The ES-335 brought hollowbody tradition and solidbody performance together in 1958, and is still one of the all-time classic guitar designs. Gibson’s Custom Shop offers this variation on a theme with a plain top and satin lacquer finish.
The ’57 Classic pickups are hotter than most vintage 335s we’ve played, but still full of warmth and dynamics courtesy of the guitar’s construction.
Sustain is on tap at every turn and backing off the volume cleans things up beautifully, while tempering either pickup’s tone control gives beefier, more Les Paul-like tones.
Imagine it’s 1958 and you’re seeing an ES-335 for the first time ever. Wow! Well that’s the response we’ve had here on seeing this one.
True, it’s beefier sounding than most originals, but we suspect most players would actually like that. Big neck? Yeah but that means big tone too! – Read more up on this Guitar here
Built around a 12″ Blackheart by Eminence Speaker in a 15 ply (18mm), classically joined, void free plywood cabinet, the BH112 makes a perfect pairing for the Blackheart Little Giant 5 head (BH5H) or as an extension cab to the Little Giant 5 combo (BH5-112), or use it to maximize the tone of any amp in your arsenal. From its incredibly well crafted construction to its clean tolex work, the Blackheart BH112 is a great value in a portable, powerful and boutique quality extension cabinet. The closed back tuned design and (red framed) Blackheart model 1216B Speaker by Eminence is the fruit of extensive research involving Crate and Eminence. The result is a very tight and responsive cabinet. In fact, all of the BH112′s cabinet joinery is based on classic, proven design for tone and roadworthiness. Read more about them here
The ZT Lunchbox Cab is built on the platform of their highly acclaimed Lunchbox amplifier. It’s a Lunchbox without the amp…a passive extension speaker, with the same solid-as-a-brick cabinet housing the same custom-design 6.5” driver used in the Lunchbox amp. Weighing less than 7 pounds, the Cab can blast out over 120dB, and sounds great doing it. The Cab also features a phase switch to provide accuracy in any situation. Connect the Cab to the Lunchbox amp’s external speaker output and build a Lunchbox stack (it’s adorable…like ferocious puppies or kittens!). Or spread them apart a few feet to create spatial imaging. Or go further and put them on opposite sides of the stage and give your sound a dimension that will make the crowd’s heads swim. Sure, bigger cabinets can sound great – but do you really need them now?
To hear what this amp sounds like click here for a video review
History speaks for itself. The Gibson Custom ES-335 is one of the most important guitars of all time. Right from its introduction in 1958 as the world’s first semi-hollowbody electric guitar it has been a mainstay of players eager to balance the gorgeous, round, mellow tones perfect for jazz and blues with the edge and sustain of a full-blooded solidbody.The Gibson Custom Shop has unveiled the most accurate re-creation of the 1959 ES-335 ever produced. This ES-335 VOS (Vintage Original Spec) edition retains its classic proportions: 16-1/2″ wide, 20″ long, and 1-3/4″ deep. The neck is one-piece mahogany beneath a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearloid inlays and a single-ply binding. Additionally, the guitar has a single-ply binding on the top and back.All hardware is nickel, and there’s a classic ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with a lightweight aluminum stopbar tailpiece. Neck scale is 24-3/4″ with a 1-11/16″ nut width. Satin finish models have vintage style tulip shaped tuners, while figured and plain tops come with Grover kidney-shaped tuners. All Custom Shop ES-335s have powerful ’57 Classic humbucking pickups, two volume pots, two tone pots, and a three-way pickup selector switch. They are strung with Gibson Brite Wire .010 strings and come safely nestled in a black levant case.All Gibson Custom VOS guitars use a proprietary process for creating a beautiful nitrocellulose lacquer finish that includes unique steps for staining, wet-sanding, and hand-rubbing; imparting the look of a well cared-for 40-year-old instrument. The result is a remarkable patina that will delight even the most discriminating enthusiast. See More pics of this baby here
This “mid-level” guitar has a lot of high-quality features, like a real Bigsby B-70 tremolo, Duncan Designed HB-101 pickups (I know they’re not the real Duncans but they osund awesome anyway), Grover tuners, coil-tap controls to switch from humbuckers to single-coil, Maple body, and a Mahogany Neck. The coil-taps in particular are nice, as they allow you to achieve almost any sound.
