The Fervor Advantage!

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we continue to bring you more products and information. We are committed to helping you become more informed and enlightened, so you understand what we do and why Fervor is second to none. Also, if you have any questions or comments please email us. We love feedback.

Understanding Capacitors: The Misunderstood, Underappreciated Capacitor

One of the least understood components for enhancing electric guitar tone is the capacitor. Even for players who know what they are, capacitors are usually an afterthought. In fact, they’re one of the first things on your guitar you should consider upgrading.

What are they? A capacitor is an electrical energy device used to store energy and it can be found near the wiring controls under the pickguard or the body cavity of a guitar. Normally, guitars only have one capacitor, and there main function is to distribute stored energy equally into the capacitor.

Because capacitors can differentiate between high- and low-frequency signals, they’re used as electronic filters—and that’s how they’re used in guitars, through tone controls.

Tone controls can eliminate higher frequencies, significantly affecting the sound by resulting in a more mellow tone.

Generally speaking, the bigger the capacitor the darker the tone, and the smaller the capacitor the brighter the tone. A capacitor’s value, or capacitance, can give you an idea of just how it will affect tone, from slightly warm all the way to dark. Here are some guidelines:

A Quick Reference for Capacitor Values

Capacitance (in UNITS)	Tonal quality
.01uF / .05uF	Bright, trebly
.047uF / .022uF	Beefy, good mid-range, minimal reduction in brightness
.1uF	Bassy, a hint of brightness

Choosing a capacitor depends on your tonal preferences and needs. It’s not necessarily easy for someone to answer for you. But when I’m asked, I usually recommend a .047uF capacitor. It’s versatile, with a wide range of tone from beefy to bright, and can be easily adjusted using the tone control.

The right capacitor can transform your tone, dramatically and instantly. Before buying a new guitar, consider the much more cost-effective move of changing your capacitor.

Sunday Blues Shot: Stan Webb

Stan Webb is a British blues frontman and lead guitarist of the blues band, Chicken Shack. Initially formed in 1965, the band was composed of Webb, Christine Perfect (who later married John McVie), drummer Dave Bidwell, and bassist Andy Sylvester (who would later play with the British blues ensemble, Savoy Brown). With his first version of the Chicken Shack formed, Webb and the band played Hamburg, Germany over the next two years as Webb and his bandmates perfected their playing style. Then in 1967, they signed with Blue Horizon record label along side the fledgling band Fleetwood Mac. Throughout the mid to late 1960's, Chicken Shack experienced decent fanfare when R&B was booming throughout England. The group covered many American blues standards and they composed many hits as well. Their biggest hit and most played track "I'd Rather Go Blind", which was originally recorded by Etta James, became a modern day blues classic.

Chicken Shack has evolved over the years but Webb is still the frontman and lead guitarist. Webb is a soulful player with a tremendous passion for the blues. Check out Webb in this clip. You'll likely become a fan. fhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-sf0L8Snvs&feature=related

Only 8 Days Remain to Win a set of Fervor Classic Stratocaster Pickups

I started making pickups for one simple reason: I was searching for great tone and was continually disappointed by what was available on the market.

After years of work, I think Fervor makes the best vintage pickups sold today. But I want to hear what you think.

Enter to win

That’s why I’m asking you to enter to win a set of Fervor Classic Stratocaster pickups. These low- to medium-output pups produce a strong but polished, velvety smooth tone. What’s the catch? If you’re the lucky winner, I’d like you to install the pickups and tell us what you think. That’s it.

Entering is easy. Just click on www.fervorpickups.com and enter your email address in the lower right hand corner. Once you do that you’re entered to win. We’ll announce the winner on December 2nd. Good luck!

Geoff Moore

President, Fervor

www.fervorpickups.com

Fervor J-bass Pickup

Here is a photo of our new vintage hand wound J-bass pickups. Made w/ Alnico 5 magnets, vintage grey bobbins, and 42 gauge wire for superior tone. The neck pickups is wound to 8k and the bridge is to 8.5k. Available in vintage grey or traditional black which includes covers, the Fervor J-bass pickups are Priced at $180 a set. Installation is simple and you will be jamming in no time.

Call us today at 1-772-600-7245 and order yourself a set. Don't waste your valuable time searching for pickups when you can just call Fervor. Visit us online at www.fervorpickups.com.

Fervor Pickups, "Tone you own."

Peter Frampton Talks Tone, Technique, and Tuning

Peter Frampton said that after he won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2007  he felt "validated." Many would find this comment an oddity considering Frampton's enormous success with his bands Herd and Humble Pie, and his gigantic hit album Frampton Comes Alive in 1976. However, years of side projects including the ill-fated film Sgt. peppers Lonely Hears Club Band, had taken him away from his talent as a serious guitarist and songwriter.

Hungry and energized with his Grammy win, Frampton chose to follow the album Fingerprints with the new hard-rocking Thank you Mr. Churchill, a very personal album full of amazing riffs, and some of his best guitar tones ever. "I wanted to reintroduce my singing on this album and do something completely different than Fingerprints, even though I did maintain a connection by including two instrumentals."

Frampton brings lots of beefy tones on the new album that produces a mixture of huge crunch and distortion sounds. "I got most of the sounds, especially the lead sounds, with one of two Marshall amps." Says Frampton; "I used a 70's Marshall that was modified by Jose Arredondo, the guy who modified Eddie Van Halen's amps, and a 1962 JTM-45." As if not having EVH's amp guy wasn't  enough, Frampton goes on to say, "I often just played straight through the amps, though sometimes I boosted the gain with either a Klon Centaur or Fulltone OCD pedals."

Several songs on the new album have a fat bluesy tone. "That's my Gibson 1960 Les Paul re-issue aged by Tom Murphy. I plugged straight into the JTM-45 and went for a Blues Breakers sound with an Eric Clapton sort of tone. I added a little more room ambience to get that 'everybody-playing-around one-microphone' old school blues sound."

Frampton's ability to extract tone is truly amazing and can be heard on the song "Restraint" which is a maniacal groove that uses altered tuning. With the first and sixth strings tuned down to D, Frampton is able to play normal fingerings while at the same time create an ominous tone. In addition, Frampton creates huge tones that captivate with just his Les Paul straight into his Marshall amp. "The only trick I used was that I would plug into the high-gain input [input 1] of the second channel which is the bassier one and then patch the other input from that channel of the high-gain input of the first or the more trebly channel. I'd just bring in a little of the brighter tone by turning that channel up to about one quarter, while adjusting the tone controls for the second channel. I believe that's the opposite of how most people did it."

Frampton is even more focused on his technique along with technical tricks. Frampton's deft talent to write huge riffs was significantly influenced by his former bandmate, Steve Marriott, of Humble Pie. "The riff! Steve taught me a lot about how to attack a note or a chord and also about how long to hold each note or chord an the space that you leave in between them." He continues by stating, "Steve was also a really good orchestrator of big guitar riffs. I would write big riffs too based on what he taught me, and then we would combine them into these enormous arrangements."

Another huge influence on Frampton is the great Django Reinhardt. "I think the way that Django used diminished runs, for example, is something that is visited on the current album as well as when I play live. Listening to Django all the time has influenced the way that I attack notes, which is a hugely important part of sound." Frampton concludes, "Django was an incredibly melodic player who could obviously play a string of notes from one end of the fretboard to the other in a half second, but also knock you out just by playing a single note across six chords changes. In other words, he didn't play fast all the time just because he could."

While most of us will never have the talent to play guitar like Frampton, we can learn from what he has to say. Whether it's plugging into a Marshall amp as Frampton explains above or using altered tunings, or perhaps, exploring the way you attack a riff, it's clear that even the best guitarists never stop experimenting. So take a page from a Frampton's playbook and then plug-in and experiment. Who knows, you may be very pleased with what you hear.

Bass of the Week: Fender Precision Bass

The Fender P-Bass is by far the most popular bass design in history and it's the first electric bass ever mass produced. Introduced in 1951, the P-Bass (which was in fact influenced by the Telecaster guitar) was made out of a slab of asymmetrical double cutaway ash body with a blond finish and a black fiber pickguard (clear coated with lacquer), a one piece maple 34" scale neck with a the serial number stamped on the bridge plate, and it was furnished with flat pole single coil pickups. Its most distinguishable feature, in my opinion, is its famous and impressive tuners.

Modern basses have evolved and have been received well. However, even to this very day, the P-Bass is still played by more bass players than any other bass including artists like Billy Sheehan, Duff McKagan, Duck Dunn, Mike Dirnt, Reggie Hamilton, Flea, Roger Waters, and Pete Wentz.

When Leo fender introduced the P-Bass he started something BIG! The P- Bass was and is still the top dog of the bass world.

Earl Slick: The Art of Vibrato

Earl Slick is one of my favorite guitar players of all time.  His career has paired him up with John Lennon on his final all new studio album Double Fantasy and David Bowie where he played on three Top 10 albums: David Live - 1974, Young Americans (1975) and Station To Station (1976), the latter featuring the smash mega-hits "Fame" and "Golden Years." "Earl is a legendary guitar star and a musician of great feeling, " says Bowie. " his playing is earthy, timeless and never less than stellar." Slick's impressive resume also found him virtually replacing Brian Setzer in the Stray Cats during the mid 80's. 

Now I normally write about pickups, but frequently I just like to share ways to get great tone. As luck has it, I recently obtained a video Slick made at a guitar clinic were he discusses vibrato. The topic of vibrato can be found all over the web, however, when a legendary guitarist like Slick sits down to lecture and demonstrate the precise way to get great vibrato it's much more appealing. I hope you find this video as interesting as I did. \m/!  http://bit.ly/9IlP23

Guitar of the Week: Gibson Explorer

As a young man I was always fascinated with the futuristic guitar designs coming out of Gibson Guitars. My initial love affair with these wild wooden creations was the Flying V. But soon after playing the "V" I realized it wasn't for me. Auspiciously, a nearby music store that I visited weekly had an Explorer in stock that I played and fell in love with. So I wanted to feature the Explorer this week and its history.

It all starts in 1958, when Gibson President Ted McCarty hired car designer Ray Dietrich to design a guitar that would have popular appeal. Under Mr. Dietrich, Gibson introduced the classic space age styled solid body electric guitar the Explorer. Mr. Dietrich’s design philosophy centered on taking the classic lines of 1950s car tailfins and melding his design idea with guitars. It was at this same time that other futuristic guitars like the Firebird and the Flying V were introduced.

Features of the Explorer are its Korina (African Limba wood) body with an elongated upper treble bout and lower bass bout and are outfitted with two humbucking P.A.F. pickups. The Explorer fretboard is rosewood or ebony (Classic White only), tune-o-matic bridge, stop tailpiece (some with a Bigsby Vibrato, a white pickguard and its famous scimtar-shaped (hockey stick) headstock. The Explorer came in a natural finish with the Gibson pearl logo.

In 1958 Gibson only produced forty Explorers. Dietrich's designs remain iconic to this day, however, Gibson found little success and the Explorer was unsuccessful. Unfortunately for Gibson, the Explorer's initial run and the model were discontinued in 1959.

Two of the greatest guitarists Eric Clapton and Johnny Winter played the Explorer.

Ironically, the Explorer has had a rebirth among several guitar companies. Companies like ESP, Dean Guitars, Aria, Gaskell, Kramer and Peavey continue to make Explorer-esque guitars that have become very popular guitar among rock and metal players.

Defining Pickups

I want to share an article from Premier Guitar written by famed guitar luthier Jol Dantzig, that addresses the goals luthiers have when choosing pickups for their guitars. Here are a few excerpts that describe ways to obtain the right pickups.

“Choosing a pickup can be a daunting task, but if you know what to look for it’s a whole lot easier. I learned a valuable lesson while working with Don Gehman, a legendary and brilliant record producer.” Dantzig details his experience with Gehman that he refers to as “The Human Voice Lesson.”

