Sevenstring.org Interview: Justin Longshore

SS: Why did you choose to play a 7 string as opposed to a 6?

Justin Longshore: I was always fascinated with 7-strings when I was growing up. Morbid Angel were one of my favorite metal bands so seeing Trey Azagthoth with the Ibanez 7-string in an old Guitar World magazine really sparked my interest. Our first EP, “The Scars Of Ages”, had 6-string guitars tuned down to C standard. We lost our original guitarist and our new guitar player (Chris Anderson) had a 7-string so we tried it out with the songs and it just seemed right. A lot of people think the neck is really bulky but it always just seemed very comfortable and natural for me.

SS: What's your live rig looking like these days?

JL: I recently just switched over to Music Man John Petrucci 7-strings. I have two right now, one in Mystic Dream and one in Pearl Red burst. They are beautiful guitars and are very well crafted. I used to be really into the EMG’s but I find them to be a bit sterile. I think the Dimarzio’s really capture the instruments tone. I was with Ibanez for 2 years and they were awesome to me. I still have two RG customs that I like a lot but the JP7’s are just better for me.

JL: As far as amplification, I am running two heads in stereo through separate Randall cabinets w/ Celestion Vintage 30’s. A Randall RM100 w/ the ULTRA XL module and a Peavey 6505. I’ve played the 5150’s since we started as a band and it just fits our sound perfect. The Randall really beefs it up and adds the low mids while the 6505 has more cut. It’s the perfect blend. I’ve been through a ton of amps and am a huge gear head but this setup has lasted me the longest time and I’m still satisfied so that tells me this is the rig! Haha. I run a Maxon OD808 as a clean boost through both of the heads and I just have a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay in the FX loop for the leads.

SS: Can you elaborate at all on Anthony's departure?

JL: We had a lot of problems with his dedication. We were doing a lot of rehearsal for the Malice sessions and he just wasn’t showing up. We didn’t see any lyrics or any progress from him so we had a long talk with him and decided it was just best for us to move on.

SS: How's the response to Nate as the new vocalist been?

JL: Everything has been great. Nate is a really powerful vocalist and a lot different in style than Anthony. I think he really complimented the new record. “Malice” sounds way more angrier and pissed off than our previous efforts so Nate really just added to that sound. His first taste of touring with us was in Europe so it was interesting as we have never been there before at the time. We immediately went straight into The Red Chord tour with him and the response was ridiculous and better than ever. Fans are really accepting him as a new member of this band. We’ve had some negative comments here and there but no matter what you do, you will have those.

SS: Is there a 7 string you really wish you had?

JL: I would really like to have the Steve Vai sig, the Universe UV777. I think it looks awesome and I had a chance to play one at a Guitar Center once and it ruled. I’m also a big Vai fan so maybe one day I’ll have one!

SS: How was the recording process with Erik Rutan?

JL: It was an awesome experience for us. We’ve never had a producer step in and work with us so it was an honor to have a guy I’ve looked up to help us sculpt these songs. We were in a hotel on the beach in St. Petersburg, FL so the vibe was really cool. Rutan has played metal for years so he’s sort of a metal veteran, haha. We’ve never had this long to record an album either. I think we were in there for a month and a half.

SS: What was the setup for recording on Malice?

JL: I used my matte black Ibanez custom 7-string w/ EMG 707’s into a Marshall DSL 100 boosted by a Maxon OD808. We used a Marshall 1960a cabinet with Vintage 30’s and I recall him using a SM57 and Sennheiser MD421 to mic it up. We tried a TON of amps in the studio…ENGL, Peavey, Mesa, Framus, etc. but the DSL just sounded the best to our ears surprisingly. Rutan was so in love with it he used it on his new record as well.

SS: How does the band's writing process work?

JL: I make a lot of demos on my computer with a drum machine (EZDrummer) and program everything via midi. I have a POD that I just plug up through an mbox and record all of my ideas in Pro Tools. We then get together after all of the basic ideas are put together and create the song at practice.

SS: How did the band come about?

JL: The band was formed in 2003. We all were in a bunch of local bands that didn’t really do anything because no one really saw eye to eye musically. With this band we just brought in all of our influences and knew the sound we were going for.

SS: What are your influences musically?

JL: I listen to all genres of music. They all influence me in some sort of way. I enjoy a lot of hip hop as well. I grew up listening to like Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer and then I branched into death metal like Death, Cannibal Corpse, and Morbid Angel. I got into hip hop at the same time so I was always open minded. I’ve been listening to this band called Porcupine Tree a lot lately. They are incredible. I like Dream Theater a lot...there are just so many bands to name.

SS: What's the one piece of equipment you can't live without?

JL: It would have to be my Line 6 POD believe it or not. That’s where all of my ideas stem from so there really wouldn’t be these ideas for the songs without it.

SS: What would be your dream tour?

JL: I’d love to do a tour with Death. Chuck Schuldiner has been a big inspiration on guitar for me and is one of my favorites. I’d add Van Halen and Steve Vai and make it a total shred fest haha.

SS: How do you see the differences between Bloodlust and Malice?

JL: Malice is a more sharp and in your face record. It has a lot raw elements that are missing in today’s recordings. The performance is there and the emotion is there. It’s just way more powerful in all aspects. A lot of that has to do with Erik Rutan as far as production. He’s old school and doesn’t rely on Pro Tools to fix things…we get it right in the studio. Bloodlust was really rushed just because we got on Prosthetic and wanted to put out a record as fast as possible and tour. We were all in a different state of mind then. I think we are a lot more focused now but we still have that hunger. Overall, we are a tighter unit on this recording and a lot of that has to do with touring non-stop for the past two years.