Hordes of great guitars, basses, amps, stompboxes, and accessories came through our doors this year, but these specimens caught our eyes, ears, and wallets with their exceptional performance, tone, and value.
Andrews Spectraverb (January)
When it comes to endless tone possibilities, itās hard to top Fenderās blackface designs. And as Senior Editor Joe Gore discovered the Andrews Spectraverb is one of the most interesting refinements of the blackface template out there. At 40 watts, the Spectraverb occupies a sweet spot where headroom and natural drive and compression meet. Joe Gore put it more colorfully when he called the Spectraverb āspectacularly dynamic,ā and noted that āItās easy to find a sweet spot where you can pilot the gain by touch, or go from china shop to lava pit via guitar volume knob adjustments.ā
$1,895 street, andrewsamps.com
Blackstar LT Drive and LT Metal (January)
Blackstarās LT pedals were built to be accessibly priced. But itās their combination of value and sonic potency that made the LT Drive and LT Metal pedals award winners. Reviewer Joe Charupakorn said of the LT Drive, āthereās not much it canāt do short of extreme metal. Itās a great all-purpose dirt pedal that can rise to many occasions.ā And of the LT Metal he said, āit can cover everything on the gain spectrum from classic rock to fusion to ā80s metal to djent.ā
LT Drive $79 street, LT Metal $99 street, blackstaramps.com
Matchless Thunderman (January)
Few manufacturers did more to usher in the boutique amp than Matchless. They quickly became the stuff of legend, but they also managed a bass amp masterpieceāthe Thunderman. This award-winning re-imagining of the original Thunderman is no less formidable. At 45 watts, the EL34-powered head isnāt the most powerful bass amp in the world, but itās round, responsive, loud, proud, and adaptable.
$2,200 street, matchlessamplifiers.com
Reverend Pete Anderson PA-1 RT (January)
Youād expect a guitar with Pete Andersonās name on it to be as versatile as olā Pete himself. And on that count, this archtop semi-hollow did not disappoint. The bracing enables use of a Tune-o-matic bridge, which enhances tuning stability and sustain. And the two pickups and bass contour knob make it equally adept at toasty, smoky jazz tones and blistering rockabilly lines. And speaking of lines, this Reverend has some of the handsomest curves among this yearās award winners.
$1,499 street, reverendguitars.com
Skreddy Little Miss Sunshine (January)
They arenāt everyoneās basket of biscuits, but few things recast a riff quite like a rich, musical phaser. Skreddyās Little Miss Sunshine is about as rich and musical a specimen as youāll findāat least if you gravitate toward Phase 90-like shades of swirl. What separates the Skreddy from lesser phasers is a beautiful clarity, pick responsiveness, soft contours, and amazing depth. It may not change the minds of phaser haters, but itās a heaping feast of creamy swirl for players who savor the effect.
$229 street, skreddypedals.com
LarrivƩe D-40R (February)
Luthier Jean LarrivĆ©e has always been willing to twist tradition to unique ends, as evidenced by the new D-40R. From twenty paces, it looks like any one of a gazillion square-shoulder dreads. But LarrivĆ©eās Scalloped Parabolic Hybrid bracing helps make it an especially sensitive and harmonically complex dread that excels at both fingerstyle and flatpickingāwhich makes this beautiful guitar a standout in the crowded $1,000ā$1,500 dreadnought marketplace.
$1,425 street, larrivee.com
Lindy Fralin P-92 Set and P-90 in a Humbucker Cover Set (February)
No longtime PG reader will be surprised to see Lindy Fralin among this yearās award winners. Fralins have been among the Cadillacs of aftermarket pickups since the ā90s. In the form of these humbucker-sized neck and bridge pickups, though, Joe Gore heard an extraordinarily dynamic and harmonically rich P-90 tone that excelled even by Fralin standards. The Fralin P-92 also earned a Premier Gear award, largely for a rich, larger-than-life tone with super-strong fundamentals that gave Gore the sensation he was playing a long-scale Les Paul.
P-90 in a Humbucker Cover $130 street (each), P-92 $140 street (each), fralinpickups.com
Lollar Single-Coil for Humbucker Set (February)
Even when it comes to pickups, pretty counts for a lotāand Lollarās subtly lovely humbucker-sized P-90 left us mighty impressed with Jason Lollarās design sense. But it was the soundsāsophisticated, warm, complex, smooth, and smokyāthat found Joe Gore mesmerized and ready to dish a Premier Gear award in our humbucker-sized P-90 roundup.
$135 street, lollarguitars.com
ToneVille Beale St. (February)
With a look that mates Danish furniture craft and retro-future whimsy, ToneVilleās 15-watt, 6V6-powered Beale St. 1x12 isnāt hung up on paying homage to the classics. Though the circuit and sound are in some measure indebted to Fender classics, the Beale St. excels, in its own special way, at being a great blank slate. Reviewer Joe Gore remarked, āno matter where I set the knobs, something inspiring leapt from the speaker.ā
$2,495 street, tonevilleamps.com
Fender ā68 Custom Princeton (March)
As a best friend to studio hounds and club and arena giggers alike, the Fender Princeton is one of the most easy-to-use, adaptable, and sweet-sounding amps ever. Thatās why we were so pleased that this newest take on the underappreciated silverface version was such a winner. Reviewer Teja Gerken found the dynamics superb and the reverb excellent. And at just under $850, itās not much to pay for so much vintage vibe, either.
$849 street, fender.com
G&L LB-100 (March)
This reissue of a relatively unheralded G&L classic left reviewer Steve Cook impressed with its solid construction and a varied personality that he estimated would suit almost any gig. Cook particularly enjoyed the wide EQ possibilities and comfortable playability, likening the instrumentās vibe to whisky from a master distiller. Intoxicating!
$1,313 street, glguitars.com
Taylor 814ce (March)
Though Bob Taylor and his company have been around long enough to properly be regarded as an acoustic guitar institution, the man loves to tinker. In the case of the 814ce, weāre talking tinkering with a twist: This revisiting of a signature Taylor Grand Auditorium design with bracing redesigned by master designer Andy Powers floored us with its balance and projection. Reviewer Scott Nygaard was impressed enough with its versatility to remark, āyouāll rarely wish you had another guitar instead.ā
$3,199 street, taylorguitars.com
Fender Kingman Pro (April)
Itās interesting that Fenderās decision to reinvent its acoustic presence involved revisiting a past that some considered a blight on the companyās history. But in reinventing the Kingman, which debuted somewhat controversially in the mid ā60s, they retained the beauty and visual impact of the legendary Roger Rossmeiselās designs while adapting top-flight lutherie techniques. The result is an idiosyncratic dreadnought thatās resonant, complex, and downright gorgeous.
