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“I sat down and wrote it out as one word – and dropped the ‘A’ out”: Early Megadeth guitarist claims he came up with band’s name – here’s his account
Who came up with the name Megadeth? There are different accounts, including from frontman Dave Mustaine, who in his 2010 book Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, claimed short-lived vocalist Lawrence “Lor” Kane coined it. “Lor knew I had already written a song entitled Megadeth [Set the World Afire] and thought it would work equally well as a band name,” he wrote.
But now, guitarist Greg Handevidt – who was in Megadeth briefly in 1983 – claims it was actually his idea. He drops the revelation in a new guest appearance on The David Ellefson Show, hosted, of course, by the band’s former bassist.
“We were sitting down in our little apartment, and Dave had read a pamphlet by Senator Alan Cranston talking about the ‘arsenals of megadeath’, and I think that really triggered something in him about nuclear war and just how devastating it was and everything,” Handevidt says [via Blabbermouth].
“And I remember thinking, ‘Holy shit, the arsenals of megadeath.’ And he had that line in the lyrics. And it just occurred to me, ‘Megadeath.’ I’m, like, ‘That would be a cool name for a band.’”
But after some contemplation, Handevidt thought to himself: “‘Do you really want the word ‘death’ in the name of your band? Do you really want that?’ It seemed kind of negative-karma-ey to me back then; that’s what sort of was in my head.”
Rather than scrapping the idea, he says he came up with a subtle tweak: “I sat down and I just wrote it out as one word and I dropped the ‘A’ out, and I just wrote it on a piece of paper and I was, like, ‘I think this is cool. We could call the band Megadeth. One word. We take out the ‘A’. It’s unique. It doesn’t have any sort of dark connotation around it. And I think people would see it and not be put off. It wouldn’t put people off.’”
He also cites commercial reasons for dropping the ‘A’, saying that people were just not ready at the time for extreme band names:
“And I think at that point in time to break through in a commercial sense without just completely selling yourself out, I think there were barriers that would’ve… I’m not sure Capitol Records was ready to sign a band called ‘Death’ at the time. And maybe, maybe not.”
Mustaine, Handevidt goes on to say, did not agree to using the name immediately, but warmed to over a couple of days: “He came back and he was like, ‘Yeah, you know, this is growing on me.’”
The post “I sat down and wrote it out as one word – and dropped the ‘A’ out”: Early Megadeth guitarist claims he came up with band’s name – here’s his account appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“No one needs an exact copy”: Should guitar covers sound exactly like the original? Dweezil Zappa thinks so – but I’m not so sure. So I asked you what you thought
There’s never been more guitar content creators, and many of them dabble in covers to help get their chops seen by the world. But when it comes to such covers, how important is it that they remain faithful to the original songs?
It’s a debate that was kicked up earlier this week, when guitarist Dweezil Zappa – who also happens to be the son of late legend Frank Zappa – expressed his opinion that those who cut corners when covering classic songs exhibit “laziness”.
“There’s a lot of people that – and sometimes it just comes down to laziness – they’re like, ‘Well, I’ll just do my own thing.’ Because they hear enough of it, and they’re like, ‘I’m in the ballpark. I’ll just make my [own thing],’” he said.
“But to me, when I was learning songs, if it was Van Halen or if it was something that Randy Rhoads was playing, I didn’t feel like I was playing the song at all unless I played exactly what I heard them doing. And I wanted to learn the nuances. I wanted to try to get the sound. I wanted to do that. Because to me, that was the whole package of playing the song.”
Now, when I saw these comments, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Does it really matter?’ and ‘Isn’t the point of art interpretation, anyway?’ Perhaps it’s because I’ve dabbled extensively in online guitar covers myself, and that’s my bias – or even “laziness”, to indulge Zappa – talking.
But in any case, I thought I’d put the question out to you, our wonderful Guitar.com audience via social media, to see how much it really matters that guitar covers emulate the style and sound of the original tracks, or whether anyone really cares at all.
To my pleasure, the comments largely took a pretty measured approach to the whole debate.
“Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Either nail it or do your own thing, anything in-between comes across as slipshod, half-assed, and lazy…” writes one user.
I can’t help but feel that there’s no point in creating a cover that’s exactly like the original, because why would someone listen to that when they can just listen to the original? And it seems to be a view many share.
“No one needs an exact copy cover that’s just the original with different vocals,” another person writes. “Take a spin on it!”
“Technique is overrated and emulation destroys creativity,” writes another. “It has been shown that most interesting artists in the past 30 years were not the most technical but someone that actually has something to say. Music is communication.”
“I’d rather see artists make it their own,” says another. “If vocalists could emulate the voice exactly, would he want that too? what would be the point? It’s already been done that way.”
“I absolutely hate hearing a cover song done by another band that sounds like a perfect copy of the original,” says another. “It’s not a tribute, it’s just a copy. Change the tempo, sing it differently. Make it minor. Make it exciting!”
Other commenters note that the difference between a cover version and an original is similar to that between a studio recording and a live version. Is there any point in going to see a band or guitarist live if it sounds exactly like the album version?
“Many guitarists like Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page etc always improvised when playing their solos live, so why shouldn’t other people when covering famous songs?” one person astutely notices.
“I am even bored when bands reproduce their own music live note for note…” another writes.
Perhaps an important distinction needs to be made between a dedicated tribute band – who might need to more accurately recreate the music of the artist they’re emulating – and an original artist creating a cover.
