When is a guitar not a guitar? When you plug any guitar into the Electro-Harmonix MEL9, your signal transforms into one of 9 classic tape-emulated sounds. We played an American Elite Telecaster through the pedal, choosing its Strings voice for that slightly grainy string sound you’ve heard on countless psychedelic tunes. We then took a few steps further out of the […]
Having shred upon countless stages in behemoth act Metallica since 1983, Kirk Hammett knows a thing or two about what it takes to achieve blistering tone. From Kill ‘Em All to Death Magnetic, Metallica’s sound and rigs have evolved, but Hammett’s guitar work continues to cut like a knife. Watch any overview video of Kirk’s […]
We sat down with Minus the Bear’s singer Jake Snider and guitar loop guru Dave Knudson recently to talk shop on the gear they use to get the band’s signature sound. Check it out in the video above, and get a look into the duo’s gear below. Minus The Bear Gear Jake and Dave from Minus The […]
This morning, bassists woke up to a big announcement: Orange’s popular line of Crush amps is coming to bassists! A countdown timer hosted on Orange’s homepage in the days prior led to some speculation among fans, but the news is officially out: Orange has announced the Crush Bass Series, featuring the Crush Bass 25, Crush Bass 50 and Crush Bass […]
In this edition, we’re plugging in the Fender American Elite Telecaster and the Walrus Audio Bellwether Analog Delay for a rich soundscape of chorus-laden repeats. Fender American Elite Thinline Telecaster We’d been without a Telecaster at zZounds HQ for a little while when the new American Elite line showed up. Once we pulled […]
Editor’s note: We selected Eric Clapton as the subject of this month’s Iconic Rigs well before the recent news broke about Eric Clapton’s difficulty in playing guitar due to peripheral neuropathy. We at zZounds were saddened by the news and wish for a full recovery for Eric. This installment of Iconic Rigs serves to pay tribute to him. There […]
We were lucky to host Red Witch founder Ben Fulton at zZounds HQ not long ago and he graciously sat down with us to give us the lowdown on his boutique pedal range. From early Red Witch creations like the Empress Chorus to the compact, budget friendly Seven Sisters line, there’s a spectrum of sounds coming from […]
Are six strings not enough anymore? For guitarists playing various styles of metal, jazz, ambient and experimental music, the range of a six-string guitar (even when down-tuned) may not provide enough low end. Ever since models like the Ibanez Universe charted the course for 7-string guitars in the early ’90s, manufacturers have continued to refine these extended-range […]
Over the course of Black Sabbath’s long and storied history, there always remained one key component of their sound: guitarist Tony Iommi. Gilded in absolutely legendary status, he remains one of the pivotal guitarists who helped to establish and define what the true sound of metal guitar was and still is today. When delving into […]