Best known as Billy Idol’s guitar ace for the past 25 years, Steve Stevens won early fame for Idol’s 1983 smash “Rebel Yell,” featuring his scorching licks and signature “ray gun” effects. Within a few years, he was among rock’s most in-demand axemen, recording with Michael Jackson, Robert Palmer, Joni Mitchell and his own group, the Atomic Playboys. Steve also led an interesting solo career, from his fiery acoustic Flamenco A Go-Go record to winning a Grammy from 1986’s “Top Gun Anthem.”
The guitarist has now come full circle with his latest release, Memory Crash, a high-powered album that captures the intensity of Steve’s best ’80s work and his always-inventive experiments with guitar effects.
What was your goal for this the record?
Initially my plan was to make the kind of record I grew up with – those early ’70s records with British guitar heroes like Robert Fripp, Steve Howe, and Brian May. It was a time when musicians were encouraged to be adventurous and I wanted to put a lot of stylistically eclectic things on this record. It’s also been 40 years since I picked up the guitar, so this is my homage to an instrument that still amazes me and one that I still have a love affair with.
Tell us why you covered Robin Trower’s “Day of the Eagle”?
Bridge of Sighs was a big seller back in the day and I still think it’s an amazing record. Unfortunately, Trower was incessantly compared to Jimi Hendrix, I guess because he got popular so soon after Jimi’s death. On the other hand, Stevie Ray Vaughan didn’t become popular until many years later, so I think he didn’t suffer the same slings and arrows as Trower did. But anyway, it’s a great song that I’ve wanted to cover for a while. And when I was told that Doug Pinnick of King’s X might be available, I thought he’d be perfect to sing and play bass. It was cut live in the studio with just one little overdub on the lead.
What effects did you use to approximate Trower’s stereo, flanging sound?
That’s a FoxRox TZF pedal, and I use it as an outboard effect in my studio, not through the guitar amp. I record my full-on amp sound first and then add in the TZF later for a more precise effect. It’s a great unit.
You’re known for using wild guitar effects. Do you spend a lot of time looking for new sounds and textures?
I do, but I like sounds that are still rooted in guitar effects from the late 1960s and ’70s, like UniVibes, fuzzboxes, and wahs. I mostly stay away from digital effects because they sound cold to me. I do use some Pro Tools plug-ins, but they’re most for really over-the-top sounds, like stutter edits.
What are some of your favorite effects?
I love ring modulators. It sort of allows you to set a pitch around a note in your solo and play against it. The Moog one is used in my live setup with an external pedal to vary the pitch. The one I used on this record is the Snarling Dogs Mold Spore wah/ring modulator. I’d love to get an old Maestro sometime, too. Some of my other favorite effects are a modified Vox wah and the Fulltone tape echo pedal. I just like the old analog stuff. When someone sends me a digital pedal that “can do every effect,” it just doesn’t do it for me.
You get some great amplifier tones on the record. Did you use any software plug-in amps?
No, there are none – not even on bass. I’ve tried them, but there’s just this X factor of mic’ing up an amp and getting the air to move. This is all the more important when you record digitally. I’ve never found a software plug-in that can match a good guitar amp.
Do you collect vintage amps?
Definitely. At one point I had 12 old Marshalls and eight plexis, but I’ve pared it down to four plexis. The head I mostly used on this album was the same one I played on “Rebel Yell” 25 years ago – a 1970 Marshall Super Lead. For the album, we ran the Marshall on a Variac that we took down to about 95 volts. For cabinets, I used Bogner 2×12 cabs with Celestion Golds on one side and Weber Pre-Rolla speakers on the other. My favorite recording mic is a Royer ribbon unit.
I also have three old Park amps, and a Victoria Regal with a 15″ speaker, which is their take on an old Supro. Other amps included a John Suhr OD 100 and an 18-watt Suhr Badger, which is an incredible little amp. Also an old Rex five-watt amp made by Valco with a little elliptical Jensen speaker; I used it on “Hellcats Take the Highway” because I wanted to get that early Yardbirds sound.
Live, I use Randall amps, which are modular so, depending on the Billy Idol setlist, I can load modules for different songs, say if I need a Vox AC30 sound for one tune and a Marshall sound for another. It’s pretty useful.
What guitars did you use?
I used a Collings for all the acoustic parts and about four different Les Pauls, the oldest being from 1992. They’re all refretted with high frets because I find it better for finger vibrato. Most of them have my Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell humbuckers, which has a real midrange boost. But one has Bare Knuckles The Mule pickups. I also used an ’80s Charvel San Dimas with a Floyd Rose and Bare Knuckles VH2 pickups. I originally used that guitar on Billy Idol records and also the “Top Gun Anthem.” It sounds amazing.
For slide, I played a ’52 Gibson Console Grand T8 steel that has two necks with eight strings each. All of the clean, Strat-like tones come from a John Suhr with his noise-cancelling system. It works incredibly well. There’s even a new Framus.
Do you own any vintage guitars?
I have about 70 guitars, but not many are vintage. I once had a Veleno aluminum body, but I sold it – it weighed way too much. The only vintage guitar I still have is a 1976 Jose Ramirez classical. I saw a photo of Steve Howe playing a Ramirez and always wanted one – that’s the only guitar I use for my flamenco stuff. But I don’t really look for vintage guitars – I look for ones that sound good and play well.
When you think back on the ’80s and your run of fame with Billy Idol, what comes to mind?
I remember recording “Rebel Yell” at Electric Lady Studios with Dave Whitman, who worked with Led Zeppelin, Kiss, and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Then we toured for about 10 months. It was great, but I always considered myself more of a musician than a rock star. I knew there would be highs and lows. These days, as long as I’m playing music that challenges me and I’m playing to an audience that appreciates it, I’m happy. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2008 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
When Oz Noy mov-ed to New York City at age 24 in 1996, he was an established guitarist in his homeland of Israel, having played jazz and studio work from a young age. Why the move?
“I had played with all the big artists in Israel and was on a TV [talk] show for two years,” he said. “I’d always thought of New York City as the center for jazz, and at that time, I thought rock, funk, and blues, too. I did find out that wasn’t true, but at least the jazz thing here is the heaviest there is. And I’d always loved the records made here – the Jaco ones, Hiram Bullock’s, David Sanborn, all the stuff I really liked came from here.”
Growing up in Israel may have helped Noy become more fond of American music styles. “There’s a really good music scene in Israel, with a lot of jazz and great jazz instruction. So I’ve always played jazz, even when I was listening to and being influenced by a lot of rock.”
Noy’s latest record, Fuzzy, is a mix of the musical forms Noy was exploring when he moved to New York. His compositional skills show a musician trying to expand boundaries.
“I’m pretty schizophrenic, musically, because I grew up in the ’80s, studying the roots, like Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, and Charlie Parker. But at the same time I was into the whole shred guitar thing. I was a big fan of people like Greg Howe, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, and Richie Kotzen.”
While guitarists are important to Noy, he tries not to focus on them. “I listen to everybody in a band; I want to make sure I’m not doing what they’re doing. I like to hear what guys like Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, and Mike Stern are doing, but I just don’t want to get too influenced by them or their music.”
Much of his listening is part of a search for an important element in his music – the groove. “I’ve been getting into Scofield’s trio record, some Hendrix, and some Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins. Musically, it all has an influence on my writing. I guess I look at it all as jazz in terms of improvisation, and harmonically. But I’m thinking ‘grooves’ when I’m writing. But still, it’s just jazz.”
Going into the studio this time was a matter of trying to capture what Noy does live. “I wanted to get the sound we have on that particular day, and hopefully we have a good day in the studio. I always record after I’ve played the tunes for a long time onstage, because it takes awhile to get tunes to set right. It takes that time to get everyone – including me – to figure the songs out. And this time I was more focused, so the songs are more precise.”
Ask about his favorite guitars, and the answer is simple. “All Strats, mostly rosewood,” he said. He records with a ’62 reissue with DiMarzio Virtual Vintage pickups, and recently scored a Custom Shop ’57 reissue maple-neck and has been using it a lot as of late.
The other half of his tone comes from two Fender Bandmaster heads – a ’66 and a ’67, both modified. He runs them through Bad Cat cabinets. He has also been enjoying a modified ’72 Marshall head. Asked about his effects, he sighs deeply, then proffers a resigned laugh. “I use a lot – and I mean a lot – of effects.” He has a pedalboard full of boost pedals, then there’s another rack of which he says, “I don’t use much,” and a Line 6 DL-4. If there’s a favorite in the bunch, it’s his Fulltone Octave Fuzz.
Both live and on record, Noy works with the cream of the crop. Among the players on Fuzzy are Will Lee, Anton Fig, Keith Carlock, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Jim Beard. They also contribute at various times to his Bitter End gigs; a fact that reflects the primary reason Noy moved to the Big Apple. “I just like to play good music with good musicians.” – John Heidt
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2008 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Mike Minasi’s trip to his first CD, Body Resilient, included several detours, including one that saw him step away from playing guitar professionally for 12 years. “Playing guitar is, for me, an all-or-nothing thing,” he said. “But I needed to make money after my son was born,” he said. “And I’m a good house builder… but building houses is such an assault on the body and hands that it’s almost impossible to play.”
Though he was away from his six-string, Minasi never abandoned music. “I learned from John Damian (his one-time guitar teacher, now at Berklee College of Music) a technique called ‘mental shedding.’ I was going through tunes and the mechanisms needed to improvise in my head, just singing and writing. The song ‘Chick’ was written that way.”
The hiatus helped in other ways, too. “Be-bop music had a hold on me before that. I was able to get away from it, which helped my perspective.”
Minasi started playing guitar in the third grade, after catching an episode of “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.” “I used to play with John Hartford, and I was so amazed by those guys. So I pestered my parents for guitar lessons.”
The process took him through Mel Bay books before he started learning Beatles songs. By the fifth grade, he, a brother, and a neighbor were jamming. “We had a sort of organ trio that played Beatle tunes!” he laughed.
In his early teens he was more into motorcycles and girls, and didn’t get back into guitar until he was 17. “I heard ‘Giant Steps’ and became really interested in jazz,” he recalled. “Then I heard Pat Martino, and that was instrumental in getting me interested in jazz guitar.”
That interest took him to Berklee. He later studied with Damian, then with Mick Goodrick before he married and moved to Buffalo, New York. He worked as an off-campus guitar instructor at the University of Buffalo. It was period of learning. “I got to study with an amazing piano player, Al Tinney, who was a be-bop pioneer – and a huge influence on Charlie Parker. It was wonderful.”
Key to Minasi getting back to guitar were the events of September 11, 2001. “After that day, I had a different perspective. I thought it was time to get back to music. I’d built a home and we were comfortable, and had money saved. My wife and I agreed it was what I would do.” Shortly thereafter, Minasi was in a car accident and required surgery on his left hand. “It was frightening. I thought I might never be able to play again.” Today, the hand shows no ill effects.
A fan of the seven-string guitar, Minasi’s main axe is the Ibanez AF207. “It was a real adjustment. I tune the seventh string to a B to keep the intervals the way they should be.” His amp, a Rivera Fandango, “…really matches the guitar well. I changed the pickup to a DiMarzio Evolution 7, which produces more mids. I’m also able to get the tone I like with my stage setup. I have a Bose personal P.A. and mic the Rivera at low volume. Bose is amazing technology; it distributes the sound evenly, so I have no need for monitors.”
Like most jazz guitarists, Minasi’s tone stays pretty clean and true to the sound of his guitar, though a TC Electronics G Major supplies a bit of echo.
Minasi expresses admiration for many jazz guitarists past and present, and much of his listening involves horn players and keyboardists including Dexter Gordon, Keith Jarrett, Miles, Joe Henderson. “There are guitarists I’ve always admired, like Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Ralph Towner, and Pat Metheny. But I don’t want to sound like any of them, so I don’t listen a lot.”
Minasi’s plans consist of sticking around his home base in Connecticut, though he’s looking to play festivals with his trio. The future, he hopes, includes time in a recording studio. “I have about 25 songs I need to get recorded. I’ve hooked up with Tony Perrone, who played with the Heath Brothers. We’ve been working together, and have written a couple of tunes. We’re also working on a chord book of Tony’s open voicings.” Put all of that together with Minasi’s private teaching that he’s done most of his musical life, and it seems clear that his house building days are over. – John Heidt
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2008 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
American guitars made in the 1950s and ’60s constitute an almost-holy canon, yet most players in that era took their first steps on imported instruments – often good and interesting in their own right, like the Goya Rangemaster.
The ’62 Goya catalog (right) included Hagstrõm-made guitars.
In the ’50s, guitars were typically obtained one of two ways – ordered from catalogs published by Sears and Roebuck or Montgomery Ward, or bought from a local music store. There were no Guitar Centers, no vintage-guitar shows, no internet. Stores were supplied by distributors who bought instruments wholesale from manufacturers such as Harmony, Kay, Regal, Valco, United, then marked them up and delivered them to places like Durdell’s Music.
One prominent New York “jobber” was Jerome Hershman, whose Hershman Musical Instrument Corporation was exhibiting at NAMM shows by 1940, maybe earlier. On a buying trip in 1952, Hershman met the owners of Levin Guitars, one of the largest makers in Europe. In ’54, Hershman introduced Levin-made acoustic guitars under his own brand, Goya, as an alternative for players who couldn’t afford a Martin, Guild, or Gibson but wanted something better than a Kay and Harmony. In ’59, he expanded the Goya line with electric guitars made by Swedish accordion builder Hagström, beginning with the innovative plastic-covered hollowbody Deluxe and Standard models with modular pickup assemblies.
Later that year, Hershman established Goya Guitars, Inc. at 51 W. 23rd Street, which may have been a partnership with Hagström. From ’59 until ’63, Hagström built Goya electric guitars before a disagreement caused Hagström and Hershman to part ways. After the breakup, Goyas were again distributed by Hershman Musical Instrument Corp., which by then had moved in next door.
The ’68 catalog (left) showed the final ZeroSette-made Goya thinlines, including single- and double-cut versions. Goya’s mahogany-body thinlines from the ’66 catalog (right) used the same pickups and electronics as in the solidbodies.
Hershman (the company) did not immediately replace the Hagström electrics. Instead, in ’65 he debuted the Goya Rangemaster solidbody electric built in Italy by ZeroSette. Guitarmaking in western Europe had taken off following World War II, with centers in Sweden, Finland, Holland, Germany, Sicily, and Italy. Many were founded as accordion makers, but after the brief accordion boom of the mid ’50s went bust, they began making acoustic guitars. By the early ’60s, some of the instruments were being brought to the U.S., including Eko models made by Oliviero Pigini, of Recanati, Italy, and Egmonds, from the Netherlands. As demand for electric guitars exploded after the Beatles, more turned to electrics, including ZeroSette, which was founded in 1945 as a subsidiary of the American accordion company Giulett. Exactly when they began producing guitars is uncertain, but they were at it by ’64.
In ’68, the Japanese-made line of Greco thinlines (far right) used whimsical ZeroSette/Goya pickups.
Hershman’s 1965 sunburst Goya Rangemaster was made by ZeroSette with two split single-coil pickups. Its principal attraction is the “accordion” switching system, with six pushbuttons on the upper horn (engaging all, 3+4, 3+1, 2+4, 1+2, and kill/off). Three pushbuttons below the bridge/pickup selected Lo, Mid, or High tone capacitors, and were situated near the master Volume knob. The tonal palette isn’t remarkable by modern standards, but there is a novel criss-crossed bass/treble string pairings offered by the split pickups. While the package looks a little silly, it’s actually a high-quality build.
In ’66, Hershman/Goya was purchased by Avnet, an investment conglomerate that also acquired Guild Guitars and became the Goya Music Corporation (Guild was kept separate – it did not become part of Goya). This coincided with the debut of thinline Rangemaster semi-hollowbodies with similar electronics and including a 12-string along with several stop-tail versions. Color options expanded to Fire Engine Red, Jet Black, and Caribbean Blue.
The Rangemasters were later joined by the Panther II solidbody and hollowbody basses with more-conventional pickups, plus some single-pickup hollowbodies. Not cataloged (and probably made only in late ’66) was the Panther S-2 with two single-coils and pushbuttons for off, neck, bridge, and both.
By ’68, the Goya catalog retained only the Rangemaster thinlines, including upscale versions. No production numbers are available, but the sunburst versions lasted (at best) from ’65 to ’67, opaques only one year. The thinlines were around from ’66 to ’68. It’s unknown if serial numbers are consecutive, but a few that have been seen (1316, 2451, and 3259) could be in sequence, based on features.
Goya’s opaque-finish Rangemaster solidbodies were introduced in ’66 and lasted only one year.
