Q. Is Lars’s long blonde hair
really a wig?
A. LARS: No
it is definitely all my own! I have had this “hairstyle” since the early ‘70s.
If you doubt me, pull it and see!
Q.
Why don’t you copy Quo and play Fender Telecasters?
A. PAUL:
I’ve
played Telecasters in the past and of course this famous six-string solid
should be the obvious choice for a tribute band, but the standard version
does possess some inherent performance problems.
Intonation (and therefore tuning) is something of a compromise on the original
three- bridge saddle design, and this piece of ironmongery is also more than
a mite uncomfortable and inconvenient playing-wise. Of course, employing the
modern six-saddle model improves such matters, but the main hassle is that
when used in a high volume live situation (a la Status Quo or Status Clone),
the normal Tele bridge pickup is prone to undesirable squealing,
Francis
and Rick have tried various mods to combat these design deficiencies but we
decided to go a different route and use Yamaha’s Pacifica 311 instead. With
a little hot-rodding here and there this guitar makes a great alternative
to the ‘real thing’; virtually eradicating all the typical Tele nasties and
we reckon it looks more stylish too! We had a couple cosmetically customised
to match Quo’s famous green and white instruments and they’ve now become OUR
trademark! The other examples seen on-stage are reserved for use as spares
or handling the various necessary non-standard tunings.
Q.
Why don’t you use Marshall amps like Quo?
A. PAUL:
Quo
actually use a combination of Marshall and Vox amplification, but for us it
was a question of compromise imposed for various reasons that prevented straight
copycatting. A backline of Marshall heads and speaker cabs certainly looks
good but it does occupy a lot of stage space, something that simply isn’t
available in a lot of venues. The same problem applies to transport - our
trusty Transit couldn’t possibly accommodate the necessary number of large
lumps!
Instead
we looked for something much more compact that would still do the job and
settled on another Brit-built amp, the Sessionette 75. This combo is compact,
lightweight, VERY loud, sounds fantastic and is ultra-reliable - aspects that
don’t always apply to Marshalls I’m afraid! For us these inoffensive-looking
amps are actually far superior to the more correct alternatives and even if
we had the room we wouldn’t want to change!
Q. Which Status Quo drummer is
Steve influenced by?
A. STEVE:
I
tend to use bits from all of them, they all have great strengths. It probably
depends on the era of the song we are playing. But overall, I’m perhaps most
influenced by Jeff Rich, partly because I think he was closest to my own existing
style, so I didn’t have to adapt the way I naturally played the drums too
much. (Of course it could simply be that he was relatively short, fair-haired
and balding – as am I, of course!). I must say though, when I saw Quo in the
late 80’s and early 90’s, I thought Jeff was a real powerhouse and drove the
band like a train. Most impressive. From my point of view at least, the drive
and power of the music is what Quo is all about.
Q.
Is your red headless bass the same sort as Rhino’s?
A. DAVE:
It
is indeed very similar to the favourite four-string of Quo’s current bass
player. Like his, it comes from the UK’s leading bass maker, Rob Green, whose
company is coincidentally called Status!
Mine was custom built to the same specifications, which are in fact a little
different to those of the latest Status instruments. It combines a carbon
graphite, bolt-on neck with an all-wood body. The latter is finished in the
identical shade of crimson (Rhino Red perhaps?), because the paint came from
the same tin as that used for Mr. Edwards’ example! Obviously
in Status Clone it’s nice to use something with Quo connections and associations,
but I’d happily feature this four-stringer in any band, because Rob Green
did a great job and the bass plays and sounds as good as it looks.
Q.
Why don’t you use a Fender Mustang bass?
A.
DAVE: Quo’s
original bass player, Alan Lancaster, wasn’t exactly a big bloke and the compact
dimensions of the Fender Mustang bass suited his smaller stature. He obviously
liked the short scale length (30.5in) too, although towards the end he regularly
toted a Travis Bean four-string that featured the standard 34in scale.
Neither
instrument really appeals to me. We do have a Fender Mustang bass in the band,
but I find it too tiny for comfort, while an aluminium necked Travis Bean
feels too cold and heavy, and unlike carbon graphite, all that alloy causes
some tuning stability problems.
Q.
Why does Steve use only Paiste cymbals?
A. STEVE: It is not simply because the last three Quo drummers have all used
mainly Paiste. I (along with many other rock drummers) started using Paiste
cymbals just after the 2002 range was introduced in the late 60’s. 2002’s
were developed by Paiste specifically for the “new” loud & powerful rock
music that was emerging at that time. Other brands of cymbals, which were
then available, in my opinion, lacked sufficient explosive power to cut through
enough and were also prone to premature cracking with heavy playing. Although
all the cymbal manufacturers have
long since introduced similar ranges, I have no desire to change what I’m
happy with. (The only non 2002 cymbal I use is a Paiste “Rude” 18” China).
Using such powerful cymbals as 2002’s also negates the absolute necessity
for an overhead drum mike in all but the biggest of venues. Paiste 2002’s
therefore make ideal Status “cymbals”!
Q.
Your playing and sound seems to be 100% live, but we don’t see any guitar
leads,
so how is it done?
A. PAUL:
In
Quo’s early years they used long leads and had to take care avoiding terminal
tangles while running about on stage, but these days the band prefers the
convenience and freedom provided by wireless systems. We too decided to invest
in this alternative and, although more expensive, the benefits offered by
eradicating all those connecting cables are certainly well worth the extra
outlay, especially when working on larger stages.
You will be able to submit your questions online in the very near future but,
in the meantime,
If you have any questions or queries that you would like to add to this page
then please
contact us at: info@statusclone.com
