TG1219 PDF

FREE CD LYNYRD SKYNYRD
I NEED YOU
* Rockschool version
LADY GAGA & BRADLEY COOPER
SHALLOW
SAM FENDER
THE BORDERS
* Video riff
LEARN TO PLAY
QUEEN
NOW I’M
HERE
PLAY LIKE
THE 2019’S BEST

PLAYERS
HOT
THE BIGGEST
GUITAR
MOMENTS
OF THE YEAR
THE GEAR YOU
LIST
NEED TO TRY!
MUMFORD
& SONS
LESSON WINSTON
MARTIN THE BEST GUITARISTS, MARSHALL
HARLEY’S ALBUMS, GEAR, TONES
GUIDE TO
SLIDE & LICKS OF 2019
THE TG TEST
DIGITAL MODELLING AMPS
=Authentic tone, modern features!
EDITOR’S LETTER
Welcome…
Future Publishing
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EDITORIAL
Editor: Stuart Williams
Group Art Director: Graham Dalzell
Senior Music Editor: Jason Sidwell
Guitars Feature & Tuition Editor: Chris Bird Welcome! It’s amazing to think that we’re
Production Editor: Jacob Barlow
Music Co-ordinators: Zoe Maughan, Natalie Beilby already rounding up the year – but what
CONTRIBUTORS a year it’s been! For our cover feature this
Richard Barrett, Phil Capone, Jack Ellis, Charlie Griffiths, Nick Guppy, Catherine
Hood, Jonathan Horsley, Duncan Jordan, Stephen Kelly, Alex Lynham, Grant Moon, issue, we’re taking a look back over the
Matthew Parker, Amit Sharma
hottest new players, albums, tones and
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Photography: Phil Barker, Olly Curtis, Oliver Halfin, Will Ireland
gear that 2019 had to offer.
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Distributed by: Marketforce, 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf to learn, from our shred version of the Tetris theme tune, to
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Fender team and a look at some new but to us he’ll always be a part Martin Harley to get some golden
We are committed to only using magazine paper which is products, including the new Ultra line of the TG family. Recent anti- knowledge on slide playing. Check
derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and
chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was of guitars, Tone Master amps and meatman Mike put his foot down out the interview and lesson out on
sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, ‘Songs’, the company’s new learning on Mooer’s GE-150 multi-FX. p38. Rob also found time to wrap
conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic
standards. The manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full app. Although there’s no UK launch “Impulse responses at such an his hands around a Fender Ultra
FSC and PEFC certification and accreditation. for Songs until 2020, TG’s intrepid affordable price?!” Mike says. Strat for our lead review: “It’s
tuition ed was mightily impressed. “I wish I’d had this when I was a dream for anyone wanting to
Keep your eyes peeled next year. recording my album recently.” cover a lot of ground,” Rob chirps.
AUGUST 2019 TOTAL GUITAR

#326 CONTENTS
MONITOR
006 First Look
008 Scene
010 Five Minutes Alone:
Fredrik Kihlberg
012 On The Up
014 Me & My Guitar:
Joe Hottinger,
Halestorm
016 Back Track: Jazz 092
HOW TO FENDER AMERICAN
018 Riff Of The Month: ULTRA STRATOCASTER
Sam Fender - The Borders
020 Getting Started… Pentatonics
04
022 What The F? CAGED Chords THE GAS STATION
024 The FX Files… Line 6 DL4 090 Start Me Up
092 Fender American Ultra Stratocaster
096 Mooer GE-150
050 FEATURES
026 Rig Tour: Chad Taylor
098 Martin Guitars Road Series
100 TG Test: Modelling combos
THE HOT LIST 032 Winston Marshall

038 Martin Harley
106 Amplitube Brian May
108 Fix Your Guitar
050 The Hot List 112 Subscribe
114 The Playlist: Chris Rest, Lagwagon
LEARN TO PLAY
064 Classic Track: Queen - Now I'm
Here
072 Rockschool: Lynyrd Skynyrd - I
Need You
080 Jam Track – Minor blues
082 The Turnaround – Danny Kirwan
TG UNPLUGGED
084 News
086 Interview: William DuVall
086 Open-Mic Songbook:
Lady Gaga - Shallow
044 026
EMILY WOLFE CHAD TAYLOR
TOTAL GUITAR DECEMBER 2019
MONITOR
PEOPLE ✪ NEWS ✪ NOISE
SWIMMIN’ WITH
Photography: Olly Curtis
THE DEVIL
Get your teeth into EVH’s latest release
06

FIRST LOOK
EVH’s striped sensation

hen it comes to his
W
with cutout teeth is
modelled on Eddie’s iconic guitars, Eddie Van Halen
‘Shark’ guitar is most often associated
with his instantly
recognisable
Frankenstein or
Wolfgang body shapes. However, there are
other models that have served their time
under Ed’s hands, not least the fan
favourite ‘Shark’. First seen on Van
Halen’s 1979 tour, then the following year
on the cover of Women And Children First,
this pointy, striped rock machine even
played its part on Van Halen’s debut
album. Eddie’s original started out life as
an Ibanez Destroyer, before rock’s most
influential tinkerer took a saw to its hind
quarters and readied the masking tape
and spray paint to produce the silver/
burgundy finish.
What we have here, then, is EVH’s
much-requested replica of the Shark. The
eye-catching model apes the look of
Eddie’s with that striped finish
(obviously), removed scratch plate
(exposing the pickup switch wiring) and 07
all-important cutout (bridged by a pair of
turnbuckles). The body is ash, with a
maple neck/pau ferro fingerboard
featuring a compound radius. It comes
loaded with a pair of EVH Wolfgang
humbuckers, controlled by a pair of EVH
Bourns pots (complete with low friction
volume control for easy swells, treble
bleed wiring to keep your high-end intact)
and a ‘harmonica’ bridge. The Shark is
available now, taking a bite of £1,299 from
your bank account.
UP CLOSE
Body Controls Pickups

Eddie’s original offset body met the saw, As with the other Striped Series guitars, the EVH’s Wolfgang humbuckers are renowned
creating the shark’s mouth cutout that Shark features EVH Bourns pots, with a low- for a great mix of power and note definition,
gives the guitar its name friction volume control and treble bleed wiring perfect for thick classic rock crunch
DECEMBER 2019 TOTAL GUITAR

MONITOR
SCENE
YOUR NEWS IN GUITARS
With a few warm-up gigs plus
headlining at Coachella, Rage
Against The Machine are set
to make a mark in 2020
08

SCENE
SIX OF THE BEST

Our favourite songs
this month…
1. Bulls On Parade
Rage Against The Machine
Do we need an excuse to
crank this riff? A surprise
second RATM reunion is
certainly a good one!
2. Diamond
Jimmy Eat World
New album Surviving is a
36-minute tour de force of
all the band’s strengths.
3. Pyramid Song
Astrosaur
This instrumental
post-rock cover version
RATM’s revival in what
is sure to be a charged is our favourite take on
political climate is Radiohead ever – stunning 09
EVENT probably not by chance guitar/bass interplay and
righteous tones that have
RATM RETURN
lead us all the way to their
original material.
4. The Ghost Of You

My Chemical Romance
Another reunion calls for
here’s an old set that night, it just wasn’t the has been comparatively quiet. a timely revisit to the MCR
T
British legend same as when he’s taking the power A long-mooted solo album is back catalogue.
that, rather back with one of the greatest live yet to surface.
than dying, the bands of all time. But now the four But whatever RATM are back for,
mythical King members of the maverick Los we wager it’s much more about the
Arthur and his Angeles group have decided the time current political climate than any
knights are sleeping in a cave out has come for their return in 2020. financial payday. 2020 is an election
there somewhere, waiting for the The band will headline year, after all. And we say that
call in our hour of need to make California’s Coachella festival in while reflecting on the mindset
their heroic return. Well imagine Indio on 10 and 17 April over its two that Morello told us gave birth to 5. Crush With Eyeliner
something like that but with weekends, preceded by March dates the pionering band in 1991. “I had REM
knights wielding massive riffs, in Phoenix, La Cruces and El Paso. already been in a band prior to Rage We’re not sure if Scott
Photos: Joby Sessions Kevin Winter/ Tim Mosenfelder/ C Flanigan/Getty
grooves and the message of Will there be more gigs? Very likely. called Lock Up, that had great Litt’s 25th anniversary
revolution. And it’s actually Could there finally be the new commercial aspirations,” the remix of Monster was
happening this summer: Rage music we didn’t get between their guitarist explained. “We were necessary, especially as
Against The Machine are back. sporadic 2007-2011 live returns? signed to a label, and we were the album was already
If Tom Morello knew it was That’s harder to say: while Morello dropped. My career was done as far pleasingly guitar-heavy.
coming when TG spoke to him in has remained prolific – with his as I was concerned: at 27 years old, But it does give a new
Bristol back in June, he certainly trusted ‘Arm The Homeless’ I’d had my grab at the brass ring, slant on excellent songs.
didn’t let on. Although he sounded and ‘Sendero Luminoso’ guitars, and I had failed to grasp it. So I made
more driven than ever as he recording and touring a solo album, a solemn vow to myself that if I’m 6. Into Black
prepared to support Muse with his and playing with RATM bandmates not going to be successful, I might as The Cold Stares
solo poject, and delivered a medley drummer Brad Wilk and bassist well play music that I just love. And Bonamassa’s favourite new
of Rage riffs plus a triumphant Tim Commerford in Prophets Of that’s when we formed Rage Against band are a bluesy gem.
‘Killing In The Name Of’ in his Rage – vocalist Zack de la Rocha The Machine.”

MONITOR
bought a Firebird from ’91 and I still have it

Cult Of Luna delivering their today. It’s been cracked at the head three times
brand of drop-tuned
but I keep repairing it.”
post-metal
We don’t need no education...

“It’s a bit weird because I’m a singer, I’m
like a schooled singer from before I even
started playing guitar, and I still have that. I
usually don’t like, write the theme or whatever
on guitar, I usually sing it and then translate
it, so usually I get these sort of patterns
in my head and then I translate them to
the guitar.”
I can drop-C for miles...

“With Johannes, we play together in another
band called Coma, and when I first started
playing with Coma I was pretty new to the
whole tuning down [thing]. He was working on
a song and said, ‘we need something here,
another riff,’ and I can still get the feeling, I still
feel happy when I think back to when I wrote
that riff, because it was just no effort at all,
everything [came together] and he was like
‘what the fuck was that?!’.”
Kick out the jams...

“For the most part, Cult of Luna songs are
drop-B, and since the Vertikal record came out
10 in 2013 we drop it all the way down to G#, so it’s
really, really low. I never use baritone guitars, I
use regular guitars and then I think the low E
string is a .72, which is a baritone string. It
works! Sometimes I tune it up to B, and since
we’re three guitarists I can play it in the B
tuning while David and Johannes are using the
FIVE MINUTES ALONE G#, so I get different voicings.”
FREDRIK KIHLBERG
We catch up with Cult of Luna’s guitarist ahead of their
We can be heroes...
“We’re no shredders! I think my strength is to
find melodic parts to like different voicings and
arranging guitars and patterns to intertwine, or
to layer. That’s, when it comes to shredding at
triple-guitar assault at the ArcTanGent Festival... speed or, y’know, that’s not my strong suit at
all. I love it, but it’s just not for me.”
I got my first real six-string… Epiphone Les Paul Junior, and then I I’m gonna give you the keys to
“My first guitar was a guitar my dad built me. started practising like, ten hours a day, the Lamborghini...
He just made it out of pieces of wood he found listening to all my favourite records and “Try and find what it is you want to do; you can
in the garage. He tried to encourage me to playing along.” sit and work on scales or whatever and build up
play the guitar, so he gave it to me and I was your speed, but ask the question, ‘what is it I
like, ‘yeah, but I don’t really want to play,’ The times, they are a’ changin’... want to express with this?’. Find that, and I
so… I strummed it once in a while.” “I don’t [own that guitar any longer] and I think that’s key. In the beginning I spent so
regret it; like many others say, y’know, much time working on scales, or pentatonics or
The kids are alright... ‘you should never sell a guitar’. That was whatever, and you just get stuck in it. That’s the
“It wasn’t until I was 18 or something that I incredibly well-built and sounded fantastic. I risk I think – you’re not playing freely, you’re
bought a guitar and started playing. So I didn’t have any money back then and I was not listening to what you’ve got in your head.
Words: Alex Lynham Photo: DJE Images
started very late, and I bought a black going for, I don’t know, a real Gibson guitar. I You know that this works with this, so you put
them together, and it’s, for me at least… it
“ASK THE QUESTION, ‘WHAT IS IT I WANT TO EXPRESS lacked imagination I guess.”
WITH THIS?’. FIND THAT, AND I THINK THAT’S KEY” Cult of Luna’s new album, A Dawn To Fear,
is out now on Metal Blade Records.

MONITOR
12
Jakub Zytecki’s laid-back
new album, Nothing Lasts,
Nothing’s Lost, is out now
JAKUB ZYTECKI
Beauty, beats and sneaky techniques from the chilled Polish progressive
akub Zytecki smuggling in astonishing into each other, the sustain Thordendal (who guests on
J uses a guitar like

no one else we
know. The
guitarist and
fleet-fingered feats under
broad strokes of melody. It’s
euphoric and dynamic, too,
bottling a sort of sunshine-y
you can get while using the
open strings.”
The closest comparison we
can construct is the sort of
Creature Comfort). Somehow,
though, he makes it work. It
makes sense of the mess and
it’s clear that Nothing Lasts…
songwriter cut his teeth with warmth. In the ambient runs gleefully mad tech-funk of represents something of an
proggers DispersE, but it’s his of Sunflower it’s as if Jakub’s Polyphia married with Plini’s epiphany for Zytecki – both as
laid-back new solo record myriad notes have been airy, Utopian compositions. a player and a person.
Nothing Lasts, Nothing’s Lost caught mid-air, flickering like Like the former, Zytecki is not “It’s a love letter to my
that feels positively box fresh. sunlight through the trees. averse to incorporating the youth days, but I guess it also
“It’s changed over the “I often end up writing unexpected. This is the first carries the hopeful feelings
years,” admits Jakub of his music that sounds uplifting, chill-out record we’ve heard towards everything that
Photo Dominic Berthiaume, Kaja Sosnowska
playing. “But I’m interested somehow nostalgic but also to feature Meshuggah’s hasn’t happened yet,”
in making music that may be hopeful,” he tells TG. “I love master of brutality Frederik concludes Jakub.
an easy listening experience to use open strings and
at first, but if you give it a pull-offy riffing. I love the FOR FANS OF Plini, Polyphia GEAR Mayones Legend, Line 6 Helix, AmpliTube
chance, you discover there’s sound of the notes blending 4, Neural DSP, Marshall JCM800
more to it – both in terms
of arrangements and
guitar parts.” “IT MAY BE AN EASY LISTENING EXPERIENCE AT
His material is like a
technical Trojan horse, FIRST, BUT YOU DISCOVER THERE’S MORE TO IT”
ON THE UP
HIGHER POWER SWEDISH DEATH CANDY

The hardcore band that could be your life London-dwellers serving up twin-guitar treats
igher Power’s 2017 Now new album 27 Miles t’s appropriate, given from our fingers as well. [Yet] I feel
H debut Soul Structure laid

a quasi-spiritual
positive message over a
Underwater, is lined up for late
January, with Gil Norton
producing. The Madball meets My
I their name came from
some disappointing
Scandinavian liquorice,
our sounds blend really well.”
“My sound is pretty heavy on
the midrange whereas he’s more
riveting stew of 90s-tinged rock Bloody Valentine of first taster that Swedish Death Candy offer a scooped and bassy,” adds Louis.
tones and blissed-out psych vibes, Seamless sounds like they’ve up a dark, sludgy sound that feels “His sound wraps around mine
summoned by guitarists Louis tapped directly into the distortion inspired by Black Sabbath riffs, the like a hug.” Their second album
Hardy and Max Harper. “My bread godhead. “When I play, it’s a total Beatles’ shadier psychedelia and Are You Nervous?, released earlier 13
and butter is hardcore and metal release,” says Louis. “There’s not Josh Homme’s meaty chops. this year, is full of these, err, aural
but I take a lot from noise, really any other area of my life Guitarists Frank and Louis lie at cuddles. “There’s no secret,” says
psychedelia, jazz, and hip-hop,” where I can express as freely the core of this sound and trade Louis. “We’re best buds and we
explains Louis. “I like weird without fear.” more licks than your labradors. understand each other.”
sounds amongst my riffs. Life is an “Our sounds are quite different
ebb and flow of chaos and harmony. FOR FANS OF Turnstile, Madball from each other,” says Frank. FOR FANS OF Uncle Acid, Temples
My playing style is the same.” GEAR Gibson SG, EVH 5150 “Not just from the gear we use, but GEAR Gibson SG, Duesenberg
PIST CORRIDOR PHOEBE GREEN

WHO? Bury-based guitarist John Nicholson WHO? Montreal guitarists Julian Perreault and WHO? Manchester guitarist/songwriter
SOUNDS LIKE Heavy flippin’ metulz. Like a tower Jonathan Robert SOUNDS LIKE Compellingly witty, acerbic and
of blackened stoner riffs, falling, with style. SOUNDS LIKE The airy vocals of Fleet Foxes meet meaningful indie pop, channelling her home
GEAR Jackson Pro Series King V, Blackstar Series The Futureheads’ call and response chord work town’s synth sounds over driving J-type jangle
One 1046L6, Maxon ST-9 Pro+ Overdrive, GEAR Fender Mustang 1966, Roland Jazz chorus GEAR Fender Duo Sonic, Fender Super Champ,
BOSS MS-3 60, EHX Holy Grail, Boss CE-3 EHX Holy Grail
FOR FANS OF Orange Goblin FOR FANS OF The Futureheads, Grizzly Bear FOR FANS OF Arctic Monkeys, Lauren Hibberd
HEAR Mind Rotter HEAR Topographe HEAR Easy Peeler

MONITOR
1 “This is a Manson MA-1 that those

kind folks there put together for me
to keep over here in the UK. It’s got the
Fuzz Factory and the Sustainiac, and the
Psycho PAF pickup. Yesterday they built
me a new neck for it that I just put on. It’s
4 “Then the Sustainiac, it’s not just a one-
trick pony. It’s fun to flip it on and get weird
and make all these sounds, but just as a neck
super-wide and fat; I love big fat necks, pickup it sounds so good; it’s super Strat-y or
and I think it sounds even better with a Tele almost. Spanky and fat, and for clean stuff
big fat neck. It’s a trip; you’ve got to play it just cuts. It’s two totally different worlds
it to fully understand it, they’re awesome. between the two of them, and I love being able
I first saw a Manson when we were in LA. to go between the two within a song.”
We had some writing sessions and we’d
just gotten in from Japan, and I needed a
guitar for these sessions. Manson weren’t
on my radar; there was this old SG that I
was going to look at but that was out of
the shop. I looked at the wall and I was
like ‘What’s going on with that guitar?!
What are those knobs?!’”
Interview Rob Laing Photography: Olly Curtis
ME AND MY GUITAR
JOE HOTTINGER
5
14
HALESTORM
The Halestorm axe-slinger
on his love for his tricked- 5 “If you’ve never used [a
Sustainiac] – it’s like a
out Manson guitar built-in eBow. I don’t know the
science, but it just keeps it
going, man! It can go until the
battery runs out, probably for
days. You turn it all the way up
and it’s like a harmonic, just
2 “I looked at it and I flipped on

the [Z.Vex] Fuzz Factory. When
you have that on it’s like travelling
instant feedback, and you can
just start squealing on it. Then
in the middle it’s a blend of the
through space! Just the craziest two. It’s just a fun guitar. You
sounds come out of it, this big fat play differently, and approach
awesome fuzz tone. I think two of 6 solos and improv differently.
the songs we wrote started out It’s just such a cool tool.”
because of the sounds that came
out of it. So I use that on a few
songs, and if I’m soloing it can be 4
fun to get weird.”
3 “With these pickups,

they’re both powered –
6 “When I first got it, it had
one of the kind of killswitch
knobs, so I requested some
the Sustainiac and the PAF buttons because it’s just a
here. I love the [Manson] 3 different [action]. I’ve written
humbucker because it’s a few things using that but
balanced throughout. It’s the nothing that’s been on a record
only guitar I have that has yet. That’s one of the plans
anything powered in it, and though. There are so many
you get the same volume from ways to approach playing
the top string and the low this guitar that you wouldn’t
string. It’s a ripper, you can get normally do, and that’s why
as dirty as you like with it.” I love it.”
2 5

MONITOR
Legendary jazz guitarist

Django Reinhardt brought
the guitar into the spotlight
Back track
16
A GUITARIST’S GUIDE TO THE ARTISTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
JAZZ
Back in the days of big band jazz,
guitar was simply an afterthought
for bandleaders; guitarists were
confined to the rhythm section,
beneath serious consideration as START WITH
Words Stephen Kelly Photo Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
solo performers. It wasn’t until the

innovations of all-string band
DJANGO REINHARDT
players such as Django Reinhardt DJANGOLOGY (1961)
1
and later electrified axemen like Django Reinhardt’s music was a creolisation of influences whose geography
Charlie Christian that jazz guitar stretched from Romani camps to Parisian hotels and New Orleans’ Bourbon
Street, drawing into it French folk, Spanish flamenco and American jazz.
became a creative force in its own Minor Swing and Daphné retain a European flavour akin to French-Italian musette
right, developing a complex musical waltzes, albeit sped up for a greater rhythm, but it’s Reinhardt’s two-fingered
language that guitarists of all approach to fretting (due to an injury) and the compensating picking technique that
makes these songs unique, with high-speed arpeggio soloing and octave runs.
stripes should consider adding to I Saw Stars and Lover Man showcase a fluid, conversational style of a performer
their vocabulary. who pushed guitar as a lead instrument to the forefront of popular music.
Download Daphné

BACK TRACK
THEN TRY DON’T MISS OUT ALSO RECOMMENDED

JOE PASS WES MONTGOMERY BILL FRISELL
VIRTUOSO (1973) INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR (1960) MUSIC IS (2018)
2 3 4
Although Joe Pass closed out the Sixties Ask someone to describe jazz guitar, and There are times when Bill Frisell’s label
with a spate of disappointing releases, more than likely they’ll describe Wes as a jazz guitarist might raise an eyebrow
Virtuoso presents an artist shorn of Montgomery: a fluid, thumb-picked bop (1991’s Where In The World was pure
accompaniment and gimmick, his considerable with deep, bluesy roots often paired with his Lynchian esoterica), but few other modern
talent laid bare for the listener to admire. A habit of progressing through single notes into guitarists have done so much to deconstruct
stylistic shift from pick to fingerstyle results in octaves and then piano-style block chords. jazz guitar with such breathtaking results. This
a dizzying flurry of classical-tinged fretwork on Opening with a skittish rendition of Sonny album is performed mostly solo and in a linear
Stella By Starlight and My Old Flame, with Pass Rollins’ Airegin, things settle into a groove as style, with only a whisper of electronic effects
layering the melody, basslines and complex Montgomery and pianist Tommy Flanagan to add a little sustain to tender compositions
chord phrasings of an entire band into one improvise solos across D-Natural Blues and Four like Pretty Stars and Change In The Air; and while
hydra-headed solo performance. This is On Six, before things get comfortable on the Frisell only touches upon rock dissonance
decidedly technical stuff, but tracks like All The Dave Brubeck standard In Your Own Sweet Way. (Kentucky Derby), the fingerprints of other
Things You Are and How High The Moon never But it’s on the effortlessly mellow classic West influences remain, including the avant-folk of
lack for a sense of swing and even delight, Coast Blues that Montgomery’s playing achieves John Fahey (The Pioneers) and the smoky, minor
reflecting their American Songbook origins. a perfect rhythmic and melodic equilibrium. key noir of New American Cinema (Ron Carter). 17
Download All The Things You Are Download West Coast Blues Download Ron Carter
WORTH A SPIN WILD CARD LIVE!

MAHAVISHNU SONNY SHARROCK GRANT GREEN
ORCHESTRA ASK THE AGES (1991) LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO (1972)
THE INNER
6 7
Not one for the faint-hearted, Sonny A long-serving session man at Blue
MOUNTING FLAME (1971) Sharrock’s final album is a brain-bending

masterpiece of free jazz made somewhat
Note Records, the latter half of Grant
Green’s career was characterised by a
5
John McLaughlin had cemented his jazz inaccessible by the terrifying John Zorn-style move away from his signature laid-back bop
credentials on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, sonic holocaust of its opening track, Promises into a more aggressive, funkified sound in
but Mahavishnu Orchestra’s debut is an Kept, which is a shame as there’s a lot to love evidence here: the band lay down a restless
altogether different beast. There’s little elbow here. The languid soul of Who Does She Hope To shuffle on Windjammer, Green’s playing
room on Meeting Of The Spirits and The Noonward Be is a welcome salve and at times reminiscent characterised by sharp, clean lines that
Race as McLaughlin and his double neck Gibson of Eddie Hazel’s acid-steeped Maggot Brain, borrow from sax players like John Coltrane
shred through a blend of styles owing as much while Little Rock is a more conventional hard and Charlie Parker, but his improvisations
to classical, Spanish and Indian music as prog bop jam, Pharoah Sanders’ sax contrasting also turn to R&B on Flood In Franklin Park and
rock and the psychedelic badlands of Hendrix against Sharrock’s gritty rock fusion tone. Jan Jan. The lengthy run time of these leads
country. A Lotus On Irish Streams and You Know Once Upon A Time serves as a fitting finale, to repetition, but Green and co. maintain a
You Know offer a brief recess, but ultimately this imbued with some of Sharrock’s most fiery, high level of energy and polish throughout.
album is a rush of blood to the head. emotive playing. Download Windjammer
Download You Know You Know Download Who Does She Hope To Be

HOW TO WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Transpose with your capo
Six open chord shapes
Play chords as arpeggios
Get the tone CHANNEL DISTORTION

5 5
3
2 2
GAIN BASS MID TREBLE REVERB
Though rich and lush sounding, this

is a fairly generic guitar tone. Dial in
a clean tone with a medium depth
chorus effect. Roll off some treble
(either on your guitar or amp) if
you’re using particularly bright
single-coil pickups, or, alternatively,
add a little treble if your guitar
has humbuckers.
Chorus
CDYOUERO
Rate: 5
ON ID
Bridge single coil Depth: 5
riff of the month
V
SAM FENDER
The Borders
18 019 has been a breakthrough year courtesy of Sam’s, er, Fender American Pro capo too – but 3rd fret allows you to play the
2 for the North Shields singer-

songwriter, winning the
prestigious Critics’ Choice Brit
Award and hitting the top of the
Jazzmaster. The JM single coils don’t quite
have the bright top-end of, say, a Strat, so even
if your guitar has humbuckers you may still
get a suitable tone with just a tweak of your
right shapes in standard tuning. We’ve played
the intro line slowly for you in our video on your
Guitar Skills CD.
UK album chart with his triumphant debut, amp’s treble. CHEAT SHEET…
Hypersonic Missiles. It must be good – Sam’s If your guitar is in standard tuning place a Appears at: 0:06-0:32
released a full seven singles from the album so capo on the 3rd fret to play in key with the Tempo: 160bpm
far. We’re looking at the most recent release recording. Sam sometimes downtunes to make Key: Eb major (C major with capo on 3rd fret)
here. The Borders features chiming cleans the song easier to sing; he’ll even move the Main techniques: Chords/arpeggios
X O X X O X O O X O O X O O X X O O X O O
Notice that we’ve given each chord
CAPO – 3rd fret CAPO – 3rd fret CAPO – 3rd fret CAPO – 3rd fret CAPO – 3rd fret CAPO – 3rd fret CAPO – 3rd fret
two names. The first name is the true
T 1 1 1 1 T 1 1 1 pitch of the chord and assumes you’re
2
playing with a capo on the 3rd fret. The
second is the name of the shape if you
3 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 4
Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
were playing capo-less! Why bother?

