General Interest

Wilco guitarist and frontman Jeff Tweedy has just announced he’ll be releasing a 30-track triple album this September – and if that seems excessive to you, well, he doesn’t really care.

Speaking in the latest issue of Mojo, Tweedy explains that Twilight Override is a “special” magnum opus of a record. “It’s a really beautiful evolution,” he says. “I’m not holding back or protecting myself, and I don’t care if people think a triple record’s too long.”

For anyone who thinks it is too long, he has one thing to say: “I mean… Fuck you!” he laughs. “You don’t have to listen to it…”

• READ MORE: The Gear Used on Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Twilight Override sees Tweedy yet again working with his children, vocalist Sammy and drummer Spencer, as well as the rest of his usual touring band. So far, only four tracks have been shared from the record; Enough, One Tiny Flower, Out in the Dark, and Stray Cats in Spain explore a plethora of the Illinois’ rocker’s sides, from his harmonica-loving alt-country to his charming cerebral indie rock reflections.

Tweedy notes that Stray Cats In Spain in particular was “written with [his band’s] gift for vocal harmony in mind”, while the yet-to-be-released Feel Free is a seven-minute ode to self-expression. “It’s saying forget yourself, be unburdened by yourself,” he tells Mojo.

The seven-minute tune is another example of Tweedy not caring about how long a record or a track is. In fact, he wishes it was even longer: “I’d like for people to add their own couplets to it and make it the world’s longest song.”

Elsewhere, Tweedy has explained that his upcoming record is a testament to the magic of creativity. “When you choose to do creative things, you align yourself with something that other people call God,” he explains in a press release [via NME]. “When you align yourself with creation, you inherently take a side against destruction. You’re on the side of creation. And that does a lot to quell the impulse to destroy. Creativity eats darkness.”

“Sort of an endless buffet these days – a bottomless basket of rock bottom. Which is, I guess, why I’ve been making so much stuff lately. That sense of decline is hard to ignore, and it must be at least a part of the shroud I’m trying to unwrap. The twilight of an empire seems like a good enough jumping-off point when one is jumping into the abyss.”

“Twilight sure is a pretty word, though. And the world is full of happy people in former empires, so maybe that’s not the only source of this dissonance. Whatever it is out there (or in there) squeezing this ennui into my day, it’s fucking overwhelming. It’s difficult to ignore.”

“Twilight Override is my effort to overwhelm it right back. Here are the songs and sounds and voices and guitars and words that are an effort to let go of some of the heaviness and up the wattage on my own light. My effort to engulf this encroaching nighttime (nightmare) of the soul.”

Tweedy is set to embark on a solo tour in support of Twilight Override later this year. Things will kick off in Michigan on 8 October, before hitting Europe in February.

Twilight Override is out 26 September. Tickets for Tweedy’s solo tour will go on sale at 10am this Friday (18 July).

The post “F”**k you! You don’t have to listen to it”: why Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy doesn’t care if you think his albums are too long appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale has revealed what it was like to tour with Skid Row, and it seems the band are not opposed to the odd innuendo or fart joke.

Hale fronted the band for four shows after the departure of vocalist Erik Grönwall last summer, and having been a Skid Row fan since childhood, it was a pretty big deal for the vocalist and guitarist.

• READ MORE: Slash admits that he became “disillusioned” with the sound of his Marshall amps and the consistency of his sound

To not only have a great time playing music with a band but to also click with the group backstage is exactly what every artist hopes for when stepping into another camp, and Hale fitted in just fine with the Skid Row bunch.

She tells Classic Rock, “I got to know Rachel [Bolan] and Snake [Sabo] as people first before we ended up gigging together. I’ve been a Skid Row fan since I was eleven, just trying my damnedest to hit those high notes. When they asked me to be a part of it we were at a mutual friend’s birthday party, and it got brought up over cake.

“The thing that I discovered was when we were on the bus together, it doesn’t matter how old you are on the outside. On the inside, including myself, we are all fifteen-year-old boys. The fart jokes were rampant,” she admits.

“We were making all these Spinal Tap jokes about the meat in catering. They’re like, the meat is so sweaty. I don’t know why it was so funny, but this sweaty meat came up a lot, and then that ends up being a dirtier and dirtier joke. I’m so grateful for them accepting me into their camp and for allowing me to be a part of that.”

Following the announcement of Hale’s temporary appointment as vocalist for the band, she described it as “full circle”. She told Loudwire Nights, “I’m a weird in-betweener. When I was 11 through 13, I was into ‘80s metal, like Cinderella and Skid Row and all of that. But I was also getting into nu-metal in the early-2000s, Disturbed and Sevendust and Tool. The crazy thing about Skid Row is that they were the ones that carried me through over that bridge.

