Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från Guitar World

HOW FITTING IS it that, during the final days of putting this issue together, Eric Clapton’s famed 1964 Gibson SG Standard — better known as “The Fool” — sold for $1.27 million? That figure makes it not only the most expensive Clapton guitar ever sold at auction (remember that Blackie sold for a tidy sum a few years back), but also one of the most expensive guitars sold at auction — ever. It should come as no surprise that the buyer was one of the world’s most renowned vintage guitar collectors, businessman and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. How nice for him! Anyway, speaking of E.C., it’s a shame we weren’t able to interview him (or George Terry) for this issue (I believe our latest Clapton interview — written by…

TUNE-UPS NEWS + NOTES CRYMWAV 24/7 (Electric Pudding Records) SOUND: Comprising former Smash Fashion singer/guitarist Roger Deering and shredmeister Lloyd Stuart Casson, the LA-based hard rockers channel the furious fire of Motörhead and UFO, cut through with the melodic sensibilities of Cheap Trick. With darker sounds than their previous band, every track sounds like an instant stadium-filling anthem. KEY TRACK “American Carnage” The Gems Phoenix (Napalm Records) SOUND: Formed from the ashes of Thundermother, these Swedes deliver hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners, old-school rock and metal while displaying influences ranging from Zep to Maiden. Guitarist Mona Lindgren nails the rolling, riff-laden essence of classic Jimmy Page, displaying taste and flair in equal measure, peeling off blistering, blues-fired licks with careless aplomb. KEY TRACK: “Send Me to the Wolves” Grave Secrets Till Your Lungs…

FOR THE PAST two decades, Joe Bonamassa has been a familiar face in these pages, as a widely appreciated, virtuosic blues guitarist, as well as an avid caretaker of the instrument’s legacy, who has collected and preserved not only hundreds of guitars, but also mountains of classic amplifiers and guitar ephemera. As such, it might be difficult for readers today to imagine a time when he was just another struggling guitarist trying to make his mark in music. But after being ushered into the ranks of B.B. King and Danny Gatton before age 13, and forming the band Bloodline with Waylon Krieger, Erin Davis and Berry Oakley Jr. — the sons of Robby Krieger of the Doors, Miles Davis and the Allman Brothers Band bassist — Smokin’ Joe Bonamassa, as…

FEW PRODUCERS/ENGINEERS have affected guitar music in the way Eddie Kramer has. Having worked with Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Ace Frehley and Buddy Guy (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg), Kramer has long had a bead on all things six-string. But looking beyond the studio — which accounts for an expansive list of albums — Kramer’s deepest impact may well be on the live side of things, which features classics like Kiss’ Alive!, Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same and Derek and the Dominos’ In Concert. The double live album, which was released in January 1973 (two years after the band’s breakup), was not only a brilliant 89 minutes and 45 seconds of blues-rocking, jam-banding, guitar-driven glory by way of Eric Clapton, but actually a favorite of…

LAST MONTH, I discussed the virtues of aiming to emulate the sound of the human voice when playing single-note lines and detailed a variety of ways to do so, with and without a slide. Those distinct qualities heard in the way vocal melodies are often articulated, such as the use of vibrato and glissandos — “gliding” between pitches — serve to deepen the emotional impact of the musical performance. The same is true when playing lines on the guitar, and this can be achieved by incorporating various articulation techniques, such as string bends, finger slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and vibrato. When utilizing a slide, there are other inherent articulation techniques that cannot be achieved without it. In either scenario, it’s helpful to imagine that the guitar is “singing” the words as…

AS I STATED last month, three tools I like to use to build soloing ideas are repetition, call-and-response and “handcuffs.” I began this discussion by demonstrating various ways to utilize repetition as a phrase-building tool. In this lesson, I’ll present some more ways to use repetition as an effective soloing springboard. Last month, I illustrated how to take a simple B.B. King- or Albert Collins-type phrase and repeat it with slight variations. This month, I’d like to focus on repeating a rhythmic motif (short idea) but with different notes. In this way, it's the rhythm of the line that creates the catchy hook. FIGURE 1 is a B.B. King-style lick, played in the key of A in the classic 10th-position “B.B. box.” For those unfamiliar, the “B.B. box” is recognized…

Music is about shared experiences. The feeling of connection you get when someone loves the same music as you do is one we all know. But some gear becomes so universal, so widely adopted and trusted by musicians, that it, too, becomes part of our shared musical experience. The effects pedals made by BOSS over the past 50 years can fairly lay claim to this rare accolade. Few items of gear are as instantly recognizable as a DS-1, for example, and it’s no surprise because millions have been sold over the years. The genius of BOSS is that its products feel like they belong to everyone – from session pros to metallers, to kids thrashing out their first three-chord punk in the garage. BOSS pedals are some of the most…

