Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 113 i Australian Guitar

PANTERA MONSTER BOX SET GIVEAWAY! HEY GUITAR PLAYERS, YOU KNOW WHAT RULES? PANTERA. IT’S PROVEN BY SCIENCE, ACTUALLY. THE LATE GREAT DIMEBAG DARRELL’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO HEAVY METAL PLAYING CHANGED THE WAY AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF SHREDDERS ATTACK THE GUITAR, AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CURRENT ARMS RACE THAT SEES US ALL CALLING OUT FOR “MORE GAIN!” To celebrate Pantera’s raucous legacy, Rhino is releasing a new box set, entitled The Complete Studio Albums 1990-2000. The release compiles Cowboys From Hell (1990), Vulgar Display Of Power (1992), Far Beyond Driven (1994), The Great Southern Trendkill (1996), and Reinventing The Steel (2000). It’s a five-disc rampage that any self-respecting metalhead must have in their car at all times, should the urge for a spontaneous headbang overcome them. Thanks to our pals…

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, 4TH OF NOVEMBER, 2015 WHERE: ANZ STADIUM, SYDNEY REVIEW: LACHLAN MARKS PICS: PETER ZALUZNY In 2015, there are still relatively new artists that can pack out a mega-stadium, but for better or worse they are not the hard-livin’, hard-workin’ rock bands that were once the kings of large-scale concert going. Of the top grossing concert tours of 2014, the youngest rock band in the top 10 were the Foo Fighters, and they kicked things off way back in 1994. Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift are the fresh-faced big earners on the list, and they got their start in the music business in 2011 and 2006 respectively. The point isn’t that rock is dead; rock has instead been splintered into a myriad of different subgenres and their respective fanbases.…

Warumpi Band occupies an important place in Australian music history. Culturally, they represent a unity of, as one of their most famous song puts it, “Black Fella/White Fella.” The band was formed by acclaimed songwriter Neil Murray, with guitarist Sammy Butcher and the late George Rrurrambu in the Northern Territory in the early 80s. They quickly became a regular fixture on Australia’s legendary pub rock circuit, and were the first indigenous band to receive airplay for a song sung in their own language. Midnight Oil loved them and took them on tour in 1986, and the experience inspired the Oils’ Diesel & Dust album. Christine Anu covered “My Island Home”, Powderfinger covered “Black Fella/White Fella”, and a 2013 documentary on Rrurrambu called Big Name No Blanket is widely available. The…

Bullet For My Valentine occupy that rare zone where crushing post-thrash metal riffs meld together with accessible melody and songcraft. For some fans, BFMV’s melody is a bit of a gateway drug, a way of hooking into those who might not be so used to metal, and then drawing them in to the harder stuff that lurks in the background. This has made them a bit of a critical punching bag though, because mainstream success for a band in a non-mainstream genre tends to bring out that kind of reaction. And BFMV have racked up some killer successes, including scoring a #1 ARIA Chart debut in Australia for their latest album, Venom. Venom can be a deceiving record, depending on where and how you come to it. The melodic, catchy…

BILLY PRESTON THAT’S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT, 1969 Released on Apple Records, Preston’s fourth album featured Richards (unusually, playing bass) in addition to George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. ALEXIS KORNER GET OFF MY CLOUD, 1975 The British blues godfather convened this Keith’s ‘supersessions’ album featuring Nicky Hopkins, Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott. Richards contributed guitar to Korner’s Stones cover. TOM WAITS RAIN DOGS, 1985 Guitar and backing vocals on “Big Black Mariah”, “Union Square” and “Blind love”. Richards also co-wrote and played on “That Feel” from 1992’s Bone Machine and, more recently, appeared on “Chicago”, “Satisfied”, “Last Leaf” and “Hell Broke Luce” from 2011’s Bad As Me. ARETHA FRANKLIN “JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH”; 1988 Keith produced and played guitar on Franklin’s Stones cover, recorded for the Whoopi Goldberg…

Some of us are old enough to remember when you couldn’t get a good guitar without spending utterly serious amounts of money. And trying to get something playable in a beginner price range? Forget it. Heck, there was once a day where beginner guitars, the kind you’d get for Christmas, would be falling apart by New Year’s after causing dreadful carpel tunnel syndrome and beginning to rust right before your eyes. Today it’s different. Today you can get a beginner guitar for under three hundred bucks that would put a lot of sub-$1000 guitars from 1990 to shame. And the $1000-and-under price bracket is populated by some utterly incredible instruments that any musician would be happy to take out on stage with them. Here is a selection of under-$1000 guitars…

TOP 5 FEATURES • 1-to-3-piece mahogany body• Mahogany neck• Historic original 1 11/16” neck width• Rosewood fretboard• 490R & 498T humbuckers In many ways, the Gibson SG is a staple of the Australian guitar scene, even if it’s made in America and its most famous Aussie exponent was a ring-in from Scotland. Something about the SG’s sharp horns and thin body just feels right in an Australian pub rock environment. So when we got the chance to check out the very first Gibson USA 2016 models to arrive in Australia (on the morning they arrived, before heading out to dealers that afternoon), the SG Standard immediately jumped out. THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS The most surprising thing about the SG Standard is its price: with a retail of $2,599, you’ll likely be able to…

TOP 5 FEATURES • Polyphonic octaves, both octave-up and octave-down• ‘Range’ knobs control the extreme high and low frequencies• Controllable level of dry signal• Powered by 9-12V DC• True bypass TO POLY OR NOT TO POLY Selecting an octave pedal can be a bit of a challenge. Typically, you’ll need to compromise on either your tracking or your tone. Traditional analog octavers easily capture that classic Hendrix or Zeppelin tone that is so coveted, yet introduce all kinds of glitches and artifacts into the signal. Polyphonic octavers have stronger tracking and the ability to handle chords, but are generally regarded as a bit less pleasing on the ears. Distributed by Manic Music Factory in Australia and designed over in Poland by Taurus Engineering, the Dexter hopes to bridge this divide by combining tracking and tone.…

TOP 5 FEATURES • African mahogany with quilted maple top body• Custom John Petrucci Music Man® Piezo floating tremolo bridge, made of chrome plated, hardened steel with stainless steel saddles• Pickups: HH - DiMarzio Illuminators; Piezo bridge pickup• Sculpted neck joint for smooth access to higher frets Right now - 2015, 50 years after what is regarded as the “Golden Age” of the electric guitar and 65 years after they really hit the market place - NOW is the best time to buy a guitar. Disregarding a few exceptions, the modern electric is a well-made instrument, and a great value for money. And I’m talking about across the price spectrum: high-end guitars are magnificently crafted, and entry level guitars have never been more playable or better made. Builders, designers, and manufacturers all know more…

CATCH THE WORD’S BLUEFEST SIDESHOWS The Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW SUNDAY 27 MARCH 2016 The Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 American supergroup The Word is an instrumental/ sacred steel/gospel blues jam band made up of, to put it bluntly, legends. Check out this line-up: Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, John Medeski of Medeski, Martin & Wood on keyboards, plus all three members of North Mississippi Allstars - Luther Dickinson on guitar), Cody Dickinson on drums and washboard, and Chris Chew on bass. The band formed back in 2000 when Chew and Dickinson heard Randolph play; he was virtually unknown then, yet to become known as the guitar hero that he is today. The band released their self-titled debut in 2001, and finally released the follow-up, Soul…

Bobby Keys and Keith Richards first met when the Stones played the San Antonio teen Fair in 1964; Keys was performing with Bobby Vee. Keys was initially prejudiced against the Stones for their cover of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away”: Keys had toured with Holly, a fellow Texan. By the time he first recorded with the Stones – on 1969’s “Live With me” – his credits included Delaney & Bonnie and Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs And Englishmen tour. His early contributions for the Stones included “Brown Sugar” and “Can’t You hear me Knocking” from Sticky Fingers. Outside of his formal duties, he was an usher at Jagger’s wedding in 1971; later, he acted as musical director of Ron Wood’s Miami nightclub, Woody’s on the Beach. Keys also found work elsewhere,…

CHECK OUT THE ACCOMPANYING VIDEOS ONLINE I am extremely excited to announce my first featured article segment for Australian Guitar Magazine. The column is titled Kendrick’s Koncepts. You may have seen some of my previous columns in past issues. I hope that you were able to gain a little knowledge from my experiences and methods. As we continue on this quest, it looks like things are going to get really interesting. I find that personal experience is the ultimate teaching tool. Here’s a little background on me: I was a founding member of DevilDriver and helped write and record the group’s first six full-length albums in addition to playing quite possibly every festival worldwide — including your wonderful Soundwave. So, along the way, I’ve picked up a few tricks I’d…

WARNER I hope they fuckin’ love it,” says frontman Billie Joe Armstrong when discussing the departure of this record from Green Day’s earlier works. “How long was that fucking song?” Considering the critical acclaim and commercial success of American Idiot, it would seem that wishing with star power beats wishing on a star every damn time. American Idiot not only reinvigorated Green Day’s career, but propelled them on to punk rock’s least likely platform: Broadway. This John Roecker (long-time friend of the band) directed opus documents the nine months of studio time that culminated in a slew of punk rock favourites that managed to capture both the grim fear mongering of post-September 11 America, and the personal concerns of the band. The band, broadly speaking, disavows any thick political connections…

TOP 5 FEATURES • 1 or 2-piece mahogany body• 2-piece bookmatched Flame Maple top• Mahogany neck• Rosewood fretboard• ‘57 Classic & ‘57 Classic + humbuckers Gibson USA’s 2015 line-up was somewhat controversial, with virtually all models revamped to feature brass zero fret height-adjustable nuts, wider necks, Les Paul ‘100’ logos, and G FORCE automatic tuners. Truth be told, G FORCE is pretty handy if you incorporate alternate tunings in your music, and the zero fret nuts make a lot of sense, but many players wanted to at least have the option of a traditional or modernised Gibson. That’s exactly what Gibson is providing in 2016, with Traditional (T) and High Performance (HP) versions of most models. If you want the more comfortable neck, auto tuning recall, sculpted neck joint, upgraded components and a new and…

TOP 5 FEATURES • Mahogany body• Flamed maple top• Mahogany neck• Rosewood fretboard• DMT Design pickup Mountain legend Leslie West carved out his considerable legacy playing Gibson Les Paul Juniors, but over the years, he’s used all sorts of instruments to achieve his huge tone, including headless LSR-brand instruments by the late Ed Roman, and a variety of other guitars. But these days, West collaborates with Dean Guitars on a line of instruments which are simultaneously classic and modern, with clear hints of his previous tastes while also proclaiming an interest in the new. There are four guitars in the Leslie West line, three of which are one-humbucker designs. The Standard Trans Braziliaburst is probably the most obviously Westian guitar in the series. There’s also the Mississippi Queen, with a custom graphic of a buxom…

TOP 5 FEATURES • 2 x 8” speakers• piezo tweeter• 250w RMS (AES standard) speaker power handling• 250w RMS at 4 ohms / 150w RMS at 8 ohms amp output power• 12.5 kilos weight The Markbass Minimark 802 is yet another lightweight, punchy and practical bass combo from the guys who have revolutionised the bass amplification industry. Their products utilise neodymium speakers and Class D power stages, and their design philosophy is simple - give players what they want without the need for a PhD. These amps sound great, they’re efficient (see: loud) and they’re an easy lug. What more could you want? PICK IT UP Well, maybe an even easier lug. With the Minimark 802, the folks at Markbass have addressed the need for a super-portable combo (like the Phil Jones Briefcase, and similar)…

The Dead Daisies is part band, part rotating collective; a hard rock act incorporating members drawn from Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Pride & Glory, Testament, The Rolling Stones, Divinyls, Nine Inch Nails and more, all assembled - curated, if you will - by Australian David Lowy. The latest addition is vocalist John Corabi (stepping in after Jon Stevens occupied the position originally), who can be heard on new album Revolucion. But although Corabi’s out front, and Lowy is the guy who pulled it all together (and a great guitarist in his own right), one of the great giddy pleasures of The Dead Daisies is hearing Richard Fortus really stretch out in ways we haven’t often heard him do. With a resume that includes The Psychedelic Furs and Thin…

Dave Mustaine is an individualist. When he wants to say something, he says it, and when he wants to do something, he does it – within reason of course. These days, he’ll be the first to say that this approach has caused him to fall into the firing line now and then, but Mustaine has learned a lot since the Killing Is My Business days. Now, things that may have rubbed him the wrong way in the past have become a part of the driving force behind his 30-year plus career. If anything, his headstrong nature has helped him soldier through some particularly tough times recently; rumoured reunions of the Rust In Peace line-up turning sour, long-term members moving on, and relatives passing away all fell within a few months…

Keith’s long friendship with Dylan stretches back to the 1960s. “We all pushed each other In those days,” Richards told NME. “Bob’s a nasty little bugger. I recall him saying, ‘I could have written “Satisfaction”, Keith, but you couldn’t have written “Desolation Row”.’ I said, ‘Well, you’re right there, Bob!’” During 1985, Dylan invited Richards and Ron Wood to perform with him at a charity concert. In his autobiography, Ronnie, Wood remembers the three of them rehearsing at Dylan’s West 78th Street house. “On the day of the gig,” Wood wrote, “a limo came to pick up Keith and me. Before we got in, a truck pulled up with Dylan on board – the driver was his daughter. ‘You coming?’ Bob asked. ‘We’re on in Philly, man.’ That was 90…

