Ever hit the studio, dial up an epic tone on your Strat, lay down the perfect take, and have to scrap it because it’s riddled with 60-cycle hum from your traditional Strat guitar pickups? Or, ever play a show at your favorite local bar, and have to ask the bartender to turn off his prized neon Budweiser sign because it’s just making the hum from your single coils go nuts?

My friends, your prayers have been answered. We have a ton of great Strat Stack guitar pickups at SD that offer tones ranging from classic, bell-like clean to screamin’ modern mayhem without any of the 60-cycle hum.

Our Strat Stacks feature a stacked, dual coil design (hence the name) that eliminates the 60-cycle hum present in traditional Strat single coil guitar pickups. Back in the 80s, we patented a special bottom coil design that actually injects negative hum into the pickup circuit, and, at the end of the production process, we fine tune each pickup for maximum hum cancelation. You get all the great qualities of a Strat pickup, and none of the hum.

Finding the perfect electric guitar pickups to achieve your dream tone can sometimes feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. To help you along in your quest, we’ve put together a guide to walk you through the tone profiles of our most popular Strat Stacks. Let’s dive into the tonal differences:

Learn the tonal differences between each of our Strat Stack guitar pickups

STK-S4 Classic  Stack  Plus Strat

Magnet Type: Alnico V 

Neck DCR: 8.5k // Middle DCR: 8.6k // Bridge DCR: 8.7k 

The STK-S4 Classic Stack Plus Strat pickups provide the look, sound, and feel of a true Stratocaster single coil, but without any of the traditional single coil hum. They’ve got all of the sparkle, chime, and scooped midrange that you’d expect from a vintage Strat pickup.

The bridge pickup is wound slightly hotter than the neck and middle models to provide an even balance and output between positions, while the middle pickup is built RW/RP to give you that perfect in-between sound of positions 2 & 4 when split to keep the set completely hum-free in all selector positions.

STK-S2 Hot  Stack  Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 13k // Bridge DCR: 19.9k

The STK-S2 Hot Stack Strat features a powerful ceramic bar magnet surrounded by two stacked coils, which sends more current into your amp providing more midrange and a stronger attack than a standard Stratocaster pickup can deliver.

Our overwound Hot Stack Strat uses a blade instead of rod magnets to provide even string balance, no drop-outs when bending, and a beefed-up tone without any of the traditional single-coil hum. It is also famous in Nashville as the go-to middle pickup for modified Telecasters.

STK-S6 Custom  Stack  Plus Strat

Magnet Type: Alnico V

Neck/Middle/Bridge DCR: 14.5k

A noiseless version of our popular SSL-5 Custom Staggered for Strat pickup, the STK-S6 Custom Stack Plus will give you all the extra output and drive without losing that unique Stratocaster voice. The low notes are tight and snappy, but the high end is focused without being overly bright. The midrange also has a slight vocal quality that adds an extra layer of expression to your sound.

STK-S7 Vintage Hot  Stack  Plus Strat

Magnet Type: Alnico V

Neck/Middle/Bridge DCR: 11.9k

The STK-S7 is a noiseless Strat pickup designed for the player who wants a little beefier tone but doesn’t want a high output pickup. The tone is bright and bouncy, but with just a little more of everything. Chords will feel more powerful, and single notes will ring through with just a bit more authority than they would with a vintage output single coil.

This pickup is designed to look like a traditional Strat single coil, and works great in the neck, middle, or bridge position.

STK-S9b Hot  Stack  Plus Strat

Magnet Type: Alnico V

Bridge DCR: 20.3k

The STK-S9b is our highest output noiseless bridge pickup, and gives you a massive output with lots of midrange harmonics. Designed specifically for the bridge position, the high output coils and Alnico 5 rod magnets deliver a full, punchy sound that will add versatility and power to any Strat, while retaining traditional looks. Chords will sound full and rich, while single notes will cut through much more easily.

STK-S10 Yngwie Malmsteen’s Signature YJM Fury Strat

Magnet Type: Alnico V

Neck/Middle DCR: 25.5k // Bridge DCR: 25.7k

The Yngwie Malmsteen Signature YJM Fury Strat pickups use custom length alnico 5 rod magnets and a unique coil architecture to bring you that perfect balance of sweet fluidity and articulation—the characteristics that define Yngwie J Malmsteen’s distinct sound.

