AUSS IE MUSOS AT NAMM - OR I ANTH I , L LOYD SP I EGEL & G WYN A SHTON , NAMM GEAR REPORT, IN THE STUD IO W ITH MUTEMATH , AMP PR I ZE PREV IEW!I N S I D E :

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THE GEAR PERSPECTIVE

Indulging his passion Indulging his passion for the jazz of the for the jazz of the 1920s and recasting 1920s and recasting a baker’s dozen of his a baker’s dozen of his own songs from across own songs from across his catalogue, Roxy his catalogue, Roxy Music to solo albums, Music to solo albums, Bryan Ferry recorded Bryan Ferry recorded and produced his and produced his latest and instrumental latest and instrumental album, The Jazz Age, at album, The Jazz Age, at Studio One in London Studio One in London with an octet he’s with an octet he’s dubbed The Bryan Ferry dubbed The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, recording Orchestra, recording in “crackly mono”.in “crackly mono”.

Drawing on personal Drawing on personal rather than political rather than political themes, the new themes, the new album, Tooth & Nailalbum, Tooth & Nail, , from Billy Bragg was from Billy Bragg was recorded in five-day recorded in five-day session with Grammy session with Grammy Award-winning producer Award-winning producer Joe Henry (Solomon Joe Henry (Solomon Burke, Aimee Mann, Burke, Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, Hugh Elvis Costello, Hugh Laurie) in his South Laurie) in his South Pasadena basement Pasadena basement studio, with Henry studio, with Henry taking Bragg out of his taking Bragg out of his comfort zone, all vocals comfort zone, all vocals recorded live without recorded live without retakes or overdubs.retakes or overdubs.

Recently touring Recently touring Australia, Malian singer, Australia, Malian singer, songwriter, and multi-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rokia instrumentalist Rokia Traoré will release her Traoré will release her new album, Beautiful new album, Beautiful Africa, recorded at Africa, recorded at Toybox Studios in Toybox Studios in Bristol, UK, with Bristol, UK, with producer and English producer and English musician John Parish musician John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels, (PJ Harvey, Eels, Sparklehorse) April 5 Sparklehorse) April 5 on Nonesuch Records. on Nonesuch Records.

Coproducing with Dave Coproducing with Dave Cook, veteran UK post-Cook, veteran UK post-punk singer-songwriter punk singer-songwriter Graham Parker took The Graham Parker took The Rumour, reconvening Rumour, reconvening in 2011 some 31 years in 2011 some 31 years after they broke up after they broke up after Parker was invited after Parker was invited by Jeff Aptow to work by Jeff Aptow to work on the soundtrack on the soundtrack of his latest feature, of his latest feature, This Is 40, into This Is 40, into Dreamland Studios Dreamland Studios in New York State to in New York State to record a new album, record a new album, Three Chords Good.Three Chords Good.

Multi-Grammy Award-Multi-Grammy Award-winning Texan singer winning Texan singer and guitarist Boz and guitarist Boz Scaggs recorded his Scaggs recorded his latest album, Memphis, latest album, Memphis, at the late producer/at the late producer/MD Willie Mitchell’s MD Willie Mitchell’s legendary Royal Studio legendary Royal Studio in Memphis with multi-in Memphis with multi-instrumentalist and instrumentalist and producer Steve Jordan producer Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Robert (John Mayer, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy).Cray, Buddy Guy).

The instrumental debut The instrumental debut album, Reanimationalbum, Reanimation, , by the cinematic by the cinematic post-rock Lights & post-rock Lights & Motion AKA Christoffer Motion AKA Christoffer Franzen, was produced, Franzen, was produced, recorded, engineered recorded, engineered and mixed by Franzen and mixed by Franzen at UpSweden Studios at UpSweden Studios and mastered by and mastered by Maria Adolfsson at MA Maria Adolfsson at MA Studios in Stockholm.Studios in Stockholm.

Utilising analogue Utilising analogue recording technology recording technology “to organically capture” “to organically capture” their hybrid take on their hybrid take on heavy psych rock, heavy psych rock, Austin, Texas five-piece Austin, Texas five-piece Scorpion Child called Scorpion Child called on Chris “Frenchie” on Chris “Frenchie” Smith (The Answer, And Smith (The Answer, And You Will Know Us By You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead…) to The Trail of Dead…) to produce and arrange produce and arrange their eponymous their eponymous debut album.debut album.

Adelaide-based piano-Adelaide-based piano-led pop-rockers Bill led pop-rockers Bill Parton Trio recorded Parton Trio recorded their self-titled debut their self-titled debut EP at hometown EP at hometown Chapel Lane StudiosChapel Lane Studios with producer Darren with producer Darren Mullan (The Angels, Mullan (The Angels, The Beards, Russell The Beards, Russell Morris), Adam Morris), Adam Rhodes (Angus & Julia Rhodes (Angus & Julia Stone, The Cat Empire, Stone, The Cat Empire, Missy Higgins) the Missy Higgins) the recording engineer, recording engineer, the EP then mastered the EP then mastered at Adelaide’s Disk-at Adelaide’s Disk-Edits Pty Ltd by Edits Pty Ltd by Neville Clark (Hilltop Neville Clark (Hilltop Hoods, Funkoars). Hoods, Funkoars).

Former Bluebottle Former Bluebottle Kiss/The Devoted Few Kiss/The Devoted Few multi-instrumentalist multi-instrumentalist now Sarah Blasko band now Sarah Blasko band member Fletcher wrote, member Fletcher wrote, recorded and produced recorded and produced his debut solo album, his debut solo album, Upon Ayr, over two Upon Ayr, over two years in, variously, years in, variously, Sydney (‘stolen’ studio Sydney (‘stolen’ studio time in a university), time in a university), London (his bathroom London (his bathroom and Urchin Studios) and Urchin Studios) and Stockholm and Stockholm (Decibel Studios), (Decibel Studios), the album then the album then mastered in Berlin.mastered in Berlin.

Melbourne duo Super Melbourne duo Super Wild Horses, aka Wild Horses, aka Amy Franz and Hayley Amy Franz and Hayley McKee, recorded McKee, recorded their second album, their second album, Crosswords, in their Crosswords, in their own temporary own temporary studio in an unused studio in an unused butter factory just butter factory just past Castlemaine past Castlemaine in Victoria, having in Victoria, having loaded up a van with loaded up a van with instruments, recording instruments, recording gear and engineer gear and engineer Jack Farley (Twerps, Jack Farley (Twerps, Beaches, St Helens).Beaches, St Helens).

The Big Day Out skewed to a bit more of a “sophisticated” audience this year. Acts such as Animal Collective and Foals lent the day

some indie cred and the new ‘Chow Town’ exhibit impressed foodies, with stalls from Huxtaburger, Cookie and St Ali. But for the musician types in the audience, of much more interest were the shiny guitars pumping through dirty amps and Muso was on hand to see who was using what. Long-time festival favourites Grinspoon were among the Aussie cohort this year – indeed, what would be a festival without them? New material was received well, but it was 1,000 Miles and Chemical Heart from the back catalogue that really hit home. Pat Davern ripped the licks from his exquisite Maton Mastersound, while bassist Joe Hansen laid down a groove on his Warwick Streamer LX bass.

Back at the Blue Stage, Band of Horses proved themselves to be some of the politest gents in music, complimenting each other warmly between songs. “Good work drumming!” declared lead singer Ben Bridwell. “You’re a good drummer, Creighton!” Their set was similarly a delight, their track, The Funeral, getting a particularly great response from the crowd. Tyler Ramsay is a fan of ‘70s era guitars; his collection included a 335, Guild S90 and Gibson L6S, running through a Blackstar 2x12 and Fender Deluxe Reverb.

Vampire Weekend were another big draw card this year. Their bright punk-infused pop made for the perfect soundtrack to a summer festival. Mainman Ezra Koenig looked resplendent with his beautiful Epiphone Sheraton II slung around his neck. Playing at the same time, over on the Essential Stage, was Donald Glover’s hip-hop alter-ego Childish Gambino. Glover was charismatic and his live band was truly wonderful – Ray Suen was a particular standout, alternating between keys, guitar and violin throughout the set.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs were an absolute highlight, despite some technical difficulties. Lead singer Karen O put on the best performance of the day, stepping out in a tasseled red suit and zebra-striped cape, stalking the stage like a proper rock goddess, howling and growling as only she can. The band brought out some new material from their upcoming album, Mosquito. Its ‘lo-fi’ sound didn’t hugely impress the festival crowd, but if it’s an indication of what the new album will sound like, it’s going to be one to look out for. Guitarist Nick Zinner donned his custom-built First Act Signature Delia, a gorgeous guitar featuring built-in fuzz circuit.

While most of the punters finished up their day by heading over to the main stages to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ headlining set, Sleigh Bells were tearing it up for a small but energetic audience over at the Essential Stage. The production values might not have been as high – their backdrop was simply a wall of 12 Marshall amps – but the duo of singer Alexis Krauss and guitarists Derek Edward Miller really pack a punch. A quick peek at Edward Miller’s pedal board exposed a POG2, Deltalab DD1 and MXR Fullbore metal effects. Krauss whipped the crowd into a frenzy with tracks like Crown On The Ground and Kids, jumping into the audience as more security guards rushed over to the stage to try and keep control.

Once again, the Big Day Out proved itself adept at providing something for everyone. Its position as the biggest, most beloved festival of the summer remains unshaken.By Elyce Phillips

Big DayBig Day Out Out

CREDITSMUSO. ISSUE 5 - FEBRUARY 2013PH: 03 9421 4499 FAX: 03 9421 1011ADDRESS: 584 Nicholson St Nth Fitzroy 3068WEBSITE: www.themusic.com.auEDITOR: Greg Phillips greg@streetpress.com.auDISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES:distribution@streetpress.com.auLAYOUT & DESIGN: Matt DavisIPAD EDITION: Dave HarveyCONTRIBUTORS: Reza Nasseri, Michael Smith, Chris Hayden, Jan WisniewskiPHOTOGRAPHER: www.pixievision.comPRINTED BY: Rural PressPublished by Street Press Australia PTY LTD

The annual NAMM show in Anaheim, California is one of the biggest music gear trade shows

in the world with upwards of 100,000 delegates attending and thousands of companies displaying product. Muso was in the thick of the NAMM show action in January and now presents an extensive report on the most impressive gear releases heading our way over the next few months. We also caught up with three Australian guitarist/singer/songwriters who were at NAMM representing companies and making a name for themselves with their music. In particular, Adelaide raised Orianthi who is currently the lead guitarist in Alice Cooper’s band, is primed for success with the release of her new album Heaven and This Hell in March. Visitors to the PRS guitars booth would have seen Orianthi’s own Signature Series guitar on show. UK based, Australian expat Gwyn Ashton has just released his sixth album, Radiogram and counts some heavy hitters as personal friends these days including Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, who has been to five of Ashton’s shows. We also chatted with bluesman Lloyd Spiegel straight after his impressive performance on the Marriot Hotel main stage. Lloyd was at NAMM predominantly to demo for Cole Clark guitars but also slayed the crowd during his hot 45 minute set.

