Guitar Player articles from January 2006

Guitar Player archives from January 2006

Noise from the editor.(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... Guitar Player, Bass Player, Keyboard, EQ, Frets, and our buddies at Drum! took a gargantuan chance putting on Music Player Live! in New York City on October 21-23, 2005, as it had been many years since anyone risked producing a music and...

Letter of the month!(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... Thank you so very much for the Sir Paul issue. It took me back to a simpler time and place, and it reminded me of why I begged my parents for a guitar. After seeing the issue, I pulled out my old Beatles albums and listened to them again for...

Ted Greene remembered.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I was extremely saddened to learn of Ted Greene's passing in your November issue. It reminded of a Friday in late 1979, when I saw Ted playing at a Holiday Inn in Ventura, California. As it turned out, Tommy Tedesco had asked Ted to fill in...

Guitarcheology?(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I appreciate the fact that Guitar Player honestly respects timeless musicians. But why is it that every year we see a steady rotation of McCartney/Beatles, Keef/Rolling Stones, Hendrix, Beck, Vai, and SRV? How many times can we go over the same...

Tough "love".(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I'm gonna send ya back ta school over the transcription of the intro to "Whole Lotta Love" [Nov '05, pg. 92]. As Jimmy himself pointed out, the fretted D in the pickup notes preceding the first bar should be bent slightly towards the ceiling,...

Thirty years of ESP guitars.(RIFFS)(Electric Sound Products)
January 1, 2006... When Japan's Hisatake Shibuya opened his Electric Sound Products chain of music stores in 1975, he probably wasn't envisioning that the company would evolve into one of the world's foremost guitar makers. But, in 1983, the stores--often tagged...

In the October '05 News column, we passed along word of a fire at D'Andrea's Allentown, Pennsylvania, pick factory, and of local officials' concerns about the containment of the highly flammable material used in the company's pick-making process.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... In the October '05 News column, we passed along word of a fire at D'Andrea's Allentown, Pennsylvania, pick factory, and of local officials' concerns about the containment of the highly flammable material used in the company's pick-making...

Dan Erlewine's mod squad.(RIFFS)
January 1, 2006... My long-time friend Spencer Bohren and his family evacuated their New Orleans home about 20 hours before Hurricane Katrina's infamous visit. Spencer--a full-time musician who performs his Down the Dirt Road performance/lecture all over the...

Wallowing in guitars.(RIFFS)(Wall-to-Wall Guitar Festival )
January 1, 2006... "The Wall-to-Wall Guitar Festival presented a global perspective on what the guitar is capable of--both in terms of how the instrument has been embraced within different cultures, and the cross-pollination of techniques and styles," enthuses...

Mike Elliott, a versatile guitarist known for his jazz and country work, passed away at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 14, 2005, at the age of 65.(PASSING NOTES)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 1, 2006... Mike Elliott, a versatile guitarist known for his jazz and country work, passed away at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 14, 2005, at the age of 65. Born in Chicago to a studio-musician father and a blues-singer mother, Elliott...

Oeuvre easy U2.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... While practically everyone else spent the '80s sweep-picking scales at a million notes per minute, U2's The Edge was busy inventing a new compositional language for guitar. Through judicious use of uncommon chord shapes, harmonics, echo...

The Joshua tree, 1987.(INSPIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The band's first masterpiece. "Bullet The Blue Sky" captures the horror of the El Salvadorian civil war with a spine-tingling, fuzzed-out slide solo, but The Edge's defining moment is the delay-generated cascade that begins "Where the Streets...

Achtung baby, 1991.(INSPIRED)(U2 sees a sweep in pop music)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... U2 anticipates the changes that will sweep through pop music in the early '90s, and emerge darker, leaner, and ahead of the curve. The filtered distortion of "Zoo Station" and "The Fly" are The Edge's rawest sounds yet, and the...

All that you can't leave behind, 2000.(INSPIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... After a decade of obsessive artistic reinvention, U2 finally reconciles its experimental tendencies with its trademark sound.

