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)
In big news for guitar makers, the UK's mia says that a proposal has been "nominally agreed" that would end many of the restrictions imposed on rosewood use in instrument making.
Two brand new budget multi-effect units from Zoom, the new G1 Four and G1X Four, cram in a bunch of effects, amp simulations, a tuner and drum machine for a very nice price.
JHS, Benson Amps and Walrus Audio are among the manufacturers withdrawing products from sale and although Adams has apologized via Twitter, he's now under investigation by the FBI.
Have you ever wanted to emulate a Roland TB-303 with your guitar? EHX promises that you can use its new Mono Synth Guitar Synthesizer to reach that higher state - no MIDI required!
The new updated RK5 Signature Fly Rig V2 is a new incarnation of Tech21's multi-effects pedal for Richie Kotzen, with added features and finally some modulation FX on board.
A new Joe Perry Signature model Gibson Les Paul that has Stratocaster elements? Yes, that is exactly how the Aerosmith guitarist is describing his soon to be released new guitar on Twitter.
Legendary pedal builder Bill Finnegan has once again started selling the original Klon Centaur overdrive one at a time on eBay, each hand-built by the man himself.
Overloud has updated its TH virtual guitar rig software, adding features like the Rig Player, a function to swap out the virtual tubes as well as a variac simulation.
TC Electronic has just announced the new BAM200 - and it is a lot of bass amp for very little money. It's aimed at gigging bassists on a budget, or players needing a small practice rig.
When does the 'Brown Sound' get too, well, brown? Guitar tone chaser Joan Segeborn has taken an old Marshall head and cabs and run them through a Variac, taking us brown sound tone adventure.
Four special limited-run guitars have just been announced for the February Ball Family Reserve release, each one in a limited colour and with a few enhanced features.
Built in Italy by Mezzabarba, the new Trinity amp head is rated at 100W and has MIDI programmability, three dedicated channels and a few optional extras to help you get the most out of it.
The new TWA Minimorph pedal has finally been released and this little hoodlum can destroy your guitar's signal to give you creative fuzz/synth tones in seconds. One to watch!
This new Mini Classic Switchless Wah from Morley squeezes lots of features into a much smaller housing, making it interesting for guitarists whose pedalboards are already cramped...
The guitar was stolen 27 years ago within five minutes of the band finishing a live set at Detroit’s Saint Andrew’s Hall in June 1992. It's just turned up and is back with Corgan!
Many associate the "Civil War" Big Muff with David Gilmour's sound on Pink Floyd's Pulse. Now you can get closer with the Patriot MkII fuzz - without having to shell out wads on the used pedal market.
Could the new TC Electronic Brainwaves pitch shifter be serious competition for the Digitech Ricochet and Whammy pedals? In a word: Yes. And this one has all that TonePrint gadgetry going on, too.
A new Gibson Custom Shop 'mashup' of two guitars (one from 1959 and one from 1960) the new Les Paul Special Double Cut Figured Top combines two classic guitars into one.
Canadian pedal manufacturer Outlaw Effects is releasing four new mini analogue effects pedals, with some nice sonic options and a tiny footprint (great for cramped pedalboards).
Looks like Gibson Custom Shop has dropped some of the more unpopular materials and parts, like Richlite fretboards. Will 2019 see Gibson's premium range return to form?
The new Dark Arts analogue phaser pedal is made in the UK and features sixteen different waveforms, tap-tempo and other useful functions, making it a bit of a modulation beast!
A new guitar amp that can process effects from a smartphone app and attaches to your guitar. Is Jamstack the perfect practise guitar amp solution for guitarists on the move?
With a retro Café Racer bikes styling, the Yamaha Revstar series launched back in 2015. Now we have five new Revstar models being launched this year including Bigsby trem and P90 options.
The new 2019 Jackson Pro Misha Mansoor HT7 could prove very enticing if you need a guitar for modern styles. The Periphery guitarist has not, however, included a set of sunglasses with it!
