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NAMM 2014: Tanglewood Brings Java Series Guitars to North America

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Tanglewood Guitar Company UK, the United Kingdom’s best-selling acoustic guitar brand, introduced its Java range of guitars to North America at the NAMM Show.

The instruments feature solid cedar tops, but it's the spectacular exotic timber combination used on the backs and sides that truly makes them stand out from the mid-priced guitar crowd.

The three-piece backs consist of matching outer pieces of amara wood, with its vibrant grain pattern and rich color, centered by a wedge of golden spalted mango.

The series consists of an orchestra model and a parlor model (with slotted headstock), both of which are available with or without Fishman Sonitone electronics.

Complete specifications:

• Solid cedar top
• Amara back with spalted mango wedge
• Amara sides
• Nato neck
• Sonokeling fingerboard & bridge
• Mahogany binding
• PPS nut (43mm) and compensated saddle (72mm)
• 650mm scale length
• Vintage open back nickel tuners
• Natural gloss finish
• D'Addario EXP16 strings
• Fishman Sonitone electronics on electro-acoustic models

Suggested Retail Prices:

TWJF Orchestra $519
TWJFE Orchestra with pickup $599
TWJP Parlor $519
TWJPE Parlor with pickup $599

For more information, visit tanglewoodguitars.com.

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NAMM 2014: Tanglewood Guitars Brings Sundance Natural Series to North America

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Tanglewood Guitar Company UK, the U.K.'s best-selling acoustic guitar brand, is set to introduce its Sundance Natural range of guitars to North America.

The stripped-down instruments feature Tanglewood's Open Pore technology: a thin film sealant is applied the finishing process, through which the wood grain can be seen and felt.

This proprietary process allows the body to breathe and resonate more freely, striking a perfect balance between protection and tone. The process allows Sundance Natural instruments to achieve a "played-in" sound out of the box, with the bass and middle registers accentuated, while the treble tones remain similar to instruments with a more traditional lacquer finish.

The Dreadnought and Orchestra models boast a solid spruce top paired with a mahogany back and sides, while the TW45W-OP-E Super Folk models sports a unique solid cedar/American black walnut tonewood combination. Maple body and fretboard bindings add a tasteful finishing touch to the otherwise no-frills design.

Complete specifications:

• Solid Sitka spruce top (solid cedar on TW45W-OP-E)
• African mahogany back & sides (American black walnut on TW45W-OP-E)
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Mahogany two-piece neck with reinforcing volute
• PPS nut and saddle
• 1 11/16” (43mm) nut width
• Diecast Chrome tuners
• 25 ½” (660mm) scale length
• D’Addario EXP strings
• Fishman Presys electronics on electro-acoustic models

Suggested Retail Prices:

TW15-OP Dreadnought $679
TW15-OP-CE Dreadnought w/ cutaway & pickup $899
TW45W-OP-E Super Folk w/ cutaway & pickup $899
TW70-OP Orchestra $679

For more information, visit tanglewoodguitars.com.

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Photo Gallery: Guitar World at the 2014 Winter NAMM Show, Part 2

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Another Winter NAMM Show has come and gone!

As always, Guitar World was there in force, shooting photos and videos, gathering endless gear news and trying out (and gawking at) all the new cool stuff being introduced for 2014.

Since we spent most of our time on the floor of the Anaheim Convention Center, Guitar World's Twitter feed and Facebook pages were our primary means of sharing photos of new gear and other NAMM scenery.

Therefore, we hope you'll check out our still-available NAMM photos on Twitter and Facebook.

Also, be sure to keep up with our ongoing NAMM coverage on GuitarWorld.com.

You can find our special 2014 Winter NAMM Show page right HERE.

Even though the show is over, we'll be posting more news items about the coolest new gear, plus a series of photo galleries (showing gear, celebrities and "the scene" in general) and videos from the four-day event.

You can check out our second photo gallery below! NOTE: If, for some reason, an image doesn't display in preview mode, remember you can click on the photo to expand it!

Be sure to check out this related story:

Photo Gallery: Guitar World at the 2014 Winter NAMM Show, Part 1

[[ Guitar World at NAMM 2014: Gear updates, photo galleries, videos and more! ]]

Above & Beyond's Acoustic Album Released Today on Anjunabeats/Ultra

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Above & Beyond, one of the UK's biggest dance acts, today release their critically acclaimed Above & Beyond Acoustic album, the studio album behind one of the most unique and interesting projects to emerge from the dance music space in recent memory.

Collecting the trio's best loved songs and re-imagining them as rich orchestral acoustic arrangements, Above & Beyond Acoustic contains the studio recordings behind their already legendary acoustic shows at London's Porchester Hall and LA's Greek Theatre - described by Billboard as "one of the finest shows in dance music history". Upon its release today, the album went straight to number one on the iTunes US Dance Album Chart.

