Paul Gilbert on Zep, Samantha Fish on Tom Petty, Marty Friedman on Sabbath, and more players share stories of how and when the guitar rocked their worlds.
10. Destroy Boys' Violet Mayugba on Fugazi's "Furniture"
Premier GuitarHow a fateful ride to school opened this riot grrrl punker's eyes to a life beyond the power chord.
9. Sammy Boller on Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"
Premier GuitarThe instrumental phenom "blames" Randy Rhoads' pyrotechnics and the iconic music video for sparking his move to electric guitar.
8. Alex Skolnick on Van Halen's "I'm the One"
Premier GuitarTestament's shredder recollects how EVH's swinging, sneering ripper redirected him down the path of a hard-rock lead guitarist.
7. Imogen Clark on Led Zeppelin's "Over the Hills and Far Away"
Premier GuitarThe Aussie indie rocker connects how being raised on a healthy diet of Zepāincluding her father performing in a cover bandāinfluenced her to combine gentle folk stylings with the need to rock.
6. Fat Mike on RKL's "Blocked Out"
Premier GuitarNOFX 's comedic leader and low-end anchor recalls the ripping bass line that motivated him to be a better player.
5. Myles Kennedy on Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"
Premier GuitarFind out why Jimmy Page's playing saved the Alter Bridge frontman and Slash collaborator from a life of selling shoes like Al Bundy.
4. My Chemical Romance's Frank Iero on Black Flag's "Rise Above"
Premier GuitarThe MCR rocker remembers being sucked into Greg Ginn's diagonal riffs from a friend's mixtape and retells creeping out the punk-rock legend.
3. Samantha Fish on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "American Girl"
Premier GuitarThe blues-rock star revisits the American storyteller's song that spoke to her as budding songwriter and showed her the magic of layering and mixing memorable guitar parts.
2. Marty Friedman on Black Sabbath's "Into the Void"
Premier GuitarThe former Megadeth lead guitarist and shredmeister remembers being dumbstruck by Tony Iommi's imposing sound.
1. Paul Gilbert on Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker"
Premier GuitarThe Mr. Big shred hero vividly recalls "the best day of his guitar existence" and illustrates how the whole body needs to work in unison to match Pagey's vibrato.
- Hooked: Nick Perri on Nirvana's "Come As You Are" - Premier Guitar āŗ
- Rig Rundown: Rick Beato - Premier Guitar āŗ
- Rig Rundown: Greta Van Fleet [2021] - Premier Guitar āŗ
- Chicago Instrumental Trio Black Duck Casts a Cinematic Spell - Premier Guitar āŗ
Celebrating 10 years of Revv & 5 years since the release of the G2, Revv is debuting V2 circuit revisions of the G2, G3, & G4, implementing new designs for more tone in 3 little pedals, in a limited edition colorway.
The Revv Amplification 5th Anniversary G-Series V2 Lineup features:
- 3 Fresh Flavors of Boutique Canadian Tone - G-Series pedals are sonic recreations of 3 of Revvās boutique amp channels used by Nashville session stars & metal touring artists alike.
- The Standard, Redefined - V2 circuit revisions are based on the Generator 120 MK3 Rev. B & incorporate new design elements for the most tube-like response & tone ever.
- Limited Edition - Exclusive new colorway featuring a black enclosure w/ custom graphics, embossed Revv badge, & color-coded knobs.
- Find Your Sound - The G2 is a powerful & versatile overdrive capable of everything from touch-sensitive boost to organic vintage stack tones, taken from Revvās Green Channel.
- High Gain Clarity - The G3 utilizes Revvās legendary Purple Channel, a tight & responsive high gain tone perfect for drop tuning & cutting through any mix.
- Fat Solo Tones - The G4 is based on Revvās thick & saturated Red Channel, the ideal sound for chewy crunch, modern rock wall of sound, & liquid sustaining solos.
- Made in Canada - 100% analog circuit w/ top jacks, true bypass, & 2 year warranty.
Revvās G-Series pedals have a street price of $229 & can be ordered immediately through many fine dealers worldwide.
For more information, please visit revvamplification.com.
Revv G3 Purple Channel Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion Pedal - Anniversary Edition
Hats off to Carmen Vandenberg of Bones UK, our celebrity Question of the Month respondent.
Guest Picker - Carmen Vandenberg, Bones UK
The cover of Soft, Bones UKās new album, due in mid-September.
A: My favorite method these days (and to be honest, from when I started playing) is to put on my favorite blues records, listen with my eyes closed, and, at the end, see what my brain compartmentalizes and keeps stored away. Then, I try and play back what I heard and what my fingers or brain decided they liked!
Bone UKās labelmade, Des Rocks.
Obsession: Right now, I am into anyone trying to create sounds that havenāt been made beforeābands like Queens of the Stone Age, Jack White, and our labelmate, Des Rocs! Thereās a Colombian band called DiamantĆ© Electrico who Iāve been really into recently. Really anyone whoās trying to create innovative and inspiring sounds.
Reader of the Month - Sam C. Schiff.
Sam spent endless hours trying to learn the solo Leslie West played on āLong Red,ā off of The Road Goes Ever On.
A: The best way to learn guitar is to listen to some good guitar playing! Put on a record, hear something tasty, and play on repeat until it comes out of your fingers. For me, it was Leslie West playing āLong Redā on the Mountain album, The Road Goes Ever On. I stayed up all night listening to that track until I could match Leslieās phrasing. I still canāt, no one can, but I learned a lot!
Smithās own low-wattage amp build.
Obsession: My latest musical obsession is low-wattage tube amps like the 5-watt Fender Champ heard on the Laylaalbum. Crank it up all the way for great tube distortion and sustain, and itās still not loud enough to wake up the neighbors!
Gear Editor - Charles Saufley
Charles Saufley takes to gear like a duck to water!
A: Learning by ear and feel is most fun for me. I write and free-form jam more than I learn other peopleās licks. When I do want to learn something specific, Iāll poke around on YouTube for a demo or a lesson or watch films of a player I like, and then typically mangle that in my own āspecialā way that yields something else. But I rarely have patience for tabs or notation.
The Grateful Deadās 1967 debut album.
Obsession: Distorted and overdriven sounds with very little sustaināKeith Richardsā Between the Buttons tones, for example. Jerry Garciaās plonky tones on the first Grateful Dead LP are another cool, less-fuzzy version of that texture.
Publisher - Jon Levy
A: Iām a primitive beast: The only way I can learn new music is by ear, so itās a good thing I find that method enjoyable. Iām entirely illiterate with staff notation. Put sheet music in front of me and Iāll stare at it with twitchy, fearful incomprehension like an ape gaping at the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Iām almost as clueless with tab, but I can follow along with chord charts if Iām under duress.
The two-hit wonders behind the early ā70s soft-rock hits, āFallinā in Loveā and āDon't Pull Your Love.ā
Obsession: Revisiting and learning AM-radio pop hits circa 1966ā1972. The Grass Roots, Edison Lighthouse, the Association, the Archies, and Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynoldsānothing is too cheesy for me to dissect and savor. Yes, I admit I have a serious problem.
