Guitar Player articles from January 2007

Guitar Player archives from January 2007

Noize.(myGPTV.com Website launched)(Andy Ellis resigns)
January 1, 2007... LAST YEAR, GP WORKED VERY HARD TO EXPLORE new ways to educate and excite the guitar-playing populace. We invited readers to critique our product reviews in GP's online forum, expanded our coverage of unsigned artists by embracing the MySpace...

Letter of the month!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I sat on my Ethan Allen C-System chair and sipped my Aquafina purified drinking water as I tapped the keys of my Dell Dimension 8100 computer keyboard, and squinted through my Lenscrafters FeatherWates bifocals at my NEC 17-inch CRT monitor...

Feeling Frusciante.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I've just finished listening to the solo on "Hey," from Stadium Arcadium, and it inspired me to write a message letting you know just how happy I was to see John Frusciante on your November cover. John Frusciante is my favorite guitarist, and...

Feedback feedback.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Lately, I've started feeling some disdain for the guitar playing community. As a subscriber to your magazine since July 2002, I've noticed that in almost every Feedback column there is some reader downing on a featured artist in the prior...

Oops.(FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... In my review of Brian Setzer's new album 13 [Nov '06], I inexplicably referred to Slim Jim Phantom as the Stray Cats' bassist. Phantom is, of course, the Cats' drummer, so apologies for the screw up. In October's Distortion Pedal Roundup,...

A delivers in spades: the trump card for EL34 tone.(ACE Stiletto)
January 1, 2007... PREPARE TO BE SHOCKED! WE WERE. STILLE ARE. Because sometimes the way things come together excededs all hopes and plans. And that's sure the case with our newest Stiletto[R]. It rocks so hard it's guaranteed to ace your expectations as...

Paul Stanley's rhythm nation.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... WHILE HIS ORIGINAL KISS COHORT, GENE SIMMONS, plays his life out on reality television, Paul Stanley is actually making music. Live to Win [Universal], is Stanley's first solo effort since 1978, when all four of Kiss's members released...

Guitar string pioneer Start Rendell passed away September 11, 2006, at the age of 91.(Gibson Guitar Corp.'s)(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Guitar string pioneer Start Rendell passed away September 11, 2006, at the age of 91. Randall served am president of Gibson Guitars In Kalamazoo, Michigan, from the late 1960s to the mid '70s, where he worked closely with Los Paul developing...

Dobroist Burkett Howard Graves, better known to country and bluegrass fans as "Uncle Josh," died September 30th at his home In Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 79.(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Dobroist Burkett Howard Graves, better known to country and bluegrass fans as "Uncle Josh," died September 30th at his home In Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 79. Graves, who Joined Looter Flett & Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys in the...

Blues guitarist and National Endowment for the Arts Award recipient Etta Baker died September 23 at the age of 93.(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Blues guitarist and National Endowment for the Arts Award recipient Etta Baker died September 23 at the age of 93. Baker, who toured well into her 80s, worked for 26 years at a textile mill in her home town of Morganton, North Carolina, before...

MySpace hordes.(online music)
January 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...

Louis Mhlanga.(guitarists)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... SOME OF AFRICA'S BEST GUITARISTS COME FROM particular ethnic traditions. They can be brilliant at what they do, but not always well versed in other genres. Enter Louis Mhlanga, born in Zimbabwe in 1956, a veteran of the South African jazz...

Sue Foley channels Memphis Minnie's fingerstyle blues.
January 1, 2007... THE MODERN BLUES GUITARIST FACES A QUANDARY. To enter the tradition with force, you've got to keep it simple, while simultaneously avoiding cliches--as even the best of the best can end up in 12-bar purgatory, their flight to pentatonic hell...

Thundherstruck's Tina Wood.(RIFFS: ROCKER GIRL)(interview)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... TINA WOOD, WHO PLAYS ANGUS YOUNG IN the all-female AC/DC tribute band Thund-HerStruck, had already enrolled in business school when she suddenly decided to pursue a certificate in luthiery from the London College of Furniture instead. While...

Jim Hall.(RIFFS: OEUVRE EASY)(jazz guitarist)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT, WITH WELL OVER 200 RECORDING credits--both as a leader and a sideman--condensing Jim Hall's "hot or not" platters into a bite-sized helping is, well, impossible. What is surprising, however, is that there is nary a dog...

Sonny Rollins, The Bridge, 1962.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Tenor sax colossus Rollins is a big influence on Hall, and hearing the two together is a must for any guitarist, as the two are able to turn a tune inside out with far-reaching improvisations. Hall handles the insane tempo of the title cut with...

