General Interest

Back in January, Jackson unveiled a metallic twist on its Pro Plus Series. Drenched in glossy black, the Limited Edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range was designed with gritty metal in mind – now, it’s time for things to get even heavier. Phase two of the Pure Metal agenda introduces two new guitars and a killer bass.

All three models boast the Pure Metal range’s signature blacker-than-night gloss, while each comes in its own distinctive body shape. The Pure Metal Warrior WR1A comes in a shape similar to the Jackson Kelly Star, while the Pure Metal King V KV1A is a timeless V.

• READ MORE: Ariel Posen on his new Fender Custom Shop signature Stratocaster: “I felt like my sound was right there immediately!”

On the bass side of things, the Pure Metal Concert Bass CB1A is the very first bass in the series so far. It opts for the classic Jackson Concert bass shape – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, ey?

Beyond the aesthetics, the Pro Plus Limited Edition Pure Metal Warrior WR1A and Pure Metal King V KV1A boast exactly the same bells and whistles. The pair feature 24 jumbo stainless steel frets, Floyd Rose 1000 Series double-locking tremolo and a Fishman Fluence Modern bridge pickup. The pair cost £1,399.

The Pro Plus Limited Edition Pure Metal Concert Bass CB1A has all it needs to deliver a hard-hitting, full-bodied bass performance. It boasts a Fishman Fluence Modern bass humbucker to meet all your low-end needs, with a Jackson Hi-Mass hardtail bridge to anchor tone to slicken up your intonation and sustain. The bass costs a little less than the guitars, going for £1,349

Its a range metal guitarists are sure to relish – and don’t just take our word for it. Metalcore unit Heriot have given the fresh Pure Metal range their seal of approval, with guitarists Erhan Alman and Debbie Gough, and bassist Jake Packer, all giving them a spin in Jackson’s announcement video.

Right now, only the Pure Metal Warrior WR1A remains available, with the Pure Metal King KV1A and Pure Metal Concert Bass CB1A already sold out.

The trio of guitars joins the Pro Plus Pure Metal Limited Edition Rhoads RR1A, Soloist SL1A and Kelly KE1A guitars. Jackson explains that the series is “built for speed and engineered for domination”, perfect for any shredders out there hoping to capture “bone-crushing tones”.

Head to Jackson to find out more.

The post Jackson expands its Pro Plus Pure Metal range – and it even introduces first Pure Metal Bass appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It takes a lot to upstage Aerosmith, but the rock legends have admitted that Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher thoroughly humbled them back in 1974.

At the time, Aerosmith were yet to cement themselves as a household name. They hoped that a string of summer gigs would help prove their worth – unfortunately, their opening act, Gallagher, constantly showed them up. “He kicked our ass,” Joe Perry admits in a new episode of Rick Beato’s In The Room.

• READ MORE: “There’s gotta be at least another Aerosmith gig”: Joe Perry on the band’s future following last year’s retirement

Bandmate Brad Whitford reflects on one particularly brutal gig from Aerosmith’s 1974 tour with Gallagher – and, as soon as Whitford mentions Central Park, Perry groans: “I don’t wanna hear about that…”

Despite Perry’s playful reluctance, Whitford continues. The performance had taken place at Schaefer Music Festival in New York – a part of the US that Whitford admits it took “maybe over a decade [for Aerosmith] to get accepted”.

The show would only pro-long Aerosmith’s journey to being accepted by New York, as their support unleashed chops they couldn’t compete with. “It was before we were accepted in New York at all,” Whitford explains. “And Rory Gallagher probably had one of the most stunning shows of his entire career.”

Perry honestly adds: “We headlined, but he went on first and he fucking kicked our ass.”

Not only did Gallagher put on one of the best sets of his career, but he rubbed salt into Aerosmith’s wounds by knocking out not one, but THREE encores. “He went off stage, and [the crowd] made him come out for an encore,” Whitford says. “He did the encore, went off. They made him come out – again! Another encore! And they wouldn’t stop. He came out for three encores!”

“And then… we got on the stage,” he laughs. “I just remember watching people walk away before we even started playing! It was like ‘the show’s over,’ ‘who are these guys?’ They didn’t care.”

Regardless, the pair of rock legends don’t seem to be too bitter about the ordeal. “I swear, it had to be one of his best concerts,” Whitford insists once more, before Perry adds: “If you listen to his records now, which I do, you can see why he was a ‘live guy’.”

At the start of this year, Gallagher was honoured with a statue in his hometown of Belfast. While the statue is a nod to his sheer talent, it also commemorates how his performances “transcended borders” in Ireland, according to the BBC.

"A statue of Irish rock and blues legend Rory Gallagher has been unveiled at Belfast's Ulster Hall.
It is located outside the venue on Bedford Street where Gallagher played regularly throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland."https://t.co/rm2NWTBYCf pic.twitter.com/XBk9xjRJFw

— Rory Gallagher (@rorygallagher) January 4, 2025

As for Aerosmith, last August saw the band announcing they would be retiring from touring. However, Perry has recently hinted that a final show is potentially still on the table.

“Well, yeah, I’m always hoping, but going on the road, it’s a big deal pulling that together,” he said on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk. “It’s one thing to sit there and look online and see who’s touring and stuff, and there’s dates that show up, but there’s so much planning, and what it takes out of you physically, it’s a lot more than people realise.”

The post “He went on first, and he kicked our ass”: Aerosmith reveal the “stunning” guitarist who opened for them, and had the audience walking out before they even came on stage appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

When Jack Antonoff released his Gretsch signature Princess CVT last year, one thought was on everyone’s minds – will Gretsch ever reboot the Princess’ original inspiration, the 1961 Corvette? Well, Gretsch has listened, reviving the Corvette for its brand new CVT Double-Cut range.

Originally designed to compete with the Gibson Les Paul Jr and Special, the Corvette has since become one of Gretsch’s most beloved vintage models. And it was loved by rockers at the time too – from Jimi Hendrix to Rory Gallagher, who relished in using his faithful Corvette for slide. Now you can get your own, for just under $500.

• READ MORE: Ariel Posen on his new Fender Custom Shop signature Stratocaster: “I felt like my sound was right there immediately!”

Available in both electric and bass guitar models, the Electromatic CVT range adopts the sleek, double-cut solidbody design of the Corvette. Gretsch are describing it as a “retro-refined” rebirth, capturing the classic guitar with an extra kick of model power.

The electric model comes with a wraparound tailpiece, and is 24.6” scale length. The bolt-on mahogany neck is also a comfortable C profile, with a fretboard radius of 12”, bound laurel fingerboard, and medium jumbo frets. The guitar is also equipped with Twin Six humbuckers, which should help you capture crisp highs and full-bodied lows. It’s a set up that Gretsch promises will “deliver gut-punching power with remarkable balance and articulation”.

In terms of the Electromatic CVT Bass, the aesthetic is nearly identical. The alternative model comes in at a larger 32”, with its own matching bolt-on mahogany neck and fretboard. However, the bass instead opts for more bass-appropriate humbuckers, with a Low Down Alnico pickup in the neck position and a Low Down Alnico Single-Coil pickup in the bridge position.

The Electromatic CVT Double-Cut with Wraparound Tailpiece electric guitar is avaialble in Havana Burst, Vintage White, and Wychwood, while the Electromatic CVT Bass Double-Cut comes in Bristol Fog and Vintage White.

Both CVT Double-Cut models are available now for $419.99. For more information, head to Gretsch.

The post Gretsch brings back the Corvette after overwhelming response to Jack Antonoff signature appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Since Oasis kicked off what was probably the most highly anticipated reunion tour of all time, guitarists have been going wild for the P-90-loaded Gibson Les Paul debuted by Noel Gallagher at the first show in Cardiff on 4 July.

So it should come as no surprise that that guitar is now getting a limited-run release. And when we say limited, we mean ultra-limited: only 25 units will be available via the Gibson Garage London.

• READ MORE: Got $300k to spare? Dave Grohl’s Gibson DG-335 prototype – complete with its “disgusting dried sweat soaked strap” – is now up for grabs on Reverb

Curated by both Gibson and Noel Gallagher, the Gibson Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard is described as a “truly unique, never-before-seen guitar release”.

Since the guitar made its debut in July, fans have been speculating over its spec sheet. So the arrival of the Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard confirms that it features an Ebony finish – Light Aged by the Murphy Lab at the Gibson Custom Shop – aged nickel Gibson Custom P-90 pickups, Grover tuners, and a SlimTaper neck profile – Noel’s profile of choice.

