Guitar Player articles from June 2006

Guitar Player archives from June 2006

Noise.(musicians)
June 1, 2006... IT'S FRIGHTENING HOW FAST TECHNOLOGY changes everything. Today's heroes often become tomorrow's chumps--which ain't exactly a user-friendly paradigm for anyone considering a long-term career in an industry they love. How many of us will be able...

Letter of the month!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... In the April "Feedback" section, reader TR Kerth writes that John Mayer's "approach to the blues is akin to musical masturbation." His letter is so full of hatred that one wonders what John Mayer could have done to deserve such vilification....

Trucksin'.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... Thanks for the great cover story on Derek Trucks. Every time I see him play I am more amazed at what he can do with a guitar (and not just with a slide). My favorite live moment, however, is not a memory of incredible virtuosity--though there...

McLaughlin.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... Thank you for the April issue! I'm blown away by the John McLaughlin riffs. When I first arrived in San Francisco from Dublin in 1973, one of the first things I got to do was see the original Mahavishnu Orchestra at the Berkeley Community...

Nickelbash.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... I was disgusted about the Nickelback article in the April issue. I didn't like Nickelback to begin with, and I like them even less after reading their cocky interview. How dare they even show their face in a magazine like this? Music is a form...

Jon's got your (nickel)back.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... I have to admit that when I discovered you guys wrote an article on Nickelback, I was pretty disgusted. I have never had much respect for those guys--mainly because I'm not a big fan of Chad Kroeger's voice--and because every song sounds the...

Oops!(FEEDBACK)(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... In the April '06 Artifacts piece on the 1933 National Duolian, we accidentally misspelled the name of Beulah's owner, Rick Tuite.

New York Guitar Festival.(RIFFS: CULTURE)
June 1, 2006... FROM JANUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 8, THE SIXTH installment of the New York Guitar Festival turned the Big Apple into Guitartown, USA. Featuring some 60 guitarists performing 20 concerts in seven venues, the event presented artists of all styles,...

Bryce Dessner.(RIFFS: OUTSIDERS)(Interview)
June 1, 2006... PLAYING GUITAR WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN during a tribute to The Boss and premiering a classical-guitar piece at a prestigious concert hall in Manhattan might sound like career highlights for two very different guitarists. But Bryce Dessner gave...

Pretty in stereo.(RIFFS: ROCKER GIRL)(Natalie E. Poole and Christine Fullwood)(Interview)
June 1, 2006... WITH A SLOT ON THE VANS WARPED TOUR, a couple of songs featured on A&E's Rollergirls, a showcase at SXSW, and winning Best Pop Rock Band honors at the Southern California Music Awards, it looks like Pretty in Stereo's intention of making 2006 a...

Robin Trower.(RIFFS: OEUVRE EASY)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... THIRTY-TWO YEARS AFTER WINNING GP's "Guitarist of the Year Award" in 1974, Robin Trower remains one of the world's most dramatic and cinematic players. In an exclusive interview for GP readers, Trower offered to critique his own work--which...

Bridge of Sighs, 1974.(INSPIRED)(Robin Trower)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "We recorded Bridge of Sighs with three mics set at different distances from the amps by Geoff Emerick, who was the Beatles' engineer," remembers Trower. "I don't believe that had been done before. Given the size of the room--which was large...

Robin Trower Live!, 1976.(INSPIRED)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "We were playing for a radio broadcast, and we had no idea it was being recorded. We were loose and uninhibited, and we played one of our best shows. I'll let you in on a secret about that version of 'Rock Me, Baby.' I took the guitar line from...

Another Day Blues, 2005.(INSPIRED)(Robin Trower)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "This was the closest I have gotten to playing the blues the way I hear it and feel it. I think 'Extermination Blues' is the highlight for me, and I played some slide in standard tuning on it. If mg playing has anything to offer, I hope it's...

In City Dreams, 1977.(REQUIRED)(Robin Trower)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "The song-oriented, R&B feel on this record was heavily influenced by James [Dewar] and his soulful vocals. I was also experimenting with new paths of expression. I used a Tgchobrahe Para pedal wah that had a very wide sweep--it could get very...

