Whatever your opinion of Oasis—and they have a way of engendering opinions—there’s little arguing that Noel Gallagher has an ear for a tune. And like many contemporary British indie guitarists and forebears like his hero, Johnny Marr, Gallagher also understands the romantic and iconographic power of a great tune played on a classic guitar—particularly as a means of asserting difference from the pop and hair metal tribes that came before.
Between a keen awareness of those cultural forces and Gallagher’s not-even-kinda-subtle worship of the Beatles, it’s little wonder he found his way to the Epiphone Riviera that inspired this signature model. Gallagher’s original Riviera, which was a Japan-made 1980s model, is a very different guitar than the Beatles’ hollowbody, P-90-fitted Epiphone Casinos, though. In fact, with its center-block, semi-hollow construction, PAF-inspired humbuckers, and Tune-o-matic bridge, it’s much more like a Gibson ES-335.
Epiphone currently makes several very nice ES-style guitars, from their own ES-335 to the closely related Riviera and Sheraton. Most of those guitars, save for the B.B. King, Emily Wolfe, and Joe Bonamassa signature models, sell for $599 to $699, which begs the inquiry: What does this Noel Gallagher Riviera give you for 200 bucks extra that its cheaper stablemates do not? If you’re a hardcore Oasis fan, that’s a non-question. But even at $899, this guitar is a great value. It feels and plays like a more expensive instrument. The build quality is pretty close to faultless. It comes with a hardshell case. It growls, sings, and stings in classic style. And by amalgamating several elements from Casinos, vintage-style Rivieras, and Gibson ES instruments, the Noel Gallagher Riviera adds up to a unique twist on a classic profile.
An E for Elegance
I’ve longed for a Gibson ES-335 since … forever. They loomed large in images of some of my biggest heroes: Keith Richards on the back of the Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! album, Roky Erickson, and Jorma Kaukonen to name just a few. Usually, an Epiphone Dot was the most affordable means of satisfying my 335 desires, and I’ve played a lot of them in shops and some that belong to friends. But I had weird luck with those Dots. When I found a good one, my interests seemed to be somewhere else. When I was feeling enthused, I could never find one that was quite right. But I feel like if I had ever come across an Epiphone 335-style as nice as the Noel Gallagher Riviera, I might have dropped the cash down on the spot—regardless of my current musical predilections. It’s a very inviting and easy-to-hang-out-with kind of guitar.
If you haven’t taken a break from your pedalboard for a while and need a taste of straight, mainline amp thrills, the Noel Gallagher Riviera is a satisfying means of getting there.
For starters, the Noel Gallagher Riviera feels next to effortless to play. Not everyone digs cradling a 16" body. And not everyone loves a 12" fretboard radius. But just about anyone else that touches this guitar is at risk to succumb to its smooth-playing charms. The action could fairly be called delicious, and the setup perfect, even after a cross-country journey.
The Noel Gallagher Riviera looks good, too. The wine-red finish and binding, aged to a biscuit-tan hue, look like a rather scrumptious meal. But the guitar also holds up to scrutiny at the detail level. I couldn’t find a construction or finish miscue. If there is any possible complaint, it’s that the finish might be a tad thick. All the same, I love looking at it. And though dogmatic Gibson players will probably scream heresy, I prefer the way the slim, florid hourglass headstock looks on this guitar compared to a Gibson. The white, curvaceous pickguard is also a pretty contrast to the wine finish, which I prefer to a Gibson ES-335’s black guard.
Air and Cultured Muscle
If you haven’t taken a break from your pedalboard for a while and need a taste of straight, mainline amp thrills, the Noel Gallagher Riviera is a satisfying means of getting there. The Alnico Classic Pro humbuckers, which aspire to a late-’50s, low-output PAF sound and feel, might lack some sense of the wide-screen, aerated texture you hear in the real thing or a top-flight replica, but they are a very nice facsimile. The top end zings and is neither too soft nor too bossy. And though the low end can be a touch woofy in some settings—a quality that applies to just about any PAF to a degree—it just as readily offers growling counterweight to the sweet treble tones. Like any PAF-profiled pickup, the Alnico Classic Pro is scooped in the midrange. In a great PAF, there’s usually enough personality in the scooped mids to lend a little purr to the output. That edge is slightly blunted here. But on balance, this a very nice set of pickups for a guitar in this price range.
The pickups are also a beautiful match for the semi-hollow construction, which I always think feels a little more dimensional than a Les Paul. The bridge pickup and combined pickup settings in particular seem to benefit from the extra body resonance, which lends them size and firecracker energy. The neck pickup alone, meanwhile, feels and sounds a little extra smoky, vocal, and soft around the edges. Each of these settings, by the way, pair to thrilling effect with overdrive tones. But I particularly love how it matched up with Marshall-style and raspy ODs, where the extra midrange adds a sweet toughness.
