FROM THE ARCHIVE: Guitar World asks Rush's Alex Lifeson some tough questions.
What inspired you to play guitar?
My brother-in-law played flamenco guitar. He lent his guitar to me and I grew to like it. When you’re a kid, you don’t want to play an accordion because it would be too boring. But your parents might want you to play one, especially if you’re from a Yugoslavian family like me. [laughs]
What was your first guitar?
My parents got me a $25 Kent steel-string acoustic guitar when I was around 12. The following Christmas my parents bought me a Conora electric guitar. It looked almost like a Gretsch. It cost $59, and my mom still has it.
Were you inspired by any particular guitarist?
The Beach Boys had a really cool guitar sound. I also liked the guitarists in the Searchers and the Dave Clark Five. Then Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend hit, and it turned the guitar world on its ear. The more I got into playing guitar, the more I enjoyed music and the broader my listening became. The instrument itself became important to me, and I started messing around with classical guitar and took classical lessons.
What was the first song you learned who to play?
The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” The songs starts off with the three most important chords—E, A and D—and I learned them. I learned the lead line, as well.
Do you remember your first gig?
Yeah. In September 1968, Rush played for around 20 people at a small hall in a church basement. We played songs like “Spoonful,” “Fire” and “Born Under a Bad Sign,” and got paid $10. Then we went to a nearby deli and ordered Cokes and French fries, and started planning our future.
What was your most memorable gig?
Probably the 2002 show we played in São Paulo, Brazil, during the Rush in Rio tour. It was before an audience of 60,000, the largest number of people we ever played for. It was pouring rain, and the huge crowd was singing along to our songs. It was really amazing, because people don’t even speak English there.
What advice do you have for guitarists?
Do it because you love it, and never give up. It’s great to be able to do it for your entire life. I’ve been playing for 40 years, and I love it more than ever. When I sit down and play guitar, I melt into the instrument. I can play for hours by myself. Playing guitar has given me such a wonderful life, and I’m grateful for it.
Fender has released several new Limited Edition American Standard Series guitars, new Classic Player Series models and a Special Edition Blacktop Series guitar.
All the details can be found right here:
The venerable American Standard Stratocaster now comes in a new limited-edition model featuring Fender’s innovative channel-bound compound-radius fingerboard and the time-honored look of a Dakota Red or Sonic Blue gloss finish. The fingerboard is inlaid into the neck in a design with an elegant appearance and a distinctive fretting-hand feel in which both edges are comfortably rounded, with no side seam between neck and fingerboard.
Further, the fingerboard’s 9.5”-14” compound radius graduates smoothly from a more rounded profile at the nut (great for chording) to a more flattened profile near the body (great for soloing).
The workhorse American Standard Telecaster is also available as a new limited edition model featuring Fender’s innovative channel-bound compound-radius fingerboard and the time-honored look of a Dakota Red or Sonic Blue gloss finish.
In addition, Fender introduces two brilliant new limited edition looks for the American Standard Stratocaster—Vintage White with a tortoiseshell pickguard and rosewood fingerboard, and Mystic Aztec Gold with a parchment pickguard and maple fingerboard. All the acclaimed features, sound and style of the archetypal American Standard Stratocaster, now in even more beautiful finish options.
Former Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Chris Fleming has taken his previous design for the Classic Player Baja Telecaster and upgraded it with full-on 1960s features and vibe, including a rosewood fingerboard and a comfortable ’60s “C”-shaped neck profile. The guitar also features an alder body, 9.5” fingerboard radius and 21 medium jumbo frets, single coil American Vintage ’52 Tele (neck) and ’58 Tele (bridge) pickups with special four-way (including both pickups in series) and S-1 switching, three-ply pickguard, American Vintage string-through body Telecaster bridge with three brass “barrel” saddles, special Custom Shop neck plate engraving and more.
Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov has designed an entirely new model for the Classic Player series that blends ’60s and ’70s styling with modern high-performance. The Classic Player Strat HH has special touches including dual Wide Range Special humbucking pickups, five-way switching with coil splitting for more traditional single-coil Stratocaster sounds, and a sultry Dark Mercedes Blue gloss finish with a matching headstock. Other features include a maple neck with a comfortable ’60s “C”-shaped profile, bound rosewood fingerboard with 9.5” radius and 22 medium jumbo frets, three-ply black pickguard, two-point synchronized tremolo bridge with modern plate and vintage-style saddles, and vintage-style Fender “F”-stamped tuners.
Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Todd Krause has designed an unusual take on the Telecaster for the Classic Player series. The high-performance Classic Player Triple Tele rocks three slanted Nocaster single-coil bridge pickups for truly distinctive modern tone and the classic look of a black finish and pickguard paired with a one-piece maple neck/fingerboard. Other features include a thick “C”-shaped neck profile, 9.5” fingerboard radius and 21 vintage-style frets, five-way Stratocaster-style switching, vintage-style string-through-body bridge with three brass saddles, special Custom Shop neck plate engraving and more.
