Music is the universal language
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Alex Lifeson reveals the Rush song he “really struggled with” learning to play again for the band’s reunion: “My hands are not operating like they once did”
Amid their Fifty Something reunion tour, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush have revealed the hardest song that they had to relearn ahead of the shows.
After kicking off in early June, the tour is still running this August and will continue through to April next year. It sees Anika Nilles take to the drum kit following the death of Neil Peart in 2020, who is continually honoured each night on the tour.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about their return to the stage together, Lee and Lifeson explain why they decided to bring A Farewell To Kings back into their setlist for the first time since 1979.
“We wanted to be better than we’ve ever been,” begins Lifeson. “Not just be as good as we were, and challenge ourselves with songs that we haven’t played in a long time. All of them were challenging after 11 years anyways, but to bring back A Farewell To Kings, that took a lot of work. Probably the hardest song of all.”
Lee adds, “That was the hardest one because it’s a really mental song. It’s just weird, structurally. Each part is difficult to play in and of itself. And then when you add… like even the beginning, it sounds like a walk in the park, but it’s not.
“You go into the intro, and the intro keeps changing. In the intro and the outro, beats are added, beats are dropped, and you have to remember the order that those happen in. Then you get into the opening riff. That’s a tricky riff for a guitar player to play.”
Lifeson continues, “Yeah, I really struggled with it. I’ve played classical for a long time, but I really struggled with it. My hands are not operating like they once did. I work really hard to get them to that level and it’s been pretty successful so far, I think. But to play that, like Ged said, to play that in a very smooth, delicate way, and that’s the way it is on record, while you still have another guitar draped on your sore neck, it takes a lot of gymnastics to get it all done.”
Watch the full interview below:
To view the full list of Fifty Something tour dates, head over to the official Rush website.
The post Alex Lifeson reveals the Rush song he “really struggled with” learning to play again for the band’s reunion: “My hands are not operating like they once did” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I’m horizontal and I’m like, ‘Can we get a diaper?’”: The time Tobias Forge tried to go ahead with a Ghost show despite food poisoning
A cancelled show is frustrating for all involved, so much so that Ghost’s Tobias Forge considered wearing a diaper during a severe case of food poisoning just so he could push through a gig – now that’s dedication.
Not your regular show, the set was one of three shows in Mexico City due to be filmed for the band’s 2 Big To Rig concert film, which lands in cinemas this August. The opening show was inevitably cancelled at the last minute when Forge couldn’t pull through, despite his best efforts.
- READ MORE: Kirk Hammett, Tobias Forge and Billy Corgan to appear on new album celebrating 50 years of Accept
In an interview with Metal Hammer, Forge is asked what went down: “We flew into Mexico City five days before, just to get acclimatised to the elevation and jet lag,” he remembers. “Everything was dandy, and then came the show day. I woke up and felt weird. It takes about an hour to go from the hotel to the venue, and throughout that whole trip, I just slept. I thought I was just tired!
“When I came to the venue, I couldn’t stomach anything, everything was just flowing through me, and for every hour that went by I was getting more and more drained. And then, all of a sudden, I started puking violently. Everything, just, ‘Out, out, out!’ Everyone’s getting super-nervous: not only is the show dependent on this, but we also have a film depending on this! Fuck!”
With no other obvious cause for Forge’s sudden onset illness, it was then presumed he had a bad case of food poisoning. He recalls feeling an “incredible sense of defeat” with all that was weighing on the show ahead.
“The film is one thing, but I really don’t like cancelling shows in the first place, and I absolutely hate to cancel when the crowd is already there. I’m horizontal, and I’m like, ‘Can we get a diaper? I’m gonna give it my best!’ But I cannot stand – literally. Even if you get me up onstage, I will not be able to sing.
“Then you just have to do the rational thing: ‘Fuck this, we need to pull the plug.’ The rest of the evening, I was just lying on a stretcher with intravenous liquid going in. And then you have to handle the defeat and hope for people to understand,” he says.
Thankfully, Forge had a good team around him who knew that rest and recovery mattered most. The remaining two shows went ahead as planned as he began to get better.
You can watch the trailer for the film below:
To find out where you can catch 2 Big To Rig, head over to the Ghost website.
The post “I’m horizontal and I’m like, ‘Can we get a diaper?’”: The time Tobias Forge tried to go ahead with a Ghost show despite food poisoning appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt is selling Dookie-, Nimrod- and American Idiot-era gear and clothing on Reverb
Green Day bass player Mike Dirnt has become the latest artist to sell a trove of his used gear on Reverb.
Launching 9 September, the Official Mike Dirnt of Green Day Shop includes bass guitars, amps, clothing and other items of memorabilia used by the bassist both on tour and in the studio throughout his multi-decade career.
A selection of bass guitars headlines the collection, including two American Idiot-era Fender Mike Dirnt Signature Precision Basses – used extensively on tour and personally customised by Dirnt – another Fender bass that was one of the main instruments used on Green Day’s landmark 1997 album Nimrod, and one of Dirnt’s original Gibson Grabber basses, smashed beyond playability by drummer Tré Cool and Dirnt.
Also up for grabs is one of the first Ampeg SVT-810 cabinets Dirnt bought with his first Green Day paycheck, and used throughout the band’s Dookie tour, one of two Yamaha G100-II amp heads used on some of Green Day’s earliest records and tours, and a selection of tour-used Mesa/Boogie amps and speaker cabs.
“I’ve found some amazing guitars and basses over the years. When you’re on tour for a long time, you’re always looking for cool gear. You’re always thinking about what could be on the next record or what do I need to play tonight or what can I find that sparks inspiration,” says Dirnt.
Credit: Reverb
“Every guitar, every bass, every amp has something different. You pick up a guitar and strum it and you think, there’s songs in this thing and I’m going to extract those songs. Then once you feel like you’ve gotten the songs or the recording out of it, it’s time to let it go and give it to the next person.”
The Official Mike Dirnt of Green Day Shop also includes a haul of clothing worn by Dirnt on tour and in Green Day music videos, including the leather bomber jacket he wore in the video for Wake Me Up When September Ends, and jackets from the 21st Century Breakdown, American Idiot and ¡UNO! Tours.
