The following is a video of Gary Moore in an interview with Neville Marten for Guitarist magazine. In the video, Gary discusses how he chooses guitars and why he might choose an ES-335 instead of a Les Paul for a particular song. He also plays some great licks during the interview.

The NAMM Show started today, and there have already been quite a few exciting announcements. One of the most interesting and notable to me is Paul Reed Smith’s introduction of their new line of acoustic guitars and amplifiers. While I’ve seen other artists with prototypes of the acoustic guitars, I was surprised by the announcement of the amplifiers.

The new amps and acoustics look to be made with the same attention to quality and detail that PRS gives to their electric guitars. To help introduce the new products, PRS has enlisted the help of some pretty big names. On the acoustics site, there are videos of Martin Simpson and Tony McManus playing the new acoustics. There are two different acoustic models: the Angelus and the Tonare Grand. It looks like the Angelus model is targeted towards fingerstyle players, and the Tonare Grand appears to be targeted towards flatpickers.

And, on the amplifier site, there is a video of Derek Trucks, which I’ve embedded below. Derek is going to use the PRS amps when he’s on the road with the Allman Brothers. Three different amp models have been introduced: the Blue Sierra, the Dallas, and the Original Sewell. Each of these amp models look great visually and, based on the Trucks video, sound great too.

This is just a reminder that the Derek Trucks Band released their latest album, Already Free, yesterday. I’ve listened to a little of the album already, and I think it’s one of their best albums so far.

Although they still manage to play music with diverse influences, this album seems more cohesive than some of their other recent material. They just keep getting better with each album release. I’ll be posting a more thorough review later this week, but I really like what I’ve heard so far.

I’ve mentioned The Gear Page forums several times before, but I’m enjoying the forums so much that I thought I’d highlight the forums in their own post. As an IT guy, I’ve been visiting forums for a long time now, and The Gear Page forums are the most active forums that I’ve been a member of, regardless of subject matter.

In the few weeks that I’ve been a member, I’ve already learned quite a bit of stuff that I didn’t know. There’s professional guitarists as well as beginners, so regardless of experience level, there’s something for you there. I dare say that there are people on the forums there that can answer any guitar-related question, regardless of how obscure the question might be. And, simply seeing some of the other forum members’ guitar rigs is inspiring.

FYI: I have no affiliation with The Gear Page forums other than I’m a member. Also, if you know of other good guitar-related forums, let me know about them in the comments.

Frank Montag has a fun Flash application on his Web site that you can use to design your dream Les Paul. It’s surprisingly fun. You can pretty much customize any feature of the guitar, including the type of top, whether to include graphics, whether to use gold or silver hardware, and just about anything else you can think of.

There’s little practical value to the application, as you can’t order the guitar, but perhaps you can use this application to design your dream guitar that you can then post up on your wall to help inspire you. Here’s what I came up with:

You can check out the application here. Note that due to size it takes a few seconds for the application to start. Have fun!

As a fan of blues-based rock music, I’ve known about Peter Green for a long time. He’s a legend in blues circles, and rightfully so. However, I’ve only recently become a fan.

Back when Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac music was not as easy to find here in the States as it is now, I found a Fleetwood Mac live CD featuring Peter Green. I snatched it up waiting to be blown away. However, the recording was horrible; it sounded worse than most bootlegs I’ve heard, and this was supposedly an official release. (I can’t recall which album it was, though.) At any rate, I quickly got rid of the CD and didn’t think much more about Peter Green.

Somehow, I stumbled upon the following video of Peter Green playing “Oh Well” and was immediately intrigued. I went on to listen to more Green-era Fleetwood Mac, and I really like what I’ve heard. I now see what all the hype was about. If you, like me, have never really paid much attention to Green’s work, it may be time to give Green another listen.

I hope you enjoy the following clip as much as I have. I should warn you, though. “Oh Well” has been stuck in my head for the past few days as a result of watching this video:

Just a reminder that I’m still posting on Twitter. I’ve been posting over there since last May, and it’s been a lot of fun. There’s a lot of other guitarists and musicians on Twitter, so there’s always some interesting discussion going on. If you’re already on Twitter, follow me and I’ll likely follow you back. If you’re not yet on Twitter, give it a shot. I think you’ll enjoy it.

