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Norse Guitar Feeds
Joe Perry is still hoping to buy back a red Höfner guitar that he regrets selling: “I saw a kid holding that guitar out for me to sign it… I regret having lost that”
Aerosmith’s Joe Perry has shared there’s one guitar of sentimental value that he’s hoping to be reunited with, after selling it on a whim and regretting it just a matter of months later.
The guitar, a red Höfner S-style guitar, was played by Perry in the 1990s when he would perform on the 4 July each year for Lake Sunapee locals with a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.
Speaking to Guitarist, he says, “I did that for a couple of years with that particular guitar, and as the years went on the guitar ended up getting back with my main collection. I was kinda in one of those moods at the end of the tour, and I had like 400 of these guitars that I never played.
“I said, ‘I gotta get rid of some of these things. It’s time to clean house a little bit.’ I earmarked a few guitars to go and somehow that guitar got on the list. And like three or four months later, I found out that it was gone and was like, ‘Next time, I gotta pay more attention to this. I’m not getting rid of anything else for a while.’”
Strangely enough, it was just a couple of years later that Perry came across the guitar again in a fleeting moment on a bullet train in Japan: “As the bullet train is pulling out 30 or 40 people follow us up there. As the train was moving along, I saw a kid holding that guitar out for me to sign it,” he remembers.
“The train was already moving, slowly pulling out, and the kid was holding it out with a Magic Marker. I’m thinking, ‘Man, I gotta get the kid’s number to see if I could buy it back or trade it for something else,’ because it did have some sentimental value, you know?
“But we were off to the next city, and at that point I didn’t have any ideas about how to get in touch with the guy. I suppose I could have tracked him down through the fan club and tried to figure out who it was, but it was lost.”
Perry is still hoping to get it back somehow. He says, “I’ll buy it back. I’ll trade it for something else, you know? It would be fun to get that back… I regret having lost that.”
The post Joe Perry is still hoping to buy back a red Höfner guitar that he regrets selling: “I saw a kid holding that guitar out for me to sign it… I regret having lost that” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I felt kind of bad about it”: Kirk Hammett offered Neal Schon’s Les Paul back to him after buying it for “half the price it was worth”
Kirk Hammett once copped a rare Les Paul owned by Journey’s Neal Schon for an uber-low price at an auction, and felt so guilty that he offered it back to him.
The guitar in question was sold via Heritage Auctions back in 2021 as part of a Neal Schon Collection. The model, which sold for $87,500 according to reports, is a 1957 Les Paul Standard fitted with P-90s, which had a rare factory black colour. Despite Hammett’s offer to give it back, it remains in his collection today.
Speaking at his live show in Dublin for Gibson’s The Collection: Kirk Hammett book tour, Hammett recalls (via MusicRadar), “This guitar used to belong to one of my all-time star heroes, a huge source of inspiration, Neal Schon. I got this in an auction, and I don’t know what was up, but I got this for like half the price that it was worth!”
He continues, “I felt kind of bad about it because I should have paid a fair price, but I paid a price that was lower than it should have been. So, I actually called Neal. I said, ‘Neal, do you want the guitar back?’ And he said, ‘No, man, you keep it. You buy it; you keep it.’
“Neal Schon, he’s such a cool, cool guy. I mean, he’s an amazing guitar player. He lives and breathes music. And to me, he’s just such an inspiration. I see how he conducts his life and how he plays, and his commitment and dedication to music. I was just like, ‘Yeah! That’s what I want to do, too.’ So I’m doing it.”
Watch the full conversation from The Collection live in Dublin below:
You can order The Collection: Kirk Hammett directly from the Gibson website. Find out where to see Metallica live on their M72 world tour.
The post “I felt kind of bad about it”: Kirk Hammett offered Neal Schon’s Les Paul back to him after buying it for “half the price it was worth” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Metallica have donated $100,000 to earthquake relief in Venezuela
Metallica’s charitable organisation, All Within My Hands, has donated $100,000 to earthquake relief in Venezuela, after the country was hit by back-to-back magnitude 7+ quakes last week.
On Wednesday, June 24, the South American country was struck by two massive earthquakes in quick succession, registering 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale. While the extent of the destruction hasn’t yet been fully assessed, over 68,000 people were reported missing within three days of the quakes, and the official death toll currently stands at over 2,500.
As per Blabbermouth, the United Nations reports that up to 6.8 million Venezuelans may be affected – a sizable chunk of the country’s 28.6 million total population. It’s also estimated that almost 60,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
Metallica’s $100,000 donation is going to Direct Relief, which is working with regional and local authorities to deliver emergency aid to those affected and support search-and-rescue operations. Direct Relief is also helping organise first-aid supplies, medicines and other healthcare for those affected by the earthquakes.
First established in 2017, Metallica’s non-profit All Within My Hands Foundation has donated millions to various causes around the world, from disaster relief to music education. To date the charity has provided grants of $19 million to education programmes through the Metallica Scholars Initiative, $8.8 million to food aid and $6.2 million to disaster relief.
The foundation notably donated half a million dollars to disaster relief efforts following the massive wildfires in California last year.
Speaking on Metallica’s own podcast – The Metallica Report – in 2024, the band’s frontman James Hetfield spoke about how much it means to him to be able to help people through All Within My Hands.
“There’s not really a better feeling in this world than helping someone else and doing it without telling [people] about it. There is something fantastic about that. It goes against everything that humans are – ‘I need this. You give me that. I need to take this,’” he said.
“Especially growing up in a band that was struggling, fighting for the only towel in the motel, or whatever it is, or ‘there’s a can of food there. I better get mine or else.’
“Just that sparseness mentality and having that key unlock it to be completely the opposite. Out of everything you’ve learned, despite everything I’ve learned, the corniest saying ‘it’s better to give than receive’ is so true.”
Learn more about the All Within My Hands Foundation.
The post Metallica have donated $100,000 to earthquake relief in Venezuela appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“We don’t hate Fender”: LSL Instruments praises Thomann’s lawsuit against Fender and hopes “normality” will return soon in its battle with the guitar giant
Boutique guitar brand LSL Instruments has provided an update on its ongoing legal battle with Fender, reassuring that it doesn’t have any hate for the company.
LSL Instruments was one of a number of brands to receive a cease-and-desist from Fender over alleged infringement on the Stratocaster body shape in recent months. It confirmed in June that it has hired attorney Ron Bienstock as its representative, who famously won a 2009 trademark case against Fender, in response.
Since then, instrument retailer Thomann has revealed that it is suing Fender over its campaign of cease-and-desists, and also confirmed that its sub-brand Harley Benton had received a letter over its guitar designs. While LSL is hoping for a return to normality, a new statement shares its gratitude for Thomann’s push back.
Johny Miller, Director Of Business Development at LSL Instruments, tells Guitar.com, “We have been getting a lot of old and new friends of LSL asking how we are doing through all of this. We are so appreciative of all the genuine concern from the guitar community. It’s kind of crazy. I have been doing this 25 years now. 10 of those years with [founders] Lance and Lisa at LSL, and the other 15 with two other well known brands and a handful of MI retailers.
“In all these years, I have known that there is in fact a ‘guitar community’ out there, but it has never been unified by any means until now. It is truly remarkable to say the least. What an unexpectedly positive outcome to something that started from such a negative beginning,” he says.
“To answer the question. We are stressed but we’re still here. We’re pretty well overwhelmed but very hopeful. Ron Bienstock has been so wonderful to work with and we are in good hands. Ron’s responses and Hans Thomann’s recent involvement have filled us with hope. Thank you Ron and thank you Hans! This stuff takes courage and the whole guitar world should be grateful for you both.”
Miller also confirms that LSL is still building guitars in the meantime, and will be releasing “a few new models” that are “different and unexpected” in the near future.
“I speak plainly here and can not speak for everyone else. We don’t hate Fender. Fender is Fender. We’d love nothing more than for them to exist and do what they do for people that want to own their products to support their legacy. But it has to happen the right way. That’s all we want for ourselves and every other builder out there as well. A chance to survive and have our brands, that we poured our life’s blood into for decades, outlive us. Anyone who is a ‘guitar person’ probably wants the same. We look forward to and hope for normality to return as soon as possible,” he adds.
“We also hope that Fender’s clear path to direct sales and retail locations worldwide is wildly successful. That statement may surprise you, but this would actually put a defining line between boutique guitars and Fender. We could finally be two separate realms with very little shared space. Unity in the boutique realm full of healthy competition and mutual respect, and a complete and total bifurcation between underdogs and giants. Full success on both sides. That sounds lovely doesn’t it? Stay unified guys! Unity prevails!”
Stay tuned to Guitar.com for further updates on the matter as we get them.
The post “We don’t hate Fender”: LSL Instruments praises Thomann’s lawsuit against Fender and hopes “normality” will return soon in its battle with the guitar giant appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e review: “This is a huge amount of fun”
$2,799, £2,699, taylorguitars.com
It’s barely been a year since Taylor’s launched its Gold Label series, but already Andy Powers’ more vintage-inflected take on the Taylor recipe is clearly proving an inspiring canvas – not just for the development of new standard models but increasingly as a starting point for collaborations with artists.
Taylor, as you may be aware, has taken a very considered and restrained approach to signature models over its first five decades, with only occasional offerings for the likes of Richie Sambora, Jason Mraz and Doyle Dykes getting the full artist instrument treatment.
Already, however, Gold Label has spawned one signature guitar – the rather impressive Trey Hensley 510e – and now we have another for a very different kind of musician, Ben Harper. Harper of course, was formerly a Martin signature artist, but in recent years has often been seen playing a slope-shoulder Taylor Grand Pacific 717e dread with an Indian rosewood back and sides, and a Sitka spruce top.
So what do you get the alt-rock superstar guitarist who has everything? Well, let’s find out.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – what is it?
The most striking thing to note about this new 512e is that it’s quite a departure from the Builder’s Edition Grand Pacific he’s more commonly associated with. The 512e is the first of the new Grand Concert-sized Gold Label models, and with its torrefied spruce soundboard and solid mahogany back and sides, it’s clearly meant to complement his existing guitars rather than replace them.
The Grand Concert shape is, of course, an iconic bit of Taylor design that has over 40 years of pedigree – it’s no surprise that it has arrived in Gold Label, one way or another. It’s also perhaps not a surprise that Harper was apparently so charmed by it when he first played a non-signature version – his Martin signature model was of the 000-adjacent M size, and there are similar vibes between the two.
The first thing I notice as I open the British Cocoa Bronco Taylor Deluxe hard shell case is that this is a visually striking instrument. Whereas the Gold label line has been an opportunity for Taylor to go nouvelle vintage with an aesthetic inspired by catalogue guitars of the mid-20th century, the Ben Harper Gold Label 512e leans into a Depression era vibe with a simple but effective design language.
Anyone still trumpeting the line that Taylor Guitars lack visual character needs to have one of these waggled in their faces for a bit.
Any torrefaction process will inevitably darken sitka spruce to a caramel colour and this guitar features a beautifully applied edgeburst to make the most of this colouration. This balances nicely with the cream scratch plate, inlays and body binding. The Honduran rosewood fretboard, bridge and peghead veneer lend a lighter shade of pale to the organic, desert-dwelling vibe.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – build and playability
This guitar is built around a 24-7/8” scale length and features a neo-tropical mahogany neck carved to Taylor’s standard specifications. As noted in previous reviews, this slim profile is ideal for guitarists who play the instrument with a wrap-around thumb approach to root six barre chords – it’s an immediate and comfortable squeeze.
The knowledge that the guitar features Taylor’s Action Control Neck design will bring peace of mind to many players who find regular action adjustments to be a part of guitar ownership.
