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Heritage Guitars has expanded its American-crafted Standard II Collection with a new, straight-talking, single-pickup solidbody electric guitar, the H-137.

Crafted at the iconic 225 Parsons Street factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the new Standard II Collection H-137 sports a mahogany body and neck with a rosewood fingerboard, plus a single-pickup configuration which maximises wood mass for enhanced resonance.

The pickup in that bridge position is a Heritage Custom Shop 225 Standard Humbucker, built with a 2.5” rough-cast Alnico 5 magnet with no cover, offering up “articulate cleans and a more open, punchy, and dynamically responsive overdrive”, the brand says.

• READ MORE: “A compelling entry into the world of American-crafted archtops”: Heritage updates its Standard II Collection with new H-575 model

This pickup boasts a wide tonal palette, with versatile wiring providing series/parallel switching via a push/pull tone pot.

Elsewhere, the guitar features a slim, comfortable ‘60s neck profile inspired by the feel of vintage guitars, plus a headstock veneer featuring the Heritage logo for an elevated experience.

“We’ve been incredibly inspired and encouraged by the response to the new Standard II Collection,” says Gerald Hooper, AVP of Channel Sales at Heritage.

“The Custom Shop Core Collection is really the best of what we build at 225 Parsons Street, guitars that reflect the craftsmanship and character Heritage is known for.

“With the Standard II Collection, we wanted to make a few thoughtful updates for modern players while staying true to our American-made craftsmanship. The new H-137 is a great example of that approach. It is stripped back, resonant, full of attitude, and built to let the work we do at 225 Parsons Street speak for itself.”

Price-wise, the Standard II Collection H-137 clocks in at $1,899, and is available in Ebony and 3-Tone Sunburst via Heritage Guitars and from select authorised Heritage dealers.

Learn more at Heritage Guitars.

The post “Stripped-back, resonant and full of attitude”: Heritage expands its Standard II Collection with the single-pickup H-137 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Last week, shockwaves were sent through the guitar industry when it was claimed that a German law firm working on behalf of Fender had sent cease and desist letters to other builders demanding they stop making Stratocaster-style guitars.

At the forefront of the discussion has been US boutique maker LsL Instruments, the only brand to have currently gone public to confirm it has allegedly received the letter from Fender’s lawyers.

LsL publicly pledged to resist Fender’s alleged attempt to make them stop producing Strat-bodied guitars, and now Guitar.com has seen what is claimed to be the brand’s formal response to Fender’s lawyers, and also a letter that appears to be a response from them.

The letters – which have been widely reported online – appear to firmly lay out both sides of this alleged argument, and offer some wider context for what might happen next.

What kicked all this off? 

If the original Fender cease and desist letter is legitimate, this chain of events was started when Fender won a default ruling against Chinese-based company Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instruments Co in the Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany.

The win was significant because it defined under EU law that the Stratocaster body shape was not simply a trademark, but a “copyrighted work of applied art”, that could be policed like any other copyright.

The default judgement – which came after Yiwu failed to turn up to court – only covers guitars made or sold in the EU, but given that LsL is a US-based brand, the alleged C&D would imply that Fender is attempting to enforce the ruling on any maker that sells instruments inside the European Union.

The letter, which Guitar.com has been unable to independently verify as legitimate, demanded that LsL stopped producing Strat-bodied guitars, to hand over sales data regarding these instruments, to recall and destroy any infringing instruments, and pay damages. The letter also offered concessions on some of these points if the recipient agreed to stop making the guitars.

What’s happened now?

LsL was the only company to publicly claim they’d received the letter, and in a statement to Guitar.com as well as posts on a blog, they vowed to fight back against Fender’s alleged attempt to enforce this ruling, and set up a GoFundMe to help with legal costs.

On Tuesday, (26 May) LsL Instruments issued a scathing and in-depth riposte to Fender’s alleged letter – refuting both the substance of Fender’s claims, as well as the legitimacy of their actions.

Notably, the letter was authored by Ron Bienstock – the US lawyer who has been involved in numerous guitar industry trademark cases over the years, most notably representing the consortium of brands that successfully lobbied against Fender’s attempt to trademark the Strat, Tele and P-Bass body shapes in 2009.

Furthermore, Guitar.com has now also seen a copy of a letter allegedly from Fender’s lawyers – now reported extensively online – that pushes back on much of what Bienstock wrote in his 16-page response.

What does LsL’s letter claim?

Bienstock’s response on behalf of LsL is as detailed as you’d expect from someone who has huge experience litigating trademark cases in the music industry – and especially his experience of successfully arguing for the generic nature of the Strat, Tele and P-Bass body shapes 17 years ago.

A core plank of Bienstock’s argument is that the default ruling against Yiwu Philharmonic in the Düsseldorf Regional Court does not bind LsL, which is based in California and as such is not directly subject to German law.

The letter also claims that in order to secure the default judgement, Fender “misrepresented” the history of the Stratocaster’s design to the court, and the role that Leo Fender played in the creation of the instrument.

The letter alleges that Fender “invented” the story that Leo Fender was the “sole author” of the Stratocaster design, and that “there were at least four additional collaborators in the design”. Furthermore, the letter alleges that Leo Fender’s famously utilitarian and practical approach to functional design means that the guitar can’t be considered a work of applied art.

“This collaboration is well-documented, as is Leo Fender’s infamous attention to function, manufacturability, and repairability, but not aesthetic design,” the letter goes on. “FMIC’s own Justin Norvell, President, Americas, has even acknowledged Leo Fender’s now infamous quote, ‘If I have $100 to make a product, I’ll spend $99 making it work and $1 making it pretty.’”

As such, LsL asserts that Leo Fender was “a technician who admired function and ease of manufacturing; he was not an artist.” Because of this, plus the fact the Stratocaster had meaningful design contributions from “Fred Tavares, Bill Carson, Rex Gallion and George Fullerton, among others”, LsL says “the facts do not fit the necessary narrative to achieve [Fender’s] goal of obtaining a copyright for a portion of a guitar in any jurisdiction”.

Bienstock also alleges that Fender was negligent in policing its own trademarks for decades, leading to many other brands to utilise and evolve the design.

“Regardless of whether [Fender] ever gained intellectual property rights to the Strat body shape,” Bienstock asserts. “It certainly cannot now claim after the reproduction, distribution and communication to the public by hundreds of guitar companies by their use of that same body shape for over 70 years that any exclusivity can be had as to the alleged “applied art” of the Strat body shape,” it says.

“[Fender] has forfeited its claims of ownership of any intellectual property rights via express abandonment, acquiescence, and passivity.”

He also claims that other brands have played a big part in making the Strat an iconic design – noting the use of the shape on non-Fender guitars being used by legendary artists. It also notes that after he sold Fender and its designs to CBS, Leo Fender himself continued to make instruments using the Strat body at Music Man and G&L.

“Competitive guitars were ubiquitously displayed on television, in movies, on the internet and were being played by some of the most influential musicians of all time, such as Eddie Van Halen, who played a Charvel Strat-style guitar and later a Kramer Strat-style guitar. Thus, the Strat shape grew in popularity among the general buying public,” Bienstock claims.

What has Fender said in response?

For the first time since this story broke a week ago, Fender has publicly acknowledged the situation. In a statement to Guitar World, the brand’s position and ultimate goal in this case has been clarified.

