RSSCategory: Strat

Le Tekro Made Too Much Mids Sound Good

Le Tekro Made Too Much Mids Sound Good

Part 1 Does this sound like a recipe for good rock tone (or even a usable tone) to you: > Mismatched pickups, at least one of which was installed wrong > Boss pedals (plural) – modified and stock – to accentuate mids > Marshall JMP head modded for less gain in the preamp stage and […]

January 18, 2011 | By | 3 Replies More
More Old Clapton: Guitar Weepage, Strat/Fender

More Old Clapton: Guitar Weepage, Strat/Fender

The Guitar Player interview mentioned in Tuesday’s post had more info, beyond just Cream. Here are the tonealicious highlights of that, starting with a Les Paul and Marshall rocked on a Beatles tune: GP: By the way, was that you playing the lead guitar part on “As My Guitar Weeps” on the Beatles album? There […]

December 9, 2010 | By | 2 Replies More
More Woody Crunch: Scorps’ ‘I Can’t Explain’

More Woody Crunch: Scorps’ ‘I Can’t Explain’

I dig this version of The Who tune. It’s another simple Scorpions tune, somehow executed with AC/DC-like perfection. And when I heard it recently, I dug the crunchy guitar tone. Only question is, What the heck was it?

October 15, 2010 | By | 1 Reply More
Fast Eddie Clarke’s Loud Rock Rig

Fast Eddie Clarke’s Loud Rock Rig

A buddy of mine recently bought the track “Say What You Will” by Fastway. I remember when the video for that tune first came out – the Internet says it was 1983. Full into my Eddie Van Halen phase, I (and many others!) thought Fastway was “behind the times, man.” The guys looked “old” or […]

October 7, 2010 | By | 3 Replies More
A Different Simple Rig: Robbie Blunt

A Different Simple Rig: Robbie Blunt

Do you know who Robbie Blunt is? Sure you do. He’s the guit-slinger who played in Robert Plant’s band during the “Big Log” era – the less-mature of us never forgetting that name because in high school it meant a turd in a bowl (snicker).

September 23, 2010 | By | 8 Replies More
Tipton’s ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” Gear

Tipton’s ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” Gear

Cool riff, cool tune, cool lead and a WET tone. That’s what I hear and have always heard in the Judas Priest tune “Another Thing Comin’,” off 1982’s Screaming for Vengeance. While I of course know it’s a two-guitar band, I always think of the chords/riff and Glenn Tipton’s solo on this tune, hence the […]

August 12, 2010 | By | 5 Replies More
Neal Schon’s Early Journey Gear

Neal Schon’s Early Journey Gear

I have a few buds who still laugh at me for digging Journey. I think it’s the Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain-driven “Don’t Stop Believin’” stuff that gets them laughing because after the chuckle they’re always like, “Neal Schon, great player.” “F-in A right!” as they say, or used to, in Patterson, N.J. Neal is a […]

August 2, 2010 | By | 2 Replies More
1980 EVH Interview Highlights, Pt 1

1980 EVH Interview Highlights, Pt 1

Edward Van Halen’s tone has been dissected, obsessed over and pursued to the ends of the tonal universe maybe more than any other single guitarist’s. That’s no surprise because the man is the Beethoven (gifted substance-abusing composer of the popular music of the time), Paganini (virtuoso) and [some other classical reference having to do with […]

May 12, 2010 | By | 2 Replies More
Clapton Interviews and Gear, 1967 and 1976

Clapton Interviews and Gear, 1967 and 1976

‘Cocaine’ Rig Photo! I’ve been sort of back-of-the-mind obsessed with (really more like “puzzled by”) Eric Clapton for a bit now. Ever since I saw him play on Joe Bonamassa’s Albert Hall DVD. I mean, there’s ERIC CLAPTON! – the fact that he’s Eric Clapton is cool on its own, but I wanted him to […]

April 19, 2010 | By | Reply More
PG’s Eye-Opening Townshend Interview

PG’s Eye-Opening Townshend Interview

Advised Hendrix On His Rig? Pete Townshend could never be accused of understating things. In some ways he always seems like the classic artist, in the “here’s the way I see it and F you if you don’t like it” sense. In a new-ish and excellent PremierGuitar.com interview, Pete is all that and says some […]

March 22, 2010 | By | 1 Reply More
Do You Own One of Lowell George’s Strats?

Do You Own One of Lowell George’s Strats?

You might. It would probably be a mid-70s Fender Stratocaster, which Lowell (of Little Feat) was favoring at the time, but could be something else. Why am I asking? Here’s why, from the August 1976 issue of Guitar Player magazine: GP: How many guitars have you had? Lowell: I’ve had 50, 20 of which I […]

December 29, 2009 | By | Reply More
Roger Fisher’s ‘Barracuda’ Gear (and Other Tidbits)

Roger Fisher’s ‘Barracuda’ Gear (and Other Tidbits)

Howard Leese’s Gear Too; Replace Ace? To me, the Heart tune “Barracuda” is one of those perfect songs. Everything’s great: guitar, drums (watch it on YouTube) and the singing, which is just amazing. We’ve all heard the song hundreds of times, but there’s precious little about the gear Roger Fisher and fellow guitarist Howard Leese […]

December 4, 2009 | By | 1 Reply More
Slash Using a Tele: Can You Hear It?

Slash Using a Tele: Can You Hear It?

Most people swore Jimmy Page only used a Les Paul, but we now know about the Fender Telecasters. Jimi Hendrix apparently used a Tele on the Purple Haze solo. Virtually everyone thinks Steve Gaines used a Strat on Skynyrd’s “I Know a Little,” but it turns out it might have been a Les Paul. Point […]

November 13, 2009 | By | Reply More
32 Years Today: Steve Gaines Remembered

32 Years Today: Steve Gaines Remembered

How To Play ‘I Know a Little;’ Played on a Les Paul? Thirty-two years ago today, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane went down and we lost one of the greatest guitar players ever to walk out on a stage: 28-year-old Steve Gaines. Steve was an absolute monster. Couple quotes to that effect (if you read nothing else, […]

October 20, 2009 | By | 1 Reply More
Blackmore’s Dad: Learn Guitar Or I’ll Beat You!

Blackmore’s Dad: Learn Guitar Or I’ll Beat You!

Wanted a Trumpet, Drums; Settled for Guitar Fender.com recently published a short-ish interview with Ritchie Blackmore that had a couple of interesting tidbits in it, below. For the full interview, which discusses his current work with Blackmore’s Night, click here. Fender: Is it true that when your father bought you your first guitar at age […]

October 15, 2009 | By | 1 Reply More