PLUGGING IT IN CREEM GUIDE TO ELECTRIC GUITARS

GUITAR REVOLUTION!

PLUGGING IT IN CREEM GUIDE TO ELECTRIC GUITARS

In this, the first of a series examining the tools and weapons of today’s musicians, CREEM has selected the key to life in the fast lane, the electric guitar, and some of the problems that come with the grind.

This is not to say that those of you who play acoustic guitars, drummers, keyboard enthuasists and other multifaceted producers of sound should hide behind your mixers or equalizers, because there is a great deal more coming up in future issues. But read this one, you’ll learn more about your fellow man and maybe npt quibble so much about the action you think he’s getting.

Some 25 years ago or so, Leo Fender and Les Paul opened a sort of Pandora’s box of electrical energy; what it did for Leo and Les is history, but what it did for music is meteoric.

Although there have been no real significant changes in electric guitars since the mid-50’s, in the 70’s we find ourselves in a forest of electric guitars, some old, some new, all of them confusing. If you were faced with the prospect of buying or trading for a guitar tomorrow, how well would you do? Hopefully, this article will better acquaint you with the situation and leave you with only the problem of what to do after you have it.

There are only two things to consider about your axe: (besides how to play) how to buy and how to trade. The only way to come out ahead on a trade is to avoid it completely. More than likely, you are not going to get what you think your guitar is worth in trade, and here’s why: A retailer would rather buy another new guitar from the manufacturer than pay even more money for a used one. Wouldn’t you run your business the same way? The best way to deal with the situation is to avoid trading in equipment as much as

possible. Run an ad in local papers, post signs in school music rooms, pool halls or parking garages, track down local musicians and see if they can use your equipment. Try dealing with another person more or less on your level and convert your equipment into cash money before you go in to buy something else. There are many variables in trading equipment—just don’t lose sight of “up”, ’cause that’s what you want to trade to. Assuming that you have successfully converted your used merchandise into cash, or, even easier^ you’re starting with cash, the question now becomes, “What should I buy? Where can I go to get a magic guitar in Des Moines? Which one of these pearloid and chromium swords will make me a star?”

Well, even the best guitar won’t make you rich and famous overnight, but there’s no doubt that a good solid instrument will inspire the player and make him enjoy practicing, playing and working harder to master the instrument. So, encouraged by that optimistic premise, we now proceed to investigate today’s electric guitar market. In deference to their long standing as leaders in the field, we will begin with brief discussion of recent developments in Gibson and Fender guitars (solid body only) and then proceed to newer guitars on the scene.

GIBSON (Norlin Music, 737 N. Cicero Ave., Lincoln wood, IL 60646) The Gibson Company now has a new factory in Nashville, Tennessee where they build all their solid body instruments. Most popular, of course, is the Les Paul series. The new Les Paul Standard has a laminated maple neck, as opposed to the traditional mahogany, which makes the neck more rigid and helps give the guitar a somewhat brighter tone. Gibson also changed the size of the frets in the Les Paul Custom from small “fretless wonder” size to large jumbo frets, thus making string bending easier.

The relatively new L6-S has a light and thinner body than the Paul, as well as a full 24-fret fingerboard for easier upper fret access. The L6-S also has a 6-position varitone switch which selects various combinations of tones, two of which are out-of-phase signals. Carlos Santana likes the L6-S because it has a very fast action and broad tonal response. Several other solid-body Gibsons, the S-l, the Marauder and the L5-S are rapidly gaining popularity.

In response to the demand for a triple pickup Les Paul (Peter Frampton’s favorite), Gibson has re-issued the Les Paul Custom with three humbuckings and also a variation on the theme: The Artisan, which has three pickups, jumbo frets, custom gold-plated hardware, a rosewood fingerboard instead of the traditional ebony usually found on the Custom and some fancy banjotype inlays in the neck. The Artisan is available in several new finishes, too, and should be very popular.

FENDER (1300 Valencia, Fullerton, CA 92670) Not much has changed on the Telecaster and Stratocaster since they were designed by Leo Fender and Co. in the 50’s. Since Fender sold out to CBS, Inc. in late 1966, some new models have been added: The Telecaster Deluxe, Telecaster Thinline, and most recently, the

hollow-bodied Starcaster. It is too early to tell how well these will hold up on the market, but there’s no doubt that the Telly and Strat. will be here for the duration. From the collector’s point of view, the Pre-CBS Telecasters and Stratocasters are more desirable, but a new one will work just as well. Jeff Beck played a 1975 standard production model on his recent Wired LP, so there’s some strong evidence that it’s the player, not the instrument, that is most responsible for good music.

