ARIELLE

A minute's all it takes to discover what makes a great guitarist tick. Before she jumped into her limo for the airport, we grabbed a quick chat with the US singer-songwriter, guitar player, and Brian May Guitars artist

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

A: Yes, I use Dava picks. When I was first starting out playing, I bought every style guitar pick I could find. Every size, thickness, and point type. I stuck with the Jazz 3’s for a while, and of course I used the Brian May sixpence, but I latched onto the Dava picks. I love the grip, as I am not a hard grabber with my right hand. The delrin tone is smooth, not too bright, and they have a break in the middle that allows you to have the feel of a medium pick or hard depending on how you grab or choke up on the pick. I recently found out that the founder, Dava Dave who was a genius in his own right, recently passed away. Heart-breaking to say the very least, but he invented my favourite pick that I truly couldn’t play without

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

A: I only use three anyway! My favourite pedal would be my 80s TC Electronics chorus/flanger. Eric Johnson got me into those. The next one would be my J Rockett Animal. Killer Dumble style pedal that I use if I can’t crank my amp as loud as I want. I suppose the last one might just be a wahwah. A simple Crybaby is fine. This is all I have on my rig, at this point. I suppose an A/B/Y switch too, but that doesn’t really count as a pedal, does it?

GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band? And if so, have you ever done it?