Musik Indonesia

Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX Preamp/Effect Processor

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:47:00 +0000

Classic pro audio effect processors like the Eventide H3000 and T.C. Electronic TC 2290 sound great with guitars. But because they were designed primarily for studio and live sound applications, they’re not always easy for guitarists to use onstage, and some of their effects aren’t ideal for guitars. Meanwhile, most effect processors that are designed exclusively for guitar may provide plenty of great distortion tones, useful effects and the performance capabilities that guitarists need, but they often lack the sophisticated processing capabilities and otherworldly sound quality that studio processors offer.

The Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX preamp/effect processor combines the state-of-the-art processing capabilities of studio effect processors with features that guitarists need, such as a full selection of guitar-oriented effects, versatile external-controller capabilities and incredibly expressive and detailed simulations of amps, distortions and cabinets. By combining preamp and multi-effect capabilities in one unit, Axe-FX is truly an all-in-one “tone zone” for guitarists who demand pro-quality sound throughout the entire signal chain.

FEATURES

With its large LCD, rotary data wheel and various buttons and knobs, the Axe-FX looks similar to a typical two-unit rack-mountable guitar processor, but beneath its faceplate resides a powerful 500MHz dual-core processor that can run 10 to 12 exceptionally sophisticated effects at once. The Axe-FX has a wide variety of popular effects, including compression, graphic and parametric EQ, distortion/fuzz, chorus, flanging, rotary, wah, delay and reverb, and each effect provides a comprehensive selection of parameters that you can edit in fine detail. You can arrange individual effects in any order and in series or parallel, allowing you to program unusual sound effects or emulate just about any effect setup you can imagine.

Unlike most digital amp-modeling products, which provide reasonable emulations of various amps but also limit you to the features and controls of their hardware equivalents, the Axe-FX’s amp-simulation section allows you to combine the tonal and distortion characteristics of nearly 50 amps with any feature set you’d like. For example, you can build a tweed-style amp with master volume and a full set of EQ controls, presence, brightness, damping and more—you can even adjust the center frequency of the EQ controls to your preference. The cabinet simulator section is similarly deep, providing a comprehensive selection of speaker options—from 1x6 and 1x8 to a variety of 4x12 cabinets.

The rear panel of the Axe-FX unit offers just about every input and output jack a guitarist would ever need, including 1/4-inch stereo unbalanced inputs, 1/4-inch unbalanced and XLR balanced stereo outputs, a stereo effect loop, RCA and XLR digital I/O, MIDI In/Out/Thru and two pedal/footswitch jacks for connecting external controllers without hassling with MIDI. A single 1/4-inch unbalanced input jack is also conveniently located on the front panel, allowing you to plug in with having to do the rack reach-around.

PERFORMANCE

The Axe-FX may look a lot like those dreaded multi-effect processors from the Eighties, but its logically arranged interface and large LCD make it easy to program and edit new sounds and setups. You still may need to scroll through several pages to get to the effect and parameter that you want to edit, but most major tweaks (like the ones you may need to do during a gig) can be accessed from an effect’s Basic page, which is the first page that comes up when an effect is selected in Edit mode.

The sound quality of each effect is absolutely stunning, rich and three dimensional, even when several effects are combined together, delivering that elusive refined, pro quality similar to the beloved H3000 and TC 2290. The reverb algorithms sound like those of high-end stand-alone studio units, delivering smooth tails and exceptional depth. Even the compressor and equalizer effects sound comparable to professional studio units. Unlike most guitar effect processors, the flanger has 16 adjustable parameters instead of the usual three or four, resulting in a sound that is remarkably deep. The wah even lets you set minimum and maximum frequency values so you make the sweep as narrow or wide as you want.

But for guitarists, the main reason to invest in an Axe-FX unit is its amp and cabinet simulation sections. For less than the cost of a boutique amplifier, Axe-FX provides a complete selection of just about every amp and speaker combination a player could ever need, for tones that range from jazzy solid-state clean to classic overdriven tweed to modern high gain. The Axe-FX’s sophisticated processing power allows the amp and cabinet-simulation programs to deliver the feel and response of playing through the “real thing.” The tones that I heard coming through my JBL 6328P monitors actually sounded better and more lively than tones I’ve captured using various combinations of high-end mics and classic amps in the studio.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Axe-FX effectively destroys any notions that guitars and digital processing don’t mix. This powerful processor delivers stunning, expressive tones and effects that most players would have difficulty achieving with even the finest analog gear. Considering the vast universe of sounds residing in this unit, it’s an exceptional bargain for anyone who wants to simplify their studio and live performance rigs without making any sacrifices whatsoever. In fact, it may be the last guitar processor many players will ever need to buy.

Orange Amplifiers Limited-Edition OR50 Amplifier

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Orange's limited edition OR50 is a fitting and modern tribute to company’s 40th anniversary and the “Pics Only” amp that made Orange a household name.

Orange Amplifiers is sometimes referred to as Britain’s first boutique amp maker. The company’s namesake orange attire is unmistakable, as is its mix of classic Brit-type midrange punch and densely detailed top end. For a short time in the Seventies, Orange amplifiers were among the most popular in amplification, but the company never kept up with the demand for its products until recently.

Over the past couple of years, thanks in large part to the brilliance of amp designer Adrian Emsley, Orange has made up a lot of ground and is again becoming the hot ticket for superstars that range from Prince to Slipknot. Its latest achievement is the limited-edition OR50, a 40th anniversary tribute to both the company and the venerated 1972 “Pics Only” amp, so named for its use of pictographs on the front panel in place of descriptive text. The OR50 is more like a modern interpretation than a reissue, and it easily achieves everything from dimensionally diverse clean sounds to maniacally morose mega-gain tones.

FEATURES

Impeccable build quality is part of the Orange Amplifiers legacy, and this is well evidenced in the OR50. Everything on this amp is nicely overbuilt, from the custom eight-leaf transformers to the superduty basic components and 2mm-thick chassis. It’s easy to see the high-end audio influence that undoubtedly inspired Orange’s massive rack handles and oversized control dials. Inside, two EL34 power tubes generate the amp’s 50 watts, and three 12AX7s produce tons of front-end gain without clouding the signal’s dimension. On the backside, there are three speaker outputs: two eight-ohm and a single 16-ohm. Although the OR50 is a single-channel affair, the amp’s variety of gain and EQ settings manages to eclipse a number of multichannel super amps.

Like the “Pics Only” amp, the OR50 features icons common to engineering and music on its Plexiglas front panel to indicate each control’s function. Controls include gain, bass, treble, middle, HF (High-Frequency) Drive and master volume. Orange calls the HF Drive knob the amp’s “secret weapon” because it simultaneously increases presence and poweramp gain. This translates to attack and intensity, which can be dialed to achieve tones that range from angelic to anarchic. The master volume allows highgain tones at low volumes and spanking clean tones at extreme volumes. If you prefer the shortest possible signal path and most organic escalation of volume and gain, the master volume can be defeated with an optional footswitch that plugs directly into the front panel.

PERFORMANCE

Orange's OR50 is like a living entity, because its harmonic response doesn’t always behave as expected. The amp’s dynamic power and preamp section fire overtones like pellets from a shotgun: no two patterns are exactly the same; they always have a wide impact and they bloom unpredictably. This is the joy of playing a truly great tube amp; it responds to every touch and can be adjusted to complement any guitar or style of music. Even though this is an EL34-driven amplifier, it reveals all of a Stratocaster’s round jangle, rattling lows and chiming sparkle.

Likewise, my Les Paul’s woody warmth came through the Orange with a tone that was smoky and sweet, rather than dark and mellow. With the gain pushed past nine o’clock, the tone grew touch-sensitive fur that was ideal for blues or classic rock. Turning the volume high at this gain level made the amp churn out inspiring Angus Young tones. Moving the gain past the 12 o’clock position introduced mean and saturated tones, culminating in a symphony of high-gain nuance. This thick distortion is definitely heavy enough to play metal, and the Orange’s characteristically wide note separation remains fully intact at these settings. An attractive byproduct of this is an almost hollow resonance, which adds dimensionality rarely heard in the company of high gain. Even more attack, gain, harmonics and power amp distortion can be created through careful manipulation of the HF Drive circuit.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Orange's limited edition OR50 is a fitting and modern tribute to company’s 40th anniversary and the “Pics Only” amp that made Orange a household name. The special high-frequency power amp circuit and uniquely tuned controls prove that you don’t need a lot of knobs to achieve a phenomenal range of tones.

Jackson Demmelition King V Electric Guitar

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Guitarists who want an extreme machine to deliver the ultimate heavy tones need look no further than Jackson’s Demmelition Phil Demmel signature guitar.

Phil Demmel's blend of old-school punk rock intensity and hardcore aggression propels the veteran thrash metal band Machine Head. Because Demmel’s sound is so distorted and seemingly unrefined, it would be natural to assume that any guitar with a high-powered pickup and a Floyd Rose trem would allow a player to recreate his tone. In reality, Demmel requires a very special set of guitar characteristics to help him create his super-heavy vintage-modern assault.

Demmel recently teamed with Jackson Guitars and incorporated these specs into the new Phil Demmel signature model King V, which has been aptly named the Demmelition. There’s nothing timid or reserved about the Demmelition’s bombastic, bowel-loosening assault, yet it’s a very tonally balanced instrument.

FEATURES

Dangerous-looking pointed guitars are used by scores of metallists as a symbol of their aggression, but when built properly, these wild shapes also achieve precise musical goals. For example, the Demmelition comes from the factory with massive .011–.056 GHS Boomers drop-tuned to B. The extended wings work like a tuning fork to help these nearly infrasonic tones develop fully and make the guitar shake with resonance. Lightweight alder is used in the Demmelition’s V wings for its ability to clarify upper midrange and add punch to the big bass notes.

For added stability and sustain, the Demmelition is built with maple neck-through-body construction. Like most high-end maple necks, the Demmelition’s is quarter-sawn to protect against warping or twisting. Stone-hard ebony is used for the fretboard and cut on a compound radius that begins at 12 inches and flattens gradually to a hammer-friendly 16 inches above the 12th fret. Nearly invisible black binding wraps the 22-fret board, and super-jumbo wire is used to make fretting easy and maximize the volume from those massive strings. The neck isn’t thin, but it’s consistent and has a wide and flat hill that complements metal fret-hand movements. It’s also recalls the playability that made Jackson guitars famous in the early shred years.

