General Interest

$1,699/£1,399, fender.com

Back in the good old days – aka the early-to-mid 2010s – I was working for another sadly now defunct guitar publication (RIP Total Guitar) when I came across a model that would change my perceptions of the Jazzmaster.

• READ MORE: Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Stratocaster review – “this guitar is like spending time with an old friend”

Before then, I’d always been an outside observer of the offset. I’d always been enamoured with the shape ever since I saw Feeder’s Grant Nicholas strap one on back at the tail end of my teens, but as a dyed-in-the-wool Les Paul Guy I couldn’t mentally make the leap to a guitar with single-coil pickups and a weird floaty trem.

Then in the office one day landed the very first iteration of Fender’s Road Worn Jazzmaster. The very first Road Worn Strat and Tele – Mexico-made, nitro-finished and with factory-aged finishes – were the sort of guitars that looked great at a distance but up close you could really tell they were aged to a template and not by years of hard wear.

Sensibly then, when the Road Worn Jazzmaster arrived a year later, the wear and tear had been scaled back a bit to make it a bit less obvious, but that wasn’t the big deal for me. The looks still might not have fooled anyone, but the feel… man the feel.

The ‘old pair of jeans’ thing is cliché, but that’s the best way to describe it – here was a brand new electric guitar that felt in all the ways that mattered like it had been properly played in. It was a magical guitar that I still regret not buying on the spot (see also the very first MIM Cabronita Telecaster, IMYSM). One that fully turned my head to offsets, and now here we are a decade later and I can’t stop wanting the damn things.

All of which is to say that the 2020s redux – in the shape of the Vintera II Road Worn range – has a lot to live up to… let’s see how this goes…

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster – what is it?

You don’t need a Masters in cryptography to work out exactly what’s going on with the Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster. It takes the original Vintera II 50s JM – the guitar that we called ‘the best Jazzmaster Fender has made in the last decade’, by the way – given it a coat of nitrocellulose lacquer and then gone all Time Team on the finish, the hardware and everything else.

Except, a decade or so on, and the factory-ageing landscape at Fender is a little different than it was back when the original Road Worns were a weird ol’ curio in a range of otherwise pristine shiny guitars.

Back then, the only way to get a Fender with a relic job was to spunk a small house deposit on something from Fender’s Custom Shop. Here in 2026, we have things like the American Professional Classic range – which adds very subtly aged lacquer finishes to Fender’s most expensive production guitars – and various one-offs from Fender Mexico (like the Mike McCready Strat) that set new benchmarks for what factory-aged guitars can do.

Which makes the vibe of this new Road Worn guitar rather interesting. In terms of the body, it’s a lot closer to those AmPro Classic guitars than the original Road Worns – there’s no faux-wear and tear to the finishes here at all aside from some very impressively done faux checking to the lacquer itself. You could argue whether the ‘Worn’ title really even applies anymore.

The rest is a bit more in keeping with the originals, however – the neck looks and feels very played-in, with some slightly artless grease and grime in the usual heavy traffic areas. The bridge, vintage-style tuners and trem also have a slightly grubby, dulled effect, which is again, on the artful side of ‘lost at the bottom of a lake for 50 years’.

It all has the vibe of a guitar that has been heavily used but still taken care of meticulously – potentially a bit of an anathema in the real world stakes, but the general vibe is very appealing in the flesh/alder.

Away from the cosmetics, this is every bit a Vintera II 50s Jazzmaster, complete with the love ’em or loathe ’em details therein. That means a 7.25″ radius, rosewood fretboard (with clay dots), vintage-style butt-adjust truss rod, and the vintage style Jazzmaster bridge with six threaded barrel-style saddles.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster – build quality and playability

The thing that charmed me so much about that original Road Worn Jazzmaster was how comfortable it felt – and the new guitar captures that vibe once again. Removing it from its supplied hard case, it really does feel nicely played-in – something that’s further enhanced by the factory-rolled fingerboard edges and that nicely sanded C-shaped neck.

If I were being picky, I’d say that the fingerboard desperately needs a bit of lemon oil – the vintage tall frets are nicely installed and polished, but the ‘board itself feels a little dry, and while it’s not a playability-killer at this point, it would really would benefit from some refreshment.

The hardware might have some of the sheen taken off it, but it doesn’t impact its function – the tuners are smooth and stable, while the vintage-style floating trem has smooth and stable operation out of the box.

If you’ve spent enough time on the more offset-y corners of the internet, you’ll have heard knowledgeable and well-intentioned people explain that the stock Fender bridge with its threaded barrel saddles is perfectly usable and stable with a perfect setup and suitably heavy strings.

And maybe that’s true with vintage guitars, but I’m here to tell you that I’ve played a LOT of modern Fender Jazzmaster guitars with this hateful piece of hardware sat in the middle and not a single one has been fully immune from buzzing, rattling and strings constantly being pushed out of alignment.

Image: Adam Gasson

It’s absolutely bananas to me that Fender is persisting with this in the year of our lord 2026. I can just about forgive it in the obsessively vintage-accurate world of the American Vintage II line. But the Vintera range isn’t so slavishly tied to vintage specs, so you have to ask who is really asking for this bridge on a $1,500 guitar?

All it’s really doing is outsourcing the job of making your guitar usable in a real-world situation to you. Yes, replacing the bridge is an easy job – but why should we the consumer be on the hook for at least $50 for a Mustang-style bridge (or a lot more if you go down the Mastery/Staytrem route) just to not have the strings pop out of place whenever you strum a mildly robust E chord?

While I’m grumbling about this thing, a word or two about the aesthetics. Firstly, I don’t really understand why Fender seems convinced that everyone wants 50s-style Jazzmasters.

The company is surely aware that the definitive version of the Jazzmaster is the mid-60s version – they know it enough to make the AVII model a 1966 spec after all – so why can we not get a bit of that mojo in the Mexican range? We’ll even settle for ‘transitional’ guitars with Custom Colours and no block inlays or painted headstocks if it’s a cost thing, just save us from the underwhelming Fiesta Red/Sunburst Boomer dichotomy offered here.

Furthermore, as much as I appreciate a gold anodised guard on a Sunburst Jazzer, there’s no escaping that the scratchplate here feels shiny new to an illusion-breaking degree. Would a parchment or tortie guard not have worked better?

Okay, I’m really splitting hairs here, so let’s plug this thing in and have some fun.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster – sounds

The sound of a Jazzmaster is one of life’s great pleasures, especially when plugged into a Fender amp with lashings of onboard reverb and tremolo – in this regard, the Vintera II lives up to the billing of its predecessor.

There’s warmth and clarity here courtesy of those big ol’ single-coil pickups, and with the brightness you’d expect from a good Fender guitar – but without the brittle nature that can plague some of its more popular siblings on the bridge pickup.

Take off the reins and add some fuzz or distortion to the party, however and that’s where things really get fun – it’s big, muscular and beefy, without ever veering into woolly territory (unless you accidentally hit the rhythm circuit, natch).

The much-maligned extra circuit on the Jazzmaster is often ripped out, but honestly, I think it does have a place – set the tone and volume controls correctly and it offers you an interesting fourth voice that can excel at well, rhythm, in the right context.

Image: Adam Gasson

Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster – should I buy one?

The big question with this Road Worn specimen is whether the cosmetic changes here justify the extra near-$400 outlay over the vanilla Vintera II. Personally, I think the overall improvement in both look and feel makes it worth the investment.

People will gripe and debate the merits of factory ageing until the heat death of the universe, but when it’s done as subtly and sensitively as this, the pros in terms of playing comfort vastly improve the overall Vintera II package.

What’s more annoying are the compromises you’re going to have to make along the way – the insta-swap bridge and the limited finish options being at the forefront of my mind in that regard. But these are minor issues in the grand scheme of things – this is an absolutely fantastic guitar, end of story.

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Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster – alternatives

If you can live without the nitro and the ageing, the regular Vintera II Jazzmaster ($1,309.99/£1,069) is a fantastic guitar for a lot less money, and has some serious discounts across the board at the moment – they’re regularly available for not much more than a grand right now. If you want something offset with more of a rock flavour, Epiphone’s new Futura Firebird looks a steal, while I’m very, very taken with Rivolda’s new stripped-down Mondata CC.

The post Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster review: “vastly improves the overall Vintera II package” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

NAMM 2026 is a wrap, and this year's show offered no shortage of gear to discuss. Tom Butwin sits down with longtime industry vet John Bohlinger and PG Editorial Director Richard Bienstock to trade stories and name the products they’re most excited about from the year's biggest gear event. Check out ALL of PG's NAMM coverage here

At NAMM 2026, Ashdown Engineering proudly announces Phase 2 of its return to UK manufacturing, following the successful September 2025 launch of the UK-built ABM EVO IV heads and UK-ABM and Classic cabinet ranges.

This next stage represents a continued, long-term commitment to British design, engineering, and production, building on the momentum established by Ashdown’s flagship UK-made products.

For NAMM 2026, Ashdown unveils five brand-new UK-built amplifier ranges, all scheduled to ship in 2026.

Every new model is designed, engineered, and handcrafted in Britain. These launches expand Ashdown’s renewed UK manufacturing focus into a complete, multi-tier amplifier ecosystem, delivering British-built solutions for musicians at every level.

UK-RBM

The UK-RBM Series is designed for professional bassists who demand maximum power, tonal control, and flexibility. Delivering Ashdown’s most recognisable sound in a modern, lightweight format, the range includes amplifier heads and newly designed UK-RBM cabinets, creating a complete, performance-ready system.

The UK-RBM amplifier heads combine powerful output with advanced tone-shaping tools to deliver deep, authoritative low end, articulate mids, and controlled high-frequency detail. Features such as Ashdown’s Sub-Harmonic Generator, onboard compression, valve-emulated overdrive, and Analogue Cab Sim allow players to shape everything from tight, punchy modern tones to rich, harmonically complex sounds with confidence.

The matching UK-RBM cabinets have been newly designed, tuned, sized, and ported to deliver optimal performance in lightweight plywood enclosures. Equipped with high-performance Italian Sica NEO speakers and adjustable high-frequency tweeters, they provide fast response, clarity, and controlled projection across a wide range of playing styles and stage environments.

Finished in a striking new heavy-duty Charcoal Tweed covering and custom grill cloth, the UK-RBM cabinets combine durability with a bold, modern aesthetic.

Handcrafted in the UK using premium components, the UK-RBM Series is built for demanding live stages, professional touring rigs, and bassists who want total command over their sound.

UK-OBM

The UK-OBM Series is designed for bassists who value clarity, simplicity, and reliability. Built in the UK, the range delivers clean, articulate tone with minimal fuss and maximum usability, making it ideal for players who want dependable performance without unnecessary complexity.

The UK-OBM lineup includes newly updated combo amplifiers featuring high-powered models and new Italian Sica NEO drivers, delivering improved efficiency, punch, and clarity. These combos are house in reengineered lightweight plywood cabinets, newly sized and optimised for balanced projection and portability.

Finished in Ice Blue and a new heavy-duty Charcoal Tweed covering with custom grill cloth, the UK-OBM combos combine durability with a modern, professional aesthetic.

With a refined features set and intuitive controls, the UK-OBM amplifiers are designed for musicians who want to plug in, dial in quickly, and get straight to playing. An open, balanced sound makes the series equally well suited to rehearsals, live performances, and studio work.

UK-SBM

The UK-SBM Series brings Ashdown’s studio-focused tonal philosophy into a range of compact, UK-built bass combo amplifiers. Designed for clarity, responsiveness, and musical transparency, the series prioritises clean tone and dynamic response in lightweight, portable enclosures.

Inspired by Ashdown’s Studio range, UK-SBM combos deliver a refined, natural sound that translates seamlessly in recording environments while remaining powerful enough for rehearsals and small live stages. Newly ported and structurally strengthened cabinets are engineered to handle higher power levels, ensuring confidence and control at increased volumes.

The cabinets are equipped with new, highly efficient Italian Sica NEO drivers, and articulate low-end performance. Finished in a heavy-duty Charcoal Tweed covering with custom grill cloth, the UK-SBM combos combine durability with a modern professional aesthetic.

Featuring DI outputs, FX loops, and onboard overdrive across the range, the UK-SBM Series offers practical versatility for practice, recording, songwriting, and intimate performance spaces.

UK-PBM

The UK-PBM Series is Ashdown’s answer to the modern bassist’s need for extreme portability without compromise. Designed and built in the UK, the range delivers genuine Ashdown tone in an ultra-compact, travel-friendly format.

Launching with the UK-PBM-200 “Pocket Bass Magnifier" AKA The ANT, the series delivers a surprising amount of real-world power from a palm-sized chassis. Despite its minimal footprint, its produces clean, articulate output with impressive low-end authority and ample headroom for rehearsals, smaller stages, and professional monitoring setups.

The UK-PBM is solidly built by design, retaining a touch of added weight to ensure stability and resonance. This robust construction helps generate real bass response while preventing excessive cabinet vibration, keeping amplifiers securely in place even when the low end is working hard.

With essential tone shaping, DI output, headphone out, line input, and auto-voltage operation, the UK-PBM Series is ideal for fly rigs, touring backups, studio use, IEM-based setups, and bassists who need reliable tone wherever they play.

UK-PEACMAKER

The UK-Peacemaker Series marks the return of one of Ashdown’s most iconic amplifier names, celebrating Dave Green’s formidable and widely respected valve amplifier design expertise. Handcrafted in the UK and refined for today’s players, the range revisits and updates legendary designs from Ashdown’s past.

Built for musicians who value feel, dynamics, and harmonic richness, the UK-Peacemaker delivers expressive British valve tone with depth, warmth, and authority. At its core, the series showcases Dave Green’s unmistakable valve amp philosophy, brought forward with modern reliability while preserving the character that made the originals so highly regarded.

The UK-Peacemaker Series is built using premium components throughout, included JJ valves, UK hand-wound transformers, and lightweight plywood cabinets loaded with UK-made Celestion Creamback speakers.

Hand-built in Essex, England, the UK-Peacemaker Series stands as a statement range - honouring Ashdown’s heritage while delivering timeless British valve tone for the modern guitarist.

From cabinets to flagship heads, and now a complete amplifier ecosystem, Ashdown’s UK manufacturing programme continues to grow with clarity and intent.

Every new range launching at NAMM 2026 is designed, engineered, and built in Britain.

