Since becoming Gibson's CEO in 2023, Cesar Guekian has teased new releases on his Instagram ahead of big reveals. It appears he’s done it again with a post that hints at the return of an oddball late-‘70s build and a new Mesa/Boogie amp.

Guekian's social media posts previously tipped off followers to the re-launch of the Gibson Victory, a forgotten relic from the ‘80s. Just one year earlier, his search through Gibson's archives led to the release of the Theodore, a 1950s design that never materialized.

If the RD is making a return, it will be interesting to see what comes of it. First released in 1977, the model boasted a Firebird-like silhouette with a pointier lower-horn cutaway. Dave Grohl played one during the Foo Fighters’ early days and reportedly tracked the song "Everlong" with it. His ex-Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic previously played the bass version of the RD, and Swedish horror rockers Ghost played RDs in their early days.

Despite boasting some forward-thinking design innovations, the RD's initial launch was underwhelming. Its expansive electronics — the top-of-the-line RD featured active electronics, a switchable bright mode, treble and bass boost, compression and expansion — may have doomed it. Then again, some players might have been put off by its its Fender-like 25 1/2–inch scale length.

Time will tell what, if any, changes Gibson has made to that original recipe, but the fact that the CEO is playing Tool’s "The Pot" in his post suggests it may be a guitar primed for heavy metal rather than shuffling blues numbers.

“This fiddle is really dope,” he exclaims. “I’ve already played it 14 times this month of January 2025 through a two-channel, top-secret Mesa amp solo; without pedals!”

And while it's safe to say Guekian likes reviving models from the past, this could be nothing more than another red herring. Just late last year, fans thought Gibson was about to release a James Hetfield Explorer signature model, only to find it was a one-off for riff-loving actor Jason Momoa.

As for that new amp, it's almost certain the mystery Mesa/Boogie amp is a high-gain creation, given the firm’s history and reputation. Gibson acquired Mesa/ Boogie in 2021 while keeping founder Randall Smith onboard. His expertise was paramount in the return of Gibson’s tube amp offerings, such as the Falcon combo released last year. However, it’s been hinted that founder Smith may have built his last amp as a new Mesa/Boogie era beckons.

We'll know more when NAMM 2025 gets underway on January 23. The annual musical instrument show has been given the go-ahead despite the Los Angeles fires., so it won’t be a long wait to find out the full details.

MESA/Boogie founder Randall Smith has parted ways with Gibson.

Three and a half years ago, the groundbreaking amp builder sold the firm he created in 1969 to Gibson, with the latter company agreeing to keep him on board. An official statement now states that Smith has “completed his time with Gibson as Master Designer and Pioneer of MESA/Boogie.”

Speaking at the time of the acquisition, Randall Smith said: “As we witnessed JC [James Curleigh] and Cesar transform Gibson, we saw kindred spirits sharing common values and a fierce dedication to quality. Today, Gibson’s guitars are the best ever and when they asked if we’d like to become Gibson’s Custom Shop for amplifiers, we envisioned a perfect collaboration that would expand our outreach while preserving our legacy beyond my time.”

Shortly after the news of the change in ownership landed, Gibson revealed it was working on a new line of amplifiers with Smith, but curbed excitement by admitting that they would “take a while” to see the light of day.

During his time with Gibson, Smith played a key role in reviving its long-forgotten Falcon combo amps, which released earlier this year to rave reviews. A Guitar Player review called the amps “Lush, evocative, and a ton of fun to play with” adding that they “set a new bar for low-power tone.”

Yet all that excitement has dampened at the news of Smith’s departure – and raises question marks over why this separation has happened – as well as what will happen next. Will Smith, now 78 years old, simply retire, or are there new tonal adventures on his horizon? Although Smith's statement back in 2021 does hint that his time with Gibson wouldn't last forever.

The Mesa brand is famed for being the original boutique amplifier company, with Smith starting out repairing and modifying vintage amplifiers. Throughout his 55-year career, Smith made huge innovations that have permanently reshaped the industry.

Those innovations included modifications that gave small amps more input gain – and therefore, more volume – as well as crafting an all-new high gain distorted guitar tone with the Dual Rectifier, that has since featured on countless classic records.

Al DiMeola, John Petrucci, Andy Timmons, Bootsy Collins, and Andy Summers are just some of the firm's high-profile advocates.

Tutelage was a key part of Smith’s role as the head of MESA/Boogie. Its artisans are tenured with an average of 15 years in post, with many sticking around for much longer, learning directly from Smith. Gibson has recognized this and says it is well-placed to move forward, even in the absence of the master amp builder.

“Randy has positioned his legacy to be carried forward through the MESA/Boogie team's continued commitment to quality and tone,” the official statement continues. “For the last two decades [he] has been training the next generation of MESA/Boogie designers.”

Gibson CEO, Cesar Gueikian, thanked Smith for his “pioneering insights, design, and trust in Gibson.

“Randy’s DNA will always be present, and over the last few decades he has trained the new generation of designers that have been leading the way for Gibson and MESA/Boogie amps,” he continues.

“As we evolve our Gibson Amps collection, including our Gibson and MESA/Boogie brands, Randy, and his original design ideas, will continue to inspire us to make the best and highest quality amplifiers we’ve ever made.”

“We’ve all talked about this day and have prepared for it in many ways over the years, but Randall Smith is a ‘force of nature,’ and you can’t imagine it coming to fruition,” adds Doug West, Director of R&D at MESA/Boogie.

“Randy leaves us in good stead to carry on his legacy and tradition of excellence. With our respect for him and our shared love for what Gibson and MESA/Boogie represent to music, Randy can bask in the contentment of knowing he has spread tone and joy the world over with his creations and that his contributions to music have made an indelible mark on generations, and the sound of electric guitar and bass over the last 55 years.”

Smith had hinted that the MESA/Boogie Mark VII combo amp, which dropped last year, could be the last amp he ever designs, adding greater weight to the theory that Smith never intended to stay within the Gibson-led Mesa/Boogie era for long.

At the time, GP’s Art Thompson mused on the idea of it being the last Smith-sculpted amplifier, saying: “While it’s anyone’s guess if that actually turns out to be the case, the Mark VII is a stunning achievement.”

Perhaps then, Smith's intention was always to bow out gracefully, having helped oversee Gibson's takeover, leaving the future of MESA/Boogie in the hands of those who have spent decades working by his side. Whether anyone within the merged companies felt he'd depart so soon after the takeover remains to be seen.

The real reason for the split may never surface, but it will be interesting to see how matters develop from here. It isn’t exactly hyperbole on Gibson’s part to say that it has the know-how to continue in Smith’s wake considering his reputation for training his colleagues, but his absence is sure to be felt nevertheless.

If you’re in the market for a serious, high-end guitar amp, then this Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend has big savings on some of the hottest amps right now.

Sweetwater has taken $1,000 off of its JVM410H 100-watt 4-channel tube head.  Guitar Center has a 15% off coupon on Bad Cat's Jet Black combo amp, a model that literally came out this week.  And there’s 300 bucks off Universal Audio’s OX Reactive Amp Attenuator, the ​​Blackstar HT Club 40 MkII, $330 off the MESA/Boogie Mini Rectifier 25 and much more. We've rounded up the best deals below. This Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend (Note to leaders of commerce: can someone come up with a better name for this? Get your best people on it, yeah? Thanks) is seriously threatening our wallets and our hearing. 

Don't see anything you like? Then have a look in our guide to the best guitar amps of 2023. Looking for an amp that's not going to break the bank? Here's our guide to the best amps under $500. And don't forget to check out our deals hub for the best Cyber Monday deals.

As the most comprehensive and flexible amplifier in Mesa/Boogie’s line, the new Mark VII expands on the Mark V’s impressive tonal capabilities to become what Mesa calls its simplest to navigate, most versatile and smallest Mark series 90-watt amp ever.

The 1x12 combo version we received for this review (also available in head and rack-mount formats) is powered by four 6L6s running in Simul-Class and features a three-channel, nine-mode preamp that is intuitive to navigate via three identical sets of controls – gain, master, presence, treble, mid and bass – and a trio of mode switches: Clean, Fat and Crunch for channel one; Fat, Crunch and Mark VII for channel two; and Mark IIB, Mark IIC and Mark IV for channel three.

Each channel also has a two-position switch labeled EQ/O/FS – the upper position selects the five-band graphic EQ; the lower position is the EQ off/foot switch – and a three-position switch that selects 90-, 45- or 25-watt operation.

Continuing across the front panel are three vertically stacked reverb-level controls (one per channel), the channel-assignable five-band graphic EQ, and another three switches: a three-position for channel-select, a two-position for the FX loop (on, off/foot switch) and another two-position for reverb (on, off/foot switch).

On the back side is the CabClone IR DI direct interface, which provides eight Boogie speaker cabinet emulations in open- and closed-back configuration that are independently assignable to the channels.

The controls here consist of three Cab Select knobs, an input control with a “clip” LED ladder and an output control. An XLR out facilitates connecting to a mixing console or recording interface, and there’s a ¼-inch line out for sending a dry signal to an external IR reader, a recording interface for re-amping or any other application where cabinet simulation is not needed.

Other details include a ground-lift switch, a USB port, and a ¼-inch stereo headphone out for silent practicing or monitoring the direct feed.

The Mark VII is also MIDI controllable for channel and switching functions and sports thru/out and in jacks.

Lastly, there are two four-ohm and two eight-ohm outs to accommodate single and multiple speaker cabs ranging from four to 16 ohms, send and return jacks for the series FX loop, a bias switch for 6L6 or EL34 operation, and a five-pin jack to connect the included six-button foot switch for channel select and reverb, FX loop and graphic EQ on/off.

Now if you’re curious as to why Mesa skipped over a Mark VI in the evolution of the series, they didn’t. Rather, the VI existed in prototype form and became a test bed for developing two new tone circuits specifically for the Mark VII: the IIB mode in channel three and the new VII mode in channel two, which brings a high-gain British-influenced flavor into the mix, giving players more options for lead and heavy rhythm sounds.

“I dreamed that one up one morning when I designed the circuit and chassis layout back in 2018,” Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith explains to Guitar Player. “It later became the basis for the [Rectifier] Badlander that John Marshall and Doug West did. It shifts the tone stack to the back, where it’s located in Marshall, tweed Fender and Rectifier amps, and that was the inspiration for the Mark VII mode.

“Then we duplicated the Fat and Crunch modes on channels one and two, because they’re so expansive by themselves. A lot of guys wanted two different settings of those modes, so now they’ve got the option of having, say, Fat, Fat and Mark IIB, or Clean, Crunch and any of the other high-gain modes.”

The inclusion of the Mark IIB lead circuit is noteworthy because adding this oft-requested Boogie amplifier as a mode on channel three addresses players who wanted a tone circuit that allows the guitar’s character to shine through more clearly on high-gain settings, as compared to the more saturated response of the Mark IIC mode. This was apparent when playing a Strat, a Les Paul Junior with a P-90 and a Les Paul ’59 Historic though IIB mode with the gain cranked, as there was no masking whatsoever of those guitars’ distinct sounds.

It’s definitely cool for blues and rock, where its gutsy, touch-responsive grind is killer for solos and slide licks, and should be appreciated by those who might find the IIC mode’s aggressive, ’80s-shred demeanor a bit over-the-top in some situations.

Rounding out channel three is the Mark IV mode, a perennial favorite for its smooth distortion and easy-playing feel – although activating the graphic EQ with a “V” curve can bring it right into the shred-metal zone too.

So between the high-gain choices on channel three, plus the new Mark VII mode, there are options aplenty for finding your ideal lead and dirty rhythm tones, not to mention total flexibility to how the channels are arranged. For example, reserve channels one and two for Clean and Crunch tones, and use channel three’s IIC or IV modes for a wicked lead sound; or use channel one for Clean, channel three on Mark IIB for gritty rhythm and channel two on Mark VII mode for lead. The possibilities are enormous for setting up channels and modes to suit your needs.

Something noticeable right away, no matter what mode you’re running, is how clear and present the Mark VII sounds when you slather on the grind, and how responsive it is to picking attack and changes in guitar volume. Since these tend to be characteristics we attribute to relatively straightforward vintage amps, there does seem to be a “less is more” element at work in the Mark VII’s reduced tube count – specifically five 12AX7s instead of the seven used in the Mark V.

As Smith explains, “I wanted to focus completely on unadulterated tonal impact, and, to that end, the output control and the Solo function [found on the Mark V], useful features as they are, did reduce that tonal impact somewhat because of the extra tube stage and the attenuation that occurs through the controls and all that. So if that feature is vitally important to someone, they can still get a Mark V and enjoy it, but I think the time was right to change it.”

At just 18 ½ inches wide, 17 inches tall and 11 inches deep, the Mark VII is very compact, although its weight of 56-plus pounds – much of it due to the large transformers and ceramic-magnet Celestion Black Shadow C90 12 – makes you appreciate that casters are included for easier transport. The black covering and matching grille give the amp a clean and purposeful look, and the intuitive arrangement of the knobs and switches belies the depth of the circuitry housed within its densely packed aluminum chassis.

Mesa amps are still built largely by hand in Petaluma, California – Gibson’s acquisition in 2021 didn’t change that, and if anything there’s been a production benefit to the partnership. “Gibson upgraded our production equipment so each component is further tested before assembly,” Smith notes. “Plus, the VII’s design is superior to the Mark V thanks to 12 more years of experience doing what is truly my art form.

“So in addition to our visual inspection, which we’ve always done, we now have optical inspection equipment that does a super-high-resolution photo comparison of each side of the circuit board. And if anything isn’t right, it flags it. And apparently it’s not finding anything! There are 710 parts in the circuit board, and every circuit has to be bulletproof. Now bear in mind, we’ve been doing this for 50 years, so the idea of a multi-mode, multi-channel amplifier isn’t new to us. But with that high parts count and the new assembly machinery that measures every component prior to being stuffed into the board, that’s pretty freakin’ great.”

Given the complexities involved in putting a selection of “greatest hits” Mesa amplifier circuits at your fingertips, the Mark VII is very easy to use. Select the modes you want to foot-switch between, adjust gain and volume levels, and tweak things for single-coils or humbuckers with the well-voiced tone controls.

The VII mode worked great for lead and dirty rhythm, so I used it constantly and just toggled between Crunch on channel one and either Mark IIB or Mark IV on channel three for a selection of tones ranging from gritty clean to super-sustaining.

It was also fun to elicit some small-amp vibe by using the 25-watt setting on channel one, which reconfigures the two inner power tubes to Class A triode. It’s still plenty loud, thanks to the hefty transformers and high voltages, but this low-wattage setting sounded cool when using the Clean or Fat modes to cop a Vox or Matchless vibe. For added realism, swapping in a set of EL34s let the Mark VII sound even closer to a Matchless Chieftain combo used for comparison.

In contrast, the 45-watt setting rewires the inner power tubes to Class A pentode, yielding a brighter tone with a somewhat looser low end and more upper-midrange sparkle. It’s cool for Americana, blues and roots styles, where its quick segue into clipping was reminiscent of playing through a medium-power tweed-leaning amp, like a Victoria Double Deluxe.

Overall, the 90-watt Simul-Class setting is where the Mark VII remained for most of my testing, because it just sounds good. Mesa introduced Simul-Class in the 1980s with the Mark IIB. It utilizes all four power tubes – the outside pair in Class AB and the inside pair in Class A – combining the respective efficiency and tonal advantages of these operating classes to yield a dynamic, touch-sensitive and high-headroom response that’s tempting to leave on, regardless of the tones you’re chasing.

The Mark VII sounds very detailed and authoritative when the volume is cranked up (credit the beefy Celestion Black Shadow for its role here), but you don’t necessarily have to be that loud onstage thanks to the CabClone IR direct interface (previously available only on the Rectifier Badlander), which provides a convenient way of DI-ing amp tones via IR responses of eight closed-and open-back Mesa Rectifier and Boogie speaker cabinets, which are selected with an eight-position rotary switch for each channel.

Even better, the CabClone’s built-in reactive load lets you enjoy the dynamic playing feel of the amp’s full output stage (even with no speaker connected), making it handy for live use or silent recording.

The Mark VII’s onboard assortment of Mesa cab IRs facilitate good tones in situations where it’s not practical or desirable to plug into cabinets, and the options here are mind-blowing when you consider that each channel can be independently configured to suit your tastes – say a Recto 4x12 with Celestion V30s for lead, a Lone Star 1x12 or 2x12 with proprietary Celestion C90s for dirty rhythm, and a California Tweed 23 1x12 with a Jensen 100-watt Alnico Blackbird for a vibey clean tone.

The system also supports third-party IRs, so the sky’s the limit. Manipulating files requires connecting to a computer (Mac or PC) via USB, and the processor can hold hundreds of IRs in the Cab Library that can be dragged into any of the eight preset locations on the amp’s channels for a customizable set of cabinet choices.

Adding to the enjoyment of CabClone IR is the stereo headphone output, which employs all of these cabinet choices to provide a very satisfying experience. You need to unplug the speaker for silent practicing (Mesa recommends keeping the channel-master levels below 11 o’ clock when speakers are disconnected), and with some delay added in the FX loop from a pedal or processor you can get lost in playing with all the tone and feel of the amp’s response.

In all, the Mark VII – ironically introduced as Randall Smith himself hits 77 – is an impressive feat of engineering that delivers an astonishing array of choices for summoning pristine clean to wickedly overdriven sounds and all points in between.

Smith has hinted it’s the last Mark amp he’ll design, and while it’s anyone’s guess if that actually turns out to be the case, the Mark VII is a stunning achievement and a tribute to Smith’s five decades of dedication to developing ultimate tone tools for guitarists.

Visit Mesa/Boogie for more information.

Every now and then, a bona fide classic amp will be plucked from a cupboard, attic or garage and shown the light of day after spending years in the dark. Many of these amps didn’t retire from service in the best shape, having been heavily worked, modded and repaired over the decades, before being cast aside into the twilight confines of storage.

Years later, they blearily tumble back into the world without purpose, their owners keen to make some room and maybe a few bucks to boot. For some people, such amps are nothing but an expensive burden, although as the saying goes: one person’s trash is another’s treasure.

But who do you turn to when such pieces of historic hardware need expert attention? After all, this kind of project isn’t standard fare for your garden-variety electronics engineer. Indeed, restoring a vintage amp properly often takes years’ worth of specialist knowledge and experience.

Enter Fabio Cutolo. With over 20 years of expertise under his belt, Fabio first began learning about amplifier electronics as a teen on the job at a workshop in his native Rome, before honing his craft on  the musical epicenter of London’s Denmark Street. At his Tin Pan Alley workshop, Fabio soon had his hands full of electronics repairs, with around 1,000 customers a year looking to salvage anything from a pedal to a PA. He has since relocated to North Acton in West London where he continues to focus on vintage amp restoration.

“The principle of my business is to get amps back to original factory spec as closely as possible,” he tells us. “I’m old-school. I don’t have a website. If I had to spend time online, I’d never have my hands free to work on the amps!

“This is a Mark I Boogie, serial number A903, and it’s dated to 1977. There’s a handwritten date underneath the chassis indicating when the amp was finished. I understand around 3,000 of these were built in total. There weren’t many imported into the U.K. in the ‘70s and it probably came over here with a band. On the side of the chassis is written ‘EX RUSH X HG’, so it could be an ex-Rush amplifier, which is pretty cool.”

Needless to say, restoring this Mark I Boogie required a great deal of work, with Fabio having to completely dismantle it piece by piece.

“Cleaning this amp was a crucial part of the restoration,” he says. “On the top of the cabinet are two lighter shades of grain where some gaffer tape had been stuck on for decades. The residue was deeply engrained. That alone took a couple of days to remove: no tools – just me, a cloth and some Brasso! Brasso removes a very small amount of the outer layer, a bit like how T-Cut works on cars – except T-Cut would have been too aggressive for this.

