Reviews

Tim Culpepper

Published December 24, 2012

Do y’all remember country music? I’m talking about REAL country music. The kind some of us (older folks) listened to back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, even the 80s… the kind of country music we watched as it changed from what it was then, to what it is now. Recently, I listened to a new CD by Tim Culpepper. The music is unquestionably country.

If you were to meet Tim Culpepper, and ask him what his genre’ is – he could answer with one word. COUNTRY. Most artists today can’t do that. When you ask them what their genre’ is, they tell you it’s country/rock. Or, it’s country/pop, soulful/country or some other kind of country. But for most, it isn’t country music.

Tim records for HonkyTone Records, and they have got themselves quite a singer. I only wish that today’s Top 40 stations would go back to their country roots, and get music like this back on the radio. I think it’s a good thing that we have satellite and Internet radio stations out there. Because people who can sing like Tim Culpepper need to be heard somewhere.

For one thing – he’s got songs on here that are more than four minutes long. And when you listen to them, you are happy that they are more than four minutes long! And, you wouldn’t even care if they were longer! The first song I heard was Ghost. It’s one of those “Listen up, guys, I have a story to tell you” kind of songs. ‘You’re just a ghost of a love that’s dead and gone…a memory that keeps turning around to watch my tear drops fall.’. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Oh, wait – yes it does. Because when that one is done – we’ve gone “One More for the Road.” Then comes “Toss and Turn”, and then we get “Getting’ On with Getting’ Over You.” And by now – you want to put your boots on and go to a concert, or a honky tonk, or even the bar on the corner to drop a few dollars in the juke box and hope THIS is what comes out!

I really want to share two paragraphs from the “about” section of his facebook page. I think these two paragraphs pretty much tell you who Tim Culpepper is, and why Tim does what he does. “Tim’s journey began as kind of a love story, with the marriage of his Mother Judy, to his father, country entertainer/musician, Forrest Culpepper, or “Curly”, as he had come to be known by those who frequented the honkytonk scene in and around Montgomery, Alabama. The birth of Tim, soon after, would complete an already accomplished family of singers and musicians that, at the time, included such close friends as Hank Williams, Sr. (who had passed, before Tim’s birth), and Marty Robbins.

While most children began life experiencing a mostly subdued environment, young Culpepper was backstage with the likes of Hank, Jr., Marty and Johnny Cash, or in the audience with his Mother, while his father was performing. On one occasion, while sharing stories of her son’s early childhood, Judy fondly recalled one particular night during a Hank Jr. performance, when songwriter and manager, Merle Kilgore, was charged with babysitting Tim while she got up to 2 step, “It wasn’t the ‘Brady Bunch!’” she laughs. “But we sure were a family!”

I’m excited about this kid. His music is everything country music is supposed to be, and he sings great, too. I hope he wasn’t born 40 years too late for his music to find a place within the genre’ it was intended.

I hope everyone will take a minute to visit his website www.timculpeppermusic.com, and follow him on Twitter @TCulpepperMusic.

To say I’m impressed would be a huge understatement. I need to find a thesaurus, because my limited vocabulary just doesn’t have enough adjectives in it to accurately describe what this man does with a song. He’s my new ‘obsession’. And I think I’m going to spend the next week… or two… or three… listening to the music of Tim Culpepper. If you want to find something that takes you back – back to what country music is supposed to be. Tim Culpepper is just what you’re looking for.

Country (CountrysChatter.com)

Sankei Hall—Osaka, Japan: Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. VII

Published December 23, 2012

Artist: Art Pepper

Genre: Jazz

Title: Sankei Hall—Osaka, Japan: Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. VII

Record Company: Widow’s Taste

Laurie Pepper, the saxophonist’s widow (hence, the name of the label), continues issuing previously unreleased material by her husband. Because Art Pepper’s career is well documented on record, one might wonder if additional releases are warranted. Yes, they are, primarily because Pepper was a major figure. He must have played some forgettable music along the way, but Widow’s Taste has so far released only music than enhances his considerable legacy.

This new two-CD set documents a 1980 concert that the audience obviously enjoyed. Backed by pianist George Cables, bassist Tony Dumas, and drummer Carl Burnett, Pepper plays magnificently throughout, whether the tempo is blistering (“Straight Life”), deliberate (“Over the Rainbow”), or medium (“Landscape”). Always lyrical, his playing occasionally reflects the oft-noted influence of John Coltrane, especially on up-temp pieces. This is true on “Cherokee,” for example: he distorts notes and plays notes at the upper limit of the alto saxophone, thereby adding intensity to his already impassioned music.

This release disappoints only because “Straight Life” ends abruptly, without resolution, probably because of an inadequate supply of tape at the concert. Laurie Pepper explains that she had to decide whether to include this incomplete performance on this CD. I believe she decided correctly.

A few extra-musical issues deserve comment. Pepper introduces “Ophelia” by saying that it constitutes his attempt to describe women. Does he mean that it is a programmatic composition? Whether he succeeds in musically describing women strikes me as irrelevant. It’s a lovely performance. Laurie Pepper proclaims that “George Cables’s character shines through every note he plays.” I do not know Cables, but, from hearing him play, I have no sense of his character. Perhaps this is my fault. Finally, Laurie Pepper seems to settle scores with Milcho Leviev, Art Pepper’s previous pianist, and Tony Dumas. While frankness is often admirable, her comments seem inappropriate in the context of this statement she makes about her husband: “He emphasized the importance of being courteous and compassionate.”

These are quibbles. What matters is Art Pepper’s music, which is masterful.

Benjamin Franklin V

Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard

Published November 29, 2012

By: Clifford Hughes

So far, I have reviewed some gear that I thought was affordable for the average player out there. And those items are great for anybody, but today I want to review an upper end guitar for those that like the finer things.

Today I’m going to tell you about the Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Reissue Gloss model. I had wanted one of these for the longest time. I had a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Standard with special order big Humbucking pickups I had owned for awhile. I was starting to finally feel the need to let that one go, so I traded it in to my favorite Guitar Center store in Tulsa, OK. I originally ordered a Gibson Les Paul Standard with AAA maple top in heritage cherry sunburst, but it was unavailable at the time, so I ordered the Gibson Les Paul Standard 50’s neck model. Now this guitar was ok, but there was a black spot in the wood by the cutaway that bothered me. Also, I found out Gibson was chambering the bodies to make the guitar lighter. I am a traditionalist and wanted my Les Paul to be like they used to make them. So in order to do that, I stepped up and ordered the Custom Shop model. At that time, this guitar was selling for $5,499.00. Lucky thing for me, Guitar Center had a 10% coupon at the time, and I took full advantage of that. Ironically, Gibson raised the price by $500.00 two weeks later after I had purchased mine, to $5,999.00. Great timing for me.

I ordered the guitar on 06/27/08, and drove to Tulsa on 07/10/08 to pick it up. Now the guys at Guitar Center know that I want to be the first one to open the box of a new guitar purchase, so as I pulled the staples loose and slid the case out of the packing box, my heart was racing, and I was praying this guitar would have that perfect flame maple top. As I opened the brown vintage style Les Paul case with pink lining, I was stunned as to how amazing this guitar looked. I was in heaven!

God answered my prayer! Even the Guitar Center sales guys were in awe of this guitar. I got the washed cherry finish in gloss, which means it’s finished in a glossy, shiny finish, instead of a dull or flat finish like the VOS (Vintage Old Stock) finish is. This guitar had a stunning flame maple top. The mahogany had a very nice tight grain on the back and neck. The rosewood fretboard had a beautiful rich color. The case is right out of the fifties with vintage brown covering and a cool pink lining inside. This guitar weighed 9.5 lbs., compared to 7.5 lbs. the regular Les Paul Standard I traded back in for this one.

I did not personally want a chambered body. I wanted this guitar to be every bit like the old original ones, and with the ‘59, you get it hands down. Standing side by side, this ‘59 Les Paul blew away the regular cherry sunburst that I had. You will truly appreciate the hands on craftsmanship of a Custom Shop made guitar verses a standard production model guitar.

The neck is the bigger fifties style I like. The hardware was very nice and done in nickel. The binding has an aged look that gives it that vintage look. The pickups in this guitar are truly amazing. They are a Burstbucker 1 (rhythm) and Burstbucker 2 (treble). These are loud and clean. Gibson uses the old style CTS pots and bumblebee capacitors. An aluminum stop bar tailpiece for vintage sustain, original style toggle switch washer and jack plate. Vintage tulip style tuners, carved maple top, solid mahogany back, one piece mahogany neck with original style truss rod routing and 1959 rounded neck. 22 fret rosewood fretboard with historically accurate trapezoid inlays.

If you can swing it, you absolutely have to get one. When you open that case for the first time and look in, you will know what I’m talking about. You definitely get what you pay for here. Out of 16 guitars I own, this one is my prized possession!

Clifford Hughes –

Music Charts Magazine

Tagged according to wood supplies, all of which are elements that are found in the legendary tone of the original ’59 Les Paul Standard. This is one of the most revered wood combinations of all time, and capped with a two-piece top of figured maple that is carved into a period-correct “dish”, and combines the classic tonewood combination of mahogany back and carved maple top. The body’s back is cut from a single piece of solid, and definition., and excellent depth and richness from the mahogany, and truly offers a “best of both worlds” design in the way that mahogany and maple complement each other to offer superior resonance, but Gibson’s Custom Shop seeks out the lightest, clarity, definition and treble bite from the maple, depth, high-grade, lightweight clear mahogany, most tonally advantageous mahogany for the one-piece bodies of the Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard. Tonal Characteristics The Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard’s body woods present the classic com, one of the most legendary pairs in the history of the solid and semi-solid electric guitar, or arch. Weight Weights vary slightly, Species Each Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard is crafted from a two-piece maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a non-chambered mahogany body. This wood combination, sustain, while also producing a classic look and a sturdy instrument. Design The Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Standard precisely follows the body lines and dimensions of the original ’59 Les Paul Standard, with a gently arched carved top and rounded lower bout, yields a “best of both worlds” tonal splendor

Gibson SG Classic Guitar

Published November 28, 2012

By: Clifford Hughes

Gibson SG Classic

Today I want to tell you musicians out there about a great guitar. The Gibson SG Classic. I first played one of these back in 2009 at a Guitar Center store in Fayetteville, AR. I really liked the sound of the P-90 pickups in it. So I ordered one from my favorite Guitar Center store in Tulsa, OK, and then midstream, decided to get the SG Standard for a few more dollars and get the hardshell case with it free. The SG Standard sold for $1,199.99, and had trapezoid inlays on the fretboard. The SG Classic comes with dot inlays, and comes with a gig bag, and sells for $999.99.

Gibson SG Standard

The price had just dropped on the SG Standard, so I bought it. I took the stock pickups out and had new Gibson ‘57 Classic pickups installed. These pickups are made true to the original humbucking pickups Seth Lover invented back in 1957. These are a great improvement over the stock Gibson 490R & 498T stock pickups.

I have enjoyed the Standard, but I was missing that cool P-90 sound I first heard. I did some checking, and it seems Guitar Center did not have these in stock at any of their stores anymore. I was worried maybe Gibson was going to discontinue these, so I decided to get on the stick and order one of these SG Classics. I had to have my Guitar Center salesman friend at Tulsa, order this guitar through GuitarCenter.com. I ordered it on 03/05/12, and received it 3 days later on 03/08/12.

I was very happy to find mine came with the Keystone style Kluson tuning machines instead of the button style that Gibson used to use on these guitars, which I did not care for and would have had to change, so hey, money saved right there.

The guitar was just beautiful in every way. The grain of the mahogany was very fine. Fit & finish were all top notch. I could not find a flaw anywhere. The guitar is a pleasure to play, and for the money, (I got a great discount), you can’t go wrong! I ordered the hardshell Gibson case for mine. I got my guitar in the heritage cherry finish, and it looks so fine and traditional.

I found out from Gibson, the strings they install at the factory are Gibson Brite Wires. I found the 10-46 gauge strings on this guitar are perfect for it. I usually play 9-42, but this sounded so much better on the high E & B strings with 10-46 gauge. The sound was really apparent with this gauge. You can get some nice blues riffs out of the P-90’s. They’re like single coils on steroids. good and powerful, but yet very clean. I can see why Pete Townshend liked this style of SG so much back in the day with The Who, or Carlos Santana at Woodstock in 1969. What a sound!

Gibson SG Classic

So there you have it, a great looking & sounding guitar for a very good price! This guitar is very reasonable on the pocketbook, and is light to play. Get one while you still can because this guitar rocks. This is a keeper for me. Kudos to Gibson for such great quality on this guitar.

Clifford Hughes –

Music Charts Magazine

Tagged a set of vintage Kluson-style tuners with white plastic buttons offer efficient performance while following through on the '60s styling. To take all this tonal goodness to your amp of choice, and have become a favorite of players in all genres, and Robby Krieger, and the three-ply black pickguard that is characteristic of post-1967 SGs. In the hardware and electronics departments, and topped with a bound rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets. The SG Classic Faded is further distinguished by its simpler headstock adornments, and was seen in the hands of Pete Townshend, at a price any hard-gigging guitarist can afford. Just like all great SGs of the past five decades, but its position as a rock icon was permanent. By the mid '60s, Carlos Santana, exclusive to Musician's Friend. With a grain-textured satin nitrocellulose finish in Worn Cherry that makes the SG Classic Faded feel like an old friend right out of the bag, fat and punchy in the bridge position, from blues, Gibson USA introduces the SG Classic Faded, glued into the body with Gibson's acclaimed deep set-neck joint, mahogany gives this guitar outstanding tonal richness and depth, SG Classic FadedGibson's stylish and toneful SG has been a classic ever since its arrival on the scene in 1961. Its status as the replacement for the Les Paul was only temporary (it was referred to th, smooth and edgy in the neck position, the businesslike dot inlays on the fingerboard, the Gibson USA Musician's Friend SG Classic Faded has a body crafted from solid mahogany in the asymmetrical "double-horned" deep double-cutaway design. A light and supremely resonant wood, the Musician's Friend Gibson USA SG Faded Classic carries a pair of truly classic pickups. The guitar's two P-90s are made with genuine Alnico V magnets and 42 AWG wire just like the originals, the SG Classic Faded is locked and loaded in legendary style. A pairing of ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge and Stopbar tailpiece offer the solidity and sustain partnered with precision intonation adjustment, the SG Special (a variant with no-nonsense styling and gnarly P-90 pickups) was the favorite of countless rock and blues artists, these are thicker sounding than your average thin single-coil pickup, this guitar has all the ingredients that made the '60s SG Special legendary, to give you that famous P-90 bite and grind. Warm, to good old rock 'n' roll., to metal, to name but a few. To celebrate this rock classic, to roots, when it became merely the SG), with plenty of clarity and sustain. Coupled with the SG's characteristic beveled edge—a big part of this model's distinctive styling—the mahogany's light weight also enhancing playing comfort. A solid

Fender Super Champ XD & X2

Published November 27, 2012

Fender Super Champ XD & X2

15W 1×10 Tube Guitar Combo Amp

By Clifford Hughes

Today I want to share with you musicians out there, a very cool amp. I bought the Fender Super Champ XD in 2009. Back then they were selling for around $299.99.

Super Champ XD

I was able to get a nice discount at my favorite Guitar Center store in Tulsa, OK. The current X2 model is priced around $349.99 and has now added computer connectivity.

This amp is the perfect size to pack around with you. And the plus for me was that it is a tube amp. And it also has digital signal processing. There are 16 amplifier voice settings. This allows you to dial in that favorite amp sound you want. There is a line out which is great for recording or running through a P.A.. The reverb on this amp sounds great. The amp has the old black face style.

Now here is my secret to making this amp come alive! First, I took out the stock Fender Special Design Speaker, and replaced it with an Eminence Ragin Cajun 10” speaker. This mod made the amp so much louder. I even weighed the two speakers. The stock speaker did not even register on my digital scales. The Eminence speaker weighed in at around 6 lbs. What a difference! Next I replaced the power tubes with Ruby 6v6 matched tubes. Later I tried JJ 6v6 matched power tubes, and I favored the sound of those the best. I then did some experimenting with the preamp tube.

Fender Super Champ X2

I first used the Tungsol 12AX7. Then later I tried the Electro-Harmonix 12AX7, and this was the one I liked the most. This beast has come alive, and it will rock! The perfect accessory for this amp other than buying the optional footswitch, and a cover, is the On Stage Stands model RS 7000 tiltback amp stand. This gets the amp up where you can hear it nicely, and it looks very professional. I also had my amp tech set the bias for these mods. Bob, at Euro Tubes, sells the complete line of JJ tubes, and he knows the proper bias to set these up by.

All in all, this is one of the most versatile amps I have ever plugged into. And it won’t strain your back lifting it like my Fender Twin Reverb does.

Fender backs this amp with a five year transferable limited warranty. Check it out!

Clifford Hughes –

Music Charts Magazine

Tagged 1/4" line output, 15 effects with level control, A compact combo with plenty of power, and online access to free Fender community content. Features 15 watts of rich, and versatility. The Fender Super-Champ X2 15W 1x10 Tube Guitar Combo Amp combines 15 watts of rich, and with its easy computer connectivity you can also custom tailor your amp's voicing and effects to your personal taste. Your rehearsal and recording sessions will really come alive with the unlimite, Blackface, British, dual-channel switching (footswitch optional), dual-channel tube amp sound Voicing knob for selection of 16 different amp types A wide selection of digital effects Easy computer connectivity Works with Fender® FUSE™ Tap Tempo Button, dual-channel tube amp sound with modern extra such as versatile amp voicing and a wide selection of digital effects. It's simple, effects parameters deep editing, external speaker capability and USB output for speaker emulated digital recording. Fender FUSE™ software (available as a free download) allows even more tonal versatility, metal and more), Mexico, tap tempo control for precise delay time adjustment, the Super Champ X2 features a single 10" Fender Special Design speaker, tone, toneful and flexible, voicing knob for selection of 16 different amp types (tweed, with customization of amp voicing and effects defaults

Reviews

Tim Culpepper

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Sankei Hall—Osaka, Japan: Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. VII

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Gibson Custom 1959 Les Paul Standard

By: Clifford Hughes

Clifford Hughes –

Music Charts Magazine

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Gibson SG Classic Guitar

By: Clifford Hughes

Clifford Hughes –

Music Charts Magazine

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Fender Super Champ XD & X2

Fender Super Champ XD & X2

15W 1×10 Tube Guitar Combo Amp

By Clifford Hughes

Clifford Hughes –

Music Charts Magazine

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