Originally created in the Fender Custom Shop by Master Builder Jason Smith, the Rascal Bass joins the Fender lineup as a sleek short-scale Classic Player model loaded with distinctive features and personality. With its ’60s-era Bass VI body, three Seymour Duncan lipstick Stratocaster pickups, 30” scale and gorgeous gloss Ocean Turquoise finish with matching Coronado-style headstock, there’s no other Fender bass like the Rascal.
Other premium features include a flat-sawn maple neck with a comfortable “C”-shaped profile, 9.5”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo frets and special inlay scheme (bass-side dot markers from 3rd to 9th frets, double dots at 12th fret, treble-side dot markers from 15th to 21st frets), vintage-style heel-end truss rod adjustment, white pearloid pickguard, five-way pickup switch with chrome “barrel” tip, push-pull master volume control that delivers seven pickup configurations, master tone control, distinctive bridge with four adjustable steel “barrel” saddles, vintage-style tuners and more.
The Blacktop Jazzmaster is now available in a scorching special edition HH model with dual humbucking pickups for even more supercharged tone. Further, a new all-black look features a Candy Apple Red racing stripe that takes a sleek cue from the great “competition stripe” Fender models of the late ’60s and early ’70s.
The Alchemical Guitarist: Fretboard Secrets Unlocked presents the 12 best videos and accompanying columns from Guitar World columnist Richard Lloyd.
In this insightful instructional DVD, Lloyd gives viewers a new and comprehensive way to understand the fretboard, one that unlocks the mysteries that so often confuse and frustrate guitarists, whether they are beginners or advanced players. One of Guitar World's most popular instructors, Lloyd presents lessons on topics that include hexatonic blues scales, emphasizing minor thirds in pentatonic patterns, the cycle of fourths and fifths, and much more.
With more than two hours of lessons, The Alchemical Guitarist will give you the power to transform your guitar playing into pure gold.
The Alchemical Guitarist DVD contains these lessons:
• Magic Circles: The cycle of fourths and fifths • Skeleton Key: Unlocking the modes with the mystical major-scale diagram • Call Me: Two telephone numbers and an introduction to vertical knowledge • Five Chords & the Truth: The five-chord cycle • The Dark Stuff: The modes in order of descending brightness • The 48-Step Program: The modal step-down practice method • Box Cutters: Breaking free with pentatonic trees • Diagonal Diatonics: Another way out of the boxes • Back in the Box: Positional play and the pentatonic boxes • Minor Issues: Emphasizing minor thirds in and out of the boxes • Opening Your Third Eye: Three maps for moving in and out of the boxes • The Hexatonic Blues Scale: Inviting the devil back to the party
What, exactly, is a headphone album? Well, the definition changes depending on who you are.
For audiophiles, a headphone album is a work that is so exquisitely recorded that it demands you listen to each beautifully recorded note under a sonic microscope. Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue fits that bill.
For others, a great headphone album is one that makes an intimate album more intimate (such as Bob Dylan’s original mono recordings), or a loud album louder (Rage Against the Machine’s debut album).
We’re an unsubtle and hyperactive bunch at Guitar World, so our favorite headphone albums are those that have a lot of activity in the stereo field. As dumb as it sounds, we love it every time a guitar solo takes a shortcut through our skulls as it zooms from one ear to the other.
If you don’t know what we’re talking about or you’ve never experienced any of these great albums under the influence of some high-end ear buds, we suggest you go home, put on your best set of ‘phones, turn out the lights, turn up the volume and prepare to have your mind blown sky high.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland (1968)
If you haven't taken LSD, the good news is you don’t have to. Save your brain cells and listen to this masterpiece under a good set of headphones to get the complete psychedelic picture. On Electric Ladyland, Jimi Hendrix and his brilliant engineer, Eddie Kramer, create a wonderful, three-dimensional sonic world and invite you to step in. This album is not necessarily stoned, but it certainly is beautiful.
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK. DING DONG! BRRRRRRRANG!!!! WIIRRRRRRRRLLLLLLYYYYYY WHIRL…HA HA HA HA! I mean, what else can you say about the Citizen Kane of headphone albums?
The Edgar Winter Group, They Only Come Out At Night (1972)
This is a little on the obscure side, but it ranks right up there with Dark Side as an essential Seventies listening experience. The star of the show is the extended version of the hit instrumental “Frankenstein,” but almost every song on the album is a sonic thrill ride.
Santana, Caravanserai (1972)
This album was originally mixed and released in both stereo and quadrophonic. Designed to be an all-encompassing, complex and exotic listening experience, the percussion surrounds you while the soaring guitars lift you to the heavens. This is the best-recorded album of Carlos Santana’s career, and probably his best album overall.
Dukes of the Stratosphear, Psonic Psunspot (1987)
The Dukes of the Stratosphear was a pseudonym used by the British rock band XTC in the mid-to-late Eighties, and their Psonic Psunspot album was a brilliant homage to the Sixties psychedelic pop of the Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Zombies. While the project was a bit of a joke, the songs are brilliant and, due to advancements in recording technology, the sound of the album eclipses anything actually recorded in London in 1967.
