Part II of our roundup of gear, guitar and music blogs. We read ‘em, so you don’t have to. Design Workshop blog features some beautiful luthier work including a $28,000 one-of-a-kind. Carl Verhayen’s blog, and The Guitar Channel for prog rock fans. Read more…
Browsing February, 2012
11 Modifications for my $500 Epiphone ES-339
Last weekend, I decided to spring for a $500 dollar guitar that would be fun to own and one I could bring on Spring and Summer vacations, not worry too much if it got lost or beat up.
This week I purchased an Epiphone ES-339 Pro guitar in Cherry. Really enjoy playing it and looking at its spangly color and finish. I’m quite staggered at how much fun this low-cost guitar is to play. It sounds creamy, and has those ES-335 tones, even with their stock humbuckers.
My new un-modded Epiphone Es-339
Anyway, I have decided to mod this guitar with new pickups and hardware. And as I embarked on the process, I was relatively clueless as to what that would entail.
Starting on the premise that the stock pups needed upgrading (took me a while to realize that “pups” was short for “pickups,” D’oh.), I went online to surf the forums and see what other ES style guitars people owned and modified. My research affirmed that the guitar I had purchased was indeed a pretty good $400-$500 choice. Many people reviewed and talked about the Epiphone ES-339 Pro when it debuted in November of 2011. And it seemed to be sold out online, another good sign, whereas I found mine at Rudy’s Music on 48th Street.
At one forum many guitarists weighed in on what pups would be a good fit for an ES-339, and I came up with a short list:
- Gibson Classic ’57s
- Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz Humbuckers
- Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Humbuckers
The Gibson Classic ’57s are what Gibson uses in their own ES-339s, and, of course, Epiphone is a division of Gibson, so that means this is a good choice. The JB and Jazz set of pups is supposed to bring you a neck pup that mimics some of Jeff Beck’s tonality, the bridge pup gives you warmer, jazzier tone; this also sounded like a good choice.
Lastly, who is Seth Lover, why is his name on a pickup? Thrash metal guitarist? Shredder? Jazz player? Nope, Seth Lover is the inventor of the famed P.A.F. (‘patent applied for’) pickups first used in the Gibson Les Paul and their semi-hollow line, the ES guitars.
Seth Lover pictured with one of the first PAF pickups
Wikipedia notes that Lover is ‘most famous for inventing the humbucker or hum-cancelling electric stringed instrument pickup, most often used on the electric guitar.’ The iconic Fender Stratocaster has single coil pickups, and the construction of all single coil pups creates a certain humming feedback that is not desirable. Again, turning to Wikipedia:
First PAF (Patent Applied For) Pickup invented by Seth Lover
Before Lover, electric guitarists were forced to cope with the 60-cycle hum inherent in single coil pickups. It was in the mid-’50s, while working as an amplifier designer at Gibson Guitars, that Lover figured out how to wire two coils electrically out of phase and with reversed magnetic polarities. The effect was to cancel the hum before it reached the amp and the result was the birth of the humbucking pickup.
Lover applied for the patent on the humbucking pickup in 1955 and it was finally granted in 1959 (U.S. 2,896,491). During this five-year period, Gibson adhered a “Patent Applied For” sticker to the underside of their humbucker pickups. These “P.A.F.” pickups are the most collectable and desirable pickups today, fetching upwards of $1,000 each among vintage guitar collectors.
Seymour Duncan and Seth Lover
Seymour Duncan, renowned guitar pickup designer and manufacturer, considered Lover his ‘humbucker’ mentor and in 1994 he joined forces with Lover to release an authentic re-creation of the “Patent Applied For” humbucker. So after years of toiling without much recognition, the partnership brought him minor fame and acknowledgement.
After talking to the knowledgeable Jeremy and his colleague, Ullrich, at Rudy’s Music Repair Shop, I ended up purchasing a pair of these Seymour Duncan Seth Lover Humbuckers, $115 each. These are coming in the mail today from MacDaddy.com.
Next, I saw some mention of other mods, and realized it would be good to replace the nut, the tuners, and even the bridge. So in discussions with the Rudy’s repair team, I found out that they have tuners, either grovers or gotohs, and they make their own nuts. All I needed to do was purchase the right bridge.
Gotoh Bridge
Again in discussions with Jeremy and Ullrich from Rudy’s I purchased a Gotoh bridge with the specs that fit for an Epiphone ES-339. These are ordered and come in the mail tomorrow, then Friday I drop off the hardware and the guitar and hope to have it back next Monday. Sweet! I’m sure that after my efforts and expense, I’ll not want to lose or beat up this lady in red.
