Brad Paisley knows a thing or two about writing hooks for general music fans while still throwing in enough guitar pyrotechnics to keep his guitar-playing audience happy, if not slightly stunned.
Brad Paisley and David Wild
Howard Books
Brad Paisley knows a thing or two about writing hooks for general music fans while still throwing in enough guitar pyrotechnics to keep his guitar-playing audience happy, if not slightly stunned. He applies that same formula to Diary of a Player, a book heās described as a ālove letter to the guitar.ā
Paisley is sometimes described as the wunderkind who crashed into country music with more than enough talent to spare, but thatās not the way he sees it. Sure, the passion was there, but so was the practice. Using the superhero universe as a metaphor, Paisley describes himself as Batmanāa character with no particular birthright for the cause, who is also human, flawed, and actually lacks the kind of power that guarantees other superheroes of keeping their jobs.
Paisleyās history as a player would make a good Disney movie. He started with a Silvertone electric. He admired his grandfather, who was a pretty good picker, but regrets showing off in what he now realizes was the moment they both knew he was a better player. He felt the need to stop playing for an entire summer. He went from playing a church picnic to playing any gig he could find, which included nursing homes and fire-station Christmas parties. He worked hard to keep audiences interested, even resorting to playing the theme from Sesame Street or āThe Hokey Pokeyā if the situation called for it. He struggled with the decision of whether or not to perform his own material once he started playing bigger stages. He opened for other acts for years and once was even doused with beer while standing too close to a frustrated Vern Gosdin who was having issues with his monitors. Paisley even auditioned for a gig at Opryland and had a deer-in-the-headlights moment when they said, āShow us you can dance.ā He did the moonwalk.
Paisley got G.A.S. at an early age, like the rest of us, so itās interesting to read his recollection of gear acquisitions. After the Silvertone, he got a Gremlin acoustic before moving up to a Hondo Strat copy and then a Tokai Strat copy. He refers to his first vintage AC30 purchase, a direct order from a music store in England, as āThe Great Vox Amp Crisis of 1987.ā He had to make several trips to the hardware store to get it configured for US power and to replace blown fuses. Regardless, Paisley says that was the moment āI had discovered my sound. My tone.ā
Paisleyās Diary of a Player lacks the addiction battles and contract scam stories that usually characterize books penned by famous guitarists. Paisley hasnāt misstepped and has no axes to grind, which leaves more room for tales about playing with John Jorgenson, hanging out with Little Jimmy Dickens, and sneaking into the recording studio at Belmont and literally playing all night.
Paisley never dwells on amp settings or Blues Driver mods, but thereās certainly enough guitar-specific insight to set this book apart from your typical rock star-penned musings. The 39-year-old country star has accomplished a lot in a short time, but heās most proud of being a player, which is what this book explains.
Wampler Pedals releases the Brent Mason signature ReWired pedal.
Brent Masonās career as a session guitarist spans over five decades, making him one of the most recorded musicians in history. His unparalleled talent has graced more than 1,000 albums, playing with and contributing to chart-topping hits from icons like Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Blake Shelton, Shania Twain, and many others. A Grammy winner and Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, Brent has also earned twelve Guitarist of the Year awards from the Academy of Country Music, two CMAĀ® Musician of the Year titles, and was named one of the top ten session guitarists ever by Guitar World magazine.
Brian Wamplerās journey with Brent Mason began way back around 2004, when heād make weekend trips to Nashville just to watch Brent play. Inspired by Brentās incredible talent and effortless touch, Brian set out to craft a signature pedal that would become the cornerstone of Brentās sound. The Overdrive channel perfectly captures Brentās iconic rhythm tones, offering everything from crystal-clear light dirt to a punchy, muscular Overdrive. The Distortion channel screams with rich harmonics, making it ideal for solos - whether used on its own or stacked with the Overdrive for maximum impact.
An Iconic Tone, Reimagined
With two fully independent circuits, the ReWired gives you access to both classic Overdrive and powerful Distortion channels that have been tweaked to Brentās exact specs. The Overdrive side is perfect for rhythm and Chicken Pickinā - built for warmth and maximum clarity, staying true to Brent's iconic sound. The Distortion channel is a perfect lead tone and offers a weighty āBritishā Plexi-like punch. The ReWired also features an order switch that allows the stacking direction to be changed on-the-fly without the hassle of changing cables.
Dual inputs and Outputs
The ReWired can be connected with a single mono input and output cable, just like a regular guitar pedal, or you can connect each channel independently (very useful when used with a loop switcher!). You can even connect a pedal in between both channels - try adding a compressor or an EQ if you want to sculpt your tone further.
Fat Blends
The ReWired incorporates our unique āFatā circuit control onto each channel as separate knobs. This allows you to dial in just the right amount of low end thump and presence into your rig - helping tame big speaker cabs or enhance smaller ones. The Overdrive channel also has Brentās signature blend control, allowing you to tune the amount of drive to your liking.
ReWired - for ALL players
This is not a guitar pedal to be bought and put in a case and admired - but with its exclusive new Prime Silver finish (a nod to Brentās infamous ā67 Telecaster) and custom graphics we wouldnāt blame you if you did. The Wampler ReWired is designed to be at the heart of your rig. It sounds great with every guitar and amp weāve tried it with and covers so many genres of music with ease. It comes with Wamplerās standard no fuss 5 Year guarantee and is built from the highest grade components to withstand the rigors of practice and gigging for years to come. The Wampler Brent Mason ReWired Signature Overdrive and Distortion - Rewire Your Sound Today Built in the U.S.A. with high-grade components selected for superior sound and response, premium finish and controls Dual Independent Overdrive and Distortion channels Independent Level, Gain, Tone and Fat controls for both channels, Blend Control for Overdrive channel Channel Order switch with two pairs of Input and Output jacks Power draw: 35mA at 9V and 40mA at 18V. 9-18v power jack - DC supply only, do not exceed 18v DC, battery Included Includes Limited 5-Year Warranty Dimensions: 5ā x 4.5ā x 2.4ā³ (88.9mm x 114.3mm x 58.0mm)
The Wampler ReWired carries a street price of $279.97. For more information visit https://www.wamplerpedals.com/
Originally priced at $25 and tagged for the student market, this guitar built at the Kawai factory sounds surprisingly good, but its neck is a āhuskyā fit.
Recently, I celebrated a birthdayāand let me tell you, after 50 I just feel thankful for a shot at another day. Iām at the point in life where I wake up with injuries, like random bruises or sore joints after a good night of sleep. What the heck! As part of being over 50, I find it necessary to keep up on my vaccinations and health things, and in my recent travels, I was surprised to learn that so many people have a birthday around the same time as me. It started with various phlebotomists, doctors, and nurses. Then it continued with people at work and social media messages. I never really thought about it before, but I did some research and, in fact, more babies are born in September than in any other month! My birthday is October 6, but according to my dear mom, I was two weeks late (as usual).
And so it goes that I pondered this proliferation of Virgos and Libras, and my hypothesis came into focus. Were we all the result of our parentsā Christmas and New Yearās celebrations?! I have to say, there was a camaraderie discovered among my fellow party babies when I presented my findings to them. Now, being born in the early ā70s also had me thinking of the culture of the times. Hippie life was fading as young people started to realize they had to get a job, and alas, long hair and beards were being replaced by staid 9-to-5 gigs that could slowly suck the life out of you. So, given the cultural mores of that era, I thought that this month I should write about the Sorrento Swinger.
āHippie life was fading as young people started to realize they had to get a job.ā
Born around 1967āmaybe in Septemberāthese Swingers hailed from the ācrazyā design period of the Kawai Co. Kawai produced some of the coolest guitar designs from 1967 to ā69, and there were some very creative guitar designers there on the job. Kawai had poached some of the finest employees from the wreckage of the Shinko Gakki factory (Pleasant, Intermark, etc.) and through the purchase of the Teisco brand. In this era, Kawai usually used three different standard pickups and they all sound great, plus the units are always wired in series, which is just awesome.
