Sommaire pour March 2018 de Guitarist

As we go to press this issue, we’re packing our bags to head off to California for the NAMM trade show where the nitro-clad mother lode of this year’s new guitar gear makes its debut. In some ways it’s the worst possible environment in which to sample new sound equipment. The giant exhibition halls where the show is held echo relentlessly with drums, saxophones, keyboards, cymbals and, of course, guitars. Spend four days there (with jetlag), and it’s one of the most disorienting sensory experiences you’ll have outside of going over Niagara Falls in a barrel full of loose musical instruments. Alongside the big launches there are always lots of interesting finds from small and boutique makers, hidden gems waiting to be discovered, and ‘what-were-they-thinking?’ moments where (frankly bonkers) ideas…

JAMES COLLINS GTB £2,749 What Is It? Brit-crafted, weight relived double-cutaway electric with Bare Knuckle pickups Unless you’re a follower of small-number UK guitar makers you might not have heard of James Collins. Based in East Sussex, James has been building his own designs since 2015 but started doing repairs in 2007 after returning from the USA where he studied at the Galloup School of Lutherie in Michigan. The current James Collins range features four models with mahogany, set-neck construction and a choice of either flat-top, single pickup (the GTA), or carved-top dual-humbucker versions like the GT. The latest, as here, is the GTB. The symmetrical double-cutaway outline recalls the UK’s longest running production maker, Gordon Smith, and as with the original John Smith design, the GTB takes the Les…

Eric Bibb 13 April to May 5 Various UK and Ireland venues As oneof the most compelling roots musicians in the modern age, the themes Eric Bibb explored on last year’s Migration Blues felt more poignant than ever. And that was no coincidence – for his darkest and most political album, the bluesman made comparisons between the journeys of slaves in America to those of refugees escaping war in the present day. “The open-heartedness that music can induce in us is what’s needed right now,” says Eric.“We are all wanderers, we are all migrants, we have all come to where we are now from some other place. And the empathy that’s needed to keep this world from falling apart is what I’m trying to encourage.” He’ll be accompanied by guitarist…

Towards the end of last year I found myself in Japan for a PRS Japan Experience. I joined Paul Reed Smith and band on 16 November in Tokyo, after they had flown in from Shanghai. An 11-hour flight from London is tiring, and I had prepared myself for the usual long drive from Narita to downtown Tokyo. To my surprise, the 60km were made in just 55 minutes. I was pleased to be in the city within an hour, and was looking forward to being at my hotel. So, imagine my disappointment when, more than an hour later, I was still in the back of the cab making my way through Tokyo, and all the traffic that goes with it. Much, much, much later than I anticipated, I arrived at…

CHANGE COULD DO YOU GOOD I read your recent letter of the month (Feedback, issue 429) about being inspired by something new or different. Last year, at an event I was at in Nice, I borrowed the in-house band guitarist’s instrument and did a version of Crossroads. The guitar in question was an Ibanez hollow-body and had tapewound strings, something I’d previously eschewed for 47 years! It sounded great. So, fast forward a year and I’m currently in a duo with a lovely jazz vocalist, so I finally found my excuse to acquire such a guitar: an Ibanez Artcore AFJ95 with tapewound strings. It’s a completely addictive instrument – plugged or unplugged – and inspires you to take well-known songs and reinvent them (Sultans of Swing in jazz mode with…

“Other guys were playing a Tele or a 335 and I come out with a 175 – people thought, ‘This isn’t gonna work…’ but I made it work. The demystification might be just about where you set your bass level on your amp because if you’ve got that too high this guitar is going to give you all the trouble it’s known for. The L-5 fed back on the Tales From Topographic Oceans rehearsals far too much even with the bass off. So I became very possessive, I always looked after it myself, I didn’t let other people do it. It was only years later when Yes were massive and we were doing huge shows with Roger Dean stages that, for a while, I let my tech do it. I…

Much of the mystique surrounding original ’Bursts derives from the fact that, partly due to their current value and partly due to their rarity, few guitarists actually experience them at first hand or use them as working instruments. What keeps us from coming to a more balanced view of historic instruments like these is that it’s relatively rare to be able to gather more than one or two together at the same time for the purpose of direct comparison. With that in mind, we set out to examine four original ’Bursts from 1958-1960. The first, a beautiful ’58, belongs to the excellent Seven Decades show, which tells the story of rock in a live performance that uses period-correct vintage guitars throughout its decade-spanning set. The other three – two ’59s…

