Jackson X Soloist SLX guitars feature basswood body, through-body maple neck, and 24 jumbo frets. The Duncan designed alnico HB102N (neck) and high-output ceramic HB102B (bridge) humbucking pickups offer ultra-fast playability. The bound compound-radius rosewood fingerboard curves more dramatically at the nut for easy chording and flattens out as it approaches the neck joint.
This from Magic Fluke Cricket features wood neck and fingerboard mounted on a plastic body. Just launched this year, Cricket is a durable, versatile travel instrument for seasoned violinists, or a great starter instrument for beginners. Its three-way adjustable chin and shoulder rest has a unique design that allows comfortable playablity. “Because plastics can be engineered to have properties close to wood, acoustics can be very similar and in some cases enhanced,” says Dale Webb, Cricket designer and owner/founder of Magic Fluke.
No one likes to practice scales, but here are five ways to change up your routine, challenge yourself, and maybe even have some fun in the process.
The pBone plastic trombone has been making the rounds in high schools and colleges across the US. Backed by British trombone soloist, bandleader, and educator Jiggs Whigham, it’s available in a wide variety of school colors. These trombones make marching less a chore and more fun, and can inexpensively add new sounds to your next gig.
In our latest “How-To” Guide, Todd Hobin demonstrates how you can mic a drum kit for a recording studio. The more microphones you have the better. However, Todd gives a good trick on recording if you don’t have enough microphones.
For guitarists who are looking for new sounds, beyond the limits of their guitar’s six strings, effects pedals offer an endless range of possibilities. Studio engineers created the first guitar “effects” in the 1940s by manipulating reel-to-reel tapes. Later, bulky stand-alone effects units were used.
Make Music Day is the one day a year we celebrate the central role of music in our lives and our country through free, open and accessible events throughout the U.S. and the World.
Folk-pop-noir singer-songwriter and professional audio engineer, Ryan Hobler lives in a studio, mixing and recording on a daily basis. Drawing upon his 10 years of experience in both music production and audio post, here he offers his suggestions to avoid some common recording mistakes.
Celebrated in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Sweet Home Alabama,” Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is located in the Northwest corner of the state, on the Tennessee River. The area held by a Yuchi Indian tribe until the 1800s has long-established connections to music. The natives who were removed from the land and sent to Indian Territory of Oklahoma called the river the Singing River because they believed a woman who lived along the bank sang to them.
The Meinl Journey Djembe’s synthetic head and shell make them 20% lighter and easier to carry than wood models. Plus, they hold up against the elements, making them the perfect hand percussion for travel and outdoor gigs. Pitch is easy to adjust through a mechanical tuning system. They are available in brightly colored Kenyan Quilt (pictured) or Pharoah’s Script patterns.