Guitar Player

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NUGGETS FROM NERDVILLE

Guitar Player • Vol. 58 No. 1 JANUARY 2024

HUMBUCKER HEAVEN • With the Espada HH and Espada HH Active, G&L offers two versatile variations on Leo Fender’s late-1960s design.

BLUES WITH 808 BEATS • With programmed drums, samples and a renewed sense of purpose, Buffalo Nichols ponders what blues might have been on The Fatalist.

MELODY MAKER • As Dave Hause puts the focus on songs, he keeps the guitar work all about the hooks.

TIP SHEET • He’s played with and learned from the masters. Here are Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s best practices for performance.

MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS • “La Grange” aside, these are the songs Billy F. Gibbons considers among his finest achievements.

The Tortoise and the Hair • Although late to the fuzz-pedal competition, the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff won the race.

How to Play a Telecaster • On Second Album, Tele evangelist Roy Buchanan raised Leo’s creation to new heights.

DIRTY DEEDS • Looking for fresh musical inspiration, Kenny Wayne Shepherd left Nashville for Alabama’s FAME Studios. The result is Dirt on My Diamonds, Vol. 1, the first half of a new album project that continues his blues-rock evolution.

INTO THE FLAME • Kenny Wayne reveals his long search for the perfect ’Burst.

WINNER TAKES ALL • Twenty years ago, Joe Bonamassa placed a bet on himself and hit the jackpot. Now he celebrates two decades of musical independence with Blues Deluxe Vol. 2, a return to the album concept that made him the blues’ reigning champion. Guitar Player visits Nerdville for a little chat and a look at a few of Joe’s very fine vintage axes.

CAN’T STOP THE BOP • He’s a bebop originator who’s played with everyone from Charlie Parker to Jimmy McGriff. Now 96 and fronting a new album, Chicago guitarist George Freeman shows no sign of slowing down.

‘FREE’ STYLE • What makes George Freeman an original? Michael Allemana, his friend and musical partner, has some valuable insights.

BY GEORGE • Discover the bebop style of George Freeman in five selected tracks.

AMERICANA AMBASSADOR • David Grisman details the historic mandolins, guitars and banjos he played on the Acoustic America album, as exhibited at Arizona’s Musical Instrument Museum.

SHADES OF BLUE • Learn how to superimpose notes from parallel major and minor pentatonic scales for colorful and expressive blues soloing.

Family Matters • Learn generational tunes from Luther Dickinson’s Magic Music for Family Folk.

GEAR OF THE YEAR! • Guitar Player’s editors serve up their favorite selections from 2023.

FENDER • Tone Master Pro Floor Modeler

FENDER • Tone Master Pro FR-10 Powered Cabinet

TWO NOTES • Special Edition Limited Run Torpedo Captor X

TWA • Krytical Mass KM-01 Reactive Octave Fuzz

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING • TREAT YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ON YOUR HOLIDAY LIST

“The Story in Your Eyes” • Justin Hayward reveals the story and hidden message behind the Moody Blues’ timeless 1971 hit single.