UPDATE: I’ve added a page listing all the “How To” posts on this site. Just click the cleverly titled How-To Posts Are Here! box at upper-right of each page. There’s got to be a better way! Several readers asked for more specific tech advice on how to wire up battery-powered effects inside a […] 
Hi there. We changed musical history! Tonefiend reader Scott S. hipped me to a fabulous little article that just appeared in the online edition of The Atlantic: a history of artificial reverb that’s both technically savvy and fun to read. Author William Weir covers all the right gizmos: echo chambers, plates, springs, tape […] 
Would this be anything less than awesome? I think not. As I gloated last week, Jane Wiedlin gave me her Hello Kitty Stratocaster — the most bitchin’ $99 guitar ever conceived! I finally had a chance to destroy/customize it yesterday, in what will no doubt be the first of many desecrations/enhancements. I’d ordered […] 
What could possibly go wrong? There are two ways to approach amplifying an acoustic guitar: trying to duplicate the natural sound, only louder, and NOT trying to sound naturalistic at all. This post is about the second approach. I love playing acoustic through an electric guitar amp (as opposed to a dedicated acoustic […] 
Low-Voltage Chunk from Diode Distortion! Did you know you can add a simple circuit to your guitar or bass that produces onboard distortion — without using a battery? The idea is pretty simple — you attach a pair of diodes to the guitar’s output via a pot or switch. With the diodes connected […] 
Amazing things at NAMM, #1,287: Bootsy Collins's right hand. Just got back from a couple of days at the 2012 NAMM convention in Anaheim. And I’m glad to be writing about it rather than talking about it, because I have no voice left from screaming over several days of unbelievably loud ambient noise. […] 
"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 […] |
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