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Kiss Online Video

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:30:00 +0000

It's no secret I'm a Kiss fan. You can imagine how pleased I was to find their You Tube channel. There is some cool video here. This is one of the coolest. Ever wonder what Paul Stanley sees when he's flying over the audience. Well check it out.

Kiss Online
Kiss You Tube channel

Guitar Center busts thief

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 07:08:00 +0000

Man this is the second story like this in a few weeks. It seems that some unsuspecting thief when he brought the stolen gear into the Covina Guitar Center. The gear was stolen from a school nearly a year ago and the local police had no leads.

This is a great story that demonstrates that if you steal gear, you can get caught. One more scumbag in lockup and more instruments back in the hands of some kids.

Read the story here

Scott

Related Posts

Queensryche Jammin

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:22:00 +0000

Here is some rare footage of Queensrych jammin on The Rolling Stones “waiting on a friend” back in the 90’s. The band tweeted about this posting on their site and as a die hard QR fan I had to go check it out. You should too.

Music superfans

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:39:00 +0000

We all know that person who is an extreme fan of some group of artist. The person with all the posters. The person who saves all the ticket stubs from the concerts. The person who has the bio of the artist embedded in their brain. Most of us like a certain type of music or artist but these superfans go way beyond the call of duty.

I think of the scene in Rock Star where Mark Whalberg’s character gets in an argument with a rival tribute band stating that his jacket isn’t correct citing that the stitching and lapels are wrong. Every time I see that scene I kind of cringe. I mean, is it really that important to know all the details?

So where am I going with this? I guess my question is, do these superfans prove that music can truly touch a person that deeply or are these fans just a little off center and looking for something to gravitate too. Musicians certainly don’t want to offend their fans but at the same time you have to think “get a life” right?

There are those Deadheads who travel the country, there are parrot heads who are constantly looking for Margaritaville, and there are those tribute band guys who try to capture every nuance of an artist and replicate it albeit on a smaller stage. I guess it’s just something that really connects to them.

I’m not trying to knock anyone here, I just wonder where the line is between Fan, super fan, or stalker.

Premier Guitar’s Secrets of the Masters

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:10:00 +0000

Premier guitar has been running a new feature for the past few months called “Secrets of the Masters” Now upon hearing the title you might think this was a lesson or some sort of article based on a legendary guitar player.

The “Masters” are the master tapes of great recordings. These tapes are loaded up on a machine and run through track by track by the authors. This is one of the coolest reads I’ve seen in a while. Not only does it give some insight to recording technique and production but gives you a look at what was left out of the final mix. How cool would it be to get your hands on some old tracks and actually have a chance to mix your own version of a classic song.

The authors are experienced studio professionals who know what they’re talking about. The perspective they give to these classic tracks is great. You find yourself learning something without even trying.

Check out the past articles and keep up to date with Premier Guitar for the next issue and the next Secret of the Masters

Yestergear: Zoom 9002

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 07:23:00 +0000

Back in the 80's, multi effects processors were just coming of age. They were rack units and therefore were not very portable. Sure they had lots of goodies in them but they were always left in the rack. Then, in the late 80's Zoom released the 9002. This was a compact multi effect preocessor that could be worn on the guitar strap.

Hind site being what it is the whole guitar strap application doesn't seem to make sense. But the compact nature and amount of features packed into this little box really revolutionized things.

The 9002 could do six effects at once. Compression, Distortion,Delays, modulation effects like Flange, Phaser, Chorus and reverbs. It even had a built in tuner, metronome, and an amp simulator in 1989 no less.

These days all of these things are common place but man talk about having it all back then. I think these boxes were almost as famous for their artist endorser Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi. I still remember the add with him and one of these things on his guitar strap.

I don't know how many of these things are floating around out there but there are two listings on Ebay as of this writing with pricing sitting in the $40-$60 range.

A moment of magic

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:21:00 +0000

We all look for the magic tone in our gear. We tweak and re-tweak our gear. We search for the right combination that will sing sweetly to us. And just when we think we've found the perfect pairing of guitar,effects, amp, and speaker we start all over again.

I've found a great combination of things that works for me depending on the situation. I have a few go to guitars. I have a couple of good amps. I can coax just about any tone I need out of my gear. With that said, a few weeks ago at a rehearsal I was dumb struck by my tone. Now I'm not a tone snob and I don't like to pat myself on the back but for a moment I really just was dumbfounded.

So what was the magic combination?
A 1965 Gibson Melody Maker and a stock Fender Blues Junior. There was just something about that 45 year old piece of mahogany and those EL84's just purring along. Notes seem to sustain for ever and the attack was just phenomenal. Now many may argue that it is the vintage guitar that makes this combo so pleasing. I may agree that the aged wood is very mellow but still, I hadn't had this experience with this guitar and another amp before.

It goes to show you that even with all the tweaking and tinkering you do, you may surprise yourself with something simple.

Year of the fuzz

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:37:00 +0000

It's 2010, the year of the tiger on the Chinese calendar. Well here in the guitar community of the webbernetz the guys over at SixStringBliss have declared 2010 the year of the fuzz. With that declaration they also announced an album to celebrate the fuzz. For those not in the know, the SixStringBliss albums are all listener and forum member contributed material. This is gonna be cool.

With the announcement of this Fuzz album there was some debate as to what constituted fuzz. How did it differs from overdrive or distortion. Well it is distortion but it has a life all it's own. To help clarify this somewhat fuzzy situation I have found some great content to help us understand the fuzz.

Fuzz box on Wikipedia

History of the fuzz box on Fuzzeffect.com

Technology of the Fuzz Face on Geofex

YouTube videos tagged Fuzz

The Plutonium Fuzz

Leapin Lizards: The Iguana guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:52:00 +0000

I stumbled across this little critter and couldn’t resist posting it. I present to you the Iguana Guitar.

This scaly axe comes to us courtesy of Cooliguanastuff.com. They also have an Iguana acoustic guitar decal and an Iguana bass.

The guitar is a Squire strat with the iguana graphic applied to it. At $249 it’s not a bad price for a cool looking axe.

Can I sell you my (your) guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:18:00 +0000

Getting your gear stolen sucks. You work hard to pay for your gear and when some scumbag street criminal swipes your axe it just plain sucks. Sure you file a police report and if your lucky it shows up in a local pawn shop.

Well here is a story of a very lucky musician and a very dumb criminal. It seems as though our six string thief decided going to the local Guitar Center to hock is newly swiped gear would be a good idea. Little did he know that the musician who's gear was stolen actually worked there.

Chalk one up for the working musician and put another gene pool challenged knucklehead in the clink.

Read the full story here.

Guitar Love

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 07:29:00 +0000

In celebration of Valentines day this weekend I thought I would write about all things in the guitar world that have to do with love. I’m not talking the love of music or the fond feeling you have for that special axe, I’m talking literally. I know it’s a bit cheesy but there are way to many love song articles floating around out there.

Lovepedals

I told you I was talking literally. Lovepedal is a boutique pedal maker that has quite a reputation in some circles. Their COT 50 is touted as a great pedal that does everything from boost to dirt. I’m sure these pedals will make you swoon.

Love Vintage guitars

Love Vintage guitars in Michigan is a retail and repair shop. The shop is owned and operated by “Jimmy Love”. Sounds like his heart is in the right place.

The Ibanez Heart Guitar

Ibanez custom made the heart shaped triple neck guitar for Steve Vai back in 1988. It was seen in the David Lee Roth band video “Just like Paradise”. That’s one hell of a valentine.

Blackheart Amplifiers

Blackheart amplifiers has made a real name for themselves producing some mighty feature rich little amps. From 1 watt to 100 these amps cover a lot of ground. They always say the bad boys attract the most girls.

