Innehållsförteckning för Vol. 166 från Australian Guitar

The first and only authorized biopic of blues guitar legend B.B. King is in the works, and it's named after the legendary Gibson ES-355 with which he made guitar history. The news was broken exclusively by Deadline, and production is being handled by Canton Entertainment, in partnership with Grammy-winning producer Vassal Benford and The B.B. King Music Company & Estate. Entitled Lucille, it is set to be the first and only authorized film chronicling everything that made King a legend. Benford, who is the Chairman of The B.B. King Music Company & Estate, will be co-producing the film on behalf of the King's estate. The film will chart his rise from extreme poverty to electric guitar stardom, and will depict his most famed collaborations with the likes of Eric Clapton,…

Perth-based melodic death metal three-piece Vanta sounds like a potent mix of old and new. On the one hand, the prominent, elaborately screeched vocals are reminiscent of Death's heyday, while the 21st century production gloss nods to modern touchstones like the Black Dahlia Murder. The group's new single Kuyang released online in November, and according to Vanta's drummer Ferdi Handojo, it takes its inspiration from Indonesian folklore. “The folklore [referenced] describes a parasitic spirit, but I see it as symbolic of the young being drained and their minds rotting under algorithmic distractions, AI, and tech acting like a modern vampire feeding on their energy and potential.” Australian Guitar spoke with Vanta's new guitarist and vocalist Jesse Venus, who joined the group in 2023, shortly after the recording of debut EP…

Seeing iconic guitar/drum duos like the White Stripes and the Kills left a big impression on Demi Demitro, the mastermind of the Velveteers’ off-kilter, grungy sound. Even before she picked up a guitar, she was already envisioning how her band would sound. “When I'd watch Meg and Jack White on stage, her just pounding away at the drums, and having those two pieces, it felt really inspiring,” Demitro says. The next move for the Boulder, Colorado, native was to up the stakes. “Eventually I thought, what would it be like if we added another drummer? And then it got fun. I just love the raw energy of that. It opened up more room for us to express our creativity.” Demitro's vision for the Velveteers is split between her melodic instincts…

If you spend just 10 minutes listening to the music of the whacked-out, Los Angeles-based psych-punk rockers Frankie and the Witch Fingers, you'll undoubtedly think, “How on earth does that guitarist come up with so many crazy-cool riffs?” Turns out, the group's lead guitarist, Josh Menashe, has a formula for that, and it doesn't involve his instrument. “I used to come up with riffs the normal way, which meant I'd sit and play and my fingers would go to all the usual places,” he says. “But now I just sort of walk around and think of riffs, and then I try to play them. It's really helped me break out of a cage.” The band's eighth and newest release, Trash Classic, sounds like exactly that; It's an overwhelming mash of…

ONE OF OUR favorite Ace Frehley quotes is something he told us last year: “If I'd known I was going to influence thousands of guitar players, I woulda practiced more!” He was joking, of course, but there's an element of truth to the Spaceman's words. No one ever could've accused Ace, a free-spirited (and, in his youth), hard-partying type, of being meticulous when it came to his playing. The Spaceman was more of a grip-it-and-rip-it guy. “I'm always flattered when people tell me I influenced them,” Frehley said in September 2024. “I've had so many players come up to me and say, ‘You are the reason I play guitar,’ and I'm always like, ‘Wow…’” To Frehley's point, everyone from John 5 to Marty Friedman to Richie Kotzen to Tom Morello…

YOU CAN LOOK at Dave Mustaine's career in two ways: as a revenge tour or as a story of perpetual redemption. If Mustaine's life, which is earmarked by iconic records like 1986's Peace Sells… But Who's Buying, 1990's Rust in Peace and 1992's Countdown to Extinction, is viewed through the post-Metallica-related revenge lens, then you might conclude that ol’ Dave has done pretty well for himself. Sure, Metallica is thrash metal's top dog, but Megadeth is one of the other three of that movement's Big Four along with Anthrax and Slayer. That means something. What also means something is that Mustaine, a fire-breathing, self-taught, V-wielding player, still endures at age 64 despite addiction issues, personality crises, a nasty arm injury, a cancer diagnosis and an ever-revolving band lineup. To that…

