Month: March 2010

Marshall 1974X and 2061

Marshall 1974X and 2061

In the world of guitar amplifiers, the word “Marshall” often conjures images of 100-watt stacks capable of producing ear-bleeding levels of tube-powered volume – the kind favored by guitarists who play stadiums.

And while it’s true Marshall amps built their reputation by sharing the stage with the likes of Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen, they certainly weren’t all born to serve that purpose. Along with their fire-breathing 100-watt stacks, some of the first amps designed and built by a drummer named Jim Marshall and an electronics engineer named Ken Bran were smaller, low-powered units. Their very first platform was a head created in 1962 called the JTM45, which by the mid ’60s had served as the basis for the combo models 1961 (4×10″) and 1962 (2×12″), which became popular not only because they put a decidedly distorted twist on guitar tone, but also because in ’65 Eric Clapton used a second-series 1962 to record John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton album. That disc is widely regarded as the first recording of certifiable “Marshall tone” and became the reason the 1962 model is now typically called the “Bluesbreaker” amp.

Looking for a way to let players re-create the sound of Clapton’s amp in a more user-friendly way (as in, with less volume), Marshall wasted no time in debuting a version with a smaller output transformer and the more readily available EL84 output tubes (rather than the Bluesbreaker amp’s KT66 tubes). Their 18 watts of output gave them the near-perfect combination of power and usable distortion.

Fast forward to the mid/late 1990s and the growing “boutique” amp movement. In its midst is a group of niche builders who hold an appreciation for these low-watt Marshalls, and begin building amps for discriminating players the world over. Fast forward again, to mid 2004, when Marshall, looking to get back into the game it invented, introduced two “reissue” amps – the model 1974X and 2061X – to launch its new Hand Wired series.

The 1974X is a 1×12″ 18-watt combo, while the 2061X is a 20-watt head that plugs into a 2×12″ cab. Both are, as the series name implies, assembled by hand, with wiring and soldering that is perhaps the cleanest we’ve ever seen – absolutely immaculate. Even if you don’t believe that point-to-point circuits sound better than printed-circuitboard (PCB) circuits, looking inside the Marshalls would make it hard to argue their advantage in terms of durability.

The 1974X uses three ECC83 tubes in the preamp, two EL84s in the power section, and one EZ81 for the rectifier. It has one Normal and one Tremolo channel, each with one Volume and one Tone control, as well as controls for Speed and Intensity on the Tremolo channel. Each channel has two sets of inputs, and the top-mounted plexiglass faceplate hosts a standby and on/off switch, along with an indicator. The back edge the chassis hosts dual parallel speaker output jacks, impedance selector, footswitch jack, a fuse holder, and detachable power cord. The specially aged Celestion G12M Greenback T1221 is exclusive to Marshall. The tremolo on/off footswitch – a diecast copy of the original – is included.

The 2061X Lead and Bass 20 uses the same preamp and power tubes, but has a solidstate rectifier. Its two channels each have a Tone and a Volume control, and each has high and low inputs. The 2061X has a single on/off switch with indicator light, and the rear of the chassis has parallel speaker jacks, an impedance selector, fuse holder, and a detachable power cord. The 2061CX extension cab is loaded with two Celestion G12 30H reissues.

Cabinet work on our test Hand Wireds was extremely well-crafted, employing high-grade birch plywood and boasting an authentic look replete with gold-fronted Marshall logos. The 2061X’s faceplate is Marshall’s signature brushed gold-colored aluminum.

We tested the Hand Wireds using our humbucker-equipped Ibanez Artist and stock ’70s Fender Strat. Starting with the Ibanez plugged into the 1974X’s Normal channel, we turned the volume to 4 and were greeted with a smooth blues breakup; thick, with solid low-end response and exceptional bass-to-treble balance. High-end response was also extremely smooth, with no harshness whatsoever. Rolling the tone control back fattened up the overall response, and did not kill the amp’s sparkle. Cranking the volume, we got more gain, and the tone stayed smooth even as we moved the Volume to full. The tone never showed signs of getting mushy or running out of headroom, and the sound pressure level (a.k.a. volume) was always quite bearable. Certainly, the 1974X is too much amp for most home jamming /bedroom practice applications, but it could well be the ultimate recording or club-sized rock amp. And its tones are authentic and immediately reminiscent of why the originals are in such demand.

The 1974X’s Tremolo channel has a slightly different tone, and its Tone control works somewhat differently. The tremolo effect is very smooth and even, and you must have the footswitch engaged to turn off. With our Strat, we immediately got a very fat Strat tone with a sparkly, robust edge, especially with the neck and middle pickups.

The 2061X produced more sparkly highs, with plenty of low-end. It does not produce the same amount of gain as the 1974X, which would lend it more to blues than rock playing. We found it to be slightly more touch-sensitive – another plus for blues – and it is slightly louder, with more low-end, due primarily to the close-backed cabinet. The Tremolo channel is likewise cleaner and bassier than the Normal channel.

Both amps sound very authentic, with signature British with tone that will make any die-hard old-school “Marshallhead” grin from ear to ear. Their craftsmanship is first-rate, and while they don’t come cheap, this is another certifiable case of “you get what you pay for.” Here, what you may be paying for is that ultimate rock and blues tone with point-to-point attention to detail.

Marshall 1974x 2061
Price: $3,200 (1974X); $2,500 (2061X head); $1,200 (2061CX cabinet).
Contact: www.marshallamps.com.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Feb. ’06 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

March 29, 2010
G&L’s Climax & LB-100

G&L Climax (serial number B025855) in Emerald Blue finish. Carve on the back of the Climax.Photos: Bill Ingalls Jr. Instruments courtesy of Naffaz Skota (Climax) and Ryan Cass (LB-100).

G&L LB-100 (serial number B031205) in Bel Air Green.

In its first decade, G&L – the solidbody instrument maker created by Leo Fender after his departure from the legendary company he first founded – thrived on innovations like the Magnetic Field Design (MFD) pickup. Its first bass, the L-1000 (“Bass Space” December ’03 and July ’06) was a passive single-pickup instrument Leo considered an improvement over his own legendary Fender Precision.

In Leo’s time with G&L, the company produced numerous other basses, including models with active electronics, futuristic body styles, etc. Following his death in 1991, G&L was sold to the audio technology company BBE Sound. As it turned out, the first new G&L models introduced by BBE ownership were based on a combination of marketing and a nod to the aesthetics of classic models associated with Leo.

Introduced in ’93, the Climax and LB-100 (initially called the Legacy until it was discovered the name infringed on a patent) were quite different from each other, just as their respective forebears were. The Climax, with its solitary pickup located near the bridge, bore a distinct resemblance to the Sting Ray bass Leo designed during a brief association with Music Man, while the LB-100 was a near-clone of the Fender Precision. Both had a 34″ scale on a maple neck with a 71/2″ neck radius on a maple or rosewood fretboard. One interesting similarity involves the headstock silhouette; while it had the standard G&L “barb” opposite the posts for the D and G strings, the “hook” near the company logo was new (and more Fender-like); the same portion of the headstock on earlier G&L bass models was rounded.

While the basses have different fretboard woods, both have pearl dot inlay (black pearl on the LB-100’s maple board), 21 frets, and their bodies join the neck at the 16th fret on the bass side, 20th fret on the treble side. Both have the massive G&L bridge with locking saddles.

From the top down, differences begin with the width of the neck at the nut. On the Climax, it’s 11/2″ (like the Music Man Sting Ray) and on the LB-100, it’s 13/4″ (like the Fender Precision).

Photo by Willie G. Moseley.

While the bodies (usually poplar, alder, or ash) are the same width (123/4″), the more-modern Climax has sleeker cutaway horns and sharper edges, while the LB-100 body maintains a traditional profile and edge shapes. One unique feature of the Climax is a 1/4″-deep recess around the neckplate.

The pickup on the Climax is an eight-pole MFD, and its 9-volt circuitry is controlled by two mini-toggle switches (Active/Passive and Preamp On/Off). Control knobs were found for Volume, Treble, and Bass. The passive LB-100 has what company literature calls an offset “split-coil vintage” pickup and standard Volume and Tone controls. The Climax was available in G&L’s standard or Premier finishes, while the LB-100 was offered only in standard finishes.

Ultimately, both models were relatively short-lived. The Climax was discontinued circa 1996, but was succeeded by the L-1500, which has a fretboard measuring 13/4″ at the nut, and six-bolt neck attachment. The LB-100 hung around until 2000.

There’s little debate over whether the Climax and LB-100 emulated Leo’s goundbreaking Fender models. And while they weren’t long-lived, they offer an appropriate historical tip of the hat to the memory of a guitar-manufacturing legend.

Special thanks to Paul Bechtoldt, author of G&L: Leo’s Legacy

This article originally appeared in VG‘s September 2009 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

March 26, 2010
ToadWorks Lil’ Leo and John Bull

Washington-based ToadWorks USA was founded by Ryan Dunn and Doug Harrison in 2001. They recently asked if we’d be hip to checking out their Lil’ Leo and John Bull units. Well, we like to think we’re hip, so of course we said, “Booyah!” (‘cuz that’s what you say when you’re hip, right?).

Anyway, ToadWorks pedals are fastidiously hand-wired and assembled in good ol’ Spokane using heavy-duty boxes with sharp, attention-getting silkscreened finishes and custom-machined aluminum knobs. Both run on AC or battery power, and employ true-bypass circuit design.

The Lil’ Leo is designed to emulate the classic overdrive of a dimed vintage Fender blackface amp, while the John Bull emulates classic British overdrive. The Lil’ Leo features controls for Gain, Tone, and Level, while the John Bull has controls for Drive, Mid, and Level. Both are activated via LED-equipped on/off stompswitch.

With our trusty single-coil-equipped Hamer Daytona and “humbuckered” ’70s Ibanez Artist, we plugged the pedals into a 65Amps London all-tube amp with 2×12″ cab (see review in this section) and an all-tube Peavey Delta Blues 1×15″ combo.

First up was the Lil’ Leo, teamed with the Ibanez through the London. Matching the output level of the pedal with the amp, we added a touch of Drive and set the Tone knob to 10 o’clock. The Lil’ Leo delivered as promised, producing a slightly crispy overdrive reminiscent of a cranked blackface Fender. The pedal did not reduce low-end response, as distortion pedals are prone to do, and also did not compress our signal as much as we anticipated, instead leaving intact its natural, cutting tone. Pushing the Gain, we were rewarded with more natural distortion, always with nice note separation. Turning up the Tone control added a nice sparkle to solo licks. Turning the gain all the way up made the pedal sound very much like an old blackface cranked too high. And regardless of how it was set (within reason), the Lil’ Leo added a touch of midrange response, which enhanced its emulation of blackface tone.

With the Daytona plugged into the London, we dialed back the Gain to get a natural, slightly overdriven classic single-coil tone reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan with his trusty “Number One” Fender Stratocaster. Pushing the Gain produced a more crisp distortion that retained good note separation right up until we maxxed it out. And the pedal stayed very transparent, with only a slight boost in the mids.

We then plugged the John Bull into the London, grabbed the Daytona, and set the pedal’s drive to 10 o’clock. Wait… what’s with all the heavy, fuzz-like gain? We toyed with the Mids control, but couldn’t get the pedal to sound “right.” So, after getting a bit frustrated, we consulted ToadWorks, who advised us that not all amps will interact with the John Bull in the same way. So, trying again, this time through the Peavey, we again tweaked the Mids control – Voila! Overdrive reminiscent of a cranked British amp. That’s what we were looking for.

The Ibanez’s humbuckers also produced a thick British/Cream “Crossroads” tone, with ample low-end response. Dialing in more drive lets the John Bull offer as much gain as you can use, and then some, on up to full-on fuzz when dimed.

Both the Lil’ Leo and John Bull are good bargains, especially considering the quality of their materials and workmanship. We came to favor the Lil’ Leo’s true-to-form overdriven Fender blackface tone at a comfortable volume, but were also quite fond of the John Bull’s authentic British overdrive, especially with the “right” amp.

Toadworks Lil’ Leo
Features: Hand-built, with controls for Gain, Tone and Level, heavy-duty true-bypass on/off switch with LED indicator, custom chassis, aluminum knobs, Switchcraft jacks, AC/DC operation.
Price: $99.

Toadworks John Bull Overdrive
Features: Controls for Drive, Mids, and Level, heavy duty true-bypass on/off switch with LED indicator, custom chassis with aluminum knobs, Swithcraft jacks, AC/DC operation.
Price: $99.
Contact: ToadWorks, 720 S. Cannon St., Suite D, Spokane, WA 99204; phone (415) 462-5539; toadworksusa.com.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s December ’05 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Toadworks John Bull Overdrive

Toadworks NAMM 2006 Vide

March 26, 2010
The Gibson Les Paul Model

Its official name – Les Paul model – doesn’t do it justice. After all, Gibson has made over a hundred different Les Paul models through the years. But call it by its nickname – “goldtop” – and everyone knows you’re talking about Gibson’s first solidbody electric guitar.

Like many important guitar stories, the goldtop story was not documented very well, and writers didn’t start tapping the memories of the two primary figures in its development, Gibson president Ted McCarty and Les Paul himself, until more than 30 years after the fact. Ted and Les had been close in the 1950s but not so close from the ’60s onward. Not surprisingly, two stories emerged. Ted said Gibson came up with all the design features then sought Les’ endorsement, which resulted in the finish color and the tailpiece. Les said he and M.H. Berlin (head of Chicago Musical Instrument Co., Gibson’s parent) came up with the design and Ted delivered it. The two stories seem mutually exclusive, but if you allow a margin of error for memories, omissions and egos, both accounts are true.

Gibson reacted immediately to Leo Fender’s introduction of the Esquire in the summer of 1950, and by the end of the year, Gibson’s Hollywood rep, Clarence Havenga, had a prototype solidbody in hand. In the meantime, McCarty was trying to lure Les away from his arsenal of customized Epiphones. Les had just set himself apart from other guitarists in the world with two multi-tracked instrumental hits, “Brazil” and “Lover.” In 1950, he added his wife, Mary Ford, to his act, and his fortunes increased exponentially; in 1951, their recording of “How High the Moon” spent nine weeks at number one on the pop charts.

At some point, Les met with M.H. Berlin, and it was Berlin, a violin collector, who specified the carved top (Les preferred a flat top). During the prototype stage, Gibson settled on the maple top cap and mahogany body. McCarty explained that the maple cap was for sustain, the mahogany back for lighter weight. However, since greater sustain was always one of Les’ goals, it would not be surprising if Les had some input into the maple/mahogany body.

