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.
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 […]
Demo: Extended-Range Guitars
Are six strings not enough anymore? For guitarists playing various styles of metal, jazz, ambient and experimental music, the range of a six-string guitar (even when down-tuned) may not provide enough low end. Ever since models like the Ibanez Universe charted the course for 7-string guitars in the early ’90s, manufacturers have continued to refine these extended-range […]
Interview with Victor Wooten
Talking to Victor Wooten, you get the impression he never puts his bass away for too long. From his childhood gig performing in a band with his four brothers on through the highly anticipated Bela Fleck and the Flecktones reunion tour starting this summer, Wooten has earned his place as one of the first names spoken when people discuss the world’s best bassists. But talking to […]
New Gear Report: MXR M300 & Walrus Audio Luminary
MXR M300 Reverb I was pretty surprised to find out that the MXR M300 is the first reverb pedal MXR has ever done, what with their Carbon Copy being a nearly ubiquitous delay on so many guitarists’ boards. Well, not only is this MXR’s first reverb, it may just be the last reverb you’ll ever need! […]
Shure Unveils ‘The Great Hall’
Walk through the halls of Shure’s sleek and sophisticated building and you’re likely to hear someone talking about the company’s rich and renowned philosophy. Just as likely is someone crediting that philosophy to “Mr. Shure.” I’m midway through a guided tour of The Great Hall, Shure’s new in-house museum exhibit, when I stop and remark […]
We Review the SubPac
What is the SubPac? If you haven’t heard the buzz, the SubPac Tactile Bass System is, in short, a device that lets you feel sound — specifically the low end of the sonic spectrum, where bass resides. There are two models of the SubPac currently available: the S2 is a stationary unit meant to be strapped […]
New Gear Report: Music Man 40th Anniversary “Old Smoothie” StingRay Bass & Orange OB1-300 Combo
There’s been a stockpile of great new gear coming out for bassists lately — so much so that we can hardly keep up! We’re spotlighting two pieces of gear we think are going to make a big splash among bassists. First up, a reissue of an all-time classic. Music Man 40th Anniversary “Old Smoothie” StingRay Bass The StingRay […]
