In a recent chat with Ultimate Guitar’s On the Record podcast, Steve Vai shared his thoughts, expressing admiration rather than resentment towards Korn for their use of the seven-string guitar.
The guitarist looked back on how the seven-string Universe guitar came to be, starting from just a conversation that ended up changing music. Originally made to try out deeper tunes and fuller sounds, Vai didn’t expect it to become such a big deal in music. He thought of the seven-string as a flexible instrument for different music styles but wasn’t sure about its future when it started to sell less.
Korn’s Breakthrough
The turning point came with Korn’s emergence on the music scene. Vai recalled the moment he first heard Korn on the radio, saying:
“And sure enough, not long after that, I was driving down the street, and I heard this incredible heavy music on the radio, and I knew it was a seven-string. I pulled the car over, and I listened, and it was what I was expecting, in a way. The band that was playing was Korn, and it was brilliant. It was like, yeah, that’s the use of the seven-string that I didn’t do, that I was hoping somebody would do, and they certainly did. Then, from there, it just took off.”
Dispelling The Myths
The following question suggested how Vai might have reacted negatively after hearing Korn use the seven-string guitar he created, wondering if he made a mistake in creating it. The musician replied:
“No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I remember I was on tour, and I walked into this hotel bar, and there was a little jazz band that was playing. The guy had a seven-string, and he was doing walking bass lines. But my heart was full when I saw that.”
The conversation with UG’s Alexander Kiryushkin brought to light Korn guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch’s perspective on the seven-string’s role in defining Korn’s sound. Welch credited his bandmate Munky for his early passion for the instrument, a passion that contributed significantly to the band’s sound and indirectly to the seven-string’s resurgence. Welch also expressed awe over Vai’s recognition of Korn’s use of the seven-string.
Watch Vai’s full interview below.
