“I wish Gibson would get in touch with us,” sighs Wheeler. “We’re basically a walking advertisement for them.” And he’s not wrong. First up the catwalk is Wheeler’s prized 1960 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, fitted with three PAF pickups. Used on every track on Nu-Clear Sounds, the LesPaul with purchased with cash the Ash man earned from a 3-minute solo TV appearance performing with a gospel choir.
“I got a stupid amount of money for doing it so I decided to ease my conscience by getting the best guitar I could with it“, he chortles. So precious is the guitar that Wheeler refuses to take it out on tour. “I see the way baggage handlers treat guitars and I know how carried away I can get, so there’s no way I’m risking my dream guitar on the road…”
Apart from the Gretsch Silver Jet Wheeler uses on “Goldfinger” from 1977, live duties are filled by a battered 1990 Gibson Les Paul Standard and an ’82 Flying V, fitted with a ’58 zebra-coil PAF pickup. “It’s allegedly made from the same Korina wood that was used to make the batch in ’68” claims Wheeler. “It probably isn’t as good as the old ones, but it does sound great. Flying V’s look fantastic - I’m reclaiming the guitar from bad metal bands”.
When Charlotte Hatherley left Nightnurse she had to give her Yamaha SG2000 back - it belonged to the band’s manager. A search for another one that played as well proved in vain, so she plumped for an SG Junior after seeing Foo Fighter Dave Grohl play one on TV. ”It just looked like a fucking wicked rock guitar. I managed to get one cheap as well,” she grins. “Mind you, I’d love to get my own Les Paul…”
Having broken his G string once too often when starting out, bassist Mark Hamilton is now strictly a three-string animal. He isn’t too sure what year his Gibson Thunderbird is but he knows from personal experience that it can take a hell of a beating. ”I broke a corner of the body during one gig,” he grimaces. ”I fell on top of the bass as I crashed onto a monitor… I nearly killed myself. But the bass got fixed up, although you can still see the join.“.
Hamilton’s trusty Ampeg setup has seen him through both Ash albums. Guitar-wise, 1977 was powered almost exclusively by Marshalls. Hatherley employed a three-channel Marshall 6200 Anniversary to maximum effect on many tracks on Nu-Clear Sounds, and Wheeler gave his 1965 Marshall JTM45 plenty of work too, but both thought some new tones were needed. As a result a Matchless HC30 got the call, as well as many of Fender’s finest. ”Fender lent us loads of amps, which was nice,” smiles Wheeler. ”So we used some Bassmans, and a Deluxe, amongst other things.” ”I really liked the Vibroking I used,” states Hatherley. ”I think I’ll get some Fender stuff in for the more quiet stuff. The SG and the Marshall really work for the loud distortion stuff, but they aren’t too hot on cleaner sound.”
Anyone familiar with Ash know that they are absolute buggers for a bit of distortion. Hamilton is well-served for his Boss distortion, while Wheeler became quite a connoisseur of the whole genre during the making of Nu-Clear Sounds. “Fortune Teller” has got seven different distortion sounds going through it, he explains gleefully. One of his most used toys was an old Big Muff, found in Czechoslovakia. ”It’s completely rusted, but it rocks big time. I used it on Burn Out… I had the distortion full on while sustaining notes, and then I kept moving it about so I could get these funny harmonics.” Completing the pedal round-up, a Jim Dunlop Crybaby did most of the wah-wah workouts, whilst honourable mentions must be go to the Lovetone Meatball Hatherley took a fancy to (”perfect for crazy solo noises”), and an Echoplex hired in for use in “Death Trip 21”.
You’ll probably wait a while for Ash Unplugged, but any acoustic work on Nu-Clear Sounds was carried out using a Martin and/or an Ovation. ”George Lowden has just moved in next door to my parents,” reveals Wheeler with a blagging twinkle in his eye. ”They met him at a dinner party and said he was a really nice guy… I might call him up and see if he’s got any of those lovely acoustic guitars of his to spare.”
Interview by John Callaghan