Every so often, I get an e-mail from a fellow guitar player who wants my opinion on bolt-on and neck-through guitar designs.

Since I have played both versions of guitars, I am going to put down a couple of points that quickly come to mind. In the beginning, I only “heard” that neck-through guitars had supposedly more sustain.

Those type of guitars were usually out of reach for me price wise, so I stuck with my Ibanez RGs (which, I still like a lot) and then ESP models. A while back, you would not dream of owning a neck-through guitar unless you got the expensive models.

Guitar manufacturers offer a lot of bang for the buck these days in order to stay competitive. I am not saying that bold-on guitars are always more expensive; they are not. You just could not get one until you reached a certain price point years ago.

When I got my first USA made Randy Rhoads V, I ended up with a neck through guitar and yes; I definitely did notice that the guitar sustained longer and overall had a warmer, rounder tone to the notes.

One thing, I DID notice however, is that my old neck through guitars has much more immediate notes. It is hard to describe this, but the notes on my bolt-on guitars were quick to leave the guitar and were crisp.

In a way this makes sence why many shredders use bolt-on necks, be it Ibanez or Fender or similar guitars. So, in short – there is no better. It still goes back to preference.

I am happy to be playing my neck through guitars for the last 20 years or so and I have learned to play with their drawbacks and advantages. Guitarists should always choose what suits them best personally and what their budget allows. Good luck!

I was speaking with a friend who is a drummer for a touring metal band. He mentioned that the band he plays for recently downscaled their line-up to one guitar from a previous two guitarist unit. They were not sure how the band’s sound was going to be because in theory one less guitar would mean a weaker sound. Upon my friend’s recommendation to have the remaining guitarist play the metal parts with more of a bigger, aggressive, open, rock feel – the guys in the band actually realized that things are sounding pretty good and have so far continued to tour as a four piece.

I thought about that and I realized that another truth of a great guitar tone lies that example.

I consider myself a full-on heavy metal guitarist and have had that exact goal of becoming one from the day I picked up my guitar. However, as I was growing up I developed a taste for all kinds of rock and metal music and enjoyed everything from Whitesnake to Motley Crue to Fates Warning to Loudness to Priest to Megadeth and Slayer. You get the idea. I was scrutinized in High School for that, as many might remember that if you liked real metal you only stuck to a particular band and heavier. Didn’t matter. I thought that was stupid.

I never learned a huge boatload of songs while learning how to play the guitar, but one thing I definitely worked on is hearing the way the guitars sounded in a particular band. I quickly learned to distinguish how Mick Mars from the Crue “hits” the chords versus someone like Akira from Loudness and how the band’s sound changes because of that. I learned how punk inspired aggression works in a band like Slayer and how K.K and Glenn Tipton let their early psychedelic rock roots influence the great sounds on the early Priest albums. My guitar riff bible comes from early Megadeth records where there was just enough precision and attack to make the riffs come alive. Those records really pulled in nearly perfect mix of early Priest like sound into a pissed off, frienzied, machined metal assault. I dug it. It was perfect. You were able to hear the notes, the overtones, the attack while you were allowed some air to enjoy it all.

I think it is a good idea to listen to bands who might not fit into a particular genre you might be into. As I said, I dug uber heavy down-tuned sludge of Carcass, could appreciate the looser Aerosmith inspired riffing and also took good note from Dime’s surgical precision of riffing. I suppose it is about being open to learn lessons from others while you shape your sound.

I might get some heat for this, but I believe the art of great guitar sound is slowly slipping in heavy metal. I think the recording medium is partly to blame and how guitars are edited. All I am really saying is that I do not hear “auras” of guitars like I did on records a while back. You knew which band it was by the sound of their guitar. Maybe it’s me, but I think many might agree. You knew that “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” was a Judas Priest song even before Rob’s vocals came in. Did anyone question who the band is when they heard the riff and guitar tone in “Walk” by Pantera? Who knows, maybe our uncles felt the same about their music versus the one we grew up on. Whichever decade that might be.

To cap of this blog – I think it is important to listen how bands achieve sounds and how this information can ultimately shape your own tone. All great guitarists have been known to have a solid guitar sound and a particular way they play it or attack the chords. Without getting too technical, you can play metal while injecting good movement in your picking hand to let the notes breathe. Many people try to copy Yngwie’s licks and sound, yet not many realize that the space in between the notes is where the answer might hide. I see many guitarists just “play” chords and hear them come out on the other side through the speakers, but we can do even better that.

I hope you can take the above and see how it can work for you. This is just my observation and I’m simply sharing what I noticed through the years.

Today, I will talk a little about upgrading your guitar. I received an e-mail from my student Ed and I thought it would be best to answer it here since many of us might find the info helpful or at least interesting.

The e-mail contained a few great questions. To answer them I will use the example of a Jackson, not only because I know these guitars best, but also this is a brand Ed was asking about in the e-mail.

1. Are USA made Jacksons better made than, let say, ones made in Indonesia? Is it true that the quality of instruments overseas is now better than before?

MM: So, I have never received a guitar that was made in the USA (for that matter a USA model Jackson) that was poor in quality. The factory looks over each model that I get and makes sure it is right before they ship it to me. Every single time I open the case, the guitar plays fantastic. One thing that is interesting is that Jackson does not make a ton of these USA guitars at all and the supply is limited. They don’t want to sit on a bunch of unbought guitars. Each one is well balanced, meaning they feel just right and it does not tilt from left to right when you have it on a strap. Overall, I must say the USA made Jacksons are really an amazing sounding guitar. I play them because I like them, that is pretty much it.

Now, with that said, when I got cautious about taking my USA made Jacksons overseas one time for a tour, Jackson sent me a “Professional” model. I was surprised how well it plays and it sounds very good. So, if this is an indication how they make them overseas now, than yes, the quality has improved a lot. These Professional models are made in Indonesia as well. Another student of mine, wanted one and he is super picky about the guitars being mint and perfect. I saw the 3 Jackson Professionals that Sweetwater Music sent him and they were all excellent. He kept sending them back b/c he kept finding tiny specks and faults, but I wouldn’t even worry about it – they were all good. And, they sell well for under a $1000.

2. Is upgrading to a USA model worth it for a non-professional?

Well, it is hard to say depending on what you are looking for. Can an intermediate player enjoy a $1000 guitar? You bet. If you have achieved something that you want to reward yourself for and you can – go for it, life is short. The only thing I believe is that, if you at all can, don’t get a super low line cheap guitar because they are hard to play, most don’t stay in tune and it is easy to get discouraged. So, I keep talking about that $1000 Professional Jackson because to me it is a cool happy medium of a well made guitar that is not uber expensive. But, if USA Randy Rhoads is what you really want, and you know it deep inside, then, I definitely would not discourage anyone. They are the ultimate monster instruments that withstand anything you throw at them.

With all of the above, new gear is fun and always will be. New gear high fades fast though and you already know that the lasting change in your playing is learning something new and sticking with it. Nicer gear, better effects or amps is like the icing on the cake of who you are as a player. It is certainly important and of value, but it must be used in conjunction with practicing and committment to getting better on the guitar.

Above all, lots of awesome guitars out there. One of my favorite guitars to pick-up and jam is my $649 Ibanez RG750 (Original 80’s) and sometimes I even noodle around on a Charvel that I stole (not literally, though) at a Guitar Center sale for $99. They all work and are fun.

Of course, my ultimate concert and recording guitar that I love is the USA made Randy Rhoads. I play them stock.

The only thing I ever do over time is to replace some Floyd Rose pieces with titanium parts and a bigger block (in the cavity behind the pickups where the springs attach to) for longer sustain. I have done this to 2 of my guitars so far and the rest of my RRs are completely stock.

Today, I want to write about powering up your pedals and how I go about it.

Here’s the deal.

I love to power my pedals with a 9V battery. I’m not sure if it’s a superstitious thing or what, but the pedals sound nice and warm, tone wise, when I do that. It’s probably due to the fact when a battery de-charges a bit and run at less than 9V, you probably get a little warmer tone. Honestly, nothing to get crazy about. Just a little observation here.

When I run a couple of pedals for lessons or small workshops, I run them on a 9V. The batteries I like best are called Duracell ProCell and these batteries are for pro use. Don’t you love that that the consumer world gets marketed a completely different set of products than what the pros use? These ProCells are an industry standard for music, entertainment, broadcasting, medical use. This battery line last a long time and will not rapidly deplete on you. If you must have them, go on E-bay and you’ll find some sellers. They are equivalent of what Duracell sells as Coppertop to the public I heard.

The best bang for the buck on batteries are from Walgreens store brand. The store often has sales and their batteries are good. I sometimes wonder if there are just a couple battery manufacturers in the US and they just slap different labels on them. This happens with car oil and strings, believe it or not. Not D’addario as they have their own plant. Some other string manufacturers might as well but they are far and few in between.

In my real pedalboard where I run now a tuner, Maxon OD-9 Overdive, MXR Flanger, MXR Delay and Dunlop Q95 Wah I use a power supply brick. Several good ones on the market such as the one I have in the pic called Supa-Charger from BBE. I use that one in my studio to power up pedals. In my pedalboard I use a similar one, but from VooDoo Labs. You plug it into a regular outlet and you use several little cables to power up your pedals. No batteries needed and you always run on full power.

Playing live, I usually have a battery in the pedal anyways in case the power cable gets disconnected. That’s just a back-up move.

One smaller and very good way to power up the pedals is a Power-All system from Godlyke. It is a small unit and it comes with a ton of different plugs for your pedals including ones that are perfect for powering old-school pedals that only run on a 9V battery. It is very good and I often use this myself when I do not have enough batteries in stock.

Last but not least, I use a Multimeter tool to see how strong (well charged) my batteries are. This is good if you dig up a battery you don’t know how long it’s been sitting in your drawer, etc. This is a professional way to test the batteries before a show as well. Don’t use the tongue test – although we all do on occasion, lol. You can get one of these cool tools at Harbor Freight store for literally a few dollars. Good thing to have if you are a guitar player.

Last thought – I never run my Wah Wah pedal on a power supply – even if all of my other pedals use one. I always found that running a power supply to a Wah produces noise in the amp. I always run it on a battery. Good luck.

I meet many guitar players (and musicians in general) who have been practicing for many years, but have yet to venture into recording themselves.

Through time I found that recording yourself is one of the greatest tools you can use to improve your playing. As the saying goes – The Recorder Never Lies. The recorder doesn’t bend the truth. It plays back exactly what you played.

Listening back to your performances and being able to hear yourself “on tape” is extremely important. It is important because you can hear the things that you like or dislike about your playing. As a matter of fact, you can’t come as close as you can to mastering your instrument unless you master the art of recording.

Hearing yourself back can be a tough exercise. Your flaws come back at you and stare you in the face. But, what a great chance to know exactly what you need to work on! Think of this as if you are looking into a mirror before you go out. Why do we do this? Simply, so we can some clues of what works or doesn’t.

Side note: Ladies, metal guys have it easy. Pretty much any black T-shirt matches black jeans. Thank you very much. 🙂

Are you getting my point?

My playing took another turn all together when I started to record myself. I started with cheap 4-track, moved onto a better 4-track like the one pictured, then an 8-track, a better 8-track and eventually into a studio quality computer based Pro-Tools system. I wore these things out. Working with an outside ear such as a producer also elevated your game. Objective opinions can be great.

Lastly, recording yourself will help you know how much you’ve improved on the guitar since it is hard to judge your progress from day to day. You can even use the tool of recording to tape your band rehearsals. Then, bypass the need to argue as everyone will hear the part they are not together on. Good luck!

Many guitar students have a very valid question as to when is the right time to change their strings. The answer depends on a personal as well as a technical aspect – so let’s check it out.

A new set of strings provides a nice bright tone, improved intonation, less string breakage and the ability to stay in tune better.

Many players, including myself, prefer a slightly worn in sound of the string. This does not mean that the strings on my guitar are a year old, but I like the way they feel after a couple days of playing. The strings then feel less tense and the tone rounds off a bit meaning it is less bright. This is a personal preference and not true to all guitar players. Some touring guitarists prefer to change strings every night. I like to play 2 shows on a new set of strings before changing to a fresh set. On the guitars that I use for daily practice it is not uncommon that I don’t change strings for a very long time and I mean months. This is what I refer to as a personal preference.

Now, let’s take a look at a few other things.

If your guitar no longer stays in tune, the strings sound dead or break easily – these are another dead giveaways it is time to change strings. It is hard to tell how many playing hours a new set lasts for. It depends on the amount you sweat while playing and if you take care to extend the life of your strings while they were on your guitar.

Another great way to tell if it might be time to change strings is to run your right hand index finger under the string up and down the fretboard. If you can feel the fret markings (ie: very faint indentations) under the string, this should tell you that you might be ready for a new set.

If you are curious as to how to extend the life of your strings – simply wipe them down after each time your play. You can use simple guitar polish on a flannel, cotton or microfiber cloth. Remember to wipe underneath the string as well as this is where a lot of the dirt hides.

What’s in a guitar pick? Well, apparently a lot. I have been thinking about how I found the guitar pick that I have been using for the last 15 years – the amazing Dunlop H3 Tortex. I have been using and experimenting with different picks for a long time and when I found the Dunlop Jazz III I thought I had it. But, as it turned turned out the smoother side of the Tortex pick worked out even better for me.

When choosing a pick pay attention to how it effects your sound. Do you get a lot of swoosh, flap or noise when you play? It could very well (and, probably is) be your guitar pick.

Most metal players use a pick that is at least medium in heaviness. If the guitar pick gives too much because it is too thin – you get a significant amount of noise in your playing.

I like the H3 which is a small pick and it took me a while to develop the exact technique that I can use it effectively in playing rhythm and lead. Many guitarists find that they find a pick that works good for leads, but not so much for rhythm. There is a little give and take. With some work, I found out my H3 to be great for both. There were times in the studio when I had a different pick for different sounds that I wanted to get out of the guitar, but I later scrapped that idea in favor of using one pick and learning how to get the most out of it.

Ultimately, you’ll have to find a pick that you can use equally well for both rhythm and lead. Of course, this is essential when playing live as there is no time to switch picks between lead licks and riffs.

As you know, picks are made from different materials and they all affect your guitar sound. Some players might prefer a nylon pick, while you might find Tortex to work best for your tone. This is important to keep in mind.

Usually a pick with some sort of an edge at the tip is better for leads. Smaller picks are tougher to use when you play heavy rhythms as you have less plastic to hit the string with and your hand can get tired sooner. (This is also a technique you need to master.) You adjust and see what you can improve. Light Fender type rounded picks are better for acoustic playing and when I see a student use them while wanting to play metal we quickly make the adjustment to something slightly heavier in order to gain better tone, clarity and precision.
Good luck on your search.

Quick Guitar Tip!

Do you use active pick-ups (such as EMGs) in the your guitar and your sound is sounding fuzzy, harsh or plain weird lately?

Chances are you need a new 9 Volt battery. Alkaline batteries are best.

This is a simple, but often overlooked item. I’m pretty certain that if you leave your guitar plugged in your battery is constantly getting drained, so make sure to unplug your axe after you are done playing it through an amp. If you have a habit of leaving your guitar plugged in – before you know it your guitar will be out of juice. This results in a weak tone that is full of trebely fuzz.

This small maintanance item is often forgotten since we don’t change batteries in the guitar that often, but keep this in the back of your mind. Good luck.

Many guitar players complain that they can not keep their Floyd Rose (or Floyd Rose style bar system) in tune. Because of this, many write off the Floyd all together. I believe that a Floyd system is one of the greatest inventions on the guitar, so in order to fully defend the faith – I’m hoping to give a few tips to help with the 3 most common problems you might encounter.

1. When you are about to lock-in the nut saddles by the head stock (after all your new strings are on) you HAVE to make sure that your strings are ALREADY staying in tune. This is a common mistake. Many players get their strings pretty close, tighten up the saddles and by that time, the game is lost. Stretch your strings, tune and repeat until you can play your guitar with little tuning problems. You will find that once you lock the nut saddles your guitar will usually have no problems staying in tune.

2. As you are tuning up your guitar you might notice that the entire Floyd system tends to raise up and then it is no longer parallel to the guitar body and nowhere near where it was when your old string set was on. When this happens, lower the pitch of your strings again considerably and re-tune again. At that time, you will most likely see that the bar system is back in place and nice and straight.

3. And last, but not least – do not take all your strings off your axe at once. When putting on new set of strings, do it one string at a time. I start with the sixth string (low E) and put it first on the guitar. I tune it, stretch it and repeat it until the new string stays well in tune. As you might be imagining – yes, I DO NOT take off any other strings on the guitar. Just the one I’m putting on. I simply put one string at a time, get it in tune and move onto the next string. From my experience (and some do it otherwise), once you take all your strings off the Floyd Rose system, it is quiet difficult to get the guitar up and running. In the least, it takes way longer and can get pretty frustrating.

Hope this helps. Metal For Life!

I want to share a quick tip with guitar players that will make things easier in your search for the perfect guitar sound when recording.

Most of you will probably agree that you often start with an amp setting, tweak as you go through a few other options and then tell yourself that some of the initial settings sounded the best. However, you realize you have a hard time pinpointing exact previous locations of the control knobs. You can get it close, but not exact. Once you start adding pedals and studio gear, things can run away from you pretty quickly.

Here’s what you do.

You use a small digital camera or an iPhone to take pics and document your favorite settings or useful sounds on amps, pre-amps or whatever you choose to recall in the studio. Taking a look at a pic of your prior settings makes recalling things super easy.

I keep a small camera handy and scroll through it if I’m looking for a particular sound I might’ve gotten in the past or if I want a solid starting point to build on. You can focus in on your pics and get the exact location of your previous moves.

This becomes especially helpful if I try to recall settings I’ve used to record different instruments such as bass, guitars or vocals through a single-channel pre-amp that I love to use. Instead of starting from scratch to set up a sound, I can quickly get into the ballpark and build from that point.

Of course, this doesn’t have to stop at the recording studio. Live amp settings, pedal board setup all the way to a correct way to pack an equipment trailer can be easily be recalled with a digital camera.

So, there you go! It’s a simple solution to a big problem. I must give credit to Judas Priest producer and my Halford bandmate Roy Z, from whom I picked up this idea.