
You could WIN My Evil Twin from Mayfly Audio Systems in today's Stompboxtober Giveaway!
My Evil Twin
Up to one second delay with pitch-shifting modulation. And that modulation! Pitch shifting modulation on the repeats which makes those delays sound MASSIVE! And the modulation is foot-switchable: leave it on for those big clean chords, and turn it off when you kick in the overdrive for that crushing solo.
- Repeats controllable from one to infinite.
- Mix control to perfectly dial in the amount of effect.
- Tone control to adjust the tone of the delayed signal from a hard bright room to a soft dark room.
- Foot-switchable pitch shifting modulation with Speed and Intensity controls.
- Full bypass wth fail-safe relay control; the effect is automatically bypassed if the pedalboard looses power.
- 9V DC input.
Premium acoustic guitar cases with heritage design, quilted dry-waxed canvas, and soft felt interior. Available in dreadnought and parlor sizes, with khaki and olive color options.
Guitar Satchel, a new company specializing in premium-quality cases and accessories for working/traveling musicians, has introduced its line of deluxe acoustic guitar cases.
"The Guitar Satchel is the type of case that so many guitarists have yearned for: a soft-sided backpack-style case that matches the craftsmanship of their most treasured acoustic. Itās heritage designed, made of quilted dry-waxed canvas and soft felt interior, and comes with a lifetime guarantee."
The Guitar Satchel is available in two color options ā khaki and oliveā and two sizes. The dreadnought-style case will fit standard-size acoustic guitars, including OM, concert, and small jumbo instruments. The parlor-size case is designed for travel, classical, and other smaller guitars.
Combining retro-Americana styling with thoroughly modern features, the Guitar Satchel case is made using the best materials and quality craftsmanship of a 120-year-old manufacturer based in Iowa. Its heavy-duty outer material is naturally water-repellent and durable. It has a sumptuous, quilted cotton felt interior and features high-quality leather and brass zippers. (This manufacturer originally supplied the zippers to the US Army during World War I.)
This special-edition guitar case is created to carry your favorite guitars on all your adventures and to meet the level of craftsmanship of your instruments. Built to last a lifetime, the GuitarSatchel is the case you will want to use when passing your beloved guitars down to future generations.
The Guitar Satchel carries a $499 price and is available for purchase at guitarsatchel.com.
For more information, please visit guitarsatchel.com.
Our guest columnistās current pedalboard spices his EXH diet with stomps from Line 6, TC Electronic, Strymon, Fulltone, Ibanez, and Boss.
Ex-B-52s member, composer, and NYC music scene veteran Pat Irwin loves pairing EHX pedals with keyboardsāand recollecting good times with his late guitar virtuoso friend.
Iāve got a thing for Electro-Harmonix effects boxes. Iāve got a Crying Tone Wah thatās the coolest, a 16 Second Digital Delay, and a Deluxe Memory Man. All have made their way onto my ambient country band SUSSās new record, Birds & Beasts. And currently a Big Muff, two Freeze Sound Retainers, and a Mel9 Tape Replay Machine are on my pedalboard. Hereās the thing: I like using them on keyboards.
I remember spending one cold winter night recording keyboards for a track called āHomeā that made it onto Promise, the third SUSS album. I was playing a Roland Juno-106 through the Deluxe Memory Man while my bandmate Bob Holmes manipulated the delay and feedback on the pedal in real time. The effect was otherworldly. You can also hear the Crying Tone on SUSSās āNo Manās Landā and āTrain,ā on Bandcamp. Sure, the guitars sound great, but those keyboards wouldnāt sound the same without the extra touch of the Crying Tone. I also used it on the B-52sā āHallucinating Pluto,ā and it went out on the road with us for a while.
One of the first musicians I met when I moved to New York City in the late ā70s was the late, great Robert Quine. Quine and I would talk for hours about guitars, guitarists, and effects. I bought my first Stratocaster from Quine, because he didnāt like the way it looked. I played it on every recording Iāve made since the first Lydia Lunch record, 1980ās Queen Of Siam, and on every show with 8 Eyed Spy, the Raybeats, the B-52s, and my current bands PI Power Trio and SUSS. It was Quine who taught me the power of a good effects pedal and Iāll never forget the sessions for Queen of Siamwith the big band. Quine played everything through his Deluxe Memory Man straight into the recording console, all in one take except for a few touch ups here and there.
Quine and I used to go to Electro-Harmonix on 23rd Street and play through the boxes on display, and they let us pick out what we wanted. Itās where we first saw the 16 Second Digital Delay. That was a life-changer. You could make loops on the fly and reverse them with the flick of a switch. This thing was magical, back then.
āQuine played everything through his Deluxe Memory Man straight into the recording console, all in one take except for a few touch ups."
When I recorded a piece I composed for the choreographer Stephen Petronio and performed it at the Dance Theatre Workshop in Manhattan, I put everything through that 16 Second Digital Delay, including my clarinet. Later, when I recorded the theme for the cartoon Rockoās Modern Life, I played all of the keyboards through the Deluxe Memory Man. Just when things would get a little too clean, Iād add a little more of the Memory Man.
Iām pretty sure that the first time I saw Devo, Mark Mothersbaugh had some Electro-Harmonix effects boxes taped to his guitar. And I canāt even think of U2 without hearing the Edge and his Deluxe Memory Man. Or seeing Nels Cline for the first time, blowing a hole in the universe with a 16 Second Digital Delay. Bill Frisell had one, too. I remember going into the old Knitting Factory on Houston Street and passing Elliott Sharp. He had just played and I was going in to play. We were both carrying our 16 Second Delays.
Who knows, maybe someone from another generation will make the next āSatisfactionā or āThird Stone from the Sun,ā inspired to change the sound of a guitar, keyboard, or even a voice beyond recognition with pedals. If you check out Birds & Beasts, youāll hear my oldāand newāboxes all over it. I know that I wonāt ever make a SUSS record or play a SUSS show without them.
Things change, rents go up, records are being made on computers, and who knows how you get your music anymore? But for me, one thing stays the same: the joy of taking a sound and pushing it to a new place, and hearing it go somewhere you could never have imagined without effects pedals.
The legendary Elvis sideman was a pioneer of rockabilly guitar, and his approach to merging blues and country influenced generations of guitar pickers. Hereās how he did it.
Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
⢠Craft simple blues-based phrases that lie within the CAGED system.
⢠Understand how double-stops are used in rockabilly music.
⢠Improve your Travis picking.
Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
In 2016 we lost one of the most influential guitarists and unsung heroes the world has ever known. The driving force behind Elvis Presleyās first recordings, Winfield Scott āScottyā Moore III helped shape the sound of rock ānā roll and inspire generations of fans. Born in 1931, Scotty caught his big break in 1954 when he was called to do a session with Elvis at Sam Phillipās Sun Studio in Memphis. History was made that day when Elvis recorded āThatās All Right,ā and for about four years, Scotty provided 6-string magic for such Elvis hits as āHeartbreak Hotel,ā āHound Dog,ā and āJailhouse Rock.ā
A huge Chet Atkins fan, Scotty grew up listening to country and jazz. This blend would have a dramatic impact on his sound, as he would mix Travis picking with some ear-twisting note choices based on chords, rather than using an obvious scalar approach.
I used a thumbpick on the examples in this lesson to sound as authentic as possible. Using a thumbpick on some notes makes them stand out in comparison to those plucked with the remaining fingertips. Ex. 1 is a classic Scotty-type rhythm riff in E that uses some Travis picking. Play the notes on the 6th and 4th strings with your thumb, and use your index and middle fingers for the double-stops on the 3rd and 2nd strings. This is illustrated in the notation: Attack all the up-stemmed notes with your fingers and down-stemmed notes with your thumb.
Click here for Ex. 1
The next example (Ex. 2) reveals one of the more common elements of Scottyās lead work: double-stops. It makes sense when you consider that Scotty often performed with just a bass player and drummer, so when it came time to play a solo, he needed to create a strong sense of harmony. The first three phrases begin in the āEā shape of the CAGED system before moving down to the āAā shape and returning to the āEā shape. Those last two measures sit squarely in the āEā shape at the 12th position.
Click here for Ex. 2
Ex. 3 returns to Scottyās Travis-picking influence by outlining an A chord before leading the idea in a new direction with double-stops. The example begins in the āCā shape and resolves in the āEā shape, though this wouldnāt have meant anything to the legendary guitarist. However, his reliance on moving the five basic chord shapes around the neck is undeniable.
In this version of āHound Dogāāa song originally recorded by Big Mama ThorntonāMoore takes a bluesy solo starting at :45.
Click here for Ex. 3
The blues was an essential part of Scottyās style, and Ex. 4 shows something he might play over the first eight measures of a blues in E. To use the moves in any given key, itās important to understand how intervals work within a chord. For example, over the E7, Iām approaching the root and 3 (G#) with a half-step slide. With that information, youāre able to transpose this musical shape all over the neck. Approach each double-stop with this method, and youāll get a lot of mileage out of this rather simple lick.
Click here for Ex. 4
Ex. 5 shows some of Scottyās single-note ideas, though the phrase still begins with a double-stop on the top two strings to grab the listenerās attention. Measures three and four use a strange collection of notes. Scotty isnāt thinking of a scale here. The phrase begins with a bluesy flourish and a melodic descent to the root. When he gets there, he moves down a half-step to the 7 (an unusual note to play on a dominant chord, but if it sounds good, it is good), and then up again to resolve to the A chord.
Click here for Ex. 5
Scotty was also a big fan of using three-note grips. In Ex. 6, you can see how these ear-grabbing sounds would work over our blues progression. It begins with an E triad in the āDā shape. Itās genuinely amazing how many great chordal licks Scotty could come up with by using just a few chord forms.
Click here for Ex. 6
Ex. 7 is a little trickier, but a great example of how to move from an A chord to an E chord using some double-stops and single notes along with position shifts and sixths. This is very much a country phrase and evidence of the genreās importance to the rockabilly sound.
Click here for Ex. 7
The final example (Ex. 8) is a longer, 20-measure piece outlining a full progression with Scotty's superb Travis-picking ideas. While this isnāt a column specifically on Travis picking with a collection of exercises to develop that skill, here are a couple of simple tips that should help you navigate this music.
First, focus only on the bass notes. The thumb needs to be automatic. Strive to put no thought into playing the bass part. This takes time but eventually youāll be free to concentrate on the melody. The last part to absorb is the excellent ending chord. Itās a maj6/9 with the root on topāvery common in the rockabilly style.
Click here for Ex. 8
From here itās easy to hear Scottyās immense influence on guitardom. It would be well worth your time to go down a rabbit hole of YouTube vids from the CAAS (Chet Atkins Appreciation Society) conference. Nearly every player from that scene owes a debt to Mr. Moore.
Nashville's historic Gruhn Guitars give PG an exclusive look at a very early amp that is a piece of rock history that preceded the heralded JTM45. Amp builder and reverb aficionado Eric Borash of Ebo Sounds shares his expertise on this rare amp's lineage, while John Bohlinger plugs in Dan Auerbach's old '60s ES-335 to test it out.