Michael Magno of The Villains took some time out from preparing for an upcoming tour to chat with Gearwire about his Guitars. The Villains are a rock band with hints of pop an country. Their first album hit the streets June 29 via Rock Ridge Music. That record, Just Another Saturday Night, was recorded by Chris Griffin, a veteran engineer who has worked with the likes of Live and Drivin N Cryin. He also mixed the record, with the help of Russ Fowler who has worked with bands including Stone Temple Pilots and Offspring.

The first guitar he talked about whas his Gibson J-180, a very special instrument.

Tell me the story of your Gibson J-180. When did you get it and why?

The story of my J-180 is kind of unique to me. It was my first ever Ebay purchase. Moreover, the guitar was relisted twice because of failed purchases. so, it was just my luck that it ended up in my hands. I took it to Gruen's Guitars in Nashville and found out that it was a one of a kind prototype because the serial number kept bringing it up as a dove model. A couple of phone calls later it was confirmed that it had been possibly a one off custom job or prototype. It's candy apple red with the star inlays on a the fret board, similar to the Everly Brothers model but without the double pick guards. I replaced the original tuning keys with my fave Sperzel locking tuners.(We sincerely hope he saved the original tuners-ed).

I needed a go-to acoustic electric and since I'd been playing the hell out of my Chet Atkins, I wanted something that offered a different characteristic than the Chet. The 180 came with a martin thin line pickup, but over a year ago, I outfitted the guitar with a dual pickup by Fishman that I’ve been more than happy with. It really amplifies the balanced sound that the 180 has when it's unplugged.

We know what you like about the guitar; is there anything you do not like?

The only thing that I don't like about this guitar is not the fault of the model. While I love everything about this guitar, I always knew that I would ache for a j-200; that is until I found my Hummingbird. aside from that, people have often related me to my guitars in the same way they know that I always wear Adidas. My guitars have become an extension of my music.

You have other guitars, notably a Hummingbird. Tell me a little about when you pick the J-180 and when you pick the Hummingbird? What are the sonic differences in the guitars?

The Hummingbird and the J-180 have subtle but important sonic differences, at least to my ears. To start, both feel good in my hands. I think that's just Gibson guitars in general for me. it's the reason I have three. The Chet became my first workhorse followed by the 180 now replaced by the Hummingbird. From time to time and gig to gig I bring all three for a variety of sound. But at present I bring my hummingbird to all acoustic shows. The Hummingbird to my ears is the most balanced of my guitars from unplugged to amplified. I put the dual pickup in the 180 to help with low end and hotter signal (the condenser is the other pickup). The Chet is nice because you never have to worry about feedback and eq but it still has that semi hollow sound to me that doesn't always work in most situations.

What amp do you use (I assume the Fishman)?

I have a Fishman solo amp that I use primarily on solo and duo gigs. My 180 sounds amazing thru it with little fuss to eq. I got the solo amp and totally love the ease of use and sonic references. In The Villains format, I use the 180 thru a Trace Elliot Velocette. It's a great little boutique amp, 1X10 with just a tone knob and volume knob. It's 35 amps and usually more volume than I need.

The Villains are gearing up for shows this summer and Magno is enthused to be showcasing the new record in new places. Be sure to check out the band when they hit your town.