Innehållsförteckning för May 2021 från Guitar World

EVEN THOUGH IT’S pretty damn hard to miss, I’d like to call your attention to this issue’s striking cover graphics — including the gigantic, 3D “PEARL JAM” — that capture some of the look and feel of the original Ten album cover. The graphics were done by Magictorch Ltd’s Michael Chipperfield, who is, as luck and randomness would have it, a major fan of Pearl Jam and Ten. Mike’s random fandom shines through in his work, which is only made better by the addition of Jim Bennett’s brand-spanking-new photo of Mike McCready and his Fender Custom Shop Strat. When I was reading our “Ten turns 30” feature, I couldn’t help but latch onto the fact that McCready’s fandom — of, in this case, Stevie Ray Vaughan — led to a…

“When you start off, there’s, like, 10 people max going to your shows, [and] you can do whatever, really … There’s nothing to lose at that point, so why not take it as far as you can?”— DANNY ARAKAKI GARCIA PEOPLES’ ADVENTUROUS union of indie rock, jam and psychedelia sounds like a dispatch from a Sixties Haight Street acid party hosted by Fairport Convention filtered through the downtown New York cool of Television guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. On Nightcap at Wit’s End, the sextet’s fourth release in as many years, the manic interplay of guitarists Tom Malach, Danny Arakaki and Derek Spaldo creates unexpected melodic twists and effects-laden sound collages along a confident, fully baked journey. Just a few years ago, Garcia Peoples only knew they wanted to…

“THE BLEEDING” (2007) “When I started the band, I put together the first record, The Way of the Fist. I wrote every riff on that record — well, maybe with one exception. ‘The Bleeding’ was our first hit. It got us on the radio, and at the time we were much heavier than anything else that was being played in America; you had your Nickelbacks and Puddle of Mudds. ‘The Bleeding’ sort of changed things, and different bands started to appear. “I was working on the song’s music for a long, long time; it took me more than a decade to finally put it together. It’s also the first song that Ivan wrote lyrics to. We didn’t have a record deal or management when we recorded it. Our first album…

IT’S PRETTY MUCH a no-brainer that a Fifties Telecaster and Fifties or Sixties Stratocaster belongs on every guitarist’s top-10 bucket list of electric guitars. While prices for these gems have dropped since the post-millennium boom when hedge fund managers snapped them up like Reddit users buying GameStop stock, a decent one still costs as much as a new budget sedan while a great one is in the range of a fully loaded sports car. For the 99.9 percent of us who need to spend money on frivolous things like food and shelter, Fender’s Vintera series offers the next best thing to a vintage original. This is particularly the case with their limited-edition Vintera Road Worn models, which ooze the vibe of those particularly great examples that players simply couldn’t keep…

STREET PRICE: $99 MANUFACTURER: Electro-Harmonix, ehx.com The Vibrato/Chorus toggle switch allows users to choose either tone-thickening chorus or pitch-shifting vibrato from subtle shimmer to woozy warble. The envelope control can be set to increase or decrease the effect’s rate and depth settings in response to increased picking dynamics. THE BOTTOM LINE The Electro-Harmonix Eddy combines the lush, vibrant sound of classic chorus and vibrato effects with the advanced expressive capabilities of modern effects in a compact, affordable package.…

Post-Rock Blues First, I’d like to thank you for your great work. I’ve been a subscriber for a long time, and seeing the newest edition of GW in my mailbox is always one of the highlights of any given month. I’d also like to thank you for keeping the lights on during this wild period. I was afraid you guys would be forced to halt operations (or at least slow down the tempo), but no! Not only do you guys keep delivering on a monthly basis but the quality is always there in every single article. Kudos to you! One suggestion: I’ve been listening to a lot of post-rock lately, which I think fits the current mood and acts as a great soundtrack for what we’re collectively going through. Then,…

