Charles Moothart and Chad Ubovich kick up dirt in a proto-metal trio with Ty Segall on drums.
Want loud? Los Angeles-based power trio Fuzz does that, pounding out relentless, ear-splitting riffs with abandon. But they do more, too. For starters, Fuzz is a guitar band par excellence. Name another band where every memberāeven the drummerāis a guitar-playing badass. Team Fuzz dominates the new wave of SoCal garage-punk-psychedelic-stoner-rock. They are prolific, restless, enigmatic, ubiquitousātheir combined output is prodigiousāand theyāre forever releasing, touring, or supporting something.
At their core, Fuzz is simple enough. Ty Segall (singer, songwriter, guitarist, and solo artist) sings and plays drums. Chad Ubovich (guitar and vocals with the Meatbodies, guitar and bass with Mikal Cronin) holds down the low end. And Charles Moothart (guitar with Ty Segall, GĆGGS, and more) plays guitar and is the bandās primary riff generator. With so many different projects, maintaining focus could be difficult. Moothart says it isnāt. āFuzz is a very specific sound so itās an easy thing to separate in that way,ā he says. āWe know what the vibe is going to be and we know what weāre trying to do.ā
YouTube It
Watch Fuzz captivate Franceās Rock en Seine 2015 festival with their bombastic brand of scuzz rock fueled by dual Death By Audio Fuzz War pedals and a bit of makeup for good measure.
That vibe is a doozy. Fuzz roars in the spirit of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, and the Groundhogs. They draw from the same reservoir of riff-centric proto-metal. But the comparisons end there. Fuzzās songwriting oozes the bandās personality and their tones are thoroughly modern. Armed with an assortment of Music Man, Fender, and Ampeg amps, and enhanced with a Death By Audio Fuzz Warāthe bandās pedal of choiceāthey create grit, muscle, dirt, and a different kind of gnarly. āWeāre just trying to rock ānā roll and be primordial and loud and headbang,ā Ubovich says. āWeāre not trying to be heady. Isnāt that what rock n roll is for? I donāt know ⦠escapism? Uh ⦠fun?ā
Fuzz released their self-titled debut in 2013 and have recently followed it with a new album, called simply II. We spoke with Moothart and Ubovich to discuss II and get their thoughts on riffs, songwriting, tones, amps, their intense loyalty to the DBA Fuzz War, and how to skate right to the sonic edge without making a mess.
Photo by James Richard IV
Charles Moothart: Infinite Riffage
You play in a number of different bands with the same group of people. Is your role different with each project?The roles are always different. With Tyās band, for example, he wrote and recorded all the musicāexcept for the Slaughterhouse recordāso in that way I was essentially just playing his songs, although he always gives us the freedom as a band to do whatever we want. Itās fun. I know for Ty it was fun to start doing Fuzz, where I have more of the song ideas and heās able to play drums and throw in his input. I think all of us enjoy taking on different roles, whether itās sitting back a little bit more or sitting forward a little more. Everyone gets to share.
Fuzz is definitely a riff-oriented band. How do you approach creating great riffs?
I really enjoy playing guitar. I can sit there and play guitar for hours. Sometimes I come up with a riff that I like, that feels right to me, that feels good to play, even on acoustic guitar, and I can play it over and over again and itās fun for me. When I come up with something I either record it on my phone or sometimes I record it on my 8-track and see where it goes. Every riff is different. Sometimes I have a riff in my head for six months and one day Iāll think about itāit will click and Iāll be able to hear it in a different way, which leads me to adding a part or just what may come next. To me itās just about the emotion and the feeling of what it sounds like and feels like to play.
Do you do a lot of jamming?
We definitely did for this record. We tried to play a few times a week for a couple of months leading up to the record, to go through songs and see where they took us. Jamming was a new territory for us. Weāve been able to work that out, see what it feels like to just let things go, and have more of an unspoken communication between everybody. Itās definitely something weāve been trying to hone in on.
Meaning that in the past, the band was primarily learning songs youād already demoed?
Yeah. For the first record it was a lot of that or a lot of Ty and me writing songs. With this last European tourāeven going through this whole second recordāit was an intense process that we really didnāt expect. I think we were trying to figure out, āWhat are we trying to do?ā and, āWhat is our sound?ā That was always in the back of our heads.
Many of your riffs and leads go beyond the blues scale. Have you spent time learning different scales, chords, and practicing more schooled aspects of music?
I guess I do more than I ever thought I did. I definitely try to figure out weird scales to have them in my pocket. There are times onstage when I donāt want to play the classic blues scale. But I never sat down and thought, āI need to learn the minor scale,ā for example. Playing guitar and wanting to find different modes of expression, I tried to figure out my own version of whatever. To me, playing guitar is just like raw expression. But itās like having a limited vocabulary, you donāt want to feel tongue-tied while youāre trying to play guitar.
Charles Moothartās Gear
Guitars1978 Fender Mustang (stock)
Warmoth Jazzcaster (with Mustang tremolo and Seymour Duncan P-Rail pickups)
Gibson Firebird VII (non-reverse)
Amps
Music Man HD-130 4x10 combo
Modded Fender Twin (converted into a head) into an Acoustic 4x12 cabinet
Effects
Death By Audio Fuzz War
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
German-made no-name āAnalog Delayā pedal
Strings and Picks
Ernie Ball Power Slinky
Gray Dunlop nylon .78 mm
How did you practiced when you were first starting out?
