The ESP Guitar Company

Hailing from Toronto, Ontario in Canada, Protest the Hero offers a pretty great combination of progressive metal and metalcore in their sound. Along with bandmates Rody Walker and Luke Hoskin, ESP player Tim MacMillar helped found the band in 2001, and has since helped carve a unique niche in the world of heavy music. 

What was your first experience playing ESP?
I guess it was pretty soon after the band had started, and I was lucky enough to get in touch with ESP. They set up both me and Luke, the other guitarist in the band. It was awesome. They were so supportive right from the beginning. That was my first real guitar that I toured on.

Had you played ESP previously?
I had been eyeing them up in the music shops, of course. Once I had one on my hand, I fell in love with it.

Which guitar is your main ESP?
I’m using the ESP Horizon-II. The first guitar I got from you was the LTD MH-1000.

What are the important aspects to you when you’re considering a new guitar?
For the most part, it would be feel. I’m not too picky as far as a guitar’s aesthetic. One of the biggest things for me is the neck profile. All ESPs that I played on have that perfect neck feel that’s not too chunky, and also not too thin. My ESP necks have some meat on it. If a guitar doesn’t feel right in my hands, it’s not going to work.

You’re touring a lot. We assume reliability of a guitar is a big factor.
Definitely. When you’re on the road, the worst thing that can happen is — after a flight or a night onstage — taking your guitar out of the case and something’s not working. As far as I remember, going back to the beginning, I put that ESP guitar through hell and I can’t remember it ever failing, or not being able to take a beating.

When I got my first ESP, I was noticing all the little things about its quality. It feels like all of the little touches and details were made with quality in mind. You could tell by playing the instrument.

What pickups are in your Horizon?
The Fishman Fluence pickups. They’re new, and I’m trying them out. In the studio where we were recording these last couple of months, the producer and I tried out different models and pickups, and we both picked the Fishman. I’m using those.

What kinds of tones do you aim for in Protest the Hero?
Early on, we found that dialing back the gain so it’s not a wall of distortion and bringing some mids into my tone, helped to have some clarity. I’m not going for a super overdriven thing. That can be especially true in a band setting. You have to figure out where you want to sonically sit in the band. It might not be your favorite tone when you’re playing alone in your basement.

How old were you when you starting playing?
About 12. I picked up the guitar because I played piano for a long time as a kid. My dad had this old guitar hanging around. I thought at the time that piano was lame and guitar was a lot cooler. My dad showed me a few things to get going.

When the band started, it was shortly after getting my first guitar in my hands. We technically got together when we were about 13. It was good, because we were learning together and goofing off. The chemistry grew as we continued to play together. It was nice to get that part down before we got better as musicians.

You seem to carry multiple roles and responsibilities in the band. How does a person branch out into different musical areas?
Maybe in the beginning, you’re like, “This is what I do.” As you grow and do more, you’re more willing to try new things out. If I can do some singing, or some piano interludes, it’s nice to try and use that. We’re always trying to bring new things to the table. We’re not afraid to give things a shot. I still haven’t learned the accordion yet.

(laughs)… Wait, did you really try accordion? That looks hard.
I thought it would be easier. It has keys, but then there’s more to it.

Most players get to a point where they hit a plateau and it’s difficult to progress beyond a certain level of proficiency. Any advice for them?
Look to other genres of music, and other styles of playing within a genre. That will keep it fresh, and will keep you humble. When you step outside your comfort zone, you realize that there’s a lot to learn in this area. A good example is when I started learning more colorful chords in jazz. It was a total departure from how I would go about playing metal and rock. It was like starting again in some ways, but it made me a more well-rounded player.

We hear there’s a new Protest the Hero album being made. How’s that going?
Everything is recorded, and we’re now getting the final touches together. We’re hoping to wrap it up in the next couple months for a release in late summer.