Guitar Noize

I don’t really need to say much as the flyer says it all above, Tony MacAlpine is heading out on a US tour with his talented band including the excellent 7 string shredstress Nili Brosh on guitar, Aquiles Priester on Drums and Bjorn Englen on Bass except for August 1 & 2 at the Baked Potato where Pete Griffin will be playing bass. I’m sorry but reading that name I can’t get this image out of my head.

This is Tony MacAlpine’s first tour of the USA in over a decade and the band will be playing the classic album Maximum Security in full as part of the set, along with a preview of MacAlpine’s upcoming solo album Concrete Gardens.

Dates
Aug 01, 2014: Studio City, CA - The Baked Potato (2 shows: 9:30 and 11:30)
Aug 02, 2014: Studio City, CA - The Baked Potato (2 shows: 9:30 and 11:30)
Aug 08, 2014: San Francisco, CA - Biscuits & Blues
Aug 09, 2014: Lebanon, OR - Guitars Under The Stars Festival
Aug 13, 2014: Hermosa Beach, CA - Saint Rocke
Aug 14, 2014: San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House
Aug 15, 2014: Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage
Oct 10, 2014: Chicago, IL - Reggies
Oct 11, 2014: Westland, MI - Token Lounge
Oct 14, 2014: Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
Oct 16, 2014: New York, NY - The Iridium (2 shows: 8:30 and 10:30)
Oct 20, 2014: Raleigh, NC - The Pour House Music

For more tour date info check Tony’s site - http://www.tonymacalpine.com/tours/

Seymour Duncan are extending their range of effects pedals after the recent release of the Dirty Deed Distortion and Vapor Trail Analog Delay with the 805 Overdrive, designed using the legendary 808 chip as a starting point but eventually ending with the MC33178, a chip Seymour Duncan felt had superior sonic characteristics along with a lower noise figure and longer battery life. The pedal has an expanded gain range and active 3 band EQ.

It’s so versatile that you can use it for a smooth, lyrical bluesy overdrive one minute and a modern metal crunch the next. We started with the classic overdrive tones we all know and love but we tightened up the bottom end and added more sparkle in the highs as well as more detailed note articulation. Whether you’re after ringing cleans, a subtle boost, fat crunch, or even screaming sustaining solo tones, it’s all in there. And unlike other overdrives that become thin when you refine the gain, the 805’s 3-band active EQ lets you take back control over the low end while also fine-tuning the mids and highs.

The 805, like the other new pedals are all assembled at the Seymour Duncan Factory in Santa Barbara, California.

Hear the Seymour Duncan 805 in action below:

As Gibson put it on their website, the ES - Les Paul is “the ultimate marriage of solid and semi”… Couldn’t have put it better myself! Ok so maybe that could have been phrased a little better but it sums up what this model is, a Gibson Les Paul combined with a Gibson ES-335. Hasn’t this ever been done before by Gibson? It seems quite obvious to me to create a hollow body Les Paul and yet it’s taken 60 years?

Also available in black:

“With its laminated maple top, back and sides in the semi-acoustic construction of the ES-335, and a solid mahogany center block for enhanced sustain and feedback reduction, the ES-Les Paul elegantly marries the major characteristics of these two great Gibson guitars. Take away the telltale f-holes and the look is pure Les Paul, as is the glued-in mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard and classic trapezoid inlays and LP-style headstock. Common to both—and carried through on the ES-Les Paul—are the traditional control section, toneful hardware, and dual humbucking pickups, a pair of MHS (Memphis Historic Spec) Humbuckers wound to accurately replicate the sonic glories of vintage PAFs. Get it in a your choice of Black top w/ historic walnut stained back and sides finish, or Light Burst finish with figured maple top and historic walnut stained Back and sides.”

Here is a video of Greg Koch checking out the light burst version:

Words can’t describe how awesome this video is, the ultimate surf guitar video! At first I thought Chris Hau is provably miming, but doing an excellent job of it, then he hits the open strings and I realised he isn’t miming, crazy. Chris has his Fender Telecaster plugged into an iPhone running Positive Grid’s most excellent app JamUp Pro which he has tweaked for classic surf guitar tones.

It’s hard enough to surf the wake of a boat without having to try and play a medley on guitar that has a GoPro strapped to the headstock, great work Chris!

You can see the making of thus video here http://youtu.be/C1iQy1L7t14.

Hi Nita, first of all congratulations on getting the gig with Alice Cooper, that’s huge news.

Thank you so much! I’m beyond excited about it.

Before we talk about Alice, let’s rewind a little. People will probably know you best as one of the members of The Iron Maidens with Courtney Cox, how long have you been part of that?

I’ve been playing with the Maidens since 2011. Before that I played guitar for Jermaine Jackson’s band, and before that did extensive touring of the US and Europe with other projects.

The Iron Maidens seem to have a pretty big following in the US and South America you must have played some pretty big shows?

Yeah, the Maidens have a great following all over the world. We’ve headlined big venues in South America and Asia just to name a few, and some festivals with upwards of 20,000 people! Before I was playing with them they also did shows all over the US, and also in Europe and Iraq and a ton of places I’m sure I’m forgetting.

