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
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NUX C-58RC, C-7, and B-8S Wireless Demo | PG Plays
Wireless has reached the point where most players can’t hear the difference, so the more interesting question is what else the box can do while it’s working. PG contributor Tom Butwin details three new solutions from NUX: the C-58RC instrument system, the C-7 stereo in-ear monitor rig, and the B-8S, a beltpack-and-pedal setup that doubles as a DI, tuner, boost, and effects loop. Each offers automatic and manual pairing and ships in a charging case or charges magnetically through its receiver.
The C-58RC covers guitar and bass with active and passive modes, a cable-tone setting, one-touch reconnect, and a built-in tuner with mute and a flippable screen. Its case delivers roughly three full recharges. The C-7 turns wired earphones into a stereo monitoring rig with five EQ presets, one-touch frequency hopping, support for multiple receivers off a single transmitter, and 18 hours of total runtime.
The B-8S uses 1 MHz narrowband transmission for more usable channels in a crowded room, and its pedal receiver charges the beltpack while handling balanced DI, send and return, buffer, boost, and a 2.4" color screen that rotates for different board layouts. A ground lift and a 1/4" input on the side mean it still works wired if the connection ever drops.
NUX C-58RC Wireless System
NUX C-7 Wireless In-Ear Monitor System
NUX B-8S Wireless Guitar System
Going Deeper: How String Makers Are Evolving for the Extended-Range Era
We’re living in a golden age of innovation for extended-range guitar. These days, there are more ways than ever to fine-tune and experiment—whether you’re playing a 7- or 8-string, cranking down to extreme drop tunings, utilizing specialized pickups or multi-scale designs, or chasing the sonic subtleties of particular string brands. We spoke to five top manufacturers for insights into the creation and refinement of their flagship products.
8-String Regular Slinky (P02629)
Ernie Ball’s extended-range history dates back to 1992, when they introduced their first set for 5-string bass. From there, the pace was fairly steady: a 6-string bass set a few years later, the 7-string Slinky guitar sets by 2000, and baritone gauges shortly after. “One clear signpost came in the early 2010s when we saw other manufacturers move quickly from 8-string to 9-string instruments,” says Chris Harrington, director of Operations & Innovation. “[This showed us that] extended range wasn't a passing trend but an accelerating one. We introduced our first 8-string set in 2012, followed by our first 9-string set just two years later.”
Another major turning point came in 2021: The company created a signature Music Man Majesty 8-string model for Dream Theater wizard John Petrucci, paired with a set of Regular Slinky strings (P02629) for optimized performance.
"Because tension alone doesn’t tell the whole story, development involved trial and error, which John validated when confirming the final gauges,” Harrington says. “We also use proprietary methods and tools to evaluate factors beyond tension, ensuring the set feels and sounds consistent across all strings. Lastly, we have the advantage of listening to our large family of artists to understand what matters most to players. Many of our set expansions over the years, including our extended range options, have been directly informed by these relationships and the solutions we’ve generated together.”
Ernie Ball’s philosophy in the extended-range space is to “build with users rather than guess what they want”—a support process that partly involves working through string needs beyond their current sets. “These conversations are often where our insight into future offerings comes from, as we see a need firsthand and develop a solution for it, which at times leads to an eventual product offering,” Harrington says. “Over the past 34 years, we have continued to expand our extended-range offerings, and I don't see that stopping anytime soon.”
Heavy Series
Cleartone emerged in the early 2000s, just as nu-metal, metalcore, and post-hardcore guitarists were helping reimagine the dynamics of “heavy guitar.” The company recognized these shifts—the lower tunings, the increased string attack, the proliferation of extended-range instruments—and aimed to become part of that creative conversation. “From the beginning, we developed a proprietary manufacturing process called Super High Tension Winding,” company president Mike Loscalzo says. “We also custom-built our winding machines to apply precise, controlled tension as each string is made—an approach that was far from the industry norm at the time. Every wound guitar string contains hundreds of individual wraps, and we believe every one of them matters.” They went one step further with their Heavy Series, which uses a thicker core-to-wrap ratio to increase tension and structural strength, control excess string movement, and improve tuning stability, intonation, and note definition in those monstrous lower tunings.
“We’re constantly blown away by each new generation of guitarists pushing the instrument’s limits—tuning lower, developing more aggressive techniques, and creating sounds that didn’t exist when we began,” says Cleartone vice president Scott Sciacca. “As guitar manufacturers continue to develop more extended-range and longer-scale instruments, we’ve expanded and refined our offerings with more gauge options. We’ve also made baritone-compatible string length standard across all our electric sets, so players don’t need to purchase a custom or specially designed set to accommodate a longer-scale instrument. But at our core, we remain true to the same purpose Cleartone was founded on: making strings that resist breakage, stay in tune, last longer, and keep pace with the evolving demands of today’s players—and the next generation.”
NYHD and XT Series
D’Addario have been around since 1973, through decades of string evolution. As extended-range guitars have become more prominent, they’ve responded by adding heavier-gauge strings to their XL series, introducing their NYXL line, and, in 2025, launching a program that allows players to customize sets for 7-, 8-, and 9-string guitars.
“We were very involved with the rising popularity of genres like djent and prog-metal that were pushing ERG instruments to their limit,” says Gabriel Sebastian, the company’s fretted product manager. “Feedback from the pioneers in that space helped define our first-generation ERG strings, which were sized to accommodate longer scale lengths and lower tunings. From there we continued to work with and learn from major guitar brands that were expanding their portfolios to cover extended range, along with smaller boutique guitar brands finding popularity with these segments.”
Two noteworthy string lines are the NYXL09564SB and NYXL0984SB,part of a joint effort withSwedish guitar/bass manufacturer Strandberg. “[Founder] Ola Strandberg reached out a few years after NYXL was launched,” Sebastian says. “He liked them and wanted to collaborate to offer them on his headless, muti-scale, extended-range guitars. This was a great opportunity to learn from an innovative industry leader.”
Artists have also been crucial to D’Addario’s philosophy and design. “Aaron Marshall from [prog-metal band] Intervals has had an immense effect,” Sebastian notes. “He reached out to us and asked, ‘Can you make a 7-string set that plays like it was meant for guitar, rather than a 6-string set with an extra heavy string?’ He and his contemporaries in the ERG space helped us understand what players were reaching for musically, what they wanted to get out of their instruments, and the string-related problems that needed to be solved.”
Then there’s Pat Metheny: “Yes, the jazz virtuoso,” Sebastian says. “Soon after we made modifications to our NYXL ERG strings, Pat came to us with an even more extreme request: ‘Make me a string for my 25.5" scale 6-string that allows me to tune the low E to E1 (a full octave lower) and has great harmonics, without the string being monstrously huge.’ That felt like an impossible ask. However, we were able to lean on our experience designing strings for cello and extended range electric violins to create a string Pat was happy with.
“These cross-instrument learnings are what make D’Addario a leading innovator,” Sebastian continues. “We can leverage orchestral string technology in fretted string designs, and vice versa. Which leads us to HD strings. We realized that we could take this even further by combining the Metheny experience with Aaron’s insight. That is how these series of High-Density strings came to be. So djent-y 9-string players can thank jazz for these strings.”
BIG1268 (Drop Bb), DEN1156DC (Drop C), DEN1156DB (Drop B), JRN1156DB (Drop B)
Dunlop is so attuned to the needs of guitarists that employ drop tunings that they’ve collaborated with artists to develop gauge combinations with those specific tunings in mind. They even identify them on the packaging. “We already have signature down-tuned sets from artists like [In Flames’] Björn Gelotte and [Slipknot’s] Jim Root,” says Frank Aresti, the company’s product manager of accessories. “But we’ve also expanded the lineup where we saw gaps, giving players more purpose-built options rather than expecting them to piece together their own sets.”
Their ultimate aim, regardless of gauge, is “true balance,” both under the fingers and in the ears. “I also want to distinguish that concept from the ‘balanced tension’ approach that some of our competitors promote,” Aresti adds. “While balanced tension focuses primarily on the measured pull of each string, our goal is a more holistic playing experience that considers both feel and tonal balance.”
To maintain that direct connection, Dunlop pays close attention to the daily challenges of working guitarists and the customer feedback passed along from dealers. “Those two groups are closely connected, because players often walk into a store looking to recreate the sound or setup of their favorite guitarist,” Aresti says. “Sometimes they’re asking, ‘How can I get the same tone as my favorite player?’ Other times it’s as simple as, ‘What strings should I use for Drop C?’ We've tried to remove the guesswork by offering purpose-built sets and clearly labeling many of them with the tuning they’re designed for, making it much easier for players to choose the right strings with confidence.”
Dragon Skin+, Veritas, and DDT
Founded in 1989, DR have developed into one of the game’s most reputable brands, with their strings used by celebrated guitarists like Derek Trucks, Jared James Nichols, and, before their deaths, Dimebag Darrell and Johnny Winter. But they’ve also become staples among purveyors of heavier music, including Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström of extreme metal band Meshuggah and John Browne of prog-djent act Monuments. The company’s Vice President, Dave Avenius, highlights three string lines—Dragon Skin+, Veritas, and DDT—built using Accurate Core Technology. ACT primes the core wire to create more dynamic vibrations, improve tuning stability and intonation, reduce breakage, and add extra protection against tone-stifling dirt and sweat. (The company says DDT were the first strings on the market made specifically to support players who use drop tunings.)
“We believe that [they’re] especially great for players who use drop tunings, play extended scale instruments, or use 7- or 8-string guitars,” Avenius says. “Making a string bigger helps, but ACT upgrades the architecture of the strings, so they reproduce the lowest notes of your instrument with great tone and note-to-note definition, so you bring out the most from your guitar. Dragon Skin+ also features our K3 coating. This is a patented process by which we coat the outer wrap wire before we wind it around the core. This approach allows each part of the string to function properly, and the string can ring out pure and true. Everyone at DR is excited by all the players pushing the musical boundaries with drop tunings, extended scales, and 7- or 8-string guitars. We hope these artists will try our strings and hear and feel the benefits for themselves. As we like to say: DR—the Difference is Real."
DiMarzio Introduces Chopper T Neck and Cruiser T Neck Pickups
DiMarzio has launched a pair of Tele-style neck pickups: the Chopper T Neck and Cruiser T Neck.
They retain a familiar metal cover that has adorned Telecaster neck pickups for 75 years, but that's where the similarities end.
The new DiMarzio pickups combine neodymium magnets and twin-blade hum-canceling coils. They’re designed to optimize the magnetic field and deliver better string-to-string balance, even when notes are bent. The result? Higher output, faster transients, and a lower noise floor than traditional T-style neck pickups.
The Chopper T Neck has clear highs, and the midrange and lows are punchy without muddiness. It’s an overall balanced tone, and the pickup has an output resistance of 6.52k.
The Cruiser T Neck's harmonic overtones are right where you'd expect them to be from a "true" single coil. The midrange is open and its top end chime offers clarity without harshness. The Cruise T Neck delivers a brighter tone and its output resistance is 3.58k.
Both pickups feature 4-conductor wiring and DiMarzio’s PCB quick-connect baseplates for easy installation with no modifications required.
Both pickups are available in four color options – chrome, unplated nickel, gold and black. For black and chrome finishes you can also choose between a metal cover with the DiMarzio logo or a classic, logo-free look.
Street price for chrome and unplated nickel is $119; street price for black and gold is $126. For more information visit DiMarzio.com.
Chopper T Neck and Cruiser T Neck
DiMarzio has launched a pair of Tele-style neck pickups: the Chopper T Neck and Cruiser T Neck.
The Digital Amp That Won Over Bonamassa
Fender has unveiled the Tone Master ’59 Twin-Amp JB Edition, the first signature amplifier in Fender’s Tone Master series, created in close collaboration with blues-rock guitarist and longtime Fender artist Joe Bonamassa. Inspired by Bonamassa’s prized late-’50s high-powered tweed Twin amps — a mainstay of his touring and studio rig — the new model brings the sound and response of his vintage originals together with the versatility and functionality of Fender’s modern Tone Master platform.
“I wanted to hate it,” said Joe Bonamassa. “We’re all in agreement that this amp was tighter, punchier, and better. I never thought I’d see in my lifetime the fact that I’d be sitting next to a digital amp. Sound makes you play. Sound inspires you to play. You just need to know how to unlock the sound you hear in your head and get it out.”
Powered by Fender’s Tone Master modeling technology, this signature amplifier combines the character of Bonamassa’s beloved vintage tube amps with the convenience and versatility of modern engineering. The 2x12” ‘59 Twin delivers crystalline cleans that transform into aggressive, distinctive overdrive when pushed into its sweet spot. A six-way power attenuator makes those tones accessible at bedroom-friendly volumes, while the amp can reach up to 85W for the stage. Celestion JB Neodymium Speakers deliver an expansive frequency range, and onboard controls including a vintage/tight switch, line output with level control, ground lift and three-way cabinet simulator let players further shape their tone.
Key Features Include:
• Joe Bonamassa Signature Tone: Based on the legendary Fender 5F8-A "high-powered" tweed Twin circuit and voiced after Joe Bonamassa's own prized late-'50s amps, delivering bold cleans and rich, dynamic overdrive.
• Dual Celestion JB Neodymium Speakers: Custom-designed lightweight 12" speakers capture the punch, warmth and articulation of Joe's touring rig while reducing overall weight.
• Stage-to-Home Power Control: A rear-panel output selector provides full power plus five attenuated settings, making the iconic high-power tweed Twin tone accessible at any volume.
• Premium Modern Performance: Features top-panel convolution spring reverb, an effects loop for time-based effects and a rear-panel "Vintage-Tight" switch for enhanced low-end response.
•Studio-Ready Connectivity: Balanced XLR line out with three onboard cabinet impulse responses, plus fully customizable speaker IRs via the Tone Master IR Manager app for seamless recording and live performance.
Joe Bonamassa Tone Master '59 Twin 85-watt 2 x 12-inch Combo Amplifier
Extensively road- and studio-tested by the man himself, the Fender Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin Amp authentically replicates the legendary “high-powered” Tweed Twin circuit in a lightweight, digitally driven form. Every sonic nuance of the original has been precisely emulated, granting you the raging overdrive, the brilliant cleans, and touch-sensitive dynamism of a historic 5F8-A twin at roughly half the weight. And while a ’50s-era Twin rises to window-shaking volumes before achieving overdrive, onboard power scaling allows for glassy edge-of-breakup tones and pushed power amp sag at far more manageable levels. You can even record or play through a PA via the XLR line-out and onboard IRs. Topside, the Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin-Amp preserves the 3-band EQ, Presence control, and channel-jumpering capabilities of an old-school Tweed Twin, only with the benefit of a vintage-style convolution spring reverb. Additional modern enhancements include an effects loop to accommodate your time-based/modulation stompboxes, a versatile Vintage/Tight switch to firm up your low-end response, and two ultra-lightweight Celestion JB neodymium speakers fine-tuned to Joe’s taste. Whether you’re a die-hard JB fan or a tube purist looking to dive into the world of digital modeling, the Fender Tone Master ‘59 Twin-Amp modernizes one of the most sought-after amps in history without giving an inch when it comes to pure vintage tone.
Last Call: The Coolest Guy in the Room
One of the best things about being a musician is the people you get to play and work with. Our group is made up of the most interesting outliers in the world. Of all those I’ve been lucky enough to know, undoubtedly the coolest guy in every room was my employer, mentor, and friend Jon Small.
Jon spent his entire life at the center of the zeitgeist. When Jon was a teen working one Sunday in the drum department at Manny’s Music on West 48th Street in Manhattan, his boss told him to assemble an oyster black pearl Ludwig Downbeat drum kit and walk it over, piece by piece, to the Ed Sullivan Theater. That night, Ringo used that kit to change the world.
When Jon’s band the Hassles parted ways with their keyboardist, the drummer went looking for a replacement and recruited a fellow Long Islander, Billy Joel, to see if he was interested in the gig. Billy turned it down until Jon, using his persuasion superpowers—as well as his Manny’s employee discount—promised Billy a Hammond B3 organ with a Leslie cabinet, and closed the deal.
As the Hassles began to disintegrate, Jon and Billy formed a new band, Attila, in 1969, perhaps the only organ/drum metal duo in history. They quickly landed a deal on Epic. Joel's 2005 box set, My Lives, featured one offering from that band: "Amplifier Fire, Part 1 (Godzilla)," a nasty metal jam co-written by Jon and Billy.
The recent documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes perfectly illustrates what an amazing person Jon was. In the early days, Joel was adrift and battling depression. Jon invited him to live at his place with his wife and son, and while living there, Joel began a relationship with (and later married) Jon’s wife, Elizabeth Weber Small. Jon said it was like losing his “two best friends,” leading to a period of estrangement. Despite the betrayal, Jon forgave Billy, and the two went on to share a successful working partnership and lifelong friendship.
During the split, Jon worked as a session and live drummer for a ton of acts around New York. He was the go-to rock drummer whose energy lifted the spirits of everyone on the stage and in the crowd.
After a motorcycle accident ended his drumming career, Jon moved behind the camera. He founded Picture Vision Pictures and went on to direct or produce hundreds of music videos and concert films.
Working during the MTV boom of the early 1980s, he’s credited with shaping the format through innovative concepts, including the 1986 video for Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” where he came up with the wall-breaking visual that came to symbolize the rap-rock crossover.
“Jon spent his entire life at the center of the zeitgeist.”
His other work includes a long run of Billy Joel videos, among them “Uptown Girl,” “Tell Her About It,” “Baby Grand,” and “The Night Is Still Young.” He also worked as a director, producer, or executive producer on Joel concert films including Live at Yankee Stadium (1990) and Live at Shea Stadium (2011). He had a similarly long relationship with Garth Brooks, directing the videos for “The Red Strokes” and “Standing Outside the Fire.” With Brooks he also made Live from Central Park (1997), Yankee Stadium Live (2016), and Live at Notre Dame (2018). Other videos he worked on include Reba McEntire’s “Whoever’s in New England” and “Does He Love You,” Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All,” and his final major directing credit, co-helming Luke Combs and Eric Church’s “Does to Me” with Trey Fanjoy. He also made concert films for the Highwaymen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and James Taylor.
In 2003, Jon took a chance on me and hired me to lead the band on Nashville Star, a country talent show that debuted on USA (and later moved to NBC) the year after American Idol launched. That job changed my life. Over six seasons, the show produced Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Chris Young, and all three are still major country stars today.
Jon taught me lessons that have guided me ever since. The first is to be kind to everybody. The second is to hire good people and then trust them. Give them direction and step back, and if something goes off the rails, give them some perspective instead of micromanaging. He also told me not to worry about work: Do good work and work will find you. The gig isn’t your security; you are your own security. He believed in keeping the work fun, especially when it got stressful and difficult. And he taught me that forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. Those lessons carried me through 20 years of leading bands on television.
Although Jon left this realm on September 4 of this year, his influence is evident throughout our industry. I’m certain that, in the next life, he will remain the coolest guy in the room.
Reader Guitar of the Month: A Deep Blues-Rock Tone Machine
Reader: Matt Swanton
Hometown: Shirley, MA
Guitar: Wanita
For a while now, I’ve been chasing the perfect guitar to use in my writing as a blues artist. I’ve grown fond of guitars with neck-through construction, though I’ve struggled to find the right one since many neck-through guitars on the market are 24-fret shred machines better suited for metal or heavier genres. Because I work primarily in the blues and classic rock, neck-pickup tone is really important to me, and moving the neck pickup closer to the bridge to make room for two extra frets can change the sound significantly. But aside from the Gibson Firebird, options for 22-fret neck-through guitars are pretty slim.
A little less than a decade ago, I met a luthier by the name of Michael McCarten while playing a gig in Gardner, MA. After striking up a conversation, I started going to see him for the occasional repair job. Every time I went to his shop, I’d see some really cool double-cutaway guitars he built called the DC-13. Each one of them is completely unique, with different custom details related to a theme or the guitarist it was meant for. After a few years of wondering what I’d come up with if I had the money to afford one, I decided it was time. Michael graciously agreed to make my guitar with a 25.5" scale instead of his usual 24 3/4", as well as indulge my request for neck-through construction rather than a standard set neck.