Our cover artist Live Aid founder, Midge Ure had originally planned to be at NAMM too but the life of a touring musician got in the way. Instead we visited Midge backstage at his El Rey Theatre show in Hollywood where he brought us up to speed on the future of Ultravox and the solo tour which he’ll be bringing to Australia in April. Also on their way to Australia is Mutemath and Muso spoke with singer Paul Meany about the American band’s studio experience. Plus there’s there’s some awesome music gear road tested and all the latest gear news.

GREG PHILLIPSMuso Editor

LUSH RECORDINGS IN QLDLush Recording Studios in Brisbane is increasingly being viewed as a world class SSL recording and production facility, offering the very best of both the digital and analogue worlds, featuring an SSL 4048E console and an extensive list of the finest classic and esoteric vintage outboard equipment and classic vintage tube microphones. With their acoustically designed and engineered spaces, dedicated and professional team of engineers and classic equipment list, as well as being able to draw from a diverse pool of producers and composers, plus a great vibe, Lush Studios will satisfy the needs of the most discerning clientele. Located in Clontarf Beach and only 30mins north of Brisbane CBD, the studio offers a pleasant sea-change from the city environment. Nearby are fine dining restaurants, pubs and eateries, with fine boutique hotels overlooking beautiful Morton Bay where accommodation can be arranged.

The studio has been professionally designed and engineered and consists of tracking room, isolation room and cab booth. The tracking and isolation rooms both have 4.6m high ceilings. There’s also a fourth area, an untreated 70m2 warehouse with 7m ceilings loaded with tie lines for those wanting the organic sound. www.lushstudios.com.au

SIMON PHILLIPS DRUM CLINICSDrummer’s Dream in Sydney presents a drum clinic by one of the world’s finest drummers, Simon Phillips. His list of drum credits is second to none, ranging from The Who, Frank Zappa, Mick Jagger and Dave Gilmour to heavy rockers like Judas Priest and Michael Schenker. Phillips is known for his technical ability mixed with his distinct musical sensibility.

The clinic takes place on Sunday 3 March at the Canterbury Leagues Club in Belmore. Simon will be doing clinics in other states too. For Sydney clinic information, call (02) 9787 4177. www.drummersdream.com.au

FRANK BELLO (ANTHRAX) BASS CLINICGuitar Factory Parramatta is proud to announce the Frank Bello Bass Clinic. Frank and Anthrax have been touring our shores for Soundwave festival and Mr Bello insisted that he squeezes one clinic into his busy schedule. The clinic is free but it is imperative that you make a booking as there are very limited tickets.

Tuesday 26 February 26 at 7pm at Guitar Factory Parramatta (255 Church Street Parramatta). Bookings must be received before Friday 22. Telephone: (02) 9635 5552.www.guitarfactory.com.au

HUGE DAY OUT AT GH MUSIC FLEMINGTON

Garry Hyde (son of Billy Hyde) has re-opened a musical instrument store

GH MUSIC on the original Billy Hyde Music site at 100 Mt Alexander Rd, Flemington, which was where it all began in 1962 for his father’s music retail institution. Garry and the team at GH MUSIC Flemington welcome all to their inaugural free HUGE DAY OUT on Saturday 23 February, featuring a huge lineup of free entertainment all day on an outdoor stage, free musical instrument clinics and demonstrations from the best in the business and of course, some dirty old rock and roll!

The outdoor stage will feature very special guests Stonefield to kick off the day (performing at 10:00am sharp), Andrew Wishart (2011 X Factor runnerup), Jae Laffer (The Panics), Wendy Stapleton, Paul Norton and Sam See, Nat Allison, David Jones, The Electrique Birds, Better Late Than Never (featuring Simon Madden), DJ Kuya and more.

Plus for all those drummers, get down to the store to meet the incredible Andy Strachan (The Living End) at 2pm. Bring your guitar along for a free re-string, or your old drum head for a free re-skin (advance bookings essential – just call the store). www.facebook.com/ghmusicflemington

Stonefield. Pic by Holly Engelhardt

Vampire Weekend. Pic by Josh GroomMuso Editor Greg Phillips at NAMM 2013

Muso’s Greg Phillips caught up with Midge Ure at LA’s El Rey Th eatre ahead of his upcoming Australian tour.

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Ure not aloneUre not alone

Backstage at the El Rey Th eatre on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Midge Ure is unsure of the reception he’ll get when

he hits the stage to play a selection of solo and Ultravox tunes to a Californian audience. It’s been 32 years since Vienna was released and 28 since Live Aid, the gargantuan charity event Ure and friend Bob Geldof created. Midge need not have worried; the audience, a mix of young goths and 40- and 50-something nostalgics lapped up his classic new wave pop later that night. However Ure is a realist and knows that while 500 payers adoring his music is admirable, ironically a few miles down the road at Th e Staples Centre, Muse, a band who “cut their teeth on what we did,” said Midge, was playing to almost 20,000 fans.

Th e reasons for the current Midge Ure American dates, and upcoming Australia tour in April, are twofold … A) reacquaint audiences with the music and have a bit of fun and B) see if there is scope for a full-scale Ultravox tour in the near

brand guitars. Th ey’re Chinese-built but feature British electronics. Ure’s model is a carbon copy of Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green’s old Les Paul standard, right down to the point of the bass humbucker pickup being reversed with the pickups on phase in the middle position. “Th ey are stonkingly good guitars straight out of the box. Th e one I am using tonight was sent from Canada because they don’t have a distribution deal in America. I took it straight out of the box, took all the plastic off , the sticky plastic off the pickups, plugged it in and kerrang, there it is.”

Th e production team at Vintage are currently working on a signature model for Ure, a Les Paul-style guitar with P90s but with the tailpiece of an SG standard. Ure is playing his guitar through a Vox 150 watt 1x12 combo. “Th is thing is amazing, a modelling amp with a valve front end so you get all the warmth and drive you would want but with the ability to pop patches anytime you like. Although once I get the sound I like, I don’t like to change patches. I like the one sound.” Pedal-wise, Midge is keeping things fairly simple and for tonight’s gig was using a Boss Blues Overdrive to compensate for the hire amp’s lack of grunt.

Apart from Ure’s musical success, he’ll forever also be remembered as one of the instigators of the aforementioned Live Aid, the massive global concert event organised in 1985 to raise funds for relief for the ongoing famine in Ethiopia. “I’m

want Robert Plant to sing on it, we’ve got this other guy. I don’t get it!”

While record company business practices may have changed for the worse, developments in music technology have made the creative process easier for a tech-savvy band like Ultravox.

“Th e last tour that Ultravox did we had twenty-fi ve synthesisers on stage, which is ludicrous,” says Midge. “You had to do that if you needed a specifi c

song, reset and try again. Th e Mini Moogs went out of tune constantly, especially in hot clubs. Th e oscillators were constantly out. If you have seen any footage of Ultravox playing in the early days, a pair of headphones were constantly on the side of your head because you were tuning the oscillators between songs. We were prisoners to the basic technology we were using.”

For the solo tour, Midge is using Vintage

string sound, the old Yamaha SS30 string sound. Th at one keyboard made that one sound. You wanted a CS80 sound, you had to have a CS80. Same with the DX7, you had to have the specifi c thing. You couldn’t replicate it back then and do all the keyboard split things that you can now. Now you can use a laptop with Mainstage and Logic and do keyboard splits, all the sounds that you want with all the eff ects on it, and all the level changes and things. It’s so much easie but, carting around all of that stuff was a pain. Almost as painful was the early ‘80s, pre-MIDI when your Mini Moog couldn’t talk to your drum machine. You had to have it altered and adapted to send the spike from the drum machine into the Mini Moog to make it go DDDDDD! So therefore you had to have two Mini Moogs and two drum machines, both adapted. And things would go wrong all the time. Th e drum machine in the middle of Vienna would just go quadruple-time. Th ere was nothing you could do about it, just stop the

future. Unfortunately, due to the corporate chaos that recently enveloped the band’s label, EMI, the release of a new Ultravox album, Brilliant, last year virtually went unnoticed. Certainly it didn’t get the promotional push it deserved. Ure now fi nds himself in a situation where to get things done, he has to do a lot of the promotional and logistical work himself. To make the American tour feasible, he’s using the support band, LA’s Right Th e Stars as his backing band.

“You have to leave your ego at the door and get on and drive the van,” Midge admits. “Th at’s exactly what we have been doing. I looked at how we could possibly do this as a toe-in-the-water for possibly Ultravox coming back later in the year with the album. Th ere is no record company to help you support the thing. You have to do it completely and utterly on your own. Th e only way you can do that is by using local musicians. My agent said we look after this band Right Th e Stars, they’re LA-based and phenomenal musicians. So the only way to make this work is to do it with a local band, who are out promoting their own record; they’ve learned all my stuff . Five of us sit in this bus every day and drive forever and just do the thing. Th e bonus is that we all get on well, otherwise it could be hell.”

Much has obviously changed in the industry since Ultravox ruled the airwaves and Ure found modern record company logic diffi cult to fathom while recording Brilliant last year.

“We’d started the album for Universal, who instigated the whole thing. During the recording process, it became very apparent they didn’t really want an Ultravox album. Th ey wanted an album with Ultravox’s name on it and they wanted me singing on it, they didn’t necessarily want what Ultravox did. Th ey wanted a kind of watered-down version of what our hits were in the ‘80s. I went to a songwriting camp with the instigators whilst talking to them about this album, and the fi rst thing they did was to announce to twenty-fi ve writers there that they wanted songs written in an Ultravox style for Ultravox’s new album. At which point, after they pulled me off the roof and got me down, I explained in no uncertain terms that this was never going to happen. It became very apparent we weren’t talking about the same record at all. We found ourselves making a record with no record company. We decided to carry on writing and recording. We had nobody to deliver it to, so until something was in place… until EMI were given the green light… but they knew that this Universal thing was hanging over their heads and at some point they were going to be snapped up by them. What they (Universal) were trying to do was widen the demographic and make something that is a lot more palatable. Th ey were trying to do an X Factor on somebody who has been doing what he does for a long time. It doesn’t make sense and then they wonder why the industry is in the state that it is! It is like saying to Kate Bush, we love what you do but we have this girl over here who can write really good songs very similar to what you do. You know, we love Led Zeppelin but we don’t

still a Band Aid trustee,” Midge explains. “We’re still there. When you’re responsible for that kind of money... and the money still rolls in. Every time the record (Do Th ey Know It’s Christmas) is played on the radio, it generates income. Th e income has to be overseen and monitored and assessed on an annual basis. At some point in the not too distant future, we’re going to have to decide who to pass the baton on to. Th at song will continue to generate money for the cause. So we have to decided who to pass the responsibility on to and who will make the future decisions.”

It took Ure a long time to understand and appreciate how important an historical event he and Geldof had created. “We were so embroiled in the middle of this huge thing that we created that we couldn’t see the wood for the trees. We were right in the heart of it and it wasn’t until many years later that the little girl next door come in and said we read about you in history today. It’s in history books. People are talking about it now not just as a musical event, but a major social event. We used a medium that the majority of people understood. It wasn’t a million miles away from what you normally do. You hear a piece of music, you buy a record and it makes a diff erence to someone thousands of miles away.”

Th e future of Ultravox is uncertain and basically comes down to economics. If there is demand, and a tour is commercially feasible, then the band will supply.

“We’d love to tour America. We’d love to tour Australia,” Midge admits. “Part of the reason of me going to Australia with my band is the same reason I am doing it with a band here, to see if there is a taste for it... to see if there is a desire for Ultravox to get off our backsides and do it. Th e great thing is that three years ago, we wouldn’t have been talking about Ultravox because it hadn’t existed for twenty-eight years. Now we are talking about the future of Ultravox and the future is that the door is now open for Ultravox to do something.”

Ure was due to appear in Australia last year as part of the ill-fated Rewind ‘80s Music Festival. Australian fans can fi nally look forward to an energetic show from Ure when he tours in April with his UK-based band. Without giving too much away, the El Rey show consisted of a blend of tracks spanning Midge’s entire career, including a couple of surprises and his vocal cords have lost none of the power associated with those epic ‘80 tunes. “In Australia, there’s much more of a recognition factor,” he said of the upcoming tour. “It will be the combination of classic Ultravox things and what I would think are the more interesting solo things. Someone’s been dangling a carrot in front of me to come down there for a long time. It almost looks like you’re going and then it falls through, but this time I’m actually coming down to do something, which will be great.”www.midgeure.com

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Miss RiffMiss Riff

WRITTEN BY GREG PHILLIPS

PHOTOS BY WWW.PIXIEVISION.COM

The National Association of Music Merchants in America presents two music gear trade shows a year. The biggest and most famous is the winter NAMM show, which occurs at the

Anaheim Convention Center in California in January. It attracts up to 100,000 music trade delegates and more rock stars per metre than any other place on earth. NAMM is an assault on the senses in every way and I’d suggest not a great place to have a hangover! If you’re staying at any one of the major hotels situated in the main convention strip, as soon as you make it down to your hotel lobby in the morning, you’ll be met by a rock band playing at full volume in the foyer. Step outside into the street and you run straight into the main concert stage, where you’re confronted by a full-scale concert PA pumping out enough watts to be heard by the thousands who gather there daily… and you haven’t even got to the trade show yet. Inside the centre, on day one, a massive military brass band greets you. The NAMM show is a sensory overload. It’s a neverending procession of sound, colour and characters and it’s all turned up to 11.

While music trade shows in Frankfurt and Shanghai may have eclipsed the NAMM show for scale these days, this is the original and the most fun. As it’s in LA, this is where the rock stars come out to play. This year you could see Elton John performing at Disneyland for Yamaha. Yamaha’s groundbreaking DisklavierTV™, powered by RemoteLive™ technology, allowed Elton’s performance on the Yamaha Disklavier to be reproduced on pianos worldwide. While Elton and a 70-piece orchestra performed in Anaheim, this amazing technology allowed his piano-playing to be mirrored on pianos as far away as Melbourne, Australia. Elton was supported by Sarah McLachlan, Earth, Wind & Fire and Toto. Also at NAMM, you could see The Who’s Pete Townshend receive the Les Paul award at the TEC Awards or if you were on the trade show floor at the right booth at the right time, you could see any one of the following: Stevie Wonder testing drums and jamming on moog synths with Bernie Worrell, Brian Wilson performing for Gibson, George Benson watching our own Lloyd Spiegel at the Marriot Bar, Sabbath’s Geezer Butler signing autographs, Lita Ford laying down some hot licks, Boston performing More Than A Feeling, Nikki Sixx charming a crowd, or guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, Steve Morse, Neal Schon, Robben Ford, Devin Townshend or Earl Slick walking the aisles and talking gear. Then there were the parties which most of the bigger brands presented that went well into the night... which brings me back to something I said earlier… hangovers are not a great idea at a NAMM show.

Apart from the star power, there are some serious music business and education sessions and a myriad other really interesting historical stuff. More than anything however, NAMM is about the gear. Over the next few pages, Muso brings you a taste of the NAMM releases that will be making their way to Australia in 2013.

SPECIAL REPORT

SEEN AT NAMM 2013 • Brian Wilson • Elton John • Sarah McLachlan • Earth Wind and Fire • Toto • Stevie Wonder • George Benson • Eddie Van Halen • Geezer Butler • Lita Ford • Earl Slick • Devin Townshend • Randy Jackson • Michael Anthony • Nathan East • Lee Ritenour •

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Expat Aussie guitarist Gwyn Ashton is making a name for himself overseas. He spoke to Greg Phillips about his

new album, Radiogram.

Ashton cultureAshton culture

It’s been 17 years since Gwyn Ashton left Australia to seek an international music career. The Welsh-born singer, songwriter and guitar

slinger paid his dues downunder, releasing two albums and playing alongside Jim Keays, Swanee, Stevie Wright and Mick Pealing as well as playing bars and festivals with his own bands. Ashton is now based in the UK, where it is much easier to flit across Europe playing to his ever-increasing

design it and we’ll put it on the market. So I gave them some specs. I figure I play more slide guitar than anything so I wanted a slide guitar which had different aspects of all my favourite slide players. So I got a bit of Lowell George and Rory Gallagher and various other people in there. It’s got a Bigsby on it. So with each pickup selection you get a different player’s sound… I have the Firebird pickup in the front, P90. In the bridge I have a Seymour Duncan EG 1400 of which 14 sets were wound for Billy Gibbons and I was given a set by MJ. Last week I was at the Seymour Duncan workshop... I am a Duncan endorsee, great pickups, and again MJ gave me a set of ‘69-type Strat pickups that were wound for Ben Harper. Same again, she said here have these. So I have been very lucky and looked after with gear.”

Gwyn has gigs in Europe over the coming months but would dearly love to return to Australia for a tour. “I miss Australia so much but you have to travel ten hours between gigs.”

www.gwynashton.com

out of treading the boards of clubs and bars from Queensland down to Victoria. “I always have that Aussie rock thing in the background because that is what I grew up with,” Gwyn admits. Although Ashton was spending time at the Trussart booth at NAMM, he was recently honoured by Italian guitar makers Luitart with a signature model. “They approached me by email and said we’d like to make you a signature guitar, which is strange because I rarely play in italy. They said you

the drums. I was going for a real lo-fi sound, so we had two mics capturing the whole thing and a vocal mic. Then I did the ‘oh let’s put some bass on it’ and then thought, hmm, we could also add this. By the end of the week we had this pretty big-sounding album and thought, ‘we can’t go out as a duo now.’”

On Radiogram you’ll find some stunning slide playing from Ashton, and like many Australian blues artists, it possesses a heavier edge than his UK contemporaries, born

fan base. Gwyn has just released Radiogram, album number six and when Muso caught up with him, was back at NAMM plugging the album and demoing guitars for uber-hip luthier James Trussart.

While Ashton is no household name and does it as tough as any touring musician searching for the big break, one thing he is not short on is respect from his peers. While hanging out at the Trussart booth, Ashton could be seen catching up with guitar great Earl Slick (Bowie/New York Dolls) and Danny B Harvey (Wanda Jackson). He also counts Robert Plant as a friend. “He has been to five of my gigs and I have only been to one of his,” laughs Ashton. “I think it’s cool to be able to say that.”

The new album, Radiogram, features its fair share of guest artists too including Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds), Don Airey (Deep Purple, Rainbow), Robbie Blunt (Robert Plant), Mark Stanway (Magnum) and Mo Birch (UB40, Culture Club). It was never meant to be such a collaborative project, it was just one of those organic, happy accidents.

“It was going to be another duo album,” Gwyn said of his initial intentions. “We were a duo up until the stage that we did this. I only used one mic on

She’s traded guitar licks on stage with Santana, Vai and Prince and is now lead guitarist in Alice Cooper’s

band. She’s Australia’s Orianthi, has a new album coming out and

spoke to Greg Phillips at NAMM.

“One day you go into the Paul Reed Smith guitars booth at NAMM and you demonstrate for them, then you come

back and walk into that booth again a few years later and you look up and there’s your own signature guitar on the wall. You just think, bloody hell, is this real?” says Australian-born guitarist Orianthi at this year’s NAMM show as she reflects on the honour

also as an accomplished songwriter. The material ranges from big rock ballads through to smokin’ blues rock outs. Heaven And This Hell reveals a wide array of guitar tones, highlighting a versatility we may not have expected yet shouldn’t really be surprised by. It’s no secret her licks feature great fluidity and touch; perhaps it’s the maturity of her playing which has snuck up on us. Orianthi wrote all 11 songs and describes the vibe herself as a “voodoo rock blues sound.” On the album Orianthi used her signature Paul Reed Smith guitars through Fender and EVH amps. She also busted out a few Fender guitars for rhythm parts as well as a couple of Duesenberg guitars. Orianthi is keen to bring her show back home to Australia. “We’re talking to someone about doing some festivals out there. I don’t know if that will happen but who knows. I hope so.”

Heaven And This Hell is out March 12 through Universal.

www.orianthi.com

that time. I am working with Alice Cooper now. I have to say Alice is very similar to Michael. He’s such a showman and he loves his fans. He is so personable and sweet and I feel like I have so much fun on tour with Alice, I say to him, until he gets sick of me, I’ll continue on with him.”

Orianthi is super excited about the release of her new and first real full-on production, which faithfully showcases her skills not only as a guitar player but

his never-to-be ‘This Is It’ tour. As the movie footage shows, Orianthi enjoyed the rehearsal experience immensely and was looking forward to the massive shows in London, Paris, New York City and Mumbai. “I have seen the movie probably once, one and a half times maybe. I can’t really watch it because it is so real. Being there, being in his presence and working with him, was such an amazing part of my life. I hold the memories and I am so honoured to have had

PRS bestowed on her. A few hours earlier she had collected another accolade when honoured with the ‘Inspire’ award at the first ever She Rocks Awards, an event created by the Women’s International Music network to pay tribute to women who display leadership in the music industry. For the very few Australians scattered around the room at the awards breakfast, it was with some pride that Orianthi rocked the house with an early morning version of Back In Black. Needless to say, the girl’s done good! She has jammed with and since befriended both Carlos Santana and Steve Vai, swapped licks with Prince and is currently lead guitarist in Alice Cooper’s band, having completed two world tours with the prince of darkness. On March 12 Orianthi will release Heaven In This Hell, her third solo album produced by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart.

There was never any doubt in her mind what she wanted to do as a career path. “When I was six, I said to my mum, as I was strumming away to Elvis, I am going to America,” she explains. “I am going to make a record in America and tour the world… and my mum believed me.” However, one of Orianthi’s greatest achievements was being asked by Michael Jackson to take on lead guitar responsibilities for

NAMMNAMM 2O132O13

Muso’s Greg Phillips chatted to Australian bluesman Lloyd

Spiegel straight after his red hot performance at the NAMM show.

hands. What actually really made me want to work with Cole Clark was the attitude of a working-class guitar. They wanted to build guitars for the other guy. The fact that they offered me one in the first place... ten years ago in Australia I was absolutely nobody. I’m still almost nobody but a little less of a nobody. Back then I was just playing the local clubs. They wanted to give me a guitar because they decided right from the start because they were building a guitar for a guy who had to plug into a PA that belongs in a museum and play for eight guys who are playing pool and still have the dignity to have control over their sound with a really nice guitar tone. The Jack Johnsons and other people on our endorsee list are always going to sound good. They play with million dollar sound systems and three engineers working around the clock for them. I really like ‘the other guy’ aspect of Cole Clark.”

Another little known piece of trivia about Spiegel is his popularity in Japan, where he has found a fan base among the local guitar heads. “Japan is like getting off a plane and being

on a different planet and it is years in the future,” recalls Lloyd. “I found myself playing to these twenty-one year old metal heads who had never heard blues music before and they think I invented this shit. I did an interview for a magazine over there and they asked me if there were other people in Australia who played this style of music and I just went no! I was still doing my local show in Australia but selling out Tokyo Disneyland. With Disneyland, I got picked up in a limousine, the sound system was the highest quality, everything you wanted backstage, signing autographs. I then flew home, got in the Holden Commodore with my dodgy PA and drove straight to Wodonga, set up and played to twenty people.”

For the rest of 2013, Lloyd intends to tour some more, record two albums and continue his work with the Blues in Schools program, where he is on a self-propelled mission to supply every Indigenous child in Australia with a musical instrument.www.lloydspiegel.comwww.coleclarkguitars.com

SpiegelSpiegel's intents intent

It was quite a coup for Australian guitar manufacturer Cole Clark to secure an afternoon performance spot for Lloyd Spiegel on The

Marriot Hotel’s main stage during the NAMM show. Spiegel used his 45 minutes extremely well, with the international music industry audience lapping up the singer, songwriter and slick fingerpicker’s fun and energetic performance. The Spiegel vibe

that sounds. I’m a working-class musician. I want to make a working-class instrument, which is what the guitars are. So I built my dream guitar then found out it had a three and a half to four thousand dollar price point. So I went back and looked at all the little bits and pieces and said, ‘let’s work on how we make this affordable for the average player.’”

As the Marriot performance showed, Lloyd injects a lot of energy into his guitar and you’d assume a Spiegel signature model would need to be built for battle. “The most important thing for me is... if I ask it the question, it needs to answer,” Lloyd explains. “I am an aggressive player and I wanted a guitar that bounced back at me and the Cole Clarks do that really, really well. I like a lot of top end on my guitars, almost an abrasive kind of sound. The Cole Clarks sound round and beautiful and I like to maybe fiddle with that a little bit. So I am designing a guitar which will give me my sound. It is based on an FL2AC with a different sensor inside it. Instead of a short sensor on the face, I am putting an extra long one in. It’s just a little more responsive to my

at coming over and touring again.”

Spiegel’s main purpose for this NAMM trip however was to work the Cole Clark booth and spruik their guitars. Lloyd has been working with Cole Clark for around ten years and the company has rewarded the bluesman with his own signature guitar, which is currently in development. “I’m not playing it at the NAMM show but I have the prototype at home. What I am trying to do is make it cheaper... as funny as

how life had got in the way of his return. “Then in Australia I started doing really well, and then I did well in Japan, then Europe started taking off. Around that time, George Bush made it incredibly difficult to get a work permit for an Australian. It kind of never really happened. I get weekly emails from people asking when I’m going to come back. Today fuelled me because I remembered what it was like to play for American audiences. I think I am going to have to start looking

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even attracted guitar legend George Benson to the bar to see what the fuss was all about.

It’s a little known fact that Lloyd travelled the States as a teenager, begging for gigs and earning his stripes in some of the toughest rooms in America. “When I was travelling the States, I was literally hungry. If I didn’t get a gig, I didn’t eat. I was under age so was using a fake I.D. to get into blues clubs. You learn to connect with an audience quite well. They are your only chance at eating or staying in a hotel that night. Seeing blues legends like Honey Boy Edwards or Luther Allison, you learn about performance, about truly connecting with an audience. Of course you are going to learn musicianship, but you get that from any musician you work with on any level. But the showmanship, people demand a show here in the States. Someone like Luther Allison or Buddy Guy, they have this stage persona that they take on and it is absolutely professional. They can play it at will and I do love that.”

It’s been a decade since Spiegel last toured America and the NAMM afternoon had given him fuel for thought to tackle the US market again. “By the time I thought about coming back, I was married, child, and divorced,” explained Lloyd on

• Tommy Thayer (Kiss) • Exodus • Ohm • Avenge Sevenfold • Nikki Sixx • Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) • Robben Ford • Quiet Riot • Neal Schon • Dee Snider • Scott Ian • Anvil • The Jacksons • Fear Factory • Testament • Slipknot • RATT • Drowning Pool • Steve Gadd •

Galactic Musicwww.galacticmusic.com.auThe Behringer area of the trade show floor was bigger than most and needed to be to showcase the myriad of sensational new products. Released last year yet still attaining star attraction status was the brilliant X32, a 40-channel digital mixer. The X32 mixer is the flagship of the X32 family, which also includes the X32 Producer, X32 Core, X32 Compact and X32 Rack. Also taking pride of place was their Eurolive Active Bluetooth Loudpseakers and NEKKST K8/K5 Studio Monitors. Muso reviewed the B112 W loudspeakers in December and found them to be powerful, versatile and exceptionally great value for your money.

If you’re seeking a fine quality audio interface for your studio, look no further than Behringer’s new U-Phoria USB Audio Interfaces. The MIDAS company, which Behringer recently acquired, developed the preamps for the UMC204, UMC202 and UMC22 interfaces that include +48v phantom power.

On the DJ front, Behringer has released the visually stunning CMD DJ controllers. The CMD Studio 4A in particular is a beauty and provides all the tools required to learn the basics of DJing. The 4A features eight hotcues and can control up to four virtual decks.

Dynamic Musicwww.dynamicmusic.com.auThe creative people at ZOOM were recognised for their fine work at the TEC Awards, where they won an award for outstanding technical achievement for their H2n handy recorder. On the new product front, ZOOM released their iQ5 professional stereo microphone. The iQ5 is a high-quality mic that connects to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touches. Also released was the MultiStomp MS-60B, offering over 50 types of bass effects includes six bass amp models and MultiStomp MS-70CDR, which gives you over 70 types of chorus, delay, reverb and modulation effects. Celebrating 40 years of producing high-quality guitars, the Godin company presented two anniversary models: the Norman B20 acoustic, which features a new tobacco-burst high-gloss finish, and they also released the Limited Edition Anniversary Godin Acousticaster. Other models released included the Montreal Premier, MultiUke, 5th Avenue Composer and Inuk Encore and Ambience Steel models. Already adopted by world-renowned guitarist and composer John McLaughlin, the new Fishman Triple Play™ Wireless Guitar Controller makes composing, performance and recording much easier. McLaughlin has been recording and performing with test versions of the device for almost a year, providing Fishman with valuable insight throughout the development process.

Yamaha Music Australiaau.yamaha.com/ As usual, the Yamaha company created a world of their own at The Marriot Hotel next door to the main convention centre. Yamaha took the opportunity to present some real music history with a display of classic products, from an original pump organ from 1902 to the mighty DX7 synth. With regards to new gear, there was plenty from Yamaha including the MX49 and MX61 workstations, featuring awesome sounds from the Motif XS. Guitar-wise Yamaha launched the attractive A series Koa acoustics, and new guitars in the FG, FGX, L and RBX lines. Released last year but taking pride of place was the THR10X amp. Notably, Roland unveiled their version at NAMM this year. In percussion, Paiste gave us the new 602 cymbals and there was a new Yamaha Live Custom Drum Kit featuring one hundred per cent oak shells. Also of interest was the iPhone/iPad-compatible Stagepas 400i and 600i portable PA systems, successors to the 300 and 500 series.

