Music is the universal language
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” - Luke 2:14
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DOWN To Release "Volume V" Full-Length November 20th
American heavy metal icons DOWN will unleash their long-awaited new studio album, Volume V, on November 20th via Nuclear Blast Records!
American heavy metal icons DOWN will unleash their long-awaited new studio album, Volume V, on November 20th via Nuclear Blast Records!
DOWN was never just a band. It’s a brotherhood rooted in childhood friendships that have endured for decades. It’s an homage to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s music meant for anybody who has ever headbanged, played air guitar, or worn a weathered tour t-shirt like armor. For over three decades, the quintet – Philip H. Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Jimmy Bower, and Pat Bruders – have quietly built a legacy like no other. When these individuals congregate, magic ensues, conjured by earthquaking grooves, bellowing straight from the soul, and riffing loud enough to awaken an ancient deity.
This Fall, DOWN begins another chapter with Volume V.
“We were all excited about this,” smiles Anselmo. “There was a sense of lightness in the air. Everyone’s attitude was positive. There was more focus than ever. It just felt fresh again. Each one of us was individually striving for something, and I believe we achieved what we wanted to achieve. The record is a journey. It’s classic DOWN, but it’s also unique.”
“Everybody played their asses off, wrote great riffs, and Philip is singing amazing,” adds Windstein. “There’s so much electricity when we get together. To me, it’s the same vibe as our debut NOLA, but we’ve got another 35 years of experience as songwriters.”
“The five of us are from the same era, grew up together, and accomplished a lot on our own,” Keenan observes. “We all sounded different, but we’re still from the same 20-block radius. As far as what makes DOWN special, we knew one another before any of us had done anything. There’s history.”
DOWN’s bond runs deep. The guys initially crossed paths as teens in various local bands throughout New Orleans. Over the years, each musician went off and made a name for himself with Anselmo notably fronting Pantera, Keenan holding down guitar and vocals for Corrosion Of Conformity, Windstein leading Crowbar, and Bower slinging guitar in Eyehategod.
Two writing sessions yielded the bulk of material on Volume V. Upholding a tradition dating back to Down II, the members retreated to Anselmo’s home studio and their de facto clubhouse, Nodferatu’s Lair. Songs originated on the spot as they jammed face-to-face. Throughout 2025, the music naturally took shape. Keenan and Windstein chose to simultaneously record guitar together, giving the album a timeless punch.
The album opens with a blistering barnburner “The Myth.” It sets the tone with a powerhouse vocal, pummeling rhythms, and precise down-picking. Then, there’s “Merciful Fate” featuring King Diamond. It reaches an apex with a vocal duel between Anselmo and King Diamond and fret-burning solos executed at a breakneck pace of 120bpm. King’s wife Livia Zita even blesses the track with dark accents of her own. Closer “Twice-Told Tales” caps the trip off with a heavy and hypnotic denouement. “It’s a conglomerate of tight riffs and blues rock mixed with the diligence of classic metal,” Anselmo reveals. “It’s an important song to us. I could feel Ozzy Osbourne’s influence on me in the strangest way.”
Lead single, “Blood Oath,” is anchored by an alternately hard-hitting and hummable riff, culminating on a clarion call chorus. With a sly tip of the hat to their stomping grounds, it practically bleeds old gold, black, and white. “Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,” grins Anselmo. “Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a DOWN song, but it takes a turn.”
“You’ll know it’s DOWN right off the fucking bat,” adds Keenan. “It’s heavy in its attack.”
DOWN’s Volume V was produced by Eddie Mapp and DOWN, mixed by Dave Fortman, and mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in California.
DOWN is amid their North American headlining tour with support provided by Helmet and Spirit In The Room. The Strap It Down tour commenced in Atlanta, Georgia on August 15th and will close in Shakopee, Minnesota on September 4th with a special performance as direct support to Slayer. The journey also includes slots on the 2026 installment of Zakk Wylde’s Berzerkus Festival featuring Lamb Of God, Black Label Society, and others on August 28th in Scranton, Pennsylvania and August 29th in Wantagh, New York.Limited DOWN VIP ticketless packages are available now, featuring a soundcheck experience, meet & greet, photo opportunity, signed poster, and exclusive merch item.
Visit down-nola.com/tour to secure yours.
In October, DOWN will perform at both Aftershock and Sick New World Texas. In December the band will headline day two (December 5th) of this year’s edition of the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest Denver. The appearance marks the band’s first Denver appearance in over twelve years!
Tickets for all shows are on sale now. See confirmed dates below.
DOWN w/ Helmet, Spirit In The Room [remaining dates]:
8/19/2026 House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH
8/20/2026 Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
8/22/2026 Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
8/23/2026 HISTORY – Toronto, ON
8/25/2026 MTELUS – Montreal, QC
8/26/2026 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
8/28/2026 The Pavilion @ Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA ** Berzerkus Fest w/ Lamb Of God, Black Label Society, more…
8/29/2026 Northwell @ Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY ** Berzerkus Fest w/ Lamb Of God, Black Label Society, more…
8/30/2026 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
9/01/2026 Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
9/02/2026 Ramova Theatre – Chicago, IL
9/04/2026 Mystic Lake Amphitheater – Shakopee, MN ** w/ Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed
US Festival Dates:
10/03/2026 Aftershock – Sacramento, CA
10/24/2026 Sick New World Texas – Fort Worth, TX
12/05/2026 Decibel Metal And Beer Fest – Denver, CO
** No Helmet, Spirit In The Room
Carl Martin Introduces the Dual Compressor Limiter
Carl Martin has introduced the Dual Compressor Limiter, an analog dynamics pedal that places two independently adjustable compression setups in one compact enclosure. Designed for guitarists who want consistent dynamics and longer sustain without sacrificing pick attack or clarity, it moves from subtle leveling to firm peak limiting at the press of a footswitch.
Each preset has its own COMP and LEVEL controls, while a shared THRESHOLD keeps the response consistent across both sides. Players can use one preset for transparent rhythm control and the other for stronger lead sustain, then switch between them using the onboard SELECT footswitch or the REMOTE input.
At the heart of the pedal's flexibility is the global DRY control, which adds parallel compression by blending the processed signal with the untouched instrument signal. Instead of choosing between compression and natural pick response, players can retain the original transient while adding body, consistency and sustain underneath it. This keeps the pedal responsive and natural-feeling even when more compression is applied. The pedal accepts a standard regulated 9V DC supply and generates +/-12V internally for increased headroom, clarity and stability.
Dual Compressor Limiter highlights include:
- Two independently adjustable compression presets in one analog pedal
- Dedicated DRY blend preserves the original attack while adding compressed body and sustain
- Individual COMP and LEVEL controls for each preset
- Shared 60 dB THRESHOLD range for consistent response
- Compression range from 1:1 to 30:1 for leveling, sustain or limiting
- Onboard SELECT footswitch plus REMOTE preset switching
- Internal +/-12V operation from a regulated 9V DC input
- True bypass, 105 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 0.05% THD
The Carl Martin Dual Compressor Limiter carries a street price of $199. For more information visit carlmartin.com.
EarthQuaker Scrolls Bass Odyssey Review
I thought I had everything a gigging bassist could possibly need. I usually get a pretty solid bass tone, the players and clients I engage with generally like it, and I tend to feel pretty good about my EQ choices. Some instruments I like to run direct, without much tonal color. Others I run through an amp, where I can get plenty of it. Between the two, I figured I had any session covered.
EarthQuaker’s Scrolls might have changed the standard for just fine, however. My P bass that sounds really good on its own? When I plugged it into the Scrolls it went from “just fine” to “sweet Mary!” EarthQuaker definitely ratcheted up the bar for what a DI’d bass can do onstage and in the studio.
Healthy Scrolling
Scrolls is a new bass DI box developed in collaboration with Japanese bassist Kentaro Nakao. Sometimes a pedal built for a specific player’s needs means essentials are overlooked. Not so with the Scrolls. Clearly, careful consideration was given to what the average bass player desires. But it also gave me things I didn’t know I wanted.
“When I turned it off, my bass suddenly sounded like a junior varsity team trying to compete with a professional squad.”
The pedal is divided into two robust sections, tied together by some common threads and some unusual ones. The first is a flexible drive section with wet/dry blend control, a clipping frequency knob (called “bandwidth” here,) and more. The second section is dedicated to EQ. Seems straightforward enough, right? Well, EarthQuaker decided to give players three output options: an XLR, a 1/4" out and a parallel buffered 1/4" out for a clean signal. In this configuration, a clean signal can go to an amp and/or front of house, where the signal can be manipulated and adjusted independent of the Scrolls. The effects loop lives between the drive and EQ sections, so if you add other effects, the loop will be after the drive but before EQ, leaving the EQ to shape the overall tone. Pretty clever, indeed.