After more than a decade of collaboration, Stringjoy has collaborated with guitar virtuoso and frontman of the Bros. Landreth, Joey Landreth, to release the Stringjoy Joey Landreth Artist Signature set.

Joey Landreth is a Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer known for his soulful voice and slide guitar virtuosity. As a founding member of Bros. Landreth, his playing and songwriting blends blues, rock, and Americana styles, and his stunning tone and penchant for first-rate gear have made him a modern guitar hero to players all over the world.

Stringjoy’s Joey Landreth Signature Set features:

• Gauges: .019 - .022p - .024w - .032 - .044 - .056
• Nickel wound Stringjoy Signatures
• Wound 3rd string
• Ideal for Open C and other dropped or open tunings on a standard scale-length guitar
• Optimal for both slide and fretted/hybrid playing
• As with all Stringjoy offerings, Joey Landreth Signatures are produced at Stringjoy HQ in Nashville, TN, with domestically sourced materials of the highest quality
• Stringjoy Signatures are wound at tension with high compression winds, increasing their output and naturally maximizing durability and lifespan

Stringjoy Joey Landreth Artist Signature strings were born of a decade-long collaboration between Stringjoy’s Scott Marquart and Landreth in which the two sought to formulate the perfect set for Landreth’s use of open tunings and hybrid slide technique.

“Long before anyone was paying attention to what my band was doing or what I was doing as a guitar player, [Stringjoy] were supporters of what we were doing,” says Landreth. “We landed on 56 on the bottom with 19 on top, which supports lower tuning really, really nicely and opens up the possibility for some really clean playing, whether I’m playing slide or fretted. This set has helped me get to the places I want to get as a player, and it also celebrates my friendship and collaboration with Scott [Marquart] and Stringjoy. I’m really proud of it

“I still remember the first time Joey told me he played 19s,” says Stringjoy’s Scott Marquart. “Nineteens!? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. But once I saw his full specs and understood how he plays—and especially after hearing him play in person—it all clicked. Joey and I have spent the better part of the last decade refining this set together, and it represents years of friendship & experimentation. I couldn’t be more proud to have both of our names on it.”

Stringjoy Joey Landreth Artist Signature strings carry a street price of $13.99. For more information visit stringjoy.com.

At the dawn of the 1990s, grunge was king. From Nirvana’s definitive 1991 record Nevermind to iconic releases from Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains, the first half of the decade was grunge-central. However, a sharp musicians always needs to be ahead of the curve – and Billy Corgan believes that The Smashing Pumpkins outgrew grunge just in time.

In a new interview with Classic Rock, Corgan explains how sonic evolution allowed his band to survive beyond the “grunge explosion”. Sensing that grunge was on the downturn, the Smashing Pumpkins made sure that their 1995 double album, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, pushed beyond the adolescent pessimism of grunge. The focus was on exploring a more mature palette.

“We were the first band of our generation that started to grow up,” the frontman explains. “The band was coming off a golden moment, which was the grunge explosion. But all movements start to run out of gas.”

• READ MORE: The Molotovs want to be the solution to the problem of “insular and wallowing” guitar bands – this is how they’re going to do it

He notes that a final nail in grunge’s coffin came when “gatekeepers” began to infiltrate the scene. When grunge tops the charts, it lures in people who weren’t there from the start – and, ironically, those people tend to preach about what the genre “really means… when they had nothing to do with authoring it”. It’s often the first sign to jump ship.

“We made the move to grow up before anybody else,” Corgan reiterates. “Then we were sort of singled out for criticism as far as other people were concerned, either because the party needed to continue, or growing up was some sort of sell-out of something.”

Despite certain gatekeepers disliking the Smashing Pumpkins’ evolution, the rest of the world welcomed the release of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness with awe. The record’s blend of art-rock, spellbinding prog riffs and glorious orchestral movements proved a hit, topping the US Billboard charts and proving that the band were no one-trick pony.

Aided by engineer Flood, who had worked with Nine Inch Nails and PJ Harvey, as well as The Jesus And Mary Chain/My Bloody Valentine engineer Alan Moulder, the record was a dynamic step up from the band’s grunge era.

However, the record still captured that same raw emotion and catharsis that had initially lured fans in. Elsewhere in the Classic Rock interview, Corgan explains how Fuck You (An Ode To No One)’s “cataclysmic ending” solo quite literally saw him lobbing his guitar into a studio cabinet. “Whether or not my fingers bled, I don’t remember,” he says.

The post Billy Corgan believes The Smashing Pumpkins were the first grunge band “that started to grow up” musically appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Fret wraps can be an invaluable tool while recording and performing, but their ability to eliminate or diminish dud notes or mistakes have led some guitar purists to see their use as cheating. Those who make this argument say fret wraps alleviate the onus on the guitarist to make sure their playing is free of mistakes.

But in the case of YouTube shredder Sophie Lloyd, she’s more than happy to use fret wraps when performing live with Machine Gun Kelly, and even makes light of the fact some regard the practice as “cheating”.

• READ MORE: The 12 new guitar albums you should all be excited for in 2026

In a new Rig Rundown video with Premier Guitar, Lloyd insists the “extra safety” fret wraps provide keep her performances clean and allow her to focus more on the fun of the performance. “I always have fret wraps on my guitars… I cheated at school, I’ll cheat a guitar!” she laughs.

Lloyd goes on to explain that the wraps are most useful when she’s tackling a solo, as it eases the fear of playing dud notes. “It’s loud as hell in an arena, so you wanna make sure you’re playing well,” she says.

Of course, even if you use fret wraps, you still have to possess chops and know what you’re playing. With her formidable skills, not only has Sophie Lloyd amassed millions of followers and earned a spot in Machine Gun Kelly’s band, she also earned herself a signature axe with Kiesel. “I was the brand’s first female signature artist for Kiesel,” she smiles. “That was crazy!”

The opportunity to collaborate with the brand came after Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Volbeat fame told her to check Kiesel guitars out. It lead to Lloyd cold-emailing the brand and linking to her YouTube channel – and Kiesel ended up wanting to work with her. “I had, like, 20,000 followers or something…” she recalls. “Then they sent me [a guitar] that later became my Sophie Lloyd Signature Series.”

The chance to collaborate with Kiesel was the perfect opportunity for Lloyd to concoct the perfect guitar for her playing style. Namely, she wanted a guitar that was a little lighter so she could really let loose on stage. “I loved played Gibsons before, but they were kind of too heavy for me,” she admits. “Especially for a long two hour show. I like to be silly and throw things around and bend backwards… so [my Kiesel signature] is is a lot more lightweight compared to a Gibson.”

Just like chucking on a fret wrap, the ability to perform with a lighter axe just makes performing that little bit more enjoyable. Other female guitarists have also opted for lighter instruments in the past, like Olivia Rodrigo praising St. Vincent’s quirky, lightweight and boob-friendly St. Vincent’s Ernie Ball Music Man Goldie guitar.

Lloyd’s signature Kiesel is similarly considerate of those with a larger chest. “Tonally, the guitar was everything I wanted, and the shape fit me a lot better,” she explains. “Girls know, when you play something, it can be a little bit sore on the boob! But this one fit perfectly.”

Her rig also focuses on being portable. “My ideal rig is a Diesel amp in parallel to an EVH, but I can’t really transport that very easily,” she says. “But we’ve kind of built it into [a Kemper]. We’ve captured it a bit – you can’t get it exactly the same, but it’s still sounds great.”

The post “I cheated at school – I’ll cheat at guitar!”: Why Sophie Lloyd swears by fret wraps appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Laney has launched the DB-EAST-PRE Nathan East Signature bass preamp pedal.

What separates the DB-EAST-PRE from generic bass preamps is simple: Nathan East didn’t just approve it. He designed it around the exact problems he encounters every week as a working musician, and it’s designed with enormous flexibility in mind.

Nathan doesn’t play one bass, in one style, in one context. He moves between acoustic and electric basses. Four-string and five-string instruments. Active and passive electronics. Sometimes all within the same set, on the same stage. Most preamps make this painful. Switching instruments means stopping to re-dial input trims and levels. That’s not realistic in a professional environment.

The DB-EAST-PRE solves this with dual inputs, including independent trim control on Input 2. Switch instruments and your levels are instantly matched. No volume jumps. No tone shifts. Just seamless transitions.

The DB-EAST-PRE ships with Nathan East’s favourite LA·IR impulse responses pre-loaded. These aren’t generic cabinet simulations—they’re IRs taken directly from the rigs that have defined his touring and studio sound.

Even better, the system is intelligent. Select Input 1 and the corresponding IRs load automatically. Switch to Input 2 and the cabinet responses adapt to match. It’s fast, musical, and invisible in use.

Run the DI output straight to a front-of-house console, into a DAW, or into a powered speaker system. Using the companion app, you can manage real-time parametric EQ and store cabinet IRs tailored to specific venues or recording situations.

Every control on the DB-EAST-PRE exists for a reason. The master volume lets you shape the preamp’s character while maintaining precise control over overall output. The TUBE channel includes dedicated EQ voicing for players who want to refine the drive characteristics of their tone.

The RANGE control reinforces low-end weight within the drive section, while selectable mid pre-shapes allow you to fine-tune presence, punch, and articulation.

This isn’t complexity for its own sake. It’s acknowledgement that professional bass players need precision, adaptability, and control—night after night.

Key Specifications

• Signature Dual-Input Bass Preamp – Designed with Nathan East for seamless switching between multiple basses, active and passive
• Independent Input Trim Control – Automatic level matching between instruments for uninterrupted live performance
• LA·IR Advanced Impulse Response Technology – Pre-loaded with Nathan East’s personal touring and session cabinet IRs
• Professional DI & Recording Ready – Optimised outputs for live consoles, DAWs, powered speakers, and silent practice
• Precision Tone Shaping – Tube channel voicing, selectable mid pre-shapes, RANGE low-end control, and master output control
• Handcrafted in England – Built at Laney’s Black Country Customs workshop; compact, pedalboard-ready

Handcrafted in the UK the DB-EAST-PRE is pedalboard friendly and robust enough for demanding session and touring work.

The DB-EAST-PRE is carries a street price of $429.99. For more information visit https://www.laney.co.uk/amps/bass/digbeth/bcc-db-east-pre.

Italian effects maker Dophix®, known for its handmade analog pedals that blend sonic artistry with Tuscan craftsmanship, announces the release of the Magnifico Dual Independent Boost Pedal. The pedal is the result of a collaboration with Artur Menezes and the first ten will be personally signed my Menezes. Available now worldwide through select retailers, the Magnifico represents a refined evolution in the pursuit of expressive tone and musical warmth.

Inspired by the spirit of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s “Il Magnifico”, the celebrated patron of Renaissance art and culture, the new Magnifico pedal embodies both elegance and power. This dual channel boost pedal offers players exceptional dynamics, precision, and tonal control in a fully analog, hand-wired design.

Featuring two completely independent boost circuits, each has its own Level control and dedicated input/output jacks for true signal separation. Whether used to push an amplifier into natural overdrive or to elevate solos with transparent volume lift, the Magnifico gives guitarists total command over their tone.

Constructed with discrete, high-quality components and vintage-grade resistors, the Magnifico delivers the warmth, clarity, and harmonic richness that define the Dophix sound. Each pedal is handcrafted in Italy, employing true bypass switching to preserve tonal integrity when not engaged. Designed for flexibility and musical sensitivity, it draws only 19 mA with LED on and operates on a 9V DC external power supply.

Rooted in the artistic legacy of Florence, Dophix continues its mission to merge Italian design, handcrafted quality, and vintage sound philosophy. The Magnifico stands as both a tribute to Renaissance craftsmanship and a modern tool for discerning guitarists who demand authentic analog character.

For detailed specifications, please visit www.dophix.it.

Street Price: $350.00 USD/€300.00 EUR

Blues-rock virtuoso and legendary collector Joe Bonamassa joins Axe Lords for an episode that dives deep into the wild, weird, and sometimes downright wicked world of vintage guitars. Buckle up as Joe tries to convince Tom to stop weighing his instruments, expounds on the mythology of double-white PAFs, explains why taking a Flying V into a motel room is “sick and wrong,” and reveals that having a stage persona (and a good suit) is the true path to spiritual liberation.

Mike Hickey, Joe’s longtime guitar tech, also drops into the conversation. Shenanigans ensue.

This episode originally aired in April 2024 as part of Season 1 of Axe Lords.

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East, NYC. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge.

Follow Axe Lords @axelordspod for news, updates, and cool stuff.

Follow Joe ⁠@joebonamassa

As a Fender amp guy, I frequently cross paths with musicians and guitar players in all sorts of situations. What I enjoy most is fieldwork—setting up amps onstage or troubleshooting tubes, fuses, speakers, and rattling noises on the fly. Here are a couple of stories where I got the last-minute call to save the gig.

In 2013, organizers of the Kongsberg Jazzfestival in Norway reached out in urgent need of guitar amps for Robben Ford and Matt Schofield. I was thrilled—I knew I had the perfect amps for these blues aficionados. Though I had never seen Ford play live, I knew from reading interviews that he liked black panel Fenders. Schofield was more familiar to me. I’d caught him several times, always playing his SVL guitars through Two-Rock amps. I particularly remember one time he taped over the logo of a 4x12" Marshall speaker cabinet, probably because he didn’t want to be associated with the brand.

I loaded my car with my best Super Reverb, a silver panel Vibrolux Reverb, and a silver panel Deluxe Reverb as backup amps, both converted to black panel specs with modern upgraded speakers. The Vibrolux had a pair of 10" Weber 10A125s and the Deluxe a 12" Celestion Century Vintage, the very first guitar amp speaker with a neodymium magnet. Together with a custom pair of 6L6s, this amp was both lighter and twice as loud and punchy as a normal Deluxe Reverb.

For Matt, I borrowed my brother’s Two-Rock Custom Signature v3 and a 40 kg oak cabinet loaded with four heavy-duty Weber 10A150 and 10F150 speakers. It even had a cool Weber logo on the front. At soundcheck, I met up with Simon Law, Matt’s guitar tech and the founder of SVL Guitars. He was a bit unsure about the robustness of the original CTS speakers in the Super, but I assured him that they could take a beating.