“The cabinet is made from koa wood, and I had to go easy on it. Normally, I’d let a touch of oil soak in for a few days, but this residue had really worked its way in. The solid wood construction is amazing. I reckon the whole amp weighs at least 35kg. Even with the electronics and speaker out, the cabinet on its own still weighs a fair amount.

“The kind of weave that’s used for the grille was invented in Austria and is called Vienna straw. It’s often seen on chairs, so it has to be strong and reliable. It was in a state when I got it, and I cleaned it up carefully with cotton buds and a brush. It needed to look great, but also if the grille is dirty, the speaker can be affected. It can take years, but a layer of grime can build up around the edge of the speaker, which prevents it from moving correctly. And if it’s bad enough for long enough that can lead to breakages.

“The speaker was full of dust and needed to be cleaned entirely. It also needed some repairs; the suspension had some small cracks. It was a case of either replacing it, which would have devalued the amp, or making some small patches. It’s a JBL K120 speaker. I would have expected it to come with an Electro-Voice or an Altec speaker, but on request you would have been able to get a JBL for a different type of sound.

“Although this amp doesn’t have reverb, you could also order a model with a reverb circuit. With those amps, the reverb doesn’t go in series, it’s in parallel, so it adds the reverb to the rest of the signal in the same was as, say, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Deville does.”

With some of the original knobs missing, Fabio needed to get creative. “The original Rogan knobs aren’t in production any more,” he explains. “The old type isn’t currently being made, so I needed to make some replicas. I had to re-engrave the numbers by hand and then create a mix of dry paint and edding pen to fill the engravings. They needed to look right. It wasn’t easy!

“And it was the same kind of thing for the rest of the parts, including screws, nuts and the handle. They all had to be cleaned up to a certain degree in order to match. If something looks too old or too new, it doesn’t look right. It’s the same idea with old guitars; when people need to replace a part, they usually want it to look like it fits with the rest of the instrument.”

Although these cottage-industry amps were made at company founder Randall Smith’s California home, they are well regarded for their industrial strength build.

“It’s built like a tank,” confirms Fabio, “but the construction – the wiring, PCB and components – is very intricate. It’s an amazing piece of kit, and some parts of the amp were experimental. For example, the schematic has provisions for diodes on the preamp cathodes to work as current regulators, but they were later changed to resistors for greater tone control.

“It’s naturally quite an aggressive-sounding amp, but that helps it sound like it’s following you a bit more when you’re playing – you don’t feel as if there’s any latency between notes. It sounds clearer and more articulate, particularly if you’re playing fast.

“Back then, high power and low power switching was a new thing. In this case, it switches off two of the [four] power valves by disconnecting them from ground. It’s a bit optimistic to say the amp has 100 watts in power; I measured the output power to be 56 watts in low mode and 73 watts in high mode. You can really tell the difference between the two.

“The original valves were four General Electric 6L6s/5881s, and three General Electric 12AX7s. I replaced them with four 6L6/5881 Philips ECG and a 12AX7WA with balanced triode for the driver valve, while retaining the other preamp valves.

“It’s a four-stage preamp. This happens on virtually every amp, but there was some previous work carried out in the past, in this case on the bias circuit, which needed to be corrected. Mesa would normally have calculated the value the resistor needed to be – the same resistor you would check every time you changed the [6L6] valves – but somewhere along the line, someone had added in a load of extra components and that meant the amp wasn’t sounding right. When it was reversed to original, I tested the original GE valves, but they sounded very tired. And that’s when I decided to replace them with the new old stock Philips ones.”

Although the amp’s preamp section is slightly different to the schematic, Fabio is sure this deviation is original, as is sometimes the way with full-scale factory products, let alone boutique builds.

“There are two inputs: 1 and 2,” he points out. “With regards to this amp specifically, input 1 goes to one half of the preamp (controlled by the push-pull pot labelled Volume 1 and Gain/Boost), then into a kind of Fender-style tone control circuit (labelled Treble/Bass/Middle) then the Master volume (followed by the power amp section). Pulling the Gain/ Boost knob will bypass these tone controls and the signal then goes straight to the Master volume via a single resistor. This uses fewer components between the input jack and the speaker and gives a nice full sound with little coloration.

“Input 2 has two-stage gain and the input resistance is much lower than input 1, which has a 1meg-ohm resistor going to ground. It has the same signal path as 1 but with an extra half preamp valve, which you can mix into the circuit via the Gain/Boost pot. The Volume 2 knob also features a Bright [pull] switch. Then, of course, there is the Master volume, which gives you the ability to set high-gain sounds at lower volume. Even with a lot of gain added, however, the amp is very quiet; there is hardly any hum or noise.

“The Treble, Bass and Middle EQ knobs/controls are similar to what you might find on a Fender amp. It comes off the first preamp valve and the component values are more or less the same. It’s a very well-defined EQ system, although the graphic EQ has a more extreme effect on the sound. When I turned up the 80Hz slider, my windows were shaking! It sounded like the amp had a subwoofer. That can work really well for big stages. You can switch the graphic EQ in and out of the circuit, either using a footswitch or on the front panel. I assume it was mainly intended for soloing. It works on resistors and is very precise.

“The main problem I faced during the restoration process was the sliders. I had to dismantle the whole board, take them apart completely, clean them and then put everything back together. There is no replacement for those, and when I first saw the amp they weren’t moving. The problem there is if they’re stuck and you try to move them, you might damage the graphite underneath, and once that happens it will impact the resistance. I didn’t use any chemicals – like switch cleaner – to clean those as that may have caused problems. I just used a cotton cloth to do the job and I managed to save them, thankfully.”

Mesa/Boogie revisited its original amp in the form of the Mark I Reissue, and although these models are not exact replicas, much of the original design has been left intact.

“The amp controls are different,” says Fabio. “It doesn’t have the push-pull pots for Volume 1 and 2. There are differences between this ‘70s amp and the Mark I Reissue, although some of it is virtually identical. The power supply for this vintage Mark I is pretty much the same as the Mark I Reissue, for example. They’ve only changed the position of a couple of capacitors here and there, and they reproduced it almost like for like. In fact, the mains capacitors have the same model number and dimensions as the ones in recent production.

“This amp uses diodes in a two-phase solid-state rectifier circuit, which basically irons out most of the mains noise. There are two diodes in series and it gets a very clean signal. You get almost no noise whatsoever and you don’t lose any harmonics. It’s very stable, and when you turn the amp up you get no sag – like you might with valve rectification. What you play comes out immediately. It really suits rock and blues, particularly the American blues sound, as opposed to the classic British blues rock sounds.

“It has a big range of tone and you can drastically change the sound with the EQ. It does gain-y tones really well and can go super heavy into metal, but you can also play very clean sounds. It would work for reggae, for example, really well – particularly because of the sharp attack. Musically, this amp is incredibly versatile and you could use it in pretty much any venue.”

With thanks to Andrew Raymond of Vintage ‘n’ Rare Guitars in Bath, U.K.

Pedalpocalypse – the popular show from Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Guitar World – returns for the final time.

Produced in L.A. by British guitarist Robin Davey and Growvision, this last instalment really is a stompbox apocalypse – as far as blues guitar veteran Walter Trout is concerned, anyway.

"I just don't see any need for pedals,” says the Strat-wielding blues rocker with a nod to his trusty old Mesa/Boogie Mark IV tube amp. “I have this theory that if you get a kickass amplifier, why would you put it through a $100 pedal?”

In each episode of Pedalpocalypse, we asked guitar players, “If you could only take three pedals with you into lockdown, which ones would they be?”

“None,” underscores Trout.

A true old school blues club performer, Trout used to goose the front end of his Fender Super Reverb with an Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 Linear Power Booster.

Introduced in late 1968, the LPB-1 plug-in device was Electro-Harmonix’s debut product and is, strictly speaking, not a pedal.

Nowadays, the LPB-1 is available from EHX in pedal format, however.

"When I started playing in bars in the middle-to-late '60s, pedals didn't exist," Trout recalls. "At the time, I was playing through a Fender Super Reverb (which I still have out in my garage) and I wanted to get a little more out of it.

“At that time a pedal came out by Electro Harmonix called an LPB-1. It was just a gain boost and it plugged right into the input on your amp. It stuck out from the front of the amp – it was very elemental and kind of primitive – but I would plug that into the Super.”

Trout discovered the joys of cascading gain in the 1980s during his John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers years.

"When I discovered Mesa/Boogies while I was with John Mayall, I realised that basically it's a Fender that's been very souped-up and modified and the overdrive is built into the amp."

So how does the guitarist manage to squeeze out such a broad range of tones from his amp?

"I control it all with the volume button," he tells us. "I have the amp set on Channel 3, which is the high-gain channel. I have the gain all the way up and I'm controlling the cleanliness and the whole thing with the volume on the guitar and I play all the time with my pinky wrapped around the volume button."

Order Walter Trout's most recent album, Ride, here. 

Visit the Walter Trout website for the latest news, tour dates and tickets. 

“It was about fucking time!” R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck exclaims on recalling the group finally achieving its first U.S Top 10 hit with 1987’s “The One I Love.”

“In America, it was like radio stations just weren’t interested in whatever we did. It was never the right thing.

“But we sold a lot of records, and that single definitely changed the way the world perceived us. And all of a sudden, our audiences doubled.”

Not Love, Actually

It had been a long hard slog for the alt-rockers, who formed in 1980 and released four albums prior to 1987’s Document, which included “The One I Love.”

Buck recalls coming up with the riff while on his front porch, noodling around on his guitar. “I remember just sitting there and playing almost the whole song all the way through,” he says. “And then I showed it to the rest of the guys, and boom!

“Musically, it was there within one or two passes. Then Michael [Stipe] sang it within a day after coming up with the lyrics. It was one of those instantaneous things.”

While its lyrics allude to the subject of love, the song is often misinterpreted, Buck says.

“It’s really a dark song,” he explains. “At first I thought, God, it’s a love song. But then I was listening to the playback, and I went, Oh, it’s not. But it can pass for one if you’re not paying attention.”

Litt Up

Recording sessions for the track began at Sound Emporium Studios, in Nashville, under the watchful eye of newly installed producer Scott Litt.

“Document was the first record where Scott began working with us,” Buck says. “He had a great ear and also had really good ideas about how to get the best out of us, so we didn’t waste a lot of time.

“I could count on him knowing everything was going to sound great. I didn’t have to sit there worrying about things like the second-rack tom and the tone of it, I could listen to it and know that everything was going to be fine. He was a great producer for us.”

Litt was integral to helping Buck achieve the guitar sound he was after.

“He helped immensely with the layering of my guitars,” he says. “I didn’t want to overdo it, but at the same time I didn’t want to have just one guitar, like on a demo.

“Underneath the main guitar track there is a live guitar track, which I doubled with my black 1981 Rickenbacker 360 Jetglo that was strung with round-wound strings. I used a .014 on the high E and went down to a .058 on the low E.

“I overdubbed the guitar solo. When I realized there was going to be a solo, I did one that’s more of a musical statement than a real solo. There were no effect pedals, as I never really used pedals in the studio at all, unless I actually had to.

“The track used various amps, as at that point I had a Mesa/Boogie and a Vox AC30 and went back and forth with those. There is also an acoustic guitar overdub buried in the mix. The acoustic was an early ’60s Gibson rented from Gruhn Guitars.”

The One I Sometimes Love

“The One I Love” debuted at 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1987 and peaked at number nine in early December.

“Having the chart success was important in that it meant we were reaching a larger audience,” Buck says.

Afterward, the band was labeled a jangle-pop group. “But that never bothered me, because, to a certain degree, it was true,” he says. “There was that period in America where it was all jangly guitars, and every single band sounded like a bad version of R.E.M.

“But we did a lot of other stuff too, and there’s plenty of records where it’s really noisy, heavy and chaotic.”

The song continued to be a fan favorite over the band’s long run, which lasted until 2011.

“We had it in our set list for a while, and then it wasn’t, and then it came back,” Buck explains. “To be honest, it wasn’t a song I think that any of us felt was totally from the heart.

“It was just a cool song. It wasn’t something I felt like I had to play at every gig. But at a certain point you realize that the audience really likes it, so why not put it in the set?”

Browse the R.E.M. catalog here.

Gibson has been on an impressive winning streak the past few years, and things clearly haven’t let up in 2022. As we head into the fall, the company continues to roll out new and exciting equipment – and not just under the Gibson name, but also via its other brands, including Epiphone, Kramer, Maestro, and Mesa/Boogie. 

To get a handle on just some of this great gear, Guitar World’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput shined a spotlight on five new products from the Gibson family.

First up is a powerhouse offering from Epiphone – the Power Players Les Paul and SG. Trimmed-down versions of the Les Paul and SG models, the guitars boast 22.73” scale lengths and slightly smaller mahogany bodies, making them easy to play and an ideal option to learn on for younger guitarists. 

Other features include a bolt-on mahogany neck with a sculpted heel for improved upper fret access and a pair of Epiphone 650R and 700T ceramic humbuckers for rich, full tone. Finally, the guitars come complete with a variety of finish options and a gig bag, strap, picks, and a guitar cable. It’s a package that makes the Power Players the perfect guitars to get you playing now and forever.  

Next, Paul and Alan take a look at the new Kramer Striker, a guitar that is built for serious speed. The high-performance, shred-ready axe features a satin-finished maple neck with a Kramer K-Speed SlimTaper C profile for fast, easy, and incredibly comfortable playing. Electronics-wise, you get three Alnico 5 pickups – a zebra-coil bridge humbucker and two single coils – for everything from sparkling cleans to hard-rocking, heavily-overdriven humbucker crunch. 

Other features include a variety of hot finishes, an optional hardshell case and, of course, a licensed Floyd Rose locking vibrato for all your dive-bombing desires. 

Looking for a cool fuzz to go with your hot licks? Allow Paul and Alan to introduce you to the brand-new Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M. If this little effects unit sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Back in the ‘60s, the Maestro name became synonymous with guitar effect pedals, debuting with the FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone – the sound of the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.” Now the company is back, and its first offering is an updated version of that iconic pedal. 

The new all-analog FZ-M offers up an FZ-1-inspired fuzz sound, but you also get a three-knob control layout (Attack, Tone and Level), and an innovative Mode toggle switch that provides two-in-one functionality for both classic fuzz and a thicker, more modern tone. 

And it’s all controlled via a true bypass footswitch that, in a very cool touch, also triggers the LED lights in the bugles in the Maestro logo, so that you always know when the pedal is active. 

Next up in our roundup is a killer amplifier from Mesa Boogie: the California Tweed 6V6 2:20. The new amp expands on the success of Mesa’s larger-sized and higher-powered California Tweed 6V6 4:40 model, which set a new standard of performance from a simple, vintage-inspired “single channel” design by providing five power-amp voicing and output levels from a simple “Multi-Watt” rotary switch.

The 2:20 offers vintage-voiced tube amp sound and feel in a choice of 20, 10, or 1-watt power configurations, and also boasts Duo-Class and Dyna-Watt technologies for two operating classes and three wiring options via a single 3-Way Rotary Switch.

Other features include two 6V6 power tubes and a preamp stocked with five 12AX7 and one 12AT7 preamp tubes, a single channel with Normal and Low Inputs, Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Reverb, and Master Controls, and Vintage All-Tube Spring Reverb with an external reverb switching jack for remote activation.

Finally, Paul and Alan bring it all back to the legendary Gibson brand, wrapping things up with a look at the new Les Paul Tribute in Satin Honeyburst. The updated model captures the vibe, feel, and tonality of a traditional Les Paul, but with a rounded maple neck profile and ultra-modern weight relief for super-easy playability. Features include a mahogany body, maple top, and a pair of 490 R & T humbucking pickups with Alnico II magnets for classic tone, power, and sustain.

You also get medium jumbo frets, an aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge, and vintage deluxe tuning machines with keystone buttons, and in addition to Satin Honeyburst, the Les Paul Tribute is available in three additional classic finishes. As Gibson likes to say, it’s “all the guitar you need, and nothing less.”

For more information on all these great products from Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Maestro and Mesa/Boogie, check out the video above.

The '70s weren't only heavy, they were big. 

As ties and lapels got wider, amps got larger.

Thus, the stack steadily continued to replace the combo, as epitomized by one of Black Oak Arkansas' roadies in this Ampeg ad that appeared in October '76:

"You'll never see Black Oak with one amp here and one amp there. Black Oak is a big stack of Ampegs sitting on the stage."

So don a purple pimp hat, slip on some mustard bellbottoms, slide into a sensible pair of Earth shoes and join us for a stroll down memory lane as we revisit some of the 1970s' best-loved hits and ill-conceived misses…

Stage

The ad says it all: "It's that special feeling you get at the end of the night. A night when the band is breezin' and every note has the sting of Clapton."

The grim reality: The sting was actually rampant feedback and nasty clipping.

Though Unicord also brought us Marshall, they sunk a lot of promotional bucks into Stage. Thank God Unicord withstood that blow!

We've never actually seen a Stage amp in the flesh, so we have to assume that the evidence was destroyed.

Music Man

Okay, so Leo's first post-Fender venture didn't produce as many classics as his previous gig.

Though they weren't designed by Leo, Music Man amps provided good clean tone for country buckaroos, casual jazzers and mellow hippie rockers.

But if you were looking for crunch to drive your four-guitar army into assault formation, the solid-state preamp section was about as useful as a water pistol during the fall of Saigon.

SG Systems

One thing is certain: SG didn't mean "sounds good."

These solid-state dogs were housed in rugged, roadcase-looking cabinets, but if you were too cool for that, you could order optional blue denim covering and matching grillecloth.

Distributed by Norlin and manufactured by the same company that made Standell's solid-state disasters, SG amps featured a built-in phase shifter, a notch shift control, and a "wave" control that "adds a funky ‘tube type' distortion at any level."

Mesa/Boogie

First you had natural wood electric guitars, then along came Boogie with their exotic wood cabs and basketweave grilles.

These high-gain hippie amps were louder than hell, had godly sustain and were small enough to fit on a Pinto's front seat.

Boogies and Carlos Santana were a match made in nirvana.

Randall Amps

You wouldn't think that Canned Heat would be caught dead with solid-state gear, but Randalls sounded good and were rugged.

As Big Bear said, "Randall gives good boogie." Isn't that what the '70s were all about?

Besides, there were much worse choices in '70s transistorized amps.

Practice Amps

The micro amp concept exploded in the '70s. It seemed like anyone who could burn his or her fingers with a soldering gun was making one.

Brands included Rock, Pignose, Mike Marshall's Freedom, Dynamite, Ampeg's Peter Portable, the Dwarf and PAIA's do-it-yourself kit, the Pygmy.

With its hog-snout volume control, the Pignose was by far the coolest.

Ampeg

There's no doubt that Ampeg made great gear, but they ran some of the silliest ads around, like their period piece featuring a mad space biker humping a V-4 amp.

Nonetheless, '70s Ampeg tube amps are now considered classics, and the SVT became the bass player's equivalent of the Marshall stack.

Acoustic

Acoustic amps took solid-state to a whole new level with graphic EQs and horn-loaded speaker cabs.

A lot of big acts on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert used Acoustic backlines.

Some very well-known guitarists were keen on Acoustic amps at one point or another, including Frank Zappa and the Doors’ Robby Krieger.

Some bona fide bass legends such as John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and Jaco Pastorius were also avid users.

Although it became one of the hottest guitar amps among pro players from the mid-1970s to the ’80s, the Mesa/Boogie seemed utterly designed to propel the singing, sustainful tone and playing style of Carlos Santana, who adopted it as his amp in the 1970s.

For that matter, Santana literally named the thing.

Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith was working as an amp repairman in 1969 in the small San Francisco shop Prune Music when he decided to play a trick on Barry Melton, lead guitarist with Country Joe and the Fish.

Smith gutted Melton’s Fender Princeton, installed a modified 50-watt Fender Bassman-style tube amp, squeezed in a 12-inch speaker and took it to the front of the shop, where Carlos Santana was hanging out.

