btw: i`m fifteen and am VERY BORED so i need something to do for hours everyday and i wanna learn to play some of favorites bands music………SMASHING PUMPKINs…hell yeah……oh and i`m left handed but feel comfertable play the frets with my strong hand so i play right handed , or try to play right handed..

anyways whats a good deal,

Technorati Tags: guitar

and also one more question.. which guitar brand do you guys suggest i buy? i like to play a lot of Metallica songs and i was thinking about buying the Gibson Les Paul.. but i also heard that its the amp that is the main component in bringing the right metal sound rather than the guitar, im not sure though.. help will be appreciated..

Technorati Tags: guitar, just, lefty, normal, Play, Right, Should, stick, way...

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/SG/Epiphone/G-400.aspx

Also im thinking of getting a stagg amp. Is this a good enough one for practising?

http://www.soundshop.ie/product.php?pid=2436

10 points best answer

Technorati Tags: epiphone, G400, Should

by [removed][removed] Andie Ryan

Dan Kennedy’s rich imagination and unconventional career path have provided him with a wealth of material. In his riotous 2003 memoir Loser Goes First : My Thirty-Something Years of Dumb Luck and Minor Humiliation , he recounts his childhood fantasies of rock stardom, imagines romancing his “Dyan Cannon-esque” sixth grade homeroom teacher, and becomes obsessed with winning competitive fishing tournaments. After graduating high school, he toils at a record warehouse in rural California (his first foray into the music business), then later works as a graphic designer, a fire-jumper, a barista, and a movie extra, appearing alongside Sandra Bullock as “Guy Buying Sunglasses” in The Vanishing . At one point he takes a belated shot at rock stardom just as the grunge music scene is about to explode in Seattle . He dusts off his axe, packs up his car, and heads for Austin , Texas —where he misses the whole grunge thing completely. Later, on a whim, he moves to New York to audition as a VJ for MTV. He fails the audition but lucks into a $500 a day copy-writing gig, where (in the interest of conserving his creative energy) he limits himself to three days of work per month.

Kennedy’s second book Rock On: An Office Power Ballad chronicles his eighteen months as Director of Creative Development with Atlantic Records, a position he acquires after impressing the president of Motown with a TV promo celebrating the label’s 40 th anniversary. Kennedy’s experiences as a music industry insider range from the glamorous (meeting Duran Duran, hanging out with the Donnas, directing a commercial for hip-hop artist Fat Joe) to the ludicrous (pow-wows with record execs who wear sunglasses indoors and get paid obscene amounts of money to discuss singer Ryan Cabrera’s hairstyle). These days, Kennedy writes for GQ and McSweeney’s and is a regular performer at the popular New York spoken-word venue, Stories at the Moth. He recently took time to talk with Praxis about his favorite books, his various Twitter musings, and the journey from being “that guy in the very back by the bar” to a successful writer and performer.

AR: Can you give us little background on Stories at the Moth, and how you came to be involved with the project?

DK: George Dawes Green started The Moth in 1997, in his living room here in New York , and it grew from there to what it is today. I got involved with them in 2000. I called the office, I think I was just that sort of simple or naïve – I had heard about it and just thought: “Hmm…I guess…I’ll just dial them up and tell them I want to try it?” Basically, I was just some guy who was unemployed, I had stopped partying, I was trying to figure out what the hell I could do with my time, I needed to make new friends, I was just…probably a little mental. So like some giant child I just called them up and left a message with someone: “Hi, yeah, um, I’d like to do the story thing, please?”And then weeks went by and it became painfully apparent that this is not the way to go about it. But then, still weeks and weeks later, oddly enough, I got a call back from Joey Xanders. She was the Creative Director back then. Anyway, I had this story about my days spent learning by trial and error on the 90′s music scene that I’m really not good at trying to be a musician. They put me on the bill for this mainstage show and I told that story. The Moth didn’t feel like a scene to me. It was just this overwhelming feeling of finding a place where you finally felt like you fit in; like you could actually kind of do the thing that everyone there was doing – it might have been the first time in my life to have felt like that. Joey told me much later on that the reason she had returned my call back then was completely random; she had been talking to her therapist about how guilty she felt for not having the time to return all of the calls from the phone messages that were piling up — and her therapist told her to just take baby steps and return one phone call; just close your eyes, pick one message off the stack, dial the number. So my phone rang in this little tiny apartment I was living in without any furniture, I picked it up, and ten years raced by.

AR: In your memoir you talk about being a kid and getting a journal for Christmas (instead of the coveted black Gibson Les Paul guitar). What was the first thing you remember writing?

DK: The first thing I ever remember writing was when I was twelve. It was a punishment for talking in class or something and I…it’s a long story, but basically I wasn’t talking in class, I made a look, just to myself, at something the teacher said. But everyone started laughing, and this teacher, Mr. Kisner, totally had it in for me, and so he punished me for something I didn’t do – and he said I had to write a one thousand word essay about why I shouldn’t talk in class. So I wrote this satire of him and his broad, simple rules, handed it in to him the next day. He read the first few sentences and threw his stapler across the room at the wall and it opened and all the staples went flying everywhere. I just kind of thought: Jesus, writing is pretty powerful — he read, like, three sentences, turned bright red, and starting throwing shit. I didn’t write anything humorous again until I was twenty-six.

AR: Why the long hiatus?

DK: I dunno, you know, someone chucks a stapler at you and you think: eh, I don’t really need any more of that. Maybe take a break on the satire.

AR: Your longtime girlfriend Maria Lilja is also a writer. I’ve always imagined that two writers in a relationship would butt heads a bit. What are the pros and cons of loving another creative type?

DK: I would say one of the good things about being in a relationship with another writer is that your work is under some scrutiny instead of automatic approval. At home if I’m working on something, and I run it by her—read it out loud in the living room—and Maria doesn’t like it, she makes it, um, very clear. And she almost always knows why it’s not working, she tells me, and I work on it more. So, the down side of being in a relationship with another writer would be that, basically, you’re going to bomb in your own living room sometimes. You would think the living room would be the easiest room to play.

AR: Speaking of love, in Loser Goes First, you imagine confronting your sixth grade homeroom teacher Mrs. Davis and confessing your feelings for her: “Look, I know about everything—periods, sex, bras—all of it. So let’s get honest here and start talking about taking this to the true love level.” That’s a great line. Have you ever actually used that on anyone?

DK: Something tells me it might be a lot less charming coming from a lonely forty-something year-old guy at a dinner party as opposed to a twelve year-old daydreaming it in a memoir.

AR: You’re an avid Twitter enthusiast; how would you explain Twitter to your pre-teen ‘70s self?

DK: In the future there will be a CB that you type into instead of talking into it. But the signal will reach all around the world.

AR: What would your Twitter feed have looked like back in the ‘70s—assuming you’d have found time to tweet in between homework and dates with Mrs. Davis? Can you give me a few 140-character updates that would’ve been typical of the time period?

DK:

•  Today me and Steven took off our pants off in the fort #notgay

•  KISS is playing a concert, but I don’t want to go and have someone stab a needle full of drugs into me.

•  Blew up tangerine with firecracker. I can’t imagine this ever NOT being awesome to do.

AR: Although you haven’t become a rock star yet, music has played a big part in your life. You’ve talked about your love for artists like Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Jam, Led Zeppelin and The Replacements. Are there any albums in your record collection that would surprise your fans?

DK: Lots of No Doubt, lots of Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Genesis. And I don’t have a brainy and ironic thesis as to why I like these bands, I just like them. They’ve made some perfect pop songs. In the early nineties I had to hide their CDs at the back of my collection behind the Nick Cave and all the cool stuff. But now when people see those tracks on your iPod they just think you’re being hip and ironic; that you’re listening to these tracks as some tongue-in-cheek guilty pleasure. I’ve said it onstage before that I’m still pissed that I had to hide Purple Rain until it became okay to admit you like Prince.

AR: In Rock On , you wonder “is there anything sincere about hipster irony? Can you imagine Joey Ramone ever standing on a stage and thinking ‘Man, this is hilarious—I’m being totally ironic; my hair is hanging over my face, I’m super tall, I’m singing about some place called Rock and Roll High School? Get it? Me? In high school?’” You also imagine KISS joking around backstage:  ”‘How classic was that? I was all, ‘Alright, New York , do you people want to rock and roll all night?’ And then I was all, ‘I can’t hear you!’ and they yelled even louder! I think they thought I was serious!’” Where do you think our generation’s obsession with irony comes from?

DK: I don’t know, I suppose it’s just a safe way for people to enjoy something without feeling vulnerable about what they like. You’re into something, but while you’re enjoying it, you’re basically saying, “Oh, this? I’m not really enjoying it. I’m enjoying it as a sort of joke.” But at the end of the day, I mean, you obviously like it, so cut the bullshit and just leave it at that.

AR: You’ve mentioned being confused with a “get rich quick” motivational speaker who shares your name. Personally, I prefer your words of wisdom on achieving success, which you frequently offer up on twitter:.

It won’t be yours until you stop caring whether or not you’ll ever get it.
The secret nobody tells you is that by slowing down things start to happen fast.
Nothing brilliant can happen until you feel left behind, lost, and far outside of any so-called scene. Then you are onto something.
You know those people that have life all figured out? They don’t, and they’re the last to know.
Feeling like it’s never going to happen is part of it happening eventually.
You start on your life’s best work the moment you finally stop caring so much about getting what you think you want.

Have you found these maxims to be true?

DK: Yeah, those maxims have been true in my experience. I get it that now it probably seems like I’m on the inside to anyone looking, but…. I still think the best thing about doing a reading or doing a Moth gig is that there’s a little area to sit and have some water backstage.

AR: Why is that the best thing about performing?

DK: Because my whole life I’ve been that guy in the very back by the bar, trying to see the stage, feeling claustrophobic, crammed up against ten guys spilling beer or talking the whole time.

AR: In the tongue-in-cheek “Reading Group” section of Rock On , you write: “Book groups and book clubs are important…Anything besides going to the office, coming home, going to the office, coming home, going to the office, and coming home is an important use of time. It’s amazing how little effort it takes to enrich our day-to-day lives. Read a book and schedule a time to meet and discuss it, and you’re ahead of, like, 80 percent of the populace in terms of mental stimulation.” Do you feel, in this age of Dancing With the Stars and viral YouTube videos, that people are putting less and less mental effort into their daily lives?

DK: I guess I was just thinking that there are tons of distractions these days and it takes a lot to create any kind of social ritual past television, the internet, and going out to drinks with friends from work then getting back on the internet to tweet about it. I mean, maybe there have always been tons of distractions. Maybe it’s nothing new. Well, I’m pretty sure the Internet is new. I think the Internet started in the nineties.

AR: Imagine you have your own book club a la Oprah, wherein you can advise people which books to read. Name some books that you would choose and why.

DK: The part I loved about imagining this is that I had a Gulfstream-V and a place in Italy . But then I got to the part where I recommend what to read and I didn’t like imagining it anymore. I’m getting confused and I might be messing up the question. I’ll just tell you what I’ve been reading lately:

•  Shoplifting From American Apparel by Tao Lin

•  Just Kids by Patti Smith

•  The White Album by Joan Didion

•  Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion

•  Bowie by Marc Spitz

•  What I’d Say to The Martians by Jack Handey

•  Eat Me by Kenny Shopsin

I’ve also been fairly glued to Ben Katchor’s stuff again. And I’ve been skipping around in Helter Skelter again. And a bunch of catalogs, mostly because catalog copy is still very calming or alluring to me. Like there’s nothing wrong in the world and all you need to know is that there’s finally a great executive pen and pencil set, or a better fishing vest than ever before.

AR: If one of the authors you selected to participate in your group dissed your book club before appearing on your afternoon talk show—like Jonathan Franzen did to Oprah after she chose The Corrections —how would you handle it?

DK: I don’t know, you know…ask him if he wants bottle of water before we go on, I guess. In this imaginary scenario, do I still have the jet and the villa?

AR: Of course you can have the jet and the villa! Why should Oprah be the only talk show host with all the cool 007 stuff?

DK: Okay, then, yeah…I would just say: “Hey, really dug your book. You need anything? You want a water?”

AR: I sometimes feel like it’s a curse to have been born a writer. Do you ever feel that way? Of all the talents you could have been born with, do you find yourself thinking, “Dammit, why couldn’t I have been born a Nobel Prize-winning physicist or something?”

DK: On the good days it’s amazing, on the bad days it feels like you fell for the biggest con job on the planet. But you know, that’s probably everything. I mean, there are probably days when the Nobel Prize winning physicist is thinking, “I’m so sick of sitting here struggling with the separated oscillatory fields method. Screw the hydrogen maser, I should’ve opened a café in Costa Rica when I had the chance. I’d be surfing right now.”

Andie Ryan is the Minneapolis-based author of Thanks, That Was Fun. She

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Interview, Kennedy, Praxis

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/the-praxis-interview-dan-kennedy/feed 0 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/what-type-of-guitar-should-i-buy http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/what-type-of-guitar-should-i-buy#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:12:06 +0000 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/what-type-of-guitar-should-i-buy I’ve been playing for 12 years, lately mostly acoustic, but I want to buy a mid-level electric (something in the $400-$800 range).
I don’t like the ‘standards’ (don’t want a Les Paul, SG, Tele, or Strat), though I do like how some classics look (Jaguar, Mustang, Chet Atkins models). As far as modern guitars, I really like the looks of PRS, ESP/LTD, and Schecter.

Given my familiarity with models/brands, seems like I should just be able to go to a guitar store and pick out what I like…right? So what’s the problem?

I’m left-handed. When I go to pretty much any guitar store, the usually selection contains Squire Strats, Mexican Strats, Epi Les Pauls, Gibson Les Pauls, and sometimes (if I’m lucky) a used Ibanez. I will not consider any of these, simply because I prefer how my $120 Cort Strat knockoff plays to these (but that might just be because I’m so familiar with it), so it hasn’t been worth spending the money for a guitar I don’t love and doesn’t feel right.
So basically, I have to special order a guitar (which usually means no returns) without ever getting to try it out.

Based on the above, what makes/series/models would you recommend to me?
Ah, I’d also like to say, that out of all the above listed guitars that I like – I’ve never played any of them. No stores carry them on the shelves.

And don’t suggest trying out a right-handed model, because it just doesn’t work like that – you only get the impression for the sound, not how it feels, or plays.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: guitar, Should, type

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/what-type-of-guitar-should-i-buy/feed 1 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/marc-bolan http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/marc-bolan#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:44:13 +0000 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/marc-bolan Biography

Early life and career

The son of a lorry driver, Bolan grew up in post-war Hackney, East London, amongst a Jewish family, and later lived in Wimbledon, southwest London. He fell in love with the rock and roll of Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Arthur Crudup and Chuck Berry[citation needed] at an early age and became a Mod, hanging around coffee bars such as the 2 I’s in Soho. He appeared in an episode of the television show Orlando as a Mod extra.

At the age of nine, Bolan was given his first guitar and began a skiffle band shortly after, and at fifteen, he left school “by mutual consent.”

Plaque marking Marc Bolan’s childhood home, 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney. (November 2005)

He briefly joined a modelling agency and became a “John Temple Boy,” appearing in a clothing catalogue for the menswear store. He was used as a model for their suits in their catalogues as well as a model for cardboard cut-outs to be displayed in shop windows. “TOWN” Magazine featured him as an early example of the Mod movement in a photo spread with a couple of other “faces”.

Marc Feld had changed his name to Toby Tyler when he met and moved in with child actor Allan Warren, who was to become his first manager. Warren saw Toby Tyler’s potential whilst Toby spent hours sitting cross-legged on Warren’s floor playing his acoustic guitar. Warren then took him to the photographer Michael McGrath and commissioned a series of photographs. Warren then hired a recording studio and had Bolan’s first acetates cut. One track being the Bob Dylan song ‘ Blowing in the wind’. Also a version of Betty Everett’s “You’re No Good” which was later submitted to EMI for a test screening but they turned down the then Toby Tyler. Warren later sold Marc’s contract and recordings for 200.00 to his landlord, property mogul David Kirch, in lieu of three months back rent. Kirch was far too busy with his property empire to do anything for him. A year or so later, Marc’s mother pushed into Kirch’s office and shouted at him that he had done nothing for her son. She demand he tear up the contract and willingly he complied.

The tapes produced during the Toby Tyler recording session vanished from thought and mind for over twenty-five years before resurfacing in 1991 and selling for nearly eight thousand dollars. Their eventual release on CD in 1993 made available the earliest of Marc’s known recordings.

After changing his name again to Marc Bolan (via Mark Bowland) while with Decca Records he released his first single “The Wizard.” In early 1967 Manager Simon Napier Bell added him to the Pop-Art/mod band John’s Children, which achieved some success as a live band but sold few records. A John’s Children single written by Marc Bolan called “Desdemona” was banned by the BBC for its line “lift up your skirt and fly.” His tenure with the band was brief. Bolan claimed to have spent time with a wizard in Paris who allegedly gave him secret knowledge and could levitate. The time spent with him was often alluded to but remained “mythical”; in reality the wizard was probably U.S. actor Riggs O’Hara with whom Bolan made a trip to Paris in 1965. His songwriting took off and he began writing many of the neo-romantic songs that would appear on his first albums with Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Besides Berry, Bolan’s influences included Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett, Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

When John’s Children collapsed (amongst other problems, the band were stunned to discover their equipment had been stolen from a studio, according to a Bolan biographer), Bolan and Steve Peregrine Took created Tyrannosaurus Rex, a psychedelic-folk rock acoustic group, playing Bolan’s songs, with Took playing assorted hand and kit percussion and occasional bass to Bolan’s acoustic guitars and voice.

This version of Tyrannosaurus Rex released four albums and four singles, flirting with the charts, getting as high as number fifteen and getting airplay and support from Radio 1 DJ John Peel. One of the highlights of this era was playing at the first free Hyde Park concert in 1968. Drug-taking and free spirited Took was fired from the group after their first American tour. A rock and roller at heart, Bolan began bringing amplified guitar lines into the duo’s music, buying a vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar (later featured on the cover of the album T. Rex in 1970). After replacing Took with Mickey Finn, he let the electric influences come forward even further on A Beard of Stars, the final album to be credited to Tyrannosaurus Rex. It closed with a song, Elemental Child, featuring a long electric guitar break influenced by Jimi Hendrix.

Then Bolan, by now married to his girlfriend June Child (a former secretary to the manager of another of his heroes, Syd Barrett), shortened the group’s name to T.Rex and wrote and recorded “Ride a White Swan,” dominated by a rolling, hand clapping back-beat, Bolan’s electric guitar and Finn’s percussion.

T. Rex and glam rock

Bolan and his producer Tony Visconti sorted out the session for “Ride a White Swan” and the single changed Bolan’s career almost overnight. Recorded on 1 July 1970 and released later that year, making slow progress in the UK Top 40, it finally peaked in early 1971 at No. 2. Bolan and Visconti largely (and, in many ways, unwittingly) invented the style that would become glam rock and helped restore a brash and exciting feel, when rock bands had grown increasingly self-important.

Bolan took to wearing top hats and feather boas on stage as well as putting drops of glitter on each of his cheekbones. Stories are conflicting about his inspiration for thisome say it was initially introduced by his PA, the late Chelita Secunda, although Bolan told John Pidgeon in a 1974 interview on Radio 1 that he noticed the glitter on his wife’s dressing table prior to a photo session and just casually daubed some on his face there and then. Other performersnd their fansoon took up variations on the idea.

The glam era also saw the rise of Bolan’s friend David Bowie, whom Bolan had come to know in the underground days (Bolan had played guitar on Bowie’s 1970 single “Prettiest Star”). Before long, even Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Grand Funk Railroad dabbed on a little glitter.

Bolan followed “Ride a White Swan” and T. Rex by expanding the group to a quartet with bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend, and cutting a five-minute single, “Hot Love”, with a rollicking rhythm, string accents and an extended sing-along chorus inspired somewhat by the Beatles’s “Hey Jude”. It was No. 1 for six weeks and was quickly followed by “Get It On”, a grittier, more adult tune that spent four weeks in the top spot. The song was renamed “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” when released in the United States, to avoid confusion with another song of the same name by the American band Chase. The song reached #10 in the United States in early 1972, the only top 40 single the band ever had in America.

In November 1971, the band’s record label, Fly, released the Electric Warrior track “Jeepster” without Bolan’s permission. Outraged, Bolan took advantage of the timely lapsing of his Fly Records contract and left to EMI, who gave him his own record label, the T. Rex Wax Co. Its bag and label featured an iconic head-and-shoulders image of Bolan. Despite Bolan’s lack of endorsement, “Jeepster” still peaked at #2.

In 1972, Bolan achieved two more British No. 1s with “Telegram Sam” and “Metal Guru” (the latter of which stopped Elton John getting to the top with “Rocket Man”) and two more No. 2′s in “Children Of The Revolution” and “Solid Gold Easy Action”. The total of four No. 2 singles particularly galled his fans as three were held off the top spot by novelty singles recorded by Clive Dunn, Benny Hill and little Jimmy Osmond. In the same year he appeared in Ringo Starr’s film Born to Boogie, a documentary showing a concert at Wembley Empire Pool on 18 March 1972. Mixed in were surreal scenes shot at John Lennon’s mansion in Ascot and a super-session with T. Rex joined by Ringo Starr on second drum kit and Elton John on piano. At this time T. Rex record sales accounted for about 6 percent of total British domestic record sales. The band was reportedly selling 100,000 records a day; however, no T. Rex single ever became a million-seller in the UK, despite many gold discs and an average of four weeks at the top per No. 1 hit; documentation of actual sales has been lost.[citation needed]

In 1973, Bolan played twin lead guitar alongside his friend Jeff Lynne on the Electric Light Orchestra songs “Ma-Ma-Ma Belle” and “Dreaming of 4000″ (originally uncredited) from On the Third Day, as well as on “Everyone’s Born To Die”, which was not released at the time but appears as a bonus track on the 2006 remaster.

Decline

By late 1973, his pop star fame gradually began to wane, even though he achieved a Number 3 hit, “20th Century Boy” in February and mid year “The Groover” followed it to No. 4. “Truck On (Tyke)” missed the UK Top 10 only reaching #12 in December. However, “Teenage Dream” from the 1974 album Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow showed that Bolan was attempting to create richer, more involved music than he had previously attempted with T. Rex. He expanded the line up of the band to include a second guitarist, Jack Green, and other studio musicians and began to take more control over the sound and production of his records.

In 1974, Bolan played guitar for Ike & Tina Turner. He appeared on “Nutbush City Limits”, “Sexy Ida (Part II)”, and “Baby Get It On”. Tina Turner confirmed this in a BBC Radio One interview.

Eventually, the vintage T. Rex line-up disintegrated. Legend left in 1973 and Finn in 1975 and Bolan’s marriage came to an end because of his affair with backing singer Gloria Jones. He spent a good deal of his time in the U.S. for much of the next three years, continuing to release singles and albums which, while less popular to the masses, were full of unusual lyrics and sometimes eccentric musical experiments. Although Bolan’s health began to fail as he put on weight, the former glam rock icon cleaned up and continued working, producing at least one UK chart hit every year until his death in 1977.

Resurgence

Gloria Jones gave birth to Bolan’s son in September 1975, whom they named Rolan Bolan (although his birth certificate lists him as ‘Rolan Seymour Feld’; compare David Bowie’s son Zowie Bowie). That same year, Bolan returned to the UK from tax exile in the U.S. and Monaco and to the public eye with a low-key tour. Bolan made regular appearances on the LWT pop show Supersonic, directed by his old friend Mike Mansfield and released a succession of singles, but he never regained the success of his glory days of the early 1970s. The last remaining member of Bolan’s halcyon era T. Rex, Currie, left the group in late 1976.

In early 1977, Bolan got a new band together, released a new album, Dandy in the Underworld, and set out on a fresh UK tour, taking along punk band The Damned as support to entice a young audience who did not remember his heyday. Granada Television commissioned Bolan to front a six-part series called Marc, where he introduced new and established bands and performed his own songs. By this time Bolan had lost weight, appearing as trim as he had during T. Rex’s earlier heyday. The show was broadcast during the post-school half-hour on ITV earmarked for children and teenagers; it was a big success. The last episode featured a unique Bolan duet with David Bowie during which Bolan fell off the stage. With no time for a retake, this occurrence was aired and Bowie’s amusement was clearly visible.

Death

Bolan’s shrine, on what would have been his 60th birthday, 30 September 2007.

Bolan died on 16 September 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday and on the same day as Maria Callas. He was a passenger in a purple Mini 1275GT (registration FOX 661L) driven by Gloria Jones as they headed home from Mortons drinking club and restaurant in Berkeley Square. Jones lost control of the car and it struck a sycamore tree after failing to negotiate a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, Barnes, southwest London. Bolan died instantly, while Jones suffered a broken arm and broken jaw and spent time in the hospital; she did not learn of Bolan’s death until the day of his funeral. Neither was wearing a seat belt. Bolan’s home, which was less than a mile away at 142 Upper Richmond Road West in East Sheen, was quickly looted. Fans quickly turned the site of the crash into a shrine and in 2007 the site was officially recognised as Bolan’s Rock Shrine

At Bolan’s funeral, attended by David Bowie and Rod Stewart, a swan-shaped floral tribute was displayed outside the service in recognition of his breakthrough hit single. His funeral service was at the Golders Green Crematorium which is a secular provision in North London. Bolan himself stated that he was Jewish, the religion of his father. However, because his mother was not a Jew he would be considered a gentile under Jewish law (Halakha). His ashes were buried at Golders Green Crematorium.

Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death. Despite this fear, cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs. He also owned a number of vehicles, including a famed white Rolls Royce, which had been lent by his management to Hawkwind on the night of his death.

Fellow T. Rex member Steve Currie also died in a car crash less than four years later.

Equipment

Marc Bolan was mostly seen playing Gibson Les Pauls. His main Les Paul was refinished in an opaque orange to resemble Gretsch guitars played by his hero Eddie Cochran. He was also seen playing a Gibson Flying V with tremolo and a Fender Stratocaster.

Legacy

In 1979, Siouxsie and the Banshees released a cover “20th Century Boy” as the b-side to the single “The Staircase (Mystery)”.

In December 1980, “Telegram Sam” was the fourth single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus. The A side is a cover of T. Rex’s song of the same name. It was released in 7-and 12-inch format, the latter featuring “Rosegarden Funeral of Sores” as an extra track. The Bongos were the first American group to cover a T. Rex tune, “Mambo Sun” and enter the Billboard charts. Since then, Bongos frontman Richard Barone has recorded several other Bolan compositions, is working with producer Tony Visconti for his forthcoming solo album and has himself produced tracks for Bolan’s son Rolan Bolan.

In 1981, Department S released a cover of “Solid Gold Easy Action” as the b-side to the single “Is Vic There?”.

In 1984, The Replacements released a cover of “20th Century Boy” as a B-side to the single “I Will Dare”; it is also included on the reissue version of their album Let It Be. In 1993, Adam Ant (born, Stuart Leslie Goddard) covered the track live on the Limed Edition live disc of his Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant collection.

In 1985, Duran Duran splinter band Power Station, with Robert Palmer as vocalist, took a version of “Get It On” into the UK Top 40, the first cover of a Bolan song to enter the charts since his death. They also performed the tune (with Michael Des Barres replacing Palmer) at the U.S. Live Aid concert.

In 1986, the Violent Femmes performed “Children of the Revolution” on their third album The Blind Leading the Naked, for which they also recorded a music video.

In 1990, Baby Ford did a cover of “Children of the Revolution” that appeared on the album Oooh, The World of Baby Ford.

In 1994, Billy Idol wore a t-shirt reproducing The Slider album cover in his popular video supporting the song “Speed”. That was a clear homage to Marc Bolan, who helped Generation X to rise at the very beginning of their career.

In 2006 Def Leppard released their album Yeah which are covers of their favourite bands while growing up, the first song on this album is 20th Century Boy. Joe Elliott wanted to sing Metal Guru while Vivian Campbell wanted Telegram Sam but end up agree to 20th Century Boy, it’s not the first time that Def Leppard has sung a T.Rex song, there is a live version of Get It On.

“Children of the Revolution” was similarly performed by Elton John and Pete Doherty at Live 8, 20 years later. Bono and Gavin Friday cover “Children of the Revolution” on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.

In 2000, Naoki Urasawa created a manga entitled “20th Century Boys” that was inspired by Marc Bolan’s song, “20th Century Boy”. The book is a multiple award-winner, and has just been released in the United States through VIZ media.

“20th Century Boy” introduced a new generation of devotees to Bolan’s work in 1991 when it was featured on a Levi’s jeans TV commercial featuring Brad Pitt, and was re-released, reaching the UK Top 20. The song was performed by the fictional band The Flaming Creatures (performed by Placebo, reprised by Placebo and David Bowie at the 1999 BRIT Awards) in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine. In every decade since his death, Bolan has placed a greatest hits compilation in the top 20 UK albums and periodic boosts in sales have come via cover versions from artists inspired by Bolan, including Morrissey and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Similarly, “I Love to Boogie” was briefly used on an advert for Robinson’s soft drink in 2001, bringing Bolan’s music to a new generation. Mitsubishi also featured “20th Century Boy” in a 2002 car commercial, prompting Hip-O Records to release a best-of collection CD titled 20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection.

His music is still widely used in films, recent notable cases being Breakfast on Pluto, Death Proof, Lords of Dogtown, Billy Elliot, Jarhead, Moulin Rouge!, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Breaking-Up, Hot Fuzz, Click & School of Rock. Bolan is still cited by many guitar-centric bands as a huge influence (Joy Division/New Order’s Bernard Sumner has said that the first single he owned was “Ride a White Swan”.) However, he always maintained he was a poet who put lyrics to music. The tunes were never as important as the words.

Bolan used to hang around in our office and sit on the floor, strumming his guitar, flirting with our secretary, June, who, of course, he later married. He was a great Syd [Barrett] fan. I was quite fond of him. He was a big pain in the arse, of course, very full of himself. I always liked that thing where he called himself the Bolan child, this magical, mythical name. It was really from his doorbell in Ladbroke Grove. It had his name and our secretary’s surname, Child, so it read Bolan Child and fans used to think, wow, he is the Bolan Child!

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour,[citation needed]

An altogether less welcome legacy for his friends and family is the ongoing row about his fortune. Bolan had arranged a discretionary trust to safeguard his money. His death left the fortune beyond the reach of those closest to him and both his family and journalists have taken an active interest in investigating the situation, so far with little result other than bringing the story to wider attention. A small, separate Jersey-based trust fund has allowed his son to receive some income. However, the bulk of Bolan’s fortune, variously estimated at between 20 and 30 million pounds (approx $38 $57 million), remains in trust. As of 2007, Bolan’s family is supposed to have a house paid for by the trust, and Rolan is supposed to receive an allowance.

Bolan returned to the top of the UK charts in 2005 when the remastered, expanded Born to Boogie DVD hit No. 1 in the Music DVD charts.

Steve Kilbey a self-confessed Marc Bolan fan and singer for renowned Australian art-rock group The Church performed Bolan’s “One Inch Rock” on the Steve Kilbey Live DVD, released in January 2008.

In 2006, it was revealed that English Heritage had refused to commission a blue plaque to commemorate Bolan, as they believed him to be of “insufficient stature or historical significance”. There is, however, an existing plaque dedicated to Bolan at his childhood home, put there by Hackney Council.

There are also two plaques dedicated to his memory at Golders Green Crematorium in North London. The second one to be displayed was placed there by the official Marc Bolan fan club and fellow fans in September 2002, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his passing. The inscription on the stone, which also bears his image, reads ’25 years on his light of love still shines brightly’. Placed beneath the plaque there is an appropriate ceramic figure of a white swan.

In 2006, TV series Life on Mars, an actor portrays Marc Bolan, circa 1973, in a bar in Manchester. Time-travelling Sam Tyler recognises him, has a fan boy moment, and warns him to be careful of riding in Minis. In the American version of the series, the character is replaced by that of Jim Croce, who died later that year in a plane crash, and Sam warns him. However, the T. Rex version of “Get It On” is played in the New York dance club in that scene.

One of Bolan’s guitars, a Gibson Flying V, recently turned up on Antiques Roadshow in the hands of a private collector. The appraiser estimated the value of the guitar to be approximately 50,000-60,000.

A school is planned in his honour, to be built in Sierra Leone: The Marc Bolan School of Music and Film.[citation needed]

Discography

Singles

Nov. 1965 The Wizard/Beyond The Rising Sun. Decca F 12288.

June 1966. The Third Degree/San Francisco Poet. Decca F 12413.

Dec. 1966. Hippy Gumbo/Misfit. Parlophone R 5539.

John’s Children:

May 1967. Desdemona/Remember Thomas A Beckett. Track 604 003.

July 1967. Midsummer’s Night Scene/Sara Crazy Child.

Aug. 1967. Come And Play With Me In The Garden/Sara Crazy Child. Track 604 005.

Tyrannosaurus Rex:

April 1968. Debora/Child Star.(34). Regal Zono RZ 3008.

Aug. 1968. One Inch Rock/Salamada Palaganda.(28). Regal Zono RZ 3011.

Jan. 1969. Pewtor Suitor/Warlord Of The Royal Crocodiles. Regal Zono RZ 3016.

July 1969. King Of The Rumbling Spires/Do You Remember.(44). Regal Zono RZ 3022.

Jan. 1970. By The Light Of A Magical Moon/Find A Little Wood. Regal Zono RZ 3025.

March 1970. Debora/One Inch Rock/Woodland Bop/Seal Of Seasons.(7). Magnifly ECHO 102.

Dib Cochran And The Earwigs:

1970. Oh Baby/Universal Love. Bell 1121.

T. Rex:

Oct. 1970. Ride a White Swan/Is It Love/Summertime Blues. Fly BUG 1.

Feb. 1971. Hot Love/Woodland Rock/King Of The Mountain Cometh. Fly BUG 6.

July 1971. Get It On (Bang a Gong)/There Was A Time/Raw Ramp. Fly BUG 10.

Nov. 1971. Jeepster/Life’s A Gas. Fly BUG 16.

Jan. 1972. Telegram Sam/Cadillac/Baby Strange. T.Rex Wax 101.

May 1972. Metal Guru/Thunderwing/Lady. EMI Marc 1.

Sept. 1972. Children Of The Revolution/Jitterbug Love/Sunken Rags. EMI Marc 2.

Dec. 1972. Solid Gold Easy Action/Born To Boogie. EMI Marc 3.

March 1973. 20th Century Boy/Free Angel. EMI Marc 4.

June 1973. The Groover/Midnight. EMI Marc 5.

Big Carrot:

Aug. 1973. Blackjack/Squint Eye Mangle. EMI 2047.

T. Rex:

Nov. 1973. Truck On (Tyke)/Sitting Here.(12). EMI Marc 6.

Jan. 1974. Teenage Dream/Satisfaction Pony.(13). EMI Marc 7.

Marc Bolan:

June 1974. Jasper C. Debussy/Hippy Gumbo/The Perfumed Garden Of Gulliver Smith. Track 2094 013.

T. Rex:

July 1974. Light Of Love/Explosive Mouth.(22). EMI Marc 8.

Nov. 1974. Zip Gun Boogie/Space Boogie.(41). EMI Marc 9.

July 1975. New York City/Chrome Sitar.(15). EMI Marc 10.

Sept. 1975. Dreamy Lady/Do You Wanna Dance/Dock Of The Bay.(30). EMI Marc 11.

Nov. 1975. Christmas Bop/Telegram Sam/Metal Guru.(Scheduled for release but canceled). EMI Marc 12.

Feb. 1976. London Boys/Soul Baby.(40). EMI Marc 13.

April 1976. Hot Love/Get It On. Cube BUG 66.

June 1976. I Love To Boogie/Baby Boomerang.(13). EMI Marc 14.

Sept. 1976. Laser Love/Life’s An Elevator.(41). EMI Marc 15.

Marc Bolan and Gloria Jones:

Jan. 1977. To Know Him Is To Love Him/City Port. EMI 2572.

T. Rex:

March 1977. The Soul Of My Suit/All Alone.(42). EMI Marc 16.

May 1977. Dandy In The Underworld/Groove A Little/Tame My Tiger. EMI Marc 17.

Aug. 1977. Celebrate Summer/Ride My Wheels. EMI Marc 18.

See also

Blackhill Enterprises (Peter Jenner and Andrew King)

David Bowie

John’s Children

Gloria Jones

Simon Napier-Bell

References

^ “Feld, Mark”. Births Registered in October, November and December, 1947. London: General Register Office. pp. (page 394). http://content.ancestry.co.uk/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=8964&path=1947.Q4-Oct-Nov-Dec.F.9. Retrieved 2008-10-08.  Scanned image of the original document. Restricted access.

^ The confessions of a society photographer – Allan Warren (Jupiter, London, 1976) ISBN 0904041689 ISBN 9780904041682

^ Dukes, Queens and Other Stories – Allan Warren (New Millenium Books, London, 1999)

^ http://members.cox.net/dregenold/marc/early.html

^ Rhino Records (2008-02-15). “The Replacements Remastered”. Press release. http://www.rhino.com/rzine/pressrelease.lasso?PRID=546. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 

^ Wigg, David (2007-09-20), “My Daddy of Britpop by Marc Bolan’s son”, Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-482969/My-Daddy-Britpop-Marc-Bolans-son.html 

^ Steve Kilbey Live

^ “English Heritage thinks Ignatius Sancho means more to you than Eric Morecambe”. Telegraph.co.uk. 30 December 2006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/31/nplaques31.xml. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 

Notes

2. Riggs O’Hara interview, Record Collector Magazine, September 1997

3. Mentioned in The Who song “You Better You Bet”, (to the sound of old T-rex)

4. Celebrity Fans include Oasis, David Bowie, and Chris Cummings.

External links

Marc Bolan and T. Rex information website

Marc Bolan School Of Music And Film

Marc Bolan Myspace

Website concerning Marc Bolan’s TV and film appearances.

Marc Bolan and T. Rex information website

Marc Bolan at the Internet Movie Database

Marc Bolan at Find a Grave

v  d  e

T. Rex

Marc Bolan  Mickey Finn  Steve Currie  Bill Legend

Steve Peregrin Took  Miller Anderson  Herbie Flowers  Jack Green  Gloria Jones  Davey Lutton  Tony Newman  Dino Dines

As Tyrannosaurus Rex

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair… but Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows  Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages  Unicorn  A Beard of Stars

As T. Rex

T. Rex  Electric Warrior  The Slider  Tanx  Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow  Bolan’s Zip Gun  Futuristic Dragon  Dandy in the Underworld

Related articles

Discography  John’s Children  Born to Boogie  Blackhill Enterprises  Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan  Marc  Mickey Finn’s T-Rex

Persondata

NAME

Bolan, Marc

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Feld, Mark

SHORT DESCRIPTION

DATE OF BIRTH

1947-9-30

PLACE OF BIRTH

Hackney, East London, England

DATE OF DEATH

1977-9-16

PLACE OF DEATH

Barnes, London, England

Categories: 1947 births | 1977 deaths | Bisexual musicians | English Jews | English male singers | English rock singers | English singer-songwriters | Glam rock | Jewish musicians | LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom | People from Stoke Newington | Road accident deaths in England | Protopunk musiciansHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from October 2008 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from October 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2009

I am a professional writer from China Manufacturers, which contains a great deal of information about wire comb binding , pantone formula guide, welcome to visit!

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Bolan, Marc

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/marc-bolan/feed 0 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/10-tips-to-learn-to-play-rockguitar http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/10-tips-to-learn-to-play-rockguitar#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:24:07 +0000 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/10-tips-to-learn-to-play-rockguitar 1. Look in a mirror.
Oobserva your hands and your fingers as you play. Try to avoid stress and saves your moves. Make sure you are not tension in your posture, whether sitting or standing.

2. Redefine the word “error” calling it “unintended result.” Having an unintended result, suppose that there is a cause and you should try to find out and change to producri in different outcome (the search). Each error is an opportunity to learn. Find the causes and plan how best to get a different result.

3. Be specific with the error
Try to be absolutely clear about what happens with an error. What grade are you missing? What touched wrong? Where do they were supposed to be touching your fingers?

4. Record yourself every day
Record yourself on a cassette every day. Listen and decide what things you did not like and start thinking how to improve it.

5. He plays in public all you can
DESIGNED How do you play in public? Are you tense? How do you feel emotionally? Do you feel anxiety, fear? Do you feel comfortable? Would you like to play for others? DESIGNED every time and you will know better as a guitarist and you will improve.

6. Pretend that each finger is a person and give it a name.
What are their qualifications? What are its shortcomings? Work individually on each. Velos like “your group”, if everyone does what he should do then things will improve. Focuses on the problems and advantages of each finger of your hands, left and right.

7. Use reminders in front of you when you practice.
Any area that you think needs improvement, write it on paper (could be a post-it) and paste it where you can see to remind you improve that particular aspect. You will always find something to improve!

8. Move forward.
Everytime you move a finger, imagine that going to be your next move. Your mind will clear and your fingers will conform to the brain more easily.

9. Body language.
When practicing, pay attention to your whole body. Your position is vital to avoid fatigue.

10. Use a metronome.
Use a metronome to build your skills and measure your performance. He plays at a speed where you do not commit a single error. When you have more comfort, then increase speed

http://timmyurl.com/2d5mm

linkin park rock.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Learn, Play, RockGuitar, Tips

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/10-tips-to-learn-to-play-rockguitar/feed 0 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/which-guitar-should-i-get http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/which-guitar-should-i-get#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:39:42 +0000 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/which-guitar-should-i-get I am going to teach myself how to play guitar, but I have no idea which type to get. I have a few options in mind, but I don’t know if they are durable enough to last about 2 years. Any advice? Help from guitar experts/players is appreciated

These are the ones I am considering:

http://www.target.com/Gibson-Epoch-Acoustic-Guitar-GA41NA/dp/B000I1T8L8/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=0FG7S22YX49AAKGW2XXP&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B000BUDR68&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

(Is this a real Gibson?)

http://www.target.com/Natural-Acoustic-Guitar-Package-Tuner/dp/B000BUDR68/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1YQ1TZ5NA19PFKT25NKP&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B000I1T8L8&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

There’s also a First Act guitar that I’m considering that was made with the help of one of the Maroon 5 members, but it is no longer on the website. It was approximately $50, and the review for it said that it was good quality for the price. Does that mean it’s cheap since it’s only 50?

The maximum that I am willing to pay is $150, but preferably $100.
And by the way, I am left-handed if it makes any difference.
I didn’t mention this, but I want an acoustic

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: guitar, Should

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/which-guitar-should-i-get/feed 1 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/beauty-and-versatility-an-eric-clapton-series-fender-stratocaster http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/beauty-and-versatility-an-eric-clapton-series-fender-stratocaster#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:37:23 +0000 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/beauty-and-versatility-an-eric-clapton-series-fender-stratocaster Let me begin by saying, as a kid of 11 years of age, I was trained for four years in classical guitar by one of the best. His name was George Yeatman and he was a disciple of Aaron Shearer (The father of modern classical guitar training). I took highly disciplined classical lessons until the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix in the mid 70′s. Right then and there I decided to set down my 1954 Gibson classical guitar and never touch it again! Although that bit of personal nostalgia is still in my possession.

After many moons of life without the rhythm of a guitar strumming, it was about 3 years ago when I decided to take guitar lessons again with a critically acclaimed guitarist and teacher, Richard Mac. He truly is a world class player and excellent teacher for playing any genre of music although I am studying the blues. Presently, I’m playing the electric guitar and in the whole scheme of things, I probably not as good as some people say or even my teach Richard Mac, has said I am. I enjoy hearing nice things about my playing like everyone else, but widespread approval is hard to come by in this day and age.

The story about how I came upon my first Stratocaster began when my guitar teacher Richard came across a Black Eric Clapton Artist Series Strat at a pawn shop for a really good price, and for some strange reason, he appeared unusually interested about this particular guitar. Actually I have never seen Richard move that fast again (except for his fingers), I knew what was going to happen. He bought the guitar. Surprise!

So that is how I came across this great Fender Stratocaster guitar.

My resistance was low and I had to buy a new Fender Eric Clapton Custom Artist Series Stratocaster for myself. I immediately got on the internet and went to the website and bought it from Musicians Friend, which was a great experience. That was my first online guitar purchase and I’ll never waste gas and time again fighting traffic to buy a guitar from a music store.

Most local music stores are small and they rarely have what you want anyway! I took advantage of the Musician’s Friend free shipping, the no interest for one year M.F. credit card and the 45 day satisfaction guarantee. It doesn’t get any easier or better than that when you are looking to buy a guitar.

I’ll start with the first thing that struck me, when choosing this beautiful axe. It has the perfect soft V shaped solid maple neck that feels like someone made it especially for me, and the V shape is a narrow neck and a bit deeper than the stock neck which makes it a dream to play. It has 22 Vintage Style Frets and a perfect 9.5″ Radius (241mm). I can play my weird Jimi Hendrix chords much easier and better on this guitar and by the way I use really light weight DR brand Pure Blues Strings. These strings last a really long time, have pure tone and are easy to bend.

Fender has several different neck shapes and that is particularly cool of Fender to try to make a guitar neck size that will fit for every shape of hand. For example, Stevie Ray Vaughn (who had huge hands) had a special shaped neck called a Boat Neck while rocker, Eddie Van Halen, used the Wolfgang shaped neck. Without a doubt, there is a Strat neck available that can fit your hand. Jimi Hendrix used anything he had at the time, but he was a VoodooChild and had outer space guitar playing ability with perfect freaky and big, long fingers . He was left handed player and he played a right handed guitar upside down.

The guitars body is Alder-wood and that is a relatively light weight wood and has great tonal qualities. It is a mystery to me, but this guitar has a great feeling of balance to it as well. It is Fender color is Olympic White and it’s a polyurethane paint which means it is durable and will last a long time. In fact I have played this guitar every day for a few hours a day or more and in over two and a half years, there is not a single wear mark on the fret side of the neck.

Personally, I like white guitars although I recommend getting the color you like. The head of the guitar or top of the neck where you would tune your guitar has genuine Fender/Gotoh Vintage Style Tuning Machines.

There are 3 knobs as most Strats do. However these are not the regular strat controls. That’s right, the top one is the same as all Strats and that is a volume control. Although the 2 other tone controls are different, one is a special active 25dB midrange boost tone control to give this guitar the extra meat which by the way, is something you might expect from a Humbucker pickup. In addition, the second tone knob functions as a unique to Fender TBX master tone control, which can smoothly go from bright and glossy to dark and smoky by rolling off the highs! The name of the TBX tone control comes from the first two letters of Treble and Bass. X is the same as the word Cut in Fender-speak).

A conventional tone control only cuts the high end of your guitar’s signal. However, the TBX can either cut the high end like a regular tone control or it can cut the bass to bring out more brightness in your tone.

It also has a 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup Position 3. Middle Pickup Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup Position 5. Neck Pickup

Claptons personal choice for pickups were Vintage Noiseless Pickups (Neck, Middle, Bridge) and I like them too! Fender delivers single coil tone without the hum! You get cutting edge technology without sacrificing that great Fender sound. Special beveled edge Alnico 5 magnets and enamel-coated magnet wire produce the brilliant clarity, definition and harmonic attributes of a vintage Strat with a Noiseless package. Each Vintage Noiseless Strat pickup comes with 3 pots (potentiometers), a capacitor and resistor to enhance your Noiseless experience. (also sold separately as a set of 3, or as each.)

It has a blocked original vintage synchronized tremolo bridge, so you can’t use a whammy bar, and thats really kinda cool because using a whammy bar always throws the guitar out of tune. Clapton did not use a whammy bar, and by blocking it’s action one gets more stable and accurate sound.

Going from gig to gig is a safe bet, is has a luxurious tweed guitar case that has a secret compartment built into it for whatever you may need to stash away for a rainy day. I generally use a Fender Ultra Electric Guitar Gig Bag

When it comes to playability nothing comes close to a Fender Strat in terms of being able to play any type of music and sound absolutely great. Eric Clapton is a bonified living Guitar God and when he designed this guitar he took his time and used his favorite components which turned out to be a real score for himself .

Once this guitar was manufactured through Fender it became one of the standards that virtually all electric guitars are measured by. It seems that every time I get near it I am compelled to play it. Or else I’m passionately waiting to get home and play it.

The sweet sounds this guitar makes are unreal. It doesn’t matter if you play clean or with distortion every note is right on the money and every tone is pure and clean. The neck is super slick so you can shred if that is your groove or you can play high energy string bending blues or even do some Travis Picking as well, if that rocks your boat. This is a highly versatile guitar capable of making your sound, genuinely and truly, your unique sound!

I know love is blind, and I look forward playing this guitar all the time. I am definitely an enthusiast for all things Strat. On an emotional note, this one is my baby and it’s the prettiest axe in the world. This guitar is not what I d would call a cheap guitar, although if you compare it to what a top notch Gibson costs, this guitar is a fantastic deal. Strats sound and play better than a Gibson, which of course is my personal opinion. Fender made electric guitars what they are today.

Note: Don’t make a mistake. Buy a primo guitar stand. I had a cheap one break on me once.

Try the Hercules Single Guitar Stand with Folding Yoke.

For more information about Guitar Players Center Guitar Videos or Guitar Reviews. Feel free to visit our website, ask questions, make comments or simply enjoy.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Beauty, Clapton, Eric, Fender, series, Stratocaster, Versatility

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/beauty-and-versatility-an-eric-clapton-series-fender-stratocaster/feed 0 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/do-they-make-gibson-or-les-paul-guitars-for-lefties http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/do-they-make-gibson-or-les-paul-guitars-for-lefties#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:08:03 +0000 http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/do-they-make-gibson-or-les-paul-guitars-for-lefties i really want a nice gutiar and i have always like the Gibson SG but i never seem to find any left handed gutairs for them

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: Gibson, guitars, lefties, Paul, they

]]> http://www.gibsonlespaulbassguitar.com/do-they-make-gibson-or-les-paul-guitars-for-lefties/feed 3