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Fender has embarked on an ambitious redesign of its website, signalling an evolution from an online store and commerce destination to a “connected global digital ecosystem”.

Designed to “deepen Fender’s relationship with players and fans at every stage of their musical journey”, the new Fender.com introduces a number of bold new features aimed at making guitarists’ buying journeys more streamlined. 

They include Ask Fender, a new AI-powered chatbot-style tool which helps musicians find the perfect instrument for them via natural language prompts, as well as new sound demos that showcase the sound of Fender gear directly on Fender.com.

• READ MORE: Fender says it’s cancelled pickup hum forever with its potentially game-changing new Silent System

There’s also the new integration of My Fender and Fender Play to enhance the experience of customers beyond the point of purchase, as well as new “enhanced artist content”, via a planned five-show concert series with performances from Dinosaur Jr., Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, Steve Gunn, Thurston Moore Group, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Mike Kinsella of American Football and Snail Mail.

Ultimately, the newly relaunched Fender.com is built around six core pillars:

1. Discover: Brings together products, artists and stories to make it easier for players to discover what inspires them
2. Understand: Improved product education, navigation and comparison tools to ensure buying with confidence
3. Choose: New AI-powered Ask Fender tool – launching first in the US
4. Experience: Hear instruments via integrated sound demos
5. Buy: Simplified shopping journeys, improved product pages, streamlined checkout
6. Connect: CRM, My Fender, product registration, Fender Play and personalised content all under one roof

“This is about more than a new website. We’ve reimagined Fender.com, empowering players to shape their own journey. Moving beyond a traditional ecommerce platform, it’s a place where people can discover new gear, find what’s right for them and connect with the brand,” says Kelly Magrath, Fender Interim Chief Marketing Officer. 

“Fender.com is also a destination for fans and music lovers, with original stories and content that celebrates the artists, players and culture that make music so meaningful. Our new digital experience is designed to create a deeper connection with players and fans everywhere.”

“For 80 years, Fender has been part of the connection between musicians, fans, artists and the music culture that brings people together,” adds CEO Edward “Bud” Cole. 

“As the way people find inspiration continues to evolve, so does Fender. The new Fender.com brings that experience full circle, making it easier to find the right instrument, explore the artists and stories that inspire us, and connect with Fender in entirely new ways. It’s an invitation into our world, built for everyone who loves music.”

Check out the new Fender.com now…

The post Fender’s new website has an AI chatbot that helps you find your perfect guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

To some, purchasing an intentionally-aged guitar is a faux-pas. But whole you may think they’re corny, if you approach them with the right attitude, relic’d instruments can be great fun to play. And while you can pay top dollar for an ultra-authentic aged finish, maybe the answer to your aged guitar desires lies at the other end of the price spectrum.

Take, for example, the new aged JA-60 from Harley Benton. The JA-60 looks great out of the box, with a lightly-aged shell-pink finish with some classic offset vibes, at a very reasonable price for its spec-sheet: it’s loaded with Alnico pickups, a caramelised maple neck and high-quality hardware. Might a more affordable relic like this be what you’re looking for?

More than meets the eye

Cynics will tell you that relic’ing is just a cheesy aesthetic choice – but that’s not quite true. Features like an aged neck aren’t just for show – they can really change the playing experience, with a smoother, satin feel. And because of the pre-aged look, you won’t be ‘ruining’ the aesthetic of your shiny new guitar if you take a scotchbrite to it for an even more played-in feel.

But, one of the most appealing aspects of aged guitars – authentically or otherwise – is the stories they can tell. A high-end ageing job can be a fantastic work of art in itself – but if it set you back by half a year’s salary, you might still be trepidatious about adding your own wear and tear to the picture. A more affordable relic, on the other hand, may prove to be a more inviting canvas for your own story, leaving you free to play it how and where you want to.

A different attitude

In a lot of ways, relics and affordable instruments go hand in hand – they both encourage you to play them hard, and not to worry too much about messing them up. This unlocks a bit of a different attitude on stage or, indeed, when walking through doorways holding the guitar.

Even if you don’t have an ultra-heavy picking hand or intend to put a guitar through its paces, gigs are gigs – guitars get put down on messy stages, headstocks knock into mic stands, audience members throw various drinks and sharp objects at you – this is the sort of stuff you might not want to subject a high-end custom-shop guitar to – even if its a heavy relic.

Plus, for something like the JA-60, an offset that evokes some noise-rock heritage, you can really lean into some more aggressive and extended playing techniques without fear. You may feel a little less keen to kick a five-grand guitar across a stage or play it with a screwdriver…

The best thing a guitar can feel like is yours, and a played-in look and feel goes a long way to you bonding with an instrument. More affordable relics can be a really cool unique playing experience that lets the guitar itself start telling your story sooner. So next time you’re looking for an aged guitar, maybe try chopping a zero off the end of your budget – you might find yourself having a lot more fun.

Find out more at Thomann.

The post Is an affordable relic more fun? Exploring Harley Benton’s new Aged Series appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Plenty of acts in the punk/post-punk era had something to say about the generation that came before them, typically uncomplimentary. Not known for keeping his opinions close to his chest, Elvis Costello has revealed he’s kept that fire burning in a new interview, in which he expresses a general displeasure for Pink Floyd‘s music.

Speaking to The Guardian, Costello admits to a dislike of Pink Floyd, calling their music “dreary”. When quizzed about the song he can no longer listen to, the singer-songwriter reveals (and perhaps overshares) that he avoids “anything by Pink Floyd”, when asked about the song he would no longer listen to. “Never could, never will. I find their music dreary. I love the imagination and playfulness of See Emily Play, but after Syd Barrett left they just never appealed to me.”

• READ MORE: The time Cliff Burton broke up a massive brawl at a Metallica show with a hammer: “It was f**king legendary”
  

Costello’s hits started to arrive in the late 1970s, most notably with Oliver’s Army in February 1979. Coincidentally, Pink Floyd’s biggest hit single, Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2, also appeared in 1979, and both are essentially protest songs.

To Costello’s credit, his dislike of Pink Floyd is not a general rejection of that generation of music – Elvis Costello and the Attractions emerged in the post-punk/new wave era – as he’s far more generous about Jimi Hendrix. When quizzed about the first song he fell in love with, Costello cited The Wind Cries Mary, stating that it “came out in 1967 when I was 12. Hendrix was known for outgoing music, but I was a romantic soul, so the emotional side of his music led to that strain in my own writing.”

Costello is promoting a new release of his 1977 debut album, My Aim Is True, which was produced by Nick Lowe. While the original UK version of the album was issued without the song, the US release included Watching The Detectives, his first hit on both sides of the Atlantic. My Aim Is True – 49th Edition includes multiple versions of Watching The Detectives, including the original single.

In other news, Pink Floyd recently teamed up with the Royal Mint to launch a limited run of 18-carat gold picks worth nearly six grand apiece…

The post Elvis Costello calls this iconic ’70s rock band “dreary” and claims he can’t listen to anything by them appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Moshing is a staple part of most heavy metal shows. But for the most part, they remain a relatively peaceful affair. But that’s not to say they don’t sometimes descend into madness.

Back in 1984, a fledgling Metallica – James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton and Lars Ulrich, all in their early 20s at the time – made their first foray to Finland, and arrived in style with a raucous show at the Tarvashovi rock club near Lieto in the southwest. 150 punters had turned out to attend, unaware many of them would later take part in a massive brawl.

The fray was sparked by an altercation between the band’s lighting technician, Tony Zed and a Finnish schoolgirl, who was startled by Zed whooping loudly upon his entrance, and stood up and punched him in the face [via Metal Hammer]. Zed returned a blow, and chaos, understandably, erupted.

• READ MORE: “F**k you! I wanna talk to Gates!”: A drunk Van Halen fan once got so angry trying to build a fan site he rang up Microsoft and demanded to speak to Bill Gates

Local metalheads, upon hearing of the altercation, set out to find Zed and dish out vengeance, and a massive brawl ultimately took place between them and the band and crew.

“The whole fucking place was just this big scrap going on, and everybody was in the audience, all the band and crew. It was madness,” recalls the band’s sound engineer “Big” Mick Hughes.

And how do you bring a heap of brawling men under control. As Cliff Burton discovered, with the threat of escalation…

As the story goes, while on tour, the late bass player – who passed away in a tragic tour bus crash in 1986 – carried with him a hammer. “You never know when you might need it,” he once told a French customs officer who quizzed him on his need to carry the item upon entry into the country.

“When you might need it” turned out to be during a brawl in southwest Finland in ‘84, and Burton called upon James Hetfield’s guitar tech Andy Battye to fetch his weapon. Armed and ready, Burton entered the fray with the hammer above his head, warning all around to back off and calm down.

“The sight of Cliff slowly and surely wading into the insane mass of scrapping people with a hammer was fucking legendary,” Mick Hughes recalled.

Miraculously, it worked, and the fracas dissipated, allowing Metallica to play their set and end a fraught debut Finland show on a high.

Metallica have come a long way since those early days, and recently commence their highly anticipated residency at the Las Vegas Sphere. Check out a clip from some of their first shows at the mega-venue below:

The post The time Cliff Burton broke up a massive brawl at a Metallica show with a hammer: “It was f**king legendary” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

€299/£259/$349, crazytubecircuits.com

I’ve just spent half the morning staring at the Crazy Tube Circuits White Whale Junior, trying to decide whether it’s a big small pedal or a small big pedal. This combined spring reverb and analogue tremolo unit doesn’t look large enough for something with ‘Whale’ in its name, and it doesn’t look little enough to be a ‘Junior’. What it does look is… slightly weird.

• READ MORE: Source Audio Pathways review: “a pedal that sits comfortably between the worlds of modernity and tradition”

You see, this is a cut-down version of a very large pedal indeed – the White Whale V2 – and there’s only so much shrinking you can do when you’re getting your reverb from real springs. So what we end up with is something in the form factor of a compact stompbox, but one that’s been going hard on the protein supplements. That could still be a winning formula for a lot of players – as long as it sounds right.

Image: Adam Gasson

What is it?

CTC describes the White Whale Junior as “possibly the world’s smallest fully analogue real spring reverb and amp-style tremolo” – and I’m not sure the ‘possibly’ is really necessary. For the record, it’s about 15cm (6in) long by 8cm (just over 3in) wide, and 5cm (2in) deep, not including the knobs and switches. You might be thinking that’s too small to hold a reverb tank, but the pedal is the tank, with the three-spring Accutronics assembly mounted to the baseplate.

Tremolo and reverb each get their own soft-touch bypass footswitch, and these have been pushed right to the edges of the enclosure to leave a lummox-proof gap between them. The control knobs are actually the same as on the full-size pedal: speed, intensity and output volume for the tremolo; dwell, mix, tone and output volume for the reverb.

The only thing you don’t get is the White Whale V2’s trio of toggle switches – so the effect order is fixed at reverb first, the tremolo only has one mode instead of three (a sort of optical/bias hybrid), and the reverb length is fixed. Mind you, seeing as the dwell knob controls the gain going to the springs, pushing it will naturally make the vibrations audible for longer.

Image: Adam Gasson

Build quality and usability

The White Whale Junior looks like a brick and it feels like one too – I’ve never had an issue with a CTC pedal, and this one is as solidly built as ever despite the unorthodox stuff going on inside. And the spring unit is a miniature work of art, even if some purists might bemoan the fact that Accutronics reverbs are made in Korea these days. The pedal itself is of course built in Greece.

The control array all looks pretty straightforward except for the indulgence of having separate volume knobs for the tremolo and the reverb. Wouldn’t a single one have done? Or even none at all? Well, yes. But as we’ll see a few paragraphs further on, that would be much less fun…

Image: Adam Gasson

Sounds

One of the joys of real springs is that they can be set a-jangling by any kind of movement or impact, and that’s very much the case here – ker-splash, cha-clang, pi-zoinggg! You might consider this good news if you’re a fan of Joey Santiago’s amp-whacking noise effects (or the ‘kick pad’ on the old Danelectro Spring King), but it does have a downside: an accidental knock to the side of the enclosure will make it resound like a nuclear explosion in a tin bath, and even tapping one of the footswitches too hard can set it off.

So this pedal needs to be treated with a certain amount of care and respect… at least until you plug in a guitar and get playing. Then you can really start enjoying yourself.

I’ve hardly mentioned the tremolo up to now, so let’s start with that. It’s supposed to be amp-like and it absolutely is, with a smoothly organic shape that’s instantly engaging. The speed and intensity controls give you all the scope you could wish for, covering everything from a lazy throb to a rapid-fire judder, but the secret weapon here is the volume knob.

Plenty of tremolo pedals let you bump up the output to compensate for a perceived drop in level, but this one goes much further, packing a proper clean boost that could be almost as useful as the trem itself.

Even better, the reverb circuit’s volume knob does exactly the same thing – so even if you set one or both effect mixes to zero, you’ve got a mighty tasty boost pedal offering three footswitchable settings: a slight lift on one side, a bigger one on the other, and a bandmate-frightening option with both at once.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the reverb. It’s full of the joys of springs: bold and bouncy, with lashings of spanky character, and easily balanced with the dry signal for just as much surf-ready splashiness as you need. The absence of a switch for changing the decay length really doesn’t feel like a major issue.

The dwell control lets you crank up the intensity if you want to, but the only disappointment is that this reverb doesn’t have a mellow setting. Turning down the tone knob will take the edge off, but even at minimum it sounds brighter and lighter than the full-size spring reverbs in my amps. Maybe a lack of tonal depth is the price you have to pay for smallness – but that won’t bother you if you’ve only come for the surfing.

Image: Adam Gasson

Should I buy one?

If you’re tempted by the grown-up White Whale but have been put off by its pedalboard-hogging dimensions, this is probably the solution you’ve been waiting for. That is, as long as you don’t need harmonic tremolo, which the Junior doesn’t have – arguably the biggest compromise CTC has had to make here.

The only other reason to avoid this pedal is if you like your reverb on the warm and subdued side – for that, you might have to go digital (or much bigger). But step this way for zingy springs and sweet tremolo in one relatively manageable box.

Alternatives

The aforementioned White Whale V2 (€349/£299/$385) is a whopper, but not a whole lot more expensive than the Junior model – and it has a harmonic tremolo mode. The zany Gamechanger Audio Light Pedal (€379/£329/$399) uses springs for reverb, tremolo and more; but if you just want real spring reverb on its own, you do have an even smaller option in the Danelectro Spring King Junior ($199/£179).

The post Crazy Tube Circuits White Whale Junior review – real spring reverb and analogue tremolo in a compact pedal appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

October 2nd. And I should have thought this out better. I started with Moonshadow – just because it was in my head – and realized pretty quickly I was winging it without a plan. That’s kind of how this week went. Cat Stevens on the brain, a fascinating chord voicing question from the Forum, and […]

The post Cat Stevens, Major 7 Chords, And A Mystery Song That Grabbed Me And Wouldn’t Let Go appeared first on On The Beat with Totally Guitars.

Cort Guitars officially unveils the KX500 Baritone, a specialized addition to the coveted KX Series. Engineered specifically for players who use low tunings, the instrument addresses the familiar challenges of string tension and note definition associated with dropped registers. By combining a long-scale architecture with premium electronics and hardware, Cort provides a focused solution for heavy music performance that keeps responsiveness and control.

The foundation of the KX500 Baritone is an okoume body, selected for its lightweight properties and ability to deliver a warm, resonant tone with a clear low-end response that keeps heavy sounds tight. The body is topped with an English Walnut veneer, providing a striking grain pattern and a distinctive visual character. To complement the tonal properties of the wood, the instrument is finished in a Matte Natural Black Burst (NBB), using an open-pore application that keeps the organic feel of the materials.

Playability is made easy by a 28.03-inch (712mm) scale length, positioned to provide best string tension for drop tunings while staying transparent to the player. The bolt-on neck features a 5-piece construction of roasted maple and walnut, offering enhanced durability and resonance alongside a comfortable "D" shape profile. A Macassar Ebony fingerboard with a 15.75-inch radius houses 24 jumbo stainless-steel frets, chosen for their smooth feel and long-lasting performance under heavy use. Fretboard navigation is aided by Teardrop position inlays and luminous side dots for visibility in dark stage environments.

