Tag Archives: music lessons

Guitar Gear (with Blake Wyland of The Tone Mob) Ep049



What is your guitar-gear nirvana?  Is it a trip to your local guitar shop, a trip to NAMM, or perusing the internet for video demonstrations?  Maybe for your gear curiosities you should also be looking to podcasts, as there are a few that do a great job of exploring this ever-growing industry.  On episode 49 of Fret Buzz the Podcast, Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray bring in Blake Wyland, the host of the Tone Mob podcast and a co-host of the Chasing Tone podcast (alongside Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals).
Blake tells Aaron and Joe about his background and how he got into the inner workings of guitars, amps, pedals, etc.
The guys have an interesting discussion about how a new guitarist should get started finding the proper gear to achieve their desired tone(s).  Blake recommends starting with an amp simulator/amp-in-the-box to find the “base” amp sound(s) that you like.  There is a big difference between the sounds of amps made by Fender, Marshall, Vox, etc.  Blake then recommends getting a dirt pedal (overdrive or distortion) followed by a reverb pedal and a delay pedal.
This leads to talk about preferences for using a clean amp and getting your overdrive/distortion from pedals versus driving your amp (turning it up enough for it to naturally compress and overdrive) and using pedals to shape or refine that natural distortion.  This obviously leads the guys into the subject of hearing protection!
Blake talks about the music industry and how pedal builders tend to share a comradery and a mutual geekiness.
Blake tells the guys about his top episodes of the Tone Mob, including interviews with Robert Keeley, Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem, Joel Korte of Chase Bliss Audio, and Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitars.
Next, Blake tells Aaron and Joe about his pedalboard (which is always changing).  He talks about his go-to pedals including the Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive, the Emma Electronic PisdiYAUWot, the TomKat Green Muffer Fuzz, the Dr. Scientist Atmosphere, and the SolidGoldFX Electroman Delay.
Blake also talks about amps, from the Chris Benson (a local Portland builder) “Vincent” to the Sunn Beta “Lead” to the Fender “Deluxe Reverb” and “Vibrolux.”
The conversation turns to building your own pedals and the large amount of labor (soldering!) it takes to build pedals, which is why they cost so much.  There is talk of Gibson’s bankruptcy, low-end Gibson versus high-end Epiphone guitars, and profiling amps/amp modeling.  The episode ends with a dazzling tour of Blake’s studio, filled with many beautiful guitars and amps, and an obscene number of effects pedals!
Be sure to check out the Fret Buzz The Podcast YouTube channel to see the video.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq_-Theg14gom9gcgkmFk7g
Check out the Tone Mob at www.tonemob.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Building Acoustic Guitars 2 of 2 (with Marc Beneteau) Ep048



Marc Beneteau has been building custom acoustic guitars out of his workshop in Canada for 43 years.  He builds such high quality instruments that many modern virtuosic acoustic fingerstyle players (including Don Ross, Tony McManus, and Dustin Furlow – our Fret Buzz Episode 28 and 29 guest) choose to play Beneteau guitars.  If you play or simply appreciate acoustic guitars, you won’t want to miss this conversation between Marc and Fret Buzz co-hosts Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray.
The guys talk about the renaissance of acoustic guitar music, with players like Don Ross, Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee, and others pushing the limits of what can be done with acoustic guitars and inspiring new players.
Next is a discussion about humidity and how that affects acoustic guitars.  Marc educates the guys on the qualities of different types of wood and how guitars built from those different woods have unique sound qualities.  Softer woods like mahogany, koa, and walnut produce different tones than harder woods like rosewood.  But Marc says that the back and sides don’t do as much to the overall tone as the guitar’s top, which is often made with spruce or cedar.  And keep in mind that the body shape, string type, method of picking, and other factors all affect your tone too!  Another interesting topic of conversation is the regulations that Marc deals with in exporting guitars across national borders.  He has to register and cite all restricted woods that each guitar contains when he ships any guitars from Canada into the US or elsewhere.
Marc gives Joe and Aaron his take on factory-built (like Martin, Taylor, and Gibson) vs. custom guitars.  He talks about the “mojo” of a hand-built guitar and advises against buying factory-built guitars sight-unseen.  Next, Marc weighs the merits of old vintage guitars against new custom guitars in the same price bracket.  This leads to talk about the process of torrifying (a process of artificial aging) the tops of acoustic guitars.
Finally, Marc tells about CNC vs. hand-crafted guitars.  CNC is “Computer Numerical Control,” which is essentially referring to the use of automated computer-controlled cutting machines to cut/shape/sand the wood pieces for guitars.
Marc is incredibly informative and friendly as he shares many insights into acoustic guitars.  Drool over his guitars at http://www.beneteauguitars.com
Music provided by Don Ross: It’s Fun Being Lucky, and From France to India
https://donrossonline.com/

Building Acoustic Guitars 1 of 2 (with Marc Beneteau) Ep047



Marc Beneteau has been building custom acoustic guitars out of his workshop in Canada for 43 years.  He builds such high quality instruments that many modern virtuosic acoustic fingerstyle players (including Don Ross, Tony McManus, and Dustin Furlow – our Fret Buzz Episode 28 and 29 guest) choose to play Beneteau guitars.  If you play or simply appreciate acoustic guitars, you won’t want to miss this conversation between Marc and Fret Buzz co-hosts Aaron Sefchick and Joe McMurray.
Marc’s fascination with building guitars began in 1974 when he saw legendary John McLaughlin with a custom guitar in a magazine.  He tells the guys his story of becoming a custom guitar builder.
Marc discusses many details of acoustic guitars: internal bracing patterns, how different body shapes affect the overall sound quality, and custom options such as arm rests, rib rests, and sound ports, and fan frets.  He tells Joe and Aaron about when Don Ross asked him to build his first fan fret guitar a decade ago.  Marc explains the benefits that players gain from fan frets as well as the challenges that builders face in building guitars with them.  The guys talk about fret ends and bindings, harp guitars, baritone guitars, and even the idea of a microtonal guitar.
Marc is incredibly informative and friendly as he shares many insights into acoustic guitars.  Drool over his guitars at http://www.beneteauguitars.com/