Music is the universal language
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“Drink a beer and plug into an amp: grow up!”: Joyce Manor guitarist on why it’s “not cool” when bands don’t use real amps on stage
Slowly but surely, amp modellers like the Kemper Profiler are winning guitarists over. From AFI’s Jade Puget calling tube amps “constraining” to Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi claiming it’s “hard to tell the difference” between a modeller and a real amplifier, artists from every genre are becoming converts. However, if you’re considering making the switch, Joyce Manor are here to knock some sense into you.
In a new interview with Marshall, punk rock emo revivalists Joyce Manor admit they “judge” anyone that prefers modeller over a real amp. “I’m judging you – get an amp!” lead vocalist, Barry Johnson, laughs. “It’s so un-rock-n-roll. It’s so not cool!”
He even goes so far as to liken a modeller to vaping; it’s a modern shortcut that takes any ‘cool’ factor out of what you’re actually doing. “You’ve got to get cabs – or you’re, like, vaping, y’know?” he laughs. “Just rip a cig! What are you doing?! Plug into an amplifier! Drink a beer and plug into an amp. Grow up already!”
He closes off his short, humorous rant with a short: “Modelling amp!! Jesus Christ!”
The frustration was spurred on by Johnson and his bandmate, Chase Knobbe, reminiscing about their first amps. “The first amp I bought for myself was a Marshall JCM800,” Johnson recalls. “I bought it from my friend, Eric, and it belonged to a guitar player of Thrice and it was actually modded to be a little more high gain…”
“My first Marshall was a 1987X – the Yngwie Malmsteen one,” Knobbe chimes in. “That was in my era when I did not know what any knob did… and that it still sounded awesome. I’d just kind of turn everything up…”
The experimental approach is how Joyce Manor’s guitarists found their sound – and the conversation is reminiscent of what Analog Man founder Mike Pierra said in a February interview. In his mind, the joy of discovering your personal guitar tone comes from the hands-on experience. If you jump in with a modeller from the get-go, you could be doing yourself a massive disservice.
Appearing on Products of Music, Pierra said: “I don’t personally try out the digital modelling things. I have no interest in them. Because to me, it’s not any fun…I want to play my guitar. I want it to go through real pedals, real amps and real speakers.”
And, to hone in on Joyce Manor’s argument once again – a clean, stackless stage set up is just “not cool”. Even Joe Bonamassa agrees; last year, the legendary guitarist appeared on the No Cover Charge podcast, and he also said that modellers aren’t as “cool” as the real deal. Being a rockstar is about great tone, but it’s also about looking the part with some vintage, rugged gear by your side.
“Imagine if Eddie Van Halen showed up with a Neural [Quad Cortex] and a Suhr.” he said. “Is it as cool? I’m not knocking John Suhr, I’m not knocking Neural… Great invention, but I just pose the question. People hear with their eyes. It’s the whole thing!”
The post “Drink a beer and plug into an amp: grow up!”: Joyce Manor guitarist on why it’s “not cool” when bands don’t use real amps on stage appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Death By Audio x Rainger FX Amp Crash review – an amplifier, a speaker, a microphone and multiple effects… all inside one pedal
$395/£425, deathbyaudio.com / raingerfx.com
Sometimes, as a Brit, I find myself looking at Death By Audio’s freakiest pedals and thinking, “These Yanks are crazy!” But equally, I can well imagine American guitarists look at Rainger FX’s freakiest pedals and thinking, “These Limeys are crazy!” So… what if we’re both right?
The Amp Crash is what happens if the universe is reckless enough to let two of the most eccentric stompbox makers from either side of the Atlantic work together. It’s an ambitious product, with a whole range of uses at home, in the studio and even on stage, but that doesn’t mean it’s some sort of problem-solving utility pedal. In fact, this thing is about as utilitarian as a pet crocodile.
Image: Richard Purvis
What is it?
Where to even start? I suppose the most obvious use of the Amp Crash is as a 3W analogue practice amplifier, complete with two-inch speaker and built-in digital effects. You get controls for gain and tone, with two mini-knobs for adjusting the ‘SFX’ section according to whether you have it set to chorus, delay or reverb.
The next step from there might be to plug it into an external speaker cabinet (minimum eight ohms) for a considerable upgrade in sonic scale, turning a cutesy bedroom gadget into a viable gigging solution. Or you could use the line output to run the pedal into a standard amp, at which point it becomes a sort of maverick multi-effects unit.
But here’s where things get really fruity. Yes, there really is a little microphone inside this pedal, pointing at the speaker, so you can also use it as an amp and cab sim – but without the ‘sim’ – for direct recording. Naturally this is unlikely to sound like a perfect digital recreation of a top-class studio mic pointing at a pre-CBS Fender Deluxe Reverb, but that was never going to be the point – these Yanks and Limeys are crazy, remember?
All of this functionality is delivered in a stompbox that won’t take up an inordinate amount of pedalboard space, and will run off a standard pedal power supply with at least 300mA of current.
Image: Richard Purvis
Build quality and usability
DBA and Rainger have done a sterling job of keeping the interface as simple as possible given the number of features on offer here. Plug in a guitar, add nine volts and you’ve got the most basic of practice combos – maybe a master volume control would have been nice, but there is an old-school purity about going gain-only. Likewise there’s no bypass switch for the effects – to turn that section off you simply set the depth to minimum.
Worried about the mic picking up your seismic flatulence and general background chatter? It’s got a noise gate, which has an on/off toggle switch but nothing so fancy as a threshold control; and if you want to mute the speaker entirely – which most people will surely want to do when running into a ‘proper’ amp – you just have to plug something into the speaker output (an unconnected patch cable will do).
These connectivity options can get a tiny bit confusing at the beginning. But it’s all easily mastered with practice, and – as you have every right to demand from two companies with this kind of pedigree – it feels like a solid, well-built piece of gear.
Image: Richard Purvis
Sounds
The practice combo is first up. I’m expecting lo-fi larks here, in the ultra-punky tradition of those old Smokey amps built into cigarette packets, and that’s very much what the Amp Crash spits out… with two key differences. Firstly, it’s a much more grown-up sound with a decent gain range, from light crunch to sagging splat-fuzz; and secondly, it’s a whole lot louder. If you plan to crank it into the rawk zone, you might want to warn your housemates first.
What you don’t get is any kind of warmth or three-dimensionality, but that’s hardly surprising with a two-inch speaker. So don’t bother playing tasteful chords through this thing – it was born to frighten people, not read them bedtime stories.
The effects section offers up some interesting options for going in a more wild and experimental direction. The reverb and delay both get extremely dense, while the chorus is very wobbly indeed and tends towards the flangey zone. It’s all highly entertaining, and only in delay mode might you wish for a third knob to let you adjust the level and feedback separately.
All of the above applies equally when you plug into an external cab: it’s still ragged and raucous, but now with a far less boxy frequency spread and, above all, a hell of a lot more volume. This will be more than adequate for gigging, though the clean tones remain flat and unrefined so we’re really talking heavy stuff only.
Next up is the ‘normal stompbox’ scenario, and it’s probably the Amp Crash’s strongest suit – letting you enjoy all the gnarliness but now in more well-rounded form, complete with independent control over fuzziness and output level. As a medium-gain overdrive it’s great, as a high-gain fuzz it’s even greater, and as a brutally overloading splurge-beast it’s greatest of all.
The direct recording function is more complicated. Use the DI output on its own and it sounds… well, like a DI: bright and plasticky. Stick with the mic output, however, and you might find you’ve gone too far in the other direction, as it’s oh so scuzzy and dark. But blend the two together, and suddenly you’ve got the best of both worlds and the worst of neither: the DI gives you clarity and edge, while the mic provides natural colour to round it out. It’s far from hi-fi, but there are some surprisingly pleasant and well-balanced tones available here.
The only snag is that, in order to record the mic’s output, you’ll obviously need to leave the speaker unmuted – and as I’ve already mentioned, it can get awfully loud. This is not a problem you have to deal with when using a sim, but at least – unlike a traditional amp and mic setup – the Amp Crash can be hidden away in a cupboard or smothered with cushions.
Image: Richard Purvis
Should I buy one?
Oh dear, it’s time to get sensible. Because while the Amp Crash is a wondrous piece of work and I love it to bits, this is not the kind of product I’d recommend as a must-have for every guitarist’s arsenal. If you normally play clean, or you’re the kind of tonehound who demands warmly rounded smoothness in everything, it probably isn’t going to make much sense for you.
To be clear, though, this isn’t just about garage-rock shoutiness – the usable sounds range from Screamer-style drive to hyper-compressed filth, the three digital effects are all worthy additions, and above all it’s a genuine multi-purpose device that’s ready to impose its big personality pretty much anywhere in your music-making life.
Alternatives
Acorn Amplifiers Solid State ($299/£289) – good luck finding a true alternative to this thing… but you could have a look at the a Peavey-inspired preamp pedal with a built-in power amp so it can be plugged straight into a speaker cab. I reviewed the preamp-only version ($179/£169) and it was a retro riot.
The MXR Rockman X100 ($245/£229) – this is more of a standard distortion pedal, but it has that compression-heavy 80s thing going on and includes a chorus effect.
