Innehållsförteckning för October 2024 från Guitarist

Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Telephone 01225 442244 Email guitarist@futurenet.com Online www.guitarist.co.uk Reading this month’s cover story on the explosion of the blues in 60s Britain (page 54), it’s striking how it was a movement that grew not just from the burgeoning mass media of the time (such as TV shows bringing American blues music to the public eye), but a grass roots movement of clubs and small venues that took it upon themselves to promote the music they loved. In this interesting world, figures such as Alexis Korner and Chris Barber presented the talents of American blues and gospel artists to an audience in the UK, and created a groundswell of interest that became a worldwide phenomenon as blues gave birth to rock music.…

FIRST PLAYDIGITECH JAMMAN SOLO HD The JamMan Solo HD is DigiTech’s new compact loop pedal, replacing the XT version. Apart from the slight logo change, however, the only difference seems to be improved high-definition audio performance courtesy of a powerful next-generation 32-bit A-D/D-A audio converter. The pedal offers up to 35 minutes of stereo looping by itself, but features a memory card expansion slot that takes Micro SD/SDHC cards to deliver a further 32 hours of recording time, as well as 200 memory slots to complement the 200 already onboard. There are various mono and stereo modes of connectivity, plus an aux input that you can use to import music from other sources. A USB socket enables transfer of loop files to and from a computer running the JamManager HD…

Artist: Muireann Bradley Album: I Kept These Old Blues (Tompkins Square) At just 17 years old, Muireann Bradley from County Donegal, Ireland, has hit the ground running with her debut album, I Kept These Old Blues, receiving rave reviews across the board and her tour dates selling out fast. Muireann’s gently sung versions of traditional folk and blues songs from some of the American greats of the 20th century are deftly delivered, and her picking technique is clean and precise. “I grew up listening to my dad playing music all of the time,” she begins. “I just loved [folk and blues] as soon as I heard it, although I don’t remember the first time I heard it because I’ve been listening to it since I was a baby.” The First…

NEVILLE’S ADVOCATE There’s a lot of talk about how heavy guitar strings should be to elicit the best tone from your instrument. I might have touched on this before so forgive me, but my theory was recently affirmed by an ex-Gibson repairman colleague who still runs an extremely successful workshop. I’d sent him my 1995 Taylor jumbo because its preamp had died, and when calling to say it was finished, he asked what strings I’d like fitted. “Don’t be swayed by people telling you heavy is always best, if the way you play doesn’t suit them. And half gauges are a great option, too” As someone who doesn’t believe torture should be part of one’s playing experience, I told him 11s, phosphor bronze coated. I was waiting for him to…

SUBSTITUTE Complete mastery of the fretboard – as much as such a thing may be possible – would have to include knowing each and every way a chord can be played or ‘voiced’. Taking a theoretically identical chord and juggling its notes can give a subtle or not so subtle change in timbre. Being able to arrange voicings to ‘sit’ nicely in a chord progression (both to your ears and on the fretboard) is an underappreciated skill that can set you apart from players who feel ‘three chords and the truth’ is enough. Sometimes that is sufficient, of course, but we have space for five chords here and we want to improve, rather than rest on our laurels! You’ll notice each major 7 chord has it’s own ‘EQ’ due to…

The recent passing of the ‘godfather of British blues’, John Mayall, marks the closing of an extraordinary chapter in British music history. His 1966 album, Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton, was a pivotal moment between the initial blues scene that produced The Rolling Stones, Manfred Mann and The Yardbirds and the post blues-boom era of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. But how did the blues arrive in the UK in the first place and what made so many young musicians fall under its spell to the point that it changed the make-up and sound of music throughout the world? To answer these questions we need to travel back to the late 1930s where, in the United States, an interest in early jazz and blues pioneers began to gather…

HISTORIC In the hagiography of rock ’n’ roll, Gibson and Fender guitars have the throne. In country, and particularly rockabilly, the big orange boxes of Gretsch are challengers. So spare a thought for an astonishingly good bit player, the Gretsch Duo Jet, which first appeared in 1953. The 50s were a time of extraordinary change and innovation in the musical instrument industry, with the electrification of guitars being the driving force. Earlier in the 1932, the pioneering work of George Beauchamp, Adolf Rickenbacker and Paul Barth had led to the creation of Rickenbacker’s ‘Frying Pan’ A-series lap steels, and by 1936 Gibson was putting pickups on its acoustic archtops with the ES-150 following on from the EH-150 lap steel of the previous year. Indeed, after Charlie Christian picked up his…