“This is all stuff people have seen me wearing in the past,” Dirnt says. “If somebody wants to buy a pair of the pants and cut it, make bracelets with it, cut a patch off and put it on your jacket… that’s the coolest thing ever. It’s just fabric. Play with it. Have fun with it like I did. From me to you.” Proceeds from the sale of Mike Dirnt’s used clothing will go to charity.
This isn’t the first time Green Day gear has appeared on Reverb. Back in 2023, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong listed nearly 100 items of used gear.
The Official Mike Dirnt of Green Day Shop goes live on 9 September. You can preview the items up for grabs by heading to Reverb.
The post Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt is selling Dookie-, Nimrod- and American Idiot-era gear and clothing on Reverb appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
What’s the point in a fanned fret guitar anyway?
If you hand most guitar players a fanned fret instrument for the first time, their first reaction is probably to recoil in horror – after all, the way the frets gradually tilt forward on the fretboard as you move up the neck looks like something designed to confuse and confound your tried and tested muscle memory. And yet, more and more guitarists – especially those at the technical end of the spectrum – are using fanned frets. So what gives? Well, the answer is actually quite simple.
- READ MORE: What are pots anyway? A working guide to the knobs on your guitar, and what they actually do
In traditional guitar construction, the frets on the neck run perpendicular to the strings, parallel to each other from nut to heel. A fanned fret guitar is built differently. The frets sit at an angle, splayed out like the ribs of a folding fan, usually with the nut and bridge slanted to match. The proper name for the design is multiscale, and that name explains what is actually going on: each string gets its own scale length.
On a conventional guitar, every string shares one scale length (with slight variation at the bridge, of course). A Les Paul is 24.75 inches from nut to bridge on every string. A Strat is 25.5 inches on every string. On a multiscale instrument, the bass side is longer than the treble side. A common spec on a modern multiscale 6-string is 25.5 inches on the high E stretching to 26.5 or 27 inches on the low E. Strandberg’s standard Boden 6 runs a subtle 25 to 25.5 inches. Dingwall’s 5-string basses go much further, spanning 34 inches on the G string out to a 37-inch low B. Because each string has its own scale length, the frets need to be laid out according to that scale length, so they have to fan.
Image: Rachel Billings for Guitar.com
Why Scale Length Matters In The First Place
String tension is a function of three things: pitch, string mass, and vibrating length. Tune a string to the same note on a longer scale and the tension goes up. That’s the entire reason fanned frets exist.
Every guitarist who has tuned a 25.5-inch guitar down to drop A has met the problem. The low string turns into a floppy noodle. You can fight it with heavier gauges, but heavy strings on a short scale bring their own trouble: stiff, thumpy attack, sharp fretted notes because the string deflects so much when you press it, and inharmonicity in the overtones that makes low chords sound blurry. Piano builders solved this centuries ago by giving bass strings dramatically more length than treble strings. A concert grand is, in effect, a multiscale instrument.
The obvious fix on guitar is a longer scale, which is why baritones exist. But if you stretch the whole instrument to 27 or 28 inches, you’re trading away the treble side. Bends get stiffer, the plain strings lose some warmth, and the fret spacing in the lower positions gets wide enough to annoy anyone with average hands. One scale length is always a compromise between what the low strings want and what the high strings want.
Fanned frets seek to end that compromise. The wound strings get the length and tension they need for a clear, focused low end. The plain strings stay at a familiar length where bends and vibrato feel normal. That’s the purpose of the design.
Image: Rachel Billings for Guitar.com
Where The Idea Came From
Fanned frets are, contrary to popular belief, a very old concept. The orpharion, a wire-strung cousin of the cittern built in England in the late 1500s and credited to luthier John Rose, used slanted frets and an angled bridge to give its bass courses extra length. A patent for a fanned fingerboard was filed by E. A. Edgren as far back as 1900.
The modern version belongs to Ralph Novak. Working as a repairman and builder in the 1980s, Novak wanted the sweet, warm treble response of a short scale combined with the piano-like bass of a long scale on one instrument. He filed in 1988 and was awarded U.S. Patent 4,852,450 in 1989, the same year he founded Novax Guitars. Novak trademarked the term Fanned-Fret, which is why big manufacturers say multiscale instead. Charlie Hunter’s 8-string Novax hybrids were the design’s most visible early ambassadors. When the patent expired in 2008, the concept went from boutique curiosity to production reality. Ormsby, Dingwall, Strandberg, Ibanez, ESP, Jackson, Schecter, and Cort all build multiscale instruments now, and the design rode the extended-range metal boom of the 2010s into the mainstream.
Image: Adam Gasson
What It Feels Like
Somewhere in the middle of a multiscale neck sits the neutral fret, the one that remains perpendicular to the strings. Builders typically place it between the 7th and 9th frets, and its location determines how the fan is distributed. Frets below it lean toward the nut on the bass side; frets above it lean toward the bridge.
There is an added ergonomic benefit to fanned frets too. In the first position, the slanted nut end roughly matches the natural angle of a fretting hand reaching for an open chord. High up the neck the angle reverses, which suits the way the wrist rotates as it travels toward the body. Most people adapt to it with relative ease. The genuine trouble spots are big barre chords near the extremes of the fan.
There are real costs to building this way, which is why I’ve done so few of them myself. Fretwork, nut cutting, and pickup makers have to offer slanted or individual-pole designs to track the string angle properly. None of this is exotic anymore, but unless you’re building your own custom pickups, it can limit your options. For many, the benefits outweigh the costs, and that’s why we see so many fan-fretted guitars out there today.
Image: Adam Gasson
Who Actually Needs Fanned Frets
In modern settings, guitarists who play a 7-string, 8-string, or heavily downtuned 6-string are the core audience. This is because the low B, F#, or drop G is where a stretched bass scale earns its keep. Bassists chasing a tight, articulate low B are arguably served best of all, which is why Dingwall owns that conversation. If you play a standard-tuned 6-string, fanned frets solve a problem you do not have. Tension balance and intonation improve slightly, but the payoff is modest. The lower you tune and the more strings you add, the more sense the fan makes.
You’ll also occasionally see very high level acoustic guitar players – the sort who are not playing cowboy chords – using fanned fret instruments because there really is no hiding place for intonation when you’re playing virtuosic acoustic guitar!
The post What’s the point in a fanned fret guitar anyway? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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.
Charvel expands its Pro-Mod Plus Dinky DK24 line with four new shred-ready models
We’ve got some good news for all the shredders out there – Charvel is expanding its Pro-Mod Plus Dinky DK24 line. Both the HH and HSS ranges have new siblings, with three new HH options and one new HSS available in a slew of striking colour variants.
In terms of the Pro-Mod Plus Dinky DK24 line, the standard formula is a streamlined designed that is great for the technical, speedy riffers of the world. The guitars all wear the same double cutaway shape, designed to be lightweight and ‘dinky’ small, 24 stainless steel jumbo frets, a shredder-considerate cut heel for unrestricted upper fret access, and a five-way blade switch to flick between pickup configurations.
The new instalments offer up a few variations on the Pro-Mod Plus Dinky DK24 blueprint. In terms of the HH range, two of the new models come in the form of the £1199 HH FR EB, available in crimson eclipse and satin black, and the slightly more expensive HH FR QM EB, which comes in cloaked emerald green and costs £1299. Both models boast basswood bodies with quilt maple top, Seymour Duncan Nazgul bridge and Sentient neck pickups, as well as a Floyd Rose 1500 Series recessed double-locking tremolo bridge.
Credit: Charvel
Credit: Charvel
The last HH guitar in question is the HH HT EB, available in both crème white and black ash. This HH model differs slightly, instead comprised of an ash body. and Charvel’s HT6 string-through-body hardtail bridge alongside its Seymour Duncan Nazgul bridge and Sentient neck pickups. The guitar is the most affordable new addition to Pro-Mod Plus Dinky DK24 line, sitting at just £1149.
Credit: Charvel
As for the HSS range, the HSS 2PT QM’s colourways are a tad more bold. The model comes in both a green-to-yellow ombré, called zombie face, as well as wearing a tiger print look, named amber tiger eye. The HSS 2PT QM is comprised of a basswood body with quilt maple top, and it’ll set you back by £1249.
Credit: Charvel
The model also has a Seymour Duncan Full Shred TB-10 humbucking bridge and Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 middle and neck single-coil pickups. As for tremolo, we’ve got a two-point tremolo Wilkinson WVS130-2p bridge with locking saddles.
For more information on the new models, head to Charvel.
The post Charvel expands its Pro-Mod Plus Dinky DK24 line with four new shred-ready models appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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
Tosin Abasi and Willow Smith have been hanging out with Angine de Poitrine
Few have had the honour of wielding Khn de Poitrine’s ridiculous double-neck microtonal guitar-bass hybrid. However, on occasion the Angine de Poitrine axeman does allow his admirers a chance to bask the glory of his iconic creation – and the latest lucky pair was none other than Willow Smith and Animals As Leaders’ Tosin Abasi.
In a new Instagram post, Smith reveals that she not only attended Angine de Poitrine’s California show on 18 August, but she also got to hand backstage with the duo themselves. There, the young avant-garde rocker was allowed to toy with Khn’s signature axe – and she is pretty excited about it, judging by the “HOLY SHIT!!!!!” caption.
Alongside Smith’s picture with Khn’s double-neck, it seems Abasi was equally as keen to pose with the iconic guitar. Unlike Smith, who appears with an – ahem – ‘cigarette’ hanging out of her mouth, the prog metal guitarist looks like he’s deep in conversation as he plucks away. We can only assume he’s picking the brains of the elusive Poitrine duo for some tips and tricks.
On her story, Smith also posted a photo of a special cake congratulating Angine de Poitrine, presumably for smashing their current ongoing tour. The custom cake has the pair’s bizarre, polka-dot-infested faces on for good measure.
While it’s unclear how far back Smith’s friendship with the Quebec pair spans back, it’s possible that the musicians connected back in June. As Smith has been emerging from her pop-punk era and moving towards a more experimental jazz sound, she found herself performing at this year’s Montreal Jazz Fest – and Angine de Poitrine also performed.
Credit: Willow Smith
In terms of Angine de Poitrine, the duo have been rapidly luring in a cult following. Back in April, guitarist Khn told Cult MTL that the project was “a culmination of a lot of years of inside jokes” at the beginning: “The whole idea of the band was to assume a bit of a satirical approach to rock music in general. We wanted an exaggeration, so the double-neck guitar was the perfect choice to kind of make fun of guitar heroes.”
However, the project has since become far more serious than a one-off gag. Hell, even Rush’s Geddy Lee has gone on record praising the eccentric duo. “I think they’re fantastic,” he told Radio Futuro two weeks ago.
“I love the fact that they’ve gone viral, because they’re so unusual, peculiar, idiosyncratic… It’s a sound that no one’s heard before. They’ve taken Primus and a bit of Rush and all the complexities and sort of boiled it down to a two-piece band using an incredible array of technology.”
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Welsh Primitive: How Gwenifer Raymond Creates Cinematic Landscapes with Solo Guitar
“I once had three Porsches – I sold them all so I could snort up half of Peru”: Inside the drug-fuelled world of Aerosmith in the ’70s
Back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, drugs were part and parcel of the rock and roll lifestyle. Many of the biggest bands at the time indulged in hard substances, and in many cases they defined their sound during this era.
For example, when the Eagles and Black Sabbath recorded their respective albums Hotel California and Technical Ecstasy in adjacent studios at Miami’s Criteria Studios in the ‘70s, Tony Iommi and co found the console used by the Eagles clogged with cocaine.
Indeed, the Eagles were known for their rock and roll excess, and were routinely barred from hotels for their antics.
Aerosmith were another band known for their affinity for hard drugs, and in a newly resurfaced interview in the new issue of Classic Rock, Steven Tyler lifts the lid on some of the band’s drug-fuelled antics.
