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Guitarist issue 352 - on sale now!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:24:00 +0000

Only in issue 352 of Guitarist…

Nuno Bettencourt

We chat with the Extreme guitarist about the future of the band, why shredding became "sickening and uncool" and why he's having the time of his life bringing his incredible guitar talents to Rihanna's live shows.

PLUS! We get up close and personal with Nuno's legendary Washburn N4 – a guitar that has been his axe of choice since the earliest days of extreme AND check out the full tab of Nuno's amazing playing on the Guitarist Deluxe cover video (also available on Guitarist Vault) – learn it if you dare…

Eric Bibb

The US guitarist tells us how unearthing the earliest history of the blues inspired his latest record

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Rodrigo Sanchez tells us why the Mexican acoustic duo are Havana good time with their latest Cuban -flavoured record.

Mark Tremonti

The Alter Bridge and Creed guitarist takes us through the milestones and highlights of his career to date.

Premier Builders Guild

We review three new electrics from the Premier Builders Guild – a collective of boutique guitar makers who have uniquely pooled their resources to enable faster and more affordable production of their ultra-high-end guitars.

EVH 5150-III 50W

Eddie Van Halen's signature amp gets scaled down to an uber-cool and significantly more practical 50-watt Bandmaster-style head and cab format.

PLUS! Check out our review of Van Halen's long-awaited new album A Different Kind Of Truth (sneak peak: we LOVE it!)

Reviewed

Premier Builders Guild – b3 Fire, Koll Duo Glide & Johann Gustavsson Bluesmaster Special
Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Peavey PXD Void II
Hofner Contemporary Series Club Solid & Verythin Bass
Patrick J Eggle Parlour Cuban
Lag Tramontane T200D, T300AE & T400J12CE
EVH 5150-III 50W
Egnater Tweaker 40 112
Avid Pro Tools + Eleven Rack
Gretsch Electromatic G2220 Junior Jet Bass II
Propellerhead Balance with Reason Essentials
Line 6 Mobile In and Mobile POD app
Zoom H2N
Vox 22 Series
Plutonieum PU-236 Chi-Wah-Wah Bass

Longterm Tests

Vox HDC-77
Washburn J600
Line 6 DT-25

On Guitarist Vault

Special Features…

Nuno Bettencourt – up close and personal with the man and his N4
Alter Bridge – Myles and Mark answer your questions

Video demos of…

Premier Builders Guild – b3 Fire, Koll Duo Glide & Johann Gustavsson Bluesmaster Special
Chris George Surf Green Custom
Peavey PXD Void II
Hofner Contemporary Series Club Solid
Patrick J Eggle Parlour Cuban
Lag Tramontane T300AE
EVH 5150-III 50W
Egnater Tweaker 40 112
Plutonieum PU-236 Chi-Wah-Wah Bass

Techniques columns…

Blues You Can Use – Fingers & Capos
Five Steps To John Frusciante
Acoustic Workshop – Hybrid Picking
Shape Up – Learning Basic Chords
Exotic Scales – The Okinawan Scale

PLUS!

NAMM 2012 Highlights – a first look at some of the hottest new products we saw at the 2012 NAMM show in Anaheim California

Hands on – Chris George Surf Green Custom & Fender Telebration Lamboo Telecaster

Round-up – The best vibrato-equipped rock electrics

Q&A, all the latest gear and artist news, your letters, columns, album reviews, reader ads and much more!

Guitarist issue 352, is available now from all good UK newsagents. Non-UK readers can purchase a copy from www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or UK readers can subscribe and receive a free gift !

Guitarist on iPad, iPhone and other digital platforms

Guitarist Deluxe – the fully-enhanced interactive edition of Guitarist, Guitarist Deluxe is available now for iPad. Guitarist Deluxe has all the same great content as the print version, enhanced with embedded video, audio, extra image galleries and more! To download the container app from Apple Newsstand, please click here. (Teaser Edition is free, further issues cost £3.99 each via in-app purchasing, subscriptions are also available).

In addition, Guitarist is available in non-enhanced form from Newsstand, compatible with iPhone and iPad devices (iOS5 required), and also as a digital magazine for PC, Mac, iOS and Android from Zinio.

Subscribe to Guitarist today and Save 30% off the cover price!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Limited time offer!

Subscribe to Guitarist in the UK and SAVE 30% off the cover price and get a FREE set of Elixir strings!

Elixir® Strings for electric guitar give you great tone that lasts three to five times longer. Elixir Strings deliver the presence, punch, and detail of the finest conventional strings while extending tone life and clean, new-string feel.

Don't miss out! Subscribe to Guitarist for just £24.99 by six-monthly direct debit,, save 30% off the cover price, get a FREE set of Elixir strings and never miss an issue again!

Offer ends: 31st March 2012.

The above offer is for new UK subscribers to the print edition only. However, readers outside of the UK can still subscribe to Guitarist overseas and make big savings off the cover price!