For a 25-buck, Japan-made guitar from the ā70s, the Swinger has an elite-looking headstockāand, on this example, most of its tuners.
Now, the Swinger (and similar Kawai-made guitars) came from an era where U.S. importers would order small batches of instruments that were often unique and extremely gonzo. The guitars might have been destined for medium-sized music stores or direct-order catalogs, but whatever the case, the importer usually gave the guitars names. In this instance, it was Jack Westheimer who featured this model as an āexclusiveā design. In Westheimer Corporation catalogs from the time, the Swinger carried the A-2T model name (there was another one-pickup model called the A-1) and sold wholesale for $25 in 1967! As the catalog mentioned, these were āpriced for the teenaged trade.ā This particular guitar featured the Sorrento badge, and was sold through some sort of music store thatās probably long out of business, but all the Swingers were the same.
The Swingerās large mahogany neck (sans truss rod) is robust and beefy in all the nicest ways. Like, when I was a kid, I was considered a āhuskyā fit. Thatās this neck: husky! The striped pickguard is a Teisco holdover and the controls are as simple as it gets. Two knobs (volume, tone) and two pickup selectors is all there is, but the beauty is in the body. That lower bout is shaped like some sort of 1969 lounge chair. The strap pin is totally in the wrong place, but the big bottom swoop is worth it. Yep, the Swinger was ready to bring in the dawn of the 1970s, but alas, the guitar came and went in a blink.
Hand-built in the USA, this pedal features original potentiometer values, True Bypass, and three unique modes for versatile distortion options. Commemorative extras included.
This limited-edition pedal is limited to a 1,974-piece run to commemorate the year of DODās start, 1974. The original OD250 put DOD on the map as āAmericaās Pedalā and continues to be an industry favorite today. Each pedal will have a serial-numbered Certificate of Authenticity, a commemorative laser-etched pedal topper, several commemorative guitar picks, and multiple commemorative stickers.
Hand-built in the USA, the DOD OD250 ā 50th Anniversary Edition pedal boasts Gain and Level controls using the original potentiometer values and tapers giving the control knob the feel and range that DOD enthusiasts love. A three-position toggle switch features the OD250ās classic āSILICONā mode replicating that original sound. The āGe/ASYMā mode uses a vintage Germanium diode for asymmetrical even-harmonic distortion. āLIFTā mode cuts the diode clipping from the signal path allowing for a clean boost or even a dirty boost when the vintage LM741 op-amp is clipped at higher gain settings. The DOD 250 also features True Bypass to maintain the integrity of your guitar tone.
This limited edition OD250 is outfitted in a stunning metal flake gray finish with classic yellow screenprint in a callback to the original OD250 of the 1970s. An etched aluminum badge on each unit commemorates this occasion. The DOD OD 250 ā 50th Anniversary is ready to take its place among the historic DOD pedal lineup.
When John Johnson and āMr. DODā himself, David O. DiFrancesco set out to make DOD Electronics in Salt Lake City, Utah 50 years ago, they had no idea how enduring their legacy would be. Now 50 years later, DOD Electronics continues to be at the forefront of pedal technology. The DOD OD 250 ā 50th Anniversary Pedal is an exceptional testament to DOD Electronicsā longāstanding success.
Retail Price: $250.00
For more information, please visit digitech.com.
Want to know how tubes shape your tone? Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he breaks down preamp vs. power tubes, tone tweaks, and biasing, in this ultimate beginner's guide to tube amps. From Fender cleans to Marshall grit, learn how to unlock the full potential of your amp!
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Go and see the doctor: Find all of our products here: our newest product line of high-end Redbase tubes, our famous premium selected tubes, and the equipment we manufacture like our Class A Converters, the Bias Master or the Silencer. Furthermore our TAD reverb cans, condensers and of course the amp kits on boutique level.