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
General Interest
Death of Ace Frehley under investigation
An investigation into the death of KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has been launched.
The veteran musician died in Morristown, New Jersey on October 16 at the age of 74. A statement shared by Frehley’s family confirmed the guitarist – also known as Spaceman – died “peacefully surrounded by family” following “a recent fall at his home”.
Medical examiners in New Jersey confirmed they would be opening an investigation into the death. Frehley’s cause of death will be finalised in the next few weeks pending a toxicology report, according to a Morris County Medical Examiner who spoke to TMZ.
The medical examiner added that, while no autopsy was done, external examinations and a toxicology report are currently being carried out.
Credit: Gary Miller/Getty Images
A statement from Frehley’s family, released at the time of his death, reads: “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth.
“We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
Tributes were also made in an official statement from Kiss. A post to the band’s social media hailed Frehley as a crucial part of the group’s history.
Kiss’s tribute read: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.
“He is and will always be a part of Kiss’s legacy. Our thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
Frehley would found Kiss in 1973 alongside singer Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss. He left the band a decade later to pursue a solo career but rejoined the group in 1996. Frehley would leave again in 2002, and did not rejoin the band for their 2022 farewell tour.
Further tributes were made by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and progressive metal band Opeth. Ex-Kiss member Bruce Kulick also hailed Frehley as an “iconic guitar player” who had an “undeniable role in the creation and success of Kiss”.
The legendary guitarist, who once said he was an “anomaly” of a musician [via The Guardian], would help Kiss write hits like I Was Made for Lovin’ You, Detroit Rock City, and Love Gun. Frehley would also achieve success as a solo artist. He released his final album, 10,000 Volts, in 2024. It peaked at 72 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
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Podcast 522: Raymond Morin of Acoustic Music Works
Raymond Morin of Pittsburgh’s Acoustic Music Works joins us this week for an insightful chat about running a guitar store, music and so much more.
At a time when things seem pretty bleak for mom & pop guitar stores, Pittsburgh’s Acoustic Music Works is a true success story. They just moved to a new, larger location with a focus on a handful of higher-end brands and the occasional in-house concert.
https://acousticmusicworks.com
We talk about Raymond pivoting career-wise into the world of guitars; the guitar-building class he took before he became a salesperson; Collings and some of the other brands Acoustic Music Works carries; and Raymond’s own Pleinview line of instruments.
Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it.
Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org
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Gretsch CVT review: a cult classic reborn as a stripped down rock machine
$419/£499, gretschguitars.com
As this week’s cover story explained in more detail than I’ve got room to go into here, the Gretsch Corvette is something of a unique proposition in the world of electric guitars. Here we have a solidbody electric design that was created during the Golden Era of American electric guitar manufacturing, by one of the most beloved and famous brands of that time that hasn’t been done to death.
Let that sink in – despite the Corvette having found its way into the hands of literal icons like Jimi Hendrix and Rory Gallagher, this is a guitar that’s still under the radar. We live in a time guitarists are so desperate for the big brands to offer them something – anything – outside of the same half a dozen shapes that we’re seeing 70s landfill like the RD Artist and Starcaster get revived to huge fanfare.
Which is all to say it’s remarkable it’s taken Gretsch so long to get here. It’s been nearly 20 years since Gretsch first added an Electromatic Corvette into the line-up, and half a decade since it was discontinued. In that time, however, we’ve seen multiple signature models that speak to the design’s enduring appeal and outsider chic – for Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, guitar-toting rapper G. Love and most importantly Bleachers frontman and Taylor Swift mega-producer Jack Antonoff.
That guitar – technically branded a Princess, the Corvette’s short-lived little sister – is perhaps the most important piece in that puzzle. When that guitar dropped last year, people promptly lost their collective shit – as did I, frankly – and I don’t doubt that the resounding reception that guitar was given has fed into the revival of the Corvette into the line proper, albeit with a new name: the CVT.
Image: Adam Gasson
Gretsch CVT – what is it?
Pithily, it’s a Corvette without the vowels, innit? But on closer inspection there’s actually a fair bit here that explains why Gretsch felt the need to give it a new name altogether. For starters, when you put a classic Corvette next to the CVT, you’ll notice that the body has been subtly tweaked for reasons of both form and function.
Most notably the body is about a centimetre thicker than the original, while the carve on the sides has been lessened – you don’t get those SG-like edges here. The top horn has also been made a little stubbier than the original design, which makes the guitar look a little more stocky and aggressive – personally I think it’s a bit of a glow up, but your mileage may vary.
And there are more big changes outside of the cosmetic stuff. Most notably, the CVT is a bolt-on design rather than a set-neck – something that Gretsch says was done to take some of the low-end fuzziness out of the guitar’s all-mahogany build. The scale length is the same 24.6 inches as all the Gretsch Jets – so it’ll feel a little more compact than a Gibson but not really noticeably so. The headstock has also been tweaked – swapping the paddle-like original for a pointy ‘Falcon’-style option. The best compliment you can give it is that you’ll instantly assume it’s always been like that, as the shape compliments the body’s lines much more naturally.
Elsewhere you’ll find a pair of Gretsch’s Twin Six humbuckers and a no-fuss intonatable wrapover tune-o-matic-style bridge. As someone who absolutely loves Filter’Trons, I always think it’s a shame when Gretsch puts more generic humbucking pickups in its affordable guitars, but given the CVT’s hard-rocking target market, it probably makes sense. The humbuckers eschew any Gretsch switching eccentricity in favour of a simple three-way toggle with shared volume and tone controls.
Image: Adam Gasson
Gretsch CVT – build quality and playability
Even if you weren’t aware of the changes to the CVT’s body depth, you’d probably notice it when you heaved the guitar out of its box. This is no Les Paul in terms of its weight, but my example tipped the scales at very nearly 8lbs. Now, for most people, that’s perfectly acceptable, and you probably wouldn’t have a sore shoulder after gigging this all night. However, it was still heavier than I expected, and heavier than it looks like it should be – something that’s exacerbated somewhat by a lot of that weight seemingly focused on the bottom of the guitar. It’s not enough to make it feel unbalanced, but I still felt a pull to that end more than I’d like on the strap. It’s probably not helped by the baffling choice to stick the top strap button under the horn – just put it on the back!
That asides though, you really do have to remind yourself that this guitar barely costs $400. The build, fit and finish is absolutely flawless all over – I couldn’t find a single mark, rough edge, oversprayed finish or untidy assembly anywhere, and removing the scratchplate reveals a very tidy and unfussy wiring job too.
