You know, I have this question that bothers me since a while…how do you learn to play a fretless guitar? Or a fretless bass…

I guess it is the same as learning to play the violin, the double bass or the cello, but to me, playing a fretless instrument seems like a very difficult thing to do.

Just imagine that, really, try to imagine that, REMOVE ALL THE FRETS on your electric guitar and now try to imagine how it would be to play it. Well?

Also while writing this I have asked myself two other questions. They go like this:

1. Can you play chords on a fretless guitar? I mean if you really want to, can you use it for regular guitar playing in a band or you can only use it for virtuosity moments? Can you play with a singer?Now, try to imagine a chord where you really need to stretch your fingers…Man, I need frets!!
2. How do you find the right tone on your effects for it? Sounds totally different than a regular guitar…

By the way, can you actually play…flat on a fretless guitar?

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Today I have decided to step a bit in the land ruled by Jon (GuitarNoize.com), the land of strange and beautiful guitars. I decided to present here a very interesting guitar manufacturer and a very interesting line of guitars, made of, well, aluminum and not of any kind, but the one used to make planes!

As they say, “The Normandy guitar is manufactured and hand-riveted in Salem, Oregon: a product conceived, designed and produced in the U.S.A. The guitar is now available in nine colors and three different and unique finishes: chrome, powder coat and candy apple metal flake finish.”

The company doesn’t have a long history behind it, since it was started in 2007, but Jim Normandy, the owner, has a longer history as bass player in the 90’s.

I watched the videos on their site and I can tell you 2 things I have observed right from the start: the guitar is pretty loud when not plugged and has a good sustain, both thanks to the aluminum being used. By the way, if you expect a metallic sound, well, you’re wrong, the sound is beautiful.

A Normandy guitar costs somewhere between $2000 and $3000, pretty affordable, they say, more than I can spend for a guitar at this moment, I would say, but hey, I might not be part of the target group. However, I would like to try one, seems to be lighter than a Gibson, nice looking, I guess quite hard to break or burn on stage!

For more informations, check their website at www.normandyguitars.com and let me know what you think!

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Today I have received this pres release by mail and I think it would make a news of maximum interest for guitar fans all over the world: legendary guitar builder Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars exits Dean guitars.

I will publish the press release in the form I have received it:

LEGENDARY GUITAR BUILDER DEAN ZELINSKY EXITS DEAN GUITARS

CHICAGO, IL-July 22, 2008 - Dean Zelinsky, founder of Dean Guitars, announced today that he has parted ways with the company that he founded in 1976, which still bears his name.

Having sold Dean Guitars in 1991, Zelinsky played an integral part in the brand’s recent resurgence in popularity, effectively putting Dean Guitars back in the limelight after becoming re-affiliated with the company in 2000, during the tenure of its recent owners.

Zelinsky, discussing his not yet announced new venture, stated today, “I wanted to get back to what put Dean on the map originally — building high-quality instruments that shape both the image and tone of guitar players, from the beginner to world-class professionals.”  Regarding Dean Guitars, Zelinsky says, “I can no longer attach my name to the reputation, quality and direction of Dean Guitars or its current objectives.”

Zelinsky stated the announcement with details of his new venture will be released on Tuesday, August 26, 2008.

About Dean B. Zelinsky:
Zelinsky is a pioneer in the custom high-end guitar market, and is legendary for creating stage-worthy electric instruments that have exceeded professional players’ expectations since he founded the original company in 1976.  His innovative designs have been embraced by rock and roll’s top artists spanning three decades. The spinning fur ZZ Top guitars made music video history in the ’80s along with the “ML” design, which became as much of a part of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott as his crushing riffs and gregarious
persona and which remains a heavy metal standard today.

The roster of world-class guitarists who have relied on Dean’s craftsmanship and creativity have included the following: “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott (Pantera, DamagePlan), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Leslie West (Mountain), Michael Schenker, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill (ZZ Top), Trent Rezner (Nine Inch Nails), Jerry Cantrell, Elliot Easton and Rik Ocasek (The Cars), Rik Emmett (Triumph), Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar, Kerry Livgren (Kansas), the Doobie Brothers, Nancy Wilson (Heart) and many more.

Denise Dorman
WriteBrain Media
Chicago / Destin / OC
O: 630.845.4694
C: 630.215.5623

http://www.writebrainmedia.com
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http://www.linkedin.com/in/writebrainmedia

Could this be the end of an era? Will Dean guitars change after the founder left the company? How do you think this will influence guitar businesses?

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I know that playing really fast is not quite related to music, even if Symphony X or Malmsteen fans will contradict me, but this guy here,Tiago Della Vega, deserves mentioning here since he plays really (and I mean really, really) fast.

I have posted here some time ago something about a guy that said he is the fastest guitar player in the world, but what he did was actually playing with his right hand only, not not actually playing the guitar.

Tiago Della Vega here plays a song at the fastest tempo I have ever seen so far, 320 bps, to a point where it seems he doesn’t actually play anymore, but just move his left hand over the frets.

The fact is that it is quite annoying and really is not music anymore, but for the sake of the record, you just have to listen it till the end. So, without any more comments, I give you Tiago Della Vega, the fastest guitar player in the world…

Well? Anybody dares to beat this guy? In playing the guitar, I mean…

Later edit: To all of you coming from StumbleUpon, thank you for visiting in such large numbers!! I am impressed! Please don’t forget to give a thumb up to this page! Thank you!

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These last days I’ve got interested again in Guitar Idol competition. While I am a fan of Gustavo Guerra due to 1000 reasons that I will discuss at a later time(and I hope he win the competition), I listened to every one of the guys presented there in the final. I must say that in many cases, the video they entered the contest with was not the best choice if you also look for them on YouTube because, in my opinion, most of them have other pieces that are better.

But OK, I understand the reason for the songs presented there: they needed songs that show a broad range of skills and I can say that you could see in 3-4 minutes from speed picking, melodic sense, creativity, control, tone, tremolo bar works, 8 finger taping, slap, finger style, whatever else they could think of that I can not even imagine…

This morning I was looking on YouTube for this guy, Chris Feener, who is on the 3rd position considering the number of votes, but didn’t quite impress me.

In the beginning, his Ibanez K7 guitar was what set me back because it immediately made me think of a pattern: the young shredder, Symphony X fan that will drive me crazy with fast notes from moment one to the end of the song without understanding anything of the actual melody (if there would be any). Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Ibanez electric guitars and a 7 strings Ibanez guitar has been something I have dreamed of for a while, until I understood that you don’t need 7 strings to play well. You need something else…

However, listening him on YouTube, I have discovered a 20 yo guy with a great collection of skills and techniques, with pieces far more interesting than what he presented for the contest.

So I have decided to put here one of his covers, Andy Timmons Groove or die song which I like very much, by the way, as almost all the songs of Andy Timmons.

So, without further comments, I give you Chris Feener and Andy Timmons’ Groove or die:

Question: considering the notoriety that YouTube builds to these guys, where do you think we’ll see him in a couple of years? In what band?

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Thanks to yesterday discussion about locking tuners vs Floyd Rose systems, Jon of GuitarNoize.com pointed me to this video. It is very interesting to watch a custom process of how a guitar can be particularly tuned/prepared for playing, after a solid analyze of the neck, strings, etc.

It’s a process of very fine tuning and I am not speaking here about tuning the strings to a particular note, but tuning the guitar itself. Seems that it doesn’t matter, electric guitars or acoustic guitars, they can all go through this process.

What do you think? Is it useful or is just a fancy thing? Would you do it? I wonder how much such a custom fine tuning process costs?

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Considering the interest I have developed lately for Variax modeling guitars, I started to look at reviews and user opinions. Seems that the 600 model has some issues with strings going out of tune when using the tremolo bar. Well, this is no surprise, if you think about it. I wouldn’t expect anything else. If you don’t have a Floyd Rose system or a similar locking system, then using the tremolo bar is not the thing to do.

But, looking at the 700 model, it comes with Gotoh locking tuners. Indeed, this seems to be a good alternative to regular tuners. Locking tuners have a back screw that locks the tuner to not go out of tune,so I think it is way better than having no locking mechanism, but I have no idea how this would compare to a regular Floyd Rose mechanism. I have never used a locking tuner so I don’t know how good it actually is.

I guess that it makes the process of actually tuning the guitar a bit more difficult since they have those screws but comparing to the Floyd Rose systems I guess it is easier, anyway.

