Guitar Player articles from October 2006

Guitar Player archives from October 2006

Noize.(a musician's life)
October 1, 2006... I HAD LEARNED THROUGH EXPERIENCE TO duck and cover, so I did, and that's why the rock careened off the rear bumper of the van, rather than smacking into my thigh--or worse. "Freak!" Thankfully, the testosterone-fueled bellow came first--as...

Letter of the month!(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I had the July issue in hand, expecting to read about Paris Hilton's latest exploits, and what did I find? An interview with Tom Patty celebrating 30 years with the Heartbreakers. Also taking up valuable space was a photo of Petty and Mike...

Frank-tastic!(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I just want to thank you for your current issue. The fact that you put Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai, and a picture of Frank Zappa on the cover is refreshing. This illustrates the type of readers you are looking to attract: real musicians. I...

Rhythm rocks.(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I was glad to see August's "Rock Guru" was about rhythm. I often find myself trying to play some awesome rift, and think I am actually playing and understanding rock. The truth is, to complement a rift, you need to have some sort of rhythm...

King Crimson.(RIFFS: OEUVRE EASY)(musical group)
October 1, 2006... WHEN IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING HIT THE FM airwaves in late 1969, the immense creative force and instrumental virtuosity captured within its grooves left many listeners stunned. Besides the Mellotrons, jazz-inflected woodwinds and...

Hangin' 12 with Bruce Arnold.(RIFFS: OUTSIDERS)(interview)(Interview)
October 1, 2006... THE LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATION OF A recording session is a downer for New York City's Bruce Arnold, but it's a godsend for me, as I'm finally presented with an opportunity to corner the itinerant guitarist/composer/educator for an interview. It's...

Myspace hordes.
October 1, 2006... 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...

Luka Bloom's bard attitude.(RIFFS: SONGWRITING)
October 1, 2006... IRISH SINGER-SONGWRITER LUKA BLOOM IS BEST known for the raucous, in-your-face folk-punk energy of hit albums such as 1990's Riverside and 1992's The Acoustic Motorbike. But recent years have seen him pursue a considerably gentler and more...

Mamady Kouyate's '60s revival.(RIFFS: AFROPOP)
October 1, 2006... IF YOU STEP INTO A NEW YORK CLUB WHERE the Mandingo Ambassadors (Ambassedeurs du Manding) are playing, and close your eyes, you go back in time, and across the Atlantic to Guinea, West Africa, in the 1960s. In the flush of Guinea's independence...

Rachelle van Zanten.(RIFFS: ROCKER GIRL)(interview)(Interview)
October 1, 2006... AFTER 11 YEARS IN THE TRENCHES, CANADIAN slide guitarist Rachelle van Zanten is done with bands. She just released her first solo-album, Back to Francois [rachellevanzanten.com], which is packed with funky blues riffs and stellar slide...

Maps and Atlases.(RIFFS: BUZZ)(musical group)
October 1, 2006... TWO-HANDED TAPPING HAS BEEN A ROCK staple for almost three decades, but Maps and Atlases' guitarists (and post-modernist theory-citing art school grads) Erin Elders and Dave Davison believe their interwoven barrage of textural tapping on Trees,...

Passing notes.(RIFFS: BUZZ)(Syd Barrett and Claydes Smith)(Obituary)
October 1, 2006... Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett--guitarist, lyricist, and original member of Pink Floyd--died July 7 at his home in Cambridge, England, from complications related to diabetes. He was 60 years old. Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd with Roger Waters, Rick...

Jeff Lang: Prepare Me Well (An Introduction to Jeff Lang).(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Lap slide wizard Jeff Lang recorded the songs on this collection of progressive and beautifully broken folk-blues during the last ten years, releasing them in his native Australia. Culled from five albums (Whatever Makes You Happy, Everything...

Billy Burnette: Memphis In Manhattan.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)
October 1, 2006... Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnette sports rockabilly genes for days--his father and uncle made up two-thirds of the legendary Rock and Roll Trio (bassist Dorsey is his father and Johnny his uncle)--so it's no surprise that Burnette's...

Robert Fripp: Exposure [reissue].(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)
October 1, 2006... By the time it was released in 1979, this album had deviated significantly from Fripp's original intentions, primarily due to vocalist Daryl Hall's management having retroactively nixed his parts on all but two songs. Replacement vocals were...

What's spinning in the editors' heads this month?(RANTS & RAVES)
October 1, 2006... DARRIN FOX Motorhead, Stone Deaf Forever Various Artists, Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly Django Reinhardt, Djangology ANDY ELLIS Kenny Burrell, The Best of Kenny Burrell 1956-1963 Strays Don't Sleep, Strays...

Third Eye Blind: A Collection.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)
October 1, 2006... Jeez, band breakups can be nasty. Perhaps that's why ousted Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan--the lead guitarist and co-composer on many of Third Eye Blind's biggest hits and most fan-adored album tracks (many of which you'll find in...