B.L.T., 1981 Truce, 1982.(REQUIRED)(Robin Trower)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "These were mg two collaborations with Jack Bruce and drummer Bill Lordan [combined in 1989 as No Stopping Anytime], and they are much better than the 'radio-friendly,' solo work I was coerced into doing at the time. Jack's playing was...

Living Out of Time Live, 2006.(REQUIRED)(Robin Trower)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "This gave me a chance to breathe some new life into old songs such as 'Too Rolling Stoned,' 'Daydream,' 'Day of the Eagle,' and 'Bridge of Sighs,' as well as showcase some more recent material. I was nervous, because we had not played...

Passion, 1987 Take What You Need, 1988 In the Line of Fire, 1990.(TIRED)(Robin Trower)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "I started to lose my confidence around Long Misty Boys (1976), and that was combined with the record company's feeling I had to get songs on the radio to sell albums. I regret everything about these recordings--including the cover art. For...

Teddy Thompson's melancholic musings.(RIFFS: WRITERS)(Interview)
June 1, 2006... "I TYPICALLY USE THE 'SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST' PRINCIPLE when I'm writing songs," explains Teddy Thompson, son of renowned British singer/songwriters Richard and Linda Thompson. "I always have up to 20 songs in progress in various states of...

Ali Farka Toure, 1939-2006.(RIFFS: AFRO POP)(Obituary)
June 1, 2006... THIS PAST MARCH, MALIAN SINGER AND guitarist Ali Farka Toure died at age 66 from bone cancer. Much has been written about his remarkable rise from humble beginnings in the northern desert country of West Africa, to international fame as one of...

Reader's spotlight.(RIFFS: COMMUNITY)(guitarists)
June 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...

Crystal Skulls.(RIFFS: BUZZ)(Christian Wargo)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "WE'RE ALL ABOUT THE SPARKLE--THAT CLEAN, chimey layer of color that sits above the rhythm section, but right below the vocals," says Rickenbacker-toting singer/songwriter Christian Wargo of Crystal Skulls. "That's the spot where you can...

Albert Lee: Road Runner.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... When Albert Lee cuts loose with his trademark country licks--clucky lines and spanky double-stops that are often drenched with spiraling synchronized echo--notes spill from his fretboard like sawdust blowing from a chainsaw. Several cuts on...

Terje Rypdal: Vossabrygg.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Norwegian guitarist and composer Terje Rypdal is not well known in the U.S., and that's a shame, as he has been making extremely interesting and compelling music since the late '60s. On this, his 20th (depending on how you count them) album...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... ANDY ELLIS Lonnie Smith (with George Benson), Live at Club Mozambique Lou Donaldson (with Grant Green], The Natural Soul The Who, The Kids Are Alright [DVD] MICHAEL MOLENDA Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Impossible Dream Joe...

Loose Fur: Born Again in the USA.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The second album from Wilco head honcho Jeff Tweedy, producer/guitarist/ composer Jim O'Rourke, and drummer Glenn Kotche proves more succinct, and in the end, a more pleasurable listen than the trio's 2003 debut. That's not to say that Born...

Peter James: Footnotes to Fairytales.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Peter James is a singer-songwriter who plays 8-and 10-string guitars. On Footnotes to Fairytales, he is joined by fretted and fretless guitarist David Lofton, Chapman Stick and electric-upright bass player Daniel Panasenko, and cellist Marika...

Garrison Starr: The Sound of You and Me.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... As I listen to Starr's sixth album, two words immediately come to mind--deep and sweet. Deep because, you need only listen to one song to realize Starr isn't writing songs for the sake of cleverly rhyming words, and sweet because, not only is...

Richie Allen and the Pacific Surfers: Surfer's Slide The Rising Surf.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Producer, guitarist Richie Allen (real name, Richie Podolor), was a staple in Southern California's studio scene, playing on numerous surf and hot rod records. Signed to Imperial Records in 1960, Allen and nearly everyone else in Los Angeles...

Athana: Dandy Lines and Nevergreens.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Norwegian aural alchemists Alf Terje Hana (guitar) and Arne Hovda (sound design) do a ton of sonic juggling on this blissfully schizoid listening adventure. Fairly common prog textures ebb and flow amidst bloops, bleeps, and assorted...

