04_Apr22_PG_EditionDigital_LINKED

HOW TO USE REVERB PLUG-INS • BEN CHASNY
TONSTARTSSBANDHT • JOSHUA CRUMBLY

APRIL 2022
APRIL 2022
HOW PRODUCER DAVE COBB

HELPED THE SELF-PROFESSED
“SEMI-INSECURE” LEGEND
& MYLES KENNEDY
RELAX ON 4
PLUS!
RIG
premierguitar.com
RUNDOWNS
INTERVALS
& EL TEN ELEVEN
12 GUITAR &
BASS REVIEWS
Maestro • PRS • MXR
Taylor • Eventide
Frost Giant • & More!
Tone. It’s an enigmatic word. It can
mean different things to different people,
in particular those who make their living
making music. But we’ve built our business
— and every single amplifier we’ve ever
handcrafted in our Northern California
factory — to be the physical embodiment
of that magical and elusive word.
Tone isn’t just something you can hear.

It’s something you can feel. And it’s
something we proudly believe a Two-Rock
amp can deliver.
two-rock.com
T H E F U Z Z-TO N E
FZ-M
A tribute to the classic tone that started it all. Two-in-one analog functionality for increased sonic versatility
with both an FZ-1 inspired fuzz sound and a thicker, more modern fuzz tone.
MAESTROELECTRONICS.COM
SHAPE YOUR SOUND

THE RANGER
OVERDRIVE
A two-in-one analog pedal with warm, expressive, amp-like overdrive and a second tonality that’s slightly cleaner and exceptionally
touch-sensitive. A great choice as an “always-on” effect that can be controlled with your pick attack and your guitar’s volume control.
SHAPE YOUR SOUND

THE INVADER
DISTORTION
Hard-hitting, harmonically rich and balanced distortion, perfectly tailored versatility.
Two-in-one analog functionality offers a built-in noise gate for even more sonic latitude.
SHAPE YOUR SOUND

THE COMET
CHORUS
Spacey, swirly, and warm classic analog chorus effect shapes your sound in multiples.
With two-in-one analog functionality, go from a shimmering chorus effect to the sonic complexities of a rotary speaker.
SHAPE YOUR SOUND

THE DISCOVERER
D E L AY
Warm, classic, analog bucket brigade delay inspires creativity for every player. With two-in-one analog
functionality, go from a classic, warm, and inviting delay sound to a slightly saturated, tape-like wow and flutter
effect or a heavily pitch-shifted modulation effect on the delayed signal, with the flip of a switch.
SHAPE YOUR SOUND

The best place to buy guitars.
(800) 222-4700
Sweetwater.com/GuitarGallery/
FAST, FREE SHIPPING

Even on the small stuff
Fender Godin Taylor

American Professional II 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II 814ce
FREE 2-YEAR WARRANTY* Telecaster P90 Hollowbody Acoustic-electric Guitar
Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty Electric Guitar
TeleAP2MBB 814ceV
*Restrictions may apply. Please visit
Sweetwater.com/warranty for complete details. 5thAvCWK2CB
A Huge Selection of Instruments! 55-point Inspection Choose Your Instrument by Serial Number
From Fender We check your We offer thousands
and Fodera to instrument from of high-quality
Ernie Ball Music Man top to bottom images of guitars
and Lakland, we carry before it’s shipped for you to choose
instruments from to you. from.
over 40 brands.
Publisher Jon Levy
EDITORIAL
Chief Content Officer Shawn Hammond
Managing Editor Tessa Jeffers
Senior Editor Ted Drozdowski
skylark superbee mercury v
Gear Editor Charles Saufley
Art Director Meghan Molumby
Multimedia Manager Chris Kies
Associate Editor Jason Shadrick
Associate Editor Nick Millevoi
Nashville Correspondent John Bohlinger
Chief Videographer Perry Bean
Digital Designer Ben Kuriscak
carramps.com
raleigh impala PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS
Director of Operations Shannon Burmeister
Accounting Manager Lois Stodola
Circulation & Production Coordinator Kerri Thompson
Digital Strategist Luke Viertel
Digital Experience Manager Connor Wade
SALES/MARKETING
Advertising Director Brett Petrusek
Marketing Manager Matt Roberts
rambler telstar sportsman
GEARHEAD COMMUNICATIONS, LLC

President Patricia Erenberger
Managing Director Gary Ciocci
WEBSITES
premierguitar.com
Digital Magazine: digital.premierguitar.com
The information and advertising set forth herein has been obtained from sources believed
to be Gearhead Communications, L.L.C., however, does not warrant complete accuracy
of such information and assumes no responsibility for any consequences arising from
the use thereof or reliance thereon. Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any
advertisement or space reservation at any time without notice. Publisher shall not be
liable for any costs or damages if for any reason it fails to publish an advertisement. This
publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded,
or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Premier Guitar [ISSN 1945-077X (print) ISSN 1945-0788 (online)] is published monthly.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $24.95 (12 issues), $39.95 (24 issues) Call for Canada, Mexico
and foreign subscription rates 877-704-4327; Copyright ©2022. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Premier Guitar is a publication of Gearhead Communications, L.L.C. CUSTOMER SERVICE:
lois@premierguitar.com.
PREMIER GUITAR (USPS 025-017)

Volume 27, Issue 4
Published monthly by:
Gearhead Communications, LLC
Three Research Center
Marion, IA 52302
Phone number: 877-704-4327 • Fax: 319-447-5599
Periodical Postage Rate paid at Marion, IA 52302

and at Additional Mailing Offices
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to:
Gearhead Communications, LLC,
Three Research Center, Marion, IA 52302
premierguitar.com
info@premierguitar.com
8 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

BUILT
FROM
THE
SOUND
UP
TUNING UP
Premier Guitar Vs. the Machines

BY SHAWN HAMMOND
A
pparently, everyone who likes
animated family-friendly flicks
thought last year’s The Mitchells
Vs. the Machines was the shit.
Critics such as The New York Times’ Ty
Burr raved, “The movie is zippy, inventive,
and appreciably silly—it tosses believ-
ability aside and asks us to just hop in
and hold on … [it has a] breakneck gift for
comic timing and a willingness to throw Chief Content Officer
anything at the screen if it’ll get a laugh.” shawn@premierguitar.com
Sure, Mitchells had some cool animation,
but I personally loathed it.
Almost as much as I’ve loathed this
past week. We’ve been on deadline for our
April issue, so it would’ve already been
stressful under normal circumstances,
Bear with us—
but the way the last few days have been we’re close to
going, it seems our own machines have a solution with
also “tossed believability aside” and seem-
Instagram’s
ingly thrown anything and everything
at the collective Premier Guitar screen. support team
It’s definitely gotten some laughs at our … we’ll be back
expense, too. in the saddle
I won’t bore you too much with the gory
details—including cloud servers being a with the usual
huge pain in the ass, videoconferencing smorgasbord of
software glitching and losing recorded footage in back-to-back interviews, or, “best” of all, having kick-ass guitar
our Instagram hacked by some asshole from halfway around the world.
If IG is your means of following what PG does, you’ve no doubt noticed we haven’t posted any content before
cool guitar stuff for the last few days, and that our account’s bio pic was cheekily changed to an you know it."
image of the character Tokyo from the Spanish TV series Money Heist. The hacker didn’t change
existing posts or add anything new. But they did try to bait us into buying back our content via
WhatsApp. Fuck that guy.
So bear with us—we’re close to a solution with Instagram’s support team. Meanwhile, the wan-
nabe TMZ-ers of guitardom will continue to “make hay while the sun shines,” but soon this asshole
will be kicked off our page (and hopefully have his IP address blocked), and we’ll be back in the
saddle with the usual smorgasbord of kick-ass guitar content before you know it.

0 1 2 -2 8 0 0 -2 8
MODERN DELUXE MODERN DELUXE
0 0 0 -1 8
MODERN DELUXE
D-45
MODERN DELUXE
NEW CLASSICS
HAVE ARRIVED.
scan me
Introducing All-New Modern Deluxe Models.

Martin has added seven new models to their popular Modern Deluxe Series, giving you
more body sizes and styles to choose from. If you’re looking for a guitar with state-of-
the-art features, modern playability, and that coveted vintage Martin tone, the Modern
Deluxe Series is for you. Find yours today at bit.ly/martinmoderndeluxe.
FEEDBACK LOOP
Stompbox-Builder’s Secret Weapon”] was
ET • JOE BONAMASSA
MY MORNING JACK FENDER • LIAM KAZAR
EMILY WOLFE • SAM
a treasure and very inspiring. Granted, I’ve
already built a few tester and designer boxes
JANUARY 2022
I don’t know how I

and stations. But thinking back, I would’ve missed it, but I didn’t
JANUARY 2022
killed for this article when I first started. know that Robbie
I know people who are just dipping their Shakespeare passed
toes in will greatly appreciate this. Cheers to away until I read it in
everyone at Premier Guitar—here’s to all your @premierguitar last
hard work and caring. May your solos be night. So sad to hear.
loud and your jams long. Sly & Robbie’s Rhythm
Sincerely, Killers is definitely a
—Adam F. Hauk desert island album
for me. And you have
The Big Picture to listen to it straight
I wanted to praise John Bohlinger on his
premierguitar.com
through. No breaks
“Why I’m a Big-Picture Guy” column. It is so
GEAR
REVIEWS
BOGNER • BOSS
—@pourmysongsout
true and the best thing I’ve read in forever and
TC ELECTRONIC
FENDER • EQD
& MORE
a day. It made me a little ashamed of myself

because I’m guilty of getting bogged down in
May Your Solos Be Loud the little things and forget the music is what
I’m writing you this message to express my matters most in the end. But the little stuff
palpable joy when I receive and read your can be fun, too. That is why I’m a current My Ibanez JS1600
magazine every month. I keep my Premier subscriber. Love it! Keep up the good work. hardtail “Chrome
Guitar issues organized on a bookshelf by Tell John he is awesome. Thanks! Toy.” Chrome finish
month and often find myself going back to —Don DeMille, Pine Lake, Georgia and Seymour Duncan
re-read an article or search for that perfect chrome bobbin Joe and
review of a new piece of gear I’m lusting after. History Repeats Mo' Joe pups.
Your writing is a rung above the rest and I I just read the editorial about Americana —Bill Tant
firmly believe you guys (more than any others) music [“When Did Everyone Become
have your fingers on the pulse of the musical, Americana Fanatics?”] and thought I’d share
guitar, DIY, and gear-enthusiast communities. my perspective on the subject. There has
I’ve been playing guitar since I was � (as been a progression throughout the history
long as I remember) and have had the good of recorded music of recording authentic
fortune of getting to study with many incredible folk, blues, Appalachian, field, and early jazz
players and many of my heroes. I cut my music, in order to create an historic record of
teeth as a touring musician since I was �� and where American music came from. Late-’��s
became a session player after graduating GIT and early-’��s folk music then appeared and, I
at ��. When I moved back to the East Coast, I believe generated the first Americana music.
started fronting several of my own bands and Even then, slick commercial versions of
writing, but still was looking for something. those songs were recorded and became hits.
Finally, around eight years ago I realized I In the late ’��s, a movement toward more
could afford a lot of the gear I wanted if I paid authentic American music began with Taj
for components and built them myself. That Mahal, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, and many
started the endless rabbit hole of building others keeping the art form alive. And now
Keep those
amplifiers and guitar pedals. I’ve watched the pop music is as trite and uninteresting (for
DIY community and boutique pedal builders the most part) as it was in the late ’��s and the
comments coming!
Please send your
explode over the last five years, and you guys people making pop music are again making
suggestions, gripes,
haven’t missed a beat. slick, uninteresting “American” music. Some comments, and good
Your recent January issue with the things never change I suppose. words directly to
DIY cover story from Aisha Loe [“The —Mark Lee info@premierguitar.com

NG 5.9
9
DI
I EL IT Y. M $1
SH AL FRO
UM L QU
IM A
AX N
M SI G
&
E?
ST B L
O C A 1.75
M H 1
DS C
RL PAT FRO
M$
O T
E W PAC
TH M
CO
G
IN
US .
O IP 9
RH T 8.7
L LE TED OM $
A A FR
SM D PL
% L
30 GO
&
DISTRIBUTED IN THE USA BY:

ADAM HALL NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Phone 973-335-7888
www.adamhall.com/us-en
W W W.EBSSWEDEN.COM
PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 13

CONTENTS FEATURES
April 2022
36
Slash & Miles
Kennedy
They're back with a
new album, 4, which
is the debut release
for Gibson Records.
44
Ben Chasny
The Six Organs of
Admittance guitarist
creates his first album
under his own name.
50
Joshua Crumbly
On his latest album,
ForEver, the bassist
transcends stylistic
boundaries.
56
Tonstartssbandht
Two psychedelic
brothers create a
swirling universe of
expressionistic sound.
62
Reverb Plug-ins
A guide on how to
access the entire
world of reverb, at
your fingertips.
Photo by Tim Bugbee

On the Cover: HOW TO USE REVERB PLUG-INS • BEN CHASNY
TONSTARTSSBANDHT • JOSHUA CRUMBLY
APRIL 2022
Photo by Ross Halfin
APRIL 2022
CONTENTS Cont'd
HOW PRODUCER DAVE COBB
HELPED THE SELF-PROFESSED
“SEMI-INSECURE” LEGEND
& MYLES KENNEDY
RELAX ON 4
PLUS!
RIG
RUNDOWNS
INTERVALS
& EL TEN ELEVEN
premierguitar.com
12 GUITAR &
BASS REVIEWS
Maestro • PRS • MXR
Taylor • Eventide
10 REVIEWS
Frost Giant • & More!
Tuning Up
22 Reader Guitar of the Month 80 MXR Tom Morello Power 50
28 Obituary: Alexander Dumble 80 Acorn TMA-1
Below: Photo by Lynn Wheelwright

98 Question & Obsession 82 Maestro FZ-M, Comet Chorus, Invader Distortion,
Discoverer Delay, and Ranger Overdrive
102 Esoterica Electrica
104 Last Call
88 PRS SE Silver Sky
90 Magnatone Starlite
GEAR 92 Taylor AD27e Flametop
20 Gear Radar 94 Frost Giant Architect of Reality
24 Rig Rundowns 96 Eventide TriceraChorus
30 Vintage Vault
32 Wizard of Odd
34 Love and Sockets
78 Tools for the Task
p. 30
HOW-TO
68 Acoustic Soundboard
70 The Root of It All
72 Mod Garage
74 State of the Stomp
76 Recording Dojo

© 2022 PRS Guitars
TONE FOR ALL

NEW!
NOVO GUITARS
FACTORY TOUR
PG recently toured the Novo Guitars
Factory in Nashville, which was
founded by luthier Dennis Fano
in ��. Novo’s Matthew Timmons
took John Bohlinger through their
design processes, assembly, sparkle
finishes, distressing, and wood
treatments. At Novo, pine is king!
“We’re like �� percent pine
right now,” Timmons says. Pine
is lightweight: most Novo guitars
are under � pounds. Pine also has
an interesting grain that's visible
through Novo's vibrant finishes.
“Our finishes are all nitro, so they’re
really light,” Timmons says.
Head online to watch behind-the-
scenes footage, like Zane Lake, “the
distressor,” banging on guitar bodies
with rocks!
LESSONS
Access all of our lessons at
premierguitar.com/lessons
5 Underrated Guitarists
Your Pedalboards! Who Will Blow Your Mind
Our March �� issue was all about pedalboards, of the pros and of readers By Carter Arrington
(some of whom clearly are pros). We received so many reader submissions
that we compiled two galleries of these masterpieces to share with the world. John Scofield’s Lyrical Lines
In case you missed “Reader Pedalboards ��, Pt. �” we’re here to remind By Arthur Rotfeld
you to check it out. This roundup includes a themed board starring Dr.
Evil and Mr. Bigglesworth, a completely blacked-out pedalboard created One Note at a Time:
by a pro guitar tech, a repurposed Target dish-drying rack, a family tree A Chet Atkins Primer
of �� (!!!) pedalboards, and much more. Check out your fellow guitarists’ By Sean Weaver
setups and be inspired! And then check out part two!
7 Positions to Shred Success
By Sam Bell

GEAR RADAR
New products on the horizon.
KEMPER
Kabinet
Coming in at only 23 pounds,
this passive guitar cabinet
houses an updated 12"
Neodyme Kemper Kone speaker
that aims to offer a completely
flat response. Designed to work
with powered Kemper profilers, it
uses DSP to craft the physics of
several different speakers.
$540 street
kemper-amps.com
NATIVEAUDIO
Rising Sun V2
Optical Tremolo
With simple volume,
waveform, and depth
controls, this optical
tremolo aims for
vintage-style analog
sounds. A user-friendly
tap mode includes
multiple tremolo-speed
subdivisions, and ramp
mode allows for smooth
switching between two
tremolo speeds.
CHARVEL $239 street
Signature MJ San Dimas nativeaudio.com
SD24 CM RIVERSONG
The latest iteration of Guthrie Glennwood TS6
Govan’s signature guitar is GIBSON Limited Edition
based on the company’s Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul This acoustic-electric
flagship San Dimas model, Deluxe combines a torrefied
but with a few upgrades. Based on the Social Distortion Sitka spruce top with
Handcrafted in Japan, this frontman’s favorite guitar, his Custom wild cherry back and
shred machine offers a Shop artist-model goldtop features sides, and features
compound radius fretboard, a 3-piece maple neck, 2-piece the company’s unique
stainless steel frets, and an plain maple top, mahogany/maple/ neck-thru adjustable neck
inventive switching system mahogany back, and a pair of P-90s. and skeletized bracing
that covers humbucker and Comes fully loaded with stickers to system. It comes loaded
single-coil tones. match Ness’ OG. with a Fishman Flex.
$2,799 street $8,999 street $1,999 street
charvel.com Gibson.com riversongguitars.com

D’ANGELICO
Deluxe Bedford SH LE
This limited-edition semi-hollow comes in three new colors. Sage and sapphire models
are loaded with Seymour Duncan P-90 Stacks, while the rust model includes Duncan
T-style pickups in the neck and middle positions, plus a bridge-position mini-humbucker.
$1,599 street
dangelicoguitars.com
FENDER
60th Anniversary Jaguar
Over the last 60 years, the MARTIN
Jaguar has become one of the LINE 6 D-45 Modern Deluxe
favorite guitars of the offset Catalyst 100 Classic lines and contemporary features
crowd. This anniversary model The company’s new line of combo amps draws upon come together for this updated D-45 dread.
retains the short scale, alder sounds pulled from their HX library. It features six original It sports a Sitka spruce Vintage Tone System
body, and nitro finish, and adds amp designs, switchable boosts, and presets—without top, slightly asymmetrical neck shape,
an updated lead/rhythm circuit, any screens or menus. They can also serve as a powered and Liquid Metal bridge pins. Plus, you can
trem system, and string mute. speaker for modelers, and as a USB audio interface. choose to have the company install either
$2,499 street $559 street Fishman or LR Baggs electronics.
fender.com line6.com $10,499 street
martinguitar.com
DUNLOP
Leo Nocentelli Cry Baby Mardi Gras Wah
Maybe the snazziest Cry Baby yet, this tribute to the Meters’ lead
guitarist—and his hometown—comes in a purple, gold, and green
finish with a fleur-de-lis tread and features a lowered frequency range.
$199 street
jimdunlop.com

READER GUITAR OF THE MONTH
Name: Kent Meloy
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Guitar: Live-edge Cherry Swamp Monster, nicknamed “Keith Richards”
F
or the past five or six
years, I’ve been slowly
building my guitar-
building chops start-
ing with a couple kits and then
moving into my own scratch- There was barely
built designs under the name enough wood to
Tunguska Guitars. Lately I’ve
been intrigued by some of the get a body and
builds I’ve seen featured on The neck out of it,
Great Guitar Build Off run by
Britain’s Crimson Guitars, and but I managed
I’ve tried to start thinking outside to get both."
of the norm.
My brother-in-law has a
bunch of �" slabs of cherry wood
that have been drying in a shed
behind his house for a couple
years. When we were down for
a visit, he took me up to collect
a few. This particular live-edge
piece wormed its way into my heart, and I grabbed it, knowing it was probably useless for a guitar.
But once I got home, I kept thinking about how to solve the problems. The entire bridge/tailpiece
area was completely unsuitable, and one thing I knew I did not want to do is fill it with resin. This
thing needed to stay as raw, beat-up, and un-shiny as possible. There was barely enough wood to get
a body and neck out of it, but I managed to get both.
I decided the only way to solve the bridge issue was to fabricate something myself (if you can call it
that), so I picked up a �/�" steel rod and used a blowtorch to heat it up and make the necessary bends in
the bridge, far enough apart that it literally “bridged” the canyon of disintegrating wood. I put threads
on the mounting ends so I could install nuts on the top and bottom as a basic height adjustment. The
�-piece tailpiece was less drastic, but also did the trick by boring deep into the good wood for support.
I decided the pickup mount would emulate an acoustic, boring all the way through the body and
countersinking a steel ring for decoration with pickup mounting holes on the backside instead of the
top, and I wanted a single volume control to hover in the upper horn’s decorative hole. This took a
while and involved a short, threaded rod, three nuts, and a little bit of J-B Weld to get one of the nuts
on the mini-pot.
Once I got far enough into the process, I was calling it “The Nameless One,” but my friends started
calling it “Keith Richards”-–a grizzled, beat-up, true rock ’n’ roll survivor. I came to be completely okay
with that assessment: It just feels perfect!
The pickup is a hand-distressed StewMac Golden Age Parsons Street humbucker. The fretboard
is ziricote and the relic’d tuning machines and control knob came from GFS.
The thing sounds amazing—it’s very open and organic. Cranking up the distortion just a bit gives
it a lovely swamp-’��s vibe. It completely surpassed my expectations, and I’m sure it’s Keith’s fault.
Send your guitar story to submissions@premierguitar.com

JOAN
JETT
OLYMPIC SPECIAL
AGED CLASSIC WHITE
A ROCK ICON’S
ICONIC GUITAR
RIG RUNDOWNS
EL TEN ELEVEN
Kristian Dunn
GUITAR & BASS

Top: Late one night while watching VH1
Classic, Kristian Dunn saw a Genesis
video where Mike Rutherford used a
guitar/bass doubleneck. Up to that point,
he was crudely looping by putting on
and taking off various instruments. (He
still uses several instruments during one
song.) This doubleneck would alleviate
all that rigmarole. So, Dunn pivoted to
eBay and immediately found this 1977
Carvin DB630 Doubleneck that has a
6-string top and 4-string bottom (30"
scale length). It features a bird’s-eye
maple body, a bolt-on, hard-rock maple
neck, APH-6S pickups (guitar), and APH-
8 pickups (bass).
Bottom left: "When I was a teenager, one

of my bass heroes was John Taylor of Du-
ran Duran, so I’ve always wanted an Aria
like his,” states Dunn. This is an Aria Pro II
SB-1000 with an ash body, a 7-ply maple/
walnut neck (with thru construction), an
ebony fretboard, a 34" scale length, a MB-
1E Double Coil pickup, a 6-way low-pass
filter preset, and Gotoh hardware.
Bottom right: El Ten Eleven has had the

pleasure of opening for Peter Hook and
his various outfits several times. Hook is
known to perform with custom Shergold
Marathon 6 basses. The difference with
this instrument is the extra two strings
are higher-tuned, allowing it to creep into
a guitar’s range. With the help of Hook’s
son, Dunn was able to secure one of
the beasts. In 2019 Eastwood struck a
partnership with the famed New Order
and Joy Division bassist and released
the Hooky Bass 6 Pro. Dunn admits to
trying several other 6-string models from
Fender and Schecter, but says those are
designed more for guitarists, whereas
the Shergold and the Hooky have bass-
ists in mind—with wider string spacing
that allows Dunn to play fingerstyle as
Click here to watch this he would on a normal 4-string.
Rig Rundown now.

