I read Guitar World magazine religiously (what guitar player doesn’t?) and in the last issue, I noted the small sideline feature on their model contest for the upcoming Guitar World Buyer’s Guide.  I never even remember previous buyer’s guides being full of hot ladies, but heck, if they say so I thought it would be fun to submit photos of Donna.

:: Guitar World model contest photo submission - click to enlarge ::

So Donna and I had fun in the 90-degree south Florida sun, shooting some photos of her posing with my old Jackson Kelly Performer PS-6T.  That guitar has a lot of sentimental value to me, as it was a gift from my dad ten years ago.

We thought of some gimmicky poses with the instrument that would be cool for photos to submit, and it turned out to be a lot of fun, for laughs if anything else. As usual, Donna looked great, and although she did well in the hot sun, and my black guitar was radiating a temperature of over 100 degrees when it went back into the case.  That can’t be good.

::  And you haven’t even seen her race BMX yet!  Click to enlarge ::

For those that want to know, I shot these photos with a Nikon D300 and Nikon 70-200 VR 2.8 lens, using a Nikon SB-600 mounted on the camera with a diffuser. Anyway, I guess what matters is we had a good time and took some cool photos.  I hope she wins - it would surely help her modeling career that I’m already positive she will excel at.  I’ll be crossing my fingers for you, Donna - you deserve to win!

Related Links:

• Guitar World Magazine
  

Back in December I purchased a new Gibson Les Paul Classic.  I’ve been playing Les Pauls for years, so I was looking forward playing the new Classic, which came equipped with higher-output pickups and a fast, slim taper neck.

The guitar arrived, and it looked beautiful - the finish was smooth and fretwork was  precise and gorgeous.  But when I removed it from the case, something wasn’t right.  This Les Paul felt light… very light.  It had a slightly different sound to it too, even before I plugged it in I could tell from its acoustic tone.  Did Gibson change the Les Paul?  Yes, they did.

Without telling customers, Gibson decided to add weight-relieving chambers to most Les Paul models in 2007, including the Standard, Studio, and Classic.  Alright, that doesn’t sound too bad, right?  Gibson has been adding weight-relieving holes to the Les Paul guitars since the 1980s.  But this is different - the chambered Les Pauls are gutted to the point of being semi-hollow body guitars.  That’s no exaggeration.  Nowhere was this mentioned on their website or through any retailers - only on some obscure Gibson blog was there a short article on it.  Gibson was smart enough to realize that advertising this new process would surely turn off Les Paul purists - and it is the purists that generally buy a Les Paul.

:: X-ray image showing chambers in 2007 Les Paul - click on image to enlarge ::

Gibson claims that through “scientific analysis” they designed the chambers such that the Les Paul tone would not be affected, and if anything it would increase sustain.  Wait - removing wood from the guitar increases sustain?  That doesn’t make sense to me.  When this process started generating controversy on message boards, Gibson finally admitted to it on their sales website.

Why would Gibson chamber the guitars?  They claim it’s for weight relief, though I suspect it’s so Gibson can use lower-quality cuts of mahogany in their guitars.  Remember that the more expensive mahogany is lighter, so using less expensive grades of wood would produce a Les Paul of extraordinary weight.

Gibson has since introduced a new model, the Les Paul Traditional, which does not include the chambered body.   The Classic is now discontinued, and the Studio and Standard remains chambered.  The good news is the Traditional’s price is right in line with the Classic and Standard, and the new Slash model is not chambered as well.   Nevertheless, I feel that Gibson’s lack of disclosure was dishonest, and sent them an email expression my concern and feelings about my new Classic.  I never received a reply.

:: It looks like a Les Paul, but inside it’s entirely different - click on image to enlarge ::

There are two camps on Gibson’s chambering - those that see it as a good thing, and those that do not.  Some claim that chambered Les Pauls sound better.  My experience tells me that chambered Les Pauls have less sustain and overall body to their sound.  After plugging in my Classic to my Marshall JCM 2555SL, it immediately became clear to me that Gibson’s claims about chambering were all just bullshit - sustain and tone were severely compromised.   Even my Floyd Rose-equipped Jackson easily sustained longer than the new Les Paul.

