CLASSIC TAB: AC/DC’S “BACK IN BLACK”

Soho Northlane
Thy Ar

E
Violent

L H RO
t Is M

A
rays

C E
at h urde

S
e

O
DZ D r

L ON THE WORLD STAGE

SHOOTOUT
CAN SIGNATURE
GUITARS LIVE UP TO
THEIR NAMESAKES?

PLUS
« ROYAL BLOOD
« JOE SATRIANI
« JOE BONAMASSA
« SUICIDE SILENCE
VOLUME 105
 Over 75 years of Musical Instrument History
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161-163 St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy, VIC 3068 Frankston, VIC 3199 Bam Bam Music
Ron Leigh’s Music Factory Muso’s Stuff Bendigo (02) 9831 5101
(03) 9593 3900 (03) 5441 2340 156 Main St, Blacktown, NSW 2148
625 Hampton St, Brighton, VIC 3186 115 Mitchell St, Bendigo, VIC 3550 Icon Music
Cranbourne Music Centre – Cranbourne NSW: (02) 9809 6700
(03) 5996 6955 Bass N Blues 3 Chatham Rd, West Ryde, NSW 2114
130 High St, Cranbourne, VIC 3977 (02) 6551 5067 Planet Music – Lismore
Cranbourne Music Centre – City Shop 10/20 Albert St, Taree, NSW 2430 (02) 6621 7784
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204 LaTrobe St, Melbourne, VIC 3000 (02) 6652 3725 Planet Music – Ballina
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(03) 5144 7860 Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450 83 River St, Ballina, NSW 2480
395 Raymond St, Sale, VIC 3850 Turramurra Music South Coast Music
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65 Beach Rd, Christies Beach, SA 5165 Minyama, QLD 4575 The Guitar Centre at the Gabba
The Guitar Shop (07) 3392 3821
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 24 28

32 72

CONTENTS 56
REGULARS
14
50
Giveaways
Recording Tips

24 JOE SATRIANI 54
76
Subscriptions
Lead
One of the instrument’s modern greats, Joe Satriani will be returning 77 Gettin’ The Blues
to our shores this November on a journey that’ll mark the final lap of 78 Modern Theory
his Unstoppable Momentum tour. We quiz Satch on the progression 79 Shredded Metal
of his work through the years and the art of sculpting an all- 82 CD Reviews
encompassing set list this far into his career.

TESTING
34 COVER STORY: THE NEW AUSSIE GUARD
In keeping with our Australian roots we thought it was high time 48 Zoom H5 Handy Recorder
we showcased the new guard of Aussie rock guitarists taking the 49 Zoom TAC-2 Thunderbolt
alternative world by storm. From indie garage to the most brutal Interface
death metal, we get to know the boys from DZ Deathrays, Violent CD CONTENTS 86 Gibson Memphis 50th
Soho, Northlane and Thy Art Is Murder. Anniversary 1963 ES-335
ISSUE 105 CD CONTENT
VIDEO FEATURES: 87 Gibson Les Paul Classic
56 ROYAL BLOOD • Bob Daisley – ‘For Facts Sake’
• Joseph Tawadros
88
89
Crafter GAE 15/N
Crafter SA-QMOS
Could this be the return of riff rock? UK duo Royal Blood have made TUTORIAL VIDEOS
90 Blackstar HT-5210
• Steve Flack’s Masters of Rock Guitar
some serious noise of late off the back of a sold-out local tour and Mark Knopfler 91 Blackstar S1-45
their recent self-titled debut. While they were here, we had frontman Pt. 4 – Style study with tablature and jam tracks.
• Improvising with Steve Flack 92 Ernie Ball Petrucci 7 String
and bassist Mike Kerr fill us in on some of their trade secrets. Pt. 4 – ‘Spain’ improvisation with tablature and jam
tracks. 93 Sterling By Music Man

72 SIGNATURE SERIES SHOOTOUT S.U.B. Silo3

• Slide Guitar with Steve Flack
Pt. 4 – Derek Trucks style study with tablature and
jam track. 94 TC Electronic Alter Ego X4
Looking to navigate your way around the myriad signature guitars out EXTRAS:
95 Seymour Duncan Jason
there? This issue Peter Hodgson takes the guesswork out of signature • What’s New Becker Perpetual Burn
• Gear Gallery
series models by reviewing seven axes from the likes of Eddie Van Humbucker
Halen and Albert Lee through to Steve Vai and Slash to see which PLUS COLUMN SUPPORTING TAB, 96 Music Man Axis Super
TRACKS & MORE!
ones hold up. Short Semi Hollow Body

| australianguitarmag.com.au
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12 | FIRST CHORD

LETTER OF THE MONTH WINS

TOP LETTER EACH ISSUE
WINS A BLACKSTAR
DUAL LT FROM OUR
FRIENDS AT BLACKSTAR!
VENT! DEBATE! ALERT!
#105 GROVEL!
AUSGUITAR@NEXTMEDIA.COM.AU
EDITORIAL
GUEST EDITOR Emily Swanson
MANAGING EDITOR Lachlan Marks
ART DIRECTOR Sandra Markovic
LETTER OF THE MONTH HEAVY IS AS HEAVY DOES
COLUMNISTS
Hey ya, Hey guys,
Ben Hauptmann, Ross Waldron, Blair Joscelyne, Reg Barber, In the pursuit of great (who knows, maybe I recently picked up the latest issue with
Jimmy Lardner-Brown, Adrian Whyte, Mike Spreitzer, Jeff Kendrick even perfect) guitar tone, I like most others Jimmy Page on the cover and was stoked to
have tried too many effects pedals. As a see a massive feature on The Amity Affliction.
CONTRIBUTORS Fender Telecaster into Fender Hot Rod DeVille Although they’re probably not the most technical
Andrew P Street, Reg Barber, Ed Lamington, Peter Hodgson, player, I choose to derive my drive sounds heavy band out there, it’s great to see Ahren and
Paul Southwell, Peter Zaluzny, Daniel Furnari, Steve Henderson, from pedals. Recently I have become aware Troy getting some recognition for the work they
Jill Grant, Kane Hibberd, Jeremy Schott, Nick Lawrence, Rick
Gould, Abbey Piaud
of parallel blending of effects as opposed to do. Let The Ocean Take Me is perhaps their best
series stacking; the idea of having two distinct record yet and it’s cool to see what gear they
ADVERTISING guitar drive sounds layered alongside each used to get the sounds that they do as my mates
NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER other as opposed to mixed together. After much and I have recently started jamming and playing
(MUSIC TITLES) research, I discovered the Boss LS-2 (among some metalcore type music in our spare time. I’ll
Bianka Ford
PH 02 9901 6173 others), which would allow me to achieve such be seeing them at their upcoming Brisbane show
EMAIL bford@nextmedia.com.au tonal nirvana. I am loving life! Currently I run at Riverstage and I’m keen to see how they play
an overdrive pedal through one loop and a their new stuff live. Keep up the great work and
ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR Alison Begg
PH 02 9901 6346 EMAIL abegg@nextmedia.com.au
fuzz pedal through the other. When engaged, I keep supporting our local heavy bands.
have this massive (in my opinion) tone which is AIDEN
SUBSCRIPTIONS clean-ish and articulate (the overdrive) sitting
www.mymagazines.com.au on top of this layer of fuzz (phat!). It sounds like THINK OF THE CHILDREN
I’m running two amps at once. I can set levels
Toll free 1300 361 146 or +61 2 9901 6111 as I wish for an almost endless range of tones. Hey Aus Guitar,
This is just one of the options that the Boss LS-2 As someone who teaches guitar to a lot of
Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590
has. The LS-2 doesn’t make any sound of itself, young kids, I frequently find them encountering
but it is allowing me to create a huge array of problems with the size of their guitar necks.
tones. I’d encourage any tone-loving guitarist to Those little hands just can’t stretch well around
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER David Gardiner
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Bruce Duncan explore parallel mixing of drive pedals. Lots of a proper sized guitar! You’d think that downsized
fun to be had. guitars would be an easy solution to the
Australian Guitar is published by nextmedia Pty Ltd ACN: 128 805 970, Level 6, Building
A, 207 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW 2065 © 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this CHEERS, DAN problem, however in the case of young kids who
magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the
publisher. Printed by Webstar Sydney, distributed by distributed in Australia by Network
want to play electric, I’ve found that there simply
Services. ISSN 1442-3855. The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for As they say the fun part is the journey, not the isn’t enough choice in quality downsized electrics
the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All material
submitted is at the owner’s risk and, while every care will be taken nextmedia does not destination. Or something better phrased to the that are commercially available for any kind of
accept liability for loss or damage.
same ‘effect’. Either way, one thing we know for reasonable price. No parent is going to fork out
PRIVACY POLICY sure: the search for perfect guitar tone never $400 to satisfy what may just be a passing fad,
We value the integrity of your personal information. If you provide personal information
through your participation in any competitions, surveys or offers featured in this issue ends, it just gets weirder and more fun as you but on the other hand all the affordable models
of Australian Guitar, this will be used to provide the products or services that you have
requested and to improve the content of our magazines. Your details may be provided to attempt to refine it and capture the sound in your seem to be horribly manufactured, to the point
third parties who assist us in this purpose. In the event of organisations providing prizes head. It’s great to hear that you’ve taken up the where they’re so difficult to play that the kid is
or offers to our readers, we may pass your details on to them. From time to time, we may
use the information you provide us to inform you of other products, services and events quest and are experimenting in new and exciting no better off than they were with a large guitar!
our company has to offer. We may also give your information to oth-er organisations
which may use it to inform you about their products, services and events, unless you tell ways. And encouraging others to do the same? There needs to be an option that’s both cheap
us not to so. You are welcome to access the information that we hold about you by getting Okay, that’s Letter Of The Month material right and suitably playable for these miniature riff-
in touch with our privacy officer, who can be contacted at nextmedia, Locked Bag 5555,
St Leonards, NSW 1590. there! Enjoy some new knobs to twiddle, on us! lords in the making.
____________________________________________ www.nextmedia.com.au ____________________________________________
Ed CHEERS, BRENT

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 WIN!
14 | GIVEAWAYS

NIGHTWISH IMAGINAERUM DVDS

T
hose lucky enough to witness Finnish symphonic metallers Nightwish in full

WIN!
force on their Australian tour last year will be able to attest to the band’s
cinematic live performance. To complement their concept album and
seventh full-length release overall, Imaginaerum, Nightwish frontman Tuomas
Holopainen teamed up with director Stobe Harju to craft an emotional fantasy-
adventure film of the same name. The film is a journey between two different
dimensions as an ageing
composer with dementia
drifts into a coma and travels
through an imaginary world

WIN!
seeking answers and finding
lost memories. His music,
friends and all of the past
memories of his daughter
are a blur in his fragile mind,
with the film questioning
what is most important in
life. It’s the musical journey
Nightwish have always wanted
to take us on. To celebrate
the film’s release, we have
five copies of the DVD to
give away courtesy of Eagle
Entertainment. If you’d like to
score one, simply tell us which
musician you’d like to have
score the soundtrack to your
life and why.

DOUBLE-PASS TO TOWNER, MUTHSPIEL &

GRIGORYAN CITY RECITAL HALL SHOW

T
hose with a penchant for virtuoso guitar playing are in for a treat when
three
t of the world’s finest perform at the City Recital Hall this November.
Ralph Towner, Wolfgang Muthspiel and Slava Grigoryan will come together
in Sydney on Saturday 1 November for a one-off show in support of their stunning
opus, Travel Guide. From three generations, all three guitarists share classical
training, yet each has come into his own in the fields of world, jazz and modern
classical music: Towner plays classical and 12-string, Muthspiel plays electric,
while Grigoryan (who you may remember from our last issue) plays classical and
baritone guitars. Each member of the trio shares a strong sense of structure,
lyrical improvisation and an ability to harness instrumental technique to graceful
GRIFFIN TECHNOLOGY PACK musical ends, so we could not be happier to give away a double-pass to see this
guitar mastery in the flesh! To win, tell us where you’d most like to travel in the

F
ounded back in 1992, Griffin Technology is one of the world’s foremost world to hear music.
creators of accessories for home, mobile and personal technology, and
we’re excited to be giving away one of their prize packs to a lucky reader!
Up for grabs is the GuitarConnect Pro, one of the easiest and most cost-effective
digital audio interfaces for iOS devices. It adds a standard 1/4” instrument jack
with a built-in gain control to your iPad or iPhone. Users gain a high-quality, all-
digital connection from guitars and other instruments directly into GarageBand
and most core audio apps. Up next is a partnered product with algoriddim which
is a DJ cable for your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch that enables split output for
pre-cueing, giving DJs full audio control on the go. Finally, we’ve also got a Griffin
StudioConnect to give away. StudioConnect is the ultimate tracking, editing and
overdubbing companion for GarageBand. The desktop unit serves as an all-in-one
interface for audio, MIDI-In and MIDI-Out as well as a charging dock for the iPad
device. It’s one hell of a prize for the tech-savvy guitarist among us, so if you’d like
to score this pack, tell us what piece of technology you can’t live without and why.

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK

AUSTRALIANGUITARMAG.COM.AU
SEND ‘EM IN
on the back of an envelope with your
‘NAME OF COMP’
C/O Australian Guitar,
Locked Bag 5555,
FOR TICKET AND GEAR address and best day time phone
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GIVEAWAYS 24/7!
Competition is a game of skill open from 04/09/14 to 05/11/14. Entries will be judged on creativity by the Australian Guitar staff on 10/11/14. Winners will be notified by telephone, or email on 11/11/14.
Judges’ decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into. Entries are open to Australian and New Zealand residents.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 LAST ACT OF DEFIANCE · Out: 03.10.14
STILL SPREADING THE HARDCORE REALITY!
Available as: LTD. EDITION CD (incl. patch, 2 bonus tracks) · DIGITAL ALBUM (incl. 2 bonus tracks)

FOZZY Out Now

DO YOU WANNA START A WAR
FOZZY’S NEW ALBUM IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!
Available as:
LTD. EDITION DIGIPAK · DIGITAL ALBUM

EXIT WOUNDS · Out Now

Sweden’s metal pioneers are back with their classic deadly thrash metal sound!
THE HAUNTED are: MARCO ARO Vocals · JENSEN Guitars ·
OLA ENGLUND Lead Guitars · JONAS BJÖRLER Bass Guitar · ADRIAN ERLANDSSON Drums
Produced by Tue Madsen (SICK OF IT ALL, SUICIDE SILENCE, DARK TRANQUILLITY)
Available as: LTD. CD MEDIABOOK EDITION (+bonus tracks) · STANDARD CD · DIGITAL ALBUM

AMPLIFIER
Mystoria is musical liposuction! AMPLIFIER stripped
away all extraneous fat from their sound and boiled
everything down to the lean essence of pure rock.
Available as CD and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD MYSTORIA · OUT 12.09.14

THE AMANUENSIS · OUT NOW

Just announced on SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL 2015!
“The perfect balance of sheer aggression and beautiful melody.”
Killyourstereo 90/100. Available as CD and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

www.CENTURYMEDIA.com www.SUPERBALLMUSIC.com
16 | FIRST CHORD

SOUND ADVICE GUITARIST TO WATCH

LUKE ELSLEY
CURRENTLY PLAYING WITH:
BENJALU

USUALLY FOUND PLAYING:

Anywhere that’ll have a folky/rootsy/
rocky five-piece, mostly on the east

HEAR THIS!
coast but it could be anywhere!

YEARS ON THE FRETBOARD:

EACH ISSUE JMC ACADEMY
WEIGHS IN WITH SOME HELPFUL
TIPS FOR PLAYERS AND MUSIC
PROFESSIONALS LOOKING
TO TAKE THEIR CRAFT TO THE
NEXT LEVEL.
MP3 – FILE SIZE OVER SOUND
QUALITY?
The MP3 file has become an extremely
popular format for music playback and
purchase over the last decade. Its compact
file size and compatibility with portable
music devices such as the iPod and iPhone
have made it effortless to carry your whole
music collection in your pocket or have it
backed up to your laptop for easy access.
One of the luxuries of this format is the file
size, being roughly 1/10th the size of a CD
quality audio file. This would mean that you
can store 10 albums’ worth of material in
MP3 format, using up the same space that
it would take up to store one album in CD
quality on your portable music device. Sound
great to you?
In terms of audio quality, the type of
compression that an MP3 file goes through in
order to have such a small file size is called
Lossy Compression. This actually means
that the compression algorithm will greatly
reduce (remove) the amount of data required
to represent audio, yet still sound somewhat
like a faithful reproduction of the original
uncompressed version to most listeners.
1300 411 310 WWW.JMCACADEMY.EDU.AU
TWITTER – @JMCACADEMY • FACEBOOK.COM/JMCACADEMY
SYDNEY – MELBOURNE – BRISBANE
When a band or musical artist is in the
recording studio, they are paying for the best
quality and service, using the highest quality
equipment and recording devices, and would
expect to have the highest quality audio
recording possible. The aim for anybody
writing and recording music is to have the
best representation possible of their material
for the world to appreciate. Keeping this in
mind for a moment, why would someone who
has worked so hard to capture their music at
the highest quality possible then convert the
material to MP3 and lose that hard earned
sound quality? Doesn’t make sense, right?
Try this at home. Extract your favourite
song from your CD collection, and import
this file into any software DAW such as Pro
Tools, Cubase, and Logic etc. Once you have
done this, select the file and export it out as
various versions of MP3 (320kbps – 128kbps
– 64kbps). Now import these files back into
your session, lining them up directly beneath
the original CD quality version (WAV). Begin
listening to each of these files in solo mode,
then quickly change back to the original high
quality file. You should be able to notice a
significant difference in sound quality, as well
as acknowledging the difference in file size.
Now that you have actually heard the
audible differences between a CD quality
sound file and an MP3, you can make up
your own mind as to what is better...
Quantity or quality?
ROB CARE
JMC MELBOURNE
About 13 years.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE
YOUR PLAYING STYLE?
I like to follow vocal melodies and
create lines and phrases that sit in somewhere around those melodic
lines, locking in with the rhythm section.
FIRST AXE:
I can’t exactly remember what it was, but I got an old Strat copy with a
Peavey Rage from a pawnshop, that was what I started on.
CURRENT AXE:
Cole Clark Culprit 3 with twin humbuckers. It’s the second I’ve had. The
first got stolen out of the band van but I didn’t hesitate to get another,
it’s a beauty! I’ve just recently been playing a Fender Jazzmaster too.
RIG/PEDALS:
POG 2, Super Overdrive SD1, BYOC Tremolo, DD20 delay into a Fender
Hot Rod Deluxe.
SECRET WEAPON:
The deluxe has had an eminence speaker and timber shelf built in so I
can send a bit more bass into it and still cope. It’s great for octaves and
organ sounds of the POG.
FAVOURITE GUITARIST OF ALL TIME:
David Gilmour has such a smooth tone and style. Closely followed be
Robby Krieger. It’s hard to choose.
FAVOURITE CURRENT LOCAL PLAYER:
Jimmy Young, playing in Bootleg Rascal and Rogerthat.
CURRENT RELEASE:
Our latest EP is Boondoggle and it’s available from www.benjalu.com

WHEN THE JAZZMAN’S TESTIFYIN’

F
or almost four decades, 20-time Grammy
Award-winning guitarist Pat Metheny
has stood at the forefront of jazz, and
The Pat Metheny Unity Group may be his most
ambitious project to date.
The band features world-class musicians
Chris Potter, Antonio Sánchez, Ben Williams
and Giulio Carmassi, along with the
Orchestrion: a gigantic guitar-controlled
electromechanical orchestra that Metheny
designed and created himself.
Throughout his lauded career, the guitarist
has continued to re-define the jazz genre by
utilising new technologies and constantly
working to evolve the improvisational and
sonic potential of his instrument.
Fresh from the release of their latest
album Kin, this October will mark Metheny’s
first visit to Australia in two decades,
where he’ll be delivering a complex multi-
instrumental masterclass in jazz dynamics
and improvised musicianship as part of the
2014 Melbourne Festival.
Audiences will be wowed at the following
dates: Monday 20 October at QPAC Concert
Hall, Brisbane; Wednesday 22 October at
Hamer Hall, Melbourne; Thursday 23 October
at Canberra Theatre, Canberra; Friday 24
October at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall,
Sydney. Head to www.melbournefestival.
com.au and www.livenation.com.au for more
information and tickets.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
18 | first chord

GUITARIST TO WATCH
Steve WattS
currently playing with:
Heaven The Axe

usually found playing:

Metal! As hard as I’ve tried to diversify
and get cultured, I’m only really
interested in two styles of music:
heavy and metal.

years on the fretboard:

I’ve been obsessed with music for as
long as I can remember, but I never
actually got the chance to have a crack

walkin’ on a dream
at guitar until I was about 12. I was
so green that I didn’t even know people could play left-handed and so
playing guitar became the only thing I do right-handed.

T
he reigning lords of modern prog
metal hath returned! Off the back
of the critically acclaimed Dream
Theater (2013), the iconic five-piece will
be bringing their An Evening With Dream
Theater tour to Oz – a three-hour live
performance that’s already seen them
score a nomination for ‘Best Live Event’
at the Progressive Music Awards. For
almost 30 years Dream Theater have been
masters of their craft, incorporating the
experimental elements of Pink Floyd and
Rush with the metal edge of Metallica
and Iron Maiden – and of course, driven
forward by the face-melting technical
proficiency of shredder John Petrucci. For
all of their prowess on disc, it’s in the live
arena that Dream Theater really get to
shine, incorporating highlights from their
three-decade back catalogue into their
captivating set.
Marking their first shows Down Under
since 2009, Dream Theater will be treating
Sydney and Melbourne to two exclusive and
intimate performances this October, hitting
The Palais in Melbourne on Wednesday 29
October and The Big Top at Luna Park in
Sydney on Thursday 30 October. For more
information and tickets head over to
www.metropolistouring.com.au
how would you describe your playing style?
Wrong would be the best way to describe it! When I was in Terrorust, our
other guitarist Fanza said to me, “I don’t understand your style. It seems
to be a lot of effort for no real gain.” That pretty much sums it up.
first axe:
Vantage Les Paul (Ace Frehley was God to me back then).
current axe:
A Schecter Hellraiser and ESP Horizon are the only guitars I own. We took
the volume pot out of the ESP because I kept hitting it all the time, which
makes it only really useful for songs that are crankin’ all the way through,
so the Schecter is my favourite to play. It’s perfect for me.
rig/pedals:

viva la amac!
Live I pretty much just run straight through a Decimator into my Mesa
Dual Rectifier Roadster. It has four channels: two clean and two dirty, so
I do all my switching there. On our album I used a Krankenstein and it
sounded so rad it was ridiculous. I’ve also used an old school 5150 and a

T
his year’s AMAC (Australian Music
Association Convention), held
at Jupiter’s on the Gold Coast
(9-11 August) didn’t fail to impress with
many of Australia’s best MI industry
wholesalers and retailers representing
to rub shoulders, talk shop, ogle the
showcases full of exciting gear and have a
few drinks between mates.
Gibson AMI had a great year with Sales
Territory Manager Vincent Cleary telling
us, “I find AMAC to be a great opportunity
to showcase products to dealers and
the general public alike that may not
have the opportunity to visit NAMM in
the US when these models are released.
Highlights of the show for AMI were the
ability to show off the vast colour range
of the Gibson 2014 line-up, the new
limited edition Orange Range with White
Tolex and of course the brutality of the
Dual Dark.”
Head honcho Rob Walker was as happy
with the event as we were, saying, “We
were very pleased with AMAC this year,
achieving our aims across all aspects
of the convention. The professional
development sessions were being talked
about, and our Retail Boot Camp and
Sherlock Fathead in the studio and have been happy with the results.
digital media sessions were nearly full.
The trade show floor was very busy on favourite guitarist of all time:
Sunday, and Monday was more consistent
in numbers than last year.” Right now, I’m a massive fan of Dave Davidson of Revocation. It’s great to
Big Music’s Director Richard Berkman see him starting to get a lot of recognition.
said, “My experience was very positive
and I will most certainly be returning current release:
next year. I do believe our industry needs Our most recent album is Sex, Chugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll and our latest
a voice and we all need to be fighting single is “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate”.
together for music-making to remain
relevant in our increasingly time-poor
world.” He also mentioned that he’d like
to tell those not attending to “get with
the program”!
This sentiment is echoed by Walker: “It
is clear to the association that there is a
demand for a principal industry event. It
is a chance to connect with a lot of people
with similar aims. Those that attended
put a value on that connection. We will be
analysing the feedback from this year’s
event closely and listening to what our
members want. We will always be looking
to improve our events calendar whether
it be serving the trade or the end user.”
In Australian Guitar’s opinion, the more
people that turn up, the better it is for
everyone. Look forward to seeing you at
the 2015 show!

| australianguitarmag.com.au
20 | tech
Devil’s Corner with DevilDriver’s Mike spreitzer anD Jeff kenDrick

iDentifying Weaknesses on
guitar
DevilDriver’s Jeff KendricK gives his tips for stepping outsiDe
the box anD changing up your approach to guitar playing.