I’ve decided to name this guitar “Wanita,” for no other reason than it just sounded right. The body consists of a figured claro walnut top, a chambered walnut back, and a layer of maple in between to give it a stylish contrast line—especially when it’s exposed at the German carve along the edge. The neck is quarter-sawn maple with layers of walnut, and the fretboard is ebony. The fretboard inlays are blocks of flamed maple inserted into a rectangular section of copper that used to be waveguide piping. The whole guitar has been finished with tung oil for a smooth finish that doesn't stick like gloss.
For pickups, I went with a Gretsch-inspired HSS type of approach, with a TV Jones Power’Tron in the bridge and T-Armonds in the neck and middle position. It’s wired like Peter Frampton’s Les Paul, where the selector switch sees just the bridge and neck pickup, which are connected to a single set of volume and tone pots, while the middle pickup is hitched to the second set of volume and tone controls. This enables unique pickup combinations—I can use the bridge and neck pickups alone or together, and blend in the middle pickup at various volume and tone settings. It adds up to a lot of voices. A Schaller roller bridge, a U.S.-made Bigsby B5, and Grover imperial tuners help make it feel tight, smooth, and together, too. But the whole guitar plays like a dream.
Amels Audio Launches With Osetra All-Tube Instrument DI
The newly launched Amels Audio has released Osetra, a direct-coupled all-tube instrument DI, as its debut product.
Audio designer Dave Amels’ new venture is an independent company making original hardware for musicians and recording studios. The Osetra DI is designed for use with electric guitar, bass, and pickup-equipped acoustic guitars, and comes first in an eye-grabbing, numbered 20-unit Founder's Tin Edition.
Osetra uses an original Class-A, transformerless circuit with no loop feedback. Its low-capacitance instrument input presents a 1 MΩ load, which helps preserve transients and contributes to a responsive playing feel. Measured response runs from 4 Hz into the megahertz range, with the observed upper limit set by the receiving microphone preamp. The tube B+ supply comes from 48 V phantom power, and the included universal-input 12 VDC adapter powers the filament.
Each Founder's Tin Edition unit is assembled at the bench and housed in a laser-cut caviar tin with sturgeon artwork. The Osetra product page (amelsaudio.com/osetra) hosts comparison videos and audio demos. These include level-matched bass and acoustic-guitar comparisons against familiar tube and FET DIs, plus standalone electric- and acoustic-guitar demos.
Amels Audio draws on founder Dave Amels' career in electronic musical instruments, mathematically modeled audio software, and analog recording equipment. Since the late 1980s, he has designed hardware and software for musicians and recording engineers, including at three companies he co-founded.
"Amels Audio gives me a place to invent and build the kinds of tools I want to use," said Amels. "They have to be technically serious, musically responsive, and useful in a working studio. Osetra is the first."
Osetra Founder's Tin Edition units 01–20 are available directly from Amels Audio for $425. Each comes with a universal-input 12 VDC filament adapter and a one-year parts-and-labor warranty. Initial sales are limited to the United States. For more information visit amelsaudio.com.
Osetra
The newly launched Amels Audio has released Osetra, a direct-coupled all-tube instrument DI, as its debut product.
Rig Rundown: Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden brought their Run for Your Lives World Tour to Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, for two nights on September 5 and 6, and PG’s Perry Bean got backstage with techs Brent Diamond, Alan Sosa, and Colin Price to go through the rigs behind Steve Harris, Janick Gers, and Dave Murray. Have a look at some quick highlights below, and tune into the new Rig Rundown for all the details.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
The Only One
Harris has had this roughly 1971 Precision since the mid ’70s, right when Maiden was starting, and has played it at more or less every show the band has ever done. It’s had numerous paint jobs, the headstock logo is long gone, and the truss rod stopped being adjustable years ago—fortunately it’s sitting right where he wants it. Body and neck are otherwise stock apart from a Badass II bridge, his signature Seymour Duncans, and his signature Rotosound flatwounds (.050–.110), which he uses because he doesn’t like the noise rounds make when he slides. The tone knob is pulled out of the circuit entirely so it can’t get turned by accident.
Just in Case
A 1978 Precision is the designated backup, with a Harris signature model also out on the road, though both are there for emergencies rather part of the than rotation. Harris checks his tuning before the show, walks out, and the bass doesn’t come back to Diamond until the night’s over—even when there’s an acoustic in the set.
Built in ’81
A Shure Axient wireless runs four channels—three basses at the moment, plus the acoustic when it’s in the set—into a custom Cornish selector, which picks the active instrument, lets Diamond balance gain between them, and has meters for spotting where the signal is and isn’t. The Cornish is Harris’ second; the first was built in the ‘80s and this one dates to 2000.
Back to the Hiwatt
Harris settled on a Hiwatt NCA108 around 1981, but racking it didn’t take—it fell apart on the road—so he had Alectron build copies and ran those for 40-odd years. Then the originals turned up in a warehouse. Mark Dunn rebuilt them, rack-mountable this time, and Diamond says they edge out the Alectrons, though barely.
Heavyweights
Cambridge Audio SR707 amplifiers have been driving the rig since day one. Diamond says you don’t want to lift one, but they’re bulletproof. They push two stacks of Marshall 800-series 4x12s, beefed up beyond stock and loaded with EVM 12Ls—a guitar cab for bass, which Diamond admits is a little bizarre, and which Harris has run for as long as anyone there can remember.
Break Glass
A Tech 21 SH1 Steve Harris Signature SansAmp pedal handles the direct line to front of house. It exists because Michael Kenney, Harris’ tech at the time, worked with Tech 21 to get his rack tone into a stompbox for small British Lion club shows.
Tuner Loyalty
Harris tunes his own bass, and he does it on a Korg WT-12 that came out in 1980. It’s old enough to be unreliable—sometimes great, sometimes not—so there’s a second WT-12 onstage and another Korg beside it.
Gillan’s Gift
Gers’ number one is a Fender replica of a black Strat that Ian Gillan gave him. He played the original into the ‘90s, retired it, and had this one built; it was mint when it arrived and isn’t anymore. There’s a Duncan JB Jr. in the neck and bridge and a Hot Rails in the middle. Strings are .010–.046, and he likes swapping one for a lighter gauge— Sosa isn’t sure whether that’s about tension or superstition.
“Whitey”
Gers’ other main Strat, also from the ‘90s, has the same JB Jr. and Hot Rails setup. The tape on the back is there because he wears a bullet belt— Sosa figures it buys the finish a little time, though it’s going regardless.
A Real Trooper
Sandberg has built Gers a few guitars over the years. This one has three JB Jr. pickups, and it comes out for “The Trooper.” The body’s close to a classic Strat, but the bridge, the headstock, and the sculpted heel are all Sandberg’s own.
First Strat
Gers has had this Strat since roughly his first band, and Sosa says he doesn’t give it a break—most of the checking is real cracks in the wood rather than cosmetic crazing. The neck is new because the old one was past working on, and the guitar’s been apart and back together more times than anyone can say.
Janick Gers’ Rack
A Shure Axient True Wireless covers the three songs Gers wants to run around for; the rest of the night he’s on a cable. Both feed a Radial JX-44. A custom box that used to be the brain of the rig still earns its keep for its Tube Screamer, EQ, and a treble booster Sosa kicks in when Gers wants feedback at the end of a song.
Marshall Law
A Marshall JMP-1 is the main tone, a Marshall JFX-1 adds room reverb on rhythms plus delays, harmonies, and chorus, and a Marshall 9200 does the power. A Synergy setup with its own power amp covers the rest: a Bogner Ecstasy module for cleans, gain almost all the way down, and a Friedman for an alternate lead tone on “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” though both are placeholders until two more units arrive. Sosa does all the switching from a Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro.
Number One, Literally
Murray’s main guitar is a Stratocaster from Fender masterbuilder Andy Hicks in Olympic white with a walnut neck that Price says doesn’t move. It’s DM0001, the first of a 70-piece run Hicks has just completed, and Price’s had FU-Tone and titanium parts fitted throughout. Three Hicks builds are out on this tour. The pickups are the Dave Murray Seymour Duncan set—Hot Rails at neck and bridge, and a JB Jr. in the middle for the cleans on “Seventh Son,” “Hallowed,” and the middle section of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” The big headstock and the Olympic white finish are both nods to Hendrix.
Kossoff Copy
A guitar from Fender masterbuilder Jason Smith based on Paul Kossoff’s Strat, which Murray has had since about 2010 and kept at home for years before it came back out last year for the older material. It started with a JB and a ‘59; Price has since experimented his way to two JBs and a JB Jr. in the middle. The bird’s-eye top and the zebra coils are the reason everyone stops to look at it.
Dave Murray’s Rig
Murray runs a Fractal Axe-Fx, which Price came to after subbing on Devin Townsend gigs. It started as a JMP model—Murray’s sound—and has grown to four or five amps for different songs. A stereo out feeds Murray’s in-ears, which Price describes as “Steely Dan” clean; another goes to front of house and out to two Marshall cabs onstage, dialed cleaner to keep things from getting swampy. There are also cabs because Harris and Bruce Dickinson still work off stage sound.
New Fender Film Features J Mascis, Thurston Moore, and More Celebrating NYC Roots
Fender has released an original feature-length film capturing behind-the-scenes moments and performances with Dinosaur Jr. and friends across New York City, celebrating the community that has spawned some of indie rock’s defining artists.
The full-length film, The One. For New York., is now available on YouTube and features performances by Dinosaur Jr., Thurston Moore, Snail Mail, and more.
Punctuated by audacious music, gritty footage, and acidic humor, The One. For New York. attests to the city’s towering role in modern culture—as seen from a street-level vantage point.
Featured artists include:
- Dinosaur Jr.
- Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog
- Steve Gunn
- Thurston Moore Group (Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley, Deb Googe)
- They Are Gutting a Body of Water
- American Football
- Snail Mail
The artists themselves acknowledge the crucial role NYC has played in their creative growth.
