Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2015 i Total Guitar

It’s been said many times before that guitar music is dying. Well to that we say ‘Pish!’, and the guy on the cover of TG this month is the proof. Let’s take a moment to think about it. A year ago James Bay was relatively unknown to the wider public. Since then he’s featured in the BBC’s Sound of 2015 list, taken over the airwaves with his songs, bagged the title of 2015’s biggest-selling album in the UK, racked up over 100 million views (we’re not joking) on YouTube and won a truckload of awards. And guess what? He did it with a guitar! Not only that, but he’s got awesome taste in guitars, and he knows how to play them! You might not associate singer-songwriter ballads with weeping blues…

tracks 0U-08 This month we look at how Suede’s Nichard Oakes uses repeating ‘pedal tones’ in the band’s new single, Outsiders. This track is in standard tuning, so tune to EADGBE to play along. A pedal tone is a note that is constantly repeated while other notes around it are changing. Usually, although not always, pedal tones are the lowest notes of the riff in question. Outsiders is in D# minor and Oakes duly starts on the root note, which he repeats around the high A# and B notes. He breaks away from pedaled root notes as he starts bars 3 and 4 on B notes, outlining the chord progression as it moves through D#m, B and C#. The riff is played with alternate picking but the held notes break…

Pan-Atlantic progsters Good Tiger formed from the ashes of The Safety Fire when guitarists Jo Ardilles and Dez Nagle joined up with ex-Tesseract vocalist Elliot Coleman. “The Safety Fire was formed from a group of friends, so I didn’t really know anything different,” explains Dez. “Again, I wanted to be in a band with people I was friends with first, and I was lucky enough to be able to form one with the people I most wanted.” With the band split across the US and UK, sessions for debut album A Head Full Of Midnight have shot Dez’s body clock, but the results have been worth it. “I feel that these songs are more direct,” says Dez. “That people could hear them at a show and walk in and understand…

GARY Clark Jr has rejuvenated the blues over the past couple of years – his combination of traditional influences, gritty tone and contemporary sounds has helped to push things forward, and this is very much reflected in his Epiphone Blak & Blu Casino signature model. Taking the tradition of the Casino’s fully-hollow maple body, classic P-90 pickups and (in the case of our competition guitar) a Bigsby vibrato, and merging it with a super-sleek Blueburst finish, and modern 18:1 Grover tuners, Gary has created a snarling blues-rock beast. We checked out the Blak & Blue back in TG273, and loved it enough to give it a TG Best Buy Award, and our pals at Epiphone (www.epiphone.com) have given us one to pass on to one lucky reader. All you have…

totalguitar@futurenet.com FRANK EXCHANGE Hey TG, thank you so much for tabbing Frank Turner last issue. I know that you can get chords for songs online, but they aren’t always right and I love playing along to the backing track on the CD. So much better than trying to play over the original, especially if you sing like I try to! TOBY WALLACE, Barnsley THE MOORE THE MERRIER To the Total Guitar team, I just wanted to tell you that I picked up my first copy of your magazine recently (The Acoustic Survival Guide one) and it really helped me! Acoustic guitars seem to be really popular at the moment, and not just with ham-fisted and frustrated 30-somethings like me! I’m thinking of buying an acoustic with a pickup in…

’66 Epiphone Century This Epiphone Century is James' main guitar. It’s a fully hollow guitar with a wound G string, and is usually tuned a whole step down. ’65 Epiphone Century (Not shown) James’ backup guitar is a brown 1965 Epiphone Century, but it’s quite different from the ’66 model, as it sports dual P-90s and a Bigsby. Gibson ES-335 Luther Dickinson James chooses this P-90-loaded ES-335 when he wants to rock it up a bit; it’s centre-blocked, so more resistant to feedback than the fully-hollow Epiphone Century. Gibson Les Paul Junior (SG shape) James’ SG-shape Les Paul Junior comes out for Best Fake Smile in the live show. He’s also been playing a Collings 290DC S for that song. Gibson J-200 acoustics The Gibson J-200 is James’…

