ibanez87.it \ the nuno's interviews \ interview with Doug Doppler

interview with: Doug Doppler

interview by: nuno
pics: www.dougdoppler.com

Doug Doppler is not only an incredibly skilled and talented guitar player: he is the guitar teacher of dreams, first. any guitar student would dream to be learning guitar from a guy like Doug. Doug have taught more lessons over the past 20 years than he thought he might since the day Joe Satriani handed him the keys to the Berkeley, CA teaching studio they shared at the time, but, they all have their own paths, and the timing is not for them to choose. Doug's path has lead to us and for that he's grateful. since then, Doug created the Guitar 411 "...so I could reach guitarists beyond the immediate area of the Berkeley, CA teaching studio. We all are called to do something with our lives and teaching is something I still love to do in addition to making records and touring. I take what I do seriously as the chances are you love the guitar every bit as much as I do, which means I have a huge responsibility to make the most out of the experience for both of us. The better my students get, the better I become as a teacher, and in turn the better the experience is for each of us!". i'd call Doug "The Teacher of the Future"...

Doug Doppler plays and endorses Ibanez guitars and DiMarzio pickups.

check Doug Doppler's homepage:
www.dougdoppler.com

check Doug Doppler's Guitar 411:
www.guitar411.com

hi Doug, thanks to be here!

hi nuno, thank you!

let's talk about Ibanez first, we're going to start from the early days: when it all started at Ibanez? who contacted you first?

Rob Nishida has been in charge of artist relations since I first signed on as an endorser. I called him sometime just after my first disc was released in 1995. it was pretty informal. he asked me a few questions, I told him about what I was doing and he sent me a guitar to check out.

what guitars were you playing before the Ibanez endorsement?

various vintage Charvels, and Strat-esque guitars. all of my main instruments had Fender-scale maple necks with maple fingerboards, locking trems, and various pickup combinations built around a humbucker in the bridge with a five way toggle switch.

would you describe your relationship with Ibanez? what kind of endorsement have you got?

I have been with Ibanez for over a decade now, and consider myself very fortunate to be with them. the amount of time I have been with them speaks for the kind of relationships that they build with their endorsers. in addition to the various guitars Ibanez has sent me, whenever I need anything, I call Rob and he sends it. I am very lucky in that regard - they take excellent care of me. when they came out with the ZR tremelo Rob sent me a beautiful S470 to try out - it is actually the main guitar used on the Diatonic Theory and Harmony DVD. I ended up doing an audio clip for Rob using that guitar that will appear on the international Ibanez site sometime soon - here is the link. I actually tuned the low-E down to B on that track for a nice heavy bottom - and the guitar stayed perfectly in tune! they also recently sent me a beautiful SZ that I am going to use on an upcoming DVD about how to get killer tone. this guitar is halfway between Fender and Gibson scale, is perfect for drop tunings, and is just a gorgeous instrument. I used this one for the video and photo session for the Betcha Can't Play This feature I did in Guitar World earlier this year.

Guitar 411:
Doug Doppler - Diatonic Theory & Harmony DVD

what model your very first Ibanez guitar was as an endorsee?

a beautiful S540 LTD BM (Burled Mahogany) that is actually the main guitar I am using on the "Whammy Bar" DVD I am currently shooting. I also used it for the voice box solo on "Wrecking Ball" off of Nu Instrumetal.

how many custom models have you got now? would you please describe them to detail (woods, pickups etc)?

I have about 30 Ibanez guitars now, and they fall into two main categories - those I play and those I collect. none of these instruments is from the
Ibanez custom shop, as I simply could not imagine a better guitar than the S-Series. Ibanez selects the guitars that they send me, I have DiMarzio send them the pickups, they install them and do a set up, and then send the guitars to me. I am very fortunate to be able to get such great support from both companies.
on the playing-side I have about 12 various S-Series guitars. these guitars all have mahogany bodies, DiMarzio pickups, 22 fret Fender-scale necks with standard fret wire. live I am using two identical blue flamed S7470 7-Strings with DiMarzio Tone Zone 7 and PAF 7 pickups in the bridge and neck positions respectively. these guitars have had the Buzz Feiten tuning system installed and have also been Pleked. I also have a couple of 6/7-String double-necks that are really cool.
on the collection-side, I have a bunch of "lawsuit" era guitars, as well as a vintage Ibanez mandolin, and no, I have no idea how to play it!

would you like to have your own mass-produced signature model? if so, would you describe it to detail?

yes, I would love to have my own model. it would be based on an S-Series and would have a 6-string and 7-string version. both would have hum/sing/hum pickup configuration, DiMarzio pickups, and a locking trem. the 7-String would have a purple sunburst top, while the 6-string would only come in solid colors - they sound better without a laminated top. both Fender-scale of course!

could you tell something about the people at Ibanez? do you personally know any of them?

