State of the Art: Rock Guitars, Circa’77

State of the Art: Rock Guitars, Circa’77

EXTENSION CHORDS

by

Bill Parsley

More people are buying and playing electric guitars than ever before. Every neighborhood in the country has at least one young hot-licks king. Since its introduction in the mid-20s, the electric guitar and its related equipment have seen as many trends and changes as the musical styles that perpetrated it. From the mellow-toned arch top acousticsof the Thirties to the solid body screamers of today, the electric guitar and its accessories have become ci multi-million dollar business. This month, we present a cross-section view of some of the instruments, amplifiers, and gadgets that are making the music of 1977.

Perhaps the shining star of new electric guitars is the Ibanez Artist / Series. The workmanship is superb, including some beautifully intricate inlay work in the fingerboard and. around the binding. The finish and woods used in the bodies are first rate. The “Super 70” pickups maintain a solid, crisp tone not found in many comparable pickups. They also have a very *‘hot” sound. All in all, it’s as good as anything on the market at a price that is quite affordable. Gibson, the hallowed r\ame in guitars, has cleaned up its act considerably. The new Nashville Les Pauls are much improved over some of the disappointing models of recent years. A strong, hard rock maple neck deters the chance of warpage and cracking, while a new fully anchored bridge insures precision tuning. Gibson has also re-issued the Explorer, Firebijrd, Flying V, and three pickup Les Paul Custom, in keeping with the great demand for these classics. Travis Bean, a ftewcomer to the market, has turned the scene upside down with an aluminum neck, headstock and bridge assembly. The one-piece metal design . offers increased sustain at all levels of volume, superior tuning, and an end to frequent neck adjustments. The body is made of elaborate Hawaiian Koa wood, and is handsome both in appearance and price. The Kramer guitar (manufactured by Travios Bean’s ex-partner) romisises to be ai big competitor, but as to date been running far behind in sales. There are some new surprises cooking at Gretch. Until now,, this company has been out of the picture in recent years, focusing mainly on an excellent guitar for the country sound. An ultra rock guitar is now in the planning that should turn a few heads around. (I’ve had a peek!)

On the amplification front, it’s still Marshall, Ampeg and Acoustic in the front. Marshall has introduced the 50 watt combo model with two 12” Celeston speakers. This one piece portable powerhouse offers the same great sound that made Marshall famous, without the need of a block and tackle or the Teamsters Union to haul it. All 100 and 50 watt Marshall amps are now available with master volumes; something they’ve always needed. The solid state Marshalls gained immediate acceptance as versatile, powerful amps. The lead model sounds remarkable, like its tube brother. By the way, Marshall amps are available in colors again. (Red, orange, purple and beige.) Acoustic has jumped hot and heavy into sound system equipment, with new models of mixers, power amps and speaker enclosures. The 370 Series is still one of the favorite rigs of bass players everywhere. The V-6B is a new Ampeg bass model that offers 240 watts RMS of solid state cleanliness along with two 15” speakers. The SVT to many is still the king of the bass amps. Keep your eye on Peavey (still in the fabbit of the industry). With a new model every week, and a Southerner in the White House again, things could start jumpin’ this year.

Gadgetry is definitely a part of today’s sound. The talk box was first used in a children’s record, “Spanky’s Magic Wand,” about 40 years ago. It then disappeared only to resurface in the late ’60s in the hands, or shall we mouth, of Mike Pinera (remember Iron Butterfly?). It has since been taken afew fantasies farther by the likes of Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, and Jeff Beck, to name but a few. It consists of a driver mainly, like those used with PA horns, and a plastic tube. It is wired so that the signal leaves the amplifier, goes into the driver and up the tube into the user’s mouth. The mouth is then moved to alter the sound coming out of the tube. The tube acts as a larynx. The sound must be amplified by a microphone as it leaves the mouth. The Dean Markley Co. offers three excellent models of the voice box, to cover all power requirements. Envelope followers or funk boxes are also big these days. They act as sort of an automatic wah-wah that responds to the degree of pick attack. Phasing and flanging are also dominant effects in many recordings. These afford a sweeping, celestial sound much like a Leslie speaker., This is known as the Doppler Effect for Physics minded readers. The more notable of these are the MXR Flanger and the Tychobrahe Pedalflanger.