Neal Schon Interview

by Rick Landers

Like lightning arcing through the sky, Neal Schon's signature guitar licks have electrified listeners for over three decades. A musical odyssey that has included work with Santana, Journey, Bad English, Hardline, and an impressive array of solo ventures, Schon's career and current efforts prove there's no stopping Neal Schon on his quest to roll out new rock.

No stopping, indeed. Soul SirkUS has a recently released CD, World Play, and is now on tour, Journey has been recording tracks for a new and as yet untitled CD, with plans for a 2005 tour, and Schon has a new solo CD, I on U.

Not enough for die-hard Neal Schon fans?

Then add to the above Neal's ongoing work with Gibson Guitars, which resulted in the Gibson Neal Schon Signature Les Paul unveiled at the 2005 Winter NAMM Show and Journey's new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Modern Guitars Magazine got lucky when Neal caught his breath long enough to speak.

Been a little busy, Neal?

Neal Schon: Man, I've been fighting a cold for a couple of weeks and working everyday! I'm feeling better now. I've got a new solo CD out, Journey's back together and recording and we'll be on tour this summer and my new group Soul SirkUS has a new CD and we'll be hitting the road soon.

You grabbed your first guitar in your teens?

NS: No, it was earlier than that. I picked up my first guitar when I was ten-years-old and practiced all the time. When other kids were playing sports, I was playing guitar -- it was an obsession. I dedicated all of my time to learning and was addicted to guitars. By the time I was twelve I was getting around the guitar pretty well. I never got into sports at all until I was in my early twenties and after my music career got going.

That obsession evolved into a formidable talent.

NS: Well, I met the Santana band when I was fourteen-and-a-half and by the time I was fifteen I was a member of the band.

To whom were you listening?

NS: I was like most of my friends. We listened to the groups that almost everyone loved during the time. I started out with blues guys and R&B stuff like B.B. King, Albert King, Eric Clapton when he was with the Bluesbreakers, Peter Green, and early Fleetwood Mac, learning both electric and traditional blues. You know the whole English invasion thing was happening and with it the electric blues. I loved Cream, Jeff Beck's Truth album and when he was with Rod Stewart. I liked Wheels of Fire and live stuff like Spoonful and Crossroads. Also Zeppelin and Jimmy Page, plus what everybody else was listening to at the time who wanted to play guitar. Page, by the way, was a sought after session guitarist too.

Guitars?

NS: My first guitars were funky things like my Kay acoustic and an electric Silvertone from Sears. My father bought me my first really nice guitar, a Gibson ES-335. I carried those guitars all over the place, everywhere I went -- everywhere.

The Gibson got stolen when somebody busted into our apartment. That was a drag, but we were insured and I ended up with a '56 Les Paul reissue with P-90s.

Carlos Santana wasn't the only great guitarist courting you when you were a teenager?

NS: Eric Clapton was a fan of Carlos and the band, and while I was jamming with them at the Wally Heider Studio in Berkeley, Eric dropped by. This was before I joined Santana. That night we met again and jammed some more. Eric said, "Goodnight," to everyone and the next morning I had this note from Eric saying he wanted me to sit in with him. Later that day he asked me to join his band, Derek and the Dominos.

That was the day before Carlos asked me to join him, and, as you know, I went with Carlos.

I was hired as a side man and earned low wages. But, as a kid the money was more than I'd ever made before and so I was fine.

How did you manage the business side of your career at such a young age?

NS: My parents helped out as much as they could, but I was mostly in the hands of the band's manager who was a flake and dependent on drugs -- not a good situation. So, like most other musicians I learned as I went along. What happens is eventually you learn at a certain point that you have to focus on the business side of music. After getting ripped off a couple of times, you figure out that you need to get a grip on it.

Advice for guitarists?

NS: The first thing they should do is pay attention -- listen. With soloing I think it's best to really start strong and end strong and in the middle of your solo let things fly and throw in some string bending. Focus on melody, tone and vibrato. I've never been a guitarist that practices scales and couldn't tell you what scale I'm playing.

Gibson has a new Neal Schon Signature Les Paul limited edition.

NS: Yes, they're only building 25 Custom Shop Masterbuilt Les Pauls with my name on them. Edwin Wilson was Gibson's master builder and he worked with my guitar tech, Scott Appelton. Gibson had Gary Brawer figure out the best set up for the guitar. It's a great guitar these guys have pulled together.

I've been working with Gibson forever and have always loved Gibsons. I've worked for years with Gibson's CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz, even though we never had a contract.

