Guitar Player articles from September 2004

Guitar Player archives from September 2004

Noise from the editor.(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... One of the things I love about playing guitar is that you can never truly master the instrument. If you're not complacent--and can actually leave your ego in your underwear drawer for a minute or two--you'll have to admit that something always...

Letter of the month!(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I just wanted to say thanks for all the kind words you've had for underground rock [Noize from the Editor, July '04]. It's all about the feeling you had when you and your buddies first bashed out some primitive noise--which to every ether ear...

Prince.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Your feature interview with Prince [July '04] couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. I had just purchased tickets to his show here in Dallas as a birthday gift for my wife. Being a blues nut, initially, I had narrow-mindedly convinced...

Feed us feedback!(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... The new design of the magazine first appeared over four months ego, and you're still posting feedback related to the change? It's getting pretty tiring. Kevin D. MONTREAL, QUEBEC Kevin--You raise on excellent point. The truth of...

Format, schmormat?(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Nice work on the July issue. You managed to hit a bunch of things near and dear to my heart, and top it off with a couple of pretty good interviews, too. Let's see, we had Chicago Blues, Duane Allman, and miracle of miracles--the Bartron Tyler...

Digging the feeling.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I would like to acknowledge the staff of Guitar Player for creating an issue of real music. It's so seldom you see media exposure the types of music that evoke emotion and feeling in the listener--such as blues, soul, funk, and jazz. When my...

Actually, Jude is quite svelte ...(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I was just reading the Reverend Workhorse Series review by Jude Gold in the July issue. On page 146, third column, Jude says, "Does this guitar make me look fat?" It cracked me up. Maybe Jude should consider switching to bass or drums of...

Page's Paul.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I have a problem. In the July 2004 issue, in "Page on his Paul," about the Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy page Signature Les Paul, there's no mention of his first signature-edition Les Paul! Looking at the Tony Bacon book 50 Years of the Gibson Les...

No contest.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I am sending you this note to remind people that guitar playing is not a contest of who is best! That contest is pointless, because there are so many wonderful players we can learn from if we ate open minded. Shall I digress on the slams about...

Oops!(Feedback)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2004... In our Prince cover story [July, '04], it was stated that rhythm guitarist Mike Scott plays a Taylor acoustic. In reality, Scott has been performing with a Takamine model EAN45C, which is equipped with a CT4B-II preamp and a Palathetic pickup....

Two hugely popular, yet wildly disparate, groups called it quits recently.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Two hugely popular, yet wildly disparate, groups called it quits recently. First came the announcement that the mightiest jam band of them all, Phish, will end a 21-year run at the end of their summer tour, with their final shows August 14 and...

Patty Larkin on getting lucky.(Songwriting)
September 1, 2004... "Songwriting usually begins with the guitar for me," explains folk-rocker Patty Larkin, whose intricately sculpted songs, virtuoso fretwork, and adventurous arrangements grace her most recent release Red-Luck [Vanguard]. "As I'm practicing, a...

Back together is Black Sabbath.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Back together Is Black Sabbath. Playing together for the first time since 2001, the seminal group hit the Ozzfest tour circuit this summer sporting all of its original members....

On August 24, the documentary Tom Dowd and the Language of Music will be released on DVD, with limited theatrical release on August 13.(news)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... On August 24, the documentary Tom Dowd and the Language of Music will be released on DVD, with limited theatrical release on August 13. The film, by Mark Moorman, follows the life of legendary producer and engineer Tom Dowd, with appearances...

Big boy Pete's psychedelic songcraft.(Songwriting)(Interview)
September 1, 2004... In the early '60s, Peter Miller--a.k.a. Big Boy Pete--was the guitarist for Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, an in-demand London band that frequently shared bills with the Rolling Stones, Kinks, and Animals, and also toured with the Beatles....

Keller Williams' looparama.(Gigging)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Often sounding like an entire band, singer/songwriter Keller Williams relies on a Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro for the looping portion of his one-man show. "You hit the Record switch on the EFC-7 footcontrollcr and play or sing something, then...

Williams patches the Echoplex Digital Pro to an Auxiliary send/return on his Allen & Heath Mix Wizard 16:2DX mixer.(Gigging)
September 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Williams patches the Echoplex Digital Pro to an Auxiliary send/return on his Allen & Heath Mix Wizard 16:2DX mixer, with all of the instruments in his extensive arsenal feeding the loop input. To keep track...

