Nick Catanese of Black Label Society

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Signal To Noise Podcast! In this episode I have another guest host, my buddy  Sean (the owner of the blue Ibanez RG 550 I wrote about a while back). Sean and I talk about the the 30th anniversary edition TS-9 that Ibanez released this year. We also talk about the gear we are lusting after and some classic effects like the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal.

In our interview with Nick Catanese, we discuss Nick’s newest Paul Reed Smith Signature guitar, his signature Dean Markley Strings and Black Label’s upcoming European tour.

Guys like Nick are a great thing in the music industry. Nick is a great player, yet still humble and modest about his abilities. It’s that kind of attitude that has kept Nick grounded and pouring out great music with Black Label Society year after year. Nick was a delight to talk with and…he is a Star Wars fan! Check out this picture of one of Nick’s guitar Picks.

Nick Catanese's Darth Vader Pick

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Dave Ellefson at the Mayhem Festival, Pittsburgh PA July 2011

There were many bass players that influenced me as a young player growing up in the 80′s, but few who could stand the test of time. Of of those few is David Ellefson, bassist for Megadeth. From the instantly recognizable opening riff of “Peace Sells”  and the rhythmic battery of “Holy Wars, The punishment due”, to the relentless driving bass lines on Megadeth’s latest release “Thirteen” David Ellefson has more than stood the test of time, he has left a permanent mark on the metal world.  Like any true artist however, Dave’s reach extends beyond Metal and Music and is extending into new territory. We recently caught up with Dave to ask him a few questions about his latest endeavors. Here is what he had to say:

Megadeth has been busy supporting their latest release, “Thirteen” first with “Gigantour” and now with Rob Zombie. How has the tour been going and where is Megadeth headed next?

In June we head to Europe for festivals and some headlining shows along the way, too. We are also announcing dates for South America in September as well. That trek will feature the band performing live for the first time, the ‘Countdown To Extinction’ album in it’s entirety.

You have a very distinctive Bass sound that is almost instantly recognizable. What goes into achieving this sound live?

I must say, it is really in the hands! A lot of it is me using a pick and how I strike the strings with my right hand, as well as the muting that I do with the palm on that hand, too. I play up on my fingertips on the fingerboard, as the less skin that touches the strings produces a very clean and unobstructed tone. From there, I’ve found a great combination in Jackson bass guitars, Hartke amplification and speaker cabs with my SIT nickel wound signature strings and Jim Dunlop tortex picks. First I hear the tone, then seek out the pieces of gear that best compliment what I’m hearing…and those components do the trick for me.

What led to your return to Jackson basses?
When we set out to do the 20th Anniversary ‘Rust In Peace’ tour I wanted to have the exact look and sound of that album for the fans to really take it all in.  I wanted the same clothing style, wrist bands, basses, amps…everything! To me, that was a trip down memory lane for the long time fans and a great way for the younger fans to experience the majesty of Thrash Metal from that era for the first time, too. The Jackson basses are the best they’ve ever been now that they are made in the USA Custom Shop in Fender’s facility in Corona, California. The same luthier who built my original Jackson basses still works for the company, so he knows my style and preferences yet, guitar-manufacturing technology has progressed a lot since those earlier days and we can now harness those features, too. It’s like the ‘best of the best’ for me at this point to create the ultimate Thrash bass.

Is there anything in particular you do to keep your chops up while touring?
I try to warm up slowly each day, just running through random little lines to start. From there, we usually run through the entire set list back stage before each show so we are fresh with the songs each day. We change up the song list each night so it’s a good way to keep musical camaraderie within the band, too.

You did an instructional video for www.rockhousemethod.com, do you have any plans to do any other videos?
I actually just did a video teaching series for www.jamplay.com. That should be live sometime this summer.

Your latest venture is your own iPad app that was designed in conjunction with Pocketlabworks. How did this partnership come about and what was your goal in creating this app?
They sent me one of their iPad/iPhone interfaces to try with a simpler version of guitar amp software they already had at that time. I really liked it because it allows you to simply plug your guitar/bass and headphones right into their App and start playing your instrument, much like you would with a stand-alone guitar amp device.

They really liked my “Rock Shop” teaching videos so we discussed a way to brand an App accordingly. My “Rock Shop” App allows you to not only plug and play some great bass and guitar tones but also bring my Rock Shop You Tube videos right into the App, too. I think we really created a cool all inclusive App for musicians of any level to be able to practice and play from anywhere, be it at home, in a hotel room, back stage, studio and so on.  That’s how I roll so I wanted something that could work for beginners and professionals alike.