“He just wailed through that little amp until people were blocking the sidewalk,” Smith later recalled.

“When he stopped playing he turned and said, ‘Shit man. That little thing really boogies!’”

As demand grew, Smith continued modifying Princetons. When the supply dried up, he began making the amps – eventually known as the Boogie Mark I – from the ground up.

The key to the wailing, saturated tone lay in Smith’s chaining together of several tube stages in the preamp, a technique known as “cascading gain,” and under Santana’s fingers the result was sustain that could last for days.

The ‘70s also proved fruitful for Santana on the gear front when he began a collaboration with Japanese guitar building titan Yamaha.

After a somewhat uncomfortable bedding in period (“I sat down with them and said, ‘Look, I can’t play the guitar, man,” Santana told Guitar Player in 1978) the team eventually settled on a design that was not only befitting for a guitarist of Santana's caliber but progressive also.

“I asked them to put a big chunk of metal right where the tailpiece is," recalled Santana. "You hit it and it’s like hitting a grand piano – it really resonates.”

Boasting fine tonewoods and a neck-through construction, along with the tone- and sustain-enhancing T-Cross System and brass Sustain Plate (the aforementioned “big chunk of metal,”) the new SG2000 model firmly established Yamaha as a bona fide pro level guitar builder.

Yamaha guitars were later played by the likes of John McGeoch who famously used an SG1000 with Siouxsie and the Banshees.

More recent proponents of the SG series include Ed O’Brien, Johnny Marr and John Frusciante.

In this 1977 clip, Santana is seen playing his custom built Yamaha with a Mesa/Boogie rig. Evidently, the guitarist is a great deal happier with his instrument by this stage.

“[Yamaha] go out of their way to make good instruments,” he told Guitar Player in the same 1978 interview. “You can feel it when you pick up that guitar.”

On this day, in 1993, Mick Ronson sadly passed away aged 46. Though he is remembered fondly for his stellar work with the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Morrissey it was during his rock star-forging tenure with David Bowie that he shone most brightly.

Having been recruited by Bowie in 1970, Ronson entered the studio that spring to record The Man Who Sold the World. Together, the band created a new, often heavier sound infused with Ronson’s wild, Jeff Beck-inspired electric guitar wizardry.

Ronson’s playing techniques were eccentric, but they worked.

One unusual attribute was that, unlike most other guitarists, he kept his left-hand fingernails fairly long. He claimed that this enabled him to get his nails under the strings to create the kind of extreme vibrato that led some listeners to believe he was using a trem, or play extraordinary bends that sounded like he was deploying a slide.

This was shown off to devastating effect on The Man Who Sold the World’s epic opener, “The Width of a Circle.”

To this end, he kept his guitars subtly detuned, preferring to bend a slightly flattened string into pitch. His idol Jeff Beck used to do something similar during his Yardbirds years.

In this video clip from the David Bowie essential Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: the Motion Picture, Ronson performs a jaw-dropping guitar solo during a rendition of “The Width of a Circle.”

While pulling out all the stops here, it’s easy to see why he is often considered to be the most iconic of Bowie’s guitar slingers.

Few major guitarists have ever seemed fundamentally less interested in gear than Ronson. Though he did indeed carry backup instruments on tour (and did occasionally use them), Ronno concentrated primarily on one main guitar at a time.

His most famous guitar throughout the Bowie years and beyond was his stripped 1968 Les Paul Custom which he had bought new in 1968 and played until it was literally worn-out – the neck had been broken and repaired one time too many – and Ronson eventually donated it to the Hard Rock Café in Australia.

Thereafter, he switched to a blue rosewood-’board Telecaster, which sustained him through the remainder of his career (though studio pics shot during the Heaven and Hull sessions show him with a white, Floyd Rose-loaded, maple-fretboard, single-humbucker Superstrat of unknown provenance).

He reverted back to Les Pauls, or other humbucker-loaded guitars, for his slide work.

From the Spiders era through his ill-fated solo career, his even more ill-fated tenure with Mott the Hoople, and during his first collaboration with Ian Hunter, Ronson’s guitar amp of choice was a 200-watt Marshall Major head (the same model favored by Ritchie Blackmore) through a single Marshall 4x12.

When he relocated to the U.S., he discovered Mesa/Boogie amps and used them for most of the rest of his life (apart from a brief flirtation with Music Man amps during the sessions for Hunter’s You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic album and the subsequent tour immortalized on the Welcome to the Club live album), preferring a combo for studio work and a Mesa head with Marshall cab for live work.

Despite using a Marshall Supa Fuzz and a Tone Bender fuzz pedal, owned previously – allegedly – by Pete Townshend to generate added grit during his tenure with the Spiders, Ronno’s main tonal “secret weapon” was his Vox wah pedal, generally left stationary somewhere near the midpoint of its sweep.

Don't miss the June 2022 issue of Guitar Player where we take a deep dive into the story of the man, the music and the gear, including the tale of Mick Ronson's lost Ziggy Stardust Les Paul.

John McLaughlin’s new album, Liberation Time, is his response to the tribulations of the past two years, in a world turned upside down by Covid. With the cancellation of two tours, and finding himself with time on his hands in Monaco, where he has lived for many years, McLaughlin was, by his own admission, starting to go crazy.

Out of his frustration came inspiration, and he started to create a collection of positive, upbeat and joyful tracks that were a celebration of life. Indeed, joy is something central to McLaughlin’s existence. Inspired by nature and life, he finds positivity in the wonders of the universe.

That optimistic and grateful attitude is expressed perfectly on an album that contains some of the guitar master’s most direct and affecting music.

No stranger to readers of Guitar Player, McLaughlin has been a mainstay of the jazz and fusion scene for more than 50 years. Prior to his profile-raising tenure with Miles Davis, McLaughlin had been a member of Brit jazz pioneer Graham Bond’s band, and had worked as a session guitarist on numerous hit singles in 1960s Britain.

Leaving Davis to start his own band, McLaughlin ultimately took fusion to the next level with the global success of Mahavishnu Orchestra. Always a musical purist, he followed that by forming Shakti, exploring the boundaries of Indian music and jazz. Although the band was not as commercially viable as Mahavishnu, McLaughlin was undeterred; his only focus then, as now, has been musical integrity.

He has continued to be prolific. Always active on the live and recording fronts, he shows no signs of slowing down and continues to follow his muse regardless of commercial considerations or musical fashions.

Given that Liberation Time was recorded during lockdown, did everybody do their parts remotely?

Yeah, mostly because we had to. Wherever it was possible, I’d have the bass player and drummer work together, though. It was a very difficult time. The record came out of pure frustration. By October of 2020, I was losing it, you know?

But out of everything, instead of going slightly mad with the restrictions, all this music started to come out of my head. I knew I had to do something with it. I was mainly on my own, but there are a number of musicians that I can record with here in the south of France.

My first instrument was the piano, and I still think of myself as a piano refugee. [laughs] I know how to make a piano track sound good. When I was first in America, I loved to play the drums, so I can set up a whole rhythm section on my own to lay down the tracks if I need to.

I had been going so crazy, but playing music is one of the greatest experiences possible if you have intense emotional issues to process. I’d set up the tracks with everything on them, then send copies to musicians around the world – wonderful players – and they’d have a score and a demo to listen to, but they all had solos to play.

My instructions were “Be yourself.” I didn’t care how crazy they went. I didn’t care if they didn’t want to follow what I’d laid down when I sent them the track to work on.

Did you miss the interactive process of working with the musicians face-to-face?

Here’s an interesting thing: Sometimes the playing would be so great when they sent the track back to me that I’d be moved to redo my original part differently, simply because it was so inspirational.

When I put the headphones on, it feels like I’m in the room with the players. What was interesting then was that I’d send the track back to the musicians and they’d become re-inspired to change their part again as well, so it was a very collaborative process that wasn’t at all hindered by working remotely.

The mood and character of the pieces often changed and developed and required an evolving approach. This meant that things took a long time, of course, with all the sending of files and booking studio time, et cetera, for musicians around the world.

Liberation Time is a very strong album that covers a lot of ground, from straight jazz guitar to fusion. Are you happy with the end result?

The way the music came out was, to me, a kind of recapitulation of the wonderful ’60s period of jazz with upright bass, in a way more straight-ahead but with electric guitar. It was kind of the classic jazz approach, but with my guitar today.

It isn’t that I set out to write an album like that; this is just how it came out. I wanted to keep the integrity of the music, but I recalled through the music the pieces that I recorded about 40 years ago, when my piano technique was reasonable. It’s gone a lot since then. There are two piano pieces, and they are perhaps more in the late-’70s era of jazz. I thought that they were very personal, but why not?

It makes me laugh when I think about making money from records. I guess maybe I should try another approach. [laughs] But I’m old-school. I don’t even know how many albums I’ve made. For me, it is all about the music and the expression.

I presume, like most artists, you’re primarily concerned with how happy you are with the music rather than commercial considerations.

Exactly. I can’t stop making music and recording albums, whether they sell fantastically well or relatively poorly. Once the record is finished, it is unchangeable; it’s over. People will either like it or they won’t, but that’s not my problem. [laughs]

 “As the Spirit Sings” is a very upbeat opener. It’s indicative of the album as a whole, which has a totally positive vibe. Was that something you were trying to convey?

In spite of the fact I was losing my mind, I’m a very positive person. I think to myself that I’m fortunate to be alive when I think of how many friends I’ve lost over the years. I’m very healthy and I can still play. I don’t know how long it is going to last, but I don’t care. I thought I’d lost it five years ago when I got terrible arthritis, but somehow I found a way to cure myself.

I’m grateful for every day and every minute. Maybe that is the benefit of 50 years of meditation – you become aware of the nature of existence and your place in it. I am in such awe of the immensity of this universe that we live in. I am in wonder and awe at the beauty of nature, and I feel connected to it. I think the reason that I am upbeat is that I feel connected to everything. The joy of playing music and the joy of existence is crucial to who I am.

How did you resolve the problem with your hands?

It was very bad in 2014, ’15. I thought I’d come to the end of my playing life. I was quite philosophical about it. I thought, Okay, I’ve had a fantastic career, and thank you very much!

I met several doctors, and one injected me with a solution of hyaluronic acid [a cushioning and lubricating fluid found in the eyes and joints], which was a fairly new concept, and it was quite effective, but the pain would keep coming back, and it bothered me to keep needing the treatment.

I then discovered a doctor in America called Joe Dispenza, who had a bad accident himself, and his back was broken in three places. He’d been told he’d need to live his life in a wheelchair. He started working on his own body with his mind, and I read about this and decided, three years ago, to try this approach.

After six months, I realized that I didn’t need the injections again. The technique is very simple: Every day before my morning meditation, I talk to my hands. I tell them how beautiful they are and how grateful I am for what they’ve given to me in my life and how much I love and cherish them. I do that every day, and I have no pain or swelling.

Isn’t that amazing? If you persevere, your mind will win.

Another interesting track is “Right Here, Right Now, Right On,” which is a prime example of what you were saying about some of the tracks being a real throwback to an earlier age of jazz – the Blue Note small-combo approach. I guess that must be a very comfortable area for you to play in, having been playing that style of music since the early ’60s.

All the tracks are in a comfortable zone for me because they all came out of my head. [laughs] I know them intimately, and they’re like my babies. There is a strong post-bop feel on this one, as you suggest.

To have these players on them is just wonderful. People like sax player Julian Siegel, [drummer] Vinnie Colaiuta and less well-known musicians like [drummer] Nicolas Viccaro. It is so satisfying to hear what they bring to the music.

The musicians know that there will be ensemble playing and space for them to express themselves, and that is where the magic happens.

Among a wealth of great soloing from all concerned on the album, the bass solo on “Lockdown Blues” is a real highlight.

Absolutely. That is Etienne MBappé who plays in 4th Dimension, which is my current band. The other two members of the band, Gary Husband on piano and Ranjit Barot on drums, are the remaining musicians on that track.

On “Singing Our Secrets,” it is almost four minutes before your guitar enters. It’s clear that you see the music as an ensemble piece rather than a guitar-centric record, as so many guitarist’s albums turn out to be.

I learned that lesson from Miles and Coltrane, you know. They are my heroes, and I still listen to them today. Take a track from Miles or Coltrane: They’ll all take the melody, then perhaps McCoy will take a solo, or Herbie or Cannonball will take a solo, and Miles will come in later.

The whole philosophy was marked on me and ingrained in my brain: Okay, I’m writing the music and I’m the so-called leader, giving the direction, but the whole point of collective playing is the fact that it is improvisation and interpretation, and this is individual and collective.

I told everyone, “Be who you are. Be crazy if you want to be, but be crazy in the context of the music.”

A track like “Liberation Time” is almost classic fusion and is very guitar heavy, whereas there are tracks like “Mila Repa” and “Shade of Blue” that are almost the polar opposite, featuring only your solo piano. Was the diversity of the album something that was planned or just part of the spontaneous creative process?

The only philosophy that I can hold to is to be who I am, and the devil take the rest. I’ve always felt that if I try to play something thinking people will like this, I’m not only betraying them but I’m betraying myself.

Shakespeare said it 500 years ago: Be true to yourself and you’ll be true to everybody else. [laughs] In music, it is so important. I’m not against people who make records that are trying to please the crowd. It’s just not for me.

Over my career, I’ve had records that were very successful and some that were not so successful. It’s important to distinguish between different kinds of success, There’s commercial success and there is musical success, and it’s not very often that the two come together.

I think hell would be to make an album to please others and then think, Shit! Why did I do that? What an idiot I am! [laughs]

Gear-wise what did you use for the album?

Basically, I used a Paul Reed Smith that I’ve had for about 10 years now. I have a number of his guitars; he’s a phenomenal guitar builder.

I use a Line 6 HX preamp that I got that last year, and I really like it. At the same time, I sometimes use an old Mesa/Boogie preamp in the studio for a number of tunes. I only use preamps though. I haven’t used a regular main amp for years, live or in the studio.

When I play live, I’m fed into the desk and hear myself back through the monitors. I like to hear it in stereo, so I have my speakers in front and facing toward me. The house gets basically the same sound that I get.

Strings are, as always, D’Addario. I guess I’ve used them for 50 years now, and for a pick I use a Dunlop Jazz III. I think I was the inspiration behind this pick because I used to make something similar for myself and then slash and score them with a knife to help me keep a grip on them. The picks now have the grip built in.

In terms of your own playing, what do you work on?

I’m fascinated by harmony, melody and rhythm. They are all different departments of work, and there are periods of life where I will pay more attention to each area. Articulation of melody is my focus at the moment.

You can hear it in my playing on something like “Liberation Time.” The titles of my tunes are very meaningful to me. The idea of liberation was so important last year. To be free in music implies a lot of very important things: Firstly, that you don’t have any technical problems with your ability to play your instrument. There is the harmonic aspect of improvisation – what are you going to say with your improvisation?

All we can talk about when we improvise is our own life story: How deeply we feel and we what we feel about ourselves; how I feel about life, existence, the people I’m playing with, the music I’m playing. This is like the gas in the engine, the emotion behind the intent.

Then you start playing. “Liberation Time” is just two chords. It’s a total steal from “So What,” by Miles Davis. Coltrane stole it for “Impressions,” and Mike Brecker stole it for something else.

We’re all thieves! [laughs] You take the two chords, then decide what to do with them. To be free in music you have to have no problems technically, then you need to be inspired, and you can overcome the limitations of the music.

You then get into harmonic exploration. You need the knowledge to understand what you’re trying to achieve and express. Any note is a good note if the intent is behind it. I like to be inspired by the musicians I’m playing with, to be provoked into trying something new and to take a chance, to walk the high wire and not be afraid to fall off.

You only really get this freedom in jazz, in my opinion. Improvised music brings joy, and joy is not an emotion that you see in the world in general. I’m not talking about happiness, like, “Yeah you have a good job,” et cetera. Joy is the immediate experience.

I see it in my dog when I come home. You see it with kids who can’t even talk yet. Adults don’t have pure joy so easily, and we need joy in this world. There’s far too much heaviness.

Are you still as excited by music as when you started, and what is it that keeps everything so fresh for you after all these years?

I’m alive. Every day is different, every minute, every hour. I’ve never lived this second before. Every second is new. It’s amazing. In meditation, you practice living in the present moment, but the present moment is the most fantastic moment I’ll ever have. I’ve never had it before.

Every moment is a brand-new experience. Most of the time in life people look backward, but I look forward as every moment comes toward me. It’s fantastic. I’m living in perfect stillness.

Time is coming, and I feel it flowing over me, and I give thanks for being alive.

Get Liberation Time here.

On this day in 1994, Nirvana played their final show. A little over a month later, the world would receive the devastating news that Kurt Cobain had passed away aged 27.

While this tragedy may have signaled the end of a groundbreaking period in music history, Cobain’s era-defining legacy lives on as generations of electric guitar players continue to find inspiration in his life’s work.

In addition to audio and music videos, some of Nirvana’s best live footage can be found on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Such gems include cuts from the iconic MTV Unplugged concert released in 1994; the Live and Loud video recorded in Seattle in 1993; the unforgettable appearance at the UK’s Reading Festival in 1992; and the Live At the Paramount show recorded in Seattle in 1991.

Also available are clips from the Terminal Einz show filmed on March 1, 1994 – including an explosive performance of “Drain You” from Nirvana’s watershed 1991 album Nevermind. 

Although he was diagnosed with bronchitis and laryngitis, Cobain’s voice remains strong throughout this rendition of a song he once described as a personal favorite.

Commenting on “Drain You,” Cobain told Rolling Stone he thought the song was, “as good as ‘Teen Spirit.’ I love the lyrics, and I never get tired of playing it.”

“Drain You” is believed to feature the most guitar overdubs on Nevermind. 

In the 2005 film Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind, producer Butch Vig explains how the song’s five-track “orchestral” guitar sound was achieved using a combination of Mesa/Boogie and Fender Bassman amps along with a “super grunge” pedal/Bassman combination.

According to Vig, however, Cobain was somewhat reluctant when it came to recording multiple overdubs. 

He therefore had to use some 'creative psychology' in order to convince the guitarist he needed to repeat performances, claiming previous takes weren't captured properly or that the tuning was off.

“I don’t know how I got Kurt to do all those guitars,” says Vig. “I think I was lying, basically... He thought he was doing the same part and, meanwhile, I just kept putting him to new tracks.”

Get Nevermind on vinyl here.

Two decades after Kurt Cobain redefined mainstream rock with his raw, uncompromising songwriting and anti-guitar hero way of playing guitar, a left-handed guitarist and art school student in Hobart, Australia, took inspiration from his example.

Courtney Barnett knew the rock music of several eras, thanks to a neighbor’s mixtapes, and her own modest CD collection consisted mainly of Nirvana albums.

While playing right-handed guitars upside down at first (due to the unavailability of good lefty guitars), she developed a unique way of playing rhythm and lead with her thumb and fingers, since she didn’t like the sound of a pick against the strings.

By the early 2010s, Barnett was playing in bands and appearing as a co-writer and guitarist on recordings by local singer-songwriters.

After a stint as a slide guitarist and co-lead singer in the psych-country-folk group Immigrant Union (you can hear her on their sophomore album, Anyway), Barnett released her debut EP, I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris in 2012 on Milk! Records, a label she cofounded with fellow artist and then-partner Jen Cloher.

The 34-year-old’s widely eclectic take on indie rock can be gleaned from a playlist of influential songs she curated for a streaming service for many years following those first band experiences.

Her selections show a wide tapestry of musical input, ranging from her parents’ favorite jazz singers to the ’90s bands of her generation, like the Lemonheads, EMF, Pavement and the Breeders, as well as Jimi Hendrix, Yoko Ono, PJ Harvey, Leonard Cohen, Sonic Youth, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.

Barnett signed with Marathon Artists in 2013 and combined her first EP with a new collection of songs as The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas.

Momentum quickly built. The international music press picked different tracks as their “favorite of the week,” while Barnett got booked on American late-night TV shows and landed a slot at the Coachella festival.

Her 2015 debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, became her commercial breakthrough and was lauded as a rock – not indie-rock – classic.

Her infectious songs were a meeting of uncompromising noise rock and American roots music, combining an exhilarating mix of sharp stream-of-consciousness lyrics and humor, delivered in an instantly recognizable half-singing vocal that sometimes recalls Lou Reed.

The album was accompanied by a series of fun music videos that revealed a self-deprecating artist who also played many of the album’s fills and solos on her black Telecaster.

You don’t see that too often, and people welcomed her with fervor.

It’s not hard to grasp what intense adulation can do to a person who suffers from anxiety and depression, as well as to their art, where it can be tempting to keep giving the audience the musical identity that they love, but that you are starting to outgrow.

And so Barnett started to expand her ways of expression on her 2018 follow-up, Tell Me How You Really Feel. This new direction is also noticeable on her new album, Things Take Time, Take Time, a lockdown memento born of change and calamity.

Barnett was struggling following her breakup with Cloher, the pandemic lockdown and the terrifying Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known colloquially as the Black Summer.

When a friend suggested she make a list of what she looked forward to, Barnett gave it a try, focusing on small things: a cup of coffee, sunrise. That, in turn, gave birth to the songs on Things Take Time, Take Time, a collection of sprawling songs built from the minutiae of everyday things.

To record it, Barnett chose a studio that was new to her – Golden Retriever in Sydney – and worked without her usual gear or her band featuring bassist Bones Slone, drummer Dave Mudie and guitarist Dan Luscombe.

Instead, she created and coproduced the record with Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa, who had previously performed on Barnett’s 2017 collaboration with guitarist Kurt Vile, Lotta Sea Lice.

“Maybe that was a subconscious effort to push myself out of my comfort zones and try something different,” Barnett says of her decision to work amid so many changes. “I wanted to work with Stella again, and the timing was perfect because both of us were in the same country. If the pandemic hadn’t been there, we would’ve been busy with our other projects.”

The time is ripe for Barnett to enjoy a resurgence.

She’s the subject of director Danny Cohen’s brand-new documentary, Anonymous Club, which offers insights into the creative process and struggles of an artist Cohen refers to as an anti-influencer, a recluse acclaimed by audiences, and a strong female performer in conflict with herself.

We recently spoke to Barnett in Los Angeles, as she was kicking off her recent U.S. tour together with Sloane and Mozgawa.

Is surprise an important component to your music?

Not so much trying to surprise other people, but I think embracing the spontaneity. I’ve often gotten the majority of the song ready, where I know what it’s gonna do, but there are always bits that I don’t have planned.

Normally it’s things like guitar solos. A lot of the time, I leave them until the last minute to see what happens. Often, it’s that first thing you do that ends up being the best one. And every time I try to overdub a better guitar part or solo, it never has that same energy.

I think that’s what I try to capture; sometimes that’s what that slightly deranged thing is. There might be wrong notes and small things that aren’t completely right, but it captures a certain energy, and I try to trust that first-thought mentality.

“Small Poppies” [from Sometimes I Sit…] is a great song filled with beautiful ’50s retro guitar references, even though they also have that twist.

That is actually my friend Dan Luscombe who played on the song. I played pretty minimal rhythm guitar on it. Dan played on my first few albums, and I listened to that song the other day. His guitar playing on it is so incredible.

But after I finished that album and was ready to go on tour, I found out that he couldn’t join me, so I had to learn all of his amazing parts and all these different skills. It really pushed me as a guitar player, and I find him to be really inspiring.

How did you develop your playing style? Were there any influences, choices, or decisions on what not to do? We’re thinking of St. Vincent, who once said in an interview that she really tries to avoid playing “muscle memory licks.”

It’s hard to see what my own style is, because it’s what I know and what I’ve figured out over the years.

The muscle memory comment is a really good one, because I think it’s easy to fall into that comfort zone. I guess I try to keep myself on the edge of it, so that I’m not too comfortable but always learning new things.

Part of my style is playing rhythm and lead at the same time. I was 18 when I started my solo career shows; I played acoustic guitar and had to bridge this gap between rhythm and lead.

Over the years, as I started bands, I always tried to get a second guitarist to do the lead bits, but I’ve played as a three-piece for so much of my musical career that I had to learn how to blend the two out of necessity.

How would you describe your guitar aesthetic?

I would probably avoid doing that. It’s a combination of lots of ideas and trying to find the perfect blend of everything.

On Things Take Time, Take Time, you’ve moved away from the rock songs with punchy hooks and the feedback-driven solos that made your debut album a huge hit with fans and critics. This work is a lot more low-key, with a warm and comforting sound palette that mirrors the ruminating lyrics you’ve written. What brought about this new direction?

Over years of playing live, I’ve recognized that one of my safety fallbacks was to use a lot of distortion pedals: When in doubt, just make a big noise. And I recognized that it started to feel a little bit lazy and repetitive.

Obviously, it’s fun to do that, and a lot of the songs called for it. But – thinking of that thing St. Vincent said – I was looking for different angles: different ways to show emotions and find dynamics in the songs.

It’s easy to rely on the same tricks in songwriting or in the studio. I wasn’t trying to change patterns completely but just be aware when something came up that felt familiar and try a different way.

How did you and Stella work out the song arrangements?

For this album, we tried to use different instruments, and when things were sounding familiar or just a bit same-same, we would mix them up.

I only took one electric guitar into the studio, my sunburst Fender Jag [Kurt Cobain model with stock pickups]. I always get the best sounds out of that guitar. I also used a lot of acoustic guitar [a custom Maton] to thicken up guitar parts.

But a couple of times, we’d work on a song that sounded like it had too much guitar, and so I’d take the guitar totally out of it, highlight a Wurlitzer [electric piano] or something else instead, and replay the song from that angle. And that created a sonic space that allowed the lyrics to breathe differently.

You used a drum machine and percussion instruments, and throughout the album one can hear these little rhythmic accents popping up in the songs. It seems like they’re a central part of the arrangements because they sound like hooks, but in an understated way.

Yeah, I wanted that to be a feature. It created a meditative, repetitive feel that would build over the course of the songs. A big part of this album is the percussion, and a lot of the rhythms are the equivalent of a riff or a refrain. I thought it’d be so cool to find a different approach instead of using a melodic guitar riff or piano line.

Stella is an amazing drummer and percussionist. The rhythms might sound simple at first, until you tune into all the little things happening and realize how complicated it is, without being over the top.

You once said in an interview that you look for left-field sounds to make things interesting in headphones. Did that apply to this album as well?

I mean, always. That’s the fun part of recording. Doing the weird things, like banging a case against the floor and affecting sounds in ways that we aren’t used to hearing.

On my last album, I recorded the sound of my kettle boiling [on “Hopefullessness,” which also features a great feedback-driven solo]. It comes in halfway through the song and slowly creeps up and up like a weird, anxiety-inducing, drone sound.

On this album, we did a lot of field recordings. I’m not sure they made it onto the album, but they were inspiring to capture and hear. On one part of a song, I played my guitar with a cello bow to create a droning, synthy string sound.

Parts of your album are about healing after a breakup, and one of the songs, “Here’s the Thing,” has an instrumental passage that feels very cinematic and blue. It has lush rhythm guitars and these otherworldly-sounding notes that are floating above the chords. Is that a vocal or a guitar?

That’s actually the song with the cello bow. There are strings underneath it, and sometimes they sound like trumpets. It was just a weird frequency. But that main melodic door-bell type of sound that you’re referring to is an Omnichord [an electronic autoharp-synthesizer] that we had in the studio.

We messed around for quite a while, trying to find the right sound and the right idea, and then we probably put it through some effects as well just to make it more wobbly, like it was underwater.

What amps and effects did you use on the album?

I didn’t take any gear with me besides my electric guitar. I know I used the studio’s Mesa/Boogie and Roland Jazz Chorus [JC-120] amps. I also didn’t have my usual pedals, which forced me out of my comfort zone.

I used their [Death by Audio] Reverberation pedal a lot, and the [Electro-Harmonix] POG for the chorusy, wavy and wobbly sounds. The studio also had a vintage vibrato pedal and some overdrives that I used.

Are all your songs and solos created through inspiration by just staying open to whatever comes, or do you ever set up any sort of framework?

No, it’s normally pretty feel-based. I try to just trust that instinct and feeling.

You’re known for your lyrics, which tend to be conversational, often with a dry or wry sense of humor, and full of great observations about people and mundane things. Do lyrics inform your guitar playing in any way?

It happens sometimes. It’s fun to find the emotional match. In “Take It Day by Day,” which is a bass-driven song, the lyrics are slightly playful and cheeky, and the guitar kind of matches that. The bass is a little bit overdriven and bratty. When the guitars and the synths do the riff [sings a staccato melody], it also has a bratty quality to it.

You also went to a visual arts school when you were 18 to 20 years old, and you’re often involved in the making of your music videos and album cover art. How does art influence your music?

The visual stuff and music inspire each other. Just like the power of silence in music, there’s the power of negative space in visual art. It all overlaps, and there’s no formula. It all depends on the song and the moment.

And when one creative avenue dries up, it’s good to explore another one until the ground gets more fertile again.

Exactly.

Danny Cohen has made a documentary about you called Anonymous Club, where he followed you on the road for a couple of years. How did you connect?

Danny is a really good friend of mine, and he’s made a couple of my video clips. He came on tour with me pretty much from the album cycle for Tell Me How You Really Feel. He was on and off tours around the world, and made this really beautiful and pretty simple film.

What did you talk about, and what was the filming experience like for you?

We talked a lot about the art-making process and the fears behind being an artist. There was so much deep and personal stuff. So even if there was some confronting, for the most part it was an interesting process.

Browse Courtney Barnett's catalog here.

Dr. Know helped turn the punk scene on its head when his band Bad Brains emigrated from Washington D.C. to New York in the early ‘80s.  Here he discusses some of the guitars, amps and effects that have transported him on his unique musical journey…

What amps did you use early on?

Believe it or not, early on I was using Acoustic amps, because they had built-in distortion and, most importantly, channel switching so that I could switch from fuzz to the clean sound I needed for the reggae stuff. I also used Marshalls, but often they were customized by people like Harry Kolbe in New York.

Eventually, I started using Mesa/Boogies, and then, by the late ’80s, rack gear with multi-effects units and MIDI control. I would just look through the guitar magazines and be like, “I need that! And that!” Most recently, I was using a Boogie Triple Rectifier, which I liked better than the Dual Rectifier, because it had more headroom.

There’s a video of Bad Brains performing at CBGB in 1982, and when the band is playing reggae material, you’re using phasing and delay. Do you recall what effects units you used?

It was an MXR phaser and an Echoplex. I just recently watched that video and was thinking about how that was when I had just built my first pedalboard. I built that bad boy out of plywood. It wouldn’t look like much to somebody today, but for 40 years ago, it was good!

You had a pedalboard on the stage? I would have thought that with all of the kids getting up there to stage dive, you wouldn’t be able to do that.

Oh yeah, especially at CBs, because the stage was so small. But we had our roadie, Alvin Robertson, and he would stand by me and be like, “Yo, you all get out of here. Don’t mess with his shit!”

In the early ’80s, you’re frequently pictured with two guitars: a B.C. Rich Eagle and an Ovation UK2 1291, which featured a unique aluminum skeleton and a Urelite foam body

The B.C. Rich was stolen. I think it happened when we went to England to open for the Damned, but they didn’t let us in. We were all punked out and we didn’t have our working papers. They were like, “A bunch of Black punk dudes coming over here? Nah. We got enough of this with these White kids over here.”

They took our passports, put us in a room and were like, “You’re getting on this next plane, and you going back.” We went home, but the equipment never made it. The Ovation was a gift from Ric Ocasek, who gave it to me when he was producing Rock for Light.

By the time the band is recording I Against I in 1986, you’ve switched to using Superstrats with locking tremolos.

I had Roger Sadowsky build me a white Strat-style guitar, and then I remember Darryl and I going to 48th Street, to ESP, which was still really a parts shop at the time. I think he ordered his green bass, and I picked out an alder body and a neck for the guitar that became Old Blackie [his Strat-style guitar with an ESP body and neck and custom DiMarzio pickups].

The pickups in there were made specially for me by Steve Blucher at DiMarzio: the single-coil-sized pickups in the middle and the neck are actually hum canceling. I played that guitar forever. Still sounds good, too! I also have a Maguire guitar that has a Floyd Rose, EMGs and a Sustaniac pickup that I like a lot.

What instrument do you play most now?

I’ve actually been spending a lot of time playing an electric baglama, which is a Turkish stringed instrument that I run through all my pedals. At some point, I want to incorporate that into my next musical venture.

Buy Rock for Light by Bad Brains here.

At the dawn of 2021, Gibson made major waves with the announcement of its acquisition of the legendary guitar amp brand, Mesa/Boogie.

At the time, Gibson clarified that the company's founder and Master Designer, Randall Smith, would continue on in the latter role, and that Mesa/Boogie would continue to create and release products under its own name.

In a recent interview with MusicRadar though, Gibson Brand President Cesar Gueikian revealed that, in addition to his work on new Mesa/Boogie products, Smith is also working on a new line of Gibson amplifiers. 

“The addition of Mesa/Boogie into the Gibson family, I think is another one of those incredibly exciting moments for us, and also having the blessing that Randy Smith is still as active as ever," Gueikian said.

“So, Randy – we call him our master pioneer, and he's still in the lab working on designing new concepts and new circuit boards.”

“To talk about life cycle of a product and the introduction of something new, it's going to take a while, but Randy is working on the design of what are going to be the next evolution of Gibson amplifiers as well. They are going to be made in Petaluma, California. So Randy's been leading that."

Gueikian also discussed the role that Mesa/Boogie's Jim Aschow, Doug West, and Steve Mueller played in the two legendary companies' relationship, and eventual merger.

“When it comes to tone,” Gueikian reflected, “Steve Mueller, he's been there for 30 years, and they call him the new guy. He's from Texas, so we call him Tex. He's like my tone brother. And he and I connected first. 

“That's how we started the relationship, it was Steve and I talking about amplifiers and collaborating. Us sending some Gibsons and then them sending some Mesa/Boogies so we could do content. 

“That's how the relationship developed. And then that led to, okay, this is an amazing collaboration to an amazing partnership to… why don't we?

“It was organic, it wasn't, 'Let's go buy an amp company,'" Gueikian said. "It was working with Mesa/Boogie, one thing led to another to having the conversation.”

It may be awhile before further developments on a Mesa/Boogie-designed Gibson amp line arise, but do keep your eyes on mesaboogie.com in the meantime for more news from the company.

"Growing up, I had the feeling that my dad was coming from a different place than other guitarists,” Dweezil Zappa says. “He seemed to mock the guitar hero idea in his physical movements onstage, and he expanded the possibilities of what soloing could be.”

Dweezil honors his father, Frank Zappa, by continuing to explore and expand the notion of what an electric guitar solo can be and digging into tone like an archeologist. He’s always building knowledge based on uncovered and recovered wisdom and utilizing the latest technology to “move the project forward.” That was obvious with his 2011 album, Live in the Moment, and it’s in evidence again on Live in the Moment II (Fantom), his brilliantly executed and flawlessly documented 2018 follow-up.

Both albums consist of material culled from his Zappa Plays Zappa tours, on which he performed renditions of Frank’s music using a stellar core band he curated himself. To that end, Dweezil has drawn inspiration from Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar, Frank’s seminal ’80s album that developed into a trio of records consisting mostly of live guitar solos.

“I love the tones, the playing, the spaces replete with feedback and all of the transitions,” Dweezil says of Frank’s Shut Up ’n Play project. “It represents total freedom of expression and showcases the unique circumstances that helped inspire those improvised moments. Making a collection of them is the real concept behind Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar and my Live in the Moment records. That type of record could be perceived as gratuitous, but I view it as a way to capture a lifelong journey, showing the snapshots of what took place along the way.”

Dweezil retired the Zappa Plays Zappa moniker in favor of using his own name, but he continues to revitalize his father’s music faithfully with an outstanding ensemble of relatively young musicians. Those shows are one way Frank’s music remains vital years after his death.

GP caught up with the guitarist shortly after he completed 2018’s Choice Cuts tour. Dweezil sat down to talk about the making of Live in the Moment II, offer insights into his father’s approach to soloing and share some deep details about how he recreates Frank’s classic tones onstage.

Frank had such a distinctive approach to soloing. Explain the art of the guitar solo as it pertains to Zappa world.

My dad didn’t subscribe to the pre-composed solo approach. He preferred playing live in the studio, and when playing live he loved to be inspired in the moment to spontaneously compose onstage. He described his playing as making “air sculptures.” Since sound waves move air molecules, he said that he was imagining shapes while playing.

Nowadays you can actually see what frequencies look like. I’ve Googled videos of grains of sand on metal shaker plates that reshape themselves when exposed to different frequencies. The patterns are fascinating and beautiful. It’s startling to realize that everywhere we go the sounds around us are creating invisible frequency tapestries, and we are walking right through them.

What’s your interpretation of his “air sculptures” concept?

It’s another way of saying that my dad was in “the zone,” that perfect place where music flows through you and you’re not impeding the process. He was the best I have ever seen at listening and reacting to the music in real time and seemingly never repeating himself or falling back on pre-composed ideas or licks.

It requires intense listening and takes some training to free your mind of technical thoughts, licks or really any distractions, allowing yourself to tune in to your surroundings and just react. It’s the coolest thing when you witness any musician enter that space. Only great things happen as a result.

And of course Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar is a great example of that philosophy. How exactly did Frank put it together?

He extracted performances from live concerts over a lengthy period of time from several different tours with different bands and different gear. Making things sound uniform wasn’t really a mandate for him. He used interstitial musical snippets as palate cleansers in between tracks to help with the transitions. That was brilliantly executed and helped keep the energy flowing.

His guitar tones changed frequently from tour to tour. From the mid ’70s through the early ’80s he used a guitar rig he referred to as Ma Bell. It featured a complex system that allowed for amp and effects switching as well as presets, long before anyone else had that capability. I remember him saying he spent close to $30,000 dollars to develop it. That would be like $300,000 now! It also had three amps and two D.I.s, for a grand total of five individual tracks needed to capture his guitar sound. With only 24 tracks available on the tape machine, submixing was a necessity.

The amp configuration he used most featured a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead, a Vox Super Beatle and a Mesa/Boogie combo amp, with effects that included the MicMix Dynaflanger, Eventide H949 Harmonizer, MXR delays, a dbx 160 stereo compressor and an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff.

His guitars had preamps that brought them up to line level and made it possible to easily integrate rack-mounted studio gear into his system. In the studio he would sometimes re-amp the guitar audio, sending it through a few guitar speaker cabinets in the live room. He would use different microphones, but rarely would I see any Shure SM57s. He preferred the Sennheiser MD 421 and a Neumann U67 along with an AKG C 24 for the ambience. The inclusion of a clean compressed D.I. sound was the real secret weapon. It added dimension and clarity within his overdriven sounds, as well as immediacy to the transient information.

What about Shut Up most inspired you to apply the concept yourself?

I was always in awe of my dad’s rhythmic and harmonic variety. He had a tremendous vocabulary, and he created such unique guitar tones. The Dynaflanger tone is my all-time favorite. It’s essentially a time-modulated sound that reacts to the envelope threshold being manipulated by the player. It creates an amazingly realistic double without the predictability of an LFO. It’s like a living thing that reacts to what you’re doing. It’s so cool! That tone has been one of the hardest to replicate, but it has also inspired me to play things I would never play otherwise. It’s a big part of Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar as well as my Live in the Moment records.

Can you describe how you’re taking advantage of cutting-edge live-recording technology?

From a technical standpoint, the equipment we use to capture the sound and shape it for the audience has never been better. We use the Waves Audio eMotion LV1 system because of its insane flexibility and creative options.

