Modern Electric Guitars

Epiphone, the red headed step child.

2009-11-18T13:44:00.003-05:00

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Poor Epiphone always the bridesmaid never the bride. Epiphone since it's purchase by Gibson a few decades ago has always been the low budget, just above knock off Gibson, until recently. A new in flux of models from Epiphones past and a few high quality copies of Les Pauls has Gibson investing in the brand.(http://www.epiphone.com/)

When seeing an Epiphone at live shows I always felt the player couldn't afford the real thing. Then, in the mid 90's I was in the market for an ES335 and a Jazz Boxx ( a hollow body with some tone). My budget was limited and I knew what I wanted , a fast neck i.e. dressed frets, and nice responsive pick ups. I to this day regret my decision I tried a Gibson Studio 335 which today probably would have made me money but I bought a Joe Pass and a Sheraton Epiphone.

I felt I made the right decision both guitars played great but comes to resale, no money.

Les Paul (1915-2009)

2009-09-16T10:57:00.006-04:00

Les was by observation and accomplishment, rather industrious, clever, creative, hard working, succesful and loyal. Just an all around good person. He wasn't ever linked to excesses associated with the industry. He preferred the seconds when it came to guitars, (the guitars that have imperfections.) He was a proponent of low impedance or low resistance pickups.
He preferred analog as opposed to digital. (to me that makes sense why digitize an analog signal then return it to analog).
I owe a huge debt to the man, he provided me with the music and instruments that have filled my life, provided me with joy and ultimately monetary reward, thanks Les.

http://www.lespaulonline.com/

Les was an apparent pack rat. In the 90's it was reported Les was cleaning out his house and filled a few dumpsters with stuff. Stuff we guitar people would love to have.

It was written in Guitar Aficionado (http://www.guitaraficionado.com/) that Les was contacted late in the development of Gibsons' solid body. The article as it reads to me is that Les made a few minor suggestions and it was Gibson's need of a celebrity endorsement that lead to the naming of the guitar. The timing of the article seems like peeing in punch bowl. How much Les involvment Les had seems mute. The evolution of the instrument and recording was marching on and as with any science many people were working separately towards a common goal. Often paths cross and less often paths combine for a cumulative effect in this case , THE MOTHER F****'* Les Paul!

The guitar likely had p-90s (single coils) and a trapeze style bridge.

Remember Ted Mc Carty hadn't finished the humbucking design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_McCarty

From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul

"While experimenting in his apartment in 1940, Paul nearly succumbed to electrocution. During two years of recuperation, he relocated to Hollywood, supporting himself by producing radio music and forming a new trio. He was drafted into the US Army shortly after the beginning of World War II, where he served in the Armed Forces Network, backing such artists as Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, and performing in his own right[21].

"What the F*** ? electrocuted, are you f***'*n kidding me? As a matter of fact it was the 40's n up until 30 years ago. You could plug in and have the polarities reversed, the metal stuff would be like touching line voltage, "MUTHA F*****, you're dead.
note: My Bandmaster is like that, plug in have polarities reversed and the metal panels and switches are straight line voltage or more.... Did that a few times loaded."-X

As a last-minute replacement for Oscar Moore, Paul played with Nat King Cole and other artists in the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles, California, on July 2, 1944. Also that year, Paul's trio appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show. Crosby went on to sponsor Paul's recording experiments. The two also recorded together several times, including a 1945 number-one hit, "It's Been a Long, Long Time." In addition to backing Crosby, The

Andrews Sisters and other artists, Paul's trio also recorded a few albums of their own on the Decca label in the late 1940s.
In January 1948, Paul shattered his right arm and elbow in a near-fatal automobile accident in Oklahoma. Doctors told him that they could not rebuild his elbow so that he would regain movement; his arm would remain permanently in whatever position they placed it in. Paul instructed the surgeons to set his arm at an angle—just over 90 degrees—that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him a year and a half to recover"

X- Another, What the F***, Have my arm fixed so I can hold a guitar? Ok, I'd do that.

He is was and will always be a Genius.

Buddy Holly

2009-09-16T09:21:00.007-04:00

Hi welcome, I've havn't posted in a while and there's been a huge story. Beloved Les Paul died, I'll post an article of my own in the near future. I'll highlight interesting facts that have been overlooked.

But while surfing I came across this little gem. From the Gruhn website (http://www.gruhn.com/) .

It's Buddy Holly's amp from late in his career. It's the amp he kept in his apartment in New York. Imagine having a few cocktails, plug into this babe and channeling Buddy "Freakn" Holly. Or better yet MTV or CMT Cribs is at the house and in passing "This is Buddy Holly's amp" Whaaaatttttt?

From the website http://www.gruhn.com/

"Buddy Holly's Magnatone

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rock and roll legend Buddy Holly had barely broken in this Magnatone Custom 280 High Fidelity amp when he died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959. He bought it in late 1958 and put his name on the front with embossed adhesive tape (he also signed the inside of the back panel). This was Holly's home amp, which he kept in the living room of his New York apartment.
Holly recorded a few demos on this amp. After his death, the tapes were overdubbed with full productions, but they were also later released just as he recorded them - with guitar and vocal. His widow Maria Elena sent the amp to Holly's mother for safekeeping, and the family sold it some years later.

For Holly aficionados, there is no other amp. His stage amp was brought to New York after his death by bandmate Waylon Jennings and put in a storage locker, and it promptly disappeared. The amp he used for his biggest recordings did remain in Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, NM, but it has been converted to solid-state.

This Magnatone has had tubes and caps replaced. A detailed account of the work comes with the amp, along with all the original electronic parts. It is still true to the vibrato-heavy sound of Holly's living room recordings.

With a letter from the curator of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (where it was on display until recently) and all the original electronic parts, this unique piece of memorabilia is offered at $175,000.

For further enjoyment...."

Oh yeah sorry nobody knows who Buddy Holly is.

Listening to these interviews realize the business of music hasn't changed. The pressure of the lead artist in a group to leave and headline, Beyounce comes to mind .

Kind of a prophetic interview with Alan Freed a legendary Rock and Roll DJ and promoter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Freed

2009-05-11T13:12:00.002-04:00

Ok, being old sucks. Mick Jones of the Clash now of Carbon/Silicone still speaks to me and my likes. This next musical bisquit is about seeing the doctor.

2009-05-11T12:14:00.003-04:00

My favorite band for the 70's, 80's, 90's was ZZ Top. I had great seats for several shows in my area during the Eliminator tour. I became disenchanted with them because each show was exactly 84 minutes. This was due to the early application of sequencers, midi, computerized lighting effects. The following clip is from the Deguello tour.

From Gibson:

A Sneak Peek at the Billy Gibbons 1959 “Pearly Gates” Les Paul from Gibson Custom!
Is there a Billy Gibbons Pearly Gates model in the works at the Custom Shop?Well … that would be a Texas-sized yes! Gibson Custom has already spent many weeks working in conjunction with legendary guitarist and artist Billy Gibbons, as well as multiple vendors, to develop a limited run of arguably the most legendary guitar ever, his beloved Gibson 1959 “Pearly Gates” Les Paul.
In this picture, that’s Billy’s “Pearly Gates” guitar on the right (as if you needed me to tell you) with the color sample by Gibson Custom sitting next to it. Release date of this icon is set to be in the not-too-distant future. Stay tuned for updates and details …

Then they entice me with some of dis......The following got no vids but please listen.

Last observations, Gibbons had this weird move during "Sleeping Bag" he'd block the view of his hands during a particular part of the solo. In hindsight he was probably using an Ebow. I remember during this time every guitar player would go to a show and lift licks and technique. I figured it was a Bill Hamm (ZZ Top Manager) move to protect Gibbon's intellectual property.
A weird fact: in the 90's Bill Hamm's wife was kidnapped and killed when she went to a Houston Pharmacy.

"That Metal Show"

2009-05-11T12:05:00.003-04:00

Two messages, "That Metal Show" is very enjoyable. Never being a real metal head my self the show is enlightening and informative. I can remember the bands and some songs but Metal is an integral part of MEG (Modern Electric Guitar). Second, Eddie Trunk made a point of lstening to older established bands new stuff. The following is a clip of Yngvie not swearing, in itself is amazing!
"th

Eric Johnson 2009

2009-03-02T14:11:00.001-05:00

Well if you've never heard of Eric Johnson, he's one of the best. (I really need to spend more time at this). Eric Johnson is a guitarist from Texas that came to my attention in the mid ninties. Johnson was one of the players I read about in the magazines and was an acclaimed technician i.e. he new his music, chord scales, equipment etc. His early releases are amazing a very jazzy and dynamic feel. In hind sight he was one of the Texas guitar players mined by recording A&R people. He's still a great player still putting out amazing music.

Beware of counterfeits,

2009-02-27T13:37:00.006-05:00

I posted an article about counterfeit guitars a while back and how Chinese factories will make whatever guitar you'd like. This is from Gibson 2 years ago, it's still pertinent especially now when a lot of used guitars are popping up on ebay. - X Oh yeah I've asked Fender for a comment or a statement on policy and have yet to receive anything.

Gibson Leads Industry Fight Against Counterfeit Gibsons
Ellen Mallernee 06.06.2007
Last year, 15-year-old Jonathan Jakubowski of Cary, North Carolina emptied out his savings account to purchase a Les Paul he found advertised in the local newspaper.

Of his decision to buy a Gibson, Jakubowski explains, “Eric Clapton is my main influence, and he played Les Pauls for a long time.”

Intending to purchase the advertised Les Paul Standard, Jonathan and his father visited the seller at his house, where they were persuaded instead to purchase a Wine Red Les Paul Custom, which the man said he’d bought off a traveling musician. Jonathan paid the man $1,000 for the guitar, but once he got it home, he could tell that something wasn’t right.

“I’d only played Les Pauls in the guitar shops, but something tipped me off, and I ended up going on the Internet to see what some typical signs are for a fake guitar,” Jakubowski says. “The first thing that struck me was that there were three screws in the truss rod cover instead of two.”

The staff at a local guitar shop confirmed Jakubowski’s suspicions—the guitar was a counterfeit. The high school sophomore alerted police, and following an investigation, the North Carolina man who’d acquired the guitar from a Chinese website and resold it to Jakubowski was arrested on two felony counts of criminal use of a counterfeit trademark.

This is but one of several reports that have prompted Gibson to lead an aggressive industry fight against the growing problem of counterfeit instruments being shipped from and sold by outlets and individuals in China.

“Protecting our consumers’ investments and the Gibson name is paramount,” says Ric Olsen, Director of Security and Loss Prevention at Gibson. “The ultimate goal here is that we want people to be happy Gibson customers. We’re trying to protect their investments by thwarting the counterfeit problem.”

The majority of the Gibson counterfeits appear to originate on e-commerce sites based out of major cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai, though Olsen says, “That’s not to say we don’t have domestic problems, too. People will try to make up their own version of a Les Paul and start selling it, but the major battle is this China crisis.”

