Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Guitar Player

ONE OF THOSE WONDERFUL MOMENTS WHEN A DISCUSSION TRIGGERS deeper thought occurred while I was interviewing June Millington for this month’s issue. We were talking about the interaction of musicians in a band, and she said, “You know, there’s a way of being gracious, even when you’re turned up to 11.” Now, I know GP readers tend to hate it when I veer off into the social-political realms of current culture, but June’s words had resonance beyond music making. So please bear with me for a bit, and I promise we’ll get back to guitar stuff. I don’t think it’s a secret that debates these days all seem to have the volume knobs cranked up to 11. In the worst examples of the “non-communicative” arts, everyone is shouting, screaming, calling…

SOUND OFF! GET EXCLUSIVE NEWS. COMMENT. CRITIQUE. SHARE TIPS AND TECHNIQUES. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER. FACEBOOK.COM/GUITARPLAYERMAG TWITTER.COM/GUITARPLAYERNOW GUITARPLAYER.COM MICHAEL MOLENDA Editor In Chief mmolenda@nbmedia.com ART THOMPSON Senior Editor athompson@nbmedia.com PATRICK WONG Managing Editor pwong@nbmedia.com JUDE GOLD Los Angeles Editor judegold@gmail.com JIMMY LESLIE Frets Editor jl@jimmyleslie.com DAVE HUNTER Gear Section & Video Contributor dhunterwordsmusic@yahoo.com PAUL HAGGARD Art Director phaggard@nbmedia.com…

FOR SERIOUS JIMI HENDRIX FANS, the words “new Hendrix album” can be a two-edged sword. On the one hand, any additional info on the Grand Poobah/Mack Daddy/Supreme Badass of the electric guitar is a welcome thing. Having said that, students of Jimi’s trip know that some “previously unreleased” tracks were unreleased for a reason. That’s why I was trepidatious about this latest addition to the Hendrix oeuvre. Thankfully, those fears were largely unfounded, because there is a boatload of Hendrixian goodness on the 13 cuts of Both Sides of the Sky [Legacy Recordings/Experience Hendrix]. The opener, Jimi’s take on the Muddy Waters/Bo Diddley classic “Mannish Boy,” features a Uni-Vibe-soaked tone playing an “I Just Want to Make Love to You” riff. There are some cool vocal flourishes, and a must-steal…

FLOAT THE PHRASE “TUBE reverb” and most players are likely to conjure up an image of one of Fender’s creations, whether it’s a blackface amp like the Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb, or this stand-alone 1961 Reverb Unit. This unassuming brown box was in fact where reverb was born, as far as the Fullerton company was concerned, and it remains, for many players, the zenith of that wet, atmospheric sound. Although Fender was late to the game—Ampeg, Gibson, Danelectro, and others had already introduced the effect—the Fullerton, California, company would set the standard for tube-driven spring reverb in ’61, when it debuted the humbly named Reverb Unit, which introduced a sound that would be difficult to accurately replicate in the post-preamp reverb stages subsequently included in most guitar amplifiers. The…

ALTHOUGH I OWN MORE THAN 12 Santo & Johnny LPs, the Farina brothers’ 1959 debut album made its biggest impact on me. Santo was 21, and Johnny 19, when these Brooklyn boys conceived a perfect instrumental, “Sleepwalk”—a timeless composition that successfully conveys innocent romanticism like no other, and that now seems part of our musical DNA. Prompted by their father, who found a steel-guitar teacher for both boys, Johnny ended up playing standard guitar with Santo playing steel. “Sleepwalk” was written during a late-night jam, when the brothers couldn’t sleep after a gig. Around 1985, I started studying the song as if I were writing a master’s thesis on it, spending more than a month of eight-hour practice sessions focusing on variations on the “Sleepwalk” themes. I applied 6/9 chords,…

