Guitar Player articles from June 2003

Guitar Player archives from June 2003

Guest editorial. (Soundhole).
June 1, 2003... Peruse the pages of any Guitar Player, land you can tell we're open to all styles of guitar playing. In this issue alone, we cover everything from the visceral, chart-topping grind of Jack White to the wailing slide of Ben Harper to the...

Lindsey Buckingham. (Feedback).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... Wow! Just when I was losing faith in the guitar world, you go and slap Lindsey Buckingham on the April '03 cover. It's about time somebody gave this guy some more recognition. Buckingham is the reason I started playing guitar seven years ago....

Kinski. (Feedback).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... Without a doubt, there are few things on this planet of ours that sound like Kinski [Buzz Box, Apr. '03]. Their ambient/angst sonic attack gains an extra dimension when they are experienced live--especially now with "new" drummer Barrett Wilke...

Duke Robillard. (Feedback).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... Thanks so much for the entertaining and instructive "Chromatic Crazy" article with Duke Robillard [Master Class, Apr. '03]. What a rich article! It read like a private lesson with Duke. This comes as no surprise to those familiar with his...

Cover consideration. (Feedback).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... Your entertaining and informative publication delivers unbiased articles and reviews that cover the gamut of guitar music. If there's another magazine that features lessons by Scofield, Ritenour, Satriani, and Henderson with as comprehensive...

Oops! (Feedback).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... In our May '03 Field Test on the BSM Treble Boosters we inadvertently foisted a misperception on GP readers regarding the "noise factor" of the pedals. First, while the boost circuitry adds beef and overtones to guitar signals, it also produces...

Fretwire. (Input/Output).
June 1, 2003... Yo La Tengo's newest release, the bright, swirling Summer Sun, puts you in the mood for just that--cruising down the road on a warm day with sunglasses on and the windows rolled down. Slowly, but surely, the days are getting longer, and we can...

Will Ray's eBay strategies: auction item: '90s Epiphone Sorrento Winning bid: $205. (Auction Block).
June 1, 2003... This is a late '90s, Korean-made Epiphone Sorrento, and I have to tell you that ! really like the guitars coming out of Korea these days. They are affordable and very professional. What caught my eye on this auction was a note that the neck had...

Angels. (Input/Output).
June 1, 2003... Nancy Whiskey The skiffle world recently lost its king in Lonnie Donegan, and now the queen of this British music style has passed away. Whiskey--who died February 8 at 67 years old--scored a top-five U.S. hit in 1957 with "Freight Train,"...

The Plek system. (Techno Tools).
June 1, 2003... Designed and developed in Berlin by Gerd Anke, the Plek system is a computer-controlled alternative to traditional manual fret dressing. Plek scans the fret height and fretboard surface beneath each string with a mechanical finger guided by a...

1950 Fender Broadcaster. (George Gruhn's Rare Bird).(Column)
June 1, 2003... Leo Fender and Doc Kauffman began making K&F brand lap steels and amplifiers in Fullerton, California, in the fall of 1945. Kauffman left in early 1946, and Fender continued as the Fender Electric Instrument Company. Production was limited to...

Derek Sherinian on Black Utopia. (Producer's Desk).(Interview)
June 1, 2003... Like much of the non-guitar-playing world, Derek Sherinian suffers from the incurable, but rarely fatal disease known as guitar envy. "It has been the struggle of my life," confesses the keyboardist/producer. "Fortunately, I'm able to keep it...

The Heavils. (Buzz Box).(Brian Carter)(Interview)
June 1, 2003... "I've been in a lot of bands," says the Heavils' Brian Carter, "and, at some point, I realized that no matter what the Heavils did, it would be the same old thing." It would appear the originality gods intervened, however, when the group's...

Nigeria juju. (One-Minute Tutorial).(music)
June 1, 2003... The roots of juju--Nigerian dance music powered by infectious polyrhythmic percussion, sparkling interweaving guitar lines, and soaring vocal harmonies--extend back to the traditional Yoruban and "palm wine" guitar styles popular in Lagos and...

Cool & coming soon. (Input/Output).(pop music)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... May 6 Brian Setzer, HoodooVoodoo [Universal] Ozma, Spending Time on the Borderline [Kung Fu] The Gossip, Movement [Kill Rock Stars] May 13 Alkaline Trio, Good Morning [Vagrant] Closure, Closure [TVT] May 20 ...

New gear.(Industry Overview)
June 1, 2003... 1. BSM Based on the same circuitry as the modded 1969 Rangemaster that Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi used on Paranoid, the RM-Metal Treble Booster ($220) is built around carefully selected OC44 germanium transistors that have been...

Quiet storm: Kaki King electrifies audiences with a lone acoustic.(Interview)
June 1, 2003... "I guess my dad was hipper than most," says Kaki King. "Instead of sending me off to piano lessons with all the other kids, he forced me to play guitar--and I hated it. I took a few lessons and quit. But my dad always made sure there was a...

Eyes wide open: Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew's vision of the new King Crimson.(Interview)
June 1, 2003... * King Crimson blew the minds of many a happy hippy with the release of In the Court of the Crimson King in 1969. The record skillfully melded hard rock, jazz, folk, classical, and other at-the-time almost entirely disparate musical idioms into...

Flight of the Phoenix: Chris Dreja, Gypie Mayo, and a flock of guitar stars relaunch the Yardbirds.(Interview)
June 1, 2003... When an influential and beloved band starts making noises about a comeback, it can trigger images of a once-champion prizefighter who can no longer snap his scarred visage out of harm's way. Everyone might hope for one last burst of mythic...

Lust for life: Steely Dan's Walter Becker on Everything Must Go.(Interview)
June 1, 2003... If there's one thing you can say about Steely Dan, it's that they always deliver exactly what you expect. True, their sound hasn't changed a great deal in the last 30 years, but if consistency counts for anything, then Walter Becker and Donald...

Celebrating imperfection: Ben Harper keeps it raw.(Interview)
June 1, 2003... "I've finally embraced the necessity of imperfection," says lap-slide virtuoso Ben Harper of his new album, Diamonds on the Inside [Virgin]. "As much as it has helped the music-making process, technology has also sterilized it. When you tweak...

White heat: the White Stripes' 21st century blues. (Cover Story).(Jack White)(Interview)
June 1, 2003... "After our last album took off, I was worried there would be pressure to maintain some kind of success," says Jack White, who makes up half of the white-and-red-clad duo, the White Stripes. "But we just ignored the expectations, and made our...

Shock rock: Monte Montgomery demonstrates the art of daredevil dreadnought.(acoustic guitar)(Interview)
June 1, 2003... It certainly wouldn't be incorrect to say that Monte Montgomery plays acoustic guitar. But, like describing Evel Knievel as merely a dude who rode a bike, you'd be leaving all the exciting stuff out of the story. Just as Knievel pushed the...

Adrian Legg's gig-stealing bends. (Guest Guru).(Interview)(Column)
June 1, 2003... "THE MOST SIGNIFICANT thing you can do as a guitarist is listen to other instruments," asserts fingerstyle genius Adrian Legg. "For instance, banjo players have all these really amazing tricks, and they're usually thrilled to describe them to...

Randy Rhoads' burning pentatonics. (Sonic Snapshot).(Column)
June 1, 2003... RANDY RHOADS. THE mere mention of his name evokes humbleness, wizardry, and grace. Rhoads changed the course of heavy metal guitar with the lyrical, classically influenced lead parts he wove into the maniacal anthems on Ozzy Osbourne's...

Screenplay: John Petrucci. (Chops).(Video Recording Review)
June 1, 2003... THE PHRASE "DISCIPLINED rocker" may seem as oxymoronic as "computer jock" or "hell's angel," but if you're ready for rock and roll boot camp, one guy you can trust to be an effective drill sergeant is prog prodigy John Petrucci. The new DVD,...

Reader's challenge: hybrid hijinks. (Chops).(guitar playing technique )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... NO, DESPITE HIS NICKNAME OF "SPYDER," PAUL Bolles of Chillicothe, Ohio, does not have eight fingers on each hand. But it sure sounds like he does--at least when he's playing the supernaturally fast, hot-rod country lick below. "The trick...

Danny Gatton, Tom Principato Blazing Telecasters.(Video Recording Review)
June 1, 2003... Nearly ten years after his untimely death, Danny Gatton seems like a phenomenon that came and went with the speed of one of his jaw-dropping solos. But, for decades, Gatton was one of the best-kept secrets of the Washington D.C./Maryland area,...

David Lindley and Wally Ingram Twango Bango III.(Sound Recording Review)
June 1, 2003... The king of polyester and greasy guitar delivers another round of musical mayhem on Twango Bango III--his latest disc with funky drummer and trusty sidekick Wally Ingram. On this eclectic outing, Lindley drills through a rollicking mix of songs...

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Pig Lib.(Sound Recording Review)
June 1, 2003... Following-up his much-heralded solo debut, Stephen Malkmus, the former Pavement "singer/strummer" cum indie-rock icon has turned in an adventurous, sprawling, guitar-laden record with Pig Lib. In the licks, Malkmus has a band that provides...

