Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 112 i Australian Guitar

JVB AUK-20 SOPRANO UKULELE Are you a budding ukulele player and want to avoid those colourful bargain-priced ukes that just won’t stay in tune? The JVB AUK-20 Soprano Ukulele hits the mark perfectly for those looking for a quality instrument at an affordable but not bargain-based price. With a beautiful, rich wooden exterior it comes with chrome-plated machine heads, Cupro nickel frets and a vinyl carry bag. For your chance to score one, tell us which song you’d most like to play on a ukulele and who you’d like to play it to! THE WALKING DEAD THE COMPLETE SEASON 1-5 BOX SET At Australian Guitar we like to practise a healthy work-to-reward ratio system. One that has worked for us recently is to practise for 20 minutes for every 60…

WHEN: TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2015 WHERE: MAX WATT’S, SYDNEY REVIEW: PETER ZALUZNY PHOTOS: PETER ZALUZNY Think back to the craziest concert you’ve ever been to. The show where you left feeling battered and bruised, with sweat pouring through your stretched, smelly clothes right down to the pair of boots that were completely and utterly destroyed. Was it a Dillinger Escape Plan show? No? Then your so-called “intense gig” was basically a cosy afternoon nap because compared to Dillinger, every other band is child’s play. Standing before a packed house in Sydney beneath a frantic set of strobes, Dillinger let the anticipation build up to an explosive peak before unleashing “Prancer” onto the audience. As the energetic fireball roared through the crowd, a chaotic circle pit opened up that almost made…

It’s good to know that domesticity hasn’t slowed Ash Grunwald down any. As his young daughter cries over a misplaced bathing suit, her father merrily confesses, “I’ve just woken up, extremely hungover,” he chuckles. “After this interview I’m going to go buy some cymbals.” And what could be better when one has a hangover than trying out some new cymbals? “Coffee, cymbals... it’ll be all good. The reverse order doesn’t work.” As it happens, cymbals aren’t in great evidence on Now, his new (and, amazingly, ninth) studio album. It does, however, sound utterly huge. That’s at least partially down to the production of Australian-residing US producer Nick DiDia, who has crafted similarly massive-sounding records for the likes of Stone Temple Pilots, Mastodon, Rage Against The Machine, Pearl Jam and Powderfinger…

If I Should Go Before You, the new album from City and Colour (aka singer-songwriter Dallas Green), represents a unique landmark for Green, in that he didn’t necessarily plan on making a new album at this particular time, but was compelled to do so by the powerful connection that had developed between himself and his touring band. That band consists of Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather) on bass, Dante Schwebel (Dan Auerbach) on guitar, Doug MacGregor (Constantines) on drums and Matt Kelly on pedal steel guitar and keys. Of course they’re world-class musicians, but up to this point City and Colour was a different entity live compared to on record. “I definitely wanted it to sound like the band,” Green says. “For the last two years I’ve had these guys…

1. ACTION (STRING HEIGHT FROM FRETBOARD) The action of your guitar is really important for your comfort and playing style. When set correctly to your personal requirements, you should be able to execute the ideas and techniques you want with relative ease. Having “close action” can assist with near effortless pressing into the fretboard. This will increase speed, comfort and general execution of most soloing techniques. However, if your action is too close you’ll have issues with the expressive aspects of your playing. It may negatively affect vibrato and bending, as well as note sustain and cause fret buzz. Having a slightly higher action will make a lot of these problems disappear, but it require a lot more control and technique from the player. Adjusting the action can be done…

PRICE: $6,299 • Made in USA• Maple back and sides• Torrefied sitka spruce top• Rock maple neck• Ebony fingerboard• Ebony bridge• Striped ebony pickguard• Expression system II electronics• Includes case Taylor guitars are made with the perfect synergy of technology and tradition. If you ever get the chance to visit the factory in El Cajon, California, do it! You’ll see these beautiful guitars come to life through a combination of advanced techniques (watching a guitar being cut with a fricken laser is awesome) and hand craft. The 612ce is heading towards the higher end of Taylor’s range in terms of appointments, but even the most humble of Taylors is a mighty fine instrument. TAYLOR MADE The 612ce is has been around for quite a while but it was recently revoiced to be richer, warmer and more complex, in addition…

PRICE: $3,950 (Call for Aus Guitar discount) • Made in Australia• Tulipwood body• Maple neck• Rosewood fretboard• DiMarzio humbucker pickups• 1 vol pot, 2 4-way tone switches• Preamp circuit• 25.5” scale length• 21 frets Fican’s parade of very unique and interesting shapes continues with the Eroxa. If you blur your eyes you can kind of trick yourself into thinking it’s Telecaster-based but the body is very oversized compared to a Tele and the lines are heavily skewed to eliminate anything more than a passing resemblance to Leo’s baby. As with all Ficans we’ve reviewed so far, the body shapes are pretty out-there so these guitars are bound to attract players who want to walk their own path. GET EROX OFF The body of the Eroxa is made of Tulipwood, although Fican’s Stuart Monk can make you an Eroxa out…

PRICE: $469 • Two ranges of delay• Tap tempo function• Clickless true bypass• Metal footswitches with backlighted descriptions• Bass and Treble (with frequencies range switch) knobs and Smooth switch for repeats voicing• Kill Dry function enabling work in parallel loop• On/off functions and delay time controlled by Program Change and Control Change commands (MIDI in input)• MIDI through output• Control Out output for controlling external devices (ex. G-Lab Dual Reverb)• Input gain signal level and effect Level regulators• Solid, powder-coated casing• 9V DC power supply WELL BUILT Compact and weighty, this echo box comes all the way from Poland, stuffed to the gills with a features that belie its modest size. Delay aficionados will find plenty to like here, but the knobs and switches are all laid out simply, making it suitable for a novice as well. The SD-1 is about the…

It has been almost 10 years since we shot our first Australian Guitar video interview, so in this issue we have a look at where we started and feature re-edits of a couple of exclusive and classic interview segments: A VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH PETE WELLS Recorded in late 2005, this video interview is what we believe to be the last Pete Wells gave before he lost his battle with prostate cancer early in 2006. From 1976, Pete Wells was the founder and slide guitarist in Australian hard rock band Rose Tattoo. A multi-instrumentalist and vocalist in his own right, he co-wrote at least 17 tracks, including the single, “One Of The Boys” before leaving the band in early 1983. Previously Pete was the bass guitarist with the pioneering heavy metal…

It might have taken a little longer than expected, but Silversun Pickups’s fourth album Better Nature is a thing that exists. And thus singer/guitarist Brian Aubert is doing a lap of the US with bassist Nikki Monniger doing acoustic shows to promote their return. “It’s so happy and thrilling and exciting, but you forget what touring’s like,” he enthuses. “We always get amnesia. We might have toured for 10 years, but if we stop for three weeks we think we’ve never done anything. Like, with the thing Nikki and I are doing now: we’re like, ‘huh? We go on a stage? Who comes to those things?’” And Nikki’s had even more time off the road, having missed the last round of touring for 2012’s Neck Of The Woods. “Yeah, because…

Australia’s heavy music scene has given rise to some utterly killer bands – King Parrot, Ne Obliviscaris, Psycroptic, Northlane, Parkway Drive... the list goes on and on. But working away quietly on the edges has been Dean Wells and his band Teramaze. Wells is utterly unafraid to fly the flag for virtuoso-level progressive metal shredsmanship, and his playing has earned very favourable comparisons to one of his heroes, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci. He’s also endorsed by Ernie Ball Music Man and Seymour Duncan pickups, and can often be found shredding up a storm at events like NAMM in Anaheim, California. The new Teramaze album, Her Halo, is the band’s first under a new deal with Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group, and it finds Wells playing expressive, progressive, heavy, state-of-the-art guitar…

This may come as a surprise to anyone who hasn’t sweated over a recording session, but generally speaking studios are not fun places. Oh sure, initially they’re exciting and romantic and filled with possibility, but ask any band what the vibe is in the control room by about week three, when everyone’s nerves are frayed, there’s a ticking deadline, and the place smells of feet. It’s a high stress environment that has torn more than a few bands apart. And thus it’s a surprise to hear Boy and Bear’s guitarist Killian Gavin wax rhapsodic about the band’s experience recording their third album, Limit Of Love. “It’s the only time I’ve ever recorded and then instantaneously wanted to be back there and not-leaving,” he raves. Of course, it helps that it…

What kind of self-respecting heavy music fan doesn’t enjoy music by the classic metal masters? Whether you’re into the old-school sounds of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and anything blessed by the golden chords of Ronnie James Dio or not, it’s impossible to deny the impact that these artists (and many more) had on the evolution of heavy music. That’s why Trivium, the modern metal maestros out of Orlando, Florida, took a few nods from the great gods of the genre when they sat down to pen their seventh studio album, Silence In The Snow. It’s not a retro revival record by any means, but rather, one that taps the very veins of classic metal and embraces all the elements that gave those songs staying power. And while Trivium would never…