The Cure, Disintegration (1989)
They say that guitarist Robert Smith was using hallucinogenic drugs throughout the coarse of this beautifully textured album. Like Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, the sound of the album reflects his trippy state of mind. Listening to Disintegration under headphones is like stepping into someone else’s dream—and a rather dark one, at that.
Radiohead, Kid A (2000)
In the late Nineties, Radiohead wanted to shake up their music. Their solution was to work as a collective—one that would make interesting “sounds”—rather than with each person in band playing a prescribed role. The result was an album that sounded unlike anything else before or since. This philosophy extended to the album’s sumptuous mix, which can only truly be truly appreciated with a pair of speakers right next to your ears.
Tool, Lateralus (2001)
In 2005, four years after its original release, Tool’s Lateralus was released as a limited-edition two-picture-disc vinyl LP in a holographic gatefold package. It took them a while to do it, but they were finally able to create a package that adequately reflected the multi-dimensional music offered inside.
Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
While everything sounds “good” these days, it’s hard to find albums that sound “great.” Everything is engineered so loud and compressed that most modern recorded music lacks the kind of space and depth that allows for a true headphone experience. Dream Theater probably doesn’t really give a damn about what is happening in popular music, which is why this album sounds as good as it does.
The Beatles, Abbey Road (1969)
Every collection has to have some Beatles, and this is by far their best and most modern-sounding album. Enjoy.
Brad Tolinski is the editor-in-chief at Guitar World.
Jeff Beck and ZZ Top have announced the suspension of the remaining scheduled double-bill tour dates due to an injury sustained by ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.
According to a story posted by wcsx.com, Hill, who is 65, slipped and fell on his hip while in his tour bus last night.
As a result of his injury, which requires immediate attention, ZZ Top's shows have been suspended while he recovers. Dates affected by the suspension include all of the scheduled concert bills shared with Beck through September 13.
Earlier today, Beck's camp provided the following update:
Jeff and his band — Jimmy Hall on vocals, Rhonda Smith on bass, Jonathan Joseph on drums and Nicolas Meier on guitar — will move forward with the following three previously scheduled dates, with Tyler Bryant opening:
• August 29 Seneca Allegany Casino Salamanca, NY • August 30 The Concert Venue @ Harrah’s Atlantic City, NJ • August 31 MGM Grand Theater @ Foxwoods Mashantucket, CT
Dates scheduled for West Palm Beach, Tampa, St. Augustine, Atlanta, Thackerville and Houston will potentially be rescheduled. Patrons should hold onto their ticket stubs for a possible future announcement.
“While we are very disappointed to not continue this tour with ZZ Top, our thoughts and best wishes are for Dusty to have a speedy recovery,” Beck said.
Canceled dates include:
• August 28 Ravinia Festival Highland Park, IL • September 2 Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Boston, MA • September 3 Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD • September 4 Nikon @ Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY
Musicians Institute, the College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, California, is going beyond the classroom in fall 2014 with a new paperless “Bring Your Own Device” (B.Y.O.D.) policy and a "flipped classroom" model.
The school's blended learning system will deliver music lessons digitally—anywhere, anytime.
Students will utilize their mobile phones, tablets and laptops on any platform of their choosing (iOS, Android, OSX, or Windows) to foster an efficient, 24/7 learning environment. Select lectures will be viewed through online videos, so that class time can be focused on hands-on learning and Q&A sessions.
MI’s innovative 360-degree approach to music education is paced unlike any other college, with fully revised Degree and Certificate programs for Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keyboard Technology and Vocals.
Centered on Harmony, Theory and Ear Training, core subjects in Reading, Technique and Performance will be synchronized on a weekly basis, so that every topic can be explored, mastered and applied by students when they enter the working world after graduation. Performance students will also have access to expert Entertainment Industry Studies instructors for Audio Engineering, Music Business, Guitar Craft and the Independent Artist Program.
Today, GuitarWorld.com presents two exclusive videos from Five Finger Death Punch — both of which herald the release of Death Punch'd: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch's Metal Mayhem, the new memoir by FFDP's Jeremy Spencer.
The book will be published September 2 by HarperCollins.
In the top clip, Spencer, FFDP's co-founder and drummer, discusses a wide range of topics — but mainly FFDP guitarist Jason Hook. In the bottom clip, Spencer puts the spotlight on guitarist Zoltan Bathory.
Check them out below and be sure to share your opinions in the comments or on Facebook!
Spencer's journey through the wild highs and terrifying lows of the rock and roll lifestyle is told with candor, redemption and enlightenment. The first-time author offers a wry and rollicking tale of music, addiction and recovery, revealing the path that served as a catalyst to make him the man he is today.
"The day I left treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, I decided to write my story," Spencer said. "I was feeling raw and exposed and hoped just 'getting it all out' would be therapeutic. And it was.
"Sitting on a tour bus with little to do, I found myself writing two or three thousand words a day. It didn’t occur to me until I’d written 50 or 60 thousand that my story might be helpful to others who need encouragement in pursuing their dreams and for those struggling with addiction."
