Month: September 2013

  • The Reverend Thundergun Bass

    The Reverend Thundergun Bass

    Reverend Thundergun

    Players who love a hotrod Lincoln, a good drive-in, or a rocking retro guitar are familiar with Reverend Guitars, a brand that builds instruments that all but ooze vintage style mixed with modern amenities. And Reverend models like the Rumblefish have long been meeting the needs of session and touring bassists.

    Reverend’s latest bass, the Thundergun, has the heart of a classic… or three! Its body has raised center sections (in probable homage to Gibson’s Thunderbird), while its five piece korina/walnut neck is glued to the body, its medium-oval-shaped 2″-radius neck is fat enough for players more into a Fender Precision, but fast enough for fans of the Jazz Bass, and its tilted/reverse headstock adds flair. Binding and block inlays add bling to its rosewood fingerboard.

    The Thundergun is more than a hip T-bird-inspired beast. Its pickups – Reverend’s Thick Brick in the bridge and Split Brick in the neck – will have your eyes telling you to expect P-Bass-/Music Man-type tones. And its control palette, with knobs for Volume, Tone, and a pickup-pan, hint this is a serious workhorse.

    Our test bass had Reverend’s Vintage Clear finish, which is one of three finish options (with Black and Cherry) and looked stellar, its amber tint accentuating the Korina body. The black pickguard and matching headstock nicely round out the overall look.

    Of course, finish and construction is irrelevant if an instrument can’t deliver, sonically, and the Thundergun doesn’t disappoint. Its pickup configuration may seem odd at first, but really, it nicely fills a niche. The approach adds oomph and attack the standard P/J setup. A nice touch would have been the push/pull control Reverend normally uses with the Thick Brick. Reverend’s versions of these pickups are passive, an interesting choice. Their overall tone has a vintage warmth and depth, but with plenty of definition for more-modern styles. The Split Brick has a stronger ’70s/P-Bass vibe, partly because Korina is a brighter-sounding wood. On our test run, it worked great both live and in the studio, playing various styles and genres. The pickup-pan blend was a great choice, too, since blending in just a taste of the Thick Brick gives extra grit that worked well for picked lines, and especially overdriven parts.

    The Thick Brick is a slappers delight, though that form isn’t the first thing you think about looking at the Thundergun. Being passive, it tends to not have the overwhelming high-end tonal response associated with summarily styled pickups, and is more open-sounding than some.

    The Thundergun shines most brightly when it comes to sheer playability, thanks mostly to its body shape. The neck is plenty fast for solo players, yet retains the girth low-slingers love. Access is great all the way up the fingerboard, and those with advanced techniques can use the Thundergun in a variety of situations with virtually no limitations.

    In all, the Thundergun plays very well, looks awesome, and sounds killer.

    Reverend Thundergun
    Price: $1,199
    Contact: reverendguitars.com

    This article originally appeared in VG September 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Eastwood Intros Marksman 5

    Eastwood Marksman5Eastwood Guitars’ Marksman 5 is a tribute replica of the 1957 Magnatone Mark V. It has a chambered mahogany body with sunburst finish, 24¾”-scale on a 22-fret set mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, and measures 1 5/8” at the nut. Sound is delivered through a pair of custom EW Alnico SCP90 pickups with a three-way switch, one Volume and one Tone control, and an adjustable roller bridge. Read more at eastwoodguitars.com.

  • Celestion Offers New G12H-75 Creamback

    Celestion G12H-75 CreambackCelestion’s new G12H-75 Creamback speaker has a 50-ounce “H” (heavy) ceramic magnet, paper cone with paper edge, can handle 75 watts of output with 100dB sensitivity, and has an eight-hole chassis. See more at www.celestion.com.

  • Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch Sets 2014 Schedule

    Jorma Fur PeaceJorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp has announced its 2014 schedule. Located in Southeast Ohio, the ranch will once again host workshops with Kaukonen, Jack Casady, and many others throughout the year. In 1989, Kaukonen and his wife, Vanessa, conceived “a ranch that grows guitar players” – a place where budding and seasoned musicians could immerse themselves and emerge with renewed inspiration and tangible progress in their music. See the schedule at furpeaceranch.com.

  • DiMarzio Launches Illuminator Pickups

    DiMarzio IlluminatorDiMarzio’s Illuminator and Illuminator 7 pickups  were designed for Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci’s new Music Man JP13 with ceramic magnets and  outputs of 295mV (neck) and 410mV (bridge). DC resistance is 10.50 (neck) and 10.56 (bridge) K-ohm, and they are available as aftermarket upgrades. Learn more at www.dimarzio.com.

