Guitar Player – July 2019
English | 118 pages | True PDF | 101.8 MB
THERE’S NO DENYING Aerosmith are survivors. Now in its 50th year, the group has outlasted the excesses of the 1970s, not to mention the temporary departures of guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, various accidents, Still, as we began planning this issue all the way back in July 2018, I confess we had some concerns. Though I was thrilled at the prospect of featuring Joe and Brad together in Guitar Player to discuss Aerosmith’s Deuces Are Wild residency in Las Vegas, I worried that the event might be delayed or, worse, not happen. After all, Aerosmith were forced to cancel part of their South American tour in 2017 when singer Steven Tyler fell ill, and Joe himself had collapsed in July 2016 while performing with his group Hollywood Vampires. He collapsed again in November 2018, following an appearance with Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden, forcing Joe to cancel his remaining fall solo tour dates. At that point we just crossed our we’re happy to report that Joe is doing well, and everyone in Aerosmith was in For that matter, Aerosmith’s sound and performances during the run have been nothing short of outstanding. As writer Richard Bienstock reported after viewing an early show, “Joe and Brad both played great. with just him and Tyler sitting on stools at the front of the stage.” In a wide-ranging interview, Rich spoke with Joe and Brad about Aerosmith’s history, how they work together, their gear, and the future of both the group and rock music. In addition to talking with the guys, Rich lowdown on all the gear both guitarists are using during the residency. As the icing on the cake, we had legendary rock photographer Neil
produced a nice surprise when Joe showed up with a prototype of his new Gibson Les Paul Joe Perry Signature Gold Rush guitar. Joe has since teased out pictures of the instrument on social media, but as you’ll see on page 42, the guitar he brought to Neil’s studio has just a single knob, rather than the volume-tone combo found on the production models. Getting Joe and Brad for this issue wasn’t the only thrill. Senior editor Art Thompson scored a coup when he landed the exclusive story about the making of Sundragon’s limited-edition replica of the Supro Coronado combo Jimmy Page used on Led Zeppelin’s debut album. Created in association with Page by amp
has worked with Page for 35 years), the Sundragon is a meticulous re-creation of 1960s and subsequent repair work performed on it. As Mitch and Perry explain to Art, the project was long and involved and could not have happened without Page’s assistance and, ultimately, his trust in their work. at this issue of Guitar Player magazine we are honored to present the story here and greatly appreciate Mitch and Perry’s time and consideration – EDITOR