Guitarist Presents: BB King King Of The Blues on sale now!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Guitarist is proud to present a unique tribute to one of the true legends of the electric guitar – BB King

Guitarist Presents: BB King King Of The Blues combines an exclusive one-hour documentary about the incredible life of Riley B King by acclaimed filmmaker John Brewer, and a gorgeous coffee table magazine that through words and pictures tells the story of The King, his impact on the blues and wider music, and will teach you how to play in his trademark style.

Exclusive DVD

This one-hour DVD documentary from John Brewer is exclusive to Guitarist and delves into the life of the greatest living bluesman with superb new interview footage and archive material. Focussing on the great man's unique skills, there are guest contributions from Carlos Santana, Derek Trucks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Cray, Paul Rodgers, Slash and many more. This exclusive DVD is a prequel for the highly anticipated biographical film currently in production, BB King: The Life Of Riley.

Commemorative Magazine

This glossy 130-page magazine tells the story of BB King's journey from a poor sharecropper in the Mississippi Delta to the greatest living bluesman and one of the most recognisable guitar players in the world. In addition the magazine looks at the making of John Brewer's documentary, his place in blues as one of the Three Kings, the classic albums that defined his long career, and the milestones that have elevated to the revered status he holds today.

Guitar players will also be well catered for, as the magazine looks at the varied instruments that have allowed BB to make his music over the years – they're all different but each one's named Lucille. In addition, there are lessons on BB's unique guitar style from the makers of Guitar Techniques and a full transcription of his biggest hit, The Thrill Is Gone, courtesy of guitar dynamo Guthrie Govan.

Gorgeous Art Cards

In addition to the DVD and magazine, included in the pack are four A4+ size art cards featuring the great man himself at various points in his career, as well as his ever-present Lucille, and a gig poster from his earliest days as 'Blues Boy' King.

Guitarist Presents BB King: King Of The Blues is available now from selected newsagents priced £14.99 or from MyFavouriteMagazines.co.uk – this is a limited edition package, so get it while stocks last!

Guitarist issue 351 - on sale now!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:45:00 +0000

Only in issue 351 of Guitarist…

Johnny Marr

We sit down with the Smiths legend to get an exclusive and in-depth look at his brand new signature Fender Jaguar and the journey he went on to create it.

PLUS! We sit down with Johnny, his tech Bill Puplett and designer John Moore to discuss what makes the Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar so different – have they finally 'fixed' this notoriously temperamental design?

Steve Earle

The country-rock maverick talks gear, tone, philosophy, and how his colourful past has made him a better guitar player today…

Aces: Charlie Christian

In the first of a new series examining the lives of the true founding fathers of modern guitar playing, we tell the story of electric jazz pioneer and one of the most influential players of them all, Charlie Christian.

Hubert Sumlin: 1931-2011

We pay tribute to Howlin' Wolf's legendary sideman, and a touchstone for so many blues guitar staples, who died in December last year.

Gretsch Electromatic Electrics

We take a look at three new affordable guitars from the Gretsch stable, including two updated classics and the revival of the much-loved Corvette body shape…

Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 5

Just when you though mini amps couldn't get any more mini than they are, H&K tear up the rulebook with a head that so dinky you can't help but go, 'aww'… until you plug in that is…

Reviewed

Gretsch Electromatic G5105 CVT III, G5435T Pro Jet and G5448T Double Jet
ESP LTD M-330R, Viper-330 , EC-330 & H-330NT
Fret-King Black Label Eclat DBC & Elise GG Artist
Yamaha LLX6A, Taylor 210e, Tanglewood TW15H-E and Simon & Patrick Woodland Pro Spruce SG A3T
Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 5 head and 112 combo
Bogner Goldfinger 45 & Barcelona
Carl Martin HeadRoom
Guitar Man Plug 'N' Play Headphone Amps
Fender Bronco 40
Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay
Dunlop DVP1 Volume Pedal
Fender CN 204-SCE
Coopersonic Germaniac Vintage Fuzz
IK Multimedia AmpliTube 3.7 and Custom Shop Add-ons
Twinstomp S21 Overdrive

Longterm Tests

Godin Multiac Encore Nylon
Gibson Melody Maker Les Paul
DigiTech iPB-10

On Guitarist Vault

Special Features…

The Darkness – on the road with Justin and Dan Hawkins
Charlie Christian Style File – Denny Illet shares the secrets of the great man's jazz technique

Video demos of…

Gretsch Electromatic G5105 CVT III, G5435T Pro Jet and G5448T Double Jet
ESP LTD Viper-330
Yamaha LLX6A, Taylor 210e, Tanglewood TW15H-E and Simon & Patrick Woodland Pro Spruce SG A3T
Bogner Goldfinger 45
Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 112 combo
Fender Telebration Cabronita
Coopersonic Germaniac Vintage Fuzz

Techniques columns…

Blues You Can Use – Cornell Dupree
Five Steps To Brian May
Acoustic Workshop – Nashville Tuning
Shape Up
Exotic Scales – The Japanese 'In' Scale

Continued…

PLUS!

EVH 5150 III 50-watt head – a first look at Eddie Van Halen's brand new signature amp, with half the power and half the volume of the 100-watt version, could it be the club shredder's new best friend?

