Richie Sambora

Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi talks about some of his favourite gear and guitars. This is the kind of video I like, when guitar legends test out their signature guitar and classic guitars and tell us what they think of it, and give some cool licks to demonstrate.

Richie talks about some of his favourite guitars and some vintage guitars from his collection. Here are the guitars featured:

1958 Gibson ES335
Richie Sambora gives a demo of the "mother tone" created by Eric Clapton by rolling off the tone. Gibson ES335's are smoth as hell and a classic blues guitar.

1959 Gibson Les Paul
This guitar is down in history not just by being a Gibson Les Paul, but the year it was made, something about the 1959 Les Pauls tone, everyone loves it, and Richie has one.

Richie Sambora Fender Signature guitar
A nice signature guitar, a Fender Stratocaster with a Floyd Rose Trem, what more can you ask for.

1963 Fender Stratocaster
Another one of Richie Sambora vintage collection, this 1963 Fender Stratocaster. Strats still have it's unique sound, glassy clear, the best guitar for funky rhythm playing in my opinion.

Peter Green - Guitar Collection

Peter Green is another one of those great british guitarists in history, he's a blues legend. His famous Les Paul has been sold on and circulated around. Peter Green over the years, however, has still build up a huge guitar collection.

About the Video:
I found this video of Peter Green going through his guitar collection which is locked up is a cage, he definitely keeps his guitars safe. He goes through various weird guitars he's aquired through the years. One thing about this video is, I don't know if it's just me but, Peter Green and the interviewer are so dull, this must be the dullest talkthrough of a guitar collection I've ever watched. Peter Green stumbles across some of his guitars which he forgot about and doesn't comment or play it to show it's tone and beauty, most his comments seem to be "oh, this is nice, this is interesting" or he just mumbles crap with no enthusiasm. Compared to John5's talking Telecaster collection, I could feel the passion in H5 when talking about his collection and the love for Telecasters, but Peter Green.....



I'm not even gonna post the second part to this video, you can find it on youtube.

Chet Atkins - Talks about his Gretch

Chet Atkins is no doubt a guitar legend, he revolutionise fingerstyle playing and thum bass lines. My favourite song by Chet Atkins must be Windy and warm.

Chet Atkins has various signatures out, but his electric of choice is a Gretsch. He talks about how he designed the Gretsch that he plays with Mr Gretsch. The f-holes are abit smaller and the nut had a zero fret at one time. His guitar then inspired the design of the Gretsch country gentleman, and various other Gretsch that came afterwards. Now Gretsch guitars are very popular with many famous guitarists are choosing to play one, famously, Gearge Harrison, and Brian Seltzer. A Gretsch is unique in that it can give another distinct tone and feel to the guitar that will make you play differently, different from a Gibson, of Fender, or a ES335 style hollowbody, they have something special.

I never used to follow Chet Atkins music much before and remember seeing him in guitar magazines in the 90's, then after Les Paul died I wondered how old Chet Atkins was now, then I found out he already died in 2001!!! I think I stopped buying guitar magazine in that period and didn't keep upto date, RIP to another legend. The old legends are getting old now, the innovators of guitar, at least their music and legacy will live on.

Paul McCartney Epiphone Texan signature

The Paul McCartney Epiphone Texan signature. This guitar has probably been written about alot of times since it was released, but as I learnt Blackbird by the Beatles recently I thought I'd revive it.

The Paul McCartney Epiphone is the only guitar endorsed by Paul McCartney, Paul played this guitar on his famous performance on the Ed Sullivan show when he played Yesterday, he also used it on the clips of him rehersing/writing Blackbird.

Epiphone these days is regarded as a cheap version of Gibson guitars, if you've got a low budget and want a decent Les Paul, then you buy an Epiphone. But not many people know that Epiphone has a great history and has many of its own original models which changed the world, these include the semi-hollow bodies; Casino, Shereaton, Riviera, Emporer ect. Epiphone also has a good reputation on acoustics, including the Texan! Also, I've read that Les Paul himself built his first electric guitar with Epiphone parts, and presented it to Gibson.