How did you choose the sound set ups for this app?
I’m always asked “how can I get your bass tone?”. So, when you first plug in to the bass part to the App you are automatically dialed in to my exact tone from about circa 1988-93….a classic Thrash metal bass tone.  From there, you can tweak the parameters to your own liking, and to any style of music and bass tone. On the guitar amp side, I thought of the presets I normally default to when playing guitar; clean with some effects, dirty hard rock and then full on distorted metal sounds, too. So, we included those basic tones with parameters that can be tweaked to the user’s liking.

One of the best features of this app is the Song Trainer. It has one of the best sounding speed and pitch controls that I have ever heard. What led to the inclusion and development of this feature?
I think all practicing musicians are continually challenged with learning new songs, solos, etc. So, rather than having to leave the App to do this, we thought we should make it an all-inclusive mobile practice studio.  This meant including the tools that are useful for any musician to really wood shed So, we designed it so you can access your iTunes music library and bring songs right to you inside the App. We created a speed control to slow down songs without changing the pitch. We also included a pitch shift so don’t have to keep tuning your instrument to a song in a different tuning.  Then, there’s the looper, which allows you to grab sections of songs so you can woodshed on them without having to manually go back to the section you want to work on in the song.  Once in the looper you can also change the speed and the pitch, if desired, too.

Are there any future feature upgrades to this app planned?
Yes, there is an update coming next week that will feature a brand new guitar and bass tuner right inside the app. Also, there will be hip new feature to allow the user to run the App in ‘background audio mode’ taking full advantage of the multi-tasking features in Apple’s iOS 5.   What that means is that you can now open up other Apps like tablature to practice right inside the App. So, you can access other Apps like Ultimate-Guitar Tabs or iRealbook, which offer amazing tablature for all types of music from rock to jazz and more.

You are an artist that stays very busy, from this latest app to your self published book you have a lot of projects going on. What’s next for you?

I’m just now finishing the audio version of the “Unsung” Words & Images book to place it online in iTunes, etc. It will feature me, and several guests, reading the lyrics and editorial of the book in spoken word. I aim to have a PDF of the book’s lyrics and images downloadable as part of the purchase, the same way you would download the sleeve of a CD booklet.

More than anything, I’m just enjoying the creative journey. To wake up and be inspired is a great thing and all of my endeavors are just letting that energy flow through me. Hopefully, these works and projects inspire others, too.  For me, that is a good day indeed!

Zoom H2n

Happy Cyber Monday! I know I am not the first person to offer a holiday gift guide, but I plan on approaching it from a slightly different angle. For starters, ask your self a few questions about the guitarist on your Christmas list. Are they in an active band? What Kind of music do they like to play? Do you ever listen to them and think “That is just noise!”? Are they more traditional? Would you consider them “Artistic”?

Answering these questions will point you on the right track to finding the perfect gift for the guitarist on your list. To help the decision making along a little more I have a few suggestions based on the questions above.

Capturing Ideas -

If the guitarist on your list is in an active band, almost anything from strings and picks

Zoom Q3 HD

to a new guitar strap would be a great gift. But let’s look at this from a different point of view. To be a successful band you need to have great songs and a rabid fan base, so how about a way to record your ideas? Two suggestions come to mind for this. The Zoom H2n audio recorder and The Zoom Q3HD Video recorder.

When you have a band, the best way to improve and write more material is to record yourself. The Zoom H2n is around $199 at most retailers is an updated version the Zoom H2. It is easy to use and has great mics. I use mine to capture ideas on my acoustic or electric guitar. What I have learned to do is talk through what I am doing and how I am playing it so when I listen back, I can reproduce what I recorded. Another way I use the H2 is to record face to face interviews for my podcast. Since the Zoom has multiple mics, you can set it to record from both the front and back mics at the same time and set the reorder between the people who are talking. Once you have your recording you can easily transfer it to your computer (Mac or PC) via USB.

The Zoom Q3HD has the same great audio recording that the H2n offers PLUS it adds HD Video. Street price is normally $299. The bonus to this unit is that you can shut off the video and use it just as an audio recorder. I used one recently to record some video at a guitar show. You can see the videos on my YouTube Channel.

Creative Ideas -

A new piece of gear can sometimes stimulate the creative process for a musician, even

Spider Capo

a small one. A couple years ago I discovered a few special capos that let you get more than the standard capo. One that I really Enjoyed is the Spider Capo. The Spider Capo retails for around $30, which is pricey for most capos, but not for this one. What the Spider lets you do is Capo individual strings in any combination. Think of it as being able to re-tune your guitar on the fly. Add in some open tunings and the possibilities are endless.

