SKB 1SKB-300 ¾ Size Guitar Hard Case Review

Aloha!

I travel a few dozen times per year for my day job, and to keep my fingers in shape (and to kill the endless hotel hours) I usually take along a guitar on my trips. I used to take a Martin Backpacker, but it is such a miserable chunk of crap, that I eventually found a Little Martin LX which is a lot more pleasurable to play.

The Little Martin is a ¾-sized guitar that comes with a nice padded gig bag that fits in the overhead compartment or front closet on most of the flight I take. Unfortunately, on small regional jets there just is not enough room for it and it has to be gate checked, which makes me really nervous. I did some searching around the internet and ended up with a nice molded hardshell case, the SKB 1SKB-300, which took away a lot of the worry.

The 1SKB-300 is specifically designed for the Martin LX (Little Martin) and Baby Taylor models. It fits a lot of the other ¾-size guitars as well, but it will not fit the Taylor GS Mini. Trust me, I have tried. Generally, it should fit guitars with a lower bout of 12.5 inches, an upper bout of 9.25 inches, a boy length of 16 inches and an over length of 34.75 inches.

This SKB case is made of blow-molded plastic with an extruded aluminum channel that seals the lid to the body of the case. To further protect the guitar there is EPS foam insulation (like in a motorcycle helmet) and some sort of synthetic fuzzy stuff on the inside. Inside you will find a storage cavity that will hold a tuner or a strap (but probably not both) and a key for the typical useless guitar case lock. Outside there are three chrome latches, including one with the aforementioned lock.

When my case arrived, I put my Little Martin in it, and it fit like a glove. The neck was very well supported, and there was no movement at all when the lid is shut. Unfortunately, the lid has never set completely flat, so it needs to be pressed down a bit to get it to latch. This is common with these cases, and I am willing to live with it. The latches work fine, but I worry that they are stuck to the outside of the case with no ridges to protect them, so I do not know how they will hold up to regular baggage handler abuse. On the plus side, SKB stands behind their products with terrific warranties and they are really good about replacing broken hardware The molded plastic handle is comfortable enough, but it would be nice if there were eyelets so that a shoulder or possibly even backpack straps could be attached.

This does not seem like too much to ask, because the SKB 1SKB-300 is awfully expensive for such a small, no-frills case. The list price for one of these is $144.99 with a street price of $99.99. It you are considering one of these, it would behoove you to keep your eye on Amazon, as the price for this fluctuates quite a bit – I have seen them as low as $65 to $75, which is quite a steal, especially if you get Amazon Prime free shipping.

This case is one of the only games in town, so if you are looking for a hard case for 3/4 –size guitar, you might want to pick one of these up.

Mahalo!

Fender Blues Junior Guitar Amplifier Cover Review

Greetings!

I love my Fender Blues Jr. III guitar amplifier, but one thing kind of chapped me when I bought it: for the price I paid, it really would have been nice for Fender to throw in a cover. Would it kill them?

I like keeping my combo amps covered when I am not using them for plenty of good reasons. A decent cover will keep dust and sunlight (and spilled beer) out, and keep it looking like new. Also, if I am taking it somewhere it will help protect it from rain or scuffs and scratches when loading it into my vehicle. So, I looked around on the internet and the best value for me was the factory cover, part number 005-4912-000.

When it showed up, there were no surprises. It is made of heavy nylon with piping stitched around the handle opening and the edges. There is no padding, so it will not protect against hard hits, but I knew this before I bought it. By the way, amazon.com says this thing is made out of vinyl – it is not.

It is well-sewn, and it fits easily over the amp chassis with no troubles. There is enough extra room so it is easy to take on and off. I have seen some covers where they are so tight that they fit like a sausage, and they are a major league pain to use. That is not the case here.

Anyway, there is no drama and the Fender factory cover does exactly what it is supposed to. If you have a Blues Junior there is no excuse not to get a cover for it.

The best thing about this thing is the price. The Fender Blues Junior amplifier cover has a list price or $24.99 with a street price of $18.99, and many sellers will throw in free shipping. You will not find a better deal!

Mahalo!

Central Coast Music of Morro Bay, California

Howdy!

I miss having small, independent music stores to shop in. In my area of Southern California, they have mostly disappeared as big retailers moved in and the internet slashed profit margins too thin for many of these brick and mortar stores to survive.

