On November 17th, 2009, the Gibson Guitars Massman Rd manufacturing facility was raided by Federal agents from the US Fish and Wildlife Service along with local law enforcement officers. The seized guitar, computers, wood, and boxes of files. It seems that Gibson is under investigation of being a part of a scheme to import endangered rosewood from Madagascar, thus violating the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is a vital part of environmental law. The sale of Madagascar rosewood and ebony has also been linked to international criminal activity.
It seems from what I have heard so far, Gibson's role in the scheme is unclear, but it is thought that they were a part of a bigger plot which was having this endangered wood shipped to Germany, and then on to the United States. Most of the details as far as I can see are unclear and somewhat hazy. No Charges have been brought against Gibson at this time, and a representative of Gibson stated that they were fully cooperating in the investigation. Being that Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance, the implications of this investigation could be far reaching.
As more information is made available, I will try to update this blog. I can only hope that this is a mistake, and that Gibson is able to clear their name. It would be a shame to see an icon of the guitar industry involved in such an act, especially given their ties to environmental groups. For more details and to read more on this story, please see the NashvillePost.com article at http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/200 … son_guitars_raided_by_fbi
When GuitarGearHeads.com was just getting off the ground, it was extremely difficult to get companies to work with us. This was understandable since we came out of nowhere and virtually nobody in the musical instruments industry knew who we were. It took a few years, and a few good people in the industry to give us a chance. One of those people who welcomed us and our ideas from the first time I spoke with him was Wayne Freeman.
I just learned today that Wayne Freeman passed away on Thursday November 11th, 2009 due to a massive heart attack. Wayne is survived by his wife Carol, as well as Julia and Jennifer, their two daughters. Our hearts go out to his family and friends on this sad day, and I only wish that we could offer more comfort to all who knew him.
I met Wayne about five years ago when he was with "Marshall Electronics" (Mogami Cables, and MXL microphones). He was one of the few people who always returned my phone calls and e-mails, and always made me feel like he was glad to hear from me. It seemed that anytime we talked, I came away with new knowledge about the industry and ways to approach the goals we had set out to accomplish with GuitarGearHeads.com. His advice was invaluable, and his positive attitude was always infectious. I could always count on a great conversation, and positive reinforcement from Wayne when we visited at NAMM shows. Although it has been way too long since I last talked to Wayne, I will personally miss him and his friendship. He was truly one of the good guys of the MI industry.
While six string guitars have been the standard in both electric and acoustic guitar for decades, we have seen some interesting options made available over the years. A few notables include the Rich Bich ten string designed by Neal Moser, and the seven string electrics that became very popular several years ago. While none of these options have made inroads at throwing the king six string off the top of the hill, they have gained notoriety in niche musical markets. I would be remiss not to mention the experiments by many companies over the years in making one off models with extremely innovative and even bizarre string combinations.
I recently witnessed one of the most interesting string combinations for acoustic guitars that I have seen to date. This guitar is one of several 35th Anniversary models offered by Taylor Guitars, and boasts a nine string combination. This Limited Edition guitar is simply called the "XXXV 9-String". A "Grand Symphony" body with a Sitka Spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, and Indian Rosewood binding make this guitar a visual treat while balancing the tone and clarity to perfection which can be heard through the Taylor exclusive Expression System® pickup. The 35th Anniversary fretboard inlay adds a touch of class and lets everyone know you are playing a very special guitar.
Where this guitar really stands out from all others can be seen on the headstock where you will notice a slightly larger size to accommodate nine tuning keys. The string setup is as follows. Both the high and low "E" strings as well as the "A" string are single. The "D' and "G" strings are doubled an octave apart, and the "B" string is simply doubled. This setup adds a rich full sound to the mid range while maintaining the tonal stability without getting to deep in the lows, or too trebly on the high end. It is a well thought out setup where Taylor's quest for great sound remains at the forefront.
I have seen a nine string setup used before, mostly in the Nashville country scene, but the setup I have seen the most is a twelve string guitar strung with only nine strings. At times I have heard the nine string setup where the high "E" is doubled, and the "D" string is single, but in this configuration, I have always felt the sound was somewhat lopsided on the treble side. Even with the amount of instruments I have seen in my job at GuitarGearHeads.com, this is the first guitar that I have seen that is built specifically for nine string use, although I am sure they have been on the market before. I would love to hear from anyone who has the opportunity to play one of these special Limited Edition Taylors. I am willing to bet it sounds as good as it looks.
Like the twelve string, a guitar like this will end up for most players as a staple to add texture and dimension to a few songs in their repertoire. It will most likely not be an everyday, every song guitar, although there always seems to be a few players who can successfully define their sound based solely on a guitar like the XXXV 9-String.
I have never considered myself to be a great writer. It is not something that has ever come easy for me, but I do take pride in the fact that things I write are my own thoughts and opinions. I will at times do research on specific subjects before I write about them, but I never copy, steal, or generally plagiarize another authors material. Unfortunately, this is not how many people posting articles on the internet conduct their business.
I recently posted a couple blogs right here at GuitarGearHeads.com only to find that within twenty-four hours, these blogs showed up in another writers blog on another site. Not only was it an exact copy and paste from our site, but this writer even stole my pictures which I took the time to compile, crop, size, and post. In fact, the only thing that was different between the two sites was that the other blogger removed my signature as the author and his posting time showed as being a day later than the posting time shown on our site.
At first I thought that this may be the case of an RSS feed to this other blog, but when I realized that my name had been removed as the author, it became clear that this was a calculated and blatant case of intellectual property theft.
I sent an e-mail to the offending party explaining that I was not upset that these blog were posted on his site, but I was upset that my name had been removed. Most of the material on our websites is available to other websites through RSS feed. The RSS feed however usually only sends that first paragraph or a few sentences with a link to our site to read the full article. This is pretty standard, and works well for both websites. For the site receiving the feed, it adds content to their site, and for the site sending the feed, it brings people over to them to read the full article.
In my correspondence, I asked that this blogger do one of two things. Either add my name back to these blogs as the original author, or remove them entirely from his site. I never received a response, nor was either of these options done. Since this blogger is located in Bangladesh, I really have limited options on anything I can legally do about this, and anything I may be able do would cost me much more money than it would be worth.
As a frustrated writer, I would like to send a message to anyone who copies others material on the internet or any other intellectual property for that matter. If you need to steal others work to build a website, you should not have a website. Go find something else to do that you are good at. Imitation mat be considered by some as the highest form of flattery. In this case however, I view it as flat out thievery by a person who could not or was too lazy to come up with their own thoughts and opinions on a subject.
Here is a little money saving tip for running cables to powered monitors and PA speakers. In the past it was a firm rule that you should only use "speaker cables" for these applications. Speaker cables are built heavier to carry the boosted signal coming from a power amplifier where as line level cables such as instrument, patch, and microphone cables are not designed to handle this increased load. Since most of the studio monitors as well as many of the PA main speakers on the market today are self powered, the rule does not apply in powered speaker applications.
Since the signal in powered speakers is not amplified until after it reaches the speakers internal amplifier, you will money and get the right connection by using line level cables instead of the generally more expensive speaker cables. I personally prefer to use balanced XLR cables since their signal is stronger and much more resistant to unwanted noise and interference. If you do decide to go this route, you will want to make sure your speakers as well as your signal source are set up for XLR input or output. If this isn't the case, a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) cable will work just fine.
If you are upgrading from unpowered speakers to powered models, you really should consider switching out your old speaker cables for line level cables. Speaker cables will still work, but have an extreme likelihood of affecting the sound quality in adverse ways. Using the correct cabling for the appropriate hookup will always yield the best result in every musical application.
I would like to note that if you are still using unpowered speakers with a power amplifier, you will still need to follow the important rule of using only quality dedicated speaker cables to make the connection.
