Now even Guitars can be made on a 3D Printer?!

If you're unaware of what 3D printing is, it is worth investigating as it seems to be where technology is headed. It is predicted that in the future we'll all have 3D printers in our houses and be able to "print" anything from screws to cars.

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digitial model. This is achieved using an additive process, where layer upon layer is laid down in different shapes. A 3D printer is an industrial robot capable of carrying out an additive process under computer control. There has been a exponential growth in the popularity of these machines since they became commercially available in the last few years.

It seems every week there are brand new objects that can be manufactured by 3D printer, the latest and most impressive for us are 3D guitars.

ODD Guitars a company in New Zealand makes guitars using Selective Laser Sintering and in my opinion they're pretty damn impressive...

A thin layer of nylon powder is repeatedly spread on top of the last, it is then fused in the correct locations for that particular slice of the component.

The layer is then dropped down a fraction of a millimetre, and another layer of powder is spread on top of the first.

This is then repeated until the guitar is built.

And they don't sound half bad either!

The 5 Weirdest Guitar Designs Ever

Music technology has produced some amazing innovations over the years. From the wah pedal to the synthesiser, inventors have constantly tried to create new instruments for us to play, or new interesting ways for us to play our old instruments. 

However, there has also been some rather dubious developments over the years. Products that are not the result of outstanding innovation and creativity, but more likely the result of intense drug binges.

The following selection of guitars definitely come from a very dark place:

1) The Wangcaster is a guitar which as you may imagine is made to resemble a giant wooden penis. If you're tired of things like subtlety or not being laughed at, it might be considered the ultimate statement guitar for the sleezy rocker. Amazingly it apparently carries the personal endorsement of Jon Bon Jovi, who said, "Wow, that guitar has balls!" - it sure does and pubic hair pick guards too! This would probably the most embarrassing guitar to own from this bizarre collection and we're only on number one!

2) The Pikasso Guitar was built specially for jazz fusion virtuoso Pat Metheny by Luthier Linda Mazer in 1984. Metheny is quite simply amazing and can play it fantastically - the way he plays this complicated instrument is enough to make us all start practising more!

The guitar has four necks and 42 strings, the tension of which puts the instrument under incredible pressure. We dread to think what would happen if you broke a string mid performance - probably a massive guitar explosion!

3) The Gun Guitar is probably for those who find the music industry a particularly cut throat place, or maybe wish to fulfil a dream of being a guitar playing soldier of fortune! 

Found at a store in Japan and costing around $700. Lukcily for the other members of your band when you're drunk, it doesn't actually fire bullets and is completely safe. The safety is definitely on!

4) The Jesus Guitar is a Fender Strat carved by Doug Rowell for Mike Deasy in 1969. It represents the figure of Jesus with a hand on a bridge. I guess this one could have been a lot more tasteless, considering the others we've seen so far. There is certainly has an amazing level of carving detail on display here and shows excellent craftsmanship. 

5) The Mermaid is a wooden sculpture with a guitar sticking out of its abdomen. If that's not weird enough it is pretty much impossible to play, well, not without look like you are trying to have sex with the front figurehead of an old ship. The guitar is completely impractical and probably an after thought. The mermaid herself looks to be a bit scared and is reminiscent of someone frozen in time. An utterly bizarre instrument.

Do you have a favourite weird guitar or instrument? If show let us know, we really want to see them!

"Holding a Guitar Makes you More Attractive" - Scientists Finally Confirm!

No it is not a very late April fools joke! 

It is often joked that a guy holding a guitar gets more attention from the opposite sex, but some (rather dubious) science has now appeared to confirm a thousand pop culture clichés.

Two recent university studies have looked into the truth behind the cliché and it appears there may be something in it after all. Although the methodology might not be the most rigorous, the results are fairly positive for guys who're obsessed with their guitars. 

A French study that was published last year suggests women are more attracted to a guy who caries a guitar around with him, and that supports a study published in Israel two years ago.

The French study looked at:
"The assumption that music plays a role in sexual selection. Three hundred young women were solicited in the street for their phone number by a young male confederate who held either a guitar case or a sports bag in his hands or had no bag at all. Results showed that holding a guitar case was associated with greater compliance to the request, thus suggesting that musical practice is associated with sexual selection."
Researchers enlisted a particularly brave 20-year-old actor and asked him to introduce himself to 300 young women under 25. He would then say "I think you're really pretty," and ask for their phone numbers. During the testing he was carrying a sports bag for one third of the time, nothing for another third and a guitar case for the other third. The results are pretty positive for us guitar geeks as 31 percent of the women gave him their number when he was carrying the guitar, 14 percent did when he carried nothing, and unfortunately for the jocks out there, only 9 percent did when he was carrying the gym bag.

The Israeli study took a different tact, the researchers set up a Facebook profile with a photo of a man on it and sent friend requests to 100 single women at Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Universities. Half of the time the guy in the photo was strumming a guitar like a pro and the rest of the time it was just a standard photo with no guitar. Only 1 percent responded positively to the guitar-less profile, however 28 percent responded positively to the photo with a guitar.

