Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i Guitar Player

THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS MAY BE entertaining (or disappointing or horrifying) us with all the mud slinging in an election year, but those sizzling, negative bon mots are nothing compared to the epic and often nasty verbal battles launched when some guitarists talk about tone. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone critique another guitarist’s tone as “bad”—which is actually close to a “good” appraisal, as some of the other words used to describe a less-than-awesome guitar sound are truly evil and soul crushing. Then, there’s the unsolicited advice of “those who always know better,” who hold court saying, “If only they had this amp, or this pedal, or this guitar, or this cable, their tone would be so much improved.” In my early days at Electronic Musician…

“SOME FOLKS” WAS ANOTHER BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE by Alice Cooper on his Welcome to My Nightmare album, and, yet again, one with some crazy, wacky, and hilarious lyrics. I did all the solo-y bits on this song. Producer Bob Ezrin would often have me do all the solos on some tunes, then co-guitarist Dick Wagner would do all the solo stuff on others, and on a few tracks, we would trade solos. I think Bob’s approach was about keeping the vibe and character of each song unique. I had fun playing this song. For one thing, I love shuffles. There’s just something wonderful about playing against a swing feel. Second, it’s a great progression for playing blues/rock over, because it’s very wide open with lots of freedom. What made “Some Folks”…

IT’S EASY TO TAKE YOUR FRETS FOR GRANTED. WHEN they’re doing their job, you don’t even notice them. You probably only become aware of them when something goes wrong—like a string buzz, a rough end, or a divot. When those things occur, you should probably consider a fret dress or mill. But the fact is, your frets won’t last forever, and sooner or later, you’ll need to replace them. Here is a checklist of things to consider when choosing a refret. FRET SIZE AND SHAPE Unless you have something to reference, this can be a hard decision. As I share my shop with a vintage guitar store, there are many samples for customers to try out before choosing. If possible, it’s always best to have a favorite guitar for reference,…

ACOUSTIC GUITAR PRS SE A20E Gotta love that PRS SE acoustics continue to deliver bang for buck for working musicians. The A20E ($599 street) has a solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a rosewood fretboard, and a soundhole-mounted preamp. prsguitars.com ELECTRIC GUITAR Reverend JW-1 Yes, there were hundreds of wonderful electrics on the NAMM floor, but for an unadulterated “eyeball kidnapping” that had me stumbling spellbound to the Reverend booth, I couldn’t ignore the crazy, seductive graphic of this Jenn Wasner Signature ($1,199 retail). reverendguitars.com STOMPBOX Well—surprise—as a pedal zealot, I couldn’t go for just one here! I dug the Boss CE-2W (the first pedal I ever bought was a Boss Chorus, and this one is Waza-fied; bossus.com), JangleBox J-Boost (a handy and varied treble, mid, or bass boost;…

“WHEN I WAS A KID, I WANTED TO write stuff that nobody could play but me,” says Paul Gilbert. “I’d hear ‘I’m the One’ by Van Halen, and think, ‘Nobody else can play that.’ The athleticism really appealed to me. But if I’ve progressed at all, it’s that I’ve come to the point where I wish I could write stuff like [J.J. Cale’s] “Cocaine”—stuff anybody can play. As a songwriter, I see it’s really great if your song is strong enough that it can survive the performance of other people’s interpretations.” That’s a surprising statement from someone who still identifies himself as a shredder. (“It’s the easiest way to market myself,” he says. “Corn Flakes is a cereal and I’m a shredder.”) Especially as Gilbert’s new album, I Can Destroy…

WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN IMPRESSED BY the variety of amplifiers that arrive at the GP office for review, and between some of new tube models and those that model tubes, you can definitely have it the way you want it when it comes to price, features, and versatility. Boutique amps always cost more because of the amount of labor involved in building them, while the digital modelers that roll off of assembly lines in Pacific Rim factories can offer vast amounts of sounds for a relative pittance. Within these technological extremes is where things get interesting. Need something that you can practically stash in a glove box yet has features of amps thrice its size? Ever wondered what a six-speaker combo could bring to your soundstage? How about a 5-knob tuber…

AMBOZ RED DRAGON CABLE I gig constantly, so I worry more about the toughness of my cables than whether they possess sterling sound quality. And, truth be told, I’ve been using the Red Dragon ($19 street; 10 ft) because its red casing looks fantastic plugged into my red Collings 290. But in four months of hard gigging, the Red Dragon has more than passed its trial by fire. It has been tossed and twisted into gig bags, snapped rudely out of my guitar jack, been stomped on by sound crews, and had road cases rolled over it. It has never failed. Sound quality is wonderfully clear and articulate with zero handling noise or other anomalies. I’d recommend this benevolent dragon to any guitarist. ambozcables.com—MICHAEL MOLENDA GOGO TUNERS HORIZON PEDAL TUNER…

CONETONE MIGHT NOT BE A HOUSEHOLD name, but the biscuit-bridge pickup that first adopted it has been a minor sensation in the resonator world for more than ten years. The piezo-loaded creation was the brainchild of Steve Olson, a long-time repairman and resoguru at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan. (I reviewed a ConeTone pickup on its own for sister publication Frets way back in 2006.) In recent years, however, Olson has fully grabbed the resonator-amplification challenge by the horns, designing and manufacturing the Reso-Volt acoustic-electric resonator guitar, which promises an easy, versatile, and comfortable means of taking the spun cone’s compelling tone onto the big stage. Following the lead of hip synthetic-guitar models of old, such as many Valco-made Supro, Airline, and National electrics of the ’60s (from which this…

play it forward FOR GUITAR PLAYER’S PLAY IT FORWARD INITIATIVE to work, all you have to do is mentor another player of any age or experience level. Your efforts don’t need to reach any pinnacle of success— exposing someone to the joys of playing guitar is victory enough. But it is a very great feeling when the player you’re mentoring accomplishes something wonderful. Teacher Ed O’Brien (left) of Ed O’Brien Studios in Peabody, Massachusetts, started working with Theo Curtin (above) eight years ago, when Curtin was just ten years old. “He started out like many young players, learning Beatles songs and investigating the classic-rock catalog,” says O’Brien. “By 14, his increasing awareness of jazz—and players like Charlie Parker and Pat Martino—took hold, and he became focused on mastering that style…

IN THE LATE ’80S, I WALKED into Jack’s Record Store in San Francisco’s Western Addition, and asked for the best versions of “Stardust.” Jeff Richardson (who was wearing a “Ban the CD” button) suggested Billy Jack Wills and the obvious choice, Hoagie Carmichael, but he also insisted I hear Jimmie Rivers and the Cherokees’ Brisbane Bop— even though the album didn’t include “Stardust.” The record existed because Jimmie’s cohort— the great pedal-steel guitarist Vance Terry—recorded several shows between 1961-1964 at the 23 Club, located in the formerly rowdy, lawless town of Brisbane, California. After those tapes resurfaced, Western Records released Brisbane Bop in 1983. Once I adjusted to the low fidelity of the recording, my guitar life was changed. Jimmie’s playing was soulful, virtuosic, and swinging. I spent so much…

“I brought two Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature FRM-series Fireman guitars into the studio,” details Gilbert. “One was an FRM250 with DiMarzio Air Classic humbuckers in the bridge and neck positions, and the other was fitted with DiMarzio P90s custom-wound for me by Steve Blucher. The Fireman guitars have a 24¾” scale, so I’ll often string them up with an Ernie Ball RPS set, gauged .009-.042. I might use .008-.038 sets if my calluses are getting worn down—although, when I’m on the road, I might go heavier because I’m beating the guitar harder. I actually have a Fireman with .007s on it! A friend of mine at Dunlop gave me a Billy Gibbons Reverend Willy .007-.038 set to try. It’s horrible for fast picking, because as soon as you pick a…

WHEN MY BROTHER IN ENGLISH language defilement, Matt Blackett, beckoned me to come forth and offer some Gristle Tidbits for the good readers of the mighty Guitar Player magazine, I was at once flattered and befuddled. Flattered to be a part of the glorious legacy of this legendary publication, but befuddled as to how to find the time to do something that would tickle the proverbial fancy of both the gristle initiated and the virginal gristling. What is this gristle I speak of? The phrase “pound the gristle” was employed one evening after a debauched, post-gig food fight at a late-night dining establishment on Milwaukee’s East side, sometime in the dark, waning days of the last century. The term went on to signify everything from spirited musical congress to other…

“THE CROSSBRED MUTT EARNED ITS name by being inspired by and designed to cover the sounds of vintage blackface and tweed Fenders, as well as Marshall, Vox and Trainwreck amplifiers,” relates George Alessandro. “It was to be a versatile, grab-and-go amp for working musicians, and it ended up exceeding my expectations.” This class AB amp uses two 6L6/5881 tubes to develop 40 watts, and has a Power control to vary the output from 100 percent all the way down to 5 percent, or about 2 watts. The Mutt carries a spacious-sounding spring reverb with a 12AT7 tube for drive and recovery, and there are two 12AX7s to handle preamp and phase-inverter duties. The circuitry is neatly wired by hand on a epoxy/glass laminate board, and the chassis and hardware are…

“The Valentine is a real working person’s guitar with some subtle innovation,” says Ernie Ball Music Man CEO and Chief Designer Sterling Ball. “James is an awesome guitarist, as well as a student of the guitar. He still takes lessons— even though he has sold millions of records—and that curiosity was channeled into the development of this guitar. Now, we don’t design signature guitars for the public. I think what makes us a very successful signature guitar company is that we have blinders on. All we see is the guitar player and what they want. We’re keenly aware of the public when we make non-signature guitars, of course, and Scotty Ball is incredibly involved in the R&D process for that area. “For James, we knew he liked round-bottomed guitars, ash…

“THE MUSIC WAS ENTIRELY IMPROVISED,” EXPLAINS Laurence Juber about his acoustic-duet album, Musings [New Gold/The Orchard], with pianist William Goldstein. “We had nothing prepared before starting the recording.” That’s a ballsy move for any artist, and especially curious coming from a cat known for his solo-fingerstyle prowess. “I’ve spent a great deal of my career as a solo artist playing on my own,” says Juber, “so it’s delightful to play with other people. And I was motivated more towards the improvisational side that I needed for Musings by playing electric guitar on recent dates with Albert Lee and Jerry Donahue. Playing off each other’s solos was refreshing.” Juber also revealed he has a holiday album already in the can with upright bassist Domenic Genova and drummer Michael Jochum (both of…

WHEN ADRIAN GALYSH CONCEPTUalized his new album, Into the Blue, it was supposed to be a creative respite from the rewarding but tortuous undertaking of his 2013 orchestral-prog epic, Tone Poet, which required the scrupulous fine-tuning of colossal layers of electric and acoustic guitars, strings, choirs, drums, percussion, and other instruments. “After two years of hard work recording Tone Poet, it was daunting to consider repeating something that intense,” says Galysh. “So, as I hadn’t done a complete vocal album yet, I decided to explore more straightforward songs in a bluesrock style.” But while the production of Into the Blue was far less taxing than Tone Poet, it nonetheless produced its own sources of anxiety. “I was scared to death of blues clichés,” Galysh admits. “The vocabulary I draw from…

“One of the things I learned from Prince is that he always developed his ideas and then played different solos around those ideas to keep things interesting. It was never ‘insert blues lick here.’ It’s challenging to push boundaries like that, but otherwise your solos can get stale and boring. To be ready to come up with original ideas while improvising, I have to practice regularly, listen to other people’s solos for inspiration, and interact with the song’s melody and all the other instruments. I also have to feel it and play with conviction. If you approach improvising with heart, soul, and passion, your lines should come from a genuine place and sound great.”…

ALTHOUGH—FULL DISCLOSURE—I ADORE THE Monkees and perform in a band that rocks-out and punks-up the band’s bountiful radio hits of the ’60s, I was still shocked that the boys could pull off a critically acclaimed album on its 50th anniversary that wasn’t just another “greatest hits” compilation. Good Times [Rhino] is the Monkees highest-charting album since 1968’s The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees, and, in a groovy flashback to what could have been a zany script for The Monkees sitcom (1966-1968), the “American Beatles” grabbed the number one spot on amazon.com’s bestsellers chart—trouncing, for a time, Adele and Prince. Wild! Produced by Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger—who penned the very Monkees-esque title track for the 1997 film, That Thing You Do!—Good Times includes unfinished ’60s tracks from the…

ONE OF THE GREATEST RIFFS OF ALL time, Brian May’s break at the end of an otherwise guitar-less tune has it all: groove, chops, vibe, and absolutely ungodly tone. When I asked him how his iconic part came to be, Dr. May had this to say: “I really had this desire to make something that had never been done before. Something that would leap out to people in an unusual way. You’re used to the solo being in the middle of the song, and then you go back to finish up the song. I remember having this feeling that I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to keep the whole song very boldly basic, and then I wanted the guitar to step in and take it to a different…

ABOMINABLE ELECTRONICS DEMON LUNG When Associate Editor Matt Blackett and I plugged in the Demon Lung ($200 direct) for an initial listening test, we were immediately enraptured by its thick, saturated, caterwauling howl. We tweaked nothing, and, in fact, the Demon Lung’s controls were set wherever they were when I removed the pedal from its packing materials. Talk about plug and play! The crazies at Abominable did something, well, crazy to voice this fuzz, venturing into simulating— and evolving—what they say is the “never-before-cloned” Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz (1993-1997) used by Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee and others. The true-bypass Demon Lung offers the FZ-2’s two fuzz modes (meaty and sizzling), but moved them to a much more live-performance-practical footswitch (with two bright LEDs that alert you to which…