General Interest

The guitar was on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Florida for two decades, having featured in some pinnacle career moments

The Studio offers a looper, multi-track DAW recording, interactive guitar lessons, jam tracks, and plenty more

The former Mastodon guitarist died aged 51 following a fatal motorcycle accident, and his peers have now come out to honor his life and legacy

Following on from the superb Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom instruments that wowed us, we look at have three from asextet of new historic reissues. Expectations are high...

The ever-active session legend on his love for cheap guitars, Roland gear, and modding his pickups

With a diverse new album full of amazing playing, there are changes afoot for the Grammy Award-winning acoustic-guitar virtuoso as she takesafew steps away fromher bluegrass roots

The $130 stompbox has been a vital tool across 40 years of session work – and other players have started to take note

According to Chris Turpin – who used the amp on his new album with Jake Kiszka – Cobb acquired the mod in exchange for a $80 kitchen gadget

Rock duo Nova Twins, known for their secretive pedalboard wizardry, say they sometimes get accused of miming and not playing their instruments live by sexist audience members at their shows.

Anyone familiar with Amy Love and Georgia South’s guitar chops and passion for gear know that miming along to a backing track is certainly not their bag – back in their first interview with Guitar.com in 2020 they revealed they have two massive pedalboards, and are still yet to disclose how they get their signature crunchy and fuzzy tone.

• READ MORE: The best electric guitars for metal – our top-rated Jacksons, Gibsons, Strandbergs & more

Ahead of their new album, Parasites & Butterflies, which arrives on 29 August, the duo have spoken to Metal Hammer for its latest print edition about their guitar and bass tone, and how they love to prove the naysayers wrong.

“We love the challenge of playing everything live off pedals,” Love says. “There’s no synths on track or guitars on track. Men love to come along to our shows and say, ‘They’re miming! They’re not playing live!’, but the sounds we make are all live.”

South adds, “We were setting up our gear, and someone asked our guitar tech, ‘What guitars do you have?’ Our tech said, ‘Oh, no, those are the girls’ guitars…’ And the guy just ignored it. It was like he thought our tech was joking – the idea that the guitars genuinely belonged to us completely went over his head.”

Not only that, but they also faced wolf-whistling and other misogynistic behaviour from the crowd at that same show, which took place in Vienna a few years ago. And yet, they of course played a great set that had won over the whole room by the end of the show.

“The guy who had asked about our guitars was so embarrassed,” Love adds. “The rest of his band were telling us how much they loved the set, but he stood quietly in the corner.”

For a taste of Nova Twins’ live show, check out the video below:

Parasites & Butterflies is available to pre-order now. They kick off a record store tour on 23 August, before beginning their headline shows on 17 September – find out more via their official website.

The post “Men love to come along to our shows and say, ‘They’re miming!”: Nova Twins on why they get a buzz from proving sexist people wrong appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

£289, blackstaramps.com

Blackstar has been on an impressive hot streak over the last few years. From the impressive St James valve combos to the entry-level Debut amps, through to the content creator playground that is the ID:Core series, the brand has really hit the sweet spot between affordability, features and sound.

• READ MORE: Boss Katana Gen 3 review: still the king of the modellers?

Now however, the brand is setting its sights firmly on the fertile ground occupied by the likes of Boss’s Katana range and Fender’s Mustangs – the no-nonsense gig-ready modelling combo. Watch out, the ID:X is coming for you…

Image: Adam Gasson

Blackstar ID:X 50 – what is it?

There are two flavours of the new ID:X combo arriving out of the gate – a 100-watt beast and this more bedroom-friendly 50-watter. The “ID” bit of the name does suggest some shared DNA with the hugely popular ID:Core series of course, and you can perhaps see this as the logical stepping stone for someone who bought one of those as their first amp.

So visually and in terms of the control panel things are pretty familiar on that front. For example, you have the same six onboard amp voicings as the ID:Core V3 – ranging from chiming cleans through to searing high gain. You also get a full three-band tone-stack here, in addition to Blackstar’s almost ubiquitous mid-mithering ISF control – a notable tone-shaping enhancement over its little brother.

You can’t very well take on the Katana without a bevvy of onboard effects, and you get plenty to get to grips with here. There are 34 distinct pre- and post-effects listed in the manual – everything from flavours of dirt to tremolo, phasers and even a shimmer delay – and Blackstar stresses this is a moveable feast, with more effects coming in the future.

Navigating all this comes courtesy of an onboard OLED screen – top marks for Blackstar not burying all this in a companion app as many would do in this era of smart amps. What you see is very much what you get.

In addition to the amps and effects you can also tweak the valve response options of each amp sound (between EL34, EL84 and 6L6 recreations), and this thing comes primed to gig with the ability to store up to 12 presets on board to ensure you don’t have to fiddle with that screen mid-song.

The player convenience features don’t end there either. You can drop the power down to 10 or even 1 watt for pure bedroom playing, while if you need to record things direct you have the convenience of Blackstar’s impressive CabRig technology, as well as a USB-C port for going digital direct.

There’s also a headphone output up top, and a line-in for putting your own songs or backing tracks through it, a built-in tuner and an effects loop. One thing that you won’t find however, is bluetooth audio – it’s strictly analogue here unfortunately.

Another slightly mystifying omission in the case of the 50 is a lack of a balanced XLR out – the 100-watt version has one, but if anything the 50 is more likely to need it in a gigging situation. It’s a little bit like forgetting to put wheels on a suitcase – you can live without it, sure, but it’s a hell of a lot easier if you have them.

Image: Adam Gasson

Blackstar ID:X 50 – usability and sounds

The reason that the Katanas of this world are so popular with ordinary guitarists is that they do a great job of getting out of the way. Blackstar has clearly been paying attention in that regard because getting to grips with the ID:X is as intuitive and simple as you could ever want it to be – with barely a glance at the manual I’m off to the races navigating the various sounds and effects, with the onboard controls being super easy to use and understand.

Plugging in and it’s immediately apparent that this is not the place to come if your stock in trade is whisper-thin jangly. The ID:X is a chin out, Saturday night rock machine. Regardless of what guitar I put it through, everything sounds thick, chewy, meaty… it’s an amp that begs to be played loudly and proudly.

That’s not to say it’s untamed or unruly however – the valve-like nature of these sounds had me feeling fully in control of how gnarly I wanted to get, breaking up naturally when I wanted it to, or providing a nice clean pedal platform if I needed it.

You can get a lot out of this amp without ever plugging it into a laptop, but it’s also worth noting that the real deep editing stuff is done via Blackstar’s excellent Architect software – and what an enjoyable experience that is. Despite the abundant options to tweak and refine here, you never feel like you need a PhD in music production to dial things in – it’s sleek, user-friendly and gets out of the way.

As I said, most of the parameters you’ll be tweaking day to day can be done easily on the amp itself, so the Architect is more of an occasional trip than a daily driver. That said, it would be nice to not have to plug into a laptop to do it. The lack of Bluetooth rears its ugly head again here I feel, but an iOS/Android app option would encourage you to get deep into the weeds more often.

That said, if I had to choose between one or the other, I’m glad they’ve gone down the wired connection route – the guitar world is littered with ill-conceived companion apps that barely work outside of laboratory conditions, and there’s something reassuring about just plugging a thing into another thing.

Image: Adam Gasson

Blackstar ID:X 50 – should I buy one?

There’s no shortage of impressive budget modelling amps out there, but too often these amps can end up falling down by trying too hard to be everything to everyone. The ID:X stands out by knowing exactly what it is, and who it’s for.

This is an excellent all-round rock machine that offers everything you’ll need to craft a wide variety of quality tones – but with the fundamental punch and girth of Blackstar at the forefront.

It’s not perfect, and if your stock in trade is exclusively jangly clean tones there are probably better options for you sonically. But for those chasing punchy high-gain tones with studio-ready flexibility and an interface that simply gets out of the way, this is a serious contender.

Image: Adam Gasson

Blackstar ID:X 50 – alternatives

If simplicity and sheer volume are your goals for a solid-state amp, then the no-messing and comically loud Orange O-Tone 40 ($399) is pretty hard to beat – it’s not versatile, but it’s as close to a ‘real’ amp as digital gets. The Fender Mustang LTX50 ($349) is another modelling amp that’s trying to keep the menu-diving to a minimum – and it does a nice job of it too. The king at this price point is of course the Boss Katana-50 Gen 3 ($349) – it also has the option of adding Bluetooth via an option dongle.