Multi-Function LED This LED comes on when your BOSS pedal is engaged and indicates that the pedal is on and working. Its other useful function is to let you know when your battery is running low on juice: if your effect is on but the LED doesn’t light up, it’s time to change the battery. Battery Thumbscrew Early BOSS pedals featured a slotted version, but the thumbscrew makes quick battery changes a doddle, without the need for any additional tools. Plus, thanks to its hinged cover, you won’t even need to disconnect or remove the pedal from your ’board. Battery Compartment What’s clever about a battery compartment? BOSS pedals house the battery away from the circuit board, so in the event of a leak you’re unlikely to ruin your pedal.…

BOSS revolutionized the pedal world with the 1977 release of its first compact pedals – the OD-1 Over Drive, PH-1 Phaser and SP-1 Spectrum. Since then, the compact series has been ubiquitous and there can’t be many guitarists who haven’t owned one at some time. But while there’s a massive range of BOSS compacts available to buy new, yet more models have been discontinued over the years. Perhaps they were ahead of their time, or possibly their qualities were overlooked in a crowded marketplace – and thus only remained in production for a couple of years. Today, the very scarcity of such pedals has granted them a cachet and collectibility that has made them among the most sought-after effects in the world. You only have to look at the Instagram…

STAY CONNECTED WITH GUITAR WORLD ON AND GET THE LATEST GUITAR NEWS, INSIDER UPDATES, STAFF REPORTS AND MORE! READER ART OF THE MONTH If you’ve created a drawing, painting or sketch of your favorite guitarist and would like to see it in an upcoming issue of Guitar World, email GWSoundingBoard@futurenet.com with a JPG or PDF of the image! And obviously, include your name! DEFENDERS of the Faith Cassius “Banjo” Pritchett AGE: 17 GUITARS: D’Angelico Premier Bedford, Dixon 5-string banjo, Squire Bullet Mustang SONGS I’VE BEEN PLAYING: Rob Zombie “House of 1000 Corpses,” Louis Armstrong “La Vie En Rose” GEAR I WANT MOST: Jackson x Series sl4x Soloist, Leslie speaker John Robinson AGE: 66 GUITARS: PRS SE Custom 22 semi-hollowbody, Gretsch 5420T, Fender Ultra Telecaster, Fender 75th Anniversary Strat, Rickenbacker 360/12,…

IF 24-YEAR-old Dutch guitarist Sonia Anubis could click her heels and magically transport herself to another time and place, she would wing herself to the late 1980s and land smack dab on the L.A. Sunset Strip. “I would fit right in — I just know it,” she says. “That was when the coolest music came out, in my opinion. Ratt, Dokken, W.A.S.P., L.A. Guns, Great White. They were such great bands, and they made records that are timeless.” Anubis channels her passion for Eighties glam metal in her band Cobra Spell. Formed in 2019, the Netherlands-based, all-female outfit specializes in original tunes that recall the golden days of big hair, pointy guitars, leather, sex and sleaze. “It’s kind of funny that I’m so nostalgic about a period that existed before…

THOUGH HE’S A SELF-DESCRIBED “guitar junkie,” having played in a number of bands over the years and built up a solid profile as a pedal builder for Death by Audio and a new company, Trap Door Electronics, Travis Johnson enjoys letting his instrument play more of a supporting role in his newest project, Activity. The Brooklyn-based quartet just released their second album, Spirit in the Room, with electronics and synths co-existing with heavily effected clean guitars — to the point where it can be a challenge discerning which is exactly which. It’s this ethereal and eclectic approach to sonic experimentation that allows Johnson and his bandmates — Jess Rees (guitar/vocals/keys), Bri DiGioia (bass/vocals) and Steven Levine (drums) — to prevail in the abstract, dreaming up floaty atmospheres that eventually morph…

ABOUT A DOZEN or so guitars that Eric Clapton played during his career have become icons, including his 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard “Beano ’Burst,” 1964 Gibson SG Standard with psychedelic graphics painted by The Fool, 1956 Fender “Brownie” Stratocaster, 1964 Gibson ES-335, the vintage 1939 Martin 000-42 flattop he used for his 1992 MTV Unplugged appearance and various Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocasters he used from the late Eighties onward. However, the one Eric Clapton guitar that is probably the most iconic of them all is the Fifties Stratocaster that he nicknamed “Blackie.” This guitar made its public debut in Clapton’s hands at his “comeback” show at London’s Rainbow Theatre on January 13, 1973, and it remained his faithful companion on stage continuously for the next 12 years, through…