A maple-top prototype guitar does exist, but its most interesting feature is its neck joint. The neckset angle is relatively flat, like that of the first production models, but the entire neck is set higher above the body, so the strings would be high enough to pass over a bar bridge like the one on Les’ trapeze-style combination bridge/tailpiece (a later prototype of the Les Paul Junior also has this high-set neck). Gibson was familiar with Les’ tailpiece, as there is one installed on the modified Epiphone Mary Ford is playing on the sheet music of their 1950 hit “Mockin’ Bird Hill.”

There was a misconnection between the maple-top prototype and the final version, however. Gibson set the neck deeper into the body, for better stability, but inexplicably failed to compensate for the lowered string height. When McCarty presented the guitar to Les at the Delaware Water Gap, a resort where he and Mary were performing, it had Les’ tailpiece but was virtually unplayable.

The crossbar that served as a bridge on Les’ tailpiece was about 1/2″ thick and it sat on height adjustment nuts. The neckset angle of the prototype (assuming it was the same as subsequent production examples) only allowed for a bridge height of 3/8″. Even with the bar laying flat on the top of the guitar, the action was probably a full 1/16″ higher at the 12th fret than Les was accustomed to.

Les, unfazed by the lack of woodworking tools, heated up the blade of a screwdriver over the burner of a stove and gouged out the top of the guitar so the crossbar of the tailpiece could be lowered. Now, with a playable instrument, Les signed what would become the most lucrative endorsement deal in the history of musical instruments.

In addition to the tailpiece design, Les asked for the point of the cutaway to be rounded off a bit, and he thought the gold would look good on the new model after seeing the finish on an ES-175 he’d ordered for a friend in 1951.

When the new Les Paul model shipped in March, 1952, the neckset angle hadn’t changed. Gibson’s solution was simply to flip the tailpiece over so the strings wrapped under the bar. The high bar forced most players to alter their right-hand motion, and made muting the strings with the heel of the right hand awkward, if not impossible.

Les was bound by the terms of his contract to play a Gibson, but it would appear he didn’t like much of anything about his own model. He replaced the tailpiece with a standard Gibson unit and a presumably homemade bar bridge. He also installed DeArmond pickups and repurposed one of the control knob holes for a jack. When the Les Paul Custom was introduced in 1954, he had several made for his own personal use with a flat top.

In the meantime, Gibson implemented its own changes. The earliest examples had an unbound fingerboard, which was consistent with other Gibsons that had only single-ply binding on the top; however, the gold finish gave the Les Paul model an expensive look, so Gibson quickly gave it fingerboard binding.

Inexplicably, Gibson waited well over a year to fix the neckset/tailpiece issue. In 1954, the company changed the neckset angle to introduce a new bridge/tailpiece that was essentially a bar anchored on studs mounted directly into the top of the guitar. It wasn’t perfect (for intonation adjustment, it wasn’t even as good as the three-saddle system that Fender had been using since 1950), but the strings now wrapped over the bar, and the stud-mounted bridge provided better sustain than the trapeze.

When Gibson expanded the line to include the lower-priced Junior and fancier Custom in ’54, the Custom sported a new “Tune-O-Matic” bridge designed by Ted McCarty and had adjustments for each individual string length. Again in an inexplicable delay, it was late ’55 before the goldtop received the upgrade.

The next change was the last and most important: double-coil humbucking pickups, which replaced the original “soapbar” covered P-90s in mid 1957. In ’58, with sales falling, Gibson changed the finish to Cherry Sunburst and the name to Les Paul Standard. With that, the goldtop era ended.

The goldtop’s importance – like Les Paul’s – is tricky to assess. The guitar was a moderate commercial success, but not in the way anyone would have predicted. The first guitarists who embraced it were bluesmen such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker – stylistic opposites of Les. Then, as now, virtually no guitarist bought a Les Paul because he wanted to play like Les. In fact, Les’ popularity waned faster in the mid ’50s than sales of the goldtop.

The historic importance of the goldtop as Gibson’s first electric solidbody is obvious. Often overlooked in the cosmetic dazzle of the “‘bursts” is the fact that the culmination of electric soldibody guitar design, signaled by the arrival of humbucking pickups, occurred with the ’57 goldtop. The goldtop may not be the most highly sought vintage Gibson electric, but as the vehicle for the introduction and development of the Gibson solidbody as we know it today, it remains Gibson’s most important electric model.

For more on the Gibson Les Paul, read Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years, by A.R. Duchossoir, The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 1915-1963 by Robb Lawrence. Other sources include the author’s personal interviews with Les Paul and Ted McCarty.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s March 2009 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

ike de Velta on Original 1953 Les Paul gold top

March 25, 2010
Jules Shear – More

Jules Mark Shear is living proof that talented pop musicians who prefer to remain on the fringes can maintain a successful career without cowtowing to the winds of fad and fashion. On his latest release, More, Shear delivers songs that are as fresh, vibrant, and punky as his first release more than 20 years ago.

