Guitar Player articles from November 2007

Guitar Player archives from November 2007

From the editor.(NOIZE)(Editorial)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GUITAR PLAYER'S GUITAR HERO COMPETITION is just three years old, but the event has grown steadily since its 2005 debut at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. It started out as a somewhat goofy idea to...

Letter of the month!(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Having just endured my 50th birthday, the timing of Editor Boy's September Noize column could not have been more perfect. It got me thinking back to my first collective musical endeavor in the early '70s. Since that time, I have played in all...

Why we do what we do.(FEEDBACK)(September Noize's preview)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Michael Molenda hit on my very thoughts with his September Noize column. I'm 56 years old and have been playing in the same band for the last 35 years. We play classic rock by Humble Pie, the James Gang, Cream, Hendrix, and many others from the...

Cook out.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Today my wife called and told me that the September issue had arrived, and, as usual, I came home and immediately scanned the cover. There, before my eyes, was the name "Eli Cook." I asked myself, "Could it be the same Eli Cook I've had the...

So you think you can dance?(FEEDBACK)(passion for guitars)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Couldn't you possibly put a few scantily clad women on your cover? Sorry ladies, nothing against you or anything, but I am tired of my mailman looking at me like I'm crazy as I wait for my Guitar Player every month. Okay, so sometimes I do a...

Lifeson's pyramid scheme.(FEEDBACK)(Alex Lifeson)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Regarding the "Unidentified Les Paul copy" mentioned in the photo caption on page 92 of the September issue, did you not check back on your first cover story/interview with Alex Lifeson back in June 19807 It's the custom-built (by Pyramid...

Injury to sult.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Okay, by now you know that your September interview with Clutch guitarist Tim Sult (nice, by the way) featured a photo not of Sult, but of his vocalist, Neal Fallon. Clutch fans will survive. I do wish, however, you had asked Mr. S about his...

Gary Moore.(FEEDBACK)(an inspiration and an influence for everyone)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Bravo for featuring the brilliant Gary Moore in the August '07 Oeuvre Easy column. He is without question one of the best guitarists to come out of the British Isles, and to many British players like myself he's always been a hero and...

Brian Setzer.(RIFFS: Classical Swing)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... BRIAN SETZER HAS DONE IT AGAIN. THE GUY WHO HIT IT BIG IN THE '80S with rockabilly juggernaut the Stray Cats has already answered the question, "What do you do for an encore?" That was his big band swing sensation, where he led his own...

Jerry Garcia Live!(RIFFS: Oeuvre Easy)(Sound recording review)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARCH 3, 1968. A 25-YEAR-OLD JERRY Garcia walks to work from the Grateful Dead's communal house at 710 Ashbury Street. His smile tells you he knows he has the best job in the world on this day, as he prepares to play...

Editor boy's big eight.(RIFFS: MySpace Hordes)(Column)
November 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...

Michelle Malone.(RIFFS: Rocker Girl)(Michelle Malone on the guitar for 25 years)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS, ROOTS-ROCKER "Moanin'" Michelle Malone has averaged 200 days per year on the road, and her sensual, raspy vocals--think Janis Joplin meets Bonnie Raitt--and energetic guitar work have earned...

Global guitaring.(RIFFS: Travel Diary)
November 1, 2007... WORDS OFTEN FAIL WHEN DESCRIBING THE PLEASURE derived from music. This was never more obvious to me than while strumming songs from Joni Mitchell's Blue as I cruised the majestically rugged coast of Turkey, watching the waters of the...

Kittie.(RIFFS: Metal)(Kittie's Morgan Lander and Tara McLeod)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT STILL BURNS KITTIE GUITARIST AND vocalist Morgan Lander that all some people can remember about her band is the fact they were high school students at the group's inception. "The name 'Kittie' conjures up...