TOP 5 FEATURES • Single XLR input• 3 balanced XLR outputs (2 isolated, 1 direct)• Mu metal shielded transformers• Direct output for phantom power connection• -40dB pad for line-level gear Every one of us has used a piece of Switchcraft equipment at one time or another. It’s pretty much inescapable if you’ve ever plugged an instrument into something. Ever since 1946, Switchcraft has made high-quality audio connectors, jacks, plugs and switches. As Glenn Clarke of Australian distributors Clarke & Severn Electronics puts it, “Basically, they just make products that don’t wear out. They’re well known for their guitar products - their jacks, their plugs, their switches. But in more recent years, they’ve come out with some rather clever patch bays that you can change with the turn of a screwdriver, rather than having to solder…

Since the dawn of time, man has yearned for speed. This desire for speed has unquestionably influenced the invention of the wheel, jetpacks, roller-skates and laxatives. Since the ‘70s, the speed of one’s guitar playing has become a crucial part of the rock and metal guitarist mentality. The quest for speed often becomes the be all and end all of some guitarists’ playing, as if it were a life and death situation. Many of my students and YouTube fans have asked me, “How do I get faster?” and “What are the secrets to playing fast?”. I used to tell them, “Stand in front of the mirror with a glass of tomato juice, close your eyes, and say “Christopher Lambert” 10 times. He will appear in full Highlander attire and sprinkle…

TOP 5 FEATURES • A range of effects useful for live sound, including compression and EQ• dbx’s AFS anti-feedback technology• Switchable routing presets to suit different venue situations• Powered by 9V DC• Subharmonic synthesis LIGHT AND LIVE Anyone who’s ever worked in live sound knows how much of a massive pain in the arse it is to set up a PA. Not only are there the speakers to contend with, but the accompanying mixer and rack of hardware is going to be breaking both backs and spirits. If you’re playing an established venue, you’re cheering. The gear is all already sitting there for use every night and probably has been since 1982, but if you’re running an impromptu show somewhere else, sourcing all of the right stuff will get complicated. Weighing about a kilo and…

TOP 5 FEATURES • 30 Watts• 2 KT66 power valves• 4 ECC83 preamp valves• Handwired Tag Board Circuits• Vintage Toggle Switches, power indicators and cosmetic styling If you’ve never plugged into an old tube amp with no master volume control, you’re missing out on a pretty magical experience. Especially if the closest you’ve ever come to cranking up a Plexi is a digital model - you really need to get the power tubes working to feel the way the molecules in the room get jostled about by those heavenly harmonics. Now, the Marshall 1962 2245THW can be traced back to the JTM45, the first amp Marshall ever made back in 1962. It was inspired by the Fender Bassman, but with various changes because of the scarcity of parts in the UK. Released in 1965, the…

TOP 5 FEATURES • Mahogany body and neck• Rosewood fingerboard• Grover tuning machines• Diamond Custom Pickups• Bigbsy tailpiece This is a great time to be a guitarist, because right now, designers are “messing” with the guitar like never before. Often, the changes aren’t weird and wacky (like the late-50’s Explorer and Flying V), but simply variations on a theme. One such variation, Gibson’s ES-335, holds a special place in the pantheon of guitar design: half-way between a solidbody and a jazz box, it was an immediate hit when it debuted in 1958 and is, in fact, the only Gibson in continuous product from ’58 through to today. For nearly six decades, the 335 has proved to be an absolutely killer instrument with a range of sounds that transcends stylistic boundaries. OPEN IT UP While not…

TOP 5 FEATURES • Ultra-thick padded walls with protective micro-fleece interior• Body-block internal shock absorbtion• Stowable protective raincover• Removable backstraps and multiple pockets, including tablet pocket• Optional dual guitar case to cut down on luggage Gator have really gone all out on the PROGO line of gig bags, packing as much versatility and ruggedness into a humble soft case as possible. There are three separate models - one for electric, one for bass, and one slightly dearer version that carries two electrics stacked on top of each other. This flexibility in the product line is welcome, but there’s not really much variety beyond this. So let’s go through what’s common to each one. First up, they feel very sturdy - right from when you pick one up - but also lightweight. The padded walls are…