ApenasComece 01 S-Vid

WARREN HAYNES • JUAN ALDERETE • ANI DiFRANCO
• BODY COUNT
JULY 2017
JULY 2017
Flattop
Finesse
3 SONG TABS
MUSE
“Psycho”
CHRIS STAPLETON
“Parachute”
DROPKICK MURPHYS
“I’m Shipping up
to Boston”
14
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8 PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017
TUNING UP
Shadow on the Sun

BY SHAWN HAMMOND @PG_shawnh
M
y wife never tires (as on Audioslave’s “Gasoline” and “Show Lollapalooza. Neither of us will ever
of reminding me Me How to Live”). In all, Cornell’s lyrics forget it. It was his second-ever concert,
that she gets up were usually at least melancholy, but more and not only was it his favorite band,
for work in the wee morning often than not they were flat-out tortured. but he got to watch it from atop my
hours while I’m still puffing But for the last few years he appeared shoulders whilst a massive lightning storm
away with my quiet but to have a handle on things. He was cracked across the darkened sky. The
annoying snore. Sure, I haul frank about his struggles with substance intensity of the electrical display briefly
myself up on one elbow to addiction, but by all reports he’d been sent the crowd scurrying to the restrooms,
give her a sleepy smooch as sober for a long time. Last year he but soon Cornell and bandmates Tom
she heads out the door, but relocated to Florida with his wife and Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad
it’s usually a couple hours two children, and appeared to be happy Wilk resumed their own electrifying show
till we have a more coherent and stable. His most recent single, “The beneath the stars. A couple of years later,
The inimitable exchange via a quick text or two. Promise” (written for the 2017 film of we took Klein to see them again, this
Chris Cornell and But the morning of Thursday, May the same name), ended with: “And one time at the Warfield in San Francisco.
his silverburst 18, was different. That morning she promise you made / One promise that To this day, Audioslave (and Rage
Les Paul
found it difficult to preface her stunning always remains / No matter the price / A Against the Machine) have a special place
onstage with
Soundgarden early-morning text. promise to survive / Persevere and thrive / in our sons’ lives. I haven’t even been able
circa 1991. “Chris Cornell died.” And dare to rise once more / A promise to to discuss today’s tragic loss with them
Still groggy, I typed the first words survive / Persevere and thrive / And fill the yet. I’m certain it will be devastating.
that came to mind: “Holy shit.” world with life / As we’ve always done.” •••
Then, “how?” But then this…. Despite his obviously crucial role in
Although the medical examiner’s ••• writing and playing rhythm guitar on so
report was still in-process, the words Chris Cornell’s work has a special place many of the tunes that made him famous,
“suicide” and “overdose” came to mind in our family—particularly the era that the olive-skinned, perennially mustachioed
well before reading internet speculation coincided with the earliest years of our Seattleite—an avowed Gretsch and
or details of how his lifeless body had three boys’ lives. Audioslave’s eponymous Gibson fan (he even had a signature
been found in the bathroom of his LP debuted in late 2002, three weeks ES-335)—wasn’t renowned for his 6-string
hotel suite mere hours after he and after our last child was born. For the next work. What set Chris Cornell apart from
Soundgarden cohorts Kim Thayil, Ben several months we pretty much wore out virtually all hard-rock vocalists of the last
Shepherd, and Matt Cameron had the CD. When we took a road trip from three decades was his inimitable voice and
performed Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time Salt Lake City to Denver the following haunting lyrics. Though he could sing
of Dying” as an unplanned final encore spring, the three little dudes in the across a four-octave range, it wasn’t prissy
number at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. By backseat were fine most of the way—all grandstanding for technique points. His
lunchtime it was confirmed: Cornell had except baby G. He absolutely lost it during vocals were ferocious, galvanizing, and
hung himself. the last little bit. The only thing that terrifying in equal measure—yet he could
A chronic depressive since his teens, stopped his inarticulate infant screams also stir your heart with his enigmatic
he’d sung about suicide—directly or of “Get me the fuck out of this car!” was approach to mellow numbers. Imagining
indirectly, but always poetically—on playing Cornell’s hypnotically soothing “I Soundgarden or Audioslave without him
innumerable occasions during his Am the Highway,” over and over again for is like contemplating Zeppelin without
years with Soundgarden, as a solo the last hour. We tried comforting words. Plant, Sabbath without Ozzy. Sure, there
artist, and as frontman for supergroups We tried feeding him. We tried reaching would’ve been some cool music without
Temple of the Dog and Audioslave. over the top of his car seat to hold hands him, but he was the magic final ingredient
There was “Let Me Drown” and “Like and play. We tried other mellow songs. that transformed it all.
Suicide,” from Soundgarden’s 1994 Nothing worked. But as soon as we hit We will miss you, Chris.
Photo by Eddie Malluk/Atlas Icons
breakthrough, Superunknown, but there that rewind button and those volume-
were also regular allusions to corrosive swelled chords came back, he’d calm right
spiritual conflict (including “Holy back down and everything would be fine.
Water,” off Soundgarden’s 1991 album, Late that same summer, I took our Shawn Hammond
Badmotorfinger), as well as chronic oldest son, Klein—then a wizened old Chief Content Officer
insomnia and harrowing existential crises kindergartner—to see Audioslave play shawn@premierguitar.com
premierguitar.com
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FEEDBACK LOOP
a weird wedge-shaped Maestro Socialize
Fuzz-Tone, etc. Some of the
mystery has gone out of the
with Us!
quest. But you don’t know a
pedal until you’ve plugged into
it. I’d seen YouTube videos of
the Devi Ever Bit: Legend of
Fuzz and thought it sounded
okay. But it wasn’t until I found
one on Craigslist, met a guy in
a parking lot, brought it home,
and plugged it in that I realized
The Holy Grail posting this John [Bohlinger] it could read my mind.
This is amazing [“Axes & and Premier Guitar. —Bzzzxx,
Artifacts – Duane Allman’s 1957 —Tone Seeker, via premierguitar.com
Gibson Les Paul Goldtop,” May via YouTube.com
2017]! I can’t tell you how big a A Helping Hand
fan I am of all things Duane and Gear Mystics Yes, I love the magazine but I can’t
the Allman Brothers. My buddy Let’s keep things in perspective. say enough in the way of praise
Tony had their first two albums The mystery drain cuts across all for your Mod Garage columnist, I’m happy with my
and we wore them out playing industries, like Brady [Smith] was Dirk Wacker! On two separate Spider Capo
them nonstop, over, and over, alluding to [“State of the Stomp: occasions, I’ve contacted him (Made in Brazil)
and over again, painstakingly The End of Mystery,” February with questions that hadn’t been —@Riffstory
trying to figure out the notes on 2017]. We love guitars and all addressed in his column. In both
our guitars. We couldn’t get tired that comes with them, i.e., pedals cases, he responded to my email
of that magic, even if we wanted and other gadgets. Who are we to with detailed information and
to. And, then, on my 15th think that this new on-demand suggestions. Keep up the great
birthday in ’73, my dad bought Uber economy wasn’t going to work, and a special thanks to Dirk.
me an all-in-one music console affect the pedal market? The only —Chris Bellman, It’s all a matter of
that included an 8-track player, a thing that will separate us from via premierguitar.com personal preference,
turntable, and an AM/FM radio, other consumers is that these but I honestly almost
complete with headsets and four “gadgets” are simply tools for Signs of the Times never change strings.
speakers. He also picked out, all creating art. True art will always Last time I looked, the magazine If I break one, which
by himself, six albums to help battle against commercialization was called Premier Guitar, not is almost never, I
get me started on listening to my and over-consumption. So, Premier Politics. As a subscriber, change the whole set,
new quadraphonic sound system: get that sound you’ve had in I have zero interest in what but I can’t stand the
Nilsson Schmilsson, Pink Floyd’s your head out through your Norman Blake thinks [“Still overly bright, noisy
Dark Side of the Moon, CCR’s fingers, then through a guitar, Keepin’ It Real,” May 2017]. sound of brand-new
20 Super Hits, Steve Miller’s through a few tasty pedals and, “But it’s a dark time, definitely strings, and I don’t
The Joker, Led Zeppelin’s Houses finally, out of some type of tube a dark moment in history.” Play like how slippery they
of the Holy, and the Allman amplification that is just breaking your guitar Norm, and put your are before they get
Brothers’ Beginnings. Besides up. Fuck the rest. big-boy pants on and get over it! a little oxidation on
my 16th birthday when my —Loudguy1974, —Greg Johnson, them. Apparently, I’m
parents bought me a car, I can’t via premierguitar.com via premierguitar.com in good company. Neil
remember any other birthday Young once yelled at
as good as my 15th. I’m still I miss being able to find random his roadie when he
listening and playing those songs used stuff for cheap in guitar
Keep those caught him replacing
from those great musicians to stores and pawnshops: my first
comments coming! the old strings on one
Please send your suggestions,
this day. Hope to meet you one Hagström II guitar with gold- gripes, comments, and good words
of his guitars.
day, Skydog. Thank you for leaf mesh between the pickups, directly to info@premierguitar.com. —Mark Winchester-Pryce
premierguitar.com
DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED BY TECH 21 USA, INC.
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CONTENTS July 2017
ARTISTS p. 60
60
Gov’t Mule
Warren Haynes and
his cohorts break new
ground but still
keep it real.
73
Body Count
Ernie C and Juan
Garcia rap about the
controversial outfit’s
brutal new LP.
85
Ani DiFranco
The acoustic warrior LESSONS
rocks out with honest
lyrics and a unique 119 Allan Holdsworth’s
picking approach.
Fretboard Wizardry
39 145
122 Beyond Blues 5 Acoustic Flattop Finesse
Builders We test-drive three
98 124 Fretboard Workshop Dana Bourgeois, Roger diverse new flattop
Bucknall, Isaac Jang, models from
Halo Orbit 128 Cosmic Country Kevin Ryan, and Kathy Cort, Guild, and
Juan Alderete and 130 Deep Blues Wingert talk shop. Art & Lutherie.
suGar Yoshinaga color
outside the lines with a
new experimental trio. REVIEWS
154 Rainger FX Dr. Freakenstein 158 Kauer Titan KR1
Dwarf Bass 161 AER Compact 60/3 TE
107 154 GFI Specular Reverb V2 165 Fuchs ODS Classic
Rhys Chatham 155 Carl Martin Greg Howe’s 169 Stomp Audio Labs Octopus
A punk-minimalist
Photo by Jay Blakesburg
composer builds towers Lick Box 172 Fender American

of melody with Tele
twang, basic chords,
155 Way Huge Russian-Pickle Professional Jazz Bass
and layers of decay. 156 Prestige NYS Deluxe MC 175 Trace Elliot ELF
premierguitar.com
DISCOVER THE LEGEND
Mike Keneally
(Zappa, Satriani, Vai)
“It’s not too often that I pick
up a guitar and fall instantly
in love, but that’s basically
what went down with the
Hampton. From the most
delicate textures to complete
over-the-top wailing. I freaking
love this thing.”
photo by Daniel Work
Island Series
TM
SuproUSA.com
On the Cover:
WARREN HAYNES • JUAN ALDERETE • ANI DiFRANCO • BODY COUNT
JULY 2017
Art & Lutherie’s
JULY 2017
Roadhouse parlor guitar
Flattop
Finesse
CONTENTS July 2017

3 SONG TABS
MUSE
“Psycho”
CHRIS STAPLETON
“Parachute”
DROPKICK MURPHYS
“I’m Shipping up
to Boston”
14
GUITAR &
BASS REVIEWS
premierguitar.com
TITAN / FUCHS / FENDER
WAY HUGE / & MORE!
10 Tuning Up
24 Reader Guitar of the Month
25 Opening Notes
28 Obituary: Allan Holdsworth
178 Staff Picks
194 Esoterica Electrica
196 Last Call
GEAR
20 Gear Radar
30 Rig Rundowns
34 Vintage Vault
36 Bottom Feeder
70 Tone Tips
152 Tools for the Task
HOW-TO
94 Acoustic Soundboard
96 The Recording Guitarist
114 On Bass
116 Bass Bench
132 Mod Garage
134 State of the Stomp
136 Speaker Geeks
140 Ask Amp Man
Top left: Photo by Neil Zlozower/Atlas Icons
As soon as he hit the stage, all jaws dropped when

he unleashed his furious, warp-speed lines.
George Benson, who was eating dinner, put down his
fork and reputedly said, “What the fuck was that?”
—Allan Holdsworth Obituary, p. 28
premierguitar.com
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Your guide to the latest stories, reviews, videos, and lessons.
FEATURED
New Music from Minus the
Bear and Andy Summers
Minus the Bear’s Jake Snider and Dave Knudson
seem to take great delight in shredding the indie rock
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trols, their sixth album, VOIDS, chronicles a multi-
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“I wanted to have a few different tonalities that
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amps, pedals, effects—all that stuff.” Head online to
read the full interview and learn more about the mak- Allan Holdsworth’s
ing of MTB’s new record. Fretboard Wizardry
We also caught up with Andy Summers (left), who By Jeremey Poparad
rose to mainstream success playing alongside Sting Beyond Blues:

and Stewart Copeland in the Police. Summers just Roy Buchanan’s Tele Tricks
released a new solo album, Triboluminescence. In our By Levi Clay
interview, Summers talks about going into the studio Fretboard Workshop:
and recording everything himself, from guitar to bass A Fingerstyle Manifesto
to drums. He also shared what he thinks is the key to By Kirby Jane
being a great musician: “The greatest musicians always Deep Blues:
have the most innate feeling for rhythm and time,” Double-Stoppin’ Jive
Summers says. “If you don’t have that, you’re never By Dan Smith
going to be that great.”
Cosmic Country:
Read these interviews and more at Build Those Muscles!
premierguitar.com/jul2017 By Daniel Donato
NEW FOOTAGE!
The Jackpot of Goldtops:
Duane Allman’s 1957 Les Paul
In the latest edition of “Axes & Artifacts,” host John
Bohlinger welcomes guest Richard Brent from the Allman
Brothers Band Big House Museum in Macon, Georgia. Brent
brought along a very special treat: Duane Allman’s ’57 goldtop.
Above left: Photo by Mo Summers
“I am so nervous playing this guitar, my hands are

sweating,” says Bohlinger in the video. But of course, he still
takes it for a joyride, playing some mean slide on Skydog’s
6-string—which was featured on “Layla,” The Allman Brothers
Band, and Idlewild South. Learn the full history of this holy
grail guitar on PG.com now!
premierguitar.com
GUITARDOM’S
TOP TWEETS
It’s 5am in Buenos Aries and I can’t
stop listening to @Aerosmith #Rocks.
Help me. I’m so tired.
—@TMorello
Testing another prototype

for @deadmau5 (I will also
use the F out of it...)
—@dwarfcraft
“Don’t nobody call you the

Space Cowboy.” - Steve’s Mom
—@CoryBrannan
A v loud cover band right outside my

hotel window is playing the harmonized
guitar riff from reelin in the years
completely out of sync
—@katienolan
You’re kinda killin it today... amp that

I was gonna sell...(oops.)
—@LindaRTaylor
premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 19

GEAR RADAR
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Need some different is powered by a Leo This one-knob fuzz was The newest version of and Bluetooth enabled
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SB1-J Jazz Jr. Using early-’60s new-old- Thanks to its discrete I.Q. Compressor EMS
Treating the flatwound stock silicon transistors, JFET circuit, this pedal is This is an EQ/compressor Their newest 50-watt head
string as a central part of point-to-point wiring, a very expressive, low- to with a pre-compression EQ uses EL34 power tubes to
its design, this solidbody and a simple level-tone- mid-gain overdrive that that allows you to choose emulate generations of
comes with an alder body, gain control layout, acts like a good tube which frequencies you classic British amplifiers:
a maple neck with a pau this gnarly fuzz is open amp and offers a high want to be compressed a mid-’60s JTM50 variant,
ferro fretboard, Hipshot and harmonically rich dynamic range with lots harder, based on their the ’70s “small box” JMP,
hardware, and a custom compared to Jam’s of headroom, very lively respective gain setting, and the ’80s JCM series,
humbucker-and-single- standard Red Muck. Plus, character, and natural with up to 18 dB of gain or which the EMS taps for
coil setup developed and it’s more aggressive, compression. cut per frequency slider. its cascaded-gain-stage
handwound specifically for looser, and is packed with $290 street $229 street design.
this guitar by Righteous wilder tendencies. greuteraudio.ch rockettpedals.com $1,899
Sound Pickups. $299 street drzamps.com
$2,500 MSRP jampedals.com
pinterguitars.com

READER GUITAR
OF THE MONTH
Name: Fin Hewitt
Location: Stannard, Vermont
“Once you’ve had a taste,

Guitar: Homemade T-Style Chickadee
it’s hard to turn back.” – Bill Frisell
This is my homemade Telecaster copy. I’m

a 15-year-old guitarist and aspiring builder.
I made this through an independent-study
program at my high school working with
Creston Lea, an awesome builder in my area.
It has Lollar P-90s, a mahogany Warmoth
neck, one volume, one tone, a pickup
selector, and an alder body I made myself.
A good friend of mine painted the
Chickadee. I was trying to think of
something to personalize my build. I was
hanging out in the woods with a friend
Handmade in the USA lollarpickups.com 206.463.9838 Charlie Christian ©2017 Lollar Pickups All Rights Reserved
and we got some chickadees to land on our
hands, which made me think that a bird
would look pretty damn cool on a guitar.
I’m a huge fan of bands like Blackberry
Smoke, Drive-By Truckers, Davy Knowles,
Whiskey Myers—the list goes on. This guitar
sounds awesome for that kind of tone—just
the right amount of grit and twang.
I went to my first rock show when
I was 9. That same day, I got my first
electric guitar, a little Squier starter pack
that came with a 10-watt SP-10 amp.
Later that summer I saw an amazing local
band called Waylon Speed. (They remain
my all-time favorite!) During the show, the
bassist mentioned playing a Creston [Lea].
Of course, I googled him and just about
fell off my chair. So here I am!
I built one partscaster before this. It plays
great and I love it but it took me about five
hours to build, counting riding my bike
12 miles to get a drill bit after I broke the
third one…I hate small drill bits. This time
I wanted to do more of the building, so I
did. I’m also working on a Corvus copy and
thinking about starting a banjo.
Now I have to tap trees and feed cows to
pay off the parts, which I’m a tiny bit less
excited about, but it’s totally worth it.
Send your guitar story to

submissions@premierguitar.com.
premierguitar.com
OPENING NOTES
Chris Cornell
May 17, 2017
The Fox Theatre
Detroit, MI
Photo by Ken Settle
Just a few short hours before his

tragic death, the Soundgarden
frontman leads off the band’s
final gig armed with a Gretsch
Duo Jet. Known far and wide for
his thunderous, almost unearthly
vocal range, Cornell played a
significant role in sparking the
birth of a movement that not only
upended popular music in the
’80s and ’90s, but also shifted pop
culture around the globe. Cornell
was 52 years old. R.I.P., Chris.

OPENING NOTES
Bill Nershi
April 15, 2017
Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Austin, TX
Photo by Ismael Quintanilla III
The String Cheese Incident

6-stringer gets busy with his
go-to, a 1954 Martin D-18 with
mahogany back and sides. It’s
outfitted with both a Sunrise
soundhole pickup and a K&K
Pure Mini bridge-plate transducer
whose middle transducer has been
removed. With the help of a Radial
Tonebone PZ-Pre, he runs them at
about a 75/25 blend, respectively.
“This guitar is sweet. There are no
dead spots on it,” says Nershi. “I
can move up to the 12th fret and it
holds its volume and sounds just as
strong as the open strings.”
premierguitar.com
IT’S ELECTRIC!
Incredible playability, aggressive
tone and brutal sustain make the
Mitchell MD Series modern double
cutaway guitars a hit with today’s
demanding players.
MD400 SERIES
• Carved mahogany body for amazing
tone and sustain
• One-piece, slim-tapered mahogany
set neck for best-in-class playability
• Paraffin-dipped high-output rail-
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provides aggressive tones
• Deep Bevel Cutaway (DBC) design
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• Graph Tech™ TUSQ XL friction-
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• 18:1 high-ratio locking tuning
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• Available with AAA maple veneer
top that looks amazing
MitchellElectricGuitars.com
OBITUARY | 1946-2017 |
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH
BY JOE CHARUPAKORN
A
Holdsworth llan Holdsworth was a giant
poses with one among giants. He created a
of his signature
Charvel unique musical language that
models in meshed extreme harmonic complexity
1982. Through with mind-boggling virtuosity in a way
the years, his that defied categorization. His music was
preferences
not always accessible—and he didn’t care.
would shift
various builders, His approach to the instrument was unlike
including Ibanez, any other guitarist’s and he unlocked
Steinberger, and mysteries no one even knew existed.
Carvin/Kiesel. On April 16, 2017, as many around
the world celebrated Easter Sunday, a
Facebook post from Louise Holdsworth
let the world know that her father had
died the night before. He was 70 years
old and in the midst of completing
a two-disc set for Steve Vai’s Favored
Nations label.
As a kid growing up in Bradford,
England, Holdsworth’s biggest passion into
his teens was cycling, but he longed for a
saxophone, so his dismissal of common
guitar-isms made perfect sense. Although
he cited Eric Clapton as an influence, his At the suggestion of alto saxophonist unleashed his furious, warp-speed lines.
musical voice was far more informed by Ray Warleigh, who he met at a clinic, Benson, who was eating dinner, put
saxophonists John Coltrane and Michael Holdsworth made his way to London. down his fork and reputedly said, “What
Brecker—particularly Brecker’s playing on There, Warleigh took him under wing. the fuck was that?”
Claus Ogerman’s Cityscape. He gave Holdsworth shelter and food, Benson got him a deal with Creed
Holdsworth was born on August 6, and helped Holdsworth break into Taylor of CTI Records. Unfortunately,
1946. His father, Sam Holdsworth, was the London scene. In the late ’60s, rather than afford Holdsworth a proper
a jazz pianist. When Holdsworth was Holdsworth formed ’Igginbottom, his recording opportunity, CTI instead
around 15, he’d sneak into pubs with first band that played originals, and released Velvet Darkness, a recording of a
his dad and his brother-in-law to see joined prog outfits Tempest in ’73 and rehearsal session. This incident was the
live music, and he became seduced by Soft Machine in 1974. first of many throughout Holdsworth’s
the glowing red jewel lights on the stage The next year, Holdsworth left career that made him embittered about
amps. A couple of years later, he received Soft Machine to join drummer Tony the music business.
his first instrument: not a saxophone, but Williams. He played on the Tony Holdsworth continued to be an
an acoustic guitar, which Holdsworth’s Williams New Lifetime albums Believe MVP sideman in the fusion world. He
dad bought from his uncle. Soon he It and Million Dollar Legs. The former performed and recorded with the band
got an electric guitar and amp, and, featured “Fred,” “Proto-Cosmos,” and Gong, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, drummer
through hearing his dad play coupled “Red Alert,” which became integral parts Bill Bruford’s group, and pianist Gordon
with listening to his father’s vast record of Holdsworth’s live sets for decades. Beck. In 1982, his first proper, studio-
collection of artists like Charlie Parker and At one of Williams’ shows at New recorded solo album, I.O.U, was released.
Benny Goodman, Holdsworth’s interest in York City’s Bottom Line, the audience I.O.U. introduced many guitarists and
jazz ignited. Goodman’s guitarist, Charlie included an assortment of music fusion fans to Holdsworth’s sound.
Photo by Neil Zlozower/Atlas Icons
Christian, was one of the first to use an royalty, including George Benson, Todd Although his vocabulary exploited
electric guitar and developed an approach Rundgren, Elliot Randall, and Miles common jazz sonorities—like diminished
that was essential to the creation of bebop. Davis. Holdsworth was extremely nervous and whole tone sounds, along with
Holdsworth started by learning some and chugged down bottles of Heineken unusual, symmetrical divisions of
of Christian’s solos, but soon decided it to take off the edge. But as soon as he octaves derived from his study of Nicolas
would be better to find his own voice. hit the stage, all jaws dropped when he Slonimsky’s Thesaurus of Scales and
premierguitar.com
Melodic Patterns—his legato approach but had to go on tour, so he turned idealized a guitar with a Fender scale
and warm, voice-like tone imbued the project over to famed Van Halen length, for its tight bass response, but
his solos with a truly saxophone-like, producer Ted Templeman. Holdsworth with Gibson-style string spacing.
un-guitaristic timbre. Holdsworth and Templeman ended up butting heads. His first good electric was a Fender Strat,
remarked many times that he only played Templeman wanted an all-star lineup which he loved, but later traded for an SG
guitar because he got stuck with the and replaced Holdsworth’s I.O.U. singer that he used until joining Tony Williams’
instrument, and he actually played violin and friend Paul Williams with Jack Bruce band. In the early ’80s, he used signature
on I.O.U.’s “Temporary Fault.” from Cream. Things deteriorated from Charvel and Ibanez axes before coming
The way Holdsworth executed there, and Road Games was ultimately across the Steinberger TransTrem-equipped
virtually everything ran counter to released as an EP. Despite all the drama, GL headless guitar. Later years saw him
conventional guitar performances. His it garnered a Grammy nomination for working with esteemed luthiers like Bill
giant hands allowed for four-notes-per- Best Rock Instrumental Performance. DeLap and Rick Canton on headless
string scale shapes, and he would often Holdsworth’s subsequent release, guitars. Holdsworth also collaborated with
play wide intervals, like fourths and 1985’s Metal Fatigue, was the game Kiesel (previously named Carvin) on a
fifths, on a single string rather than on changer that certified him as a bona signature model called the Fatboy, which
adjacent strings, thereby eliminating the fide 6-string god. His solo on “Devil was semi-hollow with a headstock.
percussive sound of the pick’s attack. Take the Hindmost” became fusion Holdsworth also made extensive use of
He also employed string skipping to get guitar’s equivalent of Eddie Van Halen’s the SynthAxe, a MIDI controller shaped
spellbinding intervallic sounds that no “Eruption.” The virtuosic tour de force like a guitar, notably on Atavachron,
other guitarist had played before. With was a thrill ride, shifting from inside to Sand, and Secrets from 1986 to 1989. He
fingers outstretched, he played unison outside tonalites at a million miles per also helped create Yamaha’s UD-Stomp,
notes on adjacent strings to get an effect hour. The solo was so epic that Steve Vai an effects box capable of eight lines of
similar to a saxophonist’s false fingerings. transcribed it for publication. simultaneous, modulated delays. The
He also used the whammy bar to give his Given the shred craze of the time, it UD-Stomp allowed him to get his
more melodic phrases a voice-like quality. was fitting that Holdsworth was paired atmospheric, volume-swelled sounds
Most guitarists are immediately drawn with monster guitarist Frank Gambale without having to lug around racks of
to Holdsworth’s incredible single-note as part of shred impresario and Shrapnel gear. He later adopted Yamaha’s more
facility. He was faster than just about Record’s founder Mike Varney’s MVP compact Magicstomp, a multi-effects
any other guitarist on the planet. But his (Mark Varney Project). The 1990 album unit that offered UD-Stomp patches, and
chordal playing also introduced sounds was entitled Truth in Shredding, and both used six Magicstomps chained together
previously unheard on guitar. One axemen were instructed to play solos at onstage. Two were for his clean sound,
example: Holdsworth took inspiration least three minutes long. They jammed two for his lead sound, and two were
from the writings of saxophonist and on a diverse set of fusion classics from either for backups or for special effects,
composer Oliver Nelson, who employed Michael Brecker’s “Not Ethiopia” to like a ring modulator or Leslie.
close-voiced chords in his music. This led Wayne Shorter’s “Ana Maria.” Holdsworth was an uncompromising
Holdsworth to explore these sounds with Although many categorize visionary who set impossibly high
another guitarist. They’d simultaneously Holdsworth’s music as jazz, some purists standards. It’s no surprise that, while his
play separate notes of a closed-voiced found him inauthentic. Perhaps to playing made guitar geeks worldwide want
chord. Eventually, Holdsworth adopted prove them wrong, his 1996 album, to quit, he was almost never satisfied with
this concept to just a single guitar, and None Too Soon, featured jazz standards, his performances and took painfully long
would reach for unusual chord shapes that including Joe Henderson’s “Isotope,” Bill periods to finish recordings. His most
included seconds (notes that are a whole Evans’ “Very Early,” Django Reinhardt’s recent studio album was 2001’s Flat Tire:
step or less apart). These intervals are easy “Nuages,” and John Coltrane’s Music for a Non-Existent Movie. Earlier
to play on piano, but can be unbelievably “Countdown.” this month, a 12-CD box set collecting
difficult to finger on the guitar— In addition to his original sound, his solo albums and a live concert,
particularly for big voicings incorporating Holdsworth had a unique perspective on justifiably titled The Man Who Changed
other notes—and require large stretches. gear. Early on, he carved up a Strat to Guitar Forever, was released, along with
After I.O.U. came 1983’s Road fit a humbucking pickup and, in part, a double-CD best-of collection curated
Games, Holdsworth’s only major-label helped usher in the era of the Superstrat. by Holdsworth called Eidolon. In a now-
release. He got signed to Warner Bros. His guitars often featured a sole bridge eerie bit of foreshadowing, that title is an
via Eddie Van Halen, who had been in pickup, because he felt that more ancient Greek term for “ghost.”
awe of Holdsworth’s playing since U.K. magnets from another pickup would pull Special thanks to Allan Holdsworth
opened a 1978 tour for Van Halen. Eddie on the strings and deaden vibrations. authority Chip Flynn for help with
was supposed to produce Road Games He also loved flat-radius fretboards and this homage.

RIG RUNDOWNS
James Iha, Matt McJunkins, and Billy Howerdel
A PERFECT CIRCLE
Before APC’s gig
at Nashville’s
Click here to
watch this Bridgestone Arena,
Rig Rundown. bassist Matt
McJunkins and
guitarists James Iha
and Billy Howerdel
spent some time
with PG’s Chris Kies,
cataloging the gear
used to pull off the
material from their
diverse catalog.
GUITARS AND BASSES

Top left: Here is a
1984 Gibson Les Paul
Custom that James Iha
has had since the mid
’90s. The only thing he’s
done to the guitar was
swap in Tom Anderson
humbuckers to match
the sound Billy achieved
on APC’s recordings.
Top right: Back for his

second Rig Rundown,
bassist Matt McJunkins
is still favoring Fender
P basses. During his
time in Eagles of Death
Metal, he rolled with a
2010 Fender American
Deluxe Precision bass,
but he recent upgraded
to a new go-to—a 2017
Fender American Elite P.
Bottom: This is Billy

Howerdel’s main
squeeze—a 1960
Gibson Les Paul Classic
Reissue that is actually
two guitars he put
together from his days
as Trent Reznor’s tech
for Nine Inch Nails.
The guitar has been
upgraded with Tom
Anderson humbuckers.
premierguitar.com
AMPS
Top: Billy’s fundamental
sound starts with this
Dave Friedman-modded
1978 100-watt Marshall
Super Lead. Friedman
reworked the preamp
section to sound and
react similarly to a 60-
watt Naylor head that
Billy loved.
EFFECTS
Middle: For additional
tube-tone tweaking,
McJunkins incorporates
a Demeter Tube Bass
Pre-Amplifier and all
of his effects patches
are coming from the
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II.
Onstage, he controls
everything with a
Voodoo Lab Ground
Control.
Bottom left: Eschewing

any sort of tube amp,
Iha relies on the Fractal
Audio Axe-Fx II for all
his amp simulations and
various effects. He goes
with in-ear monitors
and has monitors or
speaker cabs onstage.
Bottom right: Out

front, Howerdel takes
the sonic reins thanks
to a pair of Mission
Engineering SP1-RJM
expression pedals and a
RJM Music Mastermind
GT controller.

RIG RUNDOWNS
MARCUS KING BAND

PG’s John Bohlinger
hung with Marcus
Click here to
watch this King before his
Rig Rundown. gig at Nashville’s
3rd and Lindsley.
King goes with
the tried-and-true
combination of
Gibsons and Supers
to blend with his
rocking band of
soulful horns and
funky keyboards.
GUITARS
Top: King’s No. 1 is this
2016 Gibson Memphis
1964 ES-345TD
reissue. It replaced his
grandfather’s vintage
345, which is too
valuable to beat up
on tour.
Bottom: The backup

is his 2016 Gibson
Les Paul goldtop ’57
reissue loaded up
with Seymour Duncan
Antiquities. It has a
total Duane Allman
“Layla” vibe. Both
Gibsons are strung with
Elixr .011–.049 strings
and King uses Dunlop
Jazz III picks.
premierguitar.com
EFFECTS
Top/middle: King runs
into a Boss TU-3 tuner
and a Dunlop GCB95
Cry Baby Wah. From
there a cable hits a
Homestead splitter box
that splits the signal
to a Homestead and a
reissue Ibanez TS9 Tube
Screamer placed before
the Super. The TS9 stays
on all the time and acts
like an attenuator to
help bring down the
volume of his cranked
amps. All three pedals
run on batteries.
AMPS
Bottom left: King’s main
amp is a 1965 Fender
Super Reverb loaded
with Weber Speakers.
Bottom right:
Reinforcing the Super
is a beefy Homestead
HS100 100-watt head
that feeds a Homestead
2x15 cab.

premierguitar.com
VINTAGE VAULT
1961 Gibson SG Special

BY DAVE ROGERS, LAUN BRAITHWAITE, AND TIM MULLALLY
B
y 1960, diminishing sales for catalog description explained the which was replaced at the end of ’61 with a
Gibson’s original Les Paul important details: compensated tailpiece with the studs parallel
solidbody guitar line compelled to the pickups. This example also has a TV
the company to gradually drop the then- • Slim, fast, low-action neck with exclusive Yellow finish, which was standard on the
current models and replace them with extra-low frets, joins body at 22nd fret model before the change to the thin body
an entirely newly redesigned set. The • Rosewood fingerboard, pearl dot inlays shape. The color was replaced later in the Opposite page:
Les Paul Standard was the first guitar • One-piece mahogany neck, adjustable year by an opaque creamy white. The 1961 Carlos Santana,
to receive the new treatment, which truss rod list price was $210. The current value for one Robby Krieger,
involved slimming down the mahogany • Combination metal bridge and tailpiece, in excellent all-original condition is $7,500. and Pete
Townshend were
body, discarding the separate maple adjustable horizontally and vertically Artists known for using Gibson SG among the early
top, and beveling both outer sides. • Twin powerful pickups with separate tone Specials for recordings and live work are champions of
These comfortably rounded edges were and volume controls, which can be pre-set Carlos Santana, Robby Krieger from the the Gibson SG
especially important, since they were • Three-position toggle switch to activate Doors, and Pete Townshend from the Who. Special—shown
here in its first
positioned where a player’s arm would either or both pickups Sources for this article include Gibson incarnation.
rest. The new double-cutaway body left • 12 3/4" wide, 17 1/4" long, 1 3/4" thin, Electrics: The Classic Years by A.R.
easy access to all 22 frets. The already 24 3/4" scale, 22 frets Duchossoir, Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty’s Left: This
double-cutaway (since 1958) flat-slab- Golden Era, 1948-1966 by Gil Hembree, example’s classic
bodied Les Paul Junior, SG TV, and SG The 1961 SG Special pictured here and The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy, ’60s-profile
Gibson headstock
Special (the Les Paul TV and Les Paul has the early features particular to the first 1915-1963 by Robb Lawrence. has the patina
Special had been renamed “SG” in late half of that year. These include a level of its years.
DAVE’S GUITAR SHOP
1959) also received the new slim shape neck joint transition on the back where Dave Rogers’ collection is tended by Laun Braithwaite The slightly
and contours during 1961. This whole the body and neck meet—which proved and Tim Mullally and is on display at: bent tuning key
Dave’s Guitar Shop indicates this
group of guitars became known as the unstable and was replaced with a ledge that 1227 Third Street South
guitar was more
SG series when Les Paul’s endorsement became more prominent after 1962—and La Crosse, WI 54601
davesguitar.com likely played than
ended in 1963. The SG Special’s early a slanted combination bridge tailpiece, Photos by Mullally and text by Braithwaite. kept in a closet.

BOTTOM FEEDER
1
Jay Turser JT-1423

BY WILL RAY
A
Photo 1: This s I was browsing eBay a while
Turser JT-1423 back, this guitar caught my 2
is the spitting
image of the
eye. From a distance, it looked
Silvertone like an old Silvertone Model 1423
original with Jupiter from the ’60s. But upon closer
the same model inspection, I saw it was a newer Jay
number, plus a
Turser copy of a Jupiter, with one very
few improved
appointments. important distinction: It had what
looked like old DeArmond Dynasonic
Photo 2: One pickups—the kind frequently seen on
selling point vintage Gretsch guitars. This intrigued
was the pickups,
which resemble
me, so I emailed the seller asking the state and zip code if you live relatively
vintage make of the pickups. He replied that nearby. That way the seller will know a few
DeArmond he believed Artec made them in Korea, bucks can be saved on shipping.
Dynasonics that so I did a little research on eBay for I received the guitar a few days later. It
are frequently
Artec pickups, but found none looking looked mighty fine and played easy right
seen on older
Gretsch guitars. like these. However, I did find a out of the box. I replaced the strings with
FrankenTone Chester pickup that looked my favorite gauge, and then adjusted the
Photo 3: The exactly like the ones on this guitar, and neck. But when I played it hard using
tuning pegs and they sold for around $45 to $65 apiece hybrid picking, the 1st and 2nd strings
headstock on
this nuevo-retro new. That told me they were at least kept popping out of their grooves on the
model outshine decent pickups. wooden bridge, so I broke out my set of
the original, The seller had a “Buy It Now” price nut files and carefully carved the grooves
which would of “$199.99 or Best Offer,” with $30 for just a little deeper.
have featured
shipping, and after doing a little research It plays fine now. Listen to my
plastic tuner
buttons and a I saw that these guitars were selling sound sample and hear how the
rougher finish. everywhere for between $200 and $240. pickups sound very lively and single-
So the BIN price wasn’t really saving me coil-like. The middle position puts both
much money. But the “or Best Offer” part pickups into hum-cancelling mode, which
interested me—if the price was right. comes in handy in noisy situations. I’m
So I made a lowball offer of $150 and not crazy about using the chicken-
explained in a note to the seller that I lived head rotary switch to change pickup
only one state away, so the seller would positions. It’s kind of cumbersome,
probably save some money on shipping. but it is a nice nod to the original
To my delight, he accepted my offer and I Jupiters. My only beef is with
PayPal’d him the $180. the lack of sustain due to the
Bottom Feeder Tip #382: Sometimes, wooden bridge. A Tune-o-matic
when making an offer on a guitar, it may may be in my future.
be to your advantage to tell the seller your So is it a keeper? Yeah, for
now. I’ve taken a liking to the
pickups. They sound unique and
look cool. And it’s like owning a
poor man’s Gretsch.
WILL RAY is a founding member

of the Hellecasters guitar-twang
trio. He also does guitar clinics
promoting his namesake G&L
3 signature model 6-string, and
produces artists and bands at his
studio in Asheville, North Carolina.
You can contact Will on Facebook Click here to
and at willray.biz.
hear this guitar.
premierguitar.com
THE CME VAULT
History is Waiting.
1961 Gibson ES-335

Find it online at www.chicagomusicexchange.com/vault
888-686-7872 | 3316 N Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
DIVINE
OBSESSION
How respected builders Dana Bourgeois,
Roger Bucknall, Isaac Jang, Kevin Ryan, and Kathy Wingert
practice the high art of creating top-tier acoustic guitars.
| BY TZVI GLUCKIN |
H
igh-quality handcrafted acoustic about alternative viewpoints. As U.K. handcarving and reshaping its braces
guitars don’t grow on trees. builder Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars to bring out its resonant frequencies.
Well, they do—sort of—but puts it: “It’s difficult nowadays to draw What’s more, every piece of wood is
it takes more than a magical harvest to a hard line between hand-making and different. Discovering a material’s—and
end up with one. Handcrafted acoustic machine-making.” ultimately an instrument’s—unique sonic
instruments require months of labor, Our featured builders also disagree qualities is what makes playing a rich and
patience, and quiet determination to about bling. Some build instruments that rewarding experience.
assemble. They aren’t mass-produced. glisten with museum-quality artwork, It’s also what distinguishes one builder
They can’t be. And that explains why intricate inlays—on fretboards, headstocks, from another.
they cost so much. For example, the rosettes, bindings, and backs—and The builders featured here also
starting price, sans bells and whistles, for elegant curves and bevels. Others offer share an obsession with wood. They
the instruments featured in this roundup simple, no-nonsense workhorses and have buy wood, usually more than they’ll
is between $5,000 and $14,000. Lutherie no intention of doing otherwise. Their ever need—even whole trees, when
is a test of endurance and not for the business models differ as well and range possible—and store, age, dry, cut, and
impulsive or easily distracted—leave that from modest, 17-person factories to simple acclimatize it, usually for years and years,
to the musicians. Builders are focused, one-person operations. Most, at some until they feel it’s suitable for a guitar.
careful, and long-term thinkers. point, have tried both. To paraphrase instrument luthier Isaac
They also have strong opinions. For the most part, these differences are Jang, “most builders suffer from wood
No issue, at least among the builders superficial. The art of guitar making has acquisition syndrome.”
featured here, shows greater disparity much common ground. We spoke with five builders about
than their embrace of machines and One shared skill is voicing tops, their instruments, techniques, building
technology. Some builders rely heavily backs, and sides. Most builders don’t philosophies, opinions, and innovations.
on CNC (computer numerical control), choose wood just for its grain pattern or Their dedication and passion is palpable,
CAD (computer-aided design), laser- color, although aesthetic considerations and their hard work is obvious in the
cutting and engraving tools, and high- are usually considered. Wood’s most instruments they make. Brace yourself
precision tooling. Others use a band important component is sound. A (pun intended) and get ready to learn,
saw and router, preferring to do most of skilled luthier will spend a good part mostly in the words of the builders
their work with hand tools and simple of a day gently taping an unfinished themselves, about a world you might
sanders. But despite their preferences top, listening for fundamental pitches know little of, but which is essential to
and opinions, they aren’t in the dark and accompanying overtones, and then the music you make.

BOURGEOIS GUITARS:
GAUGING THE VELOCITY OF SOUND
Dana Bourgeois, based in 1

Lewiston, Maine, didn’t
start out to be a luthier. “I
was an art history major,”
he says. “After college, I
worked for an art museum
and I was interested in going to
Photo 1: graduate school in museum science. On
Bourgeois the side, I knew musicians and guitar
created this players. I was building a guitar here and
L-DBO model for
there, and repairing guitars. Back in those
the Dixie Chicks’
Natalie Maines. days, everyone played guitar, but very few
Not content to people were working on guitars. I had
simply paint a people bringing guitars to me, asking, ‘Can
guitar white, you fix this?’ One day, I had this epiphany
Dana drew
inspiration from
that I liked people in the music world
old electric more than I liked people in the art world. I
guitars and had enough business to quit my job and go
created a finish off on my own, which is what I did.” But
that let the grain
he was still years away from establishing his
show through.
own company, Bourgeois Guitars.
He started working at the
Music Emporium in Cambridge,
Massachusetts (now located in Lexington,
Massachusetts), where he befriended Eric
Schoenberg, one of the store’s owners,
and they eventually founded Schoenberg
Guitars. “It was the very beginning of the
renaissance of the OM guitars,” Bourgeois
says. “The Music Emporium was ordering
OMs through Martin’s custom shop as
custom instruments. Eric and I put out
one of the first production OMs. Ours
also featured a cutaway and we did that
for a while. I would go down to Martin—
they would build in batches of 20—and
I would voice the tops down at Martin.”
Doing repairs also gave him exposure
to vintage instruments. “The exposure I is to get as many different resonant along the grain. It starts out stiff and as
had to vintage guitars through the Music frequencies as possible out of the guitar you work your braces, you work down to
Emporium was invaluable. At any time, I top and back,” he says. “My philosophy the desired level of flexibility. There is no
might have what today would be a million of building, regardless of the size of the way that you’re going to get every note
dollars’ worth of instruments in my shop.” guitar, is to get good balance and clarity: to be equally strong. It simply doesn’t
That exposure, plus years of string-to-string and note-to-note balance. happen that way. If you did, every guitar
Photo 1: Photo by Tim Whitehouse
experience, has made Bourgeois a master I want a strong fundamental and a strong would sound like a synthesizer. They all
voicer. (Watch him voice a top on Vimeo, series of overtones as opposed to a sketchy have their own individual characteristics.
under the search term Dan Bourgeois series of overtones. My approach to The key is that every piece of wood is a
Top Voicing Demonstration.) He voices voicing is to build within a very narrow little bit different. You have to work with
every instrument his company, which he range of flexibility. The top is built for a what you’ve got and try to bring out the
founded in 1992, sells. “My approach narrow range of flexibility both across and greatest variety.”
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Photo 2: Bourgeois Guitars are known for their 4

Bourgeois is a Aged Tone instruments. These guitars are
master voicer
built with torrefied wood, a special “aged”
of acoustic
guitar tops. He’s lacquer, and an animal protein glue made
shown here from fish bones and cartilage (as opposed to
in the 1980s, horse hooves or rabbit hide). “Torrefaction
when he worked is cooking wood in an oxygen-free
as a builder at
Schoenberg
environment,” Bourgeois says. “The idea
Guitars with Eric is to cook off the volatiles in the wood—
Schoenberg. sugars, oils, pitches, resins—that would
normally oxidize over many decades. If you
Photo 3:
do it right, you increase the stiffness of the
“The key is that
every piece of wood and lower its weight. You increase
wood is a little the stiffness-to-weight ratio, which is the
bit different,” formula for velocity of sound. That sort
Bourgeois says. of broken-in guitar sound that everyone
Photo 4: talks about in an older guitar is really about
Bourgeois an immediate explosive response and the
Guitars are ability to generate higher overtones. When
known for their you play a note, you play the fundamental
Aged Tone
tone and the wood will generate higher
models, which
are built with overtones unless it is damped. The stuff
torrefied wood, that’s cooked off has a damping effect.
cooked in an Torrefaction is a way of making a guitar
oxygen-free that breaks in a lot sooner.” A new finish
environment
to increase has a damping effect as well. “Lacquer takes
stiffness. 25 years or so to fully cure. It’s kind of like
concrete. It never stops curing. Together
with our finish supplier, we helped develop
a finish that has the hardness and density
qualities of an older lacquer finish. If it’s
applied thinly enough, it will not damp the
sound of a new guitar.”
Bourgeois builds about 400 guitars a
year. He has 17 employees, 12 of whom
are in the shop—and that includes him.
“I am the owner and CEO of a small
company,” he says. “A lot of my peers
don’t spend any time in the shop any
more. I spend most of my time in the
shop, and that’s the way I like it.”
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FYLDE GUITARS:
BLENDING INTUITION AND ENGINEERING
Roger Bucknall built 1

his first guitar when he
was 9 years old—almost
70 years ago. “I’ve been
making guitars ever
since,” he says. “Sometimes
as a hobby, and since about
Photo 1: 1973 as a professional guitar maker.”
“I think we do His list of clients reads like a who’s who
more work by of fretboard royalty. “Pete Townshend,
hand than just
Cliff Richard, Gordon Giltrap. Al Di
about anybody
else,” Bucknall Meola bought one from me recently.
says. “I have a Eric Bibb has about 11 of mine, I think.
CNC machine. Davey Graham had one of mine. Lisa
I bought it 20 Hannigan, John Renbourn, Ritchie
years ago and
I’ve still not
Blackmore, Andy Irvine, Fairport
used it.” Convention, Mick Jones—everybody.”
Fylde Guitars is named after
Photo 2: the Fylde coast of Lancashire in
Bucknall could
be called a
Northwestern England, just north of 2
tree hoarder. Liverpool, where Bucknall first set up
Acquiring shop. In 1996, he moved the business to
quality woods Penrith, in England’s Lake District.
for his guitars, Bucknall has a degree in engineering
even whole
trees, is a
from the University of Nottingham
central focus. and used those theories in his early
designs—although nowadays he relies
mostly on intuition. “In the early
days, I used a lot of the mathematics
that I learned in engineering,” he says.
“I do it more by instinct now. I was
very intent upon using the theory in
the beginning. As time has gone on
I’ve abandoned the theory and just
followed instinct.” He also does almost
everything by hand. “For the size of
the business we are, I think we do
more work by hand than just about
anybody else. I have a CNC machine.
I bought it 20 years ago and I’ve still
not used it. I experimented, tried
“Volume and bass are not the
to make fingerboards and truss rod
covers. All it’s ever made for me are same as tone. They are just two
truss rod covers, which I can buy for
a few pence. So that was an expensive
mistake. I can shape a neck quicker by
aspects of tone. The rest of tone
hand than a CNC machine can.”
Central to Bucknall’s approach is
comes from the structure.”
finding, drying, and storing—some
would call it hoarding—the best woods —Roger Bucknall
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Photo 3:
Blues guitarist
3
Eric Bibb has a
baker’s dozen
Fylde models,
including
this custom
signature
guitar with an
Engelmann
spruce top and
Indian rosewood
back and sides.
Photo 4:
Fylde Guitars
are very specific
about tone, not
aesthetics. “If
I make a guitar
with lots of inlay
on, I could have
made two guitars
in that time,”
Bucknall says.
available. “Wherever possible, we buy don’t like guitars that shout,” he says. “I 4
the whole tree,” he says. “I’ve bought like a guitar to be fairly gentle. I think a
whole trees from America. I’ve bought lot of modern makers now make guitars
whole trees from India. We bring it that really are quite loud and have a huge
over. We have it cut. We dry it. We cut impact—which is very impressive when
it again and we dry it again. I have a you’re in the context of an exhibition or
philosophy that we don’t use any piece in a shop, but when you take the guitar
of wood unless I’ve had it for at least home, play it quietly, and really listen to
two years and it’s been kiln dried first. it, it’s missing the actual tone. Volume
It’s very important. I don’t use any fresh and bass are not the same as tone. They
wood that I’ve bought from a supplier. are just two aspects of tone. The rest of
It has to be my own.” Being based in tone comes from the structure.” He also
the Lake District, a place notorious for takes a plain-Jane approach to inlay. “If
its dampness and rain, is not naturally I make a guitar with lots of inlay on, I
conducive to drying woods—but that’s could have made two guitars in that time.
only strengthened his resolve. “We I’d rather make two guitars and get them
have a specially built workshop with onstage and working. That’s what I’m
environmental control. I can control trying to do.”
Photo 3: Photo by Danny Thompson
the conditions very accurately, which But more than anything, Bucknall
somebody else in a different part of the values the relationships he makes with
country probably couldn’t do, because his clients. “Every single time I make a
they haven’t invested quite as much guitar, I make a new friend,” he says. “We
money in the building.” meet, talk it through, agree what needs
Bucknall’s guitars have a specific to be made, and that person remains a
sound—one that he’s particular about. “I friend for the rest of my life.”
premierguitar.com
ISAAC JANG:
GEOMETRY ADDS COMPLEXITY
Isaac Jang, based in

1
Hollywood, California,
builds handmade,
ergonomic, elegant
guitars. He’s the youngest
builder profiled here and
only recently finished his
Photo 1: Quality apprenticeship with Kathy Wingert.
over quantity is “I got in touch with Kathy and said,
Jang’s building ‘I would like to study guitar making
motto. Rather
with you,’” he relays. “I was around
than increase
production, Jang 18-years-old at the time and she said,
works as a one- ‘Since I have children your age, I’m
man operation going to give you my mom talk: You
with a focus on have to be in school, you have to build
improving his
skill and making
a few guitars, and you have to work in a
the best guitars repair shop.’”
possible. He took her advice. He studied with
Bryan Galloup at the Galloup School
2
Photo 2: Jang
of Guitar Building and Professional
apprenticed
with luthier Guitar Repair in Big Rapids, Michigan,
Kathy Wingert built a few guitars, and got a job at
for a decade. Westwood Music in L.A., servicing
A-list musicians—not that he knew
who they were. “I moved from Korea
and I wasn’t aware of that many people
in the music scene. I was just into
guitars. Later, some of my coworkers
were like, ‘Do you know who that is?’
I said, ‘I’m not sure.’ They said, ‘Look
him up.’ I looked him up and I was
like, ‘David Crosby. He’s a big name.
Wow!’ It seemed like that happened all
the time with me.” He also reconnected
with Wingert. “I got in touch with
Kathy. I said, ‘This is Isaac, do you
remember me? I’d like to show you my
guitars that I built.’ I started working
with Kathy. I studied with her for
about 10 years.”
Some of Jang’s builds feature an
“I like to have the wood speak
innovative and ergonomic cutaway—he
calls it a bendaway—borrowed from for itself,” he says. “I’m more of a
Japanese master builder Mitsuhiro
“Micky” Uchida. “I looked at different
cutaway designs,” he says. “There
designer who manipulates some
is the Venetian cutaway. There is a
Florentine cutaway. I wanted to play
parts to let the wood sing.”
with it a little bit. I came across Micky
Uchida—he is an old-school luthier —Isaac Jang
premierguitar.com
Photo 3: from Japan—and I asked him if it
Some of Jang’s would be okay to use his design. He
3
builds feature said, ‘Of course. Perfectly fine.’ The
an innovative
and ergonomic
idea is to use the minimum amount
cutaway, as of space from the guitar’s body, to
shown on this still have access to the upper frets,
OM model. but without losing too much of the
He calls it a
body or extra volume. I have a couple
bendaway—
borrowed of guitars I’m working on now with
from Japanese slightly more of a bendaway—another
master builder two frets in or so. It seems to feel
Mitsuhiro pretty good, pretty comfortable, and
“Micky” Uchida.
people seem to like it.”
Photo 4: When viewed from the side, some
A close look of of his guitars are wedge-shaped: thinner
Jang’s end-graft at the top than at the bottom, which
detail on an
is a design borrowed from California
OM model.
builder Linda Manzer. It’s called a
Manzer Wedge. “The big advantage is
ergonomics,” Jang says. “You’re able to
have a little bit deeper body without
sacrificing comfort. Plus, having a
slightly different geometry in the guitar
body adds a little bit more complexity
in the guitar box.”
Jang’s philosophy is wood-centric.
“I like to have the wood speak
for itself,” he says. “I’m more of
a designer who manipulates some
parts to let the wood sing. My wood
usually comes dried from the supplier,
but I like to let it acclimate in my
space for at least a couple of years
before I start to use it. When I first
started getting into guitar making, I
started investing in wood. I bought
wood anytime I had a little savings, so 4
I actually have stacks that are about
nine or 10 years old. Then it’s one of
those things: guitar wood acquisition
syndrome. I always extend my stack.
It’s an addiction.”
In addition to teaching lutherie
at Musicians Institute Guitar Craft
program in L.A., Jang’s building goals
are long-term. “My current objective
for the next five-to-10 years is to refine
every detail and every part of guitar
making,” he says. “I’m not looking
to increase the number of guitars I
make. I would prefer to really dial it
in—focusing on the quality and the
individual instruments that come out
of my shop.”
premierguitar.com
© 2017 PRS Guitars / Photo by Marc Quigley
High Value Acoustics With a Famliar Feel

RYAN GUITARS:
FROM CARPENTRY TO HIGH TECH
Ryan Guitars, the

1
brainchild of SoCal
builder Kevin Ryan, is
a synthesis of tradition
and technology. Given his
background, that’s what you’d
expect. “Out of high school, I was
Photo 1: a carpenter framing houses,” Ryan says.
Ryan inspects “I moved to California in 1987, got a job
paua abalone working in aerospace, and that eventually
bridge pins
landed me in [my company’s] aero-science
after sanding.
laboratory, which was essentially a wind
Photo 2: A look tunnel. As carpenters, we think in 16ths
inside a Ryan of an inch or with tape measures, but
Guitar. All Ryan in aerospace we thought in thousandths
Guitars feature
proprietary
of an inch. Precision, thinking in three
laser-cut bracing dimensions, new tooling, new ways to do
and acoustic stuff—aerospace manufacturing is a whole
honeycomb, different mindset. It was so helpful for me
engineered
and my guitar building career.”
to keep the 2
soundboard That synthesis is reflected in Ryan’s
strong yet highly choice of tools. “If you didn’t know any
responsive better, we would look almost like a low-
to acoustic tech shop,” he says. “Everything is made
vibration.
from wood and MDF [medium-density
fiberboard] superglued together—there’s
all kinds of stuff like that. The high-tech
part is having the huge CNC machine, the
laser, and lots of precision tooling we’ve
made on the laser and CNC machine.
Technology allows us to do things we
couldn’t do before and to do them to a
level of precision that was unthinkable
before CNC and laser were here.”
Ryan’s method of cutting fret slots
is an example of something previously
impossible to do. “The old way fret slots
were cut was with a table saw,” he says.
“You would saw the slot all the way
through. Also, picture a radius fretboard:
the slot is deeper in the middle than it is
at the ends because the saw cut is straight
while the top of the fretboard is radius. I
invented a system where, first of all, the
slot doesn’t go all the way through like it
has to with a saw. I drop down what we
call ‘blind cut’ with a 20/8000th end mill
in an air turbine so it doesn’t go to the
edge of the fretboard. It starts in from the
edge and it stops in from the other edge.
premierguitar.com
4
Photo 3: Ryan I don’t have to glue binding on there,

Guitars have
3
because the binding is the fretboard. It
CNC-milled fret
slots, which
never got slotted at the end. Also, the
Ryan says slot is cut parallel with the radius of the
ensures strength fretboard. That means the fretboard is so
of the fretboard much stiffer than it would be otherwise.”
over time.
Almost everything is built in-house,
Photo 4: The although other companies do most of
proprietary the metal work. “Our truss rods are
truss rods are made from some guys that make parts
one of the for nuclear submarines,” Ryan says. “It’s
most important
components on
high-tech welding and machining with
a Ryan guitar. alloys. We wouldn’t know how to do
They’re made that, but they are made exactly to our
from high- specs and our design.” And that design is
tech alloys by
innovative. “In some ways, I feel it might
welders who
be the single most important thing on my 5
make parts
for nuclear guitars. It makes the neck stable, allows
submarines. you to dial in the perfect amount of
“I would call fretboard relief, and it’s going to remain
it micro-
adjustable— where you left it in terms of release and
because of the action through the years. It’s still very
unique design,” adjustable. It’s two-way adjustable—I
Ryan says. would call it micro-adjustable—because
of the unique design.”
Photo 5: This
is one of 12 Ryan is currently working on a series
special guitars of 12 guitars to commemorate his 30th
with redwood anniversary as a builder. His wood choice
soundboards to will reflect that as well. “The soundboard
celebrate Ryan’s
30 years of is going to be redwood,” he says.
guitar-making in “Partially because I love it. Acoustically,
California. it’s absolutely stellar. But also, it’s a wood
that was harvested here in California. So,
it’s keeping with the theme of 30 years in
California building guitars.”
Over the years, Ryan’s clients have
included Laurence Juber (Wings), Jackson
Browne, Pierre Bensusan, and many
others. “Part of what’s been so fun about
this, especially in the early years when
we came to the attention of many of the
world’s finest players, is that we’re learning
from them just like they’re learning from
us. In a way, it was uncharted waters.
Guitars were being played in a new way,
but weren’t evolving. They were what they
were from back in the 1920s and ’30s.
We like to feel we were the first company
that said, ‘Let’s address that. Let’s
reimagine the guitar for the 20th century.’
Now even that sounds dated, but we were
always thinking, ‘What’s next? What can
be done that’s never been done before?’ I
gotta tell you, it’s fun doing that.”
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WINGERT GUITARS:
ERGONOMICS AND A WIDE WINGSPAN
California builder 1
Kathy Wingert makes
a large assortment of
instruments, including
multiple steel-string
models, parlor guitars,
baritone guitars, and even
Photo 1: “The a harp guitar. Her initial foray into
advice every building was to solve a simple problem.
young guitar “I couldn’t find a guitar that was
maker gets specifically comfortable to my size,”
coming in is:
Get a lifetime’s
she says. “Smaller-body guitars tended
supply of wood to be boxy and big-sounding guitars
on hand if tended to be too big to wrap my body
you can,” says around. Like many, including Martin,
Wingert.
I tried a smaller-body guitar that was
Photo 2: Kathy’s deeper, but that didn’t do it, either. I
daughter, Jimmi started with a dreadnought and made 2
Wingert, does it more accessible. That meant a long
all of the guitar and mean waistline, plus, wherever your
inlays by hand,
with very little
arm wraps over the guitar, it’s quite
engraving and comfortable.”
a focus on Wingert mentored under violinmaker,
materials. This violin family restoration artist, and upright
inlay by Jimmi
bass expert Jon Peterson at the World of
was inspired
by the work of Strings in Long Beach before founding
Eyvind Earle. Kathy Wingert Guitars. “I didn’t go out
on my own until I reached critical mass,”
she says. “I had orders, the Healdsburg
[California] show was coming, I’d worked
around the clock for just way too much
time—I mean, it felt like years. I just
couldn’t do it anymore. I put in notice
and I had just enough money, just enough
orders, and just enough of something going
out the door that I was going to be able
to make it to the show without my slow
and steady repair check. I came home to
find a cancellation notice from a client:
‘Congratulations on your big step in your
new career Kathy. I need my money back.’”
She managed to launch her shop anyway
and even returned the customer’s deposit.
Like many builders, Wingert is
particular about storing and aging her
wood. “I have the back and side woods in
the garage where they are exposed to more
weather changes and are less protected,”
she says. “I do that on purpose. If
the wood is going to crack because of
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Photo 3
and Photo 4:
3 4
“I got dragged
into the harp
guitar world
kicking and
screaming
by one of my
clients,” Wingert
says. She usually
makes at least
one harp guitar
a year.
for over a year. He said, ‘I wish I could

talk you into building one for me.’ And I
said, ‘Well, start talking.’ I tried to push
him away because it’s such a different
animal. I had no relationship with those
instruments. We learned together. We
went to visit Gregg Miner [of the Miner
Museum of Vintage, Exotic & Just
Plain Unusual Musical Instruments in
Tarzana, California] and went through
Gregg’s massive collection of harp guitar
instruments. An hour into it I knew
my hesitance had been misplaced. I
understood the instrument a lot better
than I thought I would. It just boils
down to: It’s made of wood and it has
strings on it. The thing with harp guitars
is that they’re under so much tension that
there’s not a lot of nuance to them. It’s
more important to get the balance of the
humidity changes, I want it to have known species, there can be differences. body correct. Get braces put in places
already done it. I want to know that it’s There are differences in how they grow that make sense for the things it’s going
going to do that. My top woods are stored and where they grow. There are different to do. And keep the structure as bulky as
inside away from bugs, severe humidity parts of the tree—trees are many, many you can.”
changes, and also protected from UV. yards tall and we use a piece of top wood Wingert’s daughter, Jimmi, does
The advice every young guitar maker gets that is 20" of that tree. The tree takes all the inlay work by hand. “Isn’t she
coming in is: Get a lifetime’s supply of twists and turns following the sun and fabulous?” Wingert asks. “She chooses
wood on hand if you can. I felt that was there will always be some differences.” each piece of material for what she wants
particularly important for the top woods In addition to 6-string guitars, it to look like. She looks for orientation
so they could age and I could become Wingert builds one harp guitar a year. “I and figure: features of the materials
familiar with their capabilities and their got dragged into the harp guitar world themselves. She doesn’t do a lot of
particular character. Each set of wood is kicking and screaming by one of my engraving—that’s not her thing—she gets
different. Also, from tree to tree within a clients,” she says. “I pushed him away it out of the materials.”
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THE
On Gov’t Mule’s 10th studio album,

Revolution Come…Revolution Go,
Warren Haynes and his cohorts reach for new
sounds and colors while keeping it real.
BY EMILE MENASCHÉ
W arren Haynes’ résumé would make even the most

elite guitarist flush with envy: A 25-year tenure
with the Allman Brothers, a successful solo career,
stints working with the Grateful Dead, John Scofield, and Don
Gordie Johnson (who adds some tasty pedal steel to
“Traveling Tune”). Other key contributors include Don
Was (who coproduced two tracks) and Austin icon Jimmie
Vaughan (“Burning Point”).
Was, and a wide portfolio as a producer would all place him “We’re all really happy with the way this turned out,”
among his generation’s most productive players—even if he’d Haynes says. “It’s the most diverse record we’ve ever made. The
never teamed with fellow Allman bassist, the late Allen Woody, to energy is really ‘live’ in the way the four of us play together.
form Gov’t Mule. It’s very important to us that the interplay comes across, even
In the 23 years since the band’s inception, Haynes and in the more straight-ahead songs. As opposed to building
his Mule mates—Danny Louis (keys, guitar, trumpet), things one instrument at a time, we’re really committed to
Jorgen Carlsson (bass), and Matt Abts (drums)—have used maintaining this approach: recording live, keeping the solos
American jam-rock as a launching pad to explore their unusual from the live takes, and capturing band chemistry.”
combination of virtuosity, fluent improvisation, strong When we reached Haynes by phone, the band was
songwriting, and soulful singing. preparing to take Revolution on the road. Yet despite a busy
The band’s latest album, Revolution Come…Revolution rehearsal schedule, he was generous with both his time and
Go delivers all of that and more, with a collection of songs his insights into writing, producing, arranging, playing,
that swings from the political (exemplified by the title cut and gear. While you’re reading, you can stream four songs
and the album’s searing opener, “Stone Cold Rage”) to from the album—“Stone Cold Rage,” “Sarah, Surrender,”
the personal. Revolution was primarily recorded in Austin “Pressure Under Fire,” and “Songs & Dreams”—all available
and coproduced by Haynes and his longtime collaborator on the Premier Guitar website.
premierguitar.com
You started recording Revolution If I’m improvising, hopefully I’m not
Come…Revolution Go on Election Day. thinking at all. But if I’m coming up with a
Did the outcome influence the sessions? melody or a hook line, sometimes the guitar
We joked that it was going to be a different and whatever amp you’re playing through
kind of record if everybody was wrong inspires it. In the case of “Stone Cold Rage,”
and Trump actually won [laughs]. And it I wrote it on an SG, but I played it on a
definitely changed our perspective and the Telecaster, which is new for me. I never
overall feeling of starting the record. The recorded a Tele on a Gov’t Mule song other
songs that had political connotations—and than one little overdub on [Mule’s 1998
there are only a few, like “Stone Cold album] Dose. This was the first time I made
Rage”—had already been written. It just a Telecaster my main guitar for a song, and I
made us look at them differently. When wound up using it for three songs.
you look back at the lyrical content, it’s just Because I started singing before I started
“It’s the most
an observation that no matter who wins, playing guitar, I’ve always been drawn diverse record
approximately half the people in American back, I realize most of the up-tempo toward guitar players who also sing or we’ve ever
will be pissed off about it. And it’s really songs start with music, and most of the sound like they’re singing through their made,” says
more about the divide and the anger and mid-tempo and down-tempo songs start instruments. I love that vocal quality. Most Haynes of the
band’s 10th
the intensity that’s going on right now, with the lyrics. of my favorite players, whether it’s guitar or studio album.
which is more than at any time in my adult “Stone Cold Rage” started with that any instrument, have that way of sounding “The chemistry
life. There’s a tongue-in-cheek aspect to it, guitar riff in the very front. That’s the like a singer. It goes back to gospel-blues is really ‘live’
but the music has an intensity that goes first thing I wrote. I had other little phrasing and where you put the breath. in the way the
along with the message. pieces here and there, and Danny wrote four of us play
But it also transfers over to jazz and any
together.”
the instrumental section. He’d been sort of music where the punctuation is
Did you arrange the song to match playing that part in a different context, very important—how short or long the
the lyrics or did the music suggest the and I thought it would fit great in the lines are. Phrasing is such a tricky thing.
message? What usually comes first? middle of this song. We often do that—a We don’t think of it this way, but a lot of
Through the years, more of my songs riff winds up somewhere other than instrumental phrasing comes from singers,
have started with the lyrics, as opposed where we originally thought. and singers have to take a breath. Where
to a musical hook. But in the last five or you take that breath is very important.
Photo by Anna Webber
six years, I’ve been making myself do the The guitar has a vocal quality, but then
opposite—concentrate on writing music you’re also a singer. How does your role The music has such a live feel to it.
first and lyrics later—just so I don’t get as a singer factor into your thinking in Did you all record together in the
stuck in a pattern. Also, when I look terms of guitar parts and tone? same room?

I’ve always been drawn toward guitar players who also sing or sound like
they’re singing through their instruments. I love that vocal quality.”
Our normal recording process is to have with optional 6550 power tubes], which knobs down on my guitar. On “Revolution
everybody together in the same room replaced my old Cesar Diaz. Homestead is a Come, Revolution Go,” I’m playing an SG
looking at each other, and the majority of continuation of Diaz—it’s the same people. with both pickups on, and one of the tone
everything that winds up in the mix is live That’s my cleaner sound, which is not clean, controls is almost all the way down.
performance. Occasionally, we’ll overdub but dirtied up like a really loud Fender. In
something. Since we’re talking about the second spot, what I call the “big head” Does having the small amp in the
“Stone Cold Rage,” Danny played organ position, I run either my Soldano SLO- room help you get the touch you want
on the track and overdubbed clavinet, 100—which has been drastically modified on the guitar?
but sometimes, he’ll actually play two by Mike Soldano—or one of my Marshalls. Absolutely. Even if you have a 100-watt
keyboards at once if it feels like the right And then I always use a small amp of some amp turned up super loud, if you’re in
thing. I played the middle guitar solo live sort. Recently, I’ve been using an Alessandro another room with headphones, you’re not
on the take. Most of my guitar solos wind recording amp, which only has a volume getting what it does when you’re standing
up being recorded live with the band. But and tone control. I usually have it blended in next to it. So this helps recreate that
the solo during the outro is an overdub with any other amps I’m using. Occasionally, without all the leakage problems.
because at the time I didn’t realize the song I’ll even use it by itself, but most of the I’m not a fan of recording with
would need another solo at the end. sounds are the Homestead or the Soldano headphones, so having something I can feel
with the Alessandro—or all three. and hear near me makes a big difference.
Aren’t you ever tempted to go with I’ve done the last few records with a small
the layered overdub approach? Do you use the same configuration live? amp. Before I started using the Alessandro,
I keep going into each new record Live, it’s the two big heads, but I never it was a Fender Pro Junior. I would even set
thinking I want to do more overdubs, use them at the same time. I haven’t it at my feet like a monitor. That way I can
so I can experiment more. But I always yet used the small amp live, but I may get feedback if I need it, and it feels more
wind up keeping the performances I because it’s such a cool sound. I know like a live performance.
track with the band because the interplay Stevie Ray Vaughan used to have an amp
is better. It’s a special conversational in the truck or downstairs in another Do you go into the studio with clear
call-and-response among all of us. That’s room that was being miked, but so far I ideas about the guitar sounds or do you
more important to me than whether or haven’t gone there. experiment once you’re in there?
not I played my best solo. Usually, we think about what worked on
Plus, this is something I learned from Are all the amps isolated from the last record and use that as a place to
[legendary producer] Tom Dowd a long one another? start. And of course, Gordie Johnson,
time ago. I was fortunate enough to I had the Alessandro right by me so I could whom I’ve worked with a lot, is really
make four studio records and two live feel it. It’s almost like a little monitor. It’s great in that department. We did five
records with Tom. He said when the in the room, but it’s not loud enough to days of pre-production with Gordie, and
band sounds the best, you play your worry about bleeding into the drum mics, I’d rely on him for input. While I was
best solo. I once asked him, “Is it a and there’s a gobo between it and the concentrating more on the arrangements,
coincidence that all my best solos are on drums. The two 4x12 cabinets, which are he’d be listening for what guitar and amp
the takes you wind up keeping?” And he being driven by the 100-watt heads, are in combinations worked, and he kept a log.
said, “Have you ever thought that maybe a separate room, next to each other, but
it’s the other way around?” The best with a little separation. Because they were When you’re recording live as a band, do
takes inspire you to play the best. in a big room, we could use both close and you need a lot of takes to get the keeper?
distance mics for the big amps. It gives us a On “Stone Cold Rage,” we did maybe
When you’re recording live in the lot of possible combinations. five takes because the song was new and
studio, how do you make the tonal it kept changing. I think we used a lot of
transitions from rhythm to lead? On many solos, your overdrive has a the first take. Typically, the arrangement
All my effects run through a Bob Bradshaw rich vocal quality. Is that all from the will be different from take to take. With
switching system, so they’re bypassed when amps or are you using pedals? some songs, we might go back and say
I’m not using them. It’s set up so I can use It’s usually from the amp. The Homestead “the intro up to the bridge was great on
three different amps, all simultaneously or has a midrange boost, and sometimes I’ll this take, but the solo’s better on the
separately. In this case, I had a Homestead use that to get the sound you’re talking other take” and then put them together.
red head amp [a 100-watt head stocked about. But sometimes I just turn the tone We have no aversion to doing that.
premierguitar.com
“If I write a song
with a rhythm Instruments of the Revolution
guitar part that I
think is cool but For Revolution Come…Revolution Go, Warren Haynes reached deep into his guitar collection to take his playing
can’t play and in different directions. After our interview, he shared the following rundown on the guitars he used for each song.
sing at the same
Here, in his words, are notes about where these guitars appear and how he used them.
time, I usually
try to modify the
guitar part in a • “STONE COLD RAGE” Telecaster overdubs. The Les Paul went through a
way that allows Fender Telecaster, tuned down. The middle solo was Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere for the rhythm tracks
me to sing,”
says Haynes. “If
recorded live and the end solo was overdubbed. and the Tele handled the solos.
you can’t sing
it and play it, • “DRAWN THAT WAY” • “DREAMS & SONGS”
it’s probably Telecaster and ’59 Gibson Les Paul. All solos are live. Gibson Dead Bird with a live solo.
interfering with
The song was assembled from two pieces—I cut the
the vocal.”
main body with the Tele and the outro with the ’59 • “SARAH, SURRENDER”
Les Paul. Fender Stratocaster with overdubbed solos played
on a 1958 Gretsch.
• “PRESSURE UNDER FIRE”
Gibson SG with Dead Bird overdub. [Editor’s note: • “REVOLUTION COME, REVOLUTION GO”
The Dead Bird is a custom Firebird with dual mini SG (tuned down) and Telecaster. I overdubbed the
humbuckers that Gibson built for Haynes to play on Blue Box solo (4:06-4:50) with the Tele. All other
the 2009 Dead tour, at the suggestion of the late solos are live and played on the SG.
Brian Farmer, Haynes’ longtime tech.] The solo was
recorded live with the SG. The Dead Bird was used • “BURNING POINT”
for an overdubbed rhythm part. Firebird, played live with the band. Jimmie
Vaughan’s parts were overdubbed.
• “THE MAN I WANT TO BE”
Blonde Gibson ES-335. All parts were recorded live. • “EASY TIMES”
Blonde ES-335 and Dead Bird. The solos were
• “TRAVELING TUNE” recorded live with the 335; the Dead Bird handled
Blonde ES-335 and ’59 Les Paul. The 335 was used an overdubbed rhythm part.
for the main track, and the solo and harmonies were
Photo by Jay Blakesberg
overdubbed with the Les Paul. • “DARK WAS THE NIGHT,

COLD WAS THE GROUND”
• “THORNS OF LIFE” 12-string Les Paul with a ’59 Les Paul for
12-string Gibson Firebird with Les Paul and overdubbed solos.
premierguitar.com
The song “Sarah, Surrender” is quite a So I played a little bit of the intro, sang, and Another contrast to the album’s main
contrast sonically and emotionally to came back for certain sections. The organ vibe is “Dreams & Songs.” What was the
everything else on the record. How did was really driving the song. When it was emotional point of departure on that one?
it evolve? done, I wanted to get a jazzy sound, so I I wrote that song in Europe and I was at a
It was the only song that was not recorded overdubbed the solo using a 1958 Gretsch really weird place emotionally. I’d found out
in Austin [at Arlyn Studios]. I wrote it after hollowbody jazz guitar that was a recent gift. I needed to have my gall bladder removed.
we were finished with the Austin sessions. So I got off the plane and went into the
We were all together in New York for the You’re celebrated for your lead work, hospital. Although I wound up forgoing
Beacon [Theater] shows, so I said, “Let’s go but your rhythm playing is equally the surgery until I got home, it meant a day
find a studio and see what happens.” important to the band’s sound. How do of absolute misery and then having to eat
We set up, figured out the arrangement, you approach those parts? the blandest of bland food for the rest of
learned it, got sounds, recorded it, added It’s mostly based off what feels good the trip until I could get back and have the
the background singers and percussion— while I’m singing. If I write a song with operation. I knew it was an easy procedure
all over the course of one long day. I was a rhythm guitar part that I think is cool and I’d feel better after it was over, but I was
concentrating on singing, so I could drive but can’t play and sing at the same time, in pain and I had not slept. I found myself
the band with the vocal. The first thing that I usually try to modify the guitar part writing, and “Dreams & Songs” was one
happened was Matt changed his original in a way that allows me to sing. In the of the pieces that came out of that. It’s a
drum pattern and started playing this long run, that’s usually better because if very reflective song written at an extremely
Al Green kind of thing. And that made you can’t sing it and play it, it’s probably emotional period.
me sing differently, which made what interfering with the vocal anyway. But It’s all positive now, because when I
everyone was playing change, too. Since I that’s not always the case. In bands that I went back and looked at the lyric in the
was concentrating on singing, I played less love, there’s often really cool rhythm guitar light of day—the part at the end about my
guitar. And I realized that the beginning of playing behind the singer that couldn’t son and about the future—it just all felt
the song and the second verse sounded really coexist in one person—Jimi Hendrix being complete and organic. I wasn’t sure whether
cool with just bass and drums and vocals. the rare exception. I love that, too. to save it for my next solo record or if it
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With Gov’t Mule,
we want each record
to go some places we
haven’t gone before.”
Photo by Jordi Vidal
premierguitar.com
would be something for Gov’t Mule to interpret. You’ve done so much as a player, mental notes that I want to branch Opposite page:
When I showed it to the band, they were excited writer, producer, and singer. So out and go a little further in different Haynes loves
Gibson electric
about putting their stamp on it. And then when how do you go further at this stage directions. Sometimes that will be 12-strings. On
[producer] Don Was got involved, he pulled a cool, of your career, both in terms of coupled with experimenting with the new album,
emotional take out of us—which, incidentally, was your guitar technique and your different sounds. The sounds I use he played
the first take. mental approach? in Gov’t Mule and that I used in the both this Les
Paul 12-string
Everybody looks at it differently. Allman Brothers were sounds I’d road-
and a Firebird
What’s it like working with him? I think there’s a lot more music I tested for years. They’re part of my 12-string.
Don sits in the room with the band with haven’t touched on—whether it’s my voice and I’m very happy with them,
headphones on, and he looks at us while we’re own playing or the chord progressions but occasionally I think it’s nice to
recording. We recorded two songs with him. The or melodic harmonies. So I’ll make plug a different guitar into a different
first was “Pressure Under Fire.” After we played take
four, he said, “That sounds like a record.” Then we
went in and listened to it, and we all loved how it
sounded. And after take one of “Dreams & Songs,”
he said, “That sounds like a record.” And we
listened and went, “Wow, it’s really good!” Matt’s
performance, Danny’s performance—everything
just had the emotional connection to the song that
it needed. So I was really glad we decided to make
it a Gov’t Mule song.
Every Gov’t Mule album has about 70 percent
songs that were obviously written for Gov’t Mule,
and another 20 to 30 percent of songs that could
have gone on one of my solo records, but wound up
being interpreted by Gov’t Mule. That’s a balance we
like—it makes our records more diverse.
When you’re producing, is it hard for you to let

go of a song and declare it done?
I’m pretty good about closing the book and
knowing that I’m happy with a song. That doesn’t
mean I’m happy with every inch of a record—that’s
definitely not the case—but I can usually tell when
it’s final. But even then, it’s going to change over
the next six months of playing it live. The real
rarity, which we all hate, is when six months later
you start looking at a song completely differently
and it’s better than what you did in the studio. But
that’s just part of it. It’s probably true of every rock
’n’ roll record ever made.
Do you do a lot of preproduction or do you write

in the studio?
There are several songs on every Mule record that
are written, arranged, and recorded all in the studio.
And they usually turn out great. It’s nice to go in
armed with a lot of songs and then open yourself
up to the possibility of adding to them when you
get there. It would be great to spend tons of time
and money in the studio just trying everything over
months at a time, but that’s an impossibility, so we
have to be prepared when we get there. But I would
say we’re less prepared than the average band [laughs].

amp and just see what happens. That will records, and that’s why I love doing all these to be around great musicians while playing
usually influence me to play differently. different projects that are coming from a live, that shapes your playing better than
With Gov’t Mule, we want each record different direction. As a musician, it’s just hundreds of hours of practice. I had the
to go some places we haven’t gone before. fun to push yourself in different ways and opportunity to be in Dickey Betts’ band
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Like use different parts of all the music you for three years before joining the Allman
when we made the decision to record loved and listened to. Brothers. And having the same opportunity
“Traveling Tune,” which was the second- with Phil Lesh and the guys with the
to-last song I wrote for the album. Are you still finding new influences? Grateful Dead, getting to study the music
That and “Sarah, Surrender” were both There are so many old influences, you from an inside perspective, is incredibly
completely different than anything Gov’t could never discover them all, and even valuable. And that’s what I was saying about
Mule has ever done. “Traveling Tune” was with all the really great ones, you can Scofield. It’s not just about riding the bus
much more melodic and country, and never learn everything from them. I’m every night and listening to music together,
we’d never really gone there. influenced by whatever makes its way but being onstage and trading eights and
When I got the opportunity to join into our world. As an example, I’ve always hearing how he approaches everything,
the Allman Brothers, it forced me to been a fan of John Scofield, but having which is completely different from the way
concentrate on that part of my influences the opportunity to play with him on a I approach everything. I’m deeply grateful
more than I would have otherwise. nightly basis, and hear the way his brain to have had dozens of those opportunities.
That’s a good thing: I had this wonderful works standing four feet away from me, It’s probably done more for my playing
opportunity to be part of one of my was a bigger influence than having listened than anything else.
favorite bands. But it made me look at my for hundreds of hours to his records.
own playing differently, shape it differently, Allen Woody and I used to say one It’s like being a continuous student.
and critique it differently. And so there performance is equal to 10 rehearsals. You have to maintain that or you’re going
are situations where I want to go into a When you get onstage in front of an to plateau. I’ve always looked at it like this:
completely different bag. That’s why Gov’t audience and you do something wrong, If you’re a musician, you’re going to be a
Mule was formed, that’s why I do solo you never forget it. If you’re lucky enough student for life.
INSTANT
gratification strymon.net/sunset
premierguitar.com
TONE TIPS
Is Political Correctness Neutering the Guitar?

BY PETER THORN
A
Simplicity recent comment on one of my tones in rock ’n’ roll by using a
is king, as YouTube videos really got homemade guitar, a treble booster, and a
evidenced me thinking. The video I’d Vox AC30 amp. That AC30? The volume
from PG’s Rig
Rundown with
produced was about how to, in my was dimed, as in on 10. Then a few years
Queen’s Brian opinion, use an Ibanez Tube Screamer later comes Edward Van Halen, whose
May: AC30s “correctly.” Anything goes in music and playing and tone absolutely set the world
with volumes art, of course, but a Tube Screamer tends of guitar on fire. His tools of choice? A
dimed equals
to shine when you crank up an amp, get homemade guitar, a few simple pedals,
legendary tone.
it cooking a bit, and then hit the amp and a Marshall plexi. And you guessed
hard with the pedal’s output cranked and it (if you’re seeing the pattern here).
the gain and tone fairly low. This creates a Everything was cranked up to 10.
great blend of amp drive and mid-forward Trends in gear and music. There have
pedal clean boost with some overdrive. been more than a few recent articles about
The aforementioned viewer, however, the decline of the guitar in popular music,
feels differently: “If you’re going to jam in and how rock ’n’ roll isn’t the cultural force technique. Assaulting listeners with a
a band, you have to adjust your volume to it once was. Yet we live in an unprecedented deafening tone is never a good idea. But
blend well with the rest of the instruments. era when it comes to guitar equipment! developing and honing your musical skills
You can’t just increase your amp volume to Every day it seems I hear about the release in conjunction with a bold, unique sound
a certain level just to get the tone you want of a new effect pedal, guitar, plug-in, or is a recipe for guitar greatness. I encourage
out of a pedal. Why not just change the amplifier. The equipment is there and you to find your voice on the instrument
sound of the amp (crank up the gain instead just waiting for us guitarists to use it. and to never be afraid of experimenting
of the volume on a Marshall JCM2000, Maybe what’s missing is that boldness that with the tools available to you.
for example)?” This month, I’m going to guitarists like Jimi, Brian, and Eddie had. Having said that, I’ve written plenty
discuss why I think this line of thinking is In a world of bare stages, in-ear monitors, about “keeping it simple.” It’s crucial
a slippery slope. and digital modelers mimicking the raw to balance experimentation while not
Experimentation is key. Let’s go back to tube-amp tones of yore, is it possible that getting overwhelmed chasing the latest
the birth of rock guitar for a minute, when the guitar has been neutered to the point of and greatest gear. What’s important is
experimentation was the key to innovation. being on par with [gulp] synthesizers? to develop a style in combination with
In the relatively short span from the mid The future. This is food for thought a unique, expressive tone. When your
1950s to the late 1960s, we went from the for young up-and-coming guitarists, but parents are out, crank that amp. Mess
first solidbody electric guitars and small I’m not advocating for sheer volume just with your pedals and use the knobs and
combo amps to Jimi Hendrix with fuzz for volume’s sake. I’ll use the band Gov’t the pickup switch on your guitar. See
pedals and a wah pumped through a wall of Mule, who I’ve had the good fortune what happens! And then go use your bold
very loud Marshall stacks. of jamming with on a few occasions, as tones within a band context. Think of
To some extent, I feel we take an example. Warren Haynes uses 100- players like Jimi, Brian May, EVH, Tom
the music that resulted from Jimi’s watt Soldano amps, and their bassist, Morello, and Matt Bellamy. Talent that’s
experimentation and sheer boldness for Jorgen Carlsson, uses both an SVT and a coupled with experimentation, boldness,
granted now. But Jimi could not have Category 5 Marshall Major-style 200-watt originality, and hard work is what it takes
made the music he made without the amp at the same time. There are two Leslie to become a player that makes the kind
tools he chose and, most importantly, the cabs onstage—one on either side—for of musical impact these guys did. Who
way he chose to use them. That primal, the Hammond organ. And yet, because knows? You could be next.
visceral tone of his created a figurative they play so dynamically, their stage sound Until next month, I wish you good
and literal feedback loop, allowing Jimi to is extremely controlled, but positively tone!
take the guitar to places no one had ever explosive when they want it to be. This
imagined possible. Imagine if someone allows the band to take their audience on a PETER THORN
is an L.A.-based guitarist who has
had insisted that Jimi “turn down.” Even sonic journey by using their powerful gear toured with Chris Cornell, Melissa
scarier, imagine if he’d listened. and tones as a conduit for expression. Etheridge, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, and
many others. He released a solo
The era of bold. After Jimi came The guitarists I’ve mentioned share album, Guitar Nerd, in 2011. Read
players like Brian May. Brian developed some important traits. They play/played more at peterthorn.com.
one of the most unique and expressive dynamically with flawless musicality and
premierguitar.com
Zac Brown
and Collings Guitars
Zac Brown with his Collings I-35 LC
Serious Guitars | www.collingsguitars.com

Ice-T sidemen Ernie C and Juan Garcia rap about the cold-steel
riffs and slamming grooves on Body Count’s brutal new LP.
BY ADAM PERLMUTTER

TIDBIT
Although Body
Count’s early
albums were
cut live in the
studio, Bloodlust
I
and 2014’s
t’s been 25 years since rapper Ice-T’s Manslaughter
band Body Count released “Cop were crafted with
Killer.” This topical protest song— producer Will
Putney using a
probably more controversial than any more layered, step-
single before it—drew fierce criticism by-step approach.
from law-enforcement agencies and
politicians, including then-President
George H. W. Bush. Things got so
intense that, after receiving death threats,
the band scrapped the song from its
eponymous 1992 debut.
With that song and the album,
Ice-T and his crew had arrived at an
interesting intersection of hip-hop and
rock, combining thrash and metal guitars
with spoken and sung lyrics—and more
than a little rage. In an ironic twist,
in 2000 Ice-T began playing a police
officer, Detective Fin Tutuola, on NBC’s
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But
through half a dozen albums and the
deaths of three of Body Count’s founding
members, the band’s formula remains
largely intact—anger and all.
The 2016 U.S. general election gave
Body Count plenty of fodder for this
year’s Bloodlust, the follow-up to 2014’s
Manslaughter. Beneath Ice-T’s sharp and
profanity-laden musings on the state of
things, original guitarist Ernie C (Ernie the ’70s. [Editor’s note: Coffey was also a band called Agent Steel, also on Combat
Cunnigan) and his more recent co-guitarist, member of the famed Funk Brothers—the records. We released two albums, Skeptics
Juan Garcia, lay down plenty of gnarly Motown record label’s house band.] When Apocalypse [1985] and Unstoppable
riffs and shredding solos. There are also I came to L.A. as a teenager, I bought Force [1987], and then got coined “Iron
high-profile cameos by metal masters such a Teisco Del Rey and I’ve been playing Maiden on Speed.”
as Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, Lamb of ever since. I ended up playing rock ’n’
God leader Randy Blythe, and Sepultura roll just by default—R&B did not have When did you first meet Ice-T?
co-founder and guitarist Max Cavalera. enough guitar pyrotechnics in it for me. Cunnigan: In the ’70s, early, when I was
Just before the album dropped, PG I wanted to play solos, so I ended up just a teenager, and we’ve been friends ever
talked with Cunnigan and Garcia about playing rock ’n’ roll. since. The original band … you know,
how they came to work with Ice-T, about Juan Garcia: I grew up here in the Los three members have passed over the years,
Body Count’s working methods, and, of Angeles area, in a town called Alhambra, but we all knew each other from high
course, about their axes. which is near Pasadena and not too far school, so that’s how the band started. I
from Hollywood—where all the clubs always say I’ve known him so long I don’t
You’re not exactly typical metal guitarists. were. Back in the day, I used to play remember meeting him. He was part of
What brought you to this music? at clubs like the Troubadour. One of one clique of people, I was part of one
Ernie Cunnigan: Well, I’m a progeny of my first professional bands was called clique of people, and we all just mixed
’60s and ’70s music. My early childhood Abattoir. We released an album called together. I just remember always being
was in Detroit, and I started out Vicious Attack [1985]. It came out on around each other. We were just mashed
listening to the Isley Brothers and things a label from Jamaica, New York, called together and we became friends.
like that, and then Led Zeppelin and so Combat Records. It’s the same label Garcia: I was friends with [the late]
forth. The first time I ever got exposed that signed Megadeth, and they also D-Roc, the guitar player who used to
to a guitar player was Dennis Coffey. distributed Exodus, Nuclear Assault, wear the hockey mask in the band, and
He had the Detroit Guitar Band, and and those kinds of thrash bands back in Ernie as well. I was playing in a band
they had a hit called “Scorpio” back in the day. I left Abattoir and launched a called Evil Dead at the time, and we used
premierguitar.com
Juan Garcia (left)
and Ernie C bring
the 6-string snarl to
Body Count’s brass-
knuckled sound.
Both use Schecter
guitars. Ernie’s Jeff
Loomis model is
modded for left-
handed play and
has a single active
EMG bridge pickup.
Juan rips into
a Diamond
series V-1.
Photo by Hristo Shindov
premierguitar.com
to rehearse over in North Hollywood, so I kind Garcia: Ernie is a founding member Working with Ernie is real smooth.
of became friends with them before I met Ice. of the band, so the way I approach We just kick around ideas and jam
Ice was already busy doing other stuff. I was a it is he usually comes in with some to determine who plays what. Our
fan of the band when the first album dropped, ideas, and I have my ideas, and we styles are a little different, but at the
so we kind of became mutual friends, and that kind of just bounce them back and same time they’re similar, because it’s
was way back in the early ’90s. forth. If my stuff fits to what he has all heavy metal in Body Count.
going on, then it works. There are a
Ernie, what’s it like to work with a guy like lot of other contributing musicians, How are your styles different?
Ice, who’s so high profile and has had such too. Ice brings a lot of ideas, and Garcia: I’m more influenced by
diverse projects? Vincent Price, the bass player, and guitar players like Michael Schenker
Cunnigan: You know, it’s interesting. I write even our drummer, Will Dorsey. and Adrian Smith and Dave Murray,
with Ice. I’ve produced other bands and things
like that, but he’s my number-one writing
partner. I always say he makes my playing
digestible. If you get a guitar player writing
a record, it might be all over the place—you
know, just notes all over the place—but Ice
listens to the bigger picture. He breaks it
THE
down to terms everyone can relate to, so that’s
been good for me. There are songs that we’ve
written that I wouldn’t have written by myself,
LOGICAL
because I’d think I’d need more notes in them,
and he’s like, “Just keep it simple.” Sometimes
you need someone to slow you down a bit.
If you get a guitar player EVOLUTION

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writing a record, it might be
all over the place—you know,
just notes all over the place—
but Ice listens to the bigger
picture. He breaks it down to
TECHNOLOGY
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always wanted—to be a part of a band that had HEAR THE LIGHT for yourself.
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Playing with these guys—seasoned musicians, a
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What’s your division of labor when it comes

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Street survivors: and the Judas Priest guys, so I usually
Body Count’s have things more worked out. Ernie is I like the Schecters just because they seem
OGs, Ernie C and
Ice-T. The band’s more freeform—but his stuff is very designed for the kind of metal we play. They’re real
first drummer, melodic as well. He has a really cool solo
Beatmaster on a song from the new album called simple and they’re durable. They’re nice enough
V, died from
leukemia in
“God, Please Believe Me.” I would also to take out and they look good, but they’re not like
say that Ernie shreds more than me. I
1996. Founding
rhythm guitarist don’t consider myself a shredding guitar taking your ’59 Les Paul on the road.” —Ernie C
D-Roc the player. I’m more of a rhythm lead player.
Executioner I’ve always been in a band with two Will Putney. He’s been our producer for to play with Prong. It was really cool,
was stricken guitar players, and I like it that way. the last few records, and he’s done a great because people would submit some ideas,
with lymphoma
and died in job. He’s a guitar player, so he understands and we would work off them and turn
2004. And What was the writing process for the music really well, knows which riffs them into Body Count ideas. Some of
original bassist Bloodlust like? will work and which riffs won’t. I produce the riffs were perfect the way they were,
Mooseman was Cunnigan: Well, it’s real simple. The records myself, so I understand the and we kind of added our own stuff
shot to death
band stays together in one house. We rent importance of just focusing on playing the around them. These contributions made
in 2001.
a rehearsal studio, get there at 10 in the guitar and having someone else help shape the record really special.
morning, and just riff all day long. We the album. Doc Coyle from God Forbid
write parts down, record them roughly, Garcia: We also used some outside contributed some riffs. Max Cavalera
and we listen to them at night and go writers—like Billy Graziadei from [Sepultura, De La Tierra] co-wrote a
back the next morning to fine-tune things. Biohazard and Monte Pittman, who’s a song called “All Love Is Lost” with us,
Then we give everything in the raw to guitarist for Madonna and who also used and there’s a song called “Walk with Me,”
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which features Randy Blythe from Lamb Sometimes Ice will come in and be like, Cunnigan: I used a 5150 amp, the EVH.
of God on two verses. “That sucks,” and basically we have to I’ve been using Schecters for the past seven
rearrange some things to fit the vocals years or so, and on the record I used a Jeff
How did the collaborative process work? or his vision of how the song should go. Loomis model that we modified so that I
Garcia: Max Cavalera, for example, lives It makes for a really interesting way of can play it left-handed. I like the Schecters
in Phoenix, so he just popped in on us working, and that makes Body Count just because they seem like they’re designed
while we were rehearsing and writing. He Body Count. You have to leave your ego at for the kind of metal we play. They’re real
brought a CD with three or four song the door making this kind of record. simple and they’re durable. They’re nice
ideas on it, and we just took one of the enough to take out and they look good,
riffs that we thought we could work with. You worked with Dave Mustaine on the but they’re not like taking your ’59 Les
Other guys, like Doc and Monte, emailed opening track, “Civil War.” Was he in Paul on the road—you know what I mean?
us MP3 files and we learned what they the studio with you? Garcia: I’m currently playing a Schecter
played. We borrowed the riffs and made Cunnigan: No. We sent him the Diamond Series Flying V and it’s got
them groove more like Body Count. basic track, and he sent it back to us EMG 81 pickups, which are active. I’ve
completed. He did a great job on it. also been using the EVH 5150 III, the
How was the album recorded? We’ve known Dave for a long time, and 100-watt head, since 2014. We first used
Cunnigan: In the early days, we used to we’ve been trying to get together with them on a Mayhem festival and loved the
record with everybody in the room and him in some form. This is what worked amps. They sound really good both live
just go for it, almost like a live record. best. I played guitar solos on it also, and in the studio.
But now, first Will lays down all the during the choruses, so I finally get to
drum parts, and then Vincent goes in and say that I played on a record with Dave In addition to Dave Mustaine’s
lays down all the bass parts. Then we lay Mustaine. [Laughs.] shredding, there are some killer solos
down all those rhythm guitars. on the record. Who plays what?
Garcia: While we’re doing that, Ice is How did you get such pulverizing Cunnigan: I do a big solo on “Raining
also writing lyrics and singing his parts. guitar tones? in Blood,” our Slayer cover. “God, Please
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Believe Me” is a good one, as is “This Cunnigan: Something that has a happen. There’s also a song called “No
Is Why We Ride.” There aren’t all that beginning, a middle, and an end. It starts Lives Matter.” It obviously started from
many solos on the album, though. off slow and it builds up and gets a little the Black Lives Matter movement, but
We tried to make a record that’s more speed in it, and then it ends on something we moved it into just the economics of
rhythmic this time out. The guitar solos that makes you say, “Wow, that was a everything that makes people … you
are well placed. I’m not just putting great solo.” It has to have a journey. It’s know, it’s all about hate and racism and
a guitar solo on there just to put on a not about staying in the same place. things like that.
guitar solo. Garcia: Way back in the beginning,
Garcia: I play on the title track, The record is quite socially conscious, “Cop Killer” was—of course—about
“Bloodlust.” Basically, I did this real and a bit angry. police brutality. Here we are in 2017,
simple melodic minor scale on the solo Cunnigan: The biggest theme of the and that song is just as relevant as it
section. Will Putney liked it so much that record is social injustice. There’s a song was then. I think that, with the new
he reused it in some of the verses, which about a drive-by [shooting], “This is president and everything, it seems like
kind of surprised me. Why We Ride.” We break it down to things are a little … Nobody knows
Ernie and I initially traded solos on what caused the drive-by—what makes what direction America’s gonna go
“Civil War,” but Dave Mustaine hopped these people get into a car and want to go in. The album makes a big statement
on the song later on and just went wild. shoot someone else? We break it down, about what’s happening in America
His soloing replaced mine. I’ve been to get people to understand why things right now.
friends with Dave since the early days, so
I was okay with that. It was like, “take my YOUTUBE IT
solo out—I’ll save it for another song!” I Ernie C and Juan Garcia churn up a firestorm as Ice-T turns the
don’t have an ego about it. It’s all good. crowd into an expletive-singing chorus on the song that launched
the controversy.
YouTube search term: Body Count feat. Ice-T - Cop Killer
Speaking of solos, what would you say (Live @ Pinkpop 2015)
makes a great one?
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“THE JOB
IS TOTAL
HONESTY”
Ani DiFranco rocks
out but sticks to the
folksinger’s creed with
the honest, heartfelt
performances on her
new album, Binary.
Her tools: smart lyrics,
a fleet of worn acoustic
guitars, a unique
picking approach, and
50 open tunings.
BY ADRIANNE SERNA
“I
speak without reservation a devoted following of hundreds of Onstage, DiFranco is a force to
from what I know and who thousands of fans, all while refusing be reckoned with. Exuding charisma,
I am,” wrote 19-year old Ani a growing number of offers from she is an animated, give-it-your-all
DiFranco in the liner notes of her record labels. Staying non-corporate performer. Cracking jokes between
debut album, released in 1990. “I do and independent was a much bigger songs, flashing her joyful, wide-eyed
so with the understanding that all priority to her than fame and fortune, grin, and talking to her audience
people should have the right to offer and as DiFranco boldly blazed her own as if they’re old friends, DiFranco
their voice to the chorus, whether the path, she inspired legions of artists to remains a true folksinger in spirit, even
result is harmony or dissonance. . . . follow in her do-it-yourself footsteps. though her music spans many genres,
Should any part of my music offend Today, DiFranco remains including pop, rock, jazz, funk, blues,
you, please do not close your ears to it. independent, outspoken, and prolific— hip hop, and spoken word.
Just take what you can use and go on.” not just as a songwriter, but as a PG recently sat down with
Spending most of the ’90s on the guitarist. Using 50 different tunings, DiFranco on a sunny afternoon in
road—often playing more than 200 all discovered by ear, she fingerpicks, New Orleans, where she lives with
shows per year—DiFranco went on to slaps, taps, pulls, plucks, and strums her husband, engineer/producer Mike
defy every music industry norm of the to accompany her silky voice, which is Napolitano, and their two young
times. This was the pre-web era, when sometimes like a whisper in your ear, children. With her favorite guitars
building a sustainable music career and at other times like an 18-wheeler and songwriting journal by her side,
Photo by GMD Three
without the backing of a major label hurtling past. Her lyrics, which are we talked about Binary—her 19th
was almost impossible. But armed thick with metaphors and eclectic studio album on her own Righteous
with her acoustic guitar and a die-hard turns-of-phrase, run the gamut from Babe Records—songwriting, and all
work ethic, DiFranco slowly gained deeply personal to overtly political. things guitar.

Recently What is special to you about Binary?
DiFranco Well, first and foremost, the crew. Lucky
began playing
for me, I’ve been in this game long
vintage guitars
onstage—mostly enough and I’ve met some amazing
Gibsons— people. My core band, Todd [Sickafoose,
“because you bass] and Terence [Higgins, drums],
can have a are just super uplifting musical souls.
conversation on
a level that you
It’s very much an expression that we
can’t necessarily make together—we interpret the songs
have with a together. And Jenny Scheinman [violin]
guitar that and Ivan Neville [organ, clavinet, bass,
doesn’t have a
piano, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer] are both
soul yet.”
amazing musicians. I’ve had the pleasure
of playing with them more over the last
few years, and so I roped the two of them
into the core of this record, too.
How much did you instruct what the

other musicians contributed?
I think when I was younger I hadn’t yet
learned that for someone you’re working
with to try and be in the moment, while
TIDBIT also trying to do that thing you told them
DiFranco’s 19th you wanted to hear, is a conflict. So I’ve
studio album
was recorded by
come to a place in my life where I just
her producer and want to work with people who bring it,
husband Mike and I don’t want to say a thing. I have
Napolitano and
mixed by Tchad that kind of relationship with everyone
Blake. Guests on this record. Then, of course, Mike
include R&B horn
giant Maceo Parker,
[Napolitano] recorded it and Tchad Blake
Bon Iver’s Justin mixed it—just all these people who could
Vernon, and not be better at what they do. So it makes
Bowie bassist
Gail Ann Dorsey. delegating excruciatingly easy.
I see that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver

contributed vocals to your song “Zizzing.”
How did that collaboration come about?
We know each other from working
together on [singer-songwriter] Anaïs
Mitchell’s folk opera called Hadestown. I
wanted a chorale thing, meaning voices
that were not just singing backup. I do
that a lot with my bullet mic and I was something about the sound of an old
just like, “Enough of me and my bullet telephone. But my near and dear, like
mic!” So I called Justin. I love his sound. Mike and Todd, they give me shit.
They’re like, “Put down the phone, Ani!”
Can you describe your bullet mic? Is [Laughs.] But I swear I’d record all my me. [The late
that how you get your telephone-voice vocals through it if they would let me. musician was DiFranco’s childhood
sound on your albums? guitar teacher and made one album for her
Yeah. It’s actually an old rotary phone Did you use any new guitars or new label.] It was his last guitar. We call it the
Photo by Richard Herron
handset my friend Scott put a 1/4" jack gear on this record? “GibsMart.” It’s a Gibson guitar with a
on instead of the phone cord. It’s super Well, not new per se. The guitar that I Martin top, because it got stepped on. So
cool. It’s the sound of all of my records. mainly record with these days is the guitar it’s like a cyborg guitar, but it just—you
It’s my backup singers. And there’s just that my mentor, Michael Meldrum, gave play it, and it’s just like, yeah.
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since 1960
ANI DIFRANCO’S GEAR
Over a career
spanning nearly
four decades, GUITARS
DiFranco has
built a large, • 2 Alvarez-Yairi WY1 Bob Weir
loyal fan base. signature acoustics with
Her advice Alvarez System 500 preamps
to singer- • Alvarez MSD1 short-scale dreadnought
songwriters
hoping to do • Alvarez custom baritone
the same? “Lift • 1930s Gibson-made Cromwell tenor
every veil that guitar with Fishman archtop pickup
you have—the • Vintage Epiphone Zenith tenor guitar
ones you know
you have and • 1960s blonde Gibson LG
then the ones (“The Piss Gibson”)
you don’t know • The “GibsMart” (studio)
you have. Just
drop them all
and be naked.” AMPS
• 1960s Magnatone Twilighter
260 2x12 combo
• Rivera Sedona 15" speaker combo (live)
• Fender Champ (studio)
EFFECTS
• Klark Teknik DN360 rackmount analog
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STRINGS
• D’Addario EJ16 (.012–.053)
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Bronze baritone (.016–.070)
I’ve always played Alvarez guitars, from years ago. It’s E–B–B–G–B–D. It’s For someone who makes up her own
and at some point, my husband, Mike, the tuning from “Not a Pretty Girl” and tunings, and who is mostly self-taught,
was like, why don’t you try an old some other older songs I wanted to put how do you remember all your tunings
guitar? So now I play some old Gibsons, back in the set. I always find if you have and hand positions?
even onstage. Because you can have a at least a handful of songs that are in that I try to be organized and write down the
conversation on a level that you can’t tuning, or in that tuning family, it makes tunings and the chord charts before I
necessarily have with a guitar that it easier to keep them in the set lists. And forget them. But I don’t always succeed.
doesn’t have a soul yet. But this guitar, that’s the same tuning for “Alrighty.” And It always happens after the fact. But
the GibsMart—everybody that comes “Even More” is in D–A–D–G–A–C. The hopefully not too long!
through this studio records on it now. It C on the top—that’s been my new jam for
records great. I’ve done shoot-outs with a while now. Did you experiment with tunings early
this guitar and every other fuckin’ one I on in your playing?
own, and it’s like yep, that’s the one. Tuning and re-tuning in front of an Well, somebody showed me DADGAD,
audience can add a whole extra level of probably Michael. And I thought it
Can you give us a few examples of stress. Do you feel that way? was cool. And from there, I just started
alternate tunings that you used on this Yeah. It’s a stupid idea. [Laughs.] messin’ with it. And I think also what
Photo by Jordi Vidal
particular record? Having a guitar tech is what enabled helped, or made it all seem plausible, was
Let’s see … [flips through songwriting me in going way too far in the open that I wasn’t really a schooled player. I
journal]. “Zizzing” is in a tuning I revived tuning direction. took lessons from between the time I was
premierguitar.com
9 and 11. And then other things took over never bring us to a peaceful world. It’s just
and I put down the guitar. And when I picked impossible. And feminism is the way that we
it back up, I had forgotten most of what I’d address patriarchy. So we have to empower the
learned. So then I just started playing in my feminine to heal our world. And to empower
natural way, which is just making shapes and women, you have to have reproductive
then remembering those shapes. freedom! That’s step one to emancipating
women globally.
So you are an “untrained” musician, yet a
very accomplished one. What would you What were your initial goals when you first
THIS IS WHERE 99% say to a musician who believes that a player started playing guitar?
who doesn’t know scales or music theory I feel like I was blessed early on, with having
OF ALL CABLES FAIL isn’t legit? no goal. I didn’t want to pick up girls or be
I would say, “What are your favorite records? famous or whatever the usual motivations are.
I betcha that most of the people on those I was just kind of thrilled with the sounds. So
records don’t know that stuff.” I mean, name I learned single-note pieces from these books
all the great records of our coveted popular before I learned chords. And by the time I
music history, and I betcha that most of those learned chords, I was already hooked.
people are unschooled.
When you picked the guitar back up and
The title track of this record, “Binary,” started writing songs in different tunings,
combines a fun and funky groove with were you using a tuner?
rather deep thoughts. How did that song No. I didn’t know the name of the notes. I
come about? think I have a solid pitch ear. But when I’m
Well, it’s just a poem, really. It started as onstage, I have to use a tuner because my brain
a poem. And then I put a groove to it so is too in flux. There’s too much going on.
that it wasn’t a show downer. [Laughs.] And
it’s really just one little groove. I mean, What is your go-to guitar if you’re just
sometimes, I feel like, fuck it, who needs hanging out and playing at home?
a chorus, or a bridge, or whatever? Songs Well [grabs a guitar], I bought this Gibson a
don’t always have to abide by structure. As little while ago in my quest to find new old
far as the lyrics, the song starts with “in the guitars. And the action on it is really high. I
blue glow of gizmos,” which is where most play with pretty high action because otherwise
of us are residing these days—in isolation, the strings buzz with the amount that I pull. I
interacting with machines. It’s like this think it’s a 1960s LG kind of thing.
rabbit hole of … lack of relationship. So for
a while, I couldn’t stop thinking about the If you had to take just one of your guitars
idea that consciousness is binary. The binary on tour, which one would it be?
structure is actually underlying everything. Oh, wow. I guess that my go-to would be the
From our atoms, to the positive and the guitar I call the Piss Gibson [laughs], because
negative, to the male and the female, to the case got pissed on by one of my cats. It
the dark and the light, to the life and the just really translates well. It’s blonde, and I
death—everything is a relationship of two believe it’s an LG, and it’s also an early ’60s
things. And that kind of underlies this record kind of model.
in a lot of ways: the idea that everything is a
dialogue, really. Have you unintentionally become a
Gibson girl?
Do you have a favorite song on “Binary?” Yeah. But Alvarez has been so gracious with me
I’m pretty excited about “Play God,” because over the years. And even after I’ve incorporated
I feel like feminism is the answer—for all of some older and higher-end instruments into
us. I believe that patriarchy is the source of all my arsenal—mostly Gibsons—I still keep
our social diseases. I came to this awareness the mini Alvarez [a 3/4-size MSD1 model] in
after enough years on the planet. You can’t my stage arsenal because it just has its own
create peace out of imbalance. Balance, sound and all of the songs that I’ve written on
in fact, is peace. So global patriarchy will it … it’s just gotta be that sound. And I also
premierguitar.com
keep one of my Alvarez WY1s in my arsenal Rivera, but in the studio, I use squirrelly little
because I wrote a lot of songs on the WY1. A low-wattage vintage amps that distort easily
lot of my playing style was developed on the without getting real loud, like a Champ. But
WY1, and some of those old rockers—there’s there’s a lot of hum issues when you’re doing
just something about the inherent compression this. To just go direct and also go through an
of those guitars. It’s more all-forward. And amp, you’re gonna get a hum. And it’s gonna
sometimes when I’m rockin’ out, the buoyancy take you an hour—if you’re lucky—to get rid
of the older instrument is not what I want in of it. It’s always a problem, and often you have
that moment. to ground-lift something and hope for the best.
Hope you don’t blow yourself up. [Laughs.] MEET THE
You play a lot of tenor guitar onstage and in the
studio. How were you drawn to tenor guitars? When you record, do you track vocals and
OTHER 1%
Having a kick-ass bass player, mainly, and guitar at the same time?
having an awesome drummer. There’s just It depends. I’ve made so many records and it’s
something about that narrow, midrange space happened in all different ways. Lately, what
that the tenor takes up that works really well the process has been is try to do live takes with
when you have a bass player and a drummer the band. So we’d get the live take, but then I
along for the ride. would do my parts over to get a better sound.
And that’s actually been an interesting journey.
A lot of us pick up the guitar and play the Because the band is playing off of me, live. We’re
same chords or the same rhythm and we performing. And then when I overdubbed, I
get bored. Do you have any tricks for when was trying to get myself back to that moment.
you’re experiencing this sort of thing? And when I stopped listening to the vocal that
Yeah. I do that too. But … open tunings! I was singing, and started really hearing the
And another thing is just to have a baritone band, that’s when I knew that I was back in
guitar and a tenor guitar. You don’t have to that moment. And I think that’s what it means
change the tuning. You just have to change the to make music to begin with—not to listen to
type of guitar you’re playing and it will bring yourself. So when I could feel the band come
something new out of you. alive, that’s when I knew that I was in the zone.
So even after 37 years of playing guitar What are your preferred vocal mics?
can you still just turn your tuners and put For live shows, I use an Audix OM5. When
yourself in a new place? I had a super loud band, it was just feedback
Yeah! That is the super refresher. I mean, check after feedback, so one of my guys suggested
this out [grabs the guitar and starts tuning it by the Audix because it has a really tight pattern.
ear]. It’s a total sickness [laughs]. I’ve explored In the studio, we have a Neumann U 47.
every plausible open tuning and then—this is It’s the best mic in the house. There’s also a
my new open tuning: D#–A–D–G–B–D#. And [Telefunken] ELA M … It doesn’t have the
it gets really hard to sing over because you have super high or the super low of the Neumann,
this complex chord and then it’s like, “What but it’s got a real strong presence in the middle.
note sounds right?” Very few! Which to me,
after almost 40 years, is a welcome challenge. You developed tendonitis in your arm many
years back due to your aggressive playing style
I’ve read that you get four different tracks out and constant touring. Does this affect how
of each guitar take. Is this still your approach, you play guitar or what you play on guitar?
and how do you do that all in one take? Well, these days I’m gigging a lot less, because AMERICAN STAGE
Well, often these days I don’t end up using the of my kids. I don’t leave home for more than INSTRUMENT CABLE
DI at all. I just mute that channel and then two weeks at a time. But if there’s anything
With D’Addario’s patented Geo-Tip™
it’s just the mic and the amps. But anyway, that I could tell somebody about tendonitis, and exclusive HelioFused soldering,
you go into the DI box and then you “Y” from my experience, it’s don’t hit the wall. American Stage Cables offer the
outta there. And one of those is going directly Once you get to the place that I got to … I most secure connection possible.
No mangled tone. No disconnect.
onto tape and the other one is “Y-ing” again don’t think I’ll ever return to that pre-injury Just 100% confidence in your sound.
to two different amplifiers. I use a Magnatone state. And these days, by the third tour in a
and a distortion-type amp. Onstage, that’s a few months, it’ll start getting hard. daddario.com/americanstage

