Seymour Duncan Underground

At Seymour Duncan, we are all about the players and their quest for the right sound. For every band that has achieved critical mass, there are thousands more who are putting in their dues at local bars and coffee shops. Seymour Duncan Underground is a new continuing series to showcase unique musicians and bands that have not quite reached the mainstream. Today, we sit down with Frode Andreassen of Testpilot.
How did you get started playing guitar?
“I started playing guitar when I was 16 and drums when I was 12, and I still play both instruments almost daily. Heavily inspired by Angus Young, Slash, and Scott Ian. I started out with simple rock and heavy riffs. I believe the first song I tried to learn was Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth.”
“Since I’m left handed it was very hard to find a lefty guitar where I lived, so I bought a right handed Hondo Strat and set the strings up left handed. That was my first guitar, and the year was 1992.”
Tell us about Testpilot.
“Testpilot started in Bergen, Norway in 2005 and our goal was to take the music back to the alternative rock scene in the 90’s, which I believe we have accomplished. We’ve been told in many reviews that our music is very inspired by the alternative hard-rock and grunge scene from the mid 90’s, but with a more up-to-date modern sound. We’re very happy to read such reviews.”

“Last year we released our debut album called You Never Know When which has sold almost 1,000 copies. That’s a good number for an underground band with no record deal, booking agent or manager. In 6 months we will hit the studio again to record our second album. I’m the drummer in Testpilot but I also write 50% of the music we play, that might be a bit weird situation for some, but for me and the guys in the band it’s no problem. There are many guys out there playing drums in a band that also write most of the bands music.”

“I guess I’m in the same boat as Charlie Benante, Dave Grohl, Joey Jordison and Tommy Lee.”
What kind of gear do you use?
“Since I’m a left handed guitar player the guitar market is not exactly the biggest out there, but I’ve found some great companies that build fantastic lefty guitars, one of them being Gaskell Guitars in Sydney, Australia. I recommend all lefty players out there to check them out. I have a black Gaskell Huntsman, a red Gibson SG Standard, a white ESP Eclipse and a black Schecter Blackjack Solo-6 guitar for my songwriting.”

“I’ve just ordered myself a lefty red Dean ML USA guitar, made in Dean’s Custom Shop in Florida, can’t wait to get my hands on that one. All my guitars have Seymour Duncan pickups and I mainly use the Duncan JB in the bridge and either a ‘59 or a Jazz in the neck. But a few months ago I tried the Duncan Custom Shop El Diablo pickup, and after 2 minutes of playing I had found my new favorite pickup. It’s the best rock and metal pickup out there, no doubt! That pickup has it all, it’s amazingly crunchy, fat, bright, and also super-responsive to my pick. Not to mention the tightness in the bass area – unbelievable! It’s actually so crunchy it’s like stepping on a bag of corn flakes! It’s perfect for the music I play, I love it!”

“I only use Randall amps, different kinds of models, but only Randall. I love the fat bottom ‘bassy’ character their amps have, plus the fact that many of my guitar heroes today also use Randall. The guitar players in Testpilot use ESP and Jackson guitars, all with Seymour Duncan JB and ‘59 pickups. They’re also super happy with Duncan pickups and will never use anything else.”

What bands have inspired you?
“My biggest guitar influence for the last 7-8 years have been Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath. Being lefty myself I feel this weird connection to him and his guitar playing. Plus the fact that no guitar player on this planet has ever made so many amazing riffs as he has, he truly is the guitar riff meister of our time.”
“In my teens I was inspired by Anthrax, Ugly Kid Joe, Nirvana, AC/DC and Soundgarden. I still listen to those bands today but I’m also heavily inspired by Disturbed, Sevendust, Black Sabbath, Alter Bridge, Dream Theater, Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains and Tool.

Testpilot

For more information on Testpilot, please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/testpilotband