I have gotten to know Rob over the years. he's a really good guy, and takes time for me. he's on my eMail list, and actually takes the time to read the messages. this guy is BUSY, but he cares enough to want to stay in the loop about what I am doing. that means a lot to me.

what do you think is Ibanez' most good thing? why do you like Ibanez guitars?

because, quite simply, they make the best production guitars in the world. they've been doing it for decades, and continue to do so. the S-Series is
the most versatile rock guitar that has ever been manufactured, in my opinion. it does everything I need it to do. I may be known as some kind of
melodic shredder, but in reality I play lots of styles and need one guitar that can deliver. the combination of a mahogany body, hum/sing/hum pickup
configuration, locking tremelo with a Fender-scale neck is unbeatable in terms of tone AND versatility. and I can always find a replacement if I need
to.

among all the Ibanez endorsees, is there one that you like the most as a musician/guitar player?

Joe Satriani!

what had you started playing and composing your own music?

I have been playing guitar since I was six, and as a child I was hugely influence by The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. I was 11 when I started writing songs - I just figured that was what you were supposed to do. in high school everyone I knew who played studied with the local guitar teacher - Joe Satriani. I figured I'd check him, and boy am I glad I did. Joe was always introducing little progressions that he would teach me and we would jam over. he always encouraged me to write and for me to show him what I was working on. he's the best.

what's your goal with your music?

to really impact people's lives in a positive and useful way. I have been given so many opportunities that so many people dream of. I don't know why I
was selected to be born to my parents and to grow up where I did, but I do know I have a responsibility to make the most of the amazing blessings that fill my life. I had the most renowned electric guitar teacher in the world, and am on Steve Vai's label. making DVDs is for me a hugely powerful way I can give back to the music community as a whole. I learned a lot in the 3 1/2 years I spent studying with Joe. I have learned a lot since then working as a musician and teacher as well. I have a responsibility to pass that on, and that is something that I am deeply passionate about. I love to tour, and this April and May I will have the privilege of opening for Gilby Clarke (formerly of Guns'n'Roses of course) across Europe. it is great to play for an audience that has come to be entertained - I love it. but on a more meaningful level, as I teacher, I have much greater impact on people's lives in the long run. to inspire someone with your records is great - I humbled and thrilled to be making records for Steve Vai - who in their right mind wouldn't be. but at the same time, I really am passionate to teach and share with other musicians the things and experiences that have been shared with me. the music business can have an "outside looking in" vibe and I am so not into that. we are all in this together - we all love music, and we need to look at our similarities more than our differences. helping people discover how to make their own music increasingly special and rewarding is one of the main goals of my making and teaching music. that is to me, a goal worth living. I love an audience as much as any guitar player, but I love to help other guitarists find their own audiences (even if it is just themselves), every bit as much if not more.

would you please talk about your new album "Nu Instrumetal" and how did you get involved with Vai's Favored Nations?

