This week on Guitar Gear Gems, we check out the special-edition Gibson Noel Gallagher 1978 Les Paul Custom being sold to raise money for charity. Then, we look at the Alex Lifeson Lerxst By-Tor Drive pedal. Finally, we check out the Manson MB GEO Mask Edition Guitar limited run.

Gibson Noel Gallagher

The announcement of these Gibson Noel Gallagher special-edition models will excite many Oasis fans. The guitar is a limited run of only 20, each a recreation of the 1978 Les Paul Custom that Johnny Marr gifted him. They are being sold to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust at the UK Gibson Garage. Gibson and Gallagher will donate 100% of the profits to this worthwhile charity.

As Noel is signing each one, this will also make this extra collectable for fans of his music. The fact that you can only buy them in-store is also significant, as it should deter internet scalpers.

Famous Custom

This famous guitar was used on classic albums including “The Queen is Dead” and “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”. Therefore, it will also appeal to fans of The Smiths and Johnny Marr. I’m impressed that Noel has worked with the Teenage Cancer Trust to help them raise money, which is a grand gesture and a fantastic-looking Les Paul Custom.

The guitars will only be available in person to attendees on the official opening day of the new flagship store, the Gibson Garage London, on Saturday, February 24, 2024.

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By-Tor Drive

The LERXST By-Tor Drive pedal was announced in December 2023 as a limited edition for Alex Lifeson of Rush. They have announced that it will now be available to everyone as it has been so popular. It is based on the custom-built OMEGA tube amp head for Rush’s “Clockwork Angels” recording and touring cycle.

Mojotone

Mojotone is building the pedal, which falls under the Alex Lifeson LERXST brand name. It seeks to replicate that custom amp he is known for using then. It has an onboard boost section, which recreates the response of a tube amp’s gain stage and offers a JFET-based +6dB gain level.

Each By-Tor is handmade in the USA from high-quality components. They sound great and, thankfully, are no longer a limited run. Great for any Rush fans who missed out on the initial batch last year, as that sold out rapidly.

MSRP – USD 295

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Manson MB GEO Mask Edition Guitar

These Manson MB GEO Mask Edition Guitars are a minimal run of only 20, with two versions, aptly named V1 and V2. These aren’t cheap guitars, starting at £7,999 for the V1 model and £13,999 for the V2. These guitars are exact copies of Muse’s Matt Bellamy guitar, which he used during their 2023 Will Of The People tour.

Each guitar is built by the Manson Guitar Works in the UK and is fitted with a Sustainiac Stealth Pro sustainer pickup and a Manson PF-1 MB pickup.

V1 vs V2

The V1 has an alder body, a high-flame maple neck, and an ebony fretboard. This model comes in a Manson-branded Hiscox case and a certificate signed by Matt Bellamy. In contrast, the V2 has a 5A flame, figured, roasted maple neck and ships in a UK-crafted Protechnic flight case.

The V2 package includes exclusive accessories, including a Manson Heistercamp premium strap with the GEO logo, limited edition GEO picks, a laser-etched certificate with a unique number for each guitar, and a rare colour print signed by Bellamy.

If your budget doesn’t stretch quite this far, you could always consider the Cort/Manson MBM- 2H, as it also has a Sustainer pickup, so it will get you close to that Muse/ Matt Bellamy guitar.

Cort MBM-2H Manson Meta SUS SB

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Manson Guitar Works

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Understanding time signatures is crucial for your development as a musician. Knowing how many beats you’re working with will help you out! But how can you know for sure? Stick around as we tap our way through various time signatures. 

Understanding Time Signatures: Metre Made Simple

Metre refers to the regularly occurring rhythmic patterns in a piece of music. It’s the same with poetry. How something feels is dependent on many factors. Such as if it is in a major or minor key, digital effects, and the metre.

Have you ever looked at the start of a piece of notation, and seen two numbers sat on top of each other? Well, this shows us the time signature for that piece of music and gives us our base rhythm. As musicians, there are lots of techniques that we can use to spice up the rhythm.

However, one key factor remains. The time signature governs us, as players, as to what we can do with our music. So, let’s look at understanding time signatures and how they can help you.

4/4

Starting us off, we’re looking at arguably the most commonly used time signature in Western music. Helping us to understand this time signature, we’ll be using this banger from The Cult.

4/4, referred to as common time, contains four beats to one bar. Specifically, four crotchet beats. Getting your head around this one is pretty simple. Have you ever been to a concert and clapped your hands along to the beat? Well, chances are you were clapping in 4/4!

In total, we’re only allowed a maximum of four beats that add up to the equivalent of four crotchets. There are of course subdivisions of each note, such as semi-quavers and minims etc. For now, why not check out this TAB for She Sells Sanctuary? Moreover, you could start counting to four from the 5th bar when the guitar riff starts.

