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.
Gretsch Salute Malcolm Young with Jet Replica
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 […]
’57 Custom Series Amps Overview
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 […]
EHX Announces SYNTH9 Synthesizer Machine
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, […]
Catalinbread at NAMM 2017
During NAMM 2017, we met up with Andrew Yeghiazarian of Catalinbread to get a peek at what the pedal purveyors are putting out in 2017. In addition to the new Fn55 providing hot-rodded tweed tone, the popular Belle Epoch delay is getting two siblings in the Belle Epoch Pre and Belle Epoch Deluxe! Small but incredibly mighty, […]
Korg Monologue and volca kick Demo at NAMM 2017
We stopped in at Korg’s booth during NAMM 2017 and got a one-on-one tutorial on the Korg Monologue and volca kick from Nick Kwas of Korg USA. In the video above, Nick walks us through making a beat on both synths, and highlights some awesome features like the Monologue’s key trigger and hold functions, and the […]
The Coolest Things We Saw at NAMM 2017
There was a lot to see at NAMM 2017. Like, a ton. Thankfully, we’ve boiled this year’s NAMM show down to its sweet essence, bringing you our top picks from the show. These are, in no particular order, the instruments and gear we’re most looking forward to seeing more of in 2017 and beyond. And if […]
NAMM 2017 Rumor Roundup
With NAMM fast approaching, the rumor mill and teaser train are running at full speed and musicians are buzzing about what might get shown at NAMM and what already has been announced. We’ve compiled all that we’ve found out so far into this handy guide, organized alphabetically for your convenience. Check it out and be sure […]
Did Gibson Just Unveil a New Guitar at CES?
Update: This mystery guitar was unveiled some months after publication to be the Gibson Modern DC, produced by the Gibson Custom Shop. One cool feature we didn’t realize at the time is that the Modern DC features a neck volute — this technically not-so-modern feature helps prevent the headstock from snapping off the neck. Still, […]
Fight Over Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E Could Head to Court
A guitar familiar to anyone who has seen Nirvana’s famous 1993 MTV Unplugged session is in the middle of a nasty ownership battle, and its fate could be determined in court. A 1959 Martin D-18E which once belonged to Kurt Cobain is currently in the possession of Isaiah Silva, the estranged husband of Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean. […]
