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Martin continues its commitment to sustainability with new penguin-themed acoustic guitar for Earth Day
It’s Earth Day 2026, and regular as clockwork, Martin has unveiled its latest nature-themed acoustic guitar celebrating its commitment to sustainability.
Every year, on Earth Day, Martin showcases a brand-new Biosphere guitar that pairs meaningful artistry” with responsibly sourced materials. Like last year’s D Biosphere III, this year’s guitar, the 00L Biosphere IV, sports original artwork from renowned artist and Martin collaborator Robert Goetzl.
This year, Martin’s focus turns to “one of the most extreme and fragile environments on Earth: Antarctica.
The stunning artwork across the guitar’s Sitka spruce top showcases the powerful moment between an emperor penguin and its chick. “Shielded from the Antarctic wind, the image reflects both resilience and vulnerability in a rapidly changing world.” Martin says.
“When your environment is at threat, you feel very protective of your offspring – and the creatures around you that need protecting,” says Goetzl. “That’s what this piece is about.”
Credit: Martin
Alongside its artwork-adorned Sitka spruce top, the sloped-shoulder 00L Biosphere IV features a sapele back and sides, plus a flamed maple binding. There’s also a modified Low Oval neck with a High-Performance Taper, as well as a 1 ¾” fingerboard width at the nut. Other features include an FSC-certified ebony bridge, plus a scalloped X bracing.
Both left- and right-handed configurations are available, both priced at $2,399.99.
Credit: Martin
Alongside the launch, Martin has partnered with the Global Penguin Society, and has given a “generous donation” to its mission to protect penguins, preserve critical coastal habitats and advance global education and stewardship.
Martin has also released its 2025 Impact report, highlighting its continued progress in environmental sustainability. Milestones include:
- 103 grants awarded through the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, totalling $594,750
- $35,000+ in donated instruments for music education and environmental causes
- First Martin Sustainability Summit held at the solar-powered Commerce Lane facility
- Six new instruments built with sustainable and domestically abundant tonewoods
- 200+ tons of recycled material across Martin facilities
Learn more about the 00L Biosphere IV at Martin, and check out Martin’s 2025 Impact Report in detail.
The post Martin continues its commitment to sustainability with new penguin-themed acoustic guitar for Earth Day appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
This Jackson x Blizzard guitar is a Diablo player’s wet dream
Are you a guitar-loving metalhead who also happens to be fanatical about Diablo? Your two biggest passions might not always be catered for at the same time, but today, this one’s bang on the money.
Forged in the fires of Jackson’s design room in partnership with Diablo developers Blizzard Entertainment, we introduce you to the X Series Limited Edition Diablo Kelly HT. Inspired by the dark world of the Diablo video game series, this guitar is a contender for one of the most metal six-strings ever.
Adorned with the menacing visage of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred – one of the three Prime Evils of the Diablo universe – the guitar sports a hellish black, red and white colour scheme across a nyatoh body with a blood-red binding which wraps the body, neck and headstock. Elsewhere, there’s a through-body one-piece maple neck with graphite reinforcement, plus a 12”-16” compound-radius 24-fret amaranth fingerboard with custom red Diablo-inspired inlays.
Credit: Jackson
Metal-ready tones come by way of a pair of Jackson-designed high-output pickups with a singular volume control. “When you’re channeling pure evil, you need maximum output, period,” says Jackson.
Other “battle”-ready features include a Jackson hardtail bridge built for “exceptional tuning stability and enhanced sustain”, plus precision die-cast tuners.
Credit: Jackson
“The Blizzard and Diablo partnership is a natural fit because it fuses the raw, high-performance aggression of Jackson guitars with the dark, immersive mythology of Diablo,” says Jon Romanowski, VP of Product, Jackson.
“The Diablo graphic amplifies that identity, making the guitar feel powerful and visually commanding, carrying the game’s darkness and intensity in every detail. The Jackson Kelly is the perfect platform for this sort of endeavour as its sharp angles and horns give it a weapon-like appearance. It’s a physical crossover between metal culture and gaming lore that feels authentic, collectible and built for the same audience.”
Watch YouTube star Cole Rolland demo the guitar below:
“This guitar is the essence of Diablo forged in the real world,” says Gavian Whishaw, executive producer and VP of Diablo IV.
“Jackson has captured the metal, infernal power of the battle between good and evil with the sleek red and black design. This collaboration is for those who stand at the crossroads of Hell and Rock and Roll, and turns that passion into something you can hold, play and unleash. It’s a crossover we’re proud to crank up to eleven.”
The X Series Limited Edition Diablo Kelly HT is available now, priced at $1,299.99 / £1,199 / €1,409, and comes with a premium Jackson gig bag.
“Perfect for metal masters seeking the ultimate collector’s piece and players who demand both crushing tone and jaw-dropping aesthetics,” Jackson says. “This limited run won’t last forever – prepare to unleash hell and make a deal with the devil for incredible sound.”
Credit: Jackson
The Jackson x Diablo guitar lands at a crucial moment in the history of the massive online game, as 28 April will see a new expansion, Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred. Diablo IV launched in 2023, shattering records as the best-selling opening in Blizzard’s history, crossing an eerie $666 million in global revenue within the first five days of release.
Jackson’s parent company Fender is no stranger to partnering with media franchises on super-cool limited-edition guitars. Last year, Fender Japan unveiled three Godzilla-themed Stratocaster guitars – with one even able to roar at the push of a button.
Learn more at Jackson.
The post This Jackson x Blizzard guitar is a Diablo player’s wet dream appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Alternative rockers: 10 cool new dirt pedals you need in 2026
It’s at least 20 years now since the boutique stompbox industry really took off – and while makers have had to deal with some economic ups and downs over that period, for tone-hungry guitar players this is the boom that just keeps on booming. That’s especially true in the marvellously mucky world of overdrive, distortion and fuzz.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with the classics: if you want to stick with established noise makers like the Ibanez Tube Screamer, ProCo Rat and Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, they’re all still around and still sounding fabulous – as are their countless clones and tributes. But this is a great time for pedal buyers in search of something a little bit different.
All the pedals on this list have been launched with the intention of offering an alternative to the usual staples. That doesn’t mean they all sound like barking jackals or faulty washing machines, though: this is a highly diverse selection of products, and some of them are actually very tasteful indeed.
Most are from North America but there are also representatives of the UK and mainland Europe – even prim little Switzerland! – and while not all of them can claim to be truly ‘boutique’ or even ‘indie’, each one has the tones to be worth taking a chance on.
