General Interest

T-Rex Twin Blaze Giveaway from Guitars.net

T-Rex Twin Blaze

• Handcrafted in Denmark
• An identical two channel, tube driven Overdrive Distortion (12AX7A) spiced with the legendary T-Rex Tone and multiple functions.
• The extended tone control allows you to go from clear British sound to deep-end distortion, obtaining a variety of sound settings.
• Crunch and Lead setting for each channel, which goes from gentle, crispy blues to over the top lead sound.
• The emulated Speaker Simulation output is directed to the studio setup or other external effectS.
• A 20dB Clean Boost works individually to dial in the perfect solo level without changing the tone and gain structure.
• 12V power supply included.

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Back in 1984, Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel shattered the limits of rock and roll with an amp that cranked all the way up to 11. Now, over 40 years later, he’s back for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. The (mock) documentary sees the group reuniting after 15 years – and Tufnel’s got some advice for guitarists everywhere.

Speaking to Guitar World, the now 77-year-old fictional rocker insists that the secret to keeping your chops in order is consistency. “I play two hours a day,” he says. “Three is too much, isn’t it? I like to take a walk in the morning with Moira [his partner]. I come back, have a little breakfast, and then I sit down and play. It’s not exactly two hours, but it’s normally two hours. Then I go to the cheese shop.”

• READ MORE: Eddie and Alex Van Halen thought This Is Spinal Tap “wasn’t funny” because it was too true to life

While the legendary Tufnel now runs a cheese ship, he insists he still plays his instrument “every day” and he’s still “learning” new tricks, too. “I play differently than I once played, and I’m learning,” he explains. “I used to play a lot of fast solo things, but now I’m listening in a different way to a spacious way of playing, which is more long notes.”

It’s quite a reserved approach to the instrument, considering some of Tufnel’s peers. In a recent chat with The Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan, Steve Vai recently admitted that he’d play for 9 hours every day if he could. “It becomes sort of like an addiction,” he said. “My schedule back [when I was young]… I was happy if I got nine hours a day. I was very neurotic, very myopic.”

“It just had such a pull, such an attraction, such an interest. Such a joy,” he continued. “The funny thing was, it didn’t feel like discipline… It was a passion. Passion is a much more powerful engine of creation than discipline.”

Two hours works just fine for Tufnel, however. And he’s still advancing as a guitarist, learning to work with new effects and advancements in technology to aid his approach to guitar. “There are lots of pedals that people have done in the last years that are quite extraordinary,” he reflects. “I do a little work on them… I take them apart, and I do a little fooling around with wires and stuff like that to get the sound I’d like.”

“Lots of times I break them because I don’t really know how to do that work,” he admits. “I haven’t been trained, but it’s interesting to open things up, see all the wires and move them about a bit.”

One of the most significant shifts over the last 41 years comes in the form of Tufnel’s new infinity Marshall amp. “Marshall has made for me an amplifier, the head, and if you look at the dials, it now goes to Infinity. Just think about that for a moment. Think about infinity – oh, my God, that’s literally infinity,” Tufnel says.

“Lots of times I break them because I don’t really know how to do that work. I haven’t been trained, but it’s interesting to open things up, see all the wires and move them about a bit.”

The new Spinal Tap II: The End Continues follows the group’s reunion for one final blow-out gig – and it even featured the likes of Elton John, the legend singing on a live rendition of 2009’s Stonehenge.

The decision to document the final show came after a “long discussion” with the band and director Marty DiBergi. “Marty made a case that it made sense for us to do this new thing, which is us coming together again for a reunion,” Tufnel explains. “I haven’t seen the lads for 15 years… and besides that, we had a legal obligation to do one more show.”

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues lands on 12 September.

The post “I play two hours a day. Three is too much, isn’t it?”: Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel on the secret of guitar practice appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Al Di Meola has become the latest guitarist to get his hands on Greeny – the iconic 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard once owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green – courtesy of its current owner, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett.

And to return the favour, the jazz fusion maestro has let Hammett have a go on his legendary Black Beauty Gibson Les Paul.

• READ MORE: “Anything that’s nicked, you want back!”: A new documentary will recount the hunt for Paul McCartney’s stolen Höfner 500/1 bass

Kirk Hammett and Al Di Meola recently both attended the Hamptons launch party for Metallica’s SiriusXM radio station, and the event saw Di Meola get the chance to get his hands on Greeny for the first time.

The event also saw Beatles legend Paul McCartney attend to watch Metallica perform.

In footage posted on social media, Di Meola can be seen examining the iconic LP, asking “Was [Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well] done on this guitar? Oh, shit!” before playing the track’s classic pentatonic riff.

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A post shared by Al Di Meola (@official_aldimeola)

And after being granted the honour of playing one of guitardom’s most revered instruments, Di Meola was determined to repay the favour, and later let Hammett have a go on his 1971 Black Beauty Les Paul.

“After Kirk introduced me to Greeny last week, it felt only right to return the favor by introducing him to my 1971 Black Beauty,” he writes in a new Instagram post. “That’s the guitar you hear all over [his 1977 album] Elegant Gypsy.” The Black Beauty Les Paul also featured on Al Di Meola’s 1976 album, Land of the Midnight Sun.

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A post shared by Al Di Meola (@official_aldimeola)

Having existed for decades, the Greeny Les Paul has passed through the hands of a plethora of high-profile guitarists. Once owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, the instrument is now owned by Kirk Hammett, who is impressively charitable with regards to who he lets play it.

Recently, former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee revealed Hammett gave him the opportunity to play Greeny at Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning farewell, and admitted that he’s “missed it since”.

And earlier this year, Hammett revealed he had let White Stripes hero Jack White play the guitar onstage.

The post “It only felt right to return the favour”: Al Di Meola is the latest guitarist to play Greeny – so he let Kirk Hammett play his ‘71 Black Beauty in return appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Sheptone® announces the 7078, a brand-new humbucking pickup inspired by the legendary tones that redefined rock guitar in 1978. Considered an industry secret for the past 18 years, Sheptone has been the “go to” for professional guitarists wanting to achieve that 1950’s tone that initially revolutionized electric guitar. The 7078 is the next step in the evolution of the Sheptone product line.

The 7078 pays homage to the iconic rhythm tones captured on Van Halen’s groundbreaking debut album. It was a sound that inspired generations of players and changed the way the world hears and plays the electric guitar. From the driving rhythms of You Really Got Me to the groove of Jamie’s Cryin’ and the raw fire of On Fire, the DNA of those unforgettable tracks lives on in the 7078.

At the core of that original tone was a stock 1975 Ibanez® Destroyer loaded with a Maxon® Super 70. The Sheptone 7078 recreates that magic with uncompromising authenticity, using the finest materials and painstaking craftsmanship. Each unit is hand-assembled by Sheptone owner and builder Josh Vittek, ensuring the detail and precision needed to deliver truly inspirational tone.

Using a rough cast, degaussed Alnico 8 magnet, the 7078 delivers articulate note definition and huge dynamics. The coils are computer wound with 42AWG plain enamel wire to Sheptone’s exacting specifications, ensuring consistent tone from pickup to pickup while staying true to vintage character. Sheptone’s proprietary double-black butyrate bobbins anchor the design, paired with German nickel silver baseplates that follow original-era specifications. Vintage braided hookup wire keeps period-correct authenticity, while the 49.2mm pole spacing and a resistance averaging around 7.7k complete the historically correct construction.

“This pickup is for a sure a future ‘secret sauce’ for many people's rigs. It really does things right! Harmonics in a second, the perfect amount of push on an amp yet while retaining complete clarity for clean playing to the most percussive metal rhythms my caveman wrist can throw at it. There's a certain sizzle near the mid highs that spikes your amp distortion in a way that I've not heard before. From the most basic of rock to the fastest, crustiest thrash, this pickup is quickly becoming my go-to,” said professional touring and studio guitarist, Charlie Bellmore of Jasta and Kings and Liars.

“The 7078 is more than a pickup. It’s a tribute to the sound that made so many of us pick up the guitar in the first place. Including me!” said Vittek. “I build each one by hand, with the same mindfulness and materials as I do all my other models. This may be the last pickup you’ll ever need… unless, of course, you own more than one guitar.”

The Sheptone 7078 is available now directly from Sheptone and through select dealers worldwide.

For more information, visit www.sheptone.com

We’ve been basking in the golden age of guitar-effects pedals for some time now, but somehow things just seem to keep getting better and better. Holy-grail tones have been decoded and transcribed into pedal form, even as radical new stompbox inventions give musicians the ability to create new ones. And guitarists’ pedalboards are no longer governed by the biggest names in pedal manufacturing. These days, you’re just as likely to see a Boss DS-1 on someone’s board as you are a one-off build from a friend of a friend.

The ground between the majors and the building-for-fun crowd is filled with passionate pedal makers who are changing how guitarists approach their instruments. In this piece, we’ll introduce you to three North American pedal companies who have changed the pedal game with unique sounds, community-minded approaches, and years of hard work—plus, a quick word on their top stomps.

Red Panda

(redpandalab.com)

Biggest Hit: Particle

What It Does: The original granular delay pedal, the Particle chops your signal into small grains and then rearranges, shifts, and mangles it, using the techniques of granular synthesis in real time.

The Story:
Curt Malouin isn’t a guitar player, and he didn’t set out to make guitar-effects pedals, yet that’s exactly what happened with Red Panda. Malouin was working a demanding software engineering job and had been building modular software for 15 years before he started soldering pedals in his garage in 2009, but his love for electronics began when he was 11. Malouin says that having Asperger’s syndrome facilitated his obsession with sound: “I was really super interested and focused on using algorithms to manipulate sound and zoom in on little details of the sound,” he says. “It’s what my brain is focused on most of the time.”

Malouin messed around with drum machines, synths, and turntables when he was growing up in metro Detroit, listening to techno and hip-hop created in the city. Pedals were of a piece with those scenes: tools in a sound creator’s kit that were highly tweakable and allowed for brilliant manipulation, like how DJs and hip-hop artists used both old and new technologies to create unique sounds. When Line 6’s ToneCore pedals, like the Echo Park delay and Verbzilla, dropped, Malouin discovered that they included interchangeable modules that allowed users to modify the DSP code. It happened to be the same code he used in college while studying electrical engineering. That helped bridge his expertise with his new interests. “It was a combination of wanting to get back to something a little more simple and physical than working on software,” he says.

In 2011, Red Panda released the Particle, Malouin’s first ground-up design and the first-ever granular delay pedal. Word spread about this one-man operation building deeply featured digital pedals. Four years later, Malouin moved to a shared workshop. Another five years passed before Red Panda moved into its current office and workshop.

Red Panda’s builds are entirely digital, and feature-wise, they’re more complex than your average stomp. As a rule, they’re equipped with stereo inputs and outputs, full MIDI implementation, and web-based editing. Malouin is the engineer behind every step of their creation—he even built the operating system that runs the algorithms and digital signal processing (DSP) code. Malouin says that involvement keeps Red Panda’s conceptual integrity consistent from top to bottom.

Red Panda’s new RD1 series, which has been in development for three years, aims to deliver these designs in a pared-back, more affordable package. They’ll feature the same algorithms as the flagship products, but with fewer features and more focused applications—something like an old-school pedal that “does one thing, and does it really well,” explains Malouin. “There’s a lot of fun engineering challenges in trying to keep something that sounds just as good as our other pedals, but we can sell at a lower price point that allows musicians to grab it and make interesting music.”

The pedals were ready to go in April this year, but Donald Trump’s volatile tariff applications made it impossible to meet the price target Malouin wanted to hit. Red Panda’s pedals are all assembled in Michigan, but he sources parts from around the world, many of which Malouin says will never be made in the U.S. He adapted by, once again, leaning on new processes to reduce costs; for example, designing the pedals to be as quick to assemble as possible, or replacing several components with one that can do multiple things. “It’s a little engineering magic trick that makes this work fun,” he says.

Red Panda has grown since its beginning, but not by much. Malouin and only three others are day-to-day, full-time workers, which means everyone handles a bit of everything, from assembly to orders to shipping to video productions.

Electronic Audio Experiments

(electronicaudioexperiments.com)

Biggest Hit: Longsword

What It Does: Op-amp distortion and overdrive influenced by the sounds of classic post-hardcore bands, plus the Boss HM-2, Caroline Wave Cannon, and MXR Distortion+.

The Story:

It’s been just over 10 years since Boston-based pedal builder John Snyder released the first version of the Electronic Audio Experiments Longsword, but it wasn’t until 2020, when he began building full time, that the pedal reached its final form.

If you’re curious, though, you can see exactly how the Longsword evolved over the years. Snyder tracks and publishes all the changes to each of his pedal’s circuits over the years on EAE’s website. “For me, it was partly to quell confusion on the internet where people were like, ‘This version of this pedal has this thing and this version has this thing,’ or people saying, ‘I have this serial number, when did you change the board?’ I can just say, ‘Here’s the change log, it’s on the website, it’s in the manual.’ I wish other companies would do something similar.”

Snyder began playing in bands in middle school, and during his college years in the early 2010s he was active in the Northeast’s DIY community of emo, punk, and hardcore bands of all stripes. Influenced by a family heritage of engineers (one of his grandfathers was head of quality control at a vacuum-tube plant in Kentucky), Snyder was always the token gearhead in his circle. His bands were never too popular, which meant he had more time to focus on crafting unique sounds between short tours and weekend runs.

Dirt lovers around the world have a rare meteorological phenomenon to thank for their EAE pedals. In early 2014, Boston received more than 20 inches of snow over two days. Snyder was snowed into his illegal basement apartment, unable to visit his girlfriend (now wife) or any friends. It was during these locked-in days that Snyder breadboarded the Longsword. He built one for himself, and the following summer he sold a batch of 15.

Snyder finished a post-grad degree in electrical engineering in May 2020, and outside of the defense industry, there weren’t many prospects. After his wife suggested that he focus on building pedals, Snyder spent three months working on streamlining his processes. That turned into six months, which turned into a year. The operation didn’t fit into Snyder’s guest room anymore, so he upgraded to a real shop space for a while before landing on EAE’s current location, a corner of the second floor of a warehouse in Waltham, Massachusetts. (Their downstairs neighbours are Small Bear Electronics.)

“We’re all helping each other, which is a really awesome way to build community and make what we do more interesting. Something that I try to keep in mind is that this industry is so, so small, and we’re not really competing with each other.”–John Snyder, Electronic Audio Experiments

The Longsword was born from Snyder chasing the solid-state and op-amp distortion sounds of classic post-hardcore acts like Touché Amoré, La Dispute, and mewithoutYou. The Longsword’s lineage includes elements of the Boss HM-2, MXR Distortion+, and the Caroline Wave Cannon (which itself has some RAT DNA), but Snyder added a Baxandall EQ circuit. “I wanted something that didn’t already exist in the market and was very purpose-driven in its design, and could be unique enough to stand out,” explains Snyder.

Snyder credits mentors like Nick Williams of Dunwich Amplification with sharing their time and expertise in EAE’s early days: “[Nick] taught me a lot of the basics of, like, ‘How do I lay out circuit boards? How do I order circuit boards? Where do I find parts and stuff?’” Others shared meat-and-potatoes tips like how to drill enclosures in a bedroom without getting aluminum shavings everywhere, and how to market and build artist relations. Snyder tries to pay it forward these days by helping out new builders. “We’re all helping each other, which is a really awesome way to build community and make what we do more interesting,” says Snyder. “Something that I try to keep in mind is that this industry is so, so small, and we’re not really competing with each other. We’re all competing with Amazon Basics and Behringer.”

Revv

Biggest Hit: G3
(revvamplification.com)

What It Does: A modern, mid-focused, and aggressive distortion based on Revv’s Generator 120. Tight, clear high-gain tones.

The Story:

Winnipeg’s Revv Amplification made their name on the reputation of their excellent high-gain amplifiers, like the Generator 120. The 4-channel, flagship amp head was the sound in lead designer and president Dan Trudeau’s head. Trudeau, along with vice president of sales and marketing Derek Eastveld, took the formula a step further in 2018 when they put Revv’s rich, articulate, ground-shaking dirt into stompbox format.

The day Revv’s G3 pedal launched in May 2018, Eastveld was on a flight to Germany. He and his colleagues had figured they would sell 250 of them in a year. By the time he landed later that day, they’d racked up 270 sales through their website. By the end of the month, they had more than 1,000 orders to fulfil. The success was exciting, but it also posed a problem: Revv only consisted of four full-time workers. The fateful launch provided the cash flow needed to scale up the company, and today 20 people work full-time for Revv, across production, marketing, sales, design, and administration.

Revv’s amp-in-a-box G-series pedals—G2, G3, and G4—are color-coded according to the corresponding channel on the Generator 120. The G2, for example, is green, because when the namesake amp’s second channel is engaged, the amp’s LED glows green. Eastveld says that means some people mistake the pedal for a Tube Screamer clone, which is a big mistake. The G2 is much more saturated and modern-sounding. Eastveld describes it as splitting the difference between contemporary high-gain monsters like Mesa Boogie Rectifiers and 5150s, and mid-gain classics like vintage Marshalls. The purple G3, though, remains Revv’s top-selling pedal. It’s even more modern, mid-focused, and aggressive, with a 3-position switch to navigate between different voicings and saturation levels.

“We’re always taking notes about like, ‘Okay, what did people respond well to, and what do we need to take another look at?’”–Derek Eastveld, Revv

Eastveld and Trudeau pride themselves on staying flexible and responsive to their users. They constantly monitor their social media for comments and suggestions. “Maybe somebody bought something and then sold it because it wasn’t a right fit for them, and we’re always taking notes about, like, ‘Okay, what did people respond well to, and what do we need to take another look at?’” explains Eastveld. That openness has led directly to amp and pedal upgrades. The G series pedals, including the famed G3, got a V2 makeover this year.

While Birmingham City University estimates that Oasis’ reunion will bag the britpop brothers around £50 million each, the rest of the music industry is struggling. The financial strain of touring has impacted countless musicians – and Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell insists that pumping money into nostalgia acts instead of supporting new artists isn’t helping the situation.

In a new interview with The Fader, the frontwoman notes that, while “people love band history”, the imbalance of attention smaller acts are receiving will be dire for the future of music. If people solely support established artists, smaller acts will fall at the first hurdle. “Just look at Oasis… that’s not gonna happen any more unless people invest in bands,” Rowsell says.

• READ MORE: “The most talked-about guitar of the summer”: Noel Gallagher’s Oasis reunion Gibson Les Paul is getting a limited-run release – here’s how you can get one

Even Wolf Alice have struggled to make ends meet in the past. “It’s really hard to be in a band,” Rowsell admits. “It’s extremely expensive and even if you’re backed by a label, people don’t know that you’ve got to split everything.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the rest of Wolf Alice voice similar sentiments. Drummer Joel Amey speaks about how “lucky” the band feel, especially considering “how expensive it is to be in a band”. Bassist Theo Ellis also notes how even the “initial investment” when starting a band is “enormously more expensive than it used to be.”

“The problem is though, people still make it work,” he continues. “If you have that kind of environment, it will only be privileged people that will make it work. And that kind of sucks for everyone.”

Ironically, Oasis’ very own Noel Gallagher has previously spoken out about the phenomenon of privileged middle-class musicians taking over the scene. Speaking to The Star in 2022, he said: “There’s lots of singer-songwriters, loads of middle-class bands… wearing guitars as oppose to playing them. But four or five guys from a council estate can’t afford guitars.”

“I’ve actually read that in Britain since 2008, with the increase in kids who are privately educated who are in the charts, there’s barely any kids who aren’t privately educated who are successful in the music industry in my country,” he continued.

From Devon Townsend to Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, plenty of musicians have mourned the hiking costs of touring. Last year, former Longpigs and Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley even told NME that rock ‘n’ roll is a “very much a middle-class thing now”, which entirely “pisses [him] off”.

Wolf Alice’s latest record, The Clearing, is out now.

The post “That’s not gonna happen anymore unless people invest in bands”: Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell on why the Oasis reunion phenomenon shows what’s wrong with the music industry appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Back in July, Yungblud stole the show at Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning final concert. His performance of Changes has gone on to amass over 8 million views online, with countless metalheads leaving the gig as Yungblud converts. However, The Darkness’ Dan Hawkins remains unconvinced.

On 7 September, Yungblud (AKA Dominic Harrison) took to the stage at the VMAs to perform yet another tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Joined by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, Harrison performed Osbourne solo cuts Crazy Train and Mama, I’m Coming Home, and, of course, Black Sabbath’s Changes.

While Ariana Grande seemed to enjoy the show, Hawkins has taken to Instagram to criticise the performance. “What a bunch of bellends,” he writes.

• READ MORE: “My father always thought you were a c**t”: Jack Osbourne slams Roger Waters for saying he “couldn’t give a f**k” about Ozzy Osbourne’s music

“Another nail in the coffin of rock n roll,” his post continues. “Cynical, nauseating and more importantly; shit. Makes me sick how people jump on this shit to further their own careers.”

While Hawkins’ has since limited comments on his post, NME documented a number of responses from Instagram users. “Spot on Dan,” one user reportedly wrote. “This was the least rock n roll thing I’ve ever seen. Looks like a scene from [children’s Nickelodeon show] iCarly.”

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A post shared by Dan Hawkins (@danhawkinsofthedarkness)

Another user reportedly slammed Harrison for his display of “fake, contrived emotion”.

However, not everyone was on Hawkins’ side. “I don’t understand what pisses you off here,” another user wrote. “All of these dudes performed with and for Ozzy at his Back To The Beginning concert and are friends of his […] The VMAs wanted to honour Ozzy and his legacy! I love you, dude, but I don’t get it!”

While some may feel cynical about Harrison’s seemingly newfound interest in Sabbath and Ozzy, the young rocker has had a personal relationship with Ozzy over the last few years. Back in 2022, Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, featured in the video for Yungblud track The Funeral.

In a behind the scenes clip, Ozzy even gifts Harrison a cross with a hope that it “brings [Harrison] luck”. Later down the line, Harrison returned the favour by gifting Ozzy a gold cross before the Back To The Beginning show.

Harrison’s relationship with the Osbourne’s seemingly continued after the video shoot, too. Last year, Harrison even featured on The Osbourne’s YouTube channel for an interview with Sharon and daughter Kelly Osbourne. Throughout, the pair were stunned by how similar Harrison was to Ozzy. “I can’t believe it,” Sharon repeatedly said. “Ozzy’s the same…”

Regardless of Hawkins’ cynicism, Harrison is committed to honouring Ozzy forever. “I promise you with all my heart I will try my best and make it my life’s journey to keep the sprit that you started and what you have taught me alive,” the Doncaster singer wrote in a recent social media post. “I will give it my best shot.”

“To sing [Changes] for you at an event surrounded by legends inspired by you to a crowd that loved you was truly my life’s greatest honour and I vow to play this song every night for the rest of my life,” he promised.

Since, former Guns N’ Roses member Matt Sorum has branded Yungblud as a sign of “hope in the world of rock ‘n’ roll”. Sabbath’s Geezer Butler has also called one of Harrison’s recent US gigs the “best show [he’s] seen in years”.

I’m trying to compute the last couple days and honestly I’m absolutely fucking shattered.

You have been my North Star for everything for as long as I can remember from when I was misunderstood as a child to the way people thought I was just a little “too much” or “strange” in… pic.twitter.com/8MlV4fPXN5

— YUNGBLUD (@yungblud) July 24, 2025

The post The Darkness guitarist slams Yungblud’s VMAs Ozzy tribute as “nauseating” and “s**t” – but what’s the problem? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Last February, the “Holy Grail of Rock ‘N’ Roll” was finally found; Paul McCartney’s stolen 1961 Höfner 500/1 left-handed bass was found and returned to the Beatles legend after 52 years. A new documentary is set to recount the lost bass’s journey over the pass five decades.

The Beatle and the Bass will document the global hunt for the bass, from its disappearance on 21 January 1969, while the Beatles were filming the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, to its eventual discovery. “I think anything that’s nicked, you want back, especially if it has sentimental value,” McCartney tells the BBC. “It just went off into the universe and it left us thinking, where did it go? There must be an answer.”

• READ MORE: Legendary guitar dealer reveals his “biggest mistake” – turning down George Harrison’s offer to trade in his Beatles Gretsch Country Gentleman

In many ways, the left-handed bass is one of the most significant instruments in Beatles history. It was McCartney’s ticket into the band; when bassist Stuart Sutcliffe dropped out of The Beatles, McCartney was asked to fill in for him at a show in Hamburg in 1961. McCartney, however, didn’t have a bass. Panicked, he bought the cheapest quality bass he could afford – a sunburst Höfner 500/1 for £30.