This timeless and tense guitar intro has some pretty cool effects going on. Take a look at this Flanger pedal from MXR to see what the fuss is all about:

MXR M-117R Flanger

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3/4

Secondly, we’re going to look at another widely used time signature. Often labelled as the Waltz time signature, 3/4 has some classical roots.

Despite a more traditional background, this time signature has still been used in some pretty cool songs. Yes, you can hear the trademark one two three, one two there in Waltz Of The Flowers, however, Jimi Hendrix and Metallica have also used 3/4.

So, what is it then? Unlike with 4/4, we’ve now got three crotchets, otherwise known as quarter notes, per bar. This creates a sweet and sentimental feel. Whereas 4/4 is much more driving and upbeat. This Eagles number showcases this time signature perfectly.

To play this in the original key, you’ll need a capo on the 4th fret of your guitar. Good job there are plenty to choose from, here’s one that I’ve got in my gig bag right now:

Dunlop Trigger Fly Capo GM

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5/4

Continuing our look at understanding time signatures, we’re here to check out what 5/4 is all about. This is where things start to get a bit more involved…

Whereas 4/4 and 3/4 were fairly even, this time signature has an odd number of beats, creating an unusual feel within a piece of music. The quintuple metre allows for different groupings within a bar, such as three and two, or two and three.

Essentially, there can be any number of combinations of equally stressed beats within one bar. Anything goes, as long as you end up with five beats per bar. Such as two 1/4 notes, followed by six 1/8th notes. This example by Cream features a 5/4 intro but resolves to 4/4 for the verse.

Although known for being a Strat man, in the early days of his career, Eric Clapton favoured guitars that packed a real punch. This Gibson ought to do it…

Gibson ES-335 Dot 60s Cherry

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Understanding Time Signatures: 6/8

Back to some normality now, 6/8 is potentially one of the most soothing time signatures out there! As we’ve seen already, a time signature varies the mood and feel of the music.

Aside from illustrating this next time signature, Everybody Hurts is a great fingerstyle guitar piece to have a go at! Regardless, we’ve got six beats per bar here. Logically, it would appear to be the same as 3/4, only double right?

Not quite. Where they differ is that 3/4 consists of 3 crotchet beats, whereas you’ll find 2 dotted crotchet beats in a 6/8 time signature. Hence the varying mood and feel.

12/8

Concluding our look at understanding time signatures, we’re delving into this 1990s metal riff. Complete with a 12/8 compound time signature.

What’s a compound time signature? Well, we’ve already seen a few already. Compound time signatures contain groupings of equal-length notes. Therefore,12/8 has four large or stressed beats and each of these is divided into three 1/8th notes.

Broken down, you can count four emphasised beats in a 12/8 time signature.

Walk is in D Standard tuning, meaning you’re going to have to make some adjustments before you try this one. This pedal tuner from Harley Benton will slot into your pedal board with no trouble:

Harley Benton CPT-20

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Understanding Time Signatures: Easy as one two three?

There we have it! A look into some time signatures, some more common than others! Regardless of their use, it’s always worth having a comprehensive understanding in the back of your mind for the next time you’re at a writing session, or even a pub quiz!

Videos

Further Information:

• Guitar TAB
• Picking Practice For Guitar 
• Guitar Barre Chords 

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These new Gibson SG Supreme follow in the footsteps of the Les Paul Supreme models from 2023. With fancy AAA-figured maple tops, ornate inlays, and modern playability.

Gibson SG Supreme

The Gibson SG Supreme models are all about the bling and have plenty of details to keep players’ eyes boggling. This includes the very nice AAA-figured maple, ebony fretboards, luxury inlays, and gold hardware.

Gibson SG Supreme Wine Red

Three Standard Finishes

Available in three distinct finishes Wine Red, Fireburst, and Ebony Burst. Plus a limited run ebony triple humbucker loaded model direct from Gibson. Following the same release pattern as the Les Paul Supreme models that were announced in September 2023.

At the heart of the new Supreme models is a classic double-cut SG body shape, though minus any pickguard. This allows those finishes to stand out and make these guitars shine visually. They are all powered by a set of Gibson Burstbucker Pro humbucking pickups, which include coil splits for added versatility.

Gibson SG Supreme Fireburst

Mother of Pearl

They also include a lot of Mother of Pearl, with intricate inlays on the ebony fingerboards. Plus, the same Chandelier inlay on the headstock, as the Les Paul Supreme. This was taken from a design recovered from a 1940s blueprint. Add in all that gold hardware and it makes for a very fancy-looking SG.

