Fingerboard Stories

Dec 02, 2020

Want a New Guitar for Christmas? Find a Sacrificial Lamb

That’s because sacrificing the lamb isn’t just about getting rid of a guitar. It’s about making you look like you’ve turned over a new leaf; like you’re not the sort of person who hoards all things six string, someone who has a financial compass and isn’t prone to impulsive guitar splurging (or asking loved ones to do the splurging for them once the holidays roll around). If you really want to seal the deal, consider using a coaster or getting a haircut.

Nov 20, 2020

The Quotable AC/DC

“I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sound exactly the same, In fact, we've made 12 albums that sound exactly the same.”

“I honestly believe that you have to be able to play the guitar hard if you want to be able to get the whole spectrum of tones out of it. Since I normally play so hard, when I start picking a bit softer my tone changes completely, and that's really useful sometimes for creating a more laid-back feel.”

Nov 13, 2020

Things I Wish I Was Told… When I Started Learning Guitar

As a young guitarist, I completely rejected any notion that music theory would help me in my journey. At the time, I justified this as a “punk rock/music is freedom” attitude to playing. If I learned my theory, I told myself, I’m just putting myself in a box. “[Insert guitar hero of the week] didn’t need theory, and they were a genius. Why do I?”

Nov 06, 2020

The Insane Story of the Bogus Deep Purple (Part Two)

But, they could only pull the wool over peoples’ eyes for so long. When the group played their first gig at the Civic Center, Amarillo Texas on May 17th, 1980, punters weren’t fooled by the Bogus Deep Purple. As the tour went on, audiences were disgruntled, with some shows ending in riots. Watching the footage that exists of Bogus Deep Purple (taken from a Brazilian TV report about the band), it’s not hard to see why. Their meat and potatoes take on “Smoke on the Water” is more bar band than arena rock, while Rod Evans’ limited vocal range never soars to the heights of either Coverdale or Gillan.

Oct 30, 2020

The Insane Story of the “Bogus” Deep Purple: Part One

The management company Steve G worked for were fly-by-night, used car salesman types, determined to make a fast buck from the legions of rock n’ roll fans, ethics be damned. That year, they’d organized a “Steppenwolf” reunion tour. Steppenwolf was a hot ticket, but the problem was that their version of the band that featured no original members. After being sued by real Steppenwolf front man John Kay, the company decided to try another tactic and made plans to form a new version of Deep Purple. Unlike with their “Steppenwolf” facsimile, Steve G and co tried to build a new Purple lineup that featured actual past members of the group, albeit none from Purple’s most famous iterations.