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FORUM INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT PETERSON
Forum: What brought you to the decision to play PRS'?
Scott: I have favored humbuckers my whole life and became aware of PRS
guitars sometime in the mid to late 80's by seeing a photo of Santana in
Guitar Player. I found out more from an interview with Paul somewhere else and although there was no way to afford it for me, I wanted one.
When the web was younger in 1993 and 1994, I was a member of CompuServe and there was a member there named Kevin Smith who preached to gospel of
PRS and heated the desire for one even more. In 1995 I happened to walk into a small used/vintage dealer and there was a 91 PRS Custom 24. I
took it down, hit one chord and knew all I needed to. I bought it.
Forum: Could you tell us a bit about what brought you into music an how you
see that fitting in with the other parts of your life?
Scott: To me the music is my grounding to both the spirituality and the
physical aspects of life. Nobody can deny the power of a screaming 100 watt amp blowing your pant legs, or the beauty of Jeff Beck's, "Cause We
Ended As Lovers". The guitar can do all that in the hands of a good player. The guitar
combines the emotion of a saxophone with the rhythm, melody and chords of a piano. I pretty much play guitar whenever and
wherever I can. I own my own Advertising Agency, have a family, and play
guitar. That pretty much is my life. Watching my 2 year old laugh and dance while I play for him is touching beyond words. Playing music for
others and then with other musicians is a magical thing beyond what non-players will ever know. And the funny thing about that is that
guitar is such an instrument that pretty much anybody physically able can learn to play even a bit.
Forum: What are your musical interests and guitarist influences?
Scott: I try to listen to the music and not analyze songs until after I
have connected to their vibe and music. I mainly listen to guitar based rock, but am open to just about everything to be found from classical to
electronica. Guitar wise, my idols are Brian May, Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, David Grissom and many others.
Forum: You recorded a CD. Can you talk about your thoughts as you did the
recording and writing?
Scott: Most of my writing is just me playing for about an hour or two, just
noodling and then something jumps out at me usually on accident. I have tons of little bits and progressions that have floated for years.
"Wishful Thinking" from my band's first CD was originally written when I
was 15 music wise. I love the collaboration aspect, coming together with
someone else to create something more than you could as an individual. Even though we just released that CD 4 months ago, we have already
created enough new material for a double CD. Writing is an exercise in creativity, communication and sharing. When you get something arranged
and finished, the feeling is so euphoric to hear it with the band.
Forum: Tell us about any recording techniques you used to get your sound.
Scott: We used a variety of mics, SM-57's, AKG 414's and Neumann's on the
amps. Acoustics were AKG 414's. We recorded on 2" analog tape and
limited ourselves to 24 tracks to keep it real. Some call it rootsy or organic, I call it real and warm. We used a very good friend of mine as
a producer and engineer, Bob Miller. He has worked with BB King and many
others. I learned volumes about capturing the vibe and tone from working
with him.
Forum: Tell us about your equipment and reasons for choosing the same.
Scott: I have seven PRS's that cover all the bases for me: 91 Custom 24, 95
Custom 22, (2) 97 SAS's (one hardtail, one trem), 97 CE22, 98 Rosewood McCarty, and a 99 McCarty Hollowbody II with the incredible LR Baggs
piezo system. My amps are a Guytron GT-100, a Rivera Rake and a Matchless Clubman 35. I use a Fulltone Clyde Wah, Fulltone Supa Trem, Z
Vex Volume Probe (like a volume pedal, but... not) and a Danecho pedal (which I will replace with the Line 6 Delay Pedal). Acoustics are my
1996 Taylor 810S Dreadnought, 1998 Baby Taylor. The PRS's just have the feel, sound, look and vibe that turn me on as a
player. We had a power outage here in summer 1998 that lasted for 10 days. At night, amidst the hum of generators in the neighborhood I
wanted to play guitar - not much else to do. Couldn't play the acoustics
too loud. Played unplugged and really fully realized how much I love and connect with PRS guitars. My Custom 22 was in my hands for hours and
hours every night. No amp, no effects, no audience. Just me and that guitar. It was a very telling experience for me.
The Guytron is my "uber" amp, it combines all the features I have loved for years - Class A output tubes in the preamp(!) feeding a dummy
transformer for tone combined with the round full sound of EL-34's. Since I got that amp, nothing else comes close for me. It bridges the
Marshall/Vox tone world like nothing else. My Rake is a Fender/Marshall in one amp and is a great amp.
I recorded the entire first CD from the band with mostly my Rivera Rake and PRS Rosewood McCarty and am very happy with the tones on there.
Forum: What do you see in your future as regards to music?
Scott: The band continues to write and perform on a regular basis
regionally around Michigan and connecting states. We are going into the studio in December to start tracking our next CD. As long as I am able,
I will continue to play, create and perform - it is my lifeblood.
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