The new version offers the following improvements: new electronics and new Elastone feet. The new electronics offer finer control over the intensity of the ToneRite treatment. An added bonus is that the new version is significantly quieter than previous models. The new Elastone feet help the ToneRite product fit better on the guitar and, according to the website, provides for better energy transfer between the device and the guitar.

Overall, this looks like a nice evolution of the ToneRite product. Check out the latest information about ToneRite products on the ToneRite website.

Importing and Downloading Tabs
As the name of the app implies, the purpose of TabToolkit is to display tablature files. By default, the app ships with several tab files, including tab of national anthems, well-known classical songs, holiday songs, and even some tabs of songs by Internet-famous musician Jonathan Coulton. However, you can also load other tab files into the app.

There are two primary methods for loading tab files: from another computer on your network or from the Internet. You can import Guitar Pro files, Power Tab files, plain text files, and PDF files. This pretty much covers any types of tab files I’ve ever used.

Importing from another computer involves connecting to the iPad from another computer on your network, opening a browser, and typing the IP address shown within the app. You are presented with an interface where you can select files from the computer to upload to the iPad.

Downloading from the Internet involves connecting to a tab download site through the built-in browser within the app. I’ve downloaded a number of tabs from UltimateGuitar.com. It’s as easy as searching for the song you’re looking for, clicking the link to open the tab details, and, if it is a text-based tab file, the app will automatically detect it and present a download option. If the tab is another type, such as a Guitar Pro file, you can download the file directly to the application from the website.

Whichever method you choose, it is very simple to add tab files to TabToolkit.

Viewing Tablature Files
Of course, it doesn’t matter how easy it is to import tab files into TabToolkit if you can’t view them in a nice, easy-to-use interface. Fortunately, TabToolKit provides a very nice interface for viewing tablature files. For text files, TabToolKit essentially displays a faithful representation of what the original tablature author intended. If the author included metadata, that information is also included in TabToolKit.

If the tablature file is a Guitar Pro or Power Tab file, the display is even better. You can even get multi-track playback of the tab right on the device. No need to load up an MP3 file. All you have to do is click the play button within the application. A fretboard at the bottom of the screen even shows the notes as they are being played.

Tab Store
In an upcoming release, Agile Partners are going to be adding a Tab Store to TabToolkit. Here is a quote from them about this new feature:

We’re going to integrate a Tab Store with high quality, professionally transcribed, full-score tabs for popular songs across all genres (with new songs added on an on-going basis). Agile Partners has established license agreements with music publishers so the tabs will all be 100% legal/legitimate, and artists and publishers will share in the revenue from Tab Store sales. From a user experience perspective, the TabToolkit Tab Store will be kind of like iTunes.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how this feature is implemented. It could make a very useful app even more useful.

Conclusion
TabToolkit fulfills most, if not all, of the features I imagined when I thought about how the iPad could help my music practice. The app and the iPad have already proven to be very helpful during my practice sessions, as I have been able to store and manage a lot of my sheet music needs within the iPad instead of trying to keep track of a bunch of books and papers. If you have an iPad and play guitar, I highly recommend checking out TabToolkit by Agile Partners.

I first heard of guitarist Josh Smith through the Gear Page forums, as he is a well-respected member there. I later found out that he is the lead guitarist for Taylor Hicks’s touring band. In addition to touring with Taylor Hicks, Smith has released several solo guitar instrumental albums. His latest solo album is called Inception and was released last December. What I really like about this album is that, although he is an excellent guitarist, he doesn’t use the album to showcase all he can do as a guitarist; he lets his guitar playing serve the songs, which sound both modern and classic at the same time.

Unlike many instrumental albums, Inception is full of tasteful and melodic blues-based playing. For example, B.B. King would be right at home singing over Smith’s slow blues track “Drown In My Own Tears.” Josh’s guitar really burns in the slow blues track “Penance.”

Although Smith’s playing has a bluesy foundation, he’s also quite adept at jazz and country guitar. For example, the song “Propulsion” is chock full of country-infused licks. The song “Bemsha Swing” is jazzy track that highlights Smith’s melodic jazz playing. “Triple J Hoedown” manages to meld all of these styles into one song without it sounding hokey.

In addition to the blues, jazz, and country playing, there are a number of tracks that don’t fall within any of those categories. These tracks tend to highlight Smith’s rock playing. For example, the opening track “Inception” is a medium-tempo melodic rock song. Other rock tracks on the album include “Fulfillment,” “Looking Ahead,” and “Hairflip.” The tracks “Just Within Reach” and “Resolution” are excellent rock tracks that highlight Smith’s slide guitar playing. And, Smith’s tracks “Niki” and “Canyon” highlight his tasteful ballad playing.

As a gear geek, I like to know what other guitarists play on their recordings. Smith has obliged us geeks by indicating in the liner notes what gear he played on each track on the album. Smith is endorsed by Chapin guitars, and Mad Professor, Fargen, and Bludotone amplifiers, so, not surprisingly, many tracks feature Chapin guitars and one or more amps by those amp-makers. However, he also used a Les Paul on several tracks. Regardless of the guitar/amp combination used, Smith’s tone is very good throughout the album, although my favorite tone on the album might be on the song “Fulfillment,” on which he used a ‘69 Les Paul Custom into a Bludotone Bludodrive amp.

While listening to this album, I kept thinking about how melodic and tasteful Josh’s playing is, regardless of the style of the song he’s playing on. If you enjoy great guitar playing, I think you’ll enjoy Inception.

The track listing for the album is as follows:

1. Inception
2. Just Within Reach
3. Looking Ahead
4. Propulsion
5. Drown In My Own Tears
6. Penance
7. Triple J Hoedown
8. Fulfillment
9. Canyon
10. Hairflip
11. Bemsha Swing
12. Niki
13. Resolution

The album’s opener, “Corpus Christi Carol”, is an almost dirge-like song with strings underscoring Beck’s tasteful playing. This provides quite a contrast to “Hammerhead”, which starts with some wah licks followed by a heavy riff from Beck. His cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is beautiful; it retains the original feel of the song but adds Beck’s unique phrasing and feel.

Joss Stone, Imelda May, and Olivia Safe provide guest vocals on a few songs on the album. Stone’s vocals on “I Put a Spell on You” really work well. This is probably my favorite track from the album. Stone also provides vocals on a song titled “There’s No Other Me.” Imelda May’s track is also good, but I was expecting a more rockabilly tune based on what I know of May’s material, but the track is actually a slow, reflective tune. Olivia Safe’s vocals provide an ethereal, operatic feel to her two tracks.

While I’m not into some of the slower tunes on the album, overall it’s a very solid effort from a guitarist who still appears to be in his prime. If you like any of Beck’s previous catalog, there’s probably something on Emotion and Commotion that you’ll like. And, for the next week, you can listen free over at NPR.org.

Joe Bonamassa and Kevin Shirley have a good thing going. Each year they get together for a few weeks and record a new album. I don’t know how they do it, but they’ve got the process down to a science. Which is not to say that the records sound rushed. On the contrary, Shirley seems to be able to push Bonamasssa a little further with each new release, and Bonamassa’s signature sound gets more refined.

Recorded in picturesque Santorini, Greece, Black Rock* is the next chapter of the Shirley/Bonamassa collaboration. At the start of the recording sessions, Shirley had Joe record using a Telecaster directly into small amps to force Bonamassa out of his Les Paul/Marshall comfort zone. Additionally, Greek folk musicians were brought in to play with Joe. You can read more about the recording process here.

Like Bonamassa’s previous solo albums, Black Rock contains a mixture of original tunes and covers. Joe wrote 5 of the 13 tracks on the album. As I’ve mentioned before, Joe has a way of taking songs written by other people and making them his own. On Black Rock, Joe covers songs by Jeff Beck, John Hiatt, Otis Rush, Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Blind Boy Fuller, and James Clark. Joe is also joined by special guest B.B. King on the  Willie Nelson tune “Night Life.”

