Press | Guitar World Magazine - December 2002 - Eric Sardinas: Black & Blues

Eric Sardinas was just five and in love with the blues when he started playing guitar. A lefty, he was too young to know better when someone told him he was playing his instrument "backward," so he learned to play the guitar right-handed. Now 31, he still plays right-handed. And he still loves the blues.

"Something about acoustic blues spoke to me from the very beginning," says Sardinas. "When I was a teenager all my friends were into Metallica, Iron Maiden and AC/DC. I understood that music's appeal, but the blues just hit me harder."

Eventually, Sardinas developed his own style by combining the volume and energy of hard rock with blues styling and licks. He honed his chops playing on the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and furthered his distinct sound by playing electrified resonator guitars exclusively.

"I grew up playing acoustics, and when I went electric I gravitated toward hollow-bodies, but they never felt like my instrument," says Sardinas. "I wanted more of an acoustic feel and fell in love with the resonator as soon as I tried one."

For Black Pearls, Sardinas' third CD and his debut on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, the guitarist teamed up with producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Kiss), who helped him capture the raw-and-ready vibe of his live shows. The CD, which was cut live to analog tape, features just Sardinas and his backing duo.

"I love different instruments and sounds, and I definitely considered putting a Hammond organ or a Fender Rhodes (electric piano) in there, but I communicate best when it's stripped down and straight ahead. It's like being on the street corner. And if you can't deliver the goods there, maybe you can't deliver them at all.

AXOLOGY

GUITAR Washburn custom ES model electric resonator

AMPS Two Rivera customized heads run through Rivera x12 cabs and a bottom low-end bass cabinet

STRINGS Gibson Phosphor Bronze acoustic, .013-.056

EFFECTS Dunlop Cry Baby wah, Uni-Vibe

BLACK PEARLS SOUNDS LIKE

Rough and raw blues-rock that owes more to Johnny Winter and Alvin Lee than Jimi and Stevie. Sardinas kicks off many tunes with Delta-style acoustic slide licks before blasting into turbocharged, high-volume rock.