Posted by Alan Cross on March 5, 2014 · 2 Comments
Cortés searched for a city of gold. Indiana Jones looked for the Holy Grail. But guitarists? We're on a never-ending quest for tone. And we're searching for not just one tone, but several. That usually means lugging a couple of different guitars to a gig....
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Posted by Alan Cross on February 13, 2014 · 2 Comments
Admit it: there's just something about gold that gets the heart pumping. Maybe that's why the show "Gold Rush" is the most popular program on the
Discovery Channel these days.
In the 1950's, Texas Playboy Eldon Shamblin famously refused to endorse Fender when shown a bland...
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Posted by Alan Cross on February 11, 2014 · 1 Comment
Larry Fishman says he stayed away from electric guitar pickups for a reason—there were already “plenty” of great ones around.But as we all know, pickups aren’t consistent, hand-wound or otherwise. That’s what makes the Fluence pickup unique.
Instead of winding wire, copper is “printed” and...
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Posted by Alan Cross on January 26, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Sure, you've got a volume knob on your guitar, but what if it's just too damn far to reach? A player like you needs dynamics, baby. You could stretch that pinky all the way to the pot, but why risk tearing a tendon when you...
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Posted by Alan Cross on January 26, 2014 · Leave a Comment
We guitarists spend an awful lot of time chasing tone, more often than not trying to replicate a classic sound from the past. In this search, you'll likely come across pickups "inspired by" Fender, "improving upon" Fender, but not made by Fender. Perhaps you could make...
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Posted by Alan Cross on January 26, 2014 · 3 Comments
If you don't know the name, then you know the sound. David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Mick Jagger's "She's the Boss," The Vaughan Brothers's "Family Style," Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Duran Duran's "The Reflex"—Nile Rodgers has either produced them, played with them, or a combination of...
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Posted by Alan Cross on January 25, 2014 · 3 Comments
Straight out of NAMM '14 is this selection of new Fender Artist Signature models. Made for rockers, not country pickers—but hey, don't limit yourself—each of these is less than $1800. Is that a bargain? It's your call. And yes, Fender never seems to award the...
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