Tuesday, May 1, 2012
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
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Friday, December 9, 2011
Holiday Gift Guide: Guitars and Goodies for Every Budget
Sure, Santa’s workshop is plenty busy right now, but so are the highly skilled guitar builders at Gibson USA and the Gibson Custom shop in Nashville, and the Gibson Acoustic Factory in Bozeman, Montana – where some of the world’s coolest toys and tools are being made right now.
Imagine the delight on your little or big six-stringer’s face when they find a brand-new Gibson guitar under the tree, or a pair of Tony Iommi Signature Humbuckers tucked into their stocking?
Here’s a gift guide focusing on surprises that will delight players at all levels, from novice to rock star, and for prices that run from budget to prestige. Plus some stocking stuffers, ’cause nobody wants just a rock in their sock.
For New Players (low-priced)
Les Paul Studio ’60s Tribute: For a classic-designed tone machine with an easy-to-handle neck – sporting a handsome baked maple fingerboard – that’s vintage styled, versatile and budget priced, the Gibson Les Paul Studio ’60s tribute can’t be beat. The neck is slim tapered for easy playability just like the necks on 1968 Les Paul Standards, which represented an important evolutionary step for the model. And it’s got Gibson’s P-90 pickups, superb single-coil gremlins with the ability to cut through the loudest garage band or punch out on stage. The model comes in four grain-textured satin finishes: Vintage Sunburst, Gold Top, Honeyburst and Ebony Black – and lists for $1,399.
Melody Maker Special: This hot-rodded version of the guitar that Joan Jett, Keith Richards, Robby Krieger, Bill Spooner and other heroes made famous features the slab mahogany of the classic Melody Maker but with the same hot P-90s pickups employed in the Gibson Les Paul Special and a full-sized Les Paul-style headstock for increased sustain. Add nitrocellulose satin finishes in Cherry, TV Yellow, Ebony and Blue Stain and a list price of $1,099, and this six-string is ready for fun or serious business.
For Experienced Fretters (mid-priced)
Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom: Simply put, this is an awesome guitar with a level of playability that stands right up there with vintage Gibson Les Pauls, but it’s a remarkably new instrument that also features Gibson’s brand-new, super-resilient and comfortable baked maple fingerboard. It’s great for playing all styles of music and the brighter tone profile created by the baked maple guarantees a higher level of sonic visibility. True to its classic Les Paul heart, the guitar’s body is mahogany and its binding and other appointments are first-class, with just enough of its own character to stand out among other Les Paul models and still be part of the family. The Classic Custom comes in five stunning high-gloss nitrocellulose finishes: Antique Natural, Gold Top, Cream, Wine Red and Ebony Black, all with chrome-plated hardware for a look that is subtly elegant. And the suggested retail price is $2,999.
Gibson Midtown Standard: This relative of the Gibson ES-335 and various Gibson Custom Shop guitars like the Johnny A. Signature Model is a stylin’ new hybrid with a maple top and a heavily chambered mahogany body and neck, with f-holes, a double-cutaway and a tres cool Bigsby whammy bar. Great for surf rock, blues, jazz, country and more thanks to its wide variety of vintage tones courtesy of a pair of ’57 Classic Humbuckers, and designed with a trimmed down body that’s friendly for all sizes of players. This model is the perfect marriage of solidbody and archtop, list priced at $2,149.
Krist Novoselic Signature RD Bass: Lest we overlook the low-riders, there’s the Novoselic Signature bass, just introduced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s breakthrough album Nevermind. With a slim body, deep cutaways and more curves than a Hollywood swimming pool, it’s easier to handle than most vintage-style basses, and its distinctive looks make it an eye-catching piece of stage gear. It comes in one cool color - Ebony Black – and features a thin rounded profile neck, Grover Shamrock tuners and hot Seymour Duncan ceramic pickups, plus a suggested list of $2,199.
