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Press Release

Source: Mark Pucce Media

Northern California’s blues scene is buzzing as the Carmen Ratti Band featuring Jill Dineen prepares to release their highly anticipated second studio album, Come to Me, on May 8th. The announcement follows the band’s recent signing with MoMojo Records, marking a major milestone in their fast-rising career and signaling their arrival on a broader national and international stage.

Formed in 2018, the Carmen Ratti Band quickly built a reputation for high-energy performances and a distinctive sound blending blues and roots influences.

Their 2021 debut, The Road Back, introduced audiences to their powerful chemistry and earned praise for its authenticity and musicianship. Now, with Come to Me, the group deepens that artistic vision. Recorded once again at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California with acclaimed producer Kid Andersen, the album captures a band at full creative stride.

“Variety is central to our library,” says Carmen Ratti. “This record mirrors the roots of blues while incorporating soul, gospel, rock blues and funk. These textures honor our influences and show up in many different ways throughout the album.” He points to the gospel-inspired track, “Blessing in the Blues,” co-written with Jill Dineen, as a standout: “It perfectly showcases Jill’s vocal strength, and the final version came across beautifully in Kid’s hands.”

Jill Dineen describes the recording process as deeply collaborative and emotionally resonant. “Carmen and I continue to challenge each other in our songwriting and complement each other in our performance. In the studio, the songs seemed to just flow, with each musician adding new depth and layers to their meaning. This album carries a lot of heart, and I hope it helps create a bit of connection in the world.” Joining Carmen and Jill are Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano (keyboards/backing vocals), Randy Hayes (drums), and Steve Hazlewood (bass).

Since winning recognition from the Golden Gate Blues Society and performing extensively at clubs, festivals, and venues, the band has cultivated a loyal fan base drawn to their authenticity, virtuosity, and emotional intensity. The May release of Come to Me coincides with a summer tour to promote it.

With Come to Me, the Carmen Ratti Band featuring Jill Dineen stands poised to break beyond regional acclaim and establish themselves as one of today’s most exciting modern blues acts.

About the Carmen Ratti Band Featuring Jill Dineen

The Carmen Ratti Band featuring Jill Dineen is a rising force in contemporary blues, earning recognition for electrifying performances, dynamic musicianship, and commanding, emotive vocals. Under guitarist Carmen Ratti’s vision, the group has steadily built a devoted following across Northern California with a sound that fuses traditional blues roots and a fresh modern edge. Their momentum accelerated after winning honors from the Golden Gate Blues Society, confirming their place among the region’s most compelling live acts.

Their debut album, The Road Back, was recorded at the renowned Greaseland Studios with producer Kid Andersen capturing the group’s signature blend of searing guitar work, soulful grooves, and powerhouse vocals. They returned to the same studio in 2025 to record their new album, Come to Me, an original collection showcasing both their musical growth and deep artistic chemistry.

Having performed throughout the Bay Area alongside many of its finest blues artists, Carmen Ratti brings a rich depth of experience to his craft, shaping his signature sound: smoldering guitar work and a diverse repertoire of original songs that keep audiences captivated.

Jill Dineen is a powerhouse vocalist celebrated for her rich tone, soulful vocal delivery, and gripping stage presence, blending contemporary and traditional blues and roots with striking depth and fire.

Raised on her DJ dad’s vast record collection and her mother’s inspirational grit, she was immersed early in sounds spanning big band, soul, jazz, Motown, rock, R&B, and blues—drawing from legends like Otis Redding, Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Nina Simone, and Janis Joplin to shape a voice that is both well developed and raw. With decades of stage and songwriting experience, Jill delivers an emotive, dynamic sound marked by authenticity, passion, and unmistakable power in every performance. Before joining the band in 2019, she fronted acclaimed projects across the U.S. and shared stages with leading blues artists nationwide.

The band is rounded out by some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians, Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano, Randy Hayes, and Steve Hazlewood. Together, the ensemble delivers performances that are passionate, authentic, and deeply engaging music that moves the body and stirs the soul.

Come to Me Track Listing and Credits – Catalog Number: MMJ-405

Jill Dineen – Vocals
Carmen Ratti – Guitar / Vocals
Steve Hazlewood – Bass
Randy Hayes – Drums
Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano – Organ / Piano / Backing Vocal
Lisa Leuschner Andersen: Background Vocals – Come to Me

Recorded/Mixed/Mastered & Produced by: Christoffer Lund Andersen, Greaseland Studios, San Jose, CA

1. No Delusion – 3:59 (Jill Dineen)
2. Get In Line – 4:29 (David Fulford & Jill Dineen)
3. Come to Me – 4:49 (Carmen Ratti & Jill Dineen)
4. I Can See – 3:52 (Jill Dineen)
5. Riley – 5:54 (Carmen Ratti)
6. Blessing in the Blues – 4:50 (Carmen Ratti & Jill Dineen)
7. Coming Down – 5:50 (Carmen Ratti)
8. About You – 4:54 (Carmen Ratti)
9. Uncle Joe – 4:03 (Carmen Ratti)
10. Pretty Good Man – 4:06 (Jill Dineen)
11. Come to Me – Extended Version – 6:58 (Carmen Ratti & Jill Dineen)

 

 

Fender’s Tone Master Pro is currently on offer at Sweetwater, and you can save nearly $80 and get a free IR sampler pack chucked in the mix too.

The Tone Master Pro was launched in 2023, and earned an 8/10 from Guitar.com. It marked Fender’s first entry into the world of multi-effects and floorboard modellers, and followed an online leak. At its launch, the brand hailed it as an “exciting new chapter in digital amplification”.

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With lots of competition in the floorboard modeller market, Fender didn’t take its development lightly, and it arrived after a four-year period of dedicated research and development.

The workstation features over 100 of the world’s most popular amps and effects, including all of Fender’s Tone Master models, the first officially licensed EVH 5150 III Stealth model, and a range of other amps which have been “perfectly replicated” using Fender’s proprietary Tone Master modelling process.

• READ MORE: Fender Vintera II Road Worn 50s Jazzmaster review: “vastly improves the overall Vintera II package”

This process is described as “ultra-accurate” and captures all the detail and sonic nuance from analogue gear and carries it over to digital in full. It includes 6,000 configurable IRs, over 500 preset slots, a full-colour 7-inch graphic touchscreen, and can also be tweaked with the Tone Master Pro desktop editor.

You also get four FX loops and a 60-second looper, full MIDI functionality, third-party IR support, and an XLR mic input. Through Sweetwater only, an Eminence IR sampler pack is included for free.

Learn more in the launch video below:

In other Fender news, it recently partnered with New York specialist guitar store The Music Zoo on a range of Custom Shop 1957 Strats boasting body-matching painted necks and fretboards.

Shop this deal and more at Sweetwater.

The post Get over $75 off the 8/10-rated Fender Tone Master Pro at Sweetwater appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Wampler Pedals announces the release of the Golden Jubilee™, a dual-voice high-gain pedal designed by Brian Wampler.

The Golden Jubilee delivers the punch, feel, and harmonic richness of classic hot-rodded ’80s high-gain amplifiers in a rugged, pedalboard-ready format.

Engineered as a complete gain platform, the Golden Jubilee features two purpose-built, complementary voices: tight, articulate American boutique high-gain and aggressive, saturated British crunch. The channels are designed to operate independently or stack together, providing seamless transitions from defined rhythm tones to saturated, singing lead sounds.

Independent channel controls and intuitive voicing and stacking switches allow players to shape tones quickly without menus or complex switching. The pedal is designed to perform consistently across clean tube amplifiers, solid-state platforms, and digital rigs, delivering reliable amp-like response in any setup.

Key Features:

• Two distinct high-gain voices in one pedal — American boutique distortion and British crunch, voiced to complement and stack
• Complete gain solution — rhythm, lead, and stacked high-gain tones in a single unit
• Independent channel controls with simple voicing switches
• Consistent amp-like feel across tube, solid-state, and digital platforms
• Premium U.S.A. construction built for long-term reliability

The Golden Jubilee is built for players who require professional-level performance, flexibility, and durability in a streamlined format.

For more information, visit www.wamplerpedals.com

The newly reopened Regent Sounds guitar shop on Denmark Street is celebrating its rebirth by listing “one of the most valuable and historically important musical instruments in existence” – T-Bone Walker’s legendary 1949 Gibson ES-5N – on Reverb.

Billed as “the guitar that started it all”, the ES-5N was one of only 22 built in 1949, and accompanied the blues legend for almost two decades during the formative years of the electric blues. 

It comes with documented provenance and a unique 77-year history, and thus commands a hefty price tag, with Regent Sounds inviting starting bids in the region of £1.5M.

• READ MORE: Bass used on The Specials Ghost Town expected to fetch £20k at auction

T-Bone Walker is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of all time. That is, because he practically invented electric guitar blues as a concept; many of the tried-and-tested blues licks played by both the genre’s modern and classic players originate with T-Bone Walker.

Think of the world’s most influential guitar players: Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gregg Allman, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards. Well, they were all, in some way or another, influenced by T-Bone Walker.

So the lucky new owner of Walker’s treasured 1949 Gibson ES-5N will need deep pockets, as the rich history of the instrument means it comes with a seven-figure price tag.

The guitar is being sold by Regent Sounds, which reopened in September 2025 following a major restoration project. The sale is part of the shop’s new Rare and Vintage Lounge, a space for high-end instruments.

Credit: Reverb

The ES-5N will be on sale on Reverb until 31 March, and will be on public display at Regent Sounds, 4 Denmark St, London WC2H 8LP. Private appointments for close inspection are available on request.

“This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of music history, T-Bone Walker’s influence on the evolution of blues into modern rock can’t be overstated, and this guitar was a leading character in that story,” says Jim Tuerk, Reverb’s VP of Marketing. 

“Reverb exists to help guitars and other gear get second, third, and fourth lives, and it’s fitting that Regent Sounds – which is legendary in its own right – is the shop to give this guitar its next home.”

“Without T-Bone Walker’s genius and virtuosity, it’s unlikely we would have had the proliferation of rock and roll from artists like the Rolling Stones or Jimi Hendrix, whose footsteps make Regent Sounds such sacred ground for music fans,” adds Tony Bacon, author of ELECTRIC BLUES! T-Bone Walker & The Guitar That Started It All.

“Regent Sounds has always been a mecca for music fans because of our rich history,” says Crispin Weir, co-owner of Regent Sounds. 

“But the recent expansion of the shop across two floors, the opening of the Vintage Lounge, and addition of our soundproof booths mean that we have an even brighter future ahead. The sale of T-Bone’s legendary ‘guitar that started it all’ and tie-up with Reverb are just the beginning.”

Take a look at the listing of T-Bone Walker’s treasured Gibson ES-5N at Reverb.

The post “The guitar that started it all”: T-Bone Walker’s 1949 Gibson ES-5N is up for sale on Reverb for over $2M appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

I love to learn about the history of an instrument when I am tasked with creating something new. Many people are unaware that I make over 45 different types of stringed instruments. When I say that, I’m quick to add that although I make six or more styles of steel-string or classical guitars, these do not count toward that number of 45.

When I research instruments, I am often taken down a historic trail that will tell me about the culture of the instrument. One such instrument led me to learn about the connection between Irish and Mexican culture. Not only do these cultures share the Catholic faith, they both faced colonialism and fought for cultural resilience. There was also a large immigration of Irish people who went to Mexico, especially in the years after the Irish Potato Famine. During the 1846-1848 war between Mexico and the United States, many Irish defected to join the Mexican army, viewing it as a Catholic versus Protestant war. Together, they formed the Battalion of St. Patrick (Batallón de San Patricio).

With that history in mind, I thought I would share my history of building the Irish bouzouki, an instrument I was introduced to by a client who wanted one custom-made. I named the model the “Jeannine,” after my Irish-American mother-in-law. (Did I mention my wife is of Irish descent? Mooneyham … Pretty darn Irish.) Most know the Irish bouzouki in its teardrop form. To give an idea of the size of the instrument, think mandolin, then an octave-mandolin, then a cittern, and then the Irish bouzouki.

However, the instrument did not evolve from the mandolin family. It was the Greek bouzouki that gave rise to the Irish bouzouki. In the 1960s, the Greek trichordo was introduced to the Irish. Originally with a bowl back shape and three courses, it took a different form when a local Irish folk musician changed the bottom course strings to two individual strings and then later brought the instrument to a well-known luthier in Kent, England. There, it received a custom-made four-course, three-piece, partially staved back, giving birth to the Irish bouzouki and its new shape.

The Irish bouzouki has a distinct sound, and once you hear the instrument isolated from other instruments, you can pick it out much more easily in traditional folk, Celtic, or English music. Its distinct clear, bright sound is often described as “jangly,” but for anyone unfamiliar, I describe it more as a bassy drone blended with a mandolin-style tone.

When I was asked to custom-build a bouzouki, I wanted to do something unique and decided to make two models, each slightly different from the other, and very different from the teardrop style most commonly known. I built both with a double Florentine cutaway, Palo Escrito sides and back, Honduran mahogany necks, African ebony fingerboards, and Spanish cedar tops. On one of the models, I wanted to blend visuals that would capture both cultures using lush green inlays and abalone shell around the rosette, while blending in the bright colors in the center of the rosette and on the purfling.

Visual design aside, the tone and sound I was building for was a warmer, softer attack with the mids being highlighted, so it would be neither bass- nor treble-dominant. The bracing style and wood combinations created a rich tone with a unique warmth, and I know my clients were happy with the end result. It is difficult saying goodbye to a new instrument, but the bouzouki was one I especially wish I had more time with, because I enjoyed playing it for the short time I had with it.

Hopefully I will get around to building one of these again, but one of the challenges of building in the old-world technique (as opposed to having others make the instruments for you and just slapping your name on it for the credit) is that there isn’t much time outside of the orders for extra builds.

