The Gigging Musician

Inside 65 Amps

Paul Schille — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:45:17 +0000

To anyone who follows The Gigging Musician, it will come as no surprise that I’m a huge fan of 65 Amps. If you haven’t tried one of their amps yet, you really owe it to yourself to give them a listen. While they can be a bit hard to find depending on where you live, it is definitely worth the effort. I use an original 65 London and it’s hard to beat the tone I get out of it. When we’re out on the road or in Nashville it’s amazing how many of these amps you see on stage.

For the show this year they are introducing the Producer and a Red Line SoHo. While the Red Line series is their lower-priced “players” amps, some would argue that the new SoHo beats out its more pricy sibling. The Producer features EL-34s, but with a new design and specially designed transformer from Mercury Magnetics that allow the tubes to literally last for years, saving you the cost of re-tubing and re-biasing every year or so. Another added benefit is a great clean tone that is not common with the EL-34 tubes.

The following picture is very similar to what my dream music room would look like at home!

New Martin Acoustics

Paul Schille — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:32:42 +0000

One of the guitars I really wanted to check out was the new version of the Martin John Mayer Signature guitar, the 00-42. Much like the very limited edition 00-45 Stagecoach guitar released last year, this new model is going to have much wider distribution and come at a bit lower price-point.

While this is a really small guitar, the sound is anything but small! The notes literally jump out of the guitar and it’s a dream to play. The embellishments and detail work on the guitar are beautiful and it’s the perfect guitar to grab and go anywhere.

Also worth noting are the guitars in the new Retro Series. Based on some of the best examples of each model, these guitars have all the modern conveniences and are perfect for the gigging musician who is looking for that combination of tradition and ease of use. With a D-18, HD-28, D-45, and 00-28, I played them all and would have a very hard time choosing my favorite. Let us know which on you like best!

Best of Show Guitar – Hahn 1229

Best of Show Guitar – Hahn 1229

Paul Schille — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:19:07 +0000

Hands down my favorite guitar of the show has been the Hahn Model 1229 all mahogany guitar. This is the very same guitar recently reviewed by Premiere Guitar Magazine, and shown below.

Chihoe also told me that he recently sent the guitar off to Joe Perry to try out and since Joe wanted humbucking pickups, in went a Duncan stacked Tele in the bridge and a Lollar mini-humbucker in the neck. That turned out to be a great choice as the pickups are perfectly balanced and tone is amazing in every pickup position.

The first thing you notice when you pick up one of his guitars is the attention to detail and how well setup they are. It’s amazing how many guitars you pick up at the show that have had very little attention payed to playability, and in this respect the Hahn is noticeably different. Fret ends are perfect, fingerboard edges are comfortable, and he has totally nailed the neck shape. These are guitars you can’t wait to pick up and play.

Chihoe’s guitars have been highly rated since his original model 228 came out just a few years ago. While there is no shortage of people copying this iconic design, few are doing it nearly as well as Chihoe Hahn. Most of the guitars at his booth have already been spoken for at the show, and I’m afraid if this one is still available when I go back tomorrow, he may have made one more sale!

Score of the Day at NAMM

Paul Schille — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 08:13:31 +0000

First day at NAMM and we were lucky enough to score passes to the best party of the show!

Put on by 65 Amps, Deusenberg and Tone Pros, the featured band is the Dirty Knobs lead by none other than Mike Campbell from the Heartbreakers! We’ve always heard amazing stories about this party and it’s only taken us four years to finally score an invite! We’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and post them here!

No related posts.

NAMM Preview – What Do You Want to See?

Paul Schille — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:34:44 +0000

So Ray and I are off to NAMM again this week and there’s a ton of things I’m already looking forward to checking out! But more importantly, what would you like us to check out and report on here? I think we’ve realized over the last few years that there’s just too much stuff in Anaheim for the two of us to cover, so if there’s something you’d like to see us cover that we may not be aware of, just let us know and we’ll try to get to it.

As for me, here is just a sampling of some of this things I’m looking forward to checking out this week (in no particular order):

Mesa Boogie Joins the Effects Fray With 4 New Overdrive Pedals

Paul Schille — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:18:42 +0000

Mesa Boogie has joined the ever-growing boutique pedal market with four new overdrive pedals, and given their 44 year history of writing the book on amp overdrive, these should be something special! I suppose it’s only fair to state right up front that I am a huge fan and have used Mesa amps for more than 25 years, so I’m really looking forward to putting these new ODs through their paces as soon as possible. In the meantime I’ll include what Boogie has to say about the pedals, as well as include some inside info direct from Boogie on how their ODs compare to other models you may be familiar with.

From Mesa insider:

Tone-Burst – In same family as most clean boosts. Xotic RC Booster, Xotic EP Booster, Keeley Katana, etc.

Grid Slammer – Same family as overdrive pedals. Tube Screamer, Xotic AC Booster, King of Tone, OCD, etc.

Flux-Drive – Same family as higher gain overdrive pedals. Xotic BB Preamp, OD1, etc.

Throttle Box – High gain distortion. Definitely NOT a Recto, but it’s in the modern high gain family. MXR Fullbore, Super Distortion, Metal Zone, etc. Good lead sounds, and lo gain is versatile.

From the Mesa site:

Your favorite amp probably just found a few new friends! Welcome FOUR NEW DRIVE PEDALS from Mesa that cover the full range of musical styles, sounds and features in compact yet tone-packed packages.

Enter… Tone-Burst, Grid Slammer, Flux-Drive and Throttle Box! Between these four pedals lies an exceptional variety of clip, drive, overdrive, gain and full-on distortion with the tone you want and the features and versatility you expect from Mesa.

These pedals feature the same quality components, craftsmanship and inspiring performance as all of our  custom amplifiers. All four pedals (and ALL Mesa products) are proudly 100% Designed AND Hand-Built right in our one-and-only shop in Petaluma, California, U.S.A. Each pedal also uses True Bypass On/Off Switching and is 9V battery powered or AC powered via an External Power Jack Input.