“We never knew enough to stop touring,” Tyler said. “We just stayed on the road, and our vacation was in a little gram bottle… We spent the whole of the ‘70s on a treadmill. It was never like there was a tour. We’d stay on the road for a year and a half. The only time we’d come off was to record an album.”
Back in those days, drugs were very much part of a rockstar’s image. “I once had three Porsches, and I sold them all so I could snort up half of Peru,” Tyler is quoted as saying. “I would have traded my nuts for a good ounce of heroin in those days!”
He continued: “Drugs are fun. Once you’ve tried them you love them so much it turns bad on you.”
Last year, Beatles man Paul McCartney reflected on the legendary drugs bust that landed him in a Japanese prison. “This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet!” he said.
“It was the maddest thing [I’d done] in my life – to go into Japan, which has a seven-year hard-labour penalty for pot, and be so free and easy,” he recalled in horror.
The post “I once had three Porsches – I sold them all so I could snort up half of Peru”: Inside the drug-fuelled world of Aerosmith in the ’70s appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The best pitch shifters for guitarists: from Boss and DigiTech classics to sound-bending oddities
You shift the pitch of your playing whenever you switch frets, bend a string or turn a tuning peg, but the sounds (and pitches!) available via a pitch shifter pedal open up new frequencies – and ways to leap between them.
Depending on the pitch shifter, you can add harmonies, shift everything you play up or down by notes or octaves, and sometimes tap into more creative sounds and modulations. You’re a few twiddles and a stomp away from filling out the harmonics of your compositions, adding oomph to riffs, helping melodies cut through, or enriching the texture of your guitar’s sound.
The best pitch shifters range from simpler models that do just one type of pitch modulation, such as drop-tuning or octaving, to more multi-fangled options with textural effects like ring modulation and harmonisation, or additional features such as an in-built expression pedal.
Whether you want a functional pedal to adjust your pitch, or you’re looking for something that will spark creativity and broaden your compositional horizons, you’ve found your way to the right type of effects pedal. You can find ten of our favourites below, from the likes of Boss, DigiTech, Electro-Harmonix and TC Electronic.
At a glance:
- Best overall: Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter
- Most powerful: Boss XS-100 Poly Shifter
- Best for downtuning: DigiTech Drop
- Best for classic Whammy sounds: DigiTech Whammy 5
- Best compact: Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork
- Best harmoniser: Boss PS-6 Harmonist
- Best workstation pitch-shifter: Electro-Harmonix POG3
- Best for experimental sounds: EarthQuaker Devices Data Corrupter
- Best doubler: TC Electronic Mimiq Doubler
- Best ring-modulator: DOD Gonkulator
- Why you can trust Guitar.com
Best overall: Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter
‘Poly’ is right. This small-format pitch shifter from Boss offers extraordinary scope in an impressively navigable package, with drop-tuning, chorus-y detuning, up-tuning, octaving and harmonies. There’s also an expression pedal input, so you can plug one in to produce Whammy-style sweeps.
What blew us away about this pedal was how it delivers its effects in a remarkably pure-sounding form, and with minimal latency, thanks to the world-beatingly clever algorithms under the hood. This translates into crisp drop-tuned riffing, refreshingly clear harmonies, and sweeter melodies than the average pitch shifter can muster. The ’80s-flavoured detune effect is easily accessed via its own switch.
Need more? Read our Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter review.
Most powerful: Boss XS-100 Poly Shifter
The eagle-eyed pedal-enjoyers among you will have noticed that this pedal is closely modelled on the DigiTech Whammy. We dare say it might be even better than the genuine article, with the same smarts and sounds as the XS-1 Poly Shifter (reviewed above), plus a built-in Whammy-style expression pedal and some superior specs. Essentially, it does similar things to a Whammy, but has less latency (delay between hitting your strings and hearing the sound) and purer pitch shifting effects.
Not convinced? The XS-100 has a few extra tricks up its sleeve that just might sway you, including an ear-boggling eight-octave range (that’s more than Mariah Carey), and a swanky digital display that makes it easy to tweak the parameters of its effects.
Need more? Read our Boss XS-100 Poly Shifter review.
Best for downtuning: DigiTech Drop
If you crave the capability to tune your electric guitar extra-low, without spending eternal seconds twiddling with tuning pegs under stage lights, then what you need is a good drop-tuning pedal. This uncharacteristically straightforward option from DigiTech takes your signal and shifts it down, polyphonically, by anywhere from one to seven semitones – or by an octave.
Using the ‘momentary’ switch is key to enjoying this pedal’s creative potential at its fullest. When it’s activated, the footswitch will only activate drop-tuning for as long as it’s pressed, so you can get your pitch to nimbly dip and dive with a press of the toe.
Best for classic Whammy sounds: DigiTech Whammy 5
If you’ve spent much time peering at alt rock pedalboards from the 1990s onwards, there’s a good chance you already know and love the DigiTech Whammy. Radiohead, Melt Banana, QOTSA and countless other guitar bands owe their spikiest, harmonically squelchiest sounds to this ostentatious box of tricks.
There’s much debate over which iteration (or spin-off) of DigiTech’s pitch shifting icon is the best – which one bubbles with the most characterful digital artefacts, which has the nicest tread on its footpedal, and so on. We’re going with the Whammy 5, which sounds much better than its predecessors when chords (not just individual notes or melodies) are played through its harmonising and octaving effects. No other pedal sounds quite like it.
Best compact: Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork
You get more pitch-shifting capabilities than you might expect from this dinky EHX stompbox. There are three octaves to shift your way through, and you have the rare option to add up and down octaves at the same time for an ostentatiously filled out sound.
Transposition comes in 12 degrees, from a slight detune to a full octave, selectable via the shift dial or a connected expression pedal (sold separately). As with the DigiTech Drop, you can use it in ‘momentary’ mode for precipitous peaks and troughs in pitch, while the blend control allows you to mix varying levels of pitch-shifted signal with your dry input.
Best harmoniser: Boss PS-6 Harmonist
We promise to stop talking about Boss pitch shifters when the brand stops making such outrageously good ones. This Harmonist model is a slightly different beast to the XS pedals above, with a tighter focus on adding harmonies to your signal.
