We’re always searching for The Best, The Ultimate — The Perfect Blues Guitar Rig — and today, I’m going to share with you the center, and the chained core, of my most golden Blues playing experience. It all starts and ends with wood: I’m currently loving on my mahogany Les Paul.
After the tremendous fun in getting the Epiphone Hummingbird, I would like to now let you know how it has been treating me. Before I get into it, it is important to note here that the guitar does NOT come with any sort of case, hard or otherwise — I ordered a soft travel case because that is how I plan on carrying the guitar when I go shorter distances. I can always spring for a hard shell case later when the need arises.
If you have more than one guitar, you will, one day, need some basic tools to maintain your stringed instrument. In the Guitar universe, there is one granddaddy supplier of tools and other neat stuffs — and thy name is “Stew-Mac” — or “Stewart-MacDonald” if you want to be more formal. I purchased all these tools on my own, with my own money. Stew-Mac are not even aware this review is being written.
We’re in the high season for new Blues album releases from the old music guard. This week we have new Blues albums from Steve Miller and Tom Petty. On Tuesday, Cyndi Lauper will drop “Memphis Blues” for our listening pleasure. What is is about the Blues that brings us back to the center of our shared experiences? How does music bind us into contextual places that have memeingful resonances? With the release of — Mojo — Tom Petty endeavors to answer those ethereal musical conundrums.
There’s nothing more annoying than a vacillator writing reviews who cannot make up his mind. Dear and loyal reader Sean has rightly called me out on our Urban Semiotic blog for messing with him by changing my mind on what makes the best guitar strings gauge.
After throwing on a set of Gretsch 11-49 strings on my Gretsch G5120, I decided to get my hands on some D’Addario EXL 115 strings for “Blues/Jazz Rock” and at .011, .014, .018, .028, .038 and .049 they’re quite a hefty string gauge and harder to bend than the Super Slinky set o’ nines I’ve been using from Ernie Ball. I bought an EXL115 tenner pack because you get such a greater value buying in bulk and the price drops to around $3.00USD a set.
When we talk about great guitarists, we think modernly of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck and, perhaps, even David Gilmour. When we think of great Blues and Jazz guitarists, many fans will point in a unified direction to Wes Montgomery. Today, I want to challenge you to discover the incredible Soul Jazz guitar of Grant Green and to help remember him forever.
Continue reading → Grant Green is the Greatest Guitarist You Never Heard
We all like to believe in our private moments that we are always right and never wrong, but sometimes, in those quiet times, we do some reflecting and we reconsider what was said before. Today is one of those moments when my private reflections must become a public recantation, and I appreciate your attention and kindness in the forthcoming rebuttal of two of my recent BolesBlues.com reviews.
Continue reading → Recanting The Blues: Les Paul and DR Strings
Misa Digital announced a new “guitar” this week that is more computer than guitar. Instead of frets and strings, you have buttons and a touch-sensitive panel. Instead of Bending the Soul of The Blues, you get to Press the Electrosynchrisity of Midi.
One of my most expensive and cherished guitars is my 1957 Les Paul Custom Three Pickup VOS guitar in black. It looks great. It feels great. I don’t play it.
Continue reading → The 1957 Gibson Les Paul Custom Three Pickup VOS Review
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