Les Paul on recording Chester & Lester.(Recording)
September 1, 2004... Les Paul has so many feathers in his cap he could probably fly. In 1977, he teamed up with his buddy Chet Atkins to record the historic duet LP, Chester & Lester. In December of that year, we ran Jon Sievert's cover story on Paul, from which...

Passing notes.(news)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
September 1, 2004... PASSING NOTES: Punk guitarist Robert Quine was found dead on June 5 of an apparent heroin overdose. He was 61. Quine moved to New York City in 1971, and joined Richard Hell's Voidoids, recording two albums with them. Deeply influenced by the...

Les savy fav.(Buzz)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... MUSICAL STYLE Indie rock. CHECK OUT Inches [French Kiss]. GUITARIST Seth Jabour. IDEAL TONE: I like a clean tone that can also break up nicely. I don't like distortion pedals. They have that fake, weird compressed sound." ...

Sparta.(Buzz)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... MUSICAL STYLE Rock/emo. CHECK OUT Porcelain [Dreamworks]. GUITARISTS Jim Ward and Paul Hinojos. IDEAL TONE Hinojos: "I need three sounds--an overly saturated tone, a clean tone with some grit, and a mildly overdriven tone." Ward:...

Beyond the embrace.(Buzz)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... MUSICAL STYLE Metal. CHECK OUT Insect Song [Metal Blade]. GUITARISTS Alex Botelho, Oscar Gouveia, Jeff Saude, IDEAL TONE Botelho: "I look for good crunch, but it has to have clarity." Gouveia: "Tight and crunchy, like early...

Dimarzio.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... DiMarzio's custom Italian leather guitar straps (acoustic $69; standard $79; with rhinestones $249) are made with 2"-wide x 5/32"-thick tumbled Italian leather and colored with non-toxic vegetable dyes. The result is a strap with the soft feel...

Godin.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... The dual-chambered body of the Montreal ($1,795) is carved from a solid block of mahogany and capped with a carved, solid mahogany top with two f-holes and cream binding. Other features include a comfort-cut 24 3/4"-scale mahogany neck, a...

Groove Tubes.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... Designed for use as a personal monitor or to deliver full-range sound in small venues, the SFX Spacestation ($795) is a compact (17"H x 10"W x 10"D) powered stereo monitor that uses Groove Tubes' patented SFX (Stereo Field Expansion) 300-degree...

Guyatone.(Out Now!)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The hybrid digital/analog Flip Series TD-X Tube Echo ($299) employs a 12AXTA tube, Guyatone's MD-3 Micro Delay circuit, and a custom-designed filter array to emulate a variety of vintage and modern delay sounds, including BBD, tape, and...

Line 6.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... Variax Workbench ($139) is a combination USB interface and software package that lets Variax 500 and 700 players model their dream axe from a list of guitar bodies, pickups, tunings, and tone and volume settings. Using the included RJ-45 cable,...

Rocktron.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... Rocktron's MIDI Xchange ($99), a multi-functional MIDI switcher, controls not only Rocktron products but other MIDI-switchable devices as well. Features include a three-segment display, a power switch, two built-in expression ports, and Up/Down...

Kerly.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... Earthtones phosphor bronze acoustic strings ($5 per set) are conditioned with a cryogenic process called ColdFire thermal cycling, which is said to enhance their sound, increase durability, and dramatically reduce wear. The strings come...

JLH.(Out Now!)
September 1, 2004... The AxeTrak ($329) is an analog isolation box with a 6" Eminence heavy-duty driver that lets you capture the big rock sound of overdriven amps without sacrificing your hearing--or the quality of your recording. Simply connect your amp's speaker...

Sonic youth.(Outsiders)(Interview)
September 1, 2004... After all this time, Sonic Youth is still making noise. A huge underground success since the early '80s, the band has managed to retain virtually all of its indie street cred--even while migrating to and from the soulless world of major labels....

Raw rockin & righteous: Robert Randolph reinvents the pedal-steel guitar.(Interview)
September 1, 2004... The millions watching the 2004 Grammy Awards shared a stereotype-shattering musical moment. As actor Samuel L. Jackson introduced Robert Randolph & the Family Band, loud, gospel-tinged funk erupted onstage. When the cameras swung over to...

Soul to soul: the inspirational bliss of Los Lonely Boys' Henry Garza.(Interview)
September 1, 2004... "Our music is for everybody," proclaims Los Lonely Boys guitarist Henry Garza, "from a baby in the womb to a 90-year-old." Well, If the deluge of mainstream press cheese is any indication, Garza is right, as the Texas trio's eponymous...

