Meet The Makers 43
Fender Pedals: Behind The Design
At this year’s Summer NAMM show, Stan Cotey, Fender’s Vice President of Product Development, looked at 21 pedals lined up in a neat row inside the Fender booth and smiled. None of these existed about 20 months prior, and designing them was a labor of love. Fender wanted a new line of pedals that set […]
Interview with Adrian Thorpe of Thorpy FX
Housed in distinctly rugged metal bodies, there’s no mistaking the look of Thorpy FX pedals. Their formidable design and tone is the brainchild of Adrian Thorpe, the company’s founder and a pedal designer since the early 2000s. We had a chat with Adrian to talk about the history of his pedals, his background as an […]
Behind The Design: Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster
At first glance, the American Acoustasonic Telecaster doesn’t look like an acoustic guitar. It doesn’t look like a traditional Tele, either. That’s because it’s neither…but it does take a little of both, mixing traditional acoustic resonance with electric feel and digital modeling to make something new… But, it doesn’t look like one of those futuristic, […]
Behind the Design: Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan (the company) has been producing top-tier pickups since 1976, but Seymour Duncan (the man) got his start in the late ’60s wiring pickups for the likes of Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and working with Seth Lover (the inventor of the humbucker) as a mentor. Seymour Duncan guitar and bass pickups […]
D’Angelico Solidbody Series
We traveled out to New York City to visit the D’Angelico showroom and got the inside scoop on the solidbody series from our pal Jimmy Lovinggood (yes, that’s his real name). Check out our exclusive video and see for yourself why the D’Angelico Bedford, Atlantic and Ludlow are some of the most interesting and refreshing […]
Origins of Fuzz with Mike Matthews of Electro-Harmonix
Founded in 1968 when the now legendary Mike Matthews quit his day job as an electrical engineer at IBM to build fuzz pedals, Electro-Harmonix has since become one of the most influential brands in effects pedals — and music in general. Their flagship pedal, the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, has seen countless iterations — and has […]
Brian and Scott Ball on the 2018 StingRay Bass
Music Man’s 2018 incarnation of the venerable StingRay Bass incorporates the best of the instrument’s legacy and adds stunning new features, like a powerful 18-volt active preamp for ultra-high clean headroom and some extra beef in the low end. The humbucking pickups have also been upgraded with neodymium magnets for increased output. And thanks to the […]
Behind the Design: Fender PureSonic Earbuds
Fender made a big splash two years ago with the introduction of their professional line of in-ear monitors. Ideal for singers, drummers and other on-stage musicians, they were praised for their clear output and ergonomic fit. Now, Fender has set their sights on the casual music fan with PureSonic. A new line of earphones, PureSonic […]
Inside Manley Laboratories
Manley Laboratories is the name behind such venerable tube-based studio gear as the Massive Passive EQ, VOXBOX channel strip, Manley Reference Cardioid microphone, and much more. Check out our photo gallery, and take a look inside the Manley Labs factory in Chino, California!
