We are really lucky to have as skilled a man as Nick Holcomb working tirelessly to keep our show room of vintage electric guitars performing at their optimum.   He also is happy to work on customer’s guitars and on top of it all is a fantastic builder! Check out this beautiful custom guitar Nick Holcomb recently finished:

From the mouth of the man himself:

“This is a guitar I built for my good friend Calea in exchange for my website. This guitar is made from hundreds of tiny pieces of maple. It has a 25.5 scale length, 24 Frets, Maple neck and fretboard, Maple Cap with an Alder Body. It is outfitted with 3 lipstick pickups wired with a 6 way rotary switch and Master Volume and Tone. Tuneomatic Bridge, Gotoh Tuners, Aluminum Nut. It looks unfinished, but I finished it with a hand rubbed Shellac finish to retain the whiteness of the Maple. This is one of my favorite guitars I’ve built so far, I’m super happy it’s going to live with one of my best friends. If you haven’t already, you can see the great work Calea does at www.holcombguitars.com”

    Boutique pedals…Where does one begin on such a topic these days? It seems like everyone is starting a line of new fuzz pedals or designing the next big delay craze. It seems like you could stack their self-oscillating fuzz boxes end-to-end and exceed the limits of our stratosphere. With that in mind, where does a musician begin to sort through the plethora of options to make some sort of comprehensible setup, and can we make a moral case out of buying boutique pedals over mass-produced ones? You bet we can!

     I can be as big a pedal snob as anyone, and tend to lean purchase hand built pedals from guys and gals I know work hard to create a product that might spearhead the next big thing in effects. The boutique market is divided between the more unique builders and those selling slightly modified versions of a design that has already been on the market.  There has been a lot of speculation over the last few years concerning makers who do this sort of work. Are they building something that has a true improvement of another circuit, or are they pulling the wool over the consumers’ eyes by advertising their wonderful new overdrive, which is really just a Tube Screamer clone without a buffer.

     Whether a unique circuit or a slightly modified clone, one great attribute of the boutique market is that you can almost guarantee you are buying a pedal built by a musician who designed it to cater to the needs of other musicians.   No matter what nature of guitar effects they are making, these people are working out of their basements or tiny shops with none of the R & D money that the staple “big guys” of the pedal world have. Their designs come from trial and error, determination to make a new sound in a tangible means, and devoting hours of time to making a sound happen.

     I recently had a transaction with a company called Shoe Pedals, based out of Meridan, Connecticut. I expressed interest in his Pixel Fuzz, a synth-y, bit crushed dirt pedal that sounded amazing in his demos… but I wasn’t sold yet. After a bit of correspondence, I sent Shoe a list of what I wanted my dream fuzz to do, and after a few weeks he created a fuzz box that produced a truly unique sound that was exactly how I imagined it. Through our correspondence, a new version of the Pixel was made that we both fell in love with and is now in steady production. Are you going to contact Roland and ask if they could tweak the Boss DS-1 so it could give a bit more bite to suit your playing style? I doubt it.

     Another reason I have such a love affair with the boutique market is that the manufacturers care about the reputation and reliability of their products. I emailed Canadian-built Dr. Scientist one night on a tour while frantically trying to fix my Mini Reverberator. The pedal had died and my troubleshooting ideas weren’t reviving it. The builder immediately got on the phone with me, internationally, at around midnight and talked me through what could be causing the problems, and we had the pedal back in working order in time for the show. Now, if your pedal from MXR breaks after 6PM on a business day, or heaven forbid, on the weekend, you may be up the creek if you try to call them to troubleshoot. The only advantage here is that pedals by the large companies are widely available in most any guitar store, so replacements are easy to come by.

     Now, let’s talk price. There is no disputing that the boutique market is more expensive than the mass-produced manufacturers, but remember that buying from the smaller companies is just like supporting a local business or local music. This is a means of living for many of the builders, so I would much rather spend an extra fifty dollars on a pedal whose designer I have had a personal interaction with than on a pedal a robot built. Now does this make a Blackout Effectors Musket fuzz a better choice than a new Big Muff? (editors note: it is)  Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, but would I rather spend more money on an effect whose creator is a passionate musician and electronics nerd like myself.

