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A thorpy FX veter an pedal
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Issue 436
modify yo u r g u i t a r 25
summer 2018
p142
Including
setup & Maintenance tips Hardware & Electronics pickups & tone tweaks • Reviewed •
V ictory V30 MK II BO S S GT-10 0 0
PJE Macon Jr Gordon Smith electrics
&
mor e
Handburilittain! in B p98
Gem Archer
Danny Kirwan
The Oasis man shows us his tone-rich guitar rig
A tribute to Fleetwood Mac's lost genius
high flyer
farewell
Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Telephone 01225 442244 Email guitarist@futurenet.com Online www.guitarist.co.uk
Mods And Rockers Welcome to another edition of Guitarist magazine, which this month is devoted to the joys of modding your instrument. Most of us have dabbled, at one time or another, in what could be a whole pastime in itself: swapping out pickups, upgrading hardware and buffing the look of your guitar until it’s exactly how you want it. That’s the theory anyway – more often than not modding is a bit of an adventure where no upgrade behaves just exactly as you expect it to. That’s maybe because (and I’ve certainly been guilty of this) we sometimes expect mods to be a ‘magic bullet’ that solves all our tone or playability issues at a single stroke. But strengthening one factor in your guitar’s performance often creates a weakness, or at least a compromise, somewhere else. I remember fitting a really lovely set of Cream T pickups to my reissue Thinline Tele to replace the 1980s stock units that it left the factory with. The Cream Ts were more breathy, dynamic and sweet sounding in every way. But later that month I got a rare chance to observe how my guitar sounded as an audience member, rather than the person playing it. On a joint-billing gig in Bristol with ex-Blue Aeroplanes guitarist Rita Lynch, she broke a string on her black 70s Tele, mid-set, and asked if it was okay to borrow mine, which was sitting at the side of the stage. I said okay and she carried on with her superb, punk-edged set. But I did notice that my Tele was much less gutsy than hers, sounding a bit quiet and flimsy by comparison. So, arguably, the pickup swap had gained me extra dynamics and tonal detail at the expense of some old-fashioned clout that the hotter, stock pickups I’d taken out had. So, like a crystal, the sound of your guitar displays different facets as you turn it this way and that in the light of musical experience. That can make modding frustrating from time to time but it’s all part of the journey and, most importantly, you learn something about tone and your own musical needs every time you do it, so it’s a rewarding pursuit. Send in pics of the coolest mods you’ve made and we’ll print the best! See you next month.
Jamie Dickson Editor
Editor’s Highlights Gem Archer
He may be a High Flying Bird but he’s got his feet on the ground when it comes to great guitar playing and tone. Rod Brakes checks out his rig on p58
Danny Kirwan
Flawed, fated and brilliant, the late Danny Kirwan gave more to guitar music than many people realise. Henry Yates tries to pin down his magic on p92
Gordon Smith
One of the best-loved and most enduring British guitar makers is turning out some cracking guitars under new ownership. Read the story on p106
Summer 2018 Guitarist
3
Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA Telephone 01225 442244 Email guitarist@futurenet.com Online www.guitarist.co.uk
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Jamie Dickson
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Contents
cover photography by
Neil Godwin
cover feature
Join the mod Squad
68
We reveal the best tips for successfully changing everything from pickups to plastics for increased performance
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Guitarist  summer 2018
Contents ISSUE 436 Summer 2018
Regulars 026.......... TheWishlist 028.......... The Lineup 030.......... The Mod Squad 032.......... Opinion 037.......... Substitute 038.......... Perfect 10 040.......... Feedback 042.......... Competition 044.......... New Music 046.......... One For The Road 048.......... Backtracking 112.......... Subscribe 120.......... Board Games 128.......... Longterm Test 133.......... Gear Q&A 136.......... Classic Gear 140.......... Old Gold 153.......... Reader Ads 154.......... Next Month
subscribe & Get A free mini amp See p112 for details…
Cover FEATURE 068.......... The Complete Guide to Modding
FEATURES 052.......... Lance Lopez 058.......... Gem Archer 092.......... Danny Kirwan
New Gear 008 012 020 098
. ........ Patrick James Eggle Macon JR . ........ Victory V30 Mark II Head . ........ Reverend Airsonic & Buckshot . ........ Gordon Smith AGS1 Heritage, GS1000 Special Edition & GS2 Deluxe Heritage 108 . ........ Boss GT-1000 114 . ........ Mooer Ocean Machine 116 .......... Free The Tone Programmable Analog EQ 117 .......... Wampler Reflection 118 .......... TC Electronic Spark Mini, .................Dunlop Echoplex Preamp & ............... Suhr Koko Boost Reloaded 124 .......... Godin Stadium 59 126 .......... IK MultiMedia iRig Stomp I/O
TECHNIQUES 142 . ........ Phil Hilborne on the style of Jimi Hendrix 149 . ........ Blues Headlines with Richard Barrett
summer 2018 Guitarist
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Patrick James Eggle Macon Jr £2,990 WHAT IS IT? A stripped-down single-cut that recalls a Gibson Les Paul Special, with a twist of Gretsch flavour
Junior Genius Now comfortably into his ‘new’ career as one of the UK’s finest small shop electric makers, Patrick J Eggle’s latest solidbody takes us back to simpler times Words: Dave Burrluck Photography: Olly Curtis
H
aving recently completed his outstanding acoustic guitar orders, and given his workshop an “electric-centric” makeover, Patrick J Eggle and his four-strong team are now firmly in the electric guitar business. And it’s a typically modern ‘boutique’ business at that, as Patrick explains: “we’re making 10-12 guitars a month, and my goal is to get up to 20. We don’t have a huge number of dealers but we are struggling to keep them supplied. We took on The Music Zoo, in the USA, at this year’s NAMM show back in January and we haven’t shipped them one guitar as yet. In fact, the one you have there is going to them.” Lucky them, we say. This latest in the Macon line is purposely stripped back, but shouldn’t it really be a ‘Special’ rather than a ‘Junior’ in classic guitar terms? “Yes,” laughs Patrick, “I guess you’re right. It was only the way it happened that we called it a Jr: it’s like the ‘light’ version of the normal Macon: slab body, a junior version really. There will definitely be a double-cut version and versions with two controls, probably one with a single pickup too. The guitar you have there is our entry into this world.”
