PICKUP
Guitar Interviews Pedals Gear
CONTENTS 3 4 8 14 15 16
How to Pick your Pick Jonny Jewel interview Pedals Gibson Showcase Acoustic Strings Amp Settings
HOW TO PICK YOUR PICK Take a look at what to consider when choosing the perfect pick 1. MATERIAL
2. THICKNESS
3. TECHNIQUE
It’s extremely important to take into account the thickness of your pick. Whatever the material, a thinner pick will have a brighter sound and conversely a thicker pick will have a boomier sound. It’s difficult to advise a player on what feel his pick should have as each player will use it differently and after all, it’s subjective. But If you have ever had to make do with a penny or a cut out of an old credit card then you’ll know that texture is important. The best advice is to try as many picks as you can. They come in an array of materials from tortex with its powdery texture to nylon with its arguably brighter tone and even to wood or leather which provides a little extra aesthetic beauty.
This means that while a thinner pick gives you the flexibility and bright tones that you might like it may not provide the sturdiness and boom that you need.
The texture, thickness and shape of your pick will all be based on your technique. Some players may take it upon themselves to stick strictly to shredding and will find the pick that they desire. Others will look to fingerpicking and may find that they need a little more volume than flesh on string can provide and so, use a thumbpick. And some may look to a jazz pick for a little more speed nd accuracy in their playing.
JONNY JEWEL aka Sam Gowans
JONNY
JEWEL
F
or just over a year
What initially drew
taught. Anything else I picked
now Dundee resident
you to the guitar?
up was just something my dad
Sam Gowns has
might have shown me.”
been coming home from his
“My mum and dad used to be
shelf stacking job in Tesco
in a band, called Boo Hooray,
You’ve got a very
to produce an album, under
in the 80’s. The whole of my
unique style of
the name of Jonny Jewel, with
family were in it because they
guitar moves few would think
kept falling out and changing
to try.
the line-up. I think there were
that come from?
eleven members at one point.
“I think that might be a lack
But anyway my dad was one
of skill or ability. The way
of the guitarists, so there were
I learned to play was just
plenty of them lying around.
by messing around on the
I just decided to pick one up
fretboard. I don’t think I
one day. I’m pretty much self
could play you a scale. I’m
The album, simply titled ‘Jonny Jewel’, was released on the 6 of November of this th
year and features the rest of Jonny’s band.
playing. Where did
usually lucky enough to hit
How did you pick
a decent sounding note, but
what guitars to
it’s definitely not through learning the modes, just pure
records with?
Shop guitar I found. It’s called a Super-Sonic. It doesn’t sound that special but it’s got a glitter finish and it looks
luck. I guess it was the same
“I’m a big fan of [Fender]
great. Sometimes I find that
with my dad. I do draw a bit of
Jazzmaster’s. I’ve got three
to be more important with
my sound from him. It comes
of them so obviously there’s
guitars.”
from jamming with him so
a Jazzmaster on most of the
much. His band’s style used to
tracks. I don’t usually need a
be compared to free form jazz, heavier sound but there was a which is probably because
couple of times on the album
he didn’t know what he was
where I used this old [Gibson]
doing either.”
Les Paul that the studio had. It was a great machine. I’ve been using this Fender Pawn
BOSS DS-1
DISTORTION The little orange box remains a benchmark for all other distortion pedals
T
he Boss DS-1, in its little orange case, which at first glance may not appear to be much, is a landmark powerhouse of a pedal that has become synonymous with the word distortion.
The little pedal was and is the original distortion pedal, coming into production in 1978 and quickly becoming a favourite of some huge names in the hard rock hall of fame, namely the incredible Steve Vai, the gifted Joe Satriani and the less technical but equally admirable Kurt Cobain.
The pedal provides a hard-edged distortion effect that guitarists all over the world have played with listened to and enjoyed. It successfully avoids sounding fuzzy or muddy and consistently produces any subtle nuances the player throws at it.
BOSS RC-3
LOOP STATION Little endless bank of creativity
T
he Boss RC-3 is Boss’ most fully featured compact pedal to date, with a more than ample 3 hours of looping time. Boss have done their best work to squeeze as many features from their larger loop stations into an eye-catching compact pedal that can fit into your gig bag in any situation , which is no mean feat.
Boss have achieved an incredibly intuitive user interface that makes looping and live sound on sound looping easy and accessible to any musician at any level.
No matter what role you play in the band or if you are the band, guitarists, bassists, keyboardists and any other players of powered instruments can utilise the RC-3 Looper Station and introduce another dimension to live performances.
VOX V845
WAH-WAH A pedal by the creators of WAH
T
he VOX V845 Classic Wah Wah Guitar Effects Pedal is built based on the specifications of the original pedal developed by VOX in the ‘60s. The V845 WahWah allows guitarists to use and play with the same legendary Wah-Wah tone that they’ve heard on tracks by the likes of the unbeatable Jimi Hendrix and ‘SlowHand’ himself Eric Clapton.
Vox have fitted this classic effect in a new sturdy but very affordable design. The fitted AC power connector saves on batteries and the outer case is coated with an extremely durable all-black finish making the VOX Classic WahWah a perfect choice for your pedal board.
The first Wah Wah effect was produced by VOX during the ‘60s to allow guitarists to sound like a trumpet being muted. VOX’s original Wah Wah pedal quickly gained widespread popularity and its unique sonic characteristics have encouraged further experimentation by guitarists ever since.
Gibson Melody Maker Pickups: P-90SR (Alcino V). Body: Maple Top. Mahogany Back. Electronics: 2 volume controls. 2 tone controls. Three way switchcraft with plastic tip. 1/4� mono.
SELECTING A STRING FOR YOUR ACOUSTIC A look at two of the best strings availabe to you
T
he Martin acoustic string is the flagship string by Martin. No bells, whistles or distractions. They have consistently provided a beautifuly warm tone and meet the high standard of quality that Martin have promised since 1833.
E
lixir strings are believe, by some, to be the No. 1 string in the world. The strings are coated in Elixirs Ultra-Thin coating, cutting down on gunk and increasing the life span drastically. These strings give a wonderfully bright sound and are a dream to play on.
AMP
SETTINGS CLEAN:
LEAD 1:
LEAD 2: