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 Gear of 2016
To close out 2016, we’re taking a look at some of the gear we think made a big impact among musicians this year. We’re not saying this gear was the “best” of the year, but whether they intrigued us personally or stirred up a bunch of discussion on forums and Facebook groups, this gear definitely made […]
Five Tuner Pedals With Bonus Features
When it comes to tuner pedals, most guitarists agree that the absolute most important quality is accuracy. If you can’t trust your tuner, you have nothing. Thankfully, just about any tuner you find today is going to be accurate to a degree of under 1 cent. That’s pretty darn precise — for reference, there are 100 cents between each half-step, […]
Meet the Velcro Lewis Group
If you stumbled upon the Velcro Lewis Group online, perhaps through their single “Bernadette,” which was featured on an episode of Showtime’s Shameless, and assumed they were a lost relic of a band from 40 years ago chosen by a music director steeped in rock ‘n’ roll gems, it would be hard to blame you. But listen closer and […]
Korg Announces Monologue
Korg just announced the new Monologue monophonic analog synthesizer today, putting countless rumors to rest. The company had teased a Nov. 1 product launch earlier on social media, but had removed the teaser graphics. With little clues to work with, fans guessed the new product could have been anything from an ARP 2600 reissue, a mini […]
Jamie Kent & The Options on All American Mutt
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jamie Kent and his band, The Options, recently swung by zZounds HQ for a few reasons. One was to showcase the Bose L1 Line Array and F1 Flexible Array loudspeaker systems. For the past few years, Kent has served as an artist representative for Bose, as well as Telefunken microphones and Durango boots. […]
Fender Refocuses on Acoustic Guitars
Billy Martinez, Vice President and Category Manager of Fender’s Acoustic Guitars Division, is on a mission. Data suggests that just 10 percent of people who purchase a guitar as a new player will stick with the instrument. Martinez not only wants more players to stick with guitar, but with Fender guitars. To do so, he thought […]
Andy Fuchs Interview
Andy Fuchs had a childhood that would make any guitarist green with envy: he grew up in a music shop during the halcyon days of classic rock. Yet despite his upbringing, Andy says the family business didn’t net him a roomful of gear. “Visions of Les Pauls and Marshalls being given to me for Christmas […]
Winter Classic Brings Back The Feels
Winter Classic began in 2013 when, in their own words: “Jim and Spiros were bored. They played some songs. Sam expressed similar sentiments. Sam broke his shoulder doing a sick trick on his, then new, board. We asked James if he was bored. He was, too. He joined. We’re not too bored anymore.” To be […]
TC Electronic Mimiq Doubler Announced
Whether it was on Abbey Road or Master of Puppets, multi-tracking is a widely-used studio technique that has given countless recordings the instantly recognizable sound of massive guitars. By recording the same part multiple times, then layering them on top of each other, engineers create a wall of sound. And with each take, subtle differences […]
