line guitar amplifier
 

Larry Martus | Transcendence Solo recordings have to overcome extra hurdles in order to maintain listener interest. Single-line instruments like the saxophone tend to have the most difficulty because of their limited timbral range and inability to maintain an independent accompanying line. The piano is naturally the most flexible, allowing independent hands to work, but it also has timbral limitations. The guitar is in between—it can fake true contrapuntal lines, but it also can change its sound through electronics. With Transcendence, Larry Martus has assembled a beautiful collection of original compositions for solo guitar. For the gearheads out there (meaning most electric guitar players of any stripe), a lot of different equipment was used in this recording. Martus lists a 1967 Gibson ES-335, a 1968 Fender Pro Reverb, and an “old” Fender Stratocaster (with modified electronics, of course) coupled with a 1956 (!) Fender Tremolux and a Roland JC-120 amplifier. Kava: San Jose festival showcases top-notch local talent for free It's getting harder and harder for great musicians to break away from their day jobs and get on the road. Which for fans means that some of the best local talent still plays area festivals, often for the right price -- free! This weekend offers a classic example with downtown San Jose's Tapestry Arts Festival, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Great, diverse music will be played on a handful of stages. Steve Czarnecki's Soul Jazz Quintet is built around the Hammond B-3, that full-blustered organ that gave the old soul classics, like Booker T's ``Green Onions,'' their flavor. Czarnecki's band includes singer Nate Pruitt, who has taught a lot of San Jose's finest singers the art of vocals. They play at 11:45 a.m. Saturday on the 98.5 KFOX/95.3 KRTY stage. The Water Cooler: They should go to 11 - and start with 1 Nigel Tufnel, to put it kindly, seldom has come across as the sharpest guitar pick in the box, but he clearly has his admirers at the University Interscholastic League. A brief review, for those of you unfamiliar with the legendary Spinal Tap lead-guitar player: Tufnel, being interviewed for "This Is Spinal Tap" — a 1984 chronicle of the band's American tour — explained to filmmaker Marty DiBergi why the volume switch on his guitar's amplifier went to 11, rather than the customary 10. DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder? Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not 10. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at 10. You're on 10 here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on 10 on your guitar.