Month: February 2012

  • Seymour Duncan Sails Into VG Hall of Fame

    Seymour Duncan Sails Into VG Hall of Fame

    Seymour Duncan

    Vintage Guitar today announced that Seymour Duncan has been inducted to its Hall of Fame. Each year, the magazine’s staff and readers select inductees in three categories – Player, Innovator, and Instrument. Duncan, who enters as an Innovator, shares recognition this year with Keith Richards and the Fender Deluxe Reverb.

    “Though he didn’t invent the electromagnetic guitar pickup, Seymour W. Duncan has done more than anyone to make known just how critical the pickup is to guitar tone and its nuances,” said VG publisher Alan Greenwood.

    Born and raised in New Jersey, Duncan developed an appreciation of music by listening to bands at dances, sock hops, and nightclubs. His first honest-to-goodness contact with a musical instrument happened thanks to a great uncle who in the early ’60s gave a 13-year-old Duncan an acoustic guitar. He then studied Mel Bay method books and learned to play Beatles songs for his band to play at school dances.

    He became interested in working with pickups as a means to keep his own gear functional, and was soon seeking out guitars to repair. In the late ’60s, he moved to London, primarily to play music. Where there, however, he took a job in the repair and research departments at the Fender Soundhouse, where he repaired guitars and pickups for Jimmy Page, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton, and his personal guitar hero, Jeff Beck.

    Returning to the U.S., he settled in California and established contact with heavy hitters in the musical-instruments industry, including Leo Fender and Seth Lover. Constantly fixing, building, and improving pickups, demand grew for his custom pickups. In late 1978, he and his then-wife, Cathy, started Seymour Duncan Pickups. He has since shared stages with Eric Johnson, Albert Collins, Clapton, Joe Walsh, Elliot Easton, Frampton, Robin Trower, Freddy King, and many others.

    A steadfast regular at clinics, conventions, and various other guitar-centric events, Duncan is renowned for his willingness to help players capture the tones that inspire them. Not only has he personally wound pickups for the likes of Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Joe Perry, and other superstars, but for many, many, many everyday players!

    In the Innovator category, Duncan far outpaced the other nominees, gathering 54 percent of the reader vote compared to Nat Daniel (20 percent), A. Howard Dumble (13 percent) and Bob Taylor (13 percent). For the complete feature on this year’s inductions, see the March issue of VG.

    For more information on VG and its Hall of Fame, visit VintageGuitar.com.

  • Gretsch Introduces Roots Collection

    Gretsch Roots CollectionGretsch has announced its Roots Collection of acoustic instruments. The new family of banjos, mandolins, resonator guitars, ukuleles and Rancher acoustic guitars feature classically authentic Gretsch designs.

    The Gretsch Roots Collection’s five new banjo models evoke the company’s banjo models of the early 20th century. The collection includes the five-string, mahogany-neck Broadkaster Deluxe and Broadkaster Special resonator models, the Dixie open-back model, to the Clarophone Banjo-Ukulele, and the guitarist-friendly Dixie 6 Guitar-Banjo.

    The Roots Collection also heralds the return of the Gretsch New Yorker mandolin. Styled after the 1950s classic, a trio of modern-day models — the New Yorker Standard, New Yorker Deluxe and New Yorker Supreme — offer authentic vintage touches and full-bodied tone.

    Gretsch Ampli-Sonic resonator guitars feature the new Gretsch Ampli-Sonic resonator cone, hand-spun in Eastern Europe from nearly 99-percent pure aluminum. The mahogany-body Boxcar Standard and Bobtail Deluxe each come in round-neck and square-neck models, and the round-neck Honey Dipper has a nickel-plated brass body.

    The Roots Collection also includes half a dozen new Gretsch ukulele models. Gretsch’s three deluxe ukuleles — the Concert Deluxe, Tenor Deluxe and Tenor Cutaway Electric models have quartersawn solid mahogany top, back and sides; one-piece mahogany necks and semi-gloss finishes. The three standard ukes — the Soprano Standard, Concert Standard and Tenor Standard models — have laminated mahogany build.

    The collection also includes the return of Rancher acoustic guitars. The model first appeared in the early 1950s with a highly distinctive triangular sound hole and sweepingly elegant pickguard, and Gretsch is now very proud to reintroduce the model. The new five-instrument selection of includes the Rancher Folk, Rancher Orchestra, Rancher Jr., Rancher Jumbo Cutaway Electric and Rancher Dreadnought.

    For more, visit gretschguitars.com.

