Month: March 2013

Peter Banks, a guitarist and co-founder of the progressive-rock band Yes, died March 7 at his home in London. He was 65 and suffered heart failure.

One of the progenitors of the prog-rock style, as a boy, Banks learned to play acoustic guitar and banjo. In 1965, he joined bassist Chris Squire in a precursor to Yes called The Syn, which subsequently moved away from the R&B-inspired music it had been playing and began to mix influences including the then-popular “psychedelic” style of popular rock and roll. In ’67, the band shared a bill with a then-unknown Jimi Hendrix, who used the gig as a springboard to stardom. Later that year, The Syn disbanded and Banks and Squire joined a band called Toyshop, which later changed its name to Yes.

Banks played on Yes’ self-titled 1969 debut album and 1970′s Time And A Word before departing because the band was taking a more-orchestral approach to its music. He continued to pursue prog, forming a band called Flash, followed by another called Empire, which remained active into the late ’70s

In ’73, Banks released a solo effort titled Two Sides Of Peter Banks, which featured Jan Akkerman, Phil Collins, and John Wetton. Through the course of his career, he released four more albums, culminating with 1999′s Can I Play You Something? Throughout, Banks explored many musical styles and collaborated with players across a variety of genres, including jazz, jazz-rock, and impro-based rock.

Beginning March 14, GearTunes.com will stream The Ultimate Speaker Demo, hosted by session guitarist Doug Doppler, whose collection of vintage and rare Ibanez instruments was featured in the June ’12 issue of VG. The stream, which will run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. PST each day through March 17. can also be viewed on the home page at VintageGuitar.com.

The event, which is designed to help players match speakers to various playing styles through a breadth of style-driven signal chains, will be held at 25th Street Recording, in Oakland, and will include demonstrations of speakers made by Celestion, Electro-Voice, Eminence, and Jensen, all mounted in cabinets from Orange Amps. Doppler, founder of the GearTunes site, honed his tone-matching skills while working as a session player for the Guitar Hero series of video games. Neil Dorfsman, a multi-platinum and Grammy-winning producer/mixer who has worked with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Billy Idol, and others, will track and mix the event.

The Perri Ink Distressed Flag pickguard uses an image embedded into a high-quality plastic pickguard. The image will never rub off or fade. All screw holes are countersunk, edges are beveled, and it is available in three varieties and various custom sizes and shapes. Learn more: http://perriinkguitars.com.

Guitarist John McLaughlin – cited by Jeff Beck as “the best guitarist alive” –  will tour the eastern U.S. this summer, beginning June 11 and including an appearance at Bonnaroo June 14 and a three-night stand in New York City before concluding June 23. McLaughlin’s latest studio recording, Now Here This, was released last October. For complete tour dates, visit johnmclaughlin.com.

Railhammer’s new Anvil pickup uses a high-output ceramic magnet, 44-gauge wire, and increased winding to produce power and girth. It’s designed to help a player’s fast riffs, complex chords, and palm muting cut through a mix with greater clarity than a traditional humbucker. It uses rails under the wound strings for tight lows, and poles under unwound strings. Its strong magnetic field prevents dead spots when bending strings. Other features include universal spacing, six-screw German silver baseplate, four-conductor wiring, and height-tapered rails which contribute to consistent volume from string to string. For more, visit www.railhammer.com.

John Oates’ single, “Stand Strong” will be featured in an ESPN2 telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race March 16 from Bristol Motor Speedway. The song will be serve as the theme for the telecast, heard in the pre-race Countdown, which airs at 1:30 p.m. ET.

“I’ve had a longstanding relationship with the folks at ESPN and have been involved with motor racing for many years,” said Oates. “I thought the song’s lyrics and theme of brotherhood and teamwork were perfect for NASCAR, and when I sent it to my friend, Rich Feinberg, V.P. of Motorsports, he told me the images and vibe of were perfect for the Bristol race.”

Oates, who was featured in the December ’12 issue of Vintage Guitar, is half of Hall & Oates, and an accomplished solo artist. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a BMI Icon. In addition to touring with Daryl Hall, Oates recently completed a world solo tour with J.O.B. (John Oates Band) and has been producing and writing with some of the most well-known artists in the pop, R&B, and Americana genres. Learn more at johnoates.com.

The BBE Mind Bender MB-2 vibrato/chorus pedal is wired for true-bypass switching and uses a “bucket brigade” delay circuit, 1% metal-film resistors, high-voltage poly caps, military-spec circuit board, and has a blue status LED and an easy-access battery compartment. Learn more at www.bbesound.com.

The Wren and Cuff Mercy Phuk overdrive for bass and guitar employs an op-amp-driven MOSFET/LED asymmetrical clipping section with internal trim pot that lets the player fine-tune the amount of drive. A second gain stage employs another asymmetrical hybrid germanium/LED clipping section. Check it out at www.wrenandcuff.com.

Keeley Electronics’ Red Dirt overdrive combines the sounds of the company’s Mod Plus and Baked modified pedals with refinements that help it create dynamic gain at mild and heavier sustain settings. Its Volume control balances the signal or pushes an amp to further sustain and overdrive. Hand-built in the U.S.A., it’s housed in a powder-coated enclosure and wired with true-bypass switching. Learn more at www.robertkeeley.com.