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I found this interview with "Jimmy", Vito Bratta's guitar tech during the golden years of white lion. I can't get the link to work but I will post the exerpts I have here.
I know Vitto Bratta was not a Jackson endorser but I cant help it but find this interview interesting and I think people here will benefit. Enjoy!...
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When asked about the guitars used:
- Jimmy:
"I WAS VITO'S TECH FROM 1987-1992. WHEN VITO FIRST PLAYED A STEINBERGER WE WERE BOTH BLOWN AWAY. REALLY AN AMAZING GUITAR,THEY NEVER WENT OUT OF TUNE. THE TRANSTREM ALLOWED MANY DIFFERENT TUNINGS WITH OUT SWITCHING GUITARS.BUT TIME AFTER TIME EVERYBODY WAS ASKING "WHAT KIND OF GUITAR WAS THAT?".
WE USED THEM FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, THEN ESP MADE US A NECK FOR THE STEINBERGER WITH A HEAD STOCK, THEY PUT A FLOYD ROSE LOCKING NUT ON IT. BUT BECAUSE A STIENBERGER NECK WAS MADE OUT OF GRAFITE IT COULD TAKE THE STRING TENSION WHEN THE GUITAR WAS LOCKED IN TO A G TUNING. IT WOULD BE LIKE TUNING YOUR GUITAR UP TO G WITH E BEING TUNED UP TO G AND SO ON.THE WOOD NECK WOULD NOT WORK. SO WE USED THAT GUITAR LIKE A REGULAR GUITAR WITH A TREM BAR ON IT. THATS THE WHITE ONE.
BUT BY THE MAIN ATRACTION TOUR WE WERE BACK TO ESP STRATS. NO MODLE NUMBERS I BULIT THEM OUT OF PARTS THAT VITO HAD GOTTEN FROM ESP. THE LION HEAD PUT IN BETWEEN THE PICKUPS WAS JUST A STICKER. BUT THE MAIN REASON FOR THE SWITCH BACK TO ESP'S WERE THAT PEOPLE JUST DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE STEINBERGER GUITAR WAS ALL ABOUT.
- Questions from a furum member:
Jimmy, that's really some interesting info! I have a couple of more questions: On the ESP strat(s) Vito was using, what brand/model of pickups were fitted? The strat I've seen him play on photos/videos, it looks like he's using a pickup setup with humbucker-singlecoil-singlecoil, but it doesn't look like they are EMG's like on the Steinbergers.
Another question: I know that Vito went over from playing various Marshalls, to use an ADA MP-1 instead. Do you know any patch-settings on that one? Or what brand of tubes he was using in it?
- Answers from Jimmy:
HEY FOLKS FIRST OFF BC I DID ALL THE SWITCHING FOR VITO. BACK THEN HE HAD A RACK OF MARSHALLS AND A RACK OF ROLANDS FOR CLEAN SOUND. THE ESP STRATS HAD DUNCANS IN THEM. EMG'S STARTED WITH THE STEINBERGERS. THE LATER STRATS HAD EMG'S IN THEM AS WELL.
AS FAR AS ADA SETTINGS DISTORTION WAS SET TO TUBE DISTORTION OD-1 WAS 7 OD-2 WAS 7 MASTER WAS 5 WAS 7 BASS WAS 9 MID WAS 0 TREB WAS 6 PRES WAS 9.
THE CLEAN SOUND WAS TUBE CLEAN OD-1 WAS 2.6 OD-2 WAS 2 MASTER WAS 9.5 BASS WAS 9 MID WAS 4 TREB WAS 9 PRES WAS 12 CHORUS WAS DEPTH 27 RATE 0.6 IT SOUNDS KIND OF DULL UNTIL YOU PUT IT THROGH THE BBE MAXIMIZER MODEL 422A STEREO LOW CON SET TO 3 O CLOCK AND DEFINITION SET TO ABOUT 10 O CLOCK. THATS IT THAT WAS THE SOUND WE USE A DIGITECH DSP 128 FOR DELAYS AND REVERB. THE LAST TIME I TALKED WITH VITO HE WAS HOME LAYING LOW.
I know Vitto Bratta was not a Jackson endorser but I cant help it but find this interview interesting and I think people here will benefit. Enjoy!...
--------------
When asked about the guitars used:
- Jimmy:
"I WAS VITO'S TECH FROM 1987-1992. WHEN VITO FIRST PLAYED A STEINBERGER WE WERE BOTH BLOWN AWAY. REALLY AN AMAZING GUITAR,THEY NEVER WENT OUT OF TUNE. THE TRANSTREM ALLOWED MANY DIFFERENT TUNINGS WITH OUT SWITCHING GUITARS.BUT TIME AFTER TIME EVERYBODY WAS ASKING "WHAT KIND OF GUITAR WAS THAT?".
WE USED THEM FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, THEN ESP MADE US A NECK FOR THE STEINBERGER WITH A HEAD STOCK, THEY PUT A FLOYD ROSE LOCKING NUT ON IT. BUT BECAUSE A STIENBERGER NECK WAS MADE OUT OF GRAFITE IT COULD TAKE THE STRING TENSION WHEN THE GUITAR WAS LOCKED IN TO A G TUNING. IT WOULD BE LIKE TUNING YOUR GUITAR UP TO G WITH E BEING TUNED UP TO G AND SO ON.THE WOOD NECK WOULD NOT WORK. SO WE USED THAT GUITAR LIKE A REGULAR GUITAR WITH A TREM BAR ON IT. THATS THE WHITE ONE.
BUT BY THE MAIN ATRACTION TOUR WE WERE BACK TO ESP STRATS. NO MODLE NUMBERS I BULIT THEM OUT OF PARTS THAT VITO HAD GOTTEN FROM ESP. THE LION HEAD PUT IN BETWEEN THE PICKUPS WAS JUST A STICKER. BUT THE MAIN REASON FOR THE SWITCH BACK TO ESP'S WERE THAT PEOPLE JUST DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE STEINBERGER GUITAR WAS ALL ABOUT.
- Questions from a furum member:
Jimmy, that's really some interesting info! I have a couple of more questions: On the ESP strat(s) Vito was using, what brand/model of pickups were fitted? The strat I've seen him play on photos/videos, it looks like he's using a pickup setup with humbucker-singlecoil-singlecoil, but it doesn't look like they are EMG's like on the Steinbergers.
Another question: I know that Vito went over from playing various Marshalls, to use an ADA MP-1 instead. Do you know any patch-settings on that one? Or what brand of tubes he was using in it?
- Answers from Jimmy:
HEY FOLKS FIRST OFF BC I DID ALL THE SWITCHING FOR VITO. BACK THEN HE HAD A RACK OF MARSHALLS AND A RACK OF ROLANDS FOR CLEAN SOUND. THE ESP STRATS HAD DUNCANS IN THEM. EMG'S STARTED WITH THE STEINBERGERS. THE LATER STRATS HAD EMG'S IN THEM AS WELL.
AS FAR AS ADA SETTINGS DISTORTION WAS SET TO TUBE DISTORTION OD-1 WAS 7 OD-2 WAS 7 MASTER WAS 5 WAS 7 BASS WAS 9 MID WAS 0 TREB WAS 6 PRES WAS 9.
THE CLEAN SOUND WAS TUBE CLEAN OD-1 WAS 2.6 OD-2 WAS 2 MASTER WAS 9.5 BASS WAS 9 MID WAS 4 TREB WAS 9 PRES WAS 12 CHORUS WAS DEPTH 27 RATE 0.6 IT SOUNDS KIND OF DULL UNTIL YOU PUT IT THROGH THE BBE MAXIMIZER MODEL 422A STEREO LOW CON SET TO 3 O CLOCK AND DEFINITION SET TO ABOUT 10 O CLOCK. THATS IT THAT WAS THE SOUND WE USE A DIGITECH DSP 128 FOR DELAYS AND REVERB. THE LAST TIME I TALKED WITH VITO HE WAS HOME LAYING LOW.
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