Guitar Player articles from December 2008

Guitar Player archives from December 2008

Noize: from the editor.(Editorial)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GAS PRICES STILL SUCK. THE ECONOMY is attempting to commit suicide. Storm fronts have brutalized the Gulf Coast. And, apparently, the presidential race is going to be about finger pointing. Yuck. Who wants to deal...

Letter of the month.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... I've been a reader and subscriber for 30-plus years, and GP just keeps getting better. Unfortunately, I gave up playing in the '80s after realizing I was never going to play like Al Di Meola. Thinking it was useless to read a guitar magazine if...

Alvin Lee.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... October's Alvin Lee feature transported me all the way back to my youth. Not only was seeing Ten Years After in 1970 the reason I picked up the guitar in the first place, but Lee was also on the cover of the first issue of GP I ever bought....

Feedback feedback.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... To read or not to read? I think Tony Vega's defensiveness (November 2008 Feedback) on this issue causes him to miss the point. True, reading is no more essential than "correct" technique or theoretical knowledge for creating great music. Rock...

Raves for rants.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... I have been buying GP at my local newsstand since issue #3. Over the last few years, I think GP has become even more relevant. For example, the mention of Ry Cooder's latest release (I, Flathead) in the October issue was an alert I appreciate....

Oops!(FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
December 1, 2008... The August issue's James Nash feature mistakenly stated that Nash founded the Waybacks in 1999. In fact, the Waybacks were founded in 1996 by Chojo Jacques, Stevie Coyle, and Glenn Pomianek. Nash joined the band in 1999. November's feature...

Hiram Bullock 1955-2008.(TRIBUTE)(In memoriam)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... "The Hiram Bullock stage was always fertile ground for creativity, more so than with any other musician I've ever played with," says Bullock's longtime stage mate, bassist Will Lee. From a guy who has performed with everyone from Roberta Flack...

Les Claypool on guitar players.(RIFFS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Primus' bass iconoclast comments on some of the killer guitar players he's worked with. Larry LaLonde (Primus). Larry's got a very unique approach and sound. He tends to be very angular in his playing, he has...

Steve Winwood on modeled tones.(RIFFS)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... YOUR LIVE TONE ON "DIRTY CITY" SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO THE RECORDING. Do you use the same gear in the studio and onstage? Yes, and my amp since 2002 has been a Fender Cyber-Twin SE. There is a lot of controversy about using modeling...

Nils Lofgren: calls upon the spirits.(RIFFS)(The Loner: Nils Sings Nell)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Friendly spirits played a huge role in the making of Nils Lofgren's The Loner: Nils Sings Nell [Hypertension]--a tribute to his former boss, Nell Young. For one thing, all the acoustic guitar parts were performed on...

Butch Vig on producing the subways.(RIFFS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... As "Girls and Boys" opens the Subways' All or Nothing [Warner Bros.], moving seamlessly from shimmering arpeggios to buzz saw stutters to churning metal riffs, it's clear the band has grown far beyond the garage-rock exuberance of its 2005...

Traveling on a high frequency: Jay Blakesberg photographs, 1978-2008.(RIFFS)(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Jay Blakesberg's new 304-page coffee table book features over 1,200 photographs of artists ranging from Muddy Waters to Tom Waits, Radiohead to Michael Hedges, the Grateful Dead to NOFX. Jay's first cover shoot for...

Denny Tedesco's "The Wrecking Crew".(RIFFS)
December 1, 2008... Two years before ace guitarist (and former GP columnist) Tommy Tedesco passed away in 1997, his son Denny vowed to create a documentary film about his father and the other members of the legendary "Wrecking Crew"--a group of studio musicians in...

Frank Gambale on getting beyond technique.(guitar playing tips)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] People spend a lot of time practicing technique and not enough practicing musical things--a sad state of affairs. Like the old adage "you are what you eat," musically speaking "you are what you practice." If you...

