Dust and Bones (released on 23rd March) is the new album by blues guitarist, singer/songwriter Clare Free and is the follow up to her debut CD ‘Be Who You Are‘ and the EP ‘How It Is‘.

Clare has a great reputation as a talented blues guitarist and her energy during the live shows and her dazzling lead guitar work has earned her a loyal following amongst the blues scene.

Dust and Bones is an impressive display of Clare’s song writing abilities and tasteful guitar work. In fact it’s the latter that really lifts this album to a higher level and cements Clare’s reputation as one of the UK’s exciting and talented female guitarists. Her guitar solos are well crafted and both her note placement and phrasing are up there with the best.

The album has some mature lyrics about day to day problems ranging from stalking (Creepy) to a women’s struggle to conceive (Small Miracles) which lend her songs a more diverse edge than you’ll hear with a lot of traditional blues artists. Highlights include the title track ‘Dust and Bones‘, a moody blues tune about infidelity, and the slow blues track ‘Stronger Than You Think’ which really shows off Clare’s lead guitar prowess.

The album is proof that the UK blues scene is alive and kicking and it’s great to see young artists like Clare flying the flag for a genre that is enjoying a much deserved resurgence. Clare is definite riding the new wave of British blues!

Visit Clare’s website to find out more about her music and check out this exclusive blues guitar lesson Clare produced for Fretpoint.com.

Gibson, much like Fender, are continuing to update their guitar range and the latest model to undergo a makeover is the trust old workhorse, the SG. Since it’s introduction in 1961 when it replaced the Les Paul for a little while the guitar has been a mainstay for many classic rock and blues artists but while the guitar is undoubtedly full of tone it’s never been the most versatile beast. The SG Diablo aims to correct this and give the SG a metal edged makeover.

The SG Diablo has a “double-locking” Floyd Rose vibrato bridge, 24 frets for extended soloing range and a simplified no-nonsense control layout with a hand-sprayed nitrocellulose finish in gloss Ebony Black. The Diablo also features two of Gibson’s popular PAF-style humbucking pickups—a 490R at the neck and 498T at the bridge, made with Alnico II and Alnico V magnets.

What the Experts say about the SG Diablo

We asked several respected Gibson’s dealers about this guitar and this is what they had to say.

“…the guitar certainly looks cool. An interesting departure for Gibson to add a Floyd Rose to an SG, it’ll be interesting to see how well that goes down with the guitar playing public. It’s sure to be a love/hate product, but as with anything Gibson, those that love it, will REALLY love it! ”

Jamie, Hartnolls Online Guitar Centre, Plymouth UK

“The Gibson Diablo with Floyd Rose Tremolo, as the name suggests, is designed and equipped for the darker and heavier styles of rock. It is the prefect addition to any heavy rock players, especially shredders. The typical double cutaway ‘devil-horn’ body is made of mahogany along with the neck and it looks very cool.

It has Gibson 490R and 498T humbuckers for higher output and great versatility, but the major feature is of course the tremolo meaning it keeps tuning stable during extreme pitch changes. I think if you’re looking for a heavy metal machine that looks and sounds dark, but in all fairness sounds with crystal clear clarity, then look no further.”

Steve Williams, Dawsons UK

“…it’s certainly an interesting looking model. Gibsons with Floyd Roses are always a nice alternative to ESP/LTD guitars. The proof will be in the pudding though!”

GAK, UK

The Gibson SG Diablo will retail at around £1,500 in the UK & $2,799 in the US.

The Gibson Jeff Tweedy SG 61 is one of several impressive signature guitars unveiled by Gibson at NAMM 2012. The famous Wilco front man took the leading role in making this is a signature guitar to remember giving Gibson a precise specification based on his early ’60s SG. The resulting guitar is something that is becoming ever more popular: a vintage guitar with a modern twist.