So for now, somewhere in the world live two custom Delgado “Jeannine” Irish bouzouki models that blend my Mexican heritage with my wife’s Irish heritage and carry my mother-in-law’s name. My “Irexican” (Irish/Mexican) daughter’s wish for you is, “May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.”

Want to try a baritone guitar but don’t want to splash all your cash right away? Look no further than Thomann, which is currently running a deal on the Harley Benton SC-Custom III Baritone AB.

Now reduced to £299, it makes for a great budget-friendly entry point into the world of baritone guitar for both experienced and beginner players.

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As its name suggests, this guitar is a single cut model, and offers a Les Paul-style body shape at a super affordable price range with a baritone-scale 712 mm (28”) neck, shaped in a comfortable Modern C profile, so you can experiment with heavier riffing and a chunkier sound for less.

• READ MORE: “Always ready to ribbit”: This pedal makes your guitar sound like a frog – because why the hell

This model offers a Meranti body and neck, and features a WSC Tune-O-Matic bridge, along with a graphite nut. It has a rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo stainless steel frets, and tones are powered by two Tesla TM VR-Nitro Alnico-5 humbuckers.

It has two volume controls and a single tone control with push/pull coil split functionality, plus a three-way toggle switch. It comes in an Army Burst Satin finish that will fit right in any heavy music setting.

As for another bargain Harley Benton find, Thomann is also offering a great price on the Harley Benton DNAfx GiT Pro amp modeller unit. For less than £200, you get 50 amp models, more than 40 effects, and 31 IR cab sims that can be configured and stored as patches in up to 200 memory slots using its colour display. This Pro version is the flagship model in its DNAfx GiT line, which also includes a standard and streamlined core version.

Shop this deal and more at Thomann.

The post Looking for an entry point into baritone guitars? You can’t go wrong with this Harley Benton model for just £299 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Tom Bukovac is not a guitar player. Well, technically, he is—but more so, he’s a musician who plays guitar. He’s someone who always strives to make the best musical choice above all else. Bukovac, a first-call Nashville session guitarist and four-time winner of the Academy of Country Music Guitar Player of the Year award, has played on over 1,200 sessions for artists such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Sheryl Crow, while also being called upon to tour with heavyweights like Joe Walsh and Vince Gill.

Bukovac has gained legions of fans via his YouTube channel (@501chorusecho) where he regularly posts his Homeskoolin’ lessons. There, he imparts nuggets of musical wisdom with humor via extended segments of playing, proving him to be a seemingly endless font of creativity—with a killer collection of guitars.

His latest release is 2024’s In Stereo, an album of original music he co-headlines with fellow Nashville session wizard Guthrie Trapp.

Chords Are the Key

One of Bukovac’s superpowers is his profound understanding of chords, which informs both his lead and rhythm playing. Watch how he uses organ-style voicings to play through a blues in G.

Ex. 1 is inspired by his playing here. While he’s thinking G7 for the entirety of the first four bars, note how he employs various three-note chord fragments, including F and C triads—but not to create a chord change. Think of it more as splashing various “colors” over these four bars of G7. For example, the F triad (F–A–C) brings the b7 (F), 9 (A) and 11 (C). These first three examples are played fingerstyle.

Ex. 1

Bukovac often plays solo in his videos. But even when he’s improvising with single notes, he often deftly uses his fret-hand thumb (usually) to play bass notes that imply the chords he’s hearing in his head. Here, he adds just a few subtle thumps to propel the rhythm as he solos.

Ex. 2 explores similar territory. Be sure to palm-mute the bass notes to keep them nice and punchy. Note your fret-hand thumb should fret all of the notes on the 6th string except the final one, where your 3rd finger is a better choice.

Ex. 2

Bukovac is an encyclopedia of chord voicings, and he is remarkably musical in how he composes with them. This video is over seven minutes of inspired, beautiful music. There’s so much here to explore, even if you just randomly skip around.

Ex. 3 is a variation on his intro here—just simple seventh chords, but voiced in a unique way. Note how the melody clearly sings out, being so far from the accompaniment. There are no thirds in any of these chords; you can alternately think of them as power chords with melody notes on top.

Ex. 3

Grab Yer Pick

Bukovac is equally skilled using a pick. In this video, he’s employing hybrid picking—alternately or simultaneously using the pick and fingers.

Ex. 4 begins in the key of E, then borrows from E minor for the final two chords. In measure three, fret the down-stemmed notes with your middle finger, executing the slides with your pinky.

Ex. 4

Now, for something completely different, as Bukovac’s got a wide range of styles in his bag, here he shows his country-style pickin’ prowess.

Throughout his solo, over F7 throughout, Bukovac again keeps things interesting, here by employing different textures. Played with your pick, Ex. 5 travels from triads to dyads to single notes, ending with some death-defying open-string pull-offs. Be sure to pick close to the bridge for those to give ’em extra bite, and don’t forget the slapback echo.

Ex. 5

In the first two bars of the previous example, Bukovac uses Dm and Cm triads over F7. Let’s use some Bukovac-style creativity to see how we can take this knowledge a step further. You likely already know that, when soloing, you can use the D minor pentatonic scale (D–F–G–A–C) over F7 — remember it’s the same as F major pentatonic (F–G–A–C–D). But how about using the C minor pentatonic scale (C–Eb–F–G–Bb) over F7? The rule of thumb is you can play the minor pentatonic scale a fifth above the root of a dominant seventh chord. Ex. 6 demonstrates with a Bukovac-style lick. Note that the C minor pentatonic scale brings into play the F7 chord’s 5 (C), b7 (Eb), root (F) and 9 (G). The phrase colorfully touches upon C Dorian (C–D–Eb–F–G–A–B) by including an A, the 3 of F7 at the end of bar 1, as well as a D, its 13, at the end of bar 2.

Ex. 6

Bukovac is especially expressive in the way he bends. In this video, he’s executing two half-step bends simultaneously, using the pick.

Ex. 7 is a similar phrase, and, of course, these bends need to be in tune. If this proves to be challenging, the thing to do is simply slow things down. Bend by turning your wrist only, keeping your fingers stationery as it turns. If that doesn’t feel comfortable, try pulling both strings towards the floor. Tricky….

Ex. 7

Next, over the same groove, Bukovac uses his pick-hand index and middle fingers to create a melody over an open D-string drone. Ex. 8 explores similar territory; execute the final bend by pulling the 3rd string towards the floor to allow the open 4th string to continue to ring.

Ex. 8

Practice Creativity

Like so many of his longer videos, here, Bukovac—off the top of his head—continually finds new musical ideas, taking time to explore each one.

Ex. 9 is based on another idea from the same video. Note the final two examples are played with the pick.

Ex. 9

As Bukovac does, let’s create a couple of simple variations on Ex. 9, as demonstrated in Ex. 10.

Ex. 10

Finally, inspired by Bukovac’s creativity, try exploring your own by simply taking time to fool around with the previous two examples. Don’t think too much. Just start playing, and you’ll undoubtedly discover some brand-new ideas of your own.