The instrument is equipped with a matched Seymour Duncan Sentient and Nazgûl humbucker set, specifically voiced for modern high-gain performance ranging from clean passages to full output. This HH configuration is managed by a streamlined control layout consisting of a single volume knob, a 3-way toggle switch, and tone pot (push/pull for coil-split). These electronics allow for diverse tonal shaping while ensuring the clarity required for complex, low-tuned arrangements.

Reliability and sustain are further supported by a hardware package featuring a new Cort hardtail bridge. This bridge uses a string-thru-body construction to improve resonance across the instrument. At the headstock, Cort Locking Tuners provide tuning stability and ease efficient string changes, while a Graph Tech Black TUSQ nut ensures consistent string vibration. The guitar comes factory-equipped with D'Addario EXL157 strings (.014-.068) and features all-black hardware to match its aggressive aesthetic.

The KX500 Baritone is a commitment to purposeful design for the modern metal and progressive guitarist. For more information on specifications and global availability, please visit the official Cort Guitars website at www.cortguitars.com.

Street Price: $929.99 USD

Question: What's the first—or hardest—guitar solo you ever learned?

Pete Evick, guitarist, the Bret Michaels Band; producer

A: I started playing at such an early age, and tackling some crazy stuff for a 13-year-old with a phonograph, not YouTube. So the hardest solo would have been Randy Rhoads’ lead on “Over the Mountain,” from Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary of a Madman. But it’s relative to the time and tools—as an adult I’ve gone back and learned all my favorite Steve Vai licks, but I did it with the help of modern technology and over 40 years of experience, so it didn’t seem nearly as hard or frustrating. Saying all of that, I still think the hardest thing to execute is Jake E. Lee’s outro solo on Ozzy’s “Bark at the Moon.” Getting that clean and at the right speed is an exercise every guitar player, from any genre, should force themselves to do. It's a full workout for both hands.

Obsession: I’ve been producing music for an awesome guy that goes by the name Timules. It’s this really different, amazing spoken-word-type stuff. Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), who’s a mind-blowing player, Eric Brittingham from Cinderella, and I have all been making this music with him, and it’s just super different and unique.

Tony Houston, reader; guitarist, the Primetime Blues Band

A: In 1971, when I was 21 years old and just starting to learn guitar, I struggled with finding the key of songs and understanding how solos were constructed, despite knowing some basic theory, string names, and scales. That year, I read a lesson in Guitar Player magazine where the author tabbed out George Harrison's solo on “Let It Be.” He explained how he found the key and detailed his process of recording the song from vinyl to a cassette deck so he could rewind it and practice.That single lesson completely transformed my approach to the instrument. Within a week, I began learning songs on my own, and I am still learning them today.

Obsession: I have two current obsessions: I’m back to learning to play better slide guitar. I recently found a Maestro resonator guitar at a yard sale for $25 and am currently perfecting my touch. Back in ’70, I was very fortunate to see the Allman Brothers Band perform in a very small venue, Pappaliski's, here in Dayton, Ohio. I knew about Duane Allman from “Layla,” and wondered how he achieved that guitar sound. I had just started learning guitar, too, and was captivated by his tone. I was gobsmacked to see him live using a small bottle, sliding it up and down his guitar neck.

My other obsession is perfecting the art of making focaccia.

John Bohlinger, columnist; host, Rig Rundown

A: My dad bought Dire Straits’ debut album for me in 1979, shortly after it came out. The “Sultans of Swing” solo became my Mount Everest. Something happens to your brain, spirit, and personality when you put a lot of effort into something that seems impossible at first. The exercise trained my ears, taught me that melodies lie in the chords more than the scales, and gave me confidence that I could actually be a guitar player. Forty-seven years later, I still don’t sound nearly as good as a 28-year-old Mark Knopfler did the day he recorded it.

Obsession: I’m still way into chord voicings. The way Wes Montgomery could pull such amazing melodies out of those color tones in his chords blows my mind.

MONO has announced the company’s newest collaboration with Teisco, introducing fresh limited-edition colors on the Vertigo Electric Guitar Case.

Inspired by the subtle beauty of Japanese design, the latest MONO x Teisco collection introduces three new colorways that pair muted pastel tones with geometric and flowing patterns.

The company describes the three eye-grabbing options: Orange is bold, energetic, and impossible to overlook. Inspired by the warmth of autumn, its interlocking pattern creates rhythm and structure, giving the impression of constant movement. Sage draws from the calmness of the natural world. Understated yet expressive, its flowing pattern evokes a sense of continuity, making it equally at home on the road, backstage, or in the studio. Lavender takes a softer, more contemplative approach, inspired by the quiet colors of the evening sky with an evocative cloud-like pattern.

To launch the new collection, MONO and Teisco have partnered with three artists whose creativity extends beyond their music into their personal style: LAYYI, Marco of Bellied Star, and Marian Carmel. Their creative identities make them the perfect artists to showcase the next evolution of the MONO x Teisco collaboration.

Built on MONO's award-winning Vertigo platform, the cases combine bold aesthetics with the premium protection trusted by musicians worldwide. Key features include:

• ● Available in Orange, Sage, and Lavender, each featuring a unique Japanese-inspired pattern.
• ● Patented Headlock Neck Suspension System securely supports the guitar neck and headstock, providing superior protection against drops and impacts.
• ● The Boot combines a custom-molded rubber outsole with an EVA insole to absorb unwanted impacts during transport.
• ● Top-loading design provides fast and convenient access, making it easy to take your instrument in and out.
• ● Smart Storage System features triple D-rings for seamless attachment of the Classic Tick Accessory Case 2.0 (sold separately), expanding storage capacity.
• ● Constructed to military specifications, with highly abrasion-resistant and weather-resistant materials. A water-resistant Sharkskin shell protects against the elements, while the plush interior lining safeguards delicate custom finishes.

The MONO x Teisco Vertigo Electric Guitar Cases carry a street price of $299.99. For more information, visit monocreators.com.

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Alas, ’tis my favorite time of the year. As summer turns into fall, my hoodies come out, football season starts, and I harvest my little vegetable garden. I don’t take it too seriously, and mostly I just like to see what will grow. Basically, at its core, I enjoy taking care of things in general. Tending to a little garden is good therapy—if you know, you know. Now, I do get more serious with my tomatoes. See, one of my favorite routines is making a huge pot of spaghetti sauce (or gravy, depending on where you’re from). Man, we eat nothing but Italian dishes for about a month! I boil the tomatoes and grind them up with an awesome little tool and then let the juices reduce. Personally I like a little red cooking wine in my sauce, but all you have to do is season it to your taste. Simple, easy, and fresh!

I enjoy the whole process of choosing ingredients that I grow and simply letting the house soak with aromas from the simmering pot. I actually get happy when I see a “nice” tomato or a fine-lookin’ onion! Having everything at home and within reach contributes to my overall feeling of zen, and it’s one of my happy places.

Normally I also have one or two guitar projects going every summer, too. This past summer I really struggled to build a few guitars (see last month’s article and my new puppies), but I was able to source some old parts and scrounge up what I have in my basement shop to basically restore this old Inter-Mark Cipher Valor. I like sourcing original parts to complete “husks,” which are like donors for parts. But I always feel kinda sad for these sacrificial guitars and have a need to make them whole again. Again, I enjoy tending to my guitars just like my garden—keeping everything happy and complete and content.

So as summer winds down, I want to write about my garden and my latest “project” guitar—more specifically, about gathering all the ingredients to make a guitar whole again. If you want to build a Fender- or Gibson-style guitar, there are all sorts of places to source parts, vintage or otherwise. But when you’re trying to rebuild a vintage oddball, you are gonna encounter some problems. It’s like with old car, motorcycle, or bicycle parts. So many obscure makers with proprietary parts—jeez, it can take a while to source those “ingredients.”

Take this 1960s Inter-Mark, for example. In Japan, these were made by a company called Shinko Gakki, which spent the post-war years making pianos and organs before eventually getting into acoustic—and then, in the mid-’60s, electric—guitars. They wound up going bankrupt shortly after. Shinko pickups? Copies of Italy’s Eko and Burns from the UK. Shinko used aluminum spun knobs. The truss rod cover also held the string guide. The pickup switching system was mostly based on Italian designs with push buttons and spring-loaded mechanisms. The tremolo units were also rough copies of Eko guitars. So how does one find parts?