Tone-Burst

The TONE-BURST™ Boost/Overdrive offers a virtually transparent gain range usually associated with “clean” boost pedals. However, the TONE-BURST has enough gain to boost your guitar to the threshold of clip and slightly beyond, making it far more useful for a variety of applications. It’s incredibly powerful for adding boost, drive and/or EQ to any guitar and amp combination. Whether using it as a utility to boost the output of single coils to match a humbucker or as a subtle overdrive when a standard overdrive may be too much, the TONE-BURST is an incredibly useful and expressive pedal that makes the best things sound even better! Check out video clips here

Grid Slammer

The GRID SLAMMER™ Overdrive is an overdrive pedal that produces a variable boost in gain over a wide range with a classic, guitar-centric midrange bump that enhances many different playing styles. It’s a true overdrive “specialist” that covers an amazing array of what many top players consider the most expressive and musical ranges of overdrive. From sweet, subtle breakup to a harmonically smoldering overdrive that can both sting and sing, the GRID SLAMMER sets a new bar in legendary overdrive! Check out video clips here

Flux-Drive

The FLUX-DRIVE™ Overdrive+ is an overdrive for those who want more of all the best things from an overdrive! It has more liquid gain and enhanced sustain that easily feeds into rich harmonic overtones making it incredibly addictive and inspiring to play, especially to enhance a crunch or higher gain amp channel! It also offers a more complete tone-shaping network with individual Treble and Bass controls. This architecture makes the FLUX-DRIVE a more complete preamp with added versatility beyond that of most overdrive pedals. Check out video clips here

Throttle Box

The THROTTLE BOX™ Distortion serves up all genres of ROCK with cut and aggression, but retains the signature warmth and organic sonic quality found in all our instruments. While its main strengths lie in higher-gain sounds, it’s also versatile and the lower gain options shouldn’t be overlooked for classic rock or howling blues. It also features a unique Mid Cut that scoops out midrange to produce the signature Boogie “V” EQ-curve that so many artists have employed in our amps to create the world’s heaviest guitar tones! Check out video clips here

Summer NAMM 2012 – Alex Aguilar’s New Prototype Select-o-drive Amp

Paul Schille — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 01:03:03 +0000

Alex Aguilar with the HALO and Select-o-drive

One of the highlights of Summer NAMM for me this year was getting to spend some time with Alex Aguilar from Alairex. Best known for his legendary bass amplifier designs, Alex has once again turned his attention to us 6-stringers as you may remember from our recent story on the incredibly touch sensitive HALO overdrive pedal (you can have another look at that article here). Touch sensitivity seems to be a trend with Alex as he debuted the prototype of his new Alairex Select-o-drive amplifier at the show featuring remarkable touch sensitivity throughout it’s range. The model at the show was a 2×12, 3-channel combo, though the amp will eventually also be offered as a 1×12 combo and head version. The most unique thing about the amp though is that the preamp is 12ax7 tube driven, while the power section is solid-state. Alex said the idea came from the fact that it’s nearly impossible to get those great, old tubes like the venerable Sylvania 415 anymore, so he wanted to recreate that tone and feel in a bullet-proof, solid-state package. And from what I could tell from the prototype, he’s nailed it!

Alairex Select-o-drive

The amp sports the standard Clean, Crunch and Ultra channels. The Clean channel features Volume, Master, Treble and Bass controls, with both Fat and Bright switches. The Crunch channel has Gain, Master, Treble, Middle and Bass controls with a bright switch, and the Ultra channel has Gain, Master, Treble, Middle and Bass controls with a maximum saturation switch. There are also separate Reverb controls for Clean and Crunch/Ultra. The prototype had a pair of Celestion Vintage 30s inside, but Alex is planning on trying several speaker combinations before settling on the final configuration.

While trying out new gear at NAMM can be a daunting experience, I got to spend enough time with the amp while Alex spun the knobs to know that he’s on to something with this amp. It was much like the HALO pedal where you get out of it very much what you put into it. The Clean channel could be pushed into soft overdrive simply by varying your pick attack, while the Crunch and Ultra channels were articulate and could be cleaned up nicely either by picking more lightly or rolling back the volume on your guitar. And speaking of guitars, Alex’s Custom Shop Nocaster body with an absolutely perfect ’62 neck is a dream to play and allowed me to go effortlessly from chickin’ pickin’ clean to heavily saturated shred with the click of a button.

While we don’t have a definitive timeline for release of the Select-o-drive at this point, we will let you know as soon as we find out. This is an amp you definitely want to check out for yourself once it’s available!

Summer NAMM in Nashville

Paul Schille — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 01:08:23 +0000

So we’ve now been back home for a few days, are just starting to catch up on some much needed sleep, and have a surprising number of cool things to write about from the show. This was my first trip to Summer NAMM and when people said it was much smaller than Winter NAMM in Anaheim, they really weren’t kidding! I would guess it’s about the same size as the lower level in Anaheim, so if you’ve been there, you know how small we’re talking about. That being said, there were some interesting things on display there from folks like our friend Forrest Lee Jr. at Forrest Custom Guitars, Bluesman Vintage Guitars, Wampler Pedals, Little Walter Amps, Benado Effects, Alex Aguilar’s Alairex, Long Hollow Leather and Pete Schmidt Straps.

To buy myself some time to get these stories written I thought I’d leave you with a cool video of Brent Mason at the Wampler Pedals booth. Audio isn’t great, but man can that guy play! Enjoy!

Summer NAMM in Nashvile is Here!

Paul Schille — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:24:58 +0000

Ray and I are off this week to see how the Music City does NAMM! We got snowed-in back in January trying to get to Winter NAMM, this week it’s high temperatures and thunder storms, but nothing is going to stop us from bringing you the latest and greatest in new gear news. And if you’re in the area, Saturday at NAMM is open to the public. They have stopped doing this in Anaheim, so if you’ve always wanted to see what the show is all about, here’s your chance. Below is the info from the NAMM offices:

SUMMER NAMM COMES TO NASHVILLE JULY 12-14 AND WILL OPEN THE DOORS FOR “PUBLIC DAY”

SATURDAY, JULY 14 FROM 10 A.M. – 4 P.M.

EVENTS – The Summer NAMM Show – one of the world’s largest music industry trade shows, produced by The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). This is the chance for media to explore what’s coming up next in the music products industry. Not open to the public.

Summer NAMM “PUBLIC DAY” – a unique look inside the typically trade-only show for master classes & seminars, live performances, shop talk with industry insiders, interactive opportunities to play music, celebrity sightings and chance to see hundreds of global music companies, technologies, music instruments and buzz-worthy products.

WHEN - Summer NAMM Show - Thursday, July 12 – Saturday, July 14, 2012

“PUBLIC DAY” - Saturday, July 14 only from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

WHERE - Nashville Convention Center / 601 Commerce Street

Lobby Level 3 Media Desk

VISUALS – Drum & Ukulele circles, eye-catching musical innovations, live performances, hundreds of music instruments from A to Z; musicians of all ages.

