Guitar Workbench 80
Unconventional Uses For Your Pedals
The pedal industry has exploded over the past decade, and most guitarists have a few extra pedals lying around. Today we’re going to take a look at some other uses for your pedal collection! Makeshift Attenuator There’s no denying it, guitarists like things loud. Nothing compares to the sound of an overdriven tube amp, but […]
Fender is Making Waves with Their Latest Pedals
Fender is making huge waves with their expanding line of premium stompbox effects. Each pedal is housed in an ultra-durable, anodized aluminum chassis and are all designed in-house by Fender engineers creating totally original Fender circuits. Each pedal features an incredibly clean design, complete with LED-illuminated knobs for ease of use on stage. The zZounds […]
A Tour of the C.F. Martin Guitar Museum and Factory
There are not many companies that have been open since the 1830s. For their first six years, all Martin guitars were made on Hudson Street in New York City before moving to Nazareth, Pennsylvania. In 1839, C.F. Martin and his family moved to rural Pennsylvania because it reminded them of where they grew up in […]
Wampler Tackles Digital Effects with the Terraform
Brian Wampler started his legendary career by modding pedals, and has always been a self-described “gear nut.” Not wanting to make something “boring” (his words) Brian decided to combine 11 custom-designed modulation effects into a single stompbox unit. He’s thrown Wampler into the digital realm with the Wampler Terraform multi-modulation pedal. The eleven custom-designed modulation […]
Three Tremendous Tremolos: Amp, Pedal, and Harmonic
Often confused with the whammy bar, tremolo was one of the first effects to ever be introduced for guitar. In this post we’re taking a look at a few different versions of this effect. What is Tremolo? There’s often a lot of confusion in the guitar community about tremolo and vibrato. Both are often used […]
Unpacking The Envelope Filter
The envelope filter, also known as “auto-wah,” has been a staple of funk, disco, and other types of music since the ’70s. Let’s take a look into the basics of this effect using the EarthQuaker Devices Spatial Delivery pedal. What is an Envelope Filter? An envelope filter works very similarly to a wah pedal, but […]
Creating Guitar Harmonies
Whether it’s the soaring solos of Iron Maiden, the classical prowess of Brian May, or smooth licks from The Allman Brothers Band, harmonized guitar riffs have shaped rock music for the last five decades. Today I’ll be diving into some of the basics of harmonized guitar parts and using pedals to get that same sound. […]
Traditional and Non-Traditional Re-amping Techniques
While re-amping used to only be achievable at high-end studios, re-amp boxes have become very affordable and accessible for musicians and home recording enthusiasts alike. All you really need is the re-amp box, an audio interface, and a couple extra cables to get started. What is a Re-amp Box? A re-amp box essentially converts a […]
Compressor Pedals and You
While it sounds pretty simple and is widely used by guitarists and bassists alike, compression is an effect that is easily misunderstood. Most people know or think they need it, but don’t always know why. Being primarily a utility effect — used to keep signal dynamics under control — compression isn’t really perceived as an […]
