Gear 4
Will MXR Drop a Dookie at NAMM?
Yesterday, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong shared a picture on Instagram of what appears to be an MXR overdrive based on his tone from Dookie, Green Day’s breakthrough 1994 album. Our guess is that the pedal models the tone from Armstrong’s “Pete” amp, a modified Marshall Plexi he used during the Dookie era and […]
Akai Releases the Force
Released just in time for the 2019 NAMM Show, the new Akai Force is an incredibly powerful standalone music production workstation that brings together the best of their MPC and APC lines, plus adds new functionality for a piece that can really be the center of your musical universe. On Force’s multi-touch 7″ display, you […]
PRS’ 2019 Roster Gets Exotic
PRS is starting off 2019 with a bang by with some hot takes on some of your favorite guitars. Enjoy the increased resonance and distinct tone of a semi-hollowbody in models like the CE 24, Custom 22, and Singlecut. The affordable and popular SE Custom 24 also gets a stunning makeover with new topwoods like […]
Raymond Scott, A Synth Pioneer
Born in Brooklyn and a graduate of the Julliard School of Music, synth pioneer Raymond Scott began his career in music in 1931, playing piano for the CBS Radio house band. In 1936 Raymond Scott put together a six-man “quintet” (Scott liked the word quintet, although his band had six members). The Raymond Scott Quintette […]
Korg Releases Minilogue XD, Volca Modular and Volca Drum
Korg is making a big splash ahead of NAMM with some super-cool launches. Check out our rundown of the Minilogue XD, Volca Modular and Volca Drum below! Minilogue XD First up, the Minilogue XD is the newest entry in the ‘Logue family, and feature-wise, it falls right in the middle between the original Minilogue and […]
Orange Announces TremLord 30 and Pedal Baby Amps
Orange’s two newest amps offer something for both the guitarist who chases vintage tone, and the one who prefers to craft their sound before the signal hits their amp. TremLord 30 The TremLord is a 30-watt combo with on-board, valve-drive tremolo. In addition to a depth control, the player can set two speeds for the […]
Fender Acquires Bigsby
Yesterday, Fender announced their acquisition of the Bigsby brand, known for their unique tremolo bridge units. Bigsby was previously owned by Fred Gretsch Enterprises, the parent company of Gretsch guitars and drums. Fender has operated as the exclusive manufacturing and distribution partner for Gretsch for some time, so the move makes sense. Plus, there’s the […]
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
As you grow your pedalboard, keeping things tight and orderly can become a challenge. Maintaining your signal’s integrity as it passes through a chain of effects — some true-bypass, some not — is a whole other story. Add a tone-sucking volume pedal and a stereo amp rig to the mix and things certainly don’t get […]
NAMM 2019 Rumor Roundup
With NAMM 2019 fast approaching, it’s time again to sift through the rumor mill and sort out what we know is coming out, what might be coming out, and what gear heads would really like to see come out. Take a look through our roundup of the announcements and speculation that surrounds the storied show […]
