Youtube Demo Artist Spotlight: Danny Dela Cruz
22nd April 2026
Celebrating our Demo Artists
Here at Bare Knuckle we are immensely proud of our Youtube channel, and the demo artists we are lucky enough to work with. A Youtube channel, for a company that specialises in tone, is a priceless asset. Not only can players visit it to check out the sounds and tones we produce, it can be used as a tool for learning, a resource for inspiration and a way to form a community of like-minded players.
Over the next couple of weeks we will be shining a spotlight on this fantastic resource, and the demo artists who make our Youtube the most amazing tool for guitar players worldwide.
Today we are talking to Danny Dela Cruz, a guitarist from the UK. Danny has been playing guitar since he was nine years old and is one of our BKP demo artists.
Let's get to know Danny a little better.
"I’m Danny Dela Cruz, a guitarist and artist from the UK. My journey began with a £2 classical guitar bought from a car boot sale. From there, I taught myself by listening to records and watching YouTube videos, soaking up as much as I could. Some of my early influences were bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Guns N’ Roses, which really shaped my love for rock guitar, tone, and feel."
Check out his demo of our Cold Sweat humbuckers.
What were your earliest musical jobs?
"When I was 19, I joined a fairly established UK rock band, which became my first real step into the professional music world. Through that band, I had the opportunity to play on stages with artists such as Whitesnake, KISS, and Def Leppard. It was a huge learning curve for me, not only musically, but also in understanding the business and behind-the-scenes side of being a working musician."
Talk to us about your style and playing.
"Over the last year in particular, I’ve really focused on honing and developing my own style. My playing has shifted toward a more melodic and expressive approach. These days, when I write, it’s far less about shock factor or flashiness and much more about serving the song, serving the melody, and creating something that emotionally connects with people. My goal is to tell a story through notes and expression, and hopefully move others in the same way my heroes moved me and helped me through difficult times."
Tell us about becoming a Bare Knuckle artist.
"I’ve been a Bare Knuckle artist since 2019, but I was a fan long before that. I think I got my first set of Bare Knuckle pickups when I was around 15 years old. I saved up Christmas money from family members and remember installing them in the garage with my dad. I went for a Riff Raff and Stormy Monday combo in a Les Paul, and that was my first real introduction to Bare Knuckle. I was instantly blown away by the quality and tone. Looking back, I’ve always been a tone chaser; one of my favourite parts of playing guitar is exploring the different sounds you can get from an instrument and how those sounds help convey emotion and expression."
So let's talk guitars!
"My current favourite guitar is my ’63 Custom Shop Fender Stratocaster. It has a huge neck, which I think really contributes to the midrange. It’s also incredibly light and resonant, even unplugged, which is always a good sign in my opinion. It features on around 90% of my recent EP, So Long As There Are Stars. It’s currently loaded with Rabea’s Bare Knuckle signature Triptych Strat pickups, which I absolutely love. They give dynamics for days, but with plenty of punch when you need it.
Dream guitar-wise, it would have to be something along the lines of a real ’60s Strat or a ’59 Les Paul. If money was no issue… why not!"
Do you have a particular rig set-up you favour at the moment?
"Rig-wise, I’m always changing things and chasing tone, it’s one of my favourite aspects of being a guitarist. At the moment, my main setup consists of two Custom Shop Stratocasters, both ’63 reissues. One is loaded with ’63 Veneer Board pickups, and the other has the Rabea Triptych set. I’ve been stacking different overdrive pedals into a 1959 hand-wired Marshall Plexi, running into a Marshall cab loaded with Greenbacks. In the studio, we blended three different microphones through Neve preamps. This setup was incredibly inspiring and really helped me get the best out of my performances, especially as the EP was tracked mostly live, all in one room."
How do you approach your work as a demo artist for Bare Knuckle?
"When it comes to writing a demo for Bare Knuckle, my process almost always starts with a single idea. That might be a lead melody or a riff, but 99% of the time it sparks directly from the guitar itself. From there, I focus on developing that idea as much as possible, really refining the melody and feel before writing the other sections around it. I tend to approach demos more like commercial songs, making sure everything flows and feels cohesive, rather than sounding like a collection of parts.
I approach every demo differently and try to tailor each one to a specific style that brings out the best qualities of the pickup being featured. Each pickup has its own personality and inspires you in a unique way, so most of the time I don’t have to overthink it, the direction usually reveals itself naturally once I start playing.
For players aspiring to do demos, my main advice would be not to get tunnel vision. If you approach every pickup with the same style or mindset, you might miss some of the most interesting and musical things that pickup has to offer. Be open, explore different feels and genres, and let the pickup guide you rather than forcing it into a box."
Tell us about how you curate your tone.
"When it comes to creating your own guitar tone, some of my go-to tips include boosting the midrange around 800Hz, especially for lead tones, and rolling off some of the ice-pick top end. This helps achieve a smooth, buttery tone while still sitting prominently in the mix. I’m also a big fan of running overdrive pedals in front of the amp, and lately I have been stacking multiple overdrives to tighten things up and create a really balanced drive sound."
And finally, any top tips for aspiring guitarists?
"My top tip for playing guitar is simple: play as much as you can, whenever you can, and listen to as much music as possible. Listening is hugely underrated. The more music you absorb, the more phrasing and vocabulary naturally find their way into your playing, and that’s never a bad thing."
