Paul Rose, born in Newcastle, England in July 1966, is without doubt one of the most unique and talented guitarists in the world today. Fundamentally a rock guitarist, his extraordinary playing style touches on blues, country, jazz and folk, blended together into a style that is entirely his own. Never a gig goes by where audience members don’t comment that Paul is the best guitarist they’ve seen and heard.
Rory Gallagher awarded Paul a Fender ’62 Reissue Strat, with a Vox AC30, in a Fender- sponsored competition that invited guitarists from all over the UK to appear in local music shops. Entrants were required to play in front of a video camera using the guitar and amp in question, without any pedals, to be edited and shown to Rory at a later date. Out of 1000 guitarists, Rory selected Paul as the winner and described him as “a hot player with a hot future.” Having also won “Guitarist of the Year” in Guitarist Magazine a couple of years later, it is plainly obvious that Paul is a force to be reckoned with.
Paul Rose
Why did you change out your stock pickups?
“I guess I was intrigued at first to see just how much difference it would make to my sound.”
Which pickups do you use and for which guitars?
“I’ve used Alnico Pro II’s in my Strats and Telecasters for a long time now, but have recently been checking out the Five-Two which I like very much. Also, when I visited the factory in California I had arranged them to install a set of Custom Shop ’53 Tapped pickups in my Telecaster. They are great as you can easily jump between a hotter or cooler version of the bridge pickup which is very useful. And I’m about to try the SSL-5 in a Strat when I return home to England from the USA this week.”
“I find that Seymour Duncan pickups have a way of bringing out the detail of the string. The best way I can describe it is to say that it brings out the grain of the sound, a bit like staining wood. I can somehow feel the notes in my fingers better. My pickups now help me slow down and savor the tone a lot more. Seymour Duncans are my “go to” pickups, no hesitation.”
How would you describe your playing?
“Primarily rock, but with a blend of blues, country, jazz, folk and pop.”
What is the difference between American and UK audiences?
“Rock music is a lot more embedded in American culture I guess, but both UK & US audiences are great. I’ve had excellent experiences with both. I love them both in equal measure.”
What difficulties do you encounter as a performer who travels many different countries?
“It’s very expensive to travel with a band and so using musicians for each local territory makes it difficult to rehearse and get material bedded in. Of course I’d prefer to use a set line up, but cost is prohibitive at the moment.”
Who was your biggest musical influence and why?
“Probably my father, if I was really honest. He was so passionate about music and played recordings of the great violin concertos of Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky – all the time at home. He explained what stereo was to me and was very careful with preserving his vinyl record collection. So I suppose that for me is where it all started.”
Biggest musical thrill?
“Meeting Rory Gallagher and being given a Strat from him. Also jamming with Richie Morales and Bill Evans in New York was pretty amazing. Given who they are and what they’ve done.”
Worst gig?
“I lived in a derelict pub in east London for a while with the Hells Angels. They would ride their motorbikes around the bar at 4am while we were playing. Although the music was received very well, it always felt like it could turn ugly at any time (that’s not to say that it wasn’t already ugly enough.) Thankfully those days are all behind me now.”
What did you do to develop your own style?
“My development as a player came through composition I guess. By trying to express something from personal experience or by trying to tell my own story. I like writing songs these days, and for me they are usually pretty personal statements. And so the guitar has to fit into that framework. Having a strong technique is merely data if I have nothing meaningful to say.”
To visit with Paul, please go to:
http://www.facebook.com/paulroseguitar
Paul has continued to go from strength to strength, having released a total of ten solo albums to date, selling worldwide to an ever increasing circle of fans. Coupled with his stunning live shows built on 25 years of tough performing experience, Paul is now gaining the worldwide recognition he deserves.
