“I can’t play like me. There are things I can’t do”: Mahogany Rush legend Frank Marino injured his finger while building pedals for his new company – and it’s affected the way he plays guitar
The player-turned-pedal manufacturer briefly toyed with the idea of relearning the guitar left-handed following the injury
(Image credit: Gus Stewart/Redferns/Getty Images)
Frank Marino has revealed to Guitar World that he recently injured his hand while working on his own recently launched pedal business, and it’s had a profound impact on the way he plays guitar.
At the time, Marino reiterated he’d be assembling each Frank Marino Audio pedal himself. However, the decision to build those effects units by hand has resulted in a rather nasty injury.
Speaking in an upcoming interview with Guitar World, Marino explained how he originally turned to the effects game after a health issue prevented him from touring. Unfortunately, the process of pedal assembly took a toll on him, and he damaged a nerve in one of his fingers.
“I'm making all these pedals by hand, and basically, by doing the grinding, pressing, and everything that I was doing by holding stuff in my left hand, I damaged a nerve in the index finger of my left hand,” says Marino. “So now, I'm seeing a specialist for that, which stopped me from playing guitar.”
It’s had a transformative impact on his playing. According to Marino, he can still play the guitar, just not as he used to: “I can't play like me. There are things I can't do because I can't stretch.
“I've been playing nonstop for 55 years,” he continues, “so suddenly, when I play my guitar, I've got to be careful about how I do it because it hurts.”
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Currently, Marino is seeing a specialist, who informs him his injury will “clear up” if the right steps are taken. An operation might be required, but, as the guitarist assures us, “I can get back to normal.”
That didn’t stop Marino from weighing up some other, potentially more difficult, remedies to his current situation.
“I even thought about turning it around and learning to play left-handed!” he goes on. “I did seriously think about it. But then my wife said, 'Look, go for the operation.' I was having all these tests and stuff to see what the hell I damaged, but I really damaged something in my finger.”
Keep an eye on GuitarWorld.com for the full interview with Frank Marino.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.