“Fender fully supports innovation and competition across the guitar industry, including such guitars with two horns and/or double cutaways,” the statement reads.

“Fender’s goal is simply to protect one of the company’s most iconic and recognisable designs while continuing to support a vibrant and innovative guitar industry.”

Separately, Guitar.com has also obtained a response letter that appears to be from Fender’s lawyers to LsL’s most recent communication.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the letter disagrees that Fender misled the Düsseldorf court regarding the history of the Strat, noting that they, “took great care in making sure that all our factual representations in our action were accurate”.

“The Court of Düsseldorf then formed its view on whether the Stratocaster qualifies as a ‘work of applied art’ under the circumstances put forward by us in our action. The panel which handed down this judgement is probably the most experienced panel in questions of ‘works of applied art’ in Germany at the moment, and arguably also in all of Europe.”

While defending the legitimacy and robustness of the ruling and their right to seek to enforce this on LsL and other brands, the letter appears to also lay out the detail of what Fender allegedly wants these builders to do in order to stave off further legal action.

“All that is required and expected from third-party manufacturers of Stratocaster clones is that they change the design of their electric guitars sufficiently so that they do not look like more or less exact copies of the Stratocaster anymore,” it reads.

“We think that this should be acceptable for everyone, as it should not impair the quality of their instruments, but would only require relatively minor design changes.”

Perhaps the most interesting and potentially impactful part of the alleged letter is a claim that while LsL have obviously taken the route of loudly and publicly pushing back against the apparent cease and desist letter, other brands have taken another route.

“Many of the addressees of that initial communication have reached out to us in the meantime, often via their German lawyers, and have entered into reasonable settlement discussions on the premise that they will discontinue making and/or selling the “Stratocaster” clones,” it reads. “This proves that there is not a unanimous refusal from all third parties, but indeed also a great deal of understanding for our client, which however of course is not covered in the media, on social media and in the discussions between the various makers.”

So what happens next? 

In the alleged response from Fender’s lawyers, it is claimed that the company has extended the deadline for brands to agree to its terms to 8 June 2026.

Judging by the content of their initial response, it doesn’t seem like LsL is inclined to settle any time soon:

“We hereby demand that you withdraw the entirety of your claims as stated in Your Letter,” Bienstock writes. “Our client has every right to continue to sell its guitars with Strat-style guitar bodies, whenever and wherever it so chooses, as does the entire MI industry on a worldwide basis.

“Efforts by Your Client to bully competitors based on misrepresentations and overstatements are anti-competitive. If Your Client continues to pursue these matters, Our Client will, of course, seek all available remedies, including all attorneys’ fees and costs.”

Fender declined to comment further on this case when Guitar.com reached out.

The post “Leo Fender was a technician who admired function and ease of manufacturing; he was not an artist”: LSL Instruments and Fender trade barbs in legal letters appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Mesa/Boogie has launched What Makes a Boogie, a new video series exploring the “story, spirit and craftsmanship” of the iconic guitar amp brand.

“For more than 40 years, every MESA/Boogie amplifier and cabinet has been handcrafted in Petaluma, California, where the company has operated since 1980,” the brand says. 

“This commitment to craft remains central to the brand’s identity and will be celebrated throughout the What Makes a Boogie series, which highlights MESA/Boogie’s most iconic products and its ongoing design leadership.”

• READ MORE: This Custom Amp Configurator from Sweetwater and Mesa Boogie lets you design the amp of your wildest dreams

The first episode in the series – available to watch now on YouTube – is titled History & Legacy, and features a rare and historical interview with Doug West, 43-year Mesa/Boogie veteran and Director of its Tone Lab.

“Drawing on decades of first-hand experience, West traces the company’s journey from its late-1960s experimental roots to the groundbreaking amplifier designs that helped define the modern electric guitar sound – all crafted in Petaluma, California,” the brand writes.

“This opening episode offers a compelling, insider perspective on the brand’s evolution and enduring influence.”

The first episode in the series also illuminates Mesa/Boogie’s “culture of experimentation, originality and tone-first thinking”.

You can watch the first episode of the What Makes a Boogie series, History & Legacy, below:

“More than a retrospective, What Makes a Boogie looks ahead – showing how the brand’s next chapter is being shaped by the team that has carried its standards forward for decades, many of whom have worked at the company for over 30+ years,” the company goes on. 

“The series celebrates the people and ideas behind Mesa/Boogie’s legacy while spotlighting the innovation and craftsmanship that continue to inspire musicians worldwide.”

Mesa/Boogie is the guitar brand behind some of the most iconic guitar amps in history, and has particularly found a home in the world of rock and metal. The Dual Rectifier, for example, introduced in the early ‘90s, quickly became one of the most defining high-gain amps of its era, and was adopted by legions of high-profile rock and metal players.

The post Mesa/Boogie launches new video series exploring the history of the legendary amp brand appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Cort has expanded its Core Series acoustic guitar lineup with two new models that combine all-solid construction and stage-ready electronics in a streamlined, performance-focused platform.

Featuring semi-gloss, UV-cured finishes and a selection of exotic tonewoods, the expanded range introduces the new Core-GA Formosan koa and Core-OC Maple alongside the previously released Core-MC Ovangkol.

• READ MORE: “He goes, ‘Well, I didn’t realise you were gonna sweat on my guitar’”: Jared James Nichols thinks people have “lost the plot” over vintage guitars

At the heart of the Core Series is an all-solid construction paired with hand-scalloped X-bracing and a dovetail neck joint at the 14th fret.

The new Core-GA Formosan koa pairs a solid spruce top with solid Formosan koa (Acacia Confusa) back and sides, delivering warm response and harmonic depth along with the resonance of a fully solid body. The guitar also features a mahogany neck with a Comfort C profile, paired with a 15.75” radius rosewood fingerboard and a 25.5” scale length.

The Core-OC Maple, meanwhile, pairs a solid spruce top with solid sycamore maple back and sides, delivering a bright, articulate voice with strong projection and dynamic response. Other key features include a hard maple neck with a Comfort C profile, a matching rosewood fingerboard, along with a 25.5” scale length.

Both models feature 20 frets and genuine bone nuts, with widths of 1 3/4” (45mm) on the GA and 1 11/16” (43mm) on the OM. Shared appointments include rosewood bridges, vintage open-gear tuning machines for smooth and precise operation, plus aged white ABS binding and black-and-aged white ABS rosettes. Venetian cutaways also enhance upper fret access on applicable models.

Designed for both studio and stage use, all Core Series models come equipped with Fishman Presys VT electronics that give a “clean acoustic signal”, alongside discreet side-mounted controls for volume and tone.

Each guitar is also finished with an ultra-thin “sonically enhanced UV finish” designed to preserve resonance while adding a vintage-inspired burst aesthetic.

Cort says the specifications are designed to “balance comfort and precision across different playing styles”, with neck construction and playability tailored to each model while maintaining a consistent overall feel.

Each guitar ships strung with Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanoweb Light strings (12–53) and includes a Cort gig bag.

The Cort Core Series acoustic guitars are available now, with the Core-GA Formosan koa priced at €739, the Core-OC Maple at €729, and the original Core-MC Ovangkol at €759.

For more information, visit Cort.

The post Cort expands its Core Series acoustic guitar lineup with fresh tonewood options and stage-ready electronics appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Effects manufacturers DOD and Morley have teamed up on the Wah-ocTo-Fuzz, a new 3-in-1 pedal that combines wah, octave and fuzz into one gloriously unhinged box.

