Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Guitar World

THERE’S A SEMI-CLASSIC Monty Python sketch about the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things, a group of stuffy, tuxedo-clad gents who sit around all day, making sure things are placed on top of other things. When members report that lots of things have been put on top of other things, they cheer, applaud and bang on the table. When they notice the opposite, they get upset, make disapproving faces and yell “shame!” As the editor of a guitar magazine, I sometimes feel as though I’m a member of a similar society, only ours would be called the Society for Making Sure Guitars Are Everywhere. If I were in such a society, I’d probably be stomping madly on the table after watching Bill & Ted Face the…

PLAYING A TWO-HOUR concert for thousands of fans is the dream for many guitarists. At only 17 years old, Jasmine Star has got the second part of that dream down, but for now, she’s condensing it down to 15-second snippets. Star is arguably the most popular guitarist on TikTok, with more than 113,000 followers. While some of the Caifornian’s videos feature her showing off singing and keyboard talents, her guitar playing, which would be outstanding for a player twice her age, is the main attraction. “I think I started posting the videos to share my music and connect with other people and it turned out to be a really positive experience,” Star says. “I love being able to share music and interact with people online that love music just as…

CHRIS GILL Associate Editor FAVORITE GW COVER: April 2011. When I’m 67 I hope I look as cool as Jeff Beck did then, plus it’s a wonderful reminder of my memorable interview with him about his guitar heroes. FAVORITE INTERVIEW SUBJECT: Billy Gibbons, because it’s always an adventure and his 50/50 mix of tall tales and trivia are always fascinating, entertaining and illuminating. And I never know what kind of practical joke (usually quite complex and sometimes drawn out over months) he’s going to pull on me. A favorite moment was walking around backstage at Radio City Music Hall before a ZZ Top concert when we discovered the props for the Christmas Spectacular and he exclaimed, “Isn’t this cool?” It was. MIXIE VON BORMANN Art Director FAVORITE GW COVER: February…

FROM THE TIME THEY FORMED IN Stavanger, Norway, in 2007, Kvelertak have widely been regarded as a proggy black-and-roll band. But while the band’s three guitarists all enjoy heavy music, they didn t start out as metalheads. Primary songwriter Bjarte Lund Rolland considers Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham and Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler to be two of his greatest influences. Rhythm guitarist Vidar Landa was more a fan of alternative and indie rock and lead guitarist Maciek Ofstad grew up with hardcore before discovering extreme metal. “We weren’t supposed to be a metal band when we started,” Rolland says over the phone. “We wanted to be more like a rock band that has metal influences here and there. Of course, we all like Metallica and grew up in Norway with the…

STREET PRICE: $299 MANUFACTURER: Positive Grid, positivegrid.com This desktop format amp features a 40-watt Class D amplifier and a pair of four-inch speakers in a bass reflex cabinet to provide full-range stereo sound. Currently 30 amp and 40 effect models are provided for programming custom sounds via the free included Spark app for iOS and Android mobile devices, with over 10,000 more tones available on ToneCloud. The app provides instrumental accompaniment in a wide variety of styles, while Smart Jam creates custom accompaniment based on your playing. Wireless Bluetooth connectivity allows users to playback millions of songs via Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube with real-time Auto Chord display. THE BOTTOM LINE: Positive Grid Spark is an impressive desktop amp solely on the virtue of its excellent amp and effect models,…

DIRECT PRICE: Starting at $1,649.99 MANUFACTURERS: B.C. Rich Guitars, bcrich.com EverTune, evertune.com B.C. Rich ships the guitar with the Ever-Tune bridge set up perfectly to standard tuning with D’Addario NYXL 09-42 high carbon steel strings. The Shredzilla features high-output DiMarzio D Activator X (bridge) and Super Distortion (neck) humbuckers with push-pull coil tapping. THE BOTTOM LINE With its outstanding construction, pro-quality parts and stellar tones, the B.C. Rich Shredzilla Prophecy Archtop provides the ideal platform for the impressive, revolutionary EverTune bridge.…

