FLO Guitar Enthusiasts

Have you found yourself in a creative rut? Have you gotten "stuck" and feel you are not making any progress in your musical career? In March we had Les and Linda Wise talk about "The Deliberate Musician" an online curriculum designed to get you focused and on track with your music and career. Tonight Les and Linda return to go into more depth into this fantastic course with a case study! Joining us is Lance Allyn, a successful artist, session musician and educator. With Les and Linda, we go into Lance's career, the obstacles he faced, and how The Deliberate Musician helped him overcome them.

Country music, a big part of our music history. It has influenced and been influenced other styles. You find its influence in rock, jazz, pop, and even classical music. Tonight we take a good look at country guitar playing: the licks, the tone, the different styles and techniques. Joining us in studio is Steve Trovato, a world class guitarist and master of many styles of music. Steve is a session musician specializing in electric, steel string acoustic, nylon string acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro, and mandolin. I've been told by many renowned musicians: "If you want to talk country, talk to Steve!" Steve will be in studio and we will be talking country: the licks, the styles, the tone, and the gear!

This last January we saw all sorts of guitars, amps and effects at NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants. But is the music instrument industry on the upswing, or is it feeling the ravages of our sagging economy? We talk to the man behind the world famous blog, Rock Guitar Daily, Tony Conley, on what he perceives the state of the guitar industry in 2015. We also will get a preview of a new book Tony is completing on the musicianship of Paul McCartney. And we will find out more about Tony's evaluation of Neil Young's PONO, a high end personal music player, and high resolution music in general.

Jazz on the FLO Guitar-Enthusiasts! What is Jazz? Tonight we explore what Jazz is and how to play it. And we have some amazing jazz players to tell us all about it! Returning to the show isLes Wise, educator, author and veteran session musician and jazz guitarist. And joining him is legendary jazz guitarist and session musician Ron Eschete. It's a night of tone, technique, and some amazing guitar playing!!

It's another great night of tone and technique as Scott and Jeff talk with Jeff Watson, best known as one of the founding members and guitarists for the group Night Ranger. But his guitar playing and song writing go far beyond that! Doing guitar work and appearing in the Oscar and Grammy nominated Disney film "Enchanted," Jeff also has composed for film (Vertical Frontier) and TV (Nash Bridges). He has done session work with numerous artists like Sammy Hagar, Deep Purple, Steve Morse, Styx, Boston, Richard Marx, John Mayer, and many, many more! We talk tone and gear with Jeff and we will find out about his legendary "8-finger" tapping technique!

You have great sounding acoustic guitar. But you need to amplify it for your live gigs. How to you capture that great tone live? Scott and Jeff explore one way to make your acoustic sound great live! We are proud to have Lloyd Baggs, of LR Baggs, maker of acoustic guitar pickups and microphones. Originally starting out as a guitar maker, Lloyd and his pickups have become one of the world standards for getting great tone live from your acoustic guitar! But there's more! The FLO had one of Lloyd's Anthem pickup systems installed on his Martin and we will put the pickup system to the test! We will conventionally mic the guitar and compare that sound with the pickup system! We also have another guitar recently installed with the Anthem, a Gibson J-45, and will be doing the test with that guitar also! Joining us, special guest guitar tech Monique Caravello, will be on hand to discuss how she installed these systems on the FLO's guitar. We take you from the beginning to the finished product!

Legendary session musician and guitar designer Buzz Feitenreturns to talk to Scott and Jeff about his Buzz Feiten line of guitars. Buzz spent a lot of time researching what makes a great playing guitar and we talk to him about his research and his conclusions. And we might get a preview of what he is debuting at NAMM this week!

With that opening guitar and bass riff and those in-your-face drums, "My Sharona" by the Knack was one of the most popular songs in 1979 and has become a classic rock song. We talk to one the people that made that song happen. Prescott Niles was the bass player for the group. His bass playing help define the sound of the Knack, and his reputation as a solid bassist is well deserved. Prescott talks to us about his early influences, seeing history being made at the Fillmore East, his technique, tone, and gear. We also learn about life after the Knack, playing for Missing Persons, his solo efforts and where he is going. Also joining us is special guest host Jean Pierre Durand, of the band Incendio. A truly fascinating show about a classic time and classic tone!

