Month: October 2017

One of the stand out things that I saw at Winter NAMM 2017 in January was easily the Beetronics booth in Hall E. What caught my eye was the look of these pedals. They have an aesthetic and I love companies that can identify a vibe and run with it. Beetronics has got this dialed in. Filipe (the owner talked with me) and I was blown away by the everything they had to offer. Since that NAMM show, Beetronics has really been causing a buzz in the pedal world, and I was super stoked with Filipe contacted me to see if I wanted to check out the Overhive. Hell yes! I keep talking about the ‘look’. They have distressed enclosures, where every one is unique. I love the large ‘lamp’…

When one of my guitar students wants to learn lead guitar, I usually show him/her the minor pentatonic scale first. Once that scale is down in all keys, I play different and familiar chord progressions and have my students solo over them using the scales they've just learned. Almost always, the same thing happens: The student's leads sound like a continuous scale. I call it the musical equivalent of a stomach virus: The notes just keep on running out with no end in sight. The same thing occurs when they advance and learn the extensions of the minor pentatonic and the modes. They know the notes and the connections very well, but it sounds like one big run-on sentence. Sometimes I'll see cover bands in which more experienced guitarists will…

The pentatonic scale is one of the most utilized scales in music. It can be heard in nearly every culture of music around the world and has served as the framework for countless riffs and licks across many genres. A pentatonic scale, as the name implies, is made up of five notes. However, playing a few tasty non-pentatonic notes from outside of the scale can transform a solo. In his new lesson video—"The Secret Notes of the Pentatonic Scale"—guitar instructor Robert Baker introduces some interesting applications of the pentatonic scale and how to incorporate choice notes to play “outside” like a pro. You can check out the video below, and the grab the tabs for the lesson right here. For more of Robert’s lessons, visit his YouTube channel. via Guitar…

Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the Slammi Plus Polyphonic Pitch Shifter/Harmony Pedal, featuring glitch-free pitch shifting over a +/- three octave range and with the ability to transpose up, down or both simultaneously. An 11-position shift switch selects the transposition interval starting with detune for a chorus or doubling effect and includes the following: Minor 2nd, Major 2nd, Minor 3rd, Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, 1 Octave, 2 Octaves and 3 Octaves. The pedal’s Dual Mode outputs two separate pitch-shifted intervals simultaneously and provides 11 unique interval combinations. The Slammi Plus also features an X-Fade function where the pitch shifted interval is fixed (does not bend) and the pedal cross-fades between the player’s dry note and pitch shifted note or cross-fades from one pitch shifted interval to another. The…

Southern California-based Iconic Guitars is proud to announce the release of their NeoClassic Series line of guitars. Iconic Guitars launched The NeoClassic line after a yearlong, extensive process working closely with artists and session players in the development of these guitars. The NeoClassic S and T models borrow elements from their Vintage Series counterparts, as well as their Evolution Series model siblings. These new models take their visual cue from the Vintage Series S and T shapes and include a beautiful nitrocellulose lacquer finish, available in either NOS or Vintage relic. The line also features modern neck profiles, fretboard radius and fret sizes borrowed from the Evolution Series. By seamlessly integrating the most stunning elements of their Vintage Series guitars with the playability, flexibility and comfort of the Evolution Series…

How about a scary story since we’re so close to Halloween? There once was a guitar player named Jerry. Creativity struck, but as Jerry reached for his amp’s power switch, he saw a clock on the wall that read 12:00am. He put his guitar away, and when he woke up in the morning his idea was gone forever. Since I don’t always have the luxury of loud, I wanted to try the Le Clean by the French company Two Notes with my home recording setup. While the pedal works for a slew of applications (D.I. box, pre-amp, headphone amp, overdrive/boost pedal, effects loop), my main interest was to see if it could give my direct recordings a little tube magic when I can’t crank an amp. Le Clean is one…

Man.. oh man, I’ve been sick as a dog, but needed to get this post out. As soon as I’m done, I’m going down for the count. I wanted to remind everyone that the Pladask Elektrisk Kniv / Rattlesnake Cable Company Give Away is still happening. People are very interested in the KNIV, and it should be a no brainer! It’s incredibly useful with a lot of interesting possibilities for creating something unique. Here is the official description of the KNIV… A utilitarian Swiss Army Knife. KNIV is a powerful active signal router consisting of a bypass looper with clean blend, and a feedbacker with expression pedal capability. The circuit utilizes a charge pump to increase the supply to 17V, in turn increasing the headroom. Additionally, I’m also giving away…

Boss has introduced the Katana Cabinet 212, a new companion speaker cabinet for the popular Katana-Head guitar amplifier. Optimized for the Katana-Head’s wide tonal range, the Katana Cabinet 212 delivers powerful tones for all genres of music, from blues, jazz, and country to the heaviest rock styles. Ready for the stage, the Katana Cabinet 212 is a perfect match for performing with the Katana-Head. Boss' special design provides enhanced bass response and rugged durability while keeping the weight down for easy mobility. The ultra-rigid construction provides big bottom end and tight, punchy response, offering excellent performance for all types of guitar tones, from super-clean to ultra-heavy. Equipped with two custom 12-inch speakers, the Katana Cabinet 212 handles up to 150 watts of power and can be used in a horizontal…

EVH has announced the release of the new 5150III 50W EL34 head and 5150III EL34 212ST cabinet. Fans of the 5150III 100W EL34 head now have a more portable and affordable option with the same looks and ferocious EL34 tone, along with new independent volume and gain control for all three channels. The EL34 power tubes deliver signature harmonic overtones, with more dynamic compression and saturation that evoke a more modern “British” sound, all with the sustain and versatility expected from EVH 5150III amps. Channel one boasts a more sparkling and compressed clean tone, while channels two and three possess a slightly darker and compressed tone with even more saturation than before. Channels one and two each have dual concentric gain/volume controls with shared EQ (low, mid, high), while channel 3 has an independent EQ. Other…

Photo by Chris Carter / CC BY So why get an EQ pedal? Well, even if you generally like the tone you get out of your guitar and amp, there are a lot of reasons you might want to have an EQ pedal in your arsenal. It can be useful in compensating for problems with the room, helping to tame a guitar that’s too bright for the space, or emphasize different portions of the frequency range. An EQ pedal can also make your tone more flexible, or give you a sonic boost when you switch from rhythm to solo play. With how many different pieces of gear you might need to buy for your instrument, though, you might not have much room left over in your budget for yet another…