Nerd alert! We can recreate signal chains down to the DNA level. For example, if I know that my dad used an API console, a dbx 160 compressor and a Pultec EQ when tracking a certain part, we can use the software emulation in real time to process that same part live onstage. That can be done for every instrument and every song with seamless snapshot changes during the show. We’re able to get so close to the original sonic fingerprints. It’s quite impressive.

The Waves system improves our ability to deliver great live sound and gives me instant access to stereo mixes that sound like finished records.

You were an early adopter of Fractal Audio rack units. Can you describe how that changed the game for your rig?

I switched from tube amps to Fractals 10 years ago because the sound quality and flexibility is unmatched. They facilitate the layered sounds I’m seeking. I actually have three different rigs in different sizes. For a few tracks on Live in the Moment II, I used the nano rig, which is a Fractal AX8 self-contained processor and switching unit. It has a custom GoochFX analog fuzz, an Eventide H9 Harmonizer and a volume pedal, and it all fits in a Pelican case that easily travels in any overhead bin, so I use it to save costs on European tours. It can replicate 60 to 70 percent of the sounds from my big rig with sufficient layers of detail.

My medium-sized rig can replicate 70 to 80 percent of the big rig, which is the size of a refrigerator. Both are quad setups with two autonomous Axe-Fx II Preamp/FX Processors feeding two pairs of powered full-range P.A. speakers. I usually prefer the wide pair for modulated sounds and the interior set for direct sounds.

Each machine has an array of effects that can be activated via footswitch or MIDI preset autonomously in front, as well as H9s in the effects loops. The two machines also have an array of effects that will hit the input of both machines at once, including the wah. Those are only available as on-the-fly color changes, and I use them often. They are mostly different flavors of fuzz or overdrive.

Why do you still employ tons of pedals and rack effects when you have such processing power with the Fractals?

I hear that question a lot. Realistically, the Fractals can do everything, but they rely on a set of algorithms that determine the sound character, so I like to mix it up and have more colors, especially when it comes to fuzz. Analog pedals also have their own feel, and the subtleties of that feel can be integral to my playing ability and phrasing. Sometimes the perception of feel plays an even more important role than the sound itself.

I mostly use the Marshall, Fender and Hook amplifier models in the Fractal for the core sounds. The speaker IRs [impulse responses] are probably the most important elements of any Fractal preset. More than anything, they shape the personality of the raw amp tones.

Can you site some tonal references from Live in the Moment II?

“five-five-FIVE” starts my record, just as it did the original Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar album. I used the nano rig for that song, so I was a bit limited, but I was able to evoke the sonic spirit that sets the proper mood.

I used the medium rig on “Watermelon in Easter Hay” to dial in a pretty accurate emulation of the original album sound on Joe’s Garage. I used a Strat with custom McNelly pickups and a Trem King vibrato system on that track. The reverb comes from the H9 and is based on the Eventide Omnipressor. It auto-swells the reverb after the note is played and helps create that beautiful space. The distorted lead has the subtle version of the Dynaflanger and a slow phaser, just like the original.

One of my other favorite tones on the record is the gritty fuzz on “Badass Pony.” That comes from the “Montana” solo section.

Putting together a pedalboard is daunting for a lot of players. Can you share some insights you’ve gained from putting together your own rigs?

The main challenge is always how pedals react with different guitars, other pedals and amp sources. If you need to play multiple guitars during a show, you don’t want to be changing knobs around on pedals to compensate for the different guitar outputs. It’s always important to find fuzz and overdrive pedals that don’t drop the output level when engaged and add character or boost functionality to your sound. Some pedals only sound good on an already distorted amp, while others can drive a clean channel nicely.

Obviously, you have to spend time finding things that work together and give you character and functionality. I typically prefer the drive sound from amps versus pedals. I do like fuzz pedals that allow you to tune the bias. I think of it as tuning the transient response or the front edge of the note.

Experiment with dynamics and how the pedal reacts. I like to have variation between how notes will bloom on either side of my stereo sound. In any case, it’s all a matter of finding the right tools for the job. If you only need five sounds, obviously your pedalboard will be much easier to put together. In my case, a two-and-a-half hour show may need as many as 50 different sounds mapped out in preset banks.

What are your main touring guitars, and what else is on Live in the Moment II?

I mainly use modified versions of the Gibson Frank Zappa “Roxy” SG. On this last tour I had my main guitar, which has a Fishman Powerbridge piezo installed as well as a Sustainiac pickup. I also had an even more customized version of that guitar with those features plus a neck that Echopark Guitars customized to be half fretless: The low strings are fretted and the high strings are fretless. My third guitar was a stock “Roxy” SG that I played mainly for the out-of-phase sound that it makes.

Certain material requires a Stratocaster, and there’s plenty of it on Live in the Moment II. “It’s in the Key of E,” “Tom’s Banana Experiment,” “What’s That Hose For?,” “Prelude in E Retrograde” and “Watermelon in Easter Hay” are all Strat songs. I love the fuzz sound that kicks in on “It’s in the Key of E.” It has the best representation of the note bloom variation I described. It also has some Dynaflanger, of course.

On “What’s That Hose For?” the tone that sounds like an Octavia is actually coming from the McNelly pickup combo. It’s the neck and bridge out of phase, but somehow it has a strong octave fundamental. You can hear the direct clean sound blended in as well.

Can you share harmonic insights about “five-five-FIVE”?

I play around with some of the same tonalities my dad favored. It’s basically G minor, but I sometimes play a six-note scale off of G that goes: 1 b2 3 4 b6 6. I also use C melodic minor. The song is based on different permutations of five [it is in 5/8 + 5/8 + 5/4 meters], which gives it an exotic sound.

About two-and-a-half minutes into the tune, it sounds as if you’re using the fretless SG.

I’m actually playing my main SG, but at that point I am utilizing the same sliding techniques I employ on the fretless guitar. I’ve been incorporating a lot of slides into my playing, as well as an approach where you bend from underneath the target note up to pitch. It has a slide-guitar kind of sound.

Can you detail how the endless sustain of the Sustainiac pickup fits into your playing?

The Sustainiac inspires a different type of melodic phrasing. It enables me to slide around and have notes bloom in different ways. The way that my rig allows me to select different fuzzes on each side of the stereo field helps. The Sustainiac offers a lot of vibrato variations as well. Sometimes it can even sound like a theremin, especially with the fretless guitar.

The Eastern sounds you make are especially cool. What are your inspirations?

I love the sound of microtonal instruments. On my Via Zammata’ record [from 2015], I played the oud and a Godin Glissentar [11-string fretless electro-acoustic guitar]. I’m inspired by a variety of Eastern styles, including Indian, Turkish, Arabic and Bulgarian music. I even recorded some music by the Bulgarian Women’s Choir on this album.

The two tunes I chose have resonated with me ever since my dad took me to one of their concerts. I orchestrated them for guitar in a way that also pays homage to one of my guitar heroes, Brian May. They have a lot of overdubs. Those are the only pieces that are not live. Even the transitions between songs come from different moments on tour over the years. There are lot of duck calls! If you listen carefully you might hear a duck call version of the Superman movie theme.

“The Road Less Traveled” and “Take a Left at Peru” are awesome takes of solos from “Inca Roads.” Frank also put multiple versions of “Inca Roads” solos on Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar.

“Inca Roads” is at the top of my list of favorite songs. The structure and the intervallic melody lines draw me in. Each performance is unique because of the improvisational sections. The two vamps on Shut Up ’n Play Yer Guitar feature some of my dad’s best guitar playing and tones. I can’t get enough of that Stratocaster sound with the Dynaflanger.

The two solos I include from “Inca Roads” have a touch of the Dynaflanger as a nod to the original album version [from One Size Fits All], which has an envelope follower. That vamp always inspires a slow build, and I try to make my solos a musical conversation with the band. It’s based on two chords, C and D. Major-triad stuff sounds great, as does A Dorian. I usually stick with that tonality.

The closer, “Watermelon in Easter Hay,” is deeply striking, just like the original. What it is about that tune that takes the soul to another plane?

That is by far the most emotional solo my dad ever played. The way he phrased the melody is so idiosyncratic and takes advantage of his rhythmic mastery. It’s very difficult to capture anything close. I worked hard to recreate the tones he used and play many of the landmark phrases, adding my own embellishments within context to the song.

For me, the penultimate emotional moment of the melody is the placement of the first note with that crying clean tone. I believe it’s the #11 working off of an A root. It has a beautiful resolution to E major. My dad favored Lydian mode in his writing and playing, and I love the Lydian sound as well, because it’s beautiful and can be moody, too.

What are you working on in the recording studio and otherwise?

I’m working on live albums, DVD releases and new music of my own. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to focus on my own writing. One day, I’d like to have my own studio and become a mad scientist. It would be great fun to have a space in which to operate musically like my dad did, doing – as he put it – “Anything at any time, for any reason at all.”

Browse Dweezil Zappa records here.

Mounted in a small picture frame at Zack Feinberg’s home in New Orleans, a pair of guitar picks illustrate two pivotal moments from his musical journey thus far. Both occurred when he was a kid growing up in New York City. 

The first took place when Feinberg’s father, a blues guitar fan and guitar player himself, took him to see B.B. King. The impressionable young blues fan was awestruck when King handed him a pick he’d used during the show. Two weeks later, Feinberg was standing among the fans at a Buddy Guy show on Jones Beach, off Long Island. As the blues veteran made his way through the crowd, he too handed the youngster one of his plectrums.

“I think it’s unusual that I was into that music at such a young age,” Feinberg recalls. “I was a nine-year-old kid listening to the blues and the classic rock radio station.”

After absorbing blues and rock as a kid, Feinberg dove into jam-oriented, improvisational music. Upon graduating high school, he decamped bustling New York for the laid-back and musically rich environs of New Orleans, laying the groundwork for the band that would launch his career.

“I was in New Orleans, riding my bike down the street, and came across David Shaw sitting on his porch, playing guitar and singing his heart out,” Feinberg says, recalling how he met his bandmate. “I stopped my bike and he stopped singing. I was like, ‘Dude, don’t stop singing! You’re killing it.’ As it turned out, David had just moved to town and was looking for people to play with, so he and I formed this friendship and started playing out.”

Dubbing themselves the Revivalists, the duo performed over the next few years, adding steel guitarist Ed Williams as well as a rhythm section, keys and brass. In the process, the Revivalists transformed their singer-songwriter vibe into a full-on musical celebration that spans funk, soul, gospel, and rock and roll.

As the band’s guitarists, Feinberg and Williams developed a kinship over their mutual love of sacred-steel player Robert Randolph. Like Randolph, Williams takes a creative approach to his instrument, playing it through stompboxes and cranked-up guitar amps to conjure wild sounds and textures.

“I was a teenager when I picked up steel, and it just blew me away how you could make it sing,” Williams says. “I took the musical knowledge that I had and applied it in a more vocal-like way.”

It might seem on paper that a band inspired by such a wild collage of influences can’t possibly find a point of cohesion. But the Revivalists’ mix of styles and instruments – and their incubation in New Orleans, which has its own melting-pot musical lineage dating back hundreds of years – is genuine Americana.

“I was drawn to New Orleans because of the music scene,” Feinberg explains. “I remember somebody telling me it was easy to get gigs in New Orleans compared to cities like New York or Boston, where there are so many good players from the music schools but not that many venues that offer live music. In New Orleans, there’s a ton of good players, but there are also so many clubs.”

As the Revivalists developed, they sharpened their live set, playing more than 150 shows a year and using the stage to improvise and embellish their sound. Signature songs like “Fade Away,” from their breakout third album, 2015’s Men Amongst Mountains, evolved in performance, with Feinberg and Williams taking turns playing lead, then harmonizing over a swaying bed of brass and keys while Williams worked his steel licks with a wah.

By the time their Men Amongst Mountains single “Wish I Knew You” hit number one, back in 2016, the Revivalists had distilled their good-time brew of sinewy funk beats, eclectic instrumentation and Shaw’s snaking vocal phrasing into a distinctive sound.

For the group’s latest album, 2018’s Take Good Care (Loma Vista Recordings), they added a second drummer and percussionist and split recording time between their hometown and Nashville, where they worked with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), who took over the legendary RCA Studios on Music Row in 2016.

Back in New Orleans, they cut the other half of the album with Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Sleigh Bells) and Dave Bassett (Elle King). The production lineup was a big change for the group, whose previous two albums, 2012/14’s City of Sound and the aforementioned Men Amongst Mountains, were helmed by Ben Ellman.

“For Take Good Care, we started with 60 songs and had to whittle it down to 25,” Feinberg explains. “We had three producers because we were reluctant to commit to somebody we hadn’t worked with before. So we set up these little tests, doing a week with one guy, a couple days here with another… As it turned out, we loved all three producers, so we used everything we recorded.”

Feinberg’s clean, fingerpicked guitar is the backbone of the album’s opener, “Otherside of Paradise,” but he takes a supporting role on “All My Friends” – a number-one hit on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart – dropping bluesy licks into the mix as accents.

Williams uses his pedal steel to create synthy countermelodies on the charging “Change” and “You Said it All,” a song that nods to Dr. Dre’s production style as much as anything. “You and I” channels Van Morrison circa “Wild Nights,” while “Oh No” is built on a grungy guitar riff played by both Feinberg and Williams.

The Revivalists’ sound is multidimensional, full of layers and pockets where an instrument can be tucked in. How do you find your place?

Zack Feinberg: Between the saxophone, the pedal steel, my guitar and the keys, there are a lot of polyphonic and lead instruments, and those give us a lot of options and palettes to be creative with. For Ed and me, it could be as simple as one of us doing basic chord comping, or swells and textures. Or we could both do a ripping rock thing or lead lines. We just try to feel it out and make the right vibe for the song.

Ed Williams: Neither of us is selfish. We’re very good at asking ourselves, What does this song need? Is it just a lush thing in the background? And sometimes neither one of us is ripping. We’re both doing lush stuff, and that’s just what the song is all about for us. We’ve gotten so good at playing together and hearing what our parts are. It’s something that’s happened over the last 10 years, where we don’t really clash.

What do you do to make the guitars work in a song where some other instrument is taking the lead?

Feinberg: It just depends on the track. If a song comes together on a jam led by a keyboard or a Wurlitzer electric piano chord progression, we’re not gonna take it away from there. We’re gonna work with the song and find ways to complement what’s happening. For example, on [Take Good Care] Ed used an EBow on his pedal steel. He keeps it on one string and moves it around, and gets this almost synth kind of vibe with it.

I also like fingerpicking, and I like funk guitar, and I think as a band we’re open to all these different sounds and styles and instruments. We try to take the same approach on a more microscopic level with our individual approaches to playing.

It sounds like everyone is feeding off one another. A guitar lick can turn into a saxophone phrase, and a steel lick all of a sudden becomes a vocal line.

Williams: Yeah, it’s a lot of call and response. And it’s great playing with the guys in the band. I know Zack makes me a better player, and I think I do that for him, too. It’s just the way we play off each other, and we have for so many years. I’m better because of it. The songs and the music are bigger than the individual instruments.

Does the eclectic music scene in New Orleans play any role in the mix of influences in the Revivalists’ music?

Williams: That’s the funny thing about playing in New Orleans: We like to say you have no choice – it gets in your blood and what you play.

Feinberg: I think there’s a certain joy to the playing here. It’s not like a big music industry center or anything. People come down to play in New Orleans because they love to play. It’s an uplifting community, which is another rare thing. It’s not cutthroat at all. And once you’re in the musical community, everybody’s super supportive.

Having that New Orleans background, what drew you to Nashville to work with Dave Cobb for some of the tracks on Take Good Care? We understand you cut your tracks with him in the legendary RCA Studio B.

Feinberg: Well, he’s a great producer, for one thing, and the studio is fantastic. His sensibility is right up our alley. He’s all about capturing a live performance. We did a couple of songs with all the guitar amps in the room – with the drums and even Dave’s vocals in the middle of the room.

Williams: It was a very live sound.

Feinberg: Dave is really good at capturing a raw live performance. We didn’t even block off the amps. We were just in the room playing. Even the lead vocals were going through speakers in the room, bleeding into everything. And that room is, like, magical. Somehow it had good separation but still some good live bleed. Everything came together, and it worked out well.

There’s a vintage-soul vibe on a lot of the songs on Take Good Care.

Feinberg: Exactly. He’s got plenty of vintage stuff in that room, I’ll tell ya that much.

How deep did you get into that collection for the album?

Feinberg: Guitar-wise, a lot of it was my guitars. “Celebration” and “Got Love” are two songs we did with Dave that had the most live parts on them. On “Celebration,” we really liked my B.A. Ferguson guitar. He’s a boutique builder out of Hartsville, South Carolina. I primarily used the Ferguson and my goldtop Les Paul, as well as my Telecaster and Guild Starfire. But Dave has an amazing collection of super-vintage ’60s Fenders and Gibsons. I think I used his [Gibson] ES-335 on some things, as well as his Tele.

Williams: I played my Fessenden steel guitar through my Mesa Lone Star for some stuff. But actually, the amp I used for a lot of the album was this little blue Kustom that gave my pedal steel a gritty sound. The reverb was really good, too. So I played a lot of stuff through that.

Feinberg: The Parlor, in New Orleans, is where we recorded the other half. I know I used my vintage [Fender] Super Reverb for those sessions.

Williams: I think I played through a bunch of different things. At the Parlor, we just set up amps and plugged into whatever was there and tried to find the right sound.

You worked at the Parlor with Andrew Dawson and Dave Bassett. Musically, they have their own personalities and styles, and yet Take Good Care feels like a cohesive work. What did each of the producers contribute to the process?

Williams: Dave Cobb was really good at coming up with the horn parts. Andrew Dawson, who I love, understands how to build a drum beat. It always amazes me.

Feinberg: On “Otherside of Paradise,” I had the fingerpicking part, and it just seemed like a little bit too busy through the changes. Dawson subtracted a couple of notes on two of the chords, and it made it flow much better. He did little things like that, which turned out to be significant.

Williams: Or with the steel, they would say, “Slide into this a little bit more. Make it lazy and it’ll have more impact.” And I would just play a little behind the beat and slide into it, and it came out better.

Feinberg: On “When I’m With You,” Dave Cobb came up with the riff that the whole band plays at the beginning of the song. It’s the most-used riff throughout the song, and it ties it together super well. He’s really good at coming up with little riffs that become sections of the song and help propel it. He did that on “Got Love” as well.

Looking back, did the success of “Wish I Knew You” impact the direction you took on this record?

Feinberg: You know, I’d like to say that it didn’t have an impact. The answer that we always give is no, it doesn’t have an effect on our songwriting. We try to keep that process separate. But I think it’s hard not to imagine a song being on the radio. Realistically, that might have had an effect on some of the songwriting.

Williams: Some of the new songs were written before “Wish I Knew You” became a hit. “Hate to Love You” has been around for a while. But like Zack says, the success of “Wish I Knew You” definitely changed our career path. So while I would say it affected our moves going forward, it did so in a good way.

How so? What was your headspace going into Take Good Care?

Feinberg: We had never really followed up a success before, so I think we realized it was going to be our most anticipated release. And it gave us the opportunity to work with great producers. Not to take anything away from our previous producer, Ben Ellman, who I adore and who was amazing on City of Sound and Men Amongst Mountains. It was just time to try some new things.

Williams: We made an effort to be ourselves and not let the success of “Wish I Knew You” change what we’re trying to do. If the song hadn’t done as well as it did, I still think we would be writing these songs and staying true to ourselves.

Browse the Revivalists catalog here.

Back in 2015, Sean Lennon’s band the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger was the opening act on a tour co-headlined by Primus and Dinosaur Jr. Which is how Lennon ended up in an impromptu jam session with Primus bassist and lead vocalist Les Claypool one night before a show.

“We were playing on acoustics in the back of Les’s tour bus, 10 or 15 minutes before one of us was supposed to go onstage,” Lennon recalls. “And we came up with a bunch of things really fast. I remember Les being like, ‘Yeah, I noticed that you were kind of writing a song as we jammed, as opposed to just noodling.’ I think he liked that.”