i
am so excited to continue to write for you
guys, and it’s quite an honor to have the
opportunity to bestow my opinion and
knowledge on various subjects. it’s great to
see a positive response to all the material –
thank you all! we are about to embark on an
australian tour this month and hope to see
all of you there. australia is such an amazing
place for so many reasons but mostly because
of the fans. cannot wait!
as i contemplated some ideas this morning
about what i should write, i was brushing
up on some theory and running through
some scales. Mostly Major and Minor with
different shapes, positions (this has become
very ritualistic for me lately) and utilising
Guitar pro 6 has been amazing. a lot of the
instruction that exists today is so technology
based, and has allowed players to progress
much faster and at a younger age. i touched
on this before in an earlier article about the
best way to learn. as a guy in his mid-30s who
did not have the ability to use something like
Guitar pro when i was younger, i got off my
butt and learned how to use it, embrace it
and now my playing has improved noticeably.
what is so significant about this? well, i
really feel that playing a musical instrument is that i needed to change something or approach embrace technology to learn
some extension of you and your personality. it my playing differently. My mind became more Utilise the technology out there that can help
could be someone who is socially shy but able to conscious over my body and therefore i was able to develop your playing, especially amazing programs
blow anyone’s doors off on the guitar and express make some necessary changes in technique, style, like Guitar pro or something else where you can
themselves through the instrument. in general method – all these various terms. it was a thorough play along and manipulate the lessons to your
people get very stuck in their ways with practising overhaul of not only myself but my playing too. liking and ability. it’s just another example of how
and possibly developing bad habits. is a person that the decision to better oneself requires the ability not to be stuck in your ways if you are an older
is resistant to change possibly resistant to changing to be introspective and honest. part of believing in player or detest anything but an “old-school”
guitar habits? Uh, yes! i find people stuck in their your abilities with anything is to be really honest approach.
ways about common things in life are particularly and objective about what you are trying to do.
resistant to changing their guitar habits and find everyone can figure out where they want to be learn any type of music
more frustration in learning. with their abilities but in order to properly get step out of your comfort zone and give
spend enough time around a particular guitarist there you need to figure out exactly where you are something completely different from what you
and you will see that they always seem to pick the now. Below, i have compiled a list of exactly what are playing a chance. are you good at it? is it
instrument up and play the same lick, riff or chord i have done to step outside myself and change my complicated? what about it is complicated?
progression. (Yes, i literally am this observant of approach to the guitar. examine what you are capable or incapable of
other players). this is the first thing that i changed doing right.
about my playing. i thought to myself, “why am Write out basic music theory
i playing this all the time? what key or scale is i have placed various important elements of come up With iDeas on the spot
this in? what is the timing?” i started to notice a the music on paper like the circle of fifths, modes, sometimes in life you don’t have the ability to take
semi-box that i placed myself in and immediately time signatures and other important aspects that a long time to make decisions, you have to react in a
helped navigate myself out of it. it was the notion are the building blocks of music. i can always certain way in the moment. how creative can you be
photos by sandra Markovic

reference these if i hit a rut or am working on
something and need a different viewpoint or
Brought to you perspective. for example, working in the key of
By our friends c Minor, where else can i go? e-flat is the relative
at Blackstar Major of the c Minor key. i already know this stuff
amplification and but sometimes it helps to just be able to reference
allaxess.com. it if necessary.
on the spot? can you come up with great ideas that
fit what you are doing now? Or does it take forever to
work things out? examine this and determine what
about your playing can be more spontaneous.
see if some of these examples work for you. Just
the consideration could help you progress. i will leave
you with this maxim: “work smarter, not harder”.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
22 | FEATURE
Hungry Like
The Wolf
ANYONE THAT THINKS
ACOUSTIC GUITARS
CAN’T BE METAL NEEDS A
GOOD, HARD LESSON IN
TIM MCMILLAN.
BY PETER ZALUZNY.
W
hile the Australian
guitarist’s current
creations are firmly
rooted in folk, Tim McMillan refused to
abandon his heavy metal past when he
picked up an acoustic axe and moved
to Germany. The result? A little genre
he likes to call Goblincore. It’s difficult
to decipher, but his latest album,
Wolves Of Stünz, is influenced by the
likes of Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson and Devin
Townsend – if that helps. He also likes to wear
rollerblades on stage.
Even though your sound is predominantly
folk, your style is really metal, and it makes
your acoustic guitar sound huge. How do you
do that?
I know playing an acoustic feels more brutal
than an electric [laughs], but I was playing the
electric for a long time and I use hybrid picking
with a plectrum and my fingers. I’ve always been
used to playing that style on electric and playing
metal, so I guess it just transferred over to the
acoustic. I suffer from tinnitus and once got a
hernia from screaming in a death metal band when
I was 18, so I guess that turned me away from
playing an electric in a metal band too.
Aside from folk, is metal the driving force
behind Wolves Of Stünz?
Some of the biggest influences would’ve
been Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson and Devin
Townsend, Devin’s more acoustic stuff was a big
influence. But it’s hard to say because a lot of the
album is quite different, some of it has solo guitar,
other parts are instrumental pieces with violin and
trumpet. Then there’s the singer-songwriter stuff
as well, so I guess there’s three different styles –
solo guitar, singer-songwriter, and acoustic prog.
Apparently you take influence from
Vikings as well?
[Laughs] I think I’m just obsessed with Vikings.
But there’s actually a band called Ensiferum who
play folk metal, and I like to think my acoustic
| australianguitarmag.com.au
playing is similar to that in a way. You know
progressive and melodic at the same time.
Do you feel like your genre blending
breaks the rules of music, if there are any?
No, I think with metal, like any genre of music,
it has some life to it. Whether you’re on an acoustic
guitar or you’re doing some Bulgarian folk singing,
there are certain things that can give the same
emotions that metal does. With Devin Townsend,
when I listen to his acoustic stuff, you can hear
that metal influence in his chord progressions
and structures.
How much creative freedom would you
say that approach gives you?
Well that’s the good thing; it opens everything
up. That’s where Devin’s always been an influence,
he decided to start his own record label called
Hevy Devy to make Ocean Machine, and ever since
then he’s been able to do whatever he wants. By
doing whatever he wants he’s been an inspiration,
so I’ve tried to follow in those footsteps and not be
tied down to any specific genre.
Are there any styles or genres you
won’t touch?
I guess stand-up comedy; I’m like a failed
comedian. I like trying out my comedy between
songs, but sometimes it gets too much and I play
two songs then talk for ages. I’ve got to keep that
in check so it’s not as much of a stand-up set.
Have you had to combat heckling?
Oh yeah, many times. Once I poured a jug of
beer on a man’s head, he was on a date with a girl
in the front row and I did that because he heckled
me. Everyone laughed, I was on rollerblades
at the time so he chased me and I rollerbladed
around. He had to get escorted out by security
and I felt bad because it was actually me who
poured beer on him, so I probably should’ve been
kicked out.
So between the ‘stand-up’ sets, which
guitars are you using?
I’ve got an endorsement with Cole Clark and
I’ve been playing them for about five years
now. I think Cole Clark’s pickup system is the
best default pickup system in the world for
percussion guitar style, and it’s really good with
battling feedback too. This one I’ve got now is
my favourite guitar I’ve ever played, it’s a Fat
Lady 1, nothing fancy, but it sounds amazing.
For the tapping, I’ve got an endorsement
with Seymour Duncan and I use one of those
soundhole pickups. When we’re live I try to
keep everything simple; I prefer having a really
rootsy acoustic style setup.
What’s the reasoning behind keeping
your approach so simple?
Originally I had all sorts of loop pedals and
that stuff, but I’m really lazy, I hated setting stuff
up and sound checking it all. Things could go
wrong, too. I remember once a garbage truck
came past while I was looping, and it beeped into
my pickup. It kept looping and I couldn’t stop it
because I was halfway through the song. It was
getting louder and louder and by the end it was
a disaster. I think that was my last gig with the
loop pedal.
24 | FEATURE

THREE
SHEETS
TO THE
WIND
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE A PIONEERING
GUITARIST WHO HAS DONE IT ALL AND QUITE
LITERALLY WRITTEN THE BOOK ON WHAT IT MEANS
TO HAVE AN INSTRUMENTAL GUITAR CAREER?
IF YOUR NAME IS JOE SATRIANI, YOU PUT
TOGETHER A BAND WITH THREE OF THE GREATEST
PLAYERS IN THE WORLD AND HEAD DOWN UNDER.
BY PETER HODGSON.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 25

J
oe Satriani’s influence on guitar playing is immense,
both directly and through his impact on generations
of players. For starters, he began teaching guitar
in his teens, when one of his students was a young chap
named Steve Vai. As Satriani explains in his book, Strange
Beautiful Music: A Memoir, inquisitive students like Vai
required a teacher who was always on the ball, so the
guitarist was able to hone his theory and technique
chops in a very practical environment. These skills must
have come in pretty handy a few years later when he
was teaching students with names like Kirk Hammett,
Larry LaLonde and Alex Skolnick, who went on to join
little bands called Metallica, Primus and Testament. But
Satriani is also a lifelong Hendrix nut, so the importance
of soul and expression is always at the core of his musical
choices. And a new 15-disc box set titled The Complete
Studio Recordings is a great overview of where his musical
muse has taken him. Bringing together each of his albums
(including the studio disc of the two-disc Time Machine
album) along with a bonus disc of alternate mixes,
unheard tracks and rarities, the set lets us chart Satriani’s
musical evolution.
But if you’ve only heard the man on record, you’re only
getting half the story. As a live player, Satriani presents his
songs in a looser, much more raw way. His current band is
made up of some of the world’s greatest players. Guitarist/
keyboardist Mike Keneally’s career was launched as Frank
Zappa’s ‘stunt guitarist’ in 1988, and he’s since forged a
rich catalog of solo music while also being the go-to guy
for the likes of Steve Vai and Brendon Small’s Dethklok.
The rhythm section of bassist Bryan Beller and Marco
Minnemann have worked with Keneally (as the trio KMB
and also in Mike’s solo bands) while also playing in The
Aristocrats with guitar virtuoso Guthrie Govan. The point
is, these guys are all world-class players with incredible
musical chemistry and the ability to intuitively follow
Satriani wherever he may go. Australian audiences will
get the chance to witness the particular splendours of this
line-up first-hand in November, when Satriani brings the
show down here as part of the ongoing tour in support of
his aptly-named Unstoppable Momentum album.

So, you’re heading back to Australia and New

Zealand!
We are, finally! We’re back on a solo tour. By the time
we get to you guys it’ll be the final lap of the Unstoppable
Momentum tour that we started last year. It’ll be great –
we’ll be well-seasoned by the time we play those shows.

With the guys you’ve got in the band I can

imagine that the material is always evolving. You
don’t hire guys like this unless you’re going to use
what they bring to the table.
Yeah! They’re always fun to play with. Marco
[Minnemann] and Bryan [Beller] are of course in The
Aristocrats, who are touring when we’re not touring. They
have this musical telepathy, which is great, and they’ve all
worked together with Mike. As a matter of fact they’ve all
worked together in a variety of formats including a trio,
and of course Mike [Keneally] and I have a long history. So
there’s a lot of good stuff between all four of us and we
can draw it out of each other.

How do you pull together a setlist for these

shows? There’s a lot of material to draw from and
this band can present it in all sorts of ways.
I guess the way that we put together a setlist reflects
the fact that I’ve been hanging around a long time, and
the success that I’ve had means that my audience has
known me for the decades. So on the one hand you don’t
want to play the same songs that you’ve played over
and over because there are some people who have seen
me very often. But the audience on any given night is
divided in many different ways. There are people who
26 | feature

| australianguitarmag.com.au

have never seen me before and probably will never
see me again. And if they go to see you and all you
do is play the weirdest, most obscure music you
can, you’ll lose them! So you can’t really please
everybody because everybody’s got a right to
expect something very different. I remember – this
stuck in my head on this one tour – we were playing
the song “Always With Me, Always With You”, it was
a fan favourite and one of the top three memorable
songs from my catalog that the average listener
wants me to play, and we started to jam on the end
of it. We thought as musicians that it would be fun
to play something like “With A Little Help From My
Friends” and go off into this crazy jam and then
bring it back home. And then one time, after a really
good performance, I noticed on some social media
sites some people were saying, “Oh, they played
my favourite song but then they went off at the
end. What were they playing? I didn’t like that!” So
that’s the other level, which is, some people in the
audience want you to play exactly what they know
you for and others want you to absolutely blow it
out. It’s best to go with your feelings. What else can
you do, y’know?
Well also with you, we as the audience
understand that you have an exploratory
musical mind and we want you to take it
where you’re going to take it.
Well that’s good news for me! I love to hear that.
I think all my favourite concerts have been where
I’ve been sitting in the audience and I’ve been so
surprised by how faithful some songs are to the
record and how far out some others are. Last time
I saw The Rolling Stones in Oakland it was really
a great night for them. They did “Ruby Tuesday”
and it sounded just like the album. It was truly
remarkable. And other songs, they really jammed
out and did some really cool stuff. That happens a
lot on stage.
Do you ever listen back to your own stuff
purely for its own sake?
It’s a funny thing. I’ve gotta say that I don’t listen
to my own music once I’ve made the record. I move
on. My family will tell you that they hear me playing
music that I’m working on way too much, y’know?
I remember I was working on the song “Three
Sheets To The Wind” from the last album, and that
“All you can do is go in
that direction and if people
like it, great, and if they
don’t… just say sorry! What
else can you do, y’know?”
Joe Satriani
song took a very unusual journey because I wrote
it on guitar and it had a nice palatable melody
on guitar, but when I got the idea to use horns I
literally spent about three weeks, five hours a day,
just doing all sorts of different horn arrangements
and blending the guitar in. And of course I drove my
wife crazy cos she’d hear that song way too much.
The average person does not consume music in the
same way a musician does. We can sort of focus in
and let all the other stuff go by us while we listen
to the attack of the trumpet. So that’s what I’ll do.
but once we recorded it and I gave myself a high
five for completing the vision, I thought, “Well now
I have to forget about it because my reality is now
what it sounds like live.” And that’s my reality as a
performer, I walk out on stage with a band and
I have to forget what we achieved on the album
and think about what I can achieve with the live
band night after night.
In the process of preparing the box set,
was that something that became apparent
– the arc of your career, the way songs have
changed over time on stage, and the hidden
gems that are tucked away in there?
Yeah! I think it was easier for John Cuniberti, who
did most of the hard work of actually moving boxes,
putting the tapes on the machines, dealing with all
the digital drives and doing the actual mastering
itself. And I was the guy who would receive the end
product and say, “Yes, no, more dynamics.” But
early on I told him I would lose my mind. I did not
want to listen to my old albums and he understood.
I mean, he’s been working with me forever, and he
would say, “Let it go by… how does it feel?” Because
I’d hear a mistake and immediately want to call him
up and say, “Hey do you think I can come in there
and fix that part?” and his answer was always “No!
We’re leaving it alone. Your fans like it just the way
it is.” Luckily I listened to his advice and I didn’t
go in and try to change anything, and we came up
with the bonus disc that has some early recording
mistakes and ideas.
Speaking of your creative process, the
book is really great. What I like is that you’re
not dishing dirt or getting too sidetracked
from music. Anyone who’s a creative person
can get something out of it.
| 27
I’m happy to hear you say that. Jake Brown
approached me with the idea of doing a book
almost two years ago and I just didn’t want to do it!
But his original idea was pretty intriguing to me. It
was talking about each album as a separate story,
about the creative process behind the material,
and then getting everybody involved in giving
their perspective of what went on in the studio.
That way you don’t have to brainstorm ‘the story
of my life’, y’know? Because I’d be too bored with
that! But I was kind of energised. After kicking and
screaming a bit until halfway through the process,
the publisher said, “We want Joe to rewrite this
in the first person.” I was guided by Jake and he
provided me with all of the transcripts of all of the
interviews, and I had to go in and just shape the
transcripts of my interviews so there was a flow to
it. I’ve got to say that in the end I was very happy it
was done because I don’t want to look back – I want
to keep moving forward – but I’m glad we could set
the record straight and tell the story.
We’d better talk some guitar specifics
while I’ve got you. How’s the three-pickup JS
model coming along?
Yeah, it got pushed a little in line. We have
another guitar that we’re working on but I have
finally passed that pickup hurdle and a lot of other
considerations. It’s great that we have had so
much happening in the last six months with the JS
line and I’m still pursuing that one with the three
pickups. I’m hopeful! They make some great, great
guitars. They played into the rebirth of the seven-
string for that generation and now they’re into
eight, and that’s just mind-boggling. I’m not sure
I’ll ever purchase one because I figure I don’t want
to hurt my hand. It’s too much to think about. I was
thinking by the time I figure out how to play eight-
string, some guy will come out with a nine-string.
Ibanez did that at NAMM this year! They’ve
now got two nine-string models.
They do? Wow. They did me a favour by not telling
me. So is it a lower and an upper string compared to
a seven-string?
No, it’s a lower string and then another
lower string.
Wow. Goodbye bass player.
 50
28 | feature

“I actually physically
have to play guitar for
five or ten minutes
before a gig. I can’t
just walk up there
with hat in hand and
assume it’s going to
be there.”
Joe Bonamassa

| australianguitarmag.com.au
0of blues
SHADES
THERE’S NO REST FOR THE WICKEDLY TALENTED IT WOULD SEEM, AS
THE PROLIFIC JOE BONAMASSA CONTINUES TO LIVE UP TO HIS
WORKHORSE REPUTATION AHEAD OF THE RELEASE OF HIS ELEVENTH
SOLO STUDIO ALBUM. BY PAUL SOUTHWELL.
PHOTO BY RICK GOULD
O
n Joe Bonamassa’s latest album, Different
Shades Of Blue, the renowned blues guitarist
offers up all-original material born from a rare
break in studio releases that will no doubt crop up in
the set list of his upcoming Australasian tour. That tour
offers a treat for fans with the performance split into an
acoustic and electric set complemented by different band
members to accompany Bonamassa’s ambitious venture.
Guitar heads can expect highlights of An Acoustic
Evening At The Vienna Opera House then followed up
by what the guitarist himself cheekily describes as “an
hour and a half of blues, rock fury and if the kids are
not happy with that, I can’t do anything else, I’ve done
my best”. So, in that light-hearted sense of fun but
with some serious, award-winning guitar playing to be
expected, Australian Guitar gladly took the opportunity
to catch up with the witty and talented man on a recent
pre-tour studio jaunt to our wide brown land.
On the new album, Different Shades Of Blue,
varied instrumentation continues. Aside from
the usual Gibson Les Paul power, you’ve got more
noticeable Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster
sounds happening.
For some reason I fell in love again with the
Stratocaster. I’ve always collected mint examples but
they sometimes are a bit sterile and there’s a reason why
they are mint and not played. I bought a ‘56 blonde Strat
from Carters Vintage Guitars in Nashville whilst two rich
guys were arguing over it, and it was like breaking up
a relationship that was imploding. I’d always wanted a
blonde Strat, and for the better part of a decade I have
not really played a Fender guitar. So I rediscovered the
Strat and the blonde neck Strat. There is a difference
between a blonde neck and a rosewood neck. The latter
is more closely associated with that Hendrix and Stevie
Ray Vaughan sound which is almost too prevalent
because of so many imitators doing that same act. But
the ‘50s Strat harkens back to that Buddy Guy style with
a sharp tone and reckless abandon that you would get
| 29
from those early blues electric players. I’ve always been
a Telecaster and Les Paul guy. So, guitar wise, it is pretty
much one of those three in any denomination. It’s either
a Sunburst Les Paul or a Gold Top Les Paul, a P-90 or PAF
Gold Top and maybe an ES-335. The Strat would either
be a blonde-necked Strat or a sunburst hard-tail, and for
Teles, I just usually grab the blackguard. The amplifiers
were really critical. I have three high-powered Tweed
[Fender] Twins from ‘58 and ‘59. You just plug them up
and it goes to a very traditional place. It makes you want
to play a bit harder or dig in more. The combination
of those factors really helped the guitar sounds and
changed the way I play.
For your amplification setup, is most of the
distortion coming through the amplifiers or are
you using pedals in there as well?
I start with the amplifier distortion first but there are
so many options with a Tube Screamer. I like a [Dunlop
signature] Cry Baby wah pedal, an Ibanez Tube Screamer,
an MXR [Micro] flanger, a [Hughes & Kettner] Rotosphere
fake Leslie and a Fulltone [Supa-Trem] tremolo. You can
go into any guitar shop to find those things. Generally,
I start with overdrive and if I am using a high-powered
Twin, it is very loud but for extra gain and midrange, I’ll
set a Tube Screamer conservatively. That is what you
want for a little bit of feedback or for if you’re playing
poorly and need some extra help. Between that and
my staple of the Silver Jubilee Marshall amplifier, you
get the nice high and low bits out of the Marshall with
articulated midrange from the Dumble sound, and that’s
essentially my live rig.
You use a wah pedal a fair bit. Is that more of a
sonic filter or just for expression?
Dunlop has been nice enough to manufacture a Joe
Bonamassa [JB] wah-wah pedal. I have always been a
fan of the vintage ‘67 to ‘69 halo inductor ones as they’re
microphonic and are like an old XK-12 Jaguar car which
is a fantastic car that leaks, breaks down and can be
30 | feature
inconsistent. Dunlop took the original Cry Baby and
bulletproofed it, so it still splutters and howls at high
volume but when you stomp on it, you know that it’s
not going to kill your entire rig in the process. It’s been
a great relationship between me and Dunlop over the
years. We’ve done three pedals: a JB FET driver pedal,
a JB Fuzzface and a JB Cry Baby wah-wah.
How would you say your signature Les Pauls
vary from a ‘59 Gibson Les Paul?
Well, there are six or seven variations. We started
with a Gold Top in 2008 and sold through the limited
edition line of 300 originals so then they started
making sunburst versions, a couple of blue ones and
non-aged ones, all predicated on the Gold Top. Then
they did the Les Paul Studio, which was a Gibson USA
and ended up selling 2,500 copies followed by a Les
| australianguitarmag.com.au
Paul Standard USA of which we sold another 2,000
copies. So they did an Epiphone in ‘gold’ of which
we sold over 4,000 versions and now we’ve just sold
1,500 Pelham blue ones. Next, they came out with
a replica artist model called the “Skinnerburst” JB,
which is a scratch for scratch replica of my 1959 Les
Paul guitar. I have the first two prototypes and that is
what I’ll be using when I come to Australia. The only
difference between the Gibson prototypes and the
originals is that the tops on the new ones are better.
You don’t do it for the money with Gibson. You do it for
the honour of having your name on a Gibson product
and I’m happy with that.
Did the influence of Danny Gatton as a guitar
teacher get you into Teles initially?
Oh yeah, he taught me how to play when I was a kid
and gave me lessons. He had this beautiful ‘53 Tele. I
ended up finding one that looked like it several years
ago. The Tele is such a different configuration and
it really makes you play. To be creative as a player,
there are not a lot of options where you can go with it
unless you can get it going.
You’ve played shows with different bands
from Foreigner to ZZ Top, but I recall reading
you once supported bluesman Chris Whitley.
What impact did he have on you?
I had not heard his music until I did the show with
him in Indianapolis in front of 80 people. We had
a pretty good power trio at the time and I thought
we were pretty good but then he came out with a
Resonator guitar and piece of wood with a kick drum
sample that he would just hit with his foot and beat it
down mercilessly for 75 minutes. Chris was plugged
in with a pickup on his guitar but I’ve never heard
that much music come out of one person. It was just
between the vocals and the kind of playing that he
did. It was like an orchestra but it was very complex
and original sounding.
When you witness someone like that, does it
make you change your own approach?
I steal from everybody. If I see something that
I like, I’m stealing it; I have no qualms about it at
all. I’m a huge Billy Gibbons [ZZ Top] fan. I’ve been
listening to him since day one and my father was a
huge fan. It was ZZ Top and the British guys like Paul
Kossoff [Free], Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, so I steal
from everybody; I’m shameless.
Travelling with acoustics, is there any string
loosening between plane flights?
We don’t travel with guitars on planes anymore;
it’s all just done via air freight. They are in these big
vaults, strapped in for the ride but I bring nothing
on these kinds of missions that are vintage or rare,
because something can happen at an airport like
a forklift going through it. The only time I’ll bring
vintage stuff on the road is when I travel in Europe
where I know that it’s just one shot there and back.
By the way, the Gibson acoustics now, such as the
J-45, the Hummingbirds, the J-200, and the Advanced
Jumbos play far better than the vintage ones. I
wouldn’t buy a vintage J-200 because they sound
horrible to me. The new ones sound fantastic and
I think that Gibson has made great strides in their
acoustic division. Some of those guitars that they trot
out on the historic division are some of the best that
they have ever done since day one.
Technique-wise, how long did it take you to
get your finger picking down for parts like the
introduction to “Woke Up Dreaming”?
I’ve played that song for maybe 12 years so it is
second nature to me. I do have to warm up now, at
37 years old. I actually physically have to play guitar
for five or ten minutes before a gig. I can’t just walk
up there with hat in hand and assume it’s going to be
there, but that is just part of lapping the sun 37 times
instead of 30 times.
You’ve regularly thrown the odd Whitesnake
and Led Zeppelin riff into the live set as well.
I love all kinds of music be it metal, hard rock,
blues, country or Americana. Part of my job is to
amalgamate different styles into a show. When you
go to a blues show you don’t expect to hear “Still Of
The Night” referenced but my audience seems to like
the same music that I do. You don’t go to my show
to hear traditional blues or you’re setting yourself
up for disappointment.
32 | FEATURE

T HE E ND IN G IS
TH E BEG IN NIN G RV IV E THE LOSS O
FA
S DO N ’T S U
MANY BAND EYLMUN
ID E S IL E N CE’S MARK H H
SINGER, BUT
SU IC
A N N E L TH E PAIN OF MITC
ARZA CH -CHARGING A
ND
AND CHRIS G TO A H A R D
LUCKER’S DEA
TH IN
Y P E T E R H ODGSON.
EW ALBUM. B
CATHARTIC N TOS BY JEREM
Y SCHOTT
PHO

