Guitar Player articles from February 2007

Guitar Player archives from February 2007

Noize from the editor.(Editorial)
February 1, 2007... IT'S MY GREAT PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE that Guitar Player celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2007. Birthed as little more than a newsletter by the visionary music businessman (and pedal-steel player) Bud Eastman in 1967, GP pretty much established...

Letter of the month!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Out of all the "guitar" magazines out there, GP is the only one that seems to write about, well, guitar. It's nice to know that once a month I can read about who's doing something awesome in any genre (or gender) in one magazine. Here's my...

Best of the Wes.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... While it is nice to read something relevant about Wes Montgomery [December '06], it might be helpful to the guitar citizenry to present Wes' career in a little more detailed context. The main point to emphasize is the fact that Wes made the...

When will they finger it out?(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Upon reading December's story on Warren Haynes, I was reminded of the many times I've read about an artist pointing to a recording technique--or some other new toy--that defines their sound. From ZZ Top's floor-to-ceiling amp stack to Eric...

Mind wide open.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I find the December back cover ad of John "Freak" 5 to be evil. I don't want it in my house. I ripped it off and threw it away. John 5 can do whatever he wants. It's a free country. But his marketing play looks to be designed by the Satan, Inc....

Not so fast.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Harrison played "A Hard Day's Night" at half speed? Not so fast! I take issue with Jason Brown's conclusion in the November '06 issue's Recording section. Brown assumes that the guitar and piano must have been recorded together because the...

Electric King.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I was extremely happy to see Kaki King receive some electric guitar press. Her new album, Until We Felt Red, is one of the best I've bought in a long time. I got it thinking it would again showcase her stunning acoustic chops, and I was...

Oops.(FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
February 1, 2007... In the December '06 Riffs piece on Lynda Kay Parker, we accidentally misidentified the photographer. The photo credit should have read: "Copyright Veronique Vial, 2006."

My chemical romance.(RIFFS: Rock)(interview with guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... TACKLING SOMETHING AS CREATIVELY PERILOUS AS A concept album requires a near-spiritual belief in one's artistic self worth, because the beguiling and cruel mirror that is rock music more often than not devours grandeur and reflects it back as...

Steve Hackett.(musical performances)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... WHEN STEVE HACKETT LANDED HIS FIRST professional gig with a fledgling art-rock outfit called Genesis in December 1970, he rounded out one of the most daringly creative rock lineups this side of the Beatles. The grouts--formed by vocalist Peter...

The Top 40 guitar tones of all time: as chosen by Guitar Player and Harmony Central forum members.(RIFFS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Duane Allman Live at Fillmore East The Beatles Abbey Road Jeff Beck "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" Ritchie Blackmore Machine Head Eric Clapton "White Room" Ace Frehley Alive! Billy Gibbons Tres Hombres David...

Selling England by the Pound.(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Selling England by the Pound, 1973 The fingerboard frenzy during "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight," and the achingly lyrical passages of "Firth of Fifth," are two of Hackett's most while his buoyant Coral sitar hook anchors "I Know What I...

Voyage of the Acolyte.(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Voyage of the Acolyte, 1975 Hackett felt his compositional skills were under-appreciated in Genesis. so he purged his frustrations on this mostly instrumental solo record. It's an unapologetic prog-fest, bubbling over with layered guitars,...

Spectral Mornings.(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Spectral Mornings, 1979 Hackett's third studio album is the first made with his steady touring band, and it's tighter and more focused than his previous efforts. Relax, proggies--subversive surprises such as the Cantonese koto played on...

Boy of Kings.(INSPIRED)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Boy of Kings, 1983 Described by Hackett as a "reaction against a dependency on the pyrotechnics of rock; this collection of solo acoustic vignettes demonstrates his technical mettle on nylon string, as well as his range as a classically...

Nursery Cryme.(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Nursery Cryme, 1971 Genesis had written much of the material for their third album by the time Hackett enlisted, but his contributions are stellar--particularly the howling lead break that ignites "The Musical Box," and the intro to "The...

Please Don't Touch.(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Please Don't Touch, 1978 A surging steel-string riff and a guest vocal from Kansas' Steve Walsh make "Narnia" alone worth the price of admission. But the real showstopper comes during the jaunty "Racing in A" when the band drops out and...

Wild Orchids.(REQUIRED)
February 1, 2007... Wild Orchids, 2006 Hackett first got Genesis' attention through an ad he placed in Melody Maker that read: "Guitarist/writer seeks receptive musicians determined to strive beyond existing stagnant musical forms" Not only is he still...

Seconds Out.(TIRED)
February 1, 2007... Seconds Out, 1977 Hackett parted ways with Genesis during mixing sessions for this live souvenir of the band's 1977 tour. Come to think of it, the overall balance of sound does tip distinctly towards Tony Banks' keyboards, Hmm...