The bass would go on to feature on iconic tracks Love Me Do, She Loves You, Twist and Shout and more before being stolen in 1972.

The new documentary will explore just how The Lost Bass Project managed to track down the bass. Spearheaded by a team of journalists, researchers and Höfner aficionado Nick Wass, the project was founded in May 2023 before the team put out a global call in September the same year. The bass was eventually found up in an attic in Suffolk.

When the bass was found, the Fab Four’s official Facebook account announced the news. “Rauidhri Guest inherited the bass from his dad who recently passed away and the bass had been previously sitting in his attic in Hastings, England apparently restrung right handed, and he not knowing who it once belonged to for all these years,” the post explained.

“Sources said the family – who found the Höfner in a loft while clearing a house – approached Sir Paul and reps at his home. The guitar has been inspected and authenticated as genuine. When it was found, the family had no idea about the treasure in their attic.”

The bass made its official return to the stage last December on McCartney’s Got Back Tour. The Höfner was used during a performance of Get Back alongside The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood. A worthy track to mark its return, considering it did indeed ‘get back’ to its rightful owner.

The post “Anything that’s nicked, you want back!”: A new documentary will recount the hunt for Paul McCartney’s stolen Höfner 500/1 bass appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

On the cover of their latest record, The Hives Forever Forever the Hives, the Swedish unit are depicted wearing crowns and robes. It’s most likely due to The Hives being garage punk royalty – and one of the few punk bands continuing to carry the torch of proper punk aggro.

In a new interview with The iPaper, frontman Pelle Almqvist argues that modern punk has lost its edge. “A lot of punk is pretty sanitised these days,” he frowns. “I guess Californian punk did that. You have rappers saying they’re making a punk album. It takes more than that to impress me!”

• READ MORE: Five times the Hives were the best band in the world (according to the Hives)

While Almqvist doesn’t namedrop any artists, the phenomenon of rapper-turned-punk rocker is widespread. Machine Gun Kelly (mgk) is one of the biggest names to do so, his 2020 record Ticket To My Downfall notably marking his shift to from hip-hop to pop punk. But there’s also acts like Denzel Curry and Rico Nasty that are melding punk and rap with gusto.

The issue of punk feeling “sanitised” isn’t solely rooted in the sound, however. With more “likeable” punk acts surfacing, it has had an impact on the image of punk overall. In Almqvist’s mind, the watered down punk acts have transformed the genre into something more palatable rather than a parent’s worst nightmare.

If the Hives frontman had it his way, he’d almost prefer for less people to enjoy his music. “My view is maybe I think our music is more extreme than it actually is, because I meet people in the supermarket all the time and they’re like, ‘You guys are the best!’ – I respond like, ‘Oh, you like it?’” he disappointedly admits. “I didn’t know it would be that likeable. Apparently, it is.”

“I was a born contrarian,” Almqvist proudly states, discussing his band’s latest album. “Which was exhausting until we formed the band and I found a place to put all that stuff. Maybe there’s some vague evolutionary advantage to that, but it came at a pretty heavy price.”

In his latest chat with Guitar.com, the frontman asserts that Bad Call is his favourite cut from the latest record. “There are a lot of great riffs on [the new record] – Hooray Hooray Hooray has a great riff, Paint a Picture has a great riff, but I think my favourite is the verse to Bad Call,” he explains. “It’s the drums that are the star in that one, the chords accent the drums and then travel through the song. If it was just the drums, maybe you’d get a bit bored on your journey towards the chorus.”

The post “You have rappers making a punk album. It takes more than that to impress me!”: The Hives frontman calls modern punk “pretty sanitised” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

When it comes to weird and wacky, off-the rails epic guitar solos, it’s hard to beat Billy Duffy’s wildcat lead on the Cult’s 1987 hit Love Removal Machine, from their Rick Rubin-produced album Electric. It’s big and bold in all the ways a rock solo should be, but it zigs where other solos zag. It simply doesn’t behave – there’s a messiness to it in ways that recalls Jimmy Page’s fireball solo to Led Zeppelin’s Heartbreaker.

• READ MORE: Five times the Hives were the best band in the world (according to the Hives)

“I take that as a compliment,” Duffy says. “Most people like it for what it is, but there were a few people who slagged it off.”

He points to one such criticism from a friend, Dweezil Zappa. “It was quite funny, actually,” he says. “We were backstage at some arena, and he went, ‘Dude, that solo is out of tune.’ I said, ‘I know.’ Dweezil was totally floored because he couldn’t comprehend why somebody would try and make a rock ’n’ roll record and not be as concerned with perfection and timing as they were with spirit and attitude.

“I mean, we were making a rock and roll record,” he continues. “We wanted something authentic, and we didn’t get caught up in details. That solo was okay with Rick Rubin, who as far as I know, is the coolest man alive. If Rick was fine with it, I was happy to let it stand.”

Peace Sells?

Originally, Rubin wasn’t tapped to produce the Cult’s follow-up to their breakthrough 1985 album, Love. The band had spent the better part of the summer of 1986 working with producer Steve Brown (who had produced Love) at the Manor Studio in Oxfordshire recording an album to be called Peace that sound-wise (lots of guitar effects, multiple layers of overdubs) didn’t stray from hits like She Sells Sanctuary and Rain.

“The general idea was that Love had been a hit and we became a known band, so logically we didn’t want to completely change course,” Duffy says. “We were just looking to add a bit more muscle to our sound and rock more. We had already done punk rock, which became a bit restrictive, so now it was the mid-‘80s and we thought, ‘Maybe we should explore early Zeppelin.’”

Before sessions with Brown had commenced, however, the band hit a bit of a snag when, as Duffy recalls, singer Ian Astbury, had “a bit of an episode.” “It was sort of a creative crisis that led to a blowout in Italy in which Ian threw out his lyrics,” Duffy says. “We went into the studio without spending much time on the music. Ian wasn’t engaged enough, and we overcompensated with production and layering. There were too many guitars, but that was just how I normally do things. I write melodies by layering guitars.”

Dissatisfied with the results, the band decided to contact the New York-based Rubin, who had already established himself as a shining star by combining rock and hip-hop on hits by the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC (particularly their rock-rap mash-up Walk This Way with Aerosmith), and have him remix Love Removal Machine, which had already been viewed as a potential single.

Idle Hands

Rubin made his feelings known to the band in no uncertain terms. “He thought what we recorded was too busy,” Duffy says, “Although his actual words were less PC. He thought it was too messy and complicated. It didn’t hit hard enough for him. He wanted something simple and direct.”

Before remixing Love Removal Machine, however, Rubin made the proviso that he would do so only if he and the band would recut a song they liked the least on the record, Peace Dog. After doing so, the decision was quickly made to toss away all existing tracks and redo everything, with Rubin producing the band as he saw fit.

“Rick talked about AC/DC, Zeppelin and a little bit about Aerosmith,” Duffy says. “He asked, ‘Do you like those records?’ and we said, ‘Hell yeah.’ I saw AC/DC when Bon Scott was in the band, so I was very much on board. At that point, we were open to somebody who had a different vision. We weren’t precious about things at all. Rick made a lot of sense to us, and he took us on a bit of a journey. He later said something once that I quite liked – that he didn’t so much produce the Cult as he reduced us. In that way, Electric is sort of an outlier for me.”

The band traveled to New York to work with Rick. You recorded at Electric Lady Studios.

“Right. We were in the big studio downstairs – in the back of my mind, it’s where AC/DC did Back in Black. Rick had a great team – Andy Wallace was the engineer, and George Drakoulias was there. Rick had the vision.”

Rick hadn’t yet worked with a lot of full bands.

“This might have been before he produced Slayer – I’m not sure. He was very confident, but in a nice way. He believed in what he felt. He believed in the band. He got us.”

As a guitar player who had established a sound, was it hard for you to give in to Rick’s approach and let go of your effects?

“Sure. It was quite a shock. I don’t think anybody else realized or cared that I was literally flying by the seat of my pants. I was reaching back to being a teenage boy, pre-punk, listening to Mott the Hoople and Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, et cetera, et cetera. The other thing was, all the gear on Electric was rented – every stick of it.”

