Guitar Workbench 102
Stacking Overdrives to Gain New Tones
As guitarists, there are few things we love more than a good overdrive pedal. If you’ve been playing for years, there is a good chance you have several lying around. While you may have chosen a few of your favorites to stay on the pedalboard, you may want to try stacking overdrives together. Stacking overdrives […]
Talk Box and Friends
When guitarists don’t want to sing, they buy a talk box — at least that’s what I do. An instrument in itself, the talk box was unleashed onto the world in the 1930s and became popularized in the 1970s. Mostly seen as a novelty, it can also be a major sound piece as a handful […]
Fender ’68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb: A Studio Weapon, Practice Amp, or Both?
When I first heard that Fender was going to release a ‘68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb, I knew I had to try one out. As a self-proclaimed Fender fanboy who loves cranking up small amps to the point where they sound like they might collapse, it was destiny. Don’t let its small size make you […]
The Capo: Open Mic Night and Beyond
A lot of guitarists tend to look down on the capo. It is often viewed as some sort of cheat for singer-songwriters to not have to learn the fretboard and easily change keys. But the capo is actually a really useful tool, even outside of open mic night. The capo is used on acoustic and […]
A Guide to Basic Melody Writing
What is a melody? Chances are you already know, even if you don’t know the dictionary definition. If you have listened to music, then your instincts will tell you while you are listening, even if subconsciously. The great thing about melodies are that they can come from the voice or an instrument, making them an important part of […]
Your Guitar Cabinet Recordings Deserve More Love
Are you lost as to what actually sounds good anymore when it comes to tracking guitar? Do you prefer to D.I. a guitar track and re-amp it with effects? Or maybe you’d rather live track the whole band and overdub? And what about how your room even sounds? Is there a plug-in for that? Well […]
Radial EXTC Stereo: A Tool for Creating Truly Unique Sounds
The new Radial EXTC Stereo is an update to the older EXTC model with — you guessed it — stereo functionality! For all the fellow engineers out there, this is truly a game changer when it comes to signal processing. After all, two is better than one, eh? So, What Does the EXTC Stereo Do? […]
Five Alternate Guitar Tunings to Spice Up Your Strumming
After years of playing guitar, it can be hard to find new things to play. There’s something great about learning the fretboard and constantly discovering new chord voicings and scales. After a while, many of us get stuck using the same chords, and struggle to find something new and exciting on the instrument. One really […]
Fuzz Worship: Can Fuzz Be Used as an Instrument?
Fuzz as a guitar effect has made its way into rock & roll history with greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Its incredible power, long sustain and ability to elevate the average riff to a face-melting experience is well known and documented. But the fuzz pedal and effect in general can be […]