D’Andrea heart pics

Show just how much you love playing guitar with these heart shaped plectrums. Sure your band mates may mock you, but I bet CC Deville would use them.

I heart Guitar

I heart guitar is a great blog by an Australian journalist and blogger named Peter Hodgson. He has some great interviews and his writing is top notch. Fall in love with this guitar blog and you wont regret it.

Virtual custom guitar

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:53:00 +0000

All guitarists dream of that custom axe. The one off guitar that has every detail that is just for you. The color, pickups,controls, etc.. Many of us will never have the opportunity to actually have that dream guitar built. We can however visualize our dream guitar in the virtual world.

The Kisekae virtual guitar system allows you to create that dream axe right on your computer. The system is used by several companies. I did one over at USACG.

It’s cool to see the things that work and the things that end up looking weird or goofy. This is a great way to kill some.

You can also create a custom virtual guitar at the following sites.

Bailey Guitars
SP Guitars
GMW

Crazy Guitar solo

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:22:00 +0000

You all know who Buckethead is. His playing is almost as legendary as his mask and bucket o chicken on his head. I stumbled across this video of buckethead just hangin out plying guitar in someones backyard.

He pulls a lot of stuff out of his hat (pun intended). It's a long video, about 14 minutes but there is a lot of cool stuff here.

Buckethead solo on Concerttv.com

Yestergear: Ibanez session man

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:45:00 +0000

Back in the day ,(25 years ago) the in sound was distortion with some chorus. It was used and over used by a tremendous amount of guitar players. Since these two effects were basically joined at the hip Ibanez decided to cash in on the trend.

This weeks piece of Yestergear is the Ibanez Session Man pedal.

The session man was a distortion pedal with chorus built in. No longer did you have to drag around multiple pedals to produce that “In” sound. Pull out this pink stomper and you were ready to go.

One of the coolest features of the pedal was the ability to have the order of effects either way at the flick of a switch. Whether you are a chorus before distortion or a distortion before chorus guy, this pedal let you dial in your sound.

The controls on the top were Distortion, Distortion level, tone, chorus level, and the switch for the effects order. There were controls under the batter compartment for the chorus settings which were already set by the factory to a standard chorus sound.

I remember seeing these around occasionally back then but I don’t know how the actual sales were. As of this writing there are a couple of these on Ebay. One has a buy it now price of $119. Not a bad price for a two in one pedal.

Attack of the mini amps

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 07:53:00 +0000

When I was a kid learning to play guitar, one of the dreams I had often was of the day I would have a full stack behind me. A head and a couple of 4x12 cabinets were the be all end all for every guitar player I knew.
The site of the metal stage shows of the day with multiple rows of full stacks behind the band only fueled the fire. While the full stack may still have a place in the guitar world a trend towards the compact tube amplifier has surfaced and there are quite a few choices.
I haven’t played all of these amps but I thought I would do a little round up of what’s out there for the guitarists who are looking for a big sound without the back breaking weight of a full stack. Here’s a roundup of some great entries in the 30 watt or less all tube amps.
Vox night train

Channels: 1
Tubes:2 12ax7 2 el84
Output: 15 watts
loop: no
Reverb: no
street Price: $500
Head only

Orange Tiny Terror

Channels: 1
Tubes:2 12ax7 2 el84
Output: 15 watts
loop: no
Reverb: no
Head or Combo
street Price: $600 head $900 combo

Orange Dual Terror

Channels: 2

Tubes: 4 12ax7 4 el84

Output: 30 watts

loop: no

Reverb: no

Head Only

street Price:head $900

Epiphone Valve Jr.

Channels: 1

Tubes: 1 12ax7 1 el84

Output: 5 watts

loop: no

Reverb: no

Head or combo

street Price:head $129 combo $159

Fender Pro Jr.

Channels: 1

Tubes: 2 12ax7 2 el84

Output: 15 watts

loop: no

Reverb: no

combo only

street Price: $399

Fender Blues Jr.

Channels: 1 (with Fat switch)

Tubes: 3 12ax7 2 el84

Output: 15 watts

loop: no

Reverb: Yes

combo only

street Price: $599

Blackheart BH5H

Channels: 1

Tubes: 1 12ax7 1 el84

Output: 5 watts

loop: no

Reverb: no

Head only

street Price:head $199

Marshall Haze

Channels: 2

Tubes: 3 ecc83 2 6v6

Output: 15 watts

loop: no

Reverb: yes

Head Only

street Price:head $599

Blackstar HT5

Channels: 2

Tubes: 1 12ax7 1 12bh7

Output: 5 watts

loop: yes

Reverb: no

Head or combo

street Price:head $399 Combo $499

Egnater Rebel 20

Channels: 1

Tubes: 3 12ax7 2 6v6 2 el84

Output: 20 watts

loop: yes

Reverb: no

Head only

street Price:head $599

Egnater Rebel 30

Channels: 2

Tubes: 3 12ax7 2 6v6 2 el84

Output: 30 watts

loop: yes

Reverb: yes

Head or combo

street Price:head $799 1x12 combo $899

Mesa Express 5:25

Channels: 2

Tubes: 5 12ax7 2 el84

Output: 25 watts

loop: yes

Reverb: yes

Head or combo

street Price:head $1099 1x12 combo $1229

Mesa Transatlantic

Channels: 2

Tubes: 4 12ax7 2 el84

Output: 25 watts

loop: no

Reverb: no

Head only

street Price: $900 (unconfirmed)

Looking forward to 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:27:00 +0000

Happy New Year everyone. The holidays have been busy and I have been running myself ragged. Usually around this time of the year people reflect on the year past and discuss what the new year may have in store. I think I'll just ponder the new year and leave 2009 where it is.

So what does the new year have in store for the guitar universe? NAMM is coming up and I'm sure there will be some cool new toys making an appearance. Rumor has it Van Halen is gonna do another round of touring. Of course Guitar Hero and Rock Band will surely continue to dominate the video game market.

I am eager to see what the new decade has in store for us. Guitar has made a bit of a comeback in the first part of the new millennium leaving the non guitar oriented 90's for dead. I hope that great guitar playing can continue to flourish in the mainstream.

RockGuiarLife will celebrate it's first birthday this month. I'm not sure how big a deal I will make out of it, I'm a simple guitar blogger in a big internet. However small, it is a milestone for me as I wasn't sure how I would fare in this space.

I'd like to hear from the readers on what you think the new year/millennium will have in store for us. Also let me know how you think RGL can improve.

Scott

Recording Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:25:00 +0000

Nearly every musician these days has a home recording set up. Long gone are the archaic 4 track cassette recorders of the 80's. Todays home recording musicians have some great tools at their fingertips. Now that we have the gear we need the know how. Here are a few great resources to help produce some great tracks.

Mix Magazine
Although many of the articles deal with professional studios, their buyers guides and gear reviews can be very helpful in deciding what that next studio purchase will be. There are some cool webcasts that deal with the recording process as well.

Homerecordingconnection.com
This site is full of tips, blogs,and message boards. You can get some ideas of what others are doing to get their songs to sound their best.

Homerecordingtips.org
Lots of great ideas and articles here. They also have a tip of the month highlighting a particular area of the recording process. Very easy to read and comprehend.

Ronan's Recording Show
Ronan's Recording Show is a webcast about recording. Some of this may be over my head a little but it's great to hear some of this stuff straight from a guy who has made his living behind a mixing desk for many years.

Yestergear: Fender Prodigy

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:44:00 +0000

The guitar market is a difficult thing to nail down. By the time you think you have an idea of what is in, things start changing. Today’s yestergear is a guitar from the early 90’s that was in between two markets, the superstrats of the 1980’s and the back to basics classic models that made a big resurgence in the 90’s. Sounds perfect but it didn’t last.

Fender Prodigy

The Fender Prodigy was produced between 1991 and 1993. It retained some of the characteristics popular on the superstrats of the previous decade like the HSS pickup configuration and locking trem (prodigy II). It’s body was a little sleeker and streamlined and the controls were one volume and one tone. Still, it looked somewhat like a strat.

The parts were manufactured in Mexico and assembled in the US, but this guitar just didn’t find it’s mark. The superstrats were on their way out and the vintage style strats were back en vogue. I’ve played a few of these and they were solid guitars. I guess it’s like I said, just when Fender thought a less flashy superstrat would be a hit, it just didn’t click with players.

As of this writing there are a few on ebay with buy it now prices from $389 to $799. Seems like these still can’t find their mark.

Live on your DVD player

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Home video’s are a staple for any band these days. Some are behind the scenes, some are strictly concert video, some are both. Here are some of my favorite music related home videos.

The Ultimate Ozzy

This mid 80’s release is one hell of a video. Filmed during the tour for his album The Ultimate Sin the Ozzman and his band are in top form.

Particularly stunning is the guitar work of Jake E. Lee. it’s no secret that Jake had chops but his solo on this video is truly amazing.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666

Follow Iron Maiden on their world tour in this DVD. With the name like Flight 666 you would think Satan himself was flying the plane. Flying you around the world in this video is none other than Maiden frontman Bruce Dickenson.

This video shows off the band on stage as well as behind the scenes. What you get is a great look at a band that is still rocking as hard as they did 30 years ago.

Metallica:A year and a half in the life of part 1 & 2

This unprecedented look into the lives of the most successful and popular metal band is an eye opening experience. From the beginning of the recording of the “Black” album to the two year long tour to support it, cameras captured every moment.

The video also features interviews with the band, live footage, and music videos from the black album. A must for anyone who wants to see the world through Metallica’s eyes.

Kissology Vol1, 2, and 3

I couldn’t just pick one. But any one of these box sets will provide you with several DVD’s full of Kiss concert footage, interviews, some behind the scenes. These videos are a very complete look at the world of Kiss. Be prepared to spend a lot of time at your TV and take in all the Kisstory you can handle.

Rockin wrapping paper

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:46:00 +0000

I stumbled across the coolest wrapping paper I have ever seen. Iron Maiden is selling official Maiden wrapping paper on their site.This is the perfect paper to wrap a gift for the metal fan in your life.

Cool new guitar stocking stuffers

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:45:00 +0000

The holiday season is upon us. The turkey dinner’s are over, the lights are going up and it’s time to start shopping. Guitarists are a difficult bunch to buy for since what they really want is a new guitar, amp or some other expensive piece of equipment.

Here are a few cool stocking stuffers for that Axe player in your life.

Coffin Wall Hanger

At $9.99 this is not only an affordable way to hang a guitar, it’s cool too.

Korg Pitchjack tuner

This isn’t going to replace your pedal tuner or a regular tuner but it’s a handy little backup to have in your gig bag. $19.99 is a little dough for piece of mind that you are in tune.

Planet Waves Chordmaster

It’s a chord library as well as a tuner and a metronome. This little device is a must for any guitarist. $39.99

Hercules I Stand

this compact stand is a revolutionary design. it will fit in you gig bag so you’ll never be without it. $34.95

Bullet Cables

These cables comes with attitude to spare. You axe slinger will smile from ear to ear over one of the many menacing designs. $19.99 and up.

Also check out these previous posts about great gifts for musicians.

http://www.rockguitarlife.com/2009/01/20-gadgets-for-working-musicians.html

http://www.rockguitarlife.com/2009/09/novelty-guitar-gifts_20.html

Yestergear: Yamaha JX50 Amplifier

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:49:00 +0000

This week I went back to my early guitar playing days for our piece of gear from days gone by. This was a piece of gear I personally owned. This was a piece of gear near and dear to me. This was my first serious amp.

