Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Malmsteen was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerback on June 30, 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden.    Malmsteen is most prominently known for his neo-classical lead guitar playing, incorporating speed picking with diminished sevenths and harmonic minor scales, as well as the use of sweep arpeggios.   On top of being a highly skilled guitarist, Yngwie also plays a variety of other instruments, is a composer, producer and band leader with his band Rising Force.

Yngwie Malmsteen’s music is highly influenced by Baroque and Classical music.   He states that one of his greatest classical influences is the 19th century virtuoso violinist Niccilo Paganini.

Yngwie is known for using his own signature model Fender Stratocaster.

Yngwie Malmsteen–Arpeggios From Hell

Arpeggios From Hell Tab
By Yngwie Malmsteen

b=bend
tr=trill
h=hammer-on
p=pull-off
s=slide
~=vibrato
|=separate phrase/section

*********************MAIN RIFF*******************************
Em
E||-------------------------------------------------7---7-12p0-0-15-14-12-|
B||-------------------------------------------8---8---8-------------------|
G||-------------------------------------9---9---9-------------------------|
D||-------------------------5---5-9-5-9---9-------------------------------|
A||-------------------7---7---7-------------------------------------------|
E||--0--0-3-0-3-7-3-7---7-------------------------------------------------|

-15-14-12-19-15-----------------------------------------------------|
----------------17----17--------------------------------------------|
-------------------16----16----16-----------------------------------|
----------------------------17----17-14-17-14----14-----------------|
----------------------------------------------14----14-10-14-10-----|
----------------------------------------------------------------12~-|

Am
-------------------------------------------12----12-15b17~--|
----------------------------------13----13----13------------|
-------------------------14----14----14---------------------|
-------10----10-14-10-14----14------------------------------|
-12~12----12------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------|

G Diminished

-18-15----15-------------------------------------------------------------|
-------17----17----17----------------------------------------------------|
----------------18----18-15-18-15----15----------------------------------|
----------------------------------17----17-14-17-14----14----------------|
----------------------------------------------------16----16-13-16-13----|
----------------------------------------------------------------------15-|

A Diminished
-17-14----14-------------------------------------------------------------|
-------16----16----16----------------------------------------------------|
----------------17----17-14-17-14----14----------------------------------|
----------------------------------16----16-13-16-13----13----------------|
----------------------------------------------------15----15-12-15-12----|
----------------------------------------------------------------------14-|

E Harmonic Minor Lick

-15-12----15s14-11----12-15-12----15s14-11----12-15-12----15s14-11-|
-------12----------12----------12----------12----------12----------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|

---12-15-12----12-15-14-|
12----------12----------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|

E Harmonic Minor
-15-14-12s11-------------------------------------------------|
-------------13-12-10----------------------------------------|
----------------------12-11-9s8------------------------------|
--------------------------------10-9-7-----------------------|
---------------------------------------10-9-7s6--------------|
------------------------------------------------8-7-5-3s2s0--|

***********************END OF MAIN RIFF **********************

 

Do the MAIN RIFF 2x

SOLO                       Diminished Run
----------12-14b15b14-12----------|-21p18-21p18s15----|
---15b17~----------------17b19tr~-|----------------17-|
----------------------------------|-------------------|
----------------------------------|-------------------|
----------------------------------|-------------------|
----------------------------------|-------------------|

Diminished Run (cont.)
18p15s12----15p12s9----|--14s15s14-12----14-12-------12----------|
---------14---------11-|--------------15-------15-14---15-14-12--|
-----------------------|-----------------------------------------|
-----------------------|-----------------------------------------|
-----------------------|-----------------------------------------|
-----------------------|-----------------------------------------|

24's
-------12-----------|--------12-----------|---------12-----------|
-14-15----15-14-12--|--14-15----15-14-12--|---14-15----15-14-12--|
--------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
--------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
--------------------|---------------------|----------------------|
--------------------|---------------------|----------------------|

32's
--------12-14-15-14-12----|-14-12-------12-------------|
--14-15----------------15-|-------15-14----15-14-12-11-|
--------------------------|----------------------------|
--------------------------|----------------------------|
--------------------------|----------------------------|
--------------------------|----------------------------|

Phrase

--14b15b14-15-14-12----------|--14b15b14-15-14-12----------|
--------------------15-14-12-|--------------------15-14-12-|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
-----------------------------|-----------------------------|

-14b15b14s21~-18~-18-|
---------------------|
---------------------|
---------------------|
---------------------|
---------------------|