Andrew York is one of today's best loved composers for classical guitar and performer of international stature. His compositions blend the styles of ancient eras with modern musical directions, creating a unique body of work. Though mainly playing classical guitar, Andrew is also adept and composes for steel string acoustic and electric guitar. Scott and Jeff talk to Andrew about his amazing career and, of course, his tone, technique, and the guitars he uses.

cott and Jeff welcome Jim "Kimo" West to the show. Best known as the long-time guitarist for "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jim has also composed for film and TV. But Jim's real passion has been exploring and performing "slack key" guitar music. Kimo is a 2008 winner of the Hawaii Music Awards and two-time Na Hoku Hanohano (the Hawaiian "Grammy") nominee. He is also a two-time winner of the LA Treasures Award for his efforts in keeping this important acoustic guitar tradition alive. We talk to Jim about slack key guitar, what it is, it's roots, and where it's going today. Jim also is avid user of Taylor guitars and helped developed their "Expression" system guitar pickup. We will also talk Taylor guitars and the story behind that pickup system.

Tonight Scott and Jeff talk with Joe Bochar. Joe has been a guitar player for over 25 years and a very good one at that! But Joe wasn't satisfied with what he was playing and started modifying his guitars and, ultimately, started making his own guitars. JB Guitars are known for their great tone and their amazing durability. And, now, Joe has started designing distortion pedals! We try out his Grape Fuzz and talk about his unique guitar designs.

Tonight Scott and Jeff talk with Elliot Easton. Elliot was the guitarist in the Cars and his tone helped define their sound. He is now performing in his new band The Empty Hearts. We talk to Elliot about his tone, his gear, his signature guitars, The Empty Hearts, and more!

Scott and Jeff welcome renowned classical guitarist William Kanengiser to the show! Probably most famous as a founding member of the Grammy winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, William has also explored jazz, Caribbean and Near Eastern music with 4 solo releases. He is also a faculty member of the prestigious Classical Guitar Department at USC. Tonight we talk technique, tone, guitars, recording, and more!

It's another night of great tone, as Scott and Jeff talk to Cam Leighton of Oxygen Amps. Oxygen Amps is based in Vancouver and they make some really nice boutique amps. Able to get a Hi-Watt clean sound, Vox cream sound and a Marshall crunch, Oxygen amps can prove quite versatile in a guitarist's arsenal. Utilizing first rate components: transformers from Mercury Magnetics, Scumback speakers, and Sozo capacitors, Oxygen amps are quality through and through and they look great too! Also joining us is guitarist Brian Poulsen, who has worked with Cam and is an avid user of these amps. We will find out how Cam was able to get all that tone in a compact amp and what it takes to get that tone!

Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to Bruce Kulick, an extraordinary guitarist who is probably most known for playing with KISS, from 1984 to 1996, but he has done a lot more than that! Bruce has played with Meatloaf, Billy Squier, among many others, and, for the last 13 years, has been the lead guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad. His solo album "BK3" was one of Classic Rock Magazine's Top 50 albums for 2010. We talk to Bruce about his tone and how he gets it. He is bringing into the studio his signature guitar made by Rock N' Roll Relics and we talk about the development of that amazing axe!!

The demands on guitarists to duplicate their "studio" sounds can be quite demanding. But developments in effects pedals have made it easier to reproduce cool studio effects. But how do you put together the myriad of pedals on a pedalboard to give you the most efficient setup for your gigs? Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to Ron Moreno, a pedalboard designer, who gives seminars on how to build a pedalboard. Joining Ron is Terry Bardoul, owner of StageTrix Products, a company that designs custom switchers and mounts for pedalboards, among other things. Also joining Ron is Josh Smith, guitar player and recording artist, who will be demonstrating the pedalboards we will be looking at.

Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to Scott Lawing, creator and owner ofZexcoil pickups. Scott has created hum canceling pickups that don't lose that single coil sound. I have put them on the FLO-caster and they are super quiet, but still nice and bright! We will talk to Scott and find out how he gets quiet without loss of highs! Joining us also tonight, in studio, are guitarist Hal Henkel, another Zexcoil user, NiteBob, guitar maker and sound engineer, and Andy Fuchs, owner and designer of Fuchs Amps. It will truly be a night of tone!