Gibson SG Supreme Ebony Burst

Compound Radius

Though, at their core, they still have a mahogany body, albeit with a fancy maple cap, and mahogany neck. What is interesting is the inclusion of a modern compound-radius ebony fretboard, which is fitted with 24 medium jumbo frets. I can imagine this should make for a slick playing experience which should please many guitarists.

Verdict

If you like a bit of bling, then these new SG Supreme models could be the guitar for you. They are quite expensive, though they do have a lot of nice visual upgrades and so that adds to the price. For such a down and dirty, rock and roll guitar, these offer a nice touch of class.

MSRP – GBP 3399

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These Gibson Les Paul Modern Studio are the latest incarnation of the more affordable single-cut design. Available in three finishes for 2024.

Les Paul Modern Studio

The Les Paul Modern Studio is Gibson’s offering with an Ultra Modern weight-relieved mahogany body and maple cap. It was once the trimmed-back, more affordable model in their US-made lineup. However, in 2024 it is still nearly £2k in the UK, so maybe not quite as affordable as they once were.

Modern Upgrades?

They now feature some enhanced features, and these are many taken directly from the Les Paul Modern range. Including a bound ebony fretboard with a compound radius for improved action and playability, along with a Modern Contoured Heel for better upper-fret access.

Controls-wise, these new 2024 models also offer coil tapping, plus additional switching for control over phase, and pure bypass. The pickups themselves, are the Gibson 490R neck and 490T bridge humbuckers.

Finishes

The three new finishes include Wine Red Satin, Smokehouse Satin, and Worn White. Each model also has black nickel hardware throughout. This includes the aluminum Nashville Tune-O-Matic and stop bar, plus a set of Grover Rotomatic tuners.

It is certainly, a cut-down model for a Les Paul, in many ways, yet they offer the classic choice of woods, of a Standard Les Paul, but with an ebony fretboard, and these Modern upgrades.

Stripped Back

They all come in a Gibson soft shell case. I get the feeling that they could be popular with guitar players, that must have an American-made guitar but are on a budget. However, I still think they are a bit expensive for such a basic two-humbucker model, with a cut-down, basic appearance.

However, if you don’t need fancy maple tops, then they could be the ideal Gibson Les Paul for you.

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Cancel culture is something we see everywhere today. But surely, it wouldn’t happen to some of our favourite artists? From The Beatles to Rage Against The Machine, here’s why these songs were hated at release. 

Cancel Culture: Why were these all-time classics hated at release?

Rock music has never been far away from controversy, but isn’t that kind of the point? It doesn’t take a lot to upset your enemies or even your fans. Amps too loud, lyrics too strong, hair too long. It seems you can’t win.

However, even some of the most clean-cut artists over the years have experienced some form of cancel culture. Popular opinion has been quick to divide listeners. Let’s delve into the rights and wrongs of these 5 all-time classic hits, and why they might have been disapproved of once upon a time.

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – The Beatles

Our first look at cancel culture comes from The Beatles’ revolutionary 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but how could the Fab Four ever cause uproar?

It appeared that the title was far too much for a somewhat naive late-60s audience. Speculation that the title of the track was a reference to ‘LSD‘, a popular term for the hallucinogenic substance. Although not shy with such pastimes, the group insisted that the track had much more innocent foundations.

Unfortunately, the BBC banned the track. An early form of cancel culture? Despite the song being inspired by a poem that was written by John Lennon‘s son, Julian, called ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’. Oh, the poor girl with kaleidoscope eyes never meant such malice.

Moreover, throughout the recording of the track, George Harrison uses his Rocky Fender Stratocaster. Complete with custom psychedelic paintwork and a Leslie speaker. Both of which are pretty hard to get hold of today, unless you get creative:

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Cancel Culture: God Save The Queen – Sex Pistols

Secondly, we’re looking at arguably one of the Sex Pistols’ most well-known numbers. The group were never far away from unpopular opinion, in-fact they were at the very centre of it. How could a basic rock riff in A hurt?

Today, cancel culture can occur as a result of an ill-timed social media post. However, this 1977  politically punk-fuled record featured treason which was disliked very much by a then-patriotic British public. Released during the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, the group ended up with a total ban on the song.

Furthermore, the ban on air-time only resulted in increased popularity. In addition to radio silence, popular record shops, such as Boots and Woolworths, refused to sell it. Speculations therefore arose at the time that there was a fix in the charts, as it never officially reached the number 1 slot despite massive sales.

The opening bars feature Steve Jones on guitar, blasting out of his 1972 Fender Twin Reverb amplifier. You can’t get hold of a new unit to the same specification, but you can still get pretty close:

Fender 68 Custom Twin Reverb

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Killing In The Name – Rage Against The Machine

Our next look at cancel culture doesn’t necessarily stem from the release of this RATM record. Although, in 1993 Radio 1 accidentally played the uncensored version live on air. Subsequently leading to 138 complaints.

17 years after release, the group found themselves playing live on BBC Radio 5. This was as a result of the protest rock song making it to Christmas No.1 in 2009. Naturally, the BBC requested that the strong and expletive lyrics be censored for the live broadcast. Initially, the band obliged.

However, upon reaching the final reprise of the song lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha appropriately neglected to accept the BBC’s request. Not only did listeners get plenty of explicit language, but television viewers received a healthy dose of hand gestures in addition. Looking back it’s a cool but undeniably offensive performance in the true spirit of rock and roll.

Notably of RATM and Audioslave fame, Tom Morello played on that iconic performance. You can check out his signature Stratocaster. Complete with a Floyd Rose, kill switch and a nasty attitude!

Fender Tom Morello Strat FR RW BLK

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Hound Dog – Elvis Presley

Following our list of artists that were potentially subject to cancel culture is The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Whichever way you look at it, the 1956 track was surrounded by various forms of bad press in period.

After an initial TV broadcast in June 1956 on The Milton Berlie Show, Elvis’ dance moves were considered lucrative, inappropriate and of ill taste. Historical context has to be applied of course. A clean and rosy-cheeked post-war American audience was clearly not ready for young male to move in the way that he did.

Unfortunately, this was not the only criticism that Hound Dog received. The track was originally recorded by Big Mamma Thornton back in 1952. Being a black Blues and R&B singer, the ideology that a white American male would record the same music was deeply frowned upon. Crazy right? In 2024 we can reflect on the hilariously outdated views and expectations of the 1950s.

Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Concluding our look at songs that were hated at release, is this cancel culture contender from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Unlike Elvis or The Beatles, this group were intentionally badly behaved.

Surprising, I know, but the BBC banned this song following a performance on Top Of The Pops in 1984. Unsurprisingly, it was on the grounds for what was considered obscene lyrics such as, ‘Relax, don’t do it, when you want to come…’. In addition, the track was accompanied by a fairly strong music video, even by today’s standards.

Originally released in 1983, Frankie Goes To Hollywood didn’t air again with the song until late 1984 when it was re-released and had the ban lifted for a Christmas performance. Ultimately it became one of the best-selling singles of that year. Impressive considering that it had the Band-Aid single to contend with.

Plug-in time! The legendary Jupiter-8 brushes shoulders with the likes of the Yamaha DX7 in terms of Synth royalty. You can get hold of this plug-in to sample some of the sounds from Relax at home:

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Cancel Culture: Forgive and Forget?

Today, we can smile and stream these controversial hits. Although, as we’ve looked at, things were quite different in their respective contexts. Or, were the BBC just trying to take away good music? What other records from musical history do you like that were initially frowned upon? Do let us know!

Video:

Further information:

• Get that Sex Pistols tone
• How to sound like The Beatles 
• Elvis Hologram World Tour

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While on tour in Europe, we trade stories with Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton and talk about their latest record, Death Wish Blues.

This interview was originally conducted by Paul Rigg for Planet Guitar.

Fish and Dayton: Fire and Passion

It is early morning on a cool mid-March day in Amsterdam, but chart-topping blues guitarist Samantha Fish and genre-busting sensation Jesse Dayton, are keen to talk with Gearnews about their brand new album, their star collaborations, and why one particular cat might make a make a cool contribution on their stage…

Gearnews: Thank you, Samantha and Jesse, for finding time in your busy touring schedule to chat to us about your new record, ‘Death Wish Blues’, but before we focus on that, I’d like to kick off with a background question: you first met in Kansas City, at Knuckleheads Saloon, over a decade ago, but then reconnected more recently in New Orleans: what made that the right moment for your collaboration?

Samantha Fish: I don’t know. This project has been swirling round in my camp for a couple of years, a collaborative record with this kind of vibe and style, and I saw Jesse last year and it just dawned on me that he’d be the perfect guy, so we started chipping away at writing songs. We had a natural chemistry, and both loved the same kind of music, so it just worked really well.

Death Wish Blues

GN: I was immediately hooked when I listened to the record because it’s full of energy, humour, and great grooves. Was it enjoyable to make?

Jesse Dayton: It was so much fun; it happened really fast. We both went up to New York and Sam and I started writing songs together and then Jon Spencer got involved, who became such an integral part of the sound, and we just had a really great time together. I think it shows on the record; it’s not just business as usual, you can hear it is close to our hearts.

GN: You recorded it at Applehead Recording & Production in Woodstock, a studio situated on a 17-acre farm once home to The Band’s Rick Danko, and chose the man who led The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to produce – do you feel that this ‘pedigree’ leaves a mark on your work?

