The newest addition to the Fender Pawnshop range is the Fender Excelsior Amplifier. The concept behind this strangely named range began in 2011 by recreating premature unique designs from the ’60s and ’70s. Perhaps a bit ahead of their time the prototypes failed to make it into production and left the factory and entered pawnshops, which is where the name comes from. One of the results is the Excelsior, a vintage looking amp with retro Fender genes.
The Fender Excelsior Amplifier
It’s clear to see why the Fender Excelsior was deemed ‘too out there’, visually at least. It takes the word vintage to a new level with a vinyl cover and ‘E’ shaped grille finished with a golden logo. You can almost picture it surrounded by miscellaneous junk in an antique or indeed a pawnshop.
‘Underneath the hood’, or so to speak, we clearly see that Fender have based this on a vintage amp. A practice amp 13-watt design around a 15” custom designed driver. Fender have described the amp as being capable to provide tones from ‘refined’ to ‘raucous’ thanks to the amp being an all-tube design, two 6V6 tubes and two 12AX7 tubes, the more tubes the better (apparently).
The Excelsior has a pretty unique feature unusual to amps; it has a separate microphone, instrument and accordion input. This may not be to everyone’s benefit but could be very useful to blues harmonica players. It also features a tremolo with speed control, treble/bass switch and an external cable output.
In my opinion this is a love it or hate it amplifier. It wasn’t designed to everyone’s taste and I think Fender are targeting, how shall I say this, the experienced guitar player. It really does have an authentic vintage feel to it and just seems to have character, something I’ve rarely found in an amp.
GuitarDaddy Note: This is a Guest Post from Steve Williams, a friend of mine who works for a music shop in the UK. He loves playing and writing about guitars and amplifiers. Thanks Steve!
It’s time for another “Name the Painting Contest”!
Roy Buchanan Sketch
Artist Tom Noll has been busy pouring his talent into a stunning masterpiece of the legendary Roy Buchanan!
Roy was a pioneer of the Telecaster sound. He was a brilliant sideman and solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and two later solo albums that made it on to the Billboard chart.
Despite never having achieved stardom, he is still considered a highly influential guitar player. He was often called “The Greatest Unknown Guitar Player” or “The Greatest Guitar Player that Nobody has heard of”.
He is credited for influencing many guitarists, including Gary Moore, Danny Gatton and Jeff Beck. Beck even dedicated his version of “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” from Blow by Blow to Roy. His work is said to “stretch the limits of the electric guitar” and he is praised for “his subtlety of tone and the breadth of his knowledge, from the blackest of blues to moaning R&B and clean, concise, bone-deep rock ‘n’ roll.”
Roy was ranked #57 on the Rolling Stone list “100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time,” Guitar Player praised him as having one of the “50 Greatest Tones of all Time.”
I think you will agree that Tom has captured Roy’s “vision”, he just needs a “name”!
Roy Buchanan is Taking Shape!
Now, on to the contest…
SO HOW DOES THE CONTEST WORK?
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO ENTER THIS CONTEST IS LEAVE A COMMENT TO THIS POST WITH YOUR SUGGESTION FOR A NAME OF THE ROY BUCHANAN PAINTING!
TOM WILL SELECT THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE PAINTING FROM THE COMMENT ENTRIES AND THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE A FREE PRINT OF THE ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING!
GUITARDADDY TIP: As you can see, this painting is already in the works and according to Tom, is about one week from completion. So this contest will be short! The winner will be announced on FEBRUARY 1, 2012 and will receive a FREE PRINT from the original oil painting!
Tom is also offering a discount for pre-orders with an introductory price of $222 plus shipping for “pre-order low-number reservations” and only $199 for orders that are “pre-paid”.
Tom’s Promise: If you are the winner of the contest and you also pre-ordered a print, your money will be refunded! So go ahead and CONTACT TOM at Tom@TomNoll.com to pre-order now!
CLICK HERE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENT AND ENTER THE CONTEST!
Note: In the case of duplicate submissions, the person who suggested the name first will have claim to that name. Also note, the winner will forfeit any and all rights to the name to Tom Noll if it is selected to be the winner.