The neck profile is what Gretsch calls a ‘Performance C’ and it’s very comfortable if a tad generic. It won’t please the baseball bat aficionados, but it strikes a nice balance between giving you something to grip onto when you’re chugging away at the bottom end, without compromising the performance when you want to get a bit widdly up top. Speaking of which, the carve on the heel, while not removing the inherent chonk of a bolt-on arrangement, definitely makes those upper-fret excursions more comfortable than it would be otherwise. With very little to go wrong here, it’s perhaps no surprise that the tuning stability is rock solid, but you should never take it for granted – many a great guitar has been hampered fatally by an inability to stay in tune, and given this guitar’s rock-oriented persuasion, it needs to be able to take some heavy handed punishment and stay the course.
Image: Adam Gasson
Gretsch CVT – sounds
Unplugged resonance is always a great bellwether of an electric guitar’s overall performance, and again things are really encouraging here – it’s bright, snappy and lively. There is some minor string buzz on the D string when played open, but it’s probably a price worth paying for an action that is low and slinky.
In addition to its famous signature adherents, Gretsch is clearly aware of the brand’s growing popularity with artists at the heavier end of the spectrum and it’s hard not to see the CVT as a direct response to that.
That’s certainly the case when you plug in – these Twin Six humbuckers are pokey, to say the least. They will snarl with almost any encouragement and positively lap up gain – be that smooth overdrive, glitchy fuzz or indeed heavier slabs of crushing distortion. What’s really impressive is that they don’t ever get muddy or wooly with this – the extra midrange bump offered by that bolt-on is clearly doing its job here.
The bridge pickup is a riff monster, with power and clarity that makes short work of heavy chugs, arpeggiated chords and rapid powerchords. The neck pickup has that chewy, thick quality that a mahogany solidbody neck humbucker should have – adding some delay and reverb to a driven tone offers impressive sustain and clarity, again without ever getting too dark and messy.
You’ll notice I started talking about the gained-up sounds out of the gate and there’s a reason for that. When you’re dealing with a sub-$500 twin-humbucker solidbody, you know it’s likely to not be the most inspirational instrument for cleans, and so it is here. These aren’t bad sounds – there’s still that clarity and midrange punch to make them perfectly usable, especially if you’re running it into some good reverb and delay pedals – but there’s a definite lack of character to the unvarnished tonality.
Image: Adam Gasson
Gretsch CVT – should I buy one?
The most exciting thing about the budget end of the guitar market in recent years is how interesting and diverse it has become – gone are the days where if you wanted something with a pair of humbuckers in it for under $500, your choices were Les Paul, SG or maybe something pointy.
The CVT slides into this market with a confidence and focus that befits a design that has technically been around almost as long as some of the icons that its rubbing shoulders with here. It’s easy in the guitar world to naturally equate old with good, but there’s something authentic and classic about the Corvette shape, modified though it is here, that gives the CVT an extra bit of kudos and credibility.
It looks good, plays good and – provided you’re not buying it purely for the clean sounds – it sounds great, too. A new heavyweight contender in the budget rock guitar world has arrived.
Gretsch CVT – alternatives
If you want a Gretsch guitar that sounds a bit more, well, Gretsch-y then the G5220 Electromatic Jet ($579) sports more classic Broad’Tron pickups. If you want an affordable hard-rockin’ electric that’s a little more lightweight, Epiphone SG Standard ($599) is lot of guitar for the money – it’s not hard to imagine that the SG was on the mood board when Gretsch was designing the original Corvette too. Yamaha’s Revstar Element ($599) is another twin-bucker double-cut solidbody that stands out from the crowd – they’re killer guitars for the money too.
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Taylor Guitars Expands Popular SOMOS Collection with Six New Models
Taylor Guitars, the leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars, today announced a major expansion of its SOMOS Collection®, adding six new double-course models designed for Latin music styles and broader sonic exploration. The release includes three new Bajo Quinto (10-string) and three Doce Doble (12-string) guitars across the 100 Series, 200 Plus Series, and 200 Deluxe Series, making the collection more accessible to a wider range of players. All six models are available now at authorized Taylor dealers worldwide and on TaylorGuitars.com.
“With the SOMOS Collection, we’re celebrating our musical and cultural connections that define our home in Southern California and Baja California,” said Andy Powers, Chief Guitar Designer and CEO at Taylor Guitars. “These new Bajo Quinto and Doce Doble models support the growing demand for instrument innovation and quality in Latin American music, bringing new textures and tonal possibilities to guitarists worldwide.”
Latin-Inspired Sound and Style
The SOMOS Collection® was first introduced as a family of Latin-inspired acoustic instruments that reflect Taylor’s Southern California roots and the diversity of its musical community. “Somos,” meaning “we are” in Spanish, evokes unity, identity, and shared expression.
Each new model features a cutaway Dreadnought body, onboard electronics, a slim, easy-playing Taylor neck, and C-Class bracing, a variant of the company’s patented V-Class® bracing, engineered to enhance volume, sustain, and intonation. D’Addario custom string sets for their respective tunings, and an offset bridge-pin and string-ramp setup that boosts the resonance and responsiveness without the string interference typical of traditional 10- or 12-string designs.
Model Highlights
100 Series – 150ce Bajo Quinto / 150ce Doce Doble
The most price-friendly entries in the SOMOS Collection, the 100 Series models channel a clean, traditional aesthetic with a natural matte finish, black binding, dot inlays, and chrome tuners. Torrefied spruce tops paired with layered sapele backs and sides deliver warm, classic tone with powerful punch and articulation. Includes gig bag and either EMG ACS soundhole humbucker pickup (Bajo Quinto) or Taylor’s ES2 electronics (Doce Doble). Starting at $899 USD.
200 Plus Series – 250ce Plus BLK Bajo Quinto / 250ce Plus BLK Doce Doble
Boasting bold blacktop finishes, white binding, and Italian acrylic accents, these models make a stark visual statement perfect for any performer. Layered maple back and sides add brightness and projection, complemented by a solid torrefied spruce top for balance and volume. Outfitted with AeroCase protection and a choice of EMG ACS pickup (Bajo Quinto) or ES2 electronics (Doce Doble). Starting at $1,599 USD.
200 Deluxe Series – 260ce-K DLX Bajo Quinto / 260ce-K DLX Doce Doble
Crafted with figured, layered Hawaiian koa back and sides and a solid koa top, these guitars combine a bold, shimmering tone with showstopping visuals. A gloss shaded edgeburst finish, gold tuners, and Sentinel fretboard inlays make these guitars destined for the stage. Each includes a Taylor Deluxe Hardshell Case, and EMG ACS or ES2 electronics. Starting at $2,099 USD.
A Modern Take on Tradition
The requinto-style Doce Doble reimagines the unison-strung 12-string format long favored in regional Mexican and Latin music, producing lush, chorus-like textures suited for any genre. The Bajo Quinto, a mainstay in Norteño and Tejano ensembles, offers five double courses tuned in fourths (A-D-G-C-F), creating a bold, rhythmic foundation that complements both bass and accordion accompaniment.
The new SOMOS Collection instruments are already being played by leading artists and producers shaping the sound of contemporary regional music, including Angel Aispuro and Edgar Rodriguez; Juan Bojorquez (“El Pony”) of Fuerza Regida; Carlos Torres with Peso Pluma; Jorge Tapia with Natanael Cano; Joaquin Ruiz of Grupo Firme; Alan Nieblas from Alta Consigna; and Gil Leyva with Junior H.
“For me, the Taylor bajo quinto and doce doble have really helped me find new ways to express myself,” said Joaquin Ruiz, guitarist for Grupo Firme. “They’ve inspired me with their fresh sound and unique approach. Just like music evolves, there’s a real need for instruments to keep up with that change.”
Crafted Across Borders
The new SOMOS Collection models are built in the company’s state-of-the-art Tecate, Baja California, Mexico manufacturing facility, just across the border from its El Cajon, California headquarters. The Tecate plant, which has produced Taylor’s 100 and 200 Series guitars for decades, plays a central role in the company’s focus on craftsmanship, sustainability, and broader access to the highest-quality instruments.
“The SOMOS Collection is literally and spiritually built on both sides of the border,” Powers added. “It’s a reflection of who we are – ‘somos’ – as makers, musicians, and neighbors.”
The six new SOMOS Collection models are avao;ab;e starting at $999 USD street price (150ce) and ranging up to $1,699 USD (260ce-K DLX).
For more information about the Somos Collection, visit TaylorGuitars.com/Somos.
Keeley Oaxa Dual Stereo Phaser Demo | First Look
Double dip in the modulation whip with Keeley's new twin phaser.
Most effects modify the amplitude of the signal like a distortion or compressor pedal. Others modify the timing of signals like delay and reverb. Guitar phasing is achieved by blending your original signal with a frequency domain altered version of the signal. The frequency modified component can be thought of like an EQ pedal that is rhythmically adjusted. As a result, when the two signals are combined you get the instantly recognizable sound of a... phaser.
There's no better way to make your guitar sound spacey, psychedelic, or "liquid". Phasers and vibes have that instantly recognizable dreamy and other-worldly tone. The Oaxa Phaser gives you double the fun with two independent phasers. Two phasers with slightly different LFO speeds can lead to dramatic and inspiring multidimensional layers and textures. The Oaxa Phaser offers you ten stage, four stage, and uni-vibe phasing all with just three large vintage-style knobs. Alt features offer you a one-knob compressor and an additional low-end depth control. The dual phasers in Oaxa can be run in series or parallel. With true stereo processing and built on our award winning Core series platform, it's perfect for creative stereo effects loops. The Oaxa Phaser sounds so good you'll swear it's analog. It's ideal for creating swirling leads, atmospheric textures, or groovy and funky rhythms.
- Versatile Phasing Options: Switch between lush 10-stage, crisp 4-stage, or vintage uni-vibe modes with just three intuitive knobs for effortless control.
- True Stereo Power: Run dual phasers in series or parallel, perfect for pairing with stereo reverb and delay in your effects loop, creating expansive, studio-quality soundscapes.
- Enhanced Alt Features: A one-knob compressor and low-end depth control add warmth and punch, making every note sing.
- Analog Soul, Digital Precision: Built on our award-winning Core series platform, Oaxa delivers the rich, organic warmth of an analog phaser with modern reliability.
Stompboxtober 2025: Orange Amps
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Orange Amps King Comp Pedal
The King Comp is a super low-noise Class A VCA compressor pedal that brings studio-style dynamics to your pedalboard. From subtle squish to bold sustain, it enhances your tone with clarity and warmth without losing touch sensitivity. Use it to tighten your clean tone and smooth out single-note lines, whether you’re playing guitar or bass. The tweakable attack and release knobs allow you to shape your tone to perfection, meaning that whether you’re after subtle polish or full-on squash, the King Comp gives you precise dynamic control with a musical feel that responds like a great amp.
Orange King Comp VCA Compressor Pedal
Keeley Electronics Introduces Oaxa Phaser
Keeley Electronics has launched the Oaxa Phaser, an advanced-yet-user-friendly pedal featuring two independent phasers, each controlled by a dedicated footswitch.
The Oaxa Phaser offers a three-position toggle for selecting 10-stage, 4-stage, and uni-vibe phasing, controlled with three easy-to-grab knobs. The dual phasers in Oaxa can be run in series or parallel, with true stereo processing. Built upon Keeley’s acclaimed Core series platform featuring large vintage-style knobs and pilot light, it’s perfect for creating swirling leads, atmospheric textures, or groovy and funky rhythms.
The Oaxa pedal’s Alt features offer even more sonic flexibility: in Alt mode you can access a one-knob compressor and an additional low-end depth control, and its Alt setting for the three-way toggle switch allows you to select 6-stage, 4-stage or 2-stage phasing.
Oaxa features include:
- Two independent phase circuits, each with its own footswitch
- Versatile Phasing Options: A three-position toggle switch allows you to select between lush 10-stage, crisp 4-stage, or vintage uni-vibe modes
- Alt setting for the three-way toggle allows you to select 6-stage, 4-stage or 2-stage phasing
- Simple and intuitive three-knob operation with Rate (controls the speed of the effect), Depth (controls the width of the phaser sweep) and Feedback (The amount of output added back to the input of the phaser, often referred to as “color”)
- True Stereo Power: Stereo inputs and outputs – you can run dual phasers in series or parallel, perfect for pairing with stereo reverb and delay in your effects loop
- Enhanced Alt Features: A one-knob compressor and low-end depth control add warmth and punch
- Selectable true bypass or buffered bypass modes
- Uses external power 9-18V - 130mA with standard center negative jack
- Built in the USA
Keeley’s Oaxa Phaser carries a street price of $199. For more information visit rkfx.com.
A range of Hello Kitty-branded Loog guitars just hit the market, but don’t worry – there’s a new full-sized White Hello Kitty Strat from Fender, too
Remember how we said Loog just partnered with Sanrio on a range of Hello Kitty-branded child-friendly guitars? Well, the Hello Kitty hype must be in full swing, as Fender has just expanded its own Hello Kitty Collection.
The lore behind Hello Kitty guitars is rich, but let me try to quickly clue you in: Fender first launched its Hello Kitty Strat back in 2006, notably to little reception.
However, after YouTuber TheDooo began uploading videos of himself playing the guitar in the late 2010s, searches for the six-string dramatically ticked upward, with average prices on Reverb rising 254% from $275 to $700.
Ever able to spot an opportunity in the market, Fender relaunched the Hello Kitty Strat last year, also coincidentally on Hello Kitty’s 50th-anniversary year.
Now, the Big F is keeping the Hello Kitty love alive, with a slew of new additions to its Hello Kitty Collection, not least a new white-finished Squier Stratocaster, priced at £439.99.
Beyond its white finish and unmistakable Hello Kitty decals across its body, the Fender Hello Kitty White Stratocaster boasts an easy-playing C-shape neck, contoured body, Fender humbucking pickup with volume control, and vintage-style tuning machines. A Deluxe Hello Kitty gig bag also comes included.
And if repping a Hello Kitty-branded Strat just wasn’t enough, the collection now includes a Hello Kitty fuzz pedal (£99.99), with an op amp-based circuit offering fuzz flavours from “overdrive-like grit to full-on ripping fuzz”.
There’s also a Hello Kitty pink and white woven guitar cable (£25.99), Hello Kitty White Poly Strap (£30.99), as well as two new T-shirt designs and a crewneck sweatshirt.
Learn more about Fender’s updated Hello Kitty Collection.
The post A range of Hello Kitty-branded Loog guitars just hit the market, but don’t worry – there’s a new full-sized White Hello Kitty Strat from Fender, too appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Mr. Black Further Builds a Legacy of Innovation
Building upon a legacy of sonic innovation, Mr. Black proudly unveils the Tri-Chorale – a lush, three-voice chorus inspired by the legendary Southern California designs of the mid-1980s.
At its core, the Tri-Chorale features three independent delay lines modulating in perfect harmony to create a rich, organic shimmer that feels alive under your fingers. Sharing a common LFO but offset in time and phase, these delay triplets breathe unprecedented depth and dimension into the classic chorus sound—elevating it to new, breathtaking territory. Sometimes, the sum is greater than its parts, and the Tri-Chorale proves it.
Key features:
- Three independent modulated delay lines
- Full, lossless wet/dry mix control
- Wide range of LFO speeds
- Pedalboard friendly footprint
- True-Bypass
- Powered by “Industry Standard” 9VDC
The Tri-Chorale carries a MAP of $199.95 and is handmade, one-at-a-time in Portland, Oregon U.S.A.
Available at: www.mrblackpedals.com and retailers worldwide.
These Hello Kitty-branded Loog guitars are the most adorable instruments of all time
Looking for the perfect gift for the budding guitarist in your life? Loog Guitars has teamed up with Sanrio on a new collection of kid-sized Hello Kitty guitars designed to help beginners pick up the guitar – and to make first riffs look ridiculously adorable.
The new Loog × Sanrio collaboration centres on a trio of compact, beginner-focused instruments: a mini three-string version of the cult favourite Hello Kitty Strat, complete with pickup and jack and two Loog Mini Acoustics in pink and white, each dressed in Hello Kitty artwork.
Every instrument also comes shipped with educational flashcards and access to Loog’s learning app, giving young learners everything they need to turn curiosity into actual chord progress.
“Cute, colourful, and totally beginner-friendly, these guitars are the ultimate first-instrument gift for kids ready to strum their very first songs!” says Loog.
The release follows Fender’s own Hello Kitty Stratocaster reissue last year, launched in celebration of the character’s 50th anniversary. That drop reignited the frenzy surrounding one of Fender’s most unexpected cult hits.
Originally introduced in 2006 as the Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster, the model went largely under the radar at first, until YouTuber TheDooo began featuring it in viral Omegle jam videos in the late 2010s. According to Reverb, searches for the six-string skyrocketed, and resale prices followed suit, jumping from around $275 to an average of $700 – a 254 percent increase.
Fender’s 2024 relaunch offered two versions: the Squier Limited Edition Hello Kitty Stratocaster priced at $499, and the premium Made in Japan Fender Limited Edition Hello Kitty Stratocaster, exclusive to Tokyo’s flagship store and priced around $2,145.
Now, Loog’s partnership with Sanrio brings that same pop-culture energy to a younger audience, trading full-scale nostalgia for smaller frets and beginner-friendly fun. With the Hello Kitty craze alive and well, these new Loog guitars might just inspire the next generation of players (or collectors) one adorable riff at a time.
Learn more at Loog Guitars.
The post These Hello Kitty-branded Loog guitars are the most adorable instruments of all time appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Mirador guitarist was worried Greta Van Fleet would think he was “defiling” Jake Kiszka by starting a band with him
Between Jake Kiszka and Ida Mae’s Chris Turpin, Mirador sounds like the guitar dream team you didn’t know you needed. But Turpin admits he was once worried fans might think he was “defiling” the Greta Van Fleet guitarist by starting the band with him.
The pair first crossed paths backstage in Detroit in 2018, when Ida Mae were opening for Greta Van Fleet. And now, with their self-titled debut album out last month, they’re reflecting on those first impressions in a chat with Classic Rock.
“Chris was this Zorro-like figure,” Kiszka says. “Like Strider sitting at the end of the bar. I was immediately struck by his playing. It was really incredible. And some of that earlier blues and folk stuff, it’s really rare to find players who can do that.”
Turpin, meanwhile, was equally impressed by Kiszka. “I’ve grown up with those hyper-classic guitar heroes; I loved Cream, Hendrix, Paul Kossoff from Free,” he explains. “And all of a sudden this… prick was there, going to the front, the guitar behind the head, and to these screaming people. I remember catching him topless backstage and being like: ‘Where the fuck have you guys been?! I’ve been waiting for a band like you for ten years!’”
Their first Mirador gigs only confirmed the chemistry. As Kiszka puts it, “it was like a nuclear reactor going off!”
“It’s incredibly exciting,” says the guitarist. “Because when you play in a band for years and years, there comes a point where the change in evolution becomes a bit more incremental. But what’s really exciting about this band is that everything is so fresh. Every single night is drastically different. There’s constant change, constant growth, constant communication.”
For Turpin though, that excitement came with its own set of anxieties.
“It was sink or swim,” he says. “Like: ‘Are these Greta fans gonna love this? Or are they gonna think I’m Beelzebub taking their precious baby away, breaking their hearts and defiling him?!’ But to see them get invested in it has been amazing. Tickets went so quickly. Mainly Jake fans. Ida Mae fans aren’t that quick off the mark. And there aren’t as many.’”
For now, despite ongoing commitments to their respective groups, the pair remain drawn to Mirador, describing the band as a creatively exciting project that will likely demand significant time and energy.
“This is such a time of creative excitement that I’m drawn to Mirador as often as I can,” Kiszka says. “It’ll be interesting to see what we develop as time goes on, and how we pace this thing.”
“Mirador feels like it’ll turn into this raging beast that’s going to take up a lot of time,” Turpin adds.
The post Mirador guitarist was worried Greta Van Fleet would think he was “defiling” Jake Kiszka by starting a band with him appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“It’s a sine wave. Guitars are here to stay”: Warren Haynes says the cyclical nature of guitar music is normal
Warren Haynes says there’s no need to panic about the state of guitar music. The Gov’t Mule bandleader believes the instrument’s popularity comes in waves – and right now, it’s in a “pretty good place”.
Speaking on Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast, the Allman Brothers legend shares his thoughts on the supposed “death” of rock and the cyclical nature of public taste.
Asked if he thinks the guitar is dying, Haynes replies, “I think it, intermittently, kind of goes away for a while, and comes back. I kind of feel like it’s always going to come back. And I think we’re in a pretty good place right now. There’s a lot of good guitar music out there. It usually is about the music, or an artist, or band that comes along and kind of brings it back.”
Haynes adds that talk of rock’s demise has been around for decades, but history keeps proving the doubters wrong.
“People have been asking that question for decades,” he says. “I think going back to the early ‘90s, when people were saying rock ‘n’ roll was dead, and bands like The Black Crowes came along and proved that it wasn’t. So, yeah, I think it’s kind of a sine wave. People get tired of whatever it is they’re hearing, and something fresh comes along and kind of changes their palate for a while. But I feel like guitars are here to stay.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Haynes also names some of the newer acts he enjoys, noting that “there’s a bunch” even though he doesn’t ‘stay as on top of it as he probably should’.
“That band Robert Jon & the Wreck is cool. Of course, Marcus King is making a lot of headway, but I think there are a lot of young kids who are hearing like Derek Trucks playing open E, like this guy, Johnny Stachela, who plays with The Allman Betts Band. And there are a lot of people breathing new life into that these days.”
The guitarist also shouts out Dirty Honey for carrying the torch of old-school rock energy.
“This band, Dirty Honey, that I heard recently, it’s kind of a rock band in the traditional sense of the word,” says Haynes. “And I think it’s fun to see people [from] a generation that didn’t grow up here in all this music that we heard, and they’re discovering it for the first time and discovering bands that keep that music alive as well.”
“You know, it’s so odd because we get these young kids at Gov’t Mule shows occasionally, and they’re 14 and 15, and they’re just now discovering Gov’t Mule, but they’re also just now discovering Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, you know, so and Warren and that.”
The post “It’s a sine wave. Guitars are here to stay”: Warren Haynes says the cyclical nature of guitar music is normal appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Slayer announce new show for 2026 – after insisting they’re done for good
Less than a year after Kerry King swore that Slayer were finished for good, the thrash metal legends have announced a 2026 headline slot at the brand-new Sick New World Texas festival.
Set for 24 October, 2026, at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, the inaugural edition of Sick New World Texas festival will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Slayer’s landmark album Reign In Blood. The stacked lineup also includes System of a Down, Deftones, Evanescence, The Prodigy, Marilyn Manson, Knocked Loose, AFI, Ministry, Mastodon, and Power Trip.
Fans can sign up now at SickNewWorldFest.com/Texas for presale access starting 24 October at 10AM CT, with remaining tickets available to the public later that day.
The announcement comes not long after Slayer’s string of high-profile reunion performances in 2025, including Louder Than Life in Louisville, Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania, and Festival d’été de Québec, plus UK appearances at Cardiff’s Blackweir Fields and London’s Finsbury Park. The band, which officially disbanded in 2019, also played a six-song set at Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning farewell concert in Birmingham this July.
King, who now runs his own band and just last year released his first solo album From Hell I Rise, previously insisted that 2025 would be Slayer’s final run.
In an interview with Australia’s Metal Roos last December, the guitarist said that Slayer were officially done: “We’re never gonna make a record again. Mark my word: we’re never gonna make a record again, we’re never gonna tour again. Because that was the last thing. We said [back in 2018], ‘This is our final tour.’ It took five years for us to come and say, ‘Hey, here’s a couple of shows, five-year anniversary.’”
Fans might now be taking those words with a pinch of salt – or perhaps a full devil-horn salute. Either way, it looks like Slayer’s “final” chapter isn’t quite over yet.
The post Slayer announce new show for 2026 – after insisting they’re done for good appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I had an epiphany at IKEA!” This JHS pedal “annoyed” some builders because of how “fun” it was
JHS Pedals founder and self-confessed gear obsessive Josh Scott has opened up about the origins of the NOTAKLÖN – the DIY stompbox kit that blends the legendary Klon circuit with the simplicity of flat-pack furniture, all for under $100.
Speaking to Guitar World, Scott reveals how the do-it-yourself spirit of the Swedish furniture giant inspired the design of the modular overdrive pedal, which debuted in 2023.
“It came from me loving the Klon,” he says. “But there are so many good replications or clones of the circuit, and I wanted to do something unique. After several years of wrestling with that dynamic, I had an epiphany at an IKEA.”
That moment led him to think about what psychologists call the “IKEA Effect”: the idea that people value things more when they assemble them themselves.
“That’s a big piece of IKEA’s success,” says Scott. “And it felt like a really fun idea. I saw a product where parents who love the JHS brand could do something as a craft with their kids. That’s how we filmed the video and marketed the product.”
While there’s no shortage of Klon-style pedals or DIY kits on the market, Scott says the NOTAKLÖN stands out for its playful and approachable design.
“There are clones of the Klon circuit, even DIY kits, but there’s nothing as simple, modular, intuitive and almost Lego-like as the NOTAKLÖN,” he explains. “I don’t have vast ideas about changing or reshaping the market, but I do think it’s a truly innovative way to make a pedal.”
Not everyone, however, shared in the fun.
“It even irritated a few people,” Scott admits. “I saw a couple of other pedal builders who seemed to be annoyed by how toy-like and fun it was. And to me, that was the whole point. I wasn’t trying to change the world – I was trying to create a product that got parents to build something they love with their kids.”
Since then, JHS has followed up with the NOTADÜMBLË, released earlier this year. And while some might see the company as leading a new DIY pedal trend, Scott is quick to put things in perspective.
“There have always been DIY kits – JHS is not special in that,” he says. “[But] I do think that our product line is less intimidating and more satisfying to build for most customers. Not everybody wants to solder; not everybody feels like they can, and that’s okay. We give them a product they feel comfortable with. To me, that’s how it changes the game.”
The post “I had an epiphany at IKEA!” This JHS pedal “annoyed” some builders because of how “fun” it was appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The guitar gear used by Tony Iommi on Black Sabbath’s Heaven & Hell album
2025 has been a bittersweet time for Black Sabbath fans – seeing the band unite for one last time before Ozzy Osbourne’s tragic and unexpected passing just weeks later will go down as one of the most poignant moments in the history of rock.
- READ MORE: The guitar influences of Kurt Cobain
But such was the irreplaceable power of Ozzy as a frontman, it’s easy to forget that when he left the band in 1979 to build a legendary solo career peppered with some of the finest guitar-slingers around, Sabbath continued. If there’s an on-record bright spot in this post-Ozzy Black Sabbath period, it’s probably the immediate aftermath when Ronnie James Dio stepped in to front the band.
Heaven & Hell was the first album Sabbath recorded with Dio, released in 1980 and recorded across the previous year with the original Iommi/Ward/Butler dream team backing Dio up. After this record, Bill Ward would leave the band temporarily, and Geezer Butler would do likewise a few years later – kicking off a period of constant personnel upheaval for Sabbath that wouldn’t really settle until the original line-up reformed in 1997.
It’s understandably led to the post-Ozzy Sabbath records to not be well regarded, but Heaven & Hell is an exception. It features some of the best riffs and guitar sounds that Iommi had put on record since the early Sabbath records, this is what he used to make it.
Guitars: An SG Masterclass
Iommi’s main guitar for Heaven and Hell was the SG-type that is most commonly associated with him today, an instrument he lovingly refers to as “Old Boy”. Old Boy was originally built in 1975 as a backup to another custom SG-style guitar that John Birch had built for Iommi. Old Boy was built by John Diggins, who worked for John Birch, and had been asked to tour the US as a guitar tech for Tony. The guitar was meant to serve as not only a backup guitar, but as a platform for him to experiment with different pickups while on tour.
Due to time constraints before leaving for the tour, Old Boy was built by Diggins at home on his kitchen counter over the course of only a week or two. Due to the rush to get it done before the US tour, the finish didn’t have enough time to cure, which led to its distressed look – it was also later left in a car in Brazil on a very hot day and the finish bubbled up, resulting in the look we see today.
The pickups were swapped out a fair amount in the early days before settling on the pickups Iommi liked best. They are, of course, John Diggins custom pickups – the neck was modeled after a John Birch Magnum X – even using a John Birch casing. The bridge was a total custom Diggins pickup. All of Tony’s guitars have the bridge tone pot disconnected. The guitar, at one time had a booster circuit, which was soon removed. Old Boy also features an additional output jack which served as a low impedance output for recording purposes. That was later disconnected. The guitar features cross inlays and a zero fret.
Old Boy was used on overdubs for Heaven and Hell and was the main weapon of choice on every album after that. Diggins built Tony another SG in 1981 as a spare to Old Boy. It featured dual rail humbuckers, and what many believe was a Kahler 2300 tremolo.
So, what guitar was used for the main tracks? The most likely culprit was a cherry red customized left-handed Gibson SG that Iommi dubbed “Monkey”. Monkey was used from the very first album through the classic era lineup. Old Boy was made as a successor to Monkey, but it seems likely that Tony was still using Monkey in the studio during the initial sessions for Heaven and Hell. The neck pickup in that guitar is a John Birch custom pickup and the bridge is a Gibson P-90 that was fitted into a metal casing, again, by John Birch. These are the most likely guitars used on the album.
Amplifiers
Iommi’s amplifiers of choice during that era, and much of his career, were the Laney Supergroups. The folks at Laney seem to recall Iommi getting some of the early prototypes, but we can’t confirm that those amps made it to Iommi prior to the recording of Heaven and Hell. The Supergroup was generally used in conjunction with a Dallas Arbiter Rangemaster Treble Booster, which drove the amps a bit harder on the front end.
However, Iommi claimed in an interview with Vintage Guitar Magazine that for Heaven and Hell, he used a modded Marshall, specifically a 1959 model, which eliminated the need for a Treble Boost, as he stated in the interview:
“On Heaven and Hell, I used a Marshall [model 1959 Super Lead], and effects in the studio were a delay, certainly, on the solo bit for Heaven and Hell. … I had John ‘Dawk’ Stillwell come in – he used to build Ritchie Blackmore’s amps – and he lived with us while we were writing and recording in Miami. We had six Marshalls that he rebuilt with an extra stage, so they were a bit more potent than a regular Marshall. He’d done away with the treble booster I had forever. I was really not happy about that (laughs). He’d thrown it away, and I didn’t know. He said, ‘You don’t need that. You just go straight into the amp.’ Which is what I did.”
The addition of an extra preamp tube as a gain stage was not an uncommon modification to those Marshall amplifiers in that era. Jose Arredondo was well known for performing this modification. While Arredondo performed the mod for the rockstars on the west coast, Stillwell performed the same mod for British rockers like Iommi and Blackmore (he also worked for Richie Sambora). There is no evidence that the two amp gurus ever met, but the modifications they did were very similar, with a common objective.
Elsewhere in the Vintage Guitar interview, Iommi said the only effects he used on the album were a chorus, a delay, and a wah, although he didn’t go into detail about what models he used. However, Tony has historically been partial to the Tychobrahe Parapedal for the wah, which debuted in the mid-1970s.
Legacy
The album Heaven and Hell remains a gem in the Black Sabbath catalogue, despite not featuring the classic lineup. The album remained a great platform for Tony Iommi to further showcase his brilliant guitar wizardry, this time amidst the very different vocal style of Ronnie James Dio. It added an element of depth and variety to what we now know as the Black Sabbath sound.
The post The guitar gear used by Tony Iommi on Black Sabbath’s Heaven & Hell album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Orange Amps Launches King Comp
The new Orange Amps King Comp is a super low noise Class A VCA compressor pedal with 18V DC power supply for extra headroom and subtle envelope shaping control. It brings studio style compression dynamics to any pedalboard and offers a warm musical response with an exceptionally low noise floor.
Developed to meet the ever-evolving musical needs of guitarists and bassists, the King Comp pedal enhances sound by adding sustain, snap and sparkle rather than flattening it, offering smooth, musical, pro-level compression with real character.
The super useful dual attack and release knobs mean users can set how quickly the compression kicks in and shape every note they play. The versatile attack control allows anything from understated tightening to pronounced pogoing bounce to be dialled in. At the same time the equally adaptable release control gives long-lasting sustain for notes and chords that can go on for miles. Plus, there is also visual feedback of any compression applied when the King Comp’s onboard LED switches from blue to pink.
At the heart of the King Comp pedal is the Class A VCA compression circuit that delivers precision dynamics with a warm, natural feel. There is also a high-quality buffered bypass to ensure signals stay strong and consistent, even when the pedal is off. The buffer maintains clarity, keeping sound punchy and defined and makes the King Comp reliable as an always-on part of any setup.
Running with the external 18V DC supply maximises the King Comp’s dynamic range and reduces compression artefacts so the pedal delivers the most transparent version of any instrument's tone, making it especially useful with hot pickups, basses and more complex pedalboards.
The King Comp pedal offers precise dynamic control with a musical feel that responds like a great amp. To find out more please go to www.orangeamps.com.
Stompboxtober 2025: MXR
Today’s giveaway is live! Win the legendary MXR Rockman X100 — a pedal‑sized recreation of the iconic tone machine created by Tom Scholz (of Boston) that defined the sound of ’80s arena rock. Enter now for your chance to win!
