Innehållsförteckning för July 2018 från Guitar Player

THIS IS THE LAST NOIZE I WILL BE WRITING AS EDITOR IN CHIEF OF GUITAR Player. I have viewed these past 21 years as a tremendous joy and responsibility, and I have never taken it for granted that I work for you. My job as your humble servant and steward of a beloved 51-year-old brand has been to educate, entertain, challenge, evolve, evangelize, seek out talent and promote it, evaluate new products, and keep the GP staff happy and inspired to do its best for our readers. I have loved every minute of this job. I have valued and respected all of your criticisms—the constructive ones, as well as the angry and abusive ones—because that just meant you cared deeply about the magazine. I have met every famous musician I could…

Lindy Fralin Hum-Cancelling P90 With Alnico Rods $145 street/$290 set Designed to achieve a balance of thick midrange and top-end commonly found in Alnico V magnets. Comes in soapbar or dog-ear construction with 49.5mm/52mm for string spacing options. fralinpickups.com Framus D-Series Electric Guitars $899-$1,199 street The D-Series is based on Framus’ Teambuilt German Pro Series and Custom Shop models. The six models come with pickups manufactured by Seymour Duncan and fretboards made of tiger-stripe ebony. Warwick Security Locks, Cleartone Strings, and a Deluxe RockBag are included with every model. (Diablo Pro pictured.) framus.de SlideWinder Ring $75 street The ring allows players to duplicate slide-guitar sounds while keeping all fingers free to use. The device utilizes a rare-earth magnet to interact with the electric guitar strings, creating a “floating fret.” slidewinderring.com…

SLIDES ARE TYPICALLY MADE FROM glass, metal, or ceramic, and every slide has certain qualities that might be preferable for a particular application. “Application” is the key word here, as, for example, a heavier slide tends to works best on a guitar with fatter strings and tall action, while a lighter, thinner-walled slide is usually better for guitar with skinnier strings and low action. The style of music and type of guitar you play are obviously important factors in choosing the right slide, so try different types and see how they work for you. Whatever you pick, make sure it fits your finger snugly and doesn’t fall off when you hand is pointing south, but not so tight that you can’t slip it off easily—especially if you like to switch…

DURING THE ANALOG DAYS, RECORDING STUDIOS OFTEN had microphone preamps built into their mixing consoles, so there was no real call for outboard mic preamps. But today’s “in the box” warriors who work with DAWs are finding that then the perfect hardware mic preamp is crucial to recording quality. If you’re just getting into hardware mic pres, here are some models and settings you should check out. To keep my preamp crafting consistent, I used a Shure SM57 microphone for all of these examples. CRUNCH I wanted to capture a classic-rock rhythm tone “live in the room” using my Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and an Orange AD15 1x12 tube combo. I choose a BAE 1073, because it utilizes a Class A transformer-coupled design, and a St. Ives (Carnhill) transformer that…

THE LEGENDARY C.F. MARTIN & Co. might be best known for its big dreadnoughts like the D-28, but before that model was officially added to the stable in 1931 the OOO was the flagship—and if you wanted the top-of-the-line in its most elegant incarnation, the OOO-45 was the way to go. The model was introduced in 1906, but any pre-war example, like the luscious 1930 OOO-45 featured this issue, is an extremely rare bird. Only 21 were built by the Pennsylvania manufacturer in that year, and only 341 of its type have ever been made, making it one of the most collectible vintage Martins. In Martin nomenclature, the letters at the front of the model name denote the body shape and size, while the number that follows indicates the style…

RORY BLOCK HAS SO MUCH passion, soul, and depth, and she connects to an audience like only a handful of performers I’ve seen. Besides being an amazing country blues and slide guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Rory is also one of the most qualified interpreters of classic blues. There are few players with a biography as rich as Rory’s, who started her career at 14, playing and hanging around with legends such as Mississippi Fred McDowell and Son House. Her latest album is A Woman’s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith [Stony Plain Records]. I’m going to quote your own writing from your website: “When I played ‘Big Road Blues’ by Tommy Johnson, someone in the audience jumped up and shouted ‘She plays like a man.’ I didn’t understand what men…

ACROSS FROM A BRIGHT-RED GRAND piano, Richie Kotzen is seated on a comfy couch in the living room of his house in the Santa Monica Mountains. One of his signature-model Fender Telecasters is in his hands, and a small tube combo is powered up by his side. In mere weeks, the guitarist/singer/composer and Winery Dogs founding member will take off on the latest leg of his worldwide tour supporting his 21st solo album, Salting Earth [Headroom-Inc.], and his fingers seem more than ready. Pouring out of his hands are pleasing volleys of notes—some phrases slow and meaty, others fast and aggressive—but all are soulful, and none are played with a pick. The little amp next to him is sounding great, too—its warm timbre given added dimension by the room’s vaulted…

