A guitarist since in 1996, Sergio played guitar in The Junior Varsity from 2002-2007 and a handful of times since, as well as playing in many other bands. In addition to guitar, he plays drums and owns and operates recording gear. Sergio is a sci-fi fan, a lover of dogs, and big, loud amps. Sergio is the Senior Guitar Copywriter at zZounds, as well as the manager of the Guitar, Bass, and Drums categories, and is audio engineer for Gear Wire.
Overdrive vs. Distortion vs. Fuzz
Overdrive. Distortion. Fuzz. We’ve all heard the terms before. But how exactly are they different? While there are players whouse the words interchangeably, there are distinctive differences between the three types of signal clipping. When I first started playing, the word “distortion” covered the entire gamut of clipping tones. I knew Kurt Cobain used a distortion […]
Fender Mustang GT Amplifiers
With one foot firmly planted in their vintage past, and the other looking forward to a tech-fueled future, Fender continues to blur that distinction with their Mustang GT combo amps. Loaded with 21 classic amp models, as well as 47 different effects, the Mustang GT-200, GT-100 and GT-40 pack quite a wallop. View your signal chain […]
Parallel Compression
Controlling dynamics during the final mixdown can sometimes feel like a compromise, especially on instruments with wide dynamic ranges. Drums, bass, and vocals often produce loud signal peaks that can cause issues when trying to compress the signal. Sure, you can try to put a limiter on the offending track, but that has the possibility […]
Go With the (Signal) Flow
Setting up your pedalboard involves a little more thought than just trying to fit everything together like a real-life game of Tetris. When using two or more pedals, experimenting with signal flow often results in significant differences in your tone. In this edition of Guitar Workbench, we’re taking a closer listen to how overdrive pedals […]
St. Vincent Interview at NAMM 2017
With four critically-acclaimed albums under her belt, Grammy award-winning artist Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent) shows no sign of slowing her momentum. Collaborating with Ernie Ball Music Man last year, her St. Vincent signature model stunned the guitar world with its sleek lines, sharp angles, and all-around cool. Oh yeah, did we mention that this […]
Gear Review: KHDK Dark Blood
There’s almost nothing like plugging into a big tube amp, cranking the volume, setting the gain just right, and letting that thing rip. It’s that x-factor, the “you know it when you hear it” sound, that keeps you coming back for more. There’s something going on among the combination of tubes, capacitors, resistors, transformers, etc. […]
Iconic Rigs: Slash
The man, the myth, the top hat. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know who Slash is? The guitar-playing community certainly knows, and I’d say it’s fair to claim that he’s extremely well known far beyond our our little circle. Along with his ubiquity, I would argue that he’s got to be one of […]
Kirk Hammett on KHDK Electronics
When a guitarist carries as much esteem as Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, you’d think they would be content sticking to the signature tone they developed years ago. But, just like us lowly mortals, the guitar god still tweaks and adjusts to his tastes, forever chasing the sounds he has in his head. And to that end, […]
Gibson Acoustic Guitars: Handmade Tradition
Earlier in April, a few of us were fortunate enough to visit the Gibson acoustic guitar factory in breathtaking Bozeman, Montana. An extensive tour of each part of the factory commenced, and we were impressed with the amount of elbow grease that goes into making each one of these fine instruments. Trust us — when […]
