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September, 2015 | Vintage Guitar® magazine - Part 5

Month: September 2015

  • The Carr Artemus

    The Carr Artemus

    Steve Carr made a name for himself building fine amplifiers such as the Slant 6V and the Rambler. His Artemus model used four EL84 tubes, but was not a subtle variation on a classic design, but rather offered a powerful blend of Dick Denney, Leo Fender, and Steve Carr.

    Though the term “American meets British” is overused in the amp biz, the Artemus was essentially an AC30-flavored design with a touch of blackface Fender. Its EL84 power section is accompanied by two 12AX7 tubes in preamp, a 5AR4 rectifier, and an Eminence driver.

    Top-mounted knobs control Volume, Bass, and Treble and rest on the panel alongside switches labeled Edge (bright and upper-mid boost), Mid (midrange), a selector that changes the amp’s output from 15 watts to 30, as well as switches for Standby and On/Off. A bias pot is mounted to the underside of the chassis.

    The Artemus’ chassis is hand-wired, and its cabinet is pine finished in black Tolex or one of 10 other coverings. The amp is available as a head or in 1×12″, 1×15″, 2×12″, or 2×10″ combo configurations.

    We tested the amp with a recent Gibson ES-335 and a reissue Fender Telecaster. With both, the amp’s tone controls had a very useful range; the Edge and Mid switches worked very well for tweaking tone depending on each guitar’s pickups. With the Tele, we switched off the Edge, turned on the Mid, dialed in a bit of Bass, cut the Treble, and set the Volume halfway. The result was an outstanding, modern Tele tone in the 15-watt setting that simply begged to play Mike Campbell/Heartbreakers-style licks. Attack was snappy, with plenty of growl. At lower volume, the Artemus cleaned up well.

    Plugging in the 335, we flipped the Edge switch on and turned off the Mid. We also lowered the Bass and switched the wattage to 30. With the guitar’s Volume control turned up all the way, it was easy to get grit from the amp, even at lower volume. For most, this is a plus, but a jazzer might need a bit more true clean tone. Turning up brought more dirt and sustain to the fore, but engaging the Mid and switching the output back to 15 watts took the Carr to all-out dirtfest with the 335’s humbuckers; power chords, double-stops and single-note lines produced smiles all around. One especially notable aspect of the Artemus’ tone is its acoustical spread – sound from the cab was less directional than we typically hear from a 1×12″, due to its larger size, material, and engineering. No matter the setting or guitar, the amp filled the room with stellar tones.

    Unlike most EL84-powered combos, the Artemus is very humbucker friendly – deliciously gritty. For the rock-and-roll Tele player, it’s hard to beat. The amp is well-conceived, highlighted by its cab design, and everything about it, including fit and finish, say “quality.”

    Carr Artemus (discontinued) 

    Price: $2,090 (1×12″ with custom covering).

    Contact: carramps.com

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

  • The Martin 000-18HS

    The Martin 000-18HS

    Martin 000-18HS
    This ’37 Martin 000-18HS bears serial number 67196. Photos: William Ritter. Instrument courtesy of George Gruhn.
    According to Martin company records and research by late Martin Historian Mike Longworth, Cable Piano Company, in Atlanta, special-ordered at least three Martin 000-18HS guitars in 1937. Two others have previously emerged – serial numbers 67197 and 67198 – and this one recently found its way to Nashville for a Martin event featuring company historian Dick Boak.

    Boak had heard about this guitar in the early ’90s, when it wound up in the shop of luthier John Arnold, in Knoxville, and it does not conform to standard catalog specifications. In fact, it’s befuddling why Martin specified it as a 000-18HS; it was seemingly designated a style 18 as it is constructed of ’30s-era style 18 woods (Adirondack spruce top, mahogany neck, back, and sides). However, it has style 28 ornamentation, including herringbone edge trim, white ivoroid bindings on the top and back of the body, zigzag back stripe, and slotted-diamond fingerboard inlays. It lacks the carved volute on the back of the peghead, and in that respect is like a style 18; in every other, however, including ornamentation and structural features, it’s typical of the style 28, with the obvious exception of the mahogany back and sides.