Wonderfully made hand-crafted instrument is ideal for pros and hobbyists alike and features a solid Adirondack spruce top, and a solid rosewood back and sides. It’s finished with a gorgeous Tobacco sunburst and retails for $1500.
The E20SS is a popular choice for flatpicking and live vocal accompaniment, with an extremely dynamic response, from soft picking to hard strumming. It projects enough to fill a room with its full-bodied tone.
Here, watch Allen Shadd, two-time National Flatpicking Champion, play the Eastman E20SS at the SoundPure Studios:
Features:
Solid Adirondack spruce top, hand-carved scalloped X bracing
Body Dimensions: 16″ X 4 3/4″
Top Wood: Solid Adirondack Spruce
Bracing: Hand-carved Scalloped X
Rosette: Basic
Back/Sides Wood: Solid Rosewood
Body Binding: White/Black/White
Neck Woods: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Nut: 1 11/16″-wide Bone
Scale Length: 24 3/4″
Frets: 20 Dunlop 6130
Inlays: Dots
Bridge/Saddle: Rosewood/Bone, 2 5/32″ Spacing
Tuners: Chrome-plated Gotoh
Strings: D’Addario EXP16 .012-.053
Available Finish: Tobacco Sunburst
Case: Hardshell Case Included
Holy crap! Is that a giant Flying V, or has someone finally invented the shrink ray?!
Nope, we're pretty sure it's just a guy rocking out on a giant Flying V.
According to the video's caption, the man in question is Ralph Ciociano from The Guitar Shack in Port Jefferson Station, New York, who is showing off this homemade, super-sized Flying V guitar at a fairly recent New York/Long Island Guitar show.
Apparently, the guitar, which is modeled after a Fifties Flying V, took six months to complete and is considered the world's largest, playable guitar.
P.S: We thought we'd also include this video because we really like it:
We Are The Willows is thrilled to announce the release of the new full-length album Picture (Portrait) Pt. 1, out November 4th on The Homestead Records.
The Minneapolis based six-piece have premiered the song "Dear Ms. Branstner" as a preview of the material found on the album.
The lyrics and inspiration for all the songs comprising Picture (Portrait) Pt. 1, are derived from a series of 350 letters written by songwriter/frontman Peter Miller's grandfather to his grandmother while he was stationed in the Southwest Pacific during World War II. Their correspondence inspired Miller to explore themes of family, separation, life, death, and identity in a time of national and personal crisis.
Check out “Dear Ms. Branstner” here:
We Are The Willows' orchestral indie-rock ensemble features Miller's unique countertenor voice and guitar, supported by Jeremiah Satterthwaite (guitar/banjo), Leah Ottman (violin/voice/keys), Hilary James (cello/voice/keys), Travis Collins (bass), and Stephen Lindquist (drums/voice). Together they craft dynamic, intimate songs with instruments and voices combining to create energetic rhythms and intricate melodies. Their heartfelt arrangements evoke shared nostalgic feelings of love and loss.
Stay tuned for tour dates in support of Picture (Portrait) Pt. 1 to be announced.
A definitive, career-encompassing 12-disc library, The Complete Epic Recordings Collection brings together, for the first time, the entirety of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's official studio and live album canon, including the inaugural commercial release of A Legend In The Making, a collectible (formerly) promotional-only recording of SRV & DT's performance at Toronto's El Mocambo club in 1983.
The Complete Epic Recordings Collection also features two discs compiling rare and hard-to-find archival tracks.
Below you'll find the complete contents of the box set.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: The Complete Epic Recordings Collection
Disc 1: In The Beginning (KLBJ-FM radio broadcast produced by Wayne Bell
Recorded April 1, 1980; Austin, Texas
In The Open
Slide Thing
They Call Me Guitar Hurricane
All Your Love I Miss Loving
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Love Struck Baby
Tell Me
Shake For Me
Live Another Day
Originally released as Epic 53168, 1992 / Peak chart position: #58
Disc 2: Live At Montreux 1982 (July 17, 1982; Montreux International Jazz Festival)
Hide Away
Rude Mood
Pride And Joy
Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
Dirty Pool
Give Me Back My Wig
Collins Shuffle
Originally released as Epic/Legacy 86151, 2001 / Peak chart position: #178
Disc 3: Live At Montreux 1985 (July 15, 1985; Montreux International Jazz Festival)
Scuttle Buttin'
Say What!
Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
Pride And Joy
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
Texas Flood
Life Without You
Gone Home
Couldn't Stand The Weather
Originally released as Epic/Legacy 86151, 2001 / Peak chart position: #178
Disc 4: Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
Pride And Joy
Texas Flood
Tell Me
Testify
Rude Mood
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Dirty Pool
I'm Cryin'
Lenny
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Mullen and Double Trouble / Executive Producer: John Hammond / Originally released as Epic 38734, 1983 / Peak chart position: #38
Disc 5: A Legend In The Making—Live At The El Mocambo (recorded Toronto, Canada, July 20, 1983, originally released for radio broadcast only)
Testify
So Excited
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Pride And Joy
Tell Me
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
You'll Be Mine
Hug You, Squeeze You
Little Wing/Third Stone From The Sun
Lenny
Wham!