What helps? people know they can trust about me. So the thrill of it, or the privilege of it. But
Super deep massage and acupuncture are that’s the only thing that I would say to now I’m back to “Holy shit! I’m lucky!”
the things that have helped me the most. another performer as any kind of advice. And I’m so happy that I get to bring that
And I used to ice my arms because I was Your job is to lift every veil that you out again with me.
told by a doctor to do that. But it made have—the ones you know you have and And I’ve lived this lifetime on the road
my arms stiff as fuck! And then there was then the ones you don’t know you have. … I could tear up just thinking about it.
an Eastern medicine practitioner who said, Just drop them all and be naked. That’s I’m intimate with all kinds of corners of the
“What you need is more circulation—more when you connect. world, all over the place. It’s such a thrill to
heat!” So now I have heating pads that I use be on this endless journey. And traveling
before, and sometimes after, a show. And You’ve been touring and performing for these days—I’m so struck anew by how
it’s way better. Also, now when I can feel it large audiences for over 25 years. Is it as kind people are. Everybody that I talk to out
starting to hurt, I try and keep my position fun as it looks? And what are a few of your there—people of every make and model—
changing, instead of staying stagnant in the favorite things about being on the road? their first instinct is the same as mine: to
same position and using the same muscles. It is so as fun as it looks. It’s just the best be kind. And it’s so reassuring to me, to be
job ever. It really is a privilege. And to get out there talking to people all the time and
You built your following by way of paid for it is just … ridiculous. There were go this is America. This is who we really are.
constant touring. Do you have any a lot of years there where it did become a All of that other stuff is just shit that we’re
advice for someone trying to make a grind, and I wasn’t as closely in touch with being bamboozled into participating in.
living as a live performer?
Really, the key is total presence. I never, ever
got onstage and, you know, put on a show
YOUTUBE IT
This close-up solo performance from the January 2017 30A Song-
or decided on a persona or decided “I’m writers Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, puts the spotlight on
going to play the role of.” I was just like, Ani DiFranco’s extraordinarily percussive right-hand technique as
she plays “Binary,” the title track from her new album, on her Alvarez
“This is what I’ve got.” The job is total MSD1 short-scale dreadnought.
honesty. And I think that is something that YouTube search term: Folk Alley Sessions at 30A: Ani DiFranco, “Binary”
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ACOUSTIC SOUNDBOARD
Mutate and Conquer: How the Guitar Survives

BY RICHARD JOHNSTON
Y
Built by ou don’t have to do a YouTube 1920s, when banjo tone lost favor electrics freed builders
Tonedevil Guitars search for “guitar solo” to know (especially for slower cheek-to-cheek to make guitars of
in Idaho, this
modern-era,
the instrument is still popular, dancing). The more mellow sound of a every shape and color,
production- but in recent years, sales projections for guitar was needed, but what about all including models with
model harp new guitars don’t exactly point skyward those banjo players accustomed to narrow two necks. During the
guitar—a curious like they did a decade ago. The recession necks and four strings tuned in fifths? same period, however,
instrument from
is mostly over, so what gives? The Guitar makers including the tradition- the violin—which
days gone by
until relatively answer lies in the demographic shift: bound Martin company wasted no time once outsold the
recently—is a Kids who grew up on computer games introducing guitars with a 4-string tenor- guitar 10 to 1—didn’t
great example may not have the patience to practice banjo neck. Somewhere in the midst of change at all.
of the back-to- guitar licks. Compared to sales of other all this, the 12-string guitar—a version of The same mutate-
front innovation
that continues to
musical instruments, however, the guitar the instrument that’s still manufactured and-conquer concept
keep the guitar is hanging in there and the real story is by virtually every guitar company has continued in
alive and well. how the guitar endures despite so much today—was introduced. more recent years. From acoustic pickups
competition for our time. Let’s not forget the tremendous to whammy bars, the guitar draws
If you think of the guitar as a influence of Orville Gibson, whose innovation like a magnet. Acoustic basses
species—like a plant or animal—that’s guitars with carved tops and backs took the 1980s by storm and travel-sized
trying to survive, it’s apparent that the disrupted everything. Gibson’s oval- guitars have sold well since the 1990s.
guitar uses a proven method to insure soundhole archtops were supplemented Baritone guitars have also proved
its continued desirability. That should by the L-5 in 1922, the first widely popular, as have instruments in the
be no surprise when you consider how marketed guitar with f-shaped soundholes opposite direction in pitch, like the
the guitar came about almost out of like those on a violin. This was the Veillette Gryphon, a small, short-scale
nowhere in the mid-1800s and wound beginning of the jazz age, but close copies 12-string that’s tuned to D. Fan-fretted
up dominating popular music for most of of early L-5 models are still a mainstay (aka multiscale) guitars are becoming
the latter half of the 20th century. for many guitar brands almost a century more mainstream and affordable,
The guitar’s popularity in North later. The jazz guitar didn’t stay acoustic especially as guitarists are finding that a
America didn’t take off until the late for long, however, as magnetic pickups fan-fretted neck just looks more unusual
1800s, when it was pressed into service were soon mounted under the strings than it feels when you’re playing on it.
to provide backup in mandolin groups, so guitarists’ solos could compete with I’m sure there are dozens of guitar
the latest musical fad at the time. But trumpets and saxophones. Meanwhile, innovations I’ve missed here, and while
more bass was needed than typical the Hawaiian guitar shed the mechanical some have failed, that doesn’t mean
“parlor” model guitars could provide, amplification of cones and resonators they’ll be gone forever. The harp guitar,
and so harp guitars were invented (or at when it was discovered that a simple for example, was considered little more
least re-introduced). With an instrument plank of wood (or metal casting) with a than a curiosity from the distant past
almost the size of a cello—with pickup at one end, tuners at the other, until a few years ago. There’s now a huge
additional strings that added more bass and a printed fingerboard in the middle website dedicated to the instrument and
notes and extra resonance—harp-guitar was all you needed to have an electric new versions of excellent quality are
players did their best to balance the “lap steel” guitar. available again at reasonable prices.
frenzied tremolos from the stars-of-the- You can see the trend here. By 1941, The guitar is alive and well, thanks in
show mandolinists. when America became mired in World part to the fact that you never know what
By the mid-teens of the 20th century, War II, the guitar had become a wide- form it’s going to take next.
Hawaiian music was the new fad and the ranging family of instruments, with
guitar did double duty. A regular guitar— some barely even recognizable as guitars. RICHARD JOHNSTON
along with ukuleles—played backup, Instead of just modestly sized flattops co-founded Gryphon Stringed
Instruments with Frank Ford
but the melody was played Hawaiian that were steel-string versions of the in 1969. He later shifted from
style, with the second guitar played on a Spanish classical, guitars had become repairing vintage guitars
to writing about them, and
musician’s lap and “fretted” with a steel bar bigger and louder. has contributed to dozens of
magazines and several books,
(like the Dobro that would come later). By 1950, Leo Fender had opened the most recent being Inventing
Tenor banjos dominated the rhythm Pandora’s box by introducing what the American Guitar. He
appraises musical instruments
sections of dance bands until the late became the Telecaster, and solidbody for Antiques Road Show on PBS.
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THE RECORDING GUITARIST
Image 1
Unusual Echoes Click here to

hear soundclips.
BY JOE GORE
M
any modern players are tape echo. For a similar sound, cut lots
smitten with the quirky, of delay treble, turn the feedback control
warts-and-all character of pre- to zero (just one echo), and add a touch Image 2
digital delays. Partly, that’s nostalgia. It’s of distortion if possible. Try delay times
fun to clone Scotty Moore’s rockabilly between 100 and 150 milliseconds,
slap or David Gilmour’s spatial grandeur. depending on the song’s tempo.
But there’s more to it than looking That rockabilly slap is a great sound,
backwards, I think. While pre-digital but for better or worse, a familiar one. So
delays were designed to mimic the effect let’s explore some cool alternatives.
of playing in reverberant spaces, the Echoes of Africa. Tape delay was
results rarely sound realistic in the way a popular sound for African guitarists
that, say, digital hall reverb algorithms from the late 1960s through the ’70s.
can sound like actual rooms. Much of It adds a lovely liquid fluidity to the treble strong, cut some bass, add modest
their charm lies in their “not found in pretty arpeggios and double stops of distortion, set a delay time of about 250
nature” artificiality. This sonic character Central African pop guitar playing. A ms., and select a low feedback setting—
can convey many emotions: warmth or fine example is, “Malala,” by the great maybe two or three echoes. [Clip 5.]
iciness, spaciousness or claustrophobia, Congolese guitarist Nicolas Kasanda Again, it can seem rhythmically
relaxation or tension, and more. (better known as Docteur Nico), one of chaotic. But if you dial back the wet
This column and my next one are the creators of the guitar-driven rumba- level, you get a spacious sound that
about crafting faux-analog delays, rock style later known as soukous. stands out against backing instruments,
especially unconventional ones. I’ve used It’s a brighter tape sound, with a as in Clip 6.
SoundToys’ EchoBoy plugin throughout. longer delay time and two or three Now let’s introduce a new idea:
But while EchoBoy is powerful and echoes rather than single slap. Here it subtlety! A not-so-secret trick among pop
versatile, you can try these techniques sounds like le Docteur is playing through producers is to add a single short echo
with many delay plug-ins or with an amp. But many guitarists from to lead vocals, in addition to reverb and
relatively sophisticated delay stompboxes Africa—a continent rich in music, but other effects. The echo can be nearly
that feature tone controls in addition to poor in gear—recorded directly into subliminal, yet it helps a lead vocal (or
the usual time, feedback, and mix knobs. the mixing board, adding tape delay to a guitar!) stand out in a mix. The lead
Analog Artifice. Let’s start by faking their squeaky-clean tones. In Clip 4 I guitar that enters at 00:07 in Clip 7 is
analog sounds. Old tape, oilcan, and bypassed the amp model for a similar as present as a poke in the nose, even
bucket brigade delays aren’t very good at effect. Image 2 shows my EchoBoy though the track has generous amounts
reproducing higher frequencies, and the settings, with a delay time of 285 of spring reverb.
treble content diminishes with each echo. milliseconds, some high and low cut (but Clip 8 adds a touch of echo on the
Check out Clip 1, with its relatively hi-fi not as dark as the rockabilly sound), and lead part, paradoxically helping the
delay tone. lots of simulated tape saturation. sound blend into the mix and command
Clip 2 is the same recording, but with It sounds a little chaotic soloed like centerstage.
much treble removed. I’ve also added this. But somewhat counter-intuitively, the This time I didn’t add the delay effect
distortion using EchoBoy’s saturation rhythm seems more coherent when you directly to the guitar’s channel strip, but
control. (Don’t worry if your delay add bass, drums, and dry-toned backing placed it on an aux bus. Routing the
doesn’t have a distortion setting. Next guitars, as in the Dr. Nico example. This sound this way opens up many more
month we’ll see how to add distortion to musical style often features three or four sonic possibilities—ones we’ll explore
delay using separate delay and overdrive guitars, and the echo on the lead guitar next month!
plug-ins.) Image 1 shows the settings. helps it stand out as the solo instrument.
You can hear the same properties in Authoritative Echo. Here’s a JOE GORE has recorded and
Scotty Moore’s definitive rockabilly slap slapback variation I call “the Great performed with Tom Waits, PJ
Harvey, Tracy Chapman, Courtney
on Elvis Presley’s classic “Mystery Train.” Dictator,” because it makes me think Love, Marianne Faithfull, Les
Clip 3 uses a small tweed amp model of some autocrat addressing a stadium Claypool, Flea, DJ Shadow, John
Cale, and many other artists. Joe
and a similar delay setting to approximate full of followers, with a hard, steely has written thousands of articles
the dark, somewhat distorted sound of echo bouncing off of reflective concrete about music and helps develop
music tools for Apple and other
Moore’s Echosonic, an amp with built-in surfaces. For this sound I keep the clients. He blogs at tonefiend.com.
premierguitar.com
Ex-Mars Volta low man Juan Alderete
explores his instrument’s sonic outer
limits with short-scale axes, a huge array
of pedals, and freewheeling playing on
the debut from his new band, Halo Orbit.
BY FREDDY VILLANO
J
uan Alderete really wants to get deeply into effects pedals. Such versatility century burst of fusion, incorporating
off the computer. Not in an is the backbone of the style that’s made elements of electronic music, rock, jazz,
internet-surfing kind of way, Alderete a much-sought player in rock funk, hip-hop, and soul. It also features
but for live performances with and hip-hop. And 10 years in prog-punk- appearances by guest artists Del the
his new band, Halo Orbit. “I know it will psych outfit the Mars Volta, which won Funky Homosapien, Lisa Papineau of Big
always be there,” he says, “but I don’t want a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Sir (another Alderete project), Money
it to be the mainstay. I want the band to be in 2009 for the song “Wax Simulacra,” Mark Ramos-Nishita, and his Mars Volta
a band, so we’ll see how it evolves.” enabled him to reach a wider audience bandmate Marcel Rodríguez-López.
Evolution has been the hallmark of while further developing his effects-driven As Halo Orbit morphs from
Alderete’s career ever since he gained approach. In 2012, he launched his own studio project to live act, Alderete is
recognition in the ’80s as a member of website on the topic of gear-based sonic contemplating his desire to move away
Racer X, the Los Angeles-based shred exploration and whatever’s on his mind: from the computer and a reliance on
metal band notorious for its Musicians pedalsandeffects.com. And though he backing tracks. “I was on tour with Juliette
Institute-honed chops. After Racer X, may decry the use of computers in a live Lewis last year, playing live the whole time,
and a brief attempt at appealing to the setting, his ability to lock in with backing and every set is different, so you get a little
mainstream via rock bands like the tracks has been garnering him touring and more emotionally out of it,” he admits.
Scream, he ditched convention, went back recording work with cutting edge rap/hip- “I love electronic stuff and we did tons
to school—at California State University, hop artists Deltron 3030, Jonwayne, and of it in Big Sir, but after so many years of
Los Angeles, where he earned a B.A. in Dr. Octagon, among others. playing to backing tracks, I just feel stifled.
English—and started reinventing himself But his songwriting comes to the fore So, with Halo Orbit, we’re doing our very Photo by Piero F Giunti and Yoshika Horita
in avant-garde musical projects that were in Halo Orbit, the band he formed with first show with no computer.”
more about personal growth than chasing drummer Mark Guiliana (David Bowie, Although it was released just recently,
the almighty dollar. John Scofield), and guitarist/synth player Halo Orbit was actually recorded in 2012.
He abandoned the hair metal scene via suGar Yoshinaga (Buffalo Daughter). Its four-year gestation period was due to
the punk-pop of Distortion Felix, forged The group plays a unique brand of circumstances that reflect the challenges of
a singular voice on fretless bass and as a futuristic rock that draws comparisons navigating a music career in the modern
songwriter, and ultimately expanded his as disparate as Battles and Portishead. era. “Really this record could’ve come out
sonic horizons with Vato Negro by diving Their eponymous debut is a 21st at the end of 2013,” explains Alderete.
premierguitar.com
Halo Orbit’s
massive and
unpredictable
sound hinges
on the axis of
Alderete (right)
and guitarist
suGar Yoshinaga
(middle), who
is also a devout
believer in the
gospel of effects
pedals. Mark
Guiliana (left)
completes the
trio behind the
drum kit.
“But because we didn’t have any Halo Orbit opens with a cool bass sound
money to mix it, we had to wait on “Subump.” What are you using?
for Robert [Carranza]. He could The “ba, ba” bass part on “Subump” is What about “Warped Descent?”
only mix it when he had free time, a sample of the DOD Meatbox. I was That song was written after Mark cut his TIDBIT
which is almost never because he’s an messing around with it one day and drum tracks, so it’s a drum loop. I was Although Halo
Orbit was
in-demand engineer.” posted it on Instagram like, “Check out in my studio messing around with two recorded in
Given the project’s zero budget, the Meatbox when you really distort it. It pedals, the Chase Bliss Audio Warped 2012, it was
Carranza (Beck, Jack Johnson) sounds crazy.” After I posted it, I was like, Vinyl into the Descent Reverb by Walrus delayed for lack
mixed it as a favor. Digital recording “I have to use that.” I tried to recreate Audio, and I was like, “Whoa, that’s of a budget.
technologies and the ability to that sound in the studio, but I couldn’t, dope.” I threw up a mic and recorded it. Engineer Rob
Carranza mixed
share files via e-mail make cutting so we basically took my Instagram video No click—I just trusted my time. I threw the tracks as a
records easier and more affordable, and sampled it—that’s that sound. it on my SoundCloud at first, like, “Check favor. “Labels
but robust budgets from labels out these two pedals.” I kept listening to don’t give you
have suffered as a result. “Labels What about the other bass riff that it thinking I should make something out any money to
make records
don’t give you any money to make opens that tune? of it, so I sent it to suGar, who dug it and anymore, so
records anymore, so you have to do I wrote that entire song, but that riff added to it. you have to do
it this way,” Alderete stresses. “You’re is Paul Gilbert’s Jerry Jones Longhorn it this way,”
working on favors.” Bass6. I think he wrote the first Mr. Big The bass tone on “Angels Flight” is Alderete says.
PG caught up with Alderete, single on it. That’s suGar playing that riff. huge. What went into it?
who was at home in L.A. prepping I wrote it, she played it. We recorded “Angels Flight” live,
for a pedalsandeffects.com clinic and suGar really liked that version,
tour of the EU with guitarist There’s a pretty wicked fretless solo in but I envisioned it being heavier, so I
Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos), to “Subump,” too. overdubbed my bass on it and made it a
discuss his preference for short- I realized there was no real statement from little tighter. Robert came to my studio
scale instruments, the sonic my instrument, on a shock level, so to and miked me up and put me through
underpinnings of Halo Orbit, and speak, so I was like, “Fuck it, I’ll throw a the DI and I overdubbed myself. I still
the challenges of being a pioneer of riff right here just to be like, “Oh, there’s don’t know if I did the better thing.
modern electric bass. the riffer who played in Racer X [laughs].” There are still some characteristics of the

JUAN ALDERETE’S GEAR
BASSES • DigiTech PDS 20/20

• Goya Panther Multi Play looper/modulator
• Warwick Jonas Hellborg • DOD FX32 Meatbox bass suboctave
Signature 31" scale • Line 6 M9 Stompbox Modeler
• Kala U-Bass (fretless) • Line 6 DL4 Delay
• Jerry Jones Longhorn Bass6 Stompbox Modeling Pedal
• EarthQuaker Devices
• Landscape Archtop ABP-1
Ghost Disaster delay/reverb
Hollowbody (fretless)
• EarthQuaker Devices Hummingbird
• 1962 reissue 32" Fender Jazz Bass (only
Repeat Percussions Tremolo
available in Japan) modified with Hipshot
• EarthQuaker Devices Organizer
Bass Xtender and Hipshot bridge
polyphonic organ emulator
• 1971 Fender Fretless P bass modified
• EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine
with an added Bartolini J-Bass pickup,
polyphonic tone generator
Starz Guitarz bronze bridge,
• Dwarfcraft Eau Claire Thunder fuzz
and Hipshot Bass Xtender
• Dwarfcraft Hax ring modulator
• Fender Custom Shop “Raider” P bass
• Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie Hella Fuzz B
• Wren and Cuff Tall Font Russian fuzz
AMPS • WMD Utility Parametric EQ
• Ampeg SVT-VR 300-watt head • WMD Geiger Counter bitcrusher
• Ampeg SVT-810AV cabinet • Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl
• Ampeg Heritage B-15N combo • Walrus Audio Descent Reverb
• Behringer Vintage Time Machine
EFFECTS • Amptweaker Bass TightDrive
• TC Electronic PolyTune • Sovtek Fuzz (second generation)
• Guyatone BR-2 Bottom Wah Rocker • Electro-Harmonix
• Boss CS-2 Compression Sustainer Bass Micro Synth (vintage)
• Boss VB-2 Vibrato
• Boss PN-2 Tremolo/Pan STRINGS & PICKS
• Dunlop Crybaby Bass Mini Wah • Ernie Ball 2806 Flatwound (.045–.105)
• MXR M288 Bass Octave Deluxe • Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky
• MXR M83 Bass Chorus Deluxe Nickel Wound (.045–.105)
• MXR Custom Audio Electronics • La Bella 750N Black Nylon
MC403 Power System Tapewound (.050–.105)
Juan Alderete live version, like my wah envelopes were “Love or Lost” reminds me of something What basses did you use for tracking?
has earned a
reputation as
tighter and cooler sounding, but the Joni Mitchell and Jaco Pastorius would’ve On “Love or Lost,” I used [Red Hot
a cutting-edge overall heaviness of it is bigger now. recorded together. Chili Peppers’ guitarist] Josh Klinghoffer’s
bassist through What sounds like bass, but isn’t, is The inspiration for that tune was a band I Hofner. It’s the guitar-shaped one, not the
a series of
Marcel [Rodríguez-López] from Mars love: Deerhoof. Sometimes I sit around and Beatles shape, with Diamond pickups and
chops-heavy and
experimental Volta—that’s his Moog Voyager. I say, “I’m going to try to write something tapewound strings. That thing is dope. I
Photo by Piero F Giunti
bands, as well already had the bass lines written. I just that sounds like my version of Deerhoof,” overdubbed a Kala U-Bass on it, too.
as his work with said, “I want you to play the synth like or whatever. On the first Big Sir record, I
hip-hop artists
with a thirst for that.” He’s a genius when it comes to was trying to write songs that were like my How do you like the U-Bass?
fresh sounds. sound making. versions of Tortoise songs. I use the shit out of those on hip-hop.
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she adds lots • Fender Road Worn ’50s Stratocaster
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“I wanted to • Gibson Les Paul Custom
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like Devo and
entertainingly
and fun like AMPS
Rick Nielsen,” • Marshall JTM45 (mid-’60s)
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suGar Yoshinaga may not be a household name yet, but she’s Night Wire harmonic tremolo
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a band. She started playing acoustic when she was 10, and stereo delay and reverb
bought an electric by the time she was 12. Devo and Cheap • Keeley Compressor
Trick were her biggest influences at that time.
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fun like Rick Nielsen,” she confides. “Jean-Jacques Burnel of
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the Stranglers was a big influence, too, even though he was a
• Moog MF ring modulator
bass player.” She cites the late ’70s to early ’80s post-punk/
• Strymon TimeLine Delay
no wave scene as her biggest overall influence. “I listened to
• Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo
all those bands on the radio, recorded them on cassette tapes,
• Strymon Mobius modulator
and listened over and over again.”
• Eventide H9 Harmonizer
Since the early stages of her career, suGar’s interest in
• TC-Helicon VoiceLive 2 vocal processor
multi-track recording evolved alongside her development as a
• Boss RC-3 Loop Station
guitarist. In the beginning, she used a 4-track cassette recorder.
• Boss FV-30L volume pedal
In the ’80s it was an ADAT. In the ’90s, she gravitated towards
• Moog EP-3 Expression Pedal
Macintosh with Logic, which is the configuration she still uses
today (albeit updated). “My first paid job as a professional • Yamaha Reface CS synthesizer
musician was to make computer game music,” she recalls. • Mission Engineering
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Photo by Yoshika Horita
my mix of ‘Warped Descent’ on this record.” • Fender Triangle medium

Halo Orbit features Lisa Papineau (Big Sir) on a few tunes,
and since she’s not performing with them, suGar handles
these vocal parts live, using a vocoder-like approach through
TC-Helicon’s VoiceLive 2. “It was a new challenge, but it also
created some interesting sounds and opportunities. I think it
went very well. I’d like to explore more of it on the next album.”
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You pull that out on dudes bumping 808s

[Roland drum machines] and they go,
“What the fuck is that little dude?” They
love it. I’ve used it on Jonwayne stuff—this
rapper I work with out of the Low End
Theory crew. I used it with Domo Genesis.
He’s one of the guys from Odd Future, but
he’s solo now and I used that on his record.
What do they like about it? That it sounds

like an upright?
The U-Bass has way more thud and low
end than an upright. It really goes back to
the shorter-scale instruments. I always give
props to Owen Biddle [formerly of the
Roots], because he was the first dude I ever
read talk about it. He had that CallowHill
30"-scale 5-string with tapewounds, and
he talked about the low-end fundamental
of a short-scale as opposed to 34" or 35"
scale. The longer you go, the more taut the
string, the more it sounds like a piano. You
go the other way, and you can see it in the
waveform in Pro Tools—it’s different. Maybe
it’s not as defined, with the same articulation
as a 34" or 35", but it’s huge sounding.
The Landscape bass I use with Jonwayne
sounds like an upright. That’s the bass I
have that sounds most like an upright.
Everybody knows I don’t really play
upright, so I fake it [laughs].
I’ve seen you play Goya basses, too.

Those are 30"-scale basses. I use them in
Dr. Octagon and with Deltron 3030. They
are great for sounding vintage. They sound
even more vintage than a P bass with flats.
A P bass with flats, the way I play, makes
me sound kind of like a cross between
[Motown’s] James Jamerson and [Iron
Maiden’s} Steve Harris [laughs]. I hit too
hard and Jamerson only played with one
finger [Alderete uses two]. I always try to
sound like Jamerson when I have flats on a
P bass, but I don’t. I know I don’t. I know I
probably sound like Steve Harris.
When you play a Goya with flats, it just
sounds way more vintage-’60s Motown,
because you can’t hit it as hard. You’ll put it
out of tune. So you play softer and lighter,
and it has more of that authentic vibe to
it. And the pickups are kind of janky, so it
sounds more ’60s. I still rock those on the
hip-hop gigs.

In a former life, What’s your objective at was what was happening at the time. no bass player ever threw pedals out there
Juan Alderete pedalsandeffects.com? I was trying to evolve somehow and where I was like, “Whoa!” There were guys
was an ’80s
shredder in I’m trying to keep bass players in the keep things interesting. But I got bored doing things, but it was always just like
the heavy game through effects use. That’s how of that, so I got into fretless because an occasional chorus pedal, so I was like,
metal band you stay in the game. That’s why I play I’d never done it and I wanted to see “Fuck man, I’m going to try it.” That first
Racer X. Here
he is in 1987 with a pick, fretless bass, fretted bass, what my take would be. Then I got Vato Negro record I did—there’s shit on
with fellow Kala bass, short-scale bass, long scale, into effects. It’s constantly reinventing, there I don’t even remember what the pedal
Musicians flatwound, tapewound, roundwound. because I’m just not the dude who’s going combination is. I could guess at it. It’s just
Institute-
trained masters
You know what I mean? You give them to stay there and play straight bass. There gnarly, what I was trying to do, because I
Paul Gilbert tons of different options. That’s why these are a million dudes who can do that. was literally going, “I want this shit to sound
(left) and Bruce hip-hop gigs keep coming to me. Domo bananas. I want to be the Hendrix of the
Bouillet (right).
from Odd Future, Jonwayne, Deltron, I guess ultimately you must weigh calls instrument.” I don’t consider myself that,
Octagon. I played on their new records. to the history of the instrument with but I wanted the same pioneering spirit.
I use weird bass sounds because they’re where it can potentially go? I wanted to do something that I hadn’t
sounds they can’t get with synths. You Jamerson might’ve hated the way I play. Or really heard before, but I thought would
have to have this, otherwise you’re limiting maybe he wouldn’t. Hendrix was playing light people up. I am not one of those
your opportunities to make a living. It’s blues-rock guitar licks and then he got on dudes who listens to his own music, but
transcending the fucker. You can hate the Octavia and started playing solos with when Vato Negro pops up on shuffle or
what I do. That’s cool. But really, I’m here that. He would’ve constantly bought pedals. whatever, I’m like, “Man that is some out
trying to keep everybody in the game. Guitarists have the Edge, Van Halen, but there shit [laughs].” And that’s my goal.
Photo by Neil Zlozower/Atlas Icons
So, it has to do with staying relevant?

I was in a band for 10 years [Mars Volta]
YOUTUBE IT
And now for something really rad: Halo Orbit onstage at the Airliner
that was going crazy with this stuff. We in Los Angeles earlier this year. Get an earful of the way Juan
were trying to make something new Alderete makes his bass speak in alien tongues, and how seamlessly
the band integrates electronics and live performance.
happen. I’m still that dude from the ’80s YouTube search term: Subump- Halo Orbit 4K @ Airliner
who was trying to play fast because that (Low End Theory) 02.15.17
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Harmonic
Convergence
Tele twang’s the thang for influential
punk-minimalist composer Rhys Chatham,
who builds shimmering towers of melody
with basic chords, just intonation, and
overlapping layers of delay. Sometimes
with 400 guitars.
BY BILL MURPHY
E ver wonder where the seemingly disparate worlds of punk

rock, post-modern classical music, and electronics might
intersect? Since the mid 1970s, Rhys Chatham has made it
his mission in life to find out, and over the years he’s learned that
the differences aren’t as cut-and-dried as they seem.
Ramones. They had just put out their first album, and they
were really at their best. I had never seen anything like it in
my life—these tall, skinny, handsome guys playing three-
chord rock, you know?”
Chatham was jolted by the raw, primal connection to the
As a student of synthesizer guru Morton Subotnick and minimalist music he was playing and composing. He saw
avant-garde aesthete La Monte Young, Chatham was awakened how he could define his own hybrid style, in the same way
early to the possibilities of the stripped-down “minimalist” style that Young and Riley had drawn from Indian classical music,
of composition that was popularized by Young, Terry Riley, and Reich from West African music. “Maybe they were
Steve Reich and Philip Glass—all of whom exerted a profound playing three chords, and I was only playing one,” Chatham
influence, either as residents or frequent visitors, on New York’s says. “But I felt something in common with them, so I had
burgeoning downtown art scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s. an epiphany at CBGB. Fortunately for me, the guitarist in
But one night in May 1976, Chatham made his first visit to the Love of Life Orchestra had just gotten a Stratocaster,
the punk rock mecca CBGB, and his musical direction was so he lent me his Telecaster and he showed me how to play
changed forever. Then 23, he was playing flute in the Love of barre chords and a simple blues riff. That put me to work on
Life Orchestra, an avant-garde ensemble with rock proclivities practicing, and the rest is history.”
founded by saxophonist and composer Peter Gordon. The two Chatham soon formed a short-lived band called Arsenal
had been walking home from a rehearsal, when it came to light with guitarist Nina Canal. One day at his apartment, while
that Chatham had never been to a live rock show. they were jamming on a one-chord riff in E, Chatham hit the
It’s a story Chatham still relishes retelling today, because low E string and heard reams of melodies in the overtones.
it set him on the path to adopting the electric guitar as his Canal suggested he make a piece of music out of it, which
main instrument and to writing one of his most enduring became Guitar Trio—these days G3 for short, and still a
Photo by Sue Rynski
works. “Peter just laughed and said, ‘You know, there’s a good staple of Chatham’s live set when he has a band with him. In
band playing at this club down the street. Why don’t we go 2008, he released Guitar Trio Is My Life!, a box set featuring
down and see them?’ And as it turned out, the band was the multiple live performances of the piece.

With three guitarists vamping in E over rock, freestyle noise-splatter, and ambient
a driving, krautrock-style beat, Chatham drones with sure-footed commitment.
had unwittingly joined the ranks of New All this impressed Chatham when
York’s burgeoning anti-pop “no wave” he first hooked up with Oneida at their
movement, spearheaded by bands like rehearsal studio in Brooklyn’s Bushwick
James Chance and the Contortions, DNA, neighborhood, but he still wondered
Glenn Branca’s Theoretical Girls, and many how they would work together. “I was
more. Guitar Trio also became a favorite expecting them to be a rock group
of Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth, as with a backbeat, you know? With the
well as Robert Poss and Band of Susans, kind of music I was doing and with my
and down through the years has influenced equipment setup, I wasn’t sure at all. I
Tortoise, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, had a Boomerang III with me, a loop
and other art-rock bands with its hypnotic, delay system, so it’s a little on the abstract
slow-building detonation of sound. side. I suppose I’ve played that kind of TIDBIT
Chatham moved to Paris in 1988, music over a backbeat before, but in On their collaborative What’s Your Sign?,
but he has always maintained a close general it works best with someone who Chatham and Oneida share composing credit for
the album’s six pieces, which are all rooted in
connection to the New York music plays more on the free side of things.” ensemble improvisation.
scene and has kept his ears open for As it turned out, the band was on the
young bands with a minimalist streak. same page. “Kid Millions was playing
In that vein, the Brooklyn-based five- free, and I was shocked and delighted,” DL4 delay modeler—three of them. Set
piece Oneida came up on his radar. Chatham says. “I’m not a free player to loop on eight-, nine- and 10-second
The band takes a page from the Steve myself, because I’m coming out of intervals, together they created the effect
Chatham Reich handbook, without overtly paying minimalism and processed music. But the of a regenerative, ever-changing melody.
onstage tribute. They place importance on other guys—Barry [London, keyboardist], Eventually Chatham switched to the
with Oneida
guitarist Hanoi
rhythm and repetitive grooves, but with who’s very handy with electronics and Boomerang III, which allowed him to
“Baby” Jane. two fiery guitarists—Shahin “Showtime” makes his own boxes, he was doing all confine the process to one box.
The composer Motia and Hanoi “Baby” Jane, who these noises. And Hanoi Jane and Shahin These spiraling sounds emerge in the
describes his tend to favor Gibson Les Pauls and were really making noise, and I thought, sawtoothed throb of the opening track
collaborations
SGs through Marshall stacks—and the ‘Oh wow, this is great!’ After the first “You Get Brighter” and in the sheets of
with the
band as “a inexhaustible Kid Millions (neé John session, I said, ‘So, you guys had sympathy Eno-like atmospherics that elevate “Civil
marriage made Colpitts) on drums, they can also switch for me and gave me something you knew Weather” to oddly mesmeric heights.
in heaven.” effortlessly between hard psychedelic I could play with, right?’ And they had Chatham also explores the distinctive
this blank look on their faces, like, ‘Huh? dropped-D just intonation tuning that
No—this is how we play.’ So it turned out has become his trademark on “The Well
to be a marriage made in heaven.” Tuned Guitar,” which marks the first time
Inspired by their sonic chemistry, he has used the tuning in a group setting.
Oneida and Chatham continued to play Reveling in its strangeness, What’s Your
and perform together, honing a unique, Sign? is essentially a return to the “no
improvisation-based ensemble sound. To wave” ethos that Chatham helped spark
document this collaboration, the musicians back in the late ’70s with Guitar Trio.
booked time at Menegroth the Thousand Throughout his career, Chatham has
Caves, a studio run by Colin Marston in tried numerous electric guitars, including
New York City’s Queens borough, and hit an Ovation Breadwinner, an Ibanez
“record.” This resulted in What’s Your Sign?, Iceman, and, more recently, an Ibanez S
an album comprising six compositions series, but he’s never strayed far from the
credited to Chatham and Oneida. Telecaster, which he uses as the basis for all Photo by Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography
What’s Your Sign? finds Chatham going his composing and recording. “That’s the
a bit maximalist, which is in keeping sound that I always have in mind,” he says.
with a pivot he’s made since he started “I have nothing against Gibsons, and I love
writing a series of “guitar orchestra” pieces, playing them, too. The distortion sound
culminating in 2005’s A Crimson Grail (for of a Gibson going through a Hiwatt is just
400 Electric Guitars). Chatham’s desire to incredible. But for the compositions I do,
duplicate that huge, multi-layered sound it’s a different sound. I’m really after that
on his own brought him to the Line 6 twangy Telecaster sound.”
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I’ve found the Fender sound has been perfect for working with overtones directly.”
Did you have any plan at all when That’s what I also should mention: a setting that’s very similar to the Terry
you set out to make this album with everyone in Oneida is just so generous Riley “Poppy Nogood and the Phantom
Oneida? It comes across almost as and supportive. When someone is Band” sound [on Riley’s 1969 album
pure improvisation. playing, and they’re doing something A Rainbow in Curved Air]—otherwise
We all have our particular ways of playing. “soloistic” and it draws to an end, you known as Frippertronics.
For example, we might say, “Okay, Shahin count on the other people to know when What Robert Fripp did, and what
is going to start this improvisation, and that’s going to be, and to jump in and Terry Riley did 10 years before him, was
we’ll follow him,” and then we’d riff off keep the energy going. This band is very to set up two Revox tape recorders 20
what he was doing. Or in another instance, good at doing that. And on a personal feet apart, and have the reel of one going
it would be Hanoi Jane’s turn, and we’d level, for a couple of years there, we were to the reel of the other, thereby creating a
follow him. So it was like a conversation. really doing a lot of playing together and long delay and feeding the sound of the
I should underline though, these pieces touring together, so I really felt part of second Revox into the first. It’s a really
started as improvisations, but they became the band. great sound that allowed Fripp to get the
finished pieces of music. When we play effects that he did on his recordings of
live, “You Get Brighter” always starts the How did you first come across the the ’70s—and Terry obviously had an
same way, and it always sounds more Line 6 DL4? impact with “Poppy Nogood” in the ’60s.
or less the same. There are individual Well, after I made A Crimson Grail, It’s this very eternal effect.
For solo gigs, differences because we’re not playing the question I had was, what’s my next So in my original setup, I used three
Chatham has from sheet music, so the performance step? Am I gonna write something for Line 6s. I put one loop at eight seconds,
an evolved rig
that includes a
can depend on how we’re feeling, but the a thousand electric guitars or something the second one at nine seconds, and the
Mackie mixer, piece always has its characteristic sound ridiculous? And I decided that I wanted third one at 10 seconds. Then I would
a Boomerang that’s distinct from “Bad Brains” or “Civil to come back to primal music-making send them to the extreme left channel,
looper, and Weather” or anything else on the album. on my own, but I wanted it to sound the extreme right, and the center, in that
an ART Studio
like there was a lot of people, and that’s order. And through the use of a Voodoo
V3 Tube MP
preamp. He Still, by leaning on improvisation, that when I started using loopers. By then Lab amp selector, I was able to play a riff
often goes direct means you have to listen closely to the Line 6 was a pretty common and on guitar, for example, and put it into
into the PA. each other. famous one. What I liked about it was the left channel—which was looping at
RHYS CHATHAM’S GEAR
GUITAR
• Fender Telecaster (circa 2007)
AMP
• Fender Twin
EFFECTS
• Line 6 DL4 (three, for recording)
Photo by Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography
• ART Studio V3 Tube MP preamp (tour)
• Boomerang III (tour)
• Voodoo Lab Amp Selector
• MXR equalizer
• Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-300
STRINGS
• D’Addario EXL140 Light Top/
Heavy Bottom (.010–.052)
premierguitar.com
eight seconds, right?—then I’d play the same riff to do every day, like classical musicians completely electronified and distorted.
the next channel, with the second Line 6 at nine do. It worked out really nicely, and I was happy with the result because it
seconds. I’d play exactly the same riff, but because we performed it a number of times, blended in more with the album and
the loops were different lengths, they started phasing but for the album we decided to made it more like an Oneida piece.
each other, in a Steve Reich piano-phased kind completely mess it up. I ended up
of way. So instead of hearing the loop, you hear a thinking that was a really good idea. At the All Tomorrow’s Parties
melody that takes eight-times-nine seconds before “The Well Tuned Guitar,” in the performance you guys did together
it repeats. And because I’m using three loopers, it recorded version, is pretty much the in 2013, it looks like you’re standing
doesn’t repeat for a long time. So it’s this constantly way it originally sounded, although behind a laptop.
changing and slowly evolving riff that happens. there are heavy effects on it. “The You know what I was using it for? A
Mabinogian,” on the other hand, is stopwatch. [Laughs].
That sounds, too, like Pythagorean Dream—the
solo album you put out last year.
This is the basis, but with that I added the guitar in
a dropped-D tuning—in fact, a Pythagorean tuning.
The low E string is tuned down to a D, and then I
tune the B string to the seventh overtone of the D
string, which is a very flat C. It ends up being a bit
flatter than an equal-tempered C. It’s really beautiful.
So you’re describing just intonation?

Exactly. If you take that low D string and play a
harmonic on the 15th fret, that’ll be the seventh
overtone, so I tune up the B string to that. “The
Well Tuned Guitar” with Oneida uses that tuning,
which meant everybody had to retune their guitars.
That was no problem for Baby Jane and Shahin. The
only thing that’s weird about it, for someone who
isn’t used to working in just intonation, is the C. So
the tuning is a low D–A–D, then the A octave, and
then you come to that C. But it’s just a simple matter
of playing that harmonic and you’re there. Then the
top note is a D.
Did you come in with any pre-composed pieces

for Oneida specifically?
Various cuts on the record, like “You Get
Brighter” and “Bad Brains” and “Civil Weather,”
all those came out of these jam sessions. But yeah,
the original idea for the Ecstatic Music Festival
in New York [in 2012], which was where we first
played together for an audience, was that I was
supposed to write pieces for Oneida. “The Well
Tuned Guitar” was the first one. The way I went
about writing that was completely intuitive, using
rhythms that are characteristic of my work coming
out of Guitar Trio onwards. The thing that was
different about it was primarily the tuning.
The other piece was “The Mabinogian,” which
is named for an early Welsh version of the King
Arthur story that we’re all familiar with. I just used
that title because I was reading it at the time. It was
all completely written out, and they were actually a
little bit nervous playing it. It’s not something they

The problem with computers is if something goes wrong onstage, you’re not
gonna figure it out if it happens during the concert. It’s just too complex.
You mean, you weren’t just checking exclusively with Ableton Live, and it high. Three on the gain would be plenty.
your email? was simply a matter of turning various I liked it because of its clean sound.
It was really overkill! I hate standing loops on and off within the program, I’d The hardest, most difficult amp to work
onstage with a laptop, because I don’t feel confident enough with that. But the with, on Guitar Trio for example, was
want people to think I’m running a thing about Super Looper was that it had always a Marshall. A Marshall just isn’t
program. There were a couple of times to interact with an external MIDI device, made to be clean. It’s made to put a
when I tried to use Super Looper, which and there were just so many things that Gibson guitar through, and to be highly
is a software program that does essentially could go wrong that it scared me. I could distorted. It sounds great like that.
what the Boomerang or the three Line 6s have spent maybe six months mastering But for Guitar Trio, I’d have to put the
will do. As a touring musician, I’m always it, but I just preferred to go back to preamp on 1 or one-half just to get a
looking for ways to make my touring the stompboxes. halfway decent sound.
gear more compact. During a certain So I preferred the Jazz Chorus, but
period, it might have been around then, I Do you have an amp preference? I’ve what I’ve been using for the last 10 years
had the idea that things might be lighter noticed sometimes on your solo shows or so on tour has been the Fender Twin.
if I had the looper in the computer. that you go direct through a mixer. It makes sense, right? Compared to the
And it was lighter, but the problem with For a long time I used the Roland Jazz Roland, they’re bloody heavy, but in
computers is if something goes wrong Chorus 120, but I didn’t turn it up very general the sound works out perfectly.
onstage, you’re not gonna figure it out
if it happens during the concert. It’s just
too complex.
YOUTUBE IT
Compositional ground zero for Rhys Chatham is his work Guitar Trio,
I use programs like Finale or Sibelius, which was a breakthrough piece in the mid 1970s as he set out on his
or sequencers like Logic or Ableton exploration of harmonic minimalism. For this performance at a French
arts center in 2011, he’s reunited with his longtime guitar foil Nina Canal,
Live—things like that. If I was an who’s playing a bright green Telecaster.
electronic composer working, let’s say, YouTube search term: Rhys Chatham - Guitar Trio - CAC, Bretigny sur Orge
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Can describe some of the specifics of the
Telecaster sound that appeal to you?
Well, again, it’s on the twangy, trebly side,
and because I’m working… you know, I got
my start as a harpsichord tuner. I’ve always
been involved in tuning, and later having
studied with La Monte Young and worked
with [avant-garde composer] Tony Conrad,
I got into just intonation heavily. And I
found that the overtones are very soft, but
when you put them through an amplifier,
of course they become very loud. And I’ve
found the Fender sound has been perfect
for working with these overtones directly.
Like in Guitar Trio, the overtones generated
by the low E string are the entire melodic
vocabulary of the piece. When you first hear
it, everyone is just playing the low E, but
then you start hearing all this other stuff
happening on top of it, which, of course, is
the overtones.
That’s what I’ve always loved about your

倀刀伀䘀䔀匀匀䤀伀一䄀䰀吀唀一䤀一䜀䔀儀唀䤀倀䴀䔀一吀匀䤀一䌀䔀㄀㤀㐀㠀
piece. It develops slowly, but then the
melodies start emerging and you can sense
ad_CC & AER_PremGuitar_1/3pg.qxp_Cole Clark 2017-05-05 1:16 PM Page 1
the movement.
Yeah, and later on in the piece it gets into
angelic choirs, which are coming from the
fundamental frequencies, but it’s the overtones
that are generated by the six strings of the
guitar. I’ve found, for that kind of music, the
Fender sound just works best for me.
What are you working on now?

I’m playing a concert in Budapest next
week, which I’m really excited about
because I’ve never been there. I’ve seen
all those Matrix movies [laughs] and I
understand it’s a very beautiful city. I’m
billing it as a Pythagorean Dream concert.
But what I’ve been working on most
recently is trying to change the material.
I’ve had this set for the last year or so,
and I’ve perfected it, so now I’m trying to
break it into something else.
The next project is to develop a new son
or daughter of Guitar Trio. It’s a piece that’ll
come out of that, probably in 2018. We’re
hoping to develop that at the Issue Project
Room in New York, with locally recruited
musicians from Brooklyn. We’re still settling
on the guitarists, but I’ll develop the music
in my studio here in Paris, and then work
on it with the actual musicians.

ON BASS
The Bad Drummer Predicament

BY VICTOR BRODÉN
P
Your drummer laying bass on your own can recognizing a name is usually a bad sign.
might have the
be just as rewarding as being a Still, nobody is happier than I am when a
right look and
personality, but soloist on any other instrument. new player rolls into town who can scare
if he or she lacks In those moments when it’s just you and the pros twice their age by playing circles
dynamics or an your axe in a quiet room, you can express around them. I love a good shake-up,
understanding yourself freely without anyone telling but let’s just say that it doesn’t happen
of the groove,
everyone
you how or what to play. It’s one of the that often, and in this particular case,
suffers. greatest allures of playing music. Your my suspicion was justified. I knew things
instrument simultaneously becomes your were bad within the first 10 seconds of
best friend, confidant, and therapist—all the first rehearsal, as did the other guys.
wrapped up into one. The parts I was playing with these other
As much as I do love the sound of musicians (who I knew to be world-class
the bass by itself, I didn’t start playing players and consider more talented than
with the intention of being a great myself ) were all sounding, well, wrong.
soloist or “chops guy” per se. It’s the So, you may be asking, how can the
communication with other musicians— drummer cause this to happen? Let’s talk
especially drummers—that excites me about two of the main reasons. results in a lack of bounce in whatever
the most about my job to this day. I The pocket. When I have the groove is left, and almost always causes the
assume that feeling is what many of pleasure of playing with a great time between the kick and snare to be just
you experience when you play with drummer and things are going well, a little off. Hitting too hard can also choke
your favorite drummer. This month’s I like to say it’s because the pocket is the natural sustain of the drums. And
column, however, is about the opposite: “wide,” rather than it being “deep.” this results in bad drum sounds, which
when you have to deal with a bad (or They still essentially mean the same makes it damn near impossible for me to
even atrociously bad) drummer. And it thing: that I have the freedom as a get a bass sound that sits in the mix and
happened to me just last week. bassist to put the note almost anywhere compliments the drums.
These scenarios usually start with in the pocket without compromising Another example of bad dynamics
somebody who doesn’t know a lot about the groove. I can put it a little on the is the tentative drummer who is afraid
music, but hires a drummer they think front, right on the click, or slightly to take charge and lead the band with
has the right energy, look, or personality behind. And because the drummer is authority, usually by playing too softly.
for the gig. Be it a lead singer (not a so good and the pocket is so wide, it It makes me involuntarily dig in harder,
guarantee for a deep knowledge about all somehow works and I’d have to try which compromises my tone and my feel.
the inner workings of a great rhythm exceptionally hard to actually ruin the And this, in turn, means the other band
section) or a management company that’s groove. With a bad drummer, I can’t for members are stuck with a bad bassist as well.
only concerned about appearances, this the life of me make it groove or swing, I am only as good as the drummer
isn’t a good way to start. A lot of times, no matter where in the pocket I try to I play with. With that said, our job as
personal history and friendship also put the note. The pocket is simply too bassists is to make sure we serve the
play a part in the drummer-acquisition narrow or not even there at all. I am, music at all times, even if the seemingly
process. These are all valid things to take effectively, out of options. impossible roadblock of a bad drummer
into consideration for a potential new Dynamics. When it comes to bad/ is present. We just have to somehow do
hire to fill the drum chair, but only after wrong dynamics, the most common our best to get around it.
you confirm the drummer can make you culprit by far is playing too hard. I grew
smile ear to ear, bob your head to the up playing hard rock, a fair amount of
VICTOR BRODÉN is a Nashville
beat, or even start dancing uncontrollably heavy metal, and even aggressive funk, bassist and producer, and the host
because the groove is that deep. but, in spite of that, I absolutely believe of The Lowdown Society Podcast.
Victor has toured and recorded
Back to last week: I hired the guitarist there are ways for drummers to kill with more than 30 major-label
artists, including LeAnn Rimes,
and keyboard player, but the lead singer the groove by playing too hard. When
Photo by Rich Osweiler
Richard Marx, Casting Crowns,

insisted on bringing in his own drummer. drummers play too hard, the muscles in and Randy Houser. His credits
also include Grammy-winning
When I first saw the drummer’s name, their limbs are more focused on hitting the albums and numerous television
I didn’t recognize it. And when you’ve drum using full force, rather than actually specials and network talk-show
performances. You can reach him
been in Nashville as long as I have, not letting the music breathe. This often at vbroden@yahoo.com
premierguitar.com
BASS BENCH
Yo! Another Universal Guide to Great Bass Tone

BY HEIKO HOEPFINGER
I
In the early n recent months, we’ve explored neck
days of his tone
quest, Roger
relief, setup, pickups, and many other
Glover ran details about the tools we bassists
through stacks use to make music. As important as it is
of Marshalls, to understand our gear, in the end it’s all
as shown here
about achieving a great feel and sound.
onstage with
Deep Purple That seems straightforward, yet it can be a
in 1970. Today journey of a lifetime. As we each claw our
he relies on way toward this squishy goal, we’re bound
compact, to wonder: Is there at least a strategy to
lightweight,
high-power TC
help us move in the right direction?
Electronic gear Here’s a simple answer: Don’t waste
to fill arenas your time reading anything that implies
with rumbling it will give you a short, universal guide to
low end.
great tone.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution,
no single recipe that applies to everyone.
This should be a simple, self-evident
truth, yet articles pop up all the time
promising to reveal the secret shortcut to
standout sound. Guides like this can only
make sense if the number of parameters
is strictly limited. Think of everything
that’s involved on any given gig: The state
of your hands, the type of strings, the
instrument, your amp and speakers. The tours, and being an icon for a generation 7-string and blow your once-in-a-lifetime
room acoustics. Your fellow guitarists’ of bassists, yet not liking the sound chance to hear him play your handiwork.)
volume and tone, and the size of the of your tracks in the studio and being Today he plays an active bass with a
drummer’s kick and toms. The band’s dissatisfied with how your bass projects 3-band EQ into a non-tube amp driving
booze level. Your personal mood. The list onstage. That was Roger’s experience for highly engineered 4x10 cabs. That’s far
is endless, and so is the number of paths nearly three decades. different from what he started with, which
you can take to achieve stellar tone. He describes himself as a simple illustrates my point: To find the holy grail,
One way to learn about sound is to player with no technical background, you need to be willing to strike out on new
study the tonal evolution of players you so to improve his tone, his strategy was trails and let go of your initial beliefs. In
admire. After all, they most likely worked to keep trying whatever manufacturers Roger’s case, being 72 means he’s had time
through the same problems as everyone offered—and there were many. Of to explore many options. No doubt he has
else. The way they solved them might course, this only works when (a) money also learned to separate fads from those
not be a perfect fit for you, but at least isn’t an issue and (b) manufacturers are critical details that define his bass tone.
their journeys might steer you away from willing to jump through hoops just to So whenever you see another headline
known pitfalls or perhaps inspire you to get you to try their wares. Lacking these touting shortcuts to greatness, skip the
try something new. criteria, you’ll need another plan. For read. Of course, I’m glad you kept reading
I recently had the opportunity to most of us, it comes down to practice, this through to the end, despite the Photo by Bert Weber, commons.wikimedia.org
interview Deep Purple’s Roger Glover—a study, and always a lot of work. headline. Good luck on your quest!
bassist with one of the most successful and Roger is an old-school low-ender who
longest careers in rock. My preparations started with a P bass and did his most HEIKO HOEPFINGER is a
German physicist and long-time
included reading many of his previous famous work running a Rickenbacker bassist, classical guitarist, and
interviews, and in the process, I discovered through Marshall stacks. It’s very likely motorcycle enthusiast. His work
on fuel cells for the European
something surprising: His search for tone that the instruments he was offered over orbital glider Hermes led him to
lasted almost 30 years. Imagine having the years were technically quite similar. (As form BassLab (basslab.de)—a
manufacturer of monocoque
played on massively successful records and a luthier, you wouldn’t hand him an active guitars and basses.
premierguitar.com
WWW. F O D E RA. C O M
INTRODUCING THE
EMPEROR CLASSIC AND IMPERIAL
E L E CTR I C G U ITAR S
EST.1983 BROOKLYN
(716) 630-7030
premierguitar.com
LESSONS
Allan Holdsworth’s Fretboard Wizardry

BY JEREMEY POPARAD
A
llan Holdsworth had one of the
most distinctly original voices Chops: Advanced
of any guitarist. While some Theory: Intermediate
aspects of his music and style have been
Lesson Overview:
assimilated by admiring musicians, many
facets of his playing remain shrouded • Understand how Holdsworth approached extended harmony and
in mystery. Much has been written cluster-style voicings.
about Holdsworth’s legato technique,
• Learn how to use the “drop voicing” system.
speed, and tone, and many guitarists,
particularly in the rock and metal • Improve your legato technique.
worlds, have embraced and absorbed
these elements of his sound. However,
Holdsworth’s innovation extended Ex. 1
beyond his virtuosic guitar technique. placed as closely as possible to each other Ex. 1
His deep harmonic language, exemplified within an octave. This Fmaj7 voicing Fmaj7
by his chord voicings and compositions, is quite comfortable under the fingers,
4 w
w
w
as well as his unique approach to melodic
improvisation, have not been so readily
but most closed voicings on guitar
are extremely stretchy and often very
&4 w
imitated. The speed of Holdsworth’s difficult—if not impossible—to play.
single-note soloing and the density of his There are some exceptions and that’s Closed
chord voicings pose a daunting challenge where Holdsworth focused.
to anyone attempting to learn his music, Now let’s next take our closed Fmaj7
˙
5
and with so few transcriptions available, voicing and create some drop voicings. 5
and even fewer accurate ones, his music There are a total of five types of drop 7
8
has unfortunately been placed out of voicings: drop 2, drop 3, drop 2+4, drop
reach of many aspiring musicians. In 2+3, and drop 3, double drop 2. Each of Ex. 2
Ex. 2
this lesson, I want to explore essential these are named for how they differ from
Fmaj7
4 w
elements of Holdsworth’s harmonic and a closed voicing. For a drop 2 voicing,
&4 w
w
melodic style and demystify some of his we start with our closed Fmaj7 voicing
musical concepts.
A thorough analysis of Holdsworth’s
and drop the second note from the top
(C) down an octave (Ex. 2). Since the w
playing could easily fill volumes, so the 5 is the lowest note, this creates a 2nd
examples in this lesson only scratch the inversion Fmaj7.
surface of his rich musical language. If we want to return to root position,
˙
Because much has already been written but keep the spacing of the drop 2
about Holdsworth’s legato technique, I’ll voicing, we’ll need to invert the voicing. 9
7
skip discussing that in detail in favor of To invert a voicing, move each voice 8
to the next chord tone. Ex. 3 shows an 8
looking at the notes Holdsworth played
with his extraordinary chops. First, let’s Fmaj7 chord in root position. I needed
Ex. 3
Ex. 3
first investigate his chord voicings. to move each note from Ex. 2 up twice to
w
Fmaj7
4 w
w
Although there are certainly some make a root-position chord. Follow the
finger-busting chords in his music, most
of Holdsworth’s voicings are four-note
same process of dropping the specified
note or notes down an octave, then invert &4 w
chords that follow the “drop voicing” if necessary for the other chord types.
system. Such voicings are quite common, Ex. 4 demonstrates the remaining
not only on guitar, but also on piano drop voicings in root position for Fmaj7.
and as harmony for horn sections. Before One note about the last voicing (drop
˙
we investigate drop voicings, look at 3, double drop 2): This name refers to 10
9
the closed voicing in Ex. 1. Simply put, dropping the third note from the top one 10
a closed voicing is when the notes are octave, and then dropping the second 8
PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 119

Ex. 4
Ex. 4
w
Fmaj7
w w w w
4 w
w w w w
&4 w w w
w w w
Drop 3 Drop 2+4 Drop 2+3 Drop 3, Double Drop 2
12 8 17
˙
13 10 13
14 9
14 10 7 14
8 8
13 13
Ex. 5
Ex. 5
Fmaj7 Fmaj13 C/F
4 w
&4 w
w ww
w w
w
w w ww
˙
5 5 5
5 7 5
7 7 5
8 8 8
note from the top down two octaves, clustered, dissonant voicings. Holdsworth The next few examples are essentially
hence “double drop.” This last type is was a fan of not only using seconds in his demonstrations of how Holdsworth
often quite stretchy on guitar, but they voicings, but also minor ninths (check organized scales on the fretboard. Many
also sound very unusual and were one of out measures 6, 7, and 9). One final note guitarists study 3-note-per-string and even
Holdsworth’s favorites. about Holdsworth’s chords: Holdsworth 4-note-per-string scales in the quest to
Another technique for generating typically played chords fingerstyle, with understand Holdsworth’s style, but scale
Holdsworth-style voicings is to take one his pick held under his curled right- patterns alone won’t unlock the secrets
note of a seventh chord and move it up hand index finger. Due to the skipped to his lines. Although Holdsworth did
or down within the key. Ex. 5 takes our strings in many voicings, strumming frequently use wider stretches, he also
familiar Fmaj7 chord and changes it to an these chords with a pick creates many incorporated string skipping and position
Fmaj13 and finally a C/F. These voicings problems with unwanted open strings, so shifting to create more interesting lines. Ex.
often contain beautifully dissonant a fingerstyle approach is recommended. 7 is based on the G major scale (G–A–B–
seconds within the shape. A byproduct of C–D–E–F#) and uses a standard 3-note-
this process is that many voicings become Click here for Ex. 6 per-string pattern, but instead of simply
difficult to name because not every note ascending straight up the scale, every other
in a typical chord is present. The Fmaj9 The other side of Holdsworth’s musical string in the pattern is skipped. You will
chord is technically an Fmaj9(no 3), persona is his liquid solo lines full of notice that the notes on the 2nd string of
but rather than fretting about extremely ear-catching chromaticism and angular the example begin on D, and not E, which
precise chord symbols for ambiguous leaps. Without getting into the topic of would be the typical note that 3-note-
voicings, it can be more beneficial to go technique too much, it’s worth noting per-string pattern would start on. This
with a chord symbol that points clearly to that playing in Holdsworth’s legato style change was done to create symmetry with
the bigger picture of the overall tonality. requires a very light touch for both the the 3-5-7 fret pattern of the 6th string.
Ex. 6 is an étude written in the style of fretting and picking hands. Holdsworth’s Holdsworth frequently took advantage of
many Holdsworth compositions. There’s lines have intense energy, yet to obtain guitar fretboard symmetries, and we’ll see
a mixture of closed and drop voicings, the speed and fluidity required to play more examples of this in a moment.
nearly all of which involve moving them, you need to keep the hands very
notes around in the scale to create more relaxed and graceful. Click here for Ex. 7
premierguitar.com
CLICK HERE TO HEAR Holdsworth’s “Isotope”
Ex. 8 contains two phrases that use Henderson song “Isotope,” on the 1996 key. Holdsworth’s lines frequently depart
the A minor pentatonic scale (A–C– album None Too Soon. from the tonalities of the song as a way
D–E–G). However, rather than playing of creating tension, but they always land
only two notes per string, this pattern Click here for Ex. 9 back within the key at beginnings of
uses three notes on each string. It creates measures or at the change to a new chord.
a repeated unison note at each string Most guitarists have “pet” phrases that they
crossing. Unisons across the strings is use from time to time, and Holdsworth Click here for Ex. 13
a device Holdsworth frequently used, was no different. Ex. 10 is something he
which is an emulation of the repeated would frequently play as a pickup to a new On the topic of resolution, it’s critical
notes a saxophonist can get with alternate phrase. The lick is made up of ascending that you practice these licks with
fingerings. Saxophonists John Coltrane perfect fourths, again using unison notes resolutions. One aspect of Holdsworth’s
and Michael Brecker frequently used across neighboring strings. playing that sets him apart from other
this device in their playing. The second guitarists is that his lines are always
phrase incorporates skipped strings to Click here for Ex. 10 connected to the chord changes of the
the 3-note-per-string pentatonic pattern. song. No matter how wild a solo line
The unisons are now gone, but it’s not The G major pentatonic scale (G–A– may be, it always lands on a logical note
quite the complete scale, either. The string B–D–E) is a rather easy scale for even when the harmony changes. If you only
jumps cause one note to be skipped over at novice guitarists, but Holdsworth creates work on licks like these in isolation
each string crossing, creating much wider a more linear fingering for Ex. 11. Pay (especially ones that are based on
intervals and breaking up the predictability attention to which notes contain slides fretboard patterns), you’ll find it difficult
of running straight up a complete scale. so you don’t run out of fingers as the lick to weave the lick into the context of
moves up the neck. a song. Be sure to always include the
Click here for Ex. 8 landing note at the end of any lick as part
Click here for Ex. 11 of the line.
Ex. 9 takes the idea of larger stretches Ex. 14 is a solo étude written over the
and string skipping from the previous Ex. 12 is another lick that Holdsworth changes to our earlier chord etude (Ex.
example and applies it to the D half- frequently used as part of larger phrases. 5). I’ve employed a variety of techniques
whole diminished scale (D–E%–F–F#– He’d typically play this lick on either a discussed so far: string skipping, cross-string
G#–A–B–C). We start on D, but skip a Cm or Fm chord. It’s mostly diatonic to unisons, three-note-per-string pentatonics,
few notes within the scale to preserve a either the C minor or F minor scales, but diminished scale sequences, and lines using
symmetrical feel. This alternating pattern contains a chromatic moving line. shifts up and down one string.
of larger leaps with notes only half-steps
apart again creates a far more interesting Click here for Ex. 12 Click here for Ex. 14
pattern than simply playing the complete
scale ascending and descending. It’s It’s easy to spot the symmetrical elements Allan Holdsworth made a lasting impact
worth noting that because of the of Ex. 13. This lick is very chromatic upon the music world with his unique
diminished scale’s minor third symmetry, and doesn’t belong to any particular style of playing and composing. His
this lick can be moved up and down the scale or tonality. It would typically be language can be difficult to decode,
fretboard with jumps of three frets. An used to create tension against the song’s but with time and patience, you can
example of Holdsworth playing a similar harmony, and would be followed by a help spread his innovative ideas to new
lick this way can be heard in the Joe resolution to something back within the generations of musicians.

LESSONS
Beyond Blues: Roy Buchanan’s Tele Tricks

BY LEVI CLAY
O
ften referred to as “The
World’s Greatest Unknown Chops: Intermediate
Guitarist,” Roy Buchanan was Theory: Intermediate
a visionary Tele player who had a far
Lesson Overview:
greater influence than his commercial
success might suggest. Over the course of • Learn how to use volume and tone swells to create vocal sounds.
this lesson, we’ll explore how Buchanan • Add dynamics and excitement to your licks with “whistlers,”
would tackle a slow blues in E. Although
or pinch harmonics.
the format might be basic, Buchanan’s
approach was anything but. He not only • Develop faux-flamenco techniques.
was a master of expressive bends, but also
more extended techniques like muting,
pinch harmonics, and tone swells. Check
out this recording of Buchanan playing
on Bobby Gregg’s “Potato Peeler.” Even
on this early recording, all of Buchanan’s
trademark moves are in place.
Ex. 1 shows Buchanan’s incredible use
of the volume knob to create screaming
guitar parts. His earliest lessons were on
the steel guitar, so it’s plausible that this
use of volume swells comes from there.
Using nothing more than notes of the E
minor pentatonic scale (E–G–A–B–D),
these bends attempt to imitate the crying
sound of the human voice.
Click here for Ex. 1
Ex. 2 features pinched harmonics, a difficult on standard Teles, so I rotate This next lick (Ex. 5) features another
technique that permeates Buchanan’s the control plate to bring the tone knob compound bend, as well as more pinched
playing. To execute these “whistlers,” as closer to my hand.) As with the volume harmonics. Use all downstrokes to get
Buchanan called them, you’re aiming to knob swells, this technique aims to add these harmonics to really ring out. It’s
strike the string with both the pick and a little more human expression to the easy to imagine something like this on a
the fleshy side of the thumb closest to notes you’re playing. Zeppelin album.
the guitar. Some claim he invented the
technique, which is likely hard to prove, Click here for Ex. 3 Click here for Ex. 5
but it’s fair to say that Buchanan made
it more popular. The last part of the lick We break out some compound bends Ex. 6 is tricky to play. Buchanan liked to
features some erratic tremolo picking to in Ex. 4. The basic idea is to bend to push boundaries, but he wasn’t concerned
build excitement. a target note, hold it, and then bend it about being technically refined—it was
even more to a second note. In addition all attitude. In this lick, you’re required
Click here for Ex. 2 to Buchanan, Pink Floyd’s David to tremolo pick the 1st string and move
Gilmour often uses this technique. A between fretted notes and muted strings. To
One of Buchanan’s signature techniques compressor could help you get enough build drama, Buchanan would often slide
was to manipulate his tone knob to sustain for multiple bends, but Buchanan his finger beyond the fretboard, following
give a faux wah sound. Ex. 3 introduces wasn’t known to use many pedals—he the string right up to the bridge pickup to
the sound by swelling the tone knob just cranked his amp. generate high-pitched, bird-like sounds.
while striking the note—much like a
volume swell. (Tip: I find this technique Click here for Ex. 4 Click here for Ex. 6
premierguitar.com
CLICK HERE TO HEAR Bobby Gregg’s “Potato Peeler”
Ex. 7 illustrates another of Buchanan’s

extended techniques—a raucous take on
the flamenco rasgueado. (In traditional
flamenco guitar, this rapid strumming
pattern is achieved by quickly fanning
out all the picking-hand fingers against
the strings. You can find various types
of rasgueado demonstrated in YouTube
instructional videos.) He would often use
this technique while fretting fast single-
note lines.
Click here for Ex. 7
Our final example (Ex. 8) is a full 12-bar

solo using a selection of techniques. be timid! Exploring Buchanan’s style None of these examples are about
Don’t get too hung up on the denser is about experimenting and not being playing clever arpeggio substitutions
rhythmic notations. Simply work on afraid to cut loose. or outlining complex chord changes.
some fingerings and techniques and jam On these recordings, I’m playing my Buchanan’s defining characteristic wasn’t
along. Speaking of jamming … Telecaster through the Universal Audio in the notes he played, but how he
Fender ’55 Tweed amp emulation with played them. He was always looking to
Click here for Ex. 8 a splash of reverb to simulate playing expand the guitar’s sonic capabilities by
in a hall. Buchanan had a huge country attacking his strings in unorthodox ways
Here’s a backing track so you can try influence, so you’ll need to embrace the and using his tone and volume controls
some of these new ideas. And don’t biting sound of a Tele’s bridge pickup. to shape his phrases.

LESSONS
Fretboard Workshop: A Fingerstyle Manifesto

BY KIRBY JANE
I
t’s easy to define the art of
fingerstyle guitar: playing several Chops: Intermediate
parts at once without a pick. Theory: Beginner
What isn’t easy is putting that simple
Lesson Overview:
definition to work. It’s a lot like playing
piano on guitar, especially since many • Understand the basics of syncopation in fingerstyle guitar.
of the syncopations mirror those used • Refine your practice technique and approach.
in ragtime and contemporary piano.
• Develop independence between your picking-hand thumb and fingers.
Fingerstyle was first popularized on
steel-string guitar by the likes of Robert
Johnson, Blind Blake, Merle Travis, Chet
Atkins, and Jerry Reed. In more recent lots of practice, try to find the original thumbpick, and then go through them
years, fingerstyle techniques are still being performance of that song and study the all to find the few picks that fit his hand
used by such rock, country, jazz, and artist’s hand positions, gear, or perhaps best. Your fingers may change in size on
Americana artists as Tommy Emmanuel, the original score. It may even be useful a day-to-day basis because of factors like
John Knowles, Joe Robinson, Eric to study the artist’s work ethic, as well as temperature, diet, or hydration levels,
Johnson, James Taylor, John Mayer, The influences and temperament. so you may find it useful to have an
Tallest Man on Earth, and many others. We’re all human and we all have our assortment of thumbpicks in slightly
In this lesson, I’ll outline a few strengths and weaknesses as players, so different sizes. If you find a thumbpick
Chet Atkins- and Merle Travis-inspired don’t get too caught up in trying to be that sounds good but doesn’t exactly
licks that characterize traditional better than everybody else. I’m going to fit your hand, you can submerge it in
fingerstyle guitar. They’ll serve as a hurt some feelings with this, but I have hot water to make it malleable and
solid starting point for guitarists who to say it: There is no best guitar player then shape it to fit your hand. Do
want to incorporate more syncopation in the world. Stop trying to compare not, I repeat, do not try to soften up
in their playing. Fingerstyle guitar everybody, and stop trying to compare thumbpicks by holding them near an
requires that your picking hand yourself. Yes, it is useful and fun to be open flame, unless you plan on using
fingers—most importantly, the thumb— technically advanced as a guitar player, them as flamethrower ammunition. They
move independently of each other. especially if you plan on making a career are incredibly flammable. I’m speaking
Consequently, these exercises are designed out of music. However, the music itself from personal experience.
to help you develop thumb independence should be enjoyable for you and for the I also recommend that you have your
in your picking patterns. My hope is that audience. Even if you learn to play a song guitar set up properly by a luthier so the
you can use these techniques to spice up exactly like a particular artist, you’ll never action isn’t too high, and—within the
your own arrangements and learn your be the artist you’re covering. Conversely, limitations of a given instrument—you
favorite fingerstyle songs. they will never have your voice or your can play in tune up the neck. Many
A quick note before we start: To get perspective. That said, I encourage you of the world’s best guitarists have
anywhere with fingerstyle guitar, you to branch out and challenge yourself instruments that play effortlessly. If your
have to let go of your ego. When you run musically, but don’t neglect your own guitar is comfortable to play, you’re far
across musicians who can play something voice in the process. less likely to damage your hands over
better than you, don’t be intimidated. time. Advanced fingerstyle techniques
Rather, embrace the idea that they’ve just The Thumbpick require immense hand strength and
proven it’s possible to play that thing well. While a thumbpick is not required dexterity, and there’s no sense in making
The next step is to figure out what to play in this style, these exercises it harder on yourself by trying to tough it
skilled players are doing to achieve a will be much easier to play with one. out with bad action on your instrument.
particular sound. Maybe it’s the type Dunlop medium thumbpicks are a great You can replace a guitar, but you can’t
of gear they’re using, their posture, a option, although there are many other replace your hands.
special fretting technique, or just that thumbpicks that will work well. I prefer The exercises listed below are inspired
they’ve devoted significantly more time a heavy-gauge Fred Kelly Bumblebee by Merle Travis’s performance of “Too
to practicing. Quite often the answer is Jazz pick. One of my friends who Much Sugar for a Dime,” as well as Chet
easier than we think it is. When you’re is a reputable fingerstyle player will Atkins’s arrangement of “Mr. Sandman.”
struggling to learn a riff even after buy a whole bag of the same type of I’ve listed the YouTube videos for each
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CLICK HERE TO HEAR CLICK HERE TO HEAR
Merle Travis’s “Too Much Sugar for a Dime” Chet Atkins’ “Mr. Sandman”
song below so you can use them as finger to pick the melodies while leaving fills aren’t as pronounced as Merle’s.
reference points for how these techniques his middle, ring, and pinky anchored on Instead, he tends to put more emphasis
sound when executed well. the pickguard. With his picking-hand on a nuanced, expressive melody.
First, let’s look at “Too Much Sugar palm, Travis also mutes the strings that For this exercise, I want you to become
for a Dime.” On the 6th string, Travis carry the bass and rhythm, and this comfortable playing Chet’s signature
frets the bass note with his left-hand allows the melody to stand out in the boom-chick technique across changing
thumb by wrapping it around the top of mix, relative to the lower parts. chord progressions, so the primary goal
the guitar neck. This keeps the fretted When practicing Ex. 1, try playing with this exercise is to be able to transition
bass note sustaining longer, and grants the 6th string with your thumb over from the first chord to the second chord
Travis more room to embellish the chord the neck while fretting the rest of the and repeat without any noticeable gaps.
by altering its shape. If he were barring chord in whatever way currently feels
the chord, it would be harder to play comfortable to you. With your picking Click here for Ex. 2
with good sustain and he wouldn’t have hand, anchor your middle, ring, and
as many voicing options. pinky on the pickguard. Mute the strings Make sure you anchor your pinky on
In this video clip you’ll also see that by slightly with your right-hand palm. the pickguard. If this is too difficult,
fretting bass notes with his thumb, Travis Repeat this exercise until it feels natural you could also try anchoring the ball of
is able to play open strings, hammer-ons, and doesn’t require much concentration. your wrist on the bridge like a bluegrass
and pull-offs within the chord positions. player. Either way, anchoring your hand
This is an essential aspect of “Travis” Click here for Ex. 1 gives you a reference point so you don’t
picking because it allows a player to lose your place and miss notes. It also
squeeze more mileage out of the fretboard Now let’s look at Chet Atkins’ arrangement keeps you from playing from your elbow,
and ultimately coax a more dynamic of “Mr. Sandman.” While Chet does which requires far more energy and could
sound from the instrument. occasionally fret bass notes with his cause some discomfort or even long-term
As far as Travis’ picking hand is thumb over the neck, he doesn’t use the damage. Remember to stay relaxed, and
concerned, notice how he’s playing the technique nearly as often as Merle. Instead, try to restrict most of your right-hand
bass and rhythm part using only his Chet’s signature boom-chick pattern movement to your wrist and fingers.
thumb. This steady, driving eighth- focuses almost solely on the moving bass In Ex. 3, we’ll repeat these same
note pattern is called the “boom-chick” line, instead of the bass line and rhythm boom-chick patterns with a melody
pattern by members of the fingerstyle together. He uses an inside-outside picking and/or chords above them. To become
community. Travis’ particular way of pattern with the thumb, while plucking comfortable with these musical
playing the boom-chick style involves melody and rhythm parts with his right- syncopations, take the time to dissect the
hitting the chord’s bass note first, then hand index, middle, or ring fingers. passages. I’ve written out the music so
the harmonies. He rarely deviates from Unlike Merle, Chet only anchors his the boom-chick patterns are represented
this unless he is playing a solo, or doing a pinky on the pickguard. This seems to by notes with the stems facing down.
walking bass line as a transition between allow for more dexterity when plucking All the other parts have the note stems
musical sections. Travis uses his index the melody line. Chet’s bass and rhythm facing up. Practice playing isolated parts

