MONO M80 Dual Guitar Gig Bag Review

Greetings!

There was a time when I sneered at gig bags, and would only get hard cases for my guitars and basses. My attitude has since turned around on this opinion, and most of my instruments are in gig bags now.

I would feel differently if I was playing out a lot and had to stick my gear in a van with the rest of the band’s crap, but that is not my situation. For around the house or loading up my car a gig bag is plenty for me. You will find that lightweight and less space are big bonuses, especially if you are using public transportation.

I got the chance to try out the MONO M80 Dual Guitar Gig Bag Review earlier this year, and it blew me away. In fact, you could even say that I am tickled pink with it. Hee!

For starters, this is a double bag so it holds two solid-body electric guitars, which makes for a tidy package when travelling, and it is always nice to have a spare guitar at a gig. It fits most of my electrics, including the Strat, Tele, Les Paul, SG, and even a pointy headstock metal thing. Of course my Gibson Explorer will not fit, but I never through for a second that it would, and Flying Vs are probably out of the equation too.

In case you are wondering it is around 42 inches long, and will fit guitars with a 12 inch upper bout and a 14 inch lower bout. More or less. And the whole thing weighs in around 7 pounds, without any guitars in it. That is pretty heavy, but fortunately it has comfy built-in backpack straps that tuck neatly out of the way if you are not using them.

Those guitars are very well protected inside, thanks to generous padding and a super-nice neck support system that might be able to keep you from snapping your Les Paul headstock off. It has a heavy-duty nylon exterior that is pretty much water-resistant, and the dual zippers are as heavy as they come. There are plenty of pockets, and they are well padded to keep the contents safe, as well as keeping whatever is in them from damaging your guitars.

Ergonomically the MONO 80 is awesome, as it Is very well through out, and it even balances well on the carry handle. This is the nicest gig bag I have ever used, but it is not terribly cheap. One of these will set you back $329 ($415 list), though that does include the MONO limited lifetime warranty. For that price, I cannot imagine them hassling you too much if you have to file a claim.

Check one out for yourself and see what you think, I think you will be impressed!

Mahalo!

Blues Blast Magazine Album Review: Sam-One – Bad Boy of the Blues

Hello!

This CD review was originally published in the November 11, 2014 edition of Blues Blast Magazine. Be sure to check out the rest of the magazine at www.bluesblastmagazine.com

Sam-One – Bad Boy of the Blues

Self Release

www.reverbnation.com/samone

8 tracks / 37:51

For every big-name blues artist with a record deal there are thousands of blues bands out there, playing their own style of music and grinding out gigs at bars and clubs around the world. One of these is Sam-One, a singer and guitarist from Pittsburg, California who is carving out his own niche.

Though he now lives in this San Francisco Bay Area town, Sam Wesley Jr. (his birth name) hails from Memphis where he started playing guitar when he was eight. 55 year later he is still at it, and he has certainly learned a few thing over the years, including singing, songwriting and arranging. Sam cut his first album, You Ain't Right, in 2009 and this southern soul disc got him in the door of a few radio stations and some hard-earned airplay.

Bad Boy of the Blues is Sam-One’s self-released sophomore effort and this time he has gone for more blues and less soul, which really works for him as his guitar chops are wonderful. It is a fairly short disc, coming in at 37 minutes, but all eight tracks were written and produced by Wesley. Sam takes on the guitar and vocal duties, and he is joined by a solid band that includes Niklas Nordstrom on bass, Twist Turner on drums and the horn section of Gino Archimede, Adrian Justice and Mark Sullivan.

“Somebody Lied” is the first song in the set and it might not be what you expect from the title. This is not a song about infidelity, but is instead a rebuttal those that say the blues genre is dead. As he calls out the familiar blues heroes in his weathered voice Sam is backed by the simple yet spot-on foundation of bass and drum and a brief but smooth guitar solo.

Things get fun quickly with the next track as “My Baby” is a catchy tune with plenty of funk that lets Nordstrom step out on bass as the horn trio pecks out their staccato accents. There is a similar vibe to “You Ain’t Feelin Me” which artfully uses the counterpoint of Sam-One’s reverb-soaked guitar and a brief solo interlude.

There is also a smooth love song, “Forever & Beyond,” which has a funky jazz feel thanks to Mark Sullivan’s flute parts. Wesley shows versatility in his vocals and his guitar playing, which adapts well to this lighter and slower pace. The time that he spent playing southern soul appears to have paid off in allowing him to change his sound up as needed.

After a passel of three-minute songs, the album finishes up with a couple of double-length tunes that give Sam-One a chance to cut loose on his guitar and he really can play! His feel, bends, and timing are terrific, and his work is as clean as a whistle. There is a smoky feel to “You Think You Fooling Me” which features fine clean guitar leads, and poignant lyrics about the darker side of relationships. For the closer, Sam picked “Do You Want Me Baby” with its classic blues structure with a slow-grinding beat. The horns go a bit crazy in this one, and there is one last chance to squeeze in a couple of tasty guitar solos. This may be the best track on the record!

One thing to keep in mind that this a self-released album and it did not have the benefit of a big record company budget, so there are a few production issues. Post-production engineering is uneven in spots, particularly with the horns, which are generally too far forward in the mix. That being said, this disc is still an enjoyable listen – it is just that at times it sounds more like a live album than a studio recording.

Sam-One’s Bad Boy of the Blues is a fun straight-up blues album and a strong reminder that there are countless souls out their spreading the gospel of the blues everyday. There are many clubs in the Bay Area that support the genre, and if you are in the area you might just run into Sam. If you do, be sure to pick up a copy of his CD!

Mahalo!

Andy Poxon – Must be Crazy | Album Review

Andy Poxon – Must be Crazy

EllerSoul Records

www.andypoxon.com

www.ellersoulrecords.com

13 tracks / 58:00

Folks like Andy Poxon are the future of the American music scene, and that is a good thing. Just barely into his 20s, he has three albums to his credit, each one has showed marked improvement over the previous, and they are all entertaining. Must Be Crazy, from EllerSoul Records, is his latest release and it is a must-buy in my book.

Andy comes from a musical family, and has seriously devoted himself to the guitar and mastering the art of writing and performing American music: blues, rockabilly, soul, rhythm and blues, and even a little jazz. He cut his first disc when he was 16, using this as a springboard to play even more shows around Washington DC and up and down the east coast.

Must Be Crazy features Andy on vocals and guitars, and he got a killer band together to back him up at the Rock House Studio in Franklin, Tennessee. The crew included Kevin McKendree on keys, Kenneth Blevins on drums, Steve Mackey on the bass and Jim Hoke on sax. Oh yes, and the fabulous McCrary Sisters and Chloe Kohanski on backing vocals! This disc was produced by Poxon and McKendree, and Kevin’s son, Yates, sits in on one track behind the organ.

A lot of hard work was put into this album, and it comes with 13 tracks, all of them written by Andy, with co-writing credit going to a McKendree on five of them. The title track is first up, and Poxon channels a little Elmore James with his big guitar and his swinging vocals. McKendree’s piano and Hoke’s sax make “Must Be Crazy” complete and give it that big city sound. This is followed up by the soulful “Living Alone,” which looks at the brighter aspects of being newly single, as he found out “how little he had to lose.” He does a nice job of punctuating his lines with smoky little riffs as necessary. There is not enough space here for a rundown on every song, but here are a few other highlights:

- This album is not all guitars and glory, and on a soul song like “Give Me the Chance” it is wise to let the piano and organ lead the way, at least to start things off. Poxon’s voice is smooth and the McCrary Sisters deliver the goods in a big way here. This is one of the standout tunes on the album, and shows how far Andy has come with his songwriting skills.

- “Harder Everyday” is a lovely R&B ballad that also features the McCrary Sisters, and very tasteful organ work from the elder McKendree. This song has a lot of neat textures, in particular a few layers of Hoke’s sax really help to make the mood and add a little drama where needed.

- Songs of love and loss are pretty common here, and “Already Gone” really dials things back and lets Andy lead with his vocals. Chloe Kohanski does a good job of matching her voice to Poxon’s, and the end result is another lovely bit of rhythm and blues.

”Rebound” closes out the set, and this instrumental features 14-year-old Yates McKendree on the organ. Andy flirts a bit with jazz on this lighthearted and funky piece, and it turns out to be a mellow way to end the set.

I hope that we see more albums from Andy Poxon, as Must Be Crazy shows a maturity in writing and musicianship that goes far beyond his years. My biggest worry is that some big name act will suck him up as a hired gun for his guitar, and that he will fade from the spotlight. I think he has a lot to say and it would a shame if we do not get to hear it!

ESP LTD GL-200K George Lynch Signature Model Guitar Review

Howdy!

I still have a soft spot in my heart for one of the most ridiculous guitars I have ever owned. It was a gorgeous ESP custom shop George Lynch Kamikaze 1 guitar. Remember dreamy George from Dokken or the Lynch Mob? I do…

It was a one-trick metal-god riding pony, so it did not stick around long. But it had looks that made the girls’ knees go weak, and when it is plugged in it made babies cry and old ladies faint. Besides, these are really expensive guitars, with a list price of $6398 and a street price of $3999. That is right, four thousand bucks.

Well, there is a route that will get you pretty close for $3600 less, and that would be the LTD GL-200K George Lynch Signature Model. In case you are not familiar with the brand, ESP is a Japanese company that has been building amazing instruments since the 1980s, and is the favorite of guitar gods such as Kirk Hammett and George Lynch. As these guitars are ungodly expensive, ESP introduced the LTD line to make their popular models more affordable for us common folk. The hardware, electronics, and wood are a little cheaper, and the labor costs are a lot lower as they are put together without using Japanese labor – this LTD instrument was built in China.

As we go through the construction and features I will point of the differences between this LTD and the real deal. The body shape and graphics are the same, which is good as this the only reason I want one. The LTD is made of light and soft basswood, instead of hard and heavy maple, and the edges of the body seem a little more radiused. The bridge is a Floyd Rose Special that is considerably sloppier and lighter than the real Floyd Rose that comes on the ESP.

The maple neck and headstock have the same profile, and that is good as I love the really fat “U” feel to the back of the neck and the 13.7-inch radius fretboard (rosewood in this case, not ebony). There are still 22 extra jumbo frets and the scale length is still 25.5 inches. There is a 1.693-inch wide locking nut and really cheap LTD logo tuners in some sort of black chrome.

The electronics package falls far short of the original, which for the Japanese models is a super-intense Seymour Duncan Screamin’ Demon at the bridge, and an ESP SH-100 single coil at the neck. This LTD guitar comes with an “ESP Designed LH-150 humbucker” at the bridge and an LS-120 single-coil at the neck. More on these in a minute. As with the original the controls are simple: there is a single volume knob that has a push-pull switch for pickup selection.

How does it all work? Pretty well for the money, honestly. The finish on the body and headstock is good, and the neck feels the same as my old ESP. The frets are pretty well done too, and it came out of the box as a playable instrument. I am not happy with the feel and operation of the tremolo and am even less impressed with the electronics. They serve up a very weak-assed sound and there is one hell of a pop when using the push-pull part of the volume knob.

But it is totally worth the money, and I am toying with the idea of adding in the correct electronics and tremolo, and I would still be way ahead of the game as long as these guitars are cheap. Cheap, as in $499 street price (list is $713), and the sale price at Musician’s Friend is $366.77 right now. That is the bargain of the century.

By the way, I had the opportunity to meet George Lynch at a trade show a few years back. He was very personable, and was nice enough to spend some time chatting with me. And he is still a damned nice-looking man!

Mahalo!

Mike Osborn – In the Dog House | Album Review

Mike Osborn – In the Dog House

Je Gagne Records

www.michaelosbornmusic.com

11 tracks / 45:00

Few albums that I review can be classified as pure blues, as they often have elements of rock or country in them, and in Mike Osborn’s case, his In The Dog House disc has a little bit of everything in it. After moving from Illinois to Woodland, California (near Sacramento) in his early teens, Mike took up the guitar and by the time he was 16 he was playing lead guitar in a country rock band; since then he has played a bit of everything: classic rock, blues, and metal. After taking a break from gigging to take care of his children, about ten years ago he got back into the business in a serious way. The result was his killer 2009 debut album, Fire & Fury, and now his follow-up, In the Dog House.