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C
alifornian deathcore band Suicide Silence were riding
high on the success of The Black Crown in 2012 when
vocalist Mitch Lucker died in a tragic motorcycle
accident on Halloween. On a personal level it was a
devastating blow for the band, most of whom had been
together for a decade. And on a musical level, well there’s
no replacing someone like Mitch. But the band carried on,
enlisting new vocalist Hernan “Eddie” Hermida of All Shall
Perish to record You Can’t Stop Me. Mitch will always be a
part of Suicide Silence – his lyrics appear on the songs “You
Can’t Stop Me” and “Ending Is The Beginning” on the new
record – but the band is moving forward. Guitarists Chris
Garza and Mark Heylmun are well aware of the pressures
on Suicide Silence, knowing that the loss of a singer can
divide fans no matter what the circumstances, but the title
You Can’t Stop Me takes on multiple levels of significance;
Mitch’s spirit lives on in the album through the inclusion of
his lyrics, and Suicide Silence as a creative entity cannot
be contained.
You guys must have been battling all sorts of
emotions going into this album.
MARK HEYLMUN: Man… it was a good time. We
came from the right place, an honest place, and we wanted
to make the best record possible. We wanted something
that we could be happy with, and that we could call a
fan’s record, and something that could be an evolution for
us as a band that likes to experiment and not exactly do
something as traditional as everybody else has before. I
like to consider us as a death metal band that didn’t really
sound like death metal, and became a unique band that
sounds like Suicide Silence.
Your first tour with Eddie on vocals was this
year’s Soundwave Festival. From the crowd it seemed
like he was really accepted; what was that like from
your perspective?
HEYLMUN: It was great! Australia has always gone
nuts. I don’t know what it is about Australia and Australians
but you’re a unique breed of bird and we love
it there. It was the perfect place to go and play our first
gigs with Eddie. And Soundwave was like a vacation. Five
shows in 12 days, man. It was a great experience.
CHRIS GARZA: As it was the first one back I was
extremely nervous… stress, anxiety… everything was going
on. But as we got a few under our belt and got those first
few out of the way, oh my gosh. All these crazy kids were
going f**king insane. Something as simple as walking down
the street and seeing Suicide Silence shirts, that was crazy
to realise the kids haven’t forgotten about us and they’ve
come out to the shows to go nuts and have a good time.
What was the songwriting process like this
time around? Obviously when any new member is
introduced it’ll change the dynamic.
HEYLMUN: Well, we pretty much decided to go back
to the original way we would attack things: go into the
jam room and start playing what feels natural, day by day,
and work together. We tried not to take it too seriously.
We just wanted to put together something that’s fun to
play. We were learning how to work off each other and we
weren’t trying to make songs that remind you of certain
other songs. We just really tried to put it together more
cohesively than every before.
In terms of writing leads, how do you approach it?
HEYLMUN: We’ve really tried to be as natural-sounding
and as energetic as possible, like it came out of nowhere.
My way of doing all my solos is to loop the rhythm on the
day I’m recording solos. I go in with the intention of dialling
in a sound and doing all the solos in a day if I can knock
them out. Live I like to play some of the solos exactly the
same as on record – like I’ll figure something out – and for
some solos I’ll change it up and kinda improvise, but for
the most part I’ll play the solos on the record.
| 33
What were your main guitars for the record?
HEYLMUN: I used some ESPs, customs that I have.
I have a 27” full baritone that’s like my [25.5” scale]
signature LTD. Even when it’s not plugged in, when you
hit the bottom string it sounds so resonant and huge,
then when you plug it in it’s a lot of guitar! It’s hard to
control and it feeds back a lot. I don’t stuff the pickups
with foam or anything – it’s just a hot guitar. And I use
an EMG 81-7 humbucker in the bridge and a 707 in the
neck. For me playing metal, ESP is the ideal metal guitar.
Especially their seven-strings now. I remember when I
was younger ESP didn’t really make seven-strings, so I
used Ibanez sevens when I first started playing seven-
string. But ESP started making sevens like the Stephen
Carpenter and the M-1000, and those were the best
seven-strings I’d ever played.
GARZA: I used my signature Schecter PT-7. I have
the common sense to know that when someone listens
to Suicide Silence the guitar work isn’t the most technical,
so if I’m going to put my name onto something it’s got to
be something that someone who’s not a fan of the band
would really enjoy. That wasn’t my main concern when
designing that guitar, but it definitely played a role. The
specs were things that I’d been into for years, ever since
I was first playing, as far as the shape and the colour –
certain things that were in my mind for years and that
would make sense as the first things in my brain. Like,
“Let’s do a silverburst because I’ve been a fan of that
colour for 20 years. Let’s do a Tele shape because I’ve
been a fan of Teles since I’ve been playing.” And I love
EMGs, man. Love ‘em. I think I just bought a guitar and
they were in there and they just kinda stuck! So those
kinds of childhood specs, y’know?
The placement of the toggle switch is cool too, up
there in the ‘Les Paul position’.
GARZA: Yeah! That was probably the last spec I put
into it. Should I keep it where people would expect or
should I put it where a Les Paul would have it? I decided
to change it up, and I think that people who can actually
play – which is most guitar players who are better than
me – would find that a lot more useful in that position.
When did you start playing seven-strings?
GARZA: It’s a pretty cliché story, but the band that
got me into playing sevens was Korn. Everything as far
as their tunings and their sounds and what they were
playing, I needed to know how it sounded like that. And
when you get more into it you realise there are amps
and pedals and guitars, and then I found out they played
seven-strings so I realised that’s what I had to do, and
they’re the main reason why I play sevens. I remember
it being a very natural adjustment from six-strings. Even
when I had a six I hadn’t been playing that long but I was
tuning my six drop-A and I just took out the high E, so
when I finally got the seven it was the same thing in my
mind that I’d been playing for the last year, just with a
bigger neck and an extra high string. Going from a six to
seven is easier than going back to a six. It’s funny how
that works out.
And amps?
HEYLMUN: For the main tone I used my old two-
channel Triple Rectifier. And then for everything else I
borrowed a Mark V from Mesa Boogie – for all the leads
I used the Mark V – and it totally made me buy one after
I was done in the studio. It’s a sick amp, dude!
GARZA: We’ve been using the Mesa Triples for I
don’t know how long. It’s been years. When we first
started playing we were really into the Peavey 5150s,
like a super high-gain amp, very common in the hardcore
scene back then. Then we made the switch to Mesa,
again because of Korn. That was in 2008 when we got
our Mesas, and we never looked back. And they look
badarse too!
34 | COVER STORY

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 | 35

BRISBANE AND THE SYDNEY SUBURB OF BLACKTOWN HAVE BOTH GIVEN AUSTRALIA SOME
OF OUR MOST INNOVATIVE, EXCITING NEW GUITAR-BASED BANDS IN RECENT MEMORY.
BLACKTOWN’S NORTHLANE AND THY ART IS MURDER EXPLORE THE CRUSHING BRUTALITY OF
DOWNTUNED RIFFAGE, WHILE BRISBANE’S DZ DEATHRAYS AND VIOLENT SOHO ARE MORE
MELODIC, EXPERIMENTAL, GRUNGY AND PSYCHEDELIC. BETWEEN THE FOUR BANDS A WHOLE
NEW VOCABULARY, A WHOLE NEW BOOK OF AUSTRALIAN GUITAR IS BEING WRITTEN. WE
WANTED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT MAKES THESE GUYS TICK, SO WE CAUGHT UP WITH
ANDY MARSH (THY ART IS MURDER), JON DEILEY (NORTHLANE), SHANE PARSONS (DZ DEATHRAYS),
AND LUKE BOERDAM (VIOLENT SOHO). BY PETER HODGSON.
PHOTOS BY KANE HIBBERD
36 | cover story

B
lacktown metalcore merchants Northlane
have only been at it since 2009, but
they’ve already racked up the kind of
accolades most bands dream about. Successful
US tours with the likes of Bring Me The Horizon,
curating their own festival (Free Your Mind), and
debuting at #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart are
just some of the achievements they’ve logged.
Guitarist Jon Deiley is an intuitive, aggressive
player with an instinctive knack for killer riffs,
and though he claims co-guitarist Josh Smith
is the more technically-minded, Deiley comes
across as a well-studied student of heavy guitar
in all its brutal glory.

Why do you play guitar?

It was a bit of a weird thing that happened.
I wasn’t really playing any instruments, and
my parents never played any instruments. But
this kid had a guitar in year six and I thought,
“That looks really cool. I wanna do that.” So
that Christmas my parents bought me this
$30 acoustic guitar from Vinnie’s and I started
mucking around on it. At first I was learning by
ear then I figured out what tabs were and went
down that way.

Were there any big bands for you at the

time or was it more of a peer thing at school?
It was a bit of both. I sort of got into music
more when I got the guitar. Those two things
went hand-in-hand. At the time I was listening to
AC/DC and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. That’s all I
listened to for the first couple of years.

What sent you off in a heavier direction?

My friends were listening to the post-hardcore
bands when they started to get a little bit
bigger in Australia. Underoath was what got
me used to the idea of people screaming at me
while someone was playing guitar. Up until that
point the heaviest thing that I’d listened to was
probably Incubus or Rage Against The Machine
or something.

So what was your first electric guitar?

I don’t even know if it was a real brand but
it was called a Jordan. It was like a Superstrat-
type guitar except it was purple, with single
coils, not humbuckers. Then I saved up – I don’t
know how the hell I did it because I was 12 or
13 or something – but I found the money to pick
up a Fender Telecaster, which is quite interesting
because I’ve gone through all these different
types – Ibanez, LTD, ESP – and I’m back on
the Tele bandwagon. I just can’t get enough
of them.

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 | 37

And now you have your

own signature ESP E-II model!
It’s based off the black one
I have but it’s got a Schaller
Hannes bridge, different paint
job, and it’s a seven-string
27” baritone that looks like
an old Telecaster. It’s got this
nitro finish on it so the paint
wears down really quickly and
gets this road-worn look to it.
I can’t wait to get it. We play
seven-strings and use extended
scales, and the strings need to
be quite thick. I just love the
novelty of it. That’s what really
sold it to me. Because from afar
it looks kinda like a standard
Tele but when you hear it, it’s
far from a standard Tele! It’s
exactly what I need – keyword
need – because I’ve gone
through a lot of guitars to find
one that held the tuning that
we play in and made it sound
good. I’ve played so many s**t
guitars that just couldn’t handle
the tuning.

And you’re using the Bare

Knuckle Black Hawk pickups.
Before that we were using
Bare Knuckle Aftermaths.
They’re all really good pickups;
they’re passive and really
crunchy. I don’t know what
it is I like about it – there’s a
tonal quality I can’t describe,
but when you dig into them
they really cut through, which
is perfect for the low tuning
that we play in. You need that.
Without slamming other brands,
I suppose Bare Knuckle must
have started fairly small and
it’s still a fairly niche thing,
but for people with the nerve
who want to sound how they
want and they want to try hard
enough to get it, well Bare
Knuckle must have known that
from the start. They’ve got
another one I wouldn’t mind
trying called the Juggernaut
[Periphery guitarist Misha
Mansoor’s signature model]
and they sound great.
38 | COVER STORY

L
ike Northlane, Thy Art Is Murder hail from Blacktown, NSW. Through
their two EPs and two albums (not to mention their controversial
Soundwave 2014 stint – where they invited fans up on stage
and almost got kicked off the tour – but metal will be metal), they’ve
established a brutal, precise, punishing brand of deathcore based on
jackhammer drums and atmospheric, rhythmic, biomechanical guitar riffs.
And guitarist Andy Marsh’s ‘guitar superhero origin story’ is as brutal as
the band’s music…

Why do you play guitar?

I played rugby all through high school at a pretty high representative
level. I was one of those guys in high school – rugby, rugby, rugby, training
every day, I travelled to Japan for some competitions and stuff. And then
I got injured in a really bad illegal tackle. The guy wasn’t too happy that
I got him so he dropped his knee into my right cheek and it crushed the
right side of my face. The doctor said ‘no more rugby’. I had some pretty
long-lasting damage to the interior of my skull, eye socket and jaw. So
that dream is over; now what am I gonna do? I was in hospital, in and out
for nearly nine months getting scans on my head and whatnot. I thought
guitar looked pretty cool so I had my mum bring me guitar magazines –
ironically enough, here we are doing an interview for one – but I didn’t
even have a guitar. She’d just bring me guitar magazines and I’d learn
about guitar players. I taught myself how to read guitar tabs through
reading the magazines. Eventually when I got out of hospital and acquired
a guitar I thought it would be very easy to play without actually ever
having physically held an instrument in my entire life. I didn’t listen to
music or anything, I just had schoolwork and rugby, and all of a sudden I
couldn’t do that, so I got into guitar. I don’t think I got my first guitar until I
was 20 or 21. I was a late starter.

What was that guitar?

The first guitar I recall acquiring was an LTD Viper 1000 Deluxe that
belonged to Troy Brady from The Amity Affliction. Him and I were really,
really good friends. I wanted a guitar and he needed to sell one – maybe
he was broke off the back of a tour or something, because they weren’t
the hugest band on the planet back then – and so he helped me out and
I picked it up for a couple hundred bucks. I had access to friends’ guitars
before, but that’s the one that I call my first guitar.

So what bands were you into when you first started playing?
Limp Bizkit. It’s probably a little bit LOL-worthy for most people. Nu
metal, not exactly the guitar hero genre but even before I knew what Wes
Borland was doing I thought the sounds that he was making with the guitar
were very unique. I didn’t really get in with the whole Korn vibe – it still
sounded like a guitar and it was played rather conventionally – but Wes did
a lot of two-handed stuff. You watch a film clip and you don’t know much
about the guitar but you see a guy who’s not playing it conventionally and
you go, “That’s pretty interesting”. Your average Joe Blow who doesn’t

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 | 39

really know what a guitar is doesn’t

see people playing with two hands a
lot. That intrigued me. And I got really
into The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Right
at the very genesis of me playing I was
listening to those two bands and a lot
of local hardcore.

What led you to the style that

you have now?
I don’t like doing things I’m not
good at, which has led to the happy
coincidence that I’m good at most
of the things I do. I just have a lot of
tolerance for the things I don’t have
an aptitude for. Anything I do I try and
be as good as I can at it. With guitar it
was like, “I’m playing Bodyjar covers
in the garage with my friend, but I
want to be more proficient”. So I had
my arsenal of guitar magazines. If you
could have a Google search through
the guitar magazines, I was doing that
manually looking for the word ‘shred’.
I discovered John Petrucci probably
three or six months into actually
having a guitar, which was pretty early
on, but there wasn’t anything that
was gonna stop me. So I went out to
the local Leading Edge independent
music shop and found a Dream
Theater CD, Images & Words, and
was like, “Oh, this looks a bit dated”
and then started playing it and the
snare drum told me it was so dated,
but when he started soloing it was
like, “What the f**k was that? That’s
impossible. No one can play like that”.
Then I bought the Live At Budokan
DVD because I had to see if this was
even possible before I dedicated my
life to trying to play like this. And the
first song they played is “As I Am” off
Train Of Thought. I was like, “Right,
solo’s coming up. This is gonna be so
hilarious”. And then he nailed it and I
thought, “F**king hell, I’ve got some
serious time to put in”.
40 | COVER STORY

Q
ueensland quartet Violent Soho are celebrating
their tenth year as a band, and they’re a great
example of what can happen when a local
music community works
together: they’re a
bunch of mates who
started playing in a
band because they
were friends, with local
music store Tym Guitars
serving as a central hub
for their sonic development. In some ways the story
of Violent Soho is also the story of Tym, whose custom
pedals and guitars help power the band’s sound.
Guitarist/vocalist Luke Boerdam explains…

Why do you play guitar?

My older brother played and I’d go into his room and
steal his crappy $90 nylon-strings. Within a few months
I learned six chords and I started writing straight away.
I hated scales. I was never a great technical player or
anything but I always loved writing. I never showed
anyone the songs or anything, I just wrote songs for
my own enjoyment. It was only when I graduated that
I showed anybody the songs, and that was the dudes
I’m in the band with now. So I’d say guitar is purely
for enjoyment, something that was a nice escape.
In terms of setting out a plan for the band, that was
never the idea. The idea was that we were bored
after we graduated so we started a band, and we just
played gigs locally. And it was a good way to party! So
that’s what we did. I’ve never had one guitar lesson
from anyone, and neither has anyone in the band. We
learned instruments for the band. We’ve had the same
four members since high school and I think it’s because
we started the other way around: we actually decided
to start a band and then do the music rather than do it
the other way around.

So what’s your main guitar?

Now it’s time to geek out! I call it a Tele Mongrel.
It’s kind of ugly in a way, but it’s not. It’s been beaten
to death and it continues to survive. It’s had like four
necks. I really hated Tele necks but I loved Tele bodies,
so Tym Guitars got a Strat neck and bolted it onto a
Tele body, but then I hated the Tele pickups so I went
for a P90. So it’s basically like a Les Paul Jr. but with
a Fender body and neck and a wraparound bridge. If I
had to buy something generic I’d probably end up with
a Les Paul Jr. or a Tele with P90s. And the pickups are
by this guy in Adelaide, Brierley. He makes three types
of P90s and this one is really highly wound. You have
to try pretty f**king hard to get a clean tone out of it.
Like I’m using a Fender Twin right now and even then
you get a bit of crackle. But what I love about it is that
once you run it through some gain, you can’t match
it. Once you match it up with a Marshall JCM800 or
an MXR Distortion+ or something, hands down, I can’t
possibly match it any other way. So I’ve ended up with
the same pickup for years and years, and I’m scared to
touch anything else. That guitar is on its fourth neck
now and even that’s got cracks. I had a bit of a journey

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 | 41

with it, like before we went to America

a few years ago it actually got left at the
Annandale Hotel! We went to America,
came back and Sarah from The Red Sun
Band saw it and knew – because it had
Tym Guitars 4112 on it – she saw it and
was like, “Oh my god, I know that guitar”
so she grabbed it and brought it back
up to Brisbane for me. This guitar is so
important to me, I feel like I’ve had this
kind of journey with it, like it’s a bit of
a soulmate.

How do you get that big ‘wall-

of-sound’ rhythm guitar tone in
the studio?
It’s taken a few years but between
James [Tidswell, guitar] and me we try
and layer it nicely but still keep a lot of
mids in. We used to stick with old ‘80s
JCM800s and just use the nice natural
gain on that lead channel. You still can’t
match that, I reckon. I’ve been in the
studio before and lined up an Orange
Thunderverb with a JCM800 and they are
matchless. The thing I’ve always noticed
about JCM800s is there’s something evil
and dark about it. There’s something
going on, man! If you analyse the EQ
waves you’d probably say, “Oh see that
little spike there? That’s the evil”. So
anyway, that’s what we used to use but
we’ve kinda moved on now. I have the
Fender Twin and then I have a JCM800
for when I boost in the choruses,
because there are more clean parts
on this record from the Twin,
then when the chorus comes,
I’ll hit that JCM800 on. And
on top of that I’m running
an MXR Distortion+, but I
actually got one built by
Tym – I grew up with Tym
Guitars down the street – and
he built an awesome copy of
a Distortion+ but he put in two
chip sets, a newer one and an
older one. So I can switch to this
older chip set which is just perfect.
It’s not covering the strings up too
much; you can still hear the separation.
It feels like it’s distorting each string one
at a time instead of the whole f**king
signal. Then James is now running two
Marshalls, a JMP and a JCM800. Y’know
those little Valvetone amps? They’re like
rebuilt-to-original-spec Marshall-style
amps. He’ll run that, and I’m pretty sure
he’s running the JMP for the clean stuff
because it’s got that headroom, and
then he’ll hit the 800 for the chorus
and boom!
42 | cover story

W
hat is it about Queensland that
fosters wildly innovative guitar
talent? DZ Deathrays guitarist/
vocalist Shane Parsons uses a multi-amp/
multi-effect setup to cover the entire sonic
spectrum, adding lashes of psychedelia to the
duo’s thrash-pop sound. Parsons’ approach
is a brilliant reminder that the guitar can be
anything you want it to be while still being
a guitar.

Why do you play guitar?

Some of my friends started playing when
I was about 12 years old, and them and their
brothers were learning Nirvana and Metallica
covers. So I was like, “Dad, I really want a
guitar…” so he got me this s**tty acoustic
guitar with insanely high action. From there I
just learned from those guys and then started
writing my own stuff and getting into bands. I
got an electric and a bass as well, at a garage
sale, and a crappy little solid-state amplifier
with a tremolo on it. So that was my first
stuff: a bass that hardly worked, a five-dollar
amp and a terrible acoustic.

So how did you come to be so musically

self-sufficient? You cover a lot of ground.
The whole thing was because when I first
started jamming with Simon [Ridley, drums]
in DZ, even when we had the band that was
before this band we didn’t have a bass player
so I had to figure out a way to do it. A friend
of a friend was selling this old Blues Boy 100
bass amp, so I went and bought it and then
just figured out pedal-wise how I could make
it into some kind of bass sound. It just came
out of necessity, to fill that gap, and over the
years I started figuring out which frequencies
need to be covered, then just layering the
tones to become this monster guitar sound.

So what are the secrets?

It’s a really simple setup; I split the guitar
three ways. One goes to a DI, like a powered
SansAmp kind of thing that has a gain on it,
and that’s just a really dry distorted guitar
that goes straight to the PA. Then there’s a
guitar amp, which has all the effects on it.
Modulation, delay, synthesiser effects, which
can be the really wobbly stuff but it sounds
warmer because it’s through the amp. And
then there’s the bass amp, which has a pre-DI
and then a post-DI and then a mic on the cab.
The pre-DI is the sub, the mic is the midrange,
and the buzziness comes from the post-DI.
And with each one allocated to do their thing,
and if it’s mixed right, it usually comes out
sounding huge. I can bring everything really

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 43

minimal, just go into the

SansAmp DI with a really
thin guitar, then bring the
two amps and the other DIs
in and it’ll become this really
wide-sounding noise from
the guitar.

When you’re in the

studio do you record
this setup live, or do
you overdub?
The first record we
set it up as I had it live
and I was switching the
amps on and off with the
switcher. But this record
we’ve just done [Black Rat], I
did everything separate, each
part of each riff, so that even
the low notes from the riff
would be a different tone to
the high parts. I’d split the riff
down the middle and played
the lower-end notes in one
go and the higher notes with
some different pedals. It was a
more electronic way of doing
things, like if you were writing
on the computer, putting
pieces together and effecting
everything separately. The
idea behind it is it doesn’t
wear your ears out because
you’re hearing the same
tone. It keeps alternating and
flipping around and changing.
When you hear it as one whole
thing you don’t really hear it
but when you listen closely
those notes are flip-flopping
in tones. I’ve always had the
idea to look at the guitar as
a controller.

You can hear that in

headphones; there’s a lot
going on!
Yeah, we did some
interesting stuff, like we ran
the bass tones through octave
pedals, an analog synth and
stuff like that to give it
more balls. It’s just trying
a bit of trial and error to
see what worked the
best – and then just
punish the amps
really hard!
 | 45

CAPTURE THE SOUND

WHITER SHADE OF PALE

AT THE WHITE ROOM RECORDING STUDIO
RETREAT TO THE HILLS OF BRISBANE

REVIEWED DANIEL BROWN

LIVE RECORDING
TAC-2 THUNDERBOLT AUDIO
CONVERTER AND MIXING ON THE FLY
ZOOM H5 HANDY RECORDER
TROUBLE A-BREWIN’
BROUGHT TO YOU BY SPOT THAT PESKY TECH
GLITCH IN YOUR GEAR
46 | STUDio PRoFiLe

The WhiTe Room

Bit nervous aBout calling that local studio and finding out whether
they’re the right place to finally record your guitar-related opus?
worried you won’t ask the right questions? that’s cool, it’s a Big deal
– we got this. this issue we chat with neil coomBe of the white room,
tucked up in the hills of BrisBane.

Location:
Mount Nebo in Brisbane, which is a half hour up
into the hills from the Brisbane CBD. It’s very
tranquil and peaceful and a perfect location to
make great records.

Your dimensions:
The studio pretty much takes up my entire three-
storey house here. I have a main live tracking room
which is roughly 40 square metres and the control
room itself is about 50 square metres, but I have
used many other areas of the premises for tracking
over the years, even including my bathroom on
occasion for some cool backing vocals.

Gear List:
When I set up the studio here in 1998, it was
purely analogue, with an Otari MTR90 MkII 2”
tape machine, a Soundcraft Ghost 32 channel
analogue desk and a few racks of outboard gear.
About 10 years ago I put in my first TDM Pro Tools
rig and these days I run all the analogue gear
alongside a Pro Tools HD3 system, so I sort of
have the best of both worlds on a sonic level.
My website (www.whiteroomstudio.com) has a
more detailed list of equipment on it.

cLient List:
Well, as you can imagine, over all these years I
have recorded many, many bands, but some of
the better known artists would be acts like DZ
Deathrays, The Go-Betweens, The Grates, The
Scare, The John Steel Singers, Yves Klein Blue and
The Good Ship. This month I have just finished
a new album for (INXS manager Chris Murphy’s
new signing) Barefoot Alley and also this week
just finished the tracking for a new album by
Aussie guitar legend Tim Gaze’s new band GGC.
Tim’s in his finest form ever and the new album
is a stunner. Once again, the website has a more
detailed list of clients.

reason whY this studio space

ruLes:
You’d probably have to ask the bands that I have
recorded that question, but I try to live by the
Spinal Tap philosophy of “Have a good time… all
the time” so I imagine that also creeps into most
sessions here. That may be one of the reasons,
perhaps…
most excitinG recordinG ever
made there:
Are you kidding? They’re all exciting!
secret weapon:
No real secret weapon here that I can think of, just
a lot of love, and the real desire to make every
single record I make ‘sound like God’… or as close
as I can get to it.
shortest ever session:
I generally don’t do too many short sessions,
perhaps the occasional ‘single’, a day to track and
a day to mix… So I’d probably say two days.
LonGest ever session:
In a single day I generally try to keep it to nine
hours, as when you’re working day in/day out,
much longer than that can tend to be counter-
productive. However, occasionally when record
company/touring deadlines are pressing, it
has been necessary to do 18 or 20 hours on
occasion. Although doing a string of those in a
row is definitely not for the faint-hearted and
is one of those ‘don’t try this at home, kids’
scenarios, I feel.
rates:
My single day rate here is $750, but I have done
special deals for indie bands many times over
the years, as having played and made records in
bands myself for many years before I built the
studio, I know what it’s like when you are trying
to make ‘magic on a budget’, if you know what I
mean. And any indie band will know what I mean
by that.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 PRODUCER PROFILE | 47

DANIEL BROWN
YOU MAY NOT KNOW DANIEL BROWN’S FACE, BUT YOU’RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR
WITH HIS WORK. THE JMC ALUMNUS HAS SPENT THE LAST 11 YEARS IN SYDNEY’S
TRACKDOWN STUDIOS, ENGINEERING AND RECORDING EVERYTHING FROM
COLDPLAY SHOWS TO DIALOGUE AND SCORES FOR HAPPY FEET TWO AND THE
UPCOMING MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. WHILE MOVIES ARE BROWN’S MAIN LINE OF
WORK, HE STILL KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT GETTING GREAT LIVE RECORDINGS
FROM GOOD GIGS. INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY PETER ZALUZNY.

Tell me about some of the bands

you’ve recorded live.
Here at Trackdown I’ve done One
Direction and Coldplay. Coldplay
was all live broadcast so we were
recording and mixing completely on
the fly. Calling All Cars was another
band we did and that was full on, I
saw the drummer split his finger wide
open on the last song and there was
blood everywhere.

What made Calling All Cars such

a challenge?
Well they’re a very loud band;
they’re full on. All the signals I got
from them were very much like they
were in the studio, so essentially I
had to mix it to make sure it sounded
like a rock album, but then make it
sound live, otherwise it would lose
the punch. When things are louder
it doesn’t always necessarily make it
easier to record – it’s not how loud
you make it, it’s how you make it loud.
You can always just turn the volume
all the way up, but that’s not how you
get more level. Generally I’m always
going to cut, I’m never going to push
frequencies. By pushing frequencies
constantly you’re always going to
create more room for error. You want
to take out problem frequencies, not
add new frequencies unless you have
to. Essentially it’s technique and
gain structure – gain structure and
cutting frequencies are the two
biggest things that make live sound,
sound good.
Can you talk us through gain
structure?
In a studio, you want to push all
your faders flat and push all your
levels up by gain when you start.
There’s no point giving yourself 20db
of gain on a fader that you’re going
to pull down by 20db, it’s pointless
and it gives you gain structure issues.
So if you have everything flat, you
have more control and you’re not
pushing your master all the time, you
want headroom so when you do need
to push you can slowly keep turning it
up and up and up. Then things aren’t
going to feed back, which is the other
thing. If you get feedback in a live
recording you’ve stuffed everything.
So when you’re mixing a live
recording, which instruments or
layers do you want to bring out?
In the mixes I do, I like to hear
everything. I want to make the song
or the music that they’re playing
sound as close to the studio version
as possible without overproducing it.
I always get the original and A-B the
two, so I can have a listen and work
out what the band’s focusing on, then
all the fans can think, “That’s the song
I know, but I can hear an audience.”
But sometimes a younger band may
sound better live, so you want to be
careful about how close you get to
the studio recording. Energy is what
I want to get across because you can
listen to a good mix, but if there’s no
energy there you’re not with the band. depending on which venue I go to, it of the room facing the band, there
can take eight analogue lines out. you’re going to get a lot more of the
If you’re in a band on a budget speakers but if you know you’re going
and you want to record some of And where would you place the to have a big crowd, that’s going to
your gigs, what’s an ideal setup? audience microphones? work well. Any sort of Rhode shotgun
One is with a Zoom recorder – you I would say up over the top of the mic will do it in the cheaper market, I
take two feeds so you’ve got the mics front of house speakers or on the think they’re called the NT2g, they’ve
that are on it which will capture the side of them. You need some sort of got a good dynamic range and they
crowd and anything that’s coming rejection so you’ve got to make sure can handle a lot of volume. I may even
through the live sound, and then you the speakers aren’t pointing directly use the Rode NT2s or NT2-a, something
take a balance of the front of house into the microphones. Sometimes that has a figure eight pattern on it,
mix as well. Another is a portable that’s not ideal, so then you’d put it which you can use for side rejection, so
Pro Tools rig. I have one on a 13-inch down the front of the stage in front of you’re only capturing the room.
laptop and a 002 rack system which the foldback wedges, pointing at the
can take analogue line-ins and, crowd. The other good spot is the back www.trackdown.com.au
48 | TESTING 123
ZOOM H5 HANDY RECORDER
THE ZOOM H5 RECORDER PROVES THAT GOOD THINGS DO COME IN SMALLER
PACKAGES. BY REG BARBER.
T
he Zoom H5 is a portable
recording device that uses a
system of interchangeable
microphone capsules. The different
mic capsules can be changed like
the lens of a camera depending on
what application you want to use the
H5 for. The mic capsule can also be
replaced by two XLR inputs making it
possible to record via four XLR inputs
simultaneously on one small unit. The
H5 may look familiar, it is a smaller
and much more compact version of
the Zoom H6, and Zoom have kept
all the features that made the H6 so
great and left out some of the not so
necessary ones.
If you want a device that you
can set up in a rehearsal room and
demo ideas on, then look no further,
the Zoom H5 now ships with an
XY configuration capsule capable
of handling up to 140spl. This
provides you with more than enough
headroom to capture the loudest of
jams without distorting. All those new
song ideas can be captured on an SD
card and the card can be taken out
and songs transferred to any device
with a card reader. Alternatively you
| australianguitarmag.com.au
can transfer what is on the card via
the Zoom H5’s USB port. You can
also record in the format of your
choosing: WAV if you are going for
quality of sound, or MP3 if you need
to fit as much recording time as
possible on one SD card.
The Zoom H5 can be operated on
two AA batteries for up to 15 hours,
making it the perfect device for
field recordings, or recording songs
anywhere you please. It can also be
run off the included DC adapter if you
need to record the longest album in
history. The Zoom H5 can be attached
to an SLR camera via the optional
camera mount adapter, a handy
feature if you want to film your own
gig or rehearsal.
Via the unit’s USB connection you
can also use the H5 as a multi-
channel sound card for any computer
or USB device.
The interchangeable mic capsules
make the Zoom H5 a very versatile
tool. The shotgun mic makes it great
for filming, the XY mic makes it great
for capturing stereo sound such
as a band rehearsal, and the extra
XLR inputs make it great for multi-
PRICE: $499
• Recording media: 16MB-2GB SD
cards or 4GB-32GB SDHCcards
• Recording Time (with 2GB card):
03:08:00 (44.1kHz/16-bit WAV),
34:43:00 (128 kbps MP3)
• Display: LCD (128 x 64 pixels) with
backlight
• USB bus power
• XYH-5 X/Y mic capsule
• SD card (2GB)
• Two AA size batteries
• USB cable
• Foam windscreen
• Case
• AC Adapter (optional)
• Steinberg cubase LE software
download
• Steinberg Wavelab LE software
download
tracking. The Zoom H5 can record up
to four channels simultaneously, and
being a digital device you can bounce
down multiple tracks to one track
and keep on layering tracks. The XLR
inputs can provide phantom power
independently of each other and
the gain controls are conveniently
located on the outside of the unit.
The black and white screen allows
you to easily navigate through menus
and apply effects to any of the WHAT WE RECKON
channels. The layout of the navigation
menu and external transport controls PROS
is very intuitive. This makes it easy to Portable and compact
record and playback without the need Interchangeable mic capsules
to navigate through screens.
Battery operation
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Zoom H5 may be a stripped
back version of the H6, but it has CONS
all the features that made the H6 Only ships with one mic capsule
great, just in a more portable and
convenient package. The Zoom H5 is
very versatile in terms of different
recording applications, and also CONTACT
doubles as an audio interface, DYNAMIC MUSIC
making it great value for money if
you require a device for multiple (02) 9939 1299
applications. www.dynamicmusic.com.au

ZOOM TAC-2 THUNDERBOLT
INTERFACE
THE ZOOM TAC-2 THUNDERBOLT INTERFACE OFFERS SUPER HIGH FIDELITY AND
EXTREME PORTABILTY IN A VERY USER FRIENDLY UNIT. BY REG BARBER.
Z
oom are quickly jumping onto
the thunderbolt interface
technology bandwagon with
the Zoom TAC-2 thunderbolt interface.
As the name suggests, the Zoom TAC-2
is a two input interface that would
be perfect for anyone wanting to
record demos at home or on the road
given that it is so small. It offers up
24bit 192kHz-recording quality, which
would give you more than enough
fidelity to record professional quality
recordings. The mic inputs can be
operated with phantom power, and
double as XLR and TRS inputs, with a
high impedance input on the front of
the unit so you can plug your guitar
straight in and use any third party
DAW or amplifier emulation software.
For monitoring you have the option
of headphone monitoring with an
independent volume level, or a pair of
balanced TRS jacks to send sound to
your studio monitors.
Control of the Zoom TAC-2 doesn’t
get any easier, there is just one knob
on the top to control the monitor
and headphone volume, along with
the mic input levels. The single LED
displays signal level and lets you
know when your signal is clipping.
Control of the parameters of the
Zoom TAC-2 is very similar to another
thunderbolt interface we reviewed a
few issues back!
So what’s the big deal about this
interface then, there are plenty of
units that do the same thing I hear
you say? One word – thunderbolt.
The Zoom TAC-2 is very fast, with
the thunderbolt connection giving
you a data transfer rate of 10 GB a
second, which results in the tiniest,
most miniscule amount of latency.
This is important if you are plugging
straight into the unit and using guitar
software like Amplitube; zero latency
makes it feel like you are plugging
straight into an amp and makes the
whole experience of using software
emulations a bit more fun.
Thunderbolt also offers 10 watts
of external power, making the Zoom
TAC-2 bus powered and requiring no
external power supply. This makes
it an ideal interface for someone
wanting a portable recording solution
of a very high quality. Included with
the Zoom TAC-2 is a thunderbolt cable,
which is great to get up and running
straight away but if you have ever
bought a thunderbolt cable you’ll
know that they’re not cheap, given
that the cable itself has a computer
chip in each end. The thunderbolt
connection provides 18 volts of
power, which is more than enough to
provide phantom power to condenser
microphones. The converters in the
Zoom TAC-2 sound amazingly clear
| 49
PRICE: $685
• 2-in/2-out high speed Thunderbolt
audio interface
• Support for recording and playback
up to 24-bit/192kHz
• Ultra-low latency audio streaming
• Two combo balanced XLR/TRS input
connectors
• Phantom power for each input
• Hi-Z input jack allows direct
connection of electric guitar or bass
• Two balanced TRS output jacks for
connection to amplifiers or self-
powered speakers
• Dedicated headphone jack with
independent level control
• 7-position LED metering for input,
output and headphone volume
• High-performance Burr Brown
mic preamps with up to +60dB of
amplification
• Asynchronous transfer system
unaffected by computer jitter
• Simple user interface – all operations
controlled by a single rotary knob
• Bus powered
• Rugged yet compact and lightweight
• Works with all Thunderbolt-equipped
Macintosh computers running OS X
10.8.5 or later
and defined, thanks in part to the high
quality AD/DA convertors and the four
times up-sampling. The up-sampling
processes audio at a resolution four
times higher than the usual 48k which
results in a crystal clear top end and
clarity. The Zoom TAC-2 is no ordinary
computer interface.
Included with the Zoom TAC-2 is
access to the free Zoom TAC-2 MixEfx
software. This additional software
allows you to add effects such as
reverb and edit the parameters on
your computer. It also allows you to
flip the phase if you are using the two
mic inputs, or apply a low pass filter WHAT WE RECKON
to the mic inputs if required, and
there is also an auto gain feature to PROS
help get levels quickly. You can use Bus powered
the Zoom TAC-2 MixEfx software to
Thunderbolt connection
blend the input signal with playback
through your DAW for absolutely zero Very portable
latency, but latency is no issue with
this device.
CONS
THE BOTTOM LINE No expansion option like ADAT
Overall the Zoom TAC-2 is an input
extremely high quality unit for
home recording or just about any
application where sound quality and
portability are important. The Zoom CONTACT
TAC-2 is a definite step up in terms of DYNAMIC MUSIC
audio quality from any firewire or USB
device I have used. A great interface (02) 9939 1299
and well worth checking out. www.dynamicmusic.com.au
50 | home recording

The
PhanTom menace
EvEr EncountErEd baffling tEchnical problEms in your homE studio?
Ross WAldRon has. nabbing that ElusivE bug in your systEm can
bE a rEal hasslE, so rEad on to sEE how to troublEshoot your way
through gEar problEms.

Phantom Power is approximately 48 volts

A
few days ago, a friend of mine came to me
seeking help to solve the most bizarre and
frustrating problem with an audio interface
that either of us had ever encountered.
He had just set himself up with a new home
studio. New Mac, new audio interface and DAW,
mics, monitors, cables and room treatment –
all brand spanking new and ready to record!
Everything seemed to be running smoothly at first.
Previous projects could be opened and mixed,
instruments were recorded via DI and much fun was
had. Then things started to get really out of whack.
He needed to record a voiceover and had plugged a
large, expensive diaphragm condenser microphone
into the first channel on the interface. The signal
was present; everything appeared to be working as
it should’ve. A few passes were recorded but there
appeared to be an odd sounding crackle, hum and
interference in the recordings. A quick zoom in on
the timeline revealed the strangest waveform either
of us had ever seen. It appeared to be squiggly in
a completely random way, meandering all over the
track with no distinct smooth up and down wave
morphology and an occasional large spike.
The troubleshooting process was started
immediately, checking every link in the signal
chain. First, we changed the microphone but to
our dismay the same problems occurred and our
descent down the rabbit hole of dysfunctional
technology gathered momentum…
1. Swapped the cable – same problems.
2. Checked all internal software routing/buffer
size – Still dodgy.
3. Sequentially tried all four different preamps
on the interface – no change.
4. Plugged the interface into another computer
on the premises – no difference.
5. Took the interface to an entirely different
studio and DAW – problem still there.
6. Tried yet another, more inexpensive mic as
we really weren’t sure what was going on –
it still sounded and looked bad on the
track timeline.
7. Updated drivers and software – useless.
8. Tried the interface in different software – still
no change.
After trying all the standard fixes, it was becoming
glaringly obvious that there was a major problem,
but where the hell was it? After tearing our hair out
(what’s left of it) over this baffling little conundrum,
we tried the previously tested microphones (all
three of them) on a few different interfaces and
sure enough, it was revealed that the three
formerly functional microphones were now very
expensive paperweights, sending crazy signals to
any interface they were plugged into. What was
the meaning of this? Aliens trying to make contact?
The brand new audio interface was sneakily
destroying microphones!
Faced with such a nefarious dilemma, the obvious
place to look first was at the phantom power* being
sent from the unit. Standard phantom power sends
about 48 volts to microphones so we dusted off the
multimeter and tested the signal that was being

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 51

Probing the pins

sent from the audio interface. What we discovered

was quite shocking (no pun intended). When the
phantom power was switched on it sent an initial
spike of 60 volts and continued to send that
voltage! When it was switched off, the power did
not cut immediately but slowly trickled off over a
period of at least 20 seconds. This is most certainly
not normal behaviour for a preamp! Having
discovered that the cause of the nasty problems
was the global phantom power being sent from
the interface, we were left with three damaged
microphones and a useless interface - certainly not
a pleasant start to a new home studio venture.
This irksome experience demonstrated how
difficult it can be to immediately isolate a bug in
a system and just how elusive they can be. As we
are not electronic engineers or even slightly savvy
enough to fix the problem ourselves, the next
logical step was to take it back to the retailer
and make it their problem to sort out. Never try
to fix a suspected electronics problem yourself
if you are not sure what you are doing. Opening
the box can void your warranty, cause greater
damage or even deliver you an electric shock if
there are recently active capacitors inside. Leave
it to the professionals.
If something as diabolical as our problem ever
happens to you, don’t be afraid to take it back to the
place of purchase and confidently ask for a refund
These laws apply to online retailers within
Australia as well, but if you are buying from an
TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS
or replacement. Australian consumer law states overseas supplier through eBay or another website, The trouble with using technology is that
that if a product is faulty, you have a right to a consider your options carefully before buying. although reliability is improving all the time (yes,
replacement, repair, or refund. If you do encounter Australian consumer protection will most probably even Behringer gear!), it is not infallible and neither
difficulty with replacing your device, it will serve not apply to purchases made overseas and the are you. How many times have you encountered
you well to read up about your rights. The laws and money you saved on the initial purchase may be a problem that seems to be unsolvable and then
your rights are documented at the following website negated with postage and repair costs if you have to stumbled on a solution that seemed so obvious
– www.accc.gov.au/consumers send it back. that you should have realised it at first? Most
52 | home recording

Not what you

want to see in a
waveform

problems can be localised to a single point in And just for a laugh,

your chain so the first step is to isolate the link this guy is the very last
that is causing the issues. Go through every single person you should ever
piece of hardware and peripherals present in your take recording advice
studio, isolating each item individually. With rapidly from but he never ceases
changing hardware configurations and operating to make me chuckle… Tad
system updates, it’s very easy to break what was a Donley at Expert Village –
previously stable system and introduce all sorts of http://bit.ly/taddonley
mischievous gremlins, so be wary of everything you I couldn’t get the BOOM!
change with your hardware or software. Be sure Check out his videos for
to document how to reverse your changes if the a laugh but please don’t
process goes awry, and never attempt a software or follow his advice!
operating system update without backing up your
system first! *PhAntom
If you are upgrading software, will your previous Power
projects still be compatible with the new software?
Check with the manufacturer’s website before you Never ‘hot plug’ a
install any upgrades. microphone into a cable
Cables and connectors are usually the most sending phantom power.
common source of problems in a small home studio Most modern microphones 1. Bizarre
setup. It’s not surprising when you start to add up are quite robust and will waveform
the sheer number of cables that are introduced into handle being hot plugged
the signal chain as more and more equipment is without any problems
added. Check them first and invest in a cable tester but it’s a good idea to get
if need be. in the habit of disabling
phantom power when
get online And changing microphones.
contribute Hot plugging can, on rare
occasions, damage the
Online forums are full of a lot of junk advice but mic and possibly send an
if you sift through the crap and persevere you will audio spike through studio
usually find a near exact answer that you need. monitors or PA speakers
Join up and post your problems; don’t just be an if they are on. It’s
observer. If everybody only browsed, the forums important to remember
wouldn’t exist and you’d still be dealing with your that if you are using
unsolvable problem! Try these forums first: some much older ribbon
www.gearslutz.com – probably the oldest and microphones, phantom
most comprehensive forum on the net, do yourself power can damage them
a favour and join up. There’s a good chance you’ll permanently!
find a thread where someone else has encountered Testing phantom
the same or a similar problem. If that’s not the power being sent from 2. Bizarre
case, start a new thread and you’ll find a whole a channel is a relatively waveform
again!
community of people just like you who are willing simple process. Set your
to share their experience and help with those multimeter to 0-50 DC
pesky issues. volts and plug a cable into your preamp/channel
The site www.recording.org is another great (make sure the gain/fader is down to be safe). Place
XLR pin configuRation
forum with oodles of threads containing recording the black probe into Pin 1 and the red probe into
tips, gear reviews and troubleshooting help. pin 2 or 3 (see XLR cable diagram and photos on the pin 1 Ground (earth)
Unfortunately, some major manufacturers of audio previous page). The multimeter should read close to
devices actually charge for forum access but if you 48 volts (within 0.5 volts). Some cheaper equipment pin 2 Positive Signal + (Hot)
dig deep enough through the public forums, you will may send far less or (as documented earlier in this pin 3 Negative signal – (Cold)
often find buried treasure! article) far more voltage.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
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56 | FEATURE

The

| australianguitarmag.com.au
Taking
e Crown
HE MAY BE SPORTING TWO LESS STRINGS THAN WE’D LIKE, BUT ROYAL BLOOD’S BASS PLAYER MIKE
KERR IS MAKING MORE NOISE THAN MOST GUITAR DUOS WOULD EVEN DREAM OF. HE STOPPED BY
AG HEADQUARTERS DURING THEIR AUSTRALIAN TOUR TO SHARE TALES OF FINDING THEIR SOUND
AND PLAYING IN FRONT OF A GUY CALLED JIMMY PAGE. BY LACHLAN MARKS.
PHOTOS BY SANDRA MARKOVIC
R
oyal Blood have been touted as the saviours of hard rock, a
bombastic UK two-piece that boasts tricky multiple octave
pedal and amplifier setups to deliver truly wall-shaking riffage.
Frontman and bass player Mike Kerr might keep the exact secrets to
their sound close to his chest but he was happy to talk about their
sudden rise to stardom and some of the basics of how they did it,
when they pulled into Australian Guitar HQ after a sold-out local tour.
What led you to the sound you’re now doing? Did you start on
guitar or were you always a bass player?
Well no, actually, piano is really my main instrument. I started
playing keys when I was about six. I picked up the bass when I got
this phone call, at the time I was in a band playing bass lines on a
synth bass, going through some distortion into a big f***ing classic
Ampeg 8x10. Someone thought I was playing bass, and they called me
up saying they were making this new project, a punk rock band, and
asked if I would come play bass in it. It was like “You play bass right?”
so I said “Yeah”. I borrowed a bass off a friend, and I didn’t have a job
at the time, it seemed like easy money. I had to kind of pick it up in a
week. The parts didn’t sound too hard but it was a bit of a struggle.
Looking back on it I did an awful job, I’m amazed no one noticed! I’ve
always admired the musicality of bass players like Chris Wolstenholme
[Muse] who have these big bass sounds, and that’s what got me into
it properly. After that session was when I got really into bass playing
and started fucking around with pedals and stuff. There was this band
called Haunts, who never got really big, but the guy had this great
bass sound, which got me into Big Muffs and SansAmps, making these
big heavy distortion sounds, using more than one amp, and splitting
signals. That’s what got me into this whole thing really, but it was
more about making those kind of noises than about actually being a
bass player to begin with.
When did the two of you end up in a room together saying,
“Let’s be a band”?
Probably when I’d learned how to find a sound that was adequate
enough for a two-piece. Before that I’d never had any desire to be in
a two-piece band because before that I didn’t really like the idea of
that limitation and having only two options. But I developed what I felt
was a tone that was unique to me, so when I had that and we played
together, we realised we could get away with just two people, and it
was really exciting then. Apparently someone yesterday [at our show]
thought there was a guitarist hidden backstage, which is the biggest
compliment ever!
| 57
Are you willing to let us in on your tone secrets, or is it
shrouded in mystery?
The only mystery really is what lies under the jack cable, so the
three amps that I use. Unfortunately I just don’t talk about it, not
because I want to be douchey about it, but if I give it away it really
would be to give it away! People could run off with it, so it’s something
I’m very protective of. But the basses themselves are a weird one. The
first one I saw, I was visiting my cousin in Chicago on a holiday when I
was about 20. I went to the guitar centre there and I saw this bass on
the wall, and I had that Wayne’s World moment, “F***, what is that?!”
It was a short scale Gretsch Electromatic, about $190 in a sale. I still
don’t know anything about basses other than that I picked it up and it
felt great, it was so light. I’d never played a short scale before, and on
the session I’d done I’d been playing a big old Fender bass, so this one
felt just like my guitar at home. A lot of my style is using lots of open
strings and hammer-ons, and it allowed me to make bigger jumps. I’ve
got small hands too. I like instruments you can lounge around with at
home, and all the full size ones just don’t feel like that.
The way you’ve configured your amps is pretty cool too!
At the moment I’ve been using Fender DeVilles. I’ve turned them
around too, which is just so I can turn them up f***ing loud. At a
venue of that size [Oxford Art Factory, Sydney] it would normally feed
straight into my microphone, but this way we can have them nearly at
full, absolutely cranking them. It amazes me the difference it makes.
Also, putting a mic behind the amp and recording from back there is
something awesome and weird. I use two of them and a bass amp, and
there’s at least two signals running at a time. Someone told me that
when you’re recording bass distortion, I think Chris [Wolstenholme]
does this, you have two signals, a clean bass and a distortion, and
then you blend them together because distortion always seems to kill
the low end.
I notice you’re using in-ears too.
I only started using them two months ago; I’ve gotta look after my
hearing. I mean, I’m standing there in front of that rig for an hour
every night, and with Ben [Thatcher] beating the shit out of his drums
too… It’s mostly a vocal thing though. But then it’s also a technical
thing on stage, because with the amount of gain going into those
amps, you could shout into those pickups, you know, so as soon as
there’s a foldback at the front of the stage it goes into the pickup and
starts fucking with the amps, and this was the best way to get around
the problem without changing our sound. But at the end of the set
58 | FEATURE

last night my monitors broke and I had to wear earplugs. It was

terrible, I couldn’t hear anything. I didn’t know if I was singing
in tune!

With Royal Blood forming in late 2012, what sparked the

hype to take off and end up where you are now?
From the moment we put our first track up, we were on the
phone to a publisher who was offering us a development deal,
which gave us the chance to go into hiding for eight months
to write a record and grow the band. So we didn’t have to do
anything during that time, we could quit our jobs and put all our
focus into the band. By the time it came to putting a song out we
had a full set written, but no one knew who we were, so we could
be really aggressive with how we announced ourselves. And
when we put up the first single it was really well received. BBC
Radio 1’s Zane Lowe got onto it very quickly, and the very first
time he played it on his show he played it twice in a row, because
it was our debut and he’s a big rock fan. He’s a really respected
voice in the industry so we had radio really going for us before
we even hit the stage, and there was almost this battle for us to
pre-empt them on the road. But we went out and did a full UK
tour, played to about 20 people a night, sometimes none, and at
this point we were still on radio, so we were like “What?” They
say people need to have three things – hear it on the radio, see it
in a magazine, and be at a show – to really be convinced. So then
we did another tour and that sold out, like 300 people a night.
It was really organic, led by fans, and I think we won that battle,
we had fans before we were jumping into bed with Jools Holland
and all that!

It’s great that you’ve been embraced by Triple J here

because there’s a lot of debate about what they do, and it’s
pretty rare for something that sits in the riff-rock spectrum
to be accepted there. Is there any kind of pressure for you
guys, having been embraced by the media as kind of the
saviours of The Big Riff? Do you feel like it’s the right time
for that resurgence of primeval rock’n’roll?
I don’t think there’s ever been a wrong time! There’s always
this myth that rock’n’roll is gonna come back, but I don’t think it’s
gone anywhere. I think there are seasons of different genres and
they have been in the limelight for quite some time and there
are great bands out there doing great rock music. I’m a big fan of
DZ Deathrays and I got to go watch those guys when I lived here.
There’s loads of good rock music, but maybe we just had the right
band for the right time. Although in some ways we were writing
them at completely the wrong time! We were amazed it even got
on the radio, we were like, “Why are they playing our four-minute
song that’s just riff after riff after riff, straight after, y’know alt-J
or someone?” So it’s crazy. I’ve always been a big fan of Triple
J. I still listen to it at home, and I think it’s one of the best radio
stations in the world, it’s such a good way of finding new music.
For them to be fighting our cause on a daily basis is amazing.

I noticed you guys got a snap with Jimmy Page at a show

recently! What was that like?
Mental. I mean, he’s my hero; he was in the greatest rock’n’roll
band on Earth in my opinion. We heard he was coming but
I didn’t wanna get my hopes up. He showed up with some
bodyguards, and 10 minutes before we turned up we were told
he was there up the back. I walked on stage, walked past him
and I was like, “Fuck. I’m gonna play in front of my hero”. But we
walked off stage and he was waiting in our dressing room. He
was the nicest guy, and I got the impression he’s still as excited
about music as he was back then, and that’s all we talked about.
He was very complimentary of the show and he wished us the
best of luck. I’ll never forget that.

