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.
Flea’s Lesser-Known Grooves
Flea’s Signature Fender Jazz Bass came as quite the surprise to us at Summer NAMM this year, and we’re stoked it’s now available! Fender had previously created a custom shop version of Flea’s bass, but this is the first time a production model has been made for the masses. The Flea Signature Jazz Bass features […]
D’Angelico Electrozinc Guitar Strings
Summer NAMM saw the unveiling of tons of exciting new gear – from Boss’ Waza Craft treatment of two classic chorus effects in the new CE-2W, to Fender’s new offset body style electric guitars, to Reverend Guitars’ Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) signature model — that makes the second half of 2016 all the more exciting […]
Minus The Bear Interview
We sat down with Minus the Bear’s singer Jake Snider and guitar loop guru Dave Knudson recently to talk shop on the gear they use to get the band’s signature sound. Check it out in the video above, and get a look into the duo’s gear below. Minus The Bear Gear Jake and Dave from Minus The […]
Orange Announces the Crush Bass Series
This morning, bassists woke up to a big announcement: Orange’s popular line of Crush amps is coming to bassists! A countdown timer hosted on Orange’s homepage in the days prior led to some speculation among fans, but the news is officially out: Orange has announced the Crush Bass Series, featuring the Crush Bass 25, Crush Bass 50 and Crush Bass […]
Fender at Summer NAMM 2016
Fender’s Summer NAMM booth is stocked with gear we can’t wait to see more of later this year. From a new line of Made in Mexico guitars to some excellent signature models and limited-edition amps, there was no shortage of gear going on! Check out our rundown of some of the highlights below. Johnny Marr […]
Interview with Ben Fulton of Red Witch
We were lucky to host Red Witch founder Ben Fulton at zZounds HQ not long ago and he graciously sat down with us to give us the lowdown on his boutique pedal range. From early Red Witch creations like the Empress Chorus to the compact, budget friendly Seven Sisters line, there’s a spectrum of sounds coming from […]
Summer NAMM 2016 Preview
Summer NAMM 2016 kicks off June 23-25 in Nashville — and rather than keep you waiting, we thought we’d share some of the gear news we’ve gathered so far. Of course, you can expect a full report from us once we arrive in Music City, but for now, here are some juicy tidbits organized by […]
Who Was Ted McCarty?
The president of Gibson during its most accomplished era, the man who oversaw the development of the Les Paul and first conceptualized the ES-335, nearly took a job with Brach’s Candy. Perhaps in a parallel universe, Ted McCarty does take up a position at Brach’s and we all enjoy some wondrous confections that not only taste divine, but […]
UPDATE: Gibson Custom Shop Burglarized
UPDATE: A suspect has been named in the case of the 10 stolen Gibson Custom Shop guitars. According to Franklin Home Page, two men alleged that Bryan Brewington sold two of the guitars to them at $100 each and recommended they didn’t try to pawn them off. The men were suspicious upon examining the guitars and alerted police. Police are […]