Positive Grid Spark GO ($99/£95) – right at the other end of the fidelity spectrum, there’s this thoroughly modern portable amp.
Specs
- NAME: Death By Audio x Rainger FX Amp Crash
- PRICE: $395/£425
- TYPE: Hybrid multi-effects and practice/direct amp
- POWER: 3W
- SPEAKER: 1×2” (internal)
- CONTROLS: DI out level, mic out level, gain, tone, mic gate toggle, effects select toggle, depth, time, power on/off
- INPUTS: 1x standard instrument input
- OUTPUTS: Hybrid DI/mic output (footswitchable), ext speaker out (8-ohm minimum, 3w or greater)
- POWER: 9V centre-negative DC only (300mA current draw)
- WEIGHT: 1.44lbs/0.65kg
The post Death By Audio x Rainger FX Amp Crash review – an amplifier, a speaker, a microphone and multiple effects… all inside one pedal appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Pop-Rocker Lex Bauman Talks About His Music, his Gear and The Dangerous Game
By: Rick Landers
Lex Bauman – photo credit: Matt Phillips @ Moshpros
Guitar International is mixing it up with music legends, music industry leaders and a new generation of young guitarists, and other musicians to present to our readers. So, we’ve been siphoning off several new generation artists from a project co-founded by the legendary rock photogapher, Robert M. Knight, called the Brotherhood of the Guitar.
The Brotherhood has assembled an impressive array of guitarists from around the world, as well as developed an equally impressive array of young percussionists for a second Brotherhood.
Today, we’re featuring a hot new guitarist, Lex Bauman, from the heartland of America, Columbus, Ohio, a stone’s throw from the Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. His passion for a career in music began early, but enough of the youth focus, the guy’s a solid guitar player, songwriter and he’s focused and strategic. And those are great combinations for any successful pursuits. And, with a well-connected management team to support him, he’s made great progress building a fan base.
At 16, Lex is moving along smartly, working with a another songwriter to craft songs with hooks that stick and by independently releasing his debut album, The Dangerous Game, to gain production skills and to earn lessons learned for future releases. So, all the right ingredients to grow a terrific career are in place, Bauman is level headed and with the support of his mentors, there are good reasons why his pursuit of success will be realized.
His music falls into the classic styles of pop stars like Rick Springfield, The Cars and other melodic, but oftentimes hard hitting riff driven tunesmiths.
Guitar International is pleased and honored to have reached out to Lex Bauman and we look forward to getting back together with him in the future as his pop-rock star rises.
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Rick Landers: Are you based in California, and what kinds of music and musicians did you listen to growing up? And although popular music drifted away from guitars for some time, it seems to be making a solid comeback. How did you develop as a guitarist and what tools did you use to grasp the challenges of the fretboard?
Lex Bauman: I’m currently based out of Columbus, Ohio, but my drummer and management are in California. My producer and co-writer is in Nashville. So, I am all over the place all the time.
I listened to a lot of Queen, KISS, Guns ‘n Roses, Cheap Trick, Otis Redding, White Stripes, Motley Crue when I was really young and getting into music. As I got a little older I discovered Marvelous 3, Brian Fallon, The Cars, Thin Lizzy, American Hi Fi, Buck Owens, George Strait, All American Rejects, I even like a lot of radio friendly pop music. Lots of influences.
I had two guitar teachers for several years, as I progressed I kept taking lessons with those two, but when I started seriously writing and recording, my producer and co-writer, Tuk Smith, really took me under his wing to be a great studio musician as well.
Lex Bauman – photo credit: Photo credit – Mark Peters
Rick: Beyond guitar have you any aspirations that go beyond guitar in music, as well as in another career field? Is college in your plan, where and areas of study?
Lex Bauman: Beyond guitar and the writing and recording I am doing now, I would like to build my songwriting skills to the point that other artists would want me to write for or with them.
College isn’t in the plan right now, but I am keeping my options open. I am currently wrapping up my senior year of high school with a fairly high GPA (Grade Point Average).
Rick: Are you working with a manager or management team and do you get involved in the business side of music to help ensure you protect your interests?
Lex Bauman: Yes, I work with Zuma Live’s Nate Arling and Bryan Wilkinson. They are my current management and have been great! We have weekly meetings about my career. My parents are also pretty involved to make sure I am always making the best decisions possible.
Rick: What about production? Have you been inclined to learn recording gear, studio logistics, to at minimum learn the production side of getting “radio ready” songs?
Lex Bauman: Yes, I have my own gear at home and spend time working and learning how to do things on my own. I record my demos at my producer’s studio and when we record songs for actual releases, I am always studying what the engineer is doing at Sonic Lounge.
Rick: One of the areas that a lot of musicians are interested in, but figuring out is getting into the sync arena, music libraries, in order to try to nail down the commercial media market, like movie scores, commercials that can offer you a solid public outreach, as well as to get into the realm of where the big bucks seem to be these day?
Lex Bauman: It’s definitely a goal. My management has been working on that. Several of my songs, like “Taylor Swift,” “While We’re Still Young,” “Nights Like These,” “My Girlfriend’s Best Friend,”etcetera, seem to be perfect for commercial use. Yes, I want the big bucks! (Laughs)
Click here to view the embedded video.
Rick: What guitars did you start out with, what do you have now and do you have any favorites?
Lex Bauman: I started out learning on some of my dad’s guitars. My first real guitar of my own was an Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent. I actually have a really large collection now between my own and what my dad has since given me.
I have several Ernie Ball Music Man’s, a few Rock ‘n Roll Relics and really cool Kauer and, of course, some Fender’s and Gibson’s, but as far as my favorites I would have to say my Ernie Ball Music Man Axis, my Rock ‘n Roll Relics Revenge and, of course, my St. Vincent.
Rick: Have you migrated from performing cover songs to writing and producing originals? If so, what are the challenges of both and have you found an emotional difference or feel for how you sing or play them?
Lex Bauman: I still play a few covers in my shows when time allows, but I focus on my original songs. Playing covers are always fun but doing my originals are much more rewarding and meaningful.
Rick: We all have artists who have influenced us, but typically we discover a few that lodge into our senses and work on their techniques and song structures…how about you? An example is as simple as song length, back in the ‘50s a two-minute song was typical although some artists had songs that extended more than twice that length by the ‘70s, including a few running over six minutes; and today some have songs that are only a minute long – probably more with the intent to get them in music libraries.
Lex Bauman: I try to stay right around three minutes for each song. That is pretty standard for power pop, the genre I consider myself but most people don’t know what that is anymore. It is a tight structure, as opposed to something like a jam band. The parts are all meant to be catchy and meaningful.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Rick: Have you found your “perfect” amp and effects to get you the sounds the places you want to reach with your music, what are they?
Lex Bauman: For recording, I use a Friedman Dirty Shirley and an Orange Rockerverb, mostly. However, for live shows, to make set up and travel better, I use a Fender Tone Master. I have those amps and some chorus effects dialed in on.
Rick: Given the current trends in music, do you have any ambitions to join a traditional label or do you think you’d like to build your brand without things getting too complicated, as well as to not get drawn into a contract deal that exploits your reasonable ambitions and sense of fair-mindedness with nuanced terms and conditions that might not work into your long range interests?
Lex Bauman: Well, my first album, The Dangerous Game, was released independently. For the next record, which I am currently working on, I am looking for a label to help with distribution and a little support.
I am not interested in giving up my creative control but I’m open to hearing suggestions. I know I had to turn down a deal a while ago because the label head wanted to change everything…which I thought was confusing, like, if you like what I’m doing, why change it…? So yeah, I’m being very careful with offers, but would love to get the right one…
Lex Bauman – photo credit: Photo credit – Mike Markowitz
Rick: Any on-stage performance experiences that surprised you and thrilled you? What was it about them that boosted your spirits and do you find that you could influence an audience to feel the same way that would also make you feel your own heightened sense of fun?
Lex Bauman: I recently opened for Buckcherry a few times, I truly didn’t know that the audience would like me as much as they did because our music is pretty different. So, that was a thrill.
On stage, my goal for the audience is kinda like, we are trying to throw a party, playing some poppy rock ‘n roll that the audience can sing and dance too.
Rick: Are there any songs you’ve written that while developing them that you felt were “hits” even before you finished them based on a riff, a melody or story line?
Lex Bauman: When I’m writing with my co-writer, Tuck Smith, we put a lot of thought into what we are going to do next. We throw around a bunch of ideas before we start spending too much time on an idea that won’t be a hit. Honestly, we try to make all the songs hits. We stick as many hooks and catchy lyrics into a song as we can.
Rick: What’s happening now as far as projects, touring, as well as finding the time to write more?
Lex Bauman: I’m working on the second record right now and trying to find the right label to release it. I want to be touring as much as possible next year. I want a support tour with a pop rock artist, someone like Avril Lavigne, Jonas Brothers, Weezer, Goo Goo Dolls, etcetera…so, if they are reading this, give me a call! [Laughs]
Rick: When writing have you found you experience special moments when you come up with some great musical phrase, melody, etcetera that seemed to come out of nowhere; if so, are they special moments that you think you’ll remember when you become an elder statesman of the guitar?
