Music is the universal language
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” - Luke 2:14
Norse Guitar Feeds
Inside the music shop where rising guitar band Westside Cowboy formed: “It helped me find my love for guitar again”
“This is Johnny Roadhouse Music, where Westside Cowboy technically started,” is Jimmy Bradbury’s welcome address at his former workplace, ushering us upstairs with his bandmate Reuben Haycocks. The two live around the corner from the music shop, which is located on Manchester’s Oxford Road: the nucleus of student life in the city. 300m away is the Royal Northern College Of Music, where Haycocks met bassist Aoife Anson O’Connell – who we run into shortly after this conversation – and drummer Paddy Murphy back in 2021.
Bradbury recalls his ‘interview’ to become the shop’s guitar tech: “‘Can you use a soldering iron? Done. I’ll see you tomorrow at 11 o’clock.’” Founded in 1955 by the late saxophonist John Roadhouse, the family-owned business specialises in second-hand instruments, meaning you get “crazy guys knocking on the back door, like, ‘I’ve got 30 guitars in the back of this van. Do you want to buy them?’” Roadhouse’s son now runs it with his wife, who both sing Westside Cowboy’s praises before Bradbury and Haycocks enter like returning heroes.
“You see so many different types of playing in here,” reflects Bradbury. “Everything from shredders to really old country guys and Flamenco players. Wandering around the shop, I feel like the guitar is a very open, welcoming instrument. There’s so much you can do by just learning a couple of small things on it.” When Murphy started bringing Haycocks and Anson O’Connell here to meet his pal Bradbury, the four began congregating here multiple times per week.
“I had never really come across gear before, [growing up in] Shropshire,” says Haycocks, who is easily distracted by the newly-arrived 1976 Martin D-28 on the wall. “I hadn’t been around people who were bothered about cool old guitars. I’d watch James pick up a guitar and play random shit. You can’t play the songs that you’ve learned in a guitar shop – because you look like a knob – so if I wanted to play this really cool ’70s Gibson SG, I had to pick it up and play some classical things, rather than going through my rolodex of songs that I knew. And then maybe one AC/DC song…”
Image: Clementine Schneidermann
The University Of Life
Having decided on a whim at Johnny Roadhouse to form Westside Cowboy, the quartet have transformed into one of Britain’s most exciting guitar acts. Although the title of 2024 debut single I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You) sounds like it belongs on an early Arctic Monkeys or Fall Out Boy album, their alt-country twang straddles folk, indie and Americana soundscapes. Their live show alone won them a slot at Glastonbury 2025, and they’re now signed to a major label and Fontaines D.C.’s management.
Initially cutting their teeth in local bands DieKaiDai and Katz at venues like Fuel, Manchester’s musical landscape proved pivotal to Westside Cowboy’s eventual path. “Being in a scene is the most rewarding part about being in music, seeing all your friends do really well,” says Haycocks. In a city where Live Nation and Mission Mars continue to swoop in on independent venues, community-driven spaces – be it a café or Johnny Roadhouse – are essential to meet like-minded folk, reckons Bradbury. “So many musicians come in and speak to someone who they [wouldn’t] in the street, because you have common ground.”
Although a primary school Bradbury and an early teenage Haycocks fell out of love with guitar, a friend who played Guns N’ Roses riffs and reduced focus on musical grades respectively re-ignited both guitarists’ love affairs with their instrument. Though Haycocks describes a “musical rebirth” upon coming to Manchester, both bring up the inhibitive nature of their university studies. “People telling you, ‘You have to play these chords and scales,’ it can really beat you into a corner,” says Bradbury. “[Working] at Johnny Roadhouse, it helped me find my love for guitar again, seeing so many different types of instruments and playing.”
Haycocks whips out his 1979 Gibson SG, which “feels like the scale length of a Fender with the sound of a Les Paul on an SG body”, while Bradbury grabs some water. “It has a really thick neck, and you have to really fight it,” Haycocks continues. “When I’m on stage, if something feels too nice, it creeps me out. I need to be slightly uncomfortable.” Bradbury has named his 1987 Jackson Charvel (when the two companies were co-owned) ‘Peggy’, having replaced its “horrible” high-output metal pickup with a simpler ’50-style Esquire. “It’s just got one volume knob,” he shrugs. “I don’t like too many buttons – it gets in the way!”
Image: Clementine Schneidermann
It’s Not Rocket Science
Simplicity is a guiding principle for Westside Cowboy, who’ve made the previous mistake of “songs that have way too many chords in”, Bradbury recalls. Earlier earworms Can’t See and Don’t Throw Rocks tap into punchy riff-work and cosy changes in velocity; both are visibly moulded into shape by their impulsive live show. Three-chord hit Kick Stones (The Boys), the lead single of their debut album It Goes On, is arguably their most precise work to date, recorded to ensure Haycocks’ gritty strumming is audible like it’s an entire instrument itself.
“There are certain bits of ear candy like that which make you feel more connected to the song and make it feel more real than a DI would,” explains Haycocks. “We’re always looking for it to sound like you’re standing in the middle of the room [with us], and I think that adds to the ‘authenticity’ of the sound,” he smiles, reluctant to toot his own horn. “In terms of a rock band versus a rock ‘n’ roll band, Westside Cowboy has more of the ‘roll’ in it,” adds Bradbury, who prefers not to overcook songs with distortion or pedals. “When you hear Reuben strum, you can feel the roundness of the individual strings that brush through it.”
The band’s approach draws parallels with recent comments from Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale, who described her “epiphany” upon realising “you don’t have to be a virtuoso guitarist to enjoy playing music with your friends”. She’s “very right”, Bradbury responds. “By no means is this a new idea,” elaborates Haycocks, “but it’s a personal thing when you actually realise. Everyone is aware that lots of chords don’t make a great song… but it’s taking that step yourself and actually believing what you’re saying. Westside Cowboy was that, for us: the epiphany moment.”
It’s why, as their self-named ‘Britainicana’ tag follows their sound onto whatever heights they will achieve, those core values will serve them well. All four write music, individually, in their spare time, but there is a shared understanding of what defines a Westside Cowboy song. Accordingly, it’s no surprise that It Goes On retains a clear consistency from top to bottom, solidifying the buzz that their first two EPs and talked-about gigs helped generate.
“Your uncle always tells you that a good song will still be a good song on an acoustic guitar, and at the start of the band, we just ran with that,” admits Haycocks. “Without guitars, ‘Britainicana’ wouldn’t have existed.” Bradbury adds the final layer. “The idea of ‘Britainicana’ comes down to the values around that song. If you can’t play it with either a guitar or piano and your voice, where it still resembles that piece of music, then maybe it’s not very Westside Cowboy.”
It Goes On is out now via Island
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Jake Kiszka claims guitar was his ticket to self-expression as a kid: “I had so much taken away at a young age, and the guitar was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur”
Growing up in a “romanticised Americana” town, the grit of hard rock didn’t quite match up with Jake Kiszka’s ‘white picket fence’ childhood. However, the Greta Van Fleet guitarist couldn’t resist the rockstar lifestyle – and his guitar helped him escape suburban mundanity.
Speaking to Guitar World, Kiszka describes his first experience with a guitar as almost spiritual. “When I picked up a guitar when I was a kid, it was this object or artifact,” he explains. “It was a monolith of freedom and self-expression. Being raised in the place we were raised in [the small town of Frankenmuth, Michigan]… we’re learning who we are, what we’re meant to do and where we belong… There’s this sense of great repression in some ways – social confines.”
