The Guitar Channel - Passion Amplifier

Sam Tharp is an entrepreneur who is behind the Fretish service (fretish.com) which aims to be a kind of AirBnB for instruments. Admit that the idea is awesome! You go on vacation or business trip and bingo in a few clicks you can potentially rent a guitar for your stay. Well, that's in theory because the service is still very young and only available in the United States but the principle is attractive. Sam Tharp interview Fretish is a pro partner on The Guitar Channel  Podcast Audio version of the interview available in the podcast and below: Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.

Pete Thorn is a musician who works a lot, whether to produce his excellent videos on guitar gear or to tour behind great international stars around the world, he never stops. After Paris in 2013, our paths crossed again but at the end of the world this time since this new interview was held in Japan, in the Shibuya district of Tokyo while Pete had played the day before Budokan with Tsoyushi Nagabuchi, a legendary venue in the capital of Japan. Pete Thorn interview in Japan The full audio version of the interview is available in the podcast and below: Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.

At the first edition of the Guitar Summit in Mannheim in September 2017, The Guitar Channel had the opportunity to meet and interview Dieter Roesberg, the editor-in-chief of the Gitarre & Bass guitar magazine and organizer of the show. Below is the interview with this great professional in the field. Dieter Rosberg interview Audio version of the interview available in the podcast and below: Full Debrief of the 2017 Guitar Summit Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.

The world of acoustic guitar is currently booming with locomotives such as Andy McKee, Jon Gomm, Maneli Jamal, Antoine Dufour and many others who follow the path opened by Michael Hedges, Don Ross and other guitarists. The documentary Acoustic Uprising tells the story of this movement. This film was directed by Drew Roller, an Australian that The Guitar Channel interviewed via Skype to find out more. Drew Roller audio interview Acoustic Uprising trailer Review of the film I had the opportunity to watch this movie via a private link: it's excellent! A real treat from one end to the other. It's very well filmed and edited. There is an excellent introduction which puts into perspective the current movement and allows to better understand the approach of the current musicians. Whether you're an ultra-fan of acoustic guitar acrobatics, percussive guitar fanboy or just a six-string aficionados and music lover, this documentary is worth the detour. It will be available online and in BluRay from December 11, 2017. Information on the website: www.acousticuprisingfilm.com Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.

Back in September, The Guitar Channel proposed you to listen to a guitar only using the audio file of the review. The objective was to use more our ears than our eyes to evaluate the sound. The suspens is over, now is the time to reveal the mystery guitar! It's a guitar hand built by luthier Mikaël Springer in his workshop East of France: the Halfbreed Springer model proposing a great singlecut design with a P90 in the neck position and humbucker in the bridge (both from Häussel Pickups). Video Fuitar Review - Halfbreed Springer Guitars Audio version of the review available in the podcast and below: Thank you Springer Guitars for being a pro partner on The Guitar Channel Review setup * Sound path: Guitar > Cable > Amp * Ampl: V-Twin Kelt Amplification (www.keltamplification.com) * Sound: SM58 > Tascam DR-60D The settings on the V-Twin Kelt amp were the same throughout the review: Springer Halfbreed photo album Conclusion Huge supporter for a while now of the work of luthier Mikaël Springer, I suggest you draw your own conclusions from what you have heard in the video above. Hopefully Keith Richards, the Stones, ZZ Top and a few others will pardon me for happily destroying some of their songs, I find that these riffs fit perfectly the program of this guitar, though it can do more than Rock or Blues. Guitar available for testing at the showroom for members of the connoisseur club and for the people sent by Mikaël. Do not hesitate to contact the luthier Mikaël Springer to start the conversation with him. Until the next gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre Journel.

Godefroy Maruejouls is a French luthier who has been building high quality guitars, acoustic or electric. Last time we reviewed one of his acoustic instrument, this time this is an electric guitar called the Sorcerer 62. Video review of the Sorcerer 62 Audio version of the review For those into audio, here's the podcast version of the review you can listen in your favorite podcatcher app or online below: Features of the Sorcerer 62 * Body: alder * Finish: nitro-cellulose * Neck: French flamed maple * Fretboard: rosewood * Pickups: Growl (handwound by Godefroy) * Tremolo: Goto * Tuning machines: Sperzel Review setup Signal path: guitar > Mooer Solo > MXR Shin-juku > Strymon Flint > Kelt V-Twin > Shure SM-58 > Tascam DR-70D Photo album The good points * The sounds * Top quality building * Light weight instrument * Relicing very well done The bad points * I can't find any! Conclusion This guitar is a real pleasure for the eyes and for the ears. The relicing done here is very advanced and may not be to the taste of all but it is the advantage of going through a luthier for a command like this one: one can choose all the details. In this case, the customer wanted a heavy relicing. It should be noted that Godefroy did the relicing by finishing the guitar completely and made the relicaging afterwards. As opposed to a method in my opinion less realistic which consists of using stencils not to varnish at all the areas that will remain bare. It is a detail that reveals well the ethics of the work of this luthier. One is immediately at home with this Sorcerer 62, the comfort of play is there. It feels like a broken in instrument. The 5 positions of the selectors work very well, including for the humbucker center pickup which is perfectly balanced. Godefroy has achieved a perfect balance between the tradition with this body of Strat whose measurements were taken from a 1962 Fender (hence the reference) and a modern equipment and characteristics: Sperzel locking tuners, refined heel, etc. At 2,650 € in this configuration, the Sorcerer has an excellent value for the money. Until the next gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

