Music is the universal language

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  - Luke 2:14

General Interest

Voltage Cable Co.® Releases  “Tele” Plug for the Voltage Vintage Coil® V2

Premier Guitar - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 09:03


Voltage Cable Co.® has introduced a new hardware option to its best-selling Voltage Vintage Coil® V2: a long-frame right-angle “Tele” plug by G&H USA. Purpose-built for recessed Tele guitar jacks and vintage-style guitars, this new plug ensures a tighter fit and improved seating depth - solving a long-standing problem for players using standard short right-angle connectors.


Each cable continues to feature Voltage’s hallmark component stack: 21 AWG spiral-shielded conductors, Cardas Quad Eutectic silver solder, and the patented ISO-COAT® hermetic seal, now officially granted under Australian Standard Patent No. 2024204464 as of June 26, 2025. The result is an elite-class instrument cable with lifetime-grade durability and signal reliability, built specifically for working musicians.

The Voltage Vintage Coil® V2 is available in seven vintage-inspired colors and ships globally.

Available now at $99 USD MAP: voltagecableco.com/products/coiled-guitar-cable-voltage-vintage-coil-v2

Categories: General Interest

“The big thing was the neck shape that Clapton wanted. We made about a dozen neck samples for him to play”: From Slowhand’s Strat to “tongue-in-cheek” relics, this is the hidden history of the Fender Custom Shop

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 09:02
Fender’s Custom Shop had a precarious start in the mid-1980s, but the story of its formative years is full of big ideas, some bizarre instruments, and a queue of famous guitarists
Categories: General Interest

There's no need to wait for the weekend with up to 60% off gear in the Musician's Friend early Labor Day sale - save $500 on a Supro tube amp

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 08:37
I've dug through the whole sale to find the best savings before anyone else gets to them
Categories: General Interest

Tony Iommi Signature Humbucker

Premier Guitar - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 07:54


The Gibson Pickup Shop Artist Collection pickups are created in collaboration with some of the world’s most influential artists, including legends who shaped the sounds that built the foundation of modern music, as well as some of today’s most innovative players who continue to shape the sound of music across genres and influence musicians worldwide. Gibson is proud to continue its partnership with Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist of Black Sabbath, with the launch of the Tony Iommi Signature Humbucker™, available worldwide on www.gibson.com.


Tony Iommi’s legendary guitar work, powerful sound, and groundbreaking albums laid the foundation for heavy metal and inspired countless other genres. His music and his legacy are celebrated across the globe, and in the late 90s, Gibson teamed up with Tony to create their very first signature pickup. Today, that original Gibson signature humbucker makes its long-awaited return.

The Tony Iommi Humbucker features an exclusive configuration of powerful ceramic and Alnico 2 magnets, along with unique windings, that give it the incredible tone and sustain that have helped make Tony’s work with Black Sabbath instantly recognizable. Thunderous tone and incredible sustain, with crystal clarity, even in full distortion, the Tony Iommi Humbucker is fully wax-potted and epoxied for absolute protection against unwanted feedback. The 4-conductor wiring allows for series, parallel, and split coil operation.

“I’m really excited that Gibson’s bringing back my signature humbucker, they were getting pretty hard to find!” says Tony Iommi. “This pickup came about after a lot of time spent in Nashville, just experimenting with different setups to get that perfect tone and sustain from my favourite guitars. We had to make sure it worked with my light gauge strings and low tunings, but still pack a punch, and the result has got some serious output. They're on my signature guitars too, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out."

“I’d personally installed these on one of my Gibson guitars 15 years ago, and I was blown away with the distinct Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath sound I was able to get out of them,” explains Cesar Gueikian, President and CEO of Gibson. “They have such a great, clean look with the unique pickup cover, and we are excited to bring the Rifflord’s signature humbucker back as we continue to pay tribute to Tony.”

“It’s great to have the first signature pickup from Gibson back, and there really isn’t a more fitting artist than Tony Iommi,” says Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial and Marketing EMEA at Gibson. “Tony is synonymous with the Gibson SG™, but now the volume, presence, and overall power he produces through his playing can be experienced in other models too, whether at home, in the studio, or on stage. Thanks to Tony for his continued support and trust; these pickups are the result of our constant collaboration, and we look forward to what’s next for our partnership.”

Categories: General Interest

Third Man Hardware and Black Mountain Designs Introduce the Roto-Echo Delay

Premier Guitar - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 07:37


Jack White’s Third Man Hardware and Black Mountain Designs have teamed up to release the Roto-Echo, a new delay pedal designed to give guitarists hands-free control over their delay parameters, in real time, while they perform.


At first glance, the Roto-Echo looks like a familiar-sized delay stompbox. It’s a foot-controlled delay pedal built for the stage and easily fits on a standard pedalboard. On top of the pedal, there’s a roller wheel—smooth, weighted, and spring-loaded. The player can assign that wheel to control blend, feedback, and delay time via a three-way toggle switch. The core delay circuit is based on the PT2399 chip, offering warm, gritty echoes from 60MS a slapback to roughly 588MS repeats.

What makes the Roto-Echo different is how those parameters can be shaped in the moment. The roller wheel responds to foot motion, and with practice, players can perform swells, shifts, or rhythmic changes in their delay sound as they play—no need to crouch down or dial knobs mid-song or rely on presets. Sound manipulation typically reserved for the studio is now easy to perform live.

Specs at a glance:

• Delay Time: 30ms to ~600ms (PT2399-based)

• Roller Wheel: Assignable to Time, Feedback, or Blend. Rated for full body weight.

• Power: 9V DC (center negative)

• Current Draw: <100mA

• True Bypass

• Compact design, pedalboard friendly

The new Roto-Echo pedal carries a street price of $279. For more information visit blackmountainpicks.com.

Categories: General Interest

“I have enough songs that I could put a record out right now”: John Mayer reveals where things stand with his next album – and why he's not rushing the process

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 07:13
Mayer's most recent album, Sob Rock, was released in 2021, and was four years in the making
Categories: General Interest

“You can feel every nuance of the guitar”: Jake Kiszka on what sets SGs apart from other Gibson guitars

Guitar.com - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 07:05

Jake Kiszka performing live with Greta Van Fleet

First introduced in 1961 – initially as the Les Paul SG – the Gibson SG has since been adopted by guitarists across a wide range of rock subgenres, notably including AC/DC’s Angus Young, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and more recently, Jake Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet and Mirador.

So besides its rockier looks courtesy of its double-horn body design, what exactly sets the SG apart from other classic Gibson models like the Les Paul, Explorer or Firebird?

According to Jake Kiszka, it’s that its design allows the player to feel “every nuance” of the notes they play.

Asked what a good SG should be in the latest issue of Guitarist magazine, Kiszka explains: “The early ‘60s ones – which were [branded] Les Pauls at first – with the thinner neck are highly microphonic.

“If you tap anywhere on the body and it’s making that sound, it’s just very thin lacquer. Mine’s basically been sanded off [by playwear] entirely.

“So the thing about an SG that differentiates it from other Gibson guitars is that it’s really microphonic, and you can feel every nuance of the guitar.”

Kiszka explains that this nuance is “highly important” to him as he likes to play guitar as if it’s a “full-body thing”.

“I really like to play with my body,” he continues, “and even pulling the neck slightly back and moving things and tapping on it. It’s responding in more than just one way. It’s not just the strings and the connection between that and the pickup.”

While Greta Van Fleet’s sound has been compared extensively to that of Led Zeppelin, Ghost frontman Tobias Forge recently leapt to their defence, urging fans to embrace GVF as the modern-day flag-bearers of rock music.

“I don’t wanna hear anything about Greta Van Fleet now, because I think that their intentions are true,” he insisted. “They just happened to sound like someone else, but that’s not their fault! So, stop it.”

The post “You can feel every nuance of the guitar”: Jake Kiszka on what sets SGs apart from other Gibson guitars appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Categories: General Interest

Share Your Opinion on Amp Modeling Pedals for a Chance to Win

Premier Guitar - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 07:00


We'd love to hear your thoughts on amp modeling pedals. Answer our short survey and you'll be automatically entered for your chance to win! Don't worry, it will only take a couple of minutes.

Click here to share your opinion and be entered!

The Prize: Fender Vintera II '60s Telecaster Electric Guitar - Sonic Blue


Revive the timeless sound of the '60s with the Vintera® II '60s Telecaster® and experience the iconic looks, inspiring feel and incomparable tone that only a Fender can deliver.

The Vintera® II '60s Telecaster® features an alder body and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard for classic Fender tone that's full of punch and clarity. The early-'60s "C" shape neck is based on a classic '60s profile for an intuitive and inviting feel, while the 7.25" radius fingerboard with vintage-tall frets provides vintage comfort with ample room for big bends and expressive vibrato. Under the hood, you'll find a pair of vintage-style '60s pickups that deliver all the crystal-clear chime and raw, steely twang that made Fender famous. The vintage-style 3-saddle bridge with slotted steel saddles offers authentic '60s twang, while vintage-style tuning machines provide classic looks with a finer gear ratio and enhanced tuning stability to complete the package.

Experience the unmistakable vintage feel and unmatched sound of a classic Fender with the Vintera® II '60s Telecaster® today and start making music history!

Categories: General Interest

Sweetwater jump on the Labor Day savings early by slashing a whopping $500 off an exotic Gibson Les Paul, $300 of Dave Grohl's signature Epiphone and so much more

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 06:51
The music retail giant has just dropped its Labor Day sale a few days early, and it includes insane discounts on the likes of Fender, Gibson, Schecter, Music man, and more
Categories: General Interest

The guitar legend that Frank Zappa claimed was “a genius in ways that have yet to be discovered”

Guitar.com - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 06:20

Archival photo of Frank Zappa. He is pictured in black and white, and is holding a Gibson SG.

Frank Zappa once gave a rather huge compliment to a young and budding guitarist, who went on to become a guitar legend in his own right – Steve Vai.

According to Vai, who played in Zappa’s band for a brutal stint during the 1980s, the late musician usually refrained from commenting on other artists and their skills, so his one-off compliment took him by surprise.

Speaking to the Smashing PumpkinsBilly Corgan on his Magnificent Others podcast (via Ultimate Guitar), Vai says, “There was only one time he ever commented on my future, and I’m reluctant to mention it… We were in the studio, just him and me. We’re playing Sleep Dirt. It’s just two guitars, it’s an arpeggio, and I was brand new.

“Frank would look for special things in a musician; something that they could do that’s kind of quirky, interesting. He would find something. The great thing about Frank was, he had this intuitive ability to recognise your potential even better than you did. And then, he would pull it out of you, and use it as a colour in his palette. That’s why all of his records sound so different. And for me, I was into the weird abilities [needed] to play these hard melodies.”

He goes on to recall that very jam session with Zappa, sharing, “I remember just stopping, because I was stunned. He started playing rhythm, and I was starting to solo. And just some months before that, I was in my bedroom in Long Island, listening to his records. I had a moment of, ‘What’s going on?’ It was almost like an existential crisis or something…

“He goes, ‘You okay?’ I said, ‘Frank, I don’t know what I’m doing here. How did I get here?’ And he said, ‘Well, how many Tommy Marses [Zappa’s keyboard player], are there?’” Zappa went on to list further examples, including his drummer Vinny Colaiutas, before asking, “‘Well, how many Steve Vais do you think there are?’

“I didn’t understand that, because I didn’t see myself as anything special whatsoever. I thought about it, and then he said, ‘I think you’re a genius in ways that have yet to be discovered.’ And I just thought he was being nice,” says Vai. “I think he saw my potential to do something obscure. But everybody is a genius when they find what they love and they throw themselves into it without any excuses.”

You can check out the full podcast below:

The post The guitar legend that Frank Zappa claimed was “a genius in ways that have yet to be discovered” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Categories: General Interest

Do These New Fender Guitars Beat Your Vintage Favorite?

Premier Guitar - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 05:15

Vintage spirit and looks live in a Telecaster and Stratocaster with contemporary refinements at every turn.

Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage 50s Telecaster


Representing the pinnacle of innovation and craftsmanship, Fender American Ultra Luxe sets the benchmark for premium electric instruments. The new American Ultra Luxe Vintage series takes it a step further, showcasing the finest of Fender heritage – where timeless classics meet uncompromising modern refinement. The American Ultra Luxe Vintage 50s Telecaster features premium ash with carved contours that complement the aged Heirloom™ lacquer finish. Built for precision performance, the quartersawn maple neck with a Modern ‘D’ shape and Ultra rolled edges features medium jumbo stainless- steel frets, Luminlay side dots, and a Graph Tech TUSQ nut. Each instrument features a tapered neck heel to ensure unparalleled access to the higher register. Under the hood, Pure Vintage ’51 Tele pickups deliver classic Fender tones, from sparkling cleans to rich, expressive leads. Performance hardware includes a precision-engineered 6-saddle string-though-body bridge with brass block saddles and deluxe locking short post tuners for quick string changes and superior tuning stability. The American Ultra Luxe Vintage 50s Telecaster delivers flawless modern performance with distinctive classic design. Available in Butterscotch Blonde and White Blonde.

Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage 60s Stratocaster


Representing the pinnacle of innovation and craftsmanship, Fender American Ultra Luxe sets the benchmark for premium electric instruments. The new American Ultra Luxe Vintage series takes it a step further, showcasing the finest of Fender heritage – where timeless classics meet uncompromising modern refinement. The American Ultra Luxe Vintage 60s Stratocaster features premium alder with carved contours that complement the aged Heirloom lacquer finish. Built for precision performance, the quartersawn maple neck with a Modern ‘D’ shape and Ultra rolled edges features medium jumbo stainless- steel frets, Luminlay side dots, and a Graph Tech TUSQ nut. Each instrument features a tapered neck heel to ensure unparalleled access to the higher register. Under the hood, Pure Vintage ’61 Strat delivers classic Fender tones, from sparkling cleans to rich, expressive leads. Performance hardware includes a precision-engineered 2-Point American Ultra synchronized tremolo with polished stainless steel block saddles, cold rolled steel block, and deluxe locking tuners for quick string changes and superior tuning stability. The American Ultra Lux Vintage 60s Stratocaster delivers flawless modern performance with distinctive classic design. Available in Ice Blue Metallic and Surf Green.

Categories: General Interest

“He doesn’t want it to be a hang-on-the-wall trophy piece. He wants it to be played”: Eddie Vedder and Fender have designed a new custom Telecaster – and it’s a trophy for a baseball tournament

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 04:55
This year, Major League Baseball made “The Vedder Cup” official – and honored the Pearl Jam icon who inspired the name by awarding the winning team a guitar trophy
Categories: General Interest

Veteran Nashville session guitarist on the “two things” that are most important in the studio – and neither are the melody or notes

Guitar.com - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 04:41

Brent Mason playing a Fender Telecaster in 2017.

Session guitarist Brent Mason believes there are two core things that players should master in order to make it as a successful session player.

Mason is one of the most recorded guitarists in history, and has played guitar on over 1000 records. Having been discovered by Chet Atkins, who invited him to play on his Stay Tuned album, Mason is certainly the kind of guitarist worth taking advice from.

Though not the most exciting or glamorous elements of playing guitar, Mason believes that timing and dynamics matter most if you want to become an esteemed session player. He tells Guitarist, “When I first started doing sessions in Nashville, you needed to have a great sense of timing.

“I remember a lot of times, I was working up things and didn’t have a metronome – and we all hate metronomes [laughs]. It’s just clicks that are uninspiring. But now, you can set up in your hotel room and practise, so it’s about timing.”

He adds, “When I first started doing sessions, I found out that I was speeding up a little bit, and guys would go, ‘Hey, you’re on top of the beat, man.’ I always heard that and now I know that it’s about timing and dynamics. Those two things, timing and dynamics, without even bringing up melody or notes, it’s about those things.”

Asked about common pitfalls that session players usually come up against, he replies, “You gotta watch out when you go in there. Studio musicians like to play a song, jam and get loosened up to check and see if everything is clicking. But sometimes you can play too much.

“You’ve really gotta listen to the vocalist and mark down on your chart where the fields go, make sure you’re off the vocal point and make sure you understand what the artist wants.”

To find out more about Mason – including his gear, virtual lessons, and his history as a player – head over to the Brent Mason website.

The post Veteran Nashville session guitarist on the “two things” that are most important in the studio – and neither are the melody or notes appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Categories: General Interest

“I was all over the place. But when I first heard Randy play, it was poetry in motion. I thought, ‘Wow, I’m onto a good thing here’”: Ozzy Osbourne couldn’t play guitar. Yet he changed the guitar world by introducing some of its greatest heroes

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 04:04
The late heavy-metal icon did not, could not, play guitar. Yet his contribution to the scene – whether giving a platform to fledgling gunslingers or igniting their talents – was inestimable
Categories: General Interest

“He got to just be the bass player in the band, and he f**king loved it”: Why Paul McCartney loved playing bass on The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds album

Guitar.com - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 03:38

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones [main], Beatles legend Paul McCartney [inset]

Producer Andrew Watt has worked with a growing list of legends, and even managed to get Paul McCartney to play on The Rolling Stones’ latest record.

Watt – who has also worked with Elton John, Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osbourne, and more – landed his production gig on the Stones’ 2023 album Hackney Diamonds thanks to McCartney, who recommended him to Ronnie Wood.

Watt and McCartney had bonded over tea following his Producer Of The Year Grammy Win in 2021. The pair also jammed together, and Watt picked his brains over his favourite Beatles song, Blackbird. Speaking to Mojo for its latest print issue, Watt says of their bond, “Paul McCartney got me the gig for The Rolling Stones! I mean, that sounds like a fake-ass dream.”

As sessions began for the record, Watt ended up playing bass on a number of tracks as well as co-writing three: Angry, Get Close, and Depending On You. Of his bass contributions, he explains, “It’s not me pushing in and just inserting myself. Sometimes there wasn’t a bass player present.”

Though former Stones bassist Bill Wyman famously made a return to contribute to the record, Watt also enlisted some external contributors, including Gaga and his good friend Macca, who played bass on the track Bite My Head Off.

“He got to just be the bass player in the band, and he fucking loved it,” shares Watt. “As I was walking Paul out of the studio, he said, ‘I just fucking played bass in The Rolling Stones, and I’m a fucking Beatle!’”

Listen to the track below:

Last year, Watt explained how he manages to work with so many of his heroes: “Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John, Eddie Vedder – they’re fully capable of producing an album by themselves,” he told Variety. “They understand song structure, mix, a good snare drum sound, they’ve done this forever. So none of them need a producer – but they are choosing to hire a producer.”

On how he’s managed to attain such an impressive list of collaborators, he added: “Just ask. When I asked Paul McCartney to play bass on a Rolling Stones song: silence for 10 seconds, then ‘Yeah, I’d love to.’ Just ask the question! The worst that can happen is no.”

The post “He got to just be the bass player in the band, and he f**king loved it”: Why Paul McCartney loved playing bass on The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Categories: General Interest

“I compared the two, and the $140 Squier Telecaster, to me, sounded better”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on the time he chose a budget Squier over its ’58 vintage counterpart – which cost “about a bazillion dollars”

Guitar.com - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 03:24

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter

Do vintage guitars always sound and feel objectively better than their affordable counterparts? Not necessarily, as many high-profile guitarists have discovered.

Back in 2021, Mike Rutherford revealed he was using a $200 Squier Bullet Tele while playing live with Genesis, saying: “I just love it. It’s got a life to it.” Naturally, a band of Genesis’s calibre would have been able to get their hands on pretty much any instrument they desired, so Rutherford’s evangelism of his affordable Squier was even more potent.

Now, former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has voiced his love of cheap guitars, reflecting on the time he spent $140 on a Squier Telecaster which he thought sounded better than its ‘58 vintage counterpart.

In a new interview with Guitar World, he recalls the Squier Tele being the most recent guitar he bought for himself.

“I buy a lot of guitars for veterans’ charities and stuff like that,” he explains. “But let’s see… the last guitar I bought for myself, I think, was a Squier Telecaster that has a Jazzmaster pickup installed for rhythm. It’s a great guitar. I bought it just for the hell of it.”

He continues: “I saw it and thought, ‘Wow, a Jazzmaster pickup,’ and it was put in at the factory. I played it and really loved it, so I told the guy at Guitar Center, ‘Pull down that ‘58 Telecaster you have up there,’ which cost about a bazillion dollars, and I spent about an hour setting up the [Squier] guitar.

“They had a guitar repair guy there, and I asked if I could use his tools and set up the guitar myself. And very quickly, I compared the two, and the $140 Squier Telecaster, to me, sounded better, so I bought it. I said, ‘Yep, gonna have one of these,’ so I think that’s the last guitar I bought.”

You might think $140 is a solid deal on a guitar in any case, but Baxter also notes how he recorded his parts for Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff on a $35 six-string.

“In terms of value for money, that would be a Burns Baby Bison guitar that I bought for 35 bucks. I ended up using it on the Donna Summer album and also started playing it in the studio as well as playing it live. It was a hell of a deal.”

Vintage guitar collecting tends to be a rich person’s game, with many instruments commanding thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands. So the availability of far cheaper budget versions of these guitars – which sound and feel high-quality for their price point – means more guitarists are discovering they don’t need to spend loads to get a solid instrument.

And even vintage guitar enthusiasts often emphasise that there’s no need to shell out more money than you can afford to get a great guitar setup.

Recently, blues maestro Joe Bonamassa – a big-time vintage gear collector – said guitarists don’t need to spend loads on an amp to get a great sound.

“You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a great sound, and it doesn’t have to be overly complex,” he said.

The post “I compared the two, and the $140 Squier Telecaster, to me, sounded better”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on the time he chose a budget Squier over its ’58 vintage counterpart – which cost “about a bazillion dollars” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Categories: General Interest

“My guitar was slightly out.Steve Vai walked past and said,‘Your low E was four cents flat.’And he’d been in the green room!” Meet Derek Day, the swaggering virtuoso who went from busking on the streets to touring with his hero

Guitar World - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 02:56
The 24-year-old explains how he merges prog and glam, and escapes the “originality ordeal” of an ancient instrument by hopping between Fender, Gibson, PRS and Ibanez (even if he prefers to write on cheap knock-offs)
Categories: General Interest

“We’ve just written this one but we’re not sure about it…” How The Beatles turned to the Shadows legend Hank Marvin for advice about an iconic song

Guitar.com - Tue, 08/26/2025 - 01:00

The Beatles performing at the London Palladium, photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Before the Beatles came along and forever shifted the cultural landscape later in the decade, The Shadows were one of the most influential and important British bands of the 60s – certainly the most important instrumental group.

Hank Marvin’s guitar playing was hugely impactful on a whole generation of guitarists that came after him. Everyone from Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck to Brian May and Tony Iommi has heralded the influence of Britain’s original Strat-slinger.

Another band that felt Hank’s influence and acknowledged his impact were The Beatles themselves, and in particular guitarist George Harrison. The band celebrated the Shads in all manner of overt musical ways.

Cry for a Shadow which was recorded in June 1961 by a pre-fame Beatles, was the fab four’s tribute to the British instrumental masters, though the track didn’t see the light of day until it was released as a single in 1964.

The Beatles’ early live performances during their stints in Hamburg included a cover of The Shadows most iconic track, Apache in their setlist. Even The Beatles’ own Here, There and Everywhere was initially offered to The Shadows by Paul McCartney before the band decided to keep it for themselves. Marvin would later record an instrumental version of the song for 2007 album, Guitar Man.

Stand Up Advice

But The Beatles also sought help from the Shadows on occasion. Paul McCartney and John Lennon were known to have turned to Marvin and Shadows rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch for guidance. One particular piece of advice that the fab four took onboard was in regards to The Beatles live concert gear set-up.

“In 1962, Brian Epstein [Beatles manager] had brought Paul and John to our show at the Liverpool Empire,” explains Hank Marvin today. “They’d just come from playing in the Star Club in Hamburg which was a very pub, sort of rough atmosphere. And Brian told them, ‘I want you to see how a real professional band looks on stage and how they present themselves to an audience’.

“We had our Vox guitar amplifiers on stands, and the reason was that having the amplifiers off the floor, we could hear them a bit better. Because when you had them on the floor, a lot of those theatres, because they had a wooden stage with a cellar underneath, it would emphasize the bottom end of the amp. So, by lifting it up, it made the amp sound much clearer. And also, obviously we could hear it better as it’s pointing more up towards our hearing. And they saw that and they too went out and got the same things from Vox, from Jennings Musical Instruments who were the Vox makers at the time, and also placed them on stands.”

From Me To You

A year later after having returned from a Shadows tour abroad, both Marvin and Welch went to see The Beatles perform a concert in London. After the show, the pair paid McCartney and Lennon a visit backstage before all headed out to a party together.

“We’d just come back from a tour in South Africa and saw that their second single release, Please Please Me (1963) was number two in the charts,” recalls Marvin. “We thought it was a brilliant record. And we saw that they were on tour with a guy called Chris Montez, who at that point had the current number one single in the UK. Tommy Roe was second on the bill and The Beatles were third. So, we thought, ‘let’s go and see these guys.’ We went along and the place was half empty, and at that point, no one was screaming.

“The Beatles were very raw, but there was a lot of energy in the way they played and the way they sang. And they were also fooling around a bit on stage. So, we went backstage to see them, and went up the stairs and John [Lennon] was standing and leaning against the drawer of the dressing room, wearing his black glasses because he was shortsighted like me. As soon as he saw me, he whipped them off and put them in his pocket.

“After that, all of us went back to Bruce’s [Welch] house that same night, and we got the guitars out, and we’re all playing rock and roll songs and everything. I have to say, the songs that they played were a few of their own songs; one they’d written for Billy J. Kramer, Do You Want to Know a Secret and From Me to You, which was the follow up single to Please Please Me. Then they turned to us and said, ‘Oh we’ve just written this one but we’re not sure about it. Do you think it’s too long? We think verse is too long’. And that song was, She Loves You! And we listened to it and said, ‘Nah, it sounds great and the chorus is brilliant’.

Fast forward a couple years to 1965 and Marvin and George Harrison end up crossing paths again, but this time it was the Beatle himself offering up some friendly advice to The Shadows, after the group had recently released a single that featured a lead vocal by Marvin. “We had just released Don’t Make My Baby Blue which had vocals and I bumped into George at Abbey Road Studios,” he says. “George said, ‘oh, I love your new record, it’s great. Stop doing the instrumentals, and do more vocals! You, and Bruce can sing so do some more vocals’ And, unfortunately, we didn’t take his advice and we went straight back to instrumentals. And honestly, at that point, realistically, instrumental popularity was waning. Unless you came up with something I like a big film theme or something. And so, his advice was good, but unfortunately, we didn’t follow it.”

In 1978, McCartney would again seek out Marvin, this time inviting him to be part of the guitar ensemble on the recording of Rockestra Theme, a track that appeared on the final Paul McCartney and Wings studio album, Back To The Egg.

The post “We’ve just written this one but we’re not sure about it…” How The Beatles turned to the Shadows legend Hank Marvin for advice about an iconic song appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Categories: General Interest

Cheap Trick Announce New Album, All Washed Up, Out Via BMG November 14

Premier Guitar - Mon, 08/25/2025 - 12:03

The one and only Cheap Trick have announced today’s premiere of their new single. The infectious and anthemic “Twelve Gates” is available now at all DSPs and streaming services. The song heralds the Rock n' Roll Hall of Famers' eagerly anticipated 21st studio album, All Washed Up, arriving via BMG on Friday, November 14 digitally as well as on standard black vinyl and CD. A limited-edition exclusive "Orange Marble" LP variant of the album, limited to 1,000 units, will be available to pre-order via the band's new D2C store.


“Our newest single release, 'Twelve Gates,' from the 2025 LP All Washed Up, is one of our best yet,” says bassist Tom Petersson. “ I really love how this song came out. It's one of my favorites on the album.”

All Washed Up was produced by the band and Julian Raymond. It was mixed by Chris Lord Alge and recorded at various studios in Nashville (Sound Emporium Studios, Blackbird, Love Shack, Zen) as well as in LA (Sweetzerland Studios) through 2024.

"Just one more great album from the best rock band in the world," says lead singer/guitarist Robin Zander.Tracklisting:

Cheap Trick have also announced Fall 2025 tour dates to add to their gloriously never-ending run. The new dates start October 12 at Oxford, AL’s Oxford Performing Center and conclude at Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee, IA on December 7. Tickets are on sale now. The complete itinerary is below.

CHEAP TRICK – TOUR 2025

AUGUST

20 – Rhinebeck, NY – Dutchess County Fair

21 – Syracuse, NY – New York State Fair

28 – Salem, OR – Oregon State Fair – LB Day Amphitheatre

31 – Pueblo, CO – Colorado State Fair

SEPTEMBER

19 – Menlo Park, CA – The Guild Theatre

20 – Napa, CA – Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions at Meritage Resort

29 – Osaka, JP – Grand Cube

OCTOBER

1 – Tokyo, JP – Budokan

11 – Miramar Beach, FL – Seascape Resort Golf Club & Tennis Resort

12 – Oxford, AL – Oxford Performing Arts Center *

21 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount *

22 – Bethlehem, PA – Wind Creek Bethlehem – Wind Creek Event Center *

24 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live*

25 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Memorial Auditorium *

NOVEMBER

9 – Chandler, AZ – Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino – The Showroom *

11 – Monterey, CA – Golden State Theatre *

14 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort and Casino *

16 – Turlock, CA – Turlock Community Theatre *

18 – Anaheim, CA – HONDA Center +

23 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena +

DECEMBER

2 – Omaha, NE – Baxter Arena +

4 – Green Bay, WI – Reach Center +

5 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee *

7 – Waukee, IA – Vibrant Music Hall *

* Newly Announced Date

+ with Heart

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