For a while I was buying every Shinko-made guitar I could find, and I was able to finish off several guitars with original factory parts. See, all the above idiosyncrasies are primarily found on Shinko guitars, and you simply can’t buy an old Eko and part it out. Looks similar but not the same. This is why I cringe when I get questions about guitar parts. I have knobs that were only found on Shinko guitars, and they’re different from the Fujigen knobs. Even though both companies used spun aluminum, Shinko often used gold-plated knobs and Fujigen didn’t.

So now, at the end of the summer, I have my tomato sauce and another completed guitar. If you want to just jam on a guitar (which is what I mostly do), then go nuts. Or you can get into the weeds and try to make something whole again. Dig? It’s all about the sauce, brothers and sisters!

D’Addario, in collaboration with Taylor Guitars, announces the launch of the Jacob Collier Specialty XS Phosphor Bronze String Set, engineered specifically to support Collier’s custom 5-string acoustic guitars and signature symmetrical D-A-E-A-D tuning. Arriving alongside the new Jacob Collier Signature Vegan Strap, the release expands the ongoing partnership between D’Addario, Taylor Guitars, and one of modern music's most inventive multi instrumentalists.

To celebrate the launch, D’Addario has released an exclusive video interview exploring Collier’s creative process, his approach to reinterpreting traditional instruments, and the technical collaboration behind his custom gear.

“Instruments Are to Be Forever Reinterpreted”

Raised in a musical family in North London, Collier developed an early fascination with sound through experimentation across piano, drums, vocals, and guitar. Seeking a distinct creative voice, he routinely detuned and removed strings from traditional six string guitars, a process that eventually led to his signature five-string acoustic setup.

“An artist’s voice isn’t something you find; it’s already there, like the Michelangelo quote: 'Remove what's not the sculpture, and the sculpture was there all along,'" says Collier. “Trying to find my voice led me to fall in love with the five-string guitar. For me, it’s important that a string has a lot of life to it. D’Addario strings embody that—they are made with incredible care and attention to detail.”

“There is a miraculous tone and sublime feel to these D'Addario strings,” Collier adds. “This set was handpicked by Taylor's own Andy Powers to balance the tension, feel, and pitch accuracy of this symmetric 5-string tuning that forms the backbone of my custom Taylor guitar models.”

Product Specs & Availability

Jacob Collier Specialty XS Phosphor Bronze 5-String Set (12–53)

• Designed For: Taylor Jacob Collier GS Mini 5-String, Taylor Jacob Collier Academy 22e 5-String, and Taylor JCSM-5 Jacob Collier Signature 5-String • Gauges: Custom .012–.053 5-string configuration optimized for D-A-E-A-D tuning

• Technology: Ultra-thin XS film coating on wound strings with a unique polymer treatment on plain steel strings for maximum corrosion resistance and extended tone life

• Availability: Available globally via D’Addario authorized dealers and daddario.com

Jacob Collier Signature Vegan Strap

• Design: 2.5-inch printed vinyl featuring custom, vibrant geometric artwork reflecting Collier's colorful aesthetic

• Construction: Eco-conscious vegan strap designed for durability, comfort, and security

• Availability: Available globally via D’Addario authorized dealers and daddario.com

Explore the Launch

• Watch the Artist Spotlight Interview: https://ddar.io/collierinterview • Explore the Specialty XS 5-String Set: https://ddar.io/collier-xs • Explore the Signature Vegan Strap: https://ddar.io/collier-strap

What’s Next: Upcoming Giveaway & Educational Mini-Series

• Taylor x D’Addario Giveaway (Launching Soon): D’Addario will launch an exclusive sweepstakes featuring a massive prize bundle highlighted by the actual Taylor JCSM-5 5-String Acoustic played by Jacob Collier, along with specialty strings, the signature strap, and premium D’Addario accessories. Fans can bookmark daddario.com/pages/jacob-collier-taylor-giveaway to enter around the end of September.

• "Sounding It Out with Jacob Collier" Mini-Series (Launching Oct. 7): D’Addario will premiere a five-part video series on YouTube exploring the mechanics of the 5-string guitar, harmonic theory, rubato timing, and translating

piano concepts to guitar. Subscribe to D’Addario’s YouTube Channel to catch each weekly installment.

Fifteen years and five albums into one of modern rock’s most enduring collaborations, Slash Ft Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, also known as SMKC, return today with the new single and official music video, “Flying Blind.” The anthemic track is the first taste of a powerful new chapter for the band and serves as the title track from its highly anticipated fifth studio album, Flying Blind, arriving worldwide Feb. 26, 2027, via Gibson Records.

Recorded largely live with longtime producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette at Studio Barbarosa in Florida, the 12-track album captures Slash on guitar and pedal steel, Myles Kennedy on vocals, Todd Kerns on bass, Brent Fitz on drums, and Frank Sidoris on rhythm guitar at their most immediate, instinctive, and tightly connected. The band completed the bulk of the record in approximately one week, often recording two songs a day with the musicians performing together in the same room.

“It’s a really fun, kind of spontaneous rock ’n’ roll record,” says Slash of Flying Blind. “It’s very straightforward and down-to-earth and raw.”

Listen to “Flying Blind,” out today across all digital platforms, and watch the music video, shot on location at The Viper Room in Los Angeles and directed by John Harvatine IV HERE. Pre-save, add and order the album Flying Blind HERE.

Created spontaneously during pre-production, “Flying Blind” began when Slash introduced a riff as the musicians were preparing to rehearse. The song developed quickly, combining SMKC’s unmistakable hard-rock drive with a soaring melody and immediate hook that ultimately made it the natural choice to introduce the album.

Slash explains, “Created in the studio while we were standing there in pre-production, a riff came to me and started developing. I had nothing of that song prior to those guys coming in, and then we started up a night of rehearsal and played that riff. It came together really quickly. As for it being the first single, you never know what the first single is going to be until you’ve recorded it. When I started thinking about it, ‘Flying Blind’ just seemed to have the right kind of melodic sensibilities and a hook to make it single material.”

For Myles Kennedy, the title track’s lyric examines the shortcuts people sometimes pursue in their search for fulfillment. “I really enjoyed putting a melody to this song,” Kennedy adds. “The way the chord progression starts in the beginning had a nice flow to it. The lyric is about how sometimes people try to take shortcuts and try to find the easy way to achieve happiness or enlightenment.”

SMKC have also announced the Flying Blind WORLD TOUR 2027, an extensive international run launching in Latin America in April before reaching North America on April 23 and continuing through the United Kingdom and Europe. The North American tour includes two nights at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, as well as performances at New York City’s Beacon Theatre, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Boston’s Citizens House of Blues, Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium, and other landmark venues. Fans can sign up now for early access to tickets at laylo.com/slash/m/flyingblindworldtour2027. Tickets go on sale to the general public Oct. 9 at slashonline.com/tour.

In celebration of the release of Flying Blind, SMKC have partnered with Fandiem to launch a special charitable sweepstakes giving fans the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Wales to meet Slash backstage at Cardiff Castle. Benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the campaign offers one winner and a guest round-trip travel to Cardiff, a three-night hotel stay, tickets on Slash’s guestlist for his performance at Cardiff Castle, backstage access to meet Slash, front-of-house viewing, access to pre- show soundcheck, a Slash merch pack, a South Wales sightseeing tour, and a pre-show dinner.

Fans can donate now and enter for a chance to win at www.fandiem.com/slash and take part in this exclusive experience while helping raise funds for two organizations dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention.

SMKC continue to work the same way they did at the beginning: get into a room, play, and see what happens. That philosophy drives Flying Blind, the band’s first full-length studio album since 2022’s acclaimed 4. Some of its songs developed from Slash’s demos and musical fragments, while others were created spontaneously with the musicians playing together in a room.

Slash brought the initial material to Kennedy, who added vocal melodies and lyrics before the songs were developed into full-band arrangements with bassist Todd Kerns, drummer Brent Fitz, and rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris.

“He’s an incredible riff writer,” Kennedy says of Slash. “He also comes up with simple chord progressions that are very compelling for melodies. It works, and it’s timeless.”

Unlike previous SMKC albums, whose riffs and arrangements sometimes evolved through nightly soundchecks and extended touring, much of Flying Blind came together in concentrated bursts between the members’ other projects. Slash developed the material while touring with Guns N’ Roses, recording his acclaimed blues album Orgy of the Damned, and launching the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival. Kennedy began working on the songs during a break from Alter Bridge and while creating his third solo album. “Our schedule is tight, and you have to abide by it or everything else starts to get affected,” he says. “Now it’s just a given that you’re always creating. It’s a muscle thing. The creative part of your brain doesn’t have time to atrophy, and you just keep going.”

The band reconvened with Baskette, who previously produced SMKC’s World on Fire in 2014 and Living the Dream in 2018, at his Studio Barbarosa in Florida. Staying together throughout the sessions allowed the musical and personal chemistry at the center of the band to become an essential part of the recording.

Going into the sessions, Slash gave Baskette two clear instructions: keep the recording as live as possible, and do not overwork the performances afterward. “He really adhered to that,” Slash says. “It worked out great.” The arrangements were largely in place before recording began, but remained open enough to accommodate spontaneous ideas in the studio. With the musicians performing simultaneously, the band retained as much of the natural interplay and energy of each complete performance as possible. Kennedy recorded his vocals several months later and describes the finished album as a high point in SMKC’s recording history. “Out of all the records, the sounds and performances on Flying Blind are my favorite. It’s very present. It’s right there,” he says.

Across its 12 tracks, Flying Blind explores a broad range of sounds without abandoning the band’s direct, hard-rock foundation. “Good Time Girl” combines a talk box hook with a pronounced country twang influenced by pioneering guitarist Jimmy Bryant and steel guitarist Speedy West, while “Sweet Kill” delivers brash, riff-driven rock that Slash calls “probably the most ’80s thing I’ve done in a while.”

“One of Your Kind” moves with a down-tuned churn, while sharp, punk-influenced chords drive “Here in Babylon.” “Thrill Seeker” is built around a dizzying descending riff that remains deep in the pocket, and “Rev My Heart” is a classic rock ’n’ roll rave-up anchored by an unforgettable progression and a lyric inspired by the night Kennedy first met his future wife. The instrumental “Living the Dream” continues an SMKC tradition, giving Slash room to improvise and placing his unmistakable guitar playing at the forefront. “I’ve done one of these instrumentals on every Conspirators record except Apocalyptic Love,” Slash says. “It’s fun to have something that I can open up and improvise on, where I don’t have any specific guidelines or guardrails. It’s nice to do a new one every record, so that live you don’t have to do the same one all the time.”

One of the album’s most significant departures is “Looking for a Miracle,” the first song Slash has written on pedal steel and the first to feature a recorded pedal steel solo from the guitarist. Slash developed the original musical idea on pedal steel before adapting it for guitar, so the full band could rehearse the song. He then returned to the pedal steel during the recording sessions and worked out the solo at Studio Barbarosa. “I love pedal steel,” Slash says. “It’s one of these instruments that is so unbelievable in what you can do with it. So it’s become a thing for me. But it is a commitment. It’s a pretty complex instrument.”

Kennedy and the rest of the band have watched Slash’s relationship with the instrument develop over time. “For a long time, we would go and rehearse for tours or do pre-production, and then we’d leave, and Slash would stay at his studio and practice to all hours on mastering pedal steel.”

The album concludes with “Stem the Flow,” a sweeping final statement centered on disillusionment with institutions and systems once believed to be unbreakable. Hard-hitting, spontaneous, and wide- ranging, Flying Blind captures SMKC sounding as loose, raw, and locked-in as ever.

The roots of SMKC stretch back to Slash’s star-studded, self-titled 2010 solo album, on which Kennedy appeared as one of several guest vocalists. The musical and personal connection that followed quickly developed into a permanent band. “I got into working with the Conspirators as a happy accident from doing that first solo album,” Slash says. “I established a relationship with these guys on a musical and personal level that I wasn’t about to give up when Guns restarted.”

What began without a long-term plan has grown into a 15-year partnership, five studio albums, and numerous world tours. “It blows my mind that 15 years has moved this fast,” Kennedy says. “It’s been the blink of an eye. But as they say, time flies when you’re having fun, and we have a lot of fun. It’s a pinch-me kind of thing.”

Fifteen years after forming, Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators continue to refine their sound while carrying the torch for immediate, unvarnished rock ’n’ roll. For Slash, the force behind Flying Blind and SMKC remains the pure pleasure of playing music. “When we started, we didn’t have anything,” Slash says. “We weren’t setting out to conquer the world. It was just for the pure pleasure of it. So now, we get together and play, we have a really good time, and then we go out and tour and do it again the next time.” Slash laughs. “As long as there’s electricity, we’ll keep plugging in.”

Following is the track listing for Flying Blind:

• 1. “Avarice and Greed”
• 2. “Good Time Girl”
• 3. “Thrill Seeker”
• 4. “One of Your Kind”
• 5. “Flying Blind”
• 6. “Looking for a Miracle”
• 7. “Sweet Kill”
• 8. “Won’t Be Long”
• 9. “Living the Dream”
• 10. “(Don’t) Thread the Needle”
• 11. “Rev My Heart”
• 12. “Stem the Flow”

Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators are:

• Slash guitar and pedal steel Myles Kennedy vocals Todd Kerns bass and vocals Brent Fitz drums Frank Sidoris rhythm guitar

Catch SMKC on the Flying Blind WORLD TOUR 2027:

• DATE CITY VENUE LATIN AMERICAN DATES Fri April 2 Santiago, Chile Teatro Caupolican Sun April 4 Mendoza, Argentina Arena Maipú Tue April 6 Córdoba, Argentina Plaza de la Música +Wed April 7 Buenos Aires, Argentina Movistar Arena Sat April 10 Florianópolis, Brazil Arena Opus Sun April 11 Curitiba, Brazil Live Curitiba Tue April 13 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Fundição Progresso Wed April 14 São Paulo, Brazil Espaço Unimed NORTH AMERICAN DATES Fri April 23 Reno, NV Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort Sat April 24 Rohnert Park, CA Graton Resort & Casino Mon April 26 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern Tue April 27 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern Thu April 29 Del Mar, CA The Sound Sat May 1 Albuquerque, NM Route 66 Casino Sun May 2 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium Tue May 4 Kansas City, MO The Midland Theatre Wed May 5 Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom Fri May 7 Windsor, ON Caesars Windsor Sat May 8 Niagara Falls, ON OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino Mon May 10 Boston, MA Citizens House of Blues Wed May 12 New York, NY Beacon Theatre Mon May 17 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium Wed May 19 St. Louis, MO The Factory +Fri May 21 Norman, OK Riverwind Casino +Sat May 22 Tulsa, OK Hard Rock Hotel & Casino UK AND EUROPEAN DATES Mon June 7 Munich, Germany Zenith Wed June 9 Warsaw, Poland Letnia Scena Progresji
• Thu June 10 Nickelsdorf, Austria Nova Rock Festival Sat June 12 Milan, Italy Carroponte Sun June 13 Rome, Italy Rock In Roma Thu June 17 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain Azkena Rock Festival +Wed June 23 Stockholm, Sweden Grona Lund Mon June 28 Dusseldorf, Germany Mitsubishi Electric Halle Wed June 30 Cardiff, UK Cardiff Castle Thu July 1 Scarborough, UK Scarborough Open Air Theatre Sat July 3 Dublin, Ireland Trinity College Sun July 4 Belfast, UK Custom House Square Tue July 6 Halifax, UK Piece Hall Wed July 7 London, UK Eventim Apollo Fri July 9 Weert, Netherlands Bospop Sun July 11 Vizovice, Czech Republic Masters of Rock Mon July 12 Zagreb, Croatia SRC Salata Wed July 14 Budapest, Hungary Budapest Park Fri July 16 Belgrade, Serbia Luka Beograd Sun July 18 Athens, Greece Lycabettus Theatre Thu July 22 Istanbul, Turkey Bonus Parkorman Sun July 25 Plovdiv, Bulgaria Hills Of Rock Mon July 26 Ghimbav, Romania Rockstadt Extreme Festival
• Festival date +On-sale TBD

Don't Miss your chance to win!

Today, the genre-defying instrumental rock innovators Polyphia release the hypnotic new track “With Eyes To See” with an accompanying music video. This is the third single off their highly anticipated fifth full-length studio album Be Not Afraid out October 23rd with Rise Records.

The accompanying music video mirrors the track's hypnotic pull, layering mesmerizing visuals with flashes of a world turned inside out. It’s interwoven with glimpses of redacted Epstein files and world destruction, grounding the video's dreamlike unraveling in something unsettlingly real.

Earlier this year, Polyphia teased their new chapter with the release of their first single in over four years, “Can You Feel It” pushing boundaries in ways the band never has before with a hybrid of metal and dance music. Following, they released “Power In The Blood” with a music video filmed at the São Francisco da Penitência Church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The powerful visuals from each release lay the foundation for what’s to come off the new record.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, Polyphia worked together in various locations in Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas alongside co-producer RJ Pasin and guitar phenom Spiro Dussias. Guitarist Tim Henson took a different approach to composition, initially singing lines aloud and then translating them onto guitar, creating a process that encouraged the entire band to build on each other’s ideas in real time. More than anything, the sessions were defined by how much fun they were having creating music together. By the time the album was finished, they had reached a point where they could let go of any expectations about what would happen next and simply enjoy what they had created together.

The collective thread together a three-dimensional offering of otherworldly metal, future-facing prog, and pulsating house sealed tightly with carefully curated samples, inventive beat-craft, and the guitar eloquence that Tim and Scott remain renowned for. This time around, the instrumental push-and-pull invokes the polarity of the ultimate extremes: good and evil.

When speaking on the album Henson adds, “The album takes you through the extremes of two different worlds / moods: one being very uplifting and triumphant, the other being spine-chilling and terrifying. There are moments on the record that legitimately scare me when I listen to them.”

Polyphia will be on tour this fall in the UK and Europe, before heading out on the North American leg of their World Tour in early 2027.RJ Pasin will still support every date worldwide. North American shows will feature Ladrones, with select dates including Intervals. Perturbator will join all UK and European dates, which remain unchanged for Nov/Dec 2026.

A full list of show dates can be found below. For more information and to purchase tickets visit Polyphia.com .

• North America Tour Dates 2027 w/ Ladrones & RJ Pasin:
• w/ Intervals
• # No Ladrones
• February 5 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre
• February 6 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
• February 9 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
• February 10 - San Diego, CA – SOMA #
• February 11 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
• February 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
• February 17 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
• February 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
• February 20 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
• February 23 - Minneapolis, MN - Uptown Theater
• February 24 - Milwaukee, WI - Landmark Credit Union Live
• February 25 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
• February 26 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
• February 27 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
• March 2 - Toronto, ON - Great Canadian Toronto *
• March 3 - Montreal, QC – L’Olympia *
• March 5 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
• March 6 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount
• March 7 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
• March 9 - Washington, DC - Echostage
• March 10- Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
• March 12 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
• March 13- Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
• March 14 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
• March 16 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
• March 17- Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company
• March 18 - Nashville, TN - The Truth
• March 20 - Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom
• Europe/UK Tour Dates w/ Perturbator & RJ Pasin:
• Nov 18 – Zurich, CH – Halle 622
• Nov 19 – Lyon, FR – Le Radiant
• Nov 20 – Toulouse, FR – Interference
• Nov 22 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz
• Nov 23 – Madrid, ES – Sala La Riviera
• Nov 25 – Milan, IT – Alcatraz
• Nov 27 – Munich, DE – Zenith
• Nov 28 – Prague, CZ – SaSaZu
• Nov 29 – Warsaw, PL – Progresja
• Nov 30 – Leipzig, DE – Haus Auensee
• Dec 2 – Hamburg, DE – Docks
• Dec 4 – Copenhagen, DK – Amager Bio
• Dec 5 – Berlin, DE – Tempodrom
• Dec 6 – Oberhausen, DE – Turbinenhalle
• Dec 7 – Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique
• Dec 8 – Amsterdam, NL – AFAS Live
• Dec 9 – Paris, FR – Zenith Paris
• Dec 11 – Birmingham, UK – 02 Academy Birmingham
• Dec 12 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy
• Dec 15 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy Leeds
• Dec 16 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

Ahh, technology. When it works it’s wonderful. But when it fails… Is there anything more annoying in the world?

If you’ve ever tried to build a website in the days pre-Wix, Squarespace and other all-in-one website builders you’ll attest to how much technology can have a tendency to ‘not play ball’.

A particularly devoted Van Halen fan once discovered this for himself while trying to create a fan website for the band, and became so frustrated with Microsoft’s FrontPage service that he ended up calling Microsoft, and ultimately demanding to speak to the head honcho, Bill Gates.

• READ MORE: Chibson pokes fun at the state of the guitar industry with new Cease & Desist knobs

In a story told by Microsoft veteran Raymond Chen speaking to The Register, the Van Halen fan – apparently getting progressively more drunk as the call wore on – vented his frustration with FrontPage, a now-discontinued web editor that let users create websites without having to write code.

“Man, was this person lit,” Chen says his colleague reported upon answering the call. “The sound of ice clinking in a glass was readily apparent, and as the call went on, the customer got more and more drunk.”

The caller apparently even ended up shouting: “You’re not even a real f**king fan of Van Halen!” before, at his wits end with the software, demanding to speak to none other than Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. “F**k you! I wanna talk to Gates!” He apparently said.

We’re highly doubtful the fan was ever transferred to Microsoft’s commander-in-chief, and have no idea if he was ever able to make the site work. But it’s a funny story nonetheless.

In other Van Halen news, David Lee Roth and Alex Van Halen appeared at a recent event together and touched on their famously tumultuous relationship over the years. “There should be a star in front of three different clubs in Hollywood where we practiced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu over the setlist!” Roth said.

The post “F**k you! I wanna talk to Gates!”: A drunk Van Halen fan once got so angry trying to build a fan site he rang up Microsoft and demanded to speak to Bill Gates appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Strymon Engineering has introduced a new analog tape drive pedal called La Brea.

Incorporating multiple stages of analog gain using techniques learned from studying vintage tape machines, La Brea delivers a wide range of saturation from a simple interface. The pedal never sounds harsh even at extreme settings, and piling on the gain just makes things fatter and more saturated without getting crispy or painful to listen to, just like a real mastering tape deck.

Initially inspired by the white paper that co-founder Pete Celi wrote on the development of Strymon’s iconic Deco pedal, analog engineer Josh Forbes aimed for true tape behavior in a fully analog design.

In addition to the tape saturation side, La Brea also features a fully discrete dry path, giving the pedal two distinct personalities that players can use to craft personal sounds. The dry path always stays in phase with the saturated output, meaning you can add a little or a lot with no comb filtering or other artifacts. The discrete operation also means that it can be used as a pure clean boost, or a clean boost that allows you add saturation (as much or as little as desired) to fatten up single notes and chords.

As tape has a tendency to saturate high frequencies first as the gain increases (making them less prevalent), La Brea also features a three-position Shift switch that allows the player to add some of those high frequencies back in to the output. One position concentrates on adding high frequencies only, and the other adds upper midrange frequencies to the high boost to help notes poke though the mix. It’s a powerful tool that can help wake up dark humbuckers, add bite to older strings or make setting up a rig even easier.

“It’s crazy to think that Josh read Pete’s whitepaper on the making of Deco over twelve years ago, which was before he even worked here”, said CEO and chief analog guru Gregg Stock. “He’s been thinking about how to recreate tape behavior purely in the analog domain ever since, so it’s great that we now have the Series A line of analog pedals to showcase these great ideas our guys come up with. La Brea is a drive pedal with a unique voice and response, so it fits really well with the other pedals in Series A.”

“It’s quickly become the favorite drive pedal for a bunch of people at the office”, said Sean Halley, Strymon’s marketing guy. “The fact that it’s based on tape means that it never gets harsh, never gets strident, and mates really well with all different types of amplifiers. I’ve had one on my gigging board since the beginning of the year in disguise, so I’m excited to take the tape off and finally let people see what it is!”

La Brea carries a street price of $199 US. For more information visit Strymon.net.

