It has been brought to my attention that there is, in fact, another event this weekend called a NAMM show. I’ll be there Friday and Saturday with Seymour Duncan. If you’re at the show, please stop by. And tomorrow — Thursday — I’m playing a show at Taix in LA’s cool Echo Park neighborhood […] 
This is not a Swedish guitar. (Photo by Candace Burnham.) Everyone’s talking about the upcoming Nam show, so I figured I should post something relevant. I’ve never been to Southeast Asia, though everyone I know who has loves the place. And I’ve been floored by the beauty and originality of those Vietnamese electric […] 
An iPhone photo app makes this new Squier Tele look old. Duncan’s Vintage Broadcaster Set makes it SOUND old. Sometimes an antiquated idea can acquire new relevance. Example: The ancient Fender Broadcaster wiring scheme, in which the guitar has no tone control per se, but the second knob acts as a pickup-blend control. […] 
"Who are you callin' ugly?" UPDATE: My thanks to reader William Badjek, who found in error on page 31 of the v01 project file, which would have prevented the tone control from working properly. (The schematics, however, were correct in v01.) If you’ve encountered that issue, please revisit that page of the v02 […] 
The latest version of the ReAmp, the Radial PRO RMP Studio Re-Amper, lists for a recession-friendly US$115, which means you can probably snag one for under a C-note. Teisco amp not included. Pity. The device, created by engineer John Cuniberti (best known as Joe Satriani’s studio wiz), is a recording direct box […] 
Technically speaking, original Dallas Rangemasters didn't have angel wings, though they probably should have. However, the musically illiterate treble staff IS historically accurate. The next Tonefiend DIY Club project is a cool update of the Dallas Rangemaster treble booster — for my money, the wickedest overdrive ever. I’ll post all the project files […] 
Germanium is actually a boring, silvery-gray color. Aren't you glad I added cheesy digital effects? “Germanium” is a magical word among guitar gearheads, right up there with “pre-CBS,” “true bypass,” “matched tubes,” “point-to-point wiring,” and “scatter-wound.” And like those other phrases, it owes its cachet to a mix of fact and fancy. Germanium […] 
Location, location, location: IR reverbs can make your guitar sound like it was recorded ANYWHERE! Impulse response reverbs are one of the handiest tools in the digital-audio junk drawer. If you’re new to the concept, prepare to be amazed. (And if you’re familiar with the technology, jump to the end of this post […] 
We got into a discussion about buzzing single-coil pickups over in the lipstick tube thread. Reader Matthew Seniff chimed in with some well-informed observations and remedies. I’ve moved them here so more folks will see. Another reader had written: “Every time my kids turn on my kitchen light my amp starts buzzing. It’s due […] 
This action figure not available in stores! It’s hard to discuss the Beatles without summoning their shadow: the Stones. Since posting last week about Randy Bachman solving the mystery of the “Hard Day’s Night” chord, I can’t stop thinking about another 1960s conundrum: Who played the solo on “Sympathy for the Devil?” There’s […] |
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