Perfect Pairings: Positive Grid BIAS Head Preamp and Distortion
Most of us guitar enthusiasts here at zZounds HQ are purists when it comes to amps and pedals. We have our go-to tube amps and distortion pedals and would be hard-pressed to want to replace them with anything. Then, we got a shipment of BIAS gear from Positive Grid. For this edition of Perfect Pairings, […]
Studio Amp and Effects Modeling with Positive Grid
Getting the perfect tone in the studio can be tough. Whether you’re in your home studio or dishing out the big bucks to track in a professional studio with tons of gear, there are still endless combinations of amps and pedals, all of which behave differently depending on the space they’re in. It’s certainly not […]
Legends of Tone: Dick Dale
Dick Dale is the undisputed founder and King of Surf Guitar. While many know his name, they may not know much about his interesting past and contribution to the world of guitar in general. This includes several innovations of amplification and a personal playing style that changed how many thought to manipulate the instrument. Here […]
The Elements Of A Song
Welcome to Beat Connection, a series dedicated to promoting modern and vintage dance styles the only way we know how…by providing you a musical starting point to help you create that beat. Last time we showed you the way around grid notation – essential info for understanding your way around drum machines and recording software. Today, we go forward […]
Interview with Stephen Carpenter of Deftones
Since forming Deftones in late ’80s Sacramento, Stephen Carpenter has traveled the world over, slinging churning riffs and atmospheric textures with the help of a slew of extended-range guitars and evolving amp rigs. We got the chance to hang out with Steph in a southern California studio to talk Deftones, gear simplicity and his love […]
How to Deck or Block Your Tremolo
As one of the most distinctive features on perhaps the most famous (and most imitated) guitars ever, the floating tremolo system as found on the Fender Stratocaster (and other guitars like it) is one of the most-played hardware systems out there. The system allows players to create natural, fluttering vibrato, akin to what early jazz and blues […]
Parallel Compression
Controlling dynamics during the final mixdown can sometimes feel like a compromise, especially on instruments with wide dynamic ranges. Drums, bass, and vocals often produce loud signal peaks that can cause issues when trying to compress the signal. Sure, you can try to put a limiter on the offending track, but that has the possibility […]
Is John Mayer Rocking Another Signature PRS?
The blog-o-sphere has been abuzz recently after John Mayer posted a photo on his Instagram from a show in Boston on April 9th. In the pic, John’s wearing a smart long coat with the sleeves rolled up, along with some very comfortable-looking sneakers, perhaps custom Kirklands? A card-carrying #kirkboy, Mayer is a known fan of the Costco kicks […]
Building a Guitar, Part 1 – Choosing Hardware
Welcome to Part 1 of how to build a parts guitar! Over the next few months, I will be doing a general walkthrough on how to choose parts, and offer several guides on how to do basic DIY guitar work at home. I certainly know when assembling your own custom guitar, or simply modifying a […]