In order to change from the usual format of guitar review, here's a new idea: you will find below the audio recording of a guitar reviewed on The Guitar Channel, the goal is to guess which guitar or at least which kind of guitar it is! Review setup * Path: guitar > jack > Kelt V-Twin amp > Shure SM-58 > Tascam DR-70D * No equalization applied or reverv or anythyng: just the dry signal coming from the SM-58 * The settings on the amp were the sam throughout the review Any idea about the guitar? I am looking forward see your suggestions on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! Until the next gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

Jessica Lynn is a Country music singer and guitar player who tours a lot in Europe. We did this audio interview while she was right in the middle of a big European tour. Subjects discussed * Her first guitar * Her influences * How she went into Country music * The process she uses to write a song * The experiences she had from the road * Her next projects Jessica Lyn video clip - Not Your Woman Jessica Lynn is often referred to as the ‘new’ Shania of pop-country and one can easily see why. A genuine love for upbeat, positive songs, brought with a fresh approach and tons of personality. Her new EP, featuring the new single ‘Crazy Idea’ is being picked up by radios in Europe and UK alike and is sure to become a crowd favourite at live shows. Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd continues a career filled with excellent albums. Lay It On Down is no exception and offers a beautiful collection of Blues, Blues/Rock and Country songs. It will not change the face of the world, it does not invent much but God, it is excellent music!! In the interview below Kenny talks about how this record was done, how he used his Dumble amplifiers to get his tone and much more. Kenny Wayne Shepherd interview Audio podcast version of the interview: Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

The Mag Mic system from Seymour Duncan is a solution that is seen more and more often in the instruments of pro musicians. So recently Adam Miller came to the Backstage showroom for a Guitar in Hand interview with his guitar made by the luthier Jeff Traugott which is equipped with this system, same for Shai Sebbag who has mounted a Mag Mic on his Taylor in addition to the native system. In short, the Guitar Channel had to investigate this product in greater depth. As its name suggests the system offers both a humbucker that will pick up the vibrations of the strings as does a standard electric guitar pickup and a microphone that picks up the sound of the guitar's body. A potentiometer allows you to dose from 0 to 100% the amount of microphone you want to add to the humbucker signal. A second knob adjusts the overall volume. View from the top of the microphone, you can see the two knobs for control: View from the bottom of the microphone, you can see the microphone capsule on the left side of the case (next to the MK1 label). The 12v indication marks the place where it is possible to mount legs to install an N type 12v battery: View on the side of the microphone, on the left the wheel for the general volume, on the right the wheel for dosing the microphone: The complete system: Review setup After a temporary installation done in a few seconds of the Mag Mic in the sound hole of my Martin 000 15-SM, I plugged the jack into the Apollo Twin Universal Audio interface to record the audio. For a more permanent installation it is necessary to stick a piece of Velcro (provided) in the guitar to attach the box of the battery 9v. Video review Audio podcast version of the review: What I enjoyed the most * Great sound quality * Sound of the humbucker * Very fast to install temporary for a quick recording * Possible to install permanently or semi-permanently What I enjoyed the least * As it is an active system, you need a battery Conclusion Those who have tried to capture the sound of an acoustic guitar know that it is a very difficult art to master, that is why the Mag Mic brings a very attractive solution since it proposes in a very compact package to have two sources: one via the humbucker and the other via the microphone. The result is excellent! The humbucker alone transcribes the sound of the acoustic guitar very well. We do not have the impression to play on an electric, we arrive rather to a sound archtop kind of sounf which is really beautiful. When the integrated microphone is gradually added, then the brightness and the depth coming from the acoustic part are added. The advantage of such a system is that if you are going to play on stage or in rehearsal at high volume, the magnetic microphone will bring you a very convincing sound without any problem of feedback. Congratulations to Seymour Duncan who offers with this Mag Mic a very successful solution for about US$ 200 . Until the next gear review, keep playing the guitar! Pierre.