Though Mike now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, this disc was recorded in Southern California with Grammy winner Alan Mirikitani doing the mixing, mastering, and taking on the producer role. Mirikitani also wrote seven of the tracks with his collaborator Dennis Walker; Osborn wrote three of the other songs, and John Fulbright wrote the remaining tune. Mike took care of the vocals and guitars, and he was joined by a bunch of stone-cold professionals in the studio. These folks include Johnny Griparic on bass (Slash and BB Chung King), Lee Spath on the skins (Robert Cray and Rod Stewart), and Teddy Andreadis on keyboards (everybody, including Carole King and Guns & Roses). Whew!

What these guys put together is incredible: the songs are all very well-written, musicianship is first-rate, and Osborn’s guitar work and vocals are amazing. Each song is different and cover more genres than would seem possible in a 45 minute album that actually sounds like it is a singular piece of art. They kick this diverse set off with “Love vs. Ego” a blues rocker with nice Hammond from Andreadis and hearty vocals from Mike. He says “love wins,” but I am not too sure about that…

Though In the Dog House seems to be mostly focused on love and its associated games, Osborn finds time to address two subjects other than romance on this album. One of these, “Company Graveyard,” is a hard driving boogie about a man who does not want to be tied down by the man. And “Veterans Song” is an ode to our armed forces, a pleasant rocker with neat vocal harmonies.

But the other tracks are all about love, all the way down to its most graphic level, as found in “Tied Up.” This straight up blues tune matches a raunchy guitar tone to the lyrical content, and Andreadis’ organ is amazing. Get it?

One of the standout tracks on this disc is “Jump in Your Fire,” a Texas boogie that has a lot of “La Grange” in it. Except that Osborn’s growly vocals are a bit more intelligible than you might expect from the intro. This track rocks to the highest degree, and it shows that Mike’s talent has a lot of depth.

And to provide the icing for this tasty cake, guest artist Randy Mitchell (formerly with Warren Zevon) lends his slide guitar to the John Fulbright song, “Satan & St. Paul.” Though beautifully built, this countrified ballad is stone cold bummer as Osborn dissects a romance gone horribly wrong with vocals that he grads from deep within his soul.

The set draws to a close with the title track, and again we get something just a little different and unexpected. The surf-rock inspired instrumental has a slamming beat, jangly guitars and a cool melody. It is cool that Mike got to show off his mad guitar skills one last time -- he is the real deal, for sure.

Mike Osborn’s In the Dog House is a winner from every perspective. He delivers a passionate and intelligent album that was carefully put together by one of the best in the business. I have heard his live performance is just as good, so I look forward to checking his show out for myself at my earliest convenience!

Pick Punch Standard 351 Guitar Pick Maker Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at a tool that is a little nutty, and that may not make the most sense in the world, but I love it anyway. It is none other that The Pick Punch Standard 351, a tool that allows you to make your own guitar picks.

The Pick Punch is a heavy duty handheld or desktop device that is a step or two above the paper hole punches that we have all used at one time or another. But this one has heavier cutting blades and a die that will pop a nearly endless supply of guitar pick shaped pieces of plastic stock. Where are you going to get this plastic stock? Well, you could buy it from the Pick Punch people, or from sellers on eBay or Etsy, but what is the fun in that? I get great satisfaction from cutting up old credit cards or the endless supply of promotional faux credit cards that banks and the cable company keep sending me in the mail.

This appears to be a quality tool, and I have a hard time imagining it ever wearing out. It punches out picks without too much effort, though the edges can tend to be a little rough. I like smoothing them a bit and beveling the edges with a piece of sandpaper before using them. There is actually a little chunk of sandpaper built into the base of the punch, or a nail file works too.

The Standard 351 got its name because that it the shape of picks that it punches out, but there are other models available that will do triangular (rounder or pointy corners), teardrops, those little jazz picks, and even shirt collar stays.

The Pick Punch Standard 351 sells for $20 or $25, depending on where you buy it. Of course, you could buy a lot of picks for 25 bucks, but this is fun, and it would be a great gift for the guitarist in your life. Really!

Mahalo!

Merle Haggard: April 6, 1937 to April 6, 2016

Rest in peace, brother.