$2,600 street, fender.com
Lowden 32 SE (April)
It would be hard to find an acoustic connoisseur whoās been anything but knocked out by a Lowden. George Lowdenās subdued and immaculately crafted designs tend to lend a focus to the sound, which in the case of the 32 SE is a delightfully varied palette. The rosewood-and-spruce construction and near-OM dimensions make the guitar fantastically dynamic and surprisingly loud. And with its uncannily well-suited L.R. Baggs Anthem system, this Lowden is a positively exquisite stage acoustic.
$5,295 street, georgelowden.com
Eastwood Airline Map Baritone (April)
One thing we canāt quite figure out here at PG is why so few players (and manufacturers) have caught on to the fascinating sonic possibilities of baritone guitars. So we were ecstatic when Eastwood came along with the Airline Baritone Map. When reviewer Teja Gerken wasnāt just getting a kick out of gawking at this gloriously odd bird, he marveled at the broad spectrum of tones he could extract from the chambered body and humbuckers. He was also struck by the āpro vibeā of the instrumentāan especially remarkable quality given the accessible price.
$779 street, eastwoodguitars.com
SolidGoldFX Zeta Drive (April)
A lot of players like their overdrive to be civilized and reckless in equal measure. SolidGoldFXās Zeta Drive walks that line as deftly as any OD we can recall. Reviewer Matt Holliman discovered that the āZeta adds heat without loss of definition or detail,ā and is āgreat for creating tones that cut through, even at high-gain settings.ā Holliman also found that the Zeta integrates seamlessly with fuzz and other effects and added a cool responsiveness to his setup.
$165 street, solidgoldfx.com
MXR Micro Amp+ (April)
Few effects are as unassuming as an original MXR Micro Amp, but itās the simplicity of the circuit that makes it a staple for thousands of players. The small enhancements (essentially a bass and treble control) on the Micro Amp+ make this new version extraordinarily flexible. Whether adding zing and kick to a compressed Fender amp, adding body and taming treble on a Marshall, or thickening a vintage fuzz, the Micro Amp+ delivers big without much hassle.
$120 street, jimdunlop.com
Paul Reed Smith Archon (May)
Itās rare that an amp can level a small city with gain yet also deliver clear clean tones and touch-sensitive nuance. But thatās what PRS achieved with the Archon, an amp so varied and cooperative that reviewer Jordan Wagner couldnāt decide if playing Jerry Reed licks or Metallica thrash was more fun. Loud, bursting with low end, and fantastically responsive, Archon is a magic bullet for high-gain players who like it clean sometimes, too.
$1,899 street (head), prsguitars.com
Black Cat OD-Boost (May)
Though the old-school prescription for various shades of gain is creative use of the volume control on your guitar, there are also in-between colors that boosts and overdrives can coax out of your amp. Black Catās OD-Boost is a beautifully conceived, well-executed two-switch overdrive and boost with two very distinct voices that can expand your tone vocabulary exponentially. The boost has miles of headroom. The OD tends toward dirty and aggressive. Together, they give you almost endless shades of oomph.
$195 street, blackcatpedals.com
Electro-Harmonix Soul Food (June)
Whether itās a radical sound that inspires you when your muse has flown the coop, or a timeless sound you just canāt do without, EHX has a way of saving the day. In this case, theyāve delivered a damn-close-to-perfect approximation of the feel and sound of the impossibly out-of-reach Klon Centaurāall in a pedal that wonāt ding your wallet much worse than a set of sneakers.
$66 street, ehx.com
ZVEX Fuzzolo (July)
We have to tip our hats to ZVEX for managing to stuff so much, well, ZVEX-ness into this little guy. There may be just two controls, but one is a dedicated pulse-width knob that enables you to transform the Fuzzolo from a rich, muscular, desert-rock dream fuzz to a spitting, lo-fi monster. And at just 129 bucks, itās an easy-on-the-pocketbook way to introduce some ZVEX mayhem to your board.
$129 street, zvex.com
Mooer LoFi Machine (July)
Whether youāre trying to cover for the keyboard player you never could recruit or looking to enhance your guitar tone palette with more demented and synthy textures, the LoFi Machine delivers a whole lotāespecially for its size. Reviewer Shawn Hammond got a kick out of everything from simulating electric pianos to generating quasi-Nintendo video-game textures, and the wee size and price means it wonāt break the bank or crowd your pedalboard.
$98 street, mooeraudio.com
Hermida Audio Dover Drive (July)
The original Chandler Tube Driver shaped legendary tones from David Gilmour to Eric Johnson. Given that Hermidaās homage to that unit lacks an actual tube, the Dover Drive seemed to promise the impossible. But reviewer Joe Charupakorn found it to be superbly flexibleāāa touch-responsive, dynamic, and wide-ranging overdrive suitable for any player who loves transitioning from āsmoothā to āgrowl.āā
$199 street, lovepedal.com
Planet Waves NS Artist Capo (July)
Plainly said, using the Planet Waves NS Artist Capo is a joy. Itās smooth, and itās fast and easy to adjust. But as Rich Osweiler found, itās the capoās knack for even intonation and tension that makes it a real stage assetāand a Premier Gear winner.
$16 street, planetwaves.com
Born Guitars OG Carve (August)
We love Bornās commitment to building guitars using eco-friendly, sustainable materials. But the effort is doubly meaningful when guitars as good as the OG carve are the result. Our review guitar was crafted from reclaimed cedar and redwood, andāunsurprisinglyāthe guitar sounded like it had an old soul, singing in a voice Joe Charupakorn called ābalanced, smooth, and contoured.ā
$2,995 street, bornguitars.com
Gibson J-15 (August)
Gibsonās slope-shouldered dreadnought shape, which has been around since before the Second World War, is the foundation of a few legendary guitars. But the J-15 is certainly one of the most unique-sounding incarnations of this beautiful form. Alternately dry, husky, and airy, itās super rich in overtones and a breeze to record in the studioāespecially if youāve ever struggled with recording strummed parts. And this version is priced to make it a relatively affordable way to get a slice of Gibsonās ineffable slope-shoulder magic.
$1,500 street, gibson.com
Reverend Meshell Ndegeocello Fellowship (August)
Meshell Ndegeocelloās abilities as a bassist know few bounds, so itās no surprise that her signature Reverend Fellowship bass earned a Premier Gear award. Reviewer Jonathan Herrera called the response ābalanced and subtle,ā while praising the massive lows and airy top end. Articulate, powerful, and impressively built, the Fellowship is remarkably flexible for such a streamlined instrument.