Claudio “Both Explorers feel very good because of their necks and they just work for me on the road. What I really like about Explorers is this sort of shelf [on the upper bout] that happens and it feels like a rest. I’m lazy I guess!” Gibson Explorer II 1980s “We put in a [Bare Knuckle] for more high-gain stuff. I picked this up when the band was on the road in Cincinnati at a place called Mike’s Music. It was actually in pretty bad condition and I just kind of fell in love with it. I also have the sister Flying V that sort of matches this guy. This guitar is very reliable.” Gibson Explorer ’76 Reissue “We installed [Bare Knuckle] hi-gain pickups in this, too. I’m thinking whether…

AT A GLANCE  TOP: Solid Sitka spruce BACK & SIDES: Mahogany Pattern HPL Textured Finish NECK: Birch Laminate, Modified Low Oval profile SCALE: 645mm (25.4”) FINGERBOARD: Richlite FRETS: 20 ELECTRICS: Fishman Sonitone USB system CONTROLS: 1x volume, 1x tone HARDWARE: Individual enclosed tuners, chrome-plated LEFT-HANDED: Yes FINISH: Hand Rubbed Aging Toner Finish, top only CONTACT: Westside Distribution 0141 248 4812 www.martinguitar.com NECK ALL X Series guitars use a neck made from 30-odd thin pieces of birch laminated together for a very stable design, with quite a modernist appearance BODY THE SOLID spruce top is paired with synthetic back and sides made from Martin’s High Pressure Laminate (HPL), with a mahogany-like finish. Don’t knock it ’til you try it! PICKUP SYSTEM FISHMAN’S Sonitone system is used by numerous lower-end brands, and…

AT A GLANCE  BODY: Mahogany NECK: Mahogany, Custom ’59 profile, set SCALE: 629mm (24.75") FINGERBOARD: Ebony FRETS: 22 PICKUPS: 1x EMG 81 USA Metal Works (bridge), 1x EMG 85 USA Metal Works (neck) CONTROLS: 2x volume, 2x tone, 3-way toggle pickup selector HARDWARE: Gold LEFT-HANDED: No FINISH: Ebony only CONTACT: Gibson www.gibson.com HEADSTOCK THE In Flames jester logo is a nice touch for fans, but might be a touch too much for LP purists NECK IT’S big, it’s thick, and harks back to 1959, but Gelotte loves its solidity and comfort – so do we PICKUPS POWERED by an easily accessible battery, the EMG 81/85 is a classic metal pairing, popularised by Jeff Hanneman, Zakk Wylde et al AS riff-master general in Swedish metal titans In Flames, Björn Gelotte helped…

BACK when Mike Matthews founded Electro-Harmonix in 1968, we doubt even he could have foreseen the overwhelming breadth of pedals spread across the company’s catalogue today. Analogue classics such as the Big Muff, Small Clone and Deluxe Memory Man cemented EHX’s place in stompbox history, but recent years have seen an increasing number of evolutions and innovations from the New York-based mad scientists, a handful of which we’ve lassoed into this here round-up. The C9 and Nano POG build on the company’s relatively recent lineage of polyphonic pitch-shifters, while the Octavix pays homage to EHX’s greatest hits courtesy of an all-analogue fuzz circuit. Then there’s the Super Pulsar, which combines the best of analogue and digital worlds for one all-conquering tremolo. Let’s see if they all live up to the…

