Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Guitar World

UNBELIEVABLY, 20 YEARS have come and gone since we lost Dimebag Darrell, who — besides being a bona fide guitar hero — was a great friend of this magazine and its readers. Over the span of 29 pages, Nick Bowcott does a fantastic job of illustrating that friendship — especially via the reappearance of Dime’s classic GW column, Riffer Madness (and its “Dear Dime” variants). Bowcott worked with Dimebag to make Riffer Madness (as well as several Pantera features) a reality all those years ago, so he adds a bit of “I was there” street cred to the proceedings. Check out his tale of the day The Great Southern Trendkill was mastered and the “Floods” outro had to be re-recorded on the fly. GUITARS ON TV: Keep an out for…

TUNE-UPS NEWS+NOTES “THE GENERAL METHODOLOGY behind my board is that my sound is more about a natural, pure tone coming from the amp. So my approach to pedals is very minimal at the moment. I do think having a tuner is very important, and everyone can use a boost in the heat of battle. “Over the years, as far as how my board has shifted, I would say my board has gotten more minimal. I’ve used delay pedals in the past and, sometimes, different fuzz pedals. But at the moment, my sound is basically the guitar into the amp. “That said, pedals are a great way to help a guitar player develop their own style and their own unique sound. However, people get too dependent on the sound they’re…

“I’VE BEEN SO fortunate with my career,” Myles Kennedy says, and indeed, between fronting Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and singing and playing guitar alongside Mark Tremonti in Alter Bridge, Kennedy is, to borrow a Conspirators album title, living the dream. But even while having his hands full with two projects, he continues, “As a writer, I can never totally power down. I always have the antenna up in case something comes along.” He laughs. “It’s like being a doctor on call.” If that’s the case, then Kennedy has been one busy MD. The Conspirators recently wrapped touring for their most recent album, 4, and before that, Kennedy was on the road with Alter Bridge in support of their seventh effort, Pawns & Kings. Somewhere in between, he…

“WITH PANTERA, THE thing is that their crew was such an important part of the band,” says legendary Pantera producer Terry Date. “They were like family, too.” If you’ve seen the infamous Pantera “Home Videos,” you know just how true Date’s statement is. As you can see below, we managed to track down a few of the original Pantera road crew. GRADY CHAMPION (DIME’S GUITAR TECH) Dime was just so special — not only as a guitar player, but also in the way he treated people. It was always next level. Nobody was a stranger, everyone was a friend. And his playing was pure passion and skill. He always played from the heart and soul, and I don’t think that’s lost on anybody who listens to him play. As a…

GUITARISTS Zakk Wylde and Dimebag Darrell GUITARS Camouflage bullseye Gibson Les Paul Custom (Zakk); Washburn Camouflage USA Trendkill 333 Dime Signature (Dime) GW COVER DATE March 2003 THIS INTERVIEW October 2024 COVER PHOTOGRAPHER Matthew Salacuse I’m gonna start off with a really dumb question. Why did you choose to use your Camouflage finish, bullseye Les Paul Custom for this one? ZAKK WYLDE Come on now, Father Nick! [Laughs] Surely the cover photo answers that one! Dime had this military theme idea mapped out, so I just rolled with it and brought my camo-bullseye Les Paul for beyond-obvious reasons. I believe you nicknamed that guitar “Stormin’ Norman” after the Gulf War Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, yes? You are correct, sir! And, as per your usual pickup MO, it was loaded with your…

OF DIME’S MANY great recorded solos, the one in “Floods” — from Pantera’s The Great Southern Trendkill — is one of the most celebrated and beloved. And we’re not just talking about his stunning, emotive lead break in the song. Let’s not forget about Dime’s hauntingly catchy a capella outro passage, which he painted with moody musical perfection on a sonic thunderstorm tapestry. In fact, when Zakk Wylde plays this arpeggiated outro live, it’s one of the most emotional moments of the electrifying Pantera Celebration concerts. And the enormous impact the outro has on the sold-out arena crowds is made even more powerful by the video montage of the late Abbott brothers, Dime and Vinnie, that’s projected on-screen while Wylde pays homage to his dear friend. Built around what Dime…

I RECKON WE should take a quick look back at some of the things we’ve covered in my column so far. Over the past year, we’ve rapped about a shitload of playing ideas that are all good and important, so let’s regroup and tighten shit up. We’re gonna do this by simply applying some of these ideas and techniques in a straight driving tune called “5 Minutes Alone,” which is on our brand-new album, Far Beyond Driven. Enough talk — let’s jam! [EDITOR’S NOTE: Unless stated otherwise, all bar numbers refer to the complete “5 Minutes Alone” transcription that starts on page 144.] RIFF WALK For this song, my guitar is tuned down a whole step [what’s known as D standard (low to high: D, G, C, F, A, D)],…

SOUNDCHECK VOX FIRST INTRODUCED its Nutube technology in a series of micro amps back in 2017, followed by their first series of Valvenergy pedals featuring an all-analog signal path and Nutube tech in 2021. Nutube involves a genuine miniature vacuum tube adapted from vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) technology to function like a traditional tube but with low-current and low-voltage specs. The new second series of Vox Valvenergy pedals consists of the Fuel Injector Tube Overdrive, Power Burst Tube Booster, Smooth Impact Tube Compressor and Tone Sculptor Tube Preamp Equalizer. As with the previous series, these Valvenergy pedals employ Nutube to provide the dynamic responsiveness and rich harmonic overtones of traditional tube technology but without bulky designs and maintenance issues. Build Quality Each Valvenergy pedal is housed in a sturdy metal…

AKG C414 XLS and XLII AKG’s C414 range contains the most respected studio and stage microphones in audio history. The new C414 XLS and the C414 XLII offer nine pickup patterns that enable them to choose the perfect setting for every application. Both mics have three switchable bass cut filters as well as three pre-attenuation levels that allow lead vocals and solo instruments to be placed in even the densest mixes. The C414 XLS maintains the sonic character of the legendary C414 B-ULS, the longest-lived C414 model. The C414 XLII is the successor of the famous C414 B-TL II. It shows the unique sonic signature of the highly sought-after AKG C12, which enables lead vocals and solo instruments to be placed even in a dense mix. The up-front sound is…

I’M A BIG fan of Steve Vai and Guthrie Govan, both of whom are known for liberally employing legato articulations in their melody playing, such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends and glissandos (long slides). These techniques are very effective for giving your lines a slippery, rubber band-like sound. The chorus melody from the title track to my latest album, Charisma, offers a nice example of how I use these techniques to create see-sawlike melodic figures during this section. FIGURE 1 illustrates the eight-bar chorus melody of “Charisma.” In every bar here, I play a melodic line up and down the G string, with combinations of slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs. As this recurring phrase serves as the centerpiece for the chorus melody, it's essential for it to be performed in this…

THIS MONTH, I’D like to discuss a topic that’s very near and dear to my heart. Whether I’m improvising guitar solos or writing riffs for songs, I’m always envisioning the phrases I play as being like vocal parts. For me, this approach imbues a part with the most effective sound and feeling that can connect to the listener. The first thing I think about is intent — what am I trying to say, musically? There are so many different ways to express something when you play. The listener will sit up and take notice when it comes across in the right way. They hear it and decipher it, and the musical statement becomes more than just a simple guitar riff. Let’s start with the riff in FIGURE 1, which is…

“EMOTION SICKNESS” WORDS AND MUSIC BY JOSHUA HOMME, DEAN FERTITA, TROY VAN LEEUWEN, MICHAEL SHUMAN AND JON THEODORE. COPYRIGHT © 2023 UNTELLIGENT SYSTEMS INC. MUSIC, SLEEPING DISORDER MUSIC, MAGIC BULLET MUSIC, DR. SHOES INC. AND [JON THEODORE PUBLISHING DESIGNEE]. ALL RIGHTS FOR UNTELLIGENT SYSTEMS INC. MUSIC AND SLEEPING DISORDER MUSIC ADMINISTERED WORLDWIDE BY SONGS OF KOBALT MUSIC PUBLISHING. ALL RIGHTS FOR MAGIC BULLET MUSIC ADMINISTERED WORLDWIDE BY KOBALT SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING. ALL RIGHTS FOR DR. SHOES INC. ADMINISTERED BY BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (US) LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED BY PERMISSION. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAL LEONARD LLC.…

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 screenshot of the image. And (obviously...), please remember to include your name! DEFENDERS of the Faith Pete Vadelnieks AGE: 39 GUITARS: Gibson Explorer, Supro Silverwood, Black Bobbin Jazzmaster, Gibson ES-335, Fender Jaguar SONGS I’VE BEEN PLAYING: Cuva Bimö “Post/Wall,” Velvet Revolver “Slither,” Dinosaur Jr. “Start Choppin’,” Sonic Youth “What We Know,” Cuva Bimö “Bad Jacket” GEAR I WANT MOST: ’70s Fender Starcaster, Gibson Les Paul Custom Chris Belena AGE: 54 Guitars: Fender 50th Anniversary Eric Clapton Strat, Les Paul Smartwood, Fender Sonic Telecaster, Epiphone 1961 SG Maestro Vibrola SONGS I’VE BEEN PLAYING: Little Willie…

THOUGH FROZEN CROWN’S new album War Hearts keeps pace with the jubilantly shredded power metal the Italian combo has been honing since 2017, it’s likewise an energized sprint forward for the act. You can credit that to the Milanese outfit having supersized their lineup in 2023 through the addition of third guitar player and rising prodigy Alessia Lanzone. The 18-year-old’s arrival is apparent from the record’s BPM-pushing opening title track, where Lanzone leads off a back-to-back-to-back solo section with feverishly fluid legato runs. “We wanted the album to sound explosive and scorching, so it was paramount to have a faster song at the beginning,” founder and chief songwriter Federico Mondelli says. “Also, because this album was introducing Alessia, the first song had to be ‘War Hearts,’ because she plays the…

TUNE-UPS NEWS + NOTES BE IT BACKING up Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe or Chrissy Hynde as a member of the gone-way-too-soon Rockpile (which featured Edmunds and Lowe) or peeling off nifty solo records, Scottish guitarist Billy Bremner has merged the worlds of good-time rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly for more than 50 years. One look at his discography, which includes records like Lowe’s Jesus of Cool (1978) and Labour of Lust (1979), Edmunds’ Repeat When Necessary (1979) and the Pretenders’ Learning to Crawl (1984), shows his versatility. And that’s probably one reason he detests being boxed into the rockabilly category. “I’ve said it before, but I don’t classify myself as a rock ’n’ roll or rockabilly player,” Bremner says. “I would listen to Joe Pass, Hank Garland, Chet Atkins……

AROUND FOUR YEARS ago, a video surfaced of Eric Gales demoing the debut fuzz pedal from a new company based in the U.K. It racked up a serious amount of views, thanks to the jaw-dropping licks and tones coming from his hands. “The thing I like is you don’t even need to turn the fuzz off; you just roll the volume down and it’s clean,” said Gales, showing how the Pedal Pawn Fuzz could be tamed from something full-bodied and explosive to a hi-fidelity glassy spank using just one control on his Magneto guitar. Since then, the company — launched by guitarist Chris King Robinson — has gone from strength to strength, with limited-run specials of their favorite circuits like the Germanium Fuzz with vintage CV7003 Texas Instruments transistors and…

WHILE ALL GUITARISTS learn from the greats, few actually get the opportunity to play alongside the best in the business night after night. But with 20 years as Mark Tremonti’s bandmate in Alter Bridge, and a dozen with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Kennedy has done just that. Which has afforded him, among other benefits, a unique perspective on what makes a guitar legend. What has he observed? “With Slash, there’s a few things,” Kennedy says. “One is his unorthodox approach — his phrasing and the way his lines go where you wouldn’t expect them to go. There’s an unpredictability that I really appreciate with him. He doesn’t think like other guitar players. Also, he’s such a character player. Within one or two notes you know it’s Slash,…

THE MISSION WAS simple: ask as many of Dime’s friends, bandmates, peers and evangelists to spotlight their favorite Dimebag Darrell guitar solo. Here are their answers. ZAKK WYLDE “Walk,” just because, like with Randy’s stuff, it’s so memorable and the note selection is so great. You could play Dime’s “Walk” solo to anybody, and they’d go, “Oh, man. This guy’s great.” KERRY KING I’m sure most readers know I had a guest slot on “Goddamn Electric” [from Reinventing the Steel]. And no, I’m not picking my own! I always told Dime I had no business playing on his record. My spin is this: Every time Pantera came through my town, or I was in a place they were playing in the Nineties, I’d go up and play “Fucking Hostile” with…

BUT FIRST, A brief backstory by Nick Bowcott! Back in 1993, GW’s editors decided to run with an idea that would become a mainstay of the magazine to this day — monthly artist columns. Two bona fide guitar heroes, Kirk Hammett and Eric Johnson, agreed to do six installments each, but the editors wanted to enlist one more columnist, ideally an up-and-coming player. Because I had been commissioned to work with said artists on putting together their columns, I was asked if I had any suggestions. My answer was instantaneous — “Diamond Darrell of Pantera. He’s the one!” I had previously interviewed the guitarist for a one-off lesson article for the magazine and was blown away by his playing, personality, passion and unique and colorful way of explaining things, which…

Boss BP-1W Booster/Preamp By Chris Gill, Guitar World, June 2024 With the exception of the limited edition TB-2W Tone Bender, which was anomalous in numerous ways, all of the previous Boss Waza Craft pedals were based on pre-existing Boss pedal models. The BP-1W takes a radically different approach by adopting specific elements of classic Boss and Roland products — in this case, the preamp sections of the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and Roland RE-201 Space Echo — and reconfiguring them in the familiar Boss compact pedal format. The BP-1W’s analog circuitry provides the preamp tones of the CE-1 and RE-201 in a pedalboard-friendly format without the excessive bulk of those devices or impedance mismatch issues that are optionally resolved by placing a buffer before their inputs. The BP-1W also includes…

