Sum 41 Play Their Favorite Riffs

We recently gave you Sum 41 guitarists Tom Thacker and Dave Baksh revisiting some of their band's favorite solos. Now, for this episode of Loudwire’s Gear Factor powered by Sweetwater, we have the guys reflect on the riffs that inspired them.

Baksh says of their entries into music, “We’re two guitar players that learned predominantly by ear,” though he admitted the first riff he learned was through tablature. He then breaks out a bit of Anthrax’s “Caught in a Mosh,” explaining, “That really set me off on a path and to this day my favorite thrash metal band is still Anthrax.”

Thacker recalls receiving a “box of records that showed up at my house with other people’s names on them” that had a huge impact on his early music education. He pays respect to AC/DC and Led Zeppelin by playing bits of “Beating Around the Bush” and “Black Dog,” respectively.

Both musicians bond over their love of Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, with Baksh revealing that Blizzard of Ozz was his entry point into Rhoads’ playing. Baksh and Thayer also rave about Iron Maiden’s “22 Acacia Avenue” and "Hallowed Be Thy Name," with Baksh remarking, “What a cool guitar team.”

The original Sum 41 guitarist also pays Pantera the ultimate compliment, stating of Dimebag Darrell, “He had like a magic to his playing, and that drumbeat behind that, it was like I was into hip-hop at the time too and just every part of them – their groove, their swing, their delivery – to me that was one of the most perfect eras for heavy metal to go through a change and the perfect band to give heavy metal that wake-up call of like, ‘No, no, there’s a new school coming in and this is what’s going to go on,’ and they spawned some of the most incredible bands to date.”

Watch Sum 41’s Tom Thacker and Dave Baksh rock through their favorite riffs in the player above.

Sum 41 are currently out on the Rockstar Disrupt Tour in support of their forthcoming album, Order in Decline. See their tour dates here. And if you want to pick up a guitar like the Sum 41 guys, head over to Sweetwater.com for all your gear needs.

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