Each month, Guitar Techniques asks a great guitarist all those little questions you really do want the answers to. This time: a British blues guitarist who's making big waves, Roscoe Levee...
Do you have a type of pick that you can't live without?
Not really, I'm always losing them. I have some in every pair of jeans I own I think. As long as they're fairly thick, I can use them.
If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?
That's easy: I only use three! Boss TU2 tuner, MXR Carbon Copy analogue delay, and a EHX LPB-1 Booster.
Do you play another instrument well enough to do it in a band?
I play drums, bass and piano good enough to busk some songs at jam nights I guess, but I wouldn't want to do a whole show without a guitar in my hands.
If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?
Tab and chord charts yes; I cant read notation though.
Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are your leads?
Yeah crap cheap ones sound crap and break. I use Bullet cables. They're expensive but worth it. I always have a 30-foot curly-wurly.
Is there anyone's playing (past or present) that you're slightly jealous of?
Peter Green can make a guitar weep; Freddie King just blows me away; Duane Allman soars on slide. If I could play like any of those guys, I'd be happy!
Your house or studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage?
Well I've got two hands so I'd grab my two Les Paul Customs - Black Beauty three-pickup and a cherry sunburst!
What's your favourite amp and how do you set it?
I use 2 Traynor YGM-3s - a 72 and 75 - and they are perfect for what I like and need: beautiful reverb, tremolo and at only 20 watts they really crank up good and sound amazing!
What kind of action do you have on your guitars?
I use low on my standard tuning guitars and switch over to medium-high on my slide guitars.
What guitar strings do you use?
Ernie Ball Power Slinkys (11s) on all my electrics and Martin Bronze (12s) on my acoustics.
