Innehållsförteckning för June 2021 från Total Guitar

On October 6th, 2020, the world lost a legend of the guitar. I’m talking of course about one Edward Lodewijk Van Halen – a player whose influence extends far, far beyond just the fans of the band he happened to play in. Eddie invented a new language of rock guitar. It’s almost churlish to talk about his tapping technique, whammy bar divebombs, his trademark ‘brown sound’ and so on – Eddie’s playing was greater than the sum of its groundbreaking parts! Of course, Van Halen’s heyday was back in the 80s, but that influence is still felt by a generation of young rock and metal guitarists today. So this issue we’ve spoken to Yvette Young, Tyler Bryant, Plini, Nili Brosh, Periphery’s Mark Holcomb, and many more, all of who were…

String bending is probably the electric guitar’s most important and unique sound. Acoustic strings are generally too heavy to bend, so early rock ’n’ rollers like Chuck Berry used banjo strings until thin enough guitar strings were invented. The sound of bent strings became essential to blues, rock, and almost every electric guitar style since. If you’re new to this technique, focus on bending in tune and using your wrist to power the bending motion. It is possible to bend by pushing with your fingers, but your wrist will give more strength and control. To check you’re in tune, you can play a ‘unison bend’, as featured in both example licks. Play two notes at once and bend the lower string until it sounds the same as the higher one.…

The now 65-year-old Eurovision Song Contest is as divisive as it is glitzy. The biggest party in pop for its fans, a guilty pleasure for some, and the worst thing to happen to music for others! Wherever you find yourself on this spectrum, remember that Eurovision has at its core a simple musical challenge: to make music that’s immediately accessible, yet individual enough to stand out from the crowd. And that means there’s plenty for us guitarists to learn. Here, with the help of TG luminaries Dr Joe Bennett and Simon Troup, who have collected and analysed vast amounts of Eurovision data, music theorist and Eurovision blogger Milton Mermikides explores the lessons Eurovision teaches us about making music and looks at the contest’s more memorable guitar moments. We’ll start with…

His father was one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived, and now Wolfgang Van Halen is carrying that famous name forward. In a revealing interview, he discusses the creation of his new album Mammoth WVH – on which he played all instruments, including Eddie’s iconic Frankenstein. He recalls what he learnt as a boy from the best player on the planet, and the fun they had performing together in Van Halen. But as he tells TG: “I THINK IT’S UNFAIR TO HOLD ME AT THE SAME LEVEL AS MY DAD. I’M JUST BEING MYSELF...” With the album completed, Wolf has told Twitter “It’s important I forge my own path,” but that doesn’t mean distancing himself from his father. His band name and album title, Mammoth WVH, is a nod…

WEEZER’S JOURNEY BACK TO THE STADIUM OF 80S ROCK IS AFFECTIONATE AND GREAT FUN Led by singer/ guitarist Rivers Cuomo, alt-rockers Weezer first made their mark with their 1994 self-titled album and college radio hits such as Buddy Holly, Say It Ain’t So and, later, Island In The Sun. Theirs is a glossy, crunchy and highly listenable hybrid of pop and rock, with Cuomo a naturally talented performer and songsmith. And yet, for all their indie-cool, Weezer are an eclectic bunch. Their proud affection for the harder rock they grew up with is there in the fuzzy tones of 2002 LP Maladroit, and their irony-free versions of Toto’s Africa and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid on their 2019 covers album, titled simply Weezer but better known as ‘The Teal Album’. And while…

Limelight features on Rush’s 1981 album Moving Pictures – an essential album in the band’s back-catalogue, featuring classics like Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta and YYZ. As one of the band’s best known tracks, Limelight features some of guitarist Alex Lifeson’s most recognisable trademarks such as lush suspended chords and those signature open-string shapes. Lifeson has described the song’s solo as one of his favourites, and features some of his trademark melodic playing, peppered with Floyd Rose whammy bar vibrato and dive-bombed natural harmonics. Hint! These require a light touch when you come to them. The notes should sound pure with plenty of sustain. The song features four time signatures: 4/4, 3/4, 7/4 and 7/8. The first three of these have four, three and seven downbeats in each bar of music…

