Strange things can happen to our gear in the heat. It can play havoc with a vintage germanium fuzz pedal. It can do all kinds of unwelcome things to our guitar’s setup. Oh, and on some occasions it do something even more drastic – like what happened to Richard Fortus just the other day.
Fortus was playing at the Mohammed Abdu Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Guns N’ Roses took to the stage just after 10pm, the sun long gone over the horizon, the temperature a little more amenable to a three-hour rock concert on the Arabian Peninsula.
During the day it was a different story, with the mercury reaching 45º Celsius/113º Fahrenheit. Not all of the gear came out of the GNR truck in the same condition it went in. Fortus’ signature Gretsch Falcon looked like it needed a bit of work to get it ready.
“Well this is a first,” Fortus wrote on Instagram. “It was so hot in Saudi Arabia that the wax in my pickups melted!”
Alex Skolnick metaphorically spoke for all of us here when the Testament guitarist left an open-mouthed emoji. Horror is the only appropriate response.
Melting wax is a new one on us. Wax-potted pickups are commonplace, and for good reason. Wax potting reduces mechanical vibrations in the pickup, which in turn helps nix unwanted microphonics.
Also, just think how sweaty you get during a show. Wax potting prevents moisture getting into the pickup and corroding the pole pieces, preserving the lifespan of your pickup.
But just look at front of Fortus’ Gretsch guitar. It’s like a candle has been dripping onto the guitar’s top. The V-Stoptail looks like it could be caked in it.
The good news is that this is easily enough fixed by a qualified tech. Guns N’ Roses will have at least one or two on the payroll with them. Also, it’s rare.
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Indeed, when MusicRadar spoke to Fortus in 2022 about the Falcons, he said “They’ve proven to be incredibly stable on this tour”. But then maybe a June/July run through Europe is not quite as hot as the an-Nafud desert.
The Filter’Trons you will find on Fortus’ signature guitar are not your garden variety Filter’Tron. He tried every variant before co-designing a pair with Gretsch that suited his Falcon to a tee.
“At first, we tried all the boutique Filter’Trons – Lollar, Mojotone, TV Jones… We went through everything including the Arcanes, which is what I use in my (hollowbody) Players Edition Falcons,” said Fortus. “I love the Arcanes in those guitars. They sound amazing.
“In fact, I’ve just recommended them to Charlie Starr from BlackBerry Smoke. He ended up putting them in an old White Falcon he has – like a late ‘60s model. But in the end, it was quite the process. We had the luxury of being able to wind pickups and test them in Guns N’ Roses rehearsals.
“I had several guitars on rotation and John Gaudesi was winding pickups on the spot. We were listening in fine detail through in-ears and in the control room and tweaking them as we went along until we found the perfect sound.”
Guns N’ Roses concluded the Middle East run of their tour in Abu Dhabi, UAE, yesterday and start their European run on 30 May in Georgia. They play Birmingham on 23 June and London on the 26 June. See Guns N’ Roses for full dates and ticket details.
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