Guitarist Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit, who’s well-known for his unconventional approach to the instrument, recently sat down with Guitar World to address his massive instrument and gear collection. For those who might not know, Wes is officially selling a significant portion of his stuff.
However, the musician openly admits that his habits are “out of control” and that he needs to stop. Wes offered:
“My habit for buying gear had gotten out of control. Yeah, it’s nice to have a bunch of different things, but how else do you stop a bad habit? I’d been accumulating for so many years that my collection had gotten ridiculous. There were five storage spaces full of stuff that I just wasn’t using. And I’m only getting rid of 60 percent of what I have in storage, like the 27 guitars I just don’t play anymore…”
“My collection was so extensive that it kinda became a burden. It was almost like [reality television show] My 600-lb Life or something! I didn’t know how to lose the weight. It felt like so much work to get rid of all this stuff, which is where Analogr came along. They said, ‘We’ll take anything you don’t want and do all the work for you!’ And I was like, ‘Yes! I have a lot of stuff that I don’t need and want to clear out!’”
Well, at least Borland’s obsession is much healthier compared to the average rock star who went through rehab. At the same time, he still wants to buy new stuff. Wes continued:
“Arriving at the decision to sell this stuff wasn’t too hard. I simply had too much. It was a bit like if I wanted new things I’d have to get rid of other things, whatever it might be that I haven’t used or played in a year or two.“
“There are loads of microphones I got when I was younger that were just sitting there. After all these years of recording and engineering, there’s been a huge learning experience about what works best for me. A lot of stuff I’d gotten when I was younger and more naïve so I wasn’t really using it, for example there was this all-encompassing Telefunken drum mic set that I didn’t like as much as other sets I own. But there were still a few things I felt connected to…”
One of the most interesting pieces that he’s selling is probably his old Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier which he used for Limp Bizkit’s debut album “Three Dollar Bill, Y’all.” Reminded of it, he replied:
“Yeah! But that amp hadn’t been played in so long. I love that head but I mainly use Diezels and EVHs. I was keeping it purely for sentimental reasons, and it got to the point where it was just taking up space. Every time I moved I’d be like, ‘Ugh, I’ve got to collect it and move it from A to B!’ I was ready to lose the weight.“
“I used to have eight Mesa/Boogie heads and still own a few of the cabs. Don’t get me wrong, I probably still have 15 or 16 cabinets in total, around nine EVH heads and two Diezels, plus a load of boutique amps. I’ve decided to only keep the stuff I really like. I’m also selling five Orange heads in this sale because there’s just too much stuff. And it’s nice for the people who want it to have it, rather than it just gathering dust.”
Another amp that’s present on the list of gear that Wes is selling is Selmer Zodiac Twin. Now, this is a pretty unique and rare piece of gear and it was recommended to him by none other than producer Rick Rubin. Asked whether it was one of the harder decisions for him to make to sell this amp, he said:
“Yeah, Rick persuaded me to get that one. And you’re right, that was actually one of the things I had a hard time deciding whether to part with. But I had to think, ‘What do I use this for?’ It was the clean amp for the ‘Chocolate Starfish‘ album, like the tones you hear on the breakdown in ‘My Way‘ where it gets really trebly, it’s the high treble button on that amp.“
“I really like that Selmer but later on I got a vintage 1965 Magnatone that was the same model Buddy Holly used and I ended up liking the sound of that more. I had to ask myself, ‘Why do I need both?’ If I want a Selmer again, I’ll buy one again, but right now I need to slim down my life.“
“Another thing I’ve done over the years is think more about what I’m buying. I’ve always wanted a Wal bass like Geddy Lee and Justin [Chancellor] from Tool. My friend Danny Lohner has one too. But they’re too expensive. I can’t justify spending $10,000 on a bass, so what I’ll do is buy something cheaper and similar. That way it won’t sting as much!”
“But I end up accumulating a lot of things that aren’t the thing. This sale is about getting rid of all that stuff. Things that are cool but I end up never playing.”
Wes Borland kicked off his massive gear sale through Analogr which you can check out here. The collection includes a bunch of interesting stuff, including a 12-string Guild acoustic guitar, OCDP drum kit, his Fender Starcaster, and even some of his stage outfits.
Photo: Achim Raschka (13-06-07 RaR LB Wes Borland 11)