“If you’re in a wedding covers band, yeah absolutely agree [with Dweezil], if you’re an original artist covering a song you should put your own spin on it, otherwise what’s the fucking point?” says another.
Ultimately, no one’s holding a gun to any of our heads – I hope. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter. If you get your kicks from studying and emulating a song exactly as it was recorded, then why not. But if you’d rather let the creativity flow and make it your own, who’s gonna stop you.
No one’s going to force anyone to listen to anything either, but it’s certainly an interesting conversation, especially amid the increasingly content creator-heavy online landscape.
The take away from all of this? Play – and listen – to whatever the hell you want. Thanks for coming to my talk.
The post “No one needs an exact copy”: Should guitar covers sound exactly like the original? Dweezil Zappa thinks so – but I’m not so sure. So I asked you what you thought appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
We gave the Spark 2 9/10 in our review – and it’s on sale now in Positive Grid’s Back to School promo
Positive Grid is hosting its 2025 Back to School sale, and there’s a number of excellent deals to be taken advantage of on a number of the brand’s Spark products. Cure the back to school blues right now by treating yourself to a new piece of guitar gear. It’s a proven antidote, trust me.
Discounted for a limited time only are the Spark 2, Spark MINI, Spark MINI VAI, Spark GO, Spark Edge and Spark LIVE.
First up, the Spark 2 – PG’s 50W Smart Practice Amp – has had $30 shaved off its price tag, meaning you can get it for just $269.99 right now. With a built-in looper, intuitive AI-powered features and an advanced speaker system, few practice amps on the market right now hit the mark quite like the Spark 2. In our review last year, we gave the Spark 2 a shining 9/10 review.
Next, the Spark MINI and Spark MINI Vai variant – designed, of course, in collaboration with legendary guitar virtuoso Steve Vai – are now priced at $205 and $225, down from $229 and $249, respectively. The Spark MINI is about as compact as practice amps come, but it’s still decked out with awesome features, including Bluetooth, smart app integration and a massive sound which belies its little form factor.
If you’re looking to barely make a dent in your budget, why not go for the Spark GO, Positive Grid’s ultra-portable – and ultra-affordable smart guitar amp and Bluetooth speaker. Boasting room-filling sound with advanced acoustics powered by computational audio, the Spark GO is now priced at just $116 down from $129. Get yours now…
After something a bit beefier? The Spark Edge – a four-channel smart amp and PA system – is now just $405 down from $449. This baby delivers 65 watts of dynamic sound in a sleek and still portable design, with dual XLR ¼” combo inputs, optional battery power and a built in looper.
We gave the Spark Edge 10/10 in our review earlier this year, so when we recommend this one, we mean it.
And finally, Positive Grid’s Spark LIVE is also discounted – at just $499 down from $549. Powered by Sonic IQ Computational Audio, the Spark LIVE is a four-channel smart amp and PA system packed with amp emulations, effects and even a mixer. Get yours for a limited time at a cool $50 off.
You can browse the full Back to School promo sale via the link below:
[deals ids=”3yplkWUIbggaEbsVhikkPL”]
And you can learn more about Positive Grid via the brand’s official website.
The post We gave the Spark 2 9/10 in our review – and it’s on sale now in Positive Grid’s Back to School promo appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I had no idea what the guitar was intended to be used for”: The inside story on Noel Gallagher’s Oasis reunion Les Paul
Earlier this month, one of the biggest reunions in British music history took place as the Gallagher brothers returned to the stage as Oasis for the first time since 2009.
With ticket prices soaring into the thousands, you bet fans were watching everything, from the band’s setlist to Liam’s wardrobe, and of course, Noel’s gear.
Among the familiar arsenal, one black Gibson Les Paul with P-90s quickly caught the attention of eagled-eyed gearheads. Now, the story behind the mystery guitar has been revealed in a new interview with Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial, Marketing & Cultural Influence at Gibson EMEA.
Explaining how Noel’s custom new axe came, the executive says that while the Les Paul made its live debut on a massive stage, it wasn’t designed specifically for Oasis’ reunion. At least, not initially.
“We have been working on this guitar for at least 18 months,” Bartram says. “It really came from a conversation around creating a Les Paul that would accommodate P-90s (which Noel was playing a lot with NGHFB at the time, favouring Epiphone USA Casinos) at high volumes, without compromising on the sound and tone of the pickup.”
“Aesthetically, Noel had an idea of what he wanted it to look like, and we tried out a few hardware, finish, and color options before landing where we did.”
The executive also admits he had no idea what the guitar would be used for during the initial design stage. “But, as development continued, it was important to create a guitar that would give different sonic layers to a lineup of three guitarists playing to stadium-level attendances. The guitar needed to be loud and capture the vibe of those earlier shows, without compromising the output and tone of the pickups.”
The result? A hybrid based on a 1960 Les Paul Standard, loaded with Gibson Custom P-90s (instead of the original humbuckers), a SlimTaper neck, Grover tuners, and an Ebony finish – Light Aged via the Murphy Lab in Nashville to Noel’s personal specs.
“Everything we build for Noel starts out as Light Aging, and he will then decide after playing it if he wants to add more aging or keep it as it is,” Bartram explains. “In this case, he wanted more on the body, neck, and back, which looks great on stage.”
While the guitar is custom in appearance, the older Gallagher kept things classic in tone.
“The pickups are Gibson Custom P-90s as stock. Noel wanted to capture a very traditional P-90 sound with these, so there is no additional wiring.”
“Noel has a great understanding of what he wants from a pickup and gives relevant feedback,” Bartram says. “He knows that Gibson invented the P-90, and we didn’t want to mess with a winning formula. Having aged nickel covers on the pickups is relatively unique, however, and something the Gibson Custom Shop spent a lot of time getting right. The results look great and the pickups sound amazing at volume… mission accomplished!”
The post “I had no idea what the guitar was intended to be used for”: The inside story on Noel Gallagher’s Oasis reunion Les Paul appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I saw the price, thought it was a great deal”: Scammers are targeting Guitar Center customers – here’s how not to get caught out
How prevalent are fake online guitar stores pretending to be your favourite retailers? As it turns out, prevalent enough to be costing ordinary people thousands, as guitar player Daren Maas recently found out for himself.
Maas was the target of a phishing scam, in which fraudsters created a website that looked like Guitar Center‘s online store, and lured him into buying what he thought was a cut-price Gibson Les Paul.
For those unaware, phishing is the fraudulent practice of deceiving people into giving away their personal details, like passwords, personal information or credit card details. And according to Better Business Bureau (BBB), this year it could be on the rise.
In the case of Daren Maas, when he saw a Facebook ad – seemingly from Guitar Center – advertising a Gibson Les Paul for just $1,231.56, he was quickly lured in. Let’s face it, at that price we’d all have a look.
As Maas explains to News 6 Orlando, he believed it was a “great price”, and didn’t think it too suspect as it was also a “sale price”. He proceeded to go “through the order process” and placed what he thought was a legitimate order.
Shortly after, though, he received an email confirming his money had gone to someone called Shane Griffin, not Guitar Center. Maas says this was the moment he realised he had been tricked.
He later examined the URL of the site he’d been taken to, which read: “guitarcenter-us.com”, not the legitimate one, which is “guitarcenter.com”.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one that they got, they scammed,” Maas says. “They’re hunting people like this and it’s sad.”
At present, Maas is disputing the charge with his credit card company. “It’s a very bad position to be in and you feel very vulnerable,” he says.
Thankfully, as phishing scams like this have been around for a long time, experts have become savvy in how to avoid them.
As Holly Salmons, CEO of the Better Business Bureau, explains, customers should avoid clicking on ads that show up on social media feeds. “Go, yourself, directly to the business and then look for the product that you’re trying to search for. Those direct links could be what get you in trouble,” she says.
It’s also worth noting that social media ads are relatively inexpensive to run, especially if targeting a small subset of the population which is more likely to fall victim to a phishing scam, like older, less tech-savvy people, for example. If a scammer spends £20 on Facebook ads targeting people over the age of 60, they could reach hundreds of potential victims, and if just one makes a purchase – like $1,231, in the case of this Guitar Center scam, that’s a very high ROI for the scammer.
Put simply, if you see what looks like a good deal in a social media advert, open another tab in your browser and search for the deal yourself. If it doesn’t show up obviously and straight away on the purported retailer’s website, don’t go any further.
Additionally, you should watch out for unusually low prices. We’re all lured in by good deals – that’s how they work – but if it’s significantly less than the same or similar products offered on other retailer websites, chances are it’s too good to be true.
And finally, be sure to look out for subtle visual hints on any webpage you visit which could suggest it’s fake, like misspellings, or strange formatting that doesn’t look familiar.
The post “I saw the price, thought it was a great deal”: Scammers are targeting Guitar Center customers – here’s how not to get caught out appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Players have “evolved”, but some guitars “always get built” – Fender master builder Paul Waller reveals the timeless builds that never stop rolling off the line
The guitar industry is in constant motion, with boutique trends, YouTube-fueled fads and viral tone-chasing shaping the market year by year. But while player tastes evolve, some instruments stay locked in time.
As Fender Senior Master Builder Paul Waller reveals, there are just certain guitars that “always get built”. Speaking in the latest issue of Guitarist, Waller lifts the curtain on what’s changed behind the scenes at Fender’s Custom Shop – and what hasn’t and probably never will.
- READ MORE: Fender Acoustasonic Standard Jazzmaster review: “this is a wonderful all-round gigging machine”
“The ones that always get built are the blonde Teles, the black Strats, sunbursts,” he says. “We make those in the same quantities no matter what is in fashion.”
Meanwhile, the ears of those who play those six-strings have been getting sharper.
“The thing that has evolved,” he adds, “is the players. They have a more discerning taste and can hear a lot more of what we’re throwing [into the design of the guitars] in terms of pickups and tonewoods, specifically [through the use of] the roasted maple and alder, and ash bodies.”
“Those that are in the know and seeking out that tone can find it through some of those avenues. It can be a trend that might fall off, or it might stay in – but we’re a made-to-order shop, so we just make what people are ordering.”
And given how quickly trend cycles change, staying ahead of the curve means listening as much as building: “The trends – and staying in front of them and making sure that we have good communication with our dealers – are a big part of what we do,” says Waller.
“I always tell people I’m kind of living two years in the past because a lot of my orders are two years old. So it’s nice to have events where I can talk to dealers and see what’s currently the hot trend.”
That said, beneath all the tweaks, requests and evolving preferences, Waller believes that the soul of a Fender electric still lives in one very specific place: the pickup.