“He was playing things that I wasn’t expecting, and that always intrigues me when I play with someone,” Claypool adds. “So I could tell right away that we had an interesting dynamic together. And I also liked the fact that Sean sometimes has odd approaches to what he does.” He laughs. “Because as you may know from my work, I’m a little off-center, too.”

“Off-center,” of course, doesn’t even begin to describe the supreme oddness of Claypool and Lennon’s individual artistic output. As the frontman and main songwriter for Primus, the former has spent the past three decades or so crafting some of the knottiest, most dizzyingly complex and bizarre bass lines heard in modern music, and then grafting them to similarly wacko punk-funk-prog-rock creations with titles like “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” and “Shake Hands With Beef.”

As for Lennon, he’s a multi-instrumentalist with a ridiculously long résumé. In addition to his solo and band pursuits, he’s collaborated with artists in pop, rock, metal, avant-garde, hip-hop, psychedelia, folk and other genres – and that’s in addition to his work scoring films, producing records, acting and more. (He is also, of course, the offspring of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.) Put these two off-center individuals together in a room – or the back of a tour bus, as it were – and the result is, as Lennon says, “definite creative chemistry.”

The outcome of that chemistry is the Claypool Lennon Delirium, a project that serves as a conduit for the two artists to explore the outermost reaches of their shared musical sensibilities. The duo issued their debut album, Monolith of Phobos, in 2016, and followed it up in 2017 with the EP Lime and Limpid Green, which featured covers of songs from Syd Barrett–era Pink Floyd, King Crimson, the Who and the late-’60s Japanese rock group Flower Travellin’ Band.

Their latest album, 2019’s South of Reality (ATO Records), finds Claypool and Lennon indulging their shared love of ‘60s and ’70s prog, psych and garage rock and melding it to jam-band-esque instrumental excursions, sweet-and-sour vocal harmonies and a lyric approach that is one part dark ruminations on the human condition and one part word-salad whimsy. All of which is to say South of Reality is, in one sense, exactly what we might expect from a meeting of these two oddball minds. At the same time, it sounds quite unlike anything else in popular music at this time.

Around the time of the album’s release, Claypool and Lennon sat down with Guitar Player to discuss their unique artistic bond, their unusual recording arrangement (which includes, on Lennon’s part at least, the use of a hefty number of sound-warping pedals) and what it is they like about working with one another. Central to this last point, Lennon says, is the fact that “we have an easy flow together.”

Which is, Claypool adds, an important, if not essential, aspect of the Delirium. “It has to be easy,” he says. “Because I don’t like pushing things. If things aren’t coming easy then I’ll go do something else – like catch a fish or something.”

The two of you pull from a lot of different sounds and styles in the Claypool Lennon Delirium. But what’s most pronounced in it are elements of late ’60s and early ’70s prog. What do you love about that music?

Sean Lennon: I think we love prog because it’s open-ended, and you can kind of do anything with it. It’s expansive. So it suits us, because it doesn’t seem strange to write a song in three sections about a rocket scientist [the South of Reality track “Blood and Rockets,” about American rocket engineer Jack Parsons]. It’s the theatrical version of rock and roll. [laughs] In prog, you’re allowed to write about “By-Tor and the Snow Dog,” or whatever. So it does kind of suit the Delirium in that way.

Les Claypool: I like it because it’s a rock that I haven’t really turned over on my own yet. And I tend to turn over a lot of rocks. I think Primus has always been pretty progressive, but in a different way. Primus is a heavier band. This to me is more reminiscent of Syd-era Floyd stuff and things that were going on around that time. And we come at it from different angles.

As a kid, I was a big fan of Rush and Yes and Utopia and Jethro Tull, whereas I think Sean was coming from a more psychedelic side of things. I remember, we were in his car one time going from his place in upstate New York back to Manhattan, and he was driving and I thought he was going to kill us because he was playing disc jockey the whole time, trying to get me to listen to all this psychedelic shit. So we like turning each other on to different things.

What was the collaborative process like for South of Reality? Were you guys coming up with ideas independent of one another, or were you working on everything together?

Lennon: Both. Les has a really good work ethic in a lot of ways. For example, he has this policy that everyone shows up for rehearsal the first day knowing, basically, everything. [laughs] Like, they should know all the songs for a tour. Every part! As far as I know, a lot of people, and me especially, don’t mind rehearsing at rehearsal.

But he wants you to do your homework. It’s kind of like that for him when making a record, too. He does his homework before he gets there, and he shows up with a lot of ideas. But then there are other things that we came up with just by jamming together in the studio. Les is a really fast songwriter. Sometimes we would write a song a day for several days in a row. We’d just be cranking them out.

Sean, as a guitarist, is Les an intimidating guy to play with?

Lennon: He’s not intimidating in terms of his personality, but I’m definitely years behind him in terms of technical prowess and accomplishment on my instrument. The idea of holding my own in that way was a little bit daunting for me. But it pushed me to practice a little bit for… well, for pretty much the first time in my life. [laughs] Because I never really had a goal of becoming a guitar player specifically. I always considered the guitar to be a vehicle for me to write songs. So I wound up doing a little bit of practicing at first, and I still do. Whenever I’m going to go play with him, I practice some scales and exercises that I’ve found on YouTube or that different people have taught me. Because I don’t want to get tired out with Les, especially onstage. Sometimes the solos go on for quite some time.

Claypool: [laughs] Sean’s a pretty humble guy. He always worries about whether he’s up to snuff when we get ready to do some shows, and he wants to rehearse probably more than I would normally rehearse. But he’s a great guitarist. And a very intuitive player.

In addition to your musical connection, there seems to be a shared sensibility as far as the lyrics and artwork go. You guys both have a knack for conjuring dark but whimsical imagery.

Lennon: I think that’s one of the fun things about the character of the band. Because of Les’s personality, which is so strong and unique, there’s always a bit of humor mixed in as one of the ingredients. That definitely opens doors. It kind of gives you an excuse to take certain risks that you might not otherwise take. And that’s nice for me, because it makes me feel like I can write songs about imaginary things and surrealist things and funny stories and bizarre histories. Whereas sometimes, if I’m writing for myself, like under the title of Sean Ono Lennon or something, I wind up writing about things I feel or think. But in the Delirium I can write about sci-fi and children’s books and horror and comedy. The door is open to come up with fantastical story lines.

Claypool: I tend to bring this sort of twisted Americana element to everything I do, which is just me reflecting my background. But the great thing about Sean is, he’s like a scientist. He’s constantly delving into realms of science and lore and whatnot that most people just don’t delve into as deeply as he does. And, of course, when you have conversations with Sean and you talk about your childhood — or, I should say, my childhood — it’s quite a bit different than what his childhood was like. So you get two different perspectives and experiences of being on the planet.

What gear are you guys using on South of Reality?

Claypool: I’m using one of my Pachyderm basses, which I make with a buddy of mine that I went to high school with named Dan Maloney. For pedals I have a Line 6 [DL4] Delay and a Line 6 [DM4] Distortion, and I have a Boomerang [Phrase Sampler] and a [Fractal] AX8 [Amp Modeler and Multi-Effects Processor]. And I don’t use an amp: I have two API 7600 channel strips, and then I go into the console and into Pro Tools.

Sean, what were your main electric guitars on the record?

Lennon: My Delirium guitars are kind of flashy, in a funny way. I have two custom Bilt Zaftig guitars that are my main axes. One has a kind of greenish-teal glitter finish, and the other is all silver, with a mirror pickguard. I play them onstage and also in the studio, because Les and I tend to use the same gear for both. I have my same pedalboard setup in the studio, too. For my amp, I mostly used this little old Mesa/Boogie of Les’s. We put the Mesa/Boogie in this closet-shower contraption in the corner of the studio.

Claypool: You have to imagine, my whole house [Rancho Relaxo, in northern California, where Claypool records] is like a time capsule from the ’70s. It was built in 1978, so it’s very Boogie Nights. The bathroom in the studio is all brown – even the toilet. So the amp is shoved into this little brown shower, and we mic it up, throw some pads around it, shut the door and away we go.

Lennon: Once we get the amp sounding really nice, we don’t really think about it again. From there, any changes in the guitar sound come mostly from my pedalboard. We also don’t have any assistant engineer or anything. It’s just Les running Pro Tools and the API board.

So it’s just the two of you in the studio?

Lennon: Yeah. It’s literally only the two of us.

Who’s playing drums on the record?

Lennon: I am. Though we also had Paulo Baldi, who has played with Cake, come in and play on three songs.

Sean, you use effects pretty extensively in this band. Can you talk about what you had on your pedalboard in the studio?

Lennon: My pedalboard is kind of ridiculous. I start with a simple [Seymour Duncan] 805 Overdrive, the turquoise one. Then I have another overdrive pedal, this thing called a Crazy Tube Circuits Starlight, which Nels Cline gave me, and then I have a Pro Co RAT. After my overdrives and distortion is an Electro-Harmonix Mellotron pedal [the MEL9]. That goes into an Electro-Harmonix Ravish Sitar pedal. That’s a very hard pedal to control, but I like to use it for the drone-y, sympathetic-string sound. And then I have my wah, which is actually the [Dunlop] Zakk Wylde Cry Baby. I tend to use that one because it has a wider frequency sweep.

From there I go into a DigiTech HardWire [SP-7] phaser, an Electro-Harmonix Nano Small Stone and an Electro-Harmonix POG. After that I have a tremolo pedal, and after that comes my first delay pedal, which is just a standard Electro-Harmonix Memory Man. I’ve also been using the Catalinbread Belle Epoch tape echo pedal and this weird Death by Audio reverb [the Reverberation Machine] that’s kind of trashy and vintage sounding. It’s very hard to use, and you have to set it really carefully, but it has a very beautiful and moody ambience. And after that reverb I have an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, which is my favorite reverb ever. That’s my basic setup live, and it’s what I have in the studio, too.

When it comes to recording your guitar tracks, are you manipulating the pedals in real time?

Lennon: Yes. I do that a lot. I try to be very close to the pedals so I can mess with them as we’re recording.

Les, what do you think of the way Sean uses his pedals?

Claypool: Sean’s very good with his pedals and knows his way around them. There’s a little bit of pasta-throwing at the wall [laughs], but he tends to know what he wants. For the most part he’ll hear something in his head and he’ll grab what he thinks will work. And nine times out of 10, it is what works.

Sean, you also get ample space to play some lead guitar throughout the record. How did you approach your solos?

Lennon: Well, again, Les really has his own philosophy about soloing. And that’s been helpful, because he has a sense of when he feels a solo is going somewhere and when it’s not.

Claypool: I like getting a whole performance, because to me it just flows better. You get that emotion – you get that dynamic and continuity. I just like capturing the moment. I’m not one for comping together a solo. So in the studio I would push Sean. But I kind of push everybody.

Lennon: As far as how I approach my solos? I try to think of them melodically and as having a narrative that has a structure to it. I try not to start at 11. [laughs] But mostly I just try to think of a melody, because I’m not the most technical player. I’m not going to rely on some sort of athleticism, so I have to think of something that will sound musical in order to get me through to the other side.

You guys have now made two albums and an EP together. What is it about your dynamic together that works so well for the two of you?

Claypool: There’s a few things, but the best thing is the hang. Sean and I have a great relationship just as a couple of humans on the planet, you know? That’s where it really starts. Beyond that, we tend to make each other laugh and we tend to stimulate each other intellectually and musically. And we challenge each other. It’s also great to be in the studio with someone that has equally as much to offer lyrically and composition-wise. This is definitely the strongest collaboration I’ve ever had with another songwriter.

How about you, Sean?

Lennon: Honestly, the best thing about working with Les is being able to sit around and hang out with him. He’s such a funny guy. And he takes me fishing. We went… what is it, crabbing? We went crabbing and got some king crab.

Claypool: We almost sunk!

Lennon: And the other thing I like is the shows. Playing with Les and this band is so different than any other band I’ve played with. It’s a different experience because I’m given different responsibilities that I’ve never really had before, especially in terms of playing so much lead guitar. Because in my own music there are never these long periods of improvisation. But sometimes Les will just point at me onstage and say, “All right, go for it!” Or sometimes he’ll just walk offstage. He’ll look at me and be like, I’m going to get some water, or something like that. And then I’ll be alone up there and have to improvise and come up with something cool to entertain people.

Les, you’ll really just walk off the stage and leave Sean there alone?

Claypool: Yes.

Why?

Claypool: Well, with Primus we have a lot of material; with Delirium, not so much. So there are a couple of songs where Sean starts with the little strummy-strum-strum thing, and I’ll just leave the stage and let him run with the ball for a little bit. Because he’s a very inventive guy. So he’ll come up with some cool shit.

Sean, how do you feel about that?

Lennon: At first it was really scary. But now it’s just exciting.

Browse The Claypool Lennon Delirium music here.

Onstage and on record, Brian May creates an amazing array of tones – from the thunderous counterpoint lines in "Brighton Rock" to the slick, rockabilly-influenced fills in "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" to the sweetly singing multi-tracked tones of "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Killer Queen". In this rare archive interview from the January 1983 issue of Guitar Player he discusses his recording techniques and specific cuts...

Perhaps your most identifiable sound is the sweet, sustaining tone used in "Killer Queen" from Sheer Heart Attack, "Procession" from Queen II, "The Wedding March" from Flash Gordon, and several other tracks. How is that created?

For those orchestral things, I've usually used a Vox AC30 as well as a small amplifier which was made by John Deacon. This has a little hi-fi speaker cabinet which is about a foot by six inches, and John put a little transistor amplifier inside it. I use it with a treble booster which overloads it. It just makes a good noise; I don't know why. I've gotten that tone out of all kinds of little practice amps as well – just crank them up, drive them nuts. Vox made a little baby AC30, and I've used those on occasion. They're quite good.

For almost everything else, I use old Vox AC30s that have tubes instead of transistors. These have a very flexible, identifiable sound without much coloration. You can get a wide range of sound from them, and they always have that nice little high fidelity edge to them. They use tubes biased in a Class A range. Most guitar amplifiers are Class B, which means they have more inherent distortion in them at lower levels. The Vox AC30s are very clear at low level and then gradually and smoothly go into a nice distortion.

Did you use a Fender on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" from The Game?

Yes. I used one of Roger's really old, beat up, natural wood Telecasters. I got bludgeoned into playing it. That was [Producer Reinhold] Mack's idea. I said "I don't want to play a Telecaster." It basically doesn't suit my style. But "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was such a period piece, it seemed to need that period sound. So I said, "Okay, Mack, if you want to set it up, I'll play it". He put it through a Mesa/Boogie, which is an amplifier I don't get on with at all; it just doesn't suit me. I tried it, and it sounded okay.

How did you process the rhythm strums on the version of "Keep Yourself Alive" on Queen?

That was real tape phasing. This was in the days when you took the tape off the sync head, put it though a couple of other tape delays, and then brought it back with the play head. There is no processing whatsoever on the solo in that tune, as far as I remember. I used John Deacons's small amplifier and the Vox AC30 to do those little three-part chorus thing behind, as well as the fingerboard pickup on the guitar. There is a bit more tape phasing on the end of that track.

Did you play slide on "Tie Your Mother Down" on A Day at the Races?

Yeah, a glass one. That was on standard tuning. The only tuning I've used apart from normal is to take the bottom string down to D, which I've used on "The Prophet's Song" [A Night at the Opera], "White Man" [A Day at the Races], and "Fat Bottomed Girls" [Jazz].

Did you use a slide for "Dancer" on Hot Space?

No, that's guitar in parallel harmonies. Those aren't my favorite harmonies, really. I much prefer guitar harmonies which aren't parallel. There are very few people who have done them. The real interest in guitar harmonies comes from when they're crossing over, diverging, and converging. Somehow on "Dancer" it seemed right to do those parallels.

Browse classic Queen albums here.

On this day in 1992, Radiohead released their breakthrough single, “Creep.” Though the track proved popular on American alternative rock radio it did not sell in significantly high numbers in their UK homeland until it was rereleased by EMI the following year.

To this day, “Creep” remains Radiohead’s most successful single. Albeit reluctantly. “We seemed to be living out the same four-and-a-half minutes of our lives over and over again,” commented guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

For many years, Radiohead abstained from playing “Creep” at gigs, despite fans screaming requests to perform the number. This year, however, Thom Yorke released a heavily time-stretched acoustic guitar version augmented with woozy synthesizers titled "Creep (Very 2021 Rmx).” 

This uber-weary track may very well be the closest thing to how Yorke has been hearing the song for nigh on 30 years!

Although the band later expanded their sound, this bold composition – captured here in all of its raw, spine-tingling brilliance – is indicative of Radiohead’s ‘broad brushstrokes’ approach to creating highly memorable musical statements.

While the song leaps from a whisper to a howl and back again, “Creep” follows the same G, B, C, Cm chord progression throughout. Maintaining this repetitive structure the song is a masterclass on how to flesh out a basic idea with different effects, textures and dynamics in order to turn it into something very special indeed.

Buy Pablo Honey by Radiohead here.

On 17 September 1991, Guns N' Roses released their much-anticipated Use Your Illusion albums. This double dose of hard rock hit the shelves in tandem, immediately peaking at the top of the charts. Supported by the lead single "You Could Be Mine," Use Your Illusion II reached the number one spot while Use Your Illusion I followed closely behind at number two. Bolstered by a massive world tour, both albums would eventually go on to reach multi-platinum status.

Later that year, Guitar Player caught up with Slash to talk about the "blood, sweat, and tears" recordings. Here's what he had to say...

Rumor has it you’ve got a pretty righteous guitar collection.

About 50 guitars. I’m really a guitar freak. I spend money on what – snakes, guitars, and cars? I try not to spend too much on women. I keep everything in storage; I don’t take the really good shit out on the road because things get too banged up. There was a point when I had to take the guitar that I used for Appetite on the road, ‘cause it was the only guitar I had. Now, it’s beat to shit.

The ’59 repro?

Yeah, the hand-made yellow flame-top with zebra [Seymour Duncan] Alnico II pickups. For the first record, I must have gone through 10 guitars trying to find one I liked. And I couldn’t afford to buy some ridiculously expensive Les Paul. When our former manager showed up with this one, it became my main studio guitar.

Did you use it on “Sweet Child O’ Mine”?

Yeah. For almost everything on Appetite and then for most of the heavier songs on Use Your Illusion.

You used other guitars on this album?

Some fucking great guitars – a ’58 V and a ’58 Explorer. There’s a certain nasal sound you can hear on “Heaven’s Door,” “Locomotive,” and a couple of other songs – it’s almost [Michael] Schenker-sounding. That’s just the tone control on the V, no wah pedal. There were a couple of other guitars that people aren’t used to hearing me play. 

I used one of those small-scale Music Mans like Keith Richards has. There’s a Travis Bean that I use for slide on “Bad Obsession” [Illusion I]. When I first got into slide, I went to a Joe Perry Project show; he had a Travis Bean, and it sounded killer. So when I saw one in the paper, I bought it. It has a gorgeous mahogany body with this real subtle rainbow in the finish – it’s almost airbrushed. 

I played maybe 20 different guitars on Use You Illusion: a Strat, a Dobro, a 6-string bass, a banjo, some acoustics. But the sound that I’m recognized for is my Les Paul through a Marshall half-stack.

Will there ever be a Gibson Slash model?

At one point they had an idea for a Slash Les Paul. I gave them my best live guitar; they had it for six months, trying to get the weight and density and everything right. God bless the guys who worked on it, ‘cause they’re really cool, but they sent me four instruments and none of them sounded anywhere close to it. 

I’m sort of pissed off at Gibson, because in the six-odd years that I’ve been with them, I’ve only gotten three gold-tops that I can use live. And I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on old Gibsons. We just cannot seem to get a sound that I’m happy with from the new ones.

How do you set up to record?