Fender Australiawww.fender.com.auThe 2013 Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI marks the return of the historic, seldom-seen Fender Bass VI, a six-string bass originally produced between 1961 and 1975, now updated for a new generation. Featuring the traditional short scale of the original, today’s Pawn Shop Bass VI boasts Special Design Hot Jaguar single-coil neck and middle pickups, as well as a powerful JZHB humbucking bridge pickup.

From the Hot Rod Design Acoustics series comes the Fender T-Bucket 100CE Acoustic-Electric Guitar. Featuring a three-colour Sunburst spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and inlaid pearloid pinstriping motif by Vince Ray on the headstock and 12th fret, the T-Bucket 100CE shares many of the cool features of the hot-rodded T-Bucket 300CE. The Select Series offers carved maple top Jazzmaster, Strat HSS, Tele HH, Tele SH, Tele Thinline and Jazz bass. From the Custom Shop there was the limited edition Ritchie Blackmore Strat featuring two-piece alder body, lightly worn urethane finish and ‘69 U-shaped neck.

Jandswww.jands.com.auAnyone who visited the Shure booth this year would have experienced their wonderful assemblage of vintage mics set out in cabinets, a veritable museum of sound recording gear. From the famous Beta and SM series to the much-lauded KSM series, seeing the classic ranges grouped together outlined just how important the Shure brand has been to the development of recording.

Shure microphones released two impressive wireless systems at NAMM this year. The GLX-D wireless systems feature intelligent technology and smart-power options that put reliability, consistency and professional-grade digital sound in the hands of artists playing in all kinds of performance settings. GLX-D Digital Wireless Systems apply LINKFREQ Automatic Frequency Management, making seamless, crystal-clear audio easy and worry-free. The GLX-D transmitters feature best-in-class lithium-ion batteries that quickly recharge using the charging port on the receiver, or a variety of optional USB connectors. Also launched at NAMM was Shure’s precision-built BLX Wireless systems, combining professional quality sound with simple setup and an intuitive interface for dependable performance. The BLX system is available in a variety of handheld, lavalier, instrument and headset configurations. GLX-D and BLX Systems are expected to land in mid 2013.

Gator cases released a wide range of new products at the trade show, including the Evolution Drum Case Series, G-Tour Fixed Angle Mixer cases and G-Tour Pioneer DDJ-Sx controller case.

JBL Professional has introduced the M2 Master Reference Monitor, making world-class, large-format monitoring feasible in a wide range of rooms. The largest speaker in JBL’s studio monitor line, the M2 integrates new JBL transducer technologies and patented innovations in a free-standing, two-way system that can be placed in any production environment and tuned to provide a superior level of accuracy and performance.

Casiowww.soundtechnology.com.auWith the release of their XW Synth range last year, Casio signalled their intention to tackle the pro keyboard market head on. The assault continued at NAMM with the launch of their amazing new stage piano, the Privia Pro PX-5S. LA-based band Fallen Riviera used a prototype model in their demo performance at the Casio booth. Jazz legend Joe Sample also put the stage piano through its paces at an invitation-only event later that night. The PX-5S owes much of its realistic and expression-filled sound to the AiR sound source technology, which provides stunning fidelity and control over the tones and effects. A new arsenal of sounds has been included. With the PX-5S you get classic electric piano, harpsichord and clavinet sounds. Some of the tones are complete with release samples, amp and speaker simulations. The four-zone controller, with four knobs and six sliders, allows for easy control of the internal sounds and effects parameters. Each zone on the PX-5S can control an internal sound, external MIDI device or both simultaneously.

“The launch of Casio’s Privia Pro series further exemplifies the company’s commitment to the musical instrument category. We are no longer just producing musical instruments; we are going beyond sound by enabling professional musicians to express themselves and create music like never before,” said Stephen Schmidt, Vice President of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instruments Division. Casio hopes to have the unit available within the next couple of months.

[8]

Randy Jackson at the MusicMan booth

Uber-interesting UltraNova Roland’s impressive G5A VG Stratocaster

Awesome new Boss pedals

Classy guitars from Lakewood Brian Wilson and band perform at the Gibson booth

Danny B Harvey (Wanda Jackson), James Trussart, Earl Slick (David Bowie) & Gwyn Ashton

Th e amount of new gear on display at the NAMM show was mind-boggling. Housed in the Anaheim Convention Center,

which includes fi ve massive halls, an arena and mezzanine levels, as well as spilling out into the suites of nearby hotels, it is physically

impossible to see everything within the four days of this event. In our NAMM gear report, Muso has concentrated on the products

which we know will fi lter into Australia soon via the reputable local wholesalers who import it.

a simple, single-trigger pad with a compact, curved shape. It directly attaches to the hoop of most drums using a tension rod or a standard rod-type mount with the included attachment parts. The internal design eliminates false triggering due to crosstalk while playing surrounding drums and/or pads.

In response to Yamaha’s THR amps, Roland launched their Cube Lite amplifier with i-Cube link and the Cube Lite Monitor, two new compact amplifiers with built-in audio interfaces for Apple’s iOS devices. Visually appealing and featuring impressive 2.1-channel sound, the Cube Lite amps allow musicians to enjoy playing and recording music comfortably at home with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The Cube Lite Guitar Amplifier is equipped with three killer COSM tones - JC CLEAN, CRUNCH and EXTREME - giving guitarists a wide range of sounds for playing any style of music. Reverb and chorus effects are onboard as well, with true stereo performance for a wide, expansive sound Roland were also pleased to announce the G-5A-CAR VG Stratocaster, a new addition to the acclaimed lineup of V-Guitar instruments. Manufactured in the Fender factory in California, the G-5A-CAR is an authentic American Standard Stratocaster guitar with Roland’s amazing COSM technology built in, providing players revolutionary tonal versatility in a top-level instrument. The G-5A-CAR is a genuine American Standard Strat in every way, from pickups to tone woods to hardware, and features a gorgeous Candy Apple Red finish, plus a 22-fret maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. Its integrated COSM electronics gives guitarists an entire collection of world-class tones to pick and choose from, all in the one instrument.

Australian Musical Importswww.gibsonami.comThe Gibson booth is always abuzz with incredible guitars and top-line recording artists. Muso was fortunate to be present when Brian Wilson and band took to the small stage to sing a couple of Beach Boys classics. Product-wise, it was all about revisiting classics with the new lineup of Les Paul and SG models revealed. Also of interest was the introduction of the new Min-Etune tuning system, an auto-tune system akin to that found on Gibson’s Robot guitars, but now available on a wide range of their instruments. The Min-Etune is hidden away on the back of the headstock and can be installed as an optional extra on a range of more affordable models. One of the most imposing Gibson releases was the Gothic Morte Les Paul Studio and SG guitars in “extreme black styling”. Both models feature a solid mahogany body in black satin ebony finish, a pair of black Gibson USA GEM active humbuckers, Exotic African Obeche fingerboard in black, and black Grover tuners.

Innovative Musicwww.innovativemusic.com.auKemper shook the amp world with the release of their amp profiler last year. The company took the next step forward at NAMM by presenting two rack-mount versions, the Profiler Rack and 600w Profiler PowerRack. This amazing technology allows you to capture (or profile) the sound of any amp you can get your hands on.

Novation presented a couple of pearlers at NAMM including the Launchkey, a fully-featured DAW control surface, capable of launching loops/clips in Ableton Live and FL Studio. Based around a 25-, 49- or 61-note keyboard controller with a great-feeling synth-style keyboard and 16 velocity-sensitive multi-colour ‘launch pads’, Launchkey integrates seamlessly with two new Novation iPad apps; a performance synth and a Launchpad App. Also from the folks at Novation came the UltraNova, a ‘Nova’ series analogue-modelling synthesiser with a powerful effects processor. It’s a single-part synth taking the legendary Supernova II synth engine as a starting point and packing it with the latest technology. It now has brand new features including wavetable synthesis, even more powerful filters, a software editor and a revolutionary new touch-sense performance mode.

ALVA introduced the Nanoface, a 12-channel USB Audio + MIDI Interface. The Nanoface is designed to partner modern digital audio workstations. There are no software option dialogs or an integrated mixer, just a high-speed driver The analogue gains for the four inputs, all output levels and special features, like phantom power and hardware monitoring, are controlled with the big silver rotary encoder directly on the Nanoface. All mixing, channel routing and digital levels will be controlled by your individual audio software.

From Two Notes Audio Engineering comes the Torpedo VB-101, a DI for your head amplifier composed of three main parts: a 150W RMS Loadbox to play silently with your amp or preamp, a speaker and mic’ing simulator powered by the acclaimed Torpedo technology with all your favorite cabs inside, and a Post-FX section. This section carries all the processing effects you usually need when mic’ing a guitar cab (low-cut filter, five-band EQ, exciter, compressor). NAMM 2013 also saw the launch of RME’s new Premium Line digital MADI converters; five new wonderfully designed products: the new MADI Router, the ADAT Router and ADAT Converter, and the AES3 Router and AES3 Converter.

CMC Musicwww.cmcmusic.com.auRiccardo at the Mark Bass booth was equal parts amiable and enthusiastic in his demonstration of the great new Italian-designed releases. In particular, the Bass Multiamp had winner stamped all over it. This sturdily-constructed unit offers a wide range of virtual bass amps, speaker cabs, mics and effects. Australian guitar legend Frank Gambale was also on stand promoting his new signature model DV Mark Ampli-tude amplifier, which offers various finely-crafted channel presets, a number of essential studio-quality effects and easy programmability.

The Lakewood booth presented some beautiful Martin Seeliger-designed acoustic guitars from their new Natural, Deluxe and Premium series. In each case, quality timbers are combined with exceptional craftsmanship to produce outstanding instrument tone. Martin was on hand to greet anyone wishing to learn about his exquisitely-built guitars.

Over on the Ernie Ball stand American Idol judge, Randy Jackson could be seen fraternising with the indians. Making an impression were the eye-catching flouro Ernie Ball cobalt string packets. Also impressive was the Armada and Classic Sabre guitar display. Dream Theater’s John Petrucci made himself available to present his sleek new signature JP13 Music Man model too.

