Home, Sweet... Pedalboard
Tue, 05/12/2015 - 8:51pm
Topics: guitar, paul gilbert
Now that I'm home and getting ready to record my new solo album, I thought I'd build a pedalboard of essential tones. This line-up features three different overdrive/distortion pedals... my always reliable TC Electronic MojoMojo and MXR Distortion Plus, and more saturated tones from the Way Huge Fat Sandwich. The MXR Phase 90 and Fulltone Deja-Vibe give me a couple choices of swirly sounds. The TC Electronic Alter Ego Vintage Delay is there for some warm slap. And a TC PolyTune Mini and Custom Audio Buffer keep me in tune and keep my bypassed signal strong, respectively. On the "island" pedalboard, are my Ditto Looper, Keeley Loop (an effect loop pedal, that I use as an A/B box, and a Foot Bass stomp pedal.) A blue sandbag turned out to be a good solution for keeping my stomp pedal from sliding around. (It's attached to the board with Velcro.)
One quick note from my European Clinic Tour:
My "Beyond Stereo" pedalboard worked great in the controlled environment of my studio, but when I got it out on the road, I found that using three amps caused unsolvable hum problems. I rewired it to work for two amps, and that worked better, but still had some small hum in certain venues. So as you can see above... I'm back to mono!
Thank you,
Paul
ArtistWorks on Periscope
Thu, 05/14/2015 - 9:48am
Good news: we are starting to live stream recording sessions with our artists who come to our studio. Using the Periscope App, we'll be broadcasting live whenever we have a special guest in our recording studio to record new lessons.
If you follow us on Twitter @artistworks, you may have noticed a couple weeks back that we had Mike Block in recording cello lessons (be sure to get on the mailing list for updates). Mike is back this week to record more and today we're be streaming some of the material on bluegrass cello. Watch live on Periscope @artistworks or follow us on Twitter for the link!
These sessions are meant to be viewed live, but will be stored for 24 hours on our Periscope profile if you have the app. Anyone with the link can view the broadcasts live and see the behind the scenes action at our ArtistWorks headquarters in Napa, CA. Periscope has presented interesting possibilities for real time recording and we are excited to begin experimenting with some different uses. Hope to have some folks tuning in!
The Legendary B.B. King
Fri, 05/15/2015 - 11:52am
"His influence on so many of us is beyond words. Thank God for B. B. King." - John Patitucci
ArtistWorks is sad to hear that the legendary guitarist B.B. King has passed away, we send our deepest respect and condolences to his family. Our blues guitar instructor Keith Wyatt has shared his thoughts about B.B. King below.
We all know that no one lives forever, but it began to seem that BB might be the one exception (we never met in person, but I have always thought of him on a first-name - or initial - basis). From his first hit record “Three O’Clock Blues” in 1952 until late last year when health and age finally began to slow him down, BB lived to play and played to live, and he did outlive all of his contemporaries and many of his disciples. The King is dead, and while there is a multitude of princes, there is no king to replace him.
Lap Steel Guitar vs. Dobro: What are the Differences?
Tue, 05/19/2015 - 5:47pm
Andy Hall was in the ArtistWorks studios recently recording a new section for his online students on lap steel guitar. One of the first lessons he recorded was on comparing the differences between playing Dobro and lap steel guitar. As you'll see, they relate quite a bit but there are some key differences and similarities. As Andy explains, some music lends itself better to playing lap steel vs. Dobro.
Upcoming Summer Bluegrass Festivals
Fri, 05/22/2015 - 3:42pm
The summer is fast approaching, and there's no better time for outdoor jamming than some of that nice warm weather. We hope everyone finds some time to sit back and play some music this summer. Whatever style or instrument you play, the important thing is to enjoy it for all that it's worth. If you're in any of these areas, check out some ArtistWorks bluegrass teachers playing live at these upcoming event
- Telluride Bluegrass Festival: June 18-21. Telluride, CO. Featuring Bryan Sutton. Click here for more info.
