“Learn how to play – because if you can’t play, you’ll find a pedal and you’ll cheat”: Dave Mustaine on guitar collecting, switching to Quad Cortex and why some players are “living a lie” with stompboxes

Dave Mustaine live onstage with his signature Gibson V, Megadeth mascot Vic Rattlehead is visible in the background.

Until recently, Dave Mustaine didn’t seek out electric guitars; the guitars sought him out, with endorsements from Jackson, Dean, ESP and now Gibson providing the arsenal for Megadeth’s state-of-the-art metal guitar sound.

But things have changed. This artist relationship with Gibson has awakened the collector in him, and now it’s time to stop, look around and smell the nitrocellulose. Here, he discusses a life in gear, the electric guitars he most misses, his guitar amp philosophy, the advice he has for all players, and why he is now smitten by the amp modeler.