Partnering with VICE's Thump channel on the production and filming of the London shows, the Above & Beyond's Acoustic project was spearheaded by a full length documentary concert film. The film premiered online last Friday to a rapturous response from fans and the film also trended globally on Twitter during the premiere.

For their acoustic project, Above & Beyond are putting aside their CDJs and lighting rigs to showcase their deeply-rooted musicianship and classical training - inviting comparisons with London Grammar, Zero 7 and Portishead. Working with three singers, a string quartet, harpist, drummer and bassist, Above & Beyond Acoustic saw each of the three band members take a central part in both recording and performance - Tony McGuinness sings and plays guitar, mandolin and ukulele, Paavo Siljamäki plays the grand piano and cello, and Jono Grant plays the Rhodes piano, guitar and vibraphone.

Watch the album trailer here:

Above & Beyond is Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamäki, and their story is one of constant movement - from their early days as producers remixing Madonna and Radiohead, to their current global standing (DJ Magazine has called Above & Beyond "The biggest electronic DJing and production collective the UK has ever produced.") The trio have played to one million people on Barra Beach in Rio de Janeiro (New Year's Eve in 2007), soundtracked the launch of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo in the Mojave desert, and sold out the Hollywood Palladium faster than anyone in history. Every week their Group Therapy radio show reaches over 25 million people worldwide.

"The acoustic project is a reconnection with the musicians that we were before we met," said Above & Beyond's Tony McGuinness. "The songs have been on an interesting journey to get here because we tend to write in a fairly acoustic way anyway. We don't just stick a bit of vocal over a dance track - that's not how we work. We try to start with a song and it's usually only later down the line that we take certain elements from that song and progress them into a more dancefloor-friendly version."

Find out more at http://www.aboveandbeyond.nu

Jazz Guitar Corner: Stealing Soloing Ideas from Miles Davis'"So What"

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Miles Davis' album Kind of Blue and his song "So What" often represent a gateway into jazz for many musicians with rock, pop or blues backgrounds.

But while some of us are drawn to the opening chords of "So What" and learn them on the guitar where they fit nicely on the fretboard, we may stop there rather than digging into making single-note shapes out of these same chords.

In today’s lesson, you’ll learn how to take the classic "So What" chord shapes and turn them into single-note soloing ideas in your improvised lines and phrases, bringing a bit of Davis and Bill Evans onto the fretboard at the same time.

The "So What" Chords

As a review, here are the opening chords played by pianist Evans on the classic recording of "So What" from Kind of Blue. The chords are built by stacking 4th intervals until you hit the top two strings, where there is a 3rd between those last two notes.

Also, there are two different chords going on here under the written Dm7 — an Em7 and Dm7 shape that, when combined, outline the intervals written in the last two bars of the example.

Before going on to the next part of this lesson, one thing to take away from the "So What" chords is that when you see Dm7 on a lead sheet, you can move between Dm7 and Em7 in your comping ideas in order to play on the given chord, as well as add color by outlining the R-9-11-5-13 when playing the Em7 chord.

So What Soloing 1.jpg

After you’ve reviewed (or learned, if they are new) these shapes in your practicing, it’s time to move on and take the first step into breaking these ideas up and making single-note melodies out of the "So What" chords.

Breaking Up "So What" Chords

While playing these full chord shapes will get the "So What" chords under your fingers, they can be a bit bulky and hard to move around the fretboard, especially at quicker tempos.

So the first thing we’ll do is break up these larger chords into smaller shapes that you can then use in your comping ideas and to create single-line melody lines in your jazz guitar solos.

Here's how those shapes would look for both the Em7 and Dm7 "So What" chords, where both have been broken up into three-note groups to make them easier to move around and build single-lines out of.

So What Soloing 2.jpg

Now that we’ve broken up the "So What" chords into three smaller shapes for both the Dm7 and Em7 shapes, you can arpeggiate these forms in order to create single-line versions of these chords.

You can see an example of this in the following example, where I’ve picked each three-note from the lowest to highest notes in order to create single-line versions of each shape. Try working these in all 12 keys around the neck to get them under your fingers and into your ears on the fretboard.

From a picking perspective, you can use economy picking such as down-down-up for each shape, sweep picking such as down-down-down, or hybrid picking where you would use your pick and fingers to pick each shape.

To keep things simple on the page, I’ve written ascending versions of each shape only, but you can also play down each shape as you work up and down the fretboard using these three-note shapes to break up the "So What" chords on the neck.

Once you’ve got these shapes in Dm7 under your fingers, try putting on a Dm7 backing track and soloing over that chord using these shapes as the basis for your lines. From there, you can take these ideas to other keys and tunes when applying them to a soloing situation.

