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While Satriani promises to put on a monsterous show, the addition of Mountain and guitar legend, Leslie West, will ratchet up the intensity even more. Mountain is one of the heaviest bands of all time, known for creating legendary tracks like “Mississippi Queen,” a classic rock staple to this day. This foursome has rocked crowds with their loud and aggressive playing since 1969; expect nothing less than cranked Marshalls and searing riffs.
In the past two decades, Satriani has consistently sold out stadiums worldwide, and this tour will be no different. If you’re a last minute type of person, you’ll want to heed our advice and get your tickets now. More info on ticket pricing and tour dates can be found at satriani.com. You can also move to the head of the line with Club Joe Meet & Greet ticket packages, which provide premium, reserved seats and exclusive meet-and-greet opportunities before the show – lucky package buyers may even get the chance to watch the encore from the side of the stage! Information on all packages is available online at satriani.com; you can also get your tickets through your local box office or ticketmaster.com.
Joe SatrianiDuring football practice at age 14, Joe Satriani learned of the death of Jimi Hendrix. At that moment, he told his coach he was quitting to become a guitarist and walked off the field. Almost 40 years later, Satriani could make music out of a doorknob if he had to, with over a dozen critically acclaimed studio albums that have sold over ten million copies worldwide. But Satriani is definitely not your average shredder; most of his guitar tricks sound like they come from another planet. His unique tones have made his albums runaway successes from the beginning, cracking Billboard’s Top 20 and reaching multiplatinum status.
In 1974, Satriani began studying with jazz guitarist Billy Bauer and jazz pianist Lennie Tristano. Satriani was greatly influenced by Tristano’s playing and began teaching guitar shortly after. One of his most notable students at the time was Long Island native, Steve Vai. In 1978, Satriani moved to Berkley, California to pursue a music career. In California, he continued teaching – several of his students are now very accomplished guitarists, including Kirk Hammett (Metallica), David Bryson (Counting Crows) and Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind).
Throughout the late eighties and early nineties, Satriani focused on releasing superior albums. His second album, Surfing with the Alien, produced popular radio hits and was notable as one of the first all-instrumental albums to break into the Top 40 charts. In 1992, Satriani released The Extremist, considered one of his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums to date; in 1993, he joined the band Deep Purple for their Japanese tour as a short-term replacement for departed guitar legend, Ritchie Blackmore. After the successful tour, Deep Purple asked Satriani to join them permanently, but he declined the offer to focus on his multi-album solo deal with Sony.
Joe Satriani has never been one to sit still; in 1996, his search for something new led to the formation of G3, a concert tour of guitar music featuring Satriani with his close friend, Steve Vai, along with a floating third member (often including players like Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Robert Fripp).
But for Joe Satriani, creating great music is by far the most rewarding part of his career. On his most recent album, Professor Satchifunklius and the Musterion of Rock, he embarks on his most fascinating musical journey yet. The album is filled with epic themes ranging from deeply personal songs, to all-out rockers with a sci-fi crunch. Professor Satchifunklius and the Musterion of Rock is filled with the kind of arty vigor and bratty fever that has made Joe Satriani one of the greatest guitarists of his day.
Leslie WestLeslie West is not only the guitarist for the explosive heavy rock band, Mountain, but he has also gained outstanding fame as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. West’s distinctive sound and tone are known throughout the music industry as one of the biggest guitar sounds ever created. His licks, tricks and musical creativity make him a one-of-a-kind, electrifying guitarist that you can’t get enough of. Classics such as, “Mississippi Queen,” “Never in My Life” and “Theme From An Imaginary Western” are to this day, staples of rock radio, and are even being introduced to a new generation through games like Guitar Hero.
During West’s 30-plus year career he has recorded or played with numerous rock icons including Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Billy Joel. His versatility, zest for life and passion for all things music make him one of the most unique rock legends to date; now, even in his early-sixties, he shows no signs of slowing down. He has recently collaborated with Dean to create a signature guitar – the Dean Leslie West Signature – and Mountain just released their first album since 2002’s Mystic Fire, Masters of War. The band is celebrating its 35th anniversary and continues to play for crowds big and small, just like they did in 1969.
