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“On the inside we are all fifteen-year-old boys”: Lzzy Hale on what it’s really like to tour with Skid Row
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.
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.
“I had just put together Cream – and they were already rehearsing!”: Manfred Mann frontman reveals how he inadvertently rumbled Eric Clapton’s biggest secret
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…
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.
“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
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.
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…
Image: Press
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.”
Ella’s Hagstrom guitar. Image: Press
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.”
Ella’s guitar gear. Image: Press
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.
“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
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.”
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.
Charvel launches new seven-string, upgraded version of Angel Vivaldi’s signature Nova guitar
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.
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.
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Mesa/Boogie officially releases Mark IIC++ modified amplifier to the public for the first time
Mesa/Boogie is officially releasing the storied Mark IIC++ modified amplifier to the public for the first time ever. The amp has been re-created in an extremely limited production run, and is available worldwide.
The original Mark IIC+ amps were first developed in 1985 at the request of Vivian Campbell, and later by Kirk Hammett of Metallica. The Mesa/Boogie brand eventually made some modifications to a few production Mark IIC+ amps to achieve more gain in the overdrive mode, leading to the birth of the ‘++’ version.
Designated ++ IICs were created for the select few artists who requested them and were never officially offered as a production model, and it is estimated that only 20 or so of them were created during the mid-1980s.
In the years that followed, the ++ tone became highly sought after by players who loved a heavy sound, with many sending their C+’s to tech guru and archivist at Mesa/Boogie, Mike Bendinelli, to have the ‘++ mod’ performed outside of production time for a fee.
Image: MESA/Boogie
With all this in mind, Mesa/Boogie have essentially revived a unicorn of the amplifier world, making it available to buyers across the globe. However, there are only 200 of these rare amplifiers available.
According to the brand, this new Mark IIC++ build has increased gain in the preamp, which affects the LEAD Mode only, so the CLEAN Mode can produce the same clean performance as the standard IIC+ production model. The LEAD Mode is thicker sounding in these ++ versions, and has enhanced low end and more top end gain, cut, and harmonic layering.
Take a closer look and hear one in action below:
Doug West (Director, Tone Lab, Gibson Amplifiers, and Mesa/Boogie) comments, “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… 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.”
West continues, “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 labour costs for the update. Not to mention that it’s a solid, reliable, and consistent new build backed by our five-year warranty.”
The Mark IIC++ amplifier is priced at £3,899.00. Find out more via the Mesa/Boogie website.
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Martin’s new Inception model brings a non-cutaway Grand Performance shape to the series for the first time
Martin has launched five new guitars, including two additions to the Inception range, two special X Series models, and a new SC design joining its Road Series.
These new launches bring new aesthetics, and even some firsts, to three of its key, existing lineups. Notably, the debut of the GPE Inception Maple – a non-cutaway version of its eye-catching sustainably-ethos’d Inception model, which debuted last year.
In fact, it’s not just a new guitar – the cutaway GPCE Inception Maple is getting something of an overhaul that makes its looks somewhat less polarising and unconventional than it was at launch. Most notably, perhaps, is the change from a walnut bridge and fingerboard to a more traditional-looking (but still FSC-certified) ebony.
The body itself retains the striking amber fade sunburst finish of the original, but rather than the matt finish we saw in 2024, this is now all-over gloss, with a satin-finished neck.
Elsewhere it’s as you were, with the same European spruce top, flamed maple back and sides, plus a black walnut wedge on the three-piece back
But the headline event is no doubt the the GPE Inception Maple, this guitar offers has the same tonewoods, visual appointments, and clever internal architecture as the original – including Martin’s skeletonised bracing, but delivers a full-body design for a more traditional silhouette. If the GPCE was too radical a departure for you visually, this one feels much more in the classic Martin wheelhouse.
Image: Martin
Moving on to the X Series, two Ziricote Specials join the range – the GP-X2E and the OMC-X2E. The former is a limited-time Grand Performance model with a solid sapele top and ziricote-patterned high-pressure laminate (HPL) back and sides. It has a Performing Artist neck profile and high-performance taper, plus Martin E1 electronics with a built-in tuner.
As for the latter, the OMC is said to offer the comfort of a 000 body with a 25.4” scale length for “greater projection and sustain”. It has a cutaway design, 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.
GP-X2E. Image: Martin
OMC-X2E. Image: Martin
The SC-10E Spruce is the final new launch as part of this Martin drop – a new addition to the Road Series with an SC body shape. It has a patented Sure Align neck system and Low Profile Velocity neck, and its solid spruce top is paired with solid sapele back and sides. Also joined by E1 electronics and a built-in tuner, Martin describes this guitar as “a modern acoustic-electric built for the stage, studio, or wherever the music takes you”.
Image: Martin
To find out more or shop the new models now, head over to Martin Guitar.