Here's the Sunset, the latest effort from Strymon to attack the analog kingdom of overdrive and boost pedals. After the Riverside also reviewed on The Guitar Channel, this new double pedal propose another angle with 6 types of overdrive and boost, 3 per sides of the pedal, that you can combine. In fact you can have A going into B, B going into A or both running in parallel. This gives a lot of option to sculpt your tone. Sunset Strymon pedal video review The audio version of the review is available in the podcast feed and below: What I enjoyed the most * The boost Treble and JFet booster are excellent * Manufacturing quality always at the top in Strymon * The routing options * The variety of sounds What I enjoyed the least * Maybe too many possibilities Conclusion The Sunset is a great pedal. It sounds really good and brings a lot of option to either a fully clean amp or a slightly overdriven tube amp that you will be able to push with the boosters. At $300, it's not a cheap tone machine but don't forget that for this price you actually have two pedals in one. The back of the pedal reveals some cool features like the bright switch to adapt to any kind of amps, the A/B switch, the expression pedal input as well as the favorite pedal input for a complete control of the Sunset. Until the next gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

On the recommendation of Bruno Pelletier-Bacquaert, I contacted Julia Crowe via Twitter to receive her book My First Guitar. Let me tell you right away that I loved this book from the first to the last page. There are some very fascinating things in the discovery of the beginning of the story between a musician and what will become his instrument of predilection. I highly recommend the reading of this book which will make you live the very first emotions of this meeting sometimes innocuous, sometimes thunderous between the musician and his first guitar. Julia Crowe audio interview To go beyond the simple book review, here's an audio interview with Julia done in Skype in May 2017 which you can listen below (and in the podcast feed) : Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

The compressor is an effect that is always a bit intimidating because of the number of parameters often: attack time, release time, compression ratio, output volume, etc. That's why Alexandre Ernandez, the designer of Anasounds, made the choice with this Lazy Comp pedal to propose a compressor with ... one button! The parameter controlled by this single button is the percentage of mixing between direct sound and compressed sound. In the pedal there are two additional parameters, the compression ratio and the output volume. Lazy Comp video review Thank you to Anasounds to allow this video to be accessible to all through their support of The Guitar Channel with the Pro Backstage Pass The review is also available in audio format in the podcast feed and below: On the photo below you can clearly see the two internal trimpots to adjust the ratio and the output volume of the compressor. A third trimpot is there to adjust the intensity of the LED: Review setup * Guitar used: PRS McCarty loaded with PAF 59 pickups from Häussel * Path: Guitar > Lazy Comp (Anasounds) > Plextortion (Wampler) > Apollo Twin (Universal Audio) What I enjoyed the most * Ease of use * The sounds * Manufacturing quality * The look What I enjoyed the least * Impossible to adjust quickly the output level Conclusion Anasounds signs with this Lazy Comp a very cool pedal. Are you one of the people who want to use a compressor without headache? The Lazy Comp is for you! This pedal sounds particularly well with humbucker pickups even if it also works with single coils. My preferred setting was between 50% and 75% to have a strong impact of the effect. The only fault I found with this pedal is that by adjusting the external parameter I often wanted to adjust a bit the volume of output that is accessible only internally. Want to test this pedal at home (in France)? Get your Backstage Pass! As Anasounds is a Pro Backstage Pass owner, there's a review unit from this pedal which is doing a Backstage Gear Tour allowing the Backstage Pass owners in France to test drive it at home free for one week. Until the next gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

Here is in review a new exceptional guitar, the Unicorn Classic model built in the Finnish luthier Juha Ruokangas workshop. It is an instrument that was kindly lent me by a backstager (thank you David!). Given the very small number of guitars made by Juha and his team, it was an unexpected opportunity to test a guitar of this caliber. We are indeed here in the super high-end realm. The price of this model with the options included in this specific instrument (superb table, gold hardware, etc.) requires a budget of about 9 500 €. Ah yes, it stings a bit! But let's forget any financial considerations and  let us listen and watch this beauty! Unicorn Classic Ruokangas video The audio version of the review is listenable in the podcast and below: Review Setup Signal Path : Guitar > Pimento overdrive > V-Twin amp from Kelt Amplification > SM58 Photo Album Unicorn Video Diary The luthier Juha Ruokangas has recorded an awesome series of videos to document the Unicorn model conception. It's excellent stuff, watch it! What I enjoyed the most * The exceptional quality of the lutherie * An impeccable finish * The sounds * The beauty of the instrument What I enjoyed the least * Maybe too perfect? Conclusion Difficult to find a fault with this guitar. Honestly, I have searched, I have not found any. One can love or not, but impossible to take it in default. It is very beautiful, it is very well done and it sounds great. The only thing that can be criticized is precisely to be perhaps too perfect, too smooth. And again ... When you start playing on a Unicorn, you have trouble stopping. The tuning stability is perfect. The notes ring throughout the neck. Whether in clean sound, crunch or heavy saturation, this guitar is at ease everywhere. Until the next gear review, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.

Eric Bibb is a very prolific musician who is now releasing Migration Blues, a magnificent album about a theme which is very tragically present in the news. Supported by the French harp player Jean-Jacques Milteau and by Michael Jerome Browne for a multitude of stringed instruments (guitars, mandolin, banjo, etc.), Eric delivers here a masterly work that is a treat to listen to. This is an interview in the format Guitar in Hand recorded in Paris during a passage of the bluesman for the promotion of this new opus. Eric Bibb interview guitar in hand The audio version of the interview is also available in the podcast and below: Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar! Pierre.