It’s time for another contest! I hereby announce the first Tonefiend Mutant Beauty Pageant. I know many deadbeats with too much time on their hands musicians, and most of them have a thing for weird gear. I’m talking real freak-show stuff, the items that make anyone who walks into your music room shriek, “What the […] 
This is my kind of pickup change: the easy kind! I got my hands on the new Seymour Duncan Everything Axe pickguard, which comes with three pre-installed Strat-format humbuckers (JB Jr., Duckbucker, and Little ’59). I’ve always avoided humbuckerized Strats because they remind of really bad ’80s bands. But I love the JB and ’59, […] 
My cat is skeptical. Multiple readers have asked some variation of that question since I launched this blog last month. I’ve been wondering myself as I prowled the local music emporia, searching for a fun, but seriously funky guitar to experiment on. […] 
Cheap chic: The Italia Maranello bass I’ve got this weird Italia Maranello bass I picked up years ago when I was playing in the Eels. It looks like it’s from the ’60, but is, in fact, a modern instrument designed by Brit luthier Trev Wilkinson and built in Korea. The only “Italy” in […] 
It's not like these pickups NEED a hot tub disco light to be exciting, but hey, a little mood lighting never hurts. I recently upgraded a beat-up old Les Paul with a pair of Seth Lover humbuckers, a journey detailed here and here. While I was in a makeover frame of mind, I […] 
Can you hear me now? Most modern guitar pickups are potted. That means they’re dipped in wax to prevent their components from vibrating against each other in high-volume situations, which can produce unwanted feedback. The process also prevents pickups from becoming microphonic, amplifying sounds traveling through air along with the magnetic information generated […] 
"Let me teach you a thing or two about CHUNK, sonny!" The other day I posted a few audio clips I’d recorded using a Guild Archtop fitted with a Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Dynasonic® pickup. Going with the ’50s theme, I strung the guitar with flatwounds and coughed up a few Eisenhower-era licks. […] 
I hereby call to order the first meeting of the Tonefiend DIY Club! Our mission: To attain tonal mastery over our guitars, amps, and effects with the least possible damage to our gear, bodies, homes, and pets. When the smoke has cleared (and all the smoke alarms have been reset) you’ll be able to install […] 
The Dynasonic: one pretty pickup! Take my advice: When MJ says she has something cool to show you, drop everything and investigate. MJ, of course, is Maricela Juarez, the longtime manager of the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop. And the item in question was a clone of the DeArmond 200 pickup, also known as […] 
Compare the honkin' magnets on the installed Quarter Pound to those of the factory pickup. The original P-Bass is a fascinating instrument. It’s wasn’t the first electric bass guitar—inventor and owner Paul Tutmarc claimed that title with the instruments he created and sold through his Seattle, Washington, music shop in the 1930s and […] |
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