Hands on – Fano Alt De Facto RB6 Ltd & Fender Telebration Cabronita Telecaster

Round-up – The best signature guitars we've reviewed lately

Q&A, all the latest gear and artist news, your letters, columns, album reviews, reader ads and much more!

Guitarist issue 351, is available now from all good UK newsagents. Non-UK readers can purchase a copy from www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or UK readers can subscribe and receive a free gift !

Guitarist on iPad, iPhone and other digital platforms

Guitarist issue 350 - on sale now!

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:31:00 +0000

Only in issue 350 of Guitarist…

We Can Be Heroes

Guitarist delves into the murky world of the tribute act, and find out what it's like to get paid to not only emulate your heroes, but to play huge venues doing it!

PLUS! We give you the lowdown on four rigs that you can assemble today if you want to emulate four of the greatest guitar heroes of them all – Jimmy Hendrix, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen.

Billy Gibbons

The ZZ Top legend sits down to talk about the band's long-awaited new album, and explains why gauge 0.008 strings just aren't thin enough…

Richie Kotzen

The US guitar god talks about guitar philosophy and having a new record under his belt.

Opeth

Guitarists Mikael Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson discuss the process behind their stylistic left-turn on new album Heritage, and tell us what's wrong with metal guitar players these days…

Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five

Boogie's most popular amp of the last two decades gets the lunchbox amp treatment – yes it's cute, but stand back, it packs a punch…

Fender Modern Player Marauder

A name and shape that barely made it off the drawing board in the 1960s, brought back from the dead. But is it any good this time?

Reviewed

Fender Modern Player Series Marauder, Jaguar, Telecaster bass & Jazz bass
Charvel Pro Mod Limited Wild Card #7 Primer Scream
Framus Vintage Hollywood Singlecut and Doublecut
Epiphone Les Paul PlusTop PRO/FX
Guild F-130CE, F-150R & D-125-12
Taylor Doyle Deluxe
Fender EC Series Twinolux & Vibro-Champ
Orange TH100
Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five
Pigtronix Effects
Strymon TimeLine
Olympus LS-20M & LS-3
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 Pro
Morpheus Bomber
Blue Yeti Pro
Fishman Fission Bass Powerchord FX
Harmonic Design Super Chrome

Longterm Tests

Two-Rock Jet
Washburn J-600
Vox HDC-77

On Guitarist Vault

Special Features…

Tribute Rigs Demo'd – hear our four attainable legend set-ups in action
On The Road – Scott Holiday of Rival Sons

Video demos of…

Fender EC Series Twinolux & Vibro-Champ
Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier Twenty-Five
Fender Modern Player Marauder
Orange TH100
Morpheus Bomber
Guild D-125-12
Taylor Doyle Deluxe
Charvel Pro Mod Limited Wild Card #7 Primer Scream
Strymon TimeLine

Techniques columns…

Blues You Can Use
Five Steps To Richie Sambora
Shape Up
Exotic Scales

PLUS!

Fret-King Black Label Range – a first look at the new reasonably-priced range from the UK brand

Hands on – Fender Telebration '62 Telecaster

Round-up – The best guitar books for Christmas

Q&A, all the latest gear and artist news, your letters, columns, album reviews, reader ads and much more!

Guitarist issue 350, is available now from all good UK newsagents. Non-UK readers can purchase a copy from www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or UK readers can subscribe and receive a free gift!

Guitarist on iPad, iPhone and other digital platforms

Guitarist issue 349 – on sale now!

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:24:00 +0000

Only in issue 349 of Guitarist…

BB King – Exclusive Interview!

We sit down with perhaps the greatest living bluesman at the Royal Albert Hall during the making of a definitive new film about his remarkable life. We chat with the 86-year-old legend about how he first fell in love with the guitar, how he's still going strong, the story of Lucille in his own words, and just how long he thinks he can keep touring and playing…

Paul Gilbert

The thinking man's shredder talks about the recent Mr Big reunion, writing a new album together, and what the future holds for him and the band.

Roger McGuinn

The Byrds legend talks Rickenbackers, electric folk, sea shanties and his visit to 'Stones-henge'…

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

The blues-rock maestro guides us through his approach to tone, technique and the guitar in general

Fractal Axe-Fx II

The revolutionary digital preamp/FX processor gets a major overhaul – but will it win a coveted Gold Award?

