premier guitar

OctOber 2013

PEDAL FEST! 30 REVIEWS INSIDE MU-TRON, JHS, & XTS REaDER bOaRDS

WARREN HAYNES / RUSSIAN CIRCLES / DEREK TRUCKS & SUSAN TEDESCHI

premierguitar.com

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premierguitar.com8 PREMIER GUITAR OCTOBER 2013

Publisher Jon Levy

EDITORIAL Editor in Chief Shawn Hammond

Managing Editor Tessa Jeffers Senior Editor Andy Ellis Senior Editor Joe Gore

Gear Editor Charles Saufley Senior Art Editor Meghan Molumby

Associate Editor Chris Kies Associate Editor Rich Osweiler

Associate Editor Jason Shadrick Video/Photo Editor Daniel Dorman

Photo Editor Kristen Berry

PRODUCTION & OPERATIONs Operations Manager Shannon Burmeister

Circulation Manager Lois Stodola Production Coordinator Luke Viertel

sALEs/MARKETING Advertising Director Brett Petrusek Advertising Director Dave Westin Marketing Manager Nick Ireland

Multimedia Coordinator Matt Roberts

GEARhEAD COMMUNICATIONs, LLCChairman Peter F. Sprague

President Patricia A. Sprague

Managing Director Gary Ciocci

WEBsITEs Our Portal

premierguitar.com Our Online Magazine:

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The information and advertising set forth herein has been obtained from sources believed to be Gearhead Communications, L.L.C., however, does not warrant complete accuracy of such information and assumes no responsibility for any consequences arising from the use thereof or reliance thereon. Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement or space reservation at any time without notice. Publisher shall not be liable for any costs or damages if for any reason it fails to publish an advertisement. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Premier Guitar is a publication of Gearhead Communications, L.L.C.

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Distributed to the music trade by Hal Leonard Corporation.

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Guitarists are selfish pigs (yes, bassists, too). At least thats what most people would think if they knew our dirty little secret. Even the most normal and well-adjusted among us is afflicted with a mind-boggling disease. Whole seasons of reality television could be dedicated to the condition, but people would still be scratching their heads trying to figure out how we function in societyhow we walk amongst them undetected, every day.

I speak, of course, of our insatiable appetite for little metal boxes to stomp upon and twiddle with. If theres one area in which were completely self-indulgent, irrational, and clinically obsessive, its pedals. When The Matrixs Agent Smith berated Morpheus with, You [humans] move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area, he was about to add, especially Ted and his ridiculous pedalboards. But then he thought, [Expletive]wrong Keanu movie.

But thats because these ignoramuses/artificial intelligences just dont get itthey dont know the power of the pedal. What society will never understand is that our addiction is perfectly rational: While they collect stamps, comic books, gaming systems, and/or entire planets full of metabolizing beings by which to power intra-galaxy conquests, we do what we do because it facilitates something productive and (relatively) harmless to other beings: the aural radness we call music.

While significant others and hypothetical watchers of the aforementioned Pedal Hoarders program see our stompaholism as a subhuman obsession with bright colors and flashing lights, a failure to progress beyond juvenile dreams of fame, life-inhibiting and bank-account-draining indecisiveness, and/or compensatory behavior thats indicative of how we view our mothers, we know very well that, on a number of levels, collecting pedals is the most practical means of er, well, effecting change in our relentless pursuit of kick-ass tone.

I mean, lets face it: Once youve pinpointed the big-ticket itemsthe type of instrument and amp you dig most theres no easier way to experiment with new textures, timbres, and miscellaneous weirdness than by trying out a new stomp. Whether you lean solidbody or semi-hollow, beefy or skinny neck, single-coil or humbucker, a new floor friend will fit into your tried-and-true rig without requiring you to adapt to a new form factor. Its a seasoning you can add a smidge or generous shake of without having to adjust to a new body, bridge, or neck, and without having to alter your technique, attack, or settings to make up for how everythings interpreted by, say, an EL34 power section versus a 6V6. And it goes without saying that, for the vast majority of effects, buying a new box o spice is a hell of a lot cheaper than ponying up for a new axe or amp.

You and I both know the watertight logic of this explanation will never keep them off our cases, though. Even if they feign understanding, our non-guitarist parents, friends, and lovers will never believe that, though last months analog delay is incredible, you somehow now prefer the deliciously pristine signal of your new digital unit. And dont even think about trying to explain why youre sure this next fuzz pedal will sound more amazing than the previous 20 in any quantifiable way.

Same goes for the 30 killer boxes reviewed in this issue. We, your fellow addicts, understand why youre going to skip dinner to read them ASAPbut dont waste your breath on anyone else.

Proud Hoarders BY SHAWN HAMMOND

Shawn [email protected]

Youll never catch me trying

to explain to my wife why

my pedalboard doesnt have

a single effect thats more than three years old.

Clockwise from top left: Strymon Blue

Sky Reverberator, TC-Helicon

Mic Mechanic (for vocals),

EarthQuaker Devices

Tone Reaper, Planet Waves tuner, Keeley Compressor, Pigtronix Fat Drive, Ibanez

ES-2 Echo Shifter, Goodsell

Valpreaux 21 tremolo-circuit

footswitch.

@PG_shawnh

+ Available Everywhere martinguitar.com


Keep those comments coming!Please send your suggestions, gripes, comments, and good words directly to [email protected].

Mad for ModsI read Dirk Wackers article on Strat mods [The Fabulous Four, September 2013] with interest. In 1965, I presented my dad with two problems. My 62 L series (pictured above) had a 3-way switch and I often used the in-between settings, which just took too longplus I wanted any combination of pickups. After making a wiring diagram, he installed three switches (bedside-lamp types) on the lower scratchplate, giving me what I wanted la the article. My other problem was switching from rhythm to leadI wanted to preset my leads to prevent having to stop the rhythm too soon. Unbeknownst to us, he devised a Jazzmaster-type wiring by isolating the neck pickup with a switch and volume control. He mounted these on an aluminum plate he had lying around in his garage, and screwed it onto the upper horn area. Clever man, my dad, but I reckon we missed a great business opportunity.Bruce Boome,

South Africa

Shawn,I have a couple complaints about the [September 2013] issue but before I get into it, let me say that the job that you and your staff do is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Thats why I subscribe and will continue to.

However, I felt the need to vent a little frustration mostly because I love to rewire guitars. I live on the Seymour Duncan wiring site. So to say I was a little let down with The Fabulous Four article is an understatement. The 7 Sound Strat (Carvin wiring) was cool to see, because I dont think its been covered before in past issues. The other sections were, I felt, a little lacking.

The Super Strat section was the most disappointing. Treble bleed!? When I think Super Strat I tend to think anything goes, because thats how they started when EVH and Vai made guitars specifically for their playing. So there are many optionsfrom out of phase and series on a 5-way switch to one pickup with a 5-way switch for series, parallel, north coil, south

coil, and full HB, or the Super Switch wiring.

All that said, I wouldnt have felt the need to write but I saw that you guys reviewed a Pagelli guitar selling for $35,000. Yeah, its cool to see those builders guitars in the magazine, and I commend you for finding them and giving them publicity. Those are the guys who are innovating design that will trickle down to us bottom feeders. But a review? Heres what the review needed to say, Its awesometrust uswith a small undertone of, Our job just kicked your jobs ass.

All in all, you guys do a great job. In the three years of reading the magazine this is my first complaint, so keep up the greatness.nick Minni

Seymours SirenIm in the middle of reading the September issue, and I have to say the article about Ms. Juarez [Seymour Duncans Custom Shop Queen] is absolutely fantastic. What an incredibly cool and humble person, and a great asset to Seymour Duncan and his company. Its nice to read about amazing people doing very necessary behind-the-scenes work on the instruments that we love so much. This is the most enjoyable builder profile Ive read to this point. Please keep up the great work. Thank you very much.Anthony Guanci,

via premierguitar.com

@premierguitar: Question of the day

gearheads: How many pedals is too many?

#pedaljunkie When they cant fit in your house, its

too many.Oren Levy,

@Oren_S_Levy

The correct number of pedals is more pedals.

