Guitar Player articles from June 2005

Guitar Player archives from June 2005

Noize from the editor.(Editorial)
June 1, 2005... I don't think this is how our moms and dads raised us. Whether your parents are of the WWII generation, the post-war years, the Summer of Love, the bizarre and wonderful '70s, or anytime thereafter, I'm sure that truthfulness and integrity were...

Letter of the month!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2005... The 102nd Greatest Moment: It's the summer of 1977. Three teenagers are in my cousin's room. He's slowly opening the brown cardboard box that his father just brought in. inside, a cheap copy of a Gibson SG. A priceless moment. It was my...

101 greatest moments.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2005... I am pleasantly surprised and humbled to be included in GP's "101 Greatest Moments in Guitar History" issue for developing the Universe 7-string with Steve Vai ["Ibanez Goes for 7, 1990"]. The seed for the development of the Ibanez 7-string...

Dimebag Darrell.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2005... Walt Hampton's comments in his letter in the April "Feedback" department are ignorant and dangerous. To say that Dimebag Darrell's killing was no surprise because of his song lyrics is just atrocious. It was irresponsible of you to even print...

Eddie Turner's psychedelic urban blues.("Rise")(Interview)
June 1, 2005... "My version of the blues is about going deep, and playing chord changes and solos that come from my spirit," says Eddie Turner, who just released his debut CD, Rise [Northern Blues]. Turner's otherworldly, atmospheric guitar style colors the...

There are always new and interesting ways to present the music of the Beatles.(Julie Taymor to direct the movie "All You Need is Love")(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... There are always new and interesting ways to present the music of the Beatles. Recently announced in Billboard, the film All You Need is Love is slated for a Thanksgiving 2006 release. Though not about the group, 18 classic tracks by the...

We can now happily report that Velvet Revolver/ex-Guns N' Roses guitar guy, Slash, has been reunited with his missing trademark top hat.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... We can now happily report that Velvet Revolver/ex-Guns N' Roses guitar guy, Slash, has been reunited with his missing trademark top hat. It was Grammy night 2005, when one of the most recognizable accessories in rock music disappeared from...

Tommy Castro's road rewards.(RIFFS: BLUE JOINT)(new album "Soul Shaker")
June 1, 2005... Tommy Castro has earned a handle as one of the hardest working bluesmen on the scene today, gigging on a grueling schedule of almost 300 dates per year. But if you pay your dues to play the blues there has to be a payoff, and, for Castro, the...

The line-up for this year's Ozzfest has been announced, with the tour scheduled to kick off July 15, in Boston.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... The line-up for this year's Ozzfest has been announced, with the tour scheduled to kick off July 15, in Boston. The main stage will once again feature Black Sabbath headlining, with Iron Maiden, Shadows Fall, and Black Label Society rounding...

Surinder Sandhu's Indian fusion.(RIFFS: CULTURE)
June 1, 2005... "I think the guitar is the perfect companion for Indian music," says U.K.-based composer Surinder Sandhu. "It has everything--including harmony and rhythm. Indian instruments are predominantly monotonal and melodic, so the two complement each...

Rod Price, guitarist and founding member of Foghat, died on March 22 after falling down a staircase at his home.(PASSING NOTES)
June 1, 2005... Rod Price, guitarist and founding member of Foghat, died on March 22 after falling down a staircase at his home. He was 57. Following the huge success of the band through the '80s, Price had been living a low-key existence in a small town in...

Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero, Jr.--the man President Clinton called the father of Chicano music--passed away in March at the age of 88.(PASSING NOTES)(Obituary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero, Jr.--the man President Clinton called the father of Chicano music--passed away in March at the age of 88. Guerrero's 60-year career spanned languages [Spanish and English] and genres [swing, protest songs, chachas, rock...