At a glance:
- Best pedal for fuzzy chaos: Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz
- Best combined overdrive and clean boost: Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante
- Best Tube Screamer alternative: DOD Badder Monkey
- Best pedal for black-panel crunch: Superlunar SR-01
- Best vintage-voiced fuzz: Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver
- Best fuzz for shoegaze: RhPf Electronics Mosrawr
- Best all-rounder: Silktone Expander
- Best fuzz with modulation: Blue FX Fuzz Fields
- Best dual overdrive: Warm Audio Throne of Tone
- Best pedal for tweed crunch: Lazy J x ThorpyFX The J
- Why you can trust Guitar.com
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Best pedal for fuzzy chaos: Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz
Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz. Image: Adam Gasson
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You know pretty much what this one’s about just from the name – at least, you do if you’re a fan of British alt-rock gods Muse. Frontman Matt Bellamy is the majority shareholder in Manson these days, and the Devon guitar maker’s first stompbox is a bold and belligerent fuzz that nods to the band’s biggest hit, Supermassive Black Hole.
But this hefty unit, built in collaboration with ThorpyFX, is not just about bringing the colossalness while you strut across an imaginary stadium stage – it also has an extremely powerful EQ filter with adjustable bandwidth and a footswitchable ‘peak’ mode for fruity feature sounds that will leap out from any mix.
Need more? Read our Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz review.
Best combined overdrive and clean boost: Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante
Image: Richard Purvis
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If we hop to the opposite end of the scuzz spectrum, we find the Konstante: a drive and boost pedal that’s about as recklessly noisy as a sleeping cat… and very nearly as adorable.
The left side of this compact unit is based on the Greer Lightspeed, a hugely popular boutique overdrive that specialises in adding dirt without colouring your tone too much; and the right side is inspired by the preamp of an old Echoplex tape delay. Neither one is especially radical on its own, but the way you can combine them – in either order – makes this German-made stomper unusually flexible, and a bit of a low-key gem.
Need more? Read our Twilight Pulse Audioworks Konstante review.
Best Tube Screamer alternative: DOD Badder Monkey
Image: Adam Gasson
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The story behind the Badder Monkey is, frankly, a bit silly. But there’s nothing silly about the performance of the pedal itself – an enhanced reissue of the Bad Monkey made in the early 2000s by DOD’s sister brand DigiTech. That was a simple overdrive in the Tube Screamer vein, and it wasn’t much missed… until Josh Scott, JHS Pedals boss and one-man YouTube infestation, published a video suggesting it could sound as good as the almighty Klon Centaur.
The fact is, the Badder Monkey only exists because of the hype generated by that moment. That’s nothing to complain about, though: this new pedal is not just a remake but a much more versatile overdrive with a unique ‘barrel’ control that blends between three different variants of the circuit, and it sounds ace. Thanks, Josh!
Need more? Read our DOD Badder Monkey review.
Best pedal for black-panel crunch: Superlunar SR-01
Image: Richard Purvis
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The hardest thing to do with this boost, drive and fuzz pedal is tear your eyes away from its stunning asymmetrical design for long enough to start playing. And the second-hardest thing is to stop playing, because it sounds very nearly as tasty as it looks.
The SR-01 sets out to recreate the tones of a mid-60s Fender amp, ranging from mild breakup all the way through to the kind of raggedly fuzzy mayhem that you’d only get from the real thing by cranking it up to full blast and making your housemates cry. The controls don’t always feel intuitive, but it nails every aspect of the brief.
Need more? Read our Superlunar SR-01 review.
Best vintage-voiced fuzz: Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver
Image: Richard Purvis
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If you’re hunting for new tones, 1971 might not seem like the most obvious place to look… but the Colorsound Overdriver is a forgotten giant of early British fuzz, and this cheeky little chunk is proof that you don’t have to rely on the usual Fuzz Face and Tone Bender circuits if you want to sound huge and hairy.
In fact, this pedal from Tru-Fi’s new Mini range includes recreations of two Colorsound models: flick up the toggle switch and you get the 1969 Power Boost, which is simply the Overdriver running on 18v instead of 9v. Both are very much vintage in character, and surprisingly versatile.
Need more? Read our Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver review.
Best fuzz for shoegaze: RhPf Electronics Mosrawr
Image: Richard Purvis
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This is a high-gain fuzz that sounds great on its own, but what it really wants to do is hang out with other, like-minded pedals and create towering walls of noise together. Because the Swiss-made Mosrawr from RhPf Electronics is specifically designed for “shoegaze, noise rock and post-rock”.
In tonal terms, that means it’s extremely gnarly and has a strong midrange to ensure it stays clear in the mix, never dissolving into washiness even when it’s running through excessive delay and/or reverb. It works brilliantly as a tool to bring the rage to your soundscaping adventures… and as a not inconsiderable bonus, it’s got a bright pink dinosaur on it.
Need more? Read our RhPf Electronics Mosrawr review.
Best all-rounder: Silktone Expander
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The really smart thing about this ultra-high-class American boutique overdrive is its tone control… or, to look at it another way, the fact that it doesn’t have one. What the Silktone Expander does have is a ‘choke’ knob for rolling off the lower frequencies and a three-way toggle switch for dark, normal or bright voicing. And that’s quite the potent pairing.
Yes, it takes a while to properly get the best out of such an unconventional EQ setup, but the array of different tones on offer here is amazing – aided by a gain range that covers everything from crispy grit to splatty fuzz, with lots of lovely crunch sounds in between.
Need more? Read our Silktone Expander review.
Best fuzz with modulation: Blue FX Fuzz Fields
Image: Richard Purvis
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The key with this Danish-built stomper is supposed to be all the things it can do beyond fuzz – including tremolo, vibrato and synthy envelope-following sweeps – but wait! If you’re in too much of a hurry to explore all the kooky stuff you’ll miss the best bit. Yes, the extra tricks are great, and make this a truly unique stompbox, but underpinning all that is a core fuzz voice that’s rich, smooth and downright enormous.
The Blue FX Fuzz Fields is an expensive bit of kit – especially if you pay extra for the ‘It’ control module, which is definitely worth getting to unlock all the rhythmic effects – and it’s also on the complicated side. But fuzzes with filtering and modulation don’t get better than this.
Need more? Read our Blue FX Fuzz Fields review.
Best dual overdrive: Warm Audio Throne of Tone
Image: Press
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On the face of it, the Warm Audio Throne of Tone has no business being on this list: it’s just a couple of clones in one box, isn’t it? Well, no, not quite. The basics are, indeed, basic – it’s a dual overdrive based on the Marshall Bluesbreaker and Analogman King of Tone – but then you notice that it’s got eight knobs and seven toggle switches, and realise (unless you’re very bad at maths) that there must be something more going on here.
In fact, both sides of this pedal are identical, and each can be set to either circuit – so you can have two Bluesbreakers, a full double King, or one running into the other in either order. You also get an added presence control on each side, making this way more versatile than the average two-in-one drive.
Need more? Read our Warm Audio Throne of Tone review.
Best pedal for tweed crunch: Lazy J x ThorpyFX The J
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The first thing that marks this out as no ordinary drive pedal is the sketchy handwritten scrawl of the control panel; the second is the fact that two of those controls are marked ‘Response’ and ‘Supply’. Intriguing… and even more so when you clock that the two designers behind this collab are Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX and Jesse Hoff of Lazy J Projects.
