Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 149 i Australian Guitar

MESA/BOOGIE UNVEILS ITS LIGHTEST, SMALLEST, CHEAPEST BASS AMP YET Mesa/Boogie has unveiled the Subway D-350, a compact but powerful unit that the Gibson-owned company says is the lightest, smallest and most affordable bass amp it’s ever produced. Given that the Subway D-350 weighs just over 1.3kg, and measures at just over 7cm high and under 23cm wide, we have no reason to quarrel with any of those claims, lofty as they seem. Small as it is though, the amp packs quite a punch, with 350 watts of Class D power. It’s built with a solid-state preamp coupled with a lightweight Class D power amp and switch-mode power supply. Mesa/Boogie also fit plenty of controls onto that tiny frame, gracing the Subway D-350 with a four-band (Bass, Low Mid, High Mid,…

WHERE THE FORUM NAARM/MELBOURNE, VICTORIA WHEN FRIDAY MAY 13TH, 2022 REVIEW ELLIE ROBINSON PHOTOS NICK MCKK Catching her breath after showing off her ravishing dance moves, Georgia Maq chuckled slyly, “I really like not playing the guitar.” Opening with a breathtaking yidaki performance from Dharug luminary Kiernan Ironfield, Camp Cope kicked off their hometown show at Melbourne’s Forum – a gig we’ve spent years eagerly awaiting, in a venue we’ve always wished the band would one day headline – with ‘Keep Growing’, one of the oldest songs in their catalogue and a bonafide staple of their setlists. It felt like a statement: bands usually hold off on their biggest hits ’til the end of the set, but when every song feels utterly enormous, why not start off on a banger?…

On his punchy and impactful full-length debut, 2020’s Live Forever, Bartees Strange (or Bartees Leon Cox Jr, if you’re being extra formal about it) invited listeners to experience the places that shaped him into the idiosyncratic powerhouse he is today – places like Mustang, Oklahoma, where he settled at age 12 after a childhood spent everywhere from Germany to Greenland; or Flagey, which is often seen as the cultural heartbeat of Brussels. Live Forever set the scene for Strange’s story – so naturally, on its follow-up, we’re introduced to the characters that carry its narrative. At its core, Farm To Table is a family affair, Strange honouring his roots and those who planted them. It’s a homely record, which is reflected in a cruisier and less intense, yet much more…

There comes a point in every muso’s career that album releases stop being special. It’s not that they aren’t exciting, per se – just that fans will know what they’re in for, that feeling of routine has settled in, and it’s no longer this big, celebratory event. For most bands and artists, that’s around the fifth or sixth album. Foals hit both of those milestones in the same year – 2019, when they released their two-part epic Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – so when word of their seventh album came towards the end of last year, it was exciting, sure, but it wasn’t like we leaped up onto our desks and bellowed through the office, “Holy shit, guys, Foals just announced a new album!” But then we actually…

Like all of the states detached from the big three on the east coast, Western Australia has an incredible local music scene that’s often ignored by the rest of the country. It can be hard for bands to break out of that bubble, and when they do, it’s usually because they’ve turned heads with some big, left-field pop record that commands your undivided attention. But in the vicious throes of mid-2020, Australia needed something a little more chilled-out, homely and lowkey. Armed with their honeyed, sun-kissed indie-rock jams, Freo four-piece Spacey Jane ticked all those boxes and then some. Their debut album, Sunlight, was an immediate smash-hit, peaking at #2 on the ARIA Charts and spawning six duly acclaimed singles – including the inescapable ‘Booster Seat’, which slid in at…

Pandemic be damned, the last two-and-ahalf years have been incredibly hectic for Deena Lynch, better known today as the inimitable Jaguar Jonze. She dropped her debut EP under the moniker, Diamonds & Liquid Gold, in April 2020 – midway through her own perilous battle with COVID-19, no less – and by the year’s end, the Brisbanite had firmly established herself as one of Australia’s most powerful creative forces. Splitting her time evenly between music, her activism for survivors of abuse and marginalised communities, and her various other creative endeavours (ie. digital art as Spectator Jonze and photography as Dusky Jonze), Lynch powered into 2021 with the Antihero era. Fleshing out the world of Jaguar Jonze with a commanding swagger and a fearless bite, it was arguably one of the best…

Play like Jack White… That’s easy, right? Well, in some respects perhaps, yes. The open chords and basic strumming in The White Stripes’ Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground, for example, are achievable for all but absolute beginners. Jack spread his guitar-playing wings with Brendan Benson in The Raconteurs, and his epic Jimmy Page-inspired solos in live shows are something to behold. But it’s since 2012’s solo debut, Blunderbuss, that his musical eccentricity and broad range of influences have truly shone through. Still, there are consistent threads in his playing throughout his entire career – and his tone is at the heart of it. Get a ballpark White-esque tone and you’ll fi nd it easier to get a feel for his playing. Fuzz-driven, octave- and powerchord-based riffs figure highly, alongside…

Phil: I always go back to Killer Queen (a number 2 UK hit for Queen in 1974). There’s a hook almost like every two bars or something! Vivian: In Def Leppard world we wouldn’t be very excited about just power chords. Normally we’d be looking for a jangle to go on top. The jangle is what starts to elevate it to something other than the ordinary. That’s not just a chord thing. We’re looking for a part to go on top of that. Phil: You can even do lead parts around the vocal, but you have to have that bedrock there. On the title track from Hysteria we had the vocal melody beforehand and Steve (Clark) would come up with something different. Again, it’s got to respect the melody. As…

KRK is best known for its studio monitors, but for about a decade the company has also produced some pretty decent closed-back headphones. Those headphones (KNS 6400 and KNS 8400) offer a solid mix of price and performance and the KNS 8400 in particular is a really good set of cans. Both models have had a refresh and have been replaced by the suitably named KNS 6402 and KNS 8402. Once again, the two models hit different price points and have their own sonic signature. Both designs are built around 40mm neodymium-based drivers with body components primarily made from impact-resistant materials. They use a robust, sliding metal headband design, and the ear cups rotate (up to 90 degrees) and pivot. At 202g and 232g, respectively, they’re also reasonably light, so…

Based in Denmark, analogue specialist East Sound Research has been turning out clever products for guitar and bass under the Carl Martin brand for nearly 30 years and has an enviable artist roster that includes Joe Bonamassa, Pete Thorn and Kid Andersen. Added to an already diverse range that includes pedals, amps and switching solutions, the Ampster is a valve-based DI box that’s poised to be popular for anyone who uses pedals.The Ampster is intended to sit at the end of a pedal chain and adds direct-out flexibility, with a quality balanced output on XLR for connection to audio interfaces, and studio or live consoles. There’s a familiar set of amp-like controls including Gain and Master volume, together with Bass, Middle, Treble and Presence. Two footswitches sit either side of…

ALEX MANHIRE HAILS FROM KAURNA/ADELAIDE, SA PLAYS IN THE BEAUTIFUL MONUMENT SOUNDS LIKE SYNTH-SOAKED MELODICORE LATEST DROP I’M THE REAPER (LP OUT NOW VIA GREYSCALE) What’s your current go-to guitar? My current go-to guitar is a Fender Jim Root signature Telecaster. I love that it’s a traditional Telecaster shape but has a modern twist with active humbuckers. I bought it second-hand, it was one of those Facebook group finds and it’s been a real workhorse for me. It’s super straightforward, and sounds great for the style that The Beautiful Monument play, so… Can’t go wrong! How did you initially fall in love with the instrument? The first reason I started playing guitar was because my friend had one when I was really young. He taught me ‘Smoke On The Water’…

Even in the year 2022, when every possible combination of genre, format and concept has been done, exhausted, reinvented and exhausted again, there’s no band quite like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. That’s impressive enough on its own, but even more so is the fact that on their 20th album in ten years, the Melbourne-native trip-rockers are still finding new ways to re-invent even themselves. So far this year, they’ve dropped two full-length efforts: the long-teased (and vinyl-exclusive) Made In Timeland, consisting of two 15-minute acid house jams; and Omnium Gatherum, a two-disc, 80-minute journey through all the peaks and valleys – then up into the skies, then deep underground – of King Gizzard’s kaleidoscopic artistry. Beginning with their most expansive song to date – the 18-minute ‘Dripping Tap’…

Only four British bands have had two ten-million selling albums in America. The first three – The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. And the fourth? No, not The Rolling Stones. Not The Who. Not Queen. It’s Def Leppard. Formed in Sheffield in 1977, the band rose to fame in the 80s with the two blockbuster albums that sealed their place in that exclusive club – 1983’s Pyromania and 1987’s Hysteria. And the key to this success is their mastery of the rock anthem – as illustrated in hit songs such as Pour Some Sugar On Me, Animal, Photograph, Rocket, Rock Of Ages and Let’s Get Rocked. This winter they head out at last for the twice-postponed Stadium Tour in the US with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett. But…

Defined as the distinct repetition of sound, dedicated delay effects were first seen in recording studios in the 1950s in the shape of cumbersome tape-echo units that used reels of magnetic tape (just like an old audio cassette) to record and play back sound. Solid-state technology brought delay to a more practical stompbox format in the 1970s. And, although many of the most common delays these days are digital, many replicate the natural warmth and grain of much-loved early tape echoes and analogue pedals. Here, we’re looking at five ways to use the effect, from epic atmospherics and post-rock ambience to synth-like swells and timed rhythmic parts. On the subject of timed delays, you’ll need solid rhythm skills, of course, but also an understanding of how delay time (usually expressed…

In 2020 the art of eight-string guitar is in rude health. This was once an incredibly obscure instrument, with roots going as far back as 19th century classical music. But since 2007, when Ibanez launched the RG2228, the first mass-produced eight-string, its popularity has grown and grown. You can easily fi nd an eight-string in most first-hand guitar shops. This popularity is mainly thanks to metal bands who called for lower and thicker tunings to take their imaginations to the extreme – foremost among them Meshuggah, math-metal pioneers from Sweden, and Animals As Leaders, masters of instrumental tech-metal from Washington D.C. In both bands’ new albums, the extended range of the eight-string is explored by two guitarists: Mårten Hagström and Fredrik Thordendal on Meshuggah’s Immutable; Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes…

1 Before plugging in, you’re going to need to check that your interface has a Hi-Z input as opposed to a standard mic input. The Hi-Z input increases the impedance of the signal; without it, your instrument sound won’t be as pure. Our Scarlett 18i8 accepts both XLR and high impedance signals. 2 Logic is a perfect DAW for guitar recording, and comes preloaded with a mountain of guitar-tone modifying abilities. While it may be tempting to reach for Logic’s preset guitar plugin choices and run with their recommended EQs, it’s better to get to grips with them manually. Select the ‘Guitar or Bass’ option from the initial window. 3 You’ll notice that Logic instantly loads up with a tone preset from its Amp Designer, and a range of predetermined…

Line 6’s original DL4, released in 1999, has been an incredible success story. Many guitarists still have one on their pedalboard despite its age and modern rivals. It’s also never been unavailable, remaining on sale while its siblings in the Line 6 Stompbox Modeler series have all been discontinued. Now, though, there’s a new Mk II version that stays true to the original while at the same time bringing it right up to date. So, what’s new? Well, this is a slightly smaller but sleeker version that keeps the original’s same knob and footswitch array. It also retains all of its delay models while adding an extra 15 new ones direct from the HX family of effects. All 30 of the delay models are called up by the same rotary…

Amp designer and mad scientist Phil Jones has built a reputation for getting a big sound out of small speakers, but there’s usually more than one of them in his products. His latest creation is the multi-instrumental X4 Nanobass, which his company calls the most compact and portable combo he’s ever designed. The unit features a single four-inch driver in an enclosure that measures 6.3” by 7.9” by 7.8” and weighs just 2.4 kilograms. Billed as the perfect amp for your desktop or on the go, it has a headphone jack for silent and solitary practice and, crucially, two options for playback from external sources. A 1/8” jack lets you manually plug in, while Bluetooth capabilities let you stream from the mobile device of your choice. An independent level knob…

WHERE JOHN CAIN ARENA NAARM/MELBOURNE, VICTORIA WHEN FRIDAY JUNE 10TH, 2022 REVIEW ELLIE ROBINSON PHOTOS MATIJA SMOJVER It felt weird to watch The Wombats play an indoor venue. Before tonight we’d never seen the British indie-rockers at their own show, but we’ve seen them countless times at festivals like Falls, Field Day, Groovin The Moo, Splendour In The Grass, Yours & Owls, Spilt Milk… Pretty much every one in the country, really. But there’s a reason why they’re so beloved in that unique festival atmosphere: their music is inescapably fun, their energy is infectiously affable, and their lowkey setup means the vibe steals the spotlight, not the spectacle. So ahead of their first, headliner-exclusive trip Down Under in three years – a lengthy gap when you consider that before then,…

There are fans of Alexisonfire who are younger than the gap between their last two studio albums. The Canadian post-hardcore legends released their fourth full-length effort, Old Crows / Young Cardinals, in 2009, two years before they prematurely dropped off the face of the earth. They reunited in 2015, but at the time, were hesitant to say whether new music was on the cards. Standalone singles – ‘Familiar Drugs’ and ‘Complicit’ in 2019, and ‘Season Of The Flood’ in 2020 – sent fans into a frenzy thinking LP5 was finally inbound, but as frontman Dallas Green tells Australian Guitar, that was never the case. For all intents and purposes, Alexisonfire planned to release new music as it came to them, refusing to bind themselves to the pressures of a full…

Growing up together in Yolngu country – the tight-knit community of Yirrkala in NorthEast Arnhem Land – Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu and Roy Kellaway were surrounded by incredible music. Both are descendents of Indigenous rock royalty, the former being the nephew of Dr. M and the latter being the son of Stuart Kellaway, both of whom were founding members of Yothu Yindi. With music in their blood, Yirrŋa and Roy performed together from their earliest days, whether it was killing time backstage while their parents rocked out to thousands every night, or at school talent shows. It was only a matter of time until they turned rocking out into full-time careers of their own, but King Stingray was never supposed to be what kickstarted them. The project came out serendipitously, when Kellaway…

Luck’s never really been on WAAX’s side – their early years were fraught with lineup dramas and stylistic clashes, which carried on right into the lead-up to the release of their debut album, 2019’s Big Grief. Hell, just a few months before they released it, their lead guitarist and co-songwriter was ousted on bad terms, and his replacement – underground Brisbane pop-rock legend James “Flames” Gatling – was thrown into the Mariana Trench of deep ends, having to learn their entire discography right before they jetted off for a North American tour. Then, right when they planned to tour Big Grief, WAAX were knocked on their collective ass by COVID-19. Any other band would’ve thrown in the towel then and there – but then again, WAAX aren’t any other band.…

Vivian: In a really good Def Leppard song Phil and I are never playing the same parts. In the hard rock world there’s this school of thought that you have two guitar parts playing the same thing to make it sound heavier. If I get a demo from Phil, I would never play the chords in the same register he’s put them down already. I just try inversions. There’s countless ways you can play a chord up the guitar neck. But the bridge section in Hysteria where the notes were recorded one at a time for the chord – we’ve never done anything like that since. I think that’s too much work! Phil: If you want to make it broader, if someone’s playing a powerchord or a barre chord, and…

There’s little doubt that most guitars made today stick with pickups from the same manufacturer, be that in-house designs or those from a third party such as Seymour Duncan. When was the last time you saw a new guitar for sale with two or three pickups from different makers? The last one I can remember was the Charvel Henrik Danhage signature, which pairs a full-size Seymour Duncan JB at the bridge with a single-coil-sized DiMarzio Area 67 at the neck, and I’d wager the ‘different brand pickups on the same guitar’ concept is pretty much exclusive to signature instruments. There are obvious reasons – not least cost and a single purchasing source – that make most manufacturers go the one-brand route. But look at the guitars of your modding mates…

Every good function band knows one thing: play ABBA’s Dancing Queen, Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners or Van Morrison’s 1967 smash hit Brown Eyed Girl and the dancefloor will immediately become a sea of writhing bodies. Even Van, usually dismissive of the track, concedes: “If you can shake your ass it must be all right.” Brown Eyed Girl comes from a selection of tracks recorded in New York after the break up of his band, Them. Producer Bert Berns signed Morrison to his new label, Bang, and released the tracks as the album, Blowin’ Your Mind!. But while Brown Eyed Girl captured Morrison in effervescent mood and launched his solo career, it would leave a sour taste in his mouth due to poor contracts and unpaid royalties. All…

The RE-201 Space Echo has become the stuff of legend. The company knew that such an important machine deserved to be celebrated in a pedal and came up with the Boss RE-20 around 15 years ago. However, technology moves on and the time was ripe to revisit the Space Echo, with new advancements allowing a deeper delve into its complex non-linear behaviour. Boss says that everything that influences the sound was carefully examined and recreated with new algorithms, the result being not one but two new pedals: the triple-footswitch RE-202 we have on test here, and the RE-2, which comes in standard Boss compact pedal form – still sonically potent but missing some of its sibling’s features. The RE-202 is about the size of two and a half Boss compact…

Joan Jett is unequivocal about “Bad Reputation, ” the rebellious pop-punk anthem that kicked off her postRunaways career in 1980. “I love the song and am very proud of it, ” she says. “It’s the basis for everything I do because it tells the truth. Too many people held this negative view of me because I played electric guitar. They said I was mean because of how I looked. I had this supposed ‘bad reputation’ because I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. It’s what my parents told me I could do, and I believed them. I addressed it all in the song.” OWNING HER STORY Following the breakup of the Runaways in 1979, Jett, along with her manager, Kenny Laguna, and producer Ritchie Cordell, set about recording…