Lex Bauman: I really remember more of the challenges or mental blocks. When you are trying to write these great big hit songs, sometimes you get really stubborn mental blocks. It can be discouraging, but then one person in the room says one thing and all the sudden, the flood gates open. So, I guess what I mean is, seeing how the sausage is made isn’t pretty, but it’s definitely memorable. My song “So Long, Goodbye” was definitely like that, but I love the result.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Rick: How did you become a member of the Brotherhood of the Guitar and how has it helped you develop as a musician, as well, has it opened up great opportunities for you?
Lex Bauman: When I was really young, I wrote to Gibson. I thought those guitars were really awesome but, of course, they never wrote me back. When I got my Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent, that guitar was perfect! I loved it so much, my mom helped me reach out to Ernie Ball, kind of expecting the same result as what Gibson had given.
Much to our surprise, Tim Dove from Ernie Ball wrote us back and sent be straps and shirts and hats and all kinds of swag. My relationship with Tim grew over the years and Tim thought that Robert Knight would be a good contact for me. Robert got me the Brotherhood of the Guitar endorsement.
Robert and that endorsement have been great. I get awesome discounts on strings and guitars through multiple retailers or brands. Actually at NAMM last year, Tim Dove let me borrow some guitars from Ernie Ball to play a couple shows while I was in California and I ended up buying one of them with my Brotherhood of the Guitar discount. The endorsement has meant the world to me and been so helpful.
Rick: Do you have some kind of strategy plan to get you to where you want to be as an artist?
Lex Bauman: Releasing new music, getting appropriate support tours to get in front of the right audience. Getting a label to help with marketing. My management, Zuma Live, and my booking agent (TKO) are working constantly to get those opportunities to fulfill my plans.
Rick: Anyone so far who has helped you reach for your dreams that you’d like to mention and how they helped?
Lex Bauman: My band, past and present, has meant the world to me. Jackson Daw, my drummer has been the musical partner I’ve always wanted. Tristan Woodruff has been killing it on bass but has even subbed in on drums when Jackson hasn’t been able to make a show. Preston French and Angelina Petticord are not really playing with me anymore, but I am eternally grateful for what they were able to contribute for as long as they could and I love them both.
Tuk Smith, or as he has become known, Uncle Tuk. He is my producer, co-writer and partner in crime. Tuk and I work really well together. He is my musical mentor. I couldn’t love him more.
Nate Arling and Bryan Wilkinson bust there butts for me and I am so grateful. I know there job isn’t easy, but they have been an incredible management team.
Andrew Daw has been in the background helping me and my family with all the things that we don’t know that we don’t know. So I will always be so thankful for him.
Music Royale, specifically Phil Smith and Scott Gorsuch, for teaching me how to do this thing.
TKO, my booking agency, they took me on as a project that they knew would be challenging. I’m very grateful for all they have been able to accomplish so far.
Lex Bauman Links:
Fender Introduces Limited-Edition Player Fusion Series
Fender has launched the Fusion Series, a limited-edition line aimed at heavier styles. The series debuts with four models that pair high-output humbuckers with noiseless single-coils: the LE Player Fusion Stratocaster HSS, LE Player Fusion Telecaster HH Floyd Rose, LE Player Fusion Baritone Jaguar, and LE Player Fusion Precision Bass HH. Each model has sleek all-black hardware and a 12"-radius ebony fingerboard for clean note bending.
- Limited Edition Player Fusion Stratocaster HSS ($1,149.99 USD, £1,049 GBP, €1,249 EUR, $1,999.00 AUD, ¥176,000 JPY)
The Fusion Stratocaster HSS pairs a high-output bridge humbucker with noiseless single-coils in the middle and neck positions. It also has a 12"-radius ebony fingerboard and a 2-point tremolo with black hardware. Available in Black and Olympic Pearl.
- Limited Edition Player Fusion Telecaster HH Floyd Rose ($1,399.99 USD, £1,149 GBP, €1,349 EUR, $2,299.00 AUD, ¥192,500 JPY)
The Fusion Telecaster HH Floyd Rose has two high-output humbuckers, an all-black Floyd Rose tremolo system, and a 12"-radius ebony fingerboard. Available in Black and Aura Metallic.
- Limited Edition Player Fusion Jaguar Baritone ($1,299.99 USD, £1,049 GBP, €1,249 EUR, $2,199.00 AUD, ¥181,500 JPY)
The Fusion Baritone Jaguar has a 27" scale and is tuned B to B for drop tunings and extended-range playing. Its Jaguar rhythm-circuit control section adds Spin-a-Split wiring via Fender roller pots, which gradually turns the humbuckers into single-coils, along with a TBX tone circuit. It also has high-output humbuckers and a 12"-radius ebony fingerboard. Available in Black and Silverburst.
- Limited Edition Player Fusion Precision Bass HH ($1,149.99 USD, £1,149 GBP, €1,349 EUR, $1,999.00 AUD, ¥176,000 JPY)
The Fusion Precision Bass HH has two high-output humbuckers, a thin Jazz Bass neck profile, and a 12"-radius ebony fingerboard. Available in Black and Halo Metallic.
For more information visit fender.com.
Limited Edition Player Fusion Series
Fender has launched the Fusion Series, a limited-edition line aimed at heavier styles. The series debuts with four models that pair high-output humbuckers with noiseless single-coils: the LE Player Fusion Stratocaster HSS, LE Player Fusion Telecaster HH Floyd Rose, LE Player Fusion Baritone Jaguar, and LE Player Fusion Precision Bass HH. Each model has sleek all-black hardware and a 12"-radius ebony fingerboard for clean note-bending.
Reader Guitar of the Month: A Playable Heirloom That Honors a Family History
Reader: Eddie Heinzelman
Hometown: West Harrison, IN Guitar: Barncaster
This month, our reader is Americana musician, luthier, and guitar tech Eddie Heinzelman, who toured with Radney Foster and fronts his own trio, the Rebellious Sons.
My family bought our West Harrison, Indiana farm in 1917. It was a working family farm for decades that belonged to my grandparents when I was a kid. I spent every Saturday morning at their house watching TV westerns and every Saturday night watching Hee Haw. My grandma got me my first guitar, from Sears, when I was eight years old, and we listened to the Grand Ole Opry and WSM AM radio every time we milked cows or worked in that barn. The farm had been in our family 100 years, but after my grandfather passed away a few years ago, we couldn’t continue to farm it ourselves. We sold it to a neighbor that I went to school with who kept on farming it.
I moved to Nashville after college and became a musician, songwriter, and luthier. I got the idea to build a Barncaster guitar so I’d have something from the farm that I could keep and pass down to family. I went back to the farm and pulled some boards from the old barn, which has been standing since at least the ’30s. Impressively, it was built with wooden pegs in the beams, rather than nails or bolts.
A friend of mine in Murfreesboro, Patrick Johnson, planed and cut the boards to make the body. The barn wood is poplar, which he used for the top, while a piece of striped sassafras makes up the back. This combination results in a very light guitar—in fact, my Barncaster has many of the qualities of a pine T-style instrument. We decided to also cut a wood pickguard from the barn wood (which includes all of the original worm holes), and then applied a light finish to seal the guitar, without laying it on too thick.
“The old barn has been standing since at least the ’30s. Impressively, it was built with wooden pegs in the beams, rather than nails or bolts.”
I didn’t have a vintage-style Telecaster, so I went with a Fender vintage-spec maple neck. It has an Oak Grigsby 4-way switch, Bourns 250k pots with a treble bleed circuit, an .047 uF Emerson Paper In Oil tone capacitor, compensated brass saddles, and Porter Vintage Tele pickups. It’s a really special heirloom that plays and sounds so good! In 2022, I used it on tour with Radney Foster for his Del Rio, TX 1959 30th anniversary tour, and in a tribute to my grandparents, I played it on the Grand Ole Opry, which sort of brings the story full circle.
Anthrax Unlocks Boss Level
Forty-five years after their formation, Anthrax continues to be one of the most influential and beloved bands in heavy music. Coming together in New York City, the group released a pair of albums—1984’s Fistful of Metal and the following year’s Spreading the Disease—that, along with a ferocious live show (they supported Black Sabbath and Metallica early on), established the five-piece as one of the forefathers of thrash metal.
Anthrax’s third album, 1987’s Among the Living, was the breakthrough that put them in the pantheon of thrash greats. The critically acclaimed record, which eventually went gold, helped the band graduate from clubs to arena stages and cemented their place in the Big Four of American thrash alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer.
“It's been the fucking privilege of a lifetime to get to do this,” guitarist and co-founder Scott Ian tells PG. “We connected deep enough into the planet with Among the Living that essentially we’ve been able to have a career for 40 years since.”
In the years that followed, Anthrax zagged when other bands zigged. But remaining true to their own musical ideals is what allowed them to stand out from the metal pack. After being name-checked by Public Enemy on 1987’s “Bring the Noise,” Anthrax eventually recorded a version of that song with the Long Islanders in 1991 and followed with a joint tour, one of the landmark early metal-rap crossover pairings. In 1992, the band appeared on the Fox sitcom Married… with Children, playing a show at the Bundy residence, which replicated a 1989 MTV stunt where they trashed a contest winner’s (if you want to call them that) own house.
