Fancy Riffs

Frank Zappa

"Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST".-Frank Zappa


The founding member of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Frank is one of my personal favorite guitarists and my flat out winner for most unappreciated guitarist of all time, although he is ranked #22 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists. He does not belong to any one genre of music because of his unequaled versatility as a guitarist and as a composer. Zappa's solos range from beautifully melodic avant-garde compositions (solo on Inca Roads) to growling distorted rock and roll shredding, (see Dirty Love).

 Dirty Love (solo at 1:12)

Zappa's unique guitar style stemmed from his deep-rooted understanding of rhythm. He grew up playing drums and didn't pick up a guitar until the age of 21. He blended his love of classical music, rock, and jazz to create one of the most exclusive sounds in history.

 
Effects: Used a Vox or Cry-Baby Wah pedal untraditionally, instead of using it to compliment his sound, he used it as a way of creating specific tones within his playing(see Willie the Pimp). One of the more interesting  effects he used, which is my personal favorite is the Oberheim Filter. This effect has a repetitive echo with a hint of wah and I personally associate it's sound exclusively to Frank Zappa (see Ship Ahoy). 

 (Vocals by Captain Beefheart)

Equipment: Frank was mostly associated with his Gibson SG, but he had many other guitars that he enjoyed using. One of his other well-known guitars was his custom Gibson Les Paul. It was programmed to have a wah-wah toggle that allowed him to achieve the classic sound of a wah pedal but was configured in such a way that like a volume knob every slight movement changed the the tone of the wah sound, instead of using the pedal itself.

Fun Fact: Frank owned the famous Fender Stratocaster that was burned by Jimi Hendrix, which he gave to his son Dweezil.

Frank Zappa was never too outspoken about his amps, but he did happen to prefer a few. The most recognizable were a Fender Deluxe, and Marshall from his earlier work on Freak Out and Over-Nite Sensation.

 “If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.”-Frank Zappa