I purchased a Les Paul because of its traditional design, feel, and tone.  When Gibson altered the design, the Les Paul lost the very appeal that made it legendary.  I sold my Classic, and I’ll likely buy a Traditional or Slash model to take its place.

Related Links:

• Gibson USA website

As if my life wasn’t busy enough, I decided to start a new reviews website and community.  Guitar playing is something that has been a very big part of my life - not only because I enjoy it so much, but because I’ve been able to learn and play with my cousin since the very beginning.  We’ve played in every band I’ve been in since, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

Getting back on topic here, I decided it would be a fun project to create a message forum for guitar players.  Yeah, I know there are plenty of those already, but this is more of a relaxing project for me, so there aren’t any real expectations - well, not yet anyway.  The plan is to bring my editorial experience to the table with my cousins John and Stephen to review guitars, gear, and albums as well as anything guitar-related.  The site is not finished yet, but we’re getting there.  Have a look and let me know what you think.  www.guitartechnica.com

This 1998 Jackson Kelly PS-6T Performer guitar was a birthday present from my parents when I was in college, and now that my dad is no longer with us, it’s very special to me. It was used about five times; its last time being a live performance with Appetite For Destruction (a Guns N’ Roses tribute band) in the summer if 1999 in front of a crowd of hundreds. It was a great show - loud, long, and we all made it through the night on our own feet.

:: 1998 Jackson Kelly PS-6T Performer - click on image to enlarge ::

The very first time I used this guitar, I loved its feel and mass, though I absolutely despised the stock pickups. For such an aggressive guitar it came equipped with low-output junk pickups that would create more feedback than music. So, I went to Music Emporioum and had the neck pickup replaced with a Seymour Duncan JB model Trembucker. The difference was incredible. The guitar sounded like it looked - edgy and overdriven, yet refined with awesome harmonics. My first choice was the ceramic magnet Duncan Distortion (another great pickup), but none were in stock, so this was my second choice. As it turns out, I have a new appreciation for alnico magnet pickups like the JB. They sound warmer and fuller without the exaggerated highs of some of the higher output pickups.

The guitar is now fully set up, with the bridge reset for 9-gauge strings. Once I plugged it in, I suddenly had the same revelation that I did ten years ago - that this was one hell of a great sounding and playing guitar. The build quality of this Japanese-made Jackson is excellent - just a hair under par with my Ibanez RG570. The frets are very nicely polished, and the neck is very smooth with a satin finish. It plays very fast with no buzzing or intonation issues. Why did I wait so long to play this again? Sometimes I need to kick myself, and this is one of those times.

My cousin John and I have been discussing the reunion of Conviction (our band from the 1990s), and this guitar will lead my entry into the band, right alongside my Les Paul Classic. The Jackson JT-series licensed Floyd Rose bridge seems well-made, and it’s rock solid, but if it gives me headaches, I’ll replace it with an Original Floyd Rose. I’m off to New York after the Miami International Boat Show, and the Kelly may come with me. We’ll see how it performs.

The Gibson Les Paul guitar has always been a personal favorite of mine. It’s classic, looks like a piece of furniture, and has a deep, mellow tone that sustains forever. It’s no secret why I chose to start playing a Les Paul - my guitar hero Slash played Les Pauls exclusively, so when I was learning how to play the guitar I knew I would have to play one too. Silly, right? Well, not really, because Slash is extremely cool and his playing is amazing. That’s all that matters.

I’ve owned a few Les Paul guitars over the years - my first one being a Les Paul Studio. I purchased it at Sam Ash Music in Carle Place, NY in 1994. Back then I couldn’t afford the more expensive Standard model I wanted, but that didn’t matter to me - the ebony Les Paul Studio with gold hardware was light years ahead of the guitar I started with, and it had that Les Paul sound I was after. Several years (and many live performances) later, I sold the Studio, sans pickups, which live today in my friend Maureen’s B.C. Rich.

