I grew up in a house full of guitars, as my father was forever building electric guitars on the families kitchen table. I spent my teenage years trying to tame a 100 watt Marshall JCM 800 and matching 4 x 12 cab in a bedroom, only just large enough for a bed. I’d bought it not REALLY understanding exactly how loud 100 watts is. At this young age I started to experiment with recording and MIDI and cut my teeth on Pro 24 and Notator on an Atari synced to a Foster R8 with an MTC-1.
Playing in bands and working in recording studios for many years, I learned to mix, record and eventually worked as a sound engineer. I also worked for many of the UKs large pro audio retailers, where I helped to set up DAWs in everything from local studios, music technology colleges all the way through to world famous recording facilities like Air Studios and The Strongroom. As I couldn’t help myself, I even owned my own recording studio in London for a while. There I learnt a lot about recording guitars, dealing with bands and getting quality results anyhow.
Over the years I have acquired a very sizeable guitar collection, which includes many guitars that I have built myself. I’m a total hoarder of effect pedals and valve amps and I’m a certified guitar geek. So there are not many that I have not owned at least once. Whether Parker Fly guitars or Klon Centaur pedals, I’ve had them all. Now running the annual Analogue To Digital music show in the UK, plus the Vintage Guitar Fair, I get to be busy throughout the year and also get to rub shoulders with many other guitar lovers, luthiers, manufacturers and pro players.
My tastes in music includes everything from Dinosaur Jr to Squarepusher.
Write him: jef (at) gearnews (com)
Danelectro launches a Vintage Pedal range with an Eisenhower Fuzz and a Breakdown Overdrive, both modern takes on classic circuits. We're not sure about the aged look, though...
22 Mar 2019 in
A one-trick pony this isn't: G&L's Deluxe Skyhawk HH includes the PTB system and coil taps, allowing you to coax more than just straight humbucker tones from its dual pickup design.
Halestorm frontwoman and guitarist Lzzy Hale gets a cool Alpine White signature Epiphone Explorer model for 2019 that looks like it will rock hard and take no prisoners!
Joyo has just released two new feature-packed, compact pedalboard friendly wah pedals. Best of all both pedals are seriously wallet-friendly and offer lots for your money.
Tom Cram's new Yellow Spiral Drive is an all-analogue overdrive pedal that takes the classic DOD 250 design a step further by adding selectable diodes and a Girth control.
Stevie T has revealed via a ridiculous video of himself playing his new 20-string guitar. Is this the ultimate Djent machine? Or is it the most impractically bizarre guitar ever made?
Walrus Audio has produced a new V2 of its Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo from 2017, with new expression control and improved responses. Plus now it's smaller!
Blue Cat Audio says its new Re-Guitar plug-in can make your favourite guitar sound like it has P90s, humbuckers or single-coil pickups - or even transform an electric into an acoustic.
Two new Framus Steve Salas Diablo II models will be shipping from July 2019. You can get them in either Teambuilt or Masterbuilt versions, but you may want to take out a loan to go for the latter.
Will the new Positive Grid BIAS FX2 have all the features you need in one place? Certainly looks like PG is cramming in the features and the new Guitar Match feature looks like a lot of fun...
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That moment when you find a woodworm infestation while working on your Yamaha RGX 521! Is this the new relic look for 2019? It's certainly a less appetizing way to get a lighter guitar...
The new Fender Custom Shop Josefina hand-wound Tomatillo Stratocaster pickup set is being touted by the company as its next big thing in '50s style Strat tone.
Joyo's new D-Seed II is a stereo digital delay that's pretty feature packed given the price of under USD 90. Could this be the perfect delay/looper for newcomers to echo-type effects?
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Named after one of Steel Panther's tracks the Poontang Boomerang is their latest effect pedal and is designed to be tongue in cheek with dated '80s Glam Metal humour, but is it any good?
The new re-housed JHS Space Commander delivers the same combination of ’80s inspired boost, chorus and reverb effect that Ryan Adam's VCR. Just without all the scandal!
Designed in collaboration with Murphys' guitarist Jeff DaRosa and bassist Ken Casey, these semi-hollow body instruments include a sweet box of goodies for fans, including a signed hockey puck.
In Part 1 we will be covering the basics of soldering, what to upgrade on your Squier and where to find the correct components. With a few simple upgrades, you're Squier will sound more like a Fender!
Burls Art is at it again, this time no pencils were harmed during the construction of the guitar! Instead, we get an instrument with a river flowing through it and under the bridge!
The new Limelight pedal is a fuzz/distortion effect that uses three NOS Germanium transistors at the heart of the circuit with a nicely tweakable Beam control at its centre.
A trio of strange and wonderful 'almost forgotten' dirt boxes form the UK's Frederic Effects. Each with its own unique twist on a classic rare fuzz/distortion circuit.
This Swiss-designed Mary One guitar uses a unique system of an aluminium body and industrial-strength magnets to allow possibly the easiest pickup swaps ever!
The NUX Mighty BT20 has four channels, each with four sound presets available, potentially making this a versatile little practice amp. An app controls the onboard tones via Bluetooth.
To promote their new Black album, Weezer are giving away a limited-edition custom Black Album Fender Stratocaster. It's available via a sweepstake and there is only one guitar available!
