Guitar World famously listed Stanley Jordan as one of 40 players who changed the post-1980 modern era of guitar playing, and by the sound of it, he’s about to do that again.
Jordan, a player we associate with the frontiers of jazz guitar, is working on a metal album.
And not only that. In a new interview with Guitar World, Jordan says he’s using James Hetfield’s signature ESP Iron Cross single-cut to do it. “It’s a great heavy metal guitar with a great feel for the right hand,” he says.
No doubt! But what’s this about a metal album?
“Yes, it’s coming! With my tandem guitars, I can run different distortion pedals and wah-wahs on both guitars at the exact same time,” he says. “It’s insane what you can do.”
The “tandem guitars” setup needs an explanation. This is all kinds of nuts. If you have seen Jordan perform live, then you’ll know exactly what this is. Jordan’s two-handed “touch technique” allows him to effectively play two guitars at once. And we thought one guitar was difficult enough to control. He says his Vigier is still his number one electric guitar, but why restrict himself to just one?
“I’ve recently gone back to my “tandem guitars” setup where I play two guitars simultaneously. For the right-hand guitar, I’m using a PRS Santana. I love its short-scale length.
No doubt! But what’s this about a metal album?
“Yes, it’s coming! With my tandem guitars, I can run different distortion pedals and wah-wahs on both guitars at the exact same time,” he says. “It’s insane what you can do.”
The “tandem guitars” setup needs an explanation. This is all kinds of nuts. If you have seen Jordan perform live, then you’ll know exactly what this is. Jordan’s two-handed “touch technique” allows him to effectively play two guitars at once. And we thought one guitar was difficult enough to control. He says his Vigier is still his number one electric guitar, but why restrict himself to just one?
“I’ve recently gone back to my “tandem guitars” setup where I play two guitars simultaneously. For the right-hand guitar, I’m using a PRS Santana. I love its short-scale length. The strings feel loose, which makes the touch technique much easier.”
The other guitar in this setup right now is the Iron Cross. Jordan is getting it adjusted as we speak so that it fits better in this “tandem” setup.
It’s like every time Jordan picks up the guitar, the act of playing has been transformed in some way, like he’s turning conventional wisdom on its head.
