Richard Fortus

From antique Martins and golden-era Gibsons, to high-spec custom builds and mods, the Guns N’ Roses veteran talks hunting down guitars, nailing his tone and sharing a stage with Slash

- Rod Brakes

Richard Fortus is at his home in St Louis, Missouri. He’s recently returned from a spate of club gigs with electronic rock experimentalists Headtronics, and is currently in the midst of producing the new album for The Psychedelic Furs, before heading back out on the road again later this year for an arena tour around the United States and Mexico with Guns N’ Roses, with whom he’s been playing since 2002.

While being immersed in such a broad variety of gigs over the years, Richard has constantly strived to refine his tone and find inspiration with new sounds – often in the form of new guitars. After all, “We’re pushed and inspired by our own tone,” he reminds us. Guitarist swung by for a rare insight into some of his favorite instruments and was treated to a jaw-dropping collection that could rival the inventory of many a vintage guitar shop…

How did you amass such a great collection of guitars and amps?

“It just seemed to have happened. I guess I have a problem! But I figure it’s better to put your money into what you know, investment-wise. I follow Joe Bonamassa’s posts on Instagram and I’m just amazed at his collection. It’s staggering. How one person can amass that kind of collection is mind-boggling. I don’t have the resources to go for the big-ticket items; I try to turn Axl and Slash on to the stuff that I can’t afford.”

It’s fair to say Slash has a fondness for ’Bursts…