Guitarist/ producer Steve Burgh died of a heart attack on February 7.(PASSING NOTES)(Obituary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... Guitarist/ producer Steve Burgh died of a heart attack on February 7. He was 54. Throughout his career, Burgh performed and recorded with artists as diverse as Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, Phoebe Snow, Gladys Knight, and Bob Dylan, and was a...

Tsunami Stompboxes.(RIFFS: COMMUNITY)(musictoyz.com and boutique effect builders's relief effort)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... The widespread destruction due to the tsunami in South Asia and East Africa moved members of the musictoyz.com Internet forum--as well as 20 well-known boutique effect builders--to launch a relief effort. This international team created...

Tokai Registry.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... Beginning in the late '70s, the Japanese manufacturer Tokai created "replicas" of several classic Fender and Gibson guitars, and marketed them under various brand names, including Reborn, Reborn Old, and Love Rocks. Today, interest in these...

Contemplating Zen Guitar.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... The Zen Guitar movement began in 1997 with the publication of Philip Sudo's wonderful little book, Zen Guitar [Simon & Schuster]. Since then, there have been festivals, CDs, seminars, and even a Zen acoustic guitar from Dean. But what exactly...

Mike Varney's spotlight.(RIFFS)(Column)
June 1, 2005... 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...

Psychedelia revisited.(RIFFS: HISTORY)(Video recording review)
June 1, 2005... The widespread use of psychedelic drugs during 1967 and 1968 led to some of the most significant cultural shifts of the 20th Century. The psychedelic movement was championed by numerous figures, but few embodied the zeitgeist of the times as...

Alaska!(music band)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... "Our latest record is a milestone for me, because it chronicles one of the most intense periods of my life," confesses Alaska! guitarist/vocalist Imaad Wasif. "We were in a van wreck while on tour last year. Thankfully, we all walked away from...

22-20s.(Martin Trimble's debut album)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... On the 22-20s' self-titled Astralwerks debut, the depth of Martin Trimble's blues-drenched playing belies his limited years. It's hard to believe that the album's percussive, Dylan-esque jangle, and weeping, Muddy Waters-like slide sounds...

Then Zincs.(music band)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... "I wasn't aiming for something that was harmonically original or different--I just wanted a combination of ideas you don't hear together very often," says Zincs' mastermind Jim Elkington of his band's new record, Dimmer [Thrill Jockey]....

Bloc Party.(music band)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... "When we were growing up, bands such as Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead appealed to us because there was never anything standard in the guitar playing," says Bloc Party's Russell Lissack. "There were always different noises and a general sense...

USA advanced series guitars: Reverend.(OUT NOW!)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * Wolfman, Rocco, Slingshot, Slingshot Custom * Tone-chambered bodies * Bass contour control * Sperzel locking tuners * Pickup options: humbucker, P-90, or Revtron * Optional Bigsby tremolo * Available in various...

English muff'n overdrive: Electro-Harmonix.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2005... * Vacuum tubes include a 12AY7 cascading into a 12AX7 to produce true Brit-style valve sounds * ehx.com * $298 retail

Mahon real tube series: Godlyke.(OUT NOW!)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * ROD880 Real Overdrive, ROD881 Real Overdrive/Distortion, and RCP Real Compressor * Hand-selected 12AX7 tube with isolated socket * Heavy-duty 1/16" bent steel chassis with air vent * godlyke.com * $350-360 retail

Detour and freeway SA: Godin.(OUT NOW!)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * Silverleaf maple center bodies with poplar wings * Rock maple necks with rosewood fretboards * Fixed bridge (Detour); floating trem (Freeway) * Freeway features synth/computer access via built-in 13-pin connector on Ghost pickup...

GT100c and GT60c combo amps: Hartke.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2005... * Two-channel amps with tube preamp sections * GTI00c: 100 watts, two 12" speakers * GT60c: 60 watts, single 12" speaker * hartke.com * GT100c, $479 retail; GT60c, $324 retail

Retro-fit tuning system: Freelok.(OUT NOW!)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * Locks Floyd Rose and Floyd Rose-licensed tremolos into the precise position of a fixed bridge * Works with D-Tuna and other detuner devices * Solid, tuneful brass and hardened steel construction * Hidden installation won't affect...

