Trivium’s Matt Heafy thinks nine-string guitars are “silly”
Sometimes, rock and metal can get a little outrageous. From the backcombed mayhem of hair metal to Jimmy Page’s double-necked riffing with Led Zeppelin, rockstars can’t resist going a little over the top. Trivium’s Matt Heafy is no different.
Speaking to Metal Hammer alongside Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck, Heafy has reiterated his affection for extended-range instruments, and even flew the flag for the lesser-seen nine-string guitar… even if he admits it’s a little “silly”. After discovering Tuck has been “learning” how to play a seven-string, Heafy immediately insists “you’ve gotta try the nine-string now!”
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While he knows they’re a bit excessive, he’s adamant. “That thing is silly!” he says. “I don’t think it’d fit Trivium or Bullet but it’s so much fun to play.”
This isn’t the first time Heafy has voiced his love of a good ol’ nine-string. Back in 2021, Amsterdam custom guitar shop Red Layer Guitars even made Heafy his very own Ibaraki nine-string guitar.
Speaking on the Drinks With Johnny podcast, Heafy expressed his excitement over the custom build. “This thing is freaking insane,” he says. “It’s a bass B-flat if you double tune it. So, this guitar [can go] as low as a bass’s lowest string.”
“This guy builds two guitars a year,” he continues. “He built a guitar for me and a guitar for Fredrik Thorendal from Meshuggah. I love it. I’ve just been screwing around making weird music with it.”
Upon receiving the guitar, Heafy recorded a nine-string playthrough of Trivium’s Down From The Sky. The tuning is so gloriously low that it sounds like a bass cover.
Elsewhere in the Metal Hammer interview, Tuck reveals that Bullet For My Valentine will be releasing new music when next year’s Bullet and Trivium co-headline tour kicks off. “The first single for our next campaign, which may or may not be in January, will have the seven-string on,” he says.
We’ll have to wait and see what the new Bullet tracks sound like – and if Heafy knocks out his nine-string on-stage during next year’s Poisoned Ascendancy Tour.
The tour will mark the 20th anniversary of two iconic albums. Bullet will be celebrating the birthday of their debut, The Poison, while Trivium will be honouring their legendary sophomore, Ascendancy.
The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour will kick off in January. Tickets are available now.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
