Stageworthy Strategies, Pt. 2

Understanding acoustic preamps, D.I.s and digital enhancers.

D'ANGELICO

Excel 59

ROCKET SCIENCE

GIBSON’S FUTURISTIC FLYING V WAS ON A DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY UNTIL A FEW INVENTIVE GUITARISTS PROPELLED IT TO ASTRONOMICAL SUCCESS — AND VALUE. WE EXAMINE A HIGHLY DESIRABLE 1969 EXAMPLE.

Fables Of The Deconstruction

Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline tell how cheapo guitars, rubber bridges and sonic obliteration helped them find happiness on ode to joy.

Dancing With Destiny

Robbie Robertson tells the history behind the bronze Fender Stratocaster that became the guitar star of the last waltz.

The Conjurer

COAXING NEW SOUNDS FROM OLD EFFECTS, ROBBIE ROBERTSON RAISES THE GHOSTS OF HIS YOUTH ON SINEMATIC.

Koto-Graphic

How to mimic the exotic, melancholy sound of the Japanese koto

Larger Than Life

ADRIAN BELEW PUSHES THE LIMITS OF SONG AND SOUND ON POP SIDED, HIS NEW ALBUM OF ANYTHING-BUT-CONVENTIONAL POP MUSIC.

End Of The Line

STREAMING MADE ALBUMS IRRELEVANT. SO SHERYL CROW DECIDED TO MAKE THIS ONE HER LAST.

Mission Engineering Gemini 2 Studio

LIKE THE STANDARD GEMINI 2, THE Studio (a.k.a. GM-2-ST) is a stereo amplified guitar speaker cabinet designed especially for use with digital modelers and other software based guitar systems.

Three Pedals from Black Cat, Mu-FX, and Supro

Don't Just Write For Other Guitarists

THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME GREAT exceptions, but, by and large, if you compose super-complex instrumental music, you’re limiting your audience.

It Fell Out Of The Sky

Noel Gallagher On Spontaneous Inspiration In The Studio

Fodera Emperor Classic And Imperial Deluxe

FOR MOST OF ITS 34-YEAR RUN, FODERA has been known for its handmade basses—the choice of monster players such as Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Lincoln Goines, Mike Pope, and others—while 6-string guitars popped up only on an occasional custom-order basis. Now this Brooklyn-based maker is storming the boutique guitar market in grand style, with two new standard models available in several variations and trim levels.

Robert M. Knight's 5 Tips For Taking Great Concert Photos

ROBERT M. KNIGHT—YOU’VE probably seen his images in the pages of Guitar Player—is celebrating five decades of capturing legends on film with the release of Rock Gods: Fifty Years of Rock Photography [Insight Editions]. Here, Knight shares his experience for capturing stunning concert photos.

Caroline Jones On Why Production Elements Are Crucial To Songcraft

MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST CAROLINE Jones—who plays everything on her records except bass and drums—recently released Bare Feet [Faction], a six-song EP that showcases her talents on acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, lap-steel, keyboards, and harmonica. She’s also a “big production” nerd, and she offers some excellent ideas for balancing multiple elements and textures without obscuring the main impact of a song.

Reamp To Improve Your Wireless Tone

WIRELESS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN IN use since the 1980s, and they have become better and costs have come down. However, the continuing problem with wireless systems is dependable transmission, as you need a high quality, digitally agile diversity system that has really good dynamics and low noise.

Crafting Jimmy Page's “Heartbreaker” Solo Tone In The Box

AS I KID, I SAT FOR HOURS IN FRONT OF my turntable constantly dragging the needle to the middle solo section of “Heartbreaker” (on Led Zeppelin II), trying to learn what Jimmy Page’s nibble fingers were athletically accomplishing, as well as how to recreate the devastating attitude of his guitar tone.

Mixing Guitar In A Headphones World

HOW YOU MIX YOUR MUSIC determines how listeners will hear your music. For decades, mixing was done through speakers, because that was the dominant way people heard music. A standard recommendation was not to mix through headphones—except as a reality check—because they distorted the sense of space and stereo separation.

Counterfeit Gibson Les Paul Custom

I WAS DOING RESEARCH for one of my Whack Job columns when I came across a link that lead to a link that lead to some thumbnails—but no shots of the headstock—of a brand new, green Les Paul with a price of $225, shipped directly from China. Hmm. We’ve all heard about counterfeit guitars, so for a $225 gamble, I decided to see if this was one of those knock-offs.

Suzi Quatro

WHEN I WAS A KID IN THE  ’70s, you could name the serious women players on one hand. I was introduced to Suzi Quatro from her appearances as Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days, but prior to that, she was a multi-million selling artist with a reputation as a badass rock chick. Actually, she may have been the first “rock chick.” She dressed in black leather, played the hell out of the bass, and held her own with a group of rough Detroit dudes.

funk-jazz in the fast lane

aleks sever lays it down on extravagant.

The X Factor

Phil X on Going From Sub Guitarist to a Full Member of Bon Jovi

MGL Lead Master 50

MGL Lead Master 50

Mesa/Boogie

Rosette 300/Two Eight

An Un-Electric Evening

Joe Bonamassa Unplugs to Record Live at Carnegie Hall

Peavey 6505 Piranha

Peavey 6505 Piranha

Planet Of The Axe

Yeah. The Headline Is A Whimsical Nod To The Film Planet Of The Apes. But The Fact That Young Players May Not Be Continuing Their Obsession With The Guitar Is No Joke.

Brian May's Three-Dimensional Mind

BRIAN MAY HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN interested in doing anything halfway.

Line 6 Helix LT

LINE 6’S HELIX AMP AND EFFECTS modeler instantly became one of the go-to devices for a subset of players who eschew amps onstage in favor of emulations.