Some will say you need to look back to Pearl Jam’s early output for their most iconic material. We’ll let you make your own decision on that thorny subject, however, Just Breathe, the second single from 2009’s Backspacer album, marked a massive Stateside success for the Seattle grunge pioneers, subsequently becoming their only US platinum-certified song to date. Not that we care too much about that. More important than its commercial success, Just Breathe is simply a beautiful song, showcasing the emotive vocals and Travis picking talents of frontman Eddie Vedder. Typically, this fingerstyle approach is characterised by a constant alternating bassline played with the thumb, while melody notes are dealt with by the first and second fingers. If you’ve never attempted the technique, we advise practising the thumb-picked line…

Cort has been making guitars for many decades but mainly for other people. While many brands prefer not to admit the exact factory that makes their guitars, many do, like PRS who happily extol the virtues of their Indonesian partner in crafting their SE electrics. A few years back legendary British luthier Hugh Manson – who never minces his words when it comes to guitar construction – chose Cort to partner with for the rather good Matt Bellamy guitars. And slowly, not least with increased presence in the UK, Cort’s own-brand instruments are gaining rightful respect. Why? Well, if the name itself has little draw, it’s all about quality and price. This new-for-2021 “JUST AS RELEVANT FOR MODERN METALLERS AS COVERS BANDS” G300 Pro, for example, has the sort of…

STERLING BY MUSICMAN MARIPOSA This Sterling version of the high-end Music Man guitar is definitely worth a look with similar on-paper spec of roasted maple neck, dual humbuckers and classy vibrato. SCHECTER C-1 EXOTIC Another feature laden axe with roasted maple/ purpleheart neck with carbon fibre reinforcement rods, Wilkinson WVS50IIK vibrato, Schecter Diamond ’78 humbuckers and again 24 jumbo frets. CHARVEL PRO-MOD SO-CAL STYLE 2 24 HH 2PT CM This upscale Tele-inspired model packs in active Fishman Fluence Open Core humbuckers and plenty of tricky switching, too!…

A minor pentatonic scale This shape is every blues, pop, and rock guitarist’s number one scale, found at the heart of countless riffs and solos. Its ‘two notes on every string’ layout make it perfect for string bends too. Technically, you can bend any fretted note, but we’ve highlighted the easiest ones in green to help you get started. Numbers tell you which finger to use. Black dots are root notes. All others are red.…

When Steve Lukather talks guitar, you take a knee and listen. For over 40 years, the LA-born musician has been the one constant member of multi-platinum rockers Toto, and as a session player his unparalleled CV includes stints with an array of legendary artists including Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Michael Jackson. On Jackson’s masterpiece Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time, it was Eddie Van Halen who played the solo in Beat It, but Lukather who laid down the song’s signature riff. These days he is also a member of Ringo Starr’s All Star Band, and Ringo is just one of the friends appearing on his latest solo album, I Found The Sun Again. “I have to pinch myself,” he says. “Ringo’s a dear friend, we Facetime every…

2005 Wig Wam – In My Dreams (Norway) Finishing in a creditable ninth place, the 80s glam-metal style In My Dreams is a truly epic offering. 2006 Lordi – Hard Rock Hallelujah (Finland) With a legendary win in 2006, the GWAR-like metallers opened the door for Eurovision to embrace hard rock. 2007 Kabát – Malá Dáma (Czech Republic) Scoring only one point in the semi-final, Kabát’s track is probably just too good for Eurovision. 2008 Teräsbetoni – Missä Miehet Ratsastaa (Finland) The Finish power-metallers rocked up the 2008 contest, complete with Viljo Rantanen’s blazing solo. 2011 Alexander Rybak and Keep Of Kalessin – The Divine Land (interval performance) Folk-pop violin and melodic death metal seem an unlikely combination, but this remains one of the most…

In 1985, when Van Halen singer David Lee Roth quit the band, Eddie Van Halen was left facing the toughest challenge of his career. He was the most famous guitar player on the planet – the guy who had revolutionized the art of rock guitar in the late 70s, and had got the call from Michael Jackson to play the solo on his mega-hit Beat It from Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time. But with Diamond Dave gone, Eddie had to replace the seemingly irreplaceable, and reinvent the band that had defined American hard rock in the early 80s. For all Eddie’s brilliance as a guitarist, Roth had been his equal in Van Halen – a frontman whose good looks and larger-than-life persona were instrumental in elevating the…

The Magic Marshall Plexi Amp For the first eight albums, Ed relied on a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead. Speculation about its unique tone has never ceased – and EVH wasn’t keen on giving away his secrets. At one point he said it had been modified by Jose Arrendondo, but he later retracted this (though not before every guitarist in LA visited Arrendondo’s workshop). Amp guru John Suhr serviced it in the 90s. He said it was almost entirely stock, with minor variations from the Plexi schematic that were not unusual for Marshalls of the time. Dunlop Echoplex EP-3 Delay This tape unit gave 300ms of delay which, when run into the front of the amp with a single repeat, created the rhythmic echoes on 1978 single Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love.…

1 YVETTE YOUNG “HE DID WHAT HE DID BECAUSE HE NEEDED TO BE HIMSELF” Recent TG cover star Yvette Young is one of the most dazzling guitarists we’ve seen on the rise in recent years. Perhaps what connects her to Eddie Van Halen most is her sheer inventiveness with two-handed approaches, using open strings and altered tunings to bring her creative exploits to life in the most unusual of ways... How important was EVH’s role in the evolution of guitar playing? I always loved his attitude towards music. He was exploring the guitar and pushing the boundaries of both genre and instrument out of necessity and compulsion in order to realise what he heard in his head. He definitely expanded upon the vocabulary of guitar and really didn’t pay…

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…

BODY: Basswood with 6mm maple top NECK: Roasted maple, bolt-on SCALE: 25.5” (648mm) FINGERBOARD: Roasted maple/12-16” radius FRETS: 24, jumbo stainless steel PICKUPS: Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) and Jazz (neck) humbuckers CONTROLS: Master volume and tone, 5-way lever pickup selector switch HARDWARE: Cort CFA-III two-post six-saddle vibrato, Cort staggered-post rear locking tuners – chrome-plated FINISH: Vivid Burgundy metallic (as reviewed), Black CONTACT: 440 Distribution www.cortguitars.com…

If there’s anything Misha Mansoor is known for, it’s precision. The Periphery guitarist was at the very forefront of the tech-metal revolution – at the time commonly referred to as ‘djent’, a term which he himself helped coin – and stands today as one of the scene’s key figures. His 120-Watt Peavey Invective signature, introduced in 2018, was designed with the modern metal player in mind, but also proved itself more than capable of handling tones across the board. This mini-sized take on that head, however, feels just as impressive – perhaps even more so – repackaging a lot of the main features into a very small amount of space indeed. “ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE LUNCHBOX HEADS OUT THERE” Though the Clean channel doesn’t have its own overall volume,…

TYPE: Pitch-shifting delay pedal with modulation FEATURES: Multiple Bypass options (Buffered, Relay, DSP+FX or Kill dry), MIDI, 5 onboard presets, software editor, Dual-action Active Footswitch for latching or momentary CONTROLS: Mix/Tone, Pitch A/ Delay A, Pitch B/Delay B, Primary/Secondary Parameter LED button, Depth/Mod,Rate,Sens/Feedback, Pitch Mix/Out Level, Tap in seconds or BPM/Preset Select Mode LED Button, Active LED Button to switch between Active Footswitch and Momentary modes, Active and Tap footswitches. CONNECTIONS: Input 1/4” TRS / Mono Tip, Stereo Tip and Ring, Output 1 and 2 1/4” TS Mono / Mono, Expression pedal input 1/4” TRS, Aux Switch or MIDI I/O, Mini USB POWER: Included 9V DC adaptor, 200mA DIMENSIONS: 178 (w) x 121 (d) x 71mm (h) CONTACT: Eventide Audio, www.eventideaudio.com…

There’s nobody quite like Annie Clark. Since Marry Me, her striking 2007 debut as St. Vincent, she has captivated an ever-growing audience with her experimental, melodic blend of art rock, hip indie and electronica. An artist of rare integrity and vision, she reinvents herself for every record with a boldly individual and hyper-fashionable look; like Lady Gaga, like Bowie. This Bowie comparison comes up a lot, as cultural commentators seek shorthand for her broad, progressive range (Kate Bush is also predictably mentioned). Clark’s numerous accolades include the Grammy for Best Rock Song for the title track to 2017’s Masseduction, and she’s a real polymath, too. She’s a versatile, emotive vocalist, bassist, keyboardist and percussionist, and her approach to guitar is leftfield, imaginative and richly textured. Ernie Ball even invited her…

It is a mighty legacy that TG celebrates in this 33-page special, beginning with an in-depth interview with the legendary guitarist’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, in which he explains how he is carrying on the family business with a new album – and how it felt to have the best player in the world for a dad. In a flashback to the 80s, the inside story of Van Halen’s hit album 5150 is told by the man who co-produced it – Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. And in a track-by-track analysis, we reveal what made this album a game-changer for Eddie. Three classic EVH riffs are examined – Runnin’ With The Devil, Panama and the title track from 5150. Eddie’s main gear is detailed, and a timeline of influence is charted…

1966 Eric Clapton The young EVH used to slow down Cream albums on his record player to figure out Clapton’s solos note-for-note. 1969 Jimmy Page Seeing Page reach behind his fretting hand to bend strings on Heartbreakergave Eddie the idea to try tapping. 1978 Van Halen’s debut For rock guitarists, nothing would ever be the same again. 1982 Allan Holdsworth Van Halen called this Bradford-born genius ‘the best’. His alien legato inspired Eddie’s stretchiest licks, likeIce CreamManandBeatIt. 1984 The Early 80s LA Scene Every guitarist in Hollywood wanted to be Eddie. Dokken’s George Lynch and Ratt’s Warren DeMartini did it best. 1985 Bay Area Thrashers Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Testament all recognised Van Halen as the benchmark, and stole a whole pile of licks. 1986 Steve Vai Employed by…

Bob Marley’s ‘anthem of emancipation’ sees the reggae pioneer moving away from his roots and harnessing a folk sound more reminiscent of Bob Dylan. The track was released in 1980 as the twelfth cut from the Bob Marley And The Wailers’ Uprising album, and was performed on solo acoustic guitar – though a band version was later released. For Rockschool’s Grade One arrangement, the chords employ only the top four strings (with the exception of the final G chord). This is great for beginners starting to master open chord fingerings, with very little movement needed between each shape. Try to work through these in isolation before linking together, and listen out for the syncopated strumming (the strums that land in between the strong beats). Rockschool have offered some strumming patterns…

FENDER SQUIER AFFINITY SERIES STRATOCASTER HH A refresh to the Affinity line has brought new finishes and models. Alongside a new Tele Deluxe and single-coil Jazzmaster with tremolo, there’s this Stratocaster HH – but look at that finish! Charcoal Frost Metallic has been rarely seen outside Custom Shop models but here it is, on an ideal beginner, back-up or mod project guitar. The body is poplar, neck maple and fingerboard Indian laurel. £239, www.fender.com UNIVERSAL AUDIO UAFX GOLDEN, STARLIGHT AND ASTRA Universal Audio has entered the effects pedal market and its opening gambit is the impressive trio of the Starlight Echo Chamber, Golden Reverberator and Astra Modulation Machine They come at premium prices and there’s no MIDI connectivity but you get UA expertise in delivering modelling of classic studio analogue…

‘Roasted’, ‘caramelised’, ‘baked’ are all terms for wood that has been torrified, or thermally cured, a relatively new process of heat-treating wood to change its structure. Wood has to be dry before it can be used on any musical instrument, not just for stability but for sound too and instrument makers have long used a combined process of air-drying and kiln-drying to reduce the moisture content: the last thing you want is for your guitar neck and fingerboard to dry out or warp when the strings are on. Many believe torrified wood also emulates the time-aged wood of vintage instruments, not least when used for the top and bracing of an acoustic guitar. Oh, and it looks cool, too!…

Speed is a quality often sneered at as though public displays of Roman candle lead guitar were somehow immoral or lacking emotional complexity. But speed can be essential. Where would heavy metal be without an uptempo rhythm figure, or a helter-skelter solo? The Jackson brand was built for speed, and its high-performance ideals have matured to the point that its entry-level JS series includes guitars such as this. This is classic Jackson. The Dinky body is a familiar arch-topped take on the S-style, sporting more aggressive cutaways with chamfered edges, opening up the full fingerboard. The JS24 comes with a solid mahogany body and a caramelised maple neck and fingerboard – materials we don’t always see at this price. The neck profile is described as a “speed neck” and it’s…