NEW LESSON INSIDE! VINTAGE TROUBLE TELE WORKSHOP LA quartet’s guitar and bass-playing How to add a Bigsby vibrato and IMPROVE YOUR GUITAR duo on their long-awaited second LP new pickups in our DIY guide CHORD VOCABULARY NOW Win!ABLACKSTAR BEAM WORTH £239 NOVEMBER 2015 Vol 27 No 02 £4.99 1950s Les Paul Goldtops under the microscope INTERVIEWED John Etheridge Willie Watson Alexi Laiho SPECIALFEATURE PAUL McCARTNEY Paul’s Beatles-era guitar playing profiled 1 1 REVIEWED 6 3 2 8 3 3 5 5 7 Patrick James Eggle • Godin 1 7 7 Vigier • Eventide • JHS Pedals 9 NOV2015 Martin • Sandberg and more... Vol27No02 £4.99 DIY | INTERVIEWS | TECHNIQUE | REVIEWS “For years I was frustrated because my band is really loud, in order to compete at that volume... all other amps would just fall apart. The Ashdown didn’t. I can turn it up to compete with those guys and still have the tone stay together.” (cid:49)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:48)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:79) FOO FIGHTERS “Ashdown allows me to create a sound that I just can’t achieve with “The look, the tone, it other amps.” was everything I wanted from a bass rig & more. Its great (cid:54)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:89)(cid:82) to feel part of a family company something you don’t see a lot of these (cid:50)(cid:71)(cid:68)(cid:71)(cid:77)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:81) days. I will never use another amp.” SYSTEM OF A DOWN (cid:53)(cid:82)(cid:86)(cid:86) (cid:48)(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:39)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:71) THE 1975 “It took me forever to dial in where I could find a bass head I could really love. The minute I plunged into the Ashdown, set everything to about 12 noon, I was “I was always searching for that big warm natural sound that like... thats how I hear bass.” wasn’t very complicated. The first time I saw Pino Palladino playing one I was like, whatever that guys playing... (cid:49)(cid:76)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:85) thats what I’m having.” DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE (cid:37)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:53)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:3) SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY WWW.ASHDOWNMUSIC.COM WELCOME Anthem Publishing Suite 6 Piccadilly House, London Road, Bath BA1 6PL Tel +44 (0) 1225 489 984 Email [email protected] www.guitar-bass.net Editor Chris Vinnicombe [email protected] Creative Director Jenny Cook [email protected] Production Editor Gary Walker Paul’s guitar… [email protected] Digital Editor Andy Price [email protected] Digital Assistant Tom Turner [email protected] It’snoexaggerationtostatethatmillions Contributors Steve Bailey, Rick Batey, Sid Bishop, ofwordshavebeenpennedaboutPaul Simon Bradley, Alan Clayson, Neil Crossley, Rod Fogg, Michael Heatley, Dave Hunter, Jo Johnson, McCartney’scontributiontopopularmusic. Marcus Leadley, Gareth Morgan, Lars Mullen, Andy Onehalfofthegreatestandmostinfluential Price, Huw Price, Richard Purvis songwritingpartnershipinpophistory,a Instrument Photography Eleanor Jane vocalistwhocouldtakeontenderballads Publisher Simon Lewis andrip-roaringrockerswithequalease,and [email protected] asupremelytalentedbassist,athispeak ADVERTISING McCartneycouldhavewalkedintoabsolutely Senior Sales Executive Gemma Bown anybandandimprovedit.Somuchofwhat he Tel +44 (0) 7788 266847 didinTheBeatlessimplysetthebartoohightoallowthosewhofollowed [email protected] tocompete.Yetcomparativelylittlehasbeenwrittenabouthissix-string Ad Production Craig Broadbridge guitarplaying.ResponsibleforsomeoftheFabFour’smostmemorable lead [email protected] guitarmoments–thesoloinGeorge’sTaxmantonamebutoneexample ANTHEM PUBLISHING –McCartneymightjustbethemostunderratedelectricguitaristtohave Managing Director Jon Bickley featuredinamajorband. [email protected] Thismonth,wesetrenownedmusichistorianAlanClaysonthetaskof Editorial Director Paul Pettengale chartingPaul’ssix-stringcontributionstoTheBeatles;ourspecialfeature [email protected] beginsonpage14.Elsewhereintheissue,you’llfindanewregularfeature in Marketing Executive Verity Travers theshapeofVintageBenchTest.Ratherthansimplyoglevintageinstruments [email protected] likeafledglingguitariststaringthroughaguitarshopwindowfromthe PRINT & PRODUCTION pavementoutside,wedecidedtoget,quiteliterally,tothenutsandbolts Print Polestar UK Print Ltd Tel +44 (0) 1582 678 900 ofwhatmakesoldguitarstick.Kickingthingsoffinconsiderablestyle,Huw Pricegetstogripswithapairof1950sLesPauls,startingonpage86.It’s a Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU dirtyjob,butsomeone’sgottodoit… Tel +44 (0) 20 378 79001 LICENSING Jon Bickley Tel +44 (0) 1225 489 984 [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES https://anthem.subscribeonline.co.uk Tel 0844 322 1291* (UK) Tel 800 428 3003 (US Toll Free) Tel +44 (0) 1795 414 781 (Rest of World) Email [email protected] Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge GET IN TOUCH SUBSCRIBE All content copyright Anthem Publishing Ltd 2015, all rights reserved. While we make every FACEBOOK Turn to page 24 to take advantage effort to ensure that the facebook.com/ of this month’s special Guitar & Bass factual content of Guitar TheGuitarMagazine subscription off er. & Bass magazine is correct we cannot take TWITTER any responsiblity nor be @guitarmagazine STAR held accountable for any INSTAGRAM BUY factual errors printed. Please make every @guitar_bass_offi cial effort to check quoted prices and product Or email guitarandbass specifi cations with manufacturers prior to purchase. No part of @anthem-publishing.com this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or resold without prior consent of Anthem Publishing Ltd. Guitar & Bass Magazine recognises all copyrights contained within the issue. Where possible we acknowledge the copyright holder. guitar-bass.net NOVEMBER 2015 5 NOVEMBER 2015 Vol 27 No 02 In this issue... THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS... DAVE HUNTER Dave Hunter is a writer and musician who has worked in the US and the UK. A former editor of this title, he is the author of The Guitar Amp Handbook, Guitar Effects Pedals, Amped and The Fender Telecaster. Check out his new columnonpage10. HUW PRICE Huw spent 16 years as a pro audio engineer working with the likes of David Bowie, Primal Scream and NIck Cave. His book Recording Guitar & Bass was published in 2002, sparking a career in guitar journalism. He also builds and maintainsguitars,ampsandFX. RICHARD PURVIS A reformed drummer, Richard has been gigging for over 20 86 Golden Wonders years as a guitarist and bassist, and working as a music Weturnthespotlightonthisstunning journalist for almost as long. He also composes music for pairof1950sLesPaulGoldtopsin television, and is legally married to his 1966 Gibson ourlatestVintageBenchTest Melody Maker. 14 Paul INTERVIEWS McCartney Alexi Laiho .......................................................................26 Children Of Bodom man picks his favourite albums G&B UNCOVERS THE BEATLES Vintage Trouble ...........................................................28 LEGEND’S LESSER-HAILED Rhythm & blues kings tell us about their second GUITAR PLAYING album and touring with AC/DC, The Who and Bon Jovi Willie Watson ...............................................................36 The former Old Crow Medicine Show guitarist and banjo player on going it alone VINTAGE Vintage Bench Test....................................................86 This month, it’s the turn of a 1954 Les Paul All Gold and a 1957 Goldtop to go under the microscope Private Collection .....................................................94 Jazz fusion pioneer John Etheridge discusses his highly eclectic guitar collection The Bishop Of Denmark St ...............................104 From biker brawls to Rotary Club dinners, Sid Bishop remembers the worst gigs he’s played REGULARS OPENING BARS News, emerging talents, win a Blackstar ID:Core BEAM worth £239 8 READER BOARDS 22 SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE Alexi Laiho 26 6 NOVEMBER 2015 guitar-bass.net Vol 27 No 02 NOVEMBER 2015 GEAR REVIEWS PatrickJamesEggle MaconCarvedTop ......................................................46 GodinSessionLtd..........................................................50 VigierGVRock................................................................56 B&GLittleSister...........................................................60 EventideH9Max...........................................................64 JHSSuperBolt&TwinTwelve.................................67 ThorpyFXMuffroomCloudFuzz...........................70 Electro-HarmonixSuperPulsar...........................72 MartinGPCRSGT.............................................................74 SandbergCaliforniaII VM4&TM5basses........................................................76 Sixofthebest:lightweight bassgiggingcombos...................................................81 WORKSHOPS Telecasterrevampproject..................................39 Youdon’tneedanewguitarifyouroldfaithful isailing,asGaryWalkerfindsoutwhenhis MexicanTelegetstheworkshoptreatment, completewithnewpickupsandaBigsby Allabout...tremolo................................................120 28 Vintage Trouble Tremoloisthedaddyofguitareffects,andhas beenaroundsince1946,whenDeArmonddevised THE CALIFORNIAN R&B OUTFIT TALK US thefirststandaloneguitartremolounit.Almost70 yearson,G&Bchartstheeffect’sevolution THROUGH THEIR RISE TO PROMINENCE Chordclinic...................................................................122 Inthesecondinstalmentofthistuitionseries, RodFogglooksatsuspendedor‘sus’chords,which canaddanemotiveandmajesticfeelandare aninvaluableadditiontoyourchordvocabulary SUBSCRIBE Get a free Blackstar LT 46 60 EGGLE B&G Dual pedal worth £99! 76 67 TURN TO PAGE 24 SANDBERG JHS SUBSCRIPTION OFFER 24 SIX OF THE BEST Lightweight bass gigging combos 81 READERS’ FREE ADS 118 FRETBUZZ Readers’ letters 126 NEW MUSIC Albums 128 guitar-bass.net NOVEMBER 2015 7 OPENING BARS Ones to watch... The emerging guitar-based talent on G&B’s radar this month Alvvays CANADIAN INDIE-POP WALL OF SOUND Alvvays may hail from remote island provinces in Canada, but their huge, infectious sound is mined from a rich seam of British influences. Guitarist and vocalist Molly Rankin met co-guitarist Alec O’Hanley in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a love of Teenage Fanclub, The Smiths and The Jesus And Mary Chain informs their luscious, jangly wall of sound. Their eponymous debut album is a bittersweet indie- pop delight that reached number one in the US College charts, yet it’s this side of the pond that the band, now based in Toronto, are held most dearly. “We broke more or less in the UK,” says O’Hanley, who still works in a Toronto guitar shop when he finds time. “The Brits were more receptive to our stuff. I don’t know what it is about UK bands, there was something in the water in the late 80s. We lean pretty heavily on the Glaswegians and Mancunians. We got into The Smiths together, Cocteau Twins were big for us, and Johnny Marr is tough to top. It’s him and Lindsey Buckingham for me. The first time I heard Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub was one of those moments when blue sparks come pouring out of the speakers.” In Archie, Marry Me, Alvvays have a solid-gold classic indie single, yet Molly reveals its romantic notions are misleading: “I wrote the song when a lot of my friends were getting married,” she says. “I wasn’t sure it was the right time and didn’t understand what the rush was. It’s a bit of a bitter song, as anthemic as it may seem.” A pair of Fender Deluxe Reverbs are at the heart of the band’s live sound, with the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, ProCo RAT and Dr. Scientist Reverberator on their boards. “I’ve got the reverb at zero most shows, I like the Kevin Shields approach of achieving that wall of sound without reverb,” says O’Hanley. “Reverb is valuable and we use it on our record, but delay is just as effective, if not more so.” That approach served Alvvays well on a recent sold-out UK tour, and we’d recommend checking them out next time they hit our shores. GW TRY IF YOU LIKE Teenage Fanclub, The Smiths GEAR • GUITARS Fender Jazzmaster, Fender Duo-Sonic, Fender Jag-Stang • AMPS Fender Deluxe Reverbs • EFFECTS EHX Deluxe Memory Man, MXR Carbon Copy, Pro Co RAT, Dr. Scientist Reverberator Anna von Hausswolff EPIC SCANDINAVIAN STORYTELLING Swedish songstress Anna von Hausswolff spins saturation on the Deco for a texture on the distortion. fantastical tales of myth and fury, delivered in a We have a very reverby atmosphere, but we try to keep towering voice that flits between hushed confessions it raw and full of energy.” and howling damnation. Von Hausswolff was uncompromising in her creative Backed by the progressive rock of her Stockholm approach for her third album, with the first single a band, and the cavernous sounds of a 9,000-pipe 10-minute doomy prog epic, Come Wander With Me/ Swedish Acusticum organ, it’s a heady, immersive noise, Deliverance, which Fabiansson reveals was recorded in as witnessed on the dark, expansive new album just two live takes. The Miraculous, released on 13 November. “I can’t afford to care about the market’s approval,” Joel Fabiansson, one of two guitarists in the band, says Anna. “I would lose too much artistic energy, and has the daunting task of finding space in that mix. that would only ruin me.” Fabiansson, who is schooled in jazz playing and cites Amen to that, Anna. GW Frank Zappa as an influence, describes the organ, which TRY IF YOU LIKE Anna Calvi, Jefferson Airplane extends to three floors, as being: “insane, like a little town inside”. “I used a lot of pedals,” he reports. “I used GEAR a Fender Deluxe Reverb and three Strymon pedals: the • GUITARS Jakobsson Les Paul Junior-style guitar, Casio BlueSky, El Capistan – and the Deco to make it dirty. PG380 MIDI