While five-string banjos are far more popular today than any other style, during the height of the Dixieland Era of the 1920s, when Gibson introduced its famous Mastertone banjos, four-string tenor and plectrum models were in far greater demand. Five-string banjos were popular from the 1850s until shortly after the turn of the century, when [...]
Monthly Archives: July 2006
Bryan Lee
Have Blues Guitar, Will Travel
One night when Bryan Lee was opening for New Orleans legend Snooks Eaglin at the city’s Rock ‘N’Bowl, Snooks called Bryan up to jam during his set. Lee recalls, “He said, ‘All we need now, Bryan, is [blind pianist] Henry Butler, and we’d have the Three Blind Mice.’ I said, ‘No, no, no. The Three [...]
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The Tube Amp Book – Deluxe Revised Edition
Tube amp connoisseurs, your cup runneth over! This new edition of the veritable Tube Amp work distills all the facts and schematics from the first four editions, marries them to a large hardcover format, and adds the technological bonus of a CD-ROM. The resulting package covers all the great tube amp manufacturers with histories, pictures, [...]
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John Pizzarelli – Bossa Nova
John Pizzarelli’s latest should come as a surprise to no one. The fact that he’s been influenced by Jobim and his many disciples is evident in his past work. And it should come as no surprise that Pizzarelli serves this music as well as it serves him. The touchstones are here. The opener is “One [...]
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Gibson Mastertone GB-3
While five-string banjos are far more popular today than any other style, during the height of the Dixieland Era of the 1920s, when Gibson introduced its famous Mastertone banjos, four-string tenor and plectrum models were in far greater demand. Five-string banjos were popular from the 1850s until shortly after the turn of the century, when [...]
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Bradley Kincaid Houn’ Dog
It’s not absolutely certain when the artist-model guitar debuted. Guitarmaking has a long history of artist “endorsements,” as in, “Segovia plays a Hausser so I want one, too.” Late-19th-century makers used testimonials to promote various models, often by professionals. And special guitars have always been made to artist specs. But these are not quite the [...]
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Reeves Custom 100
Big Brit tone, top-notch deployment
Reeves Amplification founder Bill Jansen knows full well that anyone shopping for a boutique guitar amp has gobs of options, and vying for the player’s dollar is all about tone, quality, and reputation. That’s why he aims for a specific market segment – the player who prefers the British “older is better” design, hand-wired to [...]
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John5
Rockers's new album not what you might think
Don’t let John5′s stage persona fool you. Underneath that peroxide-white hair, sinister colored contact lenses and high-priest-of-evil wardrobe breathes one impressive and versatile guitarist. True, the Michigan-born guitarist (real name John Lowery) is most well-known for his 5-plus years as guitarist for the notorious Marilyn Manson, during which time he adopted the requisite ghoul costume [...]
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Eric Clapton – Me & Mr. Johnson
I’ve never quite understood those who would bash Eric Clapton. Yes, he’s done stuff that maybe wasn’t what I wanted to hear. But anyone who’s been around for 40 years has done that, right? I loved his last effort, Reptile, although it was soundly beaten by a lot of folks (especially guitarists). That said, I [...]
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Top Of The World Tour – Live
One thing that should not be forgotten in the midst of all the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks’ 2003 tour is that not only was it the biggest-grossing country tour of the year by far, it was also the fifth highest-grossing act, period. Perhaps more significantly, it was the only non-”classic rock” act of the [...]
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