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gear giveaway

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Skreddy Kusanagi Fuzz

The Tone Bender is one of the most legendary effects in guitar history, and for good reason. The signature fuzz sound it produced inspired a generation of burgeoning rock guitarists. It was a notoriously fickle design though, using rare components and positive ground connection (almost all effects are negative-ground power). Skreddy Pedals has introduced a fuzz pedal, called Kusanagi, that remains true to the original circuit design while including additional, updated features. Many of the esoteric electronic components are included, such as larger carbon resistors, axial capacitors and germanium transistors.... Click on the title for more

Skreddy Kusanagi Fuzz

Big Knob’s Wah Fix

Big Knob Pedals, out of Studio City, CA (interesting name!), recently introduced the Wah Fix filter pedal, a stompbox that allows guitarists to lock into the sweet spot of the frequency sweep of a wah pedal - a trick Frank Zappa, among others, used quite frequently. Controls are simple enough – featuring potentiometers to control volume, Q, and wah. Volume controls overall output volume, Q determines the width of the frequency sweep, and the wah control allows for dialing in the amount of 'wah effect' in the signal (a sort of blend control). Additional features include hand-wiring, a compact and sturdy all-metal enclosure, true bypass switching, and on/off LED indicator. The Wah Fix can be powered via 9v battery or power supply. If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional treadle-based wah effect, or want to integrate a unique EQ/filter effect into your rig the Wah Fix is definitely worth a look. - Brandon Stoner
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Big Knob’s Wah Fix

New Pedals: Matthews Effects Conductor Tremolo

Eastern Washington based manufacturer Matthews Effects has created a new spin on one of the most popular effect in music history: the tremolo. The controls for the Conductor are where the pedal really shines with its unique versatility. The depth knob, capable of quite a wide range, is the only “standard” tremolo control. Speed/rate controls are done via the tap-tempo switch and the Div (for "division") knob, which combined allow you to fine tune your tempo to a t.... Click on the title for more

New Pedals: Matthews Effects Conductor Tremolo

Ava Luna’s Gear and Creative Process

Active since the late aughts, indie collective Ava Luna precipitated NYC's soul revival of the 2010s. From that hub of DIY creativity that is Bushwick's Silent Barn, the band's fourth LP, Infinite House, continues their homage to variety and experimentation. Atonal guitars undulate behind doo-wop harmonies to form an audio puzzle so mesmerizingly inconceivable that it borders on the sublime. With five uncompromisingly forward-thinking albums and a Deli cover of under their belts, Ava Luna has become an absolute pillar of the Brooklyn underground. The band’s drummer Julien Fader recently sat down to answer a few questions.... Click on the title for more

Ava Luna’s Gear and Creative Process

Eventide H9 giveaway ends on 06.10!

Our friends at NYC's own Eventide just sent us a review unit of their multi-effects studio-worthy processor, hidden in a stompbox form: the H9 Harmonizer Effects Processor (one of them is also up for grabs until Wednesday here by the way). We will be giving this monster a full review, but in the meantime, here's what you need to know.... Click on the title for more

Eventide H9 giveaway ends on 06.10!

New Pedals: Chellee’s Odie Classic Overdrive

Chellee Guitars, out of Orange City, Florida has conceived a new take on a classic overdrive design and packaged it into a solid and affordable guitar pedal. The Odie Classic Overdrive offers the articulation and compression of the great vintage overdrives with more options to shape the drive than in any boutique pedal in its price point. Chellee has made sure that this drive is designed for the player, making it both high-quality and affordable.... Click on the title for more

New Pedals: Chellee’s Odie Classic Overdrive

J. Rockett Boing Spring Reverb

If you belong to the category of guitarists who get lost when presented with too many options, J Rockett Audio Designs, out of Nashville, is your friend: the manufacturer's latest pedal, the BOING Spring Reverb, features ONE footswitch (On/Off) and ONE knob (Mix) - there's no way you can lose your way home in there.... Click on the title for more

J. Rockett Boing Spring Reverb

WIN WIN’s Gear and Creative Process

Producers are pretty much the chefs of the creative process, so it's hard to conceive how a band like NYC's WIN WIN - comprised of three electronic producers - can actually function without major recurrent conflicts of ego. The secret is probably - as with any successful musical project involving more than one person - in the trust and bond built during a collaboration that's now more than a decade long. WIN WIN's music is as edgy as you would expect, which gives us the opportunity for a very interesting Q&A about gear and the creative process.... Click on the title for more

WIN WIN’s Gear and Creative Process

Hotone’s striking product line: Skyline mini-pedals, Nano Legacy Mini-Amps and Xtomp

We were recently introduced to Hotone, the winners of "Best in Show" at NAMM 2015. Reminding me much of the now-discontinued Guyatone mini series (I still treasure my lil' green compressor!) Hotone's Skyline pedal series is a great collection of tiny pedals in a unique form factor. Eschewing the "double-pack of bubble gum" form factor of some of the newer class of non-9V pedals, they've got style unto their own.... Click on the title for more

Hotone’s striking product line: Skyline mini-pedals, Nano Legacy Mini-Amps and Xtomp

Build a DIY guitar amp with DIY Mod Kit’s MOD 102+

Many guitarists are familiar with MOD Kits DIY for their pedal kits, which allow stompbox geeks to build their first effects following the provided instructions, and at once learn about simple electrical engineering concepts applied to pedals. What they may not know, though, is that the manufacturer also offers a DIY kit to build your own tube amp, called the MOD 102 - recently updated to the MOD 102+. The new kit features an improved design based on its predecessor's British-style Class A output section, with some great added features.... Click on the title for more

Build a DIY guitar amp with DIY Mod Kit’s MOD 102+

Rocktron Hush 2X dual noise suppressor

The Rocktron company has long been one of the top designer of noise-suppression circuits, and for a good reason! They're products are super quiet, don't suck tone, and - plainly and simply - work! Building upon their already venerable legacy, Rocktron is now re-introducing a previous idea, but with a new twist.... Click on the title for more

Rocktron Hush 2X dual noise suppressor

And So I Watch You From Afar’s Gear and Creative Process

The guys in Irish "post-math" band And So I Watch You From Afar are the kind of people who never choose the simple route. Bblending metal, psychedelia, post rock and prog rock, their music is like a kaleidoscope of fragmented sounds and sections frantically chasing each other. Their focus on originality and experimental guitar tones makes them an ideal candidate for an interview about the creative process. Guitarist/vocalist Rory Friers answered a few questions in this regard.... Click on the title for more

And So I Watch You From Afar’s Gear and Creative Process