REVIEW PATRICK JAMES EGGLE 96 ROB HARRIS SIGNATURE Who doesn’t dream of some amazing guitar manufacturer approaching them with an offer to build their perfect instrument? One that’s designed to their aesthetic tastes, to their musical needs, and to their sonic demands. Well, a chance encounter with much-lauded builder Patrick James Eggle and Jamiroquai guitarist Rob Harris in the musician’s local music store (actually purchasing an Eggle guitar), set the ball rolling to just such a scenario. We catch up with Rob, who’s already taken delivery of his signature model, recorded with it and played it live, and begin by asking the obvious… Why did you decide to have a signature guitar built? “It’s something I always dreamt of as a young player. Many of my heroes had signature instruments.…

LANEY BLACK COUNTRY CUSTOMS IRONHEART-LOUDPEDAL & LIONHEART-LOUDPEDAL £399 EACH CONTACT Headstock Distribution PHONE 0121 508 6666 WEB www.laney.co.uk What You Need To Know 1 Those are big pedals… Well, they’re actually amps – pedalboard amps. The idea is that one of these sits at the end of your pedalboard and feeds into a PA, drives a speaker cabinet or does both together. 2 Drives a cab? There must be some serious power built in. Yes, they each have a respectable 60 watts, which ought to satisfy most players’ gigging requirements. 3 Why are there two of them? The basic pedal layout and features are the same, but these are solid-state versions of two different valve amplifiers in Laney’s range, each being a collaboration with a player who is an exponent…

Bought & Sold What was the first serious guitar that you bought with your own money? “I got a Guild Starfire IV. It was the one that didn’t have the master volume knob, but it was good. It had the two smaller humbucker-style pickups and it pretty much had that classic ES-335 shape, you know – the double-cutaway with the holes. It was Guild’s version of that. I always wanted a Gibson, like that vibe, but I didn’t have the money and that one was hanging on the wall. So that’s what I got. That served me pretty well until I really got rolling.” What was the last guitar you bought and why? “I haven’t gotten it yet, but I put an order in for the six-string basses that Fender…

I had always intended to return this Stratocaster to its original sunbust finish. A custom colour would only have been considered if the damage lurking under the gold had turned out to be unsurmountable and doing so would have felt like an admission of defeat. Besides a handful of additional screw holes that had been filled with hardwood dowels, I had to deal with the large hole and wire channel from one of those all too familiar (and pointless) switch modifications. And while the previous restorer had done a decent job of plugging and filling the holes, mahogany was used, rather than alder. Concealing Evidence Sometimes ethical considerations come into the restoration process, and concealing damage and modifications with the intention to deceive is morally dubious. That said, the previous…

Greetings and thanks for picking up Guitarist’s guide to essential accessories and gadgets. While we can certainly get by in our musical lives without much in the way of extras, we might often be better spending a little more to get ourselves good-quality cables, straps, tuners and the like. Because, arguably, it makes sense to put a little more money into the things we use every day than it does to plough every last penny into the big-ticket items, such as your guitar and amp. Take a strap, for example – does its comfort make you feel more at ease playing for long sessions? Or does it chafe and dig into your neck? And does your guitar cable work with rock-solid reliability or crackle and produce microphonic handling noise after…

1 GIBSON ACOUSTIC PHOSPHOR BRONZE Gibson has put its name to more than a few classic acoustic guitars over the years. This is, of course, an understatement, but for completists, what better way to bring your guitar back to its intended tonality than to use Gibson-branded strings? These have been developed under the watchful eyes of Gibson’s master luthiers, and the Phosphor Bronze sets come in three gauges: Ultra Light (11-52), Light (12-53) and Medium (13-56). PRICE: £11 WEBSITE: www.gibson.com 2 ROTOSOUND NEXUS COATED Rotosound isn’t just the biggest UK-based manufacturer of guitar strings, it’s also one of the longest-running string companies in the game. The Nexus series was born from requests for a coated Rotosound string, and here we see the same phosphor bronze alloy wrap used on Rotosound’s…

1 VOX AMPLUG3 AC30 Vox’s amPlug headphone amps (AC30, Boutique, High Gain, UK Drive and US Silver) have been around for a while and are now into their third generation. Key to their success is the gigbag-friendly size and battery powered convenience. We get two channels, modulation, delay and reverb effects, and even a simple drum machine. You can plug your preferred music player into the Aux input for jamming, and all you need to add is a pair of headphones. PRICE: £47 WEBSITE: www.voxamps.co.uk 2 BLACKSTAR FLY 3 We’ve been impressed by the size-defying sound of Blackstar’s three-watt Fly 3 since it launched. It’s battery powered (PSU operation also available) with everything you need for great-quality core clean and overdriven sounds from two switchable channels. There are effects, too,…

1 HERCULES HCGS-414 We’re big fans of Hercules here at Guitarist, whether it’s the sturdy wall hangers or versatile single stands such as this one. The HCGS-414 uses the same auto-closing hanger yoke as the wall-mounted versions, but you can also change the height to suit your guitar’s scale length and body size by pinching the spring-loaded lock. The contact points are coated with protective rubber and they fold up for transportation. Job done. PRICE: £43.99 WEBSITE: www.herculesstands.com 2 HARLEY BENTON WOOD MULTI We love Harley Benton’s take on the in-line multi-guitar stand concept. The foam and rubber padding will play nicely with a range of guitar finishes, and not only is it a great way of housing up to six guitars efficiently, but with its all-beechwood construction it’s an…

1 WD-40 CONTACT CLEANER Scratchy pots? Noisy pickup selectors? Before you reach to replace them, consider giving them a clean. WD-40’s Contact Cleaner (not to be confused with its famous lubricant) can help expel dust and grime particles from inside your guitar’s pot casings or switch terminals. Spray it on, give them a waggle and you might just find it’s the easiest – as well as potentially the cheapest – fix you’ll attempt. Find it in your nearest hardware store. PRICE: £8.99 WEBSITE: www.wd40.com 2 DUNLOP SYSTEM 65 DGT09 MULTI-TOOL Forget the Swiss Army knife, every gigbag should be home to the Dunlop Multi-Tool. This problem solver will get you out of a jam, so you can continue to, erm, jam thanks to a range of screwdrivers, Allen keys and…

1 ERNIE BALL POLYPRO JACQUARD Ernie Ball’s Polypro straps represent excellent value for money, perfect if you need multiple straps for different guitars, or maybe you just like to change things up here and there. They’re made of 50mm (two-inch) wide polypropylene webbing with machine-stitched leather end tabs and are available in four new classic-looking Jacquard weaves: Crimson Royal Bloom, Electric Diamond, Purple Pleasant Pheasant (pictured) and Black Pleasant Pheasant. PRICE: £29.99 WEBSITE: www.ernieball.co.uk 2 FENDER VEGAN LEATHER Ethics shouldn’t mean you’re resigned to suspending your guitar from a limited number of options. Thankfully, non-animal-based products are becoming a lot more common and affordable, and Fender’s offering looks and feels like soft, broken-in leather, so you can enjoy the same comfort, guilt-free. It uses a traditional ladder-tail adjustment and comes…

Carlos Alomar He’s the guitarist whose grooves underpinned David Bowie’s funkiest albums. We joined him to recall classic sessions and more p48 Sizing Amps Up Nev Marten examines how big and powerful you really need an amp to be these days, with bluesman Aynsley Lister on p42 Flying High Named after a famous jet of the 1960s, Thorpy FX’s Electric LIghtning is certainly high performance – we find out more over on p102…

While technically different as far as actual body outline and headstock goes, this guitar makes us all think ‘Gibson SG’, doesn’t it? Back in the day, it was the shape of the second wave of solidbodies that Guild unveiled in 1970 after entering that market quite late, in 1963. Later in the 70s came a much more original and adventurous design, but it’s this SG-style version that’s been a part of the Newark St Collection as the S-100 Polara since Fender introduced them in 2013; Guild was purchased by Córdoba Music Group in 2014 and, as of 2023, it’s now owned by Yamaha. Back in 2023, legendary grunge guitarist Kim Thayil shone some welcome light on the S-100 with a very limited USA-made model and a still-current Newark St version.…