FENDER HAS CONSIDERABLY upped its game in the acoustic guitar realm over recent times by greatly expanding its offerings as well as introducing bold innovations like the Acoustasonic models. The new Highway Series continues that expansion and innovation with models that combine some of the Acoustasonic’s features in a package created to be more focused on traditional acoustic guitar tones and performance rather than providing an electric/acoustic hybrid. The Highway Series currently consists of two different models — the Dreadnought and the Parlor — and each are available with a choice of either a spruce or mahogany top. From a frontal view, the Dreadnought and Parlor look similar to their regular purely acoustic counterparts but just a little smaller. There’s a familiar-looking round soundhole and rosewood pin bridge, but the…

SAY THE NAME Eventide and what comes to mind is the company’s much-lauded H90 Harmonizer and H9 Max processors. I know it was a NASA-sized undertaking to cram their astronomical multi-effects and pitch-perfect harmonizer technology into those pedalboard-friendly stompboxes, but now Eventide has introduced the Riptide — a more down-to-earth, compact 2-in-1 pedal with an onboard overdrive and Uni-Vibe effect that can be run in stereo. Eventide is making an audacious move by combining two classic effects — effects that many musicians generally use as standalone stompboxes — but more intriguingly, two effects that the company doesn’t have any bragging rights to yet. So how does the Riptide fare? Read on. Similar to the pedals in Eventide’s streamlined dot9 series, Riptide’s advanced functionality is buried under the hood and simplified…

FOR ME, THE Gibson SG was a guitar that took me about 30 years to figure out. For the longest time, I wasn’t able to get on with SGs. I found that the balance of the instrument always felt a little off — they were often headstock-heavy — and it often sounded a little too bright for my taste. About five years ago, I happened to come across a really good one and had an epiphany. I decided, “I’m going to commit to getting it together on the SG, and the best way to do that is to start performing with it.” Since then, I’ve been using them all the time onstage and in the studio. This revolutionized my way of looking at a humbucker-equipped guitar. What I found was…

“BAD LOVE” Eric Clapton WIDELY HAILED AS one of the highpoints of Eric Clapton’s long, illustrious career, this hit song from 1989 finds the guitarist-vocalist in top form, as he turns in an inspired, fiery performance that brings to mind his earlier work on the epic 1970 track “Layla,” with Derek and the Dominos, and on the late Cream classic “Badge,” from 1969. Following a dreamy synth and fret-less bass intro, the song’s main guitar riff gets under way at 0:25 (see section B, bar 12), with Clapton artfully employing a wah pedal to impart vocal-like inflections to a soulful melody that’s based on the D minor pentatonic scale (D, F, G, A, C). Notice Clapton’s use of quick, decorative finger slides in the main riff, which lend the line…

The cult appeal of effects pedals has exploded in recent years and one manifestation of that has been the rise of modded versions of classic pedals by BOSS. But while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, BOSS saw this as an opportunity to offer something better: boutique-grade versions of classic BOSS pedals and all-new premium pedals designed by its own team of tone experts. This was how BOSS’s de facto custom shop – ‘Waza Craft’– was born in 2014. In Japan, the term ‘Waza’ – represented by the kanji character – means ‘art and technique’. Accordingly, BOSS pedals bearing that emblem are the highest quality, in terms of design and craftsmanship, that the company offers and are built exclusively in Japan. They also address a problem that many…

BETWEEN 1983 AND 2005, Rick Hunolt played on six full-length Exodus studio albums and regularly toured with the top-tier thrash band. However, during a period of intense personal turmoil in 2006, Hunolt was replaced by Heathen guitarist Lee Altus, and aside from a couple of guest appearances, he remained largely MIA for 15 years. “Once you’ve been in one of the best thrash bands in the world, it’s pretty hard to figure out what to do next,” Hunolt says. Then in 2021, Hunolt’s childhood friend, Skinlab vocalist Steve Esquivel, referred the guitarist to a melodic, cinematic Texas band called DieHumane that was looking for a lead guitarist. Hunolt received rough demos of two songs and couldn’t stop listening to them. “I was blown away by the big choruses, strong melodies…

SINCE 2016, U.K. quintet Squid have made a big splash through their blend of razor’s-edge post-punk riffing and deceptively complex, hypnotic polyrhythmia — a feat on full display across their recently released sophomore full-length, O Monolith. The act have amassed a sizable fandom and plenty of critical adoration along the way, to the point where they’re now picking up prized spots at summer institutions, including the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival. While Squid’s music has earned them that acclaim, guitarist Anton Pearson nevertheless says he and the rest of the group experienced a daunting wave of imposter syndrome the moment they walked into Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Wiltshire, England, to make their latest release. “Going somewhere like Real World where massive, massive artists record on a regular basis — artists…

