March 2013
ARTICLES
Import Tuning: 3 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Strat
April 15, 2013
Replacing key components—such as the pickups, string nut, and tuners—can turn a workhorse guitar into a killer axe!
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Ultrasound Releases DS4 Amplifier
March 28, 2013
Ultrasound Amplifiers today reintroduced the Ultrasound DS4 acoustic amplifier. The compact and lightweight DS4 is designed to amplify fiddles, ukuleles, mandolins, guitars and any other acoustic instrument.
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Album Review: Jimi Hendrix - "People, Hell and Angels"
February 15, 2013
While "People, Hell and Angels" isn’t a great album—meaning it lacks the coherent sound, vision, and vibe of, say, "Axis: Bold as Love"—it’s packed with magnificent guitar.
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VanAmps Sole-Mate Jr. Pedal Review
February 4, 2013
The vintage reverb tones from the new Van Amps Sole-Mate Jr. can breathe new life into old or stale-sounding amps, or can add a second spring-reverb option to a chain instead of a digital replication.
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Bass Pedals: Basic to Playhouse
February 4, 2013
LEFT: Providing a big, warm, well-compressed tone with an option for extra distortion, this basic pedalboard setup covers the needs for 90 percent of my work. RIGHT: For solo-bass
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Modern Builder Vault: Zeal Guitars
February 4, 2013
While growing up in Kaiserslautern, Germany, at age 13, the idea occurred to Bastian Kanbach that making guitars for a living must be one of the greatest professions ever. But
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Takamine P3MC Acoustic Guitar Review
February 4, 2013
The new Japan-crafted Takamine P3MC is a fine example of how a stage-centric, amplification-oriented acoustic can be forward looking while retaining a lot of vintage-style sound and construction virtues.
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PRS Makeover: Blasphemy or Alchemy?
February 4, 2013
A longtime Premier Guitar fan scores an autograph-laden ''80s CE and struggles with the dilemma of keeping it all-original or having the PRS Technical Center update it to current specs.
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Teye Guitars R-Series La Gitana Bass Review
February 4, 2013
The wide neck and contour-less body of the Teye La Gitana might not appeal to every bassist, but its warm tonal palette and beautiful looks will likely please a number of players.
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Simplify Your Life: Portable Power Tools for the Modern Guitarist
February 4, 2013
Compact yet loaded with effects, amp modeling, built-in speakers and much more, the eBand JS-10 from Roland is an ultra-portable practice station. Remember the ’80s? I’m talking about crazy
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What Does a Pedal Sound Like?
February 4, 2013
Distorting a guitar signal generates more harmonics. With more harmonics, your amplifier’s inherent tone becomes more dominant. Unlike a tree falling in the woods, a pedal won’t make a
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Custom or Boutique?
February 4, 2013
LEFT: For an instrument to be boutique, it should be in some way personal. MIDDLE: Mike Sabre builds basses with passion. This is his new Dominique Di Piazza Signature
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Interview: Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion
February 4, 2013
Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz opens up about the long journey to the punk heroes'' 16th album, "True North," and how shorter, simpler songs and three-part harmonies reignited their creativity and took them back to their pummeling roots.
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What's the Rush?
February 4, 2013
Has anyone tracked more mind-blowing, finger-crippling solos than Brent Mason? Photo by Ariel Ellis Just before Thanksgiving, I lead the band for The Scotty McCreery and Friends Christmas Special
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Album Review: Ivan & Alyosha - "All the Times We Had"
February 4, 2013
Ivan & Alyosha All the Times We Had Missing Piece/Dualtone Music Group Probably best known for hometown hero Jimi Hendrix and the birthplace of a particular music movement that got
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Designing and Ordering a Custom Guitar, PT. 2
February 4, 2013
Prized for its beauty, koa possesses tonal characteristics similar to mahogany when used as a back and sides wood, and is one option to consider when planning your custom
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The Ultra-Flexible Esquire Wiring, PT. 2
February 4, 2013
Last month, we began a special project: We wanted to squeeze as many useable sounds as possible from a single-pickup Esquire [“The Ultra-flexible Esquire Wiring, Pt. 1,” February 2013]. And
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VOX StompLab IIB Pedal Review
February 4, 2013
Vox''s StompLab IIB is a portable, tone workstation that offers up a ton of great sounds while still being kind to both the back and the wallet.
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Adding an Extension Cab to a Fender Combo
February 4, 2013
Fender’s reissue ’65 Princeton Reverb includes a 10” Jensen C-10R, a long-spring reverb tank, a pair of 6V6 power tubes, and a 5AR4 rectifier tube. Photo courtesy of Fender
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Squier Tele Makeover: Surf-Twang Tweak-a-Rama
February 4, 2013
Guitar guru Bill Hook turns a Squier Tele into a customized twang machine at a fraction of the price of custom-shop axes.
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