Minnie Driver.(RIFFS: Songwriting)(songwriting effects of Minnie Driver)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "DESIRE AND INTENT ARE REALLY HUGE," SAYS actress/musician Minnie Driver about crafting songs, "but the desire can't just be about having people like you, or becoming famous. You have to figure out why you want to...

John Butler Trio.(RIFFS: Jam Band)(technics on playing a guitar)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JOHN BUTLER THINKS OF HIMSELF AS A MAN ON a mission to battle injustice and make the world a better place. Embrace or eschew that sentiment as you will, but when it comes to his guitar playing, the dreadlocked...

Lil' Ed Williams.(RIFFS: Blues)(Edward Louis Williams )
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I ONCE SAW MY UNCLE J.B. HUTTO FALL FLAT ON his back at the Wise Fools Pub." remembers Lil' Ed Williams. "I ran over to help him, and he looked at me and said, 'Don't do it. Let me lay right here for a minute.' He...

'60s Teisco Del Rey ET-210 Spectrum.(eBay Prize)(1960)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THIS WAS WHEN I found it at a flea market in Hendersonville, North Carolina. There was no name, no case, and it was missing tremolo parts. But it sure looked interesting. The seller wanted $25. I talked him down to $20. When...

Dave Kilminster.(RIFFS: Performance)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TO PINK FLOYD FANS, DAVE KILMINSTER IS THE luckiest guitarist alive. During the last two years, he has toured with Roger Waters, performing the majority of David Gilmour's guitar and vocal parts throughout...

Sir Richard Bishop.(RIFFS: Acoustic)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SIR RICHARD BISHOP IS A MYSTIC. OR maybe even a heretic. His songs feature titles such as "Cemetery Games" and "Hecate's Dream" (Hecate being the Greek goddess of witchcraft), and his Web site and albums include...

Errol Cooney.(RIFFS: Super Sideman)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT'S ONE OF THE IRONIES OF BEING A GREAT SIDE musician: Millions of people see you perform, yet hardly anybody knows your name. Such is the case for R&B guitar ace Errol Cooney, whose current gig is playing arenas...

Kiko Loureiro.(RIFFS: Fusion)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "AS MUSICIANS, WE HAVE TO EXPLORE EVERYTHING. I've studied classical and Brazilian music, and I've played rock. I'm also into Japanese music, Indian music, flamenco, and tango from Argentina. It doesn't matter to me....

Richie Kotzen.(RIFFS: Rock)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MAN CRUSH ALERT! YES, RICHIE KOTZEN IS stunning. Anyone who became entranced by music in the era of angelic or strange beauties such as Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Brian Jones will likely view Kotzen as the pure...

Passing notes.(RIFFS)(Keith (Ketman) Shirasawa)(Obituary)
November 1, 2007... Keith (Ketman) Shirasawa, a fixture behind the counter at San Mateo, California's Gelb Music, passed away August 4, while on vacation in New Yore due to complications following emergency surgery for a neck injury sustained while riding the...

Steve Khan.(RIFFS: Jazz)(Interview)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FROM HIS DAYS AS A FUSION PIONEER IN THE MID '70s, Steve Khan has managed to forge his own musically distinct path. Whether it was as a sideman (Brecker Brothers, Billy Cobham, Grover Washington, Jr.), a studio ace...

Matt Chamberlain, Bill Frisell, Tucker Martine, Lee Townsend: Floratone.(Audio)(Sound recording review)(Book review)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Taking a page from the Miles Davis/Teo Macero playbook, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Matt Chamberlain teamed up with longtime production pals Martine and Townsend to create this studio-collaged musical...

Marc Ford: Weary and Wired.(Audio)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ex-Black Crowes gunslinger Marc Ford doesn't sound particularly wired or weary on his second solo outing. Instead, he seems very much in the pocket with killer blues/rock chord bashing and gut-punching solos. The...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)
November 1, 2007... MATT BLACKETT Alcatrazz, Disturbing the Peace Joe Bonamassa, Sloe Gin Rage Against the Machine, The Battle of Los Angeles DAMIEN CASTANEDA Nancy Ajram, Sheel Oyoonak Anni Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle, One From the Heart Soundtrack Tulku, A...