Well, it’s probably easier to remember
Absus2 Eb5 Bbsus4 Cm7 Abmaj9 Eb Ebadd11 the open shapes without working out a
(Fsus2) (C5) (Gsus4) (Am7) (Fmaj9) (C) (Cadd11) new name when you put a capo on.

HOW TO
GETTING
STARTED WITH…
MINOR
PENTATONIC
RIFFS WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Use this essential scale How to use the minor pentatonic scale
Two hard rock riff tabs
shape in your riffs Two minor pentatonic scale shapes
“What’s the minor pentatonic scale?” like Layla by Derek And The Dominos, Seven
This is a sequence of notes which guitarists use Nation Army by The White Stripes or BLOW by Ed SHAPE UP YOUR
a lot. And we mean a lot! It appears extensively
in blues, metal, jazz and almost any pop- and
Sheeran, Chris Stapleton and Bruno Mars. They
are not all 100 per cent strictly pentatonic (close
PLAYING…
rock-based styles for that matter. Greats like though!) but they’re solid examples of riffs. Two essential minor pentatonic
Angus Young and BB King as well as more scale shapes
contemporary rockers like Scott Holiday, Jake “I get it. Show me the scale!” There are two shapes to learn here. Spend most
Kiszka and Joel O’Keeffe base loads of riffs and Sure! In Shape Up Your Playing (right) we’ve given of your time on the first one – it’s the easiest one
solos around it. you two shapes of the E minor pentatonic scale. to remember because it starts and ends on a root
note. It’s also played in open position, which
makes it a bit easier. The second shape moves the
“Interesting. Tell me more.” “Not sure I understand the second shape…”
scale up the fretboard and includes three notes
20 Well, the minor pentatonic scale gets its name It’s still the E minor pentatonic scale, but we’ve below its root note but we can explain that!
from ‘penta-’ meaning ‘five’ and ‘-tonic’ added some notes below the E. Try ignoring the
meaning ‘tones’, or, more simply, ‘notes’. low notes and just playing from E to E – you’ll 1 E MINOR PENTATONIC E A D
Obviously, what we’re telling you is that it’s a start to get a feel for the low notes soon. SCALE IN OPEN POSITION
The dots tell you where to put your
five-note scale. And, just like a minor chord, B E
fingers on the fretboard. You’ll be
there’s a dark, moody vibe – that’s what minor “Okay. How do I start playing my own riffs?” playing one note at a time, so, if G
means, if you remember. Try playing our first tab example below to get you start on the lowest note and
the idea. We took a handful of notes from the work your way up you’ll have E, G, A,
B, D and another E note.
“It’s a moody five-note scale. I get it! How first shape and just, well, played around! E minor pentatonic scale
can I use it in my playing?” Improvising like this is a great way to write 2 FARTHER UP
The easiest way to use the scale is to play one riffs. Just aim for something simple that sticks THE FRETBOARD 4
B
note at a time – so that means you’ll be playing in your mind, rather than playing a solo. This is the same scale but starting A D G E
simple solos or riffs. We’ve looked at pentatonic on a higher E. They might be in a

different part of the fretboard but B E
solos before so let’s look at riffs here. “The second tab example seems harder…” these are still the same five notes
A D
There’s a quick flurry of notes at the start, (E, G, A, B and D). It doesn’t matter
“Okay. What exactly is a riff?” admittedly, but it’s all taken from the scale where you play them – these five E minor pentatonic scale
It’s a fairly loose term but generally it refers to a shapes we’ve looked at. Play through the scales notes always form the E minor pentatonic scale.
short repeating line of music. Think of tracks again and it should start to feel familiar.
1 EASY OPEN POSITION RIFF TRACKS 07-08 2 SAME SCALE, DIFFERENT POSITION TRACKS 09-10
q =120
#4 .E #4 .E
5
..
5
& 4 . j .. & 4 . œ œ œ œ. j
1/4 1/4 Play 4 times
Play 4 times
œ œ œ. . œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T . . T . .
A . . A . .
1/4
2 0
1/4
7 5
B 0
2
3 [3] 0 3 3
0 B 0
7 7 5 [5]
7
5 5 7
Take a look at the first scale shape then play this riff where we’ve used every note This one’s a bit harder. Just remember it’s still the E minor pentatonic scale
from the E minor pentatonic scale. Try reordering them to make up your own riff. because the notes are the same (E G A B D).

HOW TO WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Five barre chord shapes
Easy ways to play tough barre chords
Play chord sequences across the fretboard
WHAT THE F? t may sound like one of those dubious internet guitar tuition scams
CAGED CHORDS I promising instant god-like shredding abilities, but the CAGED
system is actually essential learning for every player. The name
refers to five vital open chords: C, A, G, E and D obviously! Let’s face
Here’s a simple chord system that’ll it, most guitarists know these chords – so that’s a great starting
point. The question is, ‘what comes next?’. Well, try playing an open C chord,
transform your rhythm playing and followed by an ‘A shape’ C barre chord, then a ‘G shape’ C barre chord, and, well,
you get it, C barre chords using all five shapes. We’ll explain more below – suffice
get you playing across the fretboard to say the benefit to you as a guitarist is that you can build sophisticated chord
runs covering the entire fretboard.
1 CAGED CHORD SHAPES

X O O X X X
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
5 8 10
2 2
3 1 1 2 3 4 2 3
3 4 4
2 3 4
C (C shape) C (A shape) C (G shape) C (E shape) C (D shape)

These are all C chords. The first one is an open everyone knows. Try playing these chords share notes, we mean. Try to see this as a
C chord; then the others are barre chords based one after another and see if you can spot joined-up sequence, rather than as five
on one of the five easy CAGED shapes that where they overlap – where the shapes unrelated shapes.
22
2 MAKING IT EASIER TRACK 11
œœ ..
X X X X X q =95
C5
œ.
C C/E C/G
œ. ‰ œœœœ .... ‰ œœœ ...

& 44 .. œœ ... ‰ œ. ‰ ..
1 1 1 1
5 10
3 3
œ
. .
4
T
. .
5 5 8 13
A 5
5
5
5
9
10
12
10
C (G shape) C5 B 3 7 10
Yes, we know, some of those barre chords are almost impossible to play.
Experienced players leave out one or two strings from tricky shapes – it’s Try playing through this run of simplified partial chords. As you do so, try to spot
easier to remember the full shapes but to play partial shapes. For example, which CAGED shape each chord is based on.
C/E is based on a ‘G shape’ barre chord; C5 is essentially a ‘D shape’.
3 SOUL/FUNK RHYTHM LINE TRACKS 12-13
œœ.
q = 95
œœ œœ œœ œœ ¿¿ C/E
œ œ œ.
œ ⇤ œœœ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ œ œ œ œ ¿ œ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿
C/G Csus /F C/E 4 C Csus 4 C
œ œ œ œ œ ¿ œœ œ ¿¿ œœ ⇤ œœ ⇤ œœ ⇤ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ..
4
&4 .
. ⇤ ⇤ ¿ ¿ ¿ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿ ¿¿
T . 121312 12 12 12 12
¿
8 8 8
¿ ¿ ¿
8 8 8 8 8
¿
8 8 8
¿ ¿ ¿ .
. .
13 13 13 13 8 8 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5
A 12 12 12 12 9 10 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
B
⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥
Here we’re taking a big leap forward to show you how transformational the CAGED system can be to your rhythm playing. Our riff covers a few of the five shapes and it’s way
more creative than chopping away on one shape. Of course, it does take time to see how the shapes link together but that’s all good. Your journey starts here!

HOW TO
THE FX FILES TG’S CLASSIC STOMPBOX GUIDE
24 PATCH DELAY TIME REPEATS TWEAK & TWEEZ remember that the effect of these
The DL4 has 16 patches, This control sets the The repeats control, The ‘tweak’ and Line 6 shipped the controls in each patch.
and they’re accessed gap between the often referred to as ‘tweez’ controls offer DL4 with a pair of
by this rotary control. repeats that are played ‘feedback’ on other patch-specific handy stickers to MIX
back by the delay. delay units, governs the parameters. The affix to the front This control allows you
number of delay range of options was panel, with to blend your wet and
repeats, as expected. hard enough to explanations for dry signals.
LINE 6 DL4 DELAY

Despite being one of the first big-box delay modellers on the market, the Line 6 DL4 remains
popular and in production. It’s probably the most loved pedal in Line 6’s product line
n production since have been as influential for Knudson of Minus The Bear used but for a 19-year-old unit, they’re
I
2000, the Line 6 looping, but the additional features more than one on their still perfectly serviceable.
DL4 not only of the DL4, accessed by footswitch, pedalboards to have redundancy, Finally, it’s worth saying that
brought a huge like overdub, double time and and went through several a year the DL4 has been disassembled in
variety of one-shot triggers, put it far ahead when touring heavily. The sounds a multitude of ways, circuit bent
high-quality stereo delays to the in terms of functionality. Even are what make it worth it, warts and modded to death, and the
hands of ordinary players, but had today, there aren’t many loopers and all. Besides the looper, there results posted online. So if you’re a
a powerful looper. So deeply tied to as fun or intuitive. are reverse and filter delays, dab hand at DIY electronics, it’s a
the growth in instrumental Despite sounding excellent, ping-pongs, and of course a tape modder’s heaven, which can’t be
looping was the DL4 that it’s they’re legendarily unreliable. emulation. Not all of these are of said for many of the complex
featured in pop culture beyond Several famous users, like Dave the same quality as modern delays, big-box delays that followed.
guitar circles, with Pitchfork even
publishing a long-form think piece
on the musical legacy of the unit. IT’S FEATURED IN POP CULTURE BEYOND GUITAR CIRCLES…
Other pedals like the Akai
Headrush could probably claim to THERE AREN’T MANY LOOPERS AS FUN OR INTUITIVE
THE FX FILES
# UNDER THE INFLUENCE
LINE 6 HX STOMP BOSS DD-500 STRYMON TIMELINE

FROM £409 FROM £289 FROM £399
With 300 effects, including most of those that Like most modern big-box delays, the brilliant With a collection of excellent patches from their
are found in the larger Helix unit, the Line 6 HX BOSS DD-500 sports a powerful looper as well as series of digital modelling units, the Timeline was
Stomp has more than enough delays for most an army of delay patches and parameters. The revolutionary in terms of sound quality when it
players, as well as featuring a built-in looper. DD-500 can’t quite go toe-to-toe with the first came out, although it has been matched or
The Stomp’s looper might not spark joy in the excellent user interface of the modern Line 6 units, surpassed by many of the units that have followed.
same way as the wonderfully intuitive DL4 looper, but in terms of tweaking patches and additional However, if you want a smorgasbord of Strymon
but it’s functional, and the core delay sounds functionality like parallel delays, it has the edge, delays with a looper and MIDI control, you can’t go
are excellent. especially with recent firmware patches. far wrong. 25
# CLASSIC TONES
GET THE TONE #1 GET THE TONE #2 GET THE TONE #3
BRONTIDE LOOP HEAVEN WIDE STEREO DELAY POST-ROCK DELAY
Though we could have chosen any number of For some early Verve-style shoegazing sounds, Reverse delays work particularly well with
tracks that use the acrobatic looping capabilities run this stereo combination into two amplifiers post-rock style tremolo picking, and the
of the DL4, we instantly think of the now- with their reverb turned up to give a bit reverse delays on the DL4 are no different,
defunct band Brontide. On the track Arioso, more ambience. Tweaking on this patch resulting in overlapping, mesmerising
guitarist Tim Hancock builds up a number adjusts the right delay as a percentage of the melody lines. By reducing the modulation
of loops, eventually looping his main lead left, so small variations can result in chorus depth and slowing down the speed, you can
line. When the climax of the song hits, he sounds, while different note intervals can tighten up the sound of the delay, while a
triggers the loop at double speed, bringing the also be dialled in by ear for exciting ‘duelling deeper modulation with a slightly quicker rate
house down and blowing the minds of every stereo’ effects. can be an excellent counterpoint for letting
guitarist listening. chords ring out.
Get the tone Get the tone Get the tone
DELAY REPEATS TWEAK TWEEZ MIX DELAY REPEATS TWEAK TWEEZ MIX DELAY REPEATS TWEAK TWEEZ MIX
TIME TIME TIME
PATCH: Sample mode PATCH: Reverse PATCH: Reverse

26
Chad bought his Gibson ES-335

from Tom Petty’s guitar tech
and says it is “dead-on” to
Keith Richards’ one

rig tour
Words Jonathan Horsley Photography Will Ireland
guitar by any means. Those
1 2 3 off-set guitars hadn’t become
popular. Y’know, you’d see
Les Pauls, Stratocasters and
Telecasters, but there’s just
something odd about the
shape of it and the look of it. I
flew over this 1961 Jazzmaster,
which is Fiesta Red, which is
aptly named Scarlett, after my
second daughter, and then
back at home there is a black
1961 Jazzmaster named
Delilah, which is named after
my youngest daughter. It’s
really funny because all the
girls get jealous over which
guitar I am touring with. I’ll
have Scarlett onstage tonight
and what’s kind of cool about
that guitar is that it always
tours as the backup and
people really haven’t seen
that one so much, so it will
be a cool one. And it will be
cool that you guys get
photographs of it.”
GIBSON LES PAUL 1959

BURST REISSUE 27
2 “There are two Les Pauls in
CHAD TAYLOR
the boat. The two models
are ’59 reissues. I probably
bought them in 1996. What’s
interesting is how different
(LIVE)
those guitars feel now from
when I bought them. When I
bought them I solely bought
them as touring instruments,
like maybe not the greatest-
sounding Les Pauls, but now,
Chad Taylor from Live explains why Jazzmasters are like after touring and playing with
them for so long, they sound
family and the Marshall JCM800 is his desert island amp really so much better than
most of the other Les Pauls I
s you might pack of stickers that the famous GUITARS pick up. I think it just has to do
with the blood, sweat and
A
expect from a SRV decal came from. FENDER 1961 tears of being onstage.”
man who owns a He tells us of the ’56 Les Paul he “SCARLETT”
guitar shop, smashed on Saturday Night Live JAZZMASTER IN GIBSON LES PAUL 1959
Chad Taylor after too many green room FIESTA RED REISSUE GOLD TOP
has got more
than a few beauties.
Before we get to his rig he shares
martinis. “I would not do that
now,” he says. “I want to make
that clear!” His tech Matt Gracey
1 “I had been a big Elvis
Costello guy, and I can
remember the first time I had
3 “Both of those Les Pauls
have recently been
refinished. I would say that
the story behind some of his recovered the guitar – it plays ever seen a Jazzmaster; Elvis both of those guitars are more
favourite guitars back home, such better than ever. “It’s a strange Costello holding one and I than 20 years old now, and I
as his 1961 “Mary Lou” Fender thing,” says Taylor, “Les Pauls remember thinking to myself, was never really happy with
Jazzmaster, named after his only get better with road miles in ‘Well, what kind of a guitar is the lacquer finish on them
eldest daughter. He bought it from them, and tonight’s have been that?’. So if you think about originally. I had a gentlemen
César Díaz, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s refinished, repaired, and only now my childhood, when I was – I wish I could remember his
former tech, who applied the have found their voice after 20 growing up, I mean, the name right now but he is
Mary Lou decal from the same years of touring.” Jazzmaster in particular based in New York – refinish
wouldn’t have been a popular both guitars. The lacquer that

rig tour
4 5 6
28
they’ve put on is so much better. Lopez made and I bought one of bombastic, hard player – super-
We’ve got a snappiness to the the 10. The colour is called Pink hard right hand. To me, that’s
guitar that had never been there – Champagne; it’s like a sparkle where the tone comes from. I
new saddles, new tuners. They [finish]. I bought them both from mean I guess the left hand has
have seen the world, been beat up a the same guy and they are something to do with it but a lot of
few times. I swear the Les Pauls incredible guitars. I am so grateful it is how I strike with the pick.”
that I have broken and then fixed that the guy thought of me and
sound better!” called me. I don’t want to spoil the FENDER BILL NASH
setlist for you but we’re going to do STRATOCASTER IN
GIBSON ES-335 Paint It Black so I have got to play OFF-WHITE
4 “I bought that guitar from Tom
Petty’s guitar tech. We played
one of the very last shows with
this guitar on that song!”
FENDER BILL NASH

6 “Those Strats have particularly
high action. Everybody always
laughs about my action, because if
Tom Petty before he passed away STRATOCASTER IN you pick up my guitars they are not
and Tom wasn’t looking too good, SUNBURST very smooth feeling; they’re
but the show was amazing. And I
stood over and watched the show
with his guitar tech. Unfortunately
5 “Those are both made by Nash
Guitars, by Bill Nash. They are
all built out of Fender, licensed
almost rugged and rough. We
spend a lot of time adjusting two
things on the guitars. One, the
his guitar tech, because he wasn’t products, he just takes them action. Two, really sorting through
touring he needed money, so he through a relic’ing process, and I the gauges of guitar strings to
had this 335 that I liked so much have to tell you I just love them. make sure that we have the right
and bought that guitar from him. They are not inexpensive guitars; gauge of strings. I like heavy
The Gibson Custom Shop actually they are not 150-dollar guitars, but strings, but, funnily enough,
had built that guitar and it is for what they are and how they the older I get, I’ve lowered the
dead-on to Keith Richards’ ES-335. play it is a great instrument to keep gauges. But the gauge of string
I had to have it. I bought one other on tour and play on the road. They coupled with the action really
guitar from that guy. There were 10 stay in tune great. I can really beat means so much. And the third
prototypes of Dave Grohl’s Trini on them hard. I am a super- priority is setting up the pickup

CHAD TAYLOR
7 11
29
height compared with the much mid in it the soundman

strings. I do not like high-gain can’t really turn it down.”
guitars. I usually really like
low-impedance guitars.”
EFFECTS
CUSTOM AUDIO
AMPS
MARSHALL JCM800
ELECTRONICS MIDI
SWITCHING SYSTEM
7 “I always say that the desert
island amplifier is a JCM800. I
mean, to me, it is the epitome of
8 “That was built by a guy
named Bob Bradshaw of
Custom Audio Electronics, and I
rock ’n’ roll. It’s the holy grail. actually convinced Bob to move
Tonight I’ll have tons of fun, from Los Angeles to Lititz, PA, and
especially in a smaller venue. I’ll he is now a part of our shop [Tone
have tons of fun getting my guitars Tailors] which is pretty awesome.
super-crunchy. Yeah, you can’t He has worked with everyone –
beat it. Soundmen love to run from Eddie Van Halen to the Edge,
drums loud and vocals loud and and, of course, building my rigs,
the easiest way to fix that and have too. I’ll have two mono signals
the audience hear your guitar is to onstage. All gain stages affect all
play a JCM800, ’cos it’s got so amps, if that makes sense; if I step
“THE DESERT ISLAND AMPLIFIER IS A

JCM800. TO ME, IT IS THE EPITOME OF
ROCK ’N’ ROLL. IT’S THE HOLY GRAIL”
rig tour
11 10 9
12
14
16 17
15 13
30
on a distortion pedal it goes Vibe, which is essentially a STRYMON FLINT the Pink Panther I have a really
through both. I split the main Uni-Vibe, a more functional REVERB AND TREMOLO long quarter-note, or whole-note
guitar head off into stereo effects
that only send the effects – stereo
reverb, stereo delay, stereo
version of a Uni-Vibe.”
ROGER MAYER
13 “There is a Strymon Flint,
which does, very simply,
reverb and tremolo, and that does
delays going on. So, if I am playing
a guitar solo, and I want the delay
to come back one-to-one with the
modulation effects – and those are OCTAVIA CLASSIC go into the front of the amps.” guitar amps, I will turn on the pink
fed via DI into my in-ears. This
small board, with a small 11 “You can hear that in – for
anyone that doesn’t know EVENTIDE H9 HARMONISER
guy. If I want more subtle stereo
effects, slap-backs or anything like
footprint, is really three distinct
guitar signals: Guitar Head A,
Guitar Head B, Stereo Effects. I can
– Foxey Lady, that famous sound,
but that is used heavily on
Dolphin’s Cry. So each of those
14 “Now I’ll jump into the
stereo section. An Eventide
H9 is doing almost any sound you
that, I’m going to the TimeLine
because that is not going to make
the front of the amp mushy.”
do so much with this, so many [Roger Mayer effects] are gain are hearing from Throwing Copper
different layers. And the stage pedals that only go up to the because we used the Eventide 3000 STRYMON BIG SKY
programming is all handled by the
Custom Audio Electronics foot
controller. All the switching is
amp heads.”
JHS PINK PANTHER

[rackmount], tons of it. I don’t use
the harmoniser function too much
unless I am harmonising it with a
16 “Essentially just like the
TimeLine except that it is
reverb. I can feed my signal into a
done live, it’s done in real time” ANALOG DELAY reverb, which is a little trickery.” reverb and delay the reverb. Or, I
ROGER MAYER
VOODOO FUZZ
12 “It’s one of the only
modulation pedals that STRYMON TIMELINE DELAY
can have reverbs then add delay.
The original signal is always pure.”
9 “I am a fuzz junkie. This just

goes into the front of the heads.
JHS is a great little manufacturer. 15 “The primary delay, and
again, those are for stereo LINE 6 M5 MODELLER
happens to be the fuzz pedal
of the moment. I’ve probably got
another five or six that are getting
Josh [Scott] who owns the
company makes awesome
pedals. It’s just a good analogue-
delays, so somebody listening
might say, ‘What the hell is the
difference between the Pink
17 “It does the most basic
modulations. This
modulation only goes into the
swapped in and out of there some sounding delay.” Panther and the TimeLine?’. Well second guitar amp onstage. In Run
of the time, just for fun. But I To The Water, I have an octave up on
love fuzz.”
“I’M A FUZZ JUNKIE. I’VE GOT ANOTHER this so my guitar onstage actually
sounds like a 12-string guitar. One
ROGER MAYER
VOODOO VIBE FIVE OR SIX THAT ARE GETTING amp is playing the unmodulated
original signal and the second amp
10 “The second one there is

the Roger Mayer Voodoo SWAPPED IN AND OUT, JUST FOR FUN” is playing an octave up, and I am
careful with the blend.”

FEATURE
WINSTON
Words Grant Moon
MARSHALL’S
DUELLING
32
BANJOS
As he puts his name to
two new Deering banjos,
the Mumford & Sons
star introduces us to
the guitar’s plucky
little cousin...
TOTAL GUITAR NOVEMBER 2017

WINSTON MARSHALL BANJO
S
ince forming in 2007 London’s hugely
successful Mumford & Sons have had No.1
albums on both sides of the Atlantic, won
Brit Awards and earned Grammy nods, and
they’ve become poster boys for the
‘neo-folk’ revival. Winston Marshall’s
powerful five-string banjo playing has
been a trademark on hit records like Sigh No
More and Babel, and it’s there amid the
more electronic textures of Wilder Mind and current album,
Delta. Marshall has now teamed up with leading US banjo
company Deering to produce two new models. The Winston
Marshall Signature model is a high-end instrument aimed at
similar, top-level professionals, and comes with a price tag
to match. Then there’s the GOTR Goodtime Banjo, a more
affordable model produced with the aim of encouraging
more people to give the banjo a go. We caught up with
Marshall to talk to him about these, the Mumfords, and to
get his view on what TG readers might get out of this
wonderful little instrument…
33
plucky fella
Winston Marshall’s five-string
banjo playing is a trademark
of the hugely successful
Mumford & Sons’ sound

Give us a little background on your

association with Deering.
“We’ve been working closely with
Deering for eight years now. They’re
a hands-on family business and they
get stuck into everything with us.
Jamie Deering is the daughter of the
founders, she runs the business now,
and she’s been building charity banjos
specific to gigs we do around the world.
She’ll find local charities and raise
money for them through the auction of
banjos made specifically for that
location. So if the gig’s in a certain state
it’ll have that state’s outline engraved
into it; they’re really detailed. I
genuinely believe Deering are making
the highest-quality banjos today.
They’re all made by hand, unlike
almost every other major banjo
maker, and their value for money is
pretty amazing.”
And when did the idea for your

signature model come up?
“Around the end of 2017. Two things
came up in the conversation: the idea of
a banjo that I can use – the very best,
high-spec banjo for the top level. But
34 inevitably that’s unaffordable for many,
because it has to be. I mean, I bought my
first banjo for 150 quid at a shop called “IF YOU’RE A FINGERPICKER
Ritz Music in Putney in 2005. It was a
total piece of shit, factory-built thing, ON GUITAR YOU’LL HAVE AN
ENJOYABLE TIME ON BANJO”
and it was brilliant for that reason. It
was fun, it did the job and I got to grips
with what a banjo is without spending a
fortune. Most guitarists do the same,
they start with an affordable guitar. I’ve above don’t know where to start! It doesn’t model’s body is enclosed. What
Winston mainly plays
got a cheap-as-chips bouzouki and need to be complicated. Start with difference does that make?
three-finger style
mandolin, but if you enjoy the – Scruggs style – something cheap and cheerful, like I “With the banjo there are no rules, just
instrument you can go past that. and occasionally did. It’s about getting the maximum traditions. A resonator banjo is one that
And that’s the idea with the GOTR clawhammer amount of people to have a go and have has a back, and it’s just louder.
Goodtime Banjo – you can try it out, it’s fun. That’s what music should be, after Traditional bluegrass players would
fun to play, and even if you end up not all. That said, I think the Goodtimes want it loud and punchy. But in
liking it or not getting too deep into it, really stand up – you could use them clawhammer or mountain style – that
they’re still pretty things. The idea was on recordings to a pretty high level more Appalachian, old-time way of
to make the cheapest banjo we could so and it would take a very good ear, playing [see Finger-Pickin’ Good] – you
people can give it a try and, hopefully, certainly one better than mine, to want a warmer sound, so you’d use an
get a taste for it.” distinguish it.” open back. And the simple reality is, not
having a resonator is much cheaper. But
It can be daunting trying to choose You mention GOTR. That stands for it doesn’t really matter – they’re both
your first instrument, whether it’s Gentlemen Of The Road, right? five-string banjos and you can still play
guitar, bass, banjo… “Yes. It’s really an umbrella for all everything you would on a resonator on
“Yeah, it can get a little too complicated Mumford & Sons activity that isn’t an open back.”
sometimes. I took my auntie guitar immediately in the realm of making
shopping for her daughter. We were music and playing gigs. We host our But you started out as a guitarist
walking down Denmark Street in Gentlemen Of The Road festivals, and yourself, didn’t you?
London and it was completely the GOTR name also relates to the “Yes. Blues that was my first love on the
overwhelming for her. And it was for me charity banjos.” guitar. I listened to a lot of old-time
when I was a teenager – you see these stuff, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters.
labels and these prices, and there are Your Goodtime Banjo has an open But I got quickly into rock like AC/DC,
pros picking away in the corner, and you back, whereas your signature and there’s a link there. A Robert

BELOW
Johnson lick becomes an Angus Young
Winston’s Deering
lick when played on an electric guitar, signature banjo is he says,
almost. My first band was called “the very best, high-spec
Gobbler’s Knob! We did covers of banjo for the top level”
AC/DC, ZZ Top, Audioslave, all the
teenage classics.”
And what prompted your move

towards banjo?
“It was a combination of things. The
first banjo I heard was on the Oh Brother
Where Art Thou soundtrack, which
T-Bone Burnett did. Before then there
was an album called New Favorite by
Alison Krauss and Union Station
hanging around at home. Their banjo
player Ron Block is still one of my
favourite pickers, and I think that was
the start of it. I’d heard banjo on Neil
Young and Grateful Dead records but
didn’t appreciate what it was I was
hearing. I went to school with Charlie
Fink from Noah And The Whale. He’s a
few years older than me and I saw him
playing a banjo in school once and
thought, ‘Oh that’s interesting, what’s
that?’. Eventually I started a nine-piece
country rap band – fiddle, mandolin,
banjo, a rapper, a lot of singers and
even more hangers-on! That became
my passion, and I got deeper into folk
and rootsy instruments. I bought an
Ozark dobro for 150 quid from Denmark
Street, which I played for over 10 years,
well into Mumford & Sons’ career.
Only recently have I got a new one.
Those cheap instruments might be
made of plywood, but they really can
sound great!”
When it comes to banjo, who’s

the Hendrix?
“That would be Béla Fleck. Probably 80
per cent of the banjo you’ll hear is him.
But my personal favourite is Matt
Menefee, who plays for the band
Cadillac Sky. If there’s one album to
listen to it’s their first record [Blind Man
Walking, 2007]. The banjo on that is
bananas, especially on Insomniac Blues
For Matthew. His playing’s in the
Scruggs tradition. If Béla Fleck is the
Hendrix then Earl Scruggs is the Muddy
Waters. It all starts with Scruggs, who
pioneered the three-finger style.”
What playing style do you prefer?

“On the majority of Mumford & Sons
tracks I play three-finger style – Scruggs
style – and occasionally clawhammer
[see Finger-Pickin’ Good]. I use picks on
my thumb and index and middle
fingers. If you’re picking fast you don’t
want the strings getting caught by your My Soul is like that too. It’s not a
fingers, so they make your playing complicated arpeggio but it is quite fast.
smoother, and that can be a jump for Most of the stuff I’ve done with the
guitarists. Some use thumbpicks but band I can whittle down to four or five
few use fingerpicks, but it’s like riding different arps [arpeggios], in varying
a bicycle – if you put the hours in speeds and tunings. The Cave is a fun
you’ll get it.” place to start. It’s a very simple arp with
a tiny hammer-on and very simple
So fingerpicking would be the chord changes. That’s in E – that D
immediate challenge for a guitarist tuning capo’d up. Most pickers will be
trying out the banjo? able to work that out by ear.”
“Yes, so if you’re a fingerpicker on
guitar then you’ll have a satisfying and Do you find that changing up
enjoyable time moving over. But if instruments can inspire
you’re not rolling and picking you’re your songwriting?
going to need to put the hours in. You “Yes. A new guitar, a new pedal can
can just strum it and you’ll have fun just spark a new idea, and even having time
boshing out the tunes, but if you want to away from the banjo can make it feel
get into the more traditional style then like a new instrument. I just got an
you’re going to have to put the time in.” amazing new dobro that Gill Landry sold
to me; he was playing it with Old Crow
What about the fretting hand? Medicine Show. No two instruments are
“It’s the same, a guitarist will be the same, and this one got my mind
comfortable with the left hand. The ticking in a different way. New gear does
standard tuning for a five-string banjo bring out new ideas for songs, but I
is open G [G-D-G-B-D] and that’s guess it’s an expensive way to write!”
where I recommend you start. The great
thing about that is that you can just capo The Mumfords’ last two albums,
it up so you can play any key, bish bash Wilder Mind and Delta, took a more
36 bosh! Anything to reduce thinking, and electronic/synth turn. Was that a
the capo does precisely that.” positive change for you?
“I think so. With Wilder Mind we’d been
But the fifth string, that G, is the FINGER-PICKIN’ glued to our instruments for six or seven
GOOD
highest-pitched – that’ll be weird years, writing and touring the first two
for a guitarist! records. So when we came back together
“It is a bit of an upside-down sensation, we were dying to play other things and
but again you get used to it. You actually The two dominant picking that burst out of us. We were just excited
don’t tend to play that string much, it’s
just used as a drone string, so it’s quite
techniques for banjo: three- about electronic instruments and
synths. Delta was exciting for me
practical that it’s out the way. You don’t finger style and ‘clawhammer’ personally because Ben [Lovett, from
fret it – you tune it to whatever note you the band] had come up with a
T
want and play it with the right hand. It he principal picking style for bluegrass music is framework in which we’d use traditional
starts out being a bit annoying but after the three-finger style or Scruggs-style, named instruments but make them sound a
a while you’re glad it’s there.” after pioneering banjo player Earl Scruggs. Here, way they hadn’t sounded before, with a
the right hand thumb, index and middle finger lot of filters, manipulating the sound in
alternate to pick the strings using either a forward roll
And once you’re comfortable with different ways. That was a really good
(thumb-index-middle), backward roll (middle-index-
that, where next? thumb) or combinations of the two. Along with the banjo’s challenge, it invigorated me. In Picture
“There’s a really nice drop-C, where you open tuning this technique allows for fast, smooth You and Woman there’s tons of banjos
drop that D string down to the C. That arpeggios. Note that in fingerstyle guitar the thumbed layered on top of each other. You don’t
gives you a lower, warmer sound which note is usually the lowest of the chord – often the root – realise you’re listening to banjo, and
is nice. I bounce between those. Another and is played on the on-beat. On banjo however, your that’s exciting. The banjo’s pretty
thing I do is go into tunings where I thumb hits the top G string, which is the highest open dynamic, maybe not as dynamic as the
don’t know what they are. Joni Mitchell note, and typically played on the off-beat. This inversion guitar, but with a pickup in it you can
did a lot of that on guitar and she got adds to the distinctive rhythmic sound of banjo arps. put it through all sorts of pedals. My
inversions that nobody had ever found
An older picking method, ‘clawhammer’ style is signature model has two outputs, and
associated with North American folk music, often called
before. That attitude is really helpful two different pickups. So there’s no
‘old-time’ or ‘mountain music’. Just two digits needed here
because you can get weird sounds.” – the thumb and either the index or middle finger – to get reason, say, Tom Morello couldn’t make
up and running with that classic 2/4 banjo rhythm, which a great noise with it!”
Thinking of the Mumfords, is I Will legendary folk plucker Pete Seeger called the ‘bum-ditty’
Wait a tricky banjo line? rhythm. In an open-G tuning, the index/middle finger hits Both the Winston Marshall signature
“Well, a lot of our songs happen to be in the D or middle G string (bum!), then strums across all the model and GOTR Goodtime Banjo are
D, so that’ll be an open G tuning with strings except the high G (dit!), with the thumb then currently available on import from
the high drone string tuned to A. Await playing that high G (ty!) to complete the bar. www.deeringbanjos.com

FEATURE
sliding over
Martin’s new album has
seen him bring what he
knows from lap steel
playing over to electric
bottleneck slide
38

MARTINBETTER
HARLEYVOCALS
SLIDE
C
Words Chris Bird / Stuart Williams Photography Olly Curtis / Joby Sessions
MARTIN HARLEY’S HOOSE YOUR

WEAPONS
GUIDE
Not all slides are
created equal…
“When you’re
playing slide
guitar, obviously
you need one of
these. The slide you use and the
TO SLIDE
finger you use it on is really
personal. I’ve come to slide guitar
from playing lap steel, so
traditionally I’m comfortable
playing that way with a heavy
tonebar. But for this new record, this
instrument is much better. So it’s
very much a learning curve for me.
I’ve been through glass, ceramic,
As the lapstyle virtuoso

short, fat, heavy, and all kinds of
slides. I’ve settled on this fairly
heavy brass slide at the moment.
switches to a strapped electric, I’m not sure how much it weighs,

but it’s quite thick, so heavier than
the regular Jim Dunlop slide that
we quiz him on exactly how to you’d just walk into a store and
buy. It’s a bit more cumbersome, but
39
get to grips with a bottleneck

the advantage of a heavier slide is
better sustain. What you lose in
maneuverability I think you gain in
tone and sustain. The one thing I
would say is that it just takes time to
get comfortable, and everyone’s
approach is going to be different. So
try a bunch of stuff until you find
something you’re happy with. You’ll
find metal slides have a different
sound to ceramic or glass slides
which are smoother and have a less
bright or aggressive sound to them.”
DIGIT-AL PICKING
Get your fingers used to
slides and picks
“When I first started
playing slide, I was
much more
comfortable on the
third finger, and I
don’t think that’s
unusual. Your little
finger is not really
your pointing digit,
so I felt that I got
better tone on my third
finger. But over time, the notion of
having these three fingers to work
independently on the fret has
created more voicings and more

opening up
take the slide and barre across the third
Martin says that open E
and open D tunings are fret – you’re not looking to put your
best for playing slide finger where you’d normally fret the
notes, you need to be directly over the
fret to create your G – and the reason I
like those open tunings is that you have
the main parts of a 12-bar blues. You’ve
got your [open] I chord, then if you put
the slide over the fifth fret, you’ve got
your IV, then the V up there at the
seventh fret. Obviously at the 12th fret
you have your octave. So as a beginner
with a simple slide and an open tuning
you can get started. I’m sliding up to the
notes, approaching the notes as opposed
to just placing the slide on the strings
which will create a noise. Sliding up to
the notes from a couple of frets below
will give you that lush sound that we all
associate with slide. Those are the
building blocks of a lot of songs. What
you should be concentrating on is
getting everything in tune; try not to
push too hard on the slide. If you do, it’ll
bump into the frets, so aim for just the
right amount of pressure to make that
note clean with no bumps, no clicks. It’s
aided by having a slightly higher action
than you might normally have. What
40 you’re really trying to achieve is getting
the slide right over that fret to get the
note you’re after. Once you’ve nailed the
accuracy for those basic chords and
approaches you can start looking at
“TRY NOT TO PUSH TOO isolating single notes.”
FIND INSPIRATION
HARD ON THE SLIDE OR IT’LL How Ralph Macchio inspired him
“I first started playing slide guitar after
BUMP INTO THE FRETS” hearing the soundtrack to a movie called

Paris, Texas. I discovered that the
soundtrack was by Ry Cooder, and I’ve
tonal opportunities than having a slide playing electric, I swap between using been a huge fan of his ever since; it’s
on the third. So my little finger has them and not using them. It’s a really pretty hard to ignore him as a voice in
become the natural choice. personal, tonal preference thing. You the development of electric slide guitar
“Again, I’m a lap steel player, so certainly can hit the guitar a lot harder playing. If like me you were a young,
traditionally I keep a rhythm by and rock out more. But yeah, I picked the interested musician when the movie
pedalling two open notes – I’m tuned to thumbpick initially to isolate these Crossroads came out, there’s a great
open E – so a lot of my technique basslines so I could play lead lines on section where Ry Cooder is playing his
involves keeping this consistent bassline top. You can still do that with your music sat behind The Karate Kid (Ralph
going, and I’ve found the thumbpick has thumb, and you’ll get a different kind of Macchio) sitting in a room mourning the
been really helpful in that department. sound. Some people just like that loss of his girlfriend. I think it’s called
“Having moved over to electric fairly personal connection of your thumb Feeling Bad Blues, and that has a very
recently, it’s not as necessary to create hitting the strings.” indicative Ry Cooder sound to it. This is
volume. On an acoustic instrument it not it, this is a very vague version of it by
really helps locate those bass notes and SLIDE 101 me, but it demonstrates tremolo
make them really prominent in solo Get started with playing slide bottleneck playing in an open tuning.
playing. But it has other advantages in “I would say there’s a few key factors for “They’re some of the aspects you’ll
that you can do things you can do with a learning to play slide guitar. I tune to hear in Ry Cooder’s playing: beautiful
guitar pick, that you can’t necessarily do open E or open D, generally speaking. I vibrato, it’s not completely clean and it’s
with your hands. Little sweeps, and find these two to be the most simple. not completely distorted. The pickup
you’ve always got the alternate picking When you play all the strings open, selection is a mixture of the front and
advantage at hand. But yeah, when I’m you’ve got an open E chord. If you just back pickups, and you can hear from the

MARTIN HARLEY SLIDE
lap steel pickup at the back that there’s with the American South and the
elements of lap steel/pedal steel sound Mississippi Delta and all the amazing
to that style of playing.” players that I grew up listening to, and
the people they listened to. Way, way
MUTE POINTS back with Robert Johnson, Blind Willie
Keeping your notes clean Johnson, super-vocal sounds. Then
“I’m playing here in an open-E tuning, ending up with glorious players like
which means you’ve got an open-E Kelly Joe Phelps, who if you haven’t
major chord, then your A and B. I think heard you really should. He’s one of the
the temptation when you first start great masters of slide guitar as well as
[playing slide] is to play big open chords: people like Ry Cooder and Derek Trucks.
they sound fun, and why the hell not? “But, over time I realised that the
But what I’ve found over time is that I delineation of notes from using a slide
want to have cleaner single-note runs and always being connected with the
when I’m playing, so the techniques I’m blues, that there’s also Indian and
employing to single out certain notes, is Eastern influences that really suit the
on the high E string, for example, I angle slide guitar because it’s such a vocal
the slide out. As opposed to having the instrument. Because you’re not fretting,
slide covering all the strings, tip it out, and you’re sort of in-between notes
just a little bit. That way I’m avoiding with a vibrato that in my opinion acts
getting all these other notes that I don’t more like a human voice, you can do
want in there. So, dampening a little bit more interesting sounds that draw on
with [your picking] hand, you can cover world music influences.
the strings with your palm [at the “Sacred steels were pedal steel
bridge] if you want to, angle the slide out players who played in church bands
just a little bit to isolate single notes on playing lap steel, and they had this
the high E string. wonderful vocal quality to them as well
“Now, you can obviously isolate – Aubrey Ghent was a great player
strings elsewhere, but you need to think – where they’d use the swell of the
about how you’re going to keep those volume control. I’m wrapping my finger 41
other strings quiet. So if we move down round the volume pot, almost like a
to the B string, I’m kind of pinching the pedal steel player would be using a
E and the G here. From the back of my volume pedal. You’ve probably seen
thumb to the tip is muting these bottom people like Jeff Beck use that technique
strings, and I can use my first finger to A Weiss man sounds, because I’m applying finger as well, but I just love the human voice
play these notes on the B string without The Weissenborn picking techniques and if the gain is too aspect that it adds to your note choices.”
and acoustic
any of the other notes ringing out. As high you lose all the definition. An
you move further down the fretboard,
specialist opts for a
more electric example of the sort of sounds I’m SLIDE EFFECTS
I’m really continuing to just pinch the approach on 2019’s heading for on the new record are a Enhance your slide licks
strings that I’m trying to isolate. It also Roll With The combination of fingerpicking and slide. “I do use some effects when I’m playing
Punches
means you have your thumb rested on “One of the great advantages I’ve slide, but really they’re quite minimal.
the string below ready to go to help found from moving over to electric I’m playing through a Fender amp with
facilitate multi-note runs.” bottleneck slide over lap slide is I’m fairly low gain. In a gig situation, I’d be
finding it easier to create different turned up with a bit more gain. Today
LOOK OUT FOR HACKS voicings. One trick I’ve learnt recently is I’m adding a little bit of overdrive from
Simple slide-playing tricks how to go from a major chord, just an Electro-Harmonix Soul Food because
“My new album is an interesting pressing the string behind where your I’m at low volume. It just fattens up the
transition because traditionally I’ve major note is with the slide, you can sound, which is what I want from slide.
been an acoustic player, or a lap-style create a minor. If you’re light enough “Reverb is a personal choice. I use a
player. So there are a lot of traits in my with the slide and press down just a Strymon Flint; reverb helps with slower
playing that come from that style: semitone below, the string will drop slide phrasing, and the Flint’s perfectly
alternate picking, pedalling bass notes. below the contact point of the slide and versatile. There are plenty of reverbs out
But I wanted to get on electric guitar, create the minor chord. That was quite a there that do that job. The main key for
have a band and be in a musical revelation for me – I’m sure there’s lots the slide sound that I want to make is a
experience that involved communication of other people out there doing it, who short delay. I have it on a very short
with other people. So this album has I’ve stolen it from – but lap slide can be regeneration; it’s a subtle difference;
been a lot about that. And the quite limiting.” almost sounds like I’m playing in a boxy
cornerstone of that has been to combine room. It’s just a little slapback echo
what I know from lap steel playing and BEYOND THE BLUES dialled in subtly to help the voice sing.
what I have in the arsenal from playing There’s more to slide than “That’s pretty much all I use. I’ve got
acoustic, and trying to put those pentatonics a compressor on here today, but in a live
together on the electric guitar. So I’m “I think at the beginning of my journey setting I find that the volume of the
not picking super-heavy distorted with slide guitar, I always associated it amp naturally compresses enough.”

FEATURE
Transcription: Phil Capone
SLIDE RULES
SEE THE
VIDEO AT
bit.ly/
tg326video
Learn slide guitar from one of the best
L
ike many slide tab), and the treble strings Although Martin
players, Martin plays with your first (i) and second plays with the
fingerstyle, a (m) hand fingers as indicated slide on his fourth
technique that below our tab. Martin also uses finger, you’ll find
makes it easier to a thumbpick but, trust us – it’s it’s generally easier to
keep the strings under control. easier to play without one! control when worn on your
To get the most out of this Make sure you’re aware of third, especially if you’re a
lesson you’ll need to use your slide placement; it’s vital slide newbie. Keep your first
fingerstyle technique too, to position it over the fret, not finger just behind the slide
picking the bass strings with behind it as you would when and resting on the strings for
your thumb (marked p in the fretting with your fingers. additional damping.
1 THUMB-PICKED BASS
q q =q q
∑ Ó
q = 95
# ## 4 œ œ œ œ œ
& # 4 œ œ œ
E
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
w/slide œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E 2 4 4 0
T G#
B 0 0
42 A E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B B
E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 m m m i
i
j
# # # # œ œ ⇥ œj œ œ œ œj œ œ ‰ ⇥ j ‰ ⇥ r⇥ r‰ Œ Ó
& œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó
1
1
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
2 4 4 2 0 2 4 0 0 0 0
T 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 m m mm i m i m i m i m
i
p
Keep your thumb playing the alternating bassline while your first and second fingers pick out the melody. Start slowly and build tempo gradually. Too much string noise? Try
angling your slide outwards so that it only makes contact with the first string.
2 RY COODER INFLUENCE
U~~~ U
n œ œ œ œ~~~ œ ~~~~U
q =70 Freetime
# ## 4 nœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
E5 A5
& # 4
j j j
œ œ œ œ œ œœ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
œ œ
œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ ~~~ 3
~~~ ~~~~
w/slide
let ring
E 2 3 2 0 2 4 3 2 0 2 0 4 2 0 2
T G#
B 0 0 0 0 0
A E 0 0 0 3 5 5 5 3 0 3 5
B B
E 0
0 3 5 3 5 3 5
p p i m i m p i 1
m i p i m m p i i p i p i i
p p

MARTIN HARLEY SLIDE
2 RY COODER INFLUENCE (CONT’D)
~~~~ U ~~~ ~~~~~~ w~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

œ
B5 E5
#### œ œ . U œœ œ œ .
3 j
œ œ
œ œ œ œœj œœ œœ
j œ
& œ œ
œ
œœ œ œ
œ
~~~~ let ring
0
let ring
2 4 2 0 2 4
~~~ 7~~~~~~ 12~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
let ring
T 7 0
A 7 7
5 7 7 5
7 7 5 2 4 2 0 0 0
B 7 5 0 2 4 2 0
0
3 i p i p p p i p i m m i m m
p i p p
p
The influence of slide great Ry Cooder is in evidence here. Keep the low E5 chords and open fourth string ringing while adding the melody on the first string. Add vibrato by
oscillating the slide along the string, using micro-movements either side of your target fret.
3 STRING MUTING
~~~~~~
q =100 Freetime
# ## 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œj œ
N.C.
& # 4 œ œ œ œ
j j
Œ
3
œ œ
E
w/slide 3
~~~~~~
T G#
B 0 2 4 5 7 7 9 7 9 7 5 5 7 5 4 4 5 4 2 4 5 2 4 2
A E
B B
E
Here you can pick up one of the most crucial slide techniques: muting out idle strings with your picking hand. Martin’s doing this with the melody line here but the same
principle applies for bass strings too. The idea is to pinch a couple of strings to keep them quiet as you move your slide.
43
4 EASTERN INFLUENCES
~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~ œ. ~~~~

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ œj œ . œ nœ œ œ œ œ
q = 96 Freetime
# ## 4 œ. œ
œ œ œ
N.C.
J J
& # 4 œ
‰
œ ~~~
3
œ
w/slide
let ring ~~~ ~~~~~~~~ 11 ~~~~ let ring
E 0 4 4 [4 ] 5 4 0 4 5 7 8 7 0 5 7 7 8 7 0 5 11 11 7
T G#
B 4
A E 0
3
B B
E 0 0
1 p p i m i m m p
~~~~
#### œ œ œ œ œ œj œ œœœœ œ ~~~~
œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
j œ œ œ~~~œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&
œ
œ œ J
œ 3
~~~ ~~~~ ~~~

3 don’t repick
0 4 5 4 0 2 4 2 0 2 0
T 0 0 0 2 5 4 4 5 7 5 7 5 4 5 4 2 4 2 0
A 0 0
B 0
œ~~~~~
4 p p m i m p i
œ œ œ œ~~~~~~~ œ ‚ œ ˙
# # # ~~~~~~ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& # œ . œ œ
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ NH
0 2 5 4 7 5 9 7 0 0 11 0 12 2 12
T 2 0 0 0 0
A 0
B
7 p i m i m
Martin demonstrated some Eastern influenced licks for us too. Let the low notes ring as long as possible when indicated in the tab. In the final bar tap the 2nd fret with your
slide (you don’t need to pick the string) to play the F#, then slide up to the 12th fret.

EBETTER WOLFE
MILYVOCALS
Words: Jonathan Horsley
MAXIMUM
Photography: Will Ireland
44
OVERDRIVE
Emily Wolfe talks pop
hooks, the untamed
spirit of rock ’n’ roll, and
why she is addicted to
layering gain
wolfe at the door

Blues-rock guitarist, singer
and songwriter, Emily Wolfe
released her self-titled
debut album this year

FEATURE
A
s you would expect
of any blues-rock
player out of
Austin, Texas,
Emily Wolfe’s tone
has a whole heap
of sizzle. But don’t
expect her
self-titled debut
album to ease into a 12/8 shuffle. Wolfe
laces the blues with a pop sensibility gleaned
from the Billboard Top 100. It’s a heady
combination, a sound that saw her at home
sharing stages with the likes of Heart, Gary
Clark Jr and the Pretenders following the
release of her 2014 EP Roulette.
A couple of singles followed, but her debut
album is a long time coming. It saw her head
into Portside Sound in Muscle Shoals,
Alabama, to record with producer Ben
Tanner (Alabama Shakes) before finishing
the recording in Austin. Evan Nicholson on
bass and Clellan Hyatt on drums rounds out
her lineup, the power trio format affording
her guitar plenty of space to fill, which she
does courtesy of a cornucopia of gain
pedals and an Epiphone Sheraton, and 45
one of the most effervescent rhythm
tones around today.

eyes right
“If I want to do a longer solo
I’ll just turn round and give
him one of these [raises
eyebrow],” Emily says
46
“IN THE LIVE SHOW I LIKE TO that’s something I love, too. I’ve
got an outline of what I want the
EXTEND GUITAR SOLOS… IT’S

show to be and then having solos
made up on the stop, and if they
are really cool then that is the best
MOSTLY ABOUT JAMMING” feeling. It’s like, ‘Oh my god! I

landed this!’ It’s not planning a
lot. That’s what I like about the
It sounds like you make room in with it. If I get there, that’s like the of fun to play with those guys Grateful Dead and a lot of 70s
your arrangements for improv. Do best feeling, and then if I miss a because we are very keyed into each prog-rock bands. They just go off
your songs change much when note it’s like losing a level in a other and listen to each other.” the rails a lot in their live shows.
you play them live? videogame. I come back. I can Thin Lizzy has got the hits,
“They do. In the live show I like to make something else up. So much of playing in a band y’know, but then they’ll do
extend guitar solos. The live show Something else that sounds kinda is about body language whatever they want live.”
is mostly about jamming. There weird. So that is an adrenaline and listening…
are some songs that will stay true rush for sure. But the rock ’n’ roll “Yeah it’s body language and The process for recording your
to the arrangement from the experience to me is just making eye contact; that is the thing. It’s album sounded similar. You had a
record but a lot of them it’s, stuff up on the spot and seeing the key to keeping my live show plan, worked on it, then played
y’know, just playing guitar solos – how cool you can make it.” where I want it to be. The guys just around with it…
it’s great fun. I love pop know what a certain level of eye “Yeah we did a lot of pre-
arrangements so much, and I Exactly! Embrace mistakes and contact looks like and what it production. I did a whole bunch of
like for my songs to be arranged happy accidents alike. Do you means. If I’m like that [cocks studying about what mics I wanted
that way, then live they are there have a visual shorthand with head]… A lot of times I’ll go in to use and the acoustics of
to do whatever I want with on the band? and I’ll accidentally ‘mess up’ different rooms, and the sound of
the guitar.” “We’ve been playing together for and then I’ll look over at my different woods in rooms, ’cos like
about four years and my drummer drummer and he’ll give me a look I guess you would call it
What is the essence of the and I give each other a look. If I and we’ll get back on the same environmental acoustics but the
authentic rock ’n’ roll experience? want to do a longer solo I’ll just page and that’s fun too. That’s fun studio that I recorded in – there
Does it lie in that freedom to turn round and give him one of in itself, just figuring out what the were a couple of them – there were
break the structure of the song in these [raises eyebrow] and then other person is thinking.” wood ceilings, and in the taller
Photo: Gary Miller / Getty
the moment? my bass player and I are so ceilings I felt the drums should go
“Yeah, I think that is what’s musically locked in together that It’s fun for the audience. No one there. I just played with my
exciting about playing live for me. I we just know where the other is wants house-trained rock ’n’ roll surroundings and made a couple of
don’t know where I am going to go going to go inherently, so it is a lot “I hope so. Oh, yeah. I think my own mics.”