Samantha Fish: 100%. It is ‘a moment in time captured’ when you are making a record. We were there for over a week. You’re hanging out, and then going back into the studio, and you know that the history is there; it can’t help but leave an impression. And then I have been a fan of Jon since I was a teenager, when he was working with RL [Burnside], and bringing together different sounds and genres, so we just thought that he’d be great for what we were trying to do.

Gibson SG Standard EB

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Working with Jon Spencer

JD: Yes, every day was an adventure together in the studio. I knew we were doing something different because the drummer didn’t sound like ‘Whipper’ Layton or John Bonham, and the guitarists weren’t overtly Stevie Ray Vaughan, or this kind of ‘Whitewood blues thing’, and the songs that Sam and I were writing were rock songs with a heavy blues influence. It all just felt new and fresh, with Jon as captain at the head of the ship.

GN: There are many interesting aspects to the record, but I would like to ask about one of the first tunes you wrote together, the album-opener ‘Death Wish’: how did that song come about?

JD: Sam and I started sending voice mails to each other via our phones, and one idea went ‘Nur, nur, nur…’ [hums refrain] and I was like ‘ooh!’ The thing with Sam is she is just hyper-melody conscious, which is great for me because I’ve always been this Dylan-like, story-telling guy from the Americana tradition, so together we make these songs that have a defined melody, which was great; totally inspiring.

“I’ve always been this Dylan-like, story-telling guy…”

When we wrote it, I’d been watching old film noir and crime movies and it sounded like an empowering thing for Sam to sing, you know where she ‘flips the script’ on a guy who is on the run. Hopefully, people will pick up on that, but mostly I think they’ll just be humming Sam’s melody.

GN: …and Sam – where did you get all that attitude to sing it?

SF: It’s funny because I’ve never worked with a producer who does vocals in the way Jon does; he is like an acting coach. The performance is always important, and many producers look for that clean note, but he really focused on where you were coming from when you were singing; the character that you were embodying. So, he would focus on inflection, for example, and delivering with attitude. And him helping us channel the characters in the songs just made for a really personality-driven album.

Recording Dangerous People

GN: I was intrigued that at one point Jon had you banging on beer cans gathered from the backyard on ‘Dangerous People’ – was this a ‘Tom Waits’ moment’?

SF: Yes, definitely! I was saying to Jon that we’ve got to work with some found instruments and we were talking about having a loop to this song…

JD: … it was so crazy, I walked into the studio with my coffee to see Sam surrounded by pots and pans and all this stuff – and a lot of times that doesn’t work but […] Jon demanded that we follow it through, and it worked out great. I hope we aren’t incredibly wrong …

SF: No, I know we’re not, because now I listen to the record and think ‘what were we thinking; this is a great song!’ And live… I don’t know how we’re going to do it – we’re definitely not going to be going around the venue searching for pots and pans! [Laughs]

The process behind Supadupabad

GN: I’d also like to ask you about ‘Supadupabad’, which is a light-hearted piece of blues-funk and, as Jesse said, was “way outside our wheelhouse”…

JD: Well, I grew up listening to Isaac Hayes, and so had Sam, and she was turning me on to Melvin Bishop, and stuff that I’d never heard from the 70s. You know we are all late to the party on some cool stuff – we don’t come out of the womb knowing every nuance of music history, so a lot of this record is highly influenced by 70s’ Black music, which Jon Spencer has based his whole career on.

GN: For a change, I’d now like to give you an artist’s name and for you to say one anecdote – or perhaps just one word – that first comes to mind:

Johnny Cash?

JD: Spiritual Aura. I was working in the studio with him in 1997 and every time he walked into the recording studio the atoms and the energy within the room would change.

GN: Do you have a particular anecdote?

JD: Yes, the movie about him does no justice to the romance he had with June; he would walk up to her in front of the whole band and go: ‘I’ve missed you so much’, and kiss her like they were kids. It was romantic and beautiful.

Devon Allman?

SF: He’s fierce! I’ve known Devon a long time. In 2012 or 2013 he asked me to do some stuff on one of his records – the Tom Petty-Stevie Nicks’ song. I’ve watched him blossom; how he has really taken on the Allman family tradition in bringing everybody together. I’ve watched him do that for years and years and he is so good at it. It’s cool to see who he is now; it’s pretty powerful!

Eric Gale?

SF: He is a badass, he’s just amazing. Every time he gets on stage every other guitar player just drops their instrument and watches him, because he is incredible. What he does with the guitar is different to everybody else – the way he plays, the way he performs.

I have a funny anecdote from Memphis, around about the time I recorded Kill or Be Kind [2019]. I went to his show, and he called me up from the audience and handed me this guitar, which was the other way around, and I played whatever, and then handed the guitar to Kingfish [Christone Ingram] before I returned to the audience.

