In addition to the PRS SE Angelus guitar that PRS have announced at the Experience PRS event, PRS have announced three other new guitars: the Stripped 58, the Swamp Ash Studio, and the Experience PRS 2011 Custom 24.

The Stripped 58 is a single-cut guitar that features a maple top and mahogany back, a 24.5″ scale length, 22 fret mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and bird inlays, PRS Guitars’ new 2-piece bridge, 57/08 pickups, and their Pattern neck. PRS will be taking orders for the Stripped 58 from September 22, 2011 to October 14, 2011.

The Swamp Ash Studio is a variation of PRS Guitars’ Studio model featuring a swamp ash body and two 57/07 Narrowfield pickups and a 57/08 humbucking bridge pickup. Like the Stripped 58, the Swamp Ash Studio will be available between September 22, 2011 and October 14, 2011.

The Experience PRS 2011 Custom 24 is a limited edition guitar that features an artist grade top and matching headstock, black and white mother of pearl bird inlays, and 59/09 pickups. Only 200 Experience PRS 2011 Custom 24 guitars will be made and will be available in four colors: Burnt Almond, Faded Abalone, Gold Burst, and Orange Tiger. Only 50 guitars in each color will be made.

The Experience PRS event is going on this weekend at the PRS facility in Maryland. It is at this event that PRS Guitars announce new models, host guitar clinics and shows, and basically just geek out on PRS equipment. Sounds like my kind of weekend!

One of the new models that they announced is the PRS SE Angelus acoustic guitar. This is the first acoustic model in their SE line, which are more affordable versions of their Maryland-made guitars. There are two versions of the SE Angelus: Standard and Custom. The Standard model will feature a spruce top, solid mahogany back and mahogany sides, and a rosewood fretboard. The Custom model will feature a spruce top, solid rosewood back and rosewood sides, and an ebony fretboard. Both models will feature hybrid X bracing for the top, which PRS also uses for their high-end line of acoustics. The SE Angelus will be introduced in limited quantities later this year, with more SE acoustic models coming next year. Neither the Standard nor the Custom coming later this year will be available with electronics, but some of next year’s models will include built-in pickup systems.

Below is a demo of the SE Angelus models by J Hayes followed by a video of guitarist Todd Bauchspies performing his song “Hedge Hawk Clearing” on a PRS SE Angelus guitar:

This is an interesting three-part video interview by Harmony Central with guitarist Andy Timmons in which he talks about his upcoming album Andy Timmons Plays Sgt. Pepper, as well as his guitars, amps, effects, and how the Beatles have influenced him over the years:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Andy Timmons Plays Sgt. Pepper will be released on October 25, 2011.

Blues Man – The Life and Times of Sean Costello is a documentary produced and directed by Sarah Baker about the all too short life of Sean Costello. I really enjoy Costello’s music. Unfortunately, I didn’t “discover” him until shortly after his untimely death in in 2008, so I never had a chance to see one of his live shows. Fortunately, there are a lot of YouTube videos of his performances.

This documentary celebrates Sean Costello’s life and music and provides some background about his struggles. See the trailer below:

Leslie West will be releasing a new solo album next month titled Unusual Suspects. The album features a host of guest artists including Slash, Zakk Wylde, Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather, and Joe Bonamassa. Below is a video of West and Bonamassa trading licks in the studio on the blues classic “Third Degree”:

Joe Bonamassa is the cover artist for the latest issue of the online guitar magazine iGuitar. Below is a video of Bonamassa jamming with his interviewer from iGuitar, Michael Casswell. This video features some really nice playing from Bonamassa. Check it out:

One of my favorite modern jazz/funk/blues/fusion/etc. guitarists, Oz Noy, is going to be releasing a new album titled Twisted Blues Volume 1 on November 21. The album was recorded in Austin and New York. The Austin sessions featured Eric Johnson on guitar, Chris Layton on drums, Roscoe Beck on bass, and Reese Wynans on the organ. The New York sessions featured Vinnie Colaiuta and Anton Fig on drums, Will Lee on bass, John Medeski and Jerry Z on organ, Allen Toussaint on piano, and Ralph McDonald on percussion. This will be Noy’s first release for Abstract Logix.

The track listing for the album is:

1. Twisted Blues
2. Oh Really?
3. You Are The State
4. Whole Tone Blues
5. Cissy Strut
6. Light Blue
7. Steroids
8. Two Centers
9. Trinkle Tinkle

(via Rich Murray)

This past weekend, the Les Paul Foundation unveiled a new monument in honor of Les Paul in Les Paul’s hometown of Waukesha, WI:

The monument includes 500 square feet of granite and features an image of a 1952 Les Paul guitar along with a biography and a listing of the major awards that Paul has won. We have family in the area, so I’m looking forward to checking out this monument the next time we’re in Waukesha.

Fender has commemorated the 10th anniversary of the heroic acts of the first responders during the 9/11 attacks by creating three Custom Shop Stratocasters: the New York Fire Department Stratocaster, the New York Police Department Stratocaster, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Stratocaster:

The guitars will be on display during a Fender event this month. Then, Eric Clapton will play the guitars during his Fall tour, after which the guitars will be donated to September 11 first responder organizations.

Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted by Jim Woods. Check out Jim’s blog for more guitar-related articles, reviews, and interviews.

