Quantcast
Channel: Guitar World
Viewing all 4164 articles
Browse latest View live

Things Bass Players Say in the Studio — Video

0
0

"My strings never break. I mean, these are at least eight months old."

"The bass should be at least as loud as the guitars."

"I'm the bus driver!"

Jared Dines, the internet dude who brought you "Things Guitarists Say in the Studio," has put down his six-string and picked up a bass!

Below, check out his video from late last year, "Things Bass Players Say in the Studio."

"This is a parody of things that I've heard bassists say in the studio," Dines adds. "It's meant to be exaggerated."

Check it out below and tell us what you think!


How to Install a Super-Vee BladeRunner Tremolo System — Video

Giveaway: Joni Mitchell Signed, Original Limited Edition Print

0
0

Teaser Content: 

In celebration of Joni Mitchell’s new four-disci boxed set, <em>Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced</em>, we have a very special giveaway this month!!

In celebration of Joni Mitchell’s new four-disci boxed set, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced, we have a very special giveaway this month!!

Here’s a rare limited edition signed, numbered and framed print by Mitchell herself.

Provided to us by the folks at Rhino Records, the print is 22” x 29” and it’ll be shipped to you directly from the label.

“I am a painter who writes songs. My songs are very visual. The words create scenes… What I have done here is to gather some of these scenes (like a documentary filmmaker) and by juxtaposition, edit them into a whole new work,” the artist writes.

Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced is available now and makes an excellent Valentine’s Day gift!

Mitchell designed the package which is a book containing 53 lyrical poems, six new paintings, and an autobiographical text illuminating her recording process. It is funny, mystical, and informative.

Find out more at www.jonimitchell.com

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Contest ends February 28, 2015 Enter to win now!
Yes, please add me to the Acoustic Nation mailing list.
Yes, please share my info with the cool folks at Rhino Records.

Giveaway: Joni Mitchell Signed, Original Limited Edition Print

0
0

In celebration of Joni Mitchell’s new four-disci boxed set, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced, we have a very special giveaway this month!!

Here’s a rare limited edition signed, numbered and framed print by Mitchell herself.

Enter to win now>>

Provided to us by the folks at Rhino Records, the print is 22” x 29” and it’ll be shipped to you directly from the label.

Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced was first conceived as the music to a ballet about love. But after spending 18 months trying to distill everything she’d written about love—and the lack of it—down to a single disc, the influential singer-songwriter abandoned the ballet.

“I wanted the music to feel like a total work—a new work. No matter what I did, though, at that length, it remained merely a collection of songs,” she writes in the set’s liner notes.

Undaunted, Mitchell did not give up. Instead, she continued to sequence her songs, determined to prove to herself that what she was after was possible. After two years, she had created a four-act ballet based on the 53 songs that make up this inspiring collection.

“I am a painter who writes songs. My songs are very visual. The words create scenes… What I have done here is to gather some of these scenes (like a documentary filmmaker) and by juxtaposition, edit them into a whole new work,” the artist writes.

JoniMitchell_Print1_950x950 3.png

Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced is available now and makes an excellent Valentine’s Day gift!

Mitchell designed the package which is a book containing 53 lyrical poems, six new paintings, and an autobiographical text illuminating her recording process. It is funny, mystical, and informative.

Find out more at www.jonimitchell.com

Enter here for a chance to win this awesome print>>

Guitarist Turns Low-Budget Storage Commercial Into Jazz Masterpiece — Video

0
0

Do you know anyone with an extra-melodic voice? If so, you'll get a kick out of this masterful, addictive 2014 video.

A guitarist—most likely Publio Delgado, who posted the clip on his YouTube page—has taken an old low-budget commercial for Jones Big Ass Truck Rental & Storage and turned it into a jazz masterpiece.

He explores the deepest depths of chord combos, adding music to the wonderfully expressive vocal variations of Toby Jones, who owns Jones Big Ass Truck Rental & Storage, which, based on its 708 area code, is (or was) based in the Chicago area.

That is, of course, assuming this is (or was) a real company and not a joke. One starts to wonder when we stumble upon Jones' equally hilarious 2009 commercial for Jones' Good Ass BBQ & Foot Massage, which you can check out below (bottom video).

For me, the magic starts at the nine-second mark, when Jones says, "Now, I know y'all got stuff at your house that you don't need ..." At that moment, it all makes perfect, ridiculous sense.

The guitarist even displays the mind-boggling chords he's playing in the upper left-hand corner of the video! Enjoy!

'Best of The Clash': Learn 17 Clash Songs, Note for Note

0
0

In the tab book Best of the Clash, you get note-for-note transcriptions of 17 songs from this seminal '70s and '80s punk band.

Songs include:

"Career Opportunities,""Clampdown,""Clash City Rockers,""Complete Control,""48 Hours,""Ghetto Defendant,""Know Your Rights,""London Calling,""London's Burning,""The Magnificent Seven,""Rock the Casbah,""Safe European Home,""Should I Stay or Should I Go,""Straight to Hell,""Train in Vain,""White Man in Hammersmith Palais" and "White Riot."

The 96-page book is available now for $19.95 at the Guitar World Online Store.

In Deep with Early Blues Masters John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins — Video

0
0

The blues is ripe for endless and constant reinvention.

Through the decades, it has developed in many different incarnations.

These include plantation field hollers; the acoustic guitar playing and songwriting mastery of Charlie Patton, Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson; the Chicago, Memphis and Texas blues of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and T-Bone Walker; and the mid-to-late-Sixties blues-rock revolution spearheaded by Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Today, bands such as the North Mississippi All-Stars, the Black Keys and Alabama Shakes continue to explore new ways to navigate the dark, swampy sounds honed through this long tradition of blues interpretation. In this edition of In Deep, we’ll be taking a look at the guitar work of two essential early blues guitar masters: John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

John Lee Hooker was born in 1917 in Coahoma County, Mississippi, and learned to play guitar from his stepfather, Willie Moore, who, conveniently for John Lee, was friends with Blind Lemon Jefferson and Charlie Patton. Hooker went on the road at age 14, joining legendary bluesman Robert Nighthawk in Memphis.

In 1948, Hooker began his recording career in style, cutting two incredible tunes—“Boogie Chillen’ ” and “Sally Mae”—at his first sessions, cut in Detroit. The songs were released on the Modern label, owned by the Bihari Brothers (who also recorded B.B. King’s earliest sides), and Hooker’s ascent to blues superstardom was underway.

Hooker performed and recorded a great many tunes on both acoustic and electric guitar in open A tuning (low to high, E A E A Cs E), oftentimes using a capo at the first, second or third fret to perform in different keys. He picked with his fingers, primarily using his thumb to strike the bass strings and index finger to pluck the higher strings, and achieved a warm and very percussive sound, often performing alone or with another guitarist for accompaniment.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a rhythm figure along the lines of “Boogie Chillen’.” Though written in 4/4, this figure is played with a triplet, or swing-eighths, feel, which means that notes indicated as pairs of eighth notes are actually sounded as a quarter note followed by an eighth note within a triplet bracket.

Throughout this passage, the thumb and index finger alternate striking the lower and higher strings, with a quick, rolling double hammer-on occurring at the end of each bar. In bar 1, the hammer-on begins on the fourth fret and moves chromatically (one fret at a time) up to the sixth fret. In bar 2, the hammer-on starts on the second fret and moves up chromatically to the fourth fret. In bar 3, rapid slides up to the third fret are executed with an index-finger barre across the top two strings.

One of the fascinating aspects of Hooker’s open A playing was that he often used only two primary chords, the “I” (one) and the “IV” (four), forgoing the use of a “V” (five) chord that is common to the majority of blues music. In open A tuning, Hooker would use a standard C “cowboy” chord grip as his four chord, which yields an unusual Dadd9/C sound, as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Another interesting aspect of Hooker’s solo work is that he would often shift from a swinging triplet feel to the use of even, or “straight,” eighth notes, which provides great rhythmic contrast and tension. As shown in FIGURE 3, I begin with straight eighths on a sliding A7 chord voicing and then move back to the swinging feel when the initial riff is restated in bars 5–7.

Hooker also often used the D7/A voicing shown in FIGURE 4 for his four chord: with the index finger barred across the top three strings at the fifth fret, the pinkie is added and removed from the high E string’s eighth fret. Robert Johnson often used this pattern to great effect as well.

Hooker devised some great and very distinct licks in open A tuning, a few of which are presented in FIGURE 5. Following index-finger slides on the top two strings, different A and A7 voicings are followed by great single-note and double-stop licks played on the middle strings using a bit of rhythmic syncopation. You can hear Hooker play riffs like these on his classic song “Sally Mae.” ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons is a Hooker fanatic, and you can hear many of these kinds of licks on Top classics like “La Grange” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago.”

Combining open strings with single-note riffs is a central element of Hooker’s style, made more effective with fingerpicking. FIGURE 6, inspired by “Crawling Kingsnake,” and FIGURE 7, a nod to “Tease Me,” offer a few more examples of how Hooker would combine a catchy melody with an insistent root-note, open-string pedal tone.

In later years, Hooker relied more often on standard tuning, while still using the capo on the first few frets for changing keys. A great example of his playing style in standard tuning can be heard on “Boom Boom Out Go the Lights.” FIGURE 8 offers an example in this style, marrying a repeated melody, based on E minor pentatonic (E G A B D) to an alternating bass line.

Lightnin’ Hopkins was born in 1912 in Centerville, Texas. Like Hooker, he learned directly from encounters with Blind Lemon Jefferson. He began his recording career in 1946 and went on to become one of the most influential blues guitarists ever. Elements of his style are clear in the playing of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan and just about everyone that played or plays blues guitar.

Hopkins often performed unaccompanied acoustic guitar (or amplified acoustic), picking with his fingers in a manner similar to Hooker but with the use of a thumb pick. FIGURES 9 and 10 offer examples of a mid-tempo swinging 12/8 blues played in his style, akin to his take on the blues classic “Goin’ Down Slow.”

