Interview mit Peter Huss von Shining

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Interviews are usually done during the promotional stage of an album or a tour – and then they centre around these topics. However, albums and shows wouldn’t exist if the interview partners weren’t such enthusiastic instrumentalists. In our series „Saitengespräche“ (pun: „string talks“/“side conversations“) we want to take this into account – with interviews that focus entirely on instruments, amplifiers, effects, and other tech stuff. From gear nerds for gear nerds – and for those who aspire to be.

In this part of the series we talk to Peter Huss, lead guitarist of SHINING.

When did you start playing guitar?
1990 – I was ten years old when I started.

What made you want to learn guitar back then?
I was a big fan of guitarists since I was really young. We used to play air guitar and put on shows playing along to our favorite records. But it was when I saw a real 80’s pink guitar, probably an Ibanez S series guitar, in the window of our local music store Musikalen. I thought it looked so cool, I just knew I had to play it.

Have you already learned (had to learn) another instrument before?
I did try a few other instruments, but none of them was really interesting to me.

Do you remember which model your first guitar was?
Yes. I never had the guitar I saw in the window by the way. But my first was a black Aria pro 2 SL. I still have it!

How many guitars do you own?
Around 25, so not that many. To compensate for that, my pedal collection is three digits! (laughs)

Do the instruments have different uses for you, so do you have different ones for different bands or occasions, like studio, live gigs and holidays?
Nowadays I use my signature Brock Peter Huss Model (PHM) guitars for almost everything. That said, I still play many of my other guitars as well. But mostly at home or for certain things in the studio.

What do you attach particular importance to from a technical point of view, what criteria must an instrument meet for you to be satisfied with it?
As long as I connect with the guitar I’m happy. My signature model is of course made with some really specific details, like neck shape, hardware, pickups etc. The list of specs was really long. Brock guitars is located in Australia and he builds the guitars by hand the old school way. Fantastic craftsmanship! But for my other guitars I love them for what they are, and different guitars make you play differently. And that is really cool!

Can you tell us the technical details here?
Like I said, it is a custom guitar in every way. Much of the details lie in very specific measurements. Like the neck shape, where switches and controls are placed and so on. The pickups I use, however, are Lundgren. THE ONE in bridge position and Strat 90 in the neck.

You often hear about musicians who seem to have a special connection to their instrument. Do you feel the same way? Do you have a favourite instrument?
When we designed my signature guitar I took some measurements and details from a few of my favorites. My 1989 Ibanez RG560 and one of my 1988 Fender YJM Stratocaster mainly. Then we incorporated that in a modern single cut design. And these guitars are just beyond amazing. So in many ways my signature guitars are my favorites. But most of my guitars are “favorites” to be honest, I just love them all!

Is there a model, such as the instrument of a great role model, that you would like to play one day?
Not really, to be honest. I’m looking for a really nice Gibson Les Paul, just because I wanna have one. But I’m not in a hurry.

Which type of guitar picks do you use – and why this type?
I’ve used black Dunlop Jazz III for ages. Of course I have tried a ton of others, but I always go back to the Jazz III.

Amps are often leased for tours – is that okay with you or do you have your own amp with you? Which model do you play?
On tours I always use rentals, just like you mentioned. For practical reasons. And I always ask for Marshall JCM2000. But I only use the clean channel, so any good Marshall works. Yes, I do prefer the Marshall sound. The JCM2000 is a solid work horse. But I very much prefer the older version rather than the newer DSL2000. At home I play mainly Marshall and Blackstar amps.

Besides the instrument and the amplifier, sound effects play an important role in the sound. Do you rely on single pedal mines, a multi-effect board or a combination?
My pedalboard has become just as important, or even more important, than the amp actually. Let me explain why. Earlier I used to only rely on the amp for both clean and distorted sound. But every now and then you get back line amps that are in a bad condition. And then the sound is really bad.
So I started to try distortion pedals instead. Because the clean tone is usually good in most amps, even if the amp has old tubes. So when I found the Folkesson Raptor pedal, I knew I had my sound.