WISHLIST Gibson Custom Shop 1965 Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-String Reissue Gibson Custom Shop 1965 Non-Reverse Firebird V 12-String Reissue £5,299 Gibson PHONE +44 00800 44427661 WEB www.gibson.com There are certain guitars we tell ourselves we definitely must get one day, but somehow it never quite happens. At the top of that list for many sits the electric 12-string. When would we use it? Wouldn’t the money be better spent on an amp upgrade, a top-line acoustic, or perhaps the latest modelling system? While obvious 12-string contenders would be one of Rickenbacker’s Beatles, Byrds or Petty-inspired models, and Fender’s hockey stick headstock Electric XII, we reckon if anything could coax the moths from your wallet it’s this magnificent beast from Gibson. Based on Kalamazoo’s unbelievably cool non-reverse Firebird from 1965 it…

CONFESSIONS OF A LUTHIER The beauty of woodworking is that it can be a little more than a quiet afternoon spent delicately carving, the sound of silence broken only by the soft *zzzzip* of a sharp chisel undulating through the wood grain. The reality in my workshop, however, is that this illusion of meditative ambience is frequently shattered by the sudden clunking of machinery and screech of spinning motors as high-speed routers and powered sanders are fired up. The opportunity came this month, finally, to break away from the drone of power tools and expand into a nearby studio to set up a machine room, separating the noisy stuff from the quiet intimacy of hand tools. Luckily, this coincided with work experience week, and my unsuspecting student Finn – who…

STAR LETTER MOD THAT ROCKER! Your Strat Anniversary issue (511), plus the frequent readers’ self-build letters, prompted me to write. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only guitarist to hark back to their first proper instrument and wish they still had it about, but my first guitar was a Korean Squier Strat. It was bought for the grand sum of £150 and paid for by washing restaurant dishes and mowing lawns. Over time, this instrument was replaced and added to, resulting in a home office full of mid-priced and not-so-mid-priced guitars, but none of them Strat-shaped. However, a glance in a pawnbroker’s window a year or so ago made me remember that first Strat. The one behind the glass was a Squier Affinity, with rusty strings and covered in dirt,…

Few guitarists will forget the first time they heard Clapton’s ecstatic playing on the track Hideaway from the Bluesbreakers’ ‘Beano’ album. The tone EC achieved on that record has become one of the classic archetypes for how an electric guitar should sound. His Les Paul is pushed hard, its voice a full-throated yet expressive song – with the dynamics to reveal the nuance of every phrase – but enough sustaining compression to really take flight when Eric lets rip. The basics of how he got that sound, in terms of gear, are known. The guitar used was, of course, the ‘Beano ’Burst’ whose current whereabouts are unknown (though widely speculated upon). Stuart Robson of Sunbear Pickups, a tone archivist by trade, fills in some of the other details of the…

CHAPMAN LAW MAKER LEGACY £1,099 CONTACT Chapman Guitars WEB www.chapmanguitars.co.uk What You Need To Know 1 Chapman – aren’t they just metal guitars for YouTubers? That’s certainly been a pigeonhole Chapman has been stuffed into since it began making guitars back in 2009. But more recently the company has significantly broadened its style and range. 2 Is India becoming the new China for guitar making? No. While Chapman’s new guitars are made in India as we explain, Trev Wilkinson who consults for the factory, Harmony Musical Instruments (HMI), believes it is the only production electric guitar factory in India. 3 It looks expensive… HMI did produce some lower-end Squier and Jackson guitars some years ago, but there’s nothing ‘cheap’ about the guitars the facility builds today. It also makes the…

BLUEPRINT: ThorpyFX Electric Lightning When it comes to the story of the ThorpyFX Electric Lightning, perhaps the strangest aspect is that it didn’t happen sooner. Having watched the rise of his good friend Chris Buck in Cardinal Black, while gathering plaudits for his own Brackley-based pedal operation, Adrian Thorpe finally popped the question during lockdown. “I think I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I’d love to make something for Chris,” says the affable designer (and former major in the British Army). “So it was just a conversation we had a few years ago. Like, ‘I know your pedalboard changes all the time, but I want to make something for you that’s absolutely exemplary – what can we do?’” Launched earlier this year, the resulting valve-based…