GEORGE BENSON REALLY wants to talk about the new album he’s cutting. It’s his first studio recording since 2019’s Walking to New Orleans, and as he says, “It’s going to be something really special.” He starts to divulge a detail or two, then abruptly stops. “Well, that’s about all I can say right now,” he says. When pressed for any kinds of tidbits, he laughs and relents every so slightly. “I can’t let out exactly what it is, but it’s something different from anything I’ve ever done, and I’m working with one of the top arrangers of our time. That’s about as far as I can go with that. I’m keeping it under my hat for now.” “THEY SAID, ‘MAN, GEORGE BENSON WOULDN’T EVEN LET HENDRIX SIT IN AND PLAY’...…

IN MY PREVIOUS review of UAFX stomp boxes, I mentioned how Universal Audio was bringing the sounds of classic studio gear to the stage. Their new OX Stomp pedal also brings studio-quality sound to the stage, but this time around they’ve adapted modern software processing instead of classic hardware, harnessing the power of UA’s outstanding Dynamic Speaker Modeling technology in a stomp box format. OX Stomp also provides effects like 1176 compression, reverb, delay, modulation and more to provide complete studio-polished sounds. OX Stomp is basically the rig section (speaker/room/mic emulation and effects) of UA’s OX Amp Top Box — in other words OX without the reactive load box, headphone amp, digital connections, etc. OX Stomp’s pedal format allows users to configure a pedalboard fly rig with an amp emulation…

WAY BACK IN the early Forties, Les Paul invented a minimalist solidbody electric guitar that he called “The Log.” About 80 years later, Donner Music has introduced perhaps the closest soulmate to that guitar since the introduction of the Steinberger in the Eighties. Donner calls the HUSH-X a travel guitar, but it’s really a full-size instrument that feels, performs and sounds like a traditional solidbody, albeit one that can be packed into a compact case that looks like a carrying bag for a two-piece pool cue. Donner offers one version of the HUSH-X guitar: a mahogany version with two finishes — a sunburst and a natural finish. The guitar has a one-piece neck-thru-body design, and lightweight metal frames attach to either side via sliding clamps to provide a leg rest…

FOR THE NEXT few columns, I’d like to present my song “Ghost of You,” which I recorded with the Andy Timmons Band for our 2006 album, Resolution. This proved to be a very pivotal record for me, as it marked a point when I really began digging into “tone questing,” and it was also the first record where I did not include any overdubs. There’s just one guitar, backed by bass and drums throughout the entire record. It proved to be a transitional turning point for me because this is how I’ve since recorded every album. FIGURE 1 illustrates the tune’s opening 16-bar “verse” melody. It’s played at a moderate tempo and with a swing-16ths feel, which means that the pairs of 16th notes on each downbeat and eighth-note upbeat…

THE GIBSON LES Paul and Fender Esquire/ Telecaster and Stratocaster solidbodies and the Gibson ES-335 semihollow electric rightfully rank as some of the most iconic guitars of the early days of rock ’n’ roll. But another often overlooked guitar that deserves a spot right next to them is the Gretsch 6120. Originally developed by Gretsch as a signature model for Chet Atkins in 1954 (alongside the chambered “solid” body 6121 Chet Atkins signature “roundup” model), the G6120 was more warmly embraced by rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll guitarists than the country and western players Gretsch initially targeted. Atkins himself wasn’t too thrilled with the 6120’s western-inspired decorations and bright orange finish, and he played the model for only a brief period before Gretsch developed his favored Country Gentleman guitar. However,…

BY REINVENTING ITS CLASSIC HARDWARE FOR THE MODERN AGE, BOSS HAS REMAINED HISTORY’S GREATEST EXPONENT OF DELAY Imagine a time before the delay pedal. An era when guitarists couldn’t conjure slapbacks or ping-pongs at the click of a footswitch. To anyone who came up during BOSS’s half-century reign, the notion is unthinkable. After all, with today’s range offering everything from next-gen trailblazers like the DD-500 to modern takes on classic units like the Space Echo, Delay Machine, DM-2, DD-3 and SDE-3000, fans of this vital effect have never had such mindblowing tools under their boots. But delay wasn’t always so accessible or user-friendly. When the original tape echo effect first pricked up ears in the 1940s, it was the preserve of professionals players in top recording studios, and created using…