MY FAVORITE GUITAR Marnie Stern
Oct 10, 2008
Indie shredder’s axe of choice: a Jazzmaster.
By JAMIE GADETTE
Marnie Stern is an autodidact guitarist known for her towering sound and angular avant-awesome licks—but she considers herself more of a songwriter than some rarefied female shredder. So while she did listen to a lot of guitar-oriented music (AC/DC, Elvis Costello) while recording the follow-up to her critically-acclaimed 2007 debut, In Advance of the Broken Arm —and still creates a mighty din on the new record — guitars weren’t foremost in her mind. She wanted to make This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That (Kill Rock Stars) “fun.”
“I’m not trying to prove myself as much—just focusing on the songs,” she says. She recorded those tunes in part on a funky Pro Tools unit fast approaching its expiration date. The front grille is falling off, but Stern can’t afford to fix it. In fact, she’d rather buy a Telecaster, but until the real money pours in she’ll settle for her trusty Jazzmaster.
WHEN I GOT 'ER, AND WHY: In my early 20s, I lived across the street from a guitar shop and became friends with the owner. He basically sold me on the guitars I got and it ended up shaping my sound. I started off with a Danelectro Japanese re-issue that I bought for 150 bucks—I’m actually using it now because the other guitars aren’t working. I like my Jazzmaster the most. I’ve played it for so long. It has a third pickup, which is rare I guess.
WHAT SHE COST: The Jazzmaster cost $700
HOW SHE SOUNDS: Really good tone
SHE HAS A NICE ________: The tone, the shape, the neck—long and thin, easy for tapping. It stood up well for a really long time
WHY I'LL NEVER LET 'ER GO: I’ve been using the same guitars and pedals for 10 years. When I look at them they remind me of the places that I’ve lived and what was going on.
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