Blast Worship: Ajal
Got five minutes? Good, because that’s all Kazakhstan crushers Ajal need to grind your face off.
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Gibson Tones, Epiphone Price: The 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Demo
Raw, rowdy, rugged, and won’t break the bank—a no-frills double cutaway delivers on its decades-old streamlined design promise with USA-made P-90s.The Gibson Les Paul Special was first introduced as a single cutaway model in 1955, and with the exception of the sunburst Standards that were produced from 1958-1960, it was the last of the original50s-era Les Paul model variants to be introduced. An enhanced version of the Les Paul Junior with increased sonic flexibility, it featured two P-90 pickups instead of the single P-90 found on the Junior and also added a bit of extra bling in the form of a bound fretboard and a mother-of-pearl headstock logo. In 1958, the body shape was revised from a single cutaway to a double cutaway, which delivered improved fretboard access, and the Special hit its stride in 1960 when a thinner SlimTaper neck profile and a lower neck pickup placement made it more robust and easier to play than ever. Now, Epiphone, in partnership with Gibson Custom, is proud to introduce the 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue, an Inspired by Gibson Custom recreation of the sought-after 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut. Like the originals, it features a slab mahogany body with double cutaways that provide excellent access to the entire length of the fretboard. The one-piece mahogany neck has a fast-playing 60s SlimTaper profile and is capped with a rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and mother-of-pearl dot position marker inlays. The fretboard has a 12” radius that makes playing first-position chords and solos with string bends further up the neck equally effortless. The Gibson “open book” style headstock is equipped with Epiphone Deluxe three-on-a-plate tuners with white buttons and a GraphTech nut to help keep the tuning nice and stable, while a historic style Wraparound bridge with intonation screws solidly anchors the strings at the other end and contributes to the excellent sustain that the Les Paul Special is famous for. A pair of USA-made P-90 Soap bar pickups from Gibson Custom that can go from sweet and clean to outright nasty and dirty-sounding are hand-wired to individual volume and tone controls with high-quality CTS potentiometers and Bumblebee paper-in-oil capacitors for authentic vintage tones that are sure to please even the most tone-conscious players.The 1960 Les Paul Special Double Cut Reissue comes packaged in a vintage-style case with a brown exterior and pink plush interior that features Inspired by Gibson Custom graphics on the exterior. It all comes together to deliver a vintage playing and ownership experience at an accessible price that is special in every way.
Read more » Video Premiere: No Apologies – “Grief”
Hardcore Aussies, No Apologies, cope with the pain of a devastating loss on new track “Grief.”
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Deep Divin’ on the Allmans with Alan Paul | 100 Guitarists Podcast
As a longtime music journalist and author of the Allman Brothers books One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band and Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the ’70s—both New York Times bestsellers—Alan Paul is foremost authority on the Allmans who was never in the band. He’s also a guitar player who leads the band Friends of the Brothers and is deeply attuned to the nuances of each of the many Allman Brothers guitarists.On this episode, we’re covering the whole history of the band’s guitar chairs, from Duane Allman and Dickey Betts to Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes and the many others who’ve stepped in to he spotlight with their 6-string.Thanks to our Sponsor Rock Mountain SlidesLearn More at rockymountainslides.com
Read more » Interview: Unleashed Bassist Johnny Hedlund Talks New Album, Fire Upon Your Lands
Unleashed talk new album and 35 years of death metal.
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DR Introduces Black Dragon Multi-Scale Bass Strings
DR Handmade Strings has introduced their highly engineered new Black Dragon Multi-Scale Bass strings. Combining the sound, feel and extra-long life of Dragon Skin+ with an exciting black finish, these new strings will bring out the best tone (and look!) of any multi-scale bass, including those with up to 37” B strings.The new Black Dragons are available in 4-string, 5-string and 6-string sets and feature DR’s patented Accurate Core Technology (ACT). ACT upgrades the architecture of the strings, allowing them to vibrate to their full potential and deliver full tone and clarity for even the lowest notes of your bass. The stainless steel strings feature DR’s Black K3 coating that protects the strings, without choking off the sound, and gives the strings a distinctive black appearance to compliment any instrument. The net result? A great-looking string that delivers enhanced tone, effortless playability and extra-long life.Black Dragons carry street prices of $39.99 (4-string set), $49.99 (5-string set) and $52.99 (6-string set). They will be available starting August 17th in honor of DR Strings founder Mark Dronge’s 87th birthday. For more information visit drstrings.com.
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ONLY 90 AVAILABLE! Pre-Order EVOKEN’s New Album ‘Mendacium’ on Decibel-Exclusive Vinyl!
There are only a mere 90 copies of Mendacium, the new 2xLP from extreme doom legends Evoken on exclusive Decibel exclusive Transparent Black Ice Double-LP Vinyl.
The post ONLY 90 AVAILABLE! Pre-Order EVOKEN’s New Album ‘Mendacium’ on Decibel-Exclusive Vinyl! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
ESP LTD RKZ-III – Richard ZK’s Signature Metal Machine
This year, Rammstein’s Richard ZK returned with his third signature guitar, the ESP LTD RZK-III. It marked a stark departure from his previous models, with an arsenal of fun features…
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Holy Grail ‘Bursts: BEST OF Rig Rundown
The likes of Joe Bonamassa, Jason Isbell, and Richie Faulkner walk us through a carousel of vintage Gibson StandardsTrace the journeys of some of the world’s rarest guitars including cherry sunbursts pulled from pawnshops, a scorching ’59 that simply refused to be left behind, and more. Along the way these legends debunk hand-winding myths, detail meticulous restorations, and share the emotional pull of instruments that have crossed continents and shaped Rock and Roll.
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Mile End Effects Pique Review
A handsome 3-in-1 boost, EQ, and filtering stomp offers unique tonalities.Mile End Pique Demo VidMile End Effects’ Justin Cober, who runs the one-man operation out of his Montreal basement, advertises the Pique as a “dynamic preamplifier, buffer, and harmonic enhancer.” That’s a mouthful for what looks like a fairly simple stomp with single knob and four rocker switches, but the Pique lives up to the billing. It’s one of the more creatively stimulating and inspiring boost/EQ/buffer combos I’ve encountered.Pique Behind the CurtainThe Pique’s design is rooted in the company’s Preamp 150, which is an homage to the preamp in the Roland RE-150 Space Echo. But the Pique has a much wider range of capabilities. Rather than just boosting one frequency or another, the Pique creates, as Cober puts it, “higher-order harmonics by implementing filtering, very slight phase shifts, and musically related harmonics to the audio signal.” Each of the three EQ-related switches functions a little differently.The brilliance switch employs a capacitor to filter low-end frequencies and emphasize midrange. The “high freq” control runs upper frequencies through an op-amp circuit that generates distortion and extra harmonic content, while lower frequencies remain unaffected. “Low freq,” on the other hand, uses a phase-shifted low-pass filter to achieve similarly targeted saturation and compression on the opposite end of the EQ spectrum. The boost switch activates the Preamp 150 section, and the unit’s prominent knob controls the effect’s level. This all makes the Pique a cinch and a pleasure to use: four switches, one knob, less overthinking, more playing. Keep in mind that the pedal requires 250 mA to operate—a much higher draw than most boost or EQ pedals. It’s more than the draw from most simple boost or EQ pedals.Pique PerformanceThe Pique’s buffer can be activated alone by turning all the rocker switches off and turning the pedal on. It gives a just-noticeable lift to a dry signal, especially in the airy high frequencies that drip away over a lengthy signal chain. Switching on the Preamp 150 boost circuit takes that lift further, lending presence, chime, and breadth to whatever you feed it. It’s a great always-on effect, but the extra clarity and sparkly high end make it a great lead boost if you kick up the level.The harmonic excitement aspect of the pedal, though, is where the Pique opens up new avenues. Cober’s design considerably thickens selected frequencies, which feels like the sonic equivalent of turning a fine-tip pen into a broad, inky marker. And rather than simply a surgical, colorless EQ bump, the Pique’s frequency boosts often feel like distinct, specialized effects that blend overdrive, clean boost, and EQ. They accentuate certain elements of your guitar’s signal, for sure, but they also stretch them with subtle harmonics and sometimes delicate, almost imperceptible distortion.These functions are especially rewarding when the Pique is applied after your dirt pedals, where it excites and texturizes certain elements of other pedal tone profiles. If you’re missing bottom-end heft, flip on low freq, and instead of a blunt bass boost, you’ll perceive a more powerful and immediate low-end character. Add in brilliance and your mid frequencies will experience a similar metamorphosis, yielding much grittier prominence. High freq can yield the same pleasing effect, though some players will want to be careful about how it highlights rogue high frequencies from gain devices in front of the Pique.The Pique isn’t your average boost or EQ pedal. It’s full of unique sounds that are clearly a product of inventive circuit-tinkering, but also hits the mark for many basic EQ, buffer, and boost functions. To top it off, Cober’s circuit design is matched by his aesthetic eye. Pique is definitely one of the best-looking stompboxes on the market.
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