Neil Zaza Appreciation Thread

[Drew]

Chavhunter and I were posting Zaza videos in a pickup thread, and our experience has been we both absolutely love the guy's playing, but we're also virtually the only people we know into the guy. That's a travesty - he's both an incredibly gifted technical guitarist, and an amazingly melodic player.

So, in this thread we will discuss how awesome he is, how great a song writer he is, and how much his tone, particularly on "Staring at the Sun," kicks ass.

"I'm Alright"


Some kickass instrumental I've never heard


The lead break for "Zen, Karma, and Other Good Things," and then a track called "Shifting Sands"

 

[distressed_romeo]

Awesome player on all fronts. He deserves far more recognition. I've been into him for a while, so you guys aren't alone!

 

[Thomas]

Seems like a cool dude. His playing is very refreshing considering all the wankage I see all the time.

 

[Shawn]

Cool vids. He is a great player and his phrasing and tone is fantastic.

 

[Ancestor]

Took a lesson from him back when he was using the spiderman guitar with the led markers. He's good. He has a very self-assured persona that comes across in his playing.

 

[giannifive]

Neil Zaza is an awesome, and very underrated player. I love how he doesn't use a whammy but still makes some excellent, melodic music.

Has anyone played his Cort sig model?

 

[Drew]

I didn't know he had one publically available...

 

[Thomas]

I didn't know he had one publically available...

Neil Zaza - NZS-1 Signature Guitar
The quilted top looks stunning. An interesting detail is that the body is made of basswood and the pickups are Duncans. Isn't the general consensus around here that SD + basswood = no-no?

 

[seven_stringer]

I have been a fan of his for a few years now. Back when mp3.com had some of his music to listen to is when I first heard him. Fantastic guitarist!

 

[Drew]

Cort NZS-1 Neil Zaza Signature: Harmony Central User Reviews

Hmm. Seems it IS a production model. Cool.

I was under the impression that duncans didn't play well in basswood either. I'd be curious to try this thing, then, maybe the maple top helps it or something.

 

[DaveCarter]

great guitarist, yet sadly very unknown. Even the shredders should be into this guy coz he can seriously move when he wants to....but chooses not too!! amazing tone which suprisingly yes comes from seymour duncans in basswood. if anyone knows how to get the same tone from an RG1527 then please let me know!!!

 

[Drew]

His sig model is spec'd with a reverse-polarity '59 and a Custom Custom, so you could TRY a '59 and a custom with a replacement alnico II magnet, if you could find one. However, I'm sure the fixed bridge makes a difference (tremol-no?), and I don't know how thick the maple top is on his signature guitar and what sort of a difference it makes.

 

[DaveCarter]

im after a tone halfway between his and vai's so i may well end up with dimarzios, so i cant really TRY a combination of pickups other than the ones i actually buy. gonna be hard to get it right. had a look on youtube and there's a good interview with Neil Zaza on there, aswell as videos showing how he helped design his guitar

 

[Thomas]

I don't know how thick the maple top is on his signature guitar and what sort of a difference it makes.

From the spec from the link I posted above:

Top: Soft Maple 20mm

Comparing my maple-top RGA to my old pure-mahogany SA, I'd say it would make a noticable difference.

 

[Leon]

i heard of him several years ago, but thought his playing was a little... lacking. i don't know. maybe my pallette wasn't as mature then

 

[Drew]

That was my first impression too, that he could rip, but was generally too understated. I didn't understand why he didn't shred more.

I was also a freshman in college who heard Satriani for the first time abouut a year before. It just took me a little while to "get" what he was doing. When I finally bought "Staring at the Sun," it quickly became one of my favorites.

 

[skinhead]

I knew about him, but never listened before. He's a very good player and i love his melodies

 

[MerlinTKD]

Wow, nice stuff! Thanks for the info, I like this guy!

 

[eelblack2]

I like Zaza a lot. He leaves you wanting more in a good way.

 

[YYZ2112]

Drew turned me on to Neil awhile ago and I listen to Melodica at least once a week. He's an incredible talent that deserves more exposure.

Drew, did you ever pick up the Melodica CD?