“They had the big choruses and everything, but then they had those later albums that were very present with the times and the weird, seedy underbelly that was the ’90s. They bridged that gap for me.”

Halestorm are currently on tour in support of Volbeat. You can find out more or grab tickets via the Halestorm website.

The post “On the inside we are all fifteen-year-old boys”: Lzzy Hale on what it’s really like to tour with Skid Row appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

When Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker joined forces to form Cream in 1966, the rock world was forever transformed. The combination of talent made for the very first supergroup, who had quietly rehearsed together in secret before exploding onto the scene. But 60s contemporary Paul Jones nearly blew the lid off the whole thing, entirely by accident…

• READ MORE: The Gear Used on Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

In a new interview with Mojo, the Manfred Mann frontman recalled a time he was asked to form a one-off band to feature on the Elektra collaborative album, What’s Shakin’. “They had The Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Butterfield, Al Kooper and Tom Rush. Joe Boyd [American record producer] said, ‘Look, we can’t do this without one British act,’” Jones says. “‘We’ve asked The Yardbirds and so on, and they all say no… could you put together a band?’”

Jones started brainstorming – and the first person he called up to join his new band was bassist Jack Bruce. “I said, ‘Look, would you be up for it?’ and he said, ‘yeah, I certainly would. Who else are you thinking of?”

Jones mentioned that his preference was the then-unattached Eric Clapton on guitar. “Yeah, of course – he would be anybody’s first choice. Anybody else?” Bruce responded. And that’s when Jones would utter the final piece of the Cream puzzle, suggesting: “it’d be great if we could get Ginger Baker on drums.”

“There was a silence.,” Jones recalls. “Then, Jack said, ‘How much do you know?’ I said, ‘about what?’ – ‘Oh, nothing…’”

Without realising, Jones had pieced together the next band that would define rock history. “I had just put together Cream – and they were already rehearsing!” Jones laughs.

The ad-hoc band, which would be listed on the album as ‘Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse’ recorded three songs, including an iconic Clapton cut, Crossroads. In the end, Baker would decide to opt out as he didn’t want to dilute the power of what was going on behind the scenes. “I’m not doing it,” Baker apparently said. “It’s really stupid if all three of us do this project together when we’re about to burst onto the world.”

In the end, Clapton, Bruce and Jones would be joined by Steve Winwood and drummer Pete York. The band was completed with “Ben Palmer, a great blues piano player I’d met in Oxford,” as Jones explains.

Due to the fact that many of the members of the band were under contract with other labels, including Jones, many of them performed under aliases. As Jones explains, he was credited as ‘Matthew Jacobs’ on the record, named after his two sons, while Winwood went under the alias of ‘Steve Angelo’.

Sadly, the band never recorded together again – though let’s face it, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce were rather busy over the next couple of years…

The post “I had just put together Cream – and they were already rehearsing!”: Manfred Mann frontman reveals how he inadvertently rumbled Eric Clapton’s biggest secret appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Ella Feingold can count the likes of Johnny Marr, Lenny Kravitz and John Mayer as fans and she has worked with Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson, Bruno Mars and Jay-Z among others.

• READ MORE: The essential guitar albums of 2025 that you (probably) missed

You’ll have also heard her orchestrating the music in Destiny – Bungie’s groundbreaking video game – and seen her incredible funky chops on display across your Instagram and TikTok FYPs. She’s even got a new album of duets in the pipeline with jazz legend Charlie Hunter, and an incoming solo project.

An artist that clearly contains multitudes, then – we have a lot to talk about…

Many of your new fans have found you through your funk tutorials on Instagram – you have a very appreciative audience online!

“I mean it’s funny. A lot of the things in my career happened long before social media, but I am really happy that people also seem to enjoy watching me look at these songs that I love.

“It’s like taking apart a telephone and putting it back together. I’m very curious and especially when I want to know how something works. That applies as much to the music of Sly Stone or James Brown as it does to the world of Jeff Buckley.

“There’s something so fun about finding a part that locks in and you just drive it straight home. Kool & the Gang’s Jungle Boogie is a great example. The guitar part appears so simple but you have to keep it going for the whole song – you just hold on to this thing for dear life. It’s not about ego or shredding – it is all about concentration and maintaining the groove.

“You have to understand the phrase, then you have to develop the stamina. It’s the same thing with James Brown. Check out Ain’t It Funky Now – it’s not hard to play, but that cut is 9 minutes and 36 seconds long. So, at 6 minutes, you might fuck up and you ruin the take and the whole band has to go back to the top.”

Who else should up and coming players listen to?

“Everyone should be familiar with Curtis Mayfield. He influenced Jimi Hendrix, Prince… so many more. John Mayer once told me, ‘Yeah, you just play how you are’, and Curtis Mayfield played in a really gentle soft-spoken kind of way while addressing some hard truths that are still relevant today.

“Then there is his ‘Black Key’ tuning of F#-A#-C#-F#-A#-F#, using the Maestro rhythm and sound effects unit – all that cool stuff. There’s something familiar and comforting about his playing. I think my favourite thing with musicians is their touch.”

Funny you should say that: no less than Johnny Marr is a fan of your work for exactly that reason. How did you two meet?

“I had done an Instagram lesson on Jerome Smith who played guitar for KC and the Sunshine Band – little did I know that he’s one of Johnny’s top three favourite guitar players. So Johnny commented ‘Nobody knows about Jerome Smith!’ and my first thought is like, ‘Oh man, I thought that was the real Johnny Marr… that’s a bummer…’ because you know you get so many of those fake accounts. And I looked again and I’m like, ‘Oh fuck, it’s really him!’

“He invited me to a show he was playing in Boston. I didn’t know what to expect and when he saw me from across the room he grabbed my arm and we talked guitar for like – no exaggeration – three hours. To the point where the cleaning crew came in and his tour manager was like, ‘Johnny, you gotta get on the bus!’

“I love the Smiths and I love his guitar playing, but I didn’t get to grow up with that music – Siouxie and the Banshees, Magazine, and Adam and the Ants. So being friends with him, like he just started to hip me to all this amazing music. I have a chorus pedal now and I’m just like, man, you’re a bad influence on me!”

How does classic 70s funk mix with Jeff Buckley and indie textures?

“Jeff Buckley might be my favourite musician of all time. There’s so much I love. His touch on the guitar and how he makes it sound, and the chord voicings. Who else makes a Telecaster sound like that, you know? Maybe Ted Greene?

“Jeff learned a lot about guitar pedals and ambient stuff from Gary Lucas, I’m positive of that. You know, with the EHX 16-second delay?. I think his Quadraverb reverb stuff might have come more from Robin Guthrie and the Cocteau Twins.

“All roads lead back to Johnny Marr right? Like, I’m like playing him Jeff Buckley stuff backstage saying, ‘Johnny you don’t understand… this guy adored you. Do you know how many Smiths songs he covered?’ and you know, Johnny gets it.”

You have a long-standing position in Erykah Badu’s band – how did that relationship come about?

“I was on tour with Queen Latifah. My first gig ever was 2005. It was sort of like a black Lilith Fair. It was Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, so many more – Erykah liked my playing and her MD asked me to join the band.

“It’s funny I’m working on Erykah’s new record right now, and there’s absolutely some Jeff Buckley influence in my playing on this music. My first gig with her was this VH1 Soul Stage concert, which was kind of infamous, and I’ve been working with her, on and off ever since.

“I can only think of a couple of occasions in twenty years where Erykah has verbalised what she needs from me. There was one time when she wanted me to step out front and solo and then on this record she just said, ‘Make it cry bitch!’ and that was it.

“That was easy. I literally took all of the oppression and fear I face as a trans woman and I put it into the guitar and it came out. If you want me to be dead honest, that’s where the cry comes from.

“But it’s all about the vocals – the storyteller. I just listen. You have to be sensitive. I choose guitars that stay out of the way of the vocals – I use a Gibson 345 with the Varitone on position 3 which scoops out a lot of the midrange. I fitted it with Bartolini pickups which are very 80s smooth jazz – the opposite of the analogue gritty stuff that I usually enjoy. This sound has punch in the bass and treble clarity and it fits the context.

“It’s like a conversation. Maybe you’re at a dinner party and someone talks like crazy, so you just go, ‘All right, I’ll just kind of listen and interject when I can’. With Erykah again, this has never been spoken but like she’s got Rhodes and keys. So she’s got all this buttery stuff so she doesn’t need me to do more of that. She needs some grease and something slightly itchy in there.”

Your duet album Different Strokes for Different Folks with Charlie Hunter has been getting high praise from legends like Bootsy Collins and Lenny Kravitz – how does that feel?

“This whole record really was like a musical conversation between two good friends, I talk to Charlie almost every day. It’s raw and it’s real and it feels good. I feel like it’s music that you can sort of complete for yourself. Pick up your sax, blow over it, drive down the street and lose yourself and just groove to it like it’s a beat tape. You know what I mean? It is raw funk.

“Charlie’s using a six string hybrid guitar – not the eight-string version – that opens things up and my guitar is in inverted standard tuning throughout. So that’s EBGDAE low to high. We boiled the whole thing down to its essence. The way it fused together was really cool, I hope people enjoy it!”

