It's December and here's a interview Gorilla did with the Mad Axe man Ola Englund! Check it out.

1. Hello Ola! First off, how was your year this year?

Hey! Yo! Sup? This year has been good to me, biggest thing being that I’ve received my own signature guitar line from Strictly 7 Guitars. Imagine getting the guitar of your dreams and that it’s the best guitar you ever played? I got that this year, I can die now, but please put my Solar7 proto in the casket with me. Also I finally managed to finish of the new Feared album and it’s out in the open. Doing all this, having a family and a day job is stressful so there has been times were I almost lost it because of the stress. But I love everything I do and it keeps me going.

2. What's your plans for 2012?

MOAR amp tests of course! Also get out to gig and meet people. I’m going to Namm in January(2012) with the Strictly 7 Guitars guys and I will be there talking gear and guitars, also perform a song or two. I have some touring plans with Scarpoint as well so we’ll see where that ends up.
Also I will be recording and releasing the next Feared album which is going to be an instrumental one. All the songs are done, it just needs to be recorded and mixed and all that…

3. Cool. So..... Axe Fx! How did you hear of them and when did you get your first one?

I got my Standard beginning of 2010 when I joined Scarpoint. It just seemed convenient, and it was the first modeler that actually sounded good.

4. You currently have the Axe Fx II? Just how much difference is it compared to the Ultra?

To be honest, not as much as I wanted it to be in the beginning, but I’m discovering more every day and it just gets and sounds better and better. Better impulse resolution, USB-connection, reamping feature and to use it as a sound interface. It’s probably the most useful piece of guitar equipment I have ever used.

5. Do you use it for 'live' shows?

All the time, it’s just so easy to bring along. I either go direct to front of house or plug it in the effect loop of any backline amp. Always sounds good.


6. Any advice for Axe Fx guitarists struggling to tweak their axe fx to get their perfect tone?

The knob I tweak the most(also for when I’m doing regular amp tests) is the lowpass filter knob. On the Axe Fx 2 it’s located in the cab block. It helps you to put out those highs. And the beauty is that generally when you get to a new setup or a new venue, you often just need to adjust that parameter to make it fit the room/rig you’re playing through.



7. Do you play/ record your Axe fx thru monitors or headphones?

I often use headphones due to sleeping kids and moaning wives. But it’s a good way to get an honest perception of the tone you’re creating. It’s VERY hard to get a good sounding guitar sound through headphones. It always sounds to direct or to much in your face. If you get a good guitar sound using phones then it usually sounds good through any setup.

8. Among all your guitars, which one is your favorite and why?

No doubt my Solar7. Best guitar I’ve ever played, can’t wait to put it in other guitarists hands. The neck is just out of this world. I have never tried anything like it. Also it´s the coolest looking guitar I know.

9. What would be your dream tour for you and your band? Who would you guys like to your with?

Woah, my dream would be to tour with Pantera or Nevermore, Testament,. Also would be cool to co tour with some of the newer bands out there, Red Seas Fire, Vildhjarta, Omega Experiment etc. Bands that I like to listen to really.

10. What's a typical day for you?

My son gets me up around 6 am, I drive to daycare, go to work, hang on forums all day, get home, work my ass off with videos for a couple of hours until my wife gets sick of me, then watch tv for an hour. Sleep. On a Sunday I would get up, go to the studio, play guitar all day testing various gear, filming etc. Somewhere between all of this I try to get a healthy dose of PS3 and some beer.