Part 1

Part 2

Adimiron Premiere "Liar’s Paradox" Playthrough Video — Exclusive

0
0

Today, Adimiron and Guitar World have teamed up to present the exclusive premiere of a new Adimiron playthrough video featuring guitarist Thomas Aurizzi.

The track, "Liar’s Paradox," is from the Italian progressive metal band's fourth studio album, Timelapse, which was released late last year via Scarlet Records.

“For the first time in our career, and after much research and experimentation, we've found the perfect guitars made for our hands and perfect to express all our musical intentions," Aurizzi says. "They're Overload Guitars.

"The versatility we can get out of this guitar is just incredible, allowing us to play everything from death metal to jazz music with extreme simplicity and a perfect sound.

"Also, in a track like ‘Liar's Paradox,’ composed by a fast ride at the beginning and a proggy dynamic structure in the middle, this guitar shows versatility in both the rhythmic and solo parts. We're proud of this new collaboration with Overload and can't wait to hit the stage and studio with our new axes!”

Timelapse mixes furious thrash riffs and progressive/avant-garde atmospheres with a post-death metal touch. It reveals fascinating and obscure landscapes—with no boundaries.

Adimiron are making a name for themselves as one of the fastest-growing European progressive metal sensations, having released four albums and performing with Suffocation, Meshuggah, Sepultura, Annihilator, Death Angel, Vader and more.

For more about Adimiron, follow them on Facebook.


Chuck Billy, Alexi Laiho and Rudy Sarzo Tackle Ozzy's "Mr. Crowley" on Randy Rhoads Tribute Album — Listen

0
0

As we've reported, UDR Music will release Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute March 3.

Today, you can hear a track from the album; it's "Mr. Crowley" as performed by Chuck Billy (Testament), Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom), Kelle Rhoads (brother of Randy), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne) and Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/Dio).

Check it out below and tell us what you think!

A collection of 11 classic Rhoads co-written songs, Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute is performed by 20 top contemporary artists, including old friends and performing partners Sarzo and Frankie Banali, Kelle Rhoads and more designated musicians like Serj Tankian, Tom Morello, Vinny Appice, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Chuck Billy, Alexi Laiho, George Lynch, Gus G, Bruce Kulick, Doug Aldrich, Dweezil Zappa and others.

The album was produced and compiled by Bob Kulick at his own studio.

Along with the album, Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute will contain a bonus DVD available in the digipack version, including interesting interviews with some of the involved artists, hosted by Kulick and a feature on the Musonia School of Music, a teaching school on North Hollywood, California, set up by Rhoads' mother and run by his brother.

You can pre-order the album now at amazon.com. The album also will be available in double vinyl gatefold and digital formats. For more information, visit udr-music.com.

Full track listing with performers:

01. Crazy Train
Vocals: Serj Tankian
Gtrs: Tom Morello
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

02. Over the Mountain
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Jon Donais
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Frankie Banali

03. Mr. Crowley
Vocals: Chuck Billy
Gtrs: Alexi Laiho
Keyboards: Kelle Rhoads
Bass Rudy: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

04. Believer
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Doug Aldrich
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

05. Back To The Coast (Quiet Riot)
Vocals: Kelle Rhoads
Gtrs: Bruce Kulick
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Frankie Banali

06. I Don't Know
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: George Lynch
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

07. S A T 0
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Rhythm guitars: Bob Kulick
Lead guitar: Dweezil Zappa
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

08. Killer Girls (Quiet Riot)
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Joel Hoekstra
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

09. Goodbye to Romance
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Gus G.
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

10. Suicide Solution
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Brad Gillis
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

11. Flying High Again
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Bernie Torme
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

Additional Content

John Petrucci and Rush's Geddy Lee Booked for 'That Metal Show' Season 14 Premiere

0
0

Rush’s Geddy Lee has been confirmed as a guest on this season's debut episode of That Metal Show. The show, which is hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine, will air 9 p.m. EST and 11 p.m. EST February 21 on VH1 Classic.

As a bonus, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci also will make his That Metal Show debut on the February 21 episode.

Lee will return to the show to promote Rush's R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour, which kicks off this summer. The tour will visit 34 cities throughout North America and tickets are on sale for select markets.

“Back when ‘TMS’ was first born, Geddy and Alex were nice enough to fly to New York and be a guest in our very first season," Trunk says. "I’ve always had a great relationship with the Rush guys, and it meant so much to me they were willing to support something I was doing that at that point hardly anyone had seen or heard of.

“Amazingly, almost seven years have passed and we’re now about to debut our 14th season, and I couldn’t be more honored to welcome back Geddy to the set to celebrate 40-plus years of Rush and the return of 'TMS!'"

As stated earlier, the Season 14 premiere also will feature Petrucci as guest guitarist. Dream Theater are working on their new album, which they hope will be out later this year.

Season 14 will consist of 12 all-new episodes and will be shot at Metropolis Studios in New York City Tuesday nights for broadcast the following Saturday. Audience tickets for upcoming tapings are available via Gotham Casting. Upcoming guests will be announced in the near future.

Season 14 will also mark the return of some notable segments including “Metal Modem,” “TMS Top 5,” “Rank” and “Take It Or Leave It.” The popular “Stump The Trunk” segment will be returning as audience members go out of their way to test Trunk’s vast knowledge for a chance to win a prize and see everyone’s favorite Ms. Box Of Junk, Jennifer, who is also returning for the new season.

Fans can watch previous episodes and other exclusive bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and on the new VH1 app.

For more information, visit vh1.com and follow That Metal Show on Facebook.

Bipolar Guitar Makes a Guitar Sound Like an Eighties Video Game (But Much Cooler) — Video

0
0

What's this strange new device that makes a Strat-style guitar sound like the score to an Eighties video game?

It's a new creation by guitarist Jeremy Bell, who, it seems, is always experimenting when music and gear are involved.

In the video below, you'll meet Bell's most recent hack, which he calls his Bipolar Guitar. It allows him to cut between a live signal from his guitar, and a slightly delayed signal from that same guitar. It's as if the sound were time traveling.

"I've always been interested in taking the cutting techniques that turntablists use and applying them to other instruments—in this case, the guitar," Bell says.

"So I took this rocker that I originally had built as part of a homemade tape-scratching rig, and I did some experiments using it on the guitar. This is what I came up with. I explain how it's all done about a minute into the video."

For more information, visit theScrubBoard.com. Also, be sure to read Mario Aguilar's detailed story on Bell and his hacks at gizmodo.com. The second link is much more helpful, BTW.

Review: Charvel Guitars Jake E. Lee Signature Model Guitar — Video

0
0

It must have been a Herculean task for Jake E. Lee to take over the guitar-playing slot in Ozzy Osbourne’s band after the singer’s beloved rising star guitarist, Randy Rhoads, perished in a plane crash back in 1982.

But that’s exactly what Lee did. With blazing riffs and ripping solos in songs like “Bark at the Moon” and “Rock N’ Roll Rebel,” Jake E. Lee became an overnight guitar hero for many aspiring guitarists who wanted to copy every nuance of his wicked vibrato and incendiary technique.

To perform those and other songs, he relied on heavily modified mid-Seventies Fender Stratocaster that many assumed was a Charvel guitar.

Affectionately dubbed “Whitey,” the guitar originally had a tobacco sunburst finish until Lee’s roommate, who worked as a painter at Charvel, shaved down the headstock and painted it white. The guitar’s most noticeable modification was to the middle and neck single-coil pickups, which were slanted in reverse, a Hendrix-inspired configuration that made it distinctively cool and which makes it all the more surprising that Charvel never seized an opportunity to offer the guitar as a signature model or a variation thereof, despite the company changing hands.

Since his brief tenure in Ozzy and with his own band, Badlands, Lee has kept a low profile, but he recently emerged with his new band, Red Dragon Cartel. Throughout his erratic career, what has remained consistent is the guitar with which he is most identified. Thankfully, this time around, Charvel is recognizing this iconic instrument by offering the Jake E. Lee Signature model with the same stripped-down sensibility and killer tones.

FEATURES There are plenty of well-established Strat-style guitars available but none come close to the Spartan refinement of the JEL. Unlike most “super strats” in this categorical arena, which commonly possess locking tremolos, extra frets and dual humbuckers, the JEL features only the bare necessities, including a hard-tail bridge design, 21 frets, a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker and two reverse-slanted DiMarzio SDS-1 single-coil pickups, which are controlled by a singular volume knob and five-position blade switch.

The guitar features an incredibly lightweight ash body and a very slim, quarter-sawn maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The medium-jumbo frets are superbly dressed and crowned, and the 25 1/2–inch-scale neck is super fast, with a hand-rubbed oil finish that makes chord changes feel incredibly smooth. The pearl-white with lavender-hue finish, matching painted headstock and Gotoh pearl button tuners give the guitar the boldness of a white tuxedo at a black-tie affair.

PERFORMANCE The JEL is an expressive instrument because it warrants flying around the fretboard with downright ease. It’s no surprise Lee was able to wrangle wide-interval vibrato tricks that simulated the effect of a tremolo bar—the 12-to-16-inch compound radius allows for remarkable two-and-a-half-step bends without a hint of fretting out. The neck is rock-solid sturdy despite having such a sleek profile, which makes fluid sweep picking or wrapping your thumb over the top edge of the fretboard a cinch.

The Seymour Duncan JB humbucker is perfectly suited for this model, having all the midrange bite needed for a variety of musical styles without overwhelming the inherent sweet tone of its ash body. The reverse-slanted DiMarzio SDS-1 pickups have a slightly hotter output but are properly balanced for clarity. Having them inverted reveals a woolly nature on the high strings, where notes sound fatter with plenty of brawn. On the bass side, notes have a flutey bottom end and prolonged sustain. For all its simplicity, the JEL sounds huge and feels like a high-end custom instrument, proving less is truly more.

LIST PRICE $2,831.35
MANUFACTURER Charvel Guitars, charvel.com

The DiMarzio SDS-1 single-coil pickups have plenty of zest in this reverse-slanted configuration, which makes notes sound bigger.

Quite possibly the most comfortable, shred-worthy neck profile, which makes playing this guitar effortless.

THE BOTTOM LINE The Charvel JEL Signature is a stripped-down rock and metal machine with pure, raw tones and the most player-friendly neck.

New Pickup Guide: Seeking Unforgettable Tone? Try One of These 11 New Guitar Pickups

0
0

Whether you play classic rock or modern metal or something in between, one of these new pickups is sure to make your tone unforgettable.

DiMarzio
PAF Master Neck and Bridge pickups


DiMarzio’s PAF Master Neck (DP260) and Bridge (DP261) pickups are quiet, bright and very dynamic hum-canceling pickups.

The PAF Master Neck has a great balance of full richness with a throaty tone, with smooth and creamy highs, while the PAF Master Bridge Model is snarly and thick, with real rock and roll character.

The PAF Master Bridge Model uses an Alnico 4 magnet, whose high iron content and energy coefficient lends more body and attack to the sound from a pickup with relatively low output voltage and DC resistance specs.

$104.99 | dimarzio.com

Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 3.43.14 PM.png


Fishman
Fluence Humbucker Classic and Modern Humbucker pickups


Fishman’s Fluence Classic and Modern Humbucker pickups are fully analog active pickups. Unlike passive pickups, which use traditional wire-wound coils, Fluence pickups feature Fluence Core printed “coils,” which are not susceptible to spurious noise, hum, cable capacitance problems and loss in tonal response and clarity due to inductive issues.

The pickups’ unique Multi-Voice feature allows players to transform individual pickups from classic vintage to hot, or from hot to “line-in” clean, with the right level, balance and gain for each voice.

Modern Humbuckers, $168.77–$194.74; Classic Humbuckers: $168.77–$181.75; Humbucker sets, starting at $311.62 | fluence.fishman.com

Modern Humbucking Beauty.jpg


Seymour Duncan
Black Winter


Extreme metal guitarists like Ola Englund of Feared and Keith Merrow from Six Feet Under favor Seymour Duncan’s Black Winter pickup for its excessively aggressive tone.

The Black Winter has the right balance of mids, treble and bass to provide crushing distortion, punishing mids and lots of saturation, allowing players to execute annihilating riffs and articulately cutting solos. The pickup is available for six-, seven- and eight-string guitars.

$89.95 | seymourduncan.com

Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 3.47.06 PM.png


Bare Knuckle
Cobra Coils


Bare Knuckle’s Cobra Coils deliver high-gain single-coil tone without compromising dynamics or frequency response.

The pickups reflect the look and construction of the Bare Knuckle Black Hawk humbucker but are very much true single-coil pickups. Cobra Coilsare offered in six- and seven-string versions, both individually and in sets.

Six-string set, £185; seven-string set, £210 | bareknucklepickups.co.uk

Cobra coil.JPG


Doyle Coils
Tru-Clones PAF Humbucker Pickups


Doyle Coils’ Tru-Clones PAF Humbucker pickups were produced through years of work between Tom Doyle and the late great Les Paul in a quest to deliver the renowned guitarist’s ideal guitar sound.

Paul’s personal guitar tech, engineer and confidant for more than 45 years, Doyle has made an extraordinary pickup that delivers clarity and warmth, sweetness and definition, and great fidelity. Each Tru-Clones pickup is hand crafted with vintage-spec 42-gauge wire, butyrate bobbins, nickel-silver baseplates, long-cast magnets, nickel-silver pickup covers and other high-end refinements used in the original PAF style pickups.

Tru-Clones are available in a variety of finishes and in vintage unpotted or lightly wax-potted versions.

$500–$535 | doylecoils.com

1- Doyle Coils TRU-CLONES Box Set.jpg


Lace Music
Alumitone Humbuckers


Lace Music’s Alumitone humbuckers feature a passive design that requires no battery, USB port or circuitry. The pickup is “current” driven, rather than voltage based like standard pickups, and requires 95 percent less copper wire compared to a normal pickup.

Alumitone humbuckers can be split for a single-coil option without any drop in output or increase in 60-cycle noise. The pickups do not interfere with effects, tone and volume pots, and they are an excellent conduit when recording direct.

Alumitone humbuckers can be installed in any standard humbucker route and include an all-new trim ring as a standard feature, with a choice of black, chrome and gold trim.

$112 | lacemusic.com

Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 4.05.24 PM.png


Kent Armstrong
Icon Series Replacement Pickups


Kent Armstrong Icon Series pickups were created from authentic Fifties and Sixties pickups that are highly responsive and exhibit warm vintage tone and character.

The pickups feature components such as Alnico 2 and 3 magnets, and Formvar and plain enamel wire, and they use a stainless-steel baseplate to direct the magnetic field toward the strings.

The series includes two humbuckers based on a 1957 set (bridge and neck), a bridge and neck pickup from an early Fifties Fender Broadcaster set, and three different Stratocaster single-coil sets from 1954, 1957 and 1962, with all middle pickups reverse wound for noise cancellation.

All the pickups are sold individually and can be mixed and matched.

$75–$105 | wdmusic.com

WD pickup.jpg


ThroBak Electronics
PRO-90


The ThroBak PRO-90 is a humbucker-sized P-90 that delivers authentic Fifties-era P-90 growl.

