Justin Bieber: the fabulous guitar part by Tom Strahle on his hit ETA

I'm not sure I'd ever have thought of writing an article about a guitar part in a Justin Bieber song. And yet, after taking the elegantly clickbait of a video by Paul Davids (YouTube channel) about a hit played on a $99 guitar, that's what happened. So, ever since I discovered Justin Bieber's song ETA,

Palmer ILM, analog speaker simulator and DI box: a guitarist's best friend

It doesn't happen so often, with all the gear that passes through my hands, that I think this time I'm holding something special. A DI box that does analog speaker emulation probably doesn't make you dream, but you might change your mind after seeing this test of the Palmer (palmer-germany.com) River ILM model! Many thanks

Ichika Nito interview with the talented Japanese musician

Here is a mail interview I was able to do with the super talented Ichika Nito (YouTube channel). Introduction What was your very first guitar? Ichika: It was Ibanez 7 strings guitar. What was the inspiration to pick up the instrument? Ichika: My father's hobby was playing a guitar and bass, and it was through

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Submission of applications to participate in the 2023 Puteaux guitar show

The Puteaux Guitar Festival will hold its 5th edition at the Jean-Baptiste Lully music academy in the city of Puteaux (right next to Paris, France) from Friday 13h to Sunday 15th October 2023. A great program of concerts is the heart of the festival as well as the guitar show. The four previous editions were

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John Shanks, interview with musician, Bon Jovi guitarist, composer, producer

One of the great things about going to Los Angeles for NAMM (or any other time for that matter!) is that you can potentially bump into incredible musicians at any time in the local music stores. Such was the case during our visit to L.A. Vintage Gear (lavintagegear.com) on Ventura Boulevard, where the famous John

The use of spread triads in composition and an example with Heartfell from Allen Hinds

The spread triads are a technique much used by Eric Johnson and Allen Hinds (allenhinds.com). The principle is simple: the 3rd note of the triad is shifted upwards by an octave. This gives a more airy impression of the triad compared to when it is heard in its normal form. The MI initial sequence by

The news This morning, via a Facebook PM (thanks Guillaume!), I discovered that Andy Powers, CEO and master builder of Taylor Guitars, has just launched his own electric guitar manufacturing company: Powers Electric Guitars (powerselectricguitars.com). The secretive Andy Powers, whom I interviewed again at NAMM last April, didn't say a word about this project. That

Tausch Guitars 665 Raw review of a great sounding German boutique guitar

German luthier Rainer Tausch (tausch-guitars.de) builds incredible guitars that are a successful blend of tradition and modernity. Indeed, the lines of his guitars are inspired by well-known American models, such as the Telecaster in the case of this 665 Raw. But Rainer doesn't just copy a well-known recipe - far from it! The 665 Raw

Bizen Guitars, interview and demo at the Sound Messe in Osaka

Interview and guitar demo of Bizen Guitars at the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka, Japan. Bizen Guitars demo and interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

Interview with Kai Strawn at Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka to present the SSK (ssk-corp.com), Walla Walla and Black Volt brands. Bonus: two guitar demos to give you an idea. Kai Strawn interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

Conor Casey boutique guitar builder interview at the Sound Messe in Osaka, Japan

Interview with Irish boutique guitar builder Conor Casey (caseyguitars.com) at the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka, Japan. Conor Casey interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

Freedom Custom Guitar Research interview with Makoto Fukano and guitar demos

Interview with Japanese luthier Makoto Fukano of Freedom Custom Guitar Research (global.fcgrtokyo.com) at Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka. As a bonus after the interview, two guitar demos to give you an idea. Makoto Fukano interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show

Here is a video chronicle without any talking recorded live during a broadcast about two awesome tape delay machine: the legendary Roland Space Echo RE-201 and the new comer from Australia, the Echo Fix EF-X3. Roland RE-201 vs Echo Fix EF-X3 demo I have the chance to have those two amazing tape delay at the

Keystone Guitars Keisuke Nishi interview at the Osaka Sound Messe

Interview with Japanese luthier Keisuke Nishi of Keystone Guitars (keystone-si.com) at Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka. Interview Keisuke Nishi Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

Interview with Hiro from Stilblu Guitars (stilblu.com) at the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka, Japan. Hiro interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

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Eric Steckel interview at the MIGS 2023

Eric Stekel (ericsteckel.com) was one of the headliners at MIGS 2023. A perfect opportunity to finally interview this energetic American guitarist, who delivered an incandescent concert on the shores of Lake Geneva during the festival. Eric Steckel interview Audio version available on The Guitar Channel Radio for premium subscribers Until the next interview or gear

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Arima Guitars, Iker Rodriguez interview at the Sound Messe Osaka

Interview with Iker Rodriguez from Arima Guitars at the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka, Japan. Iker Rodriguez interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

Adriano Sergio (Ergon Guitars) interview with the boutique guitar builder during the MIGS

Interview with luthier Adriano Sergio from Ergon Guitars (ergonguitars.com) during the MIGS 2023 edition. Adriano Sergio interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Adriano Sergio ArchivesMIGS Reports & InterviewsLuthier Archives

Demo BRe03 Light BR Guitares by luthier Adrien Bernard-Reymond

It was at MIGS 2023 that I recorded this demo of the BRe03 Light from BR Guitares (brguitares.fr). I love the unconventional lines of luthier Adrien Bernard-Reymond design. He doesn't hesitate to depart from the usual canons of electric guitar. In short, I loved this guitar! BRe03 Light BR Guitares demo Recording setup: Until the

MIGS 2023: the finest electric guitars on demo
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MIGS 2023: the finest electric guitars demoed

At the second edition of the Montreux International Guitar Show (migs.ch) there were some phenomenal electric guitars on display from luthiers from all over Europe. Below is a very personal selection of the 18 instruments that caught my eye… and my ear! Guitars demoed The recording setup was the same for all the guitars: my

Michihiro Matsuda interview at the Sound Messe
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Michihiro Matsuda interview at the Sound Messe

Interview with Michihiro Matsuda at the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka, Japan. Michihiro Matsuda interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Sound Messe ArchivesGuitar Show ReportsLuthier Interviews

Interview with Masahiro Murayama, luthier's European guitar importer in Japan

Here's an interview that should be of interest to all luthiers wishing to export their guitars to Japan. Indeed, Masahiro Murayama (neuvellaxe.com) is a Japanese businessman whom I bump into at all European guitar shows. In fact he does that to find luthiers whom he then imports to Japan. Here is an interview with Masahiro

Petteri Sariola, guitar in hand interview during the 2023 MIGS

Finnish acoustic guitarist Petteri Sariola (petterisariola.fi) was one of the musicians scheduled to perform at the 2023 MIGS. I had the great pleasure of receiving him for a guitar-in-hand interview on the The Guitar Channel booth in the middle of the show. Petteri Sariola interview Audio version available on The Guitar Channel Radio for premium

Blackbeard Guitars : double demo at the Guitar Show Padova and luthier interview

In 2022, I had the pleasure of interviewing Italian luthier Paolo Lardera of Blackbeard Guitars (chitarrebarbanera.it) at the Guitar Show Padova. This is why I propose you this video again, to complement this double demo of two super guitars that Paolo was exhibiting in 2023. Blackbeard Guitars double demo Audio version available on The Guitar

Emil from Djerjinski Guitars, interview and guitar demo

Having already crossed paths in Spain at the Madrid show in 2019 and subsequently at other shows, it was in Japan at the Sound Messe in Osaka that I finally interviewed Emil from Djerjinski Guitars (djerjinski.com). This Bulgarian luthier makes excellent electric guitars. As a demo, I'd like to introduce you to the Sooty, a

Demos of the most beautiful electric guitars at Sound Messe 2023 in Osaka, Japan

At the Sound Messe show in Osaka, Japan, there were some incredible electric guitars. I've selected 13 of them for you to listen to, 10 of them Japanese, 2 American and 1 French. The recording setup was the same for all the guitars: a simple audio interface, the Zoom AMS-44 and Axiom V2 from Blue

For the past few guitar shows, I've been traveling with the necessary gear to record electric guitar demos with excellent sound quality. The configuration is composed of a Zoom AMS-44 audio interface and a computer running Axiom from Blue Cat Audio. Here are the demos of all the guitars tested at the Guitar Show Padova

The Italian pedal manufacturer Salvatore di Pietro from Volta Custom presented at Guitar Show Padova 2023 its new version of its Marshall-in-a-Box pedal, the 1987 Pro. Guided tour on his booth! Interview Salvatore di Pietro Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.

Maple Handmade: discovery of an Italian luthier at the Padova show and guitar demos

One of the reasons why I love going to the Padova show is that you can discover Italians guitar builder that you don't see elsewhere. This is the case of Enzo Pascariello, Italian luthier of Maple Handmade (maple-handmade.it)). Here he is in interview to present his work. The interview is completed by two guitar demos,

Guitar Show Padova 2023, 9 interviews and 9 of the most beautiful electric guitars in demo

Sunday May 21, 2023 was the second and last day of the Guitar Show Padova 2023 (guitarshow.it). Big crowd with again a lot of visitors as the day before. It's a nice harvest of interviews that I propose you to discover in this report and nine of the most beautiful electric guitars in demo. Interviews