Tom Verlaine: around.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In the early '90s, Tom Verlaine surprised fans of his edgy guitar work with new-wavers Television by releasing a collection of brooding instrumentals. Titled Warm and Cool, the album revealed the spacey, cinematic side of his muse, and...

Various Artists: Heartworn Highways.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... This impressive disc is the long overdue soundtrack to the recently re-released legendary 1975 underground Americana documentary of the same name. It features the very first recordings by John Hiatt, Steve Earle, and Rodney Crowell, as well as...

Eagles of Death Metal: Death By Sexy.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... They ain't death metal, and they sure as hell ain't the opportunistic millionaires club that calls itself a rock band. In fact, Eagles of Death Metal have more in common musically with Little Richard than Venom. A side project of Queens of the...

Liam Bailey: Flesh & Armor.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Liam Bailey is an excellent guitar player, but he's equally adept on mandolin, fiddle, or whatever else he wants to pick up and play on Flesh & Armor, a heady mixture of bluegrass, pop, and American roots music. There is an unmistakable rawness...

Classic Albums: A Night At The Opera.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... I've praised the Classic Album series in these pages before, and their latest, which dissects the 1975 Queen release, A Night At The Opera, does nothing to stop my own personal love-fest. In fact, the only way any of the Classic Album releases...

Beginner guitar lessons level 1, level 2: IPlaymusic, Inc.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * "Karaoke-style" scrolling lyrics and background music * Four on-screen panels demonstrate techniques from different angles. * Features songs by Eric Clapton, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beach Boys, the Grateful Dead, Bob...

CSC70 semi-hollow archtop: Canvas Guitars.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * Maple neck, top, back, and sides * Rosewood fretboard * S16 humbuckers * JP1 black tuning machines * Colors include brown sunburst, black, and seafoam green * $429 retail * canvasguitars.com [ILLUSTRATION...

Fender stratocaster replica: Replicarz Inc.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * Approximately 12" in length * Wood neck and wire strings * Detailed bridge, pickups, and tuners * Stand and wall mount for display * $79 retail * replicarz.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

JP guitar tool: Journeyman Precision Tool Inc.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * Spring-action pliers * Carbide cutters * Steel hex wrenches (.050mm, 1.5mm, 2.5mm, 3mm) * Phillips and flathead screwdrivers * Bridge pin puller * Nylon sheath case with belt loop * $29 retail * jptool.com ...

Hellraiser avenger: Schecter Guitar Research.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * Mahogany neck and body * Rosewood fretboard * EMG active 81/85 humbuckers * Grover tuners * TonePros bridge * Available in black cherry and gloss black * $949 retail * schecterguitars.com [ILLUSTRATION...

Basik reso resonator guitar pickup: Schertler USA, Inc.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * System consists of an electrostatic contact microphone, an outboard preamp, and an endpin jack * Available from Schertler dealers, or as an installed option from top resonator builders such as Scheerhorn, Beard, Harper, Wechter,...

Custom 30: Reeves Amplification.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * 1x12, handwired 30-watt combo * Two KT-66 power tubes * Single channel * Power Scaling Master Volume control * Treble, Mid, Bass, Cut, and Gain controls * Tube-driven reverb circuit * Dual-mode footswitch (lead...

Guitar: probable chords: MJS Music Publications.(OUT NOW!)
June 1, 2006... * Teaches every chord in each key from most basic to most complex variations * Includes chord charts, notation, and tablature * Includes audio CD with all chords described and performed * $24 retail * mjspublications.com ...

Heavy melody: God Forbid's Doc and Dallas Coyle will riff your head off. In harmony!(Interview)
June 1, 2006... "WE'RE HEAVY AS HELL," PROFESSES GOD FORBID'S DALLAS COYLE. "But we're much more melodic than people think," adds his brother and co-guitarist Doc. The metalcore group's recent release, IV: Constitution of Treason [Century Media], is...

Iggy Pop.(CHASING THE MUSE)(Interview)
June 1, 2006... IN THIS AGE OF SLICK MEDIA FABRICATION WHERE REALITY TELEVISION IS plotted anarchy directed by scenario writers and video editors, many so-called rebels are actually manufactured action figures who are just edgy enough not to be Donny Osmond,...