Additionally, each guitar is hand-signed by Noel Gallagher,  and comes with a Gibson Custom hardshell case with bespoke interior and a handmade leather strap by Bear Straps.

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Each guitar also comes with a hand-written lyric sheet by Noel Gallagher, which sits in the guitar’s exclusive Certificate of Authenticity booklet. Each sheet – written specially for this project – features a set of lyrics from a different Oasis song. Each guitar and lyric sheet have been paired at random, so while 25 guitars are available, no two packages are the same.

We have no word on pricing, and the Custom Noel Gallagher Les Paul Standard will be available exclusively from the Gibson Garage London – at 61-62 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8NQ – from Thursday, 21 August.

Fans can attend the Gibson Garage for an early opening from 9AM on 21 August, and phone lines open at 11AM. The Gibson Garage is contactable on 0800 058 4720, or if you’re located outside the UK, +44 20 4570 5400.

“I think it’s safe to say it has become the talk of the town every time it is used,” said Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial, Marketing and Cultural Influence at Gibson. “I’ve had so many people reach out wanting to know what it is and if we can build one for them.”

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Learn more about the Gibson Garage London.

The post “The most talked-about guitar of the summer”: Noel Gallagher’s Oasis reunion Gibson Les Paul is getting a limited-run release – here’s how you can get one appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$1,092/£849, furchguitars.com

The thought of heading off on vacation or a work trip without being able to lay your hands on a guitar is a wrench for many players, and that’s why in the last few decades, the concept of the travel guitar has become increasingly popular.

Having owned and played many travel instruments in the past, the challenge is to create a portable guitar that is just as playable as your full-sized instrument, sounds close to as big and doesn’t look or feel like a toy. It also needs to stay in tune and it must make you want to play it – otherwise what’s the point of taking it with you?

• READ MORE: Taylor Gold Label 517e review – “this is the most sonically compelling Taylor guitar I’ve ever played”

That’s quite a challenge for something that also has to be able to be stowed in an overhead locker or in the back of the car. To get around this, sometimes these guitars include elaborate and often slightly terrifying means of collapsing or folding them up to make them compact for travel.

Others, Martin’s Backpacker perhaps being the most extreme example, simply try to scale down a standard guitar as much as possible without having to make you lean heavily on the skills you learned as a kid playing with Transformers.

This latest example from Czech guitar maker Furch is more towards the latter end of that duality, but with some lessons learned from the former – let’s take a closer look at the Pioneer MM.

Furch Pioneer MM – what is it?

Furch makes a bunch of different travel guitars, and the brand’s Little Jane models are of the type that break down the neck in such a way that you can fit the whole thing into a backpack.

The Pioneer however, is designed to stay all in one piece – making it a little less easily stowable but more reassuring if the thought of reassembling your guitar at the other end of a flight gives you the willies.

The Pioneer is ever so slightly larger than the Little Jane – though still very compact – with a body width of 322mm, a body length of 432mm and an overall strap button to peghead length of 932mm. The depth of the body is the same 102mm as the LJ.

The Pioneer is an all-solid wood affair – in this case the MM designates that it’s all African mahogany, though cedar and spruce tops are also available, as is a classic spruce/rosewood configuration.

Like most travel guitars, the Pioneer has a slightly shortened 615mm scale length, and a 14-fret body join – but elsewhere the guitar is stacked with features designed to ensure that this doesn’t feel quite so much like a compromise in terms of tone and playability.

Most notable is the presence of Furch’s CNR System Active neck joint. This involved piece of engineering features a wooden ‘expansive element’ in the neck block that, so Furch says, means that the guitar can adapt to rapid changes in temperature and humidity without impacting the playability and intonation of the instrument.

Given its purpose as a guitar that will be rapidly moving from one climate to another, often via the none-more-dry environment of an airplane cabin, you can see why this will be a valuable addition.

In order to make things sound a little bigger than its compact dimensions might attest, there’s also an innovative ‘Booster Soundport’ – effectively five 1.5-inch lines cut out of the upper shoulder. The BS – their abbreviation not mine! – is that this delivers more of the sound of the guitar directly to the player’s ears and makes it feel bigger than it might otherwise.

There’s also an optional suite of LR Baggs electronics on board should you wish to plug into an amp or PA while on your travels.