Some like it hot: Barney Kessel 1923-2004.(Obituary)
September 1, 2004... BARNEY KESSEL 1923-2004 The typical soundbite obituary for Barney Kessel refers to him as the foremost exponent of the "Charlie Christian style" of jazz-guitar playing, but Kessel's legacy is more of a mouthful than a bite. While it is...

A little help from his friends ...: Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival celebrates guitarists, guitars, and gazillions of licks.
September 1, 2004... There are a lot of reasons why it would be very nice to be Eric Clapton. Most of us would probably dig his paycheck, his designer wardrobe, his guitar collection (well, before he started offing much of it through charity auctions), and his real...

The modern marketplace for all guitar players.
September 1, 2004... When the millennium flipped a few years back, experts predicted that the Internet would bring about a sea change in the way we live. As it turns out, they were right! Companies like eBay have fundamentally changed the way people buy and...

What's spinning in the: editors' heads this month?(Rants And Raves)
September 1, 2004... BARRY CLEVELAND Johnny Hiland, Johnny Hiland Deke Dickerson, My Name is Deke Jukka Tolonen, Tolonen! Jing Chi, 3D Chris Dunnett, Higher Glyphics ANDY ELLIS Kelly Joe Phelps, Shine Eyed Mister Zen Jimmie Rivers, Brisbane Bop Mike...

Danny Gatton: funhouse.(Audio)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2004... DANNY GATTON Funhouse Recorded live in June 1988, this CD showcases the late Telecaster legend performing alongside pedal-steel virtuoso Buddy Emmons in what is ostensibly a 9-piece jazz band. Although many of the songs are head...

Gutbucket: dry humping the American Dream.(Audio)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2004... GUTBUCKET Dry Humping the American Dream Nothing makes you feel as sane as listening to musicians who are clearly out of their minds. One glance at none-too-serious song titles such as "O.J. Bin Laden," "Dance of the Demented Pigeon," and...

Avalon Rising: storming heaven.(Audio)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2004... AVALON RISING Storming Heaven Like many things that bubble up in an Irish cultural stew, Celtic music is simultaneously blessed and cursed. The music's passion, angst, and ethereal beauty can be truly astounding, but--like the blues--it...

Yo Miles: Sky Garden.(Audio)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2004... YO MILES Sky Garden Guitarist Henry Kaiser and horn man Leo Wadada Smith formed Yo Miles in the late '90s to explore music in the style of Miles Davis' controversial late-'70s electric period. Performing Miles covers and "in the style of"...

Rick Vito: bond box boogie.(Audio)(Sound Recording Review)
September 1, 2004... RICK VITO Bond Box Boogie In this swinging release, jumpblues and slide ace Rick Vito revisits the sounds he heard booming from Rock-ola and Seeburg jukeboxes while growing up on the East Coast. Whether paying tribute to Django Reinhardt,...

John Lee Hooker: Come and See About Me.(DVD)(Video Recording Review)
September 1, 2004... JOHN LEE HOOKER Come and See About Me A loving document produced by the John Lee Hooker estate, Come and See About Me presents some highlights of the blues legend's career, from a 1960 performance of "Maudie" to various solo gigs to...

The Stratocaster Chronicles: celebrating 50 years of the Fender Strat by Tom Wheeler.(Print)(Book Review)
September 1, 2004... THE STRATOCASTER CHRONICLES: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE FENDER STRAT By Tom Wheeler Packed with cool photographs from some of the greatest moments in Fender history, this 280-page hardcover book covers the evolution of the Stratocaster...

Seventh Heaven: John Pizzarelli Demystifies the Art of 7-String Jazz.(Master Class)
September 1, 2004... "I remember when my father first brought one home," says John Pizzarelli of the exciting day in the mid '60s when his father, the great Bucky Pizzarelli, strolled into the house with a brand-new 7-string electric guitar. "I was only about six...

How to play like ... Jeff Beck.(Intermediate)
September 1, 2004... No other rock guitarist has managed to stay as creative, toneful, and innovative for as long as Jeff Beck. Emerging in the mid '60s with the Yardbirds, Beck proved that a ragged Fender Esquire could moan like a fuzzed-out violin. His lines in...

EZ Street: inside power chords.(Beginner)
September 1, 2004... Power chords--they're crucial to rock and metal, and play important roles in other styles, including blues and bluegrass. But what exactly are they? Technically, the term "power chord" is a misnomer. Composed of only two notes--the root and...

