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.
Summer NAMM 2017 Preview
With Summer NAMM 2017 drawing closer than ever — the show runs this Thursday through Saturday — we’ve been hearing about more and more awesome new gear being released. While many of these recent product launches are already out and available at zZounds, we’re excited to get out and see them in person at the […]
Mojotone Pickup Designer David Shepherd
With a fascination for the playing techniques of Eddie Van Halen and an obsession with tinkering with guitars, David Shepherd was well on his way to a career in pickup design from an early age. Though he played in a few bands with friends in his native North Carolina, Shepherd said he wasn’t planning on […]
Behind the Design: Alesis Strike Pro Kit
While designing the Strike and Strike Pro kits, Alesis engineers had two goals in mind: to provide drummers with their most powerful module yet, and to make an electronic kit that finally delivers on the promise of feeling like a real acoustic drum set. Josh Cuadra, Alesis National Sales Manager and Dan Recchia, Alesis Project Manager, recently paid […]
zZounds Accessory Look Book: Guitar
Welcome to the zZounds Accessory Look Book! This visual guide shows off some of the most unique, innovative accessories we have to offer. In this edition, we’re taking a look at top guitar accessories that make gigging a breeze for the mobile guitarist (or bassist!) From straps to cables, stands and more, there’s a lot […]
Hall of Fame 2 Gets Fan-Requested Upgrades
TC Electronic has just announced the Hall of Fame 2, their second-generation reverb pedal, and from an early look at the features, it’s clear that the company took the wishes of its customers to heart. Their new Hall of Fame 2 reverb pedal updates one of their most popular models with oft-requested features, like a […]
Jerry Garcia’s “Wolf” Guitar Headed to Auction
A custom guitar nicknamed Wolf and designed for the late Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia is headed to auction on May 31, at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York City. The guitar is currently owned by musician and avid Dead Head Daniel Pritzker, who purchased it for $790,000 at auction in 2002. Proceeds from the sale will […]
Is John Mayer Rocking Another Signature PRS?
The blog-o-sphere has been abuzz recently after John Mayer posted a photo on his Instagram from a show in Boston on April 9th. In the pic, John’s wearing a smart long coat with the sleeves rolled up, along with some very comfortable-looking sneakers, perhaps custom Kirklands? A card-carrying #kirkboy, Mayer is a known fan of the Costco kicks […]
Ernie Ball Paradigm Strings: Roundtable Review
We’ve been stoked to try out Ernie Ball’s new Paradigm line of strings ever since we first heard about them at Winter NAMM this year. And after seeing Ernie Ball’s videos featuring guitarists trying to break their Paradigm strings, and explaining the plasma technology behind Paradigm, we got really curious. Thankfully, we didn’t have to […]
Polish up on Fret Maintenance
A lot of guitarists are vigilant about changing strings and adjusting their guitar’s truss rod, action and intonation with a good setup, but there’s something to be said about keeping your gear clean. Everyone has that friend who asks to try out your guitar, then hands it back with the fretboard feeling like it was left […]