The ThroBak PRO-90 preserves the construction, materials and growl of a vintage P-90 pickup by using ThroBak’s proprietary Vintage Core specifications and MXV components, which include tinned brass baseplate construction, vintage ground lug configuration, long sand-cast Alnico 3 and Alnico 4 magnets, and coils wound with a core of 42 AWG plain enamel wire.

The output for each pickup is 7.6K (neck) and 8.2K (bridge). The pickup is available in classic pole screw and Alnico 5 rod magnet P-90 configurations, and with nickel-silver covers in a variety of finishes.

$194.50; set, $389 | throbak.com

Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 3.53.50 PM.jpg


Mojotone
Two-Face Strat pickup


Mojotone Two-Face Strat pickup is unlike any other Strat pickup ever made. Most typical Strat pickups lack girth and attack when it comes to heavier distortion, especially on the low strings.

Mojotone designed the Two-Face to combat that issue without losing focus on the clean and chimey Strat tones as well. The pickup uses adjustable pole pieces with bar magnets for the wound bass strings and Alnico rod magnets for the unwound treble strings (hence the name “Two-Face”).

The result is a versatile and balanced pickup—from clean to mean, and everything in between.

$63.65 each | mojotone.com

two-face-pic.jpg


Lundgren Pickups
M6, M6 C, M7 and M8 pickups


Lundgren’s M6 pickup is optimized for power and clarity, making it perect for hard rock and metal and especially for detuning.

The pickup is also available as the M6C, which features a thin plastic cover. The seven-string M7 pickup is the first pickup Lundgren designed for Meshuggah’s Fredrik Thordendal and features a combination of winding and a ceramic magnet placed under the pickup to deliver more of everything, including harmonics and low end.

Featured on some Ibanez production models, the eight-string M8 pickup provides well-defined tone even through a distorted amp. All pickups are also available in neck versions.

M6, $169; M7, $179; M8, $195 | lundgrenpickups.com

Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 4.03.08 PM.png


L.R. Baggs
Lyric Acoustic Microphone


Engineered for the stage, the Lyric Acoustic Microphone combines the fidelity and dynamics of a studio mic’d guitar with the freedom of a pickup.

Unlike other attempts to use an internal microphone, the Lyric employs noise-canceling technology that rejects “boxy” reflections inside of the acoustic chamber, delivering an open and clear performance while providing unprecedented feedback resistance and isolation.

$199 | lrbaggs.com

Screen Shot 2015-02-04 at 4.14.58 PM.png

Cody Simpson Premieres New Song "Flower"

0
0

Australian singer / songwriter Cody Simpson debuted his new song “Flower” today along with single artwork created by Miley Cyrus.

Cody is set to perform the track this Friday, February 6th on ABC’s Good Morning America.

This marks Cody’s first single as an independent artist and showcases what we can expect from his upcoming album titled Free out later this year that was co-produced by Cisco Adler.

"This is the beginning of a long musical journey for me," says Cody. "I’m sticking to my guitar. I know who I am. For the first time, I felt like I properly represented who I am as an artist. Being free from the pop world is the most incredible feeling.”

This sense of freedom can be seen in “Flower” and its’ hummable riffs and catchy hook. Fans can also download the track for free this Friday, February 6th – Tuesday, February 10th on iTunes.

Cody has enjoyed quite the impressive career. His 2013 album Surfer’s Paradise featured collaborations with Ziggy Marley and Asher Roth and landed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200. He toured Europe and the U.S. as direct support for Justin Bieber and released his official autobiography, Welcome To Paradise: My Journey, through Harper Collins.

Along the way, he performed on television programs including The Today Show, Live! with Kelly, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show and garnered the award for “Favorite Aussie Star” at the 2012 Kids Choice Awards as well as International Male Artist Award at the 2015 Huading Awards in China. In addition, Cody has generated 8M+ Facebook fans, 7.2M followers on Twitter, over 1M YouTube subscribers and 2.3M followers on Instagram.

Find out more at www.codysimpson.com

New Guitar World DVD: Learn the Basics of Classical Guitar

0
0

Classical guitar songs and techniques have inspired modern artists ranging from the Doors to Metallica.

In this new DVD, 20 Essential Classical Licks, you'll develop the essential skills required to play fingerstyle on a nylon-string acoustic guitar, such as arpeggio patterns and techniques, rolling triplets and sextuplets, natural and artificial harmonics, grace-note embellishments, tremolo picking and much more.

You'll also learn how to play eight vital classical guitar compositions, including "Spanish Ballad,""Malorca,""La Catedral" and Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

Over 60 minutes of instruction!

Learn eight songs and these vital techniques:

Arpeggio Patterns
Tremolo Picking
Rolling and 16 Note Triplets
Natural and Artificial Harmonics
... and much more!

The '20 Essential Classical Licks' DVD is available now at the Guitar World Online Store!


Review: D’Angelico EX-DH Archtop Electric Guitar — Video

0
0

These videos and audio files are bonus content related to the March 2015 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or at the Guitar World Online Store.

PLATINUM AWARD WINNER

Last year, we took a look at several D’Angelico guitars that were ideal for rock, blues, funk, rockabilly and roots-rock guitarists.

