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.
Talking Shop: Halloween Party Playlist Picks
No Halloween party is complete without great music. You already know the staple hits, so we’re highlighting some less obvious gems that add eerie ambience, campy fun, and downright funky grooves that just won’t die. Check out our Halloween picks below, and add yours in the comments! Michele Musser – Too Much I’m going out […]
All-Star Gear in Action: Beat-Making Gear
We’re highlighting our All-Star Beat Making gear over at zZounds and thought — why not give folks a chance to hear what this amazing gear can do? Check out our roundup of some of the coolest beats made on every piece of gear in our list, from artists on Instagram. Novation Circuit This incredible Circuit-fueled […]
New Pedal Roundup
September has been a busy month for pedal heads, with new releases from MXR, Walrus Audio, Boss and Dunlop building buzz among guitarists. Let’s take a look at what’s new! test paragraph Boss DD-3T and DD-8 Digital Delay Pedals Boss is expanding on its storied history in digital delay with two new pedals, one that […]
Gibson CEO James Curleigh on Running an Iconic Brand
This year at Summer NAMM, the zZounds Crew got the chance to speak with James “JC” Curleigh, the recently appointed CEO of Gibson Brands. In our video interview, above, you can hear Curleigh’s vision for the future of Gibson guitars, and his thoughts on running a globally recognized brand. Of course, JC has experience on […]
Matthews Effects Pedal Video Demos
Matthews Effects makes some truly unique pedals with designs that cater to the player who craves versatility on stage. We put their current roster of five pedals to the test — check out our video demos below to hear what these Matthews Effects pedals can do! Shop All Matthews Effects → The Architect V3 Overdrive/Boost […]
Fender Tone Master Amps: The Cutting Edge of Timeless Tone
If Fender’s new Tone Master Twin and Deluxe Reverb amps only sounded exactly like their tube counterparts, it wouldn’t be enough. That’s because Fender engineers designed these amps to behave exactly the same, too. Three years of hard work designing, programming and engineering has resulted in two amps with circuit topologies that replicate the same […]
Fender Pedals: Behind The Design
At this year’s Summer NAMM show, Stan Cotey, Fender’s Vice President of Product Development, looked at 21 pedals lined up in a neat row inside the Fender booth and smiled. None of these existed about 20 months prior, and designing them was a labor of love. Fender wanted a new line of pedals that set […]
Talking Shop: Albums We’ve Been Digging
We’re deep into the dog days of summer, and one thing that always helps beat the heat is great music. We asked zZounds staffers to share an album they’ve been into lately, and we’ve compiled the results into this Talking Shop piece. Check out their picks below, and share yours in the comments below! Crumb […]
The Coolest Things We Saw at Summer NAMM 2019
Another Summer NAMM is in the books, and we’re still thinking about all the cool gear, events and honky tonkery from Nashville. Check out our top picks from the show, and let us know what gear caught your eye in the comments below! Gibson NAMM Jam ft. Jason Isbell, Chris Isaak and More + An […]