For the basic tracks, I play with the band, using headphones; we’re all in one room. The main goal is to get the bass and drums down. It’s a great vibe and I wish I could record my final tracks that way, but I can’t. I need to be in my own studio – away from where the basic tracks are done – in the control booth. I don’t let anybody in from the band, if I can help it. 

On “Shotgun Blues” [Illusion II] Axl and some friends popped in, and I did the solo in one take. Sometimes you just want to fuckin’ jam in front of somebody. Usually no one was in the studio except for Mike [Clink, Producer] and Jim Mitchell, our engineer. That’s really my element. I love it.

What happens after the basic tracks?

I redo all my parts. There are a lot of guitars on the album. Izzy has only one guitar throughout the whole record; he comes out of the left speaker. He recorded most of his stuff during basic tracks. I did all the overdubs and harmonies, plus my regular rhythm track. There are a couple of songs, especially ones I wrote, where I beefed up the tracks over on Izzy’s side, ‘cause he’s got a particular sound that doesn’t necessarily…

…weigh as much.

Yeah, exactly. It falls out of balance. I did all that, the acoustics, and my other instruments in five weeks. For 27 songs, it was pretty quick.

Did you cut all your rhythm tracks and then do all the solos, or did you complete one song at a time?

Because there was so much material, I debated both approaches. But I ended up going in and doing the entire song. If there were four different parts on that song, I just get into it and do ‘em. Otherwise, even if you switch rhythm sounds for each song, you’d end up playing all your rhythms the same. You need to get into one song at a time, so when you go to the next one, it’s a whole different entity.

How do you set up for overdubs?

When I was doing my guitars, I stood out in front of the main monitors with Mike and the engineer. Just blasting as loud as possible.

Playing through the monitors, how did you get you trademark feedback?

That’s a major problem that I’ve been battling for a long time. Normally, you go out into the studio and stand in front of your Marshall. With headphones on you can’t even hear the tracks – I don’t know how people deal with it. 

Anyway, my techs came up with a trick. I bet them that it wouldn’t work. They set it up so that I was coming through the monitors and a MESA/Boogie [Mark III combo]. I had the monitor so loud that even though the Boogie was right in front of me, I could still hear the band and sit in the control room. I got a lot of feedback that way.

Did you have to stand in certain places?

I’d find a cool spot and put a piece of tape on the ground. Then girls would come down to the studio and hang out. I’d get in the next day and find these shapes on the floor where they’d had a ball with the tape. I was completely confused: “Where’s my spot?” Or somebody would come in and tidy up. I’m like, “Fuck, do not touch anything, leave everything alone!” I love things to be a complete disaster. 

For every beer we drank, we’d stick the label on the [control room] glass – we almost covered the whole thing. One day we got to the studio and the manager had cleaned up. The whole environment was shot – all the porn pictures were taken down.

For your Dobro and slide parts, did you play in standard or open tuning?

The Dobro in “You Ain’t The First” [Illusion I] is in standard tuning. I used something I picked up from Keith Richards for “Bad Obsession.” You take the low-E string off and just have five strings. That’s how I play it live, too, in open G [GDGBD, low to high]. I think those are the only slide tunings I used.

And the banjo in “Breakdown” [Illusion II]?

It was a 6-string banjo tuned like a guitar and played with a flatpick. I don’t know shit about real banjo.

Your classical guitar solo at the end of “Double Talkin’ Jive” [Illusion I] is poignant.

Thank you; I enjoyed doing it. That Ramirez was one of my better finds – expensive, but beautiful. It’s really satisfying to heat that the solo has some emotion. It was done pretty quick. Actually, I didn’t spend too much time on anything. It was always one or two takes, more or less. If the intonation was really off, Clink would tell me, and I’d go back and maybe punch in. 

But we never spent entire days on guitar solos. We’d take an entire day and do a whole song. Of course, for the really long songs, it would take two days to get all that shit right. But I’d like to think that it was more rock and roll than what most bands are doing these days.

What steel-string acoustics do you play on the album?

I have several Guilds – a nice 12-string and a couple of great big dreadnoughts. I used a Gibson J-100 too.

Do you use the same picks for electric guitar and acoustic guitar?

Yeah. I’m real simpleminded about that. I use the heaviest picks I can find for everything. I don’t believe in switching picks like people switch guitars. It would probably be worthwhile, especially for strumming an acoustic – a thin pick is definitely easier to use. 

Mine are purple [Dunlop] Tortex, really rigid. I have to work harder for certain subtle things: Sometimes when I get up the neck to play soft, I really have to pay attention to the pressure I’m putting on the strings to get the right sound, whereas with a light pick you can strum away. But I can’t be bothered to change. And I can’t be bothered with string gauges, either – I stick to Ernie Ball .010s and that’s that. I’m really simple when it comes to equipment. I don’t like to switch around too much.

Browse Guns N' Roses albums here.

“Captain” Kirk Douglas is best known for his blazing fretboard work in “hip hop organic jazz” collective The Roots. As house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Roots’ stylistic dexterity and dynamic flair demands Kirk pull out all the stops when it comes to tonal versatility. We recently caught up with the man himself to talk inspiration, music gear, and his diverse role as a guitarist.

Although you now have two Gibson signature SGs to your name, you’re also known for playing a vintage Epiphone Crestwood Custom…

I purchased my ’61 Epiphone Crestwood from a store called 30th Street Guitars in Manhattan. Ironically, it’s on 27th Street but it originated on 30th Street. I went in there one day and saw it. I’m a big fan of The Black Crowes and they turned me on to the beauty of natural electric guitar tones and overdrive. Their guitar player at the time – Marc Ford – was playing an Epiphone Crestwood with them. There’s a video for the song "Blackberry" where he's playing one, and I just thought it was the coolest guitar. It’s like the perfect morph of a Gibson and a Stratocaster.

What was cool about it was that somebody had replaced the original vibrato with a regular Les Paul-style [Tune-o-matic] bridge [and stop tailpiece], and the original pickups with Firebird mini humbuckers. It had a great sound, and you didn’t have to be too precious about it. That guitar was with me and served me very well. And then it also took on a life of its own when it found its way into the hands of Prince.

Prince famously trashed your Epiphone Crestwood Custom on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; what happened to the guitar after that?

When Prince broke my Epiphone, a lot of the fretboard came apart from the neck itself and I had to get that glued back on. But you wouldn’t notice the difference when it was repaired. It sounded every bit as wonderful and every bit as vibey (if not more so than before).

Cara Delevingne once played “Sweet Home Alabama” behind her head using a similar-looking Epiphone on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon…

I believe she borrowed that guitar. After the Prince thing, Epiphone sent me a red version of the Epiphone Crestwood because they were doing reissues of it, and I had it painted in white.

We understand you’re a big fan of 100-watt Marshalls, but what amp do you tend to use on stage with The Roots?

On stage with The Roots, I usually use a Mesa Boogie Stiletto. That was Mesa Boogie’s take on a Marshall. It was Boogie’s EL34 amp, but they discontinued it, I think because it just fell out of fashion. But it’s such a good sounding amp. I’ve done a lot of recordings with it. I really love asking my guitar aficionado friends what kind of amplifier they think it is, and they always assume it’s a vintage Marshall, but then I’m like, “No, it’s actually my Mesa Boogie Stiletto combo that I’m playing at bedroom ‘I don’t want to get evicted from my apartment’-level.” 

I get such a good sound out of it. My latest [Gibson] signature SG sounds really great through that amp. I definitely noticed the difference between the BurstBuckers in that and the ’57 Classic [humbucker] pickups. [Douglas’ 2013 signature Gibson SG is fitted with ’57 Classics.]

Why is guitar gear important to you when it comes to making music?

When it comes to all this stuff, you want to be excited about the guitar and the music you’re making. These guitars are not there for just making comparisons. Of course, it’s fun to make comparisons like, ‘let’s see what this amp sounds like compared to this amp,’ or, ‘this pickup compared to this pickup.’ That’s a fun way to spend time and you kind of do discover things you like. But it’s not necessarily making music. When you’re hungry and you have an apple and an orange, you’ll take either. And you won’t complain, like ‘that sucks because it’s not an orange.’

When you have a fun idea – a riff in your head – and you want to record it, you gravitate towards a guitar that sounds good to your ears, looks good to your eyes, and makes you feel inspired. That’s the fun things about guitars – they come in so many different shapes and colors and there are so many different ways to complement your personality and your music visually as well as sonically. That’s another reason why I’m so attracted to the SG – because of the shape of it, and the associations we have with it like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, AC/DC, and Hendrix. It’s evocative of all those things those players have made you feel.

The Inverness Green vintage custom color finish on your signature SG was an interesting choice...

It’s interesting when you get an opportunity to see an SG in a color you’ve never seen before. It’s like anything else rare, like an albino cat or something. What I love about the other finish (Ebony) is that it stands out in a subtle way. The things that stand out about that guitar are the gold hardware (which, on black, looks very elegant) and I love how you can see the detail in the way the pickguard is cut. It almost looks like a bat wing or something.

I wanted to offer my signature Gibson SG in two colors – one that was striking and unusual for an SG, and another color that spoke to the person who just likes black guitars. With certain outfits it looks great. A lot of the time on The Tonight Show I’ll have to wear a tuxedo. There’s an understated-ness about it but a statement is still being made.

Your latest Gibson signature model SG has a master volume uniquely mounted on the pickguard. Do you tend to ride the volume knob during performances, rather than just flipping between pickups and pedals?

There’s a lot of territory to be explored with that, depending on how you’re running your amp. If you’re using an amp that’s hot and/or loud, you can often get your tone to clean up by way of using your guitar controls. And those tones can have great character. But it’s also a case of, ‘do you have time for that?’ These details might get completely lost if you’re playing in a big band. But if you’re in a band that’s more guitar-based, there’s more space to explore complex tones. Especially with a guitar like [the Gibson Kirk Douglas Signature SG].

How much do you rely on effects pedals?

I rely more on pedals with The Roots. A lot of it is about entertaining – you’re playing to people who have a relationship with the album and the guitar is a small piece of what’s going on in the grand scheme of things. So, it’s more pedal-based with The Roots because it’s about the more obvious and pronounced effects. And also, because I’m running around more on stage, I don’t have time to get into those particulars. The only person that would notice those complexities would be me and me alone. It’s a hip hop group essentially. It’s about the rhythm and drums – it’s rhythm and rhyme – and everything else is supportive of that.

For more information on the Kirk Douglas Signature SG visit Gibson's website.

The following is an archival Guitar Player piece.

“I was looking for a Mesa Mark III because I wanted that early Boogie tone, but I never figured I would find a IIC+, much less be able to afford the prices they fetch,” says Ross Davison, owner of the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amp featured here.

“I went looking around the Twin Cities music stores without much luck until I stopped in at Encore Music in Minneapolis. I knew the owner had some vintage stuff, and after looking around for a while, I spotted this amp under some other heads. 

"I asked the owner about it, and he said it had been in his shop for a long time, but he couldn’t remember where it came from. He said it was a Coliseum model and wanted $1,799 for it.

“That night, I started doing some research on it, and the more research I did, the more the mystery deepened. I just couldn’t figure out what this thing was. About a month later, I decided to go look at it again, and, once I played it, I knew I had to have it. The deal was sealed when the owner said, ‘Give me $1,200, and get it out of my shop. I’m tired of looking at it.’

“I took it directly to Capitol Guitars – the local Mesa dealer in St. Paul – and they did their best to figure out what it was, but to no avail. The only other option left was the Internet. I was going to post some images of the chassis and circuit board, and it was then that I spotted ‘Prince 2’ written in Sharpie under the power-tube retainer clips. 

"I posted the photos on the Mesa forum, and everything took off from there. I was able to confirm that it indeed was one of the IIC+ heads used by Prince.”

Davison sent the amp to Mesa for servicing, where it landed on the bench of Mike Bendinelli, the same Mesa engineer who had his hands on it back in 1984.

“There were three of these 300 series amps,” says Bendinelli. “The original two were Mark IIBs, and this is one of them. They’re all dated 1981, and Prince had them by the time he did the 1999 tour. In 1984, when Prince started the Purple Rain tour, I got a call from his guitar tech, JD. 

"The band was rehearsing in the St. Paul Civic Auditorium, and JD said, ‘We’ve got the same two Mark IIB heads that we’ve been using, but something isn’t working right with them. There’s no power or headroom and Prince isn’t happy.’

“For a couple of days, I went back and forth with JD, and, finally, I just sent out a new 300 series IIC+ head for them to try out. But when they got it, they plugged it into the same setup – including the footswitch cable – which was hooked up to a footswitch for a Mark IIB. 

"Now, when you plug a Mark IIB footswitch into the Lead/Rhythm jack on a IIC+, it turns the lead mode on about halfway, so there’s still no clean sound – which was what Prince wanted, because he mainly got his lead tones from pedals.

“JD called me back a couple of days later and said, ‘It’s still not working, and I’m guitar tech number six. If I don’t get this stuff working in the next couple of days, they’ll be on guitar tech number seven.’

“So I flew back there, and within a couple of minutes, I saw they had two brand new Bag End speaker cabinets with JBLs, and they were wired the stock way in parallel for 4Ω. They were plugging these two 4Ω boxes into the amp, which meant they had a 2Ω load on it. 

"The amp was only putting out 100 watts, and it was all hard and packed down. That was the main problem. The reason they didn’t have a problem before is because Don Batts – who had been Prince’s guitar tech for the 1999 tour – had rewired the speaker cabinets in series, so you had two of them running in series-parallel for an 8Ω load, and it all worked great. They had 180 watts of clean headroom, and it was a big, loud sound onstage.

“We rewired the new cabinets, fixed the footswitch problem, they went through a rehearsal, and everybody breathed a sign of relief when Prince played a 15-minute solo on ‘Purple Rain.’ 

"You should have seen the smiles on the crew! Prince liked the C+ better, because it had a lot more punch and headroom in the preamp. I carried one of the 300 series Mark IIBs home with me, updated it to a C+, and sent it back. So Prince ended up with three C+ heads – one original and two converted.

“When I took this amp out of the cabinet and put it on the bench I went, ‘Oh, there’s an LED drilled into the front panel. I remember doing that.’ They insisted on having a light on the front to tell them what mode the amp was in. I thought that was funny, because if you can’t hear the difference what help is a light going to be? 

"I’m recalling that Prince didn’t use the Lead mode anyway, but his setup back then was definitely a 300 series head with two Bag End sealed-back cabinets loaded with JBLs. It was quite a sound!”

Rivers Cuomo employed a handful of guitars for the recording of Van Weezer, but one in particular was essential to the process. “We needed a guitar with a whammy bar so I could do a bunch of dives and stuff,” Cuomo says.

That guitar, says Van Weezer producer Suzy Shinn, was “a Tom Anderson Pro-Am that I rented from Lon Cohen,” a gear rental shop in North Hollywood. “I told them, ‘I don’t care what whammy-bar guitar shows up, we just need one.’ They would always send the Tom Anderson, and it looked ridiculous. Very, very metal. I think it was purple and black, but it sounded great.”

Other primary guitars played by Cuomo during the sessions were a Gibson Les Paul Junior, a Gibson ’61 SG Reissue and an Ibanez Explorer. “I would use the SG on the left, maybe the Anderson on the right and then the Junior up the middle to get that kind of crunchy sound,” Shinn says. 

She adds that there was also some use of a Gibson Les Paul DC Pro, a vintage ’60s Gibson SG, an Epiphone SG and a 1965 Epiphone Cortez acoustic, as well as Cuomo’s Warmoth “sticker” Strat. “We used that a little bit,” she says of the Warmoth, “but it’s usually on the road, so I couldn’t really grab it.”

As for guitar amps, Cuomo relied mostly on a Mesa/Boogie Mark I, a model that has a significant place in Weezer history. “Suzy’s part of this camp of classic Weezer fetishist producers in L.A., which also includes [past Weezer producer] Jake Sinclair,” Cuomo says. “And somehow they went and found an old Mesa/Boogie head that’s very similar to the one I used on the Blue Album.”

Adds Shinn, “Jake is a Weezer fanatic, and he’s done a lot of research into their sound. And I’m on all the forums, because if you dig deep enough on there, you can find out everything about Weezer. We wound up getting an amp that I’m certain was the same type of head he was using back then.”

That Mesa/Boogie Mark I, “serviced to be a bit brighter and more modern,” Shinn says, is more or less the sound of Van Weezer. “If you pull out the volume knobs for gain and bright, that’s basically the Weezer distortion,” she notes.

“I used that head going into a Mesa/Boogie speaker cab, with a vintage Neumann U67 mic on it, literally for the entire album. There were only two exceptions — ‘The End of the Game’ and ‘Blue Dream’ – where there’s also a Vox AC15.”

Pedals were similarly streamlined. “We mostly used the distortion from the Mesa, but when we did use a pedal, the first go-to was an Ibanez Tube Screamer, the regular one and the Mini,” Shinn says. “And if that didn’t work for what we were looking for, I went to a Boss [MD-2] Mega Distortion. 

"The Z.Vex Fat Fuzz Factory was a third option, but I don’t know how often that got used. Then we also had a [Dunlop] Jerry Cantrell wah.”

Other key pieces of gear included Korg CR-4 and Tascam 244 four-track recorders, which were employed to add “dimension and familiarity” to songs like “She Needs Me,” “Beginning of the End” and “Precious Metal Girl.” “I like the lo-fi sound of them – the warmth and the light warble,” Shinn says.

Overall, the producer concludes, “We realized we don’t have to be crazy with a million guitars or amps or pedals or microphones. Weezer’s sound is so great because it’s so straightforward.” 

As for what that sound is? “Recently I sat down and listened to the whole Van Weezer record,” Shinn says. “And what it sounds like to me is that we had fun. Which, you know, is what it’s supposed to be – playing guitar, being in a band. It’s so fun.”

Born from a long line of high-gain Rectifier amplifiers that dropped on the heavy-rock scene in the ’90s – and rapidly evolved from the Dual and Triple Rectifiers to the Road King, Roadster, Mini-Rectifier, and Recto-Verb 25 – Mesa/Boogie’s new Badlander is its most sophisticated Rectifier yet. 

It boasts all-new preamp and power sections that have been designed to do several things: Stay tight on the bottom end and sweet and singing on top, deliver exceptional dynamic and touch sensitivity, and allow the character of the guitar and the player to come through, no matter how the gain is set. 

The 100-watt Badlander on review here starts out with five 12AX7s and a quartet of EL34s (or a pair in the 50-watt model), and can be quickly rebiased for 6L6s via a switch on the back. Channels 1 and 2 are selectable with a front-panel switch or the included single-button foot switch. 

Both channels have what Mesa calls 3 Mode Channel Cloning, which provides independent switching of the Clean, Crunch, and Crush modes – which each provide different gain/voicing options – along with independent gain, treble, mid, bass, presence, and master controls.

A front-panel switch selects 100-watt, 50-watt, or 20-watt operation (all operate in class A/B, with the 20-watt position rewired to Triode operation), and there’s a tube-buffered series effects loop as well as a trio of speaker jacks: two four-ohm and one eight-ohm.

The Badlander has a cool and stealthy look, with black diamond plate and silver piping on the upper front panel, black Taurus vinyl covering, and leather corner protectors. The head weighs 36 pounds and is easy to carry with its thick stitched-leather handle. If a more traditional look is desired, optional covering and grille treatments are available, several at no additional cost.

Beyond its circuit tweaks, the Badlander is also the first Mesa to offer the CabClone IR, a built-in cabinet simulator and reactive load that comes packed with eight Mesa “live” (i.e. dynamic- and ribbon-miked) cabinet IRs. The CabClone IR itself has a level control, a balanced XLR direct out, and a 1/4-inch headphone out (both adjustable for volume with the IR level control) and a ground-lift switch.