The post Blackstar ID:X 50 review: “stands out by knowing exactly what it is, and who it’s for” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Delivering the tones of two Van Halen albums

Sponsored by Thompson Guitars: There are always great players that are part of the Thompson family that play at Rocky Grass and this year was no exception, with the likes of Liam Purcell (2022 winner Flatpick Competition), Lindsay Lou, Tom Knowlton from The Fretliners, Peter Rowan, Molly Tuttle, Seth Mulder, Travis Book from the Infamous Stringdusters, […]

Inspired by Third Man’s raw, gritty aesthetic and strikingly vibrant yellow-on-black colour palette, the Fender x Third Man Hardware Collection embodies the unmistakable style that has defined Jack White’s artistry from his time as founder of the White Stripes, all the way through to his work with The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather and more recently, his ventures as a solo musician.

With products ranging from a tee and hoodie to a gold-etched harmonica and Mini Jack Rack inspired by the Pano Verb™ Amp, the collaboration showcases Jack White and Third Man’s boundary-pushing creativity and innovation.

“Our co-branded apparel and accessories collection brings a vintage flair that speaks to Jack White’s storied legacy and continued creativity,” said Jordan Gruver, Senior Product Manager of Accessories at Fender. “It’s been a pleasure tapping into Third Man’s bold image to create a collection that amplifies the timeless appeal and vibrant style of the iconic label and record store.”

“This collaboration with Fender is more than just accessories — it’s a meeting of legacy and style,” said Christina Inman, Director of Merchandising at Third Man Records. “Third Man Hardware is proud to inject our signature style and look into tools that speak to the hands of creators everywhere.”

​Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Mini Jack Rack

($29.99, €39.99 EUR, £33.99 GBP, $49.00 AUD, ¥4,950 JPY)

The Thirdman Hardware™ Mini Jack Rack is wall-mounted and turns your keychain into part of your rig. Comes with real 1/4” input-style keychains that plug in just like a guitar cable – perfect for the studio, the jam room, or anywhere you want a little more tone in your home.

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Lapel Pin Set

($24.99, €28.99 EUR, £23.99 GBP, $45.00 AUD, ¥4,180 JPY)

The Thirdman Hardware™ Lapel Pin set brings the raw, analog energy of Fender® and Third Man Hardware™ into your everyday fit. Featuring bold designs inspired by the iconic Pano Verb™Amp and signature Jack White Triplecaster™Telecaster®, these pins are built for fans who live and breathe the sound.

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Leather Strap

($59.99 USD, €66.99 EUR, £55.99 GBP, $110.00 AUD, ¥8,800 JPY)

Add retro-inspired style to your guitar with the Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Leather Strap. Made from premium full-grain leather, this 2.5” wide strap features ample padding for maximum playing comfort. Drawing inspiration from Third Man’s iconic aesthetic, the strap’s bold yellow trim and Third Man Hardware logo deliver a vintage flair and timeless appeal. Whether you’re on stage or in the studio, this strap brings a touch of Jack White’s legendary look to your performance.

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Harmonica

($ 41.99 USD, €47.99 EUR, £39.99 GBP, $85.00 AUD, ¥7,700 JPY)

Add retro-inspired style to your sound with the Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Harmonica. Designed for everyday players, this 10-hole diatonic harmonica features phosphor bronze reeds for bright, bold tone and a moisture-resistant ABS comb for long-lasting reliability. Drawing inspiration from Third Man’s iconic aesthetic, its sleek gold-etched casing, and Third Man Hardware logo deliver vintage flair and timeless appeal. Bring a touch of Jack White’s legendary look to your performance with the Fender x Third Man Harmonica.

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ 30’ Coil Cable

($62.99 USD, €51.99 EUR ,£43.99 GBP, $125.00 AUD, ¥6,600 JPY)

The Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ 30’ Coil Cable combines high-performance design with retro-inspired style. Featuring spiral shielding and durable nickel-plated connectors, this cable delivers reliability in the studio or on stage. Drawing inspiration from Third Man’s bold aesthetic, the cable features a striking yellow PVC jacket and custom ends featuring the Third Man Hardware logo, adding a vintage flair to your setup.

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Strap Blocks

($5.99 USD, €9.99 EUR, £7.99 GBP, $8.00 AUD, ¥880 JPY)

The Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Strap Blocks deliver the ultimate in strap security with unmistakable style. The most reliable and hassle-free instrument strap lock system ever devised. No need to remove or replace existing strap buttons on your guitar; just slip a Strap Block over the existing strap buttons and that’s it - you’re ready to go, with your strap locked securely in place.