Well, there are still independent shops that I run to in my travels, and every time I head up to San Luis Obispo I make it a point to stop in at Central Coast Music in Morro Bay, California. I have bought plenty of stuff there over the years, from strings to guitars, and have always come away happy. There is always something cool to discover there, and it is a great place to do business.

Ed Frawley is the man behind the counter at Central Coast Music, and he has been preparing for this role since he was a kid. His old man ran a pawn shop in Southern California, and Ed learned how to be a salesman and run a business from him. After a stint in the service, Ed moved up to SLO County and went into a sales career. He ended up starting his own guitar shop as a side business in the early 1990s, too. It started small, in a store front attached to his house, but he moved to different locations in Morro bay, before he ended up in his current location, across from the Bay Theatre. Along the way he gave up his day job, and Central Coast Music became his main focus.

Central Coat Music is bigger than most mom and pop stores, and they carry a little bit of everything: guitars and basses, amps, strings, pedals, books, live sound, keyboards and drums. This is not Guitar Center, so there will not be more guitars than you can shake a stick at, but they have plenty of inventory.

They sell new instruments, and are happy to order most anything that you are looking for complete with competitive pricing. But what overjoys me when I go there is their collection of used equipment. They always have plenty of used amplifiers and guitars, and Ed will patiently let you try out the equipment without hovering and hassling you.

The last time I was in the store they had a few custom-made cigar box guitars that were built by a local guy using donor necks and components, and they are really neat instruments, both from a playability and an aesthetic viewpoint. I ended up falling in love with an old Takamine acoustic that just had to go home with me. It is a nice instrument, and Ed had it priced fairly, so it was a no brainer.

If you are in San Luis Obispo or Morro Bay (or if you are visiting Hearst Castle), you have to stop in and check out Central Coast Music. Buy some strings, rap with Ed and play a few guitars. The shop is located at 365 Morro Bay Boulevard in Morro Bay, California. They are open from Tuesday to Friday from 10 to 6, and on Saturday from 10 to 5. Tell him Rex says “hi!”

Mahalo!

CD Review: Wells the Traveler – One for the Dreamers

Wells the Traveler – One for the Dreamers

Self Release

www.wellsthetraveler.com

14 tracks / 47:42

Much of the music I hear is derivative of something else, so sometimes it feels like there is not very much new material out there. Often times I end up relating the albums I review to something that somebody already came up with (usually Robin Trower or Muddy Waters, strangely enough). Well, Danny McGaw has thrown me for a loop and put together a diverse crew to create something truly unique with his new band, Wells the Traveler.

Danny is from Manchester, England where his professional football career was cut short by injury at the age of 18. This is when he started his music career in earnest, eventually moving to the U.S. with a stop in Santa Monica where he played shows and sold his own CDs, and then on to his final destination of Kansas City about five years ago. He started his own studio there and over time has managed to thrive as a full-time musician, which is a tough road to follow.

Wells the Traveler includes five like-minded souls, including Dan Hines on bass, Chad Brothers on guitar, Jason Jones on drums (and guitars, accordion, keys, and sax), and Mike West (also from Manchester) on banjo, mandolin and guitars. Besides contributing his fine picking, West also took on the role of producer for this project. McGaw contributes guitars, piano, and percussion. He also takes on the primary vocal role, although it looks like everybody contributes their voices throughout their debut album, One for the Dreamers.

One for the Dreamers includes 14 original tracks, all written by Danny McGaw. These songs were recorded live at Mike West’s 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor studio in Lawrence, Kansas. As these are polished musicians, the material is not as raw as you might think, and it is mastered well so it sounds good while still capturing the energy and feeling of their live show.

“Can You Feel the Rain” is the opening track, and it starts out with pretty acoustic guitar and mandolin picking with a little kick drum and toms thrown in. From there, it builds as the lyrics enter and the vocal harmonies combine with electric guitars to make for a neat roots/rock song. There is a complex texture to this music, and the musicians have the ability to pull it off. The lyrics are very personal, and Danny’s voice has the emotion to captivate and pull the listener in.

The thing that strikes me most about this track (and all the others, too) is the maturity of McGaw’s songwriting. His choice of words is poetic, and the imagery he uses completes a complex picture in every song while still maintaining a very personal and intimate feel. Danny has recorded and released nine other CDs, so I should expect this, but his material really stands out, particularly when it is held up against much of the other new music I listen to.

The next track up is a neat bridge, “Turkish Café,” which is a half minute of percussion. I don’t know for sure, but this sounds like a soundbite that came up during the recording sessions, and they decided to put it into the album to help maintain the vibe. There is a second interlude, “Jones’ Lament” about half way through the album which is 30 seconds of piano that fills the gap between “Thursday Afternoon” and “Stand Up Straight.”