The design, unsurprisingly, is very much that of the original, the finish perfectly captures the era in which these guitar were made with a beautiful Blue Mist finish with cream detailing. This vintage feel is emphasised by the authentic Lyre Vibrola tailpiece with tremolo. The authenticity doesn’t just stop with looks, beneath the surface a there is a mahogany neck and body and even a North American Mahogany fretboard in a slim SG profile. Unlike the original however the neck is an unpainted satin finish.

You’ll be pleased to know that pickups on the Gibson Jeff Tweedy match them of the original with Gibson ’57 Classic humbuckers meaning you get the vintage tone you know and love. The pickups are renditions of the PAF humbuckers found on the early SG guitars so you can perfectly replicate their rich, warm tone. However Jeff Tweedy was by no means a close-minded artist and experimented with various playing styles and genres from country to punk rock. So it was important to replicate this and create a versatile guitar that is capable of many tonal possibilities.

There is no opinion involved; the Gibson Jeff Tweedy SG 61 is a breathtakingly attractive guitar, fact! Whether you’re a Wilco fan or not, it doesn’t matter when it looks and sounds this good. In my opinion when guitar manufacturers create signature guitars and put a little time and effort in rather than simply creating replicas, they are a cut above the rest. Especially if you want to reproduce that vintage sound that you just can’t get with modern guitars.

Price: £1,300 GBP / $1,700 USD

The BB Preamp is Andy Timmons signature pedal by Xotic Effects and offers smoother, warmer and more compressed tone than the standard BB Preamp pedal with even richer  harmonics. Housed in a durable orange metallic paint, the pedal itself looks great and has a real boutique feel about it.

If you want to get that Andy Timmons sound then this pedal really is essential. It will give you a wonderful array of overdrive tones and is probably one of our favourite effects pedals. It’s worth pointing out however that even though the pedal can be driven really hard it’s not a distortion pedal so if your looking for more gain this probably isn’t the pedal for you. If you love playing classic rock and blues then this pedal will be perfect though!

The following text is taken from the BB Preamp page on the Xotic FX website.

• The BB Preamp offers a wide variety of sounds. It’s capable of a 30dB+ clean boost with an adjustable ±15dB two band active EQ which adds a wide range of harmonic content to your ideal sound.
• The BB also utilizes a pre-gain stage which allows the Pedal to go from a very pristine clean to a very smooth,compressed, overdriven sound.
• True bypass for eliminating any signal interference when switched off.
  Can be used with AC adaptor (optional) or 9V Battery.

Visit the Xotic FX website for more details about this killer pedal.

Second albums are notoriously hard to pull off and this could be the reason behind the cheeky titling of Chickenfoot’s second record. Of course it could also have been a little dig at the ill fated 1998 Van Halen release but who knows? What I do know is that I haven’t stopped listening to Chickenfoot III since it arrived in the post.

If there was any pressure in the Chickenfoot camp then there’s no sign of it on this record. Yes the band aren’t breaking any new ground here but they do what they do with consummate ease and the combination of Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani as a songwriting partnership is really paying off. I personally love the way that Joe has eased into being part of a band despite over two decades of virtuoso solo work under his belt. He knows just how much to play and there is no grandstanding on any of the tracks despite Joe insane ability as a guitar player.

Highlights include, ‘Three and a half letters’, a powerful social/economic commentary inspired by all the letters Sammy has received in recent times. ‘Come Closer’ a poignant ballad that sees the band in a completely different dynamic and Different Devil, a track that echoes some of Sammy’s finest work with Van Halen.

Whilst this record won’t be for die hard early Van Halen fans or those looking for a more contemporary rock record, this is an album full of classic rock riffs, hooks and melodies that that rewards repeat listening. With material like this and the chemistry in the band it looks like Chickenfoot’s upcoming live shows will be something very special indeed!

Three and a Half Letters Video

Big Foot Video

Check out the full listings for Chickenfoot III below.