Charvel, Inc. (17525 E. Arrow Hwy., Ausuza, CA 91702) makes several goodies for hot-rodding Fender guitars: single-ply pickups, brass bridge assemblies, and a five-position switch for the Strat which makes the out-of-' phase position between the middle and treble pickup much less precarious than the standard three-position switch.

IBANEZ (P.O. Box 469 Cornwells Hts., PA 19020) Besides offering an exhaustive line of replicas of every major brand and model of Americanmade guitars, Ibanez offers two series of solid body electrics, the Artist and Professional series, which are excellent guitars in their own right.

Improvements you will see this year on the double cutaway Artist model include larger frets and a rounded neck heel that resembles the heel on a B.C. Rich guitar. On the Professional series Ibanez, many new design concepts,

some of them inspired by the Alembic people, combine to make the Ibanez Pro one of the most distinctive new guitars on the market.

Underneath the bridge of the Pro there is embedded a die cast zinc sustain block (as opposed to brass in the Alembic—zinc is the harder metal); the bridge itself is the long-throw Schaller type which has lock mounts for steadfast, precise intonation. The tailpiece, like the tuning machines, is also lockable. Another new idea is the half and half nut, half brass, half bone with the brass part nearest the fretboard. Ibanez designers say that this type nut makes for a more even sound between open and fretted notes and provides a marginal increase in overall sustain.

One word about the Ibanez replicas —they are not cheap imitations. Properly set up, it’s hard to tell the difference in the sound of the Ibanez Les Paul copy and the Real McCoy. If you’re on a limited budget, try these guitars before you buy anything else.

TRAVIS BEAN (11671 Sheldon St., Sun Valley, GA 91352) Travis Bean, who introduced his all aluminum neck guitar in late 1975, has been one of the most consistent manufacturers in the innovative guitar market. T.B. offers four basic guitar models: the TB 1000 Artist, TB Standard, TB 500 (singlef coil pickups) and the TB 3000 Wedge. All these guitars have a solid aluminum neck which runs the entire length of the body and anchors the string at both ends. The necks are highly tolerant and thus will not warp, and they have an incredible amount of sustain and clarity

This year Bean enlarged the cutaways on his solid Koa wood body to make the higher frets easier to reach, and in response to criticism of the guitar’s weight, Travis has lightened the body and the neck to give the guitar a better overall balance. In the very near future, the TB 1000 Standard model will have a magnolia wood body, which is lighter in color and weight than Koa wood, thus setting the Standard apart from the fancier Artist model. The Bean guitars are competitively priced and can hold their own against any new Les Paul or Strat; in fact, they just might be better.

RICKENBACKER (P.O. Box 2275, Santa Ana, CA 92707) Rickenbacker’s Model 481 is more than innovative, it’s downright avant-garde. The guitar features humbucking pickups, a phase switch, body binding, two truss rods, a rosewood fingerboard with pearloid inlays, Grover tuning machines and a solid maple body. But the real clincher is the slanted frets. That’s right, slanted frets!! The good folks at Rickenbacker say that once you adjust to this oddity, barre chords are much easier to make and your playing speed will increase a

minimum of 10%. The 481 is available in any of the standard Rick finishes for the moderate sum of $498.00 (suggested retail).

AMPEG CO (Box 310, Elkhart, IN 46514) Hagstrom makes a good line of inexpensive electric guitars and basses that have very easy playing necks and are well suited to beginning players. But make no mistake, the Swede is a professional-grade axe, comparable to the Les Paul

The Swede is the top of the line electric guitar from the Ampeg Company. Hagstroms are made in Sweden, hence the name and the inherent quality that one finds in other Swedish products. The Swede has a body shaped somewhat like a Les Paul, but it is made of solid mahogany, as is the neck. The headstock design is very distinctive, sort of like the Rick, yet unlike any other guitar; the headstock has a large “fleur de lis” inlay and Swedish made tuning machines designed by D’Aquisto (the gears resemble old Grover Imperials).

Another feature of the Swede is the patented H-shaped truss rod, which is adjustable with an Allen wrench and prevents neck twisting as well as neck' warping. The Swede has two. humbucking pickups, an adjustable bridge, a handrest tailpiece, the usual threeway pickup selector switch and separate volume and tone controls for both

pickups. An added feature, one found on Gretsch guitars also, is the threeposition tone switch which selects sharp, mellow, or deep tonal coloration regardless of pickup settings. The Swede features nickel-silver frets, celluloid body and neck binding, and a choice of three polyester finishes: cherry, natural, and black. Daryl Steuremer of the Jean-Luc Ponty Band plays a Swede.

The OVATION (Greenwoods Rd., New Hartford, CT 06057) Deacon has easily the most radical body design on the market, but Ovation designers contend that it offers better balance. It’s easy to see how the deep lower rear cutaway would be great for a guitarist who liked to throw his right leg into the air a lot.