“Pickups have always been a big thing for me because I think the heart and soul of a Fender is the pickup itself,” Waller says. “I think everyone’s aware that we’re the biggest electric guitar manufacturer on the planet. And I say, ‘Well, that also makes us the biggest pickup manufacturer on the planet, and we make a pretty good one.’”
“We’ve been doing it a long time, and there are generations of people who have been working in the factory since the ‘50s and ‘60s that are still doing it.”
“To me, that’s super important; that’s the quality ingredient that goes into it,” the builder continues. “I draw a lot of inspiration from the hot-rod world, where you want to make it look like it’s an old part, or make it look like it existed back in the day but modernise it.”
The post Players have “evolved”, but some guitars “always get built” – Fender master builder Paul Waller reveals the timeless builds that never stop rolling off the line appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Think you don’t need another delay pedal? Old Blood Noise Endeavours’ trippy new “Liminal Delay” Bathing might change your mind
Old Blood Noise Endeavors (OBNE), the makers of the cult-favourite Dweller phase repeater, have returned with Bathing, a “Liminal Delay” pedal that’s anything but ordinary.
Described as “perhaps a reverb, or a phaser, or a classic delay, but never exactly any one of these things”, Bathing brings you a style of effect unique to the Old Blood lineup.
The pedal draws inspiration from the “phase repetition” found in Dweller, taking this difficult-to-describe effect and highlighting all its magical features through a wide control set, low noise floor and an expansive stereo field.
You pick the overall delay time, the number of all-pass filter stages it runs through to get there (from 2 to 12), and how you want to modulate the character of those stages. Fewer stages create tight, flanged tones while longer times and more stages generate cascading repeats both before and after the central delay.
There’s also a Feedback control for you to feed the delay output back into the input (which creates longer trails and increased resonance), a Filter to darken or brighten the character of the delay, and a powerful LFO section that shifts the character of the delay repeats depending on your time setting.
When Time is very short, the LFO acts like a modulation effect (think phaser or flanger sounds). When Time is set longer, it moves anywhere from a single repeat at the central delay time out, to a scattering of many diffused repeats around that time. In Mono-in, Stereo-out or full Stereo modes, the LFO is offset across the left and right channels to create a variety of stereo effects.
Beyond all that, Bathing is also built for serious pedalboard integration. It features Stereo I/O with analogue dry-through, presets, MIDI control over everything including MIDI clock sync, and expression control over every knob.
Priced at $299, the pedal comes shipped in three dreamy colourways – Algae, Orchid, and Ink.
Dive into the Bathing and all its magic below.
Learn more at Old Blood Noise.
The post Think you don’t need another delay pedal? Old Blood Noise Endeavours’ trippy new “Liminal Delay” Bathing might change your mind appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Is rock dead? No – and Live Nation has the numbers to prove it
The next time someone says “rock is dead”, ask them to explain the 14% surge in heavy rock shows this year, or why Metallica is still outselling most popstars in stadiums across the globe.
The “rock is dead” chorus is far from abating, but new stats from Live Nation suggest the reality on the ground – and in the pits – tell a very different story: Heavy rock and metal aren’t just alive, they’re thriving.
In a new Instagram post, Live Nation declared that “heavy rock and metal are bigger than ever in live music” and they’ve got the receipts to back it up.
According to the live music giant, heavy rock shows are up 14% this year, while metal now accounts for 13% of all stadium and arena shows.
Bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Pierce The Veil, Sleep Token, Ghost and Turnstile are leading the charge, “blowing up in streams, tickets sales and fans snapping up arena tickets”.
Legacy acts like Korn, Deftones, Linkin Park, Evanescence and Iron Maiden continue to ‘anchor festival line ups’, while System Of a Down have added stadium dates, “after instant sellouts in New Jersey, Chicago and Toronto.” Metallica, on the other hand, continues to “dominate global stadium touring”.
Even in the festival circuit, the scene is expanding.
Live Nation notes that metal festivals such as Rockville, Aftershock and Inkarceration are “bigger every year”, “fuelled by diverse line ups catering to even more fans.”
And 5 July marked what may be the genre’s most emotional moment in recent memory – Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne’s final public farewell at Birmingham’s Villa Park.
“Ozzy Osbourne – The Prince of Darkness – didn’t just front Black Sabbath,” Live Nation writes. “He changed music forever. His legacy will live on in every riff.”
Earlier this year, Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French claimed that the lack of young rockstars is a clear sign that the genre has lost its grip on the mainstream.
“The body of what we constitute as the standard rock act… is by and large, over,” French said.
He explained that while rock bands still exist, their impact on mainstream culture has waned significantly: “The collective psyche that dictates current music trends and sociological impact of music, it’s not showing up in the rock world in terms of mass acceptance”.
The post Is rock dead? No – and Live Nation has the numbers to prove it appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
DigiTech HammerOn review – will this ‘instantaneous pitch shifter’ hit the nail on the head for enhanced creative playing?
£219/$299, digitech.com
Manuals are for losers – no offence, manual writers – but even so, it’s worth having a quick squizz at page two of the little booklet that comes with the DigiTech HammerOn. It won’t show you how to play like Eddie Van Halen, but it will give some insight into the thinking behind this multi-mode pitch-manipulating pedal – and the wider Whammy range.
