felix martin
Felix Martin, a left-handed, Venezuelan-born
guitar prodigy who moved to America after
winning a scholarship to attend the
prestigious Berklee School of Music. Instead
of merely adding an extra string to his
instrument, though, Martin took things
several steps further and added an entire
second set of strings. His self-designed
14-string custom guitar features two
seven-string guitars on one wide neck which
allows him to play both guitars
simultaneously, allowing for his unique
system of techniques including
eight-fingered chords and slap-tapping
techniques.
Soon after
signing with Prosthetic in 2012 and
releasing the live album “Live in Boston” —
hailed by Noisecreep as “a masterclass in
forward-thinking guitar” — MARTIN embarked
on his first-ever American tour following a
successful seven-week tour throughout
Europe. Earlier this year, the Venezuelan
innovator was seen performing at the annual
NAMM Convention in Southern California at
the booth of Seymour Duncan pickups, who
praised his “incredible level of skill,
musicality, dexterity and dedication.”
On his sophomore studio recording "The Scenic Album" -- which features fellow Berklee alum Nathan Navarro on bass and drummer extraordinaire Marco Minnemann (Necrophagist, Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats) -- Martin plays an eclectic, exhilarating hybrid of instrumental prog-metal, jazz and fusion. Clearly, sometimes it's better to be strung out.