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Bryan Beller: Aristocratic Riffs

Bryan Beller and his Lull Custom BBMF5 demonstrate what it takes to keep up with Guthrie Govan and Marco Minneman in their scary-good fusion trio, The Aristocrats. Bryan and his four- and five-string basses help the band tackle challenging instrumentals without losing sight of the song; think modern-day Dixie Dregs or fusiony Satch/Vai. Here, he plays “Aristoclub” (from their latest album, “Duck”) while plugged into his touring rig – a Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion preamp, GK 2001RB power amp, and two GK RBH410 speaker cabinets. In-between are a Boss OC-2 Octave, Digitech Bass Driver, Xotic Effects EP Booster, and a Demeter Opto-Compulator. Catch our interview with Bryan in the April issue. Read Now!

Bryan Beller: Aristocratic Riffs

Bryan Beller and his Lull Custom BBMF5 demonstrate what it takes to keep up with Guthrie Govan and Marco Minneman in their scary-good fusion trio, The Aristocrats. Bryan and his four- and five-string basses help the band tackle challenging instrumentals without losing sight of the song; think modern-day Dixie Dregs or fusiony Satch/Vai. Here, he plays “Aristoclub” (from their latest album, “Duck”) while plugged into his touring rig – a Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion preamp, GK 2001RB power amp, and two GK RBH410 speaker cabinets. In-between are a Boss OC-2 Octave, Digitech Bass Driver, Xotic Effects EP Booster, and a Demeter Opto-Compulator. Catch our interview with Bryan in the April issue. Read Now!

Artists

Fretprints: Steve Khan

Khan-sequential Guitar

Steve Khan is an internationally acclaimed guitarist with a career spanning more than 50 years. Japan’s Jazz Life proclaimed him one of the 22 greatest jazz guitarists and Musico Pro’s Antonio Gandia praised him as “the voice of the guitar in Latin Jazz.” He has been making waves as a solo artist since 1977, collaborated […]

by Wolf Marshall
VG Approved Gear

Universal Audio Max and Del-Verb

Smart Stomps

After rolling out several “amp-in-a-box” pedals last year, Universal Audio is back with a fresh line of stompboxes to help guitarists groove. The Max Preamp/Dual Compressor gives models of famous compressors, with three compressor circuits – the classic DynaComp pedal capable of squashed, chicken-pickin’ sonorities, and two studio favorites, the LA-2A and FET 1176, which […]

by Pete Prown
Artists

Billy Sheehan

Talas Time Travel

Billy Sheehan earned notoriety and commercial success in the ’80s and ’90s as a member of David Lee Roth’s post-Van Halen band and then with the supergroup Mr. Big. He’s kept busy through the years with sessions, solo albums, and work with other bands including the Winery Dogs, Sons of Apollo, and Niacin. It all […]

by Bret Adams
Artists

Josh Smith

Swingin’ Hard

Josh Smith has been very busy. When he’s not on tour or sharing production duties with Joe Bonamassa for artists like Joanna Connor, Eric Gales, or Larry McCray, he’s producing artists on his own and making music. Bird of Passage finds the multifaceted guitarist fronting a 13-piece big band. It’s blues that swings – and […]

Lotus Pedal Designs’ Snowjob Underdrive
VG Approved Gear

Lotus Pedal Designs’ Snowjob Underdrive

Love That Yellow Snow

You may be wondering, “What in the world is an ‘underdrive’ pedal?” Good question. Well, you know the traffic-jam of overdrive pedals you likely have crowding around your amp, all designed to push it into blissful distortion? An underdrive does the opposite. It drives from your guitar. Which brings up that Beatles-versus-Stones-type debate about the […]

Artists

Edgar Winter

Tribute to “Brother Johnny”

Edgar Winter describes making Brother Johnny in tribute to his late brother, blues-rock guitar icon Johnny Winter, as “one of the most intensive and rewarding recording experiences I’ve ever had.” The Beaumont, Texas, brothers shared an “almost telepathic communication” musically, in addition to both being albino. “He could play a 12-bar blues and take 20 […]

Artists

George Cotsirilos – Jazz Sans Cliché

Deft work on an L-5 for “The Three Doves” George Cotsirilos grew up listening to Bloomfield, Hendrix, and Clapton, then studied jazz guitar. Here, his influences are on full display as he plays “The Three Doves,” from his latest album, “Refuge.” That’s his oh-so-cool 1970 Gibson L-5. See our review of “Refuge” in the November […]