For Gotta-Have-Its (high end)
Firebird X: This sexy beast of the new-guitar world is Gibson’s latest innovation, a Robot Guitar that’s also the ultimate tone machine thanks to an array of on-board effects via a built-in microprocessor. It’s great for players who truly have everything, or want one versatile instrument that can handle an array of tunings and even allow a picker to leave the pedal board at home. Newbies will dig its easy set-up, fast fingerboard, tuning ability and comfortable, intuitive learning curve. Call it the iPhone of the guitar. There’s wireless and Bluetooth capabilities, too, as well as thousands of sound options, all for a suggest list price of $5,570.
Custom Collectors Choice #2 1959 Les Paul Standard “Goldie”: The latest in the Gibson Custom Shop’s painstakingly perfect recreations of rare and specific existing 1959 Les Pauls , “Goldie” is an extremely short-run beauty. Based on serial number 9-0629 and hand-aged by world renowned six-string aging specialist Tom Murphy, this guitar is a perfect reproduction of a perfect – and perfect sounding – ultra-vintage icon. The suggested list price is $11,762.
Jackson Browne Acoustic Signature Model: Hand-made in Bozeman after five years of proto-type building, this finely crafted instrument has been described as the “grand piano of acoustic guitars.” Based on Browne’s much-loved 1930s Roy Smeck model, this signature six-string offers bold tones, a pure and traditional acoustic sound and flawless projection from its classical guitar-sized body, plus a sophisticated pickup that offers exceptional gain before feedback. The suggested list price is $5,799.
Stocking Stuffers
Pickups: Although Gibson offers an extremely wide variety of pickups – Alnico, ceramic, ’57 Classic Humbuckers and more – built to generate all sorts of classic and cutting-edge tones, what’s cooler than being able to rock out like a rock star during the holidays? To that end, consider the Tony Iommi Signature Humbucker designed for razor-sharp highs and pertly defined mids and lows, or the Angus Young Signature Humbucker, a tightly wound pickup with vintage features built to generate that gnarly AC/DC sound.
Shirts: And in these recessionary times the one thing that’s always affordable – but still sports a Gibson logo – is a shirt. Gibson offers several varieties from standard T to tank top to hoodie to men’s polo and V-neck, priced from $19.99 to $59.99.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Essential Guide To Guitar Virtuosity
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Sunday, May 15, 2011
Electric Guitar Buying Guide
Planning to get an electric guitar? Now I know this may seem like a big thing taking all the top brands and everything into consideration, however with a little research and insight you can easily get a guitar that is both suited to your needs and budget. Without further ado, let's get started!
Getting the budget in place
Now I can imagine very well if you want to get the latest Fender which has hit the market, but seriously you are looking at expensive price tags here. High quality guitars can very easily top the $3,000 range and you are best to consider your options before you make your purchase. Having said that, I do not discourage you from buying high end guitars, by all means if you can afford one then go for it. This is extremely important because the higher the quality of the instrument, the better the experience you will have playing it. This is obviously a very personal decision and you will need to know for sure how much you are willing to spend here.
Another thing that you need to know is that cheaper guitars are not essentially poor in quality. Due to computer aided manufacturing techniques, guitars, especially electric ones are now being made at less costs without sacrificing on quality. You can get excellent guitars for $150-$250 of appreciable quality these days which would have probably cost 3 to 4 times as much about 20 years back.
Getting Round the Basics of the Electric guitar
An electric guitar produces sound via an electric pickup that is installed below the strings. The pickup collects the vibrations of the strings and transfers them to an amplifier. A pickup is essentially a small device that is made of a magnet surrounded by a very fine metal wire (at least most of them are). As the guitar strings vibrate within its magnetic field, it produces a very small electric charge which is fed to an amplifier which boosts the signal and further on feeds it to the speakers.
Because electric guitars use only a pickup they do not require a hollow body as is seen in a traditional acoustic guitar. In fact most electric guitars are made out of solid wooden or plastic body. However this does not mean that you can have an electric guitar made out of anything; the material used in the body still has a great impact on the quality of the sound that the guitar produces.