With your debut LP having just been released, do you still

revere the full-length album as a format?
Well absolutely, and I mean, Led Zeppelin being my favourite
band, they never put singles out, they put out a body of work.
These days it’s all about singles but you still want to really
capture something, and I think that’s what we tried to do on this
record, to capture whatever it is we’re doing now, including all
the scars and mistakes.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
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HOT
GEAR
PRESONUS AUDIOBOX I-SERIES: USB/IPAD RECORDING
SYSTEMS
AUDIOBOX IONE: $199; AUDIOBOX ITWO: $249;
URL: www.nationalaudio.com.au
Excellent choices for mobile musicians, sound designers, and podcasters, the
USB 2.0 bus-powered AudioBox iOne and iTwo provide high-quality audio I/O for
Mac, PC, and Apple iPad. These compact, ruggedly built interfaces offer high-
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integrated hardware/software solutions, and the AudioBox i-Series is no exception.
PreSonus’ award-winning analog signal processors and microphone preamps
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So when you see the name PreSonus, you expect top audio quality — and the
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“wall wart” power supply or AC cord, plus, they’re built to withstand the rigors
of travel.
MC SYSTEMS – SYD STRING REVIVER EFFECTS
PEDAL
RRP: $245 URL: www.cmcmusic.com.au
The SYD String Reviver is the second effects pedal released in MC
System’s Apollo range. The String Reviver has been designed to aid
guitarists in their quest for better clean tones on electric guitar
and improved clarity on amplified acoustics. Put the SYD String
Reviver between your instrument and any amp or mixer and you’ll
think someone’s hot-rodded your clean channel to give you more
air and sparkle on your tops and add more definition to your mids.
Operation is simple with the Definition knob adding – you guessed
it – more definition, and the Slope knob helping you zero in on the
perfect tonal sweet spot for your personal setup. The Alternate
switch lets you quickly switch between two handy and independently
adjustable boost levels, while the SYD String Reviver’s tone shaping
circuitry feeds a patent pending, true bypass V-Switch which lets
you add additional definition by setting a second definition level
and stepping on the switch. How hard you step on the V-Switch
determines how much additional definition you get! From subtly
improved definition to in-your-face bells and cleans, the Apollo
range’s V-Switch lets you stomp with attitude!

TC ELECTRONIC PLAY ELECTRIC

RRP: $749
URL: www.ambertech.com.au

Play Electric is the exciting new addition to the TC-Helicon range. Hot on
the heels of the already massively popular Play Acoustic, the Play Electric
is the perfect balance of Helicon and TonePrint to rock your world! The Play
Electric’s professional vocal FX include pitch-correction, adaptive tone
shaping and three-part harmony guided by your guitar chords. The two
additional voices in the harmony section can be further augmented with
TC-Helicon’s Humanized Doubling feature. FX and tone shaping functions of
the Play Electric include Tone, Harmony, Hard Tune, Reverb, Double, Delay,
Mod (chorus/flange etc.), and Transducer (megaphone/distortion FX). Play
Electric is also a looper! The VLoop function offers up to 60 seconds of
mono loop time and even Undo and Redo functions for perfect layering
on-the-fly. Guitar FX are provided by TC Electronic’s TonePrint technology
and offer styles from Flashback Delay, Hall of Fame Reverb and Corona
Chorus. Guitar amp emulations from VoiceLive 3, including “no amp” and
“Acoustic Shape” (BodyRez) bring out the life and tone in your guitar so
you can focus on your performance. The TC-Helicon Play Electric is expected
to hit Australia this month.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 61

STUDIOCONNECT
SEAGULL EXCURSION SERIES
RRP: $99.99 URL: www.griffintechnology.com
RRP: $749 URL: www.godinaus.com.au
Connect your guitar, bass and MIDI instruments to your iPad and
Rugged, bare bones and packed full of tone! Made GarageBand. Digital music-making has never been easier. Owning an
in Canada, the Seagull Excursion Series sets a new iPad makes it easier still, taking it to a whole new level of versatility and
benchmark in affordable, quality crafted North portability. StudioConnect gives your iPad audio in/out, MIDI in/out, and
American-made acoustic guitars. It was a very a stereo headphone jack with its own volume control so you can monitor
difficult task to create a Canadian-made acoustic what’s going in (or out). Whether you’re a serious musician, a confirmed
guitar with this level of build quality while making hobbyist, or a budding composer, you know about MIDI (Musical Instrument
it so incredibly affordable. However, the fine team Digital Interface). Unlike audio recording, MIDI lets you capture the digital
of luthiers in Princeville, Quebec rose to the instructions for a musical performance, and then play them back later on
challenge and made it happen. These instruments a MIDI instrument. In one compact device for your iPad, StudioConnect
feature wild cherry top, back and sides made of a combines both the audio and the MIDI hemispheres of the audio world.
three-layer lamination of real hardwood, Silver Plug your guitar into StudioConnect’s mono 1/4” instrument jack and play
Leaf Maple necks, rosewood fingerboards and directly into GarageBand or other apps. Or plug a recorder or mixer into
bridges, burn stamped rosettes and custom StudioConnect’s stereo 3.5 mm input jack and connect the whole band to your
polished finishes. Also, similar to the S6 Slim, iPad. Left and right-channel RCA plugs give you line-level stereo audio-out.
the Excursion models feature the Seagull Slim For your headphone there’s a separate front-panel 3.5 mm stereo jack with
neck with a 1.72” nut width, which is great for its own volume knob. For your MIDI controller or drum pad, StudioConnect’s
players who are more accustomed to a more rear panel gives you a standard 5-pin DIN MIDI-in port. For MIDI Out, there’s
traditional nut width. another 5-pin DIN MIDI connector on StudioConnect’s rear panel. Connect it
to your sequencer,
patch bay, or other
MIDI gear. This lets
you launch your
GUITARCONNECT PRO favourite MIDI
controller app and
RRP: $89.99 URL: www.griffintechnology.com use your iPad as a
musical instrument.
The direct digital connection you need. GuitarConnect Pro adds a guitar input StudioConnect
to your Mac, iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. At one end, a 1/4” mono instrument lets you connect
jack fits your instrument cable, and at the other, there are three detachable everything for music-
cables for use with both iOS devices with Lightning connectors and 30-pin making to your iPad,
dock connectors, as well as Mac computers with USB ports. Plug in a guitar, and connect your
bass, keyboard... anything that takes a 1/4” mono plug. GuitarConnect Pro iPad to everything
gives you the best connection from your instrument straight into GarageBand musical. And as if
and your other audio apps. And it gives you a Gain Control wheel so you can that weren’t enough,
balance the strength of your input signal. GuitarConnect Pro opens up a world it even charges your
of digital audio possibilities for your playing. Use your Multi-Touch screen iPad while you play.
to tune, record, edit, add effects, and overdub while you play. The compact
combo of GuitarConnect Pro plus your iOS device lets you take your editing
setup with you in your instrument case. CIOKS ADAM-LINK
RRP: $209 URL: www.ambertech.com.au

Cioks recently announced their new Link-Series power supplies which

have been enjoying major success. The Adam-Link is the newest addition
to the Link-Series and it upholds Cioks’ tradition of making high-quality,
clever configurations that players need. The Adam-Link is a four-outlet
power supply compact enough to fit under the smallest models of
Pedaltrain pedalboards. It offers voltages 9 or 12V and a total output
current of 700mA. The top two fixed 9V outlets will each power a medium
current pedal. The bottom two outlets, configurable to either 9 or 12V,
will power two or even more standard low current pedals when used with
Split Flex or 3-way daisy chain. If needed, all four isolated outlets will give
TC ELECTRONIC DITTO GOLD you 9V DC in the default position of the settings switch. Four threaded
holes in the bottom of the power supply are positioned in a way to allow
RRP: $229 URL: www.ambertech.com.au easy attaching of the unit to a pedalboard. Particularly with Pedaltrain
boards both top and underside mounting is possible using just two
Love gold? So does TC Electronic. That’s screws. All the needed parts are included, the only thing you have to do is
why they’ve made an exclusive limited run drill two holes in the pedalboard.
of their most popular and game-changing
mini-pedal, the Ditto Looper. The Ditto Gold
includes all that is good about loopers,
only the non-essential, mood-killing tech
hoopla has been trimmed away to leave a
looper that is intuitive, tons of fun, sounds
great, and doesn’t break the bank. Ditto
Gold will retail for the same price as the
regular Ditto and only 5,000 units will
be available worldwide. It will arrive in
Australia this month.
 ‘
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 | 63

AC/DC
Back In Black
© Copyright J Albert & Son Pty Limited. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

E5 D5 A5 B5 G5 D A/C#

Intro
q = 90 Gtr. 1 + Gtr. 2 (elec.)

         
Gtr. 1 (elec.) E5 D5 A5
 
Gtr. 1 only*

              
             
         
w/medium amp gain full

X X X X X X
 3 0


X X X X X X 3 3 3 3 0
X X X X X X
 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0
2
X X X X X X 2 0 0 0 2 2 2
X X X X X X 2 0 0 0
X X X X X X 0
* sim throughout

  
E5 D5 A5

         
 
             
 

 
3 3 3
2
2
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
0 2 2 2 2

0 4 5 6 7

E5 D5 A5

     
    
Verse
      
          

   
1. Back in black I hit the sack, I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back. Yes I’m

   
2. Back in the back of a Ca -dil - lac, num - ber one with a bul - let, I’m a pow - er pack. Yes I’m

                
     
    full

 3 0


3 3 3 3 0
 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0
2
2 0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0 0 0
0

E5 D5 A5
          

        
 
let loose from the noose that’s kept me hang - in’ a - bout. I keep

  
in a bang, with a gang, they got - ta catch me if they want me to hang, ’Cause I’m

        
 
       
        
 

 
3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 4 5 6 7
64 | TABLATURE

E5 D5 A5
     
                    
look - in’ at the sky ’cause it’s get - tin’ me high, for - get the hearse ’cause I’ll nev - er die. I got

   
back on the track and I’m beatin’ the flack, no - bo - dy’s gon - na get me on an- oth - er rap. So
   
              
    
   full

3 0


3 3 3 3 0
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0
2 0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0 0 0
0

E5 D5 A5
      
                   


nine lives, cat’s eyes, a - bus - in’ ev - ’ry one of them and run - nin’ wild.

   
’Cause I’m
look at me now, I’m just - a mak - in’ my play, don’t try to push your luck, just get out - ta my way.

        
 
      
       
 

 
3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
0 4 5 6 7

$
Chorus A5 E5 B5 A5 B5 A5 E5 B5 A5 B5
     
        

    
back, yes I’m back. Well I’m
       
            
                


2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4
2 2 4 2 4 2 2 4 2 4
0 2 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
0 0

  
G5 D5 A5 G5 D5 A5
         

back, yes I’m back. Well I’m

         

               
        
      
1/4 1/4

3 3


3 3 3 3
0 2 2 2 0 2 2 2
0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 65

E5 B5 A5 B5 A5 E5 B5 A5 B5
             
 
          

   
back, back,

           
        
                 


2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4
2 2 4 2 4 2 2 4 2 4
0 2 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
0 0

1.
G5 D
            
   
back in black, yes I’m back in black.
    
  
  
             
      
         
       
         
3 3 3 2 2 2


3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0

3 3 3 3

2. Solo
D E5 D5 A/C# E5
         
   

        

back in black.
3


Gtr. 1

     
          
       
  
     
2 2 2


3 3 3
2 2 2 0 2 3 2 0 2
0 0 0 2
0 0 0 7 5 5 4 4 2

   
0

    
Gtr. 2

       
     
   
Fig. 1…


2 2 2
0 0 0 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3
66 | TABLATURE

     
E5 D5 A5C# E5 A5 E5 A5

      
3
    

 

 
3


7 7 7 7 7
7 5 5 4 4

   
0

        
           
       
…Fig. 1 ends


2 2 2
0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2
2 0 0 0 4 4 4 2 0 2 0
0 0 0


                  

E5 D5 A/C# E5
    
 


 
Gtr. 2 plays Fig. 1 full full


5 8 5 8 10 11 10 8 10 8
7 7 9 9 9 12 12
9 14

       
      
D5 A/C# E5 A5 E5 A5
  
  

            
 

3
full 1/2 1/2 full full


15 15 15
14 15 14 14 12 14 12 12 14 12 14 14
12 14 14 14

  

 
                           
E5 D5
A/C# E5
     
   

  



3 3 3
full full full full full full full

12 12 12 15


12 15 15 15 15 15 12 12 15
14 12 14 14 14 14 12 14 12 14
14 12 13 14

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 67

E5 D5 A/C#
 E5 A5 E5 A5
 
        
 
 

   
        
  


6

 
full 1/2 full

12


14 15 15 15 12 12
12 14 12 14 14 14 12 14 14 12
14 14 14 14 14 14

              

     
E5 D5 A/C# E5

     

 let ring...
 
 14
full full

0 0 0 0 0 12


0 3 5 5 3 3 2 0 2 2 12 15 15
4

D.S. al Coda
D5 A/C# E5 A5 E5 A5
  
     

 
       
    
Well I’m

          



  

1/2

0 0 0 0 0 0


5 3 3 5 3 0 2 3 2 0 0 2 14 12 14
14 12 14
0

Ø Coda


D [E5]
     
   
back in black.

     
(Gtrs. 1+2)


     
                                  
       1/4 1/4

2 2 2


3 3 3

 
2 2 2
0 0 0
0 0 0 5 4 2 4 2 2 2 5 4 2 4 2 2 2
0 3 5 6 7 0 3 5 6 7

5
68 | TABLATURE

 
                 
        
 1/4 1/4

 0
5 4 2 4
3
2
5
2
6
2
7
 0
5 4 2 4
3
2
5
2
6
2
7


 
[A5]

                   
        
 1/4 1/4

 

5 4 2 4 2 2 2 5 4 2 4 2 2 2
0 3 5 6 7 0 3 5 6 7

[E5]
    
   

 
Well I’m

                  
        
 1/4 1/4

 0
5 4 2 4
3
2
5
2
6
2
7
 0
5 4 2 4
3
2
5
2
6
2
7

A5 E5 B5 A5 B5 A5 E5 B5 A5 B5
Chorus
  

   

  
    

    

 

 
back, back,

                    
                


2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4
2 2 4 2 4 2 2 4 2 4
0 2 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
0 0

G5 D5 A5 G5 D5 A5
           
       
back, back,

         
                
         
     
1/4 1/4

3 3


3 3 3 3
0 2 2 2 0 2 2 2
0 0 2 2 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 69

E5 B5 A5 B5 A5 E5 B5 A5
          
 
    

    

 
back, back, I’m

       
                
                


2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4
2 2 4 2 4 2 2 4 2 4
0 2 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
0 0

G5 D5
           
   


back in black, yes I’m back in black.
    
  
    
            
           
  

      
3 3 3


3 3
0 0
0 0
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 15
0 0 0 0 0 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0

   
3 3 3 3
Gtr. 2

  
 
 



  
   
2 
2 2


3 3 3
2 2 2
0 0 0
0 0 0

A5
        
   


I wan - na say it!

  
      



1/2


12 10 10

     

 

  
  P.S.


 

2
2
0 X
X 0
P.S.

7
70 | TABLATURE

        

Outro

 
E5 D5 A/C# E5

          
  

 
Gtr. 2 plays Fig. 1 1/4


12

5 3 3 5 3 2 2 3 2 0 0 2 X 12
 X
14

           

D5 A/C# E5 A5 E5 A5

 

      

     

   full

12
full


5 3 3 5 3 2 2 3 2 0 0 2 15 12 15

                
       
E5 D5 A/C# E5

  
    
   


  


6
1/2


full full full full full

12 16 16


16
15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 12 12
14 12
14 14

Continue solo
ad lib. to fade


D5 A/C# E5 A5 E5 A5

            
3

                   
 
3 3
    
3 

 
17 15 15


17 17 15 17 15 15
16 16 14 16 14 12 14 12
14
14 12
14 12 14 12
14
14 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 

| australianguitarmag.com.au
72 | shootout

ThaT’s My GuiTar:
Signature Model Shootout
When you play someone else’s signature guitar, you’re telling gear-savvy audiences a little
bit more about yourself – but are you saying “i love the artist Who designed this” or “i love
this guitar despite its origins”? by Peter HodgSon.

S
ignature guitars have been around a long time – heck, the Gibson
Les Paul is such an icon unto itself that it’s taken on a life far beyond
its association with one of the most famous guitarists of the ‘40s
and ‘50s. Some signature guitars see success on those same terms: “Does
this guitar stand alone when you divorce it from its association with the
artist that designed it?” Others seem inextricably linked with the source
of their inspiration, and it’s hard to strap one on without prompting your
audience to play a real quick game of “Guess who my favourite guitarist
is”. On review here are seven signature models, some of which are blatant
signature guitars and some of which stand on their own merits for the use
of everyone whilst also being exactly what a certain player wanted in their
own axe.

EVH StripEd SEriES

(getting flatter as you travel towards the higher
notes) with comfortable rolled edges and 22
frets. There’s an EVH-branded, flush-mounted
Floyd Rose tremolo with an EVH D-Tuna, a
clever device that instantly flips the guitar into
Drop-D tuning. Four colours are available: white
with black stripes and a pickguard (inspired by
Eddie’s original white Frankenstein guitar); red
with white and black stripes and no pickguard
(inspired by the same guitar after Eddie painted
and further modded it); black with yellow stripes
(based on the famous ‘Van Halen II guitar’)
and the just-announced Circles model, which
replicates the finish on the guitar seen in Van
Halen’s “Unchained” music video.
Sonically this is a very stripped-back guitar,
but that forces you to be more creative to drag
out different ones with your pick attack or the
volume knob setting. The Wolfgang humbucker
occupies a weird area in between ‘moderate’
and ‘high output,’ with enough clarity to give
each note plenty of punch but also enough
power to give you some rather nice sustain.
The neck is extremely comfortable with its
asymmetric profile and compound radius,
and the fretwork is nicer than many guitars in

I
t’s the guitar that everyone wanted to exist
but never thought would see the light of
day: a stripped-down, striped Strat based
on Eddie Van Halen’s late ‘70s/early ‘80s axes.
This isn’t an exact reproduction like, say, the
$25,000 Frankenstein guitars released a few
years ago. Rather, it’s much more akin to the
super-rare Charvel EVH Art Series guitars first
released about a decade ago. While those ones
were personally painted by Eddie, the Mexican-
made EVH Striped models are painted in the
factory. The body is basswood and the pickup
is an EVH Wolfgang model humbucker wired up
to a single volume pot. In a long-running Eddie
in-joke the pot reads ‘Tone’ instead of ‘Volume’.
The fretboard has a 12”-16” compound radius
this price range. Will it make you sound like
EVH? Well, it certainly gets you in the ballpark
especially if you dig his more recent tones.
Perhaps the EVH Frankenstein humbucker
would technically be more accurate, but who
knows – perhaps they tried both pickups and
decided that the Wolfgang was better suited
to basswood.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 73

ErniE Ball Music Man alBErt lEE MM90

T
here are several different Music Man
Albert Lee models, including one with
three single coils and one with a pair
of humbuckers (and you might have seen the
latter being played by St. Vincent during her
Australian tour earlier this year). This model
features three Music Man MM90 single coil
pickups based on the venerable P90. All of
the standard Albert Lee Music Man specs are
here: a southern ash body with a select maple
neck and fretboard, 22 well-finished high-
profile medium-width frets, five-bolt neck
joint, 4+2 headstock configuration, intonation-
compensated nut, 25.5” scale length, and Music
Man vibrato bridge. There’s also Music Man’s 9v
battery-operated silent circuit, which effectively
removes the background hum that typically
plagues single coils.
If you’ve never played a guitar with P90-style
pickups before, this is a great place to start. The
tone is edgy and a little fuzzy around the edges,
warm yet bright at the same time. The bridge
pickup has enough edge for hard rock and
metal rhythms and yet enough twang for killer
country tones, and it allows lead lines to sound
cutting and bold while keeping chords from ever
sounding too pretty. Open-position chords have
a bold ringing quality. The middle pickup is nice
for leads and jangly chord work (and it’d be
killer for slide too), and the neck pickup brings
out all these juicy overtones when you dig in
with the pick. The in-between pickup settings
are nice too, with plenty of zip and zing, taming
some of the punch while playing up the treble
detail. This guitar is suitable for anything from
the cleanest of country to some pretty intense
metal styles – think Mastodon or High On Fire
– and it does it all without hum thanks to that
clever silent circuit.

schEctEr KEith MErrow KM-7

K
eith Merrow rose to prominence through
his great YouTube demo videos, although
these days you’re much more likely to
see him shredding alongside Jeff Loomis in the
instrumental metal band Conquering Dystopia.
Keith has plenty of experience with different
guitars and pickups, so you know that when he
had the chance to design his own instrument it
would be packed full of really well thought out
features. The body of this seven-stringed beast
is made of swamp ash with a flamed maple
top, a three-piece maple neck with carbon fiber
reinforcement rods, ebony fingerboard with
cool offset dots, a Hipshot Hardtail String-thru
bridge, Graph Tech XL Black Tusq nut, and
Seymour Duncan Nazgul and Sentient pickups
(which Keith helped to develop). The fretboard
has a 12”-16” compound radius just like the EVH
Wolfgang, although the neck shape is thinner
and more shred-friendly. The volume control
doubles as a push-pull coil split, so the three-
way pickup switch gives you six distinct sounds.
The Nazgul is a very aggressive pickup. It’s
designed to slam your amp so you’ll get a huge,
thick, angry crunch which is great for modern
metal styles. Yes, it djents. And the Sentient is
ideal for fast, speedy alternate-picked lead lines
or clean ambient intros. The single coil modes
are also quite usable and slightly Telecaster-ish.
But as much fun as the tones are, what really
helps this guitar to score big is its playability. in January, so I can vouch for the consistency), all sorts of players, not just fans of its namesake
The body is quite light and resonant, which and the satin finish on the neck makes it feel artist, and when the planned eventual six-string
helps the sustain and resonance (and I’ve played more organic than the average shred axe. This is version sees the light of day it’ll no doubt be
several of these including Keith’s own KM-7 back one of those signature guitars that will appeal to a smash.
74 | shootout
Ibanez Jem7VWH
I
banez and Steve Vai revolutionised the
concept of the ‘shred guitar’ when they
unveiled the Jem in 1987, and even after 27
years it still feels a little futuristic. There are
features on this guitar that we take for granted
today, but they were game-changing when they
were first unveiled: automatic coil-splitting in
Dean DImebag Darrell Dean From Hell
T
he Dean From Hell DFH is a pretty faithful
replica of Pantera/Damageplan legend
Dimebag Darrell’s own original Buddy
Blaze-modified Dean ML, with all the specs
you’d expect: Floyd Rose bridge, V-shaped neck
profile, ‘DBD Traction’ volume knobs (with grip
burned into them like some kind of translucent
octopus suction pads), distinctive ‘lighting
storm’ finish… and of course, it’s the classic
ML shape, which is part Explorer, part V and
all attitude. The pickups are a Bill Lawrence
XL500 in the bridge and Dean’s own DimeTime
humbucker in the neck, which is reverse-
| australianguitarmag.com.au
the ‘2’ and ‘4’ positions, scalloped frets from 21
to 24, back-routed term cavity so you can raise
the pitch as well as lower it, and a recessed
output jack. The 7VWH has been the flagship
Jem since 1993. It features an alder body (with
a very thin basswood cap to prevent the paint
sinking into the wood grain – fun fact), pearloid
engineered from the pickup in Dime’s original
Dean with the assistance of his longtime guitar
tech Grady Champion.
If you’re used to Dime’s harsh, razor-like tone
you’ll probably be surprised by how woody and
natural this guitar sounds. It’s certainly a metal
machine but it’s also great for more traditional
rock, and the XL500 has enough grit and spank
for hard-arse country as well, in a weird way.
Try it through a vintage-voiced amp and you’ve
got a great classic rock or traditional metal
tone. Play it through a high gain beast and you
have enough cut and punch to slice through
pickguard, Ibanez Edge double locking bridge,
24 frets, Vai’s special neck profile, all-access
neck joint, and Vai’s signature DiMarzio
Evolution pickups including an almost-
impossible-to-find-outside-this-guitar single
coil in the middle. The flashy touches are all
present and accounted for: ‘lion’s claw’ tremolo
rout, monkey-grip handle, tree-of-life fretboard
inlay. It’s a very blingy guitar sometimes
nicknamed ‘The Elvis Jem’. By the way, a seven-
string version is now available too, right down
to the lion’s claw, scalloping and monkey-grip,
setting it aside from Vai’s long-running seven-
string Universe line.
The 7VWH is the luxury sports car of guitars.
It looks flashy and it’s built for high speed – but
if you don’t know what you’re doing you can run
into trouble real quick. The Evolutions are high-
output ceramic humbuckers with a powerful
midrange and an almost single coil-like attack,
and they’ll reveal deficiencies in your playing
if you get lazy. But the great news is that if you
can play your arse off, you’ll sound great on
this beast. The bridge tones are percussive,
articulate and harmonically supercharged.
The neck pickup has a smooth, fluty vibe, and
the single coil tones are ringing and jangly. You
don’t need to be a Vai fan to enjoy this guitar,
although if you aren’t, the cosmetics make it
pretty hard to convince your audience of that
fact. Of all the guitars in this shootout the Jem is
up there with the EVH in terms of being closely
associated with a particular artist.
the mix without letting the amp hog all the
glory. This is definitely an axe that makes itself
heard. The neck pickup sounds round and full
with nice sustain and attack, and if you’ve ever
wanted that Pantera “This Love” neck pickup
lead tone, you’ll find it right here. It’s instantly
recognisable and it sounds great, especially for
huge bends on the higher strings. Playabilty is
great, although the V-shaped neck may take
some getting used to if you’re more accustomed
to tiny shred necks, and the licensed Floyd
Rose bridge feels a little less sturdy than an
original Floyd.
 | 75

fender Jim root telecaSter

W
hen you think Telecaster, you may
think country twang, dirty classic
rock, jangly indie, but probably
not aggressive metal of the kind dished out by
Slipknot (and now ex-Stone Sour) guitarist Jim
Root. But in his hands the Telecaster becomes
a thrashing, chugging, riffing monster. Finished
in either flat white or black with a matte
polyurethane finish, there’s a six-saddle hard
tail bridge, a lone volume knob and a three-way
pickup selector set at the ‘Strat angle’ rather than
parallel to the strings like a regular Telecaster.
The switch is also tucked a little bit further
down than you might expect, but certainly out
of the way from accidental knocks in the heat of
battle. The pickups are a pair of active EMGs: a
60 in the neck and an 81 in the bridge. The 81 is
the standard go-to pickup of a great number of
metal guitarists, and the 60 was long favoured
by Metallica’s James Hetfield prior to the
development of his ESP Het Set due to its smooth,
singing tone with clarity and cut. The pickups
are powered by a battery, which you access by
unscrewing a cover to reveal a compartment
in the back of the guitar that’s shared by the
volume pot and pickup selector switch. A
separate latched compartment would have been
nice though, given that the rest of the guitar
is so stripped-back and function-friendly. The
maple neck has a modern ‘C’ profile with a satin
polyurethane finish and there are 22 medium
jumbo frets with a 12” radius fretboard (rosewood
for the white model, maple for the black).
With the assistance of the EMG 81 you’ll be
able to pull out screaming pinch harmonics and
fat sustain with ease, but this axe really excels
as a metal riff guitar. There’s plenty of attack
and snap, which is great for those who like to
tune down (and might I recommend the ‘Devin
Townsend’ tuning of C-G-C-G-C-E). The middle
pickup setting has a noticeable treble edge thanks
to the bridge pickup augmenting the fullness of
the neck, while the neck pickup on its own sounds
full and round, with a high end sparkle not often
heard in neck pickups.