Furch Pioneer MM – feel and sounds

You never really know how a travel guitar is going to feel and sound until you get into it – it’s rare that there aren’t some compromises along the way, but the impressive thing here is how well Furch has managed to minimise those.

The scale length is shorter than a full-sized acoustic of course, but it’s not so short that you feel like you’re playing a toy. It certainly helps that the neck is a lovely V-shape with beautifully rounded frets and no sharp edges. The open-pore finish also helps this guitar feel more comfortable and connected when you play it.

Sonically, it definitely sounds bigger than it has any right to when played seated – probably in part down to the Booster Soundport, but also the thin finish allowing the guitar to vibrate more fully. It’s these little details that set the guitar apart from other travel guitars I’ve tried.

There’s no doubt that it doesn’t have the bass response that you’d expect from a full-size – no doubt in part because of that cutaway – but what you lose there you gain in upper fret access. And such is the playability and ease of access with the Pioneer, it does inspire you to venture north more readily than you would normally.

The all-mahogany construction provides that warmth and even notation from the first strum, though some players will want more midrange frequencies – if that’s you, then the spruce or cedar-topped models are probably for you.

The tradeoff is that those guitars will probably take a while to really open up, as is the case with most solid wood acoustics, but I prefer the warmth and even notation out of the box that this all-mahogany guitar offers.

I can’t imagine the majority of players will need or want to plug this into an amp or PA – the whole purpose of a travel guitar is to strip things down to the basics, surely? That being said, the LR Baggs onboard electronics do a perfectly fine job of adding depth and warmth to the sound when hooked up to an amp.

Furch Pioneer MM – should I buy one?

The biggest compliment that you can give to a travel guitar is that it doesn’t feel like one when you’re sitting there and strumming. In fact, forget about travelling, I’d have no issues taking this guitar to a songwriter round or a jam session, plugging in and playing all night – this is not just a great travel guitar, it’s a great acoustic guitar full stop.

Okay it’s not as compact as some travel guitars, but it offers a full compact experience without any of the compromises that those ultra-compact guitars often require. It’s quite expensive for a travel guitar, but it’s worth remembering that this is an all-solid, hand-crafted instrument that’s made to very high standards – and it comes with a nicely padded gigbag with a wealth of functional pockets to store your picks, tuners and the like in. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s one of the very best.

Furch Pioneer MM – alternatives

The undisputed king of the small-bodied travel acoustics is the Taylor GS Mini, and you can get an all-mahogany version for just $599. It’s not all-solid like the Furch however, but the sound, playability and rugged reliability are the benchmark. Another big contender in this category is Martin’s all-new Junior series, and the all-solid sapele 000 Jr E is a fine guitar with a ‘proper’ 24.9” scale length – it’s another small-bodied acoustic that doesn’t feel small. Ed Sheeran showed the world that travel guitars are just as usable playing coffee shops as they are stadiums, and his Sheeran By Lowden W04 ($897) is a solid spruce/walnut instrument with LR Baggs VTC pickup, designed by modern acoustic genius George Lowden and built in Ireland.

The post Furch Pioneer MM Review: “the biggest compliment that you can give to a travel guitar is that it doesn’t feel like one” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

A few years ago Essence Martins was performing alongside award-winning artist and Skinny Love singer Birdy as a touring guitarist, now she’s collecting admirers for her own work, with the likes of Little Simz, Rachel Chinouriri and Mika all vying for a piece of the action.

• READ MORE: Ariel Posen on his new Fender Custom Shop signature Stratocaster: “I felt like my sound was right there immediately!”

She may have only picked up the instrument six years ago, but Martins has become synonymous with a humble but reliable sticker-covered Vintage acoustic (though she’s also starting to turn to a Fender Acoustasonic Stratocaster live). The Vintage is affectionately called Woody, and is the vehicle for a light fingerpicking style that accompanies her tales of complicated relationships, figuring out early adulthood and finding self-acceptance.

The 24-year-old singer-songwriter from North-West London sits down with Guitar.com to discuss her development as a guitarist, the guitarists that keep her inspired and the motivations behind her latest EP Sleeping On It.

The power of the internet

“I didn’t know what I was doing at first”, the young guitarist admits. “I was in a dark place when I was 18, so I found playing music as a bit of escapism… it became such a comfort.”

YouTube has become an incredibly powerful tool for guitar tuition over the past decade or so, but rather than spending her time plugging away on theory and technique, she was learning songs and piecing together chord theory as a result. It was a rite of passage, it seems.

“It allowed me to really understand those basic pop chord shapes that you hear in most of the top 40 tracks,” she says, “you can play so much with just the four chords, but I quickly got bored of that. It wasn’t helping my songwriting, so I started messing around with tunings and that’s what started opening doors for me.”

She explains that many of the songwriters that she was looking to at the time, such as Lizzy McAlpine and Madison Cunningham, were leaning into more complex open tunings, offering plenty of inspiration and guidance while she was figuring out how she wanted to make the guitar her own.

“The most basic chord shapes can produce the most beautiful and interesting sounds using open tunings,” she explains, “and now, the more I play, the more ways I find of expanding my understanding of the fretboard. Whether that’s using more major and minor 7th chords or diminished chords and just using the people around me and YouTube too to enhance my skills.”

“I do find it weird to call myself a guitarist because I can’t do all of these crazy solos,” she adds. “But at the end of the day, I am, because it’s such an integral part of me as a writer and a performer – and I’m learning to master the instrument in a way that’s natural for me.”

Acoustic vs Electric

Her latest EP Sleeping On It, showcases Martins’ most authentic playing style to date, she explains. She demonstrates intricate picked melodies, the decision to not be so “perfect” with every single take, allowing the imperfections to be, and experimentations with the electric guitar, an instrument she feels is still rather unexplored for her.

“The acoustic guitar feels like home, it feels like me,” Martins admits. “The sonic world of my songs really suits acoustic, but I want to branch out and be able to play both acoustic and electric. Even in Quiet and Perfect, I used a Donner semi-hollowed body, so it is electric but has more of that rich sound. I wanted to try something different and it really works.”

Whether she feels comfortable being on stage without a guitar at all is a different question.

“When I’m performing by myself there is more pressure, so I do feel a lot of comfort when I’m playing with my guitar,” she explains. “There was one performance where I didn’t have an instrument for a song, and I just felt so naked! I didn’t know how to stand or what to do with my hands.”

“My acoustic is my little comfort zone, so I feel less alone playing with an instrument.”

Imposter syndrome

Despite sharing the stage with household names like Ellie Goulding and receiving nods from the likes of Jack Saunders at BBC Radio 1, Martins admits that she still deals with a fair amount of imposter syndrome, especially when it comes to being a guitarist.

“I never felt comfortable describing myself as one, which is so stupid because that’s literally what I do and what I am,” she exclaims. “I feel like a lot of women in music have this fear that they can’t label themselves as that just because they play the guitar, but if you can play the guitar, you are a guitarist!”

When asked what would have to change for that switch to flip in her mind, she says it comes down to being more confident in the craft.

“I just want to develop my skills and improve my understanding of theory more,” she explains. “It’s something I love, and being able to emulate notes more and being more experimental with sounds is what will empower me in my own abilities.”

“I’m always trying to find myself and be the most authentic version of myself, and when I’m not I do feel like letting others and myself down. As long as you’re being true to yourself and feeling confident in your abilities, that’s all you can do.”

The post Meet Essence Martins – the YouTube-taught guitarist who’s choosing to master the instrument on her own terms appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

PRS Guitars today announced a new limited edition: the PRS CE 24 Special. “Special” in the name refers to this guitar’s hum/single/hum pickup configuration, a first for the CE bolt-on platform. Only 1,500 of this limited-edition model will be made for 2025.

While the CE 24 normally features two PRS 85/15 pickups in the treble and bass positions, the CE 24 Special adds a PRS NS-01 single coil in the middle position. The three-pickup layout brings more tonal options to players, and the 5-way pickup selector switch helps players shape their preferred sound.

“With the CE 24 Special, you get all the iconic tones you expect from a CE. But now, with the middle pickup from the Modern Eagle V added to the mix, you can easily dial in the classic scooped tones typically associated with traditional 3-pickup/5-way switch-equipped guitars. Thanks to the tonal range of the 85/15 humbuckers, the CE 24 Special offers even more warmth and versatility than some historic models with a similar setup,” said Chuck Lenderking, PRS Guitars Product Manager.

