Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 140 i Australian Guitar

As speculated, the official AC/DC 2020 lineup is electric guitar player and stalwart leader Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson, bassist Cliff Williams, drummer Phil Rudd and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young: the same configuration that played on the band’s most recent album, 2014’s Rock Or Bust. Since that album’s release, drummer Phil Rudd had been replaced on the Rock Or Bust tour by Chris Slade, after Rudd was found guilty of drug possession and other charges in 2015. Later on during the outing, Brian Johnson exited the band due to hearing issues, with his slot filled by Axl Rose for the remaining dates. At the end of the tour, Williams announced his retirement from the band after close to 40 years of service. Meanwhile, guitarist Stevie Young, who is also Angus’…

DANNY MILLER HAILS FROM QUEENS, NEW YORK USA PLAYS IN LEWIS DEL MAR SOUNDS LIKE TRANSCENDENTAL, HIGH-CONCEPT ALT-ROCK LATEST DROP AUGUST (LP OUT NOW VIA FADER) What’s your current go-to guitar? I have an Alvarez Parlor acoustic, which is currently the guitar I play onstage and record with. I came across it because I was travelling with an older Martin 000, but that guitar was getting too beaten up with all the flying, and the maintenance costs were starting to add up. I wanted something with great tone and resonance, but that I didn’t have to be precious about. I bought my first Alvarez Parlor in 2016 when we were touring heavily, and a couple months after copping it, I smashed it during a performance on television. I walked right…

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the cultural impact of Canadian crunch-pop quartet Nickelback is simply irrefutable. It started out of desperation: frontman Chad Kroeger was working a dead-end job at a Starbucks (where prices ending in ‘.99’ meant he’d often hand customers a nickel back in change – so now you know where that name comes from), and recorded the band’s debut EP on half a $4,000 loan from his stepfather (the other half went, naturally, to his shroom dealer). The investment quite obviously paid off, and by the turn of the 21st century, Nickelback were packing stadiums full of radio-rock fans young and old alike in any city that would host them. And in 2005 – defying the odds waged against them by their own team – Nickelback would…

Between the sadistic and visceral nu-metal grit of Slipknot and the pummelling post grunge punch of Stone Sour, it’s safe to say that Corey Taylor’s creative heels are planted firmly in the ‘90s. Or it would’ve been until recently: with his long gestating solo album finally upon us, the 46-year-old Iowan has tapped way back into his roots and embraced the equally cool and uncouth crunch of ‘50s-thru-‘70s rock ’n’ roll – think along the lines of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and all the other classic bands that called Alberts home back in the day. But of course, this is Corey Taylor we’re talking about – CMFT was never going to be a simple or straightforward 50 minutes for you to pop on and rock out to from cover to cover.…

It’s not exactly common that a relatively straightforward pop-rock album would be a shock to the system for any pop-rock band’s fanbase. But then again, The Lemon Twigs are anything but straightforward. In a storied six years, the Long Island native duo, comprised of emphatic and eccentric brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, have made quite a name for themselves as wickedly experimental and obsessively ambitious, whose retro-flavoured concept albums (like 2018’s Go To School) simply need to be heard to be believed. Songs For The General Public is their third album, and although it did end up straying a good slick to the left of your standard Top 40 fare, it started off conceptually as just that: an album Brian or Mike could hand any regular fan of pop or…

It's been a great year for comebacks, hasn’t it? I mean, the world as we know it may be rapidly decaying beneath our feet, but at least all our old favourite bands have swung back into action to help beef up our doomsday playlists! One such act making quite a fitting addition to the fray is Melbourne’s pop-rock powerhouse Something For Kate. Their first album since 2012’s Leave Your Soul To Science is a broad, booming epic of brittle keys, beautiful strings, boisterous drum beats and belting guitar riffs – soundscapes that sprawl out into the horizon as Paul Dempsey [vocals and guitar], Steph Ashworth [bass] and Clint Hyndman [drums] explore every corner of their motley and manic musicality. Fittingly dubbed The Modern Medieval for its lyrical themes (how archaic…

Featuring on Queen’s 1974 Sheer Heart Attack album, “Now I’m Here” is about the band’s experiences on their first tour of America. The lyrics reveal references to the infamous ‘Dungeon’ club in New Orleans, and to Mott The Hoople, who Queen were supporting. The song remains a firm fan favourite and was performed on every Queen show from 1974 to 1986 – and is currently the opening song on the Queen and Adam Lambert tour. The song has three main tonal centres: the opening riff is in D, the main signature riff is in E and the verses and solos are in the B Mixolydian mode. Brian seamlessly links these key changes so they are almost unnoticeable. As the E riff is the main hook of the song, there is…

