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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
When Stuart Spector released the NS-1 bass for the first time in 1977, it was unlike anything the bass world had seen. Up until that point, electric basses were either derivatives of the popular Precision and Jazz styles developed by Fender, or were one of a handful of unique models designed by the likes of […]
When PRS reps visited zZounds HQ a couple of weeks ago, they brought along a new model that had most of the guitarists in the building drooling. The semi-hollow S2 Vela — along with a CE24 model — is part of the “Reclaimed Limited” series just announced by PRS over the weekend. The series of 600 […]
Yesterday, Uli Behringer, founder of the musical instrument manufacturer, hopped on the Gearslutz.com forum and proceeded to drop a bombshell. Behringer analog synthesizers have been fixtures in online rumor mills in the last few years, with the DeepMind recently becoming a reality. Another whisper was that Behringer was developing an analog monosynth “clone” of the Minimoog Model D […]
For Malcolm Young, it’s been a long way to the top of the rhythm guitar heap. His timeless riffs form the foundation of AC/DC’s sound and continue to serve as the gold standard of rock guitar riffs for many. Now, Gretsch’s USA Custom Shop is saluting Malcolm with an incredible painstaking recreation of his #1 […]
Fender’s ’57 Custom Series amps harken back to the heyday of their first tweed combo amplifiers. These new reissues deliver the same fat cleans and throaty overdrive when pushed via their simple, yet expertly hand-wired circuits. Recently, we received the full stable of amps here at zZounds HQ, along with a visit from Fender Product Manager […]
Electro-Harmonix announced the release of the SYNTH9 Synthesizer Machine pedal today, along with a solid overview video showcasing its features. The SYNTH9 is the latest in the company’s 9 family of pedals that emulate everything from classic electric pianos to organs to the tones of the Mellotron. The SYNTH9 features 9 presets, emulating classic synths from Oberheim, […]