“These are guitar effects that you ‘play’, not just turn on and off,” says the blurb, and that really is the key: this device can replicate the effect of hammering on, at humanly impossible note intervals if desired, and can also work as a looping five-note sequencer as well as covering standard up and down pitch shifting… but it isn’t a question of stomping on a switch then standing back to enjoy the show: your hands and feet will have to do some of the work.
Image: Adam Gasson
DigiTech HammerOn – what is it?
You don’t need to be a grandstanding widdle wizard to understand the concept of hammering on – it just means using your fretting fingers to add notes between picking strokes. So that’s the main selling point of this pedal: select your desired interval, anywhere on the scale from an octave down to an octave up (or indeed a wacky two-octave leap), then use the left footswitch as your hammering ‘finger’ to jump there. You can also engage the trill button to move back and forth between your two notes automatically at a set speed of your choosing.
But that’s just the start. You noticed there are two footswitches, right? Well, you can use the other one to jump to another interval, allowing for three-note masterpieces that are limited only by the rotational dexterity of your ankle. And if you like things a little more harmonious? Press the ‘dry+’ button and your original note will be blended in with the new one(s).
The promisingly named ‘impossible mode’ takes things up another notch by letting you jump to two different notes in turn using the same footswitch, which is basically like hammering on with two fingers instead of one; and that just leaves the three sequence modes. These carry that idea further into the weirdosphere by allowing you to choose two, three or even five notes to run through in sequence. With the trill function selected, this pattern will repeat at your chosen speed; otherwise you move through it one note at a time with each press of the right footswitch.
Image: Adam Gasson
DigiTech HammerOn – usability
There’s a learning curve for sure, but it doesn’t take long to power through the head-scratching phase with this pedal. The mode button is key, as each press moves you on to the next effect – assisted by colour-coded LEDs that come in very handy.
The only other thing to get your dopey brain around is how to set intervals – this involves holding down the relevant footswitch while you turn the top-right knob. Bit of a chore if you’re in five-note sequence mode, as you have to set each one individually, but this time it’s the red LEDs at the top that are your best friends.
One thing you can’t do with the HammerOn is choose a key and ask it to track melodies accordingly, as you can with something like the Boss PS-6 Harmonist or Electro-Harmonix Intelligent Harmony Machine. Here the intervals are fixed – so bear that in mind before you launch into an elaborate melodic progression with a minor third slapped over everything, because it’ll almost certainly sound pigging awful… and nobody’s going to buy “It wasn’t me, it was the pedal” as an excuse.
Image: Adam Gasson
DigiTech HammerOn – sounds
You’re going to want some gain. No, this isn’t all about faux-shredding, but a Marshall-esque combination of bite, thickness and sustain will help to make all of the pitch changes sound crisp, strong and natural. It just makes more sense that way.
And yes, it really can sound natural, albeit not exactly the same as what happens when you whack the fretboard with your fingertips. It’s best to start with simple one-note jumps, but you’ll soon be getting carried away with multiples, and might even find that the HammerOn helps you to come up with a new melody or two. You’re not restricted to single notes either: it works just as well with two-string riffs, and can be used (just like a standard Whammy) to drop power chords down into the doomy baritone register. It tracks tightly, with no obvious latency.
All of this is highly entertaining, but it’s very much the case that what comes out is only as good as what you put in, and it can be difficult to keep playing in time with a fast trill or sequence… which makes it all the more tempting to add some delay, embrace the chaos of multiplied sloppiness and tell everyone you’re creating a challenging soundscape. Sometimes it might even be true.
Image: Adam Gasson
DigiTech HammerOn – should I buy one?
If you’re hoping for a cheat code – a way to sound like EVH without the need to learn any actual technique – then I’m sorry to say the HammerOn is not going to save you from your own shortcomings. In the same way that a classic Whammy does things you’d never even try to do with a physical vibrato arm, this is all about expanding your playing palette into new and perhaps unexpected areas.
In that sense, it might actually prove more useful to experimental art-rockers than it is to technical metallers. But be warned: if you’re neither of those things, you’ll probably find it more than slightly gimmicky.
DigiTech HammerOn – alternatives
The standard DigiTech Whammy (£199) remains the pitch-mangling pedal to beat, though the Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork (£169) is a pretty solid alternative for the simple stuff. For the not so simple stuff, you might be tempted by the soundscaping extremities of the Red Panda Tensor (£349) or – if you can find one second-hand – the fluttering arpeggios of the discontinued EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid (£N/A).
The post DigiTech HammerOn review – will this ‘instantaneous pitch shifter’ hit the nail on the head for enhanced creative playing? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Kind of a one-trick pony”: Why Daron Malakian swears by his Friedman-modded Marshall but not the stock ones
Let it be known that Daron Malakian isn’t the biggest fan of Marshall amps, at least, not until they’ve been through the hands of amp guru Dave Friedman.
Known for crafting some of the most unmistakable tones in modern metal – from the jagged riffs of System of a Down to the layered grittiness of Scars on Broadway – the guitarist has never been content to stick with stock.
His go-to amp? A trusted Marshall, yes, but one with the custom touch of Friedman’s mods.
As Malakian’s reveals in the latest episode of Ultimate Guitar’s On the Record podcast, his tone on Scar’s new album Addicted to the Violence continues that tradition: vintage guitars, carefully sculpted layers, and amps tailored to go well beyond their original designs.
“Since the Mesmerize and Hypnotize albums, and on every Scars record, I’ve used a 1962 SG Standard that I have, and I think it’s a 1968 Gibson ES-335 that I have, and I layer those to make my heavy tone,” he says. “So I’ve stuck with that.”
