Epiphone Les Paul 100
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
For those who are hankering for a Les Paul guitar, but who do not have the cash to get a Gibson, this Epiphone, the Les Paul 100, is a less expensive choice. Available in Ebony, Heritage Cherry (beautiful), and Vintage Sunburst (classic!), the Epiphone Les Paul 100 is certainly a good looking electric guitar. It retails for $415. For a little more, you can get the LP 100 in a left-handed version, as well.
The Les Paul style is legendary as electric guitars go. So who is Les Paul? He is a jazz guitarist who began experimenting with electric guitar design in the 1940’s. He showed his ideas to the Gibson company, but was rejected. The Gibson company, according to Mr. Paul, called his design a “broomstick with a pickup on it.”
A few years later, though, Leo Fender released the Telecaster, which was the first solid body electric guitar on the market. Gibson wanted to keep up, of course, so they got with Les Paul again. This time they developed the Les Paul style of electric guitar. The first LP was released in 1952. Distinguishing characteristics include humbucking pickups, a rounded single-cutaway body, and a tune-o-matic style bridge.
Gibson has produced Les Paul guitars ever since, but Gibsons tend to be expensive. For this reason, they desired to purchase a less expensive brand name under which they could release cheaper versions of the Les Paul and other Gibson guitars. Epiphone is the company they bought. It was a century-old instrument manufacturer that originated in Turkey. The founder, Anastasios Stathopoulos, fathered a son in 1893, who they named Epimanondas.
Epimanondas, who was known as Epi, was the inspiration behind the company name, Epiphone. The company produced a varied assortment of instruments down through the years, including many used by well known artists. In 1986 they were bought out by the owners of Gibson, and began producing lower cost Gibson classics.
The Epiphone Les Paul 100 is not the very least expensive Epi LP, but it is just about the least you can spend to get a real Les Paul, complete with Mr. Paul’s signature on the headstock. In terms of sound, too, the LP 100 delivers that LP sound you expect at a fraction of the cost.
Advantages: The action is good, and the guitar sounds great played clean. It sounds good enough to play for a gig. It is lighter than other more expensive Les Pauls, although it is still somewhat heavy. You can get an amazing array of sounds, from crunching and growling to soft and acoustic sounding with just the flip of a switch. In other words, it is just as versatile as you are. The playability is good and the neck is fast.
Disadvantages: It has been suggested that the bridge pickup is not the best for playing with distortion. Like other LP style guitars, it is heavy. That might be a disadvantage for some, especially someone just starting out. The sustain is not real good. And the truth is, you might get the occasional lemon. A few buyers report jacks being lose, knobs breaking, strap buttons letting go, and other stuff like that. The bolt-on neck could come loose with a lot of play, but this is just part of a less expensive guitar.
The Epiphone Les Paul 100 is a nice looking guitar, but it is pretty plain up next to the higher dollar variety. For instance, it only has the dot inlays, instead of cool looking blocks or trapezoids, or something. Also it does not have a whammy bar, if that is something you want.
Specs:
- Ebony, red, or white body made of Alder
- Heritage Cherry and Vintage Sunburst bodies made of Mahogany
- Cream colored pick guard
- Bolt-on mahogany slim tapered neck
- 24.75 inch scale
- 22 frets
- 1.68 inches wide at the nut
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Dot inlays
- Grover tuners
- Chrome hardware
- Gold top hat control knobs
- Two tone control knobs
- Two volume control knobs
- Two open coil humbucker pickups
- Three way switch
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- Stop bar tailpiece
If you are interested in learning more about the development of the Les Paul style guitars, here is a very informative article. You’ll see that there is some confusion as to the exact details, but however it happened, the LP is an enduring design.
If you are a fan of classic rocker, Eric Clapton, you can read his history here, including his choices of guitars, which include Les Pauls.
Epiphone has its share of famous name guitarists to its credit, including Al Caiola, country legend Ernest Tubb, and even the Beatles. Read the history of Epiphone here.
Daisy Rock Daisy Short Scale
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Electric guitars designed just for girls are a growing phenomenon. Funny, though. Some of these feminine axes wind up being played by the guys because they just simply sound good. One such hot rocking electric guitar is the Daisy Short Scale from the feminine guitar makers at Daisy Rock.
The Daisy Rock Daisy Short Scale electric guitar is a perfect choice for any young girl wanting to learn to play the guitar. The smaller size is perfect for small hands, yet the sound is better than you would expect. It is not a toy. It is a real electric guitar capable of making some rockin’ sounds. The list price of the Daisy Rock Daisy Short Scale electric guitar with cute pink gig bag is $279.00.