Canadian and U.S. Tour Dates
10.3.08 Calgary, AB Canada – Jack Singer Concert Hall
10.4.08 Edmonton, AB Canada – Edmonton Event Centre
10.6.08 Winnipeg, MB Canada – Burton Cummings Theatre
10.7.08 Minneapolis, MN – The State Theatre
10.8.08 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
10.9.08 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
10.10.08 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
10.11.08 Greensburg, PA – Palace Theatre
10.12.08 Buffalo, NY – Center for the Arts
10.14.08 Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
10.15.08 Kitchener, ON Canada – Centre in the Square
10.16.08 Toronto, ON Canada – Massey Hall
10.17.08 Montreal, QC Canada – Metropolis
10.18.08 New York, NY – United Palace
10.19.08 Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
10.21.08 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
10.22.08 Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!
10.23.08 Washington, D.C. – Warner Theatre
10.24.08 Richmond, VA – The National
10.25.08 Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre
10.26.08 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
10.28.08 Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theater
10.29.08 Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
10.30.08 Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
10.31.08 Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
11.1.08 West Palm, FL – Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
11.3.08 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
11.4.08 Houston, TX – House of Blues
11.5.08 Austin, TX – Austin Music Hall
11.6.08 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
11.7.08 El Paso, TX – Plaza Theatre
11.8.08 Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium
11.9.08 Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
11.10.08 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
11.12.08 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
11.13.08 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
11.14.08 Reno, NV – Silver Legacy Casino
11.15.08 San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre
For more information, visit satriani.com.
Resistance to digital amps might just be futile at this point. Many tunes you hear—and an increasing number of live gigs—feature a bit of faux-tube tone somewhere in the mix. But while the sound of pro-level modelers can be nearly indistinguishable from their analog counterparts in a mix, the feel and simplicity of a real amplifiers remain appealing and even indispensable to many players. That said, modelers that make usability, convenience, and price priorities can convince even die-hard tube users to see what’s on the other side of the fence. IK Multimedia’s TONEX ONE is one modeling device that might make the cut. It’s likely the smallest, most portable modeler out there. And at $179, it’s easily the most affordable.
Big Tones, Tiny Controls
The TONEX ONE isn’t designed to put a million different options at your feet, and that economy may be the unit’s strongest feature. It features several different modes, but the primary operating mode allows you to either switch between two different models, or simply use the unit as a stompbox. Each model can be an amp, an amp and cab, a pedal, or a pedal driving an amp and cab. Judging by how deep the online repository tone.net is for user-created presets, the options are nearly endless, which speaks to the already sizable user base. It’s a little strange to consider a modeler in a package this small with so few controls. There’s a large main knob that controls volume and gain (when you’re in ALT mode), and above that are three illuminated mini knobs that control the 3-band EQ, gate, compression, and reverb. You can also plug your headphones directly into the pedal, which makes it a dynamite silent practice amp.
My experience with modelers is that high-gain tones and clean tones are relatively easy to achieve and typically very good. After unboxing the TONEX ONE, I loaded up a slightly dirty Vox-style amp to evaluate the edge-of-breakup tones. I paired the pedal with humbuckers (with a coil split option), Stratocaster single coils, and P-90s in a T-style solidbody. With each one, the Vox-style amp was punchy and clear but could also range to very nice higher-gain sounds. Naturally, each version of a modeled amp offers different gain structures, so it pays to experiment. Combining the humbuckers in a PRS SE DGT with a few hot-rodded Marshall emulations and the growl offered tones nearly as good as those from much more expensive modelers. In a blind test, I’m not sure I could hear—or feel—much of a difference. As I explored further and fine-tuned things a bit more, the ToneX One felt more alive in my hand,s and sounded much less shrill in the top end than other digital solutions I’ve encountered.