The guitar feels balanced in the lap – albeit with the inevitable neck plunge typical of 14-fret smaller-body instruments. There’s no cutaway, but that’s par for the course with the Gold Label series at the time of writing and certainly not a dealbreaker in this case.
Similarly, the Sitka spruce soundboard is braced with Andy Powers’ Fanned V-Class bracing with Tonal Rout. Whether this newer approach will imbue the instrument with a voice that matches the vintage visuals remains to be seen.
Plugged-in duties are taken care of courtesy of Taylor’s new Claria active pickup and preamp, which features a soundhole-mounted control system allowing you to tweak your sound via volume, mid-contour and tone wheels. Once you remember which is which, it’s a simple enough arrangement.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – sounds
From seminal albums such as The Will To Live and Both Sides Of The Gun to various live EPs and albums, Ben Harper’s acoustic guitar work is characterised by a delicate balance of nuanced detail and articulation and earthy, warm tones to support his vocals. This is not an easy thing to pull off – especially in a brand-new guitar – but this 510e does a sterling job.
Gentle fingerstyle, with the fingertips only, brings out a breathy, whispery tone that is strong in the fundamentals as I’d expect from a mahogany instrument. The trebles shimmer nicely and the bass… well, it’s what you’d hope for with a smaller-bodied instrument played softly: articulate and supportive rather than dominating.
It’s time to inject some medium vibes with a .70mm tortoiseshell pick – the results are eye-opening as the torrified spruce soundboard works its magic. Gone is the slightly hazy fingerstyle sound, replaced with a treble-heavy and articulate shimmer. This is ideal for arpeggiated lines as well as open-string chords up the neck. The balance here is particularly impressive, and as the top benefits from the extra oomph, the bass perks up considerably too.
This is a huge amount of fun, and I can imagine this voice working extremely well in the studio in front of big fat mics with little need for EQ or compression – even when stacked over multiple tracks.
Image: Adam Gasson
While they might not be the first choice for the solo fingerstyle guitarist, Taylors do tend to love open tunings, and the Harper 512e is no exception. It does the shimmery, 11th chord DADGDAD thing very well indeed and dropping into a low-slung Orkney tuning (CGDGCD) yields a pleasing growl across the whole sonic spectrum, which also works beautifully with a slide.
Plugging straight into my studio desk reveals an immediately usable voice from the Claria active pickup system. This is a relief, and it’s worth taking a proper look here as the Claria pickup is streets ahead of the ES2 pickup that came as standard in Taylor Guitars for many years.
As with its predecessor, the controls are unlabelled, but the volume dial is on its own, closest to the bridge, whereas the mid contour and treble controls sit closer to the fretboard end in that order.
Whereas the volume control is smooth all the way from zero to hero, both EQ dials are notched in the centre, and this default position is a very musical starting point for my amplified explorations. It’s actually quite impressive how much of the acoustic voice of the instrument comes through the speakers, no matter how you attack the note.
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – should I buy one?
It is increasingly clear that Taylor has struck gold with their Gold Label Series, and I, for one, will be fascinated to see what comes next – especially as it seems to have opened up a rich new seam of artist collaboration.
As far as the Ben Harper Gold Label 512e is concerned, though, this is a characterful and vibey small-bodied acoustic guitar with a very musical and versatile sound. Add in the impressive new Claria pickup system, and it’s an impressive all-round package.
Image: Adam Gasson
Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e – alternatives
If you want a guitar with similar dimensions but more of a traditional Taylor sound and aesthetic, the new Next Generation 512ce ($2,799/£2,599) has a cutaway and even sports the same impressive Claria pickup system. Martin certainly offers a more conventional fit to the GL’s vintage sensibilities, and the all-mahogany 00-15M ($1,799/£1,849) certainly has a vibe about it, as does the similarly Depression-coded new Gibson L-00 Century 12-Fret ($2,299/£1,999).
The post Taylor Ben Harper Gold Label 512e review: “This is a huge amount of fun” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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