Yes, Brad Whitford Can Solder! Earlier this week we posted about how one of the simians behind 3 Monkeys Amps (Greg Howard) changed the tone of a reissue Les Paul to be like a real ’59 Burst for one of the other simians (Brad Whitford). I’ve heard and played through 3 Monkeys amps, and can […]
If a pedigree counts for something, and it always does, it’s tough to beat the three simians that founded 3 Monkeys Amps. The equation goes something like this: Greg Howard: guitar tech to the stars including Brad Whitford, the Black Crowes, etc. + Ossie Ahsen: tech and owner of the former (and highly regarded) Blockhead […]
This week I clicked on a video link embedded in an email from Bare Knuckle pickups – whose pickups I haven’t yet tried but sorely want to because it seems like they get it. “Get it” means that I think that whoever’s designing over there has good ears and a good feel for what people […]
My buddies convinced me to go see The Smithereens Sunday night, a free outdoor show at “Maplewoodstock” in Maplewood, NJ. I’ve never been a Smithereens fan, and never not been a Smithereens fan, if you know what I mean. Knew a couple songs from the radio back in the day when rock was on and […]
This post started out as a quest to find out who played the solo on Donna Summer’s disco hit “Hot Stuff,” and what the gear was. Turns out it was Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of Steely Dan, the Doobie Bros, must sit on a chair live and – as it applies to “Hot Stuff” – studio […]
Seems from photos that EVH did not change the stock Destroyer pickups until sometime after he chainsawed the guitar. Since Ed constantly messed with just about everything, this is very odd. So what does it tell us? He liked the stock Super 70 pickups. Why? Probably because they were (or sounded like) a higher-output pickup. […]
The most recent issue of Guitar World mag included the pic at left, one of several images recently unearthed of the 1977 Van Halen. Props to GW for devoting some space to it, but the accompanying text doesn’t accurately reflect Ed’s Ibanez Destroyer, later to be known as the Shark. So here’s what “we” – […]
Been listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s KILLER album One More From the Road in the car lately. I mean, come on. One of the best rock bands ever, one of the best albums ever. I’m struck by:
Recently saw a short blog post on GuitarPlayer.com called “Desert Island Amp,” by guitarist guitarist and studio whiz Carl Verheyen. I read it, checked out a couple YouTube vids (I know, not great for tone, but not going by them alone), and am sold: I’m looking for an old Fender Princeton, which can be had […]
If you haven’t heard or seen it yet, Premier Guitar recently put up a 17.5-minute Billy Gibbons rig rundown via Billy’s tech, Elwood Francis. This is a seminal event because Billy has kept his rig deets pretty tight…but honestly, there’s not much new stuff in it. Really wish PG had read the most popular WoodyTone […]
Booya!, Ark, Evil Robot, Pedals… Don’tcha just love the smell of hot tubes? A cookin’ amp is one key to Woody Tone, and as I’ve said, the Amp Show was full of Wood. Here are some more finds from the recent NY/NJ Amp Show – but know that I unfortunately didn’t make it to every […]
In this part of the 2011 NY/NJ Amp Show “review” I take a look at the other two builders and amps that really stood out for me. Part 3 will take a look at some other amps/builders – still killer – as well as a few pedals I liked (and I don’t like pedals!).
The Amp Show was AWESOME. Walk into any room, plug in and you get sho-nuff T-O-N-E of the Woody variety. And there most definitely was variety, all of it woody. I didn’t hear a bad amp or even anything approaching a bad amp, and didn’t expect to – though there was one that was a […]
A scenario: You live near a busy highway. The noise outside your apartment/flat bugs you, but you get used to it. When your lease is up you move a few blocks away, and man, it seems a lot quieter. Years later you move to the country, beyond the suburbs, and the first day there you […]
Nice weather here in Jersey, finally, feels like Friday, like I should be typing this with a beer next to me. It’s all putting me in the mood for Van Halen’s sunny SoCal music. So while I let ‘er rip on the stereo computer, here’s some fun EVH stuff for ya. And of course, while fun, […]
Fair Warning Tone Ain’t All the Same
Got it in my head to figure out which Van Halen song tones – not album tones – I liked the most. Started with Fair Warning, whose balls I just can’t get enough of…which doesn’t sound so good but you get what I mean. Listen to it cranked in my car because that’s the only […]
Pondering VH’s Fair Warning Tone
LOVE the first four Van Halen albums. Always have, always will. Love the rest too, including the Van Hagar years (oops, forgot about VH III…), but those first four vinyl donuts are to me and many others just the nads. The nadliest of nads. They’re a band kicking the world’s butt in every way, and […]
Recently I was ruined yet again by a good amp. This time a bud’s Bogner Shiva, EL34 version. Let’s call him Sean – because that’s his name…. He’d been talking about how awesome it was for a while, and even though I know he has good ears, wasn’t too motivated to go try it. I’d […]
The Gene-EVH-Ace-Joe Perry Connection
Have you picked up “Guitar World Presents 40 Years of Van Halen” yet? Zactly – I didn’t even know it existed until I saw it in a bookstore (remember those? lol). Anyhow, I’m always amazed at how I think I’ve memorized every word ever written about Ed and his gear and then I read something […]
More On the YMI5150 Model-A Guitar
Few weeks ago I posted a brief “review” (outdated word) of Kevin Holbrook’s YMI5150 Model-A guitar. As a brief reminder, what got my attention were the following things: > A good wood combo: swamp ash, maple/rosewood. > An interesting and unique combo of components resulting in a Strat-shaped and -scaled guitar with an ABR bridge […]
Did You Read the Esquire EVH Piece Yet?
We’re going to have to wait yet another week for the interview with Kevin Holbrook of YMI5150 guitars because we have yet another newsworthy event. This time it’s the recent Esquire interview with Edward Van Halen. Now before you EVH fans get to getting your hopes up, let’s bear in mind the same ol’s: 1. […]
Show ‘Review’: Van Halen at the Garden
Took my 10-year-old son to see Van Halen at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 1. I think he was more excited to see them than I was – not that I wasn’t, but this was the mighty Van Halen whose tunes the both of us have copped, jammed to and listened […]