So What Soloing 3.jpg

After you have worked these shapes all ascending in the woodshed, move on to the next section of this lesson where you’ll be learning how to add a few variations to these three-note shapes in your practicing.

"So What" Chord Variations

Once you have worked on breaking up the So What chords into single-line shapes on the fretboard, you can work these shapes with a few common variations in your practice routine.

Here are a few of the variations that I like to use, but feel free to come up with your own after you’ve worked on these in 12 keys in the woodshed.

The first variation focuses on playing each three-note shape descending from the highest to lowest note, then moving to the next shape on that chord until you’ve reached the top note.

In the second variation, you play the first three-note shape ascending and then the second shape descending until you’ve reached the top of the chord you’re on.

For simplicity, I’ve written these variations out over the Dm7 chord shape we learned earlier, but you can also practice these variations over the Em7 shape as well when moving forward with these ideas in the practice room.

You can also put on a Dm7 vamp, or other chord progression, and practice soloing over those harmonies using one or both of these variations to create your improvised lines and phrases when taking these variations to a musical situation.

So What Soloing 4.jpg

Now that we’ve looked at a few variations when breaking the "So What" chords into single lines, let’s move on to a sample lick and see how this idea can be applied to a ii V I chord progression.

"So What" Chords Lick

To help get you started with these ideas in a soloing context, here is a sample lick that you can check out and work in the given key of C major, and then in all 12 keys as your work it around the fretboard.

As well you can practice applying this lick to tunes you are working on, and when it’s comfortable, begin altering the lick by changing the rhythms, adding in notes, taking notes away, playing bits of the lick, and so forth as you personalize this phrase in your playing.

I’ve used the "So What" chords in the first measure, and then finished the idea with some bebop techniques from there. When you’ve got this lick worked out with the above variations, then try writing out a few of your own as sometimes composition can be a great way to work on improvisation in the practice room.

So What Soloing 5.jpg

Do you have any questions on this lesson? 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).

Mötley Crüe Announce Final Tour: "Our Job Here is Done"

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After more than three decades together, Motley Crue are calling it quits. Officially.

In fact, their announcement is so official that they've even signed a "cessation of touring" agreement, which takes effect at the end of 2015, in front of media in Los Angeles today.

In celebration of their big announcement, the band will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight and on CBS This Morning tomorrow.

"We always had a vision of going out with a big fucking bang and not playing county fairs and clubs with one or two original band members," drummer Tommy Lee said in a statement. "Our job here is done."

The band's final tour — which will be presented by Dodge, by the way — will kick off in North America July 2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and reach 72 markets before hitting international territories in 2015. You can check out all the North American dates below.

“When it comes to putting together a new show we always push the envelope and that’s part of Motley Crue’s legacy,” said bassist Nikki Sixx. “As far as letting on to what we’re doing, that would be like finding out what you’re getting for Christmas before you open the presents. We think in an age of too much information, we’d like to keep some surprises close to our chest until we launch the final tour.”

Spoiler alert: It seems Alice Cooper will part of the band's final tour.

"Real hard rock bands are hard to find these days," said Cooper in a statement. "Motley has always gone on stage with one attitude and that's to blow the audience away. That's exactly how we do it. Putting Motley Crue and Alice Cooper together is going to be just what this summer really needs. We're going to go out there and tear it up, and I can't wait to see Motley on stage. Motley Crue and Alice Cooper. A match made in ... Armageddon?"

As documented in the cessation of touring agreement, the band will not tour — ever — after this final tour.

“Other bands have split up over rancor or the inability of people to get along, but this is mutual among all four original members and a peaceful decision to move on to other endeavors and to confirm it with a binding agreement,” said the band's attorney, Doug Mark.

TOUR DATES:

7/2/2014; Grand Rapids, MI; Van Andel Arena
7/4/2014; Milwaukee, WI; Summerfest
7/5/2014; Noblesville, IN; Klipsch Music Center
7/6/2014; Cincinnati, OH; Riverbend Music Center
7/8/2014; Columbus, OH; Schottenstein Center
7/9/2014; Maryland Heights, MO; Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/11/2014; Des Moines, IA; Wells Fargo Arena
7/12/2014; Wichita, KS; INTRUST Bank Arena
7/13/2014; Tulsa, OK; BOK Center
7/15/2014; Cedar Park, TX; Cedar Park Center
7/16/2014; Dallas, TX; Gexa Energy Pavilion
7/18/2014; Albuquerque, NM; Isleta Amphitheater
7/19/2014; Phoenix, AZ; Ak-Chin Pavilion
7/21/2014; Los Angeles, CA; Hollywood Bowl
7/22/2014; Irvine, CA; Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/23/2014; Mountain View, CA; Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/25/2014; Reno, NV; Reno Events Center
7/26/2014; Ridgefield, WA; Sleep County Amphitheatre
7/27/2014; Auburn, WA; White River Amphitheatre
7/29/2014; Wheatland, CA; Sleep Train Amphitheatre
7/30/2014; Chula Vista, CA; Sleep Train Amphitheatre
8/1/2014; Salt Lake City, UT; USANA Amphitheatre
8/2/2014; Denver, CO; Pepsi Center
8/3/2014; Kansas City, MO; Sprint Center
8/5/2014; Sturgis, SD; Sturgis Buffalo Chip
8/6/2014; Sioux City, IA; Tyson Events Center
8/8/2014; Tinley Park, IL; First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/9/2014; Clarkston, MI; DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/10/2014; Toronto, ON; Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
8/12/2014; Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Blossom Music Center
8/13/2014; Burgettstown, PA; First Niagara Pavilion
8/15/2014; Pelham, AL; Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
8/16/2014; Alpharetta, GA; Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
8/17/2014; Tampa, FL; MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
8/19/2014; Charlotte, NC; PNC Music Pavilion
8/20/2014; Virginia Beach, VA; Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
8/22/2014; Bristow, VA; Jiffy Lube Live
8/23/2014; Camden, NJ; Susquehanna Bank Center
8/24/2014; Mansfield, MA; Xfinity Center
8/26/2014; Saratoga Springs, NY; Saratoga Perf. Arts Center
8/27/2014; Allentown, PA; Great Allentown Fair
8/29/2014; Wantagh, NY; Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
8/30/2014; Holmdel, NJ; PNC Bank Arts Center
8/31/2014; Darien Center, NY; Darien Lake Perf. Arts Center
10/10/2014; Oklahoma City, OK; Chesapeake Arena
10/11/2014; The Woodlands, TX; Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion
10/12/2014; Bossier City, LA; CenturyLink Center
10/14/2014; Louisville, KY; KFC Yum! Center
10/15/2014; Nashville, TN; Bridgestone Arena
10/17/2014; Hollywood, FL; Seminole Hard Rock Live
10/19/2014; Jacksonville, FL; Veterans Memorial Arena
10/21/2014; Greenville, SC; Bon Secours Wellness Arena
10/22/2014; Greensboro, NC; Greensboro Coliseum
10/25/2014; Atlantic City, NJ; Borgata Event Center
10/26/2014; Montville, CT; Mohegan Sun Arena
10/29/2014; Syracuse, NY; The OnCenter Complex
11/5/2014; Biloxi, MS; Mississippi Coast Coliseum
11/6/2014; Southaven, MS; Landers Center
11/9/2014; Moline, IL; iWireless Center
11/11/2014; Green Bay, WI; Resch Center
11/12/2014; Madison, WI; Alliant Energy Center
11/13/2014; Omaha, NE; CenturyLink Center
11/15/2014; St. Paul, MN; Xcel Energy Center
11/16/2014; Fargo, ND; FargoDome
11/18/2014; Edmonton, AB; Rexall Place
11/19/2014; Calgary, AB; Scotiabank Saddledome
11/21/2014; Vancouver, BC; Rogers Arena

Additional Content

Bent Out of Shape: Wallner's Quick Licks, Part 3 — Simple Shred Legato Pattern

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Hey, Guitar World readers!

First, I'd like to apologize for my lack of new lessons over the past month. I've been in Europe building a new studio and recording.

Over the next several weeks, I'm going to continue writing my previous lesson series, including "Quick Licks,""Back to Basics with Pentatonics" and "Learning Mozart's 25th Symphony."

Today I have a quick lick for you that is geared toward beginners and intermediate players. For this lesson, you have two tasks. The first is to learn my example licks and practice them until you can play them at the target tempo (130 bpm).

The second is to use my examples as a template to create your own licks from my basic idea. This is a far more valuable exercise, because the result will give you something you can claim as your own and help develop your identity and voice as a player.

I'd classify this as a legato lick, since it involves a single hammer-on followed by a pull-off. That shouldn't be too difficult, even for beginners. But the real challenge comes from playing the phrase at speed, repeated several times. As an exercise, the lick will increase your finger strength and help develop your legato technique.

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The basic pattern for my idea is built around a very simple four-note phrase I repeat. Example 1 demonstrates this using the first three notes of E minor. It's very easy to play with just two pick strokes and a hammer-on and pull-off.

The only difficulty comes from mastering the rhythm. The pattern is a 16th note followed by a triplet of 16th notes, meaning the total duration is the equivalent of three 16th notes. That means when you repeat the lick, it doesn't perfectly fit into a bar. I really like the effect this creates in a full-band arrangement.

tab2_5.jpg

Example 2 is the same as Example 1, except that I alternate between two different positions within the E minor scale. I did this to show how you can apply this pattern to any position in any scale. Practice my example as an exercise and then experiment with different scales and positions.