The device blends DOD’s classic 1986 FX35 Octoplus circuit with Morley’s famed wah and 70’s fuzz circuits. The result, says the team, is a pedal that “simply leaves players saying, ‘WTF!’”

• READ MORE: Sick of competitions that reward speed and chops? This one is all about playing in the pocket, and there’s $10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs

Designed for guitarists, bassists and keyboard players alike, the Wah-ocTo-Fuzz allows users to run each effect individually or stack all three together for maximum sonic destruction.

The octave section pulls directly from the DOD FX35 Octoplus, a classic analogue octave circuit that channels the “captivating, glitchy essence of the 80’s”. Players can tweak their sound using the Direct Level dial to control the dry signal output, the Tone Control to adjust the overall brightness, and the Octave Level to dictate the lower octave signal.

The wah section, meanwhile, features Morley’s classic Electro-Optical design and switchless operation, with the effect kicking in automatically the moment your foot hits the glow-in-the-dark treadle.

Finally, the fuzz circuit takes inspiration from Morley’s fuzz units of the 1970s, complete with an Intensity Level knob for the gain and a Fuzz Level dial for managing your overall signal.

Physically, the WTF pedal is housed inside a rugged and lightweight Cold-Rolled Steel chassis designed to survive life on a crowded pedalboard, while Morley’s onboard buffer circuit aims to “protect your tone from any mischief in your signal chain”.

Connectivity is straightforward, with standard ¼-inch input and output jacks, plus support for either a 9V power supply or battery operation via an easy-access battery compartment. Each pedal also ships with a 1-year warranty.

The Wah-ocTo-Fuzz is priced at $249.99

Learn more at DigiTech.

The post DOD and Morley’s new Wah-ocTo-Fuzz pedal combines wah, fuzz and glitchy octave chaos into one giant “WTF” box appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Jared James Nichols reckons people have “lost the plot” when it comes to vintage guitars.

Well acquainted with vintage Les Pauls himself, the blues-rock ace recalls a moment with a fan who handed him a prized ’59 Les Paul to play onstage – only to panic when the realities of live performance, and a little sweat, set in.

Speaking to MusicRadar, Nichols says his relationship with vintage instruments is rooted in sound and feel rather than rarity or resale value, a mindset he feels is increasingly at odds with modern collector culture.

• READ MORE: Alex Lifeson is taking a Kirk Hammett Greeny on the road with Rush: “The relic’ing is just spectacular”

“This is almost clickbaity but it’s like a lot of people lost the plot with the vintage guitar thing,” he says. “It went [away] from being a tribute to the music, and an honour to the music, and the sounds that you love, and the sounds that are timeless in your life. Like, literally, when I pick up Ol’ Red, or Dorothy, or any of these guitars, and I plug them in, I go, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s the sound’… It fills my heart but it is also inspiring.”

“But I think a lot of people started to say to themselves, ‘Well, do you know how much this one’s worth? Do you know how rare this is?’ Then it almost got like trading cards, or coins, where it didn’t really matter about the sound. It was, ‘Oh, that one, someone broke the headstock…’ To me, ‘Okay! Awesome, they broke the headstock? Let me play it. What does it sound like?’”

“Everything I own is a beater, and I know that sounds funny,” Nichols adds. “Right now, I’m in an old Suburban. I have an old [Chevrolet] Chevelle, and all of these things that I own, the guitars – everything – they have a story way before me. And you can see that, and they’re weathered, and they’re honest… I just think all my stuff, it has a story. And Dorothy? Forget about it, that’s the vibiest guitar I’ve ever come across.”

That mindset, however, doesn’t always line up with the way some collectors approach vintage gear – something Nichols learned the hard way after one fan brought a late-’50s Les Paul for him to play live.

“I was in Florida, and a guy had one, and he wanted me to play it for a song, and he was emailing us, emailing us, and he wanted me to play it,” he recalls. “Totally cool! They go to hand me the guitar, and he looks at me and goes. ‘No rings!’ I’m wearing a ring.”

“He’s like, ‘Don’t wear a ring when you play my guitar.’ And I’m literally about to take it onstage, and I look at him, and go like this [shakes head], ‘Oh no, I can’t. We’re not having this conversation right now.’ [Laughs]”

Although the performance itself went smoothly, things took a turn afterwards.

“I play the guitar, and man, like you know, when I’m onstage, I’m kind of a sweaty beast,” says Nichols. “I’m doing my thing. I don’t ever, ever beat up guitars. I respect them, and I love them – and especially a guitar like that. I play it, and I just have a little bit of sweat. I finish the song, and the guy is losing it! Because there’s now sweat on the top of his ’59 Les Paul.”

“Afterwards, he’s over there and he’s wiping it down and everything, and I went, ‘Are you all good?’ And he goes, ‘Well, I didn’t realise you were gonna sweat on my guitar.’ And I just said to him straight up, ‘Man, what do you think this is? You want to get pictures of me playing your guitar to tell your friends or whoever, and then I sweat on your guitar because I’m literally in a performance?’ So, all I’m saying, is just people lost the plot a little bit.”

The experience has since changed how he approaches similar requests.

“I don’t really feel comfortable playing people’s guitars, anymore, unless they’re friends, like Joe [Bonamassa] or whoever, because it’s a little bit… it just gets a little weird with me now,” he says.
Despite the frustration, Nichols is clear that his issue isn’t with the instruments themselves – vintage or otherwise – but how they’re treated.

“These things were meant to be used,” he says. “And I believe that no matter how expensive they get – I get it, it’s collecting – I just love to use them as intended, and that isn’t an abuse thing, or whatever, it’s just to hear those guitars and a loud amp going for it, it’s beautiful, and when I think about Dorothy, or Old Red, or any of these guitars, I go, ‘That’s what I’m into it for.’”

Jared Nichols’ new album Louder Than Fate arrives on 6 June. Check out his latest single below.

The post “He goes, ‘Well, I didn’t realise you were gonna sweat on my guitar’”: Jared James Nichols thinks people have “lost the plot” over vintage guitars appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Metallica are encouraging fans across the UK to roll up their sleeves for a different kind of heavy lifting this summer, having teamed up with blood services to promote donations ahead of their upcoming UK tour dates.

The initiative marks the first time the band have collaborated with UK blood services, working with the Welsh Blood Service alongside NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

• READ MORE: Alex Lifeson is taking a Kirk Hammett Greeny on the road with Rush: “The relic’ing is just spectacular”

As part of the campaign, donation sessions will be scheduled around Metallica’s UK tour stops, including their show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 28 June, as well as dates in Glasgow and London.

In Wales, dedicated blood donation drives will run across the week before and after the Cardiff concert, making it easier for fans to contribute around the gig schedule.

A spokesperson for the band says the partnership builds on similar initiatives in other countries during the M72 World Tour: “Wherever we go on tour, we want to give something meaningful back to the communities that welcome us. We’ve seen in the United States and Australia how working with blood services can help raise awareness of blood donation and support patients, and we’re excited to bring that same approach to the UK.”

“As we close out the European leg of the ‘M72 World Tour’ in the UK, we’re asking fans to step up and be part of something bigger than the show. Looking out for one another and supporting those who rely on donated blood every day is a simple act that can make a powerful difference.”