“I used the same Marshall that I had on the Mesmerized and Hypnotized records and all the Scars records, but I also used Friedman’s on this, and I layered the Marshall and Friedman together.”
“Friedman actually modded that Marshall, too, so in a way, you can say they’re all Friedmans,” the guitarist adds.
Asked about the mod itself, Malakian explains: “Yeah, it’s a gain mod just to make it more chuggy and heavy. But his amps kind of have that already. I’m trying to remember the model I have, I think it’s a B.E. It’s the black one with the brown lights. So his kind of has that Marshall tone that I like out of the modded Marshall.”
What makes the Friedman amps stand out, according to Malakian, is their versatility compared to the Marshalls.
“There are just a few more options on his amps than there are on the Marshalls. The Marshall is kind of a one-trick pony,” he says.
Watch the full interview below.
Elsewhere, Daron Malakian recently reflected on System Of A Down’s 2006 hiatus, revealing he wasn’t exactly behind the idea.
“When System took the hiatus, it was difficult for me at first because that’s not really what I wanted,” he said.
The post “Kind of a one-trick pony”: Why Daron Malakian swears by his Friedman-modded Marshall but not the stock ones appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“Don’t buy it for any other reason”: The only thing to consider when buying a guitar, according to session legend Jeff “Skunk” Baxter
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, the session ace known for his work with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, thinks players are looking at the wrong things when it comes to buying a guitar.
His advice? Forget the name on the headstock, forget the price tag, and just play the damn thing until you find one that “feels good to you”.
While recently poking around a Guitar Center store, Baxter came across a $140 Squier Telecaster fitted with a Jazzmaster pickup and instantly loved how it felt. Curious, he asked to compare it to a genuine 1958 Tele hanging on the wall – a guitar priced “about a bazillion dollars” more.
“I spent about an hour setting up the Squier,” he says in the new issue of Guitarist.
“They had a guitar repair guy there and I asked if I could use his tools and set up the guitar myself. Very quickly, I compared the two, and the $140 Squier Telecaster, to me, sounded better, so I bought it.”
“It’s a great guitar,” he says.
For Baxter, the logic is simple: a guitar is only worth buying if it speaks to you. Everything else, like what it says on the headstock, is secondary.
“The first thing I would say for sure is that, if you can, ignore everything and just play it. And if it plays great, then it is great,” he explains. “Whether it’s a Squier as opposed to, like, an expensive Fender special, custom – whatever.”
“This is not to say that you shouldn’t buy quality instruments, that’s not the point. The point is that whatever guitar feels good to you is the right guitar. Don’t buy it for any other reason.”
Baxter is not alone in this. Virtuoso Joe Satriani, too, believes that players should “connect with the guitar” rather than chase after vintage instruments for the sake of it. Speaking to D’Addario, Satch admitted to being “disillusioned” with the “most valuable, rare guitars” after his youth working in a guitar shop.
“There’s nothing special about it,” he said. “The musician has to connect with the guitar for it to become special.”
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“They’re like, ‘I’m in the ballpark’”: Dweezil Zappa on the “laziness” of guitar players when covering songs like Eruption
Think you can play Eruption just because you hit a few tapped notes and land in the right key? Well, Dweezil Zappa’s not buying it.
The guitarist and son of late legend Frank Zappa speaks in a new interview with Marshall, where he calls out the “laziness” of those players who, in his view, cut corners when covering songs, especially the kind that shaped generations, like Eruption.
Reflecting on his own early guitar days, Dweezil recalls how Eddie Van Halen’s visit to his home “opened up the whole world of guitar playing” for him “just by being able to see it up close”.
This was “way before YouTube”, he says, when you couldn’t just Google a tutorial or slow something down in 4K. “You had to just imagine what this stuff was, you know. Or you had to have binoculars when you go to a concert and see it up close.”
Asked if this was the reason many guitar players from that era often “came up with their own versions of things”, Dweezil doesn’t exactly agree.
“There’s a lot of people that – and sometimes it just comes down to laziness – they’re like, ‘Well, I’ll just do my own thing.’ Because they hear enough of it, and they’re like, ‘I’m in the ballpark. I’ll just make my [own thing],’” he says.
“But to me, when I was learning songs, if it was Van Halen or if it was something that Randy Rhoads was playing, I didn’t feel like I was playing the song at all unless I played exactly what I heard them doing. And I wanted to learn the nuances. I wanted to try to get the sound. I wanted to do that. Because to me, that was the whole package of playing the song.”
“So when somebody says, ‘Hey, I can play Eruption, I’m like, ‘Great! Let me see it.’ And if it’s not what I heard on the record, then to me it’s not it,” Dweezil continues. “As a kid, that was the goal: to try and get as close as I could on any of that stuff, which is not easy. It’s been a lifelong obsession to learn how to play a lot of this kind of stuff.”
Elsewhere, Dweezil also opens up about his dad’s peculiar guitar playing style, calling it “the battle between the chicken and the spider”.
“It’s not a comfortable way to play,” he says.
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“Guitars are like human beings – if you don’t play them, they get sick”: Why John McLaughlin doesn’t believe in collecting guitars
Jazz fusion virtuoso John McLaughlin has opened up some of the prized guitars he’s parted ways with over the years and the reason he prefers giving away guitars to collecting them.
“I think back on how many guitars I’ve given away. And I do have some regret,” the guitarist admits in a recent chat with MusicRadar.
One of those guitars was a 1963 Gibson L4-C with a Charlie Christian [Lollar] pickup, which he was forced to sell during a difficult time in his life: “It was a beautiful guitar,” says McLaughlin. “It had a great jazz tone, but I ran out of money and had to sell it to eat!”
McLaughlin ended up selling the guitar to an “angling friend”. He then tried to buy it back several months later when his finances improved, but unfortunately by then, his friend had grown too attached.
“I asked him, ‘Will you sell me the guitar back?’ He said, ‘No way, man. No way.’ So that was gone forever!”
There’s also the white 1967 Fender Stratocaster he gifted to Jeff Beck after a tour they shared in the 70s.
“I gave a 1967 white Strat to Jeff Beck after a tour we did together in 1974, or ’75,” says the musician. “And when we lost Jeff, his wife wrote to me and said, ‘I’m going to sell the guitars. They’re all around me, and they keep reminding me of him.’”
While McLaughlin attended the London auction that followed, even he couldn’t tell which white Strat had once been his.
“They had all these instruments, along with amps, pre-amps, and pedalboards. But there were two white Strats! I don’t know which of them I gave him, but anyway, I saw it there!”
Still, McLaughlin isn’t one to dwell long on what’s been lost. For him, guitars are meant to be played – and passed on when they’re no longer in use.
“I’m not a collector,” he says. “I get guitars, but I give them away.”
To McLaughlin, guitars are living, breathing companions and they’re not meant to sit on a shelf. “Guitars are like human beings – if you don’t play them, they get sick. They really need to be played.”
“Instruments are like a marriage between heaven and hell,” he continues, “They’re made on Earth, but the stuff that comes out of them is made in heaven. They’re wonderful in that way.”
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Halestorm pick their five most underrated rock and metal bands
If 2024 had ‘Brat summer’, then 2025 may well be on the cusp of ‘Halestorm summer’. When I interview frontwoman Lzzy Hale and lead guitarist Joe Hottinger at the Gibson Garage in London, the Pennsylvania hard rockers are about to enjoy several career milestones. The day after we talk, they’ll support Iron Maiden at the 75,000-capacity London Stadium, and the weekend after that they’ll perform at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s blockbuster farewell show. Oh, and on 8 August, they’ll release Everest: comfortably the best album of their 15-year recording career so far.
“We’re peaking right now,” Hottinger laughs when I mention the stacked schedule his band have for the coming weeks. “It’s all downhill from here.”
If Everest receives the goodwill that it deserves, then hopefully not. On their sixth full-length, Halestorm eschew the trappings of US radio rock without sacrificing their melodic punch. The songs are heavy, passionate jams with an improvisational spirit, achieved by the fact they went into the studio with producer Dave Cobb with nothing written down.
“There is a looseness to it,” Hale says. “I think – given the circumstances and the fact that we were forced to live in the moment, trust ourselves, trust our guts and make decisions – we stopped ourselves before we were getting bored with something or something was getting too comfortable. In essence, that’s what live music is all about for us anyway.”
That verve quickly appears on opener Fallen Star, when Lzzy cackles and screams “Kick it!” before she and her bandmates launch into one of the nastiest riffs of their lives. Combine that with the searing lead lines of I Gave You Everything and the lung-popping shouts during Watch Out!, and you get an album that finally captures how raucous this foursome are in the live arena.
Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger performing at Black Sabbath’s final concert in 2025. Image: Alison Northway
On paper, Cobb seems like a wildcard pick for the producer of such an unapologetically rock’n’roll project. Though he’s produced Rival Sons and Greta Van Fleet in the past, he’s mainly known for working with such country-pop superstars as Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile. I ask what made him the man for the job of overseeing Everest.
“I love the Chris Stapleton record,” says Hottinger, “and Brandi Carlile is just a monster. Every time I fall in love with a record, I see his name and I’m like, ‘That fucking guy again!’”
“We’d have conversations with Dave and ask, ‘How did you make this or that work?’,” Hale adds. “He’d be like, ‘That was just the vibe on that day. We were literally living in the moment.’ For us, no matter what genre, I think that that’s just a good divining rod to be guided by.”
For all the rambunctiousness that Everest smacks the listener with, the album lyrically alternates between rock star pageantry and affecting levels of introspection. On lead single Darkness Always Wins, Hale cries, “We are fighters, holding up our lighters!”: a line almost definitely written with the intention of getting phone torches during their arena shows. Similarly, K-I-L-L-I-N-G is a barnstormer with a spell-along hook that anyone can quickly get caught up in.
On the other end of the spectrum, though, are lyrics as personal as those on Broken Doll, where Hale laments previous, toxic relationships. “I still believed the lies we shared, shattered dreams beyond repair,” she sings. Like a Woman Can is a defiant declaration of the singer/guitarist’s bisexuality, while How Will You Remember Me? finds her asking the lofty question of what her legacy will be after she dies.
“I was tired of what I had created in the past – this pedestal, the idea of me – and ready to say things that way that I actually feel them,” Hale explains. “I don’t have to have all the answers and everything doesn’t always have to be okay. I feel like, in past years, especially after fame happened and all of a sudden you’re a role model, I needed to be a beacon of hope for everybody. I wrote all these songs that said, ‘It’s gonna be okay,’ but that’s not reality. We don’t know whether everything is going to be okay.”
As Halestorm prepare to put out their best music yet and get ready for a summer that will surely only make their star burn brighter, I turn the conversations to bands who haven’t had that level of fortune and attention. Below, you’ll find Halestorm’s picks for great rock and metal bands that should have become household names but, for whatever reason, unjustly fell short of megastardom.
Halestorm. Image: Press
Sevendust
Lzzy: “They’re an incredible band, but they’ve always been notorious for, like, everybody that’s ever opened for Sevendust has gone on to do great things. They’re kind of the springboard for that. [1999 album] Home was the thing that knocked me out of my parent’s generation of music. I was listening to Judas Priest and Alice Cooper and Dio and all of that, and then Home came out, and there’s a song called Licking Cream with Skin from Skunk Anansie on it. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, girls can sing this type of music! There’s hope for me!’
“I remember meeting them: I had been a fan for a little while and then we went to the NAMM convention in the States. They had a small gig there and somebody got me in. They were the sweetest men in the world! A couple months later, they had a show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the Chameleon Club. They remembered us, invited us onto their bus and took our demo CD. They played one of our songs through the PA right before they went on! I remember turning to my little bro, just like, ‘Well, if Sevendust think we’re cool enough to have our song played in front of their audience, maybe we got something here.’”
Priestess
Joe: “They’re a band from the very early 2000s that never got too huge. They did some touring and I think they made two records. I still love that band. They have a record called Hello Master and I found a vinyl of it, an original pressing, at a shop in Nashville for like 20 bucks. It melted my brain! How they started that record is some of the inspiration for how we started this new record, because it’s just a killer riff that goes on for too long. Haha! It’s in a different time signature and I was like, ‘That’s brilliant!’ It was one of my favourite records coming up.”
The Divinyls
Lzzy: “They’re an overlooked punk band that were only ever known for [1990 single] I Touch Myself, and the rest of their albums sound nothing like that. They’re this crazy, high-energy Police-meets-old-school-punk kind of band. Nobody ever really digs deeper than that one hit they ever had.
“I got into them kind of by accident. I realised later, ‘Oh, they’re the I Touch Myself band.’ The lead singer [Chrissy Amphlett] ended up dying many years ago, but they were one of those bands that opened up for everybody and then never really got their due, except for that one song. It was completely unhinged, amazing vocal prowess. The guitars were really interesting. You could tell that they were very jazz-influenced, but then they all got into punk bands when they were teenagers.”
Killing Joke
Joe: “The record that got me into them was the one Dave Grohl was on [2003’s Killing Joke]. That got me into Killing Joke, that was my introduction. Don’t they have a songwriting credit on Come as You Are or something? [Nirvana’s riff was strikingly similar to the one in 1984 single Eighties. Killing Joke were reportedly annoyed about it, but didn’t take legal action – Legal Clarification Ed]
“I discovered them through that record because it was on a random playlist or something, and I heard it and I was thinking, ‘That sounds like fucking Dave Grohl – what are we listening to?!’ Then I went deeper and deeper and I bought the record. It was just on for, like, a year and a half straight.”
Lzzy: “I’m definitely a fan. It’s just the energy of a song like Asteroid and the personality. There are certain people who are able to exude that kind of energy vocally where you get to know who they are. You’re just like, ‘Man, I know everything about you just from that run!’”
Mrnorth
Joe: “They were Irish boys and they made a record on a big label [2004 debut album Lifesize was released by RCA]. I think they did some pretty good touring. The vocals were soaring, like Jeff Buckley, but they were a rock band. Lifesize is a beautiful record. They had a shot, I guess, but it didn’t quite go their way. We’d see them play all the time at Grape Street pub in Philadelphia. They were so good live!”
Lzzy: “Their lyrics were pure poetry. They took you to a different place. The words were like visuals. He [singer/guitarist Colin Smith] had a way of taking his surroundings – there was a lot of talk about trees and nature – but then relating them to one’s inner self. I remember thinking, ‘How do people think that way?!’”
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Jason Richardson leaves All That Remains to focus on “new opportunities”
Jason Richardson has left All That Remains to focus on “new opportunities”.
It’s a departure that Richardson explains is fully civil and supported by the band. “All That Remains and I have decided to amicably part ways,” he writes in an Instagram post. “I’m incredibly proud of the record we made together and grateful for the relationships I’ve built during my time with the band.”
He goes on to allude to the next chapter of his career: “With everything happening in my own career and new opportunities that I have ahead, I need to prioritise what makes the most sense for my long-term future. There will be updates soon that I’m really excited to share with you all!”
The guitarist even teases that he’s been “grinding on a lot of different things behind the scenes”, noting that he’s “feeling very optimistic” about these mysterious upcoming projects.
To further show the lack of bad blood, he closes off with well-wishes for his former All That Remains bandmates. “I genuinely wish the rest of the band the absolute best in everything they choose to pursue,” he writes.
Richardson originally joined the All That Remains ranks back in 2018, following the passing of the late Oli Herbert. The original lead guitarist and founding member had tragically drowned in a lake behind his Connecticut home earlier in the year.
Prior to joining All That Remains, Richardson was also a member of prog metalcore unit Born of Osiris and deathcore gang Chelsea Grin. He’s also pursued his own solo projects throughout the years, releasing 2016’s I and 2022’s II records.
While details of the guitarist’s upcoming plans remain a secret, fