Current PedalBoard 2016

It is the new year 2016 and time to reconisder the pedalboard! Not sure why but always seems like a good thing to do at the begining of the year and blog about it. I know how much you guys love to see pictures of pedals boards and read about them. So here firstly is the picture in action.....

Atomic Amps Amplifire Pedalboard

And now the why's and what's that are behind all of this!

Take the next step in your guitar playing

So, up until New Years Eve and the gig I had on that evening, I was supremely happy with my set up. Yes I was a very happy camper! Here is a picture, my setup then featured my trusty and loyal TC Nova System which I have gigged with since for ever, with the new and wonderful Xotic SL Drive (slowly becoming my favourite all time pedal) and The Rothwell F1 Booster, which is a great boost pedal into my Fender 68' Deluxe Reverb (read all about it here) which is simply just an amazing amazing amplifier.

So why even consider change?

Well, I guess we all suffer from G.A.S. from time to time and New Year is a time of year when this particular affliction is very catching!!! Also, because I am still always trying to improve my set up (and ultimately make it simpler and lighter!!....Ligther being the big one for me and my stairs!). But, I have noticed at a lot of smaller gigs recently that my guitar was dominating the on stage sound and was quite loud and turning it down took my amp away from the sweet spot (don't get me wrong it still sounds amazing, but I have grown to love the sweet spot). Given the nature of some of the venues and stages I thought it was perhaps time to give the modelling route a go again, firstly to try and get the on stage volume down, secondly to get a bit more consistency in my sounds and thirdly to make things a little bit easier to set up etc. (the lazy me!)It was at this time that the Atomic Amps Amplifire came into my life, as usual I watched all the videos and I was hooked. But never one to but something off the internet without trying it out first, I went down and tried it out and it was instant love. Please read my full review about the reasons why.So, the Amplifire became the centre piece of my pedalboard and enabled me to get rid of a number of pedals because the onboard effects are fantastic. So this is the signal path.....Line 6 G30 wireless unit goes into my Vox 847 wah pedal, then out of the wah in to the Xotic Effects Sl Drive (I still wanted to keep this on because it sounds so fantastic, and it works really well with the Amplifire!), this then goes into the Amplifire where I have a number of presets. For most gigs there are five presets which cover most bases. With each patch the Amplifire enables you to have 3 effects, I have these set to Boost - Modulation - Delay. I use the Tech 21 Midi Moose to switch between the presets, this gives me a ton of flexibility easily at my feet.My main presets are

• Clean (Fender Deluxe Reverb)
• Meaty Clean with compression (Fender  Bassman)
• Crunch (currently this is thr Rumble aka Dumble amp but I am finding this doesnt cut through well on stage as it is currently set up so need to tweak more)
• Dirty (Freedman HBE)
• The 80's OTT lead (5051)

In the loop I have the Rothwell F1 booster, this is to give the the option to boost the overall level of the preset either for a solo or if the circumstance requires with really affecting the sound of the patch, just making it perceptually louder.

The signal then goes out of the Amplifire into my Electrovoice EV ZLX 12P speaker which is acting as a FRFR monitor (Full Range Flat Response). Another reason being that I can control my own monitoring and keep the sound contained in a single area of the stage, this is then split out into the PA system.So there you have it, I will post a video soon, but that is where we are at in January 2016 pedalboard wise. Why not share your pedalboard below in the comments!Enjoy!PeaceNeil

Black Friday Super sale on Guitar Creativity

Yes it is that crazy day of the year again, and this year I thought...you know what I am going to give me loyal readers a chance to get their hands on my book with a crazy 66% off the asking price!! #blackfriday GET 66% OFF Guitar Creativity | A new way of thinking NOW!!  #specialoffer #guitar #guitarlessonsSo click here and get yourself a copy of a unique book which will change the way you play and look at the guitar, and most importantly help you improve fast!!GET 66% OFF Guitar Creativity | A new way of thinking NOW!! EnjoyPeaceNeil