“New York was the first place we came where we had any fans or acceptance. We just kind of gravitated towards New York,” said J Mascis. “Starting a band I decided I wanted a Fender… I went to buy a Strat, but they had a Jaguar for $200 and Jazzmaster for $300. The neck felt better on the Jazzmaster; it was worn in like a baseball bat, so I just went for the Jazzmaster.”
“As far as Dinosaur Jr. getting welcomed in New York, I think a lot of it was predicated upon us welcoming them,” said Thurston Moore. “I mean, we really liked them. We brought them out on tour when we did a van tour across the USA with us. We were always championing them. They were always sort of like this little brother band to us.”
“I discovered Sonic Youth in high school, and it was sort of like my introduction to stuff that kind of fit outside of a mold that I understood at that point. And they just opened the door for me for my own guitar playing,” said Lindsey Jordan (Snail Mail). “I feel like there was life before Sonic Youth for me and then life after.”
“I think there's something like 70 languages currently spoken in New York. [A] byproduct of that is that there were a lot of different sounds,” said Marc Ribot. “I came down to New York, I realized this is where the work is. I didn't really know if I wanted to write songs or be a rock star. I didn't know what kind of guitarist even, but I knew I wanted to play guitar, and I knew this is where I could do it.”
“I fell in love with New York,” said Steve Gunn. “Even early on, I was always interested in expanding my palette of the guitar. From people like J and Thurston and other players who were using different tunings and capos and different frets, I feel like it really expanded your ear and limits of what a guitar can do.”
For more information visit Fender.com.
Meet PRS' Tekton: A Modern Metal Guitar
The Tekton family of four bolt-on guitars designed for the most technical of modern players. Named for the Ancient Greek term meaning artisan or craftsman, the Tekton (hardtail bridge), Tekton T (PRS two-point tremolo), Tekton “Floyd” (Floyd Rose tremolo system), and Tekton SVN (seven string) all feature a completely novel and lightweight body shape, thinner neck, flatter fretboard, stainless steel frets, longer scale lengths, and the genesis of PRS pickups purpose-built to get the most out of digital rigs. The new family brings with it a fresh color palette to complete the contemporary product launch.
“This is not just introducing a new model. We are planting a flag for a whole new family of guitars. Since day one, PRS has been built around a combination of player feedback and our experience as guitar makers. Listening to musicians while continually refining our craft has helped us create instruments that serve as tools for a wide range of players. Over the years, we have heard a growing call for more modern spec’d PRS guitars. The Tekton is our answer to that call,” said Jim Cullen, Director of Sales at PRS Guitars.
At the heart of the Tekton are PRS Stylus (Ancient Greek: an instrument used for writing) pickups, developed specifically for this family of guitars. Split or full humbucking, every position was designed to be equally useful on stage, in the studio, or at home. Built with Alnico 5 magnets and voiced for clarity, articulation, and character, Stylus pickups deliver aggressive tones without sacrificing note definition. While not “flat-response” pickups, they do have a flatter output than many other humbuckers to keep some character while catering more to digital gear. Whether paired with a traditional amplifier, a modern modeling system, or a complex recording setup, the Tekton delivers focused, musical tones that remain defined even under high gain.
The Tektons have the thinnest body and thinnest neck PRS has made in standard production. This new body style was created by finding a middle ground between the PRS flagship Custom 24 and the PRS offset Vela. The Tekton shape incorporates an exaggerated scoop for easy access to the upper frets, and a comfortable belly carve. The Tekton, Tekton T and Tekton SVN all featured highly figured mango tops and mahogany backs, while the Tekton “Floyd” is made with an all-alder body.
The fretboard features a 16” radius, stainless steel frets, and has a new, simple inlay design for PRS: offset dots. Additionally, Luminlay side dots help players keep their place on the board no matter the lighting environment. The fretboard is made from Indian ebony, a wood known to form mineral deposits as the tree grows. These deposits can sometimes appear as spots, streaks, or other variations in color. Lovingly referred to as “birthmarks” in the wood industry, these naturally occurring characteristics make every fretboard unique.
The neck is thin but with a near “D” shape so it doesn’t feel cramped. All four models are built with maple necks and ebony fretboards. The neck also features hormigo strength rods – similar to the carbon fiber rods PRS uses in acoustics and, most recently, in the Chleo signature model. These rods not only help with the stability of the neck, the added strength and rigidity are aimed at making a more resonant instrument.
The string spacing was also an important factor in the design process. The spacing on the Tekton models is the same as the Silver Sky and Fiore, which is a bit wider than PRS’s traditional spacing. This helps players with sweeping arpeggios and more precise pick attack.
Tekton
Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mango Top, Mahogany Body, Maple Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, 2 Humbucking Pickups, and Tremolo
PRS Guitars Introduces the Tekton, a Four-Model Family of Modern Instruments
PRS Guitars has introduced the Tekton family of guitars, designed for the most technical of modern players. The four Tekton models each feature a new lightweight body shape, a thinner modern “D” neck, a 25.5" scale, a flatter 16" radius, stainless steel frets, wider string spacing, a bolt-on neck, and all-new Stylus pickups voiced to sound right through a tube amp or a digital rig.
Named for the Ancient Greek term meaning artisan or craftsman, the four models include the Tekton (hardtail bridge), Tekton T (PRS two-point tremolo), Tekton “Floyd” (Floyd Rose tremolo system), and Tekton SVN (seven string). The new family brings with it a fresh color palette to complete the contemporary product launch.
At the heart of the Tekton are PRS Stylus (Ancient Greek: an instrument used for writing) pickups, developed specifically for this family of guitars. Split or full humbucking, every position was designed to be equally useful on stage, in the studio, or at home. Built with Alnico 5 magnets and voiced for clarity, articulation, and character, Stylus pickups deliver aggressive tones without sacrificing note definition. While not “flat-response” pickups, they do have a flatter output than many other humbuckers to keep some character while catering more to digital gear. Whether paired with a traditional amplifier, a modern modeling system, or a complex recording setup, the Tekton delivers focused, musical tones that remain defined even under high gain.
The Tektons have the thinnest body and thinnest neck PRS has made in standard production, with 25.5” scale length. The new body style was created by finding a middle ground between the PRS flagship Custom 24 and the PRS offset Vela. The Tekton shape incorporates an exaggerated scoop for easy access to the upper frets, and a comfortable belly carve. The Tekton, Tekton T and Tekton SVN all featured highly figured mango tops and mahogany backs, while the Tekton “Floyd” is made with an all-alder body.
The fretboard features a 16” radius, stainless steel frets, and has a new, simple inlay design for PRS: offset dots. Additionally, Luminlay side dots help players keep their place on the board no matter the lighting environment. The fretboard is made from Indian ebony, a wood known to form mineral deposits as the tree grows. These deposits can sometimes appear as spots, streaks, or other variations in color. Lovingly referred to as “birthmarks” in the wood industry, these naturally occurring characteristics make every fretboard unique.
The neck is thin but with a near “D” shape so it doesn’t feel cramped. All four models are built with maple necks and ebony fretboards. The neck also features hormigo strength rods – similar to the carbon fiber rods PRS uses in acoustics and, most recently, in the Chleo signature model. These rods not only help with the stability of the neck, the added strength and rigidity are aimed at making a more resonant instrument.
The string spacing was also an important factor in the design process. The spacing on the Tekton models is the same as the Silver Sky and Fiore, which is a bit wider than PRS’s traditional spacing. This helps players with sweeping arpeggios and more precise pick attack.
“This is not just introducing a new model. We are planting a flag for a whole new family of guitars. Since day one, PRS has been built around a combination of player feedback and our experience as guitar makers. Listening to musicians while continually refining our craft has helped us create instruments that serve as tools for a wide range of players. Over the years, we have heard a growing call for more modern spec’d PRS guitars. The Tekton is our answer to that call,” said Jim Cullen, Director of Sales at PRS Guitars.
Street pricing for each model is as follows:
Tekton and Tekton T: $2899
Tekton Floyd and Tekton SVN: $2,999
'For more information visit prsguitars.com.
Tekton
PRS Guitars has introduced the Tekton family of guitars, designed for the most technical of modern players. The four Tekton models each feature a new lightweight body shape, a thinner modern “D” neck, a 25.5" scale, a flatter 16" radius, stainless steel frets, wider string spacing, a bolt-on neck, and all-new Stylus pickups voiced to sound right through a tube amp or a digital rig.
Sonic Research's Turbo Tuner Comes to MXR with Modern Upgrades
MXR has introduced the company’s first-ever tuner: the MXR Turbo Tuner is built around the core engine of the original Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, engineered to deliver the instantaneous, fraction-of-a-cent accuracy.
At its center is a big, bright true strobe display, driven by the analog signal straight from your instrument. There’s no lag and no bouncing needles. Sharp notes rotate right, flat notes rotate left, and the pattern slows to a creep as you close in on pitch.
MXR’s Turbo Tuner offers chromatic mode plus five customizable presets, each supporting up to 12 strings with ±50-cent offsets, covering everything from alternate tunings to microtonal experiments. Switchable true or buffered bypass lets you decide how it sits in your signal chain, and a USB port handles firmware updates and upcoming editor software. It’s all built with the road-ready durability that defines both Sonic Research and MXR.
MXR Turbo Tuner highlights:
- Built around the core engine of the gold-standard Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, engineered by Sonic Research
- Real-time strobe display tracks pitch with fraction-of-a-cent precision
- Five customizable presets support up to 12 strings and ±50-cent offsets
- Four brightness levels keep the display readable in any lighting
- Adds a high-fidelity buffer with three buffered bypass modes, switchable from true bypass
- Adds a MUTE indicator LED and automatic power-up mode
- Modernized LED display window
- 9V passthrough output powers an additional pedal
- USB port for firmware updates and upcoming editor software
The MXR Turbo Tuner carries a $149.99 street price. For more information visit jimdunlop.com.
MXR Turbo Tuner
MXR has introduced the company’s first-ever tuner: the MXR Turbo Tuner is built around the core engine of the original Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, engineered to deliver the instantaneous, fraction-of-a-cent accuracy.
