Latest news with #GuitarWorld
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nancy Wilson says two 'irreplaceable' instruments have been stolen ahead of Heart's tour
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Heart have revealed that two 'irreplaceable' instruments have been stolen from them, just as they were due to embark on their June tour. The band had set up at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on May 30, the day before the first show on their latest US jaunt but were 'devastated' to discover that two instruments had been taken from under their noses. A one-of-a-kind baritone Telecaster, featuring an intricately painted headstock custom-made for Nancy Wilson, and a vintage 1966 Gibson EM-50 mandolin that has been with the band for 25 years were both stolen. 'These instruments are more than just tools of our trade — they're extensions of our musical souls,' says Nancy Wilson. 'The baritone Tele was made uniquely for me, and Paul [Moak]'s mandolin has been with him for decades. We're heartbroken, and we're asking for their safe return—no questions asked. Their value to us is immeasurable.' Such is the personal value of the distinctive instruments that a reward is being offered to anyone with relevant information. Individuals with information can contact tour manager Tony Moon via email at tonymoon@ The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are on the road with fellow hall of famers Cheap Trick, and Squeeze, celebrating 40 years since the release of their wildly successful self-titled album. Wilson recently reflected on the making of 1985's Heart, telling Guitar World, that while her beloved acoustic guitar had been the cornerstone of the band's sound, she felt 'pressured' by producer Ron Nevison to ditch the acoustics if they wanted to resonate with the contemporary audience. '[Heart] revitalized the band,' she explained in the same piece. 'It took us up to a whole other level of global success, so there's nothing I regret about what we did or where we compromised.' The latest dates come after they were forced to cancel a 2024 tour, as Ann Wilson revealed she was undergoing cancer treatment. The singer promised they'd be back in 2025, and she has been true to her word. It makes the theft of the two instruments even more heartbreaking. Guitar World hopes they return to the band – as Nuno Bettencourt found following the onstage theft of his prized Washburn, sometimes these stories can have a happy ending.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The unlikely origins of Strandberg's innovative EndurNeck
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Strandberg's intuitive EndurNeck profile is a divisive design. While its angular approach may put off traditionalists, those who have experienced it themselves are quick to praise its ergonomic benefits. Now, Ola Strandberg has revealed it was partly inspired by the most unlikely everyday objects. The firm's signature and patented asymmetrical neck design utilizes flat surfaces rather than a traditional round profile. It looks to provide a more restful grip for the thumb and ultimately helps players achieve a more intuitive grip of the instrument, which aids performance and optimizes ergonomic playing. During a recent guitar health seminar conducted in collaboration with UK music store Andertons, firm founder Ola Strandberg opened up on the makings of the innovative neck design. 'I can't exactly remember when I had the eureka moment, but for a brief period of time, I was collaborating with another builder called Rick Toone who had experimented with the trapezoidal neck,' says Strandberg. As a builder, Toone stands out for his quirky designs and has even built a six-string for Misha Mansoor. His unorthodox neck concept, however, was symmetrical – something that didn't quite suit Strandberg, who would later adopt a more off-kilter approach that took inspiration from an unlikely source. 'I do remember,' Strandberg expands, 'that we had a remote control at home for my TV which also had this trapezoidal shape. I was messing around with that. I was attracted to the concept of this twisted neck. 'Then I realized that those trapezoidal cutaways gave room for this joint here [midway between the thumb and forefinger] when I held the remote in a certain way. So, I guess that kind of came to me. I made a prototype out of styrofoam and it seemed to work. 'It was it was an easy sell,' Strandberg adds, with the completed EndurNeck helping to transform his six-string experiments from humble garage models into full-fledged business-backed builds now proudly wielded by Plini, Jordan Rudess, and plenty more. Strandberg's efforts have also kickstarted a headless guitar revolution after Eddie Van Halen and Allan Holdsworth failed to help them win over the public in the 1980s and 1990s. 'Once this was out,' Strandberg then says, 'I think I only ever built one more guitar with a conventional neck.' Speaking to Guitar World on the same day of the event, Strandberg also cited the oddball Lace Helix guitar – another obscure creation famed for its twisted neck – as a second source of inspiration for the EndurNeck. 'The first ever guitar that I built, the Strandberg concept, did have a conventional neck. Then I read about a bass builder called Jerome Little, who builds basses with a twisted neck to allow playing with a straighter wrist angle,' he explains. 'Lace, the company that makes the pickups, had a guitar in production with this twisted neck, and that seemed like a cool thing.' It had one major problem, though: 'It would require you to change your playing technique – you can't bend upwards, because then the notes will choke out.' In his GW chat, Strandberg echoes that the exact moment of discovery has escaped his memory. 'It's just one of those things,' he confesses. The latest big step in Strandberg's history was the release of its first sub $1,000 via the Boden Essential, which sliced the average cost of one of the company's futuristic axes by around 50%.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto lays out one of the store's biggest priorities – and it isn't selling gear
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto has spoken at length in the past about how he's hoping to safeguard the store's future by improving its stock of electric guitar gear and beyond, but there's another priority he's passionately pursuing as the company looks to get back on track – and it has nothing to do with selling gear. In a new interview with Guitar World, Dalporto laid out his plans for restoring the retail giant's prestige and reasserting its reputation as a go-to destination for players, and while there's understandably a huge push on improving the quality of the gear it sells in order to cater to 'the serious musician', there's also a big impetus on developing the next generation of players. Because, not only is Guitar Center hoping to cater and sell gear to existing players, it's also hoping to get new players started on their guitar journey by overhauling and improving its lessons base. 'One of our priorities is lessons,' Dalporto tells Guitar World when asked about the store's upcoming strategies for the rest of 2025. 'I talk a lot about 'the serious musician' and that's our opportunity to create the next generation of serious musicians.' Guitar Center has been catering to the lesson space for some time now, but Dalporto has clearly identified it as an area that needs some TLC. After all, as he notes to Guitar World, the ratio of those who start playing, and those who continue to play after 12 months, is diminishing. That's something he hopes to change. 'One of the biggest challenges we have as an industry is, if someone picks up a guitar for the first time, for every 10 people who start playing guitar, a year later, one person is playing, and nine are not. What can we do to change that ratio?' 'And that's our lessons effort. It's like, how do we connect with people early in their music career and really get them deeply embedded so they're going to be in it for the long term.' Such a move will no doubt come as welcome news to Guitar Center fans and Guitar World readers, many of whom singled out lessons as one of the key areas that the store could improve on in order to get back on its feet. Guitar Center lessons, though, isn't the only way Dalporto is hoping to innovate the store outside of selling gear. The in-store experience is also set for a significant shake-up, and while Dalporto remains tight-lipped about what exactly such developments will look like, he has teased it could completely revolutionize the guitar-shopping experience. 'The other thing is AI,' he continues. 'Right now, we've got a variety of AI initiatives, and when you walk into a store, how can you deliver an experience that you otherwise just never could have historically, or on the website? We're not ready to share exactly what that's looking like, but we have some prototypes going that are pretty cool.' The full interview with Gabe Dalporto will be published to soon. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dead Kennedys blame Jello Biafra for turning down reunion gigs
East Bay Ray, founding guitarist of the Dead Kennedys, has explained what's holding the rock group back from reuniting. The San Francisco punk band has been broken up for years, and Ray, whose real name is Raymond Pepperell, blames former frontman Jello Biafra for preventing a nostalgic onstage reunion. 'It's not an issue for me or Klaus,' he said during a recent interview with Guitar World, referring to the group's bassist Klaus Flouride. 'It's Biafra that turns down any offers for us to do something, we don't have any problem. He got caught with his hands in the till and wants to blame us for getting caught, but he should never have put his hands in there in the first place,' said Ray, referencing a decades-old lawsuit. In 1998, Biafra and his Alternative Tentacles label were accused of withholding royalties from Ray, Flouride and drummer D.H. Peligro, who died in 2022. Biafra was eventually ordered to repay the outstanding royalties and additional punitive damages by California's Court of Appeal in 2003. The band, formed in 1978, was briefly inactive between 1986 and 2001, but reunited with an array of lead singers until settling on Ron 'Skip' Greer in 2008. In 2017, Chicago's Riot Fest attempted to reunite the band's original lineup, but Ray explained on social media at the time that 'Jello Biafra turned it down,' though the rest of the band was 'looking forward to it.' 'Jello didn't bring in the songs. I know he's created the myth that he wrote them all, but the question here is that if he did, why didn't he ever do anything significant after leaving the band?' Ray said, citing Iggy Pop's output after leaving the Stooges and singer Lou Reed following the disintegration of the Velvet Underground as examples. 'Where's Biafra's solo career with a bunch of great songs?' he added. He recently performed an updated rendition of the group's 1983 track 'Nazi Punks…,' changing the lyrics to criticize President Donald Trump, during a surprise appearance at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These are the gear releases that have caught my eye this week – and the ones you might have missed
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Hello, and welcome to Guitar World's sparkly new weekly gear round-up, which will serve as your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what's been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days. From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay afloat of every new launch that may be of interest to you. To make things a little easier, we've put together an essential must-read gear guide that will cover everything from major releases to boutique drops, and everything in between. At first glance, it's been a big week for pedal launches, as well as limited edition guitars, but the biggest headline from the past seven days no doubt comes from Neural DSP, which debuted the first update for its Nano Cortex. Without beating around the bush, it's a huge move in the world of amp modelers, and as will be made clear a little later on, it's shaping up to be a game-changing development in the market. Kemper, IK Multimedia will no doubt be watching… When the Neural DSP Nano Cortex came out, many players – this writer included – showered it with praise, but there were a few flaws that prevented it from truly becoming the perfect compact all-in-one amp modeler and IR loader solution. Those flaws included a highly restrictive set of effects to choose from, the complete absence of overdrives, and a frustratingly fixed signal chain. All of those issues, though, have now been addressed thanks to a free NanOS 2.0.0 update that adds 47 effects and utilities to the mix – including overdrives, reverbs, modulations, delays, EQs, compressors, wahs and more – with greater flexibility over the signal chain also now possible. Not only does this update vastly expand the usability and appeal of the Nano Cortex to players, but it comfortably positions it now as arguably the best compact amp modeler currently available. The TONEX proves to be an infinitely popular option for players, and Kemper is also still a key player (even though its own upgrades come with a price tag), but I expect the NanOS2.0.0 to shake up the status quo. Heck, even before the update, I was convinced the Nano Cortex, for all its faults, couldn't be beat (I've toured with it a healthy amount this year already, having previously dabbled with the HX Stomp) but now I am totally sold. Judging by the noise online, NanOS 2.0.0 has left an impression on players, who are quite clearly becoming more receptive to the Nano Cortex platform as a result of the update. We wonder how the competition will respond… Another year, another Earth Day, which means another Biosphere acoustic guitar from Martin. For 2025, Martin has paid tribute to the Arctic with a Robert Goetzl-painted build that depicts two polar bears in front of a melting ice cap – a stark visualization of what's at stake. Its eco-conscious message is further reflected in the spec sheet, which features a bevy of FSC-certified woods that sees Martin double down on its dedicated to responsible material sourcing. This would have been perfect when Snow Patrol tracked Songs for Polarbears... To celebrate the release of his Foundations EP, Serj Tankian has partnered with Gibson for the appropriately named Foundations Les Paul – but it's not quite as straightforward as that. See, this isn't just a guitar release – with the Foundations Les Paul comes as part of a fully fledged "guitar and tour experience package", which includes a bunch of signed memorabilia and VIP tickets to a System Of A Down concert. Only 25 packages will be made, and if you're interested in a price, you'll have to contact the Gibson Garage in Nashville, because that's the only place you'll be able to bag one from. There is no shortage of pedal lineups that look to bring famed effects to the masses through affordable, no-nonsense means, and while such launches can sometimes lead to a bit of gear fatigue, the Thermion series from Spanish builder Thermion looks like a worthy entry to the market. One of the first pedals – the PowerVibe – is most likely inspired by the Uni-Vibe, with plenty more in the offering. At €125 (approx. $140) they're reasonably priced, "built like tanks", and have been crafted with gigging and casual guitarists in mind. The future of bass reimagined? That's exactly what the new Darkglass Anagram is claiming to be. In fact, this gadget is also claiming to be "rewriting the boundaries of bass", and will encourage you to rethink everything you think you know about shaping your tone. Just how is Darkglass hoping to achieve all that with its newest release, you ask? Well, the Anagram is a high-tech touchscreen multi-effects pedal optimized for bass players and packs a six-core DSP architecture that promises top notch performance. Thanks to its clever machinery, it can accommodate complex and large signal paths – 24 simultaneous effects blocks can be used – and there's a bevy of connectivity options for wider rig integration. There's also cab IRs, amp models, and a bunch of essential tools – looper and tuner included – making this quite possibly the new bass multi-effects pedal to beat. If you've ever wanted "the roaring intensity of Meshuggah's live performance echoing through your rig", then you are in luck, because on Tuesday Fortin released a pedal that promises to do exactly that. At $349, the Meshuggah Pre-Amp/Distortion pedal offers the tonal power and sonic precision of the legendary metal act, with two separate channel voices and a stack of controls to help players dial it in. What's more metal than a V? Why, an asymmetric V, of course – and now Solar has opted to build on the successes of its Type V and Type X families by launching the even-more-angular Type VAR range. Not so subtly labelled "the sickest f**kin V ever", the VAR model carries more than a whiff of ESP and Jackson energy about it, with a larger upper point that accentuates the off-balance design. It also has a neat non-reverse headstock, and arrives in a suite of tasty colors. A worthy addition to the Solar collection indeed. The Engl Fireball is one of metal and heavy music's most heard and acclaimed amps, and in a move that looks to package that sought-after sonic spirit into a pedalboard-friendly format, the firm has unveiled the Fireball IR pedal. The "revolutionary" two-channel preamp pedal has all the tone-tweaking parameters you'd expect, but throws in the added benefit of IRs through its USB-C jack It's almost a compact take on the tech Friedman used for its own IR-loaded pedal amps, and because of its tiny dimensions – and the source material it is emulating – we don't doubt this will prove to be a hit. We were promised it back at NAMM, but now the EVH Wolfgang Standard T.O.M. – a sub-$700 Wolfgang that radically shakes up model's time-tested spec sheet – has officially arrived. Swapping the Floyd Rose tremolo that has been a mainstay of the lineup for a more humble stopbar design, the Standard T.O.M. sees EVH deliver on its promise for hardtail guitars, increasing its appeal and accessibility to a wider pool of players. Not only that, it marks a bold new direction for the firm. Expect more hardtail EVH models to come...