The bridge model is designed to handle Yngwie’s chordal onslaught, and delivers a precise, articulate response that has just the right amount of high end without sounding harsh or brittle.

The neck/middle model is designed to bring out the balance of Yngwie’s fluid left-hand technique with his broad mix of right-hand pick attack for a tone that is sweet and smooth. There just the right amount of high end to make this pickup extremely articulate, and especially responsive to dynamic playing.

Parallel Axis  Stack  Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 13.6k

A noiseless Stratocaster pickup that takes the innovative dual-pole design of the Parallel Axis Trembucker and combines it with our patented Stack technology to deliver a bright, crisp single coil tone with a classic scooped midrange. This pickup mounts into any Stratocaster-sized pickup slot and is a great match in the neck or middle pickup for any of our PATB bridge models.

If you’re interested in Single Coil-Sized Humbucker pickups check out our simple Guide to Single Coil-Sized Humbucker Guitar Pickups for Strat.

Traditional Strat guitar pickups have their time and place. When you want that quintessential, glassy, bell-like chime—nothing does it like a classic Strat single coil. But sometimes we want more, more power, more output, more authority, more aggression out of our Strat. Often times, this is where traditional, vintage Strat guitar pickups don’t make the cut.

Enter the Single Coil-Sized Humbuckers: all the huge, warm, harmonically rich power of a full-sized humbucker in a drop-in replacement, single coil size for Strat. Now you can achieve vintage P.A.F. tones, bombastic high output shred tones, and everything in between with your classic SSS Strat setup.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What about positions 2 and 4? Won’t those positions sound odd with multiple humbuckers engaged? What if I still want that classic Strat-y quack in the notched positions?” No need to spiral into a tizzy! We’ve got you covered. All of our Single Coil-Sized Humbuckers come standard with 4-conductor lead wires, which easily allow you to wire them for auto-splitting in the notched positions, coil splitting on a push/pull pot, push/push pot, or mini toggle switches, or various series/parallel wiring options. Classic Strat when you want it, Humbucking punch when you don’t.

As with most pickup types, we offer a variety of Single Coil-Sized Humbuckers here at Seymour Duncan. So, here’s a guide to navigate our Single Coil-Sized Humbucker assortment as you embark on your quest for your dream Strat tone!

Learn the tonal differences between our Single Coil-Sized Humbucker Strat guitar pickups

Little 59 Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 9.8k // Bridge DCR: 11.7k

With the Little 59, you’re able to coax warm, smooth, and defined P.A.F. tones from any Strat. The neck model has a slightly stronger treble emphasis than a traditional P.A.F., with added articulation, and provides a nice, balanced P.A.F.-like response for big, full chords, and fat, punchy solos. The Little ‘59 bridge model will inject the sound of a Les Paul directly into your Strat. Its medium output and scooped midrange will add depth and dimension to your bridge position tones.

JB Jr. Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 10.1k // Bridge DCR: 15.2k

Discover the essence of our legendary JB Model Humbucker in a single-coil sized, humbucking guitar pickup for Strat. The JB Jr. delivers all the upper midrange harmonics and power to breathe new life into your Stratocaster.

In the bridge position, this high output single coil sized humbucker will give you nice crunchy chords and screaming lead tone with that classic upper midrange cut. There will be tons of bright harmonic sparkle, and a tight, focused low end.

In the neck position, it will deliver a big, bold sound – great for fat rhythm playing, and thick, searing solos.

Billy Gibbons’ Signature Red Devil Strat

Magnet Type: Alnico V

Neck DCR: 11.29k // Middle DCR: 11.7k // Bridge DCR: 13.95k

All the fat, P.A.F. tone and Texas hot-sauce sizzle of Billy’s favorite 59 Les Paul, in a pickup that will fit in any Strat-sized single coil rout. The Red Devil set features three unique pickup winds, each using specially calibrated Alnico 5 magnets.

The bridge pickup is wound like an extra spicy P.A.F., with enough meat to beef up your Strat and provide the fat tone that Billy is known for.

The neck and middle pickups back off the heat a little and brush on sweet, smoky blues—making them perfect for ringing clean tones and chunky rhythms, but with all the horsepower Billy demands for lead playing.

Hot Rails Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 10.9k // Bridge DCR: 16.6k

With all the feel and tone of an aggressive high output humbucker, the Hot Rails Strat is our most powerful passive pickup for Stratocaster.

