Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 158 i Australian Guitar

NEWS Fender has teamed up with Epic Games to bring two instruments, the Stratocaster and the Precision Bass, to Fortnite. The free-to-play video game is one of the most popular in the world, with over 221 million active players, and has already teamed up with the likes of Marvel, Disney, and Stranger Things to bring instantly recognizable characters to its virtual battlefields. This latest collaboration, however, is its first with an instrument brand. The in-game add-ons are available in the Item Shop, and can be used in Epic's brand-new music game, Fortnite Festival. Launched in early December, the Fortnite Festival lets users play in a band with friends, or as solo acts, in a Guitar Hero-esque game. The game features playable songs by Jimmy Eat World, Darude, and Katy Perry,…

Our US sibling magazine Guitar World has been covering Vai and Satriani since 1980, long before Australian Guitar broke its first string. As a result, Satch and Vai have appeared on countless issues of that magazine, holding countless different axes, and with wildly different hairstyles. Here's a look at some choice historical examples, with some details on the guitar featured on each cover. Interviews: Richard Bienstock JOE SATRIANI 1. NOVEMBER 1989 Guitar World Original photographer: Neil Zlozower What model guitar are you playing in this photo? SATRIANI: That's my first Ibanez JS prototype, which we called “Black Dog.” It had a Roadstar neck and a basswood 540 Radius body. By the time of this photo it also had a DiMarzio FRED pickup in the bridge and a PAF Pro in…

SOUNDG ARDEN HAD DRAWN attention for their use of alternate tunings prior to the release of 1994's Superunknown. But the album saw the group take the practice to new extremes. “We started doing these bizarre things on Badmotorfinger when Ben introduced some open tunings and slide tunings,” Kim Thayil explains. “Then Chris did that ridiculous tuning on ‘Mind Riot,’ where he tuned every string to E. That came from a comment by [Pearl Jam bassist] Jeff Ament — it was sort of a joke or a challenge, but Chris tried to see what would happen. It was brilliant. We continued that on Superunknown.” We asked Thayil to reveal some of the more unusual tunings used on Superunknown. He was glad to share them and to clear up a few well-entrenched…

The Fender Stratocaster is the most successful electric guitar design of all time. No guitar has shaped popular culture like the Strat. Its double-cutaway design is the acme of guitar shapes, arguably the most copied, the most easily recognisable. The Stratocaster's cultural legacy, ignited in 1957 when Buddy Holly debuted it with the Crickets on The Ed Sullivan Show, transcends the instrument itself. Its story is not just about its impact on guitarists’ imagination. And yet as a musical instrument, a piece of engineered design, it has remained relevant, a fact that rests upon its player-friendly ergonomics, with contouring to accommodate the forearm and to sit better against the body, the versatility of the three-pickup format, but also a subtle but telling evolution in its specifications that has often been led…

Brian May has been rocking Queen's repertoire for over 50 years now. And, though all four members of the band penned hit singles, it was Brian and original lead singer Freddie Mercury who took the lion's share of the writing credits. It's worth taking a moment to think about that other key element of his unique sound: the homemade Red Special guitar. Though equipped with ‘offthe shelf’ Burns pickups, its body, neck and sophisticated electronic switching system were all bespoke, designed and built by Brian and his father, Harold. Factor in Brian's choice of a sixpence piece as a pick and you have a tone that's near impossible to recreate. Diehard Queen fans could invest in a BMG Red Special guitar and a Vox AC30 amp, and there are modelling…

The second collection of affordable vintage-era Fenders, the Vintera II range, was introduced last year and to say we were impressed with the '50s Telecaster and '60s Stratocaster is an understatement. But could we get our hands on the new trendy offset models? Not until now. While the first wave of Vintera offsets centred on the ‘60s, the second wave jumps either side with the ‘50s Jazzmaster and ‘70s incarnations of the Jaguar and Mustang and style aside, the primary changes are the switch back to rosewood fingerboards from pau ferro, a pickup upgrade across all the models and, yes, a slight price increase. It's quite remarkable how these offsets are not only cohesive designs but how different they are in looks, feel and sound, too. Plus, although we have…

