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Tag Archives: Slash
Choosing The Best Bridge Pickup a for a Les Paul
In this article, I wish to explore some of my favorite pickups for the bridge position of a Les Paul. When I talk with players about tone, gear and music in general, the general concensus is that you need pickups with a lot of output for metal and pickups with less output for ‘everything else.’ I disagree with that notion (though it holds some truth, I have to admit) and I’ll try to highlight pickups that can do a large selection of styles as well as pickups that seem almost dedicated to a specific style. Continue reading
Posted in The Tone Garage
Tagged 59CustomHybrid, Alnico 2 Pro, Alternative 8, antiquity, custom, Les Paul, Pearly Gates, seth lover, Slash
3 Comments
Recovering From A Broken String
As guitarists, it’s happend to us all. You’re in the middle of playing a song for someone, showing off all that skill that was hard-earned from all those years of practice. You’re in your zone and you attack the strings … Continue reading
Posted in The Players Room
Tagged Buddy Guy, Floyd Rose, Ledbetter, Slash, Steve Vai, strings
3 Comments
Digging Out of the Hole You’re In: Breaking Out of Playing Ruts
We’ve all been there before: when we’re uninspired and everything we play sounds, well, the same. Playing ruts, or more accurately named plateaus, are problems every instrumentalist faces and has to work through. In this article, let’s look at some … Continue reading
Posted in The Players Room
Tagged active, Allan Holdsworth, deep purple, Eric Clapton, hot rails, jon lord, Les Paul, p90, passive, phat cats, Richie Blackmore, Slash, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Yngwie Malmsteen
4 Comments
Straps and Strap Height: Playing While Looking Cool
We’ve all seen it: Les Paul down by the knees, swaggering across the stage. This is an image that’s burned into our brain, and probably the reason why many guitarists picked the guitar over the trombone in the first place. … Continue reading
Posted in The Players Room
Tagged ergonomics, Gibson Les Paul, guitar strap, holdsworth, jimmy page, leather, Robert Fripp, Slash, straps
30 Comments
In Search of the Secrets of Slash’s Sound
“A Les Paul into a Marshall”. It’s an accurate description of Slash’s signature sound, and it seems so simple. So why is it so hard to get that famous tone? In search of the answers to this and other questions … Continue reading
Posted in Backstage Pass, Seymour Duncan Artists
Tagged Ace Bergman, aph-2, Gibson, Marshall, Slash
9 Comments
Turn It Up! A Documentary All About The Electric Guitar
Promising to be a definitive documentary about the history and the rise of the electric guitar, “Turn it Up!” gives guitar lovers and fans alike a reminder why guitar players love the instrument so much. Starting with the history of the instrument with Charlie Christian and the Rickenbacker Frying Pan, it then interweaves interviews with famous artists such as Slash, Jerry Cantrell, B.B. King, Robby Krieger, Steve Lukather and more, exploring why the electric guitar was invented but also why it grips guitar players and has defined multiple generations of musicians. Continue reading
Band Basics: Part 1 – The Mission
So you want to start taking your band more seriously? First we need to examine why you’re starting the band in the first place and what you’re hoping to get out of it. Money? Women? Fame? Hopefully you have a deeper reason than the superficial rockstar perception. Continue reading
Posted in The Players Room
Tagged dave mustaine, dimebag darrell, mission statement, Slash
1 Comment
One Trick Pony, or Many Trick Pony: My Versatile Wiring
Some people love to buy many guitars, and hand pick a guitar for a specific job. Some people try to make a guitar as versatile as it can be, getting as many useful sounds out of one instrument. I fall more in the latter camp, which I think is a little rarer these days. Continue reading
Posted in The Tone Garage, Tips and Tricks
Tagged alnico, custom, flipping, magnets, Slash, steinberger, super switch
7 Comments
The Alnico II Pro
The Alnico II Pro is currently my neck pickup of choice, because it does so many things so well. Probably the most famous with its association with Slash, it is the inspiration behind the APH-2 Slash pickup. Both are constructed with a weaker Alnico II bar pickup, which immediately softens the mids compared to Alnico V-based pickups. The APH-1 is a great choice for jazz, blues or classic rock or a few other things. Continue reading
Using Signature Pickups to Create Your Own Unique Tone
Most signature pickups, like the new Slash Alnico Pro II, are bought because people hope to achieve the singing, soaring sound that Slash is known for. However, when I first read about the Duncan Alnico Pro II, I wasn’t a guitarist that followed Slash’s career closely. Continue reading
Posted in Slash, The Tone Garage, Tips and Tricks, Video
Tagged Alnico II Pro, Alnico II Pro Slash, APH-1, emty, mick thomson, Slash
8 Comments