Trust the Process
Scrolls’ EQ is the part of the pedal that sells the design. A DI’s job, after all, is to cover as many tones as possible for as many applications as possible, and Scrolls does that well enough that I can see it earning permanent real estate on a lot of pedalboards. The range comes down to how finely the EQ is divided—in the studio, it’s like having brushes from a fine liner up to a two-inch flat. Three push buttons—deep, process, and bright—provide a 80Hz boost, low-mid scoop, and 5kHz boost, respectively. Three corresponding tone knobs, which work with or without the pushbutton settings, cut or boost low, middle, and high frequencies. But the secret weapon might be the variable frequency control, which sweeps the emphasis anywhere from 20Hz to 10kHz and lets picky players slot their bass tone just so.
Though the numerous knobs look formidable, Scrolls is easy to use, too. I was able to take my bass from great to downright legendary in about 15 seconds. The pushbutton settings are excellent starting points, and activating all three adds up to a big, strong, and authoritative bass tone. The sweet spot for my P bass was a mix of boosts from the process and bright pushbuttons, and a little mid and treble boost from the corresponding EQ controls. I got used to this tone fast, and frankly, I didn’t want to box up the pedal again. When I turned it off, my bass suddenly sounded like a junior varsity team trying to compete with a professional squad.
The Verdict
EarthQuaker’s Scrolls is focused, smartly designed, and usable across just about any genre. The drive is the one section some players could find non-essential. It’s deeply tweakable—especially the wet/dry mix and the clipping frequency control—and harder-rocking players will love it. But I got what I needed from the EQ alone, and whether that's enough to justify the pedal comes down to your own tastes and objectives. As bass drives go, this is a flexible one, and in the right situation the two halves feed each other.
The Scrolls Bass Odyssey answers questions I hadn’t thought to ask. Can a great bass sound better going direct than it does through an amp? It can. Do I need three outputs on a bass DI? Turns out I do. Can I set this on my board, leave it there, and stop thinking about my bass tone? I think a lot of you will.
Scrolls Bass Preamp Pedal
Preamp Bass Guitar Pedal with EQ Channel, Drive Channel, FX Loop, XLR Direct Out, Parallel Out, and Ground Lift
Death By Audio and Rainger FX Announce the Amp Crash
Death By Audio and Rainger FX have joined forces to create Amp Crash, a completely new kind of effects pedal containing a real 3-watt amplifier, internal 2" speaker, and microphone.
Amp Crash captures the sound and feel of a cranked amp inside a compact stompbox. A real amplifier drives a real speaker, while a built-in microphone captures what that speaker is actually doing. Players can then blend the direct amplifier signal with the mic'd sound, creating everything from rich, touch-sensitive overdrive to crushing fuzz, blooming harmonics, natural feedback, and completely unpredictable textures.
Unlike traditional distortion or amp simulation pedals, Amp Crash creates sound physically, not just electronically. As the amplifier, speaker, and microphone interact, they generate harmonics, feedback, compression, and textures that only exist because air is physically moving inside the pedal. The result is an instrument that breathes, responds, and sometimes even fights back.
The project began when David Rainger came to New York with an idea: put a microphone inside a pedal so ambient sound could blend with the guitar signal, creating new harmonics and unexpected overtones. Death By Audio took that idea and asked another question: what if the pedal contained its own speaker?
The internal speaker and microphone interacted like a real amp in a room, producing the sound and feel of small combo amps pushed to their limits. From there, Death By Audio built a complete multi-effects engine around the concept, adding Reverb, Echo, and Chorus to push the sounds even further.
Amp Crash can be a real mic'd amp experience, a compact recording tool, a portable practice amp, an experimental effects platform, or an endlessly inspiring instrument capable of sounds that conventional pedals simply cannot create.
An external 8Ω speaker output also allows players to connect a speaker cabinet, transforming Amp Crash into a tiny but very real amplifier.
Key features:
- Real 3-watt amplifier, internal 2" speaker, and microphone built into the pedal
- Blend direct amplifier and internal microphone signals
- Real speaker interaction creates harmonics, feedback, compression, and unpredictable textures
- Built-in Reverb, Echo, and Chorus
- From edge-of-breakup overdrive to crushing fuzz and wild harmonic feedback
- External 8Ω speaker output for connecting a speaker cabinet
- Buffered bypass, lifetime warranty
- Power: 9V DC, 2.1mm center-negative, 300 mA
Amp Crash will be available directly and from participating retailers for a street price of $395 USD. For more information visit https://deathbyaudio.com/products/amp-crash or https://www.raingerfx.com/releases/p/amp-crash.
MXR Textures Can Make Your Guitar Sound Like Almost Anything
MXR Textures Granular Synth Engine uses granular synthesis, to slice and dice sound and experience your guitar in the fifth dimension.
- Transforms your signal into shimmering pads, glitched rhythms, and evolving textures
- Eight ready-to-play presets get you experimenting instantly, from regenerative octave loops to warbly polyphonic synth
- Three different modes—Delay, Auto-Freeze, and Layers—define how grains are sampled and replayed
- Size, Overlap, Pitch, Reverse, Delay, Regen, and Mix knobs allow you to sculpt every grain
- On-board reverb, filter, and vibrato FX add further depth and dimension • Deep parameter tweaks unlock randomization, effect fine-tuning, and tap tempo
- Full stereo I/O with mono, wet/dry, and true stereo output options, plus expression pedal and
- MXR Split + Tap compatibility
The MXR Textures Granular Synth Engine is available now at a $269.99 street price. For more information visit jimdunlop.com.
Textures Granular Synth Pedal
Stereo Granular Synth Guitar Pedal with 8 Presets, 3 Modes, Size, Overlap, Pitch, Reverse, Time, Mix, and Regen Controls, Second-layer Controls, Expression Input, and Split/Tap Compatibility
Carr Trail Rider Review
When one thinks about 5-watt amps, it’s often in terms of compromise—things like consideration for the neighbors downstairs, or the houseplant that would flourish in the space where your Hiwatt stack lives. On one hand, Carr’s 5-watt, 1xEL84-powered Trail Rider offers a viable path to such compromises. And with an excellent attenuator on board, it can sound alive and characterful at volumes no louder than your TV. But with the brakes off, the Trail Rider also has the potency to blast a whole city block. And with so many beautiful sounds and colors available at full power, restraint can be difficult.
Bermuda Triangle Address
When you think of a 5-watt amp, you probably envision something about the size of a Fender Champ or Vox AC4. But the Trail Rider, at roughly 20" wide, 15" tall and 9" deep, is almost the same size as Carr’s much more powerful Bel-Ray. The dimensions might be less than ideal for some 5-watt amp shoppers looking to maximize space. Thankfully, it looks smashing. But the ace visuals, the expertly crafted plywood cabinet has a practical benefit—it accommodates a 12", 50-watt Celestion A-type speaker, which plays a major role in the Trail Rider’s overachieving performance.
The Trail Rider’s tube complement—two 12AX7s and a single EL84 (along with a 12DW7 for reverb drive and return)—suggests fundamentally English inspirations. And the spirit of the Vox AC4 definitely dwells within the Trail Rider. But like most Carr amps of more recent vintage, the Trail Rider’s vocabulary transcends oceans, borders, and boundaries. Two switchable voices make up the basic tone foundations here. The Voxier of the two is called V67, the other is T57. You probably won’t need three tries to guess that the “T” is for tweed.
Deluxes and Bassmans define tweed tone for most. But tweediness can be a lot of things. Fender’s amp designs in the mid- to late-’50s evolved quickly, and when designing the Trail Rider, Steve Carr homed in on the point at which the tweed amps went from a single tone control that governed the high end, to a 2-knob EQ that controlled bass and treble independently. That simple enhancement opened up a lot of tone shaping range in tweeds like the Pro, Super, and Bassman, and Carr uses that simple but magical formula to fantastic effect in the Trail Rider. Its EQ section is a powerful tool that lends the amp an expansive vocabulary.