UK blood services have highlighted the constant need for donations, noting that blood has a shelf life of just 35 days, making regular contributions essential to maintain supply. Donors play a crucial role in supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment, new mothers, people living with conditions such as sickle cell disease, and those affected by medical emergencies.

The band’s charity foundation, All Within My Hands, has already supported similar drives throughout the tour. A previous US campaign in Philadelphia reportedly collected 152 units of blood.

Alan Prosser, director of the Welsh Blood Service, describes the collaboration as a significant moment for donor awareness in the UK.

“This is a truly unique moment for blood donation across the UK,” he says. “Partnering with a band of Metallica’s global reach allows us to connect with new audiences and shine a spotlight on the ongoing need for blood.”

“Just as metal music runs strongly through Metallica fans’ veins, so does the blood which gives the power to save up to three lives with every donation.”

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View the full list of tour dates at the Metallica website.

The post Metallica team up with UK blood services to urge fans to donate ahead of UK tour appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Every few months, somebody shows up on a guitar forum absolutely convinced that Peter Green’s mythical guitar tone on those early Fleetwood Mac records came from some sort of magical property imbued into the pickups of his Les Paul.

• READ MORE: This is how your guitar’s truss rod actually works – and here’s what you’re doing wrong with it

To hear them tell it, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the thing was wound by druids of blessed by a particularly divine roadie (shoutout to Fleetwood Mac tech Kevin Duggan – one of the best to ever do it!). All of this comes from the fact that, famously, Green’s Les Paul neck pickup was ‘out of phase’ – but what does that really mean?

In truth, out of phase is one of the most misunderstood terms in all of guitar, and it’s really not complicated…

Phasing? What is it?

First thing: if your guitar has one pickup, you can stop reading. Phase doesn’t concern you. It only becomes relevant when two pickups are running simultaneously, because now you have two separate signals sensing the same string from two different physical locations – and those signals need to agree on which direction is “up”.

When they do, everything sounds normal and full. When they don’t, frequencies start canceling each other out, and you get that thin, nasal, hollow tone that sounds like your guitar is being played through a very indecisive wah pedal.

Now here’s where people consistently confuse themselves: polarity and phase are not the same thing. Polarity is magnetic – north or south. Phase, in practical wiring terms, is about the electrical relationship between two pickups when combined.

Both the magnet orientation and the coil wind direction factor into this. For two pickups to stay in phase, those two things need to match correctly – either both the same, or both opposite. Change only one of them, and you’ve got an out-of-phase situation.

This is exactly why a Stratocaster’s middle pickup is reverse-wound and reverse-polarity. That’s not an accident or an anomaly – Fender did that deliberately so positions 2 and 4 stay in phase and cancel hum at the same time. Reverse-wound, reverse-polarity does not mean out of phase. It’s actually the opposite: it’s the elegant solution that keeps everything playing nicely together.

Out of phase sounds quieter, thinner, and scooped in the low end, with an almost filtered quality in the upper mids. Depending on your perspective, it sounds either broken or brilliant.

If you’re wondering if you have an out-of-phase issue, the best test is to check and see if both of your pickups function properly on their own, but when they are both played at the same time, the sound gets thin. If that’s the case, that’s most likely a phase issue.

How do you get an out-of-phase pickup?

That is also why simply rotating a humbucker in a Les Paul does not automatically cause the effect. Turning the pickup around changes its physical position, but it does not necessarily change the internal relationship that determines phase.

To actually throw a pickup out of phase, you usually have to change its wiring relationship to the other pickup or change its magnetic polarity relative to it. That is the real distinction: phase is not about what direction the pickup is facing in the body. It is about whether the two signals still agree when they are combined.

Which brings us back to Peter Green. Greeny’s famous middle-position tone is generally understood to come from the neck pickup’s reversed magnetic polarity (someone flipped the magnet), which puts the two humbuckers magnetically out of phase when combined- so when both pickups were selected together, the signal partially canceled and produced that distinctive hollow, vocal quality.

The individual pickups still sounded perfectly normal on their own. It was the combination that created the effect. That’s the whole trick. There is no magic. There is no secret winding. What likely happened, is that someone flipped a magnet, found out it sounded incredible, and the rest of us have been chasing it for fifty years.

The practical takeaway is simple: whenever you’re mixing pickups from different manufacturers, swapping a neck for a middle, or doing any kind of wiring experiment, phase is the first thing to check. It’s the difference between a great-sounding mod and a guitar that sounds like it’s arguing with itself – and losing. That being said, some like the sound of an out of phase pickup, so its all a matter of taste.

Fans of the out-of-phase sound often point to the “vocal” properties of that sound. Again, this isn’t any sort of divine phenomenon… it’s just physics. Two pickups do not hear the string from the same spot, so they are never producing perfectly identical information.

Some frequencies cancel more than others, which is why players hear that nasal, comb-filtered quality rather than total dropout. Some artists will use a circuit to filter out frequencies on the low end of the tonal spectrum. One good reason to do this is to allow the guitar to sit in its own lane better in a mix and not muddy up the bass and drum territory.

When is a pickup NOT out of phase?

The Fender Jaguar is a good example of how people misuse “out of phase” as a catch-all term for any guitar sound that gets thinner or sharper. The Jaguar’s so-called strangle switch is not a phase switch at all.

It engages a capacitor that cuts low end, which makes the guitar sound brighter, leaner, and more cutting. That can resemble some of the tonal traits people associate with out-of-phase wiring, but the mechanism is completely different. Nothing is being phase-canceled between pickups there – the circuit is just filtering bass out of the signal.

Remember, “out of phase” is not shorthand for “weird, thin, or old-school.” It describes a specific relationship between two combined pickup signals. I would never discourage anyone from experimenting with polarity, or any other properties with tonal implications, for that matter.

You never know, you might run across a sound that works for you or the music you want to make. Don’t let anyone trick you into thinking that you have to sound like Peter Green – you don’t. Just follow your own ears. Hopefully, understanding the term phase a bit better will help you to get the sounds that you want out of your instruments.

The post What does it mean when your guitar’s pickup is “out of phase”? It’s not magic, it’s science… appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Jackson has launched its first-ever signature model with Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland, the Pro Series Signature Wes Borland King V KV.

Borland is best known for his unconventional and quirky playing styles (as well as some pretty unconventional stage outfits). This new model is crafted to his exact specifications, and is built for “uncompromising power and raw sonic intensity”.

• READ MORE: Deathcore guitarist explains why Wes Borland is the “greatest nu metal player” and is “pushing a genre forward”

At the heart of the guitar is a Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup, described as the “powerhouse” behind Borland’s tone. The model also offers neck-through construction with graphite reinforcement for stability, a compound radius ebony fingerboard crowned with 24 jumbo frets, and upside-down pearloid shark fin inlays.

Luminlay side dots glow in low-light conditions, and there’s also Jackson locking strap pins and a recessed Floyd Rose 1500 series bridge, helping the King V stay in tune through dive-bombs. Borland has opted to keep the model streamlined and “bulletproof”, so it has just a single volume control.

“It’s taken me a long time to figure out what I need as a guitar player. For me, you just need volume, pickups, locking tremolo system and 24 frets, that’s it,” says Borland. “Live, it just needs to be as bulletproof as possible. I’ve been very rough with guitars over the years. I’ve come to realise that the more streamlined our guitars are, the less problems we have on stage.”