The album starts off with a couple of heavier blues tunes, “Steal Your Heart Away” followed by “I Know a Place.” These songs set a nice tone for the album. Vocally, Joe seems to be stretching himself further with each album. Musically, Joe’s in excellent form. His recorded guitar tones are some of my favorite, and Black Rock continues that tradition.

I really enjoy Joe’s slide playing, but the slide hasn’t been prominently featured on one of his albums for several years. Fortunately, the third song on the album, “When the Fire Hits the Sea”, changes that by featuring a very nice slide solo.

Next is “Quarryman’s Lament”, which is presumably a response to “Story of a Quarryman” from Joe’s last album The Ballad of John Henry. “Quarryman’s Lament” is a slow, dirge-like number that features some excellent acoustic playing by Joe.

“Spanish Boots” is a Jeff Beck tune, and Bonamassa’s version is quite a bit different than Beck’s version. In my opinion, Beck’s version is more laid back than Bonamassa’s version, which is more upfront and in your face. Both versions are excellent, but I think I like Bonamassa’s version a little better.

I was a little surprised to see Joe cover a Leonard Cohen tune, but his version of “Bird on a Wire” is excellent. I’ve never heard the original, so I can’t compare them, but I really like Joe’s version. It’s probably the slowest song on the album and is a nice bridge between “Spanish Boots” and the bluesier “Three Times a Fool.”

“Three Times a Fool” is one of the more traditional blues songs on the album. To me, this song evokes the blues of the 50s and 60s. Joe seems to be using a 335-style guitar on this track, which contributes to the more classic sound compared to his more rock-oriented tracks. “Night Life” also falls into the category of more traditional blues, even though it’s a cover of a Willie Nelson tune. Of course, B.B. King helps contribute to the more traditional sound. I like their take on the tune. Again, I’ve never heard the original, so I can’t compare this version to the original.

After “Night Life” is “Wandering Earth”, which is a slow, but heavy blues that has some of the best guitar tones on the album. This is an original Bonamassa tune and is one of my favorites on the album.

“Look Over Yonders Wall” is a mid-tempo blues number that is a cover of a James Clark tune. Joe plays a couple of fiery solos in this tune.

“Athens to Athens” is a slow, Greek-infused song that features the Greek musicians more prominently than most of the other songs. I was curious to see how the Greek musicians would fit into Joe’s style of music, and I think Shirley did a good job in where he placed them on the album. A nice touch resulting in an interesting addition to the album.

“Blue and Evil” is the first publicly available song from Black Rock. It starts off with an acoustic riff that morphs into a heavy blues riff. This tune features great guitar tones and another fiery guitar solo from Joe.

The final track on the album is an acoustic blues cover of a Blind Boy Fuller song titled “Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind.” Compared to the rest of the album, this track is a bit of a departure, and I can see why it’s included last. However, I really like Joe’s take on the song, and it’s a fun way to end the album. It’s a more intimate song prominently featuring Joe’s vocals and guitar playing with little other instrumentation.

With Black Rock, Joe Bonamassa and Kevin Shirley have got another great album to add to Bonamassa’s already impressive discography. Very few other modern artists are playing blues/rock music like this, and Bonamassa remains at the top of his game with this album. If you’re already a fan, you’ll love this album. If you’re new to Bonamassa’s music, Black Rock provides a nice introduction to the variety in his music, not to mention the great collection of songs.

The full track listing of Black Rock is:

1. Steal Your Heart Away
2. I Know a Place
3. When the Fire Hits the Sea
4. Quarryman’s Lament
5. Spanish Boots
6. Bird on a Wire
7. Three Times a Fool
8. Night Life
9. Wandering Earth
10. Look Over Yonders Wall
11. Athens to Athens
12. Blue and Evil
13. Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind

Black Rock will be available in the U.S. on March 23, 2010.

* The Amazon.com links within this review are affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase the album through this link, which helps me pay to host this site. That being said, I really like this album and wouldn’t recommend it otherwise.

I have a confession: I’m a bit of a headstock snob, mainly because I’ve always equated quality with the name on the headstock. Additionally, I’ve had mixed experiences with Squier guitars before. As a result, I haven’t paid much attention to Squier guitars over the past few years. However, over the past year after joining The Gear Page forums and The Telecaster forums, I started hearing a lot of very good reviews about the Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster. The first few times I heard rave reviews, I didn’t pay much attention to them. However, over time after hearing more and more rave reviews, I decided to take a closer look at the Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster.

The Classic Vibe Telecaster is not meant to be an exact replica of a ’50s Telecaster; it’s meant to evoke the vibe of those guitars, and I think it does a good job of that. This Telecaster features a white polyester finish, a maple neck, a one-ply black pickguard, Alnico III neck and bridge pickups, and one volume and one tone control with a three-way switch. The most intriguing part of this guitar to me is the pine body. I’ve never played a guitar with a pine body, so I was curious to see how the guitar played and sounded.

From what I can tell, the pine body takes a little bit of the “spank” away from what I normally think of when I think of Telecasters. The guitar sounds a little bit darker and maybe a little edgier than some of the other Telecasters I’ve played. I was thinking that I might need to swap out the pickups due to the fact that this is such an inexpensive guitar and I didn’t think they’d sound very good. I may still swap them out at some point in the future, but I actually like the way the pickups sound. Many people think they sound just as good as the pickups in the Made in Mexico Telecasters, and I’d have to agree.

One of the few complaints some people have about this guitar is that the neck is a little too small. I have to disagree, though. I’m used to playing thicker necks, but I find the thin neck of the Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster to feel great. In fact, after playing my Jimmie Vaughan Strat for a while, my fretting hand often hurts. Not so with the Telecaster. I can play for a long time and experience no pain.

For a relatively inexpensive guitar, the fit and finish of the Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster exceeds my expectations. The frets are well fitted, and I couldn’t find any flaws in the finish. The guitar feels solid and well-made. I wouldn’t say that the Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster is as good as USA-made Telecasters (although they can hold their own pretty well), I would say that the Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster is as good as any Made In Mexico Telecaster I’ve ever played.

If you’re in the market for a well-made, yet inexpensive Telecaster, I highly recommend checking out the Squier Classic Vibe ’50s Telecaster. The street price for the guitar is $350. If you want the same value in a slightly different package, Fender has recently announced two more Classic Vibe Telecasters, the Classic Vibe Custom and the Classic Vibe Thinline.

Low-watt amps have become quite popular over the past few years as people have tried to find great tone at lower volumes. Low-watt amps are not new, though. Fender introduced the 5-watt Champ amp in 1948, and many other manufacturers have offered low-watt amps since. However, it seems that more companies are offering low-watt amps than ever before. Blackheart Engineering is a company that I started hearing about a year or so ago that is making a line of popular low-watt amps. They make a 1-watt amp (Little Ant), a 5-watt amp (Little Giant), and a 15-watt amp (Handsome Devil). Additionally, if you’re looking for a 100-watt head, Blackheart makes one of those too, called the Hothead.

I have the 5-watt Little Giant Combo*, which includes a 12-inch Eminence speaker. The Little Giant combo is a single-ended, class A amp that uses one EL84 tube and one 12Ax7 preamp tube. The amp includes a volume control and three tone controls: Treble, Middle, and Bass. Also included is a Pentode/Triode switch that switches the amp from 5 watts of output to 3 watts. The street price for the Little Giant combo is about $350. The Little Giant is available as a head for about $200. Blackheart amps are distributed by Crate.

First Impressions

After opening the box, I was impressed with the quality of the construction of the amp. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting much from a $350 amp, but I was pleasantly surprised. The amp is well put together and seems to be well designed. The cabinet seems solid and there aren’t any tears in the covering.

Max Headroom

Many complaints about low-wattage amps center around the fact that many of them don’t have much clean headroom. In other words, the amp begins distorting earlier than desired. However, the Little Giant has much more clean headroom than I expected. In fact, I was actually hoping for a little more distortion at lower volumes! I can’t get natural tube distortion at volumes low enough to be played for long within my home. That being said, when you can turn it up loud enough to get natural distortion, the distortion is very smooth and warm sounding; a very satisfying tone.