To continue with our study of microphones, Scott and Jeff talk toDusty Wakeman and John Jennings of Mojave Microphones. Mojave makes various high quality microphones that are becoming the go-to mic for various producers and artists too many to mention here. Scott and Jeff explore these microphones and demo them live on the show!

You've heard about the many programs you can get for your computer, tablet, or phone that replicate your favorite or vintage amp and effects. But, tonight we look at a unique approach to getting the tone you want! Kemper has developed a "Profiling" amp that captures the characteristics of an amp and duplicates it! It is not just a software program, it is a full functioning amp with plenty of power to handle all of your live performance needs. When Kemper debuted this amp a few years ago at NAMM it was the talk of the show!! Scott and Jeff talk with John Huldt of Kemper about this amazing amp and how it works! And, we are bringing some amps in to profile, so we can really see how this amazing amp works!

How old were you when you started playing guitar? Tonight we have the youngest guest to be on our show, guitarist Nik Kai. Nick is 13 years old and started playing guitar at the age of 9! At the age of 10 he won the LA Music Awards "Rock Guitarist of the Year" for 2011. In 2012 he was nominated for the "Metal Hammer Golden God Awards" in the UK. He has been created quite a stir, attracting the attention of the management team for both Motorhead and Anthrax. Nik is endorsed by Gibson/Epiphone, Marshall , EMG, Coffin Cases, Boomphones, Dunlop and Monster Energy Music. Scott and Jeff talk to Nik about how he got into guitar, how he developed his amazing chops, his band "Kemical Kill" and what it is like to jam with some of the best of metal and hard rock! A must listen show for all those who have aspiring young guitar players in their families!

Some guitarists are well known for their amazing setups. And these complex systems need a lot of tender loving care to take the grind of the road. Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to Thomas Nordegg, a legend in the industry, a person who has been a guitar tech for such people as Frank & Dweezil Zappa, Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Jimmy Page, Toto, Tears For Fears, The Pretenders and Steve Vai. We talk to Thomas about these amazing systems, what it takes to maintain them, how these artists get their tone, and other tales from the road!

What do you think when you hear Paul Reed Smith? What comes to my mind is great playing guitars, exotic woods, fast necks, great tone. But they are so much more! Besides making amazingelectric guitars, PRS makes some extraordinary acoustic guitars and monster amps. Scott and Jeff talk to Paul Reed Smith himself, about his legendary instruments and amps. And, in studio, we have Alex Grossi, guitar player for Quiet Riot, showing us his PRS guitar and demoing PRS' new hi-gain Archon amp!

NAMM 2014 is this week, and tonight we are going to get a preview of what Taylor Guitars is debuting at the show! We welcome back Aaron Dablow from Taylor Guitars to talk about their new guitar they are introducing at the show - the T5z!

While Scott is on vacation, Jeff is joined by guitarist/guitar techMonique Caravello welcoming guitarist Rowan Robertson to the show!  Rowan, at 17 yrs. old, played with Ronnie James Dio and his guitar playing was showcased on Dio's "Lock Up The Wolves" album. He also has played with Violet's Demise, DC4 and VAST, besides doing a lot of session work.  We talk to Rowan about his distinctive tone and how he gets it - what gear he uses and how he has influenced heavy metal guitar playing.

A very critical part of great tone, especially when recording, is the microphone you use. Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to Wes Dooley, President of AEA Microphones. Wes has an amazing collection of ribbon microphones and his company is famous for his high quality ribbon mics. Wes will be bringing some of his mics, both old and new, and the FLO will be bringing a couple of guitars to test out these mics. And you can be the judge!

Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to legendary guitarist Richie Kotzen, presently the guitarist for the power trio The Winery Dogs, with Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy, and a solo artist in his own right. Having built his career playing with such diverse artists and groups as Mr. Big, Poison, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, and 20 solo records under his belt, Richie has broad range of experience for his 20 year career. One person who knows and has great tone is Richie, and we talk to him about it! Guitars, technique, gear-we discover how Richie gets his distinctive tone!

Rocktron has been producing innovative products since 1983, and one of their most famous products was their "Hush" noise reduction system. Single ended, not needing an encoder and decoder, like Dolby and DBX, at the time, Rocktron provided a way for guitarists to keep the noise levels down using echoplexes and strings of stompboxes. But they did more than that. They have developed preamps, rack effects, controllers, amplification, stomp boxes, floor processors...the list goes on and on. Tonight we are joined by Chris Walters & Larry Hulsey of Rocktron, and, live in studio, Nick Perri, guitarist and owner of Perri Ink, a shop for custom guitars and apparel. Join us, as we learn about one of the major innovators for guitar electronics that keeps pushing us farther into the future!!