Boy, 1980.(REQUIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... From the chime-g drone of "I Will Follow," to the Memory Man-drenched ricochet of "The Electric Co.," U2's debut presents The Edge's sonic vision as nearly fully matured. Pretty remarkable considering he was just 19 at the time!

Under a blood red sky, 1983.(REQUIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A testament to U2's live mojo. The Edge doubles on piano and lap-steel, serving up definitive versions of "Gloria" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

The unforgettable fire, 1984.(REQUIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced this lush, atmospheric classic. The hypnotic riff of "Bad" sounds like two guitars, but is actually the clever use of a dotted-eighth-note delay repeat

How to dismantle on atomic bomb, 2004.(REQUIRED)
January 1, 2006... Can you name another band that sounded this fresh, this good, and this relevant 25 years into their career? Me neither.

Rattle and hum, 1988.(TIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... U2 visits Sun Studio and B.B. King for inspiration, but the band's attempts at blues, country, and gospel sound forced. Still, the Bo Diddley-ish "Desire" proves The Edge can deliver a catchy hook in a conventional manner.

Zooropa, 1993.(TIRED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Low-period Bowie and the Manchester "baggy" scene are the muses for this experimental effort. It's worth a listen for the space-guitar sounds on "Numb" and the title track, but the songwriting misses the mark a bit.

Mike Varney's spotlight.(RIFFS)
January 1, 2006... No matter how old you are, where you live, or what style of music you play, this column offers you the potential to be recognized by your peers. If you're chosen for Spotlight, you'll receive an Ernie Ball tee shirt, customized EB picks with...

Giant drag.(BUZZ)
January 1, 2006... "I've been called the 'female Kevin Shields' because of the layered, My Bloody Valentine-like guitars on Hearts and Unicorns [Kickball]," says Giant Drag vocalist/ guitarist Annie Hardy, "but most of the overdubbed stuff is by Micah [Calabrese,...

Make believe.(BUZZ)(Sam Zurick's music)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... "I never learned other people's songs," says Make Believe's esoteric guitarist, Sam Zurick. "The idea of trying to unravel someone else's art never made much sense to me. I'm too busy trying to unravel my own musical DNA." Well, if...

Early man.(BUZZ)(guitar music trends)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Early Man mastermind Mike Conte is on a mission to take metal back to its melodic days of yore. "These days, there are tons of bands trying to out hard-ass each other," he says. "And it sucks, because there's a whole generation of kids who...

Hao SP-1 sole pressure booster/overdrive: Godlyke.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * Designed to replicate the sound of overdriven 6V6 tubes * Controls include Drive, Level, and a 3-position mini switch (Normal, Bright, and Warm EQ curves) * Retro-style hammer-tone finish * Effect LED indicator * True-bypass...

Pignose 7-100 portable amplifier: Pignose Industries.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * Covered in '50s-style tweed * Limited edition of 250 * Powered by six AA batteries or optional AC adapter * 6 lbs * $129 retail * pignoseamps.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Hop Hed Fuzztone: Cat's-Eye E.S.P.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * Faithfully reproduces Jimmy Page's Zeppelin-era tones * Three hand-selected AC 128 germanium transistors * Internal trimpot adjusts overall gain/ output level * Tone control is useable throughout its entire sweep * $149...

Kingsley deluxe 32: Kingsley Amplifiers.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * Four EL84 output tubes * Two channels can be used separately or combined * Global Tone control adjusts high-end response * 7 watts/15 watts Triode mode; 15 watts/30 watts Pentode mode * Variable level boost for each channel...

Toneport UH1: Line 6.(OUT NOW!)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... * USB-powered recording/modeling interface * Dual platform (Mac/PC) * Includes Line 6 GearBox modeling software (models of guitar and bass amps/cabs, stompboxes, studio effects, and high-end mic preamps) * Includes Ableton Live...

Uptown 33: King Amplification.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * Handcrafted all-tube design * Dual 6L6 output tubes * Parallel gain architecture * 4+1 and/or 2+1 gain staging * 33-watt push-pull output stage * Multi-voice switching * 3-knob tube reverb * Single 12" or dual...

Accord guitar case: Guitar Salon International.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * Handmade with carbon fiber and Kevlar * Colors include blue, safari, green, black, red, white, and silver * Available in 3-D finish * Dreadnought models available 6.6 lbs * $1,400 retail * guitarsalon.com ...

2300 series tremolos and bridges: Kahler International.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2006... * 2300 Profiler with steel cam and stainless-steel saddles * 2310 Vindicator with aluminum cam and brass saddles * 2315 Special with brass cam and stainless-steel saddles * 2320 Classic with brass cam and brass saddles * All...

James Burton.(PATRON SAINT)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... Few sidemen can claim to have played as big a role in the modern guitar story as James Burton. As a teenager in the 1950s, he coined the classic Telecaster sound and string-bending techniques that would become essential elements of early '60s...

Phil deGruy's mad cap jazz: taking the 6-, er, 17-string to the nth degree.
January 1, 2006... THERE WERE ABOUT 50 PEOPLE IN THE audience the first time I saw Phil deGruy perform, and by the time he had finished his first piece there wasn't an un-blown mind in the place. Wielding a mysterious solidbody instrument vaguely resembling a...

Tom Verlaine.(CHASING THE MUSE)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... WHEN TOM VERLAINE AND HIS bandmates formed Television in 1973, the quartet offered a new vision of twin-guitar interplay. Instead of tackling the supercharged blues of the Allman Brothers, or indulging in the cocky swagger of Thin Lizzy,...

Strung out: Susan Tedeschi takes a 6-string vacation.
January 1, 2006... SUSAN TEDESCHI HAS GOT THE WHOLE package: a sultry and soulful voice, an engaging personality, a commanding stage presence, an evocative Tele tone, a broad palette of stylistic influences, and an articulate pen that tells it like it is. It was...

INXS: band of brothers: a master plan of teamwork over flash puts INXS back in the game.(Interview)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2006... "WE'RE THE SHINING HOPE OF ALL NON WOO-WOO GUITAR PLAYERS," says Tim Farriss, as he strums his battered Tele in the gear-littered main recording room at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. The INXS guitarist and his mates keyboardist/guitarist...

The top ten Eddie Van Halen riffs of all time.(LICK LIBRARY)
January 1, 2006... Eddie Van Halen has routinely been hailed as "a true revolutionary," "one of the greatest guitar heroes ever," and "the most influential guitarist since Hendrix." Man, as true as each of these lofty accolades may be, what a tired string of...

Albatross: The Standard.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Dramatic, tuneful, ambitious, and sonically intriguing are just a few things The Standard's Albatross has going for it. Guitarist/singer Tim Putnam casts disparate tones for each song to stunning effect, while the pseudo spy rift in "How Deep...

Mantras for Madmen: Harry Manx.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... While most musicians are content to work within the accepted boundaries of their chosen style, lap-slide guitarist Harry Manx likes to color way outside the lines. His crayons? Soulful, raspy vocals, poetic lyrics, and the whining drones and...

Belladonna Daniel: Lanois.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Daniel Lanois is best known for producing megastars such as Bob Dylan, U2, and Peter Gabriel--successes that have sometimes overshadowed his more esoteric ambient and experimental work, as well as his eclectic recordings as a singer/songwriter....

Peace Machine: Philip Sayce.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Chewy drop-tuned riffs, wiggy bends, sassy wah, singing feedback, and waves of blistering, Fuzz Face-soaked leads--these are Philip Sayce's cherished playthings. Kicked hard by the eternally bad-ass drummer Kenny Aronoff, Sayce delivers a set...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS AND RAVES)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... BARRY CLEVELAND Ben Monder, Oceana John Coltrane, One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note King Crimson, The 21st Century Guide To King Crimson Vol. 2: 1981-2003 ANDY ELLIS Sigur Ros, Takk Television, Marquee Moon Nickel Creek, Why...

King of Dieselbilly: Bill Kirchen.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... There's something about the noxious fumes of an 18-wheeler that breeds some of the best honky-tonk/Tele-wrangling around. From Gene Moles' mind-blowing twang with Red Simpson to Dave Dudley's classic sides, hearing those tales of the road makes...

Please Don't Touch: Steve Hackett.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
January 1, 2006... Originally released in 1978, this reissue is part of a series that comprises Hackett's first four solo albums, all of which have been remastered and enlarged with bonus material. Hackett is one of the most underrated of the original...

Acrobatic Dance: Oleg Timofeyev.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The poignant music in Acrobatic Dance was composed by Matvei Pavlov-Azancheev, a virtuoso of the Russian 7-string guitar who started his musical journey at the dawn of the 20th century, became a celebrated concert guitarist, survived a decade...

Howl: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.(AUDIO)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... At some point just about every band wants to broaden their horizons or step out of the niche that brought them success. BRMC takes that creative leap on Howl, a tribute to Allen Ginsberg's epic poem of the same name. The San Francisco-based...

Live at Smoke: Peter Bernstein Trio.(DVD)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... For nearly 15 years, jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein, organist Larry Goldings, and drummer Bill Stewart have been exploring the rich terrain of the organ trio. And this DVD shows precisely what developing a musical telepathy with other players...

The Ed Sullivan Show: Rock 8 Roll Classics Box Set: Various.(DVD)(Brief Article)(Sound Recording Review)
January 1, 2006... This three-DVD set is a box full of joy, and no one who digs the sounds of the '50s, '60s, and '70s should draw another breath without owning it. Imagine James Brown, Jackie Wilson, the Beach Boys, the Stones, the Beatles, the Byrds, Bo...

By Abel Sanchez: Van Halen 101.(PRINT)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The first thing to know about this nearly-400-page celebration of the Van Halen legacy is that not only is it specifically written for Van Halen fans, it's written by one of the most rabid Van Halen fans the world has ever known, Abel Sanchez....

Chordal Kung Fu: fatten up your lead licks by learning the lost art of soloing with chords.(MASTER CLASS)
January 1, 2006... Landfill--what is it composed of?. Chances are, amongst the empty milk cartons, soggy newspapers, and soiled diapers, you may also, unfortunately, find a fair amount of guitar technique books--specifically, instructional texts aiming to help...

Jazz guru: Larry Carlton: a chordal approach to altered blues lines.(ADVANCED)
January 1, 2006... In recent lessons, we've explored ways to add musical tension to a blues by including notes from the melodic minor scale. We saw how playing this scale a half-step higher than the I chord generates ear-grabbing altered tones that draw you...

Metal guru: Rusty Cooley: machine gun harmonics.(INTERMEDIATE)
January 1, 2006... Maybe you've heard the sound before--a zillion muted harmonics spraying forth from a guitar amp like flurries of lights reflecting off a mirror ball. Most people associate this sound with Eddie Van Halen [a prime example occurs 2:08 into the...

EZ street: exploring moveable arpeggios.(BEGINNER)
January 1, 2006... We've tinkered with arpeggios in a previous lesson ("How to Fingerpick Arpeggios," Nov. '04), but back then, the emphasis was on the picking hand. This time around, we'll focus on the fretting hand as we explore arpeggios as a means of playing...

Blues guitar 101: deep-pocket shuffles.(BEGINNER)
January 1, 2006... Whether playing rhythm guitar by yourself or sharing the duties with another guitarist or keyboard player, it's important to play with intensity, all the while keeping the groove focused, concise, and--as musicians like to say--in the pocket. A...

