Minimalism is indeed the ticket for Nashville-based indie rockers JEFF The Brotherhood. Like the Black Keys and Local H, they're a duo (in this case, it's Jake Orrall on guitar and vocals, along with his brother, Jamin, on drums). But Jake takes things a step further - or one less, to be exact - in that the guitar he plays is set up for three strings only.
MusicRadar caught up with Jake in New York City recently, where he and Jamin were gearing up for soundcheck at the Lower East Side's Mercury Lounge. In the video above, Jake shows off and talks about his "weirdo guitar," a Lucite SG-style curio, custom-built for him by Dave Johnson of Scale Model Guitars.
"It's a sweet deal," says Orrall. "Lots of guitarists think that you need six strings, seven strings, even 12. Turns out, you can make it with just a few of them. In fact, I used to play with only two strings, believe it or not. Brevity counts."
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Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.