Jimmy Is Ready For 2010

Fed up with waiting for his former band mates to return to the Led Zeppelin fold, Jimmy Page has vowed to return to the stage next year with some new music.

“We’re running up to Christmas now and next year I have every intention of playing music live and manifesting it,” Page told Britain’s Sky News. “I’ve got the music waiting, and that’s what I’ll be doing. It’s been two years since the 02, so it’s time to do that.”

Robert Plant is expected to return to the studio with Alison Krauss to work on the follow-up to the Grammy-winning Raising Sand, while John Paul Jones has been on the road with Josh Homme and Dave Grohl as a member of Them Crooked Vultures.

Apart from co-starring with the Edge and Jack White in the documentary It Might Get Loud, the 65-year-old Page has mostly kept a low profile since Led Zeppelin’s brief reunion at London’s O2 Arena in 2007.

Page reportedly has an album’s worth of new material ready to go, some of which was debuted in the film.

So far he has been tapped to appear at the Show of Peace concert on April 17 at Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing. Other acts invited to participate in the event include the Black Eyed Peas, Prince, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Coldplay and Green Day.

New Buckethead Signature From Gibson

Buckethead Signature Les Paul
From his prolific solo work, to his prominent memberships in the supergroup Praxis and rock legends Guns N’ Roses, Buckethead has displayed one of the most fiery creative personas of our times, and has continually affirmed his stance in the upper echelon of contemporary shredders. Equally attention-grabbing as his incendiary chops, Buckethead’s stage show and visual presence remain unique among the rock field, and his Gibson guitars—a white Les Paul in particular—have always been a big part of that. As Gibson continues to roll out the Rocktober action, the Buckethead Signature Les Paul celebrates this unparalleled artist’s achievements. With an oversized, chambered Les Paul body, a marker-less ebony fingerboard, and Buckethead’s choice of Gibson’s contemporary ceramic humbucking pickups—complete with modified electronics and “arcade” style kill switches—this is a Les Paul like none to have come before. It’s primed to get you noticed, and designed for utmost performance for the contemporary rock, metal, and shred performer.
Body
Species
Each Buckethead Signature Les Paul is crafted from a two-piece maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a chambered mahogany body. This wood combination, one of the most legendary pairs in the history of the solid and semi-solid electric guitar, yields a “best of both worlds” tonal splendor.
Design
Reflecting Buckethead’s continued departure from the norm, the Buckethead Signature Les Paul looks outwardly much like a slightly modified white Les Paul Standard, but had been made with an oversized, chambered body. The chambered mahogany back serves to minimize weight, while also adding tonal nuances to the guitar’s overall sound. Its high-gloss Alpine White finish is complimented with a stunning black and white 5 ply binding.
Tonal Characteristics
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul body woods present a combination of good clarity, definition and treble bite from the maple, and excellent depth and richness from the mahogany, elements found in the classic Les Paul Standard tone. The chambering adds a further dimension, increasing the complexity of this guitar’s tone, while also increasing its acoustic volume and sustain.
Finish
Color
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul is finished in high-gloss Alpine White.
Surface Texture
A gloss finish with 90-sheen lacquer and extensive hand buffing give the Buckethead Signature Les Paul a sleek, contemporary appearance and a smooth, fast playing feel.
Process
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul is hand-finished in nitrocellulose in a process that is carefully monitored to ensure minimum build-up, in an effort to produce a final finish that breathes with the guitar and enhances natural resonance. Unlike many other manufacturers, who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time. That way your guitar’s wood can age beautifully and naturally.
Neck and Headstock
Species
The neck of the Buckethead Signature Les Paul is constructed from a single piece of solid mahogany, and glued to the body at a 4-degree angle (pitch). Mahogany is a traditional neck wood and a long-time partner to many legendary Gibson guitars. It is prized for its combination of lightness and strength.
Truss Rod
Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in most all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.
Profile
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul’s neck is carved to its own custom profile that runs from .870” at the nut to .955” at the 12th fret, and is designed for the ultimate combination of speed and comfort.
Joint Angle
4.0° (+/- 15 seconds)
Headstock Angle
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul’s headstock is carefully angled at a tried-and-true 17 degrees, which increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.
Logo
The Gibson logo — one of the most globally recognized logos of all time — is silkscreened in black on the face of the Buckethead Signature Les Paul’s oversized Les Paul-style headstock.
Tonal Characteristics
The angled, classical-style peg head and mahogany neck work together to provide exceptional tonal depth and resonance from the neck, with a smooth attack and excellent tonal depth.
Scale Length
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul features a 27" Scale length which increases neck tension for improved accuracy and precision.
Neck Fit
Joint
Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. This time-tested joint style has been used in all the great woodworking arts — from shipbuilding to cabinetry — and has been proven to yield a stronger neck and body than if the instrument was made from a single piece of wood.
Adhesive
The adhesive used to join neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.
Tolerance
When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a tolerance within .005 of an inch. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.
Joint Angle Tolerance
0.0° (+/- 15 seconds)
Fingerboard
Species
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul is equipped with a Grade-A ebony fingerboard, which enhances note attack and articulation. A hard, dense, dark-black exotic wood, ebony has commonly been regarded as a deluxe, upgraded option on electric guitars, and has been used by Gibson in the past on the Les Paul Custom. Ebony is also extremely hard-wearing, and more resistant to humidity and climate and weather changes than many other fingerboard woods.
Radius
The 12-inch radius of the Buckethead Signature Les Paul fingerboard provides smooth note bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses.
Frets
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul sports 24 jumbo frets, all immaculately dressed and polished.
Inlays
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul carries no inlays, echoing the stark, contemporary look that this artist is known for.
Tonal Characteristics
Ebony is a very popular up-market fingerboard material, known for its strong, clear tone.
Nut
Material
The nut on the Buckethead Signature Les Paul is made from white Corian, which is mainly composed of acrylic polymer. It’s a very durable material, delivers enhanced sustain, and holds the tolerances of the precision cuts made in the slotting process. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard to ensure proper tone and sustain transfer.
Width
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul features an enhanced nut width of approximately 1.715”.
Pickups
Model
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul carries a calibrated pair of Gibson’s contemporary-voiced Ceramic series humbucking pickups, featuring a 496R in the neck (rhythm) position, and a hot 500T in the bridge (lead) position. Both are specially made with double-white bobbins to match the look of the guitar, and the bridge pickup is split via a push/pull switch on the Tone knob to achieve a single-coil tone.
Magnet Material
Both the 496R and 500T are made with ceramic magnets. While alnico has long been used as a magnet for vintage-style pickups, over-winding an alnico-magnet unit in an effort to create a “hot” pickup can lead to a squashed, muddy tone. Ceramic magnets provide a clear, bold performance with plenty of output, without the need for packing on more coil windings than the pickup design can handle.
Tonal Characteristics
The 496R in the neck position offers unparalleled creamy sustain that nevertheless retains excellent cutting power. Its partner, the 500T, is one of Gibson’s two hottest pickups, intended for ultimate wailing lead tones, sustain, and searing cutting power in the bridge position. Between them, they present excellent sonic versatility and impressive contemporary tones. This pair is also well matched for balanced output levels in all switch positions.
Electronics
Volume Control
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul carries a single Volume control which comprises a 300k linear potentiometer for a smooth, natural roll off.
Tone Control
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul features a single Tone control that comprises a 500k non-linear potentiometer for a natural transition from full treble to bass tones. The Tone control also carries a built-in push/pull switch to engage the coil splitting in the bridge pickup and achieve single-coil-like tones.
Toggle Switch
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul features one three-way toggle switch made of stainless steel with white plastic tip, which acts as the instrument’s pickup selector. In the down position, only the bridge pickup is active. In the middle position, both pickups are active. In the up position, only the neck pickup is active.
Special Features
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul carries two red “arcade” style pushbutton kill switches to mute the output of the guitar, as well as a push/pull switch on the Tone potentiometer to access the bridge pickup’s split-coil feature.
Output Jack
The guitar features a 1⁄4” output jack made by Switchcraft. Its super heavy duty construction holds your guitar cable securely in place.
Hardware
Tuning Keys
The headstock of the Buckethead Signature Les Paul is equipped with chrome-plated locking Grover keystone tuners with an advanced 18:1 gear ratio for increased efficiency. These tuners are sealed with a special lubricant to ensure years of stable service, and are recognized as one of the finest tuners in the industry.
Bridge
In 1954, Gibson rocked the world when it debuted the tune-o-matic bridge, setting a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. Included on the Buckethead Signature Les Paul, the tune-o-matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields excellent coupling between strings and body, maximizing resonance, tone, and sustain. The Buckethead Signature Les Paul’s bridge is made from Zamak then plated with chrome, and each one weighs approximately .118 lbs.
Tailpiece
Every Tune-o-matic bridge is combined with a separate “stopbar” tailpiece, which is essentially a modified version of the earlier wraparound bridge that’s designed to further enhance the connection between the strings and the body. The Buckethead Signature Les Paul’s stopbar tailpiece is made from Zamak then plated with Platinum, and each one weighs approximately .168 lbs.
Strap Buttons
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul’s aluminum strap buttons are the same style and design that Gibson has used since the early 1950s.
Plastics
Truss Rod Cover
As with most Gibson guitars, the truss rod cover on the Buckethead Signature Les Paul is made from black and white vinyl plastic, and is shaped like an antique bell.
Control Knobs
The control knobs on the Buckethead Signature Les Paul are Gibson’s white speed knobs.
Pickup Trim Rings
The pickup trim rings on the Buckethead Signature Les Paul are made of white ABS plastic.
Strings
Gauge
The Buckethead Signature Les Paul is fitted with genuine Gibson strings, sizes .010 - .046.
Accessories
Hardshell Case
Your Buckethead Signature Les Paul comes protected in one of Gibson’s durable black, hardshell cases with Gibson logo silk-screened across the front in white lettering.


