LESSON: How to sound like Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck is heading back to Australia to play the Byron Bay Bluesfest (along with Al Di Meola, Joe Bonamassa and Buddy Guy), making up for lost time after not visiting Australia for over 20 years until his tour here in January this year (my review here). His style has evolved and mutated rapidly over the years making it hard to pin down a general Jeff Beck sound, so let's check it out as it stands today.

I'm sure we've all heard the old 'tone is in the hands' argument. There are some who might reply, "Yeah, the hands that sign for the credit card to pay for expensive gear," but in Beck's case it's quite literally true. He jettisoned his pick years ago and is pretty much exclusively a fingers-against-steel man today. The tone that results from this is quite unique and very much unattainable if you use a pick. The attack is softer and the note seems to swell up then mellow out over its duration, instead of beginning with a percussive kerthunk then fading out.

Beck can play pretty freaking fast when he wants to, which is no easy task without a pick. The secret is to pick with your thumb for downstrokes and your index finger for upstrokes. An added benefit of this is that the hand angle required to pull it off cleanly is ideal for manipulating the guitar's volume control with the pinkie finger as you play, allowing an even greater range of dynamic movement. Unlike picking from the wrist or elbow with a plectrum, picking with the fingers requires almost no hand movement, so it's easier to make control adjustments far more detailed than otherwise possible.

Another clever benefit of picking this way is that the hand is ideally placed to achieve vibrato or even pitch bending by pushing the bridge of the guitar. Beck has his Stratocaster bridges set to float, so he can raise the pitch a few semitones as well as lower it. This is hard to achieve with a vintage-style 6-screw trem, but much easier with a more modern two-point fulcrum system as found on his signature model and any number of Strats since the 80s. Either way, you'll want to reduce the spring tension enough to have the bridge sit forward a bit. When done right you'll get better tuning stability, although as with any floating system the trade-off is a little sustain …although Beck deals with it and EVH seems to do okay...

Alright, so once you've set up the guitar's bridge to float, you can achieve vibrato by pressing and releasing the bridge with the edge of your hand. Beck often does this quite quickly for a wide, vocal-like vibrato, or sometimes he'll just lean on the bridge at the start of a note or even midway through to bend the pitch. It gives a slightly different colour to a fretted bend.

The last trick we're going to look at also involves a floating bridge; playing melodies with the whammy bar. Steve Vai really seems to have taken this technique and run with it, but Beck was the pioneer. Try this: hit a harmonic at the 12th fret of the G string then use the bar to raise it the equivalent of two frets. Then without stopping the note, bring it back down to the original pitch, then dump it down a half step. After a little practice your ears will catch up to your hands and you'll be able to zero in accurately on pitches. Soon you’ll be able to play expressive melodies that almost sound like a slide guitar, but using harmonics as you please.

This article can also be found in the November 2009 issue of Mixdown Magazine.

CLICK HERE to buy Jeff Beck's 'Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scotts' from Amazon.com

CLICK HERE to buy the Fender Jeff Beck signature Stratocaster from Music123.

REVIEW: Fender Deluxe Lone Star Stratocaster

There have been about a million variations on the classic Stratocaster theme since its 1954 introduction. Some of them have been less than obvious to the casual glance, like changes in neck construction methods and the move to 3 ply pickguards back in the early days. Others have been pretty over the top, like the old Ritchie Sambora signature model with a Floyd Rose bridge and star shaped inlays. The Deluxe Lone Star Stratocaster doesn’t try to be too drastically different from the classic Strat blueprint, so what is it that sets this one apart, and why has Fender decided to reissue the guitar only a few years after discontinuing it?

The chief difference with the Lone Star Strat is its choice of pickups, all of which have a distinctive Texas pedigree. The neck and middle pickups are Fender’s own Texas Special single coils. These pickups first surfaced on the original Stevie Ray Vaughan signature model in the early 90s. They’re wound hotter than the average single coil for thicker, fatter tone with a higher output for that down and dirty blues sound. They’re especially happy when kicking a cranked valve amp right where it counts. The bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Plus model, which Seymour himself designed when Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top wanted a pickup to make any guitar sound like his beloved 1959 Gibson Les Paul, a guitar which Gibbons named …Pearly Gates. Electronics include tone controls for the bridge and neck pickups, and a 5-way pickup selector switch. Position 2 on the switch combines the full humbucker with the middle single coil. Some companies might split the humbucker into a single too for this setting, but the extra toughness of the full humbucker is in keeping with the Lone Star vibe.

Besides the pickups, appointments on this model include a brown shell pickguard, a vintage-tinted C-shaped maple neck with rosewood fretboard and 21 medium jumbo frets. The fretboard radius is a roundish 9.5”. With this type of radius, a very low string height can sometimes result in choked out notes when bending, but careful maintenance of a good setup can avoid this. The factory setup has the strings at a nice medium height, great for digging in hard for gutsy, tough blues, and for really grabbing the strings for big soulful bends.