  • Blackstar’s HT Series Pedals

    Blackstar’s HT Series Pedals

    Blackstar Amplification is known for its successful Artisan, Series One, and HT amp lines. Its new HT effects line includes boxes for delay, reverb, modulation, distortion, drive, and boost.

    All pedals in the series use a heavy-duty 6.25″ x 4.75″ x 2.25″ die-cast chassis with top-mounted controls, side-mounted 1/4″ jacks, tube window, on/off stompswitch with LED indicator, 16-volt power supply, and 12AX7/EC83 tubes. A 1/4″ speaker-emulated output jack sends signal to a mixer or recording device without having to mic a speaker cabinet.

    Blackstar sent the HT line’s three overdrive/distortion pedals, which we put to the test with help from a Gibson Les Paul Standard plugged into a DST Marwatt (12AX7/EL84) 2×12″ combo with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.

    Placed atop the food chain is the HT-Distortion, which has controls for Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Level, and Blackstar’s Infinite Shape Feature (I.S.F.) controls, a highly adjustable tone shift that changes the characteristics of the Bass, Middle, and Treble. The HT-Distortion offers massive gain that is butter-smooth and thick as a brick, nearly infinite sustain that morphs into nice, controllable feedback, even at lower volumes. I.S.F. does a great job moving the center frequencies of the Bass, Middle and Treble controls from tight and bitey to smooth and scooped, allowing for a variety of distortion sounds. All three tone controls are well-voiced; the Bass adds tight, thumpy lows, Middle adds sweet, smooth overtones, and Treble keeps the crispness in check. Unlike other pedals with tubes that are more about window dressing than tone, the HTs’ EC83s work like they do in an amp – producing a lot of dynamic valve harmonics and overtones.

    The HT-Drive has controls for Gain, Tone, and Level, while the HT-Boost has Boost, Bass, and Treble, as well as High and Low output jacks that cater to whatever is being plugging into it – other pedals that don’t want a ton of gain or the front end of a valve amp that likes to be pushed hard. As you step down the HT food chain, gain and tonal control options decrease, as well, but still offer better-than-average performance with the same thick, smooth valve overtones. While the HT-Drive sports only a single Treble tone control, it cuts a big swath over the high-frequency response, tailoring the aggressiveness of the overdrive.

    The HT-Boost’s active Bass and Treble controls are well-voiced and allow for boosting and cutting of highs and lows, or are taken out of the circuit in their center positions.

    Plugged directly into a pair of JBL Control reference monitors, the Speaker Emulated output jacks on the HT-Distortion and HT-Drive worked very well, with thick, natural tones. Blackstar uses a 300-volt circuit in all three HT pedals that gives a warm valve tone, even if dialed down for a clean sound.

    The Blackstar HT Series pedals offer a boatload of smooth, thick gain, flexibility, and real valve tone and dynamics.

    Blackstar ht Series pedals 

    Price: $199.99 (HT Distortion, street), ($179.99 HT Drive), $179.99 (HT-Boost)

    This article originally appeared in VG August 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Trio Garcia

    Trio Garcia

    Trio GarciaTranslated, the title of this album reads “Swing From The Heart Of Paris.” But that only begins to sum up Rocky and Mundine Garcia and their musical home.

    The Garcias are stalwarts of La Chope des Puces, the tiny bar in the center of the Paris flea market just around the corner and paces away from where Django Reinhardt’s Caravan burned back in October, 1928. Today, La Chope has became the center of the entire Gypsy jazz universe. The Garcias themselves are upand-comers from the latest generation of one of the most famous of Gypsy jazz clans. So when they release their debut, all aficionados should stop and listen.

    Rocky is the son and Mundine the nephew of Ninine Garcia, who in turn is the son of Mondine, the Gypsy jazz patriarch who ruled over La Chope for decades, stretching back into the 1950s. And his ancestors played with Django himself. They may even have been among those who taught Django how to play guitar.

    But while the title of this debut may be an understatement, the music certainly is not. Both Rocky and Mundine are guitarists who sharpened their playing alongside some of the best. And they honed their craft sitting in each weekend for the famous afternoon jams at La Chope that draw stars from Biréli Lagrène to Tchavolo Schmitt to any and all players who stop by. Much like an old-time head-cutting contest, La Chope is home to both friendly and fierce sessions.