While Greta Van Fleet are currently one of the world’s most prominent (and divisive) newer hard rock groups, there was a time when Kiszka didn’t know whether his dreams would become a reality. So he clung onto his guitar, and refused to abide by the “social confines” around him. “To me, the guitar was something no one could take away,” he says. “I had so much taken away at a young age, and this was sort of a defiance against structure and systems.”
“[My guitar] was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur or something… I really felt that way,” he emphasises.
Of course, Kiszka’s upbringing wasn’t dreadful. Speaking to radio station 102.1 The Edge in 2018, he describes his “romanticised Americana” childhood, where he was “playing in the fields, exploring the forests and [swimming in] the many streams and rivers” that surrounded his hometown. However, “there wasn’t much going on” – which was a perfect catalyst for focusing on music.
It’s a similar case for Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme. Last month, Homme told the Queer the Music podcast that growing up in a “very empty, very idyllic small town” in Palm Desert was pretty boring… but “boredom” lead him to music. “The gift of nothing is a very real thing,” he explained. “In the boredom… you’re allowed to practice playing guitar, piano, or drums.”
As for Greta Van Fleet, Kiszka is keen to continue wielding his Excalibur to inspire other budding guitarists to pursue the art of rock ‘n’ roll. “We’re trying to bring a sense of imagination, hope and love to a generation through rock ‘n’ roll,” he tells Guitar World.
Back in May, Greta Van Fleet sparked breakup rumours after releasing a cryptic social media video. However, they’ve recently confirmed that they’re still together, and their fourth album, Palace For The People, is dropping on 9 October. The group have already shared a pair of new singles: Saw You Stand and Play Your Games.
Palace For The People is out 9 October. You can pre-order it now.
The post Jake Kiszka claims guitar was his ticket to self-expression as a kid: “I had so much taken away at a young age, and the guitar was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Eric Clapton reveals why he always starts writing songs on acoustic “It makes you play a certain way”
Eric Clapton is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players to ever live. His hits like Layla and Wonderful Tonight showcase his extraordinary ability to craft timeless electric guitar lines, but as he explains in a new interview with Guitar Center, he prefers to practice using an acoustic guitar.
As the guitar legend explains, he started out his guitar journey as a teenager playing an acoustic guitar. “I started on the acoustic. That’s the thing,” he says. “And when I practice, I practice on the acoustic. It makes you play a certain way.”
“I always revert back to what I heard as a kid that made me wanna play, and it is acoustic blues. Then I heard electric blues,” he continues.
Clapton explains how the arrival of Muddy Waters to the UK in the ‘50s had a profound effect on his dream of becoming a professional guitarist himself.
“I remember when Muddy [Waters] came here with an electric guitar, and it was like, ‘What’s all this?’ It was like Bob Dylan, just 50 years before, you know. And so he had to come back again, acoustically.
“So it was very much [that] the skiffle thing was going on. It was really big, and that’s what gave me… I thought, I’m not doing well at school with what I’m being taught, and I’d gotten so much out of music, I’m gonna try and play the guitar, because it moved me so much – the sound of solo guitar.”
Elsewhere in the same interview, Eric Clapton remembers the release of his now classic Unplugged live album. As he explains, he didn’t even want the album to be released, and even bet his label boss $100 that it would be a flop. Of course, the album has since gone on to sell over 25 million copies…
“I wanted to do a deal with them… to put it out as a limited edition,” he says. “Just 500 copies or something. I just didn’t want to hear it anymore… I had a real aversion to it for a long time.”
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“I’ve learned grown-up chords”: Anthrax’s Scott Ian says playing with these experimental rockers stopped him being a “caveman” on guitar
He may play a part in the Big Four of Thrash, but Anthrax’s Scott Ian has never been that fussed about shredding. As far back as 2015, he’s branded himself as a “caveman rhythm guitarist”, ignoring advanced technicality in favour of using the guitar as a “tool” for shaping rhythms and songwriting.
However, that all changed in 2019 when Ian joined Mr. Bungle. In a new interview with Guitar World, Ian explains how the band’s experimental funk-metal-jazz-rock clusterfuck entirely transformed his approach to guitar. “Being around the guys in Mr. Bungle for six years has opened my caveman world,” he says.
Rather than treating his axe like a basic tool to carve out songs, he’s understanding that there’s a lot more to guitar playing than he thought. “Outside the basic realm of major and minor, I didn’t really know a lot of other stuff,” he admits. “Getting to play with them has definitely made me a better player. And playing a lot of crazy cover songs like Olivia Newton John’s Hopelessly Devoted, I’ve learned grown-up chords.”
While he admits that he still doesn’t know many official terms or techniques, he’s just having fun fleshing out his palette. “I still don’t know the names of most of [the chords I’m playing], but I know how to play them, and I’m moving them around the neck now,” he says. “I also learned a lot of cowboy chords playing on and off with [my wife] Pearl Aday [in hard rock band Motor Sister] over the years.”
He closes off with his ultimate piece of advice for any other stubborn “cavemen” guitarists out there: “Any time you dip your toes into another genre, it’s only going to make you a better musician.”
Back in 2015, Ian explained what his “caveman” approach entailed. “I look at guitar in a completely different way than most people,” he told Guitar Interactive. “I would rather listen to [AC/DC’s] Malcolm Young play an A chord than anything else on guitar… other than maybe Eddie Van Halen.”
“I’m a caveman when it comes to guitar,” he said. “Guitar, for me, has only ever been a tool to write songs. Guitar is a tool used to create music and to play with other people. That’s what guitar is for me. That’s what makes me happy as a guitar player… From a technical standpoint, [shredding] is amazing… But I didn’t become a lead guitar player, and I didn’t focus on that, because the work wasn’t fun for me. I just wanted to get up there and rip big chords.”
Of course, when he’s not dabbling in his avant-garde Mr. Bungle antics, Ian has still been ripping up big chords with Anthrax. The band’s latest album, Cusum Perficio, is set to drop on 18 September.
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“I looked up to him like a hero”: World pays tribute to Every Time I Die guitarist and pro wrestler Andy Williams, who has tragically died aged 48
Andy Williams – former Every Time I Die guitarist who turned pro wrestler under the ringname ‘The Butcher’ – has died aged 48, prompting an outpouring of tributes from the guitar and metal worlds and beyond.
According to a report by TMZ, Williams was participating in a tag team wrestling match in Pennsylvania when he collapsed, and later died in hospital.
While a pro wrestler as part of All-Elite Wrestling for 10 years, Andy Williams was also a founding member of Every Time I Die, and was an integral part of the Buffalo, New York heavy metal outfit until its disbandment in 2022. He played on all nine of their studio albums, most recently 2021’s Radical.
- READ MORE: Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham reveals the “most ridiculous question” he’s ever been asked about guitar
Since the news of his death broke, musicians far and wide have penned tribute to Andy Williams, with Bring Me The Horizon’s Lee Malia regretting the pair never having made music together.
Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou writes: “Today we mourn the loss of an old friend, musical visionary, storyteller, force of nature and all around rad dude, Andy Williams. I’m not ready to put on a smile and play a show, but the only way through grief is forward.”
Balaguer Guitars – the guitar brand with whom Williams had a number of signature models – writes in a post: “You were a light in a darkening world and anyone who knew you, loved you. What a devastating loss. Andy was hilarious, caring, and loving. He always went out of his way to make sure you knew he cared about you. He was one of a kind.”
“Andy was the nicest guy ever. And he was one of the greatest to ever do it,” says Scott Ian of Anthrax. “If you don’t know, do yourself a favour and go down an ETID wormhole on YouTube and watch him destroy.”
Fit For an Autopsy guitarist and Grammy-winning record producer Will Putney writes: “If you knew Andy, you understand why he is so universally loved. A testament of hard work and artistic creativity. One of the funniest, kindest, and craziest dudes. A perfect storm of a human. He could accomplish anything he wanted, and he did.
“Last week he told me he would bite someone for me if I asked him to, I woke up still laughing about it today. I loved talking shop about gear, I loved his excitement for music, his drive, his overwhelming kindness.
“I loved seeing his rise as a wrestler when the odds were against him, I loved making records with him, and challenging ourselves to be better. I loved the inside jokes, the banter, and everything else you can’t even explain. There will never be another person like Andy. I looked up to him like a fucking hero.”
Back in 2021, shortly after the release of Radical, Williams spoke to Guitar.com about the difficult act of balancing wrestling with playing guitar in one of metalcore’s most dominant bands. He explained how the Covid pandemic led him to commit further to his pro wrestling career.
“You spend all this creative energy doing this beautiful record, you get out, you play one show and the entire world shuts down,” he said. “At that point in time I had been working with AEW but I was getting paid by appearance. If they booked me for a show, that was the only time I got paid. It seemed like that was what they were going to do with me and my [tag team] partner. But then they offered us the full contract.
“It was right when things started getting dicey with the pandemic. I was like, ‘The universe is really speaking to me. I have to do this.’ I’ve been listening to that record for almost two years, and every time our manager would hit us up because it was looking like we could book some shows, they would get cancelled. I dove headfirst into wrestling – if the other thing doesn’t come back, I need to set myself up. I went full on, to say the least.”
The post “I looked up to him like a hero”: World pays tribute to Every Time I Die guitarist and pro wrestler Andy Williams, who has tragically died aged 48 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Moth Electric P. Isabella Fuzz (Ram’s Head) review – is this the ultimate Muff-type fuzz pedal?
$189.99/£189, mothelectric.com / northernstomps.com
Have you ever met a sheep? They’re strange little fellas, but one thing they absolutely do not look like is the face on the front of a mid-70s Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi. Apparently that logo was never actually supposed to be a ram’s head, but the nickname stuck so here we are – and here is the latest American boutique fuzz box to take inspiration from its thick, creamy, endlessly sustaining tones.
Up-and-coming pedal brands don’t get much upper or cominger than Moth Electric, based in the Pacific Northwest. There are six pedals in its current range, and two of them carry the P. Isabella name – the other is based on the wonderfully evil green Big Muff made in Russia in the 90s. All are newly available in the UK via Northern Stompboxes.
Image: Richard Purvis
What is it?
It’s all very well being able to design and build exquisite hand-soldered guitar pedals, but how do you expect to get by in life if you can’t manage basic arithmetic? Everyone knows a Muff-type fuzz has three knobs – this one’s got five! There’s even an added toggle switch for flipping between ‘classic’ and ‘modern’ modes, taking this pedal far beyond the realm of straight-up clones.
And what are those extra knobs? Joining the standard trio of volume, tone and fuzz are a mids control – a familiar mod for avoiding the Big Muff curse of vanishing in a band mix – and, less predictably, one for clean blend. All of this is presented in a large and quite beauteous enclosure with top-mounted jack sockets… and a picture of a moth that does actually look like a moth.
Image: Richard Purvis
Sounds
For some of us – including David Gilmour, who famously used one for the solos on Comfortably Numb – the sound of the 1973 Big Muff v2 circuit is about as good as distorted guitar tones get. Certainly you’ll never separate me from my Stomp Under Foot Ram’s Head… but there’s no denying that Moth’s effort comes pretty close to matching it. The sound is huge, naturally, but what’s just as important is the impeccable balance of roaring rage and tonal discipline. There’s no flab in the bottom end and no scratchiness in the top – just pure all-round fuzzy goodness.
And of course, the P. Isabella also has those extra controls to take it to places no ordinary Muff can reach. The mids knob has a wide and well-judged sweep, from exaggerated scoopage to something much more forthright than the norm yet no less smooth; and while mixing in some clean signal with a sound this saturated is never going to be a good idea, the blend knob can be surprisingly useful when you have another dirt pedal on the go. Sometimes, it turns out, the only thing better than combining a Rat with a Muff is combining a Rat with two-thirds of a Muff.
The output level takes a big jump when you switch to modern mode, and most of that seems to be happening in the midrange: it’s a more solid kind of voice that reminds me a little of the EHX Big Muff 2, and it’s also less compressed than classic mode. Maybe that makes it a smidge less likeable, but it’s definitely a worthwhile addition to this unit’s armoury.
Image: Richard Purvis
Should I buy one?
This really boils down to a simple choice between simplicity and flexibility. For Big Muff purists, the P. Isabella’s added controls will be nothing more than a distraction – and there are already plenty of options for getting those core tones from a compact enclosure with three knobs.
If, on the other hand, you wish you could enjoy the best of this celebrated circuit in a more tweakable package, a red and white Moth should probably be winging its way onto your pedalboard at the earliest opportunity.
Image: Richard Purvis
Alternatives
If you’re happy to stick to the three-knob formula, your high-class contenders include the Stomp Under Foot Ram’s Head ($199.99/£189) and Wren And Cuff Caprid Small Foot ($199/£177). For a Muff that’s actually allowed to call itself a Muff, check out the Electro-Harmonix Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi ($114/£99), also available in J Mascis signature livery for a few dollars more.
The post Moth Electric P. Isabella Fuzz (Ram’s Head) review – is this the ultimate Muff-type fuzz pedal? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Camp Is Almost Here – And The Guitar Is Finally Cooperating
Labor Day weekend. Camp starts Thursday. Which means I’ve been doing what I always do before camp – brushing up on the flashier tunes I haven’t touched in a while. The ones that require your fingers to actually remember what they’re doing. This week that meant Pharaoh’s Rag by John Renbourn – from his 1976 […]
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Hagstrom Megin Review
Though they never made major inroads into the North American guitar market, Swedish maker Hagstrom’s guitars have always had cool cred to spare. Hagstroms in the hands of ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Rutger Gunnarsson might not surprise anyone. But they were also used by a range of icons spanning from Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, and Elvis Presley, to Nels Cline, Mark Arm of Mudhoney, and Pat Smear of the Germs, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters. Hagstroms are often unique in sound and feel. The thin necks on many 1960s models, for example, make them favorites among players who like to riff at speed.
The new China-made Megin isn’t quite as quirky as, say, a 1960s Hagstrom III. It’s closer to a traditional rock machine and priced for what you could call the quality-entry-level range of the market, selling for a sum just south of a grand, including the tweed-style hardshell case.
Arctic Charm
At a glance, the Megin evokes thoughts of Gibson’s Les Paul DC, as well as Hagstrom’s own very Les Paul-like Swede, though there are plenty of departures from those formulas that give the Megin a unique identity and personality. What’s familiar here? Well, there’s a set neck, two humbuckers, and a mahogany body and neck. Unlike a Les Paul, though, there’s no maple cap. And the extra space and stretch you feel is the Megin’s 25.5" scale length, which translates to tighter bass tones on the wound strings and a little more shimmer on the higher strings.