KRAMER (111 Green Grove Rd., Neptune, NJ 07753) guitars are an offspring of the Travis Bean, in that they have the aluminum neck which runs the entire length of the body. However, Kramer differs from Bean because they have wood strips embedded into the back of the neck for that “wood feel” that some people missed in an all aluminum neck. Also, Kramers have some extremely exotic body woods—Shedua, Bubinga, Afrormosia and...Swetenia? Sounds like a sugar substitute.

GRETSCH (1801 Gilbert Ave., Cincinnati,: OH 45202) has a new double cutaway model in the prototype stage—no specs are available yet, so they are represented here by the Roc-Jet #7610, an older model. Many people overlook these guitars, but Gretsch makes some of the best acoustic-electric guitars available anywhere.

Like Gretsch, GUILD (225 W. Grand St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202) is best known in the electric field for their hollow-bodied arched-top guitars, the best of them being the Artist Award model which has long been a favorite of George Benson. They also make a solid body instrument similar in design to the Gibson SG, one of which is the Guild S-90.

St. Louis Music (1400 Ferguson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63133) has come up with the answer to several problems including what to do with your feet via its Electra MPC (Modular Powered Circuits) Outlaw. The Outlaw features a mahogany neck that runs the entire length of the body, with an array of special effects and tonal ranges at your fingertips. The special effects modules are easily snapped in and out of an access panel in the back of the axe, leaving your feet free for footwork. The action is good and the fret job is beautiful. You’ll see one on stage with Frampton.

On the facing page is a graph which illustrates some of the basic specs on standard production models of several popular guitars. Any resemblance to a scientific approach to this subject is purely coincidental.

The graph illustrates the new trends in guitar design since the first Telecaster was designed in 1948. Hundreds of minute details have changed over the years, but the basic design of the Telly, Strat, and Les Paul remains intact. Travis Bean, Ibanez, Ovation, and Kramer have incorporated some more

recent developments in the industrial electronics field into the designs of their guitars. Of course, more laminations are now found on new guitars due to the scarcity of large quantities of the usual hardwoods (rosewood, ebony, maple, mahogany) which have the proper density and even grain for music wood. You can see that the newer guitar manufacturers have had to go to grefrt lengths to find suitable hardwoods—witness Kramer’s assortment of body woods!!

In addition, you can see how the number of playable frets increased from 21 on the Telly and Strat to 24 on the Ibanez, Ovation, and Rickenbacker in response to the desire among musicians for a full two-octave range of notes on each string. This extra length allows the player not only to expand fretted runs through two octaves, but also gives the guitarist extra harmonics (higher frequency overtones which are multiples of the fundamental tone) that are generated by lightly touching without fretting the strings at the desired fret and simultaneously striking the string with the pick or fingers. Harmonics are a very bright and colorful effect, and 24 fret fingerboards eliminate the awkward business of placing the left hand over the guitar body to reach the second octave harmonics. It simply is more sensible to make two full octaves available by using a 24 fret fingerboard. •

Since the Gibson Company’s patent on humbucking pickups expired in 1973, many companies have adopted some type of humbucking design. The same sort of borrowing occurs in other areas as well; things such as tunematic bridge assemblies, handrest tailpieces, and various other hardware are common to many brands of guitars.

THE ALEMBIC COMPANY (65 McCoppin St., San Francisco, CA

94103) is the forerunner of present day innovations in guitar design. Alembic features are so different and so much more complex than the guitars mentioned earlier that it would be foolish to compare them because they are not in the same class. It seemed pointless to try to graphically illustrate Alembic guitar features as above because each Alembic is handmade and no two are exactly alike.

The double cutaway bodies are made of two sections of wood glued to each side of the neck which are 1/4” thick on the top and back and have a 1 1/4” hollow core. Some exotic woods used are curly maple, koa, purple heart, zebra, padook, and lacewood. All tops and backs are bookmatched, of course. Full 24 fret fingerboards are offered in medium (24 5/8”) or long (25 1/4”) scales; fingerboard position markers are oval-shaped abalone or mother-of-pearl and the side markers are sterling silver dots. Brass nuts, bronze tailpieces, solid brass bridges with stainless steel adjustment screws, extremely powerful pickups, electrostatically shielded components—these are just a few of the basic features of the Alembic guitar. Without trying to describe in detail the pickups and tone controls, let it suffice to say that the Alembic is capable of faithfully reproducing the sound of the Les Paul, Stratocaster, Telecaster, orTravisBean as well as its own variety of tones too numerous to count. It is interesting that the city that gave us Haight-Ashbury, the Fillmore West and the Grateful Dead should turn up with the absolute state-of-the-art electric guitar as of this writing.

