George Lynch (musician)

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George Lynch (b. September 28, 1954) is a Hard rock guitarist best known as a member of the band Dokken.

George Lynch
George Lynch at Dallas Guitar Show 2004
Born	September 28, 1954 in Spokane, Washington
Genre(s)	Hard rock Rock Metal
Affiliation(s)	Dokken
Notable guitars	ESP George Lynch Signature Model
Years active	1979 - present
Official site	Official website

1 Biography
2 Equipment
3 Discography
4 External links

[edit] Biography

Lynch was born in Spokane, Washington and raised near Sacramento, California. He is a highly respected modern guitarist often compared with other guitar heroes such as Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, and Yngwie J. Malmsteen.^{[citation needed]} Lynch is well known for his famous legato technique and common use of the scale he calls the 'Gothic Octave'. Twice Lynch auditioned for the position of Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist, once in 1979 – losing to Randy Rhoads – and another time in 1982 to replace Brad Gillis. According to Lynch, he was hired for three days before Ozzy changed his mind and decided to go with Jake E. Lee. Lee, however claims that Lynch "got the gig, but only went on the road for two weeks to watch the show, and never actually played with Ozzy."

Lynch came to fame in the 1980s through his work as the lead guitarist in the band Dokken (whom he had been a member of since the late 1970s). Dokken had a string of successful platinum albums that prominently featured Lynch's inventive lead guitar work and cemented his reputation as a bonafide guitar hero.

In spite of the band's popularity, Lynch left Dokken in 1988 due to internal tensions with lead vocalist Don Dokken. Lynch formed his own hard rock band Lynch Mob which differed from Dokken in lyrical complexity, subject matter, song structure, guitar complexity and tuning, and a notably different approach to vocal harmony than Dokken's soaring harmonies. In 1993, Lynch released his first solo album, Sacred Groove.

By 1994 Lynch and Don Dokken had set aside their differences and Dokken reformed with their classic lineup. Dokken released two albums and a video during this period but Lynch still found time to tour with his own band, appear at guitar clinics for ESP guitars, and attend the annual NAMM Show. By 1997, tensions had again flared over creative differences and Lynch quit the band to pursue other projects. Lynch was replaced by Reb Beach, and eventually others, and Dokken continued without his involvement.

Lynch began working on a number of side projects, reforming and touring with Lynch Mob, releasing more solo albums, and forming a project with former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson called 'Lynch/Pilson'. In 2003 Lynch formed the 'The George Lynch Group' in which he has continued to record and regularly tour. The George Lynch Group recently performed a marathon, 26 shows in 30 days, including a much talked about feature on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The line-up is: George Lynch - Guitars, Andrew Freeman - Vocals, Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/Dio) - Drums, Marten Andersson (Lizzy Borden/Starwood/Legacy) - Bass

Lynch currently resides in Los Angeles where he continues to record, lives healthily and embraces body building.

[edit] Equipment

Lynch has been an endorser of ESP guitars since Dokken rose to fame in the early '80s. His famed Skull and Bones guitar affectionately named "Mom" is one of the most famous in modern rock. He also has a signature Seymour Duncan pickup, the SH-12 Screamin' Demon.

His use of vintage Marshall, Soldano, Bogner & Diezel amps and effects units to achieve his famous tone is well known in rock guitar circles.

While on tour in 2005 he has used the Randall Dragon (non master volume) tube head for the majority of his sound. The design is very similar to the older marshall plexi heads that he used early on in Dokken.

Lynch is currently endorsing the handcrafted Yamaha L-Series Acoustic Guitars and is on a Asian 'Unplugged' except for a Marshall stack, Clinic tour May/June 2006.

Also in the works is a signature amp tentatively called the "LYNCH BOX" made by Randall. It is based on 2 of his favourite Marshall heads from the late 60s. The totally new custom speakers are made by Eminence.

Lynch has also designed a new high-nickel content string through the Dean Markley company to be on the market soon but his name will not be on the package.