January issue of GW (AC/DC cover) is out with my coverage of the final shows.

I'm really happy with the main story. Sadly, in the sidebar about the Duane guitars, an editor took out an important fact I wanted in there and added a horrible mistake. Bad enough that I three my magazine across the room about an hour ago. You will all note it immediately.

Sigh. I will post it on my site in proper form I guess.

Still proud of these stories and really think you will enjoy. The main story is like a small preview of the the final paperback chapter to come.

Right on Al. My son digs AC/DC so all bases are covered for the Strat family. Cheers!

Sadly, in the sidebar about the Duane guitars, an editor took out an important fact I wanted in there and added a horrible mistake. Bad enough that I threw my magazine across the room about an hour ago when I read it. You will all note it immediately.

Alan, we know full well YOU wouldn't make such simple mistakes. Don't sweat it and don't respond to folks on FB who attack you for it. Just move on, it's not worth it.

Alan, we know full well YOU wouldn't make such simple mistakes.

I appreciate the sentiment. Really do.

I am going to have a corrected version posted online at gw.com soon. will post here when it's live.

I got my GW in the mail last week. Looking forward to reading it. Thanks Alan.

Great pic of Angus on the front. I am excited to read the article about AC/DC.

That picture is scary. Not sure I would buy that off the newsstand rack.

Someone needs to talk to the marketing department. 😉

"Then I thought, "well, no one could actually think I don;t know this is wrong."... and an hour later I got a Facebook message attacking me for this.

Sigh. I will post it on my site in proper form I guess."

I read this with more than a little frustration. Then the words of my 19 year old daughter's best friend came to mind. "Facebook? Adults got on there and ruined it - now they use it to argue with each other and say mean things."

Out of the mouths of babes...

Do not feed the FB trolls.

We know you know you have #UndeniableABBCred.

Very excited for this article having been unable to attend.

A question/request Al? I notice the Allman Brothers tab is OWO. Is there any chance you could put in a word with Guitar World to tab Back Where It All Begins, True Gravity or something that is not available? I have every Allman Brothers tab from Guitar World going back to the '94 issue you did with Warren & Dickey and I would be super grateful if GW would tab something that hasn't been done before...and to be honest specifically Back Where It All Begins and True Gravity.

Thanks Al.

Thanks. I can ask but not sure they will go for it

Here's an idea, though... for christmas or chanukah get a few Skype lessons with andy aledort and learn from the master. He will straighten you out on both tunes right quick.

That is a great idea Al! Thanks!

Getting GW asap. Thanks!

I'll be looking for a copy as well. Can't wait to read your report Alan!

Alan was the article you posted on Facebook about Duanes guitars the sidebar you originally wrote that you mentioned yesterday?

Yes, it was... I will start a separate thread as well:

Duane Allman's three Les Pauls were together for the first time ever at the Allman Brothers Band final shows. The story:

http://bit.ly/12vnySO

Photo by Creigh Lyndon - Skoots' son. Twiggs' nephew. Circle Unbroken

Is there any chance you could put in a word with Guitar World to tab Back Where It All Begins, True Gravity or something that is not available? I have every Allman Brothers tab from Guitar World going back to the '94 issue you did with Warren & Dickey and I would be super grateful if GW would tab something that hasn't been done before...and to be honest specifically Back Where It All Begins and True Gravity.

Unfortunately, this won't happen (not the Alan asking part, but the GW tabbing part) as I've been a subscriber since the late '80's and they tab songs based on what will sell magazines and even though I have way too many tabs of Hotel California and Stairway, they sell the mags (or at least they used to). And since it's really aimed at metal teens, it's highly unlikely that they will tab out something that will make a few folks like us extremely happy...and not sell magazines. I've written to them multiple times in the past, asking for tabs to songs that I can't find elsewhere and every blue moon I get one (Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Goin' Home, Starship Trooper, etc.) but mostly they tab out newer songs that appeal to a younger crowd. Just the way it is.

Is there any chance you could put in a word with Guitar World to tab Back Where It All Begins, True Gravity or something that is not available? I have every Allman Brothers tab from Guitar World going back to the '94 issue you did with Warren & Dickey and I would be super grateful if GW would tab something that hasn't been done before...and to be honest specifically Back Where It All Begins and True Gravity.

Unfortunately, this won't happen (not the Alan asking part, but the GW tabbing part) as I've been a subscriber since the late '80's and they tab songs based on what will sell magazines and even though I have way too many tabs of Hotel California and Stairway, they sell the mags (or at least they used to). And since it's really aimed at metal teens, it's highly unlikely that they will tab out something that will make a few folks like us extremely happy...and not sell magazines. I've written to them multiple times in the past, asking for tabs to songs that I can't find elsewhere and every blue moon I get one (Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Goin' Home, Starship Trooper, etc.) but mostly they tab out newer songs that appeal to a younger crowd. Just the way it is.

I can't understand a) why guitar magazines are always aimed at metal guitarists and b) how there are any new guitar songs to tab even though I am sure you are right that it just boils down to economics and the fact that I don't know any of the new music out there. But still...

I realize metal is hugely popular but aren't some, no, most of the most famous and well known guitarists of all time from the 60s and 70s which is to say PRE metal? Obviously, if there must be more metal guitar fans out there, otherwise the magazines would not be catering to that base as much. I just do not understand how metal fans outnumber all other forms of guitar bases music by such a huge margin.
If anyone has some numbers, research or an explanation for this phenomenon, I'd would greatly appreciate hearing it.

Also, regarding new music on guitar, can someone tell me a few new songs, as in written in the last 5-7 years, that have been tabbed? I honestly, can't name ONE mainstream guitar-based supergroup since Coldplay (well, they have a guitarists). Seriously. What are the U2s, Pearl Jams or Rage Against The Machines of the last, say, 15 years?? Not talking about bands on the touring/jamband circuit, I mean new bands that have a song Guitar World would tab and as a result sell some magazines? Please enlighten me! Is there some sort of massive underground metal scene I am missing? That's not my flavor but the newest metal guitar hero I've heard of on a consistent bases is Dimebag Darrel and he died over 10 years ago.

If anyone can give me some concrete facts as to how and why metal fans overwhelmingly buy more guitar mags than other fan bases, I'd be very interested to hear them. It just doesn't make sense to me (though it's clearly the case).

[Edited on 12/12/2014 by axeman]

[Edited on 12/12/2014 by axeman]

Is there any chance you could put in a word with Guitar World to tab Back Where It All Begins, True Gravity or something that is not available? I have every Allman Brothers tab from Guitar World going back to the '94 issue you did with Warren & Dickey and I would be super grateful if GW would tab something that hasn't been done before...and to be honest specifically Back Where It All Begins and True Gravity.

Unfortunately, this won't happen (not the Alan asking part, but the GW tabbing part) as I've been a subscriber since the late '80's and they tab songs based on what will sell magazines and even though I have way too many tabs of Hotel California and Stairway, they sell the mags (or at least they used to). And since it's really aimed at metal teens, it's highly unlikely that they will tab out something that will make a few folks like us extremely happy...and not sell magazines. I've written to them multiple times in the past, asking for tabs to songs that I can't find elsewhere and every blue moon I get one (Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Goin' Home, Starship Trooper, etc.) but mostly they tab out newer songs that appeal to a younger crowd. Just the way it is.

I can't understand a) why guitar magazines are always aimed at metal guitarists and b) how there are any new guitar songs to tab even though I am sure you are right that it just boils down to economics and the fact that I don't know any of the new music out there. But still...

I realize metal is hugely popular but aren't some, no, most of the most famous and well known guitarists of all time from the 60s and 70s which is to say PRE metal? Obviously, if there must be more metal guitar fans out there, otherwise the magazines would not be catering to that base as much. I just do not understand how metal fans outnumber all other forms of guitar bases music by such a huge margin.
If anyone has some numbers, research or an explanation for this phenomenon, I'd would greatly appreciate hearing it.

Also, regarding new music on guitar, can someone tell me a few new songs, as in written in the last 5-7 years, that have been tabbed? I honestly, can't name ONE mainstream guitar-based supergroup since Coldplay (well, they have a guitarists). Seriously. What are the U2s, Pearl Jams or Rage Against The Machines of the last, say, 15 years?? Not talking about bands on the touring/jamband circuit, I mean new bands that have a song Guitar World would tab and as a result sell some magazines? Please enlighten me! Is there some sort of massive underground metal scene I am missing? That's not my flavor but the newest metal guitar hero I've heard of on a consistent bases is Dimebag Darrel and he died over 10 years ago.

If anyone can give me some concrete facts as to how and why metal fans overwhelmingly buy more guitar mags than other fan bases, I'd be very interested to hear them. It just doesn't make sense to me (though it's clearly the case).

[Edited on 12/12/2014 by axeman]

[Edited on 12/12/2014 by axeman]

IMHO they cater to metal guitarists because that is who buy their magazines these days not us old music fans.

