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Jussi Jaakonaho’s beguiling “Beauty Box”

Soak it in as Jussi Jaakonaho and his 1970 Gibson SG Standard jam on ”Beauty Box” through a late-’60s Gibson Falcon amp with tremolo and spring reverb. He creates the loop with a TC Electronic Ditto and you’ll hear touches of a Square Wave BD Sadist Fuzz. Catch our review of his new album, ”Build,” in the May issue. Read Now!

Richard Tozzoli: Underscore Overlord

Richard Tozzoli walks us through a guitar overdub session for Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week ’24,”  featuring drummer Omar Hakim and the Budapest Orchest*ra. Recorded by Justin Guipp and Paul Antonell at Clubhouse Studios through the vintage Neve console, he used a Mesa Boogie MK IV head and an Orange 4×12. His orchestrated approach to guitar has him using a Gibson Custom Shop Flying V (with E tuned to low C), his black Les Paul Custom, chambered ’58 reissue with DiMarzios, and an ESP LTD Deluxe with EMGs. A long-time TV composer with credits on more than 1,800 series in 40-plus countries, he’s featured in the the May issue. Read Now!

Bex Marshall’s Saucy Reso Jam

Enjoy Bex Marshall and her Ozark 3515BTE Custom Cutaway resonator delivering superbly on an exclusive rendition of the title track from her latest album, “Fortuna.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!

Jussi Jaakonaho’s beguiling “Beauty Box”

Soak it in as Jussi Jaakonaho and his 1970 Gibson SG Standard jam on ”Beauty Box” through a late-’60s Gibson Falcon amp with tremolo and spring reverb. He creates the loop with a TC Electronic Ditto and you’ll hear touches of a Square Wave BD Sadist Fuzz. Catch our review of his new album, ”Build,” in the May issue. Read Now!

Richard Tozzoli: Underscore Overlord

Richard Tozzoli walks us through a guitar overdub session for Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week ’24,”  featuring drummer Omar Hakim and the Budapest Orchest*ra. Recorded by Justin Guipp and Paul Antonell at Clubhouse Studios through the vintage Neve console, he used a Mesa Boogie MK IV head and an Orange 4×12. His orchestrated approach to guitar has him using a Gibson Custom Shop Flying V (with E tuned to low C), his black Les Paul Custom, chambered ’58 reissue with DiMarzios, and an ESP LTD Deluxe with EMGs. A long-time TV composer with credits on more than 1,800 series in 40-plus countries, he’s featured in the the May issue. Read Now!

Bex Marshall’s Saucy Reso Jam

Enjoy Bex Marshall and her Ozark 3515BTE Custom Cutaway resonator delivering superbly on an exclusive rendition of the title track from her latest album, “Fortuna.” Catch our review in the May issue. Read Now!

Classic Instruments

Fender’s 1961 Showman

The Show Must Go On

When Fender stepped up from the tweed-covered amps of the 1950s to the radically redesigned Tolex amps of the ’60s, one of the biggest leaps was in the “piggyback” head-and-cabinet sets. None better exemplified the need for a powerful, professional rig than the Showman. The development and early evolution of the model have long been […]

by Dave Hunter
VG Approved Gear

Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 FR E HSS

Ultimate Hod Rod

Designed more than 30 years ago, the latest incarnation of Charvel’s Pro-Mod So-Cal keeps the “super” in superstrat. An eye-catching, ergonomic guitar with alder body bolted to a U-shaped, oiled-maple neck with 12″ to 16″ radius, 25.5″ scale, compound-radius fretboard, and 22 jumbo frets, it also has an ebony fretboard with dot inlays, and other […]

VG Approved Gear

Reilander’s Muckbucker Pickups

Fat, But Not Tubby

Reilander’s Muckbucker Pickups Price: $199 (set) Info: www.reilandercustomguitar.com In the 1970s, great guitar-pickup winders began wrapping extra wire on humbuckers, touting the resultant higher output and greater low-end response. Though this approach to pickup construction makes it easier to “overdrive” certain amps, most neck pickups that were given this overwinding sounded muddy, and most such […]

Music

Pink Floyd

The Early Years 1965-1972
Primal Floyd

Priced at more than $500, this 27-disc set is a Floyd-freak’s dream come true. It’s a monster collection of early and unreleased music, track details, DVD and Blu-ray discs, and replicas of concert posters, all carefully detailing the band’s transition from young R&B wannabes to England’s best psychedelic band. By the time you get to […]

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks
Artists

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks

Minds Made Up

Collaborations have rendered some of the greatest tunes in the history of music. Whittle the subject to “just” guitarists, and the truth remains – two are often better than one. The axiom is holding true for Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Each a top-tier star in their own right, the two, now married for more […]

Artists

Fretprints: Fran Beecher

Rock-and-Roll Guitar Begins

The ripples that anticipated a rock-and-roll tsunami were in motion in the 1940s, when pop, “race records,” and country converged to produce rock’s first wave. Until then, pop music ranged from Top 40 crooner fare and swing jazz to Latin and novelty numbers. Race records – blues, gospel, boogie-woogie and prototype R&B – and country/western, […]