$4,311
MSRP as Shown
Finish Options

*
Alpine White


Video: Buckethead Lesson

Stories

* Chambering the Les Paul: A Marriage of Weight and Tone
* Interactive Gibson Bible Excerpt and Video Footage: The First Les Paul Standards
* Wikipedia: Gibson Les Paul
* The Making of a Gibson USA Guitar
* 15 Iconic Les Paul Players
* The World Has Lost a Remarkable Innovator and Musician: Les Paul Passes Away at 94

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Tone Tips: Speakers Revisited — Tone vs. Volume

Products Electric Guitars Les Paul Gibson USA Buckethead Signature Les Paul
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Beau McMurray
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Way to go Gibson for recognizing one of the worlds fine

Temple University Does Story On Rawk U

Just wanted to get the embedded video of this up rather than the non visual link.

Gretsch Pickups

Below is a interesting history of the various pickup systems Gretsch Guitars have used over the years. Thanks to my student Tom, for the link.

Guitar Story

Temple University Profiles Rawk U

Temple University has done a story about Rawk U School Of Music
Check the story on their blog, Philadelphia Neighborhoods here:

Rawk U Story

Why The Record Industry Should Die

Bought a CD lately? Neither have I. But this story starts long before everyone was downloading music, before, as one record company executive put it, on seeing Napster for the first time, “The record industry was over.” This is about how the record industry, today known as “The Big Four”, drove the stake into their own heart.
The basic problem, as I see it, is that the record industry stopped respecting the record buying public at some point around the late 1980’s. Let’s talk about the “Single” also known by the names “7 inch”, the “Cassingle”, or my fav, “The Maxi- Single”. The record companies starting getting hot again for the single around the time of the original Boy Band regime. Singles like New Kids On The Block’s “The Right Stuff”,sold millions. Why market an entire album, when there’s only one good song, and the rest is filler? This business model worked brilliantly in the ‘60’s when you had bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys, putting out gem after gem. And then they had full length albums behind them with little to no chaff. But not so much anymore.The record buying public are consumers, but they’re not stupid. I believe this was the real beginning of the end for the album as concept. The Rock album being one of the record companies mainstay products throughout the 1970’s 80’s and ‘90s.
But oh yeah, what about that thing I was talking about how the record industry stopped respecting us at some point? Let’s look at two very successful artists of the last quarter century. Let’s start with Bruce Springsteen. If Bruce had released his first album in 2003, instead of 1973, you might be asking Bruce Who? His first album sold 25,000 copies its first year, not a hit by yesterday’s standards or today’s. It wasn’t until Bruce’s third album, “Born To Run”, that his career really took off, making the cover of Time and Newsweek. The point is that no artist is given the time to develop any more. It takes a while to rev up your engines, and get going. If you don’t shift a couple million albums or singles right out of the gate today, you get dropped, and the label goes searching for the next Johnny come lately. U2 on the other hand, didn’t start their million/billion selling selves until their fifth release, “The Joshua Tree”, which is arguably the first million seller in the CD format. I just can’t imagine an environment, in which sales is the only motivator. Who do we have today, that’s carrying the torch for artists like these? I guess we have The Killers. Lucky for them and thanks to an insane marketing blitz by Island Def Jam, sales for their debut album “Hot Fuss”, were well past the million mark.
What happens when you realize you no longer need the middle man? That’s what the record companies are in essence. The band or artist, creates and records the “product”. The label then manufactures and distributes that product to stores, whether they be brick and mortar or online. Home recording equipment became affordable and readily available sometime in the late 1980’s. A whole army of people who rolled out of bed and recorded in their pajamas bloomed and blossomed. A lot of these people had no chance of ever being signed to a major label recording contract. They sent their cassette tape or burned CD’s off to small independent labels. They embarked on small yet often profitable tours around the country. A lot of these people also started their own record labels, and here’s my point. Why let someone charge you for something and take your money, when you can do that thing for yourself? These independent, or Indie labels as they were called, often had a knack for connecting the music to their niche markets, and making their music readily available to their fans. A lot of these labels, survive to this day, in part because they were able to see the future before the old dinosaur major labels were. A lot of them made their catalogs available online as soon as they were able to. So while Warner Music Group is locked in battle with Youtube, about why they can and can’t show their artists’ videos, your neighbor down the streets record label, put all their bands videos up on Youtube, and just sold their first thousand copies.
So, it would seem when you have made it obvious that you are horribly out of step with the times, have made yourself obsolete, and no longer have a finger to the pulse of what is truly cool or cutting edge, you get to show yourself the door.