AS THE OCTOBER 2017 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA fires raged in GP’s “hood,” the staff committed itself to a small, but mighty goal: Helping guitarists who had lost their instruments—or their creative mojo—to the devastation. It took us until the six-month anniversary of the tragedy, but, thanks to a fabulous commune of artists, manufacturers, and friends, we launched our “Play It Forward” benefit concert on April 20, 2018 at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa—itself still rebuilding from fire damage to the venue. Those who served brilliantly during this crazy endeavor include: Eric Barnett (our event co-producer, who also offered up his group Points North as the house band), Anita Wiglesworth and the entire staff of the Luther Burbank Center, Isabelle Garson of Second Octave (who rescued our…

FEW INSTRUMENTS CAN EVOKE THE qualities of a human voice as well as a slide guitar. An expert player can express a wide range of emotions, but the basic techniques of slide are accessible even to beginners… it starts with just one finger. BACKGROUND Before blues or country even existed, 19th-century Hawaiian guitarists developed a style called slack key by tuning the open strings to a chord and playing changes by sliding up and down the neck with steel bars. Meanwhile, African Americans in the south had the diddley bow, a homemade, one-string instrument played with a bottle, knife, or even a piece of bone. In the early 20th century, these parallel traditions blended together to become the foundation of the blues, country, and rock slide guitar sounds we know…

TRYING TO IMPROVE A PROVEN product can always be fraught with risk, but Ernie Ball’s Music Man division did just that with the recent release of the 2018 Cutlass and StingRay RS models. The RS stands for “roasted,” which has become an increasingly popular manufacturing process for very understandable reasons: Heating the neck woods to a high temperature over an extended period of time drives out the moisture, and makes the material harder and more responsive to string vibration, while also imparting a deep, dark coloration to the wood that reveals the grain in often stunning fashion. Such is the case with both models on review here, and particularly the Cutlass, with its amazingly figured maple fretboard. Both models are available with maple ’boards when ordered in Vintage Turquoise, Firemist…

THE REVIVED D’ANGELICO BRAND has come back like gangbusters since the introduction of its Asian-made archtop lineup in the early 2010s. Now the rapidly expanding range has been augmented by an impressive new selection of acoustics, three of which we dig into this issue. All in all, this trio of new offerings reveals a company that knows what it’s after, and is delivering great value and competitive performance at every price point. PREMIER KOA BOWERY Decked out in D’Angelico’s flagship Bowery single-cutaway dreadnought shape, the Premier Koa Bowery adds the beauty and complexity of a solid-koa top to the market’s most popular flat-top body style. The rippling grain of the koa in this one packs a lot of visual appeal, as does its nicely figured laminated-koa back and sides—all of…

> He was so ferocious, he reportedly didn’t need a microphone to sing in clubs, and his raw, aggressive tone was almost punk-rock loud. > His 1951 recording of Robert Johnson’s “Dust My Broom” gave us one of the most iconic blues riffs of all time. > According to Keith Richards, when he first met Brian Jones, the charismatic Jones wanted to be Elmore James. > Jimi Hendrix’s brief incarnation as “Jimmy James” was a tribute to Elmore. > He was celebrated as “The King of Slide Guitar.” Nuff’ said.…

Raid Dana’s Gear Stash! Thanks to Radial Engineering for generously contributing two of their rockin’ pedals for this month’s giveaway. The JDX Direct Drive acts as an amp/speaker simulator and a direct box—a great tool for fly gigs or touring players who don’t want their tone compromised by a less-than-awesome backline. The Texas Pro is a versatile overdrive with a Boost function and a handy Range switch that lets you toggle between Vintage, Modern, or Maximum drive. For a chance to put one of these pedals on your pedalboard, simply send an email to nbmgearcoordinator@gmail.com with “Radial” in the subject line. Two lucky winners will be chosen at random. The deadline for entries is July 20, 2018. Please keep in mind that all gear has been previously tested by GP…

IF YOU ARE A MUSICIAN, YOU ALREADY know that social media is a way to get your music in front of other people. That said, if you are like most musicians I know, you could probably use a little coaching to ensure you are meeting your music-marketing goals. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram, it takes a serious time commitment to stay on top of what you should do on social media, and it seems like the rules and algorithms change daily! Here are some tips for your own “music and content distribution system.” Rule #1 of social-media marketing: Get a website. Now. You need to build your media empire around a website that you own and control, because—very important—you must collect the contact information of your fans. Think…