0 I want my $15,000 PRS Custom or Fender Custom Shop Guitar!
I’m on the PRS emailing list, so I saw the release of their new David Grissom model the other week, The PRS Private Stock Collection Series II DGT. Recent posts at great guitar blog Guitar Noize reminded me of how cool this guitar looks, and how sweet the specs are. The GN gang details the guitar and provides video link to a demo. This PRS guitar sparkles. I love the quilted top and the micro bursts.
PRS Private Stock Collection Series II DGT
I met Paul Reed Smith the other day, when he came to Rudy’s Music in NYC for a PRS Experience 2011 tour. Great experience, I must admit. He had his guitar tech take my Custom 24 to their factory for mods! (More on that later.) Got a chance to see David Grissom play and hold a guitar tone clinic that day. He was playing one of his DGT Standards.
David Grissom & Paul Reed Smith
This new guitar looks special, and at $15K, you would certainly expect so.
On the subject of custom guitars, this xmas got a book about the Fender Custom Shop. Beautiful coffee table book. Mouth watering. Went over to the Fender Custom Shop to drool today.
The Dream Factory by Tom Wheeler
Thinking a thinline masterbuilt telegretscher with bigsby would look and sound awfully nice, yes?
TeleGretscher - Fender Custom Shop
0 Star Wars Guitar
Thanks to Guitar World for posting this piece about guy who made a guitar with a Millennium Falcon shaped body. Bulky, but cool. Working lights and sounds and an R2-D2 headstock. This one is for all the adolescents and adultescents out there who dream of playing funky guitar in that bar in a land far, far away…
And on the subject, this band claims to be from “Mosh Eisley.” OMG!
0 Like or Fail? Van Halen » A Different Kind of Truth
Unless you have lived in a bubble, you’ve heard of Van Halen’s reunion. First it was the stealth reunion concert at small club Cafe Wha in New York City, which was the announcement that frontman, singer David Lee Roth was uniting with Eddie Van Halen once again. Then the single relase of Tattoo, and next the album, A Different Kind of Truth released this February 7th. Video clip.
Eddie Van Halen & David Lee Roth, Pictured in the 'old days' and at Cafe Wha NYC 2012
Much talked about, much anticipated, and now it is here with reviews and a #2 Billboard slot. A bit controversial, too, likely a good things for sales. Some love it, some hate it, some are in the middle. Heavy metal rock is not my bag, but EVH is a genius guitar player. Worth the price of admission on this release. What about the web and print press? Here’s a sampling of reviews.
Van Halen A Different Kind of Truth
This review is positive, calling it a “frequently thrilling return. These songs crackle, fizz and bulge with priapic exuberance.” I mean, c’mon, how often do writers get to use ‘priapic?” Guardian.co.uk
LATimes.com’s Pop & Hiss blog has an intriguing spin on the release, working to fit the music into one of three categories:
“Now the dilemma isn’t just, should you spend money on the CD ($14.99 list price) or a digital copy (also — frustratingly — $14.99). It’s also, how much are you willing to commit to buying in? Will a few dropped bucks on a handful of the best individual tracks suffice? Or will “A Different Kind of Truth” be the perfect Spotify streaming album, not good enough to pay hard money for but worth a mouse-click when you’ve got a spare few minutes? Or should you just ask your computery friend to Sendspace you a pirated copy?”
The writer goes on to fit A Different Kind of Truth as “a perfect rock record for the pick-and-choose era.” Damning with faint praise? Actually, he likes half the album, I guess — “half of the record rises to the level of the band’s glory days is a testament to the ingredients that made up Van Halen circa ’84, and ‘Truth‘ is a confirmation that this band wasn’t a fluke.” The L.A. Times Music Blog.
Shawn Hammond, editor-in-chief of Premier Guitar magazine, had a more critical slant on the release and the guitar player.
“Truth’s most memorable moments are dizzying technical displays during solos and breakdowns. These parts have a lot of verve—you can really tell Ed, bass-playing son Wolfgang, and Alex are stoked to finally be kicking out new jams—but even the admittedly raging solos and breakdowns are usually bookended by verses and choruses that feel like a cleverly crafted mélange of riffs from past albums and the aforementioned bootlegs and demos. (For example, the beginning of the “As Is” solo sounds exactly like the first tapping section of “Eruption,” and there are numerous examples of the same old ascending tremolo-picked licks we’ve heard a zillion times over). There’s also a fair amount of wah-pedal work that often sounds very Satriani-like. That’s no slam on Satch, but that’s not what I want my EVH to sound like.”
Hammond does praise some of EVH’s playing, as here: “The wild, spiraling rotary-speaker tones on “Bullethead” provide one of the album’s rare, death-defying thrill rides.” All in all the writer finds A Different Kind of Truth a mixed bag.
Regardless of the reviews, ya gotta love the #2 slot on Billboard, 187K sold in first week. Take this Twitter poll and let me know whether you thought A Different Kind of Truth is a Like or a Fail.