Before you did any recording, even for what was supposed to be the Peace album, did you play any of the material live, just to test it out?

“That’s a very good question, and I don’t think we did. No, wait – we played one song called Electric Ocean because we tried to cut it for a movie soundtrack. I know there’s a live version of it from a festival in Finland. But Love Removal, none of that was played live.

Set the scene in the studio. Rick tells the band, ‘Great song, but you’re doing too much. We’re gonna take it down to bare bones.’ Did he get you all there to rehearse as a band to make the song lean and mean?”

“Absolutely. Originally, it was three guys in the room – Ian wasn’t there because he didn’t sing with us when we were doing the backing tracks. But I remember Rick telling him, “You’re the singer, right? Go and sing!” Ian jumped in and we cut every track from the floor. Which was great because the singer is part of a team. The vocals are essential. If you’re taking away all of these guitar layers, you won’t be left with much if you don’t have any singing.”

As you mentioned, the gear was rented. That included your guitars?

“Yeah. There’s no Gretsch guitar on the song or the album, which will break everybody’s hearts. I used two rented Les Pauls.”

Your go-to guitar had been a Gretsch White Falcon. Did you feel naked without it?

“Absolutely. It was scary at first. Now, I should say that prior to the Cult, I had played Les Pauls. I got into Gretsches around 1981. So I’m playing Les Pauls through rented Marshalls – no delay or chorus or echo. I was used to having an overdriven sound, because the more saturation you have, the easier it is to play. Rick and Andy had this thing where they backed off the overdrive, and I was panicking a bit, but they found that if you backed off the gain, the amp sound became bigger. It was that sweet spot.”

Let’s get into that solo. Did you plot it out beforehand, or was it spontaneous?

“I’m a gut guy. I’ve always felt my role as a guitar player would be to serve the song, and playing a good guitar solo is part of that service. Because I had a punk rock background, I didn’t like perfection. I wanted soul, passion and guts.”

You start the solo out on this crying, sustained note. Did you at least have that planned?

“My thing with a guitar solo is, you need to know how you’re going to get in and how you’re going to get out. What happens in the middle isn’t quite as important. I did have the idea to start the solo because of a song called Violence by Mott the Hoople. There’s a break where Mick Ralphs hits a note with a wah-wah and he sustains the note while the music moved around it. I just always felt that the more you can say with the less notes, the better. There’s time to do a lot, and in some spots I went a bit mad. I was just trying to help out and do my job. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, look at me!’”

Even so, it is a very “look at me” guitar solo.

“Well, it’s set up that way. It’s presented on a platter, isn’t it? It’s a bit of a pig with an apple in its mouth. Rick had us reconstruct the songs, and that was part of it – you needed the payoff.”

Did you play the solo live with the rest of the band?

“I honestly can’t remember how I did it. I don’t know whether I would’ve done a solo without rhythm guitar, if you know what I mean, because it would’ve just been drums and bass. It’s likely that I did it as an overdub. But the solos on that record were not really chopped together.”

The middle part of the solo – the part that Dweezil Zappa said was out of tune – it’s completely mad. It’s great, but it’s totally weird. What was running through your mind as you played it?

“I can’t recall. I wasn’t as caught up in the detail because it was a bit of a rush job. There was a lot of pressure because we knew we’d eaten up all the budget and we were on borrowed time. So my mindset was more like, ‘If everybody else is into it, I’m into it.’”

Toward the end of the song, the band goes into a full-tilt boogie and you do another solo – more of a spitfire run. None of that was on the earlier version you had cut.

“I think what had happened was, we were a live touring band and we were looking for a song to be a set ender, something quite dramatic. It was just one of those crazy “go for it” rock and roll solos. I always felt it was in the spirit of Toys in the Attic – this explosion of energy.”

After you had finished cutting everything and you listened to a playback with Rick, what were you thinking? After all, this was a pretty stark difference in the band’s sound.

“I was a little nervous. I was aware that it was certainly going to upset a bit of a gothic apple cart. But Ian was totally committed, while in the back of my mind it was like, ‘Wow, this is going to really upset people.’ With She Sells Sanctuary, I intuitively knew it was the right thing to do.”

“People are like, ‘Why don’t you make an album like that again?’ Well, because we’re not 25 anymore, living this young man’s pirate lifestyle. Electric is kind of a cartoon album of our lifestyle at that time, and it’s very important in that context. We were naive and having a lot of fun misbehaving. It was the soundtrack to sort of a misspent youth.”

There was Dweezil Zappa’s reaction, but as you said, you’ve heard the opposite from a lot of people.

“The general reaction to the Electric album is, it’s sort of a timeless rock sound. Warts and all, it’s honest. It’s a few blokes playing to their best of ability without a lot of smoke and mirrors. From Rick all the way down to the band and everyone involved, we put the hours in. We believed that good, honest rock had gotten a bit of trodden under foot with punk rock. We just believed in what we were doing.”

We should talk about the riff to Love Removal Machine. At any point, did anybody in the band say, “Oh, shit, this sounds a bit like Start Me Up”?

“No. That’s a very interesting question because it’s kind of haunted the track. Hand over heart, I never thought it was influenced by that at all. Now, does it sound like it? Well, yeah, I can see that. I didn’t know it the time. I know the version that I wrote didn’t sound like it. It wasn’t intentional.

“I don’t know where it came from. It certainly didn’t come from me owning an album with Start Me Up on it. I’ve never really owned a Stones album – I know that might horrify people. But they did write one of my favourite songs ever, Gimme Shelter. I was just never a Stonesy guy.”

The post “I didn’t try to play a guitar hero solo, but it sounds like it” The Cult’s Billy Duffy reveals his ultimate guitar solo appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

ChopTones announces availability of Dario Comuzzi Signature Pack

The Terrain Deluxe is a Harmonic Tremolo with Tap Tempo, featuring a high fidelity all analog signal path using LightDependent Resistors (LDRs) for modulation. The Harmonic Tremolo mode uses an electronic crossover to split the signal into high and low frequency components.These are modulated 180 degrees out of phase and then re-combined creating a wet, lush tone. Speaking of tone, theTone control pans between the high and low frequency signals, going from full treble to full bass and everything in between. In the unlikely event that you get tired of the beautiful Harmonic Tremolo there is a Normal / Harmonic mode switch. In Normal Mode the high and low components are modulated together creating a traditional tremolo sound.

There are Speed, Depth, and Gain controls, and a Waveform switch to select between square, sine, and triangle waveforms.The Tap Tempo foot switch works win conjunction with the Tempo Multiplier switch allowing you to create quarter note, eight note, and eight note triplet modulations by just tapping the base tempo. The two tempo LEDs above the footswitch flash together in for Normal mode and 180 degrees out of phase in Harmonic mode.Finally, there are two independent expression pedal inputs: one each for Speed and Depth.

• Harmonic Tremolo with Tap Tempo.

• High fidelity all-analog signal path using LDRs.• Speed, Depth, and Gain controls.

• Tone control that sweeps between high and low frequency signals (center is flat).

• Normal / Harmonic mode switch.

• Sine, Square, and Triangle waveform switch.

• Tap Tempo footswitch with Tempo Multiplier switch.

• Independent expression pedal inputs for Speed and Depth controls.

• Full bypass with Fail Safe® using relays.

• 9VDC, 80mA.

MAP price: $220 USD ($299 CAD).

Building on the foundation of the company’s acclaimed pedalkits, StewMac has introduced a line of ready-to-play, fully finished guitar effects pedals.

The newly launched models include StewMac’s four most popular pedal designs: the Sun Fuzz; Lightcycle Phasor II optical phaser; Two Kings Boost dual overdrive; and Ghost Drive transparent overdrive. Each pedal delivers classic tone at an incredible price.

Sun Fuzz

There have been countless replicas and reimaginations of the classic Fuzz Face pedal. StewMac’s Sun Fuzz gives you the control and tone shaping you've always wanted from the originals, and it’s a must-have for fans of Hendrix, Clapton, or Gilmour’s tone.

This circuit is one of the foundational tones for electric guitar, but the germanium powered originals can be hard to control and don't play nice with many pickups and amps—even temperature can completely change the tone! To create a more predictable, controllable, reliable tone, we've swapped the germanium transistor for a silicon BC-108, giving the pedal a brighter tone, more gain, and enhanced touch sensitivity.

