should not play. I should just write the songs on guitar and then when we go to record I should just let him play. But the problem is that he doesn't have my feel. And I feel very strongly about everyone's feel. There are a thousand million unbelievably technically proficient guitar players, but all that technique seems to iron out a lot of the feeling. And the guitar players we know and love are not the fastest ones. They're not the craziest ones. They're just the ones that have so much of themselves to offer. The secret to that is living life well and having lots of outside experience so you've got something to put through the guitar. To me, the guitar shouldn't be a separate part of you. It should be an extension of you, and therefore, you've just got to live.