The Verdict
The knock on the Noel Gallagher Riviera will almost certainly be that it’s 200 extra bucks for what is, elementally, an Epiphone ES-335. But the little details—the parallelogram markers, the curvaceous, white Rivera pickguard, and the wine finish and aged binding, add up to a very pretty, distinctive, and unique twist on an ES. It’s also a very classy alternative to a Les Paul if you want PAF sounds in a less common instrument. I might also argue that it’s just a touch more versatile in some musical situations, thanks to the combination of airy resonance and growl. If you’re a songwriter, you’ll love how great it sounds nowhere near an amplifier. But this guitar is a joy to hear loud, alive, electrified, and unadulterated.
Epiphone Noel Gallagher Riviera Demo | First Look
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The 4-ply white pearloid pickguard is fitted with a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound split-coil P Bass pickup custom mounted in reversed position, the final piece of Hoppus regaled pop-punk tone. A limited number of these bases will be produced, and they are offered in a traditional 3-Color Sunburst or Sea Foam Green.
“It has a Jaguar body; it has a Jazz bass neck – C style, Rosewood fretboard, pearloid pickguard, 1 volume knob because I don’t need a tone knob, my tone comes from the wood, which in this case is Alder, the Maple neck, and of course, it comes from my pickups. I've used Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups that are mounted inverted so that the lower strings are closer to the bridge and give them a little more brightness. This bass is really nice, and I hope players enjoy it.” said Hoppus on his new signature bass.
Fender first worked with Hoppus in 2002, bringing to life a Mark Hoppus Signature Jazz Bass. This instrument played with the elements and electronics of a traditional Jazz Bass, essentially creating a hybrid of a Jazz and Precision Bass, giving him the best of both worlds. This bass is still sought after today, and fans will be happy to see Hoppus continue the legacy of that model with his new Jaguar Bass, which combines his preferred Jazz Bass neck, reverse-mounted P Bass pickup with a comfortable and stylish offset Jaguar Bass body.
“Mark knew what he wanted when ideating this bass,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at FMIC, “in turn, that is what fans of blink-182 fans want too. It’s been a true joy to work with Hoppus and help create this signature Jaguar bass. Hoppus's use of this bass on stages worldwide showcases its exceptional sonic capabilities. By incorporating Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups in a reverse position, he's enabled fans to achieve the iconic blink-182 tone they've always dreamed of. I can't wait to see how musicians worldwide will bring their creativity to this instrument.”
In addition to all its elevated specs, this bass is topped off with a custom neck plate and gig bag with the “Hi, My Name is Mark” octopus logo. An ode to his company that realises, in apparel, the cool things in life that can not be captured in anything other than art. Hoppus taught himself bass, and this new signature release from Fender hopes to encourage new players and established “blink” fans alike to pick up this instrument and start playing bass.
In true tradition, the Fender Artist Signature Series honors iconic musicians through product progression and storytelling, creating instruments inspired by the unique specifications of the world’s greatest guitarists and bassists.
MSRP $1399.99
For more information, please visit fender.com.
Scarlett’s fourth generation introduced several major advances that build on Focusrite’s legacy in professional audio: best-in-class audio specifications, enhanced creative capability, powerful workflow tools, and more. The three new interfaces add more analogue inputs and outputs, front-panel monitor switching and mute control, S/PDIF and ADAT connectivity, additional headphone outputs, and a built-in talkback mic on Scarlett 18i20.
Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen 16i16, 18i16, and 18i20 now feature:
- Huge 122dB dynamic range, using the flagship RedNet range converters – found in the world’s best studios.
- All-new, remote-controlled preamps with 69dB of gain for studio sound from any mic.
- Pair Focusrite Control 2 for desktop with Focusrite’s new mobile app; enjoy full wireless control over inputs and monitoring mixes, allowing the adjustment of settings without being tethered by cables.
- Re-engineered Air mode with Presence, and all-new Harmonic Drive, adding rich harmonics to recordings by emulating the characteristics of vintage preamps.
- New Auto Gain and Clip Safe modes can handle up to eight microphones at a time, making session setup simple, and ensuring every take is a keeper.
- Brand-new Custom-designed headphone amps for the best playback ever heard from Scarlett.
- Redesigned Dynamic Gain Halos now with output as well as input metering.
- Professional studio features included: A/B speaker switching, built-in talkback mic on 18i20, and more.
- MIDI in /out plus S/PDIF, and ADAT in/out.
- Refreshed Easy Start tool, making it easier than ever to get set up and recording in minutes.
- Includes Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools Artist 3 months, and FL Studio Producer Edition 6 months.
- Huge bundle of plug-in instruments and effects; including Antares Auto-Tune, Marshall Amp Modelling, synths, keys, drums, EQ, compression, reverb, and more.
Three new Scarlett interfaces
Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen, an update to the flagship 3rd Gen model, is a rack-mountable USB audio interface featuring 18 inputs, including eight advanced fourth-generation Scarlett preamps, and 20 outputs. 18i20 not only has an impressive amount of analogue and digital I/O, but also features additional workflow enhancements that make it a perfect fit for even the most complex project studios: a built-in talkback mic; A/B speaker switching for instant referencing on different monitors; and eight channels of LED bar metering, assignable to inputs or outputs as well as master output metering.
Scarlett 18i16 is a desktop-format USB audio interface with 18 inputs, including four 4th Gen Scarlett preamps and 16 outputs. Ideal for multitrack recording and designed for producers, 18i16 is the industry-leading interface for project studios. It makes an ideal hub to integrate hardware with a DAW, providing enough analogue and digital I/O to connect a huge number of external instruments, processors, and effects. Plus, manage complex routing with ease via the included Focusrite Control 2 software for desktop and mobile devices.
Scarlett 16i16 is a desktop-format USB audio interface which shares the same feature set as 18i16 but is slightly more compact, with 16
Scarlett 4th Gen
A giant leap for the world’s most popular audio interface range, Scarlett’s fourth generation debuted in 2023 with the Solo, 2i2, 4i4, Solo Studio, and 2i2 Studio.
All Scarlett 4th Gen interfaces feature re-engineered audio circuitry and professional-grade converters (taken directly from Focusrite's flagship RedNet interfaces), which deliver up to 122dB dynamic range. With up to 69dB of mic preamp gain on tap, they are designed to get the very best sound from any microphone. Custom-designed headphone amps with independent volume controls drive high-impedance headphones louder and with more clarity than any previous Scarlett.
Scarlett’s 4th Gen mic preamps feature a re-engineered Air mode, based on the sound of legendary Focusrite consoles. Each one now includes a selectable all-analogue Presence mode, and a new DSP-based Harmonic Drive mode for added richness.
The range also introduced two new features designed to ensure artists and producers never miss a perfect take: Auto Gain analyses ten seconds of incoming audio before setting set the perfect level, while Clip Safe automatically readjusts it to prevent clipping. These tools help artists record themselves easily and let experienced engineers quickly set multiple gains in high-pressure environments.
The included Focusrite Control 2 software takes care of setting up routing, levels, monitoring mixes, independent outputs, and routing options. In addition to the desktop application, the iOS and Android Focusrite Control 2 apps enables engineers and performers to adjust monitor mixes and mic preamp gains while away from the computer.
To help users get up and running with Scarlett in record time, Focusrite has developed an Easy Start tool that quickly guides from initial connection to their first recordings.
All Scarletts come with Ableton Live Lite, three months of Pro Tools Artist recording software, and six months of FL Studio Producer Edition. Also included is a curated selection of essential production software from Focusrite, Softube, Native Instruments, Antares, and many more. In addition, there are five free masters from Landr that can be used at any time, plus a two-month subscription to Landr Studio, offering unlimited music distribution on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and TikTok.
These interfaces will be available beginning mid-October 2024 with U.S. pricing as follows:
USD (excluding tax)
Scarlett 18i20: $649.99
Scarlett 18i16: $499.99
Scarlett 16i16: $369.99
For more information, please visit us.focusrite.com.
Focusrite Scarlett 18i16 Fourth Generation USB Audio Interface
I used to not care about using a compressor—unless I was in the studio and wanted to add a little zazz to a solo. The additional sustain and tightly focused mids that a compressor helped me achieve were inspiring. Eventually, I began to wonder if a compressor would help give my guitar the tone and response I typically enjoyed at louder stage volumes in smaller, quieter rooms. As I began hunting for a compressor for those gigs, I ran across the original, now discontinued, Origin Effects Cali76 Compact Deluxe. I was intrigued by its, um, origin.
The Cali76’s circuitry was inspired by the famed Urei 1176 outboard compressor, which has lived in the racks of some of the world’s finest studios and appeared on recordings by well, just about everyone. Although I was skeptical that so much squeeze-ability could fit in a 5 1/2" x 3" x 2" enclosure, the FET-based device proved to be a star—not only on my low-volume-gig board, but among many players in the world at large. Today, the Cali76 is recognized for getting about as close to a vintage rackmount 1176 as a stompbox gets.
