Ax Facts & Stats with Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton

This is the second part of our British metal legends Judas Priest Ax & Facts – this time with the other guitarist with Glenn Tipton answering questions put to him by Dave Roberts of ExtremeGuitars.com.

Glenn Tipton

My name is:
Glenn Tipton.

My current job is:
Guitarist with Judas Priest.

Former bands: 
Merlin & Flying Hat Band.

My guitar influences growing up were:
Jimi Hendrix & Rory Gallagher.

The guitars I use are: 
Mainly HAMER’s but also GIBSON & FENDER.

The strings and tunings I use are:
Ernie Ball Strings and normal tuning, Sometimes dropped from concert pitch down to “D” Sharp or occasionally “D.”

My current rig setup consists of: 
My rig is constantly changing but the main part is England Marshall amplification, Celestion speakers, EMG pickups and many and varied FX’S including Digitech, and Rocktron units.

The greatest invention for guitars is:
Pickups and whammys.

My normal songwriting process consists of:
Composing riffs then arranging song parts together, and then introducing the vocals until the whole thing works and sounds right (The best songs are always the easiest to write!)

My favorite guitar solo from our band: 
Probably “PAINKILLER” or in contrast, “TURN ON MY LIGHT.”

My favorite all-time guitar solo (from another guitarist):
Anything from Jimi Hendrix… UNIQUE!

Favorite all-time song (any artist) is:
“VOODOO CHILE” – Jimi Hendrix.

Favorite song by our band:
That’s a difficult one – maybe “ALL GUNS BLAZING.”

Favorite song to perform in front of a live audience:
That’s easy! – “BREAKING THE LAW.

My Career highlights thus far are: 
Two memorable concerts were LIVE AID’ (Philadelphia – 1985) and THE TEENAGE CANCER TRUST SHOW (Albert Hall, London – 2006).

Other than my guitar and amps, the one piece of my gear that I cannot live without is: On tour:
A Voltage Stabilizer; It lets you play in any part of the world with sufficient power and the correct sound.

The first song I ever mastered on guitar:
My version (!!) of “CROSSROADS” by Robert Johnson.

My first guitar was: 
A Hofner acoustic.

The first time I ever heard our band on the radio was: 
BRMB (UK radio station) in the 70’s.

If I am only sure of one thing in life, it’s:
To enjoy every moment of every day!

The one ritual I always perform prior to going on stage is:
Warm up on my guitar (Often the adrenaline creates great ideas).

The exact moment I knew I would pursue a career in music was:
There really was no exact moment. It took a long time to shake off any doubts and gain confidence.

The best advice I could give beginning guitarists: 
Believe in yourself, your style, and you’re your ability; maintain your own musical character.

CD(s) I’m listening to right now: 
Weird stuff! Old songs, film soundtracks… anything different!

My 3 all-time favorite albums:
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – Pink Floyd, ELECTRIC LADYLAND – Jimi Hendrix, and SGT PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND – The Beatles.

Best gig: 
Possibly the US Festival (1983) in terms of a great occasion.

What I like to do in my “off” time: 
Go fishing with my dogs.

I couldn’t imagine being on the road without: 
My guitar tech, Weasel.

If I wasn’t doing the musician thing, I could really see myself working as:
Anything to do with boats or the sea or sailing.

Favorite movie: 
THE BIG LEBOWSKI.

My mission in life:
To experience, see and do all the things I’ve always wanted to.

My next goal is: 
Travel to remote parts of the world that have always intrigued me.

The greatest contribution guitars/music have brought into my life is:
The ability to create.

The one musician I would love to work with that I have not yet had the chance would be:
Outside of Priest I am lucky that I have already worked with some incredible musicians on my solo albums, especially Cozy Powell and John Entwistle.

When it’s all said and done, I want the world to remember me for: 
My contribution to Metal as a guitarist and Song Writer and hopefully as someone who has helped inspire others to reach their musical goals.

Copyright 2010 Dave Roberts & ExtremeGuitars.com – (Photo courtesy Judas Priest).

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