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Art Department | Vintage Guitar® magazine - Part 2

Author: Art Department

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 049 Featuring Dave Miner

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 049 Featuring Dave Miner

     

    In Episode 49 of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features host James Patrick Regan speaking with Dave Miner, chairman of the board at Benedetto Guitars. A noted collector who appreciates vintage Gibson archtops, pre-war Martins, and early D’Angelicos as well as Benedettos, his passion for the instrument started in his youth. He and James touch on an array of topics including Dave’s primary business, Miner Family Winery, how he started playing and collecting guitars, and some of the fascinating people he has come to know in the business.

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    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, Apple Podcast, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 048 Featuring Rod Abernethy

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 048 Featuring Rod Abernethy

    James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist/composer Rod Abernethy in the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel.” A native of North Carolina, Rod teaches musical-composition courses at the UNC School for the Arts. He and James discuss his musical life beginning with that ever-vital first guitar (a Gibson SG Special), playing in rock bands as a kid, and why he has always been drawn to acoustic guitars liks his ’54 J-200. They touch on the guitars at Rod’s studio, share thoughts on amp builders, and reveal Rod’s favorite pastime – building steampunk robots! And of course they dig into his new instrumental album, Without a Word.

    Please like, comment, and share this podcast!

    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, Apple Podcast, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 047 Featuring Reb Beach

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 047 Featuring Reb Beach

    In the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel,” host James Patrick Regan welcomes Reb Beach. The renowned guitar slinger for Winger and Whitesnake delves into his amazing career going back to his days at Berklee, then moving to New York and Florida while pursuing his musical passion, his influences, musical heroes, the ups and downs of the industry, and the gear he has used through the years up to his most-recent projects. Did you know he backed Chaka Kahn and Howard Jones? Hear about that and much more.

    Please like, comment, and share this podcast!


    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 046 Featuring Richard Fortus

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 046 Featuring Richard Fortus

    Richard Fortus, longtime guitarist with Guns and Roses, joins host James Patrick Regan in the new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel.” Richard talks about growing up in St. Louis, where he studied violin and classical guitar at the Conservatory of the Arts, and saw many of his guitar heroes perform. In high school, he joined a band that signed a record deal and toured with the Psychedelic Furs – which he later joined. They also discuss his vintage instruments, his signature model Les Paul and Gretsch guitars, his tenure in Guns and Roses, and life as a session guitarist in New York City.

    Please like, comment, and share this podcast!

    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Two Tickets to the Top

    Two Tickets to the Top

    Any gearhead who’s been paying attention the last seven years knows the name Robert Keeley. Since 2001, he and his staff at Keeley Electronics have produced a variety of boutique effects pedals and pedal mods that are held in high regard.

    Keeley is a degree-holding electronics engineer who was teaching college electronics courses when one day, in passing, he told his wife that he’d like to pick up a new compressor for his guitar amp. Her response came in the form of the question, “Can’t you just build it yourself?” Motivated by her remark, within months, Keeley Electronics was born.

    On initial inspection, Keeley’s Katana pedal looks like a simple, small box with a knob on its side. Its simplicity, Keeley says, is key to its tone, and its secret ingredient is a voltage-doubler chip that steps up the pedal’s operating voltage from nine to 18 volts.

    Housed in a 43/8” x 23/8” x 11/4” chassis, the pedal fits just about anywhere. The Katana employs true-bypass switching and Keeley’s signature blue LED indicator. On the side of its housing is a push/pull knob that acts as a level control, giving the user up to 23 db of boost.

    We plugged the Katana between a PRS Custom 22 and  a Budda Superdrive 45 head going into an open-back 2×12″ cabinet. Running the amp’s clean channel, we set it to produce a basic slightly overdriven tone. We rolled the pedal’s volume control up until it matched the amp’s output, and were greeted with exceptionally clear, transparent tone. As we dialed the knob up further, the rig continued to parlay every nuance the Budda offered, but at greater and greater volume.

    We then dialed the amp for a more traditional clean tone and clicked the Katana’s push/pull to the out position. A gainier tone emerged immediately and proved to be very controllable – perfect for country players who want a little more edge for solos.

    For many of the world’s most notable guitarists, the Ibanez TS9 has been a signal-chain staple. Keeley has been doing mods to TS9 (and Ibanez 808) pedals for years, and recently incorporated his Mod Plus and Baked Mod toggle switch to the TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer. He calls it the Flexi 4×2.

    The Flexi 4×2 at first appears stock except for the true-bypass switch installed just above the stock Ibanez stompswitch, a small two-way toggle on the top side panel, and again the signature blue LED. The chassis hosts the typical Drive, Level and Tone knobs, but arguably the best feature is the four-position Mode knob that selects gain settings ranging from (and labeled) TS9 (highest), Plus, Hot, and Turbo, all of which are modified. The toggle selects between Baked Mod and Mod Plus; the Baked Mod produces markedly more gain, while MOD Plus is cleaner, with more low-end response.

    We plugged in a Fender 1960 Relic Stratocaster with Custom Shop pickups, set the Budda’s clean channel for slight breakup, and the Flexi 4×2’s levels at about 11 o’clock with the toggle in the down position and Mode set to Turbo. The pedal produced a standard TS9 tone with only a slight amount of bite – full and fat. Moving the Mode selector through the four stages reveals distinct sounds affiliated with each of the modes. Switching the toggle to the Baked Mod created a cascading effect, as if someone had plugged another TS-9 in front of this one. Moving through the modes, the pedal offered everything from a modern rock-style lead tone to a power blues Strat tone that would give any lead player lots of warm fuzzies! Between the four Mode types and the “pile on” boost of the toggle switch, the Flexi 4×2 offers a veritable smorgasbord of tones.

    In a saturated boutique pedal/amp/guitar market, Robert Keeley and his gang are doing an exemplary job of keeping themselves atop the heap, and the Katana and Flexi 4×2 are two good reasons why. – Jason Lee Austin

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 045 Featuring Ryan Roxie

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 045 Featuring Ryan Roxie

    Photo courtesy of Victor Chalfant.

    “Have Guitar Will Travel” host James Patrick Regan welcomes Ryan Roxie to the latest episode. The guitarist has enjoyed an amazing career – backing Alice Cooper, jamming with Joe Satriani, Slash, and Gilby Clarke, living the life of a rock star, and playing a Les Paul that also belonged to Mick Mars and Tracii Guns. They also touch on his teaching method, “System 12.”

    Please like, comment, and share this podcast!

    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 044 Featuring Ricky Byrd

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 044 Featuring Ricky Byrd

    The new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd. The New York native played with Joan Jett in the heyday of the Blackhearts and also backed Roger Daltrey and Ian Hunter. Speaking with host James Patrick Regan, Ricky touches on his musical beginnings, his first club gigs in NYC and Los Angeles, how his gear evolved through a long and varied career, and events that led to creating his new album, “Sobering Times.”


    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, Apple Podcast, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcast

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 043 Featuring Ranger Doug

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 043 Featuring Ranger Doug

    The new episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features host James Patrick Regan’s conversation with “Ranger Doug” Green, guitarist, front man, and creative force behind the legendary Western wing/country band Riders In the Sky. A music historian and author, Doug still has his first guitar and has performed alongside Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, and many others. His conversation with James ranges from his growing up in Michigan, how Knott’s Berry Farm spurred his childhood love of music, early bands, the formation of Riders, his work with fellow Nashville session superstars in The Timejumpers, the Gibson “Ranger Doug” model, and many other topics, including some amazing guitars.

    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, Apple Podcast, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 042 Featuring Dave Rude

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 042 Featuring Dave Rude

    The latest episode of “Have Guitar Will Travel” features Tesla guitarist Dave Rude. Host James Patrick Regan sits with the Bay Area native to talk about how he became fixated on the guitar and what he learned from teacher (and major-league Ibanez collector!) Doug Doppler. Dave landed the Tesla gig thanks to his MySpace page (remember those?) and now has years worth of great tour stories. He’s also a tube-loving amphead who loves to talk gear including the details of his Epiphone signature model.

    Please like, comment, and share this podcast!

    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, Apple Podcast, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.

  • Have Guitar Will Travel – 041 Featuring Daniel Donato

    Have Guitar Will Travel – 041 Featuring Daniel Donato

    The new episode of James Patrick Regan’s “Have Guitar Will Travel” podcast features wunderkind Daniel Donato, whose childhood appreciation for the Grateful Dead, “Paradise City,” and disc three of the Led Zeppelin box set spurred him to pursue his passion for the guitar. Busking in Nashville led to joining the Don Kelley Band, and here they discusses his philosophy and inspirations.

    Please like, comment, and share this podcast!

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    Each episode is available on Stitcher, iheartradio, Tune In, and Spotify!

    Have Guitar Will Travel, hosted by James Patrick Regan, otherwise known as Jimmy from the Deadlies, is presented by Vintage Guitar magazine, the destination for guitar enthusiasts. Podcast episodes feature guitar players, builders, dealers and more – all with great experiences to share! Find all podcasts at www.vintageguitar.com/category/podcasts.