The Disco Biscuits: The Wind at Four to Fly.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)
October 1, 2006... I'll freely admit that I don't get the whole jam band thing--too many frat-dudes, the dancing is too weird, and, frankly, sandals hurt my feet. But when I popped the Disco Biscuits' new two-disc live album, the band's sixth, into my CD player,...

Various: Rockin' Bones--1950s Punk & Rockabilly.(AUDIO)(Sound recording review)
October 1, 2006... When amped-up rhythm & blues collided with hillbilly boogie in the mid-1950s, rockabilly was born and teenagers across the U.S. claimed the rowdy offspring as their own. This four-disc collection celebrates the over-the-top sounds of that...

1. Planet Waves: NS classical capo.(OUT NOW!)
October 1, 2006... Manufactured for the wide profile of a classical guitar neck * Lightweight aluminum construction adds virtually zero weight to the guitar * $24 retail * planetwaves.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

2. Jackson Ampworks: atlantic amp head.(OUT NOW!)
October 1, 2006... Handwired turret board * 19W, pure class A (50W, class A/B available) * High-gain non-master volume * Output tubes: Mullard; preamp tubes: JJ 12AX7; solid-state rectifier * Fixed bias with integrated digital meter and independent adjustments...

3. Babicz Guitars USA: FS finger-style acoustic guitar.(OUT NOW!)
October 1, 2006... Solid Sitka spruce top, solid rosewood back & sides * Short scale-length (20 frets, 24.75") and wide string spacing (1 13/16" at nut) * Continually adjustable mahogany neck * Lateral compression soundboard * Torque reduced split-bridge *...

4. Parkwood Guitars: PW370M acoustic electric guitar.(OUT NOW!)
October 1, 2006... Solid Sitka spruce top, bound solid-mahogany neck, mahogany back and sides * Utilizes the "Scoops" bridge design, in which the backside of the bridge is scooped out, and the bridge pins sit at a lower height for better comfort and increased...

5. Dunlop: SW-95 slash signature crybaby wah.(OUT NOW!)
October 1, 2006... High-gain distortion coupled with the Fasel-loaded classic circuit for instant lead tone * LEDs indicate distortion on/off and wah on/off modes * Batteries accessible from the top of the rocker pedal * $289 retail * jimdunlop.com ...

6. Damage Control: solid metal distortion pedal.(OUT NOW!)
October 1, 2006... Dual 12AX7s biased at 250V internally * Die-cast aluminum chassis * Switchable 20dB nuclear gain boost * Unique Bass control adjusts the resonant speaker response * Scoop control for tone-shaping * Power supply included * Remote switching *...

Righteous guitar: Phil Keaggy's soulful 6-string excursions.(Interview)
October 1, 2006... PHIL KEAGGY HAD ALREADY ACHIEVED RECOGNITION as a gifted guitarist while he was still in high school, and his band, Glass Harp, inked a deal with Decca Records when he was only 19 years old. That same year, Keaggy embraced Christianity, a...

When worlds collide! Smokin' Joe Kubek's greasy Texas riffs and Bnois King's fat jazz chords fire up some bad-ass blues.(interview)(Interview)
October 1, 2006... "IT CHANGED MY LIFE," RELATES SMOKIN' JOE Kubek about an afternoon he spent with B.B. King, passing Lucille back and forth. "I was 19, struggling through hard times, and trying to survive by playing ten-dollar-a-night blues gigs--which was just...

Brad Paisley: country superstar gets in the Groove.(GT PROFILE)(Guitar Player)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... WHAT HE'S DONE: Triple-threat singer, songwriter and musician who's played nearly every guitar lick on his four consecutive platinum records. In 2001, Brad became the youngest-ever member of the Grand Ole Opry at age 29. WHAT HE'S DOING:...

Harbingers of change: with diverse influences, sweep picking, and a fear of conformity, avenged Sevenfold's Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates are evolving the sound of modern metal guitar.(Interview)
October 1, 2006... WITH APOLOGIZES TO WILLIE DIXON FOR hijacking--and adapting--his lyric, the phrase, "The men don't know, but the little boys and girls understand" pretty much sums up the era of new metal in the '90s. While youngsters lapped up the intensity...

The top five Billy Gibbons/ZZ top riffs of all time.(LICK LIBRARY)
October 1, 2006... FROM THE MOMENT HE RECEIVED JIMI HENDRIX'S accolades (and the gift of a pink 1958 Fender Stratocaster) as a young lad in the Moving Sidewalks, to his present status as a near-elder statesman of all things cars, guitars, and chili bars, the...

Killer cascades: Johnny Hiland demos the art of hot country open-string riffs.(LESSONS: MASTER CLASS)
October 1, 2006... WHEN LES PAUL MET JOHNNY HILAND AND WITNESSED firsthand the Nashville virtuoso's singular brand of blazing hot country shred, the elder statesman of electric guitar asked the young cowboy, "Boy, what are you thinking about when you play?"...

EZ street: sus-chord mojo.(LESSONS: BEGINNER)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... SKILLED RHYTHM GUITARISTS KNOW HOW to generate musical tension and release by weaving attention-grabbing suspended chords into their grooves. In this lesson, we'll begin exploring this "sus" sound and learn how to use it with major triads....