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“It’s a dream come true”: Ariel Posen announces his first Fender signature guitar
Guitarist Ariel Posen has just scored himself his very first Fender signature. The Limited Edition Ariel Posen Stratocaster is a guitar as versatile as the man himself, designed to tackle just about any genre from the blues, to neo soul, to classic rock and roll.
Posen’s signature Stratocaster bridges the gap between the past and the present. Coming in a nostalgic, “road-worn” Faded Lake Placid Blue finish, the aesthetic is one of nostalgia. This is aided by the guitar’s vintage-style tuning machines, frets, hardtail bridge, and 1969 ‘U’ neck shape.
Despite the aesthetic, the look is balanced out with ample new sonic injections for a sharp, modern sound. The Strat boasts custom AP-90 pickups developed by Fender’s guitar wizard Tim Shaw. It also has custom Caballo Férreo wiring for to tweak master volume and tone, as well as a 3-way switch.
“It’s a dream come true,” Posen notes in his Instagram announcement. “As a kid growing up playing guitar, these are the things you would never expect to experience in a million years. I’m so incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and even more excited to have a guitar that’s so true and authentic to myself.”
Posen further explains the workshopping behind his signature Strat in a Fender press release: “This is the most genuine and authentic representation of what I’m looking for in a guitar. I was always a Strat guy and always felt most comfortable playing them, so it was important to capture those qualities.”
“The AP90 pickups really highlight my love for Jazzmasters – there’s something so open and airy about those guitars. More than anything, this Strat embodies everything I love about Fender and condenses it into one instrument.”
The Fender Custom Shop Director, Chase Paul, has also expressed his excitement over creating a guitar as versatile as Posen. “Ariel Posen’s playing style is outright jaw-dropping,” he explains. “He has a remarkable ability to weave together beautiful melodies, intricate technique and captivating dynamics in a way that’s approachable to a wide group of guitar players. When the Custom Shop had the opportunity to work with him on his signature Stratocaster, we knew it needed to exceed his expectations.”
“Our hope is that this particular combination of custom pickups, tonewoods and hardware come together to inspire players as powerfully as Ariel’s music does.”
The Limited Edition Ariel Posen Stratocaster is available now, and comes with a deluxe hardshell case and Moody Leather Ariel Posen signature strap. There’s also a signature brass slide thrown in, as well as some Dunlop Ariel Posen picks and a certificate of authenticity.
The announcement also welcomes in a new era for the Fender Custom Shop. Fender has announced a new series, From the Factory Floor, to take people behind the scenes and show how the company’s California factory operates. It will feature artist performances, as well as discussions with guitar and amp builders. The first episode with Ariel Posen is available now.
Grab yourself a Limited Edition Ariel Posen Strat now.
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Slayer’s Gary Holt thinks that some modern guitarists don’t put enough “conviction” and “passion” into their riffs
Gary Holt of Exodus and Slayer has shared his thoughts on what makes a killer riff, noting that conviction is vital to make something that sticks.
During a Q&A with Rock City in celebration of his new memoir, A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way, Holt reveals how he’s balanced his respective careers with both of his bands, and shares how passion prevails over complexity when it comes to some of his best work.
“You just play until the riff speaks to you. I love riffs. I’m still a massive fan. It sounds really narcissistic to say I’m a super-fan of my riffs, but when I write a really good riff, I still get goosebumps,” he says (via Ultimate Guitar). “I love it. And when you’re recording it, and you hear it back with the savage guitars and drums, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah! It’s so awesome.’”
Offering up some sturdy advice, he continues: “There’s a limited number of notes on a guitar. There’s limited options on what you do with them, but it’s the passion you put into them. I mean, how many times can we go, E, E, F? Everybody could do it. But it’s the conviction you put in it.
“Try to bend notes, rhythm wise. People don’t do it enough. Dime [Dimebag Darrell] did it and everything. You can bend all over those riffs too, and just write riffs, have fun. Blacklist [by Exodus] is our number one streamed song in the world, and it’s four chords… It’s just about finding something that sticks,” he concludes.
Also in the interview, Holt explains that Slayer are taking things year by year, with no pressure or expectation to tour or record any music since their return to a live environment at a handful of select festivals. The shows took place after the band had previously completed a farewell tour in 2019.
“[Slayer] is not like a permanent commitment on my end anymore, and I’m able to focus on family number one, which is Exodus,” he says. “[They’re] my childhood friends. Slayer is my family as well, but they’re family number two. And at my age, I want to close my career out with the guys I started it with.”
Both Slayer and Exodus are playing at Louder Than Life festival and Hersheypark Stadium in September. Exodus are also due to play at Aftershock in October.
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“Getting excited is somewhat premature”: King Crimson manager counters Jakko Jakszyk’s claims that the band are recording a new album
Following comments made by Jakko Jakszyk about a new King Crimson record, the band’s manager has released a statement warning that we shouldn’t get our hopes up just yet.
