Monday, March 29th, 2010
We recently had a discussion around flat-pole and staggered-pole pickups and which characteristics differentiate the two types of design. The great debate on which is better is really a matter of personal preference but there are some interesting considerations to take into account when considering your options. Adjusting the height of your pickups is a great way to further tweak your guitar’s tone. (more…)
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
This week we had the pleasure of test driving one of TouchChord’s newest iPhone apps – the TouchChord’s Songbook Rolling Stones. TouchChords has built a new way to learn music and practice guitar using your iPhone. They’ve built a suite of iPhone apps and have recently released a set of “songbooks” that include music from The Rolling Stones, The Police, Cat Stevens and James Taylor among others.
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
As readers of Fretbase know, we are big fans of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Launched over 20 years ago, the magazine is one of the best offline sources for information about acoustic guitars and the artists that play them. Recently (well, pretty recently), the magazine’s publisher String Letter Publishing opened a music school in the picturesque town of San Anselmo, California. (more…)
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Nothing better than getting your guitar lesson directly from the horse’s mouth. Here’s a sweet video of John Butler teaching you how to play his song “One Way Road” from his upcoming album “April Uprising”. Butler plays the song on a National Model “D” Western tuned to Open G (DGDGBD). Check it out.
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Guitar amplifiers have come a long way since the early days of electric guitars. However, innovations in technology may not have made the impact on the industry that was expected. Vintage equipment such as tube amps still reign as the royalty of the industry. Tube amps still provide the warmest sound with the highest quality. These amps are the tried-and-true favorites of most electric guitar playing musicians on Earth today. However, solid-state technology has always come in as a close second in the contest of guitar tube amp vs. solid-state.
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Friday, March 5th, 2010
Looking to improve your chops, hang out with a famous guitarist and a host of other great musicians all in the beautiful setting of the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York? Well Dweezilla just might be the ticket for you. Coming up this summer Dweezil Zappa and friends are hosting a boot camp for musicians at the Full Moon Resort.
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Here’s something that seems pretty cool and handy for guitar players – a portable tab player that connects right to the headstock of your guitar. The i-tab allows users to download backing tracks and video cover lessons from a library of fully legal tabs, tracks and lessons on www.i-tab.com.
Friday, February 19th, 2010
GuitarCourses.ws, a website directory of guitar courses, is attacking the problem of guitarists with insufficient knowledge of the guitar fretboard by offering a free software application designed to teach players the basics of fretboard navigation and allow them to practice their skills with and without their guitar. Check it out.
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Here’s a cool article from MusicRadar about Dave Grohl and Josh Homme on how they approach guitar playing. We thought it was particularly interesting to hear how Grohl thinks about the guitar.
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Here’s a cool idea to help beginner guitarists learn their scales – put a magnetic strip along the top of the neck that shows the player where to put their hands to start playing a particular scale. “My products are meant to be utilized alone or in conjunction with music theory and any educational tools available to stimulate the individual’s creativity that music offers,” says creator Jason Ellestad.