Daisy Rock Guitars was founded in 2000 by Tish Ciravolo. Ms. Ciravolo began her own guitar experience playing the bass in high school. She found that the standard bass guitars were too large and heavy for the average young woman to handle comfortably. Standard guitars are also shaped to fit against male bodies, so she designed her guitars to fit nicely against female bodies. If the guitar has a cute feminine appeal, so much the better. Ciravolo is mom to two young girls herself, and is glad that her girls have a feminine choice in the world of rock guitars.
Of course it was only natural that Tish Ciravolo would design a line of guitars, seeing that her husband is Michael Ciravolo, who is president of Schecter Guitars. While young girls are drawn to the hearts and butterflies, grown women appreciate the lighter weight, slimmer neck, and durable construction of Daisy Rock Guitars. Female musicians such as Joan Jett, Dolly Parton, and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have used Daisy Rock guitars from time to time.
The Daisy Short Scale is designed for younger girls from 7 to 12 or so - that’s why it has the short scale. Other Daisy rock guitars are larger and are more suited to older girls, but even punk rocking boys occasionally pull out a little Daisy Rock Daisy guitar to shred a little (and shock a lot.)
The body of the Daisy Rock Daisy Short Scale electric guitar is shaped like a five petal daisy. The pick guard is round and placed in the very center of the daisy, a fitting backdrop for the humbucker pickup. The headstock is really cute, too, and is shaped something like a leaf, covered in pearl-like material. The gig bag is pink and padded and doubles as a back pack.
Advantages: The Daisy Rock Daisy Short Scale electric guitar is cute, if it is anything. But more than that, it’s a real electric guitar. It shreds beautifully and is capable of making some great screaming noises.
The smaller size make it a great choice for any young girl out there who wants to be a real rocker when she grows up. The features are really simple, so the young player can focus on technique instead of needing to learn all about a variety of features in addition to guitar playing. It comes set up for playing right from the factory. Daisy Rock guitars are well constructed, and the price is decent, too, for a beginner’s guitar.
Disadvantages: The features are very simple. There is no tone control. And about the flowery girly design - some feminists would prefer that women and girls not be treated in such a demeaning fashion. After all, why do we need different guitars just because we are girls? But then, this is a political issue, and the fact is, most females like feminine things, in spite of what the feminists tell us.
Short scale guitars can be hard to keep in tune. If your child shows real interest and keeps playing beyond the basic learning period, she will probably be benefited by having another full sized electric guitar.
Specs:
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Basswood body in daisy shape
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Rock maple bolt-on slim profile neck
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22.5 inch scale
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Rosewood fingerboard
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Pearloid daisy inlays
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22 medium frets
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Adjustable truss rod
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Adjustable hardtail bridge
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Custom chrome tuners with daisy logo
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Chrome hardware
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Daisy Rock Deluxe full range Humbucker pickup
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One master volume control
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D’Addario EXL 110 strings
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Includes pink padded back pack/gig bag
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Choice of Pepper Mint (pink) or Awesome Blue
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Limited lifetime warranty
Read about Berklee College of Music joining forces with Daisy Rock to enhance the quality of guitar education for women.
Here’s one bloggers’ ideas about the ten best guitars for girls. Several of them are made by Daisy Rock, although the Daisy Short Scale is not on the list.
Do check out the Daisy Rock website for more info about girl-specific electric guitars and basses as well as acoustic guitars, too.
Ibanez GRGM21WH
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
The Ibanez GRGM21WH is a real electric guitar in a small scale package. Whether you need a small, short scale guitar because you are just a kid, or if you need one because you are short on space, this little axe could be just what you are looking for. It retails for only $185.70, so even the price is a bit of a mini. The size is perfect for when you want to fool around with the guitar while in the tour bus. But even though it is little, it can shred with the best of the big guitars. The Ibanez GRGM21 might look a little like a toy, but it is not. (The WH in the name refers to the white version. The same guitar is also available in red, blue, and black.)
The GRGM21 is a good looking guitar, in a modified Strat-styled body with shark tooth pearloid inlays in the 22.2 inch scale rosewood fingerboard. It features a body made of alder and a maple neck. Alder is considered to be one of the best types of wood for that classic vintage tone. The resulting tone is clear and full bodied, especially when paired with a maple, bolt-on neck.
Ibanez is a name synonymous with good sounding rocking guitars. The company began in 1900 in Japan. They bought out the Spanish guitar company called Ibanez in the late 1930’s and began to produce acoustic Spanish style guitars. The company moved to America in the middle of the 1960’s, because it was more prestigious at that time to buy an American made guitar.
The guitars produced by Ibanez in the 1970’s were good quality, low priced copies of high priced guitars made by Rickenbacker, Gibson, and Fender. The Ibanez copies began to cut into the market for the big name brands, so a lawsuit was eventually filed. Ibanez settled out of court and began to produce their own original designs, both in acoustic and electric. Ibanez is also known for the mandolins they produce, as well as producing a line of amplifiers and effects.
In recent years, Ibanez has come to be known as a top producer of rock and metal guitars, with their flat, slim necks being almost legendary among rock guitarists.
Advantages: This guitar is very versatile, sounding great whether it is playing metal or softer rock sounds. The neck pickup will give you a fatter sound and is designed to cut down on muddiness. The bridge pickup is better for soloing, and is built for enhance harmonics. The smaller size of the body as well as the cutaway shape makes it a breeze to access all 24 frets. Women, kids, and anyone with smaller hands will enjoy the smaller size of this axe. It’s great for playing rhythm. The string through body feature provides the guitar with stronger tone and sustain.
It’s a good looking guitar, too, coming in your choice of white (that’s the GRGM21WH), candy apple red, jewel blue, or black night, all with black pickguard. The tension is low, making it a good beginner’s guitar. But even if you are a beginner, you’ll find yourself playing this long after you are past the beginner stage. This is one of the best of the mini-sized guitars. The neck is smooth and fast like all Ibanez necks.
The Ibanez GRGM21WH has the same quality, same warranty, and same careful factory set-up as Ibanez’s full size GRG model electric guitars. It’s definitely playable. It’s durable, too, and won’t break if you drop it. Sounds good all the way from clean to hard core distortion. The rosewood fingerboard provides a strong bright sound as well as good looks.
Disadvantages: The Ibanez GRGM21, like any micro guitar, needs a special gig bag suited to its size in order for it not to flop around inside. It lacks a whammy bar. It comes out of tune fairly easily. The frets are so small that solos on the high notes can be pretty hard to play right.
Specs:
- Alder body solid body electric guitar
- Maple bolt-on neck
- Rosewood fingerboard
- 22.2 inch scale
- 24 medium frets
- 400 mm. radius
- 42 mm. wide at the nut
- Fixed bridge with thru-body stringing.
- High output, Powersound PSND1 Humbucker pickup at the neck
- High output, Powersound PSND2 Humbucker pickup at the bridge
- Pearl shark tooth shaped inlays
- Chrome hardware
- One volume control knob
- One tone control knob
- Limited lifetime warranty
If you read up on Ibanez guitars and the rockers who have loved them, you always run across Steve Vai’s name. Go to this page, and you’ll be in for some ear training lessons that Steve wrote. If you’d like to improve your ear for music, this might do it.
Here are some reviews of some other Ibanez guitars in the RG series.
Dean DimeBag Darrell Tribute ML
June 29, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
DimeBag Darrell Abbott was guitarist several different bands including Pantera and Damageplan. During his illustrious career, he frequently played Dean guitars, appearing in their advertisements and endorsing various models. Dean Guitars produce a wide range of hot looking guitars in extreme designs. Due to Darrell’s affiliation with the company, it was only natural and fitting that they should create a Tribute ML to honor the famous guitarist after his untimely and senseless death.
The Dean DimeBag Darrell Tribute ML has a suggested retail price of $499.99. This moderate price means that some of the higher priced details, like a Floyd Rose bridge and tremelo, have been omitted. You do, however, get a crest on the headstock which honors Darrell, making this a potential collectible. Of course, the Tribute ML is also a completely adequate and playable axe made with Dean quality.
Dean Guitars are known for their rock electric guitars, but also make good sounding acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins, electric basses, and a complete array of electronic effects and amps. The company was founded by Dean B. Zelinsky in 1976. Zelinsky was only 18 at the time, but felt like the world was ready for some new innovations in electric guitars. The current suppliers of electric guitars were not keeping up with the needs of rock musicians.
Zelinsky began to create guitars with a distinctive large V-shaped head stock, and a wing motif logo that is still in use. Soon after the first Dean guitars hit the market, they began to appear in rock concerts and music magazines everywhere. Dean guitars were even seen in the hottest music videos, a development that was just becoming popular. The company has changed owners a few times, but has retained the Dean name, and Zelinsky himself is still involved in design and marketing.
