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.
Walrus Audio Fathom Demo
Ever feel like there’s something unseen beneath the surface? It might be dark, menacing or cruel, but you know it’s down there, and it’s definitely deep. In this video, we check out the Walrus Audio Fathom multi-function reverb. As you’ll see, one of these pedals appeared on the shores of Lake Michigan, calling our name […]
Roland Releases TR-8S
The TR-8S Rhythm Performer remixes Roland’s iconic beat heritage to create their most performance-oriented drum machine yet. Roland has gone beyond recreating iconic drum machine models from their past — on the TR-8S, you can create your ideal drum machine of the future by inserting a SD memory card and importing stereo drum samples which […]
Inside Etymotic Research
Recently, I got a chance to visit Etymotic Research headquarters in Elk Grove Village, IL to learn about their product development and testing processes, and a bit of company history. While there, I also got a sneak peek at their latest release, the ER3 earphones. Read on and find out why the company lives up […]
Gibson’s Modern Flying V Rises
Teased at this year’s CES show, Gibson’s Modern Flying V has surfaced on the company’s website. Available in three lacquer “prism” finishes (ebony, gold and silver) with hardware and pickups to match, the Modern Flying V features a contoured maple top on a mahogany body. A slim C neck is topped with a 22-fret Richlite […]
The Coolest Things we saw at NAMM 2018
Team zZounds is back from this year’s NAMM show and everyone’s still buzzing about all the sick gear they saw. From signature stacks to a new PA that sounds unbelievable for its size, to a certain nu metal icon, here’s the gear (and people) they were most excited to see. Electro-Harmonix 95000 Looper I was […]
NAMM 2018 Coverage
The zZounds crew is at the 2018 NAMM show in Anaheim, checking out all of the latest, greatest gear, and we’re documenting it all on our blog! Comb through our photo galleries, organized neatly by type of gear, to see it all — you’ll even find links in some captions to take you to zZounds […]
Taylor Guitars V-Class: Stillness Meets
Motion
Taylor Guitars is shaking things up for 2018 (and beyond) with a completely redesigned bracing pattern called V-Class. Developed by Master Designer Andy Powers, this unique V-shaped bracing achieves two characteristics in acoustic guitar design: rigidity for sustain and flexibility for volume. The V-Class bracing creates strength and stability through the middle of the top, […]
Gibson At CES: Mysterious New V Guitar and Semi-Hollow Modern Double Cut
This year, Gibson chose to showcase their wares at the Consumer Electronics Show rather than at NAMM, and like at last year’s show, there’s buzz surrounding their Modern Double Cut model — this time with a semi-hollow body. Like the original Modern Double Cut, this model is made by the Gibson Custom Shop and costs […]
NAMM 2018 Rumor Roundup
With NAMM 2018 just around the corner, we’ve rounded up some of the hottest rumors and rumblings we’ve heard through the grapevine — along with some actual, confirmed gear news — and compiled it all here, organized alphabetically by brand and complete with a handy guide to let you know how sure or unsure we […]