Sadly most of these young musicians don't seem to know who some of our old guitar heroes are these days. I have some young musicians working for me and they had no idea who Johnny Winter was when I told them he recently passed. When I sent them a youtube link of Johnny playing they were amazed at how good he was. Also they had no idea who Jack Bruce was. They heard of Cream and knew Eric Clapton but had no idea Bruce was the bass player in the band.

I am a big fan of Billy Duffy (The Cult) and one of my 20 something engineers who plays guitar in a band had never heard of him or the Cult. I burned copy of a live CD for him and he was amazed at Duffy's tone.

The younger generation has little interest in the music we grew up with I think.

BG - I get that the younger generation of guitar players aren't that interested in older music, but what I don't understand is, if they don't like older music, as guitar players, what DO they like? There has not been anything guitar-based in popular mainstream music in over a decade as far as I can tell.

There has not been anything guitar-based in popular mainstream music in over a decade as far as I can tell.

There are quite a few, but you aren't aware of them. To name some;
The Strokes, Wolfmother, Rival Sons, Coheed and Cambria, Drive-By Truckers, Black Keys, Raconteurs, Blackberry Smoke

Most aren't my cup of tea, but they're out there.

I have heard of a lot of the above bands, but I have not seen any guitar magazine include a tab by any of those bands except maybe The Black Keys or the Strokes. It's all metal and I can't believe that these are the only people who would buy guitar tabbed mags. Why? I haven't seen any more new metal bands (but, disclosure, not a big fan) than I have of the bands you listed. I don't get it.

I am only 34 and I find that even in my general age bracket a lot of people I talk to have no idea who I'm talking about. I bartend and I do get into a lot of conversations about Duane when I have one of my Duane shirts on.

I've been slowly trying to introduce a friend of mine to this type of music. I took him to Mule last month and he loved it but he can't "hear" what I do in the music. I've only got one friend who really understands it.

I've had real spiritual moments with this music. I wish everyone could. But sadly they can't.

I have heard of a lot of the above bands, but I have not seen any guitar magazine include a tab by any of those bands except maybe The Black Keys or the Strokes. It's all metal and I can't believe that these are the only people who would buy guitar tabbed mags. Why? I haven't seen any more new metal bands (but, disclosure, not a big fan) than I have of the bands you listed. I don't get it.

I totally agree.

In GW, they almost always have a "classic rock" song tabbed out each issue, which I often assumed catered to us older folks, but since it's the same stuff you can find tabbed just about anywhere, I am now thinking it's for the younger crowd as well, because often these songs are in Guitar Hero, or Glee or some such pop culture thing. Or possibly they are listening to some of the older music?

They used to have a wonderful magazine called Guitar World Acoustic that had great tabs and articles and it folded, likely due to poor sales, but it was way better for what I was interested in and I still look at and utilize the tabs from that mag way more than GW. I have long ago realized that what I like and am interested in will not sell magazines (or DVD's for that matter) and have looked elsewhere. I would LOVE to have a skype lesson from Andy A! That would be up near the top of my list!

I really enjoyed the article. I am very much looking forward to the new chapter in One Way Out.

One question I am curious about is if the original members were getting cold feet, what guitarists were they considering to replace Warren and Derek? I like to imagine what if scenarios like this, even if it was highly unlikely. It would be very interesting to hear who might have become the 8th and 9th guitarists to ever join the Allman Brothers. Hopefully the new chapter touches on this subject, as well as a lot of the other behind the scenes dynamics.

Great question Artie. It seems logic prevailed in the case of The Brothers which is a real good thing. Physical demands of touring for Gregg, Butch and Jaimoe in addition to finding suitable replacements for Derek and Warren would both be impossible tasks. Im sure Alan dealt with all of these issues in the new chapter. The Saturday night show (October 25th) had me concerned when Gregg left the stage for a half hour during Politician and Elizabeth Reed. I remember commenting to my wife during Elizabeth Reed that I don't think Gregg is coming back to the stage tonight. He eventually did come back for the 2 encores but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Gregg needed some rest or had some other issue to deal with.

re: the young folk. As rebellious as we thought our generation/music was the early days of rock included stud/almost canonization of the old folk and blues men. he future was built on a bedrock of the past.

I see none of that attitude in todays young people. Maybe they are more liberated than us; maybe they are just more used to having their needs met. Remains to be seen - but I see Uber and AirBnB as political and economic statements against the ruling class (which we have become)