WeROCK 108: Hana and TOMO-ZO interview from "Guitar Girls" feature
- gachapinfan
- Apr 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 28
Hana (Gacharic Spin)
A guitar with a good balance of highs, mids, and lows is ideal
◎ The first guitar I ever owned: A Gretsch White Falcon.
◎ Guitarist who influenced me: Takayoshi Ohmura. I love his guitar playing; the notes are so clear and beautiful, and it really sings. When I decided to become the guitarist and vocalist for Gachapin, I went to him to learn the basics and techniques.
◎ Favorite things about my main guitar: It's a tough guitar; the neck doesn't warp easily, and it's easy to play, which is great. I added a D-tune and coil tap as a special touch. It also has the LED lights that are a long-standing tradition for Gachapin!
◎ Preferences for pickups and controls: I’d like to use a humbucker for the bridge pickup, but I prefer one that doesn’t produce too much power and blends in well.
◎ Preferences for neck scale, grip, and fretboard: 25 inches. I prefer a thinner neck that's easy to grip.
◎ Preferences for bridge: One that doesn't hurt my hand when muting.
◎ Ideal guitar: A guitar with a clear, well-defined tone and a good balance of highs, mids, and lows. That's how I want my guitar to sound and play.
◎ The guitar sound I'm aiming for: A tone that doesn't overpower the vocals but has thickness and presence.
◎ Favorite strings: 09~46. I always change them before live performances and recordings.
◎ Pick Used: A shape somewhere between a teardrop and a rice ball (DUNLOP U.S.A. FLOW), currently my main pick is 0.73 mm. I like how it brings out the high frequencies of the tone cleanly when strummed, and it's easy to play with because it doesn't catch on the strings much. When I want a thicker sound, I sometimes use a 0.88 mm Ultem pick (this is my original pick).
◎ Songs that reflect my personality: "SPEED GAME," "1GAME," "Odori Odore," and "Reverse Psychology" by Gacharic Spin.
◎ Challenges in playing the guitar: Clean articulation of picking, balance between left and right hands.
◎ Things I want to challenge myself with in guitar playing: Guitar sliding.
◎ My goal as a guitarist: I want to become a guitarist who can produce sounds from my hands as if I'm speaking, creating phrases that others will want to hear and sing along to.
TOMO-ZO (Gacharic Spin)
I've been playing a Custom 24 for a long time, so this scale length feels natural to me
◎ The first guitar I ever owned: A Fernandes Stratocaster-type guitar.
◎ Guitarist who influenced me: Stevie Salas – He's a guitarist who instantly captivated me
with his music, which often blends rock and funk, and whose guitar phrases and vocal groove are simply amazing. TAKUYA (Judy and Mary) – I respect him for his tricky guitar phrases and playing style, and as a composer.
◎ Favorite things about my main guitar: Paul Reed Smith Custom 24.
◎ Preferences for pickups and controls: Pickups that can handle both distorted and clean tones well. Good clarity and projection.
◎ Preferences for neck scale, grip, and fretboard: I've played the Custom 24 for a long time, so that scale feels the most natural to me. Because I have small hands, I prefer a narrow and thin neck.
◎ Preferences for bridge: My main guitar has a tremolo bridge, but I also like using a guitar with a Floyd Rose for metal songs.
◎ Ideal guitar: A guitar that allows me to play with a relaxed, even tone without putting too much force into it. A guitar that makes me feel excited when I play it.
◎ The guitar sound I'm aiming for: Whether clean or distorted, I hope to deliver each and every note clearly. In terms of playing, I always want to increase the variety of ways I can express myself.
◎ Favorite strings: 009-046. I change them for each live performance.
◎ Pick Used: Teardrop shape, 1mm thick. I chose this thickness to give a fuller sound when playing chords and riffs on the 5th and 6th strings, while also allowing me to play fast phrases smoothly.
◎ Songs that reflect my personality: Gacharic Spin's "Magic Umbrella Girl." It's a song that combines a fantasy worldview with intense, energetic guitar playing!
◎ Challenges in playing the guitar: I struggle with phrases that involve skipping strings, so I often practice to get a feel for the spacing between strings.
◎ Things I want to challenge myself with in guitar playing: In order to continue playing the guitar for a long time, I want to pay more attention to my form and consciously play without tension or strain.
◎ My goal as a guitarist: I want to become an artist who can deliver the wonderfulness of music to listeners by enjoying the sound myself the most, pouring my emotions into it, and making it contagious, no matter what phrase or song it is.
Source - WeROCK 108 [On sale August 12, 2025]:
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