A classic set of metal-style pickups—an EMG-81 (bridge) and an EMG-60 (neck)—deliver power and detuned clarity. Although the model 81 is typically paired with an 85 in the neck position, the ceramic-based model 60 is the best choice if you really want to hear destructive rhythm tones and wailing neck leads from heavy strings. Each pickup is hardwired to its own volume pot, and a three-way blade lets you select the pickups alone or in combination. An Original Floyd Rose double-locking trem imparts a classic metallic resonance upon the diabolic King V. Some other nice touches on the Demmelition are an inlaid mother-of-pearl Jackson headstock logo, CTS pots, a positive-feeling Switchcraft switch and beveled body edges.

PERFORMANCE

Jackson makes many sonically multifaceted guitars. The Demmelition is unapologetically not one of them. This wicked-winged flyer is purpose built for high gain, extreme lows and greasy-fat leads. At the same time, its maple neck-through construction, ebony fretboard and ceramic EMGs deliver enough treble enhancement to define the Demmelition’s powerful detuned bass tones and make screaming high-end tones second nature.

Through an amp like my modified Mesa Rectifier, the Demmelition sent shockwaves of sound across the stage and awakened Godzilla-roar overtones when I chugged through power chords or dive-bombed the low B string. In addition to its massive tone, the Demmelition generated astonishing sustain in the upper registers, allowing bent notes to be held for well over 15 seconds! The EMGs had no trouble delivering clean and warm tones that sound completely unprocessed.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Guitarists who want an extreme machine to deliver the ultimate heavy tones need look no further than Jackson’s Demmelition Phil Demmel signature guitar. The name says it all: brutal assaults, unrivaled destructive power, truly unbelievable sustain and old-school Jackson Soloist-style playability.

IK Multimedia AmpliTube Metal Amp-Emulation Software

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Searing tone and an authentic hard rock vibe make IK’s AmpliTube Metal a great tool for exploring rock’s extremes.

A selling point of guitar modelers is that they can recreate any sound you, your family, your friends or a casual passerby could ever want. That degree of variety and versatility is great when you’re producing music in many styles, but it can be overkill when your focus is on one type of music.

IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube Metal, which can run as a stand-alone or as a plug-in, is a slimmed-down version of its flagship AmpliTube software. Like the company’s AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix, it eschews the kitchen-sink approach and focuses on one style. Which is not to say it doesn’t deliver sonic variety: AmpliTube Metal can go from a whisper to a scream and do everything in between.

FEATURES

Like other versions of AmpliTube, Metal offers a complete signal path—actually, two signal chains that can include different amps, cabinets, stomp boxes and rack effects. At its core are four hard-rocking amps, including the Peavey 5150, Randall Warhead, Marshall JMP1959 Mk I and the Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier, (IK offer separate amp models for the Recto’s “green” and “red” channels). One of the program’s coolest features is its ability to mix and match amp components, allowing you to use, for example, the Marshall’s preamp with the Peavey’s power section.

Amps are automatically matched to appropriate cabinets, but there are actually 13 to choose from (in addition to Peavey, Mesa and Marshall fare, there are a couple of Fenders). All of these are variations on the 4x12 configuration, and while that definitely upholds the law of the metal jungle, it would have been nice to have some other options. Cabinets can be miked close or far with a range of virtual dynamic and condenser and dynamic mics from Shure, AKG, Neumann and Sennheiser. You can really sculpt the sound by changing and/or moving the mics.

The stomp box collection leans to the heavy side. Among the 14 included pedals are seven high-gain distortion boxes, including the Pro Co Rat, five Boss pedals and an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff π so realistic I could smell the Seventies when I powered it up. Other floor effects include generic 10-band EQ and delay plus models of Boss and MXR flangers, an MXR Phase 90, a Vox wah (which has Pedal and Auto- Wah modes) and the DigiTech Whammy Pedal. These effects all go in front of the amps (there’s no virtual effect loop) but you can also add effects like digital chorus, flanger, reverb, delay, harmonizer, pitch shift, graphic and parametric EQ, and tube compressor in the rack effects section.

In addition, there is a speed trainer that lets you load in audio files in a variety of formats, change their speed and pitch and play along—just the thing for mastering those Yngwie licks. It’s a very cool feature, although it’s available only when Metal is running as a stand-alone application.

PERFORMANCE

I've tested versions of AmpliTube in the past and have always come away impressed with not only its sound but also its “feel.” The amps are fun to play through, and some of the presets are inspiring.

Despite its focus on hard rock, Metal has enough range to cover any musical style, and many of the presets are good right out of the box. The high-gain tones are very compressed and tend to color the guitar’s tone—I couldn’t hear much difference on my S/S/H Strat when I toggled the pickup switch—but that’s the case with hardware high-gain rigs, too, especially when driven by a monster like the Big Muff. The effects sound great, and it’s nice to have a choice between the grungy stomp boxes and the cleaner rack gear. I would have liked more variety among the speaker cab selection, and it would be nice to be able to slide stomp boxes around the virtual pedal board to change their order, but other than those small complaints, Ampli-Tube Metal was pure gratification.

You don’t need IK’s slick StompIO to use AmpliTube Metal effectively, but it does add to the experience. In addition to providing 24-bit audio I/O via USB, the sturdy foot controller has 10 buttons and a built-in expression pedal, letting you turn effects on and off, operate the wah and whammy pedals, and select presets. Its metal chassis is tough enough to survive onstage.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Searing tone and an authentic hard rock vibe make IK’s AmpliTube Metal a great tool for exploring rock’s extremes.

Fender’s new David Gilmour Signature Series Stratocaster

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Fender takes David Gilmour’s famous “Black Strat” to its next stage of evolution with a pair of signature reproductions.

There are a handful of guitars that have shaped the sound of rock music, and indeed the course of rock history, with their distinctive tones. David Gilmour’s legendary “Black Strat” ranks high among this select company of instruments. This was the ax that the Pink Floyd guitarist wielded on Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, and on all three of his solo studio albums. The guitar was also with him at London’s Hyde Park for Pink Floyd’s 2005 reunion at Live 8.

Now aspiring David Gilmours everywhere can own a piece of the legend. Fender’s new David Gilmour Signature Series Stratocaster was carefully modeled after the original Black Strat. As usual with Fender Signature models, there will be a high-end, so-close-it’s-a-forgery Relic version of the instrument and a more affordable N.O.S. (New Old Stock) version.

The Strat was nothing special when Gilmour purchased it at Manny’s Music in New York in 1970, just an off-the-shelf late- Sixties Stratocaster. Gilmour bought it in a hurry to replace a Strat that had been stolen during a Pink Floyd U.S. tour. The guitar originally had a Sunburst finish, but it had been oversprayed with black paint at the factory as a custom finish. The Relic version of the Gilmour Signature Strat reproduces even this detail—the alder body features black lacquer sprayed over a three-color Sunburst finish. The N.O.S. version has simply a black nitrocellulose lacquer finish sprayed on an alder body.

Because the guitar was neither rare nor collectible when Gilmour bought it, he made it his “bodge-up guitar”—the instrument he’d experiment on by changing pickups and necks and drilling holes to add bits of circuitry that were later discarded. “The guitar was never treated with any reverence at all. It was just a working tool,” says longtime Gilmour guitar tech Phil Taylor, who worked closely with Fender to create the David Gilmour Signature Series Stratocaster. But because it was also a working tool, it was the guitar most likely to be in Gilmour’s hands when Pink Floyd were making history. The Black Strat first went into service on Pink Floyd’s 1970 album Atom Heart Mother and remained in heavy use throughout the group’s Seventies heyday. It is the guitar Gilmour played on the classic Floyd instrumental “Echoes” and for two of the three solos in “Money.” And this is the guitar that played what many fans regard as Gilmour’s greatest solo ever, the one in “Comfortably Numb.”

The Black Strat spent the years from 1983 to 1993 enshrined in display cases at various Hard Rock Cafe locations. When Gilmour took possession of it again in ’93, he outfitted it with a Fender ’57 Reissue Vintage Strat neck, which is the neck style used on the Gilmour Signature Strat as well. When the guitar made a high-profile return to the limelight at the Live 8 Pink Floyd reunion show, interest in Pink Floyd and the Black Strat reached a new level, and Fender got to work replicating the historic instrument as the David Gilmour Signature Strat.

The signature model reflects all the custom mods Gilmour implemented over the years, down to the shortened vintage vibrato arm that’s a key part of his technique. The historic process of replicating the guitar has been well documented: Phil Taylor published his own book, The Black Strat, based on research he did as part of the Fender project, and the folks at Fender have produced their own DVD that traces the full evolution of the David Gilmour Signature Stratocaster. A copy of Taylor’s book will be included with every Fender David Gilmour Signature Stratocaster, along with the three-disc version of Gilmour’s recently released concert extravaganza Live in Gdansk. (Guitar World published a full report on the Taylor book in the January 2008 issue.)

Look for an exclusive video on the making of the Black Strat replica, featuring Gilmour and Phil Taylor, on the CD-RO M that will accompany the March issue of Guitar World.

Phil Jones Bass Super Flightcase BG-300 amp

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:38:00 +0000

While this upgraded model has way more guts than its predecessor, it

still relies on the acoustic environment to give you optimal
performance.

The original Phil Jones Bass Flightcase was a significant entrant in the micro-amp wars thanks to its high power-to-weight ratio and audiophile-quality tone. The diminutive portable quickly gained fans with upright bassists and among electric bassists that wanted high fidelity at low volume. But many denizens of the deep called out for more volume, more bottom and more power, all without more weight. Apparently, the folks at PJB have heard the call, and they have responded: Super Flightcase to the rescue!

FEATURES

The most obvious difference between the Super Flightcase BG-300 and the original Flightcase BG-150 is the speaker configuration. The original has two lightweight five-inch neodymium drivers pointed toward the audience and two facing straight up. The Super adds two more forward-facing speakers, which creates a full, “surround-sound” tone that radiates throughout the stage rather than being directional. The preamp is the same as in the BG-150, with an active/passive toggle that changes the input impedance from 4.7 megohm in Passive mode to 50kHz in Active, a feature that optimizes the tone of passive, active or piezo pickups.