Joel Jolly, @Joelly_Jolly

The real question is how many pedalboards are too

many? #gearheadAnDrew Miller, @Drew_JMiller

Great article from Shawn Hammond in the July issue [How to Play Beyond Compare,

Tuning Up]. I always find myself comparing myself to people I see online and live (I have some really

talented friends). At times, Ive hidden behind the

mindset that Ill never be good as [insert favorite

guitarist]so why try? I really have to remember that you have to stop comparing yourself to others and just play. Thanks for the simple

reminder! John Sinambal

FEEDBACK LOOPSocialize with us!

2013 FMIC. FENDER is a registered trademark of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

fender.comNEW FENDER COMPETITION SERIES

DRIVE, DELAY, DISTORT, CHORUS

AND HAMMERTONE SERIES PEDALS VOLUME, WAH (COMING SOON)

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When you see footage of Mad Dogs and Englishmen running down the road, you

think, That looks fun. Lets put a bunch of crazy bastards in a vehicle and roll.

Derek Trucks, pg 72

CONTENTs October 2013

111

DIY: PEDALBOARDHow to construct a

reliable and easy-to-use pedalboard.

63

XACT TOnEThis Nashville-based outfit builds for Tom Petty, Oz Noy, Keith

Urban, and more.

200

READER PEDALBOARDSWe asked, and you

delivered fun pictures of your own stomping

grounds.

41

Mu-TROnMike Beigel talks about

the rise and fall of Musitronics.

51

JHS PEDALSHandbuilt stompboxes

for the people.

126

PEDAL ROunDuP

We test 30 delectable guitar and bass stomp-boxes for every taste

and then some.

184 Fano Alto de Facto GF6187 Crimsontone Moro190 Music Man Classic Sabre

REVIEWS

72

DEREK TRuCKS & SuSAn TEDESCHI

The on- and offstage duo keeps it all in

the family.

81

RuSSIAnCIRCLES

An inside look at the recording of Memorial

at Steve Albinis Electrical Audio studio.

94

GOVT MuLEWarren Haynes and

company celebrate 20 years together.

ARTISTS

36

JOSH SMITHHow an L.A. bluesman

balances his session work with a solo career.

When you see footage of Mad Dogs and Englishmen running down the road, you

think, That looks fun. Lets put a bunch of crazy bastards in a vehicle and roll.

reliable and easy-to-use pedalboard.

Petty, Oz Noy, Keith Urban, and more.

Alto de Facto GF6

Classic Sabre


20 news Bits22 Gear Radar25 Opening notes192 Media Reviews194 Staff Picks220 next Month in PG222 Esoterica Electrica224 Last Call

GEAR30 Rig Rundowns48 Modern Builder Vault60 Vintage Vault70 Trash or Treasure78 Tone Tips92 Guitar Tracks

HOW-TO102 Acoustic Soundboard104 Guitar Shop 101106 Bass Bench108 On Bass120 Mod Garage122 Ask Amp Man124 State of the Stomp

The stuff that comes out

of American brains has made

the world a better place,

and our music remains one

of our greatest contributions. John Bohlinger,

Last Call

Phot

o by

Dar

ren

Bouc

her

CONTENTs October 2013

On the Cover: (left to right): Mission Engineering VM-Pro,

Celmo Pimento Sardine, and Endangered Audio

Research AD4096

OCTOBER 2013

PEDAL FEST! 30 REVIEWS INSIDE MU-TRON, JHS, & XTS READER BOARDS

WARREN HAYNES / RUSSIAN CIRCLES / DEREK TRUCKS & SUSAN TEDESCHI

premierguitar.com

OCTOBER 2013

premierguitar.compremierguitar.com104 PREMIER GUITAR OCTOBER 2013 PREMIER GUITAR OCTOBER 2013 105

JOHN LEVAN, Nashville guitar tech, has written five guitar repair books, all published by Mel Bay. His bestseller, Guitar Care, Setup & Maintenance, is a detailed guide with a forward by Bob Taylor. LeVan welcomes questions about his PG column or books. Drop an email to [email protected]

1. Machine heads, tuners, tuning keys, gears, or pegs: Whatever you call them, these devices determine how easily your guitar gets in tune and stays there. Its worth investing in high-quality tuners, but do some homework before you upgrade. 2. Boasting art-deco knobs and cast housings, these sealed Grover Imperial tuners are often found on archtop jazz guitars. 3. A relatively recent arrival to todays tuner scene, Waverly keys have rekindled interest in the old-school, open-gear design. They may look like ancient, inexpensive keysthe kind once used on budget or student guitarsbut theyre precision machines. 4. Using a flathead screwdriver to remove vintage-style mounting screws. 5. Most modern keys use Phillips-head screws. 6. Removing a keys threaded collar using a 10 mm nut driver. 7. Dont attempt to tighten a threaded collar or bushing with an adjustable crescent wrenchit can slip and mar the collar or headstock. 8. Some tuners have one or two alignment pins instead of screws. Carefully check your guitar before buying replacement tuners to assure a correct match.

(flathead or Phillips) and sometimes a 10 mm nut driver or a deep-well socket.

With the strings removed, unscrew the mounting screws on the back of the headstock, then (if applicable) remove the threaded collar that surrounds the post with a 10 mm nut-driver. If your guitar has press-in bushings, I recommend leaving them in. Removing the bushings can damage the finish or wood surrounding the post hole.

When installing the new keys, insert the key into the hole, install the screw on the back of the headstock, and then finally tighten the threaded collar. Do not use an open wrench or adjustable wrench on the collar. The wrench can slip and butcher the nut or put a big ding in your headstock. A nut driver or deep-well socket lets you apply gentle downward pressure as you tighten the threads and this keeps the tool in place.

Caution! Be careful when tightening the screws and the collar. If you over-tighten the screws, youll strip the headstock wood. This damage can be repaired, but it requires gluing dowels into the headstock. If you over-tighten the collar, it will strip the threads and ruin the collar. Damage to the collar is irreversible, and youll have to buy another tuner.

Screwless keys. One more thing: Some tuning keys dont attach to the headstock with screws. Instead, they have one or two alignment pins on the underside of the shell that insert into the back of the headstock. Check this carefully when you replace your keys and make sure you buy the correct style to fit your guitar.

1

2 3

4

5 6

7 8

A good set of tuning keys can make an enormous difference in how well your guitar performs. Many guitars come from the factory with inexpensive tuning keys, so its usu-ally a good idea to upgrade them. But before you open your wallet, be sure you choose the correct keys for your guitar. Trying to install keys that dont fit prop-erly can devalue your instrument and cause mechanical problems. Fortunately, you can avoid these issues with a little knowledge.

Some background. Guitarists and luthiers use various names for tuning keys, including machine heads, tuning gears, tuning pegs, and of course, tuners. In the early days of the guitars evolution, there was little choice when it came to replacing your keys. Only a few companies made geared keys. Before that, most lutes and guitars used friction pegs, like those found on a violin. These pegs were generally made from hardwoods and were very difficult to use.

One of the first known manufacturers of a geared tuning key was John Frederick Hintz, who developed his device in 1766. It was revolutionary at the time, but became obsolete by the 1800s when John Preston developed a superior design. Most antique keys had a very low turning ratio and were poorly geared. The result was tuners that would slip out of tune, making life difficult for performers.

Fast forward to the present, where we have dozens of choices. Gotoh, Sperzel, Waverly, Grover, Planet Waves, Kluson, and Schaller are among the manufacturers of high-quality tuners, and these companies offer models that retrofit most guitars and provide superior gearing.

Decoding a tuners ratio. When describing their tuners, manufacturers include a ratio in the specs. This two-digit number tells you how many times you have to turn the tuning keys button for the string post to make one full revolution. The lower the gear ratio, the fewer times you have to turn the

button for the post to make a revolution. Conversely, the higher the ratio, the more times you have to turn the button for the post to revolve completely.

Because a higher gear ratio lets the post rotate in smaller increments, you have more control over the tuning process. In other words, an 18:1 ratio offers a finer degree of control than an 11:1 ratio. Lower ratio keys make it harder to reach a precise string tension, and this can cause you to jump past the desired note as you tune up.

Modern replacement keys have a much higher gear ratio than vintage keys. For example, modern Grovers have ratios

from 14:1 to 18:1. New Klusons are as high as 19:1. Gotohs range from 14:1 to 28:1, and Graph Techs new Ratio sets have variable ratios, from 39:1 on the low E to 12:1 on the high E.

