MINUS THE BEAR
© 2017 PRS Guitars / photo by Marc Quigley
“It’s no secret I’m a massive PRS lover. VOIDS was recorded almost entirely on my McCarty Goldtop and Custom 24. The S2 series guitars are great weapons live for me. They’re light but retain all the great tone of the other models, and I especially love the look and shape of the Mira”. - Dave Knudson
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g u i t a r p l a y e r. c o m
NOIZE FROM THE EDITOR VOL. 51, NO. 8, AUGUST 2017
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
WHEN INDUSTRIES GET DISRUPTED, GO SIDEWAYS, OR
BRYAN TUR NE R
disappear into that long good night, there is typically not one easy answer for why the business tanked. Of course, that fact doesn’t often prevent heated barroom debates, social-media kiss-offs, and tabloid journalism from embracing a “single-reason theory” and targeting a specific scapegoat. I’m not trying to do any of that here. But I do wonder (and fear and agonize) over our own apparent complicity in creating a cultural environment where the sweat and artistry of musicians is often considered far less worthy of compensation than the toil of those who bag our groceries at the supermarket. I’ve got nothing but respect for grocery baggers, by the way—I just think professional musicians should get paychecks, too. In the name of brand building and social-networking glory, we have been providing media monopolies with free content for so long that our wares may never fetch a fair price. We have devalued the worth of our own products. We freely work for free, and, therefore live in an insane person’s dream of future revenues being driven by stuff we’ve already established as having no tangible price tag. We’re all aware that hardly anyone makes bank on music sales anymore, and streaming audio offers relative pennies for airplay. So, as concert tours and their ancillary revenue streams (VIP tickets, merchandise, etc.) drive artist earnings, it may seem appropriate to deploy one’s recorded music solely as essential promotion for upcoming performances. I’ve certainly heard the line many times during interviews that goes something like, “Well, if I can’t make money on my album, at least I can put it out there for free to hopefully sell tickets to my shows.” That’s the strategy for many artists who release albums and embark on concert tours. But what if you’re not that kind of artist? How do you view the worth of your music when you just play for fun? In those instances, uploading your music to YouTube and other social networks garners a nice ego boost, and, possibly, even promotion for your band’s gigs. “Oh, look—a few hundred people liked my music. Cool!” But even if your song goes totally viral, and you’re set up for YouTube adverts, you’re not going to make a decent wage for all the “stolen” views. What’s the end game, then? A temporary yummy feeling of self worth? Perhaps you don’t care about significant revenue, as you have a nice day job, and are only making music because you love to play. But let’s say you want to make a profitable sideline of music at some point in the future. If you are lucky enough to build YouTube subscribers in the millions, can you reliably exploit that audience for album revenue, tour support, fan funding, product endorsement deals, and other paydays? Can you use the medium to transform yourself from “someone who has fun making music” into “someone who makes a living making music”? Obviously, building an audience is no joke, and whether you’re a professional or a dreamer, the more people who know about the music you make, the better. But is devaluing music by providing free content to media that makes good money from the combined creative sweat of all those unpaid-for tracks really doing the vast community of musicians a solid? Are we suckers who have given big-business conglomerates the power to generate their own revenues without compensating the creators? I sincerely doubt this missive is going to stop anyone from giving away their wonderful music to YouTube, Google, Facebook, and so on. Somehow, audience expectations of enjoying music without paying for it—well, let’s just say that train has left the station. But if you start thinking about how you want music to be perceived and valued in the future, and what your active role might ht be in that evolution, then my work here is done.
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GP COMMUNITY 12
Dana’s GP50 pedal giveaway this month is the
Cast Engineering Pulse Drive Tremolo.
RIFFS 16
Tom Dumont goes back to the ’80s for his Dreamcar tones, Jim Campilongo celebrates Julian Bream, Dave Baker reveals how to nail a Nashville audition, Steve Hunter talks about tracking “Here Comes the Flood” for Peter Gabriel, a classic Pro’s Reply with Bill Nelson, and reports on guitar festivals from Poland and New Orleans.
COVER STORY 42
Tommy Emmanuel Find out why this astounding fingerpicker is perhaps the most frightening, accomplished, evangelical, and giving acoustic-guitar player in the world today.
54
50 Transcendent Acoustic Guitarists Bonus! Two Cover Stories in One Issue! The GP staff unveils its list of the top 50 acoustic players. Well, with Tommy Emmanuel leading the pack, that makes 51. But wait, we also have sidebars on YouTube sensations, acoustic rockers, and singer/songwriters. Whew!
FEATURES 26
Styx
32
Andy Summers
38
Robin Trower
CLASSIC COLUMN 114
David Hicks defends the Vox Buckingham amp (from November 1985).
ALYSSE GAFKJEN
Cover photo: Alysse Gafkjen Guitar Player (ISSN 0017-5463) is published monthly with an extra issue in December by Newbay Media, LLC, 28 East 28th Street, 12th floor, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Guitar Player, P.O. Box 2029, Langhorne, PA 19047-9957.
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G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
THE FIRST FIVE YEARS As part of Guitar Player’s 50th Anniversary, we are celebrating the advertisers who believed in founder Bud Eastman’s mad idea, and supported the infant magazine through its first five years, 1967-1972. They are: Acoustic Amps, Alfred Publications, AKG, AltecLansing, Ampeg, Bigsby, Bill Russell Capo, Black Diamond Strings, Carlsboro Amps, Coral, Danelectro, Darco Strings, Dunlop, Eko, Electro-Harmonix, Electro-Voice, Epiphone, Ernie Ball, Fender, GHS Strings, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Hagstrom Guitars, Hallmark, Hammond Organ (Leslie), Harmony Guitars, Heathkit, Hohner, JBL, Kustom, La Bella Strings, Martin, Mel Bay Publications, Messenger Guitars, Mosrite, Ovation, Peavey, Randall, Rickenbacker, Robb Guitars, Rowe/DeArmond, Sigma, Standel, Sunn, TWA, Vox, Yamaha. Thank you all!
GEAR
LESSONS
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11 Hot Acoustics for Summer
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Framus Pro Series Panthera Supreme II
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Review
82
Line 6 Spider V 240HC
84
Dr. Z Surgical Steel
86 88
David Brewster decodes Neal Schon’s soulful lead playing.
72
Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1A
Classic Riff “Hey You” by Pink Floyd.
API TranZformer GT Classic Gear 1965
Melodic Journey
74
BOSS Acoustic Singer Pro
100 GP50 Stefan Grossman on
GP50 Adrian
fingerpicking
Legg’s “Perverted”
fiddle tunes
Banjo (from
(from September
July 1994).
1976).
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You recently asked if there are any guitarists or guitar styles that Guitar Player might be missing, and I think it’s possible that disabled guitarists are getting the least coverage. I have been an above-knee amputee for 32 years, and have been wheelchair-bound for the last few years. Despite this, I am a performing singersongwriter, guitarist, and bandleader. I might not be able to do Townshendstyle leaps, but people say my stage presence is pretty strong, and I just finished my second release, Flies Through the Dark. Peace. — M AT T F R A Z A
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OOPS! Unfortunately, this is the second time we’ve made this mistake in recent years. In our April 2017 review of the Rivolta Combinata Standard, we described the guitar’s tuners as “Kluson-style” in the spec box. This is not only incorrect, but also infringes on a registered
KEVIN OWENS
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Managing Editor
In the July issue, we forgot the photo credit for Brian Tarquin’s interview with the late
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Larry Coryell. Coryell’s portrait was taken by Erol Gurian. JUDE GOLD
CHARL IE PARKE R
DANA’S AUGUST GP50 GEAR GIVEAWAY! This month, Cast Engineering is helping us celebrate Guitar Player’s 50th anniversary by offering up their Pulse Drive Tremolo pedal for my gear giveaway. One lucky reader has a chance to add this cool stompbox to their pedal collection. The Pulse Drive functions as a tremolo/boost with 30dB of signal level on tap, and it was designed to emulate the sound of ’60s tubeamp tremolos. You can get all swampy or chopped-up by playing with the Depth and Rate knobs, or turn the Depth control all the way down and crank Level to deploy the Pulse Drive solely as a boost. This pedal was hand built in Atlanta, Georgia. For a chance to win, simply send an email with the subject line “GP50 Pulse Drive” to mmolenda@ nbmedia.com. The deadline for entries is August 20, 2017. I’ll select the winner at random and announce his or her name in an upcoming issue. Please note that all gear is “as is,” because every pedal was actually used and reviewed by the GP staff. Thank you for participating in my August GP50 gear contest. Good luck! — D A N A PA R K E R
12
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
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PRODUCTION FILE
Dreamcar’s Tom Dumont
ON CHANNELING ’80S NEW-WAVE TONES BY MICH A E L MOL EN DA T H E P RO P U L S I V E E N G I N E S O F N O
16
songs, and, ultimately recorded their selftitled debut album, Dreamcar [Columbia], with producer Tim Pagnotta. “We kept the band a secret because we wanted to write music simply for the sake of writing music,” says Dumont. “It’s a unique group to make an album with. Three quarters of it have been together forever, and then there’s Davey’s freshness in the mix. So we have the excitement of a completely new project, but with the comfort of old friends.”
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
I love the album’s new-wave guitar tones.
The guitar sound was this combination of a Kemper Profiler augmented by some pedals plugged into the front end of the amp, and my Fulltone Tube Tape Echo routed through the effects loop. There are a lot of choruses, flangers, phasers, delays, and echoes—which speaks a lot about my early inspiration from The Edge. Much of the album was also informed by what Alex Lifeson did on Rush’s Grace Under Pressure and Signals, where he was
PAUL HAGGARD
Doubt—guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young— definitely do not go into a creative dry dock when vocalist/media star/entrepreneur Gwen Stefani is focused on, well, Gwen Stefani. So in 2014, looking to do a side project, the trio secretly reached out to AFI vocalist Davey Havok, demoed four songs, wrote 28 additional songs—determined they had a band (but no label or manager)—got serious and wrote more
VINYL TREASURES BY JIM CAMPILONGO
playing Strats with a heavy use of delays and choruses to make atmospheric sounds. What Profiler patches did you use as foundations for your tones?
A lot of the sounds started with a Fender Princeton model that had a really clean and chime-y tone. Then, I’d heavily compress the signal with a Kemper compressor, and I’d also plug in an old Ibanez chorus. Another patch we used a lot was called Walking Moon. It had a swirly, saturated lead sound. And the main guitars?
I mostly used my Gretsch Duo Jet with Filter’Trons and a Bigsby. There was something about that guitar—a chiming top end with a little bit of body. My Hamer 12-string electric was used for single-note lines, and it was processed with a heavy, saturated delay and a chorus. Then, there was a 15-year-old Ovation double-neck acoustic with a Nashville tuning on one neck. This was for ear candy and strum-y things, like what Johnny Marr did on the early Smiths tracks. What do you feel was producer Tim Pagnotta’s essential contribution?
A great producer is someone who can coax your best performance out of you, and who can mediate disagreements. For example, if Tony tells me my part sucks, it’s hurtful coming from a friend. But if Tim asks, “Can you do better?” it’s simply a challenge to improve. In the case of Dreamcar, my love of simple rhythmic stuff leads me to play straight eighth-notes, or
eighth-notes with a delay for a sixteenth-note vibe—much like The Edge or Elliot Easton. But Tim kept pushing me to syncopate things—to funk up my lines. It was like, “How would Prince approach this solo?” As a result, my solos on the album are short, melodic, catchy, funky, and rhythmic. This is a perfect example of a producer bringing you out of your comfort zone to go somewhere new. It’s a huge win to have someone help you do that. That said, being pushed out of comfort zones can sometimes make it initially difficult to reboot your creative energy. Were you concerned about freezing up?
Actually, I got stuck on “Kill For Candy”—the first single. The guitar parts on the song demo were not very good, and Tim and I figured we’d just come up with new parts in the studio. But it was one of those days where everybody in the band was there, as well as videographers documenting the recording process. And Tim’s challenge was, “You’ve got to come up with a great, all-time guitar riff.” Well, I tried to do that for two hours, riff after riff after riff, and it wasn’t happening. I had a camera in my face, everyone was watching, and I was feeling depressed and dejected. Then, all of a sudden, I started thinking about the riff to Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” Using that as inspiration, I finally found the riff for “Kill For Candy.” I felt so triumphant in that moment, but I obviously had to go on a journey to get there. g
Julian Bream Music of Spain, Vol. 5 ONE OF THE MOST
Española No. 4” is also beau-
important and inspiring
tifully performed by Bream.
records I’ve ever discovered is
It’s a repertoire showpiece
Julian Bream Plays Granados
that has been performed by
and Albéniz: Music of Spain,
Andrés Segovia and other
Vol. 5. Is it the best of the lot?
greats. It’s a “must hear,” and
I can’t say, but it absolutely
it plays like a nursery rhyme
opened a new universe of
from another world.
guitar and composition for
On the Isaac Albéniz
me. This album served as
side of the LP, “Suite Espa-
a gateway for an ongoing
ñola Op. 47 ”—written in
archeological dig for other
1886 to represent different
Spanish and world music on
regions of Spain—is played
guitar, and it led me to Span-
brilliantly, and Bream exhib-
ish composers Francisco
its his amazing ability to
Tárrega, Frederico Mompou,
make the guitar sound like
and Fernando Sor; Brazil-
an orchestra by employing
ian composer Heitor Villa-
right-hand positions and his
Lobos; Paraguayan virtuoso
touch to change the timbre
Agustín Barrios; and Cuban
of the guitar in imitation of
composer Leo Brouwer.
brass and woodwinds. As
On side one, Enrique
Segovia once commented
Granados’ “Dedicatoria” was
to a student, “It sounds too
the first piece to capture
much like a guitar.” I try to
me. Transcribed from piano,
apply this “guitar as orches-
the guitar piece is as lovely
tra” philosophy to all of my
and lilting as it was when it
guitar playing—whether it be
was conceived in the 19th
on a nylon-string guitar or a
Century. Granados’ “Danza
Telecaster. g
JE NN IFE R STOD DART
QUICK TIP
TRUTH
“I love the sound of wood, and all the different tones you can get out of an acoustic guitar just by changing your attack, or by playing closer to the bridge or soundhole. I’ve never been a big fan of signal processing or effects. What I do is really honest and kind of gut wrenching, so I don’t like it when cleverness takes away from sincerity or emotion.” — J E W E L
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
17
P R O ’ S R E P LY
Bill Nelson March 1977
One of GP’s fab content innovations was its “Pro’s Reply” columns that brought readers into the worlds of professional sessions and live performances, and offered insights from guitar stars. We’re celebrating that grand idea by republishing some of the most interesting bits from the “Pro’s Reply” archive. — M M
18
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
SESSION FILE this. I learned the importance of dynamics early in my career, as
Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes the Flood”
well as the fact that they are sometimes difficult to translate in the recording studio. For my ears, if you don’t mind my saying so, a lot of dynamic power is missing in today’s music. In the ’70s, dynamics were very important. The beautiful guitar solo was played by my old compadre Dick Wagner. He was in the studio for most of the day doing background vocals—another thing Dick was particularly good at. Bob asked him
BY STE VE HUNTER
if he wanted to do a solo on this tune, but Dick realized that none of
THIS BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN SONG FROM 1977’S PETER
his gear was there. Bob mentioned that I had a good-sounding Tele-
Gabriel is what might be called an “epic power ballad.” It is majestic
caster (the same guitar I had played on Peter’s “Waiting for the Big
and powerful, but, at the same time, subtle and sublime. (OMG, I sound
One”), and, if memory serves, a Marshall half-stack. So, Dick went out
like a music reviewer!) I loved the way producer Bob Ezrin orchestrated
into the studio, plugged in my Tele, and, on the first take, played that
this piece with all of us musicians as the “orchestra.” While you can find
awesome solo. It was pretty damned cool!
lots of examples of the use of fifths in Wagnerian orchestral and sym-
To me, the really interesting thing about this story is how one guitar
phonic works that can be easily applied to rock music, I still learned a
played by two people can sound so different. Dick and I did a lot of work
lot from watching Bob sort that out.
together, and one of the reasons I think it worked so well was because
I played acoustic guitar all through the basic track. That’s me in
we played enough alike that we could do lines and parts together. But,
the right channel. Robert Fripp played the big power chords in the
when it came to soloing, we were very unique. We used contrasting
choruses. I later overdubbed some of those Wagnerian power lines
sounds and distinctive techniques, like our different vibratos and picking
I was talking about, and they certainly made the choruses powerful
styles. Although, at times, we could sound similar, I think anyone could
and helped create the dynamics that are so important in a song like
really hear the difference between us after a few listens. g
NASHVILLE SCENE
5 Ways to Nail That Audition
BY DAV E BA K E R
A BSO R B SIG NATUR E PARTS
provided (to keep auditions moving along)
It is of the upmost importance to recreate the
ask what you’ll be using so that you’re com-
signature licks of a song. Be ready to trans-
pletely familiar with the guitars, amps, and
pose them on the spot if the artist wants to
any other gear.
do the song in a different key. Learn the other key parts—second guitar lines, keyboard riffs,
BE PROFESSIONAL
etc.—to show the artist you’ve done some
Sadly, a lot of musicians blow this one. Weller
deep research and practice.
stresses, “Respond to emails, texts, and phone calls before the end of the day. Arrive early
M ATC H TONES
to auditions, and plan to stay late if the artist
Getting the right sound is as important as play-
has questions or wants to get to know you.”
ing the correct parts. If there’s a quarter-note delay on the intro lick, or a wah on the solo,
DO HOME WOR K
W H E T H E R YO U ’ R E I N T E R EST E D I N
emulating the appropriate tones will reinforce
Listen to the act’s studio and live recordings
a high-profile artist gig or a casual tribute
your value as a sideman. “Come prepared with
to better understand the musical presenta-
band, the audition process can be intimidat-
your rig dialed in,” says Dan Weller, who suc-
tion, and watch performances on YouTube to
ing. During my time in Nashville, I’ve seen the
cessfully auditioned for Florida Georgia Line.
study how the band looks on stage, as well
audition format range from video submissions
“If there is a big gap between the sound of
as to gauge the energy and attitude of their
to solo performances (usually to tracks with-
the act’s records and their live-performance
shows. Even if you don’t get the gig—after all,
out a band) to one-on-ones with the artist to
tones, ask if there is a preference.”
many things besides musicianship can determine a “good fit” for an artist’s band—putting
open-to-the-public cattle calls. With every audition, preparation is paramount. Once you
AVO ID SU R PR ISES
your best foot forward may impress the artist
are presented with the three or four audition
Take the necessary precautions to ensure your
enough to refer you to other opportunities in
songs, you should master these five essentials.
gear is working properly. If a backline is to be
the future. g
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
19
M ICH A E L M OLE NDA
COOL EVENT
Poland Honors Jimi But Falls Short of Guinness Record
W IES LAW KACZMARE K, OSTRZ ESZOW POLAND
BY MICH A E L MOL ENDA
ON MAY 1, 2016, THE GUITAR GUINNESS
Trying to hear my solo above the roar of
Record Festival in Wroclaw, Poland — which is casually known as the “Thanks Jimi Festival” due to its celebration of Hendrix’s guitar wizardry and music—smashed the previous Guinness World Record for Largest Guitar Orchestra by logging 7,356 guitarists simultaneously strumming to “Hey Joe.” The 2017 run at the record fell short at 6,299, but that didn’t seem to matter much to the throngs of players crammed into Wroclaw’s Market Square joyously singing and playing along to Hendrix songs/covers such as “Foxy Lady,” “Voodoo Child,” “Little Wing,” “Red House,” “Wild Thing,” and “Hey Joe”(once again, the song tallied for the record attempt).
dozens of amps during “Wild Thing,” as Leszek Cicho´ nski (left) and vocalist/ guitarist LeBurn Maddox (right) listen for
W IES LAW KACZ M AREK , OST RZ ESZOW POLAN D
clams.
What chords are those? — (front, left to right) Grzegorz Bogdan Skawi´nski, Greg Koch, bassist David Price, and me during the record attempt on “Hey Joe.”
20
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
For the 15th annual event this year—also held on May 1—a second stage was added, a DVD was filmed for future release, and the city of Wroclaw honored festival founder Leszek Cicho´ nski with a permanent “guitar gnome” statue in the Market Square. (Wroclaw is known as the “City of Gnomes,” and more than 350 krasnoludki appear throughout the town. The appearance of the gnomes began as a way for surrealists to ridicule authoritarianism during Poland’s martiallaw era.) The festival is free and open to all, and while it’s a big deal in Europe—film clips from the guitar party are all over the European news during the day—American companies are beginning to take notice. Fender recently brought on Cicho´ nski as an endorser (he proudly showcased his new, olive-hued Fender American Professional Series Stratocaster, dubbed “Jolivia”), and Epiphone had a big tent filled with guitars on the Square. (In the past, Ibanez has been the main presence at the festivities.) How it feels to perform at the Guitar Guinness Record Festival was brilliantly summed up by Polish guitar hero Grzegorz Bogdan Skawi´ nski, who said, “There’s nothing like this energy anywhere. I’ve been lucky enough to play in front of large audiences, but never with the people all playing guitar along with the band. So much spirit!” g
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FESTIVAL Face off!—Dave Matthews (right) on his
New Orleans Jazz Fest 2017
Rockbridge and Tim Reynolds with a Martin.
P HOTOS BY JIMM Y A ND KER R I LES LI E
TIME HAS A FUNNY WAY OF SLOWING DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS,
and that was the feeling at the 47th annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, where a single date (out of seven) served up a seemingly endless parade of roots and rock guitar players.
Nels Cline creating soundscrapes with a coiled metal apparatus in his picking hand on a wild, Danelectrostyle 12-string/baritone double-neck.
Sonny Landreth opened the day with his striking, metallic-blue aluminum Progreba resonator guitar. “I love that it’s unique, it’s lightweight, it sounds airier than a
Anders Osborne (right) with a Yamaha LL26 and
Dobro, and it has a nice cutaway,”
Eric McFadden.
says Landreth. Revivalist Zack Feinberg tapped out the chime-y opening figure of “It Was a Sin” on a Guild Starfire IV. “I play Em, C, and G in the first position, and while the chords ring out, I tap on and pull off notes at the 12th fret,” says Feinberg. “That’s one of my two tapping tricks [laughs].”
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Styx in Outer Space TOMMY SHAW AND JAMES YOUNG TAKE THEIR GUITARS ON A MISSION TO MARS BY MICH A E L MOL ENDA
FOR STYX’S FIRST STUDIO ALBUM IN 14 YEARS, THE BAND
decided to boldly go where few acts have dared to travel. At a time when single downloads are typically embraced much more than buying and absorbing a complete album, guitarists Tommy Shaw and James Young, bassist Chuck Panozzo, keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, bassist Ricky Phillips, and drummer Todd Sucherman made a full-on concept record of cinematic proportions. The Mission [Alpha Dog 2T/UMe] takes listeners through a 43-minute epic tone poem detailing the first manned mission to Mars in 2033. The band absolutely has command of enough technical chops, songwriting smarts, and aural textures to bring the story to life, and it’s truly exciting to experience a work so fearless
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and multilayered. Where’s my space suit? How did this whole operetta start? Shaw: It started out with a little sound thing I came up with
in the dressing room one time. We’d gotten these miniature practice amps, I put my guitar through one, used this setting that had delay, and started playing this line. It sounded cool, so I recorded it into my phone. Then, I started playing these chords along with it—using a little flange and a bit of chorus—and I thought, “Man, I should record this, too!” So out came my iPad, and I recorded a video of me playing the chords. I got home, started fleshing out the song in my studio, and I sent an mp3 to [songwriting
6-string missionaries—James Young (left) and Tommy Shaw.
collaborator] Willie Evankovich. Will said, “Let me play you this thing I’m working on,” and he had this song “Locomotive.” The two songs totally worked together, so I changed some words to match my concept, and we had a great start on the story line. The ideas kept springing forth from there, like, “What should happen next?” We were writing about people’s experiences within the concept—whether they were driving a bus, or on the rocket ship, or leaving someone behind and missing them. Writing about the people on the mission made it a lot easier to tell the stories, and the stories made it easy to determine who would sing each song. For example, James has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He’s literally a rocket scientist. So we made him the engineer. It’s a trip that this huge cinematic concept came from fiddling around on a practice amp. How did you go from there to the mission to Mars concept? Shaw: Just like this [sings melody]: “Mis-
sion to Mars” rolled right off the tongue. So it simply beamed in from the universe directly to your head? Shaw: Exactly. Those are the best songs.
Most of the songs I’ve written that have caught on with the fans have been the songs where you literally transcribed this radio signal playing in your head. James, what was it like for you to craft parts around a predetermined story line? Young: Writing a story, and then creat-
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
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KE N SE TTL E
ing music around it, is difficult on one level, but it makes life easier on another, because you can imagine certain situations that will lead you to a spot you might not have gone to in your personal experience. And there are also surprises. For example, the guitar riff on “Gone Gone Gone” is something I kept noodling over in dressing rooms for months on end. It’s sort of an homage to Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. Tommy kept saying, “Hey, we’ve got to get a song out of that somehow.” I tried, but I couldn’t do it, so I told Tommy to take it and do whatever he could with it. Ultimately, it worked its way into the concept, but it was really me just trying to advance myself as a guitar player with unique things
FEATURES
> > > ST Y X
that are within my skill set, but that also will get people’s attention, and help move the band forward. I was also very well aware that The Mission was more Tommy’s baby than it was mine, but I was excited to contribute whatever I could, and do whatever was needed. We did butt heads quite a bit when we were in our 20s, but now there is simply a mutual admiration and love for what each of us can do. And, trust me, there’s something very unique in what the two of us have together, and you don’t mess with it.
demo, and then the guys came in and played it for real. Finally, we recorded it again at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. This was our way of writing the songs, learning the songs, and getting familiar enough with the songs so that we owned them. Once we got to that point, deciding which tones were needed to tell the story was pretty obvious. Just to be clear, that sounds like you did three run-throughs of the entire project. Shaw: Oh, yeah. It was learning it, doing
Can you elaborate on that? Young: There’s an incredibly broad range
final arrangements and getting more comfortable with the material, and going to Blackbird to record it for release.
of single-string lead playing, as well as this idea of how to utilize the electric guitar in a rock context.