In the beginning, I always leaned more toward wanting to come up with my own stuff. I took guitar lessons when I was a kidāI had a really awesome guitar teacher, he was this older English dude and he was kind of a tripāhe would try to get me to learn other songs. But I never wanted to practice a cover song over and over again. I would always end up trying to play strings of chords that sounded good to me that werenāt just a song. In my opinion, the best way to learn any instrument is to learn how to play what you like. Itās got to feel right to youāthatās the only way youāre going to dive into what an instrument is capable of. I always tried to write my own music and even in early bands I started, we never really attempted to do cover songs. We were trying to write songs. They were not good, but at least we were trying.
Talk about your vibrato. You donāt use a whammy bar, though your guitars are set up with one.
I use the Mustang tremolo with my palm. Iāve never been good at holding a whammy barāit feels restricting to me. Going to the bridge with the side of my hand is a raw expression moment. I donāt want to have two steps or one step between me deciding that I want to do this and it happening. Itās easier for me to strum a note, move my hand over, and lay into the tremolo.
How do you generate your massive tone?
The two amps I use are the Music Man HD-130 4x10 combo amp and a Fender Twin that was chopped into just a head that I run it into an Acoustic 4x12 cabinet. I think a lot of people are using Music Man these days because it has a different type of breakup. I really like the mixture between the Music Man breakup and the Fender breakup. I try to keep the Music Man more on the mid zone and the Fender a little bit cleaner and a little bit more on the bass and treble side. I try to keep away from a super classic rock-sounding thing, although itās also just the setup I stumbled into and really liked.
Do you travel with your amps?
I travel with them in the U.S. I actually almost shipped out my Music Man amp to Europeāto me that is the real secret weapon. Unfortunately, I wasnāt able to bring it over to Europe.
And you use the Death By Audio Fuzz War as well?
Yes. I love that pedal. I donāt see myself using any other fuzz pedal any time soon.
How do you use it? To generate your main fuzz tone and as a boost for solos?
I donāt have any boost pedals or anything. I just have fuzz and clean. On the record I started using a ā70s Morley Fuzz Wah that gets a pretty nasty fuzz tone. Sometimes I would layer the Fuzz War and Fuzz Wah on top of each other, but I have yet to experiment with that live.
Thatās it? Just one pedal and a tuner?
Yeah. I also use a delay pedal mostly for effects. I donāt like to rely on it too much. I like to keep it simple. I donāt want to think too much about whatās on the ground because I want to think about what Iām playing. But the delay pedal has become more of a staple.
Which delay is that?
I was using an Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy until it busted. On this last tour I bought this really funny, super-cheap pedal thatās called āAnalog Delay.ā Apparently itās a German company that takes Boss pedals, repackages them in a cheaper plastic box, and sells them for cheaper. I donāt remember what the company is, but itās a pretty funny little pedal.
Do you use the same pedal setup in other bands too?
Iāve used the same pedal setup in Tyās band and Fuzz for the last three years or so.
Do you tune down or play in standard?
Just standard.
Yeah. Iāve flirted with the idea. Ty was trying to get me to do some stuff in a lower tuning. But again, I like to keep it straight and I donāt want to go too far toward Tony Iommiās style.
Photo by James Richards IV
Chad Ubovich: Headbangerās Ball
Whatās it like being in a band where every member happens to be a great guitarist?Itās funny. We definitely all play guitar. And two of us play drumsāTy and Charles are both exceptionally good drummers.
Really? Charles is a drummer, too?
Yeah, itās gnarly. Heās a very good drummer. But the differences in how they drum are very apparent. Ty plays on a small little ā60s kit and Charles loves to play on a big ā70s pounder. We all definitely dabble with other instruments.
Is your bass a Gibson Ripper?
It is. Iām pretty sure itās a 1972 or ā73. The Gibson Ripper is a complete maple body and neck. But whoever the previous owner was decided to strip my Ripper of its Ripper soulāwhat makes the Ripper the Ripperāand took out the Varitone (the Ripper has a Varitone switch in place of the standard 3-position pickup selector). They also replaced the neck humbucker with this weird Japanese single-coilāitās really loud. The original Ripper humbucker is really quiet and contained. This neck pickup is insanely loud, feeds back, and is gnarly. Apparently itās the nature of this Japanese single-coil and I had no idea. I took it to a guitar tech and asked, āCan you put a Gibson in there?ā He said, āNo.ā He wouldnāt let me change it. He said, āIt sounds crazy and you should just leave it in there.ā Itās a strange Ripper.
Do you use that pickup?
I do. I use both. Iām a firm believer in āmiddleāāthe middle position with both on. The yin-yang kind of thing. Loud and soft.
Is that a philosophical or tonal conviction?
Itās both. Itās just how my brain functions. Even with guitar, usually I want two pickups and I use both. One has to be really muddy and one has to be really bright. I donāt know why, but thatās what I need in a guitar.
I was watching a clip of you performing and it looks like you have tape on the back of the neck. Why is that?
My first time playing bass in a band was in high school. My second time was when Mikal Cronin asked me to play bass in his bandāI did that for a year before I played guitar in his band. In each of those situations, I put tape on the neck because Iām really a guitar player. My arm position memory is attuned more to a guitar and not a bass, so I put on tape as a reference for the frets. It helps out when youāre playing gigs and there are these insane fucking visualsāa bunch of strobes going on and you donāt know where you are and you canāt see.
Sometimes you pluck the strings with your fingers, other times you use a pick. How do you decide which is more appropriate?
When I first started on bass, I decided, āI need to play with my fingers.ā Growing up, I watched Geezer Butlerāhe goes crazy with his fingers and you think it looks super fucking cool. So I went for it. With Cronin, it was all fingers. My whole ethos was, āIām not going to use a pick.ā Hell no. But something with Fuzz drives me to use a pickāeither being lazy or wanting to get a little bit more attack. I mainly use a pick in Fuzz, but during quiet parts, or parts that have a little more swing, or those groovy parts where I need more control, I use my fingers.
Chad Ubovichās Gear
BassesModded Gibson Ripper (1972 or ā73)
Amps
Ampeg SVT Classic into an Acoustic 2x15 cabinet
Effects
Death By Audio Fuzz War
Strings and Picks
Any brand, gauged .045ā.105
Everly Star picks .73 mm
You toured to support the first Fuzz album, but you helped create II. How has your role changed in the band?
When we went in to make this new album, we were all really gung ho on doing it together and putting as much input as we could into each thing. A lot of the shit is master Charlesāthe riff masterācoming up with the majority of the song, and then me and Ty going, āThatās rad. Letās play it.ā We also played a couple of Ty songs. I have two songs on the album that I wrote primarily on my own. This album is a whole lot of waterāwith me, Ty, and Charlesāand sometimes the water shifts toward one person, as opposed to the other.
What are you using for pedals?
When I first joined Fuzz I was all about no pedals. I just wanted to drive the amp, make it gnarly. But with this new record, somehowāit wasnāt consciousāthe songs were getting heavier and more drawn out. Iām primarily using my Fuzz War.
So you use a Fuzz War too?
Using the Fuzz War makes this wall of sound with me and Charles. Itās the same pedal so it sounds like one big fuzz sound. On the album I used Music Man amps, but for touring my setup has pretty much been a gained-out [Ampeg] SVT. When you gain-out an SVT and youāre playing it with that Ripper, you think, āDamn, this sounds so rad I should not use a pedal.ā But then, of course, when the song starts itās just like, āNow Iāve got to.ā
With the Fuzz War on bass you donāt need much. I turn it pretty much all the way down and then back up a tiny little bit, and it gives it a little more sustain. Recently, Iāve been venturing off into different effects pedals that I can get away with on bass. But it kind of weirds me out when I go to a bass dudeās rig and heās got a delay, chorusāpedal after pedal. Itās funny because I think, āYouāre playing bass. When are you using a delay pedal?ā Iām really wary of becoming a āpedal bass guyā or something. Although recently Iāve thrown a wah pedal into my rig with Fuzz and Iāve been using that live. Bass wah sounds pretty rad.
Geezer used a wah on the first Black Sabbath album on āN.I.B.ā
Yeah. There you go. Geezer used a wah. Boom.
So itās okay.
Every headbanger bass playerās thingāCliff Burton and Geezer Butler. Weāre all just trying to live up to them.
With so much bass, guitar, and fuzz, how do you keep it from becoming a mess?
The biggest thing you have to understand is you need to be very similar. You need to be playing the same style, the same rhythmic patterns with your hands. When Iām playing bass with Fuzz, Iām listening to both Ty and Charles and Iām playing off of what theyāre playing. Iām following. Iām the bass player. Iām playing off of them and Iām keeping them in line.
When we play live I have a guitar amp next to meāI run Charlesā rig all the way over to me so that Iām listening to both of us. That way I can hear how Charles is picking or if he changes his rhythmic pattern and I try to copycat that. Thatās key when youāre getting that loud: You need a plan. You need a plan of where youāre going to go, what you are playing, and you need to all play in that way or else it willālike you saidāsound like a mess. Youāre trying to create one sound. Itās like a school of fish. They all have to be moving at the same time and if one does one thing wrong, youāre going to notice it.
And thatās why Ty is up front and Charlesā amp is on your side of the stage?
Yeah, itās the whole three-piece jam-band ethos. Thereās a reason why the Groundhogs did that. Thereās a reason why Jimi would do that a lotāMitch Mitchell would be right up there. When there are only three people, if one person drops out, it doesnāt sound as big or it sounds like something is missing. You need to be in line, looking at each other. Look at what the Ramones did, for example. You look at their setup and Dee Dee is playing two SVTs and right next to him is Johnnyās Marshall stackāone of his Marshall stacks is on Dee Deeās side. I highly suggest that to everyone in the universe. If youāre in a three-piece and you want to hear the guitar player, put one of his amps behind you. Itās easy.
Classic counterpoint techniques that work for surf.
Intermediate
Intermediate
⢠Learn some time-honored guidelines of classical composition.
⢠Apply revered rules to more modern styles.
⢠Create interesting and complex surf lines.The term counterpoint scares many people who think it is a carefully devised process that strips you of creative freedom. This is partly true, because some individuals have pushed the practice of counterpoint as strict rules at some point without explaining its purpose. I disagree with the view that music theory is a rule. Counterpoint, like serialism or any other principle of harmony, is simply a recipe for an expected result. These music theory recipes are not baking recipes where exact measurements must be made; music theory is more like cooking, which is more malleable and open to in-the-moment modifications.
Species Counterpoint
Why was counterpoint invented? Counterpoint has two primary goals: first, to ensure parts are singable, and second, to keep each āvoiceā independent. Letās discuss the intervals aspect first. Some intervals are challenging to sing. Tritones, for instance, are not easy for even professional singers to hear and sing when sight reading. Even when time is spent with a piece, getting used to tritones takes a bit of digestion. (This is the main reason tritones were avoided for so long in music. Music was primarily vocal-based for quite some time, such as in 16th century Italian composer Giovanni Palestrinaās music. Carelessly placing tritones would make the music very difficult to sing.) With guitar, we donāt have to hear the notes before we play. We should, but itās not required (and sometimes thatās what gets us in trouble). The species counterpoint recipe is designed to avoid certain dissonant intervals that are not approached by step. In other words, we donāt jump to or from a dissonance.
When music changed and new instruments became available, the recipes of species counterpoint changed, which makes sense as the limitations of hearing a note werenāt as much of an issue. As baroque composer and theorist Johann Joseph Fuchs proposed, the series counterpoint method is a recipe that places us in a particular time in history. By understanding and using the recipe of series counterpoint, we can connect with the rich musical tradition of the past.
Independence
During this same period, one of the main ingredients of music was that each āvoiceā (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) was to remain independent. You should be able to hear the journey of each voice on its own. The recipes for counterpoint ensure we maintain independence. Playing two 5ths in succession or two octaves in succession sounds unified and thus makes us lose independence. Using counterpoint, we can ensure that we donāt weave in and out of independent and unified sounds. In the era of early counterpoint, say the Palestrina era, composers didnāt think in terms of a predetermined chord progression. They thought about each line and made sure they merged in harmony. The music was written horizontally to ensure the lines didnāt crash or lose independence. This is considerably different from how we often make music in the rock genres of the 20th century. Bach started incorporating the thought of a āverticalā chord progression. Even before the 20th century, the recipes for counterpoint had evolved. But the evolution didnāt make the earlier recipes irrelevant; it added more options to our recipe book.
Voice Leading
Another critical thing about counterpoint is the movement from one note to another. This is similar to the earlier discussion about intervals that are hard to sing. Voice leading is a crucial aspect of counterpoint. Itās the art of connecting one note to another, whether in a single line or with chords. It ensures that our musical lines flow smoothly, guiding the listenerās ear through the composition. Writing a herky-jerky line that jumps all over the place makes it hard to sing. The art of voice leading is writing lines to feel and sound like they unfold and take us on a ride, but not a ride on a road ridden with potholesāthink of a newly paved road on a highway. Counterpoint instills in us how to create even motion. So, when you want to create unrest and a feeling of a jerky experience, youāre applying intentionally.
Power of Suggestion
Counterpoint rules are not strict guidelines but rather flexible recipes or suggestions. Composers have always been free to write what they wanted (well, aside from political and religious oppression), using counterpoint to enhance their compositions, and many composers have experimented with expanding the counterpoint recipes. There are times when we need an expected result. This is when you can use tools to help you achieve that outcome. Although counterpoint was most popular in eras that have long since passed, it still holds significant value in our modern music industry. Its recipes, while evolving, continue to provide a solid foundation for contemporary music composition.
Broken Traditions
At some point, composers grew weary of the sounds they had heard for many years and started expanding. They stopped caring about losing the independence of voices and used parallel 5ths and octaves. Sometimes, they stopped caring about voice leading and wrote pointillistic music. Composers even started composing with noise (such as John Cage), or experimenting with electronic means of composition (Delia Derbyshire and Karlheinz Stockhausen). However, counterpoint still existed, and many of these composers, even though they strayed from some of the recipes, still deeply understood its structure, such as Arnold Schoenberg, who invented a system to avoid tonal harmony.
Lesson
I will give you more than just a dry recipe for species counterpoint in this lesson. Instead, Iāll focus on key elements that can be directly applied to your rock and pop compositions, making your music more dynamic and interesting. For each of these examples, I will live in the land of surf music, one of my favorite genres.
Imitation
In fugues, which are species counterpoint-based, we use something called imitation. Imagine we have two guitarists. Guitarist 1 plays a riff or melodic phrase, and then Guitarist 2 plays that same riff right after Guitarist 1 finishes. Guitar 2 is imitating Guitar 1. However, we can adjust the octave and pitches on which the imitation starts to add more variety to its performance.
For Ex. 1, I created a three-measure phrase for guitar 1 that I will imitate in measure two with Guitar 2. Guitar 2 is an exact copycat of Guitar 1, but they donāt play the part at the same time.