Regarding the guitars we’ve discussed, none of them are bad guitars; some of them I think are better than others, but that’s only one opinion. It’s up to you to find out first of all what kind of sound you want, and then which specs are most critical to achieving that sound. If you want, for example, a guitar with a lot of sustain, it must have a dense heavy body and allow maximum string vibration through its neck and bridge assembly. If you want a bright, clear sound, single coil pickups should be chosen over humbuckings, although single coils are a little noisier. The number and type of controls for tone and volume should not exceed your amount of experience at regulating your sound while playing live. If

you are in the studio, it’s OK to have 45 switches, 18 knobs and two knee levers because nobody gives a damn how awkward you look as long as you can deliver the desired sounds. But on stage, you have to exude an air of effortless mastery over your instrument, and that is most easily done with a few basic controls.

In any playing situation, being in tune is a must, so look for an instrument that offers full-range intonation adjustment—the heavier the hardware the better—you definitely do not want tuning keys that slip or bridges that are

unstable. Ask your music dealer to set the intonation and adjust the truss rod on any guitar you buy, old or new. He should be glad to do it and probably wouldn’t mind showing you how a strobe tuner works. C.G. CONN & CO. (616 Enterprise Dr., Oakbrook, IL 60521) makes a good electronic tuner; so does PETERSON (11601 Mayfield, Worth IL 60482) and the best on-stage tuning device around these days is the Telesis 626, which has red LED indicators that enable you to tune on stage, silently, during a song. Boy Howdy!!!

2 way adj. Master vol., tone maple, maple, 6 intoncontrols (2) for 1st rosewood rosewood ation adj. & 2nd pickups 2 Kluson Tunematic Les Paul Hi 17.54' 12%" 2" l"/l6' 22 24%" friction with mahogany maple rosewood laminated w/stop 3 pos. 2 volume toggle pots. switch Deluxe humbucking type mahogany tailpiece 2 tone pots. top Les Paul 1294' 24%" 2 gold-plated with mahogany maple laminated T unematic 3 pos. toggle switch 2" Custom 3954" 1754' 1"/16' 22 humbucking Deluxe Kluson ebony mahogany tailpiece w/stop 2 volume pots. 2 tone pots. Schaller machined SchallerT ravis 1654" 1454" 2" 1%" 22 243/4" 2 humbucking design w/ 12:1 KOA rosewood 6061 TG type 3 pos. 2 volume toggle pots switch or Bean 4054" 154" Alinco magnets ratio wood aluminum prec.-adj. 2 tone pots. Schaller shedua, forged Schaller3 pos. toggle switch Kramer 37" 1654" 133/4'' ln/l6" 11 */16 22 25" humbucking M-6 bubinga, ebony aluminum type 2 volume pots 450G design 12:1 ratio afrormosia w/inlays prec.-adj. prec.-adj. 2 tone pots 2 gold-plated mahogany Schaller3 pos. toggle switch Ibanez 40" 16%" 133/4" 2" 24 243/4" Super 70 Smooth-tuner with maple type 2 volume pots. Artist Anti-Hum (Grovertype) top ebony maple prec.-adj. 2 tone pots. 2 lockable long-throw 2 pos. toggle switch lockable Ibanez 4254" 1754" 13%" 154" Tl'/ie' 24 24%" Super 70 Schaller ebony maple Schaller 2 volume pots. Pro Anti-Hum type type 2 tone pots. D’Aquisto individually 3 pos. tone each string 3 pos. pickup piagstrom 40" 18" 1354" l“/l6' 22 24%" designed mahogany ebony mahogany adjustable 2 volume pots. Swede humbucking high-ratio 6-way 2* tone pots. each string Gretsch Gretsch ebony laminated adjustable ndividually 3 pos. 2-vol, toggle 2-tone pickup ROC4154" 18" 1354" 154" l"/l6' 22 2454" DeArmond friction mahogany mahogany 1 master vol. knob JET type type each string individually 3 pos. toggle s Guild 40" 1614" 127/8" l5/16" 22 243/T Guild mahogany rosewood mahogany adjustable 1 volume p S-90 humbucking friction type 6-way 1 tone po each string 3 pos. tog Ricken24 • Grover 12:1 maple rosewood individually adjustable 1 1 volume tone pc r backer 39" 175 1354" 154" IV16" slanted 243/4" humbucking 6-way 1 phase sw 481 type , 2 each string 3 pos. tog; 12-pole 12:1 individually 1 volume p Ovation 3954 18" 1454" ryif/'i 24 24%" humbucking Schallermahogany ebony bolt-on adjustable 1 tone po Deacon type type fiberglas 6-way FET preamp i double coil Grover solid brass 4-way adj. Tunematic master vol. Outlaw magnaflux machine mahogany ebony mahogany sustain effect & tone, pots. 2 MPC 38* 155 1454" 13/4" m* 22 245 humbucking heads plate Electra