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Sleaford, England – Flattley Pedals has introduced the “Reaper”, the company’s special 10th Anniversary Edition celebratory pedal.

In continuance of Flattley Guitar Pedals 10th anniversary year celebrations, the company has revisited its first ever production pedal “Reaper” created ten years ago but with a twist. The original Reaper product was an overdrive/distortion pedal with a rotary switch that could select variations in the components that were used in the feedback loop of an op amp to give a range of tones.

The Reaper Dual Mode Distortion Anniversary Edition pedal takes a different approach by having both hard and soft clipping around a similar op-amp core but voiced to be more aggressive than the original. The op-amp core is a bit of a nod to rodent related pedals that we have never explored before.

As well as the two clipping modes there is also a boost mode that removes both methods of clipping to give a mode that can push the amplifier preamp into saturation. The company warns that this can get very loud. The gain control has been chosen to be able to force the clean boost to clip as well when approaching maximum.

All of these modes are selected by a three-way toggle switch. This Anniversary Edition features vintage glass envelope germanium diodes for hard clipping, and asymmetric clipping using an LED and conventional silico diode to give a wider range of tones from this versatile pedal. Additional controls set the effect output volume, the overall gain and a tone control that can be used to tame the high end harmonics created by the various clipping modes.

The pedal’s purple halo light rings installed diffuse the light when playing live, so you can avoid being blinded by standard LEDs, and a purple laser etched aluminium foot topper gives you more real estate for contact when switching the pedal on and off during quick changes when playing live.

All Flattley "Platinum Range" pedals are hand processed in Flattley’s paint shop, with a strikingly unique finish.

The Reaper includes this control set:

Toggle Switch:

HC= Hard Clipping

BST=Boost Function

SC= Soft Clipping

Reaper Controls

• Volume: Controls the overall output level.
• Gain: Controls the amount of gain/overdrive
• Tone: Controls the amount of treble/bass

Other features include:

• 9-volt external power operation (no internal battery option)
• 20mm black anodised aluminium custom etched control knobs
• Purple halo light rings installed
• The Reaper comes with a purple custom etched aluminium foot topper

All Flattley pedals are handmade and hand wired in the UK using the highest quality components.

The Flattley Reaper carries a street price of $319/£259/€319. For more information visit flattleyguitarpedals.com.

https://flattleyguitarpedals.com/shop/platinum-range/distortion-platinum-range-2/reaper-10-ae-10th-anniversary-edition-dual-mode-distortion/

PG’s Chris Kies met up with the Barbarians of California at the Exit/In in Nashville, one show into a tour behind their second record, Megatons. Eric Stenman, Zach Irons, and Dave Amezcua walked through a setup shaped by fly dates, borrowed backline, and a band with no techs. Have a look at some quick highlights below, and tune into the new Rig Rundown for all the details.

Brought to you by D’Addario.

Good Hammer

Stenman calls the Les Paul the core of most of what he does, going back to seeing pictures of Jimmy Page holding one. This one has Slash pickups in it, and he’s honest about the tradeoff: they don’t stay in tune especially well, but they feel cool. The band lives between drop C and drop B-flat, which used to mean hauling four guitars to cover a main and a backup in each. With no budget and no techs on fly dates, they now keep everything in one tuning and pitch-shift between songs from their floorboards. Stenman’s strings are .012–.054; when he had a dedicated B-flat guitar he ran .014–.056.

Second String

His other guitar is an ESP LTD TED-600T Ted Aguilar signature, which he says plays better than the Les Paul—quicker and easier under the hand. Which one comes out depends on the week.

Valhalla Rising

Valhalla sent three heads out with the band for this run, two guitar and one bass, delivered to their Oklahoma date a few days earlier. Everyone’s still learning them. Stenman does his tone-shaping digitally, but says he still wants an amp onstage so he can feel the air and the tubes.

Double Helix

The Line 6 Helix is the brain of Stenman’s rig. He leans on a Rectifier model, switches to an ENGL setting for certain songs, and piles delay and reverb onto the leads—he traces the washed-out stuff to Britpop and shoegaze.

Whammy Wanted

Irons found this 1985 Carvin V220, Kahler and all, online during a Deftones tour and bought it sight unseen—being left-handed, he rarely gets to try anything first. He wanted a bar for dive bombs and Dimebag squeals, which he’d been approximating on a hardtail and hating. It’s never been set up and it works. The dip switches are coil taps, and the pickups are staying put.

Zach Irons’ Pedalboard

Irons found his Empress Heavy by typing “best heavy metal pedal” into a search bar and buying the first result; it’s the only distortion he’s used in this band, pushed by an MXR Micro Amp. A Boss XS-1 handles the drop tunings, while the wah is a Triangulo Lab WH-X clone of an Ibanez WH-10, sent to him by the Italian builder who makes John Frusciante’s replicas. An EHX Holy Grail covers reverb, and a Moog MF Delay gets used for between-song infinity washes. A Boss TU-2 keeps everything in tune, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus assures everything’s running.

Party P

Amezcua’s 1978 Fender Precision is completely unmodified and has been with him through Under the Influence of Giants, AWOLNATION, and now this band. Strings vary depending on who’s giving them away, though usually Ernie Ball.

What’s Left

Amezcua calls his board the one that could have been. A rained-out set at Shiprock took out a delay, an EHX pedal, and an octave, so he’s down to an Aguilar DI for tone and punch, a Strymon Zuma power supply, and a Boss TU-3 tuner — which he needs, since he’s the only one in the band tuning by hand between songs.

Press Release

Source: DB PR

Fender says it’s come with a solution to single-coil hum with its latest innovation, the Silent System. The brand’s much-loved Noiseless pickups – fitted across many of its contemporary guitar lines – do offer a hum-free experience, but one that some players say comes at the expense of a small sacrifice in dynamic chime.

But its new Silent System is designed to fit in a cavity under the pickguard away from your pickups altogether, with a passive battery-free design that promises to remove single-coil hum without any sacrifice in tone. And the solution is being unleashed via a new pair of limited-edition Stratocaster and Telecaster models.

• READ MORE: Tesla owner enjoys an afternoon of guitar practice – while allegedly driving 60mph on the motorway

The new guitars join Fender’s USA-made American Professional Classic series, and offer players “even more creative control and flexibility over their guitar, sound, and signal”, the company says.

Credit: Fender

First up, the Limited Edition American Professional Classic Stratocaster comes fitted with Fender’s Silent System, along with all of its vintage injections and modern tech. The model comes equipped with Coastline ‘57 Strat pickups, providing an old-school sound with plenty of depth and punch when you’re dancing your fingers along the guitar’s comfortable C-shaped neck and rosewood fingerboard.

Staggered ClassicGear tuners also add to the guitar’s vintage feel, as well as the guitar’s overall custom-faded finish. And this limited edition Strat is available in four different colours: Three-Colour Sunburst or Daphne Blue with a rosewood fingerboard, and Olympic White or Candy Apple Red with a maple fingerboard. Price-wise, this clocks in at £1,599.

Credit: Fender

If you’re more inclined to pick up a Tele, the Silent System-equipped Limited Edition American Professional Classic Telecaster is also £1,599. There has also been equal levels of effort in achieving a vintage feel on this model, with its Coastline ‘63 Telecaster pickups and Staggered ClassicGear tuners to match the Strat.

Again, custom-faded finished are also customary across this Telecaster line to amplify that heritage feel. And the Tele is available in Candy Apple Red or Sonic Blue with a rosewood fingerboard, and Three-Colour Sunburst or Vintage Blonde with a maple fingerboard.
“The all-new offering brings the guitar community a game-changing answer to unwanted electrical hum without the need for compromise on tone, style, or even choice of pickup,” says Fender. “This innovative tech refresh is set to fundamentally change the playing experience.”
Both models are available now for £1,599. For more information, head to Fender.

Credit: Fender

The post Fender says it’s cancelled pickup hum forever with its potentially game-changing new Silent System appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin has a real a knack for surprising the general public, it seems. In 2025, the frontman shocked two canoodling colleagues and outed their affair by showing them on the Coldplay Kiss Cam, and he also astonished West Yorkshire locals with an impromptu gig in a tiny pub. But the surprises are continuing into this year, too; just a few days ago, he popped up in London’s Trafalgar Square and performed with an oblivious busker.

Clips circulating online show South-Korean busker Hanny Junee performing Coldplay’s Viva La Vida on his guitar as Martin croons along by his side, sharing his microphone. The small crowd is delighted to see the Coldplay frontman, phones whipped out to capture the special moment… but Junee apparently had no clue who it was.

• READ MORE: Tesla owner enjoys an afternoon of guitar practice – while allegedly driving 60mph on the motorway

You might be thinking – how the hell would you not realise Chris Martin is stood right next to you? Well, the BBC reached out to Junee, and he explains that he had simply thought the man had perfected a top-notch Chris Martin impression. “I thought: ‘This guy has amazing energy, nice vibe and a really good voice,’” he says. “I thought: ‘He sounds really similar to Chris Martin!’”

“But then I thought: ‘Come on, Hanny, don’t be ridiculous, of course it’s not him! Chris Martin doesn’t roam the streets of London,’” he laughs.

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Of course, let’s be realistic here. What are the chances of the actual artist appearing out of thin air at the exact moment you’re performing their song – and then they also decide to join you? While it was a case of serendipitous timing, we can’t blame him for not realising his luck. In fact, it meant that he was able to commit to guitar playing and ensure Martin had a solid tune to sing along to.

Considering Martin’s affiliation with busking, it’s no surprise he was tempted to join in. And, as quickly as Martin had hopped on the mic and sprinkled his vocal magic, he was off again. “He finished a verse, and the next thing I know, he’s gone,” Junee explains. “It was magical… it was like we connected purely through music, not fame.”

Junee also admits that he has his audience to thank to; as the BBC explains, he’d given his small audience a choice between two tracks, with the other option being a song by The Script. Thankfully, the stars aligned, with a majority of the audience voting for Coldplay.

In a personal Instagram post, Junee shares his excitement over the very magical experience: “I was playing Viva La Vida as my last song at Trafalgar Square, and Chris Martin literally walked up and sang with me?! Still can‘t believe this happened. Thank you Chris for the most unforgettable moment of my life!”

The post WATCH: Busker duets with Chris Martin – despite having no idea it’s really the Coldplay frontman appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Last week, Fender CEO Edward “Bud” Cole reflected on a tumultuous few months for the company, during which it’s seen widespread backlash over its decision to issue cease and desist letters to companies making Strat-style guitars.

Speaking to Bloomberg Business about the ongoing legal campaign, he admitted that Fender “could have done this better”, adding: “It’s clear to me the legal process got ahead of us”. He also sought to clarify the brand’s position, claiming that its legal action was now focused “solely on large manufacturers”.

Some of the larger guitar makers to have been hit with cease and desists include Thomann – which makes S-type guitars under its in-house Harley Benton brand, as well as Yamaha and PRS.

But despite his reflective tone, Bud Cole has confirmed that Fender has no plans to halt its legal campaign, and even said that the strategy is working, with 32 builders currently working with Fender on drafting agreements that would see the legal threat resolved. 18 have reportedly signed already.

Speaking to musician and YouTuber Mary Spender in a new interview, Cole predicts how Fender’s ongoing legal campaign might play out, and reiterates his desire for “respectful discussions” with other guitar builders.

“There are several [brands] that we are beginning the conversations with – we recognise that there are material differences between what they are creating, and what we believe is the quintessential Stratocaster,” he says.

Cole predicts that over the coming months, Fender will be in a “very different place” to the one it’s found itself in lately, which has been defined by heavy community backlash and criticism.

“At this point, I think we have to let this play out,” he continues, “and we’ll do it in the most respectful and earnest way, because we are all part of the same industry, and we all do it in certain ways and get inspiration from each other. That’s what makes this industry so wonderful.

“At the same time, I recognise that companies have unique intellectual property and that should be respected at the same time. I think they can both exist, and that’s what we’re trying to get to. We’re trying to do that going forward in a way that is respectful, collaborative and caring.”

Once again, Cole is regretful about the way Fender went about its initial cease and desist campaign. “The optics of it, even the reality of it, it wasn’t done that way to start, and that’s a course correction that we must own and that we need to make.”

In Bud Cole’s interview with Bloomberg Business, he explained how that course correction has come via a new focus on larger guitar makers producing S-types. “We are not focused at all now on boutique builders,” he said.

One boutique builder to to reveal itself as one of the first recipients of a Fender cease and desist was California-based LsL Instruments. The brand subsequently hired experienced guitar industry lawyer Ron Bienstock – who famously won a 2009 trademark case against Fender on behalf of a group of guitar brands – to help fight its case.

However, despite Cole’s comments, LsL told Bloomberg that it had heard nothing from Fender indicating it was no longer being actively pursued. In any case, LsL’s legal battle has been an expensive one. The brand raised $50k via GoFundMe to support their legal costs after the initial cease and desist story broke, and last week announced a sale on guitars to “raise $75k in a very short amount of time”.

You can watch Mary Spender’s interview with Fender CEO Edward “Bud” Cole below:

The post “We have to let this play out”: Fender CEO says the company will not stop its legal actions against other companies, but insists it wants “respectful discussions” not lawsuits appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

A plectrum is a thing that plays a string. They’ve taken many forms, from the eagle feathers and quills once used to play lutes to the thin triangles of plastic we use to shred, strum and summon melodies out of guitars. Most present-day guitarists call them picks.

Modern guitar picks took shape between the 19th and early 20th century, culminating in the 1920s with the rounded triangle of the D’Andrea 351 celluloid plectrum, which set a benchmark for pick design that still hasn’t shifted. For more pick lore, read Will Hoover’s book, Picks! The Colorful Saga of Celluloid Guitar Plectrums for free online with an Internet Archive account.

But we’re here to help you pick a pick. There are many types, including 351-style (the most conventional), sharp-tip, triangular (often used with bass guitars), thumb picks for fingerstyle playing, and many other options in-between. We suggest you try a variety, as this is one of the cheapest ways to tap into different guitar tones and creative avenues. Even experienced guitarists who swear by a certain pick can freshen up their playing and sound by experimenting with other types.

Also consider gauge, which is the thickness of a pick. Most picks come in various gauges, and this affects your playing and tone. Thinner plectrums are often preferred for strumming, while thicker ones can offer more attack and precision. The author of this guide opts for middle-of-the-road 0.73mm picks.

The 20 potted reviews below will give you a brief introduction to some of the many types of picks that could broaden your musical horizons (or simply save your fingers from some wear and tear). Try a few, and enjoy the subtle differences!

At a glance:

• Dunlop Nylon Standard
• Dunlop Tortex Standard
• Fender 351
• Landstrom Sharkfin
• Ibanez Grip Wizard Sand Grip
• Dunlop Thumb Finger Pick Set
• Gravity Picks Rob Chapman Signature
• Ibanez P1000MH Meshuggah Signature
• Taylor Celluloid Pick Tin
• Jim Dunlop Nylon Jazz III
• Gibson Medium Tortoise
• Fender Aero Acrylic
• Gravity Razer Mini
• Fender Thin Picks Confetti
• D’Addario National Brass Finger & Thumb Picks Bundle (6-Pack)
• Black Mountain Asteroid Guitar Pick
• John Pearse Fast Turtles
• Herco Vintage ’66 Reissue
• Dunlop Tortex Sharp
• Martin Faux Tortoiseshell Triangle
• Why you can trust Guitar.com

Dunlop Nylon Standard

Flexible, grippy and perfectly shaped for the average guitarist, these nylon Jim Dunlop picks have superb playability. Nylon does tend to be slippier than certain other pick materials including celluloid, but this model makes up for that with plenty of grip and embossed branding. The compiler of this guide has been happily using Nylon Standards for over 20 years.

Dunlop Tortex Standard

Tortex picks are made of treated Delrin plastic, which mimics the zingier qualities of real tortoiseshell (a banned material in the plectrum business since 1973). The upshot is that Tortex picks sound fantastically bright and lend themselves to decisive playing. They’re smooth-surfaced, but with a chalky texture that offers some grip.

Fender 351

This is the quintessential ‘modern’ guitar pick, based on the 351 shape pioneered by D’Andrea a century ago. Made from bright-sounding, great-looking celluloid, it’s a timeless favourite for good reason. Various colourways are available including a particularly pretty ocean turquoise, and there are thin, medium, heavy and extra-heavy gauges to choose from.

Landstrom Sharkfin

More than just a cool shape, Landstrom’s Sharkfin plectrum offers a generous area to grip, and different profiles on the top and bottom sides for tonally creative plucking and strumming. Messrs. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison are all said to have used these picks, which are ideal for playing crisp rhythms.

Ibanez Grip Wizard Sand Grip

Regardless of whether you’ve got mom’s spaghetti on your sweater, there’s a fair chance that you’ll sometimes have sweaty palms while playing guitar. This ultra-grippy pick from Ibanez is the drop-resistant answer to your woes, with a textured surface to give you plenty of purchase. The small teardrop shape is great for fast, precise picking.

Dunlop Thumb Finger Pick Set

The original six-string guitar picks were worn on the fingers and thumb, and this style is still available for players who specialise in old-timey fingerpicking. Jim Dunlop’s set is made in medium and large sizes to suit a reasonably wide array of digits, and it comes in right-handed and left-handed variants – so check that you’ve factored in your handedness before you order.

Gravity Picks Rob Chapman Signature

Using an out-there material called polymethyl methacrylate, Gravity Picks has created a standout plectrum that sounds far more powerful than its thin profile might suggest. The bevelled edges have been left rough for a distinctive tone, while the fairly sharp tip delivers considerable attack and precision.

Ibanez P1000MH Meshuggah Signature

Tough and teardrop-shaped, with a sand grip to prevent droppage, this Mårten Hagström pick is built for hard playing. At 1mm, the gauge is fairly heavy, which well befits a signature plectrum designed for a guitarist who frequently plays an eight-string M80M with beefy lower strings.

Taylor Celluloid Pick Tin

We’ve sometimes heard rumours that there’s an alternative universe where plectrums go whenever we lose sight of them for a few seconds. You’ll lose fewer picks to the wormhole if you get a nice tin to keep them in, like this Taylor-branded one (which comes with a nice selection of the company’s own picks).

Jim Dunlop Nylon Jazz III

A cult fave with guitarists across a variety of genres – including metal, as well as jazz – the Nylon Jazz III has a pointy tip and small surface that players in-the-know find helpful for picking precisely. Players with larger fingers might find this pick hard to grasp, but it’s perfectly suited for the average nimble noodler.

Gibson Medium Tortoise

A classic celluloid pick in a 351 style, the Gibson Medium Tortoise closely resembles D’Andrea’s original flat guitar picks in sound, feel and form. The faux tortoiseshell finish is lovely to behold, while the glitzy Gibson logo provides some welcome grip. Thin, medium and heavy gauges are available.

Fender Aero Acrylic

Acrylic picks are musical Marmite. The material has less flexibility than nylon or celluloid, but it delivers superb brightness and encourages decisive picking. This subtly streamlined model from Fender has smooth bevelled edges that work very well for tremolo picking or shredding.

Gravity Razer Mini

If you’d like a little added sharpness without going all-in on a very pointy pick, this acrylic plectrum would be a good bet. The price might rule this model out for guitarists who go through a lot of plectrums, but it does have some premium bona fides, including hand-cut production, and laser etching for improved grip.

Fender Thin Picks Confetti

This is one pick that your fellow musicians would struggle to absent-mindedly pick up from the top of your amp. The red, blue, black and white, mosaic-style pattern is a real standout, while the pick’s 351 shape and thin profile will keep most guitarists in a celebratory mood.

D’Addario National Brass Finger & Thumb Picks Bundle (6-Pack)

The National finger pick design has been a favourite among acoustic guitarists and banjo players since the 1930s – and it’s still faithfully produced by D’Addario. Brass is one of the brightest-sounding plectrum materials, and the brass finger picks in this set certainly shine. Meanwhile, the faux tortoiseshell and celluloid thumb picks make for smoother root notes.

Black Mountain Asteroid Guitar Pick

Guitar picks are generally less diverse than they once were, but there are still some fabulously creative outliers. This bizarre-looking creation from Black Mountain is one of the most unusual, with three sections offering distinct textures and profiles (which is potentially a riff on Charles F. W. Seidel’s pioneering multi-point plectrum of 1904). Just spin the pick between your fingers to sound completely different.

John Pearse Fast Turtles

Check them out here.

Come for the irregular shape and retro branding; stay for the distinct tortoiseshell-like feel. John Pease Fast Turtles are made from casein, a protein found in milk which produces a warm tone when manufactured into a plectrum and thwacked across guitar strings. The shape is essentially an offset 351.

Herco Vintage ’66 Reissue

Herco’s nylon picks were everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s, so if you’re a guitarist with vintage taste, this recreation of a 1966 classic may bring you closer to sounding like your guitar heroes, whether they be Jimmy Page, Neil Young or Phil Lynott. The plectrums are made from Herco’s original moulds.

Dunlop Tortex Sharp

The epitome of pointiness, made from Jim Dunlop’s trademarked Tortex material. Tortex Sharps will feel like an oddity to some guitarists – especially those who spend a lot of time strumming – but they’re a good pick for intricate lead parts. There are six gauges, including a very heavy 1.5mm.

