Table of contents for Summer 2024 in Total Guitar

The acoustic guitar is the ultimate instrument. Stripped back from the bells and whistles (or amps and effects!) that are part and parcel of electric guitar, the humble acoustic represents our instrument in its purest form. If you’re writing songs, it’s a great place to start. If you’re concerned about your technique, a steel-string is revealing of inaccuracies. And, most of all, I think the acoustic has to be the best guitar to play with friends – it’s always an acoustic that gets picked up at festival campsites or house parties. Bearing all this in mind, this month we’re on a mission to help you play better and get more from your acoustic. First up we have a lesson on altered tunings. These basics can be applied to electric guitar,…

Simon McBride is living the dream. “When I was growing up,” he says, “there were three giants – Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. If you’d said to a 13-year-old version of me that one day I’d be in Deep Purple, I’d have laughed.” But 30 years later, that’s exactly where the Irish guitarist has ended up. “I’m honoured and privileged,” he smiles, “because every guitarist under the sun has a dream goal to be in a legendary rock band, and here I am doing it. I’m loving every minute of it. And to have my name attached to such a legacy is amazing.” For sure, Simon had big shoes to fill when he joined Purple in 2022. He was replacing Steve Morse, an iconic shredder and Purple’s longest-tenured…

With strong songs, engaging storytelling and phenomenal technique, Molly Tuttle has established herself as bluegrass’s premier young talent. Her last two albums – 2022’s Crooked Tree and 2023’s City Of Gold - both won Grammys and she has twice been Bluegrass Guitarist of the Year, the first woman to win the title. Tell us about the EP you have coming later this year… It’s called Into The Wild. I’ve been working on writing a whole new batch of songs, but Into The Wild felt more like a continuation of the last record. It has two new original songs on it with my bandmates in Golden Highway. There’s also a stripped down version of Stranger Things, a reworked song from our last record, City Of Gold. Then we have a new…

CLASSIC TRACK Stevie Ray Vaughan played the killer riff in Pride And Joy that kicks in with the bass and drums in the intro with a ‘circular’ strumming motion. This means he played his downstrokes slightly closer to the neck while his upstrokes were nearer the bridge. By subtly changing the position of each pick stroke he’d generate a cutting tone for the string mutes and a warmer sound for the regular notes. More importantly, he’d create a longer rake across the strings on the mutes. Despite his often-aggressive sound, Stevie had a fluent and relaxed picking style. The circular strumming motion allowed Stevie’s riff in Pride And Joy to groove, so don’t overdo the movement – it should look like you’re tracing a small circle across the strings. The…

AARON RASH: THE IN UTERO SESSIONS IR PACK 1 YouTuber Aaron Rash has spent the last couple of years on a mission – aided by the late Steve Albini – to recreate Kurt Cobain’s guitar tone from 1993’s In Utero. Now, you can reap the rewards of his research with the In Utero IR Pack, which delivers the elusive Fender Quad Reverb speaker cab, captured with the same signal chain used on the In Utero sessions. $49 aaronrash.com ERNIE BALL SURF SERIES POLYPRO STRAPS 2 A glance outside your window might not confirm it, but Summer is upon us! Ernie Ball is here with a reminder courtesy of its Surf Series PolyPro straps. Each one is made of stretch-proof, two-inch-wide polypropylene webbing with machined-leather end tabs. They extend from 41-72”,…

To call the Line 6 Catalyst CX 60 a guitar amp feels insufficient, a bit like referring to the latest iPhone as just a plain old telephone. Sure, Line 6 has done its best to make this Catalyst series combo look and feel like a regular amp; the chickenhead dials on the control panel, the familiar three-band EQ, presence, a master volume, buttons for changing between two channels. It is a good looking amp, tidily assembled. But this is very much a 2024 amplifier, digital, lightweight, packing a dozen amp voicings and 24 effects from Line 6’s industry-standard Helix modelling tech, a single 12” 60-watt driver in an open-back cabinet, and functionality out of the wazoo. Each of the amps has its own boost. There’s a noise gate, onboard tuner,…

Taylor’s GS Mini is one of few guitars that can stake a claim as a modern classic. As of its 10th anniversary in 2020, it had sold over 350,000 units and has undoubtedly added significantly to that tally since then. With Taylor celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, it was a no-brainer that the GS Mini would get the gold treatment. The GS Mini came about as an evolution of the Baby Taylor, which proved popular with guitar players thanks to its small size. Bob Taylor recognized the need for small but full-sounding acoustics, so Taylor opted to shrink down their ultra-popular Grand Symphony format, whilst aiming to retain its tonality. The size and scale length were made smaller, but the body depth stayed similar, and Taylor’s neck design and…

There can be no doubt that Deep Purple’s most significant influence came in the early ’70s with founding six-string slinger Ritchie Blackmore at the helm of the band’s mkII line-up. Classic albums Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head were massively significant in the development of rock. Here, we look at the band’s two most long-standing players, Blackmore and Steve Morse, before we move on to Simon McBride who’s been with the band since 2022. For the sake of space, we’re omitting that other great who played briefly with the band in 1975-76, Tommy Bolin. His was an example of a bright flame burning quickly – and perhaps we’ll look at a broader lesson on his style in future. For now, let’s get plugged in and look at three…

