Year of the Supercharged Guitar: Fender American Elite Series
We’re always looking for trends at the NAMM show and this year there were quite a few. The rebirth of analog synthesizers may just have reached its peak this year with Korg’s Minilogue and Arturia’s MatrixBrute making big sawtooth waves at the show. Another thing we noticed: 2016 is shaping up to be a great […]
303 State: A History of the Roland TB-303
The Roland TB-303 houses one of music’s most singular sounds. Scroll down a bit and hit play on Phuture’s “Acid Tracks.” What do you hear? That knocking beat of the TR-707 gives way to what sounds like a bass line contorting itself from within. Slippery, percolating, and squelchy, it’s the sound of an unique instrument being pushed to […]
Setting Your Pickup Height
Guitar forums are rife with posts about topics like how different woods resonate, what bridge setup gives you the most sustain and what nut material you should go with. Sure, all those factors can affect your tone, but if you break an electric guitar down to its simplest parts, what is really creating the sound […]
Jimmy Page and Les Paul “Black Beauty” Reunited?
It looks as though Jimmy Page will get to join Peter Frampton, B.B. King, George Harrison, Bob Seger, Zakk Wylde and other guitarists who have lost and later recovered iconic axes. Page’s guitar, a 1960 Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty”, was stolen in 1970 while Led Zeppelin were on tour in the months leading up to Led Zeppelin […]
Perfect Pairings: Fret-King Esprit I and Walrus Audio Iron Horse Distortion
This month, we’re plugging in the stripped-down Fret-King Esprit I and the gain-heavy Walrus Audio Iron Horse Distortion for a relentless riff session. This month, we’re finally pairing up two pieces of gear we’ve had our eyes on for a while now. Ever since the Fret-King Esprit I showed up at zZounds HQ a few months […]
Billy Corgan – Top 5 Tones
To celebrate the introduction of Billy Corgan’s new signature Reverend BC-1 guitar, we wanted to take a few moments to highlight some of his and the Smashing Pumpkins’ best tones. Take a look at our top 5 and join the discussion below by letting us know what songs feature your favorite Billy Corgan tones! 1. “Drown” […]
Neon Bunny – 서울 하늘 Romance in Seoul
Though we’re already two months into 2016, I’d like to take some time out to note two releases that struck the most chords with me last year. Without a doubt I’ve been gobsmacked by my favorite single of 2015: Neon Bunny’s 서울 하늘 Romance in Seoul, and it’s the first release I’d like to talk about. How come? […]
Episode 37 – Jack Grisham
Lead singer of punk rock bands TSOL and The Joykiller, Jack Grisham holds forth on a number of topics, including the early days of the SoCal punk rock scene, motivational speaking, revisionist punk rock history, and his passion for writing.
Iconic Rigs (on a Budget): Eddie Van Halen
Iconic Rigs on a Budget is a companion to our Iconic Rigs series at zZounds, where we show you the gear of legendary guitarists. Here on the zZounds Blog, we’ll help you get really, really close to that sound without blowing your tour budget. This month: get the Brown Sound with just a single pedal! (Hot […]