RANDY BACHMAN IS NO SLOUCH when it comes to writing hit songs. Between his tenures in the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive alone, the Canadian treasure has likely pegged more than 50 million in album sales. But he may have brought his formidable songwriting, arranging, producing, and guitar chops under fire when he endeavored to radically recast the music of “serious Beatle” George Harrison for By George [Universal]. Populated with 11 Harrison classics and one original song about Harrison (“Between Two Mountains”), the album veers more to Bachman’s jazz sensibilities in that it holds the sacred rather, well, unsacred. Melodies and chords are dispensed with and replaced, grooves are re-engineered, and everything is approached as material ripe for almost catastrophic revision. While a couple of songs get a light or…

UNQUESTIONABLY WORTHY OF A featured spot in Jim Campilongo’s monthly Vinyl Treasures column, the Jeff Beck Group’s Rough and Ready—the maestro’s 1971 return to action, following a near-fatal automobile accident and lengthy recovery—rekindles many warm memories of hearing the album on a killer stereo system for the very first time, and then spending years tearing each song apart, note-by-note. The rest aside, “Situation,” with its odd-metered intro and tone to die for, is a particular standout. Essentially a long 15/4 phrase, Ex. 1 breaks the opening C#-minor-based riff into a bar of 7/4, followed by two bars of 4/4. The notes are all derived from the C# blues scale (C#, E, F#, G, G#, B), but, as usual, Beck transforms it into something sinister. The first pass is played semi-softly,…

OKAY. PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE knows about the rigs of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, and the rest of the much-documented greats of rock guitar’s glorious early days. But those icons weren’t the only players adding to the vocabulary of classic-rock guitar. There were lots of one-hit wonders, awesome bands hovering under the media radar, and interesting acts that never reached headliner status. So we thought it would be fun and informative to look into rigs of the “kinda unknowns” who served with passion, grit, and musical integrity. Obviously, some of the tools detailed here were used by scores of guitarists back in the day, but the trick is to research the music of these players, and see how they used that gear to craft their…

THERE ARE SO MANY GUITARS introduced at the annual NAMM shows that an editor can be forgiven for “blurring over” a bit when confronted with aisles and aisles of solidbodies, hollowbodies, and acoustics. But Reverend certainly made sure we didn’t space out when we came across two very different models for 2018. BILLY CORGAN TERZ Let’s briefly talk about what this guitar is, and then I’d like to get to what I see as the more important subject: What it does. What it is, is a sleek, sexy, short-scale Reverend model made for Billy Corgan, intended to be tuned a minor 3rd above standard (G, C, F, A#, D, G, low to high), to accommodate the many tunes where Corgan capos his guitar at the 3rd fret. It has a…

The coolest part about my job as Guitar Player’s fearless Gear Coordinator is ending up with tons of awesome products that our editors have reviewed throughout the year. Occasionally, some generous manufacturers allow me to give our loyal readers a chance to “Raid My Stash.” This month, Walrus Audio is presenting its groovy Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo. For a chance to get this pedal in your clutches, send an email to nbmgearcoordinator@gmail.com with “Monument” in the subject line. One lucky winner will be chosen at random. The deadline for entries is June 20, 2018. Please keep in mind that all previously reviewed gear is “as is,” and that your emails may be shared with Walrus Audio. Good luck!…

D’Addario NS Micro Clip Free Tuner $34 street This discreet tuner attaches directly to your instrument’s tuning machine using the existing screw hole (screws included), so your tuner is always at hand, and visible only to you. planetwaves.com Line 6 Variax Standard Limited Edition Onyx $999 street Manufactured as a run of just 300 guitars, the Onyx features an alder body, one-piece maple neck with Macassar ebony fretboard, three Yamaha Alnico V single-coil pickups, and Variax HD modelling technology. Each guitar also includes a limited-edition insignia and numbered neck plate. line6.com Hotone Wally+ Loop Station $129 street Wally+ offers 24-bit/44.1kHz recording quality, 8GB internal storage, 11 phrase banks, and onboard USB for managing loop phrases with PC/Mac software. hotoneaudio.com Caparison Guitars Horus-M3B Custom Line $3,699 street A strengthened five-piece maple…

HISTORY TENDS TO PORTRAY PRINCE as a genius/control freak/one-man band, but it’s important to note that Purple Rain is credited as “produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and The Revolution.” This is not lip service. Like Robin to Prince’s Batman, or Keef to his Mick, Wendy Melvoin’s sass, spirited vocals, and avant-garde guitar structures played a crucial role in the creation of the Purple One’s masterpiece. Melvoin offered to look back at some Purple Rain sessions as the reformed Revolution continued its 2018 tour. Which Purple Rain songs were you involved in creating? I had a hand in everything, except “Darling Nikki” and “The Beautiful Ones.” How did you develop the chordal structure to “Purple Rain”? The band was in rehearsal, and Prince brought in this chorus. He said,…

SCOTT TOTTEN EARNED A BACHELOR of Music degree from Berklee, performed in numerous Broadway musicals, and did tons of session work, but perhaps his most demanding gig has been “conducting” Brian Wilson’s brilliant studio arrangements as musical director for the Beach Boys. In addition to ensuring the band performs the music of the Beach Boys with near-impeccable precision at every single show, he has to do this job for an act that seems to be constantly on tour, as well as under the watchful eye of original Beach Boy, Mike Love. What are some of the challenges of musical directing a band that is etched into the fabric of American rock culture? A lot of the Beach Boys music is very orchestrated and specific. So one of the things I…

STERLING BALL HAS EVOLVED and grown the family business his dad started—as well as bringing his own brood into the enterprise—but designing guitars and basses for Ernie Ball is just one element of this modern Renaissance man’s current lifestyle. He has also become a bona fide star in the BBQ world with his Big Poppa Smokers company and competitive-grilling career. (Ball is the brand ambassador for Smithfield Pork, and the “face” of summer grilling for Walmart and Tabasco.) And, as if he didn’t have enough to fill his time, he recently released his second solo album, The Mutual Admiration Society [Mascot], that features guests such as Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Steve Lukather, Albert Lee, and Steve Morse. How did you and your team—John Ferraro and Jim Cox—approach the sessions? Basically,…

IT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE “MATURE” rockers proud. At a time when the sad cliché is “no one sells records anymore,” Greta Van Fleet is generating sustained flurries of wild anticipation for its upcoming full-length album. Furthermore, when some 6-string disciples seem to have perpetually furrowed brows over the future of their favorite instrument, it’s a GUITAR album. Yeah, that’s “guitar” in all capital letters, because 22-year-old guitarist Jake Kiszka is not only a lover of big riffs, guitar solos, and a battered ’61 Gibson Les Paul, he is also generating massive excitement amongst pre-teens, teens, Millennials, adults, and even senior citizens about guitar music. The media and fan frenzies have continued unabated since the band’s 2017 debut EP, Black Smoke Rising [Republic], unleashed the song heard ’round the planet, “Highway…

THE TERM “CLASSIC ROCK” GENERALLY encompasses the psychedelic, blues-rock, and progressive rock genres that emerged during the musically fertile era between 1965 and 1980—with a couple of years off during the disco craze. What’s interesting about American classic rock is that it is inherently regional, even within the same state. For instance, in California, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Steve Miller Band reigned supreme in the Bay Area, while groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Doors, and the Mothers of Invention ruled Los Angeles. But there also coexisted in both regions many equally talented bands (some even more so), who, except for the occasional hit song, were largely overshadowed. So, to give credit where credit is due, we…

RESULTING FROM A PARTNERSHIP between Rocktron and Frank Lamara of LA Custom, the ValveSonic Plexi is an all-tube preamp designed to replicate the tones of British amps from the ’60s thorough the ’90s. To cover such a wide range of sounds, the 1U rackmount unit relies on a combination of switches to steer the tones toward particular eras of amplifiers. For example, the Tight 1-2 switch affects the input of the first tube stage, providing a modern-type response in the “1” setting, and warmer, vintage style response in the “2” position. An accompanying switch labeled “Tight” firms up the sound when set to the up position. Following these is a 6-way rotary Bright switch that adjusts the overall sound from darker to brighter. The Gain control’s range is dramatically affected…