Ex. 2: For this example, I will drop the imitation for Guitar 2 an octave lower.
Ex. 3 is where the fun begins. As I mentioned earlier, we can start on different pitches for our imitation. If the theme (measures one through three) implies a key signature (weāre using the key of E minor for each of these examples to keep it simple), we can imply another key for the imitation but keep the same interval relationship and shape of the theme. We will outline the V chord (Bm) for measures four through six. The result is a conversation between two instruments that can move through a chord progression in a song or a couple of key centers for variety. We can use the same idea with guitar and bass or any other combination of instruments.
In counterpoint, we call the first riff or melodic phrase the ātheme.ā You may wonder what Guitar 1 is supposed to do while Guitar 2 (or in my recorded examples, bass) imitates the first riff. We have two options: One is to play freeāyou devise a harmony that works on top of the riff, but you donāt have to play this harmony on every imitation. Itās just an accompaniment that happens at that given time, as in Ex. 4a. Ex. 4b uses the same free accompaniment but moves bars four through six to B minor.
The second option is a countertheme. You can write a second riff that plays every time the imitation plays. The theme and countertheme are interconnected. They swap parts back and forth, as we see in Ex. 5a. Ex. 5b uses the same free accompaniment but moves bars four, five, and six to the key of B minor.
We already have a fruit-bearing tree. This technique prolongs material, using the same parts to lengthen and ornament the music youāre making. Johann Sebastian Bach was a master of this, and I highly recommend studying his music if you like imitation, canons, and fugues.
Consonance and Dissonance
Okay, now that you understand the basic concepts of imitation, theme, and countertheme, itās time to start digging deeper into the concepts of harmony and voice leading. For counterpoint, we have two categories for interval organization. Consonant intervals are unisons, 3rds, 5ths, 6ths, and octaves. We also have dissonant intervals, such as 2nds, 4ths, and 7ths. Ex. 6 features consonant intervals, Ex. 7, dissonant.
In counterpoint, we only use dissonant intervals step by step. We never jump into them or leave them by leap. Jumping into dissonances can be off-putting. Yes, there are times when you want that sound, but there is a difference between knowing how to use dissonance and using dissonance that isnāt working. Ex. 8 is an example of jumping into dissonance. Many guitarists donāt know how to deal with dissonance when soloing, and songwriters sometimes canāt hear poorly approached dissonance when writing melodies. I know ⦠it sure sounds like Iām talking about rules here! But really, itās about using tools to achieve a desired result or fixing issues rather than strict regulations.
Strong Beats
In classical music, beat 1 is the strongest in the bar, followed by beat 3, the second strongest. Beats 2 and 4 are the strong beats in jazz. We will focus on beat 1 as the strong beat right now. Itās generally essential that beat 1 of each measure is consonant. The recipe states not to use dissonance on strong beats. There is more tolerance for dissonance on weak beats (2 and 4).
This means we must have an overview of our lines and how they meet at each bar on beat 1 (and beat 3). Beats 1 and 3 should be consonant using a unison, 3rd, 5th, 6th, or octave. Using species counterpoint allows us to tell a functional harmony story more clearly, making the story more apparent to the listener.
The Dreaded Parallel Perfect Intervals
If your head isnāt already spinning, get ready. Earlier, I mentioned that we want to maintain independence with each line in the counterpoint. We donāt want to hear them collapse into each other. Unisons, perfect 5ths, and octaves are perfect intervals. They are the most unified-sounding intervals, which means you lose the most independence when using them. Using two back-to-back octaves is a parallel motion of a perfect interval. This means the lineās independence is wholly lost, which we want to avoid in counterpoint. For this reason, we avoid placing parallel perfect 5ths and octaves successive to each other and adjacent strong beats. Check out Ex. 9 to hear parallel octaves and Ex. 10 for parallel 5ths. Bear in mind, of course, that some genres and periods completely disregard this, such as minimalism.
Shapes of Things
We have most of the basics laid out, except one more topic regarding the independence of lines. We want to maintain the independence of the line with interval choice rather than the direction of each line. When we think of musical lines, we want each line to have its own journey but not unfavorably crash into the other. To achieve this, we want each line to have a different shape and follow each other in parallel motion. We have options for variety.
1. Parallel motion: Each line moves in the same direction with perfect intervals (Ex. 11).
2. Similar motion: Each line moves in the same direction with constant intervals (Ex. 12).
3. Oblique motion: When one voice stays in the same position, the other voice moves (Ex. 13).
4. Contrary motion: When both lines move in opposite directions, offering the most independence (Ex. 14).
The idea is to have a variety of shapes to maintain independence of direction.
Final Thoughts
I know this is a lot to take in. Studying counterpoint is no small task. But I hope that this introductory lesson into the concepts of counterpoint illuminates its power as both a creative tool and a troubleshooting device for composing and building solos. Understanding counterpoint means only sometimes considering it in the composition process. You can write as you always do, but if something doesnāt sound right, itās much easier and faster to diagnose and fix the problem. There are times when composing with counterpoint in mind can be a fantastic tool. Itās up to you to decide when to use the creative recipe.
See and hear Taylorās Legacy Collection guitars played by his successor, Andy Powers.
Last year, Taylor Guitars capped its 50th Anniversary by introducing a new guitar collection celebrating the contributions of co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug to the guitar world. The Legacy Collection revives five of Bob Taylorās classic acoustic models, curated by the legendary luthier and innovator himself. āTo imagine that weāre doing guitars that harken to our past, our present and our future all at the same time,ā Bob says, āI really like that.ā
In developing the collection, Bob preserved the essence of his originals while integrating performance and playability upgrades introduced during his tenure as designer-in-chief. āItās an up-to-date version of what those guitars would be,ā Bob explains, ābut with the same sound.ā
Visually, these guitars feel classicāclean, understated and unmistakably Taylor. While Bobās original aesthetic preferences are showcased in his Legacy models, the nod to the past runs deeper than trade dress.
From his earliest builds, Bob favored slim-profile necks because he found them easier to play. That preference set a design precedent that established Taylorās reputation for smooth-playing, comfortable necks. Legacy models feature slim mahogany necks built with Taylor's patented New Technology (NT) design. āMy first neck was a bolted-on neck but not an NT neck,ā Bob says. āThese are NT necks because itās a better neck.ā Introduced in 1999, the NT neck allowed for unprecedented micro-adjustability while offering a consistent, hand-friendly Taylor playing experience.
What makes this collection unique within the Taylor line is Bobās use of his X-bracing architecture, favoring his time-tested internal voicing framework over more recent Taylor bracing innovations to evoke a distinctive tone profile. Since Andy PowersāTaylorās current Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEOādebuted his patented V-Class bracing in 2018, V-Class has become a staple in Taylorās premium-performance guitars. Still, Bobās X-bracing pattern produces a richly textured sound with pleasing volume, balance and clarity that long defined the Taylor voice. All Legacy models feature LR Baggs VTC Element electronics, which Bob says āharkens back to those days.ā
The team at Taylor thought the best way to demonstrate the sound of the Legacy guitars was to ask Andy Powers, Bobās successor, to play them. A world-class luthier and musician, Andy has spent the past 14 years leading Taylorās guitar innovation. In addition to V-Class bracing, his contributions include the Grand Pacific body style, the ultra-refined Builderās Edition Collection, and most recently, the stunning Gold Label Collection.
Below youāll find a series of videos that feature Powers playing each Legacy model along with information about the guitars.
Legacy 800 Series Models
First launched in 1975, the 800 Series was Taylorās first official guitar series. Today, it remains home to some of the brandās most acclaimed instruments, including the flagship 814ce, Builderās Edition 814ce and new Gold Label 814e.
The Legacy 800 Series features the 810e Dreadnought and two Jumbos: the 6-string 815e and 12-string 855e. Each model serves up a refined version of the Dreadnought and Jumbo body shapes Bob inherited from Sam Raddingāthe original owner of the American Dream music shop where Bob and Kurt first met. āI was making my guitars in the molds that Sam had made at American Dream,ā Bob recalls. āThere was a Jumbo and a Dreadnought. Thatās all we had.ā
All three Legacy 800 Series guitars feature one of Bobās favorite tonewood combos. Solid Indian rosewood back and sides are paired with a Sitka spruce top, yielding warm lows, clear trebles and a scooped midrange.
Aesthetic appointments include a three-ring abalone rosette, mother-of-pearl Large Diamond inlays, white binding around the body and fretboard, and Bobās āstraight-earā peghead design. Both Jumbo models also showcase a mustache-style ebony bridgeāa nod to Bobās early Jumbo builds.
Legacy 810e
The 810 Dreadnought holds a special place in Bob Taylorās heart. āMy first 810, the one I made for myself, was a thrilling guitar for me to make,ā he says. āItās the one and only guitar I played. It didnāt matter how many guitars we made at Taylor, thatās the one I took out and played.ā The Legacy 810e brings back that bold, room-filling Dreadnought voice along with the easy playability expected from a Taylor.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 810e | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 855e
Taylorās first 12-strings found an audience in 1970s Los Angeles. āI was making guitars that would find their way to McCabeās in Santa Monica and Westwood Music,ā Bob says, āand these guitars were easy to play. Twelve-strings were a popular sound in that music. It was a modern country/folk/rock music genre that was accepting our guitars because they were easy to play. They also liked the sound of them because our guitars were easier to record.ā The Legacy 855e, with its resonant Jumbo body, slim neck and gorgeous octave sparkle, carries that tradition forward.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 855e | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 815e
The Legacy 815e revives Taylorās original Jumbo 6-string, delivering a big, lush sound with beautifully blooming overtones.
