In a new interview with Guitar World, Fender CEO Andy Mooney sang praises of AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Synyster Gates.
When asked who is the one played Mooney would like to sign to Fender roster, he responded: “I’m a heavy metal guy. My number one hero growing up was Blackmore. I just loved his blend of classical phrasing and training with the unbelievable rock sound and showmanship on stage.
“I guess a contemporary manifestation of that would be someone like Synyster Gates from AVENGED SEVENFOLD. I love that band,” he continued. “The way he plays is incredible — he’s a master technician and lightning-fast but also a great showman. There’s a laundry list of people I’d love to sign. He’s more in the vein of the kind of guitarists who influenced me when I was a kid…”
After interviewer noted there’s an April Fools fake news story that comes out every year about Slash signing an exclusive deal with Fender, Mooney said: “What’s interesting is that a lot of legendary players have used Strats in their own social activities. Like Kirk Hammett — he posted that he went out and bought an Acoustasonic Telecaster and Stratocaster. Some of the work Slash has done has been with a Stratocaster.
“Even The Edge — who we’ve done a signature guitar with — will have 23 different guitars over the course of one night. In his case, every song needed a very precise combination of one of his four amps and one of those 23 guitars! And the even settings for each song are very precise, which we know from Dallas [Schoo], his guitar tech.
“Then you’ve got a host of analog and digital pedals. The Edge is emblematic in some ways of how creative you can be by looking at all aspects of the signal chain,” Mooney added. “And, speaking of pedals, that’s another area we’ve put a lot of energy into over the last few years. It’s an important part of the creative toolbox.”