Priced at $99.99, the Sun Fuzz is a no-brainer for fuzz fans who don’t want to shell out $200+ for the originals. Key features include:

• Improved bias control and tone shaping compared to the originals.
• Silicon BD-108 transistor.
• Versatile fuzz with simple controls for volume, fuzz, and tone.
• Sounds great with humbuckers, single-coils, and P-90s alike.

Two Kings Boost Dual Overdrive

Inspired by one of the most sought-after dual overdrives on the market, players like John Petrucci, Gary Clark Jr., Samantha Fish, and Warren Haynes have raved about the originator of this circuit, the King of Tone. Now, you no don’t have to wait to add this circuit to your rig. StewMac’s Two Kings is transparent but still warm and gritty, with a full range of frequencies available—no matter the setting. It won't overpower the unique tone of your guitar and amp—it just makes it better.

The Two Kings is actually two pedals in one, with selectable boost and distortion through internal dip switches. The two sides of the pedal are completely independent—it's easy to find the sweet spot for each side. With knobs for gain, volume, and tone you can get anything from simple boost, gritty overdrive, and even distortion in a flash. If you want to go deep, you can further tailor the sound with the internal controls for infinite tone tweaking.

Priced at $199.99, the Two Kings is an affordable and authentic alternative to the pricey, hard-to-get original. Key features include:

• 2-in-1 pedal.
• Maintains core tone of guitar and amp.
• Effortlessly provides boost, gritty overdrive, and distortion.

Lightcycle Phasor II

This isn’t just another phase shifter—it’s the unmistakable sound of deep, liquid movement that defined an era. Inspired by the MuTron Phasor II from the 1970’s this studio-quality, all-analog optical phase circuit set the gold standard for smooth, sweeping modulation. StewMac has recreated this timeless classic to bring your tone to life with the same lush, organic depth that graced the pedalboards of legends. You can recreate those complicated textures live—from a rotary speaker shimmer to wild spacey soundscapes, every knob twist sparks inspiration. On the front are controls for depth, rate, and feedback, letting you dial in anything from subtle swirl to rapid tremolo and synthesizer sounds. For even more flexibility, two internal controls let you dial in the sweep and intensity of the phased signal.

Priced At $149.99, the Lightcycle Phasor II is an authentic and affordable alternative to the original. Key features include:

• Studio-quality optical phaser.
• Controls for depth, rate, and feedback.
• Two internal controls to adjust the sweep and intensity of the phased signal.

Ghost Drive

Not just another “klone”, the StewMac Ghost Drive pedal is the closest to the famed Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive we’ve ever heard. StewMac scoured the globe to source the nearly impossible to find (electronically identical) 1N34A germanium diodes that many claim were the heart and soul of the mojo behind the original Klon. Also, unlike so many modern klones that rely on surface mount components, the Ghost Drive is pure old school using through-hole components and traditional solder joints. This gives the pedal the purest tone possible and makes it a true match to the originals. The Klon was made famous by countless players like Joe Perry, Mike McCready, Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Nels Cline and more, but at more than $5,000 for a vintage original the StewMac Ghost Drive Pedal

This pedal is extremely easy to use: just gain, treble, and output. The gain is where the magic is by adding sweet saturation and harmonics while retaining the character of your amp. The treble acts as a boost or cut, allowing you to dial in the perfect mid-range for your tone.

Priced at just $149.99, the StewMac Ghost Drive provides a nearly identical tone for just a fraction of the price of the originals. Key features include:

• Through-hole components and traditional solder joints just like the originals.
• The electronic identical 1N34A germanium diodes in the originals.
• Works great as a clean boost as well as a transparent overdrive.
• Buffered bypass.

For more information about StewMac’s new line of pedals visit stewmac.com

Universal Audio, a worldwide leader in audio production tools, today announced the release of the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A and Maag EQ4 MS plug‑ins. As a part of the Apollo and UAD v11.8 software update, these plug‑ins deliver enhanced sonics, with new features and workflows for modern music producers and engineers, or those looking to upgrade their current Shadow Hills or Maag plug‑ins.

UAD Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A – $169 USD

“Shadow Hills Class A and Maag EQ4 MS give music creators access to two rare and unique sounds in the UAD catalog,” says Lev Perrey, VP of Product at Universal Audio. “Beyond the updated UI, they add entirely new sonics and workflow capabilities, expanding what’s possible for customers working with Apollo interfaces and UAD hardware.”

The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A plug‑in is a meticulous emulation of the legendary “Red” edition hardware — of which only 50 units were ever built. It delivers the coveted dual‑stage optical and discrete compression stages, plus switchable Nickel, Iron, and Steel output transformers so you can dial in open and airy detail to thick, saturated tone.

Sonically enhanced with Tolerance Modeling Technology by Brainworx (TMT), the updated Shadow Hills UAD plug‑in features the subtle channel‑to‑channel variations of the real analog gear, giving mixes added depth and realism. Customers can also access powerful features including Mid/Side processing, Stereo Width control, Mono Maker, Parallel Mix, scalable UI, and more — going far beyond the original hardware.

Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A - Key Features

• Updated version of rare Class A dual‑stage optical and discrete compressor plug‑in
• TMT technology by Brainworx adds subtle channel‑to‑channel variations for greater analog realism
• Switchable Nickel, Iron, and Steel output transformers for unique tone shaping
• Enhanced Class A circuitry with 1–3 dB hotter presence than the original UAD plug‑in
• Plug‑in only features: Mid/Side, Parallel Mix, Stereo Width, Mono Maker, Sidechain Filter

UAD Maag EQ4 MS — $129 USD

The Maag EQ4 MS plug‑in brings life to a classic UAD plug‑in title. Along with its iconic Air Band, the new version features Mid/Side processing, expanded frequency choices, selectable Q values.

Ideal for adding presence to vocals and instruments, the Maag EQ4 MS now brings extra clarity and depth to mixes thanks to TMT technology by Brainworx — which captures the real‑world channel variations that add analog realism unlike other matched digital EQs.

Maag EQ4 MS - Key Features

• Updated edition of the legendary EQ4 plug‑in with expanded sonics and flexibility
• TMT technology by Brainworx captures natural channel‑to‑channel differences for extra width and dimension
• Iconic Air Band delivers transparent, musical high‑end sheen for vocals and instrument
• Mid/Side processing tools for precise control of stereo image and depth
• Expanded frequency options and selectable Q values for refined tone shaping

Also included in the UAD v11.8.1 update, MIDI Learn is now available for all UAD DSP plug‑ins, giving customers hands‑on control of plug‑in parameters with compatible MIDI controllers. With a simple click, touch, move workflow, music producers working in Apollo studios with UAD plug‑ins can map knobs and faders in seconds — eliminating tedious menu diving.

Pricing & Availability

• The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A plug‑in is available for $169 (new customers) or $39 (upgrade price).
• The Maag EQ4 MS plug‑in is available for $129 (new customers) or $39 (upgrade price).
• Both plug‑ins, along with MIDI Learn functionality, are included in the Apollo & UAD v11.8.1 software update, available September 4, 2025.

Learn more about Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A:
uaudio.com/products/shadow-hills-mastering-compressor-class-a

Learn more about Maag EQ4 MS:
uaudio.com/products/maag-eq4-ms

Learn more about UAD Plug‑Ins:
uaudio.com/collections/uad-plugins

Download images and press materials:

u.audio/uadshadowhills-maag-p

A 3-in-1 wah, envelope follower, and envelope controller that opens up a huge range of filtering possibilities.

As an avid—perhaps rabid—musical psychedelicist, I’ve had a lot of wah in my life. Maybe too much. In recent years, I seem to have had my own personal version of the rock world’s 1968 epiphany, where everyone ditched their wah and fuzz, moved to the country, and put Music from Big Pink on constant replay.

Recently, though, I’ve been in touch with my wah side again—this time by way of JJ Cale’s chilled out swells and Curtis Mayfield’s mellower wah flourishes. And through these applications of treadle-actuated filtering, I’ve rekindled my love for the more psychotic side of the effect. Vox’s V863-CA will happily wind along either the gentle path or the hard road. It has a nuanced filter taper that makes slow, focused sweeps sound sweet and vocal, and it responds to quick-twitch moves with precision. But the real magic in the V863-CA is its combination of envelope generator (auto wah) and envelope follower functions, as well as its ability to switch between wah and the two filtering modes merely by lifting your foot from the treadle.