Tone

The amp is very warm sounding. I have a Fender Blues Jr. amp, and the Little Giant seems a little darker and warmer than the Blues Jr. However, it’s a very pleasing sound. A Strat sounds very clean through the amp, but not quite as bright as when played through the Blues Jr. The 3 tone controls are fairly responsive on the amp, so it’s easy to adjust the tone to suit your tastes. I prefer a bit of midrange from my amps, and the Little Giant sounds very good with a bit of midrange. One of my favorite settings so far is putting the Treble on 5, the Midrange on 6, and the Bass on 4. This setting works well with my Strat and my PRS SE Singlecut, although I tend to roll off the tone on my Strat a little.

Pentode/Triode Switch

While I like the option of being able to switch the amp down to 3 watts, doing so cuts out some of the top end from the amp. That is, there is a noticeable difference in tone between the 5-watt setting and the 3-watt setting. Other amps that utilize the Pentode/Triode switch combination also suffer from this cut in frequency. There is also an audible pop when switching the wattage. Because the amp is a warmer-sounding amp to begin with, I tend to use the 5 watt setting more than the 3 watt setting. But, if you want to get to the distortion sooner, the 3 watt option helps you get there earlier than the 5 watt setting.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a low-watt tube amp, there are a lot of options available to you. However, I think at $350 the Blackheart Engineering Little Giant combo amp provides a good value with a solid construction, well thought-out engineering, and, most importantly, good tone. However, even though it’s only five watts, it’s a loud five watts, so you might need pedals if you want good distorted tones at low volumes. The three watt switch can be used to get to the distorted tones a little faster, but you do lose a little top-end by switching to the three watt setting.

Here’s a video demo of the Little Giant head and cabinet. You can get a feel for the clean and the distorted tones, which are quite pleasing:

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a Little Giant combo amp review unit for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Last year, Page Hamilton released a guitar instructional DVD titled Sonic Shapes. I’ve mentioned before that I was a big fan of Hamilton’s and his band Helmet when I first started playing guitar in the 90s. He was one of the first musicians I knew of who tuned to drop-D.

On Sonic Shapes, Hamilton illustrates some of the concepts and approaches he takes when writing music for Helmet. Hamilton is a long-time student of jazz and avant-garde guitar, and it’s interesting to hear him talk about how he builds the chords for Helmet music, which seem deceptively simple at first. However, the chords and scales he uses are fairly atypical for the type of music he plays. Throughout the instructional portion of the DVD, Page plays an ESP guitar without distortion so you can really get a feel for how the chords sound without the effects that he normally uses.

In addition to demonstrating how he goes about composing some of Helmet’s music, the DVD features a section of Hamilton’s tips on practicing. He mentions a routine called “Super Chops,” which was developed by Howard Roberts, that he has adapted for his own use. Hamilton suggests always having material on hand so that you can utilize your time wisely. For example, when he’s on the road, he always has a folder of material that he’s working on. He also suggests keeping a practice log so that you can keep track of your progress and of what you want to work on.

As a bonus, the DVD features some live footage of Helmet, where you can see some of the concepts Hamilton discusses earlier in the DVD in action.

One of the most popular posts on this site is “Build Your Own Pedalboard“, where I link to Rob Hampton’s detailed description of building his pedalboard. It seems that a lot of people are interested in building their own pedalboard. However, not everyone has the time or tools to build their own pedalboard. Enter Pedaltrain.

Pedaltrain makes a series of professional-quality pedalboards used by many guitarists. Pedaltrain’s pedalboards come in various sizes. The largest is the Pedaltrain Pro; the Pedaltrain 1 and 2 are slightly smaller than the Pro, but still hold about a dozen pedals; the Pedaltrain Jr is several inches smaller than the 1 and the 2; and the Pedaltrain Mini is the smallest unit that Pedaltrain sells.