1 “Tumble Home” Mike Stern One of my favorite songs ever — it’s always on the loop. Mike Stern is an extremely talented musician that has performed with some of the greatest, like Miles Davis and Jaco Pastorius. He’s one of my biggest guitar heroes. 2 “Pink Champagne Sparkle” Andy Timmons I really love this song. There’s something very special about Andy Timmons’ feel and tone. He’s one of my favorite guitarists ever. 3 “Room 335” Larry Carlton This one is a classic that never gets old. Larry Carlton has one of the finest guitar tones there has ever been — so classy and clean. 4 “Rock You” Dirty Loops I love everything about this band, especially the bass and the groove. 5 “Dangerous” David…

“TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, I’M NOT happy sitting around like this,” says Reb Beach. The hotshot guitarist is speaking from his home in Pittsburgh. He’s lived in the same house for decades, but he admits he never sees much of it. With his dual membership in Winger and Whitesnake (in the latter he shares axe duties with Joel Hoekstra), Beach is usually on the road for nine out of 12 months in any given year — and that’s how he prefers it. “Playing for people is what I do. I’ve been a performer for 31 years, and that’s how I make a living.” He reveals that 2020 was all lined up to be a banner year financially. “I was going to make a shitload of money,” he says. “It was…

FENDER NOVENTA SERIES Combining classic Fender style and dynamic MP-90 pickups, the Noventa Series delivers powerful tones, modern playability and sharp looks. The custom MP-90 pickups provide extraordinary range and versatility with classic midrange bite, crisp highs and warm, smooth lows. All models feature 21 medium-jumbo frets and a 9.5–inch radius fingerboard. Street Prices: Stratocaster, $1,049.99; Telecaster, $949.99; Jazzmaster, $1,149.99 fender.com FENDER ’68 CUSTOM VIBRO CHAMP REVERB AND ’68 CUSTOM PRO REVERB Fender expands its ’68 Custom range with the addition of the Pro Reverb and Vibro Champ Reverb amplifiers. At just 5 watts, the ’68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb improves on this classic amp by adding hall reverb and using a larger 10-inch speaker for increased low end. The ’68 Custom Pro Reverb takes its cues from the original…

STREET PRICES: $1,149.99 (each) MANUFACTURER: Fender, fender.com Thinly applied nitrocellulose lacquer finishes provide the acoustic dynamics and responsiveness of a worn, aged vintage guitar. Each model features a distinctive, period-correct neck profile: U-shaped (’50s Tele), soft-V (’50s Strat) and C-shaped (’60s Strat). The pickups for each Road Worn model are vintage-voiced with hotter output than Fender’s other Vintera models. The Strats have five-position pickup selector switches and separate neck/middle and bridge tone controls to satisfy modern players. THE BOTTOM LINE The Fender Vintera Road Worn models offer all the thrills and chills of playing an original vintage model for an outrageously affordable price that is well within the reach of any player’s budget.…

IT’S NO STRETCH to say Taylor Guitars is a visionary company. With the many setbacks and challenges presented around the world last year, Taylor moved forward with enterprising ideas and some of their most innovative designs. It all started with Taylor’s Urban Wood initiative — where select trees in need of removal from California cities were reclaimed and given a second life as premium instruments — which in turn, culminated in the discovery of an alternative and newfound tonewood dubbed “Urban Ash” and utilized in Taylor’s spectacular Builder’s Edition 324ce and 326ce acoustics. In response to the many hardships people faced during the pandemic, Taylor also launched an affordable upscale line of acoustics in the American Dream Series. And in case you weren’t aware, Taylor, in one fell swoop, transferred…

I GOT RHYTHM, PART 16 Introducing 32nd notes THIS MONTH, WE’RE going to zoom-in our rhythm microscope to examine another, smaller subdivision of the beat, the 32nd note, which is half the duration of a 16th note. of 44 In meter the same into two way half that notes you can , four divide quarter a bar notes, eight eighths or 16 16ths, you can likewise divide it into 32 32nd notes, or eight notes per beat (8 x 4 = 32). While not as common as eighth and 16th notes, 32nd notes are nonetheless a very worthwhile subdivision to study, as they have been used to great effect in countless songs, in such styles as metal, prog rock, hip-hop, r&b, jazz, fusion and classical, typically at slower tempos, where…