This is, essentially, Jesse’s J 20 combo – one of the best tweed-style amplifiers you can buy – in stompbox form. The angle is ultra-realism, in feel as well as tone. You get footswitchable normal and bright channels, and even a toggle switch for flipping between simulated 12AX7 and 12AY7 preamp valves. This might be the ultimate overdrive for people who don’t like their pedals too… well, pedally.
Need more? Read our Lazy J x ThorpyFX The J review.
Why You Can Trust Us
Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.
That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
The post Alternative rockers: 10 cool new dirt pedals you need in 2026 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“It’s such a player’s guitar”: how the Pacifica SC is shifting the perception of Yamaha’s most popular instrument
Ad feature with Yamaha
For decades, Yamaha’s Pacifica has been a byword for quality and reliability at the affordable end of the guitar spectrum. In fact, if you’re reading this there’s a good chance that you made your start on a Pacifica guitar that offered a level of sound, playability and build that vastly outperformed its humble price tag.
But in the last few years, you’ll have noticed the buzz around the Pacifica change somewhat. Back at NAMM 2024, Yamaha revealed the brand new Pacifica Professional and Standard Plus guitars – instruments that redefined what people expected when they saw that iconic Pacifica logo on a guitar’s headstock. The new Pacificas were the result of years of research and development of the kind that only Yamaha could do – painstakingly reimagining the brand’s most successful and famous guitar for a new era, and a new type of player.
And that was the most interesting thing of all – Yamaha wasn’t just speaking to beginner guitar players to find out what they needed, they were speaking to professionals, artists: those whose experience was vast and whose requirements were exacting.
Plenty of other student-focused guitars have evolved to find themselves deployed across the biggest stages and the biggest stars – it was Pacifica’s turn. There will always be a Pacifica guitar for the beginner of course, but Yamaha knew it was time for model to spread its wings and show just how good it can be – and for 2026, this revolution is reaching a whole new level.
Single Minded
The single-cut Pacifica has been something of a cult hit among aficionados of the model. It hasn’t been a regular feature in the brand’s line-up since the late 90s, but earlier this year that changed with the launch of the Pacifica SC in both Japan-made Professional and Standard Plus configurations. Instantly, artists stood up and took notice.
In a few short months, the guitar has found its way into the hands of some of the most respected musicians in their fields, in a way that few Pacifica guitars before have done. But that’s actually quite fitting.
Because real ones will know that while the single-cut hasn’t been in the standard Pacifica line for decades, it has lived on in the shape of Yamaha’s only Pacifica signature model – the Japan-made 1611 Mike Stern. The modern SC takes the torch that jazz virtuoso Stern has been carrying for years and pushes it to another level, and he’s no longer alone in singing its praises.
One of the SC’s early adopters is Britpop legend Graham Coxon. The Blur guitarist used a single-cut guitar to craft some of the most iconic and inventive guitar riffs of the 90s, but he was also informally involved in the development of the model with Yamaha. We did say they’d been consulting with professionals… they weren’t doing things by half measures.
But Coxon’s interest in the Pacifica SC has been more than just as a consultant – he’s come to really love the guitar as he’s spent more time with it.
“The neck is very comfortable,” Coxon explains. “The guitar seems to disappear when playing it leaving nothing between you and the sound, and those Rupert Neve pickups are flipping amazing! This guitar is getting a lot of use in the studio right now.”
Another artist who’s flying the flag for the Pacifica SC is Jack Taylor from rising British indie band Corella, and as is often the case with a Yamaha guitar, the craftsmanship and consistency have helped make him a convert.
“When I first picked up the new Pacifica SC I was really impressed by the overall build quality, every detail felt as though it’d been properly thought through and designed with intention,” Jack explains. “The stand out feature for me is the playability, it’s so easy to play I’ve found myself reaching for it more and more in our live shows. The pickups also sound great, they’re super dynamic and responsive, whilst being really defined in the top end.”
Jack Taylor of Corella performing with the Yamaha Pacifica SC.
Pushing The Boundaries
That artists are falling in love with the Pacifica SC is no surprise – it’s one of the most thoughtfully and carefully designed electric guitars on the market today, with every aspect of the design contributing to the whole.
You can see it in the body itself, which is meticulously contoured for maximum comfort. It’s a far more ergonomic proposition than a traditional single-cut, while the smoothly carved neck joint heel, and perfectly balanced design provide effortless upper fret access that allows you immersive, stress-free playing.
That body also takes advantage of Yamaha’s innovative Acoustic Design technology – a process of precisely routing the body wood to maximise resonance and vibration through the neck, and thereby enhancing the sustain.
You’ll also find it in the Reflectone pickups that Coxon was raving about. Designed in collaboration with Rupert Neve Designs, these SH pickups deliver clear, articulate tones with solid lows and sparkling highs, with the EQ-shaping Focus switch adding further tone-shaping options.
Combine all this with premium hardware from Gotoh, a wonderful selection of eye-catching classic colours, and great looks, and it’s no wonder that artists are falling head over heels with the Pacifica SC.
“I love the new Pacifica SC, it’s such a player’s guitar,” enthuses Circa Waves guitarist Joe Falconer. “It puts out a broad selection of tones that are practical in almost any situation in the studio and on stage. I love how it feels in my hands and it’ll definitely be a workhorse for me on tour over the summer.”
The professionals are already getting the message, isn’t it time for you to see if the Pacifica SC can be your new workhorse too?
Find out more about the Pacifica SC at yamahaguitargroup.com
The post “It’s such a player’s guitar”: how the Pacifica SC is shifting the perception of Yamaha’s most popular instrument appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Review: The Heirloom-Worthy Preston Thompson 0000-EIA Pairs Dreadnought Power with OM Clarity
“The label went, ‘Steve’s got three necks and you have two. You know what you need?’ And I went, ‘Four’”: The story behind Michael Angelo Batio’s ludicrous quadruple-neck guitar
When it comes to wacky guitar design, Michael Angelo Batio has a strong claim to the crown. You probably already know him for his double neck guitar, which unlike a standard double neck guitar features two necks facing in opposite directions, but he also once designed something far weirder: a guitar with four necks.
And in a new interview with Guitar World, the guitarist recalls how a sort of rivalry with virtuoso Steve Vai led his label to push him to expand his design horizons (even further than they already were).
He explains that the inverted-commas “rivalry” came about after Vai revealed his triple-neck heart guitar while performing with David Lee Roth.
“What happened was, I had a two-neck guitar, and then Steve Vai came out with his three-neck heart guitar. My label wanted me to challenge Steve to a duel. I didn’t see the point in competitions like that.”
Adding that he didn’t want to partake in a sort of real life Crossroads guitar duel, Batio continues: “The label went, ‘Michael… Steve’s got three necks and you have two. You know what you need?’ And I went, ‘Four.’ They loved it.
“As it happened, Wayne Charvel was building all my guitars. I said to him, ‘Can you do this?’ He said, ‘Sure.’ I have a good engineering mind for guitar design, so I designed the Quad. I told him how I thought it should be four separate guitars, and that was that. It was the wildest thing. There was no limit to what we were trying to do.”
Michael Angelo Batio ultimately debuted the Quad guitar – which featured two seven-strings on top and two six-strings on the bottom – in the 1989 music video for Nitro’s Freight Train. Check it out below:
The post “The label went, ‘Steve’s got three necks and you have two. You know what you need?’ And I went, ‘Four’”: The story behind Michael Angelo Batio’s ludicrous quadruple-neck guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“It became a very expensive hobby – we were getting barred from hotels we liked to stay in”: Inside the raucous touring world of the Eagles in the ’70s
Following the departure of founding guitarist Bernie Leadon in 1975 – which followed a period of creative tension and ultimately a confrontation with Glenn Frey where Leadon poured a beer over Frey’s head – the Eagles were imbued with a new rock streak with the entry of Joe Walsh.
But as Don Henley explains in the latest issue of Guitar World, the introduction of Walsh meant the raucous rock ‘n’ roll antics soon followed.
Henley explains how the addition of Walsh into the fold helped spring the band – and guitarist Don Felder – forward.
“Joe, being a bona fide rock ‘n’ roll guitar slinger, was the perfect foil for Don Felder,” he says. “They propelled one another in a friendly-but-competitive sort of way. We had upped our horsepower. This is not to take anything away from Bernie, who was – and still is – a highly-skilled musician.”
Joe Walsh also kicked the unruliness up a notch, as Henley continues: “Keith Moon [The Who drummer] and Joe were good buddies, and that, of course, led to some mischief.
“It was amusing for a little while, but it eventually became a very expensive hobby, and we were beginning to get barred from some of the hotels we liked to stay in. So after a while, the chainsaws got locked away in storage and other kinds of dramas replaced the ‘remodelling’ of rooms and hallways… But, at least Joe got a hit song out of it! [1978’s Life’s Been Good].”
Last year, Don Felder re-recorded his 1981 solo cut Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride) for his latest album The Vault – Fifty Years of Music. The song has roots in the Eagles’ late-’70s heyday, and was originally written as the ultimate guitar showdown between he and Joe Walsh.
The song was written in the wake of the band’s career-defining album and smash hit track Hotel California.
“It had a real kind of heavy hand to it and I wrote it so that Joe and I could play even harder than we did – or edgier than we did – on Hotel California, against each other,” he said. “It had harmony parts, trading-off solos and a much harder rock edge.”
The post “It became a very expensive hobby – we were getting barred from hotels we liked to stay in”: Inside the raucous touring world of the Eagles in the ’70s appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The Ben Harper Gold Label 512e Special Edition
Another Big Muff Variant
Film About The First Black Hippie With Iggy Pop And Patti Smith Hits The Festival Circuit
Press Release
Source: Adrenaline PR
The Song of Hiawatha: The Life and High Times Of The First Black Hippie is a feature-length documentary chronicling queer political activist and musician of African-American and Native-American ancestry, Hiawatha Bailey, recognized as the first black hippie.
The film traces Hiawatha’s path as part of the African-American “great migration” from the Deep South to Detroit in the 1950s, “turning on” to LSD and joining a commune in 1965, becoming the only Black member of a revolutionary cadre known as the White Panthers in 1968, serving a four-year prison term, starting a musical outfit in prison, and forming the Cult Heroes, a punk rock band, in 1978.
The cast includes a select array of rockers and activists (two were on the FBI 10 Most Wanted List): Hiawatha Bailey, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Wayne Kramer, John Sinclair, Cheetah Chrome, Niagara Detroit, Ron Ashton, Pun Plamondon, Professor Judson Jeffries, Leni Sinclair, Genie Plamondon, David Fenton, Lawrence Livermore, John Brannon, Maxie Chanel, Jennifer Holiday Chanel, and Deniz Tek. Documents include a letter from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, a landmark Supreme Court decision, a contract signed by John Lennon, and many never-before-seen photos dating back beyond the 1960s. The soundtrack features music by The MC5, The Rationals, Cult Heroes, John Brannon’s pre-Negative Approach band Static, and African-American punk rockers Pure Hell, with additional scoring by Elan Portnoy (Fuzztones).
The Song of Hiawatha floats along in a psychedelic haze as it touches on sensitive issues of race, rock, radicalism, sexual identity, prison life, and antiquated drug laws, so smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Can you dig it?
“This film has the potential to tell a different story about the American rock counterculture than the one we are used to hearing.” – James Sclavunos, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“This film will illuminate fundamental questions about past events by offering a particularly fresh look at the New Left and its complex relationships to culture and society. So doing, it will beckon audiences to join in understanding the complex configuration of elements that compose the American experience.” — Professor Ira Katznelson, History and Political Science, Columbia University
“The film chronicles the activities of the Black Panthers, the White Panthers, FBI surveillance, and how it all came together to shape the character of one counterculture punk rocker.” — Ann Arbor Observer
Producer Biography – Steven Blush
STEVEN BLUSH got his start in the 1980s promoting hardcore punk rock shows in Washington, DC. He published the award-winning Seconds Magazine and served as music editor for the late, great PaperMagazine, where he became the first writer to cover both rock and hip-hop.
His journalism has appeared in over 25 publications, including: Spin, Details, Interview, The Village Voice, and The Times of London. Blush has written ten books about rock and pop culture, culture — American Hardcore (2001), American Hair Metal (2005), .45 Dangerous Minds (2006), American Hardcore: Second Edition (2010), Lost Rockers (2016), New York Rock (2017), American Hair Metal: Can’t Get Enough (2023), and the trilogy of When Rock Met Disco (2023), When Rock Met Reggae (2024) and When Rock Met Hip-Hop (2026) — as well as Bustin’ Balls (2010), about Billie Jean King’s rebel tennis league, currently in television development. He wrote and produced the critically acclaimed, theatrically released, Sundance-premiered documentary film American Hardcore (Sony Pictures Classics, 2006).
JEFFREY WENGROFSKY has made ten short films about figures in the cultural underground of his native Lower East Side of New York, from the Warhol superstar Taylor Mead and anarcho-theater director Judith Malina, to hippie noise lords The Godz. Wengrofsky is also the author of The Wolfboy of Rego Park (Far West Press). The Song of Hiawatha is his first feature film.
Jeffrey Wengrofsky
This Custom Amp Configurator from Sweetwater and Mesa Boogie lets you design the amp of your wildest dreams
Imagine having the ability to visually customise your very own Mesa Boogie amplifier online before ordering it? Now, at Sweetwater, you can.
Thanks to a new partnership between the retail giant and legendary amp maker, a new interactive Custom Amp Configurator lets customers do exactly that, creating one-of-a-kind amps that “reflect their personal style and creative vision”.
At launch, Sweetwater’s Mesa Boogie configurator features over a dozen different amp models, with more amps and custom options to come “soon”.
Customers can choose from a range of base models, including combos like the Fillmore 50, Mark Five and Mark Seven, heads including the ‘90s Dual Rectifier, Triple Crown 100 and even the JP-2C John Petrucci Signature, plus a range of cabinets.