AMPS
Dunn only plugs into
this Gallien-Krueger MB
Fusion 800. He gooses
the treble control to help
the guitar and keyboard
sounds push through the
other layers. He swore by
GK’s 4x10 extension cab
for years, but after doing
a shootout with differ-
ent configuration and
speakers, he surprisingly
favored the ported GK 115
RBH cabinet that has a ce-
ramic driver and tweeter.
EFFECTS
Most of the swatches
coloring Dunn’s sound
come from the Line 6 M9
Stompbox Modeler. The
two Boomerang III Phrase
Samplers are what make
an El Ten Eleven show (or
record) happen. In line,
they’re separated by the
DigiTech Bass Whammy.
Dunn routes his signal
this way so he can use the
Whammy to shift octaves
or keys on entire loops in
Phrase Sampler one. The
Strymon TimeLine sees
the spotlight for precise
repeats and specific delay
settings not in the M9. The
Electro-Harmonix Super-
ego is a secret weapon
harnessed by Dunn for
sleek, reverse-sound
bends. The remaining two
pedals are more standard
fare: a Nu-X NFB-2 Lacer-
ate FET Boost and a Mar-
shall GV-2 Guv’nor Plus.

RIG RUNDOWNS
INTERVALS
Aaron Marshall
GUITARS
Top: Aaron Marshall’s
new guitar starts with
Schecter’s “super-strat”
C-1 platform. The DNA
of these testers include
a basswood body,
quartersawn wenge
neck (with carbon-fiber
reinforcement and a truss-
rod wheel), and ebony
fretboard (lighted up with
Luminlays side dots for
dark stages). He admits to
focusing a healthy amount
of its development on the
neck profile because he
believes that “the neck
dictates the user experi-
ence” and wenge was
selected because “it has
an heirloom-esque feel
that gives you a really nice
handshake with some
character.” It has a real-
deal, made-in-Japan Gotoh
510 Series trem (with a
steel block), extra-jumbo
stainless-steel frets, and
is decked out with Hipshot
hardware. For this run, he
was auditioning Schecter’s
Custom Shop Pasadena
Plus pickups, but noted
that those could change
before production starts.
Bottom: Schecter and

Marshall are also testing
a 7-string model. Every-
thing is the same as the
6-string, but this instru-
ment has a 26.5" scale
length to help with
string tension.
Click here to watch this

Rig Rundown now.

AMPS & EFFECTS
Top: “People can get confused
when they see changes in this type
of stuff and think, ‘Oh, this must
be better’,” comments Marshall.
“Everything is sick in 2021. It’s
all good.” Last time we checked
in with Marshall and Intervals, he
was running a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx
III. But as you see here, another
transformation happened when he
swapped the rackmount unit for the
smaller, pedalboard-ready Neural
DSP Quad Cortex. (Again, no bad
blood between Aaron and Fractal.)
Within the Quad Cortex, Marshall
created three specific impulse
responses with different frequen-
cies for rhythm, lead, and split-coil
sounds. The amps he uses within
the unit include a Friedman (“hot
sounds”), JCM800 (“clangy twangy
sounds”), Bogner Shiva (“clean
sounds that need a little spring and
bounce”), and a Roland JC-120 Jazz
Chorus (“stylized ’80s cleans”).
Middle: This is it—everything that

Marshall uses to power up for an
Intervals live show. Alongside
the Neural DSP Quad Cortex, he
employs a Hologram Electronics
Microcosm for stutter/glitch ef-
fects, a Red Panda Tensor for laser
sounds, and the DigiTech FreqOut
for instant feedback. A Boss EV-30
Dual Expression pedal helps handle
the filter on the Microcosm and dial
in dynamics for the Quad Cortex. A
TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini keeps
his Schecters in check. And every-
thing is housed on a custom Temple
Audio DUO Series Templeboard.
Bottom: Another evolution is the

stereo cabinets onstage, which
providing a completely symmetri-
cal sound. Both Aaron Marshall and
guitarist Travis LeVrier each have a
pair of custom vertical Revv 2x12s
(with exquisite paisley tooling)
that have a couple of Celestions: a
Vintage 30 (bottom) and a G12M
65 Creamback (top).

OBITUARY
BY JASON SHADRICK
H
oward “Alexander” Dumble was about as at the time of his talent for creating amps) helped
close to a guitar mystic as you can get. He Dumble open his first workshop.
was an eccentric recluse as well known There was an ad-hoc audition process if a player
for the mythology surrounding his cre- wanted to commission a Dumble amplifier. In
ations as for the amplifiers themselves. The list of order to even get the opportunity to meet with the
players who've relied on his amps carves a through builder, a guitarist would need a recommendation
line of the history of modern electric guitar styles. from someone in Dumble’s trusted circle. Then,
Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, if they were invited, the audition could be simply
Jackson Browne, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, John playing for him during a casual hang, or he might
Mayer, Sonny Landreth, Joe Bonamassa, and doz- ask for a CD. “Alexander really only wanted to
ens of other A-listers found their sound through make amplifiers for the very best players in the
a Dumble amp. On January ��th, Dumble passed world,” says Thomas. It didn’t seem like fame was
away at his home in Turlock, California. a deciding factor either—Dumble would turn
Not many people really knew Dumble on a down requests from big-name players. “He treated
close personal level. Considering his aversion to his amps like they were his children,” says Bruce
interviews and media, he could've probably passed Forman. Back in ��, Forman brought Dumble
through any Guitar Center relatively unnoticed. a �� Fender Vibrolux for his two most popular
But Larry Thomas, former CEO of Fender and mods: RockFonicks and Ultra-Phonix. “He wanted
Guitar Center, was a close friend. “The definition them out there making music.”
Above: Larry Thomas knew how much of a genius is someone who knows more about a Those lucky enough to pass the “audition” and
Alexander Dumble revered Leo Fender. This subject than anyone else. His genius was being spend time with Dumble would often comment on
photo was snapped when Thomas took able to turn what he heard in your playing into his amazing touch on the instrument. During one of
Dumble to visit Leo’s office, which hasn’t an amp that made it better.” And that skill goes his visits to Dumble’s shop, Shepherd found himself
been changed since Leo’s last day at work. far beyond the schematic. on the receiving end of a subtle guitar lesson. “He
Kenny Wayne Shepherd remembers when he would always ask permission to show me stuff,”
Below: Each amp Dumble created was
brought an amp to the workshop for repair: “After remembers Shepherd. These gentle “lessons” would
Top left: Photo courtesy of Larry Thomas Middle and bottom left: Photos courtesy of Bruce Forman
carefully and painstakingly crafted to
accentuate the best parts of the owner’s popping open the circuit he would jump around inevitably lead to impromptu jam sessions—some
style. Many times, the only real proof that with a multimeter and would almost instantly of which Shepherd recorded for his own benefit. “If
an amp had been “Dumble-ized” would be a know how to fix it. There are probably other amp I didn’t record those licks he showed me, I would
handwritten tag written by the man himself. techs that would understand those readings, but have forgotten them �� minutes later.”
Dumble was the only one in the world who knew The one guitarist who’s most synonymous
what those readings should be.” with the sound of a Dumble is Robben Ford. For
In the mid ��s, while still a teenager, Dumble nearly �� years, Ford has been the caretaker of an
got a job designing amps for Mosrite. Semie Overdrive Special that, in his hands, has become the
Moseley was impressed by the talented youngster benchmark for classic Dumble tones. His latest live
and proposed a partnership. “He offered to go in album, Live at Yoshi’s ’96, became an unintentional
with me to build �� amplifiers. He bought the tribute—not only are the tones visceral and huge,
parts and paid me $�� a week—for about four but the cover features a plain image of the most
weeks, and then I had to work for free,” Dumble famous Overdrive Special around. Ford purchased
told Guitar Player in a �� interview. The Ventures the head for $�,�� when Dumble was set up at
were one of Mosrite’s biggest endorsees and caught The Alley in North Hollywood. “Alexander told
wind of the new amps but declined to use them. me that watching me play my early ’��s Fender
Dumble said, “It was a little too much rock for Bassman inspired him to create the Overdrive
them.” These piggyback amps might be the rarest Special,” remembers Ford. With the rise of Ford’s
Dumble creations of all and it’s believed that only career in the ’��s and ’��s, word began to spread
one or two are still in existence. In the late-’��s, about Dumble’s builds—and his eccentricity.
a lengthy tour playing bass for Canadian singer/ “One of the final tests Dumble would do on amps
songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie (who was unaware would be to remove the tubes and drop it out of

a three-story window. If it worked after that he knew it was steadfastly had a code of conduct he lived by until the very end,”
finished,” mentions Ford. says Joe Bonamassa, who currently has a stash of four Overdrive
About �� years after obtaining the first Overdrive Special, Specials and a Fender Vibrolux with the UltraPhonix mod in
Ford put in an order for another one to keep in Europe. his collection. According to Bonamassa, Dumble is “by far the
Originally, this was going to be a ��-watt model because Ford most innovative circuit designer of all time,” and he attributes
was looking for ways to keep the stage volume down, but that the boutique-amp boom to Dumble’s work.
didn’t last long. “Turns out I was addicted to �� watts in a live Probably the closest Dumble ever got to working with a larger
situation,” says Ford. “How do you get headroom and tone? company was when Thomas pitched the idea of Fender licensing
Dumble.” Several years ago, Ford was going through a divorce, one of his designs. The two had a lot in common and shared
moving to Nashville, and was looking to sell the second ODS. a deep love for Leo Fender and his designs. Early discussions
Knowing Dumble’s general dislike of the secondhand mar- revolved around doing a Dumble-approved modded Twin or
ket for his amps, Ford reached out and brought up the idea, Deluxe Reverb. Thomas mentions that pedals were also a pos-
offering to split the proceeds. “He made this amp. I’m just the sibility. “I have a few of the [amp] prototypes,” says Thomas.
salesman,” said Ford. After agreeing to a ��/�� split, Dumble “Simply put, one roadblock was we couldn’t really figure out
connected Ford with a buyer, who would occasionally help how to pay him.” After spending a few years on the project, it
Dumble acquire components for his builds. “Dumble told me ran out of steam. Thomas last saw Dumble in October when
not to send a check and just have his cut be a ‘credit’ with the they met for dinner the night before he moved to Turlock. “He
new owner. He was a mystery, to all of us.” was in a really good space,” says Thomas.
His off-the-grid lifestyle forced Dumble to frequently look “His wish was that once he was gone there would be no
at alternate payment arrangements with clients. One of the more Dumble amplifiers,” says Ford. “Most people want to
early users of his amps was singer/songwriter Christopher leave behind a legacy, but he didn’t want that.” Health issues
Cross, who was brought in by Bonnie Raitt. Cross and Dumble prevented Dumble from doing much work over the last six
decided on two KT��-loaded heads (a first for Dumble at months of his life, but a few projects really excited him. Slash
the time) with matching �x�� cabinets in orange suede for a had recently connected with him for a build, and he was in
clean sound and an Overdrive Special with a �x�� cab for a talks to make an amp for Keith Richards.
lead sound. Naturally, Cross needed a way to switch between During our talk, Larry Thomas held up a framed turret
sounds easily. The solution was based around a pair of Japan- board populated with the components of an old Fender �E�
made Strats that were modified by Valley Arts. Each guitar Deluxe circuit. It was a Christmas gift from his friend, Alexander
only had a middle and bridge pickup and was outfitted with Dumble. The solder joints were impeccable. Around back was
a heavy-duty switch—imagine the massive switches on the an inscription describing how the Tru-Ohm resistors and Allen-
back of vintage Fender amps. An oversized cord went to a Bradley capacitors had been carefully harvested from older
blue two-space rack unit that housed mechanical relays to amplifiers. Dumble’s handwriting—even carved in the back of
control which amp was engaged. “I really couldn’t afford to a frame—is unmistakable. It was a work of art that he made for
mess around with pedals at that time,” says Cross. At the time, his friend celebrating their shared love of a particular old amp.
Dumble was living in a house owned by Jackson Browne and Alexander Dumble’s contributions—both direct and indi-
Cross headed up there to pay for the custom relay box. “When rect—will stand alongside names like Leo Fender and Jim
I asked him what I owed him, he handed me a torn-out page Marshall. For years to come his designs will be analyzed, dis-
from a Sears catalog,” recalls Cross. Dumble had circled a cussed, and copied, much like his heroes. Even though many
washer and dryer unit and told Cross that if he bought those will never get past the market price for his creations, Dumble
for him, they were square. might have said it best back in ’��, “There are hundreds, per-
Several companies tried to partner with Dumble to bring haps thousands or millions, of valid guitar tones. When the
his amps to a larger market. “He created an entire industry that air becomes electric, that’s the right sound, no matter what
he didn’t participate in. Alexander never cashed in on that. He the one is.”

VINTAGE VAULT
A Premier Scroll Model Takes Another Bow

BY JIM TUERK PHOTOS BY LYNN WHEELWRIGHT
T
here’s an oft-told tale about solidbody guitars bolt-on. The gold hardware and trapeze bridge
in the early ��s. It relates how California could complement any jazz box, yet they sit next
upstart Fender sparked the public’s fervor to a large crushed-plastic pickguard that’s almost
with its Broadcaster and Telecaster models, and garish. All those knobs and switches are func-
how the established East Coast builders first tional and funky. The small black knobs include
denied that they had to respond, but then relented. a volume and tone control for each of the three
The rest, and even that alone, is history. single-coil pickups, which get their own on/off
While everyone knows how Gibson answered toggles as well. The large gold dial is a master
Fender, they weren’t the only notable East Coast volume control.
brand at the time. Epiphone was a heavy hitter, too, Premier’s scroll guitars were made in a variety JIM TUERK is a director
and there were other significant labels, including of pickup configurations, model names, and at music gear marketplace
Reverb, where he works
the company behind this month’s guitar, New finishes, and were originally sold for anywhere directly with top guitar
York City-based Premier. That guitar and amp from $��.�� to $��.�� and more, depending brands and interviews guitar
greats for Reverb News.
seller was a division of the Peter Sorkin Music on the number of pickups and factory upgrades.
Company, and its guitars were made by Sorkin’s Nowadays, prices range from about $�,�� at the
manufacturing subsidiary, Multivox. Premier was low end (for a single-pickup model in fair condi-
especially notable for its “scroll” electrics, like tion) to $�,�� or more.
this month’s exceptionally well-preserved E-��. This particular Premier is one of the high-end
With pots dated late ��, this E-�� was origi- models, with three pickups and a Ruby finish that
nally offered in or around �� and is an early has faded over time. Guitar seller, tech, builder,
example of the scroll shape that Premier would historian, and writer Lynn Wheelwright has
continue to use throughout the ��s. Check out owned it for the last �� years and says it is one
that distinctive upper horn: traditional yet dar- of “only two other examples of this top-of-the-
ing, almost like a mandolin’s curves transferred line, solid-carved, �-pickup beauty” he’s found
to one solid piece of mahogany. And, well, that’s in decades of looking for guitars. He’s selling
exactly what it is. it for $�,�� through his Pro Musician Outlet
Premier’s owner Sorkin had recently bought Reverb shop. Premier’s owner
the Strad-O-Lin mandolin company, and he Sources for this column include Vintage Guitar’s Sorkin had
put its equipment to work on these solidbodies. February �� article “Boulevard of Broken
In many ways, they’re a marriage of old-world Dreams: The Premier E-��” and Reverb listings recently bought
craftsmanship and rock ’n’ roll design. The neck from Retrofret Vintage Guitars, The Guitar Broker,
is one carved piece of Brazilian rosewood, yet and Rivington Guitars.
the Strad-O-Lin
mandolin com-
pany, and he put
its equipment to
work on these
solidbodies."
Opposite page: This guitar’s belt
rash proves it’s seen action during
its more than half-century.
Left: This late-’50s solidbody

is elegant yet practical, with its
1-piece, bolt-on rosewood neck,
deep pickup controls, and classy
gold hardware.

WIZARD OF ODD
This Humble Axe Helped the Velvet

Underground Take the Gloves Off
BY FRANK MEYERS
A
re any of you like me when it comes to TV Morrison and Lou Reed. If you check out the
watching? Like, I have cable and I have about documentary or search out photos, it’s easy to
five different streaming services, and I barely see Sterling and Lou take turns tearing it up with
watch any of them. Seriously, all I ever watch is sports! a Kent Copa. (Of course, the guys played other
But I spend so much money on the TV because my guitars, too, and Lou is more associated with his
wife likes to watch certain things and my daughter black Gretsch ��, especially in the early period.
likes to watch certain things and my son likes his The VU was also endorsed by Vox and I seem to
stuff and for whatever reason they all tell me we hear all sorts of early Vox effects in the songs.)
need each of these different channels. My wife is As for the Kent Copa, it made its first appearance
always trying to get me to invest in some long series in the �� Kent catalog as a mid-level electric with a
FRANK MEYERS is the
author of The History of or drama, and I just get bored after a while and list price of $��. This model had a mahogany body
Japanese Electric Guitars drop out. Recently though, she found Todd Haynes’ and maple neck (supplied by the Japanese Mahura
and runs the website
DrowninginGuitars.com. excellent Velvet Underground documentary, which factory) paired with three Guyatone-made pickups,
He has been collecting I totally enjoyed. (Yeah, it wasn’t sports, but there three volume controls, one tone control, and a rotary
and repairing guitars for
30 years and is primar- were guitars, history, and great music!) selector switch. The model came in red or sunburst,
ily interested in unique,
eclectic gear and shed-
The Velvet Underground was a bit before my but I rarely see the red color. As the years passed, the
ding light on the people time, but I discovered them at a great period in Copa evolved a bit to feature better sounding pickups
and history that contrib-
ute to our love of music my life—when I had simple needs, a miniscule and a cheaper price. By mid-��, the Copa only
and guitars. budget, and a rabid need to make noise with a gui- cost $�� and had two more finish options (honey
tar. To the uninitiated, try to search out songs like blonde and cocoa tan), but the axe remained basically
“I’m Waiting For the Man,” “I Heard Her Call My unchanged in its short three-year run.
Name,” and my personal VU favorite, “Sister Ray.” The Kent Copa that Sterling and Lou were playing
I’ve always been fascinated with real characters— was from the ��–’�� range, since theirs had the more
people who are just weirdly interesting. Usually I don’t angular, rectangle-shaped pickups. These were low-
The plastic bridge find them; they find me. And man, the Velvets had output pickups with a strong DC resistance rating,
on this Kent Copa some characters. Check out the movie if you can. It is but they were rather gnarly with a hint of overdrive,
is a limitation, but
when it is properly
well worth your time to see how all these interesting even at calm control settings. The real magic happens
set up this guitar artistic movements coalesced with a music scene in when the Copa is paired with a raunchy amp (à la the
can sing thanks New York. But I have to say, one thing I kept digging Danelectro-made Silvertone ��) and a primitive
to three Guyatone was the interesting gear the band was using in the fuzz like the early Vox Tone Bender.
pickups and a early days: most notably fuzz boxes, Sears amps, and a Two other quirks to note: The bridge was a non-
vibrato unit that wonderful little Japanese guitar called the Kent Copa. adjustable plastic job that did not help with intona-
feels great to play.
I guess you’ve heard this from me many times, tion. So, if your guitar was off from day one, it would
but around ��, electric guitar popularity began to be off forever. Second, the tremolo on the Kent Copa
explode and the world was flooded with Japanese is actually very good! The spring is recessed into the
imports. The Kent brand name was used by the body and the darn unit just works amazingly and
Buegeleisen & Jacobson Trading Company (B&G has a great feel. There was a story that the founder
for short), based in New York City—just one of the of Guyatone, Mitsuo Matsuki, visited the Harmony
many importers dealing with Japanese guitar build- Guitar factory here in the U.S. He observed all sorts
ers at the time. From �� to ��, almost all the Kent of building techniques and tried his hand at making
electric guitars were produced by the Tokyo Sound his own tremolo. Not really knowing anything about
Company (more commonly known as Guyatone), a guitar’s playability, he made an early tremolo that
which had an extensive catalog of guitars, amps, only moved one way and increased the pitch. Sort
pickups, effects, and microphones—everything a of weird, but by the time the Copa came out, Mitsuo
budding musician would need. had it all figured out. See—we all can learn and
And so it went that a humble Guyatone-built evolve! So, excuse me for now. I have to get upstairs
Kent guitar made it into the hands of Sterling to see the ��ers game!

LOVE AND SOCKETS
Micki Free’s Mountain of Marshall Tone

BY TED DROZDOWSKI
M
icki Free is not a less-is-more kind of combos, the 4x10 1961 and 2x12 1962—“but louder,”
player—at least when it comes to amps. he notes. So, he a bought a pair.
His setup is all reissue Marshalls: two The 1x12 1974X is an 18-watt beast, with two
JMP 2061X heads perched on 4x12 stacks, a pair channels: a tremolo channel with speed, intensity,
of 1974X combos, and double SV20C 1x10 combos. tone, and volume dials, and one with just tone
They look great together and, of course, sound and volume. They have three ECC83 tubes (one
even better. working as a phase splitter), two EL84 power tubes,
“I’m a Marshall purist,” Free explains, “but not and an EZ81 rectifier tube, and sport Celestion
the modern high-gain models that sound more Heritage G12M-20s. The next addition was his JMP
TED DROZDOWSKI is
harsh and brash. Lower wattage heads overdrive 2061X heads—20-watt brutes originally produced
an award-winning journal- quicker and better than 50- or 100-watt heads. for guitar and bass from 1967 to 1973. They have
ist and a musician, song-
writer, producer, and film They get you to the sweet spot right away. I like two channels with two controls each, for tone
consultant. He’s a maniac the old sound, like the Bluesbreakers—amps that and volume. And, yes, there are two EL84s in the
for slide and psychedelic
guitar, and has toured and break up right where you want them to and are power amp and two ECC83s in the preamp. The
taught workshops interna- very controllable, with a lot of midrange in the heads pump 100JH 4x12s with 25-watt Celestion
tionally. Ted is also the pro-
prietor of Coyote Motel, his sound and some bass, but not too much.” Greenbacks. All that was missing, to Free’s ears,
psych-roots band. Photo by Free fell for Marshalls even before he played was a little high end, so he acquired his two SV20C
John Thomas Collins
guitar—the night his sister took him to see Jimi 1x10s. These 20/5-watt switchable treble makers
Hendrix when he was just 9. “From that moment have a unique control set: with normal and high
on, I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” he treble channels with dual input, 3-band EQ, and
says. In short order, he was experienced, ingest- presence. Essentially, it’s a take on the plexi Super
ing the music of Cream, Robin Trower, Jeff Beck, Lead, featuring Celestion VT juniors.
and other giants of late-’60s rock guitar. Over To get an earful of exactly what Mt. Marshall
the decades, Free has made his own bones as a sounds like cranked, check out the online version
songwriter and player. He’s been a protégé and of this story, where you’ll find Free’s song “Heavy
guitar-slinging pal of Gene Simmons, Prince, Mercy,” from his new album Turquoise Blue. The
Billy Gibbons, Carlos Santana, and Cheap Trick’s tone is pure Jimi, and righteously so. Of course,
Rick Nielsen. He’s also been immortalized in the guitar’s a Strat. He has two of these Fenders
a popular Chappelle’s Show episode of “Charlie and favors a 1959 reissue in sea foam green. He
Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories,” as part of also has a fleet of Teye guitars with a signature
Prince’s team in a now-legendary basketball model on the way. And his effects chain also slants
game. And as a key member of R&B hitmakers toward the classic palette: a Pedal Pawn Gypsy
Shalamar, he scored a top 20 hit with “Dancin’ Vibe, an Eventide H9 he uses for delay, a Vox wah,
in the Streets” and won a Grammy for “Don’t Get an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, an MXR
Stopped in Beverly Hills” from the Beverly Hills Carbon Copy, a Fulltone Octafuzz, a Pedal Pawn
Cop soundtrack. “But through it all,” he says, “I’ve Fuzz, and a DigiTech Bad Monkey that was a gift
Micki Free with his sidekicks: JMP 2061X really been a blues-rock player. That music runs from the Rev. Gibbons.
heads, 1974X combos, and SV20C combos.
through my veins.” Free explains that his amplification amalgama-
The guitar is a Teye Gypsy Queen model.
And pours out through his sound. Free began tion is all in service of a higher goal—whether
building his full-blooded six-amp wall in 2009, in the studio or onstage, where his flamboyant
when he was provided a pair of 1974Xs during performances mirror the power of his sound.
rehearsals for his gig at the Hard Rock Cafe Calling “It helps me get to the core of what I do in a way
Festival in London’s Hyde Park. It was love at that I hope people connect with, because mak-
first note. “They sounded like the Bluesbreakers ing music is about a connection so strong that it
amps”—Marshall’s legendary JTM45-inspired transcends language.”
Go online to hear
Micki Free's amps.