The bass guitar played by Horace Panter on the Specials’ 1981 hit Ghost Town is headed to the auction block, and is expected to fetch up to £20,000.

As auctioneer Gardiner Houlgate explains in a press release, Panter paid £200 for the 1971 blue Fender Precision bass in 1981, and admits he’s “not overly attached” to the instrument, and would rather it go to someone who will play it.

• READ MORE: Trump tariffs rejected by US Supreme Court – what could this mean for the guitar industry?

“It would be nice if it went to someone who’ll play it rather than shut it in a vault. It plays really well,” he says.

The Special’s Ghost Town spent three weeks at Number One in the UK, and 11 weeks in the top 40, and “summed up the depressed mood of Britain at the time”.

After the Specials disbanded in 1981, Horace Pantr used the bass with new wave supergroup General Public, which also featured former members of The Beat, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, and the Clash.

Panter sold the bass in 1988, before re-acquiring it in 2010 to use when the Specials reunited.

“This is a bass guitar that’s going to stir up quite a lot of interest among fans and collectors,” says Gardiner Houlgate auctioneer Luke Hobbs. “Ghost Town is such an evocative track reflecting the social and political unrest of Britain at that time – and Horace Panter’s bass is a big part of it.”

Horace Panter’s 1971 Fender Precision bass will be available for public viewing on Friday 6 March and Monday 9 March from 09:00 – 17:30, and on 10 March, the day of the sale itself.

The auction will take place at Gardiner Houlgate, 9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9SW.

Learn more at Gardiner Houlgate.

The post Bass used on The Specials Ghost Town expected to fetch £20k at auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Held in July 2025, Back to the Beginning marked Black Sabbath’s last-ever show, with a who’s who of metal’s elite – including, to name a few, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira and Lamb of God – gathering at Birmingham’s Villa Park for the heavy metal founders’ swansong.

The event culminated in a short but showstopping set from Black Sabbath, with a frail,  throne-bound Ozzy Osbourne performing War Pigs, N.I.B., Iron Man and Paranoid alongside guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward one last time to a crowd of tens of thousands of heavy metal disciples.

• READ MORE: Yungblud got the Changes gig just 48 hours before Black Sabbath’s farewell show

Ozzy – then 76 – had been battling a number of health conditions for years, including Parkinson’s, which caused worsening mobility in the later years of his life. 

And as his widow and longtime manager Sharon Osbourne explains in a new interview of the Dumb Blonde celebrity podcast, her husband “knew” he didn’t have long to live as preparations reached their peak ahead of Back to the Beginning.

“Two weeks before the show, they said he could probably die, and he did,” Sharon says [via Blabbermouth]. “But he wanted to do it so bad. He needed it. And it’s, like, ‘Whether I die in two weeks or I die in six months, I’m still dying. And I wanna go my way.’ And he did. He went like a rock star.”

Sharon says that the love and tributes to Ozzy Osbourne and his illustrious career at Back to the Beginning were “bittersweet” because they “knew” Ozzy didn’t have much time left.

“Ozzy had sepsis earlier on last year,” she continues. “And very few people ever walk away from that without losing a limb or their life… And as soon as he got sepsis, the kids and I, we knew it was time. And then when we went to England, he went into hospital for a week. And when he came out, they said, ‘You know, Ozzy, this could kill you.’ And he said, ‘I’m doing my show.’ He went out like a king.”

Sharon goes on: “The thing is when you’ve lived your life that way, and it was like, ‘Okay, six months more to go out the way I wanna go out.’ It’s like saying, when you get really old and somebody’s still smoking and they’re, like, 78 years of age, and you’re like, ‘Just let him smoke. Leave him alone. He’s 78. Leave him alone.’

“[Ozzy] went the way he wanted to go. He knew. He knew.”

Sharon also reflects on the moments surrounding Ozzy’s death: “It was so quick. And thank God. I knew when they were trying to revive him, I knew. I’m, like, ‘Don’t. Don’t do it. Leave him.’ “He was done. But again, he went out like a rock star.”

In terms of how she is coping in the wake of Ozzy’s death at the age of 76, Sharon says: “I’m getting there. It’s hard. Jesus, it’s hard, but I’m getting there. I’m gonna keep working and I’m gonna keep doing what I do in my life. And that’s it.”

The post “Two weeks before the show, they said he could die. But he wanted to do it so bad”: Sharon Osbourne on Ozzy’s insistence to perform one last time at Back to the Beginning appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Tensions have very much died down now, but Metallica and Megadeth don’t exactly have a totally amicable history. As the story goes, Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine was Metallica’s lead guitarist from 1982 to 1983, before being ousted from the band for alcoholism, drug abuse and aggressive behaviour.

But during his time with the group, Mustaine helped write many of the band’s early tracks, including Ride the Lightning, the title track from Metallica’s sophomore album, released a year after his departure.

Mustaine recently revealed how the division of songwriting credits on some of the band’s early tracks became a “bone of contention” between him and Metallica frontman James Hetfield, contributing to their fractured relationship.

• READ MORE: Trump tariffs rejected by US Supreme Court – what could this mean for the guitar industry?

Last month, Megadeth released their last-ever album, and with it came a landmark cover of Ride the Lightning, the track Mustaine helped write decades ago. And in a new interview with Portugal’s Metal Global, bassist James LoMenzo recalls hearing from Mustaine of his plans to record the cover.

“I was delighted. I was surprised,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “My eyebrows went up, but I was kind of delighted that he was gonna even go there, because there’s always that subliminal undercurrent tension – you know, ‘Oh, Metallica [vs.] Megadeth.’

“And I always thought, like, Megadeth, for God’s sake, I always thought Dave won in a way, because he’s built this giant thing all by himself. And it made a lot of sense to me logically. It seemed like if this is the last thing we’re gonna do, then we should go out, end with a band, but also kind of address the full history of the band. And that’s step one.

“So I thought it was great in the end. But yes, my eyebrow went up when I heard him say that, yeah.”

Elsewhere in the interview, LoMenzo is asked whether he believes Megadeth is better than Metallica “when it comes to riffs and solos”.

“I can’t go on board with you there,” he replies. “I’m a company guy – sure, I think we’re better, but semantically, I don’t really believe that. It’s all about taste and approach, right? And I think if Dave had stayed [in Metallica], it would’ve certainly been a lot more complex, but they would’ve not lost any energy that they had. 

“It comes down to, like, who do you like better – Motörhead or The Ramones? One seems silly, one seems really serious, but I love them both.”

Watch the full interview below:

The post “I always thought Dave won – because he’s built this giant thing all by himself”: James LoMenzo on the ever-present “subliminal undercurrent tension” between Megadeth and Metallica appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$199/£199, tru-fi.com/joespedals.com

There are normal people, and then there are fuzz pedal geeks. Normal people know about Fuzz Faces and Tone Benders, and might be vaguely aware that the British stompbox boom of the late 60s also produced one or two other models; fuzz geeks howl and weep in despair over the thought that those ‘others’ – specifically the Colorsound Power Boost and Overdriver – have been so widely forgotten.