The neck model features a strong ceramic magnet and overwound coils to deliver big sounding, well balanced humbucker tones for rock and metal. Clean tones are fat and warm, and solos will have that thick, fluid feel.

The bridge model delivers a high output, loads of midrange harmonic content, and a saturated crunch that makes this a great bridge pickup for rock and metal. Chords are full and powerful, and single notes jump out with amazing sizzle. The dual blade construction also provides the ultimate string coverage and clarity, especially for notes that are bent on the highest frets.

Cool Rails Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 9.8k // Bridge DCR: 10.6k

The Cool Rails Strat features a nicely balanced, smooth and bluesy humbucker tone in a rail-style single-coil sized humbucker design. The high end is bright and dynamic while the midrange is slightly scooped.

The medium output bridge position wind gives chords that thick humbucker crunch and single notes just the right amount of sizzle without being harsh. The bridge position matches very well with traditional single coils in the neck and middle to add versatility to any guitar.

The Cool Rails neck position delivers an articulate and full sound, much like a full-sized humbucker. Its medium output makes it a great sonic match for a Hot Rails, JB Jr., or any standard-sized humbucker in the bridge position as well. Chords will be warm and articulate, with a subtle scoop in the mids, and solos will be fat and crisp. Like the Hot Rails Strat, the dual-blade design provides excellent sustain, especially for string bending on the higher frets.

Duckbucker Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 2.5k // Bridge DCR: 2.9k

The Duckbucker Strat is a vintage output, single coil-sized humbucker that is specifically voiced for total Strat quack (hence the name). It’s designed to be wired in parallel to give you a vintage, sparkly, single coil tone without any hum, and its unique, split-pole pattern, with three pole pieces on each coil, also contributes to the single coil-like bounciness and snappy low end.

In the bridge position, the Duckbucker is bright and spanky. Chords have a crisp, shimmering quality with a chime-y high end.

In the neck position, the Duckbucker is great for all types of clean rhythm playing. Most commonly, the Duckbucker can be found in the middle position of a Strat, and is great in between two higher-output pickups for that iconic Strat-y “quack” in positions 2 and 4.

Vintage Rails Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 2.5k // Bridge DCR: 2.9k

The Vintage Rails Strat provide single coil-like sparkle and feature a vintage output and hum-canceling split-blade design to give you even sustain while bending notes. The Vintage Rails are meant to be wired in parallel to give you a sparkly, vintage style single coil tone without the Strat hum.

In the bridge position, this pickup will be tight and crisp, and will give you lots of vintage Strat snap.

In the neck position, it’s great for all types of articulate rhythm playing. The vintage output wind keeps even the most clustered chords expressive and spanky. Like the Duckbucker, the Vintage Rails are most commonly found in the middle position of a Strat, and sound great in between the Cool Rails or Hot Rails for that iconic Strat-y “quack” in positions 2 and 4.

Lil’ Screamin’ Demon Strat

Magnet Type: Ceramic

Neck/Middle DCR: 9.8k // Bridge DCR: 13.6k

The Lil’ Screamin’ Demon combines a big, open sound with just a subtle hint of glass, and will bring screamin’ rich harmonics and percussive power to any Stratocaster.

The bridge position is great for edgy, distorted rhythm playing where you really need to hear the pick attack on the low strings. Solos will have a bright, aggressive, articulate tonal character that will have no problem cutting through the mix.

In the neck position, The Lil’ Screamin’ Demon will deliver clear, pristine humbucker tone. It offers a well-balanced sound with a slightly enhanced treble emphasis to give it a little more edge. Great for cutting leads, or full sounding rhythms, this pickup will add sizzle to your neck position.

You know the old saying, “There’s more than one way to wire a Les Paul.” Well, okay, that’s not the saying you’ve surely heard before, but we like it better.

The Gibson Les Paul, SG, ES-335 and countless other guitars use a two-pickup/four-pot setup. Traditionally, this consists of two dedicated volume controls and two dedicated tone controls. The tonal possibilities of guitars with two pickups and four potentiometers are almost endless, and the tireless tinkerers among us have experimented with different ways of wiring the pickups and potentiometers over the years. Some of these wiring modifications even have their own unique names.

