February 02, 2018 | By Andy Perrin
Chances are, you couldn’t pick him out of a crowd. Yet you definitely know his name. You’ve absolutely heard him, thousands of time. He’s the name and brains behind one of gear culture’s most legendary brands: Jim Marshall…
View full article →January 26, 2018 | By Andy Perrin
You’d never guess it from the smashing success of the semi-annual NAMM shows, but this organization had origins as humble as a garage band in an era before there were cars to park in garages. Here’s a short rundown on the history and heritage of America’s greatest gig for gearheads…
View full article →January 19, 2018 | By Andy Perrin
Celebrated and slammed, misunderstood and misbehaved. The Fender Blender is definitely near the top of the company’s list of enigmatic gear items turned cult classics…
View full article →January 12, 2018 | By Andy Perrin
Every effect has its origins. When an idea conceived became a circuit in a box and a sound from an amp. Equally innovative as this departure point, however, is when builder’s throughout gear history had the bold new idea of partnering tandem effects in a single stompbox…
View full article →January 05, 2018 | By Andy Perrin
Every family has its quirky branches of the family tree, even Fender. In the re-emergence of offset guitars, however, these overlooked, forgotten, or even accidental relics of Fender and Squier vintage are proof that what was once odd can become awesome…
View full article →December 29, 2017 | By Andy Perrin
As the sun sets on 2017 and U2’s album War rounds out its thirty-fifth year, the gear of guitarist The Edge remains the most expressive, elusive, and evocative of rock n’ roll Hall of Famers. Even a short take on some of his staple guitars, amps, and pedals proves all is not quiet on New Year’s Day…
View full article →December 21, 2017 | By Andy Perrin
With Christmas music going on six weeks strong and hopes for new gear under the tree tomorrow, we thought we’d add a few holiday tunes to your playlist with a look at the gear featured in them and highlights from the ongoing history of rock and roll’s holiday heritage…
View full article →December 15, 2017 | By Andy Perrin
In an age of tape, about seventy years ago, Dr. Bonfiglio Bini of Milan began to think differently about what a delay unit could be. The Binson Echorec was born. This renaissance of echo tech in Italy is now coming back for another round of gear innovation in modern renditions…
View full article →December 08, 2017 | By Andy Perrin
In 1958, Ted McCarty went all in with a series of classic and futuristic designs for Gibson guitars. Six decades later, the bad boy of the bunch, the Flying V, has inspired players across genres and generations and spawned entire companies in the gear industry…
View full article →December 01, 2017 | By Andy Perrin
1968, London. A bleak budget. Clifford Cooper seems to have initially had the goal of breaking even. But eventually his unmistakable sun-kissed, citrus tolex amp designs broke it big and defined a sound of UK tone and gain that continues to this day.
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