Concentrick: Aluminum Lake.(Audio)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The brainchild of Tim Green--guitarist for the F***ing Champs--Concentrick specializes in an eclectic instrumental melange of ambient, metal, kraut-rock, and straight-up riff rock. But whereas Green's other outfit...

Brad Paisley: 5th Gear.(Audio)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With good looks, chart-topping vocal melodies, platinum albums, none-too-serious lyrical hooks such as "I'd like to check you for ticks" (is that what the kids are calling it these days?), and a cowboy hat, Brad...

Waylon Jennings: The Essential Waylon Jennings.(Audio)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spanning Jennings' career from 1964 to 1987, this two-CD collection corrals 42 songs, including a dozen of his #1 country hits and scores that made the Top 10. The scope of the material is pretty mind-bending. Disc...

John Jorgenson Quintet: Ultraspontane.(Audio)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jorgenson's latest foray into Djangoland finds the gypsy jazzmaster laying down La Pompe and beaucoup hot licks on '39 and '42 Selmers, a mid-'30s short-scale D-hole Selmer, a '95 Dupont, and assorted Gitane John...

John Jorgenson Quintet: In Concert.(DVD)(digital videodisk)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As cool as his CDs are, actually being able to see Jorgenson do his gypsy jazz thing expands the enjoyment exponentially. The dual-DVD In Concert was filmed at the 16th Century Teatro Olimpico, in Vicenza, Italy. A...

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Pride and Jog.(DVD)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This collection of videos is an intriguing, thrilling, and occasionally hilarious retrospective on the dearly departed Stevie Ray Vaughan. The MTV videos for "Love Struck Baby" and "Cold Shot" are fun to watch, and...

The Byrds: Under Review: A Documentary Film.(DVD)(digital videodisk)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This exhaustive double-DVD set traces the Byrds' musical and personal twists and turns, from hardcore folkies to sonic visionaries to country-rock pioneers. By interviewing a cadre of writers (Richie Unterberger and...

Demeter Amplification: Stereo Tremulator TRM-2S.(GEAR: New Gear)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Run two amps in sync with both speakers rising and lowering in volume together, or out of sync with the sound pulsing side to side * Phase switch puts audio signals out of phase for a subtle swirling sound * $359 retail * demeteramps.com ...

Morgan Monroe: Blues 32 M-00-TBV acoustic guitar.(GEAR: New Gear)
November 1, 2007... Solid Sitka spruce top * Mahogany back and sides * Mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard * Stay Tight tuners * $499 retail * shsaudio.com/morganmonroe.htm [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Dean Guitars: razorback 255 guitar.(GEAR: New Gear)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... 25 1/2" scale length increases string tension for improved definition (particularly in the higher overtones) * Wide fret spacing enhances ease of fingering when soloing in upper-neck regions * EMG 81/85 humbuckers * Available in Two Tone Silver...

Zaolla Silverline: the artist instrument cable.(GEAR: New Gear)(guitar cables)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Solid-silver center with an enamel-coated, stranded-copper ancillary conductor yields greater high- and low-frequency transmission, and a mid-frequency boost * Available in straight-to-straight (3', 5'. 10', 15', and 20'),...

MJ Guitar Engineering: MJ Montana big sky.(GEAR: New Gear)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Quarter-sawn, tight-grain fir top * Semi-hollow mahogany body * Figured maple neck with ebony fretboard * Custom-inlayed chrome hardware * Seymour Duncan 59 neck / JB bridge pickups * $3,900 retail * mjguitar.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

SKB: SKB-PS-55 stagefive professional pedalboard.(GEAR: New Gear)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Accommodates virtually any configuration of pedals * Polarity switches on all DC jacks * Power is filtered, regulated, and short-circuit protected * Detachable main power cord with 115/230 VAC power supply * Built-in cable tester * Built-in...

Guitar heroes A-Z: how to play like 26 guitar gods from Atkins to Zappa.(LESSONS SPECIAL)(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT IS IT, EXACTLY, THAT DEFINES A HERO? When it comes to guitar, Chet Atkins may have answered this question best when he stated simply that if it weren't for his hero, Merle Travis, he'd probably still be "looking...

Showdown! Five multi-effectors under $70.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... IF YOU STILL MARVEL AT HOW MUCH PROCESSING power can be squeezed onto a tiny chip, you're in danger of sounding like an out-of-touch old fart that still shakes his head in amazement at the Internet, Cheez Whiz, and touch-tone phones. But the...

Campbell American Caledonian, Nelsonic Transitone, and UK-1.(GEAR: Bench Test)(electric guitars)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] THE CAMPBELL AMERICAN NAME FIRST SHOT across the guitar firmament when session ace Danny Kortchmar (Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and zillions of others) started playing the company's...

Top hat Vanderbilt 33.(EDITORS' PICK)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... EDITORS' Guitar Player PICK TOP HAT'S BRIAN GERHARD DECIDED TO KICK UP his standards a notch, and labeled two of his new amps as "Custom Shop" models. The 16-watt Supreme 16 ($1,949 retail) is a souped-up rendition of Top Hat's popular...

AXL Badwater SRO.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] FENDER LED THE FORAY INTO PRE-AGED FINISHES in the '90s with its expensive, Custom Shop-produced Relic series guitars and basses. Now some very inexpensive "relic" instruments have hit the market in the form of AXEs...

Rocktron V50D velocity.(GEAR: Bench Test)(Rockton's V50D combo)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ROCKTRON'S V50D COMBO COMES WELL ARMED for practice and gigs with two channels, onboard effects, and a robust output stage that pumps 25 watts into each of its two 8" speakers. You get handy features such as a...

Boss RE-20 Space Echo.(GEAR: Exclusive!)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] HOW COOL IS THIS? I NEVER OWNED A VINTAGE Space Echo, but I sold and fiddled with bunches of them over the few years I spent working in a used-gear shop called The Starving Musician in Santa Clara, California....

Electro-Harmonix HOG guitar synthesizer.(GEAR: Stompbox Fever)(harmonic octave generator)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] ELECTRO-HARMONIX HAS CREATED COUNTLESS effects boxes throughout its nearly 40-year existence, evolving a product line that has included everything from conventional stompboxes to entirely wacko pedals that pegged...

JLH Products AxeTrak isolation cab.(GEAR: Recording)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] REMEMBER HOW GREAT A CRANKED TUBE AMP sounds on your recordings? Me neither. Okay, I do (vaguely), but having been an apartment dweller for more than 20 years has required me to get super creative in my attempts to...

Sound innovations Kickstand.(GEAR: Accessory File)(unique and built-in guitar stand)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE KICKSTAND ($29 RETAIL/STREET PRICE N/A) is a convenient and unique guitar stand. By easily attaching it to the back of your instrument, you have a built-in guitar stand that is lightweight, portable, and...

Moody Leather Vintage Moody.(GEAR: Accessory File)(leather guitar strap)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... MOODY LEATHER'S ALLISON SUTER MAKES SOME of the most sensual and comfy leather guitar straps around, and the company's new Vintage Moody ($115 retail/direct) goes back to the future by modeling itself on the retro thin-strap-and-shoulder-pad...

Michael Bloomfield: 1979.(BACK 40: GP Archives)(Interview)(Excerpt)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD'S LEGEND WON'T GO AWAY. Though he is passionately committed to discovering, dusting off, and reinterpreting the dozens of musics in virtually every corner of America's post-Civil War folk heritage,...