“I have a Southern accent, and it’s the same on the guitar. I adapted the guitar to do the talking for me when I was too shy”: Marcus King on why your fretboard has its own language – and how mental health became his muse

Bathed in red stage lights, Marcus King takes a solo on a vintage Gibson Barney Kessell signature model.

The modern guitar scene is brimming with pyrotechnics based on speed, agility and clicks via social media. Marcus King, however, bypasses all of that in favour of a straight-up vibe check.

“Other people might have a larger vocabulary, and they’re going to speak more eloquently,” he tells Guitarist. “I have the vocabulary that I have. I have a Southern accent, and it’s the same on the guitar. I adapted the guitar to do the talking for me when I was too shy. The basic root of my playing is to try not to think about it but allow myself to just express things wholly.”