Happy Sunday! Before we get started here, I wanted to look back at last week’s email, and add a new story or two. I got some really good help from our Discord chat and picked up the tools to file my frets on a Charvel DK24 that’s been my main guitar for some time now. The biggest takeaway from this whole experience is that you shouldn’t be afraid to get your own work done on the guitars you own.

There’s of course a time to use a seasoned tech, but you’d be surprised at how many things you can do yourself. I’m happy that my frets are way smoother than before, and I regained confidence on working on my guitars.

Another story that made me happy about the guitar community that we’re a part of, had to do with two pick companies. Honey Picks and Dragon Picks were both going live together on Instagram. I’ve always wanted to make my own picks, but I feel like there is a lack of any good information on how to do so, and not break the bank.

I asked the guys from both pick companies how they’d get started, and they provided me with a lot of tools they’d start out with, and let me know that I could message them if I had any questions. This ties back into last week’s newsletter, and not keeping secrets on guitar - really sharing everything you know with others. If I start making any cool custom picks, you guys will be the first to know. Alright, let’s get into this week’s links!

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The 8 Most Simple Guitar Solos Ever - I wanted to kick off this week’s issue with something else that’ll make you feel great - playing guitar solos. Music Is Win goes over 8 simple solos that anyone should be able to learn. One thing all these solos have in common? Their simplicity doesn’t take away from how melodic and memorable each one is.
PETE THORN SUNDAY LIVE #161 with RICHIE KOTZEN - Two of the best guitarists on the planet sit down for nearly 2 hours of guitar talk. Richie Kotzen is such a powerhouse guitarist and singer, and his output has been epic over the last couple of decades. It was great to hear him talk about so many different topics.
Line 6 Safety Hazard - Wanted to put this link towards the top in case anyone has a G10 Line 6 wireless system. Apparently they are a fire hazard, and there’s a massive recall for repair going on by the company. In addition, if you have one of the later ones, seems like there’s also an important firmware update that takes care of battery charging issues.
8 Things I LOVE About 8-string Guitars - I loved this video from Rob Scallon, where he goes over 8 things that are awesome about 8 string guitars. I was happy to see that every item wasn’t “it djents!” If you want to check out some of Rob’s 8 string action, check out his song “Anchor”. The video is filmed inside of a laundromat, and features some sweet clean playing.
Guitar Pedals - The Musical (A Historically Accurate Musical Comedy) - JHS pedals did a thing. I’ll be totally transparent here, I haven’t watched this whole thing, but if you enjoy musicals and guitar pedals….this is for you?
How To FIND THE MELODY Inside a Major Pentatonic Scale. Guitar Lesson - Want to become the “CEO of the Major Pentatonic scale”? Of course you do! StichMethod dropped a great video this week which helps us find the melody inside of the maj. pentatonic scale. He goes over the importance of intervals and chord tones, which is something that I’m working on a ton this year. Love seeing common scales in a new light.
Greg Koch - The string bending mastery of Albert King - Greg Koch has been doing an excellent column for Guitar World, and in his latest lesson he talks all about awesome Albert King bends.
Julian Lage - Saint Rose (Visualizer) - Julian Lage has announced that a new trio album called ‘Squint’ is due out in June. It’ll be Julian’s first album on the Blue Note label. Check out the first single, called “Saint Rose”.
The "Lost Highway" Podcast #49: Robben Ford // Daniel Donato Cosmic Country - Daniel Donato is one of the most exciting blues and country guitarists out there. Daniel recently had a legend of guitar, Robben Ford, on his Lost Highway podcast. Not only has Ford played with people like Miles Davis and George Harrison, but he also produced Donato's first solo album, "A Young Man's Country".
The Official Tom DeLonge Reverb Shop - Angels & Airwaves and ex-Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge is taking a break from his UFO spotting to offer some of his gear up on Reverb. There’s everything from amps to synths and even road cases that he’s selling, to open up new space for Angels & Airwaves next record.
The NEW Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster! - Lots of YouTubers have been doing reviews of the brand new Fender Acoustasonic Jazzmaster. I loved Mary Spender’s review of the guitar - which has such a wide range of tones. I was able to play the Tele version of this guitar a few months back, and its sounds were so versatile - whether I wanted to play more acoustic style chords/arpeggios or electric style riffs, it fit the bill. Excited to keep an eye on this really unique series of guitars.
How to IMPROVE Your IMPROV! - Ben Eller shows us how to be less boring, and to stop playing up and down scale patterns. Ben’s tips are similar to lessons I’ve heard from a number of guitarists like Vai and others - place limitations on yourself, and see how your playing changes. Try playing horizontally up and down one string, limit yourself to only the top 3 strings of a guitar, etc.
I beat up Zakk Wylde with this Ibanez JEM | McRocklin Guitar Collection EP4 - You don’t think of Zakk Wylde as someone getting beat up typically…but that’s exactly what happened as McRocklin talks, very emotionally, about yet another cool Ibanez JEM in his collection. I loved the old school Sam Ash footage in this vid too!
Neural DSP Quad Cortex Unboxing - The Neural DSP Quad Cortex is a box that so many guitarists are talking about, and many are waiting patiently to receive. I really enjoyed Johnathan Cordy’s demo of this new unit, as the tones sounded really good and very amp like.
Total Guitar created a scientifically perfect guitar solo – here’s what it sounds like and how to play it - Total Guitar pieced together a solo based on…data! What do you think of their take at the “perfect” guitar solo?
Paul McCartney announces new covers album with St. Vincent, Josh Homme, Phoebe Bridgers and more - Paul McCartney is reimagining his latest album by calling on artists like St. Vincent, Beck, Josh Homme and more to make new cover versions of his songs. I’m really excited to check this out, and I loved his diceInstagram post.
Marty Friedman praises the new generation of guitar heroes: “Everybody is on the internet playing guitar now” - Rather than being grumpy about so many new guitarists who are online, Marty Friedman actually was nothing but positive about the younger generation of guitar players in this new post - mentioning players like Mateus Asato and Ichika Nito. I liked this quote from the post - "Guitar-wise, rap was almost the death knell of guitar, but that's made a huge turnaround”. Guitar is here to stay!