Why not try using harmonic minor or even pentatonics to see what you can come up with?

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This final example is an expansion of my original idea where I've created a longer pattern that is more complex. For advanced players, this shouldn't be too difficult. For beginners to intermediate players, this will develop your pull-off technique and improve your coordination between picking and legato techniques.

The final audio sample (all part of the audio clip above) is taken from one of my own songs where I use examples 1 and 3 in an actual solo. Once you've mastered my examples, it's time to start creating with your own ideas. Cheers!

Will Wallner is a guitarist from England who now lives in Los Angeles. He recently signed a solo deal with Polish record label Metal Mind Productions for the release of his debut album, which features influential musicians from hard rock and heavy metal. He also is the lead guitarist for White Wizzard (Earache Records) and toured Japan, the US and Canada in 2012. Follow Will on Facebook and Twitter.

NAMM 2014: Tanglewood Introduces Liberty Series Entry-Level Guitars

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Tanglewood Guitar Company UK, the United Kingdom’s best-selling acoustic guitar brand, has introduced the Liberty Series - a new range of entry-level guitars.

With the Liberty Series, Tanglewood again demonstrates its knack for packing plenty of value into a budget-priced instrument.

Featuring spruce tops (with flame veneer on electro-acoustic Super Folk cutaway models), linden backs & sides, rosewood fingerboards & bridges, nickel open-back tuners, and a variety of attractive gloss finishes, these entry-level instruments represent a great choice for beginners and budget-minded players.

The range includes slope-shoulder dreadnought, orchestra, and electro-acoustic super folk models.

Suggested Retail Prices:
TLSD and TLF acoustic models $169.00
TLSFCE electro-acoustic models $239.00

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Find out more at http://www.tanglewoodguitars.com


Anthrax Guitarist Scott Ian Announces North American Leg of His “Speaking Words” Tour

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Scott Ian has announced the North American leg of his “Speaking Words” tour.

The Anthrax guitarist will pick up the mic again for a 15-city trek that kicks off in Chicago February 20. You can check out all the dates below.

“it ain’t no poetry reading,” said Ian in a statement. “Speaking Words” is an honest look at the insane life Ian has led for the past 31 years, the people he’s met and the events he's witnessed. During each show, he'll take part in a Q&A session with the audience.

“England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Germany. I've been 'Speaking Words' all over the world," Ian said. "My friends in the U.S. and Canada, you asked for it, and now I finally get to bring it home! I'm looking forward to talking with ya, talking at ya and telling you some amazing tales of drunken debauchery and ridiculousness. No punches pulled, no swear word left unturned and no question avoided in the Q&A. Let's do this!”

For information about VIP meet-and-greet sessions for each show, visit Ian's merch store here.

For more about Ian, visit scott-ian.com.

Confirmed SCOTT IAN “Speaking Words” Dates:

2/20 - Chicago, IL @ Mayne Stage
2/21 - Westland, MI @ The Token Lounge
2/22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre
2/24 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
2/25 - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo Club
2/26 - Kingston, ON @ The Mansion
2/27 - Ottowa, ON @ Ritual
3/01 - Baltimore, MD @ The Ramshead Live: Power Plant Live
3/02 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
3/04 - Boston, MA @ Hard Rock Cafe
3/05 - New York, NY @ BB Kings
3/06 - Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon
3/07 - West Warwick, RI @ Manchester 65
3/08 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall

Additional Content

Guitar World: March 2014 Videos

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Demo Video: Marshall Amplification Handwired 2245THW Head

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On January 23, the first day of the 2014 Winter NAMM Show, Marshall Amplification announced the launch of four new additions to its Handwired Series.

Handwired is an ongoing series that features painstaking reissues of revered, historical Marshall products that were originally completely wired by the human hand.

These handcrafted, British-built amps capture in detail the authentic, legendary sound of Marshall, not only for connoisseurs and collectors, but also for a new generation of gear-savvy and tone-savvy musicians.

Here's a brasnd-new demo video featuring Marshall's Chris George (a lefty), who demos the Handwired 2245THW head at the Marshall Theatre.

For more information, visit marshallamps.com and check out GuitarWorld.com's story about the expanded Handwired Series.

Thrash Course with Revocation's Dave Davidson: Building Heavy Riffs and Unusual Chords from the Modes

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This video is bonus content related to the March 2014 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.

One of my favorite ways to explore new riffs, chord patterns and melodic figures is to take one of the seven fundamental modes and use its structure as a guideline.

In doing so, I often discover new chord shapes or melodic ideas that I may not have otherwise come across. Using this modal approach also offers a systematic way to take existing riffs or chordal ideas and tweak them in new and different harmonic directions.