I was browsing the Gear Page forums the other day, and one of the users linked to a YouTube video of Eric Clapton during the Cream days explaining his guitar technique. At about five minutes, it’s a fairly short clip, but Clapton does offer some insight into his playing, including how he gets his famous “woman tone” on his Gibson SG. Check out the clip below:

About a month ago, I mentioned that novelist Jonathan Kellerman has recently published a book titled With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars, which is about his stellar guitar collection. I’ve since had a chance to read the book, and it is fantastic. The photos are gorgeous, and Mr. Kellerman includes detailed descriptions about many of the guitars. Not only is the book fantastic, but the guitar collection is fantastic, as well.

Mr. Kellerman was kind enough to answer a few questions about his guitar collection for us:

Guitar Lifestyle: What criteria do you look for when selecting guitars for your collection?
Jonathan Kellerman: Sound.  Sound, and sound.  LOL.  Seriously, although tone is always paramount, I’m attracted to instruments that require high degrees of craftsmanship – premium archtops, classicals, deluxe flattops such as prewar Martin 45’s.  But really, anything well-made that sounds great.  However, given limitations of space, time, and funds, one does need to be selective.  Though I have amassed around 120 guitars, they were acquired over a 35 year period.  So you can see that the rate of acquisition wasn’t that high (by guitar addict standards.)  I used to trade up, but once I started finding really great stuff, I stopped.  One of my great pleasures is finding an old instrument that was rarely, if ever played, and opening it up.

GL: Is there one particular guitar that stands out as the “pride” of your collection, or are they like kids…you can’t pick a favorite?
JK: I used to answer that question with the old it’s-like-choosing among my kids reply.  But now that I’ve owned – and have played Torres F.E.17, I have to say it’s the one I’d keep if I was stuck on a desert island.  The history, provenance and sound are profound and I feel privileged to be the custodian of such a fabulous, historically and eminently playable instrument.  Leading to your next question:

GL: I noticed in the book that you have an enviable collection of classical guitars, including two built by Antonio de Torres and one that once belonged to Francisco Tarrega. What is it like to own and play a guitar like that with so much history attached to it?
JK: The experience of playing a composition by Tarrega on Tarrega’s own guitar is as close to guitar nirvana as I could ever get.  It’s a smallish instrument with an amazingly large tone and despite fragile construction and multiple restorations – include some butchery – it sounds amazing, with a strong bass and those bell-like trebles for which Torres was acclaimed.  It is truly a piece of usable art.

GL: You mentioned in the book that you have passed on buying a 1959 Les Paul several times throughout the years. Given their skyrocketing value, do you ever plan to add one to your collection?
JK: Flametops remain too high for me, though I have noticed some serious drops in price due to the current financial situation.  That may be because the prices were driven up by investment-oriented hedge-fund types who are now divesting, but I can’t be sure of that.  Think about it: 58-60 LP’s are great guitars, but they were factory made out of solid wood, and well over 1000 were manufactured.  Yet, they still sell for more than double what that Torres cost.  I’ll be watching the market, though, to see if prices reach a point that I find comfortable.  In the end, it’s subjective.

GL: Do you have any advice for others who are looking to build a guitar collection?
JK: I’d say do your research and self-educate meticulously, play as many examples of your target guitars as you can find so you can make an intelligent choice, be aware of the market and avoid over-paying – for example, when buying at auction, set your max and don’t go past it.  Most important, buy what excites you – a guitar you’re really going to enjoy playing, rather than what you think will be a good investment.

A very special thanks to Jonathan Kellerman for taking the time to answer these questions. I highly recommend With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars as well as any of Kellerman’s novels.

Back Door Slam had a big year in 2008. I was able to catch them early last year as they traveled through Nashville supporting James McMurtry. Later in the year, they were given the opening slot for the Kid Rock/Lynyrd Skynyrd tour. And, to round out the year, they toured with Gov’t Mule. I’m glad to see them getting some recognition; they really put on a great show. It’s amazing that each member of the band is only 21. I predict big things for them in the coming years. If you get a chance to see them, I highly recommend it!

Here’s a video of Back Door Slam’s guitarist and vocalist Davy Knowles with Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule playing “Almost Cut My Hair” by CSNY: