Innehållsförteckning för October 2017 från Total Guitar

When you’re attempting to get better, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of things you want to improve about your playing. It’s not helped by the fact that social media gives us instant access to millions of guitar players who all seem to have every area of their playing refined to perfection. But playing the guitar – or any instrument – isn’t, and shouldn’t be about creating a shopping list of skills. For this month’s cover feature, we want to help to try and cut through some of the noise and focus on the areas of your playing that really count. Of course, this will be down to your preferences and what you want to achieve as a player, but with our guide, you’ll be…

1 “I’ve always been drawn to Explorer-shape guitars. I had a couple when I was younger: a Jackson Warrior that was more spiky, and as I got older I got a Gibson Explorer and I loved it – how it sat and felt, the tone and everything about it. I was obsessed with Metallica and James Hetfield would always play an Explorer shape. I thought he looked cool, so I’ve always had an attraction to them.” 2 “I decided to go for the [84T-LM humbucker and P-94] pickup combination because it’s the same as the Les Paul Custom I have with Epiphone. With Bring Me The Horizon, I play a lot of full-on, heavy stuff, but then I also need a really nice clean sound, so I’ve always liked the…

If there’s one blues rock guitarist leaving everyone else in the dust right now it’s Eric Gales. Even Joe Bonamassa has gone as far to describe the Memphis maverick as, “one of the best, if not the best guitar player in the world”. There’s no shortage of high praise from other guitar heroes too, including Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro and Mark Tremonti. His latest full-length album, Middle Of The Road, will inevitably be considered one of the quintessential guitar albums of this year. So, with plenty of wind in the sails, he talks TG through the tools of his trade. And if you want to see it all in action for yourself – Eric’s coming back again to the UK and Ireland later in October… GUITARS MAGNETO SONNET RAW DOGG…

The song that ‘launched’ Bowie’s superstar career was first released in February 1969, just 10 days before NASA put a man on the moon. After an almost immediate split with his first record company, Bowie re-recorded the song with a host of top-flight session musicians (including Rick Wakeman, later of Yes) and it was re-released in July the same year. Interestingly, BBC airplay was delayed until the Apollo 11 crew had returned safely to Earth. Although this track is drenched in the effects of its day, it also sounds great on just acoustic guitar. There are quite a few chords to learn but most of these are easy open chords. The two guitar solos should present no problems, apart from the nippy lick in Example 4, bar 2. If you…

GOING BUGG TO BASICS Jake Bugg to play acoustic tour in support of his new album You’ve got to go there to come back, as Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones once advised. And it seems as though fellow songwriter Jake Bugg is doing just that on album number four by embracing his acoustic roots in the studio and on stage. He set off for Nashville without a single guitar to track Hearts That Strain but as he tells Acoustic magazine in their latest issue, a vintage Martin 00018 soon caught his ear in the Music City. “It was an instrument I couldn’t put down,” he marvels. But due to the CITES restrictions on shipping Brazilian rosewood, it’s currently still in the States. “The regulations are pretty complex and strict, so I really…

This arrangement of Layla is based on Eric’s 1992 MTV Unplugged recording. Gone are the soaring electric blues-rock riffs and Duane Allman’s slide solo. With its swing feel, the acoustic Unplugged performance has an almost jazzy vibe. The rhythm playing is tricky. It sounds off-the-cuff and for those unaccustomed to holding down chords on an acoustic for a prolonged period, it may take time to build up the strength required to recreate Eric’s slick delivery. The solo is very melodic and Eric makes great use of the lovely tone of his Martin 000-42 acoustic guitar. The slight bend on the F note in the doublestop in bar 55 is a classic blues trick, as are the sliding diads in bars 57 and 58. There are several position shifts to navigate,…

“THE AESTHETIC IS FAR MORE SKYNYRD THAN SLAYER” 1 TONE CONTROL With all the tonal options at your fingertips, the tone control on this guitar becomes a great tool for rolling off the edge to taste. It’s effective in its sensitivity and if you want to get jazzy, you’ll need to roll back 2 COIL SPLITTING The coil splitting on the bridge and middle positions is activated by the middle volume controls and on the bridge humbucker especially could act as an effective onboard boost – eg thinner and edgier on the verse for cowboy chords then kicking in for a full-bodied gainier attack with powerchords on the chorus 3 NECK The neck profile is a 1959-style rounded C and feels instantly comfortable and not too clubby, though the glossy…

“WITH BRIGHT MIDS IT’S A NATURAL VOICE FOR FOLK” 1 ARCHBACK  As part of the Westerly Archback Series, this slightly convex shape to the mahogany laminate at the back of the guitar is said to aide projection 2 PICKUP  DeArmond’s Tone Boss pickup is the Guild-owned brand’s first new product this century available in three different trim colours. We like the way this one ties in with the tortoiseshell pickguard, really helping to make the Tone Boss look like it belongs on this guitar 3 STRAP BUTTON  The guitar only comes with a lower strap button so if you want to use it with a strap and not attach it old-style where the neck meets the headstock you’ll need to source one and get it fitted yourself Guild’s new Troubadour…

CHRIS BIRD Tasked with designing this month’s cover feature, Chris dropped TG’s shred guru Charlie Griffiths a line for assistance. Shoot over to p46 where you’ll find tips, tricks and fun musical examples to help you fine-tune your playing, from rhythm, timing and soloing techniques to developing your ear for music and designing your own practice plan. MICHAEL ASTLEY-BROWN Mike took some time off this issue to make a grunge pilgrimage to Seattle. Before he left, he found time to put together a killer list of gear for this issue, including a TG test of well-stocked gigging electrics. “I wanted to find four guitars that you could use for any situation” he beams. Check it out on p age 98. ROB LAING Rob’s very own guitar workout this month has…

THE DARKNESS PINEWOOD SMILE The Darkness were a wonderful anomaly when they blew up like a catsuited firework in 2003 and brought the sound of a cranked Marshall back into the charts for an equally bewildered and delighted mainstream. Their post-reunion era, however, has found them in a place where they might be somewhat under-appreciated. Times have changed but the Hawkins brothers haven’t and they are still utterly committed to the delivery of rock. There’s a punk spirit to the way Pinewood Smile makes no apologies. Solid Gold’s classic riff strut sums that up in tongue-in-cheek splendour (‘And we’re never gonna stop / shitting out solid gold’). And we can’t think of another band who would channel their rage at uncomfortable commutes to the recording studio like the hilariously fierce…

GET THE TONE #1 THE LAST HURRAH The version of Get Back immortalised by the iconic rooftop concert from 30 January 1969 was the last song of The Beatles’ final public performance. Since the White Album, John and George had favoured Fender amplifiers, using a mix of Deluxe and Twin reverbs. Because the amps share the same preamp circuit, their sounds are practically identical. Note the soft drive and deep reverb. GET THE TONE Reverb approx 500ms GET THE TONE #2 TRUTH TELLER Jonny Lang has probably used most of the amplifiers we dream of, but the bluesman tends to stick with a pair of Deluxe Reverbs, which are pushed hard in the solo of his most famous hit, Lie To Me. Lang often used Telecasters but these days he…

Heavy and articulate, Dean DeLeo’s sound on Core has a unique quality that is thick, but with definition. His 1978 Les Paul Standard would see a lot of use in tracking and his limited collection at the time was bolstered by O’Brien’s treasure trove, including a Tele, Strat, Gibson 335 and 330. Effects were light, but Dean’s Rocktron Intelliverb can be heard particularly on Plush; on the amp side, Dean had done his prep to find exactly what he needed. The all-tube three-channel Demeter TGP-3 preamp he used through a VHT Classic Stereo power amp is still in his rig to this day. “Robert was working at a place called Lab Sound on Sunset [Blvd], Gardner [street junction],” recalls Dean. “It meant I had the luxury of trying a lot…

This month’s soulful backing track has a distinctly funky edge and is in the style of The Godfather Of Soul James Brown and Motown tracks like Respect by Aretha Franklin. The main section uses a I-IV-V chord progression (C9-F9-G9) in the key of C, with just one other chord (Dm7) added in to the mix. There’s loads of space on the backing track for you to jam some rhythm ideas. Simply follow the chord chart across the page. When soloing, the C major pentatonic or C blues scales work a treat. They are also fairly easy to remember and fall under the fingers nicely. For more advanced licks, you could try the Mixolydian mode. Play through the scale shapes and use them as the basis for your own ideas. Listen…

One of the original Texas bluesmen, by the age of 18, Albert Collins had discovered the cutting sound he wanted to achieve was most easily coaxed from the Fender Telecaster. This was originally the single pickup Esquire variant (which was cheaper), before moving to the Telecaster Custom for the rest of his career. Albert’s playing style was unusual as he preferred to use an open F minor tuning (low to high: F C F Ab C F) usually with a capo placed around the 5th to 7th frets – depending on the key signature. This led to a distinctive choice of notes that might not fall under the fingers as instinctively in the guitar’s standard tuning but can be emulated once you are familiar with Albert’s phrasing. For convenience, we’ve…

“The biggest leap is trusting myself to carry songs as a singer and not rely on production” It’s strange to hear an artist with a decade-long career behind him say he’s only just found his niche, but for Newton Faulkner, his new album represents a renaissance born not from fancy production or following trends, but stripping things back to the core. This is the overarching theme on Newton’s sixth album, Hit The Ground Running. The essence of his sound has always been him and his Nick Benjamin-built guitars – he now owns seven – but looking back over his previous albums, he realised that his vocals were unintentionally taking a back seat to production. “This time, I just wanted to do what I was good at,” he says. “If you…

Welcome to the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome*) Station! Every issue, TG scours the market for the hottest new gear and brings you transparent reviews that you can trust. From the smallest of accessories that make your life easier, to big investments, such as brand new guitars, amps and effects pedals – if it’s worth your attention, you’ll find it here! HOW WE TEST CURATION Our product selection is driven by our love of gear. We select the most exciting products on the market every month to bring you opinions you can trust. FACE-VALUE REVIEWS We’re not gear snobs here at Total Guitar. We judge it on whether it looks good, sounds good and plays well – not by the name on the headstock. NO SNAKE OIL You won’t find us…

GUILD T-BIRD An eye-catching shape with retro charms and interesting switching options like the low-cut tone capacitor that sucks the bottom end out of the circuit for more of a single-coil vibe. YAMAHA PACIFICA 611VFMX If you want the P-90 neck / humbucker bridge experience with coil-splitting but more of a traditional shape, look no further. See page 96 for the review FRET-KING ESPRIT FLUENCE The Fishman Fluence humbuckers each have their own dedicated preamps with active ‘multi voices’ via a push-pull switch to give versatility.…

“PERFECT FOR ACHIEVING VINTAGE VAN HALEN SOUNDS” 1 STRIPES  The EVH stripes in eye-catching black and gold mark this head out as something special 2 MIDI  In addition to using the four-button footswitch to change channels and toggle the effects loop, it accepts MIDI program change commands 3 DUAL CONCENTRIC KNOBS Dual-concentric knobs for channel 1 and 2 gains and master volumes adds flexibility for setting up ideal clean/crunch/ lead sounds Ever since the arrival of the 5150 III EL34 100-watt head, there have been requests for the same design in a more affordable format. EVH has listened and responded with the 5150 III 50W EL34. Featuring the same devastating tones and similar flexibility, the 50W has three channels: channel 1 (clean) and channel 2 (crunch) share the same EQ…

The good news is that you can’t go wrong. That said, players with a hankering for a classic tone would do well to go for the Stratocaster Deluxe. In Blizzard Pearl, it’s a stunning guitar, with its narrow tall frets, bent steel saddles in the bridge, and pickups all geared towards a heritage instrument feel and sound with the mod cons of a humbucker option. Maybe it lacks a little power for extreme metal but for classic metal crunch it’s a doozy. The Pacifica, with that gnarly, chewy SP90-1N single-coil tone in the neck and the alternating humbucker/single coil of the tappable Custom 5 bridge pickup, might be the one guitar here that plays the whole field; truly an all-purpose option, maybe the only thing it can’t do is cook…

The first song I remember… Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths “I used to sing it all the time in the playground at primary school. I became a big Smiths fan. Johnny Marr’s guitar playing was very special, the movement in it, the melody of his picking against his chord structures, brilliant stuff, and there was something about the sadness in it that drew me in. I’ve no idea why, but it turns out that melancholy and music seemed to suit me quite well.” The song that inspired me to write… Losing My Religion– R.E.M. “I think I was playing before that came out but something about that song made me realise there’s more going on than at first appears; something underneath that you…

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN How dominant 7th chords relate to other chords How to construct a dominant 7th chord Play a progression using three dominant 7th chords Over the last two months we’ve been looking at major and minor 7th chords, so now we move on to the tense, bluesy-sounding ‘dominant’ style 7th. Like major 7th chords, dominant 7ths are a major chord with an extra note added. And, as with all chords, we’ll be using formulas to help you remember how each one is built. Whenever you look at how a chord or scale is constructed it is given a formula that compares it to the major scale. For example, the eight notes of the major scale are written as ‘1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8’ and…

INARA GEORGE (BIRD AND THE BEE) Bird And The Bee is Greg’s band, and Dave is a huge fan. That’s sort of how we wound up having Greg produce the record. When he first met Greg that was the context they met, he just saw him in a restaurant or something and went up to him and said, ‘Dude I love your band.’ I don’t even think he knew he was a producer, this was quite a few years ago. Then they became pals, and when Greg wound up producing the record the Inara thing came about through him. PAUL MCCARTNEY That was really fun, we tracked it in the room together. We only did a couple of takes and then put it together. And then he just wanted to…

1. MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE Intervals: 1 3 4 5 7 Hear it: AC/DC - Highway To Hell (solo) Well suited to blues and rock, the minor pentatonic scale sounds great and it’s easy to play. The shape can be a framework for many other minor scales too – just adding one or two new notes can change the sound, so experiment. Practise by playing up and down the notes one at a time. 2. MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE Intervals: 1 2 3 5 6 Hear it: The Temptations – My Girl (riff) Great for folk solos, or even rock and blues in major keys for an upbeat sound. The scale fits over a major chord thanks to some shared notes; ie the A, C# and E notes of an A chord…

We’re not joking either. If you learn 10 barre chords built upon one root note, then every semitone (one fret) step higher up (or lower down) the fretboard gives you 10 more chords in a new pitch. Read on as we look at some new shapes (or, if this is all new to you, turn to p26 where we show you how to get started with barre chords). We’ve provided an audio example of all of the chords so you can hear how they should sound. 1 C This is a commonly-used major barre chord shape. Move it up one fret for a C# chord; move down a fret for B etc. 2 CM A simple finger change to the major chord, this is a minor barre chord shape. Up…

Here we have four similar, but slightly different melodies. Have a listen to the audio track where the melodies are played one after the other and see if you can tell which order they are in. We’ve played each one up to speed and slowly so that you can pick up on the notes, the nuances and subtle differences in the techniques we’ve used. Once again, the answers are below so don’t look until you’ve had a go. EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3 EXAMPLE 4 Here is the tab for the four melody lines you’ll hear on the audio track. Take a close look at the notation and try to identify where we’ve used different notes. Examples 2 and 3 feature slides and hammer-ons, which may help give them…

This classic tune from Guns N’ Roses hugely successful debut studio album Appetite For Destruction contains some great rock ’n’ roll moments, including cracking wah playing. If you don’t own a wah pedal, it’s not the end of the world, as we’ve tabbed the main guitar, which for the most part doesn’t use one until the solo. There are layered guitars throughout this track, often playing the same part, but using tonal variations to create a huge wall of sound. The solo was made from three separate takes, each with a different tone. Much use is made of bends, hammer-ons and pull-offs in Mr Brownstone. As with any new licks you learn, make sure that you add them to your own playing – after all, Slash assimilated many ideas from…

“I’ve increased my string gauges and it sounds great. I’m tuned very low; my sixth string is a C. I’ve got a baritone that’s down in A, and at one point I was just using strings that you get over the counter and it was getting a bit rattly. We went up to 75s and its crazy string gauges; wound B-strings. The way that the pickup and the mic reacts to that is such a good sound. I now have a completely custom-gauge sets of strings which, to be honest, is a pain in the arse! I have to have a database for what strings are on what guitar, like an Excel spreadsheet.”…

1 FENDER NEWPORT BLUETOOTH SPEAKER Fender has waded into Bluetooth-streaming waters with this classy-looking portable speaker. The Newport channels Fender’s classic silverface amp look with metal grille and volume, bass and treble knobs, plus a blue LED amp jewel light. Twelve hours of juice is on offer; the speaker delivers 30W output from two full-range drivers matched to a tweeter. There’s support for aptX and AAC audio signals, an aux input, full telephony and echo cancellation. And there’s even a USB port. (£189, www.fender.com ) 2 LAURA ZABO TYRE GUITAR STRAP If you want a new look for your guitar – and one that’s eco-conscious to boot – you’ll be interested in these chic guitar straps made from old bicycle tyres. Crafted by London-based eco-designer Laura Zabo,…

On the back of this Explorer is a mysterious looking backplate – what’s in there? It’s another pickup that’s located under the pickguard and in between the P-94 and humbucker. What kind of sorcery is this?! Don’t fret, this is a ‘dummy coil’, a coil of wire that can be combined with another pickup, helping to cut hum – in this case the P-94. It certainly seemed effective in our testing with a Laney stack and helps Lee deal with the challenges of world tours. “We’ve played certain countries and the power hums through the rig, no matter what you do,” he tells us. “Sometimes when I’d switch to just the P-94 on its own, or the middle position I used to get a bit of a hum from the…

Okay, we know, a filter pedal sounds about as exciting as a tuner, but bear with us. While it’s certainly a luxury pedal to have on a board, a filter or auto-wah isn’t a one-trick pony for cheesy wah waka-waka sounds, although those are naturally at your disposal. Rather, it can create exciting dynamic effects and add a unique timbre to solos and lead lines by responding articulately to your picking dynamics. Depending on the pedal, it may even have a blend so that you can make the effect more subtle. It could even also give you space, depending on how you use a wah pedal, by replacing that larger unit on your board. Let’s dive in... MAXON AF-9 £145 AUTO FILTER FIL(TER) YER BOOTS Although it has a number…