Emil Abrigada

What is your purpose at session and how long have you been there?
My purpose at session is to keep people having fun with music and to sell beautiful instruments so that people can have fun. Recognizing desires, implementing desires that move people forward. I've actually been there since 2004, back then at Musik Schmidt, until 2008. In the meantime I worked somewhere else, but since 2012 I've been back here at session.

What kind of instrument do you play?
I play both guitar and bass guitar. All the instruments I have are actually my favorite instruments. I have a GIBSON Les Paul, an Explorer, a Flying V and of course a Tele that I love very much. Then I have a real shredder machine, an ESP from the custom shop in Japan. This is an amazing guitar, it's really gigantic. This is also my absolute “daily guitar”, because it can do everything. For basses, I played a Music Man Bongo 6-string for years, which is also a great part. But in 2016 I ordered a 6-string DINGWALL, which finally arrived in 2018 and which I have been playing exclusively since then. I now use the Music Man as a back up on stage.

How long have you been making music?
Very long. It actually started when I was six years old, when I had to play the flute in early musical education. When I was 11 I wanted to play bass, but after two years of annoying my parents I started playing guitar. When I was 15 I bought my first electric guitar and immediately founded a band. Two years later I bought a bass with the money I earned from my part-time job, left the band and rejoined as a bass player.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
For me the muse flows especially at night, but if you start at 12 o'clock and play until 3 in the morning, that's not good, that's often a problem (laughs). Basically, I never had to take inspiration because it was always there. I'm actually always keen to make music. There are a few things I would like to learn, but unfortunately I don't have the time or discipline at the moment.

What genre do you feel at home in?
Difficult question. I always just call myself a musician because I'm not that genre-focused. I think I'm somewhere in the rock and metal corner, but not necessarily. I also play in a pop band and I really like it. I grew up with both classical and Latin American music, and I played in a punk band for a long time. I make music, I'm not so dogmatic about it, I have to like it. For me it's always about a certain energy and rhythm. I don't like anything flat, but it can definitely be simple.

Tell us three of your favorite artists.
I think Percy Jones from Brand-X is spectacular in his own way. He's very crazy in his ideas and definitely someone I've always been excited about. I'm also somewhat influenced by David Gilmour, but more as a songwriter. Likewise Pete Townshend from The Who. I don't think these people just inspire me as instrumentalists, it's also what they do, the creative stuff.

Which album would you have liked to have played on?
I would say no to that first. I would have liked to have been on all the albums (laughs). I would have liked to record all the albums because I simply enjoy studio work. It's extremely tiring, you're highly concentrated but also very creative.

Do you play in a band or something similar?
At the moment there are actually three bands. There is the hit band “Aber Hossa” and the rock band “Die Quietschboys” from Frankfurt. But there is also a band that I have been with for 20 years called “X-Amination”, AAN for short. This band is me and they do everything I want to do. There are five members, all me, but over the years they have also become independent protagonists with their own style. This is the band in which I express myself creatively.

What is your favorite piece of equipment?
Very difficult. I would somehow have to choose between my ESP and my DINGWALL.

The most important thing when making music is...?
Fun. The only. When you're having fun, you have something to share, something to give, that's accessible to the listeners. You play for yourself, for fun. In my time as an event technician, I've seen a lot of bands that don't have fun playing. That's the worst thing you can do. If you don't have anything to say, what's the point of doing it? I always try to convey this to customers when giving advice, to take their own joy into account. There's no point in sounding like anyone, you should sound like yourself and let your own fun out and implement it.

You are our specialist for extended range instruments, both basses and guitars. Why is this theme so interesting for you?
I'm the ultimate border crosser anyway, as a bass player in the guitar department. I'm simply interested in the range, in the implementation of high and low tones, that's what appeals to me about 7- or 8-string guitars and 6-string basses. With different moods, completely new harmonic possibilities arise. For me there is no real separation between guitar and bass, only necessary implementations.

Current favorite product from our range?
HAIR guitars. I sit in front of it every day, look at it and could buy one every day. They are gigantic, they have that certain something. These are not just instruments, they also have soul. In terms of character , they are way ahead.