Chickenfoot will perform two UK concerts in January 2012 as part of a 5-date European tour; dates include Manchester Academy (Jan 12) and London’s O2 Academy Brixton on (Jan 14), followed by concerts in Paris, Tilburg and Dusseldorf. These are the band’s first European shows since July 2009, and will see them perform songs from their gold-selling eponymous debut album, alongside tracks from the new album ‘III’. Tickets are available from – http://bit.ly/qs8Srm.

The YJM100 was introduced by Marshall as the official signature amp of ‘king of neo-classical shred’, Yngwie J Malmsteen. The amp is being produced as a limited edition run and is based on the power and tone of Marshall’s ‘Holy Grail’ 1959 Plexi head. It’s made in the UK and incorporates some incredible all-valve tone with state of the art features. The amp is deceptively simple to look at giving it a classic old school Marshall look however it’s at the back of the head where all the clever stuff is hidden.

The following extract is taken from the Marshall website

The YJM100 features a whole host of modern features including Booster, Noise Gate, FX loop and Marshall’s new Electronic Power Attenuation (EPA) technology which really drive this head into the super amp category. In addition to cutting the power to 50 watts at a flick of a switch the amp also allows you take the volume down from 100watts to 0.1 watts in a similar way to the Slash AFD100 signature head. This gives you an enormous level of control and allows you to capture incredible tones at low volume.

“I can’t say enough about my love for the sound, feel and look of the wall of Marshall’s. Since I was 10 years old, I’ve insisted on having them behind me at all times,” the guitarist revealed. “I must have had every amp company in the world ask me to endorse them, over the years. To finally have my own signature Marshall is an honour and this amp is truly a master piece!”

Yngwie Malmsteen

Specification

• Power: 100W/50W infinitely adjustable down to 0.05W
• Preamp Valves: ECC83
• Power amp Valves: 4x EL34
• Channels: 4 input 2 channel vintage style
• Booster: Bypassable / Footswitchable YJM custom booster
• Noise Gate: Bypassable / Footswitchable Studio class expander
• Reverb: Bypassable / Footswitchable Studio class digital reverb
• Effects Loop: Bypassable / Footswitchable Series loop.
• Power Selection: 100W using 4 EL34 valves down to 50W using 2 EL34 valves
• Attenuation: Marshall designed attenuation down to 0.05W
• Valve Bias circuit: Automatic Self Bias with valve fault indicator.
• Speaker Output: 2×4 2x 8 1×16
• Cabinet: Marshall Major sized head box with vintage finish.

*NOTE: A four-way Footcontroller (PEDL-00046) comes supplied with the YJM100, facilitating switching of Booster, Gate, Reverb and FX Loop features. This Footcontroller has been designed using Marshall Amplification’s patented STOMPWARE® Technology, allowing the user to connect it to the amp using a standard 1/4? guitar cable.

Fretpoint Verdict

I got to see this head in action at the Modern Music sponsored Marshall Roadshow in Truro. Demonstrated by the hugely talented Chris George. I actually wasn’t sure what to expect but this amp ended up being the star of the show. The YJM100 delivers some of the best classic Marshall tones I’ve ever heard and I’m sure the power selection and attenuation options helped Chris drive the amp into that ‘magic tone’ stage where all the valves are kicked into overdrive. He ran through a series of classic rock riffs from ‘Voodoo Chile’ to ‘Walk This Way’ and Deep Purple’s ‘Black Night’ and they all sounded epic! If you’re trying to nail that vintage Ritchie Blackmore or Jimi Hendrix tone then this is the amp for you!

Marshall has certainly delivered with the YJM100 and although they have produced some cracking amps in recent years this to me is the very best that Marshall have right now. With all the extra functionality thrown in I don’t think you could ask for a better Marshall amp. The only downsides are the price which puts it out of the range of less affluent guitarists and the fact it’s limited edition. I suspect the amp will sell-out pretty quickly and start commanding high prices on the secondary market very soon.

