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“Don’t f**king tell him!” David Lee Roth mocks Sammy Hagar by claiming Eddie Van Halen’s ghost has visited him too
When former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar claimed that the late, great Eddie Van Halen had visited him in a dream and they’d written a song together, it certainly led to a lot of raised eyebrows around the music world. And it seems that David Lee Roth was similarly unimpressed.
Hagar released the song, Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, back in April, having first claimed back in 2022 that he’d been visited by Van Halen in a dream during which they composed the song together, “I remembered it. I got up in the morning and I wrote the song,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock. “I used the fuckin’ lick that he showed me in the song.”
Now it seems that Hagar’s precursor in Van Halen, David Lee Roth, is not entirely buying the Red Rocker’s story however – certainly if his remarks to the audience at concert at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom last week was anything to go by.
“One of my esteemed colleagues, he’s a contemporary, he’s got a great voice, he’s got a great catalogue,” Hagar told the crowd in a video posted by a fan on YouTube. “You all know Sammy Hagar, right? He’s got a great voice. And Sammy, aloud, he described to the media about six weeks ago that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited him and graced him with a song that he memorised and then went home and recorded. It’s on the internet.”
There’s few things more reliable than Van Halen members throwing shade at one another, and Hagar described Roth as “fake” during an interview earlier this year. DLR’s clapback, however, was pretty withering.
“I don’t know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me at the fucking hotel room,” he joked. “I was watching the weather report and he came in and he was laughing. His fucking ghost was laughing.
“I said, ‘What did you do now?’ He said, ‘Dave, Dave… Dave, you know that song I gave Hagar?’ I said, ‘What now?’ He said, ‘It’s actually [1968 Iron Butterfly proto-metal hit] In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida backwards. Don’t fucking tell him.'”
Hagar claims that Encore, Thank You, Goodnight is a tribute to his relationship with Van Halen – it features Joe Satriani on guitar, Jason Bonham on drums and fellow ex-Van Halen man Michael Anthony on bass.
“It’s not meant to be anything more than a thank-you – with love, with respect, and with one hell of a guitar solo,” he said – but it’s not the only surprising claim he’s made about Van Halen recently.
Back in June, Hagar claimed that the last time he spoke to Eddie before his passing, the guitarist claimed that he’d primarily been playing cello – though in this case he does have EVH’s backing, who posted in 2017 that the instrument was his favourite after guitar and piano.
The post “Don’t f**king tell him!” David Lee Roth mocks Sammy Hagar by claiming Eddie Van Halen’s ghost has visited him too appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1 review: “this is as good as digital amp and cab simulators get”
$449/£419, walrusaudio.com
The great thing about amp simulators is that they offer three different ways to fall out with someone in a raging, expletive-strewn argument. First up, there’s the straightforward debate about which one is best. Then there’s the wider philosophical dichotomy between digital and analogue types. And finally, the question with real brawling-in-the-street potential: are any of these products actually up to the job, or are they just soulless imitations of the real thing?
- READ MORE: Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII D1 review – the do-it-all high-fidelity delay pedal gets glitchy
None of these arguments will ever end. But the Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1 surely makes the most persuasive case yet for using a digital pedal to replace real amps and cabs when it comes to gigging, recording and even bedroom practice with headphones.
Image: Adam Gasson
What is the Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1?
The main point of a pedal like this one is to cut a whole load of bulk (and noise) out of your rig: plug a guitar in at one end, and what comes out of the other is a digital simulation of what you’d get from putting a microphone in front of a real-life amp and speaker cabinet. Send that straight to an audio interface or live PA, and hey presto: all that heavy hardware in your spare room is suddenly ready to be converted into novelty coffee tables.
The original ACS1 offered three amp types and six cabinet IRs, with full stereo capability, onboard room reverb and the ability to store three presets (or 128 with MIDI). MkII brings revised versions of the old unit’s Fender Deluxe Reverb, Marshall Bluesbreaker and Vox AC30 models, and adds an Orange Rockerverb, a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and a Peavey 5150 – while expanding the cab offering to 12. You also get a choice between room, hall and spring reverbs, and no less than nine preset slots.
How is all of this possible? As discussed in my review of the MkII D1 delay, the whole Mako Series has had an interface revamp, with an LED display replacing the three toggle switches across the middle. Here’s where, with the help of the three encoder knobs above it, you get access to those extra settings and a few more besides (including an option to bypass the IRs). It might not feel super-intuitive at first, but the whole system is clear and logical.
Image: Adam Gasson
What does the Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1 sound like?
I don’t have a lot to say about the clean tones. They were already lusciously lifelike and three-dimensional, and now they’re still lusciously lifelike and three-dimensional but with a bit more headroom – the main effect of which is that, when you hit the boost switch, it actually makes things bigger and louder rather than just getting thick and congested. You can also adjust the boost level for each preset, which is very handy.
The Vox crunch still lacks midrange punch out of the box, but you can fix this quite satisfyingly by cranking the mids to maximum in the three-band EQ. And if you really want to rock like a mudskipper? The overdriven Orange, Boogie and Peavey models all sound impressively large when used one at a time – and simply colossal in stereo pairs.
To experience that colossalness to the full, you might be inclined to leave at least some of the factory presets unchanged (aside from dialling back the reverb and maybe turning off the annoying noise gate). While the first two batches of three presets cover the six single models, the last set offers absolutely killer left/right pairings: Fender and Vox, Marshall and Orange, then Peavey and Boogie. This last setup, fully panned, is probably the biggest guitar sound my home studio monitors have ever spewed out.
Image: Adam Gasson
Should I buy the Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1?
Here’s one more argument to enjoy: Are the MkII ACS1’s Vox tones as convincing as those of the Strymon Iridium? For me that’s too close to call, but in every other respect there’s no contest, because this is as good as digital amp and cab simulators get – and the step up to MkII has turned an already great pedal into an utterly compelling one.
Walrus Audio Mako Series MkII ACS1 alternatives
The aforementioned Strymon Iridium (£379) is now six years old and surely due some kind of update. A newer rival with cab models galore is the Boss IR-200 (£329), while analogue purists might prefer the DSM & Humboldt Simplifier X (£449).
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“He was much quieter than I’d ever known him”: Geezer Butler thinks Ozzy Osbourne “knew he wasn’t long for this world” at final Black Sabbath concert
While fans didn’t know it at the time, Black Sabbath’s final show on 5 July would also prove to be the late Ozzy Osbourne’s final ever live performance – and Geezer Butler believes that the Prince Of Darkness knew the show was his last chance to say goodbye.
Speaking in the latest issue of Uncut, the Sabbath bassist explains that Ozzy seemed to sense his hourglass was running out. Ozzy was a notorious hellraiser throughout his life, chomping down bat heads and snorting lines of ants, but he was relatively quiet at the final show. “At the final show, he was much quieter than I’d ever known him,” he reflects. “Looking back now, I think he knew he wasn’t long for this world.”
Ozzy would eventually pass on 22 July – just over two weeks after Back To The Beginning took place. While Butler believes that the frontman knew his clock was ticking, Ozzy apparently didn’t seem to sense that “he’d leave [this world] so soon” after the performance. The Sabbath frontman had only just moved back to the UK after years in the US, and Butler explains how “Ozzy was looking forward to spending his days back in England”.
Elsewhere in his tribute to Ozzy, Butler reflects on how thankful he is to have been able to perform with his Sabbath bandmates one final time. “I am so grateful that we were able to play one final show together, the original four of us, back in our home town,” he says. “[Ozzy] held on so he could do that gig, to say farewell to the fans.”
“He was emotional, it was so important to him to say goodbye after illness had prevented him from touring for the past six or seven years,” he continues. “He wanted to see his fans one final time, play with his own band and with Sabbath one last time.”
Butler closes off with a heartfelt farewell: “Ozzy was larger than life and his legacy will live forever… He may have been The Prince Of Darkness, but for me he was a family-loving, soft-hearted, and the best friend anyone could ever have.”
Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has also gone on record stating that he believes Ozzy knew that Back To The Beginning would be his grand send-off. “I think he really just held out to do that show,” he told ITV News last month. “Me and Geezer were talking about it last night – we think he held out to do it. Just after [the show], he’d done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really.”
“He’s built up for it for a while now,” Iommi continued. “He’d been training and trying to do what he can, so he could do this gig… I think he must have had something in his head that said, ‘Well, this is gonna be it, the last thing I’m ever gonna do.’ Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don’t know. But he really wanted to do it and he was determined to do it.”
The post “He was much quieter than I’d ever known him”: Geezer Butler thinks Ozzy Osbourne “knew he wasn’t long for this world” at final Black Sabbath concert appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“He would have to be forced to go back on stage!”: Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes reveals why Ritchie Blackmore would refuse to do encores
During his time in Deep Purple, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore lived by his own rules – even if it meant denying fans an encore.
Speaking in the latest issue of Classic Rock, Glenn Hughes reflects on his experience working with Blackmore. According to the ex-vocalist and bassist, his former bandmate was sometimes a tough nut to crack. “When we were going down really well at shows, he would refuse to do an encore,” Hughes recalls. “He would have to be forced to go back on stage!”
Even if Blackmore was coerced out for an encore, he would do so rather unwillingly. “He’d play behind his equipment,” Hughes explains. “It was so ridiculous. You couldn’t make him do anything.”
This stubborn behaviour wasn’t strictly limited to encores, either. Hughes recalls the guitarist as an “isolator” and lone wolf. “He had his own dressing room, his own car,” he says. “It wasn’t a band, it was us and it was Ritchie. That’s been his thing for ever. It was uncomfortable for me. I missed the family aspect of all of us together. It was a strange situation.”
This isn’t the first time Hughes has spoken out about how “strange” it was working with Blackmore. Last June, Hughes described his relationship with Blackmore as “difficult” in an interview with Guitar Interactive Magazine.
“When I joined the band, he flew me to Hamburg for a ‘boy’s night’ weekend,” he recalled. “We didn’t sleep… drinking coffee and alcohol. We were great together. [I had a] great time with him – alone. As soon as he was around other men, he wasn’t personal. It was difficult.”
“[He was] difficult, but very intelligent,” he concluded. “Smart, but a difficult person to know and play with.”
Following the release of Nature’s Light back in 2021 under his Blackmore’s Night project, the guitarist has unfortunately been facing a number of health issues. Over the past few months, Blackmore’s wife, Candice Night, has revealed that he is suffering with a slew of problems, ranging from a heart attack to gout.
Her most recent update came last week. “There are three main issues with him that are going on,” Night tells the Iron City Rocks podcast [via Rayo]. “He has a heart issue – he had a heart attack a couple of years ago, so we stay on top of that.
“He’s got gout, so that’s difficult,” she adds. “It’s affecting his feet really badly. And it’s starting in his forefinger, so it’s hurting the mobility in that. He just had an injection for that. And his back, of course, which has always been an issue.”
Despite his health issues, Blackmore seems to be keen on performing some shows down the line. Fans will be glad to know that the classic Blackmore stubbornness persists. “With Ritchie, if you try to pressure him to do something, he instantly says no,” she says. “He’s like a teenager… So I wait for him to come to the realisation, or I drop little seeds, wait for him to be ready to talk about it. But he did just say, ‘What about doing some Blackmore’s Night dates in the fall?’”
The post “He would have to be forced to go back on stage!”: Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes reveals why Ritchie Blackmore would refuse to do encores appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
John Fogerty says this thing is more important to musical success than being a good guitar player: “Even if your playing is kind of average, you can go far”
Refining your chops isn’t necessarily the key to attaining musical success. According to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty, the path to success actually lies in something a lot more obvious, but a lot harder to woodshed – strong songwriting.
Speaking to The Guardian, Fogerty reveals how Creedence became one of the defining rock acts of the 60s – they had a rock-solid catalogue of great tracks. “I’m a great believer in songs,” the guitarist says. “If you have enough songs, even if your playing is kind of average, you can go far.”
In Fogerty’s opinion, artists should always focus on writing, writing, writing – even if that means 90% of your work is left on the cutting room floor. “For every song I wrote I threw 10 away,” he admits. “When you heard one of my songs, I wanted there to be no doubt it was a really good song. It sounds grandiose to say it, but I was trying to have that as my career goal.”
Considering Creedence are the second most streamed act of the 60s, just behind The Beatles, there’s certainly proof that Fogerty is on to something; cuts like Bad Moon Rising, Proud Mary and Have You Ever Seen The Sun continue to rake in listeners even six decades on.
But don’t just take Fogerty’s word for it. Other artists have also asserted the importance of songwriting over technical ability, with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry stating as such just last year. “If you spend all your time learning technique, scales and all that, you’re not going to write something new and interesting!” he told Guitarist magazine in October.
Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates has also gone on record preaching the importance of songwriting over flashy guitar playing. Speaking to 93XRadio, he pointed out the band’s 2007 track A Little Piece of Heaven: “That’s a fan favorite, that has hardly any guitar in it… That’s probably our best song. And it’s very, very little guitar work. So to me, it’s songwriting first” [via Metal Injection].
The post John Fogerty says this thing is more important to musical success than being a good guitar player: “Even if your playing is kind of average, you can go far” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“If I was a betting man, which I am, I would say, at some point something’s gonna happen”: Joe Perry drops another hint at Aerosmith reunion
Aerosmith may have officially retired from touring last summer, but Joe Perry is once again teasing the possibility of the band sharing a stage. In a new interview, the guitarist hints that despite the logistical hurdles, a reunion – at least in some form – could still happen.
The Boston rockers called it quits on touring last year after it became clear that frontman Steven Tyler’s long-standing vocal injury wouldn’t allow him to sustain a full farewell run.
Still, Tyler hasn’t been completely offstage: earlier this year, he jammed with Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt at his annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party. He also appeared in a supergroup at the Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning event in Birmingham, alongside Bettencourt and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.