Shear started his career with the L.A. country-rock group Funky Kings, released his first solo album in 1983, and along the way penned hits for Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles, and Matthew Sweet. His guitar “technique” offers insight to his musical roots; he plays left-handed with the right-handed guitar upside down tuned to open G and uses his thumb to fret high notes and bar upper strings. To call his method unique may be an understatement, but Shear has always made music his way and his method merely reflects his bent.

More showcases Shear’s songwriting talents. Sure, he sings the leads and plays guitar, but the songs are the stars. The overall sound of the CD returns to basics, with just drums, bass, and guitar accompanying Shear’s vocals. But the songs don’t need polish to sound complete. Some have been in Shear’s repertoire for years, but most are recent compositions. “Table and Chairs” would be at home on any compilation of great early-’80s punk or power-pop singles.

Although punk music may be so dead it’s making a comeback (i.e. Green Day), More, embraces the best do-it-yourself ethos of early punk. All it takes is will, forbearance, and a degree of talent to create artistically successful music.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Dec. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

March 25, 2010
Steve Cropper

Felix Cavaliere (left) and Steve Cropper. Photo: Dennis Carney.

Before they were called Booker T. & The MGs, the first song the house band for Memphis’ Stax label cut on their own was the instrumental “Green Onions” – which went to number one on the R&B chart and number three on Pop in 1963. Since then, Tele man Steve Cropper has become perhaps the definitive soul guitarist and composer of such classics as “Midnight Hour,” “Knock On Wood,” and Otis Redding’s posthumous classic, “Dock Of The Bay.”

Felix Cavaliere was the voice of one of the great rock/soul bands of the ’60s, the Rascals – singing and playing keyboards on hits like “Groovin’” and “People Got To Be Free” (both of which he co-wrote).

A collaboration between the two would seem inevitable, but it took producer John Tiven (Little Milton, Howard Tate, Frank Black) to put the two together. Nudge It Up A Notch (Stax/Concord) finds a soulful, give-and-take common ground that will hopefully not be the last project pairing these two R&B icons.

“Felix will keep doing his thing with the Rascals, and I’ll keep doing my thing with Booker T. and the Blues Brothers,” says Cropper, who has toured with the latter for 20 years. “Somewhere in there he and I will get together on some shows. Which will be great, because we won’t do just this album; he’ll do Rascals stuff, and I’ll do Stax stuff. It’ll be fun!”

Did your Southern groove meld with Felix’s East Coast feel right off?
It just evolved that way. The original idea was not to release an album, but just get together and write. We did most of the writing at John Tiven’s house. I’d just start some changes and a groove, and Felix would fall in. Then maybe Tiven and I would put some lyrics to it, and Felix would work on the melody. After we had four or five of these things, we thought, “Have we thought about maybe putting a record out on our own, instead of pawning these songs off on other artists?”

It’s pretty laid-back, and it was that way intentionally. The direction of the songs started with music and tracks, and then we sat down and wrote lyrics to all of them. Then we decided, since it was really a team effort, we took the lyrics off and turned three of them into instrumentals.

When we knew we had something, we decided to bring in Chester Thompson on drums, and then he turned us on to Shake Anderson, who’s a phenomenal bassist – kind of James Jamerson and Duck Dunn all in one.

These days, it’s rare for a record to be cut as a unit, with everyone in the studio together.
Yeah, I do a lot by internet, in my studio. People send me stuff, and I download it and overdub on it – give them two or three choices – and e-mail it back. The album comes out, and I never see the artist or producer.

But working out parts and grooves, you’ve got to be there and spin off each other. That’s hard to do over the internet – although if you want to spend the time, you can set up a camera, and it’s like you’re right in the same room.

Of course, at Stax we were always in the same spot, playing my same equipment every day. Some of the earlier stuff, if you go back to “Green Onions,” I used a little Fender Harvard amp. Later I moved up to a Super Reverb, and I think the mic was a Neumann U-67. That’s on all kinds of stuff, like “Soul Man.” But on “Dock Of The Bay,” I brought my old Harvard back to play the licks – which, of course, Otis never heard. I just played acoustic guitar on the session with him. We cut it as kind of a demo, but with the horns. Then I overdubbed the piano, electric guitar, and the waves and seagulls.

Your main guitar for years was the white Tele with the rosewood fingerboard.
My first guitar, on “Green Onions,” was an Esquire – had to be early-’50s. I sanded it down and painted it purple in my parents’ garage at home. I don’t know what year that white Tele was – probably a ’62 or ’63. I bought it new. I had it and a good used one, because when I wrote with Otis, he always tuned to a chord.

Otis was a one-fingered guitar player. So the chord changes in almost all of the songs Otis wrote, there are no minors – because he didn’t know how to make that form. So I didn’t want to be retuning on sessions all the time, so I kept my second Telecaster tuned like Otis. For things like “Try A Little Tenderness” I played in standard tuning; for things like “Ole Man Trouble,” the intro was all done with a chord, on the second Tele.

What kind of guitar do you use now?
I use a custom-made, one only, Peavey. They made both of the Tele copies I play. I’ve got the prototype, and that was the forerunner to the Cropper Classic – both made by Jim DeCola, who now works for Fender. The Peavey is just a little more streamlined. When people ask why I don’t play an old vintage Tele, I say, “It’s kind of like once I drove a Ferrari. I never went back to a Chevrolet.”

I’m an old diehard; I don’t like a lot of footswitches. But I can get all I want out of these new Peaveys, usually with their active pickups, and I play through red-knob Fender The Twin amps.

You’ve always cited Lowman Pauling of the 5 Royales as a major guitar influence.
Nobody knew about him. I got to see him live and he blew me away. He was the bandleader and he wrote most of the songs. One of his guitars was a Les Paul Junior. He had a long strap, and it hung down by his knees, but when he got ready to play a solo he would pick it up and cradle it. I couldn’t wait to get home; I put two belts together so I could have this long strap.

Listen to the 5 Royales’ song “Think,” and see if the guitar licks sound familiar (laughs)! If I owe anybody, it’s Lowman Pauling.

This article originally appeared in VG October 2008 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

March 25, 2010
Martin D-18 1937 Authentic and OMC-1 Fingerstyle

Martin D-18 1937 Authentic

The first thing that catches your eye as you open the case of Martin’s D-18 1937 Authentic is the guitar’s unmistakable vintage vibe.

Whether you’re drawn to the nickel-finished open-back Gotoh tuners, the tinted Adirondack red spruce top, or the cellulose tortoiseshell pickguard, you kind of feel like you just discovered a guitar that had been hidden in a closet.

The key to the 1937 Authentic’s “authentic” pre-war vibe is in those details and others, like ebony bridge pins and the lack of an interior label. But it’s also in the more overt structural elements, like the neck shape, 5/16″ bracing, bracing patterns, nonadjustable T-bar truss rod, and the hide glue used to hold it all together.

The 1937 Authentic shares most other features with Martin’s D-18 Golden Era, including solid mahogany back and sides, fossilized ivory nut, vintage-style bridge (with long saddle) and 14 frets clear of the body.

In terms of playability and tone, it takes exactly one strum (we played an open E chord) on the D-18 to realize it’s a flatpicker’s dream, with big, clear, well-defined bass, snappy highs, and balanced mids. The entire guitar resonates noticeably; the low E and A strings have a clear punch, while the high E and B strings have a sizzling bite that really rings. Even when we upped our picking attack, note clarity never suffered, whether we were playing open or barred chords.

We invited a few accomplished local flatpickers to take the D-18 for a test run, and in the hands of one true bluegrass junkie, the tones never faltered. And even when we put some distance between ourselves and the guitar, it proffered excellent, balanced sound with clear bass and very good projection.

Also fresh from Martin is the OMC-1 Fingerstyle guitar, which features a 000-14 body with hybrid bracing, a Venetian cutaway, solid Adirondack red spruce top, solid Spanish cedar sides, back, and neck, as well as an ebony fretboard and nut.

The OMC also employs Martin’s new two-way adjustable truss rod, herringbone and pearl trim, gold Gotoh SGL510 tuners, 16″-radius compensated Tusq saddle, and Fishman’s Ellipse Blend electronics, which uses a combination of under-saddle transducer and internal condenser mic that’s controlled at the rim of the soundhole. The unit features Volume, Blend, and Phase controls, as well as a trim pot for the mic.

Martin OMC-1 Fingerstyle

The design of the OMC-1 is aimed at the fingerstyle player, with an emphasis on clarity. The smaller body of the OMC aids in its being very lightweight and resonant, while the Spanish cedar back and sides, in combination with the 000 body and spruce top, create strong midrange tones and articulation without sacrificing low-end. We got flatpick-type clarity and definition using only our fingertips! And, as we’d previously experienced with the Fishman Ellipse, the one aboard the OMC-1 performed very nicely. With the mic blended about one-third and the transducer at two-thirds, we achieved accurate acoustic tones with good clarity and a round, full sound. The condenser mic really adds the roundness you typically lose with an under-saddle system alone. Feedback wasn’t a major problem, given the smaller body and quality of the condenser element, and the ability to trim back the mic and rely on the saddle pickup for the bulk of the output. Of course, the electronics can only reproduce what is produced, and Martins choice of Spanish cedar for the OMC provides the key to balancing the sound, especially for fingerstyle playing.

The Martin D-18 1937 Authentic and OMC-1 Fingerstyle boast flawless fit, finish, and craftsmanship, as well as excellent playability. Every detail is addressed in fabulous fashion, including inlay, seam and joint work, and the high-gloss finishes. To most players, either one represents a significant investment, but given their sound, playability, and all-around vibe, both rate very high in the “get what you pay for” category.

Martin D-18 1937 Authentic
Features: Solid Adirondack red spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, solid mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, ca. 1937 abalone fret markers, 5/16″ Adirondack spruce braces, period-correct bracing placement, hide-glue construction throughout, Gotoh SD-770 nickel-finished open-back tuners.
Price: $7,999.

Martin OMC-1 Fingerstyle
Features: Solid Adirondack red spruce top, solid Spanish cedar back and sides, solid Spanish cedar neck, ebony fretboard, 0000-style hybrid body with a Venetian cutaway, compensated Tusq saddle, ebony nut, herringbone inlay, Gotoh tuners, Fishman Ellipse electronics with condenser mic.
Price: $3,799.
Contact: Martin & Company, 510 Sycamore St., Nazareth, PA 18064; phone (513) 451-1071; martinguitar.com.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s April 2005 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

March 25, 2010
Ricky Phillips’ Fender Custom Shop five-string

Ricky Phillips with his Fender Custom Shop bass in 2008. Photo: Willie G. Moseley.

Most professional guitarists or bassists, upon reaching a certain level of success, are seen as “Les Paul guys,” “Precision guys,” or in one case, simply “Mr. 335.” Others, fond as they may be of classic axes, are known for stepping away from the treadworn by adding custom touches or working with a manufacturer to build a guitar to their own specs.

By the end of the 1980s, Bad English bassist Ricky Phillips was one such player who worked closely with a big-name builder – Fender – to develop an instrument with specs and features specific to his taste. Now, almost two decades later, the bass is still serving him well in Styx.

Working closely with Larry Brooks, then a luthier in Fender’s Custom Shop, Phillips designed an instrument that combined his love of late-’60s Telecaster Basses with such sonic innovations (for their day) as a low B string and active electronics.

“Five-strings back then were basically for jazz guys, and looked like a piece of furniture – different woods, grains, multiple layers,” Phillips recalled. “There was no rock and roll five-string bass because rock and roll guys didn’t play five-strings. I tried to design something that I would be proud to play onstage, as a rocker.”

In addition to the Tele Bass influence, Phillips interpolated a single f-hole into his design, having garnered creative inspiration from a Telecaster Thinline that Bad English vocalist John Waite owned when he and Phillips were in the Babys. He also requested a matching headstock and – in a first for the Fender Custom Shop – specified checkerboard binding, recalling his love of Rickenbacker basses.

“Initially, I wanted the binding to go all the way around the headstock,” he recalled. “But I decided it would look kind of cheesy, so we just did the neck and the top edge of the body.”

The bass’ nut is made of bone, though Phillips and Brooks considered various metals, including brass.
“I like the sound with brass nuts and bridge saddles,” Phillips said. “It’s kind of twangy and cool, but I didn’t get some of the warmth for the sound I need, so we went with bone.”

Ricky Phillips’ Fender Custom Shop five-string. Photo: Bill Ingalls, Jr. Ricky Phillips

The bass uses a neck-through design with alder body wings, and sports an ebony fretboard with no markers. Phillips allowed Brooks to choose the fret wire that worked best with the ebony fretboard. Scale is a standard 34″.

The f-hole, bound in solid white, runs nearly the full depth of the body, although that wasn’t Phillips’ intent. “I kind of flipped out when I stopped in to check the progress on the bass,” he recalled with a laugh. “I saw that Larry had cut out an entire chamber, and I’d just wanted something cosmetic on the top – just the aesthetic. I really got upset, but as it turned out, it in terms of tone, it was a true accidental plus.”

Phillips didn’t specify hardware, so Brooks used stock Fender parts, though he praised the company for acceding to his request for EMG active pickups instead of those sold by Fender.

“The instruments with passive electronics – particularly those from the ’50s and ’60s – are still the ones I think sound best,” he detailed. “But when you’re playing with an arena band, an active bass’ sound can get through. I’d been playing Spectors, and loved the EMG pickups; that’s true to this day. But Fender couldn’t have been cooler in letting me install Jazz-style EMGs. They wanted to get it right and make me happy, and I respected them for that.”

For its many traditional elements, the EMGs and their controls mark a departure. “The first control is a Volume knob,” Phillips noted. “Next is a pickup pan knob that’s notched in the center – when you’re singing, and playing, and making changes, even slight, it’s nice being able to feel it instead of look. It becomes a natural thing, and it really helps. The last two knobs are a Tone controls for each pickup.”

Phillips chose black with a white mother-of-pearl pickguard, possibly as a subliminal reference to monochrome television, as the vibe that he was trying to create ties in with vintage TV image recollections.

“I become a kid again – a 12-year-old watching the Beatles or the Doors on ‘Ed Sullivan,’” he chuckled.

Phillips recalls the Bad English gig where he first used the new bass as “…phenomenal. Everyone was really pleased with how it sounded, and it also became my main recording bass. I used it a lot with Coverdale/Page, including on that band’s first single, ‘Pride and Joy’.”

The bass has proven extremely durable, having never gone back to Fender for refurbishing or repair. “As much as I beat the crap out of it, you’d think it’d be seriously worn,” Phillips reflected. “I’m absolutely amazed at how solid it is – it’s built like a truck.”

This article originally appeared in VG‘s April 2009 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Styx- Blue Collar Man

March 24, 2010
Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy, ’74 Phase 90 and Buddy Guy Signature Wah

Legendary pedal builder MXR/Dunlop recently introduced a sweet trio of effects; something new from its Custom Shop in the form of the Carbon Copy analog delay, something old in the form of a nuts-on reissue of the ’74 script-logo Phase 90, and something with a legendary-artist twist in the form of the Buddy Guy signature wah.

The Carbon Copy analog delay uses MXR’s standard 43/8″ x 23/8″ x 11/4″ heavy duty die-cast chassis with a very cool emerald-green metalflake enamel finish, true-bypass stompswitch with blue status LED, chassis-mounted 1/4″ in/out jacks, 9-volt adaptor jack, controls for Regeneration (repeats), Mix, and Delay, as well as a Mod (modulation) button, which adds a subtle pitch shift to the delayed signal. It’s speed and width are tweaked by way of an internal mini-screwdriver pot accessible from the bottom when the cover is off.

Both in front of and through the effects loop of a combo amp, the Carbon Copy’s repeats are classic low-fidelity – dark without being muddy; analog without being too analog. From short, slap-back echoes to its maximum delay (600 milliseconds) its voicing is very musical, especially with the Mod button engaged, giving the repeats a slight chorus effect. The modulating effect becomes more noticeable on the short-to-medium delays with the Mod turned up; on longer delay times it acts like a tape flutter.

With analog pedals, unwanted noise is a common concern. The Carbon Copy is fairly quiet, producing just a little white noise when run in front of the amp, and even less through the effects loop unless its Mix control is turned way up.

The ’74 Phase 90 is an exact recreation of MXR senior engineer Bob Cedro’s personal 1974 script-logo Phase 90 and features a hand wired PC board with select resistor and hand-matched FETs, all in the classic pumpkin orange chassis with black script logo. Its features, components, and controls are accurate to the original and include a single control (for Speed), non-true-bypass switch with no LED, chassis-mounted Switchcraft 1/4″ in/out jacks, and battery-only operation.

In front of a tube combo amp, the ’74 Phase 90 produced great results – a thick, rich buttery phase-shifting sound that doesn’t over-color the guitar/amp’s natural sound. At 10 o’clock, the Speed control offers a deep, liquid Van Halen-esque effect. Roll it up to 3 o’clock and behold its very usable Leslie-like sound.

The Buddy Guy signature Crybaby Wah is housed in Dunlop’s standard wah chassis, but dressed up considerably with Buddy Guy’s trademark polka-dot finish, a Fasel inductor, Filter switch with LED indicator, bypass footswitch with LED indicator, and a treadle imprinted with Buddy Guy’s signature. The side-mounted Filter switch (which can be activated with the foot) offers two voicings, labeled “BG” and “Deep.”

In Deep mode, the pedal produces a thick, throaty sound with a smooth sweep, while in BG mode the tone is classic Clyde McCoy – sweet, crisp, and sharp. The unit’s dual status LEDs (one on each side) are convenient. The Mode switch is also side-mounted and can easily be switched mid song using only the foot, which is a cool feature and allows you to go from a nice, funky wah in BG mode quickly to Deep mode for a more in-your-face wah.

All three of these units are solid additions to the MXR/Dunlop family and offer “boutique” pedal tones, features, and vibe from one of the biggest of the big boys.

MXR Carbon Copy, ’74 Phase 90 and Buddy Guy Signature Wah
Price $254.61, $159.99, $354.90
Contact Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., P.O. Box 846, Benicia CA 94510; phone (707) 745-2722; www.jimdunlop.com.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s August 2008 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

MXR Carbon Copy Delay pedal demo M-169

MXR ’74 Custom Phase 90 – Reviewed by Alan

March 24, 2010
Mark Selby – Nine Pound Hammer

What may be Mark Selby’s best album earns the title in part because his guitar playing is more prominent than it was on his previous efforts.

This is essentially a trio record, with Selby delivering notes in all the right places and tone about as perfect as it gets. The title cut starts with a nasty slide lick before he delivers chunky rhythm guitar followed by bluesy solos with perfect touches. All the songs show a deftness and approach to the craft – the first four are especially strong; “Buck-Fifty & a Flat-Head Ford” is a country-blues played on electric and the translation works well. Selby accents the fine vocal with a nasty slide solo. “Cold One Closin’ In” is a soulful country tune that starts with lots of harmonics and a lyric that equates weather with a relationship. “A Good Friend to the Blues” has an amazing lyric and effective use of a simple guitar-and-vocal arrangement. “Leveler, Reveler” is a stomping rocker with great solo tones and a rhythm section that shines.

Selby has written songs with Kenny Wayne Shepperd and the Dixie Chicks. Here’s hoping that work gives him the time and means to keep working on solo efforts like this one.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Nov. ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

March 24, 2010