Dylan Higginbotham, who along with his wife Leah creates videos for inthegarage.tv, recently e-mailed me in response to my post about cigar-box guitar builder Dr. Kirk Withrow. Higginbotham let me know that one of their recent videos featured Sean Kochel, who creates guitars using antique woods and cigar boxes. Kochel’s guitars are unique in that he uses reclaimed wood from old barns and other antique buildings, and he also incorporates other antique touches, such as an antique key as a bridge or old bullet heads as fret markers. These touches create a cigar-box style guitar unlike any others I’ve seen before.

Check out the profile of Sean Kochel by inthegarage.tv below:

Hartley Peavey, in a recent discussion with Inc. Magazine about how he has made it all these years in the musical instrument business:

I had to look in the mirror and be totally honest with myself. I said, “OK, you’re not going to be a rock star. So what are you going to do with the rest of your life?” I realized I love music. I’m not so great at guitar, but I am pretty good at building things. So I decided that that’s what I would do.

One of the first guitar amps I ever owned was a Peavey Bandit 112. I wonder how many other musicians that began playing in the 80s and 90s share that experience? My bet is: a lot.

Nice find by Jon at GuitarNoize.com: Dunlop have created a couple of ads for their Jazz III pick featuring Joe Bonamassa and Eric Johnson. I’ve embedded the Joe Bonamassa ad below; check out Guitar Noize for the Eric Johnson ad.

Music writer Chuck Klosterman, in an article for pop culture website Grantland.com about Metallica and Reed’s upcoming Lulu album:

…on a personal level, I’m glad Metallica and Reed tried this, if only because I’m always a fan of bad ideas.

The whole article is pretty entertaining and is definitely an interesting take on the collaboration. Click here to read the full article.

I have received numerous comments that people have had trouble trying to contact me via the contact page. In response, I’ve updated the contact page with new contact information. I’ve also added my mailing address for those of you who might want me to review a physical product.

I apologize if you’ve tried to reach me and haven’t been able to. Hopefully, the changes to the contact page will make it easier for you to contact me in the future.

If you are over 30, you probably remember Michael Winslow from the Police Academy movies in the 80s. Throughout his career, Winslow has made a name for himself as the “Man of 10000 Sound Effects.” I haven’t heard much from Winslow until John Gruber pointed to the video below of Winslow “performing” Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”:

CNN has recently profiled Alabama ENT surgeon Kirk Withrow about his hobby of building cigar-box guitars:

“There’s a certain element of liberation to it. You’re not bound by the rules of what you can get at the store,” said the 33-year-old married father of two. “You have the ability to change the things you don’t like and make them to your liking… you’re pretty much just limited by whatever you can think of.”

I can appreciate someone who takes the time to build his or her own instruments, and Dr. Withrow’s cigar-box guitars look pretty nice. Seems like a fun hobby, too!

(via Boing Boing)

Oz Noy has started a guitar blog for Guitar Player. In his first installment, titled Being a 21st Century Musician Part 1: Vintage vs. New Gear, he discusses his opinion about playing old gear vs. new gear on gigs:

There are a lot of options out there for new guitars, amps, and pedals that are supposed to have the vintage vibe, but to be totally honest most of that stuff is just okay. There are a few things that are really good and very close to the old gear, and with a little luck you can find those. They probably won’t be as good as the old stuff, but they will be close enough, and as a player you can close that gap by the way you play if you know how to get your tone.

I look forward to reading part 2 and other future installments.

Fender have announced a new line of Eric Clapton Signature Amplifiers. The new line currently features three tweed models: the EC Vibro-Champ, the EC Tremolux, and the EC Twinolux. All three models are hand-made in Fender’s Corona, CA manufacturing plant.

The EC Vibro-Champ model is based on the late ’50s model Champ and puts out 5 watts of power. It has an 8-inch speaker and 6V6 output tubes. Also included is a power attenuator so you can adjust the output power.

The EC Tremolux model is based on the late ’50s Deluxe amps and puts out about 12 watts of power. It has a 12-inch speaker and 6V6 output tubes. With the Tremolux model, you can disconnect the internal speakers and use an external speaker cabinet. Like the Vibro-Champ, the Tremolux model also features a power attenuator.

The EC Twinolux model is based the late ’50s Twin amps and puts out about 40 watts of power. It has two 12-inch speakers and 6L6 output tubes. Like the other two models, the Twinolux features a power attenuator; additionally, you can turn off one speaker to lower the output volume further.

This is a short video of Buddy Guy testing out the new Twinolux model:

Fender have recently opened the Fender Visitor Center and have begun offering factory tours of their Corona, CA manufacturing facility. The Visitor Center features 8,000 square feet of exhibit space, featuring instruments, amps, photos, historical artifacts, and interactive displays.

If you’ve followed this site for any length of time, you know that I am a sucker for factory tours, so the ability to tour the Fender factory sounds very exciting to me. During the tour, you get to watch the Fender craftspeople actually make instruments and amps. You also get a glimpse into the Fender Custom Shop as part of the tour.

The Fender Visitor Center and Factory Tour sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon! Check out Fender’s video introducing the Visitor Center below: