Sixty Seconds With...

A minute’s all it takes to find out what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo for the airport we grabbed a quick chat with legendary Dixie Dregs, Flying Colors and Deep Purple guitarist, Steve Morse.

- Steve Morse

GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?

SM: Lately, I’ve been changing my technique around, experimenting with different picks. Now, I often practice with an Ernie Ball nylon pick, and switch to celluloid picks for the shows. On at least one section of the show, I switch back to the nylon pick. For Flying Colors gigs I’ve done so far this year, I used just the nylon pick (similar to Dunlop .88).

GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?

SM: It would be my two TC Electronic Flashback delays (with my ‘toneprint’ preset loaded in) and the Keeley compressor pedal. They sound great, are easy to carry, and always help things when I need them.

GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band?

SM: I’ve played a number of gigs on bass. I was in a musical production company in college, and the only position available was for bass, so I grabbed it. I’ve also stood in for my friend in a rock covers band, playing bass, when he was seriously ill.

GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?

SM: Yes, but slower than would be called for, I’m afraid. It takes some practice to read quickly, and it’s not something I’ve done for decades.

GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours?

SM: Yes, they do! I found out for sure when some companies had me try out their super ‘hi-fi’ type of cords. It turns out that they did indeed transmit more high end, but it also turned out that I prefer my old school Music Man cords with the grounding switch on one plug.