The boutique guitar industry is booming and there are a lot of great luthiers out there making amazing guitars. The bar is high and Scott and Jeff talk to Glenn Sweetwood, of Sweetwood Guitars, who is one of those luthiers that makes high quality guitars. Glenn takes special attention to the woods used for both appearance and resonance. Glenn sent us a prototype guitar, the Meteor, and we will play it live on the show while Glenn explains its features. Glenn will also explain his unique progressive asymmetrical necks.

Effects. Whether they are stomp boxes or rackmount studio devices, we have all used them. And some of us like to use a lot of them! But then, what's the best way to chain our effects together? And how to we minimize signal loss and noise? Tonight we have the pleasure to talk to Bob Bradshaw. A legend in the industry, Bob has designed pedalboard and rack setups for some of the best: Eddie Van Halen, Steve Lukather, Lee Ritenour, Joe Perry, Steve Stevens, and Steve Vai, to name a few. Bob developed a system utilizing a rack mounted audio switcher and discrete loops for 100% bypassing. He also modded effects and developed the CAE/MXR line of pedals. Tonight we get into Bob's approach to rig design, CAE, his company, amp design, pedal design, and more!

Today, we see a lot of women picking up the guitar, and really playing some amazing music! We have seen how much the music industry has changed, but how has it changed for women? We have brought together women to talk about this subject: guitarist and guitar tech Monique Caravello, multi-instrumentalist and producerLiza Carbe, actress-writer-producer-bassist Susan Olsen, and writer-producer-director-talk show host-Sheena Metal, to tell us how the music and media is evolving and what does the industry hold for women?

Tonight Jeff and Scott talk to the Progressive Jazz Fusion groupOui'3, featuring Bill Wiseman on guitar, Lou Castro on bass, andJim Xavier on drums. Combining all sorts of styles and genres of music, Oui'3 has developed their own unique sound. We talk gear, guitars, (drums with Jim), and how they approach and get their sound!

Tonight we talk to Frank Marino, the amazing guitarist from the band Mahogany Rush. Frank has always been known for his amazing tone, and tonight find out how he does it!

Tonight Scott and Jeff talk to the legendary Norman Harris, the owner of Norman's Rare Guitars. Besides having one of the most amazing guitar collections ever, Norman has been the "go to" guy of legendary guitarists for vintage guitars and amps. And he is all around great guy! We will ask Norm about what makes a great guitar, how to pick that "special" guitar for you, and what he thinks of all the new guitars coming out! And, there might be a special guest or two, you never know who can show up with Norm!

Tonight we talk to Anthony Lucas, Senior Lab Tech forEminence Speakers. Eminence Speakers has been around almost as long as rock n' roll, and has been a significant part of it's sound! Jeff and Scott talk to Anthony and find out more about Eminence's expansive line of loudspeakers, discussing the development of Eric Johnson's signature alnico speaker, among many others!

The Wrecking Crew were a group of Studio Musicians in Los Angeles in the 1960's who played on the hits for the "Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny & Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, The Mamas & The Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers, and were Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Jeff and Scott talk to night to Denny Tedesco, son of legendary studio guitarist, Tommy Tedesco, and director of the documentary film about this legendary group. Also, as a extra special bonus, we will have Don Randi joining us, one of the original members of the Wrecking Crew. Join us on this fascinating night delving into rock history!

Scott and Jeff talk to Lou Walker, a versatile guitar player and scholar, who is active in the classical guitar scene internationally and also plays guitar in several big bands. Lou will discuss transcriptions - adaptations of various music to play on classical and electric guitar - who does them and where you can go to get them. He will also discuss how he gets his tone, both classical and electric, the challenges in playing guitar in a big band, and will demonstrate live in studio, both on classical and electric guitar.

Tonight we talk to Josh Childers, of Atlas guitar stands, andLoni Specter, maker of Lapdancer lap steel guitars and creator of the LA Amp show, the LA Guitar show, and the upcomingPedal Expo.