“Not too much gain and a nice balance between the EQ settings is the Excel’s natural environment” D’Angelico Excel DC with Denny Ilett Writer DENNY ILETT Professional guitarist and tutor Denny has been doing some studio work that has required a very versatile instrument The last little while has seen me on quite a few studio sessions so, in an attempt to release my inner Larry Carlton, I’ve been almost exclusively using this D’Angelico Excel 335-alike regardless of the kind of music I’ve been asked to play. I always find studio work fascinating because you’re often asked to play in a way, and with a sound, that you might not choose to if left to your own devices. You’re at the mercy and whim of a producer and the good…

VIBRANCY OF WHITE FINISH & GOLD HARDWARE Vintage white guitars that are used and played tend to fade and yellow with age. Gretsches are certainly no exception, but given the importance of the iconic white colour scheme of the Falcon, those with an extant bright white finish will go for higher prices. PART SELECTION AND USABILITY Since Gretsch guitars of this era tend to have a lot of extra parts, the inclusion and usability of these components can impact value. While most modern players aren’t looking to use a feature like string mutes, seeing these add-ons in working condition will indicate that the guitar has been well-maintained in its lifetime. Those with any structural issues like neck repairs can also go for much less. BINDING Vintage Gretsch guitars are notorious…

A Real Yes Man Steve Howe asserts his position in prog history and reveals more about the abundance of guitars that came his way during his search for a sound p50 ’Burst forth As the Gibson Les Paul Standard Sunburst turns 60, we turn to one long-time owner of ‘The Beast’ to help us commemorate the occasion p56 Old School Cool A duo of Duesenbergs – Gran Majesto and Paloma – German classics with attention to detail, flawless playability and a whole raft of A-list fans p10…

Guitarist was saddened to hear former Motörhead guitarist Edward Allen Clarke, more famously known as ‘Fast Eddie’, passed away on 10 January in hospital aged 67 after contracting pneumonia. Alongside late drummer Phil ‘Animal’ Taylor and frontman Lemmy, he was guitarist for the best-known line-up of the band, recording their first four albums – including the 1979 classic Overkill and the following year’s Ace Of Spades – before he was replaced by former Thin Lizzy man Brian Robertson after his departure in 1982. Clarke was the last surviving member of the classic Motörhead trio – Taylor died from liver failure in November 2015 and Lemmy succumbed to cancer the following month. In a recent interview, Eric Clapton has revealed that he’s losing his hearing. “The only thing I’m concerned with…

Traditionally the first month of the year is a quiet time for session musicians, but I was lucky enough to have a week of continuous sessions starting on 2 January, just enough time for the hangover to clear up and to take my mind off the dreaded self-employed tax bill. I spent this week in renowned drummer Ralph Salmins’ Bunker studio recording 50 minutes of music per day in every style imaginable, from a tango classical guitar feature to a cover of Metallica’s Enter Sandman, via The Sound of Music. This was all recorded for a company who sell show backing tracks all over the world, and in order to make it financially viable, we didn’t do more than two takes for anything, and they all needed to be perfect…

The pentatonic scale is a good friend to us guitarists, but there occasionally comes a time when we want to spread our wings a little and think outside ‘the box’, if you’ll forgive the cliché. Many of us investigate harmony and theory books and websites, only to have our interest rebuffed with musical jargon and exercises that seem impossible to assimilate into our repertoire (that has taken many a long hour to acquire as it is). A good solution could be to start with a universal pattern (like the pentatonic or ‘blues scale’), then add in more informed note choices on a progressive basis. Taking a well-used fragment of chord progression (known in many circles as a ii V I) we’ve arranged three scales/patterns in the same area of the…

THE TRUTH OF TONE Recently I went to buy a new distortion pedal for use with my practice amp. I tried the expensive boutique stuff, then I closed my eyes and bought the one that sounded ‘right’. To my amazement it was a Metal Muff, that cost just £89. I left happy, tried it at home, and it still sounded right. So, I thought, what are we paying for in the end? I’ve heard so many times that vintage guitars sound great, Brazilian rosewood sounds amazing, a boutique amp is a must and so on… But then, you have people like Yngwie Malmsteen who preach ‘if it sounds right, it is right’. Al Di Meola used to say he never looks where the knobs are on the amp, as long…