Legacy Grand Auditoriums
In the early 1990s, Bob Taylor heard a consistent refrain from dealers: āNot everybody wants a dreadnought guitar anymore.ā Players were asking for something with comparable volume but different proportionsāsomething more comfortable, yet still powerful. This feedback inspired Bob to design a new body style with more elegant curves, more accommodating proportions and a balanced tonal response. The result was the Grand Auditorium, which Taylor introduced in 1994 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Thanks to its musical versatility and easy playability, Bobās Grand Auditorium attracted a wide variety of players. āWe came into our own with our Grand Auditorium,ā he says. āPeople were describing it as āall around.ā Itās a good strummer and good for fingerstyle, but itās not totally geared toward strumming or totally geared toward fingerstyle.ā Also referred to as the āSwiss-Army Knifeā of guitars or the āGoldilocksā guitar, the GA quickly became a favorite among guitarists across playing styles, musical genres and different playing applications including recording and live performance. āThat guitar made studio work successful,ā Bob says. It gained a wider fanbase with the debut of the āceā version, which introduced a Venetian cutaway and onboard electronics. āThat became one of our hallmarks,ā says Bob. āIf you want to plug in your guitar, buy a Taylor.ā
Today, the Grand Auditorium is Taylorās best-selling body shape.
The Legacy Collection features two cedar-top Grand Auditoriums inspired by past favorites: the mahogany/cedar 514ce and rosewood/cedar 714ce. Both models incorporate Bobās original X-bracing pattern for a tonal character reminiscent of their 1990s and 2000s counterparts. Shared aesthetic details include a green abalone three-ring rosette, ebony bridge pins with green abalone dots, a faux-tortoiseshell pickguard and Taylor gold tuning machines.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 815e | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 514ce
The Legacy 514ce features solid mahogany back and sides paired with a Western Red cedar top, yielding a punchy midrange and dry, woody sonic personality that pairs beautifully with cedarās soft-touch sensitivity and warmth. Itās a standout choice for fingerstyle players and light strummers who crave nuance and depth. Distinct visual details include faux-tortoise body and fretboard binding, black-and-white top trim, and mother-of-pearl small diamond fretboard inlays.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 514ce | Playthrough DemoĀ
Legacy 714ce
The Legacy 714ce also features a cedar top, this time matched with solid Indian rosewood back and sides. The result is a richly textured sound with deep lows, clear trebles and a warm, mellow response. Inspiring as it is, this specific wood pairing isnāt currently offered in any other standard Taylor model. Additional aesthetic details include green abalone dot fretboard inlays, black body and fretboard binding, and black-and-white āpinstripeā body purfling.
While the Legacy Collection spotlights Taylorās past, newer models from the Gold Label, Builderās Edition and Somos Collections show the companyās legacy is always evolving. Explore the Legacy Collection at taylorguitars.com or visit your local authorized Taylor dealer.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 714ce | Playthrough DemoĀ
The Oceans Abyss expands on Electro-Harmonixās highly acclaimed reverb technology to deliver a truly immersive effects workstation. The pedal is centered around dual reverb engines that are independently programmable with full-stereo algorithms including Hall, Spring, Shimmer and more. Place these reverbs into a customizable signal path with additional FX blocks like Delay, Chorus, Tremolo, or Bit Crusher for a completely unique soundscape building experience.
Electro-Harmonix has paved the way for powerful, accessible reverbs since the release of the original Holy Grail and now weāve pushed the envelope deeper with the fully-equipped Oceans Abyss. Featuring a customizable signal path with up to 8 effects blocks, the Oceans Abyss can be configured as individual reverb, modulation, EQ, delay, bit crusher, saturation or volume effects, or as countless combinations for incredibly creative effect shaping. From a simple Spring reverb to a lush stereo field featuring stereo hall and shimmer reverbs, chorus, delay, overdrive, and tremolo, you can go from surf to shoegaze instantly, without breaking a sweat.
Deep parameter editing is accessible via the high-visibility OLED display with multiple graphical views and easy-to-read designs. Expression/CV control over nearly every parameter gives artful control of your effects and dynamics. Fully-stereo I/O plus an FX Loop allows for use with any instrument, recording set up, or live rig. 128 programmable presets via onboard footswitching or MIDI ensure perfect recall in all performance situations. MIDI IN/OUT ports with MIDI IN support of PC, CC, and Tempo Clock expand the already immense talents of the Oceans Abyss. Connect with UBS-C to Windows or Mac for effects editing, preset management, and more with the free EHXport⢠app (coming soon).
- Two Stereo Reverbs available at once, each fully pannable in the stereo field
- 10 reverb types to choose from: Room, Hall, Spring, Plate, Reverse, Dynamic, Auto-Infinite, Shimmer, Polyphonic, Resonant
- Additional FX blocks: Delay (Digital, Analog and Tape emulations), Tremolo, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Graphic EQ, Saturation, Bit Crusher, External FX Loop, Volume
- Create custom signal path routing with up to 8 effects blocks. Two blocks may be re-verb, the rest may be any of the additional FX blocks.
- Infinite reverb sustain with the press of a footswitch
- Stereo Audio I/O
- Stereo FX Loop routing on TRS Jacks
- Dual action footswitches allow for momentary or latching use
- Easily enable or disable tails
- 128 fully customizable presets
- All controls can be saved to presets
- Dive deep into global and preset settings to set up Oceans Abyss for your specific needs
- Illuminated slide pots and buttons
- High-visibility OLED graphical display
- Multiple graphical views: Signal Path, Performance, Settings, Physical, Explorer
- Easy-to-navigate menu system
- Ergonomic NavCoder knob allows rotary and directional navigation through menus
- EXPRESSION / CV input to control nearly any parameter in any FX block
- Footswitch input allows for adding up to three external footswitches, each assigna-ble to a number of functions
- MIDI In and Out. MIDI IN supports PC, CC (over nearly every available parameter), and Tempo Clock
- USB-C port to connect to Windows or Mac and interface with EHXport⢠app (coming soon)
- 96kHz / 24-bit sample rate conversion
- Supplied with 9.6VDC / 500mA power supply
Our columnistās silver-panel Fender Bandmaster.