TICKETS - PUBLIC DAY tickets are good for Saturday, July 14. Price is $15 online or at the door. Visit http://www.namm.org/summer/2012/publicday

The New Golden Cello Pedal from Mad Professor

Paul Schille — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:30:52 +0000

Mad Professor Golden Cello

Finland’s boutique pedal maker Mad Professor has just announced an interesting new pedal that combines singing, cello-like overdrive with a vintage tape delay sound to give you that classic Eric Johnson tone in a single box. Okay, so they don’t (can’t?) say that it’s Eric’s tone in a box, but hey, one listen and you’ll know exactly what they were shooting for. One thing not mentioned in the press release is that there are internal trim pots that give you more control over delay time and sounds, as the front delay knob only let’s you vary the effect level of the delay. The pedal is supposed to be available this Friday the 22nd of June and I know it’s one that I can’t wait to try out.

Following is from the Mad Professor press release and website:

Mad Professor Amplification Introduces the Golden Cello Pedal

Mad Professor, the Finland based Boutique pedal effects manufacturer, in partnership with Guitar Center’s Director of Merchandise, Barry Mitchell, announce the new co-developed Golden Cello pedal available exclusively at Guitar Center stores, Guitar Center online and Musicians Friend online.

The new Mad Professor Golden Cello pedal delivers one of the most sought after lead tones on the planet. Sweet, cello-like singing overdrive combined with the most luscious open ambient tape delay all packed into one small Gold box.

The tone that you used to need: a great overdrive, a vintage tape delay and a loud vintage full-stack at full volume is now one foot stomp away! Very easy to setup – just plug it into any (quality) clean amp and you get “The Tone!” you have been seeking, at any volume level. This inspiring pedal will keep you playing and playing, you simply can’t stop!

Just four knobs for total output: Volume, Delay level, Tone and Drive. You simply cannot get a bad tone out of this pedal. This is a pedal that belongs on every pedalboard, in every gigbag and every studio. Singing lead tone, with the classic Mad Professor dynamics and touch sensitivity.

Retail price $199.99

More on Pedalboards (or as my friends would say, that moron and his pedalboards!)

Paul Schille — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:28:03 +0000

So for those of you who’ve followed this site from the beginning, you already know about my compulsive fascination with all things pedalboards. It seems that no sooner do I have one finished and working perfectly, I either start in on another one or revamp my existing setup. For the last two years we have been touring and doing a lot of bigger shows and I put together a board that would give me all the sounds I needed for any show that might come along. I also put together a smaller fly-board as we were having to fly to enough dates that I got tired of tearing apart my big board every time we traveled. As I begin to wind down the touring (I am old after all!) I thought it was time to simplify and put together one reasonably-sized board that I could actually fit in my car and carry around, and would cover most everything I have coming up this summer. I blame this craziness on John Bohlinger’s latest article in Premiere Guitar about how he was simplifying this summer too. It’s seems a lot of people are heading in this direction as I’ve seen several great new pedalboards lately and I figured, hey, why not check them out here?

Touring Board

New Board

So I’ve ditched a few things that were on my big board; the Morpheus Drop Tune, a Micro POG, the new Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay (an AMAZING sounding and functioning delay if you have the room), and a couple of others. I’ve added the new Wampler Ego Compressor (best sounding compressor I’ve ever used, period!), a Vox Time Machine delay, and an Xotic EP Booster. Still tons of variety but I can lift it now without giving myself a hernia! While I’ll have to relearn a few songs that we did in drop tuning with the Morpheus, I’m amazed at how little I seem to be missing from the bigger setup.

Another new board that I saw recently is from one of my favorite guitarists, Pete Thorn. In case you don’t know who that is, Pete plays with Chris Cornell, Don Henley, is currently touring with Melissa Etheridge, and is known for his killer tone. He also does a series a fantastic gear reviews that we feature here on TGM from time to time (great excuse to go back through some of our old articles!). He wanted an alternative to his large wet/dry/wet rig, and what he’s come up with is really, really nice! A great selection of pedals including a new Carl Martin AC-Tone prototype that I can’t wait to get my hands on (September release, $269 list), as well as the Musicom Lab EFX MKIII+ switcher which is one of the great new compact switching systems out there. Being the self-professed gear nerd that he is, Pete put together a pretty lengthy video of the new board and how everything on it works. You can check that out here:

Chris' Small Board

And the Big Board!

Another friend of mine, Chris Ward also runs two (or more) different boards depending on the gig, and I thought I’d show a couple of them here as well. Chris plays in a variety of bands in the Eugene, Oregon area including Amy Clawson & Coltrane and is well known for both his killer chops and amazing tone. He also did the recent review on the new Aguilar HALO overdrive pedal for us here at TGM. Chris uses the Voodoo Lab switching system in his big setup, but still swaps pedals back and forth between boards when changing boards which I decided I was just way too lazy to do.

It all goes to show that there are tons of ways to build your dream rig, and I believe in trying all of them before I die! Hmmm, I wonder if I could fit that Musicom Lab switcher on my new, smaller board…..

Pedalboards, Pedalboards, and More Pedalboards

How to run live backing tracks for your band with Ableton

Ray Neyens — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:20:01 +0000

I’ve recently had a number of fellow musicians approach me asking about how my band runs backing tracks for our live performances. I know that the use of backing tracks is a hotly debated topic in some circles of musicians, but we’ll leave that debate to another time. These days it seems to be more and more a fact of life for a lot of musicians that gig on a regular basis.

So, if you do need to use backing tracks the video above can provide an overview on one way in which to achieve success in a live environment. Our setup involves the use of a MacBook. We use the older white version as they’re cheap to find on Craigslist and are pretty durable (don’t ask about the time we were in Montana and our singer drove over the laptop with an SUV – no it didn’t survive and we ended up doing the show sans tracks that night).

For software we use Ableton Live to run the tracks. We either trigger the tracks directly from the laptop using the arrow and enter keys or we sometimes use the Novation Launchpad which has 64 small trigger pads. This works well for randomly firing off songs. We label the 64 buttons as 1 through 64 and then label all the songs with a corresponding number and assign the buttons to the proper track in Ableton. I didn’t cover this part in the video but it’s a simple midi learn function in Ableton. If needed I can probably do a follow up video on how this is done, but trust me it’s pretty quick and easy.

The cost of this kind of solution is not exactly cheap, but it’s really no more than buying a decent guitar, keyboard or other instrument. The MacBook was about $500 used on Craigslist (they can be found even cheaper these days). Ableton Live will also run on a Windows laptop, but my personal preference is to use a Mac. The full version of Ableton Live is $499, but you can get by with Ableton Intro for $99 if you’re ok with only using a stereo output (mono tracks on one side, click on the other). If you think you want a trigger input device the Novation Launchpad can be had for $127.50, or you could trigger from a keyboard, an old Trigger Finger or any other midi trigger you might have around.

Again, the use of backing tracks might not be the right path for every band (nor should it be). But if you need to use them then this is one method that I’ve found has been reliable in all kinds of venues from clubs, fairs, festivals, concerts, theater gigs and many more. The only time if failed us was when it got run over by a full size SUV and I really can’t blame it for not being up for the gig after such a traumatic event.

Video: Making the most of a 3 piece band – These guys put on a show

Do You Need a Compressor Pedal?

Paul Schille — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:48:02 +0000

Do I need a compressor pedal? I’ve asked myself this very questions many, many times over the years, and until fairly recently the answer was always an emphatic “No.” While I’ve tried many compressors over the years, I play fairly percussively and always felt that they took away some of the natural dynamics of my playing (which of course is exactly what they’re designed to do, right?). A few years ago I started playing modern country music and it seemed that every country guitarist I saw was using a compressor on their pedalboard, sometimes even more than one pedal!

Now I’m no ace chickin’ picker, but I figured if I was going to play country I needed to find a compressor that worked for me. After trying more than a few pedals I happened onto the Barber Tone Press pedal, and the beauty of that pedal is that in addition to the regular compressor controls of Sustain, Attack, Tone, etc., it offered up a Blend knob that allowed me to add in just enough of my original, uncompressed signal that I didn’t lose all of my dynamics. Pretty cool, but I find that I still don’t turn it on all that often.

In my ongoing quest for the perfect compressor pedal I came across a great demo on YouTube of compressor pedals and how they work that I thought I’d pass along here. It’s by a guy named Just Nick for Rock’n'Roll Vintage and goes a long way towards demystifying compression, how it works, and most importantly, how to use it effectively. Great video, and make sure to check out his beautiful Nash T-63 Tele!

Being a huge Keith Urban fan and recently seeing his pedalboard and the THREE compressors he has on there, I’m going to try the Wampler Ego Compressor. It also has a Blend knob like the Barber, but has more tone shaping. If anyone out there has any thoughts on the Wampler, please drop me a line and let me know what you think. In the meantime, here is a great video of the Wampler in action.

So that’s it for compressors for now. Please feel free to share your thoughts on compression in the forum and we’ll see you there!

Talk of the Day – New Uberschall and Ecstasy Pedals from Bogner!

Paul Schille — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:05:42 +0000

Just announced today at Musikmesse in Frankfurt Germany, Bogner‘s new line of pedals. The Uberschall is like…..an Uberschall, while the Red Ecstasy features hotter tone and the Blue Ecstasy is crunchier/bluesier. There is rampant speculation on pricing flying around the web today, but since it’s quite apparent no one knows at this point, we won’t add to the frenzy here. Needless to say, these will be worth checking out once they are available. Check back here for more info as it becomes available!

NAMM Find #1 – Pete Schmidt Guitar Straps

Paul Schille — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:56:20 +0000

Pete Schmidt Straps

I don’t know about the rest of you, but even with all of the guitar straps available today, it still seems like it’s hard to find great straps! Maybe I’m too picky, but to me your guitar strap says a lot about your personality. I’ve gotten great straps from Jeri Designs and Red Monkey, and I picked up a really nice, simple strap from Gruhn’s in Nashville by Long Hollow Leather. I’ve even started making straps from new and vintage belts that have turned out pretty well.

Black Iguana w/ Black Stitching

One of the big problems with the great custom straps though is their high cost. Straps from Moody, El Dorado, and Anthology are really nice, but set you back the price of at least a couple nice effects pedals! That’s why we were happy to find Pete Schmidt Straps at NAMM this year. You always find great stuff on the bottom floor of the convention center where most of the smaller guys have booths, and this year was no exception. Pete’s straps are some of the highest quality we’ve seen and the prices are super competitive compared to straps of the same quality. I picked up a Black Iguana strap with creme stitching and at $95 list price it’s fantastic! I’m 6’5″ so it’s really nice that they come in long lengths as well. Pete lives in Peru and contracts with local leather craftsmen to make these custom straps which helps keep the costs reasonable. Plus they come in the cool, round boxes you can see in the picture.

Pete and Andy are great to work with and can talk straps all day, so check out Pete Schmidt Straps and don’t hesitate to give them a call if you have any questions.

Raising the Bar… Introducing Fret-King Black Label

Paul Schille — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:53:15 +0000

Vintage Icon Tele, '56 RI LP Custom, Mesa Lonestar Special

With all of the articles and press releases coming out featuring all the amazing new gear debuting at this week’s NAMM show in Anaheim, there was a release that warranted a second look as many of you may not be familiar with Trevor Wilkinson’s line of guitars. I have been fortunate enough to work with Trevor and Dennis Drumm at JHS over the last year, and this new Fret-King Black Label line of guitars is well worth a closer look.The goal with this line was to combine boutique design, custom-shop quality, and pro playability, at a price that is affordable to all players.

I have been using the Wilkinson Vintage Icon Tele for the past year and it has become one of my go-to guitars for the biggest shows we play. It’s hard to believe the extremely reasonable price-point while playing this guitar, as it more than holds it’s own next to some of the iconic guitars available today.

Here is the press release in it’s entirety:

Raising the bar… Introducing Fret-King Black Label

Worldwide trade distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd and leading musical instrument designer Trev Wilkinson are delighted to announce the ground-breaking new Fret-King Black Label range of electric guitars and basses.

Country Squire De-Luxe

Black Label features 12 different instruments that combine tradition, boutique design, custom shop quality, pro playability and comfortable individuality. The range will receive its worldwide unveiling at the 2012 NAMM show, held between January 19th and 22nd in Anaheim, California.

The Black Label design brief was to prove that it is possible to create spectacular guitars that are totally acceptable as a real journeyman player’s working tool, fit for the highest profile player on the biggest arena stage in the world – and yet affordable to all.

Black Label takes a fresh view of how to bring real custom shop high-end features, the benefits they bring, and the advantages you get from instruments designed to be professional working tools.

Super-Hybrid

Part of the Black Label design brief was to actually listen to pro players, and to work with them to create instruments that reflected their ideal guitar. The result of this collaboration between Trev Wilkinson and hugely experienced players like Jerry Donahue, Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell, Gordon Giltrap, and Geoff Whitehorn – all players who have definitely paid their dues, reflect a huge variety of styles, and who, as well as being great players, know a thing or two about guitars – is a collection of artist-inspired guitars featuring attributes that all players will find useable, useful, and, above all, musical.

