A songwriting blues-rocker in the purist sense, Dudley Taft is succeeding in an era when nothing comes easy for his ilk. His new album, The Speed of Life, required a departure from the norm; while his previous three were recorded at his own studio in Cincinnati, this one used down time during a European tour to track songs with bandmates in Prague. And while its personnel varied, the songs are exactly what fans expect.
“I’m very comfortable expanding songwriting in this weird little zone that is blues rock,” he said with a chuckle. “I would say I’m 80 percent rock, 20 percent blues. And that should be enough for anyone.”
Given your time on the job and your heavy touring schedule, does creating new music present any specific challenges?
Well, it’s my job and I’m always working on my craft, always looking forward to the next album, trying to make it good. For this one, I had 35 or 40 little ideas that I refined to get 12 tracks.
How does songwriting work for you?
Typically, a riff or a chord progression on guitar leads to an emotion or something to say that works with it. Rarely do I have words first; it’s “Get the guitar and go,” smoke a little weed to open my mind and try not to think of anything else.
Are there a couple songs on The Speed of Life that stand out for you?
“Miles and Miles To Go” and “Pretty Little Thing” for the same reason – they’re not just verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge. I’m proud of my solo work on those two songs, in particular, because they fit the vibe of the song so well. They’re a mix of melodic and snappier phrases without being shred, because I’m not shred (laughs).
What are some of the guitars we hear on the album?
An uncle died in 2023, and my brother and I were his only nephews; we got part of his estate and my portion was $8,900. I thought “I could throw it into my account, or I could do something meaningful.” So I went to Carter Vintage and bought a ’69 Les Paul Custom that is now my “Uncle Tom guitar” and is the one you hear on the solos in “Miles and Miles To Go” and “Pretty Little Thing.” There’s something about the pickups – maybe they have fewer winds – but they have a crisp sound. It’s not great for rock-and-roll power chords, but you can hear something in the chirp when the pick hits the string, and it’s gorgeous.
I was blown away when I first heard it. The guitar is heavy as f**k, so I won’t play it live because I have six other Les Pauls and I’ve always been a Strat guy. But, 45 years down the road, you start doing different things.
How did you decide on amps and effects on the record?
Well, I am in love with blackface Fenders, so my typical rig is a ’66 Deluxe Reverb and almost always an original silver Klon. Nothing sounds like a Klon; it does a unique thing – it’s not really soft clipping, it’s not really hard clipping. It’s just nice. After that, I use an Analog Man Prince of Tone or, for a harder clip, a Fulltone OCD. Almost everything was recorded with those pedals. I’m also a fan of the Zen Drive, especially for a Strat when I’m playing a solo because it adds some nice thickness.
I have a couple of EL84 amplifiers that are nice – a Dr. Z and an Oahu built by Oliver Archut in the ’90s. It’s two EL84s and just Tone and Volume knobs. One of those with the Zen Drive and a Stratocaster, it’s game over.
I have different amps for other textures. When I want to get heavy, I have a Friedman I used on the backing power chords in “Burn It Down.” I used a Bassman for the beginning of that song, with the Strat. I also have a couple Deluxes, a Pro, a Super, a Princeton, and a couple Vibroverbs. I have not found any modern amp that reacts on the front end like a blackface Fender. Maybe it’s the sag, I don’t know.
Did you use more than one Strat?
I had a few. My ’99 Mary Kaye is one of the first Relics ever made. It has a one-piece swamp-ash body and a birdseye maple neck, and it really sings; it vibrates nicely. Another is a Custom in Surf Green with a rosewood fretboard, which has a midrangey sound. Those are the two shades of Stratocaster.
I also have this ’59 reissue with different electronics and a finish made to look like a Joe Perry Les Paul, and there’s something weird with that one – it’s so chimey, not like other Les Pauls when you use both pickups and the Volumes all the way up. And I have a Jeff Hanna Collector’s Choice Les Paul. That’s the rock Les Paul, with a lot of low-mids. It’s great for chords. – Ward Meeker
An extended version of this interview can be read at VintageGuitar.com.
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
