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build guitars. Music has made my
life reborn and the rewards were
unimaginable!!! I tell anybody
who says they would like to learn
how to play the guitar: Do it!
Take that step and your rewards
will be limitless. Thank you for
the great stories and I’m sure
there are thousands.
—Ray Tawyea,
via email
Thanks Clapton
Isn’t it interesting that the
template of a Gibson through
a Marshall is still the go-to rig
for so many guitarists after all
these decades [“Rig Rundown:
Brad Whitford and Derek St.
Holmes,” June 2016]? And we
have Eric Clapton to thank
for that because, face it, it’s
the sound everyone still chases
or tries to “model.” (Even the
Frampton Rig Rundown where
he states “remove all the stuff,”
it’s still a Les Paul through a
Marshall.) But ironically, St.
Holmes replaces the Gibson
pickups with David Allen
pickups to make it sound, to his
ears, like a genuine Les Paul! And
DiMarzios for the Eric Johnson
Strat, not the stock Fenders. A
well done, casual, matter-of-fact
gear talk and Rig Rundown by
Chris Kies. Double thumbs up!
—Dennisl59,
via premierguitar.com
Steel Magnolias
“And because learning lap steel
places such intense demands
on your coordination and pitch
acuity, don’t be surprised if
your guitar playing improves,
too [“Hand Jive! Master the
Fundamentals of Lap Steel,”
August 2016].” When I started
12 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2016
playing steel guitar 15 years ago,
I’d been playing guitar and slide
for 30 years and fretless bass
almost as long, so I thought I
had my intonation together …
whoo. You really have to put
in the work—playing against
drones, using them as not just the
root or fifth, but 6ths and 3rds,
too. And then, most serious steel
guitarists find their ear getting too
good: the compromises inherent
in equal temperament tuning
start to bother you. I can’t not
mention the Steel Guitar Forum
here. It’s by a long stretch the best
music site of any sort I’ve seen. A
very high ratio of professionals to
others, and more likely than not,
a question like, “What shifts and
pedals did Paul Franklin do on
this lick?” will be answered by ...
Paul Franklin.
Supro's Black Magick
This li’l dude has tone for days
[“Supro 1695T Black Magick
Review,” August 2016]! I can
easily see how [Jimmy] Page did
the first Zeppelin album with
this and a Tele. Not owning a
Tele, I was “forced” (haha) to
use my Guild Bluesbird for the
tryout and was blown away. No
wonder [Richard] Fortus is using
it on the GN’R tour!
—Thomas Filip,
via premierguitar.com
Peanut Gallery
John, great review [“Keeley Multi
Echo ME-8 Review Demo,” July
2016]! Question: Is that a packing
peanut lodged under the strings
just above the nut on your guitar?
Is there a technical purpose for
this? As always, thanks for the
great review of the pedal.
—David Mason,
—Nemo,
via premierguitar.com
via premierguitar.com
Just Do It
Episode 3 … moving.
[“Conversations in the Key of
Life Podcast: Episode 3 – Guitar
as Therapy,” July 2016]. I lost my
son, got a divorce, moved back to
my hometown, and said, “I can
be a drunk, or learn how to play
guitar at 40 yea rs old.” I chose the
guitar, of course, and my journey
started—friends, bands … I now
Yo, Nemo. That’s a thumbpick.
Sometimes I wish I was Merle
Travis … I’m not even close.
Thanks for watching!
—John Bohlinger
Keep those
comments coming!
Please send your suggestions,
gripes, comments, and good words
directly to [email protected].
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@BlackPistolFire
@Fender @Epiphone
just caught these guys
in Denver and was
blown away with the
tone! Fuzz for dayz!
—@bennstl
@premierguitar I
think that metal is not
developing as it used
to do in the ’80s but it
is not stagnant like it
was in the early 00s
—@CesarLaraFranco
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@jeffbeckmusic
thoughtful article.
Was itching for a little
more on the recording
process. Thanks
for sharing
—@Philly_Ocean
You can strike a great
balance between
cost, playability, and
sound, but better
guitars almost always
cost more. The returns
certainly diminish as
the cost skyrockets,
but a $5,000 Strat is
quite tangibly better
playing and sounding
than the $500
version.
—Dave Bishea
premierguitar.com