Guitar Video Reviews

Have you ever seen or used this video, or any of the videos similar to this? What did you think of them? Or, if you've got any other instructional videos to recommend or criticize, let your opinions fly in the Guitar Forum.

Getting the Sounds: Classic Rock Guitar

The concept of the "Getting the Sounds" series of instructional videos is simple and effective; demonstrate how to get a great guitar sound, by clearly showing guitar and amp combinations, effects and amp settings, etc. These videos are obviously suited to guitarists trying to get a better sound out of their guitar and amp combination. But the "Getting the Sounds" videos can also be a great resource for guitarists thinking of buying a new guitar or amp.

SULTANS OF SWING SOUND

GUITAR SETTINGS: Fender Strat out-of-phase pickup (betw. bridge and middle position) AMP SETTINGS: Fender Twin Pre: 4 T,M,B: all at 5 Reverb: 2 or 3 Master: 10

This "Classic Rock" edition in the series, hosted by Kenn Chipkin, explores the use of the Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul, and Gibson 335 in modern rock music. By combining these guitars with different amps (a Vox, a Fender Champ, a Fender Twin, and a Marshall half-stack), Chipkin demonstrates how to reproduce many of the common rock guitar sounds heard on classic rock recordings.
Chipkin does a good job of replicating many of these great guitar sounds... and when he plays riffs from Hendrix, Beck, and SRV tunes, they certainly sound authentic. The viewer gets to see what guitar and amp Chipkin uses for each, but unfortunately the guitarist is sometimes less than thorough in explaining what the specific amp and guitar settings are. Guitarists tuning in to the video in hopes of finding suggested cool presets for their gear might be slightly disappointed by this lack of detail. There is still a lot of great material on this "Getting the Sounds" video, however, especially regarding which gear guitarists used on many classic rock tunes. If you love the sound Pete Townsend got on The Who's "Pinball wizard", or the guitar tone Mark Knopfler got on Dire Strait's "Sultans of Swing", Chipkin will provide you with what you want to know.
Despite being a solid video, one can't help but feel that "Classic Rock Guitar" doesn't quite meet the exacting standards of the best entry in the series thus far, the incredible Classic Country Guitar. That video took great care to explain detailed settings a guitarist could use to dial in a great country guitar tone, whereas the "Classic Rock Guitar" video doesn't do this as effectively. It is nonetheless a perfect resource for guitarists unsure of what to look for in a guitar/amp combo. The demonstration of all the great sounds that can be achieved with various guitar and amp combinations will surely leave viewers wanting to run out and blow their paycheques on new guitars.

Buy Getting the Sounds: Classic Rock Guitar at Music Books Plus

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