Tool’s Adam Jones explained why he prefers “heavier weight” guitars such as his Epiphone Art Collection, noting that he used one of those axes to record and perform live.

The Tool guitarist’s signature Epiphone series has been the subject of much praise, with many in the guitar community calling it one of the best axes to be released under the brand. Moreover, the Adam Jones Art Collections, limited to 800 instruments, features an even cooler twist in the form of artwork by artists such as the acclaimed Mark Ryden, Frank Frazetta, Ernst Fuchs, Julie Heffernan, as well as Jones’ wife Korin Faught.

In addition to some impressive electronics mirroring the Tool guitarist’s 1979 Custom — including a reverse-mounted humbucker in the neck and Seymour Duncan Distortion on the bridge — the Adam Jones signature Epiphones are hefty guitars, weighing well over nine pounds. Speaking to Guitar World in a new interview, Jones says this is exactly the way he likes it:

“I like a heavier-weight guitar because I use tube amps, I use analog equipment. So if you plug one of my heavy guitars into my setup, with a pickup that is responsive to that side of things, it sounds great. You get great tone. You get great feedback, but you can still control it. You get everything I love. This guitar gives you a piece of me. In fact, I just used one of the Epiphones to do some recording, and I’ve played them onstage, too.”

Much like all things in life, preferences vary from player to player when it comes to guitar weight, but Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher recently also admitted that he likes his axes heavy — so much so that he said he could never get behind SG and Flying V guitars due to their weight:

“I don’t trust a light guitar. Well, I shouldn’t say I don’t trust it; it’s more that I like a guitar that feels solid. I know I’m getting older, and running around the stage with such heavy guitars isn’t great for my back and shoulders, but I like ’em heavy.”

“I tried SGs and Flying Vs, and they might look cool and sound good, but it’s like playing a piece of Styrofoam.”

Maynard Reveals Real Reason Why He Stands in the Back of the Stage at Tool Shows…

Anyone who’s into Tool will know that Maynard James Keenan prefers to be in the back of the stage during the band’s live shows. This has been one of the most often discussed things among anyone who’s seen the band’s shows in one form or another. A band’s frontman standing in the back next to the drummer? It’s odd, to say the least, but he’s been doing it since the “Lateralus” days.

But despite many just thinking that it’s about Maynard wanting to be special, or just the band keeping things unconventional on purpose, it turns out that there are a few practical reasons for this setup. At least that’s what the singer himself said during a recent interview with Kerrang. As he explained:

“With Tool, Danny’s drums are so loud, he has like 17 arms and 15 legs, and then you’ve got Adam’s row of amps and Justin’s wall of bass. It just makes it way harder for the front-of-house to have a mix if [I’m] down front.”

“And the position up top is also great, visually, because I can see what’s going on, we can connect with each other by looking at each other. If I was facing the audience, my back would be to what’s happening, so I can’t take cues.”

Whatever may be the case, Tool shows are a unique experience. And while Maynard’s explanation seems reasonable, there might be another reason why he likes to be close to Danny’s drums. Here’s one example below.