It takes some mastering, but the PS-6 opens up interesting possibilities for adventurous musicians. Set it to produce three-voice harmonies (taking care to use the minor/major selector) and it’ll make your individual notes sound positively choral. Meanwhile, its seven-octave ‘S-bend’ pitch shifting range can transpose your sound further than the average competing pedal, creating astonishing swoops in your frequency. Max out the fall time setting to enter a wonderland of squelchy squeals.
Best workstation pitch-shifter: Electro-Harmonix POG3
If you could make your guitar sound like an organ at will, why wouldn’t you? This is one of the many possibilities wrapped up in the byzantine knobs and faders of the POG3 – the latest and most sophisticated model from EHX’s line of polyphonic octave generators.
Our reviewer loved getting to grips with this workstation pedal, which retains a lo-fi spirit despite its high complexity (and price). It’s easy enough to dive right in with up octaves, down octaves, envelope filtering and more – and once you’ve got to grips with tweaking all of the pedal’s synth-like parameters, you can start saving your creations to its 100 preset slots.
Need more? Read our Electro-Harmonix POG3 review.
Best for experimental sounds: EarthQuaker Devices Data Corrupter
As you may have gathered, we’re now travelling towards the experimental fringes of the pitch shifting universe, and the EQD Data Corrupter takes the bizarro biscuit.
These days, most pitch shifter pedals are (ostensibly) polyphonic – they work with chords – but here we have a monophonic specialist that’s meant for shifting single notes in some of the weirdest and coolest-sounding ways imaginable. It converts the signal to a fuzzy square wave, splits it into octaves or harmonies, and spits a glorious cacophony that’s better heard than described.
EQD pedals are often one of two things: pointedly simple or intimidatingly elaborate. This one’s the latter, with plentiful voicing, sub-harmonics and pitch oscillation controls to exercise the mind, before it’s blown.
Best doubler: TC Electronic Mimiq Doubler
Doubling is a technique that’s been used to thicken guitar sounds in studio recordings since the heyday of Abbey Road. The guitarist is recorded twice playing the same part, and the two subtly different recordings are put together to create a fuller sound.
Subtle pitch shifting – in the form of detuning – is one of several tricks that the clever Mimiq Mini Doubler uses to reproduce the sound of studio doubling in a live context, along with other nods to human unpredictability like variations in timing and attack. You can use the pedal’s ‘tightness’ knob to narrow or widen the gap between the dry and wet signals, which can both be dialled up or down via their own respective controls.
Best ring-modulator: DOD Gonkulator
If you haven’t gonkulated in the last decade or so, then it’s high time to give DOD’s classic ring modulator pedal another stomp. For us, the Gonkulator is at its best when it’s used to add an unhinged, uncanny feeling to riffs, arpeggios and chromatic runs. Some guitarists won’t find much use for this pedal, but our reviewer certainly had fun combining its abrasive, sci-fi sounds with other effects like looping, delay and reverb. Compared to the vintage unit, too, this modern reissue has moved the carrier frequency control to an external knob rather than an internal trim-pot.
Need more? Read our DOD Gonkulator review.
Why You Can Trust Us
Every year, Guitar.com reviews a huge variety of new products – from the biggest launches to cool boutique effects – and our expert guitar reviewers have decades of collective experience, having played everything from Gibson ’59 Les Pauls to the cheapest Squiers.
That means that when you click on a Guitar.com buyer’s guide, you’re getting the benefit of all that experience to help you make the best buying decision for you. What’s more, every guide written on Guitar.com was put together by a guitar obsessive just like you. You can trust that every product recommended in those guides is something that we’d be happy to have in our own rigs.
The post The best pitch shifters for guitarists: from Boss and DigiTech classics to sound-bending oddities appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
RhPf Electronics Mosphoros review – this boutique drive pedal doesn’t have any tone controls… or does it?
CHF149/£149/€179/$199, rhpfelectronics.com
Choosing a new overdrive pedal these days is like looking for a needle in… well, a massive bucket full of needles. If you’re looking for something with an interesting angle to set itself apart from the crowd, consider the RhPf Electronics Mosphoros: a drive pedal that has three gain knobs and no EQ controls.
That’s not quite the whole story, though, because it is possible to adjust the tonality of this MOSFET-powered crunch machine – just not in the way you’re probably used to.
Image: Richard Purvis
What is it?
RhPf isn’t the snappiest of brand names, but they don’t like to make a fuss of themselves in Switzerland. This is the same company behind the Mosrawr, a high-gain fuzz aimed at pedal-stacking shoegazers, yet the Mosphoros lies right at the other end of the dirt scale: it’s a transparent overdrive, designed for organic tones and touch sensitivity.
The two main controls are for gain and output level, but what’s going on with the two mini knobs below? These are also for increasing the gain, but in specific frequency zones, so basically you’ve got separate (though interactive) bassy drive and trebly drive dials.
In theory, this offers plenty of tonal control without the need for a standard tonestack – and with the bonus of a huge dirt range, from clean boosting to what designer Thomas Besse calls “harmonic mayhem” with all three gain knobs maxed out. In practice? Let’s find out.
Image: Richard Purvis
Sounds
You have to get used to a new way of navigating with this thing. For a clean starting point, set all three gain controls at minimum and level at max – this is a perfect match for the bypass sound, with just a teeny sliver of added hiss. And from there, you’ve got three different ways to mess things up.
The tonal overlap between the mini knobs is such that going really bright and thin or dark and flabby is not on the table – really it’s all about subtle variations on the transparent theme – but this pedal has two key things on its side. One is that its fundamental voice is very nice indeed; the other is that the promised extra-wide gain range is delivered in style.
MOSFET overdrives are known for offering natural and amp-like breakup, and that’s never been more true than it is here. My main reference for transparent drive is the divine EarthQuaker Devices Special Cranker; the Mosphoros can come pretty close to the Cranker’s perfect purity, but with a looser feel and a slightly softer attack – at least until you hit the strings hard to bring out the rasp.