There are two main wiring schematics for Les Pauls: ‘50s style and modern. We’ll cover those in detail and share a few other unique ways to shape the sound of your Les Paul or similar guitar. But before we get into Les Paul wiring diagrams, let’s get a few common questions out of the way.

What kind of wire do you use for a Les Paul?

Les Pauls are generally wired with 22AWG wire. The more traditional type is cloth-covered, braided 2-conductor wire, but you can use single-core 22AWG as well. Try to stick with the 22AWG wire—it’s best to do any wiring with wire that matches what’s coming out of your pickups (or greater) which is usually good old 22AWG.

What are the wires for on a humbucker pickup?

With a few exceptions—namely Les Paul Juniors and Les Paul Specials—Les Pauls have humbuckers. Humbuckers have either single-conductor or four-conductor wire. With single-conductor wire you have two wires—hot and ground. The hot wire (the “conductor”) will be wired to your corresponding volume potentiometer and the ground is often soldered to the back of the pot.

With four-conductor wire you have five wires, and with that comes more wiring options (we’ll get into that later). The color of each wire will vary by manufacturer, but generally, you’ll have north-start, north-end, south-start and south-end wires along with a ground. You can wire these pickups in the traditional manner where each pickup is associated with a single volume and tone potentiometer, or you can try fun and creative stuff like coil-splitting.

Les Paul Wiring Components

Before we can really dig into the different Les Paul wiring diagrams, we need to cover some basic vocabulary. Once you understand these terms, reading a wiring diagram will make a lot more sense.

Potentiometers

The word ‘pot’ is shorthand for ‘potentiometer.’ Structurally speaking, a pot has one large resistor inside with a start (AKA supply voltage, current in) and an end (AKA ground), which we see as the outer lugs on the casing of the pot. The start and end lugs don’t adjust anything when you turn the knob.

What does move is a bridge, which is connected to the middle lug (AKA wiper, current out). It moves over the resistor and acts as a bridge allowing the signal to reach the start or end. If it’s on the end (turning the knob all the way down) it bridges the signal to the ground, shorting the signal and creating silence. On the start (supply voltage, current in), it bridges the signal directly to the output of the pot without any signal going to the ground (volume all the way up). Every position in between allows some part of the signal to go to the ground, in essence lowering the volume.

When you’re wiring a guitar, you’re most likely looking from the bottom of the potentiometer. In this case, if you’re holding the pot so that the lugs are facing up (or away from you), ground should be on the left, wiper in the middle, and supply voltage on the right. You can swap those, but then your volume knobs will turn opposite the way you’re used to.

Toggle Switch

Unless they only have one pickup, like a Les Paul Junior, Les Pauls come with a three-way toggle switch. Like a potentiometer, a toggle switch has lugs. One side should have three lugs and the other should have two. For a Les Paul with two pickups, on the side with three lugs, the lug on one end is associated with the bridge and the one on the other end with the neck pickup. These lugs will be wired to the wiper terminal on the corresponding volume pot. The middle is the ground. The two lugs on the other side are often bent together and connected to the output jack.

Capacitors

Capacitors in pickup wiring are used as a high-pass filter. Most guitars use 0.022 µF capacitors, including stock Les Paul wiring. You may also experiment with .047 µF for a beefier sound (especially if you have brighter pickups) or .015 µF capacitors if you want finer high-end control. There are different kinds of capacitors (as in materials used) and some guitarists swear by certain types while others guitarists don’t fuss too much with the type of capacitor used. The most common materials are ceramic, paper-in-oil and polypropylene. If you’d like to learn more about how capacitors can affect your tone, we have an article for that.

Output Jack

The output jack is the last piece in Les Paul wiring. There are two types of output jacks: mono (TS) and stereo (TRS). With very few exceptions—think high-end Ernie Ball Music Man guitars—your guitar will have a mono output jack. There are two lugs on a TS output jack, one for the hot signal from the switch and one for grounding to the bridge. The ground is the inner lug and the hot is the outer lug.

Why did Gibson switch to modern wiring?

In the 1960s, Gibson switched from their traditional wiring schematics to what’s known today as modern wiring. As for why specifically Gibson made this change, we can only guess. It’s possible that guitarists of the time wanted something easier to dial in or preferred the “meatier” mid-range focus of modern wiring to the high-end-heavier ‘50s wiring. Regardless, guitarists can easily swap from modern to ‘50s and back again with a basic understanding of soldering and wiring pickups.