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GRAMMY Award-winning rock and roll band Greta Van Fleet announce their 2027 North American and European headline tour today. Promoted by Live Nation, the 59-city Into The Beginning Tour kicks off Wednesday, February 3 in Savannah, GA at Enmarket Arena and makes stops in Chicago, Brooklyn, Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Toronto and more before wrapping back in their home state of Michigan on Saturday, July 31 at Grand Rapids’ Acrisure Amphitheater. Special guests Arc De Soleil, The Kooks, and Portugal. The Man will join as support on select North American dates. VIP Packages are available for North American dates only.

GENERAL ONSALE BEGINS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 AT 10AM LOCAL FOR EUROPEAN DATES AND THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 10AM LOCAL FOR NORTH AMERICAN DATES

ALL TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT FACE VALUE PLUS FEES THROUGH PRIMARY TICKET SELLERS. NO PLATINUM TICKETS WILL BE SOLD. FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SIGN UP FOR PRE-SALES THROUGH GRETAVANFLEET.COM

NEW ALBUM “Palace for the People” OUT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 – PRE-SAVE HERE

PRE-SAVE/ADD “Palace for the People” (ALBUM)

• Into the Beginning
• Tear It Down
• Heart and the Beat
• Boughten Bliss
• Field of Stars
• Play Your Games
• Dreams You Hold
• Lost in the Golden
• Touch Again
• Saw You Stand
• Heya
• Call My Own
• Born into This

TICKETS – NORTH AMERICA: Tickets to the Into The Beginning Tour will be available starting with a Fan Presale (details below) beginning on Tuesday, October 13 at 9am local time. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Thursday, October 15 at 10am local time on GretaVanFleet.com .

FAN PRESALE: Fans can sign up now for the Greta Van Fleet Fan Presale at GretaVanFleet.com .

RESERVED BY SPOTIFY: Greta Van Fleet’s Reserved by Spotify tickets may be available to eligible North American Spotify Premium subscribers through Ticketmaster. These fans will be notified by Spotify via email and app notification, and will have the opportunity to purchase up to two tickets during the Reserved presale.

TICKETS – EUROPE: Tickets to the Into The Beginning Tour will be available starting with a Fan Presale on Wednesday, October 7 at 10am local time. Fans can sign up now for the Greta Van Fleet Fan Presale at GretaVanFleet.com. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning Friday, October 9 at 10am local time on GretaVanFleet.com .

Ticket prices have been priced in advance by the tour and won't change during the presale or onsale (no platinum tickets). All tickets will be sold at face value plus fees through primary ticket sellers. Fans are encouraged to sign up for the Fan Presale through Gretavanfleet.com for first access to tour tickets.

Today’s news follows the release of the band’s latest single “Tear It Down” from their forthcoming fourth studio album, Palace for the People, which arrives Friday, October 9 via Republic Records. Pre-order/pre-save the album HERE . “Tear It Down” follows lead tracks “Play Your Games” and “Saw You Stand,” which the band performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and offers another look behind the curtain of their majestic new album.

On Palace for the People, Greta Van Fleet continue to explore themes of humanity, connection, resilience, and transcendence—building a body of work that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. They’ve made a mysterious, monumental, and cataclysmic body of work, painting a sonic tableau out of powerhouse vocals, earth-rupturing riffs, and stunning solos. This is expressive, ethereal, and energetic rock and roll music delivered with apropos symphonic grace, revelrous excess, dynamics, and the glory of a collective who refuse to be boxed in musically, thematically, or spiritually. It’s also the brilliance of a bloodline committed to tape. They have taken another massive creative leap, building a new place for listeners to congregate and determining the tone for rock’s future in the process.

Prior to the Into The Beginning Tour and in celebration of the forthcoming album, Greta Van Fleet will perform an intimate under-play residency next month at Nashville’s The Basement East on the first three Saturdays in October. For more information go to: GretaVanFleet.com .

Since emerging from Frankenmuth, Michigan, Greta Van Fleet have become one of rock and roll’s defining voices of their generation. Across multiple platinum-selling releases and sold-out arena tours spanning the globe, the GRAMMY award-winning band has consistently challenged expectations while forging a sound entirely their own. Palace for the People represents the band’s boldest artistic statement yet.

2027 TOUR DATES:

• Wed, Feb 3 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena *
• Fri, Feb 5 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena *
• Sat, Feb 6 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
• Tue, Feb 9 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena *
• Wed, Feb 10 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena *
• Fri, Feb 12 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena *
• Sat, Feb 13 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center *
• Mon, Feb 15 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center *
• Wed, Feb 17 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center *
• Fri, Feb 19 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center *
• Sat, Feb 20 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena *
• Tue, Mar 2 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena ^
• Wed, Mar 3 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena ^
• Fri, Mar 5 – Boston, MA – TD Garden ^
• Sat, Mar 6 – Albany, NY – MVP Arena ^
• Mon, Mar 8 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center ^
• Wed, Mar 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena ^
• Fri, Mar 12 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center ^
• Sat, Mar 13 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center ^
• Mon, Mar 15 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena ^
• Tue, Mar 16 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center ^
• Fri, Mar 19 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center #
• Sat, Mar 20 – Phoenix, AZ – Mortgage Matchup Center #
• Mon, Mar 22 – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center #
• Wed, Mar 24 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena #
• Thu, Mar 25 – Portland, OR – Moda Center #
• Sat, Mar 27 – Boise, ID – ExtraMile Arena (BSU) #
• Mon, Mar 29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center #
• Tue, Mar 30 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena #
• Sat, May 15 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle ‡
• Sun, May 16 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum ‡
• Tue, May 18 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena ‡
• Wed, May 19 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena ‡
• Fri, May 21 – Berlin, DE –Uber Arena ‡
• Sat, May 22 – Czech Republic Prague – O2 Arena ‡
• Mon, May 24 Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome ‡
• Tue, May 25 – Brussels, BE – Forest National ‡
• Thu, May 27 – Paris, FR – Adidas Arena ‡
• Fri, May 28 – London, UK – O2 Arena ‡
• Sun, May 30 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena ‡
• Tue, Jun 01 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live ‡
• Wed, Jun 02 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro ‡
• Fri, Jun 04 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena ‡
• Mon, Jul 5 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena +
• Wed, Jul 7 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place +
• Thu, Jul 8 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome +
• Sat, Jul 10 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre +
• Tue, Jul 13 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center +
• Wed, Jul 14 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena +
• Fri, Jul 16 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena +
• Sat, Jul 17 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center +
• Tue, Jul 20 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center °
• Wed, Jul 21 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion °
• Fri, Jul 23 – Hershey, PA – Giant Center °
• Sat, Jul 24 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena °
• Mon, Jul 26 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion °
• Wed, Jul 28 – Laval, QC – Place Bell °
• Thu, Jul 29 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre °
• Sat, Jul 31 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater °
• Arc De Soleil and Edgehill ^ The Kooks and Luna Li # The Kooks and Sana Sana Musica ‡ Larkin Poe + Portugal. The Man and Sun Room ° Portugal. The Man and Friko

Greta Van Fleet are

• Josh Kiszka — Vocals
• Jake Kiszka — Guitar
• Sam Kiszka — Bass, Keys
• Danny Wagner — Drums

Chibson USA is hardly a company known for taking things seriously. In fact, the brand exists to poke fun at the weird and mockable that exists throughout the guitar world.

Some of its parody releases have included the Cease & Desist pedal – which celebrated Mickey Mouse’s entry into the public domain – the Humbuckle, a humbucker-inspired belt buckle that actually made it to market, and the Chibson Drive, a Google-inspired overdrive pedal made in collaboration with Acorn Amps, designed for the “data-driven results musicians dream of having”.

• READ MORE: Harmony Standard Series Comet with Tremolo review: “This is a cool guitar that allows you to do your thing without trying to look like anybody else”

Indeed, “cease and desist” is a term a little too familiar in the guitar industry, with some of its biggest players often pursuing legal action to stop competitors making guitars which they believe infringe upon its intellectual property.

