Guitar Player articles from July 2006

Guitar Player archives from July 2006

Noise.(Editorial)
July 1, 2006... AS OF MAY 9, YOUR [HOPEFULLY] FAVORITE guitar magazine has expanded its imprint to the broadcast world. And while we're not seeking a punch up with Rupert Murdoch by launching a new cable network, what we did do is premiere the very first...

Letter of the month!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... Thank you for finally using a cover photo in which an artist is actually playing a guitar. Portraits are nice, but I can learn so much more from a picture of an artist in the act of playing his instrument. Besides, the portraits appear to be...

99 ways to make us blush.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... I've been a subscriber for 28 years, and I have to say that the May '06 issue has to be the single best I've ever read. The issue should be required reading for seasoned players and beginners alike. I've just gotten back into playing after a...

Teach your children well.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... I was psyched when I saw that you guys did an article on Children Of Bodom. They are an amazing band. I'm so glad to see GP start getting into more newer metal and hardcore. I've seen a few articles in the past on bands like the Absence and the...

Oops!(FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
July 1, 2006... In the May '06 Budget Solidbody Roundup, we accidentally understated the street price for the Fernandes Ravelle. The correct amount is $299.

Buck Owens 1929-2006.(RIFFS / TRIBUTE)(Obituary)
July 1, 2006... "IF IT'S COUNTRY, I WANT IT HONKY-TONK," SAID Buck Owens to GP in 1989. Owens, who passed away on March 25 at the age of 76, was indeed a honky-tonker. He championed a style that, in the words of Marry Stuart, "was made to cut through a loud,...

GP vs. the myspace hordes.(RIFFS / COMMUNITY)
July 1, 2006... THERE'S A VAST NETWORK OF MILLIONS OF DIY musicians at myspace.com who are sharing tracks, pushing boundaries, looking for record deals, playing for fun, and making transcendent music, capable but uninspired music, or just plain blowing it. The...

Richard Leo Johnson's mythical conceptions.(RIFFS / OUTSIDERS)(Interview)
July 1, 2006... RICHARD LEO JOHNSON'S OBSESSION WITH THE owner of a 1930s National Duolian steel guitar is the inspiration behind his fascinating new CD, The Legend of Vernon McAlister. After a neighbor gave him the guitar inscribed with the album's namesake,...

Pat Metheny.(RIFFS / OEUVRE EASY)
July 1, 2006... Kansas City-born Pat Metheny is the only guitarist from the jazz realm to have achieved rock-star status. He rose to fame in the late '70s as leader of the Pat Metheny Group by forging a satisfying pop-edged instrumental sound that guided many...

Blue Cheer's Leigh Stephens.(RIFFS / NO GUITARIST LEFT BEHIND)(Interview)
July 1, 2006... WHEN IT COMES TO RAW DISTORTION, LEIGH Stephens' visceral power chords and vibrato-inflected solo lines on Blue Cheer's Vincebus Eruptum in 1968 took the proverbial cake--and then smashed it against the wall. Featuring the band's now-classic...

The Flairs.(RIFFS / ROCKER GIRL)(Dawn Mandarino and Gillian Hanna)(Interview)
July 1, 2006... PERHAPS IT WAS THE FICKLE FINGER OF FATE THAT brought Canadian guitarists Dawn Mandarino and Gillian Hanna together in the summer of 2002. The two happened to cross paths while touring with separate bands, and after successfully jamming...

Djelimady Tounkara.(RIFFS / AFRO POP)(Interview)
July 1, 2006... "EVERY TIME I MAKE A RECORD, I INCLUDE ONE OF the things my father taught me," says Malian guitarist Djelimady Tounkara. But playing tunes his dad gave him--such as "Mande Mansa," which tells the story of an Islamic wise man foretelling...

Persephone's Bees.(RIFFS / BUZZ)(Tom Ayres)(Interview)
July 1, 2006... "I DON'T KNOW HOW OUR NEW RECORD WILL BE received now, but I'm confident it will still sound fresh in ten years," claims Persephone's Bees guitarist Tom Ayres about his band's second effort, Notes from the Underworld [Columbia]. "The reason...