0 Fender Factory Tour 1959
@GuitarPlayerNow, Twitter feed for Guitar Player magazine posted link to this awesome video on YouTube. It’s a factory tour of the Fender shop in 1959. Cool. No computer routers back then, all hand built guitars. As pointed out, every guitar made by hand in that shop then is worth a small fortune today.
0 Tuesday’s G.A.S. Day » Five unique new electric guitars
To salve my G.A.S. affliction, here are some great-looking new guitars to salivate over.
Dennis Fano is a luthier who builds innovative retro AND modern guitars. His brand, Fano Guitars, is part of the Premier Builders Guild group of luthiers. I lust after the Fano Alt De Facto RB6.
Fano Guitars has also introduced a new retro modern electric guitar with a lucite body. Intriguing. Unveiled at NAMM 2012.
Fano Guitars Alt de Facto RB6
Fano Guitars Fanosphear
Ibanez George Benson
Ibanez has a new George Benson model hollowbody jazz guitar. Looks nice. Thanks to GuitarSite.com for the post, looks like a good blog site I discovered surfing today.
Suhr Guitars released this Guthrie Govan Antique Modern model late last year. The feature I love is the blower switch:
“… a push-button “Blower” switch which allows you to go to a full-on bridge humbucker sound with a simple push of the button from whatever volume, tone, 5-way setting you’re at.”
Have you heard of Knaggs Guitars? Knaggs was a master builder for PRS, started his own boutique show recently. This Chena model guitar comes with a hefty price tag, $9K! But sweet, and likely the build quality is superb. Thanks to Guitar Noize for the pic and post.
Knaggs Guitar
0 I want my Steampunk guitar!
Coming up on an important date next month, wedding anniversary. I have my love’s present planned and in the works. Rocks, sparkling, etc. And I am hoping that I get a guitar. Maybe even a, wait for it, Steampunk guitar. Huh? That’s right, we’re talking playable art.
This innovative luthier and syndicated cartoonist has touched a nerve with his artistic and playable Steampunk guitars. Each one starts with copies of classic guitars that he has acquired, and each is put together lovingly by Tony, from bits, pieces and oddities that he collects. His guitars are all unique and playable, and he has started to generate some buzz. Like his Facebook page and check out his guitars online.
Aladdincaster
Abombcaster
Tony Cochran Guitars seems to be the only full luthier making Steampunk guitars for sale. There are however many examples of one-off creations.
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- Victorian Axe Cannon, the work of George V. Berger, aka Astro Helix
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- ThinThiefGypsy.com
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- Built for the 2008 Jersey City Artists Studio Tour by Mark Dalzell (with TV!)
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- Steampunk Strat
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- Abombcaster
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- Adjusticaster
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- Aladdincaster
0 Guitar Magazines Roundup February 2012
I know it is time to review February guitar mags when I buy the first few March titles on the newsstand. I’m starting to track seven titles: Guitar Player, Guitar & Bass, Guitarist, Guitar World, Guitar Techniques, Total Guitar, Premier Guitar. Month after month they crank out tons of editorial and gobs of glossy ads to salivate over. That being said, not every issue every month is necessarily worth reviewing, so I’ll pick out the highlights and try to leave out the dross.
Here’s this month’s roundups of what’s interesting in the world of electric guitars, acoustic guitars, and gear via guitar magazines from the U.S. and across the pond.
This venerable U.S. title is 45 years old this month, happy birthday Guitar Player! “Riffin’ since 1967,” says the cover tag line.
Knaggs Guitars
- In-depth interview with ‘Prince of Prog’ John Petrucci of Dream Theater
- 10 Things You Gotta Do to Play Like – Warren Haynes (monthly feature)
- Roundup of 16 new Distortion, Fuzz and Overdrive Pedals
- Gear review of boutique luthier Knaggs guitars
- Gear review of Taylor SolidBody Configurer (you pick the build specs!)
This U.K. title is one of my faves. Consistently solid art direction helps, I always appreciate the clean and appealing covers often with great ‘hero’ shots. This month’s cover a shot if indie rocker Johhny Marr and his new signature Fender Jaguar. Other highlights include:
Johnny Marr Signature Fender Jaguar
- Inside story behind the Johnny Marr signature Fender Jaguar
- Profile of guitar great Charlie Christian with video lessons
- Five Steps To… Brian May (with tab and audio)
- Online “Vault” with gear and guitar demos, lessons and more
This U.S. guitar magazine is not as easy to find on the newsstand, but I do like it quite a bit. This month, I did not get the print edition yet, so I went online and discovered, to my enjoyment, that they offer the issue free via a free app for my iPad.
