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.
Roland 909 Day Video Released
Where will you be on September 9? A new video released by Roland teases 909 Day, a major event from the company taking place in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Tokyo and other cities, in which over 30 new products and “services” will be shown. The video says that everything from amplifiers to […]
Joe Bonamassa Epiphone Firebird I Announced
Joe Bonamassa’s Instagram followers got a treat last week as the blues guitarist showed off some early models of his new Epiphone Firebird I guitars. Modeled after his 1963 Gibson Firerbird I (nicknamed “Treasure”), these Epiphone Firebirds feature the same single-pickup design, dot inlays and wraparound tailpiece as the original. Now orderable, the Epiphone Joe […]
Numark unveils new PT01 Scratch
Beginner DJs and experienced scratch artists alike, take note: Numark just dropped the PT01 Scratch, a new model in their PT01 lineup. Boasting a “Scratch Switch,” the PT01 Scratch lets you scratch 7″ records, and it’s powered by an AC adapter or six D batteries, so it can travel anywhere you go. With its built-in speaker, the PT01 […]
A Quick Take on Flanging
Flanging, whether created by a reel-to-reel tape machine, a guitar pedal, or a plugin on your DAW, is an instantly recognizable, transformative effect. But where does flanging come from? What exactly created that iconic sound in the first place? We’ll give you a brief overview of flange, from its invention to its glory days in the ’70s, on through […]
Apartment Rock
Whether you live with roommates or have next-door neighbors who are a bit too close, you’ve likely run into a problem every musician faces at some point: how can I practice through an amp, get decent tone, and avoid infuriating those around me? It’s a delicate balance, but if you take to heart a few principles and use the […]
Amazing Video Features Boss RC-505 Loop Station
You probably didn’t expect the funkiest track you’d hear today would have this much bicycle bell in it. Maybe a little bit, but not this much. Yet artist Rico Loop has created quite the groove in this breathtaking video using just a Boss RC-505 Loop Station and a microphone. Watch as he strolls through what appears to be Berlin’s streets, interacting with (seemingly) […]
Interview With Lever
If you first mistook Lever’s latest album Hover Bored, as a Back to the Future-inspired ’80s rock tribute, it’d be hard to blame you. The first song is called “McFly” for goodness’ sake. But take a listen and you’ll hear that sonically, Lever draws from another era, about 10 years after Marty McFly met Doc. The band describes itself […]
Perfect Pairings: Electro-Harmonix MEL9 & Earthquaker Devices Spatial Delivery
When is a guitar not a guitar? When you plug any guitar into the Electro-Harmonix MEL9, your signal transforms into one of 9 classic tape-emulated sounds. We played an American Elite Telecaster through the pedal, choosing its Strings voice for that slightly grainy string sound you’ve heard on countless psychedelic tunes. We then took a few steps further out of the […]
Nico Santora on Lillake’s Full-Length, Become
You’re a guitarist. You’ve been playing music pretty much as long as you can remember. You’re good. People know you’re good, and at long last, you’ve scored a gig in a killer band known the world over. What do you do now? Settle in for that reliable gig with that established, influential band? Not if you’re Nico […]
