Guitars, left to right: 1986 MIJ Fender Tele, murdered out by owner, 2013 Squier Bullet Tele, murdered out by factory. I saw a deal on Musician's Friend and couldn't resist. It's a Squier Bullet Telecaster HH Blackout FSR and cost me $150. I was getting a new gig bag (seen in the background) and could not resist. Honestly, I like the look of a maple neck on an all-black body (heavily influenced by Sting's video for "Fortress Around Your Heart" — I should get a black Strat with a big CBS headstock some day) so I've been thinking of getting a maple Squier neck off eBay for it ..read more

I've been curious about getting a guitar synth setup and putting it on a lap steel for a while. This shows me that it'd be everything I'd want and more. The "Crazy Vibrato Opera Singer" patch, if used with single notes and not chords, seems like it'd be all the setup you need to simulate theremin playing. That is, if you're playing it like Clara Rockmore, not Jimmy Page ..read more

My first introduction to the jam band scene was through Col Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. I think I had it on cassette, which was a review copy sent to my student paper. I think. Later I tried Phish and Blues Traveler and such, but I am sure it started with ARU. Certainly some great players came up through them, including Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring. Jam scene patriarch Col. Bruce Hampton died on stage during the final moments of a benefit concert honoring his 70th birthday at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Monday night. Hampton passed out with nearly the entire all-star l ..read more

From Premier Guitar: Most of us have a crystal-clear picture imprinted in our psyches—a stark moment of when our younger, more impressionable selves first heard a recording that blew our minds, and from that point forward, everything would be different. In those moments of discovery, turned obsession, worship, and deep learning, a bold appreciation and respect emerges for someone else’s expression. It’s the personal joy of experiencing art that moves you. In a human existence riddled with many uncertainties, inspiration is something to hold onto. The possibilities are endless with music, and t ..read more

First things first: I've seen suggestions that you drink coffee right before you take a nap, so when naptime is over and your body has metabolized the caffeine, you're energized and ready to go. So, as I sat awake at 1:30 am, knowing that call time was 7:30 am, I started thinking I should've had that cup of coffee right before I crashed, or not at all, instead of at 6 pm. Anyway... Starting at practice. Signal chain is Guitar > Wireless > Pedalboard > D/I Box > Hidden Amp > Mic > PA. Song list starts with slide guitar. I'm not Sonny ..read more

This was a few weekends ago, where I ably backed Greg Jones. I'm the one on the right, hiding behind my hat. You can tell it's me by the murdered-out #1. This was after one rehearsal, and I was really uncomfortable with a lot of the material, so I spent more time looking at my feet, my chord sheets and pedalboard than is good. I'm sure most pics of me that day would look identical to this, with me not looking out at the audience. I need to work on stage presence. Greg plays Americana, and I felt one song really worked with a slap-back guitar, along the lines of Luther Perkins. I can play a ..read more

I don't listen to radio. If I hear new music, it's largely EDM-based or indie rock from Spotify. So, it's a rare thing where the hot new thing on radio hits my ears. This is Sam Hunt. What do I think about it? I'm not a great fan. But, I'm okay with it. Time was, "country" was the barely-changed-from-Scotland-and-Ireland music of Appalachia. That's a big chunk of the Carter Family songbook, but it isn't all. Plenty of their songs end with "Blues" and fit the format. They might not be Blues quite the way that Memphis Minnie might've done it, but they were Blues: 12-bar with AAB rhyme sch ..read more

Greg Koch is the funniest man in music these days, and here he's showing off the new Fluence pickups from Fishman. I couldn't make them sound as good as he does, but he certainly makes a case for them here. I might want a PowerBridge up in there, too ..read more

I didn't just complain on my blog yesterday. I made an Amazon review. A three-star Amazon review. I also got the order ID, registered the Kliq pedal, and submitted a report of faulty gear. They took my address and shipped me a new pedal. In fact, I know it's in town already. We'll see how long the new one lasts, but I have to say their customer service is right on. After a few times playing out, I might revise and extend that Amazon review ..read more

For Christmas, I asked for and received a Kliq TinyTune tuner, which I placed at the end of my pedalboard, taking off the EHX Signal Pad I had used as my mute. There are three things I needed on my board that a tuner pedal provides: Muting. I play in church, so it's play-sermon-play, and I like redundant volume control. I turn down both on the guitar and the volume pedal, but if I forget to turn off dirt, there can be a hum that goes to the amp and can be heard on stage, even if the sound guy routinely mutes those mics. Tuning. Nobody wants to sound out of tune. Verification. There are three ..read more