Rude Mood
Disc 6: Couldn't Stand The Weather (1984)
Scuttle Buttin'
Couldn't Stand The Weather
The Things (That) I Used To Do
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Cold Shot
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Honey Bee
Stang's Swang
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon, Richard Mullen, and Jim Capfer / Executive Producer: John Hammond / Originally released as Epic 39304, 1984 / Peak chart position: #31
Disc 7: Live At Carnegie Hall (Recorded October 4, 1984; New York City)
Intro--Ken Dashow/John Hammond
Scuttle Buttin'
Testify
Love Struck Baby
Honey Bee
Cold Shot
Letter To My Girlfriend
Dirty Pool
Pride And Joy
The Things That I Used To Do
C.O.D.
Iced Over
Lenny
Rude Mood
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan / Originally released as Epic 68163, 1997 / Peak chart position: #40
Disc 8: Soul To Soul (1985)
Say What!
Lookin' Out The Window
Look At Little Sister
Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
Gone Home
Change It
You'll Be Mine
Empty Arms
Come On (Part III)
Life Without You
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Double Trouble and Richard Mullen / Executive Producer: John Hammond / Originally released as Epic 40036, 1985 / Peak chart position: #34
Disc 9: Live Alive (Recorded July 16, 1985, Montreux International Jazz Festival; July 17-18, 1986, Austin, Texas; July 19, 1986, Dallas, Texas)
Say What!
Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
Pride And Joy
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Superstition
I'm Leaving You (Commit A Crime)
Cold Shot
Willie The Wimp
Look At Little Sister
Texas Flood
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Love Struck Baby
Change It
Life Without You
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble / Originally released as Epic 40511, 1986 / Peak chart position: #52
Disc 10: In Step (1989)
The House Is Rockin'
Crossfire
Tightrope
Let Me Love You Baby
Leave My Girl Alone
Travis Walk
Wall Of Denial
Scratch-N-Sniff
Love Me Darlin'
Riviera Paradise
Produced by Jim Gaines & Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble / Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California /
Originally released as Epic 45024, 1989 / Peak chart position: #33
Disc 11: Archives/Disc One
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Empty Arms
Come On (Part III)
Look At Little Sister
The Sky Is Crying
Hide Away
Give Me Back My Wig
Boot Hill
Wham!
Close To You
Little Wing
Stang's Swang
Disc 12: Archives/Disc Two
May I Have A Talk With You
Boilermaker
The Sky Is Crying
Shake And Bake
So Excited
Slip Slidin' Slim
Chitlins Con Carne
Little Wing/Third Stone From The Sun
Boot Hill
Life By The Drop
Archives/Disc One, Track 1 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Mullen and Double Trouble; Executive Producer: John Hammond
Archives/Disc One, Tracks 2-12 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon, Richard Mullen, and Jim Capfer; Executive Producer: John Hammond
Archives/Disc Two, Tracks 1-8 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Double Trouble and Richard Mullen; Executive Producer: John Hammond
Archives/Disc Two, Track 9 produced by Jim Gaines & Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Archives/Disc Two, Track 10 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jim Gaines
This year marks the 30th year of Hughes & Kettner’s quest for the perfect guitar amplifier tone, and the brand is celebrating by producing a Limited Edition 30th Anniversary Series of its groundbreaking TubeMeister range — with a difference.
The amps, which are set to be available as TubeMeister 18 Head and TubeMeister 36 Head models, feature Soviet “New Old Stock” EL84 power tubes that were built long before Hughes & Kettner was born.
Manufactured in the legendary Saratov factories, the tubes comply with military-grade specifications for the aircraft industry (which require the highest levels of reliability and the strictest tolerances), and are built to last for a lifetime with a consistent quality and power. They deliver noticeably more output than standard EL84s, which results in more headroom for clean tones and even more punch for overdrive sounds.
TubeMeister itself is celebrating its third anniversary of Rocking on Stage, Playing at Home and Recording at Night in 2014, and these new limited edition models – which also come with a black glossy chassis, and proudly show the 30th anniversary logo on the front panel – are sure to become sought after collector’s items.
As well as the NOS tubes, the new models feature everything that has made TubeMeister a global guitar amp sensation: diminutive dimensions, powerful tones from the EL84 and 12AX7 tubes, the industry-standard Red Box DI output for pain-free recording, a flexible Power Soak… and, of course, the ubiquitous blue-lit logo that can now be seen on stages, in studios and in practice rooms across the world.
Hughes and Kettner amplifiers are distributed in North America by Yorkville Sound.
In this segment of our exclusive Acoustic Nation Play It Now video series, hit singer songwriter Matt Nathanson teaches me, and YOU, how to play his latest single, “Mission Bells.” The track appears on his new album, The Last of the Great Pretenders.
Nathanson, and his guitar player Aaron Tap, run through the riff, verse and chorus arrangements for what is basically a three-chord song.
If you know how to play Em, G, and C, you’ve got this covered! With just some quick fingering practice you'll be up and running in no time. Here are the chord fingerings for the chorus. Easy but effective.
Don't forget to put your capo on the fourth fret and then finger as shown.
If you want to get a little fancy and learn Aaron’s cool looping riff, he was kind enough to share this transcription. When we say Play It Now, we mean you! Ready? Go!
And here’s the official “Mission Bells” video. Practice and then play along.
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson lends his support and talent this weekend when he performs his hit song “Kinks Shirt” during the 49th Annual MDA Show of Strength telethon.
The two-hour special will air on Sunday, September 1st at 9:00pm/8:00Central on ABC stations across the country.
Here’s a sneak peak of Nathanson talking about his inspiration and why being a part of this effort is so important:
2014 MDA Telethon additional performances include: American Authors, Aloe Blacc, Jason Derulo, Sara Evans, Fall Out Boy, Bret Michaels, R5, Rascal Flatts and LeAnn Rimes.
Nathanson’s participation in the MDA Show of Strength Telethon comes on the heels of having wrapped up his 60+city national co-headlining tour with Gavin DeGraw.
He recently released his new single “Headphones,” an ode to the power of music that sent him into the audience to connect with fans during shows on tour. The song received a special feature from Beats Music and, in its first week at radio, garnered airplay at a range of formats spanning Alternative to Hot AC to Triple A to NonCommercial stations.
The song has already debuted on the Hot AC chart. You can check out the lyric video here:
Below, you can stream slightly more than a minute's worth of "Black Dog (Basic Track with Guitar Overdubs)," one of the raw, previously unreleased recordings to be included in the upcoming remastered edition of Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV.
The Led Zeppelin reissue campaign got off to an impressive start earlier this year when deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II and Led Zeppelin III debuted in the top 10 of Billboard's 200 chart.
Now, updated versions of Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy will be released October 28 through Atlantic/Swan Song. You can check out the track listings below.
Led Zeppelin IV
01. Black Dog
02. Rock And Roll
03. The Battle of Evermore
04. Stairway To Heaven
05. Misty Mountain Hop
06. Four Sticks
07. Going To California
08. When The Levee Breaks
Companion Audio Disc
01. Black Dog - Basic Track With Guitar Overdubs
02. Rock And Roll - Alternate Mix
03. The Battle Of Evermore - Mandolin/Guitar Mix From Headley Grange
04. Stairway To Heaven - Sunset Sound Mix
05. Misty Mountain Hop - Alternate Mix
06. Four Sticks - Alternate Mix
07. Going To California - Mandolin/Guitar Mix
08. When The Levee Breaks - Alternate UK Mix
Houses of the Holy track listing:
01. The Song Remains The Same
02. The Rain Song
03. Over The Hills And Far Away
04. The Crunge
05. Dancing Days
06. D'yer Mak'er
07. No Quarter
08. The Ocean
Companion Audio Disc
01. The Song Remains The Same - Guitar Overdub Reference Mix
02. The Rain Song - Mix Minus Piano
03. Over The Hills And Far Away - Guitar Mix Backing Track
04. The Crunge - Rough Mix - Keys Up
05. Dancing Days - Rough Mix With Vocal
06. No Quarter - Rough Mix With JPJ Keyboard Overdubs - No Vocal
07. The Ocean - Working Mix
Can you make your own pickup out of a wall wart plug in under five minutes and less than $2?
Yes, it can be done! I saw a clip on YouTube a while ago where someone made a pickup from pieces of a plug, so I thought I'd give it a try. The method described in the video is a bit dangerous, including separating the metal plates from the coil (I stabbed myself with a screwdriver attempting to do so), so here's a safer, faster way.
If you don’t already know, pickups are made with electric magnets. The string vibrations interfere with the magnetic field around the pickup, and that sound is transferred to your amp. Don’t worry, this is about as technical as I'll get for this part, but it's pretty neat how it works.
Note: See the sidebar article below on the live-rig secrets of several pro cigar box guitarists.
In terms of parts for this project, here's your recon mission:
• One wall wort plug. You know those big, clunky plugs that seem to be on just about everything nowadays. I suggest scoping out your local thrift store for one. That way, you don’t destroy a plug you might need later. I picked up some for 50 cents. Yep!
• Three or four (depending on how many strings you have on your CBG — cigar box guitar) Rare Earth Neo Neodymium disc magnets. I used a N35 12mm-by-3mm magnet I got on eBay for less than 40 cents.
• Some bits of wire and solder
• 1 1/4-inch jack
Tools you'll need
• Proper safety gear, including work gloves and protective glasses
• A hammer
• Soldering Iron
The photo gallery below will walk you through the steps to make your own pickup in under five minutes (and less than $2). Note that if you use this pickup in your CBG, you should probably cut hole the size of the metal plates so only the plates will be exposed above the guitar body, leaving the coils hidden under the top of the box. Also, make sure to ground your negative wire to your bridge to prevent unwanted noise.