The MOD SQUAD Chances are you’ll own – or certainly have owned – a good ol’ Fender Telecaster or two. To be fair to Mr Fender, Teles weren’t designed to be easy to modify: a simple pickup change means removing that bridge plate, and the compact control cavity is not exactly spacious if you plan to add another control or something like a boost, which might need a battery. And while plenty of us are perfectly comfortable with the Tele’s standard ‘modern’ circuit, which is made up of master volume and tone controls, and the bridge, both, neck pickup selections from the three-way lever switch, it’s certainly not the only way to wire up and drive your Tele. For example, back in issue 464 I ended up installing the original…

Vintage Icons “Philip Kubicki was Roger Rossmeisl’s apprentice at Fender R&D and he was behind several guitars that became iconic. Roger was more involved in Fender’s archtops and also the Thinline Telecaster, but Philip was the person who built George Harrison’s rosewood Tele and the rosewood Strat for Hendrix. He was also responsible for the pink Paisley and blue floral Teles. Fender didn’t keep particularly good records, but it’s estimated around 75 of each were made. “These models were incredible creations from such an interesting time in guitar-making history. The analogy I’d use is that in the US in the 1960s, horsepower in cars was a really big deal, but the government was already stepping in with emissions regulations. After 1970, the horsepower started to decrease so they started putting…

GADGETS & ACCESSORIES 1 DUNLOP STRING LAB NICKEL WOUND As well as making picks and more than a few iconic pedals, Jim Dunlop has over 50 years under its string-making belt. Its Nickel Wound series offers a straightforward, reliable string set boasting “crisp highs, aggressive mids and focused low-end” that works well for a range of styles. They start with gauges as light as 0.007 to 0.038 and extend to heavy 0.013 to 0.056, with plenty of custom gauge options in between. PRICE: £8.99 WEBSITE: www.jimdunlop.com 2 ROTOSOUND PURE NICKELS Some people like nouvelle cuisine, others prefer classic; Rotosound’s Pure Nickels are the tonal equivalent of a Sunday roast. Designed to deliver a warm, vintage sound that will play well with bright pickups, they offer an old-school response and durable…

GADGETS & ACCESSORIES 1 DUNLOP TRIGGER CAPO For quick placement, position shifts and removal on the fly, Dunlop’s Trigger capo is hard to beat. Simply squeeze it, clamp it in place and you’re now transposed and ready to play Wonderwall. It’s made of lightweight yet sturdy aircraft-grade aluminium so it’ll stand up to the rigours of gigging, and the integrated padding will protect your guitar. Get it in a number of finishes for electric and steel/nylon-string acoustic. PRICE: £19.99 WEBSITE: www.jimdunlop.com 2 KYSER QUICK-CHANGE CAPO As Kyser puts it, the Quick-Change capo is designed to “stay put, so you don’t have to”. It’s made in Texas and comes with a lifetime guarantee – we can’t say fairer than that. Based on a one-hand trigger design, you can get the capo…

1 ORANGE CREST EDITION MKII Orange’s Crest Edition MKII are a great all-round option for wireless headphones on the go. Not only do they look and sound great, but thanks to a built-in mic you can also make calls while wearing them. There are touch controls for playback, Apple Siri and Google Assistant integration so you can control your device with voice commands, a 3.5mm audio jack, and the internal battery lasts for 40 hours. PRICE: £95 WEBSITE: www.orangeamps.com 2 MARSHALL MAJOR IV Bluetooth headphones don’t necessarily need to make you resemble a Teletubby, and Marshall’s Major IV strike a great balance between style, performance and comfort at a pretty affordable price. These on-ear models are the perfect accompaniment for your music listening, with up to 80 hours per charge,…

If you’re a cyclist, you probably know how to change a wheel or maintain your brakes. Similarly, most car drivers know how to top up their washer fluid or check tyre pressure. That’s why we have always found it astonishing that guitar players can pursue their studies to degree level and beyond in preparation for a professional career yet few courses include a module on routine guitar maintenance. All that arcane music theory and dazzling technique isn’t going to do you much good when it’s five minutes until show time and you can’t get a signal out of your guitar. And it’s not just about crisis resolution. Like all musical instruments, guitars need regular tweaks in order to sound their best and play perfectly. Leave fretwork, headstock repairs, nut adjustments…

1 IBANEZ POWERPAD IAB541 After an affordable, good-looking case for your strummer? Ibanez’s PowerPad range features electric and acoustic options, and comes out swinging way above its price tag with great protection and visuals to match in six two-tone colour options. It features 15mm padding on the bottom and side walls, and an internal belt straps your guitar in securely. Shoulder straps and dual carry handles make transporting it easy. PRICE: £44.99 WEBSITE: www.ibanez.com 2 TGI EXTREME 4830 If you’re casing a few guitars, things can start adding up. TGI’s 4830 strikes a balance between protection and wallet-saving prices. It’s lined with 20mm padding throughout, and the exterior promises durable performance. The handle is padded, the back straps are concealable, and the large storage pocket features a reflective trim. If…

It’s amazing how much information just drifts past us in everyday life. For example, how many times have you heard the phrase ‘full-grain leather’ in association with high-end goods? Probably quite a few. But do you know what it means? And why might you want leather that’s worn close to the skin to be vegetable-dyed instead of chrome-dyed like most commercial leather? These sorts of questions are music to the ears of Rod Boyes, owner of Pinegrove Leather, because he spends his days thinking about little else. Based in Church Stretton in Shropshire, Pinegrove makes some of the most tactile, supple and stylish straps you can find anywhere, so we joined him to find out why ‘how’s it hanging?’ is a more important question than you might think. Looking at…

FIRST PLAYELECTRO-HARMONIX LPB-3 Electro-Harmonix is no stranger to revisiting its original designs such as all the different variations of Big Muff that we see in its roster. But this latest really takes the biscuit in terms of longevity: the LPB-3 is a direct descendent of the LPB-1, the company’s first product way back in 1968. LPB stands for Linear Power Booster and the original wasn’t a pedal; it was a small box that plugged directly into your amp. While there have been other LPB models, including an LPB-1 pedal, which is still current, the LPB-3 goes beyond the role of being a simple boost by adding powerful active EQ. The new pedal is capable of 33dB maximum boost, set by two knobs working in conjunction. The Pre-Gain knob can adjust…

Gordon Smith GS1 Guitar-X £1,699 CONTACT Gordon Smith PHONE +44 1933 391234 WEB www.guitar-x.com JARGON CRUNCHING Guitar-X If you’re wondering if you can get the Guitar-X system fitted to your existing guitar, the answer for now is no. The system is designed with a large routed cavity in the guitar’s body, meaning it’s currently only offered on Guitar-X-compatible designs from Cream T, Maybach, Relish and Newman. Wait, Gordon Smith? The GS1 has been around for years! Then we applaud you for recognising one of the best UK-made guitar brands that we’ve featured in these pages. In fact, so revered are Gordon Smith guitars, that the brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. So this is an anniversary model with a new badge or something? It’s so much more than…

Artist: Parlor Greens Album: In Green/We Dream (Colemine Records) Pull up a barstool in any Seattle club and every night you’ll see a different incarnation of Jimmy Scratch James step onto the boards. Renowned for his sweet right hand and habit of shedding his skin, the benevolent soul man’s rhythm work has driven outfits spanning from the True Loves to the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. But as James admits, when his phone lit up with an invite to join GA-20 drummer Tim Carman and organ virtuoso Adam Scone in new power trio Parlor Greens, he “had no idea what was going to happen” on debut album, In Green/We Dream. How did the Parlor Greens project start? “I got a call from Tim and Terry Cole [Colemine Records label boss], saying,…

RAISING THE TONE Now, obviously that’s about as rhetorical a question as one can ask when it comes to resolving such an issue. So much of it comes down to personal taste, as what’s right for one style of player or music genre, clearly isn’t the be-all and end-all for others. But considering that our readership falls in the broadly ‘blues, rock and pop’ category, I’m going to work with this as my yardstick. When I started gigging back in the 1970s I had access to two great amps. One was my friend’s 1963 Vox AC30, and the other my own Fender Dual Showman head, plus 2x15 JBL cabinet. At the time I had a late 50s/early 60s Strat and a 1967 Gibson ES-335. Other than the Vox’s vibrato channel…

ROBERT JOHNSON King Of The Delta Blues Singers (1961) Released more than 20 years after his passing, Johnson’s small but extraordinary recorded output had a huge impact on the fledgling blues scene in Britain. The mystique surrounding the Johnson legend ticked all the boxes for a new generation of blues fans. Essential listening. STANDOUT TRACK: Terraplane Blues MUDDY WATERS Live in 1958 (1993) Although released decades later, this is the only known recording of Waters and the Chris Barber band from the groundbreaking tour of 1958 – also featuring Muddy’s regular pianist Otis Spann, an important bluesman in his own right. One can only imagine the effect this tour had on the young Jagger, Richards and Clapton who witnessed it. STANDOUT TRACK: Hoochie Coochie Man BIG BILL BROONZY The Bill…

Not for the first time, part of this story starts with the legendary guitar hardware designer Trev Wilkinson. Just before Covid, Trev had shown us some DIY guitar kits that were a serious level up from the cheapos that seem to flood the market. It turns out they were being made in India by Harmony Musical Instruments (not to be confused with the Harmony guitar brand) and proved hugely impressive in their quality and detail. “I’d been at the NAMM Show,” remembers Trev, who was actually hard at work at the Indian factory when we called, “and Harmony’s CEO, Shankar Swamy, and [works manager] Pushpalingam Chithirai put a Fender-style neck in my hands and it was the best proper Fender-style neck I’d seen outside of the Fender Custom Shop. This…

“Unlike with many new-to-me guitars, I haven’t thought once about any modding here” It’s rather hard to think of purposely aged guitars such as this as ‘new’. After some months of using it, it’s not even new-to-me any more and just seems part of my gigging furniture. But while it initially struggled to find its space in the first team, it’s been earning its inclusion as a very viable standard-tuned slide guitar. To be honest, that was unplanned, but in an effort to add slide to more songs in our far-reaching set I found myself returning to where I started: playing slide in standard tuning before I realised most slide players used open tunings. If there’s blame involved it’s down to Mick Taylor. Not our old editor, but the Rolling…

Slash N’ Burn Tutor Richard Barrett | Gear used Knaggs SSC, Keeley Boss SD-1 & Vox AC15 C1 Difficulty | 15 mins per example SAUL HUDSON came to prominence during the mid to late 1980s, an era when pointy headstocks, locking vibratos and refrigerator-sized effect racks were the choice of just about every guitar player – even Jimmy Page had been photographed playing a Charvel! Conversely, Slash was toting a Les Paul plugged into a Marshall with minimal effects. This traditional approach was also reflected in his playing, which contained strong blues and country elements, quite different from the high-gain shredders who were dominating MTV and the like. Whether he realised it or not, Slash was heralding a return to more traditional values, which have lost none of their relevance…

The basics of restringing guitars are known to every guitar player, but there are pro tricks that can ease the process and stabilise tuning. The only tools needed are a wire cutter to trim excess string length and a peg winder to speed things up. 1 FENDER POSTS The Kluson-style tuners used on vintage Fenders and many replicas are perhaps the easiest to use. The post top is notched and there’s a hole drilled down through the centre. Push the cut end into the post, bend it over so it exits the notch, and start tuning because the string is firmly secured. If the headstock only has a string tree for the B and E strings, you may notice that the open D and G strings don’t ring cleanly. This…

1 D’ADDARIO PLANET WAVES ECLIPSE If all you want to do is tune your guitar accurately, the Eclipse tuner from Planet Waves is a gigbag must-have. It’s simple but effective, with a bright full-colour display that swivels on two axes. It’s compact, the auto-off power function means you won’t waste battery life by accident, you can recalibrate reference pitch easily, and it comes in a choice of six colours. At this price, you can have one for every guitar! PRICE: £13.50 WEBSITE: www.daddario.com 2 KORG PC-2 PITCHCLIP Stealth is the name of the Pitchclip’s game. Starting with the compact dimensions (52mm by 24mm by 34mm) and 18g weight, it clips on your headstock and you can forget it’s there until you need it. The display rotates and you can flip…

GADGETS & ACCESSORIES 1 ERNIE BALL FLEX INSTRUMENT CABLE Ernie Ball’s Flex series of instrument cables are designed to be a gigging guitarist’s workhorse connector. They’re wrapped in strong PVC and are built to eliminate noise from external interference. As well as this, they live up to their name with an extra-flexible build, making them easier to coil up properly. Once you do, you can use the included hook-and-loop tie to keep things neat for next time. Our example glows in the dark, and the range offers the choice of another six colours. PRICE: £18.99 WEBSITE: www.ernieball.com 2 FENDER GEORGE HARRISON ROCKY CABLE Here comes the strum! Fender pays homage to the late, great Fab Four member with a woven outer shielding based on the same psychedelic colour scheme (day-glo…