The Bad Flowers Starting Gun Badflowers Powered-up rock with a bright future We’ve had a foretaste of The Bad Flowers with their eponymous EP released in 2016, but this is the band’s first album release – and it’s an adrenaline-packed affair. The Midlands-based, hard-rock-centric band comprises guitarist and vocalist Tom Leighton, Dale Tonks on bass and Karl Selickis on drums. With a hint of bands like Saxon with perhaps the spectre of early Whitesnake, The Bad Flowers shine with tracks like the riff-ladenHurricaneand the brooding menace of RichMan. Guitar-driven with the glint of a metal sheen, there are some powerful performances and strong vocals throughout. We suspect the future for the band looks bright – catch them on tour with Stone Broken and Jared James Nichols this spring. [DM] Standout…

Arlen Roth Arlen Roth Rounder Records 1978 Arlen Roth was a successful touring and studio guitarist living in upstate New York when he released his first, mainly instrumental solo album in 1978. His versatility has graced albums and tours by Dusty Springfield, Paul Butterfield, Simon & Garfunkel, Bee Gees and Loudon Wainwright III among others. He had also written a book on playing slide guitar that was published when he was 21. A convincing advert for choosing to play a Telecaster, this album leans heavily on Roth’s country influences. Equally at home with slide, flat-picking acoustic or lead playing, he is always soulful and unafraid to experiment as is illustrated on the standout track, Laughing At The Blues featuring double-stopping par excellence! Rooster is a sort of young man’s introduction…

1. PRS SE BERNIE MARSDEN 2017 LTD £799 This latest Europe-only version for of Bernie’s SE – which was originally spec’d from his ‘Beast’ – features a new satin neck and is available in three colours. The thick-bodied 24.5-inch scale, Korean-made SE 245 style signature features SE 245 Treble and Bass humbuckers, a volume for each, plus a master tone control. If it’s good enough for Bernie… www.prsguitars.com 2. PRS MCCARTY SC 594 £3,835 Hot on the heels of the double-cut McCarty 594, this single-cut SC really chases a vintage vibe wrapped up in PRS’s ultra-detailed style. The PRS 58/15LT pickups offer a clear PAF-inspired voicing and there are numerous options from 10-tops to Artist packs. Production guitars don’t get better than this. www.prsguitars.com 3. EASTMAN SB 59/V £1,769 In…

1 What was the first pedal that you built and how did the design come about? My first design, in 1999, was a digitally controlled analogue delay and tuner, all-in-one box. It was a little ambitious (I hadn’t even cloned a Fuzz Face at that point!) but I built it in order to check enough boxes for a digital design college class I was taking. It used a microprocessor and had a keypad where you could enter the milliseconds [of delay time] for the bucket brigade chips. I tried to build a Fuzz Face after that but gave up! Afterwards, I built the Keeley Compressor – the first pedal I went to market with. That was inspired by Trey [Anastasio] from Phish and was based on a Ross Compressor. 2…

GOING UP A DEAD END I recently bought a new Les Paul Standard. I’m generally pretty happy with it – it plays nicely and sounds great (and looks fantastic) but there’s one thing that’s bugging me. Now, I don’t venture up the ‘dusty end’ too much – I’m mostly a rhythm player, but I’ve noticed (mainly on the G string) that above the 12th fret and becoming more noticeable the higher you go, there is a distinct lack of sustain and some odd overtones creeping in. Any ideas what could be causing it and how I can cure the problem? I would be grateful for any advice. Paul Green, via email If the guitar is new you might want to have your dealer check it over. If you want to…

Intended as a one-off, it turned so many heads that Gretsch put it into regular production Most guitar builders have their pièce de résistance – a flagship model that represents the pinnacle of their craftsmanship; Gibson took Lloyd Loar’s ground-breaking L-5 to the ultimate level with the Super 400 (originally labelled the L-5 Super), whilst Paul Reed Smith literally made his dreams become reality with the fantastically ornate Dragon guitars. The jewel in Gretsch’s crown came in the form of a guitar called the White Falcon. Originally intended as a one-off display centrepiece for the 1954 NAMM trade show, it ended up turning so many heads that by the following year Gretsch had put it into regular production, designated as the model 6136. It was appearance as much as anything…

Electrics ESP LTD EC1000T, 2010, faded Cherry Sunburst. Traditional single-cut, Seymour Duncan Alnico II pickups, aged nickel hardware. Beautifully made and great player. £550. Exeter. Email steveshooterphoto@gmail.com Gibson 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Heritage Cherry Sunburst, nicely faded. In superb original condition with chainsaw case. Sounds amazing £2,495. Call 01386 861873 Gibson (2014) reissue 1960 Les Paul – figured ‘slow iced tea’ top. Excellent condition – but one small ding. Original hard shell case, certificate of authenticity and tags. £2,500. Pics available. Call 07752122713 Gibson Byrdland Wine Red 1998. Immaculate condition with case. £5000. Call 07597 935362 Gibson ES-335 1982. Blonde. Black sticker PAFs. Hiscox case. Excellent condition. £1,850. Call 07597 935362 Gibson Les Paul Standard, 2005 ‘faded’ Sunburst, maple cap, original hard shell case. £1,350. Call 0777 327 6815 Gibson…

The industry changes but NAMM never fails to deliver on new signature models. And, as we go to press, there’s plenty to report on that front on the heavier side of guitar. The Fender family of brands has debut signatures from Slipknot’s Mick Thomson with Jackson, following his move from Ibanez in 2016, as well as former Kramer player and Steel Panther man Satchel’s (aka Russ Parrish) first Charvel signature – a Pro-Mod DK in his trademark wild tiger-striped Yellow Bengal (£1,239). That 80s styling is highly apt here for more than just Steel Panther’s throwback sound. “In the 80s, Charvel was it,” says Satchel. “All the cool guitar players were playing Charvel. It’s always been a goal of mine to have a Charvel model at some point.” Thomson’s Ibanez…

People of my vintage grew up at a time when there were essentially two types of guitar – objects that were guitar-shaped with strings and real, grown-up, professional instruments that were completely out of our league. My first guitar was a Rosetti Lucky 7 with painted-on binding and flat fretboard. It definitely sat in the former category but served my fumblings until I got my first guitar of the ‘other’ type, later on. Also neither I, nor anyone I knew, had any knowledge about gear, so I made some terrible mistakes as well as some lucky purchases. Here’s my early story of guitars and amps won and lost, of errors in judgement and some lucky encounters. When I was 19 I got a job at a corrugated cardboard factory in…

“The only thing that drives me crazy is when you think you’ve got the top E string right but it pings off halfway through tightening” 1 What was your first guitar and when did you get it? “My first real guitar was a Sunbro S-type that I got when I was 15. I’d been on holiday to Italy with my uncle and aunt and been given lots of money to spend, didn’t spend a penny and came back and bought it second-hand in Doncaster for about £50. I got a real Strat when I was 17.” 2 If the building was burning down, what one guitar from your collection would you save? “There are two, I’d have to grab one in each hand and that would be my original Blade…

An authoritative collection of vintage and classic electric guitars, featuring exclusive photography from the makers of Guitarist Guitarist isn’t just your 13-issues-a-year helping of guitar greatness. We also produce a stunning range of spin-off specials available both in print and in-app. And, as a taster for what we produce, we’d like to offer you a free digital copy of one of our most popular Guitarist Presents specials. Guitarist Presents: Classic & Vintage Guitars is our hand-picked collection of fine vintage and classic rarities – instruments that all started out as groundbreaking designs, but which have stood the test of time and earned worth as a result. For good measure, we’ve also mixed in some more recent classics, some curios favoured by star players, some painstaking reconstructions, and some modern guitars,…

What was your first gig and how did it go? “I was five and my very first gig was in the lounge room of our house and all the neighbours came over and we played about 30 minutes of Shadows tunes. Everybody had a great time and I remember the exhilaration of playing for people for the first time as a unit with my two brothers and my sister, and how it felt to be actually performing, even though it was a lounge room packed with people watching. It was just as exciting as if it was Carnegie Hall!” Can you describe your current stage rig? “It’s very simple. I carry my own microphone that I sing through, I have a Boss tuner, an AER Pocket Tools called a Dual…

We’re sitting in the living room at Steve Howe’s cottage in the wilds of the Devon countryside. The significance here is that this is the very place that Yes chose to rehearse The Yes Album in 1970, Steve’s recorded debut with the band upon its release the following February. “The idea was a sort of hippy trademark,” he tells us. “Get back to nature, make a record, be together and be a unit, actually. Of course that’s incredibly testing, but we all got on fairly well.” Steve’s story with Yes had started sometime earlier when their previous guitarist, Peter Banks, quit the band. “Before Time And A Word had even come out Chris [Squire] had called me,” Steve continues. “I didn’t know the guys – they had a great reputation…