KING ALBERT The string bending mastery of Albert King IN LAST MONTH’S column, we explored an Albert Collins-like approach to soloing over a medium-tempo blues shuffle in the key of G. This month, I’d like to highlight the key stylistic aspects of one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time, Albert King, using the same soloing format. For quick review, the rhythm part I solo over is based on a standard 12-bar blues progression in G, but I have added a few passing chords here and there. In the key of G, a typical dominant 7th-style blues consists of the I chord, G7, the IV, C7 and the V, D7. Many guitarists, myself included, will often substitute a 9th or 13th chord for a 7th. of G The 7,…

“RHODE ISLAND SHRED” Guthrie Govan THIS FUN INSTRUMENTAL barnburner showcases Guthrie Go-van’s highly refined electric bluegrass and country-style chops and mastery of the art of crafting flowing single-note lines that describe chord changes with long, unbroken streams of 16th notes. The versatile guitarist uses mostly dominant 7 arpeggios and major and minor pentatonic scales as his melodic framework and inserts a few perfectly placed chromatic notes, which serve as transitional passing tones or approach tones that help to seamlessly connect the targeted chord tones. Also noteworthy is the guitarist’s use of quick position shifts from shape to shape, which are equally seamless. Guthrie alternate picks most of his 16th-note lines, occasionally using hybrid picking for some of the twangy pedal steel-style bend licks, such as those in bars 31 and…

Wayne Goyette AGE: 53 HOMETOWN: Dartmouth, MA GUITARS: Jackson Flying V, Gibson and Epiphone SONGS I’VE BEEN PLAYING: Judas Priest “Freewheel Burning” and “Jawbreaker” GEAR I MOST WANT: More Flying V guitars Vic Flowers AGE: 27 HOMETOWN: San Francisco, CA GUITARS: Michael Kelly Patriot Decree, Jackson Warrior, B.C. Rich Warlock Kerry King, Dean Baby Z SONGS I’VE BEEN PLAYING: Originals from my band, Unconfined, and various songs by Highly Suspect GEAR I MOST WANT: Jackson Dk2m white, Fernandes Sustainer, Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci model Paul French AGE: 50 HOMETOWN: Guelph, ON, Canada GUITARS: Fender Stratocaster, Epiphone Wildkat, Fender Telecaster, Ibanez Jem, Rickenbacker 360, Gretsch Duo Jet SONGS I’VE BEEN PLAYING: Extreme “Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee,” Queen “Keep Yourself Alive,” Stevie Ray Vaughan “Tightrope” and originals by my…

Got my first real six-string… I first started out on ukulele. Then, when I was 9, I was given a $15 guitar that was bought for me one Christmas. When I was 15, my stepfather made me my very first electric. Learning curve… I was always a singer and was known as Lil’ Georgie Benson. I had found that the ukulele chords I had learned from my stepfather helped me understand how chords worked, such as the majors and minors. By the time I got to the guitar, I found those chords were the best for me, but I had to learn the bass parts to them too, as there were two more strings on the guitar compared to the ukulele, which made a big difference. It really helped me…

“Bathory is a good comparison because Quorthon also went through the transition from raw black metal in the beginning to music that was more melodic and atmospheric and epic”— MATTHIAS SOLLAK 2020 WAS A HOPEFUL year for Austrian melodic black metal band Harakiri for the Sky. The group — which, in its non-touring form, consists of two primary members, singer Michael V. Wahntraum (“J.J.”) and guitarist Matthias Sollak (“M.S.”) — was excited about the planned September 2020 release of its fifth record, Maere, the followup to its acclaimed 2018 offering, Arson. Tour dates were scheduled across Europe to promote the record, and the band was looking forward to performing in territories that until now had eluded them, such as the U.S. and Brazil. And then… COVID. “We had to cancel…

AREN’T EXACTLY A BAND PRONE TO NOSTALGIA. THAT SAID, LEAD GUITARIST MIKE McCREADY DOES ACKNOWLEDGE, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE BAND’S DEBUT ALBUM, TEN — WHICH, GIVEN THE INCREDIBLE SPEED AT WHICH THEY MOVED IN THE EARLY DAYS ALSO DOVETAILS WITH THE ORIGIN OF PEARL JAM ITSELF — THAT HE LOOKS BACK AT THAT TIME AND MARVELS AT HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN. “I go, ‘How did that all happen? And why did it happen?,’ ” he tells Guitar World. “And I still don’t have answers for that, other than, you know, fate or time or luck or talent.” Likely, it’s a combination of all those things. But however it came together, the fact remains that Ten, released August 27, 1991, and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year,…