I’d heard about Pedaltrain through the message boards, where many people were praising them, but I’d never used them myself until recently. I had a chance to meet the president of Pedaltrain at last summer’s NAMM show, and he told me more about his company’s products. After looking at the displays, I came away very impressed with the quality that goes into their pedalboards.

I have the Pedaltrain Jr, which is a good size for someone who has about six pedals or so. The Pedaltrain Jr measures in at 17″ x 12.5″ x 2.5″. My initial impression at the NAMM booth have been confirmed by being able to spend some time with the pedalboard. It is built rock-solid and seems like it could hold up to extensive gigging, although I have not gigged it yet.

A few of the nice things about Pedaltrain’s pedalboards are the fact that they are angled and open, making access to the pedals on the top row easy so that you don’t accidentally step on a pedal on the bottom row instead of the intended pedal. Additionally, this design makes cable management fairly easy and leaves room on the bottom of the pedalboard for a power strip or other power supply for your pedals. For example, many people use the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 to provide power for their pedals, and there is room underneath the pedalboard for this power supply.

Another nice touch by Pedaltrain is the inclusion of all the velcro you’ll need to start adding pedals to the pedalboard. The velcro seems very durable, and instructions are included to help you get started.

You can get Pedaltrain pedalboards with a soft case or a hardshell flight case. My pedalboard came with the hardshell case, and it seems like it could really take a beating. Because the cases were so well received by musicians, the president of Pedaltrain created a sister company called ProStageGear, which makes gig bags and flight cases for instruments and amplifiers. I had a chance to look at these on the floor at NAMM, and they look to be of the same quality as the pedalboard cases, but I haven’t used any of the guitar cases myself.

If you’re looking for a pedalboard and don’t want to build your own, I highly recommend taking a look at Pedaltrain’s pedalboards. If you want to see how your pedals will work on one of Pedaltrain’s pedalboards, you can design your pedalboard at PedalboardPlanner.com. You can select among each of Pedaltrain’s products, and there is a large list of pedals that you can add to the board to see how they’ll fit.

I’ve thought several times about becoming a guitar teacher, but I’ve always had questions that have held me back. Rob’s book helps answer many of those questions. For example, one basic question I’ve always had is whether I was a good enough guitarist to start teaching others. Rob had this same question before he started, and he provides some good advice about how good you have to be. Furthermore, he learned that teaching made him play more, which helped him improve as a player himself. Another question he discusses is determining whether you’re a good enough teacher. He provides some good insight into helping you determine that for yourself.

Many people get into guitar teaching because they like playing guitar and they think it’s an easy way to make money. However, when you teach on your own, you also need to be aware of the business side of guitar teaching. Rob’s handbook breaks down many of the details about running a guitar-teaching business. For example, should you rent a studio or teach from your home? What kind of teaching space do you need? Should you make housecalls? Do you need insurance? These are just a few examples of the types of questions that Rob discusses in his book.

Another aspect of guitar teaching is marketing yourself. Rob talks about how to brand yourself and then advertise your services to your community. Rob has a unique perspective on how to market his business, as he’s been able to get his business on the first page of Google when searching for “seattle guitar lessons” and he has a five-year waiting list of students. Suffice it to say, he has some helpful strategies for marketing a guitar-teaching business.

If you’ve been able to answer all of these questions and you still want to be a guitar teacher, Rob provides some guidance on how to teach guitar. He helps you determine the type of teaching philosophy that will be successful for you and your students. He also provides advice on how to structure your lessons to get the maximum benefit for the student. The book even includes detailed information about how to teach a new concept to a beginning student. Rob really spends quite a bit of time in this section providing details and examples about teaching guitar concepts and how to approach lesson planning. He even provides a list of easy songs to teach beginning and intermediate players. This chapter is full of excellent content about the actual act of teaching.

At $30, Rob’s Totally Awesome Guitar Teaching Handbook is a treasure-trove of information for anyone thinking about teaching guitar. It’s really opened my eyes up to a lot of things I’ve never even considered and made me really think about whether or not I’m ready to teach guitar. I highly recommend Rob’s book to anyone thinking about teaching guitar.