PLAYING SLIDE ON A STANDARD guitar with low action and skinny strings isn’t the optimal way to enjoy the slide experience, however, making a guitar more slide friendly is a pretty easy process for anyone with even minimal DIY skills. Here are some things to consider if you want to optimize a guitar for slide. THE INSTRUMENT An inexpensive acoustic or electric guitar is ideal for converting to slide, and you may find that you’ll get more use out it than you would by keeping it in standard configuration. Also, a cheap ax will often sound rawer and more lo-fi as a result of its construction and pickups, which can actually be a benefit when it comes to slide tone. Just think of what electric blues players had at their…

AS A MUSIC COMPOSER/GUITARIST for television and film, I have to cop many different guitar styles and tones. Recently, I was asked to come up with a CD of instrumental compositions for Telepictures Productions—which produces shows such as Extra, TMZ, and Crime Watch Daily—that incorporated guitar tones from Jack’s 2017 single, “Battle Cry.” White displays a reckless approach for the song—and that’s meant in a good way—that really brings it to life, gives it a “must listen” seductiveness when it hits your ears, and brings on an almost cinematic, “storytelling” vibe. I particularly like the main riff of “Battle Cry,” because of its unbridled energy, and its ability to give the listener a feeling of an imminent sense of danger. I wanted to capture this attitude in my compositions for…

IN THE MOVIES, CGI STANDS for “computer-generated imagery.” But, here, it stands for a “computer-generated instrument” that relates to slide guitar. Yes, I can play slide. And I can play keyboards—sort of. (If my keyboard technique was a car, it would be a Yugo). But, for the studio, here’s a variant on slide guitar that combines guitar and minimal keyboard skills. Although traditional slide allows for far more nuanced playing, the keyboard-meets-slide approach produces unique sounds that recall steel and slide guitar. To hear what this sounds like, go to https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/craiganderton, and click on the free preview of the song, “Play the Game, Spygirl.” (The solo at the end is a real guitar, by the way—keyboards can’t do that.) CREATE YOUR INSTRUMENT Open your recording software, and record a major…

BILLY BYRD IS MOST WELL-KNOWN for playing with Ernest Tubb, who was famous for calling out, “Play it pretty, Billy Byrd!” Whenever that happened, Billy would play his phrases effortlessly while looking ahead smiling, always connecting with the listener. Many of his phrases are like the pillars country guitar is built on, and, because of this, Billy’s Gibson Byrdland is on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. I was lucky enough to discover this record via steel-guitar great Joe Goldmark in the late ’80s. If I had heard it earlier in my guitar life, I might have discounted it as ’60s elevator music. But the ’80s were a golden time of discovery for me, and my mind and ears were grounded in a student’s humility to…

THERE ARE ONLY A HANDFUL OF GUITARISTS who can be said to have significantly changed the way subsequent players have approached the instrument: Charlie Christian, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen are among them. And so is Bill Frisell. Just as a generation of metal guitarists tapping away can be credited to Eddie, the current generation contains more than a few who play jazz-influenced versions of pop and country tunes on Telecasters, thanks to Bill. In the must-see movie, Bill Frisell: A Portrait, Nels Cline says, “He has had one of the loudest impacts on creative guitar.” Over four decades—and on more than 100 recordings—this unique artist has brought his unmistakable sound to a wide variety of music, including jazz, country, pop, rock, and noise—sometimes all in the same band…

BOB KULICK HAS ALWAYS HAD A HEAD for big concepts and the guitar skills and production chops to pull them off. He also has a gift for putting just the right players into a musical framework to make a song blast out of a playback system to become a blissfully vicious earworm you won’t soon forget—even if you’re not a fan of the music itself. (Yeah, there has to be some kind of voodoo going on there, Bob.) But he has deployed all of his magic in the service of concept albums (Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute, Butchering the Beatles: A Headbashing Tribute, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Headbanging New Year) and productions for various bands. So, okay then, if he is all that talented and…

“DAVID A DAD AGAIN” -- “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _” by BUTLER FOR TINY -- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ THE FOLLOWING WELL-KNOWN TWO-BAR RIFF HAS BEEN sliced and diced beyond recognition, and the result is analogous to a word scramble or anagram. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to decode and unscramble the riff along with its artist and title, both of which are presented as anagrams. RULES OF THE GAME 1. All pitches and rhythms (including rests) from the original riff must remain intact, regardless of where they are placed in a measure. 2. All pitches must remain in the same octave as the original riff. (No octave…

