Índice para December 2018 em Guitarist

As we go to press with this issue, we heard news that Gibson has appointed a new CEO to replace its long-standing, embattled man-at-the-top Henry Juszkiewicz. The incoming head of Gibson is former Levi’s president James ‘JC’ Curleigh, an avowed fan of Gibson’s heritage who says he owns many of the brand’s best-known models himself – and that his plan is to focus on the core guitar-making business. That’s just as well, as it was Gibson’s adventures in other areas that holed them below the waterline financially and led them into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as Henry Juszkiewicz told Guitarist in a recent interview. Most players, I suspect, will want that back-to-basics approach to be centred on well-priced examples of Gibson’s flagship electrics with rock-solid build-quality, great tone and very few…

PRICE: £2,899 (inc case) ORIGIN: USA TYPE: Double-cut solidbody electric BODY: 2-piece, centre-joined alder NECK: Roasted ‘master grade’ flamed maple; oil finished SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”) NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42.2mm FINGERBOARD: Integral maple, 241mm (9.5”) radius FRETS: 22, Jescar jumbo HARDWARE: Nickel-plated Gotoh bridge, tuners, strap buttons STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 50mm ELECTRICS: 2x Raw Vintage RV-50 single coils; 1x Raw Vintage RV-PAF humbucker, 5-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume, tone 1 (neck and middle), tone 2 (bridge) WEIGHT (KG/LB): 3.2/7.04 OPTIONS: Various levels of ageing, pickup choice (£2,699-£3,299), factory custom orders, rosewood ’boards, alder/ash body wood RANGE OPTIONS: XTC (due Xmas ’18) is based on Fender’s 1950 design LEFT-HANDERS: Yes FINISHES: Numerous including Two/Three-Tone Sunburst, Lake Placid Blue/Green, Candy Apple Red, Sea Foam Green – thin nitro cellulose Peach Guitars 01206…

PRICE: £876 ORIGIN: Taiwan TYPE: Digital modelling preamplifier with Class D power stage OUTPUT: 300W RMS VALVES: None DIMENSIONS: 260 (w) x 45 (h) x 240mm (d) WEIGHT (KG/LB): 5/11 CABINET: Steel/aluminium CHANNELS: 16 presets, 2 banks of 8 CONTROLS: Preset select, gain, bass, mid, treble, presence, master volume, output level FOOTSWITCH: Standard latching footswitch changes presets – also compatible with MIDI and Positive Grid switches ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Mono balanced line output with ground lift, programmable effects loop, headphones socket, MIDI in/out, USB, Bluetooth wireless OPTIONS: Bias Footswitch and Bias BT-4 Bluetooth Footswitch, both £198.89 RANGE OPTIONS: There’s a specially-adapted bass version, also £876 PROS Excellent amp emulations in a very portable package CONS MIDI on fiddly adaptors; no effects in the standard app…

PRICE: £1,399 ORIGIN: South Korea TYPE: Offset double-cutaway electric BODY: Swamp ash with flame maple top NECK: Maple, walnut and padauk multi-ply, through-body with carbon fibre reinforcement rods SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”) NUT/WIDTH: Locking Floyd Rose 1500 Series/41.3mm FINGERBOARD: Ebony, compound 305-406mm (12”-16”) radius FRETS: 24, extra jumbo HARDWARE: Black Floyd Rose 1500 Series double-locking vibrato and top nut, Grover Rotomatic 18:1 tuners STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm ELECTRICS: 1x Fishman Fluence Modern humbucker (bridge), 1x Sustainiac pickup (neck), master volume, master tone, 3-way pickup selector toggle switch, Sustainiac on/off and 3-way mode switch (harmonic/mix/fundamental) WEIGHT (KG/LB): 3.6/7.9 RANGE OPTIONS: With 2x Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers and Black Fade Burst and Antique Fade Burst finish options, there’s the C-1 FR SLS Elite with Floyd Rose (£1,315) and the C-1 SLS Elite…

PRICE: £299 (inc gigbag) ORIGIN: China TYPE: Full-scale travel electric guitar BODY: Maple NECK: Maple SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”) NUT/WIDTH: Bone/43.9mm FINGERBOARD: Unspecified, pearloid dot inlays FRETS: 22, medium HARDWARE: Roller saddle tune-omatic, body-mounted 3-a-side enclosed tuners (14:1 ratio) – chrome-plated STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 51.5mm ELECTRICS: Single dual rails-style humbucker WEIGHT (KG/LB): 1.43/3.15 OPTIONS: None RANGE OPTIONS: Ultra-Lights are available in steel- and even nylon-string electro-acoustic formats at the same price. There’s even an electro acoustic bass (at £389) LEFT-HANDERS: Yes, at £309, natural maple only FINISHES: Natural Maple satin, Matte Black, Torino Red Selectron UK Ltd 01795 419460 https://travelerguitar.com PROS Compact size and weight, bearing in mind that it’s a full-scale electric guitar CONS Again, the lack of mass affects the playing feel and sound; tuning is…

