Rhett and Zach go granular with Blackberry Smoke leader Charlie Starr on the elements—both real and imagined—that make certain Gibsons stand out from their peers.
In the annals of Gibson Les Paul players, Charlie Starr is an under-the-radar aficionado. Starr’s stable over the course of his career with southern-rock group Blackberry Smoke has been stocked with some of the sharpest old-school LPs on earth, and he’s got a particular predilection for Juniors.
But what sets one Paul apart from another? Starr, Rhett, and Zach go down every rabbithole in their hunt to nail down what makes a particular Gibson great, including misconceptions around P-90s and their relationship to PAFs, Juniors versus Standards, and whether wood and total construction have a big impact on tone. Some players argue that the sound is all in the pickups; tune in to learn why the trio thinks that theory is bunk, right down to the last, least consequential cap.
Plus, find out when Starr thinks Gibson perfected the Les Paul’s neck shape and bridge positioning, how top-wrapping impacts your sound, and a foolproof way to I.D. a legit, vintage PAF. (If it’s original, it’s gonna stink.)
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Reverend Jetstream 390 Solidbody Electric Guitar - Midnight Black
Reverend Contender 290 Solidbody Electric Guitar - Midnight Black
Slayer guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman formed the original searing 6-string front line of the most brutal band in the land. Together, they created an aggressive mood of malcontent with high-velocity thrash riffs and screeching solos that’ll slice your speaker cones. The only way to create a band more brutal than Slayer would be to animate them, and that’s exactly what Metalocalypse (and Home Movies) creator Brendon Small did.
From his first listen, Small has been a lifetime devotee and thrash-metal expert, so we invited him to help us break down what makes Slayer so great. Together, we dissect King and Hanneman’s guitar styles and list their angriest, most brutal songs, as well as those that create a mood of general horribleness.
This episode is sponsored by EMG Pickups.
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In continued support of their 3x GRAMMY-nominated album Dark Matter, Pearl Jam will be touring select U.S. cities in April and May 2025.
Pearl Jam’s live dates will start in Hollywood, FL on April 24 and 26 and wrap with performances in Pittsburgh, PA on May 16 and 18. Full tour dates are listed below.
Support acts for these dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for these concerts will be available two ways:
- A Ten Club members-only presale for all dates begins today. Only paid Ten Club members active as of 11:59 PM PT on December 4, 2024 are eligible to participate in this presale. More info at pearljam.com.
- Public tickets will be available through an Artist Presale hosted by Ticketmaster. Fans can sign up for presale access for up to five concert dates now through Tuesday, December 10 at 10 AM PT. The presale starts Friday, December 13 at 10 AM local time.
earl Jam strives to protect access to fairly priced tickets by providing the majority of tickets to Ten Club members, making tickets non-transferable as permitted, and selling approximately 10% of tickets through PJ Premium to offset increased costs. Pearl Jam continues to use all-in pricing and the ticket price shown includes service fees. Any applicable taxes will be added at checkout.
For fans unable to use their purchased tickets, Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster will offer a Fan-to-Fan Face Value Ticket Exchange for every city, starting at a later date. To sell tickets through this exchange, you must have a valid bank account or debit card in the United States. Tickets listed above face value on secondary marketplaces will be canceled. To help protect the Exchange, Pearl Jam has also chosen to make tickets for this tour mobile only and restricted from transfer. For more information about the policy issues in ticketing, visit fairticketing.com.
For more information, please visit pearljam.com.