Phrase
-18-15-18-19-18-15-21-|-15-18-19-18-15-21-|-15-18-19-18-15-21-|
----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|

Variation of Pattern
-15-19-21-15-18-19-18-15-21-|-15-18-19-18-15-19-21-22b24b21-|
----------------------------|-------------------------------|
----------------------------|-------------------------------|
----------------------------|-------------------------------|
----------------------------|-------------------------------|
----------------------------|-------------------------------|

Diminished Pattern
-21-18----18-15----15-12----14b15b14-15-14-12----14-12-------12-------|
-------20-------17-------14-------------------15-------15-14----15b17-|
----------------------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------------------------------------------------|

B Harmonic Minor Ascending
-------------------------------------12-14-|
----------------------------12-14-15-------|
----------------------12-15----------------|
-------------12-14-16----------------------|
-14-13-14-16-------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|

B Harmonic Minor Descending
-15-14-12----------------------------------|
----------15-14-12-------------------------|
-------------------15-12-------------------|
-------------------------16-14-12----------|
----------------------------------16-14-13-|
-------------------------------------------|

Am
--------------------12-17-17-16-17~|-19-17-15----------17-15-13----------|
-----------------13----------------|----------18-17-15----------17-15-13-|
-------------14--------------------|-------------------------------------|
----------14-----------------------|-------------------------------------|
-12-12-15--------------------------|-------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------|

15-13~12~---------13~|
---------15-13-12~---|
---------------------|
---------------------|
---------------------|
---------------------|

A Harmonic Minor w/ F Pedal Tone Eb Dim Pattern D Dim Pattern
--12-13-10-13-8-13----13----13------|-11-8---------8-|-10-7--------7-10-|
-------------------12----10----9s10-|------10---10---|------9----9------|
------------------------------------|---------11-----|--------10--------|
------------------------------------|----------------|------------------|
------------------------------------|----------------|------------------|
------------------------------------|----------------|------------------|

Phrase
-17-15-13-17-15-13----------15-13-12----------3-12-10-13-12-10----------|
-------------------17-15-13----------15-13-12------------------13-12-10-|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Lick
-10-8-7-5-8-7-5---7-5-----5-----5----------5----------------------------|
----------------8-----8-6---8-6---8-6-5--8---8-6-5-6--------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------7b9b7-5b7~-5b7tr~--|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Am Phrase Ascending
-----------------------------------------------------10-12-10----------12~-|
--------------------------------------------10-12-13----------13-12-10-----|
---------7----------------9---------9-10-12--------------------------------|
-7-9-7-9---10-9-7-9-10-12---9-10-12----------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Diminished Pattern

-17-14----------14-17-14-17-14----------14-17-14-|
-------16----16----------------16----16----------|
----------17----------------------17-------------|
-------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|

Diminished Pattern (cont.)
-16-13----------13-16-13-16-13----------13-16-13|
-------15----15----------------15----15---------|
----------16----------------------16------------|
------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------|

Diminished Pattern (cont.)
-14-11----------11-14-11-14-11----------11-14-11-|
-------13----13----------------13----13----------|
----------14----------------------14-------------|
-------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|

Diminished Pattern (cont.)
-13-10----------10-13-10-13-12~-|
-------12----12-----------------|
----------13--------------------|
--------------------------------|
--------------------------------|
--------------------------------|

A Harmonic Minor Riff
----------10-12-13-12-10----------------|------------------------------|
-10-12-13----------------13-12-10-------|-10-9-10-9-10-9---------------|
----------------------------------12-10-|----------------10-9-------9~-|
----------------------------------------|----------------------12-10---|
----------------------------------------|------------------------------|
----------------------------------------|------------------------------|

Do the MAIN RIFF 2x finish

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Early Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Malmsteen was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck in Stockholm, Sweden, as the third child of a musically-inclined family. At age seven, he saw a television news report on the death of Jimi Hendrix, an event which had a profound impact on his musical path. Malmsteen has later stated that Hendrix had no musical impact on him, but on September 18, 1970 he saw a TV special of Hendrix, where he smashed and burned his guitar, and Malmsteen thought: "this is really cool". To quote his official website, "The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born". At the age of 10 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsten as his surname, slightly changed it to Malmsteen, and Anglicised his third given name Yngve to "Yngwie". Yngwie also created his first band "Track On Earth" at the age of 10, consisting of himself and a friend from school on drums (Armin). Malmsteen was a teenager when he first encountered the music of the 19th century violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical music influence. Ritchie Blackmore and Uli Jon Roth are also cited as being significant influences, as is Brian May of Queen. He played featuring Denim And Leather song with Saxon during The Eagle Has Landed part II tour.