Rick Nielsen Has 700 Guitars. He's Finally Selling Some.
The checkerboard-loving collector sheds over 300 memorabilia pieces from his Cheap Trick archive including 60+ instruments and 30+ amps. Plus, Rick Nielsen jokes about why he hasn't practiced since 1967, shares the one guitar sale he regrets, and details why he had to have a 5-neck behemoth. Sponsored by: https://stewmac.sjv.io/APO2ED
Tonewood Teardown: Polishing the Frets
Hello, and welcome back to Mod Garage. We are almost done with our Harley Benton project—after working on the neck last month, there’s only one final step left before the neck is completely finished: polishing the frets. This is a very important step and one of the key factors in determining the playability of a guitar. If your frets are not polished well, there will be no “sexiness” when playing, and you will have to fight for every note. Bendings and vibratos will feel very stiff and uncomfortable and make strange noises on the frets. In essence, the instrument works against you instead of for you. In addition, dull or even dirty or rusty frets don’t look very good on a guitar.
The good news is that polishing the frets is something you can do yourself and the enhancement you will receive is simply stunning. And once done as thoroughly as possible, you’ll only need to refresh this process every time you change your strings. It’s a low-investment job with a high payoff, and you can do it to every one of your instruments, whether it’s a guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, and so on. The procedure is always the same.
Many ways lead to Rome here, and there are a zillion different avenues and tools for success. I’ll demonstrate the intensive, serious polishing procedure I use in the shop, but naturally all other methods have their right to exist and will work, too. This is a time-intensive procedure, but it’s worth it; you can enhance your whole guitar armada one by one this way.
For my preferred way you don’t need very much, and you’ll likely already have some of the materials in your garage or workshop. So let’s go and make a perfect polishing job for your frets, resulting in a buttery-smooth, glassy feel and look.
Start with a basic cleaning of the fretboard and the frets, using Naphtha and a cotton rag. This is always the first step, no matter if you have a finished fretboard or one of bare wood like rosewood or ebony. To protect your skin you should wear gloves, this is lighter fluid and you don’t want to have direct contact with it. And it can’t hurt to also wear goggles to protect your eyes. An old cotton t-shirts works well as a rag; simply apply some Naphtha and clean the fretboard and the frets with it. After finishing, give it a minute so the Naphtha can completely disappear.
The next step is to precisely tape off the complete fretboard using low tack tape. This applies not only to finished fretboards like our Harley Benton one, but also to bare-wood fretboards like rosewood or ebony. The cleaning process with Naphtha will help a lot the tape will stick well on the wood. I prefer to completely tape the entire neck before I start polishing, which can be a kind of meditative work. Having a good coffee at hand and listening to some relaxing music can make this step go more quickly. As an alternative, it’s also possible to only tape off one fret, polish it, and then do the next, but I don’t recommend this method. We also want to polish the fret ends, which is a lot easier when taping off the entire neck. Using a fret guard is also not recommended for the same reason. Here’s a tip: Attach the tape as close as possible to the bottom of the frets and also mask the fretboard edge so you can polish the fret ends without any danger of disturbing the finish.
Next you have to decide what tools to use, and there are countless options. Avoid any steel wool for a serious fret polishing job—it’s not only a mess in general, but the pickups will attract the particles if you do not completely mask them. In general, the higher the grid you use, and the more grids you use in between to step up to the final grid, the higher the level of your polish and the smoother the feel. There are a lot of different polishing systems for frets from a lot of companies and they all work; my preferred way is to use Micro-Mesh soft touch pads in nine different grids, starting with 1,500 and stepping up to 12,000.
There are a lot of other options, including steel wool, abrasive touch-up sticks, abrasive sheets, Scotch-Brite, Kovax Tolecut, and others. If you already have a tool you use you can naturally stay with it, but for me, nothing beats the Micro-Mesh soft touch pads.
Now, take a small dish and fill it with soapy water as a lubricant for a scratch-free mirror shine. Simply use your finger to put some of the water on your polishing pad—don’t waterboard the pad, and avoid soaking it in water. Start with the 1,500 grid pad, wet it, and rub the fret from one fretboard edge to the other. Important: Do not polish from the nut to the bridge over the complete fretboard length, this is the correct direction for a serious polishing job. Take care to polish the complete fret down to the bottom, and take your time. You don’t need to be afraid about removing material, this is just a polishing job. After polishing the last fret angle, turn the pad approximately 30 degrees and polish the fret ends by rubbing the pad in that angle along both fretboard edges.
All done? Excellent. Take another nip of your coffee and step up to the next finest grid, repeating the entire process over and over again until you’ve stepped up to the highest grid.
I estimate that it should take roughly two hours on average to complete the whole process, including taping off the neck. Yes, it’s a long time for a polishing job. But believe me, it’s worth every minute.
You may ask—what about using machines like a Dremel or a stationary buffer to save some time? Yes, it’s possible to use such tools, but they’re a little risky to me. It’s easy to overheat and reshape the frets, and even easier to slip and hit the fretboard—something you definitely don’t want to do. I stopped using rotating tools for fret polishing several years ago and always take the long route. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially on a customer’s guitar.
Now, the final step, which will make a big difference. For this we will need any metal polish of your choice, some Q-tips, and a piece of leather. Some advice: Wear gloves during the last step, and put some old newspapers underneath the neck.
First, put some metal polish on the Q-tip, and apply it all along the fret. With a piece of leather, polish one fret after another and, finally, the fret ends. Use the same procedure as earlier, but this time with a metal polish and a piece of leather. Using a piece of leather will not only polish but also burnish the frets to maximum shine, creating a glass-like feeling. There are special polishing leathers you can buy, but any old piece of smooth leather—like from an old leather belt—will do. Suede leather will not work properly, so stay away from that. Take your time and polish the complete fret; during the process you will feel a little bit of heat, which is a good sign that you are doing it right.
Finally, use a soft cotton cloth to wipe away any excess, and then take off the tape. When using low tack tape this should be easy; if there are any sticky areas use some Naphtha and a cotton rag to simply wipe it away. If you have an open-wood fretboard, apply fretboard oil of your choice afterwards and wipe away the excess.
And there you have it: Mirror-shine and glassy-feel frets for maximum playability. I’m pretty sure that when you experience the results on one of your guitars you will instantly undertake the same procedure on all your other instruments.
We didn’t spent any more money this month, so our budget of $100 for future investments is still available. Next month we’ll finish up our guitar project and compare the instrument to what we started with. So stay tuned.
Until then ... keep on modding!
Strymon TimeLine MX Review
The original Strymon TimeLine always possessed the power and potential to transcend a mere guitar effect. Not long after its release, I got to know a sound guy who used one at every show. I’ve also seen them in synth-filled studios where a lone guitar sat tucked away, almost as an afterthought. To me that says a lot about what the TimeLine achieved in terms of user friendliness, power, and flexibility. Did its ability to work across disciplines make it less potent as a guitar effect? No way. The TimeLine was and is a blast to use for both straightforward guitar delay applications and late-night, down-the-rabbit-hole creative meanderings that birth whole musical pieces.
The new TimeLine MX is more of the same—a lot more. So much more, in fact, that I’ve heard grumblings about its $679 street price. If you’re a guitarist happy and fulfilled by making do with a Carbon Copy, and you’re skeptical about what the TimeLine MX can offer you, I get it. Even some delay power users may be hard-pressed to justify the expense. But after a few weeks of tinkering with the MX, it’s easy to imagine how guitarists who divide their time between home studio and performance—and for whom atmosphere and the ability to use echo as a compositional prompt is critical—will get back every penny of their $679 investment, and then some. This isn’t a perspective I arrived at because I imagined myself forever probing the MX’s deepest capabilities. It’s simply because the TimeLine MX proved fun, engaging, inspiring, and full of surprises, day after day.
Exponential Explosion
To try to describe every MX feature in the space of this review would be folly. (If you think I’m kidding, check out Strymon co-founder and designer Pete Celi’s deep dive video for the unit. It’s as long as a feature film.) But there are a few new core developments that are truly big news. The most important fundamental enhancement is the twin delay architecture, which enables you to use two delays in series, parallel, or in a stereo setup that sends different delays to different destinations.
Then there are the new algorithms, which include a wobbly vintage oil can-style delay, a slice-dice-and-reconstitute spectral delay, a Binson-inspired drum-style echo, and a rhythmically-driven multitap voice. There’s also a reverb mode you can add to the mix, if the new delays weren’t enough. These new algorithms join the lo-fi, digital, dBucket, and filter delay modes (to name just a few) that were stars on the original TimeLine. I’m sure there is a formula that can calculate the tone possibilities afforded by single, dual, stereo, series, and parallel iterations and combinations of the 12 algorithms. But frankly, the enormous sum of potential outcomes is something you feel more than you calculate. Scrolling through this many voices is often just flat-out thrilling, intoxicating stuff that makes afternoons and late nights disappear.
“Scrolling through this many voices is often just flat-out thrilling, intoxicating stuff that makes afternoons and late nights disappear.”
The “feel” factor is something that works in another design dimension, and that’s the unit’s layout, flow, and functionality. For a delay capable of a virtually incalculable number of sounds, the MX is still fairly compact—a design factor that was certainly part of its appeal to the synth artists and sound people I mentioned earlier, and, needless to say, a big deal for the pedalboard set. A more important facet of the MX’s ergonomics, however, is the sense of workflow. The new screen is super clear and organizes essential information well. The seven basic controls are arranged linearly in a single row, which makes them easy to scan and facilitates the development of muscle memory. The secondary functions are easily controllable via the assignable speed and depth knobs. The value and type knobs on either side of the screen—which work as both rotary and push-button controls—interface seamlessly with the readout. The bank-up, bank-down, tap-tempo and looper controls are also dead simple. Altogether, it’s a great study in flow and how to make a complex digital pedal accessible.
Surrounded By Sound, Drowned in Sensation
Highlighting just a few of the many remarkable sounds here could take up many pages. Here are some favorites anyway: The lo-fi is much more than a dollop of EQ blunting slathered over your original signal. There are options to change sample rate and bit depth that render the output a glitchy, grotesque mess, which, when mixed low and added in series or parallel to a lush and hazy drum delay, evoke fractured deep space communications embedded in the background of a gauzy, blissful dream. The spectral delay can be tuned to foreground sugary high-octave reflections in an array of crystalline, stained-glass echoes. But that formula can be flipped on its head, turning clear glass into mystery fragments of murky, patina’d sonic terra cotta. And while the drum echo doesn’t precisely replicate the sound signature of that lunatic device’s electromechanical quirks, the ability to edit the characteristics of each “record head’s” performance (via a very clever graphical representation on the view screen) means you can craft very hazy, syncopated repeats that are a perfect match for fuzzy and scuzzy overdrive.
The Verdict
Echo might be the only truly indispensable effect in my sound world, and I find the idea of spending lots of good money on great delay sounds totally relatable. So, when I consider the $679 Strymon asks for this high-quality, thoughtfully designed echo engine room, I wince ever so briefly before smiling at the possibilities. And these possibilities are copious, indeed—certainly for the side of my creative self that loves meandering through ambient music spaces, or spending hours soundtracking the abstract films cluttering my head and hard drives.
Musicians that work these fields with more focus and discipline than I possess have even more reason to be excited about what the TimeLine MX can deliver so intuitively. So will the many rock, pop, dance, and hip-hop musicians and producers that borrow from the ambient playbook. Less patient users, and I certainly count myself among this sect, can run into some hiccups: No delay this deep and capable can be navigated by intuition alone. But the essentials can be learned via the included five-page startup guide, and you have to be pretty lazy to get lost in the weeds here.
Back to that price: It’s probably one that needs to be considered on a sliding scale. For a lot of artists, the Timeline MX could be the backbone of a desktop studio or pedalboard. For players that view the TimeLine MX through that lens, the price is a fair one or better—especially when you consider its excellent workflow.
Gear Radar November 2026
From Tony Iommi’s 100W handcrafted Laney signature head to ultra-compact modeling amps, wireless freedom, and vintage fuzz recreations, explore November’s standout guitar gear.
Eastman Fullertone Offset'62
The FullerTone Offset ’62 combines effortless comfort, expressive tone, and innovative design. Developed with input from Paul Davids, it features Tonerider goldfoil humbuckers, a Göldo tremolo, and Eastman’s two-bolt neck system for exceptional resonance, stability, and playability.
AirLock GT Wireless Instrument System
AirLock is Fishman’s wireless system for any pickup-equipped instrument. Connect guitar, bass, violin, or keyboard to your amp or recording setup and play cable-free. True analog cable tone preserves your sound, while advanced interference management cuts through noise. Over 9 hours of battery life powers you through your longest sessions.
Pulze, Pulze Jr., and Pulze Mini
Meet the Pulze family—three smart modeling amps built for inspired playing anywhere. The touchscreen-equipped Pulze delivers immersive desktop sound; battery-powered Pulze Jr. brings stereo punch through dual custom 3" speakers; and the ultra-compact Pulze Mini packs a 5W, 2" full-range speaker into a truly grab-and-go format. All three feature Hotone’s CDCM HD + F.I.R.E. modeling, wireless audio and app control, plus versatile tones for electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, and more.
Nobels REV-mini
The REV-mini delivers a wide range of legendary reverb simultions, every nuance in full stereo width. From classic spiral reverb, to the ethereal soundscapes, all the way to high-resolution sounds. Use the Xtra function of Freeze and Shimmer to create that moment! True or Buffered bypass. Big possibilities, small price.
The Black Keys Peach Fuzz
The Limited-Edition The Black Keys Peach Fuzz joins the new Mod Series, reimagining a beloved ’70s Foxy-style octave/fuzz pedal in a more pedalboard-friendly design. Developed with guitarist Dan Auerbach, it recreates the vintage circuit with selectable momentary/latching octave-up control and peach-colored flocked velvet celebrating The Black Keys’ 2026 release, Peaches!
Mod Series
Warm Audio debuts the NEW Mod Series, bringing its classic pedal recreations into slimmer, pedalboard-friendly designs with modern features on select models. Launching with the Centavo Mod and WA-C1 Mod, the series delivers golden high-headroom overdrive in a compact format and lush analog chorus/vibrato with an a added preamp bypass.
TI-100 Tony Iommi 100W signature head - Handcrafted in the UK
Laney Black Country Customs extremely limited run of the BCC-TI100 Tony Iommi Signature Amplifier, handcrafted in the UK. Featuring 100 watts RMS, eight 12AX7 preamp valves, four 6L6 outputs and Tony’s iconic cross livery, this collector’s amplifier delivers uncompromising British craftsmanship, commanding tone and unmistakable stage presence.
Cardinal Black Self-Produce New Album 'Second Sign of Life'
Welsh rock trio Cardinal Black have announced their third studio album, Second Sign of Life, arriving January 29, 2027 via Thirty Tigers, alongside the release of its riff-driven lead single, “Saving Grace.”
Self-produced during a break in European touring, the record strips back the elaborate arrangements of its predecessor to capture the chemistry that has made Cardinal Black a formidable live act. The album is available to pre-order now as the band announces its biggest UK and Ireland headline tour to date.
“Saving Grace” pairs Chris Buck’s muscular guitar work with Tom Hollister’s soulful vocals and a lyric about the person who brings you back to solid ground when life becomes difficult. Hollister first recorded the song nearly a decade ago but only now found the sound and words that felt true to it.
“The foundations of the song were something I had written and recorded around 10 years ago, but it never felt right—too overworked and stylized,” Hollister explains. “I also never really had lyrics to it that had a real connection to me. This time around with Cardinal Black, it all feels much more coherent. It’s a song about being so close to someone that they’ve become an integral part of you and someone who regularly pulls you back to shore when things get a little rough at sea.” If 2025’s Midnight at the Valencia captured Cardinal Black’s proverbial 10,000 hours, Second Sign of Life captures what happens when they stop counting and trust what those years have taught them.
Midnight at the Valencia, recorded at Zurich’s Powerplay Studios with a more expansive production approach, topped the UK Official Independent Album Breakers Chart and helped launch the band’s sold-out debut North American headline tour. Rather than attempt to outdo its scale, Cardinal Black chose fewer layers, greater immediacy, and the sound of musicians playing together in a room.
The opportunity came between dates on a European tour with Alter Bridge. Cardinal Black booked nine days at Hamburg’s residential Clouds Hill Studios in June 2026, effectively living where they recorded. The band arrived after frustrating early writing sessions in Hay-on-Wye and with little time to second-guess decisions, relying instead on the musical instincts sharpened by night after night onstage.
For the first time, Cardinal Black produced and engineered the album themselves, with touring bassist and recording engineer Sam Andrews contributing to the sessions. Despite Clouds Hill’s wealth of vintage equipment, they kept the arrangements focused on the expanded live lineup, allowing only those additions that served the songs.
The result is a 10-song album that turns inward, exploring love, loss, vulnerability, growing older, and the strange isolation of life on the road. Hollister’s personal songwriting is carried by Buck’s expressive guitar and Adam Roberts’ sensitive rhythmic approach, with the space between instruments becoming part of the music.
That restraint reflects the band’s wider independence. Long accustomed to taking a hands-on role in recording, releasing and touring, Cardinal Black have made an album on their own terms, shaped by the direct connection with audiences that remains at the heart of their work.
Cardinal Black return to the road in 2027 with their biggest UK and Ireland headline tour to date, beginning March 30 in Wolverhampton and continuing through London and Cardiff. European dates follow in April and May, with North America planned for June. Fans who pre-order a physical edition through the band’s website can access the UK and Ireland artist presale ahead of the October 21st general on-sale. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.thecardinalblack.com.
Second Sign of Life by Cardinal Black
1. Saving Grace
2. Take Me to The Water
3. All I Ever Wanted
4. Perfect Time
5. Higher
6. I Could Be Anything
7. Neon Lights
8. More Than Your Love
9. Growing Up
10. There Was Everything
CARDINAL BLACK – UK & IRELAND TOUR 2027
- Tuesday, March 30th – Wolverhampton, UK – KK's Steel Mill
- Thursday, April 1st – Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
- Friday, April 2nd – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Limelight
- Saturday, April 3rd – Glasgow, UK – The Garage
- Monday, April 5th – Newcastle, UK – Boiler Shop
- Tuesday, April 6th – Leeds, UK – Stylus
- Friday, April 9th – Manchester, UK – Academy 2
- Saturday, April 10th – Southampton, UK – EngineRooms
- Sunday, April 11th – Exeter, UK – Phoenix
- Tuesday, April 13th – Bristol, UK – Electric
- Thursday, April 15th – Cambridge, UK – Junction
- Friday, April 16th – London, UK – KOKO
- Saturday, April 17th – Cardiff, UK – Great Hall
U2 Announces The Greatest Show on Earth World Tour 2027
Live Nation has today announced that U2 is set to hit the road again with Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth, a world tour that will see Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. return to select stadiums in 2027 and beyond.
The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour—in support of the band’s forthcoming 16th studio album, Carnaval De Luz—will kick off in Mexico City on February 23rd, 2027 with support from Beck, with shows also announced for São Paulo and Buenos Aires, the only three Latin American cities the tour will visit next year. Additional 2027 dates for Europe and North America are set to be announced in the coming weeks, with plans for the band’s all-important return home to Ireland in the works.
The tour announcement comes with the release of a new track titled “The Greatest Show On Earth.” Co-written by U2 and Brian Eno, it is the third single to be taken from Carnaval De Luz. A story of lovers fighting to keep faith in each other—and faith itself. The video is directed by Anton Corbijn and was shot in the Californian desert; it satirizes the band as a religious cult where women do all the heavy lifting. Watch HERE. Listen HERE .