The seven fundamental modes are built from the major scale, also known as the Ionian mode, which is spelled, intervallically, one (the root), major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh. Starting on each successive note, or degree, of the major scale and ascending one octave through that same set of notes forms a different, unique mode.

As a kid, I found this very confusing.

Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion Announces Lineup, Including Avenged Sevenfold, Black Label Society and Motörhead

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The Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion has announced the festival's lineup as they return to Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carlonia, May 3 and 4.

The daily band lineup for the fourth annual show is:

Saturday, May 3: Avenged Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, Motörhead, Seether, Volbeat, Black Label Society, Killswitch Engage, Black Stone Cherry, Fozzy, Adelitas Way, Thousand Foot Krutch, KYNG, Nothing More, Devour The Day and Truckfighters

Sunday, May 4: Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, 311, Staind, A Day To Remember, Alter Bridge, Theory of a Deadman, Fuel, Hellyeah, Of Mice & Men, Trivium, Redlight King, Twelve Foot Ninja and Gemini Syndrome

Rob Zombie says, "The Zombie crew is super-stoked to be heading down to the Carolina Rebellion this year. We are ready to throwdown a badass Zombie party for all the Rebels. See ya there.”

Five Finger Death Punch’s Zoltan Bathory says, "This festival has become one of the biggest in the country. We have a ton of fans in the Carolinas and the crowds there are nothing short of legendary.”

All tickets will go on sale 10 a.m. ET Friday, January 31, including camping, hotel and VIP packages, as well as weekend 4-Packs and upgrades. All camping and hotel packages will include access to the Friday-night campground party.

As in the past, ticket discounts will be available for active military. For full details about military ticket discounts, camping, hotel and VIP packages, visit CarolinaRebellion.com. A special pre-sale started January 28. To gain access, like their Facebook page or sign up to receive e-newsletters on the website.

Listen: Marty Friedman Streams New Song, "Steroidhead"

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Marty Friedman has unveiled the first complete track from his upcoming studio album, Inferno.

You can check out "Steroidhead" below.

"Steroidhead" features guest appearances by Keshav Dhar and Anup Sastry (Skyharbor).

"I love working with innovative, risky and borderline crazy musicians, and the guys on 'Steroidhead' certainly fit that description," Friedman says.

"Each track on the album has a separate dream team on it, so it feels like a constant barrage of fresh interpretations of my music."

Inferno, which is due in May, is Friedman's first solo album of original material in four years and his first recording in more than a decade that will be released worldwide simultaneously.

The album will feature guest appearances by Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom), flamenco/metal acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela and Revocation's David Davidson. Inferno also includes Friedman's first songwriting collaboration with Jason Becker since the pair played together in Cacophony.

"Each of the guests on this record took a song from scratch — they would write it and then I would arrange it and add my parts to it," Friedman says in the Holiday 2013 issue of Guitar World.

"That way we were both invested in it and it's a little bit of a deeper experience."

Additional Content

NAMM 2014: Lâg Guitars Brings T80 Series of Acoustic Guitars to the U.S.

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Lâg Guitars is now offering the T80 Dreadnought Acoustic and T80DCE Acoustic/Electric guitars in the US.

These new guitars are part of Lâg's Tramontane line of acoustic guitars, which are distinguished by their use of fine woods and finishes, proprietary preamp/pickup systems, and a detailed rosette design.

The new, richly-appointed T80 series offers a Solid Spruce top with a Mahogany back and sides as well as a black radial edge binding.

The neck is made of Mahogany and features a Satin finish, while the bridge and fingerboard are made from Indonesian rosewood. The compensated saddle and nut are both black graphite.

A new preamp configuration, the DirectLâg Plus, is featured in this series. It consists of Lâg's proprietary DirectLâg pre-amp plus a built-in tuner. Body style options include Dreadnought, Dreadnought CE, Auditorium and Auditorium CE.

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The Lâg T80 models are currently available with U.S. Street prices ranging from: $249-$349.

More info at lagguitars.com


The GAS Man: Design for Delight

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The other week, I wrote about focusing on being joyful as a guitarist.

Now, normally I wouldn’t think my happiness would stretch to replacing the battery in an effect pedal. But I’ve found that if we’re open to it, we guitarists can find something to smile about in the strangest places.

Case in point: Like most guitarists, I regularly have to test and replace the batteries in my effect pedals. This is a tedious process, only mitigated by the fact that time spent changing batteries is time not spent changing strings.

So there I was, working alphabetically through my pedals, eventually making my way to “O” for “overdrive.” I resignedly popped the back plate off my Blackstone Appliances MOSFET Overdrive pedal, giving it my usual quick glance at the exposed circuit board—just long enough to think how much it resembles the London tube map and makes about as much sense.

But then I noticed something odd: a bug in the circuit. Not a bug as in a cold solder joint or parasitic oscillation. Nope, there near the top right corner was a six-legged beetle etched into the tracings. How cool was this? It was literally an inside joke that I could have gone a lifetime without spotting.

I started looking over the rest of the circuit board, obsessively searching for other graffiti from the builder. But he had already anticipated me. Above the battery compartment he’d written the following in Lilliputian type:

“STOP OBSESSING & PLAY YR GUITAR.”

That told me. It was not only funny as hell, it was a very good piece of advice.

In design circles, this is called “designing for delight.” It’s the act of adding a playful detail for users to discover by accident. It’s what software engineers sometimes refer to as “Easter Eggs.”

This is not a new idea, even in guitardom. It may be apocryphal, but the rumor is that back in the 1950s workers at the Fender factory sometimes left penciled messages inside the cavities of guitars. That is, until a player discovered a particularly rude message, reported it to Fender headquarters, and that was the end of that. Now the only individualized message on your guitar is likely to be the serial number.

Bringing this back to us as musicians, even if you’re not a builder, you can still hide playful messages in your playing. Slip in a bit of a riff that other guitarists—or, better yet, non-guitarists—will enjoy. Perhaps a passage from a movie or TV show your audience knows. I remember once hearing a jazz guitarist throw in Woody the Woodpecker’s five-note laugh in the middle of a legato run. Not knowing the source, every jazzbo in the audience nodded sagely at the riffage. But not me and not the guitarist. We were looking at each other and sharing the joke, cracking up at the un-seriousness of it all.

So next time you play for your audience, why not take a hint from the folks who build your equipment, and design for delight?

William Baeck is a writer, photographer and hack guitarist living in London. You can check out his webpage at williambaeck.com and reach him on Facebook and Twitter.

NAMM 2014: Pigtronix Introduces Rototron Rotary Speaker Simulator

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Pigtronix has unveiled the Rototron, a new rotary speaker simulator effect that achieves unsurpassed 3D realism in a compact, easy-to-use pedal.

Designed by effect gurus Howard Davis and David Koltai, the Pigtronix Rototron recreates the complex acoustic phenomenon of the legendary dual-rotor 122 and 147 Leslie cabinets as used by Peter Frampton, Danny Gatton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Beatles and many others.

Independent Slow and Fast speed controls with adjustable ramp time allow musicians to enjoy the mesmerizing sound of speeding up and slowing down an actual rotary cabinet. A remotely switchable Brake function completes the authentic experience, while independent expression pedal jacks for the low and high rotors enable some entirely new variations on psychedelic bliss — without the back-breaking hassle.

"The obscure, German-made Dynacord CLS-222 rack unit, most famously used by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on the Division Bell tour, has been the closest anyone ever came to sounding like the real thing ... until now," says sound designer and company president, David Koltai.

The Rototron utilizes a Quadrature LFO to drive simultaneous frequency modulation, phase shifting, tremolo, bucket brigade-based chorusing. These voices have been meticulously combined using a Linkwitz-Riley crossover design to generate a three-dimensional acoustic hologram.

The analog circuitry used within the Rototron sounds warmer, fatter and feels far more realistic than the digital rotary effects currently available from other companies. Line-level headroom and full-stereo i/o complete this utterly hypnotic rotary simulator from Pigtronix.

The Rototron has a MAP price of $275 and will be available for purchase from Pigtronix retailers around the world beginning April 2014.

For more about Pigtronix, visit pigtronix.com.

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NAMM 2014: Supro Debuts Five New Guitar Amps at Winter NAMM Show

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Absara Audio, the New York-based manufacturer of Pigtronix effects and Supro amplifiers, has unveiled its debut lineup of re-issue Supro tube amps.

The new Supro amps — reimagined by award-winning product designer David Koltai with circuits curated by Bruce Zinky — bring back the instantly recognizable looks, tactile feel and raw tone that defines the Supro sound.

S6420 Thunderbolt: The logical starting point for a revival of Supro amplification is a USA made, 50th anniversary reissue of the iconic 1964 Supro Thunderbolt 1x15 combo. True to vintage spec, this legendary amp's cathode-biased 6L6 output section produces 35 watts of pure rock n' roll power at a price that working musicians can afford. Dressed in unmistakable "Blue Rhino Hide" tolex and sporting a custom designed 15" Supro TB15 speaker, the Thunderbolt returns to stages and studios worldwide in 2014 with a MAP price of $1099.

S6420+ Thunderbolt(+): A hot rod upgrade to the reissue Thunderbolt, the S6420+ model adds modern headroom and gigging versatility to the original design via a 3-way rectifier switch option for a choice of 35-watt (cathode-biased) or 45-watt (grid-biased) 5U4 tube rectifier modes as well as a high power 60­watt (grid-biased) solid state rectifier setting. MAP price on the S6420+ is $1199.