On Saturday July 4th, 2009 the world lost a great man and pioneer of the guitar manufacturing industry. Just weeks after his wife passed, George Fullerton (the "G" in G&L Guitars) passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 86.
George Fullerton and Leo Fender
George Fullerton met Leo Fenders in 1947 and would help Leo design the first affordable mass produced solid body electric guitars and basses. George worked with Leo pioneering some of the most popular guitar designs including the Telecaster, Stratocaster, Precision Bass, and Jazz Bass. George would work beside Leo until the sale of Fender Musical Instruments to CBS at the end of 1964. George stayed on with the CBS owned Fender Musical Instruments for five more years after the sale before leaving over concerns of the declining quality of the guitars being produced. In 1979, George and Leo came together once again to start G&L Guitars with the goal of creating exceptional instruments for the musicians of the world. Today, G&L still turns out phenomenal guitars and basses that are used by some of today's biggest names.
After Leo Fender passed away in 1991, G&L Guitars was passed over to the leadership of John McLaren of BBE Sound, Inc. George Fullerton remained with G&L Guitars as a permanent consultant.
In 2007, George collaborated with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to introduce the 50th Anniversary 1957 Stratocaster® guitar.
I had the opportunity to briefly speak with George at two NAMM shows. From these meetings, I saw a man who gave all he had to the guitar players of the world while at the same time putting forth a very humble disposition. George Fullerton has been very instrumental in guitar design since before 1950, and today the world mourns the loss of a quiet legend of the industry. His well known and loved guitar and bass collaborations with Leo Fender will live on, but he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
George Fullerton's memorial service will be held that the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove on Saturday, July 25th at 10:00am.
Carved top guitars have always held a special place for me. There is just something about the contours of the top that give a guitar a classier look. That is not to say that guitars that are not carved tops don't appeal to me. In fact some of my favorite guitars for sound and pure playability are G&L ASAT models from both the US and Tribute series. What a great guitar it would be if I could just own the ASAT sound and playability with the classy look of a carved top body! Now that would put a smile on my face!
That is exactly what happened at the 2009 Winter NAMM show when we walked into the G&L booth. Hanging on the wall were a few new G&L Tribute models due to be released this year. The guitar that called my name was the "ASAT Special Deluxe Carved Top". A beautiful flame maple top that is available in two finishes (3-Tone Sunburst and Clear Gloss). Both are equally awesome in their visual appeal. Also available in the carved top models are the "L-2000 Carved Top" bass (available in 3-Tone Sunburst with Maple Fretboard and Clear Gloss with Rosewood Fingerboard), and the "L-2500 Carved Top" in Clear Gloss with Rosewood Fingerboard and Satin neck finish.
Something that kind of stood out to me is the fact that G&L Tribute Series guitars have to my knowledge always been copied off of the specs of their US model line. This is the first time that I know of that a G&L model has been introduced directly through the Tribute Series. If these guitars take off the way I think they will, I would look for them to be available in the US Line in the future with far more finish and custom options. They certainly got my attention, and I can't wait to see if I can get one for review in the near future. I just may have a new all time favorite guitar.
Just a few weeks ago, I meet a guitar player by the name of Rikk Beatty while doing some research for a review I was working on. Rikk is a talented musician who is endorsed by well known companies such as Orange Amplifiers, Ibanez, DigiTech, Dimarzio, Scott Dixon Cases, PedalsSnake, IT Guitar Picks, and Dean Markley Strings. In addition to being a "Maurice the Fish Records" recording artist, Rikk travels the country doing clinics for DigiTech. Rikk recently released an album called "Guitar Farm", and he sent me a copy to check out.