Archive #1 1967-75.(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Archive #1 1967-75, 1998 About a quarter of this four-disc set predates Hackett's involvement with Genesis. The rest--previously unreleased live recordings from the Selling England by the Pound and The Lomb Lies Down on Broadway...

Deborah Holland.(RIFFS: Songwriting)
February 1, 2007... DEBORAH HOLLAND MAY CRAFT POLISHED pop songs with folk, rock, electronica, and jazz influences, but she adheres to the same "keep it real" philosophy that drives hip-hop acts to reveal life-changing experences in their work. The title track of...

De-woofing muddy metal guitars.(music recording)
February 1, 2007... AS METAL GUITAR HAS GOTTEN HEAVIER AND more low-frequency intensive, it has started to usurp the sonic territory of the drums and electric bass. This situation was painfully apparent as I sat down to mix a project by Cloakwheel. Suddenly, I was...

Emily Burton.(RIFFS: Rocker Girl)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT TAKES SIX months to record an album," declares Fireball Ministry's Emily Burton. "Either you can play it, or you can't." Founding her band in the late '90s, Burton evokes '70s stoner rock with slow grooves and...

Will Ray's eBay prices.(RIFFS: Vintage Vault)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Auction Item '64 Harmony Stratotone Winning Bid $211.56 I FOUND THIS OLD HARMONY STRATOTONE ON EBAY IN THE LATE '90S. The top's original tobacco sunburst finish had been stripped off, and the bare maple underneath was lightly sprayed...

Metalocalypse.(RIFFS: METAL)(Tommy Blacha)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... "AS THE FASTEST GUITARIST, I PREFER TO have someone a little worse at guitar in the band, because I think you would takes it for granted that I am the best. Like you get used to a room filled with the smell of roses until you go into a room...

Editor boy's big eight.(RIFFS: MySpace Hordes)
February 1, 2007... GP IS EMBRACING D-I-Y MUSICIANS BY spotlighting thrilling (or, at least, interesting) guitar talents in this column and at guitarplayer.com. If you think you've got something going that our readers should hear, go to myspace.com/michaelmolenda...

Scott McGill.(RIFFS: Jazz)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... "I SUPPOSE YOU COULD CALL MY STYLE A mash up of Shawn Lane, John Coltrane, and Olivier Messiaen," says self-described "neo-classical prog-rock fiazoid" Scott McGill. "I'm on the faculty of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and...

Larry Keel.(RIFFS: Bluegrass)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... WHEN BLUEGRASS GUITAR GREATS TONY RICE, Norman Blake, and Beppe Gambeta sing your praises, you must be good. A two-time Telluride flatpicking champion, Larry Keel began playing at age three, was working professionally by his late teens, and has...

Rickey Medlocke.(RIFFS: No Guitarist Left Behind)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... IN 1979, BLACKFOOT--THE BAND NAME BEING a nod to guitarist Rickey Medlocke's Native American heritage--scored a multi-platinum record with Strikes. The "Highway Song" went on to become a Southern-rock staple, while "Train, Train," recently...

Steven Seagal.(RIFFS: Blues)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... FOR FADING ACTION HEROES, IT'S ADAPT, evolve, or succumb to the purgatory of straight-to-video roles. Ah-nuld became governor of California, Sly dusted off Rocky VI, Jean-Claude Van Damme disappeared, and Steven Seagal surrendered to the blues....

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... BARRY CLEVELAND Isbin/Gauthier/ Walton, Venice Suite The Secret Life of Sofia, The Secret Life of Sofia Beppe Gambetta, Slade Stamp DARRIN FOX Jim Campilongo, Heaven Is Creepy Boards of Canada, Music Has the Right to...

J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton.(The Road to Escondido)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... The Road to Escondido Thanks to his high-profile covers of the J.J. Cale-penned "Cocaine" and 'After Midnight," it kind of seems like Eric Clapton has made records with Cale in the past. Not so. This offering, tracked back in August of...

David Gilmore.(Unified Presence)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Unified Presence David Gilmore is one of the most sought-after sidemen on the New York scene, performing and recording with a list of luminaries representing both the pop and jazz worlds--from Joss Stone and Melissa Etheridge to Wayne...

Robert Cray Band.(Live from Across the Pond)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Live from Across the Pond It's no secret that Robert Cray's studio releases are generally smooth productions with right song arrangements, and that he opens up the songs and jams more onstage. Surprisingly, Live from Across the Pond is the...

Danny Gatton.(Redneck Jazz Explosion, vol. 1)(Redneck Jazz Explosion, vol. 2)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Redneck Jazz Explosion Volume One and Two These discs were recorded live in 1978 at Washington D.C.'s Cellar Door with Gatton's short-lived group, the Redneck Jazz Explosion. The ensemble featured pedal steeler extraordinaire Buddy...

Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood.(Out Louder)(Sound recording review)
February 1, 2007... Out Louder Nearly a decade ago, John Scofield enlisted the services of rising jam-jazz stars Medeski Martin, & Wood to back him for a fun funk romp called A Go Go. Out Louder is a true collaboration, and it shows. Scofield hasn't been as...

Singing Cowboys.(Print)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... By Douglas B. Green The singing cowboy movie star craze began officially with Gene Autry's mid-'30s films, and persisted for more than 20 years, arguably setting the stage for Elvis and other 6-string slingers, and firmly establishing the...

Supervee Stratocaster Double-Locking Vibrato System.(GEAR: New Gear)
February 1, 2007... No special tools or training required * No routing of the body or drilling of holes in the neck * Works across complete range of standard Strat necks, from 7 1/4" to 12" radius * "Blade" technology provides smooth, frictionless action *...

Line 6 Spider III 120.(GEAR: New Gear)
February 1, 2007... Two 10" Celestion speakers * 120-watt stereo * 200 artist presets * 200 additional presets based on the greatest rock guitar songs of all time * Smart Control FX (7 different effect types, 3 simultaneous) include Phaser, Chorus/Flanger,...

Basson Sound BGA1.(GEAR: New Gear)
February 1, 2007... Two footswitchable Channels * 120 watts via four Sovtek 6CA7 output tubes * Four Sovtek 12AX7A preamp tubes * All-tube effects loop * Point-to-point wiring * Silver mica capacitors * Military-grade metal-film resistors. Silver Teflon wire *...

Gig-FX quiet cable.(GEAR: New Gear)
February 1, 2007... Quiet Button mutes sound when cable is unplugged * Available with gold-plated jacks (lowest resistance) or nickel plugs * Oxygen-free copper conductors for optimum signal transmission * Double-braided shielding for toughness and elimination of...

Audix VX-5 vocal condenser.(GEAR: New Gear)
February 1, 2007... Supercardioid polar pattern * 40Hz-16.5kHz frequency response * 10dB pad and bass rolloff filter * Rewires phantom power of 9 to 52 volts * Includes mic-stand adapter, carrying pouch, and one-year warranty * $299 retail * audixusa.com ...

Carr Amplifiers Vincent.(GEAR: New Gear)
February 1, 2007... Class A * Dual 6L6 output tubes * Two power levels (33 or 7 watts) * 100 percent handwired point-to-point * Variable drive control * Reverb * Footswitchable fixed boost * Includes lighted footswitch * Eminence Wizard speakers * 1x12 combo...

Shooting from both hips: Ben Harper: celebrates his electric & acoustic sides on the dual-CD, Both Sides of the Gun.(interview)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... "I'M ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS and configurations to utilize both electric and acoustic instruments," says Ben Harper, who is more of a "guitars" player than a guitar player. From lap steel to acoustic, electric, resonator,...

101 forgotten greats & unsung heroes.(guitar players)(Cover story)
February 1, 2007... IT'S NO SECRET THAT THE TALENT, TECHNIQUE, AND creative force of magnificent and awe-inspiring guitarists runs deep. And going deep doesn't mean studying only the obvious guitar heroes. You have to get out on the fringes, and experience not...

Carl Verheyen: how a guitar legend gets his Great Tone.(GT PROFILE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... WHAT HE'S DONE: By the time Car! made his first record, he'd been a first call studio guitarist with hundreds of record, TV and movie credits. A member of Supertramp since 1985. he's built a successful solo career while gamering numerous...

10 things you gotta know to play like Ritchie Blackmore.
February 1, 2007... SHORT OF JOINING A FLAGSHIP NEO-CLASSICAL ROCK BAND, RECORDING A STRING OF timeless albums--including In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Deep Purple and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Made In Japan, and Who Do We Think We Are--touring the...

Rich Nielsen: cheap trick.(guitar use)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Rick Nielsen Cheap Trick Rick Nielsen is known for launching a worldwide guitar phenomenon that is both timeless and current. Rick's guitars and style are unmistakable, and his personal multi-brand custom collection of guitars are...

Chords, comping, and the music of Cape Town: Lee Ritenour shares the rhythmic, harmonic, and cultural inspiration behind Smoke 'n' Mirrors.
February 1, 2007... LEE RITENOUR IS AN EXTREMELY BUSY man, as the 30 albums, 17 Grammy nominations, and 3,000 sessions under his belt prove quite conclusively. But if there's one thing Rit enjoys as much as playing guitar, composing, and recording, it's spending...

Cannon fodder.(INTERMEDIATE)
February 1, 2007... Open triads--triads in which the root, 3, and 5 don't reside within the same octave--can have a much more striking sound than the typical close-voiced triads so many guitarists restrict themselves to. Hear the shimmering beauty of open clusters...