Adrian Belew: Side Three.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... On this final disc of his recent solo trilogy, the Twang Bar King primarily holds court with himself, playing most of the instruments and covering all the vocals except for the poignantly comical sampled ravings of the Prophet Omega on the...

Karate High School: Arcade Rock.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... With their deft mash-up of experimental, electronic, and rock music, it's difficult--if not impossible--to compare KHS to any other band. Especially when you consider the way the group injects their hearty guitar riffs with quirky bleeps and...

The Hellacopters: Rock & Roll Is Dead.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... I'm waiting for someone to explain to me why Sweden can turn out kick-ass rock bands, while here in the States we crank out the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Staind, and any number of very un-rocking people. I'm sure there are many answers why this...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... DARRIN FOX Buck Owens and The Buckaroos, In Japan! Rog Lanham, Sizzling Strings/ The Fabulous Guitar Jeremy Wakefield, Steel Guitar Caviar! ANDY ELLIS Cry of Love, Brother Bad Company, 10 from 6 Grant Green, Blue...

Van Der Graaf Generator: the book.(PRINT)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2006... VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR: THE BOOK By Jim Christopulos end Phil Smart Van Der Graaf Generator was one of the most musically adventurous and lyrically sophisticated groups to emerge from the late-'60s/ early-'70s "progressive rock"...

Talmage Farlow.(DVD)(Video recording review)
July 1, 2006... TALMAGE FARLOW A Film By Lorenzo DeStefano Originally released in 1981, but only now available on DVD, this swinging, intimate portrait of one of jazz guitar's most innovative and enigmatic players will thrill dedicated guitar heads,...

Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel.(DVD)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
July 1, 2006... GRAM PARSONS: FALLEN ANGEL A Film By Gandulf Hennig Guitarist/singer/songwriter Gram Parsons attained legendary status in the late '60s as the country-music visionary who pushed the Byrds into making their revolutionary Sweetheart of...

Cowboy from hell guitar: Dean Guitars.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Exact reproduction of Dimebag Darrell's customized Dean ML * Mahogany body * Set fully bound mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard * Licensed double-locking Floyd Rose trem * Grover tuners * Dean neck pickup, Bill...

Tread wear guitar straps: Levy's Leathers.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Made from recycled automobile tires with Blacktop leather ends and leather backing * Available in three different styles * $59 retail * levysleathers.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Hybrid locking/floating tremolo bridge system: Kahler International.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Available in stud mount or flat mount * Onboard fine tuners * Six-way adjustable saddles: side to side for perfect string spacing; front to back for accurate intonation; and up or down for setting action height and matching fretboard...

Foxy Brown distortion: Menatone.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Produces tones reminiscent of early 18-watt British tube amps * Cascaded gain circuit with no diodes or other artificial clipping elements * New Sag control adjusts the amount of tube rectifier-style compression * True bypass...

Custom-made display cases: Bandmate USA.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Tolex interior and exterior coverings * High-quality plywood construction and pine doorframe * Lucite door window with white piping trim * Nickel-plated corner protectors and brass pull knob * Tolex covering available in...

Green Screamer overdrive: BBE Sound Inc.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Delivers the smooth, dynamic overdrive tones associated with vintage tube amps * Controls include Level, Tone, and Gain * $149 retail * bbesound.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Vintage tube primer overdrive/boost pedal: TC Electronic.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Produces a wide range of warm authentic overdrive flavors * Adjustable Clean Boost control with up to 20dB of gain * Gain can also be used as a regular boost without the overdrive circuit engaged * Additional Direct Level mix...

Warhawk HB guitar: Reverend Guitars.(OUT NOW!)
July 1, 2006... * Solid mahogany body * Bolt-on rosewood-on-maple neck with graphite nut and dual-action trussrod * Two Reverend humbucking pickups * Wilkinson EZ-Lock tuners * Available in metallic, blue, tobacco sunburst, cream or midnight...

Fight the presets: Public Enemy's Chuck D on the power of hip-hop guitar.(Interview)
July 1, 2006... CONTROVERSY AND CONFRONTATION ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH PUBLIC ENEMY'S incendiary brand of hip-hop. Devoid of gangsta cliches and pop-rap treacle, the group's full-frontal lyrical and aural assault is designed to challenge social and sonic...