We set up both the Super and Vibrolux for Robben and the Two-Rock for Matt on top of the huge Weber cabinet. I remember Matt spending a lot of time rotating the Two-Rock’s knobs to find his tone. Meanwhile, Robben didn’t even look at his amps before he struck a chord, and he was shocked by the loud volume! He walked back a few meters to dial down the level on both amps.

“The whole shop erupted when Kirk demoed a few Albert King licks—powerful bends, vibrato, and those unmistakable facial expressions to match.”

During the gig, I stood right in the line of fire of all the amps and enjoyed the show. Robben’s ES-335 sounded clean and articulate, and Matt had his typical saturated and fat single-coil neck-pickup Strat tone. They both sounded fabulous. It was great seeing them perform, and also meeting them before the gig.

A few years later, I was introduced to two of my all-time guitar heroes, Kirk Fletcher and Josh Smith. The meeting came via the talented Adam Douglas, who also lives in Norway. Adam came up with an idea to do a daytime jam session with Kirk and Josh in a guitar store. So I texted with the owner of Vintagegitar, a high-end boutique shop in Oslo, who immediately said yes. I lifted 15-20 different vintage Fender amps into my Fenderguru trailer and headed for town.

On the shop floor, we had nearly every Fender blackface amp in existence, plus a few great silver panels. Kirk played his flametop Les Paul while Josh had his regular black Chapin T-Bird. I plugged them into different amps and started turning knobs. Josh spent time with my 1966 Princeton Reverb, loaded with a custom '60s Jensen C10n speaker. Meanwhile, Kirk grabbed a Flying V hanging on the wall. I plugged him into a stock 1964 Twin Reverb with Oxford 12T6 speakers. With the volume between 4 and 5, the Twin was loud, and the Flying V's hot humbuckers filled the room with sustaining single notes.

The whole shop erupted when Kirk demoed a few Albert King licks—powerful bends, vibrato, and those unmistakable facial expressions to match. Goosebumps.

Kirk liked that Twin so much he asked to borrow it for his gig that night. A few songs from that October 2015 show at Herr Nilsen are documented on YouTube for anyone wanting to hear some serious blues guitar.

Finally, after 5 years of talking Fender amps for Premier Guitar, the time has come for me to say goodbye to all of you. I’d like to offer a huge thanks to all the readers and the professional, fun, and knowledgeful people at PG, in particular my editors Ted Drozdowski and Luke Ottenhof. I have really enjoyed working with you, and I hope my contributions have inspired older and newer generations to enjoy the classic Fender amps and to keep the legacy going.

Though now back on home turf atop the throne in Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy has performed with many bands over the years, including Adrenaline Mob and Liquid Tension Experiment – two bands he co-founded – and even Avenged Sevenfold throughout 2010.

And in a new interview with Metal Hammer, Portnoy reflects on the rumours that he was even in the running to join Rush following the death of Neil Peart in 2020.

• READ MORE: Demand has been so high for Rush’s reunion tour they’ve added 17 more dates

Last year, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson reflected on being “bombarded” with offers from drummers offering themselves in the wake of Peart’s death. “After Neil passed, it didn’t take more than a few minutes before we started getting emails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years…” he said. “I don’t know what some of these people were thinking.”

Indeed, it didn’t look like a Rush reunion would ever be on the cards given repeated comments made by Lifeson and Geddy Lee. That is until they sent prog fans into a frenzy in October, and announced plans to head out on the road once again in 2026, with drummer Anika Nilles in tow.

Asked by a fan in the new issue of Metal Hammer whether it crossed his mind to try and put himself forward as Rush drummer should the prog powerhouse start the machine up again, Portnoy answers simply: “No.”

“I did send my condolences to Geddy and Alex after Neil passed, but I never tried to throw my hat in the ring for Neil’s gig,” he says. “It’s a sacred role that should only be filled if Geddy and Alex choose for it to be so. Sure enough, here we are with them choosing to finally do so [with Anika Nilles], which has been incredible.”

Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson photographed ahead of their reunion tour announcement in October 2025. Credit: Richard SibbaldBut Portnoy makes the distinction between offering himself up for the role, and how his stance would have changed if he had instead been asked by Lee and Lifeson.

“If they hypothetically ever approached me with it, of course, I would have done it with the utmost respect and honour,” Portnoy goes on. “But frankly, I’m relieved they didn’t. First of all, filling Neil’s shoes is going to be impossible. If anybody ever thought Mike Mangini filling my shoes was tough, try filling Neil Peart’s shoes!

“And I came back home to Dream Theater, which is where I belong. So if, hypothetically, they’d approached me with this reunion that they’re doing, it would have put me in an awkward position because of the timing of it all.”

Things have changed drastically in the Rush camp in recent years; Geddy Lee recently sent pulses racing when he hinted at potential new Rush music in the future, depending on the success of their upcoming tour.

“My intent, before we got into this celebration of Rush’s history, was to put some music together,” he said. “I assumed I would be doing that on my own, not with Alex. When we started jamming, I started seeing the possibility of doing something. But that went on hold, because there’s too much work.”

“If we manage to survive the tour, go back to Canada, and have a rest, who knows what will happen,” he teases. “But I suspect some music will eventually come out.”

Tickets are available for both Rush and Dream Theater’s respective 2026 tours now.

The post “It’s a sacred role”: Why Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy was “relieved” Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee didn’t ask him to be Rush’s new drummer appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Long before Deep Purple, Kansas, or the Dixie Dregs made him a household name among guitarists, Steve Morse was figuring out how to make music work – on his own terms.

In a new interview with Classic Rock, the guitarist reminisces about his early journey, including the very first time he picked up a guitar.

“[I was] about 10 or 11,” says Morse. “My brother brought home a guitar and was learning the three chords for his first lesson. Maybe I could get lessons too? There were group lessons at our music store for $1.50 each. The store rented me a guitar for $5 a month, a Gibson LG-O acoustic. I was left-handed, but the instructor said, ‘We don’t have any left-handed guitars. Try this’ – a regular right-handed guitar. So that’s the way I learned.”

• READ MORE: Don’t hold your breath for a Deep Purple reunion with Steve Morse: “A couple of guys in the band were really glad for me to be gone”

That adaptability would go on to become a hallmark of Morse’s playing – and his career. At 16, Morse was admitted to the University of Miami, one of the only places in the US at the time where one could seriously study guitar. But his arrival didn’t exactly go smoothly.

“The music programme at Miami wasn’t ideal,” Morse recalls. “I was very interested in classical guitar. I wasn’t that interested in the jazz department, because I was playing Jimmy Page songs and weird, teenage angsty music. So I didn’t know how that was going to work out.”

“When I got there I didn’t fit in with the classical people. I wasn’t advanced enough. And the jazz people were laughing when they saw me at the audition with my Telecaster – that wasn’t the right presentation,” he says. “You were supposed to have an acoustic hollow body guitar with a pickup on it, like Wes Montgomery.”

“So they rolled their eyes and said, ‘Put him in the rock ensemble,’ which was really a Latin jazz group. There were only six of us in that programme; guitarists like me that failed the jazz audition. So Miami started off really bad, but being around all those other guitarists, suddenly I could relate to them.”

For Morse, that period also marked a shift away from “pure rock” and toward the eclectic style that would define the Dixie Dregs and his later work.

“During that year I wrote a lot and played with people. We did hybrid music, crossing between jazz and rock, using polychords. I ended up writing and presenting ideas that were closer to what Kansas were doing than to what Jimmy Page was doing,” he says.