Check out the videos below of testing out our DIY guitar pickup. Also Elmar Zeilhofer of The Original-Flatpup made one as a test video as well from one he made (He separated the coils on his DIY pickup).
SIDEBAR: RIGS OF SEVERAL PRO CIGAR BOX GUITARISTS
Let me talk about the gear some cigar box guitar artists used at this year's Pennsylvania Cigar Box Guitar Festival.
I had a chance to talk to Glenn Kaiser, Shane Speal and Justin Johnson. Playing a cigar box guitar for a gig can be tricky. Cigar box guitars have a great lo-fi sound, but playing them cranked up can create problems with feedback. Here are the amplifiers and effects they prefer.
Glenn Kaiser (Former frontman of REZ Band & Kaiser/Mansfield)
Amp: ”Trimmed & Burnin' Spanky model mostly (a small, 3-watt amp with a Weber speaker) and an original Pignose. I have a lot of amps, but at this point, those two."
Effects: “For non-cigar box or found-object guitars, I always use a Korg tuner and a Blackstone Appliance Mosfet Overdrive. For CBG's, I usually prefer a small amp cranked.”
Most of Kaiser's live cigar box guitars are loaded with piezo buzzer pickups, giving him a more acoustic tone. However, he gets some extra buzz, grind and distortion from the Trimmed & Burnin' tube amp.
Shane was kind enough to send us a photo of his live rig. Check it out in the photo gallery below.
• As for his gear: homemade electric stomp board; provides percussion for Speal's show. It's just a couple pieces of plywood sandwiched together with a large piezo disc inserted in the middle. The piezo acts as a contact mic.
• Pre-amp for the stomp board. Speal used an inexpensive acoustic guitar preamp/EQ that is attached to the piezo so he can control the tone of hs stomp board.
• An old Ibanez digital delay set for slapback echo only
• Arion Octave pedal: Used sparingly in concert, usually during his one-string diddley bow songs or when he wants to kick into a total funk-infused fury.
• Fender tuner
• Jay Turser Classic 25 amp. Although it's covered with tweed and sports a classic radio wooden face, this amp is just a cheapo solid state. “It has reverb, distortion and a goofy tremolo,” Speal says. “What more do you want?” Speal bought it on eBay for $85.
Amp: “Fender Blues Jr. When I am performing with cigar box guitars, I prefer to keep as much of the natural tone of the CBG as possible. There is something about the tone you get from the cigar box that really distinguishes itself from the electric guitar. They sound more open and unrestrained than a solid-body and more guttural and swampy than a standard semi-hollow."
Effects: “I generally just use a little reverb or some light overdrive before going into my Fender Blues Jr. It’s also a good a idea to have an EQ pedal on hand to make minor adjustments to the volume and tone when necessary.”
ONE LAST DOSE OF CIGAR BOXES...
You all know I couldn’t write one of these with out letting you hear some tunes. Below is a clip I put together of Shane Speal preforming a version of “Personal Jesus” at this year's Speal's Tavern Guitar-b-Que. The photos are from The Cigar Box Guitar Museum in New Alexander, Pennsylvania, inside Speal's Tavern. More on the Guitar-b-Que and Speal's Tavern along with making winding our own single coil cbg pickup, next time ...
A big thanks to Glenn Kaiser, Shane Speal, Justin Johnson, Elmar Zeilhofer, Original-Flatpup and Speal's Tavern for being a part of this.
Stay tuned ... It's going to get loud!
Brian Saner owns Saner Cigar Box Guitars, which makes custom handmade guitars and amps using local dry-aged wood in every guitar. These guitars are handmade and might have imperfections, but that's what makes them unique. Once you hear the howl of a CBG, you might not want to play a Fender or Gibson again. Get one at sanercigarboxguitars.com, devildownrecords.com/guitars and Main Street Gallery. Check out his Facebook page.
About 10 years ago, a home-furnishings company named a line of rugs after a gorgeous movie and TV actress.
It turns out that, aside from walking, sidling and sashaying on them for a few decades, she really didn't know a lot about rugs — or furniture or pretty much anything her name still graces today. But the company put her moniker on the stuff and continues to reap the benefits that a big name (and a pretty face) can provide.
Luckily, musicians in search of quality signature gear — from guitars to amps to effects to pickups — don't have to worry about that nonsense. Generally, gear manufacturers work closely with their signature artists, in some cases, right down to the tiniest of details (Some artists repeatedly send back their signature-model prototypes until they're absolutely perfect).
So, while acknowledging the plethora of fine signature gear that's available today, here's the cream of the crop: five items that simply get it right. This list was compiled by a group of Guitar World staffers including Gear Editor Paul Riario.
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster
Maybe you've read it in forums or heard it from people in the know (maybe even from people whose job it is to try out Fender gear all day long), but Fender's Eric Johnson signature Strat has quietly earned a reputation as possibly one of the best instruments Fender produces on a regular basis.