And then Ory Naftaly from Southern Avenue said ‘what happened to you just now was like my worse nightmare’ [‘it was upside down, right?’ intervenes Jesse, laughing]. It was fine – I saw the videos afterwards – but I remember thinking, ‘I would have happily watched the others play guitar!’

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On the current Guitar Resurgence

GN: Great story, thank you! Turning now to guitar questions, Jesse you recently said: “I love that we’re starting to see the resurgence of rock guitar.” Others argue that the guitar’s moment in musical history has gone – what would you say to that?

JD: Well, I think there are a lot of disenfranchised rock fans out there right now who are not getting the goods, and they’re going back to listen to the heritage acts. I think it is making a resurgence in a way, whether it is the Black Keys or Jack White, or whoever, it’s starting to come back.

We see that on a business level too, the market share is growing – that’s why people are freaking out over Samantha, because she is giving them this raw guitar playing. For better or worse, legendary rock n roll towns, like Atlanta, are now overrun by urban music. I love old-school rap, it is almost like punk rock, you know, but now I feel a resurgence as labels are starting to sign more rock acts. To me it’s exciting.

GN: Your guitar playing has been described as “fiery and passionate.” How do you get that intensity in your playing?

SF: You just have to feel it. The guitar is like an extension of my voice; an extension of everything I’m doing. It is about being emotive, bending the string, the vibrato; it’s not about ‘da, da, da…’ Sometimes it comes out a little muddy, and sometimes exactly how I want it; but you just have to care, and want to say something important.

Daddario NYXL1356W

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Touring in Italy

GN: We have a lot of Italian fans, have either of you had any experience touring in Italy?

SF: Yes. I’ve had a blast there. We were there in the summer, and it was, like, 114 degrees in the daytime and people still came out, so that should say something. I found the Italian fans really engaged, passionate and supportive. I was very, very, honoured.

JD: I love Italians. When I go there it is like I have a banjo in my mouth sometimes, because I’m from Texas, so I’ve learned that if I can keep my mouth shut, I can pass for a local, with the dark hair and the olive skin!

I’m a huge Ennio Morricone fan, I have had all his albums on vinyl since I was a kid. I’m a big fan of Italian filmmakers. I’ve got Italian motorcycles too, I’ve got a vintage Benelli! When you go to Italy you don’t just find a light switch, you get a light switch that has got art on it. Everything they do is from an art perspective, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Influences

GN: Sam, you’ve said you love Bowie, the Stones, Prince, and Led Zeppelin – who are the new bands you are listening to?

SF: I liked Jack White’s two albums he put out last year, they’re really interesting, but what I do when I’m making an album is to go back and try to find new music from that era that I haven’t yet heard. I’m in the contemporary blues scene so I see a lot of guys there who blow me away. I’m always looking out for new talent.

GN: And you, Jesse?

JD: There’s this guy named Eric Johanson [Samantha intervenes: ‘there you go!’] who is going to be opening some shows for us. He’s this kid who came up through the New Orleans ranks playing all the usual dive bars, he’s been opening a lot for Samantha, and I’ve just produced his record that is going to be out at some point. He’s got great songs – you know you can’t swing a dead cat in bars in New Orleans without hitting a great guitar player, but he’s got catchy songs; I’m excited about it.

Gretsch G6136T-59VS White Falcon

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Playing International Festivals

GN: You’ve played at a lot of festivals around the world. How do you create a memorable show?

SF: Every day is a new challenge with a new audience […] so you build a show around that. I like to come out swinging. A show has peaks and valleys, and it is about taking them on a trip, but you’ve got to first hook the audience to enable them to take the trip with you.

When it’s our show, and people have bought a ticket, they know who they are coming to see, they are ready to take the trip; but at a festival people often don’t know your music, and they’re giving you a chance. So, you have to design the show to really capture these guys, and then take them on this ride; I love building shows.

GN: One fun question, as we close: If you could have any animal play guitar in a band with you, which animal would you choose and why?

SF: [Laughs] Well it would definitely be my cat, Mo, because I’d love to bring him on the road. I think he’d be a great guitar player too because he’s very soulful and sweet.

JD: He’d be like a jazz guy, there’s a reason why they call us cats, you know!

I’d go with a black Labrador, because I’ve had one since I was a kid; I’ve got one at home now, named Pearl. Of course, we’re going to say our pets, it would be more interesting to say a polar bear or tiger but, you know, we’re both missing our ‘fur faces’!

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Future Projects?

GN: What plans do you have in 2023?

JD: We are touring and from the response we are getting from the record this could go on for a while. It’s great man, we are just both super-grateful and excited about the way the record is being received.

SF: We both have projects on the horizon that were pre-planned, but we might just go back to the studio, you never know. The road is long!

Gearnews thanks Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton for talking to us today. We think Death Wish Blues is a record from the heart and is well worth checking out. ‘Thanks man!’ says Jesse with a smile.