But theres more to consider than just the gear ratio. If you have a vintage guitar (or an expensive modern instrument), I recommend installing direct replacement keys that dont require modifications. Why? Drilling new holes or enlarging existing ones will devalue the instrument.

For a vintage axe, always store the original keys in a safe place to preserve them. Gotoh, Kluson, and Grover make excellent direct replacements that typically offer higher ratios than vintage tuners, but are otherwise a drop-in retrofit for Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, and other popular models. Do your research to find the right tuner, and you can make a clean installation with simple hand tools. Well cover this in a moment.

If you have a modern instrument and decide to install tuners that arent direct replacements, be aware that this usually affects the guitars tone. When you change mass on the headstockby adding heavier or lighter hardwareit changes

how the neck responds to string vibration. Its hard to predict exactly how the tone will changeand guitarists debate this endlesslybut if you like how your guitar currently sounds, think twice before you install non-direct replacement tuners.

Locking keys. If your guitar has a vibrato arm or tremolo bridge, locking tuners can really help you keep in tune. Locking tuners clamp the string in place either by using a rod inside the post or a collar that wraps around the post. Both methods are effective and eliminate the need to wind the string around the post more than once. When you eliminate multiple windings, the string doesnt have

to reseat itself on the post when it returns to pitch after being slackened. Companies that make direct locking replacements for existing keys include Planet Waves, Schaller, Sperzel, and Gotoh.

Staggered-height posts. If you have a flat headstock with six tuners in a single rowlike those on a Fenderthink about upgrading to tuners that have staggered-height posts. On most guitars, staggered-height tuners eliminate the need for string trees, and this too can improve tuning stabilityespecially on guitars with whammy bars. Staggered tuners typically have posts in three sizes: strings 1 and 2 take the shortest posts, strings 3 and 4 take the medium ones, and strings 5 and 6 use the tallest.

If staggered-height tuners arent direct replacements for your existing tuners, remember that changing the mass on your headstock has sonic consequences. You might actually like this, but you cant really predict the outcome in advance.

Changing your keys. If you select direct replacements for your existing keys, installing the new ones is a simple process. Typically, you need a small screwdriver

GUITAR SHOP 101

A Players Guide to Tuning KeysSTORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN LEVAN

Because a higher gear ratio lets the post rotate in smaller increments, you have more control over the tuning process.

GORE, ELIXIR, NANOWEB, POLYWEB, GREAT TONE LONG LIFE, e icon, and other designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates. 2013 W. L. Gore & Associates, (UK) Limited

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Elixir Strings Acoustic Phosphor Bronze deliver distinctive phosphor bronze warmth and sparkle - together with extended tone life. Elixir Strings is the only coated string brand to protect the entire string, keeping tone-killing gunk out of the gaps between the string windings. Our innovative Anti-Rust Plated Plain Steel Strings prevent corrosion, ensuring longer life for the entire set.Guitarists tell us Elixir Strings retain their tone longer than any other string, uncoated or coated.

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FEATuRED

LESSOnS

BEYOnD BLuESPlaying the Right Minor

Blues ChangesBy Levi Clay

STYLE GuIDEThe Guitarists Guide to

the CAGED SystemBy Mike Cramer

RHYTHM RuLES Syncopated

16th-note RhythmsBy Alex Nolan

JAzz BOOT CAMP 6 Essential Solo

Guitar TricksBy Doug Munro

TWAnG 101 Bending Through a Scale

By Lyle Brewer

Access all of our lessons online, for free, with streaming audio and

downloadable, printable notation PDFs.

OnLY On PremierGuitar.comYour guide to the latest stories, reviews, videos, and lessons on PremierGuitar.com

Gear Porn: zz Top, Tedeschi & TrucksYou can never get enough ZZ Top, right? Thats why were showing you the touring rigs of Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. After readsing our interview with Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi on p. 72, head online to see even more of their favorite gear. Then see what North Mississippi Allstars frontman Luther Dickinson has to say about working with Robert Plant, as well as the sons of famed bluesman R.L. Burnside.

Pedals from the PeopleWe asked, you delivered and then some! To commemorate our annual pedal blowout, we solicited PG faithful for a rundown of your personal pedalboards, and the response was overwhelming. With dozens upon dozens of responses, were enlightening you with multiple galleries of these reader pedalboards. In the meantime, you can get a small glimpse of reader boards in our Pedal Alley on p. 196.

GO OnLInE

Martin Rowell (Wild Frontier) has an MXR compressor, an Ibanez delay, a Yamaha chorus, a Boss flanger, a Dean Markley Overlord, a Boss tuner, and a StarTouch A/B pedal to switch channels on his 65 Fender Deluxe. Clearly, its been lab tested. Ab

ove

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Our new L1 Model 1S offers the portability and flexibility of the L1 family with

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CRUIsEYes and Marillions Cruise to the Edge 2014Miami, FL Prog legends Yes and Marillion are teaming up for Cruise to the Edge, a full-ship charter departing from Miami on April 7, 2014, for five days and nights. Passengers will visit various Caribbean ports including Isla de Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico. Cruisers can expect multiple concert sets from Yes, Marillion, Steve Hackett and Genesis Revisited, UK with Eddie Jobson, Queensryche, Tangerine Dream featuring Edgar Froese, Renaissance with Annie Haslam and many more.

There will be multiple stages aboard the MSC Divina, and other performing artists include Saga, Three Friends, Patrick Moraz, PFM, Lifesigns, Stickmen featuring Tony Levin, IO Earth, Strawbs, Soft Machine (Legacy), Scale the Summit, and more. Famous Yes album designer Roger Dean will be on board to discuss his backstory and his collaborations with the band.

In addition to the concerts, prog-rock fans will enjoy The Prog Panels Q&A sessions, Behind The Music presentations, meet and greet sessions (with select artists), a Bon Voyage Sail-Away Party plus other special events and activities.

Yes will once again host Cruise to the Edge this coming April 2014, says Chris Squire of Yes. Our first cruise turned out to be a lot of fun and I thoroughly recommend the experience. If youre a prog-rock fan, even better as we have amassed a spectacular array of support talent for the cruisesee you there!

Tickets are on sale now and practically everything is included starting at $799 per person, double occupancy.cruisetotheedge.com

TOURJeff Beck and Brian Wilson Join ForcesLos Angeles, CA Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck and Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson will embark on a 28-city tour this fall, kicking off September 28 in Tampa, Florida. Wilsons former bandmates Al Jardine and David Marks will join the tour as well.

Fans will see a unique experience with different combinations of players and material throughout the live show. Beck, Wilson, Jardine, and Marks will open the show together performing a string of hits. From Little Deuce Coupe to Custom Machine, the show will then focus on eclectic selections from Wilsons vast repertoire, drawing from

nEWS BITS

GUITARDOMsTOP TWEETs

Im not bummed on Affleck. @MisfitJoker96. I think Ben Affleck would make a good Bruce Wayne,

just not a good BatmanScott Ian,

@Scott_Ian

Kindly go f*@! yourself. Oops, wrong recipient.

Me, 1st thing this morning. Dont text before

coffee. iiiiSlash,

@Slash

Couldnt get my drummer to let us paint him blue tonight in Vegas.So I just told him Im not paying

him tonite. Now hes blue. Figuratively.Brad Paisley,

@BradPaisley

INCOMING!!! The Guitar Stork of DOOM

just stopped by... ZW/MODERNE of DOOM Prototype II from Gibson

has arrivedzakkWylde,

@zakkWyldeBLS

Yesterday @GaryClarkJr posted an awesome photo of the custom copper Cry Baby we made for him.

Jim Dunlop uSA, @jimdunlopusa

premierguitar.com PREMIER GUITAR OCTOBER 2013 21

50 years of Beach Boys classics along with his rich solo catalog. Beck opens the second half of the show, backed by a four-piece rhythm section to perform selections from his solo career. Wilson, Jardine, and Marks will then come in to offer their distinctive harmonies on some of Becks classics. All four remain onstage for a massive finale of the musicians favorite songs from their youth, and for the first time ever, some classic Yardbirds material.brianwilson.com

hIATUsBlack Crowes Announce Hiatus for 2014Atlanta, GA After their remaining 2013 concerts, the Black Crowes will focus on solo releases and projects in 2014. Lead singer/guitarist Chris Robinson says, This year in the Black Crowes has reaffirmed my belief in the power of music and the power of love. Cant wait to see what the future holds, long live rock and roll!

Guitarist/vocalist Rich Robinson was equally positive. The tour this year has been incredibly positivefrom our own shows, and into the Tedeschi Trucks tour where we found our musical soul mates. Really great vibes all around.. Drummer Steve Gorman went even further, adding: The tour this year has been a great run, and were looking forward to the fall dates in a lot of our favorite towns. The turnout and response from the fans has been overwhelming. After 23 years of doing all we could to kill this beastand I mean we really threw everything we had at it but just couldnt get it to dieI think its obvious that the best course of action is to enjoy it as much as we can. Remaining tour dates can be found on the bands website.blackcrowes.com

fIRECole Clark Warehouse Fire Damages Top $1 MillionMelbourne, Australia A fire broke out at Cole Clarks factory in Melbourne on August 28. About 30 people were in the warehouse when the fire broke out and all escaped without injury. Officials believe the blaze originated in the factory paint booth. CEO Miles Jackson estimates the damages between $1 and $2 million and expects to be out of production for up to two months. coleclarkguitars.com


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Steve VaiJuly 15, 2013Enmore TheatreSydney, AustraliaPhoto by Ben Hosking

Steve Vai lights up the stage Down Under with Bo, a mirror-topped Ibanez JEM with SimS Custom LED position markers thats his go-to axe for performing Building the Church.

OPEnInG nOTES


Ira KaplanJuly 7, 2013 Garrison CommonToronto, CanadaPhoto by Andrew Dubinsky

Yo La Tengos guitar man pulls a huge downward bend on one of his two stock 1967 Fender Coronado IIs on the closing day of Torontos Urban Roots Festival.

OpenIng nOtes


Jim AdkinsAugust 3, 2013Parc Jean-DrapeauMontreal, CanadaPhoto by Darren Boucher

Jimmy Eat Worlds frontman gets things hopping with one of his signature Fender JA-90 Telecaster Thinlineswhich he plays completely stock.

OPEnInG nOTES


John ButlerJuly 28, 2013 Seaside ParkBridgeport, CTPhoto by Frank White

The Aussie famous for straddling acoustic and electric worlds delivers his bristling roots rock with the spruce-topped Maton 11-string hes been using since he started busking in 1997.

OPEnInG nOTES


RIG RunDOWnS

We sat down for a green-room chat with Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen before this stop on the bands Like Clockwork tour. Van Leeuwen chatted at length about his favorite Vox AC30s, his upcoming signature Fender Jazzmaster, his new Echopark guitar, and his multiple pedalboards.

TROY VAn LEEuWEnRight: The former Perfect Circle guitarists QOTSA rig consists of three main guitarsan Echopark T-style, his signature Fender Jazzmaster with a Mastery bridge, and a Burns 12-string (not shown). He plays through two Vox AC30sa combo and a head driving Vox and Marshall cabs. Opposite (bottom): Van Leeuwens main pedalboard has a Voodoo Lab Ground Control Pro MIDI controller, a Custom Audio Electronics tap-tempo switch (for his Axe-Fx II, which is primarily used for reverb and delay), a Morley wah, Way Huge Supa-Puss and Pork Loin stomps, what appears to be a fourth-generation DigiTech Whammy, a Dunlop volume pedal, and a Korg tuner.

Troy Van Leeuwen & Josh Homme

quEEnS OF THE STOnE AGE


JOSH HOMMELongtime QOTSA fans will no doubt be bummed, though unsurprised, to hear that Homme didnt take part in our interviewhe almost never gives guitar-oriented interviews. We did shoot pics of his guitars and amps, though.

Hommes main stage guitar these days is a MotorAve semi-hollowbody nicknamed Ryder (above left) with dual humbuckers and two 3-way toggles. He also recently acquired this Echopark guitar (above right) that we wrote about in September 2013s Gear of the Month article.


Zach Myers & Eric Bass

SHInEDOWn

RIG RunDOWnS

Shinedowns Zach Myers shows off his treasure trove of PRS guitars and discusses swapping tube heads for an Axe-Fx II. Eric Bass discusses the Dime solid-state guitar head he uses for overdrive tone and developing his signature Dean Hillsboro basses. signature Dean Hillsboro basses.

zACH MYERSMyers used to rock a four-amp setuptwo Diezel Herberts, a Diamond Hammersmith, and a Fuchs Mantis 100but earlier this year he shelved all his monster heads and has since happily relied on a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II. He uses the rackmounted processor for his amps and effects, but he still has a Dunlop Buddy Guy Signature Cry Baby Wah and DigiTech Whammy onstage.

While Myers has reduced his signal-chain footprint, he still brings out a healthy stash of PRS guitars. Some of these beauties include a Zach Myers SE signature with a custom faded-jean finish, a Private Stock Singlecut that Paul Reed Smith built for Zachs birthday, and a custom Buck Owens-inspired Mira. One of Myers current favorites is a factory second that he requested for the waterlogged Ill Follow You video shoot.

fACTOIDMr. Paul Reed Smith gave Myers a Private Stock Singlecut for

his b-day.


ERIC BASSShinedown low-end thumper Eric Bass uses a handful of his signature Dean Hillsboro USA basses. The custom-finished, blue-flake J-style is Bass very first signature prototype, which features Bartolini pickups, while the matte white versiona potential new finishfeatures the standard DMT USA pickups.

He depends heavily on the Hartke Kilo 1000-watt tube preamp

heads for his clean tone. The secret to Bass heavy, modern sound is his solid-state Dime guitar head, which he uses as a stompbox (with the switcher on his pedalboard) for overdrive and distortion tones because hes grown tired of bass overdrive and dirt pedals adding gain but killing his low-end thump. His respectable board includes an amp switcher for the Dime head, an Electro-Harmonix POG2, HardWire DL8 Delay/Looper, EBS UniChorus, DigiTech Whammy, Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2, Radial Engineering SGI 44 Studio Guitar Interface, and a Boss TU-2. In his rack, Bass always runs a dbx 160A Compressor/Limiter. He kicks on his pedal treats sparingly for interludes and jams between songs that change from night to night.

The secret to Bass heavy, modern sound is his solid-state Dime guitar head, which he uses as a stompbox.

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By Michael Ross

How the L.A.-based bluesman balances demo videos, sessions, tours, and a rejuvenated solo career.

Josh Smiths career is emblematic of the YouTube age: The Los Angeles-based guitarist gets as many hits for his product demo videos as for his live gig posts. He spends hours on tour buses answering gear questions from fans in awe of his magnificent tone.

But endorsing a piece of gear doesnt mean Smith uses it for every gig. Sometimes guys get mad because they see me on TV, and Im not using their gear, he explains. But if it isnt right for that gig, I wont use it. They didnt hire methe artist did, so I have to use whats right for the artists sound.

Still, Smith is loyal to the people with whom he works. The companies I get involved with are my friends, and I go out of my way to help them. I dont just take free gear. I try to be involved with guys who make the gear I use.

First and foremost, though, Smith is a player. A blues prodigy, he was gigging steadily at 14 around his hometown of Pembroke Pines, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. Back then I only knew blues, blues, blues, he recalls. I wanted to be the next Kenny Wayne Shepherd or Jonny Lang. Until I was 22 all I did was put out records, travel in a van, play clubs 300 days a year, and not make any money. Then I decided I wanted to be able to pay bills and not live in my parents house, so I took a break and a leap of faith.

Shifting gears. The leap of faith involved moving to L.A. and shifting gears from solo artist to sideman, including work with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks and former Tony! Toni! Ton! member Raphael Saadiq. It turned out to be a good move, says Smith. It took 10 years, but we just bought a house. Also, doing sessions and sideman gigs couldnt help but expand my horizons. You learn new stuff all the time, and it sneaks into your playing.

Both old and new stuff were on display for Smiths 2009 instrumental record, Inception. I think of that record as a business card, he says.

Among other things, Inception displays Smiths formidable country chops. When I was 16, a dude handed me a tape, he recalls. One side was Danny Gatton, the other was Roy Lanhaman old school country-jazz player. Gatton is one of the greatest, and Roy Lanham playing triple stops and four-part chord melody over simple country changes blew my mind. Overnight I went from anchoring my hand on the pickguard to free-floating hybrid picking. Everything I play now is hybrid picked, even B.B. King licks. People say, You sound so clean and precise! Thats the hybrid picking. I dont play as fast as I did when I was younger, but Im way cleaner!

Soon after Inception came out, German label Crosscut re-released Deep Roots, an older Smith blues Pho

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record. They renamed it Im Gonna Be Ready and repackaged it, says Smith. It started doing well, and for the first time in 12 years I toured playing blues for a month straight. My own music, full rooms, selling CDsI realized how much I missed it. I could see things building over there and started going over once or twice a year.

Crosscuts desire for a new blues record led Smith to record Dont Give Up on Me. But he says he found himself uninspired by the current crop of blues records: Ninety percent of the records were guys playing museum-quality bluesbrilliantly, I might addbut not breaking new ground. Or else its heavy blues, like Joe Bonamassa. Hes an amazing guitar player, but I did that style when I was a kid. Whats the point of making another Ab

ove:

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Chapin T-Bird The T-style guitars Smith prefers feature a bone nut, locking Kluson-style tuners, and volume and tone pots with a unique taper response.

GuITARS Chapin Stratahoula

Chapin T-BirdChapin Hawk

Ronin Songbird Foil1965 Gibson ES-335

AMPSMorgan AC40 Morgan GOAT

EFFECTSLovepedal Tchula and Believe Octave

Catalinbread EchorecArion Chorus

Eventide Time FactorJ. Rockett Josh Smith Tremolo

STRInGS & PICKSDunlop Pure Nickel .013, .017,

.026P, .036, .044, .056Fender Heavy

JOsh sMIThs GEARBOX

As a young blues virtuoso, Smith used to rest his

right hand on the pickguard. But

nowadays he plays in a free-floating

hybrid style.


Backed by a swinging organ trio, Smith lays down spanky, soulful blues licks in B.B. Kings Payin the Cost to Be the Boss. Smith starts his extended solo at 3:03 by paying homage to King and then gets increasingly jazzier with each chorus, playing across the bar lines and coaxing sheets of altered tones from his heavy-gauge strings.YouTube search term: Josh Smith - Payin The Cost - Cozys

blues record unless its something special? So I wrote 40 new songs, and then whittled them down.

Smiths goals were to write the next The Thrill is Gone or Crosscut Saw, and to make a record that stood out from the low-budget productions he heard on blues radio. Im a blues guy who does sessions, he says. One of my favorite blues records, Bobby Blands Dreamer, was cut with Larry Carlton and Dean Parkstop session guys who play blues. On this record I wanted to play the solos like Albert King, but play the rhythm like Larry Carlton. I wanted strings, like blues records had back when there were big budgets. By the grace of my wonderful musician friends I was able to pull it off.

Tele visions. Like hybrid picking, the Tele-style Chapin T-Bird Smith now plays almost exclusively was an epiphany. A Strat player for most of his life, he was getting calls to do rhythm sessions la Tele masters Steve Cropper and Cornell Dupree. This prompted a call to Bill Chapin, who had made Smiths custom Stratahoula Strat-style guitar.

He put together my black maple-neck Tele, says Smith. When I got it, every other guitar was put aside. I realized I had been a Tele guy in denial my whole life. Its the only guitar you can play every gig on. No other guitar is as expressive. Thats the way it is with all my gear, whether amps, pedals, or guitar. I want as much expression as possible. I use little

or no compressionI want to do it all with my fingers. I want every nuance of picking to come through, and no guitar does that like a Telecaster.

Smith feels this way about Teles in general, but he insists that his T-Bird is special. It has a great bridge pickup, wound by Bill, he explains. Its slightly hotter than stock, with flat pole pieces. He wound it to be fatter than normal, but still twang. I could play an entire night on my bridge pickupI can make it sound like Im on the neck pickup just by varying my attack. On other guitars, I switch pickups constantly.

You could have Chapin build you a T-Bird with that pickup and buy a Lovepedal Tchula overdrive pedal and be part way to the Josh Smith sound. Harder to mimic might be the heavy stringstheyre gauged .013.056 and tuned to standard pitch. Ive been using really heavy strings since I was 13 or 14, says Smith. Im so used to it, I cant play other guitars. I break my friends strings all the time.

Besides the aforementioned Tchula, Smith uses many other Lovepedal effects. His main travel board also includes a Believe Octave pedal they built for him,

as well as Trombetta Mini-Bone, Arion Chorus, and Eventide Time Factor pedals. All my boards are wired by Mason Marangella at Vertex Effects, says Smith. They have an interface box with a breakout loop so I can insert another pedal, usually my wah. The breakout box is positioned between distortion pedals so Smith can filter distortions placed before the wah or drive ones placed after it.

Also on the guitarists board is a J. Rockett Josh Smith Tremolo. I needed a trem pedal for a gigging musician, explains Smith. But every trem pedal I checked out was either too simple or had a million options. I just needed the ability to switch between fast and slow tremolo. The signature pedal features two Fender blackface-style trems, each with its own speed and depth control. It also has a volume knob with enough boost to counteract the perceived volume drop created by many trems. It had to sound and feel like its in your amp, not a pedal, Smith insists.

He also has a signature Morgan Amp: the GOAT. I said, If Im going to have a signature amp, it has to be the greatest amp of all time, so Joe Morgan named it the GOATGreatest Of All Time, laughs Smith. Its a Fender Super Reverb-style amp. It even has a 2 speaker out so you can run a 4x10 cabinet and sound like a Super. The built-in reverb tank has three knobs, like on an external tank, but the signal runs in parallel. Smith uses his signature amp in tandem with an AC40, Morgans Vox AC 30-style head.

Josh Smith obviously loves gear, but in the end, his instruments are tools to help him make the music in his head. His demo videos are a way to help out the manufacturers who help him realize his vision. They also garner new fans. Guys are looking for a certain sound, and they stumble across me demoing a pedal, says Smith. After hearing me play, they might order a CD.

Built by Bill Chapin, Smiths main guitar is a

T-Bird model.

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T H E M A G N I F I C E N T 7


The Mu-tron Story

Mike Beigel talks about the rise and fall of his company Musitronicsa pioneering stompbox

outfit that helped shape the sound of the 1970s.By Alex MAiolo

Todays guitarists have nearly limitless choices when it comes to effects. However, 40 years ago the effects roadmap was still being drawndesigns we now take for granted hadnt even been conceived. Mike Beigel of Musitronicsa company better known by its nickname, Mu-tronwas one of the effects pioneers whose decisions about the sonics, functionality, and appearance of effects would influ-ence countless subsequent builders.

Throughout the 1970s, Mu-tron products were second to none in quality and innovation. Classic Beigel-conceived effects include Mu-trons dual-oscillator Bi-Phase and the Mu-tron Octave Divider, but the company also had a hand in the minia-ture effects marketed under the Dan Armstrong brand. The latter

included the Orange Squeezer compressor and Green Ringer ring modulator, whose circuits inspired countless imitators. The most celebrated Musitronics effect is probably the Mu-tron III, the first envelope-controlled filter in modular form. It became one of Jerry Garcias signature sounds. Frank Zappa, Larry Coryell, and Bootsy Collins were also users, and Stevie Wonder used one for the quacking clavinet tone on Higher Ground.

However, great technical ideas can fall victim to poor eco-nomic decisions, making superior brands fall by the wayside while lesser ones prosper. Mike Beigel recently spoke to Premier Guitar about how a mechanical white whale destroyed his influ-ential companyand how horses imbedded with RF chips may have helped fund his latest venture.

Builder Profile

Pictured Above: Musitronicsbetter known by the nickname Mu-tronproduced some of the best-sounding and best-made effects of the 1970s.

They also produced the Dan Armstrong line of effects.


What were your first electronics projects?When I was a kid I used to take TV sets apart just to see what was in them. I got an electronics kit when I was 11. I made some science fair projects: a biofeed-back sensor and a thermoelectric sensor. When I was 15 or 16, I started build-ing hi-fi sets and learned to play guitar. Eventually, I had to decide whether to go to music or technology school. My par-ents advised me that technology school was a surer way to eat, so I chose MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology].