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Guitarist Summer 2018
Video Demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
Patrick James Eggle Macon Jr
first play
Summer 2018 Guitarist
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first play
Patrick James Eggle Macon Jr
1
2
3 1. “I thought it would be really cool would to do the same ‘worn-through’ finish that I’m doing on the 96 guitars,” says Patrick. “I really love these roasted maple necks,” he says of the big neck based on ’Burst specs. “It’s amazing, I’ve very rarely been asked for anything else”
2.“Our normal bridge humbucker is quite hot, around 14 kohms,” says Patrick, “and I thought for this we need to bring that back. This one is 8.61 kohms, slightly hotter than a typical bridge PAF. It’s less compressed, more open and brash – more of the sound I was looking for” 3.“Marc [Ransley] at Mojo started making these staple P-90s and it’s a fundamentally different pickup to a P-90 in that you’ve got the six individual magnets rather than the two bar magnets. That gives it this clear sort of a tone – more like a true single coil”
Whether you use its versatility or just rock out, when a sound makes you smile like this you know it’s good 10
Guitarist Summer 2018
There’s obvious homage paid here to Gibson’s original slab body Les Paul Special from the 50s but with more of a rock ’n’ roll twist. While the guitar isn’t relic’d, all the parts and surfaces – with the exception of the clean control knobs – have a muted, aged patina, which gives a lived-in, used appearance but without a ding in sight. The one-piece slab mahogany body has a deep brown, dark chocolate hue with a textural open-pore matt finish that’s the polar opposite to all the ‘don’t touch me’ dippedin glass glosses we see. This finish will age nicely, burnishing up no doubt with use. The neck is a perhaps surprising choice of roasted maple on this traditionally allmahogany set-neck recipe but in keeping with the rest of the instrument looks like it’s been whipped off an old Italian cello or the like. There’s a beautiful subtle flame to the caramel-hued back that’s given a nitro satin/low gloss sheen, which is worn through on the playing surface to what feels pretty much like raw wood. Another subtler change to the expected ingredients list is the fingerboard, a finely striped piece of Santos rosewood (also known as pau ferro or Bolivian rosewood). It has a lighter colour than East Indian rosewood and really suits the clay dot markers, while the ebony headstock facing – with its almost over-fancy inlaid logo – is a beautifully burnished-looking low gloss. Those old-style tuners with their browned
keystone buttons look equally ancient, like the aluminium ABM wrapover (a pretty close version of PRS’s Stoptail). It’s a detailed job – all the screws and small strap buttons have a similar aged antisheen finish while the scratchplate and rear control plates are black Bakelite – a favourite of Patrick’s. While the control layout follows Gibson protocol the pickups throw in another twist. Made in the UK by Mojo we get a Gretsch-y Mojotron at bridge and a ‘staple’ pole P-90 that recalls the DeArmond Dynasonic in its partial cover. Peering into the rear control cavity we see 500k Emerson pots, each volume control with a cap (0.001 microfarad) and resistor (150 kohms) in parallel, treble bleed circuit. The tone caps are large grey Soviet paper-in-oil K40Y-9s, a 0.033 microfarad on the bridge and a 0.047 microfarad on the neck pickup. There’s a CTS pull/push switched tone pot which selects a partial tap, via a 1.2 kohms resistor, of the bridge humbuckers and voices – primarily, the neck-facing single coil plus some of the dumped coil.