PRINTS CAN BE ORDERED BY CONTACTING TOM AT THE WEB SITE LINK BELOW:
Tom Noll
22236 W. Hillcrest Dr.
Waukesha, WI 53186 USA
cell 262-844-7499
Chickenfoot, the rock Supergroup consisting of former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar (vocals) and Michael Anthony (bass), solo artist Joe Satriani (guitar) and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, have assembled to create some amazing music.
Here is a video you won’t want to miss as Joe and Sammy describe the four personalities of the band and how stuff gets done … and how to juggle the solo career with the Supergroup demands.
CD AND SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE CD WITH BONUS TRACKS ARE SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 27, 2012 ON 429 RECORDS.
All Star Lineup Contributes To All New Recordings of “Teaser” Tracks Performing Alongside Bolin
Guests Include Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes, Nels Cline, Steve Morse, Steve Lukather, Brad Whitford, Joe Bonamassa and many others!
In the annals of rock history, Tommy Bolin occupied a brief, but shining stint as a brilliant guitarist who wowed those in the know with his mastery of many genres—rock, fusion, funk, reggae and heavy metal among others. Along with a much lauded solo career that, pushed the boundaries of rock/jazz fusion, Bolin played with The James Gang and Deep Purple which set him up for major solo guitar stardom which was cut short by his untimely death in 1976. Not to be overlooked, there’s been much written about the guitar wunderkind and now a top notch roster of players have signed on to pay tribute to Bolin on a new CD titled: GREAT GYPSY SOUL.
Produced by Greg Hampton and Warren Haynes, it’s a remarkable project that brings together major players who actually perform alongside Tommy Bolin’s playing and vocals from the recording outtakes to his solo debut album “Teaser.”
Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes (a key supporter of the project), Nels Cline, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, Brad Whitford, Joe Bonamassa, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, Glenn Hughes and Myles Kennedy all contribute to this amazing project.
GREAT GYPSY SOUL will be released on 429 Records on March 27 in both a single CD format and double CD with bonus tracks. A series of promotional concerts are also in the works.
Tommy Bolin was the quintessential guitar prodigy who focused his talents within the burgeoning rock/metal scenes of the early 70′s as well as mastered a highly lauded jazz fusion technique, catching the attention of rock tastemakers and guitar legend peers. It was just a matter of time before Bolin was making a name for himself playing on projects as diverse as Billy Cobham’s “Spectrum” project (considered one of the great jazz fusion recordings of all time), replacing Joe Walsh in the James Gang, playing session work on seminal fusion projects by Moxy and Alphonse Mouzon, to replacing Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple. With the release of his second solo album “Private Eyes”, what should have been a red letter moment for Bolin, opening up for Jeff Beck in Miami, sadly turned tragic as Bolin was found dead of an overdose shortly after the gig.
Says Warren Haynes: “Many of the guests added after the fact have a close personal connection to Tommy—all share in acknowledging his place in rock history. Watching (and hearing) it all come to fruition some 35 years later was a journey of its own—well worth the travel.”
Here is the Track Listing:
Disc 1:
The Grind w/ Peter Frampton
Teaser w/ Warren Haynes
Dreamer w/ Myles Kennedy and Nels Cline
Savannah Woman w/ John Scofield
Smooth Fandango w/ Derek Trucks
People People w/ Big Sugar and Gordie Johnson
Wild Dogs w/ Brad Whitford
Homeward Strut w/ Steve Lukather
Sugar Shack w/ Glenn Hughes and Sonny Landreth
Crazed Fandango w/ Steve Morse
Lotus w/ Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Huges and Nels Cline
Disc 2 Bonus CD:
Flying Fingers w/ Oz Noy and Nels Cline
Marching Bag –Movement One w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Greg Hampton, John Scofield, Sonny Landreth
Marching Bag—Movement Two w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Steve Lukather, Derek Trucks, Peter Frampton
Marching Bag—Movement Three w/ Gordie Johnson, Bolin, Nels Cline, Oz Noy, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, Joe Bonamassa
Marching Bag—Movement Four w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Warren Haynes, Joe Bonamassa, Oz Noy, Brad Whitford, Peter Frampton
FOR A LIMITED TIME, A CD PREVIEW IS AVAILABLE HERE:
429 Records is a unit of The Savoy Label Group (SLG). SLG is the North American based division of Nippon Columbia, the oldest music company in Japan. The Savoy Label Group has evolved into a Grammy Award winning and chart topping independent music company consistently outperforming competitors in key music categories as monitored by Billboard Magazine. The Savoy Label Group is led by Steve Vining and is based in Los Angeles, CA.
BOTH THE CD AND THE SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE CD WITH BONUS TRACKS ARE SET FOR RELEASE ON MARCH 27, 2012.
The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop has teamed up with blues-rock virtuoso Joe Bonamassa to produce the Joe Bonamassa Signature Pickup Set.
This immaculately crafted and calibrated dual-humbucker set accurately replicates the P.A.F. pickups in Joe’s beloved 1959 sunburst Les Paul.
Their rich, dynamic, and nuanced voice will appeal to all tone connoisseurs who cherish the passion and power of the original humbucker. There are only 1,959 sets available and they are all signed by Seymour and Joe and contain extra features such as a special USB flash drive with special interviews, features and more.
GuitarDaddy’s Comments:
My questions are 1) Will these pickups be used in the next version of Joe’s signature Les Paul? and… 2) 1959 sets total? I can only imaging the street price of these PUPpies…
There won’t be many blog posts added to the BUZZ over the next few days as I am heading off to Anaheim, California for the 2012 Winter NAMM show! But while the blog activity will slow, the Twitter activity will skyrocket!
The NAMM show (National Association of Music Merchants) is an annual trade show in sunny California. The show is attended by invitation only and I have been invited as a member of the press to cover the event and new product announcements.
Hundreds, make that thousands, of music manufacturers will be represented promoting their current and new products.
While the show is all about music, including all instruments in all genres… guitars always seem to dominate the floor space. I’m all about that! Of course, I won’t be able to tweet them all but I will tweet what I believe are the cool “BUZZ-worthy” stories and products that you may want to check out.
THE WORLD’S FIRST 3D/7.1 DOLBY SURROUND Concert Film.
Coming soon to Theatres near you.
“Satchurated”, Joe Satriani’s 3D concert film was recorded and filmed live on “The Wormhole Tour” by award winning filmmakers Pierre and Francois Lamoureux.
In Theatres March, 2012!
Stay Tuned For More Updates!
NOTE: There will be a special pre-screening at Winter NAMM 2012, Saturday Jan 21st at Ultralux Theatre in Anaheim, CA at 6:30PM. GuitarDaddy will be there!
Honestly, I thought it would come earlier than it has, perhaps even a year or more ago. But there is no reason to delay it further… now is the time… so here goes….
I receive about a dozen emails a week from GuitarBUZZ readers. Most are very complimentary and thank me for posting a story or review that they had not read anywhere else.
But in the course of an average week, I can expect one of them to read something like this:
“Hey GuitarDaddy, I really enjoy following your blog but I have to ask: “Why do you write so much about Joe Bonamassa”? I mean, the guy’s good, but he’s just a blues player!”
Sincerely,
Regular Reader.
Well, this post is my answer to that question.
Dear RR,
Thanks for your email. I truly appreciate it. I often wonder if anyone reads this crazy passion of mine. The fact is, even if nobody read it at all, I’d still do it!
To accurately answer your question, I need to share something with you.
I need to take you back to the very first post on TheGuitarBuzz.com. I wrote it on December 31, 2008, a little over 3 years ago.
It was New Year’s Eve and after 3 months of research, planning and teaching myself how to use WordPress, I was launching TheGuitarBuzz blog with the first post. It marked the end of the 3 month “development period” that began just a few days after attending my first Joe Bonamassa concert… and here is my ticket to prove I was there:
My first Joe Bonamassa concert was the inspiration for "TheGuitarBuzz.com"
The concert was 2 hours away and it was well after 1:00am when I finally got back home. But even after a 10 hour work day, a 4 hour round-trip drive between Phoenix-Flagstaff and a 2+hour concert, I wanted to play my guitar as soon as I walked in the door.
Why did I want to play my guitar when I should have collapsed into bed? It’s simple. I left that concert inspired because that night, I found my GUITAR HERO!
The truth is, Joe Bonamassa inspires me to play and he also inspired me to create this blog.
I fell in love with the guitar all over again that night and when I finally did lay down in bed, the inspiration to create TheGuitarBuzz came to me. I did not sleep much…for several days.
So I pay tribute to that inspiration by following his career and posting (often) about his guitar playing. My “tribute posts” started with the very first blog post. I titled it: “Here’s To The Guitar Hero!“. Allow me to re-post a few portions of the “Genesis Post” on TheGuitarBuzz.com:
…[I'm not talking about] the “video game” Guitar Hero… but the REAL Guitar Heroes. You know… the guys like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Larry Carlton, Brian May, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Sonny Landreth, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Ronnie Earl, Eric Johnson, Jeff Golub, Norman Brown, Robben Ford, Carlos Santata, Robert Cray and so many other six-stringer’s that authored licks more memorable than the songs they’re a part of…
Guitar Heroes have tones you can identify from the first note you hear. From jazz to classical and from punkers to shredders, these are the guys that rock my world, your world and the world of countless other guitar lovers everywhere. When I listen to my Hero’s play, I am reminded why I play.
There is no other instrument like the guitar. In the hands of a new player, it represents the ability to be expressive, inventive and artistic. In the hands of an accomplished player, the guitar is the centerpiece of musical creation…
Is the Guitar Hero a dying breed? I don’t think so. There are plenty of young guns out there like Derek Trucks, Guthrie Govan and Joe Bonamassa that inspire the next generation to keep the flames alive and burning. They motivate us to keep practicing, keep learning and keep playing…
Oh by the way, in case you think Joe Bonamassa is the only guitar player I listen to…get this: I have over 12,000 songs on my iPod. Only 169 tracks are by Joe Bonamassa (yes, that’s his entire library of recorded songs plus a few rips from YouTube!)… but Joe is still my GUITAR HERO!
I think he’s a Guitar Hero to a lot of other players as well.
In the past few weeks, his latest album “Dust Bowl” was nominated for “Best Rock Blues Album” and the album “Don’t Explain”, a compilation album Joe did with Beth Hart was nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album”.
Classic Rock Magazine - Joe Bonamassa Cover
But don’t think that Joe Bonamassa is “just a blues player”. No RR, not anymore…not at all.
It has taken a while for the media to catch up but finally, this month, Joe Bonamassa was plastered on the cover of “Classic Rock Magazine”!
What’s that title again? “Classic Rock”!
Any why not? Alongside his brilliant solo career, Joe is a founding member of Black Country Communion, the band who has released 2 scorching rock albums, a live DVD and was named “Breakthrough Act of the Year” at the most recent Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards.
Listen RR, I will admit that Joe gets a lot of press on TheGuitarBuzz. Consider me guilty as charged. But a quick glance at my Tag Cloud will reveal the dozens of players and bands who have been referenced in the over 400+ blog posts that have followed that New Year’s Eve 2008 launch.
So where to from here? Well, rather than post yet another Joe Bonamassa post later this week, I will merge it into this one. That way the overall count won’t be as skewed! My plan was to post this video later in the week, but after further thought I believe it fits perfectly right here as the video begins with Joe and his personal reflection on how his career got to where it is today.
The video is a first-class production from Jim Dunlop, introducing Joe’s “Signature Pedals” — the Cry Baby and the Fuzz Face.
“Dunlop is very proud to present two signature pedals that were developed in collaboration with Joe Bonamassa, an artist who is famed for not only being one of the most talented guitarists working today but who also owns one of the most discerning ears when it comes to guitar tone and gear. Joe talks to us about the passion and dedication he has for his craft, the story behind the creation of his signature pedals working alongside Dunlop’s product designer Jeorge Tripps, and gives an intimate solo performance where he features his use of these electronics.”
The truth is, RR, there’s a lot to write about Joe…and I doubt I will stop anytime soon.
Would you stop writing about your hero? Of course not. And neither will I.