A 250-watt Class A/B amp with a Switch Mode Power Supply (SMPS) drives the BG-300. Phil Jones states that a Class A/B amp gives a truer representation of the bass waveform, and the higher-frequency operation of the switching power supply increases its efficiency. The SMPS design forgoes the heavy transformer of conventional amps and thus is critical in keeping the amp’s weight at a very manageable 33 pounds.

The five-band EQ provides a wide spectrum of control that enables you to tune in a variety of useful bass sounds. As there is no tweeter in this rig, the 12kHz treble control is set to bring out the sparkle for a killer slap tone, while the low frequencies—Lo-Bass, @50Hz, and Hi-Bass, @160Hz—allow you to tune the bottom for maximum girth with minimal mud. The two bands of midrange—Lo-Mid, @630Hz, and Hi-Mid, @2.5kHz—provide fine control over presence and detail. With 18dB of boost and cut on all bands, the BG-300 is an extremely flexible tone shaper.

The optical limiter can be bypassed or adjusted with its own level control to provide a degree of safety when pushing the amp. Unlike many built-in limiting circuits, the PJB manages the level without squashing the life out of the attack. An effect loop, line out, headphone out, tuner out and a balanced DI with ground lift round out the BG-300’s feature set.

PERFORMANCE

Like the BG-150, the 300 is designed to work in conjunction with an acoustic environment. Three floor-level ports help couple the rig to the stage—which is, in part, how this quart-sized box achieves gallon-sized low end. The key to unlocking the amp’s maximum potential is to find the optimal distance off the stage’s back wall. By using the floor and walls you gain bottom that the amp itself won’t provide, but the upward facing speakers prevent the sound from being “absorbed” by the room.

While the increase in power and additional speaker coverage improve the 300’s high-volume capabilities, it’s obvious that this amp is not destined to be a big hit with the death metal crowd. Still, it performed admirably with a four-piece band with drums and electric guitar. Moving the amp around the stage, I was able to find the sweet spot that produced the most low end without losing clarity, and the cabinet handled the low B string without wheezing.

Employed with a gut-stringed upright bass on a roots/country gig, the BG-300 had plenty of naturally punchy bottom. Cranking the treble control brought out enough high end from my relatively dark-sounding Realist pickup to help the rockabilly slap technique cut through. Maxing the highs to that level is often accompanied by a lot of hiss, but the BG-300 is remarkably quiet, even when boosted to the extreme.

THE BOTTOM LINE

While this upgraded model has way more guts than its predecessor, it still relies on the acoustic environment to give you optimal performance. It might not be the best choice for an outdoor gig where you can’t take advantage of a back wall, or the resonance of a wooden stage. But in ideal conditions, the BG- 300 dishes out delicious, organic beef, with plenty to go around.

Bugera 6260 head & 412H-BK 4x12 cabinet

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:33:00 +0000

No question about it—the Bugera 6260/412H-BK is an impressive gigworthy

half stack that’s easily capable of hanging tough against more costly
rivals.

It's the biggest buzz in the amp world: Behringer, known for its wide range of amazingly affordable and primarily solid-state music gear, has entered the heavyweight tube-amp arena with a loud kerrang and a new brand: Bugera. Made in Behringer’s sprawling factory complex in Zhongshan, China, the Bugera line boldly debuts with nine new models: four highpowered heads, four open-back combos (featuring essentially the same circuitry as the heads but with inverted chassis) and a slant-front 4x12 speaker cabinet.

To check out this new line, I’ve selected the most stripped-down (and thusly the most affordable) Bugera head—the 6260—and coupled it with the 412H-BK cabinet to form the most basic building block of rock: the classic half stack.

FEATURES

The 6260 shares many key components with its Bugera cousins, something that reduces production costs. In addition to having similar chassis metalwork and cabinetry dimensions, the models share the same power and output transformer designs. An amp’s transformers are typically its most expensive components, and the output transformer is an especially important contributor to overall tone quality. According to Behringer’s eponymous head-honcho, Uli Behringer, the company developed and refined the intricate design details and sound of the Bugera’s output transformer for more than a year. With that kind of boutique-like obsession for detail, it’s clear the Bugera team is truly serious.

Like all of the Bugera amp designs, the 6260 sports four output tubes (and all of the tubes reside in high-quality ceramic sockets). And for you tone tweakers, all of the Bugeras are fitted with a switch that adapts the amp for either 6L6 or EL34 operation, and a conveniently located top-mounted bias adjustment pot with RCA test-jack makes it easy to check and fine tune your amp’s bias on the fly.

Speaking of tubes, Bugera boasts an impressive in-house tube testing facility. I visited the Behringer/Bugera factory last November, and the large tube testing room was abuzz with people busily testing tubes using special burn-in and matching rigs. They also use actual Bugera combos for critical testing of microphonics. The 12AX7s are carefully graded by their resistance to microphonics, and they’re selected for their final use accordingly. Uli Behringer said only five percent of the 12AX7s are selected for the most critical “A” grade applications. More good news: Bugera also plans to offer a full line of replacement tubes, so keep your eyes pealed for some sweet deals on great tubes.

PERFORMANCE

The 6260 forms an especially synergistic bond with the uncommonly deep-, rich- and smooth-sounding Bugera 412H-BK 4x12 speaker cabinet. It’s clear that the Bugera crew did a lot study and experimentation to design speakers that so perfectly complement the sound of the head; you really have to hear them together to get the complete Bugera experience. The amazing thing is the Bugera speakers are made inhouse. It’s easy to understand why the speakers match the head so perfectly when you see first-hand how Bugera’s unique manufacturing capabilities allow the company to fine-tune speaker performance so readily. Very few amp manufacturers can stake a claim to that kind of capability.

The 6260/412H-BK half stack is a serious rock machine. And while the Clean channel is indeed capable of crisp and punchy clean tones (especially with vintage-style single-coil pickups), this rig was clearly born to rock. Engaging the Clean channel’s Crunch mode punches up the gain with a more aggressive upper-midrange emphasis that barks with Rottweiler-like authority, and amazingly, it’s equally effective with single-coils or humbuckers.

The Lead channel increases the gain with more perfectly voiced upper-midrange emphasis and a leaner, trimmer and more percussive low end that handles low-tuned and seven-string guitars surprisingly well. Despite these characteristics, the Lead channel sounds fat thanks to the cab’s exceptional low-end depth. It’s truly amazing how seamlessly both amp channels work together and how many great sounds are available from so few controls.

THE BOTTOM LINE

No question about it—the Bugera 6260/412H-BK is an impressive gigworthy half stack that’s easily capable of hanging tough against more costly rivals. It’s destined to become a hit with budget-minded rockers and I suspect we’ll be seeing them on some big-time stages real soon too. The real bottom line: Bugera is for real. I’ve seen it all and I’m a believer.

Boulder Creek ECR-3N Solitaire Acoustic-Electric Guitar

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:30:00 +0000

The Solitaire's “exotic” design is really more about function than form.

You may not be aware of this, but playing an acoustic guitar could be the most unselfish act a guitarist could make. Because an acoustic guitar’s sound projects outward from the sound hole, the fullest and most harmonically rich sound is heard a few feet away from the guitar by listeners who are positioned directly in front of the sound hole. The player’s ears are located above and just behind the sound hole, so the player has to settle for hearing tones that aren’t quite as rich and robust.

Despite this fact, most acoustic guitar designs feature a sound hole that is located just below where the end of the fingerboard meets the body. In addition to providing a less than ideal monitoring situation for the player, this design actually prevents the top from doing much of what it was designed to do in the first place—vibrate freely and project the full range of frequencies that a string can produce.

Boulder Creek’s new Solitaire models present a logical solution to these design quirks by placing the sound hole on the side of the guitar and facing it up toward the player, leaving the soundboard hole-free. A special bracing design allows the top to flex freely and still provide ample strength to support the strings. Surprisingly, this innovation is offered on a very affordable line of instruments that includes cutaway acoustic-electric models, like the ECR-3N that I auditioned for this review.

FEATURES

From the front, ECR-3N looks like a typical dreadnought cutaway acoustic model except for the absence of a sound hole in its top. Materials include a solid cedar top, solid mahogany back, laminated mahogany sides and a 20-fret rosewood fingerboard—all the usual suspects. The 18:1 tuners boast wood buttons, and they’re mounted on a distinctive jagged-shaped headstock that evokes a mountain crest.

The side-mounted sound hole is surrounded by a plastic ring that makes it look like a drink holder, but you won’t want to put your Bud in there. The built-in AB4-T preamp system is mounted just above this sound hole in the typical location you’d expect to find acoustic-electric controls. The preamp features four EQ bands (brilliance, treble, middle, bass) with slider controls, a volume knob, a phase in/out switch and a chromatic tuner that automatically bypasses the output when the tuner is switched on. Outputs include a 1/4-inch unbalanced jack and a balanced XLR jack.

The side-mounted sound hole is very clever, but the true genius of the Solitaire’s design is its Suspended Bracing System (a.k.a. SBS), which features two aluminum bars aligned in the same direction as the neck and strings and affixed to the guitar’s soundboard at the top, bridge and bottom, which allows the soundboard to flex freely. Instead of the usual assortment of braces, crossbars and struts used on a traditional crossbracing design, the SBS uses just a simple wooden “X”-brace to stabilize the soundboard.

PERFORMANCE

Most untraditional designs seem more like a novelty than an actual improvement, but the Solitaire’s side-mounted sound hole and SBS deliver on their promises. The guitar produces very full and loud tones that project directly toward the guitarist. You can instantly hear the difference in the treble and midrange, which no longer seems to fight against the bass the way they do on a traditional dreadnought. But even without the sound hole, the tone and volume output still sounds just as good to listeners sitting in front of the guitar. This is probably because the suspended bracing really lets the soundboard do the job it was originally designed to do.

Plugged in the ECR-3N sounds even better. The AB4-T system features a one-piece cable-type saddle transducer that produces warm, natural tone without the annoying piezo “quack” and with all the enhanced treble and midrange frequencies that the guitar produces naturally. Although its great to have four EQ bands to adjust, you really don’t need to tweak the EQ much, if at all, to get very attractive amplified acoustic tone. And the side-mounted sound hole eliminates the need for a monitor, since it pushes the sound directly at you at a volume level loud enough to be heard over a band.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Solitaire's “exotic” design is really more about function than form. These seemingly simple innovations make playing the instrument a very satisfying experience both for the player—as intended—but also for the audience, who get to enjoy tone that’s as good as what the player hears. Finally, a win-win situation.

Eternity Master Custom Legend ET electric guitar

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Most new guitar companies are focused on creating low-cost products, while a few are firmly committed to serving the high-end market, whose well-heeled players are willing to spend more than $2,000 on a high-quality instrument, as long as it delivers something that is truly inspiring. The new Eternity Guitar Company combines both attributes by manufacturing inspirational instruments at all price levels. While its lower priced products are made in China, Eternity’s high-end instruments, like the Master Custom Legend ET that I reviewed this issue, are designed and built in the United States by master luthier John Carruthers, a legend in the guitar community.

FEATURES

Carruthers rendered the ET’s body in ash and used a superior chambered design that allows the wood’s full tonal characteristic to shine while it avoids the pitfalls of a semihollow design. The guitar’s two alnico-magnet pickups are custom wound in-house to accentuate the body’s full lows and smooth balance. Likewise, the heavy-duty cast hardware supports a controlled tonal response that is free from feedback-causing overtones.

The ET has a bolt-on “C”-shaped lacquered maple neck. It’s not a fat stick, but it’s substantial enough to stabilize the body’s resounding resonance when the strings are hit hard. The rosewood fingerboard has 22 frets and a flat, 14-inch radius that accommodates modern styles. The compensated scale length maximizes intonation accuracy, and fretwork and setup were outstanding.

PERFORMANCE

Don't let the Eternity’s familiar shape and pickup layout fool you—the guitar sounds nothing like a Telecaster. To the contrary, it’s loud and reverberant; warm, mellow and particularly clear tones are this guitar’s forte. Unlike a lot of chambered-bodied guitars, the ET is capable of stout, thumping power chords and firm chunky lows. These qualities remain even when the guitar is used with distortion, and no matter what I did, it was impossible to make the ET feed back or sound noisy. The neck pickup was very open, round and devoid of the muddy tone and thin highs associated with similar-looking pickups. Bridge pickup tones were gutsy and fat, with no honking midrange.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Eternity's Master Custom Legend ET is for the player who wants a Telestyle guitar that has the punch of a solid body and the subtle echoing resonance of a chambered design. The flat fingerboard, long-sustain and exceptionally well-behaved pickups are aimed at flattering modern styles and equipment.

Eternity Master Custom Legend ET electric guitar

LIST PRICE: $3,000.00

MANUFACTURER: Eternity Guitar, eternityguitars.com

Pro Top-notch build quality; balanced tone; versatility

Con Could benefit from modern neck shape

Originally printed in Guitar World, December 2008

Eternity's Master Custom Legend ET is for the player who wants a
Telestyle guitar that has the punch of a solid body and the subtle
echoing resonance of a chambered design.

Hughes & Kettner Statesman Amplifiers

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Vintage tube amps are highly sought after by guitarists who won’t settle for less than the cream and crunch of days gone by. There’s a good reason for that: many vintage amps simply got it right. Hughes & Kettner’s Statesman Series amplifiers don’t rely on modeling or digital voodoo to re-create classic tube sound—they are pure, 100% tube amps loaded with all the killer tone and mojo that vintage-amp lovers crave, but with modern twists that allow you to shape them across styles and even time.

Past meets present

Vintage amps typically do one or two things, and do them very well. This is generally because of the type of tubes and circuitry they contain. For example, a 12AX7 tube preamp coupled with 6L6 power tubes gives what's typically referred to as an "American" sound, due to the predominant use of 6L6 tubes in most U.S.-made vintage amps. These amps are celebrated for their loads of airy headroom on the clean side and a round, warm breakup when overdriven. However, in your typical vintage amp, nothing changes in the circuitry when the amp is pushed harder, so tonally speaking, what you get is what you get.

Hughes & Kettner's engineers have given the Statesman amps the most gratifying tube combinations and incorporated modern circuitry that actually restructures the preamp circuits and switches the current feedback when you switch from the Clean to Drive channels, allowing the power tubes to adjust perfectly to either preamp channel. Result: vintage tone that is more versatile than most vintage amps could ever approach.

Men of state

The Statesman family of amps offers a number of models to choose from—the DUAL EL84, QUAD EL84, and DUAL 6L6 combos, as well as the DUAL EL34 head and a 4x12 cabinet for half- and full-stack rigs. All utilize a 2 x 12AX7 preamp section, but each offers its own power tube section for a variety of power outputs, tones, and applications.

In addition to the varied power sections, there are some EQ and other control differences that give each of these amps its own versatile take on vintage tone. The DUAL EL84 and QUAD EL84 DUAL EL34 head and DUAL 6L6 combo offer separate EQs for each plus an additional master volume for the Drive channel. The DUAL and QUAD EL84 both employ a serial effects loop; the other two amps have a selectable serial/parallel loop. use a shared 3-band EQ for both channels, while the

Although they have their differences, there are some notable shared features that speak to the flexibility of the entire series. All Statesman amps come equipped with a phenomenal-sounding Accutronics spring reverb with a balance control to match the effect to your preference for each channel. Two very handy functions are the Twang and Boost switches for the Clean and Drive channels, respectively. Twang boosts the higher-end mids—perfect for chicken pickin' country rhythms or shimmering leads—while Boost ups the gain, taking the overdrive from a smooth '60s crunch to the scorching lead tones of the '80s.

Super-sized combos

The DUAL EL84 and QUAD EL84 combo models are identical except for the doubling of the EL84 tubes (hence power output) in the QUAD model. At 20 watts, the DUAL EL84 delivers plenty of volume and is perfect for guitarists playing clubs and other small venues, while the QUAD EL84 revs things up for those needing more headroom and volume.

Thanks to their EL84 power tubes, these combos deliver a classic, open-back clean sound that breaks up nicely with higher gain, perfect for the classic "British Invasion" sound. But the wonderful thing about these (and all the Statesman amps) is their ability to make sonic time jumps. Switch over to the Drive channel and you can easily call up '70s and '80s big rock sounds that you'd normally expect from a half stack.

The third combo in the Statesman series is also the most powerful—the 60-watt DUAL 6L6. This amp stands out due to its use of two 6L6 tubes in the power section. As mentioned earlier, 6L6 was the preferred tube for the big, classic American amps of the '50s and '60s. The DUAL 6L6 delivers the warm, rich clean tones many of those amps are revered for magnificently, as well as thick, creamy distortion with a modern edge.

Head games

For the ultimate in vintage versatility, pairing the 50-watt DUAL EL34 head with the Statesman 412 cabinet is the way to go. As its name suggests, two EL34 tubes make up the power section on this model. EL34s defined the sound of the British amps of the '60s that drove the British blues revival, and the DUAL EL34 certainly has that type of growl and punch.

However, like its fellow Statesmen, the DUAL EL34 is capable of so much more, including its impressive ability to reproduce the signature clean sound of an open-back combo. I admit I was a bit skeptical about this claim, but hearing is believing, and I am now a firm believer. The DUAL EL34 can also be used in a full-stack configuration via separate 4-, 8-, and 16-ohm outputs.

Back to the future

With its Statesman Series amplifiers, Hughes & Kettner has gone back to the roots of vintage tone. But rather than just delivering one or two signature sounds, by enhancing the circuitry and control sets, these amps deliver an incredibly wide range of classic tones. Whether you need vintage American twang or the throaty roar of a big British beast from days of old, look no further than the Statesman series. These amps are modern vintage, done right!

Features & Specs

All models:

2 x 12AX7 preamp section
Clean/Drive channels
Twang/Boost modes
Accutronics spring reverb
Adjustable reverb balance

Dual 6L6 combo/EL34 head:

60W/50W
2 x 6L6/2 x EL34 power section
3-band EQ per channel
Presence control
2 - 12" Eminence Rockdriver Cream speakers (Dual 6L6)
Selectable serial/parallel FX loop
Includes FS-3N footswitch

Dual EL84/Quad EL84 combos:

20W/40W
2 x EL84/4 x EL84 power section
Shared 3-band EQ
Serial FX loop
12" Eminence Rockdriver Cream speaker

TASCAM DP-004 Pocketstudio

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:28:00 +0000

TASCAM makes recording simple and fun again with the new DP-004 Portable Digital Pocketstudio. Based on our groundbreaking cassette Portastudios, the 4-track DP-004 retains its creative interface while updating the sound quality with CD-quality digital recording. Smaller than a paperback book, it’s portable enough to take anywhere, and built-in microphones make it perfect for capturing song ideas and rehearsals. Despite its compact design, the DP-004 retains the famously simple TASCAM Portastudio interface—so you can concentrate on making music.

Back to basics

Thirty years ago, TASCAM invented home recording with the Portastudio 144. This breakthrough recorder allowed musicians to put together their own multitrack recordings for the first time, and gave artists like Bruce Springsteen, Alan Parsons, and Don Felder the ability to make music on their own. Now we take home recording for granted, but in the late ’70s and ’80s, this was a revolution.

Today, recording is more affordable than ever, but the creative connection with the artist can be lost in the windows, menus, and complex interfaces of modern recording software. TASCAM’s DP-004 recaptures the immediacy of our cassette models, updated with CD-quality digital recording. The compact multitrack recorder is covered with knobs and controls, making recording and mixing simple and fun.

Simple recording interface

A pair of 1/4" inputs on the DP-004 accepts mic or line-level signals for recording. Input A also switches to guitar input for recording bass or guitar directly into the unit. These inputs can be sent to any of the four recording tracks by pressing the Assign button, then selecting an input for each track. There’s even a pair of built-in microphones for capturing song ideas or portable recording.

The DP-004 records at CD-quality (uncompressed 44.1kHz/16-bit audio), so you’ll hear every detail of your performance. Recordings are captured to SD Card media, and a generous 1GB card is included with the recorder. Press the Record button under tracks 1 through 4 to "arm" a track for recording, then press the Record button. Set your record level using the input knobs and the meters on the LCD screen.

If you need more tracks, a bounce function mixes your tracks over to a new track, making room for more overdub layers. You can edit your tracks to clean up mistakes or silence noises. A built-in tuner and metronome make recording even more compact and convenient, and the recorder has autopunch and repeat modes. There’s even an Undo button in case you record over something by mistake.

Dedicated mixdown track

A set of knobs for level and pan make mixing a snap—no menus to navigate. There’s even a dedicated stereo mixdown track and a master fader to fade out your song. When you’re ready to mix, press the Record Mode button and switch from Multitrack to Master Record mode.

