@Train Nerd that would be truly ignorant. He's joking 95% of the time other than the actual knowledge he has of his guitars which is a lot more than he's letting on. His whole Persona is to be a silly guy who doesn't know anything when in all reality he's pretty much a genius.
True story: I worked in a music store and the Cheap Trick tour bus parks outside. Sure enough, in comes Rick, he goes straight to the guitar department. He notices a used guitar hanging on the wall with a checkerboard pattern on the pickguard. On the price tag a salesperson had handwritten "Cheap Trick Model". Rick quickly pointed out it was not a "Cheap Trick" guitar. He purchased it, brought it outside, and smashed it to bits in the parking lot. It was hilarious! All during his shopping in the store he was one helluva nice guy!
Do you remember the ballpark price wise? In an attempt to give the sales weasel , err, person the benefit of the doubt, perhaps the intention has been to identify it as an inexpensive "stunt" guitar, which it sounds like it performed quite well as. 😉😬😆
As a State Police Officer (Ohio). I had the opportunity to briefly converse with Mr. Nielson backstage before a show at The Ohio State Fair a few years ago. He's a very friendly, genuine man. Fan appreciative.
Having met the guy I can confirm this. We were in the same music shop and I just said "Hey, love your stuff," he gave me a hug and let me jam with him. He just called out a key and kicked my ass, but he was 100% awesome.
Rick is such a cool guy. I saw Cheap Trick at Waterside in Norfolk, Virginia many years ago and without question that was one of the best shows I have ever seen to this day.
Rick is such a funny mix of non-guitar knowledge and total guitar knowledge… ("uh, it's a humbucker" and "you can take your screwdriver and find out".) It's cool to hear him name drop all of these famous names while sounding a bit like an out-of-touch old man (which is probably a bit of a put on.) He's a real hero of mine.
+Mooseboy08 Ya, Rick has that mid western sense of humor, and he doesn't need to be the coolest guy in the room. He kinda teases himself and is making fun of his rock stardom...which makes him the coolest guy in the room.
Rick is a super cool cat. You can often find him out in the back alley behind whatever venue after a show where he will gladly just hang out and shoot the sh*t with you about whatever. Really down to Earth and funny as all get out.
I saw an interview with him today recorded less than three years ago and he mentioned that he hasn't even tuned his own guitar for forty years. No wonder he doesn't know much about how it 'really' works.
"Back in the day people used to just trade in stuff. They didn't keep stuff, no one did. And guitars weren't called vintage, they were called used." When Rick said that I paused the video for a moment and thought about that. Nowadays there are so many collectors, everything has to be kept in pristine condition and regardless of the fact that one may have half of all guitars from one model/type ever made, just for the sake of hoarding and owning them.. That's something that will always go over my head. Using guitars, taking them with you, living with them and trade them with someone so their way takes new turns is what makes guitars magical, genuine, authentic pieces of history, not locking them away behind glass doors and buying some "New Les Paul 2019 super mega collectors throwback to 1963 edition" and keeping them as an investment. Make music and be creative, it's the person and not the gear.
Nailed it man. Always saddens me seeing some old Lennon guitar sell at auction for a million bucks that hasn't been played for 40 years and never will be again.
Always loved the wonderfully wacky, offbeat Mr. Nielsen! Huge talent, a very creative, interesting, fun guy. Puts on a great show. His guitars are as unique and as quirky as he is. He really cares about his art, but doesn’t take himself too seriously. Quite a difference from most of the alleged ‘rock stars!’ Cheap Trick rocks!
A lot of clueless posters here. Ricks dry wit and sarcasm has been legendary for decades. Cheap Trick has toured almost non-stop for the last 20 years (coming to a bar, arena, fair ground near you), and I'd be hard pressed to think of ANY other band that tours more....so if he doesn't want to tune his guitar, why should he? Isn't that what the guitar tech is paid for? And if he doesn't want to geek out over hardware, why should he? That said...The man has one of the best guitar collections in THE WORLD. If you counted the guitars lost in fire, or sold throughout the years...he's owned THOUSANDS of some of the rarest and most unique guitars ever made. If you can afford them, you buy them, if you can't....you talk about them. I think he just enjoys buying them.
+skullywag Yeah he used to have the largest amount of guitars. I believe in another interview(on you tube) he said he culled them down to two hundred. I think Mike Campbell has a few but not sure if he still has as many as Rick.
+Skullwag,,,Your absolutely spot on mate %100... If I were in Ricks' shoes I would be living life the same way but, in my own particular indium... Dig it to Gig it... Have a great New Year!!!
*My son, Jonathan Matthew Wion, played sitar on the "Sergeant PepperTour" with Cheap Trick in 2010. Jon was killed on 2-10-17. Playing Seargent Pepper that season was the time of his life. If Rick, or anyone else in the band knew/remembers Jonathan (and his goofy dancing) thanks for being a great influence and a source of happiness in Jon's life. RIP Jon-Jon Mamma loves you so...*
So sorry about the loss of your son😔 Thank you for sharing a very special memory of him playing with CT and may your heart be comforted by many others you have of him 🤍
@@dalewetzel773 I'm so sorry your son, who, like my Jonathan, has passed away. I want you to know you're in my thoughts and my prayers. May the Most High G-d continue to bless us both. *SHALOM* ❤
Q. How do you know your guitar hero's not a pompous tool? A. He"ll actually take the time to show you his gear personally rather than have some tech do it.
The proper, and most telling, answer, is that he still lives in his own hometown, in the mid-west, and still takes the time to give back to his community, and play any given show at BMO harris center (or the metro center, as it was, and will always be known).
Everybody knows Neilsen is a master collector. I keep waiting--and I fear it will never happen--for an instructional video from this man. He's a walking riff encyclopedia, and his recent super loose style both rhythmically and with his rather spare voicings of his tunes--I'd love to see him sit down and lay out what he does. Rick's an amazing musician and one of my heroes musically.
As a kid I hated "Need Your Love" on Budokan because it took so long to get through (8 track) to get to "Ain't That a Shame". I just listened to "Need Your Love" live again after 30+ years and, damn, the guitar tone and the rock vibe it has is something else! True saturated tube rock tone along with some tasty playing from Rick Nielson...who needs a crapload of pedals when you can sound like that??
Rick Neilsen always entertaining. Bummer to see him getting older as the years go by. It was a real bummer to hear Alvin Lee pass away a month after reading an interview about him talking about going on a tour for his latest album. These guys who have made a name for themselves not by studio tricks but by their creativity are getting harder and harder to come by.
Great Point on these guys doing it with their creativity vs. studio magic. Another thing that separates the two is these same guys like Rick paid their dues over decades to hone their craft; the crap that pollutes our radio waves now comes from no-talent hacks filtered through electronic trash machines. No soul to it, and it all sounds the same.
Person You’re probably right. You just would think someone with that many guitars would know what pickups they have. I know my pickups and only played for 2 years. Maybe I’m just new to the guitar community and my priorities are fucked. Next time I buy a guitar I’ll keep in mind that the looks are the biggest priority, then price (the more expensive the better), then, i don’t know, how it’s sounds or some dumb shit.
Rick Nielsen is phenomenal. As Rick Nielsen himself and as a musicians and guitarist. Just listen to the master piece "World's Greatest Lover" CRIMINALLY underrated in all compartments. He has been a source of inspiration for thousands of musicians. Love from Norway.
"The Liverpool children's hospital", is the world famous Alder Hey hospital, which in my opinion is one of the finest children's hospitals in the whole world. Thank you Rick for donating your guitar , you rock man.
The best guitar tech interview of all time was when Johnny Ramone was asked what type of guitar he played! He replied that he used to play a white one, but was now playing a blue one! Real legends don't give a crap about obsessing about gear! Rick is way cool! "I thought that was a K when I bought them!" Why Cheap Trick are legends like the Ramones!
My first live show as a teenager was Cheap Trick right after "Heaven Tonight" came out. I was completely blown away by Rick and spent the rest of my HS years pretending I was him. (didn't get me many girls though so I switched to the Ramones) They will ALWAYS be one of my favorite bands of all time even though they went total pop in the late 80's...
Met him in the afternoon at a bar in Rockford....He was really nice to me ... Thanks Rick... first time I met a Rockstar!!!.....I wasn’t disappointed.... who says don’t meet your heroes!!!
Rick knows a great deal more about all of those rigs than he is letting on ! He just plain does not want to talk about all the details and so he plays dumb, Many of us do that all of the time. His dad had a music store in Rockford Ill. that sold and repaired musical instruments as well as guitars & he had access to a countless array of instruments.He built & repaired guitars himself ! Yes , its much easier to play dumb ...then you don't have to talk so much !