Blakk magic: Zakk Wylde details the guitar sorcery behind Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society.(Interview)(Cover story)
June 1, 2006... IT'S NOT JUST ZAKK WYLDE'S GUITAR SOUND AND STAGE PERSONA THAT ARE OVER-THE-TOP HUGE. FROM HIS INEXTINGUISHABLE PASSION FOR PRACTICING GUITAR TO HIS UNQUENCHABLE THIRST FOR BEER, HIS EVER-GROWING BICEPS TO HIS EVER-GROWING BEARD, HIS MASSIVE...

T for terror: exploring the shredderific telecaster tones and multifactorial technique of Mr. John 5.(Interview)
June 1, 2006... THE CONTRADICTIONS START WITH THE NAME. JOHN 5. JOHN LOWERY. Both monikers define the same man--one bestowed at birth, the other adopted to match a heightened sense of image--and the inconsistencies don't stop there. To some, John 5...

Timeless lines: Ralph Towner's singular blend of classical and 12-string virtuosities.(Interview)
June 1, 2006... RALPH TOWNER BEGAN PLAYING CLASSICAL GUITAR AFTER BEING persuaded to buy one by an enterprising music store salesman in the early '60s. His instruments were trumpet and piano at the time, but once smitten with the six-string, Towner embarked on...

The top ten Eric Clapton cream riffs of all time.(LICK LIBRARY)
June 1, 2006... LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE, CREAM'S TRIUMPHANT 2005 REUNION CONCERTS confirmed what diehard fans had suspected and anticipated for decades: The legendary chemistry between original members Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker was not only...

Blues hues: from juke joint to jump and swamp to swing, explore the colors with Duke Robillard.(LESSONS: MASTERCLASS)
June 1, 2006... THUMBING A STEADY QUARTER-NOTE LINE ON THE sixth string of his Epiphone Sheraton, Duke Robillard plucks a twangy series of descending chords. "I love a good Delta-blues turnaround," he says. "The chromatic motion gets me every time." Suddenly...

Metal guru: Rusty Cooley: single-string speed-picking.(LESSONS: BEGINNER)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... WHETHER YOU'RE PLAYING RIFFS, MELODY LINES, RHYTHM PARTS, OR SOLOS, WHEN IT comes to shred there's probably no more useful technique than that of fast and accurate alternate picking. But it's important to note that if you can't play fast on one...

Jazz guru: Larry Carlton: pass the test, take 2.(LESSON: ADVANCED)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... IN OUR PREVIOUS LESSON ["THE Joe Pass Acid Test, Take 1," Mar. '06], I shared a story of taking guitar lessons with the late Joe Pass, and how he would determine where you stood as an improvising musician. He'd say, "Let's play a blues, but...

Woodshed: parallel lines--the inside track to outside comping.(LESSONS: INTERMEDIATE)
June 1, 2006... IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPOSITIONAL about-faces in music history, jazz musicians of the '60s eschewed the ultra-fast chord changes they had pioneered in the previous decade and, inspired by everything from 20th-century classical music to Indian...

Ez Street: hey, Bo Diddley!(LESSONS: BEGINNER)
June 1, 2006... FEW THINGS SOUND AS COOL AS A LOUD, electric guitar pounding out a Bo Diddley beat. The pioneering Mr. Diddley--a.k.a. Ellas McDaniel--played a pivotal role in transforming blues into throbbing rock and roll. Inspired by Afro-Cuban rhythms,...

Reader's challenge: unboxing the pentatonic scale.(LESSONS: INTERMEDIATE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... WHILE MANY GUITARISTS HAVE BUILT FABULOUS CAREERS OFF the four-fret-by-six-string pentatonic box pattern in Ex. 1, it's always refreshing to meet players who can think, shall we say, "outside the box." Nick Marty of Feasterville, Pennsylvania,...

Classic sessions: recording the Beatles.(RECORDING)(Excerpt)
June 1, 2006... Excerpted from Here, There and Everywhere BACKWARDS GUITAR MADNESS ON REVOLVER We didn't know at the time that we were raising the bar for recorded music, and we had absolutely no inkling the Beatles were to become even bigger than...

