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JON OLIVA INSTRUMENTS
Jon Oliva is a
multi-talented musician. Apart from being a distinct vocalist, he
plays many different instruments. And all of that without any
tuition. As a kid, he had a few piano lessons, but that's just
about it. Everything else is self-taught.
Because
his father was a pianist himself, there has always been a
piano in the Oliva house.
Jon started playing at the age of six, and even now he
likes playing keys the most.The piano he is playing in this picture is
the piano Elton John used recording "Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road" and the Beatles used recording "Let
It Be".
Once, after a Savatage
gig, in a hotel in California during the
"Streets" tour, Jon played Beatles songs on the
grand piano in front of dozens of enthusiastic hotel
guests.
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In the
very beginning Jon and Criss played in a coverband by the
name of Black Diamond; Jon played lead guitar and Criss
played bass. When
the band started in the late 70's as Metropolis, later
Avatar, Criss had already become so good on guitar, that
they decided to switch instruments, and so Jon became the
bassist.
But, in order to have
more freedom as the leadsinger and frontman, the band
started looking for another bassist.
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always been an excellent drummer. He even showed Steve
Wacholz how to play the drums. The first time Steve showed up in their
rehearsal room "The Pit", Jon told Steve he was
just stroking his drums instead of beating them.
"I'll show ya how
it's done", he said, and then, using a broken rake
for drum sticks, he completely wrecked the fell of the
drums. It cost him $35, but Steve was impressed !
In this pic Jon is
jamming to "Can You Hear Me Now" during the
Streets - sessions. This is one of the songs he recorded
together with Criss.
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Jon plays
guitar as well as bass. Because he is left handed, he
usually plays a lefthanded guitar. But if such a guitar
is not available, no problem: When Chris Caffery sang "Power of the
Night" on the Gutter Ballet tour, Jon overtook his
righthanded guitar and simply turned it upside down.
And so he played the guitar: switched but not restrung !
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This is a
picture of the keyboards that Jon uses on stage. Specification:
1 Kurzweil K1000
1 Korg M1
1 Falicon Keyboard Riser
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