GibSon SlaSh roSSo corSa leS Paul So which iS

for you?
These are all very different
guitars and they all have
their merits. It’s hard to pick
up the Dean, EVH or Ibanez
without immediately thinking
of Dimebag, Eddie or Vai.
The Gibson, Fender, Schecter
and Music Man are much
more about writing your own
story, and that’s probably
why you’ll see Fender Jim
Root Telecasters and Music
Man Albert Lees in the hands
of players who have nothing

T
hese limited-edition guitars are already super-
hard to find but if you search hard enough you
may still find them in stores. Structurally it doesn’t
seem remarkably different from a Les Paul Traditional,
with all the expected Gibson specs such as a mahogany
body with maple top (in this case a beautiful book-
matched Grade-AAA piece), mahogany neck (with ‘60s
SlimTaper profile), rosewood fretboard (Grade-A, very
nice) with trapezoid inlays, vintage-style tuners with
14:1 ratio, high-quality TonePros Tune-O-Matic bridge
and lightweight stop bar tailpiece. There are some other
specs that set it aside from similarly-appointed Les
Pauls though: it features Orange Drop tone capacitors,
strap locks, and Slash’s signature Seymour Duncan
APH-2 humbucking pickups, developed to make more
modern Les Pauls sound like his famous Appetite For
Destruction-era Les Paul replica.
If you plug this baby into a cranked Marshall you’ll
immediately notice the bright treble, chewy mids and to do with their designers.
tight low end that have been a signature of Slash’s Whatever your reasons for
tone since the Guns N’ Roses days. The bridge pickup wanting a signature guitar,
emphasises pick attack, be it chunky punch on the low guitar companies know that
strings or that classic ‘chirp’ on the high, and there’s the pressure is on when
plenty of sustain. Although a little hotter than vintage
these aren’t high-powered pickups, so you’ll get plenty they put an artist’s name
of detail and note separation when you play chords, on the headstock, so each
whether you’re using a clean sound or running through of these axes are worthy of
distortion. The neck pickup setting will definitely get you consideration. Personally
into that “November Rain” or “Sweet Child O’ Mine” zone I’d be doing ‘Eddie jumps’
– that smooth, slightly hollow-sounding, ultra-expressive
voice that’s so great for bluesy solos both slow and fast. with the EVH in the mirror all
The middle setting is rather nice too, and you can dial day long if given half
in a really nice jangly rhythm tone which will work great the chance.
for your “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” cover.
76 | TECHNIQUE

LEAD WORK WITH BEN HAUPTMANN

ALTERNATE PENTATONIC SCALES

C
ontinuing on from my last
column, in this issue we’ll be 1
looking at using the make up
of the major and minor pentatonic
scales to create new pentatonic
scales. I am going to look at more
variations on these common
pentatonic scales to approach
various other chords.

EXERCISE 1
The first pentatonic scale I am
going to look at is the dominant,
made up using the major form but
replacing the 6th degree with the
b7th. All examples in this column
will be shown in the key of G.
The second pentatonic scale is a
major 7th, again replacing the 6th
degree of the major pentatonic with
the natural 7th.
The third pentatonic scale is the
minor with a major 7th, created
by raising the b7th of a minor
pentatonic to a natural 7th.
Another way to discover different
pentatonic scales is to use a four-
note arpeggio plus one extension.
The next two examples are derived
from this technique – the dominant
b9 and the dominant #11.

EXERCISE 2
The last example will show
you four different options for an
altered dominant chord. An altered
dominant chord must have either a
sharp or flat second degree and a
sharp or flat fifth. So if we use the
tonic, third and b7th (the root note
and guide tones), and include each
permutation of the second and fifth
degrees, we get four interesting
pentatonic scales to use. Below are
the four permutations:

1 – b2 – 3 – b5 – b7
1 – b2 – 3 – #5 – b7
1 – #2 – 3 – #5 – b7
2
1 – #2 – 3 – b5 – b7

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 77
BLUES AND BEYOND WITH ADRIAN WHYTE

COOL BLUES
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS COOL, WES MADE IT COOLER!

B
lues guitar is cool, but no one,
in my opinion, evolved the style
more rapidly and with such
creativity than Wes Montgomery. It
has taken me years of analysis and Standard tuning
noodling around to truly understand
how Wes approached the blues. I
= 120
mean, his more complex stuff made
more sense to me, in that you can 1 A7
1
do many interesting things over an
interesting progression. But what truly E-Gt
impressed me with Wes was how he
can play over a blues progression using 7 10 8 9 7 10 8 9
so much more than just the minor 5 8 5 8 10 8
6 6 9
pentatonic blues. Even when he does, 7 5
he has his own angular approach with
wider intervals that truly opens up the
fretboard. For this issue, I wanted to D9 2 A7
provide an interpretation of how Mr. 5
Montgomery would approach the blues.
I’ve kept it as simple as possible and
maintained a fairly strict blues form. 3
It’s also worth noting that Wes used
5
his thumb and a lot of octaves. While 5 8 5 6 7 5 7 5 5 8
these things were prevalent, they are 5 5 5 6 6 9 9 7 5
4 7 7 5
not, in my opinion, the things that
truly define his genius. His single lines
are smooth, flowing and incredibly
colourful and inventive. If you haven’t E7 3 D7 A7 A7 E7(#9#5)
9
checked out Wes Montgomery, do it
right now. Now! 3

EXERCISE 1
A simple concept that’s seldom used
by the common blues player nowadays,
chord outlining is a huge part of Wes’
playing. Dominant 7 chords lend
themselves well to a blend of major and
minor notes. Here I outline an A9 using
the root note, 3rd, 5th, flat 7th and 9th.
You’ll spy notes that are consistent with
typical blues amongst the chord tones.
If you aren’t familiar with arpeggios
and chord tones, it’s worth reading up
on. Take note of the shapes being used
in reference to the chords that are
marked above, and use it as a reference
point for moving keys. Bars three and
four apply a similar idea, utilising a few
different notes to help set up the shift
to the D7 in bar five.
EXERCISE 2
For bars five to eight, I play around
with the chord tones that you’ll find in
a D9 chord: D, F#, A, C and E. Note the
little triplet in bar six – very jazz and
very cool, it’s also just straight A minor
pentatonic for a moment there! In bars
seven and eight, I leave some space
before playing a cliché pentatonic lick
9 5
7 10
7 7
8 9
– this will give you an idea of where
we are in the grand scheme of things
if you are familiar with pentatonic
blues licks.
EXERCISE 3
We now get to the famous ‘Five’ or
‘V’ chord in the blues. The best way
to explain this still requires some
theoretical knowledge, but here goes:
Over an E dominant 7, we can play
the notes from a B minor 7. That’s the
concept I’ve applied here. You could
apply E minor 7 over A dominant 7,
D minor 7 over G dominant 7 and
so on and so forth. If that doesn’t
make sense, learn it anyway;
7 8 7 5 7 5 5 8
7 5 8 8 7
5 6 7
7 6
comprehension might come to you say there’s some A Mixolydian, A
harmonically (by ear). This B minor 7 Dorian concepts etc. but I choose to
arpeggio flows into a cool blues lick see it chord by chord, and look at the
based around A minor pentatonic and relevance of the tones you can play
the use of the F# from the D9 chord, against each one. It’s a more jazz
before resolving with a lick much like approach and yields more interesting
the lick in bar one. The E7 at the end ideas as opposed to playing one
is played late, to add ‘cool’. Also note scale throughout your blues. One’s
the #9#5 in the brackets, that little not better than the other, but in
chord you play is a tense little guy, combination you can create some
but really sets up the return home. pleasant variety. Wes was a master
of this and really pushed the
SUMMARY envelope whilst always remaining
Although you could say there’s a musical – something I feel is lost
lot going on in this short lead break, on many modern jazz players. I
it’s generally based around the mean really, can it get much cooler
arpeggios of each chord. You could than this?
78 | TECHNIQUE
MUSICAL CONCEPTS FOR GUITAR WITH REG BARBER

PITCH PERFECTION PT. 4

1

T
his issue we will continue to
break down the musical concept
2
of pitch. Pitch refers to how
high or low a sound is relative to
another sound. Pitch can also refer
to a succession of single notes called
melody, or notes played at the same
time in the form of a chord – known as
harmony. Crucial to both melody and
harmony, is tonality.
Tonality refers to the scale
system on which a piece of music is
based and the interaction between
the melody and harmony. When a
composer uses a tonality as a starting
point for a composition, they usually
have a mood or idea they want to
express that is unique to that tonality.
It may be a happy piece of music, so
the major scale would be an obvious
choice. It may be a sad piece of
music, so a good starting point might
be a minor scale. Some tonalities
are unique to particular genres of
music. Last issue we looked at the
tonality of 12 bar blues, and this issue
we will explore some more soloing
possibilities over a 12 bar blues.

EXERCISE 1 changes’ and is more

One approach that will add some
colour to your improvisations is to
use Dorian mode over a 12 bar blues
in place of the minor pentatonic or
blues scales. If we are playing a 12
bar blues in the key of A major then
we could use the A minor pentatonic
or A blues scale to create a blues
tonality. The mode of A Dorian
(A,B,C,D,E,F#,G) features the same
notes as the A minor pentatonic
(A,C,D,E,G) but with two more notes.
The two extra notes of B and F#
fit nicely into the key of A major
(A,B,C#,D,E,F#,G#). Dorian mode is a
great way to add some colour without
the need to change from the ‘one
scale over the entire progression’
soloing approach. Start by playing
through the ascending pattern as a
scale, then use the notes to improvise
your own phrases. Try and keep your
phrase lengths to two bars in length
and employ the call and response
technique from last issue.
EXERCISE 2
A different approach to soloing
over a 12 bar blues is to treat each
chord as its own entity. This approach
is known as ‘playing over the
3
of a jazz approach
to soloing. When
combined with the
minor pentatonic,
blues scale or Dorian
mode approach, you
have a lot more to draw
upon when it comes
time to improvise.
An easy way to start
playing over each
chord individually is to
combine a dominant
7th arpeggio shape with
the minor pentatonic
in a call and response
approach, or combine
both approaches in
each two bar phrase.
Again, start by playing
through the arpeggios
as they are written,
then improvise your own phrases. by playing the Mixolydian mode over and E7. A Mixolydian mode contains
Try to combine both the arpeggio each chord change. Mixolydian mode A,B,C#,D,E,F#,G, while D Mixolydian
notes and the minor pentatonic is the 5th mode of the major scale and is D,E,F#,G,A,B,C and E Mixolydian
but keep it simple – sometimes less the mode that fits over a dominant contains the notes E,F#,G#,A,B,C#,D.
is more. 7th chord. As all three chords in a 12 Common to all three modes are
bar blues are dominant 7th chords the notes A,B,D,E and F#. When we
EXERCISE 3 we can use Mixolydian over each change from A7 to D7, try resolving
We can take the dominant 7th chord change. For example the blues the C# to C, when we change from A7
arpeggio approach one step further in A major uses the chords A7, D7 to E7, try bending G to a G#.

| australianguitarmag.com.au
 | 79

SHREDDED METAL WITH JIMMY LARDNER-BROWN

HARMONIC MINOR MADNESS

PT. TWO
I
n the last issue I discussed the
Harmonic minor scale and how
to play it using three note- 1
per-string groupings across the
neck. Just in case you missed it,
Harmonic minor is a natural minor
scale with a raised seventh degree.
Its formula is 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7. Due
to the tone/semitone minor third
interval between the sixth and
seventh degrees, the three note-
per-string fingerings I examined
last time can often be tricky to play 2
at speed. So for this issue I’d like to
show you two other ways of playing
Harmonic minor, as well as how to
apply them.

EXERCISE 1
Written in E Harmonic minor,
this fingering starts by descending
from the third degree (G). When
you get to the E root note, rather
than moving to the next string, you
slide down a fret to the seventh 3
degree (D#). You now switch to the
B string and play the next three
notes (C,B,A). This four note/three
note finger pattern is really all you
have to remember. From here, you
just repeat this two-string fingering
starting on the third string twelfth
fret. Although here I’ve resolved
it to the fifth string E root note,
you could also continue onto the
sixth string as well. By playing the 4
scale in this way, it eliminates the
wide stretch between the sixth and
seventh degrees. You end up with
a diagonal scale pattern across the
neck that is quite easy to play since
it is essentially the one two-string
pattern repeated.

EXERCISE 2
This fingering is basically the
same as that in Exercise 1, only
reversed. You start on the first
string with three notes and then
play four notes via a first finger
slide on the next string. This
process is then continued on the
third and fourth strings, followed
by the fifth and sixth strings.
Practise these patterns ascending
and descending. You can play them
with alternate picking or hammer-
ons/pull-offs.
EXERCISE 3
This is a fast, alternate picked
E Harmonic minor lick using
the fingering from Exercise 1. It
demonstrates how you can simply
take one small two-string lick and just
repeat it an octave below on the next
two strings. You end up with a long
lick that’s actually a lot easier to play
than it sounds!
EXERCISE 4
This short passage puts the
Harmonic minor scale into a musical
context. It starts with sweep-picked
E minor arpeggios over the Im
chord before moving to a sixteenth
note alternate picked line using the
fingering from Exercise 2 over the
V7 chord. Im-V7 is the most common
chord progression for Harmonic
minor. It’s important to note that
when using the scale over the Im
chord, you shouldn’t emphasise the
seventh degree leading tone as it will
clash with the root note. Alternatively,
over the V7 chord you do want to
emphasise the seventh degree as it
belongs to that chord.
I hope these past two columns
have been useful in providing a better
understanding of the Harmonic
minor scale and how to play it. Try
incorporating it into your own metal
riffs and solos.
80 | READERS’ SURVEY

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 | 81

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82 | CD REVIEWS
TOP PICK
ROYAL BLOOD
Royal Blood
WARNER
I
t was earlier this year
that we first came
face to face with Royal
Blood, the head-turning
duo out of Brighton in the
UK. With only a four-track
EP to their name, they
managed a string of sold-
out shows in Sydney and
Melbourne, wowing a large
portion of the Australian music industry as they did so.
We’ll admit it: we were suckered in by their unabashed
love of rock’n’roll and their tasty, tasty riffs (they’ve
already found a fan in Jimmy Page). Come news of their
first full-length, we were met with the same mixture of
trepidation, excitement and genuine intrigue that follows
any band with a skerrick of hype and a handful of decent
tracks to their name. Royal Blood specialise in that
alternative, stomping brand of slinky rock that honours
the genre’s roots and is heavy without ever being
invasive; save for the hooks and roaring choruses that
decide they’re settling into your consciousness for good.
On Royal Blood’s self-titled debut, those who’ve been
playing along at home will recognise “Out Of The Black”,
“Come On Over” and “Little Monster” from their EP,
striking standouts led by frontman Mike Kerr’s intense
croon that still hold enough weight that you excuse
their inclusion in lieu of new material. What’s more, the
more discerning listener among us will clue in to the fact
that Kerr’s riffs aren’t being served up on a six-string.
Instead, it’s a bass and an assortment of amps and
octave pedals that allow the shredder to hone his chops
alongside drummer Ben Thatcher and kick it with the
rest of the axe-led duos making it today. There’s hints
of Jack White in the fuzzy groove of “Loose Change” and
Death From Above 1979 on the menacing “Figure It Out”,
and “You Can Be So Cruel” sees Kerr approaching Josh
Homme levels of cool. The band may remain cagey on
the specifics of their sound, but we’re willing to let them
have this one given the quality of Royal Blood. Whether
their setup will prove limiting is a question that’ll no
doubt surface come their sophomore slump or comeback
of the year, but for now Royal Blood have made a
statement with their debut and it certainly demands
your attention.
EMILY SWANSON
| australianguitarmag.com.au
THE VINES
Wicked Nature
WICKED NATURE
It’s been a while since
We Could Leave Tonight wrap you in an
atmospheric blanket of rich, vibrant guitar tones.
Delicately placed between melodic layers are
touches of noise, distortion and a handful of raw
The Vines ditched the solos, adding a warm edge and real sense of
grungy garage smash depth to the music. The structure may seem
and bash attitude in simple at first, but Sounds Like Sunset start on
favour of a classic rock such solid ground that We Could Leave Tonight
sound that blends rarely feels recycled. If anything the consistent
The Beach Boys and style heightens experience, as the mood is never
The Beatles with severed. This rare record strikes the perfect
alternative flavours. combination of calm, hypnotic and heavy, leaving
As expected, Wicked Nature strolls down the same you to drift along in a lucid, dreamlike state while
path, but a general indifference to imaginative dutifully following infectious riffs simply to
writing makes for an album that’s serviceable, yet maintain a sense of consciousness.
unenthusiastic. Sure, the reverberating riffs and PETER ZALUZNY
warbling vocals mixed with occasional punches
of old school Vines are catchy, it’s just not LENNY KRAVITZ
enough to shake the plastic fantastic Bondi Beach Strut
summertime sensation that rolls through the ROXIE/KOBALT
record. Right now The Vines know they want to do After a brief foray into
something different, hell they’ve known that for the world of
years, and they’re packing the chops to pull it off.
The problem is that they don’t know where they
Hollywood, the
reigning king of retro
want to go, forcing them to fall back on something
basic and uninspired. This creative uncertainty
rock is back doing
what he does best.
leaves Wicked Nature as yet another passable, but Lenny Kravitz’s new
forgettable, Vines experiment. release Strut will not
PETER ZALUZNY disappoint fans of his
unique rock/pop/funk style, with a dizzying range
THE HAUNTED of stylistic influences clearly evident in every
Exit Wounds tune. The album’s opener, aptly named “Sex”, is
CENTURY MEDIA all that its title implies and more, a funk groover
If their considerable with a strong disco bassline. The revival continues
output throughout with “Happy Birthday”, opening with a cheesy
their 18-year career alto sax screamer worthy of Kenny G himself. A
has slipped under funky homage to some of Kravitz’s best known
your radar, let us hits, the title track “Strut” features a crisp guitar
begin by saying that riff with serious attitude, while “Dirty White
The Haunted are Boots” is a grungy departure from the ‘70s vibe.
straight outta There is something for everyone in Kravitz’s latest
Gothenburg and you effort – here’s hoping Tinseltown doesn’t lure this
wouldn’t doubt it for a second – relentlessly guy away.
European-metal, relentlessly riffy. New guy Ola JILL GRANT
Englund – also known for his work at the helm of
Feared, his YouTube gear demos and enviable KINGSWOOD
tone knowledge – and founding guitarist Patrick Microscopic Wars
Jensen unleash a reinvigorated take on the DEW PROCESS
band’s classic guitar aggression, with riffs as It’s been a great
memorable as they are busy. You’ll find no self- couple of years for
indulgent prog-epics here: this is straight up, Australian rock’n’roll,
to-the-point metal as true as it comes. The and Melbourne’s
double-time thrash of “Cutting Teeth” and the Kingswood give us
bouncier grooves of “Time (Will Not Heal)” renewed confidence
(which benefits well from clever vocal phrasing) that this will be
are each as impactful as the other, giving Exit anything but a
Wounds the right degree of internal contrast temporary
without ever losing momentum. Two thumbs (or resurgence. Microscopic Wars brings thick,
horns) up. droning fuzz-guitars galore, coupled with dark
DANIEL FURNARI and wet drum sounds and tastefully layered vocal
harmonies – it’s nigh on impossible to describe
SOUNDS LIKE SUNSET singer Fergus Linacre’s velvety falsettos and
We Could Leave Tonight sensual growls without using the word “soulful”,
TYM so we won’t even bother trying. The wonderfully
Somewhere there’s an simple, stomping octave riff that drives lead
inner city concrete single “Sucker Punch” is unforgettable –
garden, where a pair aficionados of Aussie rock radio may recognise
of denim-clad Doc the track from being thrashed almost daily on
Marten alternative their airwaves, but will be pleased to find that
types are contentedly Microscopic Wars boasts diversity in both
swaying to Sounds directions, whether it be more laid-back blues
Like Sunset beneath a numbers like “I Can Feel That You Don’t Love Me”
string of barely or the unrelenting “Side To Side”. For fans of muff
functioning Christmas lights. Straight away the pedals and things that sound like Josh Homme.
noise-pop meets shoegazer ‘90s alt-rock tones of DANIEL FURNARI
2000 children die every
day due to dirty water.*
with your help,
the solution is clear.
please donate today
1800 088 110
www.oxfam.org.au/water
*WHO 2009. Photo: Timothy Herbert/OxfamAUS.
84 | dvd reviews
Beth hart and Joe
Bonamassa
Live In Amsterdam
J&R AdventuRes
Daniel Wilks doesn’t need tHC to enjoy AmsterdAm.
T
he hilariously deadpan way that Bonamassa
says, “Yeah, I’m excited” to Beth Hart’s
breathless question, “I’m excited, are
you excited?” in the behind-the-scenes special
features neatly sums up the dynamic of the
powerhouse blues duo. Joe Bonamassa is all
control and restraint, happy to stand behind Beth
Hart, leading the band and playing his array of
electric guitars in the way that only he knows
how, whilst Hart happily embraces her femme
fatale/diva role, strutting around the stage like
an excited predator, flinging caution to the wind
and letting her prodigious vocal talents fly. She
delivers a performance that is both showy and
intimate as the songs demand, stalking about
the stage during the more bombastic numbers
and sitting at a piano or at the edge of the stage
for more intimate tunes. Each of the headline
performers seem to embrace their role fully and
relish the chance to simply play the music he
loves, in the case of Bonamassa, or dominate the
stage and show off the depth of talent that saw
her fight her way to fame in that of Hart. The
result is nearly two hours of wonderful blues,
jazz and rock’n’roll.
Filmed during a single concert in Amsterdam’s
Theatre Carré rather than a selection of
highlights taken from an entire tour, as is the
case with many live DVDs, Beth Hart And Joe
Bonamassa Live In Amsterdam is about as close
to the live experience as you can get. Hart and
Bonamassa have very little in the way of banter
| australianguitarmag.com.au
between songs, instead letting the music itself do
the talking. The title credits song, “Amsterdam,
Amsterdam” is accompanied by a rather cheesy
montage of stereotypical Amsterdam clichés,
including windmills and the Red Light district, but
aside from the opening, the rest of the DVD is a
wonderfully edited look at the stage, highlighting
each performer and member of the band as
needed. There’s a nice warts-and-all approach to
the camera work. Joe Bonamassa famously never
breaks a sweat but the same can’t be said about
Hart. Close-ups show her with her hair plastered
to her face and sweat dripping from her chin – an
image that many other artists would try to avoid
through creative editing. The sound mix is equally
crisp and professional, with each instrument
clearly defined and given enough space to
breathe without drowning out every one else –
quite a mean feat considering that the backing
band has an active and enthusiastic three-piece
brass section. Throughout it all, Hart’s voice takes
centre stage with Bonamassa’s virtuoso solos
following closely behind.
The 22 songs that make up the concert are
drawn from a variety of classic sources, with
songs made famous by artists the likes of Ray
Charles, Tina Turner, Etta James, Billie Holiday
and Tom Waits among many others, including
Beth Hart herself with her magnificent “Baddest
Blues”. The covers of the four aforementioned
musical legends make up some of the real
highlights of the DVD. A down and dirty rendition
of Ray Charles’ “Sinner’s Prayer” – the third
song performed – really sets the stage for
what’s to come, and a gutsy take on “I’d Rather
Go Blind” by Etta James closes out the set the
same way. While there are no dud songs in the
setlist, a fun and raunchy version of Tom Waits’
“Chocolate Jesus”, a blues stomp take on Tina
Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” and a beautiful,
ethereal riff on “Strange Fruit” (a song first
made famous by Billie Holiday) are some of
the DVD’s notable highlights.
The second disc contains two documentaries
as well as an alternate version of one of the
songs from the concert. The documentaries
– behind-the-scenes looks at the album and
the concert tour – are entertaining and really
emphasise how much the musicians enjoy what
they do. Rather charmingly, both Bonamassa
and Hart consider the other a star and
themselves the backup. There are still a few
months left in 2014, but this could be the
concert DVD of the year.
86 | REVIEWS
GIBSON MEMPHIS 50TH
ANNIVERSARY 1963 ES-335
ONE OF GIBSON’S MOST ICONIC 1950S GUITARS IN ONE OF ITS MOST ICONIC
1960S CONFIGURATIONS. SOUNDS TEMPTING, RIGHT? BY PETER HODGSON.
W
hen Gibson unveiled the
ES-335 in 1958, it was an
instant success, but they
made a few changes to the model
in 1963 which took it from ‘really
great guitar’ to ‘bona fide icon.’
Those changes are often referred to
as ‘Clapton-spec’ in tribute to this
variant’s most famous proponent
(have a guess who. Hint: it’s not our
Richard). The most obvious of those
tweaks is the move from dot inlays
to big chunky blocks. The Gibson
Memphis division pays tribute to this
version of the model with the 50th
Anniversary ES-335. It’s available in
two period-correct colours – ‘60s
Cherry or Historic Burst – each of
which is finished in hand-sprayed
nitrocellulose lacquer and given
Gibson’s VOS treatment for a gently
aged look. This isn’t a ‘relic’ guitar
by any means: rather it looks like it’s
accumulated a few decades’ worth
of natural ageing while being kept
totally safe from dings and scratches.
But it does feel nicely weathered.
WHEN ‘50S MEETS ‘60S
The ES-335 features a semi-hollow
arch-top body made of laminated
maple with a solid, lightweight maple
centre block, along with spruce
braces and cedar rim liners. The
neck is carved from a single solid
chunk of quarter-sawn mahogany
with vintage-style binding and cool
tortoiseshell side dots which almost
catch the light like little gems – an
illusion which is further sold with
the tinted lacquer that covers the
| australianguitarmag.com.au
vintage-style binding. It’s cut to an
authentic ‘63 profile, which to my
hands seems not quite as chunky as a
‘50s-style neck but also not quite as
slim as the ‘60s necks we’re familiar
with on current Gibson models. There
are 22 frets on the dark rosewood
fingerboard, featuring those iconic
pearloid block inlays. The fretboard
radius is 12” and the nut is made of
nylon. The nut and frets are treated
with Gibson’s PLEK system to ensure
consistency, and they feel great.
Electronics consist of the
traditional Gibson twin volume and
tone controls (500k audio taper, in
this case) and a three-position pickup
selector switch controlling a pair of
Alnico II-loaded Gibson humbucking
pickups: a Burstbucker 1 in the
neck position and a slightly hotter
Burstbucker 2 at the bridge. These
pickups are based on Gibson’s classic
PAF humbuckers. The only flaw to be
found anywhere at all on the entire
review guitar is that the treble side
of the nut feels a little sharp if you
jam into it too hard. And calling that
a flaw is really stretching it. Basically,
this is a really beautiful guitar
with great fretwork and authentic
workmanship and features.
WALKING IN MEMPHIS
There’s a certain magic that’s
invoked when you plug this guitar in.
It sounds smooth and round, and is
extremely responsive to picking and
fretting dynamics. Whatever you do
seems to be enhanced: pick loud and
it seems really loud; pick soft and it
PRICE: $6999
• Made in USA
• Three-ply maple/poplar/maple top
• Three-ply maple/poplar/maple back
and sides
• Double-chamber semi-hollow
• Mahogany neck
• Rosewood fretboard
• Kluson single line double ring tulip
button tuners
• Burstbucker 1 and Burstbucker 2
seems really soft. The bridge pickup Alnico II pickups
has a buttery, bright, sunny edge to • Gibson .010 – .046 strings
it, not too sharp but with enough of
a treble kick to cut through a raging
band. The neck pickup is smooth and
mellow, although it too can be coaxed
into a little more edge when you
dig in with the pick. And the middle
setting gives you all those great
nuanced tones that happen when
you balance the two volume controls
and set the tones just right. All
three pickup selections complement
each other and yet are sufficiently
different to each other, and the guitar
sounds equally great through a clean
or overdriven tone. You probably
wouldn’t want to ping it through a
high gain amp – at least not at stage
volume – because that semi-hollow
body would risk feeding back. But
if you play blues-rock, alternative,
alternative country, classic rock, jazz,
country… there are all sorts of genres
that can work with this guitar. It’s
PROS
a true pleasure to play and it really Beautiful singing tone
feels like a part of you. Great workmanship
Subtle but effective aging
THE BOTTOM LINE
There’s a reason why the ES-335 is
considered a true classic. It might not
always be easy to pinpoint what those CONS
reasons are… is it the tone? Is it the Are you kidding? None!
feel? The responsiveness? The looks?
The smell? Yes! It’s all those things
and more. I strongly urge you to seek CONTACT
one of these bad boys out and give it
a try for yourself, because then it’ll GIBSON AMI
all become clear: when you play one,
(03) 8696 4600
classic sounds come out and yu feel
good about yourself. www.gibsonami.com

GIBSON LES PAUL CLASSIC
WHEN YOU CALL A MODEL THE CLASSIC BUT TWEAK THE SPECS, YOU BETTER
HAVE A DAMN GOOD REASON FOR IT. CAN GIBSON CREATE A NEW CLASSIC
BY CREATING A NEW CLASSIC? BY PETER HODGSON.
T
he Gibson Les Paul is a classic.
And the Gibson Les Paul Classic
is a classic too: that is, the
model that’s actually named the
Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960. But
this Gibson Les Paul Classic isn’t that
Gibson Les Paul Classic. Confused?
Don’t worry about it. Just know that
this is a Gibson, and it’s a Les Paul,
and Les Pauls are, you guessed
it, classic. There’s just something
about that magical combination
of mahogany, maple, a couple of
humbuckers, 22 frets and a lot
of attitude.
WHAT A TWIST!
This is a guitar with a twist, but
it’s not in the structural side of
things; all the expected Les Paul
woods are here. The body is made
of mahogany, and in this instance
it’s given Gibson’s Traditional Weight
Relief treatment, which involves a
series out strategically-located drill
holes which take out some of the
weight but leave the tone largely
intact. Weight has always been a
huge issue with Les Pauls, so many
players’ backs will thank Gibson for
this. The top is a big ‘ol chunk of
maple, and while there are various
transparent colours available the
particular guitar on review has a
plain but very classy-looking black
top. The ‘60s Slimtaper neck is made
of mahogany, and the fretboard
is rosewood with 22 cryogenically
tempered frets. The fretboard radius
is a traditional-feeling 12” (compared
to, say, the compound radius of the
current Les Paul Standard). The
fingerboard inlays are classic Gibson
trapezoids, with the exception of the
120th anniversary banner logo at
the 12th fret. Tuners are TonePros
vintage-style with pearloid buttons,
and the nut is a special material called
TekToid which seems nice and slinky.
Ever bend a string and hear a ‘ping’
coming from the nut? That’s caused
by the string being momentarily
bound up and released by a rough nut
(or sometimes one that’s cut for an
incompatible string gauge), and this
substance is designed to stop stuff
like that from happening.
Electronics consist of a pair of
Gibson humbuckers with Alnico II
magnets: the venerable ‘57 Classic in
the neck position and the hotter Super
‘57 at the bridge, each going through
their own separate volume controls
(with coil splits for single coil sounds)
and a shared master tone knob. In
place of where the bridge pickup’s
tone control would traditionally be
there’s a mini toggle switch to engage
a 15dB boost.
CRUNCH FOR LUNCH
The first thing I noticed when I
plugged the Classic in was that this
is one bright-sounding guitar – much
more so than the Les Paul Traditional
we reviewed last issue, which has
somewhat similar construction. Some
Les Pauls are quite dark in tone, while
others – particularly ’50s-style ones
– can be very zippy in the high end.
That’s certainly the case with this one.
If it’s too much treble for you, well,
| 87
the inclusion of an onboard boost,
but otherwise this is much more
your traditional Les Paul. So if your
tastes lean towards the traditional
but with just a little bit more
oomph, definitely check out the
Les Paul Classic.
that’s what your amp’s treble and
presence controls are for, isn’t it? But
what it means is that you’re getting PRICE: $3399
a lot of clarity to work with: it’s a lot
easier and more sonically pleasing • Made in USA
to remove extra treble than to add • Carved maple top
missing treble, after all. • Mahogany back
The Super ‘57 humbucker in the • Traditional weight relief
• Mahogany neck
bridge position offers powerful,
• Rosewood fretboard
punchy tone with great harmonics,
• ‘60s SlimTaper neck profile
and it fattens up nicely when you
• TonePros vintage-style tuners with
switch the boost on. It’s also got a perloid buttons
decent amount of punch in single • ‘57 Classic and ‘57 classic super
coil mode, but really, you’re probably zebra coil Alnico II pickups
gonna keep this in humbucker mode • Gibson .009 – .046, strings
most of the time as you jam out
crunchy riffs and screaming solos,
right? The ‘57 Classic in the neck
position is a little sweeter in tone than PROS
its bridge counterpart, and will get Like a ‘greatest hits’ of Les
you some nice lyrical lead tones or Paul tones
some very pretty jangly sounds when
switched to single coil mode. The Great fretwork
cleans are particularly noteworthy, Mirror-smooth finish
especially if you’re into moody, warm-
toned styles. Add the boost to the
neck pickup and you’ll get plenty of
sustain which interacts really nicely
CONS
with the pickup’s naturally rounder
Only one tone knob
tones. The boost seems especially Tone might be too bright for
effective at getting a little extra kick some
out of a crunchy amp channel or some A full-sized boost switch might
extra compression and saturation out be better
of an already distorted lead tone, and
of course it works great as a volume
boost if you’re running through a very
clean sound.
CONTACT
GIBSON AMI
THE BOTTOM LINE
Traditionalists might bemoan the (03) 8696 4600
loss of the separate tone controls and www.gibsonami.com
88 | REVIEWS
CRAFTER GAE 15/N
CRAFTER LIKES TO EXPLORE THE BALANCE BETWEEN VISUAL FLASH, FUNCTIONAL
PLAYABILITY AND WELL-HONED TONE. THE GAE 15/N IS ONE OF THEIR
‘MEDIUM-BLINGED-OUT’ MODELS. BY PETER HODGSON.
C
rafter was founded by
HyunKwon Park in 1972 in the
basement of his home, using
the brand name Sungeum, which
translates to ‘accomplishing the
sound’. By 1978 the company had
outgrown its basement space and
moved to bigger premises in Yangju-
gun, just outside Seoul, in order to
fulfill growing demand for the guitars.
InJae Park joined his father in 1986,
the name was changed to Crafter to
conjure images of high quality, and
a 2009 expansion allowed the
company to incorporate the latest
technology in certain areas while
still maintaining a high level of
hand craftwork.
CRAFTERNOON
The GAE 15/N is a grand auditorium
with a treble-side cutaway. The
solid cedar top looks nice, in an
understated way, but the eye is
instantly drawn to the wooden sound
hole inlay which features a similar
floral-inspired design to that at the
top of the headstock. And then the
eye is led to the beautiful Dao back
and sides, which feature a gorgeous
striped effect. Also known as Paldao
or New Guinea Walnut, Dao is tonally
similar to mahogany and it has a
slight shimmer in certain light due
to its interlocked grain. The top
is supported by Crafter’s T-brace
pattern, and because it’s a solid piece
of wood rather than a laminate it will
break in quite nicely especially after a
few years of playing.
The neck joins the body via
a dovetail joint and is made of
mahogany with an Indian rosewood
| australianguitarmag.com.au
fretboard carrying 21 frets, most of
which are quite easy to access thanks
to the cutaway.
Hardware includes deluxe gold
diecast tuners with mushroom
buttons (actually, as observed with
another recent Crafter we reviewed,
these look a lot like caramel – I’m
getting hungry for a McDonald’s
sundae just looking at it as I write this
review) and an 18:1 turning ratio. The
electronics side of things is taken care
of by an LR-T Pro preamp with inbuilt
tuner and an L.R.Baggs Element
pickup under the bridge saddle. The
preamp includes controls for volume,
treble, middle and bass along with
a Notch knob and Phase switch for
zapping feedback, plus a chromatic
tuner with an illuminated LCD screen
which switches from orange to
green when you land on an evenly-
tempered note. It makes it crazy easy
to zero in on alternate tunings.
The build quality is great with no
visible glue runs or tooling marks. I
like how the output jack and strap
pin are both located on a plate at the
end of the guitar, instead of building
the jack into the pin itself, which can
put strain on the wood surrounding
the jack.
PLAY TIME
As it arrived fresh out of the case,
the GAE 15/N’s strings were on the
‘that’s a bit high’ side of things – not
impossible to play but perhaps a little
bit of a stretch for a beginner. A few
shims are included in the case for if
you’d like to raise the action, but most
players are probably going to want to
lower it a little if not a lot. But tonally
PRICE: $1099
• Made in Korea
• Solid cedar top
• Dao (Paldao) back and sides
• T-brace
• Mahogany neck
• Indian rosewood fretboard
• 647.7mm (25.5”) scale length
• Deluxe chrome diecast tuners with
mushroom buttons (18:1)
this is a really beautiful guitar. It’s • Chrome hardware
interesting: on some acoustic guitars • LR-T Pro Preamp with L.R.Baggs
you’ll play a chord and each note Element pickup
will occupy its own space, making it • Satin finish
easy to emphasise a bass note here, • D’Addario EXP 11 light strings
a harmony note there. But the GAE
15/N has a really beautiful, haunting
way of knitting each note together
and presenting them as a supportive
whole. Fingerpicked chord work has
depth and body, while single-note
melody lines sound full and resonant.
And hard-strummed chords leap clear
across the room. There’s plenty of low
end here, and it’d be a great guitar
for those who play without a lot of
other instruments in the mix.
The amplified sound captures the
treble detail of the GAE 15/N but if
you really want to get a grasp of the
complexity and depth of the natural
sound you’ll need to mic it up. Having WHAT WE RECKON
said that, this is a pretty flexible
preamp and you’ll be able to get a PROS
lot of different sounds out of it, from Very full tone
the clear and snappy to the dark Great workmanship
and moody.
Nice preamp
THE BOTTOM LINE
The GAE 15/N isn’t quite as flashy
as some Crafters, although it’s got a CONS
little bit of bling to set it apart. The High action
playability might not be to everyone’s A mic would have been a better
taste, but that’s easily adjustable – pickup option
many music stores will even do this
for you before letting the guitar walk
out the door. But what really makes
the GAE 15/N a winner is the tone.
CONTACT
It’s perfectly voiced to be a lead DRUM PARTNER
instrument in a musical setting that
lets guitar be the focus, while softer (03) 9416 9521
picking styles bring out darker, more www.drumpartner.com.au
supportive textures and tones.

CRAFTER SA-QMOS
CRAFTER EXPLORES THE WORLD OF COMBINED ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITARS IN
A WAY THAT A FEW HAVE DONE BEFORE, BUT RARELY IN THIS PRICE RANGE.
BY PETER HODGSON.
T
here are three types of
players who might dig what
the Crafter SA-QMOS is
capable of. Firstly, acoustic guitarists
who would like to add a little electric
guitar to their repertoire. Secondly,
electric guitarists (most likely roots-
based) who wish to access acoustic
sounds too. And thirdly, those
who want to work with a hybrid of
acoustic and electric sounds at the
same time.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
There are some really striking
woods at play in this guitar. The
body is made of Devil’s Tree wood
(Alstonia), an Asian hardwood. If
you do a search for guitar builders
who use this, it pretty much comes
up with just Crafter! The top is
made of quilted maple, and it’s
subtly arched, which really helps
to show off the already-impressive
quilt. It really is a striking-looking
guitar. There’s a matching quilted
maple overlay on the headstock,
while the neck itself is made
of mahogany with a rosewood
fretboard. Crafter describes this
sound hole design as a ‘Split S’ and
its flowing lines complement the
curves of the body quite nicely. The
bridge is an acoustic-style setup,
and the guitar is strung with custom-
gauge electric guitar strings (.011-
.049). The tuners have an 18:1 ratio
and feel pretty sturdy.
Electronically there’s a lot going
on here. The most obvious feature is
the single Kent Armstrong Lipstick
pickup for electric guitar tones.
Next up there’s an L.R. Baggs piezo
element beneath the bridge saddle
for acoustic sounds. Finally all of
this is controlled by an LT-T Lipstick/
Acoustic Hybrid preamp which gives
you control over volume, phase,
bass, middle and treble (plus a mute
switch), as well as a fade control
which lets you vary the ratio between
piezo and lipstick signals from ‘all
lipstick’ to ‘all acoustic’ and any
point in between. Interestingly,
the EQ governs both signals at the
same time. Some players would
undoubtedly prefer to have a
separate tone control for the
lipstick pickup.
STICK IT TO THEM
Sonically, this is a rawer-sounding
instrument than it looks. In its ‘all
lipstick’ mode it’s great for slide and
for dirty blues, jangly alternative
styles and low-down country. Lipstick
pickups are naturally quite bright so
don’t let its placement in the neck
position throw you: this guitar can
handle some pretty twangy, trebly
tones as well as darker, smokier
voicings. The acoustic sound isn’t
quite as lively, presenting a bit of the
infamous ‘piezo quack’ sound, but
there’s enough sound-sculpting power
within the preamp to dial a lot of this
| 89
PRICE: $1299
• Made in Korea
• Quilted maple top
• Devil’s Tree back and sides
• Mahogany neck
• Rosewood fretboard
• 647.7mm (25.5”) scale length
• Deluxe chrome tuners
• LR-T Lipstick/Acoustic Hybrid preamp
• L.R.Baggs Element pick-up
stuff out. And there’s some real magic • Kent Armstrong Lipstick pickup
in the area between ‘all electric’ and
‘all acoustic’, whether you’re using
the lipstick pickup to add a little bit
of depth to the trebly piezo sound, or
using the piezo to add more ‘zing’ to
the acoustic.
In terms of playability it can
initially feel a little jarring to play
a guitar that looks like an acoustic
but has electric strings, but you’ll
soon adjust and find that when
you’re stripped of the things that can
make an acoustic difficult to play for
mostly-electric players, you can easily
execute licks that might have been
too tricky or too painful on a regular
acoustic. Plus it’s much easier to bend
the unwound G string, which opens PROS
this guitar up to pedal steel-type Beautiful top
licks that work really nicely with the
lipstick pickup. Easily playable neck
Great lipstick tones
THE BOTTOM LINE
There’s no getting around the
fact that this guitar is visually
and conceptually reminiscent of
CONS
Taylor’s T5 series. Both are thinline No independent piezo and
instruments with electric strings, magnetic tone controls
lipstick pickups and unusually-shaped Looks could be more original
sound holes. Even the inlays are a
little Taylor-esque. But this is not ‘The
T5 you buy when you can’t afford a CONTACT
T5’, but one you should approach on
its own merits. Taylor’s manufacturing DRUM PARTNER
processes are so tight and refined
that a T5 feels more slick than this
(03) 9416 9521
more organic-feeling instrument. www.drumpartner.com.au
90 | REVIEWS
BLACKSTAR HT-5210
BLACKTAR’S HT-5 AMP IS A COMMON SIGHT IN BEDROOMS, JAM ROOMS AND
HOME STUDIOS AROUND THE WORLD, BUT IT COULD USE AN EXTRA SPEAKER
TO REALLY UNLEASH ITS AWESOMENESS. WAIT, WHAT’S THIS?
BY PETER HODGSON.
I
t seems like only yesterday that
former Marshall R&D staffers Ian
Robinson and Bruce Keir formed
Blackstar Amplification, initially
launching the brand with a line of
valve-driven powered stomp boxes
before releasing the revolutionary
HT-5 amp. The HT-5 quickly – like,
really quickly – became a standard
feature of bedrooms, teaching rooms,
home studios and jam rooms the
world over, but it’s a diminutive little
bugger and evidently Blackstar felt
that a little more oomph was needed
in the volume department for some
players. Ladies and gentlemen, meet
the HT-5210.
DOUBLE VISION
Blackstar has beefed up the
venerable little HT-5 with a pair of 10”
Celestion speakers, but they haven’t
messed with the already-classic HT-5
tone. The amp is based on a single
ECC83 preamp valve and a 12BH7
output stage valve. It’s designed to
give you the tone of a big amp in a
small package, and the logically laid-
out controls consist of volumes for
both clean and overdrive channels,
a gain control for overdrive, plus
| australianguitarmag.com.au
global bass, middle and treble, ISF
and master volume controls. The ISF
is Blackstar’s proprietary tone control
system, which shifts the emphasis of
the tone from USA-centric (hard left)
to UK-centric (hard right). You can
also get some very unique tones by
balancing the two in interesting
ways. There’s also a stereo reverb
(the lack of reverb was one criticism
of the original HT-5 so they created
the HT-5R, and this amp continues
that tradition).
The original HT-5’s lone 10”
Celestion speaker is great for some
applications, but for those who need
the power of twin speakers – or
especially those who want to take
advantage of that stereo digital
reverb – another Celestion speaker
is added. The HT-5 also ships with a
foot switch for selecting between the
clean and overdrive channels, and
you’ll find the jack for that on the
back along with a headphone/line out
jack with speaker cabinet emulation
that is switchable between 1X12” and
4X12” speaker cabinet models, and a
series effects loop which is switchable
from +4dB to -10dB. There’s also
an effects loop, but it’s a shame
that it’s mono. It would have been
great to be able to use stereo delays
and modulation effects in the loop
alongside the amp’s native reverb.
TWICE AS NICE
The HT-5210 is surprisingly loud
for such a tiny amp. The clean
sounds are somewhat neutral, which
is good news for those of us who
like to colour our sound with effect
pedals, but this relative neutrality
also makes it a fine substitute for an
acoustic guitar or for when you just
need a really, really clean tone (and
you can quite happily use an acoustic
guitar through the clean channel in
an emergency if you don’t have a
dedicated acoustic amp on hand).
The ISF can make this channel sound
somewhat Beatlesy or jazzy as well.
The distortion voicings range from
low-gain grit and growl to high-
gain roar, and the HT-5 can sound
surprisingly heavy for such a little
amp, even up to certain death metal
tones. Turn the mids up a little bit
and move the ISF back towards the
UK and you’ll find a great modern
metal sound. Lower gain settings
bring out a Led Zeppelin-like punch,
and because the amp is powered
by real tubes you’ll hear a lot of
dynamic range when you mix up
your pick attack (and especially
when you blast the master volume).
Basically, it sounds like the HT-5
we all know and love, but the twin
speakers, stereo reverb and stereo
auxiliary input all make this feel like
an even better amp.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The HT-5 is a great little amp in the
studio, the teaching room, the lounge
room and even the club stage, and
the HT-5210 doubles the fun with that
extra speaker and sweet stereo ‘verb.
Yeah, it’s a bummer that the loop is
only mono, but everything else about
this amp is a hit.
PRICE: $899
• Innovative 5-Watt valve combo
• 1xECC83 and 1x12BH7 valves
• Unique push pull power amp design
• Award winning HT Pedal preamp
• Two footswitchable channels
• 2x 10” Celestion speakers
• Enhanced tone controls
• Patented Infinite Shape Feature (ISF)
• Fully equipped for studio or practice
• Digital Stereo Reverb
• Speaker emulated output with 1x12 or
4x12 voicing
• Effects loop with effects level switch
• Footswitch included
• Classic Blackstar styling
PROS
Warm tube crunch
Sweet stereo reverb
Bedroom/shed-filling volume
CONS
Effects loop is only mono
Can sound a bit boxy at high
volume
CONTACT
NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS
1800 441 440
www.nationalaudio.com.au

BLACKSTAR S1-45
BLACKSTAR PACKS A LOT INTO RELATIVELY FEW CONTROLS WITH THE SERIES
ONE 45, INCLUDING POWER SCALING AND FOUR CHANNELS. HOW DOES IT
STACK UP AGAINST ITS STABLEMATES?
BY PETER HODGSON.
B
lackstar offers some rather
innovative designs in its rapidly
expanding catalog, from the
adorably tiny HT-1 to the tricked-out,
programmable ID:100TVP. The Series
One 45 is designed to deliver classic
Class A-style tones at all volume
levels thanks to a very clever power
reduction feature that Blackstar calls
DPR (Dynamic Power Reduction). But
before we get to that, let’s look at the
rest of the goodies.
FOUR MODES, TWO CHANNELS,
ONE ARSE-KICKING
The Series One 45’s valve selection
includes one ECC82, three ECC83s
and a pair of output-stage EL34s for
that classic British crunch. There are
two channels, each with two modes,
effectively giving you four channels:
Bright (classic Class A) and Warm
(Plexi-style) on the clean side, and
Crunch and Super Crunch on the
overdrive side. The two clean modes
share Gain and Volume controls, as
do the two overdrive channels. The
tone stack includes controls for Bass,
Middle, Treble and Blackstar’s famous
ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) tone
voicing control, and there’s a master
section with Resonance for fine-tuning
the low end, Presence for sculpting the
highs, and the master Volume control,
then the DPR knob.
Around the back you’ll find a series
effects loop with a level switch for
tailoring the response to pedals or rack
units; an emulated direct output with
1/4Ð and XLR options; a pair of speaker
outputs with selectable impedance (4,
8 or 16 Ohm); a foot switch jack, and
MIDI In and Thru. The MIDI is used
for channel switching so that you can
integrate this amp with a rack-mounted
MIDI-capable effects rig. The included
four-button foot switch gives you direct
access to each of the four channels too.
The sound is blasted out by a pair of
12” Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
WHEN YOU MEET THE ONE
The Series One 45 has a big direct
attack and a lot of dimension which
makes it great for really up-front styles
where you want the audience to hear
every little detail. The ISF knob seems
to have less of an influence on the
overall tone compared to some other
Blackstars I’ve tried, but it appears to
display a few clearly discernible sweet
spots where definite strong tones are
encountered. The furthermost right
setting (UK) still sounds midrange-
rich in a Satriani kind of way like the
combos, and a turn all the way to the
left (USA) has a trebly bite, but as
you move the control from left to
right you’ll find specific points that
just feel right.
Each of the clean channels seems
to really come into its own when the
gain control is all the way up for those
crunchy, pushed tones. On the Bright
Clean channel this adds just enough
of a gritty edge to country and blues
tones, with a bit of sparkle and ring
rather than the twang and pluck of
lower gain settings. On the Warm Clean
channel you’re in total AC/DC territory.
This Warm Clean sound is good enough
to sell this amp on its own. The first
overdrive channel is a good all-round
option which interacts intimately with
the guitar’s volume control to deliver
everything from warm clean sounds
to a rhythm roar to a lead scream.
This is where you’ll find old-school
Van Halen-type tones, if not in actual
sound then at least in dynamic
responsiveness. The second overdrive
channel is great for compressed,
screaming leads, although it’s kind
| 91
of a shame that it doesn’t have its own
separate volume control.
The DPR system reduces the output
stage power from the maximum 45
watts all the way down to 10% or 4.5
watts and anywhere in between. This
is intended as a feature to make the
amp more situation-friendly – from
bedroom to garage to stage – but
you can also use it to help sculpt
your tone. Higher power settings
sound a little fuller and thicker, while
lower ones are a little thinner and
more compressed. The one thing this
amp is really missing is any kind of
built-in ambient effect, such as reverb
or delay.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Series One 45 maintains its
own character despite its versatility;
it doesn’t necessarily sound like a
whole bunch of different amps so
much as one that has a lot of different
variations of its sound. It’s a great ‘set-
and-forget’ amp for all-round killer
tones all night, especially if you like to
ride your guitar’s volume control for
your gain level.
PRICE: $2899
• 45W Watt combo with built-in DPR
power reduction
• 1x ECC82, 3x ECC83, 2x EL34
valves
• Clean channel with Warm (Plexi) and
Bright (Class A) type modes
• Overdrive channel with Crunch and
Super Crunch modes
• ISF equipped tone control section
• Presence control
• Master Volume
• Series effects loop
• MIDI switching
• Speaker emulated output
• 2x Celestion Vintage 30 12” speakers
WHAT WE RECKON
PROS
Four channels
Handy power scaling
Great recording out
CONS
Single tone stack can mean
compromise
Lead boost would be nice
CONTACT
NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS
1800 441 440
www.nationalaudio.com.au
92 | REVIEWS
ERNIE BALL PETRUCCI 7 STRING
THE MUSIC MAN JP7 HAS ALL THE TONE, PLAYABILTIY AND QUALITY YOU WOULD
EXPECT FROM OVER A DECADE OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN ERNIE BALL AND
JOHN PETRUCCI. BY REG BARBER.
T
he Ernie Ball JP7 is the new
seven-string pro model
available in the John Petrucci
Music Man range. It has all of the
standard Music Man features,
such as the five bolt neck joint, oil
finish neck and smallish headstock,
and then adds some very nice
features not found on other Music
Man guitars. As with all the high-
end Music Man guitars the attention
to detail is second to none, and the
John Petrucci 7 is no exception.
BALANCE AND COMPOSURE
When you first pick up this guitar
the first thing that stands out is
how well it is balanced. Even if
the headstock’s aesthetic is not
your thing, as far as balance goes,
you will not find a more comfortable
seven-string guitar. Access to the
upper frets on this guitar is easy
thanks to the deep cutaway design.
The neck is very fast, with a ‘low
action friendly’ 15-inch radius,
important on a guitar built for
speed. Adding to the speed of this
neck is a beautiful gunstock oil
finish. This matte finish is very
smooth and it feels like a well-
worn neck straight out of the case.
| australianguitarmag.com.au
The scale length is 25.5 inches,
although the shorter headstock
makes it feel more like a Gibson
than a Fender.
The tremolo on the Ernie
Ball Music Man JP7 is faultless.
Combined with the high quality
Schaller locking tuners you can
divebomb and warble for hours
without the guitar going out of tune.
The tremolo arm doesn’t need to be
removed for you to put the guitar
back in its case, so you wont go
searching for a tremolo arm every
time you feel the divebomb urge
coming on. The tremolo was set up
perfectly and the guitar was in tune
out of the case, a good sign of how
top notch the quality control is at
Ernie Ball guitars.
PICKUP THE PIECES
Pickups have to be a good match
for any guitar and the pickup
choice in the Music Man JP7 is
no accident. The neck pickup is
a Dimarzio Liquifire, it matches
the basswood body and rosewood
fretboard perfectly. The neck
position produces very warm tones
with plenty of note definition,
perfect for high gain amp settings.
PRICE: $3499
• Basswood body with high gloss
polyester finish
• Custom JP Music Man floating tremolo
• 25.5” scale length
• 15” neck radius
• 24 stainless steel jumbo frets
• Rosewood finger board
The Dimarzio Crunch Lab bridge • Gunstock oil and hand rubbed neck
pickup is also a match made in finish
heaven. Bridge tones are full and • Schaller locking tuners
heavy when playing with lots of • Easily accessible truss rod adjustment
distortion. Clean tones are sparkly • Graphite acrylic and aluminum lined
electronic shielding
and surprisingly dynamic given that
• High quality 500k ohm volume and
these are reasonably high output tone controls
pickups. When the three-way toggle • Three-way toggle pickup selector
switch is in middle position you get • Dimarzio Luiqifire neck pickup
a combination of the two inside • Dimarzio Crunch Lab bridge pickup
coils. At very high gain settings you
get rhythm tones that are extremely
defined and would cut through in
the muddiest of situations.
PROS
THE BOTTOM LINE Playability
The Music Man JP7 is an amazing
Tone
guitar. Seven-string guitars can
often feel uncomfortable and slow Quality build
because of the added weight and
wider neck, but the JP7 is lighter
than a Les Paul and feels faster
than any other seven-string guitar
CONS
I have played. The quality of build None
and attention to detail is also
higher than what you would find
on any mass produced guitar. It is
more expensive than some other
CONTACT
seven-strings out there, but it is CMC MUSIC
definitely worth the extra little bit (02) 9905 2511
because of the build quality, tone
and playability. www.cmcmusic.com.au