1624T Dual­Tone: By far the most sought-after of all vintage Supro amps, the compact and club friendly 1624T Dual-Tone delivers a raucous 24 watts via a matched pair of 6973 power tubes and a custom designed 12" Supro DT12 speaker. The Dual-Tone's two channels, each with independent volume and tone controls can be linked together for ultimate flexibility and wide-range sound. A footswitchable, tube tremolo with speed and depth controls completes this recreation of the most coveted Supro tube amp at a MAP price of $1099.

1690T Coronado: The Supro Coronado was the premier amp of choice for the South-side Chicago blues players of the early 60's. Staying true to Supro tradition, the 2x10 Coronado combines the flexibility of a 2-channel tremolo preamp with a robust Class­A, 35-watt dual 6L6 output stage. powering a pair of custom designed 10" Supro CR10 speakers. This bonafide blues monster carries a MAP price of $1249.

S6450R Thunderstorm: The all-new Thunderstorm is a retro tube fantasy design employing two parallel channels, 3-knob tone stack, footswitchable gain boost and an all tube reverb coupled to a tricked out 6L6 Supro power plant featuring 3-way (35W / 45W / 60W) rectifier switching options for studio, club and large venue gigs. The Thunderstorm will be produced in extremely limited quantity throughout 2014 and will carry a MAP price TBA.

All of these USA made Supro amplifiers will begin shipping to dealers in May 2014 from the newly constructed Absara Audio manufacturing facility in Port Jefferson Station, New York.

For more information, visit suprousa.com.

Photos: Damian Fanelli

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NAMM 2014: Fishman Unveils Fluence Electric Guitar Pickups

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Fishman has taken on the challenge of rethinking and improving pickup technology for electric guitars.

The result of this effort: Fishman Fluence pickups, the first truly new electric pickup system design in more than 80 years.

Fluence pickups incorporate a combination of new technologies including Fluence Core “coils” and true Multi-Voice electronics to consistently create the idealized versions of classic sounds guitarists demand.

In contrast to passive pickups made with traditional wire-wound coils, Fluence pickups are not susceptible to the manufacturing tolerances and tonal inconsistencies that are inherent limitations of outdated pickup technology—spurious noise, hum, cable capacitance problems, loss in tonal response and clarity due to small volume changes and other inductive issues.

The result? Fishman Fluence pickups deliver the pure tone and unparalleled dynamics players love, and leave the baggage behind.

The unique Multi-Voice feature in every Fluence pickup allows players to transform their individual pickups from Vintage, to Hot, “line-in” Clean or Death Defying (depending on the model), with the right level and gain for each voice. Fluence will be introduced in Single Coil, Classic and Modern Humbucker designs, in a variety of finishes, with more models to follow in the coming year.

Fluence is also the first pickup system to eliminate two of the main reasons many players avoid going active—battery cost and implementation. When coupled with the Fluence rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack, time between charges is literally weeks instead of hours. And, when the battery is low, there is no need to remove screws, pickguards or other “trap doors,” just plug in a standard USB charger and another 200-plus hours of playing time is on tap. A standard 9V battery can also power Fluence pickups.

For more information about Fishman Fluence, visit fishman.com.

NAMM 2014 Video: Taylor Guitars' Redesigned 800 Series

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During last week's 2014 Winter NAMM Show, the Guitar World crew visited the Taylor Guitars booth to check out the company's new redesigned 800 Series of guitars.

In the clip, which you can check out below, Taylor's Andy Powers gives us the low-down on the series.

From Taylor:

Taylor has re-conceived its flagship rosewood/spruce 800 Series, infusing it with a sweeping array of tone-enhancing refinements. Virtually every element of the guitar’s material construction was optimized: bracing, wood thicknesses, glues, finish, strings and acoustic electronics, topped off with a refreshed design aesthetic. The end result is the perfect type of musical celebration: a more inspiring playing experience.

While there are certain core qualities that Powers says he strives to bring to any guitar — volume, sustain, clarity, uniformity of character — one of his driving goals in redesigning the 800 Series was to accentuate the unique characteristics of each different shape.

“I want these models to have a family resemblance, but I don’t want them to sound the same,” he says. “I wanted to consider the 812ce, for example, not as it relates to the 810ce, but as it relates to itself.”

The resulting tonal distinctions between each shape, Bob Taylor feels, are far from subtle. “I think players will really enjoy experiencing these new guitars and comparing different models,” he says. “In a way, there’s a rebirth of every one of them.”

For more information, visit taylorguitars.com.

[[ Guitar World at NAMM 2014: Gear updates, photo galleries, videos and more! ]]

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