Stompboxtober 2025 - Win Pedals All Month Long!
MXR® ROCKMAN® X100™ ANALOG TONE PROCESSOR
The MXR Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor revives the signature sonic character of Tom Scholz’s celebrated headphone amp and signal processor in pedal form, offering crystalline cleans, crunchy harmonics, and shimmering modulation.
This pedal requires 9 volts and can be powered by a Dunlop ECB003 9-volt adapter or an MXR® Brick™ Series power supply.
MXR Rockman X100 Preamp Pedal
Rig Rundown: Starcrawler
Henri and Bill Cash, the brotherly guitar duo behind Los Angeles glam-rock band Starcrawler, linked with PG’s John Bohlinger before their gig at the Pinnacle in Nashville to show off some rose-colored rock tools. Check out highlights of their dazzling setups below, and tune into our full Rig Rundown to scope the full details.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Pink Pony Club
This China-made Gretsch Electromatic Double Jet has just a single TV Jones Power’Tron Plus pickup, but beneath the hood, it’s also got a Rangemaster-style treble-boost circuit (as does another 3-string Electromatic that Henri plays). Henri traced out and applied sparkle-pink paper to give the guitar its memorable finish.
This pink powerhouse is tuned to open G.
Flying Bigsby
Daniel Slusser of Slusser Guitars in San Luis Obispo, California, built this custom V-style according to Henri’s requests, borrowing from a design by Japanese builder Saraso Ju. It’s made from pine from Home Depot, bound with leather, and outfitted with a Bigsby and a Filter’Tron pickup for Gretsch groove.
Triple Threat
Cash runs his dry signal to either this Satellite Amplifiers Neutron head or Vox AC15 combo, and his effects go to the Magnatone Twilighter Stereo on the right.
Henri Cash’s Pedalboard
After a pair of Boss TU-3s and a Boss ES-8 switcher, Henri’s board has a pair of DigiTech Drops, TC Electronic Shaker, R2R Electric Preamp, Boss GE-7, MXR Carbon Copy, Way Huge Red Llama, custom “Lamb’s Head” fuzz designed by Henri and Desi Scaglione, EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle, EQD Bit Commander, and Strymon Flint. A Lehle P-Split sends his signal to either the Neutron/AC15 and the Magnatone.
Tweaked Tele
Bill’s main axe is this heavily modified Fender Noventa Tele, with a Curtis Novak P-90 and a Glaser B-bender system.
Slide Away
For slide parts, Bill uses this GFI Expo pedal steel.
Souped-Up Super
Bill plays through this modded Fender Super Reverb Reissue. The tweaks included inserting a 5E3-tweed-Deluxe-Style circuit in first channel that switches to a handwired Super Reverb-style circuit in the second channel so he can use the tweed channel on guitar and clean black-panel tone on pedal steel. It was inspired by a mod he saw Colleen Fazio did to a friend's Bassman where she changed the first and second channel to be channel switching as well.
Bill Cash’s Pedalboard
On his sprayed-painted pedalboard, Bill runs a Boss TU-3, custom “Lamb’s Head” fuzz by Henri and Desi Scaglione, Way Huge Red Llama, Way Huge Conquistador, MXR Micro Amp, DigiTech Drop, Catalinbread Belle Epoch, MXR Reverb, MXR Tremolo, EarthQuaker Devices Levitation, Electro-Harmonix C9, and a Nocturne Brain Mystery Brain.
Gretsch Electromatic Double Jet
TV Jones Power'Tron Plus Pickup
EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander
Living in Purgatory with Big Thief
In his 2017 book The Order of Time, Italian theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli looks to Saint Augustine to demystify the question of how it’s possible to experience music if we are physically rooted to the present—while music, of course, happens over seconds, minutes, hours. “It is possible, Augustine observes, because our consciousness is based on memory and anticipation,” Rovelli writes. “A hymn, a song, is in some way present in our minds in a unified form, held together by something—that which we take time to be. And hence this is what time is: It is entirely in the present, in our minds, as memory and anticipation.”
The idea of this middle place poignantly haunts Brooklyn indie-rock band Big Thief's latest record, Double Infinity. In a press release, the band noted that the album title refers to the idea of the “purgatory created by the human brain, always looking to the past or future, between the things we’ve lost and the things we want, between desire and regret.” There are few lyricists in recent memory writing as movingly about this experience—that of looking back, of time passing, moving, receding and stretching out in front of us—as Adrianne Lenker.
“Without this idea of time there’d be no grandmothers and grandfathers, or children,” Lenker says over the phone from Mexico City with bandmate Buck Meek. “There’d be no difference between any stages of life. It’s so wrapped up in reality as we know it, or at least this perceived reality or dream. I feel like it’s such an interesting idea, because it’s a thing that we live with, and the parade leads to the same place for everybody. It’s all wrapped up in death and birth and all of the things we experience along the way, like longing and loss and grief and joy. While you’re falling in love with someone, you’re also perceiving the end of that thing because of time—because of the inevitability of its passing.”
“While you’re falling in love with someone, you’re also perceiving the end of that thing because of time—because of the inevitability of its passing.”—Adrianna LenkerOn one hand, the nature of music makes it a simple task to create compositions concerned with time, as all music occurs over a duration of time. But what does it actually sound like to fully realize that? As a group, and this time with a cohort of studio collaborators, Big Thief’s sonic treatment of these themes captures a specific duality of being: its miraculousness and mundanity. Double Infinity’s production is low-key and handhewn, with rhythms and repetition building feelings that oscillate between grounded and hypnotic, and flourishes of the transcendental—be it blasts of guitar sorcery (“Words”) or ambient icon Laraaji’s wordless vocal flights (“Grandmother”). The result is Big Thief’s most fluid, breathing, flowing record to date—and, for Lenker, an evolution of what the term “rock ’n’ roll” can mean.
“It just immediately makes me think about the bedrock of the earth, and the rolling of the waters and the winds and ethers,” Lenker says. “I think about that dance between what is rooted and solid-feeling and what is fluid and liquid. [Rock ’n’ roll] really needs both.”
Creating music that captures that dance is made easier by a few special tools. Both Lenker and Meek gush over their friends and luthiers Aaron Huff (at Collings Guitars) and Flip Scipio. Huff—“a true Jedi of good in the guitar world,” Lenker says—spent four years building Lenker’s acoustic guitar in his free time, and gifted it to her on the day of a solar eclipse, the same day she met Laraaji. “It’s basically meant for the way I play—open tunings and fingerpicking—and it sounds like a grand piano. It’s so special,” Lenker says.
Meek says two of Huff’s creations at Collings—the 71 and the Ladybird—are in heavy rotation in his quiver. He uses the latter for jazzier songs. Meek and Lenker both also have their own Flipperkasters, custom models made by Scipio. “I’ve never connected with an electric guitar so deeply until he put that in my hand,” Lenker says.