“To me, I would be looking at the better PAFs of the late 50s. I don’t tend to get too wrapped up in the DC resistance of them, because the later ’59 ones are often literally overflowing with wire, some with very high DC readings that sound absolutely amazing but just don’t correlate with what a coil with such a high DC reading ought to sound like. When I talk about high, I’m not talking about 14k, of course, but 8k to 9k readings. That would normally produce quite a dull-sounding pickup if it came off a modern mass-production line. “But on pickups of that time you’ll find that the coils are mismatched – totally different numbers of turns on each coil – and the windings are quite loose as…

Audiences all over the UK are discovering Dan Patlansky. There’s a definite buzz about the man with the battered 60s Strat and a dazzling take on modern blues rock – and it’s getting louder. Settled into the Guitarist studios, we chat about Dan’s new album, Perfection Kills and mention that it’s his third European release. “In the big scheme of things it’s my ninth album,” he laughs, “But it’s the third album I’m releasing in the UK…” The other albums are available in his native South Africa, but recent years have seen him spread his wings and start touring all over the world, often sharing the stage with such stalwarts as Joe Satriani and recently Joanne Shaw Taylor. The new album has also seen Dan take over production duties. “The…

THE BACKGROUND JASON STANMORE, GUITARIST READER: “I am totally confused by the whole subject of buffers, either in pedals or as separate pedals by themselves. I lie awake at night wondering if I have too many or not enough, or if my sound would be better if they were different. The whole ‘buffer’ issue comes up a lot when talking about signal chains, especially with overdrive and fuzz. And then there’s true bypass – I thought true bypass was a good thing, only to hear that I might be experiencing a lot of tone loss if all my pedals are true bypass. In a word, help! THE QUESTIONS 1 WHAT IS A BUFFER AND WHAT IS TRUE BYPASS? 2 I USE A ‘STANDARD’ SELECTION OF TRUE-BYPASS PEDALS: BOOST, OVERDRIVE, MODULATION…

Jamie Dickson Guitarist editor 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. Neville Marten Edited Guitarist for 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. 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 Blues and Country Music. Nick Guppy Guitarist’s amplifier specialist…

As the story is most commonly told, the iconic Gretsch White Falcon was never meant to be built as a regular production model. Gretsch guitar guru Jimmie Webster took a cue from the car industry, building the first Falcon for the 1954 NAMM show like the high-concept ‘cars of tomorrow’ coming from Detroit. The guitar was a showstopper. Dealers lined up to place their orders, forcing Gretsch to scramble to start building the flashing white hollowbody to meet demand. Taking Flight From then on, the White Falcon remained in Gretsch’s catalogue in some form until the company ceased production in 1981. Like most Gretsch models, the exact specs and appointments of the Falcon (model number 6136) evolved significantly through its run. In 1959, multiple variations with different electronics were available,…

When Guitarist interviewed the late, great BB King a few years ago, he observed that although people often think about blues as being concerned with suffering, more properly it's about the expression of deep emotion – including joy, anger, sorrow and all of the soul's most profound outpourings. Little wonder, then, the appeal of blues music remains as vital and magnetically powerful as ever. That's why we're exploring (and celebrating) some of the most resonant periods in blues guitar history in this special supplement, covering Delta blues, the history of Chess Records and a masterclass in the contrasting styles of British blues gods Peter Green and Eric Clapton. If you like it, let us know, and we'll journey further down the blues trail in future special editions. Enjoy.…

The most exciting rock music, Frank Zappa once said, owed its genesis to “cigar chomping old guys” that said, “Record it, stick it out, and if it sells – alright,” and he got it about right. Certainly Leonard and Phil Chess fitted Zappa’s stereotype; the brothers were complete rookies, who took a chance on music they didn’t understand. The Czyz family arrived in the States from Poland in 1928, part of the huge wave of Jewish immigrant families, travelling to an America they saw as the land of milk and honey. The brothers started out working with their father, helping in his scrap dealing business, the family name now changed to Chess. Music was not on the agenda, and when they later moved into the recording business, it was certainly…

We’re focusing on the soloing style of Bluesbreakers-era Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Aiming to identify some key soloing innovations from this furtive period with a view to incorporating these ideas into your own vocabulary. There are 10 licks to learn (five per guitarist). Each lick is followed by a four-bar instrumental break in the audio to give you a chance to take a breath, have a sneaky practice or change pickup, etc. All the ideas are in the key of A, and the chord progression is an aptly-chosen 12-bar dominant blues, so there will be plenty of scope to try out a variety of new ideas. We are using a simple major 12-bar blues so the progression will look like this: || A7 | ‘/, | ‘/, | ‘/,…