16 - Rav Fontanilla
Rav is a Filipino musician who is now based in Pennsylvania, USA. He writes music for his band, Arcana PH as well as his own solo work, which ranges from acoustic ballads to instrumental lo-fi. He has always been purely just a vocalist, up until he was 13 years old, when he picked up the guitar and never looked back. With influences ranging from Metallica to The Eagles to Chicago to Michael Jackson to Megadeth, he says it's always been a challenge to express himself in a spectrum that fits the middle of that range.
Rav’s guitars:
Sterling By Musicman Jared Dines Stingray 24 (This was an impulse buy,I saw that they were rare and they didn't make 24 fret stingrays other than this one)
Sterling By Musicman James Valentine JVT (It's Maroon 5's guitar player's signature,this guitar opened my mind up to roasted maple necks)
Sterling By Musicman JP70 John Petrucci Signature (Modified with a Artec 5 stage boost)
PRS Se Custom 24 (my first PRS,it's also one of my main songwriting guitars for heavy music)
PRS Se Zach Myers(I bought it and it came with the bigsby which fits the whole aesthetic of the guitar)
PRS Se Santana (It was one of those guitars I bought because of how it looked but the sound on that thing is killer as well)
Jackson Gus G Star (With a 2 stage boost and push-pull coil split)
Ibanez Jem Jr In Neon Pink (With a 2 Stage Boost and a Teisco Killswitch)
Jackson King V In Military Drab Olive
Hard Luck Kings Lady Luck (With 5 Stage Boost and A Killswitch and Coil Split)
Charvel Desolation Skatecaster with EMGs
Charvel Desolation DC2
Ibanez Mandolin
Harley Benton HSS Pro with Roasted Maple Neck
Squier Stratocaster Standard
Squier Telecaster Standard with Rail Bridge Pickup
Squier Contemporary Heavy Metal With Floyd Rose and Active Pickups
Squier Telecaster Custom HH(The One With A Lot Of Stickers)
Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Chapman ML3
What was your first guitar, and do you still have it?
My first guitar is a cheap acoustic guitar I got from a relative, it was crappy but I learned my first few chords from that thing, sadly I don't have it anymore and it is probably termite food now.
What's your favorite guitar right now, and why?
It's a toss-up between my main baby, the PRS Custom 24 and The Harley Benton HSS Pro With Roasted Maple Neck. The PRS being my main for my drop C# stuff and the Harley Benton for my Standard Tuning Stuff.
What's your newest purchase?
I got a Chapman ML3 because I've always wanted one since 2015 when I was 19, the finish,the specs, oh so tempting.
How often do you play?
I frequently play on my off days, hanging out in my mancave/studio, gotta keep the fire alive man.
What's the music you are creating, and the mission behind it?
For my band, Arcana, it's mostly alternative metal with a more mature subject matter revolving around relationships with everything we love, hate, revere and get reviled by. It's also based on our personal stories and outlooks on life and the dilemmas and challenges we face as humans.
My Solo work is more random with Lo-fi Instrumentals and covers ranging from slow ballads to metal songs.