Morse also admits that he first felt confident he could make a career as a professional musician when he accepted that the music he loved wasn’t destined to top the charts.

“I thought to myself that the music that I liked was never going to be big or achieve the big numbers, but if I worked hard I was going to be okay,” says the guitarist. “I knew I wasn’t destined to be a rich star [but] I knew I could come up with stuff that people would like to listen to. Although I never could come up with stuff that record companies wanted to listen to!”

“I felt like that people were reachable if I could get in front of them. I said to myself, ‘It’s going to be a modest existence, but it’s going to be possible. I have to work hard and be versatile, be ready to play lots of different kinds of gigs.’ And that’s exactly what happened.”

The post “The jazz people were laughing when they saw me at the audition with my Telecaster”: Steve Morse reflects on his early guitar journey appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Could anyone capture the voice and vision of the legendary Joni Mitchell on screen? According to reports, Meryl Streep is about to try.

Producer and music executive Clive Davis apparently confirmed Streep’s casting at a post-Grammys party, and director Cameron Crowe has since referred to Davis’s comments, though neither Streep nor Mitchell has officially spoken on it.

• READ MORE: “One night he got really stoned and we talked him into showing us” Jason Isbell claims that David Crosby once showed him Joni Mitchell’s ‘secret’ guitar tunings

The project has quietly been in development for several years, with the multi-time Oscar winner long rumoured to be involved. There have also been whispers (via Stereogum) that Anya Taylor-Joy could play a younger version of Mitchell, though those reports remain unverified.

Crowe has previously stressed how central Mitchell herself is in shaping the project. Speaking on The Late Show last year, he explained: “We’ve been working on it for about four years. We have regular meetings where I can ask her anything and she speaks with her heart about all kinds of stuff. It’s a movie that will be not from a distance… This is from her perspective, her life, looking out.”

He also hinted at the depth of material available for the production: “She’s kept all of her costumes, all of her clothes, all of her instruments. She’s even still the landlady of her famous house in Laurel Canyon. So this is a really personal, wonderful look at her life and music.”

Mitchell has always been protective of her story on screen. In 2014, she famously “squelched” a proposed biopic starring Taylor Swift, later remarking in a New York Magazine interview, “I’ve never heard Taylor’s music. I’ve seen her. Physically, she looks similarly small-hipped and high cheekbones. I can see why they cast her. I don’t know what her music sounds like, but I do know this – that if she’s going to sing and play me, good luck.”

The post Meryl Streep to star as Joni Mitchell in upcoming biopic appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

If speaking in reverse is the work of the devil, then playing a guitar solo backwards is just devilishly impressive work. Sure, modern digital techniques have made a backwards – or backmasked – solo as easy as the press of a button rather than having to manually reverse the tape, but the uniqueness and inventiveness of a well-positioned backwards solo still requires acute attention to composition. And a decent reverse mode on your delay pedal perhaps.

• READ MORE: The Molotovs want to be the solution to the problem of “insular and wallowing” guitar bands – this is how they’re going to do it

Debate surrounds exactly who did it first – while George Harrison’s solo in I’m Only Sleeping no doubt was the most important and impactful early example, Joe Walsh may have pipped him to the innovation first on Nancy Sinatra’s Sand recorded just a few months earlier.

Either way, those early experimenters were having to flip the physical tape to create the otherworldly sound, and it soon caught on with the likes of Jimi Hendrix (Are You Experienced?, Castles Made of Sand and Drifting), REM (What’s The Frequency Kenneth?), or Rush (Chain Lightning and Mystic Rhythms), The Beatles (I’m Only Sleeping, Tomorrow Never Knows, Rain), My Bloody Valentine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Give It Away, Slow Cheetah) and Garbage (Only Happy When It Rains).

Refining the Formula

But what does it take to truly nail the concept? Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci took a leaf from George Martin’s playbook and pursued the same method the Beatles’ visionary producer used decades earlier. On Dream Theater’s track Misunderstood from 2002, Petrucci went through the rigmarole of old-school steps to achieve an overall sense of unease the song demanded. Petrucci is on the line from his New York home, where he’s spending Christmas between a heavy touring schedule that began in October 2024 and continues from February through May 2026.

“It’s a pretty weird song, I think, as far as the sounds that were used and the arrangement of it,” he says. “So, if there are any songs to have a backwards guitar solo, that was the one. Also, lyrically, it kind of speaks to being displaced in your life, and the feeling that you have of a surreal disconnect.”

The inspiration was an interview with Billy Joel that Petrucci heard, where Joel recalled coming off stage, having played to a stadium of 60,000 people, and the next thing he does is return to his hotel room to eat his dinner alone.

“Having a guitar solo that’s backwards, I think, speaks to that, because it creates a disconnect. It’s like, ‘Well, this sounds normal-but-not’. You can’t tell what’s making it sound so weird. The backwards guitar solo is really appropriate for that song.”

The method, says Petrucci, is thanks to DT drummer Mike Portnoy’s Beatles fandom.

“Mike was aware of a technique that George Martin used, and so we tried that,” he explains. “And the technique is as follows: We were recording to tape at the time so, basically, I played the guitar solo the way I would normally do a guitar solo. I constructed it the way I wanted it to sound from front to back. Then, we flipped the tape so it was backwards, and instead of just playing that back in the master mix, I learned the backwards version, note for note, and then I recorded the backwards version myself, then harmonised it. And then we flipped the tape back over.”

It’s a lot of course, but the idea and the whole point of doing it backwards, is to create something that unsettles the listener.

“You get the original construction that I intended of the solo, but it sounds bizarrely backwards,” says Petrucci. “So, it’s not actually backwards. Doing it that way, the Beatles way, lets you construct the solo the way you want it front-to-back, which then gives you a sense of ‘normal but not’ and the harmony I added to it also made it sound strange.”

Performing the song live is a challenge, but Fractal Audio’s flagship Axe-Fx comes in handy.

“In the Fractal Axe-Fx are some backwards effects that don’t make what you’re playing sound backwards, but I can sort of emulate the backwards phrasing a little bit. The backwards delay just makes it sound a bit off-putting and surreal. That’s the closest I can get to the studio result in the live arena.”

Back To Basics

When the Beatles were experimenting with backwards sounds in 1966 however, they were having to essentially innovate the method from scratch. Initially, John Lennon had been experimenting with reversing vocal takes, but they soon branched out to trying it with other instruments.

In his book Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, The Later Years, 1966-2016, historian Kenneth Womack recalls the recording of the Paperback Writer B-side track Rain in 1966 as epiphanous in the experimental recording sessions of the band. Harrison, Womack claims, “was ecstatic over the possibilities that backward recording entailed.”

Womack quotes Harrison as saying, “With Rain, George Martin turned the master upside down and played it back. We were excited to hear what it sounded like, and it was magic – the backwards guitarist! The way the note sounded, because of the attack and the decay, was brilliant. We got very excited and started doing that on overdub. And then there was a bit of backwards singing as well, which came out sounding like Indian singing.”

Whether it’s tape-flipping, studio effect, or post-production trickery, the backwards guitar solo remains a tool in the composition kit worthy of exploring, and between Dream Theater, The Beatles, Garbage and My Bloody Valentine, the effect evidently knows no genre boundaries.