Nik Huber Orca DSB

Is this the ultimate single-cut electric? Our in-depth review finds out…

Optek Fretlight FG-421

A device that claims it's going to revolutionise the way we learn to play the guitar. Guitarist investigates…

Reviewed

Ibanez RG3250MZ, RGD2120Z & RG870Z
Nik Huber Orca DSB
EVH Wolfgang Stealth
Fender Blacktop Stratocaster HH FR
Larrivée 000-3R Ltd
Pete Turner Marrakech
Fishman Loudbox Artist
Jackson Ampworks Atlantic 3.0
Line 6 DT25
Fractal Axe-Fx II
BMF Pedals
Washburn Stu Hamm SH B3
BOSS Micro BR BR-80
Optek Fretlight FG-421
Planet Waves NS Mini Headstock Tuner
Fender CF-140S
Sugartone Starjet
Fishman Black Stack
Fender Blues Junior Mk III Ltd
4Pockets Stompbox

Longterm Tests

Italia Rimini 6
Godin Multiac Encore Nylon
Gibson Melody Maker Les Paul

On the FINAL Guitarist CD and Guitarist Vault

Artist video…

On the road with Paul Gilbert

Video demos of…

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II
Ibanez RG3250MZ
Ibanez RGD2120Z
Nik Huber Orca DSB
EVH Wolfgang Stealth
Fender Blacktop Stratocaster HH FR
Larrivée 000-3R Ltd
BMF El Jefe

Techniques columns…

Blues You Can Use
Five Steps To Angus Young
Shape Up
Exotic Scales

PLUS!

Fender Modern Player Range – a first look at the the new range of reasonably-priced Fender axes, including a return of the mythical Marauder…

Fender Eric Clapton Signature Amps – Fender's first ever signature amp range honours EC. We get the lowdown.

Hands on – Manson Works #006 and Fender Telebration Old Pine Telecaster

Round-up – Unusual semi-hollow electrics

Q&A, all the latest gear and artist news, your letters, columns, album reviews, reader ads and much more!

Guitarist issue 349, is available now from all good UK newsagents. Non-UK readers can purchase a copy from www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or UK readers can subscribe and receive a free gift!

Guitarist on iPad, iPhone and other digital platforms

Guitarist Deluxe – the first full edition of Guitarist Deluxe, the fully-enhanced multimedia iPad edition of Guitarist is available via iTunes a few days after the print issue goes on sale – to download the container app from Apple Newsstand, please click here.

For more information about Guitarist's digital editions, please click here.

Gibson Firebird X Video Demo

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:31:00 +0000

We reviewed the Gibson FIrebird X back in issue 347, we liked some parts of this guitar and hated others and whatever anyone may say, it's pretty much guaranteed to provoke some sort of reaction.

Check this out and see what you think, but charge those batteries first…

Exclusive: Paul Gilbert Plays Van Halen's Eruption

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Guitarist was ultra-lucky to meet up with Mr Big guitar God Paul Gilbert during the band's recent tour of Blighty, and he was gracious enough to show us his new rig, that included the new Ibanez Fireman, a couple of Marshall half-stacks and a string of stompboxes.

We filmed the entire thing, and the December issue of Guitarist features the entire On The Road With Paul Gilbert video. It's on both the final instalment of the Guitarist CD and our new service Guitarist Vault.

As an awesome teaser to the feature, here's Paul playing Van Halen's Eruption to demonstrate just one of his pedals. The greatest living rock guitarist recreating the most influential piece of rock music of the last 30 odd years? Oh yes…

The December 2011 issue of Guitarist is on-sale 23 November. Do not miss it.

Guitarist Uncut: The Les Paul Interview

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:36:00 +0000

© Corbis

Issue 321 of Guitarist magazine published a huge tribute feature to Les Paul, who died on 13 August 2009. Spanning his early life, musical and technical achievements, we explored the legacy left by The Wizard Of Waukesha.

A little under six months before his death, Guitarist editor Mick Taylor was lucky enough to speak with Les from his home in New York. Some of the information was used in the Guitarist feature, but for your reading pleasure, here is the full transcript. Les was 93 years old when the interview took place. While his speech had slowed somewhat, his sense of enthusiasm was absolutely unabated.

Les, it's a great pleasure to talk to you, thank you for taking the time today. Tell us, are you still playing the Iridium every Monday night?

"Still! Every Monday."

What are your favourite songs to play?

"Well we have a lot of guests that come up on the stage – anyone could walk up on that stage. It can be Paul McCartney, it could be Keith Richards… you could go on naming them for hours. Jeff Beck… who knows? Over here you may have an astronaut that comes up and we won't play any songs at all, we'll be talking.

"So it's a wide variety. Interesting that this question that you ask, I was told here a couple of weeks ago that some rock guitar player got up on the stage and the rest of the band got up and walked off – they won't even play with one another. But I welcome an eight-year-old kid to come up and see what he's got – whether I can encourage him to play, just sort of run a curve on him y'know.

"Our music is generally the music I would play way back when I was in the record business. So I'll play World Waiting For The Sunrise and How High The Moon, maybe Over The Rainbow, some standards. But it depends upon the artist that comes up – if people like a certain kind of music, I will focus the show that way. Whoever walks up on to the stage is the star – he is the picture, we are the frame. The frame is there to make the star look better – let's make this fellow the best he's ever going to be."

You mentioned the example of a young kid coming up to play, and you'd try to encourage him. What can you remember about the first time you started to play, and how you were encouraged?

"To me it was like a disaster to play on a radio station, then go over to a large theatre and walk out there and perform! I'd never done either prior to that. To walk out on the stage the first time, you're really going fishin'. I got through the radio program fine, but on the stage I didn't know what to do – I didn't have an act. I was so frightened. I remember they had some food to eat, and I remember walking out on stage and peeling a banana – I threw the banana away and ate the peeling! That was my first memory of being on the stage."

© Corbis

Were you Rhubarb Red at that point? [The young Lester Polsfuss used the stage name in deference to his contemporary Pie Plant Pete]

"I was Red Hot Red. We had to start somewhere. And you learn immediately by watching the professionals on the stage. I was nine years old. You learn fast from others how to be an entertainer as well as a musician; you don't necessarily have to get out there and just play, you can be an entertainer too. I followed that through my whole life. I would have been with the Bing Crosbys the Jack Bennys, the Bob Holcuss, The Andrews Sisters, Fred Waring, Paul Whiteman – all the people I learned from. It never ends where you learn.

"When I started playing, I was playing just the harmonica. We're back in the prohibition days. Like down a dark alley somewhere, you'd play for an illegal club that was probably right behind a police station, and what I'd do is sing and play the harmonica. It didn't take me long to work out that I needed something more, and that was the guitar. So when you added the guitar, the harmonica and my voice, you would be talking with people mainly in the bar, or in the restaurant, or the people in the pub."

Can you remember the first time you started pulling things apart – where did that interest begin?

"What started me pulling things apart, the first thing was that we had a player piano in the living room, and a Victrola [a gramophone in a cabinet that debuted in 1906] and a radio and a telephone. They were the important things I could use to progress. And what I found is that when I played something, my mother or my brother or someone around there would say, That sounds pretty good. I'd say, Well I don't know because I'm so busy doing it, I'm probably not hearing it the way you're hearing it.

"So what I did was put on my work clothes to start soldering and building things and the next thing I know I'm studying electronics and I'm heading towards making a recording device so that I could hear what my mother or my brother were listening to: I could criticise it or enjoy it and see what they were talking about! It's something that surely wasn't around Waukesha when I was nine years old! There wasn't such a thing as a recording device, so I had to build it.

"I went out to the transmitter room at the radio station that was just about to go on air and I started talking to the engineer and he started to teach me electronics. My father happened to own a garage, and he had lathes and equipment to work with and a lot of parts. It was up to me figure out how to make some kind of device to record on, so it was down at the garage I put together my first recording machine. It was an old automobile and in those days they had side curtains on them; side curtains for windows made from celluloid: the beginning of plastics. In any case you could cut it with a nail and get a sound on the record.

"The turntable was a Cadillac flywheel, and for the belt, I eliminated all the extraneous noises and rumbles that you don't wish to record, well, my drummer, who was studying to be a dentist. And it was on his radio station at his dentist school in Milwaukee – its still there. They used dental belt, which was endless belt and that would have a feed through so I could make lines on record. I had that pretty well covered.

"The next thing was to make a pickup which I made out of the telephone receiver. By taking the parts in the living room in my dad's garage I got it together, played it through my mother's speaker in the radio. They weren't the best quality in the world, but it was the beginning. That got me into that world, which of course at the same time got me into the world of amplifying the guitar."

© Corbis

Was it your experiments in recording that encouraged you forward with the solid body guitar?

"No, I was working at a barbecue stand that was half way between Waukesha and Milwaukee. Today it's the hub of the many cities that come in from all directions. I talked the owner into me building a PA system with my mother and father's radio, and the story was that somebody in the back seat of a car said Red, your voice is fine, your harmonica's fine and your jokes are funny, but the guitar is not loud enough, so I immediately went home and had a problem and it was there I decided, how would I know how to make a solidbody guitar.

"I should retract that – first, solidbody didn't really enter into that. The way it started was that when I took a phonograph pickup and jabbed it into the front of the guitar, I had a guitar that was amplified, but I had a lot of feedback, so I filled it with tablecloths and socks and everything I could think of; in the end I filled it up with plaster of Paris. None of that worked, and I finally destroyed the guitar.

So where did you go from there?

"I decided to pick the most dense material that I could find, and put a string on it, so I found a piece of railroad track that was about two and a half feet long and a piece of wood two and a half feet long. I placed a part of the telephone under the strings, fed it into the radio and I'm running to my mother and saying, I've got it! It was the railroad track – the piece of wood rolled over and died.

"And my mother says, The day you see a cowboy on a horse playing a railroad track… she grounded that idea in a hurry, so that went out the window and I said, Well then I've got to go to something that's not heavy, but something that's very dense, very sturdy; something that's going to sustain the sound and it's gotta be something that you love when you hold it, and immediately thought of something like a woman!

"Instead of having an ironing board or a stick of wood with a string on it, it would say something cosmetically as well as musically."

© Corbis

The development of the guitar thereafter is well documented – so jumping forward quite a bit– once the Les Paul guitar finally got to production, how far did that differ from your original vision of what it might be?

"Well it differs from the piece of pine and the railroad track! It went through the 4 x 4 that went through the guitar that was almost a solidbody, with the half-inch top on it [The Log] but every one of them had problems of making two of them that sounded alike, and that would be comfortable to play, smaller.