    Unlike the other two 000-18HS models, this example has a sunburst top finish, which Martin began offering as an option on flat-tops when archtops with standard sunburst were introduced in the early 1930s. The finish on the back does not match the neck and sides, indicating the back was refinished at some time in the relatively distant past.

    The H in the model name indicates the guitar was originally set up Hawaiian-style, which was the popular musical style prior to World War II. Martin began building guitars and ukuleles fairly early during the Hawaiian-music craze, which was a strong impetus for Martin to design steel-string guitars. Unlike heavy steel strings, gut strings do not respond when sliding a steel bar across them. In addition, several tunings for Hawaiian-style music feature so-called “high bass” tunings. As a result, Martin modified bracing and top thickness to accommodate steel strings and the tension required for higher tunings. Once Hawaiian guitars were in production, the company continued with additional steel-string models.

    All three of the 000-18HS examples encountered have been converted from Hawaiian-style, with flush frets and high nut, to Spanish-style with standard frets, lower nut, and a replacement bridge. Unlike other Martins, which have a radiused fingerboard, Hawaiian guitars by Martin have a flat/non-radiused fingerboard and bar frets tha t are ground flush and can be difficult to remove. Many Hawaiian-style Martins have been converted by filling and re-cutting the fret slots or replacing the fingerboard; the ideal way to convert them is to pull the flush frets, radius the fingerboard, and install bar frets. Typically, the flat/level neck-set angle on a Hawaiian style guitar is not well-suited for standard conversions, so it is also necessary to reset the neck. Hawaiian style guitars have a straight bridge saddle similar to a classical guitar so to accommodate standard style playing with steel strings, the saddle slot must be recut in a slanted position in order for the guitar to intonate well. While it can be fairly easy to convert a Hawaiian-style guitar to a semi-playable standard style, it requires expert repair (which can be expensive).

    This 000-18HS has a 12-fret mahogany neck and a slotted headstock, typical of Hawaiian-style guitars. Today, Martin uses S to designate a 12-fret neck, but until the ’60s, S indicated “Special” which could mean any deviation from standard spec. The first time Martin used S to describe a 12-fret model was most likely a special order (possibly by Wurlitzer) for D-28S and 000-28S guitars with 12-fret necks. Since that time, the S designation has been reserved for 12-fret models, and Martin has used “Custom” for special orders.

    The back strip is stamped “Made Especially for Cable Piano Co.,” which was an early Martin dealer, well-known among guitar collectors and enthusiasts as a result of employee Perry Bechtel’s request for a 14-fret version of the 000-28 he had been borrowing from his employer. After visiting the Martin factory, Bechtel ordered and received his “000-28 Special” in 1929, and the design of his special order yielded a new body shape in the Martin line in 1930 – the OM (Orchestra Model). Unlike Bechtel’s special order, the reasoning behind Cable Piano Company’s order for these three 000-18HS models is unknown. Regardless, it’s interesting to reflect on the impact musicians and dealers made on the history of the Martin company.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s December 2014 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Furry Lewis, Sleepy John Estes, Mud Boy and the Neutrons, and more

    Furry Lewis, Sleepy John Estes, Mud Boy and the Neutrons, and more

    Lewis, Estes

    These days, Memphis’ Beale Street is a blues-lover’s Disneyland in all the worst ways. It’s been sanitized and sanctified, then thoroughly commercialized. Once upon a time, however, it was the “home of the blues,” as Memphis was officially – if somewhat dubiously – declared by a 1977 act of Congress.

    Fortunately, James Luther Dickinson was wise to all this. As the original Beale Street was being razed and then plowed under for urban renewal in ’76, he got busy capturing the sounds of the faded street for posterity.

    Dickinson should need little introduction. He’s played with the Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder, the Cramps, and more, plus produced albums by Big Star, Alex Chilton, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and the Replacements – simply to scratch the surface. Suffice to say, he had good ears.

    He recorded these original Beale Street artists at clubs, Memphis’ Orpheum Theatre and Ardent Studios, and even in the musicians’ living rooms. The result is a time-capsule collection that’s invaluable today.

    The album includes cuts by Sleepy John Estes, Furry Lewis, Teenie Hodges, Grandma Dixie Davis, and more. Like the old Beale Street, the tracks are grimy and gritty, and thoroughly real.

