Jim Campilongo is one of those rare artists that' works every inch of tone, style and technique, without ever losing you emotionally. He's definitely a guitar player's guitar player, but you get the sense that he thinks as much like a songwriter when you hear his solo albums. His music conjures the ghosts of classic country and early rock and roll, but through a modern lense. At times haunting and ethereal, upbeat and swinging, dark and disonant, Campilongo keeps you guessing and thoroughly entertained. I can't say I've heard all his stuff, but one listen to Live At The Du Nord is enough to make a convert out of anyone.

I think it's fair to say that Campilongo's sound isn't something that anyone is just going to cop by plugging into the right gear. As with any great tone there is alchemy going on there that can't be distilled down to a method or blueprint. But perhaps if we take a look under the hood it might provide us with a cool starting point on our own quest for the right sound.

Influences:
Before we get into gear though, I think the first place to look would be the players that influenced him. He sites his biggest influence (and mentor) as Roy Buchanan, which makes total sense. Buchanan was a master at things like pitch harmonics, tone & volume pot swells, bending behind the nut, and all matter of pedal steel style innovations. Getting a grip on these types of techniques would no doubt be a great starting point. Buchanan's first self-entitled album is a treasure trove of these ideas. (more...)

This is just some great classic rock tone and playing by Clapton using two 1959 Superlead 100 watt Plexis and a of course the Gibson es-335. Clapton has gone through many different rigs and setups over the years but his sound with Cream captured here is definitely a classic signature rock sound. (more...)

Anyone who's into Vintage & Boutique music gear knows that finding a good deal can take some time and some serious hunting. We go from one website to the next trying to locate a particular piece of gear in the right condition at the right price. And we all know that this is just kind of the deal, just like shopping for any hard to find item, but somewhere in the back of our minds we know that in this day and age there must be a better, less time consuming way. (more...)

Below are our picks for the 15 best boutique overdrive pedals from the last few years. If you have a favorite, let us know what you think and cast a vote in the poll . If you want to give some props to pedals not included here, please feel free to leave a comment. (more...)

Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps helped to define the style and sound of early rock and roll. Blue Cap's guitarist Cliff Gallup , had a playing style in the mid-fifties that is still heavily sought after to this day. Cliff's unique style and tone is perhaps the blueprint for Rockabilly Guitar. (more...)

This post was originally going to list a number of boutique amps that were inspired by the classic 18 Watt Marhsall combo made from 1965 - 1967. It's no doubt that the 18 Watt Marshall has a specific and widely sought after sound, however after doing some digging we felt that a list of all 18 Watt Boutique amps might be a more useful list. (more...)