Jim Hall and Ron Carter, Alone Together, 1972.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... You'd be hard pressed to name a jazz guitarist who has thrived in the duo setting more than Hall. On this pairing with bass giant Ron Carter, you may find yourself getting lost in the beauty of Hall's breathtaking time and his dark, rich tone,...

Jim Hall and Pat Metheny, 1999.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... One of Hall's most popular 6-string disciples, Metheng complements Hall's D'Aquisto archtop [before that, Hall relied on a Gibson ES-175 formerly owned by Howard Roberts. He currently plays a signature model Sadowsky archtop.] with electric and...

Jimmy Giuffre, The Jimmy Giuffre 3, 1957.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... A towering figure in the "cool school" of jazz, Giuffre was also a proponent of a style dubbed "chamber jazz," due to the music's sparse instrumentation and impressionistic harmonies. Giuffre's intriguing lineups gave Hall a chance to strut his...

Bill Evans, Jim Hall, Interplay, 1962.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Along with Giuffre and Hall, Bill Evans is considered one of the few artists in jazz to successfully merge jazz with a classical sensibility. With trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer Philly Joe Jones, bassist Percy Heath, and, of course, the...

Bill Evans, Jim Hall, Undercurrent, 1963 Intermodulation, 1966.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In a guitar/piano duo, the chances of harmonic clashes are sky high. But when Evans and Hall get to work, the results are nothing short of astounding. The two are so sympathetic to each other's playing that, at times, they finish each other's...

Concierto, 1975.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Featuring Chet Baker on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, Paul Desmond on alto, Roland Hanna on piano, and Steve Gadd on drums, this record is perfect for those looking to delve into Hall's sophisticated sense of composition, arrangement, and...

Jim Hall And Friends, Volume 2, Live at Town Hall, 1991.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... To be fair, "tired" is a tad brutal description of this live set. I mean, Hall's "friends" include Mick Goodrick, John Abercrombie, Peter Bernstein, and John Scofield. It's just that rarely do these type of super summits result in transcendent...

Neil Jacobs' gypsy vamps and themes.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... IT'S AN ENDURING ROMANTIC IMAGE OF THE troubadour: traveling folk singer--12-string in hand--wanders the countryside like a gypsy bringing his songs to the people. For Neil Jacobs, it's an accurate career description, only the folk music is of...

Jeff Healey.(RIFFS: NO GUITARIST LEFT BEHIND)(interview)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... JEFF HEALEY MAY BE THE ONLY CAT AROUND who can play the prewar jazz of Louis Armstrong on the trumpet, and the heavy electric blues-rock of ZZ Top on the guitar. Norman Jeffrey Healey was born March 26, 1966 in Toronto, Canada, and lost his...

Califone.(RIFFS: BUZZ)(interview with Tim Rutili and Jim Becker)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... CALIFONE'S TIM RUTILI AND JIM BECKER PLAY ALL manner of oddball stringed implements on the band's Roots & Crowns [Thrill Jockey], including a banjo fed into a loop sampler, a microtonal 12-string, and a bowed balalaika. But be warned: Trying to...

Richard Pinhas: Metatron.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... On this heady and at times esoteric double-disc, veteran French electronic musician and guitarist Pinhas unveils dense and sometimes foreboding compositions generated from his "Metatronic Process," which is essentially a sophisticated digital...

Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Live at the Fillmore East 1970.(Sound recording review)
January 1, 2007... Finally available on CD (as well as a CD/DVD package), this infamous recording of the original short-lived Crazy Horse lineup--which features guitarist Danny Whitten--takes you back to when Young, fresh from his stint in Buffalo Springfield,...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)
January 1, 2007... BARRY CLEVELAND Sharp Three, Sharp Three Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian Rez Abbasi, Bazaar DARIN FOH Kiss, Rock and Roll Over Billy Butler, Guitar Soul! Van...

Porcupine Tree: Arriving Somewhere.(Video recording review)
January 1, 2007... You certainly can't knock this live DVD from U.K. trance rockers Porcupine Tree for its production quality--the package design is aesthetically excellent, the audio mix cleaner than many major label studio releases, and the video editing superb...

One Train Later: A Memoir.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... By Summers Andy The tendrils of an artist's vision are often thrilling clues to their souls, because great artists are seldom the sole products of the discipline that made them stars. For example, Frank Sinatra was a painter, a lover, and...

