Guitar Center, the world’s largest musical instrument retailer, is slated to launch their first-ever musical takeover of the Long Beach Convention Center, giving the public an unprecedented chance to preview the latest products from the world’s top music manufacturers on Saturday, April 6, 2013.
Westlake Village, CA (March 11, 2013) -- Guitar Center, the world’s largest musical instrument retailer, is slated to launch their first-ever musical takeover of the Long Beach Convention Center, giving the public an unprecedented chance to preview the latest products from the world’s top music manufacturers on Saturday, April 6, 2013. The Musician’s Expo expands upon the brand’s deep commitment to helping people make music by launching a whole day devoted to music makers and music fans in Southern California.
Inspired by the groundbreaking new products and impressive expertise of the manufacturer representatives on-hand at January’s annual National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Tradeshow, Guitar Center set off to re-create the experience for their customers this spring. Through their long-standing vendor relationships and placement amongst the diverse and ever-growing Southern California music scene, the retailer has gathered more than 60 of the world’s top music instrument and accessory brands, ranging from Martin and Fender, to Casio, Roland, DW, Bose, Pioneer, and more, to bring the NAMM experience to the upcoming Musician’s Expo.
Guitar Center’s Musician’s Expo gives the public a sneak-peek at the best of next season’s music gear from the music instrument industry’s leading manufacturers, along with artist workshops, group lessons, panel discussions and more, all at one location. On Saturday, April 6 attendees will be able to get a first glimpse while testing an array of musical instruments and accessories not-yet- available in stores and only previously seen by industry-insiders and retail buyers at the recent NAMM tradeshow. Just as in Guitar Center retail store locations, attendees of Guitar Center Musician’s Expo will be encouraged to pick up and play the display items, interact with the new equipment and connect with the expert representatives at each brand booth.
“At Guitar Center we have strived to build strong relationships within the industry and with our customers, and we couldn’t be more excited to for this opportunity to bring them all together under one roof,” says Jeff Hiller, VP of Brand Management at Guitar Center. “Guitar Center is committed to helping people make music and we are continuing to raise the bar for our customers by developing programs and events like the Guitar Center Musician’s Expo.”
The Musician’s Expo will also feature the exclusive Guitar Center Legends Collection showcasing three legendary guitars representing pivotal moments in rock and roll history. Expo-attendees will get a first-hand look two authentic Eric Clapton iconic guitars including his famous "Blackie®" Fender Stratocaster guitar which defined the Clapton sound for most of the ’70s and early ‘80s, as well as Clapton’s vibrant red Gibson ES-335 that he played with The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Blind Faith, and throughout his solo career. The Guitar Center Legends Collection will also showcase the only guitar from Stevie Ray Vaughan's estate to become publicly available, the personalized "Lenny" Fender Stratocaster guitar, named for the late-musician’s wife Lenora. All three guitars were purchased by Guitar Center through special Christies auctions benefiting Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Centre Foundation, "Blackie,” “ES- 335” and "Lenny" for $959,500, $847,500 and $623,500 respectively.
Date: Saturday, April 6
Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Long Beach Convention Center
Hall C
300 E Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Musician's Expo Guitar Center Artist Workshops - free with admission:
- 11:00 a.m. – Artist Workshop with jazz drummer Chad Wackerman (Bill Watrous Band, Frank Zappa), feauting influential jazz- fusion artist Allan Holdsworth and renowned electric bass player and Yellowjackets founder, Jimmy Haslip (Kiss, Anita Baker)
- Noon – Artist Workshop with Mix Master Mike, renowned DJ whose worked with musicians from Dr. Dre to Travis Barker
- 1:00 p.m. – Artist Workshop with Derek Sherinian, American keyboardist who has toured and recorded for Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Kiss and more
- 2:00 p.m. – Artist Workshop with Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, featuring fretless bass guitarist Tony Franklin (Jimmy Page, Kate Bush) and Grammy-winning upright bass player Rob Wasserman (Lou Reed, Elvis Costello)
