Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Total Guitar

Orange’s Crush and Crush Pro have long delivered our favourite citrus flavour in affordable, solid-state packages, but now the UK legend has launched the Super Crush: an entirely new design that includes many improvements across the board. First off, its an entirely analogue signal path featuring a single-ended, two-channel JFET preamp, combined with a 100-watt Class A/B power section, aimed at mimicking the response and power of Orange’s Rockerverb. The clean channel is voiced to be bright, with plenty of headroom while the dirty channel offers four stages of gain, ranging from clean to “punishingly heavy”, plus a three-band EQ gives you plenty of tone-shaping options. Orange has also fitted its CabSim balanced XLR output, built-in reverb and a buffered FX loop. The Orange Super Crush is available as a…

You’ve described Dear Americaas a love letter, but it feels more complex than that... I call it a love letter because, at the end of the day, I have a lot of love for my home country. America, as the world knows, is a unique experiment, with a bloody history and lots of challenges. We’re trying to overcome ancient tendencies towards violent tribalism and suspicion and fear. Love is the antidote, love is the solution. What I really hope to do with this album is reach a lot of people and stimulate a conversation that’s truly uncomfortable and truly essential if we’re going to get past all of these conflicts. There’s an interesting looking guitar on the album cover – could you tell us about that? It’s featured on Whole…

Dave Keuning has not wasted any of his time away from the road. His debut solo album, A Mild Case of Everything arrived in June, with the new album from The Killers, Pressure Machine, following it in August. The two albums showcase different sides of Keuning’s talents. A Mild Case of Everything is an electric record with echoes of his 80s heroes Depeche Mode and The Cars. It developed from songs he wrote that ultimately didn’t work for The Killers. “It’s got a lot more shred guitar on it!” he smiles. “The response has been great from the people that have heard it.” Pressure Machine, meanwhile, is The Killers’ rootsiest album to date. The pandemic-enforced quietness gave the band space to develop delicate songs that would normally be buried amid…

Dave Murray used a ’57 Stratocaster fitted with humbuckers – a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and a PAF at the neck. Adrian Smith played an Ibanez Destroyer II DT-300. Amp-wise the pair used Marshall JCM800s, boosted with an Ibanez Tubescreamer and an MXR Distortion+ respectively. The ideal tone is a crunchy distortion that has a percussive attack for the palm mutes and a smooth sustain for the lead parts. By today’s standards Maiden’s distortion setting is only moderate, so resist the urge to dial in too much.…

HOW WE TEST 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! 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…

It’s been 21 years since Radiohead stunned the world with their fourth studio album Kid A – a deep-dive into the electronic unknown that saw Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien’s guitars taking more of a background role in their psychedelic lullabies. Its successor, Amnesiac, released the following year, was also recorded during the same 1999-2000 sessions, documenting yet more bold experimentations. And now, as both albums are reissued, there is a companion album, Kid Amnesiae, comprised of previously unreleased tracks from that period. The first taste of these unheard rarities arrived in September, originally penned under the working title of C-Minor Song before the group later settled on If You Say The Word. At the very heart of the track is an acoustic fingerpicked part which almost evaporates…

No, we haven’t cropped that photo. What you can see here is the Dullahan-FT 24: part of the latest electric lines from Harley Benton. Borrowing its name from Irish folklore, not only does this headless horseman come galloping out of the stable with some very specific 80s character, but it can be yours for a steal. The Dullahan comes in two versions: AT or FT, the former fitted with a mahogany body, flamed maple veneer top, maple neck and ebony fingerboard. Meanwhile the FT features an alder body, roasted maple neck and roasted maple fingerboard. Beyond the wood, both share identical features. First up is that Steinberger-inspired headless design, and moving down from there we get a Graph Tech TUSQ XL nut, pearled offset dot inlays, 24 stainless steel jumbo…

They are in one of the biggest bands in the world, but when Adrian Smith and Janick Gers talk about guitars, there’s not a trace of arrogance. Quite the opposite. Speaking to TG from their homes - Adrian in Buckinghamshire, Janick in the North East - they’re in buoyant mood about the new Iron Maiden album Senjutsu, the 17th studio set of the band’s storied career, and the sixth to feature the three-guitar line-up of Adrian, Janick and Dave Murray. But before they get into the fine detail of Senjutsu (the title loosely meaning ‘the art of war’ in Japanese), they both offer sound advice for less experienced players. Janick has a tip for those on a modest budget, having played an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, instead of his usual…

Think of the guitar playing on The Killers’ biggest hits and you’ll likely find yourself imagining rich effect-laden cleans, chiming arpeggios and chord shapes that you can’t quite identify by ear. This is the magic that emanates from the fingers of Killers founder member and lead guitarist Dave Keuning. On the subject of chord voicings, Keuning related to TG in 2019 how he found early inspiration in jazz, taking lessons from a specialist in Des Moines in his formative years before later discovering Joe Diorio’s Intervallic Designs book and learning about chord melody. The Killers are no jazz band, of course, but Dave’s chordal intuition is at the core of their sound – and we’re looking at a few of his tricks and techniques here in our Killers-inspired riffs. There’s…

The minor and major pentatonic scales are most guitarists’ first step into the world of soloing, but these five-note scales hold more power and possibilities than meets the ear – they’re far from just ‘beginner’s scales’! By looking at these essential shapes from a new perspective, such as playing on a single string, or in pairs or clusters of notes, you can build a more complete understanding of how pentatonic scales work, and help towards every guitarist’s ultimate goal – to create music. Here, we’ve written 10 musical ideas for you to try out, each demonstrating a more versatile and expanded approach to pentatonic playing. It doesn’t even matter whether you master every riff and lick. What’s most important is that you identify the pentatonic scale being used and notice…

Drop-D tuning makes it easy to play the sus2 shapes (a huge five-fret stretch in standard tuning), while those big, resonant four-string powerchord shapes in the chorus also sit nicely under the fingers. When fretting all of these shapes, aim to keep your first finger gently resting on the idle higher strings to keep them muted out. Finally, take note of the octave shape which is moved around the fretboard to outline a melody in the pre-chorus. EVERLONG Words and Music by David Grohl Copyright © 1997 MJ Twelve Music All Rights Administered Worldwide by Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing All Rights Reserved Used by Permission Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard Europe Ltd.…

Fact: your guitar doesn’t have to sound like a traditional clean or overdriven rock machine, and the gear industry is seemingly on a mission to remind us of this. The latest synth pedal to find its way through our door is the Space Rip from Pigtronix, which offers sawtooth and square wave synth sounds with a twist, thanks to its use of Pulse Width Modulation – an analogue synthesis technique that, as its name suggests, modulates the pulse of the wave shape you’re generating. But what does that sound like? Well, the word modulation is the clue here – you get an evolving synth sound as the waves fade and blend into one another, producing a slight chorus-like effect. “A LOT OF FUN TO BE HAD WITH LESS-TRADITIONAL SOUNDS” The…

Not only did Tony Iommi invent down-tuned heavy metal as guitarist for Black Sabbath, but while he was at it, he also became an icon of the Gibson SG. Tony’s famed Monkey SG was replicated in the finest of details by the Gibson Custom Shop in 2020, but as the sun begins to set on 2021 – the 60th anniversary year of Gibson’s longest-standing electric guitar – Gibson has announced the release of a USA production version of Tony’s SG. In an interview with Guitarist in 2020, Tony recalled how he first acquired a left-handed SG in his early days with Sabbath: “I had a right-handed SG, upside-down, which I strung left-handed,” he said. “But I heard of this guy who’d got a left-handed SG – he was right-handed and…

Nope, it’s not a sports car. The MX5 from Headrush distills the DNA of its Pedalboard and Gigboard modellers into a more compact, yet still mighty format. On board you get 50 guitar and bass amp models, 66 effects, 15 speaker cabs, 10 mic emulations and a whopping 300 impulse responses. It’s all controlled by an intuitive 4” LED touchscreen which allows for drag-and-drop selection of amps, effects and cabinet simulations into your chain. Meanwhile, there’s a whole heap of functionality bundled-in, including an expression pedal, IR loader, dual-amp signal path per-patch, stereo FX loop and a USB interface. It’s available now for £429 and TG’s full review will be coming soon!…

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Drop C# tuning C# Phrygian mode riffing 16th-note phrasing Trivium’s twin-axe attack of Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu have cemented their playing partnership over 18 years, with tight double-tracked rhythms, guitar harmonies and shred solos delivered like a well-oiled machine. Feast Of Fire’s riff is played by both guitarists, whose parts are panned left and right to create a wide stereo sound. It’s played with constant 16th notes throughout – which means there are four even notes per downbeat. In true thrash style, every note is played with a downstroke for consistent tone and attack. When playing the riff up to speed, ensure your picking hand and arm is warmed up and focus on moving your hand from the wrist in a loose, relaxed fashion. The…

Adrian: It was just a Marshall, really! When we’re tracking we don’t tend to use any effects. So it was just the Marshall, I think it was a Mode Four, and a Tube Screamer in front. I used my black Les Paul Standard on some of it and also my green Jackson – my main number one has a distressed neck and everything on it. Those were the main two guitars, plus the double neck on Darkest Hour. “MY DOUBLE-NECK JACKSON WEIGHS ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF A TON! BUT IT ” SOUNDED REALLY GOOD IN THE STUDIO ADRIAN SMITH Janick: It was just Marshalls for me too. I always use Marshall stuff. There’s this prototype thing I got years ago that I still use in the studio. We might change…

Whether you’ve just decided to put your first pedalboard together or you need some advice on integrating apedal or two in an existing ’board, there’s sure to be something for you this month. Yes, we’ve made it our mission to help you choose the right pedals for you, guiding you through the best examples currently on sale and giving you expert advice to help you add to your pedalboard. Our tip for getting started is to think of your pedals in groups – a handy way of narrowing down the thousands of effects currently available to buy. There are only really a handful of categories: first, pedals that boost and clip (like overdrive, distortion and fuzz); then modulation effects (phasers, flangers, choruses and so on); next up are echoes (delay…

Though there’s a certain satisfaction that comes from making a pedalboard out of an old shelf, skateboard or road sign, there comes a point when it’s un-ergonomic. If you have more than a handful of pedals, the weight alone can make transporting them a pain. At this point, it’s worth considering an aluminium-rail pedalboard with a case. Some pedalboards come with hard flight cases, but unless you’re a touring pro that’s overkill. For most, a shoulder-slung bag with a sturdy handle and plastic inserts to prevent rips is sufficient. Next, you can choose a power supply. This could be a feature on its own, but in short – save yourself money in the long-term and buy an isolated power supply. It’s more reliable, and you won’t have noise issues. It…

BACKING TRACK (TRACK 25) This song comes with a backing track (minus guitar) on your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player, press play and jam along, guitaraoke style! FOO FIGHTERS EVERLONG Intro TRACK 25 Use down-picking as indicated below the tab. This makes it easier to keep the constant sixth string ringing out as you add the syncopated chords on top. FOO FIGHTERS EVERLONG Pre-chorus TRACK 25 Here in the pre-chorus you should switch to alternate picking, as shown under the tab. Notice how the accents fall into three note groupings cleverly blurring the barline in the middle of the phrase, so keep counting here!…

Brian and the Red Special, Jimi and his Strat... some pairings are just meant to be, and while Slash has strayed and played other guitars at various points, he’s never very far from his Les Paul. In fact, not many things sum-up rock ’n’ roll like the image of the man himself sporting a top hat, Malborough and a low-slung LP. In 2020, Gibson appointed Slash as its first ever ‘Brand Ambassador’, a job title which presumably involves some of his already-daily activities: being Slash, playing Gibsons and inspiring generations to play the guitar. As well as this, there’s the obvious scope for helping to create some great guitars across the company’s product lines. Which brings us to our review of the first Epiphone release since Slash came on-board in…