There are also two eight-position rotary switches (one for each channel) that independently select the following IRs:

• Preset 1 4x12 Rectifier Standard (closed back) 
• Preset 2 4x12 Rectifier Traditional (closed back) 
• Preset 3 2x12 Rectifier Horizontal (closed back) 
• Preset 4 1x12 Rectifier (closed back) 
• Preset 5 1x12 Thiele (closed back, front ported) 
• Preset 6 2x12 Lone Star (open back) 
• Preset 7 2x12 Lone Star 23 (open back) 
• Preset 8 1x12 California Tweed 23 (open back)

I started by auditioning these presets using a Gibson Historic ’59 Les Paul, a ’63 Les Paul Junior with a single P-90, and a Fender 70th Anniversary Esquire, and listening through studio monitors, headphones, and a small P.A. system. 

These Mesa cabinets provide a range of tones: from the thumping and very upfront, focused tones of the Recto closed-back 4x12, 2x12, and 1x12 IRs to the more open, reflective sounds of the open-back Lone Star and California Tweed selections.

Different cabs can be dialed up for each channel, and it’s interesting to try out various IR combinations to see how they affect the textures of the clean and dirty sounds. And since the Badlander’s speaker outputs remain active, you can also combine real cabinets with the IRs to get that cool layering effect of playing though different types of speakers and cabs.

In general, the open-back California Tweed and Lone Star IR selections were very cool for clean playing, with plenty of latitude depending on your definition of “clean,” since that can also mean “very gritty” if you’re the type who likes to navigate the guitar’s volume control for rhythm and lead.

The denser 1x12 and 2x12 Rectifier selections sounded great, too, especially when running Channel 1 moderately distorted and Channel 2 a few notches higher in gain.

And with three preamp modes per channel – each one capable of adding more grind as you travel from Clean to Crunch to Crush – the possibilities for foot switching between exactly the right rhythm and lead tones for the style of music you’re playing are practically endless.

The Standard and Traditional 4x12 Rectifier IRs are the bomb for heavy and smoking lead tones in general, as they combine that low-end kick, with splintering midrange presence and high-end bite to spare. 

Mesa miked the cabs for a live response and feel, and they sound natural and very alive, like you’re actually experiencing them in the room. The front-ported Thiele 1x12 setting even has a hi-fi response that could work for acoustic guitars.

Nothing is out of the question in the IR world, and since the CabClone IR is an open system that provides third-party compatibility via the USB connection, you can use any IRs of your choice (space is provided for storing IRs beyond the eight factory-loaded presets). Just note that managing the IR file directory requires a USB-to-computer connection and a USB 2.0 A-to-B cable, which is not included.

Digital gymnastics aside, the Badlander is a tube amplifier that’s pure old-school and designed to be used with Mesa’s matching 2x12 and 4x12 cabinets or anything else you choose.

Since our high-power review model can be dialed down to 50 or 20 watts, I was able to safely use a variety of cabinets loaded with Celestion G12M Greenback, Vintage 30, and Heritage G12-65 speakers.

As Mesa notes, “The Variac position on the power switch provides even more ways to sag and showcase harmonically with its reduced voltage response that affects the entire character of the amp. It really shines in the clean to classic-rock gain ranges, although players into heavier sounds will likely want to stick with the normal setting for the tightest tracking low-end and aggressive attack.”

The Badlander’s flexibility is outstanding, and the range of tones it can deliver at all levels of gain is amazing. But this amp really stands out in the clarity and definition of the sound.

It’s as if a clean signal is always being blended in, so that nothing ever sounds obscured or masked, and the personalities of my test guitars came though beautifully even when running massive amounts of gain generated by the Crunch and Crush modes on Channels 1 or 2.

The Badlander makes it so easy to get just the right amount of distortion and sustain needed for soloing, while also maintaining a springy dynamic feel that is super reactive to picking dynamics and doesn’t feel compressed or spongy.

Switched to the Clean mode on either channel, the Badlander delivers very crisp and detailed sounds with crystalline clarity at any volume level – and yet this wide-ranging mode can still crank out a surprising amount of distortion when you turn it up.

Depending on the mode you select and how the gain and EQ knobs are set, the Badlander can cover everything from sparkling-clear rhythm tones to fiery blues, and from modern country-rock to muscular hard-rock and metal.

Between its master-volume controls and power-reduction features, the Badlander is as suitable for the big stage as it is for a gig at the local brewery. Turn it up to where the EL34s are flexing their muscles and you’ll be where this amp lives in all its furiously loud glory.

Yet, the Badlander also retains its rich harmonic complexity, ferocious attack, and great dynamic feel and touch sensitivity even when the volume is dialed way back.

With its awesome tonal range and the convenience of the CabClone IR’s cabinet selections, the Badlander is an amp for the times. It’s well equipped for recording and for live performance, whenever and however that manifests. An easy winner of an Editors’ Pick Award, the Badlander is, in a word, badass.

Specifications

• PRICES: $2,299 street, 100-watt head or rackmount head. $1,999 street, 50-watt head or rackmount head. $2,199 street, 50-watt 1x12 combo
• CHANNELS: 2
• CONTROLS: Both channels: Gain, treble, mid, bass, presence, master. Clean/Crunch/Crush switch. Channel-select switch (middle position for foot switch). 100w/50w/20w switch. Power switch (Bold/Variac), standby switch. Input and foot switch jacks. Rear panel: Cab select rotary switches (channels 1 and 2), USB, IR level (also controls headphone volume), headphone jack (1/4”), XLR direct out, ground/lift switch
• POWER: 100 watts, 50 watts, 20 watts
• TUBES: Five 12AX7 preamp tubes, four EL34 output tubes
• EXTRAS: CabClone IR with selectable cabs. Bias switch (EL34/6L6), buffered tube-driven FX loop, 4Ω (x2) and 8Ω speaker jacks. Single-button foot switch included Aluminum chassis
• WEIGHT: 36 lbs
• BUILT: USA
• CONTACT: Mesa/Boogie

Today, Gibson Brands announced that it has acquired Mesa/Boogie, the legendary Northern California amp brand founded more than 50 years ago by Randy Smith. 

Under the arrangement, Mesa/Boogie will continue to create new products under its own name, and serve as “Gibson’s Custom Shop for Amplifiers." Gibson also confirmed that Smith will remain as the company's Master Designer.

“At Gibson we are all about leveraging our iconic past and leaning into the innovative future, a quest that started over 100 years ago with our founder Orville Gibson,” said Gibson President & CEO James "JC" Curleigh. “Today this quest continues with the addition of Mesa Boogie into the Gibson Brands family, along with the visionary leadership of Randy Smith and his team who, for the past 50 years, have created an iconic and innovative brand that has stood the test of time. 

"This is a perfect partnership based on our collective professional experiences and passion for sound.”

“I’m 75 years old and still at work every day,” said Mesa/Boogie's founder, Randy Smith. “This is my art and many of our crew have worked along my side for 30 to 40 years. As we witnessed JC and Cesar transform Gibson, we saw kindred spirits sharing common values and a fierce dedication to quality. Today, Gibson’s guitars are the best-ever and when they asked if we’d like to become Gibson’s Custom Shop for amplifiers, we envisioned a perfect collaboration that would expand our outreach while preserving our legacy beyond my time. 

"Gibson realizes the unique value of what we’ve all built together and this next chapter in the Mesa/Boogie story is a continuation of that dream. I am so fortunate for this partnership with the new Gibson after 50 years of doing what I love. It’s been the ride of my life – and it ain’t over yet!”  

“Mesa/Boogie, led by Randy, has been in service to sound without compromises since the very beginning, and that’s a perfect fit for us,” added Gibson CMO Cesar Gueikian. “We are looking forward to being the best custodians of Mesa/Boogie’s iconic heritage that we can be, and at the same time, a steward of its future. 

"We are honored that Randy and the Mesa/Boogie team have trusted us to lead Mesa/Boogie into the future. Together, we will continue to pursue our mutual quest of sound, quality, and craftsmanship and to push the boundaries of how guitar sound is delivered and experienced.” 

With this news, we're certainly eager to see what Mesa/Boogie – which released the impressive-looking Badlander Rectifier Amplifier less than two months ago – has in store for 2021, and how Gibson will (or won't) affect and inform its future designs. 

Keep your eyes here – we'll bring you the latest developments in the partnership as soon as we have them.

Mesa/Boogie has unveiled the Badlander, the latest addition to its Rectifier series of guitar amps.

Available as 50- and 100-watt heads, or a 50W combo, the Badlander features two fully independent channels – each with three-mode channel cloning – EL34 power tubes, 12AX7 preamp tubes, and a Bias switch that allows users to switch between EL34s or 6L6s.

There are three new modes – Crunch, Clean, and Crush – and Multi-Watt power scaling, providing 100, 50 or 20 watts of power on the Badlander 100, and 50 or 20 watts of power on the Badlander 50.

New to the Rectifier series is a CabClone IR, which allows players to record direct with or without a cab. Also aboard are eight Mesa factory-loaded cabinets, and the ability to add third-party impulse responses by USB connection. The Badlander's onboard reactive load allows for silent recording, while different IRs can be assigned to each channel.

The Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Badlander 100W and 50W amp heads will be available later this year for $2,299 and $1,999, respectively.

For more info on the amp, stop by mesaboogie.com.

Mesa/Boogie Cleo, Dynaplex and Gold Mine Review

This trio of new overdrive pedals designed for low-, medium- and high-gain applications is intended to let players get the tones needed for everything from blues to hard rock and metal. 

The Cleo, Dynaplex and Gold Mine are made in Mesa’s Petaluma, California factory and feature die-cast aluminum housings, true-bypass switching and low-current-draw circuitry that can be powered by a nine-volt battery or external power. 

We tested the boxes with a selection of guitars that included a Gibson ’59 Historic Les Paul, a Reverend Gristlemaster and a Hamer Newport, along with a Fender Deluxe Reverb and Boogie’s latest 1x10 combo version of the Mark 5:25. 

Cleo

As the lowest gain of the three, the Cleo could be thought of as Mesa’s spin on a Tube Screamer, and, as such, it works great as a clean booster or lower-gain overdriver.

But there’s a difference here, as the Cleo is so transparent in comparison to the green classic from Japan. It has a bouncy, easy-to-play feel, yet doesn’t compress the dynamic content, remaining open on top and very fast on your picking attack.

The balanced response is evident from the get-go, as the Cleo delivered sweet and touch-responsive tones that in no way impeded hearing the distinct sonic qualities of guitars, and the presence and punch factor of the tones didn’t require any preset midrange enhancement.

With the gain set low and the level turned up, the Cleo added heft to the sound and could easily drive the Deluxe (with its volume around four) into grinding distortion – loud and cool, and so dynamically responsive when riding the guitar volume for cleaner and dirtier textures.

Conversely, with the level turned down and the gain turned up to two o’clock or higher, the Cleo delivered sweet-sounding distortion and nice sustain at very controllable volumes. 

This is one of the most natural-sounding and non-compressed-feeling overdrives I’ve heard, and it’s well suited to blues, rock and roll, and other applications where you want the sound of the guitar and amp to stand out without a lot of extra, and perhaps unneeded, gain and EQ shaping from the pedal itself. 

Specifications

• CONTROLS: Level, gain, tone
• I/O: Input, output, 2.1 mm external adapter jack
• EXTRAS: True-bypass switching
• BUILT: USA

Dynaplex

With its purple paint and the “plex” in the name, it’s pretty obvious where the Dynaplex is coming from, and this British-voiced pedal is an aggressive little beast, with a ballsy, mids-forward distortion tone that carries a cutting edge on top and plenty of low-end thrust. 

You could plug in and be quickly enamored with how vibey and amp-like it sounds for hard rock and old-school metal, but wait – there’s more. You can also change the response quite dramatically via a two-position internal voicing switch (accessible by undoing four screws and removing the back plate), which can select a more “modern” scooped tone, if that’s your preference. 

The Dynaplex’s gain range is huge, so there’s no problem getting a ton of grind and sustain from single-coils, and the tone knob is musically voiced and rolls off the highs and softens the tone without losing any definition.

It also adds volume as you turn it clockwise, making things not only brighter but more boosted. The presence knob doesn’t noticeably increase sustain even when dimed, but it puts a cool sheen on the sound and allows the upper-midrange sparkle to really stand out in a blizzard of distortion.

A superb pedal for heavier styles, the Dynaplex is a great choice if you’re a fan of that classic modded-Marshall sound.

Specifications

• CONTROLS: Level, gain, tone, presence
• I/O: Input, output, 2.1 mm external adapter jack
• EXTRAS: Internal EQ voicing switch, truebypass switching
• BUILT: USA

Gold Mine

At the top of the gain range is the Gold Mine, which is designed to deliver the soaring sustain associated with Mesa’s Mark series amplifiers, while offering a great deal of tonal flexibility courtesy of a three-band EQ with bass, mid and treble controls. 

This is a massive-sounding pedal with gobs of output and grind. Here too, the overall response can be optimized further via an internal two-position tight switch that, in the stock setting, keeps the low end more controlled and, well, tighter for focused high-gain solos and rhythm playing. 

Alternatively, you can select a looser response curve with increased low-end girth and a more scooped midrange. I had a hard time deciding which I preferred, but the looser version seemed to really groove with single-coils, while the stock (tight) position gave humbuckers a tauter dynamic feel that’s pretty cool.

It all adds up to make the Gold Mine a flexible pedal that can elicit distortion tones with the raw muscularity of an EL34-powered British amp, the thick and juicy overdrive of a Mark IV, or the machine-like chug of a Recto.

It also works delightfully for lower-gain tones – even clean boosting – so one could make a case that it’s the best all-rounder of the bunch, although I certainly wouldn’t mind having the Cleo, Dynaplex and Gold Mine on a board to allow for instant switching between these great flavors of grind.

Specifications

• CONTROLS: Level, gain, bass, mid, treble
• I/O: Input, output, 2.1 mm external adapter jack
• EXTRAS: Internal tight switch, true-bypass switching
• BUILT: USA
• CONTACT: Mesa/Boogie

Mesa/Boogie has unveiled three new overdrive pedals, the Cleo, Dynaplex and Gold Mine.

Each of the pedals focuses on a specific gain range - with tones ranging from clean boost to high gain.

The Cleo is a transparent boost/overdrive style pedal, focusing on vintage-inspired low to medium gain overdrive sounds, while the Dynaplex aims to replicate classic British crunch with punchy mids, chirping harmonics and lots of chime.

The Gold Mine, meanwhile, focuses on mid to high gain sounds, classic heavy chunk, rich gain with complex harmonics and big single-note sounds. The pedal's three-band EQ will allow users to tailor their tone to suit their own tastes. 

The Mesa/Boogie Cleo, Dynaplex and Gold Mine overdrive pedals are each available now for $199.

For more info on the pedals, stop by mesaboogie.com.

As of late, many manufacturers have turned their attention to creating load boxes that feature onboard cab-sim impulse response (IR) files that replicate the sounds of various speaker cabinets. We’ve reviewed several here, including Universal Audio’s OX Amp Top Box, the Suhr Reactive Load IR, and offerings from Two Notes and Audient.

For several years, Mesa Engineering has put its wealth of experience into the CabClone, which offers analog cabinet simulations. The new CabClone IR+ steps up to the power, versatility and realism of high-quality digital IR simulations, while the “+” adds an output attenuator that lets you reduce your amp’s output to a traditional cab for live use and simultaneously send a signal to the IR stage for front-of-house or recording. Both the attenuator and the reactive load will handle amps up to 150 watts, and a standard CabClone IR is available at $599 with the reactive load but no attenuator. 

Even a quick perusal of the CabClone IR+ shows that it offers a surprising amount of functionality and versatility for its deceptively compact size, and on the surface, at least, it appears primed to compete with the best of the units name-checked above.

The main top-panel functions include controls for output (IR level), presence, and input (with LED clip meter); an eight-position cab-select rotary that taps two banks, A and B, for a total of 16 onboard cab IRs; and an attenuator switch with five click positions that go from 0 dB (bypass) to -16 dB in 4-dB increments and then down to whisper quiet via a rotary dial. Another mini toggle on top selects between speaker (attenuator) and load, the latter for use with no cab connected.

Rear-panel connections include jacks for the input from your amp’s speaker out, a line input, an output to a traditional guitar speaker cab (necessary when the top-panel toggle is in the attenuator position), a dry output, an XLR IR output, a headphone output, a USB connection, MIDI in and thru, and an input for the included 18-volt DC power adaptor.

Two mini toggle switches allow you to reverse the phase and lift the ground of the XLR IR output to avoid hum and phasing issues between amp, board, cab and IR. In other words, there are a lot of features, and it’s all built into a rugged steel box that measures 7.5 x 6.6 x 4.5 inches and weighs a squidge over four pounds, with feet tall enough to stand astride the handle on most amp tops.

It’s worth noting again that the IR output is still active in attenuator mode, so you can get whatever cab sound you want at the FOH despite what you’re monitoring through on stage and dispense with cab-miking in the process. Be aware, though, that the attenuator setting does affect the IR output level at the XLR, so you might need to adjust the output level control accordingly. (Mesa’s Doug West tells us they tried tapping the IR signal both before and after the attenuator, and it simply sounds better after, so that’s how it stayed.)

The USB allows you to connect to your computer to access the files stored in both cab banks, as well as a cab library to save your alternates. The unit comes loaded with eight popular Mesa/Boogie cabs equipped with Celestion and Jensen speakers, miked for optimal live (bank A) and studio (bank B) use, for 16 presets in all. Appropriate third-party IR WAV files can be loaded in, and your favorites stored onboard in the cab library folder (the manual explains the process, and it’s extremely easy to do).

I tested the Cab Clone IR+ with a Friedman Small Box head, a Mesa/Boogie Mark V:35 head and a Carr Lincoln combo, both with and without live cabs attached for attenuator function, and via a Universal Audio Apollo Twin Duo recording interface into Pro Tools and routed to studio monitors. Long story short, the Cab Clone IR+ delivers big time and is very easy to use.

Before firing up my Pro Tools rig, I ran the Friedman head via the Cab Clone IR+ into a 2x12 cab with Celestion G12M Creambacks to check the attenuator function, and I was extremely impressed with the sound and feel. All attenuators will impact your overall tone and playing feel at least slightly — just as reducing the volume in the room will in itself induce different sonic perceptions — but this one resulted in far less of that “blanket over your cab” and the perceived dulling of the playing feel than many I’ve tried, and ultimately sounded and felt great at the -4 dB and -8 dB settings in particular.

As an IR unit into the recording interface, the IR+ also performed superbly and sounded great, easily the equal of any other I’ve tried, and with an appealingly realistic feel and response when set to full reactive load with no cab connected.

The Mesa cabs included sound fine and provide plenty of variety, and options like the 4x12 Recto variants are likely to prove popular with rockers in particular. But loading in a few of my personal favorite third-party IRs was also a doddle (including OwnHammer IRs of vintage Marshall cabs with Greenbacks, and Vox cabs with Alnico Blues and Silvers — something the unit doesn’t include otherwise), and I was extremely pleased with the sounds recorded to a few sample tracks alongside tracking I’d done with other IR-based products.

I didn’t do much with the MIDI capabilities, given the space allowed here, but syncing this unit to a switching rig to bring up favored cab presets for clean, crunch and lead modes in your amp is also a big bonus.

All in all, the folks at Mesa Engineering have done a great job here, and while some players might like to have seen a direct-to-digital recording out or some form of cabinet editing software, the Cab Clone IR+ sounds superb without them. I found the recorded sound via the analog XLR output (something lacking from many rivals’ units, which have only ¼-inch TRS) good enough for any requirements. It’s both a great live and recording tool, and another Editors’ Pick Award for the Boogie team.  

Specifications

Cab Clone IR+

Contact mesaboogie.com 
Price $799 street

CONTROLS Output, presence, input, cab select with bank A/B toggle, attenuator and level fine-tune, MIDI in and thru; switches for speaker/load, phase reverse, and ground lift
CONNECTIONS Amp (speaker out) input, line input, speaker output (optional), USB, 18 VDC power input, balanced XLR IR and 1/4” dry outputs, headphone output
BUILT USA