Those years alone would secure Anthrax’s legacy. But the band is nowhere near the nostalgia circuit. Now, a decade after For All Kings, their 11th and most recent studio album, Anthrax have finally followed it up, with the new Cursum Perficio.
Bringing Cursum Perficio to life took nearly six years. Anthrax wrapped the three-year touring cycle for For All Kings in November 2019, a run that included shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of Among the Living. Over dinner after their final show, at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, the band agreed to take some time off before starting on the follow-up. Drummer Charlie Benante had some rough demos, and the plan was for him, Ian, and bassist Frank Bello to get together in early 2020 and jam out instrumentals. First, Ian was going to finish a new album with Motor Sister, his side project with Joey Vera of Armored Saint, Jim Wilson of Mother Superior, John Tempesta (White Zombie, The Cult) and his wife, vocalist Pearl Aday. Instead, Covid hit, and like nearly everyone else in the world, he was stuck at home. For the next few years, the band worked remotely, zapping files and parts back and forth online.
“Not since the band started touring in 1984 have I ever been literally in one place for that long, let alone my house with my wife and my son,” Ian says. “Nobody knew anything. Nobody knew if we were ever going to play again.”
There was also plenty of anxiety about the unknown, the horrors of school shootings, partisan division, and cutthroat capitalism, as well as the tragedy of losing his father-in-law, the artist known as Meat Loaf, who passed away in 2022. All of it informed Ian’s lyrics.
“If you want to put it in gamer speak, we beat some final boss and we got to the next level of who we are as songwriters." —Scott Ian”
“So much of that is certainly where I was at the time when I was writing lyrics for the record and my energy making the record, and I would have to think the same as for Charlie,” Ian says. “About 90 percent of the music is from his demos, and Frankie came in with fully realized stuff as well, and is also amazing at writing melody ideas. But most of it starts with Charlie.”
In early 2022, the trio finally got together at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in the San Fernando Valley. Immediately, they realized they were onto something bigger than just another late-career album. They’d begin with one of Benante’s riffs or rough arrangements, which would quickly turn into a skeleton of a song.
“I remember that demo for ‘The Edge of Perfection,’” Ian says, “and I was thinking, ‘Holy fuck!’ If this is all we have, we're in good shape.’”
He’s not wrong. The song, built on Benante’s original demo, Bello’s chorus melody and groove-heavy bass line, and Ian’s words, runs for nearly seven minutes, with an atmospheric instrumental opening that explodes in a blast of metal riffing, aided by Joey Belladonna’s towering vocals. Benante has compared the song to Anthrax classics like “Only” and “Indians,” and Ian agrees with that sentiment, saying it ranks among the top tunes in the Anthrax catalog.
“I think it's the best song we've ever written,” he says. “That's my hot take on my own song that I'm a part of. When people ask, ‘What's your favorite Anthrax song?’ I usually say "Caught in a Mosh,’ based on the fact that it’s the one that's never been out of our set since that record [Among the Living] came out. But I just think on ‘Edge of Perfection’ we got to some other level, you know? Or, if you want to put it in gamer speak, we beat some final boss and we got to the next level of who we are as songwriters.”
Once the trio had the songs where they wanted them, they sent them to lead guitarist Jon Donais. Stuck at his home in Massachusetts, away from his bandmates, Donais had used the downtime to practice, and he says it made him a better player. When it came time to cut his parts, he’d get the tracks back with timestamps marking where the others wanted him to play. He’d cut a demo, take notes from Benante and Ian, then record a final version. Because the songs were already so strong, he says, he had room to get creative. “Right off the bat, I knew it was going to be great and I had to have something great cooking,” Donias recalls.
Far from cramping his creativity, the isolation felt familiar to Donais. He says the process was much the same on For All Kings, his first album with the band. Now 13 years in, making him the longest-tenured lead guitarist in Anthrax history, he was at ease with the setup, and he quickly heard how the new songs connected to the band’s classic material.
“It has some old-school Anthrax vibes to it, and is a well-rounded record,” he says, then adds, “It’s got some curveballs too.” One he didn't see coming: the black metal influence on “The Edge of Perfection.”
“It has some old-school Anthrax vibes to it, and is a well-rounded record. It’s got some curveballs, too." —Jon Donais”
One early fan of that song was Dave Grohl. After mixing it at Grohl’s Studio 606, and with Grohl having played Ian the new Foo Fighters album before its release, Ian returned the favor.
“I sent him ‘The Edge of Perfection’ and ‘It’s for the Kids,’ which is a love letter to Anthrax fans,” Ian says. “He wrote me back the next day—I'm paraphrasing—‘Dude, like, holy shit! Oh my God, ‘Kids’ is classic Anthrax.” And about ‘Edge,’ he said, ‘It’s so you guys, and so new at the same time.’”
The reception has proved Grohl right. On social media, fans hailed the song as unmistakably Anthrax, and some called it one of the best releases from any of the Big Four in years. Benante’s pulsating drums, Ian and Donais’ guitars, and Belladonna’s vocals all contribute, but what seems to be connecting most is Ian’s lyric. The song, he says, is about choosing to live by love rather than fear, and sticking with that choice for the long haul. It also argues that perfection is boring and that real beauty is in facing life’s challenges, having empathy, and constantly working to keep yourself in a good place.
Navigating the intricacies of that song gave Anthrax confidence, fueling a heavy and urgent sound that permeates the entire album.
“Listening to it, I know where we were mentally when we were working on the demos,” Ian says. “How happy we were with the material we had… it’s all over the record. We've never had a moment like that, ever, in the history of the band. This is bigger than us. This one is special.”
The album’s title, when translated from Latin, has several meanings: My journey has come to an end; My journey is over; I complete my journey. But have no fear—it’s not a sign that Anthrax is ready to call it quits.
“We're not necessarily coy about it because we answer the question,” Ian says. “When people ask us, ‘Is it the last record?’ ‘Are you saying goodbye?’ I don't sit there and go, ‘Well, maybe…’ That’s not us.”
In fact, the title came from an unexpected place.
“Nobody knew anything. Nobody knew if we were ever going to play again.” —Scott Ian”
“Charlie came up with the idea after he read that a stone at Marilyn Monroe’s [home] had it,” Ian says. “He found out what it meant, and he just really loved the meaning and the feeling of the phrase. So much of it has to do with the journey to make this record.”
If you need more proof that the band isn’t done, the music makes the case. The 11-song album packs as powerful a punch as any Anthrax album in recent memory. In addition to previously released tracks, the tone-setting instrumental “Persistence of Memory” and the ferocious “Everybody’s Got a Plan” are sonically adventurous indicators of a group that isn’t ready to take a victory lap quite yet.
The response so far has been incredibly strong. Anthrax played a small club gig at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus ahead of a stadium show with Iron Maiden and Megadeth, and on the band’s European run this past summer, Donais says, “It's for the Kids” went over big with crowds.
At a time when they could be winding down, Anthrax continue to play hard and loud. "Their journey to Cursum Perficio hasn't been easy, but as Ian considers where they've arrived after 45 years, he's very aware of the payoff."
“Nobody hands you this,” Ian says of the band’s career. “I wasn't this person in another life. I wasn't this person in two other lives. Growing up in my life, it's been a road to get here.”
Anthrax Gear
Scott Ian
Guitars
- Jackson X Series Signature Scott Ian King V (primary guitar, for rhythm parts; “white, the first one they built me”)
Overdubs done with
- Gretsch Malcolm Young “Salute” Jet
- Jackson American Series soloist (pink)
- Gibson Les Paul Custom
Amps
- Marshall JCM800
- EVH 5150IIIS EL34 100W
Effects
- KHDK Scott Ian Sgt D
- TC Electronic Booster + Distortion
- Gamechanger Audio Plasma
- Strymon Cloudburst
- MXR EVH Phase 90
- Beetronics Zzombee Filtremulator
“The KHDK and the TC Electronic were used in front of a Marshall JCM800 as part of my main rhythm tone. That was combined with the EVH EL34. The rest of the pedals were used for sounds and overdubs.”
Picks
- Dunlop
Jon Donais
Guitar
- Dean Exile Jon Donais
Amp
- Kemper Profiler
Effects
- Dunlop Cry Baby switchless wah
Strings
- DR
Sundragon Dragonette Review
I don’t have many pleasant memories from the early months of the 2020 pandemic, but one bright spot was blowing the doors off my lockdown hideout with Sundragon’s stellar Standard combo. A collaboration between amp Jedi Mitch Colby, noted guitar collector and producer Perry Margouleff, and none other than Jimmy Page, the Sundragon was designed to replicate every design facet and idiosyncrasy of the heavily modified late-’50s Supro Coronado that Page used as a session player and on the entirety of Led Zeppelin’s epochal 1969 debut.
Both the prohibitively priced and Page-signed Limited version, as well as the Standard iteration of the amp, sold out almost immediately (the Standard is available again). Sundragon followed the success of the Standard with short runs of the Super Dragon, a recreation of Page’s go-to modified 1968 Marshall Super Bass, and the Nymph, a one-watt, 1x8 combo.
