A Guitarist’s Guide to Thick Studio Tone
As the only guitarist in a three-piece band, I sometimes struggle with maintaining a full, thick tone. I’ve compensated by adapting my playing style to be a hybrid of rhythm and lead at all times, and choosing my amps, cabs and effects wisely in live settings. When my band hits the studio, it’s a slightly […]
Sterling and Music Man Signature Models Comparison
Ernie Ball Music Man and Sterling by Music Man have been known for nearly 40 years as “player guitar” brands. Both offer high-performance instruments fit for the touring and studio musician alike. The biggest differences between the brands are country of origin — Music Man instruments are American-made in San Luis Obispo, California, while Sterling is made […]
Overdrive vs. Distortion vs. Fuzz
Overdrive. Distortion. Fuzz. We’ve all heard the terms before. But how exactly are they different? While there are players whouse the words interchangeably, there are distinctive differences between the three types of signal clipping. When I first started playing, the word “distortion” covered the entire gamut of clipping tones. I knew Kurt Cobain used a distortion […]
Perfect Pairings: Hagstrom Viking Deluxe Baritone & Way Huge Russian Pickle
In this edition, we’re pairing up the Hagstrom Viking Deluxe Baritone and Way Huge Electronics Russian Pickle for some window-rattling, low-end fuzz. Whenever a sweet baritone rolls through the doors at zZounds HQ, it’s hard not to plug it into a nice dirt pedal and riff out for hours. So, when the Hagstrom Viking Deluxe […]
Hall of Fame 2 Gets Fan-Requested Upgrades
TC Electronic has just announced the Hall of Fame 2, their second-generation reverb pedal, and from an early look at the features, it’s clear that the company took the wishes of its customers to heart. Their new Hall of Fame 2 reverb pedal updates one of their most popular models with oft-requested features, like a […]
Fender Mustang GT Amplifiers
With one foot firmly planted in their vintage past, and the other looking forward to a tech-fueled future, Fender continues to blur that distinction with their Mustang GT combo amps. Loaded with 21 classic amp models, as well as 47 different effects, the Mustang GT-200, GT-100 and GT-40 pack quite a wallop. View your signal chain […]
How Do Headphones Produce Bass Frequencies?
To reproduce low frequencies accurately, loudspeakers need to be big. It’s why dedicated subwoofer speakers often use large drivers, commonly around 18″ wide for live sound reinforcement, and at least 8″ or 10″ wide in the recording studio. Yet headphones use comparatively tiny drivers — usually no larger than 50 millimeters, and much smaller for in-ear […]
zZounds Studio Take: Supro Westbury
Recently in the zZounds studio I had the pleasure of noodling around on a blast from the past made modern again: the Supro Westbury. This guitar jumped out at me from the first glance with its gorgeous looks coupled with a fast satin neck and vintage-toned gold-foil pickups; let’s get into it. The Look The first […]
Legends of Tone: Slayer (Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman)
When you think of metal, the most barbarous of metal, Southern California isn’t exactly the place that comes to mind….that is, until the emergence of Slayer. Legions of fans can’t help but bellow out the sinister-sounding name to show their devotion – SLAYER!!! Though polarizing, their sound was just as much brutal and original as […]
