Archive for March, 2009
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
Update: Here are the results from our own build of a fuzz pedal. Come check out the pictures and hear a sound clip.
Lately I’ve been looking into a few do-it-yourself projects that might be a good starting point for someone who is trying to build some of their own gear. So what are the options? I’m pretty sure building my own guitar is a little beyond my 8th grade shop class education. I looked into a couple of package kits for building my own amp but fear of electrocution is a strong deterrent. How about building an Fuzz pedal? I did a some research on the web and found a few options for the beginner DIY’er out there who wants to construct their own fuzz pedal. Full story…
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Tags: DIY, electronics, ESV Fuzz, fuzz pedal, pedal effects
Posted in Accessories, Instruction, Maintenance | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
We first noticed Cole Clark guitars when we realized that Jack Johnson and Ben Harper were playing them. Made in Australia, Cole Clark guitars use woods not normally used in American-made guitars - creating a unique tonality. The Cole Clark Fat Lady FL2AC dreadnought is no exception. The top is usually made from bunya - and Aussie wood - while the back and sides are made of Queensland maple which looks more like mahogany than the ligher American maples found on guitars like the Gibson J-200. The guitar was reviewed this month by Acoustic Guitar Magazine and they were impressed. AGM found the Cole Clark Fat Lady FL2AC to be a “great package for a versatile guitarist.” Full Story…
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Tags: acoustic, Cole Clark
Posted in Guitars, Video | No Comments »
Monday, March 30th, 2009
While most people who think of Prince like to think of his singing and dancing, the guy plays a pretty mean electric guitar. But as he gets older (he’s 51), Prince is shifting from his less conventional guitars like this one to something more standard. Prince was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week to promote the two CD’s of his music that he’s releasing through Target this week - LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND (don’t try to even say their names - much less say them five times fast). Instead of playing one of his regular purple concoctions, this time Prince showed up playing a light blue Fender Stratocaster - still a little out there but definitely more conventional. Click on to see the video.
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Tags: Electric, Fender, Prince, Video
Posted in Guitars, Video | 7 Comments »
Friday, March 27th, 2009
Back in September 2008 we mentioned a new documentary coming out called “It Might Get Loud“. The film takes a close look at three guitar players from different generations and explores their roots and how they got started on the guitar. At the end three guitar players come together for a jam session, teaching each other their songs and how they played them. Wait, did I mention the three guitar players are Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White? Yeah… “It Might Get Loud” might get totally amazing! Full story…
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Tags: documentary, It Might Get Loud, Jack White, Jimmy Page, The Edge
Posted in News, Reviews | 2 Comments »
Thursday, March 26th, 2009
After watching the below performance by Kevin Eubanks (Music Director for The Tonight Show), I want to pose a question to the guitar community: Are picks really necessary?
If, with five fingers, fingerstyle guitarists can effectively as fast as or (approximately 2X) faster than someone using a pick…
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Tags: fingerstyle, kevin eubanks, picks, solos
Posted in Video | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Love it or hate it, they only made 200 of them. The Martin 000X “Hippie” has to be one of the strangest guitars I’ve seen come out of Nazareth, Pennsylvania - and for that reason alone, I commend this usually-stodgy company for giving “Peace & Love” a college try. Full story…
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Tags: 000X, hippie, HPL, janis joplin, jem, Martin, summer of love
Posted in Guitars | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
I’ve always argued that Guitar Hero is a tragic diversion for potential musicians who will never learn how to play an actual guitar. Worse, anyone playing Guitar Hero is not even responsible for making the music; they can only “hit” or “miss” the notes already laid out for them. The only way to remove a person any further from the process would be to handcuff them to a chair and blast an iPod Shuffle from across the room.
But Zivix’s Headliner electric guitar has just given me a glimmer of hope…
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Tags: electric guitar, Guitar Hero, musicianship, rockstar, videogames, zivix
Posted in Bedroom Rockstars, Guitars, Instruction, News | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
“The string-bending king of the planet”. Those are the words of praise Danny Gatton heaped on guitar legend Jerry Donahue for his amazing string bending technique. Donahue, best known for playing in the Fairport Convention in the ’70s and then later in The Hellecasters, has perfected the ability to bend multiple strings, in multiply directions, even behind the nut, all at the same time. No joke.
Fretbase contributor Andrew Reissiger sent this honey of a video that shows Jerry Donahue demonstrating some of his string bending techniques. Definitely worth a view. See video…
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Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
In honor of our Internet heroes the “Bedroom Rockstars”, today we’re launching a new feature on Fretbase. Every week or so, we’re going to to pick a popular song on Fretbase and select 5 great YouTube videos of Bedroom Rockstars playing that song. Then, you are going to get to pick a favorite. Soon, we’ll allow you to submit your videos for consideration. Today’s song is Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd. When you are ready, please read on for the contenders…
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Posted in Bedroom Rockstars | 2 Comments »
Friday, March 20th, 2009
Canadian singer/songwriter Matthew Barber has received some very nice accolades from the music critics, calling him “a rootsy Can-pop traditionalist” and “…impossible to ignore.” Barber has even earned himself a nomination for Juno’s “Best Roots/Traditional Solo Album”. A Juno Award, for those of you not from The Great White North, is Canada’s music awards.
Fretbase was given the opportunity to preview Matthew Barber’s upcoming release Ghost Notes that’s due out in the US on April 14th. It’s an album filled with earthly indie music and heartfelt singing that draws you in. Full story…
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Tags: Ghost Notes, Matthew Barber, Reviews
Posted in News, Reviews | No Comments »