1. Santa Cruz Light Wells, Inc.: Light Pick.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2007... A light show, a metronome, and a guitar pick, all in one * Metronome visually displays tempo (from 20-400 beats per minute) and beat patterns * Blink mode displays a continuous light show * Hold mode sets and retains the latest settings *...

2. MKS Professional Stage Products, Inc.: MPS-XL Lite Pedal Board.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2007... Two-tier adjustable pedal surface * Durable road case * LED edge lit display * Power Pad II switching power supply * $449 retail * pedalpad.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

3. Chicago Blues Box: Buddy Guy Signature Series Amplifier.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2007... Sonic reproduction of Buddy Guy's 1959 Bassman * 60 watts of class A/B power * Handwired on point-to-point solder eyelet board with custom-wound transformer * Three 12AX7 JJ preamp tubes, two 6L6TAD short bottle black plate power tubes, and one...

4. Audioskin: Cable Organizer.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2007... Collects loose cables and "zippers" them into one snake with a simple twist of the wrist * Partially pull out individual cables to any length for connecting to miscellaneous inputs while keeping the snake intact * Can be cut to any length, or...

5. Reverend Musical Instruments: Warhawk 290 Guitar.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2007... 25.5"-scale bolt-on maple neck with graphite nut and dual-action trussrod * Rosewood fretboard with 12" radius and 22 frets * Solid mahogany body * Two Reverend P-90 pickups * Wilkinson EZ-Lock tuners * Volume, Tone, and Bass Contour controls *...

6. Malden Guitars: Bad Karma.(OUT NOW!)
January 1, 2007... Fully bound solid mahogany body and neck with rosewood fretboard * Aged body and headstock binding * Two exposed humbuckers with coil-split function * Two Volume, two Tone (push/pull) controls, and a 3-way selector * $899 retail *...

All God's children: Lamb of God's Willie Adler and Mark Morton spread the gospel of American metal.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... ASK ANY MUSICIAN, AND THEY'LL TELL YOU flat out that genre labels are a drag--useless idioms that limit something (namely, musical creativity) that should otherwise be boundless. Ask most music journalists, however, and they'll admit that...

Dancing with desire: Living Colour's Vernon Reid on pushing the creative envelope.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... VERNON REID'S CAREER IS DOMINATED BY AN UNCEASING drive to break down the walls that divide styles, genres, and people. He's best known as the founder and lead guitarist of Living Colour--the politically incendiary, multi-platinum...

Guitar Hero 2006: ten battled, one was victorious, and all rocked heavily!(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... IT WAS A CELEBRATION OF GRIT, MELODY, CHOPS, HEART, TONE, and charisma, and, at the end, Pennsylvania's Trey Alexander played his way to the title of Guitar Player's Guitar Hero 2006. It wasn't an easy win, either, as Alexander had to face nine...

The genius of practical design: how Leo Fender changed the way musicians work with their tools, and helped ignite new styles of music.(FENDER 60TH ANNIVERSARY)(Excerpt)
January 1, 2007... An abbreviated excerpt from his new book, The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps. LEO FENDER'S LEGACY EXCEEDS THE BOUNDARIES OF MUSICAL hardware. Though his products may have benefited fewer people than did telephones or...

Carl Verheyen: how a guitar legend gets his Great Tone.(GT PROFILE)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... WHAT HE'S DONE: By the time Carl 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 garnering numberous...

Sunshine, surf, girls, hot rods, and guitars! Don Randall, Robert Perine, and the marketing of the Fender lifestyle.(FENDER 60TH ANNIVERSARY)(Cover story)(Excerpt)
January 1, 2007... An abbreviated excerpt from his new book, The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps. LEON FENDER'S UNCANNY KNACK FOR SOLVING musicians' problems was only one factor in his company's success. He had plenty of help--sometimes...

The remaking of Blackie: the Fender Custom Shop's ultimate tribute to Eric Clapton.(FENDER 60TH ANNIVERSARY)
January 1, 2007... FROM ITS INCEPTION IN 1987, THE CUSTOM SHOP has played a central role in keeping Fender's past alive. Beginning as a two-man operation, the 'Custom Shop now employs more than 50 people who produce one-of-a-kind guitars under the "Build Your...

The man who saved Fender: a tribute to Bill Schultz.(FENDER 60TH ANNIVERSARY)(Obituary)
January 1, 2007... Sadly, as Fender was celebrating its diamond anniversary, the company lost one of its iconic leaders, William "Bill" Schultz on September 21, 2006. He was 80 years old, and had battled cancer for 17 years. In 1985, Schultz led an employee...