    Tall and thin with incredibly long fingers, Mundine is a constant – and accomplished – accompanist at the bar. But here he takes over solo duties, which he handles with aplomb. He plays with serious mien and yet grace – careful about every note, but poetic in its use. Rocky is rock solid in his rhythm, playing la pompe (the pump) with some intense swing. Together, they make for an ideal duo, backed by string bassist William Brunard and joined by guest Gilles Barikosky who lends a cool, smooth sound to proceedings with his sax.
    Thankfully, this album is not yet another homage to Django, respectfully covering the timeworn classics while not daring to color outside the lines. Instead, the cousins play their own unique set list – and it’s new, inventive, and inspired.

    The album opens with Ninine’s “Mon Fils Et Moi,” a sweet-souled, midtempo tune. Mundine and Barikosky trade solos, joining together for the last run through the theme. Mundine’s fretwork is beautifully phrased and articulated; while it might not ring with the daring of Django, it’s stylish and fresh. On “Les Demoiselles De Rochefort,” the sax and guitar intermix, alternately echoing and challenging each other. Throughout, Rocky’s rhythm keeps the song moving on a constant current of chordal transition.

    The recording quality – and indeed whole mood – is warm, bright, and clear. It’s a gorgeous collection of modern Gypsy jazz, perhaps not a pyrotechnical fest, but all the better for it. Like La Chope itself, the music here has soul.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Harman Re-Launches DOD Pedals

    DOD_250
    The DOD 250

    Harman’s DigiTech today announced the rebirth of the DOD brand of effects pedals, beginning with reissues of the Overdrive Preamp 250 and Phasor 201. Both incorporate improvements like true-bypass wiring and an AC power jack. The company says output on the Overdrive Preamp 250 is significantly higher and cleaner than the original, and its familiar yellow finish has been upgraded to two-tone metallic and matte-black. It has controls for Gain and Level controls. The DOD Phasor 201 brings back the classic analog phaser “swoosh” with the same electronic and cosmetic upgrades as the OP250, and has a control for speed of the phasing effect. Learn more at www.harman.com.

  • Taylor Intros Fall Limited Editions

    Taylor 500 Fall Ltd ED

    Taylor Guitars’ Fall 2013 Limited Edition models include the Grand Auditorium 514e-FLTD and Grand Symphony 516e-FLTD with bodies made of figured mahogany paired with a European spruce top braced with Adirondack spruce. Appointments include Indian rosewood binding on the body, soundhole, and fretboard, figured mahogany top trim, bone nut, and Micarta saddle. The Grand Auditorium 414ce-FLTD and Grand Symphony 416ce-FLTD have Indian rosewood bodies with Western Red cedar tops.  Special to this series is a rosette with mahogany and boxwood, the latter of which was also used in the new Avian fretboard inlay. All have full-gloss finish and Taylor’s Expression System acoustic electronics. Learn more at www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/limited-editions/fall-2013.

  • Scorpions

    Scorpions

    The ScorpionsOnly the most jaded rock fan can resist pumping their fist to the hardrockin’ nirvana of Scorpions. Long past their heyday, the German rock institution has decided to cap their career with a final album that includes their favorite covers plus re-recordings of some Scorps classics.

    Led by one of metal’s greatest vocalists, Klaus Meine (pronounced “mine-uh”), and Flying V maestro Rudolf Schenker, they really do rock (no pun intended) like a hurricane. The updated hits, like “No One Like You,” “Rhythm Of Love,” and, of course, the venerable ’80s anthem, “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” all sporting fast pentatonic leads from veteran Matthias Jabs. “The Zoo” is as definitive an example of “Euro metal” as there ever was – its slow, churning riff, talk-box guitar solo, and swaggering lyrics recalling an era of hard-rock drama that’s long gone. While these renditions are pretty faithful to the originals, perhaps the intent was to prove that even 40 years into their career, these aging rockers can still do it as well as they ever did. And they can.

    On the covers side, there is a metal take on Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love,” which works brilliantly in this raucous, Marshall-fueled arrangement. Also look for a Sabbathized version of T. Rex’s “Children Of The Revolution,” with fat chords and a stinging, upperregister Jabs solo. Fab Four purists may cringe at the thought of Scorpions playing the Beatles’ “Across The Universe,” but clearly, these Teutonic rockers are also fans, and, if lacking in imagination, it’s still a faithful cover from the heart. Better are nice and snotty covers of the Small Faces’ “Tin Soldier” and the Kinks’ “All Day And All Of The Night.” And for a surprise dose of sentimentality, they close with a solid cover of the Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.”

    This nostalgia fest is one of those CDs you can leave in your car and pop in every once in a while for a happy spin. File it under “guilty pleasures.”

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’12 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.