Groovething in the recording studio

The function band that I am part of Groovething, have recently been in 80 Hertz studios in Manchester to record a couple of new demo tracks for the 2016 season. We had a great time in this fantastic studio, and here are a couple of pictures from the day itself. We are busy working on the mix now and will hopefully have the tracks ready in the next couple of weeks, when I will post links to them of course! If you are looking for a studio in the Manchester area, then you couldn't wrong by giving the guys at 80 Hertz a ring and see if they can't help you out!Really happy with the sound of my Strat into my Fender 68 Deluxe reverb, with a bit of Xotic effect SL Drive (review coming soon!) for distortion and not much else in terms of effects (oh some wah!)As for me, it is back to being locked in my own studio now, working on a whole host of projects, watch this space!!!

EnjoyPeaceNeil

25th Anniversary of Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare

It is nearly the 25th Anniversary of Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare Album (where has the time gone?). Passion and Warfare at the time and still today is a groundbreaking and crucial album, so I thought it was time to write a few thoughts about it, and also hear what your thoughts are on this seminal guitar album as well.

For the love of god

Now, there is no denying that I could easily write a thesis on the album, but I will try and keep it consise. I would also say, that there is probably a fair amount of bias in my opinions of this album, but I will try and be as objective as I possibly can.So, I will get this out of the way straight away......personally for me it is probably one of the most important albums I own and one of the most important 'guitar' albums out there. It is also without doubt Steve Vai's greatest masterpiece, which is amazing given what he has written subsequently, but I feel nothing comes close to the perfection of composition that is Passion and Warfare.Now, I know it isn't for everyone, and I think that is the point.Passion and Warfare is NOT in my opinion a guitar excess album, it is a piece of compositional art, from an artist (who's brush is the guitar) not afraid to explore the medium and push boundaries of the medium. If you read Steve's accounts of the creation of this album, one of the most crucial points seems to be that it was made without (at that time) any constraints (or at least not that many) from record companies.Steve was earning money (and experience) firstly from Frank Zappa and then as Dave Lee Roth's hired gun (Eddie Van Halen replacement!). With borrowed equipment and the ability to work and jam with great musicians (who helped out on the recording process), Steve, also had a backlog of great material he had (at that point) been working on for most of his life. So, there was in one sense,  no pressure on this album, at least commercially. Steve himself stated that he never expected to sell a single copy.Steve (and he has said this himself) made an album for himself, pushing and exploring his own boundaries.

Stunt guitar

I feel when considering this work, you have to consider that it is not a 'guitar instrumental' album in it's truest sense, it is a compsitional work of creative art, pushing boundaries of music composition (e.g. Alien Water Kiss) and not just guitar histrionics. I feel that one needs to consider that the 'stunt' guitar is part of the narrative of the album, it simply forms part of the entire artwork.To fully understand it, and what I believe Steve was trying to acheive, you need to consider Passion and Warfare from a structural and compositional perspective. I believe that is where it's success lies and what has not only made it stand the test of time, but has propelled Steve to the guitar diety that he is.From the beginning of album, kicking off with Liberty, you are drawn in to a strong narrative form, guiding you through Steve's inner thoughts and feelings at the time. Each composition telling you it's story and each indvidual story forming part of an overall cohesieve narrative. Unlike many of it's predecessors and those whom came after, it is NOT, as many guitar albums (even the good ones!) are, some one noodling away over a relatively static backing track, trying to use flash and gimmricky to lure you in...all form without substance.This is also something early Satriani, with Surfing with the alien and (some of) Flying with a Blue Dream was able to do.....guitar compositional story telling.It is this story telling, which I believe listeners are drawn to and keeps you going back for the repeat listens, you want to hear these stories again and again, because there is depth and nuance to them. Perhaps, lacking in later works (controversial I know!).