From there, choose your material – there’s some pretty out-there options aside from the classic black or monochrome, including red or orange… – then top panel colour, grille, piping, corners and handle. You can pick any combination of colour options for each of these, with “millions of possible combinations available”, according to Sweetwater.
“The goal of the configurator is to let people truly visualise the Mesa Boogie amp they’ve been dreaming of,” says Matt Duncan, Vice President of Merchandising Operations at Sweetwater.
“When customers visit Sweetwater, they can customise their amp in real time by selecting model, custom details, and colour, and instantly see an amp that inspires them to create more music.”
“At Mesa Boogie, we’ve been crafting custom amplifiers from the very beginning, and partnering with Sweetwater allows us to elevate that tradition in an exciting new way,” adds Barry Staller, Amplifier Business Development Manager at Gibson (Mesa Boogie’s parent company).
“Our new configurator empowers players to shape their dream amp with ease and creativity. Sweetwater has always championed Mesa Boogie, and we can’t wait to see the remarkable custom builds musicians imagine.”
Check out the Mesa Boogie Custom Amp Configurator at Sweetwater, and start designing your own right now…
The post This Custom Amp Configurator from Sweetwater and Mesa Boogie lets you design the amp of your wildest dreams appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Matteo Mancuso’s Wide-Open Road
Matteo Mancuso doesn’t like to think too much—not when he has a guitar in his hands, which seems to be most of the time. “The less I think, the better,” he says. “I like to be instinctive, especially when I improvise. Most of my music is centered around improvisation, so I need to feel very free. Otherwise, I’ll be second-guessing each move I make and I’ll be judging myself.”
He cites one of his favorite quotes, this one from drummer Vinnie Colaiuta: “Thought is the enemy of flow.” “I agree with that 100 percent,” he says. Which isn’t to suggest that Mancuso can blank his mind entirely. There are times when he’ll stop and listen to where his nimble bandmates—bassist Riccardo Oliva and drummer Gianluca Pellerito—are going, and if they’re headed in a cool direction, he’ll take right off with them. “That’s the beauty of playing with some very creative musicians,” he says. “They’ll usually present you with some good ideas if you just give yourself a moment to listen.”
Conversely, he reasons, should he ever find himself headed down the wrong musical path or boxed in a corner, he can always lay the blame on his bandmates. “That’s the most important part—the band leader never makes a mistake,” he says with a laugh. “It’s always the rhythm section’s fault.”
Matteo Mancuso’s Gear
Guitars
- Yamaha custom Revstar (with DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary humbuckers)
- Yamaha custom Pacifica (with DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary humbucker and two DiMarzio Area 61 single-coils)
Amps & Modelers
- Line 6 Helix Stadium XL
- Fractal FM9
- Marshall JCM800
- Mesa/Boogie Mark IIA
- Marshall 4x12 cabinet
Strings, Picks, & Cables
- Dogal strings (.009–.042, for electrics), (.010–.046, for acoustics)
- Fender medium picks
- LAB Audio Technology cables
Things have been moving pretty fast for Mancuso since the release of his knockout 2023 debut album, The Journey, and they’re bound to accelerate even faster now that he’s finally gotten around to issuing a more-than-worthy follow-up, Route 96. His development and swift rise are already becoming the stuff of legend: Born in Palermo, Italy, he picked up the guitar at age 10 and was mentored by his musician father, Vincenzo. His rapacious musical appetite—everything from Angus Young to Django Reinhardt—was equaled by his preternatural skills, and it wasn’t long before he refined a lightning-fast, pickless fingerstyle that left many in the guitar community speechless.
Even before he graduated from music school (he studied jazz guitar at Palermo Conservatory of Music), videos of Mancuso and his one-time trio SNIPS signaled that something big was afoot. The band’s breakneck, chops-a-plenty cover of Pee Wee Ellis’ “The Chicken” went viral (it’s now at over three million views), and soon he was receiving huzzahs and hosannas from some of his idols. Steve Vai called him “the future of electric guitar.” Joe Bonamassa weighed in, saying that Mancuso had “reinvented the instrument.” And Al Di Meola went so far as to write him personally to say, “Matteo, what are you doing? You’re killing us!” In time, the young guitar star would jam—and hold his own—with all three admirers.
The praise has continued from all corners, but Mancuso is doing a good job of keeping his feet on the ground and his head on his shoulders. “I try not to pay too much attention to that stuff,” he says, adding, “but you know, I’m human. The point is, the best judge of what you’re doing is you. Whenever I see people saying these things, I try to keep everything in perspective. I don’t consider myself the best guitar player in the world. Believe me, I know what my strengths and weaknesses are.”
“Most of my music is centered around improvisation, so I need to feel very free.”
Asked to name a few of those weak spots, he answers without hesitation: “I’d like to follow my ear more during improvisations. Sometimes that can be hard if you know a lot of things on the guitar, because you’re relying on muscle memory. Another thing is timing—I always like to work with a metronome. It’s not necessarily a weakness, because I think I have a good feel for time, but it’s something I need to do every day. If you don’t keep up with it, your skills can degenerate pretty quickly. I also like to keep up with comping. I’m soloing most of the time, so it’s good to be able to comp with people.”
Whatever his perceived shortcomings, Mancuso is still operating at a vertiginously high level. He understands that there’s a portion of his audience looking to have their minds blown at every turn, but it hasn’t become a burden. “I guess there’s that ‘wow factor’ in my music, and I know when I’m doing that sort of thing,” he says. “The point is to express myself in a genuine way. I try to catch myself, like when I’m playing a solo and I’m doing everything I know—here’s a crazy tapping section, and here’s an alternate picking section—because I know people will go, ‘Whoa, that’s great.’ The temptation is to force myself to do complicated things, even if there’s no need to. I’m aware of it.”
Because he’s such an accomplished instrumental virtuoso (he can hit ferocious speeds like Di Meola or Van Halen, but also slip into violin-like legato phrasing like Eric Johnson at the drop of a hat), Mancuso’s compositional skills can go overlooked. The Journey offered heavy-duty prog-rock with a classical edge (“Silkroad”), supple-smooth jazz-swing (“Polifemo”), groove-filled jazz blues (“Blues for John”), and metallic rock (“Drop D”). The beauty of it all, and this is one of Mancuso’s greatest strengths, is how he managed to keep each song accessible but not predictable. There seemed to be an unsettled quality in one musical passage to the next, just long enough to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering where he would go next.
“That’s what it’s all about,” he says. “My goal is to always have an element of surprise, that feeling where you don’t always know how a song is developing, but it keeps heading toward something new. That’s what keeps things interesting. I think it’s very hard to achieve, but that’s what I’m trying to do most of the time.”
“My goal is to always have an element of surprise.”
A self-described “lazy guy” when it comes to composing, Mancuso put off thinking about a new album as long as he could. Eventually, his record label put the hammer down and imposed a deadline on him, forcing him to start working on new material. “I don’t even know if I’d have a new album if I didn’t have a deadline,” he says. “I don’t want to be as prolific as my label would like. I just want to play guitar.” Once he got with the program, new tunes started to reveal themselves, and little by little, Mancuso started to have fun with the process. “We played a lot of the new songs on tour, and that made a big difference. We’d been playing the same music for, like, three or four years, so it felt nice to change our setlist.”