Notational symbols: how to decode written music in guitar player.(LESSONS)
January 1, 2006... The following symbols are used in Guitar Player lessons and transcriptions to notate fingerings and techniques commonly used in guitar music. Certain symbols are found only in the tablature or the standard notation. For clarity, always consult...

Hot guitarist alert!(ADVANCED)(Adam Rogers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... NAME ADAM ROGERS HOME BASE NEW YORK, NEW YORK If you haven't heard Adam Rogers' new quartet album, Apparitions [Criss Cross], you're missing out on eight of the most provocative guitar-led compositions of 2005. The excerpt below--which...

Production strategies: Ric Ocasek on tracking Nexterday.(RECORDING)
January 1, 2006... The Cars sold gazillions of records in their '80s heyday, and it shouldn't have happened. The band was quirky, anti-charismatic (before it was fashionable), distant, and influenced by a commercially deadly mixture of punk, garage rock, and...

Plug in: Universal Audio Flexi-PAK.(RECORDING)
January 1, 2006... One the annoying things about computer-based recording is how quickly you can run out of CPU power when using effects plug-ins. Universal Audio--which specializes in hardware and software versions of classic studio processors--is one of several...

Brian Moore iGuitra.USB.(GIZMO WATCH)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Interface, Schminterface! Why not just plug your Brian Moore iGuitar.USB (prices vary) into your computer's USB port and start recording? The iGuitar.USB provides a true plug 'n' play computer connection with no need to install special drivers....

The FIREPOD.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... PreSonus Now Available FIREPOD is a 24-bit/96K 10x10 FireWire recording system with eight class A PreSonus microphone preamplifiers, SPDIF and MIDI I/0, and Cubase LE 48-track music production software. SRP: $799.99 ...

Central Station.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... PreSonus Now Available The Central Station is the ultimate studio-monitoring interface featuring a purely passive signal path with five sets of stereo inputs (three analog, two digital), three sets of speaker outputs, talkback, mute,...

BlueTube DP.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... PreSonus New Available The BlueTube DP is a two-channel microphone and instrument preamplifier with Dual Path technology enabling the ability to switch between a transparent solid state preamplifier and a rich warm vacuum tube...

INSPIRE 1394.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... PreSonus Audio Electronics Now Available 24-bit/96k four-channel FireWire recording system (daisy-chain up to 4 units). Includes two microphone/instrument inputs, phone (turntable]/line input, speaker and headphone output as well as...

FIREBOX.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... PreSonus Now Available The FIREBOX is a professional mobile recording system with six inputs including two Class A microphone/instrument preamps, eight outputs, 24-Bit/96k sample rate, MIDI and SPDIF I/O, and Steinberg's Cubase LE...

AxeTrak for guitar.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... JLH Products Now Available The AxeTrak professional recorder makes it easy for any guitarist to record the natural sound of their unique setup [amp, pedals, guitar] without disturbing the peace. It's 100% Analog. SRP: $399 USD ...

AudioTile[TM].(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... Aurelex Aceuetics Now Available Auralex Acoustics AudioTile[TM] delivers excellent broadband absorption with unlimited design possibilities for a sophisticated, custom appearance precisely tailored to the desired acoustical...

Snowball USB microphone.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... Blue Microphones Now Available The Snowball combines Blues unique styling with high quality and versatility. The plug & play Mac/PC USB driver makes recording into a laptop or DAW quick and easy, while its dual capsules and...

Eureka.(STUDIO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... PreSonus Now Available The Eureka is a professional recording channel strip featuring a discrete class A transformer-coupled microphone preamplifier, compressor, and three-band parametric equalizer great for use with all types of...

Artifacts: Gurian guitars.(VINTAGE VAULT)
January 1, 2006... It often takes an upstart to change tradition, and that term defines a gifted luthier named Michael Gurian, who greatly affected the course of acoustic-guitar evolution in the 1960s--a time when the big makers were relatively insulated from the...

