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“Non-musicians, who are the majority of the f**king listening world, are not going to remember guitar solos”: Kirk Hammett says average listeners care about songs and melodies, but not so much guitar solos

Guitar.com -

Kirk Hammett performing live

There have been some, frankly, massive guitar solos this year. But Kirk Hammett has suggested that – aside from musicians and serious guitar aficionados, nobody really remembers them.

Talking to Total Guitar in the mag’s end-of-year issue, the Metallica legend, who himself is responsible for some of metal’s most iconic solos (think One, just before the six-minute mark) says, “I hate to say it for all your readers out there, but non-musicians, who are the majority of the fucking listening world, they are not going to remember guitar solos.

“They are gonna helluva remember a great melody, and they’re really gonna remember a great song – especially a song that’s gonna bring them to a different place from where they were five minutes previously.”

He goes on to discuss the importance of prioritising a song itself over its individual parts, explaining that it was something he learned as a teenager.

He’d been playing guitar alongside his old guitar tech (and erstwhile Metallica fill-in guitarist) John Marshall for a matter of months when he told him that they needed to write “tunes” and gave KISS, Aerosmith and Van Halen as examples of bands who wrote all of their own songs. “So John and I started writing music,” he said. “And it was a load of crap, but it was something!”

At the end of last month, Hammett paid tribute to another of his influences, Killing Joke guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker, who died at the age of 64.

He said in an Instagram post, “Been playing old songs for old friends all day. Geordie Walker, RIP. He was a huge influence on me, the way he played that Gibson ES 295 … the way he played. My heart goes out to his friends and family, and his music is being played loud as hell. Killing Joke forever!”

The post “Non-musicians, who are the majority of the f**king listening world, are not going to remember guitar solos”: Kirk Hammett says average listeners care about songs and melodies, but not so much guitar solos appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

These are the best new electric guitars of 2023 according to the Guitar.com team

Guitar.com -

It’s remarkable that we can sit here, 90-odd years after George Beauchamp first designed the ‘frying pan’ and kick-started the whole electrified guitar thing, and find that brands big and small are still doing interesting and innovative things with that same mixture of wood, steel and magnets.

Okay, 2023 might not have seen wild evolutionary leaps that became commonplace in the 1950s and 60s – but that’s rather the point. For an instrument that most people will agree was broadly perfected in the Golden Era, seven decades of refinement and expansion has got us to where we are today.

And while that point might not be as revolutionary as decades past, there’s an argument to be made that electric guitars are more consistent, more varied and more affordable than perhaps at any other point in the history of the instrument – and that’s pretty exciting for players of any stripe.

So let’s dive in and explore the biggest prize of the lot – the best electric guitars of 2023, according to the Guitar.com Editorial team.

The 10 Best Electric Guitars of 2023, at a glance:

Guild S-100 Polara Kim Thayil

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

A testament to the idea of good things coming to those who wait, a Guild signature model for the S-100’s most famous user has been in the pipeline since the 90s, but for whatever reason it never happened. But the reason the S-100 Polara Kim Thayil is our best electric of 2023 is because it’s so much more than a grunge guitar. Mix up the heft of a Les Paul and the all-access freedom of an SG, give it a good dusting of pawn-shop charm, and price it somewhere between the top end of Epiphone and the low end of Gibson, and you have one damn appealing guitar, one that goes well beyond the needs of just smashing out Soundgarden riffs.

Today’s best deals on the Guild S-100 Polara Kim Thayil

Fender Vintera II 50s Jazzmaster

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

The headline of Fender’s Vintera II range was the addition of rosewood ’boards instead of the pau ferro of the first iteration of the Mexican-made vintage-inspired collection – and for sure it’s a welcome return. What we weren’t expecting, however, was how impressive the 50s Jazzmaster turned out to be – with stunning revoiced pickups, unbelievably impressive playability and a package that has to be one of the best Jazzmasters Fender has produced in recent years full stop.

Today’s best deals on the Fender Vintera II 50s Jazzmaster

Jackson American Series Virtuoso

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

Another impressive entry into Jackson’s USA-made production line, the Virtuoso was launched to no small shreddy fanfare and let’s face it – a guitar named the Virtuoso had better not have any impediments to performing the impossible. Impressively, this guitar does an elite job of getting out of the way no matter how ambitious you are – a wonderful platform for the new breed of guitar magicians to hone their craft.