Price

£1515 / $2456

Check out the official Marshall demo video featuring Chris George

YJM100 Demo – Featuring a Strat/Les Paul Comparison

The  FRM100TR is the Chinese manufactured version of the new FRM100 signature model that Ibanez have designed with Paul Gilbert.  However given this signature model’s excessive price tag, Ibanez have wisely chosen to produce a cheaper model for general release that includes many of the same great features.

It’s a unique design  featuring a distinctive reverse Iceman body. The FM100TR’s also have a mahogany body which gives it a more solid tone than many standard strat based guitars. The Ibanez Tight-Tune bridge and tailpiece also promote what Ibanez call “superior transfer of string vibration without unwanted movement” and is a great feature on the guitar giving an incredible level of tuning stability.

“The neck of FRM100TR is different than the previous RG shapes in the Paul Gilbert signature series. It’s thicker and fatter – 22mm@1st fret and 24mm@12th fret – for a classic feel. The 3 pc mahogany/maple/mahogany neck offers the player a fat and tight sound with a solid grip for comfortable playability (something which Paul demanded).  It’s slightly less fat than the high end FRM100 model.”

In addition to the new neck, Paul’s new signature guitar features taller and narrower frets than on his older PGM models. These allow you to physically bend the notes more easily, especially in those higher positions. This is something that will appeal to many guitarists who employ a lot of string bending and vibrato in their playing.

In a similar fashion to his previous signature models, the FRM100TR features a specific layout to keep the volume knob location in ‘Paul’s favourite’ spot.  This might not suit all players but it’s not radically different to many guitars so shouldn’t take too much getting used to. As well as the volume knob the guitar also features a pickup selector switch and an added tone control which allows you to roll off the treble and achieve a tone more accustomed to traditional humbucking pickups. In the demonstration video Paul rolls down the tone knob to around 3-4 to achieve this type of tone.

“Burning tones scream out of this guitar! The FRM100TR is more shocking proof that Ibanez listens to what guitar players want. In this case, the guitarist was ME. It all started when I flipped their Iceman body upside down, renamed it the FIREMAN, and created a guitar that looks like an electric brontosaurus. I demanded a beefy set-neck and a Tight-Tune bridge for maximum sustain and solid feel. Big, natural tones come from the DiMarzio® Injector™ pickups on the outside and an Area 67™ in the middle. I chose tall frets to make bending and vibrato easy and the intonation accurate. The knobs are out of the way, so I don’t bump into them when I attack the strings. And most importantly, the Fireman inspires me to play ALL THE TIME. You know what to do. Pick one up and ROCK!”

Paul Gilbert

Gretsch G5445T with Bigsby

Gretsch has just announced the launch of several new Electromatic Series guitars. The series includes nine new models, including two basses and two left-handed guitars (yay!)

New to the series are the Black G5445T and Gold G5448T Double Jet models. These double-cutaway guitars include a chambered basswood body (a welcome addition as Gretsch guitars have been notoriously heavy in the past) an arched maple top; a two-tone body color scheme; dual “Black Top” Filter’Tron™ pickups and a Bigsby® B50 tailpiece.

Other features include a 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and “Hump-Block” inlays; three-position pickup toggle switch; anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge, G-arrow knobs and a white pearloid Gretsch-logo pickguard.

Gretsch G5105 Electromatic

The Cherry G5103 and Black G5105 CVT III guitars offer a slim design with a thundering sound. These sonically stellar models sport the original Gretsch “CVT” thin-profile mahogany body design; a bolt-on maple neck that joins the body at the 18th fret, and three Gretsch mini dual-coil pickups that sound hi-fi rich and high-gain friendly. Additional features include three-position pickup toggle switch; 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets; G-arrow knobs and anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with stop tailpiece.

Gretsch G2210 Bass

The series also welcomes the Junior Jet™ Bass. “The Great Gretsch Sound” rings true with this solid body bass equipped with classic Gretsch appointments capable of filling a room with massive subsonic tones. Features include a 30.3” scale neck; Gretsch mini dual-coil pickup; 12”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets; four-saddle bridge and a black Gretsch-logo pickguard. This model is available in Black and Tobacco Sunburst finishes.

Also new to the collection are the Two-Tone Sunburst G5434, Black G5435 and Gold G5438 Pro Jet™ models. These chambered, single cutaway classics, also available in left-handed models (G5435LH and G5434LH), have an arched maple top; a 12” radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and “Hump Block” inlays; three-position pickup toggle switch; anchored Adjusto-Matic™ bridge and stop tailpiece; G-arrow knobs and white pearloid Gretsch-logo pickguard.

The new Electromatic series guitars are available at authorized Gretsch dealers. For more information, and to locate a dealer near you, visit www.gretschguitars.com.

Not sure how I managed to miss this one but the new Richie Kotzen TLR-RK/LTD Signature Telecaster is now available from Fender Japan. Check out the photos, spec and video demo below.

Close up of the Richie Kotzen TLR-RK Headstock

Close up of the DiMarzio TWANG KING and CHOPPER pickups

Specifications

BODY: BASSWOOD
NECK: MAPLE SATIN MAT
ORIGINAL GRIP SCALE: 324mm
FRETBOARD: MAPLE ONE PIECE
FRETS: 22 SUPER JUMBO Frets
RADIUS: 305R
NUT WIDTH: 42mm
PICKUPS: DiMarzio TWANG KING ×1, DiMarzio CHOPPER T×1
CONTROLS: 1VOL
SWITCH: 3WAY SW,MODE SW
BRIDGE: 6SECTION BRASS SPECIAL XN
TUNER: SGS510 XN
COLOR: BLK

Price: ¥183,750 (approx £1,399 GBP / $2,300 USD)

Check out this demo of the Richie Kotzen TLR-RK/LTD

Check out the Fender Japan website for more details on the TLR-RK/LTD Signature Fender Telecaster.

The PRS SE Torero retails at £799 and is another high quality instrument from PRS to emerge out of their Korean factory. The SE Torero features several firsts for PRS, including a Floyd Rose bridge, EMG pickups, and neck through body construction which should appeal to both existing PRS players and new musicians (particularly metal guitarists).

The minimal/unpronounced heel smoothly blends into the body and the deeper, lower cutaway gives easier and smoother accessibility to the upper frets while the pick-ups provide power, clarity, and definition. These features all contribute to the Torero£s notable sustain, and the bound ebony fretboard with jumbo frets and no inlays paired with a mahogany body and flame-maple veneer give this guitar a very distinct look.

EMG 81 and 85 pickups are tied to a three-way switch with master volume and tone controls. Hardware is chrome and the bridge is an original Floyd Rose 1000 series.

From the PRS Website

The PRS SE Torero is a beautiful looking guitar

Check out this excellent video review from Anderton’s Music.

Specification:

Body:Â Bound Mahogany Body with Flame Maple Veneer
Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 25 1/2″
Neck Wood: Maple
Fretboard Wood: Ebony
Neck Shape: Wide Thin
Fretboard Inlays: No Inlay
Bridge: Floyd Rose Tremolo
Tuners: PRS Designed Tuners
Truss Rod Cover: “PRS”
Hardware Type: Nickel
Treble Pickup : EMG 81
Bass Pickup: EMG 85
Pickup Switching: Volume and Tone Control with 3-Way Toggle Pickup Selector

Colours: Scarlet Red or Royal Blue

Price: £799 GBP / $995 uSD

Fretpoint Verdict:

This is another fine instrument from PRS as you would expect. It’s competitively priced and is about as good a guitar as you’ll get from a Korean factory. It’s also somewhat of a departure for PRS as it’s squarely targeting the metal and hard rock fraternity with the Floyd Rose and EMG combination. It might not be the most subtle guitar in PRS’ collection but we love it!