Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 111 i Australian Guitar

IN WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A UNION MORE POWERFUL THAN THE AVENGERS, PARKWAY DRIVE, AUSTRALIAN GUITAR, RESIST RECORDS, COOKING VINYL, CMC MUSIC AND ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN HAVE JOINED FORCES FOR OUR BEST EVER COMPETITION. So here’s what’s on offer: a Sterling By Music Man S.U.B. Silo 3 guitar signed by all of Parkway Drive and a personal, one-on-one lesson with the band’s key shredder, Jeff Ling. Sounds ridiculous, right? It is. If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how this is gonna work. Learn the tab from this issue. Upload a video of yourself playing it to YouTube or your preferred video hosting service, and share it all over your social media with the tags #ParkwayDrive #AustralianGuitar and #SterlingByMusicManAus. Once up, videos will be judged by Parkway…

Veruca Salt emerged in 1993, after Lousie Post and Nina Gordon met in Chicago. They both sang, they both played guitar, and they both wrote songs – one of which, Gordon’s “Seether”, was to make the newly-formed quartet (filled out by bassist Steve Lack and Gordon’s brother Jim Shapiro on drums) subject to a bidding war by Geffen. The subsequent album, American Thighs – you don’t need to have the AC/DC reference pointed out, right? – was that most wonderful thing: a critical success that was also a commercial smash. Relentless touring followed, as did a second album, Eight Arms To Hold You (you don’t need the Beatles reference pointed out, right?), but then personal issues ripped the band apart. Gordon and Post had a major falling out – neither…

These days, some would argue that the album isn’t as popular as it once was. Digital distribution has made it that much easier for listeners looking for that next quick fix to jump between easily digestible three-minute singles from dozens of bands over the course of a day. So when Iron Maiden come along and throw the longest album they’ve ever written onto the table, it almost begs the question: what on earth are they doing?! That is unless you’re a Maiden fan, because as we know, the guys have never really been interested in following trends, have they? So instead of the question, the immediate response is always, “More Maiden? F**k yeah!” Frankly, metal fans are all the better for it because if bands like Maiden were content to…

Parkway Drive have never compromised on their sound, and they’ve never backed down from the chance to push things to the next level. Evidence of this is all over their highly anticipated new album, Ire, which is released on September 25. As vocalist Winston McCall says, “This is the album for us. Every single step of the way, whenever there was a gamble to take, we took the biggest one we could. If this isn’t the album that can go further than anything we thought was possible with this band and this type of music, that’s fine, but we can’t go back from this as far as we’re concerned.” And the perfect metaphor for this is found in the video for the first single, “Vice Grip”. Released earlier this year,…

Revolución SPITFIRE MUSIC The Dead Daisies are an intriguing act. Part band, part rotating collective, its membership is drawn from the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Pride & Glory, Testament, The Rolling Stones, and Nine Inch Nails, brought together by Australian David Lowy. With vocalist John Corabi at the helm (previously Jon Stevens), this album is a world-class chunk of solid blues-infused hard rock that never strays too far from its influences; The Dead Daisies aren’t so much about forging their own unique sound as they are about just making good old-fashioned rock. Corabi’s range – both in terms of pitch and his ability to conjure different vocal characters – is a clear standout (and on “Empty Heart” he trades lines with our own Jimmy Barnes), although…

The Mu-Tron Bi-Phase was a dual phase shifter pedal by Musictronics USA which found a lot of fans in the ‘70s, praised for its warm, deep, swooshy sound and its wide range of controls. The Prophecysound Pi-Phase mk2 is designed to accurately and faithfully reproduce the sound and control layout of the original unit, but in a more pedalboard-friendly enclosure, since the originals were kind of gigantic. Another goal of the design is to do away with the need for a special controller pedal for switching channels on/off, or for controlling pedal sweep. But before we get into the review, the first thing we feel we should point out is that this pedal is manufactured and assembled in Adelaide. “We believe in working with people we can meet and discuss…

Modern gear is very much about empowering musicians, even at the entry level. For instance, in the ‘80s and ‘90s, only high-level pro players had complex switching systems for their pedals and amps, designed by famed techs like Bob Bradshaw or Pete Cornish and costing as much as a Mercedes. Now, those kinds of systems are available over-the-counter for prices anyone with a summers’ worth of lawn mowing and a bit of personal resolve can afford. And with the PSM 300 system, Shure aims to bring the same level of accessibility to onstage monitoring, while also providing scalability for those who need extra features and durability when their career bumps up a level. CAN YOU HEAR ME? PSM 300 is available in both an entry-level system for first-time in-ear monitor…

Ernie Ball was the guy who decided that guitar players didn’t have to play with fencing wire and should, in fact, be able to choose strings to suit their own requirements. He was the guy who noticed that guitar players were moving the strings down a position and fitting a banjo string as the top E. He was the guy who started marketing “gauged” string sets and singles, allowing players to manipulate (bend) the strings for more expression, without losing actual layers of skin in the process. I think it’s safe to say that this was somewhat of a success. The Ernie Ball company have continued this spirit of innovation with their latest product: the Slinky Flatwound bass string. Their goal was to blend the best bits of flatwounds (warm…

The idea of an aluminium guitar might sound pretty futuristic, but in reality, the first aluminium necked guitars date back to the early ‘70s, most notably those made by Travis Bean Guitars between 1974 and 1979, and famously used by artists such as Steve Albini (Shellac), Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard) and Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead). It was a love of the original Travis Bean guitars that first spurred Electrical Guitar Company founder Kevin Burkett to try making his own aluminium instruments back in 2003. 12 years and nearly 1,200 guitars later, EGC are now the driving force behind a global resurgence of interest in these unique guitars, with a dedicated and growing fan base around the world. HEY THERE, GOOD LOOKIN’ The immediate thing that strikes you about…

Shane Nicholson has been a more or less constant fixture on the Australian music landscape since 2002 when his band Pretty Violet Stain released It’s A Movie. Add a pair of critically acclaimed albums with then-partner Kasey Chambers, eight Golden Guitars, two APRA awards, two ARIA Awards and even two USA Americana Music Award nominations, and you’ve got an artist who has consistently delivered. Nicholson has also released five solo albums, including his latest, Hell Breaks Loose, which was written amidst personal upheaval. “It’s been full on,” Nicholson concedes. “I only just realised it’s been four years since the last solo record, and Wreck And Ruin – my last album with Kasey – came out in that time and had a big tour attached to it. I reckon I made…

So we’ve fielded a few calls and emails on this one and taken your feedback into account in order to make this bonus video content and additional audio tracks easy to access and in a very familiar format. When using the CD component of the magazine in the past, you may have noticed most of the content is actually hosted online anyways (videos, tracks, PDFs), so we’ve streamlined this process and you can now get the same content, in exactly the same format, right here at www.australianguitarmag.com.au A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH STU MARSHALL A member of Sydney heavy metal bands Empires Of Eden and Paindivision, guitarist Stu Marshall is best known as a member of the now defunct metal act Dungeon, with whom he recorded three albums and toured…

Three albums deep into their career, Sydney’s The Snowdroppers have returned with their most accessible and melodic slab of songwriting yet. Thankfully, there’s also a lot of fine guitar work to enjoy. Songwriter and sole guitarist, Pauly K, explains the joys of recording live and having time off work to write. Tell us a bit about the writing and recording of the new album. What did you approach differently on this one? I managed to have a couple of two-week breaks from life to actually have time to sit down and write, which was a first. I like to write in front of a DAW [Logic] so I can actually hear how all the parts sound together – guitar, bass, drums, vocals. There was a lot more cross-pollination between different…

Joe Satriani has always disregarded boundaries, whether they’re about what style you should play in or what is physically possible on a guitar. For his latest record, Shockwave Supernova, he might have found the perfect way to embody every aspect of his playing in one ambitious whole. It’s a concept album that details a futuristic rock star’s search for a greater meaning in life, and Satriani found both a wonderful escape and awesome challenge in putting this narrative behind his usual brand of instrumental shred. “I wanted to make sure that I had stuff that was bombastic, then all the way to quiet and tender,” he reflects. “I wanted to be able to reflect what was going on in the alter-ego’s mind when he was on stage, trying to get…

I’m focusing on correcting crappy, shitty little habits I picked up over the years from not having enough lessons. Luke thinks that for where we’re at, I would have the least musical knowledge of any band of our status. And I would say he’s right! I know some chords, I know some scales and chords, but I don’t know why they’re supposed to go here or there. So I’m a strange guitarist. I’m not saying I’m trying to learn theory – that’s long gone and I’ve got no chance and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – but I’m trying to develop cleaner picking styles, focusing on getting the left and right hands synched in so one’s not faster than the other, stuff like that. I mean, theory…

UNFD/WARNER If Dead Letter Circus ever gives up on the business of making incredibly dense yet catchy prog-rock, their ‘making of’ documentary for Aesthesis points to a career as reality television mainstays for the Brisbane five-piece. Hell, it’s 2015, let’s call them vloggers in waiting, each member ready to open up, or, if the moment is right, shut a bandmate (or producer) down. With an opening narration that walks one through DLC’s stellar progression from indie wunderkind with the release of their self-titled debut EP in 2007 through to the end of their physically and emotionally taxing tour cycle for 2013’s powerful and apparently career-defining The Catalyst Fire, the documentary grabs at the heartstrings from its opening moments, the ambient stage lighting playing visual signifier for the cathartic aural motifs…

Whether holding down the lead guitar slot in American post-hardcore band Falling In Reverse or blazing through his Shrapnel Records solo debut Star X Speed Story, British shredder Jacky Vincent knows his way around a guitar like nobody’s business. A fearlessly inventive player with an appreciation for the Jason Becker approach (ie: compelling melody built into lightning-speed leads), Vincent requires a guitar that can get out of his way and let him perform his feats of fretboard daring without obstruction. That’s what this Dean is all about. BARK AT THE MOON Vincent’s signature model is based on Dean’s C450 design, but with plenty of his own stylistic touches, the most obvious of which being the bold purple finish which covers the entirety of the body and the back of the…

For a lot of players, Orange’s Rockerverb series is the bee’s knees when it comes to rockworthy, stage-ready amps with the kind of punch, power and cut to slice through a band mix without losing the hairy, fuzzy, gnarly character that is sometimes overwhelmed by the high end of the cymbals and vocals once placed in a mix. In other words, people fall in love with Orange because of how gritty and mean they sound, and while some amps lose those qualities when you get them on stage, Oranges like the Rockerverb never let up on the grit. SAMMY HAGAR WAS WRONG: THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO ROCK But Orange continues to develop and refine the Rockerverb. Compared to the original Rockerverb, the MKII adds a new Mid EQ control…

The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx family of processors changed the way many bands tour. It represented a new evolution in digital amp and effects, giving guitarists access to incredibly accurate, lifelike amp models and effects, as well as the ability to effectively ‘clone’ the tone and response of your own real-world amplifiers and signal chains. Bands like Periphery have been unashamedly vocal about how important the Axe-Fx is to their entire guitar sound, while other artists like Steve Vai and Dream Theater’s John Petrucci like to use it for its effects alone, integrating it within a ‘real amp’ rig. Whatever way you wish to use it, the Axe-Fx is able to accommodate it. And that’s where the new Axe-Fx II XL+ comes in. THE POWER OF CONTROL As players find more…

As with all the Fican guitars we’ve reviewed, part of the fun of opening a case and checking out a Fican instrument is seeing exactly what shape luthier Stuart Monk has come up with now. The Gimba is Fican’s first bass model and it’s as distinctive as the Cardwell, Tornado and Australian guitars we’ve looked at. You can’t quite pin the design down to any one influence – or any at all, really. If you really strain your imagination, you might think you see a hint of Jazz Bass, oversized Jaguar or even an old Maton JB4, but really, such comparisons don’t hold up because this is simply its own thing, from the cutaways to the headstock shape. ALL THAT JAZZ The Gimba’s body is made of Fijian mahogany with…

The right to rock is something some musicians take for granted, but not everybody gets to live the rock’n’roll lifestyle 24/7. Some folks might never have had the opportunity to learn an instrument in their teens. Or maybe they did, but the pressures of work and family life led them to slowly put musical dreams aside over the years. The Weekend Warriors program is about giving a clear goal to those who, for whatever reason, want to rock but don’t currently have an outlet. It was founded in Sacramento, California in 1993 by Skip Maggiora, owner of Skip’s Music store. Skip’s band opened for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin back in the day, but he shelved his rock star dreams for the good of his family. And he started to…

There must be immense pressure for a band like The Black Keys. When Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney started playing together, they couldn’t have imagined that they would reach the heights that they have, headlining to huge crowds on their own and at festivals, scoring monster radio hits and writing riffs that send kids to their guitar teachers excitedly demanding ‘Show me this!’ The Black Keys – or moreover the success of The Black Keys – gave guitar-driven, blues-based, honest, gritty, edgy, fun rock music a contemporary voice that paid tribute to the form’s past without simply aping the old conventions. But somewhere along the line, Auerbach wanted more, or at least something different to give voice to musical moods that fell outside of The Black Keys style. And without…

