Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 120 i Australian Guitar

SOL Republic Amps Air Wireless Earbuds are headphones designed for truly wireless freedom, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Even during the sweatiest of workouts and the busiest of days, your new Amps Air’s won’t miss a beat. Plus, you won’t pull the laptop off your desk next time you’re engaged in a late-night song-learning experience and throw in an enthusiastic headbang. Wireless audio has plenty of advantages, however very frustrating should a set fall out from your ears. Luckily, the Amps Air’s feature specially designed air grooves that comfortably grip the ear like treads on a tire and allow airflow to reduce sweat build up. With this, there is no need for complicated fit-pieces or ear-hooks that can hurt over time. These earbuds are designed for…

It’s mere days away from the release of their soul-crippling third album, Xenocide, when Australian Guitar sits down with Aversions Crown axeman Mick Jeffery. Excitement is at an all-time high, but even in the wake of enormous media hype and pre-orders racking in record numbers, the local scene legend is cautiously humble. “We’d love it if [the album] blew up, but at the same time we realise that it’s still underground extreme metal, so we don’t have any expectations of Top 40 chart success or millions of dollars,” he laughs. And, in an optimistic twist of fate, the record would eventually wind up debuting at no. 38 on the ARIA Charts. As far as concept albums go - and especially ones built around callous, ripping tech-metal - Xenocide is the…

While Billy Bragg is best known for his own witty, politically-tinged songs, he’s always had a great love of roots music in general (he’s currently writing a book about the rise and fall of the pre-rock ’n’ roll music form skiffle in the UK) and in the United States in particular. Between 1998 and 2012, he teamed up with alt-country stars Wilco to create the three Mermaid Avenue albums, which added new music to previously unheard lyrics by political folk troubadour Woody Guthrie. Now, Bragg has teamed up with US singer/songwriter Joe Henry (who produced Bragg’s acclaimed Tooth & Nail album) to create Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad. It’s a collection of classic songs about the railroad – “Rock Island Line”, “In The Pines”, “The…

FENDER The big news for Fender this year is the American Professional series: a new professional-grade collection of electric guitars and basses that honours Fender’s classic models, while boldly proclaiming the brand’s foothold into a new era of music. “We are committed to evolving with artists as their musical expression diversifies,” says Justin Norvell, Vice President of Electric Guitars and Basses. “It’s our goal to give artists the tools they need to push the boundaries of their artistry in ways they never thought were possible. The American Professional series stays true to the integrity, quality and craftsmanship of legendary Fender designs while incorporating more modern, player-centric features.” Handcrafted in the US, the American Professional series introduces new Stratocaster, Telecaster, Precision Bass and Jazz Bass guitars, while adding new platforms —…

It’s a visual world. Facebook posts perform better if there’s an image associated with it; YouTube is ubiquitous. People don’t just want to hear music, they want to see it - and they want to see lots of it. You have to keep coming up with new content, over and over again, especially if you’re a band trying to rise above the din. That’s what struck me when I first tried out the iRig Mic Field: it’s such a simple little device, and yet it opens up your rehearsal, your studio session, your recording session and your concert as sharable content to engage with your audience. Here’s how. TWO MICS ARE BETTER THAN ONE iRig Mic Field is a stereo microphone for iOS devices which plugs directly into the Lightning…

This is an interesting time for Fender. On the one hand, they have legacy products that still draw a huge audience. Think period-faithful ’50s and ‘60s Strat and Tele reissues, for example. And on the other hand, there are players out there who love the general Fender style but demand more player-friendly features than those employed by the guitarists of 50 or 60 years ago. Fender does a great job of balancing the needs of each across various series, and the American Professional is the latest line to combine classic and contemporary features. PRO LEAGUE The American Professional Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker has a solid alder body with a glossy finish available in a range of attractive and decidedly non-vintage finishes. The neck is made of maple with a maple or…

