STAFF PICKS
This month, we wrap up our three-part exploration of the different sides of tone with “The Cult of
Tone” [pg. 136]. Fascinated by the near-religious fervor that surrounds certain guitarists, albums
and pieces of gear, we’re tackling the question, “What is your Holy Trinity of Tone?” in this
month’s Staff Picks. We also posed this question on our Facebook and Twitter (@premierguitar)
accounts and found that the differing approaches to the answer were almost as interesting as the
answers themselves. Is it three iconic instruments? Your ideal signal chain? Tones from specific
albums? The most heroic of guitar heroes? We left that decision up to each individual, and enlisted a man who knows tone, Nashville’s hottest session picker, Brent Mason, as our Guest Picker.
Rich Tozzoli’s first solo
record, Rhythm Up. I
knew it would sound
great, but I didn’t know it
would be so much fun.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
Depends on the day… today it’s Queen II,
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and
Outlandos d’Amour.
Chris Kies
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
William Elliott Whitmore’s
Animals in the Dark.
He tells both downtrodden and uplifting stories
through his gravelly, weathered voice over simple yet effective licks on his acoustic and banjo.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
It has to be Scotty Moore on “Too Much,”
Darrell Dimebag Abbott on “Mouth for War”
and Scott Gorham on “Emerald.”
Steve Ouimette
Web Columnist, “Hey,
You Can’t Do That!”
& Reviewer
What am I listening to?
Green Day, 21st Century
Breakdown. From start
to finish this album is a masterpiece. Not only are
the songs great, the theme carries throughout,
and Butch Vig raised the bar for production. I’ve
probably listened to this no less than 100 times.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
Ace Frehley… Les Paul… Marshall Super
Lead. To be more specific, KISS Alive! —Ace
Frehley with a mid-’70s Les Paul Standard
with DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker,
metal-panel Marshall Super Lead, Marshall
4x12s with Celestion blackbacks!
Joe Coffey
Editorial Director
What am I listening to?
Joe Bonamassa’s Black
Rock. JB lays it down
with authority while
showing some otherworldly influences.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
Hendrix, Page, Beck. Bring on the hate mail
from the Claptonites.
Jordan Wagner
Associate Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
Droids Attack, Must
Destroy—total kick-ass, straight-up, honest
heavy rock from one of
the best new bands in the Midwest.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
Does three words count? Then they’d have to
be “Drop Dead Legs,” the finest example of
perfect guitar tone ever recorded.
John Bohlinger
Columnist, “Last Call”
& Reviewer
What am I listening to?
Right now I’m just
listening to music for
work. Between learning
songs for a film, working with a new artist and
a March 1st USO tour in Kuwait, there’s no
time for leisure music.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
Mark Knopfler, 1978, Strat mode; Brent
Mason, any records in the past ten years; Van
Halen, 1978.
Shawn Hammond
Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
The Kinks, BBC Sessions
1964-1977. I always
loved the go-to classics,
but I’m just discovering
how remarkably eclectic they were.
Holy Trinity of Tone:
Guitars: Anything funky that avoids the same-ol’, same-ol’. Amps: All-tube with Fender- or
Vox-style cleans, cavernous reverb, and minimal controls. Effects: Fulltone OCD, Demeter
Tremulator, Maxon AD999 analog delay, and
anything that makes freaky-ass noise.
Guest Picker
Brent Mason
Nashville Session King
What am I listening to?
Just lately I have been
listening a lot to Steely
Dan (my favorite compilation I’ve put together),
Stevie Wonder (Innervisions, Songs in the
Key of Life), Merle Haggard (all of his older
albums) and Keith Jarrett (Standards). When
I’m in my car driving home… sports radio!
Holy Trinity of Tone:
1. Finding the best marriage between an amp
and a guitar, depending on the style you’re playing. I find that vintage amps or guitars always
sound better than the “new and improved”
stuff, if you keep them well maintained.
2. Finding the right effects pedals to get the
sound you’re going for—and knowing when
to use them and when not.
3. Last but not least, the basic, most important thing: your technique, or “touch.”
Somebody told Chet Atkins after he finished
playing that his “guitar sounded great.”
Pointing to it sitting in its guitar case, he
replied, “How’s it sound now?” Kinda sums it
up, don’t ya think?
