Monstrous sounds from a Muff with a buzzy op-amp twist.
Big, big, Big Muff tones with a buzzy, midrange blast. Massive-sounding, full-frequency tone bypass mode. Beautiful construction.
Op-amp sizzle could put off fans of creamier Sovtek and Ram’s Head sounds.
$324
Wren and Cuff Eye See ’78
wrenandcuff.com
It was only a matter of time before Big Muff wizard/scientist Matt Holl built a big-box version of his Eye See '78 V4/V5-style op-amp Big Muff. It is worth the wait. I’m not sure I even knew how much I loved this circuit. A good friend had one that he blasted through a Twin Reverb (yikes!) and it sounded memorably amazing. But I always stayed within my own Big Muff safe lane—sticking with familiar Sovtek tones and chasing canonical, definitive Ram’s Head sounds. The Eye See ’78 is most certainly different than those circuits. It’s aggressive, with a buzzy mid-forward voice that tops out with an acerbic, searing, almost giant Tone Bender-like character when you crank up the treble. It’s not a subtle pedal, and it is definitely most satisfying when it’s setting an amp on fire and exploding with jet roar and gritty harmonics.
Though the Eye See ’78 circuit is essentially based on Holl’s V4 specimen (V4s are the rarest and most coveted), it offers a tone bypass switch that is a feature of V5 versions. Though I loved the white-hot extremes of the fuzz fetched at the toppiest tone-dial settings, the full-frequency—and freaking loud—push from the tone bypass setting should probably be measured in seismic terms. Like all Wren & Cuff pedals, it’s a high-quality, beautiful piece. And though not inexpensive, its nearly $325 price will probably be more than covered by the fuzz pedals you ditch in the Eye See ’78’s wake.
Learn how to not only ramp up your technique, but how to use it effectively.
Chops: Intermediate Theory: Intermediate Lesson Overview: • Learn how performing slurs can make your guitar playing two to three times faster. • Integrate fast licks in the context of songs. • Use fretboard symmetry to create sophisticated and complex melodic phrases. Click\n here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation. |
More than 30 years ago, classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery wrote the following line in one of the first guitar magazines I ever bought: “Being able to play fast shouldn’t be your only goal, but it should be one of them since it’s part of the classical universe.” I think that is one of the smartest sentences ever written regarding music and speed, and that quote has resonated with me ever since—although I would say “the musical universe” rather than just “the classical universe.” The ability to play fast is akin to any other technique, it’s a tool to be used when needed and set aside when other tools are required. This lesson will demonstrate how to gain access to the speed tool, as well as how and when to use it effectively.
Speed Bursts
My number one piece of advice on learning how to play fast is to do it in small steps with short phrases or
“bursts” of speed. Ultimately, endurance should become part of your routine but to develop more quickly,
start with three- and four-note phrases. Additionally, mastering hammer-ons and pull-offs will also make you faster,
as your picking hand will have less work to do.
Ex. 1 is the ideal place to begin this practice, as it is a three-note phrase that includes an open string. Start this phrase slowly, making sure all three notes are at the same volume. This phrase should be repeated several times, then start speeding it up.
Click here for Ex. 1
Ex. 2 moves the previous across the top three strings. It’s so compelling that you will find it in numerous rockabilly songs like Brian Setzer’s “Rumble in Brighton.” The trickiest part of executing this phrase is keeping the rhythm steady as you move from string to string. That’s not to say you can’t vary the rhythm, just know when you’re varying it (Ex. 3).
Click here for Ex. 2
Click here for Ex. 3
Ex. 4 and Ex. 5 put Ex. 2 into practical context, using a 12-bar blues. It’s worthwhile to point out that this symmetrical phrase can be difficult to analyze. This 12-bar blues is supposedly in the key of E, yet the first six notes of the lick imply E Dorian (E–F#–G–A–B–C#–D), and the 3rd string includes a b5 and a b3. It’s good to be aware of the melodic implications, but don’t get hung up on analysis.
Click here for Ex. 4
Click here for Ex. 5
Randy Rhoads’ Open-String Riffs
If you slightly modify Ex. 1 our rockabilly riff takes a left turn into heavy metal territory. Ex. 6 can be found countless times in Rhoads’ playing, most notably in the classic “Crazy Train,” but also in “Flying High Again,” and “Dee.” As with all the examples in this lesson, start slowly and keep your volume and rhythm even.
Click here for Ex. 6
Once you’re comfortable with Ex. 6, put it to work in a song. Examples 7-10 demonstrate a variety of possibilities. Note that Ex. 10 uses a Gin the riff and changes the C# in Ex. 7 to a C natural for a more bluesy sound.
Click here for Ex. 7
Click here for Ex. 8
Click here for Ex. 9
Click here for Ex. 10
What Do Eddie, Angus, and Randy Have in Common?
The answer? Ex. 11. Or at least variations thereof. My favorite example of this fast lick can be
heard in AC/DC’s cover of the Big Joe Williams song “Baby, Please Don’t Go.” This requires
more endurance and a bigger stretch than any of the previous examples, so if your hand gets tired or sore halfway
through the phrase, stop, stretch, and try again. This example, perhaps more than any of the others, will require
patience to play perfectly, so pace yourself.
Click here for Ex. 11
Fast Fretting
So what about phrases that don’t use open strings? Well you can move Ex. 1 up the fretboard and end up with
Ex. 12. This will be more challenging but once mastered, you’ll notice your speed increasing
considerably up and down the neck and in all keys. Ex. 13 and Ex. 14 moves that
shape across strings and will gradually build endurance.
Click here for Ex. 12
Click here for Ex. 13
Click here for Ex. 14
Ex. 15 puts the previous examples into a song context. These phrases are comparable to Eddie Van Halen’s fills on “I’m The One” (symmetry in abundance on that song) and Van Halen’s cover of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.”
Click here for Ex. 15
Exotic Speed
The final example in this lesson highlights the exotic Phrygian dominant sound heard in Flamenco music and
neo-classical metal (for more on the Phrygian dominant, see my “Inside the
Harmonic Minor Scale” lesson). As with all the previous examples, Ex. 16 features
short bursts of speed that can be expanded upon.
Click here for Ex. 16
Speed vs. Endurance
You don’t need a lot of notes to play fast. If anything, the only way to get faster is to start with fewer
notes. Focus on mastering a smaller group of notes at tempo before expanding to other strings and scales. Ironically
slow and steady wins the race, even when it comes to speed.
If you can’t figure out how to play Joe Bonamassa’s solo from “Blues Deluxe,” don’t worry. Neither can Chris Shiflett. But it all changes when Shifty sits down with Bonamassa for this special episode of Shred With Shifty. No surprise that both of them reach for their Les Pauls, and Bonamassa even reveals why he switched from Strats to Gibsons in the early 2000s.
Bonamassa is known for his dazzling collection of vintage guitars—which he says has become a target for haters—but he explains that you don’t need a ’58 Les Paul to get the goods. “It’s also the mystique,” he says. “If Jimmy Page played a Tokai, everyone would want a Tokai.” A guitar made two weeks ago, he says, is just as good as a classic.
Bonamassa’s lightning-quick soloing style, which conjures a hurricane of major and minor pentatonic notes with some phrygian flair, is the stuff of legend, and his tricks on “Blues Deluxe” are plenty. Even though he tries to adhere to a “divide by two” rule to simplify his phrasings, he still stumps Shiflett with a volume swell trick he learned from Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton.
This solo is no walk in the park. Any brave takers up for giving it a shot? Share it and tag us so Shifty can have a look! Most importantly, remember to have fun. “Do whatever you want with the damn thing,” says Bonamassa. “It’s just a guitar.”
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editors: Dan Destefano and Addison Sauvan
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.