There are also standards to be recognised, passed and improved upon. The single cut Black Label Eclat, with peerless classic looks, and a tonal palette of such sophistication it could be three other guitars as well. The Country Squire is a magical fusion of the familiar with the contemporary. The Elise has a body style with a heritage that spans all musical styles, while the Corona, a moniker associated with high-end UK-built double-cut Fret-Kings for over two decades, builds on the roots of this icon. Meanwhile, the Super-Hybrid is radical, acoustic electric hybrid is so useable, and the Perception is a name synonymous with basses for real bass players.

Perception 4-String Bass

Dennis Drumm, JHS’s Managing Director, said: “Fret-King Black Label is taking Trev Wilkinson’s affordable boutique guitars to a new level. We’ve worked with a group of amazing artists to produce a line of guitars and basses with flair and creative innovations that give you an incredible, tactile and emotional guitar playing experience.

“Part of the design brief was to prove the point that it’s possible to create guitars that really ‘raise the bar’ – while still being affordable to any player. We love a challenge – see these guitars and you’ll be amazed! Unique and distinctive, memorable and reliable, 101% playable. Black Label represents tomorrow’s classics today.”

And Black Label has already made waves with esteemed musicians and journalists. Dave Burrluck, Gear Reviews Editor at Guitarist magazine, said: “You’d be foolish not to audition the Fret-King Black Label range – the bar has been raised!”

For more information, visit the Fret-King website, and view an introduction to Black Label with Trev Wilkinson here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcMficw1R0Q&feature=player_embedded

JHS will be at Hall E 1212 at NAMM 2012, so make sure to stop by and see Black Label, as well as the entire ranges of Fret-King, Vintage, Santos Martinez and Encore guitars.

You can find the entire line of Wilkinson Guitars here:

John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd.: www.jhs.co.uk

Fret-King: www.fret-king.com

Fret-King Black Label: www.fret-king.com/black_label.htm

Graham Oliver Vintage signature guitar: www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html#go

Paul Brett Vintage signature guitars: www.jhs.co.uk/paulbrett.html

Vintage ReIssued: www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html

Vintage ICON: www.jhs.co.uk/vintageiconguitars.html

New Aguilar HALO Overdrive Pedal to Debut at NAMM

Paul Schille — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:21:09 +0000

So we’ve had a few people ask us why we don’t have more bass-related articles on here (since Ray is a bass player and all), so I came across something that was pretty interesting and somewhat bass-related. We have a good friend down in Eugene, OR named Chris Ward who plays guitar with Amy Clawson & Coltrane, and he just sent me an interesting audio clip that I thought you all might be interested in.

Apparently Alex Aguilar, who is the former president and design engineer at Aguilar Amplification, has started a new company called Eagle Lair Audio, and their initial focus will be on cutting edge products geared toward guitarists. (See, there’s the bass player angle, although he’s seen the light and come over to the 6-string side!).

HALO Overdrive

The first product being launched next week at NAMM is the HALO (Harmonic Amp-Like Overdrive) pedal. The goal of the HALO is to provide a high quality, no compromise effects pedal delivering harmonically rich distortion characteristics that feel, sound and react to picking nuances like the best tube amplifier designs. The result is a pedal that is sonically equivalent (and, in many cases superior) to tube saturation in the best guitar amps, while also producing tones that previously were not possible within solid state circuit topology. List price for the HALO is $399.

So as it turns out, our friend Chris down in Eugene actually had use of a prototype of this pedal last year and recorded a short audio clip of the various sounds. Here is the clip and what Chris had to say about the pedal:

Tele-AguilarHALO-ProReverb

“This is my Tele into the Aguilar prototype pedal into my ProReverb at a low, clean volume. If I remember right the mic is a 57 straight into ProTools. I am adjusting the guitar volume knob to get different amounts of overdrive. Good sound and very responsive for a pedal

It is the same Alex Aguilar that makes the bass amps, but as I understand it, he has sold that company and is no longer involved. I gather that he has been working on this prototype pedal for about three years now. I guess the electronic circuit is a completely different way of generating overdrive compared to anything that has been done before. He is going for a tube amp like responsiveness with the ultimate goal of building a solid state amp with this circuit as the preamp.

Somehow he got in touch with a collective of players here in Eugene who passed the pedal around and gave feedback on the design. I gather that he has addressed some concerns and changed the design a bit since we had the prototype.

McKenzie River Music had some first run pedals in for sale and I think they have an order in for more. He is building them by hand right now. (apparently it takes him two days to build each pedal.)

I should add that this pedal is also extremely versatile. With the tone knob, the bass, contour, and presence knobs, the three way clipping shape switch and the saturation switch, a very wide range of tones can be dialed in.

In the clip that I recorded, I had spent some time dialing in the pedal to try to see how closely I could match the recorded tone of my Metro Amps 50watt Plexi.“

Ray and I will definitely be checking out this pedal at NAMM and will let you know what we think after we have a chance to play through it. Very special thanks to Chris Ward for the great demo clip and info on this cool new pedal!

CrossWire Backstage With: Colt Ford

Paul Schille — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:27:20 +0000

Ray and I have been fortunate enough to work with a lot of national acts over the last couple of years, and I always try and take a lot of photographs backstage (mainly because I’m old and don’t want to forget all the cool stuff we did!). Some shows I’m more successful than others, but we have met some really interesting and helpful band members and techs and been given access to all kinds of cool things. I thought I would start a new TGM series called “CrossWire Backstage With:” and post backstage pictures from some of these shows for you to enjoy.

I thought I’d start with our most recent shows as we did the Northwest leg of the Colt Ford tour. If you’re not familiar with Colt Ford, he wrote Jason Aldean’s #1 hit, Dirt Road Anthem, and is known for creating “Hick Hop,” a blend of hard rockin’ country and hip hop. They were great to hang out with, and his band were really great guys as well.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Bonamassa Snubbed by Grammys Again – Guest Post by Jamie Briggs

Paul Schille — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:34:17 +0000

Ray and I are always looking for guest writers here at The Gigging Musician, and we recently received a great article from Jamie Briggs about Joe Bonamassa’s reaction to the latest Grammy Nominations. Like Toby Keith and the CMA’s, and many other deserving folks before, Bonamassa is just the latest in a long line of snubbed artists. Thanks for the article Jamie!

Joe Bonamassa isn’t happy with the Grammy Nominations, but do awards matter much?