REVIEW Kim Thayil is not just grunge royalty, he's one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. While Thayil may not be spoken about in the same breath as Eddie Van Halen or Jimmy Page, the Soundgarden great has had a huge effect on alternative rock. His masterfully crafted riffs and beautifully chaotic lead work would go on in part to define the Seattle sound and, in turn, inspire everyone from Alice In Chains to Nirvana, creating a sonic shockwave that is still felt to this day. Grunge fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a Kim Thayil signature since the Soundgarden axe-man helped breathe new life into this almost-forgotten model in the late '80s and early '90s. Now, while the project may have been plagued with bad…

Enya Music may just have given guitar fans a glimpse of the future with the unveiling of its Nova Go Sonic electric guitar – a forward-thinking, all-in-one single-cut six-string. Functionally fashioned in a similar vein to Vox's “live rig in a gig bag”, the APC-1, the Nova Go Sonic looks to take things one step further, with a feature-packed, space age take on the classic Les Paul-style template. Made from a single cut of carbon fiber composite, it looks and presumably feels like a 21st century guitar, but that feeling is further ‘futurized’ with a raft of tech that takes it to the next level. It boasts dual humbuckers and onboard effects, which are controllable via an app, as well as a range of outputs and a built-in 10-watt wireless…

Jess Ribeiro spent her childhood in the ambience of regional NSW Chinese restaurants, where her father worked as a chef, before decamping to Darwin in 2007 to pursue study and music. There she founded Jess Ribeiro And The Bone Collectors, and released her debut EP Pilgrimage in late 2008. This was followed by 2012's My Little River, her first and only full-length album with The Bone Collectors, a gentle collection of “unhurried, beautifully melancholy folk”. From that debut full length came ‘Truckyard’, whose clip was filmed in a 1970s-style Chinese restaurant in Melbourne's inner suburbs. Ribeiro released her first post-Bone Collectors album in 2015, titled Kill It Yourself, which demonstrated a darker and more ornately orchestrated approach to country adjacent songwriting. Another stark departure followed with 2019's LOVE HATE, which…

JUDAS PRIEST AS THEY PREPARE for the release of their 19th album, Invincible Shield, Judas Priest are still pondering the randomness of life and the frailty of the human condition. Since the release of their 2018's blowtorch-to-the-face record, Firepower, most of the guys in the band have been anything but invincible. Vocalist Rob Halford has battled and seems to have beaten prostate cancer; guitarist Glenn Tipton continues to struggle with a debilitating case of Parkinson's disease, which six years ago ended his ability to tour. And lead guitarist Richie Faulkner vividly remembers suffering an aortic aneurysm on September 26, 2021, while Priest were playing the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. “It's crazy to think I easily could have died then and there,” says Faulkner, who assumed pole position for…

ABILITY RATING Info Key: E Major Tempo: 109 bpm https://bit.ly/422PgWq Will improve your ✓ Strumming rhythm ✓ Chord changes ✓ Picking out bass notes Think of country music and it's hard not to conjure up an image of the legendary ‘Man In Black’, original outlaw country legend Johnny Cash. His warm bass-baritone voice and relaxed yet tight strumming patterns are immediately recognisable and laid the foundations for country rhythm guitar in the decades that followed. His mournful songs of heartache, struggle and trouble put him alongside Hank Williams on the pedestal of country fame. Growing up in Arkansas in the 1930s Cash started his working life in cotton fields at the age of five and would have learned the tradition of the ‘work song’ from an early age singing along with…

If there's one thing that's overshadowing the stellar Yamaha Pacifica Professional guitar, it's the startling price tag. It's difficult to shake the fact that the Pacifica — which many consider the benchmark in budget electric guitars — now arrives in a Professional version at a cost that might be slightly out of reach for most players. Even so, it would be a shame for that to be the only reason to overlook this thoughtfully designed Superstrat that undeniably proves it's a world-class performance instrument through and through. The Pacifica model has been around for decades, but if you look back far enough, you'll find that its evolution was rooted as a pro-level, custom shop guitar that was built-to-order for top Los Angeles session players. So, in essence, Yamaha's Pacifica Professional…

Though posthumous Jimi Hendrix releases have been fairly regular in recent years, even though the Acoustic Ladyland recordings still haven't officially surfaced for release, the impression is that there isn't much left in the vault. But a new report by Mojo suggests that could be about to change, as there's reportedly an ‘untouched archive'. It's part of the estate of Mike Jeffery – the late manager of The Animals and co-manager of Hendrix attached to more than his fair share of controversy. His office at 39 Gerrard Street in London's West End was said to be crammed with memorabilia and recordings but when bailiffs visited they weren't interested in their potential value and it was all left on the floor before being discovered by Jeffery's former assistant and their current…

