Don’t you love when someone revisits a weird idea from the past — and makes it even weirder? I got a new bass last week, right before I left for the NAMM show. I finally had a chance to try it out yesterday. I think I’m in love. View the incriminating evidence in this […] 
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 […] 
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 […] 
Any baritone guitar fans in the house? Let’s talk LOW! I’ve been obsessed with baritone and other low-tuned guitars for decades, but I’ve never really found a perfect method for setting up a lower-than-standard guitar, so I’m interested to hear about other players’ experiences. My main issue is pretty straightforward: I can get great tones […] 
Digitally enhanced versions of the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin footage prove that Bigfoot used flatwounds. Want to get a great ’60s-style Beatles/Byrds electric 12-string sound? Use flatwound strings. It’s almost guaranteed to up your jangle quotient. This advice is admittedly counter-intuitive—why should relatively dull-sounding flatwounds improve a guitar’s treble response? My best explanation is that […] 
Good, cheap tone doesn't grow on…oh, never mind. We all love tube amps. Yayy, tubes. Some of us love amp models. Yayy, models. And how about those cheap little solid-state amps? […crickets…] Oh, come on! Am I really the only person who digs the barking attack and corrosive crunch of the subcompact tubeless […] 
Don't fear the mic! (Illustration: Elise Malmberg) Recording be be brutal. Tracking vocals is tough. Capturing pianos or acoustic guitars is painstaking work. But recording electric guitars is easy, easy, easy—once you learn a few basics. The post focuses on the simplest way to record a guitar amp: sticking a single mic 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 […] 
Chicarrelli on Jack White: "He has an attack unlike anyone else. The concussion of his playing is just unbelievable." Joe Chiccarelli is one of music’s most respected producers and engineers—and one of the most versatile. After making his mark as Frank Zappa’s studio right-hand, he went on to work with such artists as […] |
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