TAKE THE 5TH Using 5th intervals with open strings IN MY PREVIOUS column, I demonstrated a technique in which I hammer-on from an open string to play triplet-based patterns built around 6th intervals, or 6ths, for short. The patterns I presented were all diatonic olydian to (within mode the ( scale A, B, structure C # , D, E, F of #,) G the ). As A this Mix-seven # -note # set contains two “sharp” notes — C as the and D F major — it is scale made (D up , E of , F the #,G, same A, B, notes C #) but starting from and oriented around that scale’s 5th degree, A. Another helpful way to think about Mixolydian is that it is the same as…

GUITAR: 1979 Fender Lead I with ash body and rosewood fingerboard, Volume: 10, Tone: 10, Switch 1: series, Switch 2: center (humbucking) AMP: 1979 Mesa Boogie Mark II (Volume 1: 8, Treble: 5/Pull Shift, Bass: 3, Middle: 10, Master 1: Pull Gain Boost, Lead Drive: 9/Pull Lead, Lead Master: 7/Pull Bright, Presence: 5, Graphic EQ 80Hz: -4dB, 240Hz: +4dB, 750Hz: +11dB, 2200Hz: +9dB, 6600Hz: +8dB, EQ In) into Marshall 1960A 4x12 with Celestion G12M speakers STRINGS/TUNING: D’Addario XL120 .009-.042/Standard PICK: Fender 358 Shape small teardrop celluloid Medium…

Giving Us Fair Warning Just started reading the October 2020 issue featuring the 40-year anniversary of Rush’s Permanent Waves. I think a great story would be to do a 40-year anniversary tribute to Van Halen’s Fair Warning in 2021. I think many GW readers would agree that this album is one of the best electric guitar albums of all time. Plus, it’s been too long since King Edward has been on the cover. — Erik Geiser Shredding North of the Border Please tell Adam Kovac [writer of “The North Stars,” October 2020] that there’s a Canadian show on YouTube called “Shredders of Metal.” It features Canadian guitarists in head-to-head competition. Some of them are simply amazing, especially having to play in front of judges like Alex Skol-nick and Ben Weinman.…

1 Lenny Kravitz, “Always on the Run” Just Slash being Slash, plus a bucket full of a funky groove. The riff is simple, effective and heavy on its own. You can almost hear the fun he had recording the solo. 2 Bon Jovi, “Dry County” The nuances of the song are just a work of art, and Richie Sambora gets all of that in a soulful guitar solo that suddenly starts growing and kicks in pure awesomeness before it all gets calm again. Amazing composition. 3 Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Rude Mood” I wish I could go back in time just to experience once again the feeling I had when I first heard this song. SRV is one of…

ONSLAUGHT’S NIGE ROCKETT is not one to let a good riff go to waste. Though songwriting sessions for the Bristol, U.K., thrash veterans’ new Generation Antichrist officially began in 2018, Rockett reached deep into the vaults to find the scrappy, power-chord-heavy chorus to “Strike Fast Strike Hard,” recalling a time when the band was trafficking in the adrenalized efficiency of early Eighties d-beat. “The chorus on that song is something I stole from myself, a riff I’d actually written in 1983. It never got demoed,” Rockett says of its hardcore origins, offering that its straightforward slam syncs up with Generation Antichrist’s overall M.O. — “shorter songs, fewer layers, and go for raw power.” This stripped-down approach is in part due to the exit of former guitarist Andy Rosser-Davies, a writing…

Bollocks Here’s Punk Guitar.” The secret of Guitar World’s success and what distinguishes it from other magazines in the same space is that it is a rock magazine that focuses on the guitar, not a guitar magazine that sometimes deigns to cover rock artists. As such, the publication has always tried to reflect the current state of guitar-driven rock music. In 1995, pop-punk was all the rage, and we put together an issue dedicated to the current stars of the genre and their very cool Seventies forebears. This graphic homage to the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks was a risky: There’s no guitar on it, and it heralds a bunch of bands not known for particularly dexterous fretwork. I believe it tanked on the newsstand, but it was a…

“WHO THE HELL is Lukas Nelson?” If you’re like me, that’s probably what you’re thinking. Suffice to say, Lukas Nelson is the son of country music legend Willie Nelson, and this young country-rocker fronts his own successful band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, with him and his band often pulling double duty as the touring band for Neil Young. If that’s not enough, Nelson played a prominent role for the 2018 film A Star is Born by collaborating with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and co-writing and co-producing the soundtrack, all of which earned him a Grammy and a BAFTA. The guy’s no slouch, and considering how busy he is making records, Nelson likes to keep things simple, which is evidenced by his new artist model, the Gibson…

Eventide PowerMAX mk2, PowerMINI and PowerMINI EXP LAST YEAR I reviewed Eventide’s comprehensive PowerMAX power supply and pretty much gushed over its overreaching flexibility and efficiency. So, good news, bad news? Okay. Bad news first: They’re discontinuing PowerMAX. But hold on — the good news is Eventide has replaced the former with the brand-new PowerMAX mk2, which facilitates a direct connection with maximum output power for Eventide’s current smaller-footprint power supplies, the PowerMINI and PowerMINI EXP, with only one cable for even more expandability, if you need more high-current outlets. So how is PowerMAX mk2 different from the original? Well, for one, if you need more high-power outlets, the PowerMAX mk2 comes with a dedicated 24V Aux output that can fully power the PowerMINI with one cable (included with the…

I GOT RHYTHM, PART 10 Shifting 16th-note accents 16 PREVIOUSLY th notes and, 16 WE th LEARNED rests in 4 4 meter how . to We count also saw how the four 16th notes that reside within each beat can be notationally linked with two horizontal beams connecting their vertical stems, forming what some refer to as a “quad,” which I find is a helpful term, visually and conceptually. And, as you recall, a single 16th note, when surrounded by rests, may be indicated by a double flag attached to its stem. In this and the next couple of lessons, I’ll demonstrate a variety of cool ways to create 16th-note syncopations, using approaches similar to what we did with eighth notes. We’ll start by looking at shifting accent patterns that…

BACKWARD ROLLS How to perform “backward” crosspicking AS I HAVE mentioned in the previous columns, crosspicking techniques remind me of the three-fingered picking patterns usually heard on and associated with the banjo. In fact, I first learned this fingerpicking approach on the banjo (using fingerpicks) and then applied it to the guitar with flatpicking (plectrum) technique. The picking patterns which are 2 often are based generally on three played -note in sequences meters of4 4, or 2 (also known as cut time). Playing three-note patterns in a rhythm of straight eighth notes in these meters creates inherent melodic syncopations, which is something that I love about bluegrass music. I love to emulate banjo rolls on the guitar, and one of my favorites is what’s called the backward roll. Instead of…

“I had about a month to learn all of Vivian [Campbell]’s guitar and vocal parts. And to this day, I’m on 24-hour call whenever Def Leppard is on tour in case Vivian can’t make the shows” IT’S BEEN A full 30 years since Steve Brown and Trixter released their self-titled debut album, but the guitarist seems to be busier than ever. On the Trixter front, Brown and his bandmates plan to release a vinyl reissue of the album that launched their careers. “We’re going to do a deluxe edition with all the demos that got us signed,” says Brown, who was barely out of high school when Trixter nabbed a major-label deal. “I dug up my original four-track demo of our first single, ‘Give It to Me Good,’ and other…