Rolandwww.rolandcorp.com.auBOSS debuted three next-generation compact pedals featuring innovative Multi-Dimensional Processing (MDP). Powered by this impressive new technology, the TE-2 Tera Echo, DA-2 Adaptive Distortion and MO-2 Multi Overtone pedals deliver an amazing range of dynamic and expressive sonic textures. Muso was particularly charmed by the TE-2’s expressive freeze function. Roland added another digital piano to their popular HPi series, the HPi-50. Further enhancing the SuperNATURAL Piano experience we know and love is the flagship PHA III Ivory Feel keyboard with Escapement. With fast key repetition and sensitivity, the PHA III faithfully translates the subtle tonal differences of different playing styles and the force at which the keys are played.

On the percussion front, Roland introduced the BT-1 Bar Trigger Pad, a versatile add-on trigger pad for V-Drums and acoustic drums. The BT-1 is

[9]

MUSO MEETS BRUCE EGNATERBruce Egnater is an unassuming kind of guy. You Bruce Egnater is an unassuming kind of guy. You get the impression he is unaffected by the fame get the impression he is unaffected by the fame which has come his way through producing a range which has come his way through producing a range of critically acclaimed amplifi ers such as the Rebel of critically acclaimed amplifi ers such as the Rebel 20, Renegade, Tourmaster and Armageddon over a 20, Renegade, Tourmaster and Armageddon over a productive thirty year period. At Winter NAMM this productive thirty year period. At Winter NAMM this year, he was always on hand at the Egnater booth, year, he was always on hand at the Egnater booth, happy to chat to anyone about the art of sound. happy to chat to anyone about the art of sound.

“You tweak things, change this or that, one thing “You tweak things, change this or that, one thing leads to another and before you know it, you’ve leads to another and before you know it, you’ve created something new,” Bruce said in response created something new,” Bruce said in response to me cheekily suggesting that everything that to me cheekily suggesting that everything that can be done in amp design has been done. It’s can be done in amp design has been done. It’s this ‘tinkering’ which has served Bruce well.this ‘tinkering’ which has served Bruce well.

“One day I had this crazy idea,” Bruce explained on “One day I had this crazy idea,” Bruce explained on his website. “I took a little Gibson amp, hooked up a his website. “I took a little Gibson amp, hooked up a resistor in place of the speaker and jammed the output resistor in place of the speaker and jammed the output of that little amp into the input of my 200 watt Marshall. of that little amp into the input of my 200 watt Marshall. Wow… now I was onto something. I could get the Wow… now I was onto something. I could get the distortion of the little tube amp at concert volumes.”distortion of the little tube amp at concert volumes.”

Egnater thinks like a guitar player and fortunately Egnater thinks like a guitar player and fortunately has the electronic nous to be able to put his radically has the electronic nous to be able to put his radically creative thoughts into practice. His modular amps, creative thoughts into practice. His modular amps, which allow the player to style the amp to his or her which allow the player to style the amp to his or her own needs has been a revelation among guitarists.own needs has been a revelation among guitarists.

In homage to his hometown, at this year’s show Egnater In homage to his hometown, at this year’s show Egnater released new Detroit 18 and 40 watt tube amp models released new Detroit 18 and 40 watt tube amp models which were well received. After 30 years of producing which were well received. After 30 years of producing innovative, quality amplifi cation products, Bruce is quite innovative, quality amplifi cation products, Bruce is quite humble on refl ection of his achievements. “I’m just humble on refl ection of his achievements. “I’m just proud that I’m still here doing this after all this time.”proud that I’m still here doing this after all this time.”

Anaheim Convention Center

Privia launch their excellent new PX-5S Stage Piano Kemper created a buzz with their amp profilers

Behringer’s modular DJ mastery

Recording history at the Shure boothPearl get their kit on

While NAMM can be a futuristic wonderland, some things just don’t change

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Th e shortlist for the eighth AMP (Australian Music Prize) is in.

Jan Wisniewski catches up with three contenders – Paddy

Mann (aka Grand Salvo), Liz Stringer and Jess Ribeiro

(who fronts Th e Bone Collectors) – to learn more about the

creation of their nominated albums, and discovers how

much they suff er for their art.

Playing to winPlaying to win

Ribeiro. Following the three months it took to record My Little River, she left for Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land, to work in an Indigenous community at the completion of recording. “I was just so disappointed in myself when we finished it, I had to leave,” she explains. “I was like, ‘Well, that’s it. I’m going to go and teach in this Aboriginal community and play music with these guys and I don’t ever want to come back to mainstream society again’.”It seems Ribeiro was her own toughest critic as My Little River earned her many accolades for the stark, heartfelt songwriting it possesses, picking up Best Independent Country Album at the 2012 Jägermeister Independent Music Awards. The songs, mostly co-written with collaborator Rob Law, were brought to producer Greg J Walker of Machine Translations fame.As many of the songs were half-formed, the recording process allowed Ribeiro to fully realise the tracks as Walker had her and Law play in a school hall before bringing in the full band to his home studio. “It was pretty much live,” she explains. “Some songs I think we redid in Greg’s studio with the whole band and there was just maybe a bit of wood separating us. We did have the drums in another room, but it was almost a home recording, and Greg did a great job on bringing some other things out of it.” Though still apprehensive in some ways towards her debut, it was an excellent platform for Ribeiro to reveal her gift for beautiful musical storytelling, a lyrical quality she

shares with fellow AMP contenders Mann and Stringer. Stringer’s lyrical images derive from stories she has heard and the people she has met while touring, her honest observations never coming from “one strain of inspiration”. Mann’s approach is more fantastical, the “criss-crossed love story” that spans Slay Me In My Sleep stemming from a singular scene envisioned by Mann after meeting an old lady suffering from dementia in Europe. Ribeiro’s tales are on a more intimate level, evident on songs like Truck Yard and Haunted House – personal favourites of hers.Though there are differences in experience and style, these artists have all produced wonderfully constructed albums all vying for the Australian Music Prize’s $30,000 cash prize. So how would they each spend the dosh? Citing his obsession with the orchestral sound, Mann jokingly says he we would spend the money on a single recording session with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Ribeiro says she would be finding a publicist and touring before taking to the skies in a hot air balloon to take photos and to create a film clip. Stringer is more practical in her reasoning: “I want to make sure everyone gets paid that needs to get paid and [I’d] probably buy a really nice guitar as well – maybe a couple.” AMPed-Up In Conversation (featuring winner’s announcement)takes place on Thursday 7 March at The Basement.

www.thecoopersamp.com.au

and regular collaborators Van Walker, Tim Keegan and Adam May raced through the instrumental tracking at Audrey Studios in only a week, however problems arose when it came time for Stringer to sing. “The vocals took a really long time,” recalls Stringer. “Eventually, when we started getting the good takes it was very fast but there was a period in there when I just couldn’t do it, it was very odd. I’ve never had that kind of anxiety before and maybe that’s what it was – I still don’t know. But luckily my voice appeared again and we finished it but, yeah! It was pretty weird.” The making of the debut album for Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors was a difficult period for

sound in mind, she enlisted the help of former Killjoys guitarist Craig Pilkington to co-produce the album. “He has a really great pop sensibility and I wanted it to be lush and big and he seemed to be the right man. I haven’t done it before, but these songs needed that kind of treatment.”Despite this change in approach, Stringer

support of her previous three albums. She describes her 2009 effort Tides Of Time as “very stripped back, like a solo album”, but decided her new material needed a different approach.“There were a few songs I had played with my band live and I knew that they were much less folk and were more pop rock,” Stringer explains. With a big

[10]

Now in its eighth year, the Australian Music Prize saw 71 albums nominated in the longlist for the most artistically

accomplished album of 2012. Earlier this month the list was cut to nine finalists: Flume (Flume), Tame Impala (Lonerism), The Presets (Pacifica), Grand Salvo (Slay Me In My Sleep), Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors (My Little River), Liz Stringer (Warm In The Darkness), Daily Meds (Happy Daze), Hermitude (Hyper-Paradise) and Urthboy (Smokey’s Haunt). In keeping with the spirit of the AMP, which recognises music for creativity rather than commercial success, artists at various stages in their career have been acknowledged

within the shortlist. Each has earned their place in the final shortlist by releasing albums that prove they are some of Australia’s finest songwriters.Paddy Mann has been creating music as Grand Salvo since his debut LP 1642-1727 was released in 2000. Mann’s reputation has grown incrementally with each intricate album release and the occasional live performance. Despite insisting that he feels as if he is making the same album over and over he recognises last year’s expansive Slay Me In My Sleep as an album of more extravagance than any of those in his past. “This time I made the decision to add everything I wanted to the album,” he states. “I am quite reluctant to go overdub crazy, I like to keep it sparse if I can. But this time I decided to go all out and add whatever I heard. I was worried it would turn into a big ugly mess, but I think it worked quite well in the end.”Crediting German musician and producer Nils Frahm with taming and balancing his creativity, Mann recorded much of the foundation tracking in Frahm’s Berlin apartment. “It’s basically a large room with the instruments, a piano, some fancy equipment and a mezzanine bed,” Mann explains. “He treats his room like an office and the bed is like his bedroom. He goes up to sleep and changes his mindset as soon as he comes down the ladder.”After finishing recording in Berlin, Mann returned to Melbourne to complete the album. With Frahm unavailable to mix the album immediately, Mann had time to further realise his vision, adding layers of instrumentation using quality musicians willing to work on the album at low cost. Like Mann, fellow AMP finalist Liz Stringer looked to bolster the sound on her latest album Warm In The Darkness with some extra production flourishes. The Melbourne-based guitarist has made her name known around Australia with her far-reaching tours in

Jess Ribeiro

Liz Stringer

Paddy Mann

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Known for their insane live show and instrumental heroics,

Mutemath lead singer Paul Meany chats to Chris Hayden about pre-production, producers

and how playing a keytar for the fi rst time made him feel

a little like Ben Stiller.