AMBIENT DELAY PRICE: $450 RRP FEATURES • Reverb Level, Delay Feedback, Delay Time, Output Level (treadle) controls • In, Out and Tap Tempo ports • 9v power adaptor • 200mm (L) x 87mm (W) x 67mm (H) EXPRESSION OVERDRIVE PRICE: $450 RRP FEATURES • Drive, Tone, Boost, Level (treadle) controls • In and Out ports • 9v power adaptor • 200mm (L) x 87mm (W) x 67mm (H) The Ernie Ball company, innovative manufacturer and industry leader, continues to come up with practical and very cool ideas for the working muso. Ernie was the first guy to supply gauged string sets, as well as offering a bunch of accessories that, today, we take for granted – their bulletproof volume pedal is an industry standard. Ernie Ball Inc. also picked up…

The Gibson Les Paul is a classic. And the Gibson Les Paul Classic is a classic too: that is, the model that’s actually named the Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960. But this Gibson Les Paul Classic isn’t that Gibson Les Paul Classic. Confused? Don’t worry about it. Just know that this is a Gibson, and it’s a Les Paul, and Les Pauls are - you guessed it - classic. There’s just something about that magical combination of mahogany, maple, a couple of humbuckers, 22 frets and a lot of attitude. Over the last few years, the Les Paul Classic has had a three-knob control layout with a built-in boost, but that Classic is now consigned to the status of classic, and the new Classic is more like the old Classic…

Hot take: if every artist took themselves 100 percent seriously, the music industry would suffer a brisk, albeit unequivocally brutal death. Sure, it’s their fastidious proficiency that paves way for acts like Queen and David Bowie to make history and not, say, Smash Mouth, but at the end of the day, rock music needs the ridiculous - the playful and unpolished - to keep its head above water. Such is where Brisvegas stoner-punk trio Dune Rats come in, their scuzzy, sloshy party jams captivating an entire generation of festival freaks and stay-at-home seshers alike. But where their 2014 self-titled debut revelled in its total lack of musical sobriety, The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit is a distinctly refined successor. “With this album, we mainly just wanted to find our sound,”…

It’s a trope as inescapable as it is utter bullshit: “Rock is dead”. Despite what your old man insists, they do, in fact, still make ‘em like they used’a. Need proof? Look no further than the #4 ARIA Chart debut that Avenged Sevenfold scored for their latest opus, The Stage - an album of pure shred that transcended expectations with a full-scale surprise release void of any preliminary hype. Few bands could pull it off in the way the house of the Deathbat did, which, as guitarist Synyster Gates fills us in, wasn’t as easy as you might assume… Do you think the surprise release of The Stage is indicative of how rock might be evolving? I don’t know, to be honest. For us, we just didn’t know if there…

ERNIE BALL The new Monarchy Series John Petrucci Majesty guitars feature a highly flamed maple shield seated in an African mahogany body, a glossy finish on the front and a matte finish on the back,DiMarzio Sonic Ecstasy pickups and a piezo bridge. They’re available in six- and seven-string models in Black Knight, Majestic Purple, Royal Red and Imperial Blue finishes. The St. Vincent model is also available in several new flavours: Stealth Black with a maple neck completely finished in matte black, with an ebony fretboard, matte black finish and black hardware; Heritage Red, a translucent finish featuring a parchment pickguard and gold hardware; and new Tobacco Burst and Polaris White color options with chrome hardware. Meanwhile, the new Comfort Collection strap series includes neoprene and leather models, which are…

I’ve been using PreSonus’ Studio One 2 for quite a few years now, and I really appreciate its ease of use and adaptability. It’s as simple or as complex as I want to make it, and it never gets in the way of laying down a musical idea or tweaking the bejesus out of one. But progress is progress, and there wouldn’t be a Studio One 3 if Studio One 2 couldn’t have used some improvements. Let’s check it out. THE SEQUEL TO THE SEQUEL PreSonus Studio One 3 Professional has a new single-window workspace with drag-and-drop functionality and multi-touch support, and everything is configured to be a little more user-friendly than it has been in the past. Personally, I’d been using Studio One 2 with my iPad Pro as…