“Thursday Afternoon” is a folk rock song with a jazz break – this sounds weird when I put it down on paper, but it works when you listen to it. Jones’ drums and the percussion hold all of this together as the mood and tempo change throughout. “Stand Up Straight” uses its anthemic chorus and harder electric guitar sounds to help describe the feelings of a man who is trying to get his act back together again -- “I gotta find a way to be myself again.“ Amen, brother.

There is not enough space hear to describe all of the songs on the disc, but believe me when I say that each of them has its own sound and voice. The album finishes up with “I Wish You Well,” which has a lot going for it. Its message is a great sentiment that contrasts the heaviness of daily life with hope for the future. Musically it also has a multitude of neat components, including some country picking, doubled horn / whistling lines, and a driving beat with some slick tempo changes. This is a strong track and was a great choice to bring this project to a close.

This is a very good album with not a single clunker to be found. This hybrid of English rock and American folk music has a unique sound and feel, and you really have to give it a listen.

The One for the Dreamers release party will be on Friday, August 23 at the Brick in Kansas City, Missouri. The album will be available for sale in early September directly from their website as a download, or they can mail you a copy. Also, if you are in the Kansas City Area, be sure to check out Wells the Traveler’s website or Facebook page so you check out their schedule. As you will find out from this album, their live show is not to be missed!

Melvin Taylor – Beyond the Burning Guitar Album Review

Good day!

This CD review was originally published in the January 31, 2013 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at thebluesblast.com

Melvin Taylor – Beyond the Burning Guitar

Eleven East Corp

www.melvintaylormusic.com

24 tracks / 89:03

It used to be that whenever someone mentioned jazz guitar to me, I instinctively thought of it as the background music that played while I was eating overcooked pasta in bad restaurants. But as the years went by, I spent a lot of time listening to Django Reinhardt, George Benson, Charlie Christian, and John Mclaughlin, and realized that I had shortchanged myself by not giving this genre the attention it deserves. My exploration into this music introduced to Melvin Taylor’s work, as he is a fabulous jazz guitarist who ranks among the best in the business. He recently released his tenth studio album, Beyond the Burning Guitar, and it is quite a winner.

Melvin Taylor was born in Mississippi, but grew up in Chicago so he got to enjoy all of its wonderful musical influences. He took up the guitar as a young child, and is completely self-taught. Early on he caught the attention of Pinetop Perkins, who asked him to join the Legendary Blues Band for a European tour. Since then he has been recording on his own and touring with his own band, opening up for some true legends, including Buddy Guy and B.B. King.

His latest release, Beyond the Burning Guitar, is an ambition piece of work, with two discs, 24 instrumental tracks and a ninety minute play time. Melvin Taylor plays all of the guitar and bass parts, Bernell Anderson joins him on keyboards and Señor Jefe takes care of the drum and percussion parts. All of this music was written and arranged Mr. Taylor, with the obvious exception of his adaptation of Beethoven’s fifth symphony.

Melvin is known for being a jazz guitarist, but it is not really fair to pigeon hole him based on one part of his abilities. As I said earlier, he has a strong blues background, and this release contains jazz, blues, fusion and even some rock; often times they are mixed together so that you would be hard-pressed to fit them into any one genre. You will find this out when you hear track one, “Dueling Guitars of Rio Terra,” as it is some really incredibly tough Spanish-influenced music. There are many layers of guitars to hear, and he has a gorgeous acoustic tone and incredible dexterity. I found that I missed out many of the nuances of this music when I played this through my car stereo, so this album is best heard through a good home sound system or headphones.

He hops genres frequently, and the second track is a jazz song titled “Steppers” that showcases how smoothly Taylor can play the guitar. Señor Jefe holds down a freakishly regular beat while Anderson adds just the right amount of mood with his keyboards, and you will find these things to be true throughout this double album. You will notice that there are no vocals on these tunes or anywhere else on Beyond the Burning Guitar, and it simply does not need any as the guitar fills the vocal role nicely. Also, the tracks are relatively short, with all of them coming in under five minutes each.