Dean Guitars have other guitars that bear Dimebag Darrell’s name in one way or another. The DBD Tribute ML has that distinctive ML body shape as well as a crest on the classic V-shaped head stock that pays tribute to Darrell. The black version also features a DimeBag decal on the upper V wing of the guitar body itself. The Zebra-cover humbucker pickups are high output for all the sound you could want. A poster of DimeBag Darrell is included with the guitar.
In 2006, Dean Guitars honored Dimebag Darrell in an unusual way. They invited famous rock musicians and tattoo artists to paint a Dean ML electric guitar however they wished, and the art laden guitars would be auctioned off. Proceeds from the “Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute” went to an organization called “Little Kids Rock,” which is a charity dedicated to providing music education to underprivileged children.
If you are a fan of the late great Dimebag Darrell, you will be sure to want one of the Tribute ML electric guitars dedicated to his memory.
Advantages: The DBD Tribute ML has good Dean humbuckers for a good sound. It also has a bridge similar to that on a Gibson guitar, so that you can adjust the individual strings for the best in intonation. The traction knobs are good for changing settings in the middle of a song. This guitar has great sustain. It is lightweight and comfortable for playing. It could be considered a beginners’ guitar, but it plays much better.
The frets are wide and easy to play and the neck is slick and fast. For many people, it is the fact that this guitar pays tribute to the memory of a great rock guitarist that is the main drawing card.
Disadvantages: It does not include a Floyd Rose style bridge which means you will not be able to do all of DimeBag Darrell’s style of play. As always, it is always best to try out a guitar before you buy it. Some people do not find the ML shape of body comfortable for them. It is certainly an individual matter, so try it out first if you can. The guitar does not fit well into many gig bags, so you will probably want to invest in a hardshell case for it.
Specs:
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Available in black/white/gray camouflage (called “Dime-o-flage”) and DimeBlade Graphic finish, as well as the black model pictured above
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Dimebag Quad sticker on body
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Dean Series II classic V headstock
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Dimebag traction knobs
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Zebra humbucker pickups
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Bolt-on construction
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Maple neck
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Rosewood fingerboard
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Pearl dot inlays
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Basswood body
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24-3/4″ scale
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1-11/16″ nut
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Grover tuners
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Chrome hardware
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Tune-o-matic bridge with string through body feature
- Dimebag tribute poster
At the Dean website, you can see the complete collection of 50 ML electric guitars painted in the Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute.
Here’s the Wikipedia article telling all about Dimebag Darrell, including his illustrious music career and the various guitars he used.
MusicToday.com For Independent Musicians
June 22, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Question: Where can an independent artist go for one-stop merchandising and event management solutions?
Answer: www.MusicToday.com
Quote from FastCompany.com:
Founded by Coran Capshaw, the storied but reticent manager of the Dave Matthews Band, Musictoday works behind the scenes to fashion an online identity for artists, then connects them with fans–and drives commerce. It feeds the sort of passion, or obsession, that turns a $20 teddy bear in a Dylan shirt or a $45 Red Hot Chili Peppers messenger bag into a necessity. It fulfills fantasies: owning Carlos Santana’s black fedora, say, or playing blackjack and softball with the Backstreet Boys, or sitting in on a soundcheck with John Mayer. Musictoday can even help fans become part of the music itself, as when Christina Aguilera incorporated their voice-mail messages into “Thank You,” a song on Back to Basics, her most recent release. “This is all about taking your fans behind the velvet rope,” says Matt Blum, Musictoday’s fan-club manager.
While the big money is still in touring, Musictoday rechannels revenue streams–merchandise margins and ticket fees that traditionally padded someone else’s pocket–in the talent’s direction. For new or lesser-known bands, that money could mean the difference between touring and trading in that Stratocaster for a busboy tray. “Somebody you’ve never heard of will sell $10 million in merchandise in two years,” says Jim Kingdon, executive vice president. And for megabands like Dave Matthews, which has more than 80,000 fans paying $35 a year for fan-club membership alone, the money can snowball.
MusicToday.com offers a host of convenient (to say the least) services for the independent musician:
- Artist Stores - You’ll have the ability to offer CD pre-order campaigns. These campaigns build an artist’s direct sale of music, while also bundling those sales with other merchandise items and driving additional sales. Musictoday® pioneered this functionality, and apparently their clients have found CD pre-orders to be a significant revenue stream.
- Digital Downloads - This service allows fans to come to an artist’s site to buy music or video in digital format directly from the artist, in an environment branded to match the artist’s existing Web site. The artist need only provide Musictoday with the content, price, the file format and file security desired.
- Web Ticketing - You can process the ticket orders, print tickets, and provide ticket buyers with telephone and email customer service. You can also get access to on-line sales reports with respect to their ticket sales.