Other sources for counterfeit instruments are auction websites like eBay, which currently have hundreds of instruments resembling not just Gibson guitars, but also other brands. Some even feature trademarked headstocks and logos, but upon close inspection the guitars don’t feel or sound like a true Gibson, the serial numbers aren’t registered with Gibson, and most are not of good standard of quality overall.

Pricing can also be one of the easiest giveaways for a phony guitar. If a guitar is up for an online auction at a fraction of what it would typically cost, consumers are taking a great chance by purchasing it. Consumers should also be wary of sales that offer exorbitant shipping prices that exceed the price of the guitar.

Still, Olsen cautions that it can be difficult for a non-professional to distinguish between fake and real.

“There were victims who really had no idea what they were getting was fake,” Olsen says. “Until you actually plug the piece in or take the truss rod cover off and notice that there’s Teflon in there rather than the metal nut, it can be hard to tell to many consumers.”

With so many variables to take into account—the weight and finish of a guitar, the tone and playability, electronics and hardware, among other things, Gibson urges consumers to leave the detective work to its Customer Service department.

Though some guitars are especially deceptive, Gibson’s Customer Service Manager Jason Davidson says, “Usually we can spot a fake right away. They’re absolute garbage. They play terribly, they feel terrible. They are only made to look like a Gibson, and they do a poor job of that.”

To curtail the growing problem, Gibson advises all consumers to purchase Gibson instruments only from Gibson’s network of authorized dealers, found on the company’s website at www.gibson.com.

Consumers are also encouraged to contact Gibson’s Customer Service team, whether the guitar in question is new or used. “We have professionals that know these pieces inside and out,” Olsen says. “They know if a knob was the wrong year. They’ll know that a wire that was used was incorrect.” Consumers may even send Gibson Customer Service pictures of a guitar that they have questions about—full front and back photos and close-up shots of the front and back of the headstock are best.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our consumers and the integrity of our family of brands,” says Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We hope that by issuing this warning our consumers will be armed with the right information to protect themselves and understand what they need to do to ensure that what they are purchasing is indeed an authentic Gibson instrument.”

To report incidents, consumers should file a police report, and may also visit http://www.ic3.gov/.

For questions about a guitar’s authenticity, contact the Gibson Customer Service team at service@gibson.com or 1-800-4GIBSON.

How to Spot a Fake Gibson
To ensure the authenticity of a Gibson, consumers can check any of the references below when examining a guitar:

Measure the guitar to check that it’s not undersized. Correct measurements can be found on www.Gibson.com.
Examine headstock and headstock logo to determine that they match those of authentic Gibson guitars.
Check to see that all pearl is inlaid.
Check that Les Paul model script is always in cursive.
Verify that there’s not a three-screw truss rod cover.
Check the control and pickup cavities for sloppy routing or wiring.
Make sure the pickup cavity is not painted black inside.
Always ask for the Gibson Owner’s Manual and Gibson Warranty Inspection card.
Check the wiring. If it’s plastic it isn’t a true Gibson.
When all else fails, contact Gibson Customer Service at
1-800-4GIBSON.

Revitalize your speakers

2009-02-27T13:31:00.001-05:00

Tone Tips: The Good Doctor’s Dry Speaker Tip
Dave Hunter | 02.25.2009
This time out of the box, Gibson Tone Tips is going to live up to its name very precisely by giving you a simple and direct tip that can instantly improve your tone, in certain circumstances. And in doing so, I’m going to lean on the expertise of one Mike Zaite, the man behind respected boutique amp company Dr Z. While talking with Zaite some time ago he passed this great little fixer-upper tip along to me, and it’s too good not to share.

In short, this is one fantastic way to perk up the sound of your amp by “reconditioning” its speakers — or you could say “reacclimatizing” them — without doing a thing to them other than giving them a short vacation from the dampness, moisture, and humidity of your current environment. Let’s let Mike continue in his own words:

“Speaker cones are weighted and measured in grams. It doesn’t take a whole lot of weight difference to really throw a cone off from sounding the way it should sound. Now, when you store an amp, the worst thing you can do is put it in a damp basement or in a situation where it’s going to be able to wick up moisture. It’s amazing how a speaker can do that, and now all of a sudden you have a dull, dud-sounding speaker, because it doesn’t take much water to throw it off. It’s amazing how just a few drops of water can really change the response and characteristic of a speaker.

“So what I do when I store speakers is [I] get the little silica bags that come with electronics components, throw one of those in the box, close it up, put that speaker away for a little while to let that silica soak up all the moisture of that cone. And you’ll be amazed how wonderful that speaker sounds after the moisture’s been taken out. It’s nice and dry and reedy sounding, and now you’ve got a cone that responds the way it was supposed to, with this earthy tone to it that’s just unbelievable. People use hot guns, they do this, they do that, and boy, you just never really get them right. But just put a couple of those little silica bags in and just leave it be, and it’s such a natural way of wicking the water out and drying the cone out nicely, without overheating the surround.”

The good Doctor adds that this isn’t just a good way to store speakers you aren’t using, but is also a great fix for a dull sounding amp, especially one that you know has been stored in potentially moist conditions, or one you have just acquired. Carefully remove the speakers, and box them up with some silica bags for a week or so as per his instructions, and chances are the newly dried out speakers will bring the whole amp to life. Try it out on your own amp(s), and see what kind of difference it makes.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T17:22:00.001-05:00

From Tony James of Carbon Silicone. -X

Reaching for Greatness
31/12/2008 18:23:14

I’ve been reflecting back, as you do, during these quiet, still days between Christmas Day and New Years Eve... there’s a frost on the ground which instantly transforms this breathtaking countryside into something verging on magical and that transformation inspires my thoughts as we look forward into another year.

I wake up on days like these with a fresh blank sheet of paper (on my laptop obviously..!) ready for ideas to flow and I feel the energy rise and I cannot stop. Here’s the News - And this is what I know.....

We will raise our game ..write better... find new ways to get the ideas across in the middle of the greatest revolution that ideas and creativity has ever known. Give it away and still make a living when the rules change daily? Yes it’s a struggle but was there a more exciting time for Rock and Roll?

We need to play more shows. Everywhere. Meet more people, create a Community. Have better art. Find places for that art.... on T-shirts and beyond T-shirts. Have more films with this music as their soundtrack. Embrace Youtube, everyTube. Understand that it’s the ideas that count, not the production values. Film it on iSight, Camcorder or Flip Mino - in HD or Phone Cam. Make the moment of creativity the show, the gig.... Make the studio a show. Make our own show. Film what we’re thinking... have an opinion and say it for real, regardless of how it plays to a wider audience, make it for real, sharing the experience, and have a laugh - that’s a show. Then take that show on the road. I want to be part of that show.

Jump on that digital freedom train because boy, has it left the station, and if you ain’t on board yet start running - because it’s gonna take even more creative ideas and fresh innovative thinking to stay ahead because there’s no easy ride ahead for any artist - if you care about what you do. But, what an exhilarating journey - this is the time that, for the first time, we truly hold our destiny in our own hands......how incredible is THAT!!!!

Oh, and I’ve said it before, but we need to do it our way. Never compromise. Make sure Art triumphs over Business. Never, never dance for the man (and it’s oh so easy because as we all know, he plays SUCH a seductive tune sometimes doesn’t he)...... And I still need to find the time to learn to play the guitar solo from “Goin’ Home”.

Meanwhile.

Can’t tell you how much it means that we’ve seen more people walk through the door at our recent shows than ever before.. and above all I’ve seen something in the faces of those people and the people I’ve talked to after the shows here in London and in Paris last week. It’s a feeling that we have something special.. a special secret something - that this band of ours is a secret bursting to get out.. a Bubble about to burst. That’s you out there. And it’s growing.

It is up to us. It’s not about who we were - it’s about who we could be.

This could be our year. Come with us.

tony james
Dec 30 2008

Of Course! Billie Joe Armstrong!

2008-12-15T09:37:00.002-05:00

I overlooked Greenday's Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's guitar player. Greenday, great songs. -X
Tone
The next in a series of step-by-step guides to home recording
12.08.2008

Green Day are perhaps one of the rawest groups out there these days. Not because of their punk roots, but because that’s the way they’ve always been and success hasn’t changed them.
Far too often groups leave their roots to find themselves, and in the process they stray from what made them successful in the first place. If you listen to Green Day’s Insomniac (1995), and compare it to American Idiot (2004) you get a similar feeling and sound.
Let’s take two greats from Green Day’s stockpile of classic songs. Insomniac’s “Brain Stew” is one of my favorite older songs from the band because it’s simple, it has a great beat and it’s raw to the core. Now look at American Idiot. All of the same reasons for liking the song still apply.
Armstrong has been a busy man. Not only has he driven Green Day to the charts many times, he has also collaborated on several other projects. The most well-known of these being the Foxboro Hot Tubs.
The Hot Tubs made their debut in December 2007. It became immediately clear that either Billie Joe and the boys were masquerading as a different band or there was an incredible group out there that sounded a lot like Green Day.
Turns out it was in fact Green Day recording under a different name.
Whatever name they record under, Billie Joe Armstrong’s will be one of the lasting influences from this era of music.
Billie Joe has quite a collection of Gibson guitars that he uses, including a signature Les Paul Junior . He also uses the ES-135, ES-335, 1959 Les Paul Special, SG and Fender Strats, among others.
Remember what I said earlier about Green Day’s music being raw? Well so is the guitar tone. The tone is basically made up of a Marshall amp and Armstrong’s Gibson guitars, so that’s what I’m going to use when recreating this tone at home. I’ll be using Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig 3 to make the tone. I’ll also be using a high-gain guitar, so you’ll need to adjust the settings accordingly if you’re not.

I started off with a modeled Marshall JCM800 amp with Master 9; Preamp 7; Bass 7; Mid 7; Treble 10; and Presence 8. Leave the boost button off or you’ll have too much gain going into the amp. If you’re using a passive pickup guitar, you might want to turn the boost on as a quick fix, to add more gain.
I’m also using a Marshall modeled 4x12 cabinet with the mic set at 57% towards mic B. The Dry/Air setting is at 3.91 and the cabinet volume is set at -6.4db.
I felt the tone needed a little bit of bite, but not enough to really affect what the amp is doing. I decided on adding a Screamer, but with modest settings. The Screamer is set at Volume 1.6; Tone 4.35; and Drive 2.65.
The last thing I added was a Tape Echo, not so much for the echo, but rather to add some depth to the tone. Settings for both Head A and Head B Time is 83ms; Bass 5; Treble 5; Rev Vol 0; Speed 1.16T; Feedback 3.62; and Exho Vol 0.31.
That’s it for Green Day. Download the tone and enjoy!