Penfar FX are handcrafted from start to finish by builder Chad J. Leavitt. Chad produces some of the very best effects pedals available in the market today. From Musictoyz to Prymaxe Vintage, Penfar FX pedals are now available in several retail outlets. You can also order pedals directly from Chad himself at his website. He takes pride in his customer service and offers five great pedals at affordable prices.

How did you get into building effects pedals?

At one point I had a 60w Fender Hot Rod DeVille amplifier with four 10” speakers. It was way too loud for the house and I couldn’t get a good tone from it at lower volumes. I started looking for effects pedals I could use so I could play at bedroom volumes and still get the tones I wanted. I looked for a long time. I found pedals I either didn’t care for, or if I did like them, they often cost more than I wanted to spend. I decided to save some money and look into building a pedal.

I remember watching a lot of Gearmanndude videos on Youtube and he mentioned a site called buildyourownclone.com. So I went there to see what it was about. I got the idea to buy a PCB and house it myself. I found a place that was selling some Wampler PCB’s and purchased and built a Wampler “Cranked AC”. After that I decided not to rely on someone else’s PCB and started looking into vero/stripboard.

Are effects pedals difficult to build for the complete beginner?

Well, at first I had no idea where to start. I had no electronics experience and had used a soldering iron maybe twice. I befriended Paul, a guy from England, at buildyourownclone.com. He helped me out a LOT! If it wasn’t for him and the help of some others I wouldn’t know a capacitor from a diode. Learning how to read schematics was something I did on my own; looking at well-known circuits and figuring out what all these lines and symbols mean. I did a lot of searching on the internet and fired lots of questions to Paul.

You currently have five pedals in the Penfar FX lineup. Most new builders don’t have such a diverse lineup, but rather focus on one or two pedals. How did you decide to build so many different pedals?

I didn’t decide to make more than a few effects; it just happened. I’m always drawing up ideas and thinking of something I want to try. I wanted to have something for everyone, I guess. I don’t want to be pigeonholed as just a fuzz builder or just an overdrive builder. Sometimes I come up with the name and graphic before I develop a circuit. I like to stick to simple circuits with a nice amount of versatility. I don’t like effects where you have all the bells and whistles, but when it comes down to it you only use half of what’s available. If I’m developing something and I find a part of it to be either not that effective or just something I’d set and forget then that’s exactly what I’ll do; figure out what sounds best to me and set that value in the circuit.

What is your favorite recorded tone? Is that what has inspired you to build some of the pedals that you have?

I don’t know if I could pick a favorite tone. I never set out to make my effects sound like anything specific. I just get an idea of something I want and work on it until I like what I hear. For example, the Aces High just started as me wanting a higher gain rock distortion pedal. I wasn’t trying to make it sound like anything specific. Most, if not all, the feedback I’ve gotten on it has been how much like a Marshall it sounds. Now, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a Marshall and a Mesa by ear. I’ve never owned any well known, sought after amps. I figure if I set out to make something sound like “blank” it probably won’t and will get ridiculed by the gearheads.

How do you dial in effects pedals for both humbuckers and single coil guitars?

Lots and lots of hours huddled over a breadboard switching caps and resistors out until I’m satisfied with how it sounds with either kind of pickup. I can spend half my time developing a circuit swapping out components in a tonestack trying to get something I’m 100% happy with.

What kind of gear do you use to test your designs?

I don’t have a lot of gear to test different types of amps or guitars. I own two electric guitars; a Les Paul and a Tele. I have a small Blackheart Handsome Devil combo. If I want to hear something on a bigger rig I have a few friends that let me come over and use their equipment. I need more equipment! I’d like to get an oscilloscope and some decent recording gear. Right now everything is tuned to what my ear likes best without all the fancy technical stuff. That’s what it all boils down to anyway, right?

What have been your biggest hurdles to overcome when building pedals?

I’d have to say time and satisfaction. I’ve had several projects trashed because I was never 100% satisfied with how it sounded. So it gets trashed and I move on to the next. I say time because I have a family and a full time job along with running Penfar FX. Finding time for the family and the obligations that come with having a house along with everything else involved in building effects is tiresome sometimes. It’s worth it though when I get that email or see a comment somewhere from someone saying how much they like their Penfar FX pedal.

Will there be any new pedals added to the Penfar FX lineup soon?

Of course! Right now I am about to release a new overdrive; the RagnaRok. It’s got a Norse/Viking theme to it. Watch for demos for that soon. I went a different direction with the finish and etched the enclosure. I think it looks pretty sweet. After that I have at least 3 more ideas I want to try to develop. I’m always drawing something up. Very often you’ll see me on the floor at my house with my trusty graph paper and pencil scribbling an idea down. It’s actually become quite relaxing to do it. (Laughs.)

Any advice you can give to any future effects builders?

Knowing is half the battle? (Laughs.) Research, learn and experiment. If you don’t already have electronics experience find a good forum, like the one at buildyourownclone.com, and ask questions. Most people are happy to help. Find some electronics manuals for general electronics and effects pedals. There’s a few good ones out there. I know Brian Wampler has one or two, Craig Anderton does too and some of the forums usually have links to online manuals you can download.

Start small by building a Fuzz Face or a boost. Learn how to read the schematics and what each component does. Get a breadboard and experiment. Don’t be afraid to try things. I’ve fried a transistor and IC or two since starting to build. Live and learn.