Another capo that I found unique was Bob Kilgore’s Harmonic Capo. What this capo does is play a constant harmonic at the 12th fret. Musically it adds a great ambiance to what you are playing. At $34.95, it is again more than a regular capo, but for what it does musically it is worth adding to the capo collection.

Make Some Noise -

If you have a musician on your list that makes music that sounds more like “noise” to

Boss Feedbacker/Booster

you than music, then a new effects pedal would make a great gift. Boss recently introduced a new pedal that will let you add feedback to your sound at any time called the Feedbacker/Booster (FB-2). I am really happy to see this pedal come to market. The last pedal like this was the DF-2, Super Distortion Feedbacker back in the 80′s. I am on a quest to find one, and the FB-2 just might delay that quest.

For some serious noise and tones that no one will be able to duplicate look to Death By Audio. Death by audio came to my attention through a Guitar World article a few years ago. These pedals are custom made and very unique. Take some time to explore the site and listen to the demos to find that perfect pedal. These pedals are at the top of my wish list.

The Every Day Gift -

My last gift idea is a twist on something that guitarists use every day, the guitar pick. Why not do something unique and get the guitarist on your list their own custom guitar picks from Clayton Custom. A buddy of mine at work ordered custom picks to announce the birth of his son, which I though was a pretty cool idea. You can do everything from simple text to custom graphics.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Fender's Pawn Shop '51

If you are a regular reader of this blog you are probably aware of the fact that I am a huge fan of Fender guitars. So it will probably come as no surprise that when I heard about new Pawn Shop series that I had to try them out. The concept of these guitars is to create “mash-ups” almost of guitars that never existed but “should have” in Fender’s opinion. The concept really is a cool idea and it shows that fender knows where their strengths are. In the past Fender has made some attempts to be ultra modern and have sleek designed guitars, but with little success.  The Pawn shop series does what fender does best and that is be “retro” cool.

There are three designs in the series, the ’51, the ’72, and the Mustang Special. Each one has a unique appearance and a different approach to tonal selections. And thes best part is they all have a street price of  around $799, so not only are they unique, but they set you back too much more than a standard Strat would.

Let’s start with the Mustang Special. It has a classic 60′s/70′s appearance and has retro slider switches for the pick-ups as well as the traditional toggle switch. The slider switches control the coil selecting of each of the pickups giving you a lot of tonal options. I had the opportunity to play one at a local chain store. While they don’t set up their guitars that well any more, this guitar still played and felt great. The tonal choices really were staggering. I was amazed at how many sounds I could get of the guitar, from warm Jazz to brash Rock. It is a very versatile instrument.

Next let’s talk about the ’72. I will admit, I really had no interest in this model at all. The owner of my local music store talked me into trying out, and I have to say that I was impressed. It is a Strat style semi-hollow body and has a rosewood finger board, two things that I don’t normally care for, but the sound was great. It has two humbuckers and a what appears to be a volume and tone control. The catch on this guitar is that the Tone control is not a tone control, it is a fader for the pick-up selection. I am not aware if this had ever been done before, but what a cool idea. You can really blend the pickups and dial in a specific sound.

Last, let’s talk about my FAVORITE of the three, the ’51. This guitar caught my eye from the moment it was released. It looks like a mash-up of the ’51 P-Bass, the Telecaster, and the Stratocaster. It has the traditional angled single coil Strat pick-up, but instead of being in the bridge position, it’s in the neck! And boy was I delighted to see a humbucker in the bridge position!! I absolutely love the sound of bridge humbuckers and this one sounds great. And Fender equipped it with coil splitting so you can still get that classic Strat sound, and get the benefits of having a humbucker.  Like the ’72, the ’51 also has only two knobs, a volume control and three position pick-up selector knob. What I love about this guitar is it’s classic simplicity. No frills, stripped down features, but still great tonal possibilities. I could hear very distinct changes in tone when I changed the pick-up selector and I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of the neck pick-up. It was very warm and smooth, great for jazz, or for when you just want a bigger sound. Overall I think the ’51 is a great guitar. So much so, that I am starting to gather up old gear to sell so I can make room (and raise funds) for one.

The bottom line for me is that all these guitars offer something unique from a tonal perspective, and would be a great addition to your collection. I cannot wait to get a ’51!!