Going on to address how the guitar matches up to his outrageous stage styles, he adds: “Jackson is fun; the over the top, shred-a-copter shapes and my outrageous stage costumes pushing the boundaries, this fits in more with that. The way people dress, it affects how you behave, and I think it also changes how I play guitar.”

Completing the guitar is a detail unique to Borland: the Jackson logo on the headstock is flipped upside down. Peter Wichers, Product Development Manager at Jackson Guitars, explains why.

“Wes Borland is unlike anyone else in nu-metal — nobody looks or sounds like him. When our artist rep Mike Tempesta introduced Wes to some Jackson Custom Shop guitars, he picked a left-handed King V and modded it for his right-hand playing, which left the headstock logo upside down.

“He loved it, so we kept it. That happy accident became one of the most iconic details of the whole build. Being involved in the development of his Signature King V has been an incredibly cool project, and I think that shows in every inch of this guitar,” Wichers shares.

The Pro Series Signature Wes Borland King V KV is available now for $1,299.99 USD/£1,199 GBP. Head over to Jackson to learn more. 

The post Jackson’s first ever Wes Borland signature model is here: Behold, the Pro Series Wes Borland King V KV appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has shared some insider knowledge on what fans can expect from their next album, and says it’s set to be more “direct” and “traditional”.

The band’s most recent album was 2024’s Invincible Shield, which marked their 19th studio album so far. Hill’s comments follow on from Richie Faulkner, having let slip that the band were working on new music back in March.

• READ MORE: Richie Faulkner on the “pressure” of nailing Judas Priest’s Painkiller guitar parts live: “You can’t mess it up – you’ve got one shot at it”

Speaking to Spain’s Metal Journal about their new material, he says [via Blabbermouth]: “The style, it’s a little bit different from the last one. It’s a little bit more traditional, maybe a little bit quirky with some of the things.

“I’ve only heard it in very raw form, just basically guitar, bass and drums, but it’s shaping up to be a great classic Priest album. It’ll be out some time next year, probably March, April, something like that. That’s down to the record company.”

Asked if it will sound reminiscent of classic releases like British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance he adds with a laugh, “No, not that traditional. It’s more along the lines of Invincible Shield, but a lot more direct, shall I say.”

Hill, along with guitarist Glenn Tipton, are the only Priest members to have appeared on all of the band’s studio albums so far. On their lineup changes over the years, Hill also shares how “nobody’s irreplaceable”, and believes Judas Priest could continue on in the future with new members.

“There’s no reason why not. We’ve already got through about six or seven drummers, four guitarists and two vocalists. So, why not? I’m sure everybody will be up for it if Rob or myself have to pack it in for one reason or another. Nobody’s irreplaceable, so you never know.”

Find out where you can catch Judas Priest live via their official website.

The post Judas Priest’s Ian Hill says forthcoming new album is “more traditional” and “a lot more direct” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Rush are soon to kick off their highly-anticipated Fifty Something reunion tour, and Alex Lifeson is taking a Kirk Hammett Greeny model with him on the road.

The tour begins on 7 June at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, and it’s going to be huge. The stint continues across the world with dates going all the way into April 2027. Lifeson and bassist Geddy Lee will be joined by drummer Anika Nilles, and it will mark the first time in 11 years that Rush have toured, as well as the first time since the tragic passing of Neil Peart in 2020.

• READ MORE: “That was distasteful to me”: Geddy Lee confirms “many” drummers contacted him following Neil Peart’s death offering to join Rush

The Greeny signature model Lifeson will be taking is likely the Murphy Lab-aged Gibson Custom Shop edition launched in 2023, which replicates the fabled 1959 “Greeny” Les Paul Standard guitar belonging to Hammett, priced at $19,999. In the same year, an Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop Epiphone version was also launched.

Speaking to Guitar World about his gear choices, Lifeson reveals, “Kirk Hammett gave me one of his Greenys. I’ve been having fun with that. It’s a pretty raunchy Les Paul, for sure. The Gibson Custom Shop did such an amazing job on it. The relic’ing is just spectacular, and it sounds really, really great.”

He continues, “My original ES-355 has gone to someone else, but I have one of the reissues that I’ll have on the road… I’m still sort of building that arsenal. I think I had 23 guitars on the last tour. I’ll probably have 15 or 16 [for this tour].”

As for Lee, he plans on bringing his ‘62 Jazz Bass, some “classic Rickies”, and more, including “some unusual things” which he remains tight-lipped about.

Lifeson and Lee spoke of their decision to tour again in an interview with Classic Rock published earlier this year. Given their previous comments about not wanting to tour over fears of being “a Rush tribute band”, Lee joked the stint is a “supremely stupid idea” with emotions running high.

“It’s a massively stupid idea, because we’re going to be so emotional already, that first show without Neil, and then to be in that building. What the fuck was I thinking?” He later continued, “Without Neil… I’ll be frank. There are some songs you play where it kind of hits you, it’s bad, and it feels weird. And it’s appropriate that that happens. You know what I mean?

“If we just picked up and went on without feeling any tug of anything, that would be absurd, that would be a whole other thing. And there’ll be moments in both sets where we’ll pay tribute to him. We’re working hard on that, making sure that it’s appropriate.”

You can view the full list of Fifty Something tour dates via the Rush website.

The post Alex Lifeson is taking a Kirk Hammett Greeny on the road with Rush: “The relic’ing is just spectacular” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Former W.A.S.P guitarist Chris Holmes has shed some light on the rumoured rivalry that allegedly existed between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads.

Both Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads began building their music careers within Van Halen and Quiet Riot respectively around the same period, with both playing across California in the late 1970s into the 1980s. But the pair rarely crossed paths, and according to Holmes (a good friend of Eddie’s), the speculated rivalry between the two was actually rather between fans.

• READ MORE: Jack Osborne says the planned Ozzy Osbourne biopic will feature the fallout from Randy Rhoads’ death

“He never said anything mean about Randy,” says Holmes, speaking to Rock Interview Series [via Ultimate Guitar]. “Ed never did it all. Ed didn’t really care. Ed knew how he played, but he didn’t really care.”

He later adds, “The rivalry was between the fans, more. The fans of Quiet Riot versus Van Halen fans. That was where the rivalry really was. But between the bands…it wasn’t between Ed and Randy. Ed would never say he hated the guy or disliked him.”

Holmes isn’t the only musician part of the inner circles of Van Halen and Quiet Riot who has dispelled such rumours. Earlier this year, Quiet Riot’s original bassist Kelly Garni told the Booked On Rock Podcast that “there was no competition,” between the two.

Garni explained, “Most certainly, there was no competition in Randy’s world. Because Randy didn’t compete. It just wasn’t in Randy to try to compete. He couldn’t! The way his brain was wired… he could not form a thought like ‘Oh, I’m gonna be better than that guy!’”

Garni rather recalled a fascination on Rhoads’ part, and says he even went to watch a Van Halen gig and tried to go backstage to meet his supposed “rival”: “Randy was trying to get backstage to meet him, and he did get back there…” he said. “Eddie was acting kind of crazy and bouncing off of walls in his underwear. And Randy was like, ‘Oh okay… not the best time to meet this guy.’”

The post “He never said anything mean about Randy… Ed didn’t really care”: Ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist says the rivalry between Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads was overplayed by fans appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

[Editor’s note: The Pocket Challenge is sponsored by Heritage Guitars, Harmony and MONO, all part of Vista Musical Instruments. VMI, like Guitar.com, is part of the Caldecott Music Group.]

