Guitar Workbench 106
What are Coated Strings?
Have you come across coated strings while shopping for your next pack and wondered what they were? The world of strings is wide indeed, and coated strings are one of the many varieties offered by manufacturers. But what is a string’s coating made from? How does it affect the tone, and does it feel…weird? Let’s […]
What Are Flatwound Strings?
You might have come across flatwound guitar strings or flatwound bass strings if you’ve been browsing online or in-store string sections. Or you might have heard about them from the mustachioed bebop guitarist at your local smoky jazz club. So what are flatwound strings? How do they sound? And are they really flat like fettuccine? […]
They’ve Gone Mini! Fishman AFX Pedals Are Back and Smaller Than Ever.
The Fishman AFX line was originally founded on preserving acoustic tone while offering a host of effects and utility to the players using them. Even today, they still carry a cult-like following among players looking to build out a pedalboard with limited options in the acoustic space. Now, Fishman is bringing back their line of […]
Fender Tone Master Princeton vs Tube Princeton
When the Fender Tone Master Princeton Reverb was announced, I was pretty intrigued. I’ve played my ’65 Princeton Reverb for a long time now, and it has become one of my favorite guitar amp designs of all time. Nothing on my amp has been modified, so I thought it would be fun to compare the […]
A Full-Stack of Overdriven Marshall Amp Tone in a Pedal?
Marshall’s history of designing guitar pedals dates back to the late 1960s. But in the late ’80s, music was changing, and the need for a dimed-out Marshall distortion tone was higher than ever. Enter the Mark 1 series of Marshall distortion pedals. Within this original lineup, two pedals in particular — the DriveMaster and ShredMaster […]
Why You Should Add a PRS HDRX 20 to Your Arsenal
As someone who plays vintage reissue Fender amps, the PRS HDRX 20 was a bit of a different beast at a first glance. After some fiddling with all the controls on their own, I started to figured out where my preferred sweet spots were. Pushing this amp into preamp saturation as well as power tube […]
What? Why Would You Use a Rubber Bridge?
Why a rubber bridge? When I bring up in conversation that I’ve been fiddling with this old parlor acoustic guitar, it’s usually brought to some general confusion. For the last several months, I’ve been on the search for a cheap acoustic guitar with a floating bridge with a trapeze tailpiece, to change out the conventional […]
Shoegaze-in-a-Box: Catalinbread Soft Focus FX40
Some say shoegaze is making a comeback. The moody, reverb-rich, guitar-based genre plays on feelings of nostalgia, melancholy, and a lust for Jazzmasters. The folks at Catalinbread believe shoegaze never left, and we’re inclined to believe them after experiencing the Soft Focus FX40 Shoegaze reverb pedal. Pitched as an instant shoegaze button, the FX40 is […]
Songwriting Series: Blog Collection
Songwriting Techniques and Tips Do you dream of writing your first song, or just need some tips to enhance your own works? You’ve come to the right place. Find our collection of posts offering songwriting tips that will guide you from the first verse to the very end of your next song! A Guide to […]