After you record your mix, the USB 2.0 jack allows you to transfer it to your computer to burn a CD, or upload an MP3 to your website or MySpace® page. The USB jack also allows you to backup your song as a multitrack, so you can remix it later on, or export tracks as WAV files for use in computer recording software.

Designed for musicians

TASCAM’s Portastudios have been the choice of musicians for 30 years because their simple operation helps you stay creative. The DP-004 takes the simplicity and affordability of TASCAM cassette Portastudio and updates it with the sound quality, editing, and flexibility of digital recording. The DP-004 keeps the perfect balance of portable design and usable interface—any smaller and it would be painful to operate!

The perfect recording solution for creative songwriters, guitarists, bands, and students, the affordable TASCAM DP-004 Digital Pocketstudio keeps recording simple for musicians.

Features & Specs

Connections:

2 - 1/4" mic/line inputs
CD-quality 44.1kHz/16-bit WAV recording
Switchable guitar input
Headphone/line output
USB 2.0 connector

Recording:

4-track digital multitrack recording
Records to SD Card media (1GB card included)
Powered by AA batteries or optional power adapter
Autopunch, repeat, and record undo controls
Dedicated stereo mixdown track

Road Worn Series Electric Guitars and Basses

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:25:00 +0000

The new Road Worn Series of guitars and basses from Fender is a real winner. That’s based on the overwhelming praise from the players who tried out the samples I put in their hands—a ’50s Telecaster, ’50s and ’60s Stratocaster guitars, ’50s Precision Bass, and ’60s Jazz Bass. Everyone says they look cool, play great, and reliably pump out revered Fender tones. The Road Worn concept is simple to grasp: a beat-up guitar or bass looks worn because we love them so much, just like our favorite comfortable sweatshirt or pair of tennies. Paying big bucks for a rare collectible axe is just not in the cards for most players, so how about one that looks like it’s seen lots of love?

The Road Worn instruments are given a reverse makeover at the Fender factory in Ensenada, Mexico. The worn finish, dings, pockmarks, yellowed plastic parts—even rust stains on the bridge saddles and springs—all simulate proud battle scars that show this axe has proven itself in countless gigs, it’s as if you were playing Keef or Bruce’s favorite Tele, the Strat slung by Slowhand or Rory, the Jazz Bass that catapulted Jaco to legend, or the P Bass Sting used to pump up The Police. These Road Worn axes are not just pre-aged; you could say they are “pre-disastered.” You won’t throw a conniption fit when you bang it up as you would when the first ding appears on a freshly minted, shiny new guitar.

Vintage-styling with mods

The Road Worn Series guitars are based on Fender’s Classic Series with authentic vintage-style touches such as a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. These axes have been updated with player-centric mods, such as taller frets and hotter pickups. The 6105 jumbo frets are tall and narrow to allow more string bending on the rounded 7-1/4" radius fretboard. On both Road Worn Strat models and the Tele, the original-style single-coil pick-ups have been replaced with Tex-Mex single-coils that have extra wire windings. This results in more output with sparkling highs and a warmer tone than vintage-style single-coils. The ’50s Tele is chock full of authentic details including the ash body that shows off its blonde nitro finish.

Like the Tele, the ’50s Strat has a one-piece maple neck with skunk stripe and a peghead teardrop just above the nut. The nitro finish is available in two-tone sunburst or black. The ’60s Strat has a maple neck with rosewood fretboard glued on, so there’s no telltale skunk stripe. You can choose the three-tone sunburst or Olympic white. Each Road Worn guitar has a distinctive neck shape. The ’50s Tele has the rounded U-shaped neck first introduced by Leo Fender in 1950. The ’50s Strat has a slender V neck from the mid-50s, and the ’60s Strat has a C-shaped neck that resides between the two in size and feel.

PB&J Basses

Like the guitars, the Road Worn basses have a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. No mods, the basses have simply been aged to give bass players what they love, a stock Fender with a broken-in feeling. The ’50s Precision Bass has a one-piece maple neck and an alder body with a comfortable contour. The split single-coil pickup produces the solid, defined bass sound that supplied the bottom for so many great Motown and Stax singles. The classic, wide P Bass neck plays host to 20 vintage-style frets. It’s big, friendly size adds to the tone known for cutting through guitar stacks. The gold-anodized aluminum pickguard contrasts nicely with either two-tone sunburst or fiesta red finish.

The narrower, thinner Road Worn ’60s Jazz Bass rosewood neck features a closer string spacing that creates a tapered feel. An overall crisper tone is provided by two standard vintage alnico magnet Jazz Bass single-coil pickups. Now you too can be inspired by playing a Jazz Bass with the look and sound that fueled influential players like Larry Graham, John Entwistle, and Flea.

Road Worn guitars and basses are like your favorite broken-in pair of jeans—they look cool, they play great, and they’re fun. And there’s no need to baby them; you’ll want to get your mitts on one and start adding your own battle scars right away.

Features & Specs

Alder body (Strat, 2-tone sunburst Tele, Jazz Bass, Precision Bass), Ash (blonde finish Tele)
Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Soft V shape (’50s Strat), C shape (’60s Strat), U shape (’50s Tele)
Maple fretboard (Strat, Precision Bass), rosewood (Tele, Jazz Bass)
7-1/4" fretboard radius
21 - 6105 frets – guitar, 20 vintage frets – bass
1-ply white pickguard (’50s Strat and Tele)
3-ply mint green pickguard (’60s Strat)
4-ply brown shell pickguard (Jazz Bass)
3 Tex-Mex Strat single-coil pickups (Stratocaster)
2 Tex-Mex Tele single-coil pickups (Telecaster)
1 Precision Bass split single-coil pickup
2 Standard vintage alnico magnet Jazz Bass single-coil pickups
Deluxe gig bag

G Plus Drumheads

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Single-ply musicality with double-ply durability and focus

Your choice of drumheads has arguably a bigger effect on your sound than even the kind of drums you play. Jazz drummers and those who play other primarily acoustic styles generally prefer the open response and melodic sound of single-ply heads. But they usually need to attenuate the sound by applying tape or other muffling as single-ply heads tend to have excess ring and a lot of unwanted overtones. Harder-hitting rock, pop, and fusion players often prefer double-ply heads for their fat, punchy sound and increased durability.

The new G Plus tom and snare heads from Evans take a different approach. Rather than slap another ply onto a single-ply head, G Plus heads use a single, thicker 12-mil ply of specialized film to increase durability and decrease ring. The concept is to provide the toughness and natural tone-dampening qualities of a double-ply head in a head that retains the tone and feel of single-ply design in order to satisfy drummers in a wide range of styles from jazz to headbanging. I was keen to find out how G Plus heads would measure up to this lofty goal.

Sticks meet skin

G Plus heads are available in sizes ranging from 6" to 20" in clear or a frosted translucent coated finish. The head selection Evans sent for testing included two pairs of 14" clear G Plus heads for the snare and floor tom; one clear and one frost-coated translucent head for the 12" tom; plus one 20" EMAD Adjustable Dampening Bass Drumhead. First I tried out the 14" tom head by suspending it from the rim while tapping the head with my other hand. It produced a distinct fundamental musical note without even mounting it on the drum, which is the sign of a good drumhead. I then mounted the G Plus heads on my vintage Rogers drum set. Tuning the heads was a breeze. They had a punchy attack and lively melodic tones almost as soon as I got them up to playing tension, without a lot of finessing the tuning lugs. The sound had a character like those heads that have a "power dot" applied to lessen overtones, with more vibrance and resonance.

The next night I tried out the G Plus heads during a club gig with a four-piece smooth jazz/pop quartet. After the first tune I adjusted the tension of the heads to a point where they delivered a punchy presence in the band’s mix. While I used to feel compelled to use a strip of muffling tape on my tom heads to get a focused sound, particularly in live small-to-medium acoustic spaces such as the bar my band was now playing in, I found the G Plus heads sounded just fine without any dampening. On the snare drum, the G Plus delivered a full tonal spectrum from cracking rimshots to a solid, deep tone when played in the center sweet spot.

The attractive frosty translucent coated finish on the 12" tom gave it a sound that was a bit warmer and rounder than the clear G Plus heads on the other drums, rolling off the attack just a touch. For the player who prefers a more controlled sound, I would recommend the frost-coated G Plus heads, especially for the snare drum, where coated heads are usually used, particularly by drummers who like to play with brushes. The clear G Plus heads gave my snare and floor tom riotous new life. The drums had a singing quality without confusing overtones, providing plenty of sustain; a dry, punchy attack; and panther-quick response.

Mad about EMAD

The Evans EMAD bass drumhead has been around for a few years—long enough to acquire an enthusiastic following among players. The EMAD head features a 10-mil single-ply design that includes two interchangeable dampening rings that maximize attack and low-end. You can change the dampening rings in an instant without removing the head, allowing you to customize the drum’s resonance, sustain, and attack on the fly. No more need to stuff a pillow into the bass drum to get it to sound right!

I found that using the smaller of the two rings provided a great kick drum sound—full and fat without too much ring, providing just the right amount of propulsive punch to drive groove-oriented songs, yet still producing a musical fundamental note ideal for the call-and-response of jazz improvisation and Latin rhythms.

Four decades of drumheads

G Plus drumheads are the latest product of a company distinguished by its ability to respond to the evolving demands of drummers from pros to students. One of the more memorable products Evans has created came about nearly 4 decades ago when they were asked to make a drum for the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena. Evans responded with a massive drum called the "Boot Hill Boomer" that measured seven feet in diameter and took four drummers to play!

In 1958, Evans produced some of the earliest All-Weather drumheads that could sonically compete with the calfskin heads that still ruled the day, sandblasting their heads to simulate the feel of real skin heads. In the ’60s Evans produced the first transparent heads, and in the ’70s created a popular line of hydraulic heads that incorporated a thin layer of oil between the head’s two plies.

The years that followed saw the evolution of pioneering products including the Genera and EQ Series, giving drummers unprecedented control over their sound. The purchase of Evans by D’Addario has served to further energize and diversify Evans’ offerings. The introduction of Evans EC2 heads with their integrated tone rings in 2005 is particularly notable, counting among their enthusiastic fans players such as the great Dennis Chambers.

With their G Plus Series, Evans would appear to have another hit on their hands. There are other heavier-grade single-ply heads out there, but to my ears they don’t compare with the open, musical tones you get with G Plus heads. The longer I play them, the better they sound, and more importantly, they make me sound better. What more could a drummer ask for?