Each package includes two complete sets: one in classic black and one in bold yellow, giving you the freedom to mix, match, or outfit two Instruments.

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Tee

($31.99, €32.99 EUR, £27.99 GBP, $49.00 AUD, ¥6,600 JPY)

Third Man Hardware™ and Fender® join forces on this standout tee, showcasing the notable Pano Verb™ Amp graphic up front and a co-branded logo across the back. Built for the stage, the street, or the studio. Sizes: S – XXL

Fender® x Third Man Hardware™ Hoodie

($72.99 USD, €73.99 EUR, £61.99 GBP, $110.00 AUD, ¥13,200 JPY)

Third Man Hardware™ and Fender® join forces on this standout hoodie, showcasing the notable Pano Verb™ Amp graphic up front and a co-branded logo across the back. Built for the stage, the street, or the studio. Sizes: S – XXL

Bay Area thrash metal icons TESTAMENT returns this Fall with their fourteenth studio album, Para Bellum. The album which will be released on October 10th via Nuclear Blast Records stands as both a battle cry and an observation of humanity's uneasy alliance with its own creations. As technology accelerates and disconnection grows, Para Bellum sees TESTAMENT reflecting the modern chaos through music that’s urgent, sharp, and unflinchingly human.

Today, TESTAMENT deliver one of their most intense songs they've written to date, 'Infanticide A.I.'. Lead by the blinding speed of their new drummer Chris Dovas, the band shows off its musical talent far beyond their expected norms. Watch the music video for 'Infanticide A.I.'' directed by Joey Durango, here: https://youtu.be/Gtw3lcQvyPU

TESTAMENT's Chuck Billy comments, "The new album Para Bellum consists of some fast, heavy and melodic tunes. Once again Peterson has found a way to keep the song writing fresh and modern sounding. It’s gonna be hard to choose what songs to play live cause to many to choose from."

TESTAMENT's Eric Peterson states, "It’s been 5 years since our last record Titans Of Creation was released. Since then, we all waited to get back to it and we all did in a big way! Now our long over due new record Para Bellum is upon us and about to be released in October. We are super stoked and excited to release new blood and fury to you all! With our first single 'Infanticide A.I.' we’re coming out swinging! But with new velocities of fury, while maintaining a balance that we all love and know from a Testament track, enjoy!"

Para Bellum Tracklisting
1. For the Love of Pain
2. Infanticide A.I.
3. Shadow People
4. Meant to Be
5. High Noon
6. Witch Hunt
7. Nature of the Beast
8. Room 117
9. Havana Syndrome
10. Para Bellum

Para Bellum is now available for pre-order in the following formats:

• CD Jewel, 20 pg Booklet
• Gold Cassette (Band/King's Road Exclusive - Limited)
• 2 LP Gatefold, 16 pg Booklet
  • Yellow, Black & Brown Splatter (Band/King's Road Exclusive - Limited)
  • Copper (Mass Market Retail (US/EU))
  • Bone & Brown Marbled (NB Europe Exclusive)
  • Black and Orange Swirl + Splatter (NB Europe Exclusive)
  • Orange & Black Swirl (NB U.S. Exclusive)

Para Bellum was recorded with Juan Urteaga, mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, and was mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios. The album is extremely polished and operating at full throttle. The band once again enlisted Eliran Kantor to create the album artwork. In an era flooded by AI-generated imagery. the hand painted creation encapsulates the album’s essence: a serene angel made of missiles, an explosion turned halo, surrounded by shovel-bearing cultists with books strapped to their faces.

From first note to last breath, Para Bellum is an album by warriors—crafted in chaos, and built to outlast the wars to come!

TESTAMENT live dates:

Latin America Tour
08.21.2025 BR Brasília @ Toinha Brasil Show
08.23.2025 BR Rio De Janeiro @ Circo Voador
08.24.2025 BR São Paulo @ Carioca Club

US Festivals
09.21.2025 US Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life 2025
10.03.2025 US Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock 2025

