“I cheated at school – I’ll cheat at guitar!”: Why Sophie Lloyd swears by fret wraps
Fret wraps can be an invaluable tool while recording and performing, but their ability to eliminate or diminish dud notes or mistakes have led some guitar purists to see their use as cheating. Those who make this argument say fret wraps alleviate the onus on the guitarist to make sure their playing is free of mistakes.
But in the case of YouTube shredder Sophie Lloyd, she’s more than happy to use fret wraps when performing live with Machine Gun Kelly, and even makes light of the fact some regard the practice as “cheating”.
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In a new Rig Rundown video with Premier Guitar, Lloyd insists the “extra safety” fret wraps provide keep her performances clean and allow her to focus more on the fun of the performance. “I always have fret wraps on my guitars… I cheated at school, I’ll cheat a guitar!” she laughs.
Lloyd goes on to explain that the wraps are most useful when she’s tackling a solo, as it eases the fear of playing dud notes. “It’s loud as hell in an arena, so you wanna make sure you’re playing well,” she says.
Of course, even if you use fret wraps, you still have to possess chops and know what you’re playing. With her formidable skills, not only has Sophie Lloyd amassed millions of followers and earned a spot in Machine Gun Kelly’s band, she also earned herself a signature axe with Kiesel. “I was the brand’s first female signature artist for Kiesel,” she smiles. “That was crazy!”
The opportunity to collaborate with the brand came after Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Volbeat fame told her to check Kiesel guitars out. It lead to Lloyd cold-emailing the brand and linking to her YouTube channel – and Kiesel ended up wanting to work with her. “I had, like, 20,000 followers or something…” she recalls. “Then they sent me [a guitar] that later became my Sophie Lloyd Signature Series.”
The chance to collaborate with Kiesel was the perfect opportunity for Lloyd to concoct the perfect guitar for her playing style. Namely, she wanted a guitar that was a little lighter so she could really let loose on stage. “I loved played Gibsons before, but they were kind of too heavy for me,” she admits. “Especially for a long two hour show. I like to be silly and throw things around and bend backwards… so [my Kiesel signature] is is a lot more lightweight compared to a Gibson.”
Just like chucking on a fret wrap, the ability to perform with a lighter axe just makes performing that little bit more enjoyable. Other female guitarists have also opted for lighter instruments in the past, like Olivia Rodrigo praising St. Vincent’s quirky, lightweight and boob-friendly St. Vincent’s Ernie Ball Music Man Goldie guitar.
Lloyd’s signature Kiesel is similarly considerate of those with a larger chest. “Tonally, the guitar was everything I wanted, and the shape fit me a lot better,” she explains. “Girls know, when you play something, it can be a little bit sore on the boob! But this one fit perfectly.”
Her rig also focuses on being portable. “My ideal rig is a Diesel amp in parallel to an EVH, but I can’t really transport that very easily,” she says. “But we’ve kind of built it into [a Kemper]. We’ve captured it a bit – you can’t get it exactly the same, but it’s still sounds great.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
