The Genius of Rainger FX

If you are a modern guitarist you need to know about Rainger FX pedals. In the world of effects manufacturers, it sometimes seems that, not only are there too many versions of a tube screamer, but that even with the more modern effects, i.e. glitch, micro-loopers, etc., effects manufacturers are often releasing variations on a theme—not so David Rainger.

At first glance, his pedals can seem like some random gimmick, designed to be willfully different. Further investigation reveals that, for starters, their basic sounds are uniformly terrific: musical, lush, warm—all the usual coveted qualities. It’s just that on top of that Rainger has added functions that demand creativity, often inspired by non-guitar music like hip-hop and synth-based songs. It is a joy to watch his pedals force Mick and Dan into new sonic territory and the palpable joy it brings them. (Check out my review of the Mini Bar here)

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Yaron Deutsch Performance

It has been fascinating to watch the expansion of electric guitar into the “classical” realm over the last 30 or 40 years. I have been privileged to have had interesting and enlightening discussions with two guitarist/composers working in this field: Tim Brady and James Moore. Israel has been exporting excellent guitarists for a while now: Gilad Hekselman, Oz Noy to name but two. Add to the list Yaron Deutsch. Working in the classical/new music realm he turns in an astonishing performance here, demonstrating a wealth of extended techniques, developed in the improvised music realm, which are showing up more and more in composed works.

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The Markus Reuter Interview

Happy New Year. My interview with Markus Reuter is long overdue. He has been a major part of the modern guitar community for decades, from his brilliant work with The Stickmen and versions of King Crimson, to his recordings ranging from ambient to prog, to his terrific podcast featuring a number of modern guitarists. He has worked with Tim Motzer, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp and Mark Wingfield among others. Our conversation ranges wide and long, covering many things of interest to the modern guitarist.

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Cool Pedal Alert: Boss SL-2 Slicer

The original Boss Slicer, the SL-20, was one of those pedals that was ahead of its time. Not enough guitarists were into the sequencer style sounds that it was capable of producing. Or, not into it enough to sacrifice the pedalboard space it required. With the release of the SL-2 compact version of the effect, Boss is betting that the increase of forward thinking guitarists, combined with the new compact size, will entice more people to slice. 

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Great Interview with Mike Baggetta

There is a new YouTube channel that combines van life and guitar called Guitar Magic, with John Hammond interviewing guitar related people. His interview with Mike Baggetta offers insightful questions and answers. And here is a link to my own interview with this master of modern guitar.

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