European Tour
10.05.2025 DE Hannover @ Capitol
10.07.2025 UK Bristol @ Beacon
10.08.2025 UK Birmingham @ O2 Academy Birmingham
10.09.2025 IE Dublin @ Olympia Theatre
10.10.2025 UK Manchester @ Manchester Academy
10.11.2025 UK London @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
10.12.2025 BE Antwerp @ Trix
10.13.2025 DE Stuttgart @ LKA Longhorn
10.14.2025 DE Hamburg @ Große Freiheit 36
10.16.2025 CH Pratteln @ Z7 Konzertfabrik
10.17.2025 DE Wiesbaden @ Schlachthof
10.18.2025 IT Milan @ Live Club
10.19.2025 DE Saarbruecken @ Garage
10.21.2025 SI Ljubljana @ Media Center
10.22.2025 AT Vienna @ Arena
10.23.2025 PL Wroclaw @ A2
10.24.2025 DE Munich @ TonHalle
10.25.2025 DE Oberhausen @ Turbinenhalle
10.26.2025 NL Utrecht @ Tivoli Vredenburg - Ronda

TESTAMENT is:
Chuck Billy | Vocals
Eric Peterson | Guitar
Alex Skolnick | Guitar
Steve DiGiorgio | Bass
Chris Dovas | Drums

Today, GRAMMY-winning guitarist Tommy Emmanuel announced his new album Living In The Light, out October 10. Recorded and mixed with producer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Phish), Living in the Light is a virtuosic blend of acoustic pop, jazz, classical, and roots music delivered by one of the modern era’s most accomplished and versatile guitarists. The announcement arrives alongside the official video for the propulsive debut single “Scarlett’s World,” dedicated to Emmanuel’s granddaughter.

“I tried to write a theme that sounded like it came from the 80s,” Emmanuel explains. “Scarlett is my granddaughter, so I dedicate this song to her and her journey through life. However, there is a part of me that wanted to give a nod to Scarlett Johansson as I am a big fan. She’s one of my favorite actresses.”

Emmanuel captured most of the performances on Living in the Light in one or two takes, and the sense of joy and wonder in these sonic explorations is more than just palpable; it’s intoxicating. While many of the recordings are solo instrumentals, Emmanuel lends his voice to several of the album’s tracks, as well, grounding his dazzling, percussive fretwork with a poignant dose of warmth and vulnerability. “There are elements of rockabilly, blues, even traditional African music all woven into the music,” Emmanuel explains. “I’m a world traveler, and I’ve absorbed so much music along the way. It all gets synthesized through a kind of osmosis into my psyche and my soul and then comes out in my own unique style.”

Tommy Emmanuel first began touring at the age of six in his native Australia as part of a family band. In his teenage years, he turned heads as a highly sought after session player and sideman, and by his early twenties, Emmanuel was playing on chart-topping hits and performing with some of the biggest names in Australian music, including Air Supply and Men at Work. Inspired in part by his hero, Chet Atkins (who would later become a friend, mentor, and collaborator), Emmanuel stepped out on his own as a solo artist in 1979, releasing the first in a string of critically and commercially acclaimed instrumental albums that would make him an unlikely celebrity in his home country and beyond. In the decades that followed, he would go on to headline everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall; tour with the likes of Eric Clapton and John Denver; win a GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement; perform for a televised audience of more than two billion at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics; and collaborate with everyone from Les Paul and Mark Knopfler to Joe Walsh and Richard Thompson. NPR’s World Café declared him “one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world,” while the New York Times hailed him as a “prodigy,” and Atkins crowned him with the title of Certified Guitar Player (an honorary only ever bestowed upon four other artists).

Emmanuel continued to push himself throughout his career, relocating permanently to Nashville in the early 2000s and collaborating with a rising generation of guitarists like Jason Isbell, Molly Tuttle, and Billy Strings on his latest studio albums, Accomplice One and Accomplice Two. “Those albums were a real labor of love,” Emmanuel explains, “and I was thrilled with how they came out. But I felt a strong desire to focus on my writing again after that, and I found that the songs for Living in the Light just started pouring out of me.”

More than sixty years into his storied career, Tommy Emmanuel is still hungry for adventure. “As I get older, I find myself taking a lot more risks, and having a lot more fun in the process,” says Emmanuel, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday. “When young people come to my shows and have this awakening that it’s okay to be different, that the possibilities of music and self-expression are limitless, that’s what it’s all about for me.”

PRS Guitars today announced the launch of the 40th Anniversary Custom 24 Satin Limited Edition. This release celebrates four decades of PRS Guitars by bringing some new and noteworthy features to the model that started it all. Limited to 500 pieces worldwide, this special edition uniquely features a mango top, ebony fretboard, satin nitro finish, and smoked black hardware for a new twist on a classic. Each guitar includes a 40th-anniversary certificate hand-signed by Paul Reed Smith.