The Lone Star Strat has a vintage style synchronized tremolo bridge, and although this is in no way a Stevie Ray Vaughan signature model, it does make me reflect on how SRV never made the switch to guitars with a two-point knife edge tremolo, so it in the spirit of Texas blues it makes sense to see the old six-screw version represented here. The body is alder, a common wood for Stratocasters, with a nice balance of frequencies.

The Pearly Gates humbucker sounds killer on a Strat. The upper midrange response makes this a great axe for those who want a Satriani style tone but don’t want to play a high tech Ibanez to get it, and when driving a dirty, overdriven amp the sound opens up beautifully. The pickup responds especially well to Jeff Beck-style finger picking, and it tracks very well for fast playing.

The Texas Specials have that up-front, punchy sound associated with SRV: tight bass, immediate impact, and open treble. There is a wide range of tonal flexibility available by adjusting the guitar’s volume control, and without too much work you should be able to find a sweet spot with the volume at about 2/3 of the way up where the single coils sound more bell-like, before cranking it back to 10 for more fatness and grunt.

The Lone Star Stratocaster is for those who want a traditional Strat but need a bit more power and flexibility. It’s a Stratocaster for those who like their steak rare or, to partially quote Homer Simpson, people who like their beer cold and their TV loud.

SPECS:
Body: Alder
Neck: Tinted maple
Fretboard: Rosewood, 21 medium jumbo frets, 9.5” radius.
Pickups: Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Plus (bridge), Fender Texas Special (neck, middle).
Extras: Deluxe padded gig bag.

CLICK HERE to search for Fender Stratocasters on eBay.

WONDERHOWTO: Build an SRV Strat

I'd like to welcome new sponsor WonderHowTo, a very cool site which collates 'how to' videos from all over the place. As writer of a whole bunch of 'how to' articles for Mixdown (some of which I've re-posted on I Heart Guitar), this kind of site is right up my alley and I like the idea of having a resource like this all in one place.

There's a great video series on the front page at the moment about how to build a Stevie Ray Vaughan-style Stratocaster using recycled parts. CLICK HERE to view the video. 

If your business or band is interested in advertising on I Heart Guitar, email me at iheartguitarblog@gmail.com

NAMM 2009: New Fender Eric Johnson Strat

It seems Eric Johnson isn’t content with designing one of the best Strat variations ever (by my humble opinion) in his namesake Fender model. He’s gone and done it again. While the first model was somewhat 50s-inspired, this new one takes a few cues from 60s Strats, at least in terms of the 3-ply pickguard and rosewood fretboard.

Colour options are Dakota Red, Tropical Turquoise, Medium Palomino Metallic and Lucerne Aqua Firemist.

Most of the other features are similar to the existing model: Extra Smooth Neck to Headstock Volute, Special Neckplate with Engraved EJ and Kokopelli, 1957 Style Body Cavities, Countersunk Holes in Pickguard for Pickup Mounting Screws, Pearloid Dot Inlay Position Markers, Height Staggered Vintage Style Tuners which Eliminate the Need for String Trees, Vintage Tremolo with Silver Painted Block and ‘57 Style String Recess (No Paint Between Base Plate and Block), 3-Ply 8-Hole Parchment Pickguard, 5 Tremolo Springs and No Back Tremolo Cover Plate.

CLICK HERE to buy the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster (original maple fretboard version).

CLICK HERE to see Fender Eric Johnson Stratocasters on eBay.

NAMM 2009: Fender Roadworn series

Fender has unveiled its new Roadworn series, which brings Custom Shop-style relic finishing to players who can't afford to spend thousands on a carefully bashed-up axe, but still want the look, feel and vibe. I guess cynics might say "Just buy a Mexican Strat and drag it behind the car" but I think these are kinda cool. I think they'll be even more cool after a few years when they've been knocked around for real and the edges of the factory-worn paintless spots start to get all funked up and more authentic-lookin'. Maybe in 20 years they'll release a new series of Roadworn Relics, which simulate two decades of wear on a 2009 Roadworn model.

The Roadworn series is based on Fender's 1950s and 1960s designs but with modern features including taller frets and hotter pickups. The line will be officially launched at NAMM.

Here are the specs:

'50s Strat
Distressed body, neck, and hardware creating an aged appearance
Aged knobs and switch tip,
Vintage styling
Synthetic bone nut

5-position blade:
Position 1 bridge pickup
Position 2 bridge and middle pickup
Position 3 middle pickup
Position 4 middle and neck pickup
Position 5 neck pickup

2-color sunburst or black (nitro finish)
Alder body
maple neck, soft "V" shape (poly finish)
maple fingerboard, 7.25" radius
1.650" width at nut
21 frets (6105 narrow jumbo)
3 Tex-Mex Strat single-coil pickups with staggered alnico magnet pole pieces and parchment covers
Vintage style synchronized tremolo
Fender/Ping vintage style tuning machines
chrome hardware
1 ply white, 8 hole pickguard

'60s Strat
Distressed body, neck, and hardware creating an aged appearance,
Aged knobs, pickup covers and switch tip
Vintage styling
Synthetic bone nut

5-position blade:
Position 1 bridge pickup
Position 2 bridge and middle pickup
Position 3 middle pickup
Position 4 middle and neck pickup
Position 5 neck pickup

