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GALLERY: Healdsburg Guitar Festival 2011

Beautiful instruments from some of the world''s finest luthiers.

"This Mike Snider Rocko Munn Double Cut sold within the first two hours of the show and the happy new owner was kind enough to let it stay at the table for the day. It features a chambered alder body with a black, black cherry top, koa binding, and a curly maple neck. Snider handwinds his pickups and this Rocko Munn is loaded up with Snider Vintage Coils."

Stevie Van Zandt with “Number One,” the ’80s reissue Stratocaster—with custom paisley pickguard from luthier Dave Petillo—that he’s been playing for the last quarter century or so.

Photo by Pamela Springsteen

With the E Street Band, he’s served as musical consigliere to Bruce Springsteen for most of his musical life. And although he stands next to the Boss onstage, guitar in hand, he’s remained mostly quiet about his work as a player—until now.

I’m stuck in Stevie Van Zandt’s elevator, and the New York City Fire Department has been summoned. It’s early March, and I am trapped on the top floor of a six-story office building in Greenwich Village. On the other side of this intransigent door is Van Zandt’s recording studio, his guitars, amps, and other instruments, his Wicked Cool Records offices, and his man cave. The latter is filled with so much day-glo baby boomer memorabilia that it’s like being dropped into a Milton Glaser-themed fantasy land—a bright, candy-colored chandelier swings into the room from the skylight.


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Featuring Bluetooth input, XLR inputs, and advanced amplifier platform, the KC12 is designed to offer exceptional sound quality and versatility for a wide range of applications.

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This pedal is designed to offer both unique distortion qualities and a tonal palette of sonic possibilities.

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Phil X’s signature boost and overdrive is a powerful chameleon that transforms from searing to corpulent with ease.

Fantastically chameleonic. Highly interactive but intuitive controls. Great scathing-to-fat drive characteristics.

Expensive.

$349

J. Rockett PXO
jrockettpedals.com

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Though J. Rockett builds excellent effectsoutside the drive realm, you get the feeling that the company loves a tasty overdrive first and foremost. Various incarnations of their Archer OD are regarded as among thefinest klones available. Lately, they’ve delved into drives built to capture theessence or specific needs of high-profile players. The PXO Boost and Overdrive may be designed for Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X, but its capabilities transcend arena rock.

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