Gibson, for example – the company after which Chibson is humorously named – has a long history of using legal avenues to protect its trademarks and intellectual property. After a long and bitter legal battle, just yesterday, it was announced that Dean’s parent company must pay Gibson $4 million in legal fees following a trademark loss. Also recently, Gibson issued a cease and desist to Donald Trump-backed Trump Guitars, saying it had infringed upon the classic Les Paul body shape design.

And a wordmap of most-used terms in the guitar world this year wouldn’t be complete without “cease and desist” front and centre in massive letters, amid an ongoing legal campaign from Fender to reclaim the Stratocaster body shape and stop other builders from making instruments that resemble it. So far, PRS, Yamaha, Thomann, Amazon, LsL Instruments and more have received cease and desist letters from Fender.

Yep, the guitar industry has been a whirlwind in 2026, so what could be better than a little comic relief from Chibson?

Originally conceived for Chibson’s social media pages, the new Cease & Desist knobs were thought up to “celebrate this new lawsuit era”. And they’re now a reality, available in a 3-pack of knobs to customise your guitar.

“If anything can be learned from lawsuits of the past, it’s that guitarists love a little frisky controversy and now with the release of Chibson’s Cease & Desist knobs, guitarists can support their favorite illegal guitar manufacturer while making a bold statement!” Chibson says.

In a not so subtle nod to Spinal Tap, the knobs have also been designed to go to 11. “These are one louder!” Chibson says, reference the iconic line from Nigel Tufnel.

Chibson’s Cease & Desist knobs are available to order now, priced at £16. Learn more at Chibson.

The post Chibson pokes fun at the state of the guitar industry with new Cease & Desist knobs appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

$1,899/£1,899, harmony.co

Since its renaissance in 2018, the Harmony Guitars brand has earned a reputation for intriguing, retro-coded instruments that aim to offer a different personality to a crowded and often conservative guitar buying scene.

• READ MORE: Fender Vintera III Late ’50s Telecaster review: “this guitar has really surprised me”

While the brand has mainly concentrated on modernised tweaks of its original solidbody guitars over its first decade of rebirth, it’s arguably the esoteric semi-hollow designs – beloved by the likes of Dan Auerbach, Jack White, Courtney Barnett, and many others – that people associate with the brand.

Therefore, it made all the sense in the world when Harmony then introduced the H72-inspired Comet in 2021 (the brand also launched a full H72 reissue later that year, but that was made in Asia rather than Kalamazoo, Michigan), and very nice it was too. Now, however, the Comet is getting an overdue bit of wobble, courtesy of a Göldo LT1 tremolo – can it make a good guitar even better?

Image: Adam Gasson

What is it?

The Comet is a double cutaway semi-hollow electric guitar – think of it as an inflatable SG with twin f-holes. With the exception of the rosewood fretboard the whole guitar body is made from genuine mahogany. So far, so traditional.

We have a cheeky 25” scale which sits nicely between the Gibson and Fender standards and makes for a guitar that balances well and feels comfortable across the player’s body. The neck has a gentle C carve, a 1 11/16” nut width and a 12” fretboard radius.

As with previous Harmony models, the electronics offered are also very retro-flavoured: a pair of custom gold foil humbuckers with single master cupcake knobbed volume and tone controls and a three-way selector switch which is set to the rear of the control array. Hidden in the volume control is a push-pull coil tap giving the player access to slinky single-coil content, which is very welcome.

The main attraction to this model, however, is the Göldo LT-1 vibrato (which Harmony insists on calling a tremolo) system. Göldo originally developed the Les Trem vibrato for its sister brand, Duesenberg, but in recent years the unit has become a popular aftermarket alternative to the mighty Bigsby for Gibson-accented instruments, while also seeing OEM use on a variety of other guitars, most notably Eastman’s Romeo and Juliet electrics. Needless to say, we’re expecting emotive wobbles rather than full dive-bombs here.

Finally, we have a sturdy MONO Vertigo gig bag (MONO and Harmony are both part of the same parent company) which will get you where you need to go and keep the guitar safe and sound.

Image: Adam Gasson

Build quality & usability

Given that it’s almost unheard of to see a USA-made instrument hitting the market without a “2” at the start of its four-figure price tag these days, we could reasonably expect to see some compromises in fit and finish in one coming in at $100 under that bar. However, the quality of the build here is impressive – it’s clean, tidy and well-sorted throughout. It must be said that alone is a huge improvement on many of the original Harmony guitars churned out in the 1960s.

Despite the retro stylings, this does feel like a modern instrument – sleek, immediate and responsive. It is noticeably comfortable. The nitrocellulose finish is well applied, though the Midnight blue finish is definitely a choice. I would have expected something several shades closer to black for ‘Midnight’ personally, it’s all rather royal to my eyes, but that’s all down to personal taste.

Now, if you are expecting Bigsby-like action from the Göldo LT-1 system, you may be in for a surprise. While the Bigsby has a firmer response, the Göldo feels a lot more like the sort of floating vibrato more commonly found on Fender offsets.

Plenty will enjoy how it responds to the slightest touch, though I found it rather too easy to move accidentally – especially given how close the mechanism is to the bridge. Still, if you’re looking for something that allows for a lighter touch, it certainly does that.

What it also does, regrettably, is get in the way of the controls. The bar and the spring are right in the way of the volume control, so it’s much harder than you’d like to adjust on the fly, and it makes activating the coil-split downright fiddly.

Image: Adam Gasson

Sounds

Let’s be real here – no one really knows what a gold foil pickup is supposed to sound like. Yes, we’ve seen them all over the place in recent years – although that fervour seems to be dying down a little now – but the fact that so many USA catalogue guitars and Japanese oddities came with starkly differing versions of these pickups has muddied the waters in terms of what to expect from a guitar toting these retro beauties.

Quite whether these pickups are ‘real’ gold foils then, is rather academic. What we have here are two very capable humbuckers with gold foil covers, which offer a pleasing variety of semi-hollow tones.

The neck pickup is warm and velvety with a smooth jazz voice. Smacking it around a bit with a Bigfoot Engineering King Fuzz reveals dark delights, and a quick flick of the tone knob gets us well into chaotic fuzz territory with added beeps and octaves.

The bridge pickup is snappy enough to get the point across. This is not a 335, but it does still growl when you dig in, even when clean. Slipping a Thorpy Bunker into the equation reveals enough aggression for retro-flavoured grunge and blues–rock at best, but it’s extremely unlikely that our cloven-hoofed brethren will be looking at this guitar to get their thrills.

Popping the push-pull volume knob gives me a voice that is closer to a Tele than a Strat – it’s up to you to decide whether that is what you’re looking for. It’s a useful enough sound within a full band mix, but it doesn’t carry like the full-fat humbuckers when it’s soloing time.

The vibrato system does work well in practice, and thanks to the locking tuners the whole experience is very solid no matter how irresponsible you get with that awkwardly placed bar.

Image: Adam Gasson

Should I buy one?

Are you looking for someone outside the norm that still delivers in both sonics and build quality? Are you sick of sunbursts and Cadillac-inspired finishes? Fancy some vibrato action but in a guitar that can easily be converted to a stop tail if you like? How about a modern take on a design that goes back to the 1960s? Well, the Harmony Comet with Tremolo will give you all of this in a comfortable and engaging instrument.

This is a cool guitar – and let’s not pretend that isn’t important – one that allows you to do your thing without trying to look like anybody else. And as Wallace Stevens reminds us: “Things as they are, are changed upon the blue guitar.”

Alternatives

Looking for a bright blue semi on a budget? The non-trem Comet ($/£1,799) is a very good guitar without many of the usability issues the retro-fit trem has added. The Chinese-made Epiphone Emperor Swingster ($/£799) in Delta Blue Metallic features retro styling, a Bigsby and a pair of Retrobucker pickups. Eastman Guitars offer the strongest direct competition to the Comet with the Romeo LA ($1,979/£1,769). This Chinese-made guitar has build that can go toe to toe with most US makers, and even sports the same LT-1 trem. Feeling flush? The Duesenberg Starplayer TV Phonic model gives you semi-hollow maple construction, gold foil pickups and an own-brand version of the LT-1, while gently relieving you of $4,599

Editor’s note: Guitar.com and Harmony Guitars are both owned by the Caldecott Music Group.

The post Harmony Standard Series Comet with Tremolo review: “This is a cool guitar that allows you to do your thing without trying to look like anybody else” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

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