Guitar

In the final video on guitar building at Collings Guitars, we see the last processes that occur before a guitar is ready to go out the door.  

With tuition prices rising faster than a very surprised man's eyebrows, you might have to take out student loans to attend Fender University -- a four day session with a number of perks that can coax a guitar enthusiast's wallet right out of his or her pants.  

So many things get better with age -- cheese, wine, George Clooney -- but did that Ibanez Blazer Bass really attain some magical quality once it hit the two-decade mark? Crosstalk discusses the liberal use of the "vintage" tag and its implications.  

Brian Beken and Dennis Ludiker of South Austin Jug Band took some time out of their day to talk with Patrick Ogle about the instruments they play. Not surprisingly, their proximity to Collings Guitars makes it a fairly easy choice.  

Dead Leaf Echo, a shoegaze act from New York, talk about recording at The Bunker  

Shoegaze outfit, Dead Leaf Echo, talk about their live gear set up.  

As a self-coined half-man, half-tree, full-hyphen-aficionado, I can verify that what Steve McCreary says about Bird's Eye Maple is true. My skin / bark develops various distressing signs in the grain whenever I hit a rough patch. I should really get it checked out sometime.  

Steve McCreary of Collings Guitars talks about the process of finishing a guitar. When it comes to varnish, Steve weighs in on his preferences between lacquer and polyurethane finishes.  

Sacramento-based Loose Acoustic Trio busk and play in Northern California. They are a sort of modern jug band and have some super-neato gear.  

Singer / songwriter Patricia Vonne compares the way musicians are seen in Europe and North America. Her advice for any band strapped for cash is to ditch the tour van and get out your passport.  

Guitarist for Baltimore's Thrushes, Casey Harvey discusses pedals, guitars and stuff he wants.  

We visit Mark Erlewine of Erlewine Guitars in Austin, TX where Patrick Ogle and Mark talk about trees and guitar legends. Mark has built guitars for some pretty notorious customers like Albert King and Jerry Garcia.  

Watching wood acclimate falls somewhere between watching paint dry and watching my beard grow. Still, it is a necessary process (as is growing my beard) for all wood hoping to be a Collings Guitar -- like waiting outside Tyler Durden's house to become a member of Operation Mayhem.  

Laguna Guitars' "One Guitar, One Tree" initiative is pretty simple and effective. For every guitar Laguna makes, they'll plant a tree.  

With divorce rates in the U.S. hovering at about fifty percent, it's no surprise that TC Electronic and Gibson have decided to annul the merger they announced at Winter NAMM 2008.  

At first glance, Americana may not seem to be the type of music to warrant massive technical expertise. As Darla Farmer proves, however, the recording process always has its challenges, especially when copious amounts of brass are involved.  

Fender has announced a secret project in conjunction with super-shredder Yngwie Malmsteen, not to be confused with Super Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game. He was flippin' tough to beat.  

Singer-songwriter Jann Klose, with a new CD out and in-between tours, takes some time to talk about his acoustic guitars with Gearwire.  

If you're wondering what to get DJ Puzzle for his next birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah or other special event, look no further. Puzzle loves the CDJ1000 MK3 and the Korg KP3 and in this video, he gets to use them side by side. What a treat!  

Guess what, troglodytes . . . we're getting entries. That's right, our Black Metal Riff Off is in full swing, and the competition's already blistering.  

In Episode 41 of Crosstalk, Bill almost strangles Britton for excessive use of a vocoder, Musikmesse proves once again to be the greatest show on Earth and the guys finally get to talk about custom analog synths.  

Paul Lacques, guitarist for L.A.'s I See Hawks In L.A. talks about his gear, recording with the band and other stuff.  

We're at Chicago School of Guitar Making where Ian Schneller shows us a student's first neck. Before taking Ian's class, that student had to walk around with his head popping out of the top of his chest . . .  

As a preface to this video, Ian Schneller of Specimen Products also operates the Chicago School of Guitar Making and teaches guitar classes from his shop. Gearwire's Patrick Ogle is signed up for Ian's guitar maintenance course. This should be interesting.  

The six year old Seattle band, The Daughters of Bristol, released their second CD this past winter. Edward Nicholas talks about recording and more.  

For Against has been making music since the mid-1980s and have not stopped. First up for Gearwire is guitarist Harry Dingman III.  

If you worry about your guitar sitting there on the stand uncovered but can't put it in the case Drapester may be worth a look.  

Bell Hollow talk about preproduction and the differences and similarities between their live and studio set ups. They also get a little into their "dream instruments."  

Brooklyn's Bell Hollow talk about their set up and why they use what they do.  

Ben Felker, guitarist for Louisville-based The Fervor, talks about the amps he uses in the studio and live.