Welcome Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) to the ESP Family

Welcome Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) to the ESP Family

“Dude, I’ve never done an endorsement in my life.” Thus begins our first conversation with Lars Frederiksen, well known for the past 23 years as the highly influential guitarist and vocalist for the punk band Rancid, and a member of many other ongoing musical projects. Lars brings the background as a true lover of punk rock music to ESP, and is as respected for his music producing skills as he is for his tight rhythm guitar chops.


Do you remember exactly how and when you discovered ESP? 

You know, there are a few guys I remember playing them, but for the most part, they were always used for hardcore and metal stuff. I believe my first direct experience was through Craig Silverman from Agnostic Front, who was playing an ESP on their last tour. He had a Viper. The guitar sounded amazing and played unreal. That was probably the first time I actually played an ESP.

Which ESP model are you playing now?
I’m playing a Viper and I love it. ESP has done some mods for me with the guitar’s controls. I like to roll off different things at different times for different songs. Plus, I play in like six bands, so I need sounds that are individual in each of them. I like to be able to turn the rhythm pickup all the way down, and then use the toggle as an on/off switch. But on other songs I’ll use the rhythm pickup and blend it in with the lead.

Sound and feel have to be important to a player like you.
The most important thing for me is my sound. And the Viper sounds killer. You don’t have to do anything to make it sound great. You can just plug in and go. I don’t use too many effects or anything. It sounds good there with just me, the guitar, the cord, the amp head and cabinet. I can roll it down and get sounds like an Angus Young, or crank it up and get sounds like Steve Whale from The Business.

And another thing with these Vipers: I’ve never played a guitar like this before. It’s like you pick it up, and it form-fits to your hand. The feel of the Viper onstage is so light. For me, that’s a big thing, because I have a bad back. So that’s important. If I were going to pick a guitar, any guitar in the world, this would be it. It has all of the above... fits perfectly, plays perfectly, and is completely durable and reliable.

Tell us about your initial connection to ESP. How did that even happen?
There are two guys who tech for Rancid, Warren Lee and Anders Aho, who also tech for Slayer. When they’re not doing Slayer, they’re doing Rancid. So those guys have a great knowledge of ESP. I was then recording in Phoenix with another band, Oxley's Midnight Runners, and the engineer Ryan Butler was also playing ESPs. We started talking about guitars that I normally never get, like V’s, the Jeff Hanneman signature guitars, and so on.

I got in touch with Chris (Cannella, ESP director of artist relations) at ESP, and I ended up getting one of the new Mille Petrozza Kreator signature guitars. All that was happening all at once. I knew Gary Holt is using ESPs, obviously. I’m a fan of his from his Exodus days, and I also saw that Ted Aguilar from Death Angel is using ESP. I liked their sounds, and it was intriguing to me. That’s where it got interesting for me.

I really wanted different kinds of guitars than I’d used before, for the studio and live shows. That’s when we came to the ESP office and found out what it’s all about. Chris was the guy who made me feel comfortable, and want to be onboard. I’ve had dealings with other guitar companies, but nothing official. This is the first time where someone’s said, “Hey, do you wanna do something?” I really felt comfortable, and I really like the guitar. It’s the best guitar I’ve ever played.

You play live a lot and tour with your guitars. We assume reliability is a big thing.
That’s the true test. I’ve been beating the shit out of this thing for three weeks and I haven’t broken a string. I haven’t had to change strings in three weeks! I’ve already recorded with it. Already rehearsed with it. It’s definitely reliable.

Let’s talk about music a little bit. What is punk rock guitar?
I don’t know, honestly (laughs). I really don’t know. There are so many great guitar players out there. To me, it’s about being solid, and playing to the drums. Getting that feel. It’s aggressive, of course. But I don’t know what it is. It’s the way you do it.



I can’t sit there and do arpeggio scales over and over. I’m more like a “Fast” Eddie Clarke of Motörhead. If I had a style, it would be along the lines of guys like Steve Whale from The Business, Eddie Clarke, or Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers, or Mick Geggus from Cockney Rejects. These are my heroes. Those are the players I tried to emulate. There was always a broad spectrum of music that I appreciated. I like rock and roll. I love thrash. Punk, Oi!, skinhead reggae, ska. Soul.

But the whole punk rock sound is just who you are. It’s not something you can learn.

You’ve been a member of Rancid since 1993, which was 23 years ago. How do you overcome the challenges involved in being part of a band for the long term?
I just think we have a mutual respect for each other. We always made sure that the friendships were important, rather than the financials or the other bullshit. We were punk rock kids. We came from working class neighborhoods.

I think loyalty is more of a belief system. The only thing that happens when you get successful is you get more problems. The important thing is being smart enough to see that. Rancid is bigger than any individual in the band. It means so many things to so many different people. It’s like something that is beyond our control as individual members.

You also produce and mix other bands. Is there a different mentality when you work with other people’s music?
Anytime I’ve ever produced a record, I’ve told the band, “I’ve got be like a fifth member, or sixth member, or whatever.” I’m there to make a great record. For me, I’m just as into making your record as I am with one of my own. Along those lines, I’ve been lucky to be able to produce some really great bands. I’m fortunate they thought of me, and wanted my knowledge on making records.

But it is the band, not “you and the band”. That’s why Rancid has worked for 25 years. It’s not about individuality. You go in with like-minded people, and you come out with a great record.

Do you continue to actively try and progress and grow as a guitar player? Should people be concerned about hitting a lull in their progress as a musician?
That’s where a lot of people get it wrong. Look at Johnny Ramone. One of the world’s greatest guitar players. This guy had a sound and a style. You know when you hear the Ramones, that’s Johnny playing guitar. Johnny maybe could have done leads. I don’t know. But here’s this world-renowned guitar player that only played power chords. That guy is one of my idols.

I do always try and challenge myself myself in different ways. I picked up slide some years ago. But how I approach it now is by picking up new guitars. That’s what keeps me interested. That’s what keeps me going.

New gear makes a difference. It can be inspiring.
It’s funny, because the two ESPs I now have are the most expensive guitars I ever bought in my life. Previous to that, I’d buy those Guitar Center sale specials for like $150. So it’s not about how much you spend. For me, now, I love my Viper so much, I’m playing it every day. I play every day anyway, but now it’s like twice as much. I want another one in case I ever break a string.


Lars Frederiksen photos courtesy of Jody Lyon.

Comments
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andrew m.

Legend

Serg von M

coll news!right choice!

Kjetil (GRIM) Remen

Cool. Congrats to Lars and to ESP.