 

Recording Career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1980s

In late 1982, Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records, who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen's playing, brought Malmsteen to the U.S. He had brief engagements with Steeler, for their self-titled album of 1983, then Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz, for their 1983 debut No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll, and the 1984 live album Live Sentence. Malmsteen released his first solo album Rising Force in 1984, which featured Barrie Barlow of Jethro Tull on drums. His album was really meant to be an instrumental side-project of Alcatrazz, but it contained vocals, and Malmsteen left Alcatrazz soon after the release of Rising Force.

Rising Force won the Guitar Player Magazine's award for Best Rock Album and was also nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Rock Instrumental', achieving #60 on the Billboard album chart. Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force (as his band was thereafter known) next released Marching Out (1985). Jeff Scott Soto filled vocal duties on these initial albums. His third album, Trilogy, featuring the vocals of Mark Boals, was released in 1986. In 1987, another singer, former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner joined his band. That year, Malmsteen was in a serious car accident, smashing his Jaguar E-Type into a tree and putting him in a coma for a week. Nerve damage to his right hand was reported. During his time in the hospital, Malmsteen's mother died from cancer. In the summer of 1988 he released his fourth album, Odyssey. Odyssey would be his biggest hit album, mainly because of its first single "Heaven Tonight". Shows in Russia during the Odyssey tour were recorded, and released in 1989 as his fifth album Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad.

Malmsteen's "Neo-classical" style of metal became popular among some guitarists during the mid 1980s, with contemporaries such as Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore becoming prominent. In late 1988, Malmsteen's signature Fender Stratocaster guitar was released, making him and Eric Clapton the first artists to be honored by Fender.

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1990s

In the early 1990s, Malmsteen released the albums Eclipse (1990), The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection (1991), Fire and Ice (1992) and The Seventh Sign (1994). Despite his early success, and continuous success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s 1980s heavy metal styles such as neoclassical metal and lengthy, virtuoso shred guitar solos had become unfashionable in the US.

In 1993, Malmsteen's future mother-in-law, opposed to his engagement to her daughter, had him falsely arrested for holding the woman hostage with a gun. The charges were quickly dropped. Malmsteen continued to record and release albums under the Japanese record label Pony Canyon, and maintained a devoted following from some fans in Europe and Japan, and to a lesser extent in the USA. In 2000, he once again acquired a contract with a US record label, Spitfire, and released his 1990s catalog into the US market for the first time, including what he regards as his masterpiece,Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague.

In the mid 1990's Malmsteen went on to release the albums Magnum Opus (1995), Inspiration (1996) Facing the Animal (1997), Double LIVE! (1998) and Alchemy (1999). In 1996, Malmsteen joined forces with former band members Jeff Scott Soto and Marcel Jacob on the Human Clay album where he played lead guitar on the track Jealousy

2000s

Yngwie Malmsteen in Barcelona

After the release of War to End All Wars in 2000, singer Mark Boals left the band. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Doogie White, whose vocals were well received by fans. In 2003, Malmsteen joined Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as part of the G3 supergroup. Malmsteen made two guest appearances on keyboardist Derek Sherinian's albums Black Utopia (2003), and Blood of the Snake (2006) where Malmsteen is heard on the same tracks as Al Di Meola and Zakk Wylde. In 2004, Malmsteen made two cameo appearances on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.In 2005 Unleash the Fury was released through Spitfire Records. The name of the album stems from an incident that occurred aboard an airplane in 1988. After pulling a prank aboard the plane on a flight to Japan, one of Malmsteem’s drunken band members was splashed with cold water by a stewardess. Malmsteem immediately lost his composure and while it is unknown exactly what he said to the stewardess, rumors have surfaced that he yelled “You have unleashed the fucking fury.” Malmsteem says that the name of the album refers to both the energy of the album and the incident ^[10] The release of Unleash the Fury was followed by a DVD release of Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra In E Flat Minor, Op. 1 -- With The New Japan Philharmonic Live. The DVD chronicles Malmsteen’s first time playing in front of a live audience with an orchestra, an experience that he describes as “fun but also extremely scary”. In 2007, Malmsteen was honored in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II. Players can receive the "Yngwie Malmsteen" award by hitting 1000 or more notes in succession. February 2008 saw the replacement of singer Doogie White with former Iced Earth and Judas Priest and current Beyond Fear singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, with whom Malmsteen had once recorded a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's song "Mr. Crowley", for the 2000 Osbourne tribute album Bat Head Soup: A Tribute to Ozzy. The first Malmsteen album to feature Owens is titled Perpetual Flame and was released on October 14. On November 25, 2008, Malmsteen had three of his songs ("Caprici Di Diablo", "Damnation Game", and "Red Devil") released as downloadable content for the video games Rock Band and Rock Band 2. In 2008 Malmsteen was a special guest on the VH1 Classic show "That Metal Show". In the 10th of March 2009, Malmsteen's label Rising Force has launched his new release Angels of Love, an instrumental album which features acoustic arrangements of some of his best-known ballads.In August 2009, Time magazine named Malmsteen #9 on its list of the 10 best electric guitar players of all-time. Malmsteen recently released another album compilation entitled High Impact on December 8, 2009.

