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Ville in his old flat in Helsinki downtown, with some of his bass and guitars.
Ville Valo is not just a singer, drummer, bass player... He's of course an amazing guitar player, and with the Tears on Tour and after with his Rambo Rimbaud gig we had a glimpse of his skills with the guitar.
Don't forget also the Baudelaire In Braille album, a masterpiece for every HIM fan. A bonus disc that has all thirteen tracks from the album but in acoustic form, made by Ville with his guitar.
But what are Ville's most important guitars?
Let's go back to the basics. Ville's guitar brand is without any doubt Gibson so most of Ville's favorite guitars are obviously Gibson. Let's see some of them.
Gibson Acoustic L-200 Emmylou Harris Acoustic - Electric Guitar
Legendary singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris’s love of Gibson Jumbo acoustics is well documented. From her duets with country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons and his 1960s J-200—which she still owns—to her custom-painted pink J-200 which she used exclusively on her 1985 album The Ballad Of Sally Rose, Harris’ career has been distinguished by her close association with Gibson. That friendship endures today with the L-200 Emmylou Harris acoustic guitar, a model that captures the big sound and classy look of Gibson’s SJ-200, but in a smaller package designed to meet the performance and travel demands of any artist. First introduced in 2002, the L-200—the inspiration for Gibson’s CJ-165 line—features a body design that is smaller and thinner than the SJ-200, but braced to produce the powerfully balanced, natural sound so closely associated with it.
Gibson J-200
Gibson entered into production of this model in 1937 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar, initially called the Super Jumbo, changing the name in 1939 to the Super Jumbo 200. It replaced the Gibson Advanced Jumbo. It was made at the Gibson Factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The SJ-200 was named for its super large 16 7/8" flat top body, with a double-braced red spruce top and rosewood back and sides, and sunburst finish. In 1947 the materials used for the guitar changed to maple back and sides. Gibson changed the name to the J-200 in 1955. Due to the weak post-depression economy and wartime austerity, demand for this high end guitar was very limited and production quantities were small. Early models made from rosewood are highly prized by collectors.
After these Gibsons, let's see a new entry... This guitar surfaced during the rehearsals of the last HIM album, Tears on Tape and then Ville used it for all his TOT live shows, for the song The Funeral Of Hearts. A new and curious choice by Valo. If you recall, Johnny Depp used this same type (and colour too, I guess) in the movie Chocolat.
National Resonator
Generally speaking, metal-bodied types, particularly with a "Biscuit" cone have a more Bluesy tone, while for Bluegrass and Country music the wooden-bodied, Spider-cone style is preferred.
Metal-bodied resonators are usually constructed of either Bell-brass or steel, each metal having different tonal characteristics.
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