Martin Faux Tortoiseshell Triangle

Guitar picks used to be made from tortoiseshell, a material which was mostly produced from the shells of sea turtles. This abomination was ended in the 1970s, but some guitarists still covet the look and sound of a tortoiseshell pick. These Martin picks are a particularly traditional choice, with a convincing faux tortoiseshell material and an almost-equilateral shape that’s become a rarity over the last half-century.

Why You Can Trust Us

Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.

That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.

The post The best picks for electric guitar and acoustic guitar, from Jim Dunlop, Fender, Ibanez and more appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

In this lesson we’ll zero in on how to bring a melody to life on your guitar and use it as a launchpad for a solo.

The 2026 edition of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival is set to land in Texas this weekend (26-27 September), and will see a hand-picked selection of six-string royalty from across blues, rock, country and beyond converge upon Austin’s Moody Center for a series of electrifying performances.

This year marks the event’s seventh edition, and celebrates the 28th anniversary of the Crossroads Centre Antigua, a treatment and education facility which supports individuals affected by alcohol and substance dependency.

But aside from the obvious allure of performances by Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Gibbons, Marcus King, Keb’ Mo’ and Sierra Hull, Gibson will also be on the ground in Texas, offering punters hands-on access to guitars, as well as “exclusive product experiences, photo opportunities and more”.

And of these guitars which attendees will have access to, is a new Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Eric Clapton signature ES-335, based on the guitar legend’s original 1964 Gibson ES-335 – the same one he played during Cream’s farewell show at the Royal Albert Hall in November 1968.

Oh, and the original will also be on display at the festival, but far out of the reach of rabid Clapton fans, no doubt.

The Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1964 ES-335 TDC Reissue (bit of a mouthful) will be released in summer 2027, so there’s a bit of a wait to get one of your own. But if you’re within reach of Austin, Texas this weekend, you can head down to the Moody Center and take the new model for a spin.

Also, attendees will have the chance to enter a competition to win one of the new Epiphone Eric Clapton signature guitars, too.

The guitar is just one of over 30 Gibson and Epiphone guitars and Mesa Boogie amplifiers that’ll be available to play at the Crossroads Gibson booth, where there’ll also be the famous Gibson guitar throne, a custom built installation made from 100 real electric guitar bodies and necks – think the Game of Thrones one but for guitars. Attendees will be able to take their photo atop the throne for a chance to be featured on Gibson’s social media channels.

Elsewhere, Guitar Center will return as the exclusive retail partner of the 2026 Crossroads Festival, and has unveiled a collection of limited guitars in celebration, including an exclusive Silver Sky and a recreation of Eric Clapton’s Blind Faith Telecaster.

Learn more about the 2026 Crossroads Guitar Festival.

The post Epiphone is launching a new Eric Clapton ES-335 – and you can play it this weekend at the 2026 Crossroads Guitar Festival appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Sponsored by Taylor Guitars: For the season two finale of Showdown, two versatile 500 Series guitars go head-to-head, each showcasing a distinct voice within the Taylor lineup. The Gold Label 514e is a Super Auditorium crafted with mahogany and torrefied spruce. Combined with fanned V-Class bracing, these tonewoods produce a dry, woody character with a strong […]

The humbucker-versus-single-coil debate has a blind spot. Technically, a P-90 is a single coil and a Filter'Tron is a humbucker, so both get filed away with the usual suspects. Plug one in and you'll hear why that shortcut doesn't hold up.

In the final episode of Pickups Demystified, Tom Butwin digs into the specialty pickups that share a family tree with the two big categories but took their own path. The P-90 uses a wider coil and bar magnets for a grittier midrange than any Strat-style single coil. The Filter'Tron cancels hum like a PAF, but its narrow bobbins and thicker magnet give it a brighter, tighter voice. Tom walks through the history behind each design and highlights modern takes, including a few that drop straight into a humbucker route.

Then come the outliers. The Charlie Christian blade pickup dates back to the 1930s and helped turn the electric guitar into a lead instrument. The wide-range humbucker was Fender's oversized answer to Gibson in the early seventies, designed by Seth Lover, the same engineer behind the PAF. If your tone lives somewhere the usual two can't reach, start here.

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At the 2026 Wintergrass Festival in Bellevue, Washington, the Fretboard Journal teamed up with filmers I Know We Should to capture some of our favorite artists (and talk gear).

In this session, we sit down with bluegrass greats John Reischman and Patrick Sauber.

We hear John and Patrick play three tunes and then the duo walks us through their cherished instruments, including John’s Lloyd Loar-signed Gibson F-5 from 1924, which has been featured in our print magazine and in other FJ videos.

Register now for Wintergrass 2027. The lineup in 2027 will include Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas Band, East Nash Grass and other bluegrass favorites.

Video by Brad Wagner, audio by Juan M Soria.

We’ll be sharing more highlights from Wintergrass 2026 on a weekly basis here and on our YouTube channel.

The post Wintergrass Sessions: John Reischman & Patrick Sauber first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

PRS has joined forces with Jaguar Land Rover, of all partners, to unveil a raft of new Silver Sky finishes inspired by JLR’s legendary 4×4, the Defender.

The collaboration isn’t as random as it might seem on the surface, though. The Silver Sky is the signature electric guitar of John Mayer, who also happens to be an avid fan of Defenders, and the proud owner of one in the heritage colour Arles Blue for the last 20 years. So there you go…

The new PRS x JLR partnership sees the US-made Silver Sky painted with four classic Defender colourways – Arles Blue, Willow Green, Portofino Red and Sandglow Yellow – while the more affordable SE Silver Sky also gets four new colours, this time inspired by contemporary Defender finishes. They are Petra Copper, Sedona Red, Carpathian Grey and Woolstone Green.

Credit: PRS

The US-made edition comes with an exclusive hard case with the Defender wordmark, a neckplate with the brand’s logo and the instrument’s colour name called out, along with a matching painted headstock. The SE version has a neckplate with the Defender logo and colour called out, and comes in a PRS/Defender gig bag.

Credit: PRS

Naturally, the US-made models are more limited, capped at 500 units of each colour (2,000 in total). Meanwhile, the SE Silver Skys are not capped, but they’ll only be available to order until midyear 2027.

“Teaming up with Defender to offer the Silver Sky guitar in their legendary 4×4 colors is a dream come true. I’ve always chosen colorways based on objects and materials that inspire me in the world, and as a collector and lover of Defenders, this collaboration is the perfect crossover between two great passions of mine,” says John Mayer.

Credit: PRS

“Defender’s iconic color palette, spanning both heritage and contemporary finishes, translates beautifully to the PRS Silver Sky Defender Limited Edition guitars,” says Paul Gharizi, Brand Director for JLR North America. “I have no doubt that collectors, musicians and Defender fans alike will be eager to get their hands on one of these highly desirable instruments.”

Learn more about the new limited-edition Silver Sky Defender guitars at PRS.

Credit: PRS

The post PRS Silver Sky x Land Rover Defender: an unlikely collaboration that goes kinda hard appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

90 years young is always deserving of a solid celebration. But if you’re Buddy Guy, and you’ve been as instrumental in shaping guitar music for decades as he has, you’ve really gotta blow the roof off.

The legendary Chicago blues pioneer actually celebrated his 90th birthday on 30 July, but he’s deferred the main celebration until 1 October, when a selection of some of the world’s greatest blues players will convene for a one-night-only celebration of his life and the blues.

• READ MORE: Tesla owner enjoys an afternoon of guitar practice – while allegedly driving 60mph on the motorway

The lineup includes some of the most elite guitarists of today from the world of blues and beyond, including Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Billy F. Gibbons, Eric Gales, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jimmie Vaughan and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

As you’d expect, then, the event at New York’s Radio City Music Hall sold out quickly when it was announced back in June. But fear not, as you no longer have a reason to miss out…

That’s right – Buddy’s Got the Blues: A 90th Birthday Concert Celebration will also be livestreamed worldwide via pay-per-view, meaning you can tune into the landmark evening from the comfort of your own couch.

With Steve Jordan serving as the event’s musical director, and acclaimed filmmaker Martyn Atkins directing the cinematography, the livestream will be available in both HD and 4K, hosted via the nugs mobile app and online via nugs.net.

Mobile and desktop are the points of purchase, however the show can also be streamed via Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and other Android TV devices.

Price-wise, to watch the show in HD it’ll set you back $39.99, while the 4K version is priced at $49.99. Newcomers to the nugs platform can take advantage of a “Buy & Subscribe” option to get 25% off the pay-per-view, while also unlocking the full nugs catalogue of music livestreams, with videos from Metallica, Dead & Company, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and more.

A portion of the proceeds from PPV sales for Buddy Guy’s stream will be donated to the American Cancer Society, a charity selected by Guy.

You can grab your PPV ticket to Buddy Guy’s 90th birthday now via nugs.net.

The post Buddy Guy’s 90th birthday concert – featuring Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa among a stacked contingent of blues elite – will be livestreamed on pay-per-view appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Ad feature with HeadRush.

So, you’ve embraced the world of digital modelling. Maybe you’ve been using it since the early 2000s, or maybe you’ve only just jumped from real amps – either way, it’s an exciting time for the digitally-minded guitarist! Modelling and capture technology has progressed to the point where you really don’t need to compromise on sound to access the flexibility you get from going digital. But there are some things that 1s and 0s cannot replicate, and at some point your digital tone does need to enter the analogue world of actual sound – and for that, FRFR cabinets might be the most flexible and powerful solution.

HeadRush’s new FRFR-8 and FRFR-12 units will be pretty familiar to anyone who’s used a guitar combo before, at least aesthetically – they’re smart looking things that won’t look out of place in a living room or on a stage. But their amp-like stylings are hiding some serious FRFR power – quite literally. The 8 houses an 8-inch woofer alongside a 1-inch compression driver and horn, and boasts a whopping 450 watts of peak power – while the 12 houses a 12-inch woofer, a 1-inch compression driver, and delivers 750 watts of peak power. Let’s dive into how they could transform how you interact with your digital tones.

FRFR cabs – what are they, and when do you need one?

FRFR stands for Full Range, Flat Response, describing a powered speaker that’s designed to amplify the full range of human hearing (around 20hz to 20Khz) as evenly as possible. This makes FRFR speakers very distinct from traditional guitar speaker cabinets, which have a drastically uneven response. Traditional guitar speakers – and by extension virtual cabinets and IRs – focus most on the midrange, where the sound of an electric guitar is most present and articulate, and generally roll off extreme highs and lows, given them their characteristic sound, and, importantly, getting rid of fizzy overtones from a raw amplifier signal.

So why might you need an FRFR cabinet? Well, they give you a ‘best of both worlds’ proposition. Like headphones or studio monitors, you can use all of a virtual signal chain found in modelling units such as the HeadRush Flex Prime without worry. You can switch between virtual cabinets without being chained to the character of a real set of 12” guitar speakers, and embrace wild synth-based patches and shimmering, full-range ambient effects, without having all of that extra sonic information bottle-necked by the more limited response of a traditional guitar-speaker.

At home

It’s a lot easier to get a usable at-home sound with an FRFR than a lot of traditional guitar amp/cab setups. Sure, tube amps add that all-important power-amp saturation when you really gun them, but, unless you live on a remote farm this does involve playing at rather unneighbourly volumes. Even if you use an attenuator, guitar speakers like being driven a bit – but a modeller combined with an FRFR cabs will be far more volume-agnostic, meaning you can play at perfect conversational levels without waking up the whole street.

And even if you are already converted to the church of the digital, there’s a benefit to a FRFR cabinet over, say, headphones or studio monitors. You don’t need to be chained to your desk setup, stuck staring at a computer screen with headphones on. You can plug away at scale exercises or engage in ambient noodling wherever you please, be that in stood up, wandering freely around your dedicated practice space, or plonked on the sofa half-watching reruns of Gardeners’ World. Want to practice to a track? In-built Bluetooth functionality makes that easy – just load it up on your phone, and get playing.

On stage

Let’s turn the volume up. Playing live with a modeller can be great for sonic flexibility, of course – but if you’re used to the sheer trouser-shaking excitement of a real amp behind you, the experience can be quite different. Maybe you rely on a bit of feedback as part of your sound. Or, maybe you’re playing a range of venues, and you don’t want to take a gamble on whether the PA or monitor wedges will let your modelled guitar tones actually compete with your drummer.

So HeadRush’s new FRFR-8 and FRFR-12 can bring the two experiences of playing digital and playing real amps much closer together, without compromise. You get the excitement and impact of real air moving behind you, without having to lose the flexibility of sound that modelling can afford.

And thanks to the I/O of the new HeadRush FRFR range, you also don’t have to worry about running out of outputs – line-outs mean that even if you’re running a dual-speaker stereo setup, you can chain from your modeller to the FRFR cabs, to the front-of-house – ideal if you’re playing a larger stage and don’t want to just rely on the sound of your cabinet.

But no matter what stage we’re on, us guitarists are an image-conscious bunch. While you might want your FRFR speaker to have a neutral look, there’s still a bit of romance in tolex and grill-cloth. The new FRFR’s range from headrush won’t harsh your stage-dress, with classy vintage looks. They do still bring modern functionality to the familiar form – for instance, a sturdy kickstand lets you angle the cabs back for ideal monitoring performance, and the three-band EQ and variable high-cut filter allow for powerful sonic adjustments on the fly.

Best of both worlds

2026 has been a great year for fans of digital guitar sounds. HeadRush’s latest range of modelling units – Prime, Flex Prime and Core, now support NAM A2, the latest and greatest in open-source amplifier capture technology, while still offering a flexible signal chain, extensive I/O and a fantastic price to performance ratio. If you’re worried about how to bring this new world of sounds to home practices or to stages of any size, HeadRush’s FRFR-8 and FRFR-12 cabs make the process a breeze.

Find out more about the HeadRush FRFR-8 and FRFR-12 at headrushfx.com.

 

The post Full range: how Headrush’s new FRFR-8 and FRFR-12 cabs let you lose the headphones at home, and bring studio-quality tones to life on stages of any size appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Seymour Duncan has unveiled the Duncan Distortion Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Custom Shop Set.

Each set is built to exacting standards in the company’s custom shop by a small, elite team led by Maricela “MJ” Juarez. Limited to only 500 sets worldwide, all are built to original specifications and include replica “Seymourized” and model name stickers, just like the earliest builds that collectors have hunted for decades. Lightly aged for vintage character, each set arrives in exclusive 50th Anniversary packaging in your choice of black or zebra, with bottom plates hand-signed by Seymour and MJ.