Understanding Our Les Paul Wiring Diagrams

Now that you understand what the wires in a Les Paul do and know the ins and outs of the components, the following Les Paul wiring diagrams should be easy to read. In our diagrams, we label each wire and specify what exactly goes where. The only thing to remember is that every potentiometer is shown from the bottom. That’s because it’s rare to wire a guitar looking down from the shaft of the potentiometer.

Wiring the Pickups to the Volume Pot

The ‘traditional’ way of wiring the pickups to the volume pot in Les Paul is to hook up the pickup’s hot signal to the outer lug of the volume control, and by using the middle lug (wiper/output) you can dial in how much of that volume you want. In this case, the pot works as a power divider.

But it can be done in a different way. If you hook up the “hot” of the pickup to the middle lug, the amount of load ‘behind’ the input is what causes the decrease of volume when you roll down your volume. This wiring is called the ‘independent volume mod,’ because in the middle position you are now allowed to dial in the exact tone you want without sacrificing volume. In theory this might sound neat, but it does take out a huge amount of your high end.

Les Paul Vintage Wiring vs. Modern Wiring

When we talk about Les Paul ‘50s wiring vs. modern wiring, we’re almost exclusively talking about how the tone cap is wired onto the lugs of the potentiometers. There may be other subtle differences depending on the specific guitar, but this is the major thing that sets ‘50s apart from modern.

Les Paul ‘50s Wiring

Les Paul ‘50s wiring is renowned for its almost unlimited tonal characteristics. There’s less separation between the pickups, but you get more high-end even as you turn down the volume and a highly interactive set of controls. However, you lose some volume when you turn down the tone pot.

Wiring your Les Paul in the ‘50s style is easy to do and understand. Briefly put, in ‘50s Les Paul wiring, the outer lug of the tone potentiometer is connected to the middle lug of the volume potentiometer via a 0.022uf capacitor.

Les Paul Modern Wiring

Les Paul modern wiring will maintain the overall volume better when you roll down the volume but at the cost of losing a bit of high end. If you have a bright pickup that may not seem that bad of an idea, because with less volume and the same amount of treble the tone might be too piercing.

The modern way to wire up a Les Paul is to hook the tone pot up to the outer lug of the volume pot, where the hot lead from the pickup is usually wired. It’s that simple.

Other Popular Les Paul Wiring Diagrams

We mentioned earlier that there are a lot of ways to wire up a Les Paul. The two most common are ‘50s and modern, but you can do way more, especially if your pickups have humbuckers with four-conductor wire.

Les Paul Coil Split Wiring Diagram

Coil splitting is one of the most popular modifications for any guitar with humbuckers. It enables you to turn your humbuckers into single coils and back again with the push-pull of a special potentiometer.

Unlike switching from modern to ‘50s Les Paul wiring, this mod requires two special push-pull (or push-push) potentiometers for volume, ideally 500k. You can use standard pots for tone.

Be sure to check the size of these special potentiometers—you’ll want pots with a taller design and a longer shaft so they make it all the way through your guitar’s maple cap. Also ensure that the shaft itself is the right size for your knobs—there are metric and imperial sizes for shafts and knobs, and getting a pot with the wrong shaft means your knobs won’t fit.

There are a few ways to accomplish a coil split with the above being fairly straightforward. On Seymour Duncan pickups the black wire is the north start and the hot output, and this gets soldered precisely the same as ‘50s and modern Les Paul wiring—to the voltage control lug of your pot. Your switch and output jack are also wired the same.

That’s where the similarities stop. The rest is still pretty easy, but you’ll need to pay attention to the solder points. First, the south finish and the ground are soldered to the corresponding middle lug on the push-pull pot. Then the north finish and south stop are soldered to the corresponding bottom lug as shown on the diagram. Wire up your tone pots and you’re done!

What Is Jimmy Page Les Paul Wiring?

Jimmy Page Les Paul wiring is a rather complicated type of Les Paul wiring made famous by, well, Jimmy Page. Instead of relying on multiple guitars with different wiring tricks, this wiring technique can create 21 unique tones—including 10 humbucking ones—using two four-conductor humbuckers, two single-pole, single-throw (SPST) and two double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) potentiometers.

We’ll include a wiring diagram below, but mainly we want to explain what Jimmy Page Les Paul wiring can do:

1. Split both humbuckers into single coils.
2. Route pickups (humbucker or single coils) in series or parallel.
3. Run pickups in or out of phase

We have a few versions of Jimmy Page Les Paul wiring in our library, but here’s an example. It’s a complex wiring job, so go slowly and triple check your solder points before you commit. You don’t want to be trouble-shooting and sucking solder when you should be enjoying your new wiring harness!

Looking for More Wiring Diagrams?

So far we’ve walked you through the basics of three Les Paul wiring methods: ‘50s, modern, coil split and Jimmy Page. But we haven’t even scratched the surface of what you can do with two humbuckers, two volume knobs and two tone knobs. We have a full library of wiring diagrams for guitars with humbuckers, single coils and more.

I often find that when talking to someone who wants to change their pickups, they’re so worried about the soldering aspect that they’re either completely put off, or they decide they’ll need to to pay a tech (or perhaps me) to install them. While of course I’m happy to help, and maybe collect a little beer money, it’s really not necessary. Yes, soldering can be an amazingly complicated and difficult skill, when we’re talking about tiny printed circuit boards and incredibly sensitive components. But inside a guitar, we have quite thick wires, which connect to nice big terminals – usually in the form of looped lugs. We have plenty of space. And most of the components we use are very difficult to damage – in most cases, the worst possible result of a mistake is that we need to unsolder something, clean it up, and do it again.
Continue reading “How To Solder”

It’s been said that the best things in life are free, and I find that saying is never more true than when applied to getting a better tone from our guitars. With so many products on the market that claim to improve guitar tone in one way or another – from fancy new picks made from exotic materials, to super-rare new old stock amplifier tubes someone discovered in a factory basement – it’s a relief to remember that we often can make just as big an impact for free with nothing more than a screwdriver and a few spare minutes. Continue reading “Fine-Tuning the Adjustment of Passive Humbuckers”

There’s a standard way of stringing a Les Paul or other stop tailpiece-equipped axe, and it works perfectly fine. And so it should! The darn things were designed to work that way! But there’s another method that some players swear by, often called ‘top wrapping.’ This is a simple trick which anyone can do, and it’s totally reversible (although there’s a small risk of scuffing up your tailpiece, so if that’s a concern for you you may want to pick up a spare tailpiece). Continue reading “String Theory: What Is Top Wrapping?”

Oh dear. What a challenge I’ve set myself with this article’s title. David Gilmour is an amazing player, known for both incredible tone and highly emotive technique and note choice. He regularly appears in the top 3 (often at number 1) when guitar publications hold “best solo ever” polls. From iconic releases like Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall through to 2006’s dreamy, reflective On An Island, great guitar tone and playing has been a hallmark of all his work. Rumor is he’s been back in the studio recently, so it seems like a good time to look at his sound.

Continue reading “How To Sound Like David Gilmour”

If you have only one pickup in your guitar, feel free to ignore this article and live your life unhampered by phase and polarity issues. Everyone else, pay attention!  This is important stuff, and it might save your sanity some day, or at least your tone.

Guitar pickups are like flavours of food. Even if they are delicious on their own, they might be disgusting when combined. The goal of this article is to make sure you wind up with chocolate and peanut butter, not chocolate and onions. Continue reading “Pickup Polarity and Phase Made Simple”

Whether you love or hate the song or band, you hear two second (if that) of the bassline and immediately know what song it is, and who’s playing it. And usually, if you go into Guitar Center, there’s a really good chance you’ll hear someone play one of these lines, albeit badly. And if you’re in any sort of cover band, at some point you may be required to learn some of these. So, let’s dive into this Top Ten list of Most Recognized Basslines. Continue reading “Top Ten Most Recognizable Basslines”

Chances are you already spend so much money on guitars and gear that each time the credit card bill comes you have to snatch it before your wife sees that new guitar you bought or finds that 5150 you just couldn’t pass up on Craigslist. If this is you, then you have something in common with Joe Bonamassa. Joe is not only an exceptional player who was opening for BB King at 12, he’s also a fully indoctrinated lover of everything to do with guitar. Over the last 26 years Joe has amassed one of the most impressive collections of guitars and amps in the world. We decided to catch up with Joe to get the full rundown on what his grand arsenal consists of.
Continue reading “Joe Bonamassa: The Collection”