Emerson Custom Guitars Em-Drive Winner - Gary Wilkinson of Nottowa, Ontario Canada
Ernie Ball MVP Winner - Larry Sosebee of York, SC
Henretta Orange Whip Winner - Jeff Stapleton of Fair Oaks, CA
Rockett Pedals Blue Note Winner - Bob Holt of Tustin, CA
Stone Deaf Fig Fumb Paracentric Fuzz Filter Winner - Johnny Homer of Plano, TX
Analog Alien FuzzBubble-45 Winner - Rick Hooper of Murfeesboro, TN
Digitech Drop Pedal Winner - Jefferey Cales of Whitehall, OH
Ogre Thnderclap Distortion Winner - Andrew Bazan of Winniepeg, Manitoba Canada
T-Rex Effects Replay Box Winner - Carl Vaughan of Whitesboro, TX
DOD 410 BiFed Boost Winner - Timothy Higgins of Granby, MO
Best-Tronics Cable Loom & Interface Panel Winner - Edward Stiles of Jasper, GA
Earthquaker Devices Afterneath Winner - Jacob Shoemaker of Mountain Home AFB, ID
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Big Muff Pi Winner - Eric Sui of Kenmore, WA
Randall RGOD Winner - Dan Turtzo of Bangor, PA
Caroline Guitar Co. Kilobyte from Vintage King Audio Winner - Lawrence Benbow of New Providence, NJ
Walrus Audio Descent Winner - Robert Hoff of Austin, TX
Beat Buddy Winner - James Clausen of Leon, IA
Ibanez TS808DX Winner - Craig Luebben on Dayton, OH
JHS Pedals Emperor Analog Chorus/Vibrato Winner - Desmond Smith of Tupelo, MS
Keeley Neutrino, Magnetic Echo, and the new Katana Blues Drive Winner - Andrew Schmidt of Saint Louis, MO
Mesa Boogie Flux-Five, Throttle Box EQ, Boggie® Five-Band Graphic Winner - Brandon Demaria of Cerritos, CA
StageTrix Prize Pack Winner - John Snyder of East Northport, NY
Question: If you could play the role of any guitarist in a biopic, who would it be and why?
Oliver Ackermann — A Place to Bury Strangers
Photo by Tyler Barclay
A: If I could play anyone in a biopic it would be Kurt Cobain. I definitely don't qualify as the most obsessed fan of all time. That perhaps goes to the runaway I drove around in my '89 Caprice constantly requesting to rewind back to "Drain You" over and over again.
Kurt Cobain interviewed on Boston's WFNX radio, September 1991.
Photo by Julie Kramer
But Kurt for sure gave me the confidence that I could write a song and I just dove in and never looked back. I also think I could figure out those guitar parts, so there would be no weird miming to some complex solos. The real reason to do this, though, would be one of my favorite pastimes: jumping into drum sets.
Nirvana - Drain You (Live at Reading 1992) (Official Music Video)
Oliver Ackermann's Current Obsession:
Beyond-destroyed sounds. I guess that's always been my obsession, so it's more of a lifestyle. There's a little constant fight that goes on in my head where I think "this is just too messed up—what about pure fat sine waves, distinguishable rhythms, beautiful harmonies, and dreamy melodies?" And then when it comes down to it, it's just more exciting to swing a strobe light over your head and play a little AC interference. The other thing that's important is there ain't no faking. I better be drilling into my pickup or throwing my amp through the air. More high definition than surround sound 182 kHz is standing right next to me when I rip the strings off my guitar.
Sarah Gutierrez — Reader of the Month
A: Nancy Wilson. How could I miss the '70s and '80s—that's why!!! I grew up listening to Heart and being in a female fronted group would be a dream. I really loved her work on the movie Vanilla Sky. I remember frantically searching for who played, "Elevator Beat" in a movie that moved me. It certainly pulled at the heart strings.
Elevator Beat - Nancy Wilson
Sarah Gutierrez's Current Obsession:
Royal Blood having Josh Homme as a producer for "Boilermaker" on Typhoons blew me away, along with Mike Kerr's riffs. Hometown & young self-produced "Drown." I love the drums! These boys from Gen Z really are the future of music. Des Rocs made my cry about following your dream when I saw them live in October. I love to turn up Cleopatrick as loudly and often as possible. Recently discovering Nothing but Thieves' self-titled album (heavily influenced by Jeff Buckley) gave me life—I'm thrilled to see them in Chicago next year.