Reduxed and Revamped
Over the years, the U.K.-made Cali76 has seen other iterations, but this new version is notably smaller—not nano- or mini-sized, but roughly the same size as a Boss pedal. The enclosure’s bedrock quality is the same as earlier Cali76s—a gleaming brick of brushed steel with six sturdy control dials that feels like it could be dropped from space and survive the impact. The controls remain dry, out, in, ratio, attack, and release. The dry function is crucial for tone hunters. It allows you to blend your guitar’s compressed and unprocessed signal—a technique often called parallel compression started at Motown for recording vocals that had a renaissance in New York City mix studios in the ’90s. There’s also a 9V DC input (sorry batteries, but you haven’t got the muscle or the room), a 200 mA draw, a solid and smooth on/off switch, and the usual mono in and out.
But the new, all-analog Cali76 FET Compressor also features a few important upgrades. The single flashing jewel light of previous models has been replaced with a 10-LED gain reduction meter, arranged in linear fashion, to present a more precise illustration of compression level as well as the duration and intensity of the gain reduction. There’s also a lot more headroom: The 9 volts flowing into the new pedal are increased internally to 24 volts, so you can let it rip while keeping your tone natural, responsive, and focused.
Side by Side
I thought it would be fun to place the Cali76 FET Compressor and its older sibling together in my pedal chain, after some overdrives and fuzzes, and before some delays and a trail-heavy reverb. Although both pedals functioned essentially the same, the more precise 10-LED meter was an immediate improvement over the flashing red (no compression), orange (activated compression), and yellow (heading toward maximum compression) colors of the single jewel light on my old Cali76 Compact Deluxe, which I’ve found confusing for its rapid changes of hue, as well as less-effective performance on colorfully lighted stages.
With its ability to internally step 9 volts up to 24, the extra headroom makes the new Cali76 FET sound much more organic and more like my guitar’s pure tone, and I even hear and feelimproved response to picking dynamics at low volume, which you don't always expect from a compressor. Tone is enhanced across the EQ spectrum. I heard richer mids and trebles and more sparkling presence than in my Compact Deluxe. I also heard more-singing sustain than with my older compressor engaged. It’s quite nice, but whether you prefer the potentially darker tone of the elder unit to the transparency of the new one is a matter of taste.
The rest of the control set still does exactly what you’d expect, and very well at that. The “in” dial increases the incoming signal and amount of compression, while the attack dial changes the setting from slow to fast by moving clockwise. Slow equals percussive and bright, while a fast attack time setting lets the compressor grab transients early on, making for a smooth, less percussive, and aurally soothing attack, which I prefer. Likewise, slower settings on the release dial provide more sustain. And the ratio control adjusts the amount of gain reduction on the compressed signal, ranging from a minimum ratio of 4:1 and a maximum of 20:1.
The Verdict
If you’ve never played with a studio compressor, you might experience a sharper learning curve with the Cali76 FET than with, say, a more affordable MXR Dyna Comp or Keeley 2-knob device. But if it fits your budget, it’s worth exploring the rich, complex, and essentially organic sounds that the new Cali76 FET Compressor can achieve.
Epiphone’s Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard features the same Copper Iridescent color, a pair of Epiphone P-90 PRO pickups wired to CTS potentiometers and Mallory capacitors, a Custom ’59 Rounded C neck profile, a long neck tenon, and a “Nerdville” graphic hardshell case. This Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Standard is a passionate testament to Bonamassa’s unwavering commitment to the blues and its profound influence on his music.
The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard release is a nod to a pivotal period in the evolution of the Gibson Les Paul, in a finish guaranteed to turn heads. Whether you’re a Joe Bonamassa fan, a Les Paul enthusiast, or a musician seeking an instrument that stands out in both tone and appearance, the Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard is the perfect addition to your collection.
This partnership with Epiphone celebrates the timeless synergy between the brand and Joe’s musical trajectory. Joe’s latest release Live At The Hollywood Bowl immortalizes Joe's first-ever performance at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in August 2023. Accompanied by an impressive ensemble of 40 orchestra members, Bonamassa delivered an unforgettable performance. Live At The Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra showcases Bonamassa’s virtuosic blend of blues and rock, but also elevates fan-favorite tracks with grandiose orchestral arrangements by some of Hollywood's finest – David Campbell, Trevor Rabin, and Jeff Bova. “Very few gigs represent my journey in music more than the Hollywood Bowl. I moved to Los Angeles in 2003 in search of opportunity and cheaper rent than New York City. My first gig at The Mint was attended by 5 of my friends. We have played The Greek Theatre many times since, but the Bowl has always been a dream. The orchestra and the sheer scale of the event and venue are something I will never forget. I am so grateful that we filmed this special event in my life,” reminisces Bonamassa.
For more information, please visit epiphone.com.
Joe Bonamassa Introduces the Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Standard - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar - Copper Iridescent