do this without being tied to one piece of stationary gear, so the keytar, with its relative flexibility, is something of a masterstroke. Although, apparently, there were early reservations involved. “There are a lot of samples that we create in the studio, so when we started performing we were trying to figure out how to trigger them all. In the beginning, just me standing behind a keyboard the whole time didn’t really seem like enough to grab attention. So we started trying this keytar. The first time though, it was like that movie Meet The Parents. There’s this

particular scene where Ben Stiller is at a pre-wedding party and the guy has given him some Speedos to wear. He’s in the bathroom, chewing the gum and contemplating whether or not he’s going to put these Speedos on and go out. That’s kind of how I felt in the dressing room the first time we tried the keytar out. I’m chewing my Nicorette gum and standing in front of the mirror and freaking out. Once you’re out there with it though – it’s actually quite liberating.”

www.mutemath.com

Keytar the cityKeytar the city

On their maiden voyage to

Australia last year, New Orleans-based band Mutemath caused quite the sensation. Arriving as something of an unknown quantity on the Groovin’ The Moo line-up, they left with a rabid fan base, thanks largely to their epic live performance. With drummer Darren King a flurry of incomprehensible limbs, singer Paul Meany roaming far and wide into the audience with keytar in hand (and sometimes atop the crowd themselves in an inflatable boat) and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas manipulating any number of onstage synths or gadgets, Mutemath are a gear-head’s dream. It’s not surprising then that when Muso spoke to Meany down the line from his home, he was more than happy to get into the nitty gritty of the band’s new

engineers or outside influences – the band has tried several approaches. This time around they’re keen to trust their own instincts. “Every record has been different for us,” Meany explains warily. “On the last record we took it maybe eighty per cent of the way ourselves and then went to LA and worked with someone who helped us dial in what would be the singles. For the one before that (2009’s Armistice) we actually had two producers. For this record I think we’ve found this new inspiration to see a song through to its finished place. As a new band I think we suffered a lot from self-doubt and second guessing, and needing someone to help us to actually finish a song. I think after going through that for a while you realise that you’re paying a lot of money for this guy and really, his guess as to what to do with the song is as good as yours. I think having gone through a few records we’ve probably learned to trust our own processes – at least between the three band members.”

As intimated earlier, Mutemath are renowned far and wide for their energetic live show. One crucial element of the set is the keytar employed by Meany, an instrument used as a glorified MIDI controller to trigger pre-recorded samples. Many bands have trouble finding an acceptable way to

be a part of us chasing cables, soldering things together and figuring out why things don’t work.”

Looking forward, and as the songs are

looking for melodies, looking for sounds; the whole Nine,” Meany explains. “What we normally do is we rent a place or set up in a house and we just go to work. Right now we’ve set up commando-style in a makeshift studio and we’re just demoing ideas into Logic. We’re the kind of band that gets inspired by the sound of things so we’re always mindful of that and trying to avoid that stock feeling. We look for something that pushes the song along. Production and songwriting is all intertwined with us.”

As a band now on their fourth record, Mutemath know exactly what kind of preparation has to be done in the early stages of the process. Often pre-

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MutemathIN THE STUDIO

album. “Man you have no idea how happy I am just to talk about some gear and the recordings,” he laughs. “I feel like I’m losing my soul with all these interviews. Let’s talk about a microphone or something.”

Mutemath’s previous record, Odd Soul, with its heady mixture of gnawing hooks and instrumental virtuosity, was a breakout hit for the trio. Released in 2011, the time has now come for Meany and co. to follow up their good work. Working in New Orleans, as they have done for previous recordings, the band is currently in pre-production. “We’re in the infant stages of it now - so writing, recording,

production can be a pivotal factor in preparedness and efficiency when heading into the studio for the big show. “We try to get the pre-production as close to sounding and feeling like a record as we can. I think in the past we’ve had songs and said ‘Okay let’s just demo this,’ but you find yourself not trying as hard or not caring as much and it hurts the song. Then someone listens to it and goes ‘this isn’t good’ and we’ll say ‘yeah we know, it’s just a demo.’ So it usually helps the process when we’re thinking ‘let’s make this as good as a record.’ That’s the mentality we have to be chasing the whole time.”

WE’RE THE KIND OF BAND THAT GETS INSPIRED BY THE SOUND OF THINGS SO WE’RE ALWAYS MINDFUL OF THAT AND TRYING TO AVOID THAT STOCK FEELING.”

As far as the leg work at this stage goes however, it seems Meany would probably appreciate an extra set of hands in their recording bunker. “What I wouldn’t give for a little engineer help right now,” he laughs. “I’d love to get to the point where we can have our own assistant or engineer to help us out. Running around chasing cables is not exactly the fun part. The great thing about it though, is it keeps us grounded to how it all started for us. Maybe there will always

written and demos perfected, Mutemath will eventually have to decide whether or not they’ll employ outside help for this record. Whether in the form of single or multiple producers,

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anthrax

The Casio Privia PX350 digital piano

is an 88-key portable keyboard that provides 250 instrument tones, 180 drum patterns and features built-in speakers. The product description boasts of a new and improved tri-sensor scaled hammer keyboard action.The idea behind the tri-sensor system is that it offers more accurate nuance and expression. It’s the third sensor which provides the magic, allowing the same notes to sound again, before they have returned to their original position. Impressive! Casio’s new AiR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator) sound source delivers amazing realism, particularly in its grand piano sounds. The keyboard seamlessly generated detailed sounds in a great dynamic range, allowing for sensitivity and subtlety in performance. The piano, electric piano, organ and string sections all included a strong range of

Larry Fishman has been associated with the design and manufacture of quality transducers since 1981. I myself have

marvelled at some of his creations, including the amazing acoustic tone coming out the Fishman Powerbridge in Dan Hawkins’ (of the Darkness) Les Paul at their last Melbourne show.

This issue, we’re checking out the Loudbox Mini, a lightweight acoustic amp, pumping out 60 watts of clean power. Out of the box, she’s a classy looking thing, the vintage coffee cream colour scheme serving as a real treat to the ol’ corneas, and even though this is advertised as Fishman’s most lightweight and portable amp, it weighs in at just under 20 lbs, with a solid, robust feel and quality components.

Behind the grill a combination of a 6.5” woofer and 1” tweeter pushes the air, and the amp kicks back at a nice angle so you can hear the presence coming off it, and even though the dimensions are quite small (34.5 x 30.5 x 24.7cm), this amp still packs serious punch.

There are two channels onboard, one for your instrument and the other for your microphone with an XLR input. Also included is a ¼” and mini-jack (for iPod) input and a mixed D.I. output to capture your performance when recording or to send your mix to another device (like a mixing desk). Channel one sports a ¼” passive and active input, feedback-reducing phase switch, gain, a three-band EQ (Low, Mid, High), a long digital reverb and dual-function chorus. Channel two is a lot simpler with a passive XLR input (for dynamic microphones only), gain, two-band EQ (Low and High) and digital reverb.

I tested the Loudbox Mini by plugging in an acoustic guitar and setting up mic on a stand for an “unplugged” session at home. My initial reaction to the Loudbox was that it lives up to its name, being very loud and clear, with tonnes of headroom. The infamous Fishman “shine” pours out of this unit, and plugging in and leaving the gain flat was a marvellous place to start. Even though I didn’t need to touch the EQ to get a killer tone, the three bands on the instrument channel are very musical, wide and never unpleasant, even when cranked up. When

Behringer’s ever-popular Xenyx range of mixers has become “USB-ised” in recent times in order to send and receive

the audio through your computer. Today I’ll be reviewing the Q502 and Q802 models.

First, the Q 502 is an extremely simple little desk featuring one mono channel and two stereo channels, for a total of five channels. Channel one houses a single Xenyx mic preamp, balanced/unbalanced input, gain control, compression, phantom power (for a condenser mic/active DI box), two-band “Neo-Classical British” EQ (based on legendary British consoles of the ‘70s and ‘80s), pan and level. Then channels 2/3 and 5/6 are identical with two ¼” balanced/unbalanced inputs, balance (pan) and level knobs. Very simple stuff. The Q502 also has USB out so it can send and receive two channels of audio in and out of your computer, like a basic audio interface. So essentially, you have the option of using it as either a live mixing desk, a recording preamp going into an audio interface, or even a basic audio interface itself.

I tested the unit by plugging in my Mann M21 condenser mic, cranked the gain up to around 3 o’clock and started singing. The Xenyx mic pre sure is impressive, much cleaner and smoother than one would anticipate at this price. Turning up the compression produced fantastic results, as the one-knob onboard compressor is extremely transparent and effective, wonderful for recording. The two-band EQ is also really sweet and musical, definitely smoother in design than most three-band EQs but a little over-exaggerated in being termed as “Neo-Classical British” (invented by King Arthur and Rupert Neve?). Using the USB also worked beautifully, but required the use the supplied adaptor as it requires more juice than the Q302. Playback is flawless but there’s a bit more latency on input than a designated audio interface, so DAW monitoring with a plug-in like an amp modeller may give you a bit of a headache, but it’s fine for recording some dry vocals.

Next up, the Q802, pretty much the same thing except with two Xenyx mic preamps, two compression controls, three-band EQ, FX send, stereo aux return,

Casio Privia PX350 Digital Piano

REVIEWER: TIFFANY BRITCHFORDINFO: WWW.SOUNDTECHNOLOGY.COM.AU

Fishman Loudbox Mini Acoustic Amplifi er

REVIEWER: REZA NASSERIINFO: WWW.DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU

Rebelrocker 4312 ST REVIEWER: REZA NASSERI

INFO: WWW.JADEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

Behringer Xenyx Q502 USB & Q802 USB

REVIEWER: REZA NASSERIINFO: WWW.GALACTICMUSIC.COM.AU

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realistic sounds to satisfy any number of genres and uses. The most discerning of ears would be hard pressed to doubt this unit’s sonic authenticity.

The keys are a “simulated ebony and ivory texture”, meaning they essentially have a faux-wood grain look and feel, though the colours remain black and white. Personal preference will come into play here but I like a more glossy finish.

Visually, the PX350 is quite attractive - nice clean shape, available in black or white, possessing elegance, with its silver navigation panels easy to operate. An optional furniture-style stand is available too.

The PX350 not only wins on a sonic and visual level, but also with its technological attributes. Offering audio file(.WAV) recording and playback to USB (instead of SD card) is an incredibly handy feature, as are the PC and Mac drivers built into the piano’s firmware. No need to waste time googling and then installing drivers. In addition to USB connectivity, the PX350 also offers MIDI ports for the traditionalists who wish to connect older keyboards and modules.