Royal Blood - Boilermaker (Official Video)
Tessa Jeffers — Managing Editor
A: Kim Gordon. I'm not much into Sonic Youth, but I love Kim's solo stuff. She's a great bass player, and her guitar playing is raw and powerful (just like her voice).
Years ago, I read her biography, Girl in a Band, and it's a wildly interesting look into an artful life. She's a bold creator who rose out of the shadows of men to claim her own space, and I'm here for that.
Tessa Jeffers' Current Obsession:
French music. Recently I came across a rad song by Les Artisans called "Theoreme," and it prompted me to seek out other French artists. I knew Edith Piaf and Savages well, but new ones for me include La Femme, Christine and the Queens, and Serge Gainsbourg, who's apparently the "Elvis of France." J'adore!
Theoreme - Les Artisans (audio)
Joe Gore — Contributing Writer
A: Hector Berlioz, the great 19th century French composer. Unlike nearly all classical composers, he didn't compose at a keyboard. He wrote everything on guitar and a little whistle—including his revolutionary Symphonie Fantastique and the massive opera Les Troyens. Despite his humble tools, he's considered one of the greatest orchestrators ever. (Sadly, he never composed for guitar—only with it.) But the fun part would be portraying his larger-than-life personality. Talk about attitude! He was ambitious, angry, arrogant, and unspeakably funny. His prose is as amazing as his compositions, especially his Mémoires, my fave book about classical music. (Free English-language edition here.) On page one he writes, "I was brought up in the Catholic faith—the most charming of religions since it stopped burning people." And the snark never stops.
Joe Gore's Current Obsession:
Baude Cordier's "Belle Bonne Sage," a 14th-century love song notated in the form of a heart.
Medieval music! When I was a teen, my plan was to go into academia, specializing in early music. Life decreed otherwise. But now, in late middle age, I'm returning to the late Middle Ages. I've just recorded my first-ever solo album: a compilation of 14th-century pieces. I play the notes exactly as written, but using modern instruments, including lots of electric guitar. To modern listeners unfamiliar with the style, it sounds like music from Mars: eerie, beautiful, and totally frickin' weird. (Example: This love song by Baude Cordier, notated in the form of a heart.)
The Fender Custom Shop pays tribute to an acclaimed pioneer by recreating Kath’s custom Telecaster guitar—which was played throughout his live performances with Chicago and truly embodied the notion of “custom” long before the Fender Custom Shop was founded. Master Builder Dennis Galuszka has replicated the guitar in exacting, every scratch-for-scratch detail, from the Pignose stickers to the gaff-tape-sealed rear body route and every other custom element. With up to 50 units made worldwide, the Limited Edition Terry Kath Telecaster is a meticulously crafted homage to one of the true guitar greats of our time.
“Terry Kath is one of the most incredible guitar players that ever lived,” said Mike Lewis, Vice President Product Development at Fender Custom Shop. “His iconic playing style paved the way for many guitar players and has inspired other legends through the years. When his daughter, Michelle, told us they wanted to entrust the Fender Custom Shop to recreate Kath’s famed, fan favorite Telecaster guitar from Chicago, we were honored. Fan’s had been making their own versions of this guitar for years, but this time master builder Dennis Galuszka replicated every single detail - from the synchronized Strat guitar tremolo with sawed off Tele bridge plate to other custom elements of the body adorned with stickers and other personalized touches.”
“This moment has been a long time coming,” said Michelle Kath Sinclair, Terry’s daughter. “When we were making the documentary about my dad (Chicago: The Terry Kath Experience), we didn’t know where the guitar was, so the film almost became a hunt for this Telecaster guitar. We finally found it at my grandpa’s house; he labeled all of the guitar cases and this one said “Terry’s Favorite.” Finding this guitar meant everything to me, because it feels like I have a piece of him with me that’s so iconic.”
“Bringing the guitar to Fender for the first time was probably one of the most exciting days,” she added. “Going into Dennis’ workspace, I got to see his tools, how the flow works and how they go about the process of making the guitar, which is really cool. He nailed it. My hope for the replicas is that they find really good homes with people who are just as excited as we are about them being in the world. It means a lot to our family.”
The Terry Kath Telecaster | Dream Factory | Fender
For technical specs, additional information on new Fender products and to find a retail partner near you, visit www.fendercustomshop.com.