SMOOTH DELAY (GLAB) RRP: $469 URL: GLAB.COM.PL Smooth Delay SD-1 is a classic delay with applied Max Analog technology. Analog voice circuit (adjustable attenuation of the high and low frequencies) and Smooth function enable SD-1 emulate the effect of classic analog and tape echoes. Backlighted foot knobs and Tap Tempo function enable easy control on the stage. SD-1 can be also controlled via MIDI. SD-1 is a professional delay type effect with a clickless True Bypass and with possibility to match the effect to the signal level. Input gain signal level regulation avoids distortions and hums, especially at the amp effect loop, where are different signal levels. When the overdriven amp channel is in use connecting SD-1 to amp effect loop brings the best tone. SD-1 can be…

PRICE: $1380.49 (+GST) • 48 channels • Programmable grounding, making it possible to customise the ground setting of each channel to either vertically strapped or isolated with the flip of a switch. • Patented EZ Norm technology allowing signal flow to be changed from the front of the patchbay using a standard screwdriver. • DB25 I/O connections wired to the TASCAM DTRS pinout allow for direct connection to today’s most popular audio interfaces and outboard gear, creating greater flexibility in your studio. PATCHBAY 101 Anyone who’s ever spent a decent chunk of time in a studio, especially a home one, has ended up crouched under their desk, torch in mouth, juggling cables and inputs. All you’re trying to do is rig up this cool new piece…

One of the greatest guilty pleasures of the Byron Bay Bluesfest each year is the procession of great guitarists on the lineup. Although the event has long since broadened to become more than simply the blues, there’s still a reverence for the traditions of the guitar and an appreciation for the various forms that guitar music has evolved into. Now is the time of year when folks start planning their Bluesfest getaways (Thursday March 24 to Monday March 28, if you need a reminder) and there are still artists to be added to the line-up. But already it’s packed with great guitar talent. Here are a few we’ll be watching out for, but this is a mere sampling of the genres, styles and musical voices that make up the five…

KSCOPE With a career spanning two decades and 10 albums, Anathema have covered more ground than most. The sparse, atmospheric performance captured in the band’s hometown, Liverpool, is something truly estranged from the group’s death-doom roots, owing more to the progressive and ambient sound of the band’s later life. Brooding and delicate, Anathema rework tracks from albums Distant Satellites, We’re Here Because We’re Here, Hindsight and Weather Systems, capping the experience with a behind-the-scenes short film. Over the course of 100 minutes and 15 songs, the band prove that even stripped back (often featuring only the Cavanaugh brothers on guitar, sharing vocal duties with Lee Douglas), there is a primal physicality to the act. Pounding on his guitar during “Fragile Dreams”, Daniel Cavanaugh sets and loops tempos, much to the…

PRICE: $369 • Fuzz and octave functions in the one box• Switch between fuzz-into-octave and octave-into-fuzz• Control knobs for Fuzz Volume, Fuzz Tone and Octave Blend• Powered by 9V DC or battery TWOFER ONE Taking its name from the iconic Hendrix cut, this colourful and sparkly box makes no bones about packing classic tone inside it’s sturdy metal chassis. And while that unmistakable Jimi tone is a great starting point for getting the feel of this pedal, versatility and quality of sound set the Purple Haze a cut above from many other octafuzz combos. While distributed by Manic Music Factory in Australia, Henretta Engineering developed the box over in the USA. They’ve built some quiet but solid buzz around a line of handmade pedals with no controls beyond a simple footswitch – all the…

Despite his fondness for ugly riffs and blastbeats, Deafheaven’s Kerry McCoy has a softer side. “You caught me at a bad time. I gotta clean… my cat just made a mess. One second!” The two don’t always find it easy to be apart. “Whenever I leave for tour, he gets separation anxiety and pees on all my stuff!” But it’s this gentle side that sets Deafheaven apart from so many of their extreme metal peers. Their 2013 breakout Sunbather saw the California black metallers lay claim to a stunning combination of brutality and vulnerability. McCoy’s guitar work runs the gamut from distorted and dissonant tremolo riffs to soft and elegant arpeggios. New Bermuda takes this contrast to new, exhilarating extremes. One moment, McCoy might be thrashing with the best of…

There’s something special about the the recording studio. An enduring image of rock history is of a great band hunkering down in the studio for a long time, cutting all contact with the outside world in single-minded pursuit of that special tone, that magical take, that perfect album. For Clint ‘Vinny’ Vincent, throwing caution to the wind to write a record in the studio was something his rock idols did, not something for his band, Brisbane alt-rockers Dead Letter Circus. “I’d seen documentaries about bands that had done everything on paid studio time. I was used to writing in the rehearsal studio first.” Yet after several weeks away from partners, friends and family, the band emerged with their third album completed, the mysteriously-titled Aesthesis. “We literally wrote this album in…