Have any of you guys had the chance to jam with Iron Maiden?

I don’t think any of the band members have actually played with Iron Maiden. I definitely haven’t, it would be amazing though!

You also joined Femme Fatale with Courtney recently, was that just for one tour?

No way! Femme Fatale has been going strong since Lorraine Lewis first re-formed the band in 2012. They have some killer shows coming up this summer that I’m very sad to be missing.

More recently you announced that you had got the job as guitarist for the LA Kiss band, which for those who don’t know is an Arena Football League (AFL) team owned by, you guessed it, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. What exactly does that entail?

Actually, there isn’t an LA KISS band it was just me on my own. Basically, my job with the LA KISS was sort of to fill the role that often times you hear an organ playing at sports games. Getting the crowd pumped up and chanting during game breaks, etc. So I would lead those chants on the guitar. I also got to go out and take a couple solos during time outs. My favorite part was playing the National Anthem though, it’s such an emotional moment and it was an honor to get to do it at the home games. Courtney will be taking over the job, so fans are definitely in for a treat.

It seems that all this live work to thousands of people is the perfect build up for touring as part of the Alice Cooper band?

I guess it is. I’m definitely grateful for all the experiences I’ve had until now for getting me this far.

So how did this gig come about?

It was Kip Winger who first connected the dots. We had played on the Monsters Of Rock cruise together a few weeks prior, and when he heard that Alice was looking for a female guitarist he threw my name in the ring. From there I met Shep Gordon and Bob Ezrin, they sent me a few songs to learn and it all moved forward quickly from there.

How are you preparing for the tour?

A lot of practice for sure! It’s a long set. There are also a lot of the elements of the stage show to learn, so I’ve been watching a lot of videos of the live show to start getting it in my head.

Are you just doing the US tour or don’t you know at this stage?

Right now 100% of my focus is on the upcoming US and Canada run. Anything can happen of course. I certainly hope so though.

Much of this tour will be with Motley Crüe, is your liver prepared for that? ;)

For the record, my liver is prepared for anything! Haha! But I think those guys don’t drink these days, and of course Alice doesn’t, so I think this tour will be a welcome break for my liver actually.

You have an arsenal of Ibanez guitars, which will you be taking on the road?

I have 2 beautiful new S series that will be my main guitars for this tour. I’m also taking my RGT320z that has been my main weapon of choice for years, and a new one which will be unveiled at the first show.

I think you may need another custom with some kind of horror graphics a la Kirk Hammett for this tour?!

Maaaaybe! You’ll have to wait for the first show to see.

I noticed you posted a photo of a new Blackstar Series One amp, will you be using this on the tour?

Yes, I’ll be using the Blackstar Series One EL34 and the matching cabs.

You have previously used a custom Bogner and a Peavey JSX is that correct?

Correct! I still have and love both of them.

Did you fancy a change or do you just need a reliable endorsement for a tour of this magnitude?

With a band like this with such a classic, undeniable sound, you have to get the right amp. The Blackstars were that amp for me. They’re extremely versatile and reliable on the road, plus they’re midi switchable which is big for me since I use mostly rack- mount effects.

Good luck with the tour and thanks for your time Nita.

Gerry Hayes has been building guitars for nearly twenty years and repairing thousands of instruments while running his company Haze Guitars. Gerry has performed everything from straightforward setups to massively complex structural repairs and restorations, “I feel I’ve a pretty good grasp on this guitar stuff and I’ve written these Haze Guitars Guides to help you get to grips with it too.”

The first book in his new series tackles the nemesis of almost every guitar player on the planet. The book is called “Truss Rods Made Easy” and is a complete guide to adjusting and measuring the relief in your neck the correct way so that you no longer need to fear the dreaded truss rod adjustment. What’s more, to celebrate the first book in the series Gerry has made this book a free download available from his website http://hazeguitars.com/.

The book begins with an explanation of what exactly an adjustable truss rod is and how it works. Gerry explains the different variations of truss rod and how each of them are adjusted. Next, Gerry explains relief and the difference between forward and back bow and how to identify when your neck has too much or too little relief.

Chapter 3 deals with measuring relief and what tools you will need, there is also an ingenious way to create a set of accurate gauges for very little money using something you will already have, I won’t give it away I’ll let you find out for yourself. Once you are armed with the right tools Gerry explains how to measure relief on both an electric and acoustic guitar. Moving on the next part deals with measuring action. Finally Gerry helps you to understand how much relief and what your action height should be depending on what music you play, what string gauge you use etc.

Chapter 4 is where it all happens, adjusting the truss rod. After a quick rundown of the various types of Allen wrenches and tools necessary to adjust a truss rod comes the warning page. Yes, despite being a book designed to help you confidently adjust the truss rod there still needs to be some advice to make sure you don’t go crazy and force it and do some damage! Being the main section of the book, this section is very thorough with lots of diagrams and photos.

