Ever wonder if iconic sounds come from expensive gear? Yamazaki Hirokazu of the legendary Japanese post-rock band toe proves otherwise, forging a 30-year career with surprisingly cheap guitars. His focus on pristine, clean tones revolutionized a genre. What do you think truly defines an artist’s signature sound?

Japanese post-rock and math-rock pioneers toe band have long captivated audiences with their intricate soundscapes, yet the creative mind behind their influential guitar work, Yamazaki Hirokazu, remains famously private. Often referred to simply as Yama, his approach to the instrument defies conventional rock stardom, rooted in a philosophy that prioritizes expression over the guitar’s inherent role, even if it means not playing at all.

This fluid and unassuming mindset has guided Yama throughout his extensive three-decade career in music. Rather than consciously altering his style, he describes his evolution as entirely natural, a testament to an intuitive connection with his craft that has shaped toe’s distinctive clean guitar tones and complex arrangements. His journey underscores a profound dedication to artistic honesty, free from external pressures or self-imposed labels.

Yama’s musical origins began in middle school, driven by an admiration for the band BOØWY, rather than any familial musical background. His first guitar, a budget Fernandes Hotei model, costing a modest 30,000 yen (around $200), set a precedent. This early experience cemented a preference for accessible instruments, challenging the notion that high-cost gear is essential for developing a unique artistic voice.

His guitar repertoire continued with a series of inexpensive finds, including an Ibanez with a Floyd Rose, a modded cheap Fender Strat, a Tokai SG-style, and an Epiphone Casino, all acquired with practicality in mind. Even a later investment, a 480 model, remained within a reasonable 50,000 yen budget. This consistent reliance on affordable instruments highlights a resourcefulness that became integral to his creative process and the eventual development of toe’s signature sound.

Before co-founding toe, Yama’s musical landscape was dominated by hardcore punk, emo, and screamo, genres characterized by heavily distorted guitar. The genesis of toe, however, marked a deliberate and radical departure. Their core concept was to cultivate music with notably cleaner tones, a stark contrast to the prevalent styles of their contemporaries, which Yama found intriguing and refreshingly novel at the time.

While the specifics of toe’s early songwriting process may have faded with time, Yama recalls a consistent adherence to the band’s original sonic vision, propelled by an unbridled creative energy. Later, as the band evolved, a desire for greater elaboration led to collaborations with guest musicians and experimental approaches, enriching their sound while staying true to their foundational principles.

For international tours, Yama maintains a minimalist setup: one electric guitar, an acoustic, his pedalboard, essential cables, and a compact backup travel amp. He typically favors a Fender Supersonic amplifier for electric sounds and an AER Bingo for acoustic performances. His modest use of effects, often limited to just a tuner, reinforces his focus on raw, unadulterated tone and the intrinsic qualities of the instruments themselves, crucial for achieving those signature clean tones.

With over three decades of musical involvement, including his pre-toe projects, Yama possesses a deep well of experience. He acknowledges that the legacy of a band is not for its members to decide, yet he expresses profound gratitude for the enduring ability to articulate his inner world through music. The global audience that embraces toe’s work stands as a testament to the power of his unique and persistent artistic expression, cementing his place among influential Japanese guitarists.

Yamazaki Hirokazu’s journey with toe exemplifies how genuine artistic vision, coupled with a pragmatic approach to instrumentation, can forge an influential and enduring musical identity. His narrative challenges perceptions of what defines a “guitarist” and what is required to create a globally recognized sound, proving that innovation often stems from a deep understanding of core musical principles rather than an accumulation of expensive gear in the realms of post-rock and math rock.