Feel and sounds
The woods are well chosen and result in a relatively light instrument that feels immediately comfortable seated or on a strap. It certainly has that Junior/Special vibe in that regard. And comparing the Macon with a ’57 Les Paul Junior you notice
Patrick James Eggle Macon Jr
Video Demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
4
4. The nitro finished maple neck means the build is more complex than a normal set-in neck guitar. “The neck and body are finished separately and they’re brought together right at the end of the build. It’s a ball ache,” says Patrick
first play
5. A classy, timeless headstock boasts aged Gotoh tuners and Santos rosewood, which Patrick has used for many years. “It’s like East Indian [rosewood] but it’s more tightly grained. If you can get dark enough stock then it’s great”
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Patrick James Eggle Macon Jr
a slight increase in the neck angle here – the bridge sits slightly higher – and there’s slightly less headstock angle to the Macon. Neck-wise, the Macon’s ‘Fat C’ certainly chases the Les Paul Junior with a full 25mm depth at the 12th fret on both, with the Macon very slightly deeper at the first: 22.8mm as opposed to the LP Jr’s 22.4mm. Shape-wise, the Macon is very similar, slightly less ‘V’d in the lower positions while the upper positions feel very similar to that classic full C that feels much less clubby than a rounder D shape. Of course, the worn-through finish of the Macon lends its own twist and the tall, medium gauge wire is much more contemporary feeling than the Junior’s original vintagesmall wire. The slightly tapered heel and marginally deeper cutaway also offer subtle improvement in terms of high fret access compared to the bulkier heel of a Les Paul Junior. The clear ringing acoustic sustain married with these pickups is always going to produce a little more edge than the classic Gibson platform and that’s pretty much what we hear: a throaty jangle at bridge, enhanced percussive attack to the sweeter neck and a crisp mix. What surprises is just how much ground the Macon covers: cleaner snappy blues styles, for example, fall out of the neck; pull back the volumes and that mix sounds almost acoustic-like, especially with the split
on the bridge engaged. But then the full bridge voice makes for a near perfect roots rock rhythm sound. Hot-rod rockabilly, especially with that bridge split, is effortless and kick in a good overdrive or fuzz and it’s Detroit garage meets Arctic Monkeys with a nod to AC/DC along the way. Not everyone will get the staple P-90; it is cleaner and a little more percussive than a more conventional P-90, but that character, mixed with the bridge and a clean compressed amp tone, is a shoo-in for your funk chops. The volumes and tones work extremely well, adding even more subtle shading if you need. And for all the versatility its capable of, you might just want to show it a dirty amp voice and rock out. When a sound makes you smile like this, you know it’s good.
Verdict
Many small boutique builds often feel like works of art that should be coveted and discussed in hushed tones. Not this Macon Jr. It lies at the start-point, price wise, of the ever-expanding Patrick James Eggle line and is simply a beautifully considered rock ’n’ roll machine that’ll suit your pub or arena stage in equal measure. Finely crafted with an expansive voice and with one of the best necks we can remember, place your order swiftly: on this evidence, Patrick’s back-order list is only going to get longer.
PRICE: £2,990 (inc case) ORIGIN: UK TYPE: Single-cutaway solidbody electric BODY: One-piece slab mahogany NECK: Roasted maple ‘Fat C’ profile SCALE LENGTH: 625.5mm (24.625”) NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42.85mm FINGERBOARD: Santos rosewood, 6.4mm clay dot inlays, 305mm (12”) radius FRETS: 22, medium (Jescar 55090) HARDWARE: ABM aluminium wrapover one-piece bridge, Gotoh SD90 Kluson style tuners, aged plating STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52mm ELECTRICS: Mojo Mojotron humbucker (bridge), Mojo P-90 Staple single coil (neck), three-way toggle pickup selector switch, master volume and tone with pull/ push switch to split the bridge pickup WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.32/7.3 OPTIONS: HH or H/P-90 pickup configurations, mahogany neck. Custom orders available LEFT-HANDERS: Yes, to order FINISHES: Trans Black body (open pore acrylic) with worn through nitro finished neck, as reviewed. Other colours include Dirty Blond and Rich Mahogany Patrick James Eggle 01691 661777 www.eggle.co.uk
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PROS Build quality, weight, playability, versatile voices and a great neck CONS “It’s not cheap!” you shout, but as one of the best makers out there, it’s money well spent
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Victory V30 ‘The Countess’ Mark II head £999 WHAT IS IT? Upgraded version of Victory’s popular compact head, originally designed for Guthrie Govan, now with a dual-mode clean/crunch channel and a footswitchable EQ shift and more
Count Us In
Victory’s new and improved version of their best-selling V30 hits the shops. But is it worth the upgrade? Words Nick Guppy Photography Olly Curtis
I
t seems we still can’t get enough of lunchbox heads; almost every amp manufacturer has at least one in their catalogue, while for some they’re the most popular model. Victory is no exception, with no less than eight on their website (seven if you discount the Mark I V30). It’s clear Victory has hit on a winning formula and most of that’s down to the V30 ‘The Countess’ head, which was Victory’s first lunchbox head. Originally designed for the insanely talented Guthrie Govan as his ‘fly-in’ amp, the V30 is one of Victory’s most popular models. New for 2018, the The Countess has received an upgrade and here we’re looking at one of the first Mark IIs to roll off the production line. Resplendent in its new black chrome finish, the ‘The Countess’ V30 Mark II looks smart and purposeful with Victory’s trademark unperforated chevrons on the front and back of the top cover and clean, uncluttered cream lettering. The
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