The last 2 chapters are about reluctant rods and how to deal with them and resources which includes links to tool suppliers and some measurement charts to help with conversions.

I don’t think anyone has ever published a book just on the subject of adjusting the truss rod but when you think about it it is the one thing that most guitarists would happily pay money for, amazingly this funny, thorough and insightful book is free so head over to Haze Guitars and grab your downloadable copy now so you will fear the truss rod no more!

I shall refrain from using the Premier Guitar trademarked title of this All Axcess video but it suffices to say that this is indeed a rundown of Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti’s 2014 touring rig. Mark often switches out heads in his rig, he’s like the metal version of Joe Bonamassa, but the Mesa Dual Rectifier is usually always present as is the Fender Twin ’65 Reissue for the clean tone. The amp that Mark mentions is a new acquisition is the Voodoo Amps V-Rock, which is a 2 or 3 channel EL34 powered head designed for hot rodded 80’s tones available as a 50 or 100 watt model.

What I thought was kind if interesting was that Mark now has a Fractal Audio Axe-FX as part of his rig but he is still using his TC Electronic G Major for effects, he says in the video that the Axe goes to front of house so I’m assuming he’s actually using only the amp modelling and this is combined with his selection of tube heads. I will be interested to see if Mark ever moves to an Axe-FX only rig, but somehow I doubt that will happen.

“Harrison Custom Guitar Works based in Yorkshire (UK) has created an ultra-exclusive electric guitar inspired by Alfa Romeo’s design and heritage. The ‘Alfa Romeo’, is a completely custom-made design that draws inspiration from the style, materials and technology of the Italian brand’s road cars.”

Well it has been quite a while since the last time I posted a truly Crazy Guitar Design, car themed guitars seem to generate some pretty interesting and unique guitar designs in particular.

This guitar is available to order from Harrison Custom Guitar Works and costs £4,000. Each guitar is hand-built to order and takes around eight months to complete. Just 11 guitars will be made, one for each decade of the brand’s history.

Integrating materials that are rarely used by Luthiers such as aluminium and carbon fibre, the ‘Alfa Romeo’ is a new concept for guitars, with its open design and 25 inch scale length making it almost like a heavily made acoustic guitar.

Press Release
Finished in iconic Alfa Red, the body is fashioned from Poplar wood with a Maple cap in a custom design inspired by Alfa Romeo’s iconic front grilles. The Alfa Romeo badge with engraved collar acts as the guitar’s volume dial. Echoing the bars of the grille; the pick-ups, tail piece and bridge are all milled from high quality solid aluminium billet. The aluminium work was by Kinetica CNC (www.kineticacnc.co.uk)

The bridge and tail piece are both Harrison’s own design in aluminium with the bridge integrating a TonePros Tune-o-Matic. The three Stratocaster-voiced single coil pickups are also Harrison designed and hand wound by Armstrong Pickups in Kent. A concealed five-way selector on the side of the body switches between neck pick up, neck and middle, middle pick up, middle and bridge and bridge pick up.

The semi-hollow design of the guitar created a unique opportunity for more experimental materials to be used. Inspired by the new Alfa Romeo 4C, the ‘Alfa Romeo’ features a special carbon-fibre composite on the back and inside of the guitar.

The neck is Korina – a wood associated with some of the most legendary Gibson guitars – with carbon reinforcement to strengthen the neck with a two way adjustable truss rod. The fingerboard is Ebony with a 12 inch radius, medium fret wire and aluminium/coral inlays. A green malachite Quadrifoglio Verde – the four-leaf clover symbol associated with Alfa Romeo for more than 90 years – nestles on the third fret.

Joseph Lukes Guitars produce acoustic guitars of original design in London, England without the use of CNC machines, every guitar is built using skill and dedication to the trade. Only 12 guitars are produced each year ensuring each instrument is of the highest quality.

Joseph Lukes Guitars have launched this Kickstarter Campaign to build a limited run of eco-friendly ‘Green’ Concert guitars modeled after their standard Grand Concert design use eco-friendly reclaimed woods. By the way the music you hear in the video above was recorded using a Joseph Lukes Grand Concert guitar.

For more information or to back this campaign using one of the many rewards options check out https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/josephlukesguitars/the-green-concert-guitar-handmade-from-reclaimed-w.

As I mentioned earlier today DOD effects have released a couple of new reissues (with modifications) for 2014, the first is the DOD 440 Envelope Filter and the second is the DOD 410 Bifet Boost. This true bypass pedal has offers independent Volume and Tone controls, this new version also includes a Buffer on/off toggle switch so that it can be used anywhere in your effects chain.

Use it first in the chain with the buffer off so that the buffer won’t affect fuzz pedals, or put it last in the chain with the buffer on to counter the signal loss of today’s larger packed pedalboards.

DOD say that the 410 “…is often described as a clean boost, but there is just a little hint of grit in there that works well with already cooking tube amps.” In fact there is up to 20db of boost on tap. Finally the 2014 reissue includes a 9V DC power supply input which was lacking on the original.

For more info head over to DOD.com