One of the most obvious tone fixers in a modeler—and maybe one of the most underutilized—is the EQ section, and kudos are due to IK for placing those controls at the fore. Being able to adjust the most immediate tone-shaping options without having to dig through menus or touchscreens is a pleasure.
There are many possible uses for the TONEX ONE. It can serve as a high-quality direct solution on your pedalboard, a portable recording interface, and a plug-and-play practice solution when high volume is a no-go. One handy setup I tried was disabling the cabinet emulation in the pedal and then plugging into the effects return of a combo amp, in this case, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I immediately imagined many backline amp headaches being a thing of the past. You can always plug directly into a flat-response cabinet or PA system too.
Because it has such a small footprint and streamlined controls, harnessing the unit’s full potential, and accessing all the different modes, takes a bit of effort. You can store 20 different presets within the pedal and assign them to any of the three active slots (two for dual mode and one for stomp mode). And although doing this on the fly is handy, I found it much easier to program the presets via the easy-to-use desktop editor.
The Verdict
TONEX ONE benefits from a rather singular focus and its biggest advantage is that it’s not shrouded in unnecessary layers of tweakable options. You can simply load up a base sound or two, drop it at the end of your pedalboard, and go.The included software allows you create your own models and makes swapping presets easy. I did find the multitude of modes, and their color-coded indicators, a bit confusing at times, but IK’s documentation was very clear and got me through any trouble spots. The TONEX ONE would serve well to those who want to explore digital modeling but still hold on to their analog pedalboards, and at $179 it’s a steal.
If 3 Were 6
With six times the controls found on the 1 and 2 versions (if you discount the original’s on/off slider switch,) the LPB-3’s control complement offers pre-gain, boost, mid freq, bass, treble, and mid knobs, with a center detent on the latter three so you can find the midpoint easily. A mini-toggle labeled “max” selects between 20 dB and 33 dB of maximum gain, and another labeled “Q” flips the resonance of the mid EQ between high and low. Obviously, this represents a significant expansion of the LPB’s capabilities.
More than just a booster with a passive tone, the LPB-3 boasts a genuine active EQ stage plus parametric midrange section, comprising the two knobs with shaded legends, mid freq and mid level. The gain stages have also been reimagined to include a pre-gain stage before the EQ, which enables up to 20 dB of input gain. The boost stage that follows the EQ is essentially a level control with gain to allow for up to 33 dB of gain through the LPB-3 when the “max” mini toggle is set to 33dB
A slider switch accessible inside the pedal selects between buffered or true bypass for the hard-latch footswitch. An AC adapter is included, which supplies 200mA of DC at 9.6 volts to the center-negative power input, and EHX specifies that nothing supplying less than 120mA or more than 12 volts should be used. There’s no space for an internal battery.
Power-Boosted
The LPB-3 reveals boatloads of range that betters many linear boosts on the market. There’s lots of tone-shaping power here. Uncolored boost is available when you want it, and the preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.
“The preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.”
I found the two mid controls work best when used judiciously, and my guitars and amps preferred subtle changes pretty close to the midpoint on each. However, there are still tremendous variations in your mid boost (or scoop, for that matter) within just 15 or 20 percent range in either direction from the center detent. Pushing the boost and pre-gain too far, particularly with the 33 dB setting engaged, can lead to some harsh sounds, but they are easy to avoid and might even be desirable for some users that like to work at more creative extremes.
The Verdict
The new LPB-3 has much, much more range than its predecessors, providing flexible preamp, boost, and overdrive sounds that can be reshaped in significant ways via the powerful EQ. It gives precise tone-tuning flexibility to sticklers that like to match a guitar and amp to a song in a very precise way, but also opens up more radical paths for experimentalists. That it does all this at a $129 price is beyond reasonable.
Electro-Harmonix Lpb-3 Linear Power Booster & Eq Effect Pedal Silver And Blue
