Dean Guitars has been around since the 1970s, and they are particularly popular in the rock and metal communities. However, the company has seen its fair share of turmoil in the past few months and years. From lawsuits by Gibson Guitars for trademark infringement, to embezzlement accusations against the former CEO by his own mother, to parting ways with the Dimebag Darrell estate in a less than amicable manner, it seems as though the company can't catch a break.

Join me as I give all of these events a closer look!

This is one of the many debates amongst musicians. On one hand, you have people who really advocate for studying the building blocks of music so that you can become better, in theory (badum tss! :P) On the other, you have people who think that learning all that stuff is a waste of time and not even necessary to have a good experience as a musician, songwriter, etc.

As always, I throw in my two cents on this topic, along with a personal story about how learning theory made me a better player all around. For the second part of the episode, I give the names of famous musicians who never studied music or theory formally, yet they have all become very successful in their own right. Some of the names on that list might surprise you ...

Do you find that there are certain pedals, guitars, amps, etc. that you always seem to gravitate to more than others? While there is nothing wrong with sticking with gear that works for your needs, sometimes it's a good idea to try new stuff.

In this episode, I talk about how I recently got hold of a guitar that normally would not be my first pick,  how I put together a pedal board that works differently from the one I normally use, and playing around with dynamics on the guitar's knobs.

So, I decided to drop my two cents on this question. Granted, I'll say right off the bat that I don't think the answer is Yes, but, I can understand why the question is even brought up to begin with. From stupid requirements by labels to even allow an artist to release their songs, to the apparent lack of appreciation for music by the general public, it may seem like music is in bad shape.

I discuss what inspired me to cover this topic for the episode, and I also give opinions about the points brought up by certain individuals. Then, I'll go over some charts I found online of Top Modern Rock Bands and Top Rock Songs and go in depth as to how interesting it is that most of the bands listed on there are at least 20 years old, if not more.

Gibson guitars are, without a doubt, iconic in music history. Many legendary players, such as Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, and Slash, have used them to create some of the greatest songs ever. However, are those days about to end?  

After watching some videos on Youtube and reading some articles online, it would appear that some people in the industry are noticing that hardly any of today's more popular musicians are picking up Gibson guitars to create their music with. Some would go even as far as saying that the reason they don't use Gibson instruments is because they consider them to be "Boomer Guitars" or "Dad Rock Guitars."

For this episode of The Guitar Man Cave, I discuss some of the points brought forth by the videos and articles in question, and I also talk about some stories where Gibson dropped the ball and took things in a totally weird direction.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Guitar Man Cave Podcast! I took a short break to get my ideas in order. I decided to start this season by sharing some of my personal stories about some of the gear that I've been using throughout my journey as a guitar player, and I also talk about how different situations and comments from people have helped me realize that tone is a much more personal thing than I had thought at first.

Stay tuned for more episodes! I'm hoping to coordinate my schedule with those of some individuals that I'm hoping to bring in as guests.

Rust In Peace is considered by many to be one of the greatest metal records of all time. I decided to tackle this monster of an album sooner rather than later! From a Grammy nomination to the background of its very cool cover, I found some cool information about its release, as well as cool stories from the time leading up to its making.

I was also able to find some interviews with Dave Mustaine from several years ago where he describes the gear he was using, the sources of inspiration for some of the songs in the album, the audition process that eventually led virtuoso guitarist Marty Friedman to joining the band, and much more.

Finally, I have my now traditional rant about how this album was crucial in my discovery of great guitar based music back when I was barely picking up the instrument.

For this episode of the podcast, I talk about how one of the most influencing albums of all time for rock and metal, Van Halen I, came to be. I found some information about its sales figures as well as charting positions and stories about the recording process. Then, I discuss some of Eddie's thoughts and stories from the time he and the band made the album concerning his development as a guitarist, how his brother Alex protected him from other musicians appropriating his techniques, his dislike for overdubbing, and other such topics. To close things off, I share some personal stories about how this record influenced me as a musician and guitarist.

Thanks for everything, Eddie!

While I will continue to try and bring guests into the podcast to share their musical journey, I decided to also talk about other things that pertain to music, namely Landmark Albums, Iconic Guitarists, Legendary Guitars, and the History Of Effects. These episodes won't be made in any particular order, but hopefully they provide insight into some very cool guitar based topics.

For the first of this new batch of episodes, I decided to share some facts, statistics, and behind the scenes stuff about the debut album from one of the biggest rock bands of the 80s and 90s, Guns N Roses. I was able to find out what the inspiration for some of the songs was, the different people who the label allegedly tried to produce the record, sales figures, etc. For the last part, I share my personal story about how this album was influential to me as a musician and a person.

After an initial attempt that resulted in the digital gremlins corrupting the source audio, I was finally able to sit down with my good friend JD De La Rosa once again and have him share some cool stories with us! He talks about meeting certain people early on in his life that shaped his approach to playing and listening to music. He also shares what it's like to play shows in places as far away as Japan, Spain, and Eastern Europe.

For the second part of the episode, he talks about his live and studio equipment, a custom amp he was able to develop with a local builder, and which musical personalities he'd like to ask questions to about their experiences and careers.

I was able to catch Ram Danesse on a rare day off for him. He is a very talented singer, songwriter, and guitar player, and he's constantly performing in different venues in our area (sometimes more than once on a single day!) 

He gracefully accepted to share stories from his early days as a musician, such as how two music competitions helped his band get the opportunity to open for big touring acts such as The Cranberries and Alter Bridge. He also discusses how his experiences in Nashville helped his songwriting, his daughter being a source of inspiration, why it is he only owns one guitar at a given time, and just how he became a viral sensation for doing trick shots for social media.

In this week's episode of The Guitar Man Cave, I had the privilege of talking to Alexandria Hunter, who joined in all the way from Cincinnati! She was the first female guest to ever sit in for a chat, and hopefully many more will follow soon.

She describes how she got started writing songs as a 4th grader and how she developed skills in both piano and guitar. Some of the other topics of conversation include how to deal with a bandmate's ego, her opinion on the disparity of opportunities in the music business due to gender, using Autotune in music, and how working with different music producers can influence songwriting, among many others.

In this week's episode of The Guitar Man Cave, I had the pleasure to sit down with my friend Dorian, who has been a musician for a long time. 

He starts off by telling us the story of how he got started in music (and how it's similar to Eddie Van Halen's own story), what the music scene was like in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas in the 90s and 2000s, and then he also shares stories from his days on the road as a touring musician.

On the second part of the episode we start talking about his favorite amps and pedals, the intricacies of guitar tone, and which musicians he would feature in his all time All Star Band.

I was able to sit down and talk music with Gerry, the host of the Totally Rad Christmas Podcast! Through the episode, he goes over how his musical journey started in school band, then how it took him from being a teenage metal head, to a jazz session guy in college, to an acoustic performer in his current life. He even explains some jazz guitar improv theory for us!

We also talk about some of his favorite gear, which legendary album recording session he would have liked to witness, how 80s songs were drenched in chorus and reverb, among other things. And, he also shares a story of how he barely survived a close encounter with a killer flying cymbal.

Welcome to The Guitar Man Cave Podcast! For the inaugural episode, I was able to interview Steve, who runs a music podcast all the way down in Florida titled Break On Through. Since he featured me in an episode of his show recently, I decided to return the favor and put him in the hot seat for a change to answer some intriguing questions!

We talked about the current state of music, our predictions for what's to come in the industry, Steve's gear preferences, and, perhaps most importantly, we tackle one of the great philosophical questions about guitar ... What question is that? Listen and find out!