THE SOUND CITY MUSIC STORE IN London during the mid ’60s was at the epicenter of British rock—as, of course, was Jim Marshall’s retail shop. However, Marshall was way ahead of Sound City owner Ivor Arbiter, as his amps were already making a name for themselves on stages in the U.K. and abroad. As the story goes, Mr. Arbiter wanted to get in on the action, and he needed someone to design amps for him that could take on Marshall. He picked well in choosing Dave Reeves for the task, although it’s not at all clear as to how Reeves—who later went on to start Hiwatt—became involved with Sound City. A good guess is that Arbiter made him an offer to build a run of amps under the store name,…

SOURCE AUDIO FIRMLY ESTABLISHED themselves in the stompbox big time with the release of the Nemesis delay a couple of years ago. Now they are poised to really turn some heads with the new Ventris Dual Reverb ($399 street). With tons of processing power courtesy of two 56-bit chips, this beautiful box has the muscle to deliver classic reverb sounds as well as all new textures. The Ventris is dressed up in a pretty, green, brushed-aluminum housing, with a very reasonable footprint given its two footswitches and seven knobs. It has 12 onboard reverb engines, with more to choose from via the Neuro mobile or desktop apps. In true Source Audio fashion, the Ventris is simple to use right out of the box, but it can go as crazy deep…

SOUND OFF! GET EXCLUSIVE NEWS. COMMENT. CRITIQUE. SHARE TIPS AND TECHNIQUES. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR E-NEWSLETTER. FACEBOOK.COM/GUITARPLAYERMAG TWITTER.COM/GUITARPLAYERNOW GUITARPLAYER.COM MICHAEL MOLENDA Editor In Chief michael.molenda@futurenet.com ART THOMPSON Senior Editor arthur.thompson@futurenet.com PATRICK WONG Managing Editor patrick.wong@futurenet.com JUDE GOLD Los Angeles Editor judegold@gmail.com JIMMY LESLIE Frets Editor jl@jimmyleslie.com DAVE HUNTER Gear Section & Video Contributor dhunterwordsmusic@yahoo.com PAUL HAGGARD Art Director paul.haggard@futurenet.com…

IT MAY BE A MARKETING AND MANufacturing conglomerate, but I still love the whole Shinola Detroit concept—its revival of a vintage brand, its restoration of factory jobs to a once-powerful city of sweat and iron and American dreams, and its retro take on lifestyle products. It’s no surprise the Canfield On-Ear Headphones ($350 street) look lush, warmly techy with a dash of John Wayne cool (especially the silver/cognac model, as tested), and fashion forward. The brand made its bones producing stunning designs for hipsters, so if you want to strut some rock and roll attitude while actually listening to rock and roll, these are absolutely the headphones to glam you right up. Yes, they are expensive, and, yes, if you want critical-listening headphones for mixing tracks, you should probably invest…

IN MORE THAN FIVE DECADES OF publishing, Guitar Player has covered a lot of slide players, as well as dedicated a smattering of issues as slide-guitar specials. For our slide theme this year, we figured, “Why keep all of those great tips in the back-issue archives?” So here’s some knowledge from the ’90s—culled from the GP staff’s wonderful slide extravaganzas of November 1992, August 1994, and March 1999, and via interviews by Jas Obrecht, Chris Gill, Andy Ellis, and Dave Whitehill. We’ve also included a tidbit from Bonnie Raitt’s first GP cover story in May 1977 by Patricia Brody. Hopefully, these ten quick tips will inspire you whether you’re just considering learning to play slide, or have been sliding for years. Now, let’s meet the maestros… LOSE THE PICKS “Consider…

JULES LEYHE IS A SAN FRANCISCO Bay Area musician, a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, and a wicked slide player whose old-soul sensibilities, go-for-bust attitude, and deep understanding of the nuances of Duane Allman’s style earned him the nickname “Greasy.” Not surprisingly, Leyhe is also a member of my Allman Brothers tribute band, the Allmond Brothers. —JIMMY LESLIE The first slide player I tried to emulate was Muddy Waters, and it makes sense to start there, because he often played a Telecaster in standard tuning over a 12-bar blues form. Muddy used a metal slide on his pinky, and he didn’t do anything fancy, but he used fingerpicks to get a really gnarly sound. I went down that road for a while until I heard At Fillmore East. I…