Rock guru Steve Morse: vibey vibrato and bodybuilder bends.(Beginner)
September 1, 2004... Warming up before a show does not have to involve debilitating, impossible-to-play scales. In my case, whether it's a show with Deep Purple or any other band, I usually just practice some bends, perhaps starting with the A Mixolydian fingering...

Blues guru Popa Chubby: branching out of the blues.(Beginner)
September 1, 2004... Blues doesn't always have to be based strictly on Chicago or Delta sounds. I once had three days off at a hotel in the South of France, and I found myself hooked on a catchy samba groove that was inspired by the festive setting around me. I...

Jazz Guru Mike Stern: making single-note solos sing.(Advanced)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... I tend to listen to horn players a lot more than I do guitar players. I love the singing, vocal sound horn players get, so I'm always checking out those cats and hanging out with them. Even horn players themselves strive to get that vocal...

Notational symbols: how to decode written music in Guitar Player.(Lessons)
September 1, 2004... The following symbols are used in Guitar Player lessons and transcriptions to notate fingerings and techniques commonly used in guitar music. Certain symbols are found only in the tablature or the standard notation. For clarity, always consult...

"Embraceable You": as performed by Barney Kessel.(Full Song Transcription)
September 1, 2004... "Embraceable You" was written by the great George and Ira Gershwin in 1930, and introduced to the world by Ginger Rogers and Allan Kearns in the musical Girl Crazy that same year. The timeless standard has been recorded more than 1,000 times...

Ruokangas duke deluxe.(Gear)
September 1, 2004... Since 1995, Finnish guitar maker Juha Ruokangas has been making fine, handcrafted instruments that embody aspects of classic Gibson solidbody guitars, while offering a look and sound that's all their own. Though primarily still a Northern...

Breedlove atlas series AD20/SM.(Gear)
September 1, 2004... Kim Breedlove has built an enviable reputation for his innovative, snazzy-looking 6-and 12-string flat-tops, nylon-string concert guitars, and mandolins. His non-traditional body shapes--and penchant for exotic and alternative woods--attract...

Fender American deluxe telecasters.(Gear)
September 1, 2004... When a company has earned a reputation for designing some of the most established and widely imitated models in electric guitar history, they can only go forward by either coming up with new designs, or modifying existing ones. Fender has tried...

Crate VFX 5112.(Gear)
September 1, 2004... Sporting cool, cloth-textured covering, and a honkin' chrome emblem that would look right at home on the grille of a 50's-era leadsled, Crate's VFX 5112 is an ingenious combination of a gutsy-sounding, EL34-powered tube amp and a DSP processor...

Germino Classic 45.(Gear)
September 1, 2004... With its KT66 output tubes, reproduction output transformer, GZ34 tube rectifier, and aluminum chassis, the Germino Classic 45 ($2,300 retail/$2,070 street) replicates the most prized details of Marshall's first amplifier, the JTM 45. Highly...

Planet waves planet lock strap.(Accessory File)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... One horrific evening, during a bebop clinic with jazz pianist Bill Bell, one of my guitar strap's leather ends somehow folded hack the wrong way around the strap button and, right in the middle of one of Bell's mesmerizing monologues, the strap...

George L'S solderless speaker cable.(Accessory File)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... While tone gurus have been debating the value of different cable materials and construction geometry for decades, everyone seems to be in agreement that the ideal speaker cable should be no longer than absolutely necessary. With George L's new...

Fender standard tension bullets.(Accessory File)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Fender's Standard Tension Bullets ($10.50 retail/street N/A) feature German-made precision brass "bullets" at the end where a standard ball would normally be. Designed to fit precisely into a Strato-caster's tremolo block, these conical-shaped...

Boss BR-1600CD.(Pro Audio Report)
September 1, 2004... I'm not into boxing, wrestling, jujitsu, or any other sport where combatants deal some whup ass to each other, but I'm totally digging all the tech companies duking it out to offer guitarists hassle-free digital-audio workstations. Guitar...

Garageband.(Recording Software)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... GarageBand ($49 retail/street N/A; also available as a free bundle with iLife in new Macs) is one of the few digital-audio recorders that the standard technophobe guitar player can sink his or her teeth into. While several software companies...

Emma RF-1 Reezafratzitz overdrive/distortion.(Stompbox Fever)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... The RF-1 Reezafratzitz ($229 retail/$169 street) is a wicked sounding pedal with one truly unique feature--which isn't its rather bizarre name. The magic behind the RF-1's incredibly thick and punchy tube-amp sound is its Bias control, which...