Jakszyk, who joined Crimson in 2013 following Adrian Belew, recently gave an interview in which he said a record was in the making. It was also rumoured that the supposed album would feature the most recent Crimson lineup: Jakszyk, Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, and Jeremy Stacey.
Though unsure of any finer details regarding release date or what final form the material would actually take, the guitarist and singer said he’d been recording “with a view to it coming out in some format at some point”.
The band’s manager, David Singleton, has since suggested that to get excited about a new record is a little premature, however, and though he confirms there are recordings happening, there’s no set vision for them to be released.
In a statement shared via DMG Live, Singleton says, “Addressing the idea of some form of studio recording by the last incarnation of King Crimson, Bill Rieflin posed the excellent question ‘why make a studio album? There are excellent live recordings of all the songs out there already.’
“One possible answer would be an album the very sound of which no-one has ever heard before. A sound driven by the three drummers. And those drummers have now recorded studio versions of their parts – separately, so that there is perfect separation.”
He adds, “So there is the seed of a new recording. Whether it is an album, whether it sees the light of day, whether it is something else is unknown. As is the outcome of any creative process. So yes, recordings have taken place. Getting excited about the possibility of a new album, as has apparently been happening, is somewhat premature. Carts before horses.”
In other King Crimson news, the spinoff BEAT supergroup will be heading to Japan in September, and will put out a special live release that same month. Titled BEAT LIVE, the album was captured during their performance at the United Theater in LA.
To find out more about the BEAT band, you can head to the BEAT tour website.
The post “Getting excited is somewhat premature”: King Crimson manager counters Jakko Jakszyk’s claims that the band are recording a new album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I take these supplements to stay razor-sharp, night after night”: Yngwie Malmsteen has launched a range of supplement pills and powders
Last year, Swedish virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen launched his own multivitamin gummies, claiming that vitamins were the true “secret to [his] force”. Now, he’s entered the supplement powders market.
Malmsteen’s new range of supplements ranges from whey isolate protein powder to probiotic pills. There’s also collagen peptides, electrolyte supplements, and watermelon-flavoured pre-workout packed with B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, calcium, and a whole host of other ingredients to get you pumped up.
The guitarist shared the news on his Instagram, paired with a short, flashing clip of the supplements that isn’t very epilepsy friendly. “When I’m on stage, there’s no compromise only precision, power, and passion,” Malmsteen writes. “I take these supplements to stay razor-sharp, night after night. This isn’t hype. It’s fuel!”
It’s a similar sentiment to Malmsteen’s initial announcement of his Force gummies: “I am a very busy man that travels the world while playing six shows in a row, up on stage every single night. This works for me so I wanted to make it available for my followers.”
Back in March, Malmsteen explained his decision to dive into the supplements market. “In order for you to be in good health, you need to take supplements,” he explained whilst on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk. “I’ve always done that. And so the reason I put my line out is because I want other people to do it too. I highly recommend it.”
“I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs,” he continued. “I don’t believe in it… if you wanna do that, go ahead! Be my guest! But I prefer not to do it. And also I think it’s great to let people know: take your vitamins, and it really works.”
As a result of Malmsteen’s health-conscious attitude, his merch website even has its own ‘Supplements Power & Performance’ section. That’s where you can find all of the guitarist’s various supplements – as well as a yoga matt. Fancy holding a downward dog pose to the tune of Rising Force, anyone?
To find out more about the supplements, check out Malmsteen’s merch store.
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Steve Vai says this guitarist’s cover of And We Are One is “truly outstanding”
Steve Vai has stumbled across an unsung guitar hero who has “nailed” the guitar solo in a cover of his song, And We Are One.
Sharing a clip of the cover to his own Instagram page, Vai has praised the musician – who posts under the name of Tub Guitar – as doing a “truly outstanding” job. Vai feels the solo is one of the best he’s ever composed, so for Tub to receive such high praise from the creator himself is a pretty big deal.
At the time of writing, Tub Guitar has just over 500 followers on his Instagram page (which has been tagged by Vai), and over 1,000 on his YouTube account; numbers which are likely to skyrocket thanks to support from Vai.
The song was released in 2016, and comes from his Modern Primitive album. Tub plays through the song with a Steve Vai signature model no less, and even wears a Steve Vai inspired get-up.
Under the footage of Tub’s cover, Vai writes: “Hey folks, I came across this extraordinary cover of And We Are One by Tub Guitar. I never thought I would ever see anything like this. Frankly, this is one of my favourite solos that I’ve ever done and he just nailed it with all my quirky maneuvers. Seeing someone take the time, patience and passion to recreate something like this put a huge smile on my face and in my heart. Truly outstanding, my deepest appreciation to you ‘TUB’.”
You can check it out below:
In other Vai news, he’s currently still on tour with The SATCHVAI Band. The group, which launched in December last year, marks the first time in their nearly 50-year careers that Joe Satriani and Vai have formed a band of their own.
The project brings together their shared history, as Satriani served as Vai’s guitar teacher when they were teenagers. They remain on their Surfing With The Hydra tour, with shows continuing into early August.
You can find out more about The SATCHVAI Band via their official website, or check out more from the Tub Guitar YouTube channel.
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“This is a compliment and a diss at the same time from f**king Kirk Hammett!”: Tim Henson reacts to Kirk Hammett’s ‘boomer bends’ response
Tim Henson is rather excited that Kirk Hammett has responded to his ‘boomer bends’ comment that he made in 2021.
For those out of the loop this may all sound a little bit perplexing, but in 2021, Henson made a remark during a discussion alongside Tosin Abasi and Misha Mansoor for Rick Beato’s YouTube channel, when he said he avoids “guitar hero” techniques, including big bends that have a “boomer-ish” sound.
Three years on, that comment was then brought up to Hammett in an interview with Rolling Stone Music Now, in which he both praised Henson for his technical ability, but also questioned his opinion on said ‘boomer bend’.
In the interview, which was published in March this year, Hammett said, “I love that, but you know, is he gonna call Eddie Van Halen a boomer guitar player? I really like [Henson’s] style. It’s really unique, and in terms of technique, it’s amazing. But then, it’s the age-old question, how relatable is it? It’s good to listen to like three or four times. Can you really relate? Sometimes people just wanna listen to music and not feel challenged.”
Now, in his own interview with Rolling Stone, Henson is asked if he’s seen Hammett’s thoughts on the remark, and despite the Metallica guitarist’s mixed opinions, he’s pretty stoked to have been acknowledged by him, and even invites him for a beer and a chin wag about guitar.
“I got a Google alert for Polyphia, and I was like, ‘Oh, what’s this with Kirk Hammett?’ I click on it and I started reading and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God. This is a compliment and a diss at the same time from fucking Kirk Hammett!’” Says Henson.
“[Fellow Polyphia guitarist] Scott [LePage] is a Metallica head. Scott’s father is the singer in Kill ‘Em All, which is a Metallica cover band… So Scott got sad. But I was happy because in an interview that Kirk Hammett was doing about Hammett activities and the world of Kirk Hammett, my name was brought up!
“I appreciate that he even has thoughts about it. Kirk, if you are reading this one, thank you for the acknowledgement. You’re a fucking legend. Take us on tour, dude. Please. Seriously, man. Let’s talk about it over a beer, maybe!”
Both Polyphia and Metallica are touring this year – find out more via their respective websites.
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“A tribute to the spirit of creativity that defines this city”: Gibson marks 50 years in Nashville with the Les Paul Music City Special
Nashville has been the home of the Gibson guitar for half a century. To celebrate 50 years of its Tennessee guitars, the guitar giant is marking the occasion with the new 50th Anniversary Les Paul Music City Special.
The limited-edition Les Paul Music City Special serves as a sign of how far the company has come over the past five decades. Not only does it honour the company’s time at Music City, it’s also a meeting point of nostalgia and innovation, with a design inspired by Gibson’s 1970s Marauder.
That’s right – despite being classed as a Les Paul, anyone with eyes can spot that its a revival of the Marauder, a guitar beloved by Tool’s Adam Jones and Kiss’’ Paul Stanley.
While the dual humbucker set-up is certainly more in-line with the Les Paul, but there’s no denying its a re-vamped Marauder. The pair boast similar bodies, but the Marauder’s panel covers more of the body and has a Flying V-style headstock – the same markings of the Les Paul Music City Special. You could also argue it bares similarities to the S1.
Credit: Gibson
Available in Tobacco Burst, Wine Red and a classy black Ebony, the Les Paul Music City Special is made up of a poplar body, maple neck with a SlimTaper profile, and a striped ebony fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets. There’s also chrome hardware, Grover Mini Rotomatic tuners, and a nod to the past with its 70s Tribute humbucker pickups.
Credit: Gibson
“Marking 50 years of Gibson in Nashville, the limited-edition Music City Special model is a tribute to the spirit of creativity and individuality that defines this city,” Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product at Gibson, explains. “It draws on everything we’ve learned since opening our Gibson USA Craftory and channels it into something new and inspiring to play.”
Credit: Gibson
“We’re very proud to introduce the Music City Special,” Gibson Master Luthier Jim DeCola chimes in. “It pays homage to the Gibson Marauder of the ’70s as well as the city it is named after. It has been reimagined as a straightforward, yet versatile and functional instrument relevant for today’s working musician.”
Empire Music’s Justin Gentile has already had a hands-on experience with the guitar. A video run-down shows the guitar in action, and it showcases some bright and pleasingly snappy playing.
The Les Paul Music City Special is available now for £1,599, with a limited run of 650 models.
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Slash admits that he became “disillusioned” with the sound of his Marshall amps and the consistency of his sound
Slash has revealed why he made the switch to Magnatone amplifiers for the making of his 2024 blues record, Orgy Of The Damned.
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist had been working with Marshall for 30 years when news broke that he’d entered a partnership with the Magnatone brand in 2023. Slash also announced that a signature amp was in the works, which was later released as the SL-100, though he clarified he’d still continue his relationship with Marshall alongside his Magnatone work.
In a new video with the Magnatone brand, he now explains why he made the switch for Orgy Of The Damned, and how he first came to own one thanks to fellow GN’R guitarist, Richard Fortus.
“I sort of gradually made my way to Marshalls. [I] did a lot of trial and error with the different amps, and then I pretty much made my home with Marshall for a lot of years,” he begins [via Ultimate Guitar].
“Over time, I started to get… I don’t know what’s the best word for it, disillusioned, with maybe the consistency of my sound with the Marshall, or whatever it was. There were things I wanted to achieve that I wasn’t really getting out of those amps.
“And then I played a Magnatone one time, just by chance, really. I had one. I think Richard Fortus [GNR guitarist] gave it to me. I went to go do this blues record a couple of years ago, [and] I wasn’t looking for a wall of sound for the blues record. I wanted something that was more like a combo, 50-watt or less type of deal. So, I pulled out all these old combos that I had, and I saw the Magnatone.”
He continues, “I was familiar with them because [ZZ Top’s] Billy Gibbons was using them. So I pulled that in there, and I ended up using it for the whole pre-production process. Out of everything I had, I kept going back to that amp. When we went into the studio, I did the whole record with that amp.”
You can find out more about Slash’s SL-100 and his Purple Python series via the Magnatone website. Slash is still listed as a Marshall endorser on its website, where you can also find out what Marshall gear he’s used across his career.
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“Oh it was great, I’m going to do it again”: Folk guitar legend Martin Carthy reveals what happened the first time Davey Graham used heroin
![[L-R] Davey Graham and Martin Carthy](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Davey-Graham-and-Martin-Carthy@2000x1500.jpg)
Guitar legend Martin Carthy has revealed what his fellow folk guitarist and collaborator Davey Graham said the first time he tried heroin.
In a feature in the new issue of Record Collector, interviewer Rob Hughes points out a photo on the wall of Carthy’s house depicting him and Graham during a recording session in the ‘60s for Nadia Cattouse. Carthy recalls thinking the session went well during, but hearing his takes afterward and being less-than-impressed.
“I’ve still got a copy of the recording that we made that day, a version of Port Mahon [1965], written by Sydney Carter,” he explains.
“I thought I’d done a really good job, but when I put the record on, I went: ‘What the fuck is that?!’ It was absolutely terrible. I was playing this solo that was nonsense.”
He goes on: “On the way home from that session, Davey told me that he’d had his first fix the night before: ‘Oh, it was great, I’m going to do it again.’
“A week or so later, I saw [blues musician] Alexis Korner at a party near Cecil Sharp House. He shouted across the room to me: You know what the stupid bastard’s gone and done now, don’t you? He’s gone and registered himself.’
“In those days, you could get heroin free from the NHS if you were a registered addict.”
Davey Graham’s addiction to heroin was partly the result of him imitating his jazz hero contemporaries, according to an 2008 obituary by The Telegraph. He once described himself as a “casualty of too much self-indulgence”.
Despite his addiction, Graham’s influence on the guitar world is far-reaching, with many crediting him with inventing DADGAD tuning. DADGAD is popular among folk and fingerstyle guitarists for its open-string harmony, and arguably allows for more successful experimentation the length of the neck.
“I used to play in this place called the Witch’s Cauldron, which was on [London’s] Belsize Lane,” Martin Carthy continues in the Record Collector interview.
“Davey just came down one night, took out his guitar and started to play. He had incredible presence. Then he started to talk about what he was into, the particular kind of chord sequences and substitutions. This was big news for me.
“And he proceeded to show me all this stuff. As I was playing it, he was correcting me and showing me everything he knew. He didn’t keep secrets, he just wanted to share the whole time. He played Anji and laughed about it.
“He was just incredibly adventurous for the time, always way ahead of anything I’d ever done, because he was that imaginative. I just kind of gobbled up all that he gave me. Everybody who played the guitar in that particular circle really looked up to Davey.”
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“He had very specific-looking hands – they looked different to other people’s”: Dweezil Zappa recalls the time Eddie Van Halen visited his family home and taught him guitar
![Dweezil Zappa with Eddie Van Halen [inset]](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Dweezil-Zappa-EVH@2000x1500.jpg)
It’s not every day that Eddie Van Halen comes to your house and shows you how to play Eruption. But this is exactly what happened to Dweezil Zappa – son of Frank Zappa – one fateful day as a 12-year-old.
As he reveals in a new interview with Marshall, Van Halen had just called up his dad and Frank Zappa invited him round. The anticipation was immense for the fledgling guitarist – who was already obsessed with Van Halen – and as soon as the legend walked through the door, Dweezil thought: “OK you’ve got to play Mean Street, you’ve got to play Eruption.”
Dweezil eventually did get to hear him play those songs, but “as soon as [Van Halen] plugged in” he performed a short lick – and for Zappa’s son this was a profound glimpse into his unique style. Van Halen showed Dweezil that “you can use open strings” and “saw how his fingers moved”.
The next thing he immediately picked up on was how Van Halen “had very specific looking hands”. “His hands looked different to other people’s,” Zappa says. “The way his pinkie operated – I was fascinated with seeing it up close.
“But when I saw him play Eruption or Mean Street, I at least knew the area on the neck to start looking for when I wanted to try and figure stuff out. And that opened up the whole world of guitar playing for me.”
This would not be the last time that Zappa would hang out with Van Halen – the two would become lifelong friends with a mutual respect for each other’s playing. Eventually, “in a complete role reversal” it would be Dweezil who would teach Van Halen how to play a Zappa riff he couldn’t wrap his head around.
Earlier this year, Dweezil shared the moment with 100 FM The Pike: “He came to one of my shows back in 2010 and we were playing the song St. Alphonzo’s Pancake Breakfast… After the show, he came up. He said, ‘What’s that ‘pancake song’? What are you playing there?’ And I had to play this really difficult part and show it to him on the guitar.”
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One of 500 guitars recently donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art was actually stolen from the Rolling Stones by drug dealers in 1972
Back in May, it was revealed that over 500 of the “finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making” had been donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including Leo Fender’s first guitar to pre-war Martin acoustics.
But it’s now come about that one of those 500 instruments was a 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul, which was stolen from The Rolling Stones as they recorded their 1972 album, Exile on Main St.
As the story goes, the guitar – which was played by Keith Richards during the band’s 1964 Ed Sullivan Show appearance, as well as by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page in its lifetime – was one of nine guitars burgled from Villa Nellcôte, the mansion on the French Riviera where the Stones were recording Exile.
A saxophone belonging to Bobby Keys and bass belonging to Bill Wyman were also taken.
According to Louder, the robbery was reportedly committed by local drug dealers to whom Keith Richards owed money.
Credit: Kent Gavin/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
But the 1959 sunburst Les Paul actually belonged to Mick Taylor, according to Taylor’s business manager Marlies Damming. She explains that Taylor bought the guitar from Richards in 1967 prior to joining John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers after the departure of Peter Green.
“There are numerous photos of Mick Taylor playing this Les Paul, as it was his main guitar until it disappeared,” she says. “The interesting thing about these vintage Les Pauls is that they are renowned for their flaming, which is unique, like a fingerprint.”
According to Messy Nessy, Villa Nellcôte provided the Stones privacy from the press as they were recording the album. “But with Richards’ ever-present entourage of hanger-ons and drug dealers, nearly half of the furniture was missing from the house by the time their stay was over,” the publication goes on.
“Villa Nellcôte was such an open house that, one day in September 1971, burglars walked out of the front gate with nine of Richards’s guitars, Bobby Keys saxophone and Bill Wyman’s bass in broad daylight while the occupants were watching television in the living room,” says Stones researcher Jack Vanderwyk.
Now, a source tells pagesix.com that Mick Taylor “never received compensation for the theft and is mystified as to how his property found its way into the Met’s collection”.
Guitar.com has reached out to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for comment.
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Metallica lawyers take down US government drone video featuring Enter Sandman
The US government was recently forced to delete a video it had posted on X promoting military drone technology, set to Metallica’s Enter Sandman as a backing track.
The original video – posted on Friday (11 July) – saw Metallica’s 1991 mega-hit playing in the background as defense secretary Pete Hegseth spoke about the drone-building capabilities of the US military.
But Metallica’s lawyers quickly got in touch with the government to have the video taken down, after Enter Sandman was apparently used without permission.
The video was quickly taken down and re-uploaded otherwise identically, but this time without Enter Sandman.
“This afternoon, representatives from X reached out to DoD [Department of Defense] regarding a video posted to our social media page and asked that the video be removed due to a copyright issue with the song Enter Sandman by Metallica,” a spokesperson for the DoD said [via Louder]. “The video has been taken down, corrected, and re-uploaded to our page.”
Metallica’s representatives also confirmed to Rolling Stone that the track had been used without the band’s permission.
Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance @DOGE pic.twitter.com/esaQtswwDb
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) July 11, 2025
After a string of shows in the US for their ongoing M72 World Tour, Metallica recently paid tribute to their musical heroes Black Sabbath at the band’s monumental farewell show at Birmingham’s Villa Park.
