I sort of flippantly say: ‘All guitars sound the same and go for … – Guitar World

In this edition of Bought & Sold, Kavus Torabi checks in with Guitarist to discuss his life in gear the acoustic and electric guitars that have meant the most to him and the ones that got away.

As guitarist for Gong and The Utopia Strong, Torabi needs a lot of sounds. But, as he confesses, he doesnt stray too far from the marital bed when it comes to guitars. When you find one you like, you hold it close

What was the first serious guitar you bought with your own money

I was in a metal band [when I was a teenager] and I had this Kramer Focus, which was a one-pickup, slopey headstock thing with a Floyd Rose and a locking nut but I never really liked it; I never really felt a connection with it. But it was my metal guitar because the bass player of the band didnt like the idea of me playing a Westone Spectrum before that! So he bought this guitar for me and wanted me to pay him back, though I never really responded to it.

When that band was over, I suppose I was moving away from metal and I loved the idea of having a 335 or something like that I was really into hollowbodies. I found another Westone a Westone Rainbow which is a beautiful kind of birdseye maple guitar like a 335, although the horns are slightly pointier. Its a really beautiful guitar and it was secondhand in this music shop but I had no way of affording it because I was on the dole.

So with the aid of a friend of mine, who was working for the Princes Trust, I said I was going to need one of these guitars because I was going to start a new life as a guitar teacher. I put in the proposal and I got the funding for it. And so I got this beautiful Westone Rainbow, which I still have, and played that for about the next 10 years.

What was the last guitar that you bought (or acquired) and why?

I have to say, as a caveat, I really dont need any more guitars. I have friends with lots, but Im fairly monogamous when it comes to guitars [however] this is quite interesting So Gong was playing at the Electric Ballroom last year, and after I came offstage, this guy called Alone Sage grabbed me and said, Hey, look, Im from Israel. I have a boutique company called Coils that makes pickups.

And then he said, Ive made this guitar... its the best guitar Ive ever made and Ive been looking for someone to give it to. And after I saw you play, I wanted you to have it. Give me your address and Ill send it to you when I get back to Israel. It was quite ridiculous and I was very, very flattered.

I really dont need any more guitars. I have friends with lots, but Im fairly monogamous when it comes to guitars

So we exchanged addresses, and I was in London recording with Gong when I got a message from the shipping company saying I needed to pay import tax of over a thousand pounds. So I had to get back to Alone with a copy of this receipt and say, Im so sorry, I cant pay for this guitar, I just dont have that money. And he said, Oh, this is a mistake. You shouldnt have to pay a penny for it.

And he paid the tax on this thing! So it turned up and its in this beautiful case, and its made of a lovely piece of swamp ash and it doesnt look like any other guitar Ive seen.

It sort of sounds a bit like a Les Paul and its got this lovely kind of Bigsby-style trem. Its called the Nilus, which apparently is the God of the Nile. The body looks a bit like a cross between a Les Paul and an Iceman. I feel extremely fortunate that this happened to me.

Whats the strongest case of buyers remorse youve ever had after buying a piece of gear?

Years ago, when I was playing in Mediaeval Baebes, I didnt have an acoustic and I was borrowing one. I needed one, so I went to Denmark Street. Now, I find guitar shops very intimidating even then, when I was in my late-30s. So I went to Denmark Street and didnt really know what I was looking for with an acoustic because Id never had one before.

There was this lovely-looking one and I was kind of wowed by the inlays on it. It was a busy shop and I felt intimidated being there, so I had a quick play on it and thought, Yeah, this is great. I think it was about 350 quid I dont remember what the make was. But, yeah, I thought, This is cool and its got a pickup but then I got it home and really, it wasnt a great guitar at all, you know? It didnt sound good, it didnt particularly record nicely.

However, the good thing about it was I got to take it all around the world on tour and I wasnt that worried. I didnt have that anxiety about if I opened the case and the necks snapped. It was just like: Meh! Well, you know its not that good, anyway. But, later, when I bought myself a proper acoustic I spent a couple of hours trying out loads of them until I was happy. So I learned a lesson there. But yes, I dont miss that one at all. In fact, I havent even thought about it until that question [laughs].

Have you ever sold a guitar you now intensely regret selling?

Ive never really sold guitars; Ive given them away. If people wanted to borrow them I might say, Oh, keep it, you know? But no, Ive never really sold them I mean, just for the sort of sentimentality of it, my first-ever guitar, a crappy old Satellite, might be fun to still have because it was my first-ever guitar. But I think I gave it away.

Whats your best guitar-buying tip?

Oh, God, I dont know. Because I sort of flippantly say: All guitars sound the same and go for whatever looks good. But thats not really true [laughs]. Actually, its so strange how even the same model of guitar will differ from one to another, as I found out when I bought my White Falcon I tried a couple of the new Japanese ones in the early 2000s and one of them felt like mine and the other didnt I dont think it was just down to how they were set up.

So the only tip I can think of is to really play any guitar youre thinking of buying and give yourself at least a good half-hour Its almost like trying out a pair of speakers or monitors. Certainly with my current acoustic guitar, I went into the shop with about five pieces [ready prepared] that I would be playing on it live, to see how comfortable it felt.

If forced to make a choice, would you rather have a really good guitar and a cheap amp or a cheap guitar and a top-notch amp?

Oh, a really good guitar. Because in terms of amps, particularly when touring abroad, youre always at the mercy of whatever is being provided for you. But the guitar itself, thats always your instrument. I mean, Im always happy to let people use my amp, you know, but Ive only once or twice let people use my guitar. Im not exactly at Steve Howe levels of guardedness about my guitars [laughs] but still, Id much rather have a nice guitar.

If you could only use humbuckers or single coilsfor the rest of your career, which would itbe and why?

I only got my first guitar with single coils the Jazzmaster in 2019. Prior to that I always had guitars with humbuckersand I got used to that sound. But Im impressed with how punchy the single coils are. And apart from the hum that comes from them, Ive really liked how creamy and direct they sound.

If youd asked me this question about five years ago, I would have just said, Well,humbuckers. But from this point onwards, I think Imon a journey into the world of single coils. I really, really like the sound of them.

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I sort of flippantly say: 'All guitars sound the same and go for ... - Guitar World