And if these studies are to believed, you don't actually need to play the guitar. Just carry it around and hope for the best!

Although neither methodology appears particularly scientific or rigorous, hopefully it offers some unlucky in love guitar guys out there encouragement. Unfortunately there was no study carried out on the effect single women with guitars on single guys, which would have been an interesting study. 

What do you think?

Have you ever thought of Using your Computer as a Guitar Amp?

Although every electric guitar player loves the guttural vibrations of their favourite amp and the bombastic sound it gives you when playing live. Have you ever considered using your computer as your guitar amp?
For audiophiles and amp lovers it doesn't sound like the greatest idea, but there are several benefits to using your computer as your amp.

For a start amps are not exactly practical, most good tube amps are usually very heavy and cumbersome. Making them a nightmare to carry around town, especially in a rush hour. When you consider the practicalities of getting around with your amp, the idea of using a computer for practice sessions and small performances becomes much more appealing. You only need a computer, a charger, cables and a quarter-inch to eight-inch adapter.


I am not trying to suggest plugging into a program like Garageband and hitting the stage is a particularly appealing prospect. However, programs such as Axe-Fx II, Guitar Rig 5 and many more similar pieces of software can produce some great results (after experimentation and tweaking).

The usual complaint from guitarists about software amp simulators is the lack of body and tinny sound. No matter what software you use, it remains hard to replicate the analogue nature of the amp. Software and sound synthesis may have come far, but replicating a speaker booming from a wooden box is something that has yet to be mastered.

If you are using your laptop for a gig, a great PA system is essential. It won't make you sound like you're using an amp, but it will make it sound like a pre-recorded version of you playing. If you realise that you won't sound like you're using an amp and are more likely to sound like you're in a recording studio, it is a lot easier to come to terms with for the amp aficionado. This clean and "studio-like" sound could also begin to define you as a musician, it could be built into you or your bands sound, making you stand out from others.

When using your computer as an amp, keeping it simple tone wise is important. A clean tone, with a dirty rhythm tone and a solo tone keeps it straight forward and reliable. Changing presents during a performance can be dangerous, especially if you're not aware of the volume or tone differentiations between them. Matching the tones before leaving the house can save you a lot of time and hassle at the gig. Another thing to remember, which can be easily forgotten, is the input recording volume. Unlike an overdriven amp, a clipping signal does NOT sound good.

Another common question for amp lovers is whether amp dynamics still exist, which they do, depending on your guitars pickups. When using a dirty rhythm channel for examples, the saturation level remained the same regardless of the guitars volume. Surprisingly, it is possible to execute a variety of different techniques and sounds on computer software, that you would think are reliant on having an amp.

Just as the wah pedal must have been odd-sounding to guitar purists of the past, it has been in common use for 50 years now. There is no reason to think this technique will not become a feature or sound used extensively in the future.

In my opinion it is well worth looking at the variety of amp emulation software that is available and working to develop a sound that you like from it.

Mind The Mids - Live Tone Perfection

Achieving a full bodied, powerful live guitar tone isn't easy. There are a lot of factors that come into play to get things sounding just right in the mix. One area that I think is responsible for a lot of hurt, more so than any other aspect is bad EQing. This is a problem that spans all genres and styles, and is something I have seen bands at all levels fall victim to. It doesn't matter how good you are, if your live show sounds awful then it detracts from the enjoyment of the gig tremendously, worse still you could actually be doing serious damage to your ears in the process.

All In The Mids

Getting your guitar sounding right as a standalone instrument is one thing, making it cut through the mix and harmonise with other elements is quite another. The secret? It's all in the mids. Why compete with bass and drums for low end? They have that covered. Vocals and cymbals have the highs. The guitars place should be firmly in the mid range. That is a very simplified explanation but I think it generally holds true.

It's important to realise that a guitar that sounds great on its own, will probably not sound good in the band. Rather than spending hours creating a killer tone in the bedroom, you should be more worried about how it will sound live and in the mix, where it really matters.

Playing by yourself you will be tempted to cut the mids. It will generally sound more pleasing to your ears, but keep these settings in the mix and your sound will get lost. What do you do to compensate? Crank up the volume of course! No, no no no. That is where so many go so wrong. You might be able to hear yourself now but you may have just raised your bass and treble to dangerous volumes and thrown off the sound of the mix as a whole.

The solution? Give those middle frequencies some love. Your sound will be much more balanced without needing excessive volume, it will drastically reduce feedback and gives the sound engineer a lot more room to work with. More and more guitarists are starting to realise the importance of the mid range, but some don't truly understand it. Anything from around 500Hz to 4kHz can be considered 'the mid range' generally speaking. Anything below is low end and anything above, high.

Play with your band and get someone to adjust your bass, treble, mid, gain and volume until you hit the sweet spot. You'll know when you do as everything will sound balanced and luscious, with no feedback when you stop playing. I'd love to just give you some magic amp and equalizer settings and be done with it, but in reality all gear is different! You'll have to do some of your own experimenting and fiddling to get it just right.

