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Having looked at the most expensive electric guitars offered in 1960s – over 50 years ago. Traditional makers – Gibson, Guild, and Gretsch – concentrated on flashy amplified archtops that retailed up into the $700 to $800 range – beautiful instruments, but not representative of where the electric guitar was going. More forward-looking makers offered […]
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Every pro guitarist who has laid eyes on the Pirate Guitar Effects Plank has initially thought they recognized the logo and taken a second look. The Plank is something other than a clone, though: it’s a take on a classic overdrive circuit – with added bonus points. Germanium this, true-bypass that – all of the […]
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Pete Townshend sent many a guitar and amp to an early grave. But there’s no known evidence of him doing the same with effects pedals. Never mind that spearing a Rickenbacker through the heart of a Hiwatt provided much more Shakespearean drama than stomping on a lowly stompbox. Perhaps, though, he simply didn’t need to […]
This Jazzmaster is an interesting example of what went on behind the scenes at the Fender factory with the research and development of body shapes and materials, and during the pre-production phase for new models in the late 1950s and early ’60s. After having great success with the Esquire, Telecaster, and Stratocaster, in 1958, Fender […]
Few guitarists in hard rock have proven as influential as Ace Frehley; just about any guitarist interviewed after the mid ’80s listed the Space Man as an inspiration. Frehley is now showing off some of the artists who inspired him as a guitarist, with a new album of covers titled Origins Vol. 1, and featuring […]
With the growing popularity of small-footprint effects, Coppersound’s Kingpin Germanium Clipper and Iris Optical Compressor nicely fit the bill – and pedalboard. Though nearly identical (Volume, on/off switch and three-way mini toggle) except for graphics, they are very different. The Kingpin, designed around a Germanium diode and driven by two FET stages, offers three levels […]
Here’s a story that has “Hollywood blockbuster” written all over it. It’s got so many cinematic staples, you can almost hear “Oscar” murmured in hushed tones. There’s the Holy Grail factor. There’s the underdog, “Rocky” element. And we’ve all heard those true stories of a family reluctantly moving across the country, even though their dog […]
While Fender’s high-powered 5F8-A Twin of 1958-’60 (VG, March ’09) has been much raved about in recent years, there’s a lot to be said for a Twin that’s closer to the origins of the breed. An (arguably) more-playable amp for the average guitarist, the low-powered 5E8-A of 1956-’57 is the most copied among boutique builders, […]
Though he has dedicated much of his career to guitar instruction, Grossman has always been a formidable picker in his own right, with a lively, engaging stage presence. Having taken lessons from Rev. Gary Davis (later releasing several albums by him), he’s probably the foremost proponent of Davis’ style of Piedmont blues. But as displayed […]
The sociopolitical attitude of the American population is often said to be gauged in reference to a town in Illinois. But “How will it play in Peoria?” isn’t the only reason the city is notable; it’s also the hometown of singer/songwriter/guitarist Dan Fogelberg, whose plaintive voice, evocative songs, and prowess on guitar have resulted in […]
Amid this golden age of music gear, the Analog Man King of Tone Overdrive, first produced in 2005 in collaboration with Jim Weider, heads a distinguished list of “Holy Grail” stompboxes. If you feel a severe bout of eye-rolling coming on, ask Jimmy Herring, Carl Verheyen, Luther Dickinson, or Gary Clark, Jr. why it’s on […]
After a recording hiatus, the blues-rock pioneer enjoyed a 1985 comeback with this Telecaster manifesto, now reissued on vinyl. The title track opens with volume swells on a rabid Fender amp drenched in reverb and overdrive before he blows the roof off with screaming bends and a razor tone. Roy was back. “Chicago Smokeshop” is […]
Born in the heart of Mississippi’s fabled Delta region – from where Robert Johnson emerged and a blues-music form was born, Walter “Furry” Lewis was seven years old when his family moved to Memphis in 1907. Geographically poised as a gathering point for sharecroppers emigrating from the deep south to various points north, Memphis played […]
Forget about the classic quartet. Forget the power trio. Forget any preconceived shortcomings you may have concerning a rock-and-roll duo. There’s no denying it – the Black Keys crank out impressive noise. As one half of the band – drummer Patrick Carney – once joked, “We’re normally a 12-piece jazz big-band, but the other 10 […]
Drawing from a vast well of American R&B and soul, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal deliver powerhouse sounds from their home base in Nebraska. On its latest, Green Light, the sextet melds Stax, Motown, Philly, and Muscle Shoals sounds, woven together by Hoyer’s gigantic voice and the superb guitar work of Benjamin Kushner. If you […]
Whitey Kirst is known for smoldering lead-guitar tone and collaborating with punk-rock pioneer Iggy Pop. After four albums and hundreds of shows, Kirst’s 13-year tenure with Iggy went on hiatus when the legendary frontman reunited The Stooges in 2003 (see the feature with Stooges guitarist James Williamson in this issue). Since then, he’s been fronting […]
The fretless has long been mysterious territory for bassists dazzled by the sonic achievements of Jaco Pastorius, Pino Palladino, and Tony Franklin but reluctant to compromise their intonation. The Fender Player Fretless Jazz Bass seeks to give bassists that timeless vibe without a major investment, plus a few bonuses. Made in Mexico, the Player Jazz […]
All but forgotten today, with his low-slung guitar, stylish rhythm licks, and tasty leads, Lowman Pauling was one of the great guitar heroes of the ’50s. Guitarist for the R&B doo-wop band the 5 Royales, not only did Pauling pick melody lines and play leads, he also composed many of the band’s songs, sang in […]
An itinerant Western music guitarist who befriended Leo Fender and other employees at his up-and-coming company in the early ’50s, Bill Carson (1926-2007) was the “test pilot” for the Fender Stratocaster prototype. His input led Fender to make significant changes to the guitar compared to the slab-bodied Telecasters; among Carson’s ideas were the body contours, […]