Dave Douglas: Freak In.(Sound Recording Review)
June 1, 2003... On this simultaneously retro and modern-sounding recording, immensely innovative trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas takes more than a page from the early-'70s Miles Davis playbook. But he updates everything with samples, loops, electronics, and...

Framus Tennessee. (Bench Tests).(guitar )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Backed by more than 50 years of guitar-making experience, Framus of Germany is currently presenting a series of guitars designed to appeal to a broad range of styles and tastes. The rootsiest offering is the Tennessee ($1,999 retail/$1,600...

Compressor pedal roundup. (Bench Tests).(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Compressors were first devised for the purpose of controlling the dynamics of voices and instruments. By making the loudest parts quieter, and the quietest parts louder--in effect, narrowing the dynamic range--you get a more consistent level....

G&L tribute series. (Bench Tests).(guitars ASAT Classic Premium, S-500 Premium )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... From his hopefully quite swank abode up in heaven, Leo Fender might be having a giggle over his last company veering away from his "guitars for everyone" approach to become a rather expensive, custom shop for disciples of the man's tonal magic....

Randall RM50. (Bench Tests).(guitar amplifier )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Digital modeling amps are so common that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that modeling can also be done with tubes. One designer who has had a big impact in this field is Bruce Egnater, whose M4 preamp (reviewed August 2001) and new Mod 50...

PRS Tremonti SE. (Bench Tests).(guitar )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... * 1 11/16" nut width * 25 1/4"-scale, rosewood-on-mahogany set neck * Die-cast tuners * Contoured mahogany body * PRS-design humbuckers * Dual volume and tone controls, 3-way pickup selector * Combination...

Classictone & Custom Valve 80. (Bench Tests).(guitar amplifiers )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... * 10" Koch VG10-25/alnico speakers (by Jensen) * Dual channels Spring reverb and tremolo * Effects loop * Footswitchable master volume * Two EL34 output tubes * 40 watts * Bypassable effects loop *...

Komet Amplification Komet. (Exotica).(guitar amplifier )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... * Durable 1/8" thick powder-coated aluminum chassis * Low-noise conductive-plastic-sealed pots * Silver-plated copper wire * Ceramic tube sockets with gold-plated contacts * Stainless-steel hardware Since his days at Ampeg...

Burns Bison. (Field Tests).(guitar )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Some of today's hippest--and most eye-catching--vintage reissues are coming from Burns USA, and the company's reworking of visionary British guitarmaker Jim Burns' 1961 Bison is truly a wonder. First, with its forward-pointing horns and air of...

Frantone Cream Puff. (Field Tests).(electric guitar pedal )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... The Cream Puff Fuzz ($199 retail/$174 street) purports to be the first fuzz pedal for girls, but despite its soft pink finish, cutesy white Bakelite knobs, and darling little clear plastic feet, the Cream Puff is no pantywaist. The hand-made...

ART DPS DI/O preamp. (Field Tests).(preamplifier )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... The DI/O recording preamp ($319 retail/$259 street) is an extremely sweet deal that offers tube voicings (courtesy of a Sovtek or similar 12AX7), limiting, phantom power, digital outputs (ADAT, S/PDIE TOSLINK), a phase-reverse switch, balanced...

Fulltone custom shop Deja 'Vibe. (Field Tests).(sound effects device )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... Thanks to Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, the soupy modulations and faux-Leslie effects of the Un/vox Uni-Vibe are part of the lexicon of rock-guitar tone. Fulltone's Custom Shop Deja 'Vibe ($295 retail/street N/A) sports the same circuit as the...

Strapture guitar straps. (Field Tests).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Falling squarely into the category of "why didn't someone think of this before," the three models of self-adjusting Strapture guitar straps provide an ingenious solution to problems arising from unbalanced or uncomfortably heavy instruments....

Gretsch Spectra Sonic. (Field Tests).(guitar )(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2003... With its resonant body, twangy Filter `Tron pickups, and warbling Bigsby vibrato, the Gretsch Spectra Sonic ($3,875 street/retail NA) embodies the essential attributes that have made Gretsch guitars popular with rockin' rebels since the '50s....

Vintage compressors. (Pawnshop Prize).(guitar compressor pedals )
June 1, 2003... If a "Best Loved Compressor Pedal" award was ever handed out, it would be fair to assume the MXR Dyna Comp would probably snag it. But other great vintage stompbox compressors do exist, and, for the most part, they have been completely ignored...