There’s no denying that when it comes to acoustic guitar, Tommy Emmanuel is a master. And yet, at its core, his approach is simple. “I never think about technology,” he says. “All I’m looking for is good sound. Just give me one great sound, and I’m off. That’s all I’m looking for.” Tommy has learned a thing or three after nearly 30 solo albums, tons of guest spots and more accolades than you can shake a stick at. He’s a virtuoso of the highest order, but the beautiful thing is that he’s never stopped learning. What’s more, he revels in teaching. “If you’re just picking up the guitar,” he says, “you better learn some chords, song structure, and as many songs as possible. You’ve got to learn how songs are…

DADGAD First up is the ever popular DADGAD tuning. It’s harmonically somewhat ‘ambiguous’ because it contains stable-sounding perfect 4ths (G), perfect 5ths (A) and the root note (D) – but no 3rds to make it major or minor. Strummed all at once, the open strings are a big, bold Dsus4 chord. It’s a de facto standard alternative to traditional E standard (EADGBE) tuning amongst fingerpickers and percussive players alike. FOUR-BAR DADGAD EXAMPLE bit.ly/tg387audio Our DADGAD example creates a part out of some of the chords we looked at. The fifth string is dampened when necessary by laying the second finger of the fretting hand lightly on top. Open D (D A D F# A D) Our next tuning is open D (aka D A D F# A D). As with…

For many, Runaways represented a comeback for The Killers back in 2012. Not because they’d been away especially long, but because the song saw the band veering away from the dancier territory of their previous album and back to the uplifting, Springsteen-esque songcraft that they’d built their fanbase on. And, with the band recently completing a string of UK dates, what better time to look at this staple track in their set. With a couple of barre chords and a slightly twisty D/F# shape being the only real challenges amongst the easier open and powerchords, it’s not too difficult to play, as such. However, the song structure is complex, with verse, bridge, pre-chorus, chorus and middle sections to learn, and, take note that verse 2 opens with different chords to…

Everyone from Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton to Wild ‘DADGAD’ Bill from your local open-mic night loves Martin guitars. For many, it is the ultimate acoustic guitar brand. It’s the tone, that squared-off headstock, the history. Not all can afford a D-45 from its storied Nazareth, PA, facility, but the entry-level X Series, built in its Navojoa, Mexico plant, gives more players a chance to buy in to the brand. Martin has “remastered” the X Series for 2024, ushering in a raft of changes to the spec. Fingerboards are thinner, with edges rolled, making them feel more premium. There’s a contoured bridge profile – similar to that of its SC models – to enhance picking-hand comfort. Necks, fretboards and bridges of the more expensive X2 models are “select hardwood” –…

Stylish, daring, and a little misunderstood, Gibson’s Firebird was the beacon of hope that would help the company rise from the ashes and give them a fighting chance against Fender’s newfangled offsets. Developed by car icon Ray Dietrich in 1963, this new model was a symphony of flowing lines and chrome, with a unique construction that set it apart from everything in the Gibson catalogue at the time. Fast forward to 2024, and the Firebird, dressed in its original ’63 get-up, is ready to take flight again, but this time under the ‘Inspired By Gibson Custom’ banner. This collaboration sees both iconic branches of Gibson working together, pouring their heart and soul into recreating the magic of the Firebird in all its vintage glory. From the sandwich of walnut and…

Whatever style of guitar you most want to play, it’s worth dipping a toe into as many genres as you can. Most genres have a handful of defining signature sounds. By getting those signatures under your fingers, you can seem like an acoustic Jedi, capable of anything. Or you can transport those sounds back into your usual genre to create new ideas. Don’t be intimidated by styles that are unfamiliar to you. Everything on the guitar seems impossible the first time you try it and easy once you master it. Chords with long names are not necessarily harder, and fingerstyle patterns are often less complex than they sound. To get the most out of this lesson, look for ways to adapt these ideas. You can use the fingerpicking patterns in…

Welcome to the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome*) Station! Every issue, TG scours the market for the hottest new gear and brings you transparent reviews that you can trust. From the smallest of accessories that make your life easier, to big investments, such as brand new guitars, amps and effects pedals – if it’s worth your attention, you’ll find it here! HOW WE TEST CURATION Our product selection is driven by our love of gear. We select the most exciting products on the market every month to bring you opinions you can trust. FACE-VALUE REVIEWS We’re not gear snobs here at Total Guitar. We judge it on whether it looks good, sounds good and plays well – not by the name on the headstock. NO SNAKE OIL You won’t find us…

The UK has always been home to some fabulous guitar makers, but in recent years we’ve seen the rise of a new breed that look to production-led, rather than more bespoke custom, designs. We recently caught up with Manson’s Junior models, for example: single pickup, lightweight and vibey, at £1,399. York-based maker PJD have a similarly small team that produces their new dual-pickup Standard range (£1,200, or with vibrato at £1,499) in a choice of four main body shapes. Now they’ve announced a direct order-only Apprentice level that centres on their best-selling St John offset outline (as reviewed) with the more LP-shaped Carey to follow later in the year. So what? Well, the new Apprentice will cost you just £899 including a good gigbag. We’re calling it ‘new’ because, a…