TUNING UP
One Size Does Not Fit All
Let’s be clear about something—there is no
pigeon-holed template of a Premier Guitar
reader so don’t worry, we’re not trying to
peg you or expect you to love everything we
do. No such profile serves as a basis for how
we approach each issue, because we don’t
think it makes sense to try to put you in a
box full of expectations associated with age,
income, favorite musical genre, etc. Let’s face
it—there’s way too much gear and music out
there; to try to figure out some kind of magic
formula that best serves the Premier Guitar
reader is just ridiculous.
Any data we gather confirms this—we know
that some of you are old farts who can
spank chicken pickin’ licks out of a Tele with
a baseball bat-sized neck all day long, and
some of you young whippersnappers prefer
to wrap your minds around progressive 7-
and 8-string guitar shred. We’re aware that
some of you are boutique all the way, and
some of you have been loyal to the same
famous brands for 30+ years. As far as we’re
concerned, it’s all good. We’ve found that
the trick is to keep an eye and an ear out
for what’s cool, along with an open mind,
and everything just falls into place. Rather
than try to be all things to all people, we just
focus on stuff that sounds good, stuff that
plays great, players who sound amazing, etc.
Things like genre, price point and age just
get in the way.
This issue says a lot about this approach. We
show you the newest gear that just debuted
at NAMM, take a look back at those old
funky, cheap guitars (and some new high-end
versions that have been resurrected under
the Kay name) and bring you a primer on
the famous GP-1000 preamp. We continue
our three part series that attempts to unpack
the concept of tone, and we introduce you
to LÂG Guitars—a company well known in
Europe that is now entering the US market.
We’re also excited to introduce what may be
some new companies to you in our review
lineup this month. This month’s list includes
Vintage Sound Workbench, Flammang,
Kilpatrick Audio Pedals and Cicognani.
Artist-wise, we catch up with a true legend,
Robby Krieger of the Doors, and Guthrie
Govan, who may be the most incredible
player we’ve heard in a very long time.
•Download a free QR reader app for your mobile device.
•Point the camera at the code above.
•Enjoy our free multimedia content instantly!
Be sure to check out our “Go Ahead and
Ask” feature with Gibson. Designed to help
you learn about a different gear manufacturer
each month, the series gives you a chance to
ask the questions.
So, what the heck is that odd looking check-erboardy thing in the center of the page?
That’s called a QR code, and you’ll find one
in the ratings box of every product that is
reviewed in this issue. Think of it as a way to
save you the trouble of having to type in a
web address. Once you download a free QR
reader for your mobile device, all you have
to do is point your phone’s camera at one of
these things and it’ll take you to a web page
where you can hear sound clips of the product being reviewed. The one in the center of
this page takes you to our NAMM 2010 coverage, which includes a photo gallery of new
gear and many video demos of guitars, amps
and effects. Again, we’re using the codes
to save you a step—you can always type in
www.premierguitar.com and navigate your
way to a number of pages featuring sound
clips, videos, etc.—these codes simply allow
you to get there with ease.
Also new this month, you’ll notice that the
graphic treatment of our gear ratings is a little
more old school. Rather than use the number
3. 5 to show you that something got a 3. 5
rating in a review, we’re going to make you
count the three and a half picks. It’s a “look”
thing. That’s right—we think it looks cooler.
As always, we’re looking forward to your
feedback. That’s the best thing about knowing you don’t have someone pegged—
getting a chance to hear what they really think.
Cheers,
Joe Coffey
Editorial Director
joe@premierguitar.com
