Artist interview with Mayto

Artist interview with Mayto

Today we have the pleasure of interviewing the very talented Japanese guitar player Mayto, a new addition to the growing Vola Guitars family and guitar player in the amazing band HAGANE! Let's begin with the interview.

 

– What attracted you to Vola guitars and made you decide to become a Vola artist?

– I decided to become a Vola artist because I thought Vola guitars gave me the freedom to create the sound I wanted.
It’s the best guitar because it has a great sound and visual appeal, and it’s also very versatile.
I feel comfortable with the response of the sound and the feeling of strumming chords, and I feel like the guitar accompanies me in my performance.

It is a guitar that allows me to express myself.

– You have a Vola Ares and an Oz. Do you have a set of songs in which you play the Ares or the Oz, or do you choose one or the other depending on your mood that day?

– When I play personally, the sound and the feeling of playing both are completely different, so I play whichever I want to play according to my mood that day.
When I play in a band, I decide whether to play Ares or Oz for a certain song (Ares for a heavier overall sound, Oz for a more forward sound, etc.).

– If you had to choose one of Vola’s guitars to take with you to a desert island, what would it be?

OZ ROA! I’m sure I’d feel lonely on a deserted island, so I’d choose the OZ, because the guitar itself sounds and resonates well.

– OZ is a 22-fret guitar and Ares is a 24-fret guitar. What are the characteristics of each guitar in terms of playing comfort?

– The Oz is lighter to weight, and the whole guitar feels like it’s ringing, and because it’s a 22-fret guitar, it sounds more direct and the sound is crisp and forward.
The Ares is a stable guitar for heavy riffs, and the 24 frets allow me to play all the way up to the high frets, and the Floyd Rose keeps it in tune.

– What do you like most about the OZ and Ares?

– I like the OZ because of the guitar’s sound and the wide range of sounds it can produce with SSH PU layout and coil tap function.
My favorite thing about the Ares is that you can freely use the arm and it distorts beautifully with HH PU layout, and the sound of the center position is clear and transparent.

– Are there any artists or bands that inspired you to start playing the guitar?

– Bon Jovi and Van Halen. I’ve been playing the piano since I was little, but I realized that I couldn’t get that rock heavy sound playing the piano! So I started playing the guitar.
It was the guitar playing of a Japanese guitarist named RENO that made me want to continue playing guitar. Mr. Big and Dream Theatre were his influences, and they influenced me as well.

– As a guitarist for the Japanese rock band HAGANE, do you have any special events or live performances planned for the future?

– We will be releasing our second single “SuperVillan” in December 2021 and our first full-length album in 2022.
We will be performing at TSUTAYA O-WEST at the beginning of 2022. We are also planning a one-man live tour to coincide with the release of the full album.

Stay tuned for more information on our future activities!

 

Well thank you so much to Mayo for taking the time to talk to us about the two guitars she plays in the band HAGANE, if you reside in Japan look out for future live performances and world wide for the release of the full length coming soon.