One such tune was the aptly named “L.A. Blues One,” an easy-breezy shuffle that showcases the luscious combination of Mancuso’s clean, bell-like rhythm tone and his stinging, elastic soloing. “I really wanted to write something that was missing in our concerts—something simple with a stable groove,” he says. “For so long we’d been playing songs with all of these fast parts, so ‘L.A. Blues One’ is an important change of pace. It’s got a nice vibe, a blues shuffle, and the melody isn’t too busy. It’s a good song for people to settle into.”
By contrast, “Fire and Harmony,” a stunning blend of acoustic flamenco-tinged jazz and ripping electric fusion, has a lot going on, and in less capable hands it could fall apart. But Mancuso stitches each thread together like a master storyteller. “I knew I wanted to do something with both electric and acoustic soloing, so I started to develop the song based on that,” he says. “If you listen to the harmony in the intro, maybe you can hear the inspiration of Frank Gambale. I listened to his album Thunder from Down Under a lot as a kid.”
Thus far, Mancuso hasn’t taken part in a G3 Tour, but the ripsnorting, smart-alecky rocker “Black Centurion” gives you a pretty good idea of what he would sound like duking it out in a finale with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. “It’s something I always like to do with the more rocking songs—get a catchy riff and take it from there,” he says. “It’s very energetic. I’d say it’s got a Satch vibe.”
The album title, Route 96, refers to the year of Mancuso’s birth, as well as the 96kHz audio sample rate Steve Vai suggested he record at. “Most musicians record at 44 kilohertz, but Steve said that 96 gives better quality,” Mancuso explains. “It’s almost like the frames per second in filmmaking. The more frames you have, the smoother the film will look.”
Through the wonders of remote recording, Vai himself turns up in big, splashy, hi-beam form on the gonzo fusion-rock gem, “Solar Wind.” After laying down the tune’s main rhythms and some elegant leads, Mancuso emailed the file to Vai and waited to see what he would do. “I didn’t tell Steve what I was looking for, and I didn’t give him any kind of restrictions,” he says. “What he sent back was remarkable. It was pretty amazing, because he was touring with the SatchVai Band and BEAT at the time. He’s such a busy guy.”
“I would love to have a pop hit, but I don’t know if I’m able to do it.”
On a pair of bewitching cuts—“Warm Sunset” and “Isla Feliz”—Mancuso dips into a Latin-flavored mode. Both tracks follow the same framework: Start out gentle, then explode in a fireball at the end. Originally, he envisioned “Isla Feliz” as a purely acoustic piece, but he ultimately included sections of distorted electric soloing, while leaving plenty of room for his guest, gypsy-jazz star Antoine Boyer, to do his thing. “I think it’s a great combination—gypsy guitar, electric guitar, classical,” Mancuso says. “I gave Antoine the longer solos because that’s my general philosophy when I invite someone to play on one of my songs. I don’t want them to add just a tiny bit. Besides, you’re buying an album that has me playing lots and lots of solos. I like to keep it fresh.”
Gear-wise, Mancuso relied on his favored Yamaha Revstar and Pacifica custom models that he ran through different amp modeling processors, either a Line 6 Helix Stadium XL or a Fractal FM9. The only time he rocked out on real amps was for the song “Black Centurion,” on which he utilized a Marshall JCM800 for rhythms and a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIA for leads, both of which were paired with a Marshall 4x12 cabinet.
He stresses that the number one factor in his sound is his fingers—or, more precisely, his nails. “If my nails are too short, the sound is too muddy and dark no matter what pickup or amp I use,” he says. “If they’re too long, they get in the way while I’m playing. It’s very important to me that I have the right length to achieve the clarity and attack I like.”
Asked how he deals with chips and breaks, he holds up his right hand and waves around his index, middle, and ring fingers. “You see that? They’re fake,” he says. “I use acrylic nails on those fingers because natural nails don’t last long with an electric guitar. I remember last year they were completely broken, and I had to go to a nail salon in Tucson."
In all likelihood, Mancuso could play with a boxing glove and still come up with some incredible sounds. With his devastating gifts and mastery of so many musical styles, he could very well be the most versatile and fully formed young guitarist on the scene today, a status that affords him a host of options. He could record an all-out metal album and produce a monster. Or he could go pop and really flip people out. He isn’t ruling anything out.
“I would love to have a pop hit, but I don’t know if I’m able to do it,” he says. “The thing is, I’m not able to sing—that’s the key to that kind of success. George Benson is a great example. He made a lot of incredible music—“Breezin’,” “Weekend in L.A.”—but while he could sing, he also had tunes with no singing. There’s just a good song and a good melody. Maybe that’s a direction I’d like to have. The important thing is that I’m free to do the music I want. I’m open to every musical aspect.”
Ronnie Wood announces new UK and Germany solo shows due to overwhelming demand
Last month, Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood announced a rare solo show at Amsterdam’s Paradiso, to take place in September. The gig sold out in minutes, and when he added a second night due to the phenomenal demand, so, too, did the second.
Now, due to the continued demand, Ronnie Wood has added a pair of new dates to his 2026 touring itinerary, with a show at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum on 21 August and Cologne’s E-Werk on 3 September.
Described as an “opportunity to see one of the world’s most iconic guitarists outside of his stadium performances with the Rolling Stones”, the shows will mark the first full live solo sets Ronnie Wood has played in over 16 years.
Joining Ronnie Wood and his band on the dates will be his close friend, Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May, who he’s collaborated with numerous times on record, plus live, including at the 2023 Jeff Beck Tribute Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
“I’m looking forward to kickin’ ass with my back catalogue and some new songs – look out, London!” Ronnie says.
Elsewhere, Ronnie Wood has a new book coming out this year, Fearless: The Anthology, in which he’ll chart some of the most defining moments of his career, from performing in London clubs with The Birds in the ‘60s to his five decades with the Rolling Stones. The new edition will also open up Ronnie Wood’s instrument archive, showcasing a selection of his legendary guitars and rare instruments via special photography.
In an extract exclusively shared with Guitar.com, Ronnie remembers living with guitar icon Jimi Hendrix in the late ‘60s, saying he was a “quiet flatmate”.
“He’d just sit back and play right-handed or left-handed guitar – that ambidextrousness blew my mind. If I try to play left-handed it’s like giving a child a guitar.
Ronnie Wood’s Fearless: The Anthology is available now for pre-order. Tickets for his new London and Cologne shows go on sale this Friday, 24 April at 10am local time.
Credit: Ronnie Wood
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These budget-friendly guitars just got even cheaper – check out all the Squier deals in Guitar Center’s Guitar-A-Thon sale
Looking for a cheap and cheerful guitar to use at home? Or maybe you’re a beginner and you’re looking for a budget-friendly model to get you started? Well, look no further than Guitar Center’s Guitar-A-Thon sale, where over 20 Squier models are currently reduced.