• READ MORE: Manson Supermassive Black Fuzz review: heavy, heady filter fuzz that’s not just for Muse worship

Essentially 18V and 9V versions of the same circuit, the Power Boost (1969) and Overdriver (1971) were arguably not only fuzzes but also the first ever overdrive pedals. No wonder David Gilmour, Jeff Beck and Jan Akkerman loved them so much.

Time for a revival? American boutique maker Tru-Fi certainly thinks so, and has included a combined tribute to both pedals in its Mini series, with a toggle switch letting you flip between the two voltages (and power coming from a standard 9V supply or battery). It’s been brought to the UK by Joe’s Pedals, and it looks very cute indeed.

Image: Richard Purvis

Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver – what is it?

Tru-Fi specialises in vintage-minded pedals, mostly fuzz, in beautifully made metal enclosures. They’re also somewhat vintage-sized, but the Minis have been shrunk down by 1/3 and have the jack sockets at the top, making them significantly more ’board-friendly.

This is the ’71 Colordriver; there’s also a ’69 version that’s bright orange and has different silicon transistors (BC109 instead of BC184), for a tone that’s described as “a bit smoother”. Both have a volume knob on the side – a feature the originals lacked, leaving them stuck in extra-boosty mode. Maybe that’s why they went out of fashion in the first place?

Image: Richard Purvis

Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver – what does it sound like?

There’s a theory that this circuit demands a lot of headroom – it was, after all, designed to be plugged into much louder tube amps than what most people use today – but that really depends on what you want from it. I began my testing with a 20W combo attenuated for bedroom levels, so about as much headroom as a catflap… and fell in love with the Colordriver instantly.

With the amp set clean-ish, anything shy of halfway on the pedal’s central dial is definitely more overdrive than fuzz: it’s tonally uncoloured (until you start messing with the highly responsive tone controls), and crunchy in a way that caresses the eardrums. There’s a roughness to decaying chords that some people won’t like, but the full-frequency openness works brilliantly for tight rhythm playing.

The second half of that drive knob is all classic Brit filth, with some colossal Fuzz Face sounds on offer towards the very top, just as it starts to feel splattily overloaded. It also opens up really nicely when you turn the guitar’s volume down, albeit with a slight thinning out of the tone.

Through a bigger amp it’s a dramatically different story: now we feel the real noise-bringing potential of the Colordriver, with a tremendous low-end thump to go along with that sweetly singing midrange. It’s a match for any Fuzz Face, but only if you’re in the mood for high gain: with the guitar volume backed off it now sounds quite clangy, and with the pedal’s gain at halfway it’s just not as likeable as it was through the little amp. At the other end of the scale, though, the combination of treble, bass and master volume knobs does allow for some extremely tweakable boosting with the gain set even lower.

All of the above, by the way, is equally true at both voltage settings, with 18v sounding that little bit bigger and clearer than 9v. It’s great to have the choice, but you might find yourself popping that switch into the up position and leaving it there forever.

Image: Richard Purvis

Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver – should I buy it?

This pedal sounds great through a small amp and great through a big amp, but in totally different ways. That makes the “should I buy it?” question more complicated than usual, but here are two key facts to bear in mind: one, the ’71 Colordriver is an absolutely top-class stompbox; and two, the geeks are right and this near-forgotten giant of early fuzz needs to be on your radar.

Image: Richard Purvis

Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver – alternatives

You can still buy a full-size reissue Colorsound Overdriver (£429) or Power Boost (£399), both with master volume, courtesy of legendary London dealer Macari’s. Modern US-built alternatives include the IdiotBox Effects Power Drive ($139/£125) and Basic Audio Futureman ($200/£209.99).

The post Tru-Fi Mini ’71 Colordriver review – an underrated classic of early fuzz is reborn… in miniature appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.



Fretboard Journal contributor Seth Lorinczi joins us this week to talk about the rise and fall of Micro-Frets, the upstart electric guitar brand launched in the late 1960s.

Seth penned a lengthy story on Micro-Frets for our magazine’s 58th issue (available now), and we talk about the brand’s launch in Maryland, its unique offerings, the short-lived attempt to revive the company, and so much more.

We also talk about Seth’s history in the DC punk scene, his writing projects, and the impact psychedelic therapy has had on his life.

Follow Seth here: https://www.sethlorinczi.com/

Get issue 58 of the FJ (with Seth’s Micro-Frets story) here.

Also mentioned: Steve Melkisethian on the Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/podcasts/the-truth-about-vintage-amps-ep-38-with-special-guest-steve-melkisethian/

Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Register today: https://fretboardsummit.org

We are brought to you by Peghead Nation: https://www.pegheadnation.com (Get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription with the promo code FRETBOARD at checkout).

Stringjoy Strings: https://stringjoy.com

Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar: https://mmguitarbar.com

Mike & Mike’s Substack: https://mmguitarbar.substack.com

Seth Lorinczi photo: Cheryl Juetten

The post Podcast 538: The Story of Micro-Frets Guitars with Seth Lorinczi first appeared on Fretboard Journal.

Calculating the possible tones the Electro-Harmonix Bender Royale can produce—especially in relation to its simpler MkIII Tone Bender forebears—is not work for the casual mathematician. Let’s see, take the original 3-knob MkIII template, multiply those possible sounds by three additional knobs and two switches, multiply that again by the range of the extra knobs, and … well, you can see why I'm a guitar journalist rather than a NASA scientist calculating possible trajectories for Mars probes. But you needn’t be a senior researcher at M.I.T. or the Berkeley physics department to understand that the Bender Royale is a fuzz-tone gold mine.

A vintage-based fuzz with this much additional tone sculpting capability can be anathema to many old-school heads. Ordinarily, I might even count myself among that camp—certainly where a circuit as near perfect as the Tone Bender MkIII is concerned. But time and time again, I found myself in thrall to the Bender Royale’s broader sense of possibilities. It’s equally happy in dunderheaded ’60s garage-psych contexts and modern ambient settings. Best of all, its many controls enable intuitive pathways to these very different destinations.

Palace Expansions

I’d be lying if I said I looked over the Bender Royale for the first time without trepidation. I have a few 3-knob Tone Bender MkIII clones that I love and know intimately. I also know that compound tone possibilities can come at the cost of an otherwise simple pedal’s magical essence. But I also love the grand tradition of Electro-Harmonix as demented maximalists. And in this case, faith in the vision of Mike Matthews and his designers is well placed.

Early versions of the 3-transistor Sola Sound Tone Bender architecture were simple 2-knob pedals—just output volume and gain. The MkIII Tone Bender, on which the Bender Royale is based, added a high-pass filter-based tone control, which made it a much more nuanced pedal than its predecessors. On the Bender Royale, the tone section is comprised of treble and bass knobs, and using the two together yields many sounds that aren’t easily found in vintage style MkIIIs—especially when you set them in opposition to each other. Heavy bass settings and attenuated treble, for instance, can shape wooly, mysterious low-mid focused fuzz that’s uncommon in simple ’60s circuits.

The bias control is a familiar feature in modern fuzz design. And like the EQ, it can serve contemporary or vintage-style tone-shaping aims. In the latter scenario, the bias knob helps the Bender Royale assume personality traits of lower voltage vintage fuzzes like the Maestro FZ-1 or Selmer Buzz Tone. It can also help shape the Bender Royale’s output into glitchy, fractured tone scree peppered with odd overtones—or thuddy but substantial no-sustain fuzz that is perfect for doubling a bass line.

Mixing More Magic Potions

I don’t often see wet/dry blend controls on fuzzes, and I understand why some players would fail to see the point. On the Blender Royale though, it’s a feature with transformative power—particularly if you approach fuzz with a song arranger’s mindset. The most convenient framework for describing the sound of the blended wet/dry tones might be the work of My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields (who, not coincidentally, perhaps, is a fan of the MkIII Tone Bender.) If you’ve dived deep on Shield’s MBV sounds, you’ve probably noticed that many of them are not as filthy as legend would suggest. In fact, many of Shield’s classic MBV tones rely on a certain quantity of “cleanliness” to communicate the nuance of his pitch shifting and reverse reverb moves. The Blender Royale’s wet/dry blend makes it easy to shape these textures. And while this function shines in shoegaze-style applications (which often rely on fuzz as a source of dream haze rather than riff underpinnings) it can be invaluable in any song- or melody-first compositional or performance situation where detailed chords are of foremost importance and fuzz works better as a mood enhancer than sledgehammer.

The two switches—a FAT switch that emphasizes low-mid frequencies and one that switches between germanium and harder-edged LED clipping—are the two features I used least. And in general, I preferred the more vintage-aligned germanium clipping and FAT-less EQ profile for their clarity, which emphasizes detail in other control interactions. But they are far from superfluous. The LED-clipping, for example, will interact with treble-forward and off-biased settings to create extra-splintered, narrow output that stands tall, proud, and strange in a mix.

The Verdict

Electro-Harmonix’s Bender Royale may seem to exist in extra-dimensional space at times. But for all the adventure it enables, it is a pedal of great utility. It shines with humbuckers and single-coils, with American- and British-style amps, and for scorching leads and tuneful indie chording. And none of this very real variety in the Bender Royale comes at the expense of vintage MkIII accuracy when you need it. At $149, it has to be a contender for the best fuzz value in the business.

Calculating the possible tones the Electro-Harmonix Bender Royale can produce—especially in relation to its simpler MkIII Tone Bender forebears—is not work for the casual mathematician. Let’s see, take the original 3-knob MkIII template, multiply those possible sounds by three additional knobs and two switches, multiply that again by the range of the extra knobs, and … well, you can see why I'm a guitar journalist rather than a NASA scientist calculating possible trajectories for Mars probes. But you needn’t be a senior researcher at M.I.T. or the Berkeley physics department to understand that the Bender Royale is a fuzz-tone gold mine.

A vintage-based fuzz with this much additional tone sculpting capability can be anathema to many old-school heads. Ordinarily, I might even count myself among that camp—certainly where a circuit as near perfect as the Tone Bender MkIII is concerned. But time and time again, I found myself in thrall to the Bender Royale’s broader sense of possibilities. It’s equally happy in dunderheaded ’60s garage-psych contexts and modern ambient settings. Best of all, its many controls enable intuitive pathways to these very different destinations.

Palace Expansions

I’d be lying if I said I looked over the Bender Royale for the first time without trepidation. I have a few 3-knob Tone Bender MkIII clones that I love and know intimately. I also know that compound tone possibilities can come at the cost of an otherwise simple pedal’s magical essence. But I also love the grand tradition of Electro-Harmonix as demented maximalists. And in this case, faith in the vision of Mike Matthews and his designers is well placed.

Early versions of the 3-transistor Sola Sound Tone Bender architecture were simple 2-knob pedals—just output volume and gain. The MkIII Tone Bender, on which the Bender Royale is based, added a high-pass filter-based tone control, which made it a much more nuanced pedal than its predecessors. On the Bender Royale, the tone section is comprised of treble and bass knobs, and using the two together yields many sounds that aren’t easily found in vintage style MkIIIs—especially when you set them in opposition to each other. Heavy bass settings and attenuated treble, for instance, can shape wooly, mysterious low-mid focused fuzz that’s uncommon in simple ’60s circuits.

The bias control is a familiar feature in modern fuzz design. And like the EQ, it can serve contemporary or vintage-style tone-shaping aims. In the latter scenario, the bias knob helps the Bender Royale assume personality traits of lower voltage vintage fuzzes like the Maestro FZ-1 or Selmer Buzz Tone. It can also help shape the Bender Royale’s output into glitchy, fractured tone scree peppered with odd overtones—or thuddy but substantial no-sustain fuzz that is perfect for doubling a bass line.

Mixing More Magic Potions

I don’t often see wet/dry blend controls on fuzzes, and I understand why some players would fail to see the point. On the Blender Royale though, it’s a feature with transformative power—particularly if you approach fuzz with a song arranger’s mindset. The most convenient framework for describing the sound of the blended wet/dry tones might be the work of My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields (who, not coincidentally, perhaps, is a fan of the MkIII Tone Bender.) If you’ve dived deep on Shield’s MBV sounds, you’ve probably noticed that many of them are not as filthy as legend would suggest. In fact, many of Shield’s classic MBV tones rely on a certain quantity of “cleanliness” to communicate the nuance of his pitch shifting and reverse reverb moves. The Blender Royale’s wet/dry blend makes it easy to shape these textures. And while this function shines in shoegaze-style applications (which often rely on fuzz as a source of dream haze rather than riff underpinnings) it can be invaluable in any song- or melody-first compositional or performance situation where detailed chords are of foremost importance and fuzz works better as a mood enhancer than sledgehammer.

The two switches—a FAT switch that emphasizes low-mid frequencies and one that switches between germanium and harder-edged LED clipping—are the two features I used least. And in general, I preferred the more vintage-aligned germanium clipping and FAT-less EQ profile for their clarity, which emphasizes detail in other control interactions. But they are far from superfluous. The LED-clipping, for example, will interact with treble-forward and off-biased settings to create extra-splintered, narrow output that stands tall, proud, and strange in a mix.

The Verdict

Electro-Harmonix’s Bender Royale may seem to exist in extra-dimensional space at times. But for all the adventure it enables, it is a pedal of great utility. It shines with humbuckers and single-coils, with American- and British-style amps, and for scorching leads and tuneful indie chording. And none of this very real variety in the Bender Royale comes at the expense of vintage MkIII accuracy when you need it. At $149, it has to be a contender for the best fuzz value in the business.

2025 Wilson Burnham Engelmann Spruce/Wenge double top classical guitar with an elevated fretboard. 

Ebony fretboard, East Indian rosewood bridge with MOP tie block cover, Manuel Ramirez style rosette.

Back and sides are laminated with curly Spanish cedar.

650mm string length

52mm wide at nut, 58mm string spacing at bridge. Please scroll down the page for more photos of this stunning guitar!

Regular price was $8000, price reduced to $4000! I am moving to a new studio and I want to liquidate my current stock of guitars!

For more specifications on this guitar, please click here!

Watch Juri Yun play this guitar! Please visit my YouTube channel, @wilsonburnhamguitars8563

"Wilson's guitars are outstanding! They have incredible voices and are easy to play! They are easy to play because the treble strings are there, they are present and you can hear them above the bass strings! You don't have to work hard to make these guitars sing!"

Nathan Fischer, president of the New York City Classical Guitar Society

The honeycomb Nomex in this double top guitar is cover with a veneer of old growth redwood to enhance the guitar's voice.

The sides are attached to the top with blocks of ebony, these ebony blocks make the guitar louder in sound!

Laminating the wenge back and sides with curly Spanish cedar stiffen the guitar to increase the volume and beauty of the guitar's voice. The sound of this guitar reaches out to the hearts' of your audience to bring them to you and the music you are playing!

BzzzzKill today announced the launch of its long-anticipated hum-reduction solution for Telecaster-style guitars. Available now in Single and Dual configurations, the new Players Series Telecaster models deliver buzz-free single-coil performance for one of the most iconic — and notoriously noisy — guitar designs ever created.

Since their introduction in the early 1950s, Telecasters have been known for clarity, snap, and responsiveness — along with persistent 60-cycle hum (50Hz in UK/EU). Until now, there has never been a viable dummy-coil solution engineered specifically for Telecaster wiring configurations, particularly models equipped with reverse-wound, reverse-polarity (RWRP) neck pickups.

The new Telecaster lineup includes:

• Single model for Telecasters that buzz in all selector positions (non-RWRP wiring)
• Dual model engineered to complete the partial hum-cancelling systems found in RWRP Telecasters

Both versions operate passively, require no batteries or external power, and install invisibly inside the guitar’s control cavity without drilling or permanent modification.

Like the recently launched Players Series for Stratocasters, the Telecaster models feature a modern, precision-formed PETG structure and durable rubber-jacket wiring. Each unit is carefully engineered for a precise fit within the famously restrictive Telecaster control cavity — a design challenge that required extensive development and refinement.

Priced at US $99, the Players Series Telecaster models bring engineered noise reduction to a broader audience while preserving the guitar’s authentic tone, dynamics, and value.

Expanding the BzzzzKill Platform
With Telecaster now added to the lineup, BzzzzKill continues to broaden its engineered hum-reduction architecture across the most popular single-coil formats. Versions for Jazz Bass and Gibson-style P-90 guitars are currently in development and will be announced soon.

BzzzzKill products are available directly at www.bzzzzkill.com.

Who would have predicted that the kid who threatened you on your first day of school would one day become your bandmate? Certainly not Flea.

In a recent interview with MOJO, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist revisits the chaotic first encounter with frontman Anthony Kiedis and the unlikely friendship that forged despite Kiedis’s “intimidating presence”.

• READ MORE: “These are recordings that were going to be the next Van Halen record”: Alex Van Halen sheds light on upcoming “Van Halen” album featuring Steve Lukather

Asked about Kiedis’s claim that he once “held a gun” to Flea’s head on their first day at school, the bassist chuckles: “A gun? I think he was being metaphorical, but the first time he met me he did threaten me.”

“There was this other kid who was my friend and I was kind of being an asshole. I had the kid in a headlock and doing what we call in Los Angeles a noogie, which is when you grind your knuckles into someone’s head,” Flea explains. “I was doing it playfully but I don’t think he appreciated it. And Anthony was, (shouts) ‘Lay off him!’ He physically threatened me to let go of that kid. I was like, Who is this guy?”

It wasn’t long after that tense introduction that Flea and Kiedis became fast friends. Flea describes the early connection as immediate and rare: “Very shortly after that Anthony and I had classes together and we became inseparable friends,” he says.

Interestingly enough, music wasn’t what initially brought them together.

“[Anthony] came from a completely different world. He lived with his father who was kind of like a Hollywood playboy-actor-wildman [Blackie Dammett] and Anthony knew about rock music and early punk rock and new wave and shit that was happening through his dad who was in the Hollywood scene,” Flea recalls. “But I didn’t know anything about that, I had my trumpet. So he kind of exposed me to that world, the excitement of it. My mother said I came home from school very serious and said, ‘Mom, I finally found someone I can talk to.’”

Looking back though, Flea admits that time has inevitably reshaped their bond.

“[It’s still like that] on occasion, but not like we were,” he says. “We don’t see each other as much. Time has definitely… We’ve grown in different directions in some ways.”

That said, the Red Hot Chili Peppers show no signs of easing up on the creative front. Flea recently hinted at the prospect of new music on the horizon, saying: “We’ve been writing music together, recording at [guitarist] John Frusciante’s house, and the music feels great.”

The band’s most recent album, Unlimited Love, arrived in 2022.

The post “I had the kid in a headlock, and Anthony physically threatened me to let go”: Flea recounts how he met fellow Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that president Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he invoked a law designed for national emergencies to impose sweeping tariffs on many countries around the world starting in early 2025.

Tariffs have made up a significant bulk of Donald Trump’s economic policy since he took office for his second presidential term in January 2025, and, indeed, during his first term, too. But the Supreme Court’s latest ruling, reached on Friday, 20 February, 2026, marks a major setback to that policy, as some of the tariffs imposed by Trump have been invalidated.

• READ MORE: Vista Musical Instruments acquires Scottish retailer Kenny’s Music and confirms relaunch plans

It’s important to note, though, that the ruling only applies to select tariffs – those imposed via Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, and not on all tariffs imposed since he took office.

So how might the new ruling affect the current state of play of the guitar industry? Well, it’s hard to say, but potentially not by much.

The ruling centres around tariffs, yes, but more specifically Trump’s February 2025 invocation of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which states that the sitting president can step in via executive order to regulate trade in response to a national emergency. 

He said drug trafficking from China, Mexico and Canada was an emergency worthy of invoking this law. He used the same law in April 2025 to impose sweeping tariffs between 10 and 50 percent on most countries around the world.

However, it seems there’s not much cause for guitar brands to get excited quite yet, as a number of industry-specific tariffs remain in place on steel, aluminium and, crucially, lumber, under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, which is unaffected by the Supreme Court’s latest ruling.

So, as it stands, much of the economic hardship faced by guitar brands in the wake of Trump’s sweeping tariffs will remain in place, but could the ruling of the highest court in the country against Trump’s tariff-heavy economic policy set a precedent in which more tariffs could later be overturned?

Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

In the wake of Trump’s tariffs last year, NAMM President and CEO John Mlynczak spoke of the “deeply interconnected” international supply chain that keeps the guitar industry healthy, and which has been affected by Trump’s tariffs.

“The reason why we have companies that can afford to build their highest-end products in the US is because they have the revenue from the mid-to-entry level products from overseas,” he said. “Our supply chain is deeply interconnected.”

“It’s not like an instrument is solely made in China or Mexico. What happens is you have certain components that are made really well in China that are then imported for final assembly. Or you have a factory in Mexico that has a specialty in making certain components that are imported. Then they are assembled in the US. This happens because this work is highly specialized.”

Mlynczak later teamed up with executives from Fender, Gibson, PRS and other guitar giants to lobby congress over wood tariffs.

“The tariffs are incredibly nuanced and complicated,” he admitted. “But there are various Section 232 investigations [an investigation by the Department of Commerce on the impact of certain imports on national security – Ed] on various industries happening right now.

“One of them is on imports of timber. And so the high level task that we wanted to work on, was making sure that we submitted letters to congress, and we submitted investigation letters through the process.

“But we also met with high-level members of Congress just to follow up and say, ‘Hey, we’ve done this… and by the way, American made brands can’t make these products unless they get wood from overseas. We don’t grow these species of wood in the United States!’”

In the wake of the new ruling, anti-tariff organisation We Pay the Tariffs has called for “swift refunds” for the affected businesses which have paid tariffs.

“The administration’s only responsible course of action now is to establish a fast, efficient and automatic refund process that returns tariff money to the businesses that paid it,” says the organisation’s director Dan Anthony.

Donald Trump has not yet commented on the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Read more about how Trump’s tariffs have affected the guitar industry below:

• Report reveals how Fender is tackling tariffs and a “weaker macroeconomic environment”
• Why boutique pedal makers fear tariffs will destroy the entire US pedal industry
• Are your favourite guitar strings about to get more expensive? D’Addario expects to incur more than $2 million in tariffs this year as a result of US trade policy
• How Trump’s tariffs are stretching US amp and pedal companies to breaking point
• Höfner blames effects of US tariffs for bankruptcy

The post Trump tariffs rejected by US Supreme Court – what could this mean for the guitar industry? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Last weekend I got together with a bunch of high school friends. I hadn’t seen some of them in over 30 years, but conversation was easy and our shared memories and “exploits” led to some good laughs. We all sat around the fire pit with wild eyes! I suppose from the outside most of us are simple vestiges of what we once were, but on the whole we were all talking about current passions and endeavors. Eventually we got around to music, and then guitars.

When we began playing instruments, particularly guitars, we all started out on cheaper imports. I mean, after all, we were the sons of steel and quarry workers. But it was all good because we were content with any approximation of a “cool” guitar. Case in point: the Emperador!

Of course we all would have been happy with a real Gibson, but to us a guitar like this was almost as cool. Towards the tail end of the 1960s, imported “copy” guitars were becoming more popular and caused quite the stir in guitar-land with the threat of legal action towards spec-by-spec clone guitars. It was difficult to regulate, and many Japanese guitar makers changed minor aspects to keep U.S. guitar manufacturers at bay.

This guitar offers that classic SG shape but with some Japanese flair. The more extreme cutaways and body sculpting combined with a tremolo and different pickups make it a more adventurous example than the typical faded cherry SG. The Emperador finish is bright and in your face.

You might have noticed this guitar has Guyatone components, like that tailpiece/tremolo. That was a Guyatone exclusive, found on the famous Sharp 5 guitars and a few others. And those pickups are also Guyatones. In fact, those were specially designed alnico units (which sound really nice) from around 1967. Even the electronics were Guyatone designs. I’ve seen examples of this same instrument in a vibrant blue color as well. So, is this a Guyatone guitar? Well, yes and no.

The Emperador brand name was apparently used by a Canadian importer, so if you live up north you may have seen this name before. The backstory of Guyatone and these Guyatone-adjacent guitars goes like this: The owner/founder of Guyatone was Mitsuo Matsuki, and believe me when I say this guy was a scrapper. He had been in the musical-instrument game since the late ’40s, primarily making amps and electronics. The company really dove into electric instruments in the late ’50s and Mitsuo was building new factories to keep up with growing demand. Alas, as the 1960s wore on, that demand faded and Guyatone went bankrupt in 1969. Now, just because a Japanese company goes bankrupt does not mean the factory gets shuttered. All those parts and partially made instruments will be resurrected in some way, and that’s what happened all the time in the late ’60s and early ’70s.

For instance, some factories only made the wood portions of guitars. And other factories only made the electronics and/or hardware like tremolo units, tuners, etc. During the ’50s and ’60s in Japan, many guitar factories simply partnered with others to make whole guitars. During Guyatone’s run, there were some years when they made guitar bodies and necks, and other times where the work was farmed out. But Guyatone consistently made electronics like pickups, and they were some of the best to come out of Japan.

Basically, what we have here is like a “combo” guitar that incorporated Guyatone components during a time when Guyatone was struggling. Matsuki came out in the ’70s by rebuilding his company from the ground up, and Guyatone guitars did rather well in the ’70s. But this guitar was made during that strange window of time where Guyatone was at the lowest point in the company’s history.

Sitting around the fire pit with my friends that night was a nice ride around old memories, like wisps of gray hair. We may have achy joints, but we’ve still got eyes as vibrant as this Emperador’s finish, glowing in the fading flame of youth.

Legendary Canadian actor William Shatner – best known for portraying Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise – has announced plans to release a heavy metal album this year.

The 94-year-old actor says a star-studded cast of 35 metal legends will appear on the album. At the time of writing, we’re not entirely sure who’ll be lucky enough to be part of that roster, but according to Metal Hammer, Shatner’s longtime friend Zakk Wylde will be heavily involved, as well as Henry Rollins and Ritchie Blackmore.

• READ MORE: Nile Rodgers reveals how a last-minute change to Shrek 2 made him “a fortune”

William Shatner has enjoyed an enduring friendship with Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde for many years. The pair teamed up on a collaborative spoken word record, Seeking Major Tom, in 2011, and sat alongside Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Sharon Osbourne to take part in a televised roast of Wylde.

It’s said that a large source of inspiration for the new metal album was both a guitar Zakk Wylde personally gifted Shatner, and Shatner’s recent collaboration with former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland, which saw him deliver a spoken word intro to a song on Nuclear Messiah’s new album, Black Flame.

“When Nuclear Messiah came to life, something clicked,” says Shatner in a statement shared with Guitar World. “It wasn’t just a track – it was a doorway. It made me want to go all the way in, bring in the best metal players I could find, and create something fearless.”

In a social media post announcing the project, Shatner says: “I have explored space. I have explored time. Now, I explore distortion. Yes. You read that correctly. I am releasing a heavy metal album. 35 metal virtuosos. Thunderous guitars. Chaos with purpose.”

Shatner explains that the album will comprise both covers of songs by legendary metal heavyweights including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, as well as a number of originals “forged in the same cosmic fire”.

“This project is, quite literally, a gathering of forces,” Shatner goes on. “Loud imagination. Honest intensity. Unapologetic exploration.

“At 94, one does not slow down. One turns the volume up. So prepare yourselves. We are about to boldly headbang where no one has headbanged before. Stay tuned. The metal voyage begins this year.”

That’s all the info we have on the album at this time, but we’re very excited, so trust us when we say we’ll keep you in the loop as we know more…

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