Understand the basics of the diminished scale and develop a more fluid legato technique with Justin Derrico''s latest lesson.
Chops: Advanced
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
⢠Understand the basics of the diminished scale.
⢠Develop a more fluid legato technique.
⢠Learn how to play over altered and dominant 7#9 chords.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation and accompanying MP3s.
This month, Iāve decided to throw some demented diminished licks your way. I really like these types of licks because they tend to twist your ear around a bit. But first, letās look at what a diminished scale is and see how it lies on the fretboard.
There are basically two different flavors of diminished: half-whole and whole-half. The name of each scale dictates the āformula,ā so to create a half-whole scale you start on the root note and alternate half- and whole-steps. As you might have guessed, the whole-half scale consists of alternating whole- and half-steps.
Since the entire diminished concept is based on the minor third interval (each note in a fully diminished chord is a minor third apart), any diminished idea you have can be moved up and down the fretboard by a minor third and still fit the chord.
In Fig. 1, we can see how a C half-whole diminished scale (CāDbāEbāEāF#āGāAāBbāC) lays out on the fretboard. Notice how the scale moves diagonally across the neck with each group of two strings. Since the interval between the 3rd and 2nd strings is a major third, we need to shift up an extra fret when we move to the 2nd string.
If you find it easier to view scales in the CAGED shapes, check out Fig. 2. Even though some of the fingerings might be a little awkward, I always stress to do what feels natural because everyone finds different ways that are more comfortable.
The first lick in Fig. 3 is over an altered A7 chord and is based out of the A half-whole diminished scale (AāBbāCāDbāEbāEāF#āGāA). The trick to playing this smoothly is all in the fingering. It starts with some basic box shape pentatonic notes and when you hit the 3rd string, youāre in the land of diminished.
In order to keep the notes fluid, I use my 1st and 3rd finger on the 3rd string and I use my 2nd finger on the 7th fret for the A. When I get to the 2nd string I use my 1st and 2nd finger. I find this lick gets the most girls.
In Fig. 4, we add some neighboring tones to the half-whole scale. Usually those are a half-step above a chord tone. You can use this as a great string-skipping picking exercise, but I tend to play it more legato because I find it easier. (Letās face it, we are guitar players who donāt want to work that hard.) I actually used a very similar lick on āManicā from my Boldly Going Nowhere record.
I use the same idea in Fig. 5, but this time I add a note a half-step below rather than above. This gives you the major third and minor thirdāgreat for dominant 7#9 chords. This is an example I highly recommend you move up the neck in minor thirds. You can get a ton of mileage out of this one because itās a little more visual then some of the others.
Finally, we have Fig. 6, which is one of my personal favorites. This phrase works great over an altered E7 chord. The nine-note shape that begins the phrase requires a bit of stretching. Again, itās mostly legato, but when I get to the B on beat two I sweep up across the lower three strings. After that, the pattern just repeats its self. The twist with this line is when I reach the 1st string I move the entire scale up a half step to create more tension.
Take it easy when working these diminished licks up to speed. Remember, since any note of a diminished chord can function as a root, all of these licks can be used over multiple chords. Have fun and I hope you enjoy all these licks that only a mother could love.
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This storyās author played this Belltone B-Classic 3 and found its neck instantly appealing, the tremolo capable of taking abuse and staying in tune, and the FilterāTron pickups possessed of hi-fi clarity. Also, the sky burst metallic finish is pure eye candy.
Custom designing an instrument and its appointments from a menu of options makes ordering a new axe easy. Four manufacturers share their process.
Itās never been easier for any player to get a guitar made to their liking, and without being an expert, or even an educated amateur in wood, wiring, and other aspects of lutherie. Sure, you can find a builder who will spec out a guitar for you from tree to neck radius to electronics, but for most of us, weāre looking for something easier, less costly, and, often, more familiar.
Thatās where guitar-by-menu comes in. Think of it as BuildāA-Bear for guitar players, but louder and with cooler options, like a coral pink sparkle finish or a trapeze tailpiece. A coterie of manufacturers offers such services, some with online pull-down menus that cover everything from pickups to, well, all that goes into a guitar. And the advantage here is that no particular expertise other than knowing what you love to play and why you love to play it is required. You dig a Tele or a Jazzmaster or an SG or a Firebird from a certain era, but want a specific bridge or pickup combination, a ā50s or late-ā60s neck, a finish not available in production models? No problem. Or maybe you crave something a tad more distinctive, with a non-traditional body shape, no headstock, and a finish that draws from the color palette of Van Goghās The Starry Night. All you gotta do is ask ⦠or, rather, pick, click, order, or email, perhaps with a phone call to confirm the details.
We spoke to a clutch of large and smaller guitar companiesāBelltone,Ā Kiesel, Fender, and Gibsonāto see how they do it.
The Belltone Way
āI was always the guy who had to tweak the guitar no matter what it was,ā says Belltone founder Steve Harriman. āI changed out the pickups, I changed the pickguards, tuners, whatever.ā
Like former Gibson CEO James Curleigh, Belltone Guitars founder Stephen King Harriman was an apparel executive with Perry Ellis before starting the Florida-based company in 2016. But the gig heās had since junior high school is guitarist.
āI was always the guy who had to tweak the guitar no matter what it was,ā Harriman says. āI changed out the pickups, I changed the pickguards, tuners, whatever. I always had to make what I was playing, whether it was a Les Paul or a Tele, unique, so it would be personally mine.ā
Initially, Belltone offered modded versions of Les Paul- and Telecaster-style guitars, but in 2019 he reframed his business, designing an ergonomically contoured pear-shaped body and distinctive 6-on-a-side headstock as a foundation, and establishing a group of craftspeople to bring his solidbody B-Classic One, B-Classic Two, and B-Classic Three variations to life.
Today, Belltone guitars are made for players looking for a similar mix of the fresh and the familiar, at $2,680 to $3,129, depending on appointments. And the range of appointments is impressive. Letās start with the templates. The Classic One has a flat top with edge binding, an alder body, a rounded tapered neck pocket, the companyās signature Devilās Tail bridge and angled switch-control plate, reverse-dome tall-boy knobs, and a 12" compound-radius neck (held on by four bolts), with 22 medium-jumbo frets. In contrast, the Classic Two has all of the above, except there are arm and body contours with no binding, and the Classic Three offers the same plus Belltoneās patented Back-Lip Tremolo System and top hat controls.
āIām inspired by a lot of ā50s and ā60 car designs for the elements of my guitars.āāBelltoneās Steve Harriman
Then, thereās a rabbit hole of options. There are 36 finish choices, with 10 āburstsāincluding gorgeous black cherry burst, sky burst metallic, and lemon burst shadesārequiring an upcharge of $40. There are varied pickguards to choose from within Belltoneās distinctive āDecoā version, which comes in black, white, and brown tortoise. There are four neck combinations (standard C and ā59 roundback profiles, with maple or rosewood fretboards), four tuner options (locking tuners from Belltone, Sperzel, and Kluson, plus ratio tuners), and a set of any-gauge Stringjoys. And the selection of pickups is truly impressiveā36 in all, from TV Jones, Benson, Rio Grande, Mojo, Lindy Fralin, Porter, McNelly, Righteous Sound, Gabojo, and the newly added Brickhouse Tone Works. And within those selections are standard and hum-cancelling P-90s, stacked humbuckers, PAF humbuckers, regular and noiseless single-coils, multiple FilterāTron variations, and more. Further, via Belltoneās Tone-Sure program, if a customer feels theyāve made the wrong call on pickups after playing their guitar a while, Belltone will swap them out at no charge save for covering shipping and the additional cost of pricier units.
āIām inspired by a lot of ā50s and ā60 car designs for the elements of my guitars,ā Harriman attests. āIf you look at my bridge, for example, itās got kind of a tailfin look to it. For me, guitars need to not only play well and sound great, but look cool. Also, everything is designed by me and is machine-tooled. My bridge is machine-tooled aluminum with rounded contours, as your palm can get roughed up on the old-style stamped ashtray bridges. I take all the things that make players happy into consideration.ā Including sturdy and handsome faux-alligator-skin cases.
A deliberative buyer could spend weeks contemplating all of Belltoneās options before pushing the āsubmitā button, and then, instead of being invoiced, they are contacted directly by Harriman to review it all again before his luthiers get to work.
Gibsonās Made to Measure
One of Gibsonās Made to Measure fantasies: an SG with three humbuckers in a crimson sparkle finish.
The 131-year-old Gibson companyās Made to Measure (MTM) program is a bit more conservative ⦠but only if youād call a hot-crimson-sparkle SG with three humbuckers, a burgundy Les Paul Standard with a full-fretboard vine inlay, a champagne-pink-sparkle Les Paul, or a 3-pickup Firebird with a P-90 in the middle conservative.
There are two ways to initiate an order for an MTM guitar. You can fill out the online questionnaire on the Gibson Custom Shopās Made to Measure page or stop by the Nashville or London locations of the Gibson Garage in person. I visited the Nashville Garage for this story, where I spoke with Dustin Wainscott, director of the Made to Measure program, and Matt Boyer, the sales associate youād likely encounter if you walked into the Music City shop. They brought a clutch of recent MTM examples. And a wall of the MTM room was covered in slabs of wood, available for the choosing, and various bridges, tuners, pickups, and other parts for inspection and selection. Of course, some of the on-location fun is speaking with MTM program leaders like Boyer and Wainscott, who love guitars as much as you do and are happy to swap stories.
Whether by email, which will likely be followed up by a call from Boyer, or in person, the conversation that starts a MTM order begins with questions about body style, neck preference, electronics configuration, and the finish type and treatment.
āOn the cosmetic side, we can go as far as you want to, with any color or finish you want.āāGibsonās Dustin Wainscott
At the Gibson Garage Nashville, Dustin Wainscott, director of the Made to Measure program, and Matt Boyer, the sales associate in charge of MTM at that location, brandish a pair of custom-ordered instruments.
Photo by Ted Drozdowski
Essentially, any Gibson body currently in production and most historic appointments from that modelās historyāand some from other compatible Gibson modelsācan be used for an MTM order. After selecting the white wood, as slabs are called in lutherie, āfiguring out the pickup layout, the neck profile, and the tailpiece you want is the next step,ā says Wainscott. āThen you get into the electronics and the look of the guitar: pickup selection, coil-splitting, what color or finish hardware, a glossy or flat finish, any Murphy Lab aging.
āNon-proprietary parts can sometimes be a roadblock. Typically, weād use our pickups, for example, so if somebody makes a request for a pickup outside of Gibsonās, I try to steer them toward something we have thatās similar. Youāve got to play in the Gibson sandbox.ā Stepping outside of historic model-design parameters, which would require re-engineering, is also a no-fly. That means donāt ask for a Les Paul with a Firebird neck, or an Explorer with a 3-on-a-side headstock. That said, there is a lot of wiggle room within the companyās catalog, and āon the cosmetic side, we can go as far as you want to, with any color or finish you want,ā adds Wainscott. Personalized headstocks are also a popular option.
A Made to Measure orderās price starts with a $500 charge on top of a modelās current tag, and can increase depending on the complexity of wiring, finish, inlays, etc. Wainscott notes that about 30 percent of the Custom Shopās business is Made to Measure.
āWe also do a lot of recreating of models youāve seen in the past that arenāt available now,ā adds Boyer. āSo, we canāt make a Jimmy Page Les Paul with his name on it, per se, but if you want a Les Paul Custom with three pickups, a Bigsby, a 6-position switch, and all that, we can do it for you.ā
Kieselās Family Style
Kiesel can get as rad as you wanna be, including characterful flourishes like this naturally figured wood with pools of radiant blue finish and an organically striking neck.
Kiesel Guitars has essentially always been a custom-order builder, even if its name and line of business has evolved. The L.C. Kiesel Company was founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel as a manufacturer of pickups he sold from the back pages of magazines. As it grew, he renamed it after two of his sons, Carson and Gavin, as the well-known brand Carvin, which became famous as a maker of quality guitars, amps, and instrument parts. In 2015, the company split, Lowellās son Mark and his son Jeff established the guitar-building operation under the Kiesel name. Today, thanks to their high-caliber construction and endorsees like Allan Holdsworth, Devin Townsend, Craig Chaquico, Jason Becker, and Johnny Hiland, the company makes more than 4,000 custom-order guitars a year.
āWe have four types of construction: bolt-on, set-neck, set-through, and neck-through,ā explains VP Jeff Kiesel. The company also offers the unusual choice of nine different headstocks, which most manufacturers limit to one style as part of branding, and sans-headstock models, which Kiesel began making in 2012 with the debut of its Allan Holdsworth model. All Kiesel headstocks have an 8 1/2-degree tilt, to create a steeper string angle over the nut, which can potentially improve tone and sustain.
At work on a body in the Kiesel factory, which produces about 4,000 custom-order guitars annually.
āWeāre appealing to everybody because we do so many different things.āāJeff Kiesel
āWe never build the headstock separate from the neck and then scarf joint them ināitās all one piece,ā Kiesel adds. Necks are also quarter-sawn, with a two-way truss rod, dual carbon-fiber reinforcement rods, stainless steel frets, and Luminlay side dots.
After that, ordering a Kiesel is all about options. There are 56 models, including signatures, to choose from. Once you select a model on the companyās website, youāre taken to a page that includes a builder menu. Kieselās lowest-priced models, including the Delos, start at $1,649, while the top-priced, flagship K-Series model starts at $4,399.
The Aries, one of Kieselās most popular guitars, starts at a base of $1,699 with a bolt-on neck and has a menu that includes, under general options, right- or left-hand orientation; the choice of 6, 7, 8, or 9 strings; multiscale necks; and 25 1/2", 26 1/2", or 27" scale lengths. Under body options, you can select beveled or unbeveled edges, and eight different body and 16 different top woods. There are more than 80 finishes to choose from, and 14 variations on the Kiesel logo. The neck options are equally rich, with five fretboard radius selections plus choices for neck wood, three neck profiles, inlays, truss rod covers, and more. The electronic options boast four pickup configurations, five different Kiesel neck and bridge pickup models, and additional alternatives. Itās easy to get lost in the woods, but when you emerge, an image of your guitar with all its appointments, generated as you make your choices, is waiting for you.
āOur lead time is seven to 12 weeks,ā Kiesel says, āand we offer a 10-day trial period unless somebody gets too wild on their options.ā Anyone ordering a guitar is welcome to phone the company to talk over their order, and Kiesel highly recommends that first-time buyers call.
While Kiesel Guitars once had a reputation as a shredder-axe factory, Jeff Kiesel explains thatās changed over the past decade. āOur demographic is not set anymore,ā he shares. āWeāre appealing to everybody because we do so many different things. We can build a very classy jazz-style neck pickup on a semi-hollow guitar that you can play some amazing Frank Gambale licks on. And then we can turn around and build a guitar that will do some really technical modern metal, like Marc Okubo. We can build really wild or really classy, and thatās created so much growth within our company.ā
Fenderās Mod Shop
Ted created this ādream Stratā with a silverburst finish, noiseless single-coils, and a 2-Point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo Bridge using Fenderās Mod Shop online tool.
Like Gibson, Fenderās Mod Shop is about personalizing classic templatesāin this case, the Strat, Tele, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, P and J basses, and Acoustasonic Telecasters and Jazzmasters. And while the program was birthed in 2014 as the American Design Experience, it evolved into the Mod Shop and has continued to improve, most recently with an update this April that made the online menu easier to use and added more options.
āWe know that 80 percent of customers will be loyal to brands where they can personalize and customize,ā says Shannon Stokes, Fenderās VP of eCommerce. āSo the whole online user experience has been finessed. Itās much easier to navigate on both desktop and mobile. You move through it choosing the orientation of the guitar, the finish ⦠everything through the pickguard, the hardware.ā
Justin Norvell, Fenderās VP of product, observes, āThis is a playground, and youāre able to just mess around and see what appeals to you. We allow people to save their configurations to PDFs, and they can share them and send them out,ā akin to trading cards. āThereās an exponential number of people that might sit on their favorite design for a year before they actually place an order.ā Some hardcore fans buy multiple variations of a favorite-style guitar over time, ābecause you can engrave the neck plate, collect multiple finishes, and other cool stuff. This is an area where selection runs wild for lefties, too,ā he adds.
Fenderās Justin Norvell with his own dream machine: an American Professional Jazzmaster in mystic seafoam.
āThis is an area where selection runs wild for lefties, too.āāFenderās Justin Norvell
āWhatās amazing to me,ā says Shannon Stokes, Fenderās VP of eCommerce, āis the number of people ordering black, white, and sunburst. I would think the rarer colors would be the thing.ā
The cost of a Mod Shop guitar is an upcharge of several hundred dollars, with certain customizations increasing the tab. I decided to jump in and outfit a Strat, with a base price of $2,085, to my taste. After selecting the right-hand playerās orientation, I chose an alder body with a silverburst finish from a palette of nearly 50 colors and wood offerings that also included chambered ash, mahogany, and roasted pine. For the neck, I went with solid rosewood with Fenderās deep-C profile. Eight maple variations were also available. That neck option automatically led me to a rosewood fretboard, and then I hunted through 16 pickup configurations before stopping at the Generation 4 Noiseless Stratocaster set. I opted for a 4-ply black pearl pickguard, and aged white plastic controls and pickup frames. Next, from three bridge choices I tapped a 2-Point Deluxe Synchronized Tremolo Bridge. Chrome Fender strap lock buttons would do the job, since Iāve had un-strap-locked guitars fall to the stage at gigs in years past. For strings, a set for .010s, and the only case option is deluxe molded plastic with a fuzzy interior. Total cost: $2,175, which is not bad for those modest-but-swell appointments. I also downloaded a PDF, so you can see what I designed. Unhappy with the purchase? It can be returned within 30 days for a refund or exchange, plus shipping.
Thereās about a half-dozen builders in the Mod Shop, but workers from the normal production line can be called in when there is an uptick in commissions, Norvell explains.
āWhatās amazing to me,ā says Stokes, āis the number of people ordering black, white, and sunburst. I love the satin orange because itās vibrant, different. I would think the rarer colors would be the thing.ā But players often look for instruments that are evocative of classic guitars theyāve seen. And 6-string dreams do come in all shades.
Well-designed pickups. Extremely comfortable contours. Smooth, playable neck.
Middle position could use a bit more mids. Price could scare off some.
$2,999
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II
A surprise 6-string collaboration with Cory Wong moves effortlessly between ā70s George Benson and Blink-182 tones.
Announced at the 2025 NAMM show, Cory Wongās new collaboration with Ernie Ball Music Man scratched an itchānamely, the itch for a humbucker-loaded guitar that could appease Wongās rock-and-R&B alter ego and serve as complement to his signature Fender Strat. Inspiration came from no further than a bandmateās namesake instrument. Vulfpeck bassist Joe Dart has a line of signature model EBMM basses, one of which uses the classic StingRay bass body profile. So, when Wong went looking for something distinctive, he wondered if EBMM could create a 6-string guitar using the classic StingRay bass body and headstock profile.
Double the Fun
Wong is, by his own admission, a single-coil devotee. Thatās where the core of his sound lives and it feels like home to him. However, Wong is as inspired by classic Earth, Wind & Fire tones and the pop-punk of the early ā90s as he is by Prince and the Minneapolis funk that he grew up with. The StingRay II is a guitar that can cover all those bases.
Ernie Ball has a history of designing fast-feeling, comfortable necks. And I canāt remember ever struggling to move around an EBMM fretboard. The roasted maple C-shaped neck here is slightly thicker in profile than I expected, but still very comfortable. (I must also mention that the back of the neck has a dazzling, almost holographic look to the grain that morphs in the light). By any measure, the StingRay IIās curves seemed designed for comfort and speed. Now, letās talk about those pickups.Hot or Not?
A few years ago EBMM introduced a line of HT (heat-treated) pickups. The pickups are built with technology the company used to develop their Cobalt and M-Series strings. A fair amount of the process is shrouded in secrecy and must be taken on faith, but EBMM says treating elements of the pickup with heat increases clarity and dynamic response.
To find out for myself, I plugged the StingRay II into a Fender Vibroverb, Mesa/Boogie Mark VII, and a Neural DSP Quad Cortex (Wongās preferred live rig). Right away, it was easy to hear the tight low end and warm highs. Often, I feel like the low end from neck humbuckers can feel too loose or lack definition. Neither was the case here. The HT pickup is beautifully balanced with a bounce thatās rich with ES-335 vibes. Clean tones are punchy and brightāespecially with the Vibroverbāand dirty tones have more room for air. Individual notes were clear and articulate, too.
Any guitar associated with Wong needs a strong middle-position or combined pickup tone, and the StingRay II delivers. I never felt any significant signal loss in the blended signal from the two humbuckers, even if I could use a bit more midrange presence in the voicing. The midrange gap is nothing an EQ or Tube Screamer couldnāt fix, though. And not surprisingly, very Strat-like sounds were easy to achieve for having less midrange bump.
Knowing Wongās love for ā90s alt-rock, I expected the bridge pickup to have real bite, and it does, demonstrating exceptional dynamic range and exceptional high-end response that never approached shrill. Nearly every type of distortion and overdrive I threw at it sounded great, but especially anything with a scooped-mid flavor and plenty of low end.
The Verdict
By any measure, the StingRay II is a top-notch, professional instrument. The fit and finish are immaculate and the feel of the neck makes me wonder if EBMM stashes some kind of secret sandpaper, because I donāt think Iāve ever felt a smoother, more playable neck. Kudos are also due to EBMM and Wong for finding an instrument that can move between ā70s George Benson tones and the hammering power chords of ā90s Blink-182. Admittedly, the nearly $3K price could give some players pause, but considering the overall quality of the instrument, itās not out of line. Wongās involvement and search for distinct sounds makes the StingRay II more than a tired redux of a classic modelāan admirable accomplishment considering EBMMās long and storied history.
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II Cory Wong Signature Electric Guitar - Charcoal Blue with Rosewood Fingerboard
StingRay II Cory Wong - Charcoal BlueThe Melvins' Buzz Osborne joins the party to talk about how he helped Kurt Cobain find the right sounds.
Growing up in the small town of Montesano, Washington, Kurt Cobain turned to his older pal Buzz Osborne for musical direction. So on this episode, weāre talking with the Melvins leader about their friendship, from taking Cobain to see Black Flag in ā84 to their shared guitar journey and how they both thought about gear. And in case youāve heard otherwise, Kurt was never a Melvins roadie!
Osborneās latest project is Thunderball from Melvins 1983, something of a side trajectory for the band, which harkens back to this time in Osborneās life. We dig into that and how it all relates and much more.