The Loudini Rock and Roll Circus

Loudini: Fender in a blender, Mick Jones’s Classic Guitar Work on “Feels Like The First Time” by Foreigner, Is Ella Langley bigger than Whitney Houston? David Lee Roth  Cancels his tour, Bon Jovi walks off stage at Madison Square Garden Pat Monahan steps up for livin on a prayer,

Pittsburgh Kevin: guest appearances in music videos, aging rock stars, broadcast TV

Loudini: Neural Amp Modeler, Pain, Posture & technique, Fender going after Fender dealers… WTF??? The dookie amp,

A Short history of the Aria Pro II:

Classical Guitarist Arai changed to Aria

Lates Sixties… the were a copy brand

1970’s went more original and more professional

PE1500 (Les Paul type) better access to upper frets, detailed carve, original bridge design, recessed knobs, 

PER… 24 ¾ scale, gibson control lay out with toggle switch upper bout

Late seventies and 80s active electronics influenced by Alembic and BC Rich

Matzimuku created highly detailed LP and Strat Copies

Celebs used them including Neal Schon, Michael Schenkar, Yngwie (Alcatrazz era) weird mod with single coils, John Petruccie

 

Kevin: Jennifer Finch (L7), Wayne Chavel, Guest Vocals on Hit songs, 

Loudini: Gig “no no’s” that no one tells you about, Norm’s Rare Guitars Documentary, Cell phones at gigs, Why Audiophiles hate BOSE (are they right?), 

 

More Fender Drama, is Fender a “fashion brand”? Gimmick guitars? (chenders and chibsons, “I Could Be Wrong”) and counter suing Thomman: Musikhaus Thomann has filed a lawsuit against Fender Musical Instruments Corporation at the Düsseldorf Regional Court, marking a significant escalation in their ongoing intellectual property dispute over the Stratocaster body shape. 

 

The Catalyst: The lawsuit is a direct counter-measure to Fender’s aggressive campaign of cease-and-desist letters sent since May 2026, targeting manufacturers of "S-style" guitars. 

Thomann’s Stance: Thomann, which sells its own budget brand Harley Benton, argues that the Stratocaster shape is functional ("form follows function") and largely public domain, threatening industry diversity and innovation. 

Legal Strategy: By initiating the suit, Thomann seeks a negative declaratory judgment to clarify that producing S-style guitars does not infringe copyright, challenging a prior December 2025 default judgment that favored Fender. 

Industry Impact: CEO Hans Thomann frames the action as a defense of smaller builders and retailers who lack the resources to fight Fender’s legal team, urging Fender to return to cooperative partnership. 

The case is currently pending, with no hearing scheduled, and represents a rare instance of a major retailer suing a manufacturer it has carried since 1954.

Pittsburgh Kevin: Bonnie Tyler, Live AID, EVH and Peavey pt3

Loudini: Gary Richrath Guitars & Amps and best REO moments,  Is music a science or magic? Do we need it? Where does it come from? Treating music like an “engineering problem”.  Is music created or “uncovered”? Are musician’s like “priests”? Most musicians’ cannot explain it… they just do it. John Mayer calls it “Quigi Boarding it”. More magic in a group situation verses working by yourself. Allow the unplanned to happen.  Is there already too much music? Robert Fripp and his “Fripper-tronics”, 

 

Pittsburgh Kevin: EVH & Peavey, the pretty reckless, Louise Lassiter, Broadcast TV

Retrospective on Charvel/Jackson (schecter, JB Player, Seymour Duncan too!)) from 5 Watt World, Eddie, Steve Stevens (top gun sound track), Steve Vai (crossroads, Allan Holdsworth (IOU), Randy Rhoads and the first “Jackson”, Jeff Beck (private dance/ flash), Guthrie Govan, Jake E Lee (hard tail & slanted pick ups), SanDimas, DNKY, Compound Radius, Floyd Rose, “Style 1” and “Style 2”

Pro Guitarists Survival Skills (shane Theriot)

The “Keithburtst”

 

Kevin: They’re dropping like flies, Gibson’s new CEO, Will vintage guitars lose their value, Billy Gibbons

 Van Halen III,  More RUSH talk… you’re killing me smalls! McCarty vs Tele, Bon Jovi is back? 100 best selling albums of all timeRod Stewart, Whole Lotta Love, EVH the Peavey Years

things that are holding you back that almost no one talks about (tension, how well do you  know what you are playing, sound), is RUSH more popular now than ever? Our gig last week and what I learned, Phones at shows (Justin Hawkins, Phoebe Bridges, Jack White, Ghost)? Fender back pedals invoking Leo’s legacy, tonemaster nomenclature (Phil McKnight), All In One Guitars,

Alex Lifeson:

Relearning his old material

Guitars: Les Paul, double neck, Telecaster. 

String gauge

amps… marshalls 

Getting their advance from Mercury records on going shopping

100 watt Marshall stacks cry baby and Maestro phase

High watt stacks

Then for Marshall combos inspired by Allen Holdsworth

Discovered chorus on farewell to Kings and used it ever since

Using fractal axeffex now

tonex… amplitube.. modeling his own sounds 

 

striving not to repeat himself on each album 

 

Simplifying his playing to work with Geddy and Neil

 

Doesn't like doing too many takes

 

Recording the solo to Limelight… put the speaker cabinet outside

 

finger picking… took classical guitar lessons as a teenager

 

Spontaneity

 

challenge to work around keyboards 

Change writing guitar part approach and went from Les Paul type guitars to stratocasters with single coils and even active pickups

 

Getting back to rock with counterparts with kevin Shirley…. Recording in the room with the amp versus In the control room.

 

Video with his parents when he was 17.

 

about the guitar:

“Not just a piece of wood with metal strings it's a being”

 

Was hoping they could just make it for 5 years and that would be pretty good lol

 

2112: “our protest record”

 

Moving pictures their magnum opus

 

I'm not crazy about the production on signals.

 

Grace Under Pressure was a difficult album for them

 

Spirit of Radio. Electric mistress. Tribute to radio.

 

We playing the hits for this tour. But also playing some songs I just want to play and want to surprise people.

 

Anika Nilles:

new drum kit

reverse ride tom configuration 

 

loose heads… bottom heads higher pitch

dry sound

bubinga kit… same as jeff beck tour… perfect for big rooms

 

How to learn a lot of songs… learn it step by step… learning parts… then the feel

 

dad was a drummer… ambitious hobby musician..  taught by dad..  then Music school

 

Jeff Beck's guitar tech introduced her to Geddy Lee.

 

influence:

Toto,

 

The importance of technique to sort of keep up with the guys

 

 started making rehearsals later and later into the evening so that they would be more prepared for when they would have to play the shows

 

social media… lost interest during the pandemic… a lot of pressure… interrupted her practice

Ritchie vs Eddie, Who should sing on the up-coming Van Halen tribute project? 250 Celebration is falling apart ☹️, Black Crowes Tampa, FL doo doo, John Mayer on Fender vs PRS and innovation vs tradition, Being told to “turn down”

more fender fallout… signature artists dilemma, what guitarist would you pick to teach you? Back up guitarists that saved their band: Bob Welch, Mick Taylor, Joe Walsh, Viv Campbell, Jimmy Page, Gilby/Bumblefoot, Jeff Baxter, Buckethead, David Gilmour, Gary Moore

Modeller Fibs