More about Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton:

• Samantha Fish Official Page
• Jesse Dayton Official Page
• More Interviews

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Gibson Custom Ebony Acoustics is a series of four fairly iconic acoustic models from the US brand. Each is outfitted in a sleek black Les Paul Custom-style aesthetic.

Gibson Custom Ebony Acoustics

The Gibson Les Paul Custom was created when Les Paul personally wanted a guitar that “looks like a tuxedo.” Now this timeless aesthetic is available on a quartet of acoustic guitars from Gibson Custom, handmade in Bozeman, Montana, equipped with high-quality components and painted with shiny nitro lacquer in ebony.

With their ebony finish and custom-inspired look, including multi-layer binding, mother-of-pearl block inlays, and the Custom Split Diamond headstock insert, these Gibson Custom acoustic guitars have the “Smoking” charisma and the optical appeal of the legendary Les Paul Custom.

L R Baggs

All models are equipped with a solid Sitka spruce top. They are also equipped with L R Baggs Session VTC electronics, which includes an integrated preamp and piezo pickup under the saddle and makes these guitars suitable for stage and studio.

J-45 Custom Ebony

J-45 Custom Ebony

The J-45 is the most popular acoustic Gibson model of all time. Her unmistakable sound has made her the first choice of music legends of all genres for decades.

In addition to the spruce top, this J-45 Custom has a mahogany back and sides and a Slimtaper neck made of mahogany with a scale of 24.75′′.

• Price: EUR 5399
• Product Page

Hummingbird Custom Ebony

Hummingbird Custom Ebony

Next up, is the broad-shouldered Hummingbird Custom that builds on the classic Hummingbird features, including the solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and a mahogany neck with 24.75′′ scale and round neck profile.

• Price: EUR 6499*
• Product Page

Gibson Hummingbird Custom No customer rating available yet

Available for 6,499.00 € at

SJ-200 Custom Ebony

SJ-200 Custom Ebony

The SJ-200 is known worldwide as the “king of flat tops” and was first introduced in 1937. The flamed super-jumbo maple body, paired with a Sitka spruce top, delivers an excellent tone and an excellent projection.

• Price: EUR 9899*
• Product Page

Gibson SJ-200 Custom No customer rating available yet

Available for 9,899.00 € at

Gibson Songwriter EC Custom

Gibson Songwriter EC Custom

Finally, the Songwriter EC Custom was first introduced in 2003 and is aimed at songwriters and stage performers alike. She combines Gibson’s time-honored performance from the 1930s with an original dreadnought form. The rosewood and solid Sitka spruce top deliver a full, balanced sound. The cutaway body ensures excellent access to the upper frets of the comfortably playable mahogany neck with a round profile and ebony fingerboard.

• Price: EUR 5399*
• Product Page

Gibson Songwriter EC Custom No customer rating available yet

Available for 5,399.00 € at

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The post Gibson Custom Ebony – Les Paul Custom inspired acoustics appeared first on gearnews.com.

This week’s Guitar Deals on Thomann include some great savings on Gibson, PRS, Marshall, and Digitech products.

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Gibson Les Paul Custom is already a highly desirable guitar, so this saving of 13% off * is a great way to save money on such a cool instrument. This model has all the things you would expect from a US-built Custom, including a mahogany body, maple cap, and an ebony fretboard with Mother-of-pearl block inlays. Along with the slick feeling Custom C profile mahogany neck.

Black Tuxedo

The all-black nitro finishes with all gold hardware and 5-ply binding give the Custom a tuxedo-like appearance and look stunning. This model comes equipped with a pair of Gibson 490R (neck) and 498T (bridge) humbuckers, with the standard twin volume, twin tone, and three-way pickup selector.

• Save 13% on the Gibson Les Paul Custom now at $4,369
• More Gibson news

Gibson Les Paul Custom EB GH

Available for $4,369 at

PRS SE Hollowbody Std Piezo

Next up is this PRS SE Hollowbody Std Piezo which looks sleek and offers a vast array of guitar tones. The hollow-body design uses mahogany throughout and includes a glued-in mahogany Wide Fat profile neck with an ebony fretboard with PRS Bird inlays. It also comes in a sumptuous Dog Hair Smokeburst finish.

Piezo

This particular model comes equipped with a PRS adjustable Piezo bridge, paired with a set of PRS 58/15 “S” humbuckers. Allowing guitarists to blend in piezo tones with the magnetic pickups, really opens up the number of tones available from this hollow-body guitar. The best bit though is currently, Thomann has 23% off * the standard price, which is a great saving on such a versatile instrument.

