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)
This rather attractive run of PRS acoustic guitars will be available only in Europe for a limited time and will feature Koa or Pau Ferro tonewoods - a hard case is included, too.
Fender is preparing a new limited edition, the Midnight Series, encompassing rather classy looking Stratocaster, Telecaster and a Precision Bass versions, all made in Japan.
Gibson is back with a bang! This SG Special will be available in two great finishes and features P90s, Grade A tone woods and a sleek vintage look. Will this guitar make your wallet tremble?
The Mad Professor's new Loud‘n Proud pedal is an emulation of the classic four-input Marshall amps used on many great rock albums, and promises some nifty voicing and tone options.
HOT
Is this the hottest 'signature' guitar news so far this year? A new Jimmy Page Signature range of Telecasters is to be released in 2019. But will they come with a violin bow?
Reheated pizza the day after can be a wondrous joy. The re-release of Caroline Guitar Company's Hawaiian Pizza fuzz/OD pedal is a celebration of that delectable meeting of sweet and sour.
When there is something strange in your neighbourhood. Who are you gonna call? We don't know either, but the new Positron Collider Fuzz will at least take your mind off of it.
The Sändare Overdrive V2 is a revamp of the Satellite pedal and builds on the great sound of its predecessor to give a low-gain drive/boost pedal with more control than the original.
The ultimate Sonic Youth 'garage sale' could well be a huge hit, as it includes some classic gear that has been played, used and personalised or modified by the band over the years.
Can't get enough fuzz, dirt and glitch from your pedals? It's time to seek out Deep Space Devices' new Trigoanut. Its dirty, glitchy fuzz is not for the faint-hearted!
Designed with input from Nashville session musician Eddie Heinzelman, the Verb o Trem combines reverb and a mod section and is to be offered in two versions of varying size and cost.
Fender's Scottish CEO Andy Mooney has let the cat out of the bag about an upcoming line of American-made acoustic guitars that we think may be announced at Winter NAMM 2019.
Reverend Guitars has a mean new signature guitar out, the Todd Evans Squatch Hammer. This stripped-down utilitarian Flying V style guitar could be perfect for knocking out some hard-hitting tones.
The new Pralines boutique modulation and fuzz pedal from Lyon's Glou-Glou FX promises guitarists, synth players and other instrumentalists loads of tweakable fun.
Can James "JC" Curleigh 'build a powerhouse brand' with Gibson USA? Well, he has done it before at Levi Strauss, where he was in charge previous to his new role at Gibson.
The Hotone MP-100 Ampero is packed with features: 120 amps and cabs, 240 effects, an expression pedal, a 120s looper and more. But will it fulfil the promise of behaving like a real amp?
The NiCompressor is based on is the 70s Loco Box ‘The Choker’ and.... OK, let's cut to the chase: Here's why anyone looking for a quality compressor pedal should check this one out.
Pantera's late guitarist used solid-state Randall amplifiers to craft the hard-hitting guitar tones on Cowboys From Hell. IK Multimedia's new Dimebag Darrell CFH bundle models amps and effects from DD's rig.
The MXR Carbon Copy is getting a snazzy new silver paint job and an aluminium housing for 2018, ten years after it was introduced. Just don't expect any sonic tweaks or upgrades.
Fender says that women now account for half of new guitarists picking up the instrument for the first time. Could the likes of pop icons Taylor Swift and rock legends like Nita Strauss be the cause?
Want some bona fide Richie Kotzen tones but can't be bothered tracking down one of those rare Kotzen signature Strats? DiMarzio have a proposition for you that's surprisingly affordable.
The Telstar combo uses a 6L6 and EL84 in a push-pull Class A circuit. With two different voicings and plenty of rich, vintage tones, could this be all the boutique amp you'll ever need?
The move to extend CITES regulations to all rosewood species caused headaches for instrument makers and buyers alike. Now a proposed rule change may see rosewood exempted from CITES in 2019.
Paul Reed Smith's iconic Custom 24 design now available in new colours for the budget PRS SE Standard 24 range in Europe, with a couple of additional aesthetic touches also added to the range.