This is a Gibson Les Paul standard without the trademark Gibson headstock practically. Just think of what a Gibson Les Paul standard is like and visualize it with an Epiphone headstock. I would recommend this guitar to just about anybody for the tone and price. I have a 1961 Melody Maker, and really, they’re quite equal in tone, but that also depends on what tone you want. It sounds WONDERFUL, for just about anything except metal (with the exception of hard rock). If you couldn’t see the headstock you wouldn’t know the difference between this guitar and a genuine Gibson Les Paul. This guitar hardly buzzes at all. Like a Gibson, this has that beautiful warm, rich sound.
Simple 1W solid state amp, with only 2 inch speaker as its main feature. It has volume, tone and overdrive knobs, headphone out, 9V battery PP3 and 9V center negative AC to DC adapter connectors. It has retro styled plastic chassis, metal belt clip, and tiny leather handle. Available in aqua, burgundy or yellow color, but it seems aqua is the most popular one. Overall its rather light, but there are no loose parts, and whole amp feels solid. 1W of power is just right for practicing at home, perfect for people who live in flats. Despite small speaker sound character limitations a separate overdrive knob actually adds a bit versatility when compared to other portable amps. It is definitely made for blues and old rock, so when you are moving around those styles, it seems like best option in its range.
If this amp were lost, stolen or broken, I would easily be compelled to replace it (about $20 at Guitar Center you can’t really go wrong). I find it a great amp for a compact, 9v powered machine. Just be sure to watch your volume levels or find a way to compensate to avoid clean channel distortion, and it’s very solid.
One of the most common topics I get questions about is how to play F barre (or bar) chords. This chord seems to trouble just about every guitar learner at some time.
Bar chords are difficult and usually take some time to master. And it’s unfortunate that F both one of the most difficult bar chords to play and often one of the first that players attempt to learn.
It’s far easier to start learning bar chords further up the neck. Using the same shape as F you could play an A major at the fifth fret or C major at the eighth fret with less difficulty.
An Easy F Chord With No Barre
But for those of you that just have to play an F chord, here are two positions you can use to play an easy F chord with no barre.
The first requires only three fingers but includes all the notes of the F major chord – the root (F), major third (A) and fifth (C).
x|---|---|---|
5 |-1-|---|---|
3 |---|-2-|---|
R |---|---|-3-|
x|---|---|---|
x|---|---|---|
Play this one with your first finger at the first fret of the 2nd string. Lean the finger down slightly so it mutes the first string. If you don’t mute this string the extra note will make an F major 7 chord. This can fit in some situations but will sound strange in others. Let your ears guide you and if in doubt mute this note out.
Another Easy F Chord With No Barre
The second position shown below is almost identical but adds an additional fifth (C) note in the bass. In this formation your second, third and fourth fingers are in the same position as they would be if you played an F barre chord – it’s a good way to train for it.
x|---|---|---|
5 |-1-|---|---|
3 |---|-2-|---|
R |---|---|-4-|
5 |---|---|-3-|
x|---|---|---|
If you haven’t yet mastered the F barre chord then these two easy F chords with no barre should come in handy.
Keep in mind that there is always more than one way to achieve your goal on the guitar. Learn how chords and scales are created and get to know your fretboard well and you’ll be able to find lots of alternatives to help you solve all your guitar playing problems.
Jam tracks are a wonderful tool to learn guitar with. Jam tracks train you to play in time, show up wrong notes in your licks and solos, and make practice a lot more fun. It’s easy to find a wealth of great jam tracks recorded by professional musicians in many different musical styles. But while these high-quality tracks are a valuable resource, don’t neglect the power of simple jam tracks you can record for yourself with your guitar.
When you make your own jam tracks you’ll oblige yourself to pay attention to the timing of your rhythm guitar playing. Guitar players who play on their own a lot might not notice if their timing varies. But when you try to play along to your rhythm track you’ll quickly notice timing problems so you can fix them.
Timing is not the only thing we sometimes get a little lazy about. How often do you make the effort to play a song all the way through without any mistakes? Playing all the way through a three or four minute song on your own is a great way to build endurance and concentration (provided you don’t cheat with a looper).
Finally, if you spend much of your practice time soloing over backing tracks you could probably use some extra work on your chord skills. If you have to play a rhythm backing for three or four minutes you’ll soon notice gaps in this area. You’ll be dying to learn some new chord shapes and picking skills so your next backing won’t be so embarrassingly boring.
Let me summarize my three reasons for recording my own backing tracks, at least some of the time.