At first glance, the EJ model looks a lot like other U.S.-made Strats. But once you study the details, you start to notice its refinement. In fact, EJ-model connoisseurs tend to agree that it's not one single feature that makes this guitar special — it's the way all the smaller features work together.
The guitar has a one-piece, vintage-tinted quartersawn plain maple neck (contours sanded very smooth) with a ’57-style V shape; a light, two-piece alder body with deep ’57-style body contours and cavities. It comes in 2-Color Sunburst, Black, Candy Apple Red and White Blonde. The frets are highly polished. The pickups are Eric Johnson single-coils (not over-wound at all) with countersunk screws and a five-way switch. Other features include a vintage tremolo with silver-painted block and ’57-style string recess. There's no paint between the base plate and the block.
Basically, if you're a fan of the Stratocaster in its purest form, you'll truly appreciate this model, which also packs in several practical updates for modern players.
When it comes to signature guitars made for the rigors of heavy metal, it's hard to beat the LTD James Hetfield Snakebyte from ESP.
The Snakebyte is a light-weight guitar that packs the heavyweight punch necessary for one of metal's marquee players. The neck is thin and comfortable, perfect for quick chord changes, and you'll find all of the high-end features of its more expensive Japanese-made cousin without sacrificing quality.
And, as an added bonus, the Snakebyte now comes stock with a set of EMG James Hetfield pickups, putting all of the Metallica guitarist's secret weapons — minus his fabled right hand — at your fingertips.
For a full test drive and review from Guitar World Gear Editor Paul Riaro, head here.
For the die-hard Slash enthusiast, there's a whole boatload of signature gear to choose from, from the "Appetite" Les Paul to a the custom octave fuzz from Jim Dunlop.
While you could buy your way to a pretty good replica of Slash's actual rig with enough money, the best place to start might just be the Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2 pickups from Seymour Duncan.
These moderate-output humbuckers will give you just the right amount of bite for those gritty riffs while still allowing for the searing sustain necessary to unleash ripping solos. Pop them in any humbucker-friendly guitar and you'll be well on your way to channeling your favorite top-hat-wearing guitar hero.
Take a quick poll of metal guitarists to find out their favorite wah pedal and Jim Dunlop's Cry Baby From Hell will undoubtedly come out on top.
Made to the specifications of the late, great Dimebag Darrell, the Cry Baby From Hell features an extended sweep range knob, 6-way range selector and kick-in volume boost to take your solos over the top.
Dime, like a number of other guitarists, would often use his wah as a high-end boost for solos, leaving it fully cocked while he tore up the fretboard. Either fully engaged or used as a high-pass filter, the Cry Baby From Hell should meet all your needs and then some.
Now start getting those squeals and pinch harmonics down!
Perhaps no one's tone is as sought-after as that of Eddie Van Halen. And fortunately for all you finger-tapping maniacs out there, almost no other guitarist has more quality signature gear on the market.
And while his Wolfgang Special guitar is top-of-the-line and the MXR Phase 90 will have you rocking the cradle with the best of them, it's his line of signature amps from EVH that have really made a mark on the world of hard rock and metal.
Even if it is a scaled-down version of its 100-watt big brother, there's no denying the EVH III 5150 50-watt head packs a lot into a small package. This three-channel amp matches up nicely with any cabinet, but you definitely can't go wrong with any of the cabs in the EVH 5150 III line. Pair it up with either the 2x12 or 1x12 and you'll have 'em dancing in the streets in no time!
Recently, a group of students from Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering developed the Ghost Pedal, a wireless device that uses sensors attached to the guitar player's foot to create a wah effect — minus the physical pedal.
"Because Ghost Pedal is wireless and does not have a physical pedal, guitar players can activate and use their wah distortion effect anywhere on stage at any time," said Robbie Hoye, part of the the Ghost Pedal team at the university in West Lafayette, Indiana, talking to the Wall Street Journal's Market Watch. "They also have the ability to deactivate the effect whenever they choose."
Once the Ghost Pedal is turned on, the user enters a 10-second mode during which the variable resistor calibrates the ability to flex the foot from the floor. After calibration mode, the guitarist enters freeplay mode.
"During freeplay, the user actively manipulates the wah level by changing their foot's angle from the floor," Hoye said. "The calibration mode adapts itself to modify the resistance sensor to each user and their foot flexibility at the touch of a button. Ghost Pedal and traditional wah pedals use the same motion to activate the wah effect; the guitarist doesn't have to learn a new motion."
For more on this story, give Google a try. For some reason, there's not much out there.
On August 17 at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo sat in with his good friends, acoustic guitar rock sensations Rodrigo y Gabriela, at their sold-out show.
They performed a medley of Metallica'"Orion,""For Whom The Bell Tolls,""The Frayed Ends of Sanity" and "Battery."
Talk about some serious guitar action!
Rodrigo y Gabriela are on tour in support of their latest record, 9 Dead Alive.
Check out the video of this encounter here, and find out more at rodgab.com.
When we say Play It Now, we mean you! Ready? Go! 
