“I have a tendency to judge once you wouldn’t mumble it, don’t play it”: Session player became Mamas Gun guitar slinger Terry Lewis on the enduring majesty of the 335 semi-hollow and what he discovered from Larry Carlton

Taking the sound of traditional soul to audiences throughout the sphere, London-primarily based completely quintet Mamas Gun clutch inspiration from Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield staunch into a sound that is amazingly great their very win. 

And for guitarist Terry Lewis – who works as a teacher for guitar colleges BIMM and WaterBear, and has conducted for Lisa Stansfield, Beverley Knight and Sandi Thom – it’s a fun reach of experimenting with effectively off chord progressions, laid-support grooves and what he lovingly refers to as “many layers” of tape saturation and spring reverb. 

“As a jobbing player I’ve constantly wanted to be versatile, and occupy owned all forms of instruments, even when I have a tendency to follow 335-trend guitars,” he says. “You may perchance perchance play any form of music on them, even when by reach of soul/funk/jazz stuff, they’re excellent.”

His major workhorses correct now are a Gibson Customized Shop ’64 reissue and a cherry red Lucille from 1998 which he describes as his “absolute infant” on narrative of it sounds “so thick and characterful”. 

Travelling foreign places with such purposeful guitars may perchance well be daunting, so there’s also a flit rig consisting of a most up-to-date Chinese-made Epiphone Riviera with mini humbuckers (“tremendous for ’60s-trend twang”) and a Burny ’70s-trend 335 reproduction.

These are on the total fed staunch into a Dumble-inspired Fuchs ODS 30 by process of his Hermida Zendrive, Creep Bliss Wombtone phaser, Empress tremolo and Strymon El Capistan delay. He says he’s soundless on the look his excellent fuzz, but correct now the JHS 3 Sequence ticks your entire correct boxes.

Whereas you occur to hearken to any of Terry’s lead work in Mamas Gun, you are going to seemingly detect an influence from American jazz legend Larry Carlton. So what advice can he provide those of us hoping to sound reasonably more esteem Mr. 335? 

“I judge the crucial issues shall be to work on dynamic save a watch on, harmonic vocabulary, phrasing and timing,” he unearths. “Larry is aware of all about tag replace and the selection to superimpose triads over numerous chords. But most considerably he constantly plays a tremendous phrase. That’s proper of all my popular gamers. I have a tendency to judge once you wouldn’t mumble it, don’t play it.”

And as he rightfully aspects out, it’s most productive to be taught from a huge pool of influences. “You don’t want to cease up sounding esteem a second-fee model of somebody else,” he says. “It’s greater to clutch little bits from a vary of gamers and optimistically look what you are going to very effectively be about alongside the reach.”

• Mamas Gun at PizzaExpress – Live in London is out now by process of PX Data.