Over the last year I’ve been looking for pedals that carve their own path. I have no problem with traditional effects. I own and adore a lot of them. However, I’ve been scoring music a lot for tv and film and I’ve been creating sounds less then typical. You can get unordinary sounds from classic […]
I see a lot of flaws in the way many of my students practice soloing for rock lead guitar. I see I guitar players simply practicing exercises and licks without playing along with chords. Seems pretty natural to most to just pick up your guitar and start practicing things. But, there is no anchor balance […]
Tips For Touring Guitarists When on tour, there is often an illusion of time. If you look at the tour book (a document handed out right before a tour that details hotels, travel, load ins, sound checks, amenities, etc.), it often appears you’ll have more time to soundcheck or run songs. You may look at […]
One frustrating thing about playing electric guitar live is the variation in tone from night to night. Rooms sizes change as does the materials the room is made from. Reflections can play a bigger role on some nights more then others. The room sometimes can put handcuffs on our ideal amp tone. Playing live is […]
No matter how much experience you have, the inevitable gear failure is bound to happen at the least opportune time. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve tested your gear at home before you leave. Or how much time you spent in soundcheck making sure your signal path is clean and happy. A moment will come, […]
Years ago, in a far away universe, I purchased my first fuzz pedal. It was a Dunlop Fuzz Face. When I got it, I was confused by the sound. It seemed kinda dead and lifeless. Rolling back the volume knob just made it sound more dead. I thought maybe I just didn’t get fuzz. I […]
Recently, I took a trip out to Death By Audio effects in NYC. I’ve long been a fan of their pedals. They’re always made effects that are left of center. As a company, I feel they’ve never wanted to make traditional pedals. Which is welcomed considering how many companies make their own version of a […]
Recently, I got my hands on a new pedal from Danelectro called the Pride of Texas. It’s part of a new line of pedals called the Billionaire series. The name “Pride of Texas” suggests the pedal is going to be some sort of overdrive. Most likely in the arena of tones of Stevie Ray Vaughan. […]
A Gig is a Gig is a Gig is a Gig, right? Well, that’s not really an accurate way to think of a career in music. When you’re younger and less experienced you tend to see every gig in the same way. You haven’t traveled musically enough to have a depth of the skill set […]
Delay pedals are a staple for most guitarists. There are a lot to choose from these days. It seems like most pedal companies have thrown a delay into the pool. Many do the missionary position of delay. We have our meat and potatoes tape delay, analog delay and digital delay. There has been a recent […]
