Mason has played guitar since age 14 and has remained a charmingly amateurish musician ever since. Mason joined zZounds in 2014 and serves as editor of the zZounds Blog, as well as Accessories Merchandiser. Prior to zZounds, he earned a degree in journalism and worked as a newspaper editor and freelance writer. When not writing or editing for zZounds, you can find him playing his Strat, hosting bar trivia, and chasing his toddler around the house.
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 […]
Summer NAMM 2019: New Gear & Rumors
With Summer NAMM just around the corner, buzz is starting to build about new gear from top brands. We’ll be keeping you up to date right here as always, so continue to check back to this page as the rumor mill turns! Walrus Audio Walrus Audio has just released the Kangra — a unique filtered […]
Talking Shop: Your Signature Gear
Getting a signature model is a dream for many musicians. Creating something to your exact specs, tastes and sonic preferences is definitely a sign you’ve made it. We asked zZounds staffers what their dream signature gear would look like and we got a range of cool ideas. Check them out below and let us know […]