Finalists: Hunter Hallberg, Abigail Zachko, Alex Hooi Our under-16 category was judged by the Guitarist, Total Guitar and Guitar Techniques editorial teams alongside three pros: Chapman Guitars founder and YouTube celebrity Rob Chapman, Bullet For My Valentine’s mainman Matt Tuck, and blues-rock player Chris Buck. The latter was there on the day to judge our finalists alongside our own judges, Guitarist editor-in chief Jamie Dickson, MusicRadar.com’s Michael Astley-Brown and Total Guitar’s technique editor Chris Bird. First up was 14-year-old Hunter Hallberg from Colorado who was inspired by attending a John Petrucci masterclass at his local Guitar Center four years ago. Performing his own composition, Jewel with a Petrucci Music Man signature model, the influence of the Dream Theater maestro was clear, but the level of maturity, poise and taste in…

Part of being any type of performer is dealing with nerves or anxiety. Some people are more naturally anxious than others and this obviously affects different people in different ways. Personally, I’ve always been a naturally anxious person, but I’ve managed to develop ways of channelling this into concentration rather than letting it overwhelm me at work. Over the past 20 years of doing sessions and gigs, I’ve found that some of the most unlikely situations can provoke nerves. For example, playing a gig at Wembley Arena vs playing a gig in your local bar? You’d imagine that’s a no brainer in the nerves charts, wouldn’t you? The first time I played at Wembley Arena was for the Pop Idol tour in 2002, on the back of the first series,…

Plenty of guitars have acquired legendary status over the years, such as Sunburst Les Pauls from the late 50s, but it’s less common for speakers to have a cult following. If any model can lay claim to that rare status, however, it’s Celestion’s ‘Greenback’ speakers of the late 60s. Built with ceramic magnets, rather than the Alnico-magnet based models that preceded them, Celestion’s Greenbacks first appeared somewhere between late 1964 and early 1965. Thanks to their warm-but-edgy sound, which paired so well with Marshall amps in the hands of players such as Jimi Hendrix, Greenbacks have become the definitive choice for classic rock and blues-rock speaker. The term ‘Greenback’ refers to the green plastic back cover that was used on a range of speakers launched by Celestion during that period…

MARTIN AUTHENTIC ACOUSTIC STRINGS £VARIOUS Martin recently overhauled its Standard Series acoustics; now its strings have received a spring clean, too. The new Authentic Acoustic range replaces Martin’s longstanding Acoustic, SP, Marquis and Lifespan strings with a streamlined offer of three core product lines. First up is the Authentic Acoustic Superior Performance line, which uses Martin’s highest-tensile-strength wire and is tin-plated for corrosion resistance. Like the other two new ranges, it is available in 80/20 Bronze (£7.99) and Phosphor Bronze (£8.49) sets and appears to be the new ‘standard’ line, with an upgraded spec. The premium-grade Authentic Acoustic Marquis Silked range is aimed at players with high-end guitars – a silk wrap on the ball ends protects bridges from wear and tear – and is also available in 80/20 (£8.99)…

HAMER RECLAIMER I’mpositiveitwas Guitarist whofeatured a two-/three-page review in 2000/2001 of the then-newly-released Korean-made Hamer Standard. It was a stunning Explorer-style set-neck Cherry Sunburst and flamed top ‘rawk’ guitar, and my jaw dropped the moment I turned the page. As soon as I read the review, I knew I had to have one. When I called the listed distributor, I was told there was presently only one in the UK. In fact, it was the very guitar used in the review. To my amazement, they agreed to sell me that one, which was a fantastic twist to think that I’d now be able to own that actual instrument pictured in your publication! As time moved on, I was keen to purchase my first USA-made Les Paul and had to sell…

What was the first gig you played and how did it go? “I think it was with the first iteration of my band at school, which became known as Uriel. It was at another school, a Dunstable school, at a school dance in early ’67 and I played on a borrowed Watkins Rapier electric guitar. I seem to remember that it went okay – and I think I got drunk after it. That’s about all I remember, now… I think I remember my hangover more than the gig, actually.” Describe your current stage rig… “My current stage rig is very simple. It’s a Steinberger GL4T guitar that I bought in 1988 and which I still love very dearly, and a Line 6 POD XT Pro rack unit with a Line…

Funky, peaceful, soulful, mysterious… It’s not so much a dictionary you need to describe Khruangbin’s music but a thesaurus, so diverse are the band’s inspirations. Though the band hails from Houston, Texas, there’s hardly a minor pentatonic lick in sight – yet there’s lots of soul in their music all the same. If you combine the reverb-immersed twang of The Ventures with a heady cocktail of melodic influences from as far afield as Suriname, you’re some way to understanding this band’s appeal. It’s been a while since we’ve been so excited by impeccably tasteful R&B basslines such as those played by bassist Laura Lee on standout Khruangbin tracks such as Maria Tembién, or the intricate yet funky melodic riffs of Strat-wielding guitarist Mark Speer. The name Khruangbin comes from the…

Though he’s best-associated with Strats, it was something else that kicked off Mark’s collection, many years ago. “The first proper one was the Les Paul Special – £80-worth of Gibson,” he recalls. “Double cutaway and neck perched on the end of the body. I’ve still got that guitar and I spent a long time trying to get the black paint off it and get it back to [the original] cherry finish because I’d realised that was still there underneath. God bless him, Steve Phillips finished it off for me. But I did a lot of it myself – you know, just chip away at it. Now, if you looked at it, it would look just like a perfect Les Paul Special. I used it for lots of stuff and gave…

This stunning example of the luthier’s art was custom-built for Mark Knopfler by John Monteleone in 2008 and was subsequently used on a song in tribute to the maker’s skills, simply entitled Monteleone, from Knopfler’s 2009 album, Get Lucky. The guitar’s body is built from dramatically quilted, big-leaf maple, while the top is Adirondack red spruce.…

Nothing beats walking in to a music shop like Vintage ‘n’ Rare in Bath to see for yourself what these incredible guitars look, feel and sound like in real life. Although the internet provides us with a virtually unlimited array of digital images and sounds, browsing through this Aladdin’s cave of vintage rarities is a different experience altogether. While endeavouring to track down a particular guitar may send you on a never-ending quest to all four corners of the Earth, if an instrument you’ve never imagined before suddenly appears from out of nowhere and demands your unwavering attention, it can almost seem as if it has found you instead. Such was the case with the new owner of this 1965 Gibson ES-175, who prefers to remain anonymous. It is fitted,…

Gibson USA’s 2019 Les Paul Junior Tribute DC (£699) shoots for the post-1958 double-cut outline in a choice of four ‘worn’ satin colours and a single soapbar P-90 at bridge. It uses a mahogany body with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. PRS’s S2 Singlecut Standard Satin (from £899) is another stripped-down satin finish option with a choice of three colours, dual #7 covered humbuckers, four controls and adjustable wrapover bridge. This one has all-mahogany construction with a rosewood fingerboard. In the UK, the revitalised Gordon Smith is making some cool Jr/Special-style guitars in either single- or double-cut outlines. Lots of options, too, on the custom order models, such as the GS, which starts at £600. A model with a thick poplar body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, single P-90 and adjustable…

GODIN PROGRESSION PLUS TRANS CREAM HG MN £899 Available in Cherry Burst Flame and this classy Trans Cream, with rosewood or maple ’board, the Progression is aptly named, taking the Stratocaster platform and moving it forward. Like our Summits, it uses a Canadian Laurentian basswood body, plus a Godin Tru-Loc vibrato, two Godin GS-2 single coils, and a Seymour Duncan JB Jr at the bridge. Electronics include the Godin High Definition Revoicer (HDR). It comes with an excellent gigbag. GODIN 5TH AVENUE CW KINGPIN II COGNAC BURST £959 Godin’s nod to the jazz player (Robert Godin is a big jazz fan), the 5th Avenue is a no-nonsense hollowbody that’s equally at home with blues or any roots style. The CW Kingpin II is made from laminated Canadian wild cherry with…

MANUFACTURER EARTHQUAKER DEVICES MODEL AQUEDUCT PRICE £205 CONTACT WWW.EARTHQUAKERDEVICES.COM While some of EarthQuaker’s current 42 pedals are concise, modern refinements of classic vintage sounds, many others – including this Aqueduct vibrato – have virtually kidnapped conventional analogue wisdom and given it a RoboCop-style digital makeover. With the Aqueduct vibrato, EarthQuaker hasn’t so much ‘reinvented the wheel’ as ripped the axle off and replaced it with turbojets. That age-old effect, the humble vibrato, has migrated from our fingers to whammy bar, to amp, to analogue pedal, and has now arrived with a digital superbrain – meaning it does way more than merely replicate a woozy old Magnatone. We hasten to add it does that thing very well (think chorus without the dry signal), but that’s very much just scratching the Aqueduct’s…

OD Glove £64 As usual, EHX’s take on the classic Plexi sound is both affordable and toneful. The MOSFET circuit gives the amp-like character here and there’s also a useful mid-boost switch. EVH, eat your heart out. Caliber 45 £189 If it’s the clarity and articulation of early Marshalls you’re after, this is a superb choice with plenty of glassy edge and smooth, defined sustain. You’ll find so many uses for this Angus-inspired pedal. BE-OD £199 Dave Friedman has become king of the modded Marshall sound and this Plexi-apeing drive pedal is a go-to for many pro players, with amp-like tone-sculpting controls for a more tailored sound.…

Laney Amplification blazed its way into music history 51 years ago, around the same time that (fellow Black Countrymen) Black Sabbath were formulating their plans for the creation of heavy metal. Tony Iommi, of course, would go on to be one of the brand’s principal exponents as riffmeister supreme. But a lot has changed since those heady days of heavy riffs. Today, funk, blues, jazz and country players alike are strutting their stuff with a Laney amp in their backline. “Although there is a wonderful legacy of rock and metal in the Laney timeline, it certainly doesn’t sum the company up” Our guide is Lee Wrathe, whose fleet-fingered video demos ensure that Laney enthusiasts worldwide are kept up to date with every new development and addition to the line. “There’s…

Jamie Dickson Guitaristeditor Jamie is as happy with steel wool in his hand as he is with Steely Dan in his headphones, and loves vintage-gear restoration and ambitious signal chains. Dave Burrluck Guitarist’s assiduous reviews editor is also the author of numerous guitar books.Very handy with a fret file and indeed any aspect of a finely fettled six-string. Ed Mitchell After 18 years in guitar retail Ed turned to journalism as reviews editor of Total Guitar,then as a contributor to Guitarist.He’s also edited the mags The Bluesand Country Music. Neville Marten Edited Guitaristfor 13 years, after working for both Fender and Gibson as a repairer. From desirable Les Pauls to dream Strats, he’s owned and worked on the lot. Nick Guppy Guitarist’s amplifier specialist has built up a wealth of…

Distributed from 1951, the Super 400CES is the ‘Cutaway Electric Spanish’ version of Gibson’s highly ornate Super 400 carved spruce archtop guitar released earlier in 1935. Measuring a full 18 inches in width, Super 400s remain to this day the largest of any Gibson guitar in regular production. They were marketed as the top-of-the-line instruments within their range, sporting gold-plated hardware with engraving, large mother-of-pearl inlays, multiple-ply binding, figured maple back, sides and neck, and an ebony fingerboard. Super 400s are among the most finely crafted guitars ever built and are rightly regarded as works of art in themselves, with little expense being spared during their construction. Indeed, Gibson’s first official announcement of the Super 400 in 1934 proclaimed: “The Super 400 is an extraordinary guitar in every way –…

1935 Super 400 released; carved spruce top, carved 2-piece figured maple back 1951 Super 400CES released; rounded cutaway; 2x P-90 single coils 1954 2x Alnico V single coils now standard 1955 Tune-o-matic bridge introduced 1958 2x PAF humbucking pickups standard 1960 Rounded cutaway changes to pointed cutaway; wide/flat neck profile 1961 3-piece figured maple neck begins to replace 2-piece book-matched type 1962 Fuller neck profile; 1-piece laminated figured maple backs appear 1965 Nut width narrows to 1/ 9 16 inches 1969 Pointed cutaway reverts to rounded; nut width reverts to 1 11 / 16 inches; 2-piece carved figured maple backs standard…

WHITESNAKE Trouble Those only familiar with Whitesnake’s later work will be surprised at the comparatively low-gain guitar tones and Bad Company-style blues rock of the title track. There are some very carefully arranged solo lines in octaves here, as well as more free-form solos from both Moody and Marsden. Listen out for a modern (some might say, bawdy) love song in the form of Lie Down. WHITESNAKE Ready An’ Willing As the 80s dawned, production had become a little more slick, but the essence is the same – a well arranged and rehearsed band without excess studio frills is what we hear. Fool For Your Loving was a big hit, plus the title track, a tightly arranged shuffle, featuring unison/octave solos from Moody and Marsden. Elsewhere, Blindman showcases them doing…

Electrics Burns London Bison in black, hard case. 3 x Burns Trisonic p/ups, A/B switching and Split Sound, Bass, Treble and Mad Dog presets. Tremolo, edge-bound rosewood neck. Virtually spotless. £450 ovno. Email jonguitar@sky.com, phone 07860 500029. Witney, Oxon Epiphone Casino, 2010, blonde. Excellent condition, never gigged, very minor use marks on rear of body. Hardware, neck and frets all spotless. No case, sorry! £385 ono. Email jonguitar@sky.com, phone 07860 500029. Witney, Oxon Epiphone Les Paul 60s Tribute Plus Cherry Sunburst, all US electronics, 57 classic pickups, long neck tenon, excellent condition. £400 ono. Contact Pete 01256 767976 Fender American Stratocaster, Navy Blue. Excellent condition. £650 ono. Bargain! Please contact Greg on 07518968828 Fender Stratocaster MIM Players Deluxe, blonde with tortoisehell scratchplate, maple neck, Texas Specials, extra switching. Pics available…

Khruangbin Tasteful, soulful playing with vintage surf tones and inspirations from around the world. What’s not to like about this Texas trio? p60 Waiting For Godin Godin is the sleeping giant of North American guitar-making and its electrics offer stunning value for money. Find out more about the company on p98 All White On The Night The Bootleg Beatles are possibly the greatest tribute band there’s ever been – David Mead found out how they nail The White Album tones and more on p82…

Acoustic guitars, and playing them, possibly gives me more pleasure, than electrics or amps (believe it or not). However, I’d never call myself an acoustic guitarist, because, at best, my fingerpicking is sub James Taylor. I don’t use altered tunings that much and have no desire to tap and slap the things. But I do love them and I own three. All Martins. I keep a Dreadnought Junior at my sister’s place, use an OM-28 Reimagined on stage, and have an D-28 Authentic as my sofa companion. But currently the devil on my left shoulder is whispering, “You really need one of those Atkin 43 vintage Gibson J-45 types you saw at the show,” while the angel on my right is saying, “No you don’t, you already have three, you…

Celestion Greenback G12M £89 It’s Celestion’s best-known speaker and still going strong.Today’s M version of the fabled Greenback comes in the well-established 25 watts power rating – and can even be bought in virtual form as an Impulse Response for use with DAW or amp modelling hardware. Celestion Heritage Series G12M-67 c.£119 As mentioned in the feature, the earliest Greenbacks had a power rating of just 20 watts and this Heritage version is Celestion’s reissue of that first-of-the-breed model – for devotees of classic 60s rock tones. Celestion G12M-65 Creamback £99 The higher-powered Creambacks should offer extra clarity and volume over any of the Greenbacks but retain their vintage character.We’ve used them in Victory’s excellent 2x12 cabinets and they sound great: pliant yet punchy.…

Diminished chords are most often heard in jazz chord progressions, though not unheard of in more ‘contemporary’ styles. George Harrison, for example, was very fond of a diminished chord. My Sweet Lord, Got My Mind Set On You and Here Comes The Moon (from his 1979 album entitled George Harrison – no, we’re not mixing up our names!) are all great examples of this. Sometimes considered an oddball to solo over, we can see that by putting a diminished chord in context, looking at patterns that fit and comparing those with some more widely known shapes such as major/minor and pentatonic scales, we are expanding usable vocabulary without having to feel too lost at sea! Example 1 This C major 7 chord comprises C, G, B, E, G and is…

Maria Tembién As funky as The Meters, as hard-edged as Dick Dale, this surf-funk from the 2018 album Con Todo El Mundo is still alive with the world music influences that are core to Khruangbin’s sound. Zionsville Drawn from their 2015 album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, this is world music with a Texan spin, with pedal steel swelling mistily behind Mark Speer’s simple but outstandingly tasteful, yearning guitar lines. A tenderly beautiful mini-masterpiece. White Gloves A rare vocal track from this primarily instrumental trio, this rain-washed melancholy ballad is a low-key jewel of economic but soulful musicianship and also appears on The Universe Smiles Upon You.…

Even more than a Fender Strat, the guitar most powerfully associated with Mark’s work in Dire Straits is, of course, the National Style 0 resonator that appears against a background of blue sky on the cover of the band’s 1985 album Brothers In Arms,the first LP to sell a million copies. It was no mere prop, however, and is still used extensively today for studio and live work – Mark uses it to play the intro to Romeo And Juliet, for example. The guitar dates to around 1936 to ’37 and, though it’s a very familiar guitar, it hides a few details that might not be obvious at first glance, such as the right-hand f-hole, which hides a jack socket for an instrument cable so the guitar’s internal pickup can…

Mark Knopfler has two ’Bursts that get used frequently on recordings and live dates: a 1959 example and this beautiful ’58 that Mark says is remarkable not just for its tone but rock-solid tuning stability. This ’58 also formed the basis for a Gibson Custom replica model that was issued with a long neck tenon, PAF-style custom ’Buckers and hide-glue neck construction. Samples from the original run of 100 hand-aged and 150 VOS (Vintage Original Spec) replicas were used by Mark alongside the original ’58 on the new album.…

PRICE: £679 (inc gigbag) ORIGIN: Canada TYPE: Single-cutaway, solidbody electric BODY: Canadian Laurentian basswood NECK: Maple, glued-in SCALE LENGTH: 629mm (24.75”) NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech Tusq/43mm FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, dot inlays, 305mm (12”) radius FRETS: 22, medium jumbo HARDWARE: Graph Tech ResoMax Sonic 1 wrapover bridge, Godin ‘High-Ratio’ tuners (18:1 bass side, 26:1 treble) – nickel-plated STRING SPACING/BRIDGE: 52.4mm ELECTRICS: Godin Kingpin P90, volume and tone WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3/6.6 OPTIONS: None RANGE OPTIONS: Carved top Summit Classic (from £1,399) with Seymour Duncan covered humbuckers; Summit Classic Ltd models, with various boutique pickups, start at £1,999 LEFT-HANDERS: No FINISHES: Vintage Burst – semi gloss PROS Smart build, light weight; that Kingpin P90; route for neck pickup under pickguard; excellent gigbag CONS Just the one colour available – that’s about it…

Tailspin Vibrato £51 If warm, chewy two-pitch vibrato is all you want, TC’s Tailspin is both inexpensive and classic in tone. It’s an all-analogue design with true-bypass switching and it streets even cheaper than this. VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato £165 Waza Craft is Boss’s custom shop and, accordingly, this bucket-brigade vibrato is a lovingly modded version of the classic VB-2, with Standard and Custom modes, the latter unlocking all-new tones. VIB1 Vibrato £281 The go-to high-end vibrato for many players, including prog star Steven Wilson, the Diamond has a blend control to mix in dry signal for chorus effects, plus dark voicing and high-depth modes.…

1 What was the first pedal you built and how did the design come about? “Years ago, I had a Boss DD-5 Digital Delay pedal with a tap tempo input that I thought would be cool to use, but the prices of the switches seemed extortionate for such a simple circuit. I figured I could build one myself, so I did. And that’s how it all started! I was lucky because I began to get custom orders very early on from some relatively well-known guitarists in the UK, such as Chris Turpin [Kill It Kid/Ida Mae]. The very first Sleeping Dog FX-branded pedal was the You Dirty Dog. It started life as a RAT-style distortion pedal but got taken a lot further with all sorts of tweaks and mods.” 2…

Writer DAVE BURRLUCK Guitarist, Gear Reviews Editor Impressed with the build, playability and sound of this Silvertone, our review editor preps his budget axe ready for a gig. Soldering iron content… This Silvertone was never meant to be a longterm test; I was simply researching other available 14-fret electrics, inspired by B&G’s Little Sister design, and came across this contemporary version of an old 60s design. With a very tidy build, a light weight and perfectly good playability, it has been getting a lot of play time, one of those ‘house’ guitars that you just grab for a quick noodle. The thing is, every time I pick it up, I’m pleasantly reminded that it’s a very cool piece. And while the 14-fret-to-the-body design seems laughable in the modern world, as…

Guide example to formatting your adverts CATEGORY: Electrics ADVERT: Fender Stratocaster, USA Standard, 2001, black, white scratchplate, three Lace Sensor pickups, vgc, never gigged, Fender hard case, £435 ono. Phone Joe on 01234 567890, email joebloggs@youremail.co.uk, Runcorn Send your ads to: guitarist.readerads@futurenet.com PLEASE NOTE: Due to the section’s popularity there can sometimes be a period of around a month before your advert will appear. We are unable to send a notice of receipt for your advert. Guitarist magazine reserves the right to omit or change any reader ads which fail to meet the above guidelines or infringe any company’s registered trademarks, ie Strat copy, Gibson copy, and so on. Please write concisely and double check phone number and e-mail address! You get 21 words max, and they’re all free!…

Anyone with an ear for tone will know all about US manufacturer Xotic, whose pedals have graced the ’boards of the great and the good for two decades. Units such as the EP Boost have reached almost mythical status with many players leaving theirs permanently on because they add that classy ‘something’ to the sound. The question is, can Xotic bring that same expertise to a range of boutique remakes of classic Fullerton designs such as this California Classic XSC-2, a more-than-a-little-obvious nod to Leo’s Stratocaster? The XSC-2’s body is alder and our guitar boasts a AAAA ‘master grade’ roasted maple neck and a covered humbucker at the bridge. Otherwise, at its heart is the 65-year-old recipe we all know and love, with several decades of artificial ageing that includes…

PRICE: £1,398 ORIGIN: Taiwan TYPE: Digital modelling preamplifier with Class D power stage OUTPUT: 600W RMS VALVES: None DIMENSIONS: 314 (w) x 190 (h) x 153mm (d) WEIGHT (KG/LB): 7/15 CABINET: Steel/aluminium CHANNELS: 25 presets, 5 banks of 5 CONTROLS: Gain, bass, mid, treble, presence, master volume, output level. Amp type, model, tube stage selector, distortion, topology, power amp, 1 custom assignable FOOTSWITCH: Standard latching footswitch changes presets – also compatible with MIDI and Positive Grid switches ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Stereo balanced and unbalanced line outputs with ground lift, programmable effects loop, headphones socket, MIDI in/out/ thru, USB, Bluetooth wireless OPTIONS: Bias Footswitch and Bias BT-4 Bluetooth Footswitch, both £198.89 RANGE OPTIONS: There’s a non-powered DSP version for £1,098, while the rack versions are the same prices for powered or DSP-only…

PRICE: £599 ORIGIN: Indonesia TYPE: Offset double-cutaway electric BODY: Mahogany w/ burl top NECK: 3-piece maple, bolt-on with carbon fibre reinforcement rods SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”) NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech XL Black Tusq/42mm FINGERBOARD: Wenge, 355mm (14”) radius FRETS: 24, extra-jumbo HARDWARE: Black Schecter hardtail bridge with through-body stringing, and die-cast tuners STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 53mm ELECTRICS: 2x Schecter Diamond Decimator humbuckers, master volume with push/pull coil-split, master tone and 3-way pickup selector blade switch WEIGHT (KG/LB): 3.5/7.7 RANGE OPTIONS: C-6 Pro FR with black Floyd Rose Special Hot Rod double-locking vibrato and top nut in Aurora Burst, Charcoal Burst and Aqua Burst finish options (£649) LEFT-HANDERS: No FINISHES: Charcoal Burst (as reviewed), Aurora Burst and Aqua Burst Westside Distribution 0844 326 2000 www.schecterguitars. com PROS Thoughtful design…

PRICE: £299 (inc gigbag) ORIGIN: China TYPE: Full-scale Strat-inspired travel electric guitar BODY: Poplar NECK: Maple, bolt-on SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”) NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42.8mm FINGERBOARD: Maple (face of neck), black dot inlays FRETS: 22, medium HARDWARE: 2-post vibrato with steel saddles and die-cast block, 3-a-side enclosed tuners (14:1 ratio) – chrome-plated STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54mm ELECTRICS: 3 single-coil pickups, 5-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume, tone 1 (neck), tone 2 (middle) WEIGHT (KG/LB): 2.22.2/4.84 OPTIONS: Colour only RANGE OPTIONS: Plenty to choose from, such as the best-selling Speedster (£385) and Speedster Hot Rod (£435). Topping the range is an ESP-style EC-1 (£599) or the more LP-like EG-1 at £499 LEFT-HANDERS: No FINISHES: Surf Green (as reviewed), Candy Apple Red Metallic, Gloss Black – gloss body with satin neck w/gloss headstock…

What? Matchless King Cobra Where seen? World Guitars, Stonehouse Price? £2,799 Description? The King Cobra is essentially the standard Matchless 30-watt (DC30, SC30, etc) but with EL34 valves plus reverb and a stunning tremolo. In this livery, it looks like strawberries and cream and, in fact, I used it on our Cream-Hendrix gig having never even plugged it in. But I’m a Matchless user of some 25 years so that was never going to be a problem.As the only UK Matchless dealer,WG has a few in stock.Their demo amp is a well-broken-in DC30 that sounds magical, so if the thought appeals, nip down and give one a try. Dan Steinhardt has borrowed mine and it will soon be on That Pedal Show, so watch out!…

1 What was your first guitar and when did you get it? “It was an acoustic – my mum’s guitar. My whole family are basically guitar players, my uncles, my grandfather… I can’t even remember the name of it. I started off playing acoustic and then my first electric was an Arbiter; I think it was made in Japan. It had an SG-type body but with single coils and a Fender-style headstock, so you had a weird combination of a Strat and an SG with a whammy bar.” 2 Suppose the building’s burning down; which one guitar from your collection would you save? “Oh, that’s easy: my Fender Stratocaster from 1965. I’ve had it since ’84 and it’s been on pretty much every album I’ve recorded since. It has a…

Witchingseason Melancholy Disco Maybe Records Fascinating entrée from London-based rock trio Following on from two critically acclaimed EP releases, Melancholy Disco is the debut album from London-based trio Witchingseason. The trio features Tom Reynolds on guitar and vocals, Gary Summer on bass and Wayne Summers on drums, and between them, they kick up quite a storm. Categorised as ‘dark alternative rock’, the album rumbles and growls its way through 11 tracks that go from the controlled aggression of Takes One To Know One to the textured Keep On Moving with enough contrast overall to guarantee listener interest. It’s hooky stuff, sometimes looking back to the best pop from the punk era, sometimes creeping towards modern prog. A very promising debut. [DM] Standout track: Spiders For fans of: Foo Fighters,…

Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely Capitol Records 1958 The early 50s were a difficult period for Frank Sinatra. After a fallow time, he’d re-established himself as America’s premier crooner through an Oscar-winning role in 1953’s From Here To Eternity and a successful stream of albums on Capitol Records. Only The Lonely was his 10th release in four years and is a sombre, reflective masterpiece. It was recorded (in four three-hour sessions) during his divorce from Ava Gardner, and a famously heartbroken Frank channelled his despair through these 12 songs. Nelson Riddle was also grieving, his young daughter’s death being followed closely by his mother’s. He was able to amplify Frank’s feelings and construct a musical canvas to melt even the coldest heart. Frank’s phrasing is seldom…

Loving guitars means you’ve got to love the cheap ones as well,” Mark Knopfler reflects as he leans back in his chair in the control room of his studio in West London. “A really powerful part of my childhood was gazing longingly at those things. I didn’t know whether it was going to be a Futurama or a Hofner or a Burns Sonic that I was going to get first. But I was desperate for something. Boy, I loved them and I still do. You never escape that.” He should know. Four decades on from Dire Straits’ debut hit, Sultans Of Swing, in 1978, he’s still making records that are, among other things, love letters to the sound of the guitar in all its many guises. His latest album, entitled…

John D’Angelico, one of history’s most influential archtop guitar makers, built only 1,164 guitars in his lifetime, starting out in a Kenmare Street, Manhattan workshop. Earlier pre-war examples of the Excel tend to have less ornamentation than the ones that followed later, so this example does not feature the ‘stairstep’ tailpiece that became a D’Angelico hallmark from around 1940, nor other Art Deco style appointments in the stepped Grover tuners used on the 1961 Excel in issue 421. We played Mark’s stunning 30s Excel and found its voice to be airy, sonorous and surprisingly versatile.…

Paul, John, Ringo and George returned to Abbey Road Studios at the end of May 1968 to begin recording their ninth studio album, simply titled The Beatles. After the shockwaves created by the previous year’s Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, as it would come to be known, was a complete contrast. A simple white cover (a very daring step in the days when the pop album was still an emerging art form) and straightforward songs, it was about as far as you could get from the extravagance of Sgt Pepper. This was the era where the Fabs were exclusively a studio band and both Sgt Pepper and The White Album were never destined to reach the live stage. Cutting-edge recording technology of the day (Abbey Road…

Remove the backplate of the Summit Classic P90 model and you’re in for a shock, not just from the bright creamy colour of the basswood but also the minimalist pots, each with its own circuit board (Godin VO-1 and TO-1), a 102 code (.001microfarad) treble bleed capacitor on the volume and 333 code (.033microfarad) tone cap – both similar small blue types. Minimalist is an understatement. The Kingpin pickup is a regular-style ‘dog-ear’ P-90 (with a pretty juicy DCR of 8.23kohms) wedged between the usual-style top cover and a bottom ring, like a humbucker’s mounting ring that follows the outline of dog-ear cover. It mounts via two bolts, which pass into threaded inserts in the body and mean the pickup is suspended, with springs providing the tension, allowing a considerable…

PRICE: £659 (inc gigbag) ORIGIN: Canada TYPE: Single-cutaway, solidbody electric BODY: Canadian Laurentian basswood NECK: Maple, glued-in SCALE LENGTH: 629mm (24.75”) NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech Tusq/42.7mm FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, dot inlays, 305mm (12”) radius FRETS: 22, medium jumbo HARDWARE: Graph Tech ResoMax Sonic 1 wrapover bridge, Godin ‘High-Ratio’ tuners (18:1 bass side, 26:1 treble) – nickel-plated STRING SPACING/BRIDGE: 52.4mm ELECTRICS: 2x Godin Custom Zebra humbuckers, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, individual pickup volume and tone controls WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.1/6.82 OPTIONS: Covered Godin humbuckers are used on the Matte Black and Vintage Burst versions RANGE OPTIONS: See Summit Classic SG Vintage Burst P90 (left) LEFT-HANDERS: No FINISHES: Matte Green (as reviewed), Matte Black, Vintage Burst – semi gloss PROS All the good bits of the P90 model but with more versatile dualhumbuckers, a…

MANUFACTURER FREE THE TONE MODEL FIRE MIST FM-1V OVERDRIVE PRICE £339 CONTACT WWW.FREETHETONE.COM Free The Tone doesn’t do things by halves. Its FM-1V Fire Mist drive, from the company’s new Integrated Series of pedals, weighs a hefty 1.4lbs and packs in some of the most edgy, addictively playable Marshall-inspired tones we’ve encountered. And it says something that this is the first pedal in ages that’s left our fingers raw from playing, just for the sheer joy of it. The outward format of the pedal couldn’t be more simple. There are only three controls, with chunky brass (yes, brass) knobs: Level, Tone and Drive. These work exactly as they do on other drive pedals, so ease of operation is instant and wholly intuitive. Beneath the understated enclosure, however, lies a highly…

THE BACKGROUND DAVID FRANKS, GUITARIST READER: I’d like to build a pedalboard that plugs straight into the PA (that is, without also using an amp) for gigs. I don’t want to use a modelling multi-effects unit like Helix or Kemper, as I love my pedal collection too much… How can I get realistic amp and cabinet tones/capability onto my portable pedalboard in a tonally authentic way that works with my existing pedals (a Klon KTR Centaur, a Friedman BE-OD, a Fulltone Mini-Deja’Vibe, a Free The Tone Tri Avatar Chorus and a Boss DD-3)? I normally play into a Fender Hot Rod DeVille, but I’m finding it hard to lug about, hence the question! THE QUESTIONS 1 HOW DO I BUILD A TONE-RICH PEDALBOARD THAT CAN EMULATE…

NOT THE FULL (E)SP? I’m a longterm owner of an ESP Eclipse. It’s one of the Japanese-made models and it’s been a brilliant guitar to play over the past 10 years. When I got the guitar, I was looking for a heavy sound, something along the lines of Metallica’s James Hetfield and Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde. Clean sounds? I didn’t bother with that kind of thing. It was all about distortion. Now I’m a bit older, and hopefully wiser, I’d like something with more versatility and vintage warmth. I don’t want to ditch my ESP. This thing has become a part of me. So my only other option is to replace the pickups. As you may have guessed considering my influences back in the day, my Eclipse is fitted…

I’m looking for a big-bodied rockabilly/jazz guitar for an old-school Chicago blues project I’m working on. Whatever I buy must have a Bigsby, cost around a grand or less and, of course, look super cool. I’ll probably end up with a Gretsch, but I’d like to see some other suggestions. David Crane, via email You can’t really go wrong with a Gretsch. The Electromatic range offers all the cute looks of the top-end Professional Series guitars for way less money. So, yes, we’ll be recommending one of those. There are other great hollowbodies out there, however, including a cracker that costs less than half your maximum budget. Check them out. 1. Guild Newark St Collection X-175B Manhattan c£950 The Manhattan is so pretty you’ll want to dress up all nice…

When it comes to choosing pickups, we’re spoilt for choice – but navigating the endless array of ‘vintage’ tones available can often leave us feeling lost. However, if you prefer to find a dependable source of expertise (and voice of reason), you won’t go far wrong seeking advice from Seymour Duncan veteran Maricela ‘MJ’ Juarez. And so, eager to find out more about the inner workings of vintage Tele pickups, that’s exactly what we did. On the other end of the line MJ greets us: “Hello, Seymour Duncan Custom Shop. How may I help you?” That same voice since 1982. Remembering how her 35-yearlong career with California’s premier pickup pros began, she says: “It’s a funny story, but Seymour Duncan knocked on my door! One of my neighbours asked me…

1. SERIAL NUMBER Impressed into back of headstock and inked onto orange label (visible through bass f-hole) “62717” with model designation “S 400 CESN” 2. HEADSTOCK Black-painted holly veneer face; five-piece split diamond and Gibson logo mother-of-pearl inlays; three-piece split diamond mother-of-pearl inlay on black painted ‘bee sting’/ tapered rear 3. BODY 18-inch wide carved spruce top; highly figured maple back/sides; pointed cutaway; natural finish (hence the name Super 400CESN) in clear lacquer 4. PICKUPS Two Seth Lover-designed Alnico V single coils with independent volume and tone controls; three-way pickup selector switch 5. HARDWARE Gold-plated brass Kluson Sealfast tuners, “SUPER 400” engraved tailpiece, strap button and jack socket; two-footed rosewood bridge base and Tune-o-matic bridge 6. PLASTICS Binding: seven-ply top, three-ply back, five-ply fingerboard/headstock and three-ply f-hole; pointed black/white “CUSTOM”…

Difficulty | 20 mins per example TUTOR: Phil Hilborne | Gear used: PRS ‘Signature’ Custom 24 Guitar into a Marshall JMP-1 with its emulated outs plugged straight into the mixing desk. Additional distortion/character via an Xotic EP Booster pedal; an MXR EVH Phase 90 on a very subtle setting was kicked in for the tapping sections. Additional reverb added using Logic plug-ins in the mix (it’s worth mentioning that in the mix I panned the dry guitar to the left and the guitar’s ‘plate reverb’ return fully to the right; this is pretty much what producer Ted Templeman did on all the early Van Halen albums) IN THE HISTORY of guitar playing there have been some extremely notable and groundbreaking players – and there’s no doubt that Eddie Van Halen…

WHEN WE THINK of British blues, perhaps it’s unsurprising that the likes of Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Jimmy Page are among the first to come to mind. But by the late 1960s, there was already another generation preparing for its turn in the spotlight. As The Yardbirds and John Mayall had called our attention to a succession of new talent in the first flush of the Blues Invasion, David Coverdale’s Whitesnake has arguably fulfilled a similar function since the mid-to-late 1970s. By the middle of the following decade, John Sykes had ushered in a new era of much harder edged rock material, but the original inspiration of the band had been blues and soul – think of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland’s Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City,…