Free range twang: Jim Campilongo gives The Little Willies a dose of terrifying telecaster.(Interview)
July 1, 2006... GETTING THE CHANCE TO RECORD AN ALBUM WITH a multi-platinum superstar is cool. But to have the New York Times review of that album call your guitar playing "disruptive and bizarre" is downright sweet. In this case, the guitarist is Telemaster...

Free radicals: are the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd and Wayne Coyne musical surrealists or just plain weird?(Interview)
July 1, 2006... ON SOME TABLET OF ROCK HISTORY. IT, IS WRITTEN THAT PUNK MUSIC WAS BORN AS A REACTION TO OVERWROUGHT, PSYCHEDELIC PROG BANDS SUCH AS YES AND PINK FLOYD. BUT WHAT IF SOME FREAKY MIDWESTERN PUNK ROCKERS WHO ACTUALLY ENJOYED YES AND PINK FLOYD...

30 years & counting: the Heartbreakers hit the big three-o and Tom Petty goes solo on highway companion.(Cover story)
July 1, 2006... "WE WERE JUST LISTENING TO BUCK OWENS ON THE way over here," says Tom Petty as he settles into an easy chair at the Heartbreakers' rehearsal studio after spending most of the day stuck in L.A. traffic. "I was in this band called the Epics when...

The heart of the matter Mike Campbell on crafting the Heartbreakers' Guitar Sounds.(Interview)
July 1, 2006... AS TOM PETTY'S WINGMAN FOR WELL over three decades, Mike Campbell has not only been responsible for some of the Heartbreakers' most memorable guitar hooks, but he has also co-written two of the band's biggest hits: "Refugee" and "Here Comes My...

Southern fried metal: Shinedown's Jasin Todd channels some down-home soul.(Interview)
July 1, 2006... "MUSIC IS IN MY BLOOD," SAYS SHINEDOWN GUITARIST JASIN TODD. "It eats me up entirely. The music flows through me, and whatever happens, happens." Todd--who started playing at nine years old with a pawnshop guitar bought by his mother--has...

The top ten George Benson riffs of all time.(LICK LIBRARY)
July 1, 2006... STOKED BY A STEADY GIG WITH HAMMOND-ORGAN ICON Brother Jack McDuff, George Benson recorded his first album as a leader in 1964, The New Boss Guitar of George Benson with the Brother Jack McDuff Quartet not only announced the emergence of a...

Demystifying the diminished chord: unlocking the secrets of the guitar's most mysterious grip.(LESSONS / MASTER CLASS)
July 1, 2006... MANY GUITARISTS KNOW HOW TO PLAY DIMINISHED chords. Far fewer, however, truly know how to use them. That's because diminished and diminished-7th voicings, when played out of context, have a dissonant and nebulous sound, the use for which is not...

Woodshed: the supernatural blues scale.(LESSONS / INTERMEDIATE)
July 1, 2006... THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THE MINOR BLUES SCALE [Ex. 1] is that it transcends the genre for which it is named--from blues, rock, and jazz to country, metal, and pop, it works over just about style of music. Of course, there's another blues...

Jam Guru Jimmy Herring: secret uses of the minor pentatonic scale.(LESSONS / INTERMEDIATE)
July 1, 2006... SURE, THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE [Ex. 1] is the first scale most guitarists are taught and the one scale some rock and blues guitarists lean on their entire lives. And if there's a groove in A minor being played, most players will improvise...

Rock Guru Greg Koch: mutated train whistle harmonics.(LESSONS / ADVANCED)
July 1, 2006... AS MUCH AS I COULD DO A STRAIGHTFORWARD, bare-bones traditional rock/blues shuffle, I just... just... just gotta be me, know what I mean? I have to twist things up a bit, and "Bored to Tears," the opening track on my CD, 4 Days in the South...

Ez Street: Boogie Blues.(LESSONS / BEGINNER)
July 1, 2006... SO FAR IN OUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE world of rhythm, we've encountered syncopation ("Get Rhythm," May '06) and the Bo Diddley beat ("Hey, Bo Diddley!," June '06). In this lesson, we'll add some swampy boogie to the repertoire. Many greats--from...

