As of the spring of 2007, Los Angeles-based rock guitarist Marc Seal was finishing the packaging for his latest, self-titled CD, recorded solely with his T5-C2. You might recognize a couple of the riffs if you’ve checked out any of the T5 features on our website recently.
A gifted player and a discerning gear head who hosts the cable TV program The Ultimate Guitar Show, Seal instantly “got it” the moment he picked up the T5 more than two years ago, and he’s been a champion of its versatility ever since. This recording project gave him a chance to explore the T5’s range from the ground up, both as a compositional tool and a multifaceted studio weapon.
“The writing of this CD was inspirational, knowing I was only going to use the T5, and also knowing how many different guitar parts I could play using it,” he said after the album’s final mixdown. “I also was excited because I knew that playing the acoustic parts was going to be so easy.”
For the ten-track, largely instrumental effort (two tracks feature vocals from singer Sandra Stephens), Seal brought in drummer Gregg Bissonette and his brother, bassist Matt, both ferocious talents with heavy-hitting resumes that range from Joe Satriani to Ringo Starr.
“I first saw Matt and Gregg while I was at GIT [the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles], and they were playing with David Lee Roth at the Forum in Los Angeles. Who knew I would get the chance to work with guys of that caliber!”
Keyboardist Ron Pedley, who currently performs nightly with Barry Manilow in Las Vegas also contributed. Pedley’s Vegas commitments led to a unique method of virtual collaboration during recording, says Seal.
“We did all the beds at Matt’s studio (drum, bass, piano), then I took those tracks to my studio and started doing guitars. Ron sent me midi files from Vegas. On the weekends when he was in town, he would record B3, Rhodes, etc. and upload those to his iMac account. Then I would download them and add them to the song on my master files. All in all, more than five different locations and the Internet all played a huge part in the recording.”
Seal exploits the chameleonic nature of the T5 with aplomb, toneshifting from intimate acoustic interludes to soaring, wah-wah-infused riffs, but without a jumpy, schizoid feel. Despite his ability to shred, Seal’s technical skills never overtake his melodic sensibility, which gives his playing an especially lyrical quality. Where some rock instrumental records can leave the listener sonically exhausted, Seal’s playing tends to have more of a refreshing impact.
Marc is participating in select Taylor Road Show events.
— Jim Kirlin
As of the spring of 2007, Los Angeles-based rock guitarist Marc Seal was finishing the packaging for his latest, self-titled CD, recorded solely with his T5-C2. You might recognize a couple of the riffs if you’ve checked out any of the T5 features on our website recently.