Fretlight M-player software: Optek Music Systems.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * Works in conjunction with the FG-400 Fretlight guitar * Play, pause, stop, fast forward, and rewind controls * Adjust tempo in real time from 10-120 percent of actual tempo * Set loop points for repeating any part of a song *...

Steve Morse Y2D signature guitar: Music Man.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * Poplar body with flame- or quilt-maple top * DiMarzio pickups (new custom-wound single-coil in middle position) * Pickup sequence may be changed with solderless jumper connection * Translucent colors: purple sunset, de-purple...

Traynor YCV50 blue custom valve amplifier: Yorkville Sound.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... * Two EL34 power tubes * Three Sovtek 12AX7WA preamp tubes * Nubtex finish and black hardware on solid plywood cabinet * 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speaker * yorkville.com * $879 retail

Bill Connors.("Return" released)(Interview)
June 1, 2005... Bill Connors has always lived and played ahead of the times. First hitting the mainstream as the electric guitarist who helped Chick Corea's Return to Forever embrace its rock-fusion appeal in 1973, Connors quit the next year to focus on...

A love supreme: Carlos Santana spreads the gospel of tone.(Interview)(Cover story)
June 1, 2005... "I'm proof that a musician can coexist with everyone from Wayne Shorter and Kirk Hammett to Placido Domingo and P.O.D.," exclaims Carlos Santana, as he reclines in his San Rafael, California, headquarters. "I'll even play with Kenny G., Billy...

The thrill of the kills: a minimalist duo pushes forward.(Jamie "Hotel" Hince, Alison "VV" Mosshart)(Interview)
June 1, 2005... "I'm attracted to urgency and energy," says the Kills multi-instrumentalist Jamie "Hotel" Hince. "My favorite feeling is to be so lost in the creativity of the moment that all sense of time is lost." Hotel's feelings for creative energy...

Killer Queens: Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen trip the dark fantastic.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... In the two-and-a-half years since Josh Homme graced GP's October '02 cover, his Queens of the Stone Age have ascended from hipster cult-rockers to cutting-edge MTV icons. The band's previous record, the multi-platinum Songs for the Deaf,...

Crues control: Motley Crue's Mick Mars tames his demons and rocks on.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... As the gunslinger in a band as famously debauched as Motley Crue, Mick Mars has always been a little too quiet. Often withdrawn and hunchbacked onstage, Mars' life outside of the spotlights was far less tempestuous than that of band mates Tommy...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... BARRY CLEVELAND Andy Summers, The X Tracks Allan Holdsworth, The Best of Allan Holdsworth: Against the Clock Joe Craven, Djongo Latino ANDY ELLIS Various, Son Cubano NYC--Cuban Roots New York Spices 1972.82 Various, Legends of the...

Heavy Trash: Heavy Trash.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Steeped in pithy slapback echo, bellowing tremolo, and fuzz tones that would make Davie Allan blush, Heavy Trash is a collaboration between Blues Explosion founder Jon Spencer and rockabilly weirdo/guitarist Matt Verta-Ray. The duo's take on...

Rockonico: Reeves Gabrels.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Reeves Gabrels walks the line between song structure and wiggy sonics like no one else. His tunes on Rockonica have familiar verse/chorus construction (and are often maddeningly catchy), and his riffs and solos typically possess the contours...

I on U: Neil Schon.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Neil Schon rose to prominence under the wing of Carlos Santana, but Schon's latest CD sounds more like another San Francisco super-shredder--Joe Satriani. Santana's influence still informs Schon's sense of melody, but "Blue Passion," "I on U,"...

Kasabian: Kasabian.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Although Kasabian occasionally sound similar to Radiohead and Oasis, they manage to concoct a delightful mix of noise that's energetic enough to get you dancing, yet emotive enough to enjoy while sitting at home chilling out on the couch. If...

3: Calcutta Slide-Guitar: Debashish Bhattacharya.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Debashish Bhattacharya designed the "Trinity of Guitars" played on this recording, and his performances are just as inspired and unique as his instruments. Bhattacharya took up lap steel at the age of three and began performing professionally a...

I Have the Room Above Her: Paul Motian.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Seeing the Paul Motian Trio perform in the late '80s was such an extraordinary experience that I stayed for the second show and returned the following night. Reducing even the most complex compositions to clusters of sparse chords, arpeggios,...

Mighty Rearranger: Robert Plant and The Strange Sensation.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... I've never considered Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson a muse of any sort, but he once said a very smart thing about aging in the rock music world. It went something like, "I don't have to worry about whether I can move around onstage like I used to,...

Roots and Branches: Paul Asbell.(Sound recording review)
June 1, 2005... Few pickers work from as broad a stylistic palette as Paul Asbell. Subtitled Further Adventures in Steel-String Americana, his latest album includes a stunning interpretation of "Somewhere" from West Side Story (with sections of the melody...

Classic Albums: Motorhead, Ace of Spades: Motorhead.(Video recording review)
June 1, 2005... Rock and roll, at least the really good stuff, is rarely a pretty thing to behold. And watching the classic Motorhead lineup of bassist Lemmy Kilmister, drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, and guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke detail the making...

Rhythm Tune Up: John McGann.(Video recording review)
June 1, 2005... Guitarists are notorious for having less-than-stellar time--just ask a bassist or drummer. Working on rhythm chops may not seem as sexy as polishing your string bends or artificial harmonics, but it's crucial: Without a solid grasp of rhythm,...

Prog.(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2005... It has been over a month, and I have re-read it a couple of times now, so it's high time I told you that Barry Cleveland's March 2005 article on Progressive Rock was right on the money. From his account of this burst of musical creativity, to...

Oops!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2005... As Andrew Lowe, of Carmel, California, rightly pointed out: "I enjoyed the article on Hank Garland [Master Class, April '05], a truly extraordinary and versatile guitarist, as well as the co-designer of the Gibson Byrdland. However, your...

The mesmerist: Kevin Cadogan shares the spellbinding open-tuned riffs behind Third Eye Blind and his new solo album Thousand Yard Stare.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... Who knows? Maybe it was because five days a week, its campus brought together one of the most diverse, multi-cultural collections of 3,000 teenagers in the state of California. Or maybe it was simple genius trickle-down from the world-renowned...

Woodshed: the fast track to bebop chops.(guitar playing)
June 1, 2005... Learning to play like jazz greats Pat Martino and George Benson might seem out of reach, but it's a lot easier once you know their secret: Put the right notes in the right places. Using the classic ii-V-I chord progression as a harmonic...

Jam guru: Jimmy Herring: scale patterns you don't hear every day.(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... There are cool things you can do to ordinary scales that will make them sound more interesting--especially when you're using them to improvise and want to create unpredictable sounds. For instance, it seems like just about everybody knows the A...

Rock guru: Greg Koch: chicken pickin' fricassee.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... One thing I like to help blues and rock players realize is that you can learn the joys of chicken pickin' without having to listen to a bunch of country music [laughs]. Hey, I grew up a rock and blues pig, too, and when I used to watch Hee Haw...

How to play like ... Steve Howe.(guitar playing)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... During his multi-decade tenure with prog-rock pioneers Yes, guitarist Steve Howe has successfully experimented with a host of different styles, including blues, jazz, classical, surf, and fusion. One of the coolest aspects of Howe's playing is...

EZ street: moving lines within chords.
June 1, 2005... Moving a melodic line through an otherwise static chord voicing yields a magical sound and huge creative dividends. Whether you're composing or accompanying a singer or soloist, you'll find new ways to use this technique every time you pick up...

Lead Guitar 101: more bending madness.
June 1, 2005... String bends and lead guitar go together like glowing power tubes and rock and roll. Because bending is such a crucial skill, we've devoted the last two installments of Lead Guitar 101 to the subject. If you've missed "Get a Grip on Two-String...

Graham Coxon on Happiness in Magazines.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... The little miracle of Graham Coxon's latest solo release, Happiness in Magazines [Astralwerks], is not that it's a ferocious funfest of thrilling, loud, and off-kilter guitar hysteria. The marvel is that this brutally intense record was made by...

Rode NT2-A.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... One of Rode's recent ads claims there are 150,000 of its original NT2 mics in use around the world. Now, give or take a few thousand, and you're still talking about lots of microphones. So when the company decided to update this recent-vintage...

Wizoo Latigo.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... The new buzz in loop libraries is control. Static loops aren't good enough anymore--you need to be able to get "inside" the loop and customize it. This facility is particularly important with percussion, which usually provides the ear-candy...

Mackie Spike System.(SOFTWARE)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... My friend's studio occupies a space in his Manhattan apartment that is barely larger than a walk-in closet. A complex audio interface with 24 simultaneous inputs is overkill in a situation like that--a high-quality stereo pair will do quite...

Taylor T5.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... One might be tempted to chalk this up to how rare it is to see anything really new in the guitar market, but Taylor's launch of its first thin-line electric model was big news at NAMM last January. Much ado about nothing? No way. The Southern...

Mesa/Boogie stiletto deuce and trident.(Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce)(Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Trident)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... British amp companies began using EL34 output tubes in the mid 1960s, and these distinctive-sounding "valves" have contributed greatly to many of the coolest tones in guitar history. Now Mesa/Boogie's new Stiletto Deuce and Trident...

First Act Lola, Sheena, and Delia.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... In addition to producing entry-level instruments for mega-retailers such as Wal-Mart, First Act builds custom guitars for such high-profile clients as Franz Ferdinand, Cheap Trick, and Aerosmith in its Studio for Artists facility. Now, the...

Epiphone Dot Studio.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... What it's coming to is this: These days, you have to evaluate cheap guitars as rigorously as you'd review a $1,500 model, because budget guitars are getting so good that there's no excuse for crap pickups, shoddy construction, flaky intonation,...

Reverend Goblin 5-15.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... The term "bang-for-buck" typically means different things to different people when it comes to buying an amplifier. For some, multiple channels, onboard effects, and oodles of tone-sculpting options represent value. But to others, and I count...

The "Mad Scientist's Hall" at winter NAMM.(National Association of Music Manufacturers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2005... Every January, a mysterious primordial force draws aspiring music gear manufacturers to Southern California to display their wares. Fueled by an inventive new product idea, and an eagerness to share it, these NAMM neophytes journey from all...

Stompbox fever.(Danelecto Fab Effects)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... DANELECTRO FAB EFFECTS All stores strategically place certain items by the cash registers to promote impulse buys. In most music stores, those goodies are typically limited to picks and string winders. We're certainly not used to seeing...

Knucklehead Electric Geetar Strings.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... With a Web site that opens with a trashy trailer scene depicting a guy with a Joe Dirt-approved mullet, a big boy eating chicken out of a bucket, and a bucktoothed, red-headed stepchild, one could easily get the impression that these strings...

Peterson StroboStomp.(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2005... For decades, Peterson mechanical strobe tuners have been the choice of those who tune for a living, and the company's recent digital strobe units claim 30 times more accuracy than needle- or LED-style tuners. Bringing strobe technology into the...

Luther Dickinson on: roots.(Interview)
June 1, 2005... "Nothing can replace being taught music hand to hand," says Luther Dickinson. "I encourage musicians to play with some older cats, and let them watch you and make fun of you. That's how traditions pass. I learned a lot from R.L. Burnside, who...