Guitar World

VOL. 44 | NO. 5 | MAY 2023 THE AGE OF THE PEDAL I’VE SAID IT before [in my February 2023 Woodshed, for instance], and I’ll say it again: It’s all about the pedals these days — at least in my neck of the woods. They’re small, they’re cool looking, they sound amazing and, in the grand scheme of things, they’re generally inexpensive. Excluding strings, picks, cables, capos, slides, clip-on tuners, used Krivo pickups and Red Stripe beer, a pedal — new or used — is one of the least expensive ways to bask in that addictive new-gear glow. A few months ago, Guitarist — one of our nifty sister magazines from across the pond — ran a similar story called “The Greatest Pedals of All Time.” For this issue…

STAY CONNECTED WITH GUITAR WORLD ON AND GET THE LATEST GUITAR NEWS, INSIDER UPDATES, STAFF REPORTS AND MORE! Bonamassa went Bolin for dollars [Referring to the January 2023 issue’s biggest guitar news of the year] That 1960 Les Paul Standard that Joe Bonamassa added to his collection wasn’t just a valuable old Gibson. That guitar (with its added Bigsby and pickup changes) was altered and played by the late (and underappreciated) guitar legend Tommy Bolin. While Tommy never owned the guitar, it was on loan to him while he recorded with Deep Purple, Billy Cobham and Alphonse Mouzon, as well as recording his solo albums, Teaser and Private Eyes. Joe didn’t acquire it because it was just another Les Paul (he has plenty of those); he got it because…

THE MELVINS AREN’T for everyone. Does that mean the duo of Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover — flanked by longtime Red Kross bassist Steven McDonald — haven’t carved out a niche in this world? No way. But if you’re expecting the Melvins to ring in as commercial darlings, you’d be sorely disappointed. Does that mean they care? Not a chance. “It’s not like we’re trying not to sell records,” Osborne says. “That’s just how it worked out for us. I’ve learned that the world’s not a right place. We don’t bother trying to sell records; we do whatever the fuck we’re doing. And even if that doesn’t work, all is well. It’s better to stick with what you like without letting the perverse thinking of others influence what you do.”…

TUNE-UPS NEWS + NOTES “STUBBORN” IS LIKELY not the first word one thinks of when listening to Blue Rev, the dreamy new album from Toronto indie rockers Alvvays. But there is one thing the group insists on stubbornly. “We’re really stubborn about the volume of the guitars,” says singer/guitarist Molly Rankin. “I just want them to be loud and menacing.” From the very beginning, Alvvays’ songs have featured sharp, studied guitar work, often poking out from beneath layers of tape saturation and synth wash. The band’s second album, Antisocialites, leaned heavily on synths for its hypnagogic sound, but on Blue Rev the band puts the guitar front and center, pushing the sonic envelope just about as far as it will go. Though the band cite Eighties twee and college rock…

JARRED JAMES NICHOLS’ personal growth over his first two records stands in stark contrast to the pentatonic-loving, single-coil throwback he’s made out to be. And if the Les Paul-slinging guitarist’s third record, this year’s Jared James Nichols, is any indication, the soon-to-be 34-year-old guitarist appears to be reaching a peak. “I’ve long been a person who loves songs,” Nichols says. “But I’ve always approached things with a guitar-oriented head. That bled over into everything I’ve done. But with this record, I didn’t think about how I might dazzle someone with the guitar; I just focused on my writing style.” It’s plain to see that Nichols — a guitarist known for blues-driven theatrics energized by an effervescent personality — is digging deeper. It would be all too easy for Nichols to…

TUNE-UPS NEWS + NOTES BY ANY MEASURE, 21-year-old Peter Dankelson has already faced a lifetime of adversity. Born with a rare craniofacial condition called Goldenhar Syndrome (characterized by abnormal development of the eye, ear and spine), he’s undergone 37 surgeries to correct jaw and airway defects, and he’s fitted with a Cochlear implant to do the work of a missing left ear. “There’s been a lot of challenges, but you just can’t dwell on them,” Dankelson says. “Things could always be worse, so it’s best to look on the bright side. My family has always supported me, and I’ve had many other people who have helped me along the way.” A longtime music fan, Dankelson experienced a lightbulb moment six years ago when he heard AC/DC’s Back in Black. “It…