"Electronically, the improvements there were quick and fast. But it took time to develop thins thing because I was also studying to do my music and to have my groups of musicians my little orchestras and to play with other people, to do all of that… then to end up broadcasting, to make recordings. As I grew older, I had many things to do and less time to do them in."

Thinking about the early 1950s, who did you deal with at Gibson to take the guitar to the form that we now know it?

"I dealt with the second president who was a lawyer and I went from him to the next one to the next one to the next one… I may have gone through at least 11 presidents and 10 years of trying to convince Gibson they should make this solidbody electric guitar. For 10 years, when I wasn't around, they would say The character with the broomstick with pickups on it…

They made fun of it and didn't take seriously and it wasn't until 1950/51 until I talked to MH Berlin, Maurice Berlin, and he was chairman of the board and he ran the whole Chicago Musical Instrument company, which included Gibson, and he's the one that I talked to and negotiated with, made the deal with. He was a very honest man and a great person to know and to work with. He was a bit cautious about making such a drastic move, so he had both a regular guitar set up, amplified, and one my guitars and put 'em side by side, then throw a switch so you'd listen to one, then the other. He made sure it had the same strings, using the same pick with the same guy playing it, so he could listen to the difference between the two.

"In the meantime I could be there and explain why that difference was there and the advantages of going to a solidbody over a regular acoustical body. He said, This baby is yours, and don't let anybody change your mind! He gave me full reign to do what I wished to do, and then came in the different presidents of Gibson and there were a lot of 'em. Some of them were not as good as others, some of 'em were just great.

"I can remember one time I just got in the car and drove down, maybe 50 miles to the turnpike and ordered $50,000 worth of equipment for Gibson, then called the president and said, I just placed an order for $50,000 of test equipment for you, that you need. Well he had a fit and he almost died. $50,000?! What's the matter with what we've got?

"I had to explain to him that what we had was archaic and it was way behind the times. To do this right, you should have everything up to snuff; all the test devices, all the stuff to listen on, your amplifiers are all absolutely flat, the best speakers and on and on. To charge the magnets at that time, they were just using cobalt batteries, and they would just zap these pickups. They didn't have a gauss meter, they didn't even know what they had. I took them from almost nothing, a crude beginning. In fact the fella that was put in charge, his name was Walt Fuller, and Walt was the one they chose to be in charge of the electric guitar and they told him to go rig one up. Then he went over to the library and I went with him and he had always worked with wood and he didn't know anything about electronics, so that whole thing had to start from scratch: from the beginning.

"That was back in the early '30s and by 1950 we had many choices and directions to go in, and whether I could sell them the idea of going to the solidbody electric and make it a beautiful instrument and it happened."

© Corbis

Presumably you were aware of Leo Fender and Paul Bigsby and other people who were following a similar path at that time – did you have any that what you were all doing would become so successful?

"Yes, Leo Fender, Bigsby – I met both of them in my back yard. They came over to listen to people I was recording in Los Angeles. They were over there quite a bit and the reason they were over there was because neither one of them played an instrument, and what they had to do was get the feedback from the player, so they liked to be at the recording studio.

"Well my studio was just my garage in the back yard and it was a perfect place for us to sit and talk and chat for hours about how to make an electric guitar and an amplifier to suit the customer. We would notice things that weren't right; we learned from the player. I, being a musician, knew what was going on. Leo had to depend on what the person told him.

"Now the person playing the guitar or amp, in time times out of 10, doesn't know a thing about electronics and so consequently all they can say is, It sounds tinny, harsh, boomy in the bottom… Crudely, he would be giving the information to Bigsby and to Leo and myself."

So was the Fender Les Paul model ever on the cards?

"At that time Leo wanted me to be partners with him – for it to be the Fender guitar: the Les Paul Fender. When he approached me with the idea, he brought over a guitar and he gave it to me and I have it here. And I thought, if I'm gonna do this I'm going to go with the biggest company in the world: Gibson. Why should I fool around with some guy who is not a musician – I should go to the Gibson people.

"I did and the Gibson people turned it down and they continued to turn it down all the way to 1950. Then in 1950, they called me and say, Would you bring that gadget in? Bringing that in there and going through these stringent tests of comparing one against the other, and finally came to conclusion that, Okay it's go, ad it's your baby and don't let anybody tell you anything different."

Since then the guitar has gone through many different changes and musical styles – what's your thoughts on how the guitar has been taken up over all these years?

"Well I think it's doing great! It's so enormous now and we're just constantly getting larger and larger. We're number one, but what is interesting, is to progress on. I got a call yesterday and they want me to design two new guitars and four new amplifiers."

© Corbis

Really?

"Yep. That's my next project, so I've got a handful. There's a lot of amplifiers out there and I've seen those amplifiers under all kinds of conditions and so it's a question of whittling them down and the way I'm going to do that is to make the best first, and then make it more economical or with less gingerbread on them."

When you set out with recording, it was all about a clean sound – no distortion, a pure tone…

"That applied back to Leo Fender in my back yard and this was back in 1944/45, at the end of the war. When Leo would come over there he was looking for clean, clean sound; that's what he liked to hear. We agreed that's what we liked to hear, but also I was very aware that it's not was you always want, a clear, clear sound.

