Dr. Molly’s Guitar Lab: The Badass Riffs of Sister Rosetta Tharpe - May '18 Ex. 1
Voltage Cable Company's new Voltage Vintage Coil 30-foot guitar cable is now protected with ISO-COAT technology to provide unsurpassed reliability.
The new coiled cables are available in four eye-grabbing retro colors – Surf Green, Electric Blue, Orange and Caramel – as well as three standard colors: Black, White and Red. There is also a CME exclusive “Chicago Cream” color on the way.
Guitarists can choose between three different connector configurations: straight/straight plugs, right angle/straight and right angle/right angle options.
The Voltage Vintage Coil offers superior sound quality and durability thanks to ISO-COAT treatment, a patent-pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations. This first-of-its-kind airtight seal prevents corrosion and oxidization, a known factor in cable failure and degradation. ISO-COAT protected cables are for guitarists who value genuine lifetime durability and consistent tone throughout their career on stage and in the studio.
Voltage cables are hand made by qualified technical engineers using the finest components available and come with a lifetime warranty.
Voltage Vintage Coil features include:
- Lifetime guarantee, 1000+ gig durability
- ISO-COAT treatment - corrosion & oxidization resistant cable internals
- Strengthened structural integrity of solder terminations
Voltage Vintage Coils carry $89.00 USD pricing each and are available online at voltagecableco.com, as well as in select guitar stores in North America, Australia, Thailand, UK, Belgium and China.
About Voltage Cable: Established in 2021, Voltage Cable Co. is a family owned and operated guitar cable company based in Sydney, Australia. All their cables are designed to be played, and built for a lifetime. The company’s ISO-COAT is a patent pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations.
The Memphis-born avant-funk bassist keeps it simple on the road with a signature 5-string, a tried-and-true stack, and just four stomps.
MonoNeon, aka Dywane Thomas Jr., came up learning the bass from his father in Memphis, Tennessee, but for some reason, he decided to flip his dad’s 4-string bass around and play it with the string order inverted—E string closest to the ground and the G on top. That’s how MonoNeon still plays today, coming up through a rich, inspiring gauntlet of family and community traditions. “I guess my whole style came from just being around my grandma at an early age,” says Thomas.His path has led him to collaborate with dozens of artists, including Nas, Ne-Yo, Mac Miller, and even Prince, and MonoNeon’s solo output is dizzying—trying to count up his solo releases isn’t an easy feat. Premier Guitar’s Chris Kies caught up with the bassist before his show at Nashville’s Exit/In, where he got the scoop on his signature 5-string, Ampeg rig, and simple stomp layout, as well as some choice stories about influences, his brain-melting playing style, and how Prince changed his rig.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Orange You Glad to See Me?
This Fender MonoNeon Jazz Bass V was created after a rep messaged Thomas on Instagram to set up the signature model, over which Thomas had complete creative control. Naturally, the bass is finished in neon yellow urethane with a neon orange headstock and pickguard, and the roasted maple neck has a 10"–14" compound radius. It’s loaded with custom-wound Fireball 5-string Bass humbuckers and an active, 18V preamp complete with 3-band EQ controls. Thomas’ own has been spruced up with some custom tape jobs, too. All of MonoNeon's connections are handled by Sorry Cables.
Fade to Black
MonoNeon’s Ampeg SVT stack isn’t a choice of passion. “That’s what they had for me, so I just plugged in,” he says. “That’s what I have on my rider. As long as it has good headroom and the cones don’t break up, I’m cool.”
Box Art
MonoNeon’s bass isn’t the only piece of kit treated to custom color jobs. Almost all of his stomps have been zhuzhed up with his eye-popping palette.
Thomas had used a pitch-shifting DigiTech Whammy for a while, but after working with Paisley Park royalty, the pedal became a bigger part of his playing. “When I started playing with Prince, he put the Whammy on my pedalboard,” Thomas explains. “After he passed, I realized how special that moment was.”
Alongside the Whammy, MonoNeon runs a Fairfield Circuitry Randy’s Revenge (for any time he wants to “feel weird”), a literal Fart Pedal (in case the ring mod isn’t weird enough, we guess), and a JAM Pedals Red Muck covers fuzz and dirt needs. A CIOKS SOL powers the whole affair.
Shop MonoNeon's Rig
Fender MonoNeon Jazz Bass V
Ampeg SVT
DigiTech Whammy
CIOKS SOL
An Inspired by Gibson Custom recreation of the guitar that Jimi customized and played extensively from 1967-1969.
As part of the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Collection, the Epiphone Jimi Hendrix “Love Drops” Flying V is now available at Authorized Epiphone dealers and worldwide on www.epiphone.com.
“Jimi’s artistic expression was all-encompassing. It went far beyond creating magical music and expanded into another dimension of art that allowed us to see the beauty of his music,” says Janie Hendrix, Sister of Jimi and President and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC & Authentic Hendrix LLC. “When he hand-painted his Flying V, which was an expression of his love for his instrument and his music. With the Epiphone series, Gibson has recreated Jimi’s artwork beautifully! We are excited to partner with them! Seeing Jimi’s handiwork come alive in this spectacular collection is extremely gratifying.”
The Epiphone Jimi Hendrix “Love Drops” Flying V with custom hardshell guitar case.
Originally a Sunburst, Jimi Hendrix customized his Ebony-refinished Gibson Flying V with striking psychedelic graphics that he hand-painted on the original guitar, which are carefully recreated here on the Flying V. As a fitting tribute to one of the world’s most legendary and famous lefty guitar players, the Epiphone Jimi Hendrix “Love Drops” Flying V is available in right and left-handed versions. The Jimi Hendrix “Love Drops” Flying V also features a mahogany body, a one-piece mahogany neck with a Rounded C profile, a laurel fretboard, and 22 medium jumbo frets.
An Inspired by Gibson Custom logo and reproduction of Jimi’s signature adorn the back of the 1967-style Flying V headstock. Epiphone Deluxe tuners anchor the strings at the headstock, while a short Maestro Vibrola anchors them at the other end. The electronics are first-rate, with a pair of Gibson Custombucker humbucker pickups wired to CTS potentiometers, a Mallory tone capacitor, and a Switchcraft 3-way pickup select switch and 1/4” output jack. An Epiphone hardshell guitar case with Inspired by Gibson Custom and Authentic Hendrix™ logos is also included.
Learn more: www.epiphone.com.