We made it to June! We’re starting to see live shows make a slight return, and I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m starting to get a glimmer of hope that stuff is getting back to normal. I hope you’ve been healthy and safe where you are, and have been getting as much guitar playing as possible.
Right at the top here, I wanted to let you know about Tim Pierce who is running a PRS giveaway! You can enter here! I hope one of us wins this awesome Zach Meyers singlecut.
This week we have an insane amount of links, so let’s get right into them.
WHY OLD SCHOOL AMP DISTORTION = THE BEST DISTORTION! - Listen, I’m a huge fan of amp modelers and plugins, but there’s nothing (at least, not yet) that beats an amp, especially a vintage amp. Pete Thorn talks about why amp distortion is the best! There’s also this video that goes perfectly with Pete’s, where Josh from JHS talks about solid state amps. I’m not in love with the tones from the solid state amps, but still, both videos show that you can get workable sounds from a lot of different gear. Also, I REALLY wanted a Taylor badly, but now I REALLY REALLY want one.
How To Use Reverb on Guitar | What EVERYONE Should Know - Verb can make your riffs and leads sound absolutely massive. If you’re just getting started, you should check out this video from Rhett Shull, where he demonstrates why it’s so powerful, and how to use reverb. I also enjoyed watching Rhett demo the Hologram Electronics Microcosm later in the week - truly a pedal with some unique sounds.
Mark Lettieri on the Art of Baritone Guitar and Perfect Rhythm | Guitar Villains - Learning about Vulfpeck a couple years ago led me to learn of so many other great musicians around the band, like Mark Lettieri, who’s part of the side project band The Fearless Flyers, and of course of Snarky Puppy. Mark also does his own solo project, whose albums I’ve linked here - check out the Baritone sessions albums! MusicIsWin sat down with Mark to discuss his new signature PRS, baritone guitars, tour moments, chord tone soloing and more. Check out Mark’s playing here.
MOJOMOJO PAUL GILBERT EDITION - Official Product Video - TC Electronic was teasing a product mid-week, and now we know what it is! Paul Gilbert just got his own edition of the MojoMojo, which is a fantastic sounding overdrive (let it be known, it could Paul’s incredible playing). I love listening to PG - he’s hilarious and crazy talented.
You NEED to LEARN this WAYNE KRANTZ liCk - Wayne Krantz is a monster improviser, and the licks he’s come up with over the years are inspiring. In this video, Johnathan Cordy shows us an awesome Krantz riff from the song “Whippersnapper”.
LEARN TO MASTER SCALES ON GUITAR | Never get lost on the fretboard again - Tom Quayle has been putting out so many great videos alongside the launch of his app Solo. This week is no different, as he talks about how to learn scales on guitar so you don’t get lost on the fretboard. There’s a bunch of us over in the Discord that are making huge waves by using Tom’s app - can’t recommend it enough if you’re looking to learn the fretboard!
What SHOULD You Be Learning In your First 3 Years Of Playing Guitar - This is a fantastic video from Levi Clay where he talks about questions you should ask yourself when getting started on guitar, and four big concepts that you should focus on when trying to move from beginner to intermediate guitar playing. The question came from a reader of this very newsletter (hey David!)
Julian Lage on No Guitar Is Safe - This was one of my favorite episode of Jude Gold's guitar podcast. Julian Lage talked to Jude about his upcoming album 'Squint', riffs vs. scale playing, double stops, and so much more. Julian always sounds like such a down to earth guy, and between him and Jude, some major knowledge is in this episode!
Long Distance: Paul Calls Eric Gales | PRS Guitars - Eric Gales new album is almost here. Paul Reed Smith called up Eric to talk about the new album, how he learned to play “left handed, upside down and backwards”, and much more. If you haven’t heard Eric Gales yet, you owe it to yourself to check out his albums.
Live From Flat V - Andy Wood Interview - Josh Smith interviews one of the baddest guitarists out there, Andy Wood. Andy has always seemed like a genuine, down to earth guy, and he can shred a multitude of styles. I loved his quote about “putting in the hours” - I feel like that’s something that’s overlooked by newer players. Forget talking about gear, put in those hours learning your instrument!
What Are Native and Non-Native Time Feels? - Speaking of Andy Wood, Andy’s bass player, who you might also know as a killer guitarist, is Ben Eller. This week, Ben is talking all about native and non-native time feels - if you want to add variety to your playing, and are tired of 4/4 and 3/4, you should check this video out.
"The Land of Nod" feat. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante (168 LED GUITAR) - If you couldn’t get enough of the 168 LED guitar from last week, Chris Letchford and co. are back with another song off their upcoming album. I still find this thing mesmerizing.
ESP kits out its entire LTD Deluxe 1000 Series with stainless steel frets - Another indicator that mid-priced guitars are getting better and better each year.
The Orange Custom Guitar - In other gear news, Orange is getting in to the guitar game with their new OE-1. The guitar sounds awesome, but I’m not 100% sold on the look just yet. What’s your opinion?
Nita Strauss weighs in on the ‘shred stigma’ debate: "Yngwie Malmsteen’s three notes are no more or less valid than BB King’s" - I really liked this quick article with Nita Strauss, where she talks about the stigma of being a shred guitarist. I’ve always held the belief that you can find great music in any genre, so I wholeheartedly agree with Nita on this one.
How to play like 8 Telecaster-toting country guitar greats - One of the most maligned genres has to be country. I came to really get in to a bunch of country playing through Brad Paisley. In this GP article you’ll learn one riff from Paisley himself, Brent Mason, Jason Isbell, James Burton and more. Even if you play other genres, it’s always good to add more vocabulary to your playing.
Sultry, wah-drenched new Prince track, Born 2 Die, unveiled - New (old) Prince music alert! I’m looking forward to hearing this collection of unreleased songs more and more after hearing “Born 2 Die”.
Yngwie Malmsteen unleashes Relentless Fury with second Parabellum single - Hater of donuts, shredder extraordinaire, Yngwie Malmsteen released a new single off his upcoming album. This one features a blistering, minute and a half solo.
John Mayer’s new album Sob Rock: release date, tracklist, guestlist and everything we know so far - Guitar.com broke down everything we know so far about John Mayer’s upcoming album, ‘Sob Rock’. I even was sent a zine by Columbia Records as promotion, and man, I cannot wait to hear the full album. A new single, “Last Train Home” just dropped Friday, which has very 80’s ToTo vibes. July can’t come soon enough!
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Still reading? I haven’t done a P.S. in a while, but I thought these 2 links would be fun - Jimi Hendrix is getting a bobblehead and Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love” was voted as the greatest guitar riff of all time. If you’ve read this far, let me know by replying!
Want to learn guitar? Sign up to take guitar lessons with me!
If you’d like to support my work, check out the Chasing Sound merch store.
You can find me at: Chasing Sound Twitter, YouTube, Discord, Instagram, Facebook and even TikTok.