$1,199 street, reverendguitars.com
Rivera Venus Deux (August)
The 25-watt, 6V6-driven Venus Deux will inevitably draw comparisons to the legendary Fender Deluxe. But as Shawn Hammond found out, itās packed with secret weapons like the focus function and notch control that can transform the amp profoundly. Hammond also discovered that the Venus Deux has a way of sounding larger than life, observing that with āpresence and focus cranked, the Venus can blaze so hard youāll have other guitarists rubbing their eyes in disbelief.ā
$1,499 street, rivera.com
Visual Sound V3 H2O (September)
While it would have been easy enough for Visual Sound to stick a delay and a chorus in a single box and ratchet up the price in the name of some imagined utility, the V3 H2O emerged as an award winner, in part, for how beautifully it integrated the two effects. Joe Charupakorn found the digital delay section warm and clear, and the chorus capable of thick Leslie sounds and gentle shimmers alike. Given that he also found the sum of the two greater than the individual parts, itās no surprise that V3 H20 got top marks for value, as well.
$179 street, visualsound.net
Bradford Sterling (September)
An amp that so seamlessly fuses the sounds of an AC30 and a Marshall plexi would be impressive if you made it out of burlap sacks and bubble gum wrappers, but stick that circuit in a head and cabinet with an heirloom-furniture vibe and youāre talking about magic. The 18-watt, EL84-powered Sterling is really two amps in one. But because you the can blend the Vox-like and Marshall-style channels, the Sterling becomes an amp of uncommon, even spectacular depth, complexity, and downright explosive potential.
$1,895 street (head), $600 street (1x12 cab with Weber Legacy or Silver Bell speaker), bradfordamps.net
Stomp Under Foot Hellephant (September)
Messing with the classic silicon Fuzz Face circuit is tricky business. Itās flawed, less than user-friendly, and demands a certain patient curiosityābut it yields spectacular results when used right. We gave Stomp Under Footās Hellephant a Premier Gear award for all the ways that it tames some of the silicon Fuzz Faceās most unruly characteristics while retaining the classicās touch and volume sensitivityāand for how it adds a cholesterol-rich dollop of extra gain. It may be a touch too contemporary for hardcore Fuzz Face purists, but more open-minded players will revel in its abundant fuzzy potential.
$155 street, stompunderfoot.com
Universal Audio Apollo Twin (September)
The Apollo Twin audio interface looks too dang simple to do all that it does. But whether youāre powering a Mac-driven stage rig or recording on the go, it has a way of rendering listeners flabbergasted with its wildly authentic-sounding analog modeling. The included plug-ins (UA 1176 and LA-2A compressor and 610-B tube preamp modelers among them) make this a formidable little desktop-studio assetāespecially with the Console virtual mixing board app. And this combination of power and portability make the Apollo Twin an easy Premier Gear winner.
$699 (single processor), $899 street (dual processor), uaudio.com
Greer Amps Lightspeed Organic Overdrive (October)
With the Lightspeed, Greer Amps has crafted a touch-sensitive stomp that covers everything from transparent boost to tough-and-gritty, cranked-amp tones with aplomb. With a super-sensitive and beautifully voiced freq control that adds a very natural presence, the Greer is a shining star in a crowded overdrive market.
$190 street, greeramps.com
Marshall 1958X (October)
Senior Editor Joe Gore reviewed the 1958X fresh off a project building two Marshall 18-watt clones. So to say Goreās assessment benefits from deeper insight is an understatement. He found the build impeccable. And though many players savor the grittiness of this model, Gore was also knocked out by the warm, pretty clean tones lurking within. Dynamic, alive, and uniquely adept at walking the line between clean and crunch, the 1958X was a runaway Premier Gear winner.
$2,699 street, marshallamps.com
MXR Bass Preamp (October)
In his review of this little low-end powerhouse, reviewer Dave Abdo apologetically used the Swiss Army-knife metaphor to describe its tone-shaping potential. But as over-used as that comparison can be, in this case it was apt: Whether employed as a DI, a boost, or an EQ solution for odd and unexpected bass-and-backline pairings, the Bass Preamp just seemed to make everything sound sweeter. And its incredibly reasonable price made it a shoo-in for a Premier Gear award.
$169 street, jimdunlop.com
Way Huge Havalina (October)
Jeorge Tripps has always had a knack for fine-tuning and reinventing classics, but the Havalinaāa germanium fuzz inspired by the Sola Sound Tonebenderāis one of his all-time coolest marriages of vintage liveliness and modern quality and stability. The Havalina does everything a great Tone Bender doesāsnappy, snarling, wild-and-wooly fuzz, sweet-to-biting dynamicsāin a sturdy, thoughtfully executed package that has more than a touch of vintage-idiosyncratic personality. With boutique-level quality, vintage vibes by the bucket load, and a price that will have cookie-cutter and boutique makers quaking in their boots, the Havalina locked up a Premier Gear award with greasy, nasty, fantastically fuzzy ease.
$119 street, wayhuge.com
DOD Phasor 201 (October)
The original DOD Phasor 201 may not have stirred up legions of acolytes like its ā70s contemporaries, the Small Stone and Phase 90, but its resurrection might at last elevate this little blue swirl machine out of the fog of cult obscurity. Reviewer Jordan Wagner praised the 201ās knack for sounding like an organic part of a signal chaināespecially when overdrive is in the mixāand was impressed with the pedalās honey-smooth voice in both slow, psychedelic tape-phase applications and fast rotary-speaker-type settings. Simple, swirlingly rich, and a relative steal, the Phasor 201 seems primed for a longer stay this time around.
$99 street, dod.com
Taylor T5z
The cult of the T5 may not be growing quite as fast as Bob Taylor hoped, but the modelās ranks of loyalists are bound to feel vindicated by the new T5z, which refines the instrument as an electric guitar without sacrificing an ounce of its switch-hitting, amplified-acoustic potential. Reviewer Adam Perlmutter loved its ability to deliver Telecaster- and Stratocaster-like tones colored with a unique, woody air. He also dug its versatile, feedback-resistant acoustic tones. But it was the flawless build and silky playability that put the T5z over the top.
$2,999 street, taylorguitars.com
EarthQuaker Devices Arrows (November)
Considering all the tone-mangling tools that emerge from EarthQuakerās lab, it was almost shocking to see them debut a box of such flawlessly simple functionality and utility. But the Arrows booster takes a Premier Gear award in no small part because of an elegant usability that translates effortlessly into livelier tones. Given EQDās knack for fantastic fuzz, it was no surprise how beautifully the Arrows enhanced fuzz tones, but what really struck us was how it made almost every amp, guitar, bass, and keyboard we tried it with jump with a little something extra. Whether itās a touch of clean boost, or a little extra presence you need, Arrows hits the mark.
$95 street, earthquakerdevices.com
Nordstrand NVT A3 Set (November)
As Shawn Hammond remarked in his review, āCorrect vintage tone can be debated endlessly,ā but even though the NVT A3s barked like a good set of vintage Tele pickups, Hammond was as astounded by the pickupsā lovely, almost lipstick-tube-like textures as he was by how they excelled in both ultra-clean and rowdy settings.
$97 street (each), nordstrandpickups.com
The Skylark, from North Carolina Builder Steve Carr, is a descendant of Fender's Harvard, an amp that gained fame from Steve Cropper's classic Stax recordings. Senior Editor Joe Gore found the Skylark an admirable extension of the Harvard's best qualitiesārichly chiming tones, superb dynamic response, and gratifying overdrive at modest volume. The dual-6V6 circuit transitions smoothly from clean to crunch and the tone controls are more flexible than its vintage Fender counterparts. Gore put it simply, āThe Skylark sings no matter how you set the knobs.ā
$2,390 street, carramps.com
Pettyjohn Electronics PreDrive (October)
Reviewer Joe Charupakorn called the Pettyjohn PreDrive āan adult effectā not because itās graphically lurid or obscene, but because it takes fine-tuning to a level typically reserved for post production at a mixing desk. But that sophistication and precision makes the PreDrive a potentially invaluable mate in studio as well as for unpredictable live backline situations.
$599 street (handwired version), $399 street (PCB version), pettyjohnelectronics.com
A yearās worth of gear at Premier Guitar adds up to a whole lot of wood, wire, silicon, germanium, aluminum, and steel. It also makes up a whole universe of musical possibilities, which is what strikes us as we look back on the Premier Gear Award winners for 2014. From luxurious acoustics to ridiculously buttery-sounding amps and furiously frantic vintage-style fuzzes, there are almost infinite sounds to be extracted from this roster of favorites.
As always, youāll see the full spectrum of manufacturers represented, tooāfrom garage circuit tweakers to industry giants. And apart from the beautiful sounds that youāre likely to extract from these instruments of expression, that diversity among builders might be the thing that makes this industry so fun and special. We all share the joy, ecstasy, emotion, and rush of creation that music brings. And from these 43 award-winning guitars, pedals, amps, audio interfaces, and accessories, we expect yāall will brew up more than a little magic in the years to come. Happy music making, and enjoy the ride.
You could be one of THREE winners in this PG Perks Exclusive giveaway
Dr Strings Dragon Skin+ Coated Accurate Core Technology 6-String Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings 12 54
DR Strings Dragon Skin+ Coated Accurate Core Technology 6-string phosphor bronze acoustic guitar strings provide an unparalleled playing experience for acoustic guitarists. Packed with patented technology, these strings upgrade both the core and wrap wires to sound full, balanced and loud. Accurate Core Technology creates grooves on the core to cradle the wrap wire, allowing the strings to ring out fully. A micro-thin coating provides long life while feeling like an uncoated string. Designed to feel and sound better, Dragon Skin+ strings are unlike anything you've played before. The difference is real. Accurate Core Technology grooves cradle wrap wire . Micro-thin coating provides long life, uncoated feel . Huge, balanced tone from upgraded core and wrap . Patented technology for outstanding musical endurance.Guild M-20 Concert Acoustic Guitar - Natural Finish
Guildās iconic M-20 was the first guitar off the production line in 1967, when the company had grown so much that they relocated to a new factory in Westerly, RI. Nearly 50 years later, history has repeated itself in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in California. The M-20 is a concert size acoustic guitar built with solid mahogany top, back, and sides, informally nicknamed āthe Nick Drake guitarā for its inclusion on the album art for Drakeās album, Bryter Layter. It features a rosewood bridge and fingerboard, bone nut and saddle, and an extremely light satin finish that allows this guitar to truly sing. The M-20ās modest appointments include a vintage style rosette and Guildās peak logo inlaid in Pearloid on the headstock. Each M-20 comes with a hand-signed, numbered certificate of authenticity, and ships with a hardshell case. Available in Natural, Vintage Sunburst, Natural with LR Baggs pickup (M-20E Nat), and Sunburst with LR Baggs pickup (M-20E VSB).
An easy guide to re-anchoring a loose tuning machine, restoring a ālostā input jack, refinishing dinged frets, and staunching a dinged surface. Result: no repair fees!
Pardon my French, but Iām about to misethe hell out of some en scenein this article about do-it-yourselfĀ guitar repair. Buckle-vous up.
The Guitarist is in the middle of double-tracking a solo. Itās not quite right. Creative juices are flowing, but at any moment, the gate could slam shut. Their social media feed is stagnant, and the algorithm thirsts for content. The studio is 80 bucks an hour. That new boutique fuzz pedal would sound great on this track, surely? It would, of course, as these things are the cure for all problems, but it rests just out of reach.
Desperate for a solution, the Guitarist rests their perfect new guitar against the warm tube ampāonly for a moment ⦠but a horrible amplified bwaang from wood, string, and concreteās violent meeting breaks the temporary silence as gravity muscles potential into the kinetic. The Guitarist breathes a defeated āaw, man,ā like a loosened balloon farting hopelessly across an empty room. The gate closes, juices no longer loose, locked, impenetrable by any transistor-based effect. And itās time to assess the damage.ā
I bet you saw yourself in the opening scene of Twenty-Four-and-Three-Quarter-Inches of Woe, which may be the title of the screenplay I just started to write, most likely due to the fact that youāve made a similarly boneheaded mistake with your instrument.
Unfortunately, my storytelling skills didnāt save a nice new Epiphone Casino from sliding off my amp, meeting the floor, and earning some damage on the way down. Yeah, thatās a true story, and Iām sure something similar has happened to you as well. It can happen to anyone who plays guitar for long enough, but thereās no need for despair yet.
If youāve been victimized by gravity like I have, as long as the damage isnāt major, you can fix a lot of things yourself. Iāll use my felled Casino as an example. It suffered a loosened tuner, an input jack that fell inside the guitar, a damaged fret, and a few dents in the finish. While I work, Iāll provide some suggestions for supplies and tools to keep in your home repair kit, just in case you ever need them.
Tools for the Tasks
We ordered all of the tools we used in these repairs, excluding the painterās tape and the toothpicks, which we picked up during lunch at Jackās Bar-B-Que, from StewMac.
The essentials:
⢠ESP Multi Spanner
⢠Archtop Guitar Helping Hand
⢠Guitar Tech Screwdriver Set
⢠3 Corner Fret Dressing Files
⢠Ultra Thin Master Glue
⢠GluBoost Fill nā Finish
⢠Rectangular Sanding Kit
Canāt Tune It like That
First, letās take care of the loose tuner, since itās currently in no shape to reliably hold string tension. The tumble knocked it sideways, which loosened the screws holding in the key, which caused the wood around the screws to strip. Itās alarming to see, but this is a very simple fix.