     So, will you ultimately choose a Boss pedal over a boutique guitar pedal? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’ve got some Boss pedals that haven’t left my board since the day I got them; however, I tend to appreciate the effort and overall product created by independent makers. It is impossible to elevate one choice above the other as they both have unique benefits, but in the end, I would prefer to put my money where my mouth is and support individual builders with a vision.

Tyler Osborne is a guitarist, noise maker, pedal builder, tinkerer and mensch.  You can contact him at: osbornkt@gmail.com

Warren Haynes has long been a supporter of Vintage Gibson Guitars, favoring 1958 Les Paul’s, Dot Neck ES-335s and Non-Reverse Firebirds with p-90s when he is seeking single-coil punch. Halloween 2008 in Boston forced Haynes to put down his Gibson favorites and pick up  another model, in order to play an entire set of Pink Floyd tunes, Haynes had no choice but to recreate it the way it was originally played — on a Vintage Fender Stratocaster. 

Jimmy Page was most often seen playing a late 1950’s Les Paul or a EDS-1275. But when Jeff Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, Page chose to play a Vintage Fender Electric XII, the short lived 12-string contribution from Fender in the 1960’s. he is no stranger to Vintage Fender Guitars, having played Vintage Fender Telecasters in his Yardbird days.

When Paul McCartney composed his biggest hits of the late 1960’s, (think White Album, Abbey Road and Let it Be) he found himself on piano rather than his usual bass. No bass? No problem, John Lennon grabbed a Fender Bass VI, Fender’s answer to the Dan Electro Six string bass/baritone guitar from the 1950’s responsible for the “tic-tac” bass line, tuned E – E, an octave lower than a Spanish guitar.

GIBSON: Honoring Grohl
The Foo Fighters have had four meaningful signature models developed in the past few years. First and foremost was a limited edition no longer available called the “inspired by Dave Grohl” Gibson DG-335.  In 2007, another classic was released. This one, created by the the artisans of the Gibson Custom Shop, was actually a re-release of the Vintage Gibson Guitar, the“Trini Lopez” signature model that was popular from 1964-71. Grohl has always been a fan of the Trini Lopez model, which is a hybrid between a solid body and a hollow body. The limited model was produced in a rare Pelham Blue color.

The DG-335 has the same classic Firebird-style headstock with six-on-a-side tuners. The body has stylish diamond f-holes. The inlays on the fretboard are acrylic split diamond. This unique feature was inspired by the original Trini Lopez model. The pickups are original Patent Applied for humbuckers, designed to deliver the amazing tones that Grohl has become famous for with the Foo Fighters.

TELECASTER: Chris Shiflett’s Signature
Grohl is not the only Foo Fighter with a signature edition, Fender has recently released the Chris Shiflett Signature Telecaster Deluxe and the Nate Mendel P Bass. The Tele is based on Shiflett’s favorite vintage fender guitar, his 1972 Fender Telecaster Deluxe. It has an Arctic White Finish, a four-ply white pearl pickguard, two custom designed humbucker pickups, a custom stenciled case and Shiflett’s signature on the headstock.

The original Telecaster Deluxe was produced by Fender from 1972. It was designed to produce the thick sound of late 1960’s heavy rock created by humbucker pickups. To do this right, Fender hired Seth Lover in 1967. Formerly from Gibson. Seth was the inventor of the humbucker pickup. Lover created the Fender “WideRange” humbucker, which was featured on the Telecaster Deluxe, Custom and Thinline Models.

FENDER: Nate Mendel’s Model
The Fender Nate Mendel Signature Bass is modeled after his 1971 Fender Precision Bass. It features a slightly road-worn candy apple finish, an extra slim neck, a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder Split Coil Pickup, a Leo Quan Badass II bridge and an extra neck plate with a hybrid “Fender/Foo Fighters” logo. Mendel has expressed his affection for his 71 P-Bass and the features that make it unique and Fender has gone to great lengths to duplicate the specifics.