Music

SRV Behind The Scenes

Four Years In Pictures: Offstage With Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1986-1990

The life of blues-rock icon Stevie Ray Vaughan was under a microscope even before his tragic death in a helicopter accident in 1990. Four years prior, a breakdown put him in a hospital while on tour in Germany, then in drug and alcohol rehab facilities in London and Atlanta, and few celebrities were as open […]

VG Approved Gear

ZT Amplifiers’ Lunchbox Junior

Tasty Treat

ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox Junior Price: $149 (street) Info: www.ztamplifiers.com. ZT Amplifiers is known for producing compact amps that generate sounds which defy their size. Their latest, the 35-watt ZT Lunchbox Junior, is the pint-sized version of the ZT Lunchbox (though even the larger model is very conveniently sized). The ZT Junior is about half the weight […]

Artists

Jimi Bell

Lord of Shred

Recognized worldwide as a master technician, southpaw shredder Jimi Bell first received widespread notoriety for his role sharing a nightclub stage with Joan Jett in the 1986 film Light of Day, which starred Michael J. Fox. His lightning-fast picking then got him an invitation to audition for Ozzy Osbourne, where he was edged out by […]

Classic Instruments

Beat Portraits: Burns Volume 7

1965: Summer Of The Hollowbodies

The Way Back Beat survey of instruments designed by James Ormston Burns continues with the final products developed by his company before it was bought out by U.S. keyboard manufacturer Baldwin in late 1965. Despite the preponderance of Beat groups in the U.K., Burns’ heart seemingly retained a soft spot for the jazz players who […]

VG Approved Gear

Fender American Professional Jazzmaster

Return Of The Rebel

From the get-go, Fender’s Jazzmaster was the black sheep of the family – that wild-at-heart uncle your ma warned you about. Happily, it’s happily back in the lineup with the American Professional model, part reissue, part refined modern guitar. The original Jazzmaster was unveiled at NAMM in 1958 as Fender’s flagship – the upmarket big […]

Classic Instruments

The Rogue VB-100 Violin Bass

Fab As It Looks?

The Rogue VB-100 Series II is an homage to the venerable Höfner 500/1 semi-hollowbody. Popularly known as the “Beatle bass,” this axe was used by Paul McCartney on many early/mid-’60s recordings and tours by the Fab Four. But while vintage models and new Höfner reissues go for $2,000 to $3,000, this short-scale bass lists for […]

Artists

Jimmy James

Unadulterated Guitar

Not even a pandemic can stop the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. After a successful European tour, they were lean, mean, and primed to jump back into the studio to create their special brand of hip-shaking retro soul funk. I Told You So is fresh, tight, dreamy, and features a new drummer. Oh, and R&B guitar […]

Lazer Lloyd
Artists

Lazer Lloyd

Blues in Israel – A Common Bond

If you ask guitarist Lazer Lloyd, the state of Israel is an appropriate place for blues music. Originally known as Lloyd Paul Blumen, he lived in New York and Connecticut before emigrating to the Middle East more than two decades ago, and now goes by his Hebrew name, Eliezer Pinchas Blumen. “Lazer” is culled from […]

VG Approved Gear

Holbrook TS50 Tommy Skeoch Head

More Than Modded

After Kevin Holbrook and rock guitarist Tommy Skeoch began working on a custom amp, the former took several trips to visit the latter, lugging prototypes between California and Florida. But, the mastermind behind Holbrook Guitars and Amplifiers was ultimately rewarded with something unique in a crowded sea of boutique amps. Based loosely on Skeoch’s modified […]

Carvin PB4
VG Approved Gear

Carvin PB4

Classic Looks, Modern Function

Carvin PB4 Price: $1,899 (list/base); $869 (street/base) Info: www.carvinguitars.com. Trends come and trends go, but tradition stands the test of time. And while Carvin’s designs stand quite well on their own, thank you, face it: There are those other more “familiar-shaped objects” out there that players naturally gravitate toward. Carvin’s PB basses are intended to […]

Artists

Steve Turner

The March To Fuzz

Thirty-five years after Steve Turner and Mudhoney became forever linked with two legendary pedals by coining their debut EP Superfuzz Big Muff, Turner has authored an autobiography, Mud Ride, and Mudhoney is touring its 11th studio LP, Plastic Eternity. He stopped for a bit to talk. You and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm were dismissive of the […]

Artists

Andy Powell

Setting the Record Straight

Wishbone Ash founder/guitarist Andy Powell has a new term for his resumé – “author.” Abetted by Colin Harper, he recently created Eyes Wide Open: True Tales of a Wishbone Ash Warrior. Powell has been with the twin-lead-guitar band since the early ’70s. As the sole remaining original member, he’s guided it through triumphs and travails […]

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