“With everything in place, Don asked the vocalist, Tommy Shaw, to speak into each mic while we listened with eyes closed. As Tommy went from mic to mic, speaking, shouting, then finally singing, I had a hard time making up my mind. Don, on the other hand knew immediately what he was listening for. When I told him I couldn’t choose which one I liked best, he offered some sage advice. Don reminded me that I knew Tommy’s voice well enough to identify him on the phone with a single word, and that I should listen for the mic that made Tommy sound, well, like Tommy. “The object,” Don confided, “is to bring out the character in the voice that makes it sound like who the singer is.” This is the identical process I use today to determine which pickup to pair with a guitar.”

Once Dantzig finds the sound that he covets he then unites it by matching the composition of the guitar to the pickup. He goes on to say “An unamplified test confirmed my intuition—the guitar was airy and projected well. The bass was tight but not pronounced. The most apparent virtue was a nice upper mid that was well defined, smooth, and breathy. This, I decided, was the attribute to emphasize—it was the instrument’s true voice, and I didn’t want to bury it. I’d need a pickup that could support the low end without sacrificing the breathiness of the upper mids.”

Finally, Dantzig tests the guitar and pickups through several amplifiers, listening for the guitars true character. He continues stating “It’s always a good idea to use your main amp to set a comparative baseline, but I also like to audition with a slew of amps to get a better feel for what the pickup/guitar combination is capable of. If I can find a magic combination that just blows me away, it will be worth considering even if it is a specialized setup. In this case, the test amps ranged from small combos like my vintage Ampeg Jet, a Fender Pro Jr., and a tweed Fender Harvard, to a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier half-stack and a 1972 100-watt Marshall. Plus a lot of stuff in between, like my trusty red- panel Vox AC30 Twin and various Fenders.”

Dantzig concludes “My advice is to be open to the possibilities within any instrument—then celebrate it. Just like good friends, guitars come in all shapes and sizes, and every one has a different personality. Find a pickup that highlights the character of the guitar instead of trying to make it only what you can imagine. In the end, you’ll be surprised how liberating it is. And that’s a game worth playing.”

While most of us don’t have the time or the resources to test dozens of pickups, the steps outlined in the above excerpts extend an easy template for choosing your next set of pickups. Another recommendation is to listen to various sound clips from various pickup manufacturers. At Fervor we have made it easier to hear our pickups through sound clips. We know that purchasing pickups can be daunting and expensive, so we narrow the difficulty of choosing a pickup by offering vintage pickups that come as close to the originals as possible. We want to make it easy for you to select the right pickup.

Noted designer, builder, and player Jol Dantzig founded Hamer Guitars, the first boutique guitar brand, in 1973. Since then, he has worked or recorded with many of the most talented and famous names in music. Today, as the director of Dantzig Guitar Design he continues to help define the art of custom guitar.

Sunday Blues Shot: Albert Collins

Albert Collins was born in Leona, Texas, in 1932 the son of sharecroppers but later moved to the the black ghetto of Houston, TX. As a child he the learned to play piano as a youth and grew up listening to big-band music of Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, and Tommy Dorsey. His focus changed from the piano to the guitar after his organ was stolen. Fortunately, Collins learned to play guitar from his cousins Willow Young and Lightnin' Hopkins, both legendary bluesman.

His passion for the guitar grew as did his talent. In 1947 Collins began playing blues at local clubs with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.  Then in 1952, he formed his first band and spent two years as the headliner at several blues clubs in Houston. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s he continued to refine his style and absorb the blues sounds from Texas, Mississippi (Bentonia School) and Chicago. He regularly named John Lee Hooker and organist Jimmy McGriff, along with Hopkins, Guitar Slim and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown as major influences on his playing.

Collins in well-known for his unique sound featuring minor tunings. His razor-sharp guitar style combined sustained notes and an "attack" finger style. He also frequently used a  capo on his guitar, particularly on the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. He primarily favored an "open F-minor" tuning (low to high: F-C-F-Ab-C-F). In the booklet from the CD Ice Pickin, it was stated that Collins tuned to a "D minor D-A-D-F-A-D" Tuning. He played without picks using his thumb and first finger. Collins credited his unusual tuning to his cousin, Willow Young, who taught it to him the 

By the late 1950s Collins began using Fender Telecasters. He later chose a "maple-cap" 1966 Custom Fender Telecaster with a PAF humbucker in the neck position and a 100 watt 1970s RMS silverface  Fender Quad Reverb combo as his main equipment.

Although he was largely unknown of until late in his career, he is considered one the best blues players of his era, while earning the nickname "Iceman" for his scorching solos and mind blowing riffs. He has influenced many artists and did collaborations with Ronnie Wood, Jimmy Page, Robert Cray, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, B.B. King and Eric Clapton. Collins was credited by the late guitarist Jimi Hendrix with being one of his primary influences.

Sunday Blues Shot

Peter Green (born Peter Allen Greenbaum) was born in London in 1946 and is a British blues-rock guitarist who is best known as the founder of Fleetwood Mac. Green was a major figure in the second wave of the British blues movement. Green inspired the great B.B. King to say,"Peter has the sweetest tone I have ever heard and he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats."

Green's playing style consisted of string bending and vibrato ballads that mesmerized listeners and catapulted him to legendary status. Green is credited for his very "melodic and soulful phrases" and his use of "shuffle grooves" which are often dark and bluesy.

He was best known for playing a 1959 Gibson Les Paul that was often referred to as his "magic guitar." His unique tone came from his humbucker neck pickup which was reversed and rewired, a change he made in 1967. While he was with Fleetwood Mac he used and Orange amplifier without any effects. In the 1990's Green began to play his 1960 Fender Stratocaster again after thirty years of not playing it, but is now his guitar of choice and which he can be seen performing with today.

Guitarist such as Gary Moore, Joe Perry, and Andy Powell have cited Green as their major influence.

Fervor Introduces Bass Pickups

After several months of extensive testing, we are proud to announce our new Fervor Classic P-Bass Pickups. Made of 42 gauge wire, alnico 5 magnets, vulcanized bobbins, and cloth wire leads, our Classic bass pickups replicate a true 1960's P-Bass sound. Whether it's country, rock, or metal, our bass pickups have a certain growl and plenty of mid-range power, as well as low-end punch that will cut through any mix. When asked to try the Classics, professional bassist Mike Jones commented " I have played a P-Bass for years and the Fervor Classics are exactly what I would want and expect in a P-Bass Pickup."

As we do with all our pickups, our Bass pickups are handwound and meticulously crafted, which makes Fervor the clear choice when it's time for replacement pickups. Pickups can be purchased individually for $65 each or as a set for $120 (does not include shipping) and are available in either a black or white cover.

To get your own set of Fervor Bass Pickups, email us at gmoore@fervorpickups.com. Please leave your name, telephone number, and we will contact you once we receive your request.

** Professional bassist Mike Jones is the former co-founder, songwriter and bass player of Red Radio Flyer, an alt-country band from New York City that made a splash in 2000 with the release of their critically acclaimed full-length CD Gettin' Somewhere on MotherWest Records.  Gettin' Somewhere featured the radio hit "Please Don't Ask Me to Explain" and the critics fav "The Story of Angel'.  A graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mike had a long career working as a songwriter, studio musician, sideman and member of a number of NYC indie bands.  In recent years, Mike has co-written songs and wrote scores for a number of award winning, independent animated short films and has recently formed a jazz trio with friends in Wilton, Connecticut. Mike is also the co-founder of Triplestop, a marketing firm in the New York metro area with offices in Connecticut and Sarasota, Florida.  Fervor is affiliated with Mike and his partner, Joe Polidoro, both creators of our website and whom we have hired for their marketing experience.

Guitar of the Week

1961 Gibson SG Les Paul Standard 

In 1961 Gibson introduced the world to the highly successful SG Les Paul Standard model. The SG was made of a scalloped mahogany body with double pointed cutaways and it was equipped with two P.A.F. humbucker pickups. In addition to it's superior design, the SG had a beautiful cherry red finish, a three layer black beveled small pickguard, pearloid trapezoid fingerboard inlays, crown peghead inlay, and nickel plated parts. Several models were introduced with the "Maestro", "Lyre Vibrola" and Bigsby vibrato (tremolo arm) tailpeices throughout the 1960's.

Considered by many guitar aficionados as the single best designed guitar ever built because of its narrow body and long and sleek neck, the SG captured the interest of many great guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Tommy Iommi, Angus Young and Derek Trucks.

The SG was discontinued is 1970 but later replaced in 1971 by the SG Deluxe.

 

Guitar of the Week

1954 Fender Stratocaster

First introduced in March of 1954, the Fender Stratocaster may well be the most popular and copied guitar design ever. Designed with a classic double cutaway body and a very crude sunburst finish, the Stratocaster was made of ash and came with three single coil pickups, a jack angled into the top, a tremolo standard (but available without a tremolo on special order), three knobs (volume, tone, tone), and gold plated parts optional till 1967. It's beautifully crafted neck is made of maple and has black dot position markers and the truss rod is marked with a walnut "skunk stripe" down the back of the neck. Initially the volume and tone pots came in 100k ohms but changed to 250k ohms in late June of 1954; it should be noted that this important upgrade is one of the many important technical features that create it's rich, creamy,  legendary tone.

Their are a number of great guitarists who play the Stratocaster such as Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Holly, and the list continues.

Guitar of the Week

  Gibson Flying V Electric Solidbody


I can still vividly remember the first time I saw a Flying V at a nearby music store in my hometown of Hudson, New Hampshire. It was love at first sight. My affinity for it was not for its playability but for the visual pleasure it conveyed to me. It was cool, hardcore, and my favorite artists like Jimmy Hendrix, Albert King, Kirk Hammett, Kim Simmonds, and Rick Nielsen all played the "V" at some point in their careers.

First introduced in 1958, the Flying V had a Korina (African Limba wood) body with a natural finish, two P.A.F. humbucker pickups, with strings anchored through the body (V-shaped plate guides the strings), with a white or black pickguard, triangular peghead with a rounded top, and finished with gold plated parts. It's reported that only two batches of forty instruments (80 total) were made in 1958.

Unfortunately, in 1963 the Flying V was discontinued, but was later re-introduced in a different form in 1966. Then in 1981 to 1984 the 1958 model was reissued as the Heritage (I first saw it in 1982). The success of the "V" still continues today as guitarists worldwide are attracted to it's many qualities.

Guitar of the Week

 

Fender Esquire

Introduced in June of 1950 (but available earlier} as Fender's first electric solid-body, the Esquire was equipped with one or two pickups (one pickup was introduced first), a black pine body, a white pickguard, and steel bridge saddles. The Esquire had the standard "Telecaster" body shape (1.5" thick) that initially came with a laminated finish but later changed to butterscotch blond on a solid ash body and a black pickguard. Soon after its introduction, Fender decided to add two pickups and it became more commonly known as the "Double Esquire." 

It's reported that sixty 1950 Esquires were shipped. The Esquire only lasted in it's original form until the Broadcaster replaced it in October of 1950. However, the Esquire was re-introduced in January of 1951 as a one pickup version of the Broadcaster, with a truss rod and brass bridge saddles.

The Esquire is one of the most influential guitars ever introduced. It's tone is out of this world!

Les Paul TV Model Electric Solidbody

 

The "TV" model is essentially a Les Paul Junior with a yellowish/beige translucent finish. This model was created because on a black and white TV screen, the Les Paul Junior model in sunburst looked very dark and difficult to see. The lightness of the TV finish made the guitar stand out on the screen. This model follows the same basic specs as the Les Paul Junior model with only the color and peghead designation is different. The TV model was sold with a single P-90 pickup to give  it's small body a robust tone. The first year or so of production, the Les Paul TV model was 3/4 scale and used a maple body. By 1955 the model changed to full scale but still retained the maple body. By 1956 the body was mahogany and full scale. The late 1955 full scale mahogany version is the most desirable as the sound is much fuller with a long scale and mahogany body.

How to Choose a Guitar Pick

The more tools in your kit as a guitar player, the more options you have. And one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated tools is… the pick (aka “plectrum”).

As you know if you’ve ever stood in a guitar store checkout line, picks come in a staggering number of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses, and in many different materials. Maybe you thought this was just marketing—like the different varieties of Arizona Ice Tea.

But these qualities can make a huge difference in tonal character. In this respect, picks are a little like wine glasses. Just as some glass shapes are best suited for certain wine varieties than others, some picks are better for producing a certain tone. Including the tone you’re looking for.   

Part of it is physics: The mass of the pick determines the energy and force of your attack.

Heavier picks produce a meatier tone, and tend to be used by artists who want an explosive sound.

Thinner picks, which are usually more flexible, result in a softer sound. I prefer thinner picks when I’m plucking. Easier to move. More flexible picks are often preferred by rhythm players.

Firm picks can produce a bright, biting sound (try it with humbuckers flipped to the neck pickups). Think Pete Townshend.

Shapes make a difference, too. Triangular picks dig into the string, for a rich, thick sound.

Round-edged picks provide warmer tone that can reduce output. To borrow an old tagline from Ovation, the sound is rounder.

And then there are materials. Genuine tortoiseshell combines overall stiffness with pliability near the tip, making it a favorite among many players. Picks made from this material haven’t been in production since the 1970s, but you can still find these old picks if you look around.

Nylon is often used by country players. It has more flexibility than other materials, and sounds particularly good on acoustics

Let your choice of pick(s) be determined by the kind of music you play, your style of playing, your attack—and, in the end, what sounds good to your ear.

With all these options, though, how do you choose? Unlike most equipment we buy, picks are relatively cheap. Next time you’re at the music store, spend $10 or $20 and get as many varieties of picks as you can. Buy different shapes, sizes, and materials.

Then take them home and play them until you find a few that work well with your style. It’s by far the cheapest way to experiment with your sound.

You may not abandon your favorite picks, but then again you may surprise yourself. Johnny Marr once said that when he started playing a Tele, entirely new avenues of creativity opened up to him—just because of the way the guitar sounded and played in his hands.

Changing your equipment—even your picks—can change your world, sometimes for the better.

How I (Sort of) Crashed Super Bowl XLIV

Nope, I didn’t get into the Orange Bowl for the game. But our pickups made it to the Saints’ post-game party. Here’s the story.

I got a call that day from Fervor endorser Andrew Autin, who’d just arrived in Miami. Andrew plays lead guitar for MoJEAUX, the band hired to play what would turn out to be the Saints’ victory party.

The switch on one of his custom Hembrys was cutting out and the bridge pickup wouldn’t play. It was a big deal to Andrew—he’d just installed a pair of Fervor Hot humbuckers, whose punchy tone he really likes. (I’m convinced there’s a metalhead somewhere in Andrew’s past.)

What could I do? Miami’s an hour-and-a-half drive from our factory, so I told him I’d be right down. We met in the Miami Marriot lobby. “Wow. You guys make house calls,” Andrew said when he saw me. I set up my operating room right there: two chairs, my soldering iron, and a worried-looking concierge in the background.

A few minutes later, the Hembry was ready to play. Andrew’s not only a superb guitarist, he’s also a gentleman; he immediately invited my wife and I to dinner with the band. It was a great chance to get to know these guys face-to-face. I’ll say this about every one of the New Orleanians I met in Miami, which was maybe 80% Saints fans on that electric night: they’ve gotta be the kindest people I’ve ever met.

After dinner the band invited us back up to their room to jam. I’d brought a fiesta red Strat which I’d built for myself and a Fender Blues Junior amp. The Fervor ‘50s Strat pickups on this guitar give it a nice warm, bluesy, little-bit-bassy tone. Pretty soon, Andrew got his hands on it, then MoJEAUX’s keyboard player Blake Sticker. Neither one wanted to put it down.

What could I do?

Now Andrew had three guitars to play for the Saints, each with Fervor pickups: his Hembry, another Hembry with Fervor Special Editions, and my fiesta red Strat.

We never made it to the party or the game (Andrew tried!), so you’ll have to make do with this videoclip:

Go to www.myspace.com/mojeauxband  to see the party videos.

But it was awesome to have been there with MoJEAUX. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting to hear how Kim Kardashian likes Fervor pickups…