JP Scesniak of L.A. indie outfit Origami Ghosts told us about his Gibson love.
JP Scesniak: Although I love all my gear, two pieces stood out for me. First, would have to be my ‘66 Gibson J-50. Picked it up in Portland’s classic Old Town Music Store. I had a Martin stolen (not vintage, but nice enough) one night as I (must’ve?) left it on the porch after a show at a house where I'd been pet sitting. I had loaded in, but obviously not all the way! The next day when I thought, “Where’s my guitar?” I was like, “Shit did I ever bring it in?” It was like the ghost of the guitar was there and the people who took it. So I needed a guitar and had a budget for like five or six hundred. I would always go to Portland to buy expensive things to avoid paying tax, plus I love Portland and have lots of friends there, so it’s a good excuse to go. My friends told me to check out Old Town and it didn’t disappoint. I went to the little vintage acoustic room that they had and started pluckin’ some guitars that were way out of my price range but sounded heavenly. The J-50 caught my eye and felt like a glove to my hand. It wasn’t the most expensive in that room but to me it surely out-sang all the others. Problem was it was like three times what I could afford. I did have a credit card though. I had to have it. No regrets.
The guy said some jazz guy brought it in. The pick guard had been removed at some point which gave it a really cool raw look. Now the wood beneath the vacated pick guard is being eviscerated by my strum-heavy playing. There’s a debate amongst my friends and colleagues about whether I should fix the hole that I’ve made in my guitar. Some say, “Don’t ever fix it.” Others, “hey man, you need to preserve it!” Steve Fisk who's producing our next album loves it and can hear special things coming out of that little hole. He’s never heard anything like it. It’s a magical guitar. It plays like a Les Paul, like an electric. Easy action. Super chill. Glad to have it.
The other thing I was going to say was my Line 6 (green) delay pedal…I guess it’s called the DL6? I use like three settings on it and it has hundreds. I barely know the thing, but I know those three settings very well! I use it for like a general tap/slap delay on my strumming. Sometimes when I don’t know how to make a song bigger I use the “phaser?” effect. Lastly, the reverse delay effect. I can just turn those knobs all day. Hehe. When I play acoustic sets I feel naked. I’m like, “Where’s my delay?” Gotta get the Line 6 if you don’t already!
Origami Ghosts' "Virtual Reality Boy" is out now.
Photo by Brittne Lunniss