TAKE YOUR IDEAS FROM
DEMO TO PRODUCTION
Your next musical idea can come at any moment. Whether you’re tracking guitars
or working out songwriting ideas, G-Track Pro makes recording music super-easy.
The G-Track Pro is an all-in-one microphone and audio interface. Capture studio
quality vocals from the dual 1" condenser capsules and connect your instrument
to the 1/4" input to simultaneously record two tracks directly to your computer.
©2022 Samson | samsontech.com/gtrackpro

Photo by Austin Nelson Photography
Despite almost the entire band getting

Covid while recording in Nashville, Slash
Featuring Myles Kennedy and the
Conspirators refused to be stopped. The
result, 4, is their best album to date.
BY JOE CHARUPAKORN

W
hen you think of Slash
(born Saul Hudson),
several things imme-
diately come to mind.
There’s his signature top hat, his
flowing curly locks, his killer solos
and bluesy riffs, and, of course, the
Les Paul—the iconic axe that’s been
by his side since the mid ’80s when
he broke ground on Guns N’ Roses’
Appetite for Destruction with time-
less classics like “Sweet Child o’ Mine”
and “Welcome to the Jungle.” There’s
some controversy surrounding the
actual guitar used on that album,
with speculation that it wasn’t actu-
ally a Gibson but rather a replica
made by luthier Kris Derrig. No mat-
ter the origin of that guitar, Slash
popularized the Les Paul at the time
when pointy-headed super strats
ruled the world.
Slash is synonymous
with Gibson Les Pauls and
has collaborated on 17
signature models since
1997, including a new
Slash Les Paul Standard
Limited 4 Album Edition in
transluscent cherry.
Photo by Ross Halfin

In fact, he single-handedly brought the Les
Paul back into vogue, and rare models began
fetching unheard of sums. With supergroup
Velvet Revolver and his solo project, Slash
featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators,
the Les Paul has remained Slash’s inseparable
partner-in-crime. Gibson named Slash their
global brand ambassador and has collabo-
rated with him on 17 signature Les Pauls since
1997. So, it’s not surprising that when Gibson
Records launched, Slash was the first artist
they contacted.
The new album from Slash featuring Myles
Kennedy and the Conspirators, 4, is Gibson
Records’ inaugural release. It features Todd
Kerns on bass, Brent Fitz on drums, Frank
Sidoris on rhythm guitar, and Kennedy on
vocals. Kennedy is also known as the lead singer
for Alter Bridge. It’s less common knowledge
that Kennedy is a monster guitarist with a
degree in jazz studies and commercial music.
In his formative years, Kennedy led Cosmic
Dust, a fusion band that was the vehicle for
his Frank Gambale-meets-Mike Stern pyro-
technics. Kennedy doesn’t play guitar on 4,
but when they’re on tour, to avoid straining
his voice, Kennedy locks himself in the hotel
room and sheds endlessly.
Spirit Animals
The songwriting process for 4 began during
the Living the Dream tour in 2019 in the dead
time before and after shows. “It’s not a rule but
I always write stuff for the next record while
we’re on the road with the previous,” says
Slash. “A lot of this new record was initiated
in that process. In dressing rooms before the
show, on the bus sometimes—though usually
not on the bus because everybody is all over
the place—and definitely in the hotel rooms.
Because I never really go anywhere. I just stay
in my room. I record stuff onto my phone—
the cat’s out of the bag [laughs]. When I bring
something to soundcheck and the band starts
to jam on an idea, I record from the board.”
Slash is a self-taught zookeeper and has
housed and cared for countless wild animals,
so it makes sense that animals served as inspi-
rations for some of the songs on 4. He got his
first pet rat, a black-and-white creature named
Mickey, from disco/funk legend Sly Stone.
One of Slash’s anacondas, Sam, resides at
the Nashville Zoo, and whenever Slash is in
town, he’ll go visit him. Once, Slash snuck his
mountain lion, Curtis, into the opulent Four
Photo by Ken Settle

or two. Unfortunately, a storm rolled in, so we basi-
cally got stuck. As the storm hit, we were freaking
out because we were watching on the cameras. He
was at the house by himself and the thunder and
the lightning—which the dogs just hate—were
just scaring the hell out of him. You could see it.
It was kind of heartbreaking so I thought it would
be interesting to write a song from his perspective.
What might have been going through his head at
that point.” At one point in the song, an audible
crack in Kennedy’s voice can be heard.
Enter Dave Cobb

After the songs were written, it was time to make
studio arrangements. “I talked to a couple of trusted
executives in the industry that I know, and I said,
‘I’m looking for a good rock ’n’ roll producer,’”
recalls Slash. “And, of course, the list was very
short. I had four guys to look at. Two of them were
interesting, two of them were, no.”
One of the most Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb easily
expressive combos got the gig. “We just talked about records we loved,”
of all-time: Slash recalls Cobb. “We talked about how records used
and his inseparable to be made where you came into the room and
Les Paul. He wrote recorded to tape with no separation and played as
one of the songs
if you were a band playing live instead of making
from 4 while at a
game park in Africa. it a big procedure. And that’s how we hit it off. I
“I took my guitar to remember growing up and learning how to play
the park, yes,” he guitar, and Slash was huge to me. I was a little
says with a laugh. nervous to talk to him.”
“He wanted to record a rock band live in
the studio and I wanted to be a rock band that
recorded live in the studio, so we hit it off right
Seasons hotel after the Northridge earthquake away,” says Slash. The band set up at Nashville’s
displaced him. RCA Studio A, a legendary space that Chet Atkins’
Given that history, it’s fitting that the album built where every country music luminary from
closer, “Fall Back to Earth,” began while Slash was Dolly Parton to Waylon Jennings has recorded.
on safari in South Africa at Kruger National Park, “The vibe in that place is so inspiring, I have to
inspired by the sounds of monkeys and hippos he say … everybody’s recorded there,” says Slash.
heard in the nighttime as he looked up at the stars “Steve Cropper’s got an office upstairs. I never
in the majestic sky. “I took my guitar to the park, got to meet him but just the fact that he was in
yes [laughs],” says Slash. “I just came up with this the building was just so cool.”
melody, which was the main theme of ‘Fall Back Guitars, bass, and drums were recorded live in
to Earth,’ and I stuck with that. I loved it because one room, and Kennedy did his vocals live in an
TIDBIT it came from a place of inspiration because of the adjacent booth. Everyone was at ease, just rockin’
Slash and his band, environment that I was in.” out, which made for a particularly stellar vocal
Myles Kennedy and the Kennedy, a self-proclaimed softie, also took inspi- performance from Kennedy. “I thought I was just
Conspirators, recorded ration from an animal. He wrote “Fill My World” laying down vocals for scratch tracks. I thought
4 at Nashville’s iconic
from the imagined viewpoint of his Shih Tzu, Mozart. I was just helping guide the band, so they know,
Photo by Annie Atlasman
RCA Studio A. Dave

Cobb produced the
“It was a few years ago and I was on tour. My wife ‘Okay we’re on the verse, or we’re on the chorus.’
album, which is also the had come out to see me, and we were both trying to Then I assumed that in a week or so we’d go in, and
inaugural release for get home. We have a little dog named Mozart and I’d re-cut the vocal,” says Kennedy. “But Dave was
Gibson Records. he usually stays with friends or a dog sitter. They happy with them. That’s the way they get a singer
dropped him off thinking we’d be back in an hour to relax—tell him it’s just a scratch track (laughs).”

Cobb’s ability to embrace the moment also the bus and headed to Nashville. After a night’s Slash and Myles Kennedy have been
relaxed Slash’s usual quest for perfection. “For rest, they got straight to business the next morn- teaming up since 2010, when Kennedy
me, as a sort of semi-insecure guitar player, there ing. At a breakneck rate of two songs per day, 90 was chosen to front Slash’s touring
band. Since then, they’ve made four
are things that I did want to go back and fix, but percent of the record was done in five days. And
studio albums together.
Dave was like, ‘Come on, man.’ I was like, ‘I know, then on the sixth day, when Slash was gearing up
I know,’” Slash says. for some guitar overdubs, he got an unexpected
call from Kennedy.
Dangerous Times “He called me on my cell phone, which was odd
When Slash was in Guns N’ Roses, they were to begin with,” recalls Slash. “Then he said that he
called “The Most Dangerous Band in the World” had tested positive. Because we had to do regular
because of their hedonistic excesses. Now, older testing, I was like, ‘Oh fuck.’ I couldn’t understand
and wiser, Slash isn’t quite as carefree. For the how that could possibly have happened because
recording session, to avoid public exposure and we hadn’t gone anywhere. Consequently, Brent,
reduce the chance of getting Covid, the band Todd, and one of the engineers at the studio were
hired a tour bus to bring them from Vegas to positive as well.”
Nashville. Kennedy was also baffled. “The first time we
The bus first picked up Slash in L.A. and tested was like three days before we got there
Photo by Ken Settle
brought him to Vegas, where most of the other and the next time we tested was the morning we
band members live. Myles drove into Vegas from walked into the studio. Everybody was fine and I
Washington. Upon arriving in Sin City, they met was fine,” Kennedy recalls. “Then about 24 hours
up at a clinic, and after all testing negative, got on later I started to notice some strange symptoms.

SLASH’S GEAR ON 4
GUITARS
• Gibson ’59 reissue Les Paul (2)
• Gibson ’68 reissue Les Paul Custom
• Gibson ’69 reissue Flying V
• Kris Derrig Les Paul replica
• Most of Slash’s guitars are outfitted
with his signature Seymour Duncan APH-2
Alnico II Pro Slash humbuckers
AMPS
• Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 JCM Slash
Signature 100-watt head with
• Marshall 4x12 cabinet loaded with
Celestion Vintage 30s
EFFECTS
• MXR Phase 45
• MXR CAE Boost/Overdrive
• Dunlop Heil Talk Box
• Hammond Leslie
STRINGS
• Ernie Ball Paradigm (.011–.048)
• Dunlop picks 1.14 mm
For me, as a sort

of semi-insecure
guitar player, there
are things that I did
want to go back and
fix, but Dave was like,
Photo by Annie Atlasman
‘Come on, man.’ I was

like, ‘I know, I know.’”
—Slash

I thought they were allergies initially and, espe- sounded like a great rock ’n’ roll amp when he
cially since I just tested, I thought, ‘There’s no way played through it.”
it’s Covid.’ But unfortunately, as the symptoms Sadly, Alexander Dumble passed away in January,
continued to evolve, I realized it was something a few weeks after this PG interview with Slash took
a little more serious.” place. It seems almost like fate that their worlds
Everyone had to go into quarantine, but that collided shortly before Dumble’s passing. Slash
didn’t mean the music making had to stop. “I commissioned Dumble to build him an amp, which
started to do what little guitar overdubs I had—I may be one of the last projects the famed builder
had some harmonies, and some sitar parts,” says completed. “I got in touch with Alex after the ses-
Slash. “Then two days later I tested positive. It sion and he actually did a Fender for me,” Slash YOUTUBE IT
was inevitable because we were all living in the says. “It sounds really great. He’s not easy to get in
same house and sharing a communal kitchen. The touch with or to get him to do something, it became Slash is a master of coaxing an impres-
house was now effectively called ‘Covid Manor.’” very apparent. So it was an honor to have him do sive array of sounds out of his beloved Les
Only Sidoris avoided getting Covid. something for me. But I didn’t know the history Pauls. In the intro to “Anastasia,” he gets
Luckily, the setup of their accommodations before. There was some discrepancy over the cost an acoustic vibe by using a fingerstyle ap-
made it possible to quarantine and still be proof it for a second, but he and I got to be good friends proach combined with the Les Paul’s rhythm
ductive. “It was perfect,” says Kennedy. “I had a as a result of that. I didn’t know how much it cost, pickup setting. Once the distortion kicks
little separate house outside the house. I think it I thought five meant five-hundred bucks [laughs].” in, he launches into a post neo-classical,
was like a pool house or something. I ended up While Slash enjoys his Dumble amp—the new pedal-point riff, before launching into all-out
recording Todd’s vocals because Todd ended up discovery—he stuck to a tried-and-true formula carnage once Myles Kennedy’s vocals enter.
getting sick as well. He would come out during the for 4. His iconic Marshall Silver Jubilee 100-watt YouTube search term: Slash ft. Myles Ken-
day, and I would set up my DAW and we would heads into a 4x12 straight cabinet with Celestion nedy & The Conspirators - “Anastasia” | Live
do the backing vocals.” Vintage 30s was the rig of choice. in Sydney
“Spirit Love,” “Whatever Gets You By,” and “Fall For guitars, Slash had his staples at the ready.
Back to Earth” were all finished in the pool house, “I used my Kris Derrig replica, which is like my
and then the files were sent to Cobb. go-to guitar for recording,” he says. “But I also used
Speaking of rock bands and pool houses, one a ’69 reissue Flying V, which I got last Christmas,
might wonder what Airbnb owner in their right that sounds great on a couple songs. I used two
mind would rent a property to a bunch of rock ’59 reissues, one apiece on two different songs,
stars just unshackled from the Covid lockdowns. a ’68 Custom reissue on one song, and that was
Kennedy agrees that any sense of trepidation basically the setup.”
would be justified, citing a legendary pool-scene As Cobb put it, it doesn’t really matter what
interview featuring W.A.S.P. frontman, Chris the gear is: Slash is going to sound like Slash.
Holmes. “Oh yeah, if you saw The Decline of “Slash’s tone—the way he plays through a Silver
Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years you Jubilee—is the ideal tone for Slash, you know
would definitely be cautious, because that’s the what I mean?
infamous Chris Holmes scene right there [laughs]. “I’ll tell you what’s really cool. I know from
That’s a great moment though. I’ve watched that being a fan, how good he is as a guitar player,
countless times. It’s very rock ’n’ roll.” and as a writer, and all of that,” Cobb continues.
“But seeing him actually in the studio, it was a
Dumble Destiny ‘Holy Shit’ level of guitar playing. I knew he was
Cobb’s gear inventory is impressive, and during the incredible, and I knew he was a legend, but he’s
sessions Slash crossed paths with a true bucket- way better than that when you see him in person.
list item. “It was the first time I consciously knew I mean the solos on the record are live and he’s
I was playing through a Dumble amp. I’ve been going for it, and it came out so classic and time-
hearing that name forever, but I didn’t know what less. And his playing has so much feel and heart
it was,” admits Slash. “[Cobb] introduced me to and soul. I didn’t realize how much better he is
a Fender that Dumble had customized, and it than I even thought he was. That was probably
sounds fuckin’ amazing. I didn’t actually record the biggest revelation. When he plugs in, it’s like,
anything with it, but it just sounded really good.” “I know why he’s Slash.” I was in the room with
Cobb recalls, “You know, Slash sounds good the engineer and the assistant in the control
through a lot of things. He sounded great through room, and we were all like, ‘Holy shit. This is
that Dumble. When he plugged into it, it sounded way bigger and better than we even thought it
like Slash—rock ’n’ roll, over the top, classic. It was going to be.’”

ben
chasny makes a
BACKGROUND
MUSIC
breakthrough
The psychedelic 6-stringer steps back from the musical
fringe—where he’s helmed Six Organs of Admittance
and a slew of noisy avant collabs—to create polite
production music and release The Intimate Landscape,
his first album under his own name.
BY PAUL KOBYLENSKY
Photo by Elisa Ambrogio

en Chasny has spent his under his own name, it’s a collection of beauti- Deep into a career in underground music, not
musical life firmly rooted in ful, melodic, and accessible acoustic fingerstyle only did Ben Chasny accept an invitation to
the undergound. If you’re an songs. And they were all recorded in hopes that create a set of fingerstyle-guitar library tunes
avant aficionado, you might be marketing agencies would buy them. Seriously. for commercial placement, but he’s made it his
familiar with his project Six Organs of Admittance. How does a psychedelic noise warrior who first album under his own name.
Or his band 200 Years. Maybe Rangda, New Bums, grew up on the Melvins and built a career in
Badgerlore, or even Comets on Fire? dissonance end up here? According to Chasny,
You get the point. Chasny is prolific. Over the it goes back to one of his early, understated
past couple decades, he’s proven to be an unwaver- guitar heroes.
ing devotee of the musical fringe. He’s a noise-rock “I actually played bass in punk bands. I never
experimenter, and his acoustic work is revered by the wanted to play acoustic, but when I heard the
heaviest of metal communities. He’s even created a first few chords on [Nick Drake’s] Five Leaves
vastly complex system for composition and improvisa- Left, it blew my mind. It wasn’t the lyrics. It was
tion that you can learn about in his 2015 PG interview. the sound of his playing. He’s doing syncopated
But Chasny is changing his M.O. with The stuff between his thumb and his fingers that I’ve
Intimate Landscape. The first album to be released never heard anybody do. He’s someone with his

Chasny’s go-to acoustic for the last own thing. You know immediately when it’s him. fearlessly shaped his rock and punk background
decade has been an Alvarez Yairi Bob Weir That’s when I wanted to play acoustic guitar. into a captivating form, his acoustic playing, specifi-
model. But after a rough life on the road, That’s what changed everything.” cally, found an audience among the biggest names
the guitarist is giving that instrument Drake’s influence helped shape Chasny’s in stoner, doom, and black metal. Improbably, he
some much-deserved downtime and has
debut recording, 1998's Six Organs of Admittance, was soon sharing bills, tours, and festivals with
moved onto a Martin 00C-16DBGTE.
an album he initially tried to keep on the down- artists such as Om (with whom he released a split
low. “At the time, I was getting very into ’70s 7"), Wino from the Obsessed, and Neurosis.
cult stuff, like Comus and the Incredible String “It’s funny, because everyone wants me to play
Band,” he explains. “I wanted to create that acoustic guitar,” he says. “The heavier dudes seem
illusion of an anonymous acid-folk cult band, to prefer it. It’s like, ‘No, no. We’ll do the heavy stuff,
so I released it myself. And for the first couple kid. You play the acoustic guitar or something.’”
of Six Organs releases, I didn’t put my name on Even within such an unpredictable career,
BEN CHASNY’S GEAR them. Nothing’s really a mystery now, but back Chasny’s latest veers like a left turn into outer
GUITARS then you could do a mystery LP and there were space. The Intimate Landscape was initiated when
distributors that would distribute it. Then it KPM Music—a production music business with
• Alvarez Yairi Bob Weir model would be written about in ’zines and no one a large catalog that specializes in commercial
• Martin 00C-16DBGTE (with LR Baggs really knew who it was.” placements—reached out with an invitation to
Anthem pickup system) After a few releases, Chasny settled on the Six create a set of library music. The only catch, he
Photo by Tim Bugbee
Organs moniker. It became the banner under which says, was that, like the metal guys, KPM wanted
he cultivated new styles of haunting experimental his acoustic side.
STRINGS music using dark harmonies and drones as well “I had visions of doing a soundtrack, some weird,
• D’Addario .010 sets as atmospheric synth and vocal sounds. As he horror, Blade Runner record. But they said, ‘No,

no. We want acoustic guitar,’ which was a little a little window to something that ties it to previ-
disappointing. But I said, ‘Okay. I can do that.’” ous records.”
Wary of simply knocking out a handful of While mainly a new direction, this album doesn’t
jingles, Chasny decided to create an artistic sound like someone stretching for something new.
album—which would also be released by the It sounds more like an artist drawing on familiar
Drag City label—that suits commercial use. influences to paint a new picture. But Chasny
“When I hear music that could be used for a did mine one influence that, until now, he’s kept
fishing show or something, I don’t think that it’s close to the chest.
an artist putting everything into it,” he explains. “There’s this one record that I absolutely love
SHUBB
“One of my ideas was to try to record nice music, that I never hear any acoustic players talk about,
not production music. Even though that’s what
it would be used for.”
Conceptually, this runs counter to what Chasny
has done across his Six Organs discography. “I’ll
do acoustic that’s often smeared with dissonance,
or noise, or something,” he explains. “This was
my chance to not do that. But I had to fight
against my instinct to subvert the melodies. It’s
a challenge to make music that is a little more CAPOS
pretty. I want to start doing music under my
name that will be a little more on this side of
things. And I’m hoping to steer Six Organs into New finish! The dazzling iridescence of...
more of the experimental side. It’ll be easier for
people to know, ‘This one’s going to be a little
more mellow, and this one’s going to be a little
tougher to listen to.’”
If words like “pretty” make it sound like Chasny
has sold out, don’t worry. He was free to pursue
his own vision. “I didn’t know what to expect,
but I didn’t know I was going to have so much
freedom,” he says. “I gave them a little sample
and said, ‘This is what it would sound like.’ They
said, ‘That’s great. Make a record like that.’ And
it was cool because I was working for somebody
else, in a way. I knew exactly what I needed to do
instead of sitting around wondering.”
The result is focused and warmly listenable.
Every piece on The Intimate Landscape puts
Chasny’s guitar melodies front and center, while
his touch and tone fill out his sonic vision. On
“Cross-Winged Formation,” the intimate sound
pulls you in. It’s as if you can hear the guitar-
ist’s fingerprints on the strings. And just when
you’re lulled into the moment, the song’s chorus
expands with a low-string melody and open-string
ornamentation.
Then there’s “Water Dragon,” a minor-key
dirge that blends classical picking technique
with an ominous vocal backing. It’s the one
song that bridges the gap between his past and
present work. “‘Water Dragon’ is a little nod to
Six Organs,” he admits. “It has that more modal
playing and the vocal drone. I did want to have
info@shubb.com • www.shubb.com
707-843-4068

Chasny still plugs in but
says his acoustic playing
has developed a reputation
among metal audiences
and commercial music
houses alike. “Everyone
wants me to play acoustic
guitar,” he says!
Photo by Tim Bugbee

and that’s A Shout Toward Noon by Leo Kottke,” in an untreated room. “It was recorded with this
he reveals. “I love that nobody talks about that really cheap mic called a CM3,” he says. “It’s a little
record, and I’ve never talked about it. I always pencil condenser made by Line Audio. It was one of
try to keep it a secret because that’s the one that those things where you go on the forums and look
always inspires me for melody. The melodies on for ‘the best mic for acoustic guitar’ and everyone’s
that record floor me.” arguing. Five pages later, I found out about it.
In addition to Kottke’s influence, we hear “I angle it down a little bit, and it’s pretty close.
Chasny’s consistent fingerpicking technique and I like close-miking at home because my rooms are
how he pushes and pulls time to suit the moment. not treated very well. Which is another reason YOUTUBE IT
And we know how much work it takes to get there. why I don’t do any ambient mics.” Once it hits
“I practiced a lot when I was younger,” Chasny his DAW, he continues to keep it simple. “I do Get a feel for Chasny’s dark and droney
says. “It was serious. I had very part-time jobs, EQ, but I don’t do compression with fingerstyle. fingerstyle sound in this intimate living room
and I practiced guitar for a long time. I’d try to I leave that to the mastering person if they want. performance of the title track from the 2007
learn as much as I could. I don’t really practice I just smack some reverb on it.” Six Organs of Admittance album, Shelter from
acoustic guitar. So, the actual technique stuff Chasny prefers to stay rhythmically unen- the Ash.
maybe comes from playing electric guitar. That cumbered when recording solo playing. “None YouTube search term: Six Organs of Admit-
gets ported to the acoustic a little bit, like some of this record was done with a metronome. It’s tance - Shelter From the Ash
fretboard, left-hand stuff.” all free time,” he says. “I think it might set it apart
His electric playing had an influence on Chasny’s from other production music a bit.” This allows
choice of acoustic instrument, which for about a Chasny to manipulate the feel of each section on
decade or so was his trusty, highly playable Alvarez the fly. A case in point is “Second Moon.” Listen
Yairi Bob Weir model. “I love it because of the neck,” as he pushes and pulls the time, matching the
he says. “It’s easy to go from electric to acoustic emotional flow of each song.
because it’s really fast, like a shredder neck or This level of control only comes through practice
something. I fell in love with that before the tone. I and commitment to craft and genre. Yet Chasny
used to have some ‘real tone’ friends that would give avoids labelling himself a fingerstyle guitarist.
me shit about it. But I really liked that guitar a lot.” He’s more inspired by players who put the music
Unfortunately, the decade did a number on that before the playing. “I’ve got a few tricks and I
guitar, and it started showing its age, so Chasny has probably could learn some more,” he says. “But
moved onto a Martin 00C-16DBGTE that he says my favorite guitar players are the ones who are,
is “not that much different than the Alvarez.” That as they say, in the service of the song: guys like
guitar had a rough start, developing cracks after Richard Thompson or Lindsey Buckingham.”
one tour, but it’s now become his go-to acoustic. If it sounds like Chasny has abandoned his TIDBIT
KPM Music offered to
Paired with a set of dead, bronze guitar strings, it’s electric side, fear not. While he already has plans
send Chasny into a
the sound of The Intimate Landscape. “It was only to record another acoustic set for KPM, he’s also professional studio,
that Martin on this record. I think I changed the conjuring a cranked-up vision for the next Six but he opted to record
preamp plug-in for a song. The rest of it was one Organs album. “It’s definitely going to be electric, at home and kept
preamp emulation and that guitar.” and I’ve got some ideas about it.” his variables simple,
Much of The Intimate Landscape’s charm is in the Explaining Ben Chasny as an artist isn’t going to using just one mic
immediacy of Chasny’s simple, DIY production and get easier any time soon. His music is all over the and one guitar.
arrangements. From “The Many Faces of Stone” to place, and he purposefully avoids classification.
“On the Way To the Coast,” it’s as if you’re sitting But there is a common thread that ties his entire
in front of the guitar’s soundhole. Though KPM career together. Look too hard and you might miss
offered to send him to a professional studio, he it, but it’s always there.
chose to keep things as straightforward as possible. “This sounds cheesy as fuck, but I really love
“I did it by myself, at home, with my gear. And it’s all guitar,” Chasny says. “I remember when I was
mono,” he points out. “The stereo is from the reverb, young, playing one note. It was so exciting. It was
but I didn’t do any stereo recordings. I start getting so fucking good. I still have that every once in a
freaked out about phase cancellation. Then I start while. Maybe that’s why the varied stuff. I love
wondering, ‘Can I even hear phase cancellation? absolute noise guitar, but I also like Paul Gilbert!
What am I doing? Maybe I need to go to a studio?’” I don’t know why I love guitar so much. I ask
Resisting the urge, Chasny pushed himself to myself that all that time. I don’t know what it is,
get the most from a single, affordable microphone but I love guitar.”