Interview with F.M. Cornog of East River Pipe

Reprinted from Guitargeek.com

The inseparable duo of F.M. Cornog (a.k.a. East River Pipe) and Barbara Powers (a.k.a. Hell Gate Recordings) has been quietly recording and releasing some of the most sincere and heartfelt music since the turn of the decade. F.M. does the recording and Barbara does the releasing. As always, the curious staff here at Guitar Geek wanted to know just how they do it. In all the years we've been interviewing home-recordists this interview stands out as one of our favorites. F.M. and Barbara's enthusiasm and do-it-yourself work ethic should rub off on you by the end of this wonderful chat.

Guitar Geek: FM why do you record yourself?

FM: It's just the way I've always done it. I can't explain it. I've always liked tape recorders and I guess I like the control element of it also... Hey can I scratch that answer??

Guitar Geek: Yeah, sure start over...

FM: It's just like as opposed to what? I mean I record myself because this is very relaxed atmoshere here in the apartment and Tascam mini studios are the easiest things to use in the world. I don't have to go into a real recording studio and spend 25-50 bucks an hour. I can do it whenever I want to, I can wake up and go, "Hey I'm gonna do a song now>" I don't have to book time in a studio.

Guitar Geek: So as soon as inspiration hits, it can be on tape within minutes?

FM: Yeah, I like to record my stuff right when it's happening. Like right when I write a song. I don't do demos or anything, I just kind of go, "Oh geez, OK, this is kinda like a song here, so I'm gonna do this right away." And I just do it right at that moment. That's the other advantage of the mini-studio I guess the average band would ahve one guy who would write the song, he would have a rough little demo of it, bring it to his buddies, teach them the song, book some studio time, go into the studio and then watch this clock hanging over their heads. Then they have to think "Oh geez, do I want to keep this guitar part, or this one? That's too complicated for me , y'know, all that stuff. I like the immediacy of just one person. I don't collaborate with anybody, I go in, by myself, and get everything done whenever I want to.

Guitar Geek: Have you had any bad experiences in "pro" studios? Did that fuel your desire to want to record by yourself?

FM: I've actually only recorded one song ever in a "real" recording studio, so no, not really, no bad experiences. That was a long time ago. Basically I've always been into recording. Geez, when I was a kid I would get two little Panasonic tape recorders and bounce stuff off them. I'd play a piano part, record it. Then play the other tape recorder, while recording on the other, as I play another part over that one. I'd have another double track piano part I'd bounce and record again; real messy fidelity-wise, but who cares? I liked liked the fun off messing around with tape recorder and seeing what it sounded liked.

Guitar Geek: Are some of the reasons you record solo due to finances?

FM: Of course. It is so cheap to do it by yourself with just a mini-studio. You just need to come up with the money for the original investment of the mini-studio itself, seven hundred bucks or whatever.

Guitar Geek: What type of mini-studio do you have right now?

FM: I have a Tascam 388, it has eight tracks, but only six of them actually work. The two channels on the end are messed up, so it's really just a six track!

Guitar Geek: Is it one of those old 1/4 inch decks?

FM: Yeah, outside of that, all I have is really cheap stuff. The whole East River Pipe studio thing is that I don't have any expensive rack-mounted stuff. I only have cheap guitar pedals, I never used big named brands like Boss or something like that. Everybody uses those! I use cheap effects stuff, just so I'm not using the same pedals as everyone else Some pedals I play guitar through, or sometimes I even sing through them. What else do I have? Mmm, a cheap ESP Telecaster, an old Gibson bass, a little Peavey 50 amp, a cheap microphone, a few drums, a drum machine, a lot of percussive instruments, a few cheap keyboard-synthesizer type things, and that's about it. It's a simple set-up. I like that best. I like to concentrate on the song and the performance rather than the gear. If I had some expensive rack-mounted reverb unit, I'd be fiddling around with that trying to decide what kind of reverb I wanted, room size, or whatever complicated setting I should put it on. I like to plug the f***ing guitar in and play the song y'know? That's what all these East River River songs are, just very spontaneous things.

Guitar Geek: Is your technical knowledge of the recording process great, or do you just strictly go by what sounds good?

FM:I follow Ray Charles technique. His advice to people recording is: "As long as it's not distorting, it's fine." Obviously, he can't see the needle going into the red, so, if it's not fuzzy, leave it. Next to an engineer that works in a 24 track studio, I'm sure I don't know anything, but it doesn't matter how you record a song. Whether it's at home or in a super-deluxe studio is not important. What is important is that you have a good song and a good performance. That's what matters.

Guitar Geek: A lot of people get hung up on the techincal side of things, I guess.

FM: People tell me, "Oh, oooh, you're LO-FI, you're sooo D.I.Y." I'm not into LO-FI, I just don't want to spend fifty dollars an hour to go into some studio. I can do it right here, no pressure, no clock hanging over me, and do it whenever I want. I'm getting redundant now, but I'm not going for some lo-fi asthetic, it's just the way I've always done it. This is the natural way for me to do it. Other bands go into big studios and that's natural for them. I've been doing it this way for fifteen years.

Guitar Geek: I think a lot of people have purposely taken that route just to fit in with some lo-fi movement, but some people, myself included, have gone into studios and come out with nothing but horror stories. Y'know wasting tons of money, having some goofball for an engineer, or whatever. Experiences like that have driven lots of people into getting their own small recording set-ups and just doing it themselves.

FM: True. One time I had this old song of mine that I'd already recorded, but we didn't have anything to mix down to, like to two-track stereo. So we took it into this actual recording studio. This Tascam I have is incompatible with with anything, so you just have to take the whole board in. You can't just take the tape, because no studio has an 8 track 1/4 inch that fits with this deck. It's not like it's this big cumbersome thing, but we didn't have a car or anything. So we loaded it in this taxi and went to the studio. We get there and this studio guy decides he's going to mix my songs. The way he mixed my song and the way I would've mixed my songs are two different things. Recording wise too, there is a big difference in the way I would record and the way a studio guy would. A lot of my methods production-wise are much like Phil Spector or Brian Wilson. I double track a lot of guitars, whereas a lot of people would say, "buy this fancy guitar thing, like chorus pedal and that's kinda like double tracking in a way, plus it'll free up an extra track." But it's a totally different thing if you don't use that gizmo, an you actually sing or play it twice. It's a completely different feel.

Guitar Geek: Plus you'll get some inconsistencies, that sound more natural.

FM: Right, it just... sounds... better!

Guitar Geek: Run us through a typical recording session. Where do you start?

FM: I'll use a drum machine as either an actual drum thing or a click track device and play guitar and sing. That's it. So I lay down a drum thing, a guitar thing, and a vocal thing, first run through. Then I just add and subtract tracks from there. Sometimes I add percussion tracks on top of that and then maybe drop out the drums. It can happen a million ways.

Barbara: What is consistent though, is he usually maps out ahead of time how the song should be structured and arranged; what kind of guide track to lay down.

Guitar Geek: With 8 tracks, it can be brain racking deciding where to play everything, when to bounce tracks, or laying down select guitar part on the same track where the vocals are, but when they aren't singing, junk like that.

FM: I can usually see this road map in my head; when to do this part first, that part second, verse here, back into this, and I know it'll end up at 2-3 minutes. It's hard to explain it 'cause I can't intellectualize it. It's intuitive. I just do it and I still haven't gotten used to people asking me how I record. People think there's some kind kind of secret recipe and I just don't know. The great thing about recording at home is you can listen back to your songs over and over again and see how it sounds. You can drop out a guitar part and make it a keyboard song, anything. Unless your the Beatles or Fleetwood Mac, with a billion dollars to throw away, you can't give that kind of attention to the songs, unless it's at home. You have the free time to sit back and listen to it at length. Think how long it takes just to mix one song...

Guitar Geek It takes hours!

FM: Minimum! You can take longer mixing it than actually recording it . To think of doing that at a "real" studio is mind boggling. I mean the fidelity in places like that is cool and everything, but if I were to ever go into one again it would have to be with someone I really trusted and who wouldn't charge me tons. That's a utopian scenario, but it would have to that kind of thing or hey, I'll just do it here at home. Maybe I could even upgrade my studio...

Guitar Geek With some Boss pedals!!!

FM: (laughs) Yeah, just splurge! My big thing would be to buy a guitar pedal that costs over a hundred dollars! But for now all my guitar pedals must be made of plastic!

Guitar Geek: I know it's hard to explain how the recording process works, and that's not really the main point I wanted to make. I would like to stress that all this can be done. A lot of very amazing bands and musicians are intimidated by the whole process of recording and releasing songs. To some people it seems unapproachable, almost like this huge wall, whereas people like Barbara and yourself have done it. The whole fallacy of getting signed to a big label, recording with a huge budget, blah, blah, blah. Yes, that is one way to do it, but you two have proven there is another route, another pathway to take. It's like you have sidestepped everything ridiculous and got right to the core of what needs to be done.

FM: Wow! That will look good in print. I wish I'd have said that!

Guitar Geek I could always switch the names! Barabara Oh yeah, and mmm, then FM said...