So what gear ended up making the cast list, then? Shaw: I was playing around with my
How did you approach manifesting the cinematic aspects of this album with your guitar tones? Shaw: Well, first off, we recorded this
amps—a blackface Deluxe Reverb, a couple of Matchless amps for that AC30 sound, a Marshall TSL 60, and a Bogner Shiva— and the Shiva kept winning the shootout. It had the sound of the Marshalls we made
thing twice. We did it once as a pre-production
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records with in the ’70s, and that’s what we were looking for. Then, with the Shiva as our friendly go-to amp, it was, “Which guitar do you want to play?” We actually went back to basics. I had a couple of Les Pauls and Fenders, and JY had his Strats. I think what we all love about the old Styx records is when you listen to them, you hear five guys. You don’t hear 12 or 15 guys all layered. There are some stacked keyboards, and that sort of thing, but pretty much it’s five guys playing live and singing, and we tried to keep that all throughout this record. I didn’t use a lot of effects—a boost to get a little more crunch, a DigiTech Whammy on the “Time May Bend” solo and the middle of “Red Storm,” and a Cry Baby wah. Also, there are no digital delays. Any delay you hear on this record was done on a tape machine. In fact, everything hit tape at least once. If anything sounded a bit harsh on a Pro Tools file, we would dump
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FEATURES
> > > ST Y X
it over to half-inch tape, record it, and then bring it back to Pro Tools. The drums were recorded on two Studer 24-track machines, so there’s that nice tape saturation on the cymbals. The vocals all hit tape. All the little soundscapes hit tape. So you get this mass of warm tones, and when you have a record like that, you can keep turning it up, and it’s never going to get harsh and hurt your ears. It’s just going to keep getting louder. Young: I came to the sessions without an amplifier, as those guys had a setup they wanted me to play through. They plugged me in, and I started playing. I have enough adjustment on my guitar, and enough adjustments available during post-production to make it into what it needed to be. I leave the nuances of which guitar amp to use, the cabinets, and all those things to other people who have more discerning ears than I do. I know when an amp sounds really good, but I don’t necessarily
know how to get it there. I just brought my ’65 Strat that’s modified with a Sustainiac pickup, and a custom instrument with a locking trem if I wanted to do any dive bombs. I’m not a pedal guy, either. I’ve always been a believer that if you’re going to process something, you want to get the cleanest, strongest signal on to tape, and do all your effects processing during the mixdown. Shaw: We were always trying to make the guitar sounds as cinematic as the lyrics and the story. You know, for most of my life, I was always on the bridge pickup with everything wide open—as bright as I could stand it through a cranked Marshall as I. But in the last ten years or so, I’ve really started to appreciate the creamy sounds you can get when you audition other pickup positions and turn down your guitar’stTone knob. This came in handy for my solo on “The Greater Good,” where I used the middle pickup position on my Les Paul to
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get a rounder tone to match the song’s vibe. I really appreciate and salute the fact that you guys did a concept album— an artistic statement, if you will—because I truly believe that, these days, guitar music requires something more to capture the ears and imagination of the public. Young: So true! Listen, the whole idea
of making a record in many ways is that it’s a pure artistic exercise at this point in time. From a practical business standpoint, where an artist is trying to survive financially in a difficult environment, none of our contemporaries—not even the Stones or McCartney—can make albums that really pay for themselves. Maybe the Katy Perrys and the Taylor Swifts can, but making classic-rock music is not a profitable exercise. So, creatively, as artists, we have to do this, because this is who we are. We did this record completely for the pure joy of creation. g
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Drawing Lines in the Dark ANDY SUMMERS ON IMPROVISATION, LOOPING, AND CREATING YOUR OWN GENRE BY M ICHA E L MOL E NDA T H E R E ’S A N U N S E T T L E D, VO LCA N I C
font of creativity that ricochets across Andy Summers’ mind’s eye. Whether he’s gazing through the viewfinder of his favorite Leica camera, searching for those strange and beautiful shadows of everyday life, or guiding the music seeping from his heart and fingers, he always appears to seek mystery, artistry, and the delicious tension of the unknown. Perhaps this is part of the reason Summers’ guitar has exhibited a rainbow of colors throughout his career—blues, rock, anti-rock, jazz, classical, and experimental—when most guitarists would be blissfully and forever fulfilled if they were able to forge just one unique guitar sound. And, at 74 years old, he’s not done yet. For his latest solo album, Triboluminescence [Flickering Shadow/Cargo], Summers once again cleared out his timbral and compositional toolboxes to devise a style he has tagged “New Exotic.” “It’s a bit of a catch phrase,” says Summers of New Exotic, “but I think it’s fair enough. I’ve traveled extensively—particularly in Asia—and I wanted to take listeners on a global journey with this album. In essence, Triboluminescence is the result of a lifetime of influences and experiences, and I felt the material demanded that I try to search for a new voice, a new genre, and new sounds.” I don’t know how you do it, Andy. You’re always spinning off into different worlds. What drives that resistance to the conventional?
Well, I’ve never been interested in playing a straight, pentatonic-blues guitar style. A million guys do it very well, but I don’t want to be known for that. I mean, if the Police was about anything, it was not that. It wasn’t punk or new wave, either. The horrible old question persisted for years: “What genre is it? What label can you give your music?” But there was no answer to that question, because Police music was its own genre. In the old days, it was about finding your own voice, and that’s still a great goal to go for today. I’m certainly aware of my relationship with modern music, but I don’t want to be completely immersed in everything that’s going on out there, because I think that’s dangerous for a creative artist. The space you have in your head—not to sound pretentious—is sacred. It’s like your own little temple, and you shouldn’t drown it out with everyone else’s stuff. Now, in my case, I’ve always felt a certain amount of internal pressure to push the envelope and get a sort of “art quality ”—to make something new with the guitar. So I do a lot of experimentation, and I hook up lots of guitar pedals to try and get something that starts my imagination. As a result, most of the tracks on Triboluminescence are styled from a sonic situation, where I’d play around with sounds until I found something. Then, I’d usually record it for approximately 48 bars to see if I could add drums, or coax out another guitar line, or whatever.
Can you give our readers an example of how you go about “making something new”?
In the old days, for example, I’d probably have a keyboard player or another guitarist sort of doing the harmony. But, now, I use loops for that, instead of having someone play all the chord shapes on piano or whatever. Also, while looping, I’ll detune guitars, capo them, and play them using drumsticks. Some of it works, and some of it is terrible [laughs]. So the composition is in flux here, and you’re purely following your instincts as you improvise by plugging in different pedals, playing parts, and making loops?
Well, yes, but you still must have knowledge of composition and structure. I try to build a musical architecture out of it— rather than just have a sonic thing droning on for ten minutes. It’s a combination of aesthetic choice, and what I consider to be hip or cool—not clichéd or corny. How can guitarists avoid playing clichés?
I come at it like this: The music needs to have neutrality, because I believe the music we’re drawn to doesn’t come at you too strongly. I feel that music has to exist in its own space of its own intrinsic value, and it doesn’t try to reach out to the listener. It’s just there, because it’s a great piece of music. I find that very attractive. There’s also a quality of ambiguity. You think you’ve got it, but you haven’t got it,
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> > > A N DY S UMMERS
so you’re always coming back to it. I see all the great music as having a disinterested quality. It doesn’t ask you to like it. I can’t stand music that’s trying to impress me. It stops existing as art to me. Listen, maybe only four people might care about what I’m doing, but I have to create music that I feel is very good and artistically interesting. It’s the only creed I can live by. I’ll tell any person starting out, only do what you believe in, and if you don’t believe it, do something else. During the sessions for Triboluminescence, when did looping enter the compositional process?
The loops came in fairly early—they’re the instigators. Sometimes, I loop percussion to get something going, or the loops might be melodic and generated from the guitar. If it’s a good loop, I might start playing drums to it, or come up with a bass line. The icing on the cake, of course, is the melody.
How did you typically find the melodies for the pieces?
A lot of the melodies come from absolute instinct—from being in the moment and jamming on the track. You do it a few times, the mists start to go away, and the melody will start to appear. Then, I’d leave it for a couple of days, come back to it with perhaps a different perception, maybe change a note here and there, and get it better. Did it take a lot of jamming to find something you liked?
No. I didn’t jam extensively on anything. I might do it for ten minutes one day, and ten minutes on another. There’s a certain amount of luck to it, like, “That’s it. It just popped out.” Obviously, you can’t plan, schedule, or force these things. Earlier, you mentioned the importance of structure. At what point during the improvisations did your “producer’s mind” kick in to arrange all the parts?
After the initial inspiration, it would typically happen pretty fast. I was sort of constantly monitoring mood, melody, and structure as the parts unfolded. For example, on “Elephant Bird,” the melody was being difficult. Everything I did made it less, or too conventional. So I started to mess around with the guitar signal, and a Z.Vex Lo-Fi Junky gave me this wonderful warped quality that inspired me to play the melody using natural harmonics—no fretted notes. Suddenly, I started getting into this thing where the natural harmonics and warped signal gave me what sounded like a muted Miles Davis sound from the guitar. The melody came out very positive, which is unusual for me. It was like Miles in a good mood. Any other stories of creative challenges?
Absolutely. “Adinkra” had an incredible history. I had found this sound—I think it was on the Axe-Fx—that sounded like an
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Indian orchestra, and I loved it. I immediately came up with the melody, and I played one of the best slide-guitar solos I’ve ever done in my life. I let a drummer play on it, and he did this belly dancing-style rhythm. Then, I started to hate the track. I thought had I lost the whole thing, and I hated to give it up, because I had already put so much work into it. So I started stripping it down. I replaced the drums myself, and it started sounding better. I replaced the bass line. Finally, I replaced the sound I loved with a horn patch on the VG-99. So the Indian orchestra went bye-bye, and, suddenly, the track had this African vibe. I played what I felt was a sort of Highlife fingerstyle pattern on the Strat, and I softened the tone. Now, the melody is getting soulful. It’s all working. The song went through an enormous change, and it became so much cooler. I like to say that it went from “Please like me” to neutrality. I had thought the original version was the
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greatest track I had ever made. It wasn’t. And so you progress… What was some of the critical gear during the sessions?
I basically started with a Stratocaster through a Roland VG-99, or a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx, or, in some cases, a Carr amp. Once I had the whole architecture in place, I’d kind of detail the guitar sound. Is it good enough? Should I use the ES-336 or the SG, or switch out the amp models? I used a lot of pedals—in addition to the Lo-Fi Junky there were some BOSS pedals and other things. I know I have this all written down somewhere [laughs]. Loopers were the Line 6 JM4, the Roland RC-505, and probably a couple of others. I used Spectrasonics Omnisphere for all the wild cinematic sounds, and my drum set was a Roland TD-20. Do you think it’s difficult for a musician to seek high art without having people scream about the music being pretentious? Should we care?
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That’s a good thought. I guess that fear is always there—especially if you’re in the U.K. They’ll call you a pretentious wanker just because you tried something new. “Well, you know what, man—you do it then!” [Laughs.] It’s human to be defensive in those cases, but you can’t stop moving forward. And, in a sense, pretension often comes with youth and pomposity. Later on, you cool out a bit. But I think it’s all part of the effort to make something. With any artist who has had a long career, you see the effort to move forward in their early work, and, for some, the early stuff is not that good. Of course, if you don’t get past the pretension, your music is going to sound grandiose, and it won’t be real. Then, there’s the curse of one’s early work—which, in my case, is the Police. No matter how far you evolve, no matter how complex and sophisticated your stuff becomes, some people will just want “Roxanne.” g
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It’s Getting Better All the Time HOW THE WILL TO IMPROVE—AND A MARSHALL BLUESBREAKER— ARE DRIVING ROBIN TROWER’S CONSTANT CREATIVE EVOLUTION BY JOE BOSSO SO M E B O DY FO RGOT TO T E L L RO B I N
Trower that, at the age of 72, he’s supposed to be slowing down. In 2016, the veteran guitar master issued Where You Are Going To, packed with enough fiery blues-rock to satisfy his legion of fans for years, and he recently followed it up with Time and Emotion [V-12], a deeper, more expansive and extravagant work on which he raises the bar for brawny, soul-rattling soloing to almost vertiginous heights. “I don’t see any reason to stop,” he says, adding, somewhat casually, that he’s working on yet another new record. “The fact is that I write a lot, and I enjoy playing, so I keep making records. Now, that said, I’m always trying to improve, and I imagine that will continue. Certainly, in this last couple of years, I feel like I’ve hit some sort of sweet spot. I can’t imagine why I’d just be content, and go, ‘Okay, that’s as good as I can get,’ because the goal should always be to get better.” Trower cites the amps he’s using as a key element of his creative renaissance. Moving from 50-watt Vintage Modern and 1987X Marshall heads to the company’s 30-watt 1962 Bluesbreaker reissue combo amps has had a dramatic impact on his playing. “It’s something I noticed right away with the Bluesbreakers,” he notes. “There’s a
38
more active response coming through the speakers, and I can hear the attack I’m putting into my playing—whether it’s a bend or some vibrato. That sort of leads me on, and it helps the flow of ideas. When your amp gives you a real musical sound, it’s incredibly inspiring.” The songs on Time and Emotion are a bit more adventurous structurally than on Where You Are Going To.
That’s the big difference between the two records. I didn’t want to get more complicated production-wise, but I wanted the new songs to be more interesting for people who aren’t that interested in the guitar, per se. Some people just want songs. They don’t care so much about all the playing. For a while now, you’ve been recording tracks by playing guitar to a click track and adding instruments from there. What do you like about recording that way?
I guess things are easier to control. I start off with a drum-machine part that feels right, and then I lay down a guitar part. After that, I do a guide vocal, and then I try a bass part, or I might do the guitar again. After that, I work more on the guitar, the lead, and I might upgrade the vocal a bit more. That all happens before Chris Taggart puts down the real drums. While I’m
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
doing this, I am aware of how the songs will sound live. Even when I’m writing, I do like to have half an eye on how everything will work in a three-piece band. Your co-producer, Livingstone Brown, plays bass on some cuts, but most of the bass tracks are your own.
I got Livingstone on a couple of things, because he’s a better player than me. I was quite happy with pretty much everything I did, but there were just a few things that needed a more accomplished feel. I like playing the bass. When I write, I try to come up with a bass part that fits hand in glove with the guitar. That kind of puts a little jet fuel in my performances. By making records in a piecemeal fashion, are you more inclined to change your guitar parts around as the arrangements evolve?
Oh, yeah. I quite often change guitar parts. As you’re building the piece, certain things become apparent where it needs to be more this or more that, or less. But, mostly, the original guitar part will go all the way to the end, because the song is written around that guitar part. Your phrasing on the extended solos for “Returned In Kind” and “If You Believe In Me” sounds so deliberate, but I have a hunch that it isn’t.
Those long solos could be made up of
KE N SE TTL E
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
39
> > > ROBIN TROWER
different takes. What I do is, I play it all the way through, and then maybe there will be licks here and there that I think can be better. Those are long solos, so I probably did go back and replace a phrase or two. You try to have a sense of what you’re doing as you’re doing it, but you don’t want it to get in the way of the moment. You’ve often cited B.B. King as the player who got you into bending when you play a vibrato. Can you speak a little about that?
Well, you see, I did have a natural vibrato early on—when I was about 18 or so. Then, I heard B.B. King, who did that bend in the vibrato. It was just so emotionally potent. He’s one of the daddies of it all. When I heard him, I really felt it, and I knew I could do something with that. B.B., Albert King, and Jimi Hendrix were my mentors in terms of lead work. Their vibrato was so emotive. That was part of their magic.
At this point in your career, do you ever practice to work on something specific, like a new part or a technique?
My practice is wailing. I just pick up the guitar and go for at least 20 minutes a day. I even do that on days off while on the road. I don’t like to miss a day of playing. I don’t call it “practice,” though. I just play and try to come up with things I haven’t done before, like little bends or groups of notes. Let’s talk about your gear. You mentioned the amps you’re currently using, but what about effects?
I’m using all Fulltone stuff from Mike Fuller in California. At the moment, I’m using the original Full-Drive from 1992, a Deja ’Vibe, and his WahFull. I quite like that you can set the wah to one fixed sound. He makes great stuff. Have you ever thought about checking out digital amp modeling?
Oh, no. I don’t like the sound of those things. I’ve tried them, but they’re not for me.
I assume you’re still using your signature Fender Strats?
Very much so. I have two that are really my favorites, but I have about six all together. I’ve had these for eight or nine years now, and I don’t do any updates to them. They’re exactly the same as when Fender first came out with them. Do you ever get the itch to pick up something other than a Strat?
No, not really. I did go through periods during the ’70s and ’80s, when I messed about with other things, but I always came back to the Strats. If the guitars weren’t turning me on, I’d look around, but that isn’t the case. There’s the playability aspect of a Strat, but I mainly love the guitar because it has such a musical sound. Especially when you’re playing leads, the Strat has a very human-voice quality to it. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning. I still get inspired and turned on by that sound. g
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Melodic Journey A Look at Neal Schon’s Soulful Lead Playing and Use of Modal “Pockets” BY DAVID BRE WST ER NEAL SCHON’S DISTINGUISHED
Ex. 1
G major scale (Ionian mode) melodic pocket (12th position) 6 7 R 3 4 5 R 2
4 4 G
T A B
66
12
14
12 13 15
12 14 15
15
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
résumé details a 40-plus-year career highlighted by legendary recordings, hit songs, inspired live performances, creative sideprojects and collaborations, and, most recently, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The guitarist joined the big leagues as a member of Santana, and famously declined an offer from Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominos before going on to became a founding member of Journey in 1973—all while still a teenager. Schon’s celebrated lead playing has always been very melodic, aggressive, and soulful—from his earliest licks and solos alongside Carlos Santana on songs such as “Everybody’s Everything” and “No One to Depend On” to his many recordings with
MORE ONLINE!
For audio of this
.
lesson, go to guitarplayer. com/lessons/ august2017 Ex. 2
Melodic G major lick G
4 4 3
15 T A B
12
12
14
12 12
12 15
13 12
14 12
12
13
15
12
Ex. 3
E natural minor (Aeolian) melodic pocket (12th position) 2 3 6 4 7
R 5 3
4 4 Em
T A B
12
14
12
13
15
12 14 15
12
Ex. 4
Melodic E Aeolian lick Em
() ( ) 4 4
12 T A B
14
15
13
B
14 15
Journey. His signature style is marked by outstanding technique and facility, but he has always found a way to blend technical ideas with a healthy dose of blues sensitivity, raw emotion, and impeccable phrasing. This lesson will focus on the modal “melodic pocket” approach that Schon has
15(17)
15
14
12
B
15
12
15(17)
used throughout his career, with the goal of teaching you how to employ it in your own playing. The concept involves locating and targeting a small fretboard pattern for a scale, and finding various ways of repurposing the notes over different relative chords and modes to create a variety
of appealing modal tonalities from a single handful of notes. To begin, let’s focus on the G major scale (G, A, B, C, D, E, F#) played in only one octave in the 12th position, as shown in Ex. 1. This “pocket” of notes will easily work over a G major chord and any progression in that
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
67
> > > N E A L SCH ON
key. After you become familiar with this pattern and shape, play the lick shown in Ex. 2, which is built directly from it. As you play through this lick, notice the abundance of
finger vibratos applied to specific, targeted notes (the high G#). Schon is a master of vibrato, and this lick captures a little of his magical touch. A smooth, wide, even vibrato
Ex. 5
A Dorian melodic pocket (12th position) 5 2 7
3
7
6
4
R
() 4 4 Am7
B
T A B
12 14
12 13 15
12 14 15
15(17)
Ex. 6
Melodic A Dorian lick Am7
R
R
4 4 3 ( )
( ) ( ) ( )
B 15
(17)
17
B
(15) 14(15)
(15)
14
12 14
T A B
15
12 14
13
14 12 14
12
13
Ex. 7
C Lydian melodic pocket (12th position)
3 4 5 7 R 2 6 5
4 4 Cmaj7
T A B
68
12
14
12 13 15
12 14 15
13
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
14
technique, applied to catchy melodic phrases like this one is a very effective device for making your guitar come to life and sing, so to speak, and for creating memorable lead lines and solos. Ex. 3 demonstrates how you can repurpose this same handful of notes over an Em tonality and chord type, such as E5, Em, Em7 or Em9, and create the sound of the E natural minor scale, also known as an E Aeolian mode (E, F#, G, A, B, C, D), which is the sixth mode of the G major scale. The fingerings and notes we’re using here are exactly the same as with Ex.1, but the sound created by playing the same notes over a different chord alters the musical mood and flavor, and moves the pocket into a new tonality and modal fingerprint. Play the Schon-inspired melodic lead phrase in Ex. 4 and notice the expressive use of string bends and vibratos as the line unfolds, bringing to mind the guitarist’s soaring licks on such Journey classics such as “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and “Stone in Love.” Ex. 5 expands this concept to another relative key and modal tonality, A Dorian (A, B, C, D, E, F#, G), which is the second mode of the G major scale and comprises the same seven notes as both that scale and E natural minor. It can be played over A5, Am, Am7 or Am9 chords and A Dorianbased progressions. Schon no doubt learned much about how to use this mode to great musical effect from his tenure playing alongside Santana, himself a Dorian master. The melodic lick in Ex. 6 features several Schon-style ideas, with lyrical bending movements in the first bar that beautifully set up the arpeggio movements that follow. As you play through this phrase, notice how our targeted root note has now shifted to A, which brings out the Dorian flavor and sound. Ex.7 applies this concept to the exotic and modern-sounding Lydian mode—the major scale’s fourth mode and a favorite of players like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani— and places the pocket over a Cmaj7 chord (C, E, G, B), effectively creating a C Lydian flavor (C, D, E, F#, G, A, B). Again, notice that we’re using the same seven notes as in the previous examples, in this case all oriented around a C root note and tonal center. To really emphasize a Lydian sound, play
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> > > N E A L SCH ON
this kind of idea over chords that include a #4, or #11, such as Cmaj9#11 (theoretically spelled C, E, G, B, D, F#), which will match the sound of the raised fourth found in this mode. Ex. 8 showcases this sound with a busy, melodic rock lick that incorporates an abundance of finger slides, finger vibratos, hammer-ons, and pull-offs.
songs, especially their bluesier material, such as “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin” and “Walks Like a Lady.” The melodic phrase presented in Ex. 10 is based on this same repurposing of the notes, and brings to mind licks Schon plays in the Journey classic “Only the Young,” with the dominant ninth, E, emphasized at the end of the phrase. As you experiment with superimposing scales over various chords and progressions, you’ll come to realize that there are countless guitarists out there, like Schon, who make great use of this approach to crafting lead melodies. Becoming aware of the different musical “colors” that you can create using this concept will give you useful phrasing options and tonal variances to apply to your own playing. As we did here, select a specific scale and fretboard pattern, and try repurposing the notes to fit over different related chord types and progressions. In so doing, you will learn to hear how you can re-appropriate and adapt licks you already know to different keys and musical settings. While you can certainly benefit from studying larger, two- and three-octave scale shapes all over the fretboard, there’s something important to learn from taking a small scale-fragment and discovering how to create phrases and melodies using a limited supply of useful and targeted information. As your familiarity with this concept expands and improves—and as you study the examples presented in this lesson and use them as springboards for creating your own licks and phrases—try to remember to keep things basic and “in the pocket.” Eventually, this study will arm you with a highly effective approach to crafting expressive and musically effective ideas. g
Ex. 9 reveals another expansion of our pocket, which takes us to the popular and bluesy sound of the Mixolydian mode, in this case D Mixolydian (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C), which is the fifth mode of G major. Here, our now-familiar fretboard shape is played over a D7 chord (D, F#, A, C), creating an appealing sound heard in plenty of Journey
Ex. 8
Melodic C Lydian lick Cmaj7
4 4
12 13
T A B
15
12 13
14
12 13
12
12 13
12
13 15 13
12
13
14 15
13
Ex. 9
D Mixolydian melodic pocket (12th position) 2 6 4
7
3 4 R 5
4 4 D7
T A B
12
14
12 13 15
12 14 15
15
Ex. 10
Melodic D Mixolydian lick D5
() ()
() ()
4 4 B
T A B
70
14
15
12 14
15
14
(15)
hold B
R 15
(14) 12
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
15
12
14
15 15 (17)
(17)
R 17
(15)
14
15
17 17
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on the Stratocaster should not obscure the fact that his acoustic playing has always been an important component of Pink Floyd’s music and sound. One of the best examples of this is the intro to “Hey You,” featured on the band’s enormously popular and enduring 1979 concept album, The Wall. Written by Roger Waters, the song begins with a somber-sounding two-chord progression that alternates between arpeggiated Em(add9) and Dm(add9) chords. But what really makes this intro come to life and sound so shimmering and hauntingly beautiful is what Gilmour did with it, which is ingenious, as we shall see. “It always amazes me when someone shows me how I played something,” Gilmour once told me in an interview, while discussing the intro to “Hey You” and other Pink Floyd songs. “It’s usually some ridiculously complicated way that I’d never even considered.” He adds, “I always try to find the easiest way to play something. I’ll use any trick I can.” What the guitarist did for the “Hey You” intro, and the first verse that follows, was restring his acoustic guitar to what he refers to as “highstrung” tuning, which is a slight variation on what is commonly called Nashville tuning. In Nashville tuning, the guitar’s
Pink Floyd’s “Hey You” BY JIMMY BROWN
electric lead playing on such classic rock staples as “Money,” “Time,” and “Comfortably Numb.” But the guitarist’s brilliance
W H E N O N E T H I N KS O F G U I TA R A N D
Pink Floyd, the first thing that usually comes to mind is David Gilmour’s soaring Ex. 1
David Gilmour’s “high-strung” tuning
(The bottom four strings are replaced with much thinner strings.) T A B
0
0
0 6th string, two octaves higher
5th string, one octave higher
4th string, one octave higher
0
0
0 3rd string, one octave higher
2nd string, normal
1st string, normal
Ex. 2
´+H\ > > CL A SS I C ACOUS T IC L ES S ON
T H E W O N D E R F U L A N D W H I M S I CA L A D R I A N L E G G A LWAYS H A S I N T E R E ST I N G TA K E S O N ACO U ST I C , acoustic-electric, and electric performance, and his July 1994 column is a hoot. His discussion of the acoustic-guitarist’s lifestyle is thought provoking and humorous, and this “Perverted Banjo” piece is a joy to play and listen to. Have fun with all those string crosses and playful note contours! — M I C H A E L
74
MOLENDA
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
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Wiring Upgrades THE RECENT ELECTRIC STRING FORMULATIONS AND YOU! BY ART THOMPSO N A ND MI CHA EL MOLENDA GUITAR STRINGS HAVE GOTTEN QUITE
coupled with a revolutionary “fusion twist” pro-
sophisticated, as makers of guitar wires seek to
cess for the plain-steel strings. The company also
address the needs of players by offering more
states the NYXL’s reformulated nickel-plated
advanced metal formulations, winding pro-
string windings have greater magnetic proper-
cesses, and other means of improving string
ties, resulting in higher output and enhanced
life, intonation, and tone. Here’s an overview of
midrange for more presence and crunch. The
some of the latest electric-string technologies,
wound strings also offer enhanced response in
so that you can determine if any of these new
the 1kHz to 3.5kHz range, offering improved artic-
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ulation for cutting through a loud mix. As a final touch, D’Addario’s environmentally friendly, cor-
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76
D ’A D DA RIO NYX L
rosion-resistant packaging ensures the strings
Overview: NYXL guitar strings promise to “bend
will be fresh when you put them on.
farther, sing louder, and stay in tune better than
Field Test: The NYXL’s dropped in late
any string you’ve played before.” They feature
summer 2014, so we’ve had the most time to
a break-resistant, high-carbon steel core and
evaluate wear. I put a set on a Les Paul Junior
plain-steel alloy to provide more strength and
in early 2016, played it for a few months with-
up to 131 percent greater tuning stability via a
out changing strings, and then the guitar went
completely reinvented wire-drawing process
back in storage for a while. Luckily, I had recorded
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
some direct tracks with the new strings in Feb-
Peer Commentary: DR started shipping the
and non-coated strings. In fact, I enjoyed play-
ruary 2016, so I had a record of the sound when
Veritas line around October 2016. We haven’t
ing these strings. From a tonal standpoint, they
the strings were fresh. I took out the Junior last
had an electric set in to test yet, but some of
sounded sparkly, articulate, and resonant on my
month, and I recorded the “old” strings again.
our former columnists—Stefan Grossman,
Collings 290 (Filter’Trons) and a custom LAG Jet
Then, I restrung the guitar with a 2017 set, and
Happy Traum, and Carl Verheyen—have raved
(humbuckers). Using my recording documen-
recorded those strings. Referencing the record-
about the tone and longevity of the Veritas line
tation again, the Optiweb strings did lose a tad
ings, the 2016 NYXLs had lost some midrange
of acoustic strings, which also utilizes ACT. On
of high-midrange clarity after four months of
articulation compared to the 2017 set, but both
the electric side, Peer reviews online have been
use—much like the NYXLs—but the tone was
tracks sounded alive and punchy. When I plugged
positive, and YouTube videos of players using
nowhere near muffled enough for me to change
the Junior into my Vox AC30—with the 2016 set
Veritas strings (non-sponsored) reveal a clear,
the strings. During a gig, I broke a high-E string
still on—the tone was definitely bright enough to
articulate sound with a nice snap and pop to
on my California Guitars T-style, but that was
do a gig without any concern about the strings
single-note lines. Hopefully, we’ll be able to
the only instance of breakage from the Opti-
being too dull. I also have a Gretsch semi-hol-
schedule a full review soon.
webs during the test period. Tuning integrity
low that has been armed with an NYXL set since December 2016, and used constantly for gigs
Basic Sets and Street Pricing: .009, .010,
was excellent after the normal stretching routine. I play pretty hard onstage, and yet I was
.011 ($8.99).
and rehearsals. I haven’t felt a need to change
able to go two or three songs without having
the strings yet (it’s now May 24, 2017) as they
to check my tuning. Basic Sets and Street Pricing: .009, .010,
continue to sound clear and articulate. I’ve only
.011 ($12.99).
broken one D string on a NYXL set since 2016, and I’m really hard on strings, so I’m happy with the wear and tear factor. Since their debut, I’ve found the NYXLs always feel nice, retain tuning integrity (once stretched out), and sound very lively and bell-like right out of the package. Basic Sets and Street Pricing: .009, .010, .011, .012, .013 ($12.99); 7-string ($15.99).
ELIXIR OPTIWEB Overview: Elixir Strings debuted the process of coating strings for electric and acoustic guitars, bass, mandolin, and banjo acoustic years
E R NIE BALL PARADIG M
ago, and the company’s Electric Nickel Plated
Overview: A key aspect of Paradigm strings
Steel Strings with Optiweb coating represent
is the Reinforced Plain Strings (RPS) process,
their latest advancement. As Elixir states, “Now
which firmly locks the string to the ball end
you can have the best of both worlds—the per-
without the need for a traditional lock twist,
formance of a natural string, and the extended
which can over-stress the wire and become
tone life of a coated one.” Elixir’s electric sets
a breaking point. The company says this gives
feature anti-rust plating on plain steel strings,
Paradigm plain strings up to 35 percent more
DR STRI NGS V ER I TAS
while the wound strings are constructed with
tensile strength, along with better tuning sta-
Overview: DR’s new Veritas Quantum Nickel Guitar
nickel-plated-steel wrap wire. The key innova-
bility. Both Paradigm plain strings and wound-
Strings are designed to combine more power
tion behind the Optiweb coating is a proprietary
string core wires are made up of ultra-fine-grain,
with longer life. DR says that Quantum Nickel
process that produces a lightweight coating that
high-strength steel using EB’s new state-of-
is more magnetic, and therefore more respon-
not only protects the string from the elements
the-art wire-drawing process, resulting in up
sive and powerful than ordinary “eight-percent”
for longer tone life, but also allows the string to
to 70 percent more fatigue strength. An exclu-
nickel-plated steel wire. Superior core wire is also
vibrate with less damping, “allowing for a crisp
sive plasma process removes contaminants
recognized as the foundation for tone, accuracy,
tone with a firm, natural feel that puts you in
and smoothes out defects, as well as ensuring
and durability, and DR’s Accurate Core Tech-
control of bends, vibrato, and sustain.”
that the wire has a more stable microstructure
nology (ACT) was developed to reinforce the
Field Test: Elixir’s Optiweb strings debuted
before it is wrapped, which means the strings
core wire and fill in any imperfections along its
at Winter NAMM 2017, and I was sent beta and
will last longer. Finally, the wound strings receive
entire length, helping to make Veritas strings
production sets to evaluate. I’m aware that some
an “Everlast” treatment of a nanometers-thin
sound louder and brighter, and last longer. Cool
guitarists remain tentative about trying com-
coating in order to repel moisture and oils that
“extra”: Three plain Xenon strings are included
pletely coated strings, but I didn’t notice any per-
lead to tone-killing buildup, yet without damp-
in each set for free.
ceptible difference in feel between the Optiwebs
ening the high frequencies.
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
77
>> > N E W ST RI N G FORMUL AT IONS
Field Test: Paradigm strings were announced
(I recorded reference tracks again), but always
have acted to protect the quality of the current
at winter NAMM in January 2017, but Ernie Ball
sounded shimmery, punchy, and articulate. I saw
string line. They released their Nitro-Packs in
provided me with some beta packs preceding the
no need to change them—even for a recording
2014, which seal each individual string in tear-
official launch, as well as production strings this
session. Intonation was spot on—and remained
resistant packages where the nitrogen envi-
April. Ernie Ball guarantees the strings against
spot on—and, touch-wise, the Paradigms felt as
ronment inside is totally oxygen free. GHS is
breakage or rust within 90 days of purchase, and
good as other quality strings.
so confident of this protection that they offer
Basic Sets and Street Pricing: .009, .010,
there have been some hilarious videos online with players trying bust the Paradigms on their
.011, .012 ($14.99); 7-string ($16.99).
a two-year guarantee (from the date of manufacture) if you find a string that’s corroded or oxidized.
claim to be relatively indestructible. I put a Paradigm set on my heaviest Les Paul, loosened the
Peer Test: We haven’t personally tested
strings a tad, grabbed all six strings, and shook
the longevity effects of the GHS packaging,
the guitar up and down. Nothing. I slammed my
but I have an artist friend who has about a
pick down on the strings like a sledgehammer.
year’s supply of GHS strings in Nitro-Packs.
Nope. I did rapid bends while picking furiously
He reports that when he changes strings they
with the edge of a 25-cent coin. No ill effects.
have retained their “new string” clarity and
In addition, throughout nearly four months of
intonation—even when grabbing replace-
gigs and sessions, I never broke a string, so I
ments that have been in Nitro-Packs for many months.
think these things are pretty tough (understatement alert). Tonal integrity was top notch during
GH S STRINGS
those months of gigs, as well. The strings lost
Overview: GHS hasn’t unleashed any new for-
.010, .011, .011.5, .012, .013, 7- and 8-string ($3.95-
just a touch of high mids during the time span
mulations in the past couple of years, but they
$20.99).ed-steel wrap wire. g
Basic Sets and Street Pricing: .008, .009,
MORE COOL STRINGS TO CHECK OUT
We focused this report on the strings we’ve had on our instruments for a while, because we wanted to give readers a real-world view on how the most recent string formulations stand up regarding longevity, tuning integrity, tonal quality, and breakage. That exercise required a few months’ worth of gigs, rehearsals, practicing at home, and feedback from peers. But the strings that made the short list due to recently marketed new formulations certainly aren’t the only options for enhancing the tone of your favorite guitars. Here are some other strings that have been used by enough editors and musician friends for us to call your attention to. Guitar Player will publish comprehensive, “field test”
.
reviews on many more strings in the near future.
D ’A N GE L ICO
nickel-wound electric strings
they received Hall of Fame
Cleartone has provided the
D’Angelico just announced
and phosphor-bronze acous-
honors in 2015. The company
staff with nickel-plated elec-
the revival of their Bethanized
tic strings, and they’ve ended up
offers electric sets with Vapor
tric strings and phosphor-
Electrozinc electric-guitar strings
on test instruments and gigging
Shield, as well, and the gauges
bronze acoustic strings to use
this January, and we have not
guitars alike. Whether acoustic
and pricing are as follows.
for our guitar tests from time
had any samples to test as of
or electric, the Dunlop sets we’ve
Basic Sets and Street Pricing:
to time, and they’ve all offered
yet. The cool story is that John
had in the office have offered
.009, .010, .011 ($13.99).
great tone and feel for various
D’Angelico partnered with John
excellent articulation, wonder-
video demos and print reviews.
D’Addario in 1938 to make the
ful string-to-string clarity, and
SIT
The company “treats” its strings
original strings, and D’Angelico
spot-on intonation.
Gigging buddies around our
with a thin coating that claims
and D’Addario have joined forces
Basic Sets and Street Pricing:
locale have reported SIT elec-
to increase string life by five
again to make the brand new,
.009, .010, .011, .012 ($3.49-$3.99);
tric strings as being responsive
times and deliver 35-precent
EXP-coated versions.
7-string ($4.95); 8-string ($5.74).
and dynamic. We’re certainly
more volume as compared to
Basic Sets and Street Pricing:
comparable coated strings.
.009, .010, .011, .012. .013 ($12.99
LA B E LLA
keep your eyes peeled for a
Basic Sets and Street Pricing:
rock; $14.99 jazz).
GP’s Matt Blackett was so
review soon.
impressed with La Bella’s Vapor
Basic Sets and Street Pricing:
DUNLOP
Shield acoustic strings—which
008, .009, .010, .011, .012, .013
Dunlop has been kind enough
promise “no flakes, no cracks, no
($4.99); 7-string ($N/A); 8-string
to send us many packs of its
peeling, no muffled tone”—that
($N/A). g
.009, .010, .011 ($14.99); 7-string ($17.99); 8-string ($20.99).
78
z
C LEA RTO NE
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
interested to learn more, so
FAIR USE IS FAIR PLAY
Whether he is recording Mark Knopfler or learning a new plug-in, award-winning recording engineer Chuck Ainlay always acquires the music software he uses from legitimate sources. Chuck believes in fair play and works exclusively with legal software. Respect yourself, your craft, and the work of others. Buy the software you use, and buy the music you love.
www.imsta.org International Music Software Trade Association New York • Toronto • Hamburg • Tokyo Tel: 416 789-6849 • Fax: 416 789-1667 The International Music Software Trade Association is a non-profit organization that represents the interests of music software and soundware publishers. One of our most important functions is to advocate for the legal use of software in the music production and creation landscape. We do this primarily through public education campaigns. We are supported by our members who are software and soundware developers, distributors, retailers & publications. We are challenging piracy on moral grounds appealing to the good in all of us. We are trying to change behavior.
Framus Pro Series Panthera Supreme II TESTE D BY MICHA EL MOLEN DA WOW. THE PANTHERA IS DROP-DEAD
every instance, the craftsmanship is as immac-
body, hands, and fingers like a super-luxurious
gorgeous in its Nirvana Black Transparent finish
ulate as any object of luxury, and, guitar-wise,
pillow. Although I tend to prefer satin finishes, the
with a sexy, gleaming, and flawless lacquer shine
the build quality matches the standards set by
high-gloss lacquer on the neck makes playing
that would look right at home on a custom
high-end electrics from PRS, Collings, Knaggs,
this guitar a winning combination of slick, slip-
Ferrari SA Aperta (and the triple-layer paint job
the Fender and Gibson custom shops, and other
pery, fast, unhindered, and delightful. The buffed
on that baby is a $28,000 upcharge). The jaw-
classy and refined makers.
and rounded frets are near imperceptible to the touch—an obvious benefit of Framus’ “Invisible
dropping beauty of the mahogany and maple woods is showcased across every millimeter of
P L AYA B ILITY
Fretwork Technology” and the Plek fret dress-
the guitar. The carved top is quite voluptuous,
It’s a weird thing with me, but there are times
ing at the factory. I like to fuss with the Volume
and the backside’s top bevel is comfortable
when holding a truly magnificent guitar that I
and Tone knobs during performance—mostly
whether you’re playing in a sitting position or
just don’t feel thrilled about playing it. It might
for volume swells and wah-style effects—and
standing onstage. Even the three-layer (black/
be that the construction is sophisticated, but
the controls are right at hand, although I have
silver/black) striping across the top is impec-
the guitar feels stiff. Perhaps, I worry about
to reach just a tad to cradle the bridge-pickup
cable with no evidence of filler, and the same
ruining something so expensive (as a convul-
Volume knob with my pinky. The push/pull Tone
attention to detail applies to the lovely trapezoid
sive buckaroo of sorts while onstage, I have
knob for coil-splitting is tight enough not to be
inlays on the fretboard. All hardware is top qual-
sadly earned a reputation as the destroyer of
activated by an errant windmill, but it’s also easy
ity, and assembled securely and with precision. In
guitars). But the Panthera just melts into my
to pull without slipping off. Nothing here gets in
80
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
S P E C I F I C AT I O N S
PRO SERIES PANTHERA SUPREME II
. the way of getting the sounds you want, play-
suddenly, you’re in a world of snarl, snap, pop,
ing the riffs you want, or enjoying the whole pro-
and rage. The high-midrange spectrum comes
cess of working with a great guitar.
alive, and the Panthera roars right into a pleth-
CONTACT
framus.com
PRICE
$2,999 street
NUT WIDTH
1.7" (Graph Tech Black Tusq)
NECK
Mahogany, set
FRETBOARD
Tigerstripe ebony, 24.75" scale,
z
12" radius FRETS
ora of classic rock, alt-rock, ska, R&B, punk, and
22 extra-high jumbo nickelsilver
SOUNDS
funk tones. The sound may remain a little too
TUNERS
Graph Tech Ratio Locking
The Panthera is the embodiment of culture and
mannered to give up, say, fractured fizzle à la
BODY
Flamed maple top over
class, and, initially, the tones reflect its opulent
cheap, ’60s-era Japanese and Italian guitars,
bearing. The Seymour Duncan pickups are artic-
but I can always grab my faux Wandre if I’m
BRIDGE
TonePros Tune-o-Matic
ulate, while maintaining a stout, rounded tone.
jonesing for beautifully “bad” tones. All in all,
PICKUPS
Seymour Duncan APH-1 (neck),
Even the bridge pickup sounds fat and nicely
I played a ton of different styles with the Pan-
restrained in the high-midrange frequencies.
thera, and it kicked ass on every one. This is an
This personality produces beautiful jazz and vin-
extremely sonically versatile guitar.
mahogany
Seymour Duncan SH-11 (bridge) CONTROLS
Two Volume, Tone (with coilsplit push/pull pot)
FACTORY STRINGS Cleartone Coated, .010-.046
tage rock tones without a hint of sizzle, sear, or bite. The neck pickup provides warm lows and
TH E WRA P UP
WEIGHT
9.0 lbs
low-mids, but there’s enough midrange clarity
When I fantasize about “dream guitars,” they are
BUILT
Germany
to keep the sound balanced without getting
always the definition of perfection—absolutely
KUDOS
Versatile tones. Excellent con-
muddy or boomy.
stunning in construction, ergonomics, playabil-
But lest you think the Panthera is too firmly
ity, looks, and sound. The Panthera isn’t an inex-
rooted in restaurant jazz or soft-rock sounds,
pensive proposition, but you get what pay for,
the not-so-secret weapon at your fingertips
and perhaps a bit more. This guitar is truly the
is the coil-split feature. Flip that baby on, and,
stuff of dreams. g
struction. Plays like butter. Looks absolutely stunning. CONCERNS
None.
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
81
>> > F IE LD T E S T
Line 6 Spider V 240HC T ESTE D BY MICHA EL MOLENDA W H IL E D I G I TA L A M P MODE L I N G HAS
to those who, in another one of life’s arenas,
Guitars T-style (single-coils), and a Gibson Les
been on the scene for more than two decades—
couldn’t live without their smartphones, tab-
Paul Junior (P-90s).
and analog modeling goes back to Tom Scholz’s
lets, and on-demand television options. (Weird,
Rockman (1982) and Tech 21’s SansAmp
huh?) So, in an attempt to once and for all time
BASIC OPS
(1989)—some guitarists still perceive the oper-
alleviate “workstation worry,” Line 6 evolved its
The V 240HC front panel is super user-friendly
ation of these powerful tools as signing up to
Spider V line (V 30, V 60, V 120, and V 240) to
with extremely obvious controls, so I tossed the
fly the Space Shuttle without getting compre-
be not only comprehensive, but kind. This is an
manual and dove right in. Push the Amp button,
hensive training from NASA. This is a shame,
inviting, inspiring, and encouraging tone machine.
and the amp parameters light up over the corre-
because if you’re a restless type questing after
I opted to test the 240-watt V 240HC head
sponding knobs for Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and
unique sounds, digital processors are a very
($479 street), because it’s a massively cool and
Volume. Click for FX, and the lights over each
good way to go. So good, in fact, that more and
capable live-performance engine—especially
knob display your colored-coded effects options:
more of GP’s interviews with professional gui-
when partnered with the Line 6 FBV3 foot con-
Comp (gold), FX1 (blue; factory set to modu-
tarists reveal they are deploying digital devices
troller ($249 street) and the Line 6 Relay G10T
lation), FX2 (yellow; factory set to distortion),
such as the Kemper Profiler and Fractal Audio
wireless transmitter ($99 street). For mono oper-
FX3 (green; factory set to delay), and Reverb
Axe-FX (along with digital combos from most
ation, I plugged the head into an Old Dog 4x12
(orange). Control freaks don’t have to use the
major amp manufacturers) for their live and
X-Cab, and I used two Mesa/Boogie 1x12 cabi-
factory colors. You can easily assign any effect
studio tones.
nets for stereo application. Direct recording was
to any FX1, FX2, or FX3 knob (Admittedly, I had
And yet, Line 6—which kicked off the whole
accomplished from the 240HC’s XLR output to
to crack the manual for this op.). If you want to
digital-amp tone party with its AxSys 212 combo
a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. Test guitars included a
tweak anything, just push Edit. Want to do some
in back in 1996—gets it. Amps that are, in reality,
Gretsch Nashville (Filter’Tron pickups), a Framus
looping? Press the Quick Loop button (shown by
digital workstations can be intimidating—even
Panthera Supreme II (humbuckers), a California
two circling arrows on the knob). There’s another
82
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
the head’s internal receiver, and I experienced no dropouts or other glitches. There were no issues with the optional FBV 3 footpedal, either. Gigging with both devices and the 240HC is like having the planet-killing tonal power of one of those ’80s-era custom pedalboards and rack units, but without the costs, cable-routing hassles, and cartage (or roadie) fees. Many of the presets are loaded for bear— meaning aggressively saturated and effected —but I found all the basic amp tones to be excellent sonic foundations once I turned the parameters off or down. Presets are, after all, developed to emulate an already established tone. Don’t button for Tap Tempo and Tuner, as well as a
take the bait. Twist some knobs and make that
handy Home button if you get yourself lost in
sound your own! All of the amp models are very
the menus. Oh, and if you want to rock out to
dynamic (depending on the processing involved,
the onboard drum tracks, simply push the Play/
of course) and track your guitar’s volume-knob
Pause button, and use the rotary/push knob to
moves and pick attacks accurately. As a result, I found few (if any) conventional
select your groove. The back panel is clearly labeled with left/
tones I couldn’t get to with the 240HC, and a
right/mono direct outputs (XLR) for recording
ton of sounds that traditional signal routing
or direct-to-sound-system use, left/right/mono
wouldn’t give me. Seeking familiar and unique tones is adventurous, easy, and fun, and unless
line outputs (1/4") for speaker cabinets, a switch for enabling or defeating cabinet modeling, a
The optional, color-coded FBV 3 foot-
you go for full-on splatters without any attack,
ground-lift switch, a dedicated input for a Line
pedal (top) makes gigging a breeze.
the sounds translate well to the live stage, and
6 FBV3 or a FBV Shortboard MKII foot controller,
The optional G-10 wireless transmitter
they can definitely break out of a band mix. (My
and USB inputs (switchable for iPhone/iPad or
(above) automatically syncs with the
advice: Save the splatters for your studio tracks.)
Mac/PC/Android) to update the amp’s software/
V 240HC’s built-in receiver.
Diehard analog heroes may not be won over, but open-minded tone freaks may lose them-
firmware, edit tones, or playback/record audio.
selves in all of the 240HC’s parameters, effects,
COOL “EXTRAS”
could definitely play a low-volume coffee shop
A wonderful benefit is that the V 240HC head
or restaurant gig with the head alone.
routing options, and, yes, its armory of sounds. Ultimately, most guitarists want a “labora-
includes a full-range, 50-watt stereo speaker
Another goodie is that the 240HC software
tory”—whether from a digital amp/workstation
system with two 4" woofers and two tweet-
can be constantly upgraded through its onboard
or a tube amp and a boatload of effect pedals—
ers, so you don’t have to lug speaker cabinets
USB jacks. Line 6 has proven to be a constantly
that inspires them to explore new vistas of tone
around when you want to practice at home. In
evolving tech company, so whatever they have
creation. The Spider V 240HC delivers on that
addition, you can choose to quietly and conve-
up their sleeves, 240HC users will always get
promise, and it does it with a butt-simple user
niently perform all of your tone programming
the benefit of software and firmware upgrades,
interface, deep editing options, onboard speak-
and tweaking in your living room, bedroom, or
peer programs, guitar-star patches, and so on.
ers, recording and live-performance outputs (with or without cabinet simulations), and other
kitchen. Even hipper, when you “suit up” for a gig, all the tones you crafted at home will sound
D OWN TO THE B RASS TACKS…
features that make playing with this amp edu-
pretty much the same roaring in a club with the
The V 240HC’s amp models include all the usual
cational, entertaining, and tonally righteous.
240HC plugged into your preferred speaker cab-
suspects (Marshall, Fender, Vox, Boogie, etc.),
inet. I even brought the “head sans cabinet” to
presets written by artists (Elliot Easton, Devin
Kudos Powerful. Easy to use. Portable. Good
a couple of arrangement rehearsals, and there
Townsend, Brendon Small, and others), and just
value. Versatile tones. Updatable.
was enough power to hear myself over the
about every effect you’d ever need. The optional
Concerns It ain’t analog. Deal with it.
group’s drums, bass, and acoustic guitar. You
G10 wireless transmitter automatically locks to
Contact line6.com g
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M
83
Dr. Z Surgical Steel
just plain cool to look at if you’re the type who
TESTE D BY ART THOMPSON
amplifier for a very specific type of instrument,
likes geeking out on chassis design. The bottom line is Dr. Z has presented a unique but also one that has many qualities that play-
G U I TA R P L AY E R W A S F O U N D E D I N
1x12 with a Celestion G-12 65, the SS tracked
ers of standard guitars will appreciate. We even
1967 by pedal-steel player and music store
volume changes beautifully, whether the signals
tried it out on bass, although some change of
owner Bud Eastman, and this magazine regu-
were hitting it via volume pedal or the volume
EQ would be needed for optimal 4-string tones.
larly covered the instrument from the early years,
knobs on several 6-string electrics (including
Suffice to say, however, that if you’re looking for
most notably via Rusty Young’s “Steel Sympo-
a Les Paul, a Tele, and an Epiphone “Treasure”
clean, loud, and tube powered, the Surgical Steel
sium” columns. That said, I can’t recall reading a
Firebird). The SS’s inherent design allows for
is in a league of its own. It’s a platform that is
pedal-steel review in GP—let alone a tube amp
very smooth yet effective transitions between
increasing in popularity thanks to the tremen-
designed for one—but we are about to right the
cleaner/sweeter and tougher/more muscular
dous growth of stompbox effects, and with
latter omission by featuring the new Surgical Steel
tones, especially if you have the luxury of run-
Americana and roots country bands requiring
head. From the outset, Dr. Z founder Mike Zaite
ning it turned up a bit up—a.k.a. loud!
ever more pedal-steel sweetness in their music, the timing of the Surgical Steel really couldn’t
reports that he wanted to “Create an amp that
Along with a bevy of pedal-steel converts
would clearly reproduce notes from an instru-
to the blessings of tube amplification, Dr. Z
ment with .070-gauge strings, accurately gen-
reported that Joe Walsh started using the SS
erate correct frequencies when bending strings
last year because it sounded so good with his
and using alternate tunings, and output a rich
pedalboard for live playing. No doubt, the amp’s
and sustaining tone with adequate wattage.”
ability to pump out a big, well-defined sound at
To accomplish these goals he chose a unique
higher volumes does make it a great choice for
SURGICAL STEEL
preamp design based on a EF86 pentode tube,
stompbox users, and with drive and/or modu-
CONTACT
drzamps.com
which has the advantage of accepting inputs of
lation pedals running in the front end along with
PRICE
$1,999 street
various voltages, such as those from volume
a good ambience effect in the FX loop (such
CHANNELS
1
pedals, and reproducing them accurately with-
as the new MXR Reverb I used), the SS proves
CONTROLS
Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass
out distorting the signal as disproportionately as
itself to be a versatile amp with a voicing that
POWER
90 watts
12AX7 tubes do. Downstream from the 3-band
requires very little touching of the tone controls
TUBES
1 x EF86, 1 x 12DW7, 1x 12AX7 2 x
EQ section and tube-driven effects loop, the SS
to get excellent sounds from humbuckers and
also features an ultra-linear output stage that
single-coils. Suitable for a lot of styles when it
makes full use of the richness, articulation, and
gets right down to it, I found this amp quite fun
excellent headroom that a pair of powerful KT88
to play even on smaller gigs where the volume
WEIGHT
32 lbs
tubes can deliver. For reference, a single KT88
had to be kept in check, as it punches through
BUILT
USA
(the “KT” being a British abbreviation for “kin-
with amazing clarity and presence even when
KUDOS
Excellent build quality. Supe-
kless tetrode”) is good for 46 watts!
throttled way back.
It all adds up to making the Surgical Steel
The build quality is yet another important
a supremely clear and girthy sounding amp.
element here, as Dr. Z’s traditional hand-wir-
Tested though a Mesa/Boogie 2x12 recto cabi-
ing and use of high-grade components makes
net or (more cautiously) an open-back Bogner
the Surgical Steel rugged, easy to service, and
84
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
be better. Well done! g
S P E C I F I C AT I O N S
.
z
KT88 EXTRAS
Effects loop. Three speaker outs (4Ɵ, 8Ɵ, 16Ɵ)
rior clean headroom. Designed for pedal-steel but also excels for stompbox-savvy guitarists. CONCERNS
None.
©
Over $300,000 in cash awards & prizes! Entry fees help support the non-profit John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
jlsc.com Sponsored by:
“Lennon” and “John Lennon” are trademarks of Yoko Ono Lennon. All artwork © Yoko Ono Lennon. Licensed exclusively through Bag One Arts, Inc. Design: Baree Fehrenbach
>> > FI E L D T E ST
API TranZformer GT TESTE D BY MICHA EL ROSS
Supro Comet, and an Art & Lutherie Roadhouse acoustic through a Focusrite interface into a
API’S 2520 AMPLIFIER HAS ADDED
DAW, the API pedal upped the game of both
its trademark warmth to broadcast consoles
guitars in every way. Even at unity gain, I could
and recording studios for over four decades. The
hear the added warmth of the TranZformer’s
company’s first guitar pedal, the TranZformer
preamp. The compressor was studio-transparent
GT ($492 street) features a similar discrete
regardless of threshold level—perfect for both
circuit design preamp with +30dB of gain. An
acoustic strums and Lowell George-style elec-
onboard API 525 feedback-type compressor
tric slide tones—and the three EQ bands were
offers six levels of threshold—from 2:1 to 20:1—
each voiced in a guitar-friendly range. Oddly,
with fixed average attack and release times of
the bypass light goes on when the effect is off,
5ms and 100ms respectively. Also included is
but the device improves the tone so much you
a 3-band equalizer. The compressor and EQ
are unlikely to want it off. At 8" x 5.5" x 4" and
are switchable on and off when the hardwired
weighing four pounds, the TranZformer GT is
bypass switch is on. The TranZformer GT has a
not exactly pedalboard friendly, but for studio-
¼" input along with ¼" and XLR outputs. Three
quality sound in a live setting, it could be essential.
buttons control phase reverse and ground lift,
KUDOS Enhances guitar tone via classic API
which are useful when plugging the pedal simul-
console-type analog preamp and compression.
taneously into an amp and P.A.
CONCERNS None.
Tested with a Fernandes T-style into a
86
G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
CONTACT apiaudio.com g
>> > C L AS S IC G E A R
1965 Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1A BY DAVE HUNTE R STILL POTENTIALLY THE MOST RADICAL
Richards fuzz riff remained, and the fuzz box
guitar effect out there when used in anger, the
became a must-have for any aspiring rock ’n’
fuzzbox is also one of the earliest transistor-
roller, or for that matter, any session guitarist
ized pedals available, landing on the scene long
tracking on the latest spaghetti western tune.
before milder forms of overdrive and other rela-
Wide tolerances within any run of germa-
tively polite effects. And the Maestro Fuzz-Tone
nium transistors meant that no two Maestro
is the granddaddy of them all.
Fuzz-Tones were likely to sound the same, even
First released in 1962, the Fuzz-Tone evolved
two that came off the line on the same day. As a
from a circuit designed by Nashville studio engi-
result, some fun can be had comparing a hand-
neer Glen Snotty, who was inspired by one of
ful of vintage units—if you can get your hands
recording’s great “happy accidents” in the studio.
on them—to find which is warm and creamy,
Snotty first devised the circuit to produce a tran-
which is edgy and raspy, and which is just all-
sistorized re-creation of the sound he’d heard
out mayhem. Gibson reissued the FZ-1A briefly
when recording Marty Robbins’s 1961 hit record
in the ’90s, and several boutique pedal makers
“Don’t Worry,” when the tube preamp in the
such as Smitty Pedals, Analog Man, Catalin-
mixer channel that Grady Martin’s short-scale
bread, and Pierce Custom Instruments have
Danelectro bass was plugged into went on the
produced clones (or near-clones) of the circuit.
fritz and started producing an appealingly dis-
That being said, aside than the earliest exam-
torted sound. Maestro’s rendition carried just
ples, vintage originals are often less insanely priced than some other vintage gear from the
two controls, one for Attack—a.k.a. fuzz—and one for Volume, with a cord hard-wired to the
use of a Maestro Fuzz-Tone in 1965, too, when
era. However, given their temperamental and
input to connect to your guitar (After all, who
he tapped one to lay down a “holding place” for
inconsistent nature, it’s always best to try out
carried two guitar cables back then?).
what was eventually to be a brass part on the
any Fuzz-Tone in person before purchasing. g
Inside, three juicy germanium transistors
Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
did the dirty work—two are more common in
As with the haired-up bass part that originated
the majority of fuzz circuits—along with a mere
the sound four years previous, though, the result-
handful of other components, and two 1.5-volt
ing track was just too hip to ditch; the legendary
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
> Controls for Attack and Volume
batteries to power the lot. In the mid ’60s, the
> Three germanium transistors
circuit was altered somewhat from the original
> Raunchy sustaining fuzz sound
FZ-1 to the FZ-1A, seen here, although the look
> Hard-wired guitar cord for input
remained essentially the same. Until 1968, that ing the Fuzz-Tone with other Maestro pedals. The fact that the producer decided to stick with Martin’s fuzzed-out bass track rather than re-record the faulty take, as most would have done, speaks volumes of the fuzz box’s potential appeal. Soon these things were all the rage, and, alongside the wah-wah pedal that came along later, the fuzz could arguably be considered the sound of ’60s rock. It’s interesting to note, then, that these were not usually marketed as weapons of rock-warriorhood, at least at first, but were sold as a means of allowing guitarists to replicate saxophone and trombone parts. That’s purportedly how Keith Richards intended his
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G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
PE DAL AND P HOTOS COURTESY OF MATT BAKE R, ACTI ON MUS IC.
is, when a new enclosure was introduced, align-
the world’s most epic guitars The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World
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Jimmy Page’s 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. Carlos Santana’s PRS Santana II “Supernatural.” Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstein.” Discover the world’s most incredible guitars, the stories behind them, and the musicians and collectors who own them. The Collections presents spectacular photography and unprecedented access to the artists who created America’s rock music culture.
A GUI GUITAR G GU TA TAR A PL PLAYER PLAYE AYE A Y R SP SPECIAL PECI EC AL AL ACO ACOUSTIC AC C UST CO USTIC SEC SECTION E TIO TION N
11 ALLURING ACOUSTICS SEE WHAT’S HOT THIS SUMMER!
GP G P 50TH 50TH ANNIVERSARY ANNIVERSARY EXCERPT EXCERPT STEFAN STEFAN GROSSMAN GROSSMAN ON O NF FIDDLE IDDLE L LINES INES
REVIEWED R EVIEWED BOSS BOSS ACOUSTIC ACOUSTIC SINGER SINGER PRO PRO A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA T R P L AY E R . C O M
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HERE COMES THE SUN!
11 ALLURING NEW ACOUSTICS FOR SUMMER FUN BY B Y M I C H A E L M OL OLE LE N DA L DA WHE WHEN EN P PLANNING PLAN L AN NIN LANNIN LAN LA NII G ALL A LL L THOSE T HOSE THO S E WONDERFUL SE WON O DER ON DE R F FUL U
ANDR AN N DR D R E W WH WHITE F R E JA JA 1 3 3 $699 s $699 $69 street trreet tre ett The stunning stunn st unning unn in wood ing wo w ood cropcropcircle ci cir ircle cle e in inlays nlay ay ys m might igh gh ht jjust ustt steal us ust stteal eal eyeballs eye eyebal yeba bal alls a ls awa a aw away way ffrom rom m tth the he ttanned ann nned ed d and an d lovely lo ovel v y men ve me en n and and women an women wo men at th the he be b beach. eac ach c .T The he Fre he Frej Freja ja 133 ja 1 al a also lso o inc includes nclud nc lud udes ud es a ssoli es solid olid Sitk oli S Sitka-spruce ittka-s itk a-spru p ce pru c top, top op, curly c curl urly url y maple map map apl ple e back back ba a and and an sides, sid i es, id s, a satin-finished sat sa atina in-fi finish fini fi sh hed S Span Spanpa pan an-ish h cedar ce edar neck, neck ne ck, and ck and an an oil-finoil ill-fin fin-ished ish sh shed hed d rosewood ros osewo ewoo ewo od o d fretboard. fre fre etboard tbo board d. andrewwhiteguitars.com and andrew ndrew ew wwhi whiteg wh te teg eguit i ar ars s.co co om
leisure llei ei sure sur ure activities a cti ct vi vit it ies ess that tth h at sur su surround ro rrou o u nd n d the h days d ayss o da off ssum summer—swim ummer—sw merr—sw wim im dates, dates, es, n es na nature atur ure h u hikes, ike ess,, cam ca camping ampin mpin ping g ttrips, tri ps parties, ps, parti pa r e rt rti ess, vacations, es, vacat va cattion on nss,, and general ge g en ner e eral hanging han an ngin gi g ou out out—don’t —don’t —do n’tt fo forget orge rg t tto o invite invite nv te nvi e your you ur music musi usic along. us alon ng. g. Iff you y wa want ant n ag groovy r vy roo y new ne ew acoustic ew acous ac ous usstic u t guitar gu g uita ta tar ar for fo orr your yo you o r al our al fresco fres r c co o solo sol so olo concerts, conc n ert rrts,, these the h se recently he rec e ent ec ently en ntly ly rreleased re rel ea ed eas d mod m models models—and odels e —an nd a ssu summer umme mm me er N NAMM AMM MM sc scoop oop o op or o two—look two wo—look —look —lo o cool, coo co o l, l sound sou oun ound nd d great, gr at, gre att an a and nd offe o offer ffer p ff ffe ffer price ric ce tags tag ta ags from from ro nearly ro n arl ne a y pocket pock pock o et oc e change cha hange ng to to hefty h fty he ftt limlimli lim ited-edition ite te ed-e d-e edittion ion bucks. bucks bu ucks cks..
B RE REED DLOVE DL L OV OVE E US A S E RI R ES C ON CE RT T SA RIE CO NCE DAY DA D AY LIG LI G H T MA MAH A H O G ANY A NY Y $1,599 $1 $1, $ 599 9 st 99 s street ree e t The T he e go gorgeous, gorge rg rge g ous ous,, ssolid ou ol d Honduoli Hond o du urran an n mahogany ma ahog gany top to op is is a ass warm warm m as as a beach beac beac e h campfire, camp camp am mpfire fi , and, fir fire and nd, d, at 3. d 3 3.5 .5 p pounds, pou ounds ou n , the nd nds the Concert Co cer Con e t Day Day is is also alsso as as llight ight ig ht ass a ssummer ht u umm er bre breeze. eez eze ze. B Breedr ed ree dllove o eu ov used sed d Ho Honduran ondu uran r ma m mahogany h any ho hog ny n ffor or th the he n neck, eck,, back eck b back, ack k, a and nd d sid sides, si es, as es, as wel we w well ela ass A African fr can eb fri ebony bony ny y fo forr tthe h fre he ffretfr ettboa b board. ard rd. Elect El Electronics lec e ronics ect ron onics css ar are re ffrom rom m LR L Bag B Baggs. g b gs gs. bre breedlovemusic.com reedl ed d ove ovemus mu m mus u ic. ic.com ic com om o
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EPIPHONE A J - 2 10 C E ACO U ST I C /E L E C T R IC O U T FIT
FE NDE R PM-2 PARLO R ALL-MAH O G AN Y NE
$299 street If your idea of summer fun is river rafting, bouldering, or paragliding, the AJ-210CE includes a hardshell case to protect itself against extreme-sport (or other garden variety) mishaps. It features a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a mahogany neck, a rosewood fretboard, and a Shadow Performer Tuner Preamp and NanoFlex pickup system. epiphone.com
$599 street This compact beauty can make the scene at a barbeque, and it’s sassy enough—thanks to the checkerboard binding—to get there in a Fiat Spider convertible. The top is solid open-pore mahogany, with solid mahogany back and sides, a rosewood fingerboard, and a compensated bone saddle. fender.com
F R AMU S L E G ACY PARLO R FP 14 M $429 street With a vintage sunburst finish that evokes woodies, surfers, and thatched-hut bars, the Legacy Parlor offers up a solid mahogany top, mahogany back and sides, a mahogany neck, and a tigerstripe ebony fretboard. An acoustic-electric with a Fishman Isys+ preamp and a Sonicore pickup is available for $489. framus.com
S CH E CT E R O RLE ANS ST U DIO 12
MI TC H E L L O120CESB $149 street This could be the season’s super deal—a sunset-hued beauty with electronics for less than you’d pay for one of those dusty summer music festivals. The O120CESB includes a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, a mahogany neck, an Indian rosewood fretboard, and an onboard preamp with 3-band EQ. mitchellguitars.com
$539 street If you plan to smack up some snoozer singalongs with a bit of Byrds, Bowie, or Leadbelly, this 12-string in see-through black satin would be an awesome partner. The Orleans comes with a solid cedar top, mahogany back and sides, and a Fishman Isys+ preamp and Sonicore pickup. schecterguitars.com
A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 / G U I TA A R P L AY E R . C O M
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S E AG SEAG SE AG U ULL UL LL COASTLI COAS CO ASTL AS TL LINE MO OM M EN ENT TU UM HG A /E A/ $499 $4 $49 9 stre s street tre r et e Evoking E Ev Evo kin k ing the th he e sun sun-drenched su u -dr d enc nched hed pull hed pu p ull ll o sa of sandy san andy shores sho ores r ev e everywhere, verywhe very ery rywhe w re, e tth the he Momentum M Mom o en enttum e m rocks roc ckss a ssolid oli olid lid c cedar ed eda dar ttop op op and and d wild w ld wi d che cherry h herry ry y ba b back ack ck and si ssides, side ide es, es alo along lo ong ng wi w wit with ith a si ssilver-leaf ilve ilve ver-l ve r-lleaf r-l e ma maple aple e ne n neck ck c k and nd rosewood rosew ro sew ew wood oo od fretboard. od f etb fr tboar oar ard. d. The d. he pickup piicku p ck ckup k p iss a Fishman Fish sh hm man n Sonitone Sonit So n one ni ne n e wi with so with soundound ou dho hol hole-mounted ole-m e-moun oun unted e Vo ed Volum Volume lum me a and nd To Ton Tone one on con controls. contro onttro on rols lls. s sea seagullguitars.com se eagu gullgu gul lg guitars. g ita tars.com rs. rs s com m
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TAKAMINE T TA A KA K MI M I NE E GY11ME G GY 11 ME E $359 $35 359 s street treet tr tre et Thiss sleek, Th Thi sslee lee e k, k sophisticated ssop oph o his i tic cat ate ted parlor par lor or gu g guitar ita ta ar woul w would oul ou u d be be rright igh ight ig ht att home hom ome w wowing o ng ow owi g the e co coun counou un ntry-cl try try-club -c ub -cl b sset se ett wi with th ssom some ome ome blu blues, ues, ess fo folk, lk lk, k, co country, ount n ry, r or o fin finfingerstyle gersty ge ger sty tty yle e jaz jazz. ja azz. z. Excepting Except Exc Ex p ing ng th the he rosewood ro ros ewo wood d fre fr fretboard, rre etbo tbo bo oa ard rd d, tthe he h e GY11ME GY GY1 Y11M Y1 Y11ME 1ME ME iss an M a all a l mahogal maho ahogah an af any affair, a ffai fa rr,, and and it it includes i c in clu l de lu des e Takamine’s Ta Tak akami TP-4T preamp ak ami am m ne’ ne s T TP-4 P-4 --4 4T T prea p rea eamp mp m p with onboard and w wit ith onbo o nboard nbo board ar EQ Q an a da tuner. takamine.com tun u er. er tak kami miine. ne n e com co o
INTRODUCING
THE NEW BREEDLOVE CONCERTO Shaping the future of guitar
HEAR THE BIG BODY SOUND OF THE CONCERTO Two years ago we set out to design a new body shape that would deliver a bigger lush sound, with more tonal complexity and be more comfortable to play than traditional dreadnoughts. We purchased three icon dreadnoughts from three of America’s great acoustic manufacturers to use as our benchmark. Please log into breedloveguitars.com/concerto to hear the sound comparisons with iconic dreadnoughts and the SHAPE OF THE FUTURE OF GUITAR - The Breedlove Concerto. There are eight models to choose from retailing from $1,999 - $9,999.
Watch the comparison video and learn more at Breedloveguitars.com/concerto
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TAY T TA YL YL LOR O OR 916 91 1 6 C EE-SB S SB $5,449 $5 $5, 5 449 49 49 st street stree ree ee et If you If yo wa yo want ant to be e the h bo he boss s ss of the of he c ca campout, ampo p ut ut, play ut, playp pl lay ay-ing g tth the he 9 916ce-SB 916c 16ce-S 16 16c e- B iiss like e-S like ke bringing b br bringi bri ringi ng gn ng g your yo you o ro own wn n fire fire-works wo wor orks ks show sh sho how tto o tthe he fe he ffestivifes tiviitiv tie ties. es. s This Thi Th his G Grand ran an nd Symp S Symphony ymp m hon ny mod model o el el has as tw a two wo n new ew w feafea eatures t es for tur fo or dramatic d am dr amatic ama matic ti fla flair— air— rr— — a tobacco-sunburst toba ob cco cco-su -su su unb nbu burstt top to op and nd a Flo nd F Fl Florentine ren cute tin ine c utut taway—with Sitka spruce aw awa w y—w y iith it h Si itka ttk k sp spruc r e ruc the Indian forr th for he top to op p wood, woo ood, d, Ind nd ndian dian an rosewood ros rosewo ossewo ewood ewood o fforr the th he b back ack ck k sides, Afriand a nd ssi ides ess, a West We est s Afr Af A fripaua can n ebony ebony eb on fretboard, f etb fr tb boar oard, oa d pau d, p a edge edg e ttrim rim im (t ((top), top) op p),, a co comfy mfy fy armrest, Expresa arm rm mres restt,, and d an an Ex E xpre prespre sion System pickup/ si sio nS ystem yst e 2p em ick ck ckup/ kup/ up preamp. taylorguitars.com p pre preamp re eamp mp p. tay aylor lo lor o gui g tar gu tars.c s com s.com s. s.c om
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YAMAH Y YA A MA M AH HA LJ16BC L LJ 16 6 BC C L LIMITED-EDIIM M IT I ED ED-E - DI -E D TI T I ON B IL ILLY L LY L C OR R GA G N TION BILLY CORGAN SIGNATURE SIGN SI G AT GN ATUR UR R E JU JUMBO J MBO MB O $TBD $TB TBD stre street s treet tr et What’s W Wh Wha t’ss be b better ett tte tter o on n a st sstarry arry arr rry n nigh night igh ghtt gh th tha than han p playing lay aying ay ing ng g a star’s sta ar’s r ssi signaigna g gn ture tur urre m model? mode ode odel? d l? The eB Bi Billy illy ly y Co C Corga Corgan orga gan gan jum jumbo umbo iss an an elegant ele egan gant stunga sttun unner ne based bassed ba se ed d on n Yamaha’s Ya amaha’s mah aha a’ss re rei reiimagined mag ag gine ined ned LJ16R. LJ1 J16 16 6R. R For Fo or th or the he global global a run ru un of of just just u 4 40 400 00 gui g guiuiuitars, ta tar ars, ars, s each eac eac ch one one ne features featur fea tur tu u es es a v vinin ntage an exclusive ta e natural tag n natu atural atu ra ral a (o al (or or a ne xcl xclusi clusi usive ve e brown bro r wn n sunburst) sun u bur urrst)) finish, fi ish fin sh h, CorCor Cor organ’s gan’ss signature signat sig atur u o ure on n the th he llabel, abe a ab bel, l, a solid soli o d Engelmann ol Enge ngelma lma ma m mann ann n spruce spr sp p uce uce top Yamaha’s p (treated (t (trea e te ea ted e wi with th Yam Yamaha aha’ss aha aha’s Acoustic EnhanceAco c ust ustic ustic c Resonance Resona Re Res on ona n n nce c En ce E hance hance ha han ce-ment), rosewood me men e t), t)) so ssolid olid id d ro rosew sewoo sew ood o ba back ck k and sides, sides sides si e , an an ebony ebony bon ny fret ffretboard, rettboard, boa o rrd, d and a passive, a an passssiv pa i e, e under-saddle und un nderer-sad er saddle sad addle le S.R.T. S.R S R.T. .T T pickup. p cku pi k p. p usa.yamaha.com usa.ya usa usa.ya .y mah .y m a.c ma a.com o om
REV RE VIEW
BOSS ACOUSTIC SINGER PRO TES T TESTE S TE E D BY B Y J I M M Y LE L LESLI SLI S LI L E T HE FI THE FIRST RST ST T MO MODEL MODELS DEL DE E S IIN N THE T HE EN NEW EW W BOSS BOS S
Acoustic A Ac Aco ust stic i Sin ic S Singer ger line line e are a available, avail av aii abl able, ab e,, and they th y include the incl nc c ude ude th the e Acou A Acoustic cousti cou s c Sing sti S Singer ing inger nger e Liv Live e and nd its n itts big big g brother brothe bro t r the the the e Acoustic Ac Aco c ust ustic us ic c Singer Singer Sin e er Pro, Pro, which whic whic h h is is d desi designed esigne es esi gned gne d tto ob be ea an n acou a acoustic cousti co cou st c sti amp/vocal amp mp p/vo / ca P.A., effects processor c P. cal P .A., A., with A., A. with wi t an eff th effect ectss proc ect ec p roc oc cess essor o or that looper and harmonizer. tha hatt incl ha iincludes nc ncl c ude udess a lo loope operr a ope nd ha nd h har mon onize nize i r. r. I tested Singer sevtes ested es ted d the th he Acoustic Acou c sti stt c Sing S inger ing nger Pro rro in in se sev everal variety Taylor e l situations era situ situ ituati tuati a ons at ons using on ussing a var rie ietty of of T ayl a y or guitars g gui tta tar ars and and a Sennheiser Sennhei Senn en enn nnhei h ser Evolution he Evolu Ev utio tion n e835 e835 8 vocal microphone. voc v cal al mic i rop ophon op hone. hon e. e. Acoustic Singer looks bit The Ac cous oustic tic c Si Singe ng nge nger ger Pro Pro loo o ks oo ks a b itt
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G U I TA R P L A Y E R . C O M / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
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loo oo oper p is pe i basic, basic ba ic c, so so even even ven n with w th wi h a Boss Bos oss sss FS-6 FS-6 FS 6 looper foo otsw tswitc itc tc ch (not (not n included), no in ncluded cll ded clu e ), ) you’ve you o ’ve ve e got g t to go to footswitch be e careful c efu ca car eful ful a about abou boutt d bo bou double-pressing oub u lele p pre ress ssi ssing ng to o sto stop, p p, and n dealing nd de eali ling with wit ith h tthe he h e sh sho short hort burst ho bur bu u stt off loop loo oo op
audio au aud io o that tha hat play p plays lay ay ys u until ntt l it nti it rrealizes ealize ea eal izes zes y you’re ou’re ou’ re e ding g from from om a sto op tto oc clea lea ea e arr iit. t. Unf t. nfort or uort holding holdin ho hol stop clear Unfortuna ely nat ely,, you you can can’t ’t add ec ’t e ho o fro ffrom m tthe he eM Miic Mic nately, echo c nne cha nnell to to your your ur guitar, gu uita tar, r, but b its itts chorus cho chor ho hor orrus uss and an channel r erb rev errb b effects effec effec ef ects tss are re full f ll sounding fu so sou oundi n ng and ndi an n useuse us ereverb ful fu ful u ly y configured. configu co con figu fig g red re ed.. fully Ac Act A c ual ua u allly, ly ly, y the t e whole th w hol ho e amp a mp m is i s ideally ide d all al y Actually, suited for ffo or practice p prac rac a tic t ce or or performance. perf e orm er rmanc anc an ce. e. Its tss suited Auxiili Aux Au liiary a y input in nput p is pu i welcome wellco we come c e for backing ba acki ck k ng g Auxiliary tra acks tracks c orr playing p ayi pl ayi ay y ng set-break set et-br -break eak ea a music music mu ic c from from m a smartphone, ssmar martph mar tp one tph o , and an a nd the nd he direct h direct di direc rec ec ct USB USB SB out out iss handy han ndy y for f recording. fo recor re co cor o ding. or din ing. g For live lliive v gigs, gii ss,, I gig dialed dia d ialed led in le in my vocal vocal vo c an a and nd g guitar uitar uit tar a sig ssignals gnal na s o on n the e amp, am mp, p ran an direct direc di rect signals rec rect sign gnals gnals a with al with effects wi eff e ffectts int into n o the the first first two two wo channels cha ch anne n ls of the h P.A., P A., P. A and nd enjoyed n e joy en oyed ed a warm ed warm rm sound so ound un though thoug th ou ugh the the e sys system. ystem ys stem tem.. I hi h highly ighl gh gh ghl hly reco rrecommend ecomme eco mmend mm mme n pur nd p purchasing u cha h sin ha s g th the h Boss Bo osss FS FSFS-6 S-6 ffootswitch oo oot o otswi ot w tch ch h to to co control ontr ntt ol o the he e loo looper ooper oo perr an a and d harm h harmonizer arm r on oni nizer during duri du rin iin ng perforperf rffor or-mance, ma man ce and ce, and a an also lso so tth the he R Roland ola la and n G GA GAGA-FC A-FC A C foo ffoott c co con controller tro trolle rolle lerr iiff you you desire des e ire re ma maximum axim ximum xi m fu ffun funcun nc ctionality—such tio ional ional n ity—su na ity y—su such su c as ch a tur turning urnin ur ning nin g tthe he e cho chorus rus us a an and nd del delay elay ay on on and d off. offf.. All Al said, s id, sa i , the the Acoustic Ac cou ousti stic c Singer Sin nger Pro Prro deli d delivers e ver eli ve s o on n its itss a al all all-in-one ll-in in-o in-on -on ne p promrom rom o ise is se and se and definitely defin e ite tely y facilitates facili fac iili l tat a es at e per perfor performing formin for ormin m g ass a onea o one-man ne-man ne nema ba man band. an nd nd. d g
Acoustic Ac cou oust sttic S s Singer in nge gerr Pr P Pro o CONTACT CONT ACT C
boss.info bo s. bos s.i . nfo n
PRICE PRI PRIC RI E
$699 $69 9 street stre stre treet et
CHANNELS CHAN HA NELS NE
2
CONTROLS CONT RO ROLS
[Mic [[Mi McC Mi Channel] hannel han n ]¼ nel ¼"/XLR "/X XLR R Combo Com mbo Input, Input, Phantom Ph hant ntom om m Power Pow o er On/ O On On/Off O sw Of Off switch, witc tch, tc h, P Pad d button but button, to , Volu ton V Volume, olume, olu me Ba me, B Bass, ss Mi ss, M Middle, iddl ddlle, e Tre Treble Treble, ble,, A ble Anti-Feedback nti-Fe nt nti -Feedb -Fe e ack edb ck k No Notch Notch, tch c , Dela D Delay/Echo, ell y/E ela / cho, /Echo cho ho, Reverb, Reverb Rev erb b, Harm H Harmony armo arm ony y On On/Off O n/Of /Of O f and and n Typ T Type y eb buttons, utt u tttons on , H Harmony armony arm ony L Le Level. evel ve . [Gui [[Guitar Gu Gui uitar Ch C Chanhan a an nel nel] e]¼ ¼"" IInput, npu np put, Pad p ad d button, butto butto bu on, n, Acoustic A ust Aco ustic ic Resonance Res Resona esona ance n nc button, butto bu tto ton, n, Volume, n, Volume Vo Vol um , Bass, ume Ba Bass ass ss, Middle Mid Middle, d ,T dle Treb Treble, reble, reb le, e, Anti-Feedback AntiAn ti-Fee tiF dba Fee dback ck k Notch, Not otch, c , Choru ch, C Ch Chorus horu us ((Type T e 1, Typ 1, T Type y ype 2) 2),, Reverb, Reve verb, ve erb, b b, Looper L per Loo per Engage/Stop Engag En gag age/S e/S e /Stop to buttons, bu utto ttons, ns, Tweeter ns, Tw weetter er Attenuator Attenu Attenu Att enuato at r button, ato butt u on, Mute Mute button, button bu but ton on n, Master Mas aster ter Volume Volum Vo lume lu lum e
POWER POWE O OWE R EXTRAS EXTR A AS
120 wa watts tts XLR X Mic/Mix Mic/M Mi c/Mix c/M ix line line out out with wit ith h Out Out Select Se ect switch Sel sw witc itch h (Mix/Post (Mix Mix/Po Mi /Po /Post Post EFX EFX,, D.I.), D.I. I )),, XLR XL Guitar Gu Gui Guitar/Mix tar ar/Mi / x line-out /M /Mi line ine-ou -ou ut with with t Out O t Select Ou Sele elect ct switch swi w ttch h (Mix/Post (M Mix/ x/ /Pos Po ostt E EFX, FX D. FX, D.I.) D.I.), I.),, ¼ I.) ¼"" P Phones/ hones/ hon es es/ Rec ec Ou Out, t, ¼ ¼"" T TRS RS Foo Foott C Control on ont n rol (L (Loop (Looper/Chorus), oop per/ r Cho Ch horus rus us), ) ¼" ), ¼" TRS TRS S Foo Foott Cont C Control onttrol o (H (Har (HarHar ar-mony/Mute), mo mon o y/M /M Mute ute), ) ¼" ), ¼" TRS TRS RS Foo Foot oott C Control onttrol ontrol ro GA GA-FC, A-FC C, U USB S 2.0 SB 2 Rec Rec Out, Re Out, ut mi m mini n Aux ni A In IInput put with with Level Leve Leve ev l
SPEAKERS SPEA P KERS KER
8" woo woofer, woofer ferr, 11"" d dome ome tw ttweeter ee eet e err
WEIGHT WEIG GHT T
3 lbs 32 bss
BUILT BUIL UIL I T
Malaysia Mal a ayssia a
KUDOS KUDO K UDOS
Everything E Eve ryt ythin h g a si hi ssinging ingi ngi ng gin ng g pla p player ye ne yer n needs e in on eds o one e rich rrich-sounding, ich c -so s und nd ding, ing ng, p port portable orttabl o ab e p package. ack kage. age ge e.
CONCERNS CON CONC C CO O ERNS RN RNS
Basic Bas ic c loo looper ooper perr a and an nd h harmonizer armoni arm on zer oni er fu funct functionality n ion nct ionali ality makes al ali mak kes y you ou wa o want ntt mor more. o e. e.
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CLASSIC C CL L AS SS SII C ACOUSTIC A C OU AC OUST S IC A ST ARTIFACT RT TIF FAC ACT AC CT From Fr Fro r m the the e original ori rigin gina gin g all Guitar Gu ttar Gu Gui a Player, ar Pllaye P yerr, Sept September S epttemb e em err 1976 e 19 197 976 976
I N H I S S E PT E M B E R 1976 CO LU M N , ST E FA N G ROSS M A N A BA N D O N E D ( FO R A T I M E ) H I S D I SCUSS I O N S
on transposing piano pieces to guitar, and started focusing on fiddle tunes. Savvy guitarists should always look to other instruments for melodic inspiration, and, besides being a fertile “lick stimulus,” “Last of Callahan” is also a butt kicker for your technique, as you’ll be playing a bass line and melody simultaneously. — M I C H A E L M O L E N D A
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