For their new band Mirador, Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka and Ida Mae’s Chris Turpin elected to use some knockout gear. But one electric guitar – which Kiszka felt was destined for his hands – was ultimately swiped by his bandmate.
The blues rock riffers have custom, one-of-one Martin acoustics and a Dumble-modded Marshall amp – once procured by producer Dave Cobb for an $80 kitchen gadget – to thank for the sound of their debut record.
But, thanks to Turpin, Kiszka’s search for a guitar that can go toe-to-toe with his prestigious Number One Gibson SG – a gorgeous 1961 vintage build – goes on.
“I have yet to find one that sounds like my ‘Number One’, outside of the one Chris has ‘stolen’, right?” Kiszka jokes in conversation with Guitarist.
“The guitar I call ‘the one that got away,’” his bandmate quips. But as Kiszka correctly says, returning fire, “It didn’t exactly get away.”
“It was from Vintage ‘n’ Rare Guitars,” Turpin explains. “And I may have swiped that guitar from underneath Jake – after he swiped a very nice Park amp from underneath me!”
As for how challenging it's been to find a worthy equal to Kiszka's Number One, Turpin continues, “We were going to guitar shows and every time you’d see one and pick it up to try it – especially those ’61 SGs – you know, acoustically, whether it’s going to do the thing or it’s not going to the thing very quickly.
“They’re not all the same at all. So this particular one that I stole from underneath Jake has some of the things that Jake’s guitar has, but there’s a nuance to it that is separate.
“Jake’s guitar is very lively. It’s got a real bark and it’s really agile, and there’s a huge amount of dynamics in those pickups, even for fingerpicking.”
That 'stolen' guitar wasn't the only gear find that Turpin ended up acquiring for Mirador – another was a 1970 Les Paul Custom, which served as a suitable foil for the OG Number One SG.
“Immediately I picked this guitar up, and when we were in pre-production, I just had a feeling,” he once explained. “I didn't even play it properly. It had lived a life and had one dodgy jack lead at this auction, and I squeaked out like two chords on it, and I thought, ‘This is the guitar for this project.’ It just seems to sing and marry perfectly well with Jake’s Number One.”
Meanwhile, Turpin has waxed lyrical about the “spectacularly special” thing about his bandmate’s live rig.
The pair’s full interview is the cover story in the new issue of Guitarist. Head to Magazines Direct to pick up a copy today.
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