Now, Perry has added more fuel to the reunion speculation.
Speaking with WZXL’s Kenny Young, he says, “We’re actually talking quite a bit. I know our touring days are over, but I don’t know. We’re all flesh and blood. I don’t know, man.”
“I would say, at some point we will all be together on the same stage…If I was a betting man, which I am, I would say, at some point something’s gonna happen. But we’ll see.”
Perry has hinted at a reunion before, noting that another Aerosmith performance is “just a matter of getting there,” though he’s also been candid about the challenges of organising a full tour.
Just last month, he told SiriusXM, “I know there’s gotta be at least another Aerosmith gig, and I’m not looking forward to putting the set list together for that one.”
“I’m always hoping, but going on the road, it’s a big deal pulling that together. It’s one thing to sit there and look online and see who’s touring and stuff, and there’s dates that show up, but there’s so much planning, and what it takes out of you physically, it’s a lot more than people realise.”
In the meantime, Perry isn’t staying idle. His solo band, The Joe Perry Project, has already kicked off their 2025 North American tour, starting at Tampa, Florida’s Hard Rock Event Center.
Head over to Joe Perry’s website for the full list of dates.
The post “If I was a betting man, which I am, I would say, at some point something’s gonna happen”: Joe Perry drops another hint at Aerosmith reunion appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I know we’d be screaming together in the stands watching him on stage”: Eddie Van Halen’s ex-wife says he’d be “so proud” of his son Wolfgang in touching tribute
Even five years after his passing, Eddie Van Halen’s influence is still felt across the music world, but for those nearest and dearest to him, the anniversary of his death is a moment to reflect on everything that’s happened in the years since.
In a touching Instagram post, the guitarist’s ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli reflects on the sad anniversary, the bond they shared over their son, Wolfgang, and the pride Eddie would have felt watching him carve out his own path in music since his dad’s passing.
Sharing a portrait of a young Edward and herself, Bertinelli writes: “Some days I really do miss you. There will always be a loud absence in these gratifying sideline years. Who do I yap to when there was really only one person I could talk to about Wolfie the way that we did? The pride we both felt. Still feel. I’m grateful for where we landed. Through the ups and the downs to still alight where we did is a blessing.”
She continues: “You’d be so proud of Wolf. I know we’d be screaming together in the stands watching him on stage. Seeing who could whistle the loudest. I will never not miss being able to experience that with you.”
Eddie Van Halen passed away on 6 October 2020 at the age of 65 after a long battle with throat cancer. Wolfgang, who played in Van Halen as a teenager and now leads his own band Mammoth, has admitted that dealing with his father’s death does not get “any easier”.
“I believe Zelda Williams, Robin [Williams]’ daughter, said it the best way that I could ever imagine, which is, even a truckload full of roses still weigh a ton,” Wolfgang told Billy Corgan on The Magnificent Others podcast. “There’s so much that I can’t share with him.”
The musician also unpacked why he chooses not to play any Van Halen material on the regular even though he could “probably make a decent living at it”.
“It’s very hollow and astoundingly creatively unfulfilling,” Wolfgang said. “I feel like it’s kind of selling out, and I could never do that, that’s not satisfying to me. I would rather bomb on my own than succeed with what my dad laid before me.”
Speaking of legacies, Eddie Van Halen’s legendary custom-built 1982 Kramer electric will head to auction for the very first time at Sotheby’s this October, where it’s expected to fetch between $2 million and $3 million.
The post “I know we’d be screaming together in the stands watching him on stage”: Eddie Van Halen’s ex-wife says he’d be “so proud” of his son Wolfgang in touching tribute appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Klon Centaur designer says you should NEVER use a multi-tap PSU to power the legendary pedal – but his recommended way to ensure you don’t “blow it out” is incredibly fiddly
If you own an original Klon Centaur – the gold-plated unicorn of the overdrive world, now worth thousands on retailers like Reverb.com – you’d think keeping it powered would be as simple as plugging it in. But according to its creator Bill Finnegan, doing it wrong could “fry” your beloved investment in an instant. And his correct method? Let’s just say it’s less ‘plug-and-play’ and more ‘plug, snip, solder, and pray.’
In a new Instagram video, Finnegan addresses what he says is one of the most common questions he still gets: how best to power an original Centaur unit. His first rule: do not – under any circumstances – use a multi-tap power supply with switchable voltages.
“For a simple reason: the Centaur absolutely requires no more than 9 Volts DC coming in,” he explains. Anything more will “fry” the unit, which is why “using any type of multi-tap power supply with switchable voltage is just asking for trouble”.
Instead, he strongly recommends using a dedicated 9V supply like the trusty Truetone 1 SPOT.
Sounds simple enough? Well, wait for it. Finnegan wants you to clip the barrel connector off that nice, safe PSU and solder on a Switchcraft 780 plug – a slightly odd-sized .14” connector – because it gives a “much more positive snapping connection” to the Centaur than a regular 1/8” plug.
Sure, he admits a regular 1/8” adapter “could work in a pinch,” but we’re talking about a pedal worth more than some people’s rigs over here…
As you might guess, this is not a job for the casual tinkerer. Finnegan suggests having “somebody who’s completely qualified” (like a good guitar or amp tech) do the work.
The process generally involves clipping the barrel jack off the PSU cable, stripping the two conductors, and testing for polarity (you need +9 Volts to the tip of the plug). Only then should the Switchcraft 780 be soldered on, the polarity re-tested, the parts reassembled, and everything checked again.
Once that’s done, he says, you’ll have “a completely reliable, goof-proof way to power your Centaur over the long haul.” Which, to be fair, is probably worth the hassle – because nothing says ‘peace of mind’ quite like preventing a puff of magic smoke from a pedal worth more than your amp, your guitar, and possibly your car.
The post Klon Centaur designer says you should NEVER use a multi-tap PSU to power the legendary pedal – but his recommended way to ensure you don’t “blow it out” is incredibly fiddly appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM review: “are you going to regret not picking the Floyd Rose model?”
$629.99/£579, evhgear.com
Eddie Van Halen’s Wolfgang design is nearly 30 years old now – beginning life in 1996 when Ed was with Peavey, and then being redesigned from the ground up a decade later when he moved over to his own Fender-backed EVH brand.
In that time, the Wolfgang has become something of a modern classic, as Eddie’s “last attempt” to design a guitar, it holds even more significance for the Van Halen faithful after his sad passing in 2020.
Over the last decade, the Wolfgang has also become one of the more accessible hard-rocking guitars out there, with the Standard line’s Asian manufacture bringing entry-level prices to the line.
Now we have the most affordable Wolfgang yet, but is it one that veers to far from the recipe that Eddie laid down with Fender’s Chip Ellis nearly 20 years ago?
Image: Adam Gasson
EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM – what is it?
Ed might have named the Wolfgang for his son, long before he was an accomplished musician in his own right, but the ‘TOM’ in the name of this guitar isn’t another nod to someone in EVH’s life, it reflects what is a pretty significant change to the Wolfgang recipe – a tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece.
