This 1953 Fender Esquire belonged to Luther Perkins, who was a member of Cash’s first recording bands and played on all of the Man in Black’s foundational recordings for Sun Records—likely with this guitar. Perkins played this instrument during the period when Cash classics from “I Walk the Line” to “Folsom Prison Blues” were cut. John Carter Cash bought this 1959 Gibson Les Paul at Gruhn’s in Nashville. It has a neck that is atypically slim for its vintage and appears as part of the psychedelic guitar interplay on the Songwriter song “Drive On.”
Johnny Cash’s “Lost” Songwriter Album Arrives—30 Years After It Was First Recorded
Photo by Alan Messer
“The Man Comes Around” is a much-played song from the final album Johnny Cash recorded before his death in 2003, American IV: The Man Comes Around. Now, the Man in Black himself has come around again, as the voice and soul of a just-released album he initially cut in 1993, titled Songwriter.
- The Return of Johnny Cash—John Carter Cash Interview ›
- Johnny Cash’s “Lost” Songwriter Album Arrives—30 Years After It Was First Recorded ›
- How to Get an Authentic Johnny Cash/Luther Perkins Esquire Tone ›
At the heart of the Harvezi Hazze pedal is a waveshaper designed around a unijunction transistor - a relic from the early days of the semiconductor industry unearthed from the e-waste bins of flea markets in Tbilisi, Georgia, the Eastern European country's largest city.
The unijunction transistor offers unique properties allowing one simple component to replace a number of very complex devices. Therefore. depending on the operating mode, users can access a distortion, a limiter, a waveshaper and a generator - with smooth transitions among each of these.
The name "Harvezi Hazze" translates from Georgian as "a fault on the transmission line" or "signal jamming", and both the semantic and phonetic nature of these translations imply what users can expect: an impediment to the input signal, which can range from pleasant harmonic distortions to complete obliteration. The signal chain of Harvezi Hazze consists of an optical compressor with fixed parameters; a dual-mode distorting amplifier with either softer or harsher clipping; a waveshaper built around a unijunction transistor; and a tone stack section designed to tame these sonic building blocks.
Signal flow and controls
Following the input, the signal goes to the Compressor, Distorting Amplifier, Waveshaper, and then to the Tone Stack and output stages. Harvezi Hazze features six control knobs, a three-way switch and a footswitch.
- Gain Control: This controls the output amplitude of the signal in the distorting amplifier section. Depending on the position of the switch, the distortion introduced by this section is soft (with the switch in the left position) or more aggressive with an abundance of high harmonics (with the switch in the middle position).
- Spoil and Spread: This knob controls the operation of the unijunction transistor (waveshaper section). Spoil sets the point on the amplitude axis at which the wave will fold, and Spread sets the amplitude of the folding. The higher the Spread value, the more severe the distortion will be, while Spoil will change the timbre and response threshold. By adjusting Spoil, users can achieve various gating and cutoff effects; at low Spread values, distortion sounds are mixed into the clean sound.
- Tone: This knob adjusts the brightness of the sound. With higher values, higher harmonics become present in the signal.
- Three-way switch. This feature regulates either the distortion mode in the amplifier section (left and center positions), or turns on the total feedback mode (right position) when the values of all knobs begin to influence each other. In this position, effects occur such as resonance at certain frequencies and self-oscillation.
- Level knob: This controls the output volume of the signal.
- Footswitch: This routes the signal through the effect circuitry or from input to output directly (true bypass).
The array of switches on the side of the unit provides even further tonal options; the lower position of the switch enables the specific function:
- Tone Stack: Routes the signal through the tone stack section (Tone knob).
- Bass Boost: Enhances bass frequencies.
- Tone Mode: Changes the behavior of the Tone knob (tilt or lowpass).
- Notch Freq: Changes the central frequency of the filter.
- High Cut: Attenuates high frequencies.
- Compressor: Routes the signal through the compressor.
Harvezi Hazze is priced at €290. To learn more, please visit https://somasynths.com/harvezi-hazze/.
Ibanez has unveiled its new Blackout series of acoustic guitars to their lineup. Inspired by the popular Iron Label series, these instruments feature an all-black aesthetic, including a matte black finish and black hardware. The Blackout series offers three distinct models: the AEG721 7-string acoustic-electric, the AEWC621, and the TCY621. Each model boasts in-demand woods, including a Spruce top, Sapele back and sides, and Macassar Ebony or Purpleheart for the fingerboard and bridge.
To complement their unique appearance, the Blackout guitars are equipped with high-quality electronics. The AEG721 and AEWC621 feature Fishman’s S-core pickups and Ibanez AEQ-SAP2 preamps, while the TCY621 utilizes an Ibanez under-saddle pickup and AEQ-2T preamp.
For more information, please visit ibanez.com.
AEG721
- AEG body
- 634mm/25" scale
- Spruce top
- Sapele back & sides
- Comfort Grip 3pc Nyatoh/Maple neck
- Macassar Ebony fretboard & bridge
- Black dyed Bone nut & saddle
- Black Die-cast tuners (18:1 gear ratio)
- Fishman® S-core pickup
- Ibanez AEQ-SP2 preamp w/Onboard tuner
- Balanced XLR & 1/4" outputs
- Ibanez Advantage™ bridge pins
- D'Addario® XTAPB1253, plus .070 guage Phosphor Bronze
- String Gauge: .012/.016/.024/.032/.042/.053/.070
- Factory Tuning: 1E,2B,3G,4D,5A,6E,7B
- Recommended case: AEG10C/MAP: $169.99
- Finish: Blacked Out
LIST PRICE: $599.99
ESTIMATED STREET PRICE: $399.99
AEWC621
- AEWC body
- 634mm/25" scale
- Spruce top
- Sapele back & sides
- Comfort Grip Nyatoh neck
- Macassar Ebony fretboard & bridge
- Black Die-cast tuners (18:1 gear ratio)
- Fishman® S-Core pickup
- Ibanez AEQ-SP2 preamp w/Onboard tuner
- Balanced XLR & 1/4" outputs
- Ibanez IACS6C coated strings
- Recommended case: AEG10C/MAP: $169.99
- Finish: Blacked Out
LIST PRICE: $599.99
ESTIMATED STREET PRICE: $399.99
TCY621
- Talman Double Cutaway body
- Neck joint at 16th fret
- Spruce top
- Sapele back & sides
- Okoume neck
- Purpleheart fretboard & bridge
- Black Die-cast tuners
- Ibanez Undersaddle pickup
- Ibanez AEQ-2T preamp w/Onboard tuner
- Ibanez Advantage™ bridge pins
- Recommended case: TM50C/MAP: $179.99
- Finish: Blacked Out
LIST PRICE: $374.99
ESTIMATED STREET PRICE: $249.99