Editor boy's big eight.(MySpace musicians reviews)
December 1, 2008... GUITAR PLAYER INVITES all D.I.Y. artists and bands to share their guitar skills with our reader community. This opportunity is open to all MySpace musicians, or to any player/band with a Web site that has their music posted. All you have to do...

Flash Bathory.(PASSING NOTES)(In memoriam)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Flash Bathory, an endorsee for Minarik Guitars, Tregan Guitars, and others, passed away September 3. 2008, at the age of 19. She had played the Vans Warped Tour and recently released her instrumental debut, Scars and Bruises. Bathory's music...

Don Helms.(PASSING NOTES)(In memoriam)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Steel-guitar legend Don Helms was a member of Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys, playing on ten Number One hits and, in the process, helping to usher in the electric era of country music. His steel lines could also be heard on recordings by...

Jeff Babicz on the State of the Acoustic Guitar Union.(RIFFS)(Interview)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Because acoustic guitar building is so firmly rooted in tradition, what were some of the obstacles you encountered when you introduced your designs? In my mind it was time for a performance-based update of the...

Lindsey Buckingham.(FEATURES: Rock)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I FEEL I'M AT MY MOST CREATIVE POINT," enthuses Lindsey Buckingham. Quite an assessment when you stop to ponder everything the singer, songwriter, and producer has already accomplished in his 40-year career. As a...

Testament.(FEATURES: Metal)(interview with guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT'S NOT MUCH OF AN EXAGGERATION to say the band Testament has been to hell and back. In their quarter-century existence they've seen the departure and return of their world-famous lead guitarist, they've gone...

McCoy Tyner.(FEATURES: Jazz)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IMAGINE ONE DAY YOU GET THE CALL TO PLAY on a record with a pianist who not only inspired you as a budding musician, but also changed the shape of the very music you play. Then just for fun, throw in a rhythm section...

Rory Block.(FEATURES: Blues)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SINCE THE AGE OF 15, NEW YORK City native Rory Block has been obsessed with the gods and demons of blues. Literally. When her parents split and family life was in tatters back in 1964, she dropped out of tenth grade...

Harry Manx.(FEATURES; Acoustic)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... ORIGINALLY FROM THE ISLE OF MAN, HARRY Manx relocated to Canada as a child and, while still in his teens, had a life-changing brush with the blues. "I saw Buddy Guy and Junior Wells in 1970, and it knocked me over," he says. "I'd seen some rock...

Jerry Reed.(FEATURES: Tribute)
December 1, 2008... WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT UNDERRATED guitarists, the name Jerry Reed often doesn't even come up. That's how underrated Jerry Reed is. More often viewed as an actor, singer, or variety show regular, Reed possessed mind-boggling guitar technique...

David Fiuczynski.(FEATURES: Fusion)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "EVERYONE PAYS HOMAGE TO THE DEAD Hendrix, but I'm out to pay homage to a living Hendrix," says fretless and microtonal guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski when discussing his forthcoming CD, KiF Express [FuzeLicious...

Afel Bocoum.(guitarists)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN MALI'S ICONIC GUITARIST ALI FARKA Toure died in 2006, his son Vieux Farka Toure quickly laid claim to his mantle with a strong debut CD and a sustained bout of international touring. Less noticed in the hubbub...

Jimmy Herring: Lifeboat.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] JIMMY HERRING Lifeboat It's swingin' like Charlie Christian, but cranked through a half-stack. It's quoting Coltrane, but blowing through humbuckers. It's Holdsworthian harmony, but it's shimmering through...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)(popular sound recordings among magazine editors)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... MATT BLACKETT The Nightwatchman, The Fabled City Eric Martin, Eric Martin Journey, Revelation BARRY CLEVELAND Tom Verlaine, Words From the Front (reissue) Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze, Sira Johan Berke,...

