Guitars and Life

This looks good... The new Epiphone DC PRO - basically looks like it is based on the Les Paul Double Cut that has been released a few times by Gibson but obviously at the Epiphone price point.  Also most Gibson ones I've seen had only master vol and tone where this has separate controls for each pickup and the toggle mounted on the upper horn as per a typical Les Paul.   I'll be looking around for some reviews of this on YouTube etc. soon.

Well let me just sum up 2018 in one word - CRAP! If you follow my other blog you'll know I've been ill all this year with my meniere's disease.  This has led to me taking "early retirement" - well I was made redundant whilst off on long term sick leave.  I'm trying to sort out a pension income in the next few months before the  redundancy payout disappears.  If that's not enough to keep the wolf from the door well... we'll have to cross that rickety bridge if it appears in our path. I've always done a quick annual review on here so in keeping with that tradition here we go... 1. Gig of the year Easy to pick as due to the problems with Meniere's going to gigs is now a thing of the past.  The one exception was seeing Black Country Communion last January (almost a year to the day actually) at Hamersmith Apollo.  They were exceptional anyway and may well have won even if I'd been going to a lot of gigs. 2. Album of the year. Mr Joe ...

It's been an age since I've done an album review on here - largely as I've not been buying music much recently.  Anyway.... Joe Bonamassa Redemption Now Joe Bonamassa with this album really nails it.  He has written 12 excellent songs.  His band has to be quiet simply one of the best on the planet too.  He is the king of blues rock currently.  From the start of Evil Mama with the hooky riff, stabby horn fills and great vocals you know this is going to be great.  I do simply believe it is his best yet. The solos of course are his tour de force.   The headliner stand outs for me are Redemption (the title track) and The Ghost of Macon Jones. If you like Bluesy Rock or Rocky Blues or just great rock music go listen.  It really is top album. Jeff Back Live at the Hollywood Bowl What more can you say about Jeff Beck?  One of the, if not the, most original and inventive rock guitarists of the moment.  Where many many others mig...

It was my birthday earlier in the month.  So with the various vouchers and cash I got I've acquired a couple of bits of new kit. 1. Harmoniser pedal. I thought I'd try one out and didn't want to spend a lot on something that has limited use to be honest.  I watched some reviews of the cheaper mini pedals that have been coming on the market recently.  Influenced by Mooer who came up with the format.  The idea is just genius.  They figure most people who are serious have a pedal board already and that has a 9v power supply on it.  Therefore why to all pedals continue to have to have space for the 9v battery and that dictates a lot about how small a pedal can be - a format long championed by market leaders like Boss. So take that out, minituraise as much as possible and suddenly pedals can be really small actually.  Small enough that you could have 3 or 4 easily on a little board with a power supply and be able to put it in the pocket of your gig ba...

Many many years ago when I first started playing the guitar etc. John Miles was an artist I liked.  Remember him?  Most famous was his breakthrough hit of Music - which is a marvellous tune, with a bit of 7/4 timing thrown in with piano, orchestra and rock guitar solo. Anyway John Miles had a black Les Paul Custom - hmmm.... another influence on my desire for one of these in later years maybe.  But his was special.  Many customs from the late 50s were built with three pickups - it was the default set up and continued into the SG custom that followed in the 60s - it is extremely rare to see a two pickup SG custom although two pick Les Paul Customs became the norm after the 1970 reintroduction.   John's had three pickups but rather than the usual three way switch and two vol and tones his had a four way slider switch and six controls. Here is a video of him playing it in 1976 in one of his hits Slow Down.  Esp about 1:30 in you'll see the guitar duri...

Here is a picture of the new Gibson Les Paul Standard 2019 model. In the snazzy looking Blueberry Burst.  Not possibly the colour I'd choose if I was buying this guitar but interesting and actually quiet innovative for a production guitar finish - you've got a standard burst idea - i.e. fade from light to dark from the centre out to the edges and a colour transition from the neck joint to the base of the instrument.  Now - if you search on the Internet for Gibson Les Paul Standard 2019 - you'll find a whole host of articles and videos with people in melt down.  I've not seen this level of hate for Gibson Les Paul since the addition of robot tuners and the height adjustable brass nut. I thought I write and give my take on this... firstly by talking history. Exhibit one the original Les Paul model as introduced in 1952. (from GuitarHQ.com) Let us roll on to 1957. (This is actually Snowy White's guitar that he has used throughout his career with Pin...

I got this idea from Chris at Highline guitars from a video he put up recently on his YouTube channel. If you haven't much space available and certainly not enough for a permanent workbench here's a way to get one you can store away. Underneath is a Black & Decker Workmate that I've had for years and which already folds away.  The top is a large offcut sheet of chipboard that was in my garage - a left over for a kitchen installation years ago. Underneath you see again a chunk of chipboard that was in my pile of "it may come in handy one day" offcuts.   You'll see I notched it at the ends so sit snugly on the workmate.  Once this clamped in the top is held really tight and it gives you a much bigger smooth flat surface to work on.  I heavily countersunk the 2.5" chipboard screws so that they won't scratch anything I put on there. The final little touch again from Chris at Highline was the portable carpenter's vice.  I honestly h...