On The Road with The Darkness Guitarist Magazine 

If folk would get over themselves they would realise that The Darkness are 1 of the greatest rock bands ever.

These guys get the best rock rhythm tones in the biz right now, along with AC/DC of course!

Man, Justin is so humble and down-to-earth. Love the Darkness 2.0!

A great interviewer initiates the conversation and then puts their ego to one side to let their subjects do the talking. Which is exactly what you did. Laid back, informative, fascinating. Many thanks and well done.

Amazing band. Long live The Darkness

I felt that this had a very "Spinal Tap" feel to it...I lost it when Dan pulled out the 3-pickup black beauty and said "This is uh..it's a custom 3-pickup"

Great vid! Awesome to see what the guys run and nice to hear Justin sounding genuinely interested - a credit to the interviewer..

very nice love the sound they get great live

Randy Rhoads was the white Les Paul player of the early 80s and 20 years later it was Justin Hawkins.Both one of a kind musicians.

Here's my main guitar. Here's the backup... Here's the backup for the backup, here's the backup for the backup backup...

He is like a friend. nice group.

i like these interviews, i don't even know this band but i find it entertaining looking at their gear

"Every generation has a white (Les Paul) Custom player" Let me name some of them: - 1968 (The year that Gibson first offered the Custom in white) Les Paul himself. - The seventies, Steve Jones (The sex Pistols) - The Eighties, Randy Rhoads - The Nineties, James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers

06:27 --> Finally Dan Hawkins' Guitar!

Great interview I thought; he lets them talk about their gear without much faffing around asking 'funny/ironic' questions. More please!

Actually, he had so much gain on the Mesa's that Dan was taking over all the time because his marshalls were a lot more dynamic and have more mids. Justin was always lost in a mess of high gain noise that certainly helps for tapping, but made his solos really not clear. I think thats what he talks about when he says switching to superleads made him better as a player. Less gain = nothing to hide your mistakes.

Love the Darkness so dam much!!!!!

And this, among other things, are why I love these videos.

Such nice guys

interesting to see Justin quiet and humble compared to how outspoken he was in times past.

They're Marshall Power Brakes. Marshall's take on the attenuator to allow the amp to run harder while keeping the output low enough that you don't shake your fillings loose.

Ok, I'm a guitarist now of, well many years and just for the record I find this video very interesting and educational. I think the bozo's that find it not so have not watch all of the interview. Perhaps indicative of how they are in their life, commenting on and judging things with only limited knowledge on the subject/topic..

the more astute of you will notice that it's the wrong way round, because well, it's too fucking loud dan is a legend

Justin sure is in good company playing White Les Paul Customs: Les Paul himself Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) Mick Jones (The Clash) Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) Randy Rhoads Zakk Wylde James Dean Bradfield (Manic street preachers) Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) To name but a few

I had a couple of powerbrakes - I found them to work pretty well but they do also take something away from a great amp's natural tone. One very useful feature is that on zero they still operate as a load box enabling silent DI of a tube amp provided it has a line out and you have a suitable speaker emulator.

This is so Spinal Tap, I love it

thats why rory gallagher used an ac30 with a tone booster cos it was loud and clear :)

Justin had his own custom shop model with the flame fret board. I wonder why he stopped using them.

Justin totally nails the Pro Co Rat sound.

"yep, cool. Sounds cool. Yep. Right. Yeah. Uh huh. Yep. Right. Cool"

He has a point about being boring,but its a Guitar magazine not a normal magazine, the journalists aren't setting out to be entertaining, they are in any case more specialists than writers, and the musicians aren't trying to sell anything. Both of which in some ways makes a nice change.

Talking about white Les Paul customs and not mentioning Randy Rhoads??? c'mon man!!!

Shame Justin never showed the silverburst sparkle les Paul with the flame inlays, I seen a pic and he had another one made that was purple sparkle or the silver one could have been resprayed. Pretty cool \m/ \m/

Haha "There is a good reason for that: It's too f'ckin loud!"

Please, tell us: how would you, in your infinite and, lest we forget, anonymous wisdom, have made the interview less 'boring'?. Turned cartwheels in front of Justin? Punched Dan in the face? Always happy to learn from the experts, and I'm sure you've done loads of to-camera interveiws with rock stars. Let's have a look...?

Indeed, and generally more clarity in tone I reckon.

Justin sounds like a young Brian May when he speaks, and Dan's ac30 with a Fryer treble booster is most definitely a BM inspiration, it's all about the scream... Can't wait to watch/listen to these guys next month :)

I wonder if that strobe light next to the AC30 causes any noise issues, I would think there would be a pop every time it flashes.

