Guitar Player articles from January 2003

Guitar Player archives from January 2003

The bench test makeover. (Soundhole).
January 1, 2003... We're never satisfied here at GP--which is one reason we're constantly refining the magazine each and every month. Usually, these graphic and content enhancements don't require any hoopla. They just appear, and we hope you dig 'em (or, at...

Steven Van Zandt. (Feedback).
January 1, 2003... Just a quick note to thank you for covering Little Steven in the November '02 issue. Van Zandt is beyond a doubt one of the most under-appreciated rock and roll journeymen of the last three decades. One minor beef, however. Van Zandt's record,...

Al Di Meola. (Feedback).
January 1, 2003... Thanks for the Al Di Meola interview ["Acoustic-Electric Warrior," Nov. '02]. Al has been such a huge influence on my music over the years that I always look forward to hearing what he has to say. This time, I wasn't disappointed. It's...

Chelsea Constable. (Feedback).
January 1, 2003... I look forward to your magazine each month with enthusiasm. I just received my November issue, and read the short article on 12-year-old Chelsea Constable ["Girl Power"]. I was amazed that, not only is she so gifted, but her attitude and...

Thanks for noticing. (Feedback).
January 1, 2003... I want to thank you for being the only guitar magazine to continually cover bands and players that matter to me. The Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, and Wayne Kramer articles in the November '02 issue were really great. I also enjoyed the Ion Spencer...

Soundhole. (Feedback).
January 1, 2003... While I appreciate Michael Molenda's comments in "Soundhole: The Myth of Rebellion" [Nov. '02] about the mass-marketing mentality of the music industry, there is hope for authentic experience in places other than the Internet. Music is where...

Fretwire. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... Yet another new year is upon us, so I thought I would take a minute to mention some things of interest for guitarists and music lovers from the last year. We've spent 2002 cleaning up and recovering from 9/11--all while keeping a wary eye on...

Auction block: will Ray's eBay strategies. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... Being a recording musician, I am frequently asked by producers to "try something different." For those occasions, I rely on a handful of pedals that are so weird and strange that they'll either save the day or get me fired. This is one of those...

Songcraft: Neko Case. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... On the sparse and eerie Blacklisted [Bloodshot], Neko Case drapes her haunting, reverb-drenched vocals over waves of twangy baritone, fractured spy-guitar riffs, and shivering steel. Though Case began her career as a singer and lyricist, two...

Angels. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... Tim Rose Tim Rose, one of the near-forgotten forces of the '60s folk-rock explosion, passed away after a cancer operation in London on September 24. He was 62. The gruff, almost blues-voiced singer/songwriter never became a popular icon,...

Buzz bin: Engine. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... Bernie Versailles is a busy man. Aside from being a sought-after producer and engineer, the guitarist divides his time between two bands--Agent Steel and Engine. The latter's new record, Superholic [Metal Blade] shows off Versailles' immense...

Setups of the stars: Redd Volkaert. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... I caught up with Redd Volkaert just before he was about to go onstage with Merle Haggard. For most of the tour, Volkaert is using a Merle Haggard model Fender Telecaster--which, although it may look like a normal Tele, is a very different...

Studio log: Glassjaw. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... Tracking "Two Tabs of Mescaline" Album: Worship and Tribute [Warner Bros.] by Glassjaw. Parts: Intro and bridge. Guitarists: Justin Beck and Todd Weinstock. Guitars: Gibson Les Paul Classic reissues (both); Fender Telecaster...

Buzz bin: the Elms. (Input/Output).
January 1, 2003... "Some people make the assumption you're either a real rock and roll band, or you're Christians," declares the Elms' guitarist and lead singer Owen Thomas. "I'm out to obliterate that stigma. I'm sincerely committed to the spirit of rock." ...

New gear.
January 1, 2003... 1. SCOGO The ScoGo Lizard solidbody electric ($2,500 and up), pictured here in mahogany, is available in a variety of domestic and imported woods, and features a five-piece mahogany/walnut through-body neck, a choice of a rosewood or an...

The Soft Boys: back to the future.
January 1, 2003... "The Soft Boys came along at a time when music was frightened of its own history," says Robyn Hitchcock. "In the late '70s, people were trying to get over the Beatles and the Byrds, and we were one of the first bands who said, `This stuff is...

Melvin Taylor: blues chameleon.
January 1, 2003... Melvin Taylor is a blues guitarist who defies easy categorization. Most descriptions tend to focus on his speedy fretwork--which is definitely one of his signature elements--but Taylor is also a soulful and expressive player who has bolstered...

The Donnas: Allison Robertson raves up old-school rock.
January 1, 2003... It's very nearly an ironic gag to state that the 20-something Donnas--the former teen queens of punk pop--are no joke. But listen to Spend the Night [Atlantic], the band's major-label debut after being an indie sensation since 1998 (when the...

