Coheed & Cambria Rig Rundown
Premier Guitar’s Rebecca Dirks catches up with Claudio Sanchez’s guitar tech and Travis Stever for a run-through of the guitars, amps, and effects Coheed & Cambria are using on tour.
Oh, and Gibson Explorer. Coolest. Guitar. Ever.
Foo Fighters’ Chris Shifflet talks Telecasters, Dead Peasants, and Foo Fighters with Premier Guitar
Premier Guitar Rig Rundown with Scott Ian
The lovely Rebecca Dirks of Premier Guitar catches up with Anthrax guitarist and founder Scott Ian to get a run-through of his rig and the stable of guitars he’s currently playing through in concert. But I’m sorry, how many guitars can he have to have lost track of one for over 20 years?!
Enjoy!
Sabian Obsessed: Mike Portnoy
When I’m into something, it’s full-blown. I don’t casually get into anything.
Mike Portnoy talks with Sabian about his ultimate obsession, collecting. His collections include, among other things, replica drum kits, movies, music CDs and DVDs, and magazines, all meticulously curated and organized.
Sabian Obsessed: Neil Peart
Neil Peart talks about his obsessions in Sabian’s Obsessed series: the written word (both reading it and writing it), motorcycling, and (naturally) cymbals.
Epiphone has just announced a new Ace Frehley tribute model Les Paul. From the press announcement:
Epiphone is proud to announce our tribute to Ace Frehley, one of rock’s most influential guitarists, with the Epiphone Limited Edition Ace Frehley “Budokan” Les Paul Custom Outfit. As the lead guitarist for KISS (and the original designer of the famous KISS logo) Ace Frehley is renown around the world as one of the Les Paul guitar’s most exciting ambassadors as well as one of rock’s greatest showman. Ace single handedly inspired a generation of guitarists to pick up rock and roll’s most powerful axe. Now, Epiphone makes this iconic guitar available to players everywhere.
This looks like a pretty sweet piece of gear. The only thing missing is the fake drop-out smoking pickup. It will be limited to a run of 1000 and comes with a custom hard case, a certificate of authenticity, and a photo of the Space Ace himself. So if you have a few thousand dollars to spare, go get yours today.
Paul Gilbert runs through his rig for Premier Guitar
Premier Guitar runs through Billy Sheehan’s bass rig
It’s time for another rig rundown with Premier Guitar. This time, in lieu of having their techs go through their rigs, Mr. Big shred-meisters Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan discuss their guitars, amps and effects themselves, all the while displaying how genuinely nice and down-to-earth they both are. No rockstar egos here, boys and girls. The only question I have is … where’s Rebecca?!
Enjoy!
John Petrucci’s Rig Rundown
Rundown of John Myung’s Rig
The gear geeks over at Premier Guitar have done it again, bringing us rig rundowns for the Johns of Dream Theater. Rebecca Dirks runs through the guitars, effects, amps, and setups for bassist John Myung and guitarist John Petrucci with their techs John Zocco and Maddi Schieferstein.
Remember, kids, you gotta put on a rack show. Oh, and the square root of evil is 25.80697580112788.
Enjoy!
Billy Gibbons’ gear rundown with Premier Guitar
Premier Guitar’s Rebecca Dirks gets the low-down on Billy Gibbons’ rig with guitar tech Elwood Francis. This gear rundown takes us through Billy’s guitars, effects, and amp settings. The biggest revelation of the entire video? Billy uses really skinny strings. 007’s to be exact. The Dunlop Billy Gibbons signature Rev. Willy’s Mexican Lottery Brand .007’s to be even more exact. .007’s?! And according to Francis, he’s never broken a string during his tenure as Billy’s tech. Wow.
Enjoy!
Rhythm magazine gets a tour of Neil Peart’s newest drum kit
Watch as Neil Peart’s drum tech Lorne Wheaton gives UK’s Rhythm magazine the rundown on the Time Machine tour drum kit.
Guitar tech Scott Appleton runs down Alex Lifeson’s rig for Harmony Central
Here’s yet another gear rundown—albeit the most in-depth of the ones featured here—of Alex Lifeson’s rig for the Time Machine tour. Enjoy!
Alex Lifeson talks gear with Harmony Central
Here’s another rundown of Alex Lifeson’s gear on Rush’s Time Machine tour, this time for Harmony Central by the man himself and not his guitar tech. I just don’t think I’ll ever get used to the look of a Les Paul with a Floyd Rose.
Enjoy!
Premier Guitar’s Rebecca Dirks runs through Alex Lifeson’s gear with his guitar tech Scott Appleton on Rush’s recent stop on the Time Machine tour at Chicago’s United Center.
Ty Tabor sits down with Guitar World to demonstrate how he plays King’s X classics “Dogman,” “It’s Love,” “Goldilox,” and “Lost in Germany.” He also discusses tunings, song and riff inspirations, how playing in a band with 12-string bass affects his EQ choices, and his amazement at the longevity his band has enjoyed.
This particular set of clips may not the best representation of his playing, but Ty is one of those guys that makes the guitar look easy, especially in a live setting. His note choices and phrasing are normally impeccable, and I don’t think you could meet a nicer, more humble musician anywhere. And while I’m not a big fan of the lower tunings he has been using since the Please Come Home…Mr. Bulbous days, I’m really digging the tone he’s getting out of his custom Guilford guitars, Duncan P-Rails, and his amps and effects.
Enjoy this inside look of one of my favorite guitarists, and if you enjoy this sort of thing, head on over to GuitarWorld.com and take a look at some of their other video lessons.
Celebrating 60 Years of the Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster celebrates its 60th birthday this year—its predecessor the Esquire was developed by Leo Fender in 1949, two years prior to the introduction of the Tele—and of course, Fender is commemorating this milestone by pulling out all the stops with a 60th Anniversary edition Telecaster. The marketing machine is also in full swing, releasing promotional videos at the Fender site and on its YouTube channel.
This particular video features guitarists across all genres and generations—a cast as diverse as Jeff Beck, Elliot Easton, Vince Gill, Keith Urban, and John 5—singing the praises of Leo’s creation, and we even get to watch a little pickin’ and grinnin’. There’s just something about a Tele that I have always been drawn to—although I’m pretty sure it’s not the characteristic honky tonk “honk”—and I’ve always wanted to own one. Maybe someday …
On a side note, this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Precision Bass. Let’s see if it gets as much love as its six-stringed cousin. Oh, and I want one of those, too!
Enjoy!