Vai for the holidays: the guitar maestro's heavenly hellish arrangement of "Christmas Time is Here".(LICK LIBRARY)
January 1, 2007... ONE OF STEVE VAI'S HOST ADMIRABLE AND ENDEARING MUSICAL ATTRIBUTES IS HIS ability to meld astonishingly impeccable technique with heartfelt passion and a mischievious sense of humor. As the latter two elements are integral to any blues...

Lord of the ring: Tommy Emmanuel details the fine art of making steel-strings sing.(LESSONS: MASTER CLASS)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... "I CAN'T PLAY ONE THING IN DADGAD," CONFESSES Tommy Emmanuel. If you've ever seen the Aussie guitar hero perform one of his dazzling solo sets--or at least spun his new concert DVD, Live at Her Majesty's Theater, Ballarat, Australia [Favored...

Metal guru: Rusty Cooley: Phrygian domination.(LESSONS: ADVANCED)
January 1, 2007... BECAUSE IT BECAME SUCH A CLICHE OF '80S hair metal, and because many people associate it with the legions of shameless Eddie Van Halen wannabes that appeared immediately after the release of Van Halen's debut album, the...

Ez street: jangle chords.(LESSONS: BEGINNER)
January 1, 2007... WHAT DO MANY SONGS BY GREEN DAY, JAMES Taylor, U2, AC/DC, Tom Petty, and countless other guitar acts all have in common? Open strings--specifically, open strings ringing gloriously within chords. Whether they're strummed on acoustic or...

Reader's challenge: fun with numbers.(LESSONS: INTERMEDIATE)
January 1, 2007... TAKE IT FROM MIKE BARNA OF NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio: When you're composing, the muse can appear in many different forms--including, as Barna found out, as objects as inanimate and abstract as the calendar on the wall. "It was Friday the 13th...

Artifacts: Mosrite 40th anniversary.(VINTAGE VAULT)
January 1, 2007... THE OFFBEAT, SWOOPING BODY SHAPE THAT DEFINES Mosrite guitars was the brainchild of builder Semie Moseley--who is said to have drawn the outline of a Stratocaster body on a sheet of paper, reversed the image, and then applied his own stylistic...

Will Ray's eBay strategies: auction item Kay Old Kraftsman Solo King winning bid $107.(VINTAGE VAULT)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... KAY HAS MADE SOME WEIRD-LOOKING GUITARS OVER THE YEARS, AND THIS SOLO King is also known as the "Map of Ohio" model because its shape is reminiscent of the Buckeye State. These guitars were made from 1958 until 1960, and featured a Masonite...

Roundup! Four mid-powered tube amps.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2007... HOW MANY WATTS IS ENOUGH? WELL, depending on your style, your gigs, your band mates, and what kind of tone you're going for, it depends. For my money, however, the range between 20 and 40 watts is the "sweet spot," as you can get gig-worthy...

Guyatone Ultron GST-U05 optical auto wah and Ultrem GST-C04 optical tremolo.(EDITOR'S Guitar Player Pick)(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2007... EDITORS Guitar Player PICK THE GUYATONE ULTRON AND ULTREM OPTICAL pedals are the brainchildren of celebrated engineer and designer Hideko Shimizu, who passed away in late 2004, while the pedals were still in the final stages of...

Taylor GS.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2007... ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF TAYLOR GUITARS generally fit into recognizable camps--the grand concert, the super jumbo, the dreadnought--the Southern California maker has always been known for having a look and vibe all its own. So it's not...

Dan Erlewine's mod squad.(GEAR)
January 1, 2007... GUITARS AREN'T THE ONLY THINGS THE MOD SQUAD likes to modify. We like to mod our tools, too. In fact, we'll modify anything we can get our mitts on if it will help us make guitars play better. Here's how to make and use a lightweight ruler for...

Accessory file.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
January 1, 2007... CELESTION GOLD In the late 1950s, Celestion responded to the need for a dedicated guitar-amp speaker by introducing a modified version of its G12 radio speaker. The new unit had a power rating of 15 watts, and was first pressed into...

Joe Hill on the future of guitar.(TESTIMONY)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... "IT'S RIDICULOUS TO QUESTION THE RELEVANCY of guitar-oriented music, because the guitar is still a totally futuristic instrument. Recorded music itself is only about 100 years old, and the electric guitar hasn't even been around that long....