STERLING BY MUSIC MAN S.U.B.
SILO3
MUSIC MAN TURNS UP THE HEAT ON THE COMPETITION WITH THE SILO3
BY STEVE HENDERSON.
M
usic Man unveiled the
Silhouette in 1985, their
first guitar design after
Ernie Ball purchased the rights to
the marque and the patents the year
before. Displayed at that year’s NAMM
show, it demonstrated a major “back-
to-basics” re-think and a welcome
departure from the flawed designs of
the StingRay and Sabre guitars. Ernie
and his team realised that the market
(that’s us!) wanted simpler, more
intuitive instruments and the Silhouette
delivered this in a great-sounding, easy-
to-play, comfortable guitar.
The Silhouette became a great
success and opened the door to other
instruments like the Steve Morse and
Luke models, and, three decades later,
it’s essentially the same instrument
and just as relevant as it was back
then. To put it into the hands of young
players who may not have the funds
for an American-made instrument,
Music Man has produced an “off-
shore” version that, at first glance,
makes you wonder exactly how far
off-shore it originated.
SIMPLE BARE NECESSITIES
The Sterling By Music Man S.U.B.
Silo3 is a versatile rock instrument that
has everything you need and nothing
you don’t. Built in Indonesia, it has the
same over-all dimensions and features
as a Silhouette: the “dinky” body, the
4+2 headstock, the simple electronics,
and Music Man’s high quality hardware.
Sure, you don’t get DiMarzios – but
these pickups have plenty of tone
and grunt, and the switch and pots
work exactly as required… no pops or
crackles anywhere.
The neck is a very stable piece of
maple, satin finished, with a nice slab-
cut rosewood fretboard that is rich and
smooth (and, no, it’s not painted to look
darker than it really is!) and feels great
under the fingers. The neck features
Music Man’s asymmetrical shape and,
just as on the Silhouette, has a little
more substance (somewhere between
a ‘50s and ‘60s Les Paul, but with a
Strat scale length) than many modern
rock guitars and this contributes to the
comfortable, solid feel (and sound).
And there’s hardly any flex in the neck,
certainly no more than an American
Music Man. It’s fixed to the sculptured
hardwood body with five (yes… five!)
bolts and, here, the neck socket heel is
beveled for easier upper-fret access.
The tones are classic rock and
blues: the front pickup is, due to the
22 frets, slightly further (3/16”) back
than a Strat, which places the octave
node just in front of the pole pieces,
rather than over them, and makes
the front pickup a touch richer and
brighter than a standard Strat (think
SRV or Rory Gallagher with a bit more
harmonic oomph!). Likewise, that
second position quack that we all love
has more presence due to the second
octave harmonic not being quite so
muted. The bridge humbucker has
plenty of tone and thump, easily driving
the front end of a Vox AC30 or a Fender
Deluxe. Into overdrive pedals (test
gear: a Mesa Flux-Five, a Zendrive, a
Suhr Shiba Drive and a Boss DN-2),
most cheaper pickups tend to thin
out but this humbucker remained full
and clear. And here’s a nice touch on
such an affordable guitar: the bridge/
middle switch position selects only the
| 93
at an entry-level price. It’s easy to
overlook this kind of instrument when
blinded by names like Squire and
Epiphone, or distracted by a gloss
finish on a cheap maple neck but, for
the serious amateur or the pro who
needs a second guitar (be honest, who
doesn’t?!), the Silo3 is a great guitar at
a killer price. This is the spirit of that
‘85 Silhouette – re-visited, updated and
affordable beyond reason.
humbucker’s front coil for a “real” in-
between sound, at least as real as it can
be with a dual-coil.
These pickups are not as
harmonically rich as American
transducers, but they have plenty going
for them and, in the price range, are
hard to argue with. For a guitar at this PRICE: $399
price point, with such convincing build • Solid hardwood sculpted body, high
quality, it makes perfect economic gloss finish
sense to upgrade to your favourite pro- • Five-bolt neck joint
• 25.5” scale length
quality pickups, should the stock units
• Satin finished, asymmetrical maple
be found lacking in some way. neck and rosewood fingerboard
• Medium frets
COMFY? YOU BET • Smooth satin neck finish
The body is flawlessly finished, it’s • SSH pickup layout
balanced and nicely contoured, and • Five-way selector switch, volume and
it’s light: 6.72lbs, compared to my tone controls
alder-bodied vintage Strat at 7.56lbs. • Easy access truss rod adjuster
Hardware? Machines are quality Gotoh/ • Three-ply black pickguard
Schaller-style and the Music Man • Tremolo bridge
fulcrum trem works perfectly. Even the
strap buttons have been re-thought and
hold a leather strap better than most.
WHAT WE RECKON
And then there’s the three-ply pick
guard (a nice touch) and that wonderful
PROS
easy-access truss rod adjuster (which Light and comfy
I didn’t have to adjust!). Playability? Good sounds
Music Man have gone against the Great playability
current “jumbo” fascination and fitted
22 medium frets that, along with the Highly affordable
quality rosewood board and satin neck,
make for a smooth and expressive
playing experience. The headstock heel CONS
isn’t quite as smooth as a Silhouette At $400? Not a thing
but it doesn’t get in the way and it’s
infinitely better than the current crop
of “F” branded cheapies out there.
CONTACT
THE BOTTOM LINE CMC MUSIC
The Silo3 is a well-presented classic
that doesn’t seem to cut many corners (02) 9905 2511
while offering a professional instrument www.cmcmusic.com.au
94 | REVIEWS
TC ELECTRONIC ALTER EGO X4
IF YOU ARE A FAN OF ANALOGUE AND TAPE DELAY MACHINES AND DON’T
WANT TO LUG AROUND ALL YOUR EXPENSIVE VINTAGE UNITS, THEN THE TC
ELECTRONIC ALTER EGO X4 MAY BE THE ANSWER. BY REG BARBER.
T
he TC Electronic 2290 delay
units have been used on
countless recordings, and are
used in high-end studios throughout
the world, so they must know a
thing or two about delay. They have
recently partnered up with Pro Guitar
Shop to create a pedal that has an
array of sought after delay sounds,
the result being the new Alter Ego
Delay X4. This pedal is a larger
version of the original Alter Ego Delay
stompbox sized pedal. The X4 came
about after the staff at Pro Guitar
Shop travelled to Denmark to create
toneprints for the original Alter Ego
Delay pedal.
The Alter Ego Delay X4 covers
a wide range of sounds from a
convincing Echoplex delay, to a
Binson Echorec, Roland space echo,
tape, analogue and digital delay
sounds. However, what makes the
Alter Ego Delay great for fans of
vintage delay units is, there’s no
need for maintenance and repair
of vintage units, and no noisy gear
in your signal chain, not to mention
the cost of some of these units would
mean you would have to sell your
car to buy one.
| australianguitarmag.com.au
TAKE OVER CONTROL
As is typical of all TC gear much
thought that has gone into the
controls. There are a minimum of
knobs and switches, but just enough to
give you control over almost all of the
parameters within the pedal. To add to
the control you have over parameters
TC have included the ability to use
an external MIDI control pedal. The
expression pedal is not included when
you buy the unit, but if you have one
I recommend plugging it in, as it
takes the pedal to a whole new level,
allowing you to have control over delay
feedback or repeat times.
The Alter Ego Delay X4 has two
Echorec style settings, both being
faithful to the original multi head
tape unit. The original Alter Ego
pedal sounded great, and the X4 is
even better given it has an updated
version of TC’s original Flashback delay
sounds. The Alter Ego Delay X4 also
includes more tape style delays in the
Echoplex and Roland Space Chorus
settings. Both these delay settings
sound amazing with distortion and get
you close to the original sound. If delay
and distortion are your thing there is
also a very convincing copycat sound,
PRICE: $549
• 12 unique delay sounds, created
by ProGuitarShop
• TonePrint enabled
• Smartphone Beam enabled
• Three Presets
• Tap Tempo
• 16 Delay Types
• 40-second looper with undo function
• Independent loop and delay engines
• True Bypass (optional buffered)
• Analog-Dry-Through
• Expression pedal input
• Stereo in- and output
• MIDI enabled
• Subdivision selector including dual
delay
• Nine Volt DC power supply included
• Massive headroom
based on the original WEM Copicat unit
with its short tape loop.
ANALOGUE DREAMS
Fans of analogue style delay
pedals will not be disappointed
either. The Alter Ego Delay X4 has a
very convincing Deluxe Memory Man
style delay. In this setting you also
get a chorus and vibrato sound with
different pre-determined modulation
settings. For extremely watery PROS
sounds the Alter Ego X4 features an
impressive version of the electro-static Great delay sounds
Oil Can echo and delay. To add to the Looper function
palette of analogue delays this pedal MIDI expression pedal capability
has to offer TC have included a version
of the original Boss DM2 and the
extremely watery Electro Harmonix CONS
Echo Flanger.
No battery operation
THE BOTTOM LINE Fixed modulation on chorus
All up the Alter Ego Delay X4 has settings
10 vintage delay types, four tone-print
slots with three settings, tap tempo
capability and the option of an external
expression pedal. Add to this the
CONTACT
fact that it is also a stereo loop pedal AMBER TECHNOLOGY LTD.
capable of up to 40-second loops and
you have a delay pedal that can cover
(02) 9998 7600
almost all your delay needs. www.ambertech.com.au

SEYMOUR DUNCAN JASON BECKER
PERPETUAL BURN HUMBUCKER
JASON BECKER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PHYSICALLY PLAY ANYMORE BUT THAT
HASN’T STOPPED HIM FROM WRITING NEW MATERIAL OR DESIGNING NEW
GEAR TO BRING HIS MUSICAL VISION TO THE WORLD. BY PETER HODGSON.
O
nce upon a time, a young
guitarist named Jason Becker
was poised to take over the
guitar world. His work with Marty
Friedman in the duo Cacophony
rewrote the rulebook for instrumental
metal. His solo album Perpetual Burn
took Cacophony’s eastern influences
a step further. And he was selected
to replace Steve Vai as David Lee
Roth’s lead guitarist. But at this time
Jason developed Amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative
disease which eventually robbed him
of the ability to move or speak. Jason
is still active, able to communicate
by a system of eye movements, and
still able to write music. But when
he needs a pair of hands to play his
ideas, he turns to friends like Michael
Lee Firkins. While Firkins was visiting
to test a possible Jason Becker
signature amplifier, he picked up one
of Jason’s guitars which happened
to have Seymour Duncan pickups,
and Jason suddenly remembered:
over 20 years ago, he and Seymour
Duncan had been developing a pickup
together, but work was halted due to
his illness. So last year Jason decided
to contact Seymour Duncan to finish
what they started.
A LIL’ AIN’T ENOUGH
Named after his debut solo
album, the Perpetual Burn features
an Alnico V bar magnet, one row
of slug pole pieces and one row of
adjustable Phillips screw poles. Its
DC Resistance comes in at 12.11k, and
its output is hotter than a vintage-
voiced ‘59 Model humbucker but
not as powerful as the SH-4 JB. This
puts it in a very interesting sonic
space: the ‘59 is idea for vintage
clean and crunchy rock tones, but
lacks the natural power to kick out
really killer high gain unless you
get a little help from a clean boost
or an overdrive. And the JB is great
for high gain tones but depending
on the sensitivity of your amp it
can be a little too bold-sounding
for some musical situations. So the
idea of the Perpetual Burn was to
create a pickup that would give Jason
authentic vintage-style tones as well
as rich high-gain sounds without
being too hot for the former or too
underpowered for the latter.
IT’S SHOWTIME!
I installed a Perpetual Burn in
my Ibanez RG550, with the stock
Ibanez single coil pickup in the
middle position and a ‘59 Model in
the neck position. The first thing I
noticed about the Perpetual Burn
was how it seemed to embody much
of what I love about the JB but with
more dynamic sensitivity and a little
less power in the low end. The mids
aren’t as honky either, with more of
an emphasis on upper mids rather
than the ‘middle mids’ that thicken
up the tone of the JB. It’s perfect for
hard rock and blues rock, but also
great for classic metal tones – think
the rich, woody tones of the JB on
Megadeth’s “Youthanasia” but with
the mids shifted a little towards
Eddie Van Halen’s famous ‘Brown
Sound’. It’s easy to generate pinch
harmonics, and palm-muted notes
are well-defined and chunky rather
than smooshed up.
The Perpetual Burn also really
comes to life when you use your
guitar’s volume knob to vary the
amount of gain coming from the
amp. I was able to go from full-on
distortion to a bold crunch to a
bright, clear clean sound with ease –
and while it’s certainly not unheard
of for a pickup to do that, they don’t
all do it so damn well. No matter
what gain level I used, the Perpetual
Burn sounded like it was supposed to
sound good at that setting.
In terms of how it matches with
the ‘59 in the neck position, I found
that the ‘59 has a fuller low end, and
it took a little bit of tweaking with a
screwdriver before I was perfectly
satisfied with the balance between
| 95
the two. I found that the best way
was to set the ‘59 down a little bit
and then raise its adjustable pole
pieces. This retained the detail and
dynamics while reeling back the
bass a little bit.
THE BOTTOM LINE
I’m hard pressed to think of
a genre that the Perpetual Burn
wouldn’t sound great in. I’m using it
for blues-rock, shred, hard rock and
metal, and it sounds completely at
home with each. I’ve also tried it for
blasting out pop-punk riffs, and it’s
got just the right amount of teeth
for that too. And in terms of output
it really hits that sweet spot where
you can blast it with distortion from
your amp or with pedals and it’ll
retain its definition, or you can dial
the grit right back and enjoy the
clear, ringing, bright tones. This
is my first Perpetual Burn but I’m
pretty sure it won’t be my last!
PRICE: $205.95
• Made in USA
• Alnico V bar magnet
• One row of adjustable pole pieces
• 12.11k DC Resistance
• Four-conductor cable
• Mounting hardware included
• Standard or trembucker spacing
available
• Colour and cover options available on
request
PROS
Rich rock crunch
Cleans up beautifully
Meets Jason Becker’s high
standards
CONS
Some players might prefer more
low end
Not super-high output
CONTACT
DOMINANT MUSIC
(03) 9873 4333
www.dominantmusic.com.au
96 | REVIEWS
MUSIC MAN AXIS SUPER SPORT SEMI
HOLLOW BODY
MUSIC MAN DELIVERS A COMPACT THINLINE WITH ATTITUDE AND SOUL.
BY STEVE HENDERSON.
I
always look forward to a Music Man
review because their instruments
are a pleasure to play, they sound
great and they never need any setting
up. So, when I got the call to test drive
another Music Man, I new that my
weekend was already looking good.
The thing is, I didn’t know what guitar
it would be and my friend Rick at Music
Man didn’t tell me. He just said, “I’m
interested to hear what
you think” – which means this one’s
a little different.
So, I get home, open the case, tear
off the completely-unnecessary plastic
bag and find a lovely and very classy
figured maple top staring back at me.
It’s loaded with a chrome hardtail,
a pair of DiMarzios and a maple-on-
maple neck which also sports a soft
figure. But the really cool thing is that
it’s hollow – well, semi-hollow: like a
335, the bass and treble sides of the
body are hollow, isolated by the “centre
block” and highlighted by the stylised
“M” (for Music Man, I guess), which
is the Axis version of an F-hole. All of
this is attached to a light-weight, dark
stained basswood body with vintage
crème binding.
TIME TO PLAY!
A quick strum, unplugged, offers
a glimpse of what’s to come. The
chambers combine with the light-
weight tone woods to reveal a loud
and toneful acoustic sound that has
definition and sustain. This construction
somewhat reflects Fender’s Telecaster
Thinline, released in 1968 (and rear-
routed!). Although they persisted with
it for 11 years, the Fender Thinline
| australianguitarmag.com.au
didn’t sell very well at all, due to the
overly heavy construction and the
weird-sounding pickups (at first, their
standard single coils, which didn’t
work in this design, and then, in 1972,
Seth Lover’s infamous “Wide-Range
Humbuckers”). The mass of the body
tended to soak up the resonance, not
even converting it to sustain. You really
had to work at a Tele Thinline.
STAYIN’ ALIVE
The Axis Semi Hollow is quite the
opposite: front routed with a maple
top, there’s nothing dead about this
instrument and it’s effortless to play.
It’s alive with harmonic information,
with a fast, articulate response. Single
notes seem to last way longer than
bolt-on construction would suggest and
the resonance can be felt along every
inch of the neck. The neck is rounder
than a Strat or a Les Paul but, less than
a minute into the demo, it’s suddenly
super-comfy and easy to negotiate.
It has 22 medium frets, flawlessly
crowned, with a 10” radius (kinda half
way between a vintage Fender and a
Gibson) and the 25.5” scale provides
plenty of snap and chime. The neck
responds immediately, as that light-
weight body transfers the vibes through
the five-bolt joint to the headstock.
Pick even a single note, then touch the
headstock – you’ll find an enormous
amount of resonance. In other words,
you can feel every note.
The pickups are serious tone
machines, with enough variance to
cover a lot of musical ground. The
five-way offers front humbucker, inside
coils, both humbuckers, outside coils
PRICE: $345
• 12-5/8” wide, 2” thick, 36-1/4” long
(32.1cm wide, 5.1cm thick, 92cm long)
• Weight: 6 lbs, 13 oz (3.09 kg)
• Basswood with bookmattched figured
maple top
• High gloss polyester body finish
• 25.5” (64.8cm) scale length
• 10” (25.4cm) neck radius
• 5-7/8” (14.9cm) headstock
• 22 high profile medium width frets
• 1-5/8” (41.3mm) neck width at nut,
2-3/16” (55.6mm) at last fret
• Maple neck with gunstock oil and
hand-rubbed special wax blend finish
• Maple or rosewood fingerboard
• Standard Music Man strings through
and rear humbucker. body bridge of chrome plated,
Through the drive channel of a hardened steel with solid steel saddles
Boogie, the front pickup is rich and fat.
Single notes have a thick presence and
chords have a growl that cuts through
the mix with plenty of string definition.
The back pickup is pure rock – smooth
and articulate, with a top end that isn’t
at all harsh.
A tweed Bassman provides a more
vintage vehicle and the front pickup
presents a deep, warm thump. Drive
the amp a little and there’s a definite
SRV thing happening, especially when
pushed a little with a Flux Drive or a
DN-2. Into a VHT (with EL-84s) and
you’ll hear a little of the spirit of Rory
Gallagher – bright without being harsh,
pushed without being distorted.
Many guitars, when “driven” through
a drive pedal or channel deconstruct
into a fairly generic sound. Not so with
the Music Man Axis. The character and
touch sensitivity of this guitar remain in
the hands of the player.
PROS
Great tone
THE BOTTOM LINE Great feel
The Axis Semi is a supremely
playable and toneful guitar, with Light weight
construction values are second to none
– real artisan-quality lutherie. Looking
beyond just the great tone and feel
you’ll find a neck pocket with no gap
CONS
between the neck and body, a three- None
dimentional high gloss body finish,
a hand-rubbed gunstock oil neck, a
contoured heel, perfect fret work, CONTACT
locking Schallers, internal shielding –
with other companies, these details are CMC MUSIC
exceptions-to-the-rule, reserved for (02) 9905 2511
their “custom shop” product; at Music
Man, it’s just business as usual. www.cmcmusic.com.au
98 | final note
ALL GUNS BLAZING
South AuStrAliA could Soon become our country’S own ‘dirty South’, if JAke long And
AdelAide chAoS crew life Pilot hAve their wAy. by Daniel Furnari. Photo by nick lawrence
w
ith an eclectic hardcore sound that
walks a unique line between The Chariot
and a John Wayne movie, Life Pilot’s
High Noon EP sets the band well apart from the
bulk of Australia’s heavy scene. Jangly Wild Western
riffs transition into frenetically discordant finger-
bleeders, overlaid with the yowling of a deranged
man. Australian Guitar sat down with guitarist
Jake Long to talk gear, DIY production and on-
stage injuries.
What led you to decide to self-produce High
Noon? How did the process work exactly?
Well, we ran out of money! [Laughs] I had a bit of
experience, I’d done stuff with some other bands,
and I did our demos and our Compass (2013) split.
We realised that going into a studio where you’re
paying by the hour can make tracking guitar really
difficult, because you’ll have someone on your back
pressuring you into wrapping it up before you’re
really happy with every take and every tone. So
instead, we did all the final guitar tracks at home,
playing them over temporary programmed drums,
then when we went into the studio our drummer was
recording live drums over those final guitars, and
the guitars were then re-amped later.
Given the nature of your music, is keeping a
degree of imperfection in your playing on record
a part of your sound?
Well, I think it should be! But I think on this record
it wasn’t so much… on the Compass split it was a
little bit more like that, because we tracked that live,
and there’s stuff in overhead mics that you just can’t
get rid of. High Noon was a bit more clinical, so next
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time something in-between would be good. Some
of us are more into the tech-metal side of things
and we like things to be clean, whereas the other
half of us just love the noise, so we have to find a
happy medium.
Are there any secrets to capturing your live
feel on record?
We move around a lot when we track. We stand
up and play, or if we are sitting down we’re always
banging our heads. It’s funny, to be honest, if we’re
not moving around and getting into it, our playing
usually comes out rubbish!
The intro to the track “Raw Hide” really
stands out – you guys nailed that Southern
sound and vibe. What were you using to get the
jangly tone on that intro riff?
That was a Gibson Gold top from ’78 or something,
it definitely wasn’t one of my guitars! I wanted a
banjo in there originally, so I was trying to do it on
that, but I guess that was a little too ambitious. I got
it, but it wasn’t tight or fluent, so we tried it on a
guitar with a slide, and that’s what you’re hearing.
It’s unusual to see a band with your type of
sound using a mostly digital live rig – what was it
that attracted you guys to an Axe-Fx setup?
It came out of the need to tour, at first. I mean,
I already had one here in my studio for recording
other bands, but I only started using it live with the
band because my Peavey 5150 was just too heavy,
and that worked out really well. Then our other
guitarist, Tim [Lawrence] grabbed one too! We run
both of them out of the same rack through Matrix
poweramps and into an Orange 2x12 cab each. So it
means we’re always able to travel pretty lightly and
cheaply, and the sound you hear live is the exact
same sound you hear on our record.
Given that you were using a 5150 before, are
you simulating a 5150 on the Axe-Fx as well, or
something different?
No, actually, we’re both using amp sims that are
quite different to what we had before. Tim is using
a Dual Rectifier, mixed with a Vox 30 and a Mesa
cab, and despite having been a 5150 man all the
way, I’m using an Engl, with an Orange cab, and
also a Vox 30.
Your on-stage behaviour is definitely
something to behold – things seem to get
pretty violent up there! Do you have any best
or worst injury stories?
Well, during the Compass tour in NSW, Tim had
broken a couple of strings, so he ripped the rest
of them off his guitar because he’d accepted he
wouldn’t be playing anymore. There were still a
couple of minutes left in the last song so he didn’t
really know what to do, and he saw Angus [Long,
vocals] leaning over the foldback, so he just booted
him straight off the stage! Angus also copped a
bass to the head at an Adelaide show, there was a
cut the size of a 50-cent piece on his head but he
kept right on singing. Another time I had a cymbal
fall off the drum riser and land on me and slice me
open, I still have a scar on my abdomen, about two
inches below my belly button. I was winded, and for
a second I was worried something had happened to
my manhood!