:: Gibson Les Paul Classic - click on image to enlarge ::

Today I received a new Les Paul Classic in ebony with nickel hardware. The Classic is essentially a Standard model with hotter ceramic pickups and a slimmer “faster” neck profile. I especially like the creme-colored trim and binding and top hat knobs - even the trapezoid inlays have a more aged look to them. I love this guitar and it will stay with me for a long time, and now that my cousin John and I are planning on a recording session next year, the new Classic will certainly come in handy. Now all I need to do is get the Marshall half-stack out and slam that A-chord with the gain set at 10.

The Digitech RP-1 guitar preamp/effects processor was introduced in 1992 as a revolutionary new product. It was the first all-digital multi-effects processor that was not rack-based. When I saw this in the Musician’s Friend catalog at that time, I had to have it. I saw the full-page ads in Guitar magazine with the tag line, “Do it on the floor” which I still clearly remember. Well, in 1994 I finally had enough money saved from my school job where I could get one. By then, the RP-1 was being phased out and Sam Ash was selling them for $400.

:: Digitech RP-1 guitar effects processor - click on image to enlarge ::

After bringing it home and plugging it into my Tube Works RT-2100 amp, I knew I was going to use the RP-1 live. Two years later, I started a band with my cousin John, and that’s what started my live career. Several bands and many dozens of live performances later, I still have this unit, and it still works perfectly. It has hundreds of hours of use through weekly rehearsals and it’s been on many stages where it could be responsible for the premature hearing loss of many people. I lost count of all the shows this unit has carried me through - some very large venues, and it has the battle scars to prove it.

Digitech only produced this unit for two years, and immediately introduced updated models to replace it. The RP-series still continues today, although they are much different these days. The RP-1 was unique in that it ran on AC power - and as a result, this the floorboard would get so hot that you could barely touch it. Subsequent Digitech models ran on DC power, and in my opinion, never sounded as good.

I plugged it in last night just to see if it still works, and it does. All of my presets are still stored in its memory, and it sounds as amazing as I remembered. Hard to believe, but I would still go live with this old processor today.

:: The “then new” supertwist LCD display - click on image to enlarge ::

I’ve been playing the guitar for half of my life, literally. It’s a big part of who I am, and I always have it near me on a stand in my office. I am all about the Marshall full-stack sound, but putting the wear and tear on the tubes just for basic practice and jamming is something I really don’t care to do. Also, I wanted something very small that I could move around and take with me on the road to boating events.

I know I can’t expect too much from a very small amp, but I wanted something that would at least sound decent, and some reverb wouldn’t hurt either. I researched a lot of small amps, and came across the Crate GLX 15. This model had everything - 15 watts with full digital effects and an onboard tuner. That was good enough for me, and I gave it a try and picked one up for $100 new. Not bad at all.

:: Control panel lights up when amp is powered on - click on image to enlarge ::

I’ll say that this little amp doesn’t sound great, but it sounds incredible. Well, relatively speaking of course. The clean channel has plenty of headroom and the overdrive channel has a very good tone to it with more than enough available gain. The sound is so good that I don’t feel the need to plug any stomp boxes or effects processors into this amp, and that’s exactly what I wanted. The onboard effects sound very good and the tuner (located on the top of the unit) is very responsive and accurate.

A single rotary knob selects the effects, which range from variations and combinations of reverb, chorus, delay, flanger, and doubler. The control panel lights up when the amp is powered on, which not only looks great, but is actually useful. There’s also a speaker output, a headphone input, and a line-in for CD or MP3 players. My only complaint is the lack of a footswitch option, which really is a pity for such an otherwise well-equipped and fantastic sounding unit.

:: Simple one-dial control for all effects - click on image to enlarge ::