Mesa Boogies - Andy Timmons

2008-12-10T11:14:00.006-05:00

Different Companies i.e. manufacturers endorse or back artists. Mesa Boogie went with this andy timmons guy. He runs clinics demoing equipment at music stores. The schedule is pretty gruling:
Dec 1, 2008 7:00 PM Hertlein GuitarsDublin, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Hertlein Guitars 6841 Dublin Blvd. Dublin, CA 94568 925-829-2170 venue info ::: show details
Dec 2, 2008 7:00 PM Spitzer’s SoundstageFresno, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Spitzer’s Soundstage 3821 N. Blackstone Fresno, CA 93726 559-224-5277 venue info ::: show details
Dec 3, 2008 7:00 PM Instrumental MusicThousand Oaks, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Instrumental Music 1501 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 805-496-3774 venue info ::: show details
Dec 4, 2008 6:30 PM Guitar TraderSan Diego, CAMesa Boogie Clinic Guitar Trader 7120 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92111 858-565-8814
He's been doing of few of theses, so last week he comes up lame, lame pay, lame hotels, lame.
They cancel that part of the tour this week he;s back cured of the lower back issue HIISSS WAAAALLLLETTTTT!. ___X.

From Mesa's news letter. -X:"Great news to report on our dear friend Andy Timmons.
He is back on his feet and off to a full recovery (more below)
His doctors report concluded that he simply aggravated his lower back (no additional issues), which most of us do at some point in our life. His prognosis is for a complete recovery and clean bill of health. (We kept telling him to use the casters on those 4x12 Recto Cabs!!!)On behalf of Andy and Mesa/Boogie, we want to thank those of you who tookthe time to call, write or email us with your concerns for Andy. We wereblown away by the outpouring of support and are so happy to be able toreport this good news. We also want to apologize for any inconvenience thecancellation of the Clinic Tour may have caused and are hoping to reschedulethese events sometime early next year. "
Please continue to visit http://mesaboogienews.com/click.html?x=a62a&lc=IMPC&mc=3&s=lMeB0&y=h& for updates.

John Mayer... The best, right now?

2008-12-09T07:11:00.003-05:00

John Mayer seems to be on his game of late, heir apparent to guitar god status. -X

Mayer is rumoured to monitor web chaff and respond on his site http://www.johnmayer.com/. The following is a gear list from a simple web search.. - X
"Since the great crash, I haven't had a chance to update. So here we are. This isn't the newest information (which I don't have. Maybe I'll find out by the time the trio tour starts), but this at least gets us back to the last known gear list.

Also, here are two sites that have better pics of John's gear.

Scotty's Gear Page

Current Setup:

ACOUSTICS:

Martin OM-28JM John Mayer Signature - (x3, numbers 4, 48, and 83)

Martin D-41 (x2)

Martin J-40

Avalon U5 Direct Box

ELECTRICS:

Fender John Mayer Signature Stratocaster
- Sunburst Prototype (JM0001)
- Shoreline Gold w/Red Racing Stripe Prototype (Custom Shop)
- Charcoal Frost Metallic w/Grey Racing Stripe Prototype (Dennis Galuszka Masterbuilt)

Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Strat

C.W. Fleming Masterbuilt Fender Strat/Tele hybrid

Fender Crashocaster - Painted by CRASH (Maple Neck)

Fender Masterbuilt (John Mayer, Mike Eldred, John Cruz) Reliced Stratocaster (Black and white)

AMPS

Two Rock Custom Reverb (2x 50w head, 2x 100w head, 1 50w Custom Reverb Signature Head)

Fender Vibro-King (w/Cowboy Leather)

EFFECTS

Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 Midi Foot Controller with Expander Module

Roger Linn Adrenalinn I - BTMB Effect Box

Korg G4 - Leslie Rotary Speaker Simulator

Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner - Tuner

Boss DD-5 Digital Delay - Delay Pedal

Fulltone Full-Drive - Overdrive/Boost Pedal

Vintage Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer - Overdrive/Boost Pedal

Robert Keeley Effects
- Ibanez TS-808 Reissue w/True Bypass
- Ibanez TS-9
- Boss BD-2
- Keeley Compressor

Line6 DL4 - Delay Modeler

Ernie Ball Jr. Volume Pedal

Teese Real McCoy Wah

STRINGS

D'Addario EXP16 (acoustic)

D'Addario XL115 (electric)

VOCAL

Neumann KMS 105

Avalon V737SP

ACCESSORIES:

Dunlop Tortex Picks

Fender Guitar Strap

Kyser Quick Change Capo

Ultimate Genesis 100 - Guitar Stand

Older Gear:

ACOUSTICS

Martin OM-28V

Martin HD-35

Martin DM3MD

Martin 000-28EC

Martin OM-42

ELECTRICS

Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan #1 Replica Stratocaster (1 of 100 made)

Fender Jimi Hendrix Monterey Pop Festival Custom Shop Replica Strat

Fender 1956 Closet Classic Maple Strat (Black, given to David Ryan Harris)

Fender 1962 Custom Shop Hardtail Rosewood Strat (Lake Placid Blue, given to Buddy Guy)

Fender 1960s Custom Shop Burgundy Mist

Fender Buddy Guy Polka Dot Strat

Crook Custom Guitars Brad Paisley Model Stratocaster (Black and White)

Novax Expression

Fender 1959 Rosewood Strat

Novax XR

Paul Reed Smith Hollowbody - Gold

Gibson Flying V with Fender headstock/neck

Tokai Strat Copy

Rick Turner Model 1

Vinetto Telecaster Replicas - Blue w/Tortoise pickguard, Sunburst w/White pickguard

Benedetto Benny

AMPS

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Settings: Treble 6, Bass 9, Mid 4, Reverb 5, Presence 6
Bright setting off

Fender Blues Jr.

Victoria 45-410 Bassman Clone

Victoria Reverberato Head

Fender Super Reverb Blackface Reissue

Dumble Overdrive Special (x2, both stay at home)

SMF 15 - Watter

EFFECTS

Dunlop Crybaby Wah

Fulltone Super-Trem - Tremolo Pedal

Electro Harmonix Memory Man - Delay Pedal

Moogerfooger MF-104 Analog Delay - Delay Pedal

T-Rex CompNova - Compression Pedal

Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere - Leslie Rotary Speaker Simulator

Marshall BB-2 Bluesbreaker - Overdrive

Menatone Ms. Foxy Brown - Overdrive

Crybaby Q-Zone - Stationary Wah

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - Overdrive

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STRINGS

Ernie Ball Power Slinky (electric)

VOCAL

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Shure Beta 58A"I'm Ashton Kutcher and I LOVE Justin Timberlake! Why am I so KICK-ASS?!?!"

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Les Paul

2008-12-08T08:58:00.005-05:00

It's important to know your roots or should a say the root of the Les Paul. There is an accomplished muscian, inovator dare I say genious Les Paul. We tend to forget or not know what Les meant to recording and music. We still have him around and he still plays the Iridium Jazz Club on Mondays -X (http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com/). The club is on Broadway at 52nd st right in the theater district!

Les Paul
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This article is about the musician. For the guitar, see Gibson Les Paul.
Les Paul

Background information
Birth name Lester William Polsfuss
Born June 9, 1915 (1915-06-09) (age 93)
Waukesha, Wisconsin, US
Genre(s) Jazz, blues, Rock n roll
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, inventor
Instrument(s) Guitar, banjo, harmonica
Years active 1928 – Present
Website www.lespaulonline.com
Notable instrument(s)
Gibson Les Paul
Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1915) is an American jazz guitarist and inventor. He is a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which "made the sound of rock and roll possible."[1] His many recording innovations include overdubbing, delay effects such as "sound on sound" and tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording.

Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 "The Log"
1.2 The Les Paul Trio
1.3 Les Paul and "the Les Paul"
1.4 Multitrack recording innovations
1.5 Top 40 with Mary Ford
1.6 Radio and television programs
1.7 The "Les Paulverizer"
1.8 Later career
2 Honors
2.1 Documentary and museum exhibit
2.2 Tribute concerts
2.3 Playing style
3 Family
4 Discography
4.1 Hit singles
4.2 Albums
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Biography
He was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin to George and Evelyn Polsfuss.[2] The family name was first simplified by his mother to Polfuss before he took his stage name of Les Paul. He also used the nickname "Red Hot Red".

Paul first became interested in music at the age of eight, when he began playing the harmonica. After an attempt at learning to play the banjo, he began to play the guitar. By 13, Paul was performing semi-professionally as a country-music guitarist. At the age of 17, Paul played with Rube Tronson's Cowboys. Soon after, he dropped out of high school to join Wolverton's Radio Band in St. Louis, Missouri on KMOX.

In the 1930s, Paul worked in Chicago in radio, where he performed jazz music. Paul's first two records were released in 1936. One was credited to Rhubarb Red, Paul's hillbilly alter ego, and the other was as an accompanist for blues artist Georgia White.

In January 1948, Paul was injured in a near-fatal automobile accident in Oklahoma, which shattered his right arm and elbow. Doctors told Paul that there was no way for them to rebuild his elbow in a way that would let him regain movement, and that his arm would remain in whatever position they placed it in permanently. Paul then instructed the surgeons to set his arm at an angle that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him a year and a half to recover.

[edit] "The Log"
Paul was dissatisfied with the electric guitars that were sold in the mid 1930s and began experimenting with a few designs of his own. Famously, he created "The Log," which was nothing more than a length of common 4" by 4" fence post with bridge, guitar neck, and pickup attached. For the sake of appearance, he attached the body of an Epiphone hollow-body guitar, sawn lengthwise with The Log in the middle. This solved his two main problems: feedback, as the acoustic body no longer resonated with the amplified sound, and sustain, as the energy of the strings was not dissipated in generating sound through the guitar body.

[edit] The Les Paul Trio
In 1938, Paul moved to New York as part of a trio that included Jim Atkins (older half-brother of guitarist Chet Atkins) and bassist/percussionist Ernie Newton. They landed a featured spot with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians radio show. Paul moved to Hollywood in 1943, where he formed a new trio. As a last-minute replacement for Oscar Moore, Paul played with Nat King Cole and other artists in the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles on July 2, 1944. Also that year, Paul's trio appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show. Crosby went on to sponsor Paul's recording experiments. The two also recorded together several times, including a 1945 number one hit, "It's Been A Long, Long Time." In addition to backing Crosby and artists like The Andrews Sisters, Paul's trio also recorded a few albums of their own on the Decca label in the late 1940s.