Slash might’ve said it best: “There’s no lying with the acoustic guitar. There’s something very pure and very humbling about it.” It’s a profound statement coming from one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most celebrated electric guitarists. But strip away all the muck of multi-layered overdubs, rack effects and endless symphonies of tracks, and you separate the dodgers hiding behind studio wizardry from the artists who know that a great song only needs six strings and a melody. Here are 25 of hard-rock’s best acoustic jams. Some are purely unplugged, while others start out that way before ascending into grand opuses. Either way, what makes these songs iconic is their elemental simplicity. In other words, all you need to bring them to life is an acoustic guitar and a little feeling.…

If you happened to have been at home on February 19th, 1981 and living in the UK, you were probably watching Top Of The Pops. That night, you would have seen a trio of feral-looking kids blasting through their latest 45RPM single – something called “Rock This Town”. It’s a brilliant performance: the sound of rockabilly at a time when New Romantic was all the rage. Front and centre is this Brian Setzer character, with his sky-high pompadour and a big orange Gretsch G6120. First impressions: the kid can really play. And where the hell did he get that killer-looking guitar? “When I started out with the whole Gretsch thing, I had no idea what it would sound like,” says Setzer. “I just wanted to look like Eddie Cochran…” CONSTANT…

After a decade of growing familiar with apps and interfaces for our mobiles, we’re past the novelty of being able to play our guitar through our phone or tablet. Our main first world problem is no longer how to do it, but rather which app we choose to indulge our guitar playing on the-go. Positive Grid’s BIAS FX was something of a game changer in this regard, and now, five years on from its original tablet-only release, Positive Grid has followed up with the BIAS FX 2 Mobile app. So what’s new? Well, quite a lot, actually. BIAS FX 2 Mobile is available in four different versions, unlocked via in-app purchases: Free, Standard, Professional and Elite. Not only has Positive Grid vastly expanded the number of amps, cabs and effects…

“What’s the minor pentatonic scale?” This is a sequence of notes that guitarists use a lot. And we mean a lot! It appears extensively in blues, metal, jazz, and almost any pop- and rock-based styles for that matter. Greats like Angus Young and BB King – as well as more contemporary rockers like Scott Holiday, Jake Kiszka and Joel O’Keeffe – base loads of riffs and solos around it. “Interesting. Tell me more.” Well, the minor pentatonic scale gets its name from ‘penta-’ meaning ‘five’ and ‘-tonic’ meaning ‘tones’, or more simply, ‘notes’. Obviously, what we’re telling you is that it’s a five-note scale. And just like a minor chord, there’s a dark, moody vibe – that’s what minor means, if you remember. “It’s a moody five-note scale. I get…

Theory helps explain the creative aspects of music. Ponder on that for a moment. Theory isn’t there to give you strict rules to follow – it’s your music and your rules! No, theory should help explain what’s going on. The structures and scales you learn are just commonly-used patterns. Get to grips with them and gradually you’ll understand how the guitarists you love write and play. Which brings us on to this issue’s lesson on suspended (or ‘sus’) chords. Most guitarists start playing sus chords long before they know how they work – there are loads of easy shapes, after all. So, how does knowing the theory help you? Well, once equipped with a little essential knowledge, you can start to plot new shapes around the fretboard. You’ll develop your…

After a bit of time reviewing guitars, one can’t help but notice the staying power of classic designs. Here at AG, we have an awful lot of guitars come across the desk that are basically tweaking at the edges of the iconic Gibson and Fender blueprints. Indeed, many fine companies enjoy decades of lucrative business with said tweaking as the core business plan. Obviously this indicates that post-war designers got a hell of a lot right, what with our trusty Strats and LPs still holding high honour despite the transformative impact of digital technology in the rest of guitar culture, the music industry and society at large. On the other hand, there’s definitely a conservatism to guitar design. Despite the incredible creative possibilities afforded by digital sound (or even just…

RRP: $2,699 There is no gray area when it comes to Slipknot guitarist Jim Root’s vision for his signature models from Fender. It’s literally black and white. Finishes aside, there’s equally no gray area in each instrument’s concept. If anything, his signature instruments clearly sport the bare minimum to get the job done, and Root undoubtedly loves using Fender’s iconic shapes without any of the bells and whistles associated with their original formulas. His latest signature model shows off a more elevated look with block inlays and open-coil pickups, but still remains as stripped down as his other guitars and is designed to deliver in-your-face tone with brute force. With classic offset contours, a dense body shape and a spartan control layout, the V4 seriously makes you appreciate how capable…

RRP: $999 Is the P-90 the ‘best of both worlds’ pickup? There’s definitely an argument for it being the tonal middle-ground between the traditional single-coil and humbucker. With a single pole-piece, P-90s are single-coil by anatomy and their shorter and wider bobbin allows for greater low end girth and grit. They’re also tied closely to the Gibson story – the company’s solid body electric pickup of choice until the advent of the humbucker in 1955. Which bring us to another best of both worlds question – is Epiphone’s 2020 ‘Inspired By Gibson’ range also the perfect blend of value and tone? The Faded Pelham Blue here follows the 2019 Gibson model’s take on a classic, but it isn’t faded in the natural grain way of our early 2000s Gibson SG…

RRP: $449 Zoom’s B3n – the successor to the company’s popular B3 pedal – has 67 tweakable effects, includes amp models paying homage to Ampeg, Aguilar, Fender, SWR, and Trace Elliot, and allows for 150 custom patches that combine up to seven effects, amps, and cabs. An aux in jack, headphone jack, and handful of rhythms make it a cool practise tool, while a USB input makes it easy to update firmware, download new patches, and tweak your creations. The B3n manages to accomplish all this while being seven inches deep, nine inches wide, and weighing just under three pounds. The B3, released in 2012, has seven more amp models and 44 more effects. But with the B3n, it’s easy to download more amp models and effects with the free…

Fender has been on a signature guitar roll of late, and looping pioneer Tash Sultana is the latest recipient of a signature Stratocaster. Sultana’s made-in-Mexico model makes a statement with its Transparent Cherr-finished alder body, pearloid pickguard, matching headstock and gold hardware, but it’s got some versatile sonic tricks onboard, too. The HSS pickup configuration is composed of a coil-splittable DoubleTap humbucker, as well as two Yosemite single-coils, as seen in Fender’s American Performer series. The tone controls adjust the neck/middle and bridge pickups respectively. Other specs include a deep C-shaped maple neck with 9.5-inch radius, 22 medium jumbo frets and a vintage-style Synchronized tremolo. Signature touches include a custom ‘skull’ neckplate, as well as Sultana’s signature on the rear of the headstock.…

There aren’t enough pages in this whole magazine to cover everything there is to know about Cry Club. In two absolutely stacked years of back to back bangers, the kaleidoscopic Melbourne via Wollongong pop duo have proved three things to be true: 1. They can make virtually any vibe gel effortlessly with their fantastical fusion of synth and shred – from molten, math-inflicted punk chaos (“Robert Smith”) to deep, smoke-soaked club house (“DFTM”), to shimmery, ‘90s-channeling acoustic balladry (“Lighters”) and everything in-between. 2. They don’t need a room full of songwriters or a billion-dollar budget to make pop music capable of rivalling the biggest names out there. Their forthcoming debut full-length was recorded on one guitar – a slightly dodgy homemade Jazzmaster that rifflord Jonathon Tooke built at 17, no…

Y’know that feeling when you see a word for the first time, and then suddenly you notice it pop up everywhere? That’s called the Baader Meinhof phenomenon, and there’s a good chance you’ve been experiencing it recently with Beabadoobee. But fear not: Filipino singer-songwriter Beatrice Laus is neither industry plant nor scientific phenomenon, but rather an indie-pop vanguard blazing her own trails to stardom with hypnotising gems of dreamy, droning guitars and bewitchingly bold vocals. Since dropping the “Coffee” single from her bedroom at age 16 (less than four years ago), the Britain-based up-and-comer has played for sold-out arenas with acts like Clairo and The 1975, become a bonafide YouTube sensation, released four stunning solo EPs on Sony offshoot Dirty Hit, and even caught the eye of Fender, who gave…