However, the D’Angelico name is best known for some of the finest jazz archtops ever built, and the company is still a great place to start for anyone seeking a fine instrument for jazz.

D’Angelico’s current lineup includes several models that satisfy jazz purists who want an instrument that leans more toward acoustic-flavored tones, but the new EX-DH is an ideal choice for jazz players who want an archtop that performs as an electric instrument first and foremost.

Of course the EX-DH is much more than just a jazz guitar, and anyone looking for a truly electric archtop for almost any style of music will want to try it out.

For the rest of this review, including FEATURES, PERFORMANCE, the BOTTOM LINE and more, check out the March 2015 issue of Guitar World.

In Deep with Andy Aledort: Jamming Rhythm and Lead Guitar Over a Classic Blues-Type Form — Video

0
0

These videos and audio files are bonus content related to the March 2015 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or at the Guitar World Online Store.

When going to an open jam, it’s important to be prepared to improvise over any one of the dozens of standard blues-type songs that are routinely played at jams all over the world.

Along with the typical 12-bar and eight-bar blues forms, there are a few specific songs that feature their own distinct patterns and forms.

One of these tunes is the Albert King classic, “Born Under a Bad Sign,” a track covered brilliantly by Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker on the essential Cream album, Wheels of Fire.

Cream played the song in the key of G, but it was originally recorded by King in the key of C#. The following examples are played in the song’s original key of C#.

For the rest of this column, including the tabs, check out the March 2015 issue of Guitar World.

The DIY Musician: Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America on Performing for Kids

0
0

I called this column "The DIY Musician" not just to discuss my passion for homemade instruments, but also because I’m a full-time musician slugging it out and trying to make a living.

I also want to give you new ideas on making a living as a musician.

If you’re competing for gigs with an over-abundance of bands, you might consider gigs outside of the clubs…to a radically different audience. Like kids.

Before you click away to the next Slipknot article, consider this: Playing for kids might not be your first choice of a career, but being on stage with a guitar in your hand is a helluva lot better than scooping French fries or sitting in a cubicle. We play music because we love music. Why not get paid to play, even if it’s a non-traditional audience?

One person who is successfully rocking the cradle crowd is Chris Ballew, frontman for Nineties rockers the Presidents of the United States of America. When he’s not playing Presidents shows, Ballew can be found singing and bouncing with the kids under the stage name Caspar Babypants. He’s released eight kids albums with a new lullaby CD, Night Night, arriving next month. The music is still distinctively presidential with all the fun and boingy-ness of Lump, Peaches, Kitty and other PUSA classics.

GUITAR WORLD: What made you want to play for kids?

I actually did not set out to play for families. I wanted to get this certain vibe going in my music that was simple and innocent and drew upon older traditions than rock and roll but also mixed in modern ideas. After tinkering for years, I stumbled into the sound, and when I listened back, it was obvious it was music for kids and parents.

What are kids looking for in a concert?

I don't know!! They are all different. All crowds are different. Some want to run around and go nuts and some want to sing and participate and some want to stare and be told a story in a song. I never have a set list. I respond to the energy of the crowd and find songs that fit the moment.

What kind of venues to you play? Libraries?

Libraries are good but kind of small. I do community celebrations and concert series shows all over the Washington area. Toddler groups hire me to play for them and I still busk occasionally. I just answer the phone and book the gigs I am offered really! Word of mouth goes a long way.

Is there a certain age you write for?

I am very specific in that I write for 0- to 6-year-olds and their parents. You must not forget the poor parents. They have to listen to this music too, and if it is not an aesthetically satisfying experience for them, you are not serving the needs of the family. Music that sends the family into different parts of the house is a problem. I want to bring the family together to enjoy and truly love the same songs.

Any new Caspar Babypants music coming soon?

Yes! It is called Night Night! It’s a mellow lullaby record of all originals that comes out March 17. I had been writing too many mellow songs for the last eight albums and when I compiled them I found that they made a great record… so here they are!

Learn more, hear the latest Caspar Babypants songs, see the hilarious videos and get the concert schedule at BabyPantsMusic.com.

Unknown-2_3.jpeg

Shane Speal is "King of the Cigar Box Guitar" and the creator of the modern cigar box guitar movement. Hear the music, see the instruments and read about his Cigar Box Guitar Museum at ShaneSpeal.com. Speal's latest album, Holler! is on C. B. Gitty Records.

Uli Jon Roth Premieres New Song, "In Trance," from 'Scorpions Revisited'— Exclusive

0
0

Guitar legend Uli Jon Roth and Guitar World have teamed up to premiere "In Trance," a track from Roth's new studio album, Scorpions Revisited.

The album, which features 19 "re-invented" Scorpions tracks, will be released March 10 via UDR. Guitar World will be premiering other tracks from the album in the coming weeks.

In 2013, Roth found himself unusually intrigued by his early days with the Scorpions, including his work on Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer and Taken By Force. As a result, the guitarist spent a year re-visiting, exploring, performing and re-recording his favorite Scorpions songs.

The first results can be found on Scorpions Revisited, which was recorded in Hanover, Germany. You can check out the complete track list below.

Today's song, "In Trance," is the title track from the Scorpions' third studio album, which was released in late 1975 in Europe and early 1976 in the U.S. It was written by Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine—and, of course, Roth played guitar on the original recording.

“The material for this CD was recorded last year in the same hall in Hanover that we used for the Scorpions rehearsals 1973 to 1978,” Roth says. “Together with an amazing bunch of talented young musicians, I revisited my favorites from the early Scorpions period, some of which were written in that same hall.

"It was an emotional few days, and I'm very pleased with the results. The idea was to stay truthful to the original spirit of the music, while also putting a new slant on it whenever it felt like the right thing to do. I feel we succeeded in this, and I’m excited about this project. It was a intense journey into the past.”

Roth's band on the album includes Nathan James (vocals), Jamie Little (drums), Ule W. Ritgen (bass), Niklas Turmann (guitar, vocals), Corvin Bahn (keyboards, vocals) and David Klosinski (guitar).

For more information, visit ulijonroth.com. Be sure to tell us what you think of "In Trance" in the comments below or on Facebook!

Track listing - CD1:
01. The Sails Of Charon
02. Longing For Fire
03. Crying Days
04. Virgin Killer
05. In Trance
06. Sun In My Hand
07. Yellow Raven
08. Polar Nights
09. Dark Lady

Track listing - CD2:
01. Catch Your Train
02. Evening Wind
03. All Night Long
04. We’ll Burn In The Sky
05. Pictured Life
06. Hell Cat
07. Life’s Like A River
08. Drifting Sun
09. Rainbow Dream Prelude
10. Fly To The Rainbow

2015 ULI JON ROTH U.S. Tour Dates:
FEBRUARY
05.02.2015 – Connecticut – Hartford – Infinity Hall
06.02.2015 – New Hampshire – Londonderry – Tupelo Music Hall
07.02.2015 – New York – Poughkeepsie – The Chance
08.02.2015 – New York – Manhattan – BB King’s
09.02.2015 – Virginia – Springfield – The Empire

2015 ULI JON ROTH International Tour Dates:
19.02.2015 – Japan – Nagoya – Bottom Line
20.02.2015 – Japan – Tokyo – Nakano Sun Plaza Hall
22.02.2015 – Japan Osaka - Quattro

11.04.2015 – Full Metal Cruise II –
to Mediterranian Sea –
16.04.2015 Plama de Mallorca/Barcelona/Ibiza
24.04.2015 – Germany – Lauda-Königshofen – Keep it True Festival
22.05.2015 – Germany – Bocholt – Alte Molkerei
23.05.2015 – Germany – Bocholt – Alte Molkerei
22.08.2015 – Germany – Balve - Balver Höhle
27.08.2015 - Full Metal Cruise III –
to North Sea -
31.08.2015 Kiel/Copenhaven/Gothenburg/Hamburg

Additional Content

Jazz Guitar Corner: "Summertime"— Time to Use Your New Jazz Chords

0
0

One of the most common questions I get from students and readers is, “I've learned tons of jazz chords, but how do I make them sound like music?”

Alongside your study of chord voicings on their own, one of the best ways to learn how to apply those chords to your comping and chord soloing is to learn sample chord studies based on the changes to popular jazz tunes.

In this jazz guitar lesson, you will expand your knowledge of jazz chords in a practical, musical situation, as well as learn how to play a chord study based on the chord changes to the classic jazz tune, “Summertime.“

Chord Shapes in This Study

Before you dig into the chord study below, or after you have learned the study and are looking for a reference for those chords, here are the general chord shapes used to create the comping etude in this lesson.

Because a lot of these chords are “rootless voicings,” which mean they don't have a root in their construction, or are chord inversions, where the root isn't the lowest note of the chord, working through these shapes outside of the study can be a helpful way to expand your knowledge and understand how the comping etude below was built.

Each of the chords in the charts below is written in the order that they appear in the study below, and the name of each chord is written above each shape on the fretboard. As well, the intervals for each chord are labelled on each shape in order to understand the construction and colors used in each shape in the study.

chords 1.png

chords 2.png

chords 3.png

Jazz Guitar Chord Study

Now that you've looked into the chord shapes used in this study, here's the study itself that you can learn and apply to your own playing.

When first working on this chord etude, try learning one phrase at a time, four bars each. This will make it easier to digest the material and memorize the chord shapes in your studies. From there, you can piece the four, four-bar, phrases together to play the study as a whole.

Also, a great exercise when working on studies such as this one is to play the study along with a backing track, and then in the second chorus you improvise the comping with your own chords.

From there you keep alternating, one chorus of the study and one chorus of your own playing, which will help you integrate the material in this etude into your playing in a very natural and flowing manner.

summertime new.jpg

Do you have a question about this "Summertime" chord study? Share your thoughts in the COMMENTS section below.

Matt Warnock is the owner of mattwarnockguitar.com, a free website that provides hundreds of lessons and resources designed to help guitarists of all experience levels meet their practice and performance goals. Matt lives in the UK, where he is a lecturer in Popular Music Performance at the University of Chester and an examiner for the London College of Music (Registry of Guitar Tutors).

Viewing all 4164 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images