Enter the Dragonette
The partnership’s newest offering, the Dragonette, recasts the Nymph as a more muscular 6-watt, 1x10 combo. A limited, Page-signed edition featuring all new-old-stock tubes will be available. But we reviewed the slightly more accessible standard edition, which still features the same super-swanky solid phenolic knobs and grey and white vinyl wrap (inspired by vintage Supro amp style) that make the Limited edition such a looker.
The handsome enclosure is home to a pair of 12AX7 tubes in the preamp section and a duet of 6V6s that drive the 10" Celestion Alnico Gold speaker—all of which can be seen clearly via the port in the open-back cabinet. The control panel is simple—featuring just volume and tone controls and a 3-way rotary switch that moves between attenuated mode, full power mode, and full power with a treble booster. Mode 1 is the cleanest, while mode 2, which is structured like the original Sundragon’s input stage, is significantly hotter. The attenuated mode, at four watts, is just two watts less than full power—but it’s much cleaner and gets dirty at more neighbor-friendly volumes.
Colby’s design means the amp always sees a speaker load, too, so the amp functions safely when the internal speaker is disconnected. And by using the line-out jack and dedicated volume control, you could run the Dragonette silently into a mixer or DAW with speaker simulation or an IR plugin.
“There’s no fizz, no midrange slop, no flabby lows, and not a sign of mechanical noise or cabinet rattle, even when the amp is dimed.”
Bring It On Home
In the spirit of Mr. Page, I hooked up the Dragonette with a Gibson Murphy Lab 1957 Les Paul and a T-style equipped with DiMarzio Area T noiseless pickups. In attenuated mode, with the amp’s volume set just below the 11-o’clock position, the Dragonette produces glassy, almost three-dimensional clean sounds. Pushing the volume to 1 o’clock and beyond brings equally delicious edge-of-breakup tones that can be shaped extensively using guitar volume and tone controls. In full-power mode, the Dragonette begins to breathe fire, delivering tight classic-rock crunch at low amp-volume settings. Pushing the volume past the 2 o’clock position, meanwhile, yields a wide array of saturated high-gain tones that are modern, tight, and rich—there’s no fizz, no midrange slop, no flabby lows, and perhaps most importantly for recording applications, not a sign of mechanical noise or cabinet rattle, even when the amp is dimed.
Given the range of sounds available from the attenuated and full-power modes, the treble boost circuit seemed almost superfluous. It yields groovy Yardbirdsian sustain and Sabbathian sludge, but it’s probably a fair supposition that players who gravitate towards this amp will also have curated arsenals of boutique boosts and fuzzes to throw at it. The treble booster sounds fantastic, nonetheless. And minimalists will love having the option to use it without adding pedals to the mix.
Just for good measure, I also connected the Dragonette’s speaker output to an early-’70s Marshall 4x12 cabinet with “black back” 30-watt Celestions (the manual states that you can run the amp into 4-, 8- or 16-ohm loads without harming it). While the big cabinet moved more air, I preferred the focus and texture delivered by the Dragonette’s single Celestion.
The Verdict
Unless dead-clean, high-headroom Bakersfield country twang is your primary goal, the Dragonette is an amp that anyone with the means should investigate—especially if recording rock and blues is on the agenda. It performs well with single-coils and humbuckers, and this agreeability, plus the amp’s simple, intuitive controls, mean that you have to work really hard to make the Dragonette sound bad. The line out, meanwhile, creates possibilities for silent recording if you have a good speaker simulation on the other end. Obviously, a price-pushing $4K is an awful lot for a 6-watt amp. But if Jimmy Page signs off on it, who are we mere mortals to argue the price? And if you’re a studio hound, it might just be the only amp you'll ever need.
Sundragon Dragonette
Seymour Duncan Unveils EVH Striped Custom Shop Frankenstein Pickups
Seymour Duncan has announced their Custom Shop Frankenstein Pickup Collection is now available with new EVH stripe options.
Seymour Duncan and Eddie Van Halen share a collaboration stretching back to the late 1970s. After years of tone exploration together, in early 2000’s the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop meticulously reproduced the pickup in Eddie's iconic Frankenstein guitar, then developed two additional variations representing distinct eras of Eddie's tone progression. All three were approved by Eddie himself and have been available for years in a range of options through the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop as the Frankenstein pickup collection.
Seymour Duncan is now introducing eye-grabbing new looks to our Custom Shop Frankenstein Pickups inspired by the iconic striped designs of Eddie Van Halen’s early instruments. The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop now offers four versions: Red, Black & White; Grey & Black; Black & White; and Bumble Bee.
The new designs are available for all three versions of the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Frankenstein pickup. The Frankenstein Custom is a faithful reproduction of the pickup in Eddie’s legendary Frankenstein guitar from 2006. The Frankenstein Plus is a hot-rodded version of the original, developed and approved by Eddie in 2013, offering heightened output with increased harmonics and sustain. And the Frankenstein Classic, also developed and approved by Eddie in later years, draws its inspiration from his early P.A.F. pickup tone that characterized the first six Van Halen records.
Street price for each model is $199. For more information visit seymourduncan.com.
EVH Striped Custom Shop Frankenstein Pickups
Seymour Duncan has announced their Custom Shop Frankenstein Pickup Collection is now available with new EVH stripe options.
Celebrating David Bowie Plans 80th Birthday Concerts in London’s and LA (Bonus Video!)
Press Release
Source: SKH Music
It’s been ten years since Celebrating David Bowie embarked on their first international tour to honor David Bowie after he passed away in 2016. What was supposed to be a one night affair has since turned into the most successful, far reaching Bowie show in The World.
For Tickets Visit: https://CelebratingDavidBowie.com
Countless variations of the original Celebrating David Bowie show have been performed to devoted Bowie fans in seventeen countries on five continents with guest appearances along the way by Sting, G
ary Oldman, Todd Rundgren, Thomas Dolby, Joe Bonamassa, Seal, Perry Farrell, Kate Pierson, Lady Blackbird, Ewan McGregor, Simon Le Bon, Gavin Rossdale, La Roux, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, Corey Taylor, Ian Astbury, Darren Criss, The Tubes’ Fee Waybill, Living Colour, orchestras, choirs, and a long list of Bowie friends & former band members.
These Special Events will Benefit Local Youth Arts Charities that Include Create in The U.K. and Flea’s non-profit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles show features Eagles of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes, Devo’s Jerry Casale, Everclear’s Art Alexakis, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, Phantom Planet’s Alex Greenwald, Baby Snufkin’s Scrote, Lady Blackbird, and more with former Bowie collaborators, former Iggy Pop band members, and other top touring and recording musicians benefitting Flea’s non-profit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music (https://silverlakeconservatory.org) who provide music scholarships to children whose families would otherwise would be unable to afford a music education. In London, the beneficiary will be Create (https://createarts.org.uk/), the UK’s leading creative arts charity for disadvantaged children and young people. Both planned appearances will be filled with special guests and an all star ensemble of performers.
Celebrating David Bowie creator/producer Angelo “Scrote” Bundini is at the helm again to bring these massive shows together. Since 2017, he has gone on to create/produce other successful international tours such as BEAT featuring Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, and Tool’s Danny Carey performing 80s King Crimson repertoire and WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW performing the music of Burt Bacharach with longtime former Bacharach music director/arranger Rob Shirakbari and a myriad of star performers.
Scrote shares, “I’m thrilled to honor David again with this new explosive collection of truly unique and brilliant artists and musicians who span various genres and periods. With these shows we are going BIG with the biggest songs and arrangements of David’s songs that we have ever performed. The song list stretches across all five decades of David’s incredible catalogue.”
Jesse Hughes says, “I was lucky enough to perform on this tour and I couldn’t be more proud to have been a part of it”.
“Honored to have sang in celebration of the one and only David Bowie! Thank you to the beautiful souls who put these shows together to help honor a legend,” chimes Lady Blackbird.
Angelo Moore offers, “One of the things that stuck out while abroad was our group visit to the David Bowie Is… exhibit in Tokyo and how they cover so much of his life, music, fashion, and creative processes. I’m excited we will be doing more of his unique aesthetic in our upcoming shows.”
Announced appearances are:
JAN 09 – O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN, LONDON, UK
JAN 16 – THE WILTERN, LOS ANGELES, CA
MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED!
BONUS VIDEO
Click here to view the embedded video.
Martin Guitar Brings John Mayer Signature Models to the Road Series
C. F. Martin & Co. is expanding its longstanding partnership with seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist John Mayer with the introduction of two new acoustic-electric guitars: the OM-13E John Mayer and OMC-13E John Mayer. Joining Martin's popular Road Series, these new Signature Artist Editions bring Mayer's preferred specifications, distinctive design details, and signature acoustic style to a more accessible price point, allowing more players to experience a John Mayer signature Martin.
The new OM-13E John Mayer & OMC-13E John Mayer make more than 20 years of signature sound, style & collaboration accessible to more players.
The launch marks a new chapter in a partnership that began in 2003 with the limited-edition OM-28 John Mayer, the artist's first signature Martin. Since then, the collaboration has grown to include a variety of celebrated models, including the popular OMJM John Mayer, which remains in Martin's lineup today. More than 20 years later, these new Road Series additions build on that legacy while making the signature John Mayer experience available to a broader audience.
Premium Tonewoods and Mayer-Inspired Details
Both models feature a solid Engelmann spruce top with aging toner, an exciting addition to the Road Series that delivers a warm, responsive voice with exceptional nuance and clarity. Solid black walnut back and sides provide balanced tone, rich midrange character, and a distinctive natural appearance, while scalloped spruce X-bracing enhances resonance and projection.
Inspired by Mayer's longstanding preferences, both guitars feature a 25.4-inch scale length, narrower 1 11/16-inch nut width, and Performing Artist neck profile with standard taper for smooth, comfortable playability. Premium appointments include a gloss body, ebony fingerboard and bridge, antique white binding, faux abalone rosette reminiscent of the OMJM, nickel open gear tuners, and custom faux mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlays incorporating John's signature. Each guitar also features an interior label with his pre-printed signature.
Martin E1 electronics with a built-in tuner make both models performance-ready, and each includes a softshell case.
Two Distinct Takes on a Signature OM
The OM-13E John Mayer offers the traditional, non-cutaway Orchestra Model body, delivering balanced projection and versatility for fingerpicking, strumming, and songwriting. Bold herringbone top trim adds a classic Martin aesthetic.
The OMC-13E John Mayer features a comfortable 14-fret cutaway body for easier access to the higher frets, offering additional versatility for lead playing and performance. Multi-stripe top trim distinguishes it from its non-cutaway counterpart.
Together, these two models expand Martin's Road Series with new artist-inspired OM options, combining premium solid tonewoods, performance-ready features, and unmistakable John Mayer style at an approachable price point.
Availability
The OM-13E John Mayer ($1,999.99 USD) and OMC-13E John Mayer ($1,999.99 USD) are available through authorized Martin dealers and at martinguitar.com.
OM-13E John Mayer and OMC-13E John Mayer
C. F. Martin & Co. (Martin Guitar) is expanding its longstanding partnership with seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist John Mayer (https://t.e2ma.net/click/9vinlk/1pw7am/1ldek8) with the introduction of two new acoustic-electric guitars: the OM-13E John Mayer and OMC-13E John Mayer. Joining Martin's popular Road Series (https://t.e2ma.net/click/9vinlk/1pw7am/heeek8), these new Signature Artist Editions (https://t.e2ma.net/click/9vinlk/1pw7am/x6eek8) bring Mayer's preferred specifications, distinctive design details, and signature acoustic style to a more accessible price point, allowing more players to experience a John Mayer signature Martin.
John Mayer releases his most affordable Martin signature guitar to date – and it’s just under $2,000
Back in 2023, John Mayer said that guitars should “echo” the “world around them”. Most of the time, this echoing is shown in the design elements in his Martin signature models – but, now, Mayer and Martin are considering the current economic climate. A reliable axe doesn’t need to be an expensive luxury – that’s why Mayer’s newest Martin signature is his most accessibly priced to date.
Rather than breaking the bank, Martin’s new OM-13E John Mayer and OMC-13E John Mayer acoustic-electrics come as an affordable luxury in an overpriced world. The new signatures join the brand’s Road Series, which comes as the first time Mayer has released a Road guitar. After working with Martin for over 20 years, a Mayer Road axe has been a long time coming – but better late than never.
- READ MORE: Martin 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa review: “Forget the name on the label, this is a great guitar”
Both the OM-13E and OMC-13E bring Mayer’s specific specifications to the Road series, with each capturing the heart and spirit of the iconic guitarist’s signature acoustic tone. In terms of design and sound, the two guitars are nearly identical, bar the OMC-13E’s additional cutaway and multi-stripe top trim.
The pair come in at 25.4 inches, and are constructed with solid Engelmann spruce tops, as well as solid black walnut backs and sides and scalloped spruce X-bracing for enhanced resonance. There are also ebony fingerboards and bridges, and nickel open gear tuners, and Martin E1 electronics with a nifty built-in tuner.
Each guitar also features an interior label with John Mayer’s signature proudly printed on.
As for that accessible price point, both axes will set you back by $1,999.99. It’s a huge drop in price for a Mayer-approved Martin – his last signature offered a cheaper model for $3,999, while the more premium model was $18,499. So it’s about time Mayer repackaged his legendary sonic touch into an axe that more fans can enjoy.
The OM-13E John Mayer and OMC-13E John Mayer are available now for $1,999.99. For more information, head to Martin.
The post John Mayer releases his most affordable Martin signature guitar to date – and it’s just under $2,000 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I picked up my acoustic guitar and wrote four different things”: At 83, Mick Jagger is still writing songs in front of the TV
At 83 years old, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has no intention of hanging up his boots. In fact, he still spends considerable time penning new material while watching TV, as he explains…
In a new interview in the latest issue of Uncut magazine, Jagger explains how a large part of his creative process now happens in front of the TV while watching “rubbish”.
- EDITOR’S PICK: Matt Bellamy on Manson, why Instagram guitarists are the future, and his desire to build an AI prompt guitar
“I was sitting watching the TV last night in my flat,” he says, “then I picked up my acoustic guitar and wrote four different things. I said, ‘Turn the TV off. This is rubbish!’ It was quite late and I was banging out these tunes, then I put the TV back on after I’d done two.”
It turns out having the TV on nearby was a useful conduit for his creativity… “Then I thought, ‘Hang on, I’ve got this idea…’ I turned off the TV and wrote two more.
“I’m not saying they’re finished songs, they’re more like sketches. I thought, ‘Well, this is good going. You’ve got to do this every day.’ That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been writing quite a lot, but for what I don’t know.”
Yes, the big question is what will Mick do with those songs, and will they ever see the light of day? Well, he’s already making plans for 2027 and they include the possibility of some Rolling Stones shows. “I’d really like to do some shows,” he said, “so that’s in my head… but if not the Stones then any show!”
In the past few years, the Stones have added two new studio albums to their total of 25, with Hackney Diamonds (2023) and Foreign Tongues (2026) both well-received. Mick’s on a roll, and who would want to stop him?
The post “I picked up my acoustic guitar and wrote four different things”: At 83, Mick Jagger is still writing songs in front of the TV appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Matt Bellamy on Manson, why Instagram guitarists are the future, and his desire to build an AI prompt guitar
Matt Bellamy’s proudest moment as the owner of Manson Guitars might have happened about five minutes ago – when he got it wrong. “They actually tested me, and I failed the test,” the Muse frontman chuckles as we sit in a conference room in Manson’s brand new showroom in its Devon, UK headquarters.
The test in question was telling the difference between his original Manson 007 guitar, and the ding-for-ding, super-limited replica Black Edition version the company brought out last year. Despite Bellamy having used the guitar on stage and in the studio for years, knowing every inch of his most iconic instrument, he couldn’t work it out.
- READ MORE: The Close Up: Muse guitarist Matt Bellamy’s most iconic and beloved guitar, the Manson 007
“They put the two guitars up, and they said, ‘Can you tell which one’s original?’” he explains. “And I picked the wrong one! And I took my time! I was looking at all the looking details, the cracks, and everything – that’s how accurate it was!”
That the company was able to create such a remarkably accurate replica of his original, and sell them out almost instantly despite a five-figure price tag, speaks to the way the brand has evolved in the half a decade since he took ownership of the small guitar brand that had supplied him with custom instruments since he was a young guitarist hanging around Hugh Manson’s Exeter shop.
The fact that we’re sitting down surrounded by various Manson prototypes and legendary instruments represents another milestone. Bellamy is back in his hometown to christen Manson’s brand new showroom, which sits above an expansion to the Ashburton factory that will enable the brand to scale up their UK operation and meet the considerable demand the brand has been battling with in recent years.
Most of that has been driven by Bellamy, of course. Ever since Hugh Manson started building eye-catching t-style guitars for him, embedded with various wild and wonderful technology in the early days of Muse’s rise to fame, player and brand have become intertwined in a rare way – something that was codified when Bellamy took ownership of the company in 2019.
Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
History Lesson
The new artist showroom is a testament to this partnership – dotted around the walls and on stands are a mixture of iconic guitars and rare curios from the archives, everything from an aborted acoustic prototype, to Bellamy’s “GEO” mask guitar.
“Today is the first time I’ve seen it all laid out like that,” he marvels. “I mean, for me, it’s awesome. It’s like a museum of my history. I’ve got a couple of guitars at home actually, not far from here, that I was thinking of bringing in here, like the original DeLorean guitar. I think that was in here at one point, actually. But Adrian [Ashton, Manson MD] asked me to take it home because he’s scared of having something so valuable here!”
As nice as it is to take a tour through his personal guitar history, seeing the showroom in its current form sparks something: “Thinking about the future though,” he muses “I would love to see like a few other guitars on the wall that aren’t mine.”
Bellamy’s ownership of Manson has seen the brand diversify its artist roster outside of the core two that it started with Bellamy and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones (Manson was Jones’ longtime tech). Recent years have seen signature models for the likes of Skindred’s Mikey Demus and a collaboration with Adam “Nolly” Getgood, the Oryx. Bellamy reveals that the brand is currently working with Blur’s Graham Coxon on a signature model, and are also developing a guitar with online guitar sensation Emi Grace.
“I’m excited about us bringing in these new younger guitarists, who are going to take it to the next level,” he explains. “You know, it can’t just always rely on me. I like the idea of there being another face or two that start to become as associated with the brand as I am. That would be the long-term goal.”
Bellamy name-dropping Grace is not accidental – he was personally involved in getting the 22-year-old into the Manson orbit. “I reached out to her because she kept coming up on my feed on Instagram,” he chuckles. “I was like, who’s this amazing guitarist?!”
It’s a very 2026 way for an artist to be discovered, but it’s one that Bellamy is clearly enthused by – even if it flies in the face of how guitarists would traditionally earn their stripes.
“I see guitarists like her as being the future,” Bellamy notes. “These Instagram-type players. It’s an interesting development, because these people can now actually have a real career as an instrumentalist. For real, without needing to write songs and being a band in the traditional sense. I think that’s actually a good thing for players, you know? They have this new way of monetising what they do.”
Image: Press
Clean Slate
Bellamy, of course, was very much someone who was in a band and wrote songs as the bandleader and frontman of Muse. But his revolutionary and individual approach to gear – particularly his penchant for integrating effects, MIDI controllers and other tech directly into his instruments – was borne out of the limitations of being in a three-piece band that didn’t have a lot of support around it at the start.
“A lot of that digital stuff came from being a singer/guitarist and wanting to be able to do effects on the move rather than being restricted by the pedalboard,” he explains. “This was before I had techs that did stuff for me! So in those early years, I was like, ‘What can I have that’s integrated into the guitar?’”
Bellamy’s earliest Manson creations were notable for their onboard effects, but also because they weren’t quite the normal shape either – Tele-inspired sure, but different enough to be a clean slate to craft his music on.
“It’s got to be something unique. It’s got to be,” Bellamy says of his approach to guitar design. “That is literally how it started for me. Because every time I picked up a Tele, a Strat, a Les Paul, I just found myself playing music associated with those instruments. I always found that I needed my own thing to make my own thing. Otherwise, I’m just weighed down by the history of this instrument.
“So I wanted a fresh start, and that was really why I came up with the shape: as soon as I picked it up, it felt like a blank canvas to me. So that’s really how it started for me in terms of guitar design. Obviously that was when it was with Hugh [Manson], but that attitude is how we got to where we are now I think.”
Image: Press
Back To The Future
For two decades, Bellamy has been unapologetic in his quest to drive the electric guitar forward in technological terms – whether that’s using onboard effects, MIDI controllers or, perhaps most famously of all, mounting a Korg Kaoss Pad right into the body of his guitar. That was quite a long time ago, however, and its clear that Bellamy sees his ownership of Manson as an opportunity to push the boundaries once again.
“I want to update the tech in the guitar a little bit, and come up with some new ideas for that,” he confidently declares. “I like the idea of trying to integrate AI components into guitars, where you can prompt a guitar to sound a certain way. I’d like to explore that. That tech exists already in the pedal world, but I like the idea of trying to integrate some of that into guitar, so you can essentially talk to your guitar and tell it how you want it to sound. I’m not quite sure the tech’s there yet, but we’ll see.”
AI is of course an extremely polarising word to be throwing around in the music world, but Bellamy clearly sees that there’s a place for the technology to be used in the right scenario.
“I’ve got a big bank of synthesisers, and it can sometimes take hours and hours to get a sound out of it,” he explains. “Whereas the prompting synthesiser thing is interesting. The sound quality isn’t as good, but the interface is great, you know? I like the idea of prompting something, but then something analogue happens – that’s interesting to me. I think that’s probably a long way to go before we get that into a guitar, but the idea of it is interesting.”
One thing that isn’t up for debate is the enduring power of the real-life human element in all of this of course – and he can already see the backlash against AI coming from the next generation.
“I’m not that worried about AI music because I can already see a change with my kids,” he reflects. “They’re gravitating towards the real so much more now because half of what they see on their feeds now is AI. So for that reason, I think live music is going to be trending upwards, with real musicians playing. I think that’s what we’re going to be craving more than anything else, because it’s the only thing we know is real.
“Because everything that’s digital now, everything in our phones is starting to be like, ‘Is it AI? I don’t know!’ You know? But when you see it in person, you see it live, you know it’s real. So I think that real life experience of music is definitely trending upwards.”
Image: Press
New Horizons
The second decade of Manson Guitar Works has been characterised by evolution, and trying new things – whether that’s collaborating with Cort on the hugely successful affordable Meta series, getting into the high-end relic game with the Black Edition, or collaborating with ThorpyFX on the brand’s first effects pedal.
The future, Bellamy envisions, will involve more of all of the above, and maybe even some adventures into new territory…
“There are some of my guitars from the early years which were very special, and I think the fans really want. So I think we will keep doing limited runs of some of these early guitars, but at the same time, we’re always looking to create something new, as well.
“The Oryx eight-string, is a new arrival, and we’ve got the Wow! guitar (the red MB that ties in with Muse’s recent The Wow! Signal album) – that’s really nice and we’re going to start selling that soon. We’re also talking about maybe doing a pedal with Graham as well – an experimental one – and we’re going to do a second run of the Supermassive pedal with a couple of minor tweaks, so we’re expanding on the pedal front too.”
There’s also the question of amps – it seems like a logical place for Manson to explore next, but clearly its only a field that Bellamy would want the brand to get into if it was bringing something new to the table – the idea of sticking his name on a generic amp clearly doesn’t appeal.
“It’d have to be something innovative and different,” he affirms. “But that could be two different ways. It could be like the hyper hand-wired tube thing, or it could be something really on the futuristic side, like an AI prompt amp or something like that. I don’t know. We’ll see. But I could see that happening. We haven’t looked into it that deeply, as to how realistic it is on the manufacturing side, and you know it probably would have to be some kind of partnership. But I can see I could see something like that happening.
“I like the idea of getting some really amazing bass players involved with Manson, as well. I’d like to expand the bass side, and acoustic is something we never really tried,” he points to the prototype hanging on the wall in the room. “That one was made for me when I was trying to work out how to incorporate acoustic sounds live. We never sold it, it was the first attempt, but it’s a nice, lightweight electro-acoustic. But yeah, I like the idea that we can open up a little bit more.”
Reflecting on a relationship with Manson that has spanned the bulk of his musical career, and now eight years as an owner, Bellamy still marvels at the enthusiasm and loyalty that this small Devon boutique builder instills in others.
“I just love how the people love these guitars,” he smiles. “You know, I thought it was just my thing! But we have this really loyal fan base, and even when times are rough, the economy is, like they are now, they still have this enthusiasm for the guitars – that’s what keeps us going.”
The post Matt Bellamy on Manson, why Instagram guitarists are the future, and his desire to build an AI prompt guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Accessories For Ambient Guitar Textures
Wintergrass Sessions: Väsen
Swedish folk group Väsen performs “Byriln,” “Tändkulan” and “Kvarnbo kvarn” at Wintergrass 2026.
A companion video on our YouTube channel showcases the stories behind the duo’s fascinating instruments.
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: Väsen first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
Journey Instruments Introduces New Comfort Elevate Models
Journey Instruments has launched a new line of Comfort Elevate models, bringing the company’s ergonomic wedge-body and arm-bevel design to full-sized acoustic guitars with traditional dreadnought and grand auditorium shapes.
Journey Instruments developed the Comfort Series for players who prefer the familiar sound and proportions of traditional acoustic guitars but want an instrument that is easier to hold and play for extended sessions. The company’s wedge design angles the guitar into the player’s body, while the arm bevel softens the point of contact along the upper bout. Built around torrefied solid-wood tops, premium passive electronics, and upgraded appointments, the new models are particularly well-suited for players who experience wrist or shoulder discomfort while playing acoustic guitars.
GD480AG Guitar Goddess Comfort Wave: The first model in the new line is an ultra-comfortable dreadnought created in collaboration with Guitar Goddess. Its surf-inspired design pairs a hand-selected torrefied solid spruce top with an aquamarine/sea-glass glitter finish, layered acacia koa back and sides, maple binding and arm bevel, and pearl-themed appointments. The guitar retains the traditional dreadnought body shape while using Journey’s wedge construction to increase playing comfort at a street price of $589.
JCA470CBB / JCA780C Comfort Grand Auditorium: These new Comfort models bring the same ergonomic concept to Journey’s versatile Grand Auditorium format. The JCA470CBB features a torrefied charcoal burst solid spruce top, figured mahogany back and sides, rosewood binding and arm bevel, rosewood bridge and fingerboard, 18:1 precision tuners, and a full-gloss body and headstock with a matte neck. The model is offered in charcoal burst as well as an upcoming natural spruce-top finish identified as the JCA780C. Street price is $569.
Comfort Series Elevate features include:
- Ergonomic full-sized design—traditional guitar shapes combined with Journey’s wedged body and arm-bevel geometry for a more comfortable playing position.
- Torrefied solid-wood tops—torrefied spruce soundboards provide improved tonal character and responsiveness.
- Premium passive electronics—Journey EP001K passive pickup with volume wheel provides simple, transparent amplification without a large onboard preamp.
- Upgraded appointments—including18:1 precision tuners, wood binding, and rosewood bridge and fingerboard.
- Player-focused finish—full gloss on the body and headstock is paired with a matte neck for a smooth, understated hand feel.
- Ready to play and protect—each model includes a quality thick-padded gig bag for convenient storage and transport.
