Articles in the Featured Category
Featured, News »
The image opposite is the Blackbird Guitars ‘Ferrari-branded’ version of their Rider Travel Guitar.
Now, if you’re like me, you’ll may be scoffing cynically on reading that. “Pffhh!” you’ll say, “a Ferarri guitar? And it’s made from carbon-fibre. Pffhh, pffhh and, thrice, pffhh.”
However, there are a couple of things to consider. The Ferarri thing isn’t just a cynical cash-in, tenuous thread of an excuse to sell more guitars. Blackbird’s founder and designer, Joe Luttwak actually worked for Ferarri in Maranello. He tells us, “many ideas for Blackbird Guitar’s models were inspired …
Amps, Featured »
A little while back, we heard the PRS Sweet 16 amplifier. Time now to go up to its big brother, the PRS 30.
PRS say that the 30 gives you an ‘English sound with an American twist’. Obviously enough, it’s a 30-watt valve amp. It’s got four EL84 valves to provide the crunch and has a rather clever master volume that is progressively dialled out of circuit as the amp’s volume reaches its maximum setting. The 30 is available in both head and combo versions – all made in the US …
Featured, Music »
Featured video time. This week(ish) is Jimi Hendrix who is, lets face it, the guitarist who needs very little introduction.
Something just a little different though. This is an acoustic rendition of Hear My Train A Comin’ on a 12-string guitar. I think this video is from the film, See My Music Talking.
A similar, acoustic 12-string version can be heard on the Blues album, which is a compilation released in 1994. It contains versions of Hendrix playing, as you might expect, blues songs – originals and covers. Despite the cynical nature …
Amps, Featured »
We talked about the Marshall Class 5 amp on it’s release a while back and it’s safe to say we were looking forward to hearing how it sounded.
The Class 5 is a low-powered 5-watt amp in the style of the Bluesbreaker combos (albeit smaller). ECC83s in the preamp and an EL84 handling power promised Marshall valve crunch.
Now you can hear how it sounds.
Joe Bonamassa demos the Class 5, both in a band context and by showing how it sounds at different settings.
So, what do you think? Does it do it …
Featured, News »
As noted in the last post, Gibson have had a brush with the law resulting in Federal agents seizing wood and instruments from Gibson Guitars’ Nashville plant.
It seems that they have also seized computers and records.
Musical Merchandise Review have some additional information on this and apparently, Gibson is under investigation for violating the Lacey Act for the importation of particular, endangered species of rosewood from Madagascar. After a coup in January, the new president of Madagascar legalised the export of rosewood and ebony from his country. The president’s opinion on …
Featured, News »
Rather an odd piece of news this. Seems that federal agents raided Gibson’s guitar manufacturing plant in Nashville and seized guitars, wood and other items as evidence in a possible case of illegal use of restricted woods.
The use of some woods that are used in guitar-making is restricted and tightly controlled. For instance, it is almost impossible to properly source Brazilian rosewood (generally considered to be the most desirable) in any quantity. Restrictions exist on other tropical hardwoods and instrument-manufature tonewoods too. It looks like the Feds …
Featured, News »
Fender has posted an interview with guitarist, John 5.
There can’t be many that are unfamiliar with John 5, if only from his work with Marilyn Manson. He has, of course, worked with a shed-load of other artists and is lucky enough to have both a Fender and a Squier signature model (and both quite nice they are too).
You may not know, however, that he has a Fender Telecaster from every year they’ve been available except for ’57, ’58 and ’60. Lucky bastard.
His favourite is a 1950 Broadcaster.
It’s a good interview …
Featured, Software »
I mean really free. Not a ‘might win if you enter this competition’ free. Not ‘buy all this other stuff and then get this’ free. Really free.
All you need to do for this free lunch is to signup for TC Electronic mailing list (which, if you’re picky about such things, you can unsubscribe from anytime you want).
The M30 Reverb is a plug-in, available in VST and AU formats, that normally retails for $79. It takes the Hall reverb algorithm from TC’s M40 and makes it available on its own. It’s …
Featured, News »
I talked about the Epiphone Swingster when it was released a while back. I liked it then and we like it now.
I’d quite like to have one. So would you, I’m sure.
Well, maybe you can. If you head off to Epiphone, you can enter a competition and be in with a chance to get your sticky, sweaty, rock-a-billy hands on this swing-thing.
Go on. You’d be mad not to.
Featured, Guitar 101 »
Gibson tell us of a recent upsurge in fake and counterfeit Gibson guitars for sale – many of which are sold from Chinese wholesale sites like TradeTang.com, DHGate.com and MadeInChina.com (although this is, by no means, an exclusive list).
You can see such ‘bargains’ as a Les Paul Supreme for $297 or an Dot Reissue 335 for $346.
If only…
Remember, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. However, some information to (maybe) help in spotting a fake Gibson follows:
There seem to be a few things that the fakers …
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