What years were you there?I got there in 64 to study electrical engi-neering. I got my second degree in 1970. They had a music department, but they had no knowledge whatsoever of elec-tronic music. The first electronic piece I ever heard was Karlheinz Stockhausens Gesang der Jnglinge. It made an

awesome impression on me. Meanwhile, I got interested in philosophy, psychol-ogy, and art. Engineering wasnt enough for me, so I asked my advisor how could I combine engineering with the humani-ties. He said, I dont know what to tell you. Then, one rainy Saturday night in November of 67, I was playing the clari-net and saxophone into the soundhole of a 12-string acoustic-electric. I turned my amp up and got an electroacoustic sym-pathetic string effect.

Like drone strings on a sitar?Yeah. We were all listening to Indian music a lot then. Ravi Shankar would come to MIT and give concerts. My third-year professor, Barry Blesser, was one of the guys who started digital audio. We had to do a project, and I asked if I could explore using an electro-acoustical model with strings, pickups, and a box to

deliver sounds that would turn into sympathetic vibrations. That ultimately became my bachelors thesis. I took a second degree in electronics and humani-ties, majoring in music. Meanwhile, my crazy buddies and I had a radio show, The Electric Chair, on the MIT radio sta-tion. We would do things like play five or six kinds of music at the same time, while talking about things you were vaguely not allowed to talk about. A high point came after a Mothers of Invention concert, when Frank Zappa and the band came and did an interview. Around then I decided that I really wanted to make electronic music my career.

So thats when you built some of your first prototypes?Yes. One day a friend of mine was walk-ing around Tech Square in an altered state, and he walked in on some people actually building a yellow submarine. He spoke with the project financier, and the next thing you know, we had formed a think tank of sorts. My friend was busy with school, so he made me president. The first thing I did was start building the machine Id done my thesis about. Then I started building really weird synthesizersmore in the direction of Buchla than Moog. I ended up making this thing that looked like a four-key trumpet. Synths were monophonic at the time, but on this little thing you could play all the chromatic notes with differ-ent finger patterns, and with the other hand you could control parameters. One day the financier guy came in and said, Look, the stock markets crashed. Ive got no more money for you guys. The company folded, but a couple of months later we got a call from Guild Guitars.

So you developed the synth for Guild?Yes, Al Dronge from Guild ended up buying the project. I remember sitting in the Guild office in Hoboken [New Jersey], and [Grateful Dead guitarist] Bob Weir walked by! We started on the syn-thesizer with the strange hand-piece con-troller and the keyboard. But one spring morning, in the middle of production, we got a call saying Al had crashed his

top: Guild never released the guitar synthesizer Mike Beigel designed with Izzy Straus, but its circuitry spawned the Mu-tron III, Musitronics best-known effect.

Bottom: The first version of the Bi-Phase was called the Phase II.


plane. The vice presidentan accoun-tantterminated our project. The guy who built the amplifier line for Guild saw the writing on the wall for his division and decided we should form a company using the knowledge we had gained from the synthesizer project.

At first we were going to do a ring modulator, but decided it was a little too strange for the mainstream. We decided to do an envelope follower, using the side of the synthesizer we called the timbre generator and one of the four voltage-controlled filters. We put them together and made the Mu-tron III, which was at first called the Auto-Wah. We decided to name the company Musitronics, but an investor thought of the contraction Mu-tron. The III came about from my preference for the number three. They were sold at E.U. Wurlitzer in Boston. They sold well, so we made more. Then Stevie Wonder used one on Higher Ground. He came out to play some

music with us and talk. He was a great, open-minded guy.

What about subsequent Mu-tron effects?We knew we couldnt have a one-product company. We wanted to make a phaser, because Maestro was doing well with theirs. I was ignorant, though, and actu-ally made a bucket-brigade flanger. It was very elaborate and didnt go into produc-tionit had controls for everything. I still have it. We called it a phase synthe-sizer. Larry Coryell used it on one song of his Eleventh House record.

We did eventually make a phaser using a transconductance amplifier instead of FETs. It was great, but it had dynamic-range limitations and a little distortion. For the Mu-tron III, wed tried out all kinds of filter configurations, but the electro-optical thing just sounded best. We tried applying that to phase shifters. We developed the Bi-Phase, a dual phaser that you could sync and use in a lot of different ways. It had a

lot of knobs and was way too big, but at that time big was considered good.

Probably because people didnt use as many effects then, so space wasnt such a concern.Thats true. People rarely had effects boards then.

How did the Phasor II come about?We decided to make a single phaser. We used six stages while most people used

one rainy Saturday night in November of 67, I was playing the clarinet and saxophone into the soundhole of a 12-string acoustic-electric. I turned my amp up and got an electroacoustic sympathetic string effect.


Producer Mitch easter(R.e.M., Pavement, Ben Folds Five)

The Mu-tron Bi-Phase came into my life around 1985, when my band Lets Active was touring. Our tech, John French, sourced this machine from a pawnshop. I had seen the ads in rock magazines, but not an actual unit. The majestic size and obvious top-drawer build quality made quite an impression! Although I had never owned a phase shifter before, I knew that henceforth this device would be a major part of my sound. With a foot-controlled phase shifter, I could achieve something like the random sweeps of tape-machine flangingwhich, of course, is a sound I want as much of as possible. After nearly 30 years of use, the Mu-tron recently needed repair. It turned out to be nothing more than a wire that needed to be reattached in the foot pedal connector. Whew! After using one of these, nothing else will do.

four, so it sounded different. During devel-opment, we decide it was too clean. The photo-mods didnt induce any distortion, and the phase effect was kind of boring. We didnt know what to do, so we called up Bob Moog. He came down and we did a whole day of experiments to find out why it was too good to sound interesting. That was the genesis of the feedback knob. Without introducing distortion to make it interesting, we put feedback around the loop, emphasiz-ing the peaks and making the effect more pronounced, but still undistorted. That was a big deal for me. Ive used feedback on all kinds of things since then. The Phasor II became our biggest-selling productI think it outsold all our other products combined. At the time [optical-sensor manufacturer] Hamamatsu could make us a photo-mod with six cells in it, so we didnt have to spend a bloody fortune on 12 photo-mods per Bi-Phase. Then we could start work on an actual flanger. We realized we didnt have any low-priced units, and we were missing out on a lot of business. At some point, when we discontinued the first phaser, we had a lot of the CA3080 transconductance amps left over, so I asked my friend who shared an office with me to make a filter using that thing. He made the Mu-tron Micro V. But we sold a lot fewer of those than the regular Mu-trons, so it was not really a step forward.

What was your role in the Dan Armstrong effects?We made a deal to distribute the Dan Armstrong products. Dan was very cre-ative. He had an engineer named George Merriman who designed all the products except the Orange Squeezer, which I had a bit of a hand inthough he did most of it. But they werent big sellers either, mainly because the odd-shaped box didnt really work with Fender Strats.

You mean because they wouldnt plug into the recessed input jack?Right. We made an extender plug, as well as a way to re-wire it to plug into the amp, but neither was a satisfactory solution. You either had this thing sticking out of your Strat that you could knock off accidentally, or you had this thing attached to your amp

Producer tony Visconti(David Bowie, Paul McCartney, iggy Pop)

In the 70s when we first heard the Mu-tron on records, it was such a fresh new sounda gotta have it sound. I didnt yet know much about envelopes, attack, decay, etc., so it was all new. When I got my Mu-tron, I just turned the knobs and had a ball. I played recorded instruments through it and especially liked what it did to drums and bass. We would have used one while tracking David Bowies Young Americans, but we couldnt get one fast enough in Philadelphia when we were making the album. I put Willy Weeks bass and David Sanborns sax through the pedal right at the mixing stage.

Guitarist/vocalist cheetie KuMar(Birds of Avalon)

We were recording Outer Upper Inner and I was totally stumped on a guitar part. That was the first time I plugged into a Mu-tron III. Instantly, the part was done! I realized then that sound can often trump notes. Thus began a (perhaps unhealthy) pedal habit. Shortly after, I received a box of old pedals with issues. A friend and I immediately fixed up the Mu-tron Phasor and it stayed in my effects chain for years. Ive since started taking other, less-precious phasers out to tour, but nothing tops the Mu-tron.

Musings on Mu-tronThree musical heavyweights on the importance of Mike Beigels innovative designs.

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that you had to run back to turn on. That package hurt those products, which were not bad. They all did something that people liked. Anyway, Dan wanted to make an octave divider that would also have a Green Ringer [ring modulator]. I think the Mu-tron Octave Divider was the first product that we made with two footswitches so you could turn on differ-ent parts of the effect. It was very popu-lar, and today they get as much money as Mu-tron IIIs on the vintage market. Our next project was disastrous, though.

The Gizmotronwhich was kind of a polyphonic EBow-type effect, right?Yes. Its been written about, and some-ones doing a documentary on it. Kevin Godley and Lol Creme [of 10cc] showed up with the thing that had little wheels on it, and it bowed the guitar string. Everybody, including me, fell in love with it. I recall a quote from a manage-ment book that says if theres anything your entire board of directors agrees on, dont do it! This proved to be more than true with the Gizmotron. It was entirely mechanical, except for the motor that

drove the wheels. Motors make a lot of noise, but I found a way to deal with that. However, we needed a mechanical engineer, and mechanical engineers have their own way of improving things. To my utter horror, after waiting six weeks for the guy to deliver the prototype, he came up with something that sounded like the strings were being played with a buzz saw. I had the bad fortune of hav-ing to take it to England to show Godley and Creme. They were very nice people and I quite enjoyed their company, but they were also rich, spoiled rock starsso when they saw this thing, they practically killed me.

I was sent back with explicit instruc-tions to make one the way they had. So we found another mechanical engineer who found another way to improve it. Kevin and Lol showed up in America, saw that horror, and were ready to sue us. The guy who made the second ver-sion wouldnt stop working on it, but the English guys had their engineerwho had made the first prototypeworking on his version in parallel. That turned out to be the version that was actually made.

What happened then?I pronounced the Gizmotron dead. Everybody wanted to buy one, but we couldnt sell them because they didnt work. But Mu-trons were so well made they could work for 40 years. I became convinced we had to get into digital audio signal processing, and I proposed a huge R&D effort. There were nine people on the board of directors. I made the digital proposal, but my voice was not strong enough to win. So the Gizmotron was voted in, the digital electronics was voted out, and I sent my letter of resigna-tion somewhere along the line.

Musitronics was sold to ARP in 1978. We never even got our first royalty check. By the time it came due, they said they didnt have the money yet, and then they went bankrupt. We essentially gave

it away. The tragic end was the loss of Musitronics, the loss of a million bucks, and the loss of my career for quite a while.

What year was that? I quit in 1978. ARP went broke in 81. Gizmo became its own company and went until about 80.

What can you tell us about the Mu-tron III+ from the 1990s?A guy who used to work for the com-pany came out with something called the Mu-tron III+ in 94. It looks the same outside and used some surplus parts, but it used a circuit that I had tried and rejectedthough he doesnt know that. It doesnt have the mojo, in my humble opinion. It was unethical for him to claim it was the original design when it wasnt. Originally, I had tried to get the board of directors to make him a stockholder, in which case he would now legitimately be able to say he owns the trademark. So it was a lucky accident that I failed to con-vince them to do that.

At some point you were making custom products, right?[Walt Disney World and Disneyland per-former] Michael Iceberg was a guy who enchanted many people at the NAMM shows of the late 70s. I made him a 20-channel electro-optical volume pedal. Another guy named Don Tavel had an idea for a single-voice guitar synthesizer without using a hex pickup design. It started out as a suitcase design, but ended up in a rack. For its time, it was a very powerful instrument, though it didnt always track right. [Songwriter/session gui-tarist/producer] Marlo Henderson asked for a fancy rackmount Mu-tron. That led to the Beigel Sound Labs Envelope Control Filter, of which 50 were made.

During the period when I was in my consulting business, a guy who was mar-ried to a very rich lady came into my office. Her dad had a huge farm across

The 1975 patent for the Mu-tron III

One day a friend of mine was walking around Tech Square in an altered state, and he walked in on some people actually building a yellow submarine. He spoke with the project financier, and the next thing you know, we had formed a think tank of sorts.


the street from the Mu-tron/Gizmotron office. He said he needed someone who knew about vibrations because he wanted to build something that he could stick into a suitcase. It turned out to be something you could stick into a horse, so you could identify it. As a result, I built the first working prototype of an implantable radio-frequency ID system. That led to my second career in RFID from 1978 until the present.

What about your work with Electro-Harmonix?Around 95, I met Mike Matthews, whose company had been our arch-competitor. He asked me to redesign some Mu-tron products into his packages, so I worked with him until 2011. Hes a good guy.

Are there any future plans for Mu-tron products?Well, about 13 years ago I got ill with something that really takes my energy

out and causes me a great deal of pain, but wont kill me. I had to go on dis-ability for three or so years, and I kind of got lost. I thought about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I have a little money left, and I want to get back into the music business. I had a project deal that didnt work out, but it got me making a Mu-tron- like device, which Im going to be coming out with shortly. My intention is to recreate a lot of the good Mu-tron productsonly made with appropriately new technology. Its not digital, though. Its meant to be analog. The goal is to resurrect the product line in a more modern form thats more com-patible with pedalboards.

Meaning smaller in size?Yeah. I still put too many knobs on things, because I dont know how not to [laughs]. Ive got one with a dozen or so controls, and one with six or seven controls. Im going to try to make one

with three, and maybe one with just one knob. Im going to try to stratify the types of effects for people who have dif-ferent budgets and different abilities to tweak the effects. Pretty soon, Ill have an announcement about it.

You know, I still have one of every-thing that we madeand didnt make! I call it The Inventors Collection. So I also want to find somebody whos really good at modeling and then do plug-ins of themeven the unreleased productsbut I havent gotten around to that yet.

Any final words of wisdom?Yes. Back in the day when we had just started that think tank, there was a guy who shall remain nameless who was full of salesman talk. He used terms Id never heard before, but one of his statements stands out in my mind as words to live by, and it applies very well to the whole Mu-tron/Gizmotron boondoggle. He said, Dont get hyped on your own con.


Modern Builder Vault

tao Guitars By RIch OSWeIleR

W hat do you get when you combine inspiration from the classics, futuristic minimalism, ber-precise craftsmanship, and ultra-high-end materials and components? In this case, you get TAO Guitarsout-of-this-world instruments that would be just as at home in the MoMA as they are in the hands of players like Billy Gibbons.

Belgian luthiers Serge Michiels and John Joveniaux met about nine years ago in Brussels when Joveniaux, fresh out of luthier school in France, joined Michiels in the workshop of another builder. It wasnt long before the two realized they had a lot in common in terms of musical tastes and design matters. They decided to strike out on their own by setting up a workshop in Joveniauxs apartment. A good omen for their future was the fact that TAOs first client was Belgiums most well-known jazz guitarist, Philip Catherine.

One look at any of the duos instruments, and its immediately apparent that they feel compelled to push design boundaries while searching out the perfect blend of form and function. Its no surprise that Michiels cites Ulrich Teuffel as the builder whos had the biggest impact on his work. Specifically, its Teuffels willingness to create something different and stand for itnot to mention the fact that hes one of the nicest guys around. Joveniaux was also inspired by

Teuffel, but he also references Swiss luthier Claudio Pagellis endless great ideas on designs.

As sleek and modern looking as TAOs offerings are, the luthiers take a decidedly traditional approach. We try to keep the job

the old wayjust routers, rasps, scrapers, a little bit of sanding,

and a lot of elbow oil, says

Michiels. We like to have this special relationship with every instrument we make, so everything is crafted by hand, by the two of useven some of the metal parts. Early on, they modified existing parts because they often couldnt find what they needed on the market. They shopped around for someone to craft proprietary parts but, according to Michiels, they couldnt find anyone who could do the job the way they wanted. So they decided to craft certain parts themselves.

Were so picky and demanding when it comes to guitar building , says Michiels, that it would be a real nightmare for someone else to try and integrate into our duo.

When it comes to electronics, the TAO team prefers the elegant simplicity of vintage-style pickups and controls. Most of the guitars are outfitted with 3-position selectors, CTS pots, and Russian new-old-stock paper-in-oil capacitors. Custom-wound Bare Knuckle or David Barfuss pickups are standard, but Vintage Lab pickups from Stephens Design are an available upgrade.

Dave Stephens just appears to have that same sick pickiness that we have, muses Michiels. He just nailed that magic, vintage-harmonic richness, so we propose his pickups as the top-end option for each of our models.