Add to Repair Kit: Round toothpicks, water-thin CA glue, glue applicator tips, safety goggles
[Note: For the unfamiliar, CA is short for cyanoacrylate. Itās commonly referred to as āSuper Glue,ā but since that is a brand name, not the generic, Iāll refer to it here as āCA glue.ā]
First, remove the tuner by backing the screws out, then pull the tuner from the headstock. My Casinoās tuning keys use a press-in bushing to hold the post straight in the headstock, so no further disassembly is required. However, if you experience this issue with a guitar with more modern-styled tuning keys, youāll need to use an appropriately sized wrench or socket to remove the screw-in bushing before removing the key.
Next, break a toothpick in half, insert the thicker end into the hole where your mounting screw used to be. Break it off flush with the surface, and repeat the process with the other hole.
Safety goggles on: Itās CA glue time. Trust me, you do not want to squirt this stuff into your eye. Fit an applicator tip to the glue bottle and practice your squeeze on a scrap piece of paper or wood, far away from anything you donāt want glued to your guitar or yourself. This stuff is magicāit will bond things you never intended if you arenāt careful.
All you need is a very small drop, so practice until you can confidently flow out just a small controlled amount. Once youāve mastered that, drop a small amount of water-thin CA glue into each filled hole. It will soak through the toothpick into the surrounding wood just enough for this quick fix. Let it cure for at least 15 minutes, but longer is even better.
Pop the tuner back in and drive the screws straight into the toothpick-filled holes. The screw will compress the toothpick into the existing wood and create new threads strong enough to hold your tuner in place.
Congratulations! You fixed it well enough to at least make it through a session. Iāve done this on several guitars that lasted years with no issues, so you should be confident in your work.
Hit the Road, Jack
Look, thereās no way to sugarcoat this. Fishing an output jack out of a hollowbody guitar is a pain. You can do this. All you need is patience and a few handy gadgets.
Add to Repair Kit: flashlight, multi-spanner, small drywall anchor, āhelping hand,ā small screwdriver
Your first task is to locate the jack inside the guitar. Odds are it didnāt fall far away from where it needs to be, since itās probably wired to one of your control potentiometers. Use your flashlight to shine some light inside the f-hole to help find it.
I found mine wedged against the treble side of the rim, a little farther away than I can reach with my fingers. This is not zesty. I am unhappy but equipped and determined.
The tool I described as a āhelping handā becomes useful here. Itās essentially just a bent hook at the end of a handle made out of pliable heavy wire. Several guitar parts suppliers sell something similar. I got mine from StewMac for a reasonable price, but if you want to be thrifty about it, thereās no reason why you canāt cut and bend a wire coat hanger.
Take a few deep breaths, and working through the f-hole, use the hook end of your helping hand to gently pull the output jack back toward where it was mounted. Bend the helping hand however needed to reach the jack as easily as possible.
I managed to pull the jack back enough to put a small screwdriver through the jackās mounting hole and then through the jack itself. That screwdriver will act as a guide while I lift the jack back into place with the helping hand.
You should expect this will take several attempts. Try not to get frustrated. With enough patience, youāll be able to get the jack back where it belongs. Once you have the jack in place, carefully thread the washer and nut back onto the jack. It shouldnāt take much effort to thread it back on. Just be careful not to cross-thread the nut.
Now that the nut is threaded on enough so it wonāt fall back in, the challenge is to tighten it without twisting the jack itself to avoid breaking any wires. Iāve seen and used a few different methods to accomplish this, but I came across one recently that I really like.
This is where youāll use your drywall anchor. Get one small enough to fit inside the jack without using too much force, then tighten the screw in the anchor so that it spreads to fit tightly inside the jack. This will hold it steady enough to tighten the nut with a multi-spanner tool or an appropriately-sized wrench.
I like a multi-spanner for this job, because itās always the right size and is slim enough to not be clumsy for operations like this. Like the helping hand, lots of suppliers sell something similar using different names. Mine is made by ESP and also arrived in my StewMac tool box. I use it all the time for all sorts of tasks.
Once the nut is tightened, unscrew the drywall anchor, remove it, and test the jack for sound by plugging your guitar into an amp. A positive result should be obvious at this point, but if you donāt hear any signal, or an excessive consistent buzz, get in touch with your local repair tech.
Got a Dent In My Fret, Man
Honestly, face-first is probably the best way a guitar like my Casino could have hit the ground. The damage couldāve been far worse. Check any forum for endless complaints about Gibson/Epiphone headstock breaks. But I do need to address some damage to a fret caused during the fall.
The issue here is that plain steel electric guitar stringsālike your G, B, and E stringsāare considerably harder than most frets (my stainless steel fret contingency, put your hands down and let me finish), so itās possible for a string to leave a small sharp dent in a fret if you hit it with enough force. This specific issue might go unnoticed until itās time to bend a note at that fret, then youāll feel and hear the string catch it. No good.
Before we get started: Having allof your frets carefully levelled, recrowned, and polished is alwaysa better solution than partially levelling just a few frets. But considering the entire premise weāve constructed, which is a situation where we just want the guitar back in action relatively quickly, a partial fret level on the upper frets is perfectly fine as long as itās done carefully.
Add to Repair Kit: Crowning file (three-corner or rounded), assortment of sandpaper (400 grit to 800 should be fine), 0000 extra-fine steel wool (optional), fretboard conditioner, permanent marker.
First thing we need to do is identify which frets need the work. Letās say you have a nick in your 17th fret on the treble side under the B string. The goal is to bring the height of that damaged fret and all the frets past it down until the nick disappears. After that, remove the strings before you begin working.
To accomplish this, mark the damaged frets and all frets past it with a permanent marker. A trusty black Sharpie works great for this, but any darker color works fine. For this repair, we only need to work on the treble side of the frets, so thatās all you need to focus on. Also, use some blue painterās marking tape to protect the area of the guitar near where you will be working. Small slips of a file or sandpaper can cause some nasty injuries to the guitarās surface.
Next, level the damaged fret and all frets past it (moving toward the bridge) with something stiff enough to not flex under pressure. I keep an old credit cardāa nice sturdy oneāwith a bit of 400-grit sandpaper glued to one side along the shorter edge, 800 grit on the other side. Start with the 400 and work your way down, being careful not to use too much pressure. Let the sandpaper do the work.
Youāll notice the ink is removed as you sand. The way to make sure youāre keeping everything level is to stop frequently and observe the new clean areas on top of each fret. Each one should be about the same width.
This will take a while. A 400-grit sandpaper does not remove material quickly, 800 grit even less so. Iām suggesting this technique because working slowly makes it more difficult to get yourself in trouble. Several suppliers sell mini files for spot leveling, but I donāt recommend starting there because they remove fret material pretty aggressively.