    Hidden among the cuts is one especial gem: “On The Road Again” by Mud Boy and the Neutrons, Dickinson’s own band and a storied one at that. Including guitarists Sid Selvidge and Lee Baker, the band cut three impossible-to-find LPs, then broke up. Here’s a welcome reminder of a seminal group.

    The collection here was originally released in ’78; this CD reissue makes it happily available again.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s October ’15 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • PureSalem Guitars Intros Cardinal Model

    PureSalem Cardinal Daphne BlueThe PureSalem Cardinal model has a mahogany body, mahogany neck with binding, block inlays on a rosewood fretboard, 24 3/4″ scale, C-shaped neck with 12″ radius, Grover tuners, Vibrola tailpiece, roller bridge, custom single-coil pickup in the bridge position, the company’s Mendiola humbucker in neck, vintage-style cloth wiring, a three-way toggle pickup selector, and Master Volume and Tone controls. All PureSalem guitars are available in lefty versions at no additional markup.

  • The Luker Chameleon Combo

    The Luker Chameleon Combo

    Luker Chameleon ComboThe Luker Chameleon Combo
    Price: $1,850 (list)
    Contact: www.lukeramps.com

    Considering the state of modern vacuum tubes, a surprising number of great tube amps are currently being built. And of those, every once in a while a truly exceptional amp that is also an astonishing value finds its way through the front door. The Luker Chameleon is one of those amps.

    A Class A/AB Fender-based 20-watter with two 6V6 power tubes driving a choice of 12″ or 15″ Eminence Legend 75-watt speaker, the Chameleon is all-tube and hand-wired. Even the rectifier is a tube (GZ34). For preamp tubes it has a pair of 12AX7s, while the reverb runs off one 12AT7 and one 12AU7. The power transformer is a high-efficiency toroidal unit designed in-house, while the reverb is a long-spring Accutronics unit that also offers a Dark-to-Bright knob – very useful for getting just the right amount of atmosphere for the room.

    The Chameleon’s hand-built cabinet is a work of art in itself, with dovetailed clear pine panels, a Baltic birch speaker baffle and backs, and hickory hardwood bracing. The front panel is powder-coated and the lettering is enamel screen-printed, all for increased durability. The back panel of the chassis is stainless steel polished to a mirror finish. The panel has a circuit breaker, a speaker impedance selector for 4, 8, and 16 ohms, and two speaker-out jacks. Three tolex colors are currently available (wine, black, and cream) and the grillecloth is also available in a variety of colors (wheat, white, oxblood, and silver-and-black). And at just 19.625″ x 20″ x 10″ and 41 pounds, the Chameleon is very compact considering what it offers.

    And it offers a lot. There are the usual Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, and Reverb controls, with both power and standby switches. There are also knobs for Presence and Hi Cut, as well as not one but two Gain controls. The most interesting switch on the faceplate, however, is labeled “PF.” More on that later.

    The Chameleon’s three-band passive EQ knobs do enough without doing too much. The Bass control is great for tightening or loosening the bottom end, the Treble smoothens the highs without going “duh,” and the Mid might soon become your Strat’s best friend. Turned counterclockwise, it produces that highly sought-after scooped tone, and pushed to the right, it pumps up the upper mids, getting close to the tone circuit on a Clapton Strat.

    As for the Hi Cut, who needs it when there’s already an effective Treble control? Well, while the Treble controls a wider spectrum of the highs, the Hi Cut takes off just the uppermost part of that range and is great for rolling off just the prickly tip of a driven Strat or Tele pickup, and it nicely notches back the sizzle of a pushed P-90.

    One of the chameleon-like characteristics of the Chameleon is its two Gain controls. Gain 1 increases the American grit of the 6V6 power tubes. Once that’s dialed in to taste, the Gain 2 brings in a smooth, singing EL84-type sustain, but with more, well, balls. For someone addicted to P-90s, this amp is a godsend. Even driven, the Luker Chameleon is very quiet, indicating quality components competently connected.