[edit] Les Paul and "the Les Paul"
Paul's innovative guitar, "The Log", built in 1941, was one of the first solid-body electric guitars.[3] (Leo Fender also independently created his own solid-body electric guitar around the same time and Adolph Rickenbacher had marketed a solid-body guitar in the 30s). Gibson Guitar Corporation designed a guitar incorporating Paul's suggestions in the early fifties, and presented it to him to try. He was impressed enough to sign a contract for what became the "Les Paul" model (originally only in a "gold top" version), and agreed never to be seen playing in public, or be photographed, with anything other than a Gibson guitar. That persisted until 1961, when Gibson changed the design without Paul's knowledge. He said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music store window, and disliked it. Though his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument, and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Gibson renamed the guitar the "SG", and it also became one of the company's best sellers. It has been said that Les had ended his endorsement contract with Gibson because he was going through a divorce, and didn't want his wife to get all of his endorsement money. Later, Paul resumed his relationship with Gibson, and endorses the instrument even today (though his personal Gibson Les Pauls are much modified by him — Paul always uses his own self-wound pickups on his guitars). To this day, the Gibson Les Paul guitar is used all over the world, by both novice and professional guitarists. Also designed was the Epiphone Les Paul, with the same look and feel for a fraction of the price of a Gibson.

[edit] Multitrack recording innovations
In 1947, Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul's garage, entitled "Lover (When You're Near Me)", which featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of them recorded at half-speed, hence "double-fast" when played back at normal speed for the master. ("Brazil", similarly recorded, was the B-side.) This was the first time that multi-tracking had been used in a recording. These recordings were made not with magnetic tape, but with shellac disks. Paul would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part with the first. He built the multi-track recording with overlaid tracks, rather than parallel ones as he did later. There is no record of how few "takes" were needed before he was satisfied with one layer and moved onto the next.

Paul even built his own disc-cutter assembly, based on auto parts. He favored the flywheel from a Cadillac for its weight and flatness. Even in these early days, he used the shellac disk setup to record parts at different speeds and with delay, resulting in his signature sound with echoes and birdsong-like guitar riffs. When he later began using magnetic tape, the major change was that he could take his recording rig on tour with him, even making episodes for his 15-minute radio show in his hotel room.

[edit] Top 40 with Mary Ford
After World War II, Jack Mullin brought the German Magnetophon (tape recorder) back to the USA in pieces, reassembled and first presented it to Bing Crosby, who used it for his radio program in the late 1940s. The Ampex company, with Crosby's backing, created the Ampex Model 200, the world's first commercially-produced reel-to-reel audio tape recorder. Bing Crosby gave Les Paul the second Model 200 to be produced and Les immediately saw its potential both for special effects, like echo and flanging, and its suitability for multitrack recording, for which he is considered the father. Using this machine, Paul developed his tape multitrack system by adding an additional recording head and extra circuitry, allowing multiple tracks to be recorded separately and asynchronously on the same tape. Paul's invention was quickly developed by Ampex into commercially-produced two-track and three-track recorders, and these machines were the backbone of the professional recording studio, radio and TV industry in the 1950s and early 1960s.

In 1954, Paul continued to develop this technology by commissioning Ampex to build the first eight track tape recorder, at his expense. The machine took three years to get working properly, and Paul says that by the time it was functional his music was out of favor and so he never had a hit record using it. His design, later known as "Sel-Sync," (Selective Synchronization) in which a specially-modified recording head could either record a new track or play back a previously-recorded one, was the core technology for multi-track recording for the next thirty years.

Like Crosby, Paul and Ford also used the now-ubiquitous recording technique known as close miking, where the microphone is less than six inches from the singer's mouth. This produces a more intimate, less reverberant sound than is heard when a singer is a foot or more from the microphone. When implemented using a cardioid-patterned microphone, it emphasizes low-frequency sounds in the voice due to a cardioid microphone's proximity effect and can give a more relaxed feel because the performer isn't working so hard. The result is a singing style which diverged strongly from un-amplified theater-style singing, as might be heard in musical comedies of the 1930s and 40s.

In the early 1950s, Paul made a number of revolutionary recordings with his wife, Mary Ford, who sang. These records were unique for their heavy use of overdubbing, which he did by recording to disc and bouncing from one disc to the other. The couple's hits included "How High the Moon", "Bye Bye Blues", "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise", and "Vaya Con Dios". These songs featured Mary harmonizing with herself, giving the vocals a very novel sound.

Les Paul's compositions, based on the answers.com database, include "Johnny is the Boy for Me", "Walkin' and Whistlin' Blues", "Danger, Men at Work", "Waitin' So Long", "Golden Sands", "Dance Hall Blues", "Big Eyed Gal", "Deep in the Blues", "Mammy's Boogie", "Hip-Billy Boogie", "Don'cha Hear Them Bells", "Come Back to Me", "Cowpokin'", "Les's Country Blues", "Ham 'N' Grits", "Song in Blue", "Magic Melody", "Pacific Breeze", "All I Need is You", "Hawaiian Charms", "Take a Warning", "Mountain Railroad", "Move Along, Baby (Don't Waste My Time)", and "Suspicion", a song he composed in 1948, which was recorded by Tex Williams, Jo Stafford, and the Ray Noble Orchestra.

[edit] Radio and television programs
Paul had hosted a 15-minute radio program, The Les Paul Show, on NBC in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford, and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humour between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented dazzling re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood," "Little Rock Getaway," "Brazil," and "Tiger Rag." Several recordings of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.

The show also appeared on television a few years later with the same format but excluding the trio and retitled The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show with Vaya Con Dios as a theme song. Sponsored by Listerine, it was only five minutes (one or two songs) long, and was therefore used as an interlude or fill-in in programming schedules. Since Les created the entire show himself, including audio and video, he has maintained the original recordngs and is in the process of restoring them to up-to-date quality.[4]

[edit] The "Les Paulverizer"
During his radio shows, Paul introduced the legendary "Les Paulverizer" device, which multiplies anything fed into it, like a guitar sound or a voice. This even became the subject of comedy, with Ford multiplying herself and her vacuum cleaner with it so she could finish the housework faster. Later Paul made the myth real for his stage show, using hidden equipment which over the years has become smaller and more visible. Currently he uses a small box attached to his guitar; it is not known how much of the device remains off-stage. He typically lays down one track after another on stage, in-sync, and then plays over the repeating forms he has recorded. With newer digital sound technology, such an effect (loop pedal) is available commercially in a stomp box. To this day, no one knows exactly how the Les Paulverizer works.

[edit] Later career
In the late 1960s, Paul went into semi-retirement, although he did return to the studio occasionally. He and Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers) had divorced in December 1964, as she could no longer tolerate the itinerant lifestyle their act required of them. Paul's most recognisable recordings from then through the mid-1970s were an album for London Records, Les Paul Now (1967), on which he updated some of his earlier hits; and, backed by some of Nashville's celebrated studio musicians, a meld of jazz and country improvisation with fellow guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins, Chester and Lester (1977), for RCA Victor.

By the late 1980s, Paul had returned to active live performance. In 2006, at the age of 90, he won two Grammys at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for his album Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played. He also performs every Monday night, accompanied by a trio which includes pianist John Colianni, at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway in New York City, despite the arthritis that has stilled all but two of the fingers on his left hand.[5][6]

[edit] Honors
In 1978, Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Paul received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983. In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." In 1991, the Mix Foundation established an annual award in his name; the Les Paul Award which honors "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology."[7] Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005 for his development of the solid-body electric guitar. In 2006, Paul was inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was named an honorary member of the Audio Engineering Society.[8]

[edit] Documentary and museum exhibit
A biographical, feature length documentary, titled Chasing Sound: Les Paul at 90, made its world premiere on May 9, 2007 at the Downer Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paul appeared at the event and spoke briefly to the enthusiastic crowd. The film is being distributed by Koch Entertainment and was broadcast on PBS on July 11, 2007 as part of its American Masters series[9][10] and was broadcast on October 17, 2008 on BBC Four as part of its Guitar Night. The premiere coincided with the final part of a three part documentary by the BBC broadcast on BBC ONE entitled The Story of the Guitar.

In June 2008, an exhibit showcasing his legacy and featuring items from his personal collection opened at Discovery World in Milwaukee .[11] The exhibit was facilitated by a group of local musicians under the name Partnership for the Arts and Creative Excellence (PACE). Paul played a concert in Milwaukee to coincide with the opening of the exhibit.[12]

[edit] Tribute concerts
In July 2005, a 90th-birthday tribute concert was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After performances by Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Jose Feliciano and a number of other contemporary guitarists and vocalists, Les was presented with a commemorative guitar from the Gibson Guitar Corporation.[13]

On November 15, 2008, Les Paul received the American Music Masters award through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a tribute concert in the State Theater in Cleveland. Among more than a dozen guest performers were Duane Eddy, The Ventures, Eric Carmen, Lonnie Mack, and Slash.

[edit] Playing style
His innovative talents extended into his unique playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing which set him apart from his contemporaries, and inspired most of the guitarists of the present day.[14] [15] [16] [17]

[edit] Family
Paul is the godfather of rock guitarist Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band, to whom Paul gave his first guitar lesson.[18] Paul resides in Mahwah, New Jersey.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Hit singles
"Rumors Are Flying" - Andrews Sisters & Les Paul (1946)
"Lover (When You're Near Me)" (1948)
"Brazil" (1948)
"What Is This Thing Called Love?" (1948)
"Nola" (1950)
"Goofus" (1950)
"Little Rock 69 Getaway" (1950/1951)
"Tennessee Waltz" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1950/1951)
"Mockingbird Hill" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)
"How High The Moon" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)
"I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)
"The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)
"Just One More Chance" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)
"Jazz Me Blues" (1951)
"Josephine" (1951)
"Whispering" (1951)
"Jingle Bells" (1951/1952)
"Tiger Rag" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)
"I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)
"Carioca" (1952)
"In the Good Old Summertime" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)
"Smoke Rings" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)
"Meet Mister Callaghan" (1952)
"Take Me In Your Arms And Hold Me" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)
"Lady of Spain" (1952)
"My Baby's Coming Home" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)
"Bye Bye Blues" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)
"I'm Sitting On Top Of The World" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)
"Sleep" (Fred Waring's theme song) (1953)
"Vaya Con Dios" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)
"Johnny (Is The Boy For Me)" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)
"Don'cha Hear Them Bells" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)
"The Kangaroo" (1953)
"I Really Don't Want To Know - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)
"I'm A Fool To Care - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)
"Whither Thou Goest - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)
"Mandolino - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)
"Hummingbird" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)
"Amukiriki (The Lord Willing)" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)
"Magic Melody" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)
"Texas Lady" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1956)
"Moritat" (Theme from "Three Penny Opera") (1956)
"Nuevo Laredo" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1956)
"Cinco Robles (Five Oaks)" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1957)
"Put A Ring On My Finger" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1958)
"Jura (I Swear I Love You)" - Les Paul & Mary Ford (1961)