To djent or not to djent? That is the question… This interesting subgenre of metal was revolutionised by Swedish metal titans Meshuggah in the early ‘90s, and for a long time, no-one really jumped on the band wagon - probably through the fear and stigma of sounding “too Messhuggahery” (yes, I just invented an adjective). Then came the mid-to-late 2000s. Everyone had had their share of chunky nu metal (the likes of Limp Bizkit, Drowning Pool and Mudvayne), which as a genre used the follow concepts in 99.8% of its compositions: 1 Monotonous, drop-tuned, flat-finger power chords. 2 Octaves chords (to break up the mass- monotony of flat-fingered power chords). 3 Fast two-note wah chords - three if the guitarist was feeling particularly adventurous. 4 No solos (it’s not really…

The last 25 years has seen the rebirth and, in many ways, meteoric acceptance of the acoustic guitar. From a period (the ‘80s) when music stores struggled to sell acoustics at any price, and even venerable institutions like CF Martin were considering the state of their future, the instrument received an unexpected reboot in the ‘90s as artists and audiences turned on to the honesty and immediacy of acoustic performances. MTV debuted its Unplugged series on November 1st, 1989. Being the go-to place for music in a visual format, MTV brought the acoustic guitar to the marketplace as it hadn’t been seen since the ‘70s, and became one of the a driving forces in the renaissance of a more organic music presentation. Suddenly, it seemed, acoustic guitar companies were booming…

It seems that every year or so, Music Man produces another John Petrucci model. Their relationship with Petrucci is certainly fruitful and the guitars, while they are certainly signature instruments, have a little something for everyone. In other words, they’re not so specific that they feel limited to Petrucci’s deal, but do in fact cover a lot of sonic and stylistic territory. This is great because while the Majesty might have globs of that Petrucci mojo, there’s room for each player’s own vibe to shine through. This is a smart design (and marketing) and allows a guitarist to invest in their own sound without the restrictions often imposed by a signature guitar. YOUR MAJESTY This latest instrument, the Majesty, has all the detail we’ve come to expect from the Music…

Yamaha’s Revstar line is made up of models for everyone from the beginner to the serious professional, and everywhere in between. But it’s not just a matter of progressively nicer woods and hardware as you progress through the range: each is designed to really carefully lock in on the needs of particular players. The whole range has a sort of retro-futuristic vibe designed to embody classic guitar design blended with inspiration from motorcycles. There are also plenty of technological enhancements, too. This is a really distinctive project - far more than just Yamaha saying, “Let’s make a slightly tweaked shape and put off-the-shelf hardware on it.” STAR TURN The RS502 is a double-cutaway instrument with a mahogany body, maple top (under a solid finish, so it’s purely there for its…

It happens to the best of them: you’ll be ripping through the gnarliest solo of your life, dropping the jaws of anybody in a hundred-mile radius when a string snaps and sends the whole show sour. Well, that ends today. 55 years after launching the iconic Slinky range, Ernie Ball are once again revolutionising the guitar with their new Paradigm strings. They’re supposedly indestructible – so much so that even John Petrucci (Dream Theater) went as far as saying, “These are definitely the best-sounding and most durable strings I have ever played.” Sporting the most advanced string technology ever created – a fusion of Ernie Ball’s proprietary Everlast nano-treatment and a breakthrough plasma process that augments resistance to corrosion – Paradigm strings are the first ever to come with a…

You’ve really gotta hand it to Victorian weather - nowhere else can you witness blistering 40-degree sunshine turn into a subarctic thunderstorm in the span of three minutes. Truly, it is an experience. And speaking of experiences, this year’s two-night, three-day UNIFY Gathering was chock full of them - from CJ McMahon’s return to Thy Art Is Murder (celebrated with a literal bible burning ceremony), to Violent Soho’s meteoric shredfest proving that grunge still has a shot at the mainstream. Pits were moshed, crowds were surfed, and many a tinny was slammed. Here are a few of the moments we treasured most at UNIFY ’17! 2017: A MOSH ODDYSEY As cliché as it feels to say, we feel confident in saying it: 2017 is the year of the small band…