    The amp’s other chameleon-like trait is provided by the previously mentioned four-way PF switch. “PF” in this case stands for picofarads, and the switch allows the use of four separate capacitors for the Treble control, with values from 120 to 1,000 picofarads (pF). The 120 pF setting is the brightest, 250 pF is standard Fender issue, 500 pF gets Vox-y, and 1,000 pF is on the warmer side of Marshall.

    The Luker Chameleon’s highs, even when cut, have an openness and airiness to them. The cut mids make it sound like a Strat has older and better pickups than it probably does, and not like someone is holding a pillow over the speaker cloth. The bass, even when extended, never goes “boom,” and rolled off, maintains its depth and just gets tighter. Whatever the tone, with the Chameleon, there’s a feeling that it came out easily and naturally without being forced.

    This article originally appeared in VG December 2014 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Dave Specter

    Dave Specter

    Dave SpecterDave Specter’s Message In Blue is chock full of imaginative instrumentals, great guest vocals, and blistering guitar work from Specter. But that’s not what he likes most about it.

    As with all his records, Message covers a lot of ground. Still, Specter sees himself as a blues guitarist. “People don’t realize how much the blues encompasses. I have a lot of influences, but they’re all blues-based. My favorite jazz is very greasy, bluesy jazz. My favorite soul has a lot of blues feeling. My favorite rock and roll is very bluesy.”

    The record mixes instrumentals and vocal tunes; in the past, Specter has been a Strat player who on occasion would play a semi-hollowbody.

    “Lately, though, I’ve become a huge fan of Jazzmasters. I play one on 11 of the 13 tunes. I played a couple tracks for a local guitar builder and he was sure I was playing an ES-175 or similar guitar. I discovered the Jazzmaster Classic Player model, and it sounds and feels like a jumbo-fret Strat. I’m 6’4″ and the Jazzmaster suits me; physically, it feels bigg er than a Strat, with a neck that feels just right. And it has pickups that definitely sound hotter than a Strat’s – almost like P-90s.”

    He also uses a Gibson ES-137 that is heard on two tracks on the new record. “I go through periods every four or five years where I stick with one model of guitar. My early years were a longer period where I pretty much used Strats. Then I had a 1955 ES-175 that I used quite a bit. Then it was five years of Epiphone Rivieras.”

    Cutting the new album, he used a Victoria Golden Melody 2×12 and a blackface ’66 Super Reverb, “both turned up pretty loud.” He doesn’t use two amps live, saying the Golden Melody is his number one choice for bigger clubs and gigs where he has to be a little louder. He has a nice collection of Fenders that still see regular use, including a ’66 Deluxe Reverb, two custom Vibrolux reissues, a reissue Princeton Reverb, and the blackface Super.

    In a world of blues guitarists, Specter has a tone and style that’s recognizable after hearing only a few bars, and he says that is something he has long hoped to accomplish.

    “I think it’s important for an artist – and a guitarist, specifically – to develop their own voice and sound. To do that, I take breaks, even long breaks, from listening to the players I love so I can focus on my own sound and style. I know from experience I spent so much time playing along to Albert Collins, Jimmy Vaughan, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, Steve Freund, who was one of my early mentors, as well as others, that I got to a point, early on, where I thought I was sounding too much like other people. That’s not what I wanted to be. So, I’ll go for a while without listening to any blues guitar; I’ll listen to Los Lobos or Richard Thompson, or the Meters, just to kind of clear the air from my blues.”

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s December 2014 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Richard Bennett

    Richard Bennett

    Richard Bennett

    Richard Bennett works with a jazzman’s precision and taste, a swing player’s cool, and a rockabilly’s sense of urgency and fun. As a songwriter of guitar-centric instrumentals, his songs are visually as well as emotionally evocative, flowing out of your speakers in Technicolor.

    The lonesome trumpet of “That Girl Was Northern,” followed by luscious electric then acoustic lines, seem to come from a less-cynical, more-romantic time – the days when hi-fidelity was the industry standard and the jukebox, dashboard radio, and home-stereo turntables made records sound their best; after all, Bennett does call his label “Moderne Shellac.”

    He is adept at almost anything with strings. His steel guitar on “Segue To Sundown” shows why he’s in demand at Nashville sessions, even in a town full of great steel players. But listening to him play the six-string guitar – especially on a song like “A Lovely Day To Cry” or his brilliant Latin-inflected “Tresero” – is to hear scope and possibilities of that wonderful instrument that captivates us all.