Do you pride yourself on your ability to play in the pocket? It’s a different discipline entirely than just being able to shred hundreds of notes per minute, and if this sounds like you, here’s a competition which could land you some seriously cool prizes…

All too often, online guitar competitions revolve around entrants’ ability to dazzle listeners with lightning-fast chops and rapid technical precision. But as many prominent guitarists have noted in recent years, it’s often more important to prioritise feel, groove and timing if you want to really captivate your audience.

• READ MORE: Seymour Duncan links up with YouTuber Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on new signature humbucker

And this new competition devised by Yurt Rock and Wheelhouse Beats – The Pocket Challenge – is designed to reward those with a knack for playing in the pocket.

Here’s how you enter: first you need to download the Wheelhouse Beats app to gain access to a selection of real drummer recordings and groove tracks, then you simply play along with your instrument of choice, and film yourself playing. “Keep it authentic – no tricks needed,” organisers insist. Finally, you need to post it on Instagram or TikTok with the hashtag #pocketchallenge, and upload your video to contest.yurtrock.com.

The public will then vote for their favourite submissions, and the top 10 most-voted-for submissions will become finalists, ready to be assessed by a stellar panel of judges, including guitarist and Frank Ocean collaborator Charlie Hunter, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, Grammy-nominated composer Larry Goldings, and bassist and David Bowie collaborator Tim Lefebvre.

Not a guitarist? Not a problem. The competition welcomes entries from any instrument, be it bass, guitar, drums, keys, vocals, horns and anything else.

‘What’s in this for me?’ we hear you ask. Well, how does $10,000 worth of musical prizes sound?

The winner of the competition will receive a Heritage Standard II Collection H-150 electric guitar with a case, a MONO Classic FlyBy Ultra backpack, the Yurt Rock Ultimate Bundle – with over 250 GB of content to use, XLN Audio Suite – featuring Addictive Drums, RC-20, XO and more – and even a private lesson with Charlie Hunter.

Second place will receive a Harmony Standard Series Juno electric guitar, a MONO Classic FlyBy backpack, Yurt Rock Artist Series Bundle and XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2.

Third place will get a Heritage Ascent+ Collection H-150 electric guitar – which we rated a 9/10 in our review last year – a MONO Stealth Alias backpack, the Yurt Rock Producer Pack, and XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color.

“The pocket is what makes music feel good,” competition organisers reason. “It’s timing, groove, and feel – not speed or complexity.”]

Learn more and enter now at contest.yurtrock.com.

The post Sick of competitions that reward speed and chops? This one is all about playing in the pocket, and there’s $10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Suhr Classic S HSS is a guitar that manages to take a very familiar design and elevate it in ways that immediately become apparent once you spend some time with it. While the guitar will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has played a traditional S-style guitar, the level of refinement and attention to detail that Suhr puts into this instrument makes it feel like something a bit more special.

The first thing that stands out about the Classic S, and really any Suhr guitar, is the overall build quality. Suhr has built a reputation for producing exceptionally well-made instruments, and this guitar certainly reinforces that reputation. The fit and finish are outstanding, from the clean neck pocket to the impeccable fretwork. Everything feels solid and carefully put together, and the guitar gives the impression that the people who are making the instrument care about what they’re doing.

This particular guitar has Suhr’s 60s C Vintage Standard neck profile, which measures .810 - .930. My hands are fairly sensitive to different neck shapes, but I find the neck to be very comfortable. I also like the compound radius, which goes from 9”-12”. Whether you’re playing chords down low or bending notes further up the neck, the guitar feels smooth and responsive.

Sonically, the single-coil pickups have a clear and crisp character that works beautifully for clean tones. Chords ring out with plenty of definition, and individual notes remain articulate even when playing more complex passages. There is a hi-fi quality to the sound that allows the natural character of the guitar to come through very clearly.

The reason I went with the HSS configuration is for versatility. When switching to the bridge position, the guitar takes on a thicker, more powerful voice that works well for lead playing and higher-gain sounds. Even with the additional output of the humbucker, the tone still retains clarity and definition. Additionally, I don’t find the output difference to be all that noticeable when playing. There is a slight bit of difference, but these pickups are fairly well balanced across the spectrum.

One nice feature that seems fairly unique to Suhr is their SSCII (Silent Single Coil II) system. My understanding is that this system uses a dummy coil to reduce the 60-cycle hum. That allows Suhr to use standard single coil pickups while also reducing the hum. It works great. When playing with high gain, I find the single coil positions to actually be quieter than the humbucker position.

The hardware and overall setup are also excellent. The tremolo operates smoothly, tuning stability is solid, and the guitar feels very reliable overall.

I’ve owned several Suhr guitars over the years. Each one has been a high quality instrument that feels like a refinement over the guitar it’s based on. The craftsmanship is outstanding, the tones are clear and articulate, and the SSCII system does an excellent job of eliminating the usual single-coil hum while preserving the character of the pickups.

If the recent news has got you looking for a different company for S- or T-shaped guitars, I can highly recommend Suhr.

Billy Squier once had to flee from his building in Manhattan when a fire broke out in the basement, and he took with him just one of his guitars and his trusty pet dog.

When faced with the commotion, Squier had to pick from a collection of guitars that he’d used on some of his biggest hits, including a 1957 Fender Telecaster Custom that was played on Calley Oh from his 1980 debut album The Tale Of The Tape, and across his follow up record Don’t Say No.

• READ MORE: “The world doesn’t need another Tele or Strat clone – it just doesn’t”: Why Guitar Center is launching its own guitar brand that’s “meaningfully better and differentiated”

In an interview with Guitar World, the hypothetical burning building question is posed to Squier, and he reveals exactly what went down when such horrors became a reality. Thankfully, Squier, his dog, and all of his gear made it through the ordeal safe and sound.

Ultimately, it was his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard named ‘Fanny’ that became the chosen one to be saved: “It already happened to me a few years ago,” he begins. “It turned out it wasn’t serious, but I live in a large building on Central Park West in Manhattan, and there was a fire in the basement.

“There was a big commotion – alarms going off and fire engines circling – so I went straight to the closet, looked at my four Les Pauls, grabbed that one and my dog, and trotted down the back stairs and out onto the street.”

He concludes, “Everything was fine in the end. We didn’t lose anything.”

Gibson Les Pauls often become treasured pieces by those who get their hands on one. In a new interview with Guitar.com, Lamb of God’s Mark Morton shared how his early love of the Les Paul came to be, and spoke of his new Modern Quilt signature model.

“My first main guitar was a Les Paul Deluxe ’75,” he said. “It was chopped up for PAFs and refinished – just a total beater! But I played it until the frets were flat. I was playing that guitar in punk bands all around town, just kind of dragging it around on the floorboard of my truck with no case. It was just like my security blanket.”

Keep up to date with updates from Billy Squier via his official website. 

The post Billy Squier once had to save just one of his guitars from a burning building: “I went straight to the closet, looked at my four Les Pauls” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

A new issue of Guitar.com Magazine drops this week – and comes in a bundle with NME Magazine! Here’s how you can get a copy of the May/June 2026 issue.

