Guitar Workbench 102
JHS Overdrive Shootout
We here at zZounds were fortunate enough to receive a small bounty (no pun intended) of old and new JHS drive pedals for a shootout. Since JHS offers a wealth of drive options for players, I figured a demonstration of the tone of each would be a worthwhile pursuit. As an added bonus, the JHS […]
Building a Guitar, Part 5: Installing Tuners
Welcome back! In this installment, I’m going to do a basic walkthrough on a very common and practical guitar modification: installing tuners. Depending on the model and brand you have, this process can have slight variations, but the installation is largely universal. Here’s what you’ll need: Supplies Tuners of your choice (I went with Gotoh […]
Does a Guitar’s Finish Affect its Tone?
The first time I heard anything about Fender applying finish to their guitars was in a lesson with my first guitar teacher. Upon showing him my first Midnight Blue Telecaster, he responded with stories of men in hazmat suits, who might as well have stepped off the set of E.T., bulk-spraying dozens of guitars. Attached […]
Guitar Workbench Collection: Setting Up Your Guitar
Whether you’ve just unboxed a brand-new axe or you’re looking to dust off an old favorite, chances are going through a few simple setup procedures will bring out the best in your playing and make it easier to form a bond with your instrument. In this collection, we’ve put together some of our helpful Guitar […]
Vintage Vibrato Systems
What do a Fender Stratocaster, a Fender Jazzmaster, and a Gretsch 5420T have in common? If you said “each one has a vibrato system,” you’re correct. And, if you added an asterisk to your answer because each of their vibrato systems are different, then go ahead and give yourself a gold star. These different vibrato systems […]
Electro-Harmonix Triangle Big Muff Demo
Electro-Harmonix has surprised us once again with the resurrection of a classic iteration of their most beloved pedal. Based on the original from 1969, the Triangle Big Muff Pi is a one-way ticket to high-gain heaven, with tons of extra volume on tap and a powerful tone control. From rippling velcro-esque sounds, to super-compressed, over-the-top […]
Remain Calm: DigiTech FreqOut Demo
The FreqOut Natural Feedback Creator is another entry in DigiTech’s legacy of creating pedals fueled by some truly next-level inspiration. The FreqOut replicates the sound of feedback created by playing your guitar or bass close to a blaring amp. And it doesn’t just give you one tonality but seven, letting you cherry-pick the frequency of your […]
Guitar Amp Wattage: Needs vs Wants
What guitarist doesn’t dream of being up on stage, shredding out hot licks from a monolithic wall of blaring amp stacks? It’s the quintessential, “famous rock star” look. Rarely though do you stop and really think about what that would sound like, and the fact that most of those bands are standing in front of […]
Big Muff Trio Shootout
First introduced in 1969, the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff has become one of the most ubiquitous pedals in the world. If a guitarist has a fuzz pedal on their board, chances are pretty good that it’s some sort of a Big Muff, or boutique clone of the circuit. While the Big Muff is a popular pedal […]
