An aptly titled collection of songs, if any guitarist was indeed hunting guitar sounds and styles, finding something like this would indeed make for a successful safari. Composed, played, and recorded by VG contributor Pete Prown, the disc is full of chops. “Attack of the Mysterons” starts with middle-eastern guitar sounds, morphs into a batch […]
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Arteffect Bonnie Wah
Cry No More!
Israel-based Arteffect’s new Bonnie wah pedal is an accurate re-creation of the highly soughtafter vintage Vox Clyde McCoy wah. The “Clyde wah,” you’ll recall, was designed to help guitar players sound something like a trumpet player manipulating a mute on their horn. Clyde McCoy, the man, was a player known for employing the technique, and […]
Jake Shimabukuro – Live
In his introduction to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Shimabukuro explains how a video of him playing the George Harrison classic in Central Park, for New York’s Midnight Ukulele Disco, “changed my life.” That’s an understatement. With more than a million views on youtube and other internet sites, it catapulted him to the top of […]
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Steinberger ZT3 Custom
Ned Lives On
The year is 1979. The disco era is nearing its end and the “Me Generation” is approaching like a freight train. With the impending new decade full of fresh ideas in fashion, music, and everything possible a furniture engineer housed in a New York wood co-op finds his destiny. The man was Ned Steinberger, who […]
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Seth Walker – Leap of Faith
Seth Walker’s latest effort takes a slightly different path, mixing blues with soul and a group-driven R&B feel. Old-school horn charts dominate “Can’t Come With You,” where Walker’s vocals take on the soul/bluesman persona. His soulful slide guitar here is as sublime as it is different from the fingerpicked acoustic of his last effort. The […]
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Gary Moore
Remembering Phil Lynott
Moore with his signature model Gibson Les Paul. Photo: Rob Verhorst/Redferns Music Picture Library. Irish guitarist Gary Moore is a man in perpetual motion, onstage and in the studio. A veteran blues/rocker who spent time in the legendary Thin Lizzy, Moore, who has amassed a number of renowned albums in his solo career, recently spoke […]
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Nick Lowe – Quiet Please
At Any Age
Like his longtime associate (as both producer and producee) Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe may have come onto the scene via punk rock, but soon proved he was much more. In hindsight, Costello’s initial punk stance seems more sincere and ardent, as illustrated by their contrasting versions of Lowe’s anthemic “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, […]
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Taylor Classic, Custom, and Standard
Worth the Wait
Taylor SolidBody Classic. For years, Bob Taylor fended off the question, “When are you going to build a solidbody guitar?” Well-known as a builder of top-notch acoustics, for his company, Taylor Guitars, the step seemed logical and maybe even a little overdue. And when Taylor released the semi-acoustic T5 three years ago, it was greeted […]
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Muddy Wates Live at Chicagofest
Filmed in Chicago in 1981, this video captures Muddy with a band featuring Mojo Buford on harp, guitarists John Primer and Rick Kreher, pianist Lovie Lee, bassist Earnest Johnson, and drummer Ray Allison. And while it isn’t the finest Muddy video, is anything with Muddy really bad? The band treats a loving crowd to a […]
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Amalfitano Pickups
Houston Hot, Texas Cool
Texas-based Amalfitano Pickups specializes in hand-wound pickups as well as pickup rewinding and restoration. Owner Jerry Amalfitano uses high-grade Alnico magnets, 42-gauge vintage enameled magnetic wire, vintage-style cloth-covered leads, and he lightly pots his pickups to control microphonics. His line of pickups has a decided vintage bent and includes three single-coil replacement sets for your […]
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