FM: The main thing is (in a mock British accent) you've just got to do it! You buy the machine, then poke around with it. Geez, go to any art gallery and you'll say, "That painting sucks, man! Why is that hanging on this wall?! I could do better than that!" That's the thing, you could! Buy some paint and canvas, go home and paint a picture. Then you'll have it hanging in Soho someday! It doesn't cost that much to record yourself, at least not compared to paying for time in a big studio. Buy a mic, plug your guitar into track and just see where it leads you. That's it! That's the secret. You can't be afraid. You can't say, "Oh, this doesn't sound as good as a Sebadoh thing, or a Ween cut, Guided By Voices," or whatever. Take the leap. The only difference between me and a lot of people out there is I have the will, bought the equipment and then actually recorded the songs

Beatles Re-Mania

I just watched the trailer to The Beatles Rock Band again.
And yes, i do think its awesome. It looks literally like they just animated photographs and movie reels of exact moments in the beatles career. And oh yeah, it comes out today!! I just read how Bill Wyman, former bass player of a little band called The Rolling Stones, thinks rock band is a bad thing. He thinks it encourages kids to not play real instruments. I must disagree with Bill. As a guitar teacher, i have actually gained many new young students specifically from Rock Band and Guitar Hero. What it really does is not really about the video game at all. It takes music, in this case the beatles catalog, and exposes it to a new generation. Where else are these 9 and 10 yr olds gonna hear this amazing music? And the kids who are motivated to learn an instrument, were going to go ahead and do it anyway. I can't imagine a driven kid who would get the game, who might be musically inclined , getting good at the game and then having it end there.
This is the future, get with it, or get left behind.

Rock Class

I want to thank my students in the Classic Rock Rock Classes this summer for making our initial outing so fun and successful. The classes were adult bands. The classes met weekly for 8 weeks, and the culmination was a benefit show for MAESSR at The M Room in fishtown in philly. Some of the songs that were played were: "Wishing Well" by Free, "No Matter What" by Badfinger, "The Weight" by The Band, and "Rebel, Rebel", by Bowie. The fall classes that we are doing are The Beatles, and a Singer-Songwriter themed class. Any bassists or drummers out there, there are 2 spots in the Beatles class, one for bass and drums. Get in touch.

Which Guitar, Why?

This post is about which guitars we prefer for whatever type of music we happen to be playing at the moment. First off, let's start off with Gibson vs. Fender. A lot of guitarists I meet seem to be one or the other, where as I feel there is a time and a place for both. If you're gonna be playing blues, hands down fender is your guitar. Nothing quite cuts through the din like the piercing attack of a strat with the selector in bridge position. Think SRV. Think Buddy Guy. Think Hendrix. Actually, there are so many different guitarists associated with both gibson and fender, playing a wide variety of styles, it can be hard to keep track of. Let's talk about who plays Gibson's and why. For my money, if you're going to be playing any kind of "heavy" music, Gibson will do you right. Much of Randy Rhoads' best work was done with his cream colored gibson les paul custom. Hendrix was actually known to play gibson(Flying V) in his later years. See the Isle of Wight concert from 1970. Another Ozzy guitarist associated with the Les Paul is Zakk Wylde. His tone is a little over the top and that has a lot to do with the pickups he uses. He uses Emg's. Emg's with a les paul can almost bee Too distorted and heavy for my tastes anyway. If your gonna tackle country, its pretty much the Telecasters place. Although Keith Richards used it famously throughout the Rolling Stones for country inflected rock. You also might want to consider The Chet Atkins Gretsch or The Country Gentleman for country. I will briefly mention a few other models and comment on how i feel about them. ESP Guitars: Cool, and really good for metal, good shredding guitar. Gretsch White Falcon: Awesome, extremely versatile and a guitar i hope someday to own. Gibson ES-335: Probably the most versatile guitar out there, you can play almost any style on it, and it rocks!(Full disclosure: I own a cherry red 1967 ES-335). PRS guitars:my least favorite brand. I can't stand the twig like necks and i think the "tone" people speak of when they mention them is very overrated. Plus they are sorta ugly. Haha. Anyway tell us what you think! what guitars do you play, and what styles do you use them for?
-Danielelectric

Geriatric Indies Review Wilco and Dirty Projectors Live from Philly!

Pics From Rock Show # 1

Some pix from the show

Rock Show # 1 A Total Success!

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported The Rawk U School Of Music On June 10th at Milkboy in ardmore, pa. The show was great fun, and everyone really did play their absolute best. We are already looking towards the future, and the next show. Rock Show # 2 will most likely go down sometime early in 2010. Next on the agenda: Summer Rock Classes! I am running 2 separate classic rock themed classes this summer. These classes are for adults only this time around. Our guitarist spots are all filled, but if there are any bass players, or drummers who want to play some awesome music for 8 weeks and then get to play a show afterwards, get in touch. Call Daniel directly @ 267 240 3779. Classes meet tuesday, wednesday starting tuesday june 30.
thanks and keep us in mind,
-Danielelectric

Mini Re-Launch!