Metal guru: Rusty Cooley: chromatic licks of doom.(LESSONS: ADVANCED)
October 1, 2006... AS YOU MAY RECALL FROM MY GURU APPEARANCE in the May '05 GP ["Video Game Death Licks"], I've discovered various ways to play single-note licks that have a robotic, computer-generated sound that often reminds people of the primitive yet...

Jazz guru: Mike Stern: false fingerings for guitar.(LESSONS: INTERMEDIATE)
October 1, 2006... I LOVE HORN SH*T. ONE THING I LOVE IS when a horn player plays the same note twice, but it comes out sounding different the second time because it's played using a false fingering. Saxophonists do it all the time. Singers can do it as well....

Badass! Les robot.(LESSONS: INTERMEDIATE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... ARMED WITH ONLY A LES PAUL, A MARSHALL half-stack, and a fistful of hypnotic mutant country licks, Les Robot took first place at this year's North American Rock Guitar Competition in Buffalo, New York. "Buster B. Jones played in my area years...

Techniques: compression basics.(RECORDING)
October 1, 2006... THE USE OF COMPRESSION BY GUITAR PLAYERS has become a sort of snake oil tonic. It can pump up sonic impact and clarify note attack, but, all too often, the application of compression sucks the life out of the guitar sound instead of enriching...

Hardware: Palmer PDI-03 speaker simulator.(RECORDING)(Product/service evaluation)
October 1, 2006... THE PDI-03 ($565 RETAIL/STREET N/A) IS A combination signal splitter, DI, and load box designed specifically for guitar and bass. According to designer Martin Schmitz, this reissue is nearly identical to the original, which won raves from major...

Frontier design group TranzPort V1.3.0.(RECORDING)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... THE TRANZPORT ($249 RETAIL/$199 STREET) is a two-way wireless device that uses high-frequency radio waves to remotely control transport and other DAW functions--something that can come in handy for, say, recording yourself playing acoustic...

Production strategies: referencing greatness.(RECORDING)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... IF WE WERE ALL FEARLESS INDIVIDUALISTS, any guitar tone we conceived would be designated as "good," and any critics would be dispatched with total disregard. However, a fair percentage of recording guitarists seeks to craft fabulous guitar...

Deke the guitar geek: Gay acoustic.(VINTAGE VAULT)(Frank Gay)
October 1, 2006... OKAY, CHUCKLEHEADS, GET IT OUT OF YOUR system now, because the guitar we're featuring this month is indeed a Gay guitar. However, the Gay in question here is a little-known luthier based out of Canada in the 1950s and '60s named Frank Gay, who...

Roundup! 16 distortion pedals.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
October 1, 2006... DISTORTION PEDALS OCCUPY AN ELEVATED place in the stompbox hierarchy, and it's easy to see why. Many players rely entirely on distortion pedals for solos and heavier rhythm tones, preferring the zingier sound of a pedal hitting an amp over the...

Pedalmania! We review 28 little boxes of bliss.(GEAR)(Buyers guide)
October 1, 2006... BY THE GP STAFF WHAT GUITARIST WORTH HIS OR HER WEIGHT in riffs doesn't adore stompboxes? Pretty much every guitar player has at least one pedal, and online forums clatter on and on about which distortion box is best, who's making the...

Exclusive! A first look at the DigiTech Brian May Red Special.(GEAR)(Product/service evaluation)
October 1, 2006... MAN, IT MUST SUCK TO WORK FOR DIGITECH'S GUITAR-PRODUCT research team these days. What manner of self-abusing tech head would subject himself to countless meetings with legendary--or merely fabulously popular--guitarists to discuss mundane...

For tweakers: how to replace speakers.(GEAR)
October 1, 2006... ASIDE FROM SWAPPING OUT A BLOWN OR damaged speaker, why would you bother replacing the speakers in your guitar rig? Well, by considering different magnet types, power ratings, and impedances, you may improve your amp's (or speaker cab's) tone...

Dan Erlewine's Mod Squad.(usage of an acoustic guitar)
October 1, 2006... AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR DOESN'T HANG NATURALLY with a strap fastened to its peghead. The neck is immobilized, and the pull on it probably adds to problems such as twist and excess upbow. Unless yours is a vintage guitar you'd rather not drill into,...

The gig bag goodie giveaway: presented by D'Addario and Plant Waves.(GIVEAWAY)
October 1, 2006... D'Addario and Planet Waves want to treat one lucky winner to a veritable cornucopia of gear must-haves this October. Enter the giveaway for a chance to fill your gig bag with tuners, strings, a pedal board cable kit, straps, polish, and tons...

Bela Fleck on collaboration: "traditional music surprises me less often than it used to, so I'm always looking for new challenges.".(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... "Collaboration is a high art. It's about finding someone that sparks you, and figuring out what you can add without being dominative. Sometimes, it's about diving in bravely--although you can't intuitively play complex music. You have to do the...