3-Color Sunburst or Olympic White (nitro finish)
Alder body
Maple neck, "C" shape (Urethane Finish)
Maple fingerboard, 7.25" radius
1.650" width at nut
21 frets (6105 narrow jumbo)
3 Tex-Mex Strat single-coil pickups with staggered, alnico magnet pole pieces and parchment covers
Vintage style synchronized tremolo
Fender/Ping vintage style tuning machines
chrome hardware
3 ply Mint Green pickguard

'50s Tele
Distressed body, neck, and hardware creating an aged appearance
Vintage stylings
Synthetic bone nut

3-Position Blade:
Position 1 bridge pickup
Position 2 bridge and neck pickup
Position 3 neck pickup

Ash body
2-color sunburst
blonde (satin lacquer finish)
maple neck, "C" shape (poly finish)
maple fingerboard, 7.25" radius
1.650" width at nut
21 (6105 narrow jumbo frets)
2 Tex-Mex Tele single-coil pickups with alnico magnet pole pieces
Vintage style 3-Saddle strings-thru-body tele bridge
Fender/Ping vintage style tuning machines
2-color sunburst or blonde (satin lacquer finish)

'50s P Bass
Distressed body, neck and hardware creating an aged and worn appearance,
Vintage styling
Gold anodized aluminum pickguard,
Synthetic bone nut
Alder body
2-color sunburst, Fiesta Red (nitro finish)
maple neck, 7.25" radius
1.750" nut
20 vintage style frets
1 Precision Bass split single-coil pickup (Mid)
nickel/chrome hardware
American vintage Precision/Jazz bass bridge
Vintage style reverse tuning machines

'60s J Bass
Distressed body, neck and hardware creating an aged and Worn appearance,
Vintage styling
Gold anodized aluminum pickguard,
Synthetic bone nut
Alder body
3-color sunburst, Fiesta Red (nitro finish)
rosewood neck, 7.25" radius
1.50" nut
20 vintage style frets
2 Standard vintage alnico magnet Jazz Bass single coil pickups
nickel/chrome hardware
American vintage Precision/Jazz bass bridge
Vintage style reverse tuning machines

For more info: fender.com/roadworn

CLICK HERE to buy the Fender Rock Box watch and accessory gift set from Musician's Friend

CLICK HERE to buy the book 'Pink Floyd The Black Strat: A History Of David Gilmore's Black Fender Stratocaster' from Musician's Friend

NAMM 2009: Fender Standard range, you've been pimped

Fender has beefed up the Mexican-made Standard range with some new cosmetic features which are sure to make the guitars look a little nicer in the eyes of consumers, while separating them a little more from the rapidly improving Squire line.

I’ve noticed Squire quality improving for a while, and I guess Fender needed to do something to give budget-minded guitarists a reason to go with the slightly more expensive Fender-branded Strat compared to stuff like the Squire Deluxe Stratocaster, which retails at US$449.99.

The new tweaks to the Fender Standard line don’t particularly represent an improvement in playability or sound (you might still want to upgrade the pickups and have a tech go over the fretwork to unleash the full awesomeness of a Fender Standard series), but they sure do look cool. I especially like the switch to the 70s logo.

Here’s the press release.

The Fender Standard Series, one of the world's most popular electric guitar and bass series, recently received upgrades that include new finishes, tinted necks, parchment pickguards/control knobs and '70s-style logos.

"The Standard Series is the entry-point into the Fender branded guitar and bass lines," said Justin Norvell, director of marketing, Fender electric guitars. "Fender has always been committed to both dealer and consumer value, and this latest refreshment has increased the value proposition for both. Some of the changes may sound somewhat minor, but they represent a massive positive change from a visual standpoint. In plain terms, the new instruments look more expensive, which should increase their desirability and turn at the retail level."

Fender Standard Telecaster, Stratocaster and Strat HSS guitars are available at Fender dealers worldwide with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $690 ($750 in Brown Sunburst); Fender Standard Strat HSS with Floyd Rose guitars are available at Fender dealers worldwide with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $880 ($940 in Brown Sunburst); Fender Standard "Roland®" Ready" Stratocaster guitars are available at Fender dealers worldwide with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,060 ($1,130 in Brown Sunburst); Fender Precision Bass guitars are available at Fender dealers worldwide with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $780; Fender Jazz Bass guitars are available at Fender dealers worldwide with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $830.

For more information, visit their web site at http://www.fender.com/.

NEWS: Shoutout to Strat-o-blogster

I recently stumbled upon the excellent Strat-o-blogster blog which features lots of great Stratty goodness. Site owner JP has a very easy-to-read style, is very knowledgable and has a great sense of humour - some of these posts have me spraying coffee out my nose. I'm slowly working my way through backposts, in between practicing my Jason Becker arpeggios and trying to nail the marimba solo from St Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast
on guitar.

And what better way to while away the hours when I'm supposed to be working than looking at unusual and awesome Strats like the Japanese-made 68 Zebrawood Stratocaster reissue pictured here?