"You should be able to add reverb to it, delay, flanging, fuzz – whatever you wish, whatever you can imaging that you want you should have on that instrument. I was going for the very clean sound too. To this moment I want a very clear sound, and then I want to be able to take that very clear sound and warp it or change it to the different sounds of the other player."

You developed techniques in terms of phasing, speeding up and slowing down and all that…

"Yeah, it was an exciting time. It happened in Chicago where my mother came down to visit. She said, I heard you on the radio last night. I said, I wasn't playing on the radio, I was here playing with The Andrews Sisters. She says, well you should do something about it, because they're sounding just like you!

"So I got thinking about it, gave my notice and went to my garage and said, I'm not coming out of that garage until I have a sound that's different from anybody else! It took a couple of years of working on ideas; new sounds, a new way of recording and it turned out to be great. I didn't know it was going to change the world, but I knew it was going to make some noise."

How do think the way things are currently, with a lot of musicians looking back to the old times for sounds and styles – do you find that strange?

"I am very aware that so little has happened to the electric guitar from the time that it was conceived to now; where there are so little changes made where there should be drastic changes made. If we were to put our heads together and start thinking about modern technology we would be much more advantaged with the electric guitar than we are. I think that we've been stagnant for many years."

So do you have any ideas that you'd like to see – changes?

"Yeah, but I wouldn't tell ya! Ha ha ha!"

How do you feel when a kid picks up a Les Paul, and he doesn't even know that there's this guy in New York called Les Paul – that it's your name on the headstock?

"That doesn't bother me at all. Whether he thinks Les Paul is a guitar or a person. That's not my goal in life; to go down in history as something other than just another guy."

That might be difficult now, don't you think?

"Well not for me it's not. I remember one time Mary and I landed on the Queen Elizabeth and we were going to play The London Palladium. Many people met us at the ship and they were all talking at us; they were very busy advising us. They're throwing a big party for us and having met us, they quickly came to the conclusion that we would be a total failure if we were to just be regular people; that we had to rise above, like, You are a star and at the party you don't just mingle with everybody.

"They have to look up to you, like you do to one of your people that you worship and who is far above you. So I said, I don't think that will work with Mary and I; Mary and I are just the same people and it would be difficult for us to start acting different from normal. Our normal is to just mingle with people and be just be friends, be nice and have a great time.

"At the party it turned out to be great: exactly the opposite of what they advised us – we couldn't throw a switch and be the Queen of England. Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, Rita Hayworth – they were all in town at the same time, and those people – I have all the newspapers here – they all got torn apart. The press was rough on 'em, and we came out smelling like a rose. Maybe it was just an accident, but it happened that time and we came into London with nothing but great reviews and nothing but nice things to say about us. Not so with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and Charlie Chaplin and Rita Hayworth. Those guys were out there to get nailed and did. I'll never forget those reviews.

"You can get good advice, you can get bad advice, but my advice is, Hey, don't try to act and be something you're not. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just a guitar player and my job is to go out there and play and entertain and do my thing. That's it. If I have to go around telling everyone how great I am, then there's something wrong with my act."

Les, thank you for your time. It's been a great honour talking to you – I hope to get to see you a the Iridium one of these Mondays…

"Hey, you'll love it. Let us know you're there so we can give you the royal treatment. And practice to raise above us!"

Guitarist issue 348 – on sale now!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:22:00 +0000

Only in issue 347 of Guitarist…

George Harrison Signature Duo Jet

We tell the story of George Harrison's first 'proper' guitar, that he played on some of the Beatles most iconic hits, and learn the ridiculous lengths the Gretsch Custom Shop went to to recreate the incredible ding-for-ding £16,000 replica.

PLUS! We review the all-new and significantly more affordable Gretsch G61218-GH George Harrison Signature Duo Jet!

Richard Hawley

The solo troubadour and ex-Pulp guitarist looks back on his illustrious career, and shares with us his truly gorgeous vintage guitar collection.

Trivium

Guitarist Corey Beaulieu talks about the metal kings' latest brutal offering.

Steve Cropper

The Stax legend tells us about the band who had a major influence on his playing style – the 5 Royales.

Paul Reed Smith

We take a trip to Maryland and catch up with the legendary luthier who tells us that he's changed his mind – he can still make a better electric guitar, and he's done it…

DigiTech iPB10

This new programmable pedalboard from DigiTech combines your iPad with a hardware controller to create a touchscreen FX solution – does it work? We have the EXCLUSIVE review.

