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We left off discussing the beautiful instrument created when Gibson and Les Paul joined together in the 1950s. However I would be remiss if I failed to narrate the story any further. Leo Fender is the next big name that we must discuss. He developed an excellent solid body guitar in the 40s and took it to market by 1954. This first guitar by Fender was called the Fender Stratocaster. Some of you might know it as a fender strat. This development was very important because it was a different body design from the les paul. This new guitar was very light and used alternative hardware to the Gibson Les Paul. It used a single magnetic pickup that became popular among country singers in California. Leo Fender believed that an instruments design should be modular so that the products could stay cost effective. There was something of a trademark issue between Gibson and Fender with the Telecaster guitar. However we will not delve into that. I will comment that because of trademark problems, some of the fender telecasters were produced without decals of the fender logo. Interestingly these guitars are now quite valuable in collector circles. They are called nocasters.

Our last stop is to look at Vox and the pentagonal phantom guitar. Initially this was constructed in England but was then made by Alter EKO in Italy. Next came the Mark VI model, which was used by Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones. Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls also used this guitar. Vox also came out with some 12 string guitars in the 60s which were quite popular.

Labels: alter eko, fender, gibson, Leo Fender, les paul, vox

Man, I tell you. When it comes to music – and when it comes to cranking out your sound so everyone at your venue can hear you (and everyone within a mile of it) – it’s not just about your instrument, or your skill. Imagine sticking James Hetfield of Metallica or Geddy Lee of Rush on an Amplifier the size of your fist and running stripped, decade-old cable between them! You’d lose so much tone, and so much sound, that you might not even be able to tell a legend was behind the strings. When it comes to music, you can shred as hard as you want, but no one will notice if you don’t have some serious equipment screaming out that beastly new riff of yours for the masses to hear, or singing that smooth Bassline holding up your group.

I play a lot of instruments, and I understand that getting that sound out is different for each and every one. However, if I had to pick one musical label to attach to myself, it’d have to be the title of Bassist. I totally dig Basses, Bass products, Bass accessories, Bass Pedals… I try to give myself as many opportunities as I can to experience the low end every way it can be experienced. I've played on everything from a low-end Fender offshoot to a Bass I can hardly believe I got to run on, the extremely high-end (and may I say, totally sweet)
Tobias Growler 5 String Electric Bass Guitar. I’ve plugged into a wide range of Amplifiers from a wide range of Amp makers. So today, I’m going to talk Basses – and more importantly, the keys to their sound: Bass Amps.

I play a Fender Standard Jazz 5 String, myself. Not the most expensive of Basses in the world (And let me tell you, that Tobias Growler is incredible, despite it being ridiculously expensive), but it’s got a sound I love. The strings and especially the fingerboard feel just right on my hands, and it grooves like no other for me. And I don’t just play Bass, I’m all over the Rhythm section, and I play a lot of brass instruments, too. No coincidence – I’m a Jazz Bassist, and I know this baby sounds awesome from every part of the Jazz Combo. It backs you up and takes the lead seamlessly, and feels right the whole way through. I’m a big fan of Fender instruments in general because Leo Fender himself was intent on bringing the Electric Bass to the masses, but this instrument shows that the sound on their merchandise holds that ideal true.

However, my Five String J-Bass has also had many hookups in its time. It has seen quite a bit of the market: I got it with a low-end Ibanez amp, and as I felt more and more at home with my bass, I started to wonder why my sound wasn’t coming through like I thought it could. The Ibanez was great to start on, and I was getting a sound out and it was cool because I could play whatever I wanted and hear it, but it just wasn’t quite right...

Then it happened: I hooked up to my friend’s Eden Electronics Nemesis Bass Guitar Amp through some high-end Monster Cable, and realized my sound was going to the void of hookups that just weren’t there in my little home practice setup. The out-of-the-box programs are like no other when it comes to the need to just feel the frets, make the sound, get your technique down and understand the mechanics of the music. But once you’ve got that down and you feel like something’s just missing, well, you’re probably right. You’re missing the next step up in your equipment, be it your amplifier or your cables or even your instrument, and once you feel like there’s a ceiling that your sound is getting trapped under, it’s time to step up. I’d heartily recommend the Nemesis line for any next-step-up Bassists (they’re all mid-range pricing – not professional quality, but the equipment you need to break the barrier). However, the need to step up equipment occurs amongst all musicians! When you’re ready to step up, no matter what you’re playing, I encourage you to start looking, start asking, and find those amps and cables that will take your sound one step closer to perfection.

Labels: amplifier, bass guitars, bassist, bassline, Electronics Nemesis, fender, Fender Standard Jazz 5 String, fingerboard, gibson, Ibanez, Jazz Bassist, Leo Fender, monster cable, riff, shopping, tobias growler, wish list

For the beginning guitarist, a guitar package is a wise investment. Guitar packages come with everything one could need when learning to play the guitar. The main choice when looking for one of these packages is between an electric and an acoustic package. When making this decision, consider what type of music you want to learn. The future rock-and-roll star may want to focus on an electric guitar package because of the included amplifier, making it easier to play along with a band or add effects such as overdrive. If you are striving to become the next singer/songwriter or play traditional tunes, an acoustic guitar package maybe what you are looking for.

You may notice that there are many electric guitar packages to choose from and the differences tend to be personal preference. The guitars themselves really depend on the look of the guitar and the pickup configuration. Two of the most popular styles of electric guitar would be the Squier Stratocaster (Fender) and the Epiphone Les Paul (Gibson). The Stratocaster displays three single coil pickups that provide a smooth mid-range type of sound and the Les Paul features two humbucker pickups that exhibit a hotter, edgier sound. It is really hard to go wrong with any electric guitar package choice.

Acoustic guitar packages tend to be a little easier to decipher because of their what you see is what you get contents. The acoustic guitar usually comes in two choices: Acoustic and Acoustic Electric. The acoustic electric guitar is just like the standard acoustic guitar but includes an electronic pickup system that allows you to plug the guitar into an amplifier.

Both of these package types usually include a wealth of accessories including picks, straps, cables, amplifiers (with electric packages), tuners and more. Some great online stores provide quality choices of each type of package including American Musical Supply and Electricguitar.com.

Labels: acoustic, acoustic electric guitars, electric guitars, Ephiphone Les Paul Gibson, fender, gibson, guitar packages, guitars, humbucker pickups, les paul, shopping, single coil pickup, Squier Stratocaster Fender, wish list