Key features:

• Limited 50th Anniversary Custom Shop Set: a one-time run of only 500 sets, honoring one of Seymour Duncan's most aggressive and enduring designs
• Original high-output ceramic humbucker: large ceramic magnet and hot coil windings deliver tight, percussive lows, searing highs, and a cutting upper midrange
• True to original specs: built with butyrate bobbins, long-leg baseplates, and maple spacers, while staying faithful to the classic Duncan Distortion voice
• Paired with the Seymourizer II neck pickup (later renamed Duncan Distortion Neck): fluid sustain under gain, with articulate clean tones
• Hand-built by the company’s Custom Shop team: includes bottom plates hand-signed by Seymour W. Duncan and MJ
• Vintage-correct details: lightly aged for authentic character, and includes replica "Seymourized" and model stickers
• Exclusive 50th Anniversary packaging
• Available in either choice of black or zebra

The Duncan Distortion bridge pickup is Seymour's original high-output ceramic humbucker. Built with a large ceramic magnet and hot coil windings, it delivers tight, percussive lows, searing highs, and a powerful upper midrange that cuts through any mix. It retains clarity while driving amps harder, giving players the raw, immediate response that defined decades of rock and metal. The sonic formula of this set remains unchanged from the production models, and preserves the classic aggressive voice favored by legends like Randy Rhoads, George Lynch and Adam Jones. Paired with the hot Seymourizer II neck pickup (later renamed Duncan Distortion Neck) as the perfect complement, the set delivers fluid sustain under gain while maintaining articulate clean tones.

The core design of the Duncan Distortion was set when production began in the late '70s, and it hasn't changed since. Over the years, small adjustments were made to improve consistency and player flexibility, like bobbins better suited for vacuum wax potting. This exclusive 50th Anniversary Custom Shop version honors our history by returning to early specs including butyrate bobbins, long-leg baseplates, and maple spacers, while staying true to the classic Duncan Distortion tone.

The Duncan Distortion Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Custom Shop Set carries a street price of $375.00. For more information visit seymourduncan.com.

A Tesla can drive, steer and even park itself… but can it play guitar? Unfortunately, no – car manufacturers haven’t crafted a musically proficient vehicle just yet. But don’t be disheartened! That just means that it’s down to us humans to pick up the slack. If your car is doing all the driving, why sit idly, twiddling your thumbs, when you could be putting them to good use working on your chord progressions?

For legal reasons, we don’t actually condone doing that. In fact, one London driver has gotten in trouble with the law after allegedly playing guitar while zooming down the M25 at 60mph. We can only assume which track he was allegedly playing in that moment – perhaps a foreshadowing Smoke On The Water before being plunged into hot water? Or Sammy Hagar’s ode to reckless driving, I Can’t Drive 55?

• READ MORE: “We’ll never stop doing what we do”: The Linda Lindas on the power of community, working with Hayley Williams, and becoming toneheads

Surrey Police shamed the driver for his impromptu car set on Instagram. According to the Surrey Police, they received a call from a member of the public claiming to have seen a Tesla driver “playing a guitar whilst driving on the M25 at 60mph in the Reigate area”.

View this post on Instagram

You may be wondering how this is possible – well, even futuristic cars have their limitations. Namely, a Tesla car will only engage its autopilot functions if it detects a driver within the car. In order to detect a driver, a series of cameras, sensors and weight-monitoring functions are in place… and they’re dangerously simple to bypass.

Back in June, it emerged that Tesla ‘drivers’ were buying tiny doll heads to trick their cars. While a few iterations appeared on the market, the core idea was to line up the doll head so it looked like the driver’s actual head – then the car believed that the owner was looking up at the road, and would continue self-driving.

View this post on Instagram

But how did this Surrey Tesla driver bypass his car’s sensors? Once the driver was intercepted, the police searched his car and discovered that he had covered the rearview mirror camera, as well as putting a weight on his steering wheel. “He had covered the interior camera which checks driver attention and he had used a weighted device in the steering wheel to make the car think the driver was holding the wheel,” the post explains.

According to the police, the driver has been reported to court for his driving, citing it as an act of “driving without due care or attention”. His licensing authority has reportedly also been made aware of the case, as he apparently works as a “private hire driver”. Now, driver truly can’t drive 55… or, potentially, ever again.

The post Tesla owner enjoys an afternoon of guitar practice – while allegedly driving 60mph on the motorway appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Epiphone has partnered with rock legend Joan Jett on a new version of her signature Olympic Special.

Landing in time for the 45th anniversary celebrations of her first two albums with the Blackhearts, Bad Reputation (1980) and I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll (1981), the guitar features a no-frills design based on Jett’s original Gibson Melody Maker.

In terms of specs, the no-nonsense guitar features a lightweight, asymmetrical double-cut mahogany body with a glued-in mahogany neck with an Olympic Special profile, and rosewood fingerboard with a 12” radius, 22 medium jumbo frets and pearloid dot inlays.

• READ MORE: “It was just so difficult and insane”: Joe Satriani tells the story of his favourite guitar solo
  

This is completed by a headstock retaining the “unmistakable” silhouette of the Olympic Special, fitted with die-cast tuners and a Graph tech nut for rock-solid tuning stability. The headstock also features a gold recreation of Jett’s signature on the back for a finishing visual touch on an otherwise “performance-focused instrument”.

Credit: Epiphone

The guitar continues its streamlined approach in its electronics, with a single PowerHammer ProBucker pickup and single volume knob with a rubber grip and an on/off toggle switch. It’s an “intentionally streamlined control layout for a simple philosophy: remove the distractions and let the player take control. One pickup. One knob. One mission. Pure rock”.

“Joan Jett has never followed the crowd, and her choice of guitar is no exception,” says Epiphone. “Through her music, activism, and uncompromising presence, Joan continues to electrify and influence new generations, and the Epiphone Joan Jett Olympic Special channels that same bold spirit into a lean, stage-ready rock ’n’ roll instrument. 

Credit: Epiphone

“Finished with a sharp, understated look and built around a straightforward layout, its lone humbucker pickup delivers unapologetically powerful tone. This is a guitar defined by attitude and focus – nothing more, nothing less. It’s made for players who want to plug in, crank it up, and be heard, just like Joan.”

The Joan Jett Olympic Special is finished in a classic Vintage Sunburst, and ships with a custom premium gig bag and artist sticker set.

Price-wise, the guitar clocks in at £599. Learn more at Epiphone.

The post “One pickup. One knob. One mission: Pure rock”: Epiphone revives Joan Jett’s signature Olympic Special appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

On any list of the world’s most influential guitarists, few players deserve a place quite like James Hetfield. A walking riff factory with the most relentless right hand in the game, the Metallica frontman has largely shaped the world of heavy metal as we know it today.

But there’s always a bigger fish, as they say…

Every guitarist, no matter how successful they become, was first inspired by someone. And for James Hetfield, his hero comes in the form of legendary Black Sabbath guitarist and heavy metal forefather Tony Iommi.

• READ MORE: “I’ve got CDs and cassettes full of them – I just can’t get away from it”: Tony Iommi has a massive stockpile of unheard riffs

Iommi is widely regarded as the guitarist who gave birth to the entire genre of heavy metal, his riffs in such Sabbath classics as War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man influencing generation after generation of aspiring players.

And in a new episode of James Hetfield’s Riff Life on SiriusXM’s Maximum Metallica – a 24/7 station dedicated to all things Metallica – the frontman waxes lyrical on his adoration for Tony Iommi, and how he has shaped him as a guitarist all these years.

“Tony Iommi is the Riff Lord in my mind. He is the one that has inspired me the most out of any guitar player for my rhythm guitar playing and songwriting,“ Hetfield says.

Citing the riff of Black Sabbath’s Children of the Grave, he continues: “Obviously, Tony is the Riff Lord and everyone starts the song together on the one riff… You know, basically Tony plays off that riff, goes in to hit the big giant chords, which opens the song up.”

“I really love the drum overdub that they did to help with that percussion of the riff and the real cool ghostly guitar sounds at the very end.”

At 78 years old, Tony Iommi is still very much an active riff machine. Next month, he’ll release his third solo album – and first in 21 years – From the Dark. The album, which arrives a little over a year on from the death of his Black Sabbath bandmate and friend Ozzy Osbourne, will comprise eight tracks, and even feature some Iommi acoustic playing…

He said of his decision to grab a strummer for the new album that it largely came down to wanting to push himself outside his comfort zone.

“I like to do something you don’t really expect. And to be honest, I hate playing acoustic,” he confessed. “I’m not very good at playing acoustic.”

Watch the full clip with James Hetfield praising Tony Iommi as the ultimate “Riff Lord” below:

The post James Hetfield says this legendary metal guitarist is the ultimate “Riff Lord” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

In terms of sweepingly melodic, transportive bliss, few rock instrumentals match the dizzying heights of Joe Satriani’s title track to his 1989 album, Flying in a Blue Dream. Yet behind the song’s weightless, majestic feel was a period of grueling physical, creative and personal chaos. Not only was Satriani coming off a punishing year of touring and recording, but he was also dealing with the grief of losing his father and grandmother. At the same time, he was battling an undiagnosed intestinal illness that left him constantly running to doctors.

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“It was just so difficult and insane,” Satriani recalls, “but there was also this enormous amount of creativity. I went on tour playing guitar for Mick Jagger, and at the end of the tour I picked up Giardia in Southeast Asia, only I didn’t know it for a while. They looked at everything from my appendix to my brain – every time they had an idea about what was wrong with me, it was always wrong. And then my father had a stroke and went into a coma – he passed away. My grandmother passed away a few weeks after that. It was so stressful and crazy.

“And then I had braces on my teeth that year, for TMJ, which was bad timing to say the least,” he continues. “But every time it got rough in the studio, all I’d have to do is close my eyes and think, ‘Remember when you were on tour… That’s the biggest gift the universe has ever given you.’”

Not Giving Up

Satch’s stubborn refusal to give up fueled the marathon sessions for what would become his landmark third studio release. Coming off the unexpected success of 1987’s Surfing with the Alien, the guitarist found himself armed with a real budget and a newfound sense of artistic freedom. “That went into us not giving up on the record,” he recalls. “[Co-producer] John Cuniberti was extremely patient with me. We went into it with a bigger budget, thinking, ‘Wow, we can sit here for three months straight and just record.’ Of course, after three weeks, it was like, ‘I can’t take this. It’s just too much work.’ It was 10 hours a day, with me being the only guy playing everything – and all this other stuff was happening. I was quickly getting burned out.”

Out of that pressure cooker came a track that was less of a conventional shred showcase and more of a carefully paced cinematic journey. Built on a looping, open-F acoustic groove, the piece weaves through changing Lydian keys while anchored by a central, unwavering melody. It opens with an unmistakable fragment of ambient serendipity – a snippet of stray radio interference caught on tape – before soaring into a lead section that mimics the deliberate pacing of a classic crooner rather than a speed-demon virtuoso.

What makes the centerpiece solo on Flying in a Blue Dream so enduring isn’t just its technical brilliance; it’s the way Satriani uses vocal-like phrasing, controlled feedback and clever key changes to give the listener the literal sensation of flight. In place of rapid-fire aggression, Satriani approached the piece with the patience of a storyteller, holding back until the absolute final moment to let the guitar fully break free.

Going into Flying in a Blue Dream, your life had completely changed. With your initial EP in 1984 and your debut album, Not of This Earth, virtually nobody knew who you were. Then Surfing with the Alien blew up, and you were out on the road with Mick Jagger. Was it surreal or intimidating trying to follow up that kind of breakthrough?

“It was such an amazing turn of events to go from making my first EP in ’84, which was a complete avant-garde experiment of guitar, and then Not of This Earth in ’86. The perception that Surfing was my first album is correct in a way, because the EP and Not of This Earth were so undersold that only the craziest people knew those records. When John Cuniberti and I made Surfing, it was under duress, and we really felt like it was the record that would get us kicked out of town once we handed it in.

“But the exact opposite happened. Not only did I go on tour as a solo artist, but I got to play with Mick Jagger on two high-profile tours. Going into the next record, I had real-life experience playing instrumental music in clubs and at the Tokyo Dome. When you get real experience playing for people, it informs you about what works and what doesn’t. When you’re in your bedroom or basement, you imagine, ‘Oh, this is going to kill. When I play this part, people are going to jump up and down.’ But then you go out there and you get a different response every night, and you’re left thinking, ‘What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Was it the sound? Was it the mix? Or was I staring at my shoes?’

“So going into the record, I felt there was this extra confidence that I had. John and I thought, ‘They got it. People understood what we worked so hard to put into Surfing. That means we should keep going. We should not step back, we should not repeat – we should just keep pushing the envelope as far as we can go.’ That’s why the record wound up with 18 songs on it and six vocal songs. It was insane. What I should have done was just make Surfing with the Alien Part Two, but the experience of playing live was so important to being able to walk into the studio and bring that confidence.”

Where did the actual spark for the title track come from? Was it a melody you’d been carrying around, or did it hit you out of nowhere?

“I was in my apartment in Berkeley, working on songs for the album, which had no title yet. I was working on a song called Big Bad Moon that I had written mostly in my van – the Squares’ van, as we used to call it – and I was struggling with the lyrics. I was thinking, ‘How am I going to sing this thing? That’s not me. That’s not my voice.’ I had to step away from it.

“I had a memory of when I was a kid, having these flying dreams as I was trying to go to sleep. It just filled me with a kind of musical inspiration – I don’t know how to put it into words, but I suddenly picked up this acoustic guitar and I heard these chords. I tuned the guitar to an open F for some reason – maybe because I kept thinking a low C was the note I was hearing in my head – and I started playing these chords that sounded right to me.

“After the whole musical part was mapped out, the analytical part of my brain looked at it and went, ‘That’s really interesting. You’ve never done that before.’ Physically, as the guitar player with an open-F tuned guitar, you’re playing in different Lydian keys throughout because you’re repeating the exact same chord pattern and just moving it around. But as the person doing the melody, you’re weaving through on key, letting people know it’s an easy, beautiful ride – it sounds like you’re always in the key of C as things move around. And don’t pay attention to the rhythm guitar player, whose hands are going to kill him by the time he gets to the end of the song because he’s playing these open-tuned bar chords over and over. [Laughs]”

How did the initial demo take shape from that moment in your apartment?

“This was all happening minute by minute that afternoon in the apartment. I got so excited that I completely forgot about Big Bad Moon and just focused on this. I had my Tascam four-track cassette recorder – a great, fun little deck – and I was busy recording bits of it as I was writing.

“When I finally got to listen to the whole thing all the way through, the funniest thing came to my mind: Frank Sinatra. Very often, Frank would start a song and tell you a story in a colloquial, American spoken way of singing. By the end of his melody, not only would the register move up and up, but he’d finally say the word that is the chorus at the very end. I thought, ‘That’s my model. That’s what I have to do here, because I’m telling a story, but it’s about flying.’ As I get to the height of the story, I need to be high up in the sky flying around.

“I started to think, ‘Just pace it the way that Frank Sinatra would’ve paced it. Go slowly, go way behind the beat, just go late, late, late, and then move your way up.’ Things come together as the melody gets higher and higher and finally ends on the highest note you can sing. Every time I would explain this in the studio to John Cuniberti, he’d look at me like, ‘Really?’”

How exactly did you present the song to John, and what was the tracking process like?

“I’d play the stuff for him right there that morning. He’d come in and go, ‘What are we doing?’ The way the record proceeded from square one was like this: Joe comes in, we do time code, we lay down a guide drum machine, and then depending on the song, I will play either a bass part, a keyboard part or a guide rhythm part. We build from there, and melodies and solos are the last things that we do.

“The odd thing about this particular song is that we recorded across so many locations. We started at Different Fur in the Mission District in San Francisco, then moved to Coast Recorders right on Mission Street, then moved to Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, and we finished at Alpha & Omega on High Street. Even though San Francisco is a small area, it felt like we were moving around constantly.

“We laid down just a guide drum thing, I laid down the bass part using a ’64 Precision Bass with the low string down to C, and then I laid down the acoustic guitars. The only drum fill in the whole song is a backward cymbal leading into a real cymbal crash that Jeff Campitelli did for us. It’s a very minimal, funky, automated vibe.”

The song opens with that incredible broadcast voice coming through the amp before the music hits. How did you end up capturing that stray radio signal?

“That happened at Coast Recorders. We were setting up to record some distorted rhythm guitars for the long fade-out, just to give it some chunky guitars at the end. We got a good, chunky sound, but every time I turned up the volume control, I got radio, television, taxis… It was unbelievable how much interference we got at that studio. It was a great room, but they weren’t used to high-gain guitar players coming in to record.

“We were sitting there laughing, like, ‘How are we going to record this part if it’s so noisy?’ Every time I turned the volume knob from two to three, I’d get a different radio station. At one point, we heard this kid’s voice coming through, talking about something. John and I thought it sounded like an old 1950s Art Linkletter radio show or TV show from when we were kids.

“This song was the first track on a reel of tape, which meant there was leader tape for 10 or 15 seconds before the 15 minutes of recording tape began. John immediately just pushed record. We didn’t know how much would get recorded on the leader, but we just stood there listening to this kid talking. As soon as the kid gets to the point where he says, ‘…and sometimes afterwards they like each other, and sometimes they don’t,’ the leader ended, the magnetic tape hit the heads, and the guitar chords came pounding in. We were like, ‘Damn!’ The timing was just too good to be true for a song written about being a kid having flying dreams.”

In terms of the guitar tracking, how many guitars are actually weaving in and out of the arrangement as the song builds?

“It’s layered in a very specific way. You have the bass guitar and two main acoustic guitars playing most of the rhythm parts – I used a Yamaha electric-acoustic for those main chords. Because of the open-F tuning, when you get to the bridge of the solo it required different tunings because it was fretted notes and open strings at the same time. It was tedious punching in, but you have to focus on the goal. During that bridge section, I added acoustic guitar harmonics, so at that point there might be three or four acoustics playing at once.

“Then, when I get to the penultimate spot of the melody, a second electric guitar comes in that doubles the high notes. The two crunchy, distorted rhythm guitars don’t actually come in until the very end of the song during the ride-out.

“What makes it feel like guitars are constantly appearing and disappearing is how the melody sections hand off to one another. One section will end on a long, sustaining note, and while that note is hanging in the air, another guitar track comes swooping in underneath it to take over the next phrase. It creates this seamless, soaring relay effect where the lead voice never seems to touch the ground.”

Before the main solo kicks in, there’s that wall of control-room feedback. How did you execute that so precisely?

“When we moved over to Studio D at Fantasy, we were listening to the track and we loved how it was turning out, but we wondered how to introduce it. We thought, ‘Let’s lead into it with feedback.’

“I was using the prototype for my JS model – the Ibanez ‘Black Dog’ – plugged into an old Boss DS-1, running into my Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+ head. I was in the control room, and John miked up the cabinet in the live room. We came up with a system where I put strips of tape alongside the mixing console on the floor. Standing in specific spots relative to the studio monitors allowed me to hit exact harmonic overtones – a fundamental here, a major third two feet over, a fifth over there. We figured out we could play the feedback like it was a keyboard or a standalone instrument, getting actual musical notes rather than just random noise.”

The centerpiece solo is a bit hard to define structurally because the song flows like one unbroken stream rather than a standard verse-chorus-solo layout. How did you view the arrangement?

“It’s a pretty funny arrangement. The solo actually takes place over the verse pattern, but I put the bridge of the song inside the solo section. In instrumental music, you can’t always arrange a track like a vocal song – verse, verse, chorus, bridge, solo. In this case, it goes verse – ending in a chorus phrase – then the solo starts, the bridge happens within the solo, and then it goes back to a verse that ends in a chorus.”

What would Frank Sinatra have said about that?

“He’d probably say, ‘Joe, you got yourself a song here!’ [Laughs]”

When you finally sat down in the control room to track that solo, what was running through your mind?

“I remember it so clearly because it was such a heavy period. My father had his second stroke during the making of the album, and that was the one that took him away from us. I was dealing with that grief, the album was taking forever, and I was physically sick.

“We were in the studio one evening, and we had been so lucky with the feedback setup that we knew exactly where the song needed to go. The only thing left to do was the solo. On my four-track demo, I hadn’t done a pre-planned guide solo. I didn’t have a note-for-note map. Because the track’s backing was so minimal, the solo had to carry the entire emotional arc.

“I just closed my eyes, thought about that childhood feeling of weightlessness, and I let that Sinatra mindset take over – playing behind the beat, starting low, pacing the melody with patience, and climbing higher and higher until the whole thing just lifted off.”

Was it always decided that Flying in a Blue Dream would be the title of the entire record?

“Not at first. When you’re in the middle of making an 18-track record under that much stress, everything feels like a moving target. But as that song came together – with the radio snippet, the harmonic feedback, the acoustic layers and the sheer emotional weight of the solo – it became the absolute anchor of the project. It represented everything we were trying to do: pushing past what we did on Surfing, taking massive creative risks and turning personal chaos into something magnificent. Once that track was finished, there was no other title the album could have possibly had.”

The post “It was just so difficult and insane” Joe Satriani tells the story of his favourite guitar solo appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.