Eventually youāll notice the little divot in your 17th fret is almost gone. Nowās time to switch to 800 grit to finish the job. You guessed correctly: This will take even longer, but itāll leave a nice finish without removing any more material than necessary.
Great! Now you have five flat-topped frets. That wonāt sound very good, so now you need to re-crown them, giving them a rounded profile to match the other frets. I like to use a 3-corner file to slowly round over each side of the fret, working from the fretboard up, but if you feel like dropping some serious flow on a specialized crowning file, this job can be a lot easier. Be sure to get the marker back out, ink up each fret, and stop filing when just a tiny sliver of ink is left on top of each fret.
Use a piece of 800 grit paper to remove any file marks and smooth out each fret. If you have finer grits, you could work your way up to 1200 or so, but donāt go too hard or you could undo your work. You just want the frets clean and smooth. At this point, I like the way frets feel after a quick buff with 0000 steel wool, but the mess left behind does rightfully deter a lot of repair techs. If you opt in for this, be sure to tape off your pickups and consider finding a second location for this step.
Work in some fretboard conditioner if you like (skip it if you have a maple or synthetic board; no need for that here), put some new strings on, and check your work. Play every note on these frets, to make sure they ring out without any buzzes. It may not look perfect, but as long as the guitar sounds good, youāre okay until itās time for a full level/crown/polish job.
Not Finished Until Itās, Uh, Finished
Now for the last souvenir from my Casinoās short journey to the floor. I noticed a few spots along the rim of the guitar where the finish was damaged. Specifically, it looks like the guitar hit something with an edge on the way down hard enough to put a couple of jagged dents in it, right along the binding.
Funny, thatās actually what binding is intended forāprotecting edges and corners from damage. Anyway, we need to discuss a few things about guitar finishes.
For the purpose of this article, Iām only going to discuss repairs to the clear coat, since thatās where my damage is. Most guitars now are finished using polyurethane or lacquer for the top clear-coat layer.
Speaking verygenerally, lacquer finishes are softer and less durable, which makes hiding repairs a lot easier if you have the skills and patience. Polyurethane finishes are hard and tough in every way: hard to damage and tough to hide repairs regardless of skills or patience.
I happen to know that my formerly mint-condition Casino has a polyurethane finish, which means Iām going to lower my expectations with this repair. Instead of trying to make it look like it never happened, which will take a lot of work, Iāll just try to keep it from getting worse over time, which will take considerably less work.
It also means I wonāt be discussing how to repair lacquer finishes, which is a bit more in-depth, requires a lot more patience and practice, and is therefore not really recommended for the average DIYāerāat least not in the scope of this piece. So if your guitar has a lacquer finish, I donāt think this part applies. Let someone else take care of it, or maybe skip this part and learn to love your guitar as is. The latter is still an admirable move.
Add to Repair Kit: Nothing! You already have what you need from the previous repairs. Feel good about that.
Since the damage is a pronounced dent with sharp edges in the clear coat, all I really need to do is seal it with an appropriate material. And the material appropriate for repairing polyurethane finishes isāyou guessed itāCA glue, because it dries hard, clear, and quickly, much like polyurethane.
Step one: Use painterās masking tape around the area of the damage, just in case the glue runs when applied. Step two: Put glue on the dented finish. CA glue will fill in all the small cracks within the damage and seal the existing finish. Be careful; use the smallest-drop-possible technique you perfected when fixing the tuning peg, and give it plenty of time to dry.
Thatās it. Thatās all I need to keep the finish from continuing to chip the more I play it. Yes, I saved the easiest one for last, as a little treat.
Obviously, this isnāt a particularly beautiful repair, so I could go above and beyond by using thicker CA glueāfor example, GluBoost Fill nā Finishāto fill it in completely, sand it level, and polish the area back to the original mirror gloss. Dan Erlewine has a few excellent YouTube videos outlining this exact method that are easy to find, and I encourage you to try if youāre so inclined. But for my purposes, this will do.
Accidents will happen if youāre actually playing your guitar, but theyāre no cause for panic when they do. Even though the guitar isnāt perfect anymore, itās perfectly playable, and I can get by with it for now. I broke it, so I fixed it, which is something I hope you feel empowered to do should you break yours.
Next time, Iāll use a good guitar stand.
Elliott Sharp is a dapper dude. Not a dandy, mind you, but an elegant gentleman.
The outside-the-box 6-string swami pays homage to the even-further-outside-the-box musician whoās played a formative role in the downtown Manhattan scene and continues to quietlyāand almost compulsivelyāshape the worlds of experimental and roots music.
Often the most potent and iconoclastic artists generate extraordinary work for decades, yet seem to be relegated to the shadows, to a kind of perma-underground status. Certainly an artist like my friend Elliott Sharp fits this category. Yes, his work can be resolutely avant-garde. But perhaps the most challenging thing about trying to track this man is the utterly remarkable breadth of his work.
I am writing this piece for a guitar magazine, so, necessarily, I must serve up info that is guitar-centric. And I can do that, at least a little bit. But Elliott is also a noted composer, runs his own little record label, plays woodwinds proficiently, is a guitar builder/tinkerer, author, gracious supporter of other musiciansā efforts, family man, and killer blues playerāa blues scholar, in fact. So where do we, the public, conditioned to needing categories, pigeonholes, and easy assessment signals, put Elliott Sharpāan artist with a powerful work ethic and a long, illustrious career of making mind-bending sounds and conceptual works? How about putting him in the pantheon of the maverick and the multifaceted? Surely this pantheon exists somewhere! In mind, in heart. To those for whom such things resonate and inspire, I bring you Elliott Sharp.
One can obviously go to the information superhighway to find info on Elliott, and to hear his music, so I wonāt go into too many details about where he was born (Cleveland) and when (March 1, 1951; as of this writing, Elliott is 74), or what he is best known for (being a crucial figure in the downtown New York City scene from 1979 to the present). He is Berlin Prize winner and a Guggenheim Fellow (among other honors). And I have never asked him what strings and picks he uses, so maybe I have already blown it here. But I realize now, having taken on this assignment, that inherent in writing about and trying to explain Elliott Sharp is an implicit TMI factor. There is so much going on here, so much diverse information that could be imparted, that I would not be the least bit surprised if some readers eventually glaze over a bit and start thinking of their own lifeās efforts and goals as rather paltry. I get that! Although you shouldnāt.
E# @NaturalHabitat
Here, now, is my portrait of Elliott, accompanied by what I imagine is a day in the life of Elliott when heās at home in New York City.