EBETTER WOLFE
MILYVOCALS
UNTAMED
MELODIES
Some players get freaked
out by semi-hollow
feedback but for Emily
Wolfe it’s part of the appeal
F
or a player who daisy-chains overdrive
pedals and operates at high volume, Emily
Wolfe’s weapon of choice is a little
unconventional. She plays an Epiphone
Sheraton, and the thing with semi-hollows is that
high gain and loud stages can make them squeal. Is
that a problem? No, Wolfe explains.
“A lot of it has to do with that I love BB King so
much,” she says. “He played semi-hollows. But
something I love about playing with these is that the
feedback gets kinda crazy onstage. I can use that
to my advantage to fill up a soundscape. With the
power trio, there’s a lot of empty space.”
Wolfe runs the controls on her guitar wide open
but is always tweaking the volume to harness the
feedback. Tonight she’ll play an ES-335 but that’s
cool. It’s a similar deal.
“I didn’t bring my guitar overseas because I’ve
never been over here before and I didn’t know how 47
the airlines would treat it,” she says. “It’s so
important to me that I couldn’t take it out with me.
But this is a [Gibson] ES-335, though, which I love. I
love 335s, all models of them, and this is the 2018
Memphis ES-335.”

EBETTER WOLFE
MILYVOCALS
gain pedals, figuring out the
on the write track perfect blend between two or
Emily’s songwriting heroes
three of them – it’s like cooking!
include Motown, Smokey
Robinson and contemporary Y’know? If you have too much
pop producers like Max Martin of this gain it’s like having too
much oregano. I used to be a
huge fuzz fan, and I love the
sound of fuzz, but at this point I
prefer to just stack a bunch of
overdrive pedals.”
How did you go about finding your

rhythm tone?
“I was looking for the way the
strings felt, the vibrations in my
hand. I wanted it to feel really good
to play, and I wanted it to be really
responsive, and so it took a year to
find the perfect response from my
overdrive, and it ended up being
the Fulltone OCD, which is my
favourite ever drive. That’s the
main pedal that I use. Everything
on my pedalboard is affecting that
pedal. I am either pushing gain
into it or EQing it after. The signal
chain is a Fulltone 2B boost, so I’ll
have the gain all the way up and
that gain is pushing into the OCD
48 pedal, and then I’ll have a Klon
KTR to add clarity to it – because
the pickups in my guitar are a bit
dull, but with the clarity on the
Klon I’ll bring that up and then I’ll
EQ it. I’ll take down the lows a
little bit and I’ll boost the mids so
it feels good to play, and you can
hear it in a band context.”
It must sound really aggressive

on its own? Do you dial it
You made your own mics? studying a certain mic or figuring back when you are writing
“Yeah, it’s actually not that out which guitar pickup would go or practising?
difficult if you know how to solder. the best with what effects pedal “It does, yeah. But I kind of just
You take a speaker out of whatever and amp.” trained my ear to enjoy that honky
you want, and then you take an midrange, ’cos this is what I
XLR cable and strip the wires, and You’re a massive fan of need to sound like live, so I
then you just solder the ends to effects pedals. Have you might as well achieve that in
the speaker and instead of pushing tried making one? my ear and make sure that it
messages out, it receives “I have tried to make my sounds that way live.”
messages. It’s really good. I had a own. I’m not [there yet]. I
really horrible speaker out of this hope so. I want to learn really What about amps?
record player, and I took that out bad how to make my own “Honestly, I get my tones from
and I made a mic out of that. And because I know what I would my pedals. But on the record I
then I had a really bad amplifier make. But I don’t know how to do used a bunch of different amps. I
that I took the speaker out and that yet. I’m not sure what used an AC30 and a bunch of
made a mic of that – and it ended resistors and transistors and different Fender practice amps. I
BB’s Influence
up sounding like a [Yamaha] capacitors look like and totally play a 4x10 Fender Concert Reverb.
Photo: Steve Jennings/WireImage
Blues legend BB King

SubKick or something like that. I what they do yet. But I am inspires Emily to That is my main amp. I love it
just got really deep into making super-interested.” play Gibson’s because it’s open-backed,
sure I had the tones that were semi-hollow guitars 50-watts, and moves a lot of
in my head no matter what it Tell us about overdrive and gain air. And then a DeVille, a
took, even if it took a week of “Oh yeah! Love it! I love stacking Fender DeVille.”

“IT’S LIKE COOKING!
Y’KNOW? IF YOU
HAVE TOO MUCH
GAIN IT’S LIKE TOO
MUCH OREGANO”
kickin’ it
As an ex-drummer,
Emily says the way she
plays guitar is about
the kick and snare
49
Do you run them clean and just let you considered using the lyrics make sense if you read You played drums before the
the pedals handle the dirt? in-ear monitors? them. They’re hooky. I just love guitar. That must give you such
“Yeah. I like that. Y’know, I wish I “Oh, man! I want to. I want to, the pop sensibility of his writing. an advantage…
could be old-school and have the yeah, just to protect my hearing. And then Motown, too, the hook is “I did, yeah. I think it does. A lot of
amp do the work but I just love But I do love the monitor thing, so quick at the top of the song. I the way I play has got to do with
pedals too much.” though, coming back at me. And it guess I love trying to combine that the kick and snare. Like if the kick
does help with the feedback.” with guitar heroes, because I love and the snare is [plays a riff on an
You use volume like an both those things so much.” open E] like ka-boom boom ka! It
extra effect… Who are your guitar heroes? makes it easier to want to explain
“Volume, yeah! It’s crazy. One of “Guitar heroes? Definitely Stevie What’s your writing process like? drum parts to my drummer,
the reasons I love playing with Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Page, Jack “Sometimes I’ll think of a really because of the drum language.
pedals is because I can control the White, BB King, Albert King, cool word, or like a cool phrase, If you are like ‘ka-boom boom ka,
volume, and nowadays sound Barney Kessel – who was a jazz and then try and write around ka-boom-boom ka’ they
people always want the stage player from way back when – and that, but mostly it’s something understand it! I know where a
volume low, so with my Klon I Bonnie Raitt. Let’s see… It’s that will just pop inside my head, cue is going to go, too, because I
can use it as a master volume. I’ll interesting, because guitar heroes like a phrase or a riff, and then I’ll would go there, so I feel like I
have the same tone but if they are are far removed from my have to sit down and flesh that speak that language. It’s been
like, ‘Can you turn it down?’ I’ll songwriting heroes. My out. A lot of times the chorus is really helpful for sure.”
just turn it down a little bit and songwriting heroes are Motown, written first and then I’ll go back
it’ll bring it down but with the Smokey Robinson, and the pop to the verse and then I’ll think, Lastly, but all importantly: can
same tone.” producers of today. Max Martin ‘How do I get to that chorus? How you tell us what pick gauge
[Britney Spears, The Backstreet will I come out of that chorus? you use?
You’ve got to keep the Boys], I think he is a genius when How will I make the chorus pop at “Which what!? Ah, 0.88mm, Jim
sound engineer happy. Have it comes to writing songs, because the end?’ That’s pretty much it.” Dunlop Jazz III Tortex. Yeah!”

WORDS GUITARS AND BACKING
ON CHRIS BIRD, JON BISHOP, STUART WILLIAMS JON BISHOP
YOUR DISC
Find audio tracks
for every example
on your Guitar
Skills CD
The Hot List Get inspired to play better with TG’s round-up
of all things guitar-related in 2019
2019
50
has been an amazing year for all things
guitar-related. We’ve seen countless
amazing albums including long-awaited
comebacks from Tool and Rammstein,
legendary instruments being sold at
auction for record figures, a raft of new players breaking through, and loads of
new and innovative gear to get creative with. With all that in mind, we designed
this month’s retrospective to both inspire and inform. Get a handle on the sounds
and styles of 2019 with our tab lessons. Play along with three of our favourite riffs
of the year, complete with slowed down video play throughs. And, finally,take a
look at TG’s gear of the year - our round-up the of the finest new equipment on
sale now. Plug in, switch on and let’s get started!

COVER FEATURE
01 FERAL TONES ON RIVAL

SONS’ NEW ALBUM
W
e loved the scuzzy Super Chief and master-built following Scott’s two-pronged time. To do this you’ll either need
roots-rock fuzz tones Gretsch Blue Penguin guitars approach if you can. Dial in a fuzz to play with a second guitarist or
on January’s Feral through a 50-watt Supro distortion on one channel and use use a multi-fx such as Line 6’s HX
Roots. Scott Holiday Statesman. For tonal a fairly clean sound on a second Effects to split your signal into two
used Doug Kauer experimentation it’s worth channel – crucially, at the same paths then feed it back to your amp.
RIVAL SONS RIFFING TRACK 14
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

q =130
4 j ‰ j œj ‰ œ œj ‰ j ‰ j œj ‰ œ œ œœ
Play 4 times
. ..
Am
&4 . j ‰ œ ‰ œ œ j ‰ œ ‰ œ œ
1/4
œ œ œ œ œ œ
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
. .
1/4
T
. .
5
A 7 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 7
5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5
We’re looking at Holiday’s riffing style here, a typically retro approach in the vein of Scott’s own heroes, Led Zeppelin, Free and The Who with a slightly funkier slant. You’ll hear
our primarily pentatonic approach on 2019 Rival Sons tracks such as Do Your Worst and Sugar On The Bone.
02 TEDESCHI vital signs

Check out Derek Trucks’
51
TRUCKS PROVE
bottleneck solos on the
band’s soulful Signs album
OLD-SCHOOL
IS STILL COOL
A
nd we mean it when we current crop of slide guitarists and
say old-school. The 11 Signs sees him on fine form,
tracks of soulful Southern delivering stratospheric solos, both
rock on 2019’s Signs were with and without bottleneck
recorded on analogue alongside Tedeschi. We’re looking
tape via a suitably veteran Neve at some of his trademark slide
desk. Of course, Derek heads the style here.
DEREK TRUCKS STYLE SLIDE TRACK 15
#4 . œ ~~~~ ~~~~ n œ~~~Œ œ~~~ œ nœ œ ~~~ Play 4 times

œ œ œ œj ‰ ..
G7
& 4 . ‰ œ b œ œ Œ œ bœ œ nœ bœ œ œ nœ Œ Œ œ œ
4
œ œ
4
œ œ
4
w/slide
~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
T
E
G#
. 15 15 15 13 15
.
. .
B 12 11 15 14 15 14 14 15 18 10 12 12 10 10 12 12 10 8
A E
11 15 15
B B
Photo: Mark Horton/Getty Images
Get Trucks’ signature phrasing down by tuning to open E (E B E G# B E) and placing your slide on your third finger. One of Derek’s tricks is to press down on the string with the
slide – effectively fretting like normal, but with his slide. It sounds cool – just don’t overdo it.

COVER FEATURE
03 DREAM THEATER’S
14TH ALBUM
W
ith 2016’s The Distance Over Time sets the record your own playing? Time to get to
Astonishing having straight with a more cohesive grips with time signature changes.
split the DT faithful offering reaffirming the band’s Here we’re looking at shifting
with marmite-like status as kings of prog-metal. between 4/4 (the easiest time
appeal, this year’s Want to get a bit of the DT dream in signature) and 7/8 (not so easy!).
PROGGY TIME CHANGES TRACK 16
q =160
# 7 44 78 œ œ n œ œ œ 44 œ
Bm Dm
& # 8 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ ..
Play 4 times
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T . .
A
B
. 2 0
4 0
5 4 2 2 0
4 0
5 4 2 0 5 0
7 0
8 7 5 5 0
7 0
8 7 5 0
.
Time signature changes are part and parcel of Dream Theater’s prog offering. We’re switching between 7/8 and 4/4 here so count at double speed to keep time: say ‘1 & 2 & 3 &
4 &’ in 4/4 and ‘1 & 2 & 3 & 4’ in 7/8. If you only count on the numbers, you might lose track in the 7/4 sections.
52
behold paul gilbert
Gilbert’s new album takes 04 PAUL GILBERT’S
JAZZ-TINGED
in epic ballads, rock and
even jazz fusion
SHRED PLAYING
I
t’s shred but not as releases a new album and his
we know it! Paul’s maturity and classy phrasing
2019 release, Behold are becoming more and more
Electric Guitar, takes in evident year on year. A
epic ballads, ballsy perfect opportunity to look at
rock and even jazz fusion, all his technique, then! Take a
delivered with Gilbert’s deft, look below where our
quirky style, naturally. It’s example focuses on that
always big news when PG tricky skill of string skipping.
STRING SKIPPED PHRASING TRACK 17
q = 102
œ
Dm11
œ œ œ œ œœ √ Dm13
œ œ
œ œ. œ œ œ~~~~
. œ œ œ~~~~
Play 4 times
œ œ œ
j
œ œ ⇥ ‰ œj œ œ œj œ œ
j j œ j
4 J œœ⇥‰ ‰ J œœ⇥ . J ..
œ œ j
..
j
‰
œ
&4 R R œœ œ œ œœ
Photo: Xavi Torrent/Redferns Gonzales Photo/PYMCA/Getty
~~~~ 12 15 ~~~~
T
7 8
. 5 7 8 5 8 10 7 10 12 8 12 13 10 13 15 12 15 17 13 17 7 8
.
. .
15 13
A 7 5 7 5 9 7 10 9 12 10 14 12
Here we’re looking at one of the shred icon’s most-used technical approaches – string skipping. The idea is that each short phrase is arranged over two strings – but with the
challenge of skipping over an idle string in between the ones you’re playing on. Slow practice is the name of the game here.

05 THE BLACK KEYS’
ROCK ’N’ ROLL RETURN
I
n July, Dan Auerbach told they achieved their goal, producing
TG, “There’s not a single a reckless, crunching album, full of
keyboard on the record… unhinged leads, strange textures
We wanted to make a rock and rattling, heavy riffs. The 2019
’n’ roll record”. We’d say sound? Look no further, we’d say.
SHUFFLE FEEL BLUES-ROCK TRACK 18
j 3
q =130 q q =q q
Bb5
#4
N.C. D5 N.C. C5 N.C. N.C.
& 4 .. ..
Play 4 times
œœ œ
3 3 3 3 3 3
bnœ
œ œ
œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T . .
A
B
. 7
5
5
3
3
1
.
0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 5 0 0 3 0 0
Our riff outlines a simple shuffle feel blues riff on the sixth string – open string to 3rd fret is a typical blues-rock move. You could even add a subtle bend on the 3rd fret G if you
like. The powerchords are a useful way to help fill out the sound.
end of their reign

In 2019 legendary 06 SLAYER’S 53
FAREWELL
metal band Slayer
embarked on their
final world tour
TOUR
A
fter nearly 40 years of of all time. If you want to play even
heavy riffing, 2019 marks just a small amount of metal, be
the year the fearsome sure to take a listen to Kerry King
foursome embarked on and co. Our tab example will help
their final world tour. As you get a feel for their palm-muted
one of the ‘Big Four’ thrash acts thrash riffs on albums like Reign In
alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Blood. Slayer often top 170 bpm
Anthrax, Slayer have been one of with this kind of riff, so practise
the most influential metal bands slowly to develop your skills.
16TH NOTE THRASH RIFF TRACK 19
b
& b b b b b 44 ..
q =140
.
œ nœ œ nœ .
Play 4 times
œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ
Eb
. .
PM PM
T Bb
A
B
Gb
Db
Ab
. . 2 3
Eb
Photo: Scott Dudelson/ Mark Horto Getty
1 2 3
⇥≤⇥≤⇥⇥≤⇥≤⇥≤⇥≤⇥ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ≤ ⇥ ⇥≤⇥≤⇥⇥≤⇥≤⇥≤⇥⇥≤ ⇥≤⇥≤⇥⇥≤ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥ ⇥

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Aim for precise timing here – the fast 16th notes need steady picking. We’ve shown picking directions below the tab to help you. The idea is to keep your down-up picking
motion going constantly. This helps you stay in a groove and manage gaps in the music while staying in time.

COVER FEATURE
07 THE CURE’S INCREDIBLE

GLASTONBURY SET
4
0 years after their debut most bands would be, frankly, legendary sets. The Cure are
album dropped, indie knackered after four decades of perhaps not an easy band to mimic,
goths The Cure are still graft. Their incredible Glastonbury but a clean tone with a liberal dose
making music and appearance saw Robert Smith and of chorus is a good starting point
sounding fresh, where co delivering one of the festival’s for sonic experimentation.
CLEAN CHORUS ARPEGGIOS TRACK 20

q =180
#4 j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ.
œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ
G Am Bm C
& 4 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
Play 4 times
J J J
let ring throughout
T . .
. .
3 5 7 8
A 5
4
5 7
5
7
5
9
7
9
7
10
9
10
9
B
1
This is a deceptively tricky Cure style line requiring quick tidy chord changes. The notes should all ring out over each other, you see; change too early and you’ll end up with a gap
in your sound. Practise the four chords to get a feel for the changes before trying out the arpeggios.
54
08 TWO DOOR
CINEMA CLUB’S
INDIE-POP
TRIUMPH
T
wo Door Cinema Club Sam Halliday and frontman Alex
released their stellar fourth Trimble can play.
indie-pop album False From the slick tapping grooves
Alarm this year. The guitars in Satellite, the funky delay lines in
are often laid-back in the Talk and the driving rhythms
mix and highly produced, but throughout, it’s an accomplished
make no mistake – lead guitarist album. We love it!
EASY CHORDS AND UPBEAT RHYTHMS TRACK 21
q =140
œ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ Play

œœ 4 times.
& 44 .. œœ
Am C F C F C F
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .
. .
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Gus Stewart /Getty
T
. .
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 5 6 6 6 6
A 5
7
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5 5
5 5
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
5
5
7
5
5
5
7
5
7
5
7
5
7
B
Here we’re looking at some of the rhythm work both Trimble and Halliday deliver throughout TDCC’s music. Full barre chords would fill out the sound. By contrast, these
three-note shapes sound funky, so they’ll cut nicely through a mix. Take these chords further by experimenting with notes on the first string.

09 SLIPKNOT’S ACCLAIMED
SIXTH ALBUM
M
etal fans rejoiced Not Your Kind received critical drop B tuning (B F# B E G# C#) –
when the new acclaim and marks 20 years since that means the bass string is
Slipknot album the band’s debut. If you want to tuned down five semitones to B
dropped. Four years ape Jim and Mick’s style we and all other strings are three
in the making We Are recommend tuning your guitar to semitones down.
DROP B RIFF TRACK 22
# 4
q =130
& # 4 .. n œ
..
Play 4 times
œ — œ
œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ
#
. .
PH
G#
C
E
B#
F
. .
B 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 6 3 1
Our Slipknot style riff is all about the flourishes at the end of bars 2 and 4. Bar 2 features a pinched harmonic on the 3rd fret D note. The idea is to touch the string with your
thumb as you pick down. It’s tricky so experiment to find the sweet spot for the harmonic. Finally the end of bar 4 features a change to the riff to mix things up a bit.
tool up
Tool’s long-awaited 10 TOOL’S 55
TRIUMPHANT
fifth studio album, Fear
Inoculum, finally
dropped in August
RETURN
N
ot even a 13 year wait for minutes, it’s fair to describe this as
new material can test the a concept album, but standard fare
faith of Tool’s devoted for Tool. Typically of Tool’s
fans. Yes, August finally progressive style you can expect
saw the return of the warped, textural tones and plenty of
alt-metal legends with their odd time riffing. We’re looking at
acclaimed Fear Inoculum album – the band’s odd time riffing here.
and fans lapped it up. With most Watch out for the chords on the
‘songs’ clocking in at over 10 offbeat too.
ODD TIME RIFFING TRACK 23
q =114
E5 Bb5 G5 A5 G5 E5 Bb5 G5 C5
# j j j j
& 74 .. œ . bn œœ œœ œœ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œœ œœ bn œœ œœ œœ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œœ œœ œœ ..
1/4 Play 4 times
œ. bœ œ œ œ œ œœ .. bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ
. .
Photo: Ollie Millington/ Steven Ferdman /Getty
T
A
B
. 22 3
3
1
3
3
1
3
3
1
5
5
5
5
2
2
0
2
2
0
1/4
2
2
3
3
1
3
3
1
3
3
1
5
5
5
5
5
5
3
5
5
3
5
5
3
.
0 3 3 3 0 3 3
In typical Tool style we’re looking at odd time here with a riff in 7/4. With seven beats in every bar and several chords played on the offbeat you’d think this would be tough to
play – but there’s a natural sounding feel that’s easy to pick up on. Try to count to seven in time with the music to develop your feel for this time signature.

COVER FEATURE
gale force
11 ERIC GALES
Gales hit new heights in
2019 with Bonamassa
calling him “the best
guitarist in blues-rock”
COMES OF
AGE IN 2019
E
ric Gales has been a red hot even Joe Bonamassa proclaimed
blues-rocker for years. He’s Gales to be “the best guitarist in
even graced these very pages blues-rock”. High praise indeed,
with a specially recorded and Eric’s 2019 album, The Bookends,
video guest lesson for Total sees him in full flight. We’re taking a
Guitar back in 2014. This year, we feel look at his funk-rock lead guitar
his playing has hit new heights – style here.
GALES STYLE FUNK-ROCK LEAD TRACK 24
œ nœ. œ œ n œ œ~~~~~~
q =120
œ nœ œ . ˙
j j
##4
A9 œ œ
#œ ⇥ nœ nœ œ œ œ ‰ J
& # 4 .. ∑ nœ Ó Œ ..
Play 4 times
~~~~~~
. .
BU BU
14 10 (12) 10 (12 ) 8
T
. .
13 10 [10 ]
A 14 12
14 13 12 10 10
B 12 12 10
Playing tightly in the pocket is Eric’s thing so here we’re looking at the funkier side of his playing. Bars 1 and 3 feature strummed chords in the backing music – you’ll be
56 delivering fiery lead licks in between. We’re mainly using the A blues scale here, but up in 10th and 12th position it can be hard to tell. Make sure to practise slowly.
12 WEEZER COME OVER

ALL VAN HALEN
E
arly in the year about to take a new direction morphs into a verse which is
Weezer released their and pay homage to rock ’n’ pure Weezer alt-rock fare.
Black Album, but little roll pioneers Van Halen with You’ll have to wait to hear
did we know then The End Of The Game. more though – the Van
that come September A full-on EVH style tapped Weezer album doesn’t drop
Rivers Cuomo and co were intro and pedal tone riff until May.
EVH STYLE RIFF TRACK 25

q =150
‚ ‚
A E/A G D A E/A G D
## œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œ ‚ œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œ
& # 44 .. œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œœ ‰ J œ œ œ œ
œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ ..
Play 4 times
œ œ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ J
NH
. .
PM PM PM PM PM PM
Photo: Debra L Rothenberg / Mauricio Santana /Getty
T
. .
10 9 9 8 8 7 7 10 9 9 8 8 7
A 9
11
9
9
9
9
7
9
7
9
7
7 7
7 9
11
9
9
9
9
7
9
7
9
7
7 7 9 7
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
This is the kind of rhythm riff that Van Halen are famous for and Weezer used in The End Of The Game. So what’s the all-important EVH bit? We’d say you need to learn the
three-note chord shapes played over the open fifth string. The harmonics in bar 2 get you into authentic EVH/Van Weezer territory too.

stratospheric
Dave Gilmour auctioned off 120
of his most famous guitars, THE HOT LIST
including his iconic Black Strat
TONE FREE!
13Rob Scallon’s pedalboard record
Jaws dropped when the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest
Guitar Effect Pedalboard was set by US music retail giant Sweetwater and
THREE OF 2019’S HOTTEST GUITAR TONES
YouTube guitarist Rob Scallon back in August. The stats give you an idea of the
scale of their endeavours… A 70-foot board comprising 319 different effect
pedals on 34 separate boards hooked up with 500 feet of cabling was set up to
1 Aristocratic wah sounds from
the Govan-er of guitar
Guitarist Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats)
run into the logical conclusion – a massive wall of Marshall stacks. As for Scallon, Song D-Grade Fuck Movie Jam
he had 1,248 knobs to dial in the tone he wanted! Album You Know What…?
Without doubt one of the world’s most visionary guitarists,
14 Gilmour’s Guitar Sale

Another world record would be set in June, this time courtesy of David
Gilmour who auctioned off 120 of his most famous guitars. The star of the
Guthrie Govan’s playing is near impossible to pigeonhole, taking
in elements of rock, jazz, fusion and myriad other styles too.
Turns out he’s quite the tone hound too, and the filthy, distorted
show? His iconic Black Strat, which was the record setter, fetching an wah tones on the opening track to this year’s Aristocrats album
astonishing $3,975,000. The legendary instrument, as heard on Pink Floyd’s could well be an ode to Jimi Hendrix – one of Guthrie’s
Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here, was heavily modded and acknowledged heroes. Our pals at musicradar.com spoke to
restored over the years. Guthrie in June, and, though we didn’t get specifics for this song,
we know he’s been rocking his signature GG Charvel guitar, a
15 Shredding With The Alien

As of this year, hardcore fans can shred along with Satch’s own backing
tracks. Well, provided you’ve managed to get hold of one of the limited edition
Victory V30 MKII head and 2x12 cab equipped with Celestion
V30s. An Xotiq wah is the icing on Guthrie’s sonic cake.
57
reissues of the shred legend’s 1987 debut, Surfing With The Alien, you can.
Featuring a remaster of the album and a second disc of guitar-less backing
tracks, the double LP is limited to a run of just 3,500 copies. We’re hoping for a
2 Rocking
Two Rock
a
Guitarist Joey Landreth

second run! Song Where Did I Go Wrong
Album Hindsight
16 New Hendrix footage

Billed as “one of the greatest and most anticipated, unseen treasures
in musical history”, a 50-year-old movie capturing Jimi Hendrix on the last
Joey Landreth’s 2019 Hindsight offers up a bevy of guitar sounds
that will please even the most discerning tonal connoisseur. Back
in July, Joey told TG about the guitar he uses to play one of our
European performance of the original Experience lineup was shown at the Royal favourite tracks, Where Did I Go Wrong. Built by Canadian luthier
Albert Hall in October. The lost film captured incendiary performances of songs Alex Sorotkin, Joey’s custom-built ‘Goldie Han Solo’ Wraptail is
like Little Wing, Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Fire, Foxey Lady and Stone Free, as designed to be what he calls “a poor man’s ’54 [Les Paul]”.
well as including backstage goings-on. Will it ever be released commercially Stringing up with frankly finger-shredding .019 gauge strings
though? That’s what we want to know! (yes, nineteens!) and tuning to open C (CGCEGC), it’s pretty
tough to emulate Joey’s tone, and played through Joey’s Two
17 Les
Duane Allman’s Layla
Paul sells for $1.25m
Rock Bloomfield Drive amp it’s a match made in tonal heaven.
Allman died in a motorcycle crash in 1971 aged 24, leaving behind a considerable
musical legacy for a man of such tender years. This year saw a number of the
great man’s guitars being sold, including a 1961/1962 Gibson SG and his iconic
3 Smoking hot cigar
box tones
Guitarist Samantha Fish
’57 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. This was his go-to guitar in the early Allman Song Bulletproof
Brothers period and, perhaps most famously, during the Layla recording Album Kill Or Be Kind
sessions with Eric Clapton. Lo-fi roots-rock at its best from the Kansas City rocker here on
2019’s Kill Or Be Kind. And the sultry slide guitar tones on album
18 Sheeran plays Lowd!

At this year’s NAMM show in January the best known guitarist in the
opener, Bulletproof? Well, that comes courtesy of Samantha’s
four-string electric cigar box guitar equipped with a pickup from
Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty
world bar none announced he was partnering with renowned acoustic guitar a Fender Precision bass and tuned to GDGD. It’d be tricky but you
manufacturer Lowden to produce a line of affordable acoustic guitars. Based on could potentially tune your guitar’s top- or middle-four strings
Lowden’s ‘W’ and ‘S’ models, the guitars feature sustainably-sourced down to get the same notes. And, playing through a Category 5
tonewoods, including cedar, walnut, ‘Santos rosewood’ (aka pau ferro) and sitka Camille amp with a JHS Mini Foot Fuzz, it’s a tough tone to
spruce, one-piece mahogany necks and ebony ’boards and bridges. Great recreate. A small blues box like a Fender Champ with a fuzz style
guitars at budget prices. What’s not to like? pedal should get you close though.

COVER FEATURE
THE BEST OF THE REST…
SEE THE
TG’S BEST RIFFS

VIDEOS AT
bit.ly/tg326video
OF THE YEAR
RIFF ON! WRAP YOUR FINGERS AROUND THREE OF
OUR FAVOURITE RIFFS OF 2019
22 Rammstein – Deutschland
Appears at 0:39-1:02
25 Weezer – The End Of The Game
Rivers takes inspiration from the great Eddie Van Halen here. Tap, pull
off, hammer on. Rinse and repeat. Just make sure to keep those idle strings as
Tempo 120bpm dead as you can make ’em!
Key D minor
Main techniques: Alternate picking / drop C tuning (CGCFAD)
Tool weren’t the only band making long-awaited returns this
year. Ten years have passed since Rammstein’s Liebe ist für alle
da and this year’s untitled album’s lead single Deutschland
features one of our favourite riffs. Guitarist Richard Kruspe’s
impressive alternate picked 16th note line is pretty tough to
58 play. It’s not just the picking that poses a challenge – practise
slowly to synchronise both hands together. We recorded a slow
play through of the riff back in our September issue.
23 Slipknot – Unsainted
Tempo 204 bpm
Key E Phrygian / E Phrygian dominant
Main techniques: Powerchords / drop B tuning (B F# B E G# C#)
Another of our favourite albums in 2019 was Slipknot’s We Are
Not Your Kind, and we looked at the first single in our October
issue. Slowed down, the riff is really simple – it’s formed of just a
26 Alter Bridge – Wouldn’t You Rather
Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy’s pre-verse riff just oozes cool.
Harmonically dark and syncopated too, but without veering into proggy odd time.
handful of easy one-finger powerchord shapes in drop B tuning. Alt metal at its best, we’d say!
The challenge comes when you play at full tempo, where the
rhythms created between the powerchords and palm-muted
notes become all that much harder. Like we always say, slow
practice will see you right, so take a look at the slow play
through in our video and only increase your speed gradually.
24 The Black Keys – Lo/Hi

Tempo 122bpm
Key A minor pentatonic
Main techniques: Single-note playing/pentatonics
June’s Let’s Rock marked a return to unashamedly reckless,
Photo: Xavi Torrent/ Chiaki Nozu / Timothy Norris /Getty
crunching rock ’n’ roll for the Akron, Ohio duo, but the riff from
the album’s lead single Lo/Hi is a low key bluesy line. It’s still a
great riff though, weaving around the A minor pentatonic scale
on the bass strings with a compressed, fuzz-laden tone coaxed
from guitarist Dan Auerbach’s Ibanez Custom SG. There are
two phrases to master and two shapes of the minor pentatonic
.
scale to get to grips with too. Take a look at our slowed down
video play through from TG’s August issue and play along.
27 Sam Fender – The Borders
You might see this as more of a chord progression than a riff, but Sam’s
quickly executed arpeggios essentially form a partly repeating phrase. And we just
. love those Jazzmaster cleans. Check out our lesson this month on p18.
.
Gear Of The Year
Our pick of the best products 2019 had to offer
T
59
G prides itself on bringing you the best to see, and nothing excites us more than when over the last 13 issues to revisit the products that
new ‘real world’ gear throughout the it plays and sounds great within a sensible really caught our eye and achieved the highest
year. Whether it be a purist’s dream budget. Picking a single best product from the ranking scores in their category. So, check out
or a brand-new innovation, we love triple-figures we see each year is a difficult the guitars, amps and pedals that rocked 2019,
getting our hands on the gear you want decision, so to keep it fair, we’ve looked back and here’s to another great year of gear!
The contenders
Best Electric
CORT G290 FAT
VERSATILE QUALITY MADE AFFORDABLE
W
e see a lot of gear throughout the year across the board, with impeccable build quality,
here on TG, so it really does take playability and versatile features, making it the
something special to really get us perfect choice for any guitarist wanting to cover
raving. Cort’s G290 Fat does special in plenty of ground with one instrument. And FENDER GIBSON SG
spades, so much so that we had to invent a new what’s more, it’s done to a price point that puts it VINTERA 60S STANDARD
review award after playing it! This swamp ash/ in reach of many players. Put simply, this guitar is TELECASTER
maple-clad beauty maxed out our review criteria a steal that will land you in the right kind of Cort. BIGSBY
COVER FEATURE
The contenders
Best acoustic
YAMAHA STORIA
ACOUSTIC COMFORT FOR THE MASSES
Y
ou may have noticed a bit of a sea sharp visuals and an affordable price tag to
change from gear companies in recent match. Of course, tidy looks mean nothing if
years. While heritage and vintage it doesn’t inspire you to play, but with comfort
appointments have never been more from the agile, bevelled-edge body design and
popular, there is also a contemporary push rolled fingerboard, plus the pleasingly sparkly,
across the industry to make guitar-playing resonant tone courtesy of its solid mahogany EPIPHONE TAYLOR
more accessible and inclusive – and Yamaha top, we struggled to put this guitar down. EJ-200SCE GRAND
has helped lead the charge. The Storia line has And that’s exactly what Yamaha wants - PACIFIC
your front room squarely in its sights, with mission accomplished. 317E
60
The contenders
FENDER TONE
MASTER DELUXE
Best amp
LINE 6 SPIDER V 120 MK II
THIS SPIDER DEFINITELY HAS LEGS
A
fter the original Line 6 Spider V garnered Spider V MKII won the maximum review score
mixed opinions, we were glad to see the possible, excelling in every area thanks to a
modelling veterans push to move forward feature-packed spec that’s brimming with over
with a revised V Mk II. We got our hands 200 amp, cab and effects models, an on-board
on one in issue 323: our man on the amp ground looper/drum machine, USB connectivity and
Nick Guppy loved it, claiming it to be “one of the more – all delivered at an extremely affordable BLACKSTAR
best modelling amps” we’ve ever heard. The price point. HT-20R MK II
THE HOT LIST
The contenders
Best effects
ELECTRO- AMPTWEAKER
TIGHT METAL
HARMONIX JR
MONO SYNTH
OUR FRIENDS ELECTRIC
E
HX have been on a quest over the last
couple of years. As synths continue
to dominate popular music, their
thinking goes, why should us guitar
players be cut out of the fun?
Following a number of pedals featuring SINVERTEK
vintage keys and polyphonic synths, we FLUID TIME
think that the Mono Synth is the most MK II
useful of the range to date. Everything you
need to cover classic synth lead and bass
lines with your guitar is in here, from funky
envelope octave-down sounds to sparkly
80s long-tail tones. Get one of these EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO COVER CLASSIC
on-stage and you can send the keyboard
player off to the bar. SYNTH LEAD AND BASS LINES IS IN HERE
The contenders
61
KEMPER PROFILER STAGE
Best innovation
LINE 6 HELIX HX STOMP TONEWOOD AMP
TONAL DNA DONE RIGHT
A
s the valve vs modelling debate rages modelling as its bigger brothers. This do-it-all
on, it can be a moot point when decent
modelling technology still sets you
back more than a giggable valve amp.
little pedal can be your entire rig, your front end,
or your effects section for electric, acoustic or
bass – and it’s every bit as useful live as it is in
PLENTY OF TONE
Thankfully, Line 6 helped close that gap this
year by bringing us the Helix HX Stomp.
the studio.
Regardless of where you stand on the big
HOUNDS HAVE
We know plenty of seasoned tone hounds
who have ditched their traditional rigs in favour
question of valve vs digital, all players stand
to benefit from technology trickling down to DITCHED THEIR
of more portable setups such as the Helix, and
the HX Stomp contains the same amp/cab/FX
create more portable, simplified and accessible
products like the HX Stomp. TRADITIONAL RIGS
CL ASSIC
T R AC K
64
QUEEN
NOW I’M HERE
Learn this classic Brian May-
penned rocker from Queen’s 1974
Sheer Heart Attack album
CL ASSIC
T R AC K
F GET THE SOUND

eaturing on Queen’s 1974 Sheer
Heart Attack album, Now I’m Here
is about the band’s experiences
on their first tour of America.
The lyrics reveal references to Everything you need to know before playing ‘Now I’m Here’
the infamous ‘Dungeon’ club in
B
rian famously plays his own
New Orleans, and to Mott The Hoople, homemade Red Special guitar
who Queen were supporting. The song
remains a firm fan favourite and was
Get the tone CHANNEL OVERDRIVE which has three single-coil
pickups which can be used in a multitude
5 of combinations. Add to this the Vox
performed on every Queen show 7 7 AC30 amp and the Treble Booster pedal
from 1974 to 1986 and is currently the 8 to add gain and you have the core of
1
opening song on the Queen and Adam Brian’s sound. For straight-ahead rock
Lambert tour. songs like this Brian typically used
GAIN BASS MID TREBLE REVERB the middle and bridge pickups in an
The song has three main tonal centres; ‘in phase’ position.
the opening riff is in D, the main For our track we used a Brian May
signature riff is in E and the verses and Opt for a bridge Guitars Red Special through IK
solos are in the B Mixolydian mode. Brian humbucker for the Multimedia’s AmpliTube Brian May plugin.
whole song. It’s We selected the Now I’m Here preset
seamlessly links these key changes so and off we went, picking with an old
roughly equivalent to
they are almost unnoticeable. As the E Brian’s ‘in phase’ twin English sixpence for that Brian style
riff is the main hook of the song, there is single-coil approach. metallic pick attack.
no typical chorus section, so in our tab we If you play a Strat, a
lone bridge pickup will
refer to the ascending major chords as
get you closer to
the chorus. Read on as we break the track Brian’s tone than
down piece by piece. bridge and middle.
CHORDS SCALES
T T
here are a lot of chords here, but they fit together in logical he two solos are played 65
progressions, which means learning them in context isn’t such a over a B-E-A chord
challenge. The intro starts in D and has a descending sequence progression – the fifth,
(Csus2, G/B, Bb 6) – these chords all have an open G note in common.
X X O X X O X
first and fourth chords from
The chorus section has an ascending sequence of major chords, which the key of E major (the notes of
1 2
account for most of the chords here, but there are only two essential 1
E major are E F# G# A B C#
shapes which are barre chords rooted on the fifth and sixth strings. 3 3 D#). However, B is the root
Finally we have the verse which follows a rock ’n’ roll style riff on 5th chord, so Brian is using a
and 6th diads. ‘mode’ of the scale known as
D D5 the Mixolydian mode. This is
X X X X X X X X
the name given to the mode
X X X X O O O X X X
starting on the fifth note of the
1 1 1 1 1 1
5 11 7 7 9
major scale – so here it’s B
2
Mixolydian (B C# D# E F# G#
3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 1
A). Great for blues-rock but
with a sometimes overly
4 3 4
cheerful sound, a common
D D# E E6 F# G G5
trick is to darken the
X X O X X X X X X X X X X O X X O X X O O X X Mixolydian mode by using the
1 1 1 1 minor pentatonic scale. During
11 5 5
2 2 1 2 3 1 2 both solos you can hear Brian
3 3 3 3 4 3 4 3
having fun with the interplay
between the minor and major
Guitars and backing: Charlie Griffiths Photo Rob Verhorst/Getty
3rd intervals of both scales.

G/B G# A5 A A Asus4 Bb6
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X O X X X X 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
6 7
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1
7 7 7 9
2 1 1 2 3 3 3 3
3 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3
4
4 4
B Mixolydian B minor
B5 B B Bsus4 B6 C5 C# mode pentatonic scale

CL ASSIC
T R AC K
QUEEN
NOW I’M HERE
Words and Music by Brian May
Copyright © 1974 Queen Music Ltd. Copyright Renewed
FULL All Rights Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC,
NOW I’M HERE TAB 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission of Hal Leonard Europe Limited
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Intro
q =134
D5 A D5 D D5
# 4 œœœ œœ
& # 4 .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ .. œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
Play 4 times
œ
PM PM PM PM
T . . 0 2
. .
2 3
A 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2 2
0
2 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
B
1
Bb6
##
Csus 2 G/B
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
n œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
66
T
A ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
4
Csus 2 D5 A D5 D
# œœœ œœ
& # œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ .. œ
œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ .. .. œ
œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ
bœ œ œ œ œ nœ œ
PM PM PM PM
T . . . 0 2
. . .
2 3
A 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2 2
0
2
B 1 1 1 1 1 3 3
7
1. 2.
##
D5 Csus 2 G/B Csus 2 D5 G/B A
& œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœœ
n œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ n œ¿ œ¿ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
PM PM
.
¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0
T
.
2
A 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0
10
Use palm-muted downstrokes to play these D5 powerchords, lifting your palm for the accented A and D chords in bar 5. As you play the descending Csus2 and G/B chords
use the underside of your fretting finger to mute the idle fourth string, so you can continue to play downstrokes across all three strings.

QUEEN / NOW I’M HERE
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Bridge 1
A Asus 4 A Asus 4 B
# 4 œœ ˙˙ .. œœ œœ ˙˙ œœœ # œœ
& # 4 ˙˙˙ ... œœ
œ œœ ˙˙ .. œ
œœ
œœ
˙˙ ..
˙˙ ..
œœ
œ œœ ˙˙ œœ œ
˙. œ œ œ œ
0:35
let ring
0
T ( 2) 3 2 3 5 4
A
( 2) 2 2 2 4 4
( 2) 2 2 2 2 4
B ( 0) 0 0 0 0 2
1
Bsus 4 B Bsus 4
# œ œ ˙˙ œœ # œœ œœ # œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
& # œœ œ œ œ œ œœ ˙˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
let ring let ring let ring
T 5 4 4 5 5 5 5 5
A 4 4 4
4
4 4 4
4
4
4
4 4 4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
B 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0
5
This section is loud so don’t be afraid to hit the strings with confidence. There’s a ‘pushed’ feel, which means the chord changes happen one eighth note earlier than beat 1
of each bar, but keep your foot tapping on the downbeat throughout to ensure good timing.
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Main riff
F#5
j
B5 A5 D5 A5 B5
j j
E D A
## ‰ œj
œœ œœ œœ œœ .. n œœœ ‰ œœœ ‰ œœœ
& # # 44 j
œœ œœ œ œ
j œ œ œ œ ‰ œj
œ
œœ œœ œœ œœ ..
œ œ
0:48
œ nœ #œ œ œ n œ # œ œ n œ n œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ # œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ
nœ œ œ
1:36 67
T 9 9 9 7 5 5
A 2 4 2
2
0
2
0 2 4 4 0 2
9
9
9
9
9
9
7
7
6
7
6
7
B (0) 3 4 0
2 0
3 4 0
0 2 2 4
2
0 1 2
0
7
0 0
7
0
7 5 7
5
7
5
This riff uses the E blues scale (E G A B b B D) and E Mixolydian mode (E F# G# A B C# D). Brian mixes up the notes from the two scales, rather than switching between one
scale and the other – giving a colourful sound. Keep your picking hand moving in a constant eighth note motion to stay in the groove.
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Verses 1 & 2
B5 B6 B5 B6 B5 B6 B5 E5 E6 E5 D5 A5
j
E E
# ## 4 œœ œœ œœ œœ .. nn œœ ‰ œj ‰ œj
& # #4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ ..
1:00
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ
nœ
œ
œ
PM PM PM PM PM
1:47 PM
T 9 9
A 9
9 9 11 9
9
9
7
7 7 7
B 9
7
9
7
11
7 7
9
7 7
11
7
9
7
9
7
11
7 7
9
7
9
7
9
7
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 7
5
7
5
1
Verse 1 ending Verse 2 ending
j j j
B5 B6 B5 B6 B5 B6 B5 E E5 E6 E5 E B E E A D
## œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œ
œœ ‰ j œœœ ‰ n œœ ‰ n œœœ ‰ j
œ
& # # # œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œœ œœ œ
‰ œœ ‰
œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J nœ nœ nœ œ
PM PM PM PM
PM PM
T 9 9 7 9 9 5 7
A 9
9
9 9 11 9
9
9
8
9
9
9
9
9
6
7
7
7
B 9
7
11
7 7
9
7 7
11
7
9
7
9
7
11
7 7
9
7
9
7
9
7
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9
7
7
3
7 7
5
5
2
5
This section is a bluesy rock ’n’ roll riff. Play the B5 and E chords with your first and third fingers and reach up with your fourth finger to add the 11th fret note to each chord.
Note that both verses are the same expect for the final bar. We’ve included the alternate endings in the tab for you.

CL ASSIC
T R AC K
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Chorus 1
C# F# D#
j j j j
A5 D B E
## œœ ‰ œœ ‰ # œœœ œœœ ‰ œœœ œœ œœ œœ n œœœ œœœ # # œœ œœ n œœ

& # # 44 œœ œœ n
‰ œ
nœ
œ
œ œœ ‰ œ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œ œ ‰ œœ ‰ œ
œ ‰ # œœ
œ
œ œ œ J œ œ J J J
1:14
T 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11
A 7 7
7
7
7
7
8
9
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
10
11
10
11
11
11
11
11
12
13
B 7
5
7
5
5 5 9
7
9
7
7 7 7 11
9
11
9
9 9 13
11
1
G# F#
j
# n œœœ œœ œœ œœ
E G
# # # # n # œœœ œœ œœ œœ ww ˙˙ # œœ
œ
œœ
œ nœ w w
& ‰ #œ ‰ œ w ˙ œ ww ww
œ J w ˙
J
œ œ n nn œœœ w
w ww
J œ œ w ˙
3
T 11 13 13 13 9 11 11 0
A 12
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
9
9
11
11
11
11
0
0
B 13
11
11 11 11
0 0
7
0
9 9
3
4
The opening change from A5 to D (a 4th interval) is essentially repeated at the 7th, 9th and 11th frets, albeit with some changes in the rhythm. Brian plays the sixth-string root
notes with his thumb over the top of the neck but you could play ‘fingers only’ if you prefer.
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Bridge 2
B Bsus 4 B Bsus 4
# ## 4 ˙ . œœ œœ ˙˙ .. œœ œœ ˙˙ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
& # 4 ˙˙ ..
œœ œœ ˙˙ . œœ
œ ˙.
68 ˙. . œ ˙. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ
1:28
T 4 5 4 5 5 5 5
A 4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
B 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0
This bridge is almost the same as the second half of bridge 1, except there are some slight rhythmic variations and it’s half the length. The final open E note sets up a
repeat of the main riff here too, so play this note as a ‘tie’ into that riff. After the repeat of the main riff, play the verse with the second ending, before heading to chorus 2!
C#
j
G5
j
C A D B E
# ## 4 j j j j œœ œœ œ
œ œœ ‰ # œœœ œœœ ‰ n œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœœ œœœ n œ
& # 4 n n œœ œœ n œ
‰ œ ‰ œœ œœ
‰
œœ nœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ ‰ œœ ‰ œœ ‰ œœœ
nœ œ nœ œ œ J J
2:01
T 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9
A 5 5
5
5
5
5
6
7
6
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
9
8
9
9
9
9
9
10
11
B 5
3
5
3
3 3 7
5
7
5
5 5 5 9
7
9
7
7 7 11
9
1
j F#
# œœœ
# œœ œœ œœ j
D5
#### n œœœ œœ œœ
E E A
& ‰ œ ‰ œ œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ n www ˙˙
˙˙ œœ œœ œœ ww ww
œ nœ œ nw œœ ww ww
J J
2
T 9 11 11 11 3 3 3 9 9 2
A 10
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
2
0
2
0
2
0
9
9
9
9
2
2
B 11
9
9 9 9 7 7 0
4
This chorus starts a tone lower than chorus 1, something that is almost unnoticeable in the context of the song and testament to Queen’s genius as songwriters. The chords
ascend the neck in the same ‘up a 4th’, then ‘up two frets’ fashion here too.

FULL TRACK + BACKING (TRACKS 26-27)
This song comes with a full demo track and a backing
track (minus guitar) on your CD. Simply insert the disc in
your player, press play and jam along guitaraoke style!
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Solo 1
## œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ ~~~~~
B E A B E A
j œ œ œ œ œ œ
& # # # 44 Œ œ n œ # œ œ n œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ # œœ œœ œ œœ œ n œ # œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ ¿ œj œ œ
œ
2:16 PB6 RP PB6

~~~~~
¿
4 7 7 7 7 7 4
T 7 7 7 7 7 7
BD
4 4 4 4 7 7 7 7 7 5 7 BU
A 6 (7) (8) (8) (7) (7) (7)

BU BU BD
(7) (6) 4
6
4 4
6
4 7 8
9 9 4 6
4 4 6 (8) 4
B
1
# # # # œ # œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœ n œœ# œ œ~~~ n œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # œœ œœ n œœ œœ œ œœ n œœ # œœ œ œœ n œœ # œœ œ n œœj n œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœj œœ œœ

B E A B E A
& #
6 7 7 7 7
~~~
T 6 7 7 7 7 9 7 8 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 7 7 9 7 7 9 7 7 8 10 10 10 8 10 10
A 9 7 8
9
9 11 11 11 11 11 9 9 7 8
9
9 7 8
9
9 7 8
9
9 11 11 11 9 8 9 11 11
B
5
# # # # n œœ n œœ œœj œœ œœ œœ n œœj œœ œœ
B E
n œœ j œœ Aœœ œœ œ œœ œœ n œœ
B
n œ œ n œ # œ œ # œœ œœj œœ
E
nœ
œœ j
J ‰ J ‰ J ‰
n œœ
& # 69
BU BD
T 10 7 7 10 10 10 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 8 10 10 10 7 9 (10)
A 11 7 7 11 11 11 9 11 11 11 11 13 13 13
14 12
9 11 11 11 10 9 7 8
9
8 9 (11 )
B
9
# # œœ n œœ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ n œœ # œœ œœ œœ
A B E A
œ œ œ œ œ n œœ # œœ œ œ œ n œœ # œœ œ
& # ## nœ œ œ œ œ
1/4 1/4
PM
1/4 1/4
7 7 7 7 7 7
T (9) 7 7 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 7
A
(9) 7 9 7 7 9 7 (8) 9 7 (8) 9 7 (8)
9 7 9 9 BU 9 BU 9 BU 9
B 9
12
# # # # œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œ œn œj œœ œ œ œj œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œj œœ œ œœ œ œ
B E A B
j j j j
nœ
nœ #œ œ nœ
& # œ œ nœ œ œ
RP RP
nœ œ
7 5 7 7 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
T 7 5 7 7 7 5 7 7 7 10 (12 ) 7 10 (12 ) 10 (12 ) 10 (12 ) (12 ) (12 ) 10 (12 ) 9 7 7
A BU BU BU BU BU 9 7 8
9 7
B 9 7
10 7 7 5 5
15
Brian starts the solo in what looks like the G# minor pentatonic scale, but in fact it’s B major pentatonic thanks to the B root notes. In bar 4 he slides this shape up to 7th fret
where it sounds like B minor pentatonic, but he also adds B Mixolydian notes. Brian makes great use of minor to major 3rds, doublestop slides and bluesy bends in this solo.