- Online fan clubs - The standard fan club services include exclusive content pages, message boards, chat rooms, fan-specific areas, access to prime tickets and opportunities to buy limited edition merchandise.
- CD Replication Service - Full-service compact disc replication services. You give tem the master copy, they replicate the CDs
- Email List Management - Host and administer official e-mail lists, as well as gather opt-ins through our store, fan-ticketing, public Web site and fan club products. Code is available to clients for integration into their existing Web sites, allowing consolidation of their mailing lists into Musictoday’s system.
- Web Hosting Solution - Get the physical environment necessary to keep our client sites up and running with 24/7 system monitoring. You may already have a web host, but these guys will probably be on a more reliable, dedicated server.
- Wholesale Fulfillment - You get online inventory management tools, which allows you to generate detailed reports (stock levels, open purchase orders, total unit sales, etc.) and submit orders online in both Excel and XML. With access to 1,000,000 square feet of available warehouse space, they can easily handle your storage needs.
Product Endorsements: Are They Relevant To You?
June 19, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
In this era of online trading and limitless transactions, musical instruments and gadgetry has been the greatest source of income, via endorsements and sponsorships, for countless of musicians who have made a name for themselves - and the products they endorse - in the music industry. The market for musical instruments is worth in the millions annually, and has seen a boom thanks to the trendy promotions and endorsements of musicians who call MTV home.
But, to the budding musicians like us who don’t have deep pockets, we should be wary when it comes to getting gear just by endorsements alone.
Over the years of gawking at shiny silver hardware, precious wooden finishes and electronics with names no human being can pronounce I have learnt that some - if not most - of musicians who endorse instruments do it for the money alone.
Trust me - they are in no way trying to develop an instrument or gadget that would revolutionize the future of music for you or anyone else.
More often than not I have seen products that bear the names of musicians who don’t even use those products in the first place. Some of these products would be the MXR Dime Distortion (Dimebag never used these - it was a clever trick by Dunlop, who owns MXR and the rights to use Dime’s names for certain products) and the Slash signature model Gibson Les Paul (even the great Slash was content with Les Paul knockoff and Les Paul Standards later on in his career). Mick Thomson of Slipknot used his signature model B.C. Rich Warlock for no more than a few years before jumping ship to Ibanez, who was probably offering him a lot more money.
We don’t need to endure months and months of surviving on instant noodles to get our hands on an instrument that bears the name of people who are obviously making thousands of dollars every time their name appears on a guitar or an amp head.
Having said that, I wouldn’t mind forking out some money for Joe Perry’s Boneyard Brew Hot Sauce!
Did You Know: Marvin Gaye
June 18, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Did you know that legendary Motown singer Marvin Gaye was murdered by his own father? This incident became one of the most, if not the most documented case of filicide; a case of parent or parents taking the lives of their own offspring.
The singer was going through bouts of depression and was suffering from substance abuse as well. After a prolonged and heated argument with his father that somehow got physical, Gaye Sr. decided to take the life of his own son. A man was forced to take the life of his own child, and the world was robbed of one of its brightest singers.
Did You Know: The Beastie Boys
June 18, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Did you know that two of The Beastie Boys - AdRock and MCA (real names Adam Horowitz and Adam Yauch) are children of notable members of the community in New York? Horowitz’s father was acclaimed playwright Israel Horowitz and Yauch’s dad was a senior architect.
No wonder they adopted nicknames - if they used their real names, people wouldn’t fall for their “poor-rappers-from-the-ghetto” gig!
Did You Know: Brian Jones
June 18, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Did you know that Brian Jones was the original leader of The Rolling Stones? Largely unheard of except by the true fanatics of the band, Jones became one of the worst victims of the lifestyle of a rock star, and succumbed to its many temptations.
Jones underwent periods of depression due to substance abuse, and had a troubled personal life as well. He was also very paranoid - even more so after Eric Clapton left his and Cream and was rumoured to replace his position within the ranks of The Rolling Stones.
After finally being told to leave the band in May 1969, he was found dead in his swimming pool in the wee hours of the 3rd of July, of the same year. He was only 26.
Did You Know: The Rolling Stones
June 18, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Did you know that The Rolling Stones (more like The Strolling Bones now) had to carve their own niche in the music world when they first started out? Their brand of blues-tinged rock ‘n roll was looked down upon by the jazz set, and they never were popular with the rock cultists as well.
The band, however, worked hard and kept their momentum going at full speed via their popularity and acceptance in R&B clubs. Their electric blues movement, influenced by such blues musicians of the United States such as Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry, has now become a stuff of legend.
