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 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. […]
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. […]