For more information, visit journeyinstruments.com.
Comfort Elevate
Journey Instruments had launched a new line of Comfort Elevate models, bringing the company’s ergonomic wedge-body and arm-bevel design to full-sized acoustic guitars with traditional dreadnought and grand auditorium shapes.
Del Casher, inventor of the wah-wah pedal, has died
Del Casher – the guitarist credited with the invention of the wah wah pedal – has died at the age of 88 following a battle with cancer. His death has just been publicly announced, but he passed away on 1 October, 2026.
A studio guitarist who worked with many influential acts including Elvis Presley, Cher and the Mothers of Invention, Casher was also a keen inventor, and in addition to the first wah-wah pedal, he also notably developed a portable tape echo device called the Ecco-Fonic.
While working as a guitarist and consultant for Vox, Casher and engineer Brad Plunkett developed the first wah-wah pedal from the tone control of a UK Vox amplifier. The unit was being adapted for the US market, following Vox’s purchase by the Thomas Organ Company. Likening the sound to a harmonica cupping the instrument around a microphone, Vox preferred the effect for electric trumpets, rather than guitars. By 1967, however, Casher was able to release a record using the wah-wah pedal, but he was not eligible for manufacturing royalties.
In the years since, the wah-wah sound has become as distinctive to rock guitar as harmonics or tremolo dives or right-hand fretting, and employed by prominent guitarists from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to Slash, John Frusciante, and the wah king, Kirk Hammett. You could throw Jeff Beck and Joe Walsh in there too – the pedal is in so many guitarists’ repoertoires, whether they take it out on stage or not.
In 2011, Del Casher told the New York Times that no one at Vox saw a future for the device. “I feel gratified that I was there at the beginning,” he said. “I would just like guitar players to think of me once in a while. The only thing I ask is: remember me.”
Following financial hardship due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, Casher began selling his collection of instruments to raise income. He is survived by his 89-year-old wife, Eiko, and a GoFundMe has been launched to support her.
The post Del Casher, inventor of the wah-wah pedal, has died appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Somewhere in the world there is an Edge-penned Elf 2”: U2 guitarist has apparently written a screenplay for an Elf sequel
Everyone has their go-to festive films when getting into the Christmas spirit and for many, Elf is at the top of that list. Buddy has been a seasonal staple since it landed in 2003, and has never needed a sequel to stay in rotation. But that hasn’t stopped U2 guitarist The Edge from apparently writing a screenplay for Elf 2.
On a recent episode of Obsessed: The Podcast, comedian Andy Richter, who played Morris in the original film, says Elf producer Shauna Robertson received a message saying The Edge had written a script for a sequel and wanted to talk to her about it.
“Somebody reached out to her and said The Edge from U2 has written a sequel to Elf, and he wants to talk to you about it,” Richter explains.
Calling it the “weirdest story”, he continues: “Apparently it was fully written. Somewhere in the world, there is an Edge-penned Elf 2 out there. I would love for that to make the light of day. [But] it never happened. She said it’s just one of those things where she’s like, ‘Alright, sure I’ll meet him!’ And then it just petered out and never happened.”
But despite his intrigue at seeing The Edge’s screenplay, Andy Richter touches on how many films are tarnished by their sequels, and that it’s not worth the risk to make an Elf 2.
“I’m on the side of let it stand. Just let Elf be Elf, and just let it be. You don’t have to use every part of the animal. Just let it be. If anyone even attempted a remake… There’s already been an animated version. There’s been a stage version. There have been other versions of it. They have remade the sausage a few times. But they should just let it be. Don’t touch it.”
The Edge’s script wasn’t the only attempt at continuing Buddy the Elf’s story. Richter adds that The Hangover Part II writer Scot Armstrong, who reportedly did uncredited work on the original Elf script, wrote a separate Elf 2 in which angry South Pole elves mentioned by Buddy in the original kidnap Santa Claus. The script never made it to screen.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Edge’s first venture beyond U2. His résumé includes contributions to many Hollywood soundtracks and one of Broadway’s most troubled productions, the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical he scored with bandmate Bono.
As for The Edge himself, he hasn’t publicly commented on the script. So for now, an Edge-penned Elf 2 exists only as a story told on a podcast.
Still, it’s hard not to wonder what an Edge-penned Christmas movie might have looked like. We can dream…
The post “Somewhere in the world there is an Edge-penned Elf 2”: U2 guitarist has apparently written a screenplay for an Elf sequel appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Richard Lloyd, guitarist of New York rock band Television, dies at 75
Richard Lloyd, co-founding guitarist of New York rock band Television, has died at 75 years old.
According to a statement from his family given to Rolling Stone, Lloyd passed away on Saturday, 7 November, at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile duct.
After his diagnosis in March this year, by August, a GoFundMe was launched to help cover his medical costs after the illness forced him to stop touring. Bassist Sean Seymour, who played in Lloyd’s solo band, said touring remained his main source of income.
At that time, Seymour also revealed the severity of Lloyd’s condition. “He has tumours in his liver, including one located dangerously close to a major blood vessel,” Seymour said. “Because of its location, doctors cannot safely operate to remove it at this time.”
Born in Pittsburgh on 25 October 1951, Lloyd first started out on the drums before switching to guitar. As a teenager he became a devoted gig-goer, catching greats including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Jeff Beck Group and The Grateful Dead. He left school early and moved to Boston, where he ended up playing with John Lee Hooker, before spells in Los Angeles and then New York.
In New York in 1973, Richard Lloyd met Tom Verlaine, then still Tom Miller. They formed that year, with Verlaine, bassist Richard Hell and drummer Billy Ficca. They became fixtures at the legendary New York club and punk-rock/new wave epicentre CBGB, alongside the likes of Patti Smith, The Ramones and Blondie. Bassist Fred Smith took over from Richard Hell in 1975, after which their debut single, Little Johnny Jewel, arrived, followed by their debut album, 1977’s Marquee Moon.
Television made one more album, Adventure, in 1978, before splitting amid tensions between Lloyd and Verlaine. Lloyd’s first solo album, Alchemy, followed in 1979.
He went on to release nine solo records in total, the most recent being 2018’s The Countdown and played on records by artists including Matthew Sweet, Stephan Eicher and John Doe of LA punk band X. He also published a memoir in 2018, Everything Is Combustible: Television, CBGB’s and Five Decades of Rock and Roll, a loose run of short pieces that covered his early years, his heroin addiction and his time alongside Hendrix, Keith Richards and the CBGB crowd.
Television reunited in the early ’90s, releasing a self-titled album in 1992 and touring on and off for the next few years. Lloyd left the band in 2007. Verlaine died in 2023, which Lloyd later said made him the last functioning member of the band. He said that gave him a responsibility to the fans and so he returned to playing Television songs live after years of avoiding them.
Lloyd was also candid about what the band meant to him. “I wanted to make a dent in rock history,” he told Guitar World in December last year. “That was my goal, and that came true.”
The post Richard Lloyd, guitarist of New York rock band Television, dies at 75 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Save on brands like Epiphone, Squier, Schecter and more with these early Black Friday deals from Guitar Center
Guitar Center’s pre-Black Friday sale event has officially kicked off, and you can save big on loads of guitars.
Weekly ‘doorbuster’ deals are also landing every Thursday through to Sunday, along with other big bargains on electric and acoustic models, pedals, amps and more.
- READ MORE: The best acoustic guitars under $500: six-string stunners from Guild, Gretsch, Cort, Fender & more
To help you out, we’ve selected some of the best sale finds so far this year.
Save nearly $50 on a Squier Affinity Series Telecaster in Ice Blue Metallic
Squier guitars are typically cheap and cheerful, and you can save even more on this Affinity Series Telecaster. Available in a Guitar Center exclusive Ice Blue Metallic finish, this model is priced under $300 and is highly-reviewed by players, with many praising its playability and factory set-up.
Save $80 on an Epiphone Hummingbird Studio
If you’ve always wanted to own an acoustic guitar with that famous Hummingbird pickguard design, then now’s your chance – this Epiphone Hummingbird Studio is now $419. In a Guitar Center Exclusive Ebony gloss finish, this version has a solid spruce top paired with layered mahogany back and sides, a Rounded C mahogany neck and bound rosewood fingerboard, complete by Fishman electronics.
Save $210 on an Epiphone Les Paul Standard ’60s Quilt in Ocean Water Perimeter
Now $489, this Epiphone Les Paul Standard ’60s Quilt is a limited-edition Guitar Center-exclusive model with a mahogany body, a quilted maple top, a SlimTaper ’60s C neck profile and ProBucker humbuckers.
Save $200 on a Schecter Demon-7 in Vintage White
If you’ve been wanting to try a 7-string model but have been put off by the price, now’s the time to grab one. For under $450, this Schecter Demon-7 is said to be “ready for your most face-melting riffage and heaviest down-tuned rhythms” according to Guitar Center. Fitted with Diamond Active pickups and offering a fast maple neck with smooth wenge fingerboard, it’s a great model to start exploring a heavier playing style with.
To shop all these deals and more, visit Guitar Center.
The post Save on brands like Epiphone, Squier, Schecter and more with these early Black Friday deals from Guitar Center appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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