in time with the music, and then after make you sound like two guitar players later, in a different state of mind from
you’re comfortable with each part, work instead of one. when you were performing it. I find
on combining them. If you are having that things that bothered me while I was
trouble with this, slow down. There’s Click here for Ex. 3 playing a song will sound perfectly fine
no limit to how slowly you can play a when listening back, yet other parts I
piece to better understand it. After you’ve Practice Tips thought I played well were completely
played your way through a phrase, repeat Fingerstyle guitar can be a rewarding wrong or just sloppy. The more you
that phrase until you’re comfortable endeavor because it allows for so many record yourself, the more your idea of
playing it over and over without mistakes. musical options, and for so much yourself aligns with how the rest of the
A rule of thumb I picked up from independence as a musician. However, world sees and hears you. Figuratively
middle school band is that if you can’t because fingerstyle guitar is often played speaking, you’re naked onstage when you
play a phrase ten times in a row without solo, it’s imperative you know your play fingerstyle because every mistake
mistakes, you don’t really know it. material incredibly well. One way to you make is amplified. You don’t have a
Eventually, playing these syncopations test how well you can play a song is to drummer to hide behind when you get
will feel effortless, and that’s when you practice it as if you’re playing it live. Play off beat, or a rhythm section to take over
can start experimenting with the melody the song all the way through at a steady for you when you hit the wrong chord.
line’s phrasing and gradually develop tempo without stopping to correct your Know the song’s chord progression
more complicated syncopations. On a mistakes. It’s a sobering way to practice in case you mess up on some fingerings,
more advanced level, think of the melody because you may realize you’re nowhere and tap your foot so your body feels the
line as if you’re singing it, instead of near playing a song properly, but groove at all times. This will help you
picking it. Often vocalists will sing the practicing this way will save you a great refocus when you get distracted while
words before or after the beat, based on deal of embarrassment when you actually playing, which can happen to the best
what feels right in the moment. Thinking play the material in public. of us. We’ll never stop making mistakes,
this way will dramatically increase the Another tip is to record yourself but we can get really good at recovering
depth of your playing, and will truly practicing so you can listen to the song from them.
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GUITAR RECORDED VERSIONS:
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00690178 Alice in Chains – Acoustic �� $19�99 00691024 Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits �� $22�99 00694910 Rage Against the Machine�� $19�95
00142819 All That Remains – The Order of Things ��$22�99 00120220 Robben Ford – Guitar Anthology �� $24�99 00119834 Rage Against the Machine –
00123558 Arctic Monkeys – AM�� $22�99 00139460 Grateful Dead Guitar Anthology �� $24�99 Guitar Anthology �� $22�99
00690820 Avenged Sevenfold – City of Evil�� $24�95 00691190 Best of Peter Green �� $19�99 00690673 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Greatest Hits �� $19�95
00123216 Avenged Sevenfold – Hail to the King� �� $22�99 00119619 Jimi Hendrix – People, Hell and Angels ��$22�99 00174797 Santana – IV* �� $22�99
00691051 Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare�� $22�99 14042759 Black Sabbath – 13 �� $19�99 00128870 Matt Schofield Guitar Tab Collection�� $22�99
00690489 The Beatles – 1 �� $24�99 00121961 Imagine Dragons – Night Visions �� $22�99 00138870 Ed Sheeran – X �� $19�99
00694930 The Beatles – 1967-1970 – 2nd Edition �� $24�99 00690790 Iron Maiden Anthology �� $24�99 00151178 Kenny Wayne Shepherd – Ledbetter Heights
00694832 The Beatles for Acoustic Guitar – 00122439 Jack Johnson – (20th Anniversary Edition)�� $19�99
Revised Edition �� $22�99 From Here to Now to You �� $22�99 00691114 Slash – Guitar Anthology �� $24�99
00147787 Best of the Black Crowes �� $19�99 00690271 Robert Johnson – 00142151 Taylor Swift – 1989 �� $22�99
00129737 The Black Keys – Turn Blue�� $22�99 The New Transcriptions�� $24�99 00690531 System of a Down – Toxicity �� $19�95
00148544 Michael Bloomfield Guitar Anthology �� $24�99 00120814 Killswitch Engage – Disarm the Descent ��$22�99 00694824 The Best of James Taylor �� $19�99
00158600 Joe Bonamassa – Blues of Desperation ��$22�99 00124869 Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan – 00123862 Trivium – Vengeance Falls �� $22�99
00139086 Joe Bonamassa – In Session �� $22�99
00124461 Keith Urban – Guitar Anthology �� $19�99
Different Shades of Blue �� $22�99 00130447 B�B� King – Live at the Regal �� $17�99
00110385 Steve Vai – The Story of Light �� $22�99
00141446 Best of Lenny Breau��$19�99 00114563 The Lumineers �� $22�99
00700555 Van Halen – Van Halen �� $19�99
00119629 Bullet for My Valentine – Temper Temper��$22�99 00119220 Brent Mason – Hot Wired �� $19�99
00137718 Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun ��$22�99 00694835 Stevie Ray Vaughan – The Sky Is Crying ��$22�95
00690936 Eric Clapton – Complete Clapton�� $29�99
00691942 Andy McKee – Art of Motion �� $22�99 00109770 Volbeat Guitar Collection �� $22�99
00124873 Eric Clapton – Unplugged –
Deluxe Edition �� $24�99 00209876 Metallica – Hardwired…To Self-Destruct �� $22�99 00121808 Volbeat – Outlaw Gentlemen
& Shady Ladies �� $22�99
00694869 Eric Clapton – Unplugged �� $22�95 00118836 Pat Metheny – Unity Band �� $22�99
00152161 Doc Watson – Guitar Anthology �� $22�99
00138731 Eric Clapton & Friends – The Breeze�� $22�99 00102590 Pat Metheny – What’s It All About �� $22�99
00172118 Weezer – Weezer
00139967 Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets 00102591 Wes Montgomery
(The White Album)* �� $19�99
of Silent Earth: 3 �� $24�99 Guitar Anthology �� $24�99
00130786 Coldplay – Ghost Stories �� $19�99 00151195 Muse – Drones �� $19�99 00117511 Whitesnake Guitar Collection �� $19�99
00127184 Best of Robert Cray �� $19�99 00694883 Nirvana – Nevermind �� $19�95 00690447 Best of The Who �� $24�95
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00150257 John Fahey – Guitar Anthology��$19�99 00690499 Tom Petty – 00691020 Neil Young – After the Gold Rush �� $22�99
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00128917 Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven 00121933 Pink Floyd – Acoustic Guitar Collection ��$22�99 00121684 ZZ Top – Early Classics �� $24�99
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* tab transcriptions with lyrics

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LESSONS
Cosmic Country: Build Those Muscles!

BY DANIEL DONATO
O
ver time I’ve come to realize
I’m drawn toward guitarists Chops: Beginner
who have a certain touch—a Theory: Beginner
sonic swiftness that has always caught
Lesson Overview:
my ear. Though they all have their
own distinctive sound and rigs, there’s • Develop a plan to increase your speed.
a common thread running through • Learn how to map out scales and arpeggios over the entire fretboard.
their music that draws me in. Players
like Mark Knopfler, Eric Johnson, Joe
• Create your own practice regimen while systematically refining
Bonamassa, and Brent Mason all share fundamental fretting and picking techniques.
this trait.
Such fluidity can be attributed to
many variables, but one is that these movement and keep your attack as even I’ve found this variable tempo approach
guitarists have built up the necessary as possible with the smallest amount of delivers optimal results and works well to
muscles in their hands to sound relaxed dynamic variation. You want the notes to maximize my practice time.
while playing at fast tempos. When they sound like machine-gun bullets. Some metronome apps allow you to
execute perfectly articulated single-note In terms of right-hand technique, you automate tempo increases over a specific
frenzies, it appears almost effortless. In can either use straight alternate picking or period of time. That’s super handy—
this lesson, I’ll show you some simple a hybrid approach. For the latter, I suggest something you might want to explore.
ways to begin developing this skill—one a pick-middle-pick-ring combination. It’s
that should appeal to any guitarist who important to keep a very loose grip on the Click here for Ex. 1
aspires to play at a high technical level. pick—almost to the point of dropping
By minimizing unnecessary movements, it. You want to feel as little tension as One way to move this idea forward is
these exercises will help you play more possible, so remember to relax! to break up the pattern and incorporate
efficiently and increase the accuracy of Always use a metronome for this string skipping (Ex. 2). Pay attention to
your attack. type of workout. I know you’ve heard it how your hands navigate the forward and
The player who showed me the four- before, but start slow, say 16th-notes at backward motion that’s built into this
note-per-string exercise in Ex. 1 called 100 bpm. Once you’re comfortable, start exercise. Both hands need to remain in
it playing “quasi-chromatics.” The goal changing tempos. I like to go down 2 perfect sync as you make the repeating
here is to use minimal right-hand wrist bpm and then up 5 bpm from that speed. “jump over, move back” moves.
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Feeling ambitious? Now play through scale. Once you’ve mastered the moves techniques, and keep in mind the
the example fretting the notes using only in the G major scale, apply them to looseness required to increase your speed.
your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers. The idea different keys—especially the odd keys
here is to go against the grain of what that guitarists don’t usually play in, Click here for Ex. 5
feels most natural. The benefit? Your like G# or E%. This will not only help
fretting hand becomes stronger and more with technique, but also sharpen your My daily amount of allotted time for
relaxed. The more relaxed you are, the fretboard knowledge. these exercises are as follows:
faster you can play.
Click here for Ex. 3 • 10 minutes for “quasi-chromatics”
Click here for Ex. 2 (five minutes devoted to conventional
Of course, what goes up must go down. fingerings and five minutes to modified
In Ex. 3, I’ve applied a similar concept to Ex. 4 incorporates descending versions of fingerings).
the G major scale (G–A–B–C–D–E–F#–G). both patterns from Ex. 3. • 10 minutes for scales (five scale
There are two different patterns here. The positions, two minutes per position).
first half of the example is ascending groups Click here for Ex. 4 • Two minutes arpeggiating each of the
of four from each scale degree (1–2–3–4, diatonic major and minor triads shown
2–3–4–5, and so on). The second half I also like to arpeggiate chords across all in Ex. 5 (that’s three major and three
consists of a three-note pattern (1–2–3, six strings while moving through the G minor triads), plus three minutes spent
2–3–4) that flows through each scale degree. major scale’s diatonic triads (G, Am, Bm, on the diminished arpeggio.
There are tons of these patterns. Try to come C, D, Em, and F#dim), as illustrated in
up with a few of your own and mix them Ex. 5. Build those muscles! By doing so,
into your own practice sessions. The notes need to be staccato, clear, you’ll develop a relaxed, fluid technique
It’s important to apply these ideas and articulate. Work through this exercise that ultimately allows for greater speed
to all five positions of the G major using both alternate and hybrid picking and control. Now, get to work.
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LESSONS
Deep Blues: Double-Stoppin’ Jive

BY DAN SMITH
I
n this lesson, we’ll be looking at
using double-stops in the context of Chops: Beginner
a blues. If you’re unfamiliar with the Theory: Intermediate
term, it basically means playing two notes
Lesson Overview:
at once. Think of nearly any Chuck Berry
solo or even a bluegrass violin or mandolin • Discover how to imply chord changes with only two notes.
part where you can hear two strings • Expand your chord vocabulary.
simultaneously bowed or plucked and
• Create compelling intros and turnarounds for a 12-bar blues.
you’re there. Because you are essentially
harmonizing with yourself, double-stops
can be used to create harmonic interest. By
adding thickness or aggression to a slightly strings with one exception: the last upbeat G7 and move them up chromatically to
overdriven guitar tone, they can also be over the G7 where you hammer-on resolve to the 3 (E) and 5 (G) of C9.
useful for lifting and driving a solo. We’ll the 3 (B). In measures one and two, I
be working with a Stevie Ray Vaughan- recommend pushing up slightly on the %3 Click here for Ex. 5
style blues in the key of G and looking at over G7, or adding a little vibrato. The
ideas for intros, navigating the IV chord goal is to avoid having the %3 sit squarely Ex. 6 combines organ-inspired pedaling
(C), and outlining the turnaround. on the G7, as that can sound a little of the root with rising double-stops and
Ex. 1 is an intro that would be great gnarly. To use this pattern over the IV some chromaticism over the IV chord. In
in a trio. It kicks off on the V chord (D7) (C7) in measures five and six, all we need measure three, give the %3 and 6 a good
and blends the punchy sound of G minor to do is remove the hammer-on at the end shake over G7. To avoid getting twisted up
pentatonic (G–B%–C–D–F) with some of each measure. when playing the descending double-stops
quarter-step bends. It feeds nicely into a in the last measure, try using your ring
basic turnaround in the last two measures Click here for Ex. 3 finger to barre the 2nd and 3rd strings.
that will give your bandmates a definitive
signal on when to come in. Let’s thicken up our sound even more in Click here for Ex. 6
Ex. 4 by breaking away from strict double-
Click here for Ex. 1 stops and playing a series of four-note Let’s focus on the IV chord (C9) for Ex. 7.
chord shapes for G7 with the top voice To walk down to the I chord, we’re using
Let’s build on the previous phrase for Ex. climbing up a G7 arpeggio (G–B–D–F) to some Chuck Berry-approved descending
2. The harmonic rhythm is the same, create some momentum towards the arrival thirds. (If we were following chord-scale
but we move to a lower octave for some of the C9. Try adding some dynamic theory, the second shape would have an
added weight. Instead of playing straight interest by accenting the first beat of each F instead of an F#, but the F# offers a
double-stops, we’re using a triplet figure triplet. Alternatively, you could slowly pleasing pull on the ear down to the I.
that shifts from one note to the other. (If build intensity over the four measures. This is the blues after all—the ear is king!
you want to cop a bit of an Otis Rush These ascending voicings are great if We finish up the phrase by outlining the
vibe, add some shaky vibrato.) This time you’re playing with a clean or a slightly G7 chord with a few more double-stops.
our turnaround intro pattern hits some overdriven tone because the added notes
chromatically descending sixths before will build volume and texture. Click here for Ex. 7
walking up to the V chord (D7) again.
Click here for Ex. 4 In our final example (Ex. 8), we outline
Click here for Ex. 2 the turnaround with sliding sixths before
Ex. 5 takes a slightly different approach progressing to some single-note blues
Featuring double-stops throughout, Ex. 3 to the idea of playing two notes at once. vocabulary over the G7. The lick ends with
is a “Night Train”-inspired idea over the Here, we fret the root with our pinky and a Robert Johnson-style descending line, and
I and IV chords. We start over the G7 play some bluesy licks underneath. This a partial D augmented chord (D–F#–A#) to
with a familiar first-finger barre on the is similar to something you might hear generate some harmonic tension before the
2nd and 1st strings at the 3rd fret. This George Benson play or even a blues piano 12-bar form starts again.
barring theme continues any time you see lick à la Jerry Lee Lewis. To take us to the
the same fret number across two adjacent IV chord, we fret the 5 (D) and %7 (F) of Click here for Ex. 8
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MOD GARAGE
Build a Pickup Phase Tester, Part 1

BY DIRK WACKER
A
s we’ve learned while exploring
1
pickups in several recent
columns, if you hope to
successfully combine pickups from
different manufacturers in one guitar,
it’s crucial to determine each pickup’s
phase. This lets you avoid out-of-phase
issues that can plague even experienced
modders. (For some background, take a
moment to read “Get a Grip on Pickup
Phase” on premierguitar.com.) Wouldn’t
it be nice if you had a device that could
quickly identify a pickup’s phase? I’ve
never seen a dedicated phase-testing
unit, so I’m going to show you how to
build your own. It’s not hard and it’s
inexpensive. It will take us two columns
to cover all the steps, so let’s get started.
The shopping list. You don’t need
much to build this tester. I’ll go into
more detail in a moment, but here are
the items:
2
• An analog zero-center moving coil
milliammeter with a sensitivity of +/-
50 µA DC. (If you’re new to the term,
Merriam-Webster defines milliammeter
as “an instrument for measuring
electric currents in milliamperes.”)
• One case with four self-adhesive rubber

feet to house the circuit.
• Two panel-mount 4 mm banana jacks

(one red and one black).
• One small speaker terminal with clamp

connectors
• Red and black wires.
For this column, I bought a ’60s

new-old-stock milliammeter on eBay for
$5. I also dropped $8 on a Hammond
Photos courtesy of singlecoil.com
1594CBK ABS plastic case. (Because the other small parts, I spent a little less Design details. I decided to use two
there’s no shielding required for this than $20, which I think is a reasonable different input stages: In addition to the
project, a plastic case works fine. In fact, price for a professional phase-testing two 4 mm banana plugs, I also wanted
you can use whatever case material you device. And let’s not forget the priceless a small speaker terminal with clamp
want—wood, aluminum, sheet metal, or fun of building it! Photo 1 shows the connectors. By clamping a pickup’s two
even cardboard.) Including shipping and meter and Photo 2 shows everything else. wires to the latter, you can determine its
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3 4 5
6 7
Including shipping
and the other small
parts, I spent a
little less than $20,
which I think is a
reasonable price for
a professional phase-
testing device.
phase in seconds; the two banana plugs are 4). By perforating the plastic this way, rather than a metal enclosure. Photo 7
perfect for connecting an existing circuit you’re able to easily pop out the center shows the finished case from the outside.
to the tester using standard laboratory circle and mount the meter in the Next time, we’ll mount the meter
measuring cables with 4 mm banana plugs. exposed hole (Photo 5). After you install and wire it up. Until then ... keep on
Getting started. The first step is to the meter, its frame will cover all your modding!
prepare the case. To do this, I covered the sloppy work, so you don’t have to be
front of the case with masking tape so I over-precise at this stage. DIRK WACKER lives in Germany
Photos courtesy of singlecoil.com
could pencil in where I wanted to place Viewed from the inside, the hole looks and has been a guitar addict since
age 5. He’s also a hardcore DIY-er
the individual parts (Photo 3). ragged (Photo 6), but don’t worry—with for guitars, amps, and stompboxes
Next, I drilled the holes for the two a half-round file and some sandpaper, you and runs a website on the subject
(singlecoil.com). When not
jacks and the speaker terminal. Then I can smooth it out and have it looking working at his guitar workbench,
he plays country, rockabilly, surf,
drilled small holes in a circle that was quite good in a matter of minutes. That’s and flamenco. Contact him at
sized to accommodate the meter (Photo one advantage of using a plastic case, info@singlecoil.com.

STATE OF THE STOMP
Play Like a Girl (Scout)

BY PHILIPPE HERNDON
I
’ve partaken in a fair number of The second dangerous
interesting musical discussions over argument was that I prefer
the years. I’ve had friends assail the Bonnie Raitt’s slide playing
Cult’s Sonic Temple as the ancestor of to Duane Allman’s. I
Nickelback. Peers have explained how understand that a certain
Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night” is demographic finds this
simply a pre-mashup collage of “Sweet blasphemy. Pre-internet,
Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Beat the narratives of popular
It.” A professional songwriter who loves music were curated by
Billy Joel points out which artists Joel Jann Wenner and a generation of Rolling because Bonnie Raitt has devoted herself
was consciously or unconsciously ripping Stone, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and to a lifetime of playing and performing,
off even as he defends him: “Big Shot” is “Clapton is God” hagiographers anchored fronting a band, developing a singing
his take on the Rolling Stones, “It’s Still to some key myths: the apex of rock voice both literally and, figuratively, on
Rock and Roll to Me” is the Cars, the is Woodstock, its nadir is Altamont, a 6-string, and delivering some Mike
entire second half of The Nylon Curtain everything past the mid-1970s is epilogue, Campbell-levels of Girl Scout Campsite
might as well be John Lennon, and so on. and so on. In fairness, Allman really could lead playing, it adds up to some basic
I’ve made two arguments to which I’ve play and he tragically passed away at 24 calculus: I prefer her slide playing to
received the most blowback. The first was years old. Across genres and mediums, almost anyone else’s—even short-lived
that Tom Scholz’s guitar playing on the our culture reveres youthful death for icons who’ve been reborn as gods.
first Boston album is superior to anything artists. Their nascent works are suddenly So what does this have to do with
Neal Schon or Carlos Santana was doing elevated for their scarcity, while their effects? This is “State of the Stomp.”
at the time, and that his innovations for unfulfilled potential defaults to “limitless” You came here for me to tell you about
rock guitar tone are only surpassed by and is preserved in amber. Combine those MIDI loopers, delay subdivisions, and
those of Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van details with how the current market of how your favorite overdrive pedal sucks.
Halen. The first point is admittedly electric guitar players is roughly 90 to 95 Simply put, instead of dialing your
subjective: I like the riffs, I find the lead percent male, and how it’s generally easier “wet/dry” effects balance down to some
lines and harmonies tuneful, and so on. for us to identify with and admire people inoffensive idea of “tasteful,” approach
A collaborator described Scholz’s work as who are or were like us, and I get how my decisions of taste like the campsite. Is
“analog spreadsheets,” and I enjoy them comment yields disbelief. (Ladies, bless your use of this effect going to leave
even as Scholz probably hears gaffes from you. And guitar playing, like most parties, the song better? Could dialing up more
his imperfect human hands, and the needs more of you.) speed and depth on your modulated
incredibly high notes Brad Delp sung were But my appreciation for Bonnie Raitt effects make things otherworldly like
only a minor third shy of what Scholz goes beyond contrarian impulse. Along “Black Hole Sun?” Would you try some
envisioned. I’d wager that if Boston had with being an absolutely marvelous outlandish pitch shifting like the lead
recorded in the modern Pro Tools era, singer (the oral history of “I Can’t Make break in “Owner of a Lonely Heart?” Is
Scholz would’ve computer edited his work You Love Me” on Stereogum is a must your wah-wah just a wankish diversion,
to a mathematically perfect horizon of read), I’ve always admired her concise or can you use it to elevate things the
complete sonic distillation. Heck, with and expressive slide playing, from “Sugar way Slash does to make lines sing more?
3-D printing he might’ve even created Mama” to “Something to Talk About.” Try approaching the songs with the
and programmed androids to perform I once called this “jewel-thief ” lead intention of leaving them in even better
to his standards. But all those caveats playing, where you come in, get out, let it shape than they were when you found
lend credence to the second part of my be known that you were there, but don’t them, and use your effects not to create a
proposal—a matter of both evidence and trash the place or overstay your welcome. sound, but towards that purpose.
reflection. Scholz developed the technology I would take this a step further for
Illustration by Philippe Herndon
that became the Rockman—the Lucy of players like Raitt and call it “Girl Scout PHILIPPE HERNDON is the
founder and chief product
direct-in amp-emulation hardware and Campsite” playing, where you leave the designer at Caroline Guitar
software that was alien to its time and is song in even better shape than you found Company. One day he might
actually get around to making
taken for granted now. As a guitar player it. When it’s a song you know by heart, a guitar. He likes pretty much
who either mods or makes most of his you look forward to those parts as much any British TV series that
Netflix recommends for him.
gear, how could I not respect Tom Scholz? as any lyric delivered by the singer. And
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 
 
 
 

SPEAKER GEEKS
When Push Comes to Shove

BY STEVEN FRYETTE
M
any years ago, while playing turned into heat, courtesy of the law of @ 1 watt @ 1 meter. So standing roughly
on an album project conservation of energy. three feet away from a speaker being
at Eldorado Studios in All right, how’d we get way over driven by a single frequency (as opposed
Hollywood, I had a discussion with here? Think of a speaker as an energy- to a full range of frequencies) at 1 watt,
the great producer Dave Jerden about conversion device. It takes electric power you might look at your dB meter and see
mixing. He told me that a mix is like a modulated by a conglomeration of a number like 98. That’s the sensitivity
painting, where the canvas is a fixed size frequencies (audio signal) and converts it rating of the speaker.
and can only hold so much color. Once into physical motion modulated by that Now, there is a mathematical equation
you’ve filled up that space, the only way same conglomeration of frequencies. In that will convert sensitivity to efficiency.
to add more of a particular color is to very simplistic terms, if 50 percent of So why don’t they just do that and
remove some of another to make space that electrical power actually becomes save us all a lot of confusion? Because
for it. As it turns out, this is a great sound, and 50 percent is lost somewhere sensitivity is the real indicator of a
analogy for the way speakers behave in speaker’s tonal performance. All efficiency
guitar amplifiers. tells us is that a speaker will convert our
A speaker has a finite set of operating All efficiency tells us fixed amount of amplifier power to a
parameters—frequency response, power- is that a speaker will fixed amount of sound. Sensitivity tells
handling capacity, and efficiency—and us how the speaker will behave at various
we’ve spent a lot of time discussing the
convert our fixed amount frequencies at a given volume.
first two here in Speaker Geeks. But of amplifier power to a In my previous installment, I
that last one is a clincher and needs a fixed amount of sound. took a little heat from a commenter
little attention. for committing the treasonous act
Sensitivity tells us how
Understanding efficiency helps us of referring to speaker sensitivity as
understand the limits of tonal behavior. the speaker will behave at efficiency. What’s really at issue, in my
We don’t normally see “efficiency” listed various frequencies at a opinion, is not what the terms actually
on most spec sheets, at least in a form given volume. mean, but that we’re just trying to get
we would recognize. What we do see is a sensible answer to a simple question
something called “sensitivity,” and it’s along the lines proposed by one of
this quality that we often associate—or along the way, the efficiency of the Premier Guitar’s senior editors, Andy
confuse—with efficiency. It’s easy to speaker is 50 percent. Ellis: “If I want to make my Fender
conflate these two because, in fact, they’re In reality, speaker efficiency is much Deluxe louder, can I simply replace the
closely related by what’s known as the lower than this, but for our purposes, stock speaker with one that has greater
law of conservation of energy. Gosh, that this is irrelevant. When it comes to guitar sensitivity? Or should I move to a
sounds serious! speakers, efficiency matters little since 35-watt amp instead?”
Actually, the law of conservation there is little difference in mechanical I hate to say it, but to answer that
of energy is a fundamental concept behavior and energy conversion across question I need to ask you how loud you
of physics that simply states the total guitar speakers, generally. What that normally play, how much tonal difference
amount of energy remains constant in means in the real world is that you you’re willing to accept, and how much
an isolated system. It implies energy can already have a sense of how loud a given more weight you feel like flinging
neither be created nor destroyed, but can amp is at a given volume and the small around, because sometimes trying to
be changed from one form to another. differences in efficiency between one explain this in terms of the physics just
What that means in lay terms is a 100- guitar speaker and another isn’t going to doesn’t fire up the mental light bulb.
watt light bulb takes 100 watts of energy make a dramatic difference in the volume To reiterate, sensitivity is highly
in the form of electriccal current and of your amp. What does distinguish conditional: remember that 1 kHz @
changes some of it to light. Whatever speaker personality in ways gear freaks 1 watt @ 1 meter business? Wouldn’t
electrical current didn’t get turned into can relate to is sensitivity. it be better to use a more realistic
light got turned into something else. If Sensitivity is how much sound measurement, like, say, 100 watts or 50
you’ve ever changed a light bulb right pressure level (SPL) can be measured at a watts or even 10 watts? If you’re wrapping
after it conked out and burned your specific distance away from the speaker, at your head around this, you might already
fingertips, you learned the energy that a specified amount of power. Sensitivity be thinking that to compare a large cross
didn’t go to produce the light was instead is typically measured as X dB @ 1 kHz section of speakers, we need a good
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common denominator. And when you’re
looking for a large common denominator,
you are, for better or worse, usually
looking for a smaller number.
As we learned in previous installments
of Speaker Geeks, we use 1 watt because
we need a low power level to obtain
a test result that isn’t polluted by the
speaker’s mechanical limitations or the
test environment. And we use 1 kHz
because each unique speaker responds
differently at different frequencies. A
certain speaker, for example, may have
what appears to be a low sensitivity
number overall, but exhibits an increased
low-mid response on the graph. That
speaker may sound punchier in the low
mids, even though the average power-to- goes up and the amp starts to max out, great product graveyard in the sky is full
sound ratio didn’t change. the tone flattens out. The “sweet spot” on of examples of very efficient, durable
For example, take a look at the your amp is the point where the volume speakers that we guitarists didn’t take
interactive spec sheet for the Jensen is at a comfortable level, the power amp too kindly to. On the other hand, we all
P12N at Jensen’s website (jensentone. stage is starting to saturate, and the have a place in our hearts for a speaker
com/vintage_alnico/p12n). This 12" speaker’s frequency peaks and dips tend that has a pleasant personality, makes us
speaker has a sensitivity rating of 100 dB. to compress slightly. sound like rock stars, looks cool, and, to
Hover your cursor over the speaker graph A higher efficiency speaker will allow some, smells good when pushed to its
at 1 kHz and bingo—there’s the 100-dB you a little more volume before you max limits (my hand raised).
sensitivity (see chart). Now move the out, but not that much. If the sensitivity So, Andy … the answer is that
cursor around and notice how drastically is higher, your amp will sound louder changing the speaker will alter the amp’s
the sensitivity changes with frequency. at low volume (especially around the personality, but unless you’re willing to
The sensitivity goes from a relatively low speaker’s frequency peaks), which may accept a significant departure from the
86 dB @ 1.6 kHz to a whopping 109 dB be a godsend until you get to actual gig sound you prefer, it likely won’t solve your
@ 3.6 kHz. That’s a pretty radical change volume. That’s when you find out that power deficiency. So, get a bigger amp? A
and clearly demonstrates how misleading your amp previously hit its sweet spot higher-powered amp could solve the power
the average figure can be when you’re with the volume at 5, but now does so problem, but it will definitely alter the
looking to fine-tune your amp’s behavior. at 3. If the new speaker is a lot more sweet spot and may not deliver the tone
Also, there’s the nexus between efficient, you’re probably expecting a visit and feel you’re after, so you may soon find
sensitivity and efficiency. For a speaker from the sound engineer any minute. yourself shopping for speakers that will do
to deliver on its technical parameters, If the speaker is less efficient, the the opposite of what you were trying to
it must be operated within those entire balance of the amp’s sweet spot accomplish with the smaller amp.
parameters. But guitar players could care and volume level has changed, and you The truth is, there’s never a perfect
less about that. We just want to know possibly ended up in more or less the answer, and that’s what keeps us in hot
how it’s going to sound at the threshold same spot as you were before the swap. pursuit of perfection. There are clever
of, “Oh look, there’s a trail of smoke If you’re lucky, maybe the midrange solutions that help get us a lot closer to
coming out of my grille cloth!” emphasis just shifted up or down a bit our ideal tone and power balance. And
You’re going to push a tube amp overall and that’s exactly what you were the next time it’s my turn to author this
harder if the new speaker’s sensitivity hoping for. That’s not a hard rule, but column, I’ll tell you all about them!
is lower because your sound is the sum is more often than not the case because
of the behavior of the speaker coupled speakers that are designed for optimum STEVEN FRYETTE is one of the
Graph courtesy of jensentone.com
pioneers of multi-channel high-

with the behavior of the amp, which is efficiency are generally not guitar speakers. gain amps and tube power amps.
determined by the behavior of the tubes, A speaker that effortlessly converts He founded VHT Amplification,
now Fryette Amplification, is
which are impacted by the electrical electrical energy to sonic energy does a partner and design engineer
in the relaunch of Sound
feedback from the speaker back to the so because a lot of purposeful design City Amplification, and has
amp, and the hip bone’s connected to the considerations were brought to bear played a key role in the design,
development, and relaunch of
… you get the idea. When the volume for that to happen. Unfortunately, that Fane guitar speakers.
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something new, something more fantastic. While we
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are also creating new ways to produce NORDSTRAND
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Join us at www.nordstrandaudio.com

ASK AMP MAN
A Space-Age Gibson Titan Gets Relaunched

BY JEFF BOBER
H
ello Ask Amp Man followers. 1
Greetings from Amp World!
An amp crossed my path
that I think is interesting enough to
warrant an installment of the column, so
I’m once again going to forgo a reader
question and focus on this somewhat rare
brown box on my bench called a Gibson
Titan. A friend who recently acquired the
head and cabinet pair brought them to
me. He said that he’d wanted a Titan set
since seeing the trapezoidal head sitting
atop its matching extension cabinet in a
music store back in 1965, so this was a
2
very welcome blast from his past.
First, a little history on these amps
and then we’ll get into the servicing.
According to the information I’ve found,
Gibson manufactured Titans for five
years. In the first two years, 1963 and
1964, they were produced with a brown
vinyl covering, and in the last three years,
1965 through 1967, they were covered
in black vinyl. Titans were also offered
with multiple speaker configurations. The date codes on the parts are split between and turn it on.” The electrolytic capacitors
cabinet in the Titan I set came loaded late 1963 and early 1964, so that should in the amp tend to dry out, and if there’s
with two 12" speakers. The Titan III firmly date this Titan as a 1964 model. any hope or desire of keeping the amp
had one 15" and two 10" speakers, and Nice find indeed! original, as well as in service, the caps
the Titan V had two 15" speakers. All The owner said this amp was sitting should be brought up slowly over time
of these configurations used the same for a while and he wanted it serviced and with a Variac to allow them to “reform.”
head containing 11 tubes, utilizing a brought back to its glorious self. He also Not doing this can compromise the
quad of 6L6 output tubes, and it was mentioned that one of the output tubes performance of the caps or possibly leave
rated at 65-watts output. The cabinet was either missing or looked bad, so he you with a mess that’s a chore to clean
associated with this head says Titan III on installed a new quad of output tubes and up after one decides to vent or explode.
its decorative metal panel, so it’s the one turned it on, but it didn’t sound right and Luckily neither of these things occurred,
15" and two 10" version. The interesting was making noises. As some of you may but I made the decision that the original
thing about this configuration is Gibson know from reading my columns through caps should be replaced for this Titan to
installed a crossover in the cabinet so the the years, that was a bad thing to do, become a usable, reliable amp.
lows and highs would be split between but it was also good information for me Let’s get into the servicing. As you can
the 15" and 10" speakers, respectively. to have. I, as well as many others in the see in Photo 2, the amp is pretty darn
That’s not something seen often in guitar tube-amp service industry, have always original. The only real change to this
world. As for the head and cab, they’re said, “If an amp has been sitting idle for point had been the replacement of one
covered in the earlier brown vinyl and the years, it’s not a good idea to just plug it in output tube socket. Things looked good
for the most part, except for a couple
WARNING: small problems. The screen grid resistor
All tube amplifiers contain lethal voltages. The most dangerous voltages are on one of the output tube sockets had
stored in electrolytic capacitors, even after the amp has been unplugged from been fried to a crisp and needed to be
the wall. Before you touch anything inside the amp chassis, it’s imperative that replaced. This is obviously where the
these capacitors are discharged. If you are unsure of this procedure, consult your missing or bad output tube was located,
local amp tech. but no worries. The amp was originally
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This contemporary take on the Jubilee Series features an ECC83 & EL34 valve set, High/Low
output switching (20 Watt to 5 Watt) and FX Loop. The Mini Jubilee 2536 cabinets are loaded
with two Celestion ‘Vintage 30’ speakers. The 2525 and 2536 are designed and made at the
Marshall factory in England. For more information, contact your Marshall dealer.
3 5
original wires from the multi-caps and

attach them to the replacement discrete
caps, which I mounted in the same
locations (Photo 4).
4 I was almost done, but the old and
brittle electrical cord had to go! These
should be replaced with an upgraded
3-conductor grounded cord. Looking
inside, I could see where the cord was
connected to the terminal board, but
wait…. Why were three wires connected
to the board when there were only two
prongs on the plug? What sort of sorcery
was this? Well, if you look very closely at
the old plug, you will see a small hole in
the body of it (Photo 5). Those of us old
enough to remember, know that a green
wire with a “U” connector on the end
used to come from this hole. It would
be attached, using a screwdriver, to the
built using 1/2-watt screen resistors, but, also in repairing them is that “ground” is screw in the middle of the outlet cover.
since we had to replace one, I upgraded not just ground. This was the ground connection! Gibson
them all to much more reliable 5-watt What do I mean by this? Connecting began using this while Fender amps in
versions. There was also one signal a component that needs a ground this era still had two-conductor line
capacitor in the phase inverter section connection to just any location on the cords. Just a bit ahead of the curve on
that had broken away from its connection chassis or to any electrical connection this one, Gibson. Nice. Safety first!
on one side (Photo 3). Luckily there was to ground does not mean the unit will There you have it. A little piece
enough lead remaining on the capacitor function optimally. In many instances, of someone’s childhood music store
that I could attach an extension, properly this will cause a low-level hum that experience is back up and running,
re-attach it to the connection, and keep should not exist. Proper ground location hopefully to produce more memories.
the part original. is crucial for the best performance, and in Until next time…
So, I repaired the signal cap and most amplifiers, that has been optimized
upgraded the screen grid resistors. Then during the design and development JEFF BOBER is one of the
it was on to the filter caps, and I’d like process. For this reason, whenever I godfathers of the low-wattage amp
revolution. He co-founded and was
to impart one very important piece of replace filter capacitors, I make sure originally the principal designer
information here that has come from to use the same negative connection for Budda Amplification, though
he launched EAST Amplification
decades of experience. A fact I’ve learned used with the original caps, even if I’m (eastamplification.com) in 2010.
You can catch his podcasts at
that may be one of the most important to replacing them with a different style cap, ampsandaxescast.com or email
consider not only in building amps but as I did for this install. I chose to use the him at pgampman@gmail.com.
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I
t’s easy to forget—as you delve deep into the relative
minutiae of 4- and 6-stage phasers, single-coils and
humbuckers, and tube verses solid-state rectifiers—that
acoustic flattops offer nearly as much variety and musical
possibilities as their electronic cousins. That much should
be clear just from a glance at the three acoustics in this
roundup. From a petite-but-punchy parlor to a baritone
bomber to a luxurious classic revived, this trio of instruments
are, individually, very different animals. And in terms of feel,
touch, and tone they each offer a thousand different musical
departure points. Indeed, there’s no shortage of inspiration in
these 18 strings. Read on and find out which of the acoustic
lovelies would best aid your own musical quest.
CORT
NDX Baritone
By Joe Gore
Y
ou know what’s weird about well, while the fretboard is rosewood. an attractive shimmer, and ear-
baritone acoustic guitar? Cool cosmetic details complement engaging complexity.
The fact that more people the handsome woods, including The onboard Fishman system
don’t use it! a faux-abalone and mahogany combines an under-saddle
Tuning an acoustic guitar down a rosette, neck/back/top binding, an piezo with a miked signal. The
fourth or so below standard drops the asymmetrical headstock, and nifty unobtrusive control panel includes
instrument smack into cello register. black buttons on the Grover tuners. treble, mid, and bass controls,
Besides being an intrinsically attractive It’s a sharp-looking guitar. a feedback-nixing notch filter,
sound, the deeper tuning adds It’s nicely made, too. The phase reverse, mic/piezo blend,
potent low-end thump to solo guitar woods are pretty. The satin finish and a minimal yet effective tuner.
performances. It also works brilliantly is consistent. The binding is My two demo clips feature the
for acoustic duos. Besides adding immaculate. The interior work, with same performance. The first is the
bass mass, the altered tuning lets the its scalloped X-bracing, is clean and guitar’s natural sound through a
players perform songs in different glob-free. I’d have guessed this was high-end Schoeps small-diaphragm
positions. (For example, having the a more expensive guitar, save for the condenser mic. The second is the
standard-tuned guitarist play in G rather rough fret ends, which are par Fishman system alone. Naturally,
while the baritone player fingers the for the price range. the miked sound is more dynamic
music in “C” or “D.”) This can add Fret ends notwithstanding, NDX and nuanced, but the DI sound is
beguiling harmonic complexity to is relatively comfy thanks to a sleek, perfectly workable for gigs.
two-guitar performances, whether the slender neck with a relaxed V profile.
music is intricate fingerstyle stuff or Still, plan on spending some time From a Whisper to a Splat? price range. Tones are attractive, and
humble cowboy chords. getting acclimated if you’re new to The guitar sounds especially the guitar is sensitive to performance
Not all players can afford several bari acoustic. The long scale means attractive when played softly. Small nuances, especially when played with
grand for a fine baritone acoustic greater distance between the frets and, variations in dynamics produce some delicacy. Big, bold strumming
if they’ve already invested in a top- thanks to the larger string gauges, the dramatic tone changes. Fingerstyle is less successful to my ear (though
flight standard-tuned acoustic. That’s nut width is 1.75". That may only be and plectrum playing both yield fine darker-toned strings may help). But by
what’s so attractive about budget- about 1/16" wider than most standard- results. (The demo clip starts with a any reckoning, this is a serious bang-
conscious Asian baritone acoustics tuned acoustics (it’s the norm for fingerstyle excerpt before I switch to for-buck guitar, and an excellent way to
from the likes of Alvarez and Ibanez, fingerstyle-oriented axes like Martin a pick at 1:06.) plumb new acoustic-guitar depths.
which sell for under $500. And now OMs), but it can be disorienting But the guitar responds best to a
Cort has entered the market with a until you’ve played for a few hours. light touch. Heavy strumming seems
slightly more upscale acoustic bari: (Consider this an advisory more than a to overload the instrument. Check out
the $699 NDX. criticism.) The wider-than-usual string the final section of the clip (starting
spacing and relatively heavy string at 1:34), where I strum a repeated $699 street
Solid Stuff gauges may also require some practice. chord progression while transitioning cortguitars.com
The China-built NDX bari is a But chances are you’ll be surprised how from very quiet to very loud. After
Tones
single-cutaway flattop with a built-in easy it is to manage those low strings, a certain point, chords seem to splat
Playability
Fishman Presys preamp. With its 27"- thanks to the slim neck and low action out, growing papery and compressed.
scale fretboard and a lower bout that’s above the large frets. Part of that may have to do with the Build/Design
16" wide by 5" deep, this is a sizeable laser-bright tones of coated phosphor/ Value
axe. But it’s light, it balances nicely, Bottom Feeder bronze factory strings.
and the deep Florentine cutaway When you pluck that low 6th PROS Quality materials and workman-
makes it easy to access all 20 frets. string, you feel the fundamental in The Verdict ship. Nice tones, especially when played
The top is solid Sitka spruce and your gut. All low notes are taut and Baritone acoustic guitar is a fine delicately. Good price.
the back is solid mahogany. The defined, and free of floppy wobble. thing, and Cort’s NDX Baritone is
CONS Heavy strumming can sound
sides are mahogany laminate. The Volume levels are balanced from a fine way to get there. Its materials “splatty.” The long, wide fretboard may
bridge and neck are mahogany as register to register, with ample body, and workmanship are terrific for its require acclimation time.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A REVIEW DEMO of this guitar.
premierguitar.com
GUILD
D-55
By Charles Saufley
T
The best Guild guitars are the D-55. The bookmatched Indian sense of balance at high volume and
beautifully idiosyncratic rosewood back is beautifully finished under high-intensity strumming.
instruments. Whether it was to reveal a rich and complex grain Some of this balance comes from
a modest mahogany M-20 or an pattern, and is bisected by a maple an almost compressed-sounding
opulent and orchestral-sounding and ebony dots-and-dashes back strip. succinctness that you hear in
F-212, my favorite Guild encounters The ABS binding that surrounds individual notes. It’s an attribute
made big impressions—leaving me the body and neck is adorned with a that may frustrate macho bluegrass
with fond recollections of instruments super-thin black/white/black pinstripe bullies. But in the context of
with style, personality, and that echoes the racing-stripe-like vigorously strummed vocal backing,
enrapturing sounds by the barrel load. inlay that runs the length of either studio rhythm overdubs, or jazz-
It’s easy to hear the individuality side of the fretboard. Then there’s the inflected picking chains and clusters,
in the new and resurrected U.S.- beautiful “V-block” triangle-within-a- the individual notes translate to
built D-55. It’s resonant, responsive, rectangle abalone inlays, which echo clear, beautiful chord voicings and
dynamic, and less booming than the abalone inlay in the headstock a unique chiming quality that’s
many rival dreads. And outwardly, it and rosette. The visual sum of these uncommon in dreadnoughts.
suggests that Guild’s new custodians elements is luxurious without being The D-55’s bass output may
at Cordoba grasp the craft, style, and ostentatious: a classic Guild design lack the thump that many classic
intangibles that made vintage Guilds signature if there ever was one. rosewood-and-spruce dread players
special. It’s a beautiful convergence Perhaps the only real design miscue is like. But individual bass notes be the loudest, most growling dread,
of art and function that’s very the plastic truss rod cover, which feels sustain beautifully and in balance but players geared toward dynamic
satisfying to play. and looks insubstantial and chintzy. with midrange notes—creating a modern styles, singer-songwriters, and
sound composite that lends sparkle studio engineers are bound to dig its
Goin’ Back to Cali Big but Balanced to ornate fingerpicking filigree and civility and balance. At a little over
Guild’s history is dotted by enough Dreads are wildly popular, but they a mellow resonance to alternating three grand, it’s a serious investment.
factory moves and ownership changes aren’t always the most versatile thumb-bass patterns. But it is similarly priced to its most
to make a journeyman infielder’s guitars. Often lacking the harmonic Much of the D-55’s dynamism obvious rivals—many of which are
career look stable. What’s interesting balance of 00- and 000-sized (which can feel paradoxical, given less luxuriously appointed. If you seek
is that Guild’s sense of personality has instruments, they can be boomy and how compressed individual notes can a sonic and visual difference from
remained more or less intact through lack dynamic range in fingerpicking sound) is attributable to its slinky your next dreadnought, the D-55
those changes. The high-quality D-55 situations. The D-55, however, is playability. It’s as good as any dread I could return that investment many
is another testament to the brand’s balanced from low registers to high. remember playing. The action is low times over as the years roll on.
resiliency and the way its legacy seems It’s responsive to a light touch, and but the guitar stays relatively buzz free
to inspire luthiers. When Cordoba is sparkling and present when I even when I strum hard with bass-
Music Group bought Guild from used a light pick for delicate hybrid string emphasis and use an extra-heavy
Fender a few years back and moved picking. The same liveliness gives pick. And though the guitar came
$3,299 street
production from Connecticut to buoyancy to capo’d chord phrasings strung with .012s, it felt positively guildguitars.com
Southern California, it wisely retained and layered rhythm parts—qualities elastic—inviting deep sustained
the services of wizard luthier Ren that will make the D-55 appealing to bends, pull-offs, and hammer-ons that Tones
Ferguson. And though I don’t know the recording engineers that wrestle with expand and extend its expressiveness. Playability
extent to which Ferguson is involved in the sonic mass of bossier dreads. Build/Design
assembly line supervision, the attention At times the D-55’s low-volume The Verdict
Value
to detail you see in the D-55 certainly dynamism seems to come at the Guild fans are usually iconoclasts.
bears the mark of his influence. expense of the explosiveness that That’s a good thing when it comes to
PROS Unique, balanced voice. Killer
With a guitar this resplendent in flatpickers like from a dread. But the D-55. Because while its quality
chord machine. Superb playability.
binding and inlays, there are a lot of if the D-55 lacks the cannon-like rivals more high-profile builders, it
little details to screw up. But it’s hard impact of, say, a Martin D-28, the sounds quite different than a popular CONS Flatpickers may find individual
to find anything even slightly amiss on trade off is a pleasing and welcome classic like a J-45 or D-28. It may not notes too compressed and controlled.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A REVIEW DEMO of this guitar.
premierguitar.com
aud io
/ p r o
rns .com
. b o u
www

ART & LUTHERIE
Roadhouse
By Adam Perlmutter
A
t a distance, Art & Lutherie’s While the Roadhouse sells for While the Roadhouse doesn’t
Roadhouse could be mistaken less than five hundred bucks, A&L exactly pack a wallop, it responds
for a very old guitar. Its slim doesn’t seem to have cut any corners well when strummed with a pick in
profile and narrow waist evoke the in construction. The frets are cleanly the boom-chuck style. The sound is
1920s Gibson L-1, and its dark, seated and polished, and the nut and crisp, with bass notes that are firm
grainy finish looks aged and rustic. compensated saddle, both Graph but not overpowering. It would
But the little Roadhouse is a response Tech Tusq, are tidily shaped and definitely be a great choice in the
to a very modern, resurgent interest notched. There aren’t any defects in studio for rhythm tracks.
in parlor guitars—the small-bodied the guitar’s satin finish, and things When flatpicking, the Roadhouse
flattops that reigned supreme before are similarly ship-shape inside. sounds focused, if a tad polite.
larger-bodied instruments, like the And I was sometimes left wanting
OM and the dreadnought, established Easy on the Ears and Fingers just a little more power and grit.
dominance with their more powerful The Roadhouse is a sweet playing Then again, the Roadhouse—
voices. And though the Roadhouse, guitar. The neck is relatively slender in despite its name—seems much
with its Fishman electronics, puts a profile, but not overly so, and it feels more about nuance.
modern spin on things, it does have a welcoming over most of its length. At The Roadhouse is outfitted
warm, midrange-forward sound that’s 24.84", the scale length is on the short with a Fishman Sonitone
well suited for old-timey Americana side for an acoustic guitar, but players electronics package, which
styles and beyond. Better still, the who favor Gibson electrics will feel includes a Sonicore undersaddle
price is pretty old fashioned, too. right at home on the neck. pickup and a combo battery
As the compact body suggests, the box and output jack. The
Cherry Picking guitar has a midrange-forward voice preamp’s tone and volume
Art & Lutherie is a Godin family with solid fundamentals and subtle controls are mounted
brand. Godin has long maintained overtones. There’s a sweetness and out of sight at the top
an emphasis on North American richness to the sound as well that and underside of the
construction and sustainably sourced might be enhanced by the 12th-fret soundhole. The battery
woods, and the Roadhouse reflects neck junction. (Compared to a compartment and jack sit
adherence to these philosophies. The 14-fret guitar, the bridge on a 12-fret at the lower bout.
solid Sitka spruce top is paired with typically sits at a position on the top Plugged into an AER
back and sides made from layered that enhances low-end resonance.) Compact 60/3 amplifier, the
wild cherry and a silver-leaf maple Fingerpicking a Scott Joplin rag Roadhouse sounds rich, punchy,
neck, which are harvested from and Robert Johnson’s “Terraplane and very natural. The electronics
already fallen trees. Blues,” I was impressed by the are noiseless and the guitar is largely
The Roadhouse is available in guitar’s clarity and projection— resistant to feedback. The 6-string
three different colors: bourbon which was almost certainly helped feels versatile plugged in, too. With
burst, faded black, and Tennessee to some degree by the solid Sitka the tone rolled back, it sounds almost $449 street
artandlutherieguitars.com
red. (Another option, faded cream, top and Adirondack spruce braces. like a jazz box.
is available at retailers but not listed Individual notes ring with satisfying Tones
on A&L’s website.) Finished in attack and true intonation. The The Verdict Playability
Tennessee red, our review model Roadhouse’s clarity lends itself to Art & Lutherie’s Roadhouse is a fine-
Build/Design
looks awesome, and the grain in open G (for “Terraplane Blues”), sounding, easy-playing parlor guitar
Value
the book-matched back is oriented open D, and DADGAD, too. It’s with a cool midrange bark. The
in a cool chevron pattern. While perfect for gentle arpeggio work guitar’s Fishman electronics make it
understated, the ivory-colored tuner with ringing open strings and ready for gigs or for recording ideas PROS Solid-topped guitar with a
winning sound and style.
buttons, binding, rosette, and bridge harmonics, and the impressive on the fly. And with a street price of
pins add a nice counterpoint to the sustain is also an asset when $449, the instrument represents a CONS Includes a gig bag and not a
deep red finish. exploring these textures. value that’s hard to beat. proper hardshell case.
CLICK HERE TO HEAR this guitar.
premierguitar.com
Locked in.
Introducing D’Addario CinchFit,
the first-ever strap saver that
adjusts to fit acoustic end pin
jacks and eliminates the need
to hack your strap. Designed
for acoustic-electric guitars,
CinchFit enhances strap security
with a proprietary jack collar,
cinching rope, and magnets for
perfect alignment. So you can
keep every performance on lock.
daddario.com/cinchfit

TOOLS FOR THE TASK
Look for this icon

to click and
Patch Cables
purchase the gear.
This month we’ve rounded up 10 grab-and-go patch cable options that

will help preserve your signal and keep your pedalboard running strong.
1
D’ADDARIO
American Stage
These patch cables feature Geo-Tip technology for ultra-
secure connections and audiophile-quality wire to aid in
delivering pure, natural tone.
1
$25 street
daddario.com
2
ROCKBOARD
Flat Patch Cable
The flat, flexible design of these space-saving cables
might just allow another pedal on your board. Well-
shielded to prevent signal loss, they also feature very low
conductor resistance. 3
$6 street
rockboard.de
3
LAVA CABLE
Mini Coil
Able to stretch from 6" to 12", these cables are intended
to stay dead quiet thanks to an inner PVC jacket— 2
specifically formulated to reduce triboelectric noise
to a minimum.
$22 street
lavacable.com
4
EBS
Premium Gold
4
With a flat design and super-compact contacts for freeing
up space on a pedalboard, these cables also feature very
low resistance and capacitance for clean sounds without
signal loss.
$9 street
ebssweden.com
5
DIVINE NOISE
Patch Cable III
These made-to-order cables are soldered by hand, utilize
G&H plugs, feature a heavy duty PVC outer jacket that is
both durable and flexible, and carry a lifetime warranty.
5
$29 street
thedivinenoise.com
premierguitar.com
6
6 MOGAMI
CorePlus
These cables have a durable outer jacket, utilize
26-gauge bare copper for the center core to ensure a
clean signal transfer, and boast high-density spiral
shielding to prevent RF interference.
$18 street
mogamicable.com
7
KLOTZ
7
’59 Vintage Pancake Patcher
Space saving with angled, flat connectors, these textile-
jacketed cables may have a retro look, but they feature
high-quality copper and low capacitance for clear signal
transmission.
$45 street (package of 3)
klotz-ais.com
8
8 ZAOLLA
Silverline
These cables utilize rhodium-plated, Oyaide connectors
and feature a solid-silver inner conductor for better
high-frequency transmission and increased headroom
for overtones.
$99 street
zaolla.com
9
PROCO SOUND
9 Evolution
Boasting a dual-shielded design to reject outside noise,
these cables also feature Neutrik connectors, 100-percent
oxygen-free wire, and a “soft-touch” jacket.
$24 street
procosound.com
10
JUMPERZ AUDIO
Blue Line
10 These patch cables were designed for long life with heat-
shrink strain reliefs to reduce torque on solder joints,
dense 20-gauge copper wire, and rugged, Neutrik nickel-
plated connectors.
$13 street
jumperzaudio.com

REVIEWS
Quick Hits
RAINGER FX GFI
Dr. Freakenstein Dwarf Bass Specular Reverb V2
By Rich Osweiler By Shawn Hammond
Say hallo to my leettle fren! I couldn’t not say In terms of flexibility per square
it—sorry—but more on Igor in a moment. inch, few stompboxes are as
The Dr. Freakenstein Dwarf Bass is a mini- ambitious as the deceptively
format bass fuzz that dares to be different— simple-looking Specular Reverb
really different. The simple control set looks from Indonesian outfit GFI.
straight out of a ’60s sci-fi show and consists Specular packs seven 24-bit
of a thumbwheel for volume and an oversized modes, stereo ins and outs, and
knob for governing the pitch of the harmonic eight presets into a box scarcely
overtones. At the front end of the pedal bigger than an old MXR. Reverb modes include “normal”
lives the LFO push-button that, when activated, sweeps the (a pristine, Strymon-ish response) and six “atmospheric”
overtone up and down in a spaced-out, whoosh-y manner. variations: modulated, shimmer, echo, tremble (tremolo’d
The mix button takes the pedal from all-out fuzz to about a reverberations), voices (secondary unison, perfect-fifth, or
3:1 fuzz-to-clean-signal ratio. Igor is the dual-sensitive (just flip octave reverberations), and infinity (essentially a footswitch-
it over) mini-expression pad that manipulates the overtone or activated note-hold function).
sparks a quicker modulation speed when the LFO is engaged. Four knobs (whose parameters vary by mode) govern
This box serves up fire-breathing grit, so look elsewhere if each sound, while access to the presets and modes—which
you’re in need of a kinder, gentler fuzz. With the overtone dial are essentially arranged into three banks—is achieved via
at 1 o’clock, LFO button out, and the mix button engaged, I different tapping methods or different combinations of the
created sweet chaos with the help of Igor that likely scared the two dual-function footswitches.
shit out of anyone within 100 feet of my house. I made sounds Specular’s sounds are lush, hi-fi, and can go from subtle to
akin to a robotic troll squelching in terror (or pleasure) atop a intriguingly out-there—though perhaps not out-there enough
smoking, consistent fuzz tone that inspired riffs galore apt for for bomb-throwing sonic provocateurs. Even so, for players
grindcore to alt-metal EDM. While a light dusting of fuzz isn’t who yearn for a variety of programmable stereo ’verbs in a
available, it’s an impressively musical (albeit extreme) fuzz. Take menu-less stomp they can cram onto a crowded board, the
a spin and you, too, may get hooked going down the wild-ride Specular fills a decidedly unique niche.
rabbit hole of this little box—and its little friend.
TEST GEAR Baritone Jazzmaster with Curtis Novak JM-WR
TEST GEAR Orange O Bass, Gallien-Krueger 800RB head, Orange pickups, Goodsell Valpreaux 21 w/ Weber Blue Dog and Silver Bell
OBC212 cab, Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 speakers, Jaguar HC50 w/ Weber Gray Wolf
PROS Igor. Compact and PROS Impressive variety

$145 street, raingerfx.com rugged. Fantastically raucous $329 street, godlyke.com of studio-quality sounds in a
and weird tones. small footprint.
Tones Tones
CONS Not extremely CONS Complicated
Ease of Use versatile. Igor can be difficult Ease of Use operation. Sounds may be
to manipulate precisely. Note: too niche-y for some. No
Build/Design Build/Design
Neither “con” bothered me in expression-pedal control.
Value the slightest. Value Expensive.
CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal. CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal.
premierguitar.com
CARL MARTIN WAY HUGE
Greg Howe’s Lick Box Russian-Pickle
By Jason Shadrick By Charles Saufley
The latest collaboration between Though I’ve played many fuzzes

Denmark’s Carl Martin and since, my favorite remains the green
jazz-fusion great Greg Howe is Sovtek Big Muff that I bought new
a 3-channel unit that aims to in the ’90s. Way Huge’s Russian-
shatter preconceived notions a signature pedal might carry. The Pickle is inspired by the sound of
channels are simple with boost, crunch, and high-gain functions that circuit. But the Pickle also
that can be activated independently or in combination. It’s a delivers the wooly, hazy essence of
pedal you can throw in your gig bag on the way to a jam and Russian “muffiness” with a unique
know that you’ll be covered no matter where the music heads. accent that breaks the well-codified
The one-knob boost channel proved to be robust and green-Muff mold.
transparent, and it didn’t add much noticeable coloration to my Seasoned Muff players will hear the Pickle’s mid-range
base tone. (Bonus: The boost also worked exceptionally well with bump as the primary audible difference between the Way
other drive pedals.) When I think of Howe’s playing, I imagine Huge and Sovtek originals. Players who love desert-rock
a thick, bottom-heavy lead tone that lends itself to fluid legato grind and circa-’94 Gilmour sounds will likely dig the extra
runs. The crunch and high-gain channels fulfill those ideals, and harmonic color. Those that savor the Sovtek’s mid-scooped
do so in a streamlined, yet versatile, way. Though each of these profile may miss the sizzling, high-end potency of the
channels have only a single tone knob, I found the range of both original. One big upside of the Pickle’s smooth, less-scooped
knobs to be quite balanced. I was also pleased by how effective sound is agreeability with other gain devices—a plus in an age
they were with both single-coils and humbuckers. My preferred of pedalboard maximalism. My treble booster, for instance,
tone settings hovered close to noon, depending on the guitar/ added heat and meshed seamlessly with the Pickle’s wall of
amp combo. With the gain set at noon, I could dial in a rootsy fuzz. In many respects the Way Huge sounds more similar
rhythm tone on the crunch channel, and still have plenty of gain to modern Muff evolutions, like the EQD Hoof (the closet
on tap via either the boost or—if I needed to get really crazy— match to the Pickle in my own tests). And though it lacks
the high-gain channel. Admittedly, I had some doubts about how some modern Muff features like mid sweep, it’s a thoughtful,
useful a “Greg Howe” pedal could be to my particular tastes, but well-built, and unique evolution of a killer fuzz template.
the Lick Box smashed those notions in a most inspiring way.
TEST GEAR Fender Jazzmaster, Fender Jaguar, Fender ’72
TEST GEAR Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Les Paul Telecaster Deluxe, silverface Fender Bassman, blackface Fender
Custom, Fender Hot Rod DeVille ML212 Tremolux, Fender Vibro Champ
PROS Plenty of tone options PROS Works seamlessly with

$266 street, carlmartin.com for the non-shred set. Very $159 street, jimdunlop.com other gain devices. Delivers a
organic crunch channel. cool, smooth side of the Muff
tone spectrum.
Tones Tones
CONS No independent
Ease of Use routing. Ease of Use CONS Brick-wall mids mean
less top-end ferocity
Build/Design Build/Design
Value Value
CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal. CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal.

REVIEWS
PRESTIGE
NYS Deluxe MC
By Ted Drozdowski
T
hese days, you don’t need a Ray Butts EchoSonic amp Silver Streak
to get the cool slapback guitar sound on so many early The Vancouver-based company’s NYS Deluxe MC is a wickedly
rockabilly singles. All it takes is a decent delay pedal hip machine. It’s the bigger-bodied, semi-hollow offspring of
and some patience. But to really do it right, you need a guitar their NYS Standard, which is a midrange-focused P-90 model
with clarity and punch that stays sharp and defined when an that splits the sonic difference between jazz and rock tones. The
amp is breaking up. A little attitude derived from a visual like- NYS Deluxe delivers more of the same, with a rich range of
ness to Scotty Moore’s Gibson ES-295 helps, too. P-90 sounds from traditional to high-intensity growl when you
That last part is vitally important in a genre where D.A.s, play it through a Marshall Super Lead.
pleated skirts, pegged pants, and rolled T-shirt sleeves are The NYS Deluxe is a good-looking guitar. Our test
still requirements. And in the form of the NYS Deluxe instrument came in an eye-grabbing, sparkling silver finish
MC, Canadian guitar builder Prestige has unveiled a flashy Prestige calls metallic charcoal (The other color option is—
instrument designed specifically for rockabilly but with enough shades of Scotty!—metallic gold.). The guitar’s shiny skin
power and versatility to rip on any stage and in any genre. alone drew plenty of love from the audience during a live
Seymour Duncan
SP90-1 pickups
Semi-hollowbody
Bigsby B7 vibrato
Rosewood fretboard
premierguitar.com
performance. Other visual appointments substantial strap. A longer-stemmed pin sound that wasn’t pleasing and warm—
are equally hip. The hourglass-shaped at the butt would be better. even on the bridge pickup with the treble
headstock has a fleur-de-lis inlay. Binding After that it was smooth sonic surfing. rolled all the way up. And with the Carr’s
rims the headstock and flows down The NYS Deluxe MC is fun to play. It’s carefully tailored overdrive, I very easily
along both sides of the C-profile, 20-fret, big but comfortable. The Gibson-like dialed up Clapton’s Cream tones using
solid-mahogany neck, which is also control set is smooth and easy to reach, the neck pickup—an impressive feat
capped with a rosewood fretboard and and the vibrato feels comfortably in for P-90s. In fact, each pickup and the
rectangular mother of pearl and abalone reach. Like any Bigsby, it’s not the stuff combined voice of both exhibited great
inlays. There’s a single-horn cutaway for dive-bombs are made of, but adds tasty focus, creating leeway to explore just
full fretboard access, two bound f-holes, pitch shivers and is very tuning stable— about any style or approach. Although
and a Bigsby B7 vibrato that’s paired with even under hot stage lights. if I was a jazz player, I’d put the 3-way
a TonePros Tune-o-matic roller saddle. Out on a gig, I blasted the NYS switch into the middle position, turn
For the record: the TUSQ XL nut is 1 Deluxe MC through a stereo rig with both tone pots down to about 5 or 6, and
11/16" across and the neck scale length, a 50-watt Marshall Super Lead on one let the warm butter flow.
at 24 3/4", is nearly an inch shorter than side and an Orange Micro Terror on the
the 25 1/2" Musician Standard. other. I also tuned the guitar to open G, The Verdict
It’s a big guitar too, weighing in at so I was able to sustain a chord with a Prestige’s NYS Deluxe MC was a joy
a little over 9 pounds. The body is two slide, step toward the Marshall, and ride to play at home and onstage—where it
inches deep—thinner than the Gibson the resulting feedback with the Bigsby. drew raves from audience members for its
ES-295 and ES-175 models that were Clearly, this was not a rockabilly gig, but beauty and brutish overdriven tones. It’s
clearly inspiration—and 15 1/2" across at again, the NYS Deluxe MC is no purist. not only easy on the eye, it feels smooth
the lower bout. The carved maple front under the fingers with its fast, C-profile
and back are comfortably contoured and The Howling neck, medium-jumbo frets, and easy-to-
nicely crafted, too. Although there’s a big block of maple in the wiggle Bigsby. Then there’s the tones:
middle of the body to combat feedback, The wide, clearly ringing array of classic
Hot ’N’ Ready the guitar is more feedback sensitive than sounds for all seasons makes the NYS
The NYS Deluxe MC arrived in a my ES-345 or my wider, hollow ES-150. I Deluxe MC much more than a rockabilly
standard case, as all high-quality guitars chalked this up to the wider body. But the playmate. And with this street price,
should, but it was not quite ready to trade-off is that the NYS Deluxe MC has a it’s actually quite a deal—especially in
rock. The action was a bit high for me, unique voice somewhere between a hollow comparison to many ES-295 copies and
so I lowered the bridge, which was easily and semi-hollow Gibson, that’s further reissues on the market.
accomplished with one full rotation on shaped by the potent pickups.
each side of the bridge with a screwdriver. The Seymour Duncan SP90-1 soapbar CLICK HERE TO WATCH A
The only other hitch was attaching my pickups are a recreation of the original REVIEW DEMO of this guitar.
leather strap to the butt-end strap pin. 1946 Gibson P-90s, and I really got to
The wraparound hardware of the Bigsby enjoy their versatility at home, plugged
tailpiece constricts the space around the into a Carr Vincent 1x12 combo. Sans
pin and doesn’t leave room for a more overdrive, it was near impossible to get a
Prestige NYS Deluxe MC
$1,299 street
prestigeguitars.com
Solid mahogany neck Tones

Playability
Build/Design
Value
PROS Variety of really good vintage

tones. Fast neck. Whammy stays in tune.
Sex appeal.
CONS More feedback-prone than

thinner semi-hollows. Needs a longer
rear strap button.

REVIEWS
KAUER TITAN
KR1
By Joe Gore
W
hat’s a high-end luthier to do during tough binding, purfling, fancy position markers, or other unnecessary
economic times? For many, the answer is a budget ornamentation. Necks connect via a 4-bolt Fender-style joint.
line built in Asia. But Doug Kauer of Kauer Finishes are matte-textured monotone. The bodies have large
Guitars takes a different tack. While regular Kauer models “swimming pool” routs that can accommodate almost any
can list for north of $4,000, his new brand, Titan, sells the pickups without modification.
KR1, their debut model, for a base price of $1,299—and it’s
American-made. E Pluribus Unum
Even more impressively, KR1 features superb workmanship, It’s tempting to compare the KR1 to a Model T. But while
great materials, brand-name pickups, terrific tones, a nice gig Henry Ford famously told consumers they could have cars in
bag, and—remarkably for this price range—good factory setups any color as long as it was black, Titan buyers can choose from
created with help from a Plek machine. (A Plek setup alone five finishes and eight pickguard designs. The options aren’t
usually costs a couple of hundred bucks.) merely cosmetic. You can also choose a T-style or S-style bridge,
KR1’s minimalist design keeps production costs low without and a two- or three-pickup layout.
sacrificing workmanship or material quality. The body shape is Basic Seymour Duncan S-style, T-style, and P-90 pickups
simple and easy-to-produce, yet comfy and attractive. There’s no are included at the base price. Locking Gotoh tuners,
Coil-split switch Notched-wah filter
Single-cutaway
basswood body
Master volume and tone
Choice of pickups
(Seymour Duncan Seth
Lover PAFs shown here)
premierguitar.com
medium-jumbo Jescar frets, Dunlop wizards” and “In hammers we trust.” The probably sound awesome with Lollar
Straplok-ready buttons, Emerson pots, coil-split switch is illustrated by a picture Gold Foils, TV Jones Filter’Trons, or any
Switchcraft jacks, and CRL switches are of a bisected spring, while a squawking other cool pickups you choose to install.
all standard equipment. The online store/ chicken indicates the filter switch. The filter switch is an unusual extra.
builder at the Titan website also offers The edgy resonance of the overdriven
optional paid upgrades, including pricier Light, Meet Heavy bridge pickup has a decidedly Mick
pickups (from Duncan, Lollar, TV Jones, The first time you hoist the light body Ronson-esque character. On the neck
Wolfetone, and Roadhouse), hardware with its flat, unadorned surface, it may pickup, the filter cutoff is a little too
from Bigsby and Mastery, slider switches, feel like you’re strapping on a budget low-pitched for my taste, but it would
and premium Mono cases. Nice. 1960s guitar of the Valco ilk. But as only take a few cents and a few minutes
KR1s are assembled to order. bitchin’ as those old department store axes to solder in a different capacitor. If fact,
Domestic delivery takes from one to can be, that’s not the sound you get. The such easy user mods are one of Titan’s
four weeks, depending on your requested fine hardware, stout neck/body joint, and most appealing traits. I predict that many
parts. Our review model has a Glacier quality woods yield deep, resonant tones players will use KR1 as a starting point
Blue finish, a traditional 3-saddle Tele with startling amounts of sustain (as heard for wild and woolly guitar hacks.
bridge, and a pair of nickel-covered in the final chord of my demo clip).
Duncan Seth Lover PAFs. (The latter are Seth Lovers have long been my The Verdict
a $75 upgrade.) While all KR1s employ favorite regular-production Duncan I’m not sure which I admire most: KR1, or
the same rosewood-on-maple neck and pickups, and they sound killer here. Like the attitude behind it. Kauer and crew have
basswood body shape, there are many original PAFs (and unlike most other truly delivered high quality at a modest
possible looks. (Check out Titan’s online humbuckers), they aren’t potted with price thanks to ingenious design, bling
gallery to see some possibilities.) wax. That gives them airy, open-sounding avoidance, and a build-to-order business
tones with great treble animation and model that can still accommodate personal
Bearded Wizards with Hammers cool upper-mid resonances. Clean sounds taste. This retro-style PAF model with Tele-
The basswood body with its extra-large are crisp and authoritative. Heavy tones style switching and coil splitting is right
pickup cavity is extremely light, yet are rich and textured, with more low-end up my alley. You may hang out in very
it balances nicely. The C-shaped neck power than you’d probably expect from different alleys, but chances are you can
is comfy, and the neck joint is tight. such a light guitar. configure a KR1 to suit your style. Man, I
The thick rosewood fingerboard has 22 There’s terrific tonal range: everything dig this great-sounding, ultra-playable axe
frets and a 12" radius. There are master from suave jazz sounds to gnarly trash-rock. and its clean, minimal look.
volume and tone controls plus a T-style Intonation is excellent. The near-vertical
pickup selector switch. Two additional cutaway is a gateway to the topmost frets.
switches reside on the upper bout. The Plek setup provides low, fast action CLICK HERE TO WATCH A
REVIEW DEMO of this guitar.
One splits both pickups’ coils, while in all positions. On all fronts, KR1’s
the other engages a notched-wah-style playability is remarkable for the price.
bandpass filter. (These switches might
be configured differently for single-coil Splitting and Clucking
pickups, which, of course, can’t be split.) Naturally, different types of humbuckers
Kauer Titan KR-1
And oh—Titan has a sense of humor: produce different split-coil sounds.
$1,299 street
Stamped on the rear of the headstock are (Seth Lovers provide especially attractive
($1,375 as reviewed with nickel-covered
the words “Made in California by bearded Fender-like split sounds.) But KR1 will Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups)
titanguitars.com
Locking Gotoh tuners Tones

Playability
Build/Design
Value
PROS Fine tones. Excellent build.

Quality parts. Highly customizable.
Rosewood-on-maple neck Bang-for-buck price.
CONS None.

premierguitar.com
REVIEWS
AER
Compact 60/3 TE
By Adam Perlmutter
A
ER’s Compact 60/3 TE is an
unassuming little amp. Its padded
carrying case could be mistaken for
a construction worker’s lunch bag. And once Birch enclosure
out of the case, it’s hard to imagine this little

box, with an 8" twin-cone speaker, sounding
like much. But when I plug into the AER, I’m
taken aback. This subtly styled amp is loud and
sounds warm, punchy, and organic.
As the name suggests, the 60-watt Compact
60/3 TE is the third iteration of a fixture in
AER’s lineup. This time out, it’s been tweaked 8" twin-cone
speaker
to accommodate the playing of Australian
fingerstyle wizard Tommy Emmanuel. And
while I didn’t have any of the 60/3’s predecessors
on hand to trace the evolution of the model, I
can say that the latest version, by any standard,
is one terrific acoustic amp.
The Emmanuel signature amp looks a lot
like the regular Compact 60/3, save for the
Aboriginal-style art subtly etched into one
side of the amp. Emmanuel’s initials and the “Colour” control Effects pan control
letters “CGP” (as in, Certified Guitar Player, 1/4" input Effects level control
Mid control
an honorific that Chet Atkins bestowed on
Emmanuel) are etched in the other. The amp
also deviates from the standard version by
including a recreation of the Alesis Midi-verb II
reverb/delay setting that Emmanuel used on his
1995 album, Initiation.
The 60/3 feels both lightweight—at around
14 pounds—and rugged. The black acrylic–
covered enclosure is made from solid birch, and
the amp feels very roadworthy and capable of
taking a beating.
Transparently Voiced
I performed my first test of the Compact 60/3
TE with a Breedlove Premier Concerto and was
right away by the noise-free performance and,
more important, how little it seemed to color
the guitar’s sound. This is a huge plus for a really
good guitar like the Breedlove. But even guitars

CLICK HERE TO HEAR this amp.
AER Compact 60/3 TE

$1,299 street
aer-amps.com
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
Value
PROS Awesome all-round acoustic amp

in a small package.
CONS None.
I was impressed right away by the acoustic guitarists. The short reverb
lends heft and dimension to strumming,
noise-free performance and how little while the other three settings add nice
atmospherics to fingerpicked phrases.
it seems to color the guitar’s sound. In previous versions of the
Compact 60/3, the effects are only
audible through the amp’s built-in
with lesser electronics will benefit from fingerstyle players that like sparkle and speaker and not the DI output. But
the extra expressive leeway you get from top-end definition. that shortcoming is corrected on the
such a clean canvas. On a whim, I plugged in an old Gibson Emmanuel signature amp. It’s likely this
The amp’s top-mounted control panel ES-175 with P-90 pickups and rolled the feature alone will make the Emmanuel
is straightforward and intuitive, and I tone knobs way back. Not surprisingly, the signature preferable to the standard
didn’t have to pore over a manual to Compact 60/3 TE makes an excellent jazz 60/3 for some guitarists, especially
figure out how to use it. There are two amp. It’s easy to conjure up warm, woody considering that the new amp is only a
channels—one with a 1/4" input and the sounds that Jim Hall would love. hundred bucks more expensive.
other with an XLR, of course—essentially
making the amp a little PA for players A Lush Effects Suite The Verdict
that sing. The Compact 60/3 TE includes four At $1,299, the Compact 60/3 Tommy
Though the controls on the guitar preset digital effects, and each one sounds Emmanuel signature amp is an
channel—gain, cut/boost bass and treble impressively organic. These settings investment, but it’s not out-of-reach
knobs, a sweepable mids control, and a include long and short reverbs, delay, expensive, either. This killer amp, with
“colour” button—offer plenty of sonic chorus, and the parallel Alesis-inspired its portability, ease of operation, beautiful
flexibility, I was very satisfied with all effect. Though the effects are adjustable transparent tone, and ample headroom—
the dials at flat, mid-point settings. But only via level control and pan control not to mention its lush effects—is
I can definitely see the usefulness of (which controls the percentage of effects something you must check out if you’re
the colour button, which cuts the mids granted to each channel), these effects a serious acoustic guitarist with a need to
while boosting the trebles. It’s a boon for should be plenty sufficient for most be heard loud and clear above the din.
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REVIEWS
FUCHS
ODS Classic
By Joe Gore
T
he ODS Classic from Fuchs Audio Technology is A Dumble Debt
ridiculously versatile. It’s ridiculously well made. Its Andy Fuchs freely admits that Howard Dumble’s amps
tones are ridiculously rich and defined, with ridiculous influenced his own models. He started out building Dumble
headroom and touch response. All that ridiculousness adds up clones before going pro. Even the very name of his flagship
to one very serious amplifier. model recalls that other ODS: Dumble’s Overdrive Special. After
The ODS Classic comes in four flavors: 50-watt and 100- 15 years of production, Fuchs’s designs have branched off from
watt, with both sizes available as heads or 1x12 combos. (We Dumble’s, with re-voiced tone controls, extra gain-stage options,
reviewed the 50-watt head version.) This new Classic line reverb, a sophisticated effects loop, and more. Still, this amp
is builder Andy Fuchs’s latest iteration of his long-running definitely resides in the Dumble quadrant of the amp galaxy.
Overdrive Supreme model. It’s been 20 years since I’ve played a Dumble, so I’m leery of
The head houses two 6L6 power tubes and a pair of 12AX7 making direct comparisons. But ODS Classic certainly nails the
preamp tubes, with two additional 12AX7s driving the effects qualities guitarists cite when rationalizing the surreal six-figure
loop and phase inverter. The rectifier is solid-state. The amp prices for Dumble originals: extreme touch sensitivity, seemingly
comes with a remote controller in a stage-worthy metal limitless quantities of gain/sustain, and magnificent harmonic
enclosure, with switches for overdrive, two boost stages, mid clarity even at ultra-distorted settings.
boost, and reverb—each with an LED status indicator. I confess that the signature Dumble sound—that throaty, super-
About that reverb: It’s not from a spring, but from a saturated, blues-rock overdrive—isn’t my thing. (Though judging by
Spin FV-1—a digital chip used in many current reverb and guitar mags, it’s the pinnacle of tone for many artists and readers.)
modulation stompboxes. I prefer a spring sound myself, yet it’s But while ODS Classic excels at that fat studio-cat sustain, that’s
a good-sounding, low-noise effect that I suspect many players just one aspect of this freakishly multifaceted amp. The glorious
would choose over a spring in a blind-listening test. (Check out clean sounds are warm and stunningly dynamic, with etched-in-
the demo clip and judge for yourself.) marble clarity. The vast range of distorted tones encompasses subtle
Tone-sculpting accent control

3-position bright switch Deep switch
Digital reverb via Spin FV-1 chip
Two EQ profiles
50 watts from two

6L6 power tubes

Buffered effects loop with
adjustable send/return
• The overdrive stage has adjustable ClassicTone transformers, classy metal

input and output levels that can knobs, orange drop caps where it counts,
dramatically alter the amp’s response. ceramic tube sockets, and an aircraft
There’s also a dedicated low-pass filter aluminum chassis cooled by a 3-speed fan.
for taming unruly treble. Despite the use of a circuit board, this
is an exceedingly labor-intensive build,
• An accent control alters the amount of which largely explains the lofty price.
burn, edgy punk squawks, meaty chunk, negative feedback at higher frequencies.
and all points between. Every setting (You can think of it as a smarter-than- The Verdict
displays extraordinary harmonic clarity. usual presence control.) ODS Classic is a remarkable machine that
The notes within chords just seem to hum can make decent playing sound good, and
together. And even with gobs of gain, there’s • You can specify both the level and good playing sound great. It could be a
remarkably little noise. length of the digital reverb. godsend for recording guitarists who need
to fine tune sounds to fit into mixes. The
Total Control • The buffered, tube-driven effects loop tonal range is phenomenal, yet the amp
You might want to pack a lunch before we has adjustable input and output, so is probably small enough to transport on
discuss the ODS Classic’s controls. There are you can insert everything from funky the floor of your car. The master volume
lots of knobs and switches here, including stompboxes to line-level pro audio behaves beautifully. You can truly generate
numerous dual-function concentric and gear, with precise control over levels. massive rock tones at kids-are-sleeping levels.
push/pull pots. To be clear: It’s not hard Between its lofty headroom and full-featured
to concoct good sounds here—it’s hard • You can switch between series and effects loop, this is a terrific stompbox amp.
not to! But this amp’s complex topology parallel effects loops. In the former, Its price is formidable, but the build, sound
will probably appeal most to players who effects are in-line with the amp’s signal quality, and sheer versatility are everything
appreciate subtle tonal distinctions and have path. In parallel, wet and dry signals you’d hope for in an ultra-premium amp.
the ears and patience to dial them in. are summed at the amp’s output. ODS Classic is a ridiculously good piece of
I’d hog too many magazine pages if I gear—seriously!
described every control, so I’ll only cite • The 100-watt model (not reviewed)
the unconventional ones: includes a half-power switch.
• The gain control at the start of the I’m too crappy at math to calculate the
clean preamp stage is powerful enough number of possible permutations, but I
to create fine distorted sounds without know the total is … ridiculous.
even activating the overdrive portion Yes, it’s a complex circuit, but crafting CLICK HERE TO HEAR this amp.
of the circuit. It’s also great for fine- tones is more manageable than it might
tuning the amp’s response to suit sound. It may be best to approach the
pickups of varying output. controls as if you’re being fitted for
glasses: “What’s better—A or B? Okay,
• The 3-position bright switch offers a how about C or D?”
Fuchs ODS Classic
traditional treble push, a wider-range
boost that extends well into the mids, Built Like a Brick $2,795 street
fuchsaudiotechnology.com
and a bypass option. The head weighs 38 pounds and measures
19" x 11.5" x 8.5"—and there’s a lot
Tones
• There’s a bass-boosting “deep” switch. crammed into that solid wood cabinet!
Ease of Use
Inside is a large motherboard plus three
• The EQ toggle changes the response of ancillary circuit boards. I’m not sure it Build/Design
the bass, mid, and treble controls. One would be possible to duplicate all ODS Value
setting has a relatively subtle vintage Classic functions without a circuit-board
vibe, while the other has a more build, at least not in such a compact PROS Great tones. Superb build quali-
assertive hard-rock profile. head cabinet. But this is no robo-build. ty. Phenomenal tonal range and dynamic
All components are handsoldered, with response. Compact. Includes powerful
remote controller.
• The high and mid tone pots are push/ sockets, pots, and switches mounted to the
pull, with vintage-style response in one chassis, not a board. The off-board wiring CONS Costly. Digital reverb sounds
position and a more aggressive, wider- and soldering are stellar. The quality good, but won’t suit all tastes.
range profile in the other. parts include custom-spec Heyboer and
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REVIEWS
STOMP AUDIO LABS

Octopus
By Matthew Holliman
S
tomp Audio Labs’ all-analog Octopus produces awesome
weaves and webs of fuzzy octaves. It enables these Dedicated
impressive harmonic entanglements through parallel, fuzz switches
blendable, octave-up and octave-down circuits. But it takes

these textures many steps further by providing a switchable fuzz Master wet/dry mix
for each octave and a powerful master mix control. If you’ve
ever needed to move from the bassy growl of an analog synth
to the squawk of vintage fuzz or the robotic chirp of chiptunes,
this little gadget dishes the whole party platter.
Octave volume
Octaves with Ease controls
The Octopus’ simple but effective control layout looks
unorthodox. But the asymmetrically large mix knob—which
blends octave effects with your dry signal—invites expressive,
on-the-fly adjustments with your foot. The two smaller knobs
alter the level of each octave effect, and small buttons adjacent
to each octave level knob engage dedicated fuzz circuits.
Needless to say, the possible tone variations from these five
simple controls are vast. A side-mounted 9V barrel adapter
(center-pin negative) can be used to power the unit, or you can
use a 9V battery to produce the juice.
The Octopus sounded clear

and detailed—even with a
Les Paul in the mix.
Stretching Its Tentacles

I did my first test of the Octopus at bedroom volume through
a Fender Champ 600. A lot of effects with strong or complex
octave overtones can turn the Champ’s 6" speaker to mush.
Octopus, however, sounded clear and detailed with the mix
dialed in right—even with a muscular Les Paul. As with
many octave effects, some pickup and effect combinations will be encouraged by how good the Octopus sounds with
are clearer than others, and low notes from a bridge pickup small rigs and at moderate volumes.
can make extreme octave-down settings sound glitchy and The dimensionality and richness of the Octopus became
adversely affect note tracking. Moving to the neck pickup and much easier to hear through bigger amps. And with an Orange
rolling back guitar tone brings individual notes into focus and OR50 at the receiving end of Octopus’ output, I started to
improves tracking. But in general, home recording devotees hear much more of the pedal’s colorful range and depth. I got

REVIEWS
very cool Octavia-style tones with the (and a carefully tuned wet/dry blend) first blush, but when you consider the
mix just on the dry side of noon and a also helps stave off some of the glitchy diversity of sounds, Octopus starts to
fuzzy upper octave blended in around harmonic crumbling that comes with feel like a really good deal.
2 o’clock. The sub-octave fuzz utilizes full-step bends in the upper regions
a square wave that evokes gooey analog of the neck. And though I thoroughly
synth output. It seems a bit quieter enjoy the sound of a sputtering octave, CLICK HERE TO HEAR this pedal.
at 50/50 than other settings, and you I found myself flipping on the TS9 at
get the most pronounced and cutting the end of a few solo runs to enhance
versions of that tone when you use a sustain and bask in the extra-lingering
bridge-position single-coil. That can glow of the Octopus’ hip fuzz voice.
mean a lot of additional noise, though Stomp Audio Octopus
it’s not terribly problematic in the The Verdict
$199 street
context of a live band. The Octopus has a cool analog stompaudio.com.br
For the most part, the Octopus character and richness that, in most
works very well with other effects respects, sounds fatter and more Tones
pedals, though, predictably, it’s a little natural than most digital octave pedals
Ease of Use
more sensitive to the order of effects in and more interesting than a lot of
Build/Design
your chain. When toying with Octavia- more pedestrian analog octave effects.
style tones, I found it helpful to put Tracking is excellent. The level of mix Value
a dirt box before the Octopus (in this control that Octopus provides, plus the
case, an Ibanez TS9) to help accentuate ability to dial in fuzz for each octave, PROS Great range of control. Fuzz
capabilities for both octaves.
and sustain the fuzz tone. You don’t means you can conjure very specific
even really need to goose the gain much levels of textures that run from vintage
CONS Control of fuzz intensity could
to excite the Octopus into sharing extra Hendrix to more experimental fare. The be a plus.
harmonics. A little overdrive or boost $199 price might look a tad dear at
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REVIEWS
FENDER
American Professional
Jazz Bass
By Steve Cook
M
any bassists believe low-end perfection was attained All Jazzed Up
decades ago with the introduction of the Precision The American Professional J bass comes with a Fender
and Jazz basses. So I’m guessing that working in the Elite case, which boasts TSA-certified locks. Flying with an
R&D department at Fender must be a challenging endeavor instrument is always a spin of the wheel, but I would have no
as time passes and technology improves. How do you better a problem trusting this solid, molded case if my usual flight case
rock-solid design with such worldwide acclaim and still show was not available.
enough restraint to maintain historic integrity by not trying to Our test bass was finished in a sharp-looking sonic gray, but
reinvent the wheel? Say hello to the American Professional Jazz the American Professional Jazz is also available in black, olympic
bass, one of several popular body designs introduced in a line white, and a 3-tone ’burst. Not that the instrument isn’t a
of instruments to replace Fender’s American Standard Series. stunner already, but I’d selfishly love to see the bass offered with
Rather than just change the name and add some new paint a matching finished headstock.
options, however, Fender has packed the American Professional At first glance, the American Professional Jazz looks, well,
Jazz with some innovative features that should make a number like a Fender Jazz. The new features are ones you might not
of players quite happy. notice right away—or even know are there—but once you get
V-Mod single-coil pickups
HiMass Vintage bridge
“Modern C”
neck profile
premierguitar.com
to playing this bass, you’ll figure it out. to about 75 percent, which allowed the the bridge pickup off, I got to vintage
The slim, C-shaped maple neck is super bass to retain character and give me the heaven with just a simple turn of the tone
thin, which will help bolster its appeal articulation I like. With this setting, the knob to 75 percent. It’s kind of hard to
to both younger players and those who bass demonstrated a little snarl and a beat that simplicity. The bridge pickup on
appreciate the conservation of motion. large helping of great tone that favored its own has merit as well, and while more
The satin-urethane finish on the back of sitting just in-between the low-mids and subdued, it’s a great place to go if you are
the neck equates to lightning fast play, mids, which told me this J will sound an effects person and want to push some
and embedded in the comfy neck are two dynamite in a live or studio mix. envelopes with guitar-like shimmer.
“Posiflex” graphite rods for reinforcement As I mentioned before, Fender made
to combat environmental fluctuations. some advances you might notice and some The Verdict
For electronics, the American you might gloss over. Outfitting the bass It’s a little crazy to think that the first
Professional Jazz is outfitted with a pair of with a bone nut is something I like because, Jazz bass rolled out of the shop almost
V-Mod Jazz bass pickups—a clever single- to me, bone provides a better overall tone 60 years ago. Since then, the world has
coil design from longtime Fender builder than plastic or graphite options. So if you’re been playing catch-up and, yes, even
Michael Bump that utilizes a blend of like me, Fender saved us all the step of Fender sometimes tries to catch up with
alnico 2 magnets (on the bass side) and having to replace the nut at the get-go. The itself. Make no mistake—the American
alnico 5 magnets (on the treble side). fluted-shaft tuners aren’t something I would Professional Jazz has been designed to
normally think too much about. However, appeal to a new generation of players, but
Jazz Hands the design is meant to help with tuning it will also appeal to long-time Fender
I spent some time playing the bass stability and increased sustain by forcing fans. I tried to find something subpar
unplugged at first, and the modern feel to the string windings downward for a more with the bass—I really did—and all I
this Jazz was immediately apparent. Yes, the pronounced break angle. I can tell you I could come up with is that the neck-joint
word “modern” can often be overused and played the bass for a very long time and gap is a little wide on both sides of the
misleading, but I suppose modern is the touch-up tuning was minimum, so maybe neck. I can’t help but think that the bass
opposite of vintage, which seems to be the they are onto something here. would sound even better if it made better
benchmark for basses. So, simply said, this Another evolved feature is the HiMass contact with the neck. Outside of that,
bass has remarkable playability. I believe Vintage bridge, which is designed to I’d just say it’s worth your time to get to
the designers realized that as bass playing increase sustain, especially when strung a local store and play one. The price tag
continues to evolve, we’re seeing faster through the body. It is difficult to say how will be pushing the high side for many,
hands making attempts to get different all these different parts compare individually but if you only buy one bass every 50
tones, chords, and alternate sounds out to older-model counterparts, but when years, well, maybe this one could be it.
of basses—and this Jazz certainly leans in working in tandem with each other like
that direction. It will quickly tempt you to they do on the American Professional Jazz,
break the rules (Remember that one about this component set impressed. CLICK HERE TO WATCH A
REVIEW DEMO of this bass.
less is more?), because it begs you to play all I also gave the Jazz a spin using a
over the neck and as quickly as possible. Trace Elliot ELF as a headphone amp
To get a taste for its amplified sounds, and a pair of Audio Technica ATH-
I plugged the Jazz into an Eden CXC210 M50x headphones. With this setup, I
combo, set the amp’s EQ flat, and was able to really hear this bass do what Fender American
dimed the tone knob and both volume it does, and it only reinforced what I Professional Jazz Bass
knobs on the bass. Generally, the dimed heard through the Eden combo’s speakers: $1,549 street
setting on a Jazz bass is a bit too snappy fantastic sounds that sang with purpose. fender.com
for my liking, so I rolled the tone back By diming the neck pickup and dialing
Tones
Playability
Bone nut
Build/Design
Value
PROS Great sounding bass with a

super-fast neck. Well-balanced. Simply a
fine instrument overall.
CONS Neck joint could be tighter.

N E W T -S H I R T
G ET A
ONTH
E A CH M Y
A L E G ENDAR
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GUITARSHOPTEES.COM
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REVIEWS
TRACE ELLIOT
ELF
By Steve Cook
I
f you haven’t noticed, there’s a revolution afoot—with the rather than the mini variety—a move that will make on-the-fly
world getting smaller in so many facets of our lives, from adjustments in the real world easier. Finally, the ELF houses two
circuits to cars to tiny houses. Music gear is not immune, small LEDs on opposite ends of the EQ section: one a signal
yet for us bassists, we’ve forever been taught that bigger means indicator and the other to let you know the amp is powered on.
better. So it seems a little counter-intuitive for us to want some- The back panel is as simple as the front. There’s a rocker
thing smaller, since our entire existence revolves around being power-switch next to the AC power inlet, a 1/4" speaker-out
“big”—be it big tone, moving big air, or playing the big strings rated at 4 ohms, and a XLR DI (post-EQ) with a neighboring
on our instruments. ground-lift switch. No nonsense, indeed.
Enter the ELF from Trace Elliot, one of the biggest little amps I
have ever seen. Beyond its incredibly small footprint and the initial The ELF That Roared
wow factor, the amp could be one of those gotta-have type products To check out the ELF’s prowess, I paired it with an Eden
for a myriad of reasons. I say could be, because to get past the initial D410XLT and plugged in an active Fender Deluxe PJ loaded
sideshow attraction aspect of it, it has to sound good, too. with Nordstrand pickups. Because this little amp was built with
on-the-go portability in mind, I also spent some quality time with
ELF Not on a Shelf it employing a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones.
When I opened the ELF’s included carry bag, I was greeted Starting with the cab to gauge the ELF’s live feel, I dialed all
by a straight-ahead-looking design with Trace Elliot’s familiar five controls to the straight-up 12 o’clock position. The tone was
green adorning the solid-feeling enclosure. Given its size and very much what I expected from a Trace Elliott amp: a little mid-
that it’s lighter than a Carnegie Deli Rueben sandwich at just a heavy with some bite. This isn’t the most ideal tone for me, so I
hair over 1 1/2 pounds—yes, 1 1/2 pounds—it had better be moved the bass control (centered at 80 Hz) up to about 2 o’clock
rugged, since us musician types will likely be shoving it into a and rolled back the mids a bit. Then we were cooking with
gig bag or backpack (or even a pocket). While our test unit did gas. This little adjustment made the amp more transparent and
feel solid overall in its construction, the plastic housing where allowed me to hear the voice of my bass. When I dialed in a little
the IEC power cord connects felt a bit loose, which could pose more treble by setting its respective knob to 2 o’clock, I found a
a problem after prolonged use. sweet spot that appealed to my slap and fingerstyle articulation.
The front panel is about as no-nonsense as can be. There So, you’re probably asking yourself now if the ELF really has
are two 1/4" jacks (one for input and one for headphones) that enough juice to effectively push a cab. In a word: absolutely. Rated
surround the five dials governing the gain, volume, and 3-band EQ. at 200 watts (into 4 ohms) and 130 watts (into 8 ohms), the ELF
I was happy that Trace Elliot went with “normal-sized” controls can shake some floorboards. When I pushed both the gain and
Signal indicator LED 3-band EQ Dimensions:

6.75” x 4.10” x 1.35”
1/4" headphone jack

REVIEWS
volume dials to 3 o’clock, the amp held its 1/4" headphone out, but, in this iPhone
own and showed me it could easily take on age, many will likely have to pony up for
rehearsals, an intimate gig, or even a club an 1/8" to 1/4" adapter. All said, when
gig, depending on the venue. And let’s not you also consider the post-EQ DI, you’ve
forget that the ELF offers one of the easiest got a wonderfully convenient practice- CLICK HERE TO WATCH A
REVIEW DEMO of this amp.
load-ins imaginable. to-rehearsal-to-gig amp with the ELF—
Whereas the amp shined very brightly literally at your fingertips.
in its primary function—to amplify
a bass—I felt it fell a little short in The Verdict
the overdrive department, which is a If you told me years ago I could own a Trace Elliot ELF
promoted feature. When I dimed the bass amp that weighs less than a book, I
$299 street
gain and slowly brought up the volume, would have called you loony. It’s exciting traceelliot.com
there wasn’t a ton of overdrive to speak to see technology push forward like this,
of. Yes, there was some breakup to and the fact that the ELF sounds good Tones
the tone, but I’d personally opt for a certainly helps its case. Its overdrive isn’t Ease of Use
favorite OD pedal and just let the ELF the greatest, but with the amp coming
Build/Design
do what it does best: serve as a simple, in at 300 bucks, you can afford to buy
Value
straightforward, compact bass amp. yourself a pedal or two. One more time:
When I plugged in the headphones, The ELF weighs just a hair over 1 1/2
the tone got even better, because I could pounds. This fact alone will likely make it PROS Delightfully compact and
powerful, with solid tone.
better hear the true representation of the a staple in many a player’s gig bag. If your
amp and the EQ. Again, I found my sweet ego can handle having such a diminutive CONS Grab a pedal if you’re going for
spot by setting the EQ with a slight mid amp onstage, then go out and give the overdriven tone. Some players will long
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uncolored bass tone. I personally love the You don’t have to wait until Christmas.
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Question & Obsession

English guitarist James Elkington and PG editors discuss guitars they love … but don’t play, for various reasons.
“What’s a guitar you love,

but probably wouldn’t ever
play, and why?”
James Elkington Martin O’Hara

Guest Picker Reader of the Month
A: In my mid 20s, I was the A: This Kay K500SD (below)

proud owner of a Roland was the first guitar I ever
G-707 guitar synth that bought and still have. It
looked like a DeLorean spoiler was the best I could afford
with a tremolo on it. I bought at the time, but has high-
it very cheaply at the bottom action strings that basically
of the great guitar synth slice your fingers off, and it
slump of the ’90s, a time almost completely put me
when you almost couldn’t off playing. But it’s still the
give these things away. But its first guitar I ever bought, with
sheer weirdness was alluring. my own (not parents’) money
I quickly realized no one was and will always have a place
going to play with me if I in my heart, if never on my
brought this to rehearsal, so I set list!
shit-canned it within a year.
Current obsession:
Current obsession: Synthesizer pedals.
For the first time in my I currently have four—all
Far left: Photo by Zoran Orlic

life I’ve been listening to from Electro-Harmonix. I play
jazz guitar, specifically in two cover bands and to get
records by Jimmy Raney a broad soundscape, I like
and Tal Farlow. I’ve been to add keyboards, strings, or
working with the book The even sitar sounds every now
Jazz Style of Tal Farlow and again!
any chance I get, but it’s
become apparent that I’m
fundamentally not willing to
put in the hours needed to
get good at this stuff, so Tal
and I are at standoff for now.

Ted Drozdowski Shawn Hammond Rich Osweiler
Senior Editor Chief Content Officer Associate Editor
A: My twin dragons of A: Although I love, love, A: I love flamenco, especially

6-string are the Gibson love a lot of tunes by players the elegant nature of a well-
L-5 CES and Gretsch White who rely on swanky-lookin’ crafted flamenco instrument
Falcon—amazing, almost hollowbodies (Gretsch, (a Les Stansell myrtlewood/
mythical beasts with mile- Gibson, and the like), more Port Orford cedar combo
wide tone and incredible often than not, I find I get the would be my top choice). But
beauty. But as much as I covet sorts of twangy, slicing tones since I already own a nice
them—even getting past I prefer out of single-coil- Selmer-style guitar and a
their price tags—the fact that equipped solidbodies. handcrafted tenor ukulele—
they’re thick hollowbodies Maybe it’s just the dumb way and have a very long way
makes them impractical for I play, though…. to go on my Gypsy and uke
my stages, where I need jazz journeys—I can’t even
gain to really get the tones, Current obsession: think about taking on another
flexibility, and response I Experimenting with different “side” genre, especially
want. I play hard and fast, and preamp-tube types. Hint: one that requires such a
sometimes must use my amp Swapping the phase inverter significant commitment. Olé!
Above: Photo by John Thomas Collins
to fill the space with sound. from a 12AX7 to a 12AY7

But I can dream! can completely change your Current obsession:
amp’s personality. I’m on a huge Uncle Tupelo
Current obsession: playing and listening bender
Gigging! I’ve recently come after hitting a Son Volt show
off a spate of drums/guitar last week in San Francisco. I
duo gigs and solo shows, was fortunate to see UT many
and loved the energy and times during my youngster
challenge of reinventing my years, and while I’m pretty
repertoire and approach for certain it’ll never happen, I’d
those settings. Plus, what’s love to see Farrar and Tweedy
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ESOTERICA ELECTRICA
Prime Time for a Classic Tool

BY JOL DANTZIG
W
The pin router hen I’m asked what the control routs. But a pin router is much
is an incredibly most important tool in a more nuanced than just those tasks. In
versatile tool
that’s as adept
guitar shop is, I usually fact, the only limit to this versatile tool is
at shaping respond with “the clock.” That’s because your imagination.
bodies as it is at if you don’t know how much time every The way it works is simple. The
doing basic inlay aspect of your build process takes, you’re spinning router bit plunges downward
work, cutting
probably losing money. People assume to a preset depth (usually with a foot
f-holes, and
much more. that the biggest cost in guitar making is control) over a metal table with a pin
the raw materials, but it’s really the labor. directly below the bit. The pin acts
If you don’t pay yourself a salary and as a follower that allows you to either
provide yourself with health insurance, use the actual part or a form holding
however, you can skip this logic, because a part as a guide. Pins can be the same
then we’re talking about your hobby. size as your bit, or different diameters
If you want to talk go-to woodworking to create offsets. I have an entire set
gear, I’d have to say an overarm pin of pins in various increments, both
router would top my list as the best and larger and smaller. It’s what I use to cut it’s going in your basement or garage
most important tool you can buy. Sure, rabbets (notches) for all sorts of binding workshop, you might want to look at
CNC routers are sexier—and who doesn’t combinations. some of the smaller single-phase models
love screwing around with computers— You can also use a pin router for basic that you can plug into a 220-volt dryer
but for pure versatility, it’s hard to beat a inlay work. Most commercial machines outlet, or wire up from the household
pin router. have collets for bits with 1/2"-diameter panel. Tip: Don’t forget to think about
There are numerous pieces of shanks, but you can buy collets and how you are going to get 1,000 pounds
equipment that can be used for guitar adaptors down to 1/8" for a reasonable down your stairs. Prices range from
making, from handheld laminate- cost. That allows you to use cutters as around $2,500 to $10,000 for a new
trimmers and plunge routers, to shapers, small as .062" or even .023", which are machine, but you can save a lot of
money buying a used one. (I got mine
for $900 from a cabinet shop that didn’t
Sure, CNC routers are sexier—and who doesn’t love realize replacing the spindle bearings was
screwing around with computers—but for pure a $50 job.)
versatility, it’s hard to beat a pin router. Probably the most amazing thing
about an overarm pin router is its
ability to clone shapes and make its own
sanders, and band saws. To start, you’ll good enough for basic inlay patterns. templates. For instance, if you double-
have to either buy wood that’s pre- If you only cut a shallow depth, it’s stick tape a Telecaster body to a piece
dimensioned into blocks (billets) or cut actually pretty easy to follow a pencil line of birch plywood, Plexiglas, masonite,
it to size yourself from full boards. But freehand. Also, .023" is just about right or phenolic, you can use the body as
then you’ll need something to turn those for fret slots, too. your guide to cut your material into a
blocks into the fancy shapes needed for Using a fence, it’s possible to joint template, and make more Telecasters!
a guitar. Even though the pin router has edges for gluing, or cut a truss-rod slot. This works for the profile shape as well
been around for a century, it’s still a great Rounding bits can put a soft edge on as the pickup routs. So, in about 20
tool for exactly that. headstocks and bodies. Chamfer and minutes, you’re in the body business. Of
A pin router can cut shapes and round-profile bits can make all manner course, you’ll need a clock if you want to
contours, as well as drill holes and make of edge profiles for unusual designs or make any money.
slots. I use one to pre-carve the shape of just to hog out belly and arm contours
my necks and rout the headstock shape. on guitar bodies. As I mentioned earlier, JOL DANTZIG is a noted
designer, builder, and player who
You can even cut parts like headstock there’s not much this machine can’t do. co-founded Hamer Guitars, one of
overlays to extremely thin dimensions Before you splurge for one, however, the first boutique guitar brands,
in 1973. Today, as the director
(.062" or less) using a fly cutter. It’s damn make certain your shop’s power is up of Dantzig Guitar Design, he
good at cutting the profile of the necks to the job. Most of these routers are continues to help define the art of
custom guitar. To learn more, visit
and bodies, as well as the pickup and big and require three-phase power. If guitardesigner.com.
premierguitar.com
Raise Your Voice
A New Series I Elevated Features I Limitless Possibilities

LAST CALL
Goodbye, Cruel Circus, I’m off to Join the World!

BY JOHN BOHLINGER
Y
As Dizzy Gillespie ou know that thing where you Steve Sax. In 1983, Sax became incapable
said, “Some days can’t play guitar? I don’t mean of throwing to first base. He would field
you get up and
you’re not inspired. I mean that a fast grounder or pop fly, but instead of
put the horn to
your chops although you’ve been practicing and making the easy out at first, he would
and it sounds performing for years, one day, for no throw the ball into the stands or miles
pretty good and particular reason, your brain fails to above the first baseman’s head. Sax made
you win. Some connect to your hands, so it sounds like 30 errors on throws to first in one season.
days you try
and nothing
you’re playing with your toes instead of Sax eventually got over it, and by 1989
works and the your fingers. This was me at a recent he was leading the American League in
horn wins.” recording session. both fielding and double plays, but to
I’m not being modest or exaggerating. this day, his legacy to baseball remains the
I was a horrible musician that day. My term “Steve Sax Syndrome.”
internal rhythm sounded like tennis shoes What does one do when feeling Saxy?
in a dryer, randomly thudding away. My I’ve spent several unsatisfying hours going Here’s a very male example. Ladies,
fingers felt like kielbasa sausages stuffed down the web rabbit hole searching for consider yourself lucky if you cannot
into Vienna cocktail weeny skins. My tips on how to break the yips. Here’s relate. When men are in a public restroom
sweaty hands gave the guitar’s neck a what I found: with 20 dudes lined up for 10 urinals,
granulated honey texture. we usually experience a 15- to 30-second
After about 20 failed takes, the • Take a shower delay before our bodies obey nature’s call
engineer said, “Maybe you’re too sober.” • Pet an animal after we step up to, um, bat. Sometimes it
After I recalibrated, it was all better … • Give and get a hug won’t happen at all until we give up and
until it was worse. Regrettably, there’s no • Practice deep breathing walk into a stall. Regrettably, with music,
undo for a bad buzz, so I just had to ride • Do some light bodyweight exercises there is no stall to escape to. You succeed
it out. • Walk barefoot in the grass or fail. There is some very real pressure to
The next hour combined panic • Write about what’s bothering you and perform. I suspect that is why so many
with second-guessing, cursing my lack then write about something you are successful musicians walk away from it.
of ability, and reconsidering my life’s grateful for About 20 years ago, a talented
trajectory. It was like being a male porn keyboardist named Billy Livsey told
star on set, suddenly stuck with drug Who knows? Maybe if somebody me about being on tour with a band
resistant erectile dysfunction. The more hugged me while I was petting a dog in in England. One morning, after a
I thought about it, the worse it got, the shower, my ill-fated session might particularly debauched gig, one of
and I began to wonder if I suffered have turned around, but I doubt it. The his bandmates had removed all of his
an undetected mini-stroke or perhaps muse is fickle, like a gambler’s luck, possessions from the bus and left a note
slipped seamlessly into a parallel universe and my over-taxed mind has trouble that said, “Goodbye, cruel circus, I’m off
where all was nearly the same, with the fixing its own faulty wiring. However, to join the world.” I get it. I would rather
exception of my being able to play music. I take comfort in the fact that I am have my tongue nailed to a table then go
Eventually, the engineer coaxed not alone with my glitch. Off camera through another session like that ill-fated
something out of me that he could make during a recent Rig Rundown with Coco shit show.
work. I went home defeated, joylessly ate Montoya, the Bluesbreaker alumni and A bad day is as real as you make it.
an entire pint of B&J’s Chunky Monkey, guitar legend told me, “Some days they But as bad as it gets, I will ride this music
and then passed out on the couch for get Coco, some days they get caca.” scam until I can no longer fool them.
a fitful two-hour nap, plagued with Or, as Dizzy Gillespie said: “Some days Playing terribly is miserable, but not
nightmares of my doomed session. When you get up and put the horn to your chops playing at all is worse.
I awoke, I was afraid to pick up a guitar. and it sounds pretty good and you win.
It comes down to this: Regardless of Some days you try and nothing works and JOHN BOHLINGER is a Nashville-
Photo by Roland Godefroy
based multi-instrumentalist best

one’s ability, there are times when we the horn wins. This goes on and on and known for leading the band on
get in our heads and cannot perform. then you die and the horn wins.” NBC’s Nashville Star and serving
as music director for the CMT
Just ask former New York Yankees, Los Ultimately, to think is to undermine. Awards and specials on PBS
Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, The most natural task becomes impossible and GAC. When not filming Rig
Rundowns and gear reviews for PG,
and Oakland Athletics second baseman once performance anxiety takes over. John plays pedal steel for Lee Brice.
Premier Guitar ISSN 1945-077x (print) and ISSN 1945-0788 (online) is published monthly by Gearhead Communications, LLC. Principal office: 3 Research Center, Marion, IA 52302. Periodicals postage
paid at Marion, IA 52302 and at Additional Mailing Offices. © 2017 Gearhead Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Premier Guitar are registered trademarks of Gearhead Communications, LLC. Subscribers: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we
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Marion, IA 52302. Customer Service and subscriptions please call 877-704-4327 or email lois@premierguitar.com. Printed in USA. Volume 22 Issue 7 July 2017

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WARREN HAYNES • JUAN ALDERETE • ANI DiFRANCO

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Art & Lutherie’s

CONTENTS July 2017

As soon as he hit the stage, all jaws dropped when

rose to mainstream success playing alongside Sting Beyond Blues:

“I am so nervous playing this guitar, my hands are

Testing another prototype

“Don’t nobody call you the

A v loud cover band right outside my

You’re kinda killin it today... amp that

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 19

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 21

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 23

“Once you’ve had a taste,

it’s hard to turn back.” – Bill Frisell

This is my homemade Telecaster copy. I’m

Send your guitar story to

Just a few short hours before his

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 25

The String Cheese Incident

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 29

James Iha, Matt McJunkins, and Billy Howerdel

GUITARS AND BASSES

Top right: Back for his

Bottom: This is Billy

Bottom left: Eschewing

Bottom right: Out

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 31

MARCUS KING BAND

Bottom: The backup

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 33

1961 Gibson SG Special

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 35

Jay Turser JT-1423

WILL RAY is a founding member

1961 Gibson ES-335

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR JULY 2017 39

Dana Bourgeois, based in 1

Make sure it’s you they’re hearing. Clear, natural,

Photo 2: Bourgeois Guitars are known for their 4

The Destination for New, Vintage, and Unique Gear.

Roger Bucknall built 1

Isaac Jang, based in

High Value Acoustics With a Famliar Feel

Ryan Guitars, the