Recent Posts

Michael Schenker’s Still Bringin’ the Wood

Michael Schenker’s Still Bringin’ the Wood

Michael Schenker turned 60 in January. Is that a big deal? It’s a round number that implies old-ish age, but it sure hasn’t slowed his fingers down any. Check this video from May 1 of this year. He solos for 10+ minutes — not alone, but with the drummer and bass player. YOU WILL NOT […]

November 2, 2015 | By | 1 Reply More
Fair Warning Tone Ain’t All the Same

Fair Warning Tone Ain’t All the Same

Got it in my head to figure out which Van Halen song tones – not album tones – I liked the most. Started with Fair Warning, whose balls I just can’t get enough of…which doesn’t sound so good but you get what I mean. Listen to it cranked in my car because that’s the only […]

March 24, 2014 | By | 2 Replies More
Proto JB = Super V: Now THIS is a pickup review!

Proto JB = Super V: Now THIS is a pickup review!

Why have I crawled out from under my rock to post on what still is a pretty highly-trafficked blog? (Cool!) Stumbled across a review of the George Lynch-designed, Seymour Duncan-produced Super V pickup on YouTube – and it’s frickin’ great! No secret that most guitar-stuff reviews on YT suck. Some of that’s because the reviewer […]

September 3, 2013 | By | 7 Replies More
Test Drive: DiMarzio Tele Tone Zone Rocks!

Test Drive: DiMarzio Tele Tone Zone Rocks!

Last year at some point I fell in love with the DiMarzio “made-for-the-Ernie Ball/Music Man-EVH-model guitar” hummers. Don’t know if they have an exact name, and they’re not sold to anyone except EB/MM. I have ’em in an old ash Axis Sport – killer guitar. Those pickups: Each string stands out, stands up and sounds […]

May 10, 2013 | By | Reply More
Wow! The Winery Dogs: Kotzen, Sheehan, Portnoy

Wow! The Winery Dogs: Kotzen, Sheehan, Portnoy

Shazam! You hear/see this yet? Hipped to this by my friend the Buzzard. It’s good! And who knew Ritchie Kotzen – or anyone – could sound like Chris Cornell?? Here’s a bit about what Blabbermouth has to say about the band, project, whatever you call it: > THE WINERY DOGS, the new project featuring Mike […]

April 24, 2013 | By | 1 Reply More
3 Full Shows: Must Watch/Listen!

3 Full Shows: Must Watch/Listen!

Aerosmith, Skynyrd, ‘the guy with the Afro’ Not a whole lot to post here except to WATCH THESE. F-ing incredible. Seriously. Vintage Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd and “the guy with the Afro” – Jimi. Got hipped to these vids by emails and forums (thanks much guys), just incredible. About “the guy with the Afro.” I was […]

January 8, 2013 | By | 2 Replies More
Best Wood: New ZZ vs Aero vs KISS

Best Wood: New ZZ vs Aero vs KISS

Not sure whether classic-type rock is dead or what, but doesn’t seem to be much of it lately. Maybe laptops and Pro Tools killed the ability to record great woody tones – with frickin’ air around it, not every nano-slot of the sound spectrum filled up! – but I don’t think that’s it. So when […]

December 28, 2012 | By | 6 Replies More
Pondering VH’s Fair Warning Tone

Pondering VH’s Fair Warning Tone

LOVE the first four Van Halen albums. Always have, always will. Love the rest too, including the Van Hagar years (oops, forgot about VH III…), but those first four vinyl donuts are to me and many others just the nads. The nadliest of nads. They’re a band kicking the world’s butt in every way, and […]

December 5, 2012 | By | 27 Replies More
Which Bogner Are You?

Which Bogner Are You?

Recently I was ruined yet again by a good amp. This time a bud’s Bogner Shiva, EL34 version. Let’s call him Sean – because that’s his name…. He’d been talking about how awesome it was for a while, and even though I know he has good ears, wasn’t too motivated to go try it. I’d […]

November 21, 2012 | By | 3 Replies More
Rabbit Hole to Alvin Youngblood Hart!

Rabbit Hole to Alvin Youngblood Hart!

Got sucked into an interwebz rabbit hole the other day. Had it in my head – arguing in my head – about whether I needed another amp, and as a concession to the “no you don’t” side was looking at cheap amps. One such amp is the ’80s Marshall 5010 Master Lead solid state combo. […]

October 25, 2012 | By | 2 Replies More
Q&A: DiMarzio’s Steve Blucher On…

Q&A: DiMarzio’s Steve Blucher On…

…the new Gravity Storm pickups designed for Steve Vai, and a bit o’ other stuff. Why other stuff? Because the second-best thing to playing guitar is talking guitar. Thanks much to Steve Blucher – DiMarzio’s pickup guru, in case you didn’t know – and DiMarzio for setting this up. So much for the preamble: WoodyTone: […]

October 5, 2012 | By | 1 Reply More
DiMarzio Gravity Storms Kick A**!

DiMarzio Gravity Storms Kick A**!

Earlier this year I got an awakening, in the form of checking out the YMI5150 Model-A axe. Lots to love there, but the awakening was the DiMarzio Super Distortion. Really a re-awakening because I’d used DiMarzios (Super Distortions and Dual Sounds) for years back in the day. Bang! Was a shot to the ears. Fell […]

September 28, 2012 | By | 4 Replies More
Skynyrd Covered: Gear (Part 2)

Skynyrd Covered: Gear (Part 2)

[Part 1 of this post is here.] Have to borrow a line from Homer Simpson: Ahhhhhhhhh, gear. Anyhow, some tunes – like “The Needle and the Spoon” and “Simple Man” – sound like period-correct gear and tones, whereas tunes like “Saturday Night Special” sound a lot more modern. I wanted to know – we all […]

September 12, 2012 | By | Reply More
Skynyrd Covered: Some Wood! (Part 1)

Skynyrd Covered: Some Wood! (Part 1)

First of all, gotta say it takes large cojones to cover a band of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s stature beyond just one tune. It may even take huger ones to get a PR firm to broadcast that to the world. In other words, here in Wood-land, you better nail it or do something truly interesting with it, […]

September 7, 2012 | By | Reply More
Masterpiece Revisit: ‘Over My Head’

Masterpiece Revisit: ‘Over My Head’

What a freakin’ great band King’s X is. Just amazing. Often said one of the best bands never to “make it,” which I guess means get too rich for your own good, battle alcoholism, and at least once get divorced and/or issue an album of complete shite. Okay, not in every case, but you get […]

August 31, 2012 | By | 4 Replies More