    This article originally appeared in VG‘s October ’15 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Tremolution Offers Palm-O-Low

    Tremolution Palm-O-LowTremolution’s Palm-O-Low is a stainless-steel vibrato arm replacement that rests under the picking hand allowing the player to add vibrato while strumming, plucking, or picking. It ireplaces an existing vibrato arm on most Bigsby-type systems and the company offers an adapter for vintage-style floating bridges.

  • CalJoe Offers Bodacious Baffle Stands

    CalJoe's Baffle StandCalJoe’s Bodacious Baffle Stands work with a piece of Plexiglas that can be purchased with the stand.

  • The Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan

    The Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan

    Paul Hartmann Custom ManhattanThe Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan
    Price: $3,895 as tested
    Contact: www.phguitars.com

    Luthier Paul Hartmann’s Custom Manhattan is a classic semi-hollowbody, but one that displays a growing industry trend – replacing the traditional thin, laminated top with solid figured maple. The results are stunning in several respects.

    Upon opening the case, one can’t be faulted for gasping at the array of rich figured wood Hartmann uses on the Custom Manhattan. The top, sides, and back are carved from solid, orchestral-grade maple. The flame figuring on the top and back are superlative and all the more attractive because the top and masked “binding” are left natural blonde while the back is stained a caramel tint that brings out the tiger striping. The finish is thin-bodied polyurethane for both durability and resonance (Hartmann uses Gerhard Guitar Works to apply the finish). The top also has stylized f-shaped sound holes that jibe with the Custom Manhattan’s modern sensibility.

    As in typical semi-hollowbody construction, the Custom Manhattan offers a solid center core that runs under the top from the neck joint to the bridge. Currently, the Custom Manhattan has a maple core with an attractive Hipshot Baby Grand bridge/tailpiece assembly. The neck is bolted onto the body via four bolts and features a softened heel for access. It has a cool 25″ scale, and the neck and headstock are made from a three-piece bird’s-eye-maple-and-mahogany sandwich. The headstock overlay and 22-fret fingerboard are made from ebony with pearl inlays and a nice “PH” logo on top. Its tuners are sleek Grover Mini Rotomatics. And because this is a custom guitar, the buyer can pick his or her favorite neck profile; the test axe had a “soft vee” that was very comfortable.

    For electronics, the Custom Manhattan sports Seymour Duncan P-Rails (with crème rings) that combine the characteristics of a humbucker, single-coil, and a P-90 in one housing. Instead of a normal three-way switch, a chicken-head pan knob with center détente is used for pickup selection, allowing the player to sweep between each pickup and find the sweet spot for their playing situation. The plus is that it’s more accurate than a clunky three-way toggle, but it does require more time onstage to find the sweet spot – a minor tradeoff. Each P-Rail also has three choices of coil combination (single-coil, P-90, and humbucker) that is activated with a mini-toggle switch. There are also passive master Volume and Tone controls with vintage-styled knobs.

    Plugged into a tube, solid-state, or virtual amp, the Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan is a joy to play. The neck is slim and has an immaculate setup, and the carved top and back are comfortable. Tone-wise, there are plenty of sounds in here – anyone playing blues, rock, country, jazz, or fusion will be more than happy. The cleans and the warm overdrive tones from all three amps were big and complex, with lots of room for experimentation. The increased rigidity of the maple top, however, also meant the gain could be cranked up with less fear of feedback. Even with the dirt laid on, the Custom Manhattan sang joyously.

    Overall, this Paul Hartmann build features impeccable construction and tone. Its only debit is that, with its solid maple top and core, its weight is more comparable to a Les Paul than an ES-335 (though, again, the heavier top provides more feedback protection). Most importantly, compare the Custom Manhattan’s price to that of many mass-produced semi-hollowbodies. You can go for the brand you know and get the same guitar as everyone else, or pay roughly the same amount and get one perfectly customized to your own wishes. In the case of the Paul Hartmann Custom Manhattan, it seems like a no-brainer.

    This article originally appeared in VG December 2014 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.