[edit] Albums
Feedback (1944) - compilation
Les Paul Trio (1946) - compilation
Hawaiian Paradise (1949)
The Hit Makers! (1950)
The New Sound (1950)
Les Paul's New Sound, Volume 2 (1951)
Bye Bye Blues! (1952)
Gallopin' Guitars (1952) - compilation
Les and Mary (1955)
Time to Dream (1957)
Lover's Luau (1959)
The Hits of Les and Mary (1960) - compilation
Bouquet of Roses (1962)
Warm and Wonderful (1962)
Swingin' South (1963)
Fabulous Les Paul and Mary Ford (1965)
Les Paul Now! (1968)
Guitar Tapestry
Lover
The Guitar Artistry of Les Paul (1971)
The World is Still Waiting for the Sunrise (1974) - compilation
The Best of Les Paul with Mary Ford (1974) - compilation
Chester and Lester (1976) - with Chet Atkins
Guitar Monsters (1977) - with Chet Atkins
Les Paul and Mary Ford (1978) - compilation
Multi Trackin' (1979)
All-Time Greatest Hits (1983) - compilation
The Very Best of Les Paul with Mary Ford (1983) - compilation
Tiger Rag (1984) - compilation
Famille Nombreuse (1992) - compilation
The World Is Waiting (1992) - compilation
The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy" Box Set (1992) - compilation
All-Time Greatest Hits (1992) - compilation
Their All-Time Greatest Hits (1995) - compilation
Les Paul: The Legend and the Legacy (1996; a four-CD box set chronicling his years with Capitol Records)
16 Most Requested Songs (1996) - compilation
The Complete Decca Trios -- Plus (1936-1947) (1997) - compilation
California Melodies (2003)
Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played (2005)
Les Paul And Friends: A Tribute To A Legend (2008)

[edit] References
^ Voices from the Smithsonian Associates. Les Paul, Musician and Inventor
^ American Masters (2007 Season) - "Les Paul: Chasing Sound" - thirteen WNET New York
^ Image of "The Log"
^ http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/lespaul/index2.html
^ Iridium Jazz Club
^ Milicia, Joe, "Guitar hero Les Paul ready for Rock Hall tribute," AP story, Times Union, p. C8, November 10, 2008, see AP Google website. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
^ Mix Foundation. Les Paul Award Winners
^ List of Awardees of the AES
^ Les Paul: Chasing Sound
^ American Masters - Les Paul
^ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Discovery World lands Les Paul exhibit
^ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Paul brings bit of Manhattan to the Pabst
^ http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/000877.html
^ http://archive.salon.com/people/feature/1999/07/08/paul/print.html
^ http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2005/10/12/lespaul_20051012.html
^ http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum8/HTML/001019.html
^ http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/nov/12/rock-hall-to-honor-les-paul/
^ Steve Miller at Allmusic

[edit] See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
Electric Guitar
History of multitrack recording

[edit] External links
Official Les Paul Site
Les Paul Receives 2007 National Medal of Arts
The Les Paul Story
Les Paul, Topics, Wisconsin Historical Society
NBC radio shows by Les Paul, Mary Ford, and bassist/percussionist Ed Stapleton. At the Internet Archive. Free mp3 files of eleven of their radio shows including their audition show.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul"

Another cool new Les Paul

2008-12-06T21:33:00.004-05:00

A nice new les paul with a floyd, I knew they had plans when they did that crazy neil schon signature- X

Spotlight On the Les Paul Axcess Standard
12.04.2008
The Les Paul Axcess Standard from Gibson Custom carries all the elegant styling, fluid body lines and rocking attitude of a classic Les Paul Standard from the golden era of the late 1950s. Upon closer examination, however, you’ll find many substantial modifications made in the name of maximum playability and versatility.

As Gibson Custom Operations Manager Michael McGuire puts it, “Everything about this Les Paul has been designed to make it a player’s ‘player’s guitar.’ From the easy access to its upper range to the comfortable belly scarf to the Floyd Rose vibrato, this instrument was made to give you optimum performance.”

Distinctive Floyd Rose Vibrato
The most noticeable addition is the Floyd Rose tailpiece, a unit optimized for anything from subtle vibrato wobbles to dramatic, rumbling divebombs. Adding a Floyd Rose to a Les Paul in the past was always a major undertaking, and one that could seriously damage the stability of the instrument if not done right. On the Les Paul Axcess the vibrato is installed right at Gibson Custom as part of the manufacturing process, which means this potent piece of high-performance hardware interacts seamlessly with the design of the guitar. Partnered with an R4 locking nut, it also guarantees outstanding tuning stability and return-to-pitch accuracy.

Contoured Neck for Upper Fret Access
Take the instrument in hand and run your fingers up the neck and you’ll encounter the clever structural alteration that gives this new model its name: While the Axcess sports what looks from the front to be a traditional Les Paul neck joint, the neck heel and portions of the back and neck joint at the upper cutaway have been contoured to provide a “heelless” feel, and an unimpeded reach right up to the 22nd fret. No more stretching against the traditional neck heel to achieve the upper-fret access that your lead style demands — the Axcess gives you that legendary Les Paul playability all the way up the neck, welcoming you to take it right over the top.

Comfortable Ribcage Contour
To further enhance playing comfort, this smoothly carved neck joint is combined with a “belly scarf” (aka ribcage contour) that allows the body of the guitar to hug closely to your own body in the playing position without digging in.

Refreshingly Light Body Style
The Les Paul Axcess’s slightly thinner body, made from weight-relieved mahogany (with carved maple top), gives you an instrument that is refreshingly light and a pure joy to play, either strapped on or in a seated position.

Optimum Tone Setup
The Les Paul Axcess Standard is also geared toward optimum tone, as you’d expect from any Gibson Custom creation. Exposed-coil BurstBucker 1 and BurstBucker 2 pickups in the neck and bridge positions — the most accurate reproduction vintage-PAF-style humbuckers Gibson has ever offered — yield everything from warm, fluid vocal tones to fat, sweet growl, while an added push/pull switch on the treble Tone knob provides coil splitting for accurate single-coil tones. These unique tonal combinations excel at delivering everything from singing classic rock lead tones to contemporary crunch to extremes of twang and jangle. Even the pure-nickel wound .10-.46 Gibson Vintage Strings it ships with contribute toward its rich, textured voice.

Gibson’s Perfect Setup™
The Les Paul Axcess is built to the highest standards attainable in today’s market, which includes a final set-up and fret dressing by the revolutionary, computer-controlled PLEK System, which provides Gibson’s Perfect Setup™.

Hardshell Case and Certificate of Authenticity
Each instrument also comes with a Gibson Custom hardshell case and certificate of authenticity. Top that off with optimum playability, maximum access and unparalleled tone and the Les Paul Axcess Standard is probably all the guitar that most players will ever need.

Additional Specifications and Appointments
• One-piece mahogany neck with fast, rounded profile
• 24 3/4" scale length with 1 11/16" nut width
• 22-fret rosewood fingerboard
• Kluson tuners
• Single-ply cream binding on body top
• Pearloid trapezoid fingerboard inlays
• Carved maple top with nitrocellulose lacquer finish in Iced Tea Burst or Gun Metal Gray

A closer look at the Les Paul Axcess Standard from Gibson Custom!

Neil Young 40 Years Ago

2008-12-02T16:51:00.001-05:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97253221
Exclusive First Listen: Neil Young
Hear Sugar Mountain: Live At Canterbury House 1968

Listen to the Entire Album
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Neil Young in 1968, around the time of the 'Sugar Mountain' concert. He was just 22 years old.
More First Listens
Hear Electric Arguments, the new album featuring Paul McCartney and Youth as the Fireman.

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NPR.org, November 24, 2008 - Neil Young was just a few days shy of his 23rd birthday when he took the stage at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich., for what would become a legendary performance. It was 1968, and Young was about to release his self-titled debut solo album. His old band, Buffalo Springfield, had split up six months earlier, and few people even knew who Young was. But to his own surprise, and to the surprise of the Canterbury House, Young drew a sold-out audience.
Neil Young was horribly nervous before the performance and had to be coaxed from his hotel room by his manager Elliot Roberts and the minister of Canterbury House, Dan Burke. Burke tells NPR Music he remembers Neil Young huddled in Young's hotel room bed, too scared to perform. He told Burke no one would want to hear the Buffalo Springfield tunes or his new tunes. Young was afraid he didn't have enough material. But he was eventually persuaded to take the small stage.
"You really blew our minds," an astonished emcee said while introducing the performance. "We only expected a lot less people than showed up. I think you are a lot wiser than we were."
Despite the packed house, it was an intimate performance, as Young treated his audience to a cozy set of material most had never heard before, though some were Buffalo Springfield tracks. Studio versions of some of the songs, like "Birds" and "The Old Laughing Lady," would appear later on various Neil Young solo albums.
Few people outside of those in attendance that night would have known about the Ann Arbor performance if it weren't for a 1970 single Young released called "The Loner." The B-side of that 45 was "Sugar Mountain" — which, according to a note printed on the disc, was recorded live at the Canterbury House. Neil Young fans speculated that a recording of the entire concert must exist somewhere, and eagerly awaited its release.
The live recording of "Sugar Mountain" reappeared as a B-side to the "Cinnamon Girl" single in 1970, and again in 1977 on the double disc Decade, a compilation of Neil Young hits. But the rest of the concert recorded in Ann Arbor remained a mystery.
Now, 40 years later, Neil Young and Reprise Records are finally releasing the long-awaited Canterbury House performance as part of the Archives Performance Series, Young's effort to release box-set editions of past live concerts. Live at the Fillmore East was released in 2006, with Live at Massey Hall 1971 following a year later.
Sugar Mountain — Live At Canterbury House 1968 will be released Dec. 2, but you can hear the entire album here on NPR Music as an exclusive first listen

Hey, It's that dude again, Doyle Bramhall II

2008-11-30T09:04:00.002-05:00

Doyle Bramhall II
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Doyle Bramhall II

( Yeah, I was surfing youtube and this left hand guitar player kept popping up)-X
Background information
Born December 24, 1968 (1968-12-24) (age 39)
Genre(s) Blues
Blues-rock
Years active 1984 - Present
Associated acts Smokestack
Jimmie Vaughan
Arc Angels
Eric Clapton
Roger Waters
Website www.doylebramhall2nd.com
Doyle Bramhall II (born 24 December 1968) is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and is also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band.

[edit] Biography
Doyle Bramhall II is a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist. He was born in Dallas, Texas and is the son of singer, songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall, who had grown up as a close friend of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan. At age 16, Doyle Bramhall II toured with Jimmie Vaughan's band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, as second guitarist. Some of Doyle's influences include, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Donny Hathaway, Freddie King, Albert King, Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sly & the Family Stone, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Curtis Mayfield.

In 1992 Doyle formed Arc Angels with Charlie Sexton and Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton (also known as Double Trouble). Doyle and Sexton were only able to work together for one album but it was well received, with several songs receiving heavy rock radio airplay. They went their own ways after the album but have gotten back together and have been playing shows as Arc Angels again in 2006 and 2007.

Doyle released his self-titled debut album on the Geffen label in 1996 with backing support from Wendy and Lisa (Bramhall is married to Wendy's sister, vocalist Susannah Melvoin). In later interviews, he stated his intent with that album to establish himself as more than just a guitar player.