Types of Electric Guitars
four types of electric guitars are there for you to choose from.These are the Solid body guitars, Hollow body guitars, Semi-hollow body guitars and the Chambered guitars.
a. Solid body guitars: The most commonly known design for the electric guitars. These can take virtually any shape from just a neck and pickups to wild and star shaped designs. Given the kind of shapes these are available in these are also the most popular ones around.
b. Hollow body guitars: These guitars are generally speaking just normal acoustic guitars with pickups on them and are favored by jazz players for their full round tones, however they are best played at a low volume setting.
Semi-hollow body guitars: Best suited for a range of music ranging from jazz to punk, semi hollow body guitars have a wooden center with large holes on either sides to avoid feedback issues commonly seen in hollow body guitars at high volume settings.
c. Chambered guitars: Are essentially solid body guitars which have sealed chambers carved into them to both decrease the weight and also increase resonance.
Scale length
The scale length refers to the distance between the strings and the head-nut which vibrates once the strings are plucked. This length determines, to a great extent the sound that the guitar makes. Two scale lengths are most common:
a. 25 ": This was the original length of steel string acoustic guitars and was adopted by Fender onto its Stratocaster and Telecaster models. Guitars made to this length offer a high tension and trebly noise. Since it is slightly difficult to play guitars on this length, most guitarists opt for lighter strings.
b. 24 ": This is the scale length of most Fender guitars. As these require a lower string tension, they do not produce as much treble. Usually guitars built to these lengths are equipped with heavier strings which produce a heavier note more suited for adding bass. The most famous guitars built on these scales are the Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG, Gibson ES-335 and the Gibson Flying V.
c. 25": PRS Guitars has opted to make guitars on this length which produces a very unique tone and is slightly easier to play.
Pickups
The pickup that an electric guitar uses has a lot to do with the way an electric guitar sounds. We currently have three types of pickups available, these are:
a. The Single Coil: This consists of a single bar magnet surrounded by a very fine wire which produces a small electrical current every time a string resonates within the magnetic field. These were the first and most preferred types of pickups used in guitars.
b. Humbucker: These have two coils wrapped opposite to each other so that they eliminate the humming noise which was a common problem in single coil pickups. These also produce a smooth, round tone. Some humbuckers also give you the option to switch to a single coil mode where you can get the characteristic single coil sound.
c. Piezo: Piezo pickups are made of a crystalline material which produces a very small electric current as compared to the other magnet based pickups. These require pre-amplification before they are fed to the amplifier. Piezo pickups are added to the guitar's saddle.
Woods
As said earlier, the type of material used in the making of the guitar has a great impact on the kind of sound that the guitar produces. This is important because the wood with which the guitar is constructed will determine how long the string will vibrate. The common types of woods being used in the making of the electric guitar include:
a. Maple: Is used in the making of the guitar's neck, fretboard and top body. Maple wood is best known for its tonal qualities.
b. Mahogany: Is dense and strong, but really hard and is used in the making of the guitar back and neck. Mahogany is a very resonant wood and tends to emphasize the guitar's sustain.
c. Rosewood: Is the most common wood used in electric guitar fretboards.
d. Ebony: Is extremely hard and is mostly used in electric guitar fretboards and also in the construction of more expensive guitars.
e. Ash: Is most commonly used in the construction of the body of solid body guitars. It imparts a high sustain and also a beautiful well defined midrange
Neck Construction
Electric guitars have three different types of neck constructions, these include:
a. Bolt On Necks: Are attached to the body by three or four screws which run through the back of the body and into the back of the neck. These kind of necks are easy to replace and fix should something break. Bolt on necks were also pivotal in making the electric guitar cheap and affordable.
b. Set Neck: Consist of necks which are glued to the body. These sometimes have a tenon which is an extension which reaches from the fretboard and goes deeper into the body.
c. Neck Through: These include guitars which are built around a single column of wood which starts from the headstock all the way to the tail.
Bridges
The bridge is the part of the guitar on its body on which the strings are attached. They are used primarily to compensate for the slight differences in tones produced by the string's length, material etc and also for using a vibrato also known as a whammy bar or vibrato arm which allows the player to bend the notes by moving the arm. Of course there are quite a few bridge designs that exist, three most popular are:
a. Two point rocking tremolo: AKA the Fulcrum Vibrato, has individual saddles for each string, which are adjustable for tone and intonation. These are attached to a bridge that rocks on 2 bolts on the guitar. The bridge itself is attached to the body by way of a floating plate which is attached to the inside of the guitar by stretch springs which match the tension of the strings.
b. Locking Vibrato: Similar to the 2 Point Rocking Tremolo, only it clamps the strings and works concomitantly with clamps at the head nut down. This was designed by Floyd Rose.
c. Stop-bar tailpiece: A stop bar tailpiece is attached to the top of the guitar and provides a string terminus that gets the maximum resonance from the guitar.
Final Notes: Buying a guitar need not be the toughest thing in the world. As said above keep your interest in perspective and go for the guitar that you think well suits your tastes and preferences. Music can be an expensive hobby; this especially so if the hobby in question is guitars. Good quality guitars can indeed cost a small fortune so if you are an avid guitarist and would like to go in for that top quality Fender or Gibson then, by all means go in for them. Music is indeed a passionate hobby and if this is what you choose to do for a living then don't let anything stop you from pursuing your dreams!
Gear-Vault is one of the most respectable guitar review websites on the entire interweb. Read their professional and comprehensive guitar and amplifiers reviews before you buy your next guitar or piece of musical equipment. Looking for a guitar or amp? Check out the Guitar Buyers Guide at Guitar Finder.
If you found this article helpful and want to learn more about one of our favorite electric guitar choices, check out the Gibson Angus Young SG Guitar.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Fender Presents: Getting Started on Acoustic Guitar -- A Guide for Beginners
By far the most comprehensive DVD ever offered for the beginner guitarist---well over 3 hours long! Over 50 Interactive Lessons! Step-by-step lessons incorporating clear, easy-to-follow 3-D graphics and unique play-along tracks teach the viewer the essential chords, scales, and techniques used by acoustic guitar players in every popular style, including rock, blues and country. This DVD is separated into two major sections:
1)The First Step: tuning up · string names · essential chords and scales used by all players · music reference section (notes, rhythms, chords and scales) · practice tips · fretting-hand technique · picking-hand technique · backing tracks for play-along · animated 3-D fretboard graphics.
2)Play Acoustic!: rhythm technique (bare finger/thumb, bass/chord, fingerstyle, etc.) · soloing technique (chord embellishment, open-string chords, using a capo) · electrified acoustic · rock, blues and country styles · rhythm and solo technique in each style · backing tracks in each style for play-along · tips on caring for your instrument from the Fender Custom Shop.
Special DVD Features include: Bonus footage, including a Fender Factory Tour! Also: Web links, including a web site specifically designed for beginning guitarists · Multi-language feature so you can hear the DVD in English, Spanish, German, French, or Japanese.
Price: $24.95
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar -- A Guide for Beginners
Getting Started on Electric Guitar offers a complete course for the beginning electric guitarist. Step-by-step lessons incorporating clear, easy-to-follow 3-D graphics and unique play-along tracks teach the viewer the essential chords, scales and techniques used by electric guitar players in every popular style, including rock, blues and country. This DVD is separated into two major sections. Part 1 ? The First Step covers: tuning methods · string names · essential chords and scales used by all players · musical reference section (notes, rhythms, chords and scales) · practice tips · fretting-hand technique · picking-hand technique · backing tracks for play-along · an animated fretboard · plus much more.
Part 2 ? Play Electric! covers: right-hand technique · left-hand technique · rhythm parts (muting, alternate picking, arpeggios) · soloing technique (string bending, vibrato) · rock, blues & country styles · rhythm and solo ideas for each style · backing tracks in each style for play-along · sounds (amplifiers and effects) · caring for your instrument · and tips from the Fender Custom Shop.
Special DVD features include: bonus footage, including a tour of the Fender factory! Also: looping capabilities · web site links specifically for beginning guitarists · a multi-language feature so you can view the DVD in English, Spanish, German, French or Japanese.
Price: $24.95
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Essential Guide To Guitar Virtuosity
The perfect system for learning how to totally shred on the guitar! Earn a 75% commission on every sale of this hot book!!
Check it out!