IT HAS COME to my attention that, of all of the columns I’ve created for GW, I have yet to talk about the great Stevie Ray Vaughan. Oh my god! As a child of the Seventies, in 1983, when I was all of six years old, there were two guitar players that changed the game for me: on the rock side, it was Eddie Van Halen. The other was Stevie Ray Vaughan, who came out of Austin wielding an old Stratocaster and a Fender amp set to stun, and turned the blues guitar world on its head. We all play like Stevie — we all share this connection to his incredible debut album, Texas Flood, and the great records that followed. For the examples in this column, I’m playing a…

“DEAD & BLOATED” WORDS AND MUSIC BY SCOTT WEILAND, DEAN DELEO, ROBERT DELEO AND ERIC KRETZ COPYRIGHT © 1992 PRIMARY WAVE WEILAND, MILKSONGS AND WC MUSIC CORP. ALL RIGHTS FOR PRIMARY WAVE WEILAND ADMINISTERED BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC CORP. ALL RIGHTS FOR MILKSONGS ADMINISTERED BY WC MUSIC CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED BY PERMISSION. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF HAL LEONARD LLC.…

ZEBRA’S FIRST Zebra (1983) Zebra IV (2003) ZEBRA’S LATEST BY THE EARLY Eighties, Zebra had their ground game covered. Since forming in 1975, the hard rock trio comprised of singer-guitarist Randy Jackson, bassist Felix Hanneman and drummer Guy Gelso spent the better part of a decade playing the concert halls of their home base in New Orleans and in their adopted home of Long Island. In the days before the internet could turn artists into overnight online stars, the hard-gigging band had amassed a significant and loyal following the old-fashioned way, playing shows three, four and sometimes five nights a week. And things were paying off. “It was all through word of mouth,” Jackson says. “We’d play a show for a hundred or so people, and they’d go and tell…

IN 1990, A band from Texas unleashed their debut major-label release upon an unsuspecting metal-loving world. That band’s name? Pantera. The album? Cowboys from Hell. The result was a sizable and powerful wave that quickly grew into an unstoppable tsunami once the band’s next two long-playing salvos — Vulgar Display of Power (1992) and Far Beyond Driven (1994) — hit the streets. At the epicenter of this Texas tornado was a six-string whirlwind who many consider to be the world’s last true guitar hero, a guy named Darrell Lance Abbott. He was better known as Dimebag. Armed with a solid-state stack, an ungodly amount of gain and an angular Dean ML ax adorned with a lightning bolt, Dimebag took the guitar world by storm with the help of his fellow…

“THAT FAKE ECHO PART IN ‘WALK’ GETS ME ALL THE TIME. WHEN I SAW HIM DO THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME, I HAD TO ALSO TRY TO DO IT” CHARLIE BENANTE (ANTHRAX, PANTERA CELEBRATION) FOR AUDIO OF THIS LESSON, GO TO GUITARWORLD.COM/FEBRUARY2025…

I’M A BIG believer in simplicity when it comes to the electric guitar, especially when the priority is the boldest, most dynamic tone. I often find that the best approach is to strip things down to the barest of essentials and that any and every addition to the signal path is more likely to take away than add to the equation. Hey, this theory worked for everything from Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstein to Leslie West’s Gibson Les Paul Junior, and who could argue with that? The new ESP LTD EC-01FT is a raw, streamlined take on the EC series — like a metal-capable Eclipse Junior, but it boasts several upscale details and enhancements that add an aura of luxury to an otherwise bare-bones design. These include smooth heel-free set-thru neck…

Nakupenda Guitar Stool By Jimmy Leslie, Guitar Player May 2024 Nakupenda has put a ton of research into making what it calls “the world’s first ergonomic guitar performance stool,” which is designed to hug hips and align the spine and pelvis to improve posture, thereby relieving back and neck pain by evenly distributing the player’s weight. The chair is handcrafted from FSC-certified sustainable North American walnut and is available in two heights. Once while attempting to get comfortable on a bar stool at soundcheck, Leo Kottke remarked, “I always feel like a marionette sitting on one of these things.” Not so with the ergonomic Guitar Stool. Better still, it has a handy built-in guitar stand on the back. $495, nakupenda.co Tonespeak Manchester 1290 Guitar Speaker By Dave Hunter, Guitar Player,…

THE SHUFFLE IS a popular rhythmic feel used in various styles of music, especially blues. I play a lot of blues-based music in my live sets, and a fair amount of those tunes feature a shuffle feel, which is built on an undercurrent of eighth-note triplets and “swung” eighth notes. A cool variation on the stock Jimmy Reed-style “root-5th/root-6th” blues shuffle rhythm pattern (heard in “Bright Lights, Big City” and “Baby What You Want Me to Do”) is to begin with the 5th of each chord as the lowest note in the voicing, or “in the bass,” instead of the root note being on the bottom. With the 5th as the lowest note, you can alter the voicings on every beat, so that the bass notes move up and down…