Some people are more traditional in that they favor Stratocasters, Telecasters, Les Pauls, and SGs. The others favor the more progressive guitars like the “pointy” Ibanez RGs, Jackson USAs, and PRSs. But in all actuality, all options have their strengths and weaknesses.

Strats and Teles

We all know Strats and Teles have that authentic twang that has helped shape western music for over 60 years. You’ll hear that sound in a lot of our blues, rock, and country music today. Artists like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn are just a few examples of guitar legends who made it work with these types of instruments. But, they can sound too thin for modern music and not to mention the electronics are very noisy. Although that can be compensated for, it can be a bit of a hassle trying to get that clean cut sound for music as it’s developed into today.

Gibson Les Paul and SG

Then you have the late 60s to late 80s folks rocking the Gibson Les Paul or SG guitars. These guitars offer more of a bold punchy-like texture when played. Bands like ACDC, ZZ Top, and Guns N Roses wield these axes as part of their authentic sound. However, these guitars have been known to be a bit unwieldy, heavy, and just hard to play when trying to achieve a more technical style of playing.

Ibanez and Jackson

Moving on to the late 80s early 90s, we’ve got players like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and bands like Pantera emerging with the more high performance guitars like the Ibanez RG and S Series and Jackson USA guitars. These guitars feature a more thin and ultra access contour that allows for maximum note playing or shredding. With these guitars, so many more great musicians have come out of the woodwork, pioneering the craft of guitar playing even to this very day. However, in order to make such a high performance instrument, a lot of the characteristics that make a guitar sing like the Les Paul or Strat have to unfortunately be shaved away from the design.

Traditional vs Modern

So what’s all the fuss? Well the fact is people have different preferences right? Some actually argue that the more traditional guitars like the Strat and Les Paul are better because they laid the foundation for the music we know and love today. The “younger” kids of “pointy” high performance guitars argue that these guitars are laying the framework to an upper echelon of guitar playing and musicality. The truth is that it depends on what your immediate needs are. In a sense, both sides are right. Ultimately, what is the end goal…to have a “perfect guitar” or to make awesome music with whatever guitar works best for that music? I’d say the latter!

The truth is you’ll never able to put all the optimal specs into one instrument. We just briefly went through over 6 decades of guitar evolution and concluded that guitars are getting thinner. Is that better? Is it worse? The answer is neither. It just depends on the sound you’re looking for and what your needs are as a player. All these guitars were made for the music of their time at the very best they could be made. It wasn’t about making the perfect guitar then and it isn’t now. I consider my work in the music store industry an honor because I have experienced so many different types of instruments that I just simply appreciate the evolution. I love guitars, I love playing guitar, I love music, and I love playing music.

Find yourself a guitar that’s just right for you and continue enjoying music my friends!

The post Does a Perfect Guitar Exist? appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

With millions of guitar fans stemming all the way back from the 70s and 80s it’s also been a challenge to prove novelty of digital recoding and convolution to the purists of true tube amplifiers. If you’re a true guitar fan you’ll have to admit that no matter how great a digital unit sounds, it always eventually lacks that certain character only a true tube amplifier can give.

So the question is, who’s next in line? Who will create such a product that rids gigging musicians and roadies of the back breaking tasks of transporting ultra heavy 4×12 speaker cabinets and amp heads whilst maintaining that true authentic sound only a tube amp can provide?

Well, look no further! It seems the geniuses at Positive Grid have finally provided us with an answer. While other companies like Fractal Audio and Kemper have come the closest, it seems that they come as close as one could get really. Alas, Positive Grid has come to the rescue with their brand new “BIAS HEAD” that provides over 60 true amp tones, 600 watts of power, and is perfect for both studio and virtually any sized gig one can imagine.

Not only does this bad boy sound amazing, it also features cutting edge convolution technology that allows the head to record impulse responses from other live amps in real time to match their tone. That’s right, any amp!

Imagine walking into any music store with your 7lb BIAS head and literally capturing all your favorite amp tones you know and love, in an instant. As if already having over 60 precise amp factory presets wasn’t enough! Amazing.

The Bias Head is the future of recording and live gigs for all guitar players. A chance for the progressive minded and avid purist to come together in true tonal bliss! For more info, visit www.positivegrid.com.

Let’s check out a demo by Tosin Abasi.

Sounds killer! Have you tried the BIAS head? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments. What other products have you used to amp match?

The post BIAS Head Review appeared first on Infinite Guitar.

Remember…

1. Analyze the accuracy of both hands. The idea is to find a way to make them work together smoothly. Take your time and DON’T force it.
2. Practice using subdivisions. Set the metronome low and increase by subdivision. This way you’re covering not only increments of speed, but also musical situations seeing as each subdivision will “feel” different against the tempo. This is a great way to add to your musical vocabulary.
3. Use a stopwatch. As you practice using subdivisions try cycling them by 20 seconds or so. Kind of like a long distance sprinter. 20 seconds on (fast) 20 seconds off (slower). This is a good way to develop muscle memory fast!

The post Shred Lick Lesson from “AJ’s Licks of The Month” appeared first on Infinite Guitar.