2010s

On November 23, 2010 Relentless was released, the second album to feature Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals. The US version features a remake of "Arpeggios From Hell" as a bonus track. Yngwie appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon along with Dana Carvey on February 3, 2011 to promote his album. On August 6, 2011 Yngwie again made another appearance in the United States, playing a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.

 

Personal Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

He is married to April (Ebru Solmaz, born in Istanbul, Turkey) and has a son named Antonio after Antonio Vivaldi, and they live in Miami, Florida. A noted Ferrari enthusiast, Malmsteen owned a black 1985 308 GTS for 18 years before selling it on eBay, and a red 1962 250 GTO. In a 2005 issue of Guitar Player magazine, Yngwie discussed his often-ridiculed behavior, saying that “"I've probably made more mistakes than anybody. But I don't dwell on them. I don't expect people to understand me, because I'm pretty complex, and I think outside the box with everything I do. I've always taken the un-traveled path. Obviously, people have their opinions, but I can't get too wrapped up in that, because I know what I can do, and I know what kind of person I am. And I have no control over what anybody says about me. Back in Sweden, I'm 'Mr. Personality' in the tabloids. But, obviously, I can't take that seriously. I know in my heart that if I do the absolute best I can do, maybe ten years from now, people may turn around and say, 'He wasn't that bad.'"

 

Musical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Malmsteen has been a longtime user of Fender Stratocasters. His most famous Stratocaster is his 1972 blonde Strat, nicknamed "The Duck" because of its yellow finish and the Donald Duck stickers on the body. An alternative nickname for this guitar is "Play Loud" due to a sticker on the upper horn of the guitar. Fender made 100 replica copies of this guitar and marketed it as the "Play Loud Guitar". He also has a signature Stratocaster. It comes in a Vintage White finish with a maple neck, either a maple or rosewood fretboard with scalloped frets and, from 2010, Seymour Duncan STK-S10 YJM "Fury" Model pickups. There is also a signature YJM100 Marshall amplifier, based on the '1959' amplifier range.

Yngwie has stated that he prefers Stratocasters from the period of 1968-1972; he claims that the bigger headstock on these generates more sustain. Yngwie customizes his guitars by fitting a brass nut, removing the middle string tree and scalloping the fretboard. Yngwie previously disconnected the tone controls on his guitars but has said that he no longer does this.

Yngwie has previously used DiMarzio pickups - most notably the HS3 and the HS4 (Formerly known as the YJM). Yngwie would use an HS3 in the bridge and the HS4 in the middle and neck positions. He now uses his signature Seymour Duncan YJM Fury pickups which have been out for the past couple of years or so.

In his earlier recordings, Yngwie used an HS3 in the neck and bridge positions and a disconnected stock fender in the middle.

 

Band Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Yngwie Malmsteen band members.

Current Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• 
  
  Tim "Ripper" Owens—vocals (2008–present)
  
  
• 
  
  Bjorn Englen—bass (2008–present)
  
  
• 
  
  Patrick Johansson—drums, percussion (2001–present)
  
  
• 
  
  Nick Marino—keyboards (2005–2006, 2010–present)

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Yngwie Malmsteen is quite a hot guitarist, and with his years of playing professionally with the likes of Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Eric Clapton, Paul Gilbert, and many others, he is known as one of the best Heavy Metal guitarists to have every played.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.  During this Christmas week, I hope that you are experiencing peace and joy, and, of course, musical inspiration.

Until next time ~

Musician By Night . . .

Modifications to My Fender Strat:

I’m sorry I have been very busy at work these past few days and it hasn’t left me much time to dedicate to my blog.  Therefore, I had to take a few days off and regroup for myself, but now I’m back and I hope without any disruptions for a while.

Well, if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that recently I purchased my first Fender Stratocaster, and basically I love it.  However, it has become quite obvious to me already, since I’ve been playing it non-stop from the day I got it in my hands, that it has some irritating features that I didn’t notice because I loved the way the guitar played and felt in my hands.  It has a very sweet neck that plays very quick and that sold me on the guitar.

     

However, with that being said, when I hooked my Strat up and played it through my effects boards (POD xt LIVE and my Pedaltrain with several individual effects pedals) it created an inordinate amount of hum in the 1st, 3rd and 5th position of the 5 position pick-up switch.  When the switch was on position 2 or 4, the hum was nearly imperceptible.  I then hooked up my Gibson Les Paul and as I remembered, there was no hum whatsoever.  So, that’s what started me on my hunt for new pick-ups for my Strat.  

The following are the various models that Fender offers but after conversations with guitarists that I know and sales reps at Sweetwater, Musicians Friend and the Guitar Center, I’ve decided to go with the “Fender Hot Noiseless Strat Pickups”.  I’ve talked with my contact at Musicians Friend and they’ve given me the best deal on that set of pickups, so I’ll be purchasing them shortly.

 

Fender Hot Noiseless Strat Pickups  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Designed Exclusively for Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck wanted a bigger sound and better tonal dynamics than a standard single-coil pickup could deliver, and he got exactly what he was after in the new hotter Noiseless design. Warm and punchy neck pickup tone with a bluesy feel, and a bridge pickup that screams at high gain. The clean tone is clear and very full. These pickups deliver the best definition and sensitivity that has ever graced the Strat.

Features:

• Designed for Jeff Beck
• No 60-cycle hum
• Hot, edgy single-coil sound

Fender Vintage "Noiseless" Stratocaster Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . 

Fender Custom '54 Stratocaster Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

Fender Texas Special Stratocaster Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . .   

Fender Custom Shop '69 Strat Pickups . . . . . . . . . . .  

Fender Fat 50’s Strat Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Fender Stratocaster Lace Sensor Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

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The next modification that I plan to move forward with is the addition of the Vintage 62’ Reissue Fender Tremolo Bridge Set per the photo below.  I’m not an experienced whammy bar user but the only way to get there is to go there and going there with the proper equipment is the way to go.

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I also plan to add the Fender Schaller Locking Tuners because I’ve noticed that this guitar does require tuning more often than my Gibson Les Paul or my Gibson B.B. King “Lucille”.  Therefore, it must be in the tuners so making this change should eliminate that problem for me.

Brushed-finish Fender Schaller Locking Tuners provide solid tuning stability by clamping the cut end of the string with a hand-tightened lock screw. There's no play in the string and you tune normally. A great way around locking nut systems that don't allow tuning on the fly. Highest quality manufacture, Schaller Locking Tuners are the same tuners used on Fender American Deluxe Series guitars.

Features:

• Brushed Finish
• Super High Quality
• Great Tuning Stability
• Tune on the Fly
• Same as on Fender’s American Deluxe Series

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The last modification will be adding the Fender Strap Locks and Buttons Set:

I’ve used many of the other brands in the past and they all seem to do the job well as long as you install them properly.  I know I hate to use a larger screw with the new strap lock set, no matter which brand is used.  However, if you’re able to match the screw size with your new strap lock set, it’ll make it much easier to install and cause you less stress by not enlarging those screw holes.

Well for the most part, these are the most popular modifications that are done to the Fender Stratocaster guitars.  Of course companies such as DiMarzio, Seymour-Duncan and others manufacture pickups that are made specifically for the Fender Strat and those that are designed to eliminate the hum that I talked about earlier.  They also have humbucker style pickups that fit in the cutout of the standard single coil pickup design where they stack the coils in lieu of lying them side-by-side which creates a standard humbucker style pickup design.

I can’t wait to order the pickups so I can begin the modification process to my Strat.  She’ll be one hell of a axe when I’m through with her.  Time to end this post and start practicing for the night.  I’ve got a lot of catching up to do because of the past few days of work overload.  Have a great evening and don’t forget to give your kids a hug.  Until next time.

Bob

 

A little face-lift never hurts;

Often I’ll take an afternoon like today, after doing some yard work, and go through all of my guitars and clean, tune, tweak and even perform a little face-lift on some if I’m in the mood.  Today I decided to do a little face-lift on my Hamer Sunburst Quiltop guitar to give it a little class.   (let me know what you think . . . . )

                 

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The guitar plays like a dream now since my buddy, Nik Kosmas worked on it.  I think you’ll remember me talking about Nik before; he runs the GC Garage in Glen Burnie, MD inside the Guitar Center.  Before Nik got his hands on my Hamer, it was constantly going out of tune and the lower frets would buzz on almost every string.

Next I plan to switch-out the pickups with some hotter models.  I’m doing some reading up on what’s available.  I am most familiar with the DiMarzio after-market pick-ups.  I used them {many} years ago in my Gibson Les Paul and they rocked the house.  Now, I know that they have had to improved upon their models since then and the same goes for Seymour-Duncan and custom (hand-wound) WCR Guitar Pickups out of Soulsbyville, CA. 

     

      

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When I make my final decision on which pickups to use, I’ll let you all know.  I would welcome your input.  The same goes for the pickups on my Fender Stratocaster.  I’m a novice when it comes to single coil pickups, so please share your opinions with me.  I certainly could use the input.

Well, another weekend has come to an end.  We head back to our lives in the morning and back to work.  Again, looking forward to next weekend when we can spend the little extra time with our loved ones and of course, that includes our axe. Ha Ha !!  Remember to give your kids a big hug.  Until next time !

Bob

GC GARAGE with Nik Kosmas:

 

GC or Guitar Center Garage – What’s that?

No matter who you are, it’s safe to say every Musician can appreciate having their instrument setup to exact manufacturer’s specifications.  I know that I am one of those Musicians who must have all of his instruments polished and setup to these exacting standards before being placed in their matching cases until being pulled out to be played.

Well, this is now possible by using the NEW GC Garage featuring professionally Certified Technicians that are capable of transforming my guitar into the instrument of my dreams –- and always at the Guitar Center’s Lowest Price!  One of my good friends, Nik Kosmas, is a Certified Technician and Audio Engineer who spent 6 years in the US Air Force as an aircraft electrician. Whether it’s a simple restring or an entire guitar setup; ask Nik, he’s the top rated guitar technician in the Metro DC area.

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    Nik does a fabulous job when handling the guitars even if he is just doing a standard restring of a 6-string electric or acoustic model;  he goes over the top and cleans/polishes the instrument so his customer is satisfied and wants to come back to him with another instrument, or pass the word along to their friends.

Word of mouth marketing in todays business world is by far the best you can get.  People are sick and tired of the marketing gimmicks' that the big outfits push on us to sell their products and services.  Nik is a throw back to the old days when service providers distinguished themselves by offering the best possible customer service.

I often stop in to see him during lunch and there are people lined up in front of his work bench waiting to speak to him or bring him an instrument to repair.  He is a very likeable individual, which makes him even better at his job.  I have purchased five (5) new, used guitars this year and each one of them has been setup by Nik.  He has transformed them all into well playing instruments that are very impressive if I do say so myself.  After having him do all my newest purchases, I brought him all of my guitars from my collection, one-by-one to have him check each and every one of them.  Now they are all perfect and they play very hot !

 

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Nik also has a rock band called “PLAYGROUND ETIQUETTE” where he plays a mean bass.  If you are from the Metro DC area, they are gigging this Sunday evening, July 10th (8:15pm) at “THE WHISKEY” in downtown Annapolis.  My better half and I will be there to see their performance and cheer them on.  Their show consists of original tunes so we are really looking forward to a high energy show out of his band.  I’ll do my best to get some photos and do a follow-up post to this one with plenty of shots of the band, as long as the establishment allows it.  Wish me luck !!

         

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The next time your guitar needs its neck adjusted or you’d like to put a NEW pair of DiMarzio Tone Zone, DP155 pickups on your Gibson Les Paul Studio,  give Nik a call at (410) 636-6595 or send him an Email at nik.kosmas@guitarcenter.com .

 

I’ll be back at it tomorrow with a post about my amplifiers, effects pedals and keyboards that I currently have in my Home Recording Studio.  I am looking for some input on which way to go; recording software or TASCAM 2488neo 24-track hard disk workstation / mixing board to complete my studio.  If you have some thoughts on the subject, I would love to hear them!

I’ll be back again soon; have a great evening !

Bob