Blues players looking for a low-gain option to add smooth grit will have no trouble finding it here, while rockers in need of more full-on crunch will be equally satisfied. The nuclear option of all three gain knobs at full blast is fearsome but by no means unmanageable, and there’s just enough flexibility in tweaking the trio’s relative levels to ensure every guitar/amp combination can find its best voice. The touch sensitivity, meanwhile, remains impeccable even at fairly feisty settings.
Image: Richard Purvis
Should I buy one?
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, this one. The Mosphoros is defined by the ingenious individuality of its design, but in sound terms it’s actually pretty orthodox. What this means, I think, is that it’s the overdrive to get if you’re happy with classic MOSFET drive tones but like the idea of being able to tune them in a way that feels more ‘embedded’ than simple filtering.
As a considerable bonus – one that I probably should have mentioned earlier – it’s one of the coolest-looking dirt pedals I’ve seen in a long time, especially when you switch it on and those ghoulish eyes glow orange.
Image: Richard Purvis
Alternatives
A list of good transparent-ish overdrive pedals would end up longer than the rest of the review, so let’s stick to MOSFET options. The lovely Blackstone Appliances Mosfet Overdrive ($260) has become something of a stompbox legend, but more mainstream options include the Wampler Mofetta ($200/£185) and Electro-Harmonix OD Glove ($82/£70).
The post RhPf Electronics Mosphoros review – this boutique drive pedal doesn’t have any tone controls… or does it? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Review: Audeze LCD-S20 review: Planar Magnetic Technology Headphones For The Recording Studio
By: Carlos Martin Schwab
Launched in April 2025, these headphones were designed primarily as a closed-back circumaural model for Audeze’s professional studio line—with a particular focus on tracking monitoring—introducing the brand’s planar magnetic technology to a more affordable pair of closed-back headphones.
The construction of the Audeze LCD-S20 headphones stands out for its distinctly professional and industrial design, based on a robust chassis that combines aluminum forks, magnesium parts, steel spring arches, and glass-reinforced nylon components. They feature closed-back ear cups with internal acoustic damping and 90-mm planar magnetic transducers, complemented by a headband with a suspension strap that distributes pressure and incorporates a magnetic system for easily swapping out the gel-filled ear pads.
Audeze’s patented SLAM
(Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator) technology integrates precision-engineered channels into the coupling ring between the ear cups and its 90 mm planar-magnetic transducers to manage internal air pressures, tuning the low frequencies to deliver an extremely impactful, deep, and distortion-free bass response.
By balancing airflow dynamics in a closed-back design, SLAM dramatically improves instrumental separation and delivers outstanding stereo imaging. Among its pros are the exceptional durability of its metal components, excellent passive isolation (ideal for studio recording without sound leakage), ease of maintenance thanks to its replaceable components, and the great functional versatility of its interchangeable cable input, which allows it to be connected to either ear cup.
On the downside, the closed-back design and planar driver system bring the total weight up to 550 grams, making them a fairly heavy model that can cause some fatigue due to weight or pressure after very long sessions. Additionally, the headphones aren’t foldable, and no hard case or carrying pouch is included, which makes them less practical for taking them outside a fixed location. In other words, forget about using them in different recording studios or for field recordings. In this regard, Audeze cut corners where it shouldn’t have.
The Audeze LCD-S20 has a dark sound profile. The bass is deep, fast, and punchy, without interfering with the midrange thanks to SLAM-controlled airflow, maintaining impact without distortion. The mids are clean, direct, and natural, with a wide, three-dimensional stereo image. In the treble, the response is somewhat subdued, characterized by an intentional roll-off at the highest frequencies; this gradual roll-off softens harshness and sibilance, ensuring fatigue-free listening (check the blue line at the graphic below).
One misleading feature is their low impedance (18 Ω), which, according to Audeze, allows them to be used with laptops and portable players. When I first started using them, I realized I needed to adjust the monitoring output on my audio interface to nearly the same level as my 250 Ω Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro or DT 1990 Pro headphones. Here’s why: to determine a headphone’s volume performance, you need to consider both impedance and sensitivity. The Audeze LCD-S20 has relatively low sensitivity (93 dB/1 mW), while the 250 Ω Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro and DT 1990 Pro have 96 dB/1 mW.
For a headphone to be “easy to drive,” it requires low impedance (electrical resistance) and high sensitivity (efficiency in converting milliwatts into actual volume). Even if you can achieve a high volume with a portable player, the headphones will lack dynamic headroom: the bass loses impact, and the stereo soundstage becomes narrower. In other words, they fall short in dynamic performance if they don’t receive enough current. Since the LCD-S20 are planar and have low sensitivity, they require a lot of electrical current (milliamps). In conclusion, these headphones require a dedicated amplifier or a high-quality audio interface to deliver the sound they’re capable of.
There’s something audiophiles need to understand about recording studios: 1) despite the risk of listener fatigue, we prefer to listen with full detail in the midrange and high frequencies because we protect ourselves from listener fatigue by taking silent breaks, and 2) both hardware and software are work tools where it’s far more important for the user to understand their sound and limitations in detail than their quality, and that there are specific tools for specific tasks.
And that’s why there are many cases where, in numerous studios, you’ll find equipment that has become an industry standard, such as the Sony MDR 7506 headphones for tracking and the 250 Ω Beyerdynamic 1990 Pro headphones for mixing. In my recording studio, I always make the tracking using headphones. For this task, my go-to headphones are the Sony MDR 7506, which are a standard in tracking monitoring because their boost in the 2–10 kHz range acts like a magnifying glass for imperfections, bringing unwanted noise to light: lip smacks, harsh sibilance (annoying “S” sounds), background noise, out-of-tune notes, or editing clicks. Considering that the Audeze LCD-S20 has a dark sound profile—the opposite of the Sony MDR 7506—I don’t recommend them for studio tracking.
In large recording studios, tracking headphones have always followed two simple rules, regardless of their sound: 1) they must be quickly and easily adjustable for any user, and 2) the cable enters the left earcup. Given the difficulty in adjusting the Audeze LCD-S20, they are intended for use in small recording studios where the interchangeable cable input is a useful feature.
The width of the stereo image in closed-back headphones is determined primarily by the internal acoustics of the ear cup, the orientation and size of the transducer, and the frequency response tuning. Because this is a sealed design that traps air and reflects sound waves within the chamber, the width depends on the headphone’s ability to manage internal sound pressure and control resonance. The angled placement of the drivers mimics the natural arrival of sound at the outer ear, while damping technologies and fine-tuned equalization in the treble and upper-midrange create the spatial illusion of separation and stereo imaging. In this regard, the Audeze headphones are unrivaled in my studio.
I don’t like to mix using headphones, but I always check my mixes with my Beyerdynamic 770 Pro and DT 1990 Pro—both 250 Ω models—to review the details, especially positioning within the stereo image, and keeping in mind that many people listen to music using headphones. For years now, it’s been common to use headphone calibration systems to flatten their frequency response curve, especially when using headphones for mixing. The most popular ones are Sonarworks SoundID Reference (software-based) and IK Multimedia ARC ON-EAR (hardware + software).
I use the latter because its hardware allows me to work with zero latency. The ARC ON-EAR correction enhances the Audeze LCD-S20 to such a high standard that they have replaced the 770 Pro in my closed-back headphone mix checks. In the graph, shown above, the blue curve shows the frequency response of the Audeze LCD-S20, and the orange line shows the response corrected by the ARC ON-EAR system.
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.
Fender continues 75th anniversary celebrations for its Telecaster and Precision Bass – including a “meticulous tribute” to the Nocaster
Fender is continuing to celebrate 75 years of the Telecaster and Precision Bass with even more Anniversary models, including a tribute to the nameless Nocaster.
A range of new guitars join the previously unveiled P-Bass 75th Anniversary models that landed in May, and a range of Teles that arrived in March – including a new Cabronita model.
This latest drop consists of a number of P-Bass and Tele models that integrate archival finishes, classic and peculiar models of the past, and modern features that offer a contemporary take on their historic features.
Let’s dive into each one…
75th Anniversary American Vintage II 1951 Nocaster
In 1951, between the end of the Broadcaster name and the dawn of the Telecaster, Fender shipped guitars with no model name on the headstock. This ‘Nocaster’ documents a peculiar window in electric guitar history; informed by a telegram from Gretsch that the ‘Broadkaster’ name had been registered for a drum kit, Fender began clipping the Broadcaster name from headstock decals until the new Telecaster decals were delivered.
The 75th Anniversary American Vintage II 1951 Nocaster features an ash body finished in Nocaster Blonde and an exclusive Heirloom Lacquer treatment. It has a ’51 U-shaped maple neck with a 7.25” radius fingerboard and vintage tall frets.
True to the Nocaster specifications, the 12th fret face-dot spacing is narrow and the sole single Phillips-head fastener on the guitar is at the truss rod nut. Elsewhere, it has a triple brass saddle bridge and single-line Fender Deluxe tuners, while the 75th Anniversary Blackguard Telecaster pickups honour the guitar’s lineage.
Credit: Fender
75th Anniversary Player II Baritone Telecaster
This Baritone model offers a Modern C-profile, a rosewood or maple fingerboard, 22 medium jumbo frets, and a 27” scale length – ideal for players seeking access to lower registers. Fitted with Player Series Alnico V Single-Coil Tele pickups and a 3-way blade, it’s completed by a 6-saddle bridge, block steel saddles and ClassicGear tuners. This one is available in 3-Color Sunburst and Black with a Rosewood Fingerboard, or Lake Placid Blue and Butterscotch Blonde, both with a Maple Fingerboard.
Credit: Fender
75th Anniversary Player II Telecaster
Bringing a contemporary take to the Tele, this Anniversary Player II model also offers a Modern C-profile with satin urethane finish and a 9.5”-radius slab rosewood or maple fingerboard with rolled edges. It hosts 22 medium jumbo frets, and players get a choice between alder, chambered ash or chambered mahogany bodies available in Daphne Blue and Seafoam Green with a Rosewood Fingerboard, or Candy Apple Red and Aztec Gold with a Maple Fingerboard. This model is powered by Player Series Alnico V Single-Coil Tele pickups, accompanied by a 3-way blade switch, a 6-saddle bridge, block steel saddles and ClassicGear tuners.
Credit: Fender
75th Anniversary Player II Precision Bass
This Player II Precision Bass is “primed for today’s players”, according to the Big F. It has a Modern C-profile with a satin urethane finish on the back, a 9.5”-radius slab rosewood or maple fingerboard with rolled edges, and 20 medium jumbo frets.
An alder body is available in both classic Fender finishes and never-before-seen colours unearthed from the archives: Daphne Blue and Seafoam Green with a Rosewood Fingerboard, or Candy Apple Red and Aztec Gold with a Maple Fingerboard. Player Series Alnico V Split-Coil P Bass pickups power tone, while an adjustable 4-saddle bridge, single-groove steel saddles and open-gear tuners aid tuning stability.
Credit: Fender
To find out more about the 75th anniversary collection, visit Fender.
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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.
Joe Bonamassa reveals the vast number of his Gibson and Epiphone signature guitars that have sold over the years
It will soon be 20 years since Joe Bonamassa released his first signature model with Gibson, and ahead of the milestone he’s provided an estimate on how many of his signature models with Gibson and Epiphone have sold overall so far.
JoBo’s first signature was a Custom Shop ‘Inspired By’ Gold Top Les Paul model, which was released as a drop of only 300. The model sold quickly, unexpectedly for Bonamassa at the time, opening the gate to more opportunities for further guitars over the years.
During his appearance with Eric Dahl on the Gear Gab podcast, Bonamassa begins to reflect, “Mat Koehler over at Gibson told me that next year is the 20th anniversary. Time flies! We originally started with 300 Custom Shop ‘Inspired By’ Les Pauls, that was my take on an old Gold Top.
“The late great Pat Foley was the one that basically approached me about that. Rick Gembar, who was the head of the Custom Shop at Gibson at the time, he was the one that green lit the whole thing. I don’t think they were expecting to sell those kinds of guitars that fast, especially because I was not as well known, but for some reason they sold really fast and we did other ones. ”
He adds, “We did other Custom Shop ones and then we did… I mean, there’s probably Custom Shop JB ones, there’s maybe a couple thousand out there. I know there’s at least 20,000 Epiphones out there, so we’re vastly approaching 25,000 Gibsons over the last 20 years.”
Watch the full podcast below:
On a similar note, Bonamassa has teamed up with Martin again for two new signature models inspired by his 1937 Martin 00-18 shade-top. The collaboration consists of the 00-18 Joe Bonamassa and 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa – two acoustic guitars that aim to give players the look and feel of the blues maestro’s treasured pre-war 00-18.
The post Joe Bonamassa reveals the vast number of his Gibson and Epiphone signature guitars that have sold over the years appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Walrus Audio’s new Canvas Expression pedal has no mechanical parts for better reliability
Walrus Audio has introduced a new addition to its Canvas Series, an expression pedal that promises minimal wear and tear overtime.
Building on its Canvas Volume pedal that launched earlier this year, Canvas Expression is said to offer smooth control without “the mechanical compromises of traditional expression pedals” thanks to its sensor operation.
Walrus Audio describes it as a “command centre” rather than a typical pedal, providing a control hub for compatible devices through Expression, MIDI, USB-C or CV, making it adaptable to pedalboards, synths, and computer-based rigs.
- READ MORE: Red Panda RD-1 Pitch Delay review – a clever compact delay with multiple note-manipulating tricks
Engineered in Oklahoma City, Canvas Expression relies on a contactless precision magnetic position sensor for smoother operation and improved reliability, unlike conventional designs that rely on strings, gears, or potentiometers. With this modern take, the brand says it delivers “consistent performance with no mechanical parts to stretch, slip, or wear out”.
Users get simultaneous control over multiple devices at one time, and there are multiple analogue 1/4” expression connection options such as expression, CV and switch signals.
Using the Canvas Expression web editor, musicians can also further customise tapers, wiring, MIDI CC and PC assignments, CV settings, switch behaviour, and more to optimise compatibility with a wide array of setups.
Credit: Walrus Audio
Walrus Audio’s Canvas Series also features a number of other nifty tools like DI boxes and the Canvas Tuner, Clock, and even its own Rehearsal tool. The series aims to deliver the “cleanest, clearest signal possible throughout your rig”.
Outside of the Canvas range, we’ve included a number of Walrus Audio tools in some of our top roundups. We highlighted the Walrus Audio Fundamental Distortion in our guide to the best distortion pedals, and its Fundamental Ambient reverb in our top picks for the best pedals for beginners.
Walrus Audio’s Canvas Expression is available now for $299.99. Find out more via the Walrus Audio website.
The post Walrus Audio’s new Canvas Expression pedal has no mechanical parts for better reliability appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Okay, Hans, no need to hurt my feelings!”: Johnny Marr reveals the brutal but helpful expletive-laden advice he once got from Hans Zimmer
Back in 2010, legendary composer Hans Zimmer roped in Johnny Marr to feature on his latest film project – that’s how The Smiths legend wound up performing a 12-string electric on the Inception soundtrack. Zimmer was so impressed that he’s enlisted Marr for plenty of projects ever since. However, things could have ended at Inception if Zimmer hasn’t given Marr a stern pep talk.
Despite being a renowned axeman, Marr used to be pretty coy about his guitar skills. When first faced with Zimmer 16 years ago, the guitarist was too reserved – and Zimmer wasn’t having it. Sensing that Marr was holding back, the composer quickly knocked some sense into him. “When I was younger I was too reverential,” Marr admits in the latest issue of MOJO. “Hans Zimmer had to tell me that – ‘I got you in to sound like Johnny Fucking Marr, so get on with it!’”
While Marr jokes “Okay, Hans, no need to hurt my feelings!”, Zimmer was right. Marr wasn’t living up to his name or legacy – so he made sure to bring everything to the table from that day on. “It was a good lesson learned,” he says. “These days I think I know what people want me to bring [to a recording session].”
In the years since their first collaboration, Marr has also given Zimmer some helpful advice in return. In fact, in 2015, Marr began to encourage Zimmer to pick up his own guitar and start performing live. “[He said it had] came to the point now where I have to look the audience in the eye, where I can’t hide behind a screen anymore, and I need to get out there and confront humanity,” the composer explained on CBC’s Q with Tom Power podcast last year.
Just as Zimmer had encouraged Marr to be more confident in his skills. And Zimmer decided to take his advice, even performing guitar for Pharrell Williams at the 2015 Grammy Awards. “At that moment, I thought only an idiot would say no,” Zimmer noted. “That sort of started the whole thing up.”
That’s how Zimmer began embarking on tours to perform his soundtracks live, with the first tour coming in 2016. “It’s all Johnny Marr’s fault, really,” he told Irish News in 2016. “He talked me into doing a concert, then another, then another and now a tour. There I was, trapped away in my little room with no windows for 30 years, and now I’m playing arenas.”
“I always had [stage fright], and it was Johnny making me go on stage that got me out there each time we’ve performed,” he added. “He was always saying, ‘Come on, you can do it, you’ve got to’, and I got out there. You can’t not do something in life just because you are afraid of it. You cannot let fear rule your life; you just have to throw yourself at the mercy of humanity. If I mess up, people will be kind about it.”
Elsewhere in the MOJO interview, Marr also reflected on how another legend’s advice reframed his sadness over The Smiths breakup – namely, Beatles icon Paul McCartney. “I just told him about the break-up of the band,” he remembers. “I looked to him and waited and he just said, ‘That’s bands for you.’ It’s such a brilliant answer coming from him.”
“Over the years, I’ve been asked to give advice,” he continues. “There is just a time to say, ‘That’s bands for you.’”
Johnny Marr’s new album, The Age of Everything, drops on 2 October. You can pre-order it now.
The post “Okay, Hans, no need to hurt my feelings!”: Johnny Marr reveals the brutal but helpful expletive-laden advice he once got from Hans Zimmer appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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