CARNAVAL DE LUZ PRESENTS: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH
WORLD TOUR - 2027 DATES (with support from Beck)
- February 23 MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Estadio GNP Seguros
- February 26 MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Estadio GNP Seguros
- March 10 SÃO PAULO, Brazil - Estádio MorumBIS
- March 12 SÃO PAULO, Brazil - Estádio MorumBIS
- March 23 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Estadio River Plate
- March 25 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Estadio River Plate
Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 has always—since their earliest days, including the industry-defining ZOO TV Tour which broke the mold in 1991—consistently pushed the boundaries of live performance, with ground-breaking stage shows that embrace the latest in technology and innovation, most recently with one of the band’s most ambitious creative projects to date, a sold-out run of 40 history-making, future-defining shows at Sphere, Las Vegas. Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour marks U2’s return to a stadium setting for a performance spectacle embracing human connection and intimacy at a grand scale, with a set list drawn from across the band’s entire catalogue; the band’s first stadium dates since wrapping the acclaimed The Joshua Tree Tour at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on December 15th, 2019, the final stop on a tour which saw U2 play to almost 3 million fans around the world.
U2 recently celebrated the band’s 50th anniversary on Friday September 25th with a very special surprise performance on Dublin’s Grafton Street for the town they hold dear. Watch HERE.
Tickets for the Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour will first be available via U2.com Subscriber Presale commencing on Monday October 19th, 2026 at 10am local time. Remaining tickets will be available starting Thursday, October 22nd at 10am local time at U2.com.
Carnaval De Luz presents: The Greatest Show On Earth World Tour is produced by Live Nation Global Touring.
Gibson Introduces Four Original Collection Acoustics with Baggs HiFi DNA Pickup System
Gibson has announced four additions to its Original Collection of acoustic guitars, each equipped with the new Gibson-exclusive, custom-voiced Baggs HiFi DNA pickup system.
The J-45 Original, J-45 60s Original Fixed Bridge, Southern Jumbo 40s Original, and Country Western 60s Original are handcrafted at the Gibson Acoustic Craftory in Bozeman, Montana, with premium tonewoods, and period-inspired appointments.
At the heart of the collection is the Gibson-exclusive Baggs HiFi DNA pickup system. Custom-voiced specifically for Gibson acoustic guitars, the active system uses two lightweight sensors mounted to the internal bridge plate, with each sensor paired with its own preamp. The result is a rich, natural amplified sound that captures the warmth, dynamic range, and subtle details of the guitar without affecting its unplugged voice.
The system offers feedback resistance and gain-before-feedback comparable to an under-saddle pickup, making it equally suited to recording sessions, intimate performances, and large stages. Discrete soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls provide convenient access to essential adjustments while remaining virtually hidden from the audience.
All four models share the traditional construction methods that have helped Gibson acoustic guitars earn the trust of generations of musicians. Each instrument features a solid Sitka spruce top, a dovetail neck joint secured with hot hide glue, a rosewood fretboard and bridge, and performance-oriented components, including a bone nut and bone saddle. Together, these elements promote resonance, tonal transfer, dependable performance, and a responsive feel that connects the player directly to the instrument.
Known as “The Workhorse,” the J-45 has earned a reputation as one of the most trusted and widely recorded acoustic guitars ever made. The new J-45 Original returns to the model’s Jumbo roots with distinctive 30s Jumbo-inspired appointments while preserving the iconic round-shoulder dreadnought body and the classic combination of mahogany back and sides with a solid Sitka spruce top.
The J-45 Original features a mahogany neck with a fast, comfortable SlimTaper profile and a rosewood fretboard with 20 standard frets and mother-of-pearl dot inlays. A mother-of-pearl Gibson script logo, nickel-plated Grover open-back tuners, and a bone nut complete the headstock. A rectangular, closed-slot, flat-top rosewood bridge, TUSQ bridge pins, and a firestripe pickguard reinforce the guitar’s vintage-inspired character. Offered in Autumn Burst and Vintage Sunburst gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, the J-45 Original includes a Gibson hardshell case.
The J-45 60s Original Fixed Bridge carries the Workhorse legacy forward with distinctive 60s-era styling and a fixed belly-up bridge designed for tuning stability, dependable performance, and reduced long-term upkeep. Its round-shoulder dreadnought body is constructed with mahogany back and sides and a solid Sitka spruce top, delivering the warm, woody, and balanced voice that has defined the J-45 since its introduction in 1942.
A 24.75-inch-scale mahogany neck with a comfortable Round profile joins the body using a dovetail joint and hot hide glue. The rosewood fretboard features 20 standard frets and mother-of-pearl dot inlays. Grover strap tuners with white buttons, a gold Gibson logo decal, a bone nut and saddle, and TUSQ bridge pins complete the instrument’s performance-oriented appointments.
The J-45 60s Original Fixed Bridge is available in Vintage Sunburst with a tortoise pickguard and Vintage Cherry Sunburst with a white pickguard. Both finishes are applied in gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, and each guitar includes a Gibson hardshell case.
First introduced in 1942 as part of Gibson’s celebrated wartime banner model lineup, the Southern Jumbo became the company’s flagship round-shoulder flat-top. The Southern Jumbo 40s Original honors that heritage while incorporating carefully considered modern refinements and the Gibson-exclusive Baggs HiFi DNA pickup system.
The Southern Jumbo 40s Original pairs solid rosewood back and sides with a solid Sitka spruce top, producing deep lows, sparkling highs, expansive projection, and a touch-sensitive response. Multi-ply binding on the top and back gives the guitar an elevated visual presentation that complements its rich tonal character.
Its mahogany neck features a comfortable SlimTaper profile designed for effortless chord work and fluid flatpicking. The rosewood fretboard is fitted with 20 standard frets and mother-of-pearl split parallelogram inlays. Nickel-plated Grover open-back tuners, a bone nut, and a vintage-inspired gold Gibson script logo decal complete the headstock. A closed-slot, belly-down rosewood bridge features two mother-of-pearl dot inlays, a bone saddle, and TUSQ bridge pins, while a tortoise-colored teardrop pickguard completes the classic aesthetic. The Southern Jumbo 40s Original is offered in a Vintage Sunburst gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish and includes a Gibson hardshell case.
Returning to the core Gibson Acoustic lineup in response to player demand, the Country Western 60s Original revives one of the most celebrated versions of this historic design. Its mahogany back and sides and solid Sitka spruce top produce a rich, lively, and exceptionally balanced voice across the bass, midrange, and treble frequencies.
That versatility allows the Country Western 60s Original to move naturally between country rhythm work, rock ’n’ roll single-note leads, intricate fingerstyle passages, songwriting sessions, studio recording, and live performance. The guitar is designed to respond to a wide variety of techniques while retaining the warmth and character associated with a classic Gibson acoustic.
The 24.75-inch-scale mahogany neck features a comfortable Round profile and joins the body with a compound dovetail joint secured using hot hide glue. Its rosewood fretboard has a 12-inch radius, 20 standard frets, and mother-of-pearl split parallelogram inlays. Sealed-back Gotoh tuning machines with white buttons, a bone nut, and a mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and crown provide refined styling and dependable performance.
At the body, a rosewood belly-up bridge is fitted with a bone saddle and TUSQ bridge pins. A tortoise-colored pickguard without graphics provides a clean, classic finishing detail. The Country Western 60s Original is available in Natural and Vintage Sunburst gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes and includes a Gibson hardshell case.
Street prices for each of the models:
Gibson J-45 60s Original with HiFi DNA, Fixed Bridge, available in Vintage Sunburst or Vintage Cherry Sunburst finish: $3,199
Gibson J-45 Original with HiFi DNA, available in Vintage Sunburst or Autumn Burst: $3,299
Gibson Country Western 60s Original with HiFi DNA, in Antique Natural finish: $3,999
Gibson Southern Jumbo 40s Original with HiFi DNA, in Vintage Sunburst finish: $3,999
For more information visit Gibson.com.
Original Collection
Gibson has announced four additions to its Original Collection of acoustic guitars, each equipped with the new Gibson-exclusive, custom-voiced Baggs HiFi DNA pickup system.
Richard Thompson’s Endless Guitar Journey
“I didn’t want to be another imitator of Chicago blues,” Richard Thompson tells PG of his early guitar development. “When I was growing up in London, by about 1963, there were a lot of very good guitar players around, like Peter Green, Jeff Beck, and everyone else who seemed to have had a run in the Yardbirds. They’d never been to Chicago, or even out of England, probably. But they could do Buddy Guy and Magic Sam.”
Nearly 60 years into his career, Thompson has a new album—his touring schedule and writing regimen indicate an artist still in motion. He’s unwilling to rest on any laurels, but it isn’t as though he hasn’t received them. Back in 2012, Nashville’s Americana Music Association issued him a lifetime achievement award and invited him to play in the city’s fabled Ryman Auditorium. Remember, he’s an Englishman. But if anyone from the other side of the pond deserves an Americana award, it’s Richard Thompson.
“I was kind of surprised when my manager said, ‘Oh, they want to give you an award,’” he remembers. “And I thought it’s a little strange because I’m not a country artist, but I think ‘Americana’ is a broader term that covers everyone from Booker T. Jones to r&b. It’s a roots thing. And Scottish and Irish music is a massive influence on country music, the Celtic influence that goes along with the African influence. All that kind of blends into country and rock ‘n’ roll. So I suppose I must be kind of rootsy.”
Richard Thompson is one of our best living guitarists—there’s certainly no denying his virtuoso wizardry on the instrument. Like Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Django Reinhardt, and Jerry Garcia, Thompson’s phrasing is recognizable from the very first note. His attack is precise and angular. His powerfully articulated pull-offs and bends seem to leap from his fingertips at right angles, like shards of glass from a broken mirror. This staccato style works perfectly in punk and math rock, too. So many guitar players, from Tom Verlaine and Mary Timony to James Walbourne and Carrie Brownstein, owe Thompson a serious debt.
It’s not only Thompson’s soloing that informs his greatness. He also has perhaps the most stable hands in the business; his arpeggios flow like a steady, fast-moving river, steeped in current. For proof, see any live acoustic version of his classic tune “1952 Vincent Black Lightning“ and remember it’s only one guitar doing all that. Whether he’s playing solo or out on the road with a full band, watching Thompson perform always brings pleasant surprises. Just when you think he’s pulled every rabbit from his hat, year after year he finds new ways to delightfully evince another coin from behind your ear.