Fender telecaster with Bigsby.(ARTIFACTS)
June 1, 2006... ONE CAN MAKE A PRETTY GOOD CASE THAT PEOPLE would be shredding on archtop guitars if the Telecaster hadn't come along. The plank with strings that Leo Fender put into production in the early 1950s had a huge impact on rock and roll, making...

Checkmate guitar/amp combo.(BLAST FROM THE PAST)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... BY THE EARLY 1960S, JAPAN'S TEISCO COMPANY was churning out large numbers of guitars and amps to meet the burgeoning demand for electric instruments that was being spurred on by the British Invasion. In 1964, the Checkmate name began appearing...

Carvin/Kay hybrid.(DEKE THE GUITAR GEEK)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... THIS MONTH, I'D LIKE TO SALUTE CARVIN, a company that has specialized in mail-order guitars, amps, and sound-reinforcement gear since the late 1940s. This guitar is one of Carvin's earliest attempts to enter the electric guitar market, and, as...

Looping pedal roundup! Four digital repeat boxes.(GEAR)(guitar amplifiers)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... ONCE RELEGATED TD THE REALM DF MUSICAL ESOTERICA, looping has begun to be embraced by musicians of all types, which has drawn the attention of manufacturers hoping to help facilitate their loop dreams. The DigiTech JamMan, Electro-Harmonix...

Gretsch Power Jet.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... WHEN USED FOR HEAVY-ROCK SHENANIGANS, Gretsch guitars are usually considered to be a little out of their comfort zone. Sure, the antics of Malcolm Young, Billy Duffy, Chris Cornell, and Billy Zoom have proven that even a vintage Gretsch can be...

Jazzmaster Ultralight.(FENDER)(guitar amplifiers)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... JAZZ GUITAR AMPS HAVE TRADITIONALLY been small, solid-state affairs intended primarily for those who worship at the altars of Barney Kessel, Joe Pass, and Tal Farlow, and they offer little or nothing in the way of high-gain options or built-in...

Reverend Charger 290.(GEAR)(bass guitar)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... ONE OF SEVERAL NEW MODELS TO ROLL OUT from Reverend's new Stage King series, the Charger 290 sounds like a muscle car that Mopar would have cooked up in the late '60s. In reality, it's a sleek, no-nonsense guitar that is priced and equipped to...

Dan Erlewine's Mod Squad.(GEAR)
June 1, 2006... IT'S SPRINGTIME, AND BASEBALL SEASON IS in full swing. Speaking of full swings, this month, Jonah Powell stepped up to the plate and blasted a home run for the Mod Squad by modifying his 2002 Mexican-made Fender Fat Strat. Jonah replaced the...

Digitech Black-13.(STOMPBOX FEVER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Scott Ian has defined contemporary metal one throughout his career with the bands Anthrax and S.O.D., so it's fitting that the latest addition to DigiTech's tone-modeling Artist Series captures seven of his eviscerating sounds in a pedal dubbed...

ToadWorks Matt Buster's Death Rattle.(STOMPBOX FEVER)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The name is a nod to the designer--not an implication the pedal sounds like Mr. Buster's imagined final exhalation. Still, it's a menacing name to be sure, and ToadWorks describes the Death Rattle ($284 retail/$230 street) as "something dark...

Jellifish plectrum effect.(ACCESSORY FILE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Inventor Robb Hendrickson was inspired to create the Jellifish pick ($13 retail/$10 street) after getting good results playing his guitar with a drum brush. The patented Jellifish uses 18 sections of what looks like wound guitar String, but the...

Planet Waves Joe Satriani signature collection.(ACCESSORY FILE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Joe Satriani is not only one of the most influential rock guitarists of all time, but he's also very handy with a paintbrush, as shown by the JS Series of guitar straps and picks. Five JS Series straps are available ($29 retail/$19 street), and...

Eric Krasno on guitar therapy.(TESTIMONY)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... "WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I SUFFERED A bad accident playing basketball that crushed my elbow joint and the bone in my left forearm. The doctors had to reconstruct my arm using pins, wire, and a metal plate. There was a lot of nerve damage,...