The neck is carved to a slim-C profile that tapers only slightly as you climb it, and although the bound fingerboard looks like a slice of ebony, it’s actually a composite material Hagstrom calls “resonator wood.” Hagstrom’s unique H-Expander truss rod encloses the adjustable round rod within an H-shaped sleeve of lightweight alloy that increases stability—and, Hagstrom claims, the guitar’s resonance. The 22 medium-jumbo frets are smoothly dressed, and the guitar plays easily from nut to joint.
“The Megin cuts straight to the beefy humbucker rock tones that its looks suggest.”
The Megin has a lot going on in the style department, and deluxe details abound, including 5-ply body binding and rounded block inlays. The headstock is classically Hagstrom—ornate and bristling with Art Deco touches, including the Empire-style tuners. Our test guitar came in a grey burst finish that’s happily reminiscent of Gibson’s circa 1979 silverburst, which is one of four options including black gloss, crème, and sky blue. Taken as a whole, it’s fancy without being over the top.
Northern Lights
Hagstrom loads the Megin with a pair of the company’s own Custom 62 humbuckers, including a medium-output unit at the neck measuring 8.2k-ohms resistance and a high-output bridge pickup rated at 13.8k ohms. They’re routed through a simple 2-knob volume and tone setup, which includes a treble-bleed network on the volume control. A 3-way selector switch is positioned between the knobs.
Played through a 1964 Fender Bassman head and 2x12" cab, a recent Vox AC15, and a Fractal FM9 modeler, the Megin projects beefy humbucker rock tones, just as its looks—and those pickups’ resistance ratings—suggest. Guitars like this one have a way of sparking big leads and riffs, and the Megin excels in these rowdy musical settings. There’s lots of sizzle, tons of girth, and sustain enough for any situation I can imagine. Generally speaking, this might sound like a very same-old-humbucker-meets-mahogany-solidbody formula, but the Megin’s 25.5" scale adds articulation that cuts more effectively though distortion and lends the guitar a distinct personality.
Rock modes may be this guitar’s primary mission. Even so, I wonder about the need for such a high-output bridge humbucker. It ramps up dirt and saturation—often in a welcome way— but also makes it tougher to dial in pristine clean tones. A lot of the appeal in less potent humbuckers is that they make it easier to remove distortion and retain a big, clear signal. On the Megin, reducing the guitar’s volume control doesn’t always add up to crystal clear notes.
The Verdict
At $949, you start to expect a lot from a guitar in terms of quality. On that front, the Megin delivers. It’s extremely well put together and exhibits impressive care from just about every design and assembly perspective. That translates to easy playability and a lively resonance.
Guitarists familiar with Gibson-like 24.75" standard scale length might have to adjust to the slightly stiffer feel that comes with the longer scale, but the tone payoff from the extra chime and tight low end can be worth the sacrifice, depending on your style and preferences. The other factor to consider is the pickups. The high output may not be for players who work outside hot-rocking realms, and it can offset the charms of that extra chime and tight bass. But if that’s your lane, the Megin can be magical.
Happy Labor Day – we’ve done the work for you and found the 10 best guitar deals
Another year, another Labor Day. While the holiday honours the efforts of workers across US and Canada, it also holds a very special place in guitarists hearts… because it means oodles of deals on brand new gear. Hey, you know what they say – if you’re working hard, you deserve to play hard.
While the workers of the world kick back and take a load off, we’ve found some of the best deals on across Sweetwater, Guitar Center and zZounds. So, if you’re on the hunt for a new electric, acoustic-electrics, or maybe even a fresh amps, stay tuned…
Fender American Professional II Stratocaster (was $1,839.99, now $1,475.99)
If you’re after a tried-and-true American classic, look no further than the Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. We awarded this axe a 9/10 back in 2020, and it’s still a thing of beauty, with its trio of V-Mod II single-coil pickups, two-point tremolo bridge, contoured heel joint, and upgraded electronics from the American Professional’s first iteration. You can now get this guitar’s vintage sound and modern design for $200 off – and it’s available in a wide selection of colours, from striking Miami Blue to a warm Three Colour Sunburst.
More premium Roasted Pine and Sienna Sunburst models are also $200 off their usual price point of $1,939.99. That means they’re $1,739.99, so they sit a little higher than the rest of the colour options.
Fender American Professional II Telecaster (was $1,939.99, now $1,739.99)
That leads us onto the American Professional II Strat’s sibling – the American Professional Telecaster. Sweetwater have also cut $200 off of the Tele model, meaning you can enjoy this great axe for a fraction of the price. Available in a slew of colours, from Butterscotch Blonde to Roasted Pine, this guitar’s V-Mod Tele single-coil pickups and deep ‘C’ profile neck with a contoured heel joint are prime and ready for a guitarist to pick up and play.
Fender Player II Telecaster Electric Guitar (was $849.99, now $679.99)
Over at Guitar Center, Fender’s Player II Telecaster has taken a $170 price cut. This Guitar Center exclusive model pairs the six-string electric with a classy British Racing Green alder body, rosewood fingerboard, SS configuration and Alnico V Tele single-coil pickups. This is a great, affordable Fender axe, earning a 9/10 from us for being a total workhouse. If you’re after great Tele tones at an even greater price point, this could be the one for you.
Sterling By Music Man Kaizen 6-string Electric Guitar (was $949.99, now $759.99)
Yet another 9/10 guitar has been given a Labor Day discount. This one is Sterling By Music Man’s awesome, futuristic Stealth Black Kaizen 6-string electric. Crafted by prog metal mastermind Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders, this guitar is ergonomic and primed to tackle even the wildest of solos. With its contoured body allowing full access to all 24 frets, modern two-point tremolo and straight 25.5-inch-scale fingerboard, we stand by our assertion that this guitar is a “shredder’s dream”.
Strandberg Boden Standard N2.6 Electric Guitar (was $1,799.00, now $1,439.00)
Sweetwater has sliced $360 off of Strandberg’s Boden Standard N2.6 Electric Guitar. This headless six-string is definitely on the quirkier end of things, but this axe might be the one to convert you. We found it to be an addictively playable axe, and a grand improvement of the Boden Standard series. Comprised of premium tonewoods, EGS Arc hardware, an EndurNeck profile, dual Seymour Duncan humbuckers, a pair of Sentient and Pegasus pickups, this is a great option for prog heads out there. It’s available in cool Black Satin and Transformative Teal metallic finishes.
The axe also has a sale across all three of its stringed options – meaning you can get this as a six-string, seven-string ($1,519.00), or an eight-string ($1,599.00).
Yamaha FS-TA TransAcoustic Concert Acoustic-Electric Guitar (was $579.99, now $479.99)
If you’re after an acoustic-electric, Sweetwater has trimmed $200 off of the price of the Yamaha FS-TA TransAcoustic Concert Acoustic-Electric. Available in both Vintage Tint and Ruby Red, Yamaha’s FS-TA TransAcoustic comes loaded with reverb and chorus effects to add some flare and richness to your live performance in a jiffy. This version comes with a cutaway, but if you’re wanting it without the cutaway, no problem. It’ll just cost you a little extra – $100 more, to be exact.
Martin Special D-X2E Acoustic-Electric Guitar (was $759.99, now $649.99)
Guitar Center has some lovely deals on acoustic-electrics too; namely the Martin Special D-X2E Acoustic-Electric, which is currently $110 cheaper. With its Martin E-1 pickup, preamp system, and onboard tuner, it’s a great way to finesse your acoustic tone for a live performance. Its slim, oval-shaped mahogany neck and 12” radius fingerboard is also designed to be easy and comfortable, meaning you’ll be able to knock out high quality Martin tones on this solid spruce top all day long.
PRS S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut Electric Guitar (was $2,399.00, now $2,099.00)
zZounds has a great deal on the Paul Reed Smith S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut Electric, with its Lake Blue model dropping by $300. This American-made asymmetrical PRS axe is designed to deliver a vintage feel with oodles of modern features, from its coil-splittable 58/15 pickups, dual volume and push/pull tone controls. It’s bound 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck, zinc two-piece bridge and thicker back also allows for more sustain, allowing you to really feel out those vintage tones. It also comes with a gig bag, which is pretty handy!
Gibson Hummingbird Special Acoustic-Electric Guitar (was $1,869.00, now $1,859.00)
If you’re willing to invest in a Gibson that’s been pre-opened, zZounds has got a Hummingbird Special Acoustic-Electric available for $1,859.00 – a sharp drop from its cost brand new, which is $2,199.00. It’s a great price point, allowing you to enjoy the guitars solid mahogany body, round profile neck and rosewood fingerboard, L.R. Baggs electronics and lush tone for less. It also comes with a premium soft shell case, to keep it save on the go.
Peavey 6505 II Guitar Amplifier Head (was $1,999.99, now $1,699.99)
Boasting 120 Watts, Peavey’s 6505 II Guitar Amplifier Head is a reliable bit of kit. With its high-gain and two distinct, footswitchable tube channels, it’s a cracking Peavey amp to add to your rig – and zZounds has cut $300 off of its usual pricetag. It’s a great way to really control your sound, thanks to the channels having separate EQ, Resonance, and Presence controls. It also has the Crunch feature, allowing for a bit of extra gain in your Rhythm Channel, as well as a Clean Channel for when you want to sound – well – clean.
The post Happy Labor Day – we’ve done the work for you and found the 10 best guitar deals appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
ESP Unveils New Guitar Models and Overhaul of LTD Black Metal Series
ESP Guitars has unleashed a surprise mid-year batch of new guitar models. These include six new guitars in the completely updated LTD Black Metal Series, as well as two new value-priced seven-string guitars and a new Signature Series model.
“The new Black Metal Series delivers everything that extreme metal guitarists have been asking of us over the years,” says Tony Rauser, Director of Marketing and Artist Relations for the ESP Guitar Company. “They offer more aggressive shapes, streamlined control layout, and a variety of tones from a single pickup design.”
The six completely updated LTD Black Metal Series guitars include the Arrow Black Metal, the EXL-7 Baritone Black Metal, the EXL Black Metal, the M-7 Baritone Black Metal, the M-6 EverTune 30 Black Metal, and the Phoenix-7 Baritone Black Metal. All of these newly-released guitars come in Black Red Burst Satin finish with black hardware, and feature matching red LTD metal headstock logos.
The LTD Arrow Black Metal offers neck-thru-body construction at 25.5” scale with a three-piece extra-thin u-shaped maple neck, mahogany body wings,Macassar ebony fingerboard, 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, precise Grover tuners, a Floyd Rose 1000 double-locking tremolo bridge, and a Seymour Duncan MortalCoil 3-Voice active bridge pickup with a 3-way toggle to select voices.
The LTD EXL Black Metal and EXL-7 Baritone Black Metal make use of ESP’s EX body shape with slightly larger dimensions. They offer set thru construction, mahogany body, thin u-shaped three-piece maple neck, Macassar ebony fingerboard, 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, and a TonePros locking TOM-style bridge and tailpiece. The EXL Black Metal is offered in 24.75” scale and features a Seymour Duncan MortalCoil 3-Voice active bridge pickup with selectable voices. The EXL-7 Baritone Black Metal is a 7-string, 27” scale guitar that features a Seymour Duncan MortalCoil 7 String 3-Voice active bridge pickup with a 3-way toggle to select voices.
Two new M Series models are also part of the new Black Metal Series. Perhaps the most extreme guitar in the collection is the LTD M-6 EverTune 30 Black Metal, a six-string guitar with a 30” scale that’s tuned a full octave down from standard tuning. This guitar includes the innovative EverTune constant tension bridge system, and features bolt-on construction, a mahogany body with maple cap, an extra-thin u-shaped three-piece maple neck, Macassar ebony fingerboard, 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, and a Seymour Duncan MortalCoil 3-Voice active bridge pickup with a 3-way toggle to select voices.
The LTD M-7 Baritone Black Metal is built with neck-thru-body construction at 27” baritone scale, with a comfortable alder body paired to a fast extra-thin u-shaped three-piece maple neck. Features include a Macassar ebony fingerboard, 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a Hipshot hardtail bridge with string-thru-body design, and a Seymour Duncan MortalCoil 7 String 3-Voice active bridge pickup with a 3-way toggle to select voices.
Another seven-string baritone in the updated series is the LTD Phoenix-7 Baritone Black Metal, with with neck-thru-body construction at 27” scale, a thin u-shaped three-piece mahogany neck, mahogany body wings with a maple cap, Macassar ebony fingerboard, 22 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets, a TonePros locking TOM-style bridge with string-thru-body design, and a Seymour Duncan MortalCoil 7 String 3-Voice active bridge pickup with a 3-way toggle to select voices.
ESP has also announced two new guitars in its value-packed 200DX Range. The LTD M-207DX Baritone is being offered in Crimson Satin and See Thru Black Satin finishes. These seven-string baritone guitars have bolt-on construction at 27” scale, a poplar body with flamed maple top, an extra-thin u-shaped roasted maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, and 24 extra-jumbo frets. Components include LTD tuners, a TOM-style bridge with string-thru-body, and a set of ESP’s LH-150 humbucking pickups with matching black chrome covers, with single-coil tones offered by a push-pull switch on the tone knob.
Finally, the company announced a new version of their Signature Series guitar for Ben Burnley, founder of the rock/alt-metal band Breaking Benjamin. The LTD BB-200 Baritone is a more affordable version of this popular signature guitar, and is offered in See-Thru Black Sunburst Satin finish. It includes set-neck construction at 27” scale, a mahogany body with quilted maple top, and a three-piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, red dot inlays, and 24 extra-jumbo frets. Components include black nickel hardware, LTD tuners, a TOM-style bridge and tailpiece, and a set of ESP’s LH-150 humbucking pickups with red covers that can be split for single-coil tones.
Street prices for each of the new models are:
LTD Arrow Black Metal - $1,299
LTD EXL-7B Black Metal - $1,299
LTD EXL Black Metal - $1,199
LTD M-7 Baritone Black Metal - $1,299
LTD M-6 EverTune 30 Black Metal - $1,399
LTD PHX-7 Baritone Black Metal - $1,299
LTD M-207B DX Crimson Satin - $499
LTD M-207B DX See-Thru Black Satin - $499
LTD BB-200 Baritone - $799
More information visit www.espguitars.com.
Keeley Tube Drive Review
When I see an overdrive powered by a real tube, I’m predisposed to think about all those things that you associate with glowing tubes and overdrive—low-to-medium gain, warm, toasty, maybe even mellow tones. Keeley’s Tube Drive (which was originally issued in a limited edition of 100 fitted with 76-year-old Sylvania 12AT7s) dishes drive tones that are all those things, and sounds beautiful doing it. But the Tube Drive is made up of two sections. One is powered by a 12AX7 (alas, no ultra-rare antique tubes in this version.) The other is Keeley’s Phat Mod, a riff on the JFET Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, another circuit regarded as warm and responsive. Together, though, the two drive circuits expand each other’s range exponentially—right up to wicked saturated sounds that make a low-wattage combo more akin to a big British stack.
Glow Bug
So, two drives, six knobs. Seems simple, just like a dual drive should be, right? Well, not so fast. On the tube side, the controls include a 5E3 tweed Fender Deluxe-style tone stack after the tube. In a real tweed Deluxe the tone stack, and its effect on the amplifier's output, can be difficult to grasp in practice. A technical outline of its function, meanwhile, would take up a significant part of this review. In practical terms, though, the use of a 5E3 tone stack in the Tube Drive means that the tube side tone control shifts the pedal’s gain profile more profoundly than the tone control on your Tube Screamer might. The Tube Drive’s version of this setup does not make the pedal a tweed Deluxe. And thankfully, it’s much simpler to dial in. But it does lend the tube side a more complex range of voices, as well as a dynamic range that a lot of overdrives cannot touch.
The tube side’s drive tones are, predictably, a lovely combination of smooth and gritty. If you’re disinclined to use your guitar’s tone and volume controls, you can dial up low-to-mid-gain drive tones that sparkle with a Telecaster and a Deluxe Reverb—even at fairly advanced gain settings. But the real beauty of the tube side is how it sounds, feels, and functions when you set the level, gain, and tone controls in the latter third of their range, and use guitar volume and tone to shape the output. The clean tones you can access via this technique are beautiful stuff. They are alive, meaty, and sparklingly clear. But when you open up your guitar volume and tone, the output turns savage and nasty, dispensing distortion that’s thick, rich, and loud—and, more critically, tends to sound like an extension of your amplifier’s natural voice. At these settings, very small, incremental adjustments to guitar volume and tone can reshape this distortion in myriad ways between full-bore and clean.
Beyond Blues Driven
Adding additional gain from the drive side at aggressive tube side settings can be deadly—erasing any pretense of the Tube Drive being a polite OD, and transforming the pedal into a rabid distortion machine. By itself, it can be pretty mean. And compared to the tube side, the drive side feels hotter, grittier, and more abrasive in a way that, at times, makes its BD-2 Blues Driver origins seem many miles distant. But this contrast makes the Tube Drive exceptionally versatile.
The Verdict
On the surface, spending almost 400 bones on what’s ostensibly a two-channel overdrive does not sound like a very appealing proposition. But the Tube Drive’s genuine tubiness makes the pedal more than the sum of its parts. Its nastiest stuff can be intense. But set up right, these aggressive tones can be an amazing baseline to work backward from—happily ranging to sparkling clean, if you’re crafty about your guitar settings.
Tube Drive
Dual Overdrive Guitar Pedal, with Per-channel Level, Tone, and Gain Controls, FX Order Switching, 12AX7 Vacuum Tube, TRS Remote Jack, and True/Buffered Bypass - Black
“Slow down for Christ’s sake!”: Europe’s John Norum admits that he played too many notes too fast in the 80s
From The Final Countdown to Rock The Night, the ‘80s saw Europe carving out some mega riffs, courtesy of John Norum. At the time, the youthful Swede was full of piss and vinegar, keen to play as fast as he could – however, looking back, the guitarist winces at his shredding addiction.
In a new conversation with Guitar World, Norum admits that he should have toned it down a notch back in the ‘80s. “Mindless noodling and showing off is a bit pointless for me,” he says. “I don’t need to show off – I did plenty of that in the Eighties, especially live. I watch the footage now and think, ‘Take it easy and slow down, dude, for Christ’s sake!’”
While we don’t think he has anything to worry about, Norum seems mortified recalling his younger self shredding up a storm. But he also acknowledges that every guitarist needs to go through their shredding phase. “But that’s how it is when you’re young,” he says.
While shredding has a time and a place, plenty of guitarists have expressed similar sentiments to Norum. Back in 1991, Eddie Van Halen told Guitar Player journalist Jas Obrecht, that shredding was a young man’s game. As a more mature player, the Van Halen legend admitted that his years of shredding were well behind him. “A lot of people just do all kinds of crazy shit, and fine and dandy when you’re young,” he said.
“[Nowadays] playing as fast as you can doesn’t really hold much water for me…” he added. “To me, a solo is to highlight song. It’s not to show off.”
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar in 2023, Marty Friedman also noted that he wasn’t a fan of shredding. He described shredding as something that “looks cool on the fingers, but it doesn’t sound cool”.
As for Europe, the band are set to release their 12th studio album, Come This Madness, later this month. The record comes nearly nine years after their last record, 2017’s Walk The Earth, and Scandinavian Eyes comes as the latest taste of the record. It’s got a fabulous Deep Purple flavour to it.
Come This Madness is out 25 September 25. You can pre-order it now.
The post “Slow down for Christ’s sake!”: Europe’s John Norum admits that he played too many notes too fast in the 80s appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham reveals the “most ridiculous question” he’s ever been asked about guitar
Most guitar fans have an opinion on who they think is the best player, alive or dead, but Thin Lizzy’s Scott Gorham thinks it’s an impossible question to answer.
He raises a good point: art is subjective, so how can any of us decide who is truly the best at anything? Gorham also believes that the only opinion that matters is your own when it comes to the music you enjoy listening to or creating.
Speaking to Jordi Pinyol on YouTube, Gorham shares, “Probably the most ridiculous question I’ve ever been asked is, ‘Who is the best guitar player in the world?’ It’s like… what? I don’t even understand that question, right? Who is the best band in the world? Wait a minute, there is no best.
“It’s the same in the art world. There is no best artist. It all depends on what you think, not what anybody else thinks. If people say, ‘I really love that [artist/song/album], I think it was really good,’ – great. But like I say, there’s no ‘best in the world’ anything!” He concludes.
In other Thin Lizzy news, the band’s former guitarist Eric Bell has reflected on the time he joined Metallica to perform Whiskey in the Jar.
The song began life as a traditional Irish folk tune, and it wasn’t until 1972 that Bell electrified it with Thin Lizzy. More than twenty years later, Metallica reimagined the track for their 1998 covers album Garage Inc.
Speaking with Guitar World last year, Bell revisited the unexpected moment he found himself performing the song alongside Metallica in Dublin.
“I didn’t know anything about Metallica. I’m not into that kind of music, really. But it was funny; they got in touch with me. Someone from their setup phoned me and said, ‘I work with Metallica. We’re doing a world tour. Would love to have you come along to play with us in Dublin and do Whiskey in the Jar.’”
He went on to add: “Once we got to Dublin, the thing that threw me was, I was trying out this Marshall amp, and Metallica walked in sort of like cartoons. They said, ‘Hey, man, when we do this, we tune our guitars a whole tone down.’ I thought, ‘A whole tone? The guitar is going to sound like a fucking banjo…’ But I don’t know; I didn’t really know them… I just felt a bit out of place.”
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Sweetwater’s Guitar Month is here – with new exclusives, and big discounts
Sweetwater’s Guitar Month is always a great time if you’re looking for a new electric, acoustic, amplifier or effects pedal, with exciting discounts and a whole new range of exclusive special editions. Let’s dive into some of the most eye-catching savings and exclusives Sweetwater is offering this Guitar Month!
Big Discounts
Designed after the drive sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s cranked dumble, the Lenny boost/drive pedal gives you impeccable bluesy, crunchy drive sounds, and for Guitar Month you can save $120 on it – well over 50%!
This rather gorgeous D’Angelico has a big discount of $800 – almost half off. If you’re enamoured by D’Angelico’s curly, art-deco aesthetics but don’t want to lose the power and simplicity of a rock-ready single-cut, the Deluxe Atlantic is a great choice.
Who says tube amps need to break the bank – or your back? The Blackstar St James 50-watt tube head is a specially-designed amp with a unique power supply that drastically cuts down on the weight. For Guitar Month it’s not just lost the weight, as it’s been discounted by a tidy $450!
We cannot help you learn Bleed – but an eight-string Boden might get you closer tonally, with great ergonomics that make sustained prog-metal riffs easier on the mind and body. And for Guitar Month, it’s seen a great discount of $540 dollars.
Yamaha’s excellent effect-laden acoustic guitars are brilliant options for people who want all-in-one solutions for reverb and chorus in situations where pedalboards aren’t an option – while still being great acoustic guitars in themselves. This particular instrument has been discounted by a very pleasing $200!
New Exclusives
Sweetwater Exclusives are always pretty cool, and there are some particularly enticing ones at the moment. Last month I reviewed the Gretsch CVT Baritone and absolutely loved it, giving it a 10/10 – and exclusive to Sweetwater are two cool new finish options – Satin Black and Shell Pink.
The Shell Pink continues with a set of exclusive Player II Modified Strats and Telecasters – also available in eye-catching Fiesta Eed. The guitars themselves are true to their names, with classic Fender designed updated for the needs of modern players.
Need to stand out on stage, more so than an Acoustasonic makes you stand out by itself? This Sweetwater-exclusive Arctic Gold finish lends some extra panache to Fender’s unique hybrid design
Far from an early draft of a Prince song, Purple Doghair is actually a very cool finish option available for PRS’ well-regarded NF 53 guitar. Loaded with some unique pickups and with a distinct take on the T-type design, this extremely eye-catching variant is only available at Sweetwater.
This mini reissue of EQD’s excellent Bellows Fuzz Driver brings the same JFET-based saturation to a pedalboard-friendly mini pedal format, and Sweetwater carries this rather fetching black-on-teal variant (with fiery red knobs) to stoke some extra inspiration.
Explore Sweetwater’s Guitar Month here.
The post Sweetwater’s Guitar Month is here – with new exclusives, and big discounts appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
IK Multimedia’s new TONEX Board is its “most advanced” hardware platform yet: here is everything you need to know
IK Multimedia has launched the TONEX Board, its “most advanced” hardware platform and “the centrepiece” of its TONEX ecosystem.
Combining IK’s AI Machine Modeling technology with AmpliTube effects, dual signal paths, and touchscreen control, the TONEX Board puts a complete rig into a compact pedalboard in a first for the brand.
So far, IK’s TONEX range has landed glowing reviews from Guitar.com, with its TONEX Plug rated 8/10 and its small TONEX One pedal landing a 9/10 for its “excellent tones”.
With the all-new Board, users can run up to four Tone Models simultaneously (2,000 Premium Tone Models are included at launch) across two independent signal paths. Players can then combine these with 76 effects from AmpliTube and TONEX, plus all-new processors, using up to 12 effect slots.
The Board hosts a five-inch high-resolution colour touchscreen and six controls for building and editing your rigs, while a range of performance modes, independent stereo outputs, an assignable stereo effects loop, MIDI, and expression control provide the connectivity and control needed for recording, rehearsal, and stage use.
New content, effects, and capabilities are planned for release through future updates for the Board, but at release it includes the following software:
- TONEX Modeler to capture amps, pedals, cabinets, and full rigs
- TONEX software to import, download, and play Tone Models as a standalone or plugin version
- TONEX Board Editor to transfer existing Tone Models and presets
TONEX Board users will also have exclusive access to TONEX Player 2.0 Beta, which offers dual-rig editing with all 76 included effects, TONEX Board preset saving, and full bidirectional transfer of Tone Models and presets between Mac or PC and TONEX Board using the TONEX Board Editor.
Learn more and hear how it sounds in the videos below:
The TONEX Board is available now for $/€999.99 from the IK Multimedia website and IK dealers worldwide.
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Keith Richards explains the guitar magic of The Rolling Stones, and why the Tele became the number one choice for him: “You try and match your guitar to what the other guy’s playing”
Keith Richards has shared how he came to fall in love with the Fender Telecaster, and why it suited his work in The Rolling Stones.
The Telecaster celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. In honour of the milestone, Fender has launched a number of celebratory Anniversary Collection Teles that integrate archival finishes and modern touches, as well as the revival of more obscure takes on the Tele shape, including the nameless Nocaster. A collection of P-Bass 75th Anniversary models also landed in May.
Among a number of artist interviews for Fender’s “love letter to the Telecaster” on YouTube, Richards shares how his love for the Tele began: “So for a lot of the ’60s, my main work was with Gibsons. I wanted that bottom full end, and really I got into the Fender – especially the Telecaster – when I was hanging around with Ry Cooder for a while. We were playing around with tunings. He was showing me this five string open tuning on G.
“I just got interested in it and I found that the only guitar that could really sustain the chords and give you a beautiful, I don’t know… There’s no words for it. Every note is in place. And then I started to really discover what Leo [Fender] had invented. This is where I feel at home,” he says.
“And of course, the Stones is a two guitar band; you try and match your guitar to what the other guy’s playing, you know? In this case it was Brian Jones for most of the ’60s. He loved [to say], ‘You play that and in that case I’ll play this.’
“I mean it’s a piece of wood with some electronics on it, but these things can take on a soul of their own. You get affectionate about [these] things.”
Watch the full video below:
You can shop Fender’s 75th anniversary models for the Telecaster and P-Bass over at the Fender website.
The post Keith Richards explains the guitar magic of The Rolling Stones, and why the Tele became the number one choice for him: “You try and match your guitar to what the other guy’s playing” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Martin Road Series DC-13E Modern review: a stunning cutaway Dreadnought aimed at contemporary players
$1,499.99/£1,499, martinguitar.com
There’s a certain prestige that comes with Martin acoustic guitars, and for good reason. The near-200-year history of America’s oldest surviving guitar brand means that regardless of price point – and the brand caters from sub-$1k budgets all the way up to high-end Nazareth-PA-made instruments – there’s a faith and confidence that many of us guitarists have in Martin instruments before we pick them up.
- READ MORE: Martin 000-10E Retro review: “it authentically distils everything that’s great about 000 guitars”
There’s no escaping that a Nazareth-made Martin will cost you a pretty penny these days however, but there are also plenty of guitarists that want things that the affordable X series doesn’t offer – such as all-solid construction.
The Road Series has been bridging the gap between the base Mexico-made Martin line and the Standard Series for three decades now, and the newly refreshed range aims to make that more diverse and interesting than ever.
Perhaps inevitably, much of the attention the Road Series refresh has got has focused on the Retro guitars – with their classic looks and aging-toner’d tops – but Martin is a guitar company that isn’t just about the past.
The Modern side of the Road Series is where you’ll find specs and features that tailor to people whose acoustic needs evolved beyond the 1940s. It’s here you’ll find progressive body shapes such as the GPC and Inception for example, but also where you can indulge in that most controversial of Martin dreadnoughts – the cutaway. And that’s exactly what we’ve got here.
Image: Adam Gasson
What is it?
While the Retro side of the series recreates the time-honoured Nazareth designs that have been fan favourites for decades – with traditional non-cutaway silhouettes, solid-wood builds and vintage-style hardware and appointments – the Modern side offers more contemporary ergonomics and wood pairings.