Your debut solo record 4-Track Ephemera is a return to analogue recording with a Tascam four-track tape recorder. What attracts you to the old school creative process?

“I wanted to return to a time when I was most in love with music, which was when I was a kid in the ‘90s during grunge. Buying guitar magazines and, you know, looking at articles and watching MTV and my parents getting me the 424 for Hanukkah and just like, God, I can jam with myself! So, I just set the stuff up in a guest bedroom. Not like, oh, I’m about to make a record. Just, well, just have fun.

“I started to share stuff on Instagram. Not like, ‘Yo, check this out’, just kind of where my head’s at and suddenly people were responding, ‘Oh my god, please put this out. You’re putting this out, right?’ The response was so positive I decided to go for it.

“It’s the first music where I’m comfortable introducing my influences to each other. You can hear Sly, J Dilla and Q-Tip, Tribe Called Quest and you can hear Jeff Buckley and you can hear Johnny Marr. I’m comfortable mixing all those things and trying to find my own sound. Like a cocktail.”

Different Strokes For Different Folks by Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold is out now. 4-Track Ephemera is out 1 August

The post “I choose guitars that stay out of the way of the vocals” how Ella Feingold became the most versatile rhythm guitar player on the planet appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Royer Labs has introduced the R-12 Ribbon Microphone, designed for both studio recordingand live sound applications. The new R-12 delivers high-quality performance at a sub-$1K price, offering thenatural sound of a Royer ribbon mic with the added versatility of onboard bass-cut and pad switches. The R-12excels at capturing electric and acoustic stringed instruments, vocals, brass, pianos and organs, as well asdrums and percussion instruments.

The R-12 features the same 2.5-micron direct-corrugated ribbon element as used in Royer’s industry-standard R-121 microphone, enabling it to handle the extremely high SPLs (160dB @ 1kHz) that Royer R-series mics are known for.

The R-12 features Royer’s proprietary onboard phantom-powered electronics circuitry mated to a beefed-up transformer, which combine to deliver condenser microphone output levels for recording vocals, acoustic instruments, and other quieter sound sources. The R-12’s active electronics also place a perfect load on the ribbon element at all times, enabling the microphone to deliver full sonic potential regardless of the preamplifier or DAW it’s plugged into.

By engaging the R-12s switchable -15dB pad, the mic’s output level drops to that of Royer’s non-powered R-10 ribbon mic, which is preferable for louder instruments like drums and high-volume electric guitars where more headroom is needed. Headroom-related distortion on even the loudest sound sources is non-existent.

The R-12 is also outfitted with a switchable high-pass filter precisely tuned to reduce low end proximity buildup and rumble, making it an easy choice for capturing vocal performances, close-miking instruments and loudspeaker cabinets, etc.

Completing its rich feature set, the R-12 houses an internally shock-mounted ribbon transducer, which helps isolate and protect the ribbon element while also reducing handling noise. Combined with a built-in triple-layer wind screen system, the microphone’s ribbon is effectively protected against plosives and other wind-related noise and air blasts.

John Jennings, President of Royer Labs, commented on the new R-12 Ribbon Microphone, “The R-12 is a beautifully designed ribbon mic, delivering world-class performance at a killer price. It has roots in our non-powered R-10 ribbon mic, which is in studios around the world and has been on Dave Grohl’s insanely hot live guitar cabs for years, and it contains active ribbon mic circuitry based on what we use in much more expensive Royer models. It’s an extremely versatile ribbon mic that we’re proud to release now.”

The Royer Labs R-12 Ribbon Microphone and mic mount ship in a hard-shell case, with a street price of $899 and matched pairs available for $1,849. The R-12 is expected to become available in mid/late July 2025. For additional information about the R-12, please visit www.royerlabs.com/r-12/.

At the shop, our engineers are always tinkering on breadboards, pouring their hearts into passion projects that sometimes get sidelined by part obsolescence, indecision, or just not fitting our usual vibe. That’s why we’re stoked to launch Proto Club, where anyone can snag these limited-run pedals, like the Tritone (Proto 227), a slapback pitch echo born as a B-side for our Soft Focus Deluxe but too wild for its palette, packing a call-and-response octave-up that rides sidesaddle with a blendable perfect fifth for killer three-note arpeggios. It drops today, for only $149.99, but it’s gone after two weeks! Your first Proto Club purchase scores you the exclusive Proto Club Passport booklet, stamped and ready to unlock killer perks—collect stickers with each pedal to earn bonus stuff, like unreleased or staple production pedals. Plus, you’ll get a dedicated email to send feedback straight to our engineers, making this a true community vibe. Ready to get weird with us? Catch you at the Proto Club!

Our inaugural foray into the Proto Club began as a B-side for our Soft Focus Deluxe. On that pedal, we had room for six programs, and a handful of them were just a bit too outside the scope of that device. This one, the Tritone, was universally loved by the crew but the vibes clashed with the palette of the Soft Focus Deluxe a little too hard. It’s been on some of our own pedalboards for some time. Unfortunately, it’s stayed there away from public eyes and ears, but fortunately, it fits the exact vibe of the Proto Club!

Proto Club was established for this exact reason; we have tons of effects on our breadboards and programming suites that we can’t squeeze into the release schedule, things that don’t quite fit into our lineup, circuits with too niche of an audience, or “our versions” of beloved classics, direct to you stripped of frill. This lets us get a little more creative for all you effects freaks out there. Y’all are our people!

You wanted experimental? You got it! The Tritone features a call-and-response type octave-up that rides sidesaddle with a blendable perfect fifth. When coupled with an on-board slapback echo, this gives you the ability to seamlessly craft bursts of three-note arpeggios that can stand alone as a killer lead augmentation or can align with your rhythm parts to fill in the gaps with some interesting texture. Synth players? Please. The Tritone absolutely loves electronic instruments and takes them with ease. You can keep the action close to your chest with the addition of a wet-dry blend of the overall signal as well as one for the tritone. You can adjust the timing of the arpeggio as well as the echo feedback for some chaotic oscillation in certain settings.

Learn More Here!

Eddie Van Halen is pretty much regarded as one of the true innovators of shred guitar, but a recently unearthed interview from 1991 shows that Eddie had reservations about the discipline he’d spawned.

Speaking to Guitar Player journalist Jas Obrecht, the Van Halen guitarist admitted that he was well beyond his years of shredding. “A lot of people just do all kinds of crazy shit,” he said. “Sure, that’s fine and dandy when you’re young… playing as fast as you can doesn’t really hold much water for me… To me, a solo is to highlight song. It’s not to show off.”

• READ MORE: The Gear Used on Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Later on in the interview, he even explained that he was embracing a slower, more deliberate approach to playing. “In the guitar polls, I’m not the number one cat anymore,” he admitted. “You know, there are faster gunslingers out there… what’s important to me now isn’t how fast I can solo. It’s the whole picture.”

That’s not to say shredding holds no place in metal. “I was like that back then [when I was younger],” he added. “But the whole band thing, the songs… that’s what’s important.”

Of course, Eddie added that this wasn’t an admission that he “can’t solo anymore”. The realisation was just something he came to learn as he grew up, as shredding seemed to often be a by-product of “big egos” and showing off.

“Big egos are very unhealthy,” he explained. “Everybody needs an ego, obviously, but when it starts getting in the way of the overall picture, you know – what a band is and what a band supposed to be doing – too much ego is bad news.”

Eddie distancing himself from shredding is something fans and peers alike noted in the legend’s later years. Toto’s Steve Lukather revealed that Eddie regretted adding fuel to the shredding fire in an interview with us back in 2021.

“There were the times when guitar players were trying to show what they had – each guy had something and they wanted to show it off,” he recalled. “It was healthy, no-one was trying to one-up anybody else, that came a little later in the 80s with all the intense Uber-shredding.”

“Ed was sitting there going, ‘I created a monster, fuck!’” he continued. “They misinterpreted what his musical intent was and turned guitar into more of a sport. I know that always bothered him.”

Lukather voiced a similar sentiment in 2023 while talking to Guitar World. “Eddie Van Halen came along and changed the whole game,” he said. “I remember him telling me once, ‘Man, I didn’t mean to start all this madness,’ but he really did change the entire game. That always cracked me up, as Eddie was the father of shred!”

The post “Playing as fast as you can doesn’t really hold much water for me”: Eddie Van Halen pours scorn on shredding in unheard 1991 interview appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Tuning up for their own tour that starts this week, the loud ’n’ heavy merchants from Buffalo show PG’s Perry Bean how they apply the hot sauce.

In Better Lovers, guitarists Jordan Buckley and Will Putney, plus bassist Stephen Micciche, go heavy and strange—a combination they achieve by carefully selecting their instruments, amps, and effects. Their latest album is called Highly Irresponsible, but when it comes to nailing their riffs and sounds, this Rundown with PG’s Perry Bean, filmed recently at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, makes it clear they are anything but that!

One-Eyed 6 Strings

Putney’s main guitar is a road-worn Dunable Cyclops, built especially for him by Sacha Dunable. It became the blueprint for his Dunable signature model. “The signatures are awesome, but I love this guitar. I play it to death,” he says. It‘s got an EMG 81 pickup and a master volume dial. That’s it. Putney has a backup that’s nearly identical, except for the stage rash.

Practice Makes….

Putney is using this DE version of his signature to practice new songs and the new sounds that come along with them, including those made via the onboard EHX Pitchfork circuit, with power/signal bypass, momentary on/off latching, pitch up/down/both selection, an interval selector, and a mix knob. The scale is 25.5" and it sports a Graphtech TUSQ nut along with an EMG 81. Most Better Lovers tunes are in drop D, by the way, with Ernie Ball strings.

Power Rager

This Peavey 6505 V2 arrived just in time for this night's gig, sliding in next to the two 5150s that have been in Putney’s live rig for years. It’s got 120 watts and invokes the spirit of one of Eddie Van Halen’s favorite heads. It’s got 6L6s, but he’s contemplating a swap with EL84s after the tour, just for an A/B test.

Cab Envy

How about a pair of Atlas custom 6x12 cabinets to plug your guitar and pedals into? “They’re loud,” Putney understates. And he A/Bs between that Peavey/Atlas combination and a Vox AC30 for his clean and dirty sounds. He uses a Mastermind PBC by RJM Music Technologies for switching both amps and pedals.

Set It, Don’t Sweat It

Here’s a look at where Putney’s AC30 lives.

Pedal Power

Running through that Mastermind are a fuzz pedal Putney designed with God City’s/Converge’s Kurt Ballou called the Pariah, and there’s also a Sinkhole, Astral Destiny, and Soft Focus Reverb from Catalinbread, an EQD Dispatch Master, two EHX Pitchforks, a Fortin Zuul+, a Strymon El Capistan, a Better Lovers signature Night Terror overdrive, and a Kevin Hickey Signature Chorus.

Blue Bomber

Buckley got this ’78 SG from Rochester, New York’s House of Guitars when he was a kid. It’s been through a lot of breaks but has come through triumphant, with double EMG 81s. And the Vox AC30 it’s leaning on is his, too. Listen to how it sounds with a whole lotta reverb and a slide in the Rundown! That’s his sound for the concert opener on the current tour.

Don’t Even Look at This Guitar

Here’s Buckley’s favorite ESP Eclipse, also with EMGs and lot of wear on the rear upper bout an around the picking zone. It’s got an ESP “full-thickness” body, so it’s heavier than his beloved SG.

More Dunable

This Cyclops has got its original two Dunable pickups and a tone and volume control—another stripped-down heavy-rock machine! How did Buckley acquire this one? He wanted a red guitar for a video, and Dunable, after an ask from Putney, delivered.

Effect-ive

What’s he got on the floor? A Lehle Little Dual II amp switcher, a TC Electronic Polytune, a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, an EarthQuaker A/B box and Dispatch Master, an MXR Analog Chorus, a Walrus Audio Fathom Multi-Function Reverb, a Better Lovers signature Night Terror overdrive, and a Coppersound X Jack White Triplegraph Octave.

Marshall Power

Buckley says he’s been using JCM 800s for decades. This one is borrowed and “feeds back a little less than the ones I own,” he confides.

Preacher Tone

And here’s his Revv Generator 120, which he sets on channel 4.

Foam-O

Micciche’s seafoam green Deluxe PJ is a not-so-common bottom rung. It has a P body and a J neck. It boasts a pair of Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder bass pickups.

The Ass Beater

That’s right: Micciche calls this one the Ass Beater. It’s an Ibanez with active Bartolini pickups. Strictly speaking, it’s an Iron Label SRMS625EX with a 5-piece, multi-scale walnut neck and Ebonol fretboard.

California Dreamin’

This Sandberg California model was a custom order, with active and passive pickup options.

Bass Barkers

Here’s the array of Micciche’s powerhouse bass amp line-up: an Orange AD 200 Bass Mk3 he’s had about 15 years anchors his stage left, stage right hosts an Orange Terror Bass, the AD 200 goes through an Orange cab while the Terror hits an Aguilar 8x10. Both rigs fire at once, all the time.

Dirty Half-Dozen

A modest six boxes rest on Micciche’s board: an Orange Two-Stroke, a Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra, an MXR Studio Compressor, a Lehle Little Dual switcher, a TC Electronic Polytune, and his wireless. A Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 4 stokes the fires.

Vox AC30

Catalinbread Sinkhole

EarthQuaker Devices Astral Destiny Reverb Pedal

Catalinbread Soft Focus Shoegaze Reverb Pedal

EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master

Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork

Strymon El Capistan

ESP Eclipse with EMGs

Marshall JCM 800

Revv Generator 120

Lehle Little Dual II Amp Switcher

TC Electronic PolyTune

Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor

EarthQuaker Devices A/B Box

MXR Analog Chorus

Ibanez Iron Label SRMS625EX

Orange AD 200 Bass Mk3

Orange Terror Bass

Orange Two-Stroke

Darkglass Microtubes B7K Ultra

MXR Studio Compressor

Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 4

Charvel has partnered with virtuoso Angel Vivaldi on a new version of his signature Nova guitar – the Angel Vivaldi Signature Pro-Mod Nova-7 NAT.