How this longstanding, classic tube amp design evolved from its introduction in 1953.
I have a silver-panel Bandmaster Reverb that I donāt think Iāve talked about enough in this column. Itās one of the most versatile and flexible amps I own, so I use it for everything. Itās portable, has tube-driven reverb and tremolo, and has a full set of EQ knobs including the critical bright switch, which we discussed the importance of earlier this year (āHow to āTrebleshootā a Vintage Fender Amp,ā March 2025). The amp is not only pedal-friendly; the flexible 4-ohm output impedance will handle almost all speaker configurations and sound any way youād like. Letās take a deeper look at the Fender Bandmaster amp and walk through its development through the years.
The first Bandmaster was introduced in 1953 as a wide-panel tweed amp with Fenderās 5C7 circuit. This rare combo was loaded with a single 15" Jensen P15N and powered by dual 6L6GC tubes in push-pull configuration to produce a modest 25 watts. The 6L6GCs were cathode biased and along with the 5U4GB rectifier tube contributed to a forgiving sag, early breakup, and a midrange-y voice.
Fender made several changes when they launched that ampās successor in 1955, the more widely known 5E7 narrow-panel Bandmaster, a well-proven amp that has come back as a reissue model. It was still a dual-channel ampāinstrument and microphoneābut the newer 5E7 model had a fixed bias and a negative feedback loop, providing a louder, firmer, and cleaner tone. Most importantly, the single 15" speaker was replaced by three 10" speakers, making it very similar to the narrow-panel tweed Bassman, the granddaddy of all Marshall amps. This Bandmaster had three speakers instead of the Bassmanās four, and it delivered 25ā30 watts instead of 40. It offered early breakup with a midrange-y, big and full tone.
For those not acquainted with tweed amps, the volume and EQ knobs behave differently than on silver- and black-panel Fender amps. The volume pot can act like a distortion control, while the EQ knobs control the volume, and many players Iāve talked to have not really unlocked this secret. This works because, in these circuits, the volume pot sits right before the preamp tube, which allows it to push the tube into full distortion. Since the EQ pots are located right after and are capable of reducing the volume, youāre able to distort the preamp at low volume settings.
āThings became more standardized in 1964 with the arrival of the black-panel AB763 Bandmaster, an amp I have worked on a lot and appreciate for its robustness, simplicity, and versatility.ā
In 1960, a short-lived and rare Bandmaster dressed in brown tolex and a black faceplate appeared with the 5G7 circuit. From here on, all Bandmasters had the modern top-mounted chassis. With this circuit, the Bandmaster started to both look and sound more like a black-panel amp. It kept the 3x10" speakers but got a diode rectifier and bigger transformers resulting in a 45-watt output. Tremolo was introduced for the first time, and both channels were now intended for guitar.
The following year, a blonde 6G7 Bandmaster followed as a smaller amp head paired with a 1x12 extension cabinet. It had the timeless early blonde looks with cream tolex, brown faceplate, oxblood grill cloth, large Fender logo, and white knobs. But halfway into the blonde era, towards 1964, things turned strange and rather confusing. There were suddenly two 12" speakers, black knobs, a wheat-colored grill cloth, a more slim black-panel-style Fender logo, a black faceplate, and all in various combinations close to the transition into ā64.
Things became more standardized in 1964 with the arrival of the black-panel AB763 Bandmaster, an amp I have worked on a lot and appreciate for its robustness, simplicity, and versatility. It offers a pure, clean, scooped black-panel tone thatās somewhere between a Vibrolux Reverb and Pro Reverb, which share the medium-sized 125A6A output transformer and dual 6L6GC tubes. With its medium/high power and flexible 4-ohm output impedance, it can drive all kinds of speaker cabinetsāas long as you stay between 2 and 8 ohms, you are safe.
For a short time in 1967ā68, there was a transitional Bandmaster with aluminum trim and black-panel innards before the all-new silver-panel Bandmaster Reverb replaced it in 1968. The small-head cabinet had grown in size and, unfortunately, weight to accommodate the reverb tank. The amp got a 5U4GB rectifier tube along with a few general silver-panel changes to the circuit. Several silver-panel models existed with minor differences until a 70-watt beast version came along in 1977 with master volume.
To my own 1968 Bandmaster Reverb, I have done a few adjustments. First, I made a custom baffle to hold two 8" speakers. I installed a pair of WGS G8C speakers that fit perfectly on the baffle board without colliding with the reverb tank or transformers. Sometimes, I use only one of the 8" speakers for bedroom volume levels. Second, I reversed the bias circuitry to standard AB763 specs, making it easier to adjust bias correctly on both power tubes. If you are into sparkling clean and funky Strat sounds, you would love this little 2x8" combo.