Chris Brown’s Fall: Can the R&B Star’s Career Survive Rihanna Arrest?

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:14:00 +0000

How do the mighty fall? With a heavy thud, as Chris Brown learned once news broke of an altercation involving him and his girlfriend Rihanna on Grammy Awards eve, one that sent her to the hospital with what was described as “horrific” bruises. Within hours, the 19-year-old pop star went from squeaky-clean teen idol to vilified abuser, leaving scores of artists and music business insiders perplexed. “People who know Chris and work with him day-to-day were shocked,” says a label source. “Grammy day was brutal.”

But bad could turn to worse just as swiftly for Brown. His overwhelmingly young audience (and Rihanna’s massive fanbase) is starting to turn on him and a handful of radio stations have instituted bans on his music — each on its own has the makings of a surefire career killer. “I thought it was kind of weird to be playing the music of a man who was alleged to have beaten a woman,” says DJ Java Joel of Cleveland’s WAKS-FM, who was among the first to pull all of Brown’s music from the station’s playlist. “It felt like the right thing to do.”

Of course, a domestic violence charge isn’t all that rare in the entertainment business, and in that sense, Brown isn’t in great company; Vanilla Ice, Scott Stapp and Dennis Rodman have all made headlines in the past couple years for physical altercations involving their girlfriends or wives. But that’s not to say a scandal of this magnitude can’t be overcome. R. Kelly’s court battles involving an alleged tryst with a minor dragged on for years, yet he was still able to maintain decent album sales throughout. “We live in a society that likes to forgive people,” says Howard Bragman, a longtime crisis expert and the author of Where’s My Fifteen Minutes? “As long as there’s a sufficient amount of contrition.” Update: Brown issued his first statement since the incident, saying he is “sorry and saddened” on Sunday, February 15th.

Bragman should know: he represented Isaiah Washington, Naomi Campbell and Monica Lewinsky in the midst of their own personal crises, but even he acknowledges a battery charge “is big — it’s below rape and murder and above sexual orientation slurs, but every crisis has its own DNA.” Bragman also adds that the timing and circumstance only intensifies the scrutiny. “Because the police are involved, plus it’s two superstars and it happened on the worst day possible in the worst city possible, it becomes huge. What Chris Brown needs to do is have some sort of cathartic moment — whether that be anger management counseling or some sort of rehab — and then a cathartic interview — that’s your Oprah, Larry [King] or Diane [Sawyer] — but it has to be believable. He has to fess up and own it.” Referencing a 2007 interview in which Brown claimed his stepfather used to hit his mother, Bragman adds, “The history of violence in his own family can be something that could be used on your side if you play it correctly. And his squeaky clean image is a good thing, because it means he’s a good kid who made a mistake.”

So far, the fallout has been limited to losing some radio airplay along with a Doublemint gum endorsement deal and a Body By Milk moustache campaign. Brown has also canceled an appearance at this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game. On the legal end, after Brown was released on $50,000 bail the night of the Grammys, the Los Angeles DA did not press charges; should they build enough of a case to do so, Brown will be called to court on March 5th.

“Until it’s actually proven, we’re letting [listeners] vent and talk about it — but we’re not going to pull his music,” says Ms. Smiley, music director for WHTD-FM in Detroit. Offers Bragman: “Right now, this is a marathon, not a sprint. There are so many questions still to be answered. As much as people in Chris Brown’s camp want to put this behind them, that’s not something that will happen in days or weeks; it’s more like months and years. Everybody needs to strap themselves in because it’s going to be a long bumpy ride.”

Velvet Revolver “Weeks Away” From Announcing New Singer

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:13:00 +0000

Velvet Revolver are only “weeks away” from announcing their new singer, according to bassist Duff McKagan. “It’s down to a couple of guys,” he tells Rolling Stone. “That’s way down from the 400 original guys we got submissions from.” Don’t expect it to be another superstar like Scott Weiland. “It’s not like Chris Cornell or one of those guys,” says the former Guns n’ Roses member. “We just want someone that fits. It can’t just be good. It has to be amazing or we won’t do it.”

The hunt for a new frontman — which began shortly after Weiland split from the band a year ago — has proved daunting. “We thought it was going to be real easy,” says McKagan. “After Scott left we said, ‘Ok, we’re just going to find a guy in the next couple of weeks. It’s going to be easy.’ You start hearing all these singers and you’re like, ‘This guy’s really good. That guy’s really good. Wait? Was that guy any good?’ You start getting really confused.”

On April 1, 2008, Velvet Revolver announced their official split with Weiland via a press release, citing the Stone Temple Pilots singer’s “erratic onstage behavior” and “personal problems,” and Slash told RS “We’re just excited about finding someone else and moving on.” Later that month, Velvet Revolver revealed they were setting up a Website where hopefuls could post video auditions. A month later, the band announced that they weren’t going to use a reality show to cast their new frontman, even though they’d been approached by Survivor and Rock Star producer Mark Burnett. In August 2008, McKagan denied that VR had picked up Spacehog singer Royston Langdon, but noted that the frontman is “fucking awesome.”

Blink-182’s Rock Show: A Look Back at The Pop-Punk Trio’s History in Photos

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:11:00 +0000

“We played music together and we decided we’re going to play music together again,” Travis Barker told the Grammy audience when Blink-182 reunited to present the Best Rock Album award Sunday night. For Blink, it was their first time onstage together since December 2004, two months before the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Now that the band has confirmed a new album is in the works, Rolling Stone is taking a look back at their history in a new photo gallery: Blink-182’s Rock Show.

Blink-182 formed in 1992 in Poway, California, but it wasn’t until 1998 that guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus recruited Barker to play drums on the band’s best-selling album, 1999’s Enema of the State. The band stuck around for two more albums, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and Blink-182, before its big break. Hoppus and drummer Barker went on to form +44 while DeLonge started up Angels & Airwaves.

Following the 2008 jet crash that nearly took the life of Barker and DJ AM, Hoppus blogged that he was hopeful that a Blink reunion could happen after admitting that he and DeLonge were once again friends. “Hi. We’re blink-182. This past week there’ve been a lot of questions about the current status of the band, and we wanted you to hear it straight from us. To put it simply, We’re back,” the band said in a post-Grammy statement on their Website. “We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.

“Summer 2009. Thanks and get ready… ” the band says to conclude the statement. To help you get ready, check out our photo gallery capturing Blink through the ages, from the Dude Ranch era with drummer Scott Raynor to their stint on the Warped Tour to their little people-backed performance at the MTV Music Awards. Bonus points for predicting exactly how the trio’s tattoo collection grows exponentially over the course of five years:

• Blink-182’s Rock Show: Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker’s Journey

Sneak Peek: “Guitar Hero: Metallica” Offers Deep Cuts and Lifelike Band, But No Cliff Burton

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:06:00 +0000

There is a video clip in Guitar Hero: Metallica of Lars Ulrich performing on a silent drum set while covered in motion-capture equipment. He’s playing a song Metallica haven’t played in more than a decade, and he can’t get the timing right. After a handful of takes, he finally makes it through, and collapses in a heap on the floor. “I’m sorry for all the bad things I’ve done in my life,” he moans.

Now gamers can feel Lars’ pain as the Metallica-themed version of the juggernaut Guitar Hero franchise hits stores March 29th for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles (Wii and PS2 versions will follow later in the spring). In a storyline concocted by frontman James Hetfield, players begin as Metallica’s opening act, and eventually play as Metallica once they prove their mettle.

Everything about the game, from the menu animations based on art by Pushead, Metallica’s long-running collaborating artist, to venues and stage sets from all phases of the band’s career to signature lighting effects and crowd chants will be familiar to fans. The motion-capture used to animate the band is strikingly lifelike, as all of the signature moves are there: the contemplative Hetfield during the opening of “The Unforgiven,” the preening Ulrich hopping up from behind his kit to be seen after every song, and bassist Rob Trujillo’s crabwalk and spins.

The members all initially appear as their modern-day selves, but there will be unlockable character skins that hearken back to earlier eras. Although no past members are in the game (there go fantasies for a Cliff Burton cameo — the band feared his inclusion may have felt like a slight to Trujillo), a few of Metallica’s heroes make appearances.

The full track list for the game will be released next week (update: here it is), and Neversoft employees admit that the list of songs which has been announced so far was a bit of a tease — a list heavy on material from the band’s self-titled album and onward (”King Nothing,” “Fuel,” “No Leaf Clover,” etc.) — but fans of the early days will get a kick out of the remaining tracks, which include a few deep cuts and covers that the band has very rarely performed.

The gameplay remains true to previous incarnations of the franchise, allowing players to perform vocals, guitar, bass and drum parts, with the main addition being a new skill level, dubbed “expert-plus,” which requires an additional kick-drum pedal for double-bass on some of the band’s thrashier songs. When the lead developer of the game fails out at 24 percent of the way through a song and calls another “totally impossible,” it’s safe to say that this is the most demanding any rhythm-based game has made itself so far.

However, one drawback is that although Hetfield and Kirk Hammett are one of hard rock’s most celebrated guitar duos — and the game is called Guitar Hero — there is no option to choose between lead or rhythm guitar, limiting players to only one guitarist per band, and not allowing any Hetfield/Hammett riff-trading. If fans at home figuring out the guitar tablature to post online can do it for free, why couldn’t a wildly successful game franchise trying to create “the ultimate Metallica experience” pull it off?

The game disc also comes with bonus features, including live videos from special performances and footage of the band making its contributions to the game, as well as early images, set lists and miscellanea from the band’s career. In addition, the track list will not feature solely Metallica tunes, but also songs from the band’s friends and influences, such as Alice in Chains, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lars’ new favorite band and current Metallica tour opener, the Sword. Sadly, the game was completed before a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony stage could be included.

M.I.A. Responds to Oscar Nod: “I Can Afford to Book Dave Chappelle at the Baby Shower Now”

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:01:00 +0000

Yesterday’s 2009 Oscar nominations brought disappointment to legions of Bruce Springsteen fans expecting the Jersey legend to score a nod for “The Wrestler.” But it made one pregnant Sri Lankan MC who resides in Brooklyn pretty damn happy:

“This is a great honor. Thank you to all the people who are supporting us and the making of a real story of a slumdog millionaire,” M.I.A. says. “Maybe I can afford to book Dave Chappelle at the baby shower now. Thank you again; My mum wants everyone to know what wonderful news this is for her.”

M.I.A. is due to give birth the night of the Grammys (February 8th), which means she could possibly make it to the Oscars on February 22nd in Los Angeles to perform “O… Saya,” the song she and Slumdog Millionaire score composer A.R. Rahman wrote for the Danny Boyle-directed film. M.I.A. is up for Record of the Year at the annual music awards, where she’ll face off against Coldplay, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Leona Lewis, and Adele. Slumdog is also up for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Score, and even Rolling Stone movie critic Peter Travers (who is pissed about many of the nominations) gives the film’s nods the thumbs up.

Last year’s Best Song trophy went to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for “Falling Slowly” from Once. That track was up against three song from the fairytale flick Enchanted and “Raise It Up” from August Rush. This year the rules changed, so only two songs from any film could receive nominations.

Blackstar Amplification Artisan 100 half stack

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Blackstar's 100-watt Artisan 100 merges American and British ideals

into a dream amp for the vintage purist who wants a variety of truly
outstanding clean and crunch tones at a ridiculously reasonable price.

Guitarists spend big bucks on certain vintage amps because their construction style and components yield tones that are difficult and sometimes impossible to replicate today. When these sounds are imitated, it’s usually by boutique amp merchants who are hand-building instruments at prices compensatory to the long hours and expensive parts that make up such a machine.

That’s changing. Master British amplifier designers Bruce Keir and Ian Robinson have united with a few of their peers to form Blackstar Amplification. Their goal is to build versatile hand-wired amps that meet or exceed the loftiest vintage standards, and yet can be purchased at prices lower than you would pay for the average production amp.

Manufactured in Korea, Blackstar’s all-tube Artisan Series amps are variations on classic themes with a few twists that you won’t find in their vintage muses. This month, I tested the “Plexi”-inspired titan of the series: the Artisan 100 head and matching 4x12 cabinet.

FEATURES

The Artisan looks very much like a boutique Plexi and, not surprisingly, it aims to recreate the classic Plexi tone. Yet, it also has a few key features and design points that make it far more versatile.

The most obvious addition to the Plexi payout is Blackstar’s four-position voice control. Typically, controls of this type are little more than a selection of resistor/capacitor networks, which alter how many highs and lows pass through a portion of the preamp. Blackstar’s voice control is far more advanced, affecting preamp gain, power amp gain, equalization and speaker damping. Mode one is low gain and high damping, much like a Bassman, while mode two is a little brighter, with low gain and high damping, like a Twin amp; mode three ups the gain and reduces the damping for an early Plexi-type sound, while mode four pumps the gain even higher and lets the speaker rumble more, like a later model Plexi.

The Artisan 100 has two channels, each with its own volume pots and two input jacks: one for high sensitivity or low sensitivity. The channels share controls for bass, middle, treble and presence. There’s no footswitch, so you have to plug into the appropriate jack to access the channel and desired level of input gain. Channel one is based on a crunchy 1959 Plexi, and channel two is more akin to a sparkling American Twin-style amp.

Dynamics and touch-sensitive responses are phenomenal through this Artisan, thanks to its hand-wired tagboard construction and massive overspecified power capacitors. Incidentally, I’ve not seen better construction or wiring on any amp, no matter where it’s made. If you want to get really wild, the two channels can be jumped and blended with a cable connected between two channel jacks. The 100 watts of power are derived from four EL34s and pushed through a very special custom output transformer. Other features include two speaker outputs, oxblood vinyl covering, finger-jointed cabs, gold piping and heavy black cane cloth. The matching Artisan stereo 4x12 is loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s.

PERFORMANCE

Anyone who thinks that an EL34 based amp can’t produce deep lows and sky-high clean headroom has yet to hear Blackstar’s Artisan 100. It’s one loud amp, and there is no loss of articulation or dynamics, even at ear bleeding volume extremes. Both channels brought incredibly lively clean and moderately overdriven tones into my sound room, reminding me of why so many guitarists think of a modified Plexi as the ultimate amp for any style of music.

As advertised, the voice control let me change the whole character of the amp, without altering the core tone. I particularly enjoyed discovering the infinite degrees of crunch possible through the Artisan 100, which ranged from a delicate bite to a malicious bone-crushing chomp that echoes with frightening authority. Control over the intensity of this head-cutter was always in my hands or at the guitar’s volume knob.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Blackstar's 100-watt Artisan 100 merges American and British ideals into a dream amp for the vintage purist who wants a variety of truly outstanding clean and crunch tones at a ridiculously reasonable price. The build quality of this hand-wired Korean-made beauty is as equal to any of the world’s top amps and the stadium rocking performance harkens back to the great amps of yesteryear.

Eternity Master Custom Legend ET electric guitar

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Eternity's Master Custom Legend ET is for the player who wants a

Telestyle guitar that has the punch of a solid body and the subtle
echoing resonance of a chambered design.

FEATURES

PERFORMANCE

THE BOTTOM LINE

Beyonce, Sting, Fall Out Boy Rock Inaugural Balls As Obamas Celebrate Historic Day

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Yesterday’s presidential inauguration doubled as a mini-music festival of sorts, with many of the biggest names in rock, hip-hop and R&B taking the stage at galas across Washington, DC. At the nationally televised Neighborhood Ball, Barack and Michelle Obama enjoyed their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. President while Beyoncé sang “At Last.” Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine also performed at that event, and the group came together for an all-star rendition of Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”

(Check out photos of all the biggest balls here.)

At the Be the Change Ball at DC’s Hilton Washington, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy and Kid Rock rocked the crowd, while the Western States Inauguration Ball featured Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. The real all-stars of the night were the Obamas, however, as the couple managed to cameo at all 10 official balls. There were also performances by George Clinton and David Banner at the Heroes Red, White and Blue Ball, the reunited Dead at the Mid-Atlantic Ball, and countless after parties.

The Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball at the Harman Center for the Arts wasn’t one of the official balls visited by President Obama, but it was still a star-studded affair with with the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson taking in performances by Sting, Elvis Costello and soul legend Sam Moore.

A few guests braved the chills of the red carpet, (it was actually a blue carpet, an odd Muppet-ish hue), including Anne Hathaway, who expounded on the Creative Coalition’s mission. “Art makes good citizens, art makes good people,” the Rachel Getting Married star said, sporting a new haircut and a sleek red gown. She had spent the morning on the Mall where the weather was equally chilly, but human warmth was in surplus. “There are millions of people all sitting there sending positive energy toward something,” she marveled.

Comedian Jeffrey Ross strolled by with some advice for the new president. “I want to see a basketball hoop put in the White House,” he said. “Nixon put in a bowling alley, Clinton put in a putting green. ‘The Audacity of Hoops’ — that’ll be the name of the court.”

Susan Sarandon had different hopes for the next four years. “I think [Obama]’s hopefully going to start demanding that certain things are priorities that nobody else has been caring about,” she said, “And one of them should be the vets because they’re coming home and nobody’s giving them what they need. So that’s going to be my one personal bitch.”

And with that, she was whisked off into the building for a night of peace, love and understanding.

Akai EWI USB Electronic Wind Controller

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:42:00 +0000

Use your computer and this EWI for unprecedented control over your sound.

EWI USB is an Electronic Wind Instrument for musicians looking for an easy-to-play, easy-to-use controller. Akai Professional's decades of experience in wind and electronic music instruments are rolled into Akai's most user-friendly—and most affordable—EWI ever.

Premium Pedigree
For over 20 years, Akai Professional has studied the art of playing saxophone, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and other traditional winds and developed electronic wind instruments that enable wind players to enjoy the same expressive control as in an acoustic instrument. Akai Professional designed EWI USB to give wind players the expressive musical capabilities previously found only in much more expensive instruments.

Professional Performance
EWIs are the only choice for serious wind players looking to make music electronically. While EWI USB is easy and fun to use, it's also powerful, flexible, and—most importantly—reliable enough for use on stage and in the studio by professional musicians.

Computer Control
EWI USB's is extremely flexible because it harnesses your computer to generate its sounds. Its USB interface means that all you need is nearly any Mac or PC and the included EWI USB software, and you're ready to practice, perform, create, and record with a full collection of wind instrument sounds. Aria Player software was produced specifically for use with EWI USB, providing wind players with an unprecedented level of expressive control.

Akai EWI USB Electronic Wind Controller Specifications:

Sensors:
Mouthpiece: air-pressure level sensor & bite sensor
Note Keys: 13 touch sensors
Octave Rollers: 2 mobile, 2 fixed touch sensors (5-octave range)
Bend Plates: 2 touch sensors
Ground Plates: 2 touch sensors

General:
Class-compliant, plug-and-play USB device
MIDI Output Channels Over USB: 1
Mac and PC compatible

Hardware:
Dimensions: 2-3/4" W x 23-1/8" L x 2-3/4" H
Weight: 1.3 lb.
Power: ~100mA, 5V via USB
Terminals: 1 slave connector (MIDI over USB)

Minimum system requirements:
Mac: OSX
PC: Windows XP or Vista
USB port

Akai EWI USB Electronic Wind Controller Features:

Electronic wind instrument controller
Easy to play, easy to use
Powerful, flexible, and reliable
Plug-and-play USB connection to Mac or PC
Custom Garritan Aria Player software, contains wind instrument sounds
Multiple fingering modes: sax, traditional EWI, flute, oboe, and EVI brass
Expandable sound palette
Removable, dishwasher-safe mouthpiece

Includes:
EWI USB wind instrument
Neck strap
Cleaning cloth
USB cable
Software DVD
Quick start guide
Safety instructions

Last Gigs: Stevie Ray Vaughan

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:13:00 +0000

August 26, 1990 - East Troy, Wisconsin

Stevie Ray Vaughan was right where he wanted to be as midnight approached on August 26, 1990. Earlier that evening, he had closed out a triumphant summer tour with Double Trouble, opening for Eric Clapton, one of his heroes, in front of a sold-out crowd of 30,000 at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre, just outside of East Troy, Wisconsin. Now, as Clapton’s show was drawing to a close, the guitarist called Vaughan back out for a final encore performance of the blues standard “Sweet Home Chicago.” Joining them onstage was the night’s first performer, Robert Cray, along with two more of SRV’s heroes: Buddy Guy and big brother Jimmie Vaughan.