Elliott Sharp is a dapper dude. Not a dandy, mind you, but an elegant gentleman. He, like so many in New York and in the world of music/art/guitar, favors dark-hued clothing (yeah, a preponderance of black) and is most often seen wearing a classic slouch hat of obvious quality. He relocated from Buffalo via Western Massachusetts to lower Manhattan in 1979 to a zone that was, back then, quite treacherously decrepit, in an apartment that offered only an hour or so of heat in the winter, etc., etc. It was cheap, and things were always happening, and, in fact, it was the 1950s domicile of William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac.The area became the nexus of an ever-expanding circle of iconoclastic, experimental artists of many stripes.
Sharp plays what passes for a fairly staid instrument in his collection: a bass and guitar doubleneck, in 1992.
Elliott is still in that building in the East Village, though it is now only his workplace and not his living space. I am trying to remember exactly when I met Elliott, but it was probably about 25 years ago, and he still had only the one small, original apartment and a shared music space in the Garment District. I, like countless others before and after me, stayed in that East Village apartment whenever I needed a place to crash and Elliott was elsewhere, and eventually he was able to secure the next door apartment and expand his space. This is where Elliott Sharp works every day that he is not touring, pretty much 9 to 6. The place is a bit funky and dusty, and it is filled with instruments, amps (some classics, like a mid-ā60s Princeton Reverb and a tweed Champ), and other tools accumulated over many decadesāin spite of the many times that certain ones had to be sold to keep bread on the table.
When heās not composing, scoring films, recording other artists, or gigging with the bands he has been in or led for the last several decades (Mofungo, Carbon/Orchestra Carbon, SysOrk, Terraplane, The Bootstrappers, Aggragat), Elliott tinkers with guitars, pedals, mandolins. Elliott is, to me, the king of guitar transformation, and his tinkering is stunningly Frankensteinian as he guts, rebuilds, and alters all kinds of stringed instruments, both electric and acoustic. He recently told me that in the ā60s he built fuzz boxes out of tobacco tins to make money. How cool would it be to have one of those now?? If one does a search on Elliott Sharp, many photos will reveal what I'm talking about: the handcrafted doubleneck he was most often seen playing in the ā80s (there was maybe more than one), 8-string guitars, modified Strat-type guitars with completely different pickups.. He also has a fancy guitar or two, such as his Koll fanned-fret 8-string, upon which he has played many a solo recital. During Covid time,, things were a little slow in the cash-flow department and, as a family man with twins, a little extra income was needed. So Elliott started building really cool-looking guitars out of cheap
ones and parts from wherever and refinishing them in hip and attractive ways and called them Mutantu. He sold them to friends and friends of friends. Yours truly basically only changes strings on his guitars, appealing helplessly to experts to do any kind of work on his guitars and amps, afraid of costly errors. The maverick and multifaceted among us, like Elliott, possess no such fear.
Even a leader in experimental 6-string gets a little guitar face now and thenāespecially when heās playing blues.
Photo by Scott Friedlander
So, back to that promised day in the life of Elliott Sharp (as imagined, with some degree of knowledge, by me): Itās early morning, and there is family to contend with. No bohemian lollygagging! So itās feed the kids breakfast, do what parents must do. Then itās off to the office (his studio), so Elliott dons a fine gray shirt (is that silk?), dark trousers, coat, and hat, and walks north from the family apartment on nearly the lowest point of eastern Manhattan to the East Village. The traffic and endless refurbishing of the Williamsburg Bridge roars familiarly overhead, the East River flows, and eventually a river of another kind, Houston Street, is crossed. Up the stairs to the fifth floor and the studio door is unlocked. Espresso is made. (There will be more of this.) The computer is turned on. And then ... who knows? Anything could be on the docket, but some sort of work will ensue for a good eight hours. Maybe a new graphic score for a German symphony is in the works (some of these have become visual artworks, too), or maybe it's time to try another mix of that Terraplane track, the one with Elliottās friend, hero, and inspiration Hubert Sumlināthe one Elliott recorded not long before the famed Howlinā Wolf guitarist joined his ancestors in the Great Beyond. Or maybe heās recording a variation on his trio ERR Guitar (where he was originally joined by Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson), called ERE Guitar Today, with Sally Gates and Tashi Dorji. Could happenāand it did. You can see Elliottās studio in the ERE Guitar CD booklet.
Or maybe itās guitar tinkering/building time. Whereās that delightfully chunky neck from China that would be awesome on that fake Tele body that was just refitted with no-name humbuckers (āsounded good once I removed the pickup covers,ā Elliott observes) and a resophonic guitar tailpiece? By 5 or 6 itās time to go home, maybe cook dinner tonight. And then ... my little imagined epic ends with a tasteful cinematic clichĆ©: the dissolve.
The E# Way
Elliott Sharp has techniques that, in some cases, are all his own. No stranger to open tunings, prepared guitar, and other extended techniques, he often utilizes rhythmic, two-hand tapping to create spiraling, hypnotic patterns. His composing over these many years has employed and embraced genetics, Fibonacci numbers, algorithms, and fractal geometry. Though a mathematics and physics know-nothing myself, I see and hear a relationship between these elements as he has applied them to his uncompromisingly avant-garde compositions and these tapping patterns often heard in his solo work. Once he kicks in signal processing, stand back! What one hears sounds like four people (or other species and life forms), and the sensation is exhilarating. Sure, there could also be evidence of (here it comes) skronk (I can't believe I used that word), but Elliott certainly does not reside permanently in that world. Enjoying all kinds of sounds, from the lonesome moan of a resonator guitar to the aleatoric sputterings and squeals of a tormented electric guitar, is something he and I share, after all. Take, for example, two of his latest recordings on his zOaR imprint, Mandorleand Mandocello, which document his solo work on the two instruments, respectively. Both recordings investigate the instrumentsā acoustic characteristics before, about half-way through, switching suddenly to electric, ultra-processed sounds. Itās a bracing experience that explains a few things about this man and the breadth of his aesthetic sweep. The sounds bring up images of recombinant DNA (information on which he has also imbued into his work), roiling lava, and the ever-expanding universe. Recommended!
Sharp applies his wicked two-handed-tapping technique to his 8-string, fanned-fret guitar built by Saul Koll.
Photo by Scott Friedlander
So, this might fit into the aforementioned TMI category, but Elliott Sharp puts out a staggering amount of recordings. Every time I see him (which is not often enough), he has a little pile of compact discs for me, often on zOaR. I saw somewhere recently that he has released 165 recordings, but I think there are probably more than that. Itās hard for even the data lords to keep up! But itās not always Elliott Sharp pieces or improvisation/collaborations on these albums. Other artists whom Elliott knows and respects can be represented, such as Spanish electric guitarist/conceptualizer A. L. GuillĆ©n, late bassist/producer Peter Freeman, Italian voice and guitar duo XIPE, or Hardenger fiddle player Agnese Amicoāall articulate and singular musicians whom Elliott assists by releasing their music. I am grateful for this. Itās obviously more āworkā for Elliott, and he accomplishes it, along with everything else he takes on or imagines doing, with elegant aplomb. Though obviously a nose-to-the-grindstone worker, Elliott is generally low-key and relaxed, even after those espressos.