The post The art of the backwards guitar solo – and how Dream Theater’s John Petrucci nailed it appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Cloud Microphones has unveiled its new Cloudlifter Mini CL-25 compact mic preamp. Offering the same award-winning circuitry and performance specs as the original Cloudlifter CL-1, the Mini CL-25 is a custom engineering collaboration with Neutrik. Using standard 48-volt phantom power, the unit’s ultra-compact in-line design interfaces directly with dynamic, ribbon, and tube microphones to provide up to +25 dB of ultra-clean gain, and is the smallest and most portable Cloudlifter ever produced for studio, broadcast, and live sound professionals.

Plugging directly into microphones, preamps, mixers, stage boxes, and wall panels, the Mini CL-25 is built utilizing a custom Neutrik gold-plated XLR connector system. Employing hard-soldered, wire-free internal circuitry designed to meet the demands of thousands of insertion cycles, the device offers reliability within live and studio environments where daily hard use is the norm.

As a tool to achieve more clarity while reducing noise or coloration, the Mini CL-25 adds clean, transparent gain before your preamp using standard phantom power that isn’t passed along to the microphone. Along with cleaner gain, the unit lets users operate with lower preamp gain settings to better preserve clarity, detail, and authenticity. Resulting performance provides more of the actual microphone and less preamp coloration and artifacts, along with increased headroom.

Optimal for voice mics, dynamic mics, and low-output microphones, plus situations where protection for ribbon mics is desirable, the CL-25 will find itself completely at home in applications including studio recording, broadcast, location recording, podcasting, and live sound. Advantages within the latter category center around its compact form factor that won’t pull or stress microphone connectors, clear gain and natural frequency response (which helps reduce artifacts that cause feedback), easier EQ control from the mixing console, its ability to eliminate the need for an extra mic cable, and an external black finish that maintains a low visual profile onstage.

Designed using state-of-the-art multilayer technology and high-tech engineering, the streamlined miniaturization process at the heart of the Mini CL-25 brings the smallest footprint possible to the Cloudlifter universe, but guarantees that no sacrifices to either performance or audio quality are made along the way. The true sound of the source with all the attributes the Cloudlifter line has built its reputation upon remains totally uncompromised.

The Cloudlifter Mini CL-25 is now shipping and carries a street price of $149. For more information visit cloudmicrophones.com.

Spending quality time with the Silktone Expander is like getting lost in a garden maze in late spring. You might not always know where you are, but the sensory overload is so rich and intoxicating that you’ll forget you were trying to get anywhere specific in the first place. Using the Expander, a player encounters full, resonant boost, overdrive, and distortion tones that can sound great in the most straightforward applications. But there are also unusual gain flavors in abundance, ranging from exploding-5-watt-antique-amp textures, thrilling uncommon fuzz fare, and ghostly, smoky, fiery, in-between sounds that defy easy categorization but can drive a mixer, arranger, or songwriter’s inspiration to white-hot levels.

Getting the most out of the Expander’s, well, expansive tone vocabulary requires you to be realistic and honest about your relationship to strictly analog methods. There are no presets here. And while the Expander can cover textures you might otherwise assign to three or four gain devices with their own dedicated footswitches, you do all that here with a single footswitch, three knobs, and a toggle. So, tapping into the breadth of the Expander’s capabilities in performance takes confidence, and a creative mindset that allows for happy accidents. If your composing and performance style is more “roll-with-it” than surgical and uncompromising, the Silktone Expander opens doors that reveal unexpected surprises.

A Chameleon, An Individual

One of the trickiest things about reviewing the Expander and boiling it down to its essence is how hard it is to find equivalent sounds as a base for comparison. The germanium heart of the pedal is inspired by a Dallas Rangemaster, and some overdriven and fuzzy facets of its personality sound and behave like a germanium Fuzz Face. At other times it responded like my Jext Telez Selmer Buzz Tone clone running at 3 volts. Some of the Expander’s warm, fizzy drive tones also evoke console preamp-style pedals like the Hudson Broadcast. But on the flip side, I’d plug the Expander in alongside a favorite clean boost, sparkly overdrive, or preamp, and end up totally preferring its balance of clarity, detail, and energy.

If you find a combination this pedal sounds lousy with, let us know! We’re still looking.

How did Silktone craft a pedal that’s so many pedals in one? There are clues to Silktone founder Charles Henry’s intent. In addition to the Rangemaster influence, Henry gravitated toward the Shin-Ei FY-2 and FY-6 as well as the Roland Bee Baa—all fuzzes that speak through bold, often radical voices. Certainly, tones of that ilk live here. But there is much in the Expander that reflects the mindset of an amp builder—and Henry is a very creative one. In lay terms, the Expander’s circuit works like this: A JFET transistor that emphasizes rich, consonant, 2nd order harmonics makes up the first power stage. The second stage is Henry's riff on the germanium Rangemaster circuit. That is almost certainly the origin of many of the Expander’s hazier, fuzzier, but also more dynamically responsive tendencies. A JFET at the output stage effectively emulates the saturation that occurs in a real tube amplifier's first stage—probably a reason the Expander sounds great at low amp volumes. There’s nothing terribly complex going on here. But in practice you hear a balance more typical of a great amp: Warm when clean, full of overtone character when run at its limits, and responsive across a wide dynamic range and EQ spectrum.

It’s true that this breadth of sounds could be a challenge to manage for players accustomed to pedal presets. The Expander is a very hands-on pedal. But it must be said that the intuitive ease with which you can move between radically different sounds is impressive. The simple controls have great range, especially the tone or “choke” knob, which alone can recast a given output volume or gain level drastically. The choke knob can, in turn, be radically reshaped by the 3-position voice switch, which enables moves from a dark voicing at the left-most position, a neutral position in the center, and a bright setting at the right. Henry suggests that the dark voicing is best for high-gain sounds, and the bright switch for low-gain output. He’s right. But perhaps predictably, the Expander gave me many satisfying reasons to violate this guideline.

Equal Opportunity Expander

Though I tried, I really couldn’t find an amp and guitar pairing that wasn’t enhanced by the Expander. A Jaguar running through a hot, 15-watt EL84 amp at attenuated levels? Magic! An SG driving a Fender Reverb tank and a 50-watt Bassman? Double, extra-thrilling, super-loud magic! A Rickenbacker and Champ? That combo sounded ten times as big and fat, all at a volume that any soundman or engineer could love. I could go on. I threw Danelectros and Eko 12 strings at this pedal. Mixed it with other gain sources as divergent as Harmonic Percolators, Selmer Buzz Tone clones, Tube Screamers, Boss DS-1s and Vox Tone Benders. In every case the Expander was not just agreeable and accommodating but had real enhancements to lend. If you find a combination this pedal sounds lousy with, let us know! We’re still looking.

The Verdict

For all its understated, elegant design, the Silktone Expander is packed with sounds that not only bring a lifeless amp to life, but do so in ways distinctive enough to jump-start a stalled recording project or rescue a song from the doldrums. The straight-ahead, all-analog design means that presets aren’t coming to save you in a pinch. You’ll need to get crafty, be resourceful, and practice using the Expander. But it is incredibly forgiving, a willing co-pilot, and full of alternative tone treasures—particularly for players willing to explore and improvise. While $269 might seem a lot for a pedal this simple, the quality is tip-top, and it certainly makes several of my gain devices feel superfluous. If you have downsizing to do, the Silktone Expander, despite its name, is a beautiful solution that leaves you no less rich in tone options.