Bryan Beller: Thanks in Advance.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BRYAN BELLER Thanks in Advance Although bassist Bryan Beller's second solo release is technically a "jazz-fusion" album, deploying plenty of serious musical talent, he assiduously avoids the gratuitous...

Off the rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OFF THE RAILS: ABOARD THE CRAZY TRAIN IN THE BLIZZARD OF OZZ By Rudy Sarzo By Rudy Sarzo This book is not particularly well written, is chock-full of typos, and is poorly edited. That being said, it's...

So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star: the Byrds Day-by-Day 1965-1973: Christopher Hjort.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR: THE BYRDS DAY-BY-DAY 1965-1973 Christopher Hjort This exhaustively researched book documents the Byrds' career from their formation and huge breakthrough success in...

Sounds Like Teen Spirit: Stolen Melodies, Ripped-Off Riffs, and the Secret History of Rock and Roll: Timothy English.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT: STOLEN MELODIES, RIPPED-OFF RIFFS, AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL Timothy English English paints a thought-provoking picture of how songs get created and recreated in this...

Whitesnake, Good to Be Bad.(QUICK HITS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The good news is this sounds just like John Sykes-era Whitesnake. The bad news is it's not Sykes, although Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach kick major ass throughout. Some tones are overly distorted, but the riffs are...

Michael Brook & Djivan Gasparyan, Penumbra.(QUICK HITS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A haunting rendering of Tomaso Albinoni's 'Adagio in G Minor" opens this wonderful collaboration between Canadian ambient and "infinite" guitarist Brook and Armenian duduk master Gasparyan. Majestic, earthy, airy,...

Shan Kenner, Brooklyn Sketches.(QUICK HITS)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The West Coast improv adventurer parachutes into New York City and lands on his feet with this hypnotic nine-song jazz trio record. Myspace.com/shankennerguitar.

Krokodil, [Concord].(QUICK HITS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Swedish electric guitarist Klas Gullbrand and double-bassist Palle Sollinger--with assistance from drummer Ola Hultgrin and pianist Fredrik Hermansson--offer up introspective improvisations, soothing sound-scapes,...

Multi-dimensional miracles: Carlos Santana celebrates the power of intangibles.(Cover story)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN ADDITION TO BEING A GREAT FRIEND TO GUITAR PLAYER OVER THE YEARS, Carlos Santana has endeavored to fire up the magazine's creative juices by hipping the staff to noteworthy under-the-radar guitarists, as well as...

Hybrid hijinks: the astonishing pick/pluck practices of Dave Martone.(LESSONS: Soloing Seminar)
December 1, 2008... STYLE. IT'S A HOT COMMODITY THESE DAYS. FLIP ON ANY MEDIA TALK box and you hear myriad commercials telling you how to achieve, project, and protect it. Stroll through any mall. look around, and there's usually enough style on display for...

10 things you gotta do to play like: Mick Ronson.(LESSONS)
December 1, 2008... SUZI RONSON NEEDS YOUR HELP. She's working on a documentary about the life and times of her late husband, and recalls that, "While on the road, Mick would often call a fan to thank them for a letter. Sometimes he was treated with disbelief and...

Name that progression.(INTERMEDIATE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You don't have to attend Chicago's Bloom School of Jazz to learn some of the hipster progressions taught between its walls. Books such as this one (below) by the school's founder, David Bloom, show you artful ways to...

Charlie Hunter's Montuno Mojo.(ADVANCED)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... "Unless your time is absolutely on," reminded Charlie Hunter in the August '03 GP, "you're a burden to anyone sharing the stage with you." One way to strengthen your groove, Hunter suggested, is to practice the lively salsa vamps known as...

AC/DC's crushing chords.(BEGINNER)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Newbie rockers often make two mistakes when trying to replicate the power of Malcolm Young's thundering progressions: They assume the AC/DC rhythm king uses tons of distortion, and that he regularly employs barre...

The other "purple haze" chord.(BEGINNER)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Ask most guitarists how to play the chord made famous by "Purple Haze," and they'll likely strum the E7#9 grip known informally the world over as "the Hendrix chord." However, other players--such as Chicago, Illinois, guitarist Paul Petraitis,...

Jerry Reed's "Breakdown" cascade.(ADVANCED)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] People who only read Jerry Reed's obits in the mainstream press might only know that Reed was a charismatic musician who branched out into acting and shared the big screen with such box office draws as Burt Reynolds...

Holiday gift guide.(GEAR: Roundup)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Back in the pre-politically correct days, we used to label these types of holiday product roundups as collections of "cheap and cheerful" gear--the alliteration and the word "cheerful" kinda embraced the whole "Good Will on Earth" vibe. But, as...

Larrivee RS4 vs. Taylor Solidbody Classic.(GEAR: Fight Club)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... IT'S ALWAYS NEWSWORTHY WHEN A MAJOR producer of acoustic guitars launches a solidbody model, so we felt an embarrassment of riches when two new solids from Larrivee and Taylor arrived here. They come from different sectors of the solidbody...

Vox Classic Plus Series AC50CP2.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... WHEN THE BEATLES ASKED VOX FOR A LOUDER, more powerful amp that could be heard over the screaming crowds at the height of Beatle-mania, the company responded with a new head called the AC50 and enlisted the mighty EL34 tube to power it. For...

Fractal audio systems Axe-Fx Ultra.(GEAR: XTreme Guitar)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... EDITORS' Guitar Player PICK THERE'S BEEN A BUZZ ABOUT THIS UNIT ON THE series of tubes that is the Internets for quite a while now, and after working with one for a few months, it is safe to say that there is more than a little something...

Fender T-Bucket.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... THE SEEMINGLY INEXTRICABLE TIE WITH California car culture that Fender has nurtured over the decades has led to guitar names like the Mustang and Coronado, and the "Hot-Rod" moniker for the Deluxe amp of the mid '90s. Keeping the motor trend...

Ibanez ART300.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... IBANEZ HAS ALWAYS HAD SOME COOL TRICKS UP its sleeve when it comes to guitar finishes, which have included everything from splintered glass to holographic sparkles to electronic light shows. So it wasn't a huge surprise when we pulled the...

Seymour Duncan: SHPR-1 P-Rails.(GEAR: Bench Test)(guitar pickups)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EDITORS' Guitar Player PICK THE P-RAILS PICKUPS WERE DESIGNED TO COMBINE the distinctive sounds of P-90s, single-coils, and humbuckers into a sort of tonal menage a trois, allowing you to gig or record with one...

Paul Bigsby customized Martin D-28.(GEAR: Vintage Vault)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... ANY GUITAR MADE OR CUSTOMIZED BY PAUL BIGSBY IS A RARITY, but this month's guitar may be one of the oddest creations to ever come out of Bigsby's Downey, California, workshop. We've talked about Paul Bigsby before in this column, and we know...

Old Dog X-Cab.(GEAR: Field Test)(Product/service evaluation)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN I JOINED GUITAR PLAYER IN 1998, I WASN'T a wannabe rock star anymore. I became an editor and a part-time musician. The toadies were long gone, so as my rig had to fit in my car, I said goodbye to my beloved...

Rebel Yell.(Mesa Maverick dual rectifier 2x12 combo amplifier maintenance and repair)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have a Mesa Maverick dual rectifier 2x12 combo amp that works beautifully, except the speakers seem to break up whenever I play a low C note. Any thoughts?--Rick Kendall I see two possibilities. First, it could...

All about scale length.(guitar playing tips)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVER WONDERED WHY TRYING TO NAIL AN authentic Nashville twang tone on a Gibson Les Paul or SG can prove so frustrating? Or why achieving a fat, singing, Paul Kossoff-style Brit-rock lead tone on a Fender Telecaster...