TYPE: Compressor pedal CONTROLS: Sustain, level, attack, blend, Spectra/TonePrint/Vintage switch SOCKETS: Input, output, power BYPASS: True bypass POWER: 9V battery, 9V power supply (not included) CONTACT: TC Electronic 0800 917 8926 www.tcelectronic.com THE compressor can vary a lot in what it does: sometimes you can really hear the effect of the compression in the way that it squashes a note or gives the front end an extra snap, and then there’s subtle studio-style compression, which endows your sound with an even and consistent level. The HyperGravity wants to appeal as widely as possible by covering both of those bases, and going one stage further with a TonePrint setting, which enables you to tweak parameters with TC’s free editing software. Besides the TonePrint, the pedal has two compression modes. Vintage delivers…

STAY WITH ME Words and Music by Ronald Wood and Rod Stewart © 1972 EMI April Music Inc and WB Music Corp (50%) Warner/Chappell North America. Reproduced by permission of Hal Leonard Corporation and Faber Music Limited All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured INTRO (RHYTHM GUITAR) INTRO (RHYTHM GUITAR) CONTINUED ALTHOUGH ONLY groups of strings are picked, barre across the full width of the fretboard with your first finger. This provides a foundation for your second, third and fourth fingers to build on. Simply pick out the notes as indicated. All the chords should be allowed to ring, except where rests indicate silence. INTRO (SLIDE GUITAR) MAKE SURE your slide is hovering directly above the frets indicated – if you position the slide where you would normally place your finger…

YOU HAVE a choice of tracks to choose from for the lead playing section of RGT’s Level Five electric guitar Performance Award. RGT’s handbook/CD includes ten tracks, and the chord progression for one of these is shown below, written above the notation for a sample solo. The Latin-style track is in B minor, and the B harmonic minor scale (B C# D E F# G A#) has been used, along with an F#7 arpeggio. Note choice is important in any solo and especially so when using the exotic sounding harmonic minor scale. The seventh note of the scale (A#) sounds great over the F#7 chords so this vital note occurs several times in RGT’s solo. Remember this is a sample solo to help inspire your own lead playing ideas. If…

AFTER tabbing Hold Back The CHRIS BIRD River in issue 270, TG’s tuition editor has become quite the James Bay fan, particularly for his blues playing. Head to p46 for our lesson on his trademark chords, plus blues rhythm tips inspired by James’ off the cuff improv on TG’s exclusive video. JOSH GARDNER IN an attempt to get over the heartbreak of snapping the neck of his trusty office Firebird (don’t lean shape guitars against desks, kids), Josh got on the blower with UK rockers and gear-hounds Lonely The Brave to chat about their forthcoming second album. Got a spare axe he can borrow, lads? ROB LAING ROB’S been busy writing our list to Santa this month (p62) but before he put his jaunty Christmas hat on he talked black…

Def Leppard and Whitesnake’s December tour got us thinking, who will provide the next generation of arena rock anthems? Well The Carnival Of Madness offers three prime candidates, and they’ve brought promising Cape Cod trio Highly Suspect for the ride, too. While they might not be at Leppard level yet, to anyone who has been watching these three young US bands build fanbases on UK shores through hard touring graft, it makes sense. None more so than headliners Black Stone Cherry. “We’re pinching ourselves trying to take it all in,” beams guitarist Ben Wells on the thought of an arena tour. “We’ve been playing over here since 2007, two or three times a year, building and building. It’s really starting to show that the fans over here are latching on…

“THIS IS a Les Paul Axcess, and what makes it different from all the other Les Pauls is the tremolo system on there. I played a Stratocaster for quite a few years and it had the tremolo system on there and I became used to it. So when they came up with this idea, I just had to have one of these… actually I have four of them now. Bit of a greedy guy!” “YOU’LL FIND most guys, after they’ve been playing for quite a few years, they’ll get shoulder, neck and back problems. What the Gibson Custom Shop did is they chambered this for me. They took out some of the wood to make this guitar lighter. They’ve chambered all of my guitars and it’s saved the back, shoulders…

RIGHT DIRECTION I couldn’t believe the furore your interview with One Direction’s bass player, Sandy Beales, caused on TG’s Facebook page! I’d love to eventually get into being a session guitarist and one thing I’ve learnt depping with local bands is that you should be willing to play anything. This week I’ve played two gigs – one Halloween party playing cheese (from ABBA to The Monster Mash), one playing originals. Guess which one paid the best? Playing ‘uncool’ music isn’t selling your soul – I’m making a living playing music. When I get to my ‘office’ I love what I do, and a bad day is when someone requests Uptown Funk for the 50th time! I’m nowhere near Sandy’s level, but I know what I’d rather be doing as a…

guitar. And more recently, Feist is doing incredible things with an electric guitar. Lianne La The electric and acoustic guitar is undoubtedly very visible in current pop music, even if extended solos aren’t. So with contemporaries George Ezra, Ed Sheeran and others continuing to put our beloved six-string front and centre alongside Bay, does he feel it’s an industry push, or something more enduring that’s keeping guitars in the limelight? “I don’t think it’s an industry push, but the ‘industry’ or whoever can’t deny it,” smiles Bay philosophically. “They can’t deny it, because they like it – everybody is into it. Royal Blood, Catfish & The Bottlemen… Hozier is an accomplished guitar player, too… “Y’know I remember when KT Tunstall came through.” he continues. “She’s an incredible musician; her piano…

Most of us know James Bay as a talented singer-songwriter. But James also plays a mean bit of blues guitar, and, when TG asked him to jam he responded with an improv demonstrating touch, tone and feel beyond his years. Inspired by James, this lesson will improve your rhythm playing in a I-IV-V blues progression. ‘I-IV-V’ means the chords are found on the first, fourth and fifth notes of the major scale (A, D and E, in the key of A). James cut his teeth playing unaccompanied solo gigs so it’s no surprise that his rhythm chops cover basslines, chords and melody – it’s an exercise in filling out the sound. Check out James’ improv in our exclusive video and approach TG’s lesson with your focus on ad libbing around…

Clutch produce so much material, some of it isn’t actually suitable, even for their eclectic sound. Enter The Bakterton Group – their instrumental jam band has been around since 1999, with two albums and an EP under their belt. “There are certainly riffs that get presented and there’s no way I can write lyrics to them,” explains Fallon. “But that doesn’t mean that lick or that song should be thrown into the garbage. It’s just another conduit. It’s a good exercise sometimes to arrange a song and not worry so much about the verse/chorus/bridge. “There were a lot of more atmospheric moments that didn’t make this record because we were so focussed on cutting to the chase. We didn’t delete anything and we still have record of them but I…

Many of us might be sniffy about the ‘synthetic’ nature of the GPX1AE’s back and sides, fingerboard and bridge, not to mention the multi-laminate neck. In practice, however, having played quite a few Mex-made guitars this year, we’ve been very impressed with the quality and sound. And, if you want /that name at this price point, you actually have plenty of quality choice. For example, the Dreadnought Junior (£599), a slightly down-sized dread, and the Little Martin-sized Ed Sheeran X Signature (£579) have hit the headlines, but if you like smaller guitars and want a full scale length, try the 00X1AE (£599), again with USB recording output. There are a couple of European exclusives, too, which don’t appear on the Martin website, priced again at £599: the 000X1SAE and the…

BOB MARLEY’S final studio release, Uprising, is a deeply thoughtful and introspective work, and, set against the backdrop of the illness that would eventually end his life, it is an album that reflects the musician’s Rastafarian beliefs more deeply than earlier material. Redemption Song is the final cut on the album, an acoustic track, more folk than reggae, with the guitar played by Marley himself, the stripped-down accompaniment adding weight to his heartfelt lyrical content. This is a very quick and easy song to learn. All of the chords are simple open shapes so you’ll be able to get this into your acoustic repertoire straight away. There’s just one chord you may not be familiar with: the unusual Am6 chord that Marley chose to end the song on. But don’t…

“WE’VE GOT about five Nes Pauls up here, which is completely unnecessary!” – new Nonely The brave guitarist ross Smithwick is chuckling at the sheer amount of gear the band have brought into the studio to record their forthcoming second album, and those familiar with the gear-hound tendencies of founding guitarist mark Trotter won’t be shocked at that revelation. but after reeling off a list of guitars and amps that includes a droolsome selection of custom Shop Nes Pauls and 335s, 70s marshalls and boutique curios, mark is quick to explain his reasoning. “Some people get a bit freaked out by choice, but if you know what you want to hear, and you know your gear, you can be, ‘right, I need that and that,’ and it’s a very quick…

Opeth DELIVERANCE AND DAMNATION REMIXED IN 2002-3 Opeth released two very different albums, tirelessly crafted by Mikael Åkerfeldt’s band with producer Steven Wilson. A heavier (Deliverance) and a mellow (Damnation) record, they never seemed to be recognised for the startling achievement they were, though hindsight has shown them to be regarded as the manifestos of an instinctively progressive band. Now together at last in one package, Bruce Soord has remixed Deliverance to finally realise its sonic potential, while Wilson’s new mixes of Damnation further enhances one of Opeth’s finest hours. Rob Laing…

The busy pre-show bustle of James Bay’s European tour machine is in full swing. Band members thumb smartphones for catering arrangements and soundcheck times, as crew dangle precariously from ceiling and scaffold to hang lights and fly speakers. Backstage, our main man is throwing poses for TG’s photographer, Joe, ’66 Epiphone Century slung between Dr Martens Chelsea boots and the customary wide-brimmed fedora. Shortly afterwards, we venture front-of-house for soundcheck. Wailing, bluesy P-90 goodness echoes around the empty auditorium – Bay is clearly the accomplished six-string slinger when he chooses to let loose. On stage there are a total of five guitar amps; one each for guitarist, Andy Cortes and keys/guitar man, Jack Duxbury, but the remaining three – yes three – find themselves on the end of Mr Bay’s…

Hot Rod Deluxe tucked away somewhere in the corner? Forget it – Bay’s stage rig begins with a full-on custom-built pedalboard, with signals heading off to three amplifiers for a wet-dry-wet setup. The main, centre amp is a Tone King Sky King and gets only the overdrive and boost pedals, with the amp’s own tremolo switchable in and out. James then runs a Victory V40 and 2x12 vertical cabinet and a Hamstead Artist 20 in addition. These amps also get the boost and drive effects, and the various reverbs and delays that are switched in for certain songs. TheGigRig G2 is the ‘brain’ of the system and handles all routing and switching for amps and pedals, including the various MIDI/ patch changes in the Strymon pedals.…

Sacha Dunable isn’t just the guitarist with progressive metallers Intronaut, he also builds Custom guitars in LA under his own name; including instruments for Kerry and bandmates, guitarist Shiv Mehra and bassist Stephen Clark. Kerry’s double-cut Dunable Moonflower is a standard version of the model Dunable produces, but with a couple of caveats. “I have one volume knob because I never mess with my tone and I wanted my pickup switch [on the upper bout]. I also had him add the Kahler tremolo that I use for the Kevin Shields-type glide guitar. These things are amazing, a little bit pricey but well worth every penny in my opinion.” www.dunableguitars.com…

GEAR Treat yourself, and your guitar this Christmas… TC Electronic PolyTune Clip £35 www.tcelectronic.com Bring some polyphonic festive joy to your headstock with the smallest addition to TC’s pioneering tuner range. And even when you’re not tuning, you can stare in wonder at the pretty Christmasy LEDs. T-Rex ToneTrunk 45 £85 www.t-rex-effects.com We’re really liking the Danish firm’s updated ToneTrunk for two reasons; the new tiered design reduces the risk of us knocking the controls on our front row of pedals when switching on the back ones. And the holes for cables keep things tidy and secure. A sturdy soft case seals the deal. Heistercamp straps From £61 www.heistercamp.co.uk Guitar straps are perhaps the most overlooked yet essential accessory, so why not splash out…

