Orianthi’s debut solo album, 2005’s Violet Journey, immediately put the guitar community on notice that a major new talent had arrived. Her unique blend of blues-fueled virtuosity turned heads from the very start, leading to countless endorsements from major-league gear manufacturers.
The subsequent years have seen her release four more highly acclaimed albums; in fact, we caught up with her as she was completing work on her sixth album, which is due sometime this year.
This means Guitar World managed to find a spot in Ori’s hectic schedule to discuss the three guitars that have meant the most to her over her career.
“I’ve got so many guitars that mean a lot to me for all kinds of reasons, but I guess – when push comes to shove – these are the three I always return to. I still find myself on guitar-hunting expeditions when I get a day off on tour, but if I could only own three guitars, these are the three that would make the cut.”
Maton Australian EA80C
“This was the first guitar I bought for myself, when I was 14. My dad had bought me a few other guitars before, but I managed to finally get enough money together to buy this. I thought that the fact that Maton was Australian was cool. They’re such a great brand – such well-made guitars.
“I brought it over to America with me, and the wood got cracked during the flight. It holds a lot of great memories for me, sitting and writing with it in those early years. I came up with all the songs for Violet Journey, which got me the deal with Jimmy Iovine, on this guitar. I actually started out on an old, beat-up classical guitar that my dad had, that he was happy to let me play.
“He didn’t trust me with his Gibsons and Fenders at that time. Then, when I was seven, he gave me his Cherry Red Gibson ES-125, on the condition that I only used it at home. He was always telling me to be very careful with it – it was a really beautiful guitar.
“It was a left-handed hollowbody – my dad is left-handed – so we converted it to right-handed, which was actually kind of weird.”
“I would sneak it out to school after my dad left for work, but he came home early one day and saw me coming back in with it. I was busted, and he was shocked at first, but I told him that I’d played a song I’d written at school assembly and I had some friends dancing with me. I think he was impressed that it was like a proper show, so that got me off the hook.
“I was really spoiled as a kid when it came to guitars; after he gave me the 125, he gave me a red Fender Strat and then a PRS. My parents could see how dedicated and serious I was about playing the guitar when I was a child.
“I guess they thought I probably wasn’t going to be able to do anything else except maybe feed the animals in a zoo, so maybe I could become a guitar player. My dad was a real tone freak and guitar obsessive, and I think that’s where I got my obsession from.”
PRS Custom 24 (one-off)
“You can plug this guitar into anything, and it sounds amazing. I’ve played it next to a ’59 Les Paul for comparison, and also next to my ’62 ES-335, and it sounded just as good. It’s got Paul [Reed Smith]’s special pickups that sound really full; it sustains wonderfully. It’s a real workhorse; it never goes out of tune.
“There are so many unique details about this model. It’s got mother-of-pearl all over it – it was specially flown out for the guitar. There’s pink mother-of-pearl and all kinds of extravagant stuff on the neck, and my “O” symbol is also made from the same material. The entire guitar is made from one piece of Brazilian rosewood, so it’s very heavy.
“I love vintage guitars, but taking them on the road causes me anxiety, because I worry about someone stealing them, but this purple PRS has been everywhere with me. It’s definitely my Number 1 guitar. I actually buy a seat on the plane for it. It travels with me everywhere; it stays with me in my hotel room. It is literally with me all the time; it’s a bit psychotic, I guess. I’ve had five guitars stolen from me, and when you love something the way I love this guitar, you don’t take chances.
“I played the national anthem at a football game in Miami in 2009 on a Les Paul with a Floyd Rose. I turned my back for five minutes and it got stolen from behind me. I’ve had four great PRS guitars stolen as well. That’s why I make sure if I’m taking this guitar with me anywhere, it stays right by my side.”
Gibson SJ-200 (signature)
“It was a huge honor to be asked to collaborate with such an historic company. On top of that, to then be told that my model is their third-best-selling SJ-200 ever, after Elvis and Bob Dylan – what stellar company to be in! – is just really amazing. According to Gibson, they’re so popular that they’ve been on back order for five years, which is mind-blowing.
“I’m working with them to produce an Epiphone version, as the Gibson model is a little on the expensive side. Having said that, the expense is justifiable, with the quality of the wood and the extras like the crystals, and we spent a long time developing the LR Baggs pickups. It also has a built-in compressor.
“Basically, if the sound guy passes out drunk or something, you can fix everything from the guitar. Everybody asked me why I picked such a big guitar, but it just sounds like a grand piano. The sound is huge, and the tonal spectrum is so broad, it’s just immense.
“When you’re accompanying yourself, playing an acoustic gig, the worst thing for me is that horrible, thin sound you often hear. You need the sound to be fully rounded out, and the Baggs pickup captures every detail of the full-bodied sound of the guitar.
It’s been really cool to collaborate with Robi Johns at Gibson – he’s an amazing luthier. His wife is into crystals, as am I, so we immediately connected
“I wanted something that had a neck that was a bit more like an electric guitar – I always found regular acoustic necks a bit too chunky.
“I’d played an ES-345 with what seemed like the ideal neck, and that was the inspiration for the neck on my signature model. It’s been really cool to collaborate with Robi Johns at Gibson – he’s an amazing luthier. His wife is into crystals, as am I, so we immediately connected.
“I said I wanted amethyst on the controls, and he just said OK, whatever you want – that was just for my own Number 1 model; the others have mother-of-pearl instead, though there is an option to have crystals. I thought we’d better give people a choice as not everyone is as into crystals as I am!”
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
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