True to the CE family of guitars, this model features a bolt-on maple neck, providing a snappy attack and enhanced resonance. The Pattern Thin neck profile and satin finish on the neck offer fast playability and comfort.

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.

Staff at Lowden – the world-renowned Irish guitar company which partnered with Ed Sheeran in 2019 on offshoot brand Sheeran By Lowden – are facing potential job losses amid a decline in demand, according to a report by The Belfast Telegraph.

The paper states that sources close to staff say they have been warned of potential job losses, though the company said in a statement that no decisions have been made, and alternatives to redundancy were being explored.

• READ MORE: George Lowden on 50 years of guitar making, pitching Ed Sheeran a guitar company, and the philosophy that still guides him

Employees were also told in the statement that Lowden is welcoming “any suggestions, comments or proposals… with regard to improving the efficiency of the business or ways of avoiding redundancy”.

Per the Belfast Telegraph, managing director Aaron Lowden, son of founder George Lowden, has expressed his willingness to continue communication with staff, with those affected by job loss risk invited to individual meetings later this month.

“A downturn in the global guitar market and the end of the acoustic guitar boom that emerged during the time of Covid-19 have triggered Lowden to explore how to best navigate this challenging climate for the industry,” Aaron Lowden says.

“No decisions have been made and we are working closely in consultation with our full team to explore all feasible cost-cutting routes forward including alternatives to redundancies.

“For over 50 years Lowden Guitars have held a globally-renowned reputation for quality craftsmanship, uncompromising attention to detail and sound, and a commitment to retaining our operations here in Northern Ireland.

“Our reputation has been built in partnership with our tight-knit team of craftspeople and staff who bring their very best to our workshops each and every day, and we continue to navigate this process with them at the centre of our focus.”

According to The Telegraph, the company’s latest accounts – filed for the year ending 31 March, 2024 – do not detail profits and losses, but show that the company held £3.1 million worth of assets at the time – £2.3 million of which were stocks, £586,000 owed by debtors and £262,000 cash at bank and in hand.

The company also owed £3.8 million to creditors due within one year, with £137,000 due to creditors following that time.

It’s unclear yet which section of the business these potential job losses may impact, and whether Sheeran By Lowden is facing the same challenges.

Guitar.com has reached out to Lowden Guitars for comment.

The post Lowden Guitars facing potential job losses amid “downturn in the global guitar market” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It’s undeniable that Uli Jon Roth’s influence on metal music is substantial, with genre legends like Kirk Hammett, Marty Friedman and others calling him an inspiration.

But despite also once playing guitar in German hard rock outfit Scorpions, Roth actually isn’t the biggest fan of metal music.

• READ MORE: “#1 Edward Van Halen Model”: Eddie Van Halen’s modded 1982 Kramer guitar – also used by Mick Mars to record Dr Feelgood – is headed to auction

In a new conversation on the Scars and Guitars podcast, Roth explains that during his tenure in the band between 1973 and 1978, “the name heavy metal barely existed”.

“I’m not a metal guy,” he explains [via Blabbermouth]. “When I was in the Scorpions and the name heavy metal barely existed, we were considered, if you want to classify it, as a melodic hard rock band.

“So, metal, the name, came afterwards, and then it became something which is actually not my cup of tea. Most metal, for me, is just a little bit too hardcore, a little bit too distorted, and, for me, maybe a bit two-dimensional. And what I mean by that is the lack of dynamics.”

He continues: “I come from a time, like in the ‘60s when I first started, in the ‘70s, where even loud bands played with a lot of dynamics. People like Led Zeppelin, [Jimi] Hendrix, Cream, they were loud on stage with the amplifiers, but they were actually very dynamical in it. The guitars, the drums, everything with dynamical.

Roth opines that due to the inherent distortion associated with heavy metal music, a lot of these dynamics he’s a fan of were lost.

“That gradually went away and everything went to 11 all the time – the guitar constantly hyper distorted, every drum beat fortissimo – and for me, it’s very often more like a cacophony. So I’m not a fan. There are some metal things that are excellent and great – absolutely – but on the whole, it’s not something I like to listen to. It’s not my world.”

The post Scorpions legend Uli Jon Roth claims metal is “not my cup of tea” because it’s “two-dimensional” and “lacks dynamics” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.