HAGSTROM: Pat Smear’s Namesake
Long time touring guitarist, Pat Smear, formerly of The Germs and Nirvana, has a signature model built for him by Hagstrom. The Pat Smear signature model is a double cutaway mahogany body, set neck, capped with a maple top. Each guitar is said to be built by the same standards as Pat’s guitars. The design is a custom hybrid of a 1970’s Hagstrom model “H-IIN-OT” and the modern day “F-200.”

Leo Fender hit it out of the park in the early 1950s with three innovative solid body instruments that changed music as we know it. They were the Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster and the Precision Bass.
But in 1957, Leo Fender set out to make another big splash. He decided to build a top-of-the-line sibling to the still new Fender Stratocaster. This one would be something completely different than anything ever created.  “The Jazzmaster” was intended to be a solid-body alternative to pricey hollow body arch top guitars that were then the industry standard. But despite its big unveiling at the 1958 NAMM show, it never caught on with jazz players at the time. Today, 55 years after its release, the Jazzmaster has proven to have the ability to adapt to all types of music.

New Design, New Tones
The body of the Jazzmaster is much larger than the Strat or Tele models.  The “offset-waist” was created for playing while seated, as jazz players often do. A completely new floating tremolo system with a tremolo lock contributed to the guitar’s design. The guitar was heavily shielded to eliminate hum from its wide “soapbar” single coil pickups. These coils had magnet pole pieces and flat wound coils that gave the Jazzmaster a warm tone while maintaining single coil clarity. The tailed bridge provided picking behind the bridge for bell tones. The maple finger boards of early Telecasters and Stratocasters were already showing wear and pitting through to the wood. Gibson had demonstrated a long time commitment to Rosewood fingerboards, so Leo Fender followed suit with the Jazzmaster. Standard on Jazzmasters was the rosewood “slab board” fingerboard.

Surfing to Success
The California-based surf music and instrumental rock craze of the late 1950’s and 1960’s gave the Jazzmaster its first real stage.  When Don Wilson of the Ventures played a Jazzmaster, it immediately gained an identity as a surf guitar.  Kids with limited music ability, who hoped a Fender could gift them with skills, were attracted to the Jazzmaster.  At the height of its popularity, Fender’s headquarters were inSouthern California.  Leo Fender himself, was said to been influenced by surf players. His follow up to the Jazzmaster, the Fender Jaguar, was targeted as surf music from the start.

A Dramatic Comeback
Despite being discontinued in 1980, the Jazzmaster’s popularity wouldn’t go away. One reason was Elvis Costello. In the late 70’s, Costello arrived from the UK with a unique image and a Fender Jazzmaster always in-hand. The guitar which had fallen out of fashion came roaring back to life thanks to Costello and Tom Verlaine of the 70’s New York Punk Godfathers, “Television.” Fender created an Elvis Costello Jazzmaster in 2008 which was a replica of the singer’s most famous vintage fender jazzmaster.

Going Grunge
Grunge music and alternative rock provided a musical renaissance in the early 90’s, and the Jazzmaster found its place again.  Sonic Youth, who began in New York in the 1980’s, had major label success in the 1990’s.  The band showcased double endorsers of Jazzmasters, Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo. These two took art rock to another level, and earned a new appreciation for the Jazzmaster. Fender later created signature versions for each of them.  Both models were highly customized — from pickups to colors to knob/switch variations. Other 90’s endorsers of the Jazzmaster include major label alternative music superstars, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., Indie rock hero, Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, and Nels Cline of Wilco. Although his first choices were the Mustang and the Jaguar, Grunge God Kurt Cobain had a Jazzmaster in his surf-guitar arsenal.

Here to Stay
The 1990’s created a new demand for the return of the Jazzmaster, and Fender slowly began to reissue the guitar. It was first reissued in Japan, followed by the US and Mexico, where many variations of the Jazzmaster are currently made.  And the Jazzmaster craze continues today. In 2013 Fender Jazzmasters are more popular than ever, with Fender currently producing 10 variations of the now iconic guitar.