For a lot of us there’s nothing sweeter than being a part of a band unit, standing on stage and making a hell of a lot of noise together in a coordinated, orchestrated fashion. But there are a lot of variables involved. You might get together with some buddies but they aren’t all at the same level in their playing ability. Or you might sound great together but you hate each others’ guts. Or someone drinks all the beer. Or you’d rather drink all the beer yourself. There are so many great reasons to form a band but there are so many obstacles to overcome that it almost comes out sounding like one of those cheesy infomercials: “There’s got to be a better way!” Well, ‘better’ is subjective but for…

This review is actually the third time I’ve geeked out over this exact Gretsch White Penguin. The first time was at NAMM this January, where I spied it in the Fender Musical Instruments Group room, presented as a great example of what the Custom Shop is capable of. At the Fender NAMM Custom Shop event, there were three relic ‘50s-era Gretsch guitars on show – a Falcon, a Penguin and a Duo Jet – and dealers were invited to effectively enter a lottery to be the lucky ones to buy each guitar. Masterbuilt by Stephen Stern, these particular guitars were extremely, extremely popular, and miraculously, Melbourne’s Sky Music lucked out. If they missed out like all the other stores, it would be a 12 to 24-month wait to have one…

The new Orange Bax Bangeetar Pre-EQ has a cool-sounding name, to be sure, but it doesn’t really break down exactly what this pedal does so much as it conjures a vibe. So what exactly does it do? Well, y’know the sound of Orange amps? That. It’s very cleverly designed to not be a traditional distortion pedal or anything like that, as we’ll see in a second. BAX TO THE WALL There are two main things going on with the Bax Bangeetar that we should point out. The first is that it doesn’t employ diode clipping to generate its high-gain sounds. Instead, it’s made to distort just like an Orange amp would. Although Orange hasn’t said so, I wonder if it’s based on the technology from their solid-state Crush amplifiers, which…

The TC Electronic VoiceLive 3 Extreme is a vocal and guitar multi-effects unit that allows performers to recreate all of their production and studio effects to the finest detail during a live performance. With it’s 16GB memory, entire band performances can be stored and recalled easily via the stompbox style switching. The VoiceLive 3 Extreme can be automated so that performers can play without switching between effects presets during a song, making it the perfect tool for solo performers who want reliable accompaniment or very high production values in their live performance. This unit is ‘band in a box’ on steroids. Those of you who already own or use the VoiceLive 3 may be a little disappointed to know that the VoiceLive 3 Extreme features much more than the VoiceLive…

If there was any doubt that we are presently enjoying the real golden age of guitars, the Music Man JP15 may well be the clincher. I’m not ignoring the visual allure and sonic magic of a ’59 Burst or a pre-L Strat, it’s just that today’s designers and manufacturers have never before had such a wealth of knowledge about timber, electronics, weight, dimensions, balance, resonance, etc., nor have they ever been more tuned into what players really need and had the facility to make these dreams a reality. Bang-for-buck, there’s never been a better time to buy a guitar. One of the latest developments in “guitar technology” is the roasted maple neck. Kiln-drying maple has a lot of benefits. The neck is dryer and more stable, and therefore less susceptible…

ESP and it’s more affordable offshoot, LTD guitars have been long supporters of metal guitarists, providing signature models to such players as George Lynch, Alex Skolnick and Kirk Hammett, and since 2008, Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Commonly known for his mathcore style incorporating metal with other musical genres and multiple time signatures together with an insane amount energy on stage, Ben has moved away from the pointy models he used in the past and retooled the semi hollow Les Paul shaped LTD Xtone model for more sound dynamics. It features a longer, thinner profile neck, active pickups and an amazing new bridge that holds the strings in tune no matter how much punishment you put them through. MISS MACHINE Unlike the latest battery operated robot auto tuners…

In the early 1930s, George Beauchamp came up with the first electro-magnetic pickup for a musical instrument. The goal was to make the guitar (or any stringed instrument) louder, so that it would have a useful role in the ensembles of that era. Beauchamp’s design was for a string to vibrate within a magnetic field, inducing an electrical current in the associated coil of wire surrounding the magnets. Simple! At least, it seems simple these days. In fact, Beauchamp was not the first to address the problem. Lloyd Loar had tried to use electro-magnetism in the mid-‘20s, but under the bridge and not under the strings themselves. Beauchamp’s device found its first commercial platform in 1932 with the release of the Rickenbacker Electro A-22, soon to be nicknamed the Frying…