Metallica were one of many metal juggernauts to appear on the day – also including Slayer, Pantera, Mastodon, Lamb of God and others – and all were granted relatively short set times.
Metallica’s set comprised six tracks in total, four of their own – Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Battery and Master of Puppets – and two Sabbath covers: Johnny Blade and Hole in the Sky.
For the latter – which happened to be the band’s opening track – guitarist Kirk Hammett wielded the CEO4, a one-of-a-kind SG guitar made by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian. The axe is set to be auctioned for charity, and we expect it to command a pretty high sale price given its short history…
View a full list of Metallica’s upcoming tour dates at their official website.
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Fractal Audio VP4 Virtual Pedalboard review: “you could sell your pedal collection and replace it with this”
$699/£749, fractalaudio.com
Back in 2015, partly in response to those players reluctant to give up their tube amps but who wanted access to the vaunted suite of top quality effects available on their flagship product – the hugely popular Axe-Fx 2 – Fractal Audio developed the FX8: a multi-effects pedal that contained all their effects, but none of their amps and cabs.
Prior to this, the only way to access Fractal’s effects alone was to run the Axe-FX 2 through the effects loop of your amp – something that the likes of Steve Vai, Satriani and Mike Keneally were doing at the time – so it made sense to create a standalone product.
The FX8 was another hit for the brand, offering a plethora of all the usual delays, reverbs, modulations and drives in a comfortably compact package – no less than Guthrie Govan was a fan.
But that was a decade ago now, and in the ever-evolving world of high-end DSP effects, that’s an awful long time. Fractal has updated most of its line-up in the intervening 10 years, and now it’s the turn of the FX8, which is being replaced in the lineup by a unit that arrived at the tail end of last year, dubbed the VP4.
Fractal Audio VP4 – what is it?
Like its predecessor, the VP4 is a high-end multi-effects unit that is derived from the flagship Fractal product of the time – in this case that means the Axe-Fx 3. Now, the Axe-Fx 3 is no spring-chicken itself – it’s been around since 2018 – but as with all modern modelling tech, the brand has been regularly supporting the product with new firmware updates, tones and tweaks ever since, so it’s bang up to date in that regard.
As people seem less and less inclined to make use of football pitch-sized pedalboards, it seems that modern manufacturers and users place footprint above a lot of things. So the VP4 is considerably smaller than the FX8 – it’s tiny in comparison really – but that does mean you’re now working with half the number of footswitches.
Just four footswitches here also means that you can only run four effects simultaneously, but as with the FX, you do get the full suite of pre- and post-amp effects including drives, delays, modulators, reverbs, and everything in between.
We also have a myriad of connection possibilities covering buffered analogue bypass, SPDIF digital I/O, MIDI I/O, and USB audio/MIDI capabilities. All the fun of the fair that you’d expect from a premium effects unit here in 2025.
Fractal Audio VP4 – do I place it in my effects loop or in front of the amp?
All the connectivity, plus the various pre- and post-amp effects on offer does present an interesting question out of the door… where does it live?
The easiest option is to run VP4 effects through the front of the amp, but what if you just want your drives up the front and your effects loop is the preferred destination for modulation and echo/reverb pedals?
The VP4’s various ins and outs allow you to do this courtesy of what’s known as the ‘four cable method’. This – surprise, surprise – uses four cables to connect the VP4 to the front of the amp and its effects. This enables us to run some effects before the amp (generally drives, pitch shifters, and wahs) and others through the amp’s effects loop – most commonly delay and modulation effects.
Unfortunately, this method is notorious for generating ground loop noise, which is a nightmare to eliminate. Some manage it using a hum-eliminator, but in my experience this slightly affects the tone in specific frequency ranges. We’ll see if the VP4 is similarly afflicted.
Image: Press
Fractal Audio VP4 – usability
The most important thing with any deep and involved multi-effects unit is the ease of navigation. The unit’s colour screen makes this a pretty straightforward process, but if you prefer to do your preset-sculpting on a desktop editor, the Fractal one is both easy to use, stable and in-depth – though you’ll have to connect it to your laptop via USB-C.
There are 50 presets loaded on board, all named to give some sort of indication of the sonic services they provide i.e. ‘Austin Stevie’. Loading up the default patch gives us four effects or ‘blocks’: a drive, chorus, delay, and reverb. Navigating to the routing menu we can select how we’d like to run each of these effects: ‘pre’ (front of amp) or ‘post’ (effects loop). We select the ‘1 pre’, ‘3 post’ option as we want to run the overdrive in front of the amp and the rest through the effects loop.
Once you’ve set up the preset, you can determine how you want the footswitches to behave. Currently I’m in ‘preset’ mode which means I’m able to use them to select different presets (banks of four pedals). There are a total of 104 presets available in 26 banks, which can be navigated by holding down one of the footswitches. Each preset has its own noise gate, EQ and volume levels, meaning that you can set each differently.
There is also the ‘scenes’ option which allows us four different configurations of each block. For example, in my current Scene A I have a TS808 in the drive block, a small hall in the reverb block, and a tape delay in the delay block.
Switching to Scene B (there’s also C and D) can utilise a different overdrive in the drive block and change to a plate reverb in the reverb block. Each scene can be configured differently and assigned to one of the four footswitches.
My preference, however, is to use the ‘pedal’ view whereby you can engage each effect using the corresponding footswitch.
Fractal Audio VP4 – sounds
To get things started, I set the VP4 up in four-cable mode and upon releasing the amp from standby mode, the first big surprise is, well… silence. As alluded to above, interference and ground loop hum is the bane of this kind of setup, but not so here. I can’t emphasise what a big deal this is for touring and gigging guitarists, and it’s certainly a first for me.
One of the biggest bugbears of multi-effects units is often the drive sounds – going all the way back to the first Line 6 POD, people have always complained that digital recreations don’t get the feel and response of a drive pedal right, and despite huge strides in technology in the last 20-plus years, that perception often holds.
The VP4 clearly wants to change that perception as it’s stocked with emulations of pretty much every classic pedal imaginable, from the Boss DS-1 to modern boutique stunners like the Vemuram Jan Ray.
Now, as something of a drive obsessive, I am fortunate enough to own a great many of these modelled pedals, so why not A/B them to see if this thing really does have the juice in the dirt stakes?
First up is the venerable Boss SD-1 – a bona-fide classic that pairs well with my EL34-powered Suhr Badger – and first impressions are impressive. It’s driving the amp in the same manner of an SD-1 – boosting the mids, smoothing out some of the harsher high-end frequencies and focussing the low end.
Engaging my own SD-1 with the same settings, the VP4 sounds very slightly brighter; however by turning its tone down a touch and adding a tiny fraction more gain the sound is near-identical.
Next up is the DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250, and it’s the same result – the tiniest of adjustments on the VP4 once again leads to a sound that’s almost impossible to differentiate. Another surprise is the notable lack of hiss when engaging the VP4 drive compared to its analogue counterpart.
It really is an impressive feat to accurately model analogue gear, retain its qualities but eliminate or diminish the more extraneous noise that none of us want – and it does it with so many classic pedals here. But enough about overdrives! What are the other effects like?
Delays and reverbs are our next stop and there’s a huge selection of both with the VP4. The tape delays are particularly rewarding, and I can see it in real-time replacing my new UA Orion tape delay pedal, with the ‘worn tape’ preset proving especially inspiring.
There are over 70 different reverbs with multiple parameters that allow you to dial in preferred pre-delay, decay, mix, etc. There are some hidden delights on board too such as the mysteriously named ‘Recording studio C’, which is a tight shimmery reverb ostensibly based on some very expensive analogue studio gear.
Fractal Audio VP4 – should I buy one?
Although Fractal will forever be synonymous with its incredible digital amp modelling capabilities, those in the know have been equally as desirous of their effects suite. The VP4 represents their most compact and inexpensive method of providing them for use with tube amps.
Onboard are literally thousands of pounds worth of unerringly accurate models of the greatest overdrive pedals ever created, along with studio quality modulation, pitch shifting, compressors and other effects.
The VP4 offers more than that though – it provides this accuracy without the addition of unwanted noise. And I’m not talking of the analogue noise that many of us have affection for – no, it’s the hiss from a drive pedal or the hum from the four-cable method.
While it’s obviously not a cheap thing, it starts to feel generous when you calculate what you’re getting for your money – you could easily sell a handful of pedals and take a dive with this, even if you’re wary of multi-effects in general.
And if you are apprehensive about taking the plunge into a modeller, my advice is simple – try one of these, you won’t be disappointed. It’s the best digital multi-effects unit I’ve ever used.
Fractal VP4 – alternatives
Much like the VP4, Line 6’s HX Effects ($549.99/£499) was designed to usurp your pedal collection and integrate with your favourite amp. Slightly larger than the VP4 but featuring eight footswitches and the ability to run nine effects simultaneously, its 213 different effect models make it vast in scope.
Not quite as guitar-centric is the Eventide H90 ($899/£799) a company who have led the way for decades with studio quality reverb, pitch shifting, and delays. The H90 packages many of these classics in a very petite unit including reverb and delays galore with some superb modulation and industry-defining pitch shift capabilities.
It would be remiss not to mention one of the first manufactures of multi-effects pedals, Boss, who still provide a huge range, one of which is their flagship GT-1000CORE ($659.99/£599) which features the full suite of their famous effects and access to virtual amps and cabs too, allowing up to 24 simultaneous effects blocks.
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