Editor of the zZounds Blog. Donut snob. I love to write and to play guitar, so naturally, I love writing about guitars. My favorite kind of music is the kind that sounds like Muzak but cooler, you know?
Gibson CEO James Curleigh on Running an Iconic Brand
This year at Summer NAMM, the zZounds Crew got the chance to speak with James “JC” Curleigh, the recently appointed CEO of Gibson Brands. In our video interview, above, you can hear Curleigh’s vision for the future of Gibson guitars, and his thoughts on running a globally recognized brand. Of course, JC has experience on […]
Matthews Effects Pedal Video Demos
Matthews Effects makes some truly unique pedals with designs that cater to the player who craves versatility on stage. We put their current roster of five pedals to the test — check out our video demos below to hear what these Matthews Effects pedals can do! Shop All Matthews Effects → The Architect V3 Overdrive/Boost […]
Fender Tone Master Amps: The Cutting Edge of Timeless Tone
If Fender’s new Tone Master Twin and Deluxe Reverb amps only sounded exactly like their tube counterparts, it wouldn’t be enough. That’s because Fender engineers designed these amps to behave exactly the same, too. Three years of hard work designing, programming and engineering has resulted in two amps with circuit topologies that replicate the same […]
Fender Pedals: Behind The Design
At this year’s Summer NAMM show, Stan Cotey, Fender’s Vice President of Product Development, looked at 21 pedals lined up in a neat row inside the Fender booth and smiled. None of these existed about 20 months prior, and designing them was a labor of love. Fender wanted a new line of pedals that set […]
Talking Shop: Albums We’ve Been Digging
We’re deep into the dog days of summer, and one thing that always helps beat the heat is great music. We asked zZounds staffers to share an album they’ve been into lately, and we’ve compiled the results into this Talking Shop piece. Check out their picks below, and share yours in the comments below! Crumb […]
The Coolest Things We Saw at Summer NAMM 2019
Another Summer NAMM is in the books, and we’re still thinking about all the cool gear, events and honky tonkery from Nashville. Check out our top picks from the show, and let us know what gear caught your eye in the comments below! Gibson NAMM Jam ft. Jason Isbell, Chris Isaak and More + An […]
Interview with Adrian Thorpe of Thorpy FX
Housed in distinctly rugged metal bodies, there’s no mistaking the look of Thorpy FX pedals. Their formidable design and tone is the brainchild of Adrian Thorpe, the company’s founder and a pedal designer since the early 2000s. We had a chat with Adrian to talk about the history of his pedals, his background as an […]
An Interview with John Petrucci
The standout guitarist in a band of accomplished Berklee College musicians, John Petrucci is renowned for his masterful guitar playing. For much of his 30-year career in Dream Theater, Petrucci has trusted Ernie Ball Music Man with crafting his series of articulate, versatile and beautiful signature instruments. The crown jewel of this collection, the Majesty, […]
BOSS Announces New 200 Series Pedals
Boss has just announced an entirely new series of pedals: the 200 Series! Fitting in perfectly between their standard series of stompboxes and the top-shelf 500 Series, these pedals suit players looking for expanded options of their favorite effects and tones, all in one pedal. The 200 Series is available in four flavors: the OD-200 […]