“Our wood buyers search the world over for the most extraordinary tonewoods available. These mango tops (also on the new Mark Holcomb signature model) that they acquired are visually stunning. They also have this ringing resonance to them. Featuring the new wood along with the other unique appointments give this edition of our flagship Custom 24 its own unique character, worthy of a limited, anniversary model,” said Paul Reed Smith.

While the guitar may look different, it boasts many of the Custom 24’s beloved features, including a mahogany back and neck, 25” scale length, 24 frets, 10” fretboard radius, and Pattern Thin shape. Other classic Custom 24 appointments include the PRS Gen III patented tremolo, PRS Phase III locking tuners with wing buttons.

Most notably, this limited edition exchanges the Custom 24’s classic maple top for striking figured mango. Mango wood retains much of the sound characteristics as maple while bringing an almost “quilted” look to these guitars. The satin nitro finish adds to the guitar’s unique aesthetic appeal by bringing a more natural vibe to the instrument. The ebony fretboard and headstock veneer feature PRS “Old School” birds with outlines and a PRS “Pre-Factory” eagle on the headstock, which both pay homage to early PRS guitars.

The 40th Anniversary Custom 24 Satin Limited Edition is equipped with PRS’s DMO Treble and Bass pickups. DMO pickups (DMO standing for Dynamic, Musical, Open) were spec’d by Paul Reed Smith and the PRS New Products Engineering team to have a wide-open sound with vocal character. Paired with a 5-way blade switch, these pickups give players plenty of tonal range in their dual octave package.

PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, X, and YouTube.

I love modes. I love playing them. I love teaching them. But they are tricky to teach because it’s difficult to wrap your head around them without having to dive deep into theory, which isn’t an easy step for some players. As a teacher, I look for ways to make modes fun and relatable, and this always lives and dies by the quality of your examples and source materials. Over this past holiday break, I started researching the mighty 5-watt Fender Champ tube amp. What does this have to do with modes? Read on.

Tom Petty’s guitarist Mike Campbell is a well-known fan of low-wattage Fender amps. I was watching a segment on the history of the Champ and when the main riff to “Last Dance with Mary Jane” came up, it piqued my interest. It was a song I knew well, hadn’t really heard in a long time, and never had a reason to study—until now.

There was something about the song that was unique and I wanted to dig into. And because I needed inspiration for a new lesson, the timing was perfect. The first thing I like to do when figuring out how a tune works is to lay out the main chords as an inventory. For this tune, the chords are pretty simple:

Am–G–D–Am

Yet again, Tom Petty takes a simple harmony and crafts an enduring rock anthem around it. We all joke about three-chord rock, but this is not only three-chord rock, it’s modal as well. So, why is this a Dorian chord progression? Just looking at the chords might be enough if you’d studied harmony a ton, but if you haven’t, the next step we should take is to spell out the chords into their individual notes:

Am = A C E

G = G B D

D = D F# A

Now that we’ve deconstructed the chords, the next task is to decide which note you think is home, or in theory-speak, the I. In this case, it’s pretty clear that A is home. We keep coming back to it, and it really does feel and sound right. With that done, we can take the chord tones and alphabetize them, starting with A. This yields a string of seven notes: A–B–C–D–E–F#–G.

Okay, we’ve taken inventory of all the notes contained in those three chords, starting from our root (A). The next step is to ponder the harmonic consequences of this discovery. What makes this a Dorian progression is the D major chord with an Am tonic. This D triad brings us an F#, which is not the normal F you’d see in an A Aeolian, aka A natural minor, scale (A–B–C–D–E–F–G). With Dorian, you end up with a scale that sounds minor, but with a raised 6, compared to natural minor. This yields an intriguing sound that’s not quite as dark as the minor scale you’re accustomed to. Many people describe and teach Dorian as a minor scale with a raised 6, and that’s exactly what we have here.

To get familiar with this sound, grab “Last Dance with Mary Jane” on your favorite music service and play along in A Dorian. Ex. 1 shows a handy scale diagram based on the 5th fret root of A on the 6th and 1st strings.

Now that we’ve connected the chords to the Dorian mode and we have a scale fingering, let’s hear some riffs in context.

For Ex. 2, I’m keying off the fact that this Dorian scale position is in the same spot as the familiar minor pentatonic scale, so we’re getting to use both the mode and the pentatonic in the same phrase. I’m featuring the F# (or the 6) as the signature note that makes Dorian unique, and also because it’s the 3 of the D major chord. You can play that F# whenever you want in this progression, but it’s extra awesome over the D chord.

Click here for Ex. 2

With its bluesy beginning, Ex. 3 is another line that relies on the pentatonic scale lurking inside of the Dorian scale. Again, when the D major chord occurs in the second measure, I’m calling attention to it with the F#. It’s a simple way to connect with the Dorian scale and still keep that rock/blues feel we all love.

Click here for Ex. 3

For our final example (Ex. 4), I stayed away from the pentatonic sound and tried to create a simpler melody with just the Dorian scale. It starts in the middle of the guitar’s range and follows a see-saw pattern of “go up a few, go down a few.” At the start of each chord change—every two beats—I align to the chord in the progression: A for the Am chord, G for the G chord, and F# for the D chord. This is a little bit of voice-leading that reminds me of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” It not only helps you anchor the chord progression, but it connects with the mode at the same time. We’re only using a portion of Ex. 1’s two-octave scale pattern—sometimes simple is best.

Click here for Ex. 4

But wait there’s more! While the opening chords clearly spell out an A Dorian progression, the chorus shifts to yet another modal key. This song keeps on giving us things to learn and practice—how cool. When the chorus starts, we hear the following chords:

Em–A–Em–A–G

As before, let’s pull the chords apart to see what’s inside:

Em = E G B

A = A C# E

G = G B D

And just like last time, we need to determine the root. In this case, it’s clearly E minor, so we’ll call this an E something mode. Starting with E, let’s ascend through the pitches to see what we get:

E–G–A–B–C#–D

This gives us six notes. While we’re missing the second note after E (which, in a seven-note scale, would be some type of F), we can still conclude it’s another Dorian scale, this time in the key of E. Relative to E, C# is a raised 6 and this matches our general idea of Dorian construction: minor scales with a raised 6. It’s really cool that this song allows you to practice in two keys, A Dorian for the verse and E Dorian (E–F#­–G­–A–B–C#–D) for the chorus.

Ex. 5 is a scale diagram for E Dorian. Note that it’s the same pattern as our previous A Dorian scale, just shifted up to the 12 fret to place the E root on the 6th and 1st strings.

The chorus is my favorite part of the song because it’s a moment where everything comes together—the chords and Petty’s vocal melody combine for a beautifully haunting Dorian sound. Pay attention to the “ry” in the melody of “Mary” to hear that C# over an Em chord—that’s the distinctive Dorian color at work. It’s one of the reasons I’ll keep this song in my arsenal of material for teaching Dorian to students, along with Pink Floyd’s epic “Breathe” from Dark Side of the Moon. (Go work out the Dorian key for that one.) For now, use the above examples for inspiration and find your own riffs and ideas for “Mary Jane.” Let your creativity and ears be your guide.

I hope you enjoyed exploring how to reverse-engineer a simple song. Over time, this process will become faster and you’ll be able to hear the modes more easily. The next time a tune really tickles your ear, take it apart as we’ve done here. Who knows? It may spawn a soloing concept or a song idea you wouldn’t have otherwise considered.

Brent Hinds, the cofounding guitarist of veteran Atlanta metal band Mastodon, died last night, August 20, after a motorcycle crash. According to Atlanta News First, Hinds was riding a Harley-Davidson and collided with an SUV, which failed to yield while turning through an intersection. His death was confirmed by the Fulton County medical examiner’s office.

Formed in 2000, Mastodon’s original lineup of Hinds, bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor remained unchanged until this year. Hinds’ playing, often powered by Gibson guitars and Orange amplifiers, earned him recognition as one of the most potent, powerful guitarists in modern metal. Hinds also played with the bands Fiend Without a Face, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, Legend of the Seagullmen, and West End Motel.

Hinds left Mastodon in March this year on what appeared to be amicable terms, but his exit seems to have been more acrimonious than initially reported. In the past few weeks, a series of social media posts from the guitarist criticized his former bandmates and suggested that he was kicked out of the band.This morning, fans and peers began leaving messages of love and remembrance on Hinds’ latest Instagram post, uploaded yesterday.

Earlier today, August 21, Mastodon shared a tribute to Hinds on their official social media:

We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time.

The metal guitar great died in Atlanta last night while riding his Harley Davidson

Vintage Fender cool at an even cooler price.

Back when Leo Fender was first designing his namesake instruments, he made a key decision that few of his contemporaries considered: bolt-on necks.

Gibson, Epiphone, Gretsch, and other companies of the era were often dedicated to the traditional construction method of set necks, where a joint is crafted at the butt end of the neck from the very same piece of wood, fitted into the body, and glued in place. Leo took what he saw as a more eminently practical approach: Just screw the thing on.

In an interview with guitar writer and historian Tom Wheeler many years later, he explained his decision: “I did it because when you build a guitar and neck that are joined in one piece or bonded, then, when you have a flaw in the neck, you have to decide between putting up with it or junking the whole damn thing—body, neck, and all. So I decided that it’d be best for the customer if I built the body and neck separate. It’s functional. That’s why we did it.”

To anyone that has read about Leo’s design ethos before, you’ll recognize that this idea of practicality was central to nearly everything he did. He wanted Fender instruments to be made, first and foremost, for working musicians, like the gigging country and western pickers he catered to in 1950s Southern California (and who he often used as beta testers throughout his guitars’ development).

Did your neck take a beating at some rowdy honky-tonk? Bolt on another. Did a pickup crap out? Pop off the pickguard and swap in a replacement. Oh, the Telecaster’s body is digging into your ribs? Let’s rout some contours into these new models so it feels more comfortable. Or so the thinking went.

Compared to the delicately featured archtops coming out of other shops in the mid-20th century, Fenders were built to perform. One great consequence of this decision is that it spurred the creation of “partscasters.”

This compound word can be defined as the amalgamation of various parts (parts-) in an otherwise Fender or Fender-style guitar (-caster). And it’s certainly not always the case that parts are swapped only when issues arise, but also when an owner makes the intentional decision to try a new body, neck, or electronics to go after a particular feel or sound.

“This guitar is a marriage of pre-CBS feel, CBS-era savings, and mostly modern electronics and hardware that are sure to last.”

The benefits of this approach are many, especially if you’re buying a partscaster someone else has already built. By and large, on the used or vintage market, a partscaster will almost always be less expensive than a factory-original model of the same era—they are often even less expensive than if you bought each part individually—and it could very well be a better playing guitar, to boot.

Case in point: The vintage partscaster Jazzmaster featured in this edition of Vintage Vault. For sale by the fantastic Reverb seller Southside Guitars, this partscaster Jazzmaster is a true player’s instrument. It has a 1964 neck—the last year in which the coveted Brazilian rosewood fingerboard was used on production models—attached to a 1972 Jazzmaster body, which can be a tad heavier than ’60s models but is the same shape and dimensions.

Overall, this guitar is a marriage of pre-CBS feel, CBS-era savings, and mostly modern electronics and hardware that are sure to last. While the tremolo and neck plate are original, nearly everything else has been replaced, with Seymour Duncan pickups taking the spot of the ’70s Fenders and both the body and the pickguard getting refinished in gold sometime in the past.

The best part of all these changes? The asking price of $4,980. While still a good chunk of change, that is significantly less expensive than any all-original ’64 Jazzmaster you could find, which, these days, can easily approach or pass the $10,000 mark. (Back when they were released, a ’64 Jazzmaster would have retailed for $349–$429, and ’72s would have been $419–$439. Adjusted for inflation, either model would cost at least $3,500 in today’s dollars.)

Vintage guitar prices, on the whole, have hit some of their highest peaks in recent years. At Reverb, from 2015 to 2023, we saw increasing prices not just for the fashionable pre-CBS Strats and Teles and equivalent pre-Norlin Gibson Les Pauls, but basically anything under the vintage umbrella. Some collectors will pay hundreds of dollars for original screws if that’s what they need to complete an otherwise all-original specimen. If parted out (again) from this Vintage Vault Jazzmaster, the original neckplate alone could go for a few hundred dollars, while the ’64 neck and ’72 body could fetch many thousands of dollars apiece.

So, if you’re a buyer who is interested in owning and playing a vintage guitar, you’d do well to remember the working-musician ethos with which Leo started the brand and consider a vintage partscaster. A different neck or different pickups is not the mark of a lesser instrument, but the mark of a well-played gem.

Sources: American Guitars: An Illustrated History by Tom Wheeler; Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars by George Gruhn and Walter Carter, Reverb Price Guide sales data