Chris Thomas King: hip-hop bluesman.
January 1, 2003... Though he's best known for portraying 1920s bluesman Tommy Johnson in the hit movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Chris Thomas King is anything but retro. For the last ten years, the New Orleans guitarist, writer, drummer, and actor has done his...

A saucerful of string: David Gilmour's chamber odyssey.
January 1, 2003... Rock musicians exploring classical instrumentation is nothing new. Deep Purple did it. Ditto for Metallica, ELP, and new wavers ABC. Hell, ELO made it part of their sound. The musical success of these collaborations is a purely subjective...

Transatlantic blues: Mark Knopfler heads south.
January 1, 2003... Mark Knopfler is on a mythical journey to the South. Allusions to that journey--which is part historical, part autobiographical, and part metaphorical--can be found in nearly all of his songwriting. Sometimes the journey is referenced directly...

Music of the spheres: Santana conjures 6-string magic with Shaman.
January 1, 2003... The astounding success of Carlos Santana's Supernatural--which has sold more than 24 million copies since its June '99 release, and earned eight Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year)--has made fans wonder what the soft-spoken guitarist...

Wylde at heart XX: unleash your inner guitar hero with Zakk Wylde's show--stopping riffs.
January 1, 2003... If the phrase "less is more" were a can of beer, Zakk Wylde would crack it open against his skull, guzzle the contents, and then crush the empty aluminum shell with one hand. Next, staring menacingly at the crowd like a caged lion, the...

Jim Campilongo's shimmering blues. (Guest Guru).
January 1, 2003... Nobody weaves together jazz, blues, and country with the silky finesse of Jim Campilongo. The sharp-toothed melodies that issue from his '59 Fender Telecaster seem as natural as a coyote's howl. Similarly, bebop-inflected pedal-steel bends...

Jerry Garcia's single-note magic. (Sonic Snapshot).
January 1, 2003... IMAGINE TWO guitar-playing buddies standing in line, waiting to buy strings at their favorite music shop: "Dude, Jerry Garcia was an incredible player, one of the best ever," asserts the one who has attended several Grateful Dead shows. "You...

Hot guitarist alert!
January 1, 2003... Name: Melle Vasquez Home Base: Los Angeles, CA IT'S GREAT LICKS, SWEET PHRASING, and a willingness to take on high-pressure tours at the last minute that have landed versatile guitarist and songwriter Melle Vasquez work with headliners...

Tappin' the blues. (Chops).
January 1, 2003... SO, YOU THINK TWO-HAND TAPPING is only for metal freaks, shredders, Van Halen wannabes, and bass monsters such as Stu Hamm? Truth is, there's a fun way to incorporate tapping into your everyday blues, jazz, and rock playing, and it starts with...

Reader's challenge: pedal stealin'. (Chops).
January 1, 2003... DOUG MCCLURE OF KETTERING, OHIO, HAS GOT a bad case of the bends--so bad, in fact, that he often bends strings all the way off the fretboard, as he does with the first note of this pedal steel-derived blues turn-around. "On most electric...

Screenplay: Tony Rice. (Chops).
January 1, 2003... WHEN YOU'RE READY FOR TWO hours of dazzling riffs, tips, and tunes from a legendary flatpicker, check out this new double DVD or VHS package, The Tony Rice Guitar Method. Spurred on by host Happy Traum, Rice lights up the screen with his...

Soul man.
January 1, 2003... More than any other 6-stringer, the late Grant Green epitomizes the hip, funky sounds of soul-jazz guitar. His bluesy quarter-bends, hammered and slurred double-stops, recursive pentatonic patterns, jabbing rhythms, and crisp-yet-sweet...

Epiphone elite series. (Bench Tests).
January 1, 2003... Though Epiphone's roots go back to the 1870s, the company's impact on modern guitar design really began in the 1930s, when it switched from building banjos to making high-quality arch-tops. This noble chapter in Epiphone history ended in 1957,...

Bogner Metropolis. (Bench Tests).
January 1, 2003... As one of the pre-eminent purveyors of exotic rock hardware, Bogner is best A known for building multi-channel, high-gain amplifiers such as the Ecstasy, Uberschall, and Shiva. But the Southern California company recently put a hot move on the...

Santa Cruz Model H Studio. (Bench Tests).
January 1, 2003... The Santa Cruz Guitar Company has been building fine handcrafted instruments since 1976. Company founder Richard Hoover's old-world construction techniques and painstaking attention to detail is reflected in the beauty, playability, and stellar...

Boutique distortion pedal roundup. (Bench Tests).
January 1, 2003... Few pieces of gear arouse greater curiosity in guitarists than boutique effects pedals. Often Objects d'Art, these mysterious little boxes embody the promise of adding unusual--and possibly even unique new--colors to our tonal palates. Sure...

Vintage stompbox alternatives. (Pawnshop Prize).
January 1, 2003... It's easy to get sucked into thinking that the only worthwhile vintage pedals are the cool-looking ones from the '60s and '70s that now sell for ridiculous bucks. Fortunately, you can still find plenty of less-glitzy boxes from the '80s and...