Will Ray's eBay strategies.(VINTAGE VAULT)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... AUCTION ITEM: HAMER ECHOTONE WINNING BID: $325.66 I've owned Gibson ES-335s, 345s and 355s over the years, but, curiously, I let them all slip through my fingers at one time or another. But we guitar players are a strange lot, and we...

Distortion pedal roundup! 11 new tone bombs.(GEAR)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... If you're lucky, you've made peace with the way you get your gain on. Whether it's with your amp's onboard preamp, a cranked amp, a pedal, or a combination of all of the above, if you're happy with your distortion sounds, you're way ahead of...

Asonix Nite-Owl.(GEAR)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... When it comes to cool creatures, the owl is a tough act to follow. The silently flapping wings, 3-D hearing, and nocturnal dining habits are just a few things that separate the owl from the rest of the feathered pack. Well, the Asonix Nite-Owl...

Radial tonebone Trimode.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... If you can count on one thing from the good folks at Radial, it's that their stompboxes give you options and then some. The 12AX7-equipped Trimode ($350 retail/ $250 street) is no exception, as it offers two distortion channels and a bevy of EQ...

Dytone Ooh-Drive II.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... The German-manufactured Dytone Ooh-Drive II ($299 retail/$230 street) is a simple and rather elegant distortion box. Sporting three controls--Distortion, Tone, and Balance (output)--the Ooh-Drive II sounds best when running into an amplifier on...

Electro-Harmonix English Muff'n.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... Designed to emulate the fab tones of late-60s British amps, the English Muff'n ($298 retail/S190 street) employs two 12AY7 tubes and a 3-band EQ (Treble, Mids, Bass) to deliver tea-riffic Brit-tones that will have you saying "cheerio!" The...

Line 6 Uber Metal distortion.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... The Uber Metal Distortion ($140 retail/ $100 street) is designed to melt your face off with ravenous modern distortion tones. Offering 3-band EQ with a sweepable midrange (250Hz-4kHz), the Uber Metal has three distortion modes--Metal,...

Maxon ROD881 Overdrive/Distortion.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... Sporting a single 12AX7 and a footswitchable boost, the Maxon ROD881 Overdrive/Distortion ($350 retail/S259 street) is a versatile giver-of-the-grind that can please nearly every type of player. In the Overdrive mode it gives you a whiff of a...

DigiTech DF-7 distortion factory.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... One of two modeling pedals in this roundup, the DigiTech DF-7 Distortion Factory ($150 retail/$100 street), packs seven pedal models based on various classic workhorse units--the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250, Boss DS-1...

MXR ZW-44 Wylde Overdrive.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... Say what you will about Zakk Wylde, but between swigs of beer, myriad F-bombs, and assorted destructive hijinx, the dude found the time to lend his ears to a mighty fine distortion pedal. The ZW-44 Wylde Overdrive ($130 retail/street price...

Rocktron Silver Dragon.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... Dragons are fire-breathers, and so is the Silver Dragon ($170 retail/ $99 street), a dual-mode distortion pedal that uses a single 12AX7 tube in its Awaken mode, and then mixes that signal with solid-state distortion in the lovingly titled...

Toadworks Mr. Ed.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... Thankfully, Mr. Ed ($130 retail/$93 street) is named after Eddie Van Halen, not the uppity TV horse, so it's no surprise that it seeks to replicate EVH's self-described "brown sound." With Level, Tone, and Brown controls, the Mr. Ed is easy to...

Hermida technology Zendrive.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... Close your eyes. Inhale. Now exhale. Okay, now you're ready to experience the enlightening grind of the Zendrive ($150 direct/street price N/A), the smoothest sounding distortion pedal in this roundup. Sporting a seriously bright neon-blue LED,...

Schecter UltraCure.(GEAR)
January 1, 2006... "I think this guitar sounds fantastic. Some people will be put off by its size, but it has a very big sound." These are the words of the Cure's Robert Smith, who spoke with us recently about his new signature guitar, which is indeed a big...