He was later signed to RCA, and released his second album Jellycream in 1999. He appeared on Austin City Limits in an episode shared with Robert Cray that fall. The Jellycream album found its way into the hands of Eric Clapton, who took an interest in his music and attempted to learn "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be" for their inclusion in a collaborative album he was working on with B.B. King, released in 2000 as Riding With The King.[citation needed] Doyle also formed a new band, "Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack," and recorded a new album produced by Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fame. Released in 2001, Welcome marked a renewed focus on guitar.

Doyle's recording relationship with Clapton continued to flourish, and he co-wrote "Superman Inside" for and played guitar on Eric's 2001 solo album, Reptile. He and Smokestack opened for Clapton on his 2001 world tour, and Doyle occasionally joined Eric on stage. By 2004, he was Clapton's second guitarist after Andy Fairweather-Low backed out of the tour. The 2004 tour was Clapton's effort at channeling his hero Robert Johnson and Doyle later admitted that he had never listened to Robert Johnson until getting the gig as Clapton's second guitarist. Doyle also appears with Eric in the 2004 CD/DVD release Sessions for Robert J.

Doyle also played guitar on the 1999-2002 In the Flesh tour (captured on the In the Flesh Live album) by former Pink Floyd leader/bassist Roger Waters.

Previous to that, Doyle also played a much lower key role backing his wife Susannah Melvoin's (who also toured with Waters during the In the Flesh tour as a backing singer) twin sister Wendy Melvoin for her band Girl Bros., and more recently with Wendy and Lisa in the groups Pacifico and Funk Sway. Pacifico consisted of Wendy and Lisa, along with Doyle, Mike Elizondo and Abe Laboriel Jr., and several recordings from a small club tour have surfaced. Funk Sway - Erykah Badu, Wendy and Lisa ?uestlove of The Roots, and Doyle, are featured in the music documentary Before the Music Dies.

As a session guitarist, he has worked with Me'shell Ndegéocello, Sheryl Crow and Susan Tedeschi. He also toured with Eric Clapton as part of his 2006/2007 world tour along with slide guitarist Derek Trucks and he performed at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival at Chicago's Toyota Park.

Of his songwriting, Doyle has said that although the blues is one of his favorite genres, he finds that most of his attempts at bluesy songwriting end up sounding "corny," and his songs always tend to have more of a rock feel.

Doyle usually plays the Fender Stratocaster but will occasionally play some Gibson guitars, either playing on left-handed models or right-handed models upside-down. Doyle plays guitar left-handed but his guitars are strung as if to be played by a right-handed player. In other words, the low E string is at the bottom of his guitar, and the high string at the top. This fact and his unique playing style can be seen clearly in the In the Flesh: Live DVD footage.

[edit] External links

Yngvie Malmsteen (pronounced: coked up German)

2008-11-28T08:49:00.006-05:00

http://www.fender.com/yngvie I swear to God this was the link Fender gave Me!
Yngvie, Ya gotta give it up for for Yngvie! His playing uses a lot of arpeggios (a lot of notes quickly, usually going up and down a scale ) its complicated. He was originally known for adapting classical pieces into heavy metal. Obviously huge in Europe I thinks he's German or Bavarian. His first few English Magazine interviews noted Yngwie swore alot and was abrasive, (Maybe it was all that cocaine?) -X .

Oh, Yeah Fender is making an Exact replica of Yngvie's original strat.

No Cream, Sugar?

2008-11-28T08:37:00.002-05:00

I saw Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce playing Toads Place in New Haven about 20 years ago, Ginger Baker looked like death then. - X

Ginger Baker Says No More Cream Reunions
Russell Hall 11.20.2008
Cream fans hoping for another reunion by the band had best move on. In an interview with Rhythm magazine, drummer Ginger Baker said the legendary trio will never reform. Baker's comments were published by the webzine, musicradar.com.
“The Albert Hall was great but not the shows we did at Madison Square Garden in New York later that year,” Baker said, when asked if the 2005 reunion shows had met his expectations. "That [the latter shows] was a fucking disaster."
Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows, who was speaking to Baker on behalf of Rhythm, pressed the Cream veteran to elaborate.
"I'd refused to do it first of all,” Baker told Burrows. “It was Eric [Clapton] who phoned me up and convinced me. The reason I didn't want to do it was because of what happened in New York in 1968 when the magic was destroyed. The reason why we broke up in the first place re-emerged on stage at Madison Square.”
Baker continued: “You'll notice I'm talking about Eric in a nice way, but there was another person in the group. It wasn't just a problem with the volume of the bass guitar, it was the problem of being humiliated in front of 20,000 people.

The Gibson Dark Star

2008-11-12T18:27:00.004-05:00

I don't know what the future of guitar will be, I'm not sure if I like this, but Gibson has to be acknowledged and praised for inovation. -X

Never before has one guitar been able to produce every imaginable guitar sound.
Chameleon Tone Technology.
Analog or digital, the Gibson Dark Fire gives you an infinite number of tonal possibilities to let you change the tone of the Dark Fire to match your environment. And it begins with a guitar's most basic element — the pickups. The Gibson Dark Fire combines two of Gibson's most popular pickups — the P90h in the neck position and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge position. Both are capped with new carbon fiber-like pickup covers, impeccably designed to match the Dark Fire's advanced fade.
Acoustic Capability.
The Dark Fire also gives you the ability to adjust and blend the acoustic sound from the piezo bridge pickup with the sound from the guitar's traditional pickups. It does this by utilizing a revolutionary rotary potentiometer which is part of the pickup selector toggle switch. By twisting the switch's head clockwise or counterclockwise, you can blend the piezo acoustic sound from zero percent acoustic sound (100 percent traditional pickups) to 100 percent acoustic sound (no traditional pickups).
Burstbucker 3.
The Burstbucker 3 arrived on the scene in 1990, and — like the Burstbucker 1 and 2 — represents Gibson's drive to capture and recreate the characteristics of the vintage Patent Applied For humbuckers of the late 1950s. On the shop floor of the original Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, Mich., the earliest Gibson PAF humbuckers were wound using imprecise machines, resulting in pickups with varying degrees of output and tone. The Burstbucker line represents those variations, but with some modern appointments. The Burstbucker 3 provides historically accurate PAF tone with two slightly overwound coils, creating a raw, airy tone packed with enough punch to cut through any mix.
Gibson’s New P-90H Pickup
The new P-90H black soapbar pickup is another example of Gibson's drive to stay one step ahead. This new pickup offers all of the soulful, classic tone of Gibson’s legendary P-90 singlecoil pickup, but with none of the 60-cycle hum that usually plagues traditional singlecoil pickups. Gibson’s pioneering engineers were then able to secure all of the P-90’s vintage sonic characteristics, and deliver the same high output and sweet treble response that still makes the P-90 one of the most desirable pickups in the world.
Piezo Bridge Pickup.
The Dark Fire also features a revolutionary Gibson-designed piezo bridge pickup that actually consists of six individual piezo pickups — one for each saddle/string. These piezo pickups go through a studio-quality active amplifier that allows for a stronger and more natural acoustic guitar sound. Combined, the two classic electromagnetic pickups and the piezo bridge pickup are wired in such a way to allow each individual coil to be used in a switching matrix, giving you over 20 separate combinations of tone and an incredible array of tonal possibilities. Tone Potentiometer and CPA.
The Dark Fire's tone potentiometer and CPA have also been redesigned so that turning the tone knob allows a very intuitive and significant change in tone, thus giving you even more ability to dial in your desired tone. This pioneering Gibson circuitry is studio quality with very little noise and/or signal loss, which delivers as much of the guitar's authentic tone as possible.

PerfectSetup™ by PLEK.
Also part of the Dark Fire package is a superfast and comfortable compound radius neck that is rendered to optimum playability with a PerfectSetup™ by the revolutionary, computer-controlled PLEK system, which has been acknowledged as the most precise guitar set-up technology in the world today.
And, It Gets Better...
Additionally, the Dark Fire features improved locking tuners, a Teflon-based frictionless nut, a bridge that locks to the studs and a chambering system that gives each one near-perfect tone, balance and weight. It also makes the Dark Fire one of the best-sustaining Les Pauls ever produced.

beauty & Brains.
The Dark Fire combines the classic Les Paul form with brand new function.
A Real Knock-Out.The design and shape of Gibson's iconic Les Paul is timeless, and needs no real introduction or explanation. It is simply the most recognizable and functional guitar design in the world, and the new Dark Fire takes it to an entirely new level.
Traditional Flowerpot Inlay.Gibson's traditional flowerpot inlay graces the peghead of the Dark Fire. This art nouveau inlay was first used in a similar form on the headstock of the 1911 F4 mandolin, and later on the L5's peghead veneer directly below the Gibson logo. This classic inlay also graces the headstock of several other Gibson models, including the Byrdland, the new Longhorn Double-Cutaway, and several other mandolins, banjos and acoustics.

Classic Block Inlays.The classic block inlays found on the Dark Fire remain one of the most distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson models, including the ES-335s of the early 1960s and today's Flying V Custom. On the Dark Fire, the block inlays are made from acrylic and given a unique, carbon-fiber look for an ultra-modern appearance. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates all gaps and doesn't require the use of fillers. The result is a fingerboard that plays as fast and smooth as it looks.

The Dark Fire Finish.Each of the Gibson Dark Fire Limited Edition First Run guitars features a dramatic Dark Fire nitrocellulose finish created especially for this exclusive run. It is one of the most striking finishes ever to leave a Gibson factory and is achieved by combining the time-tested techniques of applying a standard nitro finish with several new procedures that help bring out the natural beauty of the wood. The result is a stunning, deep gloss color that naturally highlights each piece of wood's distinctive grain patterns. The mahogany back and neck of the Dark Fire are given a satin finish, while the top and peghead face are sprayed with a gloss finish.
Dual Black Binding.The body is also bound with dual black binding, which accents the Dark Fire's exclusive finish perfectly and provides both the protection and beauty of traditional Gibson binding. The process of applying the body binding to the Dark Fire is the same process employed by Gibson craftsmen for over 100 years. And while some question the value of adding binding to a guitar, Gibson believes it to be an essential part of is rich guitar-making history, and a vital design element that adds elegance and helps protects the edges of the body.
Chambered Mahogany Body.Next is the Dark Fire's chambered mahogany body, which helps deliver near-perfect tone, balance and weight. One of the ways the expert craftsmen at Gibson achieve this equilibrium is by carving carefully mapped-out chambers in the solid mahogany backs of the Dark Fire using a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router before the maple top is glued on. The positioning of the routes were first established after careful examination of the resonant characteristics of the Les Paul. Gibson approached this process with the awareness that every change to the formula would have repercussions on the instrument's sound. The results are comfortable, lightweight guitars that are acoustically louder, with increased sustain and resonance.
Finishing Touches.Other exclusive design elements limited to the Dark Fire are a distinct nut made from a special Teflon-based material that allows for smoother and faster tuning action, a truss rod cover made from anodized aluminum, black top hat volume and tone knobs with chrome inserts, and a super fast and comfortable asymmetrical neck profile design with Gibson's PerfectSetup TM,, which is made possible by the revolutionary computer-controlled PLEK system, acknowledged as the most precise guitar set-up technology in the industry.

