I can't remember how I came across this article, but I recently found a classic article about Eric Johnson from 1986. The article was written around the time of the release of Johnson's album Tones. Several of Johnson's contemporaries are quoted in the article, including Steve Morse, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had this to say about Johnson: "Few … [Read more...]
Blues is More Than SRV
For better or worse, Stevie Ray Vaughan is a dominating figure in the blues world. So much so that anyone who picks up a Stratocaster and plays notes from the pentatonic scale is automatically labeled an SRV clone. Anthony Stauffer, who runs StevieSnacks, which is a site that teaches how to play in the style of SRV, knows this all to well. In a recent post titled Blues is More … [Read more...]
Music as a Hobby
Anthony Stauffer has posted an interesting article about how he has arrived at playing music for a hobby instead of as a career. After trying to become a rock star for over 10 years, he had to be honest with himself: This simple truth created a situation where I resented having to do the very things that were necessary to put me in a position to do what I though I loved. I … [Read more...]
Recording Adam Jones
I've been a fan of Tool's Adam Jones since hearing their album Undertow in 1993. Jones seems to make his Les Paul sound larger than life on all of their recordings. In 2006, Mix magazine interviewed Joe Barresi and Bob Ludwig, who were responsible for recording Tool's most recent album 10,000 Days. They discuss how they recorded the album. Of particular interest to me was the … [Read more...]
A Dumble Book
If you spend any time on the Gear Page forums, you know about the legend of Alexander ("Howard") Dumble. If you don't, Dumble has created a series of almost mythical amps used by tone hounds, such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth, and John Mayer. He's notoriously reclusive and builds amps only for people he deems worthy. Used Dumble amps go for … [Read more...]