Photo by Giraffe Studios

J
oshua Crumbly says that a lot
of his musical ideas start out
reflectively, like a mantra or
meditation, often repeated over
and over as he develops them. It’s a Zen-
like practice that allows him to access
a deeper, more intuitive headspace.
“All of the songs that made ForEver,
they kind of took my mind and heart
somewhere as I played them,” he says
of his new album. “And there was so
much going on in the world during the
pandemic, I just feel like the storylines
came to fruition.”
The inventive bassist was born and
raised in Los Angeles and attended the
prestigious Juilliard School in New
As a songwriter, player, York City. When we spoke, he was
in Dallas, Texas, co-producing and
writing an album for Brandon Marcel.
and conceptualist, Crumbly and Marcel both tour in R&B
singer Leon Bridges’ band. Marcel is
one of the background vocalists.
Joshua Crumbly knows “We were engaged in writing for

three or four days last week,” says
Crumbly. “And then yesterday we had to
no stylistic bounds. do a streaming show with Leon Bridges.”

Apparently, the guys in Bridges’ band
have been making fun of Crumbly
His new album because he’s always bouncing between

New York and Los Angeles and can’t
decide where to put down some roots.
ForEver is proof. “I keep telling them, ‘I’m finally going

to officially move back to L.A. perma-
nently.’ So, they’re like, ‘Yeah, right.’ And
now I’ve been in Dallas for a couple of
BY FREDDY VILLANO weeks and I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’m loving
Dallas.’ I’ll figure it out. The grass is
always greener, right?”
Crumbly’s debut 2020 release Rise,
embraced that concept wholeheart-
edly. “I’m initially coming from dif-
ferent jazz settings, and I’ve gotten to
play with some brilliant people over
the past 11 years or so,” he explains.
“But [with jazz] I just got to a point
where I was like, ‘Man, we have all
these brilliant minds, and everybody’s
writing songs with the same exact
form, and every song has the same
experience for the musicians as well
as the audience.’ So I was like, ‘I want
to see if there’s a way to create songs
that have a different journey to them.’”

Shout out to
Universal Audio
for changing
my life. And
believe it or not,
I use GarageBand.”
JOSHUA CRUMBLY’S GEAR

BASSES
• Fender American
Special Precision Bass
• Michael Tobias Design Kingston
(4-string)
Although he’s playing a
• Moon Guitars J Bass Fender Mustang bass
in this photo, Crumbly’s
current main instrument
AMPS is a well-worn 2012
• Ampeg SVT Fender American
Special Precision he got
(with 4x10, 6x10, or 8x10 SVT cab)
off the wall at Chicago
Music Exchange.
EFFECTS
• Aguilar Octamizer
• Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi This songwriting journey continues on saxophonist Ronnie Crumbly. He started out
• MXR Phase 90 M101 ForEver. Stylistically, like Rise, the tunes on playing classical piano before picking up the bass
ForEver aren’t necessarily jazz. They run the at age 9. He learned to play by ear in church, and
• Universal Audio Golden Reverberator gamut from indie rock (“THREE”) to ambient then dove into heavy metal at the local music
• Universal Audio Starlight (“ForEver”) to the Motown-infused thump store, where he subsequently took lessons, before
Echo Station Delay of his playing on “C.S.C.” Crumbly mostly binging on the jazz records at home that would
eschews the traditional jazz arrangements become his muse. Though Crumbly studied with
that primarily defined his formative years as such venerable jazz stalwarts as Ron Carter and
RECORDING GEAR a bass player and sideman. Take a song like Reggie Hamilton, there’s a pop element to his
• Arturia interfaces and plug-ins “Reflection.” Grounded by a hypnotic bass songwriting that makes his recordings eminently
• GarageBand for Mac ostinato, it upends jazz norms by introducing welcoming for the average listener. His fascination
• Universal Audio hardware and plug-ins the melody at the end of the tune, as opposed to with pop songs, as a writer, can be attributed to
playing the melody first, then a bunch of solos, what he calls “commercial sentiment.”
and then the melody out, as in a conventional “What I think is actually cool about popular
STRINGS & PICKS post-bop arrangement. If Crumbly’s ambition music, is the power of a song is still prevalent,
Photo by Justin de Nooijer
• La Bella Deep Talkin’ Bass flatwounds was to construct songs in such a way as to give and it doesn’t always hinge on a million solos
everyone involved a new experience, on ForEver and that sort of thing—just a melody and a
(.049–.105)
he unequivocally succeeds. vibe, with no solos or anything like that.”
• Labella Custom Nickel (.050–.105) Born in 1991, Crumbly began to study music French playwright Antonin Artaud once
• Fender Classic Celluloid medium picks at an early age, at the behest of his father, made the provocative assertion, in his seminal

Crumbly, always in search
of unfamiliar sounds,
plays flatwounds on his
Michael Tobias Design
Kingston bass. He also
enjoyed “testing the limits
of what a P bass could do”
while making ForEver.
Photo by Ronnie Crumbly

Space is the place: Joshua Crumbly
donned an astronaut costume in the
video for “The See," from his new album.
TIDBIT
Crumbly’s latest
release was started
at Brooklyn’s Figure
8 Recording studio,
but he finished the
album at home on
GarageBand, using
hardware and plug-ins
from Universal Audio
and Arturia.
1938 theatrical treatise, The Theatre and Its Double, the ostinato that the song is based on, and just
that the actor is “an athlete of the emotions.” reflecting on what the feeling of the time was.
Likewise, Crumbly doesn’t knock you out with But then, the more I played it, I started becom-
chops on ForEver. Instead, he tugs at your heart ing more hopeful. That’s how that song came
with an empathic vibe that comes across in his about—just regarding what I might have been
songwriting as well as his bass playing. Instead thinking about at the time.”
of rapid-fire slapping or lightning-fast finger tap- The catalyst for recording ForEver was an unex-
ping, Crumbly’s virtuosity on ForEver lies within pected call from Figure 8 Recording’s Shahzad
his ability to convey qualities like fragility and Ismaily. “I didn’t have his number saved in my
tenderness. His performances often affirm the phone,” recalls Crumbly, “so I had no idea who
age-old adage that it’s not always about what you it was. And he said, ‘Josh, you need to record a
play, but how you play it. solo bass album.’ And I was like, ‘Uh, okay.’ He
“I’ll give you some insight to the song generously offered me some time at his beautiful
‘Reflection,’” he offers. “I wrote it during the studio, Figure 8, in Brooklyn. I started ‘THREE’
time when the tremendously sad George Floyd there, and then also ‘We’ll Be (Good).’ But then
Photo by Ronnie Crumbly
incident occurred, and that was coinciding with I just got super busy with putting out Rise, and
rising Covid cases. The news would go between constantly being on the road, so ForEver had to
speaking about George Floyd and then report- get shelved. And then, when the pandemic hap-
ing on all these deaths around the world from pened, I got a bunch of recording gear and was
Covid. So, I started accompanying the news with able to devote time at home to finishing ForEver.

I feel like I’m on a path that
I can explore infinitely by
way of the bass and by
way of emotion as well.”
YOUTUBE IT
Listen to Joshua Crumbly and his ensem-
So, shout out to Universal Audio for changing for that kind of approach is “the thumb, and then ble—saxist Josh Johnson, pianist Ruslan
my life. And believe it or not, I use GarageBand.” my index and middle finger.” However, he is not Sirota, and drummer Jason Burger—shape
Most of the effects heard on ForEver are delay a fingerstyle purist, as demonstrated in the video jazz in their own free-ranging, ambient image
modulators. “I messed with a lot of the Universal for “The See,” in which he plays an astronaut. while performing “Noah,” from 2020’s Rise,
Audio plug-ins, and I’m really happy that they “I’m playing with the pick, and I have to shout at the now-shuttered Los Angeles jazz mecca
came out with physical renditions of those plug- out a mentor of mine named Reggie Hamilton. the Blue Whale.
ins in the form of actual pedals,” admits Crumbly. I would not be playing upright bass if it weren’t YouTube search term: Live version of “Noah”
“I’ve been able to recreate some of the sounds live. for him, nor would I be playing with the pick. from Joshua Crumbly’s debut solo album Rise
I did use some pedals at Shahzad’s studio that I I owe a lot to him for broadening my horizons.
don’t even remember the names of, but I would People are sleeping on how cool playing with a
say 80 percent of it is different delay modulators pick is on the bass, but I’m okay with that. I’ll
from UA, and the song ‘To Morrow’ is a combi- be like, ‘All right, I’ll be one of the few, I guess.’”
nation of modulators and fuzz pedals. That was As for his time at Juilliard, Crumbly says
the one song on the record that I had to work on “keeping a vision” was one of the most important
for a few days. I was searching for this particular things he learned at the school. “I think keeping
sound in my head, for that melody line.” a vision helps you get through a lot of things that
There’s a cinematic quality to the music on may be tough at the time,” he explains. “College
ForEver that Crumbly’s tasteful use of effects was a bittersweet experience, because I was jug-
enhances, each song characterized by a distinct gling being on the road with [trumpeter] Terence
mood or atmosphere. “When I had an idea, and Blanchard and being in school full time. And a
then found the effects that were speaking to me for lot of the administration wasn’t cool with that,
that song, I think it definitely took me somewhere, but I had a dream job that I couldn’t say no to,
gave me this experience, and brought meaning and it was a dream for my parents that I went to
to the song. It amplified the whole experience.” college and finished. They weren’t so sure that I
As for instruments, Crumbly says there’s “a lot was able to do both, but when you have a vision,
of 4-string P bass” on ForEver. “I bought a 2012 though, you’re looking ahead. It also makes the
Fender American Special Precision Bass that I present moment sweeter at the same time. I also
found, all beat up, at Chicago Music Exchange,” learned how to be more disciplined, studying
he remembers. “When I brought it to soundcheck, with Ron Carter, getting to see how on point he
everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, it sounds amaz- is, and what a master he is, and the level that
ing.’ So, I put away all the other 5-string basses he expects of his students. He just believes in
that I had. It was fun, testing the limits of what a you infinitely. I think we should all believe in
P bass could do on this record.” On the ambient ourselves in that way, too.”
title track, however, Crumbly went back to what Ultimately, Crumbly says that making ForEver
he considers his first real instrument: an MTD was a “crazy adventure” that allowed him to
Kingston bass. “It’s actually a passive instrument,” explore the bass in a new way. “I feel like I’m on
he clarifies. “I switched things up a little bit. I a path that I can explore infinitely by way of the
hadn’t ever seen anyone using flatwounds on an bass and by way of emotion as well,” he explains.
MTD. So that’s what’s on there now.” “I just hope that my music is very inviting to
Songs like “Reflection” and “We’ll Be (Good)” whatever people may like. You don’t have to be a
are crafted around chords and double-stops for the jazz head or a rock head or whatever. I just want
central bass line, and Crumbly says his technique it to be a super-inviting, welcoming sound.”

FINGERSTYLE
FREAK FROM
FLORIDA! The brothers White: Edwin (left), drums, and Andy (right), guitar.
Psychedelic brothers’ duo Tonstartssbandht

get hi-fi on Petunia—creating a swirling universe
of expressionistic sound—but 6-stringer
Andy White still won’t put on a pair of shoes.
BY TZVI GLUCKIN

"I
get nervous if I have my shoes on together in their hometown of Orlando—and
when I am playing,” says Andy experimented with gear, holding out for perfect
White, the guitar half of the psy- takes, and even built an iso booth.
chedelic, krautrock-style, jam- “It definitely felt alien,” White says. “It was
centric duo Tonstartssbandht very weird, and I’ve second-guessed myself a
[pronounced: tone-starts-band]. “For some reason, lot of the time. ‘Should it be taking this long?
playing with shoes on just feels weird.” Should it sound so high fidelity? Are people
How weird? That’s hard to say, but playing going to hate us or think we sold out?’”
barefoot has helped the guitarist figure out a few Relative to the rest of their work, Petunia sounds
tricks and use it to his advantage. “I want to be like it was captured with Steely Dan-like preci-
able to know I have the option to do what I need sion. Their previous effort, Sorcerer, was recorded
to do on the fly or, at the very least, feel myself under completely different circumstances that
grounded,” he adds. “It all comes down to pedals at illustrate the brothers’ ability to embrace seren-
the end of the day. Even if it’s not tweaking them, dipity and circumstance. “Sorcerer was recorded
but just activating them, or turning them off.” at our old place, when Ed and I were both living
A duality—part mystical, part practical— in Brooklyn in a big, shared living and art space
describes White’s musical ethos as well as the called Le Wallet, in Bushwick,” White says. “If
history and evolution of Tonstartssbandht, which you could build a vocal booth within a vocal
he founded in 2008 with his older brother and booth, you would not be able to escape the
drummer, Edwin. The duo’s most recent release, noise, because the building was surrounded on
Petunia, marked a new phase in their develop- three sides by the elevated M train. I didn’t mind
ment, as they eschewed fuzz and lo-fi sonics in sleeping there, but you would not be able to get
favor of cleaner tones. Despite capturing live a quiet take unless you timed it perfectly for
instrumental takes, the album is very much a when the M wasn’t running for five minutes or
studio creation. The brothers took advantage so. We knew we were working with the ambient
of the downtime afforded by Covid—holed up noise of a train going by, or a roommate making

Seen here at Brooklyn’s Market Hotel, Andy dinner across the room who wants to shout or on our previous albums—it’s just a lot of trial
White splits his Strat’s signal into two something. There was no avoiding that.” and error with EQ in post. With Petunia, we had
vintage Gibson Lab Series amps to achieve The much more delicate sound of Petunia is a all the carefully recorded takes to work with, and
maximum tone density and psyched-out
fresh entry to the band’s discography. The album that’s why we brought it to other people to mix. It
ping-pong effects.
opens with “Pass Away,” a dreamy, spacious, took us long enough to figure out how to record
falsetto-laden jam that grows and grows, and it how we wanted to, and we didn’t want to fuck
yet never forgets it’s supposed to groove. White up what we worked on so hard by trying to mix it
layers chord extensions over an ostinato bass ourselves.” That also paid off by showcasing the
figure that’s played with his thumb and—check it haunting qualities within White’s voice, which
out—isn’t overdubbed. In fact, none of the guitar spins warm melodies and charms in airy falsetto
parts are. Even the hypnotic, uneven delays that for most of the album, but can drop into a growl-
complement the melodic, upper register double- ing attack when it’s time to bare teeth.
stops on “What Has Happened” were recorded White uses two solid-state Lab Series amps—he
as one complete take. White was able to create has both the L5 and L6 models—which he finds
a rich, detailed sonic image by carefully dialing break up to his liking and cover a broad tonal
in his amps, plus mixing. range. The Lab Series is from Gibson’s Norlin
“I have trouble sometimes,” he says. “If I set up era, the 1970 to 1986 period when the company
mics in a room and I think, ‘This sounds nice and was producing some of its wackiest products,
Photo by Todd Seelie
heavy for a two-man band,’ when I listen back to including offbeat guitars like the Marauder and
the recording, I can be disappointed because it Corvus, and solid-state amps that featured, for
doesn’t quite capture how heavy it sounded. If I the time, cutting-edge electronics designed by
am left to my own devices to mix—like we were sister Norlin company Moog. You don’t see Lab

Guitarist Andy White
insists that playing
barefoot keeps him
grounded. ”I get nervous if
I have my shoes on while
I’m playing,” he says.
Series amps around that often, and for White, Super Pulsar and tune it to make it exactly how
they’re perfect. “Some guitar guys tell me they I like, and then save it as a preset.”
have a tube sound without the finicky-ness of White’s recently developed pragmatic approach
tubes, and I’ve always found them to be very to gear applies to his guitars as well. He relies
reliable. I try to get a nice boost-y heavy bass on three: an SG and a Danelectro 12-string that
from the amps, and when it comes to recording are tuned to D standard, plus a Strat tuned to a
it, it’s luck and trial and error.” hybrid C# tuning of his own invention (C#–G#–
White runs the two amps simultaneously and C#–F#–G#–B), with its bridge stopped up with
bounces his signal between both—not a dry sig- cork to disable the tremolo.
nal in one amp and wet in the other—creating a “I went to the local guitar guy in Orlando and
ping-pong effect and fattening the sound. You can had him set up my guitar in that C# tuning,” he
hear that in action on Petunia, especially on songs says. “I can’t believe that I am 32 and I just figured
like “All of My Children” and the aforementioned out that may be a smart thing to do. It was very
“What Has Happened,” where he also leans rewarding. I took three guitars on the road. I just
heavily on an Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar. couldn’t be bothered spending so much time TIDBIT
“It uses a quarter-note tremolo really hard—like tuning and retuning on stage, and it paid off. I The White brothers made the
a strobe—and then one repeat 100 percent wet think my brother really appreciated not sitting best of the dearth of gigs
and dry delay on the dotted quarter,” White says. on the drums whistling to himself while I tuned incurred by the pandemic
and took their time recording

“I used to dial that in on the fly on a live show in the middle of a live show.”
Petunia, creating the most
and it would take forever to get it exactly right The guitarist fingerpicks with a raw style, using high-fidelity and detailed
tuning the tremolo ratio and getting the delay to just his thumb and index finger, with his other recording in the band’s
hit it just at the right swing. Now I just adjust the fingers anchored to the pickguard. He plays with extensive discography.

ANDY WHITE’S GEAR
GUITARS
• Danelectro 12-SDC
• Early ’70s Gibson SG with Bigsby
• Fender American Elite Stratocaster
AMPS
• Lab Series L5 2x12
• Lab Series L6 1x15 bass combo
EFFECTS
• Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner
• Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer
• Boss OC-3 Super Octave
• Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff
• Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar
• Electro-Harmonix Stereo
Memory Man with Hazarai
• DigiTech X-Series DigiDelay
• Boss RV-6 Reverb
• TC Helicon VoiceTone Create
(for vocals only)
STRINGS
• Ernie Ball Power Slinky
(.011–.048, for 6-strings)
• Ernie Ball (.010 sets, for 12-string)
Photo by Connor Fields

YOUTUBE IT
Witness the full effect of Andy White’s fin-
gerpicked stereo sound in this vibe-y take of
“Falloff,” from 2021’s Petunia.
YouTube search term: “Falloff” by TON-
STARTSSBANDHT live at Market Hotel,
Brooklyn, NY, October 28, 2021
the flesh, or pads, of his fingers and doesn’t use says. “If only one of us is soloing, it’s going to
his nails or fingerpicks. sound pretty fucked up. We do our best to sound
“I got into fingerpicking on an old nylon-string like a full band. If I am not playing chords and
that was my first guitar,” he says. “I don’t remember singing, I want to play leads like Michael Karoli.
a specific moment when I was like, ‘This is what I That feels funny—saying that Michael Karoli is
am going to do now,’ but I do remember that play- my favorite guitarist—because you don’t listen
ing guitar for me was about using a pick—playing to Can records for the guitars; you listen for the
power chords or big open chords—and then one whole sound.”
day I tried playing around with fingerpicking and Similarly, thanks to their combination of a
realized I could use my thumb and index finger practical, work-centric focus and just letting
and that it wasn’t that hard. I started writing and things happen, you listen to Tonstartssbandht
fingerpicking as much as I could, and then I got for the whole sound. But the comparisons end
into John Fahey and Davey Graham and that kind there, because the members of Can, for the most
of British folk and blues fingerpicking. A few part, usually wore shoes—you knew that was
years later, when I was playing with my brother coming back—which, as White said, isn’t his M.O.
in Tonstartssbandht—our music, at first, was like He prefers the spiritual high and knob-twisting
noise and drone and vocal-looping based. Slowly practicality of keeping his shoes off even if that
but surely, and maybe it had to do with being able does have its share of problems.
to express myself with tuning the amps correctly “It has come back to bite me,” he says. “If you
or finding the right guitar, fingerpicking became play a smaller place with grounding issues, you
something we could comfortably do together. He get electrocuted that much more if you’re not
could rip on the drums and I could fingerpick, wearing shoes. My dad has told me in the past,
and it wouldn’t sound too much like a hot mess. ‘Before you go on the road, go to Home Depot
It was cohesive.” and get an insulated rubber mat to stand on in
Cohesion aptly describes the duo’s improvisa- case you’re playing a place that has bad electric-
tions. They don’t jam in the soloist/accompani- ity. But as one is wont to do with their father, I
ment sense, but rather more in the group-focused hear his advice and think, ‘Shut up dad! That’s
style of ’70s-era krautrock bands like Can and a stupid idea.’ But it’s actually quite a good idea.
Popol Vuh. “There are only two of us,” White I should probably do it someday.”

The entire world of ’verb—
from traditional to extreme—
really does lie at your fingertips.
Here’s how to access it.
BY JOE GORE

Visit premierguitar.com to hear audio clips
and watch videos for this story.
T
his article is for recording guitarists eager space. Convolution reverb (also called impulse
to make the most of reverb plug-ins. We’ll response or IR reverb) creates “snapshots” of
explore the various reverb types, decode actual sonic spaces and audio devices. In convolu-
the controls you’re likely to encounter, tion, developers amplify a test tone in the targeted
and conclude with some suggestions for cool and space (or through a target piece of audio gear)
creative reverb effects. and record the results. The software compares
This is not a buyer’s guide, though you’ll the new recording to the dry test tone, and then
hear many different products. Our focus is com- it applies corresponding adjustments to any
mon reverb plug-in parameters and how to audio, making it sound as if it was recorded in
use them. Nearly all modern DAWs come with the modeled space or through the modeled gear.
good-sounding reverbs. You can also add superb (That’s how the speaker simulations work in most
third-party plug-ins. But there are also plenty of amp modelers.) Algorithmic and convolution
free and budget-priced reverbs—just google “free reverbs often perform the same tasks, just via
reverb plug-in.” different methods.
Reverb = delay. Reverb is merely a delay effect. But when we make musical choices, we rarely
Sounds traveling through air eventually encounter think, “This should be algorithmic and that should
surfaces. Some sound bounces off these surfaces, be convolution.” We’re usually trying to evoke a
producing a complex network of echoes, made particular sound: a place, an old analog device,
even more complex when the initial reflections a freaky sound not found in nature. So, let’s take
bounce off secondary surfaces. a whirlwind tour of reverb history, with thoughts
The controls on reverb plug-ins define how about obtaining those sounds via plug-ins.
the software mimics this process. Function names
can be confusing, but remember, everything A Haul-Ass Reverb History
relates to acoustic phenomena that you already Real spaces. Before the 20th century the only
understand intuitively. For example: reverbs were actual acoustic environments: caves,
castles, temples, tombs. It wasn’t till the 18th
• The space’s size. (The further a sound travels century that people began constructing spaces
before hitting a surface, the slower the echoes specifically for their sonic properties—the roots
arrive.) of the modern concert hall.
• The hardness of the reflective surfaces. (The Convolution reverbs excel at conjuring specific
harder the material, the louder, brighter, and places. Most IR reverbs include libraries of such
more plentiful the echoes. sounds. Some evoke iconic spaces and famed
• The relative angles of the reflective surfaces. (A studios. IRs can also mimic small spaces, like a
square room sounds different than a round one, closet or compact car.
which sounds different than a trapezoidal one.) In Clip 1, you hear the same acoustic guitar
• The presence of other objects. (Soft surfaces like snippet through IRs captured inside the Great
carpets, cushions, and acoustic foam diminish Pyramid of Giza, the isolation block at Alcatraz
the reverb, usually affecting some frequencies prison, Chartres cathedral, and the interior of
more than others.) a VW Beetle, all using Audio Ease’s Altiverb
• The listener’s location. (The further an ear or library. (For demo purposes, reverb is applied
microphone from the sound source, the more rather heavily in all audio examples.)
reverberation is perceived.) Echo chambers were the earliest form of
artificial reverb, though they aren’t all that arti-
Understanding Reverb Types ficial. The chamber is usually a room with hard,
By definition, all reverb plug-ins are digital. Most reflective surfaces. A loudspeaker in the chamber
are either algorithmic or convolution-based. amplifies dry recordings, and a distant micro-
Algorithmic reverbs employ delay, feedback, phone records the results. It’s still “real reverb,”
and filters to mimic sounds bouncing around in only it can be added and controlled independently

Image 1: Impulse
response reverbs
like Audio Ease’s
Altiverb excel
at cloning real
acoustic spaces.
By all means learn the subtler

functions, but don’t be surprised if
you use them only rarely."
from the original recording. This process evolved first company to make reverb-equipped amps,
during the 1930s and ’40s. The first popular but their early-’60s reverb units still define the
recording to use the effect was 1947’s “Peg o’ My effect for many guitarists.
Heart” by the Harmonicats, produced by audio The reverb effect is produced by routing the dry
genius Bill Putnam. signal through actual springs, with a microphone
During a recent recording session at Hollywood’s capturing the clangorous results and blending
Sunset Sound, I shot Video 1 in the famed Studio them with the original tone. Springs generally
A echo chamber, thanks to house engineer George sound splashy, trashy, and lo-fi, often in glorious
Janho. You’ve heard this very room countless ways. It’s an anarchic sound, best captured in a
times. The Doors and Van Halen made most of plug-in via IRs. Most of the spring reverb sounds in
their records here. You also hear this reverb on guitar modelers are IR-based. Meanwhile, reverb
“Whole Lotta Love,” the vocal tracks on the Stones’ stompboxes—usually algorithmic—mimic the
“Gimme Shelter,” Prince’s 1999 and Purple Rain, sound with varying degrees of success.
and countless other famous recordings. Plate reverb appeared in the late 1950s, ini-
Echo chambers are well represented in most tially in the Elektromesstechnik EMT-140, which
IR reverb libraries. Most algorithmic reverbs do remains a sonic gold standard. Plate reverb works
chambers as well, replicating the general effect similarly to spring reverb, but a massive metal
without modeling a particular space. You can even sheet replaces the springs. It’s generally a smooth,
find plug-ins dedicated to a specific chamber, sensuous sound relative to a spring. In Clip 2, you
like Universal Audio’s Capitol Chambers, which hear the same acoustic guitar snippet through
models the Hollywood chamber famously used impulse responses of a Fender spring reverb unit
by Frank Sinatra. and a vintage EMT-140 plate.
Spring reverbs. These were the first truly There are countless plate clones among today’s
artificial reverbs. They initially appeared in pre- reverb plug-ins. Some are convolutions based on
WWII Hammond organs, and by 1960 or so they analog gear. But algorithmic reverbs also excel at
had migrated to guitar amps. Fender wasn’t the faux-plate sounds. In fact, one of the initial goals

of early digital reverb was to replace cumbersome pricy ones. Higher prices are often based on the
mechanical plates. Speaking of which.… size and quality of the included IR libraries. Google
Digital reverb (the algorithmic kind) arrived in free reverb impulse responses for gratis goodies.
1976 via the EMT-250, also from Elektromesstechnik. Recent wrinkles. There are always interest-
Lexicon and AMS produced popular rivals. They ing new reverb developments. For example,
focused largely on mimicking rooms, chambers, Things — Texture from AudioThings and Silo
and plates. Sound quality has improved over the from Unfiltered Audio are anarchic granular
decades thanks to increased processing power reverbs that loop and manipulate tiny slices of
and clever programming. the reverb signal to create otherworldly effects
Today you can get far “better” algorithmic ranging from the brutal to the beautiful. Clip 3
reverb from plug-ins. But ironically, those primi- includes several granular reverb examples.
tive digital ’verbs are trendy again in pop produc- Some newer reverbs employ artificial intel-
tion. You can find precise clones of retro-digital ligence to modify the effect in real time based on
hardware in plug-in form. the audio input. iZotope’s Neoverb automatically
Convolution reverb debuted at the end of the filters out frequencies that can muddy your mix or
century, popularized by Sony’s DRE S777 unit. add unwanted artifacts. And Zynaptiq’s Adaptiverb
Convolution reverbs often have fewer controls generates reverb in a novel way: Instead of echoing
than their algorithmic cousins because most of the dry signal, it employs pitch-tracking oscillators
the process is baked into the impulse response. that generate reverb tails based on the dry signal.
Most convolution reverbs have similar sound It, too, excels at radical reverbs suitable for sound
quality. The free ones can sound as good as the design. Clip 4 demonstrates a few of its possibilities.
Image 2: Zynaptiq’s
innovative Adaptiverb
generates reverb
via pitch-tracking
oscillators rather
than delays and
feedback loops.

Image 3: You
can get cool, if
unpredictable,
results by dropping
random audio files
into an impulse
response reverb
like Logic Pro’s
Space Designer.
Common Reverb Plug-in Controls • Pan the dry signal and spring sound apart for a
The knob names on a reverb plug-in can get broad stereo effect. (Traditional spring reverb
confusing, but remember that they control vari- is strictly mono.)
ables that you already understand intuitively. • Add predelay, inserting space between the dry
Also, not all controls are equally important. The and wet signals. (If the plug-in has no predelay
most essential ones are the wet/dry balance and control, just add the effect to an effect bus with
the reverb decay time (how long it continues to a 100 percent wet, no-feedback delay upstream.)
sound). By all means learn the subtler functions, • Route a guitar signal to two different spring
but don’t be surprised if you use them only rarely. reverb sounds, panned apart.
Video 2 walks you through most of the controls • Assign the reverb to an effect send, add a
you’re likely to encounter on an algorithmic reverb compressor to the effect channel, and then
plug-in. I used ChromaVerb from Apple’s Logic Pro sidechain the compressor to the dry guitar
DAW for the demo, but you’ll encounter similar sound. That way, the reverb is ducked when
parameters on most algorithmic reverb plug-ins. the guitar is loud, but swells to full volume
during quiet passages.
Creative Reverb Ideas • Apply digital modulation to the wet signal for
Spring things. The single reverb knob on vintage detuned or pulsating effects.
amps is simply a wet/dry blend control. Some
spring reverbs add a dwell control to set the Clip 5 starts with a straightforward spring
amount of reverb input. Higher settings mean sound before demonstrating the above options
louder, longer reverberation. in order.
But in the digital realm, you can deploy old- Fender-style reverb is so ubiquitous that simply
fashioned spring reverb in newfangled ways. using less familiar spring sounds can be startling.
For example: Clip 6 is a smorgasbord of relatively obscure

In contrast to a spring’s lo-fi
clank, simulated plate reverb
is smooth and warm."
spring sounds from AudioThing’s Springs and reverb damping for an evolving effect that would
Amp Designer, Logic Pro’s amp modeler. have been difficult on hardware.
Finally, it can be exciting to use springs on Oh, the places you’ll go. Convolution reverbs
tracks that don’t usually get processed that way. usually have fewer controls than their algorithmic
For example, spring reverb is often considered cousins. You might do no more than adjust the
too quirky and lo-fi to use on acoustic guitar or wet/dry or fine-tune the decay time. But IR reverbs
vocals. But Clip 7 shows how attractive springs don’t have to be “plug and play”—especially if
can sound on voice and acoustic. (You hear the you create your own reverbs. It’s a surprisingly
dry sounds first.) simple process. (Some IR reverbs, like Altiverb
Unclean plates. In contrast to a spring’s lo-fi and Logic Pro’s Space Designer, come with an
clank, simulated plate reverb is smooth and warm. app to generate the needed signals and process
Even if your track already has spring reverb, the recordings for use.)
you might apply some plate ’verb to integrate Theoretically, you need a hi-fi PA system to
it into a mix. amplify the needed tones in the target space,
One creative avenue is deploying smooth plate and good microphones to capture the results.
reverb in relatively lo-fi ways. For example: But not always! I’ve captured cool IRs in my
travels with nothing more than an iPhone and a
• Try placing the reverb before an amp modeler spring-loaded clipboard in lieu of the traditional
on a track to mimic a reverb stompbox. That way, starter pistol. I’ve even obtained decent results
the reverb is colored by both amp and speaker. by clacking a couple of stones together. Clip 9
• Imagine a guitar amp with a huge metal plate includes quick and dirty IRs that I captured in a
inside instead of springs. If your amp modeler Neolithic cave painting site in France, a thousand-
lets you use pure amp sounds without speaker year-old ancient Anasazi ball court in Arizona,
modeling and vice-versa, try sandwiching a plate an ancient Greek stone quarry, a 19th-century
sound between two instances of amp modeler limestone kiln in Death Valley, and the inside
on the same track. Turn off the speaker sound of an acoustic guitar.
on the first amp sim and use only the speaker You can also get interesting, if unpredictable,
sound on the second one. This way, only the results loading random audio files into the IR
speaker colors the reverb. reverb. Clip 10 features a dry guitar snippet,
• Plate reverb also sounds great panned separately followed by bizarre reverb effects generated by
from the dry sound. drum loops, synth tones, and noises.
New sounds, new spaces. Using reverb plug-ins
Clip 8 starts with a conventional plate sound can be incredibly simple. Often it’s just a matter
before demoing the above ideas. of scrolling through factory presets, or making
Liquid reverb. Reverb plug-ins have one big basic balance and decay time adjustments. You
advantage over hardware: Everything can be can also use them in endlessly creative ways.
automated within your DAW. In Video 3 I’ve Whatever your goals, I hope this article helps
written automation for both the decay time and you find exactly the sounds you seek.

ACOUSTIC SOUNDBOARD
As the Covid Wars Continue,

So Do Supply Shortages
BY RICHARD JOHNSTON
A
s we all remember, Covid hit the music shops that make parts for guitar companies are
industry hard in early 2020: music stores working full time or even overtime, but that
and concert venues were closed, guitar doesn’t mean we’re back to normal. Whether it’s
manufacturers shut down, and in-person instruc- household appliances, new cars, or new guitars,
tion essentially disappeared almost overnight. the stumbling block—and one we’re sick of
Fortunately, lockdowns and the resulting surge hearing about—is a seemingly confused and
of interest in playing music at home proved that disorganized supply chain. Skyrocketing demand
even a pandemic couldn’t kill our love for the is thwarted by shipping delays and off-the-charts
guitar. And thanks to YouTube tutorials and Zoom price increases, while some parts have been
lessons, the number of hours that people actually discontinued simply because the manufacturer
RICHARD JOHNSTON
co-founded Gryphon played their instruments went from hardly-ever switched to making something more profitable.
Stringed Instruments
with Frank Ford in 1969.
(for some) to all-the-time. Maybe you couldn’t find And then there are the parts that go into making
He later shifted from that new guitar model you’d been saving for, but at parts, such as handles and latches for cases and
repairing vintage guitars
to writing about them, least you could play the guitar(s) you already had. even the all-important components needed in
and has contributed to For many players looking for a new instrument, the recipe for that lustrous finish.
dozens of magazines and
several books, the most 2021 began filled with hope but proved to be a It might seem like the right thing for guitar manu-
recent being Inventing year of waiting as Covid variants kept most North facturers to do would be to wait out these supply-
the American Guitar. He
appraises musical instru- American guitar makers off balance. But with each chain delays and not ship those nearly completed
ments for Antiques Road new year, there’s new hope. Despite Omicron, 2022 instruments until all of the right components have
Show on PBS.
has seen a breakthrough in guitar production, with arrived. But remember that at such a late stage in
more new instruments arriving in stores and online production, a lot of money has been invested in
sources having actual instruments to ship. However, those beautiful unstrung hulks hogging climate-
some of those new instruments aren’t exactly like controlled storage space that’s in short supply. For
the models depicted on the manufacturers’ web- small independent builders, waiting to deliver an
sites: The tuners or the pickguard may be slightly instrument for more than a couple of weeks simply
different, for instance, and the case you saw with isn’t an option. Bills and salaries must be paid.
a favorite model last year is not the same as the For those who relish the historical angle,
case included today. Are guitar makers resorting these latest parts swaps caused by supply-chain
to the old bait-and-switch? What gives? issues are a repeat of what guitar manufacturers
Welcome to Covid Wars, V2. We’ve more or faced 80 years ago, during WWII restrictions on
less learned how to live with the virus, luthiers the use of brass and steel, not to mention parts
are back at their benches, and the machinery is made overseas. Remember those 1940s Martins
humming. But now there’s a different problem: and Gibsons with cheesy lightweight tuners and
Getting the wood parts of a guitar machined, necks with no steel reinforcement? The end of
glued together, and finished isn’t much of an the war didn’t result in the immediate return to
issue, but when rounding up the other parts—all pre-war specs, and so it is with the war against
the made-elsewhere stuff needed to make that Covid, which is still far from being over.
beautiful wood sculpture into a functional and There’s not much you can do if your long-
shippable musical instrument—there’s often awaited dream guitar shows up with a few parts
something missing. Maybe the delivery of that that are different from what you were expecting,
subtle, vintage-look pickguard material is back- and it’s probably best not to complain too loudly
ordered, and where are those cases? Weren’t they to non-guitar-playing friends. If you’re healthy and
World War II was over, but this D-28— supposed to have arrived weeks ago? still playing music, you are a fortunate survivor
Martin’s highest model at the time—still
Perhaps we’re learning how to live with Covid of the Covid Wars and chances are good those
got shipped with about the cheapest
tuners you could imagine, with no rather than run and hide from it, and maybe both different tuners work just fine. Keep playing and
bushings and black screws, because of the manufacturing facilities that build guitars enjoy all those tunes and licks you learned while
supply chain issues. and the myriad of factories and small machine in lockdown!

THE ROOT OF IT ALL
The Hub of Hip-Hop Bass Playing

BY ANTHONY TIDD
W
hat’s in a name? How do names define us breaks; the history, musical complexities, and
and the lives we live? Within my culture, sophistication of jazz samples; the low-end-heavy,
everybody has both a given and “chosen head-knocking grooves and rhythmic precision
name.” A hub is literally the central part of a from drum machines; and, of course, the emcee’s
wheel, but symbolically it’s that thing around lyrics and rhymes, which gave it all meaning.
which all motion happens. Hub, aka Leonard Rich Nichols played an architectural role in
Hubbard, was the original bassist in the Roots, sculpting the Roots’ sound on record, but onstage
and one could argue that if hip-hop had a hub, this was the domain of the musicians—in particular,
it would be bass. Sadly, Hub lost his long battle drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, keyboard-
ANTHONY TIDD is
with cancer in December 2021. ist Scott Storch, and bassist Leonard “Hub” Hubbard.
a Grammy-winning I first met Hub when the then-unknown, Before they came along, it could be argued that the
musician, composer,
producer, curator, and Philadelphia-based band randomly moved to London instructions on how to really play hip-hop live didn’t
educator originally from in the early ’90s. It turned out this move was a strategy exist. The thought of a ’90s drummer being able to
London, now living in
Philadelphia and New suggested by jazz alto saxophonist Steve Coleman. sound like 7 seconds of looped Clyde Stubblefield
York City. “Move them to Europe and push them as a jazz act,” from the ’70s on vinyl was bizarre. The thought of
he is rumored to have told the band’s manager, the a bass player being able to mimic 808 bass drums
late great Richard Nichols. And so he did. tuned completely down with decay all the way out
In those days, hip-hop (distinct from rap music) was equally bizarre. However, the Roots achieved
was a thing, but live hip-hop was certainly not. these and so many other sounds essential to hip-hop.
The creation of hip-hop was very much wrapped Anybody fortunate enough to encounter a Roots
up in some unfortunate, shortsighted political show between 1992 and 2012 knew without a doubt
decisions that affected U.S. inner-city high school that they had mastered hip-hop! They became as
education. This led to the removal of music and comfortable with recreating classic sounds/breaks
art programs from those schools, which many of from the ’50s, ’60s, ’and 70s as they were with creat-
hip-hop’s architects attended. Access to musical ing their own iconic ’90s/’00s (and beyond) sound.
instruments became all the more rare, interrupt- The Roots eventually became the go-to “backing
ing an important thread that stretched back to band” for almost every major live hip-hop show,
Leonard “Hub” Hubbard was the founding a period somewhere between the abolition of beginning with their Okayplayer tours and maturing
bassist of the Roots, playing in the group
slavery and Louis Armstrong picking up a horn. over the course of 10 years of Roots Picnics. Today,
from 1992 to 2007. He lost a long battle
with cancer in December 2021. That arrested development continues to this day. they push their skill for metamorphosis even further
By the time the Roots came along, this thread/ into the realms of rock, pop, country, and whatever
tradition that ran through all African-American else nightly on The Tonight Show.
music had been almost completely severed. Fifteen For being a part of what made this all pos-
years earlier, a mostly instrument-less generation sible, Hub—the don of the black hoodie and
created hip-hop out of their deep need to be heard chew stick—deserves an honorable mention and
and express themselves, eventually turning to some credit. Hub’s approach to playing his ’90s
alternative methods: rapping, turntables, scratch- blonde Fender Jazz (with the white pickguard) or
ing, breakbeats, drum machines, and, eventually, completely battered upright was pretty different
samplers. So, in some ways late-’80s/early-’90s from what came before. It had to be.
hip-hop stood apart from—though it was still Take a listen to the Do You Want More?!!!??!
most definitely related to—what came before. album, for example. Respect of Groove! When
Thus, drummers and bassists within hip-hop he wasn’t taking extended mid-set, PA-system-
were an anomaly. In fact, hip-hop was actually a destroying bass solos, Hub never tried to be the
large part of the reason why they were out of work! most attention-grabbing or out-front bassist, like
Later on, live hip-hop bands such as the Roots maybe Jaco in Weather Report. But what he did
Photo by Ginny Suss
had to come up with a “new” language and approach endeavor to do, as the wise Reggie Washington
that worked for instruments, while still retaining would say, is “keep the bottom.”
all the things that people loved about this music: He succeeded. Who knows … maybe Fender
the groove, graininess, and nostalgia of old funk will create a signature Hub model?

MOD GARAGE
The Truth About Putting Vintage

Parts Into New Guitars
BY DIRK WACKER
W
elcome back to Mod Garage. This month Regarding quality and performance, it’s a clear
I want to give you some insight into put- NO! I have numerous customers doing exactly
ting vintage parts into new electric guitars the opposite, no matter if it’s sacrilege or not.
and explore why so many people are doing this. They want to play their vintage guitars but with
The trend to put old vintage parts into electric today’s highest possible performance, so they
guitars started years ago and it’s still in vogue take out the vintage parts, carefully storing them
today. But besides the hip factor, is it reasonable away, replacing them with modern 1:1 copies to
to do so? What can you expect, and are there spruce up the old guitars. This is often the case
specific situations where this makes sense for a with tuners, string trees, tremolos, and the like,
new electric guitar? In this column, we’ll have to and it’s important that the new parts will fit 1:1 so
DIRK WACKER lives in
Germany and has been face some sad and unpopular facts (and myths) no new holes need to be drilled to make them fit.
a guitar addict since age
5. He’s also a hardcore
about vintage guitars and vintage parts, so not Old and brittle plastic parts like pickguards and
DIY-er for guitars, amps, everyone will be happy about this. pickup covers are also stored away. You can buy
and stompboxes and runs
a website on the subject In general, the vintage world is not limited to modern plastic lookalikes easily and so the old
(singlecoil.com). When guitars or instruments. The scene includes a lot of parts are ready to drop in again when you want
not working at his guitar
workbench, he plays coun- categories, such as cars, watches, clothing, furniture, to sell the guitar someday. Vintage amp players
try, rockabilly, surf, and books, electric devices, and much more. But the basic are taking out the original speakers to protect and
flamenco. Contact him at
info@singlecoil.com. principles are always the same and there are many store them away. This way you can have both:
reasons why someone decides to jump on that wagon. Play your vintage guitar and amp with the high-
We don’t have to discuss putting vintage parts on est possible performance, plus keep their value
vintage guitars, which seems logical and natural. alive because you can always swap parts back to
On a vintage guitar, it’s all about stock condition stock condition. I have quite a few customers who
and authenticity, like on every vintage collector’s take out the complete electronics along with the
item, no matter what it is. pickguard, playing a modern substitute under the
Let’s start with sad vintage “truth” number one: hood because they don’t want to risk damage to
the original. And, believe it or not, a lot of them
Today we can build much better electric guitars say the new pickups and electronics sound better
than ever before. than the originals, but compared to the originals,
That’s not really bad news, if you’re not a vintage they are worthless. In general, this applies to all
Installing a vintage tone cap, like this guitar seller. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying vintage items. For example, today it’s possible to
paper-waxed capacitor (PIW), can make a the old vintage guitars are obsolete or bad in build better cars and watches than ever before ...
noticeable difference in your guitar’s tone, comparison with the ones we can build today. but they don’t make them like they used to, which
because vintage caps leak more rich and
But with today’s high-tech equipment, the level is one of the number one pro-vintage arguments.
detailed overtones than new tone caps.
of consistent quality is outstanding and close to Naturally, there could be other reasons—includ-
perfect. All instruments produced that way are ing emotional ones—to put vintage hardware on
more or less completely identical. Vintage guitars, a new electric guitar. This is highly individual.
even if built by the same persons on the same day, Maybe it’s just for fun because it was already
are virtually all individual items, which for sure is lying around, or it looks cooler because it’s used
one of the main keys to their magic. And naturally and beaten up. But this can be had cheaper—the
everyone wants to own an individual item rather market for aged guitar parts is huge. Or maybe
Photo courtesy of singlecoil.com
than an industrial, mass-produced object. one of your favorite artists did something that you
Today we can build tuners that are far ahead want to copy. This also applies to a lot of other
of what was possible in the ’50s and ’60s, as well vintage stuff like cars and watches—who doesn’t
as bridges and tremolos that are little mechanical want to drive a Porsche 550 Spyder model like
pieces of art regarding precision and accuracy. So, James Dean or wear the same Rolex Submariner
does it make sense to put vintage hardware on a 6538 that James Bond wore in 1962 during his first
new electric guitar? appearance in Dr. No?