MGK—formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly—released his seventh studio record, Lost Americana, last August. When he took it out on tour, he hired two firebreathing fretboard masters, Justin Lyons and Sophie Lloyd, to knock his audiences dead. Ahead of their gig at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, PG’s Chris Kies met up with Lyons and Lloyd to get the lowdown on how they bring MGK’s music to life. Scope some of the highlights below.

Brought to you by D’Addario.

Make Your Mark

This PRS Mark Tremonti is one of Lyons’ current favorites, despite the black finish—typically, he’d never take a black guitar, but this one’s so good that it gets a pass.

Bow Down

Just before Christmas, Reverend sent over this Sensei model, along with a Roundhouse. Lyons, who’s in talks with the company to build a signature model, can’t put the Sensei down.

Justin Lyons’ Tone Master Rig

For their amp-free, in-ear monitor stage setup, Lyons loves the Fender Tone Master Pro unit, which lets him emulate his treasured Mesa/Boogie amps. Tack a TS-style boost in front and he’s in tone heaven. He also digs Mark Lettieri’s patch pack.

Kiesel Engine

Lloyd was Kiesel’s first female signature artist, and she brought a stable of them out with MGK. Lloyd’s models feature black limba bodies and walnut necks, with Kiesel Lithium pickups in the bridge position. Her signatures are unique because they include a Sustaniac in the neck position, which makes the guitar “ring out forever” and offers different octave options. Lloyd uses the kill switch on her guitars during the show for “big ending” moments. She runs her Kiesels with Ernie Ball Paradigm strings (.010–.046).

Sophie Lloyd’s Kemper Rig

Back home, Lloyd likes playing through a Neural Quad Cortex, but on this tour, she’s running a Kemper Profiler like the rest of the band. She was skeptical at first that it could replicate that magic of her favorite Diezel amp, but it does the job—and then some.

The rack backstage carries the Profiler brains, plus the Radial JX42 and Shure AD4Q units that handle Lloyd’s and Lyon’s signals.

The blues would look very, very different without BB King, and as such, Joe Bonamassa has strong words for anyone who would dare to criticise his playing.

Often nicknamed ‘The King of the Blues’, BB King was instrumental in shaping the blues genre over his 70-year career, playing hundreds upon hundreds of shows and releasing, honestly, nearly too many records to count.

In a new interview with Classic Rock, contemporary blues ace Joe Bonamassa waxes lyrical on King’s lasting influence, calling him a “total artist”, and “such an entity”.

• READ MORE: “It’s a flamethrower”: Mark Morton’s new Signature Les Paul Modern Quilt unites Les Paul heritage with metal-ready specs and aesthetics

“The singing, the playing, the songs. I think he made, like, 60 records over the years,” says Bonamassa, listing some of his favourites in Live at the Regal (1965) and Blues Is King (1967), as well as his top BB King studio albums Indianola Mississippi Seeds (1970) and Completely Well (1969).

“When people say: ‘Oh, BB King doesn’t play much on guitar,’ it’s like: ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’” Bonamassa adds.

“He’s one of the only guitarists to ever play that you can identify with one note. If you listen to BB’s playing, he actually had a lot of jazz in him; he had some Wes Montgomery and definitely Charlie Christian, but also some T-Bone Walker.

“But once you got into the ‘60s, his approach and phrasing were so uniquely him. I think, most of all, what he was able to do was time. Y’know, where he would place notes. He was never in a hurry. And I think one of the most overlooked things about BB’s playing is that every solo he took had a great story.”

Joe Bonamassa continues, recounting his first experience meeting BB King, and how it ended up shaping him as a player, as well as his general attitude towards the blues.

“When I first met BB [in 1989], I didn’t really grasp the gravity of it,” he says. “When you’re 12 years old, you know what I mean? But he was this larger-than-life personality and figure. I was blessed to know him for 25 years. He showed me the right way to tour, taught me about the professionalism. The band was always immaculately dressed, on time, respectful. And if you can live by that, then you got no worries.”

Joe Bonamassa released his last album Breakthrough back in July 2025. Back in November, he updated fans on an injury he suffered during a show, which saw him suddenly lose “80%” of his hearing’s high end.

He has since long been cleared, and has a string of shows booked all over the world for 2026.

For a full list of live dates, head to Joe Bonamassa’s official website.

The post “Are you f**king kidding me? He’s one of the only guitarists you can identify with one note”: Joe Bonamassa’s brutal response to those who claim BB King “doesn’t play much on guitar” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Suitable for all playing styles and genre preferences, it’s available as a regular six-string guitar, bass, or as a more typical “FM style” guitar or bass – think very wide fretboards and strings from seven and up.

• READ MORE: Gretsch Professional Series Falcon Center Block LTD review: “it has the looks, the attitude and the sound that you’ve been dreaming of”

The Orquidea (meaning Orchid), was designed as an alternative to FM Guitars’ Esphera model. It’s single cut, and a little bigger and thicker in general compared to its sibling. The body has unique curves and bevels designed for regular horizontal, classical and upright playing, according to the brand.

Orquidea also features a “guitar handle” and a lower horn design that allows access to the higher frets seamlessly, and balances the guitar in any position. Its neck profile is thin, and FM Guitars says it doesn’t “like to add extra wood where it’s not necessary”.

Due to the unique designs of these guitars, they’re not available through a simple purchase online. To get your hands on one, you’ll need to join a waitlist by emailing info@fmguitars.com. You’ll be informed when your order can be taken. Just take a look at some of the unusual finishes and variations made so far.

Image: FM Guitars Image: FM Guitars

You can check out the six- and seven-string variations in the videos below:

In other news in the world of headless guitars, Strandberg has recently lifted the lid on the Arc TILT – a patent-pending tremolo design for “smooth motion, stable pitch control and a more intuitive playing experience”. The news arrives after the unveiling its MIDI-infused headless Chameleon guitar with Jamstik, and its design is said to reimagine how a tremolo responds to the player, with a pivot system and tremolo block engineered to move in sync with the bridge, “resulting in a fluid and controlled feel” while maintaining stability.

Find out more about the Orquidea over at FM Guitars.

The post Orquidea: This radical headless model from FM Guitars “fits perfectly with the human body” – and offers some serious eye candy to boot appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

I started this blog in 2007 to share and talk about my woodworking and guitar making. I am very grateful that my blog has been on the two best woodworking aggregators: Norse Woodsmith and Unplugged Shop. Thanks to them the word got about my work.

The other day, I noticed that Unplugged Shop didn’t share my last post and took down the previous post on their website.  Since this happened I have noticed that the number of visitors to my website are down. I  submitted a request to have my website appear on their aggregator, I haven’t heard back from them. 

I wonder if the AI robot that assists their website doesn’t consider a guitar maker to be a “woodworker”? Is it because I don’t make stick chairs or turn bowls anymore? And that I don’t post much “how to” about guitar making? I’m a little baffled by Unplugged Shop’s action.

I hope that norsewoodsmith.com continues to share my and other woodworkers blog posts, I am very grateful for that old school aggregator. Thanks!