I love hearing Rick say he's not much of a techno guy and he just knows what he likes. I'm absolutely the same way. I dont know what key I'm in and I have no idea what it is I'm playing when I play. I just know I think it sounds good and it works. I play by ear so I play what I hear. Been playing for over 40 years since I was 10. Rick is a kindred spirit.
He has one of the best live guitar sounds I've ever heard. There is a DVD of them playing in Niagara Falls, NY in the early 2000's and his tone is KILLER.
I AM SO GLAD THAT CHEAP TRICK MADE IT IN THE ROCK -N,- ROLL HALL OF FAME WE WILL ALWAYS WANT YOU TOO WANT US AS MUCH AS WE WANT YOU. CONGRATULATIONS YOU DESERVE IT. AND THANK YOU TO THEIR FAMILY'S FOR TIME YOU ALLOWED THEM TO GIVE US. WE LOVE YOU ALL. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND ROCK -N- ROLL THANK YOU RANDY &TERESA MARCUM.
I met Rick and the guys from Cheap Trick at the Skynyrd tribute show at the Fox back in 2014. That crazy act Rick puts on isn't an act, he's that way in person. I would love to spend a day just hanging out with him, it's be a blast.
RICK AND CHEAP TRICK ARE ONE OF THE VERDABRAYS IN THE BACK BONE OF ROCK -N-ROLL AND IM PROUD TO HAVE GROWN UP MACKING CHICKS AND KICKING A-S AND GETTING MY A-S KICKED LISTING TO THEIR MUSIC. ROCK ON RICK AND CHEAP TRICK. YOUR MUSIC WILL BE PLAYING AT MY FUNARAL GARENTED THANK YOU AGAIN R. MARCUM COLUMBUS OHIO.
He's a riot. He's the only member of Cheap Trick that I haven't met. I'm terrified that I'll tell him how much I love his work and he'll make fun of me and insult me!
Start off Rick one hell of a nice guy back in the day late 80s early 90s I did a lot of marble and tile work for Rick on his new house this guy had so many guitars he had a temperature control vault built to hold them all I believe he had 250 of them at the time, his son who a damn good guitarist had one side of his head shaved other side long hair past his shoulders lol Rick even had a little recording studio inside his house
Kay guitars...one of the early guitar manufacturers. I know mine was a very heavy solid body guitar- I think it was around $80 in 1975? The pickups and tuners sucked on those guitars but they were built like a tank.
+Bob A Booey In a fair amount of these situations, they're coming in during sound check, and in that case, lav mics are pretty much out of the question since they're omnidirectional by nature. A handheld mic, I'm sure you know, has a cardioid pattern with greater off axis noise reduction. It can also come down to production style choice. A handheld mic implies more of an interview, whereas lavalier mics (which is the real name for clip on mics) imply more of a conversational tone. True, one could argue that this is a conversation, and that lavs are more applicable. Lav'ing up somebody does take a bit more time, too. So it's probably half physics, and half style.
I was unloading the truck for Cheap Trick in Fargo ND.for the Red river fair in 2001 and was at the nose with mostly amps and instruments and I was handed a case about 4 foot square and 6 inches thick and beat it around a little bit and took it to guitar world and lo and behold, it was the 5 neck!
I always come back to this rundown simply because Rick Nielson is such a talented & hilarious artist that would be so cool just to sit & drink a few beers with & talk guitars for hours & hours! The mans not only a legend of a musician but just a great all around regular dude that loves guitars as much as i do,only difference is he can afford all he gets & i have to live vicariously through him! Check out his store on Reverb.com to own a piece of his collection!
I feel like Rick is a great interview whether he talks about a hamburger, a Schlitz, or a worn set of tires. He has a great sense of humor that hasn't quit. Thanks for being the best guitarist and songwriter and jester I always looked up to.
he seems a cool guy,he has that sense of humour that's like a grandad or old uncle,obstinate and dry but never malicious and always with tongue firmly in cheek,hes the same on his collection for sale video.
rick is the man a true musician and rock n roll dude he keeps it real. glad he is still having a good laugh at hings. cheap trick songs will always be great, thank god their singer still stayed the same that is awesome and i really miss the drummer guy what ever happened to him?
Fender deluxe reverb is all you need. Breaks up at low volume. Love them. When I first started playing live in the late 70's I had to have Marshall. That lasted about 6 months and just to much for clubs. I bought a deluxe reverb and never had a desite to change.