1. It improves my rhythm guitar timing.
2. It builds endurance and concentration.
3. I learn interesting new chords and accompaniment techniques.
It can be difficult to choose the top 5 guitar solos because music is a very subjective field. However you can be sure of one thing. Any solos by a guitarist are integral parts of a song. The guitarist is able to bring his talent and skill to the attention of fans.
For a few brief moments the listeners have the opportunity to realize how much heart and soul these musicians really have. People finally understand that it really isn’t all about the vocalists and front men. Songs are about the music, and guitars play a big role in any song.
Technique is a key element that anyone must have if they want to amaze an audience with their ability on a guitar. It is also important to have the desire to be innovative. The best guitarists in the world are known for their abilities to find the right chords and keys on a guitar but they also have the dreams, imagination and talent to take it a step further. They are not satisfied to follow in the footsteps of others. Instead they create new musical worlds and amazing magic with the strings of their guitars.
Here is a list of the top 5 guitar solos of all time;
1. Stairway to Heaven is not only one of the best selling songs of all times it brought guitar solos to the forefront of the music world. It would be difficult for anyone to disagree that the best guitar solo in history was played by Jimmy Page in 1970. Page used his Fender Telecaster for the recording of this classic Led Zeppelin hit, but for any of the live shows he would use a double neck Gibson guitar instead.
According to the band’s biography, Jimmy Page actually recorded multiple guitar solos in the studio. Then he listened to these recordings over and over before selecting the one that he felt had the right qualities to blend perfectly with the other tracks of “Stairway to Heaven”.
This song had enough musical and vocal legs to stand on its own but ridiculous claims that Led Zeppelin had included Satanic messages boosted the sales. Naysayers were adamant that the band had produced the song to play “devil worshipping” lyrics if it were ever played backwards. Naturally most of the world wanted the chance to find out if this fact was true or not, but the magic guitar solo by Jimmy Page survived this public debacle and mesmerized all listeners.
2. November Rain guitar solo by Slash. The solo at the end of this song is nearly 3 minutes long and captures all of the passion and musical versatility of this guitar maestro. The riffs and slides that Slash was so able to perform were responsible for inspiring millions of teens and adults to try their hand at learning how to play a guitar for the first time.
3. Hotel California features solo and duo performances by Don Felder and Joe Walsh. However it is the guitar mastery by Walsh that has most fans enthralled with this “Eagles” classic rock song. This is one of those instances where the lyrics really are overshadowed by the magic produced in the guitar solos.
4. Layla is a rock masterpiece that was first played by a band known as Derek and the Dominoes. The guitar solo in the song is a display of magnificent fretwork and leaves listeners longing to hear more. The soloists who demand your attention with their guitar playing abilities are Eric Clapton and Greg Allman. If truth be told Clapton outperforms Allman on “Layla” by a mile.
5. Brian May and his extraordinary guitar playing dazzled the music world when he showed his complete domination of the instrument in the song Bohemian Rhapsody. Queen was a band with a stand out vocalist in Freddie Mercury but May’s unbelievable chords and riffs could hold their own against the vocal range and stage antics of the lead singer. Guitar solos by Brian May can be heard on all Queen songs but on the extended version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” he is finally given the chance to really explode on those strings.
There are some other solos that demand recognition as well. Many fans would argue for their inclusion on a list of top guitar solos, but in this instance these musical pieces just fell a bit short of the mark.
Eric Johnson fired off a stringed solo on the album “Ah via Musicom”. The song was “Cliffs of Dover” and Johnson nearly stole the show when he displayed his guitar skills in his solo stint.
“Evil Empire” was a top selling album produced by the band, “Rage Against the Machine”. The song, “Bulls on Parade” gave Tom Morello a chance for one of those uniquely different guitar solos that dazzled anyone who listened.
Metallica has always been a heavy metal band that has shown they are ahead of the times. Guitarist Kirk Hammet was at his best when he performed the riveting guitar solo on the song, “Fade to Black”. This song remains one of the favorites of fans around the world.
Many songs by the group Nirvana may become distant memories but not the song, “Smells like Teen Spirit”. This was the group’s masterpiece and the emotional guitar solo by Kurt Cobain is still one that is being imitated by many musicians.
Jimmy Page gives fans another special treat when they are able to hear his musical genius during his long guitar solos on the song “Heartbreaker”. This was one of the most popular songs the group recorded during their time together and it was included on the “Led Zeppelin II” record album. Page will always be included in a listing of any top 5 guitar solos and he well deserves this honor.