While design aesthetic is obviously of immense importance to Michiels and Joveniaux, they insist theyre primarily concerned with achieving the right sound for each instrument.

We have worked a great deal around tone, playability, and comfort, says Michiels, But all the choices we make concerning crafting methods, woods, parts, and pickups are made in order to put what we call our sonic DNA into our guitars. What our customers love about our instruments is their unique voice. And this voice is the result of the love and care we put into every one we make. taoguitars.com

t-BucketThe goal of the T-Bucket design was to create a guitar that salutes a groundbreaking idea of the past, but brings a present-day functionality and TAO aesthetic. This T-Bucket finished in sakura gold is made of a 2-piece swamp-ash body thats paired with a quartersawn, flamed-maple neck topped with an Indian rosewood fretboard. hardware includes a custom-made aluminum control plate and knobs, as well as a selector-switch button handcrafted from aluminum and brass. This T-Bucket delivers its sound via a set of custom-made Stephens Design pickupsa ZMAX in the neck and a Vl61 in the bridgetopped with TAOs trademark covers.

PricinG & aVailaBilityTAO works closely with customers to perfectly outfit guitars to their individual needs, even when an instrument is ordered through Custom Guitar Boutique, TAOs North American dealer. Because TAOs two luthiers handcraft everything, they are currently limited to a few instruments a yearnever more than 10. The wait time depends on the model, as well as current workload. A T-Bucket can take as little as three months, while a Phaeton can take up to three times longer. Pricing varies according to features, but the T-Bucket starts at $4,300, the Disco Volante starts at $7,000, and the Phaeton begins at $24,000.

Joveniaux met about nine years ago in Brussels when Joveniaux, fresh out of luthier school in France, joined Michiels in the workshop of another builder. It wasnt long before the two realized they had a lot in common in terms of musical tastes and design matters. They decided to strike out on their own by setting up a workshop in Joveniauxs apartment. A good omen for their future was the fact that TAOs first client was Belgiums most well-known jazz guitarist, Philip Catherine.

One look at any of the duos instruments, and its immediately apparent that they feel compelled to push design boundaries while searching out the perfect blend of form and function. Its no surprise that Michiels cites Ulrich Teuffel as the builder whos had the biggest impact on his work. Specifically, its Teuffels willingness to create something different and stand for itnot to mention the fact that hes one of the nicest guys around. Joveniaux was also inspired by

Teuffel, but he also references Swiss luthier Claudio Pagellis endless great ideas on designs.

As sleek and modern looking as TAOs offerings are, the luthiers take a decidedly traditional approach. We try to keep the job

the old wayjust routers, rasps, scrapers, a little bit of sanding,


el MirageBased on the T-Bucket, the el Mirage is a one-off axe

built for Billy Gibbons. The hollow body is fashioned

from Spanish cedar, and an Indian rosewood fretboard

tops the quartersawn, flamed-maple neck. While

it wouldnt look out of place in a Buck Rogers film,

its prototype Stephens Design VL PAF Repro pickup

and NOS bumblebee capacitor are (naturally) all about dishing Texas-boogie

tones. Appointments include a handmade bridge,

and an upper-bout decoration crafted from a

spoon and knife.

disco VolanteNamed after the curvacioius 1950s Alfa Romeo,

the Disco Volante has a chambered mahogany body with a North American spruce top. The c-shaped neck is carved from a single piece of Spanish cedar and topped with an Indian rosewood fretboard. It features custom, handcrafted appointments like aluminum knobs and pickup selector, and its tones come courtesy of a pair of PAF-style Stephens Design Vintage lab VlhD61s. Michiels and Joveniauxs favorite finishes are copper

powder (shown) and sandalwood beige.

PhaetonThe first Phaeton was built for a friend of Michiels and Joveniaux, someone with a very acute form of gear-

acquisition syndrome. conceptually, it was inspired by both a Gibson Style 03 and classic American cars from

the 1930s and 40s. The back is constructed from a single piece of Honduran mahogany, the top features two pieces

of alpine spruce, and the neck is carved from a single piece of Spanish cedar topped with an ebony fretboard

and headstock veneer. eye-catching appointments include a handmade, carbon-layered ebony tailpiece and custom

height-adjustment wheels for the bridge. Its outfitted with a pair of custom Bare Knuckles humbuckers

encased in handmade TAO covers.


www.gibson.comThe new 1934 Original Jumbo

Every Gibson Acoustic is built by hand, giving

each guitar a personality as unique as each player.

Play one and discover the difference between a gutiar and adifference between a gutiar and aLegend.

From humble beginnings of making two pedals a day to nearly 10,000 units in 2012,

Josh Heath Scott stays true to his goal of turning out accessible, handbuilt pedals for

the peoplewith a picture of your grandmas face, if you want.

By CoRBin ReiFF

JHS Pedals Builder Profile



Have you ever wanted a pedal that could combine the classic sounds of a vintage Tonebender with a modern gated fuzz in a single unit thats handpainted with your grandmothers face? If so, JHS Pedals is more than happy to oblige. From the companys beginning, Josh Heath Scott, founder and owner of the outfit that bears his initials, has instilled a what you want is what you get approach thats propelled JHS to become one of Americas hottest new gear manufacturers over the past five years.

We pride ourselves in service and we have really crazy abilities to be there, customer service-wise, Scott says. Were real peopleyoure not going to be talking to some robot on the phone when you call us. Were just like the players because we are players and thats been a big part of our success.

The birth of JHS Pedals can be traced back to a single broken Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. Its kind of a story of how necessity is the mother of invention, Scott recalls. Around February 2007, I found myself fixing one

of my broken guitar pedals. I didnt have the money to pay a guy to fix it. So I opened it up, fixed it, and in doing so it lit the fuse for a hobby that has taken over my life.

Once he began to poke around the innards of his BD-2, Scott became obsessed with how pedals worked, why parts were placed where they were, and what would happen if you substituted one part for another.

I remember really getting into it. Id get on Google and look up schematics to the pedals I owned. What is this doing?

Id get a Tube Screamer and change out parts and listen to them. Back then I didnt have the electrical engineering knowledge I do nowI really didnt know what I was doing. But Id think, If I take that capacitor out and put in this one, what will it sound like?

From the humble origins of Scotts personal curiosity in pedal design sprouted a one-man mod shop based out of his home at the time in Jackson, Mississippi. Theres a shop in Jackson called Fondren Guitars and they started selling a couple

The JHS Pedals team (from L-R): John Pennington (builder, Custom Shop manager), Tim Shaeffer (builder, Mod Shop manager), Nick loux (builder), Nick White (builder), Josh Scott (founder, designer), Steve Offutt (business operations, dealer/artist relations), Miss Holly (administration), Mason Gentry (quality control, testing), Heather Rodriguez (administration), Zach Simms (builder, shipping manager).


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of Boss pedals Id modded. I remember when I started selling them at that store. Bands would come through and people would buy themit really motivated me. After the first taste of success, Scott decided to expand his operation and began to sell his modded pedals over eBay to huge fanfare.

With his mods in hot demand across the world, Scott felt the time had come to try his hand at building entirely new pedals from the ground up. Many JHS flagship models, including the Morning Glory overdrive, Pulp N Peel compressor, and the Mini-Bomb Boost were conceived and fleshed out in those early years of trial and error. Soon the popularity of Scotts

stompboxes and mods reached a level he didnt anticipate, and he was faced with the question of a lifetime: Is this just a part-time diversion, or could this be something more?

In the summer of 2009, things got really crazy, Scott remembers. Id quit my job and was doing pedals 15 to 18 hours a day in a small 10x15 shop in the backyard during the 100-degree Mississippi summer. That was when I realized I was legitimately doing this full time. I was also six months behind and was at the danger point of having to refund things, so I had a discussion with my wife. She asked me, Can you really make a living doing this? In my mind when she asked that,

there was this split-second where I thought, I dont know. But I said Yes, I can, and we went from there.

Once the decision had been made to go full throttle into pedal manufacturing, Scott and his family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, where he formally opened JHS. I hired my first

An active guitarist, JHS

Pedals founder and namesake

Josh Heath Scott says 85 percent

of his product catalog is based

on gear he has always wanted.

i had a discussion with my wife. She asked me, can you really make a living doing this? in my mind when she asked that, there was t

premier guitar

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