The TOM isn’t the first Wolfgang to shed the Floyd Rose locking vibrato that Van Halen made famous – you can get a US-made version that also rocks a tune-o-matic, but this is the first affordable version to do so.
Like the other Wolfgang Standard guitars, the latest addition to the Wolfgang line is made in Indonesia – where Fender has also started making its own Standard series guitars in the last 12 months.
The good news is that the lack of a Floyd means that it’s also the most affordable Wolfgang out there, but the rest of the spec sheet reads like an instrument priced significantly higher, with a number of features tailored to comfort and speed.
Such features include a special “comfort cut” forearm contour in its basswood body – which is instantly noticeable and certainly aids long practice sessions – and EVH-branded humbucking pickups mounted directly into the body in the time-honoured Van Halen manner. Direct mounting them like this was, in Ed’s view, to increase vibration transfer, resulting in “sustain for days on end”.
Image: Adam Gasson
EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM – feel and sounds
Days might be a bit much, but the first unplugged strum certainly reflects a resonant and lightweight guitar with plenty to recommend it.
You do have to check yourself and remember this is a $600 guitar at times, because it’s very easy to forget that it’s not a much pricier guitar. You can attribute this primarily to two things: the feel of the neck and fretboard, and the palette of rock-ready tones courtesy of its EVH Wolfgang humbuckers.
Chief in my list of requirements for a comfortable playing experience is a low action, and the Wolfgang delivers here spectacularly. This action – set up exquisitely straight out of the box, it must be said – is complemented very well by the smooth oiled finish of the maple neck, meaning playing is effortless the length of the fretboard, whether riffing in the lower registers or doing your best at some Eddie Van Halen-style two-handed tapping.
Of course, the subtraction of a Floyd Rose means you have slightly fewer tools to play with when crafting solos. But what you lose in divebomb potential you gain in the ability to make quick tuning adjustments, and the setup still provides rock-solid stability even when you’re dropping things down.
In fact, after I tuned this guitar up, I barely needed to make any tuning adjustments in two hours of non-stop playing (including some pretty rigorous and ambitious bends that would knock most guitars out of whack).
Image: Adam Gasson
The humbuckers are proprietary EVH models, and while you’re never really sure what you’re going to get with own-brand units, these hit the mark on high-gain, crunch and clean tones alike.
The Wolfgang is obviously a guitar aimed primarily at modern rock and metal players, and with that in mind I thought it best to test it both through an amp and going direct into amp software.
Naturally, I went straight for a high-gain sound with both, and both through my Blackstar and Positive Grid’s BIAS modelling software, the pickups serve up that raw hard rock power, with a gnarly biting quality to the bridge humbucker and classic warm smoothness to the neck.
In a pleasant surprise, there’s still plenty of character and depth to these pickups played clean – the neck ‘bucker has a beautiful crystalline quality that, when paired with a touch of chorus and delay, is just *chef’s kiss*.
A disappointment, however, is the volume control – there’s really not a lot of the linearity you’d expect. I found that I essentially got full signal at about three on the knob, and everything after was giving you more treble but not a lot else.
It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does make volume swells or using the volume to control your gain a fair bit trickier.
Image: Adam Gasson
EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM – should I buy one?
It’s easy for those of us in the reviewing chairs to call something ‘entry level’ and make a bunch of excuses for it, but just over $600 is still a lot of money for a lot of people to spend on a guitar – especially if you’re starting out. You could buy a PS5 instead.
There’s also a lot of competition at this end of the market for budding rock and metal players, and so it’s all the more impressive that this steps into the market as such a well-sorted and reliable instrument. You could make this your main guitar for years to come – it feels and sounds like a much more expensive instrument.
That said, there’s an argument that if technical metal and shred is your bag, you might be better off saving another $150 and buying the Floyd Rose-equipped version instead. Yes, a Floyd can be idiosyncratic for some, to put it mildly, when it comes to string changes, but it opens up a whole world of playing possibilities for the technically inclined.
But if you’re dead set on keeping it as simple and hassle-free as possible, this Wolfgang certainly won’t let you down.
EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM – alternatives
The Floyd Rose-loaded Wolfgang WG Standard obviously presents itself as a contender here – certainly if the ability to divebomb is a non-negotiable for you. This comes in a little pricier, though, at a still-reasonable $789. Of course, if budget isn’t a concern in your case, you could spring for the US-made Wolfgang USA; however this will set you back a cool $4,099. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
If a Floyd Rose isn’t a must-have, there are plenty more rock-ready guitars built for speed at this price point. The Jackson JS Series Surfcaster JS22 HT, for example, is similarly set up, with a bolt-on neck, single volume and tone controls, high-output humbuckers and a hardtail bridge. This is at the uber-affordable end of the spectrum, too, at just $299/£279.
The post EVH Wolfgang Standard TOM review: “are you going to regret not picking the Floyd Rose model?” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just I found these other places that are so rich”: Robert Plant turned down an invite from Tony Iommi to attend Black Sabbath’s final gig because he knows nothing about rock music nowadays
When Black Sabbath’s final show at Villa Park was announced, the metal world erupted in panic. Everyone was desperate for a ticket… well, everyone except for Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.
Despite being personally invited by Sabbath’s very own Tony Iommi, Plant admits he turned down the opportunity to attend the biggest show in heavy metal history, which would also double as the late Ozzy Osbourne’s final ever live performance. “I said, Tony, I’d love to come, but I can’t come,” the Led Zeppelin frontman tells MOJO.
- READ MORE: “Did you guys make a mistake?”: MGK admits he’s baffled as to why Bob Dylan is a fan of his
Why? While it isn’t fully clear, it seems like Plant didn’t want to hear Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler sounding worse for wear; the Aerosmith frontman’s fractured larynx caused Aerosmith to officially call it quits back in 2024. “I know how it will be for me to see Steven Tyler, who I had loved many times as Steven Tyler…” he reflects. “I just can’t.”
Despite Plant’s concerns, Tyler smashed his performance at Back To The Beginning back in July. Backed by band consisting of Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt and Ronnie Wood, Tyler powered his way through Aerosmith’s version of The Train Kept A-Rollin’, the iconic Walk This Way and Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love. The Zeppelin cover in particular is a real shame, considering the frontman decided not to attend.
Regardless, Plant adds that he also had another reason for declining. Plant just doesn’t really feel as involved in the rock world anymore. “I’m not saying that I’d rather hang out with Peter Gabriel or Youssou N’Dour, but I don’t know anything about what’s going on in that world now, at all,” he admits.
That being said, he’s not moaning about being feeling ‘left out’. He just has other musical interests nowadays. “I don’t decry it, I’ve got nothing against it,” he says. “It’s just I found these other places are so rich.”
He goes on to namedrop 20-year-old folk musician Nora Brown. “If you don’t know Nora Brown, your world is about to change,” he says. “She’s got a wooden-bodies fretless banjo that was used a lot by the black musicians. And I can’t tell you how plaintive her voice is.”
Plant explains that he even kicks off his live shows with a Nora Brown track: Wedding Dress. The young musician was only 16 when she first recorded the track back in 2021. If you’re keen to hear it in action, Plant is sure to knock the track out on his autumn tour, kicking off on 30 October in West Virginia and running through til a final show at California’s Valley Centre on 23 November.
Saving Grace, Plant’s twelfth solo record, is also due to drop 26 September. As it stands, only two singles have been released, and you can really feel that the record was recorded partially in a barn and partially outdoors; Everybody’s Song and Gospel Plough showcase an almost spiritual take on country, roots rock and Americana.
For more information on Plant’s upcoming tour and record, head to his website.
The post “I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just I found these other places that are so rich”: Robert Plant turned down an invite from Tony Iommi to attend Black Sabbath’s final gig because he knows nothing about rock music nowadays appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Don’t be mad, don’t be sad – we changed the world”: Dave Mustaine makes emotional statement as Megadeth announce final album
Megadeth have announced that their 17th studio album, which will arrive next year, will be their final record.
The reveal was preceded on social media by a post yesterday which read “The end is near,” leading many fans to speculate as to what was coming.
Now, in a new post on the band’s social media pages, usually voiceless mascot Vic Rattlehead makes the monumental announcement heralding the end of the band’s 40-year-plus career.
- READ MORE: “Did you guys make a mistake?”: MGK admits he’s baffled as to why Bob Dylan is a fan of his
“For over four decades, I’ve been chained in silence, but the end demands my voice,” Rattlehead says. “It is confirmed, the next Megadeth studio album will be the last 40 years of metal, forged in steel, ending in fire, and when the New Year rises, the global farewell tour.
“You’ve heard the warning, now prepare yourself, cyber arm. Stay loud, stay tuned and meet me on the front lines.”
The album will be followed by a huge worldwide farewell tour, Dave Mustaine and Megadeth reveal.
“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Mustaine says in a statement. “Most of them don’t get to go out on their own terms on top, and that’s where I’m at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.
“We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it’s now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now.
“This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it’s our last studio album. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour.
“Don’t be mad, don’t be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world.
“The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”
Preorders for the new album begin 42 days from now on 23 September. For more info, head to Megadeth’s official website.
The post Don’t be mad, don’t be sad – we changed the world”: Dave Mustaine makes emotional statement as Megadeth announce final album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“We’ve been down that road before, us and the media”: Joe Bonamassa and the tone debate he refuses to partake in
The internet is a swirling vortex of tone debates, and Joe Bonamassa is tapping out.
The Blues artist, who released his 17th studio album Breakthrough this July, is no longer commenting on what’s wrong or right when it comes to pedals and how you want to use them. In the era of social media, he’s pretty much had enough of a new trend or being dished out every week.
In an interview with Guitar World, he’s asked if players rely too heavily on pedals to mask their natural tone. “We’ve been down that road before, us and the media,” he replies. “Players can do whatever the fuck they want, I don’t care. How about that? [Laughs] You do you, I do me… I don’t give a shit what anybody else does.
“I’m not gonna comment on other players’ business; they can do whatever they want. Have at it. I’m happy for you. If you want to lug a tabletop full of shit around to a club, God bless you. Mazel tov. And if you want to plug straight into the amp, it’s all good. It’s just guitar, man. It doesn’t matter.”
He goes on to add that everyone has their own way of doing things, which is more than okay. Ultimately, your choice of gear should probably come down to what you’re playing: “It depends on what song you’re playing. If you’re playing AC/DC, you don’t need a lot of pedals. If you’re playing Coldplay, yeah, you may need a delay and a reverb.”
He continues, “Everybody has room. There’s no right or wrong. We live in a world of influencers going, ‘Well, here’s the ultimate way to do X.’ The next thing you know, someone comes up with some oddball approach that changes the game again. But everybody is dealing with the same wood and wire as everybody else.”
Breakthrough by Joe Bonamassa is out now. He is also playing five shows this September, two of which are in support of The Who – find out more via his website.
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This massive Fender sale sees $630 off the American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster HSS, as well as huge deals on American Professional II, Performer and Acoustasonic models
In the wake of the launch of its new top-spec American Ultra Luxe Vintage range – which pairs aged lacquer finishes with a selection of modern player-friendly specs – Fender has launched a massive new sale, with up to 20% off some models in its lineup.
And while we’re on the topic, certain models in the American Ultra Luxe range – which the new Ultra Luxe Vintage collection is an evolution of – have seen considerable price drops.
The American Ultra Luxe Telecaster, Stratocaster and Stratocaster Floyd Rose HSS are all now priced at just $2,119, down from $2,649, $2,649 and $2,749, respectively.
Sitting as some of the most high-end instruments in Fender’s current catalogue, the American Ultra Luxe range offers stainless steel frets, augmented D-shaped necks and Ultra Noiseless pickups, infusing Fender’s classic guitar designs with a number of modern features.
Elsewhere, a number of American Professional II models are available at hefty discounts, including the American Professional II Stratocaster, Jazzmaster, and Telecaster Deluxe, with up to $200 off in some cases.
Launched in 2020, Fender’s American Professional II series takes some of the most iconic electric guitar and bass designs in history, and offers C-shaped neck profiles, V-Mod II pickups, a range of fresh colourways and loads more.
And if Fender’s groundbreaking Acoustasonic models have ever piqued your interest, here’s your chance to get an American-made one at a significant discount. There’s Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazzmaster models available – each now priced at $1,779 down from $2,099 – each offering the Acoustasonic’s unique acoustic-electric blueprint, with a Fender/Fishman designed Acoustic Engine for an array of different tonal options.
This is just a small selection of the guitars on offer in the new sale, so make sure you head to Fender via the link below to browse the full range of deals.
[deals ids=”587FRLEe043slXeKUmow0M”]
The post This massive Fender sale sees $630 off the American Ultra Luxe Stratocaster HSS, as well as huge deals on American Professional II, Performer and Acoustasonic models appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Did you guys make a mistake?”: MGK admits he’s baffled as to why Bob Dylan is a fan of his
MGK has spoken of his unlikely connection with Bob Dylan, sharing how the legendary singer-songwriter supported his new album launch.
MGK, formerly Machine Gun Kelly, released Lost Americana on 8 August. It marks his seventh studio album, and at its launch, a voice note from Bob Dylan was used in a teaser trailer.
In a new interview with The Times, MGK shares just how Dylan’s contribution came to be. The unlikely friendship sprung in late February earlier this year, when Dylan posted a video of MGK performing in a record store in 2016 to his Instagram page.
“I reached out to him and was like, ‘Did you guys make a mistake?’” MGK says. “[Dylan’s] manager was like, ‘Apparently he likes you …’”
He continues, “I wrote him this big letter about the Lost Americana album I was doing: ‘It would be amazing to have the great American voice be the narration to the announcement of this album.’”
The letter of course worked its magic, and Dylan’s voice can be heard on the trailer noting how MGK’s “music celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces”.