Today’s best deals on the Jackson American Series Virtuoso

Heritage Custom Core H-150 P90

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

With the company’s legal issues with Gibson resolved, Heritage strode into the latter half of 2023 with some impressive high-end releases, including adding P-90 pickups to its popular Custom Core singlecut, the H-150. As a company borne out of the builders Gibson left behind in Kalamazoo, there’s always going to be a familiarity to the designs at play here, but it doesn’t stop this being a nuanced and exciting guitar that’s familiar and different all at the same time.

Today’s best deals on the Heritage Custom Core H-150 P90

Gretsch G5232T Electromatic Double Jet FT with Bigsby

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

If you’ve ever thought that a Gretsch isn’t for you, the Double Jet might be the guitar to change your mind – it’s not laboured with the legacy of some of Gretsch’s more famous models, but still has plenty of cool alternative cachet. And with sparkling Filter’Tron tones and looks that feel more edgy than the traditional Gretsch fare, this G5232T is a fantastic guitar that’s waiting for someone to make it a star.

Today’s best deals on the Gretsch G5232T Electromatic Double Jet FT with Bigsby

D’Angelico Excel DC Tour

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

D’Angelico has earned itself plenty of fans for its ornate art deco takes on classic semi-hollow instruments over the last few years, but the Excel Tour Collection take that recipe and strips it back so it’s ready for the road, or as the brand itself puts it, this is a “minimalistic powerhouse designed with the travelling player in mind”. The DC is far more than just a road-warrior though – with genuine versatility that means it’s capable of delving into rock and jazz territories with ease, this is one of the best bang for buck semis out there.

Today’s best deals on the D’Angelico Excel DC Tour

PRS SE Silver Sky Maple

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

PRS has been been a key force driving the rapid improvement in import guitars since it began producing guitars in Korea over 20 years ago, and the SE version of John Mayer’s Silver Sky has continued to challenge the rest of the industry about how good a guitar in the sub-$1,000 price bracket can be. The latest iteration adds a little more attack and spank to proceedings, while also offering a fuller and thicker profile for fans of vintage Strat – the best value S-type on the market? Don’t tell Fender we said so…

Today’s best deals on the PRS SE Silver Sky Maple

Shergold Telstar

Image: Shergold

Original electric guitar designs are few and far between in 2023, certainly at the lowest end of the market, and look, nobody’s pretending that the Telstar is wholly original in its thinking – but it’s not a slavish copy either. With elements of Telecaster, Firebird and Gretsch all coming together to make a proper affordable Cabronita alternative, this is a seriously impressive machine for very little money.

Fender Steve Lacy ‘People Pleaser’ Stratocaster

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

Fender has had a strong year of signature models that have pushed the envelope, from Tom DeLonge to Bruno Mars, but Steve Lacy’s People Pleaser is the one that stands out from the crowd. With its unique ‘Chaos Burst’ finish, it certainly stands out from the crowd visually, but it’s what’s inside that really interests – how many Fender-made Strats have a built-in fuzz circuit? This one does, and it’s outrageous amounts of fun.

Today’s best deals on the Fender Steve Lacy ‘People Pleaser’ Stratocaster

Guild Surfliner Deluxe

Photo by Adam Gasson / Guitar.com

Guild’s first foray into a new electric guitar design in four decades was suitably well-received when it debuted in 2022 with just one caveat – can you really call something a Surfliner and not have a whammy bar? Fear not, 2023’s Deluxe answered the question and more – with stunning metallic finishes, block inlays, simplified controls, and of course a floating vibrato of Guild’s own design.                 .

Today’s best deals on the Guild Surfliner Deluxe

The post These are the best new electric guitars of 2023 according to the Guitar.com team appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Christmas Wish Time

The Unique Guitar Blog -


The Beatles on Ed Sullivan 1964
The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964. Although I was just a kid, I’d been listening to rock music for several years before on the local AM radio stations. Yep, AM. FM would come later. Most of the artists I liked played guitar. When The Beatles showed up I was glued to their perfomance. That just did it for me. 

I just had to have a guitar.

1960 Wish Book
And every Christmas the Wish Book aka THE CATALOG showed up in our mail. We received three or four of these from different stores. I would turn right to the guitar section and carefully read each description with fascination. Those were those "olden days", long before Amazon, Musicians Friend, or the myriad other web sites which much later came into being.  During this time I would beg my parents for a guitar and an amplifier.


1960's Harmony Guitar catalog


Wow that Harmony flat top was made of seasoned wood! So it had to be great! (I had no clue at the time what seasoned wood was.)




1963-64 Fender Catalog


Later on, I was able to send away to different companies for their guitar  catalogs. I wish I had kept them all.

So let’s go back to those days and review some of those guitars, and amplifiers available years ago. And check out the prices too!



Silvertone guitars sold by Sears
Straight out of the Sears catalog were all of these "Silvertone" instruments. The two hollow bodies on the left and the two solidbody guitars on the lower right were made by the Harmony Guitar Company. The two teal solidbody guitars on the upper right were made by the Kay Guitar Company.  Silvertone was the brand name that Sears had put on their radios, televisions, and electronics.

Sears Silvertone guitars and amplifiers
The company applied that name to their musical instruments. In fact Sears contracted with several different manufacturers to produce guitars, and amplifiers, and then badged them with that brand name. All of these guitars pictured here were made by Kay, with the exception of the second one on the top row, which is a Danelectro guitar. 

The amplifiers on the page were made by National.

Silvertone Danelectro
Guitar/amp in case

It is a fact that the Danelectro Company sold most of their guitars and amplifiers through mail order retail companies such as Sears, Montgomery Wards, and others.





Sears Danelectro bass

This Silvertone, model 57 1444L bass guitar caught the attention of my best friend, and he purchased it for $99.00 in 1965.

I recently saw this same bass at a local music store with the price tag of $800.00.



Danelectro Silvertone Bass amplifier

About six month later my friend had saved up enough money to purchase the matching Danelectro-made Silvertone model 1483 bass amp. This amp pumped 23 watts into a single 12" Jensen speaker. 



Silvertone Twin Twelve amplifier
One of the most popular Sears Silvertone amplifiers was what most of us referred to as the "Twin Twelver", although it's actual designation was Model 1484. It was made by the Danelectro Company of Neptune, New Jersey.

Silvertones were considerably less expensive than a comparable Fender amplifier. The Danelectro speaker cabinets were made with a compartment in the bottom to store the amplifier unit or head for transportation. 

While Fender and Gibson made their amplifier cabinets out of solid pine wood, Danelectro used much cheaper particle board for construction.

Silvertone model 1472
For those on a budget, Silvertone offered the model 1472, also made by Danelectro. This pumped 10 watts into a 12" Jensen speaker. All for less than $70.00 USD.  A similar 12 watt 1965 Fender Princeton Reverb was $169.

The Montgomery Ward Company used the brand name Airline for its electronic and music products. They used a number of "jobbers" or wholesale companies to procure their guitars and amplifiers, such as National, Valco, Supro, Harmony, Kay,  All guitars were sold by Wards under the Airline brand name.

Two Valco made Airline guitars.
The one circled is
Jack White's 1964 Hutto Airline model
Perhaps the most interesting guitar offered in their catalog was the Valco made fiberglass models, which they referred to as "Res-o-glass" for its supposed resonance. There is an interesting history of  National, Valco, and Supro. This was a company started by the Dopyera brothers of Dobro fame. Jack White played the JB Hutto model that was first manufactured in 1959.


1954 Montgomery Ward catalog


Another one of the more unusual guitars that Montgomery Wards offered under the Airline brand was the Kay Thin Twin. Though the pickups covers seem thin, the actual single coil pickups underneath the pickguard were normal size compared to comparable instruments.





Jimmy Reed with Kay Thin Twin


The Kay Thin Twin was the model played by guitarist Jimmy Reed. You can see it in this 1954 company catalog. Most of the other guitars and amps on this page were made by National.





Western Auto catalog
A company that has probably been long forgotten was Western Auto. They were very popular in the 1950's and 1960's, and sold guitars and amplifiers under the Truetone brand. The guitars and amplifiers were made by the Kay Company of Chicago.

Western Auto Speed Demon

One of my favorite Kay-made guitars sold by Western Auto was the three pickup Jazz King aka the Speed Demon. It came with distinctive Kay single coil pickups. Each pickup had its own volume and tone control. Some models came with the Truetone decal, while others came with the Western Auto "W" logo.


1962 Kay guitar catalog



One of the more popular guitars in the 1960's was the Kay Vanguard, you can view it in the lower left corner.



Kay Vanguard - two versions
 under the Truetone brand

This guitar came with one or two pickups, and a fixed bridge with an aluminum bridge cover. The price for the one pickup model was only $44.95, which was a big factor in the instruments popularity. These were sold by Western Auto, Sears, and under the Old Kraftsman brand for Spiegel, another catalog company.


Kay Value Leader

One more popular model made by Kay was called The Value Leader. It was sold through several different catalog companies under different brand names, as well as under the Kay brand.




Kay Value Leader guitars

This hollow body Les Paul shaped guitar came with a fixed wooden bridge, a rectangular aluminum pickguard, a trapeze bridge, and one, two, or three pickups. The single pickup model sold for $69.95, the two pickup model sold for $87.95, while the three pickup version was $99.95. The pickups were low output to decrease feed back.



1965-66 Fender Catalog

Although Fender guitars were only sold through authorized dealers, you could obtain a Fender catalog from a dealer or directly from the company. For a guitar obsessed kid, these catalogs were like finding gold. We could look at all those guitars and dream.


1966 Baldwin Advertisement

The new kid on the scene in 1966 was Baldwin guitars and amplifiers. Baldwin had recently acquired Burns of London guitars, and the rights to Kustom amplifiers. Some of the original Baldwin guitars were still labeled as "Burns", so Baldwin put their logo on top of the Burns logo. The Baldwin amplifiers were based on Kustom amplifier circuitry.



1966 Spiegle catalog



The Joseph Speigel Company was a Chicago based business specializing in direct mail order sales. They sold guitars that were made by Kay Guitars of Chicago under the Old Kraftman brand.






1966 Carvin Catalog
One of the most interesting companies that originally sold guitars and instruments made by other companies, but within a few years manufactured their own guitars by the mid 1960's. This was The Carvin Company of California. I recall sending for their catalog. It may have cost me 50 cents for postage. It contained very interesting guitars and amplifiers, and it came with a separate price list manually typed on a typewriter. 


The Carvin Company was a family business, and remains so today under the Keisel brand name.

Years later I learned that the bodies of those early Carvin guitars were made by the California based company, but the necks, pickups, and electronics were made by Hofner of Germany., although some of the pickups were wound in house. Later on Carvin manufactured their own brand of pickups 

Emenee Toy Commercial

In addition to the wish books there were a few television commercials in the mid-1960's from a toy company called Emenee.  This New York based toy manufacture created several guitars that were made out of plastic. 

They also produced the "polychord electric-piano organ" aka The Audition Organ, and the "Big Bash Drum" snare drum.  Well a kid could start their own band with all those seemingly marvelous instruments. 

Emenee Tiger Guitar
 with amp
 

The Emenee Tiger guitar was a hollow body archtop instrument made entirely of plastic. It had a cutaway, an archtop bridge and came with a detachable contact microphone which was probably made by the DeArmond Company.


Emenee Swinging Cat Guitar

The Swinging Cat guitar has been described in internet posts as perhaps the worst toy ever made. It was a solid body style all plastic guitar with a faux pickup section molded on top of the body. It came with  a contact microphone that was permanently attached to the amplifier. The child could place the microphone contraption under the strings. 

Both instruments featured low watt battery powered amps housed in a plastic cabinet.  

I wish there were more videos of guitar catalogs on the internet. There were a few last year, but they now they all seem to  come with a subscription price.

I wish you all A Very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!  I hope Santa brings you a new guitar.




Click on the links under the pictures for sources. Click on the links in the text for further information.
©UniqueGuitar publicationa 2020 (text only)









Skip to 3:23 for guitars.




What is BOSS Waza Craft?

Guitar World -

If classic tones with custom voicings and enhanced functionality is what you’re after, in a package that’s built to the highest possible quality, Waza Craft is for you

The Tone Traveler Is On Sale!

Acoustic Guitar -

The Tone Traveler Is On Sale!
Sponsored by Tone Traveler: The Tone Traveler is a revolutionary device designed to enhance the sound of acoustic instruments and until the end of the year, it is on sale for $45 off MSRP. It attaches to your guitar or other acoustic instrument and uses advanced sonic vibrations to accelerate the aging process of the wood, […]

The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 126

Fretboard Journal -



Transformer talk, spaghetti carbonara, goat horn jazz, and even more transformer talk…it’s the 126th episode of the Truth About Vintage Amps!

Want to be a part of our show? Submit your question or voice memo to podcast@fretboardjournal.com.

Some of the topics discussed this week:

:48 Skip types out a tube chart

3:16 This week’s sponsors: Emerald City Guitars, Amplified Parts, Stringjoy Strings, and Grez Guitars; the art of bargaining at a guitar show; the Bay Area Vintage Guitar Show; Premier and Alamo amps

7:43 A Marshall Major PA-200 head at Emerald City (link)

11:48 What’s on Skip’s bench: an RCA PA head; Bill Krinard’s return to the podcast?

15:08 RIP Earl Yarrow & Shep the dog

18:26 Junior Bonner

21:40 More Earl Yarrow

23:50 Brandy and soda

24:30 What to use in my Princeton Reverb clone: A Soursound 12-watt transformer or a Hammond 14-watt?

28:01 What to do with one single can of El Pato; avant-garde guitarist Havard Skaset; Los Pericos Quadradas chips (link); Norwegian goat horn player Karl Seglem’s “Mytevegar” (Bandcamp)

33:23 Help my humming Vintage 47 Mini

37:52 What to do with a 1964 Magnatone 401, one-to-three input transformer, how to not get shocked

42:43 Should we be burning-in our amps after repairs?

46:21 Converting a Bogen MO30 to a Fender Pro circuit

51:44 Recording a tube amp at low volume by pulling the phase inverter

53:21 1952/1953 Fender Tweed Deluxes with low gain instrument jacks, input impedance

55:44 Armadillo Amp Works cabinets

56:20 Is this serviced 1970 Fender Bassman head still a Fender Bassman? gifting a tweed Bassman to your nephew

1:01:25 Thanks for the TAVA show notes; what’s the deal with my one-knob, early 1960s Gibson Skylark GA-5?

1:06:50 What output transformer to use on my Trainwreck clone? Dynaco transformers

1:09:03 Heritage Auctions’ typewriter sale (link)

1:10:49 Spaghetti carbonara; gutting a Peavey VTX Heritage 130 to build a bass amp with an ultra-linear transformer; Sunn amps

1:14:40 The magic of Soundmasters; Sacramento ska band Filibuster; how a family of amps can basically have the same pre-amp circuitry; 807s vs. 6L6s or EL34s

1:24:43 Thoughts on the 2024 Vintage Guitar Price Guide

1:27:57 What could cause DC voltage to build up on the grid of a power tube aside from leaky coupling caps

1:35:10 Shoutout to the Fender greats: Richard Smith, Bruce Zinky, Lynn Wheelwright, Terry Foster; a circuit baffler of sorts!

1:37:47 Spaghetti carbonara & Los Pericos Quadradas redux

Love the show? We have a Patreon where you can support it and get exclusive bonus content and surprises:

https://www.patreon.com/vintageamps

Above pic: Listener Rob’s one-knob Gibson Skylark, as discussed on this week’s episode.

The post The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 126 first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

The post The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 126 appeared first on Fretboard Journal.

Mike Stern’s Epic “Original Rays” Solo

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Come along for the ride as Stern stuns the 1987 Newport Jazz Festival crowd, taking them from quiet jazz meditations to soaring blues-drenched crescendos.


Throughout my college years, I spent countless nights at New York City’s now-defunct 55 Bar, sitting literally six feet away from guitarist Mike Stern as he and his trio blew the roof off of the place time and time again. With that in mind, let’s set our time machine for the 1987 Newport Jazz Festival, and revisit a particularly thrilling live performance of “Original Rays,” an earworm of a tune co-written by Stern with late tenor saxophone legend Michael Brecker (the bandleader here) and keyboardist Don Grolnick. The original, more subdued studio version can be heard on Brecker’s 1987 debut solo album, in which Pat Metheny handles guitar duties, delivering a typically masterful solo. But it was Stern who would play guitar in Brecker’s touring band, bringing his trademark musical mix of beauty and brashness. Let’s take a trip through the tour de force that is Stern’s solo in a joyously raucous performance of “Original Rays.”


First, here’s the tune in its entirety. It’s recommended to watch all the way through to experience the full impact of Stern’s solo, which begins just as Brecker’s own spirited turn ends, at 5:24.



Whirling, Swirling Bends

Right from the very first notes of his solo, Stern reveals a quiet cleverness. Revisit the previous link to catch the moment he takes Brecker’s final phrase and playfully borrows it for his entrance. Stern is always listening to his bandmates, and this isn’t exclusive to jazz players. A classic use of call-and-response can be heard in the iconic outro solo in the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” As an aside, watch as Joe Walsh uses Don Felder’s exit lick for his entrance.



“Original Rays” is in the key of F major, and Stern’s solo begins with a brief bluesy interlude based around the F major pentatonic scale (F–G–A–C–D). Over the quietly understated droning F5 tonality, he continues his solo with his Boss DD-3 delay remaining on what he jokingly calls his “save the whales” setting. In Premier Guitar’s 2018 Rig Rundown, Stern briefly discusses why he keeps two DD-3s on his board; plus, you’ll see his exact “whale” settings on the left delay.



Next, Stern employs a series of ghost bends—silently bent notes where only the release is heard. He sounds each with a volume swell, which masks any pick attack, resulting in a smooth violin-type entrance. The key is to start with your volume turned completely off. Then, after silently striking the note, quickly turn up your volume knob to return to full volume. Watch as Stern executes a series of volume swells below, then play through Ex. 1 to take a few practice swings, without any pesky bending involved.



Here, Stern mostly explores the F major scale (F–G–A–Bb–C-D-E), but creates tension by targeting colorful notes. In that same segment, he targets the ninth (G) in two different octaves, allowing its tension to hang in the air before quickly resolving to the root (F) with the bend’s release (Ex. 2).



A Different Kind of Tension

Stern switches off his delay and wends his way through the next section by improvising a series of beautiful single-note passages. He again looks to create moments of tension, although this time he purposefully targets notes that are out of key. The phrase at 5:48 (Ex. 3) has him leaning briefly but forcefully into the flat sixth (Db) at beat 1 of measure 2, adding a welcome tension.




Stern again targets the Db with the chromatically-inflected phrase that begins at 6:01 (Ex. 4), allowing it to hang in the air just a bit longer than we think he might. It’s dissonant, but somehow beautiful.




I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the “Stern-ism” at 5:56 (Ex. 5), a trio of arpeggios moving up the neck in the key of F, implying Fmaj7 (F–A–C–E), then spelling out Bb (Bb–D–F) and C (C–E–G). You’ll catch him using variations of this phrase a few times at any given show to great effect. In fact, we’ll look at another a bit later in this solo.




Using Repetition to Maximize Intensity

At 6:14, Stern glances back at bassist Jeff Andrews and drummer Adam Nussbaum as if to say, “Get ready. It’s on.” With that, Stern engages his now-vintage Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and ventures into blazing new territory, as he and the band begin to bring the simmer up to a boil. Experiencing him ratchet things up like this at 55 Bar was my introduction to the devastating power of the blues, of which Stern is a master.


There are so many fantastic moments that follow, as Stern moves from one thrilling crescendo to the next, each one more exhilarating. But it’s not just that he’s playing blues licks, it’s how he’s playing them. Sure, he has a nasty tone and is really digging in, but it’s his use of repetitive phrases that so often drives his points home. The first occurrence of this is at the 6:36 mark, with Stern employing stinging bends within a repeated blues phrase, varying it slightly each time (Ex. 6).



Listen further and you’ll hear him repeat more phrases, sometimes just once, but you can feel the energy rising every time. The phrase at 7:10 harkens back to Ex. 5’s ascending arpeggios, this time adding hints of repetition to the mix to create explosive bursts of ferocity (Ex. 7).



Then, following more examples of the power of repetition, Stern truly begins to soar at the 7:27 mark, where he repeats a simple blues lick with reckless abandon, as in Ex. 8. Use the tab only as a guide, as Stern fits in as many repeats of the phrase as he possibly can over these bars.



How much more can the audience take? No matter, because Stern has even more in store for them, and us. At 7:41, he makes his way over to his board to turn his delay back on, and proceeds to completely bring down the house. A whirlwind of lethal bends and blues fury follows, along with a blazing set of climbing tremolo-picked bent unisons at 8:10 (Ex. 9). The contrast of the longer note values here adds a palpable sense of drama, but you’ll need to pick just about as fast as you can in frenzied fashion, as Stern does.



Like a long-awaited exhale, the solo culminates with a thunderous F5 chord, announcing that we’ve arrived at our final destination.

Stern’s solo that day, like so many of his others, is a master class. He takes the audience on a thrill ride, at times seeming to fly out of control, but somehow always safely landing on his feet. A standing ovation follows. What more can be said?


I thought that was the end of the story. But just before finishing this lesson, I decided on a whim to do a quick YouTube search on “Michael Brecker Band 1987,” and I discovered even more gold. Here is Stern doing it yet again a few months later, and just as he did every night, absolutely destroying:


Way Huge Stone Burner Review

Premier Guitar -



Way Huge’s Atreides Weirding Module is one of Jeorge Tripps’ great gifts to the world. It’s a gift that keeps giving, too. The Attack Vector phaser and envelope was its first offspring. But the newest, the Stone Burner Sub Atomic octave fuzz is a killer, maybe the coolest, and probably the most practical pedal from the Atreides family. It’s an unusually useful and forgiving octave fuzz that will generate up to two sub octaves, which feature more or less prominently depending on the sub level.



This sub octave filter works in concert with the fuzz, which you can’t remove entirely from the mix, but which ranges in intensity from nasty and spitty to double-nasty and surprisingly capable of sustain. Various mixes of the sub and fuzz levels yield tonalities that stretch from synthy elasticity and fuzz bass to fractured, tectonic-scale Earth rumblings, and fuzz that sounds like a banshee gargling gravel and rusty nails. (I mean this in the most complimentary possible sense.)

The wide-ranging tone knob, meanwhile, has a profound effect on a given mix’s glitchiness, sustain, and overtone profile. The Stone Burner also responds in fascinating ways to guitar volume and tone input—sometimes emphasizing tight fundamentals and octaves in more concise and equal parts, or enhancing the more synth-like qualities of the filter. Variations in pitch from finger vibrato and whammy bars activate many ghostly responses and overtones, too. Needless to say, it is a fairly confrontational effect, but the Stone Burner is also malleable, sweet, bratty, and beautiful.


Totally Guitars Weekly Update December 15, 2023

On The Beat with Totally Guitars -

December 15, 2023 Lately there have been some great requests for lessons on the Forum, and I check them all out. A couple recent requests became topics for discussion this week. One started a foray into where you have heard augmented chords, and the same song used thirds in the key of C on the […]

The post Totally Guitars Weekly Update December 15, 2023 appeared first on On The Beat with Totally Guitars.

“I threw being within the lines and within the borders out the window years before”: Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil on being called a “sloppy” guitar player

Guitar.com -

Kim Thayil

Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil has opened up about his approach to the guitar and his thoughts on those who call him a “sloppy” player.

The guitarist was speaking in a new interview with Pete Thorn where he discusses some of the online comments he’s received for his work in Soundgarden.

“I’ve recently read this online review, and it’s like, ‘I don’t know, I’ve seen Kim live, he is just kind of sloppy,’” Thayil says [via Killer Guitar Rigs]. “I started thinking, ‘I played about eight different guitar tunings. At some point, 30 years ago or more, the idea of patterns and box patterns and scales, I just threw it out the window.”

“I now have to relearn the song on the neck visually, as well as orally,” he adds. “Everything I’d learned when I was younger, that I taught myself about scales or patterns, those are no longer factors because we’re coming up with our own tunings, or making shit up, or adjusting things.”

“I look at the song and look at the neck. There’s that chord, there’s this chord. I picture where the chords are, I picture where the notes are, and then the first thing you do at any tuning is you orient the octave, right?”

Thayil also explains how he navigates Soundgarden songs like Rusty Cage and Pretty Noose, which use unconventional tunings, saying: “You start learning the patterns, you just look at the neck and, ‘I go here, and as I ascend, here’s the notes I can play.’ I can throw in these half steps now and then, and it kind of twists it into a little different mode here and there.”

“I don’t know what the mode is. It’s by ear, it’s by eye, and you just kind of learn these patterns on the songs — that’s how I play.”

He continues: “Now, if you’re playing four or five songs in those same weird tunings, but the songs are in different keys [laughs] and you’ve gotta remember the different patterns, yeah, sometimes you miss them, especially after a few beers.”

For Thayil, who “threw being within the lines and within the borders out the window years before”, a lead is “not a melodic exploration of themes, as a lot of metal guys do it and maybe as some jazz guys do it. To me, a guitar solo was improvisation.”

“This is either where you’re being expressive — either expressive emotively or perhaps you’re being expressive aesthetically. So if you’re not dressing the emotions, you’re dressing me the ideas or the feeling of a song. And in that case, it’s going to be different from day to day.”

“So rather than having a distinct pattern, you have a general outline, and then you kind of move around in there. I liked what I did last time, and I want to do more of that, but then go here,” he says.

The post “I threw being within the lines and within the borders out the window years before”: Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil on being called a “sloppy” guitar player appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

A Brief History of the Undersung Requinto Romántico

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I was recently in Mexico on business, traveling through a few states. While I was there, I was thinking of Premier Guitar and this article I was going to write. I have so many instruments in my head that I want to share with you, and I thought, “Why not start with one from Mexico?”


But which one? There are so many instruments that come from Mexico, and part of what I am striving for is to help educate people on not only the instruments, but the genres, too. Oftentimes, Americans hear music sung in Spanish over a guitar, and they just assume it is all mariachi. That would be similar to someone visiting the United States and assuming everything they hear was either rock or hip-hop. Fortunately, most guitar players have a deeper understanding of the rhythmic patterns of various genres, and can recognize the stylistic differences.

With that in mind, let’s discuss the stringed instrument used in one of the most romantic genres of Mexico: the requinto romántico, which was the first style of guitar I ever built at age 12. Even the name tells you it’s romantic. While the term “requinto” is used to describe instruments from Spain, Portugal, and other Hispanic and Latin countries, the 6-string requinto romántico originated in Mexico and was made popular by trío romántico ensembles like Los Panchos. Like other tríos románticos, Los Panchos were known for three-part vocal harmonies and featured two nylon-string classical guitars accompanied by a requinto romántico. You can hear a whole spectrum of rhythmic styles within the trío romántico genre, like vals (waltz), pasillo (Colombian and 19th-century styles), bolero (from east Cuba), and Mexican ranchera. Los Panchos in particular featured the great Alfredo “El Güero” Gil, who was born in Teziutlan, Puebla, not far from the Veracruz border and the great city of Xalapa.

Requintos have smaller bodies than regular classical guitars, and their tuning is unique, too: A2–D3–G3–C4–E4–A4, one fourth higher than the standard classical. The shorter scale, ranging between 530 mm and 540 mm, facilitates the higher tuning without warping the top or neck, or causing worry about strings breaking. Traditionally, requintos have between 19 and 22 frets, and, like classicals, the 12th fret is located where the fretboard meets the body of the guitar. Their tops are typically made of spruce or cedar, while the bodies implement mahogany, cedar, Palo Escrito, or East Indian rosewood. Some older models made by my family were made with Brazilian rosewood. (My grandfather, Porfirio “Pilo” Delgado, is even credited with making the first cutaway requinto romántico.) Requintos have historically been strung with either nylon or gut strings—made from lengths of animal intestine—and wound bass strings. So, playing a requinto romántico is like playing a classical guitar with a capo on the fifth fret, but you still have the full scale and a brighter tone thanks to the body design.


“Oftentimes, Americans hear music sung in Spanish over a guitar, and just assume it is all mariachi.”


Originally, requinto románticos were built with a smaller body—not quite as small as a baroque guitar body, nor quite as long as a parlor guitar body. Today, the body size is shorter in length than a classical, but the width is often comparable, with some bodies ranging up to five inches in depth. In 1991, the Korean-owned, American-based manufacturer Tacoma came out with a steel-string version of the requinto romántico, claiming it to be the first of its kind. This is like claiming the ukulele to be a complete original, not recognizing the Portuguese machete that precipitated its creation. Plus, early on, string-maker El Cometa had a steel-string option for players who played requinto románticos.

“Sabor a Mí” by Mexican composer and singer Álvaro Carrillo, “Historia de un Amor” by Panamanian songwriter Carlos Eleta Almarán, and “Bésame Mucho,” a bolero song written in 1932 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez, are just a few of the more popular trío romantico songs. If you’re a fan of great guitar playing, I encourage you to go down the rabbit hole and listen to some of these artists. With no effects pedals and no distortion to hide behind, these players are true.… Wait, what’s the Spanish word for “shredders?”

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