The art of the solo is a sacred art, like sword smithing or shaman medicine. It’s often hard to know where to start when there’s such a broad number of factors to consider. In the early stages of solo playing you might ask yourself, “What kind of techniques will I need to play a solo?” or even, “How should I set up my guitar… Action? String gauge? Picks? Pick ups?”. I want to give you the tools and the building blocks to get you on the right path to shred the solos you want. For starters, let’s talk about techniques. TECHNIQUES FOR SOLOING 1. Shredding/Alternatepicking/Playing fast, but good but… A lot of the most impressive solos have shredding or fast alternate picking (achieving that quick separate note staccato sound). It’s…

PRICE: $279 • One channel• 20 watts• Solid state power section• 12AX7 preamp valve• FX loop• CabSim headphone/line out• 8/16 ohm speaker out Orange’s Dual Dark DD50 amp is a great choice for those who want fat, aggressive, angry tones. And their Micro series is the perfect fit for players who want a lot of tone in not a lot of space. So with the success of each, it was only a matter of time before the two were blended. Enter the Micro Dark. SMALL BUT DEADLY The Micro Dark is a teeny tiny little one-channel amp. It’s alternatingly cute and hilarious how tiny it is. About the size of the box an iPhone comes in, come to think of it. It pumps 20 watts of power from its diminutive little frame thanks to a solid state…

PRICE: $2,295 • Preamp: stereo• Power: mono, 150w (8 ohms); 250w (4 ohms)• Tech: programmable, multi-channel, solid state• Controls: Gain, Bass, Mid, High, Presence, Level, Master Volume• Features: various amp, cabinet, microphone models; various digital effects• Size: 2U rack• Weight: 4.3kg / 9.48lb The DV Mark people keep coming up with interesting stuff for bass players and guitarists alike. And, while this particular Multiamp is a mono version of their fabulous stereo head from a short while back, it’s a reminder of their commitment to delivering high quality gear to the musical marketplace. Guitarists, however, are mostly traditionalists, and many will shy away from anything that doesn’t immediately resemble a Fender or Marshall something-or-other. Unless, of course, it delivers BIG TIME! You can make a bass amp almost any shape you like, dress it up in all…

PRICE: From $849 – $1,146 SEAGULL CONCERT HALL SERIES – MADE IN CANADA • Style: auditorium-style body, bound• Fretboard: Indian rosewood (16” radius)• Bridge: Indian rosewood• Frets: 21 medium• Machine heads: Gotoh-style, 14:1• Nut: Graphtech Tusq• Saddle: Graphtech Tusq, compensated• Finish: custom semi-gloss S6 Cedar Concert Hall ($849) • Top: solid cedar• Body: figured wild cherry• Neck: silver leaf maple• Scale: 647.7mm/25.5² The Maritime Concert Hall SWS SG ($1,444) • Top: solid spruce• Body: solid mahogany• Neck: mahogany• Scale: 647.7mm/25.5² The Entourage Rustic Concert Hall CW QIT ($1,146) • Top: solid cedar• Body: figured wild cherry, cutaway• Neck: silver leaf maple• Scale: 630.9mm/24.84²• Electronics: Godin QIT For the last 80 years, the dreadnought has been the benchmark for acoustic guitar design and performance. During the Folk Scare of the ‘60s, other body sizes were rediscovered as artists looked for a different tonal balance to accentuate their fingerstyle accompaniment. While many players…

PRICE: $1,199 • Made in Korea• Mahogany body• Flamed Maple Top• Mahogany neck• Rosewood fretboard• 22 frets• DMT Design pickups• 2 Volume, 2 Tone, 3-way pickup selector controls• Tune-O-Matic bridge• 24.75” scale length To a certain extent, early Dean designs could be seen as combining elements of two classic shapes, melding them together and creating something different that has little hints of the past. But those guitars pretty quickly took on their own identity, and nobody would look at a Dean ML and think “Aww, that’s a Flying V back end with an Explorer front end”. It’s simply an ML. So it is with the Cadillac. The Cadillac looks like it takes the back half of a Les Paul and the front half of an Explorer and melds them together, but to distill it down to such a simple description…

PRICE: $1,399 • 128 presets means 128 completely different pedalboards• Up to eight simultaneous effects per preset• 2 fully independent FX chains: Pre (between guitar and amp) and Post (in the amp’s FX loop).• Two onboard TRS Relays to control your amp’s channel or effect switching• “Stompbox Mode” provides traditional on/off switching, plus XY switching• Fully configurable layout lets you run effects in series or parallel for great sonic flexibility• Eight scenes/preset allow you to load effect on/off and X/Y “combos”• “Modifiers” allow real-time control of many parameters via MIDI, pedals, or controllers• FX8 can control or respond to other MIDI gear in your rig with MIDI IN and OUT/THRU ports CONFESSION First, a disclosure: I have successfully and happily used a Fractal Audio Systems (FAS) Axe-FX II and MFC-101 controller on the road for the last two years…