So, if you have experience with both Floyd Rose locking systems and locking tuners similar to Gotoh tuners, please share some of it here, I would really be interested to know if they are worth. Because if they are, changing the regular tuners to locking tuners would be the thing do do on such a guitar, in my opinion. They cost around $100 and they could save you on stage.

Silviu, my buddy that owns the 700 version, told me yeah, it has no Floyd Rose and it was a bit difficult to get used to not having one in the beginning, but it has Gotoh tuners so it’s OK.

Does this mens the locking tuners do the job when using the tremolo bar? Anybody using them?

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I’m no shredder. And I don’t say that as a proof of “man, how cool I am, shredders are bad, I am no shredder!” No, I don’t say it like this, I just say that in my instrument education, I have never found the pleasure, determination and “usefulness” to learn how to shred.

I think it is due to the fact that in the last 9 years I have never played metal or hard rock more than a song, for fun, even if I love to listen power and heavy metal very much. Due to the fact that I have played mostly pop rock and alternative rock, the guitar solos were different (I speak about pop rock solos, not alternative) and I had no need to practice my shredding capabilities.

Anyway, as an exercise, shredding is good, I guess, even if you don’t play long and fast solos, even if you are not the guitar player of Symphony X, shredding capabilities may come handy here and there because they can help you solve a particular soloing situation in a very interesting way and opens interesting possibilities.

So, just as a curiosity, how many of you, reading my blog, can actually shred? I mean, maybe you don’t like it, maybe you don’t play a style that ask for fast solos, but can you actually shred?

Of course, some of you, may say that this post is something like that fox that says the grapes are not sweet just because they are out of reach. But I like to think it is not.

So, let me hear you: despite of your current musical style, country, blues, rock, jazz, CAN YOU SHRED OR NOT? Huh?!

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Again related to the relic guitar topic, an idea that came to me from reading JP’s blog (Stratoblogster):

Does the price of a relic goes down with time passing?! I mean, does a relic depreciate after 10-20 years because it gets…well…scratches?!!?

That’s one of the most funny things I have heard. Imagine people paying big money for a brand new guitar that looks old and paying less money for it after 10 years because…well…IT GOT OLD!

Look man, it has scratches, I can not pay you that much for it. Yes, but it is supposed to have scratches, it is a relic guitar! No, man, I mean, forget the factory scratches, look, it has here a scratch that does not belong to the original “set”. Doh!

Now, question: if you payed like $3000 for a new guitar that looks old, EXACTLY BECAUSE IT HAS SCRATCHES AND LOOKS BEATEN UP, wouldn’t be normal that after 20 years when it will have even more damages and to value even more?

After all, the scratches it has got over the last 20 years are the real thing, right? Or not? What do you think?

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One of the things I was never able to understand is what is this thing with relic guitar?! Why is everybody crazy about guitars looking like they were played by somebody’s grandfather?!

I know that there is a high demand and a lot of love going around for those smashed, scratched, aged guitars, but is it just me or what? I don’t know, but personally I would rather play a shiny, perfectly looking, beautifully stiled guitar than an artificially aged one.

Now think about it: if you would go for the real thing, think how difficult would be, on the long run, to play one that is 50 years old. Something somewhere must crash or break. Technology wasn’t that great back then, things get broken quite often when it comes to old things. I know that with guitars it is somehow as with the wine: they get better with time, but I know the story we had here with old cars. Everybody had one 20 years back and man, the parking lot was full of people fixing them. They loved it, but it was a time eating thing. I guess it is the same with old guitars.

OK, 2 years ago I played for a show here a Fender Stratocaster that was, as the owner said to me, probably older than me, and making some calculation, it even proved to be right. It was scratched and hit and aged (naturally) but that was the real thing and it was the result of time passing, but again, why mess up with a perfectly looking guitar to make it look old?

Cary of Electric-Guitar-Review started an experiment turning a brand new cheap Telecaster into a relic. I watch his blog lately for this, to see the result when the guitar will be ready, but I can tell you I already feel bad about the guitar. It was so beautiful in the beginning…

Now, let me hear you, do you fall for this relic guitar thing or would you go for a brand new guitar? What’s the story? I guess because I don’t understand it, I can’t really see the meaning of it, but if you do, please tell me cause I really would like to know!

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