10 BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (1991)
Leaning harder into the L funk of funk-rock than any of their peers, the Chilis' defining moment finds John Frusciante drawing as much on Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly Stone as Hendrix. It turned out that playing James Brown riffs with a grittier tone and a drummer who wanted to be John Bonham was a winner. Frusciante's angular soloing on Suck My Kiss and the graunching string bends of Give It Away explored how percussive lead guitar can get, while Under The Bridge is the best anyone has appropriated Hendrix's combined lead-rhythm style. Amps? You don't need one - John did most of this straight into the desk.
09ÆNIMA TOOL (1996)
Unlike his former bandmate Tom Morello, there's no single aspect of Tool guitarist Adam Jones' playing that is identifiably unique. Somehow, though, the overall effect sounds quite unlike anyone else. The majority of riffs are in 4/4, but the band's knack for placing accents in different places for each instrument makes Ænima constantly rhythmically engaging. Jones' Les Paul tone is gigantic yet clear, coming from an early blueface Diezel VH4. His use of flangers gave the tone movement, and he's one of the few guitarists to exploit his guitar's tone control. The grooves in Ænima are so hypnotic that epic tunes flash by.
08 SUPERUNKNOWN SOUNDGARDEN (1994)
This story is from the August 2022 edition of Total Guitar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2022 edition of Total Guitar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
POSITIVE GRID SPARK 2
The sequel to the world's most popular smart guitar amp is here
JACKSON PRO PLUS XT SOLOIST SLAT HT6 BARITONE
We get low with this fast-playing, all-black modern metal machine
GUILD POLARA DELUXE
A’70s staple gets a bit of are-jig, o4 years after it was introduced
NEURAL DSP NANO CORTEX
Neural DSP's second pedal might be the ultimate compact all-in-one rig
EPIPHONE JIMI HENDRIX LOVE DROPS FLYING V
Prepare to kiss the sky with Epiphone's latest 'Inspired By...' model
JIMMY PAGE
\"I was using what was really meaty!\"
EDDIE VAN HALEN
“You either capture the vibe or you don't!”
MYTH BUSTERS: THE CABLE DESTRUCTION TEST
Need to know whether gear is worth your cash? Who you gonna call...
JOHN FRUSCIANTE'S LETTER FROM AMERICA
Our July 2006 issue featured none other than John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the cover, with a line of text promising discussion of meditation, drugs, Hendrix and some chat about the band’s then-latest album, Stadium Arcadium.
CHALLENGE CHARLIE
Ata time when TC's staff were getting, frankly, rather silly, one man stood up to take on the daftest of all our challenges...