All of the Squier models that are reduced online are below $700, with the cheapest coming in at $149.99. From Stratocasters to Telecasters, and even Mustangs and Jazzmasters, there’s something for all players, and you can even save on handy bundles including soft cases, straps, and mini amps to get you started.
[deals ids=”1C7yitDz0bZnLLRzpNGQUS”]
Just one one of the highlights is the limited-edition Squier Sonic Stratocaster in a Surf Green finish. This model is now reduced to $187.49, and offers a slim C-shaped neck profile and a thin, lightweight poplar body for comfort. It’s loaded with a trio of Squier ceramic single-coil pickups and has a five-way pickup switch, master volume and two tone controls for sound shaping.
Another Sonic model, exclusive to Guitar Center, is the uber-cool Squier Sonic Mustang in Graffiti Yellow, completed by a laurel fingerboard and a thin, lightweight body, a pair of Squier single-coil pickups, and a short 24” scale length. And speaking of short scale length, be sure to check out the limited-edition Mini Stratocaster, which is perfect for small players and is now $149.99.
Credit: Guitar Center
If you’re looking for something with humbucking power, the Squier Affinity Series Telecaster HH is currently reduced as part of the Guitar-A-Thon in an open-box deal. It offers a slim C neck and maple fingerboard, and two humbucking pickups featuring an open-coil design for a “brighter, tighter tone”, according to Guitar Center.
If you’re a complete beginner looking to get all the basic necessities to start playing, including amps, cables and plectrums, then there are four bundle deals included in the sale. These are:
- Sonic Stratocaster limited-edition model in Arctic White
- Sonic Stratocaster limited-edition model with Maple fingerboard, in Sonic Blue
- Sonic Stratocaster in Black
- Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster in Black
To view the full range of Squier deals in the Guitar-A-Thon, head over to Guitar Center.
The post These budget-friendly guitars just got even cheaper – check out all the Squier deals in Guitar Center’s Guitar-A-Thon sale appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Why Billy Corgan practiced guitar for years in total darkness
If you’re looking to play shows in dimly lit environments, you’d better know your guitar’s fretboard inside out. And how’s best to get to that point? As Billy Corgan would tell you, by practicing at length in total darkness.
In a new conversation on the And The Writer Is… podcast [via Guitar World], the Smashing Pumpkins frontman recalls his unusual practice regimen of practicing for four hours a day in the dark.
“I was the type of guy who would have a record on eight hours a day. I was literally that guy,” Corgan says, before elaborating on his decision to develop an obsessively strict practice schedule.
“I was like, ‘Okay, if I’m going to do this, I’m really going to do it.’ I made this weird decision that day: I’m going to play four hours a day. I don’t know why I picked four hours a day. I would time myself, and I would get up in the middle of night, play it in the middle of the night, in the dark, no light, and just learn how to play the guitar without seeing it.”
Corgan ultimately set a goal to practice guitar for four hours a day for four years in a row, and as you might predict, stuck to his goal.
“When I hit the four-year anniversary, I was like, ‘I’m good.’ I still practiced, but not like I did.”
So what do you think – is practicing at length in pitch-black darkness a smart way to get to know your guitar inside out, or a little overkill? We might give it a go and find out…
In the same interview, Billy Corgan touches on AI, and outlines his staunch opposition to the technology in music.
“You didn’t ask me, but I’m gonna make a declaratory statement,” he says. “I refuse, refuse, patently refuse to use AI in my music creation. Because, to me, it’s a deal with the devil. Simple. Whether it’s the Promethean fire myth or whatever, to me you’re literally leaning into the thing that will destroy you. Period.”
Watch the full podcast episode below:
The post Why Billy Corgan practiced guitar for years in total darkness appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard” Adam Granduciel on his love of effects and the next The War On Drugs album
If you’ve ever listened to The War On Drugs, you’ve probably guessed that frontman and guitarist Adam Granduciel likes his effects pedals. But you only have to broach the topic with him for a moment before it becomes apparent that he doesn’t just like pedals – he loves pedals.
“I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard,” he explains. “And I have so many pedalboards everywhere. I love that feeling of when you plug into one and just think, ‘Oh, that’s amazing!’”
The wonderfully dense, effected soundscapes that Granduciel has crafted to Grammy Winning-success across The War On Drugs’ discography is also notable for how heavily he leans not into the modern world of boutique effects, but the everyman excellence of the humble Boss pedal. Indeed, such is his love of Boss pedals, when we catch up with him backstage at the 2026 NAMM Show, he’s about to be honoured by Boss with a lifetime achievement award for his enduring and abiding love of the brand’s pedals – both new and old. It was a subject he was very keen to talk more about…
When did you first become aware of Boss pedals?
“I feel like, before even getting my own guitar, I was aware of Boss, because any picture you’d see when I started playing, of any band, on the floor you’d see like, yellow square, red square, purple square… y’know?
“Around this time, my friend Jeff’s dad, he had a red Washburn, a Boss RT digital effects system and a huge Peavey or whatever. And he encouraged me to play it. And the first time I played it, I couldn’t believe what I had experienced. All this chorus and distortion! So from the first time I played, I was just like I’ve got to get that sound. So I think pretty quickly I was aware of the gear that was making those things.
“I think I got my own guitar maybe a year later, and I bought Boss Flanger, and I borrowed someone’s DS-1. And then you know how it is, someone else has some other Boss pedal and so you plug into that and it’s amazing.
“And multi-effects were big then too – and they had an expression pedal! Man, I wanted one of those. But my mom was like, No, that’s too many! Just get one! So I got a flanger and maybe a wah. Boss is just one of those things that is synonymous with electric guitar playing for me.”
Obviously you could use anything at this point, what is it about Boss pedals that keeps you sticking with them?
“The sounds are just the best. I like an original 70s chorus, and then there’s an 80s one I use all the time, the pink Digital Dimension pedal, which I use on keyboards, guitar, and for re-amping. And then there’s the Slow Gear, which I use all the time, and the Dynamic Filter, which is like an auto-wah – there’s so many.
“Boss stuff, it’s all incredibly easy to figure out how to use. I was just thinking that because, [Adam starts playing around with a Roland drum machine on the desk in front of him] I can get this cooking in like, nine seconds, and it’s all just very intuitive. And that’s just the same with the Boss pedal. It just makes sense immediately, what you’re doing with it, yeah? And it’s always just been the most reliable thing, you know? Even the Boss tuner. If it’s not a Boss tuner, I don’t really trust it!”
You’re a guitar player who uses effects in such an involved but considered way, why do you love them so much?
“I’m not a guitar player who can just plug straight into a Marshall and that’s all I need – that’s not how I got into guitar. I’ve always been more into playing with like, delay and reverb. Or being like, ‘Oh, what does this modulation do?’ My style is about finding textures and ways to express myself with a guitar that feels like it’s an extension of my voice.”
Has that always been the case?