Artists

Have Guitar Will Travel – 034 Featuring Nalle Colt

Episode 34 of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features Vintage Trouble guitarist Nalle Colt. They delve into growing up in Sweden, the band’s history, Nalle’s work with Englebert Humperdink and Booker T, and his guitars and amps. Please like, comment, and share! Each episode is available on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, […]

Artists

Pop ’N Hiss: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s (Pronounced ‘Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd’)

Down-South Guitar Assault

By early 1973, “Southern Rock” had come into its own, spearheaded by Capricorn Records and its keystone act, the Allman Brothers Band, whose music was melodic, popular, and brought plenty of memorable guitar riffs. Though they could boast a rapidly expanding fan base, the members of a Florida group known as Lynyrd Skynyrd hit a […]

Artists

Pop ’N Hiss: Robben Ford and Yellowjackets

Inside Story

In 1975, 24-year-old Robben Ford was making a name for himself on the Los Angeles music scene, where competition was fierce. As a blues-guitar prodigy, Ford had played behind Charlie Musselwhite and toured with Jimmy Witherspoon, but his life changed when he met Tom Scott of the L.A. Express, then replaced Larry Carlton in the […]

Artists

Noah Zacharin: Seriously Agile Fingerstyle

“Lester Brown” Live From The Big Lonely From his home in a forest between Ottawa and Toronto, singer/songwriter/fingerpicker Noah Zacharin entertains us with an exclusive take on “Lester Brown,” from his new album, “Points of Light.” That’s his well-worn number one stage guitar, a Collings OM2H. The ’47 ES-150 in back is just one of […]

Music

Steve Vai

Inviolate

After decades of technical shred-dom, Vai returns to his musical mindset prior to David Lee Roth, composing soundtrack-scaled material that is powerful and dramatic. “Teeth of the Hydra” is a showpiece for a new triple-neck Ibanez – listen for the wild harp and bass drones recorded live on the instrument. Listen for Whammy Pedal madness […]

Artists

Remembering Scotty Moore

Strings for a King

Credited with creating the trio format and incorporating country and Atkins-style hybrid picking into the burgeoning rock-and-roll style, he was thrust into the spotlight thanks to a young singer named Elvis. Plus, players react to Moore’s passing, and a look at his famed Gibson ES-295.

Classic Instruments

The Supro 1600R Supreme and 600 Reverb

Toneful Twosome

Supro amps from the late 1950s and early ’60s are some of the most stylish of the era, and boast circuits that generated classic tones at the hands of a young Jimi Hendrix, along with Alvin Lee, Jimmy Page, and countless Chicago blues stars. But good luck finding a set like this. After years of […]

VG Approved Gear

Divided By 13 BTR23C Brian Ray Signature

English Flavor

Divided By 13 BTR23C Price: $2,800 Info: www.dividedby13.com. After years of repairing and modding amps for himself and pals like Lyle Workman, Joel Shearer, and Corky James, guitarist Frederic Taccone began building amplifiers from the ground up to better meet his needs and those of his friends. Divided By 13 thus evolved with the philosophy […]

Artists

Jim Weider

Shinin’ On

Few American guitarists have roots in Americana as deep as those of Jim Weider. For 15 years following The Band’s reformation in 1983, he was the sole guitarist, contributing heavily to its finest latter-day album, Jericho. Weider is also part of Masters of the Telecaster, a collaboration with G.E. Smith and Tom Principato that performs […]

VG Approved Gear

Area 51 The Alienist Voicing Boost

Manmade Tone Monster

Gather ’round, children, for a scary bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was no such thing as a high-gain amp. So, wizards built treble boosters – like the Dallas Rangemaster – to add high-end response. Other sorcerers came up with a Top Boost modification, which they added to the Vox AC30. Then a mad […]

Artists

Doug MacDonald and the Three T’s

Jazz Veteran Brings the Swing! West-Coast jazz legend Doug MacDonald used his Benedetto Bravo to show us a bit of “Lester Leaps In,” from his new album, Live In Hawaii. To read our review, read the January issue. Read Now!

Classic Instruments

St. Moritz Stereo

The notion of a stereo guitar became almost implicit when guitars started having two pickups. But it didn’t become a reality on an actual production guitar until the great tapping player Jimmie Webster persuaded Gretsch to come up with the legendary White Falcon in 1955. The stereo option didn’t arrive right away, but by ’58, […]

Music

Gov’t Mule

Heavy Load Blues

When a successful band of fine musicians is struck by the compulsion to revisit the muses of their youth by recording blues covers, it can go horribly wrong. Fortunately, Gov’t Mule’s first blues album is a mix of originals and covers that shows the band paying tribute while adding their own sauce and avoiding the […]

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