Nu Instrumetal in many ways is the outgrowth of a project that I did with Stu Hamm and Atma Anur called DHA (Doppler Hamm Anur). Like Nu Instrumetal, those songs were done on 7 string, but were all in odd meters. The track "Five Hi" is the only song that survived the project. I decided to add it to Nu Instrumetal because I thought it was an important link to the origins of the disc - ironically it is the last track on the record. DHA recorded a bunch of tracks at my studio and did one show featuring that material as well as one of Stu's songs as I recall. It became clear that keeping this band together was not going to work in the long run, so I started work on Nu Instrumetal. Stu and I both came up with the album title separately, which is kind of funny. Ironically, I ended up playing bass on most of the record, with the exception of the track with Stu, and the track "Bring It On" with Billy Sheehan. Once the record was done, Joe Satriani passed the disc along to Steve Vai for consideration at Favored Nations. I've known Steve for years, and actually served as his guitar tech/roadie for a couple of shows while I was attending GIT. Steve listened to the disc, liked it and signed me to the label. Getting an instrumental disc out these days with real distribution is a Godsend, and I will be eternally grateful to Joe and Steve for their help. Breaks in this business don't come very often, and when they do, it is best not to confuse talent for God's grace.
In retrospect the only regret I have is the name of the disc. The disc was actually recorded in 2003, and at the time Nu Instrumetal was still quite
popular - in the U.S. at least. By the time the disc worked its way onto the release schedule at the label, Nu Metal was all but dead. The title was
really a "play on words", but the joke was in the long run on me. The record was really about integrating the intensity of modern hard rock into instrumental compositions. Quite simply I wanted to make a record that musically reflected the influence of the great new bands that are out there
have had on me as both a writer and player. My co-producer Peter Karr and I had a great time making the disc, and really worked hard to create a disc in which the production value would be as much of a focus as the playing. In the end I believe we crafted a really modern sounding disc that allowed me to find my own voice on the instrument and rock really hard in the process.

what song would you liked to write?

Yesterday.

have you got any new projects for the future? album, recording sessions etc?

As I mentioned, I am currently shooting the second Guitar 411 DVD, which is tentatively called "Whammy Bar Mojo". We should be done with editing this disc just before I leave for the European tour, so when I get back I will start working on the next DVD which will most likely be "Play Fast - NOW!".
As the name implies, it is all about playing fast. Geoff Tyson, as some of you will recall is another former Satriani student, and an amazing guitarist. I will be cutting a solo for his upcoming solo record this upcoming week, which is very exciting. Geoff and I have been friends for a long time, and we have tremendous mutual respect. He's a great player and a great guy - gotta love that!

you played as a guest on the G3 tour, would you please talk about it? any funny story related?

we played on the side stage at the G3 show at the Chronicle Pavilion in Concord, CA on the Yngwie J. Malmsteen G3. it was nothing short of amazing. to me, there is no other tour as a solo artist I would want to be on. the show itself was great, but you want a funny story - I have one for you. a former band member whose name I won't mention did not mind his manners as he should have. he was someplace he shouldn't have been with his pass, announced to Joe's manager that he could go anywhere he wanted, and was promptly thrown out of the venue by Joe's manager himself. I heard about it from a friend, and sure enough, towards the end of the night, the manager asks me to come into the venue office to give me a "talking to". my guy screwed up and ultimately (and admittedly) it was my responsibility. Joe's manager politely made that VERY clear. the humorous twist was the fact that an important member of Steve Vai's crew happened to be in the office, and was is in hysterics the entire time. he knew who I was, he knew the situation, and he was just beside himself with laughter as he watched me get exactly what I deserved. In the end it was fine - Joe's manager and I remain on great terms. but, it just goes to show how much damage an unruly band member can potentially do in such an important situation.

if you had the chance to have your own G3 world tour, who would be your two guests?

Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and I would be theirs!

would you talk about your experience as a session man? you've played with some big names in music...

the last session I did was a television commercial for 7-Up, but in general, I don't do that much studio work. I do some producing here and there and
always end up playing on a track or two. being around Joe has been a real blessing in so many ways. I actually know Neal Schon from when I used to
demo at NAMM shows for Schon Guitars, and I was invited to sit in along with Neal the last time Joe played here. we did "Going Down" and "Voodoo Chile". Neal is just one of my favorite guitar players, so to sit in with two living guitar legends was a truly remarkable experience - AND it was at the infamous Fillmore Auditorium. it is one of those nights that when I am old and look back on my "youth" will always be one of the most memorable.

Joe Satriani, Neal Schon and Doug Doppler
at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
(ph: Mike "Mikos" Richardson)

have you got other interests beside guitar/music?

I love to garden actually. I love working the soil with my hands and watching things that I've planted grow and bloom. I also love to bicycle and go the gym. I have a passion for traveling which is a good thing for a touring musician. And yes, I LOVE Italy! and of course, I am deeply passionate about my beloved wife.

thank you Doug for being here!

thanks nuno!

see one of Doug's S7420FMTBL

Doug Doppler plays and endorses:

DiMarzio pickups
Ibanez guitars

check Doug Doppler's homepage
www.dougdoppler.com

check Doug Doppler's Guitar 411:
www.guitar411.com

check Favored Nations homepage:
www.favorednations.com

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