Last April, we announced the relaunch of the Guitar.com print edition after a four-year hiatus, featuring Mateus Asato, Yvette Young and Jacob Collier on the cover of the first three issues. This Thursday, you’ll be able to get your hands on the next issue of Guitar.com Magazine, featuring unmissable features and reviews, which comes with a copy of the May/June 2026 issue of NME Magazine.

Mark your calendars for Thursday May 28 at 2pm BST – that’s when the cover stars of both magazines will be revealed and the mags go on sale exclusively via retailer Dawsons. The waiting room is open, so check it out now – and give our brand-new crossword a go.

Besides Guitar.com, MusicTech has also returned to print. Guitar.com, MusicTech and NME are sister publications under NME Networks. The new Guitar.com and MusicTech print editions alternate with every bi-monthly edition of NME Magazine – which itself was relaunched in 2023 – meaning three print editions per calendar year for each brand.

Subscribe here for more information about Guitar.com Magazine and for the chance to receive an exclusive queue jump opportunity, where readers can get their hands on a copy before anyone else. Guitar.com will send out queue jump tickets shortly before the magazine goes on sale to subscribers on the mailing list.

The post The May/June 2026 issue of Guitar.com Magazine is here: here’s how to get your copy appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Seymour Duncan has teamed up with musician Dragged Under guitarist and YouTuber Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on a new signature humbucker.

Combining elements of two of his favourite passive Seymour Duncan pickups – the iconic JB Model and the Black Winter – the new FLF Model humbucker is the result of a direct partnership between Bruce and the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop team.

• READ MORE: Scott Ian admits he used to play online poker during Anthrax sets: “I’d be going deep in the tournament, then it’s time for the band to go on stage”

It combines a coil from the JB Model and the Black Winter pickups with an Alnico 4 bar magnet “for a tone that’s uniquely Fluff’s own”, the brand says.

Built for a tight, high-gain modern metal sound, the FLF Model is said to boast a “throaty midrange and percussive bite” – perfect for punishing drop-tuned rhythm parts – as well as a “smooth, buttery top”.

In terms of physical specs, the FLF Model features black nickel studs and screws, matte black bobbins, a black Olde English Seymour Duncan logo, and short mounting legs.

“When Ryan “Fluff” Bruce – one of YouTube’s most influential metal guitarists – needed a pickup that could handle anything, Seymour Duncan answered with the FLF Model,” the pickup firm says.

“Hand-built in the Custom Shop, this signature humbucker drives the hard-hitting sound of Dragged Under and is the voice of Fluff’s limited-edition Artist Series StingRay by Ernie Ball/Music Man.”

“Being able to combine my favorite Seymour Duncan tones into one pickup that works with everything I do is truly a sonic gift!” adds Ryan “Fluff” Bruce.

You can watch Ryan “Fluff” Bruce get excited about his new signature pickup in his video below: 

Price-wise, the Ryan “Fluff” Bruce signature FLF Model Humbucker clocks in at $180.

Learn more at Seymour Duncan.

The post Seymour Duncan links up with YouTuber Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on new signature humbucker appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

David Lee Roth has opened up about his earliest songwriting sessions with Eddie Van Halen, recalling how songs were created in such tight spaces where the pair were often “so close that our knees would touch”.

Speaking during a recent solo show at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania, the former Van Halen frontman became visibly emotional as he revisited the “tiny little space” where much of the band’s early material first took shape.

• READ MORE: Steve Vai recalls hearing unreleased material at Eddie Van Halen’s house: “Nobody plays like they do when they’re in their room alone… It was such great stuff”

Tracing those early writing conditions back to his own upbringing, where space was just as limited, Roth explains [via UCR]: “Most of these songs that I wrote with Ed, we wrote in a very, very tiny little space. I myself started off in the exact same space. My dad was just starting in school on the GI Bill when I happened. Back in 1954, the Fender Stratocaster was released, and so was I.”

“And we lived in student housing for about the first 10, 12 years of my life,” he continues. “It was very tight, about the size of the drum riser here. And I had a little space that was for the washer and the dryer, and just enough for me on some cinder blocks with a foam rubber cushion.”

That kind of environment, he says, felt strangely familiar when he first met Van Halen.

“When I first walked into Ed’s [room], it wasn’t even a room,” Roth recalls. “It was identical to the way I grew up. You had to go from the backyard to the kitchen, and you moved through what they called his room, but it was just a little alcove for a washer and a dryer – and then, ultimately, me.”

“The beginnings of every song we sing to you tonight, I started with Ed,” the musician continues. “He had an electric guitar, and his mom wouldn’t let him plug into the amp. So I would have to listen to the electric guitar without an amp, and it’d be so close that our knees would touch.”

“And those first couple of years, God, how many hours did I spend leaning over like this? Tape recorded on a Sony little thing with the push buttons and the cassette player. Take it home, write the lyrics and bring it back and go, ‘I think it’s a song about runnin’ with the devil or something. What do you got next?’ It would be so quiet that our knees would touch the whole time. We never noticed.”

“And these were the days when I’d say, ‘Hey, you wanna have a cigarette?’ He’d go, ‘Yeah,’ and that’s what we would have,” says Roth. “The two of us, one cigarette. ‘Don’t fuckin’ hotbox it. You’re lipping it. No, fuck you, too. Oh, fuck you twice. He fuckin’ runs with the devil, what’s that fuckin’ mean?’ There was friction early and we loved it.”

That push-and-pull dynamic, Roth adds, didn’t disappear with time. It resurfaced decades later during the band’s short-lived 1996 reunion, where they wrote two new songs, Can’t Get This Stuff No More and Me Wise Magic. By then, both he and Eddie Van Halen had moved into very different worlds – but the creative rhythm, he suggests, remained unchanged.

“I guess about 30 years later, whatever it was, Ed and I had both gotten tombs with a view. That’s what I call those big houses. As big as this whole building,” he says. “And Ed built himself a multimillion-dollar studio, and it had all the most modern equipment. And I’d been away from the band for a while, but hey, great healing. We come back, and he says, ‘Okay, we’re gonna write two more songs.’ That’s great.”

“I was sitting in the middle of the room… and I was on a chair, and I was reading a paperback, waiting on him,” Roth continues. “And when he came in, he put a cigarette in his mouth, came over, brought a chair right in front of me, and sat down in it and scooted forward till our knees touched. That’s how I wrote the last two songs. Full circle.”

The post David Lee Roth on early songwriting sessions with Eddie Van Halen: “His mom wouldn’t let him plug into the amp. So I have to listen to the electric guitar without one. It’d be so close that our knees would touch” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Gina Gleason is one of heavy music’s great Telecaster advocates. Her unconventional outlook on tone fits well within the mutable approach Baroness takes to heaviness – with an origin story as the band’s lead guitarist that’s as unique as the band’s music. She joined Baroness in 2017, after a stint playing guitar for Cirque Du Soleil. She became fast friends with frontman John Dyer Baizley over their shared love of weird fuzz pedals – and it wasn’t long before she joined the band full time.

• READ MORE: “It was just like my security blanket” Lamb Of God’s Mark Morton on his love affair with the Les Paul

When she joined, she was quick to adapt her gear approach from the shreddier side of things to suit the Baroness tonal palette – single-coils, weird fuzz tones, and pedal-friendly combos. And far from leading to a softer touch – this unique approach lets the band push the boundaries of heavy music into further and stranger places than ever before.

Why the Telecaster?

“I was always a fan of the Telecaster sound – just the pure brightness of it, and, from my early days of being interested in the guitar, the musicians that played Telecasters. Growing up my dad loved Elvis more than anything – so I was exposed to a lot of James Burton’s guitar playing from a really young age.

“I’ve also had the same guitar teacher since I was a teenager, and I still take lessons with him to this day. His name’s Yanni Papadopoulos, and he lives in Philadelphia. He’s got a great band called Stinking Lizaveta. He exposed me to some really great players when I took lessons from him – like Danny Gatton and Jimmy Bryant. I remember trying to learn a Jimmy Bryant piece as a teenager, and was just blown away by the effortlessness of his alternate picking.

“In my mind, I also drew this parallel between players like Jimmy Bryant, who had these insane alternate picking chops, and this ability to incorporate chromaticisms and reality fast licks, and these other guitarists I admired like Dimebag and like Randy Rhoads – these total shredders that sort of had this otherworldliness about their playing. Those folks that played Teles – they were reflective of the other players I loved in metal, from a chops perspective.”

What informed your own unique approach to ‘heavy’ tones?

“I think the breakthrough moment for me was, about 12 years ago, I was working as a musician for Cirque du Soleil, doing 484 shows a year – and it was Michael Jackson’s catalogue. So I had access to the isolated guitar tracks to learn the songs and emulate the sound with a Fractal.

“And something about listening to Eddie Van Halen’s isolated solo on Beat It – I was like, oh, it’s not that distorted – it’s pretty clean! I just started thinking about the perception of heaviness and distortion, and how more gain does not always equal heavier – almost the opposite.

“The more you can pull back the gain, it’s almost like your sound can kind of bloom in a way that takes up space, and gives a different perception of volume – that’s kind of what I feel brings a lot of heaviness to a sound. It’s the same with Baroness – it’s not just about what sound can be louder, it’s more about adding dynamics in a broader way, thinking more about frequencies, not just pure volume.”

How did your gear approach change when you joined Baroness?

“When I joined Baroness, John was playing a lot of G&L guitars – an ASAT Classic and a Bluesboy. And I was bringing this Jackson DK2M Dinky, this late ‘90s Jackson that I still play to this day – and a Kramer SM-1, which has a really similar body shape – pointy headstock, humbuckers, Floyd Rose, the whole thing. And I just felt it wasn’t suiting the vibe.

“At the time we were touring the Purple album that had just come out the year before. And to me, Baroness was a band that always had a lot of experimental tones and textures, with tons of layers. John was really interested in figuring out how we could explore that on a deeper level in the live settings. And I’m really into tone chasing – pedals are kinda the whole reason John and I met, through a mutual friend that made fuzzes.

“So, yeah, I think just that really early stage of sort of auditioning for the band. I was like, I want to have the right gear for this. Yeah. And I found a used – I think – ‘92 ASAT classic at a local Sam Ash, because again, I had always been fascinated by that style of guitar, and Baroness was my opportunity to get one.”

What’s your go-to Tele now?

“My go-to Telecaster is the American Pro I, from I think 2017 or 2018 – it’s just a really comfortable neck, and I like how the pickups are voices. It’s got a lot of brightness and presence, and I like how it sits in a mix with John’s rig, which is something I try to think about a lot. You want to have a cool sound that inspires you, but you also have to think about the whole picture, the full mix of your band.

“So I tend to try to think about that stuff – if we’re playing a harmonised lead and John’s on the neck pickup, I’ll try to make sure I’m on the bridge, and vice versa. It’s a way of complementing your bandmates’ sound, and making sure the live performance and presentation is as dynamic and as engaging for the listener as possible.”

The American Pro I Tele is a pretty traditional spec, rather than one built with more traditionally “modern metal” appointments.

“I like the three-saddle bridge because it makes me think of a more classic setup. It is slightly more tedious when you’re intonating it – but I like the feel of them. There can be a little bit of an imperfection sometimes when you’re really whaling on things, but I still just want that classic Tele setup.

“Fender is amazing at constantly innovating and coming up with new solutions and things to suit different players – like the 75th anniversary model, the American Ultra in Liquid Gold, it’s got a neck profile that’s almost like a Jackson’s, and those incredible pickups – I think all that stuff is awesome. But for me, I really like a more classic setup.”

With that more traditional guitar setup and an analogue pedalboard, how do you approach amps and headroom?

“I started with really low headroom when I first joined the band, and have kind of upped it through the years. Now I’m playing a Bassman reissue – and I also like having a Princeton in my rig. That’s not got a lot of headroom, but I like the way it breaks up – I never really have it past three, maybe four, so it just gets the slightest amount of breakup, as I’m not driving it super hard. Sometimes I’ll use a Fender Twin – not so much if we’re travelling, but for recording they’re great. John, when I first joined the band, he was using a Princeton and a Deluxe, and he’s since changed up so that he’s got a Roland JC-120, which is a great high-headroom amp for pedals.

“And actually, for some stuff I was recording at the Fender factory, I was using one of the 5150 EL34 heads – given I didn’t have my usual pedalboard, I thought that would be the most dynamic thing, to cover some more country licks to more chuggy playing. And I did end up picking one of those up for myself…

“The classic Tube Screamer-into-5150 – that is an incredible sound. But especially with John’s songwriting tendencies, and the way he voices chords – it’s arranged so there’s a lot of impact when we come together, because we’re playing different things a lot of the time. Gear wise, our more dynamic approach helps the power of that impact a lot of the time. You don’t want to be on a 10 the whole time.”

Is that related to how Baroness views the complex mix of metal genres that gets pinned on the band?

“Working with John is amazing for a lot of reasons, he’s one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever been around. And something that I perceive as being important to him is that he doesn’t want to be told what kind of music he’s making – I think his tendency is to just do the opposite of whatever somebody’s telling them that they think he is creating, or whatever space people think he’s creating in. So we definitely try to avoid some of those genre touchstones if we’re setting out to make something.”

You’re still taking lessons with Yanni – what are you working on at the moment?

“A few years ago I linked back up with him because I hadn’t lived in my home city of Philadelphia for a few years. So we started jamming together and going over licks and stuff like that, and then a couple of years ago, he was like – it’s time for you to start learning the real book. So we just’d go through these standards and look at transcribing, and how to solo over them or make accompaniments – and that has been the most helpful breakthrough as a guitar player that I’ve maybe ever had.

“I also teach lessons, so I try to express the importance of transcribing, you know – I’m not by any means a jazz guitar player, or really even in that world – but I do really like looking at it from that perspective of outlining chord progressions and finding things that complement them. So I’m really grateful to have a teacher to work through some of that stuff with – and we play out, too, he’s got a jazz trio, so I’ll sit in with those guys. That’s been invaluable.”

Why do you think people are still playing Telecasters after all of these years?

“It’s iconic, and because it’s associated with the beginnings of the electric guitar, the players that use them are iconic. For me, there’s just something that works about them. Particular when it comes to comfort – depending on the tour we’ll do a two-and-a-half or three-hour set! So it’s that, and my visual sensibilities. When I see certain crazy-looking guitars, it doesn’t do the same for me. Maybe if Chuck Schulinder is playing it, I want to hear that – but not for me!

Find out more about the 75th Anniversary of the Telecaster at fender.com

The post “As it’s associated with the beginnings of the development of the electric guitar, it’s iconic – and the players that use them are iconic” – Gina Gleason on 75 years of the Telecaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.