WE’VE ALWAYS DONE STUFF AT HYPER SPEED, STUFF THAT OTHER BANDS MIGHT SPEND MONTHS ON WE DO IN A MATTER OF DAYS. Sydney’s Dispossessed are a young and uncompromising trio that boast a unique guitar-driven sound, drawing inspiration from the most engaging elements of everything from grindcore to shoegaze. Their shows are uncompromising musically and politically, as the band focus in on enlightening their audience on the injustices Indigenous Australians (and marginalised groups within Australia) continue to face today. At just 19, guitarist Serwah Attafuah packs a knowledge of genre, gear and tone to rival most players twice her age. Together with guitarist/frontman Birrugan Dunn-Velasco, she paints a rich sonic landscape that she describes as a “genre-fluid”. We spoke with Attafuah about her vibrant playing style, a pedal chain to…

Let’s rip this band-aid off right away: there are precious few female guitarists with a signature guitar line. There’s Joan Jett, Bonnie Raitt, Orianthi, and… Um… Avril Lavinge. And now there’s Annie Clark - the woman who is St. Vincent. She’s the niece of Tuck Andress and Patti Cathcart (a.k.a. Tuck & Patti), and first came to most people’s attention as part of mighty musical collective The Polyphonic Spree and a touring guitarist for Sufjan Stevens, before striking out on her own under the St. Vincent moniker. She’s since released four albums under the name, plus one collaboration with former Talking Heads leader David Byrne, while popping up with everyone from Nirvana (where she joined them to sing and play “Lithium” at their 2014 Hall Of Fame induction) to Taylor…

In this era of fake news and Dash Rendar no longer being canon, there isn’t much we can hold true anymore. Still, there’s one thing nobody can deny: the Fender Jaguar is frigging hot right now. The Jag has been around since the early ‘60s, and it’s one of those guitars that continues to sound relevant and fresh even as new genres pop up around it. For instance, it was perfect for surf rock in the ‘60s, punk in the ‘70s, post-punk and goth in the ‘80s and grunge in the ‘90s, and ever since it’s been the ideal tool for all sorts of alternative and indie rock styles. This has not gone unnoticed by Fender, who are finally loading their catalog with plenty of new Jags for us all…

JBL has packed 70 years of R&D into the EON ONE to create what they feel is the ultimate in sound performance, streamlined design and portability. The entire system is designed so that you can carry it with one hand, which is great news for solo artists or those in duos: imagine showing up for a gig with your guitar case in one hand, PA in the other, and being able to instantly set up and play. YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU When designing the EON ONE, JBL has taken cues from their concert line arrays to ensure that every member of the audience will experience the same sound, no matter where they’re standing. The base of the unit features an unobstructed 10” bass-reflex subwoofer to handle the lows…

The Flying V has gone through plenty of permutations over the years. It makes sense when you think about just how versatile it is: it looks great for blues, metal, rock, southern rock, stoner, thrash, doom - hell, there are even country players who dig it - and the Flying V means something different to all of them. The Gibson USA Flying V T 2017 Ebony feels like it’s inspired by a curious combo of the late ‘70s and the current doom/stoner movement. How? Read on. GET YOUR FINGERS DIRTY Unlike some Flying V variants, which can be particularly blinged-out affairs, the 2017 model looks very stripped back and practical. The ebony-finished mahogany body has no binding, the pickups are uncovered, and the fingerboard has simple dot inlays instead of…

Davy Knowles is one of those rare guitarists where every damn note they play feels perfect. And while some players might have exceptional control over dynamics and phrasing but not quite have the soulfulness to back it up, Knowles’ playing oozes with emotion and style. Growing up in the Isle of Man, he learned to play guitar from listening to the likes of Gallagher, Clapton, Knopfler, Green and Mayall in his father’s record collection, honing his skills by playing the local music circuit. By 19 he was touring the USA, and before long he found himself a mainstay on the Billboard Blues Chart. His 2016 album, Three Miles From Avalon, saw Davy returning to his blues roots, and he’s about to return to Australia for Bluesfest. So Bluesfest, eh? It’s…