But maybe it’s because people think putting modern guitar. There is no financial risk. They will
vintage parts into a new guitar will increase its increase in value, so if you ever want to sell them
value. This leads us straight to sad vintage “truth” again you will get more than you paid, enjoying
number two: their tone in the meantime. Keep in mind that
companies also spent years to analyze, research,
A new electric guitar with vintage parts fetches more and re-engineer vintage pickups and today you
money than it does in stock condition. can buy almost every given pickup you’re looking
This is simply not true, at least when sold as one for and as close as possible to its original. Such
piece with the vintage parts built into the guitar. pickups are a lot cheaper compared to a vintage
Like any modification, this will not increase the set, but naturally this is no investment.
value of a new guitar—time and being witness to
countless auctions has proven this. But this is the 2. Putting vintage tone caps into a new electric
perfect transition to sad “truth” number three: guitar.
This is for sure a reasonable procedure to quickly
A vintage guitar makes the most profit when sold enhance the tone of a new electric guitar. Installing
completely intact. a vintage tone cap into a guitar is also done eas-
Exactly the opposite is true. If you want to make ily because it’s a simple 1:1 swap with the original
the most profit, nothing beats completely disas- tone cap. It’s still possible to find NOS vintage tone
sembling a vintage guitar and selling it in pieces. caps today, but prices are rising while supplies are
I know some vintage parts dealers in Europe and running out. Why is this an improvement in tone?
the U.S.—I’ve worked with some of them for over The tone of vintage guitars is often described as
two decades—and they’re all doing the same thing: detailed, harmonically rich, and open. Part of this
finding vintage guitars that are for sale, disassem- tone is from the tone cap. Today capacitors are built
bling them, and selling off the individual parts. to perfection and with very low tolerances so they
One dealer told me this: If you can sell a vintage will do a perfect job. In our electric guitars we use
guitar for $10k, take it all apart and you can make them to only short out the highs against ground,
$15k with the individual parts. So, if you put vintage leaving the bass untouched ... in very simple words.
parts on a new guitar that you want to sell, take Production processes to build capacitors in the
out the vintage parts and sell them off individu- ’50s and ’60s were far from perfect, and besides high
ally to make top dollar. (It’s not a bad idea to store tolerances in capacitance, certain caps (depending
away any hardware you remove from your guitars, on the dielectric inside) tend to be kind of “leaky”
because you might need to put it back in later.) regarding overtones. A modern cap will do a perfect
So, are there any instances where it does make job, filtering out all overtones that it’s supposed to.
sense to put vintage parts in a new guitar? I would Most vintage caps will do a lousy job, still letting some
say yes, and I can think of two good considerations: overtones through, especially the harmonic ones.
This is what makes the tone so rich and detailed, and,
1. Putting vintage pickups into a new electric guitar. by the way, it’s the same situation with tube amps.
Putting vintage switches, pots, output jacks, and wires With a faithful recreation of a vintage pickup
into a new guitar is not reasonable. The pickup- plus a vintage tone cap, you can come very close
selector switches are still made the same way now to the magical sound, so investing in a tested
as they were in the past. Only the materials have NOS tone cap can make a big tonal difference,
changed a bit, enhancing reliability and longevity. whereas a new cap can’t. Sometimes imperfection
So why spend $600 for a vintage CRL 3-way switch to a certain degree can be exactly the thing you’re
when you can get much better performance for $30? looking for regarding tone. Back in the golden
A switch has no tone, so leave the vintage switch for guitar days, no one really cared about such odd
a vintage guitar. Same with pots: They don’t have details, and even if they did ... it was state of the
a tone and modern pots are much more reliable. art and all new technologies were still science-
Companies spent years researching the taper and fiction at that time. Today we know better and
action of vintage pots and you can buy exact vintage can use old technology for certain tasks.
copies for only a few bucks. You get the idea. That’s it for now. Next month we’ll explore
However, if you fall in love with a set of vintage our next guitar mod, so stay tuned. Until then ...
pickups, it can make sense to put them into your keep on modding!

STATE OF THE STOMP
The Perfection of Imperfections

BY BARRY O’NEAL
I
n your guitar pedal dealings, you may have into the mathematical weeds, here’s a couple
heard the phrase “component tolerances.” examples. Take Fig. 1, where a very simple
Nearly every component in a pedal is marked resistor/capacitor low-pass filter is shown. This
with a value, and ideally every component in filter’s corner frequency [Fig. 2] is determined
your pedal would be that exact value, not one by the value of the resistor and capacitor, and
bit more and not one bit less. So, every 1k-ohm that frequency has a certain sensitivity to varia-
resistor would be exactly 1.0000000000000k tions of those values. [Note: The corner frequency
ohm and every 10 µF capacitor would be exactly is also known as the cut-off frequency—frequencies
10.0000000000000 µF. In this supernatural above this point will be attenuated by the low-pass
circuit situation, every pedal would sound iden- filter.] In this particular circuit, if we wiggle the
BARRY O'NEAL is the
Chief Puzzle Solver at tical. There would be no deviations from each capacitance value by 10 percent, the corner fre-
XAct Tone Solutions in component’s intended value, and there would be quency will move by approximately 10 percent.
Nashville, Tennessee.
He and the team at XTS no deviations from the effect’s intended sound The corner frequency of the inductor/capacitor
design and build guitar
rigs and effects pedals for
(all other things being equal). Unfortunately, we low-pass filter in Fig. � has a different sensitivity
musicians of all styles. cannot hope to achieve this sort of metric perfec- to changes in the value of the capacitor. If we
When not designing stuff
for guitar players, Barry tion in the real world. While perfection may not increase the value of the capacitor by 10 percent,
enjoys time with his ever be attained, it is also not often required, and the corner frequency of the filter moves by
family … and thinking
about designing stuff for all the circuits we interact with day in and day approximately five percent. So, we can say that
guitar players. He can be out can tolerate some sort of variation in their the corner frequency of the Fig. 3 circuit is less
reached via xacttone.com.
components’ value. sensitive to changes in the capacitance than the
Your pedal’s designer specifies every compo- Fig. 1 circuit. If you want to build circuits that
nent value in a design to result in a particular are more forgiving of changes in component
timbre or function and needs to know how values, you can make some design decisions
much each component employed might vary that will help!
from that specified value. When manufacturers You can also quantify what difference com-
make parts, they specify the nominal value and ponent variation will make in the context of
Fig. 1 a particular tolerance value. Often, this tolerance your particular application. Let’s assume we’re
is specified as a percentage of the nominal value. employing the circuit in Fig. 1 as a pedal power
So, a 10-percent tolerance in a 1k-ohm resistor supply filter. Let’s set resistance at 470 ohms and
could be anywhere from 900 ohms and 1100 capacitance at 220 µF. We know we’re primar-
ohms. The higher the tolerance figure, the ily wanting to filter 60 Hz hum from our power
more variation you can expect in the value of line, and at this nominal value of R (resistance)
a given component. and C (capacitance), we can attenuate 60 Hz by
While more variation may seem like strictly approximately 32 dB. If we choose a 20-percent
bad news at first blush, it does have some ben- capacitor, in the worst case, our C drops 20
efits—principally, cost. The machines and pro- percent to 176 µF and we only reduce that 60 Hz
cesses required to make a one-percent resistor noise by 30 dB. In practice, that difference of 2 dB
are cheaper and faster than those required to probably won’t result in a dramatic difference in
Fig. 2 make a resistor of arbitrarily higher precision. performance. This tolerance to higher tolerance
Consequently, a run-of-the-mill one-percent parts is one of the reasons why we see 20-percent
tolerance resistor may cost five cents while its capacitors in big power supplies. When bigger is
0.005-percent laser-trimmed counterpart costs better, some amount of overkill can make varia-
$12. If vintage pedal prices are starting to make tions in value a non-issue, practically.
you queasy, know that it could be much worse. Whether you’re bending your own circuits
Demand plays a major role in cost as well, as it is or just trying to figure out why you can’t find a
pretty rare that you need a 0.005-percent resistor. backup that’s quite as good as your No. 1 dirtbox,
So, what difference does tolerance make and you might consider how the imperfections in
how do we know when we need to splurge for those little devices inside our devices add up
Fig. 3 the caviar components? Without getting too far to make something special.

RECORDING DOJO
Why You Should Try Reamping

BY BRYAN CLARK
W
elcome to another Dojo! This time I’m your interface, you might need the TRS-to-male
going to show you how to reamp your XLR cable previously mentioned.
guitar and explore some creative ways Look at Fig. 1 and do the following: Plug the
you can reamp other tracks as well (soft synths, XLR end of the cable from your audio interface’s
vocals, drums, etc.). In my earlier column “Why out into the input of your reamp box. Now use
Guitarists Shouldn’t Diss DIs,” I mentioned the your regular guitar cable and connect the output
benefits of using a DI for creative recording. of your reamp box to the input of your amp. Place
If you have a DI box, dust it off! You’ll need it a microphone in front of your guitar amp, plug
when I show you how to get more out of your that into your interface, and record-enable that
BRYAN CLARK is a
DI-recorded guitar and bass tracks by reamping track. When you hit playback, the DI track will
Billboard-charting, multi- them into your pedals and amps to capture new play back through your amp, and you will be
genre guitarist, producer,
and engineer at the world- perspectives and even add some new reverber- recording the amp. You’re now reamping! You
renowned Blackbird Studio ant spaces. Tighten up your belts, the Dojo is can make new recordings each time you change
in Nashville, Tennessee.
For more info, free lessons, now open. amp settings or mic positions.
and to hear him shred, go To begin, you’re going to need a reamp box such For even more craziness, check out Fig. �. You
to bryanclarkmusic.com.
as the Radial JCR Studio Reamper ($229 street) can add any (and all) pedals (even entire pedal-
and most likely a TRS-to-male XLR cable (like boards) into the signal chain. Get creative. But
the Hosa HSX-003, $11 street). I like passive reamp wait, there’s more!
boxes because they don’t require external power You can also route any track’s output in your
and are easy to move around. Some would argue DAW to your reamp box and really start going ber-
that passive models loose signal strength, which is serk. Try your lead vocal, the background vocals,
true, but how many boost/overdrive pedals do we keys, and drums (especially drum machines) and
guitarists have? At least one, right? Put one after the listen to how it sounds. Reamping also gives you
reamp box and before your amp. Boom. Problem the ability to manually tweak pedal knobs and
solved, and you can drive your amp even harder. make dynamic parts that are really changing as
Otherwise, you’re going to shell out more dinero the track plays. Try playing with the times and
for active reamp boxes, which isn’t really necessary, feedback amount of your delays. Fun!
and I like the inherent lo-fi nature of this process. Finally, depending on how much you are driving
Reamping is a two-part endeavor. The first your amp, you could keep it clean, move the mic
part involves using a DI box to record the guitar further away from the speaker, and start capturing
directly into your DAW. If you’re unsure how to more of the sound of your room. I like to do this
do this, I recommend going online and reading on drum machines. It puts them in a real space.
my Dojo article mentioned above. It’s very easy Specifically, your space. No reverb plug-in can
and straightforward. The second part involves get that! As always, I invite you to come by my
routing the DI-recorded guitar track out of your website to hear and see these concepts in action.
DAW and into your reamp pedal. Depending on Until next time, namaste.
Fig. 1 Fig. 2

TOOLS FOR THE TASK
10 Budget-Friendly Studio Monitors

One of the most important aspects of your audio signal chain is how you hear your creations. For those dipping into
the home-studio life, here are 10 entry-level options for monitors that balance power, portability, and price.
1
KALI AUDIO
LP-6 V2
The latest iteration of Kali’s LP-6 is loaded with an 80- 2
watt, class-D amp and a 6.5" woofer that can churn out a
max SPL of 115 dB. Inputs include RCA, TRS, and XLR.
$199 each
kaliaudio.com
1
2
BEHRINGER
MS16
Aimed for entry-level musicians, this compact, 8-watt
affair has dedicated treble and bass controls on the front
along with a TRS mic input with level control. A built-in
mixer makes playing along with backing tracks a breeze.
$99 pair
behringer.com
4
3
M-AUDIO
BX5 D3
A 5" Kevlar woofer (bulletproof?) is the highlight of
this affordable monitor set. The front panel is sleek and
doesn’t offer any tangible control. All the inputs (XLR and 3
TRS), volume control, and power switch are around back.
$149 each
m-audio.com
4
KRK
Classic 5
Even with a 5" woofer, this two-way monitor offers a total
of 50 watts of power with 30 watts driving the woofer and
20 watts for the tweeter. It has an optional bass boost,
front-firing port, and high- and low-frequency controls.
$134 each
krkmusic.com
5
5
ALESIS
Elevate 5 MkII
This pair offers 40 watts of power in a magnetically
shielded enclosure to curb interference. Rear controls
include a switchable bass boost and RCA and XLR inputs.
$139 pair
alesis.com

6
MACKIE
CR3-X
6 These ultra-portable monitors combine a silk dome
tweeter and a 3" woofer into an extremely affordable
package. A headphone jack is on front and TRS, RCA, and
unbalanced stereo-in inputs are featured on the back.
$99 pair
mackie.com
7
JBL
1 Series 104-BT
This set is powered by an integrated class-D, 60-watt
amp that distributes 30 watts to each speaker. The 4.5"
woofer can kick up to 104 dB SPL. Inputs include aux,
7 RCA, and TRS along with Bluetooth connectivity.
$199 pair
jblpro.com
8
TANNOY
8 Reveal 502
A front-firing bass port allows for placement near walls.
Inside is a 75-watt, bi-amp design that puts out 50 watts
in the lows and mids and 25 watts in the highs.
$149 each
tannoy.com
9
PRESONUS
ERIS E3.5
These portable monitors offer simple control with an aux
9 input, a headphone output, and a volume knob. They come
packed with balanced TRS and RCA inputs. Even with a
3.5" woofer, a 50-watt engine pushes a peak of 100 dB.
$99 pair
Presonus.com
10 10
SAMSON
MediaOne BT3
These portable speakers have a 3" woofer and 1" tweeter
with 15 watts per channel. Around back is Bluetooth
capability, RCA inputs, and passive output terminals.
$91 pair
samsontech.com

REVIEWS
Quick Hits
MXR ACORN
Tom Morello Power 50 TMA-1
BY JASON SHADRICK BY CHARLES SAUFLEY
One of the great joys of any guitar I’ll admit it: The Kubrick fanatic
journey is stumbling on happy acci- in me made it impossible to ignore
dents. Tom Morello has made an the HAL-9000 inspired Acorn
entire career of turning those acci- TMA-1. But I would love the sound
dents into timeless riffs and signa- of this thing if it looked like an egg
ture “non-guitar” sounds. Morello’s carton. Acorn calls the TMA-1 a
signature MXR Power 50 Overdrive, which is ostensibly built four-stage transistor fuzz, which
for Marshall-in-a-box tones, delivers those sounds with a twist. is generally shorthand for “Big Muff.” The circuit board
For decades, Morello has rocked the same Marshall JCM800 looks the part. And certainly, the TMA-1’s biggest voice is
2205 50-watt head he acquired in 1988. At the time, he wasn’t that as brutish as the nastiest Big Muff. But it’s also highly tun-
gear savvy and, unconventionally, routed all his pedals through able. The tone knob ranges from doomy to garage-psych
the effects loop. Morello dug the sound and has kept the signal ’66 sizzly. There are plenty of growly sub-maximum gain
flow the same ever since. The Power 50 is built to approximate that settings to work with, and a ton of volume on tap, too.
amp’s topology and his unorthodox application of the effects loop. But the TMA-1 transcends simple big-fat-fuzz status—
Though the Power 50 is built to do unconventional things, and earns the right to its near $200 price tag—thanks to
the primary controls will be familiar to any Marshall player. its clipping options. The four clipping diodes and two
There’s a sensitive and interactive 3-band EQ, gain, volume, mode switches mean you can select between germanium
and a tiny knob for presence control. The effects loop is diode clipping and silicon diode clipping at two different
critical for capturing the most authentic Morello sounds. points in the circuit’s gain stage—or opt for a terrifying
Route your effects through the loop, plug into nearly any bypass of the clipping stage entirely that makes the TMA-1
amp, and—boom. Instant Rage. preposterously huge. Clipping options yield a super-wide
Even if you don’t employ the effects loop the crunchy range of tones that vary drastically in output volume and
Marshall-style tones sound and feel authentic. span textures from fizzy to all-germanium settings that can
And though the range of gain isn’t as wide as you might yield dynamic medium-high-gain overdrive to massiveness
find on some other overdrive pedals, I think that’s totally okay. that’s best measured in megatons. Construction quality, by
The Power 50 was designed to cop a very specific sound, not the way, is superb inside and out. And if you can overcome
be a rainbow of different dirt tones. It’s refreshing to hear an fear of the TMA-1 becoming malevolently self-aware, you
overdrive that can deliver a singular signature sound while might never want to turn it off.
encouraging unusual approaches to getting new ones.
TEST GEAR Fender Telecaster, Fender Telecaster Deluxe with Curtis
TEST GEAR Fender HSS Stratocaster, Schroeder Chopper TL, Revv Novak Wide Range pickups, Rickenbacker 330, Fender Tremolux,
D20, Fender Hot-Rod Deluxe Magnatone Starlite
RATINGS PROS Excellent Marshall- RATINGS PROS Expansive range of

style tones. Very interactive massive to fizzy fuzz tones.
Tones EQ section. Tones Killer studio tool. Top-notch
Ease of Use Ease of Use build. Looks awesome.
Build/Design CONS Available gain may fall Build/Design
Value short for some metal players. Value CONS Clipping options can
Presence control is subtle. make gain settings a maze.
$189 street $199 street
jimdunlop.com acornamps.com
Hear a demo now at premierguitar.com Hear a demo now at premierguitar.com

THE SECRET
IS OUT
When Lee Harris
conceptualized
the Saucerful Of Secrets
he knew he could not
skimp on his tone. He chose
the best tools for the job:
the HI-TONE HT50 DG and
Eclipse 4x12 cab.
Catch Lee and Nick Mason’s

Saucerful of Secrets on tour in 2022!
HI-TONE-AMPS.COM
Photo: Robert Grablewski
REVIEWS
WATCH THE REVIEW
Maestro
DEMO NOW AT
premierguitar.com
FZ-M, Comet Chorus, Invader Distortion,

Discoverer Delay, and Ranger Overdrive
By Charles Saufley
The resurrection of Maestro as a stompbox- look awesome, offer practical functionality, be excited about what oddities and original
building concern has been a real breath of fresh and sound great by just about any measure. sounds might lie in wait. But for now, these new
air. With their colorful, substantial enclosures The beauty of Maestro’s stomps runs deeper cornerstone introductions suggest that Maestro
and illuminated bugle logos, Maestro’s five than cool, colorful enclosures. There are a lot of is embracing the creative possibilities of a new
new stomps recall an era when effects pedals compelling and often distinctive sounds in these all-analog pedal line and aiming for sounds and
were still, thrillingly, working through their effects. And with the promise of even more new functionality that offer real alternatives on the
infancy. Call them retro if you want, but they releases before the end of 2022, it’s hard to not more accessible side of the cost spectrum.
FZ-M Fuzz
RATINGS
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
T
hough much has been made about Maestro’s the silicon Fuzzrite, silicon Bosstone, and, to some Value
return to the fuzz space, the new FZ-M extent, the MkIII Tone Bender. (Of the fuzzes I used
is a very different animal than the 3-volt, for comparison, a silicon Fuzzrite was the closest
AA battery-powered FZ-1 that appeared in 1962. match.) And though the FZ-M is hot in the treble PROS Many authentic
Maestro is tight-lipped about the FZ-M’s design zone, there is a cool high-midrange honk that adds mid-’60s sounds on tap.
particulars. But Craig Hockenberry, director of a smooth, almost saxophone-like resonance and Effective “modern” voice.
engineering at Maestro, says the FZ-M employs complexity that keeps it from sounding too sizzly. Cool clean-ish response to
a six-transistor design. By comparison, the While the FZ-M, with its silicon transistors, is guitar volume attenuation.
Maestro FZ-1 used just three transistors and an less responsive to guitar volume attenuation than
Electro-Harmonix Big some vintage germanium fuzzes, the FZ-M retains CONS Not a ton of sustain
Muff used four. Other a surprising amount of body and bite without if that’s what you’re
than the beastly Shin- sounding too thin. It can’t match the fuzzy-to-clean looking for.
Ei Super Fuzz, few dynamic range of, say, a germanium Fuzz Face, but
fuzzes use six. there are still many medium-gain and near-clean
While the FZ-M is tones accessible via your guitar volume knob. The $149 street
not an FZ-1 reissue, meatier “modern” mode adds midrange to the
Maestro captures a lot of output that makes chord overtones clearer and
the sonic essence of mid- tighter. It also adds more of the singing sonorities
’60s fuzzes like the FZ-1 that increase sustain.
that eludes other build- The FZ-M sounds pretty distinctive, which
ers. In vintage mode, the is not easy in a flooded fuzz sphere. Players that
FZ-M has the snarling value sustain above all things may find the FZ-M
top-end focus and rasp lacking compared to something like a Big Muff.
that makes mid-’60s But the FZ-M is rich with character, loud, and
fuzzes cut so prominent- equally capable of buzzy garage-psych lines and
ly. There’s more gain and articulate chords, depending on where you set
volume than an FZ-1, the classic/modern switch. That combination of
which makes the FZ-M’s capabilities is no mean feat, and the FZ-M does
voice more aligned with it all at a very nice price.

Comet Chorus
RATINGS
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
M
ost good chorus pedals can generate a upstream. But the syrupy-thick modulations that Value
reasonable facsimile of a rotary speaker result can sound awesome in a spare mix.
sound. The Comet Chorus, however, The Comet’s coolest feature might be its “orbit”
makes deep, rotary-like modulations the founda- mode, which adds tremolo to the already rich PROS Very hip rotary-
tion of its voice. While you can generate ’70s- and modulations. At modest depth and mix settings, the style sounds. Vibrato and
’80s-style chorus textures, there aren’t a wealth tremolo lends subtle complexity to the modulation tremolo sounds evoke
of tones here that match the liquid shimmer waves. But at higher settings there’s more than a Magnatone and brown-
you associate with Roland, Boss, Ibanez, or EHX hint of an old Magnatone or Fender brown-panel panel modulation.
analog chorus from that era. Where the signature amp’s throbby pitch wobble—sounds that lend
sounds of those units are distinguished, in part, greasy attitude to simple chord arpeggios and sass CONS Eighties chorus
by high harmonics that suggest ringing octave to soulful chord melodies and leads. devotees may miss
and unison strings from a 12-string, the Comet’s The Comet Chorus is a really lovely modula- shimmery vintage
modulations have less sheen and excitability in tor—largely because it’s able to occupy unusual sounds. Volume
the high frequencies—producing darker, pulsing, spaces that mix and bridge vibrato, chorus, and compensation at high mix
and arguably more mysterious chorus tones that rotary speaker tones. Users hell-bent on nailing levels can muddy output.
evoke a Leslie or Fender Vibratone. vintage-’80s chorus tones down to the letter may
These modulations are an exciting alternative come away disappointed. For everyone else, there
to canonical ’70s and ’80s chorus tones. But a lot are a wealth of cool, even unusual modulation $149 street
of the Comet’s magic is its capacity to mix rotary- tones to mess with.
style sounds and vintage bucket brigade chorus
to relatively unique ends. The Comet’s versatility
even extends to generating cool vibrato tones at
high mix and depth levels. And while I couldn’t
match the queasiest, most intense textures of a
dedicated vibrato unit, like a Boss VB-2, the Comet
can sound like a cross between a dark vibrato and
a Vibratone rotary speaker—a composite that, like
actual rotary/chorus blends, can be mesmerizing.
One interesting facet of the Comet’s voice is the
way that it thickens your tone and seems to add
volume as you advance the mix. This can mean less
defined modulations if you situate a gain source
The Comet Chorus is a

really lovely modulator—
largely because it’s
able to occupy unusual
spaces that mix and
bridge vibrato, chorus, and
rotary speaker tones."

REVIEWS
Invader Distortion
RATINGS
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
W
hile arguments over overdrives and and less raspy. A battered MXR Distortion+ was Value
fuzz inspire no end of vitriol among perhaps the closet match, but still didn’t sound
guitarists, distortion pedals—in strange quite as open or detailed as the Invader. Part of the
inverse proportion to their aggressiveness—don’t perceived (and very relative) clarity in the Invader PROS Airy and articulate.
seem to ignite the same feistiness amongst their is down to its inherent brightness and presence, Loud.
proponents. Maybe that’s because almost any which it mostly achieves without sounding shrill.
half-decent distortion pedal has the potential to There’s also the copious headroom. The Invader CONS Some players will
transform a couple power chords into a Sunset is loud—it’s little wonder why Maestro included miss low-end mass.
Strip smash and unleash your inner riff animal. a noise gate switch—so you can be very surgical
The Maestro Invader excels at delivering such and selective about how much distortion and bite
thrills. But it also offers a spacious voice that you want to add on top. $149 street
leaves lots of room for detail and quick-picking The merits of these attributes are subjective, of
nuance. It’s no less rowdy than any of the clas- course. I love the woof, compression, and darker
sic distortions, but it tends to color your guitar’s capabilities of the RAT2, for instance. And even at
sound much less and, in some cases, lets your its bassiest settings the Invader can’t deliver that
amp breathe a lot more. pedal’s mysterious, cloudy sense of mass. For some
I don’t own a raft of distortion pedals, but I was players, though, the Invader will represent an ideal
able to run the Invader alongside a few classics. counterpoint to those hazier distortion tones. If
Compared to an ancient RAT2, the Invader was you crave note articulation, massive volume, and
much brighter and sounded a lot less compressed. the capacity to rise above a thick mix, the Invader
Alongside a Boss DS-1, it sounded airier, fuller, is a distinctive sounding distortion alternative.
The Invader is loud—

it’s little wonder why
Maestro included a noise
gate switch—so you can
be very surgical and se-
lective about how much
distortion and bite you
want to add on top."