"I am that..." - Steve Vai

Passion and Warfare takes you on full in the face and tells you it's story. The greatest thing about Steve (and I have been fortunate enough to study on his course at Berklee....and also fortunate to gain his Berklee Scholarship) is that his message is to be individual, to find your own voice on the instrument, to write and produce the music YOU love!It doesn't matter what it is or what form it takes,.What matters is that it is personal to you and has all of your internal energy in it. If it has these elements, then whatever your art, it will be good, even if it is just to you and it is good to you then you have realise thati it will be good to other people. I mean think about it, think of the music, art, photography, films you like, you like them and so do other people, these are the people who are on your wavelength, so don't be surprised that in the world/universe that if you produce something from your heart, others will like it.I really think that message is lost in this day and age and probably the reason we will never really experience the glory years of 80's guitar instrumentals.....there aren't enough unique voices willing to explore their art at all costs.You can purchase Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare here (should you not own it already....shame on you!)What are you thoughts? What are you favourite tracks?Top 3 Favourite tracks

• The Animal
• Answers
• For the love of god

EnjoyPeaceNeil

Fender 68 Deluxe Reverb Custom The Sweet Spot

So you may have read my recent review of the Fender 68 Deluxe Reverb Custom, where I may have been quite gushing in my praise for the amp. Well actually I may have actually declared my undying love for it.Well, after some more gigging with the amp, I can safely say that this love is only getting stronger. All the the pros that I mentioned in the review still hold true and mostly importantly the way this amp sounds is just phenomenal and the ability to get the most amazing feedback from the amp is just the icing on the cake.On top of all of that, the fact that this amp is so, so easy to transport and carry make me a very happy camper. I am also more relaxed in transporting it now I have a Hot Covers cover for it (review and video review can be found here), ensuing that my pride and joy doesn't get too beaten up from gig to gig!!

The Sweet Spot

So, the title of this post is about the sweet spot! After all my recent gigs I have found that there is a lovely sweet spot on this amp, which resides in the middle of the volume dial just between 4-5, it is really hard to pin point, but when you have the amp set below 4, it is still amazing and given most situations this is where you are likely to have it set.But moving ...well actually nudging it just above 4, and somewhere in between 4.5 ish, something magical happens! I can't actually describe it, but something that is already sounding and playing awesomely, suddenly roars up a gear into a different beast, it is like something insdie the amp is unleashed.Note's sustain and feedback even more, the lovely Fender tone seems to move from 3 dimensions into 4! And for something that is already very responsive to touch, starts to feel like it is actually connected to your fingers and your very soul.What more can I say but I am even more in love! If you  get the change to take your amp into the sweet spot! Do it, do it now! If you don't own this amp and think that you want that Fender goodness, then make sure that this amp is on your list to try out!I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below if you own the amp, or please fire away any questions if you have any about the amp!

EnjoyPeaceNeil

Guthrie Govan’s 10 top improvisation tips article

Just read this brilliant article in this month's Guitar-Bass.net magazine by the ever awesome Guthrie Govan, where he goes through his top 10 tips for improvisation and there are some great bits of advice in there. I would encourage all guitarists, no matter what you level is to read this article. I was particularly drawn to a couple of the tips, especially the following

Develop your ear

There is no denying how crucial this is as a musician, not only to enable to you to play with other musicians, or to transcribe your favourite songs, but also to hear in your mind's ear what you want to play and know how you are going to play it. I am currently working on a video to give some ear training tips, as I feel it is one of the most important skills to have. It is not something that you can develop over night and can feel like a real slog, but like an skill with the right approach and perseverance you can achieve this goal.

Think in phrases

This is really interesting as this is a topic which I cover at great length in my book. So if you want to know more and explore the topic Guthrie is talking about, then grab yourself a copy of my book Guitar Creativity | A new way of thinking and improve your approach to and playing now!To finish off, Guitarist magazine are also developing a regular column with Guthrie, and this video is from the first instalment and features some awesome advice on bending, well worth a watch!!Enjoy!PeaceNeil

Take me to church - Acoustic cover live

So here is North and South's little acoustic cover of Hozier's fantastic take me to church live from the Kings Arms Festival, on Sunday 5th September 2015. It was a great event to play at and really nice to have so many people singing along (especially to our original material!). Another little video to come soon EnjoyPieceNeil