But we’ve also covered those seminal, magical, groundbreaking moments that made us realize our world would never be the same again. Examples? The birth of new musical genres and subgenres, the conjuring of savory new tones and mind-melting techniques, the release of game-changing songs, albums and music videos, the resurgence of long-dormant disciplines and so much more. With GW’s ongoing 40th-anniversary celebration in the air, we decided to sit back, put our feet up and reflect on the past four decades — particularly in the context of the guitarists who’ve made an undeniable impact on our universe. We made a list of around 85 names, added a few more, and — in our efforts to narrow them down to an even 40 — put it to a vote on GuitarWorld.com.…

“THERE’S SOME SINGLE-LINE GUITAR WORK THAT I’M DOING ON MY LES PAUL JUNIOR — IT’S A ’55 OR A ’56, AND IT’S A REMARKABLE INSTRUMENT. I FEEL SO AT HOME ON THAT GUITAR THAT I CAN ROCK OUT ON IT” WITH YES, STEVE HOWE’S LEGACY IS FIRMLY CEMENTED AS THE SIX-STRING force behind some of prog rock’s most indelible songs, from “Roundabout” and “Close to the Edge” to “Starship Trooper” and his classic acoustic instrumental, “Clap.” Howe still tours and records with Yes — in fact, he’s the sole remaining member from the classic early Seventies Fragile- era lineup — but he has also kept up an active schedule over the years with other acts (among them Asia and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe) as well as working as a guest…

OVER THE LAST decade, Positive Grid has played a prominent role in virtual amp and effect technology, making it more accessible to the average player via their affordable apps while also elevating its sound quality, realism and versatility. Some viewed Positive Grid’s more recent expansion into hardware products, such as the BIAS Head, BIAS Mini and BIAS Distortion, Delay and Modulation Pedals as regressive heresy, but actually these products make perfect sense in the company’s growth and progression by both satisfying customer demands and further expanding the technology’s evolution. With the recent introduction of Spark, Positive Grid has now applied their unique approach to the burgeoning desktop amp phenomenon by offering an affordable hardware product that also takes advantage of the company’s software expertise. And with over 100,000 units sold…

STREET PRICE: $1,599 MANUFACTURER: Gibson, gibson.com The Alnico III “Dog Ear” P-90 pickup is custom-voiced, while the volume and tone gold speed knobs are hand wired with Orange Drop capacitors and 500k pots. The aged nickel vintage-style compensated wraparound bridge is angled for improved intonation and provides a rounder and percussive tone. THE BOTTOM LINE: With modern improvements, slightly aged looks and voiced for vintage mojo, the Lukas Nelson ’56 Les Paul Junior is a poised and mature Junior model you’ll want to put your own wear and tear into for years to come.…

FOR THOSE GUITARISTS out there who want to try the revolutionary EverTune bridge pre-installed in an instrument, the choices at most retailers are somewhat limited — although the selection is improving. Fortunately, the following companies offer EverTune-equipped models factory direct: B.C. Rich, ESP, Schecter, Framus, Jackson, Ibanez and Solar, with models coming by the end of the year from Dean and Epiphone. EverTune’s website currently offers 70 different models, including six-, seven- and eight-string guitars and various artist signature models, and most cost only slightly more than their non-EverTune equivalents with prices ranging from $799 to $2,299. We took a look at an EverTune-equipped B.C. Rich Shredzilla Prophecy Archtop, which features a factory-installed EverTune bridge and sells for a price about in the middle of EverTune’s offerings. FEATURES Living up…

FOUR OFF THE FLOOR Playing 7th-chord arpeggios in four-note sequences LAST TIME, I demonstrated a variety of ways to play patterns based on four-note 7th-chord arpeggios as ascending and descending eighth-note triplets. Those pat-also terns known were # #all as based the A Ionian on the A mode major (A scale , B, C , #, D, E, F , G ). This month, let’s switch up two of the variables: instead of basing the figures parallel on the A A major Dorian scale mode , we ( ’ A ll , switch B, C, D to , E the , F # , G), and instead of playing eighth-note triplets, we’ll use even, or “straight,” eighth notes. These four-note forms are invaluable for learning proper scales and chord shapes…