• Get 23% off the PRS SE Hollowbody Std. Piezo DH now at $1,135
• More PRS news

PRS SE Hollowbody Std. Piezo DH

Available for $1,135 at

Gibson SG Bass HC

Another, great Gibson deal, and this time on the 2019 Limited Run SG Bass in Heritage Cherry nitro finish. Thomann has 20% off * on these, so a nice solid saving on such a sought-after model.

They are based around a mahogany body and a matching rounded profile neck with a rosewood fretboard fitted with 20 frets.

Humbucker Tone

This particular model comes outfitted with a Rhythm SG Bass (neck) and Lead SG Bass (bridge) humbucker. Which, just offers some fantastic bass tones and will put a huge smile on your face when you are playing it.

• Save 20% on the Gibson SG Bass HC now at $1,599
• More Gibson news

Gibson SG Bass HC

Available for $1,599 at

Marshall DSL5CR

Next up are these Marshall DSL5CR combos which are currently listed for a whopping 45% off * the standard price, which is a great saving on this amp. This 5-watt tube model uses a 10″ Celestion Ten-30 speaker and can also be knocked down to 0.5W making it perfect for home and studio use.

It is powered by twin ECC83 preamp tubes and a single 12BH7/ECC99 tube. Great tones, at manageable volumes is what this amp is all about. It also has an emulated line out and a Series FX loop, so it is super versatile.

Tone Shift

Marshall also made it a versatile amp, as it comes with a Tone shift button for adding depth and shape to your sound. Along with a Bass switch that adds a resonant bass boost when needed. Then you have foot-switchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain. These two channels have separate volumes, as well as shared controls for treble, mids, bass, and reverb.

Great amp for home use and equally as good in the studio, making it well worth checking out.

• Get 45% off the Marshall DSL5CR now at $363
• More Marshall news

Marshall DSL5CR

Available for $363 at

Digitech Whammy DT

Finally, the Digitech Whammy DT probably needs no introduction as it is such a classic. Thomann has 35% off * on this model and if you were looking for a super versatile polyphonic harmonizer/detuner for guitar and bass, then this is the time to grab one.  It includes 9 Harmonizer effects, 10 Whammy effects, and 2 Detune effects. With a pitch bend range of -3 to +2 octaves!

Drop Tuning

The signal can be tuned 7 semitones or an octave up or down and with a detune range of -4 to -30 cents. With the ability to drop stuff fast via the momentary switch for hammer-on and pull-off effects.

It also offers True bypass and DSP bypass, MIDI control, and a stereo jack for an optional FS3X footswitch.

• Save 35% on the Digitech Whammy DT now at $262
• More Digitech news

Digitech Whammy DT

Available for $262 at

*percentage discount will vary based on your territory and conversion rates on the day of purchase. Displayed percentage discounts are used for guidance only. “

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The Gibson Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom is the latest release for the Metallica guitarist and Gibson serial signature guitar artist. It comes with a Murphy Lab-aged finish and surprisingly no EMG pickups.

Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom

This Gibson Kirk Hammett 1989 Les Paul Custom is based on his ‘Blacked Out’ model that he customised himself. Originally, Kirk added active EMG pickups and removed all the gold hardware, replacing it with black hardware instead. He was often seen playing this guitar live with Metallica, and usually used the guitar when playing Fade to Black live.

Murphy Lab

The Murphy Lab has aged this new signature model to match Kirk’s original guitar, and the hardware is all black, as the original. However, it is missing one vital component when compared to the guitar that Metallica fans will all recognise instantly. Where are the EMGs? This new Custom Shop model comes with a Gibson 490R neck and 498T bridge pickup instead. Very odd.

Powerbridge

Apart from having a set of passive humbuckers, this model does add a Fishman Powerbridge. This essentially puts a piezo pickup in the bridge, allowing for acoustic-like tones. The controls are 2 Volumes (for Neck and Bridge Pickups), a Master Tone, and a Fishman Powerbridge volume.

Construction

The construction is all pretty typical for the era and includes a one-piece mahogany body with a maple cap, a SlimTaper mahogany neck, and an ebony fretboard.  Thankfully, it is a nice-looking guitar, but for £8999 in the UK, is an expensive option for a Les Paul Custom.

Yes, you are paying the Hammett tax for it being a signature model, and yes, it will be a limited edition, etc However, I could go buy an original 1989 Les Paul Custom for half the money, swap out the gold hardware, and install a set of EMGs, and it would still be cheaper.

Verdict

This isn’t the same type of instrument as Greeny and so it is not based on a vintage guitar, owned by many famous players. It is a Black Les Paul Custom with some aging and a Fishman Powerbridge, which is quite expensive. I guess we will see an Epiphone version in 12 months or so.

Available to preorder now on Thomann.

Gibson Kirk Hammett Les Paul Custom

Available for $9999 at

More Information

• Product Page
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