AT 38, TEEMU Mäntysaari is Megadeth's youngest — and newest — member. But don't discount him — he was handpicked by Megadeth's commander-in-chaos, Dave Mustaine, to carry on a lead-guitar legacy that includes Chris Poland, Marty Friedman and Kiko Loureiro. That's not an easy task, especially given that part of said task includes helming the band's six-string duties (besides Mustaine, of course) for their final studio album and tour. But Mäntysaari isn't sweating it. “It was a pretty amazing process,” he says. “After I got the gig, Dave said, ‘If you have any ideas, it's good to start saving them.’ By the end of the 2024 touring season, we started talking more and more about what we wanted to do.” Mäntysaari says that one of the first things Mustaine had…

Electro-Voice has a long history in audio technology – nearly a hundred years worth, in fact. From various landmark innovations, including their mid-century humbucking technology, to great microphones like the RE-20 and the PL-91, to simple and practical muso gear, like their fabulous TL15: a small, portable single 15 cab that every bass player needed to have in the 1980s. And their TL15 PA speaker, the same EVM-15L speaker as the bass cab but paired with a horn, offered a solution for the folks who needed a portable but big-sounding PA option. In the 80s, EV's use of ABS plastic, rather than plywood, in their enclosures was a radical idea that changed the way people thought about cabinets. The EV Everse 8 is just such a box, but with an…

Despite the Falcon's revered status, there's been one major hurdle keeping this large hollowbody out of reach for many cashstrapped musicians: that hefty price tag. Thankfully, that's all changed with the introduction of the newly revived, cut-price Synchromatic series. Nestled between the already-affordable Electromatic line and the premium Japanesemade Players Edition, the Synchromatic collection finally brings this iconic guitar within reach for more players than ever. Built in China, this model boasts a 2.5-inch deep maple body with a Semi-Arc bracing design. And let's not forget the must-have Bigsby, this one sports the B60 V-Cutout variation, of course. At the heart of this beauty is a set of HiFidelity Filter'Tron pickups, promising to deliver that signature Gretsch chime that is synonymous with the Falcon name. Plus, it comes bundled with…

Tommy Emmanuel says bluegrass and Americana guitar is officially in safe hands with a new generation of players who have come along to “shake us out of our comfort zones”. Speaking in a recent interview with our stablemates Guitar World, the Aussie acoustic guitar virtuoso was effusive in his praise for four young players who have “raised the bar” for the art form. Asked who his guitarist of the year was for 2025, Emmanuel had no hesitation, naming the man who had just been voted guitar player of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Awards for the third time. “Trey Hensley,” said Emmanuel. “I'm glad to see the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards thought so, too.” But Emmanuel couldn't stop at one. There were three more, including a Gibson signature…

NEWS OF ACE Frehley's passing on October 16 wasn't just a shock to the Kiss Army, but to the rock and guitar communities. After all, this was a man who had survived car crashes, police chases, addiction, relapse and two tumultuous stints in the Hottest Band in the World, Kiss. The general thought was that the guitarist, affectionately known as “Space Ace,” would live forever… or at least longer than a mere 74 years. What's more, if he were going to be taken out, surely it wouldn't come at the hands of not one but two seemingly innocuous falls in his home studio, right? Wrong. As Frehley told Guitar World in 2024, he had experienced balance issues throughout his entire guitar-playing life. “I'm mostly a guitar-into-an-amp type of player,” he…

KILLING IS MY BUSINESS… AND BUSINESS IS GOOD! COMBAT, 1985 Still bitter about being fired from Metallica, Dave Mustaine returned with a band fashioned from his own imagination. The songs were sharp and socially aware, while the music was surprisingly mature. Mustaine had immediately made his intentions clear — namely to take the thrash beast he'd helped create and give it a rounded metal education. It didn't chart on the Billboard 200, but it was loved from the start. GUITARIST: CHRIS POLAND PEACE SELLS… BUT WHO'S BUYING? CAPITOL, 1986 Originally recorded for Combat Records, this was switched to the much bigger Capitol label, with the band given the budget to completely re-mix. The result is a true landmark album. Forget about thrash; here was Mustaine leading a charge through the…

As is often the way, my latest book began with a guitar. It's a gorgeous ‘49 Gibson ES-5N, the one that T-Bone Walker played longer than any other guitar in his career. It's not hard to see why he loved it so much – and not hard to understand why he was so distraught when it went missing during a tour of France in the late 60s. As the years dragged on, T-Bone's Gibson was thought lost forever. A few years ago, however, it surfaced at an auction in France. Its new owner, Patrick Racz, asked me if I'd be interested in writing a book about the guitar and about T-Bone. I didn't take long to answer. And so began a long and happy journey into the world of T-Bone…

Gretsch had the Chet Atkins 6120, and Gibson offered various Les Pauls – but Fender's most famous artist signature model was never officially anything of the sort. It's maybe because the guitars were selling like hot cakes that Fender is better remembered for its manufacturing processes than marketing strategies. Unlike all the other big US guitar manufacturers, Fender never bothered with artist signature models during the pre-CBS era. Even so, the Mary Kaye Stratocaster eventually acquired that status in a de facto sort of way and has become the ‘holy grail’ of vintage Fenders for many serious collectors. There was nothing fancy about the neck profile, the pickups or the wiring. In fact, only two features distinguished a Mary Kaye Stratocaster from any other Stratocaster that might have rolled off…

Fender x Hello Kitty Fuzz Pedal Black RRP: $209 • au.fender.com A fun-loving fuzz like no other – the Fender x Hello Kitty Fuzz introduces a pop of colour and charm to one of the pedal world's most formative effects. Sporting an op amp-based circuit with three simple controls, this pink-clad pedal kicks your guitar into wooly, splattering gain tones with unmistakable character. Use the fuzz knob to cover a wide range of flavours from overdrive-like grit to full on ripping fuzz. Added style points come in the form of a stand-out black finish, pink Fender witch hat knobs, Japanese translated labels and, of course, Hello Kitty herself making an appearance on the front panel. Guild Polara - new colours RRP: $1,399 • au.yamaha.com Two gorgeous new colours have arrived…

If you're expecting something like Rory Gallagher's or Mike McCready's tattered strats, you're going to be disappointed. The new limited-edition Road Worns — a ‘50s Jazzmaster, the ‘60s Strat reviewed here, a ‘60s Telecaster and ‘60s Precision bass — employ, in Fender's words, a “new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semi-gloss finish.” Fender also tells us they're using nitrocellulose lacquer, and while you have to look closely, there are plenty of mild cracks to the body and to the front and back of the headstock. Semi-gloss? It's pretty glossy if we're being honest, and it's certainly overall a milder aging than the recently released Fender Ultra Luxe Vintage range. The hardware isn't really relic'd, but it doesn't look box-fresh either, and unlike an original…

Where demand for pedal effects grew exponentially during the early seventies as musicians sought new sounds, many stomp box designers turned to the synthesizer for new inspiration. Mike Beigel was among the earliest engineers who realized that synth modules could easily be adapted into standalone effects. Although Guild hired Beigel to develop a synthesizer in the early Seventies, the project got canned, which inspired Beigel and former Guild chief electronics engineer Aaron Newman to form their own effects company, Musitronics, in 1972. Beigel and Newman developed the prototype for their first product, an envelope filter called the Mu-Tron III, during the summer of 1972, and it became an overnight sensation when Stevie Wonder used the effect for his supremely funky Clavinet riff on the hit “Higher Ground” released in mid-1973.…

Paul Reed Smith has added another name to the list of ‘guitarists you didn't know played PRS guitars’: Jeff Beck. Over the course of his storied career, Beck played a number of different electric guitars from a variety of brands. But one brand that is seldom mentioned in the same breath as Beck, though, is PRS. That Beck would play something plucked from the PRS shelf might come as a surprise to some guitar fans, but that, as it turns out, is exactly what happened. According to Paul Reed Smith, Beck had a PRS guitar that he “loved”, and although he made it clear to Smith that he'd never play it live, he did find it a valuable guitar for recording and playing at home. Smith is coy on which…

A COMMONLY UTTERED warning is “Never meet your heroes,” but Ace Frehley is a hero I met on many occasions — and I'm thankful I did. Even though he met countless people, he always greeted me with a big smile and a loud, “Hey, I know this guy! How's it going, Nick?” He also made me laugh — a lot. He was a truly funny guy, not to mention a master storyteller. The first few times I met Ace, I was either wearing my “Guitar World journalist” or “Marshall Amplification Artist Relations” hat. Then we became friends — a priceless gift that still blows me away. The fact that I was also fortunate enough to play rhythm guitar on “Parasite” and “Cold Gin” on stage alongside Ace at a couple…

AFTER QUITTING KISS in 1982 due to his heavy drinking, drug use and stifled creativity, Ace Frehley was seen as a liability in the music industry. He thought leaving Kiss would be fruitful, but things hadn't gone to plan. Despite his influential guitar style, swagger, showmanship and songwriting ability, no record company would touch him. By 1984, Frehley had begun to sober up. He connected with bassist John Regan, guitarist Richie Scarlet and drummer Anton Fig (who had played drums on Frehley's ‘78 solo record and Kiss's Dynasty and Unmasked) and formed what would become Frehley's Comet. Frehley also had tunes. Regan and Scarlet helped him refine songs like “Breakout,” which dated back to Frehley's Kiss days and had been co-written by Kiss drummer Eric Carr. But that wasn't all,…

IT SEEMS THAT Dave Mustaine's wild heavy metal journey is ending via a final Megadeth album – January's self-titled release — and a globetrotting tour. To that end, he says, “We have a lot of territories we need to play before we stop. We've got a lot of stops to get to so that we can see everybody. It's more than just weekend-warrior stuff here in the States. We're not just here traveling in a Winnebago.” [Laughs] It's hard to imagine the metal landscape without Mustaine, a man whose playing is as fiery as his personality. Thankfully, those traits come across throughout Megadeth, meaning that Mustaine is going out with a massive bang — a bang that will punctuate a hell-raising career of music-making that'll be remembered for as long…

Denmark Street is the epicentre of British guitar music – and no location within it has as much history as Regent Sounds. The site of a historic recording studio where The Rolling Stones recorded their debut album, it has also long been a destination for guitar buyers thanks to the dazzling array of carefully selected Fender and Gretsch guitars in particular that the present-day Regent Sounds store is famous for. The pandemic as well as the heavy redevelopment of Denmark Street saw the retailer go through a challenging spot, but fresh investment has seen it flourish anew with a complete refurb – with even bigger plans for the future, says proprietor Crispin Weir: “The refurb has just been such an amazing thing to have. The future of the shop is…

When it comes to recording guitar, everyone goes through a slightly different process. Over time, we all find ways of working with comfortable ‘old’ setups and often end up discovering what could be considered unconventional methods. These procedural variations also factor as a major part of what creates unique music. With this in mind, we contacted four star guitarists - John 5, Paul Gilbert, Adam Dutkiewicz and Marty Friedman - and asked them how they go about capturing their guitar performances on hard disk or tape. Their methods certainly work for them, and they might just work for you, too. John 5 1 Go organic On [my album Sinner], I took a more simple approach to my amp setup. At the studio where we record, they have loads of amps set…

Yamaha will shortly be celebrating 10 years since it introduced its first TransAcoustic guitar at Summer NAMM in 2016, back when the guitar world circled the new technology with great suspicion. Was this a novelty? A passing phase? Or could it be seen as a serious instrument that might find space on a professional stage? After all, an acoustic guitar that could generate its own reverb and chorus without any external effects being called into play seemed like some kind of a bizarre magic trick. But it worked. And the sound it produced was simply uncanny. That same guitar world listened and ultimately nodded in approval. Since then, the technology that was turning heads a decade ago has been reworked to include more onboard effects in the shape of delay…