guitar, Danelectro Baritone I had two RATs – when I want it to be extreme with lots • AMPS Fender Deluxe Reverbs of feedback, I have those two before the Deco, and the • EFFECTS Strymon BlueSky, El Capistan, Deco; Pro Co RAT 8 NOVEMBER 2015 guitar-bass.net WIN!A BLACKSTAR ID:CORE BEAM BLUETOOTH AMPLIFIER WORTH £239! Enter our competition for a chance to win a Blackstar ID:Core BEAM Bluetooth amp Blackstar’s innovative BEAM is a Super Wide To be in with a chance of winning this Stereo guitar amp with Bluetooth superb, groundbreaking living-room functionality and channels for electric, bass amplifi er, simply email guitarandbass@ and acoustic guitars, and hi-fi quality music anthem-publishing.com with ‘BEAM’ in the playback, styled for the home. subject line and your answer to the The 20-watt amplifi er is the fi rst Blackstar following question: product with Bluetooth capabilities, allowing Q you to stream your music to the amp. It has Blackstar also makes a cool two bass, six electric guitar, two acoustic 3-watt mini amp with onboard guitar and two acoustic simulator voices, delay. What is it called? and a sealed and ported cabinet A The Spider B The Fly C The Worm construction for optimum bass response and stereo defi nition. We recently reviewed Terms & conditions The closing date is the BEAM in Guitar & Bass, praising its “clear 6 November, 2015. By entering Guitar & Bass competitions, you are agreeing to receive details of and punchy guitar tones and zany but usable future promotions from Anthem Publishing Limited stereo eff ects”, and calling it a “great idea and related third parties. If you do not want to well executed that should be standard issue receive this information please add ‘NO INFO’ at for young guitarists”. the end of your email. LETTERS FROM AMERICA PORT CITY MERINO 10-WATT 1 X12” COMBO Inhislatestlookatthebestgearacrossthepond, DAVEHUNTER runstheruleoverabeautifullittlehand-craftedcombo S DAVE HUNTER incethey’rebasedinAsheville,North 50-or100-wattheadwithjustvolume,treble, Dave Hunter is a writer and musician Carolina,ontheedgeoftheSmoky middleandbasscontrols,plusaneloquenttube- who has worked in the US and the UK. A Mountains,250milesfromthecoast,the bufferedeffectsloop–allintendedasastout former editor of this title, he is the author originsofthePortCityAmplificationname ‘pedalplatform’forguitaristswhoembracetheir of numerous books including The Guitar mightbesomewhatpuzzling.Infact,the stompbox-generatedoverdriveneeds.Similarly,the Amp Handbook, Guitar Effects Pedals, Amped and The Fender Telecaster. companywasfoundedbyDanielKleininthe Orleansisa100-watttubeheadforbassistsseeking ocean-sidetownofWilmington,NC,in2005,but contemporaryperformancefromrichgolden-age I’dliketothinkthere’samorethematictietothe tone.Landingnotamillionmilesfromthisethos, moniker:beforetheampsthemselvestookoff, then,wehavethelatestofferingfromPortCity Kleingotsignificanttractioninthemarketwithhis Amplification:theMerino.Dogsimpleinoperation portedWave1x12speaker andblessedlycompact, cabinets,forwhich this1x12combowith hereceivedapatent, A look inside the chassis anominalratingof10 alongwiththe2x12 watts(deceptively,I’dsay) designsthatfollowed. confi rms that about 90 per aimstoperformsimilar Althoughportedcabs tricksfortheclubplayer cent of the Merino’s DNA aretraditionallymore lookingforafirmsonic popularforbassthan is tweed Deluxe foundation.It’sapackage guitar,Ihaveplayedboth thatinspiresabountiful sizesofthePortCity playing-to-tweakingratio, creationsand,despite allatareasonablepricefor beingrelativelycompact,theythrowoutaboatload ahand-wiredvalveampusingqualitycomponents oftone,beautifullyblendingthefullnessandpunch suchasSoZo’sreproduction“BlueMolded”signal ofclosed-backcabswiththebalancedfrequency capacitorsandUS-madeHeyboertransformers. spectrumofopen-backeddesigns,andproving Outwardly,thesizeandformatscreamtweed themselvesadeptatvirtuallyanygenreofmusic. Deluxe.PortCity’ssleek,contemporarystyling ButIdigress.Whilehelpingtomakeboththeir bringsitsownlooktothetable,butthecab ownandotherampssoundsweeterthroughclever isapproximatelythesamedimensionsasa cabdesign,PortCityhasalsobeenturningout narrow-paneltweedDeluxe;ithasthesamevalve relativelystraightforwardyetbeautifullyhand- complementoftwo12AX7s(ifyouallowswapping craftedvalveampsaimedatfulfillingaperceived the5E3V1’s12AY7forthehotter12AX7),two6V6s gapinthemarketwithoutrelyingonexcessive anda5Y3rectifier;andithasthesamesimple gimmickry.Thecompany’slong-runningflagship, controlsection,minusthesecondchannel’svolume the Pearl, is a broadly blackface Fender-inspired knob. Sure, there are plenty of 5E3 clones out there, Inside the chassis, things are just as neat and tidy 10 NOVEMBER 2015 guitar-bass.net