Bonamassa in Portland, OR - 12/14/11

The Joe Bonamassa musical juggernaut has showed no signs of slowing since he was awarded the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award in the UK’s Classic Rock magazine in 2009, a year in which he was also awarded Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player’s Reader’s Choice Awards. With a new album released this year to widespread acclaim, along with a sell out world tour that is also receiving rave reviews, 2011 has been a good year. This is ‘business as usual’ however, for a man who has topped the US Blues chart with astonishing regularity and has the Joe Bonamassa range of guitars to his name. As a child prodigy who was playing Hendrix at the age of seven, this has always been his throne to take.

And yet, despite his massive international success, Joe Bonamassa has not been nominated for a Grammy again, making this the twelfth time in a row. Though known as a humble and quiet person, his trademark cool vanished, and he vented his anger via Twitter:

“stats.12 records.. 9 # 1 blues albums… Sold out shows around the globe.. 0 Grammy nominations.. Honestly.. I used to care.. not anymore (sic)”

“Im honestly so done with this bullshit… I will never submit another record again for the Grammys.. Its a waist of my time and postage. (sic)”

These were among the tweets posted following the nominations, and, well, who could blame him. It does raise questions once more, however, as to whether industry led musical awards have any validity. The more interesting question however, is why artists with such adoration and commercial success, and who manage the near impossible task of matching this with the respect of their musical piers seem to need an industry award for validation? Perhaps this is the last achievement left to add to his musical CV, the name ‘Grammy’ still holding as it does, a huge amount of historical kudos.

Bonamassa’s indignant stance goes against the grain of many musicians’ attitudes towards the Grammys, however. Famously, in 1996, when Pearl Jam won the award for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ for ‘Spin the Black Circle’, Eddie Vedder stated in his acceptance speech, “I don’t know what this means. I don’t think it means anything.” The award itself was dragged out of a dusty basement on film, during the Pearl Jam documentary Twenty. This is an attitude shared by Justin Vernon, front-man for 2011 nominee Bon Ivor, who has branded the award ceremony as ‘ridiculous’, and even gone so far as stating (in reference to artists who have ambitions of receiving a Grammy) “98 percent of the people in that room, their art is compromised by the fact that they’re thinking that.”

Whilst it’s easy to criticise Bonamassa, if viewed from the perspective of a man ‘doing a job’, it is hard not to sympathise. How many readers would not feel a little disgruntled if, after performing your job at the highest level for twelve years, had received none of the commensurate recognition? However, the most important aspect of any music, or any creative art for that matter, is the relationship between the performer and the audience. If the audience is held by the performance, and emotionally or intellectually stimulated, and leaves satisfied, their life enriched as a result, then that, surely, is the performer’s role fulfilled. And who would want more than that?

Latest “Working Guitarist” Article from Peter Thorn

Paul Schille — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:08:45 +0000

Peter Thorn

Peter Thorn is one of my favorite guitarists and sidemen these days, currently touring with Melissa Etheridge. Have a look at his latest installment of the Working Guitarist from Premier Guitar here.

Ask a Working Guitarist Part 2: Staying Creative and Juggling Gigs

First Review: Mesa Boogie Royal Atlantic

Paul Schille — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:32:38 +0000

Mesa Boogie RA-100

I’ve been a huge fan of Mesa Boogie amplifiers going back to…..well, let’s just say it’s been a loooong time! So when Tim McKee at Boogie asked if I’d like to take their new Royal Atlantic for a spin and review it here on The Gigging Musician, how could I refuse! It’s only fair to admit that I’ve been using Boogies since the 80′s and have used many of their amps over the years since. My current rig consists of a Lone Star Special head with 2, 2×12 Lone Star Cabinets, and my backup rig is an original Mark IIb head that I got from Steve Miller that’s been modded a few times by Mike Bendinelli down at Boogie. Just so you don’t think I’m too biased, I also have a 65 London, a vintage Princeton Reverb, a VOX AC-15, and a few others, but for live gigging nothing beats the Mesas!

Before we delve into the features on the amp, I’ve got to tell you that the first word that came to mind when I sat down to write this review is BOLD. This amp is BOLD! With the Lone Star, I feel like I can blend in or jump out as needed. It’s so transparent that I can sometimes get lost in the mix, and more than once I’ve actually been asked to turn up by my lead singer as well as a soundman or two. That is definitely not the case with the Royal Atlantic. This amp is chomping at the bit to be cut loose, and I had no problem finding great tones out of it as soon as I plugged it in. The amp (while being decidedly British) is more akin to a big, American V-8 muscle car, while the Lone Star is more like that racy, European job. One of the biggest tests for any new piece of gear is what my bandmates think of it, and with the Royal Atlantic they immediately knew something was different and commented very favorably on the variety of tones I was getting from it. That’s a big test to pass as these guys can be brutal when they don’t like something!

The Royal Atlantic is the flagship of the TransAtlantic line and packs 100 watts of EL-34 based power. It is a two-channel, three-mode amp, giving you access to Clean, Lo-Gain, and Hi-Gain modes via the supplied two-button footswitch. The Lo-Gain and Hi-Gain modes share their tone controls, but in a new and much more useful way than they did on say, my old Mark IIb. The tone controls on the RA-100 are much like those on the Mesa Electra-Dyne, using concentric tone pots to actually subtly change the tone stack when switching between the two modes. I have used the amp on a wide variety of settings and have never once wished I had separate tone for the gain modes. That was a pleasant surprise given the battle I always have finding a happy medium on the old MKII between the Clean and Gain channels! The Reverb on this amp is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and via switches on the back, you can have it engaged on all three channels, on just the Lo-Gain and Clean channels, or just on the Clean channel. Very useful for keeping those cleans lush, and those searing solos clear and distinct.

Multi-Soak

Which brings us to probably the most interesting and innovative feature on this amp, which is the Channel Assignable Multi-Soak. This features basically gives you a separate power attenuator for each mode of the amp, giving you the ability the get the sound you want at the volume you need! Located on the rear of the amp, each channel has a 5-position power attenuation switch (-16db, -12db, -8db, -4db & 0db) for Power Ratings ranging from 100 watts all the way down to 3 watts of class A/B power. For those of you who prefer a non-master volume amp, this is an invaluable solution, as you can have this big amp working hard and still be able to use it in the smallest settings. They do warn you that using the higher levels of attenuation will dramatically shorten tube life, but it’s a small price to pay for the amazing versatility it offers. The amp comes with a two-speed fan, and I always keep the fan on high so as to prolong tube life.