Stevie Ray was all smiles as the five guitarists took turns soloing throughout the lengthy jam. Almost four years after cleaning up and leaving alcohol behind, the Texas guitarist was on top of his game. Family Style, his new album with Jimmie, was in the can, due to be released in another month. The feuds that had separated the brothers were long buried.

The show was the second of a two-night stand, and Stevie’s playing was, by all accounts, fiery and fresh. With his favorite guitarists surrounding him, it must have felt to him like the exclamation point on a fantastically productive and happy period of his musical life.

“Those shows were just great fun, really exciting,” recalls bassist Tommy Shannon. “They were sort of the culmination of all the good times we’d been having for the last year or two. And as good as we had been playing, those two shows were just unreal.”

Adds Jimmie Vaughan, “Stevie just smoked. It was one of those gigs where you see someone play and you can’t believe what you’re hearing. Stevie was unreal. He was just on another plane, and we all knew it.”

When the final jam finished to an ecstatic roar at about 12:15 A.M., the musicians left the stage through a rear exit. Backstage, Clapton and Vaughan reportedly talked about paying tribute to Jimi Hendrix with some future gigs. Stevie, 35, was supposed to drive back to Chicago with Jimmie and Jimmie’s wife, Connie, but then he heard that he could hop onto one of Clapton’s four waiting helicopters. He initially thought all three of them could hitch this ride. When he learned that there was only one spot, he asked Jimmie and Connie if they minded if he grabbed it. “I really want to get back,” he explained.

The Bell 206 B helicopter took off in fog around 12:40 A.M. with Vaughan and four others aboard and almost immediately slammed into the middle of a nearby man-made ski slope, killing all aboard. They were just over half a mile from the venue but no one heard the crash, and a search for the wreckage wasn’t begun until 5 A.M. At around 7, searchers found the bodies of Vaughan, pilot Jeff Brown and three of Clapton’s associates. “I was woken up by a phone call from our tour manager saying that we had to have a meeting in my room right away,” Shannon recalls. “A few minutes later I got a call from our manager, saying that one of the helicopters had gone down, Stevie was on it, and there were no survivors. In the blink of any eye my life was taken away from me.” Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton got the news from Shannon. Says Shannon, “I was sitting on the bed crying, and Chris came into my room, asking what was going on. I said, ‘Stevie’s dead,’ and he just lost it, too.”

Adds Layton, “I was in denial and didn’t believe it at all, so I called security and forced them to let me into Stevie’s room. I really thought he’d be laying there sleeping, but when they opened the door, the bed was still made, the pillow turned down, with mints laying on it, and I just realized, My God, it’s true.

“I felt like a baby, just completely helpless. Then we realized that the news reports said that Stevie and his band were killed, and I realized that I had to get a hold of family and tell them that I’m still alive.”

Clapton and Jimmie Vaughan were called and asked to identify the bodies. Over 1,500 people attended SRV’s memorial service in Dallas. He is buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park in South Dallas.

Lamb of God Announce North American Tour

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:12:00 +0000

Fresh off of their west coast run with Metallica and upcoming visits to Finland, UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia, Lamb of God have teamed up with No Fear Energy for the North American tour in support of their fifth studio album, Wrath, which will be released by Epic Records on February 24th. The tour commences in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 2nd, and covers 35 markets in the U.S. and Canada, ending in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, May 15th.

Tickets and more information are available at livenation.com and NoFear.com. Check local listings for additional information.

Lamb of God has put together one of the strongest bills to come out of the metal community in recent times. As I Lay Dying and Children of Bodom are the main support acts on the tour, with the opening slot rotating between God Forbid and Municipal Waste. Lamb of God drummer, Chris Adler, commented “I cannot wait to begin the first North American run of the ‘Wrath’ world tour. The package we have lined up is guaranteed to leave sore necks and broken eardrums across the country. If you are into metal, there is something here for everyone, this is not a tour to miss. We are working up one hell of a show and can't wait to play the new material. See you there!“

The dates for the No Fear Energy Music Tour are:

April 2, 2009 – Dodge Theater – Phoenix, AZ
April 3, 2009 – Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
April 4, 2009 – Events Center – San Jose, CA
April 5, 2009 – Crest Theater – Fresno, CA
April 7, 2009 – Paramount – Seattle, WA
April 8, 2009 – UBC Thunderbird Arena – Vancouver, BC
April 10, 2009 – Shaw Conference Center – Edmonton, AB
April 11, 2009 – The Coral – Calgary, AB
April 12, 2009 – Praireeland – Saskatoon, SK
April 13, 2009 – Convention Centre – Winnipeg, MB
April 14, 2009 – City Auditorium – Thunder Bay, ON
April 16, 2009 – Ricoh Coliseum – Toronto, ON
April 17, 2009 – Cepsum – Montreal, QC
April 18, 2009 – Palladium – Worcester, MA
April 19, 2009 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
April 21, 2009 – LC Pavillion – Columbus, OH
April 22, 2009 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
April 23, 2009 – Blackham Coliseum – Lafayette, LA
April 24, 2009 – Verizon Theatre – Houston, TX
April 25, 2009 – Concrete St. Ampthitheatre – Corpus Christi, TX
April 26, 2009 – Palladium Ballroom – Dallas, TX
April 28, 2009 – Fillmore – Denver, CO
April 29, 2009 – Uptown Theater – Kansas City, KS
April 30, 2009 – Myth – St. Paul, MN
May 1, 2009 – Congress Theater – Chicago, IL
May 2, 2009 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
May 3, 2009 – Egyptian – Indianapolis, IN
May 5, 2009 – Expo Five – Louisville, KY
May 6, 2009 – Fillmore Theater – Detroit, MI
May 8, 2009 – Roseland Ballroom – New York, NY
May 9, 2009 – Convention Center – Asbury Park, NJ
May 11, 2009 – Rams Head Live – Baltimore, MD
May 12, 2009 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
May 13, 2009 – Washington St. Armory – Albany, NY
May 14, 2009 – TBD
May 15, 2009 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC

CORT ACC15F

ngandonikaa@yahoo.com (Julis D) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:39:00 +0000

Kali ini kita akan membahas salah satu produk gitar klasik dari pabrikan Cort. Cort ACC15F begitulah nama gitar yang merupakan varian produk dari salah satu gitar Cort seri AC15. Pada prinsipnya, baik ACC15F maupun AC15 memiliki spesifikasi yang kira-kira 80% sama. Perbedaan kedua gitar serupa tapi tak sama ini hanya terletak pada keberadaan 'cutaway' dan keberadaan 'Fishman EQ' saja. Karena ACC15F memiliki fitur yang lebih banyak, maka akan lebih baik jika kita bahas ACC15F saja pada kali ini. Karena dengan membahas ACC15F, secara tidak langsung kita juga membahas AC15 juga.

PENAMPILAN
Warna gitar apa yang membuat anda jatuh cinta dengan gitar klasik nylon? Hampir seluruh gitaris pasti menyukai warna natural sebagai warna gitar klasik mereka. Mungkin karena itu pula Cort mendesain seri ini dengan warna demikian. Untuk bagian permukaan body, Cort ACC15F cukup menonjolkan garis-garis seratnya yang membuat tampak permukaannya menjadi lebih berkelas. Binding simpel dengan warna yang masih seragam dengan sisi samping body memberi kesan eleganm. Cutaway pada body diberikan agar mudah mencapai fret 12 keatas.

Salah satu sisi menarik dari penampilan gitar ini terletak pada garis yang berada di belakang body-nya. Bagi saya keberadaan garis ini membuat penampilan gitar ini menjadi lebih sexy. Ibarat garis tulang punggung tubuh wanita yang sering kita lihat di karya-karya fotografi ;)

HARDWARE
'Slotted' tuning machine gitar ini berwarna cokelat, meski bukan terbuat dari besi, namun dengan kualitasnya yang baik memudahkan kita dalam melakukan penyeteman senar karena putarannya lembut.

Untuk memfasilitasi keinginan anda untuk bermain menggunakan ampli, Cort membubuhkan Fishman Classic 4 pada side body-nya. Anda bisa mengatur bass, middle, treble, dan briliance pada graphic equalizer-nya. Biasanya saya mengatur agar besarnya bass berada diatas middle dan treble karena faktor selera.

SCALE
Seri AC memang didesain dengan dimensi yang sama dengan gitar akustik nylon pada umumnya. Lebar nut 52mm dengan scale 650mm tidak berbeda dengan gitar akustik nylon yang ada di pasaran sehingga anda tidak perlu menyesuaikan diri dengan playability gitar ini.

Jarak ketinggian senar juga diukur dengan teliti. Menurut saya action (ketinggian senar dari fretboard) gitar ini sangat pas, tidak terlalu rendah dan juga tidak terlalu tinggi.

SOUND
Gitar ini memiliki desain dan karakter suara yang sesuai dengan karakteristik penampilan fisiknya, berkelas dan elegan. Suaranya berada di wilayah midd dan tidak boomy sehingga intonasi suara mulai dari senar 1 hingga 6 memiliki tingkat kenyaringan yang merata dan tidak ada yang saling mendominasi satu sama lain terutama saat dimainkan tanpa menggunakan amplifier. Body bagian atas terbuat dari kayu cedar sedangkan sisi samping dan belakangnya menggunakan kayu rosewood. Untuk bagian neck menggunakan kayu mahogany yang pada sisi belakangnya difinish tidak se-glossy bagian body sehingga membuat permukaannya menjadi tidak terlalu keset dan mempermudah kita dalam moving / pergerakan telapak tangan dan jempol saat berpindah fret.

Selanjutnya kami mencoba memainkan gitar ini dengan menggunakan ampli combo Cora GM60C. Dengan Fishman Classic 4 suara yang dihasilkan cukup bisa mewakili tone aslinya saat tidak menggunakan ampli. Tidak terlalu treble, tidak terlalu bass, masih tetap berada di kawasan midd. Aman bagi anda yang suka bermain-main dengan berbagai jenis settingan equalizer.

KESIMPULAN
Gitar ini sangat dianjurkan bagi anda yang sedang mencari gitar klasik nylon berkualitas baik dengan harga yang tidak terlalu mahal. Melihat fasilitas, kualitas, dan daya tarik yang dimiliki gitar ini, harga kisaran Rp. 2.200.000,- tampaknya cukup pantas untuk anda keluarkan untuk mendapatkan gitar klasik paling sexy ini.