During the 1970s and 1980s Gibson did use my likeness, but we never signed anything. This new Signature model is the first time we struck a formal written deal for a guitar with my name on it.

I intend on working more with Gibson on other models -- I have a lot of design ideas and Henry's given me the green light to work the way we did on the Les Paul. I'll do the same sort of thing to future models, like doing the hot rodding thing.

How did you develop the features for the Neal Schon Signature Les Paul?

NS: I think it's really a trial and error process that everyone goes through when they work on a Signature model. It's really the only way to get out of a guitar what you want and it's based on many years of playing. Since I've been playing since I was ten I know what I want and expect out of a guitar. This Signature model can really turn corners when when you get to the high notes. It doesn't matter what guitar I start with, I always end up removing the guts from it and putting in the guts that I like!

This new Gibson Signature model has no neck joint, so there's no hump in the back of the neck. That was a major feat for Gibson and they actually had to go buy a new machine to do that. I also have an older style type of Fernandes Japanese active sustainer that they're making especially for me and aren't in their guitars anymore. I think they stopped making them. But now they are making one for me with my name on it. The new Schon Les Paul also has a sunken Floyd Rose tremolo.

I'm also trying out a new Ibanez whammy bar that locks in the center and doesn't go out of tune when I bend two notes. Some guys don't dig it, but I like it a lot and I might switch to it. It's pretty amazing and has a swivel or axle, as opposed to working off two bolts into the body.

I've got another prototype that I hope to work with Gibson on and refine it into a future Signature model.

Any plans for an unplugged album or an acoustic Neal Schon Signature model?

NS: Unplugged? No, I haven't thought of that. The closest thing I have out there is Beyond the Thunder. That's the closest I've recorded to an acoustic thing.

We'll have to see about an acoustic Signature model. I just got a bunch of nice new Gibsons that are very bright sounding and I think they were made from the same batch of wood. They have maple sides and backs. I think the neck is partially maple. They sound great. One's a Peter Townshend model and there's a beautiful Gibson Custom Shop Hummingbird, and I'm not certain about the other one -- but it's smaller and it sounds the best. I don't pay much attention to how a guitar's made really. I just pick 'em up and if I like the way they sound, I want them!

Tell us about the high points of being with Journey.

NS: Man, the best part was watching Journey grow into this monster. The band was huge, playing these enormous gigs.

All along the way, from the beginning of Journey there were great times. And now we get a chance to dive back into our material this year because we're playing songs from the first album from pre-Perry on. So, we had high points every year. It was a lot of fun to be that successful and we reached a very high level of musicality and for me that's the best part of being in any band.

The new Journey album that's in the works is going to be a very strong, solid, pretty straightforward rock album that I think people will love. What we aren't doing is trying to recreate some retro-rock music. We should be done recording by the time this interview's published.

Your recent solo CD, I on U, has a very dream-like atmospheric feel to it.

NS: It is a different record in some respects and I'm pleased to report that it's been receiving great reviews. First and foremost, it's an instrumental album. It's the type of music that has a certain feel to it that would be great for a movie sound track and there is some interest in doing that.

Your other group, Soul SirkUS, has a new release called World Play that's got great legs.

NS: Thanks! What you've heard is the advance copy, but we've re-recorded the CD with our new drummer. The new version has a much bigger sound to it - you'll be surprised how wide open it is compared with what you've heard on the earlier version.

The band grew out of the ashes of Planet Us, that included Sammy Hagar, Deen Castronovo, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and me. Michael and Sammy went back to Van Halen and Deen and I were able to get Jeff Scott Soto, who used to be with Yngwie Malmsteen and Marco Mendoza. Marco used to play with Ted Nugent and Whitesnake.

Deen had to leave because he was exhausted and we found a terrific new drummer in Virgil Donati. He's such a sensational drummer!

World Play is very '70s arena rock, very raw and in your face, and that's what we wanted. We recorded it in a very off-the-cuff manner and didn't really plan out how we were going to play -- we just did it, so my solos are first takes, right out of the box.

The next time we meet, we'll be on the road. Man, this band really rocks and rocks hard - you gotta come and catch us on this tour!

We will. Modern Guitars Magazine meets up with Soul SirkUS when they open the throttle at the Birchmere in Arlington, Virginia, on April 6, 2005.

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Related Links

Soul SirkUS
Journey Music
Gibson USA
Gibson Custom
Photographer Richard E. Aaron