THE SILHOUETTE OF A Danelectro is easy to recognize for most anyone interested in guitars. But, wait, this Baritone model ain’t exactly what you can buy off the shelf at your local music store. This is a one-of-a-kind creation that you’ll only see in my studio. It may not be worth as much as a pristine ’58 sunburst Les Paul, but it’s definitely rare, and it may never go on the auction block. WEIRDO FACTOR It’s not so much the instrument that’s the weirdo this time—it’s that the column isn’t really about Danelectros. It’s about art! Specifically, the guitar as a canvas. When I was a kid, I remember almost gasping when Clapton, Harrison, and Hendrix painted their guitars back in the ’60s. So when I acquired this Dano Baritone,…

COULD THIS REALLY HAPPEN? THE most masterful and game-changing slide guitarist the world has ever seen faces a challenge when famed singer-songwriter John Hiatt asks him to go on the road for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Hiatt’s Slow Turning? “When we started talking about this reunion, I should have immediately started practicing in standard tuning right away,” says Landreth, who played electric, acoustic slide, 12-string, and steel on the 1988 album sessions. “Holding a flatpick after not doing that for so many years was a rude slap of reality. I’ve played standard guitar parts on albums and such, but it’s not the same as digging in full bore with a major artist. See, when we first got together with Hiatt in the summer of 1987, I was…

DESPITE ITS DESIGNATION AS A GUITAR, the pedal steel is about as foreign to most 6-stringers as advanced quantum physics. And although the instrument’s tangy twangs and gooey glissandos are mainly associated with traditional country and Hawaiian music, in the hands of a virtuoso like Joe Goldmark the pedal steel is capable of traversing multiple genres. “I love the sound of the traditional steel guitar, but really enjoy putting it in non-country contexts,” Goldmark explains. “I think rock audiences who might shy away from conventional country would find a lot of things to connect with in my music.” This seems a reasonable assumption considering Goldmark’s past albums have included his take on Beatles tunes and other ’60s pop gems, and his latest release Blue Steel [Lo-Ball Records] finds him putting…

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, YOU ADORE THE sound of bottleneck/slide guitar, but could never quite get the hang of it. (Dammit!) But instead of feeling left out, I eventually took inspiration from Jeff Beck—who possesses mad slide guitar skills, plus an uncanny knack for simulating slide sounds using only his bare fingers and a whammy bar—and have since incorporated an ever increasing number of “faux slide” moves into my musical vocabulary. Here’s how you can, too. SLEIGHT OF HAND Essentially, you only have to master a few bar-bend and string-muting techniques to convincingly pull off all of the following musical examples. You have silently pre-bent and audibly released grace notes to use to “slide” or “dip” into notes, and downward melodic/rhythmic bends with both silent and audible releases, and that’s…

SOMETHING REMARKABLE HAPPENS when you grab a major third interval on the G and B strings (any two notes played at the same fret will do) and bend both notes what feels like equal distance. The note on the G string goes up a whole-step (the equivalent of two frets), but the B-string note only goes up a half-step. This forms a diatonic minor third interval that can be used to imply a tonic’s 5 and b7, bent from the 4 and 6—a partial I7 chord to a partial IV chord, if you will, which is exactly the case with this month’s Classic Riff. Dr. Brian May’s main instrumental intro figure from Queen’s “Keep Yourself Alive” provides a classic example of this technique in action by making it an integral…

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING: THIS PRS reminds you of something, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. When Paul Smith released this collaboration with John Mayer, the online reaction was swift and brutal, with plenty of brutally hilarious memes along the way. Yes, the Silver Sky was inspired by a guitar that we all know and love. That’s the superficial analysis—the easy part. The more interesting thing is to delve into the why and the how of this instrument. When Smith sat down to talk to avowed Strat Cat Mayer, they discussed what, in their minds, was a conundrum: You can play 100 Strats and only two are magical. So Smith set about looking at every last detail that goes into a transcendent guitar, and he made…

Contemporary Guitar Improvisation (Utilizing the Entire Fingerboard) Book & CD by Marc Silver Available Now Since 1978, Contemporary Guitar Improvisation is THE classic book for learning guitar improvisation. This innovative system is based on five basic fingering patterns that form the foundation for improvising over virtually any chords, in any key, across the entire fingerboard. All patterns are diagrammed, so note-reading ability is not necessary. Recommended by guitar legend George Benson. MarcSilverGuitarImprov.com $42.00 USD (includes delivery in the U.S.) Ampli-Firebox Atomic Amps Available Now World-class tube amp modeling and effects in a compact stomp box. Customize up to 9 rigs. Footswitch accesses up to 4 sounds instantly. Free USB editor. XLR and 1/4” outputs. The Ultimate Amp in a Box! MSRP: $299 www.atomicamps.com/amplifirebox Lil Luber/Groove Luber/Bench Luber Big Bends LLC…