“Even when I started recording myself, it was on a Boss recorder that had all the effects sounds built into it. So I had a mic, and I would just plug the mic into the input and play the acoustic and through the headphones, it would sound like a rock guitar!
“You could add all the shit to it, and start coming up with worlds, you know? And it was a way of recording that, for me, was way cooler than, like a cassette four-track, because I didn’t have much gear. It was just like a guitar and recorder, really.”
You must still love the experimental side of pedals too…
“I have one rig at home that’s just like, seven chorus pedals with a wah at the end! Just to be like, ‘Maybe this could be something cool’. And then the studio, there’s all these different boards around. And always if I get bored, or the engineer’s like doing a mix, I’ll just start building a board! You know, get the Dual Lock! I don’t know, at this point, it’s just a way of life, you know?”
Is that experimentation maybe turning into a new The War On Drugs album?
“Yeah I’m almost done making a record, and we’re close to the end. I wanted to do something that’s not different, necessarily, in terms of the way it sounds, but something that’s trying to get back to the first couple of records I made.
“So it’s basically fully homemade. I mean, people always joke because I’m like, ‘I want to make a homemade record’. And they come to my house and my studio is like, vintage API and all my Neve stuff… and they’re like, ‘This is a homemade record?!’
“But the only way I could do this record is if I had all the time and the access to be able to do it the way I want. So, it’s coming along, but I just work on it all the time. It still sounds like a band, but there’s all sorts of stuff.”
Are there any new pedals that are heavily featuring on the new record?
“It’s always similar ones, like the Digital Dimension. I did get a Bi-Phase recently, a vintage one, so I put that on everything! I traded a whole bunch of stuff to a kid for a Bi-Phase!”
Finally then, if you could only have one Boss pedal, which one would it be?
“Oh, the Digital Dimension from the 80s. I put it on everything. It’s usually always on. I’ll have one at one setting and another one after a different setting. It just adds a glassiness. It’s not like a wobbly chorus, it’s like a very high-end shimmer. It just has something. It’s only four knobs, you know – but sometimes all of them are all the way up!”
The post “I wake up every morning thinking about what’s on my pedalboard” Adam Granduciel on his love of effects and the next The War On Drugs album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Freeze-Hold Delay In A Stompbox
Podcast 546: Michael Daves and Jacob Jolliff on Jim & Jesse
Guitarist Michael Daves and mandolinist Jacob Jolliff join us this week to talk about their latest project, ‘We Like Jim & Jesse!’ The album, a tribute to Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys, features 10 tracks by the famed bluegrass duo.
During our conversation, we talk about the magic of Jim & Jesse McReynolds, some of the unique quirks of their performance style (including Jesse’s wild fingernail routine), how Michael and Jacob recorded this tribute and more.
https://michaeldavesjacobjolliff.bandcamp.com/album/we-like-jim-jesse
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A petition has been started for a Randy Rhoads memorial statue in Burbank – and it’s gaining momentum fast
Many of the world’s most influential guitar players have had statues made in their honour commemorating their enduring impact. And the ones that don’t are regularly at the heart of fierce campaigns to have them recognised.
In November, it was revealed that a campaign to erect a statue in Belfast in tribute to blues icon Gary Moore had been successful, and that creation was underway.
Now, Ozzy Obsourne’s once-right-hand man Randy Rhoads is the centre of a campaign to get his statue erected in his hometown of Burbank, California.
The Randy Rhoads Memorial Project – started by musician and Randy Rhoads fan Bill Lonero – already has the backing of Randy’s sister, Kathy Rhoads D’Argenzio, as well as former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley, music photographer Neil Zlozower and Rhoads’ former Quiet Riot bandmate, bassist Kelly Garni.
At the time of writing, a petition to make the Randy Rhoads statue a reality has amassed 5,200 verified signatures on Change.org.
“Randy Rhoads is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in rock history,” says Bill Lonero. “His groundbreaking work with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot reshaped heavy metal, inspired generations of musicians around the world, and set new standards for guitar performance and composition.”
“Burbank is not just where Randy lived, it’s where he grew, where he taught, where he inspired, and where his legacy truly began,” the petition adds. “Honoring him there is more than appropriate, it’s personal. It’s meaningful. It’s home.
“If there is any place in the world that deserves to celebrate Randy Rhoads and preserve his legacy for future generations, it is the city of Burbank. Now is the time to make that recognition permanent.”
To add your signature to the petition, head over to Change.org. You can learn more at the Randy Rhoads Memorial Project.
The post A petition has been started for a Randy Rhoads memorial statue in Burbank – and it’s gaining momentum fast appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Ritchie Blackmore claims “most guitarists aren’t nice people”
Over his years playing in Deep Purple and Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore has crossed paths with plenty of musicians – but that doesn’t mean he got on with all of them.
In a recent Instagram live to celebrate his 81st birthday, the guitarist reveals that, behind the scenes, he’s been quite disappointed by his guitar-playing peers. “Most guitar players aren’t nice people,” he jokingly admits.
However, that doesn’t extend to Tommy Bolin, the guitarist who joined Deep Purple in 1975 to replace Blackmore. “He was such a nice guy that I couldn’t believe he was a guitar player…” Blackmore says. “I would go around his house, and we’d often have fun just talking to each other.”
Though, he does note one flaw with Bolin’s approach to guitar. “I said to Tommy once, ‘When did you last change your strings?’ ‘cause they were so caked in dirt and grit,” he says. “And he looked at me, like, ‘I should change them?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ And he said, ‘Well, probably about five years ago!’ He was a brilliant player, a great player, but he never changed his guitar strings!”
Regardless, Blackmore stands by Bolin’s skills and the value of his friendship. He concludes by saying: “There was never ever any envy, no competition whatsoever.”
Those themes of “envy” and “competition” seem to be at the centre of Blackmore’s “guitar players aren’t nice” claim; considering the rockstar ethos can come with a side of ‘ego’, it makes sense that a sense of competition and envying others might impact how nicely an artist treats their peers.
There’s plenty of competitiveness within the guitar world, with Exodus recently declaring themselves “faster” than thrash rivals Metallica and Megadeth. However, plenty of artists are trying to cut down on the toxic mindset of guitar-playing being a “competitive sport”.
Back in 2024, Swedish star Yngwie Malmsteen took to Instagram to encourage people to stop focusing on guitar rivalries and competitiveness. “Even if you are making a career out of it, if you play with the thought that I’m going to compete with another guitar player or another musician, you will be miserable,” he wrote. “Competition is for sports and athletes, not for guitar playing, period. [Guitar playing is] not a competition. The instrument of the guitar is to be played and enjoyed at any level.”
Last year, Mateus Asato shared similar reflections in his Guitar.com cover story. “After I won a guitar contest, I realised I never want to mix those things again in my life…” he said. “I understood that if I didn’t win, that would have probably sent me down a very melancholic road where I’d have probably decided that I did not want to play guitar any more… I know now that it’s not about competition.”
The post Ritchie Blackmore claims “most guitarists aren’t nice people” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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