THE LARGEST SELECTION OF
ENCLOSURES & TRANSFORMERS
FOR YOUR DIY GUITAR GEAR
Walnut Side
Chassis – Steel, Die-Cast Aluminum, &
#HammondEnclosures
Hammond Manufacturing | www.hammondmfg.com
The Capo Company
Performance 3 Guitar Capo
OFFERS
UNRIVALLED
TUNING STABILITY
SO YOU FOCUS ON
YOUR PLAYING
www.G7th.com

REVIEWS
Discoverer Delay
RATINGS
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
Value
B
ucket brigade delay, like copious heaps a result, the Discoverer’s basic architecture and
of butter, tends to make everything more functionality starts to look and sound a lot like
delicious. So it goes with the Discoverer an old EHX Deluxe Memory Man. But there are PROS Control
Delay. Fundamentally, there isn’t a ton of differ- subtle differences between the modulation in the layout encourages
ence between the voice of the Discoverer and other two. The DMM’s vibrato modulations, at least on improvisational, on-the-fly
affordable bucket brigade delays like the MXR my vintage unit, have a very trebly and squiggly parameter adjustments.
Carbon Copy and the Ibanez Analog Delay Mini. quality. The Discoverer’s, by contrast, are throatier, Sweetly resonant
Like those pedals, it tops out at about 600 milli- smoother, and more present in the low-midrange, modulation.
seconds of delay, and a bit of clock noise is almost as well as a tiny bit faster, giving the Discoverer’s
always present in the repeats. The Discoverer’s modulations a more rotary-speaker-like voice. CONS Some top-end signal
repeats, however, are ever-so-slightly darker and The results are intoxicating and addictive, to say loss in initial attack.
hazier than the echoes from those units. The the least.
Discover also colors the attack of an initial note Old-school Deluxe Memory Man users that
in a similar way. Depending on your tastes and creatively utilize the scale and spacing of the origi- $149 street
objectives, these are not things, and can be counted nal DMM’s controls for oscillation and pitch-shift
among the attributes that draw players to bucket effects will also be thrilled with how the Explorer’s
brigade delay in the first place. layout facilitates many of the same moves. All three
What really distinguishes the Discoverer is knobs can be adjusted simultaneously with an
its modulation. Not coincidentally, perhaps, the easy three-finger grip, and the knobs turn with a
modulation in the Discoverer has a bit in common smooth resistance that makes fluid, improvisational
with the vibrato sounds in the Comet Chorus. As moves a piece of cake.
What really
distinguishes the
Discoverer is its
modulation."

Ranger Overdrive
RATINGS
Tones
Ease of Use
Build/Design
Value
C
arving out unique sounds isn’t easy in the Like a Klon, there is a basic high-fidelity feel to
overdrive realm. Even among very differ- the Ranger. And compared to a vintage TS9 or a
ent overdrive pedals, you’ll often find a Boss SD-1, the Ranger is discernibly more oxygen- PROS Great clarity that
lot of audible crossover in tonality—particularly ated and open-sounding in many of the same ways leaves room for amp and
when you add additional pedals to the mix. that distinguish a Klon from those pedals. There guitar to breathe. Great
And because Maestro has thus far been pretty are still obvious differences in the performance gain range.
secretive about what goes on under the hood, envelope of the Ranger and the Klon-type pedals I
it’s hard to say which overdrive circuit, if any, used for comparison. The EHX Soul Food and Tone CONS Players with dark
inspired this design. To my ear, however, the Bakery Creme Brulee I used as Klon stand-ins (the amps might like more
basic voice aligns closely in both sound and feel latter was a near dead-ringer for the real thing in available treble.
with that of the Klon Centaur and better Klon a shootout) both have more available treble than
clones. Maestro highlights the Ranger’s blend the Ranger. But this could be a good thing if you’re
of clean and distorted tones as a feature. This trying to tame spiky transients in your overdriven $149 street
is, of course, a hallmark of Klon design, which signal without sounding overly compressed. And,
blends an op-amp distorted signal path with in general, the Ranger’s not-too-bright voice makes
second and third paths of undistorted lows and it a great partner for stacking with fuzz and other
boosted near-clean sounds, then blends the dirty overdrives, and tends to color your amp and guitar
and clean paths via the gain knob. voice a lot less.
Like a Klon, there is a

basic high-fidelity feel
to the Ranger. And
compared to a vintage
TS9 or a Boss SD-1,
the Ranger is discernibly
more oxygenated and
open-sounding in many
of the same ways
that distinguish a Klon
from those pedals."
For more information about the Maestro pedal line, go to maestroelectronics.com

REVIEWS
PRS
SE Silver Sky
By Ted Drozdowski
B
udget renditions of established-model 6-point tremolo bridge, and locking tuners make
guitars used to make me skeptical. There it a thoughtful take on Fender’s stalwart early-’60s
was often a hitch: rough frets, pickups that Strats. And it quickly earned a rep as an exception-
WATCH THE REVIEW were let-downs, funky pots, etc. But over the past ally comfortable and great sounding instrument.
DEMO NOW AT decade-plus, the quality of guitars built in Asia by At $2,549, it is also an expensive one.
premierguitar.com the major brands has continued to improve. PRS’s But damned if the PRS SE Silver Sky doesn’t
lower-priced version of their John Mayer signature sound and feel like a clone at about a third of
model, the SE Silver Sky, is a premier example. the price. The only substantial differences I
could find were a poplar versus alder body,
Apples to More Affordable Apples an artificial bone nut, a China-manufactured
The original PRS John Mayer Silver Sky arrived 2-point tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuners,
in 2018 sporting three of the company’s Mayer-co- 635JMS pickups (with the S indicating their
designed 635JMR single-coils, all voiced the same Indonesian origin), and a slightly flatter 8 1/2"
for even tone. Its C-shaped maple neck—with fretboard radius that makes string bending a
maple or rosewood fretboard—vintage-style 7 cinch. The original Silver Sky’s secret weapon
1/4"-radius, bone nut, alder body (with gracefully is also intact: The lower tone dial controls the
slanted lower cutaway for easy high-fret access), bridge pickup. Fender’s Stratocaster provides no
PRS 635JS single-coil pickups
Poplar body
Slim C-profile maple neck

with rosewood fretboard
Tone control for

bridge pickup
5-way switch

tone control for the bridge pickup. That means weighs 7 1/2 pounds, compared to my ash Strat’s
RATINGS
that when the sound in position 1 gets ice-picky, 8 1/2. I A/B’d both guitars plugged into a Carr
there’s no recourse besides dialing back your Vincent, a ’64 Supro Tremo-Verb, and a ’72 Tones
guitar volume (which in vintage circuits also Marshall Super Lead. I was bummed, though, Playability
cuts highs), your amp, or switching pickups. Not because in all five pickup settings and with all Build/Design
so here. If not for the distinctive PRS headstock three amps, the Silver Sky kicked my ol’ depend- Value
and the diving-bird inlays, it would be easy to able Strat’s ass. Playing campfire chords and some
mistake this guitar for a very well-built Strat. chord-and-lick riffs, the PRS neck felt faster
And the SE Silver Sky is, indeed, priced the and more comfortable than my old friend’s, and PROS A truly exceptional
same as Fender’s Player Stratocaster. while I managed to knock the Silver Sky out of S-style instrument in
tune a bit by bending strings hard while using the vintage tradition,
Ready, Steady, Go! the whammy bar, it was more stable than my with superb tones and
Our test guitar emerged from its sturdy gigbag in Strat. The vibrato, by the way, has just enough playability, an improved
beguiling stone blue—a PRS shade that recalls resistance to require a bit of practice, but you cutaway, and a bridge-
a cross between Fender’s seafoam green and can negotiate lovely surfy and textural bends. pickup-dedicated tone pot.
daphne blue. The SE Silver Sky also comes in Just for fun, I tuned the Silver Sky to open G
dragonfruit, moon white, and ever green shades. and open D for some old-school fingerpicking CONS None.
Thanks to a careful medium-low action setup, with slide. It was a blast to really dig into the
it was ready to go from the moment I popped strings and snap the notes—listening to them
in the tremolo arm. The 22 smoothly finished sustain and fade with buttery, lingering beauty, $849 street
medium-jumbo frets felt inviting and smooth. holding high notes that sang with sustain from prsguitars.com
They beg for string bending and really digging a Tone Bender clone, and adding shiver from
in, and there is no string buzz. I’ve encountered the tremolo arm’s sway. And while I don’t typi-
the same perfect playability on the necks of cally spend a lot of time on the highest frets,
other PRS instruments I’ve played, so I expected the slanted cutaway in the treble horn makes
nothing less. it easier to play radical, over-the-pickups slide.
The back of the neck has a satin finish for easy As great as the playability is, the 635JMS
mobility. The bridge has individual saddles, of pickups are the Silver Sky’s stars. Compared with
course, and four springs, to help with intonation my Strat’s 20-year-old Seymour Duncans, they
and tuning stability. The 3-knob control set is were bolder, more articulate, and responsive in
laid out like that of a standard S-style, but the every position, yielding fatter lows, more ringing
input jack’s plate is slightly arched, to make highs, and mids to die for. And the volume and
plugging in a little easier. tone pots were wide ranging. In the 5 and 4 slots,
the typical S-style quack and tubular sound
Playing the Light Fantastic qualities are well defined, the center setting
I have a ’73 Stratocaster with a nice, traditional is lush, and being able to easily dial back the
voice I use as a template for evaluating S-style brightness in the bridge pickup is a gift, yield-
guitars. The poplar-body PRS SE Silver Sky ing tones that cut without drawing blood from
the eardrums. The Silver Sky’s well-sculpted
sounds also work beautifully with modulation,
fuzz, and overdrive pedals. It was a pleasure
listening to its already transporting voice with
long analog and digital delays.
The Verdict
The PRS SE Silver Sky is a pro instrument with
a very competitive $849 price. It’s ready for the
stage or studio, with a weight made for multiple-
set nights, a fretboard that begs to be played,
super-responsive controls, and definitively
S-style tones. If you’re already an S-style fan or
looking to add that voice to your palette, you
should try the SE Silver Sky. It could be love.

REVIEWS
MAGNATONE
Starlite
By Charles Saufley
T
he fact that small amps excel—and can sound Maggie Mélange
really big—in studio situations isn’t news as The Starlite is something of an early-’60s
much as it’s audio engineering gospel. But Magnatone mashup. The name is borrowed
WATCH THE REVIEW while little amps like the Fender Champ, Gibson from a series of Maggies from the mid ’60s best
DEMO NOW AT Skylark, and Danelectro DM10 have been pulling known for their arresting “squiggle” grill cloth.
premierguitar.com feats of trompe-l’orielle on records for decades, some But the cabinet design and circuit are more
small combos still sound bigger and badder than closely related to the Custom 210, a 5-watt, single-
others. And I feel pretty good about making the case 6V6GT-powered rival to the Fender Champ and
for Magnatone’s new USA-built, 5-watt Starlite as one other small amps of the time, distinguished by
of the biggest sounding—and most flexible—little the inclusion of Magnatone’s rather legendary
amps that’s ever joined this club of overachievers. vibrato circuit.
Remote speaker output
8-inch WGS speaker

RATINGS
Sadly, there’s no vibrato on the new Starlite. increasing saturation to the lows and low-mids,
The inclusion of the effect would have likely made adding flattering contours to 5th- and 6th-string
the amp exceedingly expensive for its size. But output and a satisfyingly distorted edge to high Tones
the flexibility of the Starlite’s circuit is still extra strings. Because of the Starlite’s class-A single-ended Ease of Use
impressive thanks to a clever tone control and circuitry, there isn’t any of the tweed sag you associate Build/Design
a negative feedback switch that, as we will see, with amps like the Deluxe—at least in the clinical Value
can profoundly transform the sound and tactile sense. But these warmly saturated overtones can
experience of playing the Starlite. give you the confidence to lean hard on the amp
Just like every new Magnatone we’ve seen since at full volume without fear of being too piercing. PROS Super versatile
the company’s 2014 resurrection, the Starlite is The beauty of both of these tone settings, and tone control. Throaty voice
both sturdy and exceedingly handsome. I can’t the many cool in-between shades available through and impressive mass for
think of an amp that’s less likely to disrupt the the control’s ample range, is that the Starlite is a 5-watt, 8-inch-speaker
design of a well put-together living room. And super responsive to guitar-volume attenuation. amp. Happy with pedals.
its compact 17" x 8" x 12" dimensions might make You can very easily set the amp up at wide-open Drop-dead gorgeous.
it look—to less guitar-savvy interior-design- volume and move from aggressive crunchy tones
enthusiast friends—like a beautifully restored to clean ones with a nudge of your volume control. CONS Hefty price tag for a
vintage radio or hi-fi speaker. The amp’s response and distortion makeup little amp.
The Starlite’s construction is robust. Its small- can also be completely reshaped by the negative
est components, like caps and resistors—which feedback switch. With the switch on (a configura-
number fewer than 30, by my count—are neatly tion that sets the amp up as Fender designers of $1,299 street
arrayed and handwired on a glass epoxy PCB. old would have intended), the Starlite’s distortion magnatoneusa.com
The power transformer is from Hammond, and tends to be warmer, and clean tones tend to be
the power and preamp tubes are Apex-matched less spiky. In general, the negative feedback “on”
JJs—a 6V6S and 12AX7 respectively. settings were more satisfying and versatile to my
ear. But in the moments I hankered for extra Mike
Tiny, Toneful, and Brutish Bloomfield-style sting, taking the negative feedback
Though the benefits of using a small amp in a out of the mix was an enticing and thrilling option.
recording situation are well documented, there are
limitations to such setups. Sometimes an 8-inch The Verdict
speaker won’t offer the bass response necessary for At $1,299, the Starlite is 100 bucks more than Fender’s
inciting a certain kind of performance. Lower watt- excellent ’57 Custom Champ. And I suspect that for
age and smaller speakers can also change the way many potential customers, the more expansive and
pedals like fuzz and high-gain overdrive respond to flexible tone control, negative feedback switch, output
your playing in adverse ways. But if ever there were for an 8-ohm external, and the dashing, less-common
a 5-watt, 8-inch-speaker-equipped amp with the styling will be worth the extra cash. Even if you find
flexibility to help bridge those gaps, it’s the Starlite. the head-to-head tweed-style comparisons a toss-up
Much of the Starlite’s versatility is derived from (and the Starlite is not, strictly speaking, a tweed
its very flexible tone control. Magnatone suggests Champ equivalent), the Maggie arguably has an edge
that it helps bridge tweed and black-panel Fender in versatility. In its most black-panel-like settings, I
Champ sounds. And to some extent that is very still found the Starlite throatier, more massive, and
true. Counter-clockwise from noon, the control even a little more sparkly on top than my otherwise
scoops out progressively more midrange, which sweetly ringing early-’70s silver-panel Champ (which
is a hallmark of black-panel Champs, resulting is identical to a black-panel in most respects). The
in exceptionally crisp, sparkling high-end output same qualities also make it a little more conducive
and honking, modest bass response with low to to use of boost, overdrive, and fuzz, which, by the
moderate amp distortion. Cranked to the gills, as way, all sound fantastic-to-fantastically-trashy in
any black-panel or early silver-panel Champ fan tandem with the Maggie.
knows, this tone profile can sound pretty brash Such margins of advantage may be slim to mod-
and splatty—particularly with single-coils. That’s est in each comparison. But when using a small
where the midrange-boosted clockwise half of the amp in the studio, where creating the illusion of
tone control becomes invaluable. a bigger amplifier is often the aim, the Starlite’s
Clockwise from noon, the added midrange starts knack for lending a little extra illusion of mass
to massage and round off harsher transients while and muscle is no small consideration.

REVIEWS
TAYLOR
AD27e Flametop
By Charles Saufley
O
ne of the nice things about designing guitars of its sound signature and its visual identity.
for a company like Taylor is that you’re less The results, in both respects, are unique and,
burdened by tradition. Even though the in typical Taylor style, prove that acoustic guitar
WATCH THE REVIEW builder is now nearly a 50-year-old institution—not design still has room for imaginative deviations
DEMO NOW AT to mention one of the biggest guitar makers in the from the norm.
premierguitar.com world—to many acoustic traditionalists they are
still very much the new kid on the block. While V Lets Maple Be
such fresh-faced “newness” may mean flattop In spite of the simplicity and musical purity it
classicists look askance at your every move, it also projects, an acoustic guitar is a complex organ-
means you can introduce a design departure like ism. Small changes in design or materials can
the company’s V-Class bracing without risk of be transformative. V-Class bracing is no small
rebellion from your consumer constituency—or, change, however. Certainly not when compared
for that matter, build a dreadnought with a top to the X-bracing that has been the standard
fashioned from big leaf maple. for flattops for generations. Fundamentally
A maple top is one of those things that, speaking, V-Class bracing situates the most
according to traditional acoustic design think, substantial braces in a V shape that tapers
shouldn’t work very well. Yet the AD27e Flametop gently along the body’s center from a point just
proudly makes its maple top both a centerpiece forward of the endpin. While it can be hard to
Taylor Expression System 2 electronics
Solid big leaf maple top
4 5/8" body thickness
Solid maple back and sides
Eucalyptus fretboard

RATINGS
say definitively what V-Class bracing does and these settings more reminiscent of a 00- or 000-
doesn’t do to a flattop’s sound, an increasing sized instrument.
sample size suggests that it tends to improve Tones
sustain, and even intonation, by leaving larger Shaped to Cradle Playability
sections of the top to vibrate freely and aligning The AD dreadnought shape isn’t just pretty to Build/Design
the biggest braces with the strings. In the case of look at. It’s also an ergonomic delight. The aft Value
the AD27e, V-Class bracing didn’t just improve end of the body is considerably slimmer than
the sound. According to designer Andy Powers, a Martin D. That, and its slightly more pinched
V-Class bracing is, in fact, what made the use of waist and sloped shoulder, make the whole body PROS Exceptional
a big maple top feasible. feel more compact and easier to hold for extended playability and intonation.
If we assume that V-Class bracing definitively periods. But, as with so many higher-end Taylors, Sweet midrange focus.
improves sustain (and certainly our colleague the foundation of its inviting personality is its Records well in dense
Joe Gore heard as much in his review of the playability up and down the neck. The action mixes.
K14ce), then Powers’ assertion makes sense. feels exceptionally low and fast, yet there isn’t a
Maple is generally less lively and works better trace of string buzz or a dead spot anywhere— CONS Some will find the
as a reflective surface for backs and sides. Few even when you strum vigorously. The low action maple voice quirky. Not a
if any large-scale production flattops have used also has the effect of making fingerstyle chord lot of low-end resonance
maple as a top wood, and those that have, like melodies feel extra fluid and lyrical—a quality for a dread. Satin finish
Gibson’s acoustic/electric Starburst, employed well suited to the AD27e’s more subdued but doesn’t suit a $2K-plus
a maple top because its less resonant properties ringing tonality. And while our review Taylors instrument.
reduced feedback in amplified situations. But the have almost always shown up with impeccable
maple top on the AD27e resonates beautifully. intonation, the AD27e’s spot-on intonation—even
And though the appeal of its sound won’t be after two-cross country journeys in the dead of $2,199 street
universal, it occupies a very cool niche. winter—makes us wonder if there isn’t something taylorguitars.com
to Taylor’s claim of V-Class bracing improving
Big Body Makes the Maple Go Boom intonation.
Taylor’s American Dream dreadnought is a beau-
tiful shape. Its curvaceous lines project hints of The Verdict
J-45 influence and big Taylors like the 855. It’s a Yes, $2,199 is a lot of money for a guitar that, by
lovely reconfiguration of the classic dreadnought design, presents a player with many unknown
profile. But it also likely serves a very practical variables. The AD27e sounds different enough
purpose in the AD27e, in the sense that the big from a spruce-topped dread that many players
body does much to compensate for the maple will need to spend time to understand how it
top’s less lively characteristics. The tones that works within their style and relates to their
result have a beautiful and interesting sense of musical objectives. Others will find its concise
balance. You won’t find the thumping grand- tonality immediately appealing. Given that, one
piano-like low-end resonance of a D-28 in the should take our value score with a grain of salt
AD27e, yet it projects volume as a dreadnought and adjust according to personal experience.
should and gets loud without sounding brash But just because the AD27e’s design, materi-
or overdriven—probably because there is less als, and tonality are unusual and specific doesn’t
low-end woof to obscure the pretty midrange mean its appeal or musical potential is limited. It’s
and clear, chiming top end. Unlike a lot of dread- easy to hear how the AD27e would be a recording
noughts, the AD27e also responds dynamically superstar. It rings sweetly without overpowering
to a gentle touch. And I found its sensitivity in a mix and provides beautiful counterpoint in
arrangements and mixes where the low-end is
occupied by other instruments—no small con-
sideration in modern effects-laden mix styles.
But while its voice is focused, the AD27e can still
sound big, and it most certainly sounds sweet.
Any curious flattop aficionado should check out
the AD27e to hear what it does differently. Just
don’t be surprised if its sweet tonality and ace
playability put their hooks in you.
Maple neck

REVIEWS
FROST GIANT
Architect of Reality
By Shawn Hammond
I
f doom metal and its variants are big blips on realized with the Architect of Reality—a powerful
your radar, you’ve probably noticed there’s homage to both Laney and, presumably, Sabbath’s
a dearth of all-in-one stompboxes capable 1971 sonic milestone, Master of Reality.
HEAR A DEMO NOW AT of unleashing genre-worthy filth and mayhem.
premierguitar.com A Big Muff (or any number of other fuzzes) and The Persistence of Realities
a distortion or two will take you a long way, but The Architect puts essentially every control from
for dedicated doomers the aural onslaught usu- the front panel of an 8-knob AOR atop a medium-
ally isn’t just about cascading gain—it’s watts sized stompbox that’s billed as a “2-channel”
and decibels wreaking havoc on speaker cones. design. But it’s more accurate to describe it as
Which is why powerful heads (often 120- or 200- a massively powerful, wide-ranging distortion
watt bass or PA models) from the likes of Sunn, (right-side footswitch) with a cascading-gain
Ampeg, Peavey, Orange, Hiwatt, Sound City, and feature (“AOR channel” footswitch) that can be
Cascading “2-channel” design Marshall largely rule the realm. layered over the base tone.
Another highly acclaimed amp for the task is To help achieve its bludgeoning ends, the
3-band EQ with individual Laney’s Advanced Overdrive Response series from JFET-driven Architect converts 9V of AC power
boost toggles the early ’80s, particularly the 50- and 100-watt to a whopping 36V (battery power is not an
Pro-Tube Lead heads, which had a handwired option). The EQ—bass, mids, and treble knobs,
9V AC power internally architecture much like a Marshall corresponding boost toggles, and a presence
boosted to 36V
JMP circuit, only with an extra (“pre”) knob—runs along the top row, but I found
gain stage and a slightly darker it peculiar that the master volume and preamp
sound. Influential doom/stoner/ gain for the base tone (the “red channel”) are
sludge bands who embraced AORs sandwiched between AOR (“green channel”)
include Sleep, High on Fire, the volume and gain knobs. The layout would feel
Sword, and Electric Wizard. Of more logical and intuitive—and therefore faster
course, Laney’s doom cred goes and easier to use—if AOR volume and gain were
much further back than that: side-by-side above the AOR footswitch.
Their most famous endorsee, Tony
Iommi, is the veritable well from Speaker Bloody Speaker
whence doom’s many tributaries To put the Architect’s intriguing ambitions to
spring—particularly his early the test, I used a Les Paul, an Eastwood Sidejack
Sabbath work, which was powered baritone, and a Schecter Ultra III through a few
by Laney LA100 BL heads. different setups: a Revv G20 powering a Bogner
But for Eric Calvert, head closed-back 2x12, a Jaguar HC50 1x12, a silver-
of Texas-based Frost Giant panel Fender Vibrolux Reverb paired with a
Electronics, AORs are where it’s Fender Rumble 200 1x15 bass amp, and a Sound
at. In fact, his goal since founding City SC30 also paired with the Rumble. From the
Frost Giant has been to recreate outset, the Architect’s massive volume and gain
the preamp in his own beloved capabilities were apparent. The red side’s hot-
AOR head from 1985. Now, with rodded-Marshall-like preamp yields everything
the help of Nick Williams (of from toothsome gain excellent for old-school
Dunwich Amplification fame), metal to blistering thrash at max. Meanwhile,
Calvert’s dream has finally been the red side’s master volume is astonishingly