  • Frank Gambale to offer “Heart and Soul” on Valentine’s Day

    For the first time, Frank Gambale will team with his wife, singer/songwriter Boca, to create and deliver his first all-vocal, crossover Adult Contemporary album, Frank Gambale Soulmine featuring Boca. The album features R&B jazz-funk stylings, and Frank Gambale’s signature playing. An album Gambale has wanted to make for 30 years, Soulmine is an adult Contemporary album that crosses genres from jazz-rock, smooth jazz, funk, pop and world all the way to spiritual.

    For more information, visit: www.frankgambalesoulmine.com

  • The Doors with Albert King

    The Doors with Albert King

    The Doors
    The Doors

    Speaking of his work on David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, Steve Ray Vaughan once admitted that he wanted to see just how many places Albert King’s licks would work. “You know, they always fit,” he smiled. And that was true whether Albert or one of his better pupils were doing the playing.

     A couple years prior to this June, 1970, concert, Albert had crossed over from the chitlin circuit to FM radio and rock ballrooms – winning over crowds on bills with Hendrix, Creedence, et al. Surprisingly, the four songs on this double-CD may be the only documentation of any jams that ensued.

    Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger gets off some gnarly, period blues-rock licks on “Five To One” before entering day-glo psychedelia on the extended “When The Music’s Over.” But when the band brings on King, he’s schooling them 30 seconds into a Stones-tinged “Little Red Rooster.” Krieger throws in some out-of-tune slide jabs while Albert is in full command of his massive bends, fat tone, and those never-fail licks. Neither seems very interested in playing anything resembling rhythm – though King throws in some nice accent riffs on “Money” before more on-target soloing.

    Despite Morrison’s over-the-top vocal excesses, “Rock Me” and “Who Do You Love” would sound like a decent blues band (with a killer guitarist) if Krieger’s slide distractions were mixed out.

    Things take a sharp left-field turn once King exits. After Morrison’s short poem, “Petition The Lord With Prayer,” the quartet launches into 17-minute renditions of “Light My Fire” and their encore, “The End.”

    Packaging flaws include 14 minutes devoted to tuning and dead air – although that isn’t near as egregious as crediting Albert, not Robbie, on “slide guitar.” King must be rolling in his grave (maybe Morrison, too).

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s April ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

    <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/u6L7pX3k3T8” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

  • FAA Bill Sets Policy for Instruments on Airplanes

    Congress has passed legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration to create a uniform policy regarding musical instruments on airplanes. Any instrument that can be safely stored in the overhead compartment or under the seat may be brought on board as carry-on luggage. Additionally, the bill sets standard weight and size requirements for checked instruments, and permits musicians to purchase a seat for oversized instruments or any that are too delicate to be checked. Existing law allowed each airline to set their own policy regarding musical instruments, and size requirements varied widely for both carry-on and checked baggage. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has been lobbying Congress to enact such a policy for nearly a decade.

    “This is great news for professional musicians throughout the U.S. and Canada who carry the tools of our trade – our instruments – aboard commercial aircraft,” said Ray Hair, president of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). “Ending the confusion over musical instruments as carry-on baggage has been a top legislative priority for nearly a decade. I am proud of our Government Relations Director, Hal Ponder and his assistant Laura Brigandi in our Washington legislative office for seeing the effort through. Musicians can now fly in friendlier skies.”

    The FAA reauthorization was passed by the House of Representatives on Friday, February 3 by a 248-169 vote. It subsequently passed the Senate February 6, 75-20. The President is expected to sign the bill into law.

  • Jimi Hendrix

    Jimi Hendrix

    Jimi Hendrix
    Jimi Hendrix

    To overlook Hendrix’ blues roots would be as misguided as to categorize him (as some do) as simply “a blues guitarist.” If that were the case, there’d no doubt be more than 11 blues tracks to compile for a Jimi “blues” album. In the DVD disc of this “Family Edition” of the ’94 release, Eric Burdon probably puts it best when he says that Hendrix “took the blues to Venus.” 

    There’s plenty of great playing here, mostly in jam contexts, but it’s easy to see why most of this wasn’t released in Hendrix’s lifetime. What made him a rock god was the uncharted territory he explored on originals like “Purple Haze” and “Love Or Confusion.”

    The DVD is an expanded 30-minute version of “Jimi Hendrix And The Blues,” a chunk of which was part of the Godfathers And Sons film that was appended to 2003’s “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues” PBS series. It features interviews and live performances not seen in the original television broadcast – albeit with many usual suspects most Hendrix documentaries include (bandmates Billy Cox, Noel Redding, and Buddy Miles, engineer Eddie Kramer, elder statesmen Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Hubert Sumlin, followers Vernon Reid and Robert Cray, and some nice spots with cousin Bob Hendrix).

    No previously undiscovered interview footage with Jimi surfaced for this, and most of the concert clips are from familiar sources – Woodstock, Berkeley, Isle Of Wight, Monterey, and Jimi’s one solo acoustic performance (of “Hear My Train A Comin’” on 12-string).

    Highlights on the CD include the original mono take of “Red House,” from the UKversion of Are You Experienced, and a Muddy-worthy “Catf ish Blues” from Dutch TV. “Voodoo Chile Blues” is a composite of two takes from the Electric Ladyland sessions, handled by Alan Douglas. Interesting, but not as good as the original.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s April ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

    <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/LVUlzNXxljg” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

  • Bonnie Raitt Announces Tour

    Bonnie Raitt set to release album, tourAfter the April 10 release of Slipstream, her first studio album in seven years, Bonnie Raitt will embark May 1 on the first leg of her 70-date tour. The first single from the album is a cover of the Gerry Rafferty hit “Right Down the Line,” from 1978. The album is otherwise highlighted by Raitt’s trademark slide-guitar playing. On tour, she will be backed by James “Hutch” Hutchinson (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums), and George Marinelli (guitar), and Mike Finnigan (keyboards). Opening acts will include Marc Cohn and Mavis Staples.

    On February 12, Raitt will perform with Alicia Keys in remembrance of Etta James at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. For more, go to bonnieraitt.com.

     

  • Rotosound Launches Guitar and Bass String Cleaners

    RotoSound String CleanerRotosound has launched a new string cleaner for guitar and bass. The tool has microfiber pads that works to remove dead skin, dirt, oil, and other contaminates without solutions or chemicals. The pads are environmentally friendly and easy to maintain.

    The Rotosound Guitar String Cleaner is suitable for all guitars; the Rotosound Bass String Cleaner is suitable for four- and five string basses.

    For more, go to rotosound.com.

     

  • Richard & Linda Thompson

    Richard & Linda Thompson

    Richard & Linda Thompson
    Richard & Linda Thompson

     In 1981, the Thompsons recorded their last and best album together, as their marriage was crumbling. So, even though some of the material dated to a couple of years prior, during happier times, R.T. was never big on traditional love songs; thus, the tension in the lyrics only fueled the intensity of the performances.

    Amazingly, upon the release of the LP in ’82 – their marriage over, Linda having just given birth to daughter Kamila – the couple mounted their onlyU.S.tour. This generous edition presents a live disc of 11 tracks from that tour with a remastered disc of the original album and a 40-page booklet of photos and reminiscences from the couple, producer Joe Boyd, and members of the band.

    As Linda writes in her capsule descriptions of the album cuts, “Great solo (just take that as read on every track; otherwise I’ll get bored repeating it).” She was referring to “Walking On A Wire,” but she could have been speaking of any of Richard’s guitar breaks here – simultaneously singing and crying, at once spontaneous and perfectly constructed (perhaps because, Thompson says, they approached the recording as live and fast as possible, like an onstage performance).

    His jagged, stinging solo on the title track, inspired byRussia’s invasion ofAfghanistan, is as scary as the lyrics – equally so on the live version, even though Linda had exited the tour by that point, after earlier drunken outbursts that reportedly included kicking Richard in the shins while he was soloing. Despite all the drama, the men stuck in the middle – drummer Dave Mattacks, rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol, and bassist Pete Zorn – soldiered on like champs. Listen to them help push Thompson ever higher on the outro solo to “For Shame Of Doing Wrong.”

    All in all, a remarkable document.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s April ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

    <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/nQpfZf8VRcs” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

  • Hangout Music Fest Announces 2012 Lineup and Hang Loose Band Competition

    The Hangout Music Fest announced its 2012 lineup. Scheduled for May 18th, 19th and 20th on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, the Fest will feature main stage headliners Dave Matthews Band, Jack White, and a soon-to-be-announced third act. Other artists include String Cheese Incident, Wilco, Dispatch, Steve Winwood, Flogging Molly, Coheed & Cambria, Young the Giant, Cage the Elephant, Gary Clark Jr. and more.

    The Fest has teamed up with ReverbNation for the “2012 Hang Loose Band Competition” to find one more band for the event. The winner will perform at the festival, and receive three-day passes.

    Tickets will be available for purchase on Friday, February 10.

    For more information on the festival or competition, visit: www.hangoutmusicfest.com.