Contemporary Guitar Improvisation (Utilizing the Entire Fingerboard) Book & CD by Marc Silver Available Now Since 1978, Contemporary Guitar Improvisation is THE classic book for learning guitar improvisation. This innovative system is based on five basic fingering patterns that form the foundation for improvising over virtually any chords, in any key, across the entire fingerboard. All patterns are diagrammed, so note-reading ability is not necessary. Recommended by guitar legend George Benson. MarcSilverGuitarImprov.com $42.00 USD (includes delivery in the U.S.) Shredneck BelAir Models Shredneck LLC Available Now Shrednecks practice and warm-up tools are for guitar and bass players to use when your instrument is not available or convenient. BelAir models feature real rosewood fingerboards, real nickel steel strings and chrome hardware. Includes Gig bag. MSRP: $129.99 www.shredneck.com Guitar Picks Gravity Picks…

I first saw GP in 1967, I’ve subscribed for decades, and I grew up to ’50s and ’60s rock. I’ve had a band since the ‘70s, dealt with lead-guitarist disease, quested for tone, committed to making songs sound true, and acquired a basement full of GP Editors’ Picks-winning products. So I’d like to ask a question stimulated by Michael Molenda’s April 2018 “Noize from the Editor” about risk. Why does Guitar Player never address music’s essence: Beauty? Shouldn’t that be the magazine’s guiding theme? Beauty is wired in, it grabs us, and we know it when we see it (or not). Beauty is vital to an art form’s birth, growth, and maturation, but it has limits. Guitar music flourished in the ’60s and ’70s, and matured in the ’80s. Then…

I WAS BORN SMACK DAB IN THE EYE of the classic-rock hurricane that changed rock guitar forever. The ’60s and ’70s icons who forged such a massive cultural disruption were heroes to me—giants whose music reached into my soul and psyche, changing who I was, as well as who I would become. I would never have braved a career in music without their paths to aspire to, nor would I have fallen so deeply in love with the guitar. In fact, the whole idea of my someday becoming Editor in Chief of Guitar Player would have been ludicrous without their inspiration to emulate their guitarcraft in my own fumbling manner. But those musicians were “of a time,” and much as I adore that era, I don’t want to believe the…

IF YOU WANT A SEMINAR ON CLASSIC-rock guitar tone, it’s probably as close as your local watering hole, where the nightly entertainment is presented by cover and tribute bands simulating the experience of classic-rock bands performing live. To truly provide audiences with the vibe, thrills, and sense memories of grooving to Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Journey, and other such heavies, the guitarists paying tribute to these iconic bands must weave their spells with spot-on tones, riffs, licks, and solos. Or do they? In order to determine exactly how cover artists approach their “emulative endeavors,” I put out a Facebook call asking them to divulge tips, conceptual advice, and tone strategies. These men and women love stepping into the musical shoes of their heroes, and the depth of study…

THERE ARE AS MANY GUITAR-MIKING TECHNIQUES AS there are guitarists, and yet, finding the right mic placement when recording guitar through an amp can be tricky. Many elements come into play, such as room acoustics, mic type, and, of course, the musical style of the player. But whatever type of music you’re recording, I’ve found the best starting point is to walk around the environment where the guitarist is playing. You’ll want to take note of how the amp sounds at different places around the room, and be ready to move the amp if you’re not digging the tone. Evaluate the sound quality close to the speakers, a bit further back from the cabinet, and way out into the room. Once you’ve determined the sweet spots for capturing the best…

