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  • Total Guitar

    James Dean Bradfield

    Oct 22, 2021 6 minutes
    Interview Grant Moon Portrait Olly Curtis

    For the past few Manic Street Preachers albums James Dean Bradfield has kept a ‘guitar diary’, detailing the instruments he’s used on every track. The entries for the Manics’ 14th record, The Ultra Vivid Lament, mention his trusty white Les Paul Custom (signed by his Sex Pistols hero Steve Jones), a Troublemaker Tele from Fender’s ‘Parallel Universe’ collection, a cool-if-clunky vintage Roland GR-500 synth guitar, a Burns baritone guitar, and Bradfield’s one bespoke acoustic, made by Welsh luthier Richard Meyrick.

    Also on the list is a ’62 Strat, an oddity for this noted Gibson player. “What is it about getting older,” the 52 year-old wonders aloud. “You start thinking, ‘I think I’ll try some gin! I might go on a cruise! I really like playing Strats!’ I was always religiously against them when I was young. In my head, Strats were more for serious, nuanced players, whereas Gibsons just had that strident, classic rock edge. Now though, I love

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