The three foot pedals, designed to mirror those on a grand piano, were attached to a bar across the floor as part of the stand. They worked nicely but for me, seemed quite short at around 4” in length. At 11kg, it’s relatively light for a stage piano and would be easily portable. The built-in speakers are fine for home use or acoustic situations but if you like it loud or would be using it at gigs, simply plug it into speakers or DI it. As mentioned earlier, the PX 350 also includes a handy USB terminal, MIDI in/out and 17-track recorder. It’s well priced at $1500, or $1800 with stand and pedals and compared to its competitors, hard to beat for value. If I didn’t already own a stage piano, I’d seriously consider buying one!

feedback started to become an issue, the phase switch helped to cancel it out a bit.

The onboard digital reverb is pure bliss; long, wet and hall-like, to add some sparkle to an already magical preamp, and there is more reverb here than one shall ever require. I’ll also state th,at for the record, I’m not a big fan of chorus, unless it’s an old, warm analogue chorus like a Boss CE-1, so I was quite happy to add a little hint of chorus, for a touch more dimension. The vocal channel was also pretty decent, and you can rock it pretty loud if you have a decent dynamic mic. I plugged in my Sennheiser 945 and dug the loud, crisp air coming off it. Again, even at a flat EQ setting, vocals sat beautifully over my acoustic, and the lack of a mid cut or boost wasn’t missed at all.

The Fishman Loudbox Mini sets a new standard in acoustic amplification, especially for the price you’ll pay for it. It’s extremely powerful and portable. Perfect for rehearsals and jam sessions, as well as improving the quality of monitoring at gigs.

control room out and six overall channels. This time the gain structure on Xenyx mic pres was more linear, with more gain, volume and compression on tap (better for dynamic mics), so finding a sweet spot on the desk is essential. The three-band EQ is again wide and musical, but not quite as sweet as the EQ on the 502. The addition of an FX send lets you set up an additional effect like a reverb or delay to be brought back on the Aux return, and two extra outputs for the control room allow you to hook up some extra speakers for foldback or room fill.

Personally, I liked the Behringer Xenyx Q502 more for recording, as the channel strip sounded a bit cleaner (probably because phantom power is not shared) and sweeter, but remember it’s only good for direct monitoring and DAW monitoring would require the use of a designated audio interface. The 802 is a much more practical solution for, say, acoustic duos with routing to a computer’s audio via USB for backing tracks or house music.

The Rebelrocker 4312ST is a 12-string semi-

hollowbody electric guitar that ‘borrows’ from the famous ‘Rick & Backers of the ‘60s. Built in China under Tokai Guitars, this guitar is their take on the classic Rickenbacker 360-12-string, first made in 1963 as used by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds and in more recent times Radiohead, Silverchair and The Church.

Finished in the ever-popular Rick-style ‘Fireglo’, the Rebelrocker has an RK-style headstock, 12 diecast chrome machine heads, a hard maple set neck with rosewood fingerboard, basswood body and plywood veneer. The LP Bridge and RK Tail sound fantastic when amplified by two vintage humbuckers and the two-way volume and tone knobs do the business.

At first glance this guitar looks fantastic, very close to the real deal. A couple of noticeable differences were in the shape of the F-hole (the Rebel has a traditional F shape) and that the finish lacks depth

and looks as though it has been sprayed on quickly. Otherwise, everything else looks pretty much legit, as you’d expect from Tokai.

A basswood body provides a very even tone unplugged and the semi-hollowbody design provides a long, ‘floating’ sound which works beautifully in conjunction with the famous steel rattle and overtones you get from this sort of instrument. The plywood veneer sounds like a bit of a letdown, but only fails a bit in the looks department, that is if you’re looking for a classy, expensive instrument. Personally, I really like the look of some cheaper vintage-inspired instruments so it may work for you as well.

The neck feels great but the action and setup need a bit of work and you might have some intonation troubles if you press down too hard on some of the strings, particularly the low E, which was set way too high in my opinion. Not to worry if you have a bit of setup knowledge, because this could probably be fixed by simply lowering the strings and re-adjusting the intonation.

The pickups on this guitar sound fantastic, providing a true ‘60s style jangle in the bridge and thick, bassy depth in the neck. Leaving the pickups in the middle position provides the most natural tone, but I really enjoy the variety you get with all the pickup, volume and tone settings.

I personally like the sound of this guitar going into a clean American amp with a bit of breakup, like a Fender Twin or Deluxe. I used my Line 6 Spider for a quick test and was able to get a similar tone out of my clean channel. I’d also say this guitar loves reverb, especially if you have some spring ‘verb to dollop on. Not to say you can’t get some killer tones with some drive, I just prefer using it in a more conventional way as it seems to get a bit uncontrollable with too much gain. Summing up, I’d have to say this is a good guitar for one’s arsenal, especially for recording enthusiasts that need something different in the mix. Personally I’m more of a fan of 12-string acoustics but 12-string electrics also have their place, and if you want to part of history and are not only a rebel, but also a rocker (excuse the pun), check this guitar.

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It’s great to see guitar manufacturers adapting to these

environmentally-conscious times, reducing the impact of sourcing traditional woods and looking for alternatives that still produce pleasing results. Martinez guitars have done this with their ‘Eco series’ range, and I was very interested in trying out a solid-top dreadnaught guitar made of bamboo. The Martinez MDC-ECO-7-BB immediately caught my eye and struck me as a very original instrument, with its bamboo back and sides, solid spruce top, nato neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and ACUS 2TN preamp.

For me, this was the first time I’d tried out a guitar made of bamboo or even nato, so first up, I had to find out what the hell nato even was. According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, nato is an eastern tropical hardwood that’s a substitute for mahogany and is abundant in large quantities and sizes. Other manufacturers like BC Rich and

As any gigging acoustic musician knows, one of the most important factors in getting your acoustic guitar sounding great is

having a good DI box (Direct Injection) to carry a nice, clean signal to the PA. But what if a DI box isn’t enough, and you need to shape your tone, add compression, destroy feedback, check your tuning and even add a mic’ed signal to your acoustic tone? Enter the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI.

This unit houses a preamp made up of volume, a three-band EQ and a one-knob compressor. There’s also an onboard feedback detector that can hone in and destroy three primary feedback frequencies. Also included is an onboard tuner, TRS effects loop, trim knob, phase switch, USB connectivity (to access the Aura Image Gallery) and of course the Aura image selector, designed to blend the sound of a microphone to a direct source. Even without the imaging system, the preamp sounds fantastic, with a high-quality slickness synonymous with the Fishman name. Throw in some compression and anti-feedback and this pedal becomes an all-in-one solution for the gigging musician.

The digital imaging Fishman has developed is different to digital modelling, and if a vastly different image is added to your guitar’s acoustic tone, you’ll probably end up with poor results. The idea behind this feature is to select a model that sounds most like your guitar and slowly introduce the mic’ed image back in. There are eight banks available with 16 images in each bank. The banks are titled Dreadnaught, Orchestra, Concert, Jumbo, Nylon, 12-String, Bluegrass and User Images.

I plugged in a Takamine TAN15C Dreadnaught with a solid cedar top and rosewood back and sides. Instead of running through an endless bank of presets, I went to the Fishman website and downloaded the Aura Gallery software. I then connected the unit to my PC, booted up the software and did a search for a guitar with the same body shape and woods. I scrolled through a bunch of different microphones until I found one that best represented my true acoustic tone, saved it to one of my user banks and slowly blended it

Martinez MDC ECO7 BB REVIEWER: REZA NASSERI

INFO: WWW.JADEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

Fishman Aura Spectrum DIREVIEWER: REZA NASSERI

INFO: WWW.DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU5 6

Eastwood Guitars are currently using this wood in their Chinese and Korean factories as well.

Out of the box this guitar looks fantastic. It has a soft, light, minimalist appearance that would be right at home amongst rice paddies, coconut trees and palm huts. The bamboo grain looks awesome, filled with many joins and knots, as does the grain on the neck, which has a lot of depth and character. A very bare cross inlay looks as though it has been burned in and sits nicely with the multiple body bindings, abalone-style dot markers and sleek black satin headstock. The Eco 7 also has a very solid construction with quality hardware, holding its tuning perfectly, even at this astonishingly low price. The neck and action are great also and allow for fatigue-free playing, while notes ring out strong and clear with both pick and fingerstyle playing.

Unplugged she sounds fantastic, providing a much stronger projection and midrange than one would anticipate at first glance. The tone is both deep and bright, with an original sound that lacks the glassy zing of most traditional dreadnaughts, but instead has a harder high midrange that’s perfect for solos with a pick, or more grunt when strumming chords. The ACUS 2TN pickup, preamp and tuner all work beautifully and it sounds amazing, except that a 12th fret harmonic works better than an open note when tuning (which is something to note). Plugged in, the initial ‘zing’ that was absent has now been re-introduced thanks to a bright under-saddle piezo, and every note of each chord is immediate and identifiable when strummed out. Although you only get a bass and treble knob to work with, the Eco-7 sounded perfect with a flat EQ. I’m sure this guitar would sound fantastic as a solo guitar and probably even better in a full mix with electric guitars, bass and drums due to the big midrange and projection it possesses.

At a recommended retail price of only $399, this guitar is much more than an instrument for novice musicians or as a ‘standby’ guitar for professionals, but rather a unique alternative to the traditional dreadnaught that has been around forever, both in terms of looks, tone and features.

until I achieved a more three-dimensional sound. The result was more zing, air and presence that’s much softer to the ear than a piezo pickup. Everything else on the Aura worked beautifully too. The three-band EQ was very musical and set to the right sort of frequencies for acoustic guitar. The onboard compressor was hands down my favourite thing, as it only had one knob and worked brilliantly at keeping everything at a consistent volume. When levels got a bit too excited and feedback became an issue, the anti-feedback function was outstanding at detecting and eliminating the problem frequencies. Also included is a series effects loop, so you don’t have to put your effects pedals before or after the DI and can use the master volume to turn your whole signal chain up or down, very handy indeed. I find it very hard to fault this all-metal construction “Swiss Army Knife”. There’s just about everything a musician would need to get a perfect acoustic signal into a PA.

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