- 3:00 p.m. – DJ Workshop with DJ Qbert, winner of America’s Best DJ 2010, Qbert started DJing in FM20 with Mix Master Mike and DJ Apollo in 1990
- 4:00 p.m. – Artist Workshop hosted by drummer Gil Sharone (Dillinger Escape Plan, +44) and joined by musicians Chino Marion, Todd Wilkinson, and Chuck Doom
The Sessions - free with admission + instruments and equipment provided
- Free Recording Made Easy classes hosted by AVID featuring Pro Tools 9
- Free Group Guitar Lessons
- Free Group Ukulele Lessons
Additional Expo Highlights:
- Event attendees and fans can enter to win Guitar Center's $4,500 Guitar Center Dream Shopping Spree
- Guitar Center's Music Market Place – a small Guitar Center pop-up shop at the Musician's Expo
Tickets now available at the following stores:
Southern California Guitar Center Stores:
Block at Orange - 20 City Blvd W Ste 907D, Orange, CA 92868 Phone: (714) 385-9607
Hollywood - 7425 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90046 Phone: (323) 874-1060
Oxnard - 1741 E. Ventura Blvd. Suite E, Oxnard, CA 93036 Phone: (805) 278-2600
West LA - 10831 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 Phone: (310) 475-0637
Sherman Oaks - 14209 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 Phone: (818) 990-8332
South Bay - 4525 Artesia Blvd. Lawndale, CA 90260 Phone: (310) 542-9444
Brea - 606 S. Brea Blvd. Brea, CA 92821 Phone: (714) 672-0103
Fountain Valley - 18361 Euclid St. Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Phone: (714) 241-9140
Lake Forest - 23811 El Toro Rd., Ste A, Lake Forest, CA 92630 Phone: (949) 609-0055
Cerritos - 11155 183rd St. Cerritos, CA 90703 Phone: (562) 402-4106
Pasadena - 2660 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107 Phone: (626) 535-0108
Palmdale - 1011 West Avenue P. Palmdale, CA 93551 Phone: (661) 947-8887
Northridge - 19510 Nordhoff St. Northridge, CA 91324 Phone: (818) 993-0286
San Diego - 8825 Murray Dr. La Mesa, CA 91942 Phone: (619) 668-8400
San Marcos - 712 Center Dr. San Marcos, CA 92069 Phone: (760) 735-8050
Rancho Cucamonga - 12479 Foothill Blvd. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739 Phone: (909) 899-9843
San Bernardino - 925 E. Hospitality Lane, San Bernardino, CA 92408 Phone: (909) 799-6200
Covina - 1054 North Azusa Ave. Covina, CA 91722 Phone: (626) 967-7911
Murrieta - 24370 Village Walk Place, Murrieta, CA 92562 Phone: (951) 698-9200
Central/Northern California Guitar Center Stores:
Bakersfield - 3428 Ming Ave. Bakersfield, CA 93309 Phone: (661) 396-3838
Stevenson Ranch - 24961 Pico Canyon Rd. Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381 Phone: (661) 222-7521
Visalia - 4254 S. Mooney Rd. Visalia, CA 93277 Phone: (559) 713-0352
Fresno - 5330 North Blackstone Ave. Fresno, CA 93710 Phone: (559) 221-2222
Gilroy - 6910 Chestnut St. Gilroy, CA 95020 Phone: (408) 848-2583
San Mateo - 53 West Hillsdale Blvd. San Mateo, CA 94403 Phone: (650) 312-8270
Concord - 1280 Willow Pass Rd. Ste. A Concord, CA 94520 Phone: (925) 363-7770
Emeryville - 5925 Shellmound St. Emeryville, CA 94608 Phone: (510) 597-0285
San Francisco - 1645 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco, CA 94109 Phone: (415) 409-0350
San Jose - 3677 Stevens Creek Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95051 Phone: (408) 249-0455
Roseville - 5781B 5 Star Blvd. Roseville, CA 95678 Phone: (916) 746-8787
Sacramento - 2120 Alta Arden Expressway, Sacramento, CA 95825 Phone: (916) 922-2132
Modesto - 3440 McHenry Ave. Suite D-20, Modesto, CA 95350 Phone: (209) 525-9800
Arizona Guitar Center Stores:
Scottsdale - 8949 East Indian Bend Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85250 Phone: (480) 362-1150
Tempe - 1245 W. Elliot Rd. Ste. 115, Tempe, AZ 85284 Phone: (480) 753-6900
Phoenix - 2750 West Peoria St. Phoenix, AZ 85029 Phone: (602) 375-3800
Tucson - 4720 E. Broadway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85711 Phone: (520) 320-9900
Avondale - 9945 W. McDowell Rd. Ste 108, Avondale, AZ 85392 Phone: (623) 907-3605
Nevada
Las Vegas - 6587 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Ste. B172, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Phone: (702) 450-2260
Summerlin - 8621 W. Charleston Blvd. Ste. 110, Las Vegas, NV 89117 Phone: (702) 228-3858
Reno - 6663 S. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89511 Phone: (775) 853-3961
For more information:
Guitar Center
Lollar Pickups introduces the Deluxe Foil humbucker, a medium-output pickup with a bright, punchy tone and wide frequency range. Featuring a unique retro design and 4-conductor lead wires for versatile wiring options, the Deluxe Foil is a drop-in replacement for Wide Range Humbuckers.
Based on Lollar’s popular single-coil Gold Foil design, the new Deluxe Foil has the same footprint as Lollar’s Regal humbucker - as well as the Fender Wide Range Humbucker – and it’s a drop-in replacement for any guitar routed for Wide Range Humbuckers such as the Telecaster Deluxe/Custom, ’72-style Tele Thinline and Starcaster.
Lollar’s Deluxe Foil is a medium-output humbucker that delivers a bright and punchy tone, with a glassy top end, plenty of shimmer, rich harmonic content, and expressive dynamic touch-sensitivity. Its larger dual-coil design allows the Deluxe Foil to capture a wider frequency range than many other pickup types, giving the pickup a full yet well-balanced voice with plenty of clarity and articulation.
The pickup comes with 4-conductor lead wires, so you can utilize split-coil wiring in addition to humbucker configuration. Its split-coil sound is a true representation of Lollar’s single-coil Gold Foil, giving players a huge variety of inspiring and musical sounds.
The Deluxe Foil’s great tone is mirrored by its evocative retro look: the cover design is based around mirror images of the “L” in the Lollar logo. Since the gold foil pickup design doesn’t require visible polepieces, Lollartook advantage of the opportunity to create a humbucker that looks as memorable as it sounds.
Deluxe Foil humbucker features include:
- 4-conductor lead wire for maximum flexibility in wiring/switching
- Medium output suited to a vast range of music styles
- Average DC resistance: Bridge 11.9k, Neck 10.5k
- Recommended Potentiometers: 500k
- Recommended Capacitor: 0.022μF
The Lollar Deluxe Foil is available for bridge and neck positions, in nickel, chrome, or gold cover finishes. Pricing is $225 per pickup ($235 for gold cover option).
For more information visit lollarguitars.com.
The two-in-one “sonic refractor” takes tremolo and wavefolding to radical new depths.
Pros: Huge range of usable sounds. Delicious distortion tones. Broadens your conception of what guitar can be.
Build quirks will turn some users off.
$279
Cosmodio Gravity Well
cosmod.io
Know what a wavefolder does to your guitar signal? If you don’t, that’s okay. I didn’t either until I started messing around with the all-analog Cosmodio Instruments Gravity Well. It’s a dual-effect pedal with a tremolo and wavefolder, the latter more widely used in synthesis that , at a certain threshold, shifts or inverts the direction the wave is traveling—in essence, folding it upon itself. Used together here, they make up what Cosmodio calls a sonic refractor.
Two Plus One
Gravity Well’s design and control set make it a charm to use. Two footswitches engage tremolo and wavefolder independently, and one of three toggle switches swaps the order of the effects. The two 3-way switches toggle different tone and voice options, from darker and thicker to brighter and more aggressive. (Mixing and matching with these two toggles yields great results.)
The wavefolder, which has an all-analog signal path bit a digitally controlled LFO, is controlled by knobs for both gain and volume, which provide enormous dynamic range. The LFO tremolo gets three knobs: speed, depth, and waveform. The first two are self-explanatory, but the latter offers switching between eight different tremolo waveforms. You’ll find standard sawtooth, triangle, square, and sine waves, but Cosmodio also included some wacko shapes: asymmetric swoop, ramp, sample and hold, and random. These weirder forms force truly weird relationships with the pedal, forcing your playing into increasingly unpredictable and bizarre territories.
This is all housed in a trippy, beautifully decorated Hammond 1590BB-sized enclosure, with in/out, expression pedal, and power jacks. I had concerns about the durability of the expression jack because it’s not sealed to its opening with an outer nut and washer, making it feel more susceptible to damage if a cable gets stepped on or jostled near the connection, as well as from moisture. After a look at the interior, though, the build seems sturdy as any I’ve seen.
Splatterhouse Audio
Cosmodio’s claim that the refractor is a “first-of-its-kind” modulation effect is pretty grand, but they have a point in that the wavefolder is rare-ish in the guitar domain and pairing it with tremolo creates some pretty foreign sounds. Barton McGuire, the Massachusetts-based builder behind Cosmodio, released a few videos that demonstrate, visually, how a wavefolder impacts your guitar’s signal—I highly suggest checking them out to understand some of the principles behind the effect (and to see an ’80s Muppet Babies-branded keyboard in action.)
By folding a waveform back on itself, rather than clipping it as a conventional distortion would, the wavefolder section produces colliding, reflecting overtones and harmonics. The resulting distortion is unique: It can sound lo-fi and broken in the low- to mid-gain range, or synthy and extraterrestrial when the gain is dimed. Add in the tremolo, and you’ve got a lot of sonic variables to play with.
Used independently, the tremolo effect is great, but the wavefolder is where the real fun is. With the gain at 12 o’clock, it mimics a vintage 1x10 tube amp cranked to the breaking point by a splatty germanium OD. A soft touch cleans up the signal really nicely, while maintaining the weirdness the wavefolder imparts to its signal. With forceful pick strokes at high gain, it functions like a unique fuzz-distortion hybrid with bizarre alien artifacts punching through the synthy goop.
One forum commenter suggested that the Gravity Well effect is often in charge as much the guitar itself, and that’s spot on at the pedal's extremes. Whatever you expect from your usual playing techniques tends to go out the window —generating instead crumbling, sputtering bursts of blubbering sound. Learning to respond to the pedal in these environments can redefine the guitar as an instrument, and that’s a big part of Gravity Well’s magic.
The Verdict
Gravity Well is the most fun I’ve had with a modulation pedal in a while. It strikes a brilliant balance between adventurous and useful, with a broad range of LFO modulations and a totally excellent oddball distortion. The combination of the two effects yields some of the coolest sounds I’ve heard from an electric guitar, and at $279, it’s a very reasonably priced journey to deeply inspiring corners you probably never expected your 6-string (or bass, or drums, or Muppet Babies Casio EP-10) to lead you to.
Kemper and Zilla announce the immediate availability of Zilla 2x12“ guitar cabs loaded with the acclaimed Kemper Kone speaker.
Zilla offers a variety of customization to the customers. On the dedicated Website, customers can choose material, color/tolex, size, and much more.
The sensation and joy of playing a guitar cabinet
Sometimes, when there’s no PA, there’s just a drumkit and a bass amp. When the creative juices flow and the riffs have to bounce back off the wall - that’s the moment when you long for a powerful guitar cabinet.
A guitar cabinet that provides „that“ well-known feel and gives you that kick-in-the-back experience. Because guitar cabinets can move some serious air. But these days cabinets also have to be comprehensive and modern in terms of being capable of delivering the dynamic and tonal nuances of the KEMPER PROFILER. So here it is: The ZILLA 2 x 12“ upright slant KONE cabinet.
These cabinets are designed in cooperation with the KEMPER sound designers and the great people from Zilla. Beauty is created out of decades of experience in building the finest guitar cabinets for the biggest guitar masters in the UK and the world over, combined with the digital guitar tone wizardry from the KEMPER labs. Loaded with the exquisit Kemper Kone speakers.
Now Kemper and Zilla bring this beautiful and powerful dream team for playing, rehearsing, and performing to the guitar players!
ABOUT THE KEMPER KONE SPEAKERS
The Kemper Kone is a 12“ full range speaker which is exclusively designed by Celestion for KEMPER. By simply activating the PROFILER’s well-known Monitor CabOff function the KEMPER Kone is switched from full-range mode to the Speaker Imprint Mode, which then exactly mimics one of 19 classic guitar speakers.
Since the intelligence of the speaker lies in the DSP of the PROFILER, you will be able to switch individual speaker imprints along with your favorite rigs, without needing to do extensive editing.
The Zilla KEMPER KONE loaded 2x12“ cabinets can be custom designed and ordered for an EU price of £675,- UK price of £775,- and US price of £800,- - all including shipping (excluding taxes outside of the UK).
For more information, please visit kemper-amps.com or zillacabs.com.
The author in the spray booth.
Does the type of finish on an electric guitar—whether nitro, poly, or oil and wax—really affect its tone?
There’s an allure to the sound and feel of a great electric guitar. Many of us believe those instruments have something special that speaks not just to the ear but to the soul, where every note, every nuance feels personal. As much as we obsess over the pickups, wood, and hardware, there’s a subtler, more controversial character at play: the role of the finish. It’s the shimmering outer skin of the guitar, which some think exists solely for protection and aesthetics, and others insist has a role influencing the voice of the instrument. Builders pontificate about how their choice of finishing material may enhance tone by allowing the guitar to “breathe,” or resonate unfettered. They throw around terms like plasticizers, solids percentages, and “thin skin” to lend support to their claims. Are these people tripping? Say what you will, but I believe there is another truth behind the smoke.
It’s the shimmering outer skin of the guitar, which some think exists solely for protection and aesthetics, and others insist has a role influencing the voice of the instrument. Builders pontificate about how their choice of finishing material may enhance tone by allowing the guitar to “breathe,” or resonate unfettered. They throw around terms like plasticizers, solids percentages, and “thin skin” to lend support to their claims. Are these people tripping? Say what you will, but I believe there is another truth behind the smoke.
Nitrocellulose lacquer, or “nitro,” has long been the finish of choice for vintage guitar buffs, and it’s easy to see why. Used by Fender, Gibson, and other legendary manufacturers from the 1950s through the 1970s, nitro has a history as storied as the instruments it’s adorned. Its appeal lies not just in its beauty but in its delicate nature. Nitro, unlike some modern finishes, can be fragile. It wears and cracks over time, creating a visual patina that tells the story of every song, every stage, every late-night jam session. The sonic argument goes like this: Nitro is thin, almost imperceptible. It wraps the wood like silk. The sound is unhindered, alive, warm, and dynamic. It’s as if the guitar has a more intimate connection between its wood and the player's touch. Of course, some call bullscheiße.
In my estimation, nitro is not just about tonal gratification. Just like any finish, it can be laid on thick or thin. Some have added flexibility agents (those plasticizers) that help resist damage. But as it ages, old-school nitro can begin to wear and “check,” as subtle lines weave across the body of the guitar. And with those changes comes a mellowing, as if the guitar itself is growing wiser with age. Whether a tonal shift is real or imagined is part of the mystique, but it’s undeniable that a nitro-finished guitar has a feel that harkens back to a romantic time in music, and for some that’s enough.
Enter the modern era, and we find a shift toward practicality—polyurethane and polyester finishes, commonly known as “poly.” These finishes, while not as romantic as nitro, serve a different kind of beauty. They are durable, resilient, and protective. If nitro is like a delicate silk scarf, poly is armor—sometimes thicker, shinier, and built to last. The fact that they reduce production times is a bonus that rarely gets mentioned. For the player who prizes consistency and durability, poly is a guardian. But in that protection, some say, comes a price. Some argue that the sound becomes more controlled, more focused—but less alive. Still, poly finishes have their own kind of charm. They certainly maintain that showroom-fresh look, and to someone who likes to polish and detail their prized possessions, that can be a big plus.
“With those changes comes a mellowing, as if the guitar itself is growing wiser with age.”
For those seeking an even more natural experience, oil and wax finishes offer something primal. These finishes, often applied by hand, mostly penetrate the wood as much as coating it, leaving the guitar’s surface nearly bare. Proponents of oil and/or wax finishes say these materials allow the wood to vibrate freely, unencumbered by “heavy” coatings. The theory is there’s nothing getting in the way—sort of like a nudist colony mantra. Without the protection of nitro or poly, these guitars may wear more quickly, bearing the scars of its life more openly. This can be seen as a plus or minus, I imagine.
My take is that finishes matter because they are part of the bond we have with our instruments. I can’t say that I can hear a difference, and I think a myth has sprouted from the acoustic guitar world where maybe you can. Those who remove their instrument’s finish and claim to notice a difference are going on memory for the comparison. Who is to say every component (including strings) went back together exactly the same? So when we think about finishes, we’re not just talking about tone—we’re thinking about the total connection between musician and instrument. It’s that perception that makes a guitar more than just wood and wire. The vibe makes it a living, breathing part of the music—and you.