Kravitz on his large collection of vintage guitars:
Which players influenced your choices in gear?
That really came from learning about what things sounded like. It was the mid Õ80s, and all of that new high-tech gear was coming out, but I didnÕt like the way it sounded. I got fed up with it, and chucked it all.
Then I went to this vintage guitar shop in Los Angeles and I plugged an Epiphone Sorrento into a tweed Deluxe amp Š and the thing sounded like gold! I ended up using it all over Let Love Rule. I just got into all these pure tones, and I knew that the records that I liked didnÕt sound like the records that were out in the Õ80s, which didnÕt sound intimate or organic; they didnÕt have a purity. Well, IÕm generalizing, obviously. But at the time, it was all about having big, gated reverb sounds and all that new stuff. It was the beginning of digital technology, and it really wasnÕt together.
So I just got into that stuff because I knew it sounded right, and I knew it was the gear that the people I was listening to had used in that era when they made their records.
As a player who uses both vintage and reissue instruments, what would you point out as the advantages and disadvantages each offers in terms of tone, playability, and roadworthiness?
The reissue stuff is good when you can find a nice piece that plays well and sounds good. ThereÕs something nice about a new guitar every now and again.
All of my stuff was vintage up until a few years ago. There are a lot of pieces that youÕd want to take on the road, but they cost so damn much and theyÕre hard to replace. IÕve had things smashed before. But IÕll basically take the stuff out, because itÕs made to be played. Now, I donÕt buy vintage pieces anymore because IÕve got over 120 vintage pieces that are amazing, and thereÕs just nothing else I could want.
As far as the reissue stuff goes, I think Gibson is making great stuff and itÕs nice to get a shiny new guitar and pay a regular sort of price for it.
What are some of the prize pieces in your collection?
There are so many; IÕve got flametop Les Pauls from Õ59 and Õ60, and some goldtop Les Pauls. I have one particular goldtop... itÕs the best-sounding guitar that IÕve got. IÕve played it on all the records, but I canÕt remember the year it was made.
IÕve got a whole collection of custom-color Strats that are great. I love seeing them all lined up with all the different colors like the powder blue, root beer, champagne, Olympic White and Fiesta Red. I donÕt know all the proper color names, but theyÕre just beautiful.
IÕve also got some vintage Flying Vs Š one with a tremolo, like my new signature model V I designed for Gibson Š I think itÕs a Õ60s model. ItÕs the one in the ŅAre You Gonna Go My WayÓ video. Those are the ones I like best. I do have an original Korina one, too.