MGK attended the Outlaw Music Festival in Hollywood back in May, where he had a face-to-face encounter with Dylan himself before the trailer dropped this summer. At the event, he says he was approached by “a dude all in black”.
“He’s like, ‘Let’s go meet Bob.’ I get on his bus and [Dylan] has a hoodie on, white cowboy boots and this energy that feels like you’re in the midst of Peter Pan or something, while also in the midst of Homer (Ancient Greek poet) writing the Iliad – this prolific, young, spirited guy,” he shares.
According to MGK, Dylan said to him, “You really rip it, man.”: “One thing I know for sure is that he can’t figure me out, which I think is interesting to him,” he adds. “And I can’t figure him out, which is very interesting to me.”
Lost Americana by MGK is out now. Bob Dylan will be touring from September-November, and you can view the full list of shows via his website.
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Jackson expands its Pro Plus Pure Metal range – and it even introduces first Pure Metal Bass
Back in January, Jackson unveiled a metallic twist on its Pro Plus Series. Drenched in glossy black, the Limited Edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range was designed with gritty metal in mind – now, it’s time for things to get even heavier. Phase two of the Pure Metal agenda introduces two new guitars and a killer bass.
All three models boast the Pure Metal range’s signature blacker-than-night gloss, while each comes in its own distinctive body shape. The Pure Metal Warrior WR1A comes in a shape similar to the Jackson Kelly Star, while the Pure Metal King V KV1A is a timeless V.
On the bass side of things, the Pure Metal Concert Bass CB1A is the very first bass in the series so far. It opts for the classic Jackson Concert bass shape – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, ey?
Beyond the aesthetics, the Pro Plus Limited Edition Pure Metal Warrior WR1A and Pure Metal King V KV1A boast exactly the same bells and whistles. The pair feature 24 jumbo stainless steel frets, Floyd Rose 1000 Series double-locking tremolo and a Fishman Fluence Modern bridge pickup. The pair cost £1,399.
Credit: Jackson
The Pro Plus Limited Edition Pure Metal Concert Bass CB1A has all it needs to deliver a hard-hitting, full-bodied bass performance. It boasts a Fishman Fluence Modern bass humbucker to meet all your low-end needs, with a Jackson Hi-Mass hardtail bridge to anchor tone to slicken up your intonation and sustain. The bass costs a little less than the guitars, going for £1,349
Credit: Jackson
Its a range metal guitarists are sure to relish – and don’t just take our word for it. Metalcore unit Heriot have given the fresh Pure Metal range their seal of approval, with guitarists Erhan Alman and Debbie Gough, and bassist Jake Packer, all giving them a spin in Jackson’s announcement video.
Credit: Jackson
Right now, only the Pure Metal Warrior WR1A remains available, with the Pure Metal King KV1A and Pure Metal Concert Bass CB1A already sold out.
The trio of guitars joins the Pro Plus Pure Metal Limited Edition Rhoads RR1A, Soloist SL1A and Kelly KE1A guitars. Jackson explains that the series is “built for speed and engineered for domination”, perfect for any shredders out there hoping to capture “bone-crushing tones”.
Head to Jackson to find out more.
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“He went on first, and he kicked our ass”: Aerosmith reveal the “stunning” guitarist who opened for them, and had the audience walking out before they even came on stage
![[L-R] Brad Whitford and Joe Perry, with Rory Gallagher inset](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Joe-Perry-Brad-Whitford-Rory-Gallagher@2000x1500.jpg)
It takes a lot to upstage Aerosmith, but the rock legends have admitted that Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher thoroughly humbled them back in 1974.
At the time, Aerosmith were yet to cement themselves as a household name. They hoped that a string of summer gigs would help prove their worth – unfortunately, their opening act, Gallagher, constantly showed them up. “He kicked our ass,” Joe Perry admits in a new episode of Rick Beato’s In The Room.
Bandmate Brad Whitford reflects on one particularly brutal gig from Aerosmith’s 1974 tour with Gallagher – and, as soon as Whitford mentions Central Park, Perry groans: “I don’t wanna hear about that…”
Despite Perry’s playful reluctance, Whitford continues. The performance had taken place at Schaefer Music Festival in New York – a part of the US that Whitford admits it took “maybe over a decade [for Aerosmith] to get accepted”.
The show would only pro-long Aerosmith’s journey to being accepted by New York, as their support unleashed chops they couldn’t compete with. “It was before we were accepted in New York at all,” Whitford explains. “And Rory Gallagher probably had one of the most stunning shows of his entire career.”
Perry honestly adds: “We headlined, but he went on first and he fucking kicked our ass.”
Not only did Gallagher put on one of the best sets of his career, but he rubbed salt into Aerosmith’s wounds by knocking out not one, but THREE encores. “He went off stage, and [the crowd] made him come out for an encore,” Whitford says. “He did the encore, went off. They made him come out – again! Another encore! And they wouldn’t stop. He came out for three encores!”
“And then… we got on the stage,” he laughs. “I just remember watching people walk away before we even started playing! It was like ‘the show’s over,’ ‘who are these guys?’ They didn’t care.”
Regardless, the pair of rock legends don’t seem to be too bitter about the ordeal. “I swear, it had to be one of his best concerts,” Whitford insists once more, before Perry adds: “If you listen to his records now, which I do, you can see why he was a ‘live guy’.”
At the start of this year, Gallagher was honoured with a statue in his hometown of Belfast. While the statue is a nod to his sheer talent, it also commemorates how his performances “transcended borders” in Ireland, according to the BBC.
"A statue of Irish rock and blues legend Rory Gallagher has been unveiled at Belfast's Ulster Hall.
It is located outside the venue on Bedford Street where Gallagher played regularly throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland."https://t.co/rm2NWTBYCf pic.twitter.com/XBk9xjRJFw— Rory Gallagher (@rorygallagher) January 4, 2025
As for Aerosmith, last August saw the band announcing they would be retiring from touring. However, Perry has recently hinted that a final show is potentially still on the table.
“Well, yeah, I’m always hoping, but going on the road, it’s a big deal pulling that together,” he said on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk. “It’s one thing to sit there and look online and see who’s touring and stuff, and there’s dates that show up, but there’s so much planning, and what it takes out of you physically, it’s a lot more than people realise.”
The post “He went on first, and he kicked our ass”: Aerosmith reveal the “stunning” guitarist who opened for them, and had the audience walking out before they even came on stage appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Gretsch brings back the Corvette after overwhelming response to Jack Antonoff signature
When Jack Antonoff released his Gretsch signature Princess CVT last year, one thought was on everyone’s minds – will Gretsch ever reboot the Princess’ original inspiration, the 1961 Corvette? Well, Gretsch has listened, reviving the Corvette for its brand new CVT Double-Cut range.
Originally designed to compete with the Gibson Les Paul Jr and Special, the Corvette has since become one of Gretsch’s most beloved vintage models. And it was loved by rockers at the time too – from Jimi Hendrix to Rory Gallagher, who relished in using his faithful Corvette for slide. Now you can get your own, for just under $500.
Available in both electric and bass guitar models, the Electromatic CVT range adopts the sleek, double-cut solidbody design of the Corvette. Gretsch are describing it as a “retro-refined” rebirth, capturing the classic guitar with an extra kick of model power.
Credit: Gretsch
The electric model comes with a wraparound tailpiece, and is 24.6” scale length. The bolt-on mahogany neck is also a comfortable C profile, with a fretboard radius of 12”, bound laurel fingerboard, and medium jumbo frets. The guitar is also equipped with Twin Six humbuckers, which should help you capture crisp highs and full-bodied lows. It’s a set up that Gretsch promises will “deliver gut-punching power with remarkable balance and articulation”.
In terms of the Electromatic CVT Bass, the aesthetic is nearly identical. The alternative model comes in at a larger 32”, with its own matching bolt-on mahogany neck and fretboard. However, the bass instead opts for more bass-appropriate humbuckers, with a Low Down Alnico pickup in the neck position and a Low Down Alnico Single-Coil pickup in the bridge position.
Credit: Gretsch
The Electromatic CVT Double-Cut with Wraparound Tailpiece electric guitar is avaialble in Havana Burst, Vintage White, and Wychwood, while the Electromatic CVT Bass Double-Cut comes in Bristol Fog and Vintage White.
Both CVT Double-Cut models are available now for $419.99. For more information, head to Gretsch.
The post Gretsch brings back the Corvette after overwhelming response to Jack Antonoff signature appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“The most talked-about guitar of the summer”: Noel Gallagher’s Oasis reunion Gibson Les Paul is getting a limited-run release – here’s how you can get one
Since Oasis kicked off what was probably the most highly anticipated reunion tour of all time, guitarists have been going wild for the P-90-loaded Gibson Les Paul debuted by Noel Gallagher at the first show in Cardiff on 4 July.
So it should come as no surprise that that guitar is now getting a limited-run release. And when we say limited, we mean ultra-limited: only 25 units will be available via the Gibson Garage London.
Curated by both Gibson and Noel Gallagher, the Gibson Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard is described as a “truly unique, never-before-seen guitar release”.
Since the guitar made its debut in July, fans have been speculating over its spec sheet. So the arrival of the Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard confirms that it features an Ebony finish – Light Aged by the Murphy Lab at the Gibson Custom Shop – aged nickel Gibson Custom P-90 pickups, Grover tuners, and a SlimTaper neck profile – Noel’s profile of choice.
Additionally, each guitar is hand-signed by Noel Gallagher, and comes with a Gibson Custom hardshell case with bespoke interior and a handmade leather strap by Bear Straps.
Each guitar also comes with a hand-written lyric sheet by Noel Gallagher, which sits in the guitar’s exclusive Certificate of Authenticity booklet. Each sheet – written specially for this project – features a set of lyrics from a different Oasis song. Each guitar and lyric sheet have been paired at random, so while 25 guitars are available, no two packages are the same.
We have no word on pricing, and the Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard will be available exclusively from the Gibson Garage London – at 61-62 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8NQ – from Thursday, 21 August.
Fans can attend the Gibson Garage for an early opening from 9AM on 21 August, and phone lines open at 11AM. The Gibson Garage is contactable on 0800 058 4720, or if you’re located outside the UK, +44 20 4570 5400.
“I think it’s safe to say it has become the talk of the town every time it is used,” said Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial, Marketing and Cultural Influence at Gibson. “I’ve had so many people reach out wanting to know what it is and if we can build one for them.”
Learn more about the Gibson Garage London.
The post “The most talked-about guitar of the summer”: Noel Gallagher’s Oasis reunion Gibson Les Paul is getting a limited-run release – here’s how you can get one appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Furch Pioneer MM Review: “the biggest compliment that you can give to a travel guitar is that it doesn’t feel like one”
$1,092/£849, furchguitars.com
The thought of heading off on vacation or a work trip without being able to lay your hands on a guitar is a wrench for many players, and that’s why in the last few decades, the concept of the travel guitar has become increasingly popular.
Having owned and played many travel instruments in the past, the challenge is to create a portable guitar that is just as playable as your full-sized instrument, sounds close to as big and doesn’t look or feel like a toy. It also needs to stay in tune and it must make you want to play it – otherwise what’s the point of taking it with you?
That’s quite a challenge for something that also has to be able to be stowed in an overhead locker or in the back of the car. To get around this, sometimes these guitars include elaborate and often slightly terrifying means of collapsing or folding them up to make them compact for travel.
Others, Martin’s Backpacker perhaps being the most extreme example, simply try to scale down a standard guitar as much as possible without having to make you lean heavily on the skills you learned as a kid playing with Transformers.
This latest example from Czech guitar maker Furch is more towards the latter end of that duality, but with some lessons learned from the former – let’s take a closer look at the Pioneer MM.
Image: Press
Furch Pioneer MM – what is it?
Furch makes a bunch of different travel guitars, and the brand’s Little Jane models are of the type that break down the neck in such a way that you can fit the whole thing into a backpack.
The Pioneer however, is designed to stay all in one piece – making it a little less easily stowable but more reassuring if the thought of reassembling your guitar at the other end of a flight gives you the willies.
The Pioneer is ever so slightly larger than the Little Jane – though still very compact – with a body width of 322mm, a body length of 432mm and an overall strap button to peghead length of 932mm. The depth of the body is the same 102mm as the LJ.
The Pioneer is an all-solid wood affair – in this case the MM designates that it’s all African mahogany, though cedar and spruce tops are also available, as is a classic spruce/rosewood configuration.
Like most travel guitars, the Pioneer has a slightly shortened 615mm scale length, and a 14-fret body join – but elsewhere the guitar is stacked with features designed to ensure that this doesn’t feel quite so much like a compromise in terms of tone and playability.
Most notable is the presence of Furch’s CNR System Active neck joint. This involved piece of engineering features a wooden ‘expansive element’ in the neck block that, so Furch says, means that the guitar can adapt to rapid changes in temperature and humidity without impacting the playability and intonation of the instrument.
Given its purpose as a guitar that will be rapidly moving from one climate to another, often via the none-more-dry environment of an airplane cabin, you can see why this will be a valuable addition.
In order to make things sound a little bigger than its compact dimensions might attest, there’s also an innovative ‘Booster Soundport’ – effectively five 1.5-inch lines cut out of the upper shoulder. The BS – their abbreviation not mine! – is that this delivers more of the sound of the guitar directly to the player’s ears and makes it feel bigger than it might otherwise.
There’s also an optional suite of LR Baggs electronics on board should you wish to plug into an amp or PA while on your travels.
Image: Press
Furch Pioneer MM – feel and sounds
You never really know how a travel guitar is going to feel and sound until you get into it – it’s rare that there aren’t some compromises along the way, but the impressive thing here is how well Furch has managed to minimise those.
The scale length is shorter than a full-sized acoustic of course, but it’s not so short that you feel like you’re playing a toy. It certainly helps that the neck is a lovely V-shape with beautifully rounded frets and no sharp edges. The open-pore finish also helps this guitar feel more comfortable and connected when you play it.