Back in 2017 (ah, simpler times), Australian Guitar was granted the privilege to hang out with Nothing But Thieves ahead of their Sydney show opening for Muse – a gig that would see them blast 30 minutes of their powerful and poignant pop-rock directly into the eardrums of approximately 21,000 concertgoers. At this point, the English fivesome had just lifted the cloche on their hotly anticipated second album, Broken Machine, and had been kicking around the scene for a little over five years. They were no certainly no small-time hobbying rockers at this stage (they were, after all, the direct support for one of the world’s biggest rock acts on a sold-out arena tour), but we could sense the nerves bounding around – it was clear that Nothing But Thieves…

Though inspired by the sounds of the ‘90s, the South African hard-rockers in Seether have delivered an album notably well-suited for 2020 in Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (translating from Latin to If You Want Peace, Prepare For War). As frontman Shaun Morgan agrees with palpable enthusiasm, the 50-minute monolith marks a major turning point for the band: it’s not only their sharpest and most meticulous effort to date – that much due to Morgan returning to the producer’s chair after cutting his teeth on 2017’s Poison The Parish – but it’s also their most authentic, Morgan tapping deep into his inner turmoil to brew an artistic statement as bleak as it is bold. In addition, Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum is the first Seether album to feature Corey Lowery…

Before he hit the big leagues as the backbone of djent-pioneering mosh powerhouse Periphery, turning brains to liquid by the theatre-load with his breakneck-paced riffs and turbulent bends, Misha Mansoor was simply a seven-string-obsessed shredhead with more song ideas in his mind than hours in the day to make them a reality. It was the turn of a new decade, and forums were all the rage – so, under the moniker Bulb, he utilised them to share hours upon hours of his genre-bending fretwork. Nowadays, Mansoor’s formative work as Bulb has a devout cult following, re-uploads of his rarities garnering millions of views each. So, before he officially reignites his old spark with a proper solo album until the Bulb name (set to be released in 2021 via his own…

Honestly, there’s not much point in playing an expensive guitar through a high-end, hand-wired guitar amp if you’re not bothering to change your strings as needed. Though you might hear certain bass players speaking of their preference for the dullness that comes with using older and more worn-in sets, the same appeal very rarely crosses over into guitar – whether you play electric or acoustic. There’s a reason why professional touring and recording guitarists change their set for every show or studio session: newer strings will always breathe more life into your tone, with more sustain, clarity and resonance. Ultimately, even to the untrained ear, these are noticeable differences, guaranteed to enhance your music and help translate it to full effect. Here’s how you can tell when it’s time to…

Regardless of what your needs are, you’ll have a lot of fun finding the best Telecaster for your style. The Tele is one of the world’s most iconic electric guitars, and as such, there’s a huge choice within the range. The Fender Telecaster was the very first mass-produced solidbody electric guitar, and has a widespread appeal that is only rivalled by a few other companies and buildS. The Fender Tele has graced recordings from rock ‘n’ roll trailblazers like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, right the way through to Danny Gatton and James Burton. Even modern guitar masters like Slipknot and Radiohead are riding the Tele train. What this means is that you’ll be in good company if you decide to invest in one of the axes in this…

When you’re making your own music, do you follow the same formulas you would as a producer with any other band, or do you need to approach it from a different perspective? I approach every project in the way that I feel is most natural – my resonance and my empathy and my desire to connect to the project as a part of it, whether as an assistant, a guide or a team player, or a family member to the music – which means that every time I work on a new record, it’s a different set of things that happen. I don’t have one definitive way of doing it. First of all, I need to resonate with what the artist I’m producing wants to achieve, and figure out what…

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ✓ WHAT CHORD TONES ARE✓ SIMPLE WAYS TO USE THEM IN SOLOS✓ A LICK USING CHORD TONES “What on Earth is chord tone soloing?” Solos are usually accompanied by a set of chords called a progression. Each chord contains notes – these are the chord tones. In this situation, though, we’re going to play them individually (known as an ‘arpeggio’) and use them for soloing. “Surely chords are chords? How do you use them in solos?” Some guitarists like to map their lead lines – either by writing solos in advance or by being skilled improvisers – to these chords to give their playing a synergy with the rest of the music. The most effective way of doing this is to use the notes from the…

BEN HARPER Winter Is For Lovers ANTI- ANTI-Ben Harper’s love for the humble lap-steel comes to a bold (and incalculably beautiful) peak with this 15-track instrumental trawl down trails of smoky soul, melancholic Americana and slick, summery folk. It’s downright incredible how much artistic ground the Californian bluesman is able to cover unaccompanied on Winter – the whole LP is just his prized Monteleone lap-steel, inhumanly articulate fretting hands and unfettered love for music as a spoon with which to stir emotion. Highlights are the whistling slinkiness of his slidework on “Inland Empire”, the sinister grit of his bends on “Joshua Tree” and his serpentine solo on “Bizanet”, but there is simply so much on this record to be taken aback and blown away by. It’s a 30-minute record that…

RRP: $19.99+ The tuner is one of those essential pieces of guitar kit that comes in many shapes and sizes. Most ordinary players have some kind of mixed interest between acoustic and electric guitars, so will need something more than just the trusty pedalboard tuner. This is where JVB comes in – they sent us four of their no-stomp tuners to test drive. Before jumping into specifics about each item, we can say that these are well-built accessories. While the low price points would indicate inexpensive manufacturing, they are nonetheless responsive, bright and accurate across the board. Things like battery compartments and buttons feel solid enough, and the tuners feel up to years of work. The second thing that distinguishes this JVB line in the crowded tuner market is their…

RRP: $329 If you’re going to have delay and reverb on your pedalboard, both effects in the same pedal can be a practical way to save space, power outlets and audio cabling, as well as likely looking neater. This good-looking stereo and mono pedal appears at first to be a combination of Fender’s Mirror Image Delay and the Marine Layer Reverb pedals, but it’s much more than just that. The delay side of the pedal is equipped with an easily operated tap tempo footswitch allied to seven selectable subdivisions. Standard Feedback and Level knobs respectively adjust the number of repeats and their volume against the dry sound through to fully wet, while modulation can be added via Rate and Depth knobs. There’s also a Mix knob, which controls the feature…

RRP: $4,699 Partly thanks to session players like Tommy Tedesco and Steve Lukather, the Princeton is known as the most recorded amp in the world. It’s also appeared on stage and in the studio with rockers like Pete Townshend, Mike Campbell and St. Vincent, country pickers Clarence White, Marty Stuart and Kenny Vaughan, and even jazz guitarists like Bill Frisell.Stars like them may have made the Princeton an icon, but its success and longevity lie with the millions of unknown players like you and I who have made it a reliable staple for practise, recording and club gigs. With the Fender ’64 Custom Princeton Reverb, Fender has resurrected the most beloved model in all of its former glory. It’s designed for players with a discriminating ear who desire classic Princeton…

RRP: $3,299 We’ve been suitably impressed by various basses from the Ibanez camp over the years – and the sumptuous finishes keep on coming. This SR five-stringer exhibits a rather fetching low-gloss topcoat, somewhere between a high-gloss finish and the smoothness of a satin surface. The hardware looks top-notch, and the electronics package should in theory give the player all the tonal options they could need. But does this SR model cover familiar ground? The neck length feels longer than it is, although we can assure you that it’s certainly a 34-inch scale. The panga panga and purpleheart five-piece laminate neck feels rigid, while the neck pocket looks very solid and tightly attached. The neck does feel heavy, and there is some noticeable headstock bias on and off the strap,…

RRP: $1,599 Once upon a time, an acoustic maker who spec’d out its instruments with the ‘all-solid woods’ merit badge to the forefront could be king or queen of the heap. But times have changed and conservation now rules the roost, meaning that now some of the six-string formulae of yore are considered to be all but invalid. We speak to luthiers all the time, and many are saying that sometimes laminated sides are actually a very sensible idea, especially when you look at things from the point of view of structural integrity. “Think of the body of an acoustic guitar to be a little like a drum,” one luthier told us. “You need a rigid frame with a resonant, flexible top to make it work.” Okay, we can see…

Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter recently got his heavy on with the band’s new album Ohms. Now, however, he’s upped the distorted guitar riffage tenfold with “A Reason For Being” – a new track from his side project Sol Invicto. The grinding instrumental also features SikTh members Dan Foord (drums) and James Leach (bass), as well as production from Technical Itch and Richie Londres. In a statement, the band said: “Even as artists who create music for dystopian times, we never expected to be actually living in those times. With all that’s happening right now, we have decided to share a new song and our music, which is our Ikigai, or, reason for being.”…

GREATEST HITS THEY ARE everything great about Australia’s thriving indie-rock scene squeezed into the one bottle. It all makes sense when you find out this terrific trio hail from the Gold Coast – they make bright, bouncy tunes perfect for summer jaunts along the sand, ripened with ultra-sharp, ‘70s styled guitar lines hitting that perfect sweet spot between jangliness and fuzz. THEY SOUND LIKE a relic of a better time – around ten months ago, when we were soaking in all the vibes at whatever summer festival would let us through the gates. They’re perfectly suited for a mid-arvo groove at something like Splendour The Grass; but until such a time is possible again, we recommend cranking up the car speakers, chucking on “Lemon Joe” and taking in the breeze.…

In the span of five albums, two EPs and a handful of scattered mixtapes and one-off drops, The Front Bottoms have donned many a cap. Most will agree on their folk-punk phase as their most defining: the go-to structure was a bed of raw, harshly strummed acoustics, playful horns and jangly keys over which frontman Brian Sella would wax lyrical – with clarity and polish defiantly optional – on frayed connections, anxiety and general early-adulthood turbulence. But as Sella grew up, so too did The Front Bottoms’ sound. 2015’s Back On Top saw them throw everything and the kitchen sink into one big, overblown musical smoothie of pop, rock, funk, punk, balladry and even a little tropical flare. Almost in rebellion of how motley it was, the follow-up – 2017’s…

Whether you consider it lucky, unlucky, or don’t give a shit about superstition, it’s hard to deny that 13 is a pretty impressive number when it comes to the amount of albums one has put out. Especially in the case of a band like Sevendust, who continue to one-up themselves – and their signature searing and commandeering alt-metal sound – with each new release. Blood & Stone is no different, shaking things up with the beautifully balls to the-wall riffs, maniacally monstrous singalongs, and the occasional unexpected plot-twist (like a cover of Soundgarden’s “The Day I Tried To Live”, presented in tribute to the late, great Chris Cornell). As we learned chatting with lead guitarist Clint Lowery, the key to Sevendust’s enduring success is their refusal to stagnate – for…

We love our bass-slinging siblings dearly, but, well, we’re called Australian Guitar for a reason, so we’ll just put it bluntly: the guitar (as in, the real guitar) is always going to be the star on any great rock album. There are admittedly a few outlier acts that give us a run for our money, however – one of which being Californian alt-metal outfit Deftones, who’d be nothing without the gravelly grunt of Sergio Vega’s four-string fury. Their ninth album, Ohms, is a career-defining onslaught of delightfully down-tuned volatility. It was released to some of the most fervent critical acclaim the quintet have seen since their 2000 magnum opus, White Pony, and deservedly so: the way they balance airiness and aggression, and explore a wealth tones ranging from angelic to…

You only have to look at next year’s Bluesfest lineup for proof that roots, blues and folk music is alive and thriving Down Under. Hell, even in the underground there is no short supply of fantastic hollowbody harmonisers out there – and right at the tippy top of the food chain, thanks to their transcendental talents behind the fretboard and viscerally powerful voices, are Ash Grunwald and The Teskey Brothers. Both have reigned high and mighty as the 2010s’ defacto icons of Australian rhythm and blues, with Grunwald’s 2015 opus Now and the Teskeys’ ripping 2017 breakthrough Half Mile Harvest especially notable releases. For 2020, Grunwald and Josh Teskey have teamed up – with the other brother Sam close by as he mans the console – for their most faithful…

When news of a Bill & Ted threequel first broke, decades after the beloved originals, it’s fair to say it set a few alarm bells ringing. Could Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter recapture the fresh-faced magic of those original performances? Would the film end up a pastiche of the ’80s rock it previously glamorised? And would the production team get those all-important guitars right? Audiences and guitarists alike needn’t have worried: Bill & Ted Face The Music is a most triumphant celebration of all things electric guitar – past, present and future. In their quest to write a song that will unite the galaxy (no pressure), the titular duo once again travel through time, join a band composed of the greatest musicians in history, and learn a lot about the…

Eddie Van Halen, trailblazing Van Halen guitarist and one of the greatest guitar players of all time, died aged 65 on Tuesday, October 6th 2020. His son, Van Halen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, confirmed the news on Twitter with a statement that reads, “I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father, Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with cancer this morning. He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss. I love you so much, Pop.” Eddie initially underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2000, before being declared cancer-free in 2002. Reports suggested…

1. USE REFERENCES Listen to tried-and-true mixes, possibly similar to what you are mixing. This will get your ears used to the monitors and put your head in the right place. Without references, you might be lost before you begin – unless you do tonnes of mixing in your own professional studio. 2. VOLUME Obvious, right? But use volume changes to enhance dynamics. A de-esser is a frequency based volume control – use one to tame sibilance. And remember, silence is also a part of volume. Use it. Mutes. Automation. Try some old-school tricks like matching bass volume to the vocals. And begin watching the output level – it needs to be constantly watched. 3. PANNING Be realistic first and abstract later. Use panning to increase definition, width and depth.…

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ✓ EFFECTIVE PICKING FOR YOUR SOLOS✓ IMPROVE YOUR TIMING✓ TWO HARD-ROCK LEAD LICKS “I already use a pick. What more do I really need to know?” Good question! Picking is a surprisingly involved area of guitar playing. Though you only have to choose between downstrokes and upstrokes, how you employ that triangular piece of plastic can have a major impact on technique, playing speed, and even your tone. “Well, consider me surprised! What else can you tell me?” When you pluck your guitar’s strings, you’ll use either a downstroke or an upstroke. Simple, right? However, if you use a technique known as ‘alternate picking’, you can improve your timing and speed. You’ll probably do it naturally – it’s harder to explain than it is to get…

LAURA JANE GRACE Stay Alive POLYVINYL / COOKING VINYL According to a criminally underrated offcut from 2010’s White Crosses, Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace once dreamed that Bob Dylan was a friend of hers (the track is titled, quite aptly, “Bob Dylan Dream”). We’re not sure if that amity ever blossomed, but it’s clear that Grace still admires the Minnesotan folk god–her first proper solo album, Stay Alive, is delightfully Dylanesque: it’s bold and bright and beautifully bare bones, packed with delicate acoustic twangs and tongue-in-cheek lyrical whimsy; a far cry from the gritty, guttural punk rock that Grace (quite literally) cut her teeth on. Upon the LP’s surprise release on October 2nd, Grace was quick to note that “if at any point you refer to this album as…

RRP: $399 Manufacturers such as Fender have changed how we look at the beginner acoustic guitar for good. Instruments such as this quite superlative CD-60S All-Mahogany are recalibrating our expectations, offering a playing experience that can only inspire today’s beginners. This is a big deal. There was once a time when even the very prospect of the entry-level acoustic would send shivers down the spine – and not tingles of pleasure. How much more fun would learning the guitar have been if the CD-60S had been around… And the option of a solid mahogany top on a 200-dollar guitar? That’s progress. Part of Fender’s Classic Design series, the CD-60S All-Mahogany switches up typical beginner’s fare with a dreadnought acoustic that pairs that very attractive solid-mahogany top with laminated mahogany on…

RRP: $729 When you think of Orange Amplification, the word ‘acoustic’ isn’t usually anywhere in sight. But here we are in an unexpected chapter for the British icon; an Orange acoustic amp, and the latest addition to its hugely successful Crush range of practice amps. We say practice, but this is designed for performing outside of the home, too. Literally outside; as well as mains power it can be battery powered for five hours at 50% volume and eight hours at low volume. But this Orange needs a lot of juice for that: ten AA batteries. So obviously we’d recommend an investment in rechargeables or you’ll be busking for battery money. The power unit is also external here rather than the much more universal ‘kettle lead’ IEC variety, so don’t…

RRP: $1,899 If you spend enough time glued to the gogglebox, you’ll find you can’t move for American car restoration shows. The plots are always a bit on the thin side. And there’s usually a stupid deadline… a deadline that can’t possibly be met. Yet something that looks as though it was pulled from the trash compactor on the Death Star is transformed into a sleek new conveyance with minutes to spare. Every. Single. Episode. Quite often these shows will produce something described as a “Rat Rod”. Beloved by rockabilly cats and kittens, these things are the antithesis of megabucks hot-rods with their expensive paint and polished chrome. Rat Rods generally boast visible wear and tear and flat, primer-style paint. Luckily, the new Gretsch G5410T Electromatic “Rat Rod” that just…

You’ve come up with a cool guitar lick and… That’s about it. It’s just sitting there, waiting for you to turn it into a song or a composition. Does this sound familiar? We’re great at beginnings, less so with endings – that’s what I’ve realised from my own experience. My voice memo library is full of under-one-minute ideas which, if I don’t take action, will most likely remain in that format. Similarly, my guitar students frequently create great starting points, but usually struggle to finalise their tracks. It may seem like a chore getting to that finish line and releasing what we’ve written into the world. It often feels like a weight we bear on our shoulders that we need to lift, so that we can then move on to…