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)
One Control launches three new stompboxes: the Dyna Red Distortion 4K, Pale Blue Compressor and Blackberry Bass Overdrive, co-designed with Swedish pedal designer, Björn Ju. Worth checking out!
D’Angelico Guitars has acquired Supro and Pigtronix, which puts all three New York brands under one roof. United they should go from strength to strength, which is good news for musicians everywhere.
16 Jun 2020 in
The new Sound Master Custom Tube Guitar Amplifier plugin is Nembrini Audio's take on classic American guitar tones and is available at a fantastic introductory price.
Fender has a special sale with all proceeds going to Crew Nation, with special Masterbuilt guitars along with signed artist models from Tom Morello, Flea, Jeff Beck, Brad Paisley, Duff McKagan and Eric ...
A set of five virtual effect pedals from Fuse Lab Audio, the new VPB bundle also includes a freeware distortion stomp box to give you a taste of what is on offer.
Dee Dee Ramone's Number 1 1975 Fender Precision bass is up for auction! This bass was Dee Dee's go-to instrument for stage and studio and helped shape The Ramones' heavily influential sound.
JOYO has supersized its BanTamP series feature set with the new XL Jackman II. This little amp boasts two separate clean and overdrive channels, each with its own set of independent controls.
Gibson has collaborated with Frank Hannon to release the new Love Dove signature acoustic guitar. This stunning instrument is based on the Tesla guitarist's original model from the '70s.
This one off DeLorean/Time Machine bass guitar is just amazing on all levels, with all the proceeds of its sale being donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Softube releases Amp Room, a new modular system that lets you create your own, personal virtual rigs, along with the Marshall Cabinet Collection as an optional add-on.
Master Builder John Cruz has been fired from his post at Fender, the company confirmed. It seems he was dismissed for a deplorable social media post about the recent protests in the USA.
Orange Amplification found the schematics to some long forgotten '70s stomp boxes, but they need some working examples to make a reissue happen. So if you own an original, help them out!
HOT
The Squier Paranormal Range has now officially been released and they look pretty amazing. And at a price point that will make many musicians want to buy them all!
Harley Benton premieres its new SC-Custom II range with a striking Silver Burst finish that's also being added as an option on its already popular SC-550 model. Time to get rocking!
The new Cort KX300 Etched models come loaded with EMG humbuckers that should handle all your classic rock tones and more! And with their sandblasted and etched tops, they look ready for battle!
The new Dean Guitars MD 24 models come with a hardtail or Floyd Rose, and are loaded with Seymour Duncans. But do these budget shredders have what it takes to stand out form the crowd?
Walrus Audio introduces Ages, an overdrive pedal with five gain stages for plenty of variety to get dirty with. Designed as a stackable overdrive, can this green dirt box do it all?
BurlsArt documents his acoustic guitar build using carbon fibre, one of the trickier materials for instrument making. Respect! Grab a mug of coffee and spend a few minutes on this video.
The latest in guitar knob technology? That Klick Knob lets you hit your guitar's sweet spot perfectly every time and keep it readily at hand. But is a knob really worth $20?
Grez Guitars' new limited edition Smugglers Bridge Folsom has a one piece 1,000-year-old reclaimed redwood body and some great pickup and hardware configurations on offer as well.
Class A Led Zeppelin or blues tones, anyone? Grab the Supro 1695T Black Magick or Blues King BK combos for a great price via this stellar deal on Thomann.
No, the Vibraslide is not a sex toy - it's a unique new system giving lap steel players the infinite sustain sound David Gilmour achieved with Pink Floyd. Back it now on Kickstarter.
This Swarovski crystal-encrusted Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom Bullseye could be the ultimate version of a signature Les Paul that accompanied Ozzy Osbourne all those years.
Save big on Supro drive pedals at Thomann: get the 1303 Boost, 1305 Drive and the 1304 Fuzz for a low, low price. All 3 are tuned for '60s tones yet add modern features like an expression pedal input.