So how does it sound? Besides Bold? Suffice it to say I really love this amp. While I got my Lone Star Special mainly for it’s clean sound, the Clean channel on the Royal Atlantic is the best clean I’ve ever heard on a Boogie. No kidding! You can basically set everything at noon, attenuate wherever you want, and this thing sounds fantastic. I’ve tweaked the tone on this channel and no matter where you set it, it performs. I use Les Pauls, Teles, and Strats throughout our shows, and the clean here really lets each guitar’s distinct sound shine through without having to change settings when changing guitars. The tone is big, round and warm, very American sounding. The amp is worth trying for this channel alone!

My Rig at Work

The Gain channel really takes you back to those classic British rock tones all us old(er) guys grew up on. Between the two modes on this channel you can cover everything from sultry blues to over-the-top screaming lead, and everything in between. A huge benefit of the Gain channel is how well it responds to both your picking and use of the the volume knob on your guitar (you all know where that knob is, right???). If you’re the type that rolls back your volume for rhythm and brings it up for leads, this amp is made for you. It’s very quick to respond, giving you back exactly what you put into it. That being said, I tend not to do this (and yes, I know where that knob is on my guitars!), so I have the Lo-Gain mode set for my rhythm sound, and use the Hi-Gain mode for solos. Works perfectly either way. I did find the Gain channel a little harder to dial in, mainly because I tend towards a bit darker, warmer tone and this amp is on the brighter side. I ended up running the Bass at about 4:00 and the Treble between 8:00 and 9:00, and then use the Middle to dial it in for each room. I am running this through a couple of open-back 2×12 Lone Star cabinets and would expect more low end and punch if I were to run it through a big, closed back cab. That being said, it was easy enough to dial in, it just didn’t work as well for me with all the controls at noon.

The RA 100 also has a transparent, series effects loop which handles outboard signal processing and provides a seamless interface for units that don’t always like to live in front of the preamp such as Delay, Chorus, Flange and Pitch Shifting based effects. The Loop Send is derived from a source at the end of the preamp and the return is inserted back into the signal path near the input to the power section. Being more “old school” (as opposed to just “old!”), I run everything in front of the amp and honestly haven’t used the loop. When there are no patch cords and/or devices connected, the loop is hard bypassed and all associated circuitry is removed from the signal path, which is a nice touch.

Gain Channel

Clean Channel

I was told that some of the other Boogie guys checking out this amp were running the master all the way up and then cranking the attenuators to get the volume they were looking for. While I tried this and it was very cool, I didn’t find it to be the sound I was ultimately looking for. I’ve ended up running the amp in the 100-watt setting (via the handy 50/100 switch on the front panel), and then attenuating each channel two clicks, or at -8db. Keep in mind that the ear’s perceived difference in volume between a cranked AC-15 and an AC-30 is only 3db, and you can see just how versatile this feature is! I took a couple pictures of my front panel settings, and while they turned out horribly, it at least gives you a starting point for what worked for me.

So what would I change? There’s really very little about this amp that doesn’t work for me. I would probably like the Gain channel to have a bit more low end at neutral settings, but again, that’s what those knobs are there for so that’s not a big deal. The one thing I would LOVE to see on this amp (as well as on just about any amp) would be a variable Solo Boost feature like I have on my Lone Star Special. I’ve gotten so used to having that, that it has become an indispensable feature for me. With a variable solo boost on this amp you would have six, count ‘em, six different foot-switchable settings, and tone for days!

My verdict is that the Mesa Royal Atlantic RA-100 is an amp that you definitely want to check out before making your next amp purchase. We are so lucky these days to have so many great amps out there to choose from, and the RA-100 is right up there at the top of the stack. I’ve been using the amp for about 4 months now and will follow up with another long-term review next year after I’ve got a few more miles on it. Very special thanks to Tim, Mike, Jim and everyone at Mesa for bringing us such a versatile beauty. And speaking of beauty, I’ll leave you with a picture of an amazing, custom-ordered RA-100 that was recently delivered to Geo at The Guitar Sanctuary. I don’t know about you all, but this thing ROCKS!!!

RA-100 in Champagne Tolex

From Premier Guitar – Gear Nannies: The Life of a Guitar Tech – Part 2

Paul Schille — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:58:53 +0000

In Premier Guitar’s followup article on guitar techs, the focus turns to gear and some of the tricks and tips that these seasoned professionals use to keep their employers (and their gear) happy and functional. All of the guitar techs I’ve met over the last couple of years have been total gear nerds and have been more than happy to talk with us about how they do their job and some of the crazy things they experience on a daily basis. These guys have seen it all, so have a look and see if there isn’t a new trick here that you might find helpful. Enjoy!

10 Tech Tips from Touring Pros

Enter All the Current Contests in One Place – The Gigging Musician.com

Paul Schille — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:49:54 +0000

Here at The Gigging Musician, we’re constantly combing through all the music sites out there and reading all the email blasts that come through on a daily basis, and lately there have been a ton of interesting contests with some great prizes. Consider it an early Christmas present to yourself, but if you’re the type that likes to enter contests we’ve compiled them all here so you can easily enter whichever ones look most interesting you you. So have at it, and make sure to let us know if you win something and we’ll be sure to post it here for everyone to see!

Good Luck!!!

Fender to Give Away a Custom Fender Coldplay Telecaster
http://www.fender.com/promos/2011/coldplay

Enter to Win a Roland Cube XL Amplifier
http://www.facebook.com/RolandCorpUS?sk=app_208195102528120

Win a Full Rig From Wild West Guitars
http://guitarsquid.com/Latest/enter-for-your-chance-to-win-a-full-rig-from-wild-west-guitars.html

Enter to Win an Ampeg GVT5-110 All Tube Guitar Combo
http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/Ampeg-GVT-Tube-Amp-Giveaway/6006

Win an Epiphone Robb Flynn Love/Death flying-V Guitar
http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/178051-win-an-epiphone-robb-flynn-lovedeath-flying-v-guitar

Play the Guitar Picks Match Game from The Grand Old Opry and Win an Autographed Guitar
http://by161w.bay161.mail.live.com/default.aspx#!/mail/InboxLight.aspx?n=11330535!fid=1&pdir=NextPage&paid=ae80033c-0f10-11e1-bb17-00237de49116&pad=2011-11-14T22%3A33%3A37.010Z&pidx=2&fav=1&n=1080435861&mid=4c612acf-0b20-11e1-bbe6-002264c2089a&fv=1

Enter to Win a Creation Audio Labs Holy Fire OD, Powertrain 1250 Power Supply, and More
http://www.creationaudiolabs.com/gear-giveaway-oct-2011

Win a Jane’s Addiction Signed PRS 24
http://guitarsquid.com/newsletter/squidpick/win-a-janes-addiction-autographed-electric-guitar/5/

Win a George Harrison signature Gretsch Duo Jet
http://guitarsquid.com/Squid_Picks/Oct2011/contest-george-harrison.html

Enter to Win ‘The Rolling Stones-Inspired Prize Pack’ from HD Tracks
(Includes Custom Fender Telecaster with Let It Bleed Artwork, Custom Gretsch Drum Set with Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out Artwork, and more)
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=fender

Win an Ernie Ball Axis Guitar and Goodsell Unibox Amp package
http://www.vintageguitar.com/the-great-vg-25th-anniversary-giveaway/?utm_source=Vintage+Guitar%2C+Inc.+List&utm_campaign=b9bba89dd0-20111020A10_20_2011&utm_medium=email

Win an Egnater Tweaker 40 Head and Matching 1×12 Cabinets
http://www.vintageguitar.com/hall-of-fame/?utm_source=Vintage+Guitar%2C+Inc.+List&utm_campaign=b9bba89dd0-20111020A10_20_2011&utm_medium=email

Win a Planet Waves Tru-Strobe Tuner
http://www.premierguitar.com/Survey/362/survey.aspx

Jeff Beck Week Continued

Paul Schille — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:00:57 +0000

To round out the week of Jeff Beck adoration (by me), I thought I’d share this interview with his longtime guitar tech Steve Prior. As is usually the case, the best gear info always seems to come from the tech! One of the interesting tidbits here is the huge neck profile on the first run of Jeff Beck signature Strats. It turns out that Beck didn’t like that large neck profile either and had Fender make him a bunch of necks from which he picked his favorite.

And if anyone was able to get a better shot of Beck’s pedalboard than I did last week, I’d love if you could share it with all of us here. I took a bunch of pics from the front of the stage, but even from there it was impossible to tell what all was on there.

Video – Jeff Beck’s People Get Ready in Seattle, October 2011

Paul Schille — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:00:25 +0000

Jeff Beck - Seattle 10/28/11

As I mentioned in my last post, Jeff Beck was in Seattle last week and I was fortunate enough to have tickets in the 7th row (Special thanks to Don and Jeff for that bit of luck!). Jeff Beck has been my favorite guitarist for as long as I can remember and I’ve seen him a few time throughout the years. The first time was in 1976 on the Wired tour, and it was easily the best show I’d ever seen. I was in high school then and I still remember parts of that show as if it were yesterday. To this day it ranks up there as one of my favorite shows ever.

Last week’s show was equally amazing, though quite different. It seems that Beck is now the acknowledged master who is completely comfortable with where he’s at and what he’s accomplished. His band was phenomenal, and he went out of his way to acknowledge and spotlight them throughout the show. As tight as any band I’ve ever seen, this is probably his best band since the original Jeff Beck Group lineup, and that’s really saying something!

I won’t bore you with all the details as there are some great reviews out there of his recent shows. But I did want to share a short clip I got at the show. People Get Ready has long been my favorite song, and holds very special meaning to me. I was able to get the first half of the song before security tapped me on the shoulder and told me there was no video allowed! So while I apologize for the abrupt end of the clip, here’s a great version of People Get Ready!

Once Again: Jeff Beck’s Guitar Collection

Paul Schille — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:05:48 +0000

In honor of the fact that Jeff Beck just made it through the Northwest for a handful of shows, and I was fortunate enough to see the Seattle show, here once again is my favorite Jeff Beck interview. In this clip he runs through a portion of his guitar collection, and as cool as the guitars are, it’s his playing that’s mesmerizing. When he picks up his ES-175 or 1954 Tele, he begins to channel Scotty Moore or James Burton. And when he shows you the old Gretsch he immediately sounds like Cliff Gallup. Easily my favorite guitarist ever, Beck continues to amaze and inspire, and I hope you enjoy this clip!

From Premier Guitar – Gear Nannies: The Life of a Guitar Tech

Paul Schille — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:05:29 +0000

Blake Shelton Tech Area

From the big boys who couldn’t live without them, to the rest of us who can only imagine how cool it would be to have one, I doubt if there’s a guitar player alive who at some point hasn’t thought about either having or being a guitar tech. And now Premier Guitar is giving us a glimpse of life behind the scenes with Gear Nannies: The Life of a Guitar Tech.

Dierks Bentley Tech Area

Ray and I have been fortunate enough to do a lot of opening gigs over the past couple of years, and the first guy I look for when I get to a show is the guitar tech for the headliner. As a group, these guys have proven to be the nicest, most helpful people you could ever have the good fortune to meet. From Jon who techs for Eddie Perez in Dwight Yoakam’s band, to Frank who techs for all the guitarist in Kenny Rogers band, to Rob from Gloriana, to the guys with Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they have all gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable working with their acts, and have shared some great insights into how they do their job on a daily basis.

Kenny Rogers' Guitars

I’ve been loaned those silver, reflective blankets to cover my guitars on a roasting hot stage (a must-have if you’re doing outdoor shows I quickly learned!), sat at the side of the stage with the tech for some truly awesome performances, built up quite a guitar pick collection, and even gotten to play some beautiful guitars. As a guitar player, don’t ever pass up the opportunity to talk with these guys. They are total gear nerds like the rest of us, and love to talk about their craft. A special thanks to Premier Guitar for this article, enjoy!

Get to Know Adrian Legg Live

Paul Schille — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:02:02 +0000

If you’re not familiar with Adrian Legg, this video should convince you that he is someone you need to listen to! In this video Adrian performs “Cajun Interlude” From the Vestapol DVD “Fingerstyle Guitar: New Dimensions & Explorations, Vol. One.” I was fortunate enough to see Legg some 20 years ago from the front row of a tiny club in Seattle, and it was one of the most jaw-dropping experiences I’ve ever had. Besides making this all look easy, he tells some of the funniest stories you’ve ever heard between songs. My favorite album of his is “Guitars & Other Cathedrals,” but you really can’t go wrong with any of them. I hope you enjoy Cajun Interlude!

No related posts.

Get “Best Of Gig Magazine” Here

Paul Schille — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:00:13 +0000

Our friends over at Gig Magazine cover a lot of the same topics that we do, and they’ve just released their “Best of Gig Magazine.” Everything from getting a great live mix to the perfect mic placement, and troubleshooting to fighting off stage fright, these guys cover many of the things that we all deal with on a daily basis when playing live. This is an indispensable resource for the gigging musician and we’re happy to bring it to you here!

Best of Gig Magazine

Why We Play Guitar!

Paul Schille — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:00:21 +0000

Hmmm...I already have the guitar and the station wagon. All I need now is that "suh-weet" sweater and I should be in business!