Guyatone MD3 Micro Digital Delay.(Stompbox Fever)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... So you've built the ultimate pedalboard only to realize you forgot to include space for a digital delay pedal? Well, the super-teeny MD3 Micro Digital Delay ($140 retail/$99 street) might still be a perfect fit. With knobs for Delay Time,...

Danelectro wasabi AS-1 Rock-a-Bye.(Stompbox Fever)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... The Rock-a-Bye ($129 retail/$99 street) takes two great effects that go great together--echo and tube overdrive--and combines them into the desert-island rock-n-roll pedal. The overdrive and echo effects have their own on/off footswitches, and...

Pawnshop prize Kent thinline.(Gear)
September 1, 2004... The Kent name is synonymous with the colorful guitars once commonly found hanging in many '60s-era music stores--even ones that also sold detergent and ice cream, such as Thrifty and Walgreens. According to Tony Bacon's excellent book Classic...

Guitar collection case.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Access N Sight[TM] Launch Date: July 2004 Holds up to twelve guitars. Solid oak, solid craftsmanship. Safety glass, locking doors, brass hardware, soft cushioned lining. Keep your collection safe with easy access in this attractive...

Custom embroidered leather guitar strap.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Double Treble Custom Guitar Straps Now Available Stand out in the crowd. Personalize your very own guitar strap online with words, custom graphics or choose from over 14,000 designs. Handcrafted and finished using the finest leather....

El Diablo 60-C.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Genz Benz Launch Date: July 2004 Smaller brethren to the acclaimed El Diablo 100. The new El Diablo 60-C is a versatile single 12" combo Pentode 60W/ Triode 30W tube amp design with two EL 34's and three 12AX7's. SRP: $1,449 (head...

RockCase Acoustic Guitar Case.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... RockCase by Warwick Now Available The new RockCase by Warwick Acoustic Guitar Cases are rugged on the outside, plush on the inside, and available in Black Tolex, Vintage Tweed, and a very cool faux snakeskin tolex. SRP: starting...

Guitar BackSaver.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Leathers-n-Feathers Now Available The patented Guitar BackSaver provides protection for your bass and electric guitars. Finished leather and locked stitched fasteners insure comfort and durable wear. Available in three sizes. "We got...

3000 Series 200-channel frequency-agile UHF body-pack and handheld systems.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Audio-Technica Now Available For live performance, regional touring and more, Audio-Technica's 3000 Series features 200 channel frequency agility, true diversity operation, soft-touch controls, digital tone-lock squelch. Body-pack's...

FBX 1200 & 2400 feedback exterminators[R].(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Sabine Launch Date: June 2004 The world's best automatic feedback controllers are now faster and more transparent than ever. New SMARTFilters[TM] have laser-like accuracy and resolution, targeting feedback while leaving your sound...

Big bends nut sauce.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Big Bends LLC Now Available Nut Sauce filled groove luber applicator for pin point application. Reduces pitch drift an average of 54%. Reduces string breakage an average of 85%. MSRP $19.95 www.guitaristonly.com ...

GRAMMA.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Auralex Acoustics, Inc. Now Available GRAMMA is the revolutionary isolation devised designed to float any amp, monitor or subwoofer, delivering a purity of tune like you've never heard before. SRP: $59 www.auralex.com ...

Equinox parametric equalizer preamp.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... D-TAR Now Available Equinox is an audiophile quality, low noise, 3-band parametric equalizer preamp. The frequency sweep controls, bandwidth controls, boost/cut controls and dual notch filters make Equinox ideal for studio and live...

Power Factor Pro.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Furman Sound, Inc. Now Available Furman Sound introduces the Power Factor Pro which uses Clear Tone Technology to deliver the purest power available. It also features Maintenance Free Series Mode Protection against surges, spikes and...

TAPCO Juice amp.(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... TAPCO Now Available Designed by Mackie, TAPCO's new Juice Series of stereo power amplifiers deliver big, punchy sound and extreme reliability at the most demanding of gigs. And they come at very musician friendly prices. ...

One guitar many styles (20121BCD).(Product Spotlight)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2004... Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Now Available A collection of pieces in a variety of musical styles written for unaccompanied solo electric guitar by Berklee educator and renowned recording artist Jon Finn. Technical and artistic view...

Quinn Allman on The Edge.(Trading Graces)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... "With The Edge, his guitar playing is this beautiful noise that creates a backdrop of color where what's in the foreground is always more in focus," says the Used's Quinn Allman. "There's a lot of air in his sound, which lets the vocals stick...