The DC-13E Modern features cutaway dreadnought body, with a solid Spruce top, though gloss-finished compared to the matte of the Retro, paired with a Koa Fine Veneer back and sides. You’ve also got a scalloped spruce X-bracing, high-performance taper neck which joins the body at the 14th fret, and an ebony fingerboard with 20 frets.
You’ll notice with a bit of digging that the newly revamped-for-2026 Road Series that each guitar in the lineup – on both the Retro and Modern sides – are labelled with either a 10, 12 or 13. This essentially relates to their degree of aesthetic luxury, if you will. Style 10 is the more basic end of the proposition, while Style 13 is the most visually decked out.
With that, with the DC-13E Modern, you get slightly more eye-catching – yet still understated – mother-of-pearl Diamonds and Squares inlays, white binding, and rather fancy looking skeletonized open-gear tuners.
All of this is paired with versatile Martin-designed E1 electronics, with controls and an onboard tuner placed conveniently and discreetly inside the soundhole. A well-spec’d Road Series Martin guitar for $1,500 is a strong proposition, but how does it measure up?
Image: Adam Gasson
Build quality and usability
Pulling the guitar out of its semi-rigid gigbag, the first impression is probably not the best one. This is a Martin aimed at modern players after all, with a cutaway to enable easier upper fret access – so why is the action so high?
It’s pretty good at the lower strings for cowboy chords, but things get pretty tiring when you venture above the 10th fret for chords and single-note runs. A quick eyeballing down the neck reveals that the culprit is predictable but annoying – a bow in the neck.
Given that the Northern Hemisphere has been on fire for most of the last few months, I’m prepared to chalk this one down to temperature-induced warping – I’ve not come across any other Road Series guitars with similar issues – and a quick quarter turn on the truss rod makes things much more flat and even throughout.
It’s a timely reminder that acoustic guitars are temperamental beasts and if you’re buying a guitar sight unseen from the internet, you may have to do a bit of basic set-up work when it arrives.
Following the neck adjustment, the DC-13E offers an otherwise stellar playing experience that you’d expect of a Martin acoustic. It’s a big boy, of course, but the cutaway helps to make this a more manageable playing experience, especially when seated. This is further helped by the Performing Artist neck with a High Performance Taper – which offers a wider fretboard the further up the neck you go – is well suited to modern players partial to both complex chord voicings and lead lines in the higher registers.
In terms of build quality, it might be a Style 13 model and therefore one of the more aesthetically fancy guitars in the Road Series lineup, but the extra visual appointments are subtle. This is a Martin guitar, after all; it can speak for itself without being too visually ‘loud’. The Diamonds and Squares inlays make for a beautifully sophisticated look, completed by the headstock’s skeletonised open-gear tuners. As with other guitars in the Road Series range, these can be a bit sticky, but they do a good job of holding their tuning and allowing precise adjustment.
While this might be a Modern guitar, the DC-13E doesn’t want you to feel like you’re fully piloting a piece of technology, so it’s a nice and welcome touch that the controls and tuner for the E1 system are hidden inside the soundhole for easy access.
Image: Adam Gasson
Sounds
The DC-13E boasts a wonderful tonal profile that you’d expect from a Martin Dreadnought, with terrific projection, sparkly highs and a strong midrange, although lacking ever so slightly on the low end front. The guitar otherwise passes the open G chord test with flying colours, and offers a superbly dynamic profile, with heavy chord strums as satisfying as subtler, more articulate fingerstyle playing.
Indeed, a good acoustic guitar feels like it’s alive alongside you, reacting in real time to the subtle dynamic changes in your playing. And on this front, the DC-13E quickly becomes an extension of yourself as you play it.
The Modern models in the newly updated Road Series are said to deliver stage-ready performance. And a large part of this is down to the onboard Martin-designed E1 electronics, which do brilliantly in retaining the timbre and character of the unplugged DC-13E, while allowing amplification in stage and other performance scenarios. I notice very little tweaking is required to nail down a stellar amplified tone – it’s pretty much plug and play, which is very welcome.
Image: Adam Gasson
Should I buy one?
If you’re a player who loves that unmistakable Martin look and sound, but also dabbles in more contemporary-style playing further up the neck, the DC-13E Modern could be just the ticket. A Mexican-made Martin for $1,499 would be a solid addition to any serious acoustic guitarist’s collection – or even the perfect forever instrument – and save for a slightly high action out the box which I felt needed adjusting, the DC-13E Modern is a solid all-rounder with pretty much all pros and very few cons.
Martin Road Series DC-13E Modern – alternatives
If you want your Martin a bit more traditional then the Road Series has you covered with the D-12E Retro ($1,349), or if you want something that really does offer the most modern playability and feel imaginable, then the SC-13E Modern ($1,799) is your offset-bodied Martin of the future. Of course, when people talk about ‘modern’ acoustic guitars, they’re often alluding to Taylor, and the brand’s similarly Mexico-made 210ce Plus ($1,399) offers all-solid build and a cutaway.
The post Martin Road Series DC-13E Modern review: a stunning cutaway Dreadnought aimed at contemporary players appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme on why his first guitar experience was playing polka: “In the desert there wasn’t a lot of guitar teachers”
Pop on a Queens Of The Stone Age track, and Josh Homme’s riffs are instantly recognisable. Years of experimentation went into his thick, distinctively dark and downtuned guitar tone – but Homme didn’t follow the conventional playbook of a hard rock guitarist. In fact, his first introduction to the guitar was through polka music.
Speaking on the Queer the Music podcast, Homme reflects on the limitations of growing up in California’s the Palm Desert. In particular, when he was keen to learn guitar, it was slim pickings in terms of who could teach him. “In the desert, there wasn’t a lot of guitar teachers, apparently,” he laughs. Instead of asking what style a teacher taught, if you found a teacher “it was like ‘You teach guitar? Good.’”
The one teacher available happened to be Tom Polanski, a polka guitar teacher. Polanski ended up teaching Homme guitar for two years. “So polka was my original style,” Homme explains. “And I’m actually really thankful for that, too. Because, if you listen to No One Knows, [it has] that sort of polka thing – [the beat] goes one – down, two – up… which is also what reggae does as well.”
In the past, Homme has explored how his unconventional guitar education helped carve out his unique tone. On Noisey’s Guitar Moves series in 2013, Homme explained that he has since developed his own ‘Josh Homme scale’, refined over years of melding polka, Jimi Hendrix techniques and altered blues scales.
While the desert didn’t have much going on, Homme also tells Queer the Music that “boredom” lead him to music. Being from a “very empty, very idyllic small town”, he had to entertain himself. “The gift of nothing is a very real thing,” he explains. “In the boredom… you’re allowed to practice playing guitar, piano, or drums.”
Homme also notes that his first musical obsession wasn’t even the guitar – it was the drums. “I used to play with chopsticks on wicker dirty clothes hampers… beats were always important to me,” he recalls. However, his dad was hesitant to splash out on a drum kit for a nine-year-old. Instead, he gave Homme a challenge: “if you play guitar for five years and you’re accomplished, then I’ll buy you a drumkit.”
Of course, Homme’s dad’s challenge ended up making Homme obsessed with the guitar. And that’s what he does best to this day with Queens Of The Stone Age. The band’s latest record, Perfecth, is due to drop October 30, and a pair of teasing singles, Insignificant Other and Easy Street, are already out.
Queens Of The Stone Age’s Perfecth drops on October 30. You can pre-order it now.
The post Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme on why his first guitar experience was playing polka: “In the desert there wasn’t a lot of guitar teachers” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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