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GALLERY: Rock on the Range 2011
See some of today''s biggest rock guitarists and the axes they used for this year''s festival, including Mark Tremonti, Zakk Wylde, Synyster Gates & Zacky Vengeance, and more.
Associate Editor Rich Osweiler started playing guitar at the tender age of 8, but over the years bass has become his main instrument. Prior to joining Premier Guitar, Rich worked at Acoustic Guitar for 10 years as associate publisher and director of marketing. He loves all types of music—from gypsy jazz to lo-fi and grindcore—provided the genre name isn’t preceded by the “contemporary” tag. Outside of music, Rich enjoys travel, skiing, woodworking, coaching baseball, and being a dad. He lives in Marin County with his 10-year-old daughter and their dog, Kiko.
Mojotone has launched the Quiet Coil H-90, a humbucker-sized P-90 guitar pickup designed to deliver authentic P-90 tone without the noise.
Engineered to fit any standard humbucker route, the Quiet Coil H-90 gives players the ability to achieve the rich, dynamic character of a traditional P-90 without requiring permanent or invasive modifications to their guitar. Available in either nickel or gold covers, this drop-in solution opens the door for greater tonal flexibility while preserving the integrity of your instrument.
At the heart of the Quiet Coil H-90 is Mojotone's award-winning Quiet Coil technology, which eliminates 60-cycle hum while retaining the organic character, clarity, and responsiveness that have made the P-90 pickup a favorite among players for decades. The result is authentic single-coil tone with the reliability and noise-free performance demanded by today's musicians.
Featuring AlNiCo 5 magnets and using traditional style 2-conductor wiring, the Quiet Coil H-90 captures the tone of a classic P-90 pickup without the hum.
"The P-90 has long been one of the most expressive and versatile pickup designs ever created, but many players have been limited by routing requirements and unwanted noise," said Michael McWhorter, CEO of Mojotone. "We designed the Quiet Coil H-90 to remove those barriers. Players can now get true P-90 character in virtually any humbucker-equipped guitar with no modifications and no hum."
The Quiet Coil H-90 is available in two-pickup sets -- featuring matched bridge and neck – for a street price of $299.95 per set; and as singles with a street of $149.95 per pickup. For more information visit mojotone.com.
What makes “vintage,” vintage? Is it just a matter of time? Or does an instrument need some extra, sui generis quality to become a true marker of an era in our minds?
Photos courtesy of Joel’s Vintage Guitars.
There’s no hard or fast cutoff for “vintage” like the 100 years required for something to be a true “antique,” but a range of 30 years for clothing or other types of collectibles generally separates what’s vintage from that which is merely used. By that benchmark, the first PRS McCarty—released over 30 years ago, in 1994—is now a vintage guitar.
Keep in mind: In 1994, at the launch of Paul Reed Smith’s McCarty, the original Les Paul Bursts (built 1958–1960) were about as old to the McCarty as the McCarty is to us right now. The vintage guitar market was then, as it were, already heating up, with Bursts going for anywhere between $20,000 and $100,000. Today, first-year McCartys still trade in the four-digit thousands, while price tags for Bursts and other “properly” vintage electrics have grown dramatically.
And so we ask, does this particular first-year McCarty that we’ve selected for this edition of Vintage Vault—serial #17 out of the 100 built in 1994—truly belong in the vault?
Up for sale now for about $8,500 via Reverb seller Joel's Vintage Guitars (no relation to this writer), this McCarty bears two autographs: Paul Reed Smith’s as part of the inlay headstock logo design, and Ted McCarty’s own on the guitar’s backplate.
While most of us here probably know the name, for those who don’t: Ted McCarty was the president of Gibson during the generally agreed “Golden Era” of the company, when classic guitars like the Les Paul, SG, and ES-335—and classic components like the Tune-O-Matic bridge and PAF humbucker—were born. He retired from Gibson in 1966.
Many years later, Paul Reed Smith himself kept seeing McCarty’s name on Gibson patents while diving into records at the U.S. Patent Office. While Smith knew McCarty’s work, at the time he didn’t know the name, nor did he realize just how instrumental McCarty was to Gibson’s most well known guitars and specs. But on patent after patent, listed as the inventor, his name kept popping up: “Ted McCarty, Kalamazoo, Michigan.”
Smith reached out to McCarty in 1986 and asked him to be a consultant for the fledgling PRS company. Paul wanted to know everything about how the most prized Gibsons were made during McCarty’s reign: “What kind of glue did he glue the frets in with?” Paul remembers asking. “How did they glue the tops on? How did they glue the necks in? How did they level the fingerboards? How did they dry the fingerboards, the necks?”
McCarty was not only forthcoming with his answers, but was thrilled to share his life’s work. “Nobody has asked me these questions in 30 years,” he told Smith, in Smith’s retelling. And did you catch that, reader? “In 30 years,” he said. Just about the length of time it takes for the next generation, in this case Paul Reed Smith’s, to reconsider what is old and unwanted versus what is vintage and desirable. Paul decided McCarty’s work was so valuable that he built a guitar model as tribute.
Photos courtesy of Joel’s Vintage Guitars.
The McCarty was offered as a vintage-style guitar, compared to PRS’ more modern-flavored Custom 24. In fact, its original inspiration came from guitarist David Grissom, who asked Smith to make a guitar that sounded like Duane Allman’s from At Fillmore East (which, as history would have it, was a ’59 Burst and a ’57 Goldtop).
This ’94 McCarty nods to a Les Paul in many ways: It has a two-piece carved maple top with a tobacco burst finish over a mahogany body. It has a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, two humbuckers, a wrap-around tailpiece … So far, so Les Paul.
But there are obvious differences, too, with the double-cutaway body being the most obvious. Runners-up are the single volume and single tone knobs. And the more subtle is the scale length: The McCarty’s is 25", in between Gibson’s standard 24.75" and Fender’s standard 25.5".
At over $8,000, if this McCarty sells it will be the most expensive first-year McCarty to sell on Reverb, though that’s plenty reasonable when compared to prices asked for vintage Gibsons and Fenders. (The most expensive ’94 McCarty sold on Reverb to date went for $4,400, paid four years ago for a higher serial number.)
Perhaps there’s a ceiling on what guitarists are willing to pay for a vintage PRS. Adjusted for inflation, the $8,500 price tag is just slightly above what its brand-new price would’ve been in 1994 dollars. But with the McCarty connection—and through him the connection to lineage of golden-era Gibson—perhaps we’re just at the start of a new vintage boom. Could buying an original McCarty for $8,000 today be as big of a steal as buying a burst LP for eight grand in the ’80s? Only time will tell.
Sources: PRS’ The Unforgotten Man: Ted McCarty and His Impact on Paul Reed Smith, Reverb’s Former Gibson Chief Ted McCarty on Tonewoods and the Problems of 'Top-Heavy' Management, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data
Before the humbucker, before active electronics, before any of the boutique winding methods players argue about online, there was a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet. That simple design is still one of the most widely used pickup formats in the world. In this episode of Pickups Demystified, PG contributor @TomButwin traces single coils to their origins in the early 1930s and works through four formats that define the category today.
Seymour Duncan
Psychedelic Strat
For those of us who aren’t able to own a late ‘60s Stratocaster, installing a set of our Psychedelic Strat pickups is the next best thing! These vintage voiced pickups have the signature psychedelic and paisley underground sound found in all of our favorite feedback and wah drenched extended solos.
Using traditional materials and period accurate wind, these Alnico 5 loaded pickups deliver unique depth and fullness to your sound. On the clean side, they deliver the desired scooped and glassy tones, and when you stomp on a fuzz, you’ll get tight and defined clarity in all positions.
Power up your Telecaster with the upper midrange growl and drive of the Quarter Pound for Tele pickups. The Quarter Pound for Tele Rhythm’s custom overwound coil provides a powerful midrange that cuts through any mix without sounding bright or brash. This makes it a rhythm beast with huge sounding chords, and full, fat lead tones.
The Quarter Pound Tele Lead is our highest output Tele single coil. Its special high output coil, with hand polished ¼” diameter alnico 5 rod magnets, deliver a huge sound with an almost P90-like growl. Leads will jump out and sound fatter than ever, while chords will be rich with sparkly midrange harmonics. The perfect choice for Tele players who demand to be heard.
Both pickups are available in an optional tapped variation as well, allowing you to tap into both vintage and high output tonalities with a single Tele set. The Quarter Pound high output Tele pickups are hand built in Santa Barbara, CA using hand polished ¼” diameter alnico 5 rod magnets, and Forbon flatwork along with a traditional deep drawn chrome plated Telecaster cover for the neck. Wax potted for squeal free performance.
Mojotone is excited and honored to have worked with such a renowned luthier to develop our Rene Martinez "Texas" Strat® Pickups. These were developed to emulate that specific and unique "Texas Tone" which was inspired by the one and only SRV.
Greg Koch Gristle-Tone Signature Series Single Width 3-Pickup Set
Greg Koch channels the influence of legendary players like Hendrix, Vaughan, and Beck, blending blues, funk, and R&B with his own unique twist of grunge and grit. His signature “Gristle” tone is all about high energy, versatility, and a little bit of dirty fun—perfect for players who want a dynamic sound with character. With these pickups, you get that unmistakable blend of classic warmth and raw power, designed to fuel your playing with every note.
The Vintage Jazzmaster® Silencer is a noiseless pickup that retains the bright, punchy neck tone and tight, snappy bridge sound that defines the Jazzmaster®. Clean or overdriven, the Vintage Jazzmaster® Silencer’s vintage-voiced tone is perfect for shimmering indie textures, surf-inspired riffs, and modern pedal-driven explorations. No more hum holding you back—just the pure, classic Jazzmaster® tone you love.
Darkglass Electronics announces the launch of KosmOS 1.16, a major operating system update for its Anagram modeling platform. Developed to enhance the device's functional capabilities for modern players, producers, and engineering professionals, this firmware update expands the platform's digital architecture by introducing new core modeling frameworks, dedicated vintage-inspired bass blocks, and optimization tools designed to streamline both studio and stage utility. The release marks a deliberate step forward in expanding the software ecosystem of the hardware, offering users unprecedented flexibility in sound curation and processing deployment.
At the center of the KosmOS 1.16 release is a strategic partnership with Tone3000, which brings full Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) Architecture 2 (A2) support directly to the Anagram platform. This update introduces three dedicated processing blocks—Neural Amp, Neural Pedal, and Neural Loader—allowing users to run up to three simultaneous instances of NAM A2 Full, A2 Lite, or A1 configurations. By integrating this architecture, players can directly import custom digital captures created by a global community of over 300,000 musicians and recording engineers, allowing the exact tonal characteristics of various physical amplifiers, pedals, and studio gear to be used anywhere.
The update significantly expands the device’s internal signal chain and tone-shaping flexibility with the addition of targeted processing blocks, including the new Peggy Classic and Peggy Fliptop options. The Peggy Classic block provides a harmonically rich punch designed to replicate the foundational bass tones found on global studio recordings and live stages, scaling from clean and articulate tracking to aggressively overdriven textures. For vintage applications, the Peggy Fliptop and its matching Peggy Fliptop 1×15" cabinet emulation bring the distinct sound of 1960s recording studios to the hardware, delivering dynamic tube warmth. Additionally, utility routing is streamlined via a new combined High-Pass and Low-Pass Filter (HPF+LPF) block, which combines filtering controls into a single slot to remove unwanted low-end rumble and harsh top-end frequencies simultaneously.
Darkglass has also overhauled the user interface and control workflow within KosmOS 1.16 to give players immediate feedback and precise parameter manipulation. A new DSP Meters view, which can be enabled via the advanced settings menu, allows users to visually measure the exact processing load of every single block within their active signal chain. For fine-tuning parameters, the update introduces a Type Parameter Values feature, allowing users to touch a specific setting on the block screen and input exact numerical values via an on-screen numpad. Hardware configuration is further expanded by new Behaviour Device Settings, which introduce customizable footswitch layouts including Mode Cycling (such as Preset to Stomp, Preset to Scene, and Stomp to Scene) alongside specialized Up/Down behavior modifications for dedicated Preset, Stomp, and Scene modes.
System integration and memory management receive a major expansion through the new Scenes Expansion and Scenes Manager features. The system now accommodates up to 126 user-configurable Scenes, giving players the ability to copy, rearrange, and instantly recall dense system states.
From a practical application standpoint, these additions directly refine the Anagram for high-pressure environments across live performance and studio tracking sessions. The combined HPF+LPF block delivers a tone that is instantly ready for a front-of-house PA or a DAW recording input without requiring external corrective equalization. Meanwhile, the ability to run three simultaneous NAM instances means complex multi-amp or pre-and-post-effect capture chains can be transported to any venue or session without bringing physical cabinets or outboard gear. The implementation of the Scenes Manager and structural footswitch customization allows players to adapt their physical layouts to the exact technical constraints of a performance setlist, reducing overall workflow complexity.
For more information about update installation instructions and full system compatibility, please visit the official Darkglass Electronics website at www.darkglass.com
The redesigned Eventide H9 Harmonizer packs the H9 Max features and H90 algorithms into a compact interface that can anchor a new rig or slot into your existing one. Tom Butwin walks through the three operating modes: bank mode for toggling two presets live, select mode for exploring the full library, and perform mode for manipulating effects in real time with or without an expression pedal.
Eventide
H9 Harmonizer® Gen 2
Eventide’s iconic multi-effects pedal enters a new era, delivering studio-quality sound and creative flexibility in a compact, performance-ready format.
H9 Harmonizer takes everything that made the original a modern classic and pushes it further. With the complete H90 algorithm lineup, modern ARM processing, and an enhanced workflow, it delivers more creative potential in a streamlined design.