GRACE IN MOTION—THAT’S how I’ve always seen Nancy Wilson. I remember being a kid, staring at Heart album covers, and being so intrigued with this mysterious and quiet blonde who played guitar beside her vocalist sister, Anne. Nancy showed how to be both strong and feminine in the visceral world of rock, asserting herself onstage with a sense of playfulness, musicality, sensuality, and, like I said, grace. Of all the women I’ve interviewed, Nancy’s name comes up the most as an early influence. How were you drawn to become a guitarist? Coming from our family that’s very musical, I think I was born to play guitar. My uncle taught me the ukulele when I was about six years old. Then, we saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and…

JUNE MILLINGTON IS AN ARIES WARRIOR—one who survived the tumult of an indifferent, or outright antagonistic, music industry in the ’70s with her groundbreaking, all-female band, Fanny. “Rock and roll isn’t for wimps,” she says. But far from being knocked down by an episodic career of good and not-so-good plot elements, she continues to rock like a demon today. In fact, Millington—whose commitment to empowering and educating female musicians prompted her to establish (with Anne Hackler) the Institute for Musical Arts in Ashfield, Massachusetts, in 1986—recently rejuvenated Fanny’s legacy. Last year, she recorded Fanny Walked the Earth [Blue Élan] with her Fanny cohorts, sister Jean Millington (bass) and Brie Darling (drums) at the IMA studio complex. The record is not only a tribute to three inspiring classic-rock veterans—it’s also a…

LET’S FACE IT—THE TOPIC OF TRIADS can rapidly devolve into a big yawn fest, especially when presented using only boring, textbook-ish exercises with no commonplace applications. This is a sad situation, as many students of the guitar and music theory never fully grasp the powerful potential of these three-note wonders. Well, cheer up, class! The revered classic-rock catalog is a virtual treasure trove of highly musical triadic applications. So grab your Les Paul, Strat, Tele, or SG, and let’s get going! STRINGS 1-3 We’ll start with triad voicings on the top three strings. Ex. 1 shows the four basic triad types—major, augmented, minor, and diminished, all built from a D root note: D major (D-F#-A; root-3-5); D augmented (D-F#-A#; root-3-#5); D minor (D-F-A; root-♭3-5); and D diminished (D-F-A♭; root-♭3-♭5). The…

AMPLIFIER ATTENUATORS HAVE BEEN around for decades, and modern, reactive load devices have become standard items for players who like the sound of their amp running at full bore but need to reduce the wattage that hits the speakers to keep the volume in check. True to form, Universal Audio’s OX Amp Top Box ($1,299 street) is designed to let you run your tube amp (up to 150 watts) at its optimal volume setting, while letting you control the output to the speakers with a 6-position Volume switch. However, good as it is at preserving the tone and feel of an amp while significantly lowering the volume, OX is far more than a mere reactive load box. It also routes some of the attenuated signal into a digital section that—when…

NEW FOR 2018, BREEDLOVE’S CONcertina body shape is designed to produce maximum tone and comfort from a parlor-sized instrument. It comes on the heels of last year’s bigger-bodied Concerto style, and both new additions fall on either side of Breedlove’s original body shape, the mid-sized Concert. The Legacy Series represents the top of Breedlove’s standard production instruments featuring all-solid tonewoods and nifty appointments, and the Legacy Concertina E on review features a Sitka spruce top coupled with cocobolo back and sides. I received the Legacy Concertina on a sunny day, and I was taken aback by how the sunshine illuminated the cocobolo’s reddish-brown hues and luxurious, swirling grains. Other eye-catchers include a brilliant Legacy Knot soundhole rosette and a similar inlay at the 12th fret. A slotted headstock with open-geared,…

> She was a founding member of the Runaways in 1975. Svengali Kim Fowley marketed them as jailbait puppets, but the aggro girl power—and creativity—couldn’t be constrained. > Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones joined her in 1979 to record a version of the Arrows’ “I Love Rock and Roll.” In 1982, Jett’s reworking with the Blackhearts sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. > Not content with just being a rock star, she is a champion for animal rights and vegan living. > She became Gibson’s first female artist honored with a signature guitar—the Joan Jett Melody Maker—in 2008. > The scrappy and gritty guitarist made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.…