He's just a cool bloke'

Totally makes you play cleaner! I agree, I have a 50 watt Marshall plexi and I've gotten cleaner for sure

Justin is a god.

All this gear is needed for playing their kind of rock'n'roll, playing at those kind of volumes is a different game altogether, different skill.

Dan knows what the fucks up

im sure justin has usded a super strat of some kind live, ibanez i think? why it not here

those white customs x_x i love them

I love its love jim

I like to mix it up a bit and when I'm not playing the white custom I play this white custom....not much of a mix up

They stopped making them. I'm sure he still has his though.

Marshall's Power Brake attenuator.

No Shucky?

...Where are the racks of catsuites?

its not "The Darkness guitarrist, it's Dan Hawkins

can't say enough how much I love these guys and that is a BITCHIN STACHE!

What is this song at the beginning? Sounds like a rip off of Bareback (by The Darkness).

When I'm not playing this White Custom....I'm playing THIS White Custom

Guitar at 7:14... insane..

i named my les paul July after seeing this ahaha

I am an englishman and have never heard anyone pronounce mesa MEEZA before!? Must be a darkness thing?

You should have done the interview in a green tutu while wearing a sombrero. While doing the interview you could have had a trained monkey riding a mini tricycle as it juggled hamsters. In the back ground you could have had a line of Crispin Glover clones doing high kicks while singing 'What about love' by Heart.

mesa colour in where you drop the brush, in another words where you mess up ha ha

Wonderful way to address your readers there.

The only 2 creme LP Custom players I think of are Steve Jones and the incalculably gifted and sadly missed late genius Steven Maynard 'The Riffmaster' lark. Steve had Black Beauties also for the Hysteria In The Round Tour. All had Kahler trems and triple picks ups, the way 'Steamin' riffed heavy but used his Kahler so deftly and if you listen to 'Gods of War', 'Too Late For Love', just a few of 'his' songs you can really appreciate the gifts he had. Leppard's lack of success post his passing is evidence enough of the staggering talent he was, in every facet. Song writing, and creating some of the most intricate melody, harmonies ever done.

Holidaysin the sun

what are you talking about? I haven't PMed you with anything

Only Dan would be cool enough to modify a les Paul once owned by Jimmy Page.

what's the song in the intro to this vid?

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Thought Dan was a Gretsch player too

Is it me or does Dan look a little like Michael Hutchence from INXS?

when im not playing the white custom les paul im playing the white custom les paul

Justin sounds really like a down to earth dude, far from his onstage " character"

they split up, dude, for like 6 years. they've been touring stadiums with Lady Gaga and playing Download etc since they came back.

Simon bradley #winning!

Really wish people would stop putting amp heads standing up on their sides. It can really easily damage them as the tubes are not fixed in place, they're only held in by the pins on the bottom.

love the tash

Very interesting..but would’ve liked to know WHY their #1s are #1 ? If you have 8 Les Pauls and one is better than the other 7 then that’s the million dollar question surely ...

im sure buckethead is this generations white custom player... just sayin

What are those boxes on top of the heads?

I love Gibsons but they are really pushing it...

Only came here because I have an identical Les Paul to the one in 1:33

Loved the interview that G-mag has presented for us yet again. However I feel quite peeved at the whole 'Gibson Customs are quite that more luxurious', mix it up bro. Shove a nighthawk, Junior, 335 or a Schecter etc into the mix. Seems like the most boring setup I have seen for quite awhile. Either way. Keep up the good work G-mag!

Great video. I didn't realize The Darkness were still touring/recording. Thought they were just a one hit wonder.

TOM LEYKIS!!!

no mate

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Guy, just, cmon. Alright

seriously interviewer, just shut up when the person you are interviewing is talking. Basic interviewing skills here. Your constant one word comments, ums, and arrs just ruin the interview.

It may be time to join the world of 720 and 1080 boys.........

Chill guy, not like on stage!

Who the hell wants to hear the interviewer (no offense to the interviewer by the way) ?

"this is a white les paul", "this is a black les paul"

no thank you :)

Cry Baby Rack version!

he reminds me of guthrie govan when he talks, not when he plays thats for sure haha

This guy reminds me Guthrie Govan, due to his way to speak xD

haha mr blaze a doobie, just stop mate.

i think you need to sort out your sarcasm centre in your brain mate

FUCK GOOGLE DRIVE!!!

If you want to know how to make the interview less boring why don't you look at other intervies, clearly your interviewer was just replying with "MM" "yeah " sure" every single time. So If he spoke more and wasn't such an awkward penguin then it would of been better.

they are both weird...