Tommy Folkesson is the most well known amp modifier in Sweden, and his modded amps are amazing. I have a couple of them at home. And a few years ago, he designed this Raptor pedal that really captures his sound in a small box. So after I found that pedal, I have been on a quest to find a better sounding distortion pedal. So far I have failed. And as I mentioned earlier, my collection of pedals is rather big, so you do the math. (laughs) So that Raptor pedal is the core of my live sound nowadays. It sounds like one of his modded Marshalls really. Tight, fine-tuned midrange, organic and lots of string even with high-gain settings.

Let’s go into detail: Please explain the elements of your effect loop. Which devices do you use, in which order and why?
Okay. As I mentioned, I only play through the clean channel of my amp, live anyway. Some pedals on my board change as I try new stuff or need a specific sound. But the general idea is the same. So I’ll describe what’s on my board right now:
The first pedal is a TC PolyTune 3. After that comes my BJFE Pale Green Compressor. This is another pedal that never comes off the board and it’s always on, giving great clarity to my clean tones and pushing the Raptor when that one is engaged.
Then comes a Univibe pedal of some sort. I have a bunch of different ones, but right now is the amazing Vibe Machine‘ by Drybell.


After this is when things get a bit unusual. Here I have a One Control White Loop pedal. It has two loops, green and red. In the green loop, which acts as my clean channel, I have a Way Huge Echo-Puss. Fantastic analog delay with modulation.
In the red loop, which is my distortion channel, I have my Raptor. So with one button I select either the green or the red loop, giving me either a nice clean sound with some modulated delay and enhanced by the BJFE Compressor, or a fantastic drive sound pushed by the Compressor.
After that loop pedal comes another single loop pedal with a TC Electronic Flashback Mini and a TC Spark Mini.This is my lead boost. So when I play a solo, I engage that loop pedal and it gives me a little delay and volume boost.
After that comes a TC Dreamscape and last a TC Trinity. On these last two spots I change around quite a lot. But I always end with a reverb which is always on. This is because I hate a totally dry sound. But there is not much reverb going on. Just a little to give me a more natural sound, in lack of a better word. It kinda glues the sound together. From there I go straight into the amp.
Last but definitely not least is the power supply. I use the Truetone 1 Spot Pro CS7.

Mind game: You are only allowed to take one single effect on stage – which one do you choose? Which effect pedal makes up your sound?
I have to say the Folkesson Raptor.

Do you have an effect that you use in a completely different way than originally intended, or that you have perhaps even (re)built yourself?
No, not really. The only thing that might not be so common is that I use my compressor to kick the distortion. I set it with a very mild compression but with the volume above unity. So it’s almost like a clean boost pushing the front of the Raptor.

Do you use a noise gate – why (not)?
No. I have a few that I tried out. But I don’t need one. My rig is very very quiet. I think that much has to do with quality stuff really. Good cables, good pedals and a really good power supply.

Is your effect board „ready“ or in constant change?
Some pedals, like the Raptor and the BJFE Compressor, are a constant. But like I said before, the main idea of my board stays pretty much the same. Individual pedals change from time to time though. Another thing with my board is that it fits in a standard carry-on size bag. Just barely I should add. So as I change different pedals, I sometimes have to pick the mini pedals just to save space. But it’s quite a good thing. It forces me to only bring what I actually need and not too many ‘nice to have’ effects.

Finally, do you have a tip for beginning musicians?
Try to learn to really listen to what you do and how it sounds. If it sounds good it’s good. But if not, try to identify what is wrong and how to change it. And don’t watch to many ‘how to play’ videos. Sure, you can learn some licks, solos or whatever quite fast. But it is much more rewarding in the long run to listen to music and try to figure it out by ear. It takes time, but you will be so much better in the end. That would be my top two tips.

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