Hershman had been offering the Greco line of Japanese-made acoustic guitars since ’65, and when Avnet took over, Goya Music added Japanese solidbody and hollowbody electrics with headstocks clearly emulating the ZeroSette shape.
By 1970, Goya’s distribution was probably just leftover stock that was then sold to amp builder Kustom Electronics, in Chanute, Kansas. When that company folded in ’72, its assets were transferred to Dude, Inc., also of Chanute. Whether any Goya guitars were sold during this period is unknown. In ’76, the brand was bought by the C.F. Martin Organisation, which had purchased the Levin guitar company in ’72/’73. Production of Goya acoustic guitars was returned to Levin – the place where it had begun two decades earlier – and lasted until the factory closed in ’79. A few Goyas were also built that year by Landola, in Finland, before production was moved to Japan, where it became focused on beginner instruments and remained in existence until ’96; in the final years, some were made in Korea.
This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Photographer/jazzographer Bob Barry is a busy man. Of course he enjoys frequent personal appearances at galleries and events showcasing his art, but his duties on the board of directors for the California Jazz Foundation and the Milt Hinton Award Committee for Excellence in Jazz Photography are just two commitments to which he is dedicated. For two decades, he has also been a fixture at John Pisano’s Guitar Night, in Los Angeles.
Through the years, Barry has created countless unique images of the world’s greatest jazz guitarists, many of which are presented in his new book, John Pisano’s Guitar Night.
Many consider Guitar Night a rite of passage for those in the jazz guitar community, and the book is a comprehensive pictorial history of guitarists chosen for the gig – from old-guard legends such as George Van Eps, Herb Ellis, Bob Bain, Jimmy Wyble, and Bill Pitman to contemporary artists like John Jorgenson, Andy Summers, Laurence Juber, Andreas Oberg, and more.
Barry’s work perpetuates the tradition of revered available-light jazz photographers such as Herman Leonard, Jim Marshall, Ray Avery, and Francis Wolff.
“The late Ray Avery referred to my work as ‘performance portraits,’” Barry recalled. “It’s that description of my work that most satisfies me.”
Barry’s work is on permanent display in at least two museums – the American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, and the Mayme Clayton Library and Museum, in Culver City, California. It’s also permanently exhibited in the Henry Mancini Building at NBC Universal Studios, the Crown Plaza Hotel at LAX’s jazz club, the Truman Hospital in Kansas City, and can frequently be seen in several galleries, libraries, nightclubs, and studios in and around Los Angeles. He’s also been honored as the photo archivist for the Jazz Bakery’s Movable Feast, in L.A, and continues to photographically chronicle any number of concerts in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, Barry has shot several album covers and contributed to more than 80 CDs and DVDs including those of Rosemary Clooney, Kenny Burrell, Dianne Schuur, John Pisano, Pat Martino, Johnny Rivers, Jim Webb, Danny Seraphine, Mark Murphy, The Count Basie Band, and Joe Diorio.
“I’ve always seen the artist as an heroic figure, very much like Cervantes’ character Don Quixote,” Barry said. “They are always challenging themselves and risking all on a dream. They ignore the odds of success and listen only to themselves rather than the naysayers surrounding them. As a jazz photographer, I have and will continue to archive and exhibit images of the musical artists of my time – famous and lesser known, but no less great. It’s my challenge to capture the nature and spirit of these musical artists, hoping all who view my work will know them as I have.” – Jim Carlton
This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Every time Vintage Guitar sets up an interview with the redoubtable Billy F Gibbons, lead guitarist/vocalist of the legendary Texas trio ZZ Top, it’s always a matter of “expect the unexpected.” The L’il Ol’ Band from Texas has been going strong for 30 years, and their latest studio release is the 17-track Mescalero (RCA), which avers that the band is as potent as ever. Ditto their 2003-’04 Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers and the Summer ’04 El Cabron tour supporting the newest release.
The band continues working hard, reaffirming its status as one of the preeminent purveyors of Texas Tone. There’s also a pair of fresh grandé releases – the four-CD boxed set Chrome, Smoke & BBQ (with a number of early tracks and other rarities), and Rancho Texicano, another fascinating package that brings to light a few previously unreleased tracks and some alternate takes of some ZZ Top favorites.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the fresh cuts that make up Mescalero were first and foremost on Rev. Gibbons’ mind when we recently went on-the-record. Pontificating from the road, the good Reverend was amenable to discussing the aforementioned discs, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and various other topics.
Vintage Guitar: Going into the studio to do Mescalero, did you have an overall concept of what guitars and amplifiers you were going to use? And what did you end up utilizing? Billy F Gibbons: Early in the recording process, it became obvious that this album would require something quite a bit different. Our two engineers, Joe Hardy and Mr. G.L. “G-Mane” Moon, had a go at the guitar vault, searching for that rare, perhaps waiting-to-be-seen instrument, at which time they discovered a lonely case at the bottom of the stack. It turned out to be the 1959 Jupiter Thunderbird Gretsch made for Bo Diddley. After pulling it out and re-stringing it, making sure everything worked – the tires were kicked – that peculiar instrument lent some interesting sounds in the mix of this madness.
The title track starts things off with some interesting tones; for instance, there’s the ratchet-like instrument that kicks in after a few measures.
That is the delightful Dust (Hill) doing his “fuzztone finger” thing. He’s one of the few instrumentalists that has distortion built into his digits! I don’t quite know how to describe it other than, uh… he’s a freak! He did use one of the interesting stompboxes from Austone in the middle of the signal path, and that certainly assisted in grinding it up a bit in the opening few bars.
Then there are the marimbas at the end of the song. Even with the overall “vibe” of the album, fans probably wouldn’t expect that.
Yes. The marimbas were kind of an automatic decision as an add-in. During the recording sessions, we often took lunch at our favorite Mexican haunt, which provided entertainment by an authentic Mexican marimba duet. One played the bass end of the contraption, one played the solo end, and they turned out to be a father/son team that spoke no English but were very eager to get into a rock and roll studio scene. I think the deal that closed it was the fact we explained there’s only three chords! They graciously added their special touch. It’s quite an interesting addition.
In “Alley-Gator,” is that the ’55 Gibson P-90 goldtop that you’ve noted in these pages before?
Yes, another one of Gibson’s remarkable additions to the world of solidbody electric guitars. That particular goldtop is a stop-bridge with one working/rear pickup. And sometimes that’s all it takes. In this case, that guitar lends itself to interesting sounds, particularly when tuned down, down, and down some more.
There’s also a broken-up guitar signal on that song, and on the album’s final track, “Liquor.”
Ah, yes. It’s a special effect created in studio, appearing first during the Rhythmeen recording session. It’s quite a complex series of hoops to jump through getting to that broken-up sound. But for convenience we now refer to it as “The Frazz.” You might consider listening once or twice just to make sure that your record player is not broken.
“Goin’ So Good” has a plaintive instrumental intro; the call-and-respond between guitar and steel sounds conversational.
That was inspired by Steve Cropper’s great soul-guitar riffs. The entire guitar section smacks of Memphis/Stax days, and we were assisted by D. “Steel” Dougmore, with his inimitable style on the pedals. It makes for a real moody element.
I was attempting to call attention to the inspiration provided by so many of the great works of Steve Cropper’s guitar technique. As he has often made mention of, his sound, which has become so identifiable, emanated from his use of the Fender Telecaster with a Fender tweed Harvard amp. To this day, that is a stunning combination when used either with a single rear pickup or even switching to the middle position, igniting both pickups. It seems the Harvard is just right for a close-mic’ed studio setup that can provide some real grit when you bear down with it. It’s a tough combo to beat… very, very soulful!
On that particular track, I was aided by the 1949 Tele/Esquire prototype belonging to Mr. Greg Bayles of Make’n Music, in Chicago. It’s chambered, although it appears to be a solidbody, as there are no exterior holes. And it is the first Fender with the six-in-line headstock. Greg says it’s the second and final prototype prior to production. 55 years later, the design still rocks!
“What It Is Kid” is a loud shuffle that sounds like it was a lot of fun to record.
We had a great time making that particular track. We had just returned from doing some sessions with Kid Rock. And on close listen to the lyrics you can see that it is, in no small part, our homage to not only a great friend, but certainly a great performer. The song does rock. Additionally, it’s one of the first actual walking bass lines that Dusty learned toward making it one of those in-between-shuffle-and-4/4 compositions.
Details about “Que Lastima” being sung en Espanol?
Ah, a good one! One afternoon at our favorite cantina down in Houston, Texas, we took a break from our studio, Foam Box Recordings, and found ourselves at a joint known around town known as El Tiempo, which basically means “the time,” and for musicians that’s always a good notion to keep in mind.
As we rallied with a few friends, our good pal Rafael Cisneros had raided a bottle and was issuing a rather pious toast prior to commencing the afternoon’s festivities. I asked him what he said, and he asked me if I thought I knew what he said. I grinned, and I suppose that was enough, so he said, “Yes, you do know what I said!”
And [the toast] was a haunting two-line sort of rhyme which inspired the remainder of the tune. Oddly enough, [the track’s] Spanish is limited just enough where we managed to create a Western rhyming scheme for the track – something not usually heard in Mexican ballads. But if you have the notion, ask any of your Spanish-speaking buddies to help out on the translation. I think you’ll be entertained.
How and why did you choose to cover Otis and Carla’s “Tramp”?
“Tramp” is a standard and an old favorite. The Lowell Fulsom version gave rise to the aim that we preferred. And slowing the tempo down helped us get a very thick and heavy lay-down on that particular track. The original is inspiration for any direction one might choose – good for low-tuned guitars, as well.
“Crunchy” is a bit of an experimental tune, a la “Dreadmonboogaloo” from XXX, with spoken-word samples, etc.
Perhaps the closest thing to an instrumental offering on this Mescalero outing. The African words are phone conversation with our dear friend and African art dealer, King Hamidou, who still smiles when he’s around and that track is playing. We teach him Spanish, and in turn he teaches us some African jive for our mutual amusement.
There’s wah on “Dusted.” Unusual for your setup…
That wah is the choice of New York City’s famous pedal dealer, The Pedal Man – Rom, from France. He loaned us an extremely rare and odd Foxx Tone Machine. This happens to be the one with multiple settings – four in all. Most have three, this is the odd four-position unit, and it really twists a signal in any direction, and it’s all unpredictable. A great device.
The Gibson Les Paul “Skateboard Special” (left) and Jimmy Page reissue are “Great road dogs,“ says Gibbons. The “Flipped” Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird is based on the guitar made for Bo Diddley and rescued from the bottom of the Gibbons guitar vault. The famed, fuzzy Gibson original video machine “Legs” is still struttin‘.
What’s been the reception of the audiences to the new material on your recent tours?
They seem to like it. The good news is they want more, so we’re playing not only the new stuff, we’re including some early stuff, and – as the saying goes – “everything in-between.”
You also reached back and pulled out songs like “Precious and Grace” and others that haven’t been played live in some time. How did you build the set list?
Well, within the scope of a couple of hours, it gives us the opportunity to draw from some old standby favorites, and now some band favorites. It’s interesting that you’d note “Precious and Grace.” I just finished a collaboration with Josh [Homme] from Queens of the Stone Age, who did a remarkable version of “Precious and Grace” so good that it pumped me to return to our Foam Box Recordings hideaway, and we re-learned what we thought we knew (laughs)! Interesting excursion.
It’s a delight to be in a position to not only select what the band likes, but include things that arrive to us by fax or on the website, “Hey, could you play this?” We’ve even done a questionnaire that says, “We’re coming to your town. Who wants to hear what?” We take a vote.
How many guitars are you and Dusty playing onstage during this tour?
We’re doing one guitar change, plus the famous furry guitars, which makes three. If we break a string, we’ll just have to wait a minute.
Any other variants at any other point during the tour?
Yes. Billy Garrettson, at The Guitar Shop, in Garland, Texas, found for us one of Schecter’s very limited oddball instruments called the Genesis. It’s Explorer-like, with holes in the body.
Why that one?
It’s such a modern instrument, so contemporary not only in its design but in the almost ridiculous nature of its construction, that we are pushing it into service to play the most traditional moment in the set, which is a slow blues tune. It just doesn’t make sense!
Your stage set is fairly bare-bones in regard to speaker cabs, etc. But sonically, the band sounds as good as ever. Details?
Well, we’ve saved the benchmark ZZ Top sound which launched us in the beginning and has never really been necessarily changed, for any reason. Offstage, of course, Marshall is pushing a couple of iso boxes to provide signal to the front-of-house PA. And we are experimenting with the 50-watt Crate V50.
How did you get into that amp?
Most recently, I bumped into Ted K. from Ampeg/Crate, who came around with their newest introduction from the Crate series… our favorite being the new 50-watt tube-powered combo. This particular V-50 was selected out of the line with its 2×12 arrangement, and using John Harrison’s Tone Tubby hemp speakers. We slapped a couple in those V-50s, and they really have a sweetness reminiscent of the early Marshall Bluesbreaker combos.
Speaking of, you recently had a run-in with one of the real-deal mid-’60s Marshall 18-watt amps at the Solidbody Guitars vintage shop in Minneapolis…
Yes, indeed! In fact, they had not one, but two of these extremely rare examples of Marshall’s spectacular early-’60s creations; a real tone giant from 18 watts of manageable sweetness. Off the wall we pulled a pristine 1960 ‘Burst and went straight to work discovering the surprising monstrosity of this really cool combo.
So, did that trip lead you fully back into the 18-watt realm?
Most assuredly. The richness of the 18-watt experience can be a flash-fly back in time. The notion of 18 watts might be misleading, but when gunnin’ it up full-throttle… stand back and relax! The sound is stunning.
As a result of that sojourn to Solidbody, we quite fortunately acquired a rare 2×12 18-watt combo loaded with the early Celestion Greenback 20s. And continuing our serious pursuit within the burgeoning 18-watt community, we have made some handy discoveries along the way, engaging in some animated discussions with guys like Danny Gork at Balls Amplification and Jeff Swanson and Bob Dettorre from DST, who are turning out some exquisite versions based on the early British 18-watt amps. And for the truly adventurous, GDS Amplification is offering yet another version of 18 watts. And I’m finding others. This excursion is a real return to our early ZZ Top roots.
What about the Catatonic Compadres, who got into the action in the middle of the performances during last year’s tour?
Well, they served us well and provided a nice moment to send our sincere thanks to the many fans who chose to attend that round of shows. We also took a moment to enjoy a brisk sniff of Petrone tequila. Presently we’ve run out, so we had to retire the Catatonic Compadres for the time being. They’re out on a tequila run…
Then there were the Paris appearances, when Frank was hit by appendicitis, and for the first time in over 30 years the ZZ Top lineup was briefly altered, as Mr. Beard’s drum tech, Johnny “Drum” Douglas, sat in.
That was quite an unexpected turn of events, however, the brilliant selection by Mr. Beard to have a qualified drum player, as well as drum technician, allowed the show to go on. Four nights with a new face behind the kit was a novelty for Dusty and I, and enjoyably so. That is until the fifth night, when we caught Frank standing in the wings, smiling, and we realized he was taking an extra holiday that we didn’t get. Back on the bandstand he went.
October of ’03 saw the release of Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, a boxed set with a lot of old favorites plus some new surprises. What are the differences between it and previous compilations?
The Chrome, Smoke & BBQ box set is complete and true to the original tapes. There were some odd releases previous to Chrome, Smoke & BBQ that had been both remastered, and I think re-mixed. However, as a faithful offering to ZZ Top listeners, we felt that the original, unadulterated raw goods were in order, complete and more so.
It includes some Moving Sidewalks material, as well as the very first ZZ Top single, “Salt Lick,” among other rarities.
Credit must go to the organizers at Rhino and Warner Bros. for digging deep and uncovering some thought-to-be-lost old tracks, which did include Sidewalks stuff, the first ZZ Top single, the odd live track, and a few extended mixes. It makes for a well-rounded box set – there’s quite a few interesting items that make it special.
And now there’s Rancho Texicano…
Yes, the newest in the offerings in the greatest hits assembly. Rhino once again stepped to the forefront and created an offering that includes some of the mystery tracks available only through this release. It highlights more of the unusual.
Do you have a favorite box set of non-ZZ Top stuff?
The Jimmy Reed box set released in England, with all of the VJ tracks. I believe it might be an eight-CD box. Jimmy Reed is still an enigma to the world at large. He’s blues, he’s rock and roll, and of course he’s from a country background. He’s still one of our top, top, top favorites. The set is rare, but what can’t be found in the stores can probably be found online, of course!
ZZ Top was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in early 2004. What did that mean to the band, especially given the strength of Keith Richards’ induction speech.
Keith is an old, dear friend who held up his end of the bargain – worth the price of admission alone! He gave us quite a send-up, and to be part of such an honorable entity… it was our great pleasure to step forward and graciously attempt to receive such an honor. And make no mistake, everybody loves Keith.
Anything notable about the jam session that concluded the ceremony?
Yes, the jam was very interesting, a real study in professionalism. You have one of two ways to go – the elegance of the highway or a trainwreck and collision at the side of a muddy road. And somehow, everybody made a statement. There was simply no interference, and there was tone for days.
“Of course, we’re always accompanied with the now-famous, ‘Lap-Dog of Distortion’ – Elwood Francis’ contraption of confusion,” says Gibbons. “The half-dozen Expandora stompbox stack-o-wack… extra good for a few solo specialties when called upon. Godlyke, Inc. is offering the revised reissue of the original Bixonic Expandora in the newly redesigned casing…no screwdriver, (or brain), required!”
Then there was your participation in Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival in Dallas in early June.
That was a great weekend, and a first in the ever-expanding world of “guitarists take over the planet.” 70,000 strong and a good time had by all. Some righteous playing and wicked performing by some of everybody’s favorites.
For us, the real magic of the moment were the warm-up days preceding the actual opening of the gates. There was rehearsal after rehearsal after rehearsal. Plus Clapton, Jeff Beck, and I compared hot rod notes for hours upon hours. We knew we’d get to play, but we rarely get to drive. So we slid behind the wheel.
What were you driving?
We all had cars – Eric brought his ’40 customized coupe, Jeff had a deuce roadster, and I brought the ’32 Ford rat-rodder, and we just had a blast! We drove ’til we were almost out of gas, both physically and in the tank.
And word has it there’s a bootleg video of a rehearsal with ZZ Top and Jeff Beck…
Well, apparently, somewhere backstage was a hidden video camera capturing the whole bit. There are several good blues tunes, a version of “Going Down,” and some monster mystery thing made up on the spot where Jeff decides he is not from this planet. We’ve always known it, but he proved it!
Any recent additions to the fabled Gibbons guitar collection?
Yes, we have managed to maintain our association with John Bolin’s famous outfit from Idaho. John and his staff at “House of J.B.” continue to design, invent, and create some exquisite solidbody Spanish six-string electrics. Mr. Bolin has shared his assistants in restructuring a prototype now under consideration with Mike Lewis, Ritchie Fliegler, Billy Commisky, with Gretsch and Fender’s interest in a fresh reissue of the guitar given to me by Bo Diddley years ago. This, of course, is one of the three custom-made electrics which Bo designed personally for his band, and manufactured by Gretsch. For the new version, we flipped the design upside down, which makes the headstock backward…!
Mr. Bolin is also set to reissue the Bolin Bonneville Special Guitar which actually made a pass on the Salt Flats a few years back.
What’s the story with that instrument?
Well, it started with a trip to Mr.Bolin’s shop just after the Eliminator period, when he and I opted to take a trip to one of the “lesser-known” gaming establishments along the Utah-Nevada border. There, we happened upon a group of enthusiasts who were planning to run a five-window Ford coupe on the nearby Bonneville Salt Flats, with the goal of becoming members of the 200-mile-per-hour club. Well, sure enough, the driver was a guitar player, and he offered to take one of Mr. Bolin’s creations along for the trip. That day, it was crowned the first 200 m.p.h. ‘On-Land’ Speed Record Electric Guitar. And the reissue is a real killer-diller, I may add.
This article originally appeared in VG December 2004 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Price: $140 each (two-lead, without cover) Info: www.tvjones.com
Best known for making the vintage-sounding Magna’Tron, Power’Tron, and Supra’Tron pickups, TV Jones has expanded its well-regarded line to include pickups for Telecasters, Stratocasters, and Les Pauls.
The TV Jones Starwood Humbucker sprang from an effort to develop a “dynamic,” well-rounded, and musical PAF-style pickup. Using proprietary steel pole screws, slugs, and magnet keepers, the company’s goal was to offer a variety of sounds with punch, articulation, and warmth the player could access simply by using their guitar’s Tone and Volume controls. It’s offered with zebra or double-black bobbins and optional chrome, nickel, gold, or aged covers as well as an optional four-conductor lead.
In a Les Paul Historic ’56 Goldtop, the neck pickup was smooth and clear with ample low-end and the right amount of output to stay clean for jazz and rockabilly while also embracing the burn with saturation. It yielded substantive volume and clarity, giving the hands free rein to embellish the guitar’s sonic overtones. The bridge position offered definition for days, presenting a full-bodied crispness and old-school flavor that cut nicely. Being wound for a fast attack and pick-sensitivity, as the guitar’s Volume was turned up, it unveiled a range of harmonics and pleasurable sustain.
The Starwoods bring to mind the sound of nicely aged humbuckers from the ’50s, minus decades of wear and tear – just the ticket for those in need of singing musicality without muddiness or harsh top-end. – Oscar Jordan
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Small-footprint amp heads – tube and solidstate – are all the rage and getting better all the time. Case in point, the Orange Rocker 15 Terror. At just 15 pounds, it’s a full-bore tube amp with two channels and plenty of kick, not to mention an attenuator that takes it down to 7, 1, and even 0.5 watts for jamming on the down-low.
Basic specs include a Dirty channel with three-band EQ (with those cool Orange hieroglyphs), and a Natural channel with a single Volume knob. Around back, look for 8- and 16-ohm speaker outputs, a tube-buffered effects loop, and a jack for a channel-switching pedal. A Bedroom/Headroom switch works in tandem with the Half/Standby/Full switch out front. In Half mode, the switch takes you from 0.5 to 1 watt; in Full, it goes from 7 to 15. The tube complement includes three ECC83s (12AX7) and one ECC81 (12AT7) in the preamp and two EL84s in the power section.
