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Iconic Guitars, the up-and-coming boutique guitar brand! Factory tour & Interviews
Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Iconic Guitars (iconicguitars.com) is an American boutique manufacturer we're hearing more and more about. I discovered them at NAMM 2022 and was impressed by the quality of their work. Having kept in touch with founder Kevin Proctor, I went to their Carlsbad factory for a full factory tour. It was also an opportunity to interview
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Bernie Marsden, death of a guitar legend – Interviews from 2014 and 2020
Friday, 25 August 2023
Bernie Marsden is a guitar legend who has just passed away at the age of 72. To pay tribute to him, I'm publishing below a free-access video interview from 2014 in which he presented his album Shine. In 2020, I met him again near Frankfurt for another interview, which you can find below. It was
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List of exhibitors at the 2023 Puteaux Guitar Show organized by La Chaîne Guitare
Sunday, 13 August 2023
This is the list of exhibitors at the 5th edition of the luthiers' show organized by La Chaîne Guitare for the Festival Guitare de Puteaux from October 13 to 15, 2023. Some thirty craftsmen from France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Romania and the United States will be there to present their instruments, pickups and guitar gear!
From the archives, here is a 2016 unreleased interview of Zane Carney during the Winter NAMM 2016. Zane Carney interview Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel. For more info:Zane Carney InterviewsGuitar in Hand Interviews
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Panucci Guitars, Angelo van Merrienboer luthier interview in Montreux and double demo
Thursday, 10 August 2023
Dutch luthier Angelo van Merrienboer of Panucci Guitars (guitarlounge.nl) was one of the exhibitors at the second edition of the Montreux International Guitar Show. Here he is in an interview to present his guitars on his stand. As a bonus, after the interview you also get a double guitar demo recorded on site: a superb
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Justin Bieber: the fabulous guitar part by Tom Strahle on his hit song ETA
Monday, 07 August 2023
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,
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Palmer River ILM, analog speaker simulator and DI box: a guitarist’s best friend
Friday, 04 August 2023
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
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
Wednesday, 12 July 2023
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
Tuesday, 04 July 2023
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
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The use of spread triads in composition and an example with Heartfell from Allen Hinds
Saturday, 24 June 2023
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
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Andy Powers, CEO of Taylor Guitars, launches his own brand of electric guitars: Powers Electric Guitars
Friday, 23 June 2023
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
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Tausch Guitars 665 Raw review of a great sounding German boutique guitar
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
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
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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
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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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
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
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Masahiro Murayama interview, boutique European guitar importer in Japan through Neuvellaxe
Friday, 09 June 2023
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
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Petteri Sariola, guitar in hand interview during the 2023 MIGS
Thursday, 08 June 2023
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
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Blackbeard Guitars : double demo at the Guitar Show Padova and luthier interview
Tuesday, 06 June 2023
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
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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
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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
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Demos of the most beautiful electric guitars at Guitar Show Padova 2023
Thursday, 25 May 2023
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
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1987 Pro Volta Custom, Salvatore di Pietro interview at the Guitar Show Padova
Wednesday, 24 May 2023
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.
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Maple Handmade: discovery of an Italian luthier at the Padova show and guitar demos
Wednesday, 24 May 2023
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,
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Guitar Show Padova 2023, 9 interviews and 9 of the most beautiful electric guitars in demo
Tuesday, 23 May 2023
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
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Guitar Show Padova 2023, Day 1 report at the biggest Italian guitar show
Monday, 22 May 2023
The last stop of the 2023 world tour of guitar shows was in Italy with the Guitar Show Padova (guitarshow.it). The previous stops of the tour were: the NAMM in Los Angeles, the MIGS in Montreux, the Sound Messe in Osaka. It was the 3rd time I made the trip to what is the most
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Michael Bashkin luthier interview at the Sound Messe in Osaka, Japan
Monday, 15 May 2023
Michael Baskin (bashkinguitars.com) was one of the exhibitor in the boutique section of the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com) in Osaka, Japan. He is a world class acoustic guitar builder and he also hosts the great podcast Luthier on Luthier. Michael Bashkin interview Audio version available on The Guitar Channel Radio for premium subscribers Until the next
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Sound Messe 2023 Day 3: 7 interviews, 7 guitars in video, 1h30 report
Monday, 15 May 2023
Third and last day for this 10th edition of Sound Messe (sound-messe.com). Big crowd, especially in the afternoon. I can already say that it was a superb edition! Always the same organization regulated to the millimeter. A real pleasure to cover such an event. Reports: Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 Interviews of
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Sound Messe 2023 Day 2: 11 interviews, 7 guitars in video, 2h report
Sunday, 14 May 2023
Saturday May 13th, was the opening day for the public for the Sound Messe (sound-messe.com). There was a very large number of visitors from the opening until 18:00. Big ambiance, loud guitars in the 3 halls, it was a very intense day! The result is 11 interviews, 7 guitars tested in video, 2h report! Reports:
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