CL ASSIC
T R AC K
C# #
j j
G5
j
C A
j
D B
j E
j F
#### 4 œœ œœ ‰ n œœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœœ œ #œ œ œœ œœ
& 4 n n œœ œœ ‰ n œœ ‰ œœ ‰ # œœ
œ œ œœ œœ œœ n œ œ œ œ œœ œœ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ n œœœ ‰ # œœœ œœœ œ
œ
œ
œ
n œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œJ Jœ œ œ J
2:49
T 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 11 11 11
A 5 5
5
5
5
5
6
7
6
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
9
8
9
9
9
9
9
10
11
10
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
B 5
3
5
3
3 3 7
5
7
5
5 5 5 9
7
9
7
7 7 11
9
11
9
9 9 9
Chorus 3 starts on the same chord as chorus 2, but this time is only four bars long. To help stay in time, try playing all the down-beat chords with downstrokes and the
offbeat chords with upstrokes; this will give your strumming a consistent feel.
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Intro reprise
D5 A D5 D D5 Csus 2
# 4 œ œœ
& # 4 .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
n œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿
2:56 PM PM PM
. .
¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0
0 2
T
. .
2 3
A 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2 2
0
2 2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
0
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
1
Bb6
##
G/B A5
& œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œ¿ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ
œ
T
¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0 ¿0
70
A 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
B 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
5
Here we return to palm-muted D5 chords we used in the intro. The dynamics of the song drop here too, so pick a little softer to naturally bring the volume and energy down. As
you reach bars 9 and 10 play a little louder again by digging into the strings a little more and slightly easing off with your palm muting.
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Extended main riff
## ~~~~ A 5 Bb5
‰ œj
B5 A5 D5 A5 B5 E5
& # # 44 j
j ‰ j j j j n œj
œ œ œ œ œ
nœ n œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ ‰ œ œ œ
œ nœ #œ œ
œ œ œ nœ #œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ #œ œ nœ œ b œ
3:13
~~~~
T
A 2 4 2
2
0
2
0 2 4 4 2 2 0 2 3
B (0) 3 4 0
2 0
3 4 0
0 2 2
2
0 0 2
0
0 1 2
0
1
Here is the third and final appearance of this classic riff, which you should play as loud and confidently as possible. There is a slight variation in bar 4 with the addition of the
A5 and E5 chords, making the riff into an ‘extended’ five-bar section, rather than the previous four bars.
QUEEN NOW I’M HERE SOLO 2

B5 E A B E A
# ## 4 n œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ œœ n œœj œœ œœ œœ
n œ # œ
j j j j
& # #4 ˙ J ‰ œ J ‰
n œœ n œœ œœ n œœ
˙ œœ
3:23
T 8 10 10 10 10 8 10 10 10 10 8 10 10 10 10 9 7 7 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 10 10 10
A 4
9 11 11 11 11 9 11 11 11 11 9 11 11 11 11 9 7 8
9
9 11 11 11 11 11 11 9 11 11 11
B 2
1

QUEEN NOW I’M HERE Solo 2 (cont’d)
#œ œ œ n œœœ nn œœœ ## œœœ œœœ œœœ nn œœœ ## œœœ œœœ œœœ nn œœœ ## œœœ n œœœ œœœ nn œœœ ## œœœ œœœ œœœ nn œœœ ## œœœ # œœœ œœœ
B E A B E
# # n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ # œœ œœ œœ
j j j j j j
nœ
& # ##
j
n œœ n # œœ
10 11 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11
T 10 8 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 10 11 11
A 11 9 11 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11
B
5
n ## œœœ œœœ œœœ œœ n œœ œœ œœ

A B E A B E
j
#### œœ n œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœ n œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
nœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
1/4 1/4
n œœ
#
1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4
&
1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4
10 11 11 11
T 9 10 10 10 9 7 7 7 [7] 7 7 [7] 7 7 [7] 7 7 [7] 9 7 [7] 9 7 [7] 9 7
A 10 11 11 11 9 7
9
7 7 [7]
9
7 7 [7]
9
7 7 [7]
9
7 7 [7]
9
9 7 [7]
9
9 7 [7]
9
9 7
B
8
B5
œ ~~~~~ œ~~ œ~~ ~~~~

A B E A
# # # œœ œœ n œœ œ œ œ œ nœ
œ œ n œJ ‰ œœ # œ ‰ œ
œ
& # # œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ nœ œ
1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4
J
1/4~~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~ 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 1/4 BU
T [7] 9 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 (8)
A [7]
9
9 7
9 7
7
9 9
7
9
7 7
9 9 9
7
9
9 7
9 7 9 9
7 7 (8)
9
B 9
71
12
#### œ œ nœ nœ nœ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ n œJ ‰ œœ # œ ‰ œ
œ
# œ œ n œJ ‰ œ # œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ Jœ ‰ Jœ œ n œ # œ œ Œ
1/4 1/4
j
& J J
1/4
BU 1/4
BU
7 7 7
T 7 7 (8) 7 7 (8) 8 10 10 10 10 7 7 7 9
A 9
7 7 (8)
9 9
7 7 (8)
9
9 11 11 11 11 9 7 8
9
B
16
# œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ
n œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ nœ œ
j
####
n œœ
‰ J n œ # œ œ œj ‰ ‰ J
j
# ‰ J ‰ J
n œœ
&
7 7 7 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 12 12 11 11 9 9
T 8 10 10 10 10 7 7 7 9 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 16 16 14 14 12 12 10 10
A 9 11 11 11 11 9 7 8
9
B 11
20
# # # # œœ œœ œœ n œœ # œœ n œœ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
œ
œ n n œœ
œœ œœ œ
n n œœ
œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ
n n œœ ˙˙
j
œœ
& # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
7 7
BU BD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T 7 7 9 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 (10) (9)
A 9 7 8
9
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
9 (11 ) (9)
B 9 9 9
24
This solo is played over the same chord progression as solo 1 and this time Brian uses more doublestops and slides as well as repeating licks with quarter-note bends. These
bends are typically played in order to ‘sweeten’ the minor 3rd note, which isn’t technically in the key so can sound a little out of tune without curling the note up slightly.

ROCK
SCHOOL
LYNYRD
SKYNYRD
I NEED YOU
TG and Rockschool look at a deep cut from
the undisputed Kings of Southern Rock
T
aken from the band’s Am, C and D chords, plus an
appropriately titled sophomore occasional G. Some guitarists may
release, Second Helping, I Need find the 6/8 time signature tricky
You features three guitars, however. The intro features mainly
courtesy of the classic lineup of Gary 16th notes, whereas the verse is more
Rossington, Allen Collins and Ed King. rhythmically complex. Try to feel the
Blues-rock attitude and guitar tones, ‘1 & a 2 & a’ pulse and plot out where
topped off with the country-inflected the 16ths and triplets fall in between
vocals of Ronnie Van Zant would define these. As you gain understanding
their Southern rock sound. of the rhythm, start to pay attention
The intro features a doubled lead to details like when to bend up
guitar part using the A minor or down and which strings need to
pentatonic scale over predominantly be muted.
72
Whether you’re taking your first steps on guitar or

moving into further/higher education, a Rockschool
Grade will improve your playing ability whilst you I NEED YOU
learn iconic tracks from the world of popular music. Words & Music by Edward King,
For more info visit: www.rslawards.com Gary Rossington & Ronald Zant
facebook.com/rslawards © Copyright 1974 Get Loose
Music Incorporated
instagram.com/rslawards Universal/MCA Music Limited.
All Rights Reserved. International
@RSLAwards @mikegoodmanguitar Copyright Secured.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD I NEED YOU TRACKS 28-29
q.= 42
œ
j œ œ
1/4
œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ.
Am C D œ
6 œ œ œ œ
& 8 œ. œ
j j †
j
œ œ œ
1/4
BU BD
8 (10) ( 8)
T BU BD 8 BU BD
A 7 7
5 7 (9) (7 ) 5 7 (9) (9) (7) 5 5 7
B
1 † repick held bend
œ. œœ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
Am D C G/B Am C
œ œ œ œ œ œ
j
œ œ
œ
& œ œ
3
œ.
Words: Mike Goodman Photo: Getty
5 5 8
T 5
BU BD
8 8 10 8 10 8
A 7 ( 9) [ 9] ( 7) 5
5 7
5 7 9 9 7 5
B 5
4

your player, press play and jam along, guitaraoke style!
LYNYRD SKYNYRD / I NEED YOU
LYNYRD SKYNYRD I NEED YOU (cont’d) TRACKS 28-29
œœ œœ œœ œœ œ
. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D Am
&œ
j j j
œ. œ ‰
œ
J œ œ
8 8 8 8 8
T 5 8 (10) ( 8 )(10) 8 (10) ( 8) 5
A 7 5 7 5 7 5
7 BU BD BU BU BD
B
7
C
œ. œ œ œ† œ
D
œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ Am
œ. œ œ
œ.
j œ
J
œ
&
BU BD BU BD
8 10 10 10 8 (10) (8) 5
T 8 8 (10) (10) ( 8) 5 8 10 8
A
B
10 † repick held bend
œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ
C D
œ
j
œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
J J
j
& œ
œ
BU
8
T 10 (13) 8 10 8 8 10 8
A 9 7 5 7 7 9 7 5 7 5
5
B 73
13
Am
& ˙. ∑ ∑ ∑ Œ. Œ ⇥ r
œ
T
A 7
B 0
16
1/4
œœ ..
Am C D
œœ œ
& œœ œœ œ
3 3 3
œ œ œ.
j
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ œ œ œ
j
œ
T 3 3 3
A
1/4
0 0 2 0 2 0
2 0 2 0 0
B 0 0 2 3 3 3 3
21
Am C
œ
3 3
œœ
3
œ œœ œ
3 3
& œœ ‰ œœ œ œœ œœ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
j
œ
T 3 0
A 2
2
0
0 0
0
2
2 2 2
2
0
0
2
0
0 0
B 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 2 0
24

ROCK
SCHOOL
LYNYRD SKYNYRD I NEED YOU (cont’d) TRACKS 28-29
D Am D add 2sus4 D sus 4 Am

3 3 3 3
& œœœ œœ œ œj œœ œ œœ ⇥ œ ‰ œœ œœ
œ œ œœ ‰ œ # œœ œœ œ œ
3 3 3
œ œœ œœ œœ
0
T 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1
A 2
0
0 2 0 0
2
0
0
0
4
0
4 2 2 2
2
B 3 0 0 0 5 3
0
0 0 2
27
1/4
C D Am D G
œœ .. œœ œ œœ j
3 3
& œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ
3
œ. œ œ
j
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
œ
œ œ
j
œ
T 3 3 3 1/4 3
A 0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0 2 0 0
2
2
0
0
0
B 3 3 3 3 0 3 0 2
3
30
Am C/G D/F # F6
œ œ œ œ
& œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
74 œ œ #œ nœ
T 1 1 3 3
A 2
2 2
2 2
2 2
0 0
2
2 2
B 0
3 2 1
33
Am D Am C
j
3
œœ œœ
& œœ œœ œ œ
3
œ œj œœ œœ
3
œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 3
A 2
2
2
2
2
0 2 2
2 0
0
0
2
0
0
B 0 0
3
0 0 2 3 3
36
D A C D G Am
3
œœ œœ
3
œ œœ œ j œœ œœ œœ œœ
3
& œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœ ˙˙ ..
œ œ œ ˙.
œ
œ œ œ œ
3
T 3 3 3 3 3 3
A 2
0
0 2 0 0 2
2
0
2
2
0
0
0
2
2
B 3 0 3
3
0
39
Take note of bars 24 and 28 and the use of rests and syncopation. It would be a good idea to work with a metronome, slowing each bar down and actually counting the 6/8
time signature out loud to meter out each phrase. Finally, just a reminder that this part is almost entirely played in the A minor pentatonic scale (A C D E G).

ARKN
LREOC
TSOCHO
PLOALY
TRADITIONAL
KOROBEINIKI AKA
TETRIS THEME
TG brings you an arrangement of the 19th century Russian folk
tune that became world famous thanks to a 1980s videogame
O
riginally a Russian folk tune based So what does that mean for us guitarists?
around Nikolay Nekrasov’s similarly Well, it’s a great tune to learn and with this
titled 1861 poem, Korobeiniki has been month’s bagged Nintendo catalogue
part of traditional Russian repertoire accompanying the mag, we thought it’d be a
for well over a century. However, it was great time to take a look at the music.
Hirokazu Tanaka’s 1989 arrangement of this The chords are fairly easy if you only want to
piece for the Nintendo Game Boy version of the jam along. For convenience, just play E7
hugely successful Tetris game that brought it to wherever you see E7/G# or E7/9 chord names.
global consciousness. It’s frequently ranked The lead part isn’t too challenging though,
among the most instantly recognisable and except for our shreddy tapping section, which
popular videogame tunes of all time. will need slow, careful practice.
76
Guitars and Backing: Charlie Griffiths Illustration: Becca Allen
your player, press play and jam along, guitaraoke style!
KOROBEINIKI / TETRIS THEME
KOROBEINIKI MAIN MELODY TRACKS 30-31

q = 140
~~~~ œ. œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ .
E Am E Am Dm C E Am
~~~
4 œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ. ‰ œ œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .
œ
&4 œ. œ J œ. ˙ ‰ J ‰ J ‰J œ ‰ J #œ œ œ. ˙
~~~~ 13 17 15 13 12 12 13 12 12
~~~
T 17 13 15 17 15 13 13 17 15 13 13 15 17 13 15 13 15 13 12 13 15 13
A 16 16 14 14 16 14 14 13 13 14 14
We’re kicking off our arrangement with a run through of the main melody. Look for a small dot above or below some of the notes. This tells you to play staccato, which
simply means the note is cut short. All you have to do is lift your fretting finger slightly to bring the string away from the fret to mute out your sound.
KOROBEINIKI HARMONY MELODY TRACKS 30-31
œ. # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ. œ. œ. œ. œ . œ œ C.
œ œ .
œ # œ œ œ . œ. Am
œ œ. œ. ˙~~~
E Am E Am Dm E
4 J ‰ œ J œ œœ œ
&4 œœœœ œ ‰ ‰ J
0:15
~~~
T 12 10 12 13 12 10 10 13 12 10 9 9 10 12 13 10 10 13 12 10 9 9 10 12 13 10
A 13 13 9 9 9 9 9
0
10 12 9 12 10 9 9 9 9
B 0 2 3
This harmony to the main melody isn’t phrased quite the same as the main part; it’s similar, but, in places, the two guitars weave around each other. Listen out for the
programmed hi-hat (panned right) to keep you locked in. Timing is pretty important here, otherwise the two guitars will sound a little loose.
KOROBEINIKI MIDDLE EIGHT TRACKS 30-31

77
E 7/G #
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
˙~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Am Am E
4
&4 ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ #˙ ˙
0:26
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
T
A 9
10
7
9
5
7 6
4
B
E 7/G #
1
˙~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ œ~~~~~ œ~~~~~ œ~~~~~ # w~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Am Am E
& ˙ ˙ ˙ œ
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T 10 10 9
A 9
10
7
9 10
9
B
5
In contrast to the previous two sections, this part is played with long sustaining notes. Use an even vibrato, repeatedly bending the strings down towards the floor
and back again with a turning wrist movement. Head back to the main/harmony melody when you reach the end.
KOROBEINIKI TAPPED SECTION TRACKS 30-31
œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E Am
# œ œ œ
& 44
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
0:56
12 7 4 0 4 7 12 7 4 0 4 7 12 7 4 0 4 7 12 7 4 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 7 10
T
A
B
1

LEARN
TO PL AY
KOROBEINIKI TAPPED SECTION (CONT’D) TRACKS 30-31
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E7 E Am
œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
&
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
12 10 7 0 7 10 12 10 7 0 4 7 12 7 4 0 4 7 12 7 4 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 5 8 12 8 5 0 7 10
T
A
B
3
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Dm Am/C
&
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
13 10 5 13 10 5 13 10 5 13 10 5 13 10 5 13 10 5 13 10 5 13 10 5 12 8 5 12 8 5 12 8 5 12 8 5 12 8 5 12 8 5 12 8 5 12 8 5
T
A
B
5
b b
E 7 9/B E7 9
~~~~~~~~
Am
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
~~~~~~~~
6 6 6 6 6 6 6
78 13 10 7 0 7 10 13 10 7 0 10 13 16 13 10 0 10 13 16 13 10 0 10 13 17 12 8 0 8 12 17 12 8 0 8 12 17 12 8 0 8 12 17
T
A
B
7
After a repeat of the main/harmony melody we reach a Bumblefoot-inspired tapping section where the chord notes are played along the first string. Tap with the first
finger of your pick hand or use your second finger if you need to keep hold of your pick. Mute the idle strings by resting your pick hand on the lower strings as you tap.
KOROBEINIKI POWERCHORD SECTION TRACKS 30-31
E5 B5 C5 D5 E5 D5 C5 B5 A5 C5 E5 D5 C5 A5
˙˙
E
& 44 œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
# œœœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœœ œœ œ œœ ˙˙
j
œ œœ
œ
œ œ œ œ
1:10
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
5
T 5
A 9
9
4
4
5
5
7
7
9
9
7
7
5
5
4
4
2
2
2
2
5
5
9
9
7
7
5
5
4 4 5 7 7 9 5 2
2
2
2
B 7 2 3 5 7 5 3 2 0 0 3 7 5 3 2 2 3 5 5 7 3 0 0
1
Dm C E Am
& œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ j ‰ j ‰
œ œ œ œ œ J
œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 7
7 5
5 5
5 5
4 4
B 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 2
0 4 5
7
5
7
5
7
5
5
Strum confidently and slide as accurately as possible between chords wherever there’s a slide line in the tab. Keep steady momentum by strumming consistently,
using downstrokes for onbeat notes and upstrokes in between. In bar 3 you switch to octave shapes – mute the fourth string by resting your first finger against it.

JA M
T R AC K
JAM TRACK PLAY GUITAR WITH A BAND!
MINOR BLUES
Learn some variations on the standard
12-bar pattern with TG’s minor blues
backing track
B
lues has influenced just about fifth notes of the A major scale (A B C#
every form of guitar-based D E F# G#). And it’s often played as
music, from rock ’n’ roll, folk A7-D7-E7 for a bluesier sound.
and heavy metal to soul, disco, In this month’s Jam Track we’re
rock and pop. If you can hone a few mixing up some of those standard
blues licks you’ll be well on your way to chords in favour of some minor shapes
getting to grips with all of these styles. (Am7 and Dm7) in a slow ballad-like
If you’ve ever played a 12-bar blues blues track. We’ve even included a few
in A, you’ll probably know the good old non-standard shapes for a bit of
80 A-D-E chord sequence; it’s often colour. To jam along, either take a
called a I-IV-V progression because the scale-based approach or target the
chords are built on the first, fourth and chords. Read on and we’ll explain all.
SCALES CHORDS 5
1 1 1 1 1
ying in with the Am7 root chord, the A blues (A C D E b E G)
T A
m7 and Dm7 are common barre chord
and minor pentatonic scales (A C D E G) are great options shapes. In our track these are played
to base your soloing ideas on here – they’ll work through with a staccato feel, as are the Fmaj7/ 3
the whole track too. To take your solos to the next level, try adding E7#9 shapes. The D9 chord has a resonating
in some other chord tones, ie, notes from the chords you’re sound so rake your pick across the strings
playing over. For example, you could target an F note over Fmaj7 and let them ring out. G7 and G#7 give a
(F A C E) and Dm7 (D F A C). F can potentially offer an unexpected melodic ‘pull’ into a repeat of the section. Am7
sound because it doesn’t appear in the scales. And, with its G# X X X X
and B notes, E7#9 (E G# B D G) offers a few opportunities for
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
invention too. 5 5 6
2 2 3
3 3 4
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4
5 5
2 Dm7 Fmaj7 E7#9
Guitars and backing: Phil Capone Photography Astrid Stawiarz /Getty
X
3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1
4 4
2 3 3 3 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
1 1 1 1 3
2
3
A blues scale A minor pentatonic scale
D9 G7 G#7

BACKING TRACK (TRACK 32)
This song comes with a backing track on your CD.
Simply insert the disc in your player, press play and
jam along, guitaraoke style!
JAM TRACK / MINOR BLUES
JAM TRACK
King Be e
CHEAT SHEET
Tempo: 88bpm
Time signature: 4/4
Key/scale: A minor
VERSE / CHORUS
||: Am7 / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / | 81
| Dm7 / / / | / / / / | Am7 / / / | / / / / |
| Fmaj7 / / / | E7#9 / / / |
| D9 / / / | / / G7 G#7 :|| x9
Like many blues songs, our track follows a repeating 12-bar pattern – that means there’s no verse, chorus or middle section unless you create one from how you play. Try
playing sparsely on the first time through, building your ideas on the second time, then going for it with your best licks on the third time. As the section repeats over and
again, maybe try dropping out, then gradually introducing your guitar parts again. It’s a good way to develop your ideas over the course of the track.

TURN
A ROU N D
THE TURNAROUND LICKS OF THE BLUES GIANTS
DANNY KIRWAN
Learn a handful of licks in the style of this often
unsung British blues revivalist, complete with a
backing track to jam over
D
anny Kirwan’s prodigious talent as an Danny was a huge fan of Green’s playing
18-year-old was such that he was before being asked to join Fleetwood Mac – and
invited to join Fleetwood Mac with you can hear a little of this in the directness of
the great Peter Green on the strength his blues phrasing. However, his style in many
of his performances with a pub band, ways pointed to the way ahead for the band.
Boilerhouse. He immediately made the leap to Danny used a more distorted tone, as became
playing on international concert stages, much more the norm by the 1970s. He is most
becoming a foil to Peter Green, playing associated with a Gibson Les Paul, but this isn’t
harmony guitars on Fleetwood Mac’s much essential. Do opt for a humbucker-equipped
loved classic, Albatross, plus bringing his fiery guitar if you can though. You’ll need a powerful
vibrato and love of different styles such as but clear tone, using a little overdrive and some
82 jazz to slightly lesser known tracks like spring style reverb. No other effects are needed
Jigsaw Puzzle Blues. – apart from finger vibrato!
1 WHAT’S O-KIRWAN TRACK 33
~~~~~~~
˙~~~~~~~~~~~ œ œ œ . ~~~~~~~ œ œ ˙ œ œ
œ œ~~~~~~w
Bm
# œ œ ˙ œ œ
j j
& # 44
œ j œ
1/4
BU ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

3
PB9
BU
7 7 7 1/4
T 10 (12 ) 10 7 BU 7 10 (12) 7
A 9 (11) 9 (11) 7
9
B
As you’ll see, these ideas are not about expanding your vocabulary to include exotic scales – all of them use the B minor pentatonic. This is all about expressiveness,
especially the vibrato – be prepared to spend time perfecting Danny’s wide, fast method, but be careful not to overdo it.
2 SUSTAINED NOTES TRACK 34
Em
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Bm
~~~~~~
# 4 ˙~~~~~~~~~~ ‰ œ œ œj œ ˙ œ œœ ˙ œ œ œ œ w
œ œ
& # 4 ‰ Jœ J œ œ
Guitars and backing: Richard Barrett Photograph: Alamy
BU ~~~~~~~~~~ BU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~

10 12 (14) 12 10 12 (14) 12 10
T 12 12 10 12 10 10 12 [12 ]
A 11
It must have been fun to hold these sustained notes through a cranked amplifier on stage – and this is the feeling we are chasing with this example. Add vibrato and a
little reverb to complete the picture. Make sure to support your string bends with one or two free fingers.

FULL TRACKS (TRACKS 33-38)
These tab examples come with audio tracks
on your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player,
press play and jam along, guitaraoke style!
THE TURNAROUND / DANNY KIRWAN
3 MELODY WITH 16THS TRACK 35
F#m F#m
~~~~~
œ œ œ œ œ œ œj œ~~~~~~ œ ~~~~~~
Bm
# 4 w~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
& #4
j
œ
œ w
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7
~~~~~
PB10
7
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
T BU 10 7 10 (12 ) 10 7 BU BD
A 9 (11) 9 (11) (9) 7 9 7

9 7
B 9 [9 ]
Adding in a couple of 16th notes gives a real feeling of movement, but this is still all about the melody – not widdly runs up and down the fretboard. Notice we’re sticking
pretty close to the same register in all these examples. Kirwan was fluent across the fretboard, but also a master of eking the best out of one or two scale shapes.
4 SOLO OPENER TRACK 36
Bm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# ˙. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
& # 44
œ
j
œ œ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3
T BU 7 10 7 10 7 7
A 9 (11) 9 7 9 9 7
B
1
83
# # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ œ
~~~~~~~~~~~
& ˙ œ œ œ ˙. Œ
1/4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1/4
~~~~~~~~~~~
T
A 9 9
7
9 [9]
B
3
This lick demonstrates how Danny might open a solo. The rapid triplet in bar 2 adds an embellishment to the simple melodic idea here. It’s been mentioned already, but
watch out for that vibrato. Recording yourself and listening back is a great way to evaluate this aspect of your playing.
5 PLAYING THE CHANGES TRACK 37
˙~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

. œ.
Em Bm
œ œ œ œ œ. œj n œ œ w ˙.
j
# 4
œ
œ œ
j j
œ
& #4
œ
Œ
BU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 (12 ) 10
BU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T 10 (12 ) 10 BU BD 10 (12 ) [12 ]
A 9 (10) ( 9 ) 7 9 7
This example covers the change from E minor back to B minor. Though there is no need to think of this as a change of scale, it is nice to emphasise the root sometime –
it’ll help outline the chord changes. We’re starting off with a held E note and finishing with a sustained B.

ACOUSTIC
84
Unplugged
YOUR MONTH IN THE ACOUSTIC WORLD
085
ACOUSTIC NEWS
086
WILLIAM DUVALL
088
ACOUSTIC TAB:
SHALLOW

ACOUSTIC
DOUBLE UP TRACKS 39-43
FIVE
ACOUSTIC GUITARIST OF THE YEAR FINALIST
TO RELEASE NEW INSTRUMENTAL DUO ALBUM JAZZ
CHORDS
K
arlijn Langendijk, a Karlijn Langendijk’s
Essential chords to
finalist for our 2018 hand injury isn’t fuel your creativity
Acoustic Guitarist Of holding her back
X X
The Year, is going to
have a very busy few 1 2
5
months. The nylon-string player
3 4
is releasing a guitar duo album
called Meraki with Czech guitarist
Ladislav Pazdera on 12 December,
and touring with our 2019 AGOTY
winner Christie Lenée.
It’s a showcase for two of the
Dm7b5
finest young European acoustic
players around – but Karlijn is X X
doing it all while recovering from
1 2
the hand injury she was suffering 5
with during her remarkable 2018 3 4
live finals performance at the UK locked up inside me for all this innovative female acoustic guitar
Guitar Show. while could finally come out. players for the MusiSHEans Guitar
“After playing the competition, “Ladislav and I started a guitar Tour. It’s the live launch of a
I travelled to India to treat my duo - and whichever musical ideas movement with big plans for the
hand injury, which had only I had, or he had, we worked them future. “In 2018 I co-founded 85
become worse,” Karlijn tells us. out to some interesting and MusiSHEans,” Karlijn explains. A7#5
“I had so many new ideas, but diverse duo pieces. To me, “It’s a community to support X X
I couldn’t bring any of them to making this album was a way and empower female musicians,
life because I had to stop playing of finding back my passion and with Vivek Advani and Judith
completely. Little by little joy in playing.” Beckedorf. Currently we are
I recovered (now at around 70%), In November Karlijn is hitting focussing on guitarists/stringed
and all the music that had been the road in Europe with two other instruments in particular.” 1
2 3 4
GOING FOR GOLD X

Dm9
CORT ADDS THE GOLD-OC6 TO ITS

PREMIUM LINE OF ACOUSTIC GUITARS
O
ffering a smaller body after decades of ageing, as 1 2 3
for a more comfortable vintage acoustic would open up
playing experience and with age. The hope is that Cort’s
4 4
a torrefied solid sitka acoustic delivers a similarly
spruce top for a tone that belies vintage tone off the shelf. Gm13
the instrument’s contemporary The Gold-OC6 includes a neat
X O O
build, the latest Cort is stunning Fishman Flex Blend System,
to behold. which has an onboard tuner
Featuring a solid African with a display positioned on the
mahogany back and sides, a shoulder, plus blend features for 2
mahogany neck and ebony dialling in a good amplified tone. 3 4
fretboard, the Gold-OC6 uses Other build features include the
Cort’s ATV (Aged To Vintage) double-lock neck joint, which sees
treatment on its sitka spruce top. a traditional dovetail neck joint
This torrefaction process takes reinforced by a big bolt to help
Cmaj7
some of the oils, sugar and resin transfer resonance. The Gold
out of the wood, just as it would OC-6 is priced at £859.

ACOUSTIC Words Jonathan Horsley
William DuVall
THE ALICE IN CHAINS MAN LEAVES THE AMP ON STANDBY FOR HIS DEBUT SOLO
ALBUM, ONE ALONE, AND STRIPS HIS SONGWRITING BACK TO THE BASICS
W
illiam DuVall is not one to 30 December 2017 and recorded on New Year’s “That’s what I started on,” he says. “The
overthink the business of Eve. I wrote that in a hotel room in Atlanta and very first guitar that I discovered and started
songwriting. The Alice In my fiancée would have been the first one to playing was a very dilapidated, neglected,
Chains frontman’s debut hear that. I wrote it right there.” abandoned nylon-string acoustic, a Spanish
solo album, One Alone, takes The acoustic guitar might seem a change of guitar I found in my grandmother’s basement.
a deep dive into themes most personal to him, pace for an artist who made his name in the DC Strings that are literally peeling apart.”
catching him in a moment of unplugged hardcore scene but in truth it was the best DuVall will forever be a disciple of the electric
reflection, but it was conceived right in the instrument for this project. The acoustic guitar guitar, players who sought out new frontiers in
moment. It is as though to do otherwise, and is immediate. DuVall talks about this a lot, volume and noise, with Jimi Hendrix the most
fastidiously map his compositions out, might about the immediacy and portability of the brilliant lodestar in his firmament, but those
choke the life out of the whole enterprise. guitar, of it having an organic, tactile quality. who could articulate their ideas with an acoustic
“With Alice, there might be a little more With the acoustic, it’s right there, resonating, hold a similar attraction. “I always loved the
forethought,” he explains. “But that is just the just as it has done throughout DuVall’s career. way that Jimmy Page used acoustic guitars in
86 nature of that band. We have got two Zeppelin’s music, how he could make
singers that we are having to deal with, all acoustic music that heavy,” says DuVall.
these harmonies, all these layers, and all “He would layer it in with electrics and
this stuff. That does require a bit more with [John] Bonham’s drums and
thought. But, yeah, for my own music, it everything, and it would turn into this
is totally, totally instinctive.” amazing sonic tapestry—I loved all that
Even the tracks that had been written stuff. Players such as Django, who is
and recorded with his previous band obviously a virtuoso, or somebody like
Comes With The Fall had that same Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Shakti, all
instinctive vigour willing them into that stuff. I love that music, even as a
being; tracks such as White Hot, which he small kid, and I loved what [McLaughlin]
shared with his bandmates a few did with the Acoustic Trio, Friday Night In
moments before the red light went on the San Francisco, when he was with Paco De
studio. When DuVall came to track One Lucía and Di Meola.”
Alone across a couple of weekend sessions Trailblazers such as Page, McLaughlin
– just him and a borrowed Gibson J-185 and Django were all part of his musical
– it was a similar deal. In some cases, no education, and made DuVall alert to the
one had heard this material, and with no FREE ’BIRD potential of the acoustic guitar. But wait:
management and record label William DuVall on replacing his borrowed if the acoustic guitar is such a big part of
expectations Duvall says that the idea J-185 with a Gibson Hummingbird his life, how come he had to borrow a
behind the record was to see if his J-185 from his old Neon Christ bandmate
songwriting “could stand up to a solo William DuVall and Jimmy Demer are close enough that Jimmy Demer when it came time to
acoustic presentation” and this gave him DuVall can borrow his J-185 whenever he is in town, but record the album?
the impetus to record them. taking it on the road? Luckily, Gibson hooked DuVall up “I didn’t really have an acoustic in
“I didn’t even know if they would see with a Hummingbird that is essentially the same Atlanta at the time that I loved!” he says.
the light of day,” says DuVall. “A song
acoustic he’s been playing with Alice In Chains for the “It’s everything I want out of that Gibson
past decade. “You just have these guitars that speak
like ’Til The Light Guides Me Home, the first voicing. All of my gear is in LA, in Alice’s
to you every so often and that 185 was one, and now
time I really played that properly was just this new Hummingbird is another,” says DuVall. As for storage lockup. It is just a great acoustic
to myself, and then I went into the studio the electronics, he’s had an LR Baggs pickup installed guitar. If I had a session in Atlanta or
and I tracked the version you hear on the over the soundhole.“I didn’t really want to put a pickup something, an album I was producing for
album. [Pauses] The engineer would have under the bridge. There’s something about electrifying another band and I needed an acoustic
been the first to hear that! The Veil Of an acoustic guitar. I didn’t even want to hide the fact guitar, I’d be like, ‘Jimmy let me borrow
All My Fears, that was written the day that that’s what we’re doing! But I dig the sound of it.” that guitar!’. The same thing happened
before I recorded it, so it was written on when I went into the studio to record.”

INTERVIEW
87
“THE VERY FIRST GUITAR THAT

I STARTED PLAYING WAS A
DILAPIDATED NYLON-STRING
ACOUSTIC I FOUND IN MY
GRANDMOTHER’S BASEMENT”
NOVEMBER 2019 TOTAL GUITAR
LEARN
TO PL AY
OPEN-MIC SONGBOOK
LADY GAGA &
BRADLEY COOPER
SHALLOW
This multi-award-winning power ballad
from one of 2018’s top movies will make a
star of you at that next open-mic night!
O
riginally released in 1937, last verse and refrain, beautifully played by
year’s (third) remake of A Star Lukas Nelson, son of country great
Is Born stars Bradley Cooper Willie Nelson. You’ll hear subtle
and Lady Ga Ga who would variations throughout on the original
also record the chart-busting single recording, suggesting that the song was
for the soundtrack. It’s an interesting probably recorded ‘old-school style’ in
song with an unusual structure, having one single take, rather than comped
its roots in country but following the together in Pro Tools. We’ve simplified
‘quiet intro/bombastic ending’ rock the verse part but you can mix and
trope. Think Stairway To Heaven but match the second and third bars of both
88 with pop sensibilities. sections to create more variety. We’ve
Our tab focuses on the acoustic also included chord boxes which will
guitar part you’ll hear in the intro, help you create your own interpretation.
CHORDS O O O X O X O O X O
1
O
T
he first six shapes are used in 1 2 1 2 1 2
the intro, verse and refrain; you 3 3 2 3 4 3
can then switch from
fingerpicking to a simple strum
pattern for a lift during the second
half of the song. Perfect when Em7 D/F# G C
performing solo. Use the regular D X O O X X O X O O O O O O
shape (instead of D/F#) for the
1
strummed sections.
2 1 2 2 3 2 3
3 4 3
SHALLOW (FROM A STAR IS BORN)

Words and Music by Stefani Germanotta, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and
Anthony Rossomando
© 2018 Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, House Of Gaga Publishing LLC, Concord
Copyrights, Songs Of Zelig, Downtown DMP Songs, Downtown DLJ Songs, Em
Stephaniesays Music White Bull Music Group, WARNER-BARHAM MUSIC LLC
Cadd9 D Am
(BMI), WARNER-OLIVE MUSIC LLC (ASCAP), SONY/ATV SONGS (BMI), IMAGEM O O X X O O
MUSIC BV (BUMA), and CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC (BMI).
All Rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC and House Of Gaga
Publishing LLC Administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. 1
Guitars and backing: Phil Capone Photo: Getty
All Rights on behalf of Songs Of Zelig Administered by Concord Copyrights

All Rights on behalf of Downtown DMP Songs, Downtown DLJ Songs, 2 3 1 1 1 2 3
Stephaniesays Music and White Bull Music Group Administered by Downtown
Music Publishing LLC
All Rights on behalf of WARNER-BARHAM MUSIC LLC (BMI) Administered by 4 2
SONGS OF UNIVERSAL, INC. (BMI)
All Rights on behalf of WARNER-OLIVE MUSIC, LLC (ASCAP) Administered by 3 4
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP (ASCAP)
All Rights on behalf of IMAGEM MUSIC BV (BUMA) and SONGS OF ZELIG (BMI)
Administered by SONGS OF IMAGEM MUSIC (BMI)
Used by permission of Hal Leonard Europe Ltd and ALFRED PUBLISHING, LLC
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Am/G Bm A

BACKING TRACK (TRACK 44)
This song comes with a backing track (minus guitar) on
your CD. Simply insert the disc in your player, press play
and jam along, guitaraoke style!
LADY GAGA & BRADLEY COOPER/ SHALLOW
SONG SHEET
Shallow
Verse 1 Verse 2 Chorus
Em7 D/F# G Em7 D/F# G Am Am/G D/F#
Tell me somethin’ girl Tell me somethin’ boy In the sha-ha, sha-la-low
C G D C G D G D Em
Are you happy in this modern world? Aren’t you tired tryin’ to fill that void In the sha – sha-la, la-la-low
Em7 D/F# G Em7 D/F# G Am Am/G D/F#
Or do you need more? Or do you need more? In the sha-ha, sha-ha-low
C G D C G D G D Em
Is there somethin’ else you’re searchin’ for? Ain’t it hard keeping it so hardcore? We’re far from the shallow now
Repeat refrain
Refrain Bridge
Em7 D/F# G Bm D
I’m fall - ing Pre-chorus Oh, ha – ah – aah – ah
C G D Am D/F# A Em7
In all the good times I find myself I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in Aah, ha – ah – ah – ah – aah
Em7 D/F# G G D Em Bm D A
Longin’ for change I’ll never meet the ground Oh, ah, ha – ah – ah – ah – aa-aah
C G D Am D/F#
And in the bad times I fear myself Crash through the surface, where they can’t hurt us
G D Em (Repeat pre-chorus 89
Em7 / D/F# / G / / / x2 We’re far from the shallow now
& chorus)
LADY GAGA & BRADLEY COOPER SHALLOW Intro TRACK 44
q = 98
Fine D.C. al Fine
D/F #
j j
Em7 G C Cadd 9 G D 3
#4 œ œ œœ ww œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
& 4 œ œ j œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ
œ œ w œ œ œ
œ
let ring throughout
0 0 2 0
T 3 3 3 3 1 3 3 3 3 3
A 2
0 2 0
5
0 0 0 2
0
2
B 0 2 3 0
3 3
3
p p m i p m m p i m m i p a m p m m a m i
i i i i
p p
Although this part sounds simple it’s quite intricate, requiring you to pick with your thumb (marked p in the tab) and the first three fingers (i, m and a). Watch out for the ‘push’
into the first G chord, where you’ll pinch all three notes simultaneously and time the notes just before beat 1 of bar 2.
LADY GAGA & BRADLEY COOPER SHALLOW Verse TRACK 44
D/F #
j j
Em7
œ
G C G D
# œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
& 44 œ
œ œ j œœ œœ œœ
œ œ œj
œ
J œ œ œ œ œ
œ j œœ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
0:15 œ œ 3
3 0 2 0
T 3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3 3
A 2
0 2 0
0
0 0 0
2
0 2
0
2
B 0 2 3 3
3 3
3
p p a m p i m i p m i p
This verse immediately follows the intro. Essentially it’s the same, following roughly the same chords and timing. Still, it’s worth practising the two sections. Once you get
the small variations down you should find it easier to make up your own fingerpicked ideas around this chord progression.

THE GAS 98
STATION REAL WORLD REVIEWS OF THE

BEST NEW GEAR
Welcome to the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome*)

Station! Every issue, TG scours the market for the
hottest new gear and brings you transparent reviews
that you can trust. From the smallest of accessories
that make your life easier, to big investments such as
brand new guitars, amps and effects pedals – if it’s
90 worth your attention, you’ll find it here!
HOW WE TEST BEST BUY AWARD

TG Best Buy Awards are
reserved for stand-out
CURATION NO SNAKE OIL products that earn a five-star
Our product selection is
driven by our love of gear.
You won’t find us getting
hung up on hokey mythology
rating. This is the best, most
exciting new gear that you 92
need to check out
We select the most exciting or nonsense marketing
products on the market every speak: we aim to bring you
month to bring you opinions bullshit-free opinions on the
you can trust. gear you’re interested in. 090 START ME UP
Five new products to get you started
FACE-VALUE REVIEWS WE CAN’T BE BOUGHT
We’re not gear snobs here at TG review scores are a true
Total Guitar. We judge it on reflection of our experts’ 092 FENDER AMERICAN
whether it looks good, sounds
good and plays well – not by
opinion on the product
they’ve been testing. You’ll BEST FOR… ULTRA SERIES STRATOCASTER
the name on the headstock. never find a rating in our Different guitarists have Is this the pinnacle of what a Fender Strat can be?
different needs. This badge
mag that has been bought
highlights a particular strength
and paid for. that a product has in a TG Test
or Group Test, so you can
096 MOOER GE150
*WHAT IS GAS? REAL WORLD REVIEWS choose what’s best for you
A nicely priced amp-modelling multi-effects
Gear Acquisition Syndrome
is the guitar-player’s We test every product under
never-ending urge to acquire
new gear, irrespective of
the conditions that they were
designed for. For example,
098 MARTIN ROAD SERIES D-12E
A pro quality solid-wood dreadnought at an affordable price
whether they actually need it. if an amp is designed to be
Don’t pretend you don’t played loud, rest assured BEST
have it – we all do!
that we’ll have tested it at
rehearsal/gig volumes!
FOR… 100 TG TEST: MODELLING COMBOS
Next generation top modellers!
SUPERB, A BEST BUY EXCELLENT ABOVE AVERAGE KIT SOME ISSUES POOR
106 AMPLITUBE BRIAN MAY
IK Multimedia’s ultimate rig for Queen tones

GAS STATION
04
01
03
91
02 05
START ME UP!
Five new products to fuel your GAS this month…
BARE KNUCKLE SILO GIBSON PHONE STRYMON IRIDIUM DEAN MARKLEY DOYLE ELECTRO-HARMONIX
RABEA MASSAAD
2 3 ANNIHILATORS 5MM
Gibson has teamed up Strymon’s amp modeller
4 5
with Thalia Collections to focuses on clean-to-
SIGNATURE Dean Markley’s This power amp pedal
1
offer a series of crunch amp textures, with Annihilators – built for produces 2.5 watts and
Bare Knuckle has teamed
handmade cases that cover models of the Fender Deluxe Misfits guitarist Doyle – can be connected directly
up with progsman and
your phone in style, in three Reverb, Vox AC30TB and are designed for rough to an 8-16-ohm speaker
YouTube star Rabea
designs: AAA curly Hawaiian Marshall Plexi, driven by its treatment. The 10-60 gauge cabinet. The controls are
Massaad for the Silo
koa engraved with a Les Paul Matrix Modelling. The amps are set is made of nickel-plated streamlined – there’s a volume
humbucker. Designed by Bare
signature and pearl Gibson logo; adjusted via drive, bass, middle, steel and hand-wound slowly knob and a bright/norm switch
Knuckle MD Tim Mills, Massaad
Indian rosewood with a Gibson treble and level controls, and over a hex core, with the outer that adds top boost/presence
and Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood, the
Holly logo inlay; and Indian promise to go beyond the string wrap maintaining 100% – but the sounds on tap are
Silo boasts “clean and split-coil
rosewood with a mother-of- originals, driven by Strymon’s contact with the core. Dean varied. “You can use the 5MM
tones that are pure, warm, and
pearl Gibson logo inlay. All three analog JFET preamp front end. Markley says the core-to-wrap alone to go from a sparkly clean
full bodied, responding
cases are constructed of There are Nine Impulse ratio makes bending easier and tone to raw bluesy grit or plug a
extremely well to pick dynamics
military-grade polycarbonate Response cabinets, which can provides the physical and tonal dirt/overdrive pedal or preamp
and changes on the volume
and overmoulded with TPU be adjusted via the Iridium’s durability for Doyle’s aggressive into it,” says EHX founder Mike
pot”. The Silo is available in six-,
rubber. There’s also wireless Room control, and you can load playing. Or, as Doyle puts it, “I Matthews. “Turn it up for some
seven- and eight-string
charging support and a variety your own IRs using Strymon’s beat the [expletive] out of them, gnarly grind, or really crank it
iterations, with a range of
of sizes for iPhones. Impulse Manager software. and they don’t break.” and get bathed in distortion.”
finishes. (from £139,
($59 each, gibson.com) (£399, strymon.net) (£6.49, deanmarkley.com) (£59, ehx.com)
bareknucklepickups.co.uk)

T H E GA S
STATION
92

REVIEW
FENDER AMERICAN 1 TRUSS ROD

ADJUSTMENT AT A GLANCE
The Elite series Strats
had a rotary truss rod BODY: Ash
ULTRA SERIES adjuster at the bottom NECK: Maple,

of the neck but modern ‘D’
feedback from users SCALE: 648mm (25.5")
STRATOCASTER
influenced Fender’s FINGERBOARD:
Maple (10-14")
£1859 decision to return
to tradition compound radius
FRETS: 22, medium
1
2
jumbo
Has Fender refined the contemporary S1 SWITCHING
Pressing a subtle
switch on the volume
PICKUPS: 3 x Fender
Ultra Noiseless
Strat to perfection here? control activates S1

switching that adds
Vintage Strat
CONTROLS: 5-position
pickup selector switch,
the neck pickup into
H
series when activated master volume control
ow does a guitar heard that before because the in positions 1, 2 and 3; (with S-1 switch and
company innovate while Ultras are the only Fender Series position 1: bridge and treble bleed), tone 1
protecting the very that has it. While the Elite had a neck, position 2: (neck & middle), tone 2
bridge, middle and (no-load pot)
things people loved C-D profile with 9.5"-14" radius,
neck, position 3: HARDWARE: Bone nut,
about its instruments in this is 10"-14". The idea is it gets 2-point Deluxe
middle and neck
the first place? It can be a fine line flatter as you go up. To us it synchronised vibrato
– remember Gibson’s embrace of doesn’t feel like a deep D profile with pop-in arm,
Robot Tuner models in 2015? and isn’t jarring if you’re used to a Fender Deluxe
rear-locking tuners
Gibson probably wants to forget it C-shape. The radius taper is also CASE: Deluxe moulded
too. Fender is approaching things subtle and that nod to aiding hardshell included
in a more measured way – creating comfort and speed is LEFT HANDED: No
regularly revised lines for its iconic complemented at the back too. FINISHES: Plasma Red
Burst (as reviewed)
models built in Mexican and There’s a sleek ‘Ultra Satin’ 93
Ultraburst (alder),
Corona to suit different budgets finish to the neck and the maple is Texas Tea (alder) Burst,
and tastes. And looking at the nicely toned with bevelled edges to Plasma Red Burst (ash),
specs across the American-made add a played-in familiarity to the Arctic Pearl (alder),
Ultra Series, it’s undoubtedly buttery feel. Go up the neck and Cobra Blue (alder),
Aged Natural (ash)
Fender’s most contemporary. you’re in for a nice surprise. The CONTACT:
Does that make it the pinnacle of curved heel joint and contouring Fender EMEA
what a modern Fender can be too? around it was seen on the Elite Fender.com
THE ULTRAS ARE ESSENTIALLY

A REFRESH OF THE ELITES
First, we need to go back to get before and is something of a
to the future. In 2016 Fender revolution for the Strat design. If
launched the Elite Series, and the you do spend time in the highest
Ultras share a lot of the same ranges of the fretboard this is a big
traits. This series is essentially a selling point because it’s a real
refresh of the Elites with updates success for freer access.
and refinements. And the features Comparing our Ash American
here are significant. Ultra Strat to one of the alder 2
Combined, they suggest this is models finds this to be a little
an instrument for people who play heavier, but it’s about average for a
guitar a lot and need enhanced Strat, weighing in at 8.2lbs, while
tonal versatility and comfort from the Plasma Red Burst is something
their Fender. But that could just as Fender tested on a run of its
well apply to any of us who can Rarities series and it’s vibrantly
afford the entrance fee. The Strat delivered here. The transparent
arguably benefits the most from reflection of the ash grain is
that too. So let’s break down what certainly different and it won’t be
we have here and how it adds up. to some traditionalist tastes, but
The neck profile here is a then, that’s what the Ultra is all
Modern-D – you may not have about to us.

T H E GA S
STATION
The S1 switch makes this
Strat an ultra-versatile
workhorse instrument
Noiselessness
Are these pickups really
single coils?
F
ender’s Ultra Noiseless
pickups make a huge
difference to tackling hum,
but how? Well they’re stacked
single coils. Fender introduced
the idea in 1998 with two single-
coil pickups stacked on top of
each other with the lower there
94 to cancel out interference noise.
ALSO TRY...
The Ultras are technically the
fifth iteration of the design and
by the fourth generation, found
on the Elite series, shielded wire FENDER DELUXE £799
was used for even more effective STRATOCASTER
noise reduction, along with This series offers Noiseless
pickups with a switch
higher output Alnico 5 magnets,
for middle, neck and
replacing the 3rd generation’s bridge pickups in
mix of Alnico 2, 3 and 5 combo position 4, or a
for the Strat’s three pickups. combination of the
Noiseless pickups are not ‘true’ Neck and Bridge
pickups in position 5.
single coils but there’s plenty of
the attack and character here
with a lot less hum.
G&L USA FULLERTON £1399
DELUXE S-500
Another link to Leo Fender
with his Magnetic Field
The S1 Switching found on the Ultra Noiseless pickups (see above) impressive and versatile Strat, and Design pickups, this
Elite Strat before has been have more contemporary fullness that’s the standard we’d expect for USA-made model
simplified. It has different to their punch for us that makes this money to be honest. But the features a mini-toggle
implications across the range for them ideal for rockier, less bluesy balance found here is harder to series switch for
neck and bridge or
Tele, Jazzmaster and HSS Strat but territory too. They’re also as quiet nail; this feels like that old familiar
all three pickups
here it brings the neck pickup into as you’d realistically hope. friend from Leo’s brilliant mind, together.
series with the middle and bridge The volume control itself has a given a very well considered
pickups on positions 1,2 and 3. It treble bleed capacitor to retain high modern overhaul. For that it lives
adds three new voices to the end when rolling off – and Fender up to the Ultra name.
FENDER £1859
already versatile Strat armoury. has even thought of including Rob Laing
AMERICAN ULTRA
Blending the neck adds a bottom- tactile soft touch rubber edges to
STRATOCASTER
end presence that mellows the the knobs here. It’s a great feature
FEATURES HSS
SOUND QUALITY If you need a ’bucker
more trebly end of the Strat for any guitar and highly effective
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY and Ultra specs this

spectrum somewhat. The middle here – especially if you’re offers an S-1 Double
and bridge pickups here aren’t as controlling gain to clean up from BUILD QUALITY
Tap switch for a
spanky as some other ‘Vintage’ the instrument. These tools at your PLAYABILITY single-coil mode.
Strat single coils anyway, and the disposal add up to a really OVERALL RATING

T H E GA S
STATION
96

REVIEW
1 FOOTSWITCHES
Two footswitches
are your lot for cycling
through presets, but
holding the left
activates a built-in
tuner, while keeping
3 your foot on the right
activates the
2 80-second looper
2 SIGNAL CHAIN
These green lights
indicate which
elements of your signal
chain are currently
active – pressing the
mode switch switches
them on or off
3 CONSTRUCTION
Kudos to Mooer:
despite its light weight,
1 1 the whole package
looks sleek and feels
rock-solid, particularly
the smooth-operating
expression pedal
MOOER GE150 £189

Less is Mooer with this nicely priced amp-modelling multi-effects
T
he past two years have tool too, with drum rhythms and via the handy onboard EQ, which 97
seen a radical shift from metronome settings, an aux in is accessible on each patch. AT A GLANCE
Mooer, which has gone jack, and a micro-USB, which This is no downsized GE300,
TYPE: Multi-effects/
from the original even allows you to record direct however, and that becomes amp modeller pedal
purveyor of pocket via your phone. apparent while delving into the CONTROLS: Master,
money-friendly micro pedals All it takes is a quick peruse of effects selection. There’s a value, mode; play, save,
with, ahem, familiar origins to the 200 onboard presets to reasonable selection, but you’re exp, rhythm, tap and
an effects powerhouse in its own confirm that this multi-effects limited in terms of tweaking: system buttons
right, producing some is punching way above its price each effect offers only three or SOCKETS: Input,
astounding flagship devices, tag. While there are half as many four parameters, which limits 2x output, USB,
headphones,
including the GE300 amp models as on the GE300, there your choice when it comes to micro-USB,
modeller/multi-effects. The will be more than enough for modulations. We’d recommend aux in, power
GE150 combines the company’s most players. The clean models avoiding the shonky pitch BYPASS: Buffered
shifter, but the delays and POWER: 9V power
OUR FAVES FROM THE MICRO reverbs are stellar, if a bit vanilla.
If you’re shopping for a new
supply only (included)
CONTACT:
PREAMP RANGE STAND OUT

multi-effects, the GE150 is a Strings & Things
sound choice, particularly if mooeraudio.co.uk
realistic tones and a robust
reputation for value for money – particularly the Mesa Mk3 feature set are more important
with its more recent innovative effort – compress beautifully, to you than soundscaping. You
streak to produce a feature- while the Jazz 120 model is as won’t find better amp-modelled
packed multi-effects comfortably pristine as any recorded tones sounds from any other multi-
below the £200 mark. from the solid-state classic. effects in this price range, and
For the modest outlay, you’re The models that stand out that alone makes this diminutive
getting 55 amp models – derived correspond with our faves from unit worthy of your rig.
from Mooer’s best-selling Micro the Micro Preamp range, so we Michael Astley-Brown
Preamp series, no less – as well quickly found our chug saviours
FEATURES
as a whopping 151 effects. While in the 5150 and Engl Powerball
SOUND QUALITY
the unit packs its own array of sounds, which deliver all the
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY

Impulse Responses, what takes aggression and saturation your

this above and beyond a typical heart could desire, minus the BUILD QUALITY
multi-effects is the ability to add fizz. Any sounds that have a little USABILITY
in your own. It’s a handy practice too much top-end can be tamed OVERALL RATING

T H E GA S
STATION
98

REVIEW
MARTIN ROAD SERIES D-12E 1 FINGERBOARD

Here Martin AT A GLANCE
use Richlite, an
FSC-certified TYPE: Dreadnought
This dreadnought is streets ahead with its sustainable material

that is engineered
from resin and
electro-acoustic
TOP: Solid sitka spruce
BACK AND SIDES:
solid-wood build and Fishman pickup £1149 recycled paper and

looks, feels and
performs uncannily
Solid sapele
NECK: Select
hardwood, Performing
M
like ebony Artist C profile
artin will forever be even be the name on the FINGERBOARD:
an aspirational
acoustic guitar brand
headstock, that sense of feeling
the weight of guitar-making 2 NECK
We might see
some variance across
Richlite
SCALE: 645mm (25.4")
FRETS: 20
but that doesn’t history –Martin, after all, were the
the Road Series but TUNERS: Grover
mean that it first to produce a dreadnought,
hasn’t spared a thought for our naming the shape after the British
these ‘select
hardwood’ necks
2 NUT: Corian
BRIDGE: Richlite
pocketbooks in recent years. We battleship. But most likely it’ll be will all be crafted with drop-in
have seen the X Series use high- the tone and feel that will get you. from eco-friendly, GraphTech Tusq
quality tonewoods compensated saddle
pressure laminate builds to keep Meeting any gigging player’s
ELECTRICS: Fishman
3
prices south of a grand, and the LX brief, the D-12E comes across as a FISHMAN MX-T MX-T with active
Series, aka Little Martin, offering do-everything acoustic, with a The amplified onboard preamp and
affordable, travel-sized guitars. bright but balanced voice that’s as signal is muted and a tuner, volume and
The Road Series was introduced in suited to flat-picking and small but bright LED tone controls
a similar fiscally conscious spirit. strumming as it is to finger-
display in the
soundhole illuminates
1 FINISH: Gloss
CONTACT:
Built in Martin’s plant in Navojoa, picking. It features the non- when using the martinguitar.com /
Mexico, and featuring solid-wood scalloped X bracing pattern that onboard tuner 0844 326 2000
builds of sitka, sapele and koa, Martin uses on its acoustics with
with Fishman MX-T electronics dovetail neck joints, the pattern
throughout, the Road Series is allowing the top to really resonate, 99
positioned as a pro-quality range while the onboard Fishman MX-T
for gigging musicians whose pickup/preamp system does a
appearance fee can’t quite stretch great job in amplifying the D-12E
to Martin’s US-built models, without stepping on its voice.
which, if we are honest, is most Volume and tone controls are
THE WAFT OF LUXURY MAY

WELL OVERPOWER THE SENSES 3
of us. But there is no acoustic neatly hidden in the soundhole, as
such as Martin’s Road Series is the onboard tuner.
D-12E dreadnought for an Elsewhere, the D-12E has
entry-level instrument. vintage-style open-gear Grover
Oh, my! When you pluck the tuners, a black pickguard, black
D-12E dreadnought from its binding on the body and neck, and
deluxe soft-shell case, the waft of ‘Style 28’ multi-stripe rosette and
luxury may well overpower the ‘Style 18’ purfling on the back. It
senses. It might be the D-12E’s looks great, feels premium. Using
high-gloss finish that does it, solid wood in its build means the
immaculately applied across its D-12E will only sound better with
solid sitka spruce top, and age, as the oils and resins dry out
exquisite sapele back and sides. over age. But hey, it sounds pretty
Others in the Road Series use gloss darn sweet already.
and satin finishes in a variety of Jonathan Horsley
combinations. The satin-smooth
FEATURES
finish on the hand-rubbed
SOUND QUALITY
C-profile ‘Performing Artist’ neck,
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY

which is substantial enough

without ever feeling clubby, ideal BUILD QUALITY
for fretting chords, may also give PLAYABILITY
one pause to gasp. Or it might OVERALL RATING

T H E GA S
STATION
PORTABLE
DIGITAL AMPS
As the gap between digital and valves begins to close even
further, TG gets its hands on a quartet of brand new models
Words: Jonathan Horsley / Photography Olly Curtis
100

THE TG TEST
L
et’s face it: guitarists love valves. their hearing loss and back problems while
From the minute you first started they do. But, joking aside, the tones produced
honking your guitar through a by digital amps are now so convincingly
little solid-state practice amp, valve-like that the benefits of lighter units
you’ve dreamed of owning a ‘real’ and more manageable perceived volumes, plus
amp, with glass bottles glowing a whole range of benefits such as recording,
hot and bursting forth with even effects and memory banks are all major
harmonic distortion. Well, that conveniences to would-be digital converts.
might have been the case for many of us, That’s what this month’s test is all about -
but in the last decade, modelling and digital can we get the kind of guitar tones at home,
technology has continued to improve, to on stage or in a recording environment that
where we are now at a point of difficult debate. will appease that valve itch? Boss, Blackstar,
Purists will tell you that there’s no substitute Fender and Yamaha all seem to think we can,
for a valve amp. They’ll probably tell you about so let’s find out...
101

T H E GA S
STATION
BOSS KATANA £237 BLACKSTAR £369

50 MK II SILVERLINE STANDARD
Who gives you extra? Grey’s amp anatomy
Katana? I’ve heard of these before… OK, it says Blackstar, but it’s silver…
Yes, and Boss recently released the MK II versions of its popular Yep. The visuals are a radical departure from the all-black designs
modelling amps. This is the smallest of the range. The name of the we’re used to from Blackstar. They set the Silverline apart from
game here is “more” compared with the original Katanas: twice as hulking valve heavyweights like the Series One and HT Venue
many amp models (10 vs five), extra effects, and a new ‘power amp valve amps. We think it looks classy from the off.
input’ for running other effects into the power amp stage.
Enough about the looks: what’s under the hood?
So it does quite a lot, then? The Silverline range features five different models. The Standard we
On paper, it’s one of the best-equipped amps on test. The Katana have here is a 20-watt, 1x10 combo. Blackstar loves to include
MKII comes with cab-emulated outputs over USB and an analogue patented methods of achieving ‘the sound in your head’, and the
102
output, so if you want to record or send a direct feed to a PA it gives Silverline is a continuation of its TVP (True Valve Power) technology.
you the sound of a mic’d cab, with three different voicings on offer. The idea is to bring high-end valve tone to a digital product, centred
The Katana can work as an audio interface over USB for recording; around two main areas of the amp: the pre-amp voicing, which is
the USB socket doubles as a gateway to Boss’ Tone Central patch switchable from clean to heavy distortion through six selectable
resource and Tone Studio editor. voices; and the power amp responses, which offer six different
selections based on popular power amp valves.
You mentioned effects?
The Katana offers the most variation when it comes to effects in What else does it do?
this group, with everything from classic Boss chorus to T-Wah There are effects by way of three independent selected engines
(autowah), an octaver, pedal-controlled pitch bend among others. (Mod, Delay, Reverb), an emulated output/headphone socket, plus
What’s more, you can run up to five effects simultaneously. a line-in for jamming to music from your phone or other sources.
AT A GLANCE AT A GLANCE
TYPE: Digital modelling amp TYPE: Digital modelling amp
POWER: 50 watts Power: 20 watts
KEY FEATURES: 10 amp models, 15 KEY FEATURES: True Valve Power
effects (60 via editor), USB recording, technology, six preamp voices, six valve
power amp input, out power level responses, 12 effects,
control, USB recording/re-amping
CONTACT: Roland UK GBI 01792 702701 CONTACT: Blackstar Amplification
www.roland.com 01604 817817
www.blackstaramps.com

THE TG TEST
FENDER TONE MASTER £869 YAMAHA £536

DELUXE REVERB THR30II
Vintage goes modern Home is where the THR is…
Wait, that looks like a Fender Deluxe! This one looks different to the others…
Well-spotted. While other digital amps in this test are packed with That’s because it is. It’s been a while since Yamaha first released the
classic amp models, the Fender Tone Master has its sights set THR series - marketed as the ‘third amp’. Many guitarists have their
squarely on one objective: to faithfully recreate one of the most main gigging amp and a smaller amp for rehearsals and small
iconic amps of all time in a digital format. It looks just like its valve venues, but nothing that can sit neatly in the front room. The THR
parent on first sight, is roughly half the weight of a valve Deluxe has certainly been popular thanks to its small size, appealing looks
and features no screens, menus or indicator lights. and ear-pleasing tones. The MKII version continues on this path.
So is it quite limited, then? So it’s not for gigging, then?

It might not have oodles of amps and effects, but the focus here is Yamaha’s THR Head series is your place to look for fully giggable
103
on nailing the tone and weight of a known quantity. Amp fans know amps, and the THR II line up is definitely more suited to using at
that the Deluxe is famed for its versatility, so as well as those sparkly home. That said, it does include an emulated output, so on-stage
clean tones, all-important tremolo circuit and reverb effects, it’s use isn’t out of the question. The 30W model we have here includes
possible to get rich-sounding overdrives from the Deluxe too. You wireless functionality for your guitar - a built-in receiver for a Line 6
have two channels (just like the original); normal and vibrato, both Relay transmitter (not included), a rechargeable battery that lasts
with hi/lo inputs so you can tailor it to the output of your guitar. around five hours, and remote app control.
How has Fender made the amp so light? What about the sounds?
The Tone Master uses a 100-watt digital power amp to recreate Hidden under the five-way Amp selector switch are three variations
the output power and response of the original, which reduces the (Classic, Modern and Boutique), so you get 15 guitar amps in total,
weight significantly. ranging from clean and vintage to saturated high-gain.
AT A GLANCE AT A GLANCE
TYPE: Digital modelling amp TYPE: Digital modelling amp
POWER: 100 watts POWER: 30 watts
KEY FEATURES: Hi/Low inouts, Normal/ KEY FEATURES: 15 amp models, 3 bass
Vibrato channel, adjustable output amp models, 3 acoustic models,
power, lightweight Jensen N-12K 8 effects, USB recording, Bluetooth,
speaker, emulated line-out Line 6 Relay wireless integration
CONTACT: Fender GBI 0845 305 1122 CONTACT: Yamaha Music Europe 0344
www.fender.com 811 1116 uk.yamaha.com

THE TG TEST
The visuals are a
HEAD TO HEAD
radical departure
from the all-black
designs we’re used
to from Blackstar
With effects galore from
each, it’s all about the tone
W
ith so many models and features
on offer here, the choice is less
about the quality of the sounds
and build, and more to do with
the application you’ll be using it
for. We’ll start by saying that all of these amps
sound great, and with the number of tonal
variations on offer for most, there’s an almost
overwhelming amount of tinkering to be done.
The Blackstar, Yamaha and Boss all offer a
wide variety of sounds and effects across the
board. We liked the smooth, rich overdrives
of the Blackstar as we upped the gain, and the
little Yamaha pumps out some beautifully lush
reverbs. Of course, tweaking is optional, and
one of the criticisms of digital amps is that they
offer so many options that it’s easy to become
distracted rather than actually playing! That’s
where the Fender Tone Master excels, offering a
unique take on digital technology within this
104 group: if you’re a technophobe and the thought
of not being able to see what is going on with
THERE’S AN ALMOST
OVERWHELMING
AMOUNT OF TINKERING
TO BE DONE
your tone bothers you, the Fender is a perfect
choice. We were taken by its ability to recreate
reverb- and trem-drenched cleans with such
an ‘organic’ feel, while also offering punchy The name of the
blues/Americana overdrives. game here is “more”
Blackstar’s Silverline Standard and the Boss compared with the
Katana are the most closely related in terms original Katanas
of size and features here. Both offer plenty of
options, additional connectivity and editing,
and it’s the one face-off within the four that
comes down to sound. To our ears, the Katana
is voiced brighter than the Silverline Standard,
with a marked bass roll-off that is noticeable
both ‘in the air’ and through the floor when we
plugged into the Boss. That said, the Boss Tone
Studio offers cabinet resonance control (instead
of a panel knob), so there is plenty of tweaking
to the low-end response on offer: you just have
to connect to a computer and save it. We’d
suggest hyping the resonance, then using the
bass control to remove what you don’t need,
to avoid constant computer hook-ups.

T H E GA S
STATION
FINAL VERDICT
Digital amps have come into their own
T
o anyone still exclusively eyeing The Yamaha’s updated features make it the with some additional pedals, it will cover
up valve amps for their next obvious choice for convenience and speedy more ground than the indie/blues/classic
investment, we say: take a look at practice if you’re not gigging, leaving nothing rock sounds you’d expect. Finally, the
these four. They really are all that between you and getting going. Meanwhile, Katana excels – in particular for its diverse
good. With every one of these lines Blackstar’s Silverline is our pick if you’re range of effects and value for money.
offering alternative models except the looking to bridge the gap between using the So, valves vs digital? We’re starting to
Yamaha (although we’d be surprised if an amp at home for practice or recording as well believe it’s irrelevant for many situations:
update to the THR head doesn’t come soon), as on stage. Fender’s Tone Master is our the real verdict is that convenience matched
you’ll be hard-pushed not to find an amp definite choice for simplicity, plus the with tone has never been as good as this. Just
that can be used for your purpose. authentic tone and feel of the original, and choose the right weapon for your battle.
1 BOSS KATANA 50 MK II 2 BLACKSTAR SILVERLINE STANDARD
105
BEST FOR BEST ALL-
VALUE ROUNDER
3 FENDER TONE MASTER DELUXE REVERB 4 YAMAHA THR30II
BEST FOR
PURISTS
BEST FOR
HOME
1 2 3 4
FEATURES FEATURES FEATURES FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY SOUND QUALITY SOUND QUALITY SOUND QUALITY
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY VALUE FOR MONEY VALUE FOR MONEY VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY BUILD QUALITY BUILD QUALITY BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY USABILITY USABILITY USABILITY
OVERALL RATING OVERALL RATING OVERALL RATING OVERALL RATING

T H E GA S
STATION
HEAR IT!
We recorded this month’s
Classic Track, Now
I’m Here, with our Red
Special guitar through
AmpliTube Brian May
106
AMPLITUBE BRIAN MAY £103

Sheer tone attack! IK Multimedia open the palace doors to Queen’s throne room
B
rian May’s tones have The next ingredient is IK’s treble in the crown is IK’s ‘Deacy’ amp
been the stuff of legend booster based on the KAT Brian – based on a six-inch radio AT A GLANCE
since the 70s and now uses to add gain and tighten up the speaker modified by John Deacon. AMPS:
you can have them all at low end of his tone. A nifty Originally powered by a 9v battery, BM 30 Vox AC30
your fingertips in IK 70s/80s/90s switch ensures your the tone changed depending how BM DK modified radio
Multimedia’s new AmpliTube tone is era-correct. To add more much charge was left. Amazingly,
CABINETS:
signature model pack. Don’t have magic we have two effect pedals, IK has included a ‘battery power’ 2x12 BM 30 Blue
a Brian May guitar? No problem, the ‘May Wah’ and ‘FOX Phaser’, control for authentic tonal tweaks 2x12 BM 30 H70
thanks to the genius-like and finally the ‘Star Gate’ noise in Good Company and Bijou. 1x6 BM DK ‘Deacy’
inclusion of IK’s ‘Red Special’ gate which cleans everything up. This ultimate Brian May rig is
STOMPBOXES:
stompbox which simulates Brian’s Amp-wise, IK’s suite contains user friendly and the presets cover Red Special
guitar. First select whether your the two main models Brian has all the iconic Queen tones. You’ll guitar simulator
guitar is single coil or humbucking used for his entire Queen career. need AmpliTube 4 too, but apart Treble Booster
– then let AmpliTube do the rest. We have a Vox AC30, which from that, IK Multimedia has May Wah
FOX Phaser
Each of the virtual ‘Tri-Sonic’ supplies Brian’s main rhythm and delivered the works! Star Gate
pickups has an on/off knob as well lead sounds and can be used in Charlie Griffiths
as a phase switch, giving you all of mono or in a three-speaker ‘wet
FEATURES
May’s own sonic permutations. dry wet’ stereo setup. But the jewel
SOUND QUALITY
WE HAVE THE ‘MAY WAH’ AND

SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY

BUILD QUALITY
‘FOX PHASER’ EFFECT PEDALS

USABILITY
OVERALL RATING

T H E GA S
STATION
FIX YOUR GUITAR
SETTING A LOCKING
108
NUT’S HEIGHT bonu

s!
This gu
you ho ide shows
w
nut tha to deal with a
Fine-tune the action once and for all at the less obvious t’s too
one tha high
t’s too and
low
end of the neck with this awesome guide
Words: Jack Ellis
T
he locking nut is annoyance! Being as this
integral to the high will be set for life let’s take
performance tremolo care to do this properly and it
system – it removes will be a small but important
the non playing part of each victory that you can reap the
string from the equation by rewards from!
locking it down. This Floyd Set a nut too low and it will
Rose one is the most buzz on 1st fret; set too high
commonplace but it’s also and it’s hard work and
quite common to see the nut intonates out of tune.
MEET YOUR EXPERT
height set wrong – often by Adjusting takes a couple of Jack Ellis runs Jack’s
the factory. We figure it must specialised tools and some WHAT YOU NEED Instrument Services
PH1 Screwdriver Specialised sanding Tin snips (for from his workshop in
be too fiddly for the regular careful measuring but can get 2.5, 3 and 4mm block (faced with creating shims) Manchester. In his career
assembly line to get it right you the comfortable action allen keys 120 grit sandpaper) Beer can (brill shim he has worked on
thousands of instruments,
each time so they err on the you so desperately crave. After Feeler gauge Capos x2 material!) from simple fixes and
high side each time. all, setting the nut height is Fresh strings Tuner upgrades, to complete
Mankind has not come this just as important as setting
String winder Wooden strip (for SKILL LEVEL rebuilds. For more info, see:
String cutters blocking the bridge) Medium www.jacksinstrument
far to put up with that minor the bridge height… services.co.uk

T H E GA S
STATION
1 Let’s get to work – string up your guitar with a fresh set of strings. It’s not a good
idea to set up anything around old worn strings, especially if they have bends or
kinks in them! You don’t need the locking clamps around at the moment so stash
2 As a Floyd Rose veteran I don’t need to tell you about the woes of tuning this
system up. Let’s do ourselves a favour and block the bridge off temporarily. This
trusty piece of wood allows us to get on with repeat tuning and make some progress
them away safely. on addressing the nut height.
109
3 We absolutely cannot adjust nut height unless the truss rod is set. Press on 1st
fret then press down on 15th fret and we’ll use the straight string as a guide to see
how bent forward the neck is. The feeler gauge is put over 8th or 9th fret underneath
4 Stick the capo onto 3rd fret and let’s check the gap over 1st fret. There should be a
clearance of .002" to .006" measured with a feeler gauge. Be sure to accurately
measure each side. We like the high E string to be the lowest and the bass E string to
the string; .007" is the magic clearance. Adjust the truss rod accordingly. have more clearance to allow for a bit of ferocity.
5 The readings from step 4 will determine if you take route A or route B later, but
whichever, get this thing out of the way. We’ll be lifting the strings off so we can
attack under the nut; this string retainer just gets in the way. We’ll put it back on later
6 There are two ways that a locking nut is attached; some are bolted on from the
rear and some are screwed in from the front – the screws hide under the string
clamps. With bolts, take note of the mini washers and star washers that will fall out.
and set the height. Make sure you don’t lose anything!

FIX YOUR GUITAR
7 Great, now we have access to the pad that the nut unit sits on. Based on your
reading in step 4 follow route A if your clearances were too large and follow route B
if your clearances were too small. Do not be tempted to file down the bottom of the
8 Route A Part 1 – initial nut clearance was too large. We’ve made a specialised
sanding block from a piece of Micarta with 120 grit paper double-side taped on.
The width is absolutely key as well as it being 100% flat. The timber bed is hardwood so
metal nut unit – it’s rock hard! it will work slowly at best – that suits us for fine-tuning!
110
9 Route A Part 2 – it’s all about technique. Begin to work the timber with the sanding
block being incredibly careful. You do not want the tool to slip and scratch the
headstock. The hardest thing to get right is to keep parallel and not accidentally round
10 Route B – initial nut clearance was too small. In this case we’ll shim the nut up to
its correct clearance. Thin metal shims should be trapped under the nut to
fine-tune the height. If you don’t have some you can re-purpose a beer can after
off the timber. The bottom of the nut is flat don’t forget. enjoyment using some tin snips. Just be careful as these become lethally sharp.
11 Whether the process took you down route A or B this is the critical part – checking
again and knowing when to stop! The strings must be replaced and fully tuned to
test your nut clearances. Tightening up the nut fastenings helps too and it squishes
12 The nut is set and it’s set for life. This pain-in-the-arse task will not have to be
set again unless you convert to playing slide guitar. Let’s set the string retainer
height. It should be tightened so each string touches the back of the locking nut unit.
down a little. If you need to make a change head back to Route A or B and repeat. This means that when you clamp the string locks back up it doesn’t raise the pitch.

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THE PLAYLIST
The Playlist
and we often begin the set with this one. It’s
a very emotional and luminous song. I also
like to move around on stage and it’s really
heavy and physical to play. When the drums
come in I feel the power on stage.”
The ultimate FM radio song…

Chris Rest from Californian punks Lagwagon details the Wango Tango – Ted Nugent
“I just thought, ‘That guy is just crazy! He’s
musical education that shaped him, from blues to Nuge… all over the place on the guitar.’ It was the
way he was talking like one of those FM DJs,
T
talking so fast and having so much energy.”
he first song I remember…
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer — My guitar students always ask me to
The Beatles teach them this… May 16 — Lagwagon
“My parents were young. I was born “It was on a Tony Hawks skateboarding
in 1967 and they were huge Beatles videogame and that’s how a lot of people
fans. The Beatles were always playing around discovered our band. It’s got some
my house. I remember liking Maxwell’s Silver interesting chords. It’s mostly D major but it
Hammer because of the humour. I always had has this D9 in it, a D major 7, and some
a morbid sense of humour, a sort of Monty chords you wouldn’t expect to hear in a punk
Python, laughing at people getting hurt song. It’s more complicated than you think. I
kinda thing! [Laughs]. My mom said that my think we try to have some substance in our
favourite song when I was very young was a chord progressions.”
song by Donovan called I Love My Shirt.”
The first song I played…

Smoke On The Water — Deep Purple
“It’s kind of a cliché but there was a guy
114 renting a room from my parents and he had
the electric guitar that I first picked up, and
the very first thing I played was the Smoke On
The Water riff, probably on the one string and
in the wrong key. But that was it. If you listen
to that song it’s not just guitar; it’s keyboard, The riff I wish I’d written
too, doubling that riff, and it’s such a strong Back In Black – AC/DC
blues scale riff with that flat-five in there.” “Even though it is not my favourite AC/DC
album that riff is amazing. I love Angus’
The song that got me playing guitar… playing. It’s so pure, and with his vibrato and
I Want You To Want Me – Cheap Trick his energy. He has always been one of my
“It could have been the Cheap Trick At favourite guitar players. I think Highway To
Budokan, that whole album. They were one of Hell might be one of my all-time favourite
my favourite bands for sure when I first albums, front to back, but Back In Black is a
started playing guitar. Before that I was great riff. I wish I had written that song.”
playing drums and piano… So, Cheap Trick,
and The Knack Get The Knack. I wished I had The song that gives me the blues…
an older sibling that could turn me onto Three O’Clock Blues — BB King
great rock albums because I could only “BB King’s vibrato is so awesome and he has
discover music from listening to FM radio. so much feeling. He is one of those people
We got a really good station from Los who the music just flowed out of. This is his
Angeles, the KMET, that my parents essential essence, that approach to major
listened to all the time, so I was blues, mixing major and minor together,
exposed to ZZ Top, Led then mixed with his vibrato and phrasing. He
Zeppelin, AC/DC.” played solos like a vocal.”
The song I enjoy A song for trying out new gear…

playing the A New Level – Pantera
most live… “I love this riff to test palm muting and hear
Immersion how heavy an amp sounds. I also like to play
– Klone an acoustic riff from Opeth’s Damnation.”
“This is a
perfect song Lagwagon’s latest album Railer is out now
to play live on Fat Wreck Chords

9000 9012

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