It’s a little tricky for me to write a piece about a guitar company not being a guitar player myself but, I know what sounds good and man-o-man, these do! The best I can do is to give you a little company history, maybe tell you a few things I’ve heard from players I [...]
Archive for Category: "Gear Reviews"
He Wrote the Book on Blues Bass! Ed Friedland
Ed Friedland may not be a household name, but in the musical world of Austin, Texas and to the professionals passing through, he is well known. Ed Friedland is one of those strong and silent blues partners- a gentle unassuming master. He’s even known Online as the “Bass Whisperer,” (corny, but effective, to quote him). [...]
Classic Old Hammond or A Shiny New One?
(Memphis, Tennessee) The debate over whether to use the classic old, heavy mechanical tonewheel Hammond or the newer lightweight ones still rages among keyboardists and enthusiasts. Here’s a few points of comparison in case you ever wondered about the differences between these organs. Portability: New Hammond-Suzuki wins by a mile. Above the Hammond SK-1… the [...]
BT PRODUCTIONS Hammond and Leslie News!
(Memphis, Tennessee) Previously, American Blues News has covered some of the staggeringly ground-breaking releases of beautifully crafted electronic components designed and manufactured by the brilliant Tony LaBrasca’s company, BT Productions. Tony has a unique viewpoint in that he has extensive experience servicing and maintaining Hammond organs and Leslie rotating speakers…and he knows the needs of [...]
Level Five custom Leslie Amplifier News-700 WATTS!
(Memphis, Tennessee) After speaking this week to Level Five Leslie amp designer and manufacturer Tony LaBrasca of BT Productions, American Blues News learned that there are new plans on the drawing board for a new version of the powerful Level Five rotating speaker amp. First, a word about the current production amplifier…this amplifier, a hybrid [...]
Blues Guitar Survival and How to Keep Blues Harps Alive Longer
(Memphis, Tennessee) For some time I was the custodian of what was once Steve Cropper’s 1968 Fender rosewood Telecaster, a guitar with a rosewood body and matching neck. It’s a long story, and no, I don’t have the guitar. I never owned it. I borrowed it from my friend Delta Joe for a while to [...]
Gear Review with Chris Nacy, Seydel Endorsee by Monica Yasher
> Chris Nacy is a Seydel endorsee and the harmonica player for the award winning acoustic blues duo, Izzy and Chris. Their critically acclaimed CD, “Preachin The Blues Volume 1”, reached #17 on the 2009 July Roots Music Blues Chart, and continues to receive extensive airplay. Together they have been main stage festival performers, and [...]
Review of Level 5 Leslie Amplifier
Today’s article is aimed at organ players, an oft-neglected group of musicians. Leslie Basics: In 1940, Don Leslie invented the Leslie speaker cabinet which was sold with Hammond organs. The Leslie is a rotating speaker cabinet which contains a horn driver for reproducing tones over 800 MHz and a 15 inch bass speaker mounted downward [...]