Scotty Moore: August 1974.(BACK PAGE: Flashback)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley' s 1968 "Comeback Special," we're revisiting an interview with the King's pioneering guitarist, Scotty Moore. Although he had helped forge the sound of rock and...

Noize from the editor.(Editorial)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] OKAY, WE'VE ALL HEARD AT LEAST A million times that tone is in your hands and fingers. That if Eddie Van Halen played through a battery-powered mini-amp floating in custard it would still sound like him, and if you...

Letter of the month.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2008... Your magazine is awesome, but there is one thing that would make it better, and that is an interview with Slipknot (best band on earth). I have been a Slipknot fan since I was nine (ten now), and I would like to learn more about them. I can't...

Schon shine.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2008... Once in a while a guitarist comes along who can truly be called the complete package: A guitarist with inventive songwriting chops, expressive rhythm work, lyrical soloing that can make the casual listener hum, and who can shred enough to...

Sonny outlook.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2008... Is it my imagination, or has Sonny Landreth made the best record of the year with From the Reach? I mean, he wrote songs that seem to perfectly fit each guest artist. His crazy-incredible note choices, tone that makes me want to quit, and his...

Now hear this.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2008... I was glad to see Neal Schon mention his hearing problems, but am disappointed the subject was not pursued further. I would like to challenge GP to do what no guitar magazine has had the courage to do--an in-depth story on loud music and...

More feedback feedback.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
December 15, 2008... In response to Tony Vega's letter from the November 2008 issue: Sure tab is fine if the sum total of your musical ambition is to recycle hackneyed rock and blues licks in a bar band. Knock yourself out. But consider this: You're on a session...

Oops!(FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
December 15, 2008... The diagram of the full-wave bridge rectifier that appeared in October's All About Rectifiers article shows the two diodes on the bottom going the wrong way. They should be pointing toward the B+ leg.

Guitar Player's Guitar Superstar 2008.(RIFFS: Community)
December 15, 2008... IT WAS LIKE CRAWLING INTO A LIVE version of the Rock Band video game. Screaming fans pressed against the edge of the stage, arms held high in celebration of every crushing guitar lick and supersonic barrage of notes. Ten competitors, each...

Broadjam/GP picks.(RIFFS: Contest)
December 15, 2008... BY THE GP STAFF GUITAR PLAYER AND BROAD JAM HAVE partnered to offer Broadjam members a chance to share their chops with GP readers and beyond. Well, there's one tiny proviso--you have to impress the Broadjam community and the Guitar Player...

Nick Perri.(FEATURES: Rock)(Interview)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SCARVES ARE TRAILING OFF THE WAIST OF guitarist Nick Perri as he brandishes a black Gibson Firebird. The 24 year old considers himself a bluesman, steeped in the licks of Johnny Winter while fusing his style into the...

Jimmy Bruno.(FEATURES: Jazz)(Interview)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AFTER DECADES OF BEING A SESSION heavyweight, charting time on the bandstand with Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich, and releasing some hard-bopping solo albums, Jimmy Bruno is charging into his third act as an online...

Nick McCabe.(FEATURES: No Guitarist Left Behind)(Interview)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE EARLY '90s MAY RIGHTLY BE ENSHRINED as the "anti-guitar hero era," sculpted by chops-ignoring American grunge disciples Nirvana, Mudhoney, and the Pixies. And while their D.I.Y., three-chords-and-go approach was...

Hot Guitars: American Guitar Tracks From the 1920s-1950s.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... HOT GUITARS: AMERICAN GUITAR TRACKS FROM THE 1920s-1950s [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Presenting a selection of players from the well known--Bo Diddley, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul, etc.--to the obscure, this 20-track compilation...

Bugs Henderson & The Shuffle Kings: Blue Music.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... BUGS HENDERSON & THE SHUFFLE KINGS Blue Music [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Long known for his ability to blend blues, rock, roots, and funky twang, Bugs Henderson is back with this new collection of original tunes. He throws in clever...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)(sound recordings popular among magazine editors)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... MATT BLACKETT Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Perpetual Flame Steely Dan, Can't Bug a Thrill Butch Walker, Sycamore Meadows BARRY CLEVELAND Lez Karski & the Nervous investors, Insecurity Lindsey Boullt, Composition The Seth...

Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time.(Book review)
December 15, 2008... WHOLE LOTTA LED ZEPPELIN: THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE HEAVIEST BAND OF ALL TIME By Jon Bream [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A variety of writers and photographers teamed with author Jon Bream to create the most lavish account of Led...

Custom tones ETHOS Overdrive.(New Gear: GEAR)
December 15, 2008... Two independent channels with integral boost function. Can be used as a direct interface or preamp * $395 retail * customtonesinc.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Guyatone MDM5 micro digital delay.(New Gear: GEAR)
December 15, 2008... True-bypass switching * 2600 milliseconds of delay * Hi-frequency roll-off * Cast-aluminum chassis * Adjustable input attenuators * $225 retail, $190 street * guyatone.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

StarTouch ST2-S stereo guitar A/B+Y pedal.(New Gear: GEAR)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... Switch between magnetic and piezo pickups or select both (on guitars equipped with piezo systems and standard pickups). Stereo TRS input/two mono outputs * Point-to-point wiring * $169 retail * startouchpedals.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tonegear the string cleaner.(New Gear: GEAR)
December 15, 2008... Removes harmful sweat and oils * 360 degrees of string-cleaning action * No added solutions needed * $12 retail * thestringcleaner.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

GTR audio ConeTones: volume 1, British-style 12S.(New Gear: GEAR)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... Guitar speaker comparison CD * Evaluate more than 40 popular guitar speakers * All speakers were recorded using the identical source audio, environment, power level dynamic microphone, and on-axis mic position * $16 retail, $13 street *...

Digimet Guitar Bingo.(New Gear: GEAR)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... A fun way to learn the guitar fretboard * Note names randomly generated by the computer, and player must select the correct note on the fretboard * Object is to select six adjacent correct notes (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) as...

15 sensational superstar rigs!
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANY GUITARIST WORTH HIS OR HER fuzzbox loves gear, worships tone, and tends to obsess over the possibility of sonic magic encased in the setups of bona fide guitar heroes. So, when noted lensman Rick Gould approached...

Pickin' with John Petrucci: a backstage plectrum party with Dream Theater's guitar hero.(LESSONS: Soloing Seminar)
December 15, 2008... CALL IT PROG ROCK. CALL IT MATH metal. Call it chamber music on an arena scale, pumped through columns of Mesa amplifiers. It's simultaneously all and none of these things. Whatever it is, it's big, it's popular, and it has helped sell out the...

Hipster harmonization: David Bloom rearranges "Greensleeves".(LESSONS: Chord Study)(Brief article)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JUST AS THE CLOTHES YOU WEAR SAY a lot about who you are as a person, the chords you choose make a strong statement about who you are as a musician. So, the next time you have an opportunity to dress up a melody in...

Matchless 30/15-TR & King Cobra.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Product/service evaluation)
December 15, 2008... EVER SINCE THE COMPANY'S ARRIVAL IN 1989, the two-channel DC-30 has been the flagship of the Matchless fleet. While establishing a benchmark for boutique amp construction, this amplifier also redefined two Vox-inspired channel topologies for...

AMG Guitar S Body.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Product/service evaluation)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TRUMPETED AS THE "WORLD'S BEST GUITARS" on the AMG home page, the instruments made by AMG's Alex Groeger definitely come from a unique sector of the solidbody universe. To wit, the S Body is a neck-through...

Fender Champion 600.(Bench Test: GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
December 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BUILT BETWEEN 1949 AND 1953, THE SWEET-looking Champion 600 was Fender's entry-level amp of the era. And while the new version looks darn close to the original with its two-tone "saddle shoe" vinyl covering, leather...