“IT’S ALOMST LIKE ONE BAND ENDED AND A NEW ONE HAS BEGUN” FIVE FINGER DEATH Punch founder and rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory admits there have been “many crazy chapters” during the band’s 15-year existence, but he reveals that he’s now experiencing a sensation that’s utterly new to him: an overall feeling of peace and tranquility. “It’s almost like one band ended and a new one has begun,” he says. “For a long while, we had this inertia that pushed us forward, but it was also tumbling downward. But things have a way of turning around, which they’ve done for us, and it all happened in kind of a synchronized manner. I feel really good about where we are now. It feels like a new chapter for the band.” One big…

GARY MOORE TOOK up guitar at the age of 10, moving from his native Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Dublin at age 16 and becoming a professional player. While living in Dublin in the late Sixties, he caught all the latest bands live — John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, among others. However, Moore’s biggest influence was Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, who would become something of a mentor to him, later selling him Greeny, his famed 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. This now-legendary instrument features on many early Fleetwood Mac tracks and much of Moore’s blues work (including 1995’s Blues for Greeny) and now resides with its latest owner, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. Moore was one of the fastest and most fiery rock players out there, but he was…

CALL ME OLD-FASHIONED, a boomer or just plain nostalgic, but to me there are many times that doing things the “old way” is perfectly fine and maybe even preferable to technological upgrades. For example, as much as I love the sophisticated detail of modern CGI effects, I still think that Godzilla movies featuring a guy in a rubber suit smashing miniature models while pulling Bruce Lee poses can be every bit as entertaining. So needless to say, my heart warmed when Electro-Harmonix introduced their new Eddy vibrato and chorus pedal, featuring an all-analog signal path and bucket-brigade-based circuit just like some of my favorite chorus and vibrato pedals of my wild youth. Chorus and vibrato are effects perfectly suited to the imprecise and more primitive nature of analog circuitry. Analog…

STREET PRICE: $1,599 MANUFACTURER: Taylor, taylorguitars.com The GTe introduces C-Class bracing with all the fundamental structural and tonal benefits of Taylor’s V-Class bracing that include pronounced volume, sustain and intonation. Its compact body and shorter-scale length have the effect of bringing your hands closer together for more playing comfort and relaxed string tension. THE BOTTOM LINE With its comfortably compact size and buttery playability, the Taylor GTe Urban Ash plainly begs to be your “get-up-and-go” guitar for a variety of performances.…

AROUND THE BENDS, PART 4 Exploring E minor pentatonic bends on the high E string IN THIS LATEST series of columns, I’ve focused on string-bending techniques with the E minor pentatonic scale and E Dorian mode, as played on the B string. Let’s now examine additional options for string-bending phrases by moving over to the high E string, beginning with a return to E minor pentatonic. To review, the notes of E minor pentatonic are E, G, A, B and D. Spelled intervallically b , that’s 1 (root), b 3 (flatted 3rd), 4, 5 and 7 (flatted 7th). Just as we had done with E minor pentatonic and E Dorian on the B string, we’ll take two approaches to each note — bending up to it from below, and back…

LINE GAMES Targeting chord tones in melodic improvisation LAST MONTH, I discussed my approach to melody and melodic awareness, as applied to improvised solos played on a single string. Whether you’re playing over a complex chord progression or a single chord, the notes you choose to emphasize in a solo will serve to “tell the story.” We began by looking at the simple A minor pentatonic scale, lically which , is 1 ( spelled root), b 3 A ( , flatted C, D, E 3 , rd G, ), and 4, 5 interval , b 7 (flat- - ted 7th). We then expanded this five-note entity to the seven-note A natural minor E scale , F, , G which , intervallically consists of , 1 the (root notes ), 2,…