Hey Everyone,
You may have taken notice of our new banner image. It now includes the words "School Of Music". For those that don't know I run and operate a Rock based school of music in south philly. I now mean to use this blog as a means to broadcast news and goings on related to the music school. Now, this blog will still feature articles, opinions, lesson videos, and we are always working on getting up and coming guitarists to do lesson videos to share with you guys. None of that will change, there's just gonna be a lot more news and stuff about the music school. So this blog has now become the official blog for the Rawk U School Of Music. Thanks!
-Danielelectric

Rawk U School Of Music Presents First Student Show: Rock Show #1

Come Out To Milkboy Coffee In Ardmore, Pa on wed June 10 come to support the Rawk U School Of Music and its students. Students will be playing songs from bands such as: Foo Fighters. Led Zeppelin, Nuetral Milk Hotel, R.E.M., and Smashing Pumpkins, plus many more. Show starts at 8pm and the cost is $5
see you there!

Death Cab Interviews on Cnn

Pretty cool interview with guitarist/producer Chris Walla and Bassist Nick Harmer

New Robby Kreiger Inspired SG From Gibson Custom Shop

Gibson unveils New 'Inspired By' Robby Krieger SG

Great guitarists play what they feel. They play what their hearts tell them to and they leave everything else for other people to worry about. That kind of connection to an instrument doesn’t happen very often, but it’s one that comes natural for Robby Krieger, who made history as lead songwriter and guitarist for The Doors. From 1965 to 1971, Krieger and The Doors created a body of music that redefined American rock and roll at its core. Today, their songs remain some of the most influential and original ever written. Much of that writing happened with Krieger’s legendary Gibson SG, which was along for every stop along the Doors’ exhilarating ride to the top.

Krieger’s choice of guitar defined him as a guitar player, setting him apart from that era’s crowded landscape of guitarists as an original. Robby Krieger is an authentic American icon, and it is this legacy that Gibson Custom is proud to honor with the introduction of the new Inspired By Robby Krieger SG — which combines features from Krieger’s most cherished SGs into one outstanding new model. It may just be the most comfortable-playing SG that Gibson Custom has ever produced.

Whether it’s the SG Special Krieger played when he first joined the band or the dozen or so he’s owned since, Gibson SGs have played a part in all of Krieger’s work, including such classic rock staples as “Light My Fire,” “Love Me Two Times,” “Love Her Madly” and countless other songs that remain as relevant today as they were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The new Inspired By Robby Krieger SG from Gibson Custom blends several features from some of Krieger’s favorite SGs into one stunning new model. Made of traditional solid mahogany, the body of the Krieger SG is typical of the thin SG bodies from the mid 1960s, complete with traditional beveled edges and the distinct dual sharp cutaway horns that give players complete access to the guitar’s full 22-fret rosewood fingerboard. The body is then finished in Krieger’s personal favorite Aged Dark Heritage Cherry finish, which is very similar to the finish of his beloved 1967 SG Standard, and historically accurate right down to the tiniest scratches, dings and belt rash. The neck is also a typical SG one-piece mahogany neck, but with a hybrid neck profile modeled after the neck on a 1961 Gibson SG owned by a close friend and the neck on his personal ’67 SG Standard.

In order to duplicate Krieger’s signature sound on song’s like the Doors’ classic “Roadhouse Blues” and its easily identifiable opening guitar lick, Krieger chose a pair of Gibson’s renowned ’57 Classic humbucker pickups. Gibson’s original “Patent Applied For” humbuckers of the mid- to late-1950s — some of the most sought after pickups in the world — were wound using imprecise machines, resulting in pickups with slightly different output and tone, and desirable to players who wanted to mix and match and explore a complete spectrum of tonal possibilities. The ’57 Classic pickups are the result of Gibson’s drive to capture and recreate this renowned characteristic. Krieger’s signature sound comes through clearly in a warm, full tone with a balanced response, packing all the tremendous “PAF” humbucker crunch expected from a Gibson humbucker.

Everything else on the new Inspired By Krieger SG is classic Gibson SG Standard, including the ABR-1 Bridge and Maestro tailpiece tremolo system, nickel hardware, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with figured acrylic trapezoid inlays, and vintage tulip tuners. The new Inspired By Robby Krieger SG Standard is destined to become of the most popular SGs ever produced by Gibson Custom, but it will only be produced in a very limited run of only 150 guitars — 50 aged to look exactly like Krieger's, and 100 with Gibson Custom's V.O.S. finish treatment. Each guitar will come with its own Gibson Custom case, custom care kit, and a certificate of authenticity signed personally by Krieger. But they won’t last. Click here to find the nearest authorized Gibson Custom dealer near you, and experience the power and legacy of the new Inspired By Robby Krieger SG.

Gear Of The Gods Pt.4

Yes! Today its Randy Rhoads! He is really in my top three of all time favorites. I spent hours listening to "Tribute", as a kid and as an adult. As a guitar teacher, kids are constantly asking me to show them how to play "Crazy Train" and other songs by him. Rhoads did a lot in his short lifetime. He died in 1982 at the age of 25. Along with Eddie Van Halen, he was considered the most innovative guitarist of his time. He was one of the first to blend a classical influence with heavy metal. He paved the way for players like Yngwie Malmsteen, and Jason Becker. Personally, im still trying to master the guitar solo from "Crazy Train". Its a bitch. But really fun.I recommend checking out the album "Tribute". Its all live and incredible. I have provided a youtube video below for the uninitiated. enjoy!
-Danielelectric

Rock Band Class For Adults Forming In Philadelphia!

Hey All,
As some may know, Im a full time guitar instructor in philadelphia. This summer im offering a class for adults only to learn how to play in a rock band. The class is going to be classic rock themed. Think, "The Weight", by The Band, and "I Want You"(She's So Heavy) by the Beatles. The class will consist of a two hour rehearsal once a week for 8 weeks. AT the end of the 8 week period, we will play at a rock venue in Philly. Im looking for 2 guitarists, a bass player and a drummer. How it Works: The first hour of class is spent learning the song. I will coach the guitarists and the bass player for this part. There will also be a pro drummer on hand to instruct the drummer. The second hour is spent playing together as a group. What it costs: $50 per week. Plus at the end of the 8 week class, guitarists will recieve a voucher that is good for 2 free half hour lessons with me. I want to have the group practicing by the end of june beginning of july.
Call Daniel @ 267 240 3779 for questions or to sign up

Gear of The Gods Pt. 3

Hey Guys,
Welcome to pt3 in our six part series of the guitar setups of some guitarists who i think are ridiculously awesome. This time, we are looking at Ty Tabor from King's X fame. Some of you may be saying Who!?. King's X was semi big in the early to mid 90's. They blended beatlesque harmonies with grayer sometimes more progressive soundscapes. But Ty's guitar always cut through on top and his tone is truly unique. I suggest checking out the track "It's Love" from the album entitled Faith, Hope, Love. His tone just has this searing gravity and weight to it. Although his sound is not a particularly heavy one. I have to admit, i was shocked to see how complex his setup was. Worked for him, i guess. Enjoy!
-Danielelectric

Nirvana! Tab All Apologies

Hey all,
This is our first tab post.
its nirvana's All Apologies from
In Utero just the main riff for now
Enjoy

Gear of The Gods Pt. 2

Hey Everyone,
welcome to part 2 of our six part series on the secrets behind your favorite guitarists' gear. Today we are taking a look at Brian May from Queen's typical setup. Anyone who is familiar with his sound knows one thing: it is totally unique. The two most important determining factors in his sound chain are his 1963 "Red Special" guitar and his custom made treble booster. The guitar is also custom made and was made by Brian and his father. Legend has it that part of the guitar's body was made from wood from the mantle piece in their family's home. The treble booster was what gave his sound that extra lyrical quality, and added some of that legendary sustain. The pedal was actually built by Queen's bassist, John Deacon. Its design is based on the Dallas Rangemaster. Dallas Arbiter was a very well known effects pedal maker in the 60's. They made quite a few pedals for Jimi Hendrix. He famously used their Arbiter Fuzz Face on "Purple Haze". For some examples of Brian's amazing sound and layered guitar work check out, "All Dead" from Queen's "News of The World" album. Also listen to the guitar solo in "Killer Queen".
thanks and check back in a week or 2 for another installment.
-Danielelectric

Gear of the Gods

Hey,
Shown above is a pictorial of Kurt Cobain's typical stage set up.
I was a little surprised to see that he used a Mesa Boogie pre-amp.
Im not sure if he was getting his dirty sound from the pre amp or
the boss distortion pedal. Its also kind of crazy to think that he
may have been getting his distortion sound from that boss pedal.
Because, in my mind, that pedal is kind of a cheesy factory sound.
and kurt's sound was anything but pre-packaged sounding. It was in fact,
quite a unique tone. His guitar sound on Nevermind, really shaped the
guitar sounds of the 90's. Listen to Siamese Dream, by Smashing Pumkins.
Or, and i hate to use these guys as an example cause they suck so bad: Bush.
Their entire guitar sound was based on Nirvana's.
Thanks for reading. Gonna post a few of these over the next few weeks.

Beginners guitar lesson coming in a day or 2
just testing the chord graphic