On my first listen through the album, I got the impression that Rikk must have worked through the advanced levels of fretboard roadmaps. He has great technique and his timing is impeccable. I usually hear many players trip up in sudden bursts of speed, but Rikk seems to handle them with ease leaving you with that final note that seems to hang in the air forever. On this album, Rikk demonstrates not only his mastery of rock instrumental guitar, but also jazz and classical styles. He was able to seamlessly merge these styles into an album that flows easily from the first song "Guitar Farm" to the last. "Lamb Jam" which is a very cool tribute to the great SRV. Some of my personal favorites are "New Jazz", "Mountain Twin", and Rikk's version of "Amazing Grace". I can guarantee that you have never heard "Amazing Grace" like this.
I have to admit that I was not only impressed by Rikk's dynamic solos, but also by the dead on accuracy of every player in the Rikk Beatty band. Kenny Wood (rhythm guitar), Tim Hogan (bass), and Chris Korzin (drums) are a shining example of how a band should work together to bring out the best of everyone in the band. Their tight focused rhythm lay down a perfect foundation on which Rikk Beatty builds well thought out lead guitar instrumental solos. You have all probably heard me preach on how bands need to be a team, and check their personal ego's at the door. These guy's get it!! You could learn a lot from them.
I plan on doing an interview with Rikk in the near future, and gain some insight into his playing style, influences, and the gear he uses. In the meantime, you might want to visit Rikk's website at www.rikkbeatty.com and order a copy of "Guitar Farm". When you visit the site, make sure you have your sound turned on so you can listen to the Rikk Beatty band tear through their distinctive version of "Amazing Grace".
I found this on Amazon today - MP3s on sale for $3.99.
Chickenfoot is a rock supergroup featuring vocalist Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen and Montrose), bassist Michael “Mikey” Anthony (also ex-Van Halen), guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Chad Smith (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers). (Source: Wikipedia)
Sounds very reminiscent of VanHagar. Appears to be a good initial outing for this new “supergroup”.
I have never been a real fan of guitars that are built to look like they have seen many years of abuse. Fender's Custom Shop Relic series has been around for awhile now, and at the NAMM Show they introduced their Road Worn Series which allows players with a more modest budget to own one of these time tested looking guitars. I had the chance to look at these guitars at the show in January, and I will admit that I can see the appeal of these guitars for a player who likes this style. My personal opinion however is that if I am going to have a beat up guitar, it is going to look that way through real aging and playing.
With this in mind, I would like to share an experience I had at the G&L booth during the same show. We stopped in to see our friends at G&L and look at their new offerings for 2009. While we were waiting, we decided to look around at the guitars on the wall. Each guitar had a tag next to it with model name and other relevant information. Every so often however was a guitar or bass which looked like a very aged classic, but these guitars did not have a model number tag or any other information. As we were looking at these guitars, I figured that G&L had pulled out some real and true classic guitars from the past and had peppered them throughout their booth a look back at the history of their guitars. I remember thinking that this seemed like a very nice touch, but never did it occur to me that these weathered looking guitars could possibly be a brand new model set that was being introduced as the "Rustic Series" by G&L guitars. I would soon find out that this was exactly what these guitars were.
After finding this out, I took a closer visual inspection of these guitars, and in all truth, these guitars are unbelievable in their attention to every last detail. The hardware has been tarnished so well that it leaves you believing that it must be very old. The wood showing where paint had been rubbed off looks incredibly aged making you think that the paint must have rubbed off years ago exposing the raw wood to the elements. The Rustic Series truly look like museum pieces that belong behind glass in a guitar hall of fame.
Later in the day while at the Fender booth, I took another look at their Road Worn and Relic series. While I will admit that Fender also did a good job on their guitars, and I give them credit for coming up with the original idea of a worn guitar look, I just do not find them quite as convincing as the guitars G&L is putting out. In truth, the Rustic Series had me actually thinking that I might like to have one of these worn guitars in my collection. To date, these are the most real looking of the used and abused looking guitars I have seen to date, and I really don't think anyone is going to be able to do better then this.
I would later learn that the reason these guitars did not have tags with model number and information was because they were a last minute addition to the booth, and tags were not made because they originally were not going to be there. This actually worked in the favor of G&L since the lack of this information is the key that fooled me.