Trails Less Taken
One shouldn't be afraid to experiment with radical, unconventional, even uncomfortable shifts in EQ settings on the Trail Rider. In fact, messing with convention is half the fun. Situating the treble and bass at noon reveals the essence of the two voices, but also the basic flexibility of the amp. At these EQ settings—and in either V67 or T57 voices—the first 25 percent of the amp’s volume range offers sweet, lively clean tones that shine on their own, but sound dynamite with drive and distortion pedals. With amp volume in the 30-to-50 percent range, the Trail Rider starts to growl on its own. These textures can be accented with pedals to very cool ends, and the Trail Rider, in spite of its low power, won’t flinch at the addition of fuzz. But it's the Trail Rider’s own beautiful organic breakup that really highlights the EQ’s transformative power.
Treble-down/bass-up settings, for example, worked with the 12" Celestion to coax thick, burbling, jazzy tones from a Telecaster. Meanwhile, cranking the treble generates lead and chord tones that’ll rip, white hot, through the thickest, most muddled mix, and conjures focused, overtone-rich, and very unique distortion textures. These extreme EQ settings are often revelatory and inspiring. They’re also all genuinely useful. Even at its trebliest settings the Trail Rider’s output is never abrasive, and the interactivity of the bass and treble lends a painterly measure of control that is fun, satisfying, and, in a stage or studio setting, immensely practical.
These rules also apply when you wind up the Trail Rider and let it rip. When you get into the upper reaches of the volume, the details and differences that separate the tweed and Vox voices become less discernible amid the natural compression. But at full-blast, playing the Trail Rider is like being drenched in honey. There’s no grating stridency, and the distortion has a smoothness, dimension, and sense of size that’s reminiscent of a black-panel Fender Bassman.
“At full-blast, playing the Trail Rider is like being drenched in honey.”
The Trail Rider feels immediate, too. It’s very dynamic, and sensitive to variations in guitar volume and tone input, which puts even more color at your disposal. You get a sense of incredible efficiency in this circuit—as if your signal is running a flawless baton race, picking up some thickness here, some gain and top end there, and never breaking pace. Tone suck in this circuit simply feels nonexistent.
The Verdict
Steve Carr’s designs are always a treat. And his knack for spinning something new and imaginative from familiar touchstones never fails to surprise. Tweed- and Vox-like flavors are here in abundance, and in many shades. Yet the Trail Rider never feels like an imitation, and it tends to be so sweetly immersive that everything outside the sound you make with it becomes incidental. It pairs beautifully with any guitar (though Telecasters and the ES-335-style designs were especially tasty matches). And the onboard spring reverb meshes seamlessly into the overall tone picture—often feeling like the only effect you’ll ever need.
If there is any compromise or let down involved with playing the Trail Rider, it’s that its attenuated voices, however sweet, can’t match the electric thrill of experiencing the amp at full power. Another sobering factor is the price: $2,900 for a 5-watt amp. But what you hear and feel from the Trail Rider makes the power rating a poor measure of its value. The heirloom-level build quality goes a long way toward justifying the cost.
Above all else, the Trail Rider’s expansiveness, versatility, and shape-shifting capacity to range from clean to crushing could make more than a few amps in your collection redundant and ripe for sale. Viewed through that lens, the Trail Rider’s price could well add up to math that makes sense.
How Chase Bliss’ Joel Korte Builds Effects That Push the Boundaries
If you type the name Chase Bliss into Google, the first thing that comes up—after the official website for the Minneapolis-based pedal maker—is a Reddit thread with a question: “What is special about Chase Bliss pedals?”
It’s a fair query. These days, Chase Bliss has an esteemed reputation among boutique guitar-pedal brands, lauded for their unique and innovative effects, high-end build quality, and tweakability that gives players virtually infinite possibilities.
At the same time, the brand can be polarizing. User experiences tend to vary. While Chase Bliss products are typically embraced by experimental players, studio geeks, and gearheads who spend hours dialing in a tone that’s just right, the sheer array of features stuffed into each stompbox can be overwhelming for some. Considering Chase Bliss pedals start at $399 and run up to $999, with some discontinued models going for well over a grand on the secondhand market, they’re not an especially easy sell.
So, what’s special about Chase Bliss? It depends what you mean.
There’s the ideology, described by founder Joel Korte as “digital brain, analog heart”—an electrical engineering concept that combines warm analog tones with digital control. There’s the novelty, with several one-of-a-kind pedals that do things that no other pedal does. And there’s the versatility, as Chase Bliss products are likely to reward users willing to make it over their steep learning curves.
“We make a huge effort to offer something new to the sonic landscape,” Korte tells Premier Guitar. “I never wanted to do just the same old thing. People who take a chance on us, they know they’re going on a bit of a journey. Hopefully they’ll be surprised and inspired.”
Passion for Pedals
In 2003, Joel Korte was a college freshman trying to decide what to declare as his major. He spent a lot of that year strumming his purple Stratocaster and fiddling with the on-board effects on his little practice amp, so he emailed some of his favorite gear manufacturers and asked what skills you needed to design audio equipment. They all said electrical engineering, so that's what he declared.
Five years later, though, things were going poorly. After graduating from college, Korte, then 24, settled for a corporate job that he hated, and lacked the motivation to pursue his real passion. A lifelong stutterer, he was going through a flare-up of the speech challenge that was making his life difficult. Above all, he was grieving the loss of his older brother Chase, who had been pursuing an acting career in California when he was killed by a drunk driver on Interstate 40 in early 2007. By his own admission, Joel Korte was headed toward an “unhappy life.”
“People who take a chance on us, they know they’re going on a bit of a journey.”
After taking a year and a half to mourn, Korte remembered how his brother’s approach to life was guided by American writer and philosopher Joseph Campbell’s mantra: “Follow your bliss.” That shook something in the young engineer, reigniting a fire that had been snuffed out.
Korte quit his job, enrolled in grad school, and doggedly pursued a new job at ZVEX Effects. After several emails and phone calls to founder Zack Vex, he landed a part-time gig at the Minneapolis-based workshop. At ZVEX, he learned everything he could about stompboxes—so much so that after four years, he left to start his own business. By 2013, he had developed the prototype for his first pedal and began operating out of the spare bedroom of his apartment in South Minneapolis. He named his new company in honour of his late brother and his ethos: Chase Bliss.
Infinite Possibilities
Whenever Korte played on his own or in bands, he found himself wishing the knobs on his effects pedals would go just a bit further, or for an extra switch that wasn’t there. “I wanted to be different,” he says. “There wasn’t that kitchen-sink approach [in other pedals] that I thought there could be. So, I just started to do things the way I wanted, as someone who loves guitar pedals. I wanted to create this blank canvas where someone could have infinite possibilities.”
Before leaving ZVEX, Korte had been put in charge of restructuring the Lo-Fi Loop Junky into a real-time version of the looper’s variable-voltage modulation and degradation. The result was the Instant Lo-Fi Junky, and it hooked Korte on the sound of lo-fi vibrato. By late 2013, he had developed the first Chase Bliss pedal, the Warped Vinyl, a vibrato-chorus hybrid designed to simulate the wavering, fluttering sound of a record that was left out in the sun for too long.
Korte wasn’t concerned with the Warped Vinyl’s marketability, but it was an immediate success, selling more than 500 within the first year. Encouraged by the critical and commercial response, Korte got back into the workshop and developed Chase Bliss’s second pedal, the Wombtone. Introduced eight months after the Warped Vinyl in August 2014, the Wombtone offered vintage, ’70s-style analog phaser tones with highly tweakable digital controls.
With the business taking off, Korte couldn’t keep up on his own (even with his parents’ help). In 2015, he hired his first employee, Zack Warpinski—who now serves as director of operations—and kept things rolling with two new products, the Gravitas tremolo and the Spectre flanger, along with updated MkII versions of the Warped Vinyl and Wombtone.
Over the next three years, Chase Bliss continued to expand its product lineup. The Tonal Recall arrived in 2016, giving players warm, sweet, vintage-style analog delay with digital-control amenities like tap tempo, expression/MIDI control, and patch saving, and tape-like saturation thanks to re-issued versions of the sought-after MN3005 bucket-brigade delay chips. Brothers was introduced in 2017, an overdrive pedal built with two independent JFET/IC analog channels that offered six unique boost, drive, or fuzz circuits in one package.
“I wanted to create this blank canvas where someone could have infinite possibilities.”
In 2018, Chase Bliss added Thermae, another delay that used the same MN3005s as the Tonal Recall but added pitch-shifting interval features so that players could create cascading, rhythmic harmonies. At the same time, they added their first overdrive pedal, the Condor, which also served as an EQ, filter, and preamp boost.
By that point, Chase Bliss had become one of the hottest names in guitar pedals. But that didn’t necessarily mean the business was on solid ground.
Turning Point
In 2019, Korte entered a long development cycle for two ambitious ideas. The first was a Kickstarter-funded collaboration with YouTuber Scott "Knobs" Harper that would eventually become the Blooper pedal, a multi-layer performance looper with a full suite of sound design. The second was a partnership with Benson Amps for a gain pedal called the Automatone Preamp MkII that would combine boost, EQ, overdrive, and fuzz.
As Chase Bliss and its collaborators started working on those pedals, Korte saw a big problem. It would take too long to push the new products through development and onto the market, and revenues from their existing lineup wouldn’t keep them afloat until then. One of the guitar world’s most critically acclaimed and sought-after pedalmakers was quickly running out of cash. “I was looking at the finances and I was like, ‘We're fucked,’” Korte recalls.
What he and his small team needed was something new that they could sell in the interim to fund the ongoing development of the Blooper and the Automatone. At the time, Chase Bliss had recently come out with its first fully digital effect, a reverb called the Dark World that was made in collaboration with Keeley Electronics and Cooper FX. Korte figured they could leverage the work they did on the Dark World into another all-digital offering that could generate interest—and money—while he worked on the Blooper and Automatone.
Chase Bliss linked up with Old Blood Noise Endeavors and Drolo Effects. Only six months later, they’d finalized the Mood pedal, a micro-looper and delay with two channels: one that samples and loops brief moments, and another that offers a full suite of spatial effects that let players stretch, slice, twist, and freeze those moments. The two channels pass audio back and forth to create otherworldly ambiences and weird, wonky soundscapes.
Korte summarizes the development: “You know how sometimes you’ll work so hard on a song and you’ll spend so much time on it? That was the Blooper and the Automatone. And then all of a sudden you’ll write a song in five minutes, and it just comes out of you. That was Mood.”
“The way that I loved to design, with the digital brain and analog heart … that was no longer feasible for us.”
Launched in June 2019, it was an instant hit and became the company’s best-selling pedal—a title it still holds to this day. By 2020, Chase Bliss had managed to push both the Blooper and Automatone to market, along with the CXM 1978 reverb, just in time to enjoy a massive sales boost brought on by pandemic lockdowns. “The direct orders from our website just exploded,” says Korte.
That allowed the company to not only secure its financial position but also expand significantly. In 2022, Tyler Devonald, who'd joined Chase Bliss five years earlier, opened an Amsterdam office with Liz Groshens to handle shipping, repairs, and distribution for European customers; it's since grown to three people. What used to be a one-man operation in a Minnesota basement is now a 23-person employer with a global presence. But the expansion hasn’t been without challenges, and it was Chase Bliss’ presence in Europe that forced Korte to change the way he had been making pedals for over a decade.
Digital Revolution
Two years ago, Chase Bliss arrived at another crossroads. A part used in several of its pedals made them noncompliant with sales regulations in the United Kingdom and European Union. The problem was with the light-dependent resistor, or LDR. A fairly common component in guitar effects, particularly modulators, it gets paired with an LED to form an opto-isolator that changes the level of resistance in an analog signal based on how much light is hitting it.
Since the beginning, that’s how Chase Bliss had achieved its “digital brain, analog heart” designs. By using a digital micro-processor to exert precise control over the LED, which then determined how much resistance the LDR would add to the clean signal, Chase Bliss could achieve smooth, organic-sounding analog tone with all of the versatility of digital mechanics. But the LDRs also contained cadmium sulfide, a toxic substance that’s not allowed to be sold in the UK or EU.
While Chase Bliss assured existing customers that any risk from the material was “incredibly low,” they were forced to discontinue five pedals: the Warped Vinyl, Condor, Thermae, Dark World, and Preamp MkII. For Korte, it meant that after more than 10 years of designing, he had to abandon his signature style. “The way that I loved to design, with the digital brain and analog heart … that was no longer feasible for us,” he says.
By then, Chase Bliss had already introduced a number of all-digital pedals that skipped the banned LDRs, and they quickly pivoted to working with digital potentiometers and voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs) to replace the troublesome resistors.
As of the writing of this article, Chase Bliss has a catalogue of nine pedals. That includes the Blooper, Generation Loss, the CXM 1978, the Mood MkII, and the Brothers AM, a collaboration with Analog Man that pays tribute to the latter’s King of Tone dual-circuit analog overdrive. It also features newer additions, among them: Lossy, an audio degradation emulator; Onward, a dynamic sampler pedal; Clean, a 2-stage stereo compressor; and Big Time, a stereo echo collaboration with Electronic Audio Experiments inspired by early-’80s rackmount delays.
Leap of Faith
Thirteen years ago, Korte was headed for an unhappy life and decided to do something about it. Since then, he’s turned a solo venture into one of the most well-known and highly regarded guitar-pedal brands. All these years later, Korte’s eyes well up when he considers how Chase Bliss’ success—and his entire career—stand as a lasting, heartfelt tribute to his late brother.
“I attribute so much of what’s happened to him,” Korte says. “When I had the finite nature of life presented to me in the way that it was when he died, it made me take some risks that I don’t think I ever would have. Back in 2013, I bet the farm, and then I bet the farm again, and then the farm got bigger, and I just kept betting the farm … And it worked out.”
Taylor Guitars Introduces Next Generation 512ce and 712ce
Taylor Guitars continues to evolve the acoustic guitar experience with the introduction of the Next Generation 512ce and 712ce, two new Grand Concert models that bring a powerful combination of tonal character, player-focused innovation and effortless playability to one of Taylor’s most comfortable body shapes.
At the heart of both guitars is Taylor’s Next Generation platform, which brings together three key innovations: scalloped V-Class bracing, the Action Control Neck and the Claria Acoustic Pickup System. Together, these features represent the latest evolution of Taylor’s approach to acoustic guitar design, enhancing warmth, resonance, sustain, adjustability and plugged-in performance while preserving the clarity and balance players have come to expect from a Taylor.
Both models feature the compact Grand Concert body shape, Taylor’s smallest full-scale body design. Its comfortable contours and responsive nature make it particularly well suited to players who value intimacy and control, while its balanced voice makes it remarkably versatile across playing styles.
The Next Generation 512ce pairs solid mahogany back and sides with a Western Red cedar top, creating a warm, woody voice with exceptional touch sensitivity and a clear fundamental focus. The cedar top responds readily to a light touch, while the scalloped V-Class bracing adds volume, open-string resonance and sustain, giving the compact body surprising depth and presence.
The Next Generation 712ce takes a different tonal path, pairing solid Indian rosewood back and sides with Western Red cedar. The combination produces a warm, sweet character with lush harmonic texture, rich overtone bloom and enhanced low-end presence. The result is a distinctive voice that remains clear and balanced while offering a more expansive tonal palette.
Underneath both models is the new Action Control Neck, which combines Taylor’s familiar slender neck profile with a long-tenon neck joint for enhanced tonal transfer, warmth and sustain. Its innovative adjustment system allows string height to be changed quickly and precisely without the need for traditional neck shims, giving players and technicians an easier way to dial in the feel of the instrument.
Both guitars also feature Claria electronics, Taylor’s new acoustic pickup system designed to deliver clean, natural and usable amplified tone. Developed with input from players and live sound professionals, Claria combines a new under-saddle piezo pickup with a proprietary preamp and onboard controls for shaping the amplified sound.
Visually, the 512ce and 712ce share an elegant full-body gloss finish, white binding, black/white/black top trim, green abalone rosettes and faux-tortoiseshell pickguards. The 512ce features Meridian Italian acrylic inlays, while the 712ce receives Reflections mother-of-pearl inlays, gold tuning machines and abalone-dotted ebony bridge pins.
With the Next Generation 512ce and 712ce, Taylor brings its latest acoustic innovations to two compact, highly responsive instruments, offering players a choice between the woody warmth of mahogany and the lush harmonic character of Indian rosewood. Both demonstrate how much musical expression can come from a comfortable Grand Concert body when traditional tonewoods meet Taylor’s newest generation of acoustic guitar design.
712ce
With its distinctive voice, comfortable contours and sleek appointments, the Next Generation 712ce promises an inspiring musical experience across playing styles. This compact Grand Concert acoustic-electric features back and sides of solid Indian rosewood paired with a Western Red cedar top, a unique combination that generates a warm, sweet character overflowing with harmonic texture and overtone bloom. Inside, our scalloped V-Class bracing dials up more low-end presence along with enhanced volume and sustain, adding up to a potent response that remains balanced and clear across the frequency spectrum. A slender Action Control Neck offers relaxed fretting while letting the player dial in the perfect feel in minutes, while our Claria electronics ensure clean, usable amplified tone whenever you need to plug in. This model sports a natural full-body gloss finish, white binding with black/white/black top edge trim, a green abalone rosette, Reflections peghead and fretboard inlays in mother of pearl, gold tuning machines, abalone-dotted ebony bridge pins, and a faux-tortoiseshell pickguard.
512ce
Sure to entice players who love the compact, accommodating feel of the Grand Concert body shape, the Next Generation 512ce serves up a beautifully warm, woody voice to complement its articulation and fundamental focus. Back and sides of solid mahogany pair with a top of Western Red cedar to produce a sweet character with remarkable touch sensitivity and balance across the frequency spectrum, while the scalloped V-Class bracing inside adds more volume, open-string resonance and sustain. Other Next-Gen features include the Action Control Neck for smooth fretting and fast string height adjustments as well as our new Claria electronics, which delivers clean, usable plugged-in tone for live performance and recording applications. Visual details include pristine white binding with black/white/black top purfling, a single-ring green abalone rosette, a faux-tortoiseshell pickguard, Meridian fretboard and peghead inlays in Italian acrylic, and a full-body natural gloss finish.
Dimebag’s Secret Weapon Is Finally a Pedal
The rabble-rousing, rack-mount flanger that drove Dimebag's riffs to swirling heights lives on in a more compact pedal format.
The MXR Flanger/Doubler recreates the original MXR rack unit in pedal form, capturing those classic all-analog flanger and doubler effects featured on hallmark recordings from the ’70s and ’80s. It’s designed for experimenters, offering the tools to blend and bend your signal into your own rich, multi-layered textures. Built around authentic bucket-brigade devices and the original control set, this pedal delivers the full range of sounds that made the rack unit a studio staple.
Whether you're chasing the sweeping jet-engine swoosh of the flanger or the thick, doubled-up layering of the doubler, the MXR Flanger/Doubler is equipped with the controls, the CV connectivity, and the visual feedback to take you wherever you want to go.
MXR Flanger/Doubler highlights:
- The renowned rack unit has returned in pedal form
- Authentic all-analog bucket-brigade devices
- Full, original control set shapes tone, range of motion, and sweep rate
- Doubler button switches between classic flanger swoosh and thick doubler chorusing
- Mix knob blends wet and dry signals to taste, from fully dry to fully wet
- Invert switch reverses wet signal polarity for airy, hollow vocality or bold low-mid punch
- Two LEDs track instantaneous delay time for quick adjustments when it’s too loud to rely on just your ear
- CV In and Out jacks connect with synths, sequencers, and CV-capable expression pedals
- Line Level switch ensures optimal performance when working with hot signals
The MXR Flanger/Doubler is available now at $333.00 street/$475.71 MSRP from select retailers.
Flanger/Doubler Pedal
Flanger Guitar Pedal with 2 Modes, Regen, Manual, Width, Speed, Phase Invert, and CV Control
Wizard of Odd: The Quirks of Vintage Guitars and New Puppies
If you’ve been reading along for all the long years I’ve been writing this column, then you probably know a little something about my kids, co-workers, and friends. That’s the trick for me with writing: Something is going on in my life or rattling around in my head, and I start thinking about connections, mostly with guitars and history.
Now, about a month ago, we adopted two puppies! They were running the streets of Philly (Philly jawns!), so we took them in to spoil and love ’em. When I first started writing for this wonderful publication years ago, we had just adopted two puppy brothers, but one of them passed, so we’d been thinking about getting some more dogs. Now we have three and I’m running on next to no sleep. When your kids say that they’ll help with training, DO NOT believe them!
Anyway, what I was meditating on recently is how dogs have such deep personalities and quirks. Just like kids, man, these two new pups are so unique. The female is super tiny, super feisty and super noisy! The male is fearless and knock-kneed, and together, the two of them are just so adorable and hyper and loving that our family is living the good life. We’ll learn to live around their quirks, and eventually everyone will settle into new roles.
Of course, we all have our quirks, and as I’ve aged, I’ve come to terms with my own oddities. It’s so nice when people love you no matter what—and I’m a bonafide weirdo! But let me introduce some North American eyes to the weirdness of the Guyatone LG75. Only really appearing for about a year circa 1965, the LG75 was one of the quirkiest guitars I’ve ever owned (which is saying something).
First off, yes that is a plaid-patterned pick guard. Why? No idea. I mean, the Bay City Rollers did have a brush with stardom and tartan patterns, but that was in the ’70s. I don’t ever remember this pattern appearing on any other guitar I’ve seen, and curiously, these were sold primarily in the Japanese market. The Guyatone company was really picking up steam at that time and was cranking out all sorts of questionable guitar ideas; this was just one of them.
Second, the compensated but non-adjustable bridge can really give you trouble if the intonation is off. Good grief—I’ve spent so much time trying to get this guitar set up properly! At this time in Guyatone history, the Japanese Kasuga factory was making the wood parts of the guitar, and Guyatone was attaching their made-in-house electronics, but quality control was fairly hit-and-miss back then, and sometimes there were lemons. This guitar needed fret work, a neck angle repair, and plenty of precious time to deal with the aforementioned intonation issues.
Now, aside from all the challenges, who wouldn’t want to play this guitar?! With all that plaid, you could go hunting or settle into a ski lodge. It sounds pretty cool, and Guyatone always seemed to have solid electronics. (The Velvet Underground famously used a Guyatone electric guitar on their early recordings.) Yes, you have to fight with a lot of these old guitars. Yes, they can be weird and unpredictable. But isn’t that all part of the process? Even the color—yellowed off white—just looks like something Hank Marvin would be playing!
So, would you invest any time or money into a guitar like this? Would you accept its quirks and give it some TLC? These old import guitars are reaching around 60 years old now; are you prepared to give an old guitar a new lease on life? If so, you are my kind of people! Liking dogs helps, too.
Cort Guitars Unveils Exotic Series with Distinctive Tonewoods and Solid Tops
Cort Guitars announces the launch of its new Exotic Series acoustic guitars. Designed to provide unique visual identities at an accessible price point, the series targets entry-to-intermediate players, individual identity seekers, and collectors looking for one-of-a-kind natural wood grains. The lineup introduces three specific models engineered to blend organic visual character with dependable solid-top performance: the Exotic-GA Walnut, the Exotic-SFX Myrtle, and the Exotic-SFX Ash.
The construction architecture of the Exotic Series centers on marrying distinct back and side tonewoods with resonant solid soundboards to achieve specific acoustic balances. The Exotic-GA Walnut incorporates a Grand Auditorium body shape utilizing Claro walnut back and sides paired with a solid spruce top and finished in an organic sunburst, delivering a warm low-mid presence, smooth controlled sustain, and a balanced response tailored for both expressive fingerstyle and confident strumming. The Exotic-SFX Myrtle features a modern SFX body shape with a venetian cutaway, combining myrtlewood back and sides with a solid spruce top in a sunburst finish to yield a balanced, articulate response with clean note separation across a wide dynamic range. Conversely, the Exotic-SFX Ash model uses the same venetian-cutaway SFX body shape but pairs highly figured ash burl back and sides with a solid spruce top in a striking black finish, providing sharp note definition coupled with a warm, bass-forward tonal profile. All three variants feature refined aesthetic appointments, including aged white body binding and an aged white and black ABS rosette.
Every instrument in the collection is built with a standard 25.5-inch (648mm) scale length and structured around a robust dovetail neck joint at the 14th fret. The necks are crafted from mahogany into a comfortable C-shape profile, improving hand placement and comfort for transitioning guitarists. The fingerboard is made of laurel and features a flat 15.75-inch (400mm) radius with 20 frets, helping effortless string bending and clean single-note navigation across the guitar. Tuning stability is anchored by a matching laurel bridge alongside a high-density PPS nut and saddle combination, with the nut width specifically configured to suit the characteristics of each body style: a wider 1 3/4-inch nut width on the Grand Auditorium framework and a narrower 1 11/16-inch nut width on both SFX body shapes.
For immediate performance applications, Cort has outfitted the entire Exotic Series with integrated, stage-ready electronics. Each guitar is factory-equipped with a proprietary CE304T acoustic preamp and under-saddle pickup system. This active electronic package offers immediate plug-and-play functionality, providing users with onboard controls to shape their acoustic profile directly from the upper bout of the instrument. The system features a built-in digital LED tuner for fast, visible pitch adjustment on stage or in the studio, along with independent adjustments for volume and basic tone shaping to preserve the natural dynamic response of the solid spruce top when routing through an acoustic amplifier or front-of-house PA system.
Rounding out the structural hardware and remaining specifications, the instruments use advanced X-bracing patterns beneath the soundboards to maximize top vibration while supporting long-term structural integrity against high string tension. The pegheads are equipped with reliable die-cast tuning machines finished with tactile aged white knobs, mirroring the traditional aesthetic of the aged white body binding. To ensure immediate playability out of the box, the entire series ships from the factory strung with long-lasting, premium coated strings that resist corrosion and preserve high-frequency brightness. The underlying construction properties are uniform across the lineup, ensuring that whether a player opts for the bold, naturally varied grain of the Ash Burl or the refined elegance of the Walnut, the structural fundamentals stay durable and professionally balanced.
For more information about specifications, availability, and local dealer networks, please visit the official Cort Guitars website at www.CortGuitars.com
Street Price: $329.99 USD
D’Addario Launches XPND Voltage Booster
D’Addario announces the launch of the XPND Voltage Booster: a compact new power solution designed to help players easily integrate higher-voltage pedals into their setups without forcing them to purchase bulky power supplies or complicating routing.
Designed for modern pedalboards, the XPND Voltage Booster converts a single 9V source into selectable 12V, 18V, or 24V outputs, giving players instant access to the voltages required by many overdrives, delays, reverbs, compressors, and other high-performance pedals.
More Voltage, Made Simple
Higher-voltage pedals can unlock increased headroom, improved dynamics, and expanded tonal possibilities. But powering them usually requires additional equipment, expensive power supplies, and a lot of unnecessary complexity.
The XPND Voltage Booster simplifies that process with a compact, pedalboard-friendly design that integrates seamlessly with XPND Power and other 9V tip-negative power supplies.
Designed for players building increasingly sophisticated pedalboards, the XPND Voltage Booster offers a simple, more streamlined solution for powering up higher-voltage pedals. And all while keeping setups clean, efficient, and portable.
Key Features
- Easily converts a single 9V source into 12V, 18V, or 24V output
- Compatible with the XPND Pedal Power Battery Kit and other 9V tip-negative supplies
- Compact, space-saving design for easy pedalboard integration
- Eliminates the need for additional bulky power bricks, keeping rigs clean, lightweight, and portable
- Provides flexible power for a wide range of pedal requirements
Availability & Price
The D’Addario XPND Voltage Booster is available now through authorized D’Addario dealers and at daddario.com. Street price: $35.99.
For more information, visit: https://ddar.io/xpndvoltagebooster
XPND Voltage Booster
Instantly unlock 12V, 18V, and 24V power from a single 9V source
Epiphone And Lzzy Hale Unveil The Explorer Custom In Black Diamond Holographic Sparkle
Epiphone , the innovative, high-quality instrument brand built for every stage, proudly announces the launch of the Lzzy Hale Explorer™ Custom in a striking Black Diamond Holographic Sparkle finish. A bold new artist model created in collaboration with GRAMMY® Award-winning Halestorm frontwoman, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter, and Gibson’s first female Brand Ambassador, Lzzy Hale. The new model continues Hale’s celebrated run of Epiphone signature guitars, a series that has produced sold-out and highly collectible instruments embraced by fans, players and collectors. The Epiphone Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom, Black Diamond Holographic Sparkle is available worldwide now at authorized Epiphone dealers, the Gibson Garage in Nashville and London , and on www.epiphone.com.
A commanding new addition to Lzzy Hale’s celebrated series of Epiphone signature guitars, the Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom is designed to match the force of her performances: powerful, unapologetic, visually striking, and built to deliver night after night. Purpose-built for heavy music and unmistakable style, this new Explorer Custom raises the volume with a dazzling Black Diamond Holographic Sparkle finish, premium appointments, and a high-output voice made for heavy riffs, soaring leads, and arena-sized presence. More than a signature guitar, it is a true statement piece: a hard-hitting, high-impact instrument built for players who want standout style, powerful tone, and performance-ready dependability.
“Lzzy has always brought a rare combination of power, precision, and unmistakable style to the stage,” says Aljon Go, Product Manager, Epiphone. “The Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom captures that same energy in an instrument that looks unforgettable, plays fast, and delivers the clarity and punch players need to own the moment.”
Built around a classic mahogany Explorer body, the Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom features elegant 7-ply top binding and a single-ply mirror pickguard for maximum visual impact under stage lighting. The gloss Black Diamond Holographic Sparkle finish gives the guitar a bold, dimensional look that reflects Lzzy’s fearless stage presence and makes the model stand out immediately in any collection.
Coinciding with the new guitar’s launch, Lzzy Hale is offering fans on Halestorm’s Fall 2026 North American tour the rare opportunity to own an Explorer Custom played live on stage and personally autographed by Lzzy. The VIP upgrade also includes an exclusive pre-show meet and greet, individual photo opportunity, VIP merchandise, and additional on-site perks. For all package details, availability, and more information, visit Superfan.live/artist/halestorm.
The mahogany neck is shaped to Epiphone’s comfortable and fast SlimTaper™ 60s C profile, paired with an ebony fretboard, 22 medium jumbo frets, and pearloid block inlays. The signature Explorer “hockey stick” headstock features a raised Epiphone 3D nickel logo, a Graph Tech® nut, and Grover® Mini Rotomatic® tuners for dependable tuning stability. Custom artist details include a black two-ply truss rod cover engraved with Lzzy Hale’s signature and a sleek black stinger on the rear of the headstock.
For players seeking crushing tone with definition and control, the Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom is powered by a matched set of Epiphone ProBucker™ Ignite pickups, engineered for power, clarity, and dynamic response. Each pickup is wired to its own volume control, with a shared master tone control topped by a silver Speed knob for precise shaping. A three-way pickup selector provides easy access to either pickup or both together, making the guitar equally suited for massive rhythm tones, articulate leads, and everything in between.
At the opposite end, the guitar is equipped with a LockTone™ Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece, delivering accurate intonation, long-lasting sustain, and road-ready reliability. A hardshell case is included to protect the instrument at home, in the studio, and on tour.
Lzzy Hale is the GRAMMY® Award-winning lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of Halestorm, one of modern hard rock’s most powerful and enduring bands. Known for her electrifying performances, commanding guitar work, and unmistakable voice, Hale has helped lead Halestorm to seven #1 hits at rock radio, more than three billion streams worldwide, over three million albums sold in the U.S., two GRAMMY® Award nominations, and a 2012 GRAMMY® Award win for “Love Bites (So Do I)” in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. In July 2026, Hale was honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of its “Women in Metal: You Will Know My Name” exhibit, where she spoke and performed with Halestorm guitarist Joe Hottinger in celebration of the women who have shaped heavy music. Her latest chapter with Halestorm includes the band’s album Everest and the fierce anthem “Rain Your Blood On Me,” which Hale has called “our ode to women” and “our war cry.” As Gibson’s first female Brand Ambassador and a longtime Epiphone signature artist, Hale has helped create a celebrated run of bold, sold-out, and highly collectible signature instruments. With the new Epiphone Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom in Black Diamond Holographic Sparkle, Hale continues to inspire players everywhere to stand out, turn up, and make their presence impossible to ignore.
Catch Lzzy on tour with Halestorm across North America this fall. For more info and tickets, visit halestormrocks.com.
Halestorm North American Fall Tour
Sep 2 Denver, CO Ball Arena
Sep 4 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Sep 5 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
Sep 7 Toronto, ON RBC Amphitheatre
Sep 9 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sep 10 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
Sep 12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Sep 13 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Sep 15 Charlotte, NC Truliant Amphitheater
Sep 16 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sep 18 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
Sep 19 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life*
Sep 21 Maryland Heights, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis
Sep 23 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion
Sep 25 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sep 26 Del Valle, TX Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sep 29 Albuquerque, NM First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater
Oct 1 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Oct 2 Rancho Mirage, CA Agua Caliente Resort Casino*
All dates except * are with BABYMETAL
Rig Rundown: Pavement
Pavement’s 2026 reunion run brought them to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for a two-night stand, and PG’s Chris Kies caught up with Stephen Malkmus, Mark Ibold, and Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg before the second show to look over the road rigs. Have a look at some quick highlights below, and tune into the new Rig Rundown for all the details.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Knobody’s Business
A friend pointed Malkmus toward this Les Paul Gold Top in the mid ‘90s, and the volume and tone knobs have been pulled out of it ever since—he’d rather think about singing. The finish checking came from a night in a van in Wyoming at 10 below, which he doesn’t recommend.
High-Voltage Riffing
Malkmus also carries this Guild S-100, which he notes looks a lot like an Angus Young SG. He bought it beat up for a grand, which he considers the right way to buy a guitar since he’ll wreck anything nice.
Carry-On Crunch
Malkmus’ sound is powered by a Benson amp, built in Portland, where he used to live. He likes the switchable wattage, the onboard reverb, and that it fits in an overhead bin.
Stephen Malkmus’ Pedalboard
Malkmus keeps it to a Boss TU-2, an EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Reaper, a Diamond J-Drive MK3, a Strymon El Capistan, and a T-Rex Replica. He’s fitted plastic guards over the Hoof Reaper’s footswitches so he can’t kick one on by accident mid-song.
Classified Information
Ibold found this Precision in a free classifieds paper in the ‘90s and bought it in the seller’s kitchen out on Long Island. It’s the only bass he’s ever really played, it’s very light, and the finish cracked in that same Wyoming freeze. He uses Ernie Ball mediums (.050–.105). A backup P sits nearby, kept in a raised tuning for a couple of numbers.
Mark Ibold’s Pedalboard
A Peterson StroboStomp HD and an Electro-Harmonix Bass Big Muff Pi, and that’s it. The part Ibold is proudest of is the little gooseneck lamp the band’s tech, Chopper, mounted on the board.
Deluxe Accommodations
Kannberg found this 1974 Fender Telecaster Deluxe in Berkeley in 1995, and it’s been his companion since—the first “good guitar” he owned. He wanted one because Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo had one. Strings are .010s.
Double Deluxe
Kannberg carries two Fender Deluxe Reverbs, run dual mono, on a suggestion from his L.A. studio collaborator, Dan Long. One of them came free from Fender.
Scott Kannberg’s Pedalboard
The Crowther Audio Hot Cake is what Kannberg calls the band’s secret weapon. Alongside it: a Boss TU-2, a Diamond J-Drive MK3, an EHX Octavix, a Boss RV-5, a “Klone” pedal that stays on to brighten the amps, and an EHX Deluxe Memory Man that Chopper handed him to make a mess with. An MXR A/B box switches amps, an MXR DC Brick supplies power, and a Radial box handles utility duties.
Casio Dimension Shifter Review
Casio’s Dimension Shifter is a beautiful and thoughtful idea. It reveals an understanding about how electric guitar players tend to move as they play, and the lyrical, maybe even balletic and poetic, manner in which motion can transform the music they make. The fundamental notions behind the Dimension Shifter are not new—essentially, it combines the basic mechanical concepts behind the expression foot pedal and the B-Bender into a wireless digital expression tool. But where an expression pedal weds the player to a single location, and the B-Bender (and its cousin, the Palm Pedal) can only alter the pitch of one or two strings, the Dimension Shifter enables a player to change effect parameters using the pull-and-release, strap-tension-based mechanical action of a B-Bender—all as they meander about a performance space. Depending on your average state of animation on a stage, this might not seem like a big deal. But for any player that tends to get lost in their musical reveries or likes to interact more intimately with bandmates while they sweep a filter, tweak their delay feedback, or increase the modulation rate of flange, it’s a very liberating technology.
Motion Stirs the Potion
I experienced a few hiccups setting up the Dimension Shifter. The problems were resolved quickly, but the user manual wasn’t a big help in solving the issues I did encounter. In general, though, the Dimension Shifter is pretty easy to set up and operate. The pairing between the strap transmitter and the receiver is automatic. You can easily adjust the strap-pull tension. And once you’ve got your connections in place and understand the basic functions of each button clearly (the labels on the receiver and transmitter themselves are a bit cryptic) using the unit becomes fairly natural.
To Casio’s credit, they kept the controls to a minimum. In terms of what you’d potentially use in performance, there are just a few essentials. There’s an inverse switch that reverses polarity, and therefore the direction of expression sweep—so if a modulation speed is at its slowest before you pull on the strap and at its fastest at the end of the range, you change that order by hitting a button on the transmitter. You can also freeze a setting in the sweep using the hold switch, quite like you would use a fixed wah. Which, with delays, reverbs, and modulation effects, enables very fluid movement—ramping, if you will—between radical effects settings. Both of these functions can be activated via switches on the transmitter or receiver. You can also use the knob on the receiver to establish a minimum and maximum range for an effect sweep, just as you would set the heel position on an expression pedal.
Even if you use the Dimension Shifter with just a single effect, it can have a profound impact on the way you play. Again, the function of the Dimension Shifter is fundamentally the same as an expression pedal, but it definitely feels different—and this leads to different results. The way I might use a delay feedback swell with bends or vibrato arm manipulation often felt more cohesively connected to the instrument, and you can experience a sort of unified, glued-together sense of playing when you pair the Dimension Shifter with certain techniques and effects.
I suspect, though, that multi-effects users—or those who use a single effect with multiple presets—will have the most fun with the Dimension Shifter. When you can quickly switch between presets to establish radically different baselines for the Dimension Shifter to work from, the possibilities multiply—and so, quite literally, do the dimensions
The Verdict
Though the Dimension Shifter is ultimately fun, inspiring, and, for certain kinds of kinetic performers, a tool that frees them from foot pedal constraints, there is room for refinement. The transmitter is still a bit clunky. And you have to wonder if a smaller, slimmer, rechargeable apparatus that loses the two AAA batteries is possible without sacrificing the unit’s mechanical functionality. It probably goes without saying, too, that a lot of aesthetic purists will not love the idea of the Dimension Shifter dangling from their strap (perhaps there is a way to cover the unit in vintage Ace strap material?) There’s also the issue of the 20-hour battery lifespan. And the fact that, for those of us who don’t use multi-effect units or digital effects with multiple preset options, the Dimension Shifter is an expensive way to manipulate the expression functionality on a single effect.
But it was very easy to feel and imagine how the Dimension Shifter could be transformative for many players onstage. I could manipulate echo feedback all day long with the unit and be happy. And the action of tugging on the guitar to shift my flanger’s modulation speed felt much more natural and tied to the instrument than a foot treadle does.
I hope that the Dimension Shifter succeeds, and gains enough traction with players that it can continue to evolve. It may not be a totally seamless solution now, but it’s easy to imagine how ongoing development, streamlining, weight shedding, and miniaturization could make the Dimension Shifter into a really magical, even essential, part of many players methodology. It’s off to a super-intriguing start.
Dimension Shifter Wireless Expression Controller
Wireless Expression Controller with Adjustable Tension, Bluetooth, and Calibration Controls
Gear Radar: Stage-Ready Mini Combos, Multiscale Basses & Modern Acoustics
From stage-tested mini combos and upgraded bass amps to versatile multiscale basses and modern acoustic designs, check out the latest gear hitting the market in this month's Gear Radar.
DA5 Ruby - Doug Aldrich Signature Combo
The DA100 Ruby won awards across the world. Developed in close collaboration with Doug Aldrich, it delivered a stage-ready tone that players everywhere wanted. The DA5 Ruby gives you exactly that. Same DNA. Same Ruby finish. Same legendary Aldrich character. Now in a form that fits your home and studio.
Jacob Umansky ‘Sol’ Signature Model
INCLUDE 5-string: $3,145 USD 6-string: $3,245 USD
Designed as a more affordable take on Jacob Umansky’s Custom Shop Dingwall Z3, the Sol retains many of the Canadian bass brand’s premium features. Player-focused ergonomics and a powerful Darkglass electronics package deliver huge tonal versatility, making it equally at home with intricate slap bass and crushing modern metal.
MAGELLAN 800+
WE'VE UPGRADED A LEGEND! Explore the next generation Magellan amplifier design. With a 10-year legacy of night-after-night performances and exceptional tone, we now introduce the Magellan 800 PLUS, with all new preamp features---while continuing the same musical tone, quality and durability that players expect from GENZLER AMPLIFICATION.
Modern Black
The Cort Modern Black reimagines acoustic design with its Modern Concert body shape, delivering rich, full sound from a compact instrument. Featuring dual side sound ports, a solid European spruce top, and solid mahogany back and sides, it combines player-focused innovation, contemporary design, premium tone, and exceptional playability.
Last Call: Verifying the Vintage
When I first got into guitars, “vintage” wasn’t really a thing. A ’59
Burst was special because our heroes played one. But everything else was just a used guitar. You could score a 1952 Les Paul Gold Top in that greenish gold hue, covered in checking, for a hundred bucks in pawnshops, classifieds, or at garage sales. A buddy of mine had one and was embarrassed every time he pulled it out of its brown case. They just weren’t cool.
Luckily, because these old planks were considered second-tier back then, I managed to buy and hold onto a few I couldn’t touch today. As vintage guitars became serious business, authentication usually came down to some old-timer with a good eye and strong opinions. Counterfeiters are getting terrifyingly good. It’s forensics now, not gut feel.
So I turned to the pros at Vintage Verified, a third-party guitar analysis lab run by Jon Roncolato and Zach Ziemer, two talented, respected members of Nashville’s guitar community that I’ve known for years. They built out a state-of-the-art lab and hired some of the top chemists in the world, like Dr. Tom Tague Jr., to perform non-destructive scientific testing—spectrometers, analytical chemistry, 3D scanning, the works—to check if a vintage instrument's parts and finish match its claimed era and maker. They examine finish, plastics, hardware, pickups, electronics, body and neck structure, inlays, logos, everything, and compare it against their massive database of known-good and known-suspect examples, and also of period-correct and modern materials alike.
I brought them what I believed to be my 1952 Les Paul Standard (refinished with new electronics), my seemingly stock 1954 Les Paul Standard, and my 1956 Les Paul Custom (partially refinished with a neck repair from its misspent ’70s youth). If they’re genuine, the trio could fetch serious money—think north of $80K combined in today’s crazy market. If they’re clever fakes or heavy rebuilds? Maybe $6K–$10K for the lot.
"As vintage guitars became serious business, authentication usually came down to some old-timer with a good eye and strong opinions."
The anxiety was real. What if I’d been lying to myself all these years? What if my retirement plan was actually worth five percent of what I imagined?
I was most concerned about how they could accurately date my 1952 Les Paul. Gibson did not start using the ink-stamped five-digit serial numbers on the back of the headstock until well into 1953. That makes dating a bit of a challenge. On top of that, my ‘52 came to me as a hacked-up husk, having been repeatedly stripped, routed, and repainted over its very rough 72 years on this planet. The Vintage Verified guys told me that if the guitar is a legit 1952, the instrument will likely have at least traces of original paint in the pickup cavities, as it’s very uncommon for someone to strip the concealed guts completely.
Cavity remnants in combination with 3D scanning provides a high degree of certainty as to whether a husk is legit or not. The 1952 Gibson Gold Top finish is unique because it used a bronze powder mixed into clear nitrocellulose lacquer instead of modern gold metallic flake or mica. As with most period-correct materials, a period-correct Gibson finish from the 1950s is virtually impossible to recreate. As Vintage Verified put it, the complexity of the chemistry involved in these coatings is far beyond the grasp of many people.
But I wonder—when the Boomers finish unloading their collections, will Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Alpha, or the incoming Beta crowd even blink? These younger players think nothing of dropping $7 on coffee or $800 on a modeler, but a 70-year-old plank with checking and a questionable neck reset?
I’m betting that as the chasm between the Haves, the Have Nots, and the Have Jets grows increasingly larger, the mega rich will run out of things to buy, so they will chase what is rare. You can build as many custom shop reproductions as you want, but unless you have a Delorian and a flux capacitor, you can not build a true ’50s-era Les Paul.
I don’t know if I’ll ever sell mine, but at least now I know what I actually own. When I’m gone, there’s objective evidence for my daughter. Maybe she’ll drag them to gigs and bang on them just like she watched me do her whole life. Or maybe she’ll sell them and buy a house. Either way, the guesswork is gone.
The process isn’t cheap, but the confidence it gives any future buyer (or inheritor) more than pays for itself. Plus, it just feels good to stop wondering.
A Guitar With a 20-Watt Speaker Built In? | Inspire Pro Demo
Usually, if you're bringing an electric guitar to a gig, you need to bring an amp, or at least a speaker, too. The Enya Inspire Pro changes that. It's got one built in. Tom Butwin unpacks a smart guitar that folds an entire signal chain into a carbon fiber body, and makes the case that even the most die-hard traditionalist can find a use for it.
Behind the speaker sits the processing: more than 50 amp models, a deep effects library, an onboard looper, tuner, and drum machine. Switch to line-out mode and all that modeling routes out the quarter-inch jack to an amp, interface, or FRFR cab. Add the wireless footswitch and you're jumping between patches and presets from the floor. The Enya app handles the rest, offering the ability to rearrange effect blocks, dial in parameters, and generate tones from a written or spoken prompt.
The Inspire Pro is available at two price points. The SD carries a USA Seymour Duncan set (SSL-2/SSL-3/TB-4), a titanium alloy and brass bridge, and a gloss finish. The AL swaps in Enya's own Apex Lab pickups and a matte Lazer Radiance finish, keeping all the same smart features.
Royal Blood Announce New Album "Dead Company"
Royal Blood, one of the most important British rock bands of their generation, return today with an explosive new single “Ten Over Ten” and announce their long-awaited fifth studio album, Dead Company released via Warner Records on November 13th.
Dead Company marks a powerful new chapter for the duo, who last released an album in 2023. Following a period away from the spotlight, Mike Kerr (bass, vocals) and Ben Thatcher (drums) entered the studio in 2025 with no deadline, no distractions and a simple ambition: to see what was possible with two people, 12 notes and infinite outcomes.
Self-produced by Royal Blood, they set out to make an album as raw, human and visceral as possible. Dead Company strips everything back to its core. Immediate and uncompromising, it captures Royal Blood at their most powerful.
The band adds “After putting the Royal Blood engine in neutral for a couple of years, we've been building up the revs and are playing faster and harder than ever with this album. Written and recorded with the stage in mind, we cannot wait to play it live for years to come.”
The first track to be revealed, “ Ten Over Ten ,” is a menacing desert rock meets Motörhead behemoth of a single. The lyrics and vibe were inspired by the frontman training for a marathon, and it became all about endurance and pushing yourself. Click here to listen.
Since they first emerged 12 years ago when they released one of the fastest-selling rock debuts of the century, Royal Blood have made one hell of an impact: each of their four albums has hit Number One in the UK, shifting over 1 million records, becoming an arena-filling, festival-headlining tour de force, and forerunners of the guitar rock revival we’re seeing today.
The album announcement follows news of three sold-out intimate August underplay shows in the UK. Click here for tickets and tour details. U.S. tour and more to be announced soon. Click here for more info.
Ultimately Dead Company is a bold 10-track album. This is what they were born to do, so they might as well turn it up. And with that Royal Blood return louder, sharper and more vital than ever.
Sully Guitars Adds 24-Fret Version of Singlecut ‘71 Trella
Sully Guitars is now offering a 24-fret version of its set-neck ‘71 Trella singlecut model. Builder Jon "Sully" Sullivan said, "The '71 addresses the issues I had with the classic singlecut while adding my own flair. The design celebrates its 15th birthday this year, and it's been rewarding to see it grow."
The new version adds two frets to the original 22-fret design. According to Sully Guitars, the upper-fret access and neck-to-body balance of the original have been maintained in the update. A '71 Trella 24 prototype has been used on tour by Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong, including on songs such as "1979."
Wong said: "The Trella is by far a work of art embodying all the beauty, versatility, and charisma I need from an instrument. It truly became one of my favorite guitars of all time."
Sully Guitars '71 Trella 24 specs:
- Body/top: Set-neck singlecut with carved top, now available with 24 frets (previously 22).
- Neck: Slim C profile, 24 stainless steel frets, contoured neck heel for upper-fret access.
- Hardware: Hipshot locking tuners; choice of Hipshot, TonePros, or Floyd Rose bridge; Sully's USA-wound pickups.
- Custom options: Sparkle finishes, heavy relic aging, custom inlays, and baritone scale lengths available.
- Build: USA Custom Series instruments are built by a small team in Texas, PLEK'd, and shipped with a handwritten certificate of authenticity from Sullivan.
Sully Guitars’ '71 Trella 24 has a straight price starting at $3,839. For more information visit sullyguitars.com.