Richard Thompson Gear:
Guitars and other string instruments:
1966 Martin 000-18
Lowden Signature acoustic
Lowden F32
Lowden classical
Lowden S series
Lowden electric
1959 Fender Stratocaster (with ‘55 neck)
1966 Fender Stratocaster
Fender Strat, black/silver (parts)
Fender Stratocaster, white (newish)
Fender American Professional Classic Stratocaster (with Rio Grande pickups)
Fender Telecaster (parts) (2)
Fender Telecaster 12-string (parts)
Gibson SG, black
1920 Gibson mandolin
Amps:
1966 Fender Deluxe
1956 Fender Deluxe
Various Fender Vibrolux, Champs, and more
Divided By 13
Headstrong 1x12 (2)
Effects (acoustic):
Ridge Farm 2-channel tube pre amp
TC Electronic delay
TC Electronic rotary
Effects (electric):
Fulltone OCD
TC Electronic delay
TC Electronic octave
TC Electronic Shaker
Boss tuner
Strings and picks:
Elixir electric strings (.009-.042)
Elixir acoustic strings, bronze (.012-.053)
Custom-made picks, “Les Paul” shape
In late summer, this founding member of seminal English folk rock band Fairport Convention Zooms in from his London home while preparing for a run of music festivals that have become something of an annual tradition. He’ll play events like FolkEast in Suffolk and the Bromyard Folk Festival before autumn settles over England. He pans his camera around the house to show where he’s sitting—Thompson splits his time between the UK and a place in New Jersey. His living room, draped in soft yellow tones and furnished with traditional pieces, looks more like the pad of a London accountant than the legendary music troubadour he is. There’s no obvious trace on the walls or shelves of his long career in rock ‘n’ roll.
And yet, he was there. Fairport Convention has been described as England’s answer to the Byrds. If the latter took folk songs from American musicians like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan and reformed them into Billboard chart toppers like “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” Fairport Convention, drawing on Irish, Scottish, and English folk, made similar moves at the same time in Swinging London, releasing groundbreaking albums like Liege & Lief and Unhalfbricking. Ground zero, then, was the legendary Marquee Club, where bands like the Who and the Rolling Stones took early steps toward superstardom and where Fairport Convention also played.
“Jimi Hendrix got up and played with us a few times. He played whatever we were playing.”
There were other clubs, too: “I remember at a place called the Speakeasy—it was on Margaret Street in London—Jimi Hendrix got up and played with us a few times,” Thompson recalls. “He played whatever we were playing. I remember one night he sat in on ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ and one night we did Paul Butterfield’s ‘East-West’ together.”
In that moment—London in the ‘60s—did Thompson feel something significant was happening? Did he and his cohort recognize they were living in what would later be considered a landmark time in rock history? “I think we thought this wasn’t some creative high spot, that whatever was happening would keep happening in different forms,” he explains. “I think we looked back on the ‘50s as being the revolution. But the ‘60s were more revolutionary, really. Of course, there were new, better recording techniques. But if you just look at the music, we’re still in the shadow of it, I think. If you only take the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan, those three artists alone still have such an influence over music. People are still wearing Led Zeppelin t-shirts, for heaven’s sake. Back then, we sort of thought, ‘Oh, it’s just the Who. It’s just the Yardbirds. It’s just Jimi Hendrix.’ It’s only really recently that I look back and realize how special it all really was.”
Thompson shares more about how he developed his own playing style in those days: “I wanted to sound unique. I thought that if I could develop something that has an element of where I come from, if it sounds a bit Scottish, a bit English, then that could be a singular thing. And I looked for distinctive sounds on the guitar, too. When I got a Stratocaster in ‘68 or whenever it was, I found the out-of-phase position on it and thought, well, this is great. It’s got that kind of hollow sound. ‘I’m sure no one’s done this before,’ I said to myself. I thought I had invented a lot of things that I later found out were totally untrue! But for me, it was kind of a fresh sound.”
There may be no other artist who so deftly bridges the old country with the new world. PG readers, for example, may understand the differences between the sounds of Muscle Shoals, Memphis, and Bakersfield, but some may plead ignorance about the analogous sonic regions of the United Kingdom. When asked, Thompson breaks down what makes a song sound like it’s from the UK versus the States. “It’s a balancing act, really,” he explains. “I like to think that I’m grounded in English, Irish, and Scottish folk music, and that everything comes from that. When you add rock ‘n’ roll to that, you see what you get. And that is what we’ve been doing since Fairport Convention began around 1968; I’m still playing around in that field because it’s a very unploughed field, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t have many rivals lurking in that particular piece of acreage. So, for me, there’s a lot to explore. And it uses sounds from both sides of the Atlantic, including accordions and fiddles.
“In terms of modality,” he continues, “the Scottish and Irish scales are very predominant. I use two Scottish pentatonic scales, which overlap into American Appalachia, so you don’t necessarily hear something alien immediately. And the Mixolydian mode is a very common mode in British folk music. And you have that in American music as well. These are kind of signposts, and as long as I sound like me, I’m happy.”
When asked about his practical approach to the guitar, his answer adds up to a Richard Thompson master class: “Obviously, if I’m on a plane all day or something, I can’t play. But otherwise, I do play nearly every day. I think in music there’s a limitless number of things to discover. You can get kind of bogged down looking at your own instrument and just see familiar patterns—you look at your fingers, and they’re going to the same places. For me, inspiration comes from listening to other instruments. Sometimes I’ll listen to John Coltrane, or a sitar player maybe. I think that’s the way to be inspired. I’ll start to think, ‘How do I fit that onto a guitar? Something that’s very easy on another instrument, how do I do that on the guitar, where it’s much more difficult?
“Another thing is vocal accompaniment,” Thompson continues. “When I’m playing guitar, I’m nearly always playing it in a song, and every song presents different possibilities, so a song can suggest things. If I’m playing acoustic, it’s a big thing to make enough sound—to keep enough strings ringing. Do I need to go into another tuning to make it sound better? Can I take a solo that keeps the spirit of the song going, without it sounding like something’s dropped out? And if I’m playing electric with a band, I think, ‘How do I keep the spirit of the song going if I play a solo?’ How do I keep the lyric’s message going and the narrative moving?’ So every song presents different problems that you have to overcome. Sometimes you have to think of a new kind of fingering to play a song in a certain key, and you think, ‘This is tough; I’ve never done this before. I’m going to have to stretch myself. I’m going to have to really practice this particular sequence or this particular fingering, particular shape, or else the song is going to lose something.’ There’s all these things happening to push you forward, and I think you really have to always be a student of music, because there’s always stuff to learn. And if I think I know everything, I’ll go and listen to Stravinsky or something!”
“I thought that if I could develop something that has an element of where I come from, if it sounds a bit Scottish, a bit English, then that could be a singular thing.”
His new LP, Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, lives up to his career-long quest to stretch himself. Whether you’ve been listening to him for decades or you’re brand new to his music, this record is quintessential Richard Thompson. In songs like “The Big Smoke” and “Unsung Hero,” he moves effortlessly between folk-rock and sounds grounded in country and blues from Texas and Tennessee. Thompson generally likes the darker shades of life. Lyrically, he is known for his exploration of disappeared love, of the vagaries of relationships gone wrong. On this new record, for instance, “Make Believe You Don’t Know Me” joins classic Thompson heartache numbers like “Shoot Out the Lights,” “I Misunderstood,” and “When the Spell Is Broken.”
Thompson is known to use a Strat as his main axe. For years, he could be seen wielding a red “partscaster” built for him by guitar tech Bobby Eichorn. That instrument is no longer part of his arsenal. Instead, he’s playing a black partscaster Strat with a silver pickguard. “I also have a ‘60 white Stratocaster,” he says, “and I use a couple of three-pickup Telecasters—I like even my Teles to have three pickups. Those are all my stage guitars, mostly Strats. But I have a Gibson SG that I sometimes use in the studio, and an old Gibson jazz guitar, too. I have others here in London that I don’t use on tour anymore, but they come into the studio too, including my 1966 Stratocaster. I don’t have tons of instruments, but I suppose I have far too many. I like to think they’re not being neglected. If I’ve got a guitar I haven’t played for five years, I’m inclined to give it to somebody else, friends or family.”
These days, he puts his electrics through Divided By 13 amplifiers. “I tend to stick with one amp,” he says. “The Divided By 13 amps are built in Long Beach, California, and the one I use is a two-speaker cabinet with two mismatched Celestion speakers. It’s got two circuits: a Vox circuit and a Fender circuit. You can choose one or the other, or you can blend the two of them, which is kind of the best of all possible worlds.”
When I ask Thompson about his long-held Martin 000-18, the one pictured on the cover of his first solo album, Henry the Human Fly, he reaches just off camera and suddenly pulls it into frame. “Here it is!” he exclaims. “It’s a 1966, but I found it in New York in 1971 when I was on tour with [original Fairport Convention member] Iain Matthews. There’s a place, it’s still there, in Greenwich Village called the Music Inn, and I got it there for 200 bucks. About a year later, I also bought a 1920 Gibson mandolin there for 100 bucks. Those were the days, as they say! Anyway, the Martin 000-18 has been severely battered over the years. I used it a lot on tour throughout the ‘80s. One night in Germany, I left the stage for the interval and put it down next to a spotlight on the floor. When I came back, it had nearly melted into pieces. It was frying on the floor. Terrifying, really. Now I just keep it around the house.”
Thompson will turn 78 on his next birthday, but there’s no sense of him slowing down. In the country-folk song “Bad Liver/Broken Heart,” Canadian artist Scott Nolan writes from the point of view of a Thompson-like troubadour and croons, “In this line of work no one retires.” I ask him if he ever thinks of hanging it up, and he doesn’t hesitate in his response: “At the end of a long tour, I might not pick up a guitar for a few days, but then the pleasure of it gets me. I like to feel I’m in shape to play, so it’s good to keep up exercises, and there are no limits to where you can go musically. I’m always noodling with song ideas as well. As a performer, I would seriously miss that wonderful transaction with the audience—so I’ll stick at it as long as I can.”