Guitar.com caught up with Slipknot guitarist Jim Root to discuss new Fender Jazzmaster V4, which is his fourth Fender signature model. He also looks back on the early days leading to his becoming a professional musician. Following is an excerpt from the story.

Root: "I like to think of myself as a songwriter more than a guitar player. I don’t write lyrics or vocals though, so I’m more of an arranger. I try to dip into that technical world. I know all those three-note-per-string scales and stuff like that but I never took it to the Yngwie (Malmssteen) level. I would learn bits and pieces here and there but it’s just not that interesting to me. It’s kind of like, ‘Hey, check out what I can do on the fretboard…’ and that’s cool but, for me, it’s more about attitude. I like The Eagles and The Who, The Beatles and stuff like that – songs.

I got to the point where my scales, my picking and my legato got so good that I could play really fluidly. But it’s only in the past few years that I started learning, ‘Oh, you can move these shapes around on the neck to keep things in key.’ I’ve always tried to play for the song but, because I was never moving the shapes around, there’s a lot of stuff I’ll do that – I suppose if you’re really technical guitar player, you could justify how I played it – is not necessarily in key. But I was always like, ‘Well, it sounds good to me so fuck it!'"

Read the complete interview here.

Originally only available via BBC Radio 1, the Slipknot documentary, Unmasked: All Out Life, in now available internatiomally in its entirety via YouTube. Check it out below.

From the BBC: "A unique and fascinating insight into the career and controversies of one of the most successful and contentious heavy metal bands of all time: Slipknot. The film combines new interviews, backstage access and an exclusive live session from the nine-piece group, performing six career-defining tracks at the legendary Maida Vale Studios in front of an intimate audience. The six tracks, one from each of the band’s albums, transport the group, acknowledged by many as one of the most extreme live acts ever, from their usual arena-sized shows to a uniquely intimate and intense setting. The film highlights the group’s phenomenal 25-year career, revealing how one of the most relentless and intense-sounding groups ever have struggled with drink, drugs, depression and the death of a band member, topped the charts, outsold their peers and picked up a Grammy along the way, whilst staying as bold, fearless and exhilarating as ever."