KIM THAYIL BIG THINGS WERE expected of Soundgarden back in 1989. The Seattle-based hard-rock quartet consisting of guitarist-singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Hiro Yamamoto and drummer Matt Cameron were already being cited as pioneers of a new sound called “grunge,” one that blended the aesthetics of heavy metal, punk and alternative rock. After releasing the EPs Screaming Life and Fopp on the Sub Pop label, and a debut album, Ultramega OK, on SST, the band had signed a major-label deal with A&M Records. But commercial success didn't come quickly or easily for Soundgarden. Their first album for A&M, 1989's Louder Than Love, earned glowing reviews, and college radio stations jumped on hard-driving tracks like “Loud Love” and “Hands All Over.” But the record stalled at number 108…

Fender's septuagenarian doublecut has been in the hands of a zillion guitar icons over the decades, and appeared on far more legendary recordings than we could possibly count. When it comes down to it, the sound of this guitar is familiar to us all. It's part of the background to our lives. And for us guitarists, that means there's a lot to learn from. In this lesson, we're looking at the signature styles of 15 Strat-wielding icons – a mix of rock pioneers, virtuosos and modern-day greats. As usual with our tab lessons there's plenty for you to get stuck in with and you'll find accompanying audio to play along to (courtesy of our sibling mag Total Guitar). Of course, you don't have to own a Strat to follow our…

FENDER 70TH ANNIVERSARY VINTERA II ANTIGUA STRATOCASTER RRP: $2,599 • fender.com Revive the spirit of the ‘70s with the 70th Anniversary Vintera II Antigua Stratocaster, one of five Strat models in a new limited series. The 70th Anniversary Vintera II Antigua Stratocaster showcases the iconic Antigua finish, complemented with hand painted matching pickguard. The alder body provides classic Fender tone that's full of punch and clarity. The “U” shape maple neck is based on a classic ‘70s profile and offers a remarkably comfy feel, while the 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard with vintage-tall frets provides vintage playability with ample room for big bends and expressive vibrato. Under the hood, you'll find a trio of 70th Anniversary Vintage-Style ‘70s Single-Coil Strat pickups that deliver the perfect blend of warmth and bite. The…

REVIEW Shure is a brand you'd more usually find mixing in pro-audio circles, with its wide and respected range of microphones, in-ear monitors and wired studio headphones. Artists from Led Zeppelin to Sheryl Crow have used the brand on stage and in the studio – but more recently it's been tempted to try its hand with a more mainstream audience. The Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2 are its third stab at a more consumer over-ear market, and are a pair of wireless noise-cancelling over-ears that ambitiously take on some of the established greats in this space. The black-on-black design that Shure has opted for on the Aonic 50 Gen 2 looks very smart indeed, and you'd better like it too if you're keen on these cans – it's the only…

In 2016, Ernie Ball Music Man unveiled a guitar that was unlike anything else on the market – one so radical it's often cited as one of the most exciting guitar innovations of recent memory. That was the St. Vincent signature guitar, masterminded by Annie Clarke [aka St. Vincent herself] and debuting a new body shape. A more affordable version arrived from Sterling by Music Man soon after, but when an updated Goldie was released in 2021, guitarists began to dream once again. Enter the equally radical but comfortably more affordable Sterling by Music Man Goldie, which – at least on the surface – carries all the aesthetic flair and tonal appointments of its pricier sibling… There are some tweaks worth stating for the record. Here, nyatoh has been used…

What the hell is a Zoar? One quick Google search reveals it was a Biblical city — and that the name roughly translates to “little” or “insignificant.” Now, I don't believe the folks at EarthQuaker Devices are biblical scholars; nor do I believe they intended to create a “little” or “insignificant” dirt pedal. But I'm pretty sure — judging by the illustrated hairy creature with claws of doom on the pedal's face — you're gonna need the Zoar Dynamic Audio Grinder when you're down on the killing floor. EQD has been firing on all cylinders in sonic saturation with the recent releases of their Sunn O))) Life Pedal V3, Special Cranker and Blumes stompboxes that come loaded with colorful shades of fuzz, distortion and overdrive that can blow the roof…