“The guitars we really love are the ones that have been mediums for friendship, or conversations with people in our lives that have really influenced us,” Meek says. “The instrument is kind of just a vessel for that.”
On Double Infinity the guitar, along with the rest of the instrumentation, acts as a conduit for connection. With 10 people improvising arrangements in the studio, the aforementioned fluidity builds from individual players’ intuitive responses to the aggregate. For Meek, that led to a lot of simplifying and repeating lines, offering room to other instruments, and creating an environment where rhythm feels like the element around which everything orbits.
“The guitars we really love are the ones that have been mediums for friendship.”—Buck Meek
“Playing in this band has definitely encouraged me to tap into my intuition more, just through watching Adrianne play and write songs so intuitively,” Meek says about his experience unlearning more academic modes of improvising. “It’s a process of letting go of all of that music theory and just trusting that the language is in there somewhere, and reconnecting with a more somatic approach to improvisation.”
Adrianne Lenker’s Gear
Guitars
Flip Scipio Flipperkaster (sunburst)
Flip Scipio Flipperkaster (woodgrain/gold)
Collings SoCo (green)
Collings SoCo (brown)
Huff acoustic
Amps
1960 Fender Tweed Deluxe
Two-Rock Vintage Deluxe 35-watt head and cab
Effects
Boss DC-2W Dimension C
Mikel Patrick Avery Zeffle Box Type1
Strymon El Capistan
Analog Man Prince of Tone
The GTO Pedal (modded Klon Centaur clone made by Ben Gram, Adrianne's guitar tech)
Lehle amp switcher
Peterson StroboStomp
Strings & Picks
D’Addario EJ16 acoustic strings (.012–.053)
D’Addario NYXL 1252W strings (.012–.052)
D’Addario NYXL Custom Nickel/Steel Set (.011–.015–.018–.028–.038–.054)
G7th Performance 3 ART capos
Kyser capos
Fred Kelly Medium Slick Picks
2- and 4-sided nail files
Buck Meek’s Gear
Guitars and Basses
Collings I-35
Collings Ladybird
Collings 71 M
Flip Scipio Flipperkaster
Guitar Mill partscaster (Throbak pickups, Callaham Guitars hardware)
1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom Staple Pickup Reissue
Bayard acoustic
Amps
1957 Fender Super
1955 Fender Champ 5E1
Effects
Analog Man Beano Boost
Charlie Pedals Troubadour
Lehle volume pedal
Soundgas 636P
Gamechanger Plus Pedal
Mikel Patrick Avery Brackle Box
EHX Attack Decay
EHX Nano POG
Walrus Audio Julia
Fairfield Circuitry Meet Maude
Strymon Flint
Strings & Picks
Fender medium picks
Curt Mangan strings (.010–.046)
This all requires a concentration on being where you are. Settling into the groove, let’s say. The purgatory between Big Thief’s double infinities is, itself, an endlessness. We comprehend its power and depth when we’re jolted into truly feeling it; in moments of profound loss or acute pain or consuming love, past and future briefly cease to exist. If one listens close enough and thoughtfully enough, the effect of Double Infinity, its rolling rhythms and loose drip, is one of tapping into the moment—freedom from the dissolving before and the unknowable after.
“The thing that pushes me to keep making and playing music is that I run into my own limitations all the time, and I just want to get a little bit more free with each album we make.”—Adrianne Lenker
“I feel like the thing that pushes me to keep making and playing music is that I run into my own limitations all the time, and I just want to get a little bit more free with each album we make,” Lenker says. “And I feel like people could be like, ‘What are you doing? It sounds so loosey goosey and wide open,’ and it's like—”
“That’s the very thing I’m proud of,” Meek adds.
“Yeah, that’s great,” Lenker continues. “To be honest, I think I had more fun in that session than I ever have before, because there was this big, open feeling of music and we were listening to all these other people playing with us. It wasn’t about shaping our wants and desires perfectly into the shape we think it should be with our minds. It was about just being there for that experience.”
“People who say rock is dead just wanna listen to Kiss”: Why Wolfgang Van Halen believes guitar music is still thriving
Is guitar music dead? It’s a question which lingers on some people’s minds – generally those outside the still-thriving guitar world, or, as Wolfgang Van Halen says, those whose musical repertoires consist of rock bands past their heyday.
Reflecting on recent comments made by Lzzy Hale – in which she said Wolfgang and his band Mammoth were going to be the ones to “save rock and roll” – the multi-instrumentalist tells Ultimate Guitar says Hale’s comments were “a very sweet gesture”, but that he doesn’t think rock needs saving at all.
- READ MORE: Guitar.com cover star Mateus Asato releases his first official single Cryin’: “It’s been 10 years of identity crises about who I am in terms of music”
“Lzzy is wonderful,” he says. “I love her very much. She’s awesome and a badass in her own right. But I don’t think rock needs saving.
“I think there’s plenty of awesome rock that’s happening right now. I think because it might not be in the forefront – and pop is always sort of at the top – but I don’t know. I don’t think rock needs saving.
“Rock isn’t dead. Rock is very much alive. I think anybody who says that is maybe just looking in the wrong place, or isn’t open enough to listening to new stuff. At the end of the day the people say rock is dead just wanna listen to Kiss, and that’s about it.”
Wolfgang is certainly right that what you might call ‘legacy bands’ often dominate the conversation surrounding modern-day rock and roll, especially among those not deeply connected to the genre. Ask a music fan who only occasionally dabbles in rock music who their favourite bands are, and you’ll often be met with the likes of ‘Kiss, AC/DC or Guns N’ Roses,’ for example.
It could also be argued that there’s a human tendency to become set in our ways as we age, often resorting back to the stuff we know we like.
Most people who would consider themselves rock fans first and foremost would probably agree with Wolfgang that the genre is very much alive, so with the younger rock scene which is very much still verdant, is it perhaps down to a marketing problem in recruiting outsiders into the genre?
Despite his ancestry as the son of Eddie Van Halen, Wolfgang has managed to carve out a musical niche all his own. His band Mammoth are gearing up to release their third album The End later this week, following positive reception received for his previous two albums Mammoth (2021) and Mammoth II (2023).
Speaking to Guitar.com in a recent interview, Wolfgang recalled the time he realised that his dad was actually a pretty big deal.
“There was a benefit I played in fourth grade where I played drums and my dad played guitar. I remember, we went out to the car afterwards and some guy came up and asked him to sign something,” he remembered.
“He left, then he put on a different shirt and came back. I think – in moments like that, seeing that sort of desperation – I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, my dad’s probably a big deal, huh?’”
Mammoth’s The End is out Friday 24 October via BMG.
The post “People who say rock is dead just wanna listen to Kiss”: Why Wolfgang Van Halen believes guitar music is still thriving appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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