Joe Pass turnaround no. 423.(ADVANCED)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Use this saucy closer from chord-melody maestro Joe Pass to wrap up any blues tunes or jazz/soul/R&B standard in C. Dig the C atop each chord--it's the common-tone axis around which the descending chords revolve.--JG

Soca sixteenths.(BEGINNER)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Typical of a lively Caribbean soca groove, this simple, repeating I-IV-V-W progression should be as breezy as a Trinidad evening--and perhaps it would be if it ever tagged the downbeats. Instead, the "invisible" down-strums in parentheses--the...

Get one over on 'em.(INTERMEDIATE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... If you're on the hunt for unconventional sounds and modes of attack, get your fretting hand over the neck, use it to hammer all 12th-fret notes, and spin through this syncopated E7sus4-A7 loop. You now have a highly percussive, two-handed way...

Irreverent Randy?(Randy Rhoads)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... In the evolution of metal guitar, Randy Rhoads' lyrical, baroque, and highly diatonic neo-classical shred may be the stepping stone between Ritchie Blackmore and Yngwie Malmsteen. But Rhoads liked to surprise his listeners from time to time by...

Boil it down!(guitarist works)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... It's funny: Sometimes the more a guitarist knows, the less he or she plays. For instance, if a bassist is holding down the A, C, and E roots in a I-IV-V blues jam in A, a true harmonic hipster might boil chords down to mere 3s and 7s (the...

Forget all you know.(guitar playing)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Jazz guitar icon, esteemed GP columnist, and Musicians Institute co-founder Howard Roberts certainly had a grip on music theory. But he often reminded his readers and students that refreshingly atonal sounds were easy to come by when all...

Sonny Landreth: part one: getting started.(BEGINNER)(interview)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... FROM DELTA BLUES TO MODERN electric slide to his trademark "behind the glass" technique of playing slide notes and fretted pitches simultaneously, Sonny Landreth has a near supernatural ability to infuse his music with the most exciting and...

The Triadic Trickery of Alex Machacek.(ADVANCED)
February 1, 2007... "I ALWAYS TRY TO PLACE AN EARWORM in every piece I write," says Austrian guitar phenom Alex Machacek, "so that the listener comes away with something memorable, even if it's a just a simple melody or rhythm." But even when Machacek is playing...

Kat Dyson.(INTERMEDIATE)
February 1, 2007... "THOSE ARE DRUM RUDIMENTS," says Kat Dyson, as the action-packed chase music of her HBO soundtrack piece "Catch Me" pours forth from her MySpace page. No, Dyson's not a drummer. The rudiments in question are in her adrenaline-soaked guitar...

Five 30-watt solid-state combos square off.(amplifiers)(Product/service evaluation)
February 1, 2007... SOLID-STATE AMPS TYPICALLY GET A BAD RAP from tube fanatics, some of it warranted--such as why transistor amps never seem to be as loud or dynamic as their tube-powered cousins. (Why does it always seem to take at least twice as many...

Editor's forum.(GEAR: Roundup)
February 1, 2007... Having all the editors participate in the testing of these amps serves to underscore how tonal tastes and playing styles are subjective things that can sometimes dramatically affect how any piece of gear is perceived. In that spirit, here's...

Stone Tone Model III.(GEAR: Exotica)(Product/service evaluation)
February 1, 2007... STONE HAS A CONSIDERABLE METAPHORICAL heritage in rock music--whether as the rolling variety of the classic Dylan tune and Keith 'n Mick's band name, or the nora d'intoxication of more than a few musicians. But the actual, elemental commodity...

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top vs. Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard Vintage original spec.(electric guitars)(Product/service evaluation)
February 1, 2007... ASSUMING WE ALL KNOW THE FIRST rule of Fight Club, the purpose of this column is to start a rumble between two similar pieces of gear, and evaluate the power of tech advancements, vintage construction and vibe, workmanship, and tone upon each...

AMT electronics pedals.(AMT North America Inc.)
February 1, 2007... ANALOG MUSIC TECHNOLOGY (AMT ELECTRONICS) was founded by Soviet electronics engineer Sergei Marichev in 1982, and his pedals are still hand-assembled in an old Russian space-program facility in Omsk, West Siberia. Thanks to a partnership with...

Dan Erlewine's mod squad.(Freddie Cisneros )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... MY FRIEND--AND HONORARY MOD SQUAD member--Freddie Cisneros grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, a blues town once known for its juke-joint mecca on the Jacksboro Highway. Today, Freddie owns Mercy Guitar Hospital in Prescott, Arizona. Recently, he...

Charlie Byrd 1967.(guitarists)
February 1, 2007... "ANYBODY," INTONED THE GENTLEMAN guitarist in his rich southern drawl, "who can put two chords together is my friend." That was indicative of Charlie Byrd, who has been picking on one guitar or another for the last 35 years. He owns "about...