Premier Guitar's iPad app
Developed with Texterity, this app marries the crisp display of each page with added links to the Web and Facebook, coupled with search, bookmarking, easy emailing and sharing of content. This was revelatory because to date the guitar magazine apps have been less than useful, mainly pdfs of the pages that look pretty on the iPad screen. The bookmarking feature came in handy, allowing me to virtually dog ear interesting content.
- Opening Notes, monthly feature with great full-page photos
- Monthly articles from renowned teacher, player, shredder, rocker, Paul Gilbert – who delivers incredibly well-written screeds, for a musician
- Informative piece on using a virtual drummer for recording
- Columnist gives Squier Tele the cigar-box treatment
Squier Tele Cigar-Box Guitar Mod
- Two pages of Web exclusives, each linked to interactive content
- Monthly feature on boutique luthiers and their custom guitars
Last month I neglected to mention this U.K. title, which lays claim to be ‘Europe’s best-selling guitar magazine.” It is a good mag, comes from Future Publishing also responsible for Guitar Techniques and the aforementioned Guitarist magazines. You get accurate tab, backing tracks lessons, and good editorial all in one package. And every month they have guest lessons from three of my all-time favorite guitarists: Steve Lukather, Matt Schofield, and Warren Haynes.
Noel Gallagher
This month, I liked the interview with Noel Gallagher, post-Oasis. Worth it for this quote alone. Gallager mentions a solo at the end of Stop The Clocks, off his new album High Flying Birds, calls it “…the mad f***ing Jeff Beck stuff.” Gallagher notes that his guitar tech, Paul Stacey plays that solo; and is asked how come he played it and not you? “‘Cos I can’t play like that! F***ing hell, I can barely play like Peter Green, let alone f***cking Jeff Beck!” A very quotable, guy, Mr. Noel Gallagher.
0 Monday Music Musings from Around the Web » February 6, 2012
Go Giants! Oh, right, this is a music blog. 
Kudos to the bloggers at Guitar Noize, who consistently show us great guitars, often unique, and excellent coverage of news from NAMM and the world of guitar music. Today’s we have a one-of-a-kind 8-string guitar featured. It belongs to Misha Mansoor, of the group Periphery, part of the Djent movement in heavy and prog metal.
Wow, this is one unique guitar. Click over to Guitar Noize for the complete story, but check out the pics, it’s built by Florida based luthier John Dell’Isola and note that the neck is made up of seven pieces of wood. 
- 4 Pieces of Bolivian Rosewood/Pau Ferr
- 2 Strips of Flamed Mahogany
- Center Bar of Zebrawood
- Asian Black and White Ebony Fretboard
Another blog that offers unique one-of-a-kind guitars for your viewing delight is Guitarz, claims to be longest-running guitar blog (2002). This semi-hollow body, the Daion Headhunter 555, never heard of the maker, is sweet looking. They have tons more, check ‘em out here.
Tony Cochran Guitars, The Tokyocaster
Speaking of way-cool guitars check out this luthier, Tony Cochran’s steampunk guitars. Beautiful, exotic, sci-fi, pawn-shop guitar relics of another universe. I lust for one. Maybe this one? Each comes with a story, like this: “Private Eldon R found this instrument in a steaming pile of rubble in 1964. He was patrolling a burned out village on the Mekong Delta. It was in remarkably playable condition despite some charring and corrosion. The village chief would not say how it got there, but he sure seemed glad to be rid of it.”
Thanks to indie music mag/blog Prefix for this photo of FlavaFlav hugging Giants Tom Coughlin after lat night’s awesome NYG win. See, I got the Super Bowl in somehow.
0 David Grissom’s Clinic on Tone @ PRS Experience 2011
More on the PRS Experience event at Rudy’s Music in Soho, NYC. In addition to seeing the great band with Davy Knowles and David Grissom play two fine blues tunes, we were treated to a 15-minute guitar clinic on tone from great artist and session player David Grissom.
Grissom started by turning off his stompboxs. He was using a new PRS amp modded by master amp-maker Doug Sewell. (Doug was also at the event modding amps behind the counter.)
PRS amp maker Doug Sewell
Using his sweet signature PRS DGT guitar, he demonstrated how he had a great crunchy rhythm tone and a clear tone without turning on a pedal and using the volume knob only. Next he ran through using his two main efx boxes, an Xotic EP Booster and a Fulltone Plimsoul. Effectively, the booster gives him a warm and fat but not too heavy overdriven tone. Switching from the Xotic to the Plimsoul gives Grissom’s guitar the high-gain overdrive channel.
All in all, he demo’s what he called his four channels, two without pedals, then adding one pedal, and lastly switching booster pedals. Someone asked what it sounded like with all pedals on, and by using both booster and overdrive together, he got a deep, rocking tone for his extra fifth channel. Grissom had this to say, “Tone is in your hands… When I have tone like this, I can play what I hear.”