Mr. Talyor serves up some rock and blues material as well, most noticeably in “Rock In Blues” and “Sweet Blues,” as you can guess from their titles. “Rock In Blues” leans more towards the rock side, but there is a discernible blues foundation to this song. Taylor shows off his incredible chops and cuts loose with guitar pyrotechnics that are comparable to what Vai, Satriani or Hendrix have recorded. “Sweet Blues” has the Chicago blues sound with Hammond organ chords, a classic walking bass line and a heavy 2-4 drum beat. Melvin weaves two completely different guitar parts over this base and everything meshes together perfectly.

I could go on and on as there are a metric ton of tracks here, but you get the picture. The only downside to this two CD is set is that there is just too much of a good thing here, and it is hard for me to focus for an hour and a half on complex guitar music. If this is the only gripe I could think of then Melvin and his band did a pretty good job!

Melvin Taylor has gifted writing and guitar playing talents, and Beyond the Burning Guitar is his best work thus far. If you love guitar music and entertaining instrumentals, do yourself a favor and check out his music.

Mahalo!

2008 Ernie Ball MusicMan Sterling 5 HH Electric Bass Review

Aloha!

My friends know that I am not a 5-string bass kind of guy, but that does not keep me from getting one every year or so and giving it another go. This 2008 Musicman Sterling 5 was a failed experiment from a few years back.

Ernie Ball got a good grip on the 5-string bass market after they introduced the Stingray 5 back in 1987. Since then, it seems like every country band I have seen has a bassist that uses one.

Despite the popularity of the Stingray 5, there were folks out there that liked MusicMan’s Sterling aass more (different playability, tone and ergonomics) so in 2008 the company Introduced the Sterling 5 bass. This company is always innovating, and they pretty much are able to provide whatever a guitarist or bassist needs. This is yet another example of their efforts.

Visually, the Stering 5 is not a lot different, except that it has a more normal looking pickguard, but the body does have different contours than the SR5. This one is coated in a lovely coat of Graphite Pearl poly, with a matching headstock. The pickguard looks like they made it by cutting slices of a black and gray swirled bowling ball. Love it!

The neck is similar with a 34-inch scale, 1 ¾ inch compensated nut and 17.55mm string spacing at the bridge. But, due to the body contour, this neck is attached with five bolts instead of six, allowing access to that one extra fret that the Sterling 5 gets (22 versus 21). This one was built with a rosewood fretboard, but maple is also available; fretless models get pau ferro and stealth models get ebony boards. Hmm. The neck has a silky coating of gunstock oil and wax on the back, and it has the familiar truss rod adjuster wheel at the heel. I wish all bass makers did this.

The hardware is not terrible different than other Musicman basses, which is a good thing because it is high-quality stuff. This includes tapered post Schaller BM tuners and a high-mass bolt and screw on bridge with stainless steel saddles.

The electronics are where the Sterling 5 diverges the most from the Stingray 5. The same pickup configurations are the same (H, HS and HH), but that is where the similarities end. For starters, the Sterling uses ceramic instead of alnico pickup magnets. Right off the bat, this gives the sterling a more aggressive tone, keeping in mind that the Stingray has a fairly gnarly tone as it is.

Also, this HH model is wired with the pickups in series (instead of parallel), so the instrument gains some output from this as well. The pickups and preamp are voiced so that each position on the 5-pole switch provides a unique sound, and each one of these sounds is very usable: from a bluesy thump to an aggressive jazz bass tone, and everywhere in between. I will not describe all of these tones in any sort of detail, but if you ever get to try one of these basses, be sure to give it a run in each of the positions.

The controls are simple and include a three band EQ and a volume knob. These bases have a 9-volt pre-amp, so there is plenty of output to go around.

Ever since Ernie Ball bought out MusicMan back in the mid-1980s, their quality has been fantastic, and their products are among the best built bolt-neck instruments you can buy. This Sterling 5 is no exception.

The finish is flawless and very durable. I see no evidence of finish cracks or imperfections, and it Graphite Pearl is really quite a pretty color. The frets ends are perfect and the frets are level. I was able to get the action amazingly low with no buzzing or untoward playability issues.

At 10 pounds 6 ounces it is pretty heavy, but then again I’ve owned Les Pauls that weighed a couple pounds more. A friend of mine picked one up that was around 9 pounds, so I know they are out there, and it you are picky about weight it might be worth it to shop around a bit to find a lighter one.

As far as 5 string basses go, this one is a real winner. The B string is tight, and I like the narrowed string spacing at the bridge. I don’t know where all those whiny internet forum guys are coming from with their whining that they cannot get a MusicMan 5-er with 19mm spacing. They need to spend less time on the computer and more time playing their basses.

And lastly, the Sterling 5 tone just kills with amazing low mids. It is suitable for everything you can throw at it: jazz, blues, funk, rock, metal, reggae or whatever. It is truly a jack of all trades.

As I said earlier, I am not a 5-string guy, and this one disappeared shortly after I got it – I think it went wherever my old fretless basses go. Shudder.

Anyway, if you are looking for a MusicMan Sterling 5, they are a very nice instruments and are priced accordingly. The list price for a Sterling 5 HH with a rosewood fretboard and a matching headstock is $2700, and the street price is around $1890. If you are a 5-string guy, you really have to give one a try!

Mahalo!

Fender Vintage Reissue ‘65 Twin Reverb Guitar Amplifier Review

Howdy!

There are some truly amazing things in our world. And sometimes you lust for one of these things so badly and for so long, that by the time you finally get it, you realize that either it was not what your really wanted, or that you are in way over your head. Maybe it is a supermodel girlfriend, a high-pressure career, or that hotrod ski boat or muscle car. For me, this great white whale is the Fender Twin Reverb…

Fender introduced the original amplifier back in the 1960s, and it is generally regarded as the cleanest amplifier you can buy, as well as the loudest combo amp for it size. Both of these claims are still true, and the Vintage Reissue ‘65 Twin Reverb is worthy of the name and heritage. A veritable Who’s Who list of rock stars have used these amplifiers, including Hendrix, Clapton, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

It is not terribly huge, measuring 27 x 20 x 11 inches, but it certainly feels a lot heavier than its 64 pounds when hauling it around by the single vinyl handle screwed to its top. It has a super-solid chassis that is hewn from 7-ply 5/8-inch Baltic Birch plywood. You cannot by better wood that is this strong. The whole thing is covered in black nubbly tolex and combining this with the blackface control panel and the silver grill cloth gives the Twin Reverb that vintage look. Oh yes, and it has the tilt back legs of the original, too.

It is an 85-watt (at 4 Ohms) all-tube amp, and it comes loaded for bear. It is built with four 6L6 Groove Tubes output tubes, four 12AX7 preamp tubes, and two 12AT7 preamp tubes. Since the beginning of time, the Fender Twin Reverb has used a solid-state rectifier. All of this power is channeled into two 8 Ohm ceramic magnet 12-inch Jensen C12K speakers (a 4 Ohm load).

On the front of the chassis you will find two independent channels: Normal and Vibrato. There are two inputs for each of these.

The Normal channel has a three band EQ, a volume control and a Bright switch. This switch is intended to be used when the volume is set below 6 (or so) to compensate for any loss of high end.

The Vibrato channel has these same controls, plus knobs for Reverb, Speed and Intensity. The reverb circuit uses an awesome spring reverb, and the Speed and Intensity knobs control the vibrato effect. The included footswitch has two buttons to turn these effects on and off.

There is not too much to look at on the back: the on/off switch, a ground lift, two speaker outs, the footswitch jack and a 4 Amp Slo-Blow fuse. You will not find an effects loop or tuner out on this bad boy…

That covers the nuts and bolts, so I guess all that is left to talk about is its performance, and it is truly a factory-built hot rod!

It has power and volume to spare for anything I will ever do with it. Those 6L6’s are there just to look pretty and keep everything warm. In my studio I will never get past 2 without pissing off my neighbors, and in my world there is no way I am going to get a distorted tone without adding effects.

The clean tone is as advertised – amazing pure. It has a natural warmth but still has a supernatural clarity. It does not have any hum, and it would be a perfect amplifier for recording. If you choose to use effect there will not be any coloring of their signal, you will get out of this amp exactly what you put into it.

Also, the reverb is beautifully full, and is probably one of the best-sounding integrated units I have ever run into. Besides its obvious utility for rock music, the Twin Reverb would also be killer for country, or jazz.

So what is my beef with this amp? It is just an assortment of personal pet peeves. I miss having master and gain knobs, and it is just way more amplifier than I will ever have the use for. It would be better suited to guys that gig with bigger audiences. It is like having a Ferrari that I only get to drive around in 1st gear, if you know what I mean.

Though it is not the Ferrari of guitar amps, the Fender Vintage Reissue ’65 Twin Reverb is not terribly cheap either, with a list price of $1999.99 and a street price of $1349 (which should include the optional fitted cover, but does not, damn it). But it is well worth it if you crave clean tone and tons of volume. Just be careful of what you wish for, because you might just get it!

Mahalo!