It Just Takes A Touch

You can only use either the envelope generator/wah combination or the envelope follower/wah combo at any given time—a small price to pay for the versatility at hand here. You can, however, select between those two modes with a small mini toggle on the lower left side of the enclosure—which, incidentally, seems well out of the way of accidental triggering. There is a third position for wah only, which is useful for accessing cocked wah tones. But you can switch any of the effects into bypass mode with a click in the toe-down position.

Vox’s V863-CA will happily wind along either the gentle path or the hard road.

Inspired by Dead and Company’s recent shows celebrating the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary, I explored the envelope follower section of the V863-CA in honor of Jerry Garcia. The V863-CA performs admirably in this capacity. Using the polarity switch, you can shape the filter’s reaction to a dynamic trigger. In one mode the filter’s voice opens with a “wow”-like tonality; in the opposite polarity it yields a snappier effect. It’s a pretty sweet-sounding envelope filter, too—particularly in the more open, vowelly, Garcia-like mode. The sensitivity control, which governs the filter’s reaction to picking dynamics, isn’t the most nuanced, and I preferred to keep the sensitivity wide open and control the sound via my picking and guitar volume (which can dull the dynamic response if you turn down too much). Still, the biggest thrill of using the envelope follower mode was the ability to launch from a chilled, quacky, Garcia run to Eddie Hazel “Maggot Brain” intensity just by putting my foot on the treadle. This is a genuinely inventive feature that will open up possibilities to players outside the psychedelic sphere.

The envelope generator, or auto wah function, can be shaped with both the decay control and the attack knob, which manipulate the filter’s reactivity. (Both knobs have useful center detents). Between the two controls you can craft syrupy response for spacey, slow jams (delicious with loads of delay) or snappy, funky interactions that will keep up with rapid-fire Nile Rodgers-style licks.

At $279, Vox’s Vietnam-made V863-CA seems expensive until you dig deep into its bag of tricks. And though it might appear specialized, I had little problem finding novel uses of the combination effects that broke the funky and acid-fried wah molds and led to more unusual ends. But the coolest part of the V863-CA experience remains the ability to seamlessly move from wah to filtering functions simply by lifting one’s foot. It’s a smart way to shift between verse, chorus, and solo segments without tap dancing between multiple pedals. The same functionality can generate dramatic changes in mood and dynamic, inspiring whole compositions and arrangements. In that respect, the V863-CA delivers value in abundance.

The aches and pains of ageing are unavoidable – but that doesn’t mean you have to quit performing. Jake E Lee is the latest musician to admit his arthritis has impacted his chops, but he’s determined to keep playing.

In a new interview with Guitar World, the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist admits that his arthritis has gotten worse. “The cartilage is basically gone,” he explains. “I can’t feel it; it’s bone on bone… The only operation they had available was to fuse the bones together. My wrist would be pretty much locked in. I didn’t want that.”

However, he’s learning to adapt his playing style to “keep the wrist movement down to a minimum”. His approach has been focusing on the elbow; “I’ve had to adjust my playing style to where I’m using mostly the elbow on the right hand, trying to use as much elbow movement as I can.”

• READ MORE: “It was like juggling chainsaws while being on a skateboard”: Zakk Wylde on the pressures of playing with Ozzy Osbourne at Black Sabbath’s final gig

“It’s made it interesting,” he continues. “In a way, it’s like learning to play guitar again, even though I know how to play it. I’m having fun. Mentally – and as far as theory – I know exactly what to do, but I have to teach my left and right hands to accommodate me.”

To aid his new style, Lee has also switched to slightly lighter plectrums and strings. “I usually use a heavy pick, but I went to a lighter one,” he says. “It forced me to have a lighter touch with my right hand, and that’s been interesting. My left hand is also a little bit weak, so lately I’ve been playing with seven [gauge strings] to force myself to have a lighter touch.”

“And it’s interesting because Billy Gibbons uses sevens, and that’s what Tony Iommi and Brian May use,” he adds. “They don’t have a problem with getting a good tone!”

While Lee is learning to adjust to his arthritis, it has limited him from tackling some of his tougher riffs. At Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning show, he was unable to play guitar on Bark At The Moon, instead allowing Travis Barker, Nuno Bettencourt, Vernon Reid, Rudy Sarzo and Adam Wakeman handle the track with Tobias Forge on vocal duties.

“I know people are expecting Bark at the Moon, but I don’t know,” he told Guitar World in the lead up to the gig. “Right now, with my wrist, the arthritis and everything, that would be very challenging. I have a couple of months to get up to it, so I’ll practice it just in case. But that’s going to be pretty challenging for me physically.”

Right now, however, Lee is just focusing on improving his new approach to guitar. “It’s a lot of strengthening, stretching, and steroid shots,” he says.

He also notes that it’s hardly the worst pain he’s had to deal with in his life – hell, he was shot in the arm three times last year while walking his dog. “I’ve had back issues forever, and wrist pain isn’t anything compared to that,” he insists.

The post “I can’t feel it. It’s bone on bone”: Jake E Lee admits arthritis struggles have caused him to totally “relearn” how to play guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

In the 1999 cult classic Mystery Men, Invisible Boy has a superpower that’s as hilarious as it is relatable: He’s invisible, but only when no one’s looking. The moment eyes are on him, he’s just a kid in a cape, exposed and ordinary. Musicians, doesn’t that hit home? When it’s just you and your guitar, the music flows like a river—raw, unfiltered, alive. But flip on the studio’s red light or face a sea of cell phones at a gig, and that river can dry up fast. It’s the red light paradox: The act of capturing inspiration often chokes it.

Players like Marcus King, Masayoshi Takanaka, and Tom Bukovac seem to live in that effortless zone, channeling endless streams of soulful licks. Alone in a room, you might tap into that, too—those late-night jams where riffs cascade and ideas feel infinite. No stakes, no judgment. Only creation. But in the studio, that red light is a judge with a gavel. Every note feels etched in stone, ready for eternal scrutiny. The ticking clock, the producer’s glance, the knowledge that a single take could live forever—it’s enough to stall the flow.

I’ll never forget filming a Rig Rundown with Thom Bresh in 2020. Thom was an absolute legend with talent that drove an incredible seven-decade career. Before we started, I said, “Hey Thom, want to play something going into the interview?” He paused, grinned, and replied, “Been playing my entire life, but the minute somebody asks me to play, I got nothing. My mind goes blank.” If a giant like Bresh could feel that pressure, what hope is there for the rest of us mere mortals? It’s proof that the red light doesn’t discriminate.

“It’s not about nailing every note; it’s about capturing something true.”

Live music, though, is a different beast. There’s freedom in the fleeting moment. The crowd’s energy, the vibe with bandmates, the knowledge that a flubbed note vanishes by the next song—it all invites risk. I’ve seen players, myself included, get bold onstage in ways we’d never try in the studio. You’ll stretch a phrase, chase a wild harmony, or lean into a bend that might not land, because it’s yours and it’s gone in minutes. It’s a tightrope walk with a net, letting you attempt crazier tricks.

In the studio, that net’s gone. The red light means evidence—permanent, unerasable. Every take is a potential exhibit in the court of public opinion. (Even onstage now, since a phone clip can haunt you online until our hypothetical ape overlords unplug the internet.) It makes you play it safe. I do it—sticking to solid takes to avoid being “that guy” holding up the session. If the bassist or keyboardist wants another pass, I’m right there—not always because I hate my take, but for insurance. Just in case there’s a gremlin in the mix—a flubbed note, a shaky vibrato, or a phrase that felt cool but now sticks out like a bad tattoo.

That self-consciousness isn’t just about avoiding mistakes; it’s the weight of permanence. Live, a missed note is usually a blip, forgotten by the encore. In the studio, it’s a ghost that could haunt you. I’ve heard players nail a take only to spend hours second-guessing it, not because it’s bad, but because it might not be perfect. And perfection, we all know, kills vibe. The studio’s a paradox: it’s where you immortalize art, but the process can drain its soul.

”That self-consciousness isn’t just about avoiding mistakes; it’s the weight of permanence.”

So how do you beat the red light curse? Some players treat the studio like a live gig—dim the lights, imagine a crowd, or track live off the floor to capture that loose, communal energy. Others prep relentlessly, woodshedding parts so the light can’t rattle them. Bukovac, in a Homeskoolin’ video, talks about playing like you’re “just messing around,” even in high-stakes sessions. Easier for a guy who bleeds licks, but there’s truth there: The less you fear the light, the freer you play. I’ve tried picturing it as a vibe check, not a verdict, but it’s tough when Thom Bresh’s words echo. Even legends go blank under pressure.

Maybe the answer lies in embracing the imperfection the red light exposes. Live, we forgive ourselves because the moment’s gone. In the studio, we must forgive ourselves knowing the moment’s forever. It’s not about nailing every note; it’s about capturing something true. Next time you’re in the booth, staring down that glowing red eye, channel Invisible Boy. Shrug off the gaze and play like no one’s watching. Because the only judgment that matters is whether the music moves you. If it does, it’ll move someone else, too

From Jane’s Addiction to Metallica, Lollapalooza has had some iconic rock acts fronting it over the years. However, the last decade has seen a shift towards rappers and popstars, with the 2025 lineup only having one single rock-adjacent headliner in the form of Korn.

So why has Lollapalooza turned its attention away from rock music? In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore insists it’s because society just doesn’t care about rock music any more. “This is the advent of the single popstar surrounded by production, whether it’s dancers and lights and films and stage sets,” he says. “It’s become very sort of Disneyfied, in a way, and it caters to mass popularity in a way Disneyland does.”

• READ MORE: The Beths Pick Their Five Most Honest Guitar Records Of All Time

The focus is on what’s the most ‘entertaining’ to the average, mainstream music consumer. It’s easier to sell tickets if the line-up is less niche and more broad. Moore notes how the festival is more of a mixed bag nowadays, catering to “the core rock & roll audience that would see Led Zeppelin or Pearl Jam” as well as “people who aren’t that invested in rock music at all, but are invested in entertainment as a broader kind of concept”.

“It has a broader appeal than, say, the standardised rock band,” he notes. “There are still rock bands, but they’re not just playing Lollapalooza.”

He also notes that, right now, rock bands “aren’t the success stories they once were”. Of course, society’s fascination with rock music comes and goes; Beatlemania saw a spike in rock ‘n’ roll buzz, while the early 2000s saw the likes of Linkin Park topping the charts.

Right now, the masses are just loving pop – which, according to Moore, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “I think all of those musicians are completely credible,” he notes. “Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan are great artists.”

“I just went to see Lana Del Rey, and it was kind of amazing!” he adds. “There was a stage set of a farmhouse, and she was walking in and around it and had dancers everywhere… It was something to see. I liked it. I like her music, and I like what she’s up to aesthetically.”

The mass success of pop acts isn’t negative, either – in fact, Roan and Rodrigo are great role models. “It’s not just crass entertainment,” Moore says. “More power to them. It’s not really my kind of music. And I certainly don’t strive for that kind of mass acceptance at all. I know it would be great for my pocketbook, but other than that…”

However, Moore does believe that the pendulum will swing back. While high-production pop is ‘in’ right now, audiences will soon be craving some gritty and organic. “My predilection is to hear music in a much more intimate setting,” he says. “I like seeing the interaction between musicians that’s very organic. You know, a musician playing guitar that’s plugged into an amp…”

And, of course, underground scenes are still thriving. “There’s still a demographic of young people interested in experimental rock music and anything that comes out of punk culture,” he says. “It’s not Olivia Rodrigo huge… To me, it was always cooler to have a modest kind of existence in that respect.”

While underground scenes might not be given their flowers on the big stages, he does note that a smaller scale of success is sometimes what suits rock ‘n’ roll best. “The big business of rock & roll was a bit of a conflict for somebody like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain to all of a sudden be in a band that was so massive,” he reflects. “He dealt with it in his own way, and then he didn’t deal with it in his own way.”

Last year, Moore surprised Sonic Youth fans by reuniting with his former bandmates Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley for an hour of improvised music at the New York club The Stone. However, there isn’t any serious Sonic Youth ‘reunion’ on the cards. “That was about as much of a reunion as us having dinner together or something,” he laughs.

Outside of his musical work, Moore is also working on his debut novel. Rolling Stone reports that the book is set in the early ‘80s and will navigate the New York music scene. “It’s characters and incidents I certainly felt like I could write about,” he explains.

The post “It caters to mass popularity in a way Disneyland does”: Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore on why major festivals like Lollapalooza have abandoned rock bands appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

After decades of leather, eyeliner, and world tours, Nikki Sixx has decided being a rock star isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

The Mötley Crüe bassist recently took to social media to share his outlook on the future, including how the whole rock star schtick is now “overrated”.

• READ MORE: “Are you crazy? You’re a rock star”: Ozzy Osbourne’s baffled reaction when Randy Rhoads told him he was going to quit his band shortly before his death

“Looking forward to these 10 shows with Motley but also extremely excited about all the other projects I have planned for the future not involving being in a band,” Sixx reportedly wrote, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

The 66-year-old explained that while he still loves performing the band’s catalogue, his priorities have shifted.

“Love playing the songs and honestly most of them are very personal to me but being on the road is not for me for too much longer,” Sixx said. “I have a six-year-old girl to raise and five wonderful older kids and a granddaughter to spend time with.”

The ten shows Sixx referred to are Mötley Crüe’s rescheduled Las Vegas residency, originally slated for March and April this year but pushed back so singer Vince Neil could recover from a medical procedure. The new dates will now run between September to October at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

But while the Crüe still have plenty of unfinished business, Sixx insists the road is no longer central to his life.

“The good news is all these new projects all involve music,” he wrote. “Music will always be my life but the road is old. Being a rockstar is overrated. Being a creative is where it’s at. The future is exciting and the past was a blast.”

Speaking of the past, Mötley Crüe’s upcoming compilation album From the Beginning is scheduled for release on 12 September. The record features a selection of the band’s biggest hits, plus a fresh remix of their 1985 classic Home Sweet Home featuring Dolly Parton.

Check out the full list of rescheduled Las Vegas residency dates at the Mötley Crüe website.

The post “Music will always be my life but the road is old”: Nikki Sixx thinks being a rock star is “overrated” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Chris Holmes knows exactly where he stands in the Eddie Van Halen versus Randy Rhoads debate, and it’s certainly not on the fence.

The former W.A.S.P. guitarist has been accused of having beef with Rhoads – who came up with Quiet Riot in the same LA metal scene in the 70s and 80s – sets the record straight in a new interview, making it clear that while he doesn’t “hate” him, Van Halen will always come out on top in his book.

• READ MORE: “Are you crazy? You’re a rock star”: Ozzy Osbourne’s baffled reaction when Randy Rhoads told him he was going to quit his band shortly before his death

Speaking with The Metal Voice, Holmes addresses rumours that he disliked the late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist [via Blabbermouth]: “There’s a lot of people [who] say that I hate Randy Rhoads. No, I don’t hate the guy. I like the guy, actually,” he says.

“I think he is a good guitar player. I’ve read on the Internet, a lot of people say I hate him. I don’t hate him. Okay?! He comes from my era, from my age of playing guitar and stuff. I’ve never said I hate the guy.”

Holmes explains that his preference simply comes down to growing up with Van Halen and the energy that Eddie brought to the guitar.

“I grew up with Van Halen,” he says, “so I look at him, who’s better? To me, Van Halen smokes him. So if I go with the Van Halen side of [things]. Van Halen didn’t wear a little bow tie and polka dots. Quiet Riot did. I didn’t like that.”

“I’d rather go to a Van Halen party, drink Schlitz malt liquor and get your teeth knocked out in the mud than go to a Quiet Riot party and smoke Sherman cigarettes and drink Perrier. That ain’t my bag,” Holmes continues. “So it’s different sides of [things].”

“But anyway, yeah, I don’t hate Randy Rhoads. He’s played some good stuff. It’s sad that he died.”

Watch the full interview below.

The post “I’d rather go to a Van Halen party, drink Schlitz malt liquor and get your teeth knocked out”: W.A.S.P guitarist on why he prefers Eddie Van Halen to Randy Rhoads appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.