Yamaha JX50 Amplifier

The Yamaha JX50 was a 50 watt solid state amplifier. The controls were Volume (pull gain), master volume,treble,middle,bass, and a 3 position FAT switch. There was a control for reverb (footswitchable as well) and a headphone jack. There were also high and low inputs.

This was a pretty decent amp. It had a smooth creamy kind of distortion. Good for some rock stuff but not quite dirty or edgy enough for heavier stuff. I always goosed mine with a DOD 250 overdrive. The FAT switch allowed you to dial in some interesting tones. I can’t remember where I set mine to be honest. It was only a single channel so you had to pick whether you wanted to run clean and get your dirt from pedals or just dime the gain and go for broke.

I don’t know exactly what year this amp was released but I picked my up used in 1984. As of this writing I could not find any listings on ebay. I guess if you got one you either dig it or just figure it’s not worth selling. I had mine for about 9 or 10 years and it was my main amp for 5 of those years.

Bass in your face: The coolest rock bassists

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:20:00 +0000

I know this is RockGuitarLife but I want to take some time to give a shout out to the baddest bassists in rock music. So many times the bass player is a guy standing in the back thumping out a bass line. Hardly anyone notices him. The guys I’m talking about today are the most in your face, I’m gonna give the lead singer a run for his money bassists.

Nikki Sixx

Sixx is a force of nature on the Crue stage. Not only does he keep the low end pounding but also keeps the audience in the palm of his hands. He knows just how to get peoples attention and keep it.

Steve Harris

Steve Harris is a machine. This guy pulses out some of the heaviest galloping bass lines in the world. With all that going on you couldn’t fault him if he laid back by the drum riser. Well he has a different idea about where the bass should be. Front and center with no apologies.

Cliff Burton

it’s been 26 years since Burton’s death but his legend lives on. The man responsible for the monstrous bass lines in “For whom the bell tolls” was also responsible for some of the most intense head banging on stage.

Duff McKagen

With his bass slung low, McKagen emits confidence and cool on stage yet he is no poser. His up front presence is never overstated or arrogant. His bass playing backs up all the attitude. From the melodic opening lines in “Sweet child of mine” to the bone crushing line in “Slither”, McKagen brings plenty to the show.

Gene Simmons

The God of Thunder himself. I don’t think I even need to explain why this man is here. He is the driving force behind Kiss both instrumentally and otherwise. From the fire breathing to the blood spitting this man generated enough shock and awe to last a life time. Add to that the fact that the bass lines he plays are both musical and heavy and you have one hell of a showman.

Guitar Comedy

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:25:00 +0000

It’s late at night. I’ve been recording. Strange things make me laugh right now. I was going to write a serious post but what the hell. Lets all have a laugh.

Here are a few comedy guitar videos for your viewing pleasure.

Have a great day. I’m going to sleep.

Yestergear: Guitar gear from days gone by

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

With so many gear heads firmly stuck on vintage gear there is a wealth of information praising the great gear from the past. What about the stuff that either has no love from the vintage world, isn’t quite vintage yet, or just plain old got bypassed for the next thing. That’s where I come in.

I intend to make the Yestergear post a semi regular (at least once a month) occurrence. Each post will focus on a piece of gear from our guitar playing past.

Today's gear is the Roland DEP 5.

One of the first Multi Effects units on the market, The Roland DEP 5 was a landmark piece of equipment. With chorus,reverb,delay, and EQ you could dial in two effects at one time. Presets could be stored and called up again via the front panel , momentary footswitch (to scroll through presets) or MIDI. There were several algorithms offering series and parallel routing combining reverb or delay with the chorus in various configurations. All of this was then run through the EQ section to tailor the sound even further.

This unit was a breakthrough for guitarists. Now one rack unit could handle multiple effects settings. By today’s standards this looks like a kindergartener’s rack effect buck back in the 80’s this unit was in high demand.

I never did get one but man I had GAS for one for a long time. They can still be had on Ebay. As of this writing there are a few with a buy it now price anywhere from $100-$200