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SICK Eric Johnson Vid!

SICK Eric Johnson Vid!

Diehard Eric Johnson fans may have seen this one, but then again maybe not. My buddy Sean (thanks man!) unearthed this gem deep on the Music123.com site – a vid of Eric going through his pedalboard, guitars and amps in the studio, and playing some stupidly amazing stuff.

May 1, 2009 | By | Reply More
Blackmore’s Technique and Opinions (part 2)

Blackmore’s Technique and Opinions (part 2)

Page Played ‘You Really Got Me?!’ Here’s part 2, the last part for now, of my deep dive into Ritchie Blackmore’s tone. Below Ritchie first talks about his technique, and then he issues opinions on everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Jeff Beck (all from the same sources as used in part 1).

April 27, 2009 | By | 1 Reply More
Holdsworth: Strange, Beautiful Music

Holdsworth: Strange, Beautiful Music

I know that’s a Steve Vai line, but it applies here: I caught Allan Holdsworth Wednesday night in Teaneck, N.J., my first time seeing him live. I loved it – and I’m a litle surprised I did. I knew going in that Allan was a monster player with a monster band – that’s always fun […]

April 24, 2009 | By | 2 Replies More
How to Season a Les Paul

How to Season a Les Paul

Meant to post this when the May issue of Guitar Player came out – just found it again. Here’s the Scorpions’ Matthias Jabs – whom I always liked, playing-wise more than tone-wise) – on how he seasoned one of his Les Pauls. And for the record, I did search for a photo pf him playing […]

April 22, 2009 | By | 1 Reply More
Ritchie Blackmore’s Tone and More – part 1

Ritchie Blackmore’s Tone and More – part 1

Strat + Modded 200-Watt Marshall + Boost = Wood Before he got on his Medieval music trip, Ritchie Blackmore’s tone was all wood. I heard a Rainbow tune the other day on Internet radio, and I just sat there wondering how the heck he could get that fat tone out of a Strat’s bridge pickup. […]

April 20, 2009 | By | 7 Replies More
What Exactly Is the D2H Tailpiece?

What Exactly Is the D2H Tailpiece?

With the release of the EVH sneakers, the only piece of EVH gear left to see the light of the day – presumably for now – is the Drop To Hell tailpiece, or D2H. Although a few pics of it have been posted on the Internet, no one’s really sure about the whys and whats […]

April 16, 2009 | By | 5 Replies More
Fun Friday: Woody Gear on eBay

Fun Friday: Woody Gear on eBay

Just for kicks, and so you can see how much money some things cost, here are a few examples of mostly-vintage, toneful gear that have sold on eBay recently – meaning if they sold 2 years ago, or a couple of years from now, maybe they would’ve gone for more. And no, I didn’t buy […]

April 10, 2009 | By | Reply More
Concert Review: All Hail Beck!

Concert Review: All Hail Beck!

Wow. I caught Jeff Beck at the Scranton, Pa. Cultural Center last night on the first night of what looks like a short U.S. tour, and it was incredible.  Just absolutely mind-blowing.

April 7, 2009 | By | Reply More
Alex Lifeson on Going Back to Les Pauls

Alex Lifeson on Going Back to Les Pauls

The folks at PremierGuitar.com recently had a good interview with Alex Lifeson, who after using Les Pauls back in the early days of Rush (Alex is a huge Jimmy Page fan), went to Gibson ES-355s, then did the super strat thing for a while, then played PRSs and now is sporting a sweet-looking Les Paul […]

April 6, 2009 | By | Reply More
Fun Friday: New Gene Ad

Fun Friday: New Gene Ad

First Ace Frehley was in a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, and now Gene Simmons is promoting another beverage: Dr. Pepper Cherry. What’s next, Peter Criss helping Dominos sell recession-proof pizza? Paul Stanley singing that at BK “you can have it you-owoo-owoo-owoor way?” Ah, whatever. It’s Friday, it’s fun, it’s Classic rock (sorta). And if you ask […]

April 3, 2009 | By | Reply More
Chickenfoot Radio Interview: Excerpts

Chickenfoot Radio Interview: Excerpts

Joe: Mike is F-ing Great Following are some hastily transcribed excerpts of MusicRadar.com’s four-part radio interview with Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony of Chickenfoot. These are what I consider the most interesting parts – and they are interesting – but if you’re an out-and-out fan, you’ll want to give all four segments a […]

April 2, 2009 | By | 1 Reply More
The Artist Now Known as: Jimi Van Halen!

The Artist Now Known as: Jimi Van Halen!

Okay. Prince is a super-talented guy (at least I think he’s a guy). He can play, he can sing and his bands are always tight. Tone-wise, I can’t remember anything that has particularly stuck out about Prince. But I did notice this recent clip of Prince on Jay Leno’s show. He’s playing a Strat with […]

April 1, 2009 | By | Reply More
Review: EVH Frankie Pickup Worth Every Penny

Review: EVH Frankie Pickup Worth Every Penny

Ed’s Sound: Priceless If you’re a fan of Edward Van Halen, ask yourself this question: How much money would you pay for a pickup that EVH personally designed with Seymour Duncan? Bear in mind that good humbuckers can cost anywhere from $40-$50 made by single-person boutique shops to $75-ish for a Duncan or DiMarizio, to […]

March 30, 2009 | By | 16 Replies More
10 More Years of Hendrix Tunes

10 More Years of Hendrix Tunes

But are they ‘new?’ As we all know by now, in 3 years Jimi Hendrix gave us more music than we ever could have expected. Just in case you thought what’s out there is “it,” looks like that’s not the case. Experience Hendrix, the company set up to administer Jimi’s work, this week signed a […]

March 25, 2009 | By | Reply More
Robin Trower’s Bridge of Sighs Gear

Robin Trower’s Bridge of Sighs Gear

The first time I heard Robin Trower, I had the same thought everyone probably did: That guy sounds like Hendrix. Actually, it may have been: That guy ripped off Hendrix! But man, Robin did it well because his tunes sounded so goooooooooood. If you don’t have Bridge of Sighs on CD, you must…go…get…it. Right now! […]

March 23, 2009 | By | 6 Replies More