Jonny, how did you get turned on to
Satellite heads?
Wickersham: I was doing a show in San
Diego and my buddy said I had to check out
these amps that were built in town. So they
both came down before the show and Adam
[Grimm, of Satellite Amps] brought one of his
first heads, and we plugged it into my Marshall
TV 4x12s. I remember I was playing my ’ 59
Junior and all I could think was, “Man, this
is happening.” At the time, I was using a ’ 69
plexi and a ’ 72 metal-faced Marshall—amps
that make people look at me like I’m crazy to
have them onstage—but the Satellite was just
bringing it as well as those old Marshalls. And
for what we do—onstage and recording—
Adam’s 36-watt head is perfect. I mean, I was
spoiled for years with those two Marshalls, but
the Satellite heads I’ve been using are exceptional. Everyone tends to hang tightly to those
sought-after guitars and amps—including yours
truly—but the great thing about gear is trying
new stuff and being happily surprised.
Mike, Fred Taccone of Divided by 13
Amplifiers works on your Bassmans. What
type of stuff does he do to your heads?
Ness: [Laughs.] I don’t exactly know what
he does to my amps, but I know that I look
for a hotter, more overdriven tone at a lower
volume. To get a great, rockin’ tone with most
older amps, you need to push the amp and
its power tubes. I was just looking for a way
to heat ’em up at a lower volume so I wasn’t
blown off the stage.
Because he injured his fretting hand during his youth—and because it
aids his singing—Ness often uses a capo at the second fret.
Jonny, what special needs do you have
with amps?
Wickersham: I’m not a big fan of master volume amps. I know there are several different
ways to configure the wiring and inputs for
them, but in any application I’ve used them
in, they sound thin, with no oomph, and have
unpleasant, brash overtones because of the
preamp having to do so much work. With
those old Marshalls and the Satellites I’ve been
using, I just crank ’em up and get the tubes
cooking to get that big, natural power-tube
sound. I also use a Variac to get my tone at a
volume my ears and body can handle [laughs].
it during certain solos or parts where I just
want to push it a bit hotter without losing too
much definition.
Wickersham: I used to love my second-gen-eration Ibanez TS- 9 Tube Screamer, but I’ve
grown weary of that tone. I was producing
this band called the Strangers, and they had a
really cool pedal called the Tone Freak Naked
OD. It’s right in between a distortion box and
’60s fuzz, with this nice, open, sloppy overdrive that adds some hair but never gets too
loose or undefined that it’s out of control.
I also tend to use the capo quite a bit,
because it puts less stress on my hand when
I go to make certain open chords—plus it
allows me to sing in a different key, which is
more of a comfort thing. I love using open
chords, because they’re just full and thick
and can ring out forever—especially with
my Deluxes.
You guys don’t use a lot of pedals, but
have you discovered anything new that
you like lately?
Ness: The only stompbox I used in the studio
and on tour currently is my tried-and-true
Boss SD- 1 distortion box. I really only use
Mike, you injured your left hand when
you were a kid. How has that affected your
playing?
Ness: It’s definitely very limiting, and I’ve had
to adapt just like anyone else with an injury.
I can’t bend my left index finger any further
than 90 degrees at the first knuckle, so I have to
make an A minor chord with my second, third,
and fourth fingers. Since I don’t have the full
use of all four digits, it changes what blues scales
I can do efficiently—and the manner I can do
them in. I’d be a lot better guitar player if I had
all four fingers working normally [laughs].
Speaking of long-view things, one of the
most notable things throughout Social
Distortion’s history is the personal, honest nature of your lyrics and stories. Where
does that come from?
Ness: [Laughs.] Life, man, life—that’s the
greatest inspiration source I’ve had. The
funny thing about it is that you can’t control when it comes to you. It just hits you
when it wants to, and you’re at inspiration’s
mercy. I believe every person has a gift
or ability. Some people are mechanically
inclined, others are gifted with a brilliant
mind, some are artistically creative, and
I’m just lucky that I’ve been blessed to
put lyrics together and tell a story through
my music.