5 Secrets Of Sweep Picking

Sweep picking is notoriously difficult to master, but well worth the effort. In case you don't already know, sweep picking is a technique used to play arpeggios (meaning to play notes sequentially, as separate and defined sounds). In this post we will look at the most common mistakes people make when trying to learn this technique. It should be noted that while you may find this article helpful, there is really no replacement for a competent teacher when it comes to learning guitar.

Slow it down

You've almost certainly heard this before but I really can't stress it enough. Slow down your playing and practice at a speed where you can really concentrate on the technique and synchronisation of your hands. Once you are comfortable with the discipline you can try to speed things up, confident in the knowledge that you can execute all the right movements already. 

It's far better to do things in this order rather than jump straight in and try to play at light speed. It will inevitably sound muddy and you'll never work out where you're going wrong anyway unless you take things a little slower.

Strumming

When playing arpeggios the goal is to make each note defined, in order to achieve this you will need to pick out strings individually. Simply strumming will ruin your timing and sound sloppy.

Practice finger rolling

Rolling is vital to some arpeggio shapes and unless you have a flawless finger rolling technique it could be holding you back. Practice the motion of the roll (not even necessarily while actually playing) until it feels as natural as taking a breath of fresh air. This will go a long way to clearing up those muddy notes!

Pull off perfection

Perfecting your pull off is also really important when it comes to playing arpeggios. Try to make them sound crisp and just as loud as your picked notes. Practice your pull offs in isolation until you get them sounding just right, it can make a huge difference to your sweep picking prowess.

Master muting

Pay close attention to your muting technique and listen carefully to see how effective it actually is. You may want to record yourself to help with this or ask a friend for their honest feedback. If your muting isn't spot on your sweep picking will never sound right. Try playing slower and you may find it helps you to identify where there is room for improvement.

Rock vs Reggae - The Five Best Rock Covers of Reggae

Jamaican stars are well known for making Reggae covers of popular American and British songs. Although they're not all great, many of these versions take the songs in new directions and offer funkier takes on classics, such as:

However, the influence travels in both directions as Jamaican music has had an undeniable effect on Rock music. British Rock in particular has been heavily influenced, owing in part to the Caribbean immigration into the UK since World War II.

2 Tone and Punk are just two examples of Rock sub-genres which take inspiration from Jamaican genres such as Reggae, Dub and Dancehall. The 1970's saw British and American Punk bands wearing their Jamaican influences with pride, and it's an often neglected fact that American Hip Hop was created by a Jamaican immigrant and modelled on Jamaican soundsystem culture.

So here are five of the best Rock covers of Reggae Songs:

5. The Specials – "A Message To You Rudy" (1979)

As one of the defining bands of the 2 Tone movement, The Specials referenced older Reggae and Ska consistently throughout their music. It is often forgotten that this song is a cover, both versions call for the 'Rudeboys' to refrain from their destructive antics, and both are stone cold classics.

Dandy Livingstone's 1967 Original:  "A Message to You Rudy"

4. The Clash “Police and Thieves” (1977):

The Clash are probably the most iconic Punk band of all time. They courted controversy, provoked debate and had a string of hit albums. Taking huge influence from the Reggae music they heard around them in London, here they covered Junior Murvin's high-pitched tune about cops and robbers, creating a Punk classic. Thankfully Joe Strummer's didn't try to ape Junior's high notes and the song will be forever memorialised in Rock History.

Junior Murvin's 1976 Original version: "Police and Thieves"


3. Madness - "One Step Beyond" (1979)

Madness were also one of the biggest bands to come from the 2 Tone era and owed a huge debt to Ska and Reggae music. In fact, this song was so popular a lot of people won't even be aware that it is a cover. The band actually took their name from a Prince Buster B-Side and released a song 'The Prince' dedicated to the man himself. Both versions are classics! 

Prince Busters 1964 Original: "One Step Beyond" 

2. Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer “Redemption Song” (2003)

Bob Marley's music is some of the most covered and remixed music in history. There are many rock remakes kicking about, especially of classics like "One Love" and "Redemption Song." There is one "Redemption Song" cover that stands out above all other though, 2003's cover by Country music legend Johnny Cash. The Clash's Joe Strummer enlisted the badboy of country to record the track shortly before his death in the same year. Both Marley and Cash are icons of music, as well as being heroes of their genres. A classic take on a classic track.

Link to Bob Marley's Original 1980 "Redemption Song" 

1. Eric Clapton “I Shot the Sheriff” (1974)

It is often the case that legendary artists are rarely fully appreciated in their lifetime. It seems unbelievable today, but Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" was actually the only Marley song to reach the number one on the US Billboard Top 100 in his lifetime. Clapton's version, which added some Rock and Funk leanings to an all time classic, is also partly responsible for Marley's profile rising in the USA. A country that has traditionally had a harder time in understanding Reggae than the UK. 

Listen to Marley's Original 1973 "I Shot the Sheriff"


Do you have any other favourites? Let us Know in the comments or on Facebook.