The last thing I want to write about is Elliott's interpretations of the music of Thelonious Monk. Are you surprised, even after everything else you have just read, that something like that exists? In 2003, Elliott released a solo acoustic guitar recording called Sharp? Monk? Sharp! Monk!, and stunned the world (well, those few who pay attention to such things). However, my first exposure to Elliott's Monk interpretations was the more recent Monkulations, expertly recorded live in Vienna in 2007. (You can hear it on Bandcamp). These recordings are, justifiably I suppose, controversial in certain corners, because they do not adhere to Monk's exact written particulars note-for-note. Yet the mood, gestures, rhythmic wonders, and even the harmonic depth of Thelonious Monk often emerges, and frequently in astonishing ways. I understand why some would take issue with this approach because it departs significantly from the jazz tradition, but I find it remarkably fresh, bold, and so delightfully E#. They reveal an aspect of Elliottās thinking and playing that is surprising in some ways, but also so him. It is clear to me that Elliott has seriously examined and internalized Monkās repertoire.
Spring(s) in the garden: Sharp can use just about any tool in his improvisations.
Photo by Norman Westberg
Elliott is an artist who plays more than one instrument, plays them all in unique, startling, and often innovative ways, composes rigorous conceptual works from chamber music to operas, makes electronic music with no guitar, plays mean blues guitar like a swamp rat, authors books (I highly recommend his mostly memoir IrRational Music, and a second book is emerging this fall), builds and modifies guitars and other devices, is stunningly prolific, and is an elegant gentleman. The planet is a better place with him and his work in it. The maverick and multifaceted often have a rough road to tread, as we all know. So check out Elliott Sharp's vast world if any of this seems interesting to you. Thanks, Elliott!
YouTube
Watch Elliott Sharp and Marc Ribot deliver a masterclass in free improvisation at Manhattanās Cornelia Street CafĆ© in 2010āSharpās two-handed tapping and slide playing included.
Elliott Sharpās Favorite Gear
This doubleneck guitar accompanied Sharp on many of his ā80s performances and is one of his earlier experimental instruments, as is this 8-string.
Road
Guitars
⢠Strandberg 8-string Boden
⢠1996 Henderson-Greco 8-string
Amp
⢠Fender Deluxe Reverb or black-panel Twin Reverb (depending on size of venue)
⢠Trace-Elliot bass amp w 4x10 cabinet
(live rig uses both amps, run in stereo)
Effects
⢠Eventide H90 w/ Sonicake expression pedal
⢠Sonicake Fuzz
⢠Hotone Komp
⢠Hotone Blues
⢠TC Electronic Flashback 2
⢠VSN Twin Looper
Accessories
⢠Slides, EBows, springs, metal rods and strips, small wooden and ceramic square plates
Home
Guitars
⢠1946 Martin OO-18 acoustic guitar
⢠2006 Squier 51 (Sharp explains: āOn New Year's Day 2007, I took the twins down to the East River in their stroller. They were 15 months old and knew a few words. As we rolled along, they started shouting āguitar, guitar,ā and, sure enough, sticking out of a garbage can was a black Squier 51 that someone had attempted to ritually sacrifice. Brought it home and cleaned it, and itās become a favorite couch guitar.ā)
Obviously, any sound that emerges from the Triple-Course Bass Pantar is likelly to be interesting.
Studio
Guitars and stringed instruments
⢠Fender 1994 ā50s Telecaster built from a Fender-offered kit
⢠Mutantum lime green metalflake Strat w/Seymour Duncan Little ā59 pickups
⢠Mutantum solidbody āmanoucheā Strat w/classical neck
⢠Saul Koll custom 8-string
⢠Rick Turner Renaissance Baritone
⢠1973 Gibson Les Paul Custom
⢠1966 Epiphone Howard Roberts
⢠1965 Harmony Bobkat
⢠1984/ā96 Heer-Henderson Doubleneck
⢠1956 Gibson CF-100 acoustic guitar
⢠1968 Hagstrom H8 8-string bass
⢠Mutantum Norma fretless electric
⢠Godin Multiac Steel Duet
⢠2001 DellāArte Grande Bouche
⢠1958 Fender Stringmaster 8-string console steel guitar
⢠1936 Rickenbacker B6 lap steel
⢠1950s Framus Nevada Mandolinetto
⢠Mutantum Electric Mandocello
⢠Arches H-Line
⢠Triple-Course Bass Pantar
Amps
⢠1966 Fender black-panel Princeton Reverb
⢠1980 Fender 75 (Per Sharp: āCut down to a head and modded by Matt Wells into a Dumble-ish monster! For recording, it plugs into a 1x10 cab with a Jensen speaker or a Hartke Transporter 2x10 cab
⢠1970 Fender Bronco
⢠1960 Fender tweed Champ modded by Matt Wells
Effects and Electronics
⢠Vintage EHX 16-Second Delay w/foot controller
⢠Eventide H3000
⢠Eventide PitchFactor
⢠Lexicon PCM42
⢠ZVEX Fuzz Factory
⢠Summit DCL-200 Compressor Limiter
⢠SSL SiX desktop
⢠Prescription Electronics Experience
⢠Zoom Ultra Fuzz
⢠Korg MS-20 analog synthesizer
⢠Korg Volca Modular synthesizer
⢠Make Noise 0-Coast synthesizer
⢠Moog Moogerfooger Ring Modulator
⢠Moog Moogerfooger Low-Pass Filter
⢠Softscience Optical Compressor (for DI recording, custom made by Kevin Hilbiber)
Strings
⢠Ernie Ball Regular Slinky (.010ā.046) or Power Slinky (.011ā.048), for conventional guitar.
Growing up in Australia, guitarist Jedd Hughes tells us he dreamed of playing in Vince Gillās band as far back as elementary school. Now, he lives in Nashville and stands next to the man himself on stage night after night. Weāve invited Jedd to join us on this episode of 100 Guitarists to talk about just what makes Vinceās playing so special.
Jedd tells us how his dream came true and how he first started playing with Vince. We dig deep into how everybodyās favorite country guitarist raises the bar every time he picks up the guitar, how he gets his amazing clean tone, and we take time to appreciate all aspects of his solosāincluding how he builds them and how he plays such clean bends. As for why his concerts are so long? āHe loves to play.ā
In our current listening segment, weāre covering the Black Crowes and Jimmy Pageās Live at the Greek box set and a live recording from Burlington, Vermontās Breathwork.