With a Tele and an ES-335 semi-hollow, the Rocker 15 Terror made a wonderful racket. The Natural channel works much like a vintage tube amp – no muss, no fuss. Given that the Rocker tops out at 15 watts, the Natural channel breaks up sweetly as you push the volume, so keep in mind that if you desire pristine cleans, this probably isn’t the amp for you.
However, if you want authentic tube persona…
The Dirty channel will take you deeper into crunch territory, from ’70s Rolling Stones and Aerosmith to ’80s AC/DC and Guns ’N Roses. You’ll want to put it through a PA for club gigs; even so, it’s more than enough amp for the job with a truly organic tone and the kind of natural compression and dynamics you can’t fake. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Already road-proven overdrive stompboxes, the Wampler Tumnus and Paisley Drive have received a makeover for 2018. But, is there is anything new to gain?
The original Tumnus was intended as a Klon-type “transparent overdrive” pedal, but at a manageable price (a ’90s Klon Centaur can set you back $2,000). The new Tumnus Deluxe adds a broader tonal palette with three-band EQ section and a Normal/Hot switch to take signal from a cleaner boost to serious scorch. Another factor is that while the Treble control is passive, Bass and Mid are active, offering greater range. Lastly, the box has a new button on the side, offering the original buffered bypass (to maintain signal over long cable runs) or a true-bypass option to completely remove the pedal from the path.
The heart of this pedal is that it reacts with your amp and playing style to create a more-nuanced, dynamic overdrive, with ample clarity and headroom. Setting it initially to mimic an amp’s natural tone provides a base to create new dirt flavors. With just simple adjustments and the Gain down (with switch on Normal), it was easy to find big, clean boosts that accentuated the tone without coloring it. Kicking it up a notch with the Level maxed out and the Gain off, the Tumnus Deluxe delivered a fiery overdrive punch, ready for any hard-rock riffing you can think of. It was surprising how much gain this Wampler yielded without much effort.
Price: $199 (Tumnus Deluxe)
This is entirely before getting to the really dirty stuff, increasing gain for hairier overdrive tones and for incendiary guitar licks. Next, pop the center switch to Hot and listen to the Tumnus Deluxe conjure up some perfectly metal-ish sounds. One of the best finds was Bass and Mid all the way up and Treble backed down, generating a cocked-wah texture that would make Michael Schenker smile.
Also newly updated, the Paisley Drive Deluxe combines Wampler’s Paisley Drive (co-created with Brad Paisley) with the company’s discontinued Underdog overdrive. It’s not unusual to find two pedals in one chassis these days, but this box lets you mix and match each circuit with complete independence. You can set it up as regular stompbox on your pedalboard, or just as easily, wired it into effects switching systems. More than that, you can send signal to Channel 1 first and then Channel 2 – or switch that order. That’s serious flexibility.
Channel 1 is the Paisley Drive, a gain machine that’ll go from light overdrive to fully saturated heavy rock. There’s a three-band EQ, as well as Level and Gain, while on the side of the unit, look for a Fat button to alter the midrange and add a small boost. Channel 2 is essentially the Wampler Underdog overdrive and, just on its own, it’s already a feisty crunch box, with more of an emphasis on classic overdrive sounds. Also look for the Voicing button, which is its own unique tone-mod tweak.
Both boxes offer a soup-to-nuts array of overdrive and EQ textures, from just the barest hint of gain to full-on saturated fury. The Wampler Tumnus Deluxe and Paisley Drive Deluxe are a fine pedals that will kick any pedalboard into blissful overdrive. – Pete Prown
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Imagine a Strat tuned to open G, a D chord being floated at the seventh fret with a Craftsman deep-well socket. What is that ethereal sweetness and sustain under Lowell George’s voice? Oh, yeah… a compressor pedal.
The Little-Feat-approved Dyna Comp and the Ross Compressor are the inspirations for Guitar Tech Craig’s Dino Sauce, which nails the sound in a simple package with modern updates like a 9-volt adaptor.
A hollow parts Tele was threaded through the Dino Sauce and an overdrive into a small combo amp for a small-room trio gig with an amplified string bass and a small jazz kit. By limiting spiky attacks from aggressive right-hand techniques, the Dino Sauce proved a welcome tool for achieving a dynamic sound at low volume, with or without overdrive.
With Loud and Long controls at 12 o’clock, the Dino Sauce’s impact was clear and clean, with a touch of compression’s sweetening effect. Some classic Tele tricks – false harmonics, Tone control wah effects, B-bender/pedal-steel imitations – flowed like water with no excessive gain. The bridge pickup, with the tone rolled off and OD kicked on, created a semi-hollow “woman tone” sustain for days, facilitating the volume-swell techniques beloved by 335 aficionados.
A humbucker-loaded jazzbox appreciated a little Dino Sauce on a solo gig. With the Long knob dimed, a synth-keys sound rounded out the chordal approach, though a less radical setting sounded natural and silky. The Loud knob was handy for quick volume adjustments when switching the pedal on, but at more aggressive gain settings, the effect tended to accent noise culprits like single-coils and old-building power fluctuations.
Hard to believe, but there was a time when two or three pedals served most electric guitarists just fine. The Dino Sauce sounds and feels like a welcome return to a warm, familiar sound from back inna day. – Chip Wilson
This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2018 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
When Oz Noy mov-ed to New York City at age 24 in 1996, he was an established guitarist in his homeland of Israel, having played jazz and studio work from a young age. Why the move?