Sonically, it definitely sounds bigger than it has any right to when played seated – probably in part down to the Booster Soundport, but also the thin finish allowing the guitar to vibrate more fully. It’s these little details that set the guitar apart from other travel guitars I’ve tried.
There’s no doubt that it doesn’t have the bass response that you’d expect from a full-size – no doubt in part because of that cutaway – but what you lose there you gain in upper fret access. And such is the playability and ease of access with the Pioneer, it does inspire you to venture north more readily than you would normally.
The all-mahogany construction provides that warmth and even notation from the first strum, though some players will want more midrange frequencies – if that’s you, then the spruce or cedar-topped models are probably for you.
The tradeoff is that those guitars will probably take a while to really open up, as is the case with most solid wood acoustics, but I prefer the warmth and even notation out of the box that this all-mahogany guitar offers.
I can’t imagine the majority of players will need or want to plug this into an amp or PA – the whole purpose of a travel guitar is to strip things down to the basics, surely? That being said, the LR Baggs onboard electronics do a perfectly fine job of adding depth and warmth to the sound when hooked up to an amp.
Image: Press
Furch Pioneer MM – should I buy one?
The biggest compliment that you can give to a travel guitar is that it doesn’t feel like one when you’re sitting there and strumming. In fact, forget about travelling, I’d have no issues taking this guitar to a songwriter round or a jam session, plugging in and playing all night – this is not just a great travel guitar, it’s a great acoustic guitar full stop.
Okay it’s not as compact as some travel guitars, but it offers a full compact experience without any of the compromises that those ultra-compact guitars often require. It’s quite expensive for a travel guitar, but it’s worth remembering that this is an all-solid, hand-crafted instrument that’s made to very high standards – and it comes with a nicely padded gigbag with a wealth of functional pockets to store your picks, tuners and the like in. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s one of the very best.
Furch Pioneer MM – alternatives
The undisputed king of the small-bodied travel acoustics is the Taylor GS Mini, and you can get an all-mahogany version for just $599. It’s not all-solid like the Furch however, but the sound, playability and rugged reliability are the benchmark. Another big contender in this category is Martin’s all-new Junior series, and the all-solid sapele 000 Jr E is a fine guitar with a ‘proper’ 24.9” scale length – it’s another small-bodied acoustic that doesn’t feel small. Ed Sheeran showed the world that travel guitars are just as usable playing coffee shops as they are stadiums, and his Sheeran By Lowden W04 ($897) is a solid spruce/walnut instrument with LR Baggs VTC pickup, designed by modern acoustic genius George Lowden and built in Ireland.
The post Furch Pioneer MM Review: “the biggest compliment that you can give to a travel guitar is that it doesn’t feel like one” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Meet Essence Martins – the YouTube-taught guitarist who’s choosing to master the instrument on her own terms
A few years ago Essence Martins was performing alongside award-winning artist and Skinny Love singer Birdy as a touring guitarist, now she’s collecting admirers for her own work, with the likes of Little Simz, Rachel Chinouriri and Mika all vying for a piece of the action.
She may have only picked up the instrument six years ago, but Martins has become synonymous with a humble but reliable sticker-covered Vintage acoustic (though she’s also starting to turn to a Fender Acoustasonic Stratocaster live). The Vintage is affectionately called Woody, and is the vehicle for a light fingerpicking style that accompanies her tales of complicated relationships, figuring out early adulthood and finding self-acceptance.
The 24-year-old singer-songwriter from North-West London sits down with Guitar.com to discuss her development as a guitarist, the guitarists that keep her inspired and the motivations behind her latest EP Sleeping On It.
Image: Press
The power of the internet
“I didn’t know what I was doing at first”, the young guitarist admits. “I was in a dark place when I was 18, so I found playing music as a bit of escapism… it became such a comfort.”
YouTube has become an incredibly powerful tool for guitar tuition over the past decade or so, but rather than spending her time plugging away on theory and technique, she was learning songs and piecing together chord theory as a result. It was a rite of passage, it seems.
“It allowed me to really understand those basic pop chord shapes that you hear in most of the top 40 tracks,” she says, “you can play so much with just the four chords, but I quickly got bored of that. It wasn’t helping my songwriting, so I started messing around with tunings and that’s what started opening doors for me.”
She explains that many of the songwriters that she was looking to at the time, such as Lizzy McAlpine and Madison Cunningham, were leaning into more complex open tunings, offering plenty of inspiration and guidance while she was figuring out how she wanted to make the guitar her own.
“The most basic chord shapes can produce the most beautiful and interesting sounds using open tunings,” she explains, “and now, the more I play, the more ways I find of expanding my understanding of the fretboard. Whether that’s using more major and minor 7th chords or diminished chords and just using the people around me and YouTube too to enhance my skills.”
“I do find it weird to call myself a guitarist because I can’t do all of these crazy solos,” she adds. “But at the end of the day, I am, because it’s such an integral part of me as a writer and a performer – and I’m learning to master the instrument in a way that’s natural for me.”
Image: Press
Acoustic vs Electric
Her latest EP Sleeping On It, showcases Martins’ most authentic playing style to date, she explains. She demonstrates intricate picked melodies, the decision to not be so “perfect” with every single take, allowing the imperfections to be, and experimentations with the electric guitar, an instrument she feels is still rather unexplored for her.
“The acoustic guitar feels like home, it feels like me,” Martins admits. “The sonic world of my songs really suits acoustic, but I want to branch out and be able to play both acoustic and electric. Even in Quiet and Perfect, I used a Donner semi-hollowed body, so it is electric but has more of that rich sound. I wanted to try something different and it really works.”
Whether she feels comfortable being on stage without a guitar at all is a different question.
“When I’m performing by myself there is more pressure, so I do feel a lot of comfort when I’m playing with my guitar,” she explains. “There was one performance where I didn’t have an instrument for a song, and I just felt so naked! I didn’t know how to stand or what to do with my hands.”
“My acoustic is my little comfort zone, so I feel less alone playing with an instrument.”
Imposter syndrome
Despite sharing the stage with household names like Ellie Goulding and receiving nods from the likes of Jack Saunders at BBC Radio 1, Martins admits that she still deals with a fair amount of imposter syndrome, especially when it comes to being a guitarist.
“I never felt comfortable describing myself as one, which is so stupid because that’s literally what I do and what I am,” she exclaims. “I feel like a lot of women in music have this fear that they can’t label themselves as that just because they play the guitar, but if you can play the guitar, you are a guitarist!”
When asked what would have to change for that switch to flip in her mind, she says it comes down to being more confident in the craft.
“I just want to develop my skills and improve my understanding of theory more,” she explains. “It’s something I love, and being able to emulate notes more and being more experimental with sounds is what will empower me in my own abilities.”
“I’m always trying to find myself and be the most authentic version of myself, and when I’m not I do feel like letting others and myself down. As long as you’re being true to yourself and feeling confident in your abilities, that’s all you can do.”
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