Reader's challenge: oops upside your dreadnought.(LESSONS / INTERMEDIATE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... "IT TURNS OUT WE CAN LEARN A THING OR two from that guy at the back of the stage with the huge four-string guitar," points out Dan Morris, a PhD student in Computer Science at California's Stanford University. "Bassists often use plucking-hand...

Production strategies: remembering Mick Ronson.(RECORDING)
July 1, 2006... LIKE SOME CHARACTER OUT OF AN OSCAR Wilde fantasy, Mick Ronson was damned to be beautiful, and the fact that he gained fame as David Bowie's foil during the loud glittery pan-sexual mess that was '70s glam rock in no way diminishes his awesome...

Mic test: Audix i5.(RECORDING)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2006... THE AUDIX i5 [$179 RETAIL/$99 STREET) is a brilliant addition to any home studio tool kit, because it's tough, it's affordable, and it carves out its own sonic personality. The i5 careens off the flat-response curve like a showboating...

Techniques: guitars that rock.(RECORDING)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... RECORDING GUITARS THAT BLAST OUT OF speakers or headphones like the Hulk smashing through a mountain range is all a matter of managing technical and arrangement perspectives. On the tech side, you want to lay down guitar tones that absolutely...

Artifacts: Mike Campbell's Circa-'50 broadcaster.(VINTAGE VAULT)
July 1, 2006... A LOT HAS BEEN MADE OF THE FENDER BROADCASTER, and how it helped push the solidbody concept into mainstream acceptance. But to fully appreciate the "rightness" of Fender's first production guitar, one need look no further than this old soldier,...

Will Ray's: eBay prizes.(VINTAGE VAULT)(guitars)(Brief article)(Column)
July 1, 2006... AUCTION ITEM EPIPHONE G-400 KORINA SG REISSUE WINNING BID $271 My first Gibson SG was an early-'70s model made during the dark years of the company's Norlin ownership, and it never felt right to me. But then, a friend of my brother's...

Roundup! Handwired 30-watt tube amplifiers.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2006... ALTHOUGH MANUFACTURERS SUCH AS GIBSON and Fender had introduced amplifiers capable of producing 30 or more watts by the late 1940s, most early guitar amps were not nearly so powerful. Even as late as 1958, the original single-speaker Vox AC30...

RKS wave.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2006... RKS GUITARS MADE QUITE A LOT OF NOISE WHEN they debuted a suite of models in 2004 (which were reviewed in the June '04 CP). You couldn't miss the uniqueness of the ribbed torsos--devised by award-winning industrial designer Ravi...

RainSong A-WS 1000NT.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2006... RAINSONG PIONEERED THE USE OF GRAPHITE construction for acoustic guitars to mitigate the effects of extreme humidity, and the company is currently the world's only manufacturer of guitars that use pure graphite for the body, neck, and...

Dan Erlewine's Mod Squad.(GEAR)(guitars)
July 1, 2006... I'M GOING TO GIVE THE YOUNGER MEMBERS OF the Mod Squad a rest this month, and detail a job I did myself--one that harkens back to one of the first electric-guitar mods I ever attempted. Way back in the 1960s, I overhauled and fine-tuned the...

Stompbox fever.(GEAR)(guitar amplifiers)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2006... BOSS RT-20 ROTARY ENSEMBLE The RT-20 ($299 retail/$225 street) employs Boss' COSM modeling technology to mimic the specific acoustic qualities of a Leslie 122 Tone Cabinet configured in three different ways, and then tosses in a Uni-Vibe...

Accessory file.(GEAR)(guitars)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2006... Having long left the dark pleasures of drink and drugs to more robust types, I'm unclear as to whether the concept of the stash box survived into the new millennium. But current slang notwithstanding, "stash box" pretty much defines this...

Sonny Landreth on the power of three.(TESTIMONY)(Interview)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... "EVEN THOUGH THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE gig I saw in Baton Rouge as a teenager was riddled with technical problems and hecklers, Jimi was amazing. And it completely blew my mind to hear such an immense sound coming from just three players. I...