The Epiphone Paul Mccartney Texan represents part of this history, before Epiphone got famous for making budget Les Pauls and Gibson copies. The guitar still keeps it's vintage look and feel, and will maintain it's value. Where the original Paul McCartney Texan is now I'm not sure, maybe Paul still has it. Epiphone's are still great, but in my opinion the great ones are their original models.

Enjoy the Epiphone promotion video of the Paul McCartney Signature and the clips of him playing his Texan:
(if you cannot see the video clip, please refresh the page)

Robert Johnson Gibson L-1 vintage guitars

I went into a guitar store today in Denmark Street London, the shop is called Wunjo guitars. They have a collection of second hand guitars, and some of these are vintage. I saw an old Gibson L-1 with a tag on it that said it was from 1928 (picture on the left, taken from Wunjo's site). The most famous Gibson L-1 player in history must be Robert Johnson the so-called creator of the blues, the man that sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads to play the blues.

Well, back to the L-1, this guitar was beaten up and had been refinished, I've never played a vintage acoustic of this age before and didn't know what to expect.... however, the guitar was amazing. You can hear that the wood of the guitar had been played into and was soft and flexible absorbing the sound of the strings. The tone was a bit flat but had a warmth and character that nothing can replicate. It was a special experience, I could feel Robert Johnson and the soul of the whoever it was that owned and played it for all those years. I now see why vintage guitars are valued so much. I'm in love with vintage acoustics now, the price of the guitar was around £2200 which I think isn't that much for the a vintage instrument of that age.

What triggered me to write about this Gibson L-1 I played today at Wunjo was it's price, ok, the guitar had been refinished and had countless scratches dings, and marks, but if you look at a brand new Gibson L-1 Robert Johnson acoustic, it's $2793 as stated on the Gibson website. There's not too much of a price difference between the vintage instrument and the brand new one! I've never played a brand new Gibson L-1 Robert Johnson model, does it have the same vintage sound as a vintage guitar? Why is the price of this vintage one comparable? If I had the money I'd get the vintage Gibson L-1, I gonna be dreaming of it tonight.

Richie Sambora Guitars and Amps

Todays video is of Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi talking about how he started in music, guitar, his gear in the studio and career. His first few good guitars included Gibson SG, a Les Paul, a Gibson Explorer, primarily a Gibson man. Richie Sambora switched to Fender after his guitars got stolen, he took it as a sign to try something new and ended up with a Fender Stratocaster, Richie Sambora was one of the first few guitarist to have a signature Fender Stratocaster, which features a Floyd Rose trem, humbucker at the bridge, and Star shaped inlays on the neck. He also talks about his amps he uses int he studio, he has a huge collection of vintage amps, from Marshalls, Tweed Fenders, Vox AC30's ect. Richie also talks about an amp switcher which allows him to plug 8 amps in at the same time, allowing him to mix different amp tones together a creating a new sound.

Jason Mraz - Taylor Acoustic Guitars

Since I bought a Taylor acoustic recently I've been looking for artists I like that use a Taylor, and being an electric player it was actually not easy to find. Most top guitar heroes seem to use Martin acoustic guitars such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Elvis ect. After searching for some acoustic songs to learn I found Jason Mraz doing an acoustic set playing "I'm yours" and this man like me is a Taylor fan.

Jason Mraz uses various Taylor guitars from 612's, 714's and T5's. The T5 seems to be slowly gaining more and more popularity especially for it's versatility for acoustic and electric tones for live performances.

Jason Mraz also owns a rare vintage Taylor which his dad bought him, only about dozen of them were made, it's a J15 Jumbo like guitar, this is one of the main guitar that Jason Mraz uses for recording now.

Jason Mraz is taking his music back to the raw essential's, acoustic and vocals, with the success of Jack Johnson and others alike, this is not a bad move, I love this kind of music it's peaceful and earthly, and Jason is backing it up with Taylor guitars, the first video is of a Jason Mrazen interview with Mark Seal talking about his gear, Taylor guitars, and music, the second video is an unplugged performance of Jason playing I'm Yours, ejoy the videos.

(if you cannot see the video, please refresh the page)

John5: The Greatest Telecaster Collection

John5 done a interview with Guitarworld showing his gear and his Telecaster collection, I started watching it thinking its gonna be a normal colection of guitars, but I was wrong. John5 must have the greatest Fender Telecaster Collection in the world!!! This guy collects the best of them, spending millions of dollars. John5's got the most vintage Fender Telecasters in guitar history and he only buys them if they are in good condition, it has to be nearly mint or he won't buy it. He's got the the Telecaster before it was called a Telecaster, the Broadcaster.

Respect to John5 for his collection and for sharing with us. John5 the Fender Telecaster addict.

Enjoy the video...
(if you cannot see the video, please refresh the page)


John5 Gear Fender Telecaster

Les Paul RIP

I'm sad to hear the news today, that Les Paul has died at the age of 94. This man is a legend, he invented the electric guitar, he made one of the most loved guitars in music with Gibson, he was the innovator of record multi-tracking and sound engineering.

Everyone knows Les Paul, because of the Gibson Les Paul, but his music was also amazing. His music had so much soul, tone, speed, and most importantly it was meldolodically brillant. Les Paul had a great personality, drawing in millions of fans even when he was in his 90's.

Les Paul RIP thank you for the music and thank you for your legendary guitar. Les Paul is the greatest guitar hero, and his gear he invented will be used for ever.

Theres so many Les Paul videos I could post, I start with part of this documentary, Chasing Sound.

Gibson Les Paul Axcess - Floyd Rose Trem with Dave Amato

So Gibson released a Les Paul with a Floyd Trem in 2008, the Gibson Les Paul Axcess, it's got the tone qualities of a Les Paul with the added fun and functionality of a Floyd Trem.

I have to admit I'm a Les Paul fan, when I was younger my brother bought a Ibanez RG with a Floyd Rose I wished my guitar had a Floyd Rose aswell, I didn't like the neck and feel of the Ibanez but wanted that Floyd Rose on my comfortable Les Paul, I dreamt that one day I'll get a Gibson Les Paul and mod it with a Floyd Rose, I think I've seen Eddie Van Halen with one before aswell. Now Gibson has done the job for me and released the guitar.

The Gibson Les Paul Axcess, apart from having a Floyd Rose has a few other differences, the neck joint with the body has cutaway in it for easier access to the higher frets (I guess thats partly why they call it "Axcess"), and the body is a bit thinner to allow the Floyd Rose to be fitted better.

On the Gibson Youtube Channel, Dave Amato from R.E.O Speedwagons demonstrates the guitar and some features he likes about it. Check out the video

(if you cannot see the video please refresh the page)

Serj Tankian T5 guitar

Serj Tankian gear: Signature Guitar
Serj Tankian known for his unique vocals in System of a Down, he also plays guitar aswell, and he's got a signature out. The Serj Tankian signature guitar is made by Taylor guitars, Taylor is famous for their acoustic guitars and have recently branched into the electric field, and their electrics have been well received. The first electric they released was a semi hollow body, the T3, then the improved version the Taylor T5 was released. The T5 has acoustic properties and has a great electric tone clean or distorted.

Serj Tankian took a liking to the T5 and now has a Taylor guitar T5 signature, this guitar has a custom finish, black and red binding with "energy wheel" inlays. I bought a Taylor Big Baby recently and was amazed with the difference in tone you get with different woods, for acoustic guitars the wood is the main thing that gives tone (compared to electrics which also depends on the pickups and amps ect), this lead me to watching nearly every youtube video on guitar woods and the tone they give. The Serj Tankian T5 signature has a maple top and sapele body, this is similar to the Taylor T5-S1, Serj opting for the maple body as it gives a bright tone with more bite.

The T5 itself has won mulitple awards, it's built by Taylor so you know it's quality, it's got electric and acoustic qualities with new innovative electronics and pickups to compliment this, especially with Taylor guitars knowledge of acoustics, and to top it off, with the Serj Tankian Taylor T5 signature you get the cool paint job and colours.

(if you can not see the video, please refresh the page)

Carlos Santana Gear - Signature PRS guitar

Carlos Santana gear - Signature PRS Guitar MD
Carlos Santana the smoothest cat on guitar, his playing "re-arranges the molecular structure"!!! Carlos Santana is probably the most famous guitar player to use a Paul Reed Smith (PRS), and to make it part of his trademark sound and look. With songs like Samba Pa Ti, Black Magic Woman, and Smooth with Matchbox 20 are songs you'll remember your whole life, and when you hear it back it brings back memories.

The Carlos Santana PRS MD is his new signature guitar, tweaking it to his exact specifatons for tone, it's all about the tone with Santana, smooooth tone.

(if you cannot see the video clip, please refresh the page)


Thank you to premier guitar.com again for this footage from NAMM

Eric Johnson Gear - Interview on his new signature

Eric Johnson Gear: Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster RW

I was a fan of Eric Johnson since I first saw Cliff Of Dover tabbed out in a guitar magazine, then I bought a video of Eric with G3, this guy can really play, he knows his stuff with his funky jazz chords and unique soloing style.

Not all guitarists are gear and tone freaks, some just stick with their favourite guitar and thats what gives them their sound. But some are "tone chasers" as EVH would say, and Eric Johnson is one of them. He's constantly testing out gear and tweaking his sound. The newest addition to Eric Johnson's gear setup is the Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster with Fender. Eric Johnson has another signature strat with a maple neck, but this ones with a Rosewood and some other tweaks to improve the guitar.

This guitar has a rosewood neck with binding for asthetics with fender doesn't do that often anymore, the idea came from the period when when Fender made Rosewood necks with binding in 1965-1966.

The pickups on this gutar are also tweaked to Eric Johnson's specifications. The guitar is called The Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster RW, RW for rosewood I guess. Check out what eric has to say about it:



Heres what Fender have to say about this great guitar:
"There is no greater example of guitar hero Eric Johnson’s devotion to his art than his new signature model Stratocaster guitar. With singular attention to detail, the new Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW features a two-piece alder body finished in thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer, a quartersawn maple neck with bound round-laminated 12”-radius rosewood fretboard, a three-ply parchment pickguard, pickups voiced by Johnson himself, staggered vintage-style tuners, a custom tremolo block, and four brand-new finish options, three of which (Lucerne Aqua Firemist, Tropical Turquoise and Medium Palomino Metallic) are exclusive to this model. Deluxe blonde hardshell case included" (Fender.com_

Eric Johnson Guitar Gear

Duff McKagan - How he got his sound

Duff McKagan Gear
Duff Mckagan bass guitarist from Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver stayed loyal with his gear that it gave him his sound, especially Rotosound Strings with for over 20 years. In 1986 when the members of Guns N' Roses got their record advance for the album, Duff went and bought himself some new gear, her knew what he wanted, a Fender bass, GK amp, and picked up some Rotosounds cause he liked the ads, and was done, he got his sound.

Check out the interview at NAMM 2009, he also talks about what he thinks of the new Guns album.



Here's a round up of Duff's current gear:
Basses:
Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass; White Fender Precision Special bass.

Amps:
2x Gallien Krueger 800 RB heads (live he will be playing through the 2001 model); GK cabinets.

Also check out the Velvet Revolver website, they go great information on all members of the bands gear.