The Science of Sound.
Tone meets innovation in this incredible marriage of Chameleon Tone Technology and second generation Robot Guitar technology.
Chameleon Tone Technology.The original Robot Guitar took the guitar world by storm when it was first introduced in December '07, but the new Dark Fire from Gibson is simply the most advanced guitar system ever developed. In fact, many of the technological advances on the Dark Fire were virtually inconceivable just a few years ago. The new Dark Fire is a virtual upgrade in every respect. The powerhead tuners, the tuning brain, the battery functions, and even the unprecedented sonic capabilities of a fully digital guitar and Chameleon Tone Technology. Imagine the ability to change your guitar's tone to better match your environment. Everything is here to give you a new, stunning level of tonal and functional freedom that allows you the uninhibited release of your creative potential.

500 Tunings from a Single Battery Charge.The Dark Fire's battery system and power circuit have also been significantly improved to last nearly twice as long, even with the guitar's enhanced performance. You can now expect nearly 500 tunings from a single charge. As an added plus, you can also play the Dark Fire while the battery system is being charged.
Guitar Rig 3 Is Part of the Dark Fire Package.In addition to the RIP itself, each guitar comes with easy-to-install software with pro-quality low-latency driver to process the Dark Fire through a well-stocked library of effects , all of which is packaged with a Gibson-modified version of the popular Guitar Rig 3 processing software. Through the RIP's connection capabilities you can route these effects to your live outputs, your recorded outputs, or both. Tap into Guitar Rig 3's versatile selection of effects box, amplifier and speaker emulations, and instantly achieve the most desired guitar tones in the history of popular music. Naturally, Dark Fire owners will also be able to connect to the internet through their RIPs to download firmware updates, along with upgraded functions and software features, as they become available from Gibson.

Master Control Knob.The key to controlling the powerful functions of the Dark Fire is the Master Control Knob (MCK), which has been completely redesigned with much improved ergonomics and a sophisticated full color matrix display featuring LEDs and high-tech light pipe technology, all to deliver a more powerful and easier to see visual display under any light condition. In addition to the MCK's top mounted display, LED-lit symbols now adorn its outer edge, which blend with the color of the knob so that they're only visible when lit. The Dark Fire's new MCK also controls the ability to change pickups and coils, allowing you the ability to adjust tone and tunings automatically and simultaneously , even several times during the same song.
Let it RIP.The Robot Interface Pack (RIP) is the Dark Fire's conduit for Chameleon Tone Technology and staggering tonal versatility. Whether you're using it in a live setting or in the comfort of your home, the Dark Fire's RIP lets you realize the full potential of Chameleon Tone Technology, and achieving every sonic landscape imaginable. The RIP's front panel carries a single 1/4-inch stereo input for the Dark Fire, a 1/8-inch headphone out with level control and a pilot light, which changes from dim blue to bright blue when the Dark Fire input is detected. The rear panel carries two balanced 1/4-inch line outs, a FireWire connector to link to your PC or laptop and a hex connector that carries the outputs of each string and a composite piezo output. An optional adaptor provides easy connection from this hex output to popular MIDI guitar interfaces such as those made by Roland and Axon, or allows you to divide out the six individual signals to their own balanced one-quarter inch connectors. There's also a 12-volt DC connector for the RIP's power supply, which both powers the RIP itself and recharges the Dark Fire's battery when required.
The RIP can act as a connecting point between any guitar and your computer-based recording or sound processing system, its built-in hex decoder circuitry comes to life when the Dark Fire is plugged in. Of course, you can also use the RIP to connect to your favorite digital audio workstation, but you don't even need to be in possession of such a system to begin making the most of the Dark Fire's digital capabilities.
Fully Upgradable, Always Cutting Edge.The Dark Fire you purchase today is designed to remain current with any upcoming developments from Gibson; the electronics can be removed from the guitar quickly and easily, and new electronics installed should the time come to upgrade to a future generation of Robot technology, or to change your pickups out of personal preference. The well-crafted, Les Paul-based core of the instrument retains its integrity whatever electronics you use with it, and therefore will retain its value whatever is done to alter its technological functions.
Faster, Lighter, Smaller Powerhead Tuners.The redesigned powerhead tuners on the Dark Fire are significantly smaller and lighter, and more in line with the size and weight of conventional tuners. They're also radically faster. You can now access any preset tuning in less than one second, which means you can realistically change tunings in the middle of a song, if needed. What's more, the tuners are now automatically engaged to operate both electronically or individually by hand.

Dark Fire-Specific Audio Equipment Coming.Gibson is already developing a range of audio equipment designed specifically to work with your new Dark Fire, some of which is already scheduled for release in early 2009, including a small transmitter module designed to work with Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing you the ability to connect wirelessly to your computer or laptop.
Upgrade Your Original Robot.These incredible advances are not limited to owners of the new Gibson Dark Fire. Gibson players who bought the original Robot will soon be offered an opportunity to upgrade their Robot’s self-tuning technology to the new and improved self-tuning technology found on the Dark Fire. In just a few months, an upgrade kit will be made available at a price significantly lower than its standard retail price – reaffirming Gibson's aim is to keep all Robot products current and cutting edge, for all Gibson customers.

Carbon/Silicone

2008-11-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

Tom Petty use to be in Mudcrutch

2008-11-08T12:32:00.002-05:00

MUDCRUTCH TO RELEASE LIVE EP, EXTENDED PLAY LIVE, ON NOVEMBER 11 THE STORY OF MUDCRUTCH DOCUMENTARY TO AIR ON VH1 CLASSIC BEGINNING NOVEMBER 11
MUDCRUTCH TO RELEASE LIVE EP, EXTENDED PLAY LIVE, ON NOVEMBER 11 Mudcrutch will release a live EP entitled Extended Play Live on Reprise Records on November 11, 2008.Extended Play Live features four tracks recorded during the band's 2008 tour of intimate California venues. These were fantastic shows and the band really stretched out at times, particularly on extended versions of Crystal River. The epic April 28 version of Crystal River from the Troubadour is fifteen minutes long and is included on the EP, as well as choice live versions of The Wrong Thing To Do, Bootleg Flyer, and Jerry Lee Lewis' High School Confidential.All four tracks on the EP are currently streaming exclusively at http://tk.publicaster.com/DC/ctr.aspx?6C6164=33373033313139&736272=280545&747970=6874&66=30.Extended Play Live will be released digitally, on compact disc, and on 180 Gram High Performance Vinyl. The vinyl edition includes a full dynamic range audiophile CD made from the same uncompressed stereo masters as the vinyl pressing. Both the vinyl and the accompanying audiophile CD present the music without the noticeable “loudness” that befalls many mixes of songs intended to be listened to digitally. When presented in their full dynamic range the quieter parts of the songs are quieter and the louder parts are louder, just as originally performed.Extended Play Live Track Listing:1. The Wrong Thing To Do (Live At The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA, April 20, 2008) 2. Bootleg Flyer (Live At The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA, April 20, 2008) 3. Crystal River (Live At The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, April 28, 2008) 4. High School Confidential (Live At The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, May 2, 2008)
CLICK HERE TO PREORDER EXTENDED PLAY LIVE
THE STORY OF MUDCRUTCH DOCUMENTARY TO AIR ON VH1 CLASSIC BEGINNING NOVEMBER 11VH1 Classic will premiere The Story Of Mudcrutch on November 11 at 8pm EST/PST. Produced by Peter Bogdanovich, this special documentary tells the story of Mudcrutch from their days playing at Dub's in Gainesville, FL to their 2007 reunion and features footage of the band playing tracks from their debut LP in their clubhouse rehearsal space.The Mudcrutch documentary will re-air on VH1 Classic at the following times:November 11, 11pm EST/PSTNovember 14, 1am EST/PST (late night Thursday 11/13, technically Friday morning 11/14)November 14, 4pm EST/PSTNovember 16, 10pm EST/PST
GREAT LIMITED TIME DEALS ON 2008 HEARTBREAKERS TOUR MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE STORE Select items that were onsale at tour dates this summer are now available at highly discounted prices in the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers store! Items currently discounted include several of the most popular T-Shirts from the tour.CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE STORE

David Gilmore of Pink Floyd

2008-11-08T12:12:00.002-05:00

If there was ever a master of guitar tone, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour’s name would have to be among those at the top of the list. Gilmour’s tone changes all the time, but it always seems to fit the album or song he is working on.

Gilmour uses many different guitars, including a few Gibson Les Pauls, but it’s his use of the rest of his gear that’s really astounding. By looking at his rig, you might think there isn’t an effect he hasn’t or wouldn’t use.

That’s okay, because he uses them in the right way. Far too many guitarists add effects on top of one another with no regard for the overall sound.

Gilmour was a fan of Hiwatt amps, which give you a very nice, clean sound, but can also crank out a high gain tone, especially with a screamer or other overdrive effect in the signal chain.

The pedals he used were plentiful and included a Big Muff, Phase 90, Chorus, Dynacomp, Digital Delay, Uni-Vibe, Wah, Fuzz Face and several Pete Cornish pedals and boards.

Knowing what Gilmour played and being able to replicate his sound are two very different things. His tone is a mix of effects, amps, guitars and a lot of engineering behind the scenes. I love the way he isn’t afraid to try anything, but it makes it a bit more difficult for us to duplicate on our home computers.

With that in mind, I decided to make an all-purpose Gilmour tone. This will allow you to play many of his high-gain riffs and, by turning off the screamer, play some of the softer tunes as well.

In Guitar Rig 3, I used the High White amp ― which is Native Instruments’ model of the Hiwatt ― a Screamer, Delay and Studio Reverb. With the right settings on the amp, you can actually have a nice high-gain and cleanish sound without having to make too many adjustments.

For the amp I used these settings: Master 9; Normal 8; Brill 9; Bass 5; Middle 7; Treble 6; and Presence 7. I adjusted the mic slider on the cabinet to 80 percent on mic A. The Dry/Air mix is at 4.77 and the master volume on the cab is at -19db.

If you give it a strum, you should hear a little bit of crunch, but while picking, the sound should be pretty clean. Now let’s crunch it up a bit.

Adding to the Gilmour tone, I put in a Screamer with the Volume 3; Tone 8 and Drive 10. We need to crank the Screamer a little bit here in order to tackle songs like “In the Flesh,” but do it in a way that’s not going to ruin any clean sounds we may want.

Gilmour has some masterful delay in his songs. I chose the Delay Man with the Dry/Wet setting at 56 percent Dry. That’s quite a bit, but it will work with songs like “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.” Other delay settings are Time 1/8; Feedback 52%; and Depth 52%.