This new seven-string guitar is the result of a close collaboration with Vivaldi, and offers a natural finish with gold hardware. It’s described as “perfect for the modern shredder” by the brand, and follows on from a number of six- and seven-string versions of the original Nova, which was first launched in 2019.

• READ MORE: “It’s a dream come true”: Ariel Posen announces his first Fender signature guitar

The Pro-Mod Nova-7 NAT is inspired by Vivaldi’s explorations into Latin fusion, funk, and acoustic works. It hosts premium features including a modified Dinky caramelised basswood body capped with a flame maple top, and three-ply body binding.

It also has a sculpted heel for upper fret access, while a tilt-back reverse seven-string Fender Stratocaster headstock provides “ideal string tension”. Its 12”-16” compound radius maple fingerboard has rolled edges, 24 jumbo frets, cascading black dot inlays and a Gotoh locking nut.

Furthermore, its bolt-on maple neck is custom-shaped to Vivaldi’s preferences with graphite reinforcement, a satin back finish, Luminlay side dots, and a heel-mount truss rod adjustment wheel.

The guitar has a HH pickup configuration consisting of a DiMarzio Tone Zone bridge pickup and DiMarzio Air Norton neck pickup, both decorated with gold covers. There’s five-way blade pickup switch, dome-style volume and tone knobs, a recessed Gotoh GE1996T-7 double-locking tremolo bridge, and Charvel-branded die-cast tuners.

Take a look at the guitar and hear how it sounds below:

“This Nova is eight years in the making and sports some pretty considerable upgrades that will really take things up a notch,” comments Vivaldi. “The natural finish really reminds me that it just isn’t a piece of gear, it’s like this living breathing part of the creative process for me…it just feels free, no resistance, no restrictions.”

Peter Wichers, Product Manager of Charvel Guitars, adds: “This collaboration allows us to merge Angel’s signature playing techniques with Charvel’s legendary craftsmanship, resulting in an instrument that serves both traditional and modern progressive players.

“Angel embodies the virtuosic technique and forward-thinking approach that has defined Charvel for decades. His musical versatility, technical precision and innovative vision perfectly align with our commitment to creating instruments that push boundaries.”

The Angel Vivaldi Signature Pro-Mod Nova-7 NAT is priced at £1,499/$1,999.99. Find out more via Charvel.

The post Charvel launches new seven-string, upgraded version of Angel Vivaldi’s signature Nova guitar  appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Built in Petaluma, CA, experience one of the rarest and most coveted vintage amplifiers ever, the Mark IIC++, in solid new form, built by the same artisans who crafted the originals 40 years ago.

MESA/Boogie® is the original boutique Home of Tone, handcrafting amplifiers of uncompromising quality from the world’s finest materials in Petaluma, California, USA. Today, with reverence and pride, MESA/Boogie has announced the arrival of the storied Mark IIC++® amplifiers. An extremely limited production, now is your chance to own an original icon. The new MESA/Boogie Mark IIC++ amplifiers are now available worldwide to the public for the first time at authorized MESA/Boogie dealers and on www.mesaboogie.com.

We’re excited to bring a very special first official production run of the Mark IIC++, a very special ‘mod,’ done to a very few Mark IIC+ amplifiers at the request of, first Vivian Campbell, and later after other artists hearing about its added gain and girth,” says Doug West, Director, Tone Lab, Gibson Amplifiers and MESA/Boogie. “Over time this mod that was never an official model, logged a healthy list of A-Level artist recordings and this kept our Chief Tech and IIC+ guru Mike Bendinelli busy for decades doing the mod for musicians who’d heard of the legendary aggression for metal styles and sent their IIC+’s bought used to him for an update. This limited run of 200 very special new production amplifiers gives those who have always dreamed of a C++ a chance to own one without the hefty price tag of a pre-owned 40-year-old original IIC+ and the shipping and labor costs for the update. Not to mention that it’s a solid, reliable, and consistent new build backed by our five-year warranty!”

The iconic Mark IIC+ amps were first developed in 1985 at the request of Vivian Campbell, and later by Kirk Hammett of Metallica, along with other noteworthy artists of the day who eventually heard them, MESA/Boogie made some modifications to a few production Mark IIC+ amps to achieve more gain in the overdrive mode and attain a thicker, heavier gain sound. These “++” designated IICs were created for the select few artists who requested them in the twilight of the C+ lifecycle and were never officially offered as a production model. The veil of time has obscured the exact number; however, it is believed that perhaps 20 or so of these mythical IIC++’s were created during the original mid-1980s IIC+ lifecycle.

In the years that followed, players who heard tales of the blistering tone and were into heavy sounds, sent their C+’s to Tech Guru and archivist at MESA/Boogie, Mike Bendinelli, to have the “++ Mod” performed outside of production time at considerable cost. Now, MESA is excited to announce a limited-edition build of only 200 of these rare amplifiers, in tribute to the music played on them and the era that spawned the great guitarists whose work therein has withstood the test of time and become truly iconic.

This new Mark IIC++ build has increased gain in the preamp, which affects the LEAD Mode only, leaving the CLEAN Mode to produce the same sparkling clean performance as the standard IIC+ production model. The LEAD Mode is thicker sounding in these ++ versions, with enhanced low end and more top end gain, cut, and harmonic layering. Visually, the ++ is identical to the current production IIC+ model offered once again, aside from the ++ notation on the etched panel on the back panel and the IIC++ plaque on the front grille.

Experience one of the rarest and most coveted vintage amplifiers ever, the Mark IIC++, in solid new form built by the same artisans who built the originals 40 years ago. These awe-inspiring gain machines have fueled some of the most iconic rock sounds ever captured on record. Now, you can have a chance at owning one of these mythical beasts and utilizing its “incendiary” gain and expressive power for your musical dreams and aspirations. Don’t miss out on this limited-time build of the infamous Mark IIC++.

C. F. Martin & Co.® is proud to announce the release of five exciting new models that blend tradition with innovation and meet the needs of today’s diverse players. The launch includes a refreshed GPCE Inception Maple with a bold new gloss finish, the all-new non-cutaway GPE Inception Maple, two special X Series additions, and the SC-10E Spruce—a fresh take on Martin’s revolutionary SC design now joining the Road Series.

GPCE Inception Maple

Martin’s game-changing Inception Series gets a visual and tonal upgrade with the refreshed GPCE Inception Maple. Now featuring a full-body gloss amber fade sunburst finish, this model blends cutting-edge acoustic design with FSC®-certified tonewoods. A European spruce top delivers bold projection and quick response, while flamed maple back and sides provide clarity and brightness, all balanced by a black walnut wedge. Skeletonized bracing and sonic channeling—purpose-built for this tonewood pairing—enhance both sustain and amplitude. With premium appointments like a satin black walnut neck, FSC-certified ebony fingerboard and bridge, and LR Baggs Anthem electronics, the GPCE Inception Maple proves that sustainability, innovation, and striking aesthetics can coexist in perfect harmony.

GPE Inception Maple

Also debuting is the GPE Inception Maple, which brings a non-cutaway Grand Performance shape to the Inception Series for the first time. Players will enjoy the same striking tonewood pairing, premium appointments, and Martin’s innovative bracing as the GPCE model—but with a full-body design for those who prefer a more traditional silhouette. It offers a crisp, balanced tone that’s effortlessly expressive, with the added visual punch and presence of its new gloss finish. Paired with LR Baggs Anthem electronics, this model delivers a truly dynamic and versatile acoustic-electric experience.

GP-X2E Ziricote Special

Expanding the X Series lineup is the GP-X2E Ziricote Special, a limited-time Grand Performance model that blends bold tone with player-focused features. With a solid sapele top and ziricote-patterned high-pressure laminate (HPL) back and sides, this guitar is durable, stylish, and responsive. The Performing Artist neck profile and high-performance taper ensure smooth playability, while Martin E1 electronics with a built-in tuner give you full control on stage or at home. It’s an affordable, road-ready companion for players of all levels.

OMC-X2E Ziricote Special

Also new to the X Series is the OMC-X2E Ziricote Special, offering the comfort of a 000 body with a 25.4" scale length for greater projection and sustain. Its cutaway design allows easy upper fret access, and like its Grand Performance sibling, it features a solid sapele top, ziricote-patterned HPL back and sides, and Martin E1 electronics with onboard tuning. This versatile model is ideal for fingerstyle players, singer-songwriters, and anyone looking for rich tone in a sleek, stage-ready package.

SC-10E Spruce

Rounding out this launch is the SC-10E Spruce, a new addition to Martin’s Road Series that brings the revolutionary SC body shape to even more players. With its patented Sure Align® neck system and Low Profile Velocity neck, it offers unmatched comfort and unrestricted access to every fret. The solid spruce top paired with solid sapele back and sides creates a balanced, dynamic voice that excels in any genre. Finished with Martin E1 electronics and a built-in tuner, this is a modern acoustic-electric built for the stage, studio, or wherever the music takes you.

For more information on these and other models from Martin, visit martinguitar.com.