VINTAGE VEC501 £249 This cutaway electro dreadnought features a solid spruce top and Fishman Sonicore under-saddle pickup with an Isys+ preamp with USB recording output, as well as a tuner and feedback-busting phase button. TAYLOR BIG BABY-E £514 The Big Baby has been upgraded with an electro system based around the new ES2 pickup – with a preamp offering onboard tuner and simple EQ. The top is solid spruce, while back and sides are layered sapele. YAMAHA APX700II £579 Yamaha’s APX range is used by beginners and pros alike, and the 700II, with highly attractive street prices, is a cutaway electro with solid spruce top, laminated nato back and sides, and an impressive electro performance from the ART 1-way pickup system.…

AT A GLANCE  BODY: American Alder NECK: Maple bolt on SCALE: 648mm (25.5”) FINGERBOARD: Maple FRETS: 24 PICKUPS: 2x Wilkinson Double Coil WHHBN/WHHBB CONTROLS: 1x volume 1x tone 3-way toggle pickup selector HARDWARE: Wilkinson VS50IIK Vibrato, Wilkinson E-Z-Lok WJ07LH tuners LEFT- HANDED: Yes FINISH: Ventura Green, Laguna Blue, Daytona Yellow (shown) CONTACT: John Hornby Skewes 01132 865 381 www.jhs.co.uk HEADSTOCK THE painted reverse headstock is a pretty cool appointment, especially at this price point ACCESS WITH no neck plate and a low profile, you have unencumbered access to higher end of the fretboard VIBRATO THE Wilkinson VS50IIK Vibrato is stable and reliable, and its two-point (rather than six-screw) construction adds another modern twist BY paying homage to classic designs at affordable price tags, Vintage has earned a decent reputation. The…

LONG BEFORE Rod Stewart hit the cabaret circuit and Ronnie Wood joined the Rolling Stones’ rock ’n’ roll circus, these two legends were members of The Faces. Famous for playing hard and partying even harder, the band recorded some of the coolest, grittiest rock ’n’ roll of the 70s. Ronnie recorded both guitar parts for Stay With Me in open E tuning (low to high: E B E G# B E) – the notes of an open position E chord, which means that just hitting the open strings gives you an E chord and that barre chords can be played with one finger. This opens up a shed load of rhythm possibilities, but more importantly you’ll find that slide guitar starts to make sense. As you play Ronnie’s solos make…

THIS ISSUE, children Of bodom frontman Alexi Laiho takes you through two warm-ups: sweep picking and tapping; he even combines the two to create some really crazy sounding licks. Sweep picking is a tough technique requiring a steady fret hand and controlled picking. Alexi’s warm-ups are a great introduction to this challenging technique, enabling you to develop in a step by step process. For the uninitiated, sweep picking means plucking single notes on consecutive strings with a constant flowing movement, almost like strumming in slow motion; your fret hand presses down on one string at a time. moving on, Alexi demonstrates his tapping warm-ups, starting out with some easy licks that will sound great in any shreddy guitar solo. Mlay through Alexi’s exercises slowly before raising the tempo. Mractise with…

10. Biker bar You should have read the warning signs: the revving choppers, the barmaid with the black eye, the chickenwire across the stage. Now, as you launch into Mika’s Grace Kelly, there’s a sea of lawless motorheads doing the throat-slit motion. Unless you can pull off an unrehearsed cover of Free Bird, these men are going to bury you in a shallow grave. 9. Village fete You thought the most humiliating moment of your rock career was spotting your band billed below a troupe of morris dancers. But you were wrong: it’s actually when the Women’s Institute pull the plug on your set to announce the winner of the marrow-growing competition. 8. Guitar trade show Not only does your audience consist of five paunchy men in gear company t-shirts,…