The final effect I added was a little bit of Studio Reverb. There is no need to go overboard with this one at all. I put this in just to enhance what was already going on in the signal chain, not to overpower anything. Reverb Mix is 20%; Bright 6%; and Room Size is 6%.

That should be enough to get you going with an all purpose David Gilmour tone. To play any clean parts, you’ll need to turn off the Screamer, but other than that you’re good to go.

Jimmy Page!

2008-11-08T12:05:00.003-05:00

There’s no greater icon of late ’60s and early ’70s British blues-rock tone than Jimmy Page, the legendary guitarist with Led Zeppelin. From huge and gutsy to atmospheric and mellow, from a ominous rhythm-guitar crunch tone to soaring, wailing lead, Page’s sonic palette was every bit as broad as his chops were versatile. Any player who stamps his signature so indelibly into the annals of rock tone becomes extremely influential to others seeking to make a big sound in their own playing, and the visual that persists alongside that sonic imprint is of Jimmy Page strutting an arena stage with a sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard or EDS-1275 Double-Neck in front of a pair of roaring Marshall amp stacks. And live, this is indeed how a major part of the tone was generated. In the studio, however, there was often a whole lot more going on—or a whole lot less—and running out to duplicate the Page live rig might not get you very close to sounding like the Page of “Dazed and Confused”, “Communication Breakdown”, “Ramble On”, or “Whole Lotta Love”.
For one thing, his use of the Les Paul and EDS-1275 weren’t exclusive, but that isn’t such a big secret: live performance photos and film footage often show him breaking out a Fender Telecaster or a Danelectro DC model, although they doesn’t reveal the whole story—that Page also used a Tele for many of the recorded tracks on the earlier Led Zeppelin albums, as well as for the famous solo in “Stairway to Heaven”.
More shrouded in myth is Jimmy Page’s amp of choice, for the seminal first two Zep albums in particular. Or to put a firmer finger on it, Page’s early recording amp is more of a mystery within a riddle within an enigma—not only is this studio rig a far cry from the big Marshalls he used live, whatever it actually was remains shadowy and elusive to this day. In the first installment of Myth Busters I opened by admitting that the memories of many of the personnel on hand at ground-breaking recording sessions of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s are understandably a little shady here in 2008 (hell, I can’t even remember everything I was up to in the early ’90s), and we have to add to that the compounding factor that formative artists might not be entirely keen to reveal their signature tones. Crafting your own sound—and thereby standing out from the crowd—is a big part of the game, and dropping every Tom, Dick, and Mary an easy clue to copping your tone isn’t in the best interest of any guitarist who wants their playing to remain distinctive and instantly recognizable.
The mystery part of that early Page studio amp is that, rather than recording with a Marshall head and cab, the Zep guitarist purportedly used a much smaller tube amp, and one that was also far cheaper and more mundane. The riddle within that mystery is… which one? It’s fairly widely reported that Page used a small to medium-sized amp made by the Valco company of Chicago, possibly a combo sold under the Supro brand name. One tributary of this legend holds that it was a Supro Thunderbolt (and amp, it so happens, that’s also associated with Jimi Hendix’s recording career). This combo had a single 15-inch Jensen speaker and a pair of 6L6GC tubes in the output stage, but put out far less volume than higher-end amps using similar tubes, probably something more in the 25-watt range rather than the 45 or 50 watts that a similarly equipped Fender Super Reverb produced, for example.
The mere implication that Page used a late ’50s or early ’60s Thunderbolt has sent the prices of these amps soaring on the vintage market from just a couple hundred bucks a few years ago to well over a grand, and upwards of two, in recent sales. And that’s without any absolute verification that this was indeed “the Jimmy Page studio amp” of legend. At the time, Valco used the same handful of circuits in a range of amplifiers manufactured not only for Supro, but also for National, Airline, Gretsch, Harmony and others. To compound the confusion, Jimmy Page himself has stated in numerous interviews that he used to own “as many as 50” small Valco amps back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and the studios he recorded in no doubt would have had a few of their own in the gear closet. A very different amp from the Thunderbolt was donated by Page to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland, OH, a smaller Valco-made combo with rare and unusual 6973 output tubes. These tubes, and the smaller speaker, make such amps sound quite different from each other, so did Page use the Thunderbolt, the 6973-equipped amp, or maybe both?
The enigma within all of this is… it doesn’t really matter! Jimmy Page himself hasn’t been willing to put the mystery to rest yet, and perhaps he isn’t even sure of the truth himself at this point. Or there’s a very good chance (far more likely than not, I’d guess) that he used more than one amp during the recording of each and every Led Zeppelin album. Never mind. Get your hands on any of these old Valco-made amps, crank them up—perhaps with a booster pedal in front—and it’s easy to convince yourself that they sound exactly like the soaring, toothsome lead tone on “Communication Breakdown”. Or plug into an old Fender Champ or Danelectro 1482, or a new Gibson GA-5 Les Paul Junior or Epiphone Valve Junior, close your eyes, and apply the appropriate Page-esque riffs, and you might easily believe any of those is channeling the quirky, toneful Valco mojo. As for the truth, we will probably never know.

Myth Busters: Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Massive Tone

2008-11-08T11:58:00.001-05:00

Okay, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone was massive. There’s no myth there. But an entire industry has practically grown up around assisting players in replicating that monster of a sound, and I’d like to invest an installment of Myth Busters to look at what you can achieve in this realm, and what you can’t.

As with most legendary players, the ingredients of SRV’s sound can be broken down into three categories: guitars, amps, and pedals. In his case, this represents a descending order of the intensity with which his gear is analyzed. Let’s take one chunk at a time, analyze some of the little myths that surround them, and see where it gets us.

SRV played several guitars throughout his career, but far and away his favorite and the most played was the one he called “Number One,” which was purchased in the mid 1970s at Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music Store in Austin, Texas. This guitar is often described as being a 1959 Fender Stratocaster with a slab rosewood fingerboard, a reference that has helped to give Strats of this vintage an extra cache on the collector’s market. Even though Vaughan himself referred to it as such on occasions, both the neck and body of this famous battered Stratocaster were from 1962, and were dated as such in the neck pocket and on the end of the neck respectively, as testified to by long-time SRV guitar tech Rene Martinez in occasional interviews. The pickups themselves, however, were indeed dated 1959, although whether they were replacements or just a stock set that Fender was late in taking off the shelf to join up with the ’62 neck and body is not entirely clear. Does the guitar’s precise vintage matter? Not a whole lot. Regardless of SRV’s connection a 1959 Stratocaster retains a certain collector’s appeal because it demarks the first year of the rosewood fingerboard, but so-called “slab” rosewood fingerboards (thicker boards, with a flat bottom, rather than the thinner “veneer” boards that followed) were still being used into 1962 — and Fender neck profiles varied quite a bit anyway — so Strats from 1959 and 1962 might not be radically different, from the average player’s perspective.

In any case, “Number One” was far from original, and if not for its SRV associations would have become the type of vintage guitar that collector’s turn their noses up at. Vaughan preferred Dunlop jumbo frets on his guitars, and this Strat had been refretted with them so many times (due to the extreme use it experienced) that the upper reaches of the fingerboard were migrating from the original 7 1/4” to a flatter 9” radius (as measured and reported by luthier and writer Dan Erlewine in The Guitar Player Repair Guide). This is another alteration that would send a collector running, but the flatter radius actually would have made it easier to bend strings without choking out on the curve of the vintage-spec board.

Much is made, too, of the left-handed vibrato tailpiece that was fitted to “Number One” in Vaughan’s early ownership of the guitar, and the fact that this replicated the action of the right handed vibrato tailpiece on the Stratocaster’s played by Jimi Hendrix, who was much admired by Vaughan. The modification certainly makes for a slightly different feeling vibrato unit, but we have it on good authority that this change was actually more random than calculated. It’s Rene Martinez again who tells us that, in fact, that the left-handed vibrato was the only one in stock when the original needed to be replaced.

Also, the black three-ply pickguard — with reflective stickers — was definitely a replacement, although prior to the recording of the Texas Flood album SRV was pictured with his “Number One” Strat still with its original white pickguard. It’s also worth noting that yet another black replacement ’guard, a full new set of gold-plated hardware, and a replacement neck were all installed on “Number One” around 1990, the neck in particular being just too worn out to be refretted yet again.

A lot is also made of the fact that SRV used very large strings, usually gauged .013 to .058, and certainly bigger strings do transmit a bigger signal through the pickups. Note, however, that Jimi Hendrix used a relatively thin .009 set, but he didn’t sound small by any standards. Also, Vaughan tuned down a half-step to Eb, and lessening the strings’ tension to that extent equates to a playing feel of a string gauge lighter, roughly speaking.

Was there magic in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Number One Stratocaster? He clearly loved it himself, but he sounded just as much like SRV when it still had the white pickguard and right-handed vibrato in the late ’70s, or the entirely new neck in 1990. So maybe it was his amp(s) that made all the difference?

In the early days, Vaughan played mostly ’60s or early ’70s Fender tube amps, usually two at a time, and rotated between Vibroverbs, Twin Reverbs, and Super Reverbs. At some point he also acquired a 100-watt Marshall Town & Country 2x12 combo and often subbed that into the pair. You can already hear a big sound brewing, but however you mix and match the amplifier contingent he always sounded like Stevie Ray Vaughan.

His legendary amp excesses set in during the recording of In Step, when — according to amp tech Cesar Diaz — as many as 32 amps were up and running around the studio, used in varying combinations on different tracks. Among these, in addition to those already listed, were a 150-watt Dumble Steel String Singer, a vintage 1959 Fender tweed Bassman, and a pair of massive 200-watt Marshal Major stacks. Fans have gone to great lengths to obtain that huge and driven — yet perplexingly clear — SRV amp tone, and I know plenty who have constructed some complex and expensive multi-amp rigs to do so, but before you set out to nail that In Step tone for yourself, consider the possible permutations of those 32 amps … and the fact that no one really knows anymore which ones, or how many, were used on which tracks. There are plenty of reports of Vaughan being invited up on stage with other players and using their guitar and single amp, and ripping it up — and sounding just like SRV in the process.

Vaughan also dabbled with a range of pedals, but his mainstay for overdrive was an Ibanez Tube Screamer. The original TS-808 Tube Screamer has become a major collector’s item, and a good one can fetch upwards of $500 on the vintage market. Thanks to SRV? Not necessarily … having started with the desirable but less precious TS-9, he was using an entirely mundane TS-10 by the end of his career, and you can pick up an original example of that one for under $100 if you keep your eyes peeled. They are decent sounding overdrive pedals, but no great mystery or rarity, and many players feel the template has been far surpassed by plenty of newer makes and models anyway.

Add it all up, and however massive SRV’s tone — and it undeniably was — this cornucopia of elements and ingredients shows you there’s no clear gear-based magic to the formula. The man played hard and he played well, and a big, big sound came out.