Guitar, Amps, Pedals

This article was originally published in Playback Issue 004. Subscribe to Playback for free to stay up to date with our latest articles, interviews, product reviews and more. What’s the old adage? Teach a guitarist about pedals, and they’ll never go a day in their life without doomscrolling through gear demos, Craigslist, and forums. Maybe we’re a bit off, but it’s something like that. The truth about building the perfect pedalboard is that you can do it at any price. It’s all about scalability. Whether you want to spend $500 or $5000 on your rig, you’ll find something to get you on your way, and if you get bored, you can always trade up to get something different.  Continue reading →

IK Multimedia is expanding its guitar pedal line in a big way with the new TONEX Pedal, which puts the power of their Amplitube TONEX modeling software in a gig-friendly stompbox format. Continue reading →

At the beginning of 2021, Universal Audio introduced the world to its new series of UAFX pedals, including the Astra Modulation Machine, Golden Reverberator and Starlight Echo Station. Each pedal features three impeccable UAD emulations of vintage studio gear with six knobs, three switches and two footswitches for controlling your sound. Universal Audio is now expanding your ability to command its UAFX pedals with the new UAFX Control Mobile App. This free app for iOS and Android phones enables users to control aspects of each pedal via Bluetooth connectivity. As of right now, you can rename your pedal, control switchable bypass options for effect trails and customize your footswitch modes. Continue reading →

Vintage King is known for being a leader in vintage analog recording gear, but sometimes an instrument so special comes along that we just have to take notice. Such is the case with this 1964 Gibson Firebird III, previously owned by influential Motown session musician Eddie "Chank" Willis. Born in Grenada, Mississippi in 1936, Eddie learned to play guitar in the styles of Chet Atkins, Albert King and Wes Montgomery. After finishing school, he moved to Detroit to become part of the city’s bustling music scene. He kept busy with local gigs and session work until Motown founder Berry Gordy came calling and made him a member of the record label’s house band in 1959. Continue reading →

Those who are fortunate enough to take the journey to the annual NAMM Show know that when you step out onto that floor, you're bound to find something that completely rocks your world. Something huge, something wild, something you've never seen before. For the past four years or so, Chase Bliss Audio has been the brand doing most of the mind blowing in the pedal realm. Let's go back to the 2019 NAMM Show. Chase Bliss Audio owner and designer Joel Korte debuts a first of its kind pedal dubbed the Automatone Preamp MKII. It features motorized faders that adjust automatically when cycling through presets. We've seen it in the studio for years, so why not go there with a pedal? And just like that, the pedal becomes an instant success because of its innovation and fantastic sounds. Continue reading →

With 2021 nearly here, we're concluding our blog wrap-up of the best selling pro audio gear of 2020. You didn't think we would skip synths and pedals, did you? Fear not, filter sweepers and fuzz lords! We've got you covered! While few will reminisce about 2020 with great fondness, one positive to come from this year is an overwhelming amount of new tools for tinkering in the studio. From pedals built in collaboration between companies to synthesizers that revive classic designs, this is the gear that got our customers through the past 365 days. Continue reading →

Any studio worth its weight in gold has amplifier options for days. Something that will set your space apart from the rest is the new rackmount version of The Amp. This collaboration from Milkman Sound and Vintage King will give you a rack-ready amp that easily plugs into your workflow and works well with both pedals and outboard gear. The new take on The Amp is actually the same as the beloved 50 Watt pedal version, but comes in a 19-inch rackmount chassis. The preamp of The Amp centers on a single 12AX7 running at high voltage in a discrete Class A circuit. Just like a guitar amplifier, the tube preamp reacts to what a player is playing, generating harmonics and a sweet sounding high fidelity tube tone that you will love. Continue reading →

As one of the most popular techniques in modern recording, reamping allows engineers the flexibility to capture the best sounding guitar takes and send them through any amp or chain that they desire. This practice gives users the chance to experiment with different microphones, various settings on amplifiers, and unique pedal combinations without having to re-record another take. Want to know the best part? It's pretty easy to do! In this blog, we'll be going over the basics of reamping and the gear that you'll need to get the job done right. So sit back, plug in, and let's talk about how to get pristine takes that you can do whatever you want with later. Continue reading →

The beloved pedal makers at Strymon recently unleashed the brand's latest release, NightSky. This pedal takes on the form factor of the popular Volante Magnetic Echo Machine and gives users instant access to 13 presets (300 via MIDI) of lush, warm reverb with endless possibilities. NightSky is ideal for those who want to experiment with their reverb. The pedal offers up nine different knobs with additional button-based controls for dialing in the sound you're dreaming of. You can select different waveforms using the MOD section, sculpt the EQ of the effect with the TONE section, use GLIMMER and SHIMMER to enhance different frequencies and pitch shift your reverb... That's just the tip of the iceberg. Continue reading →

As a trusted resource of repairs for over decade, Echo Fix has certainly established themselves as the go-to when your tape echo machine has gone haywire. So it makes sense that the Australian company would go even further down the prototyping, testing, and design rabbit hole to create their own take on the classic tape echo. The resulting Tape Echo EF-X2 is nothing short of stunning. This unit has an extremely deep feature set, which starts with four basic functions; tape echo, real spring reverb, DSP reverb/chorus and preamp. From there, the possibilities to tweak and develop creative sounds are endless. Continue reading →