Table of contents for October 2024 in Total Guitar

“Your individuality is the best thing you’ve got.” So says this month’s cover star Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison), who, as the quintessential voice of Gen Z, has built a loyal following, a community known as the Yungblud Army, that prides itself on accepting individuals of every kind, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. You might say this spirit of openness extends to his first signature guitar, the new Epiphone SG Jr he’s sporting in our cover photo (and which you’ll find reviewed on p82) which is a replica of his own ’64 Gibson. For Yungblud, the guitar had to be affordable – it’s a hair over £500. It had to be accessible to all – and he’s been giving them away at live shows! Dominic is an interesting…

Just where should the uninitiated start with a band like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, who since forming in 2010 have already spawned 26 studio albums, and whose omnivorous stylistic appetites have led them by the nose through garage rock, psych-rock, synth-driven krautrock, microtonal avant-gardism, heavy metal and prog? This is the band with the creative audacity to conceive of a seven-suite concept album tied to Greek scalar modalities, and went into the studio to record it with little more than that idea in that Lizard Wizard brain of theirs and the determination to jam it out and make it happen. Well, there’s always a strong case for starting at the beginning. But if you were to pick up their latest, Flight b741, you’d be all right, too, because…

Yungblud is momentarily lost for words. It doesn’t happen often. The punk rock superstar is known for speaking up about everything that excites or motivates him. But when he joins a Zoom call with TG, he is at the Gibson Garage in Nashville, holding his first-ever signature model, the Epiphone Yungblud SG Junior in Classic White, and at first, all he can bring himself to say is: “Just, wow…” Seated on a turquoise sofa, and wearing leather-look dungarees, he shakes his head and takes a long pause for thought before finally saying with a smile: “It’s so cool, man. This day in particular, releasing it officially from the Gibson Garage, has been wild. Honestly, it’s been mental. When you’re a kid, you always dream of having a signature guitar made…

What is tab? Tab is short for tablature, a notational system used to give detailed information as to where notes should be played on the fretboard. Tab appears underneath conventional music notation as six horizontal lines that represent the strings of the guitar, from the sixth (thick) string at the bottom to the first (thin) string at the top. On these lines, numbers represent which frets you place your fingers. For example, an A note on the 2nd fret, third string, will be shown as a number ‘2’ on the third line down on the tab. Unfretted strings are shown with a ‘0’. The key and time signatures are shown in the notation. TG also includes a timestamp to tell you where in the original track you’ll find each example…

As discussed in this month’s exclusive interview with Yungblud, his new Epiphone SG Junior signature is based on the 1964 Gibson original he’s taken with him across the globe, and was created to give younger players access to classic looks and sounds. It’s the kind of double-cut that makes a statement before you’ve even had the chance to strum a chord thanks to its single Dogear P-90 Pro bridge pickup, cream oval tuners and wraparound bridge. The only other signature SG currently in production by Epiphone is the Tony Iommi model, which retails for nearly twice as much, so this latest addition to the range is definitely well priced for beginners working with smaller budgets. It should come as no surprise Yungblud’s weapon of war is purpose-built for powerchords that…

Squier’s Limited Edition Classic Vibe models came out with a bit of a whisper this year. That’s a shame, because the drop included one of the nicest-looking Telecasters of recent memory – this Sherwood Green example, which arrives with a colour-matched headstock, tortoiseshell pickguard, and an Andy Summers-style SH configuration. It’s easy to get in a hot flush over an aesthetically pleasing guitar only to be disappointed by its performance, but straight out of the gates, it’s clear we have an impressive player on our hands. There are no surprises in the components. There’s a poplar (rather than alder) body, maple neck and 9.5”-radius Indian laurel fingerboard – but they’ve been put together nicely, and that tinted urethane-finished C-shape neck is dreamy (and, dare we say, even reminds us of…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Getting to jam with Tony Iommi would be a mind-blowing experience at any age, let alone at 13, but that was Alfie Glass’ introduction into the world of rock ’n’ roll. With an Epiphone ES-339 in hand, he was a standout on Sky Arts’ Guitar Star, which saw him championed by the godfather of heavy metal and record at Abbey Road. “It was nuts,” he reflects. Yet he isn’t the type to revel in the moment. “It made me realise that I needed a band, and that being a flashy guitar player isn’t everything. People are more interested in a show and you don’t need to be the best guitar player in the world to do that.” Torus, his resultant band, channels his love for Kyuss and…

“JIMI COULD JUST STRETCH OUT, JAM WITH MUSICIANS THAT INSPIRED HIM”- JEFF SLATE The Generation blues club in Greenwich Village, New York, was a favourite hangout of Jimi Hendrix, a place where he could enjoy the music he loved and jam with musicians he respected. He liked it so much he bought the property in November 1968, with the idea of installing some recording equipment to capture live recordings by himself and others. He was soon persuaded by his producer, Eddie Kramer, to turn the space into a fully fledged recording facility, and the concept of Electric Lady Studios was born. Work started on converting the space into a recording studio in January 1969, but due to unforeseen setbacks and logistical complications, Hendrix wouldn’t start recording there until June 1970.…

Look up any footage of Yungblud playing live on YouTube and there’s a strong chance you will see Adam Warrington on stage right. The Scottish-born 28-year-old guitarist has been on almost every tour with the band, including landmark performances at the Reading And Leeds Festivals, various awards ceremony events and television appearances, including The Graham Norton Show. You’ll also spot his face in a lot of the music videos and see his name credited on a handful of tracks from the last two studio albums. Back in November 2020, Yungblud decided to introduce Warrington to fans on his BBC Sounds podcast “because of how important he is in my life and in my career,” going on to describe him as a guitar player who always makes people turn their heads…

The opening track on Black Sabbath’s iconic second album Paranoid, War Pigs is chocked full of Tony Iommi’s masterful riffing. The song has an unusual structure, kicking off with a slow, spacey intro in 6/8 time before breaking down for a sparse-sounding verse and then eventually reaching its chorus riff. We’ve tabbed the song in full here, but be aware that the solos are a composite of double-tracked parts which, in the main, are in unison, but elsewhere deviate briefly away from each other. Based mainly in common minor pentatonic shapes, there’s certainly room for experimentation if you want to try jamming your own ideas. SOUND ADVICE Everything you need to know before playing War Pigs Iommi played a Gibson SG through a Laney 100BL amp on War Pigs, so…

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…

70 years ago, Gibson’s Les Paul Junior set the bar for single-pickup guitars: packing a lone P-90, yet somehow managing to wring seven decades of stellar, tonal versatility out of the most basic of formats. More recently, this month’s cover star, Yungblud is pushing a one-and-done ethos with his signature Epiphone SG, and we’ve seen the single-pickup idea pointed in a different direction from the likes of Manson, EVH and others. Similarly far from the dusty, vintage fuzz of garage-rock sits LTD, the affordable arm of ESP traditionally (although not exclusively) tailored towards the heavier end of the spectrum. Earlier this year, LTD released a pair of flat-topped single-pickup Eclipse models (the EC-01FT and more affordable EC-201FT here) that puts its spin on the format, promising instruments “for players seeking…

REVIEW Okay, you’ve got a pretty good pedalboard setup but there may be one or two types of effect missing, perhaps things that you don’t want to spend good money on as you wouldn’t use them too often. So, how do you go about expanding your pedalboard to cover all your options? The answer to that may be to add an HX One, a relatively compact, chameleon-like pedal that offers a massive array of Line 6’s Helix-powered effects, albeit one at a time. The pedal contains over 250 different effect algorithms, derived from the Helix family and previous Line 6 units, that you can use to fill the 128 preset slots which are easily accessed by foot-switching or knob-twiddling. Just about any effect is here; there’s plenty of fuzz/drive/distortion boxes,…

ALBUM “I’M GETTING CLEANER WITH MY TONES” HOW RICHIE KOTZEN IS STILL GROWING AS A “MORE EXPRESSIVE” PLAYER F rom Shrapnel shredder and fusion master to soul singer and acoustic balladeer, Richie Kotzen is undoubtedly one of the most multifaceted guitar talents on earth. On latest album Nomad, he’s embracing the cleanest tones of his career to date... One of the new songs, Cheap Shots, has a rootsy vibe that comes from the Keith Richards school of guitar, and you once opened for The Rolling Stones… I half-jokingly asked my old agent to get me an opening slot for the Stones and I ended up doing a whole Japanese tour. It was surreal! On Cheap Shots, I’m definitely leaning in on that influence. Keith would often tune his fifth string…

Sam Fender’s second album, Seventeen Going Under, was not only a huge success critically and commercially, it also spawned several single releases. Getting Started is the sixth of these and highlights Sam Fender’s American AOR influences, featuring a driving Springsteen-style groove underpinning the Tom Pettyesque ‘wall of sound’ guitar riffs. Sam plays the main riffs with a capo on the 9th fret, enabling him to play open chords higher up the neck and create his trademark jangle. There’s also an acoustic rhythm part running throughout the track, most likely played in C# standard tuning (C# F# B E G# C#). We’ve provided shapes in E standard with a capo on the 4th fret to save you the hassle of retuning. The rhythm parts use slightly different chords, for example Eadd9…

There’s a lot to like about Chapman’s Law Maker Legacy Baritone. The alder body, flame maple top and rosewood neck go well together to create a highly responsive instrument, with the balance of snap and warmth resulting in a remarkable amount of articulation. It also feels reliable and robust, holding its tuning no matter how adventurous you get with your picking and bends. Much like the tonewoods, the Seymour Duncan pickups are a perfect match: the ceramic bar Little ’59 is a mini-sized humbucker that’s usually found in the bridge, but works well here in the neck, while the Alternative 8 is a high output trembucker that uses an Alnico 8 magnet for extra warmth. The five-way blade switch is the trick to unlocking all the options here and, while…