Reviewed

Gretsch G61218-GH George Harrison Signature Duo Jet
Sandberg Florence Ages
Suhr Guthrie Govan Antique Modern
Charvel Desolation Skatecaster SK-1 FR, DS-1 FR & DC-1 ST
Gordon-Smith GS2 '60'
Yamaha A1M & AC3R
Ibanez A300E-VV & EW20ASE-NT
Ampeg GVT52-122
Mesa/Boogie Royal Atlantic RA-100
DigiTech iPB10
MXR M78 Custom Badass, ’78 Distortion, M195 Noise Clamp, M234 Analog Chorus & ZW90 Wylde Phase
iOS Audio Interface Round-up – IK Multimedia iRig, Peavey AmpKit Link, Apogee JAM, Apple Camera Connection Kit, Sonoma Wire Works Guitar Jack, Alesis iO Dock
Electro-Harmonix Neo Mistress
Carparelli S4
Peavey PXD Void IV bass
Stone Deaf PDF-1
T-Rex Tonebug Sustainer
IK Multimedia iRig Mic

Longterm Tests

Vox HDC77BK
Two-Rock Jet
Taylor GS Mini

On the Guitarist CD and Guitarist Vault

Artist video…

Dave Gregory shows off his vintage guitar collection – part 3

Video demos of…

Gretsch G6128T-GH George Harrison Signature
DigiTech iPB10
Ampeg GVT52-112
Charvel Desolation DS-1 FR
Charvel Skatecaster SK-1 FR
Mesa/Boogie Royal Atlantic RA-100
MXR ’78 Custom Badass
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase
Yamaha AC3R
Electro-Harmonix Neo Mistress

Techniques columns…

Blues You Can Use
Five Steps To Kirk Hammett
Shape Up
Exotic Scales

PLUS!

Fender Kurt Cobain Jaguar – a first look at the reasonably-priced Nirvana tribute guitar

Hands on – Aston Martin Vantage Guitar & DB60-GC amp… no we can't believe it either

Round-up – iPad apps for guitar players

Q&A, all the latest gear and artist news, your letters, columns, album reviews, reader ads and much more!

Guitarist issue 348, is available now from all good UK newsagents. Non-UK readers can purchase a copy from www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, or UK readers can subscribe and receive a free gift!

Guitarist on iPad, iPhone and other digital platforms

Guitarist Deluxe – the first full edition of Guitarist Deluxe, the fully-enhanced multimedia iPad edition of Guitarist will be available very soon – to download the container app from Apple Newsstand, please click here.

For more information about Guitarist's digital editions, please click here.

Acoustic Avalon Acoustic Guitar Show This Weekend!

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:44:00 +0000

Acoustic Avalon, the UK's longest running acoustic guitar show is being held this year over the weekend of the 29-30 October – that's this weekend – and is shaping up to be one of its best.

The event it being held, as ever, at the Leicester Racecourse Conference Centre and promises a dazzling selection of the world's finest acoustic guitar makers and an inspiring line-up of acoustic guitar virtuosity and singer songwriter talent.

This year's impressive line up includes Thomas Leeb, Jacques Stotzem, Rob Lynch, Welsh guitar phenomenon Gareth Pearson, award winning songwriter Bruce Gaitsch and one of the UK's leading guitarists Stuart Ryan.

They will be joined by vocalist and number one selling songwriter Tricia McTeague, Steve Fairclough, Ukulele virtuoso Steven Sproat, and the classical delights of Yvonne Bloor.

Indeed the Saturday night triple-header concert promises to be quite an event. Firstly, the original and captivating Thomas Leeb will be joined by the fingerstyle magic of Jacques Stotzem. And if that's not enough, the pair will welcome US guitar guru Bruce Gaitsch, who has played, written, and produced for the likes of Richard Marx, Madonna, Celine Dion and Elton John, to join them on stage. Pre-booking for the concert is a must!

Making a special appearance at this year's event on the 29th will be George Lowden of Lowden guitars. George will be bringing a selection of rare and exotic woods, and discussing the tonal advantages in sound that these woods can produce. All of these woods feature highly in Lowden's new 50 series custom range of guitars. You can choose the timber for your next guitar with the master himself!

For those looking to buy, it's an unique opportunity for you to put together your 'fantasy guitar' shopping list and try them all in one single location. Visitors can also look forward to seeing a spectacular range of top guitar brands and manufacturers representing some of the finest acoustic guitars produced anywhere in the world. As well as the chance to win a brand new Takamine ETN10C acoustic guitar on each day!

There's something for everyone from beginner to professional artist and great prices too! The show is famous for its friendly atmosphere, with many visitors declaring it the highlight of their acoustic year. So don't miss it!

Tickets and further information available online from www.sheehans.com, or by phone on 0116 2557492.

Shortlist announced for Electric Guitar of the Year

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:00:00 +0000

It's MIA award time again! Once a year The Music Industries Association picks the great and the good from the world of music gear and sends an award their way. And they asked you - the Guitarist reader - to help choose the all-important Guitarist Electric Guitar of the Year winner.

We asked for your votes to help select the Music Industry Association's 'Guitarist Electric Guitar of the Year'. Those votes have now been used to compile a final shortlist, and the ultimate winner will be announced at the MIA Awards ceremony on the evening of 30 November 2011.

The shortlist, in no particular order, for Guitarist Electric Guitar of the Year is:

Fender Road Worn '72 Telecaster Custom
Gibson Les Paul Studio 60s Tribute
Suhr Guthrie Govan SN
James Tyler Variax JTV-69
PRS Studio
Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Goldtop
Manson MA-2
Fender Black Top Stratocaster HH