RATINGS
"It’s capable of myriad metal flavors,
but its real calling card is sheer might." Tones
Ease of Use
loud—when I wasn’t using a bass amp (which restraint—say, thickening things a smidge or add- Build/Design
allowed me to turn the guitar amp’s bass down), ing razor sharpness to the core sound. Value
I began fearing for my speakers’ wellbeing when
volume merely approached the noon mark. The Verdict
But wide-ranging gain wouldn’t mean much if If you’re after droning, foundation-rattling gain PROS Destructive
the EQ weren’t wisely focused. No matter where I and are sick of using multiple stompboxes and/ amounts of volume, gain,
dialed the treble, mids, and presence, tones never or backbreaking stacks, you’ll find a lot to love and low end. Wall-of-amps
crossed over into abominable thinness. The bass in Frost Giant’s Architect of Reality. It’s capable doom in a box.
control feels tight and muscular throughout its of myriad metal flavors, but its real calling card
range, though it doesn’t seem particularly corpulent is sheer might that occupies the mythical space CONS Somewhat
when maxed in red mode alone. But kick on the between distortion and fuzz, where feral howls confusing control labels
green side and it sounds absolutely explosive at all smudge together and destruction and chaos feel and layout. EQ boosts can
but the most conservative AOR settings. As with like real propositions. For extreme sounds—espe- be subtle. You’ll probably
red mode, the AOR volume will likely sound like cially if you’re not miking your amp—it’s probably want a noise gate.
it’s clobbering your amp halfway through its range, advisable to pair the Architect with a robust, high-
even if the base channel’s volume is set pretty low. wattage/high-headroom amp, if not also one of the
One couldn’t be blamed for using the green side to many light, dependable bass amps on the market. $250 street
simulate pushing or literally push speaker cabs to But that’s a much more doable proposition than fuzzworship.com
their limits without looking back, but AOR mode scouring the internet for rare, heavy-ass old stacks
is also capable of practical precision and subtle that keep going up in price.
find y ou r
sonic hotspot.
PLUG INT O CREATIV IT Y
Raster™ is a stereo/dual delay pedal inspired by

classic studio delays, with intuitive control and
endless
endle tweak-ability for building delay and
pitch-based effects. Micro pitch shifting, chorus,
ﬂanging, and phase-shifted delays, polyphonic pitch
and frequency shifting, reverse delays, and extensive
modulation. Raster is a sound designer’s dream.
Visit the lab at redpandalab.com

REVIEWS
EVENTIDE
TriceraChorus
By Nick Millevoi
T
he 1980s were a decade of big hair, big Is Three Better Than One?
amps, and big guitar tones. But while Anyone who’s ever used a stereo chorus effect
those stacks of cabinets certainly made knows the depth and dimension it can add to a
HEAR A DEMO NOW AT things louder, behind-the-scenes rackmount guitar tone. A tri-stereo chorus takes that idea
premierguitar.com chorus and, in particular, the tri-stereo chorus and runs with it, creating three separate chorus
units available under various names such as signals and placing them across the stereo field—
Dyno-My-Piano, Dynotronics, and Songbird left, center, and right. The result is just as vast
did a lot to make ’80s guitar sound bigger still. as you’d hope, evoking big-stadium vibes even
Once these rackmount units reached the rigs with a pair of small combos.
of guitarists such as Michael Landau and Steve Like the other pedals in Eventide’s dot9 series,
Lukather, pop radio didn’t stand a chance. the TriceraChorus’ dual-function knobs offer a
After a period of relentless ubiquity, heavily wide range of control. On the Tricera, users can
chorused guitar tones went the way of Aqua Net. choose between three effects modes (chorus,
But chorus made a comeback, and even rare rack- vibrato, and chorale), tweak rate/rate envelope,
mount versions of the effect have been distilled detune amount and pitch, left/center/right levels,
into pedal form. Eventide does a swell job cram- delay time, and filter settings. The complex nature
ming complicated effects into compact stomps. of the pedal’s capabilities means specific settings
This time around, they’ve fit the giant tones and are easy to forget, and first-time users face a bit
deep functionality of rackmount tri-stereo chorus of a learning curve. But the five factory presets
into the pedalboard-friendly TriceraChorus. are good jumping-off points for exploring pos-
sible extremes. And with the option to create 127
presets of your own, you can create and recall
many simple or radical formulas to suit your
musical moment.
Three modes:
chorus, vibrato,
and chorale
By cranking up the
Dual-function knobs
rate and detune past
noon and playing
around with a little
Independent level setting for left,
center, and right chorus signals micro-pitch shifting to
taste, it was easy to
evoke the Mike Stern-
Swirl switch
playing-with-Miles
tones of my dreams."

RATINGS
Tracing the History of Chorus Stern-playing-with-Miles tones of my dreams.
In some ways, the TriceraChorus enables users to Cranking the delay knob can deliver the pedal’s
be tone archeologists and trace the history of the most arena-ready tones and I had a blast faking Tones
chorus effect to its early days. At its simplest settings, my way through everything from Alex Lifeson- Ease of Use
the TriceraChorus offers bucket brigade-inspired style suspensions to “Purple Rain.” Whatever the Build/Design
tones that evoke the sound of ’70s stomps. And in settings, with all three chorus voices activated, the Value
chorus mode, with the rate at slow-to-moderate TriceraChorus adds a lush sparkle to clean tones
settings and the detune below noonish, the pedal and buffs out the rough edges of distorted tones
offers warm gooey delights. Kick on the swirl to create ’80s radio-ready majesty. PROS A portable, user-
switch and you unlock even warmer phase- and friendly path to tri-stereo
flange-style modulation. If it’s subtle sounds you The Verdict chorus sounds. Presets
seek, dialing back one or two of the three chorus Though tri-stereo chorus was immensely popular make it easy to find ’80s
level settings offers more vintage-variety sounds. in its heyday, its potential is still underutilized. guitar tones. Good analog
On the other side of the coin, keeping the swirl And while I’ve never played through a vintage BBD-style chorus tones.
engaged and switching into vibrato mode at high Dynotronics unit to know how close Eventide got Sensitive controls allow
rate and detune settings creates worlds of weirdness. to the original vibes, I’ve played through enough for refined tweaking.
When it’s time to lean into ’80s vibes, you’ll want chorus pedals to know that the TriceraChorus
all three chorus levels to be audible. I found the does something very different. If you want quintes- CONS Dual-control knobs
most hi-fi tones in chorale mode with the swirl sentially ’80s sounds, this pedal will get you there make it difficult to visualize
function off. Here, tight, single-note riffs and instantly. If that’s not your bag, you might not need settings.
leads sing, especially with a touch of overdrive all the extra fuss. But this Eventide has plenty of
in front of the pedal. By cranking up the rate and sonic rewards to offer anyone who’s even a little
detune past noon and adding a little micro-pitch curious about chorus exploration and wants to $299 street
shifting to taste, it was easy to evoke the Mike embiggen their tones. eventideaudio.com

QUESTION
& OBSESSION
Q: #10YearChallenge: What was
your favorite album 10 years ago?
What’s your favorite album today?
A: Ten years ago, I was just

discovering ’90s alt-country and I
was listening to Strangers Almanac
by Whiskeytown a lot. I had joined
this band called the Spectacular
Average Boys, where I sang
harmonies and played rhythm
guitar. We used to cover “Houses
on the Hill,” which I still think is
one of my favorite songs ever
written. Whiskeytown was a coed
band, and I identified with that as
the only girl in a band full of guys.
I recently discovered Amythyst
Kiah’s album Wary + Strange, and I
love it. She’s such a badass guitar
player and singer. I’m always
checking out different artists’
guitar styles and it’s refreshing
to see people, especially women,
digging in and playing with guts.
CURRENT OBSESSION:
I love my new Gibson L-00 Studio.
It’s adorable and fun to play with
a great snappy and crisp tone.
I’ve also been exploring healthy
non-music-related routines lately.
I’m obsessed with swimming. I like
to go swim 20 laps at the YMCA and
then read a chapter of a book in the
sauna—right now it’s The Master
and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
SOPHIE & THE BROKEN THINGS This routine helps calm my nerves
and keep me focused so I can
SOPHIE GAULT enjoy my L-00 with a clear head.

A: I was really into Rush in 2012, and I really liked what turned out to be their last album,
Clockwork Angels. I can’t say for sure that it was my favorite album at the time, but I listened
to it a lot. Today, I would say that my favorite album is Schadenfreude by Shiner.
CURRENT OBSESSION:
I’ve been obsessed by Kansas City bands of the 1990s and 2000s, such as Season to
Risk, Molly McGuire, Shiner, and The Life and Times. Allen Epley, the frontman of both
Shiner and TLAT, taught me how to play a handful of Shiner songs on guitar, and that’s very
much helped my creativity with my own music. And that leads me into my other obsession.
I moved away from digital modelers and built my first pedalboard as a 40-year-old. I just
wanted fewer options, while still maintaining some versatility, because I needed to focus
READER OF THE MONTH more on playing guitar instead of incessantly tweaking my tone. So, I spent a lot
of money on pedals and a few guitars in 2021, and now I have a rig that I’m very
Nedim Kirlic happy with and that enables me to make the music that I really enjoy!
SENIOR EDITOR
A: In 2012, my fave was probably Jack
Ted Drozdowski White’s Blunderbuss. I listened to Mark
Lanegan’s Blues Funeral quite a lot, too,
A: Early each year, I’m a hangover particularly “Harborview Hospital.” I’m
listener. So, in 2012 it was Lulu by forever listening to Mr. White, and he’s
Metallica and Lou Reed, and now got two new records coming! But right
it’s the Black Keys Delta Kream. now, I’m loving on The Dream by Alt-J and
Mitski’s Laurel Hell.
CURRENT OBSESSION:
A while back I was invited onstage CURRENT OBSESSION:
by legendary New England blues Making and swapping playlists with
guitarist Neal Vitullo. Playing with MANAGING EDITOR a dear friend who lives in Spain. It’s
Neal was a joy—gracious and inspiring both on the sending and
brilliant. That memory reminds
Tessa Jeffers receiving end, and it helps us stay
me daily of the many world-class connected over distance. Sharing is
Middle left: Photo by Johnny Hubbard
musicians, like Neal, who’ve spent caring! My most thrilling artist discovery
their careers as regional heroes of late is Tobe Nwigwe, a Houston rapper
instead of in the international who’s expanding the conversation in
spotlight. So, I’ve been obsessed all the ways—conceptually, lyrically,
with buying music and merch, and sonically, and even visually with his
contributing to support local heroes original videos.
everywhere. They’ve been there for
us. Now, we need to be there for them.
For a chance to be featured as our Reader of the Month, follow and tag us on Instagram @premierguitar.

LEHLE MONO VOLUME S
more volume – half the size
w w w.lehle.com • suppor t@lehle.com
Big Bends Nut Sauce
bigbends.com
888-788-BEND
Encore
Use Promo Code Save 10%: String Scratch Groove
SPRING10PG Sleeves Remover Luber
The Lyric Guitar
Jazz... and beyond

®
Holeyboard Pedalboards
“I just want to say that thank you for your: responses to my questions,
website and videos. Your board is exactly what you said it would be.
It's very well made, went together just as you said it would (great
instructions) and it works great!! It's the best pedal-board I've had
(and I've probably been playing as long as you have if not longer)”
-David Z.
BLUES SPECIALS
BY LINDY FRALIN
ENDLESS ROCK-ABILITIES
FRALINPICKUPS.COM 804-358-2699

ESOTERICA ELECTRICA
Keep Your Eye on the Hygrometer:

Your Bi-Annual Humidity Reminder
BY JOL DANTZIG
F
or guitarists, things get a little crazy twice can crack, reducing them to firewood. At the very
each year. I’m not talking about the NAMM least, swings in humidity can make wooden parts
convention—it’s bigger than that. Both sum- hard to fit, especially when they’re machined to
mer and winter bring temperature and humidity tight tolerances by CNC. In a guitarist’s home,
extremes to bear on wooden instruments, and if low humidity can split tops and shrink bodies
you’re not prepared, things can get ugly. Dry air resulting in delamination of bindings or bridges.
shrinks wood and splits guitar parts. Humid air Fretboards not protected with finish are the first
swells tops and fretboards, wreaking havoc on things to react to changing humidity, bowing or
setups and finishes. It’s important to know that warping enough to render an instrument unplay-
damage caused by failure to anticipate this natural able. High humidity expands the fretboard,
JOL DANTZIG is a noted
designer, builder, and occurrence is not a defect in the instrument. Many forcing the neck into a backwards bow, whereas
player who co-founded times, trips to the repair shop can be avoided by low humidity shrinkage creates an opposite,
Hamer Guitars, one
of the first boutique simple climate control. forward bow. Shrinking fretboards also reveal
guitar brands, in 1973.
Today, as the director of
It’s a full-time job for guitar builders, but what fret ends which can be uncomfortable at best. In
Dantzig Guitar Design, we do to cope with nature’s swings has lessons some cases, expansion and shrinking may cause
he continues to help
define the art of custom for guitar owners as well. Modern indoor climate finish to flake off, especially at sharp corners or
guitar. To learn more, visit control means most people live and work in a fretboard edges. Needless to say, this isn’t what
guitardesigner.com.
fairly narrow range of temperatures, regardless you want happening to your collection.
of where they reside. We all know not to leave The good news is that if you keep most of
a guitar in the car trunk when temperatures your instruments in a single room, it won’t be too
soar or plummet, but inside of your home, the hard to control the humidity. The first step is to
culprit is humidity. get an accurate hygrometer to determine what
The yearly average humidity in North America the current RH is in your space. Most times, the
(and around the world) provides an incredibly problem is low humidity. In that case, calculate
wide range of numbers. Nevada’s 38.30 percent the room size and begin your search for a room
yearly average is a world apart from Alaska’s sur- humidifier to match your needs. If humidity is
prising 77.10 percent, and that’s just the average. high, you’ll need a dehumidifier, and you can
But even these numbers don’t tell the whole story. use the same method to determine the size. Keep
When you factor in temperature, things can get the RH between 35 and 45 percent to be safe.
better, or they can get much worse. What we’re Your room needs to be sealed off. Otherwise
interested in is relative humidity (RH), which your efforts will literally go out the window. I
is the percentage of water vapor in the air at a like the type of unit that senses the humidity,
given temperature. and you can just set it and forget it—until it’s
Different regions require different approaches. time to fill (or empty) the tank. The trick is not
Both Arizona and Louisiana can be crazy hot in to have them both on at once. They’ll just get
the summer, but their humidity levels couldn’t be into a never-ending battle with each other. You’ll
more different. In the Southwest, air conditioning have to monitor things to know when to switch
Cracked finishes? Buzzy frets? Don’t let it that’s working overtime to cool is also stripping over as the seasons change.
happen to you! moisture from the air. Whereas in New Orleans, At home or in a small studio, you can control
getting things dried out is a constant battle. It’s your instrument’s environment for a relatively
safe to say that most places need both tempera- small outlay. A few hundred bucks is way more
ture and humidity control to avoid problems. affordable than crack repairs. It also keeps things
Manufacturers can’t afford the damage that comfy, which is a nice bonus. Think of it as a
humidity (or lack of it) can bring. When RH drops large pedal whose effect is keeping your guitars
too quickly, expensive stockpiles of tonewoods playing right and protecting your investment.

LAST CALL
Big in Japan
BY JOHN BOHLINGER
I
n 6th grade, my progressive parents agreed only was his board already labeled like his home
to let me go see KISS, despite a local church board, but there was a fresh pack of Marlboro Reds
picketing the venue with signs that read and a green lighter in the upper right-hand corner.
“Satan’s Favorite Band” and “K.I.S.S. = Kings in The Japanese care about every detail.
Satan’s Sanctuary.” The opening act was then- No crime: I’ve been in more than 50 countries
unknown Cheap Trick. At the time, their two- but never any place safer and cleaner than Japan.
nerd/two-cool-guy lineup seemed lame next to You can walk their pristine streets anytime with-
the Starchild, Catman, Spaceman, and Demon. out fear of being robbed or harmed. A jet-lagged
Amazingly, this nearly anonymous opening bandmate twice left her envelope of cash at the
JOHN BOHLINGER is
act was already big in Japan. When Cheap Trick counter of a restaurant. Both times an employee
a Nashville-based multi- at Budokan came out a year later, it proved they chased us down the street to return the cash.
instrumentalist who, when
not appearing in PG Rig had enough juice to stuff the Nippon Budokan Tattoos: There are some cultural differences.
Rundown and Review Demo arena with 12,000 screaming fans. The Japanese In 720 A.D., tattoos were used as punishment in
videos, is best known for
leading the band on NBC’s recognized Cheap Trick was great, then the rest Japan, where criminals’ foreheads were tattooed
Nashville Star and serving of the world followed. A success story like that for civilians to witness the severity of their crime.
as music director for the
CMT Music Awards and makes every struggling musician want to tour Rulers during the Edo period (around 1600) banned
specials on PBS and GAC. in Japan. Now that I’ve done it a few times, I tattoos altogether. The ban was not lifted until
He is also music director
for USA Network's Real can confirm that it’s nearly as cool as I thought 1948. To this day, many businesses and institutions
Country program. it would be. Here’s some tips for touring in the ban tattoos. To be a good guest, hide your tats.
Land of the Rising Sun. Nightlife: If you like booze, Japan could be a
Getting there: It’s about 14 hours in the air good fit for you. Japanese men seem to drink on
from NYC to Tokyo and about 12 from L.A. I’ve a competitive level. It’s odd because everything
taken both routes, and each trip took roughly 24 is so orderly and clean in Japan, but you’ll see
hours from the time I left my home in Nashville well-dressed businessmen in a state of fubar,
until I was through customs. Depending on where stumbling down the street late at night.
you live, Japan is 15 hours ahead of the U.S., but if If you smoke cigarettes, you’re going to be pleas-
you hit the ground running, the jet lag isn’t bad. antly surprised. There were no smoking restrictions
Amazingly, the promoter met us as soon as until 2018. Even with current restrictions, you can
we landed in Osaka, which is 450 miles away still smoke cigs in many bars and restaurants. That’s
from Kumamoto, where we were playing. After not the case with smoking weed. Although the
an introduction, he handed every band member practice is legal in parts of the U.S., if caught with
a big envelope with cash, our per diem, then pot in Japan you could face a penalty of five years
personally walked us to the next flight and trav- in prison. A road manager I toured with for years
eled with us to Kumamoto. That would be like did a Japanese tour with a big American rock band
Cheap Trick at Budokan is a live concert
album recorded in 1978 at Tokyo’s Nippon
a Nashville promoter flying to Charlotte, North who demanded they have weed in Tokyo. He said
Budokan arena. The Japanese recognized Carolina, to meet an act and holding their hand it was the scariest thing he’s ever done. Not only
Cheap Trick was great, then the rest of the to the gig. It’s just not done here. But the Japanese was he afraid of the law, but he was also terrified of
world followed. leave nothing to chance. the Yakuza who sold him the pot for nearly $1,000
Gear: Per usual, I checked one guitar and per ounce. Don’t do drugs in Japan.
crammed a small pedalboard into my suitcase. Lodging: Japan is not as expensive as you
Backline amps are often a bit of a gamble, but not may think. Although promoters usually cover
in Japan. All the backline gear was exactly what we travel, rooms, and per diem, you can find Airbnb
asked for, in perfect shape, and they had backup apartments for $75 per night. A capsule hotel (a
options. Our front-of-house engineer had sent a private sleeping pod with public bathroom) or a
photo of his mixing board to the promotor, which hostel is about $30 per night. General expenses
included some taped labels on channels. In the felt comparable to New York City prices.
photo, the engineer happened to have a pack of Plus, you will never play for a more polite
Marlboro Reds and a green lighter in the upper- crowd than in Japan. They listen attentively,
right-hand corner. When we arrived at the gig, not applaud politely, and revere musicians.
Premier Guitar ISSN 1945-077x (print) and ISSN 1945-0788 (online) is published monthly by Gearhead Communications, LLC. Principal office: 3 Research Center, Marion, IA 52302. Periodicals postage paid at Marion, IA
52302 and at Additional Mailing Offices. © 2022 Gearhead Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Premier Guitar are registered trademarks of
Gearhead Communications, LLC. Subscribers: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address. U.S. Subscriptions: $24.95 for one year.
Call for Canada, Mexico and foreign subscription rates. Postmaster: Send address changes to Premier Guitar, 3 Research Center, Marion, IA 52302. Customer Service and subscriptions please call 877-704-4327 or email
lois@premierguitar.com. Printed in USA. Volume 27 Issue 4 April 2022
L E S PA U L S TA N DA RD LI M I TE D
4 ALBUM EDITION | TRANSLUCENT CHERRY
AVAILABLE NOW AT GIBSON.COM
SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS

DEBUT ALBUM WITH GIBSON RECORDS
SLASHONLINE.COM RECORD
S

04_Apr22_PG_EditionDigital_LINKED

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

04_Apr22_PG_EditionDigital_LINKED

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

04_Apr22_PG_EditionDigital_LINKED

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

HOW TO USE REVERB PLUG-INS • BEN CHASNY

TONSTARTSSBANDHT • JOSHUA CRUMBLY

HOW PRODUCER DAVE COBB

Tone isn’t just something you can hear.

SHAPE YOUR SOUND

SHAPE YOUR SOUND

SHAPE YOUR SOUND

SHAPE YOUR SOUND

SHAPE YOUR SOUND

FAST, FREE SHIPPING

Fender Godin Taylor

GEARHEAD COMMUNICATIONS, LLC

PREMIER GUITAR (USPS 025-017)

Periodical Postage Rate paid at Marion, IA 52302

8 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

Premier Guitar Vs. the Machines

10 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

Introducing All-New Modern Deluxe Models.

I don’t know how I

a day. It made me a little ashamed of myself

12 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

DISTRIBUTED IN THE USA BY:

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 13

Photo by Tim Bugbee

14 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

Photo by Ross Halfin

Below: Photo by Lynn Wheelwright

16 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

TONE FOR ALL

18 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

20 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 21

Send your guitar story to submissions@premierguitar.com

22 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

GUITAR & BASS

Bottom left: "When I was a teenager, one

Bottom right: El Ten Eleven has had the

24 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 25

Bottom: Schecter and

Click here to watch this

26 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

Middle: This is it—everything that

Bottom: Another evolution is the

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 27

28 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 29

A Premier Scroll Model Takes Another Bow

Left: This late-’50s solidbody

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 31

This Humble Axe Helped the Velvet

32 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

Micki Free’s Mountain of Marshall Tone

34 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

©2022 Samson | samsontech.com/gtrackpro

Despite almost the entire band getting

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 37

38 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ����

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ���� | 39

Enter Dave Cobb

8 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

10 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

12 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 13

14 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

16 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

18 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

20 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 21

22 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

24 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 25

26 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 27

28 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 29

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 31

32 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

34 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 37

38 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 39

40 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 41

42 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 43

44 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 45

46 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 47

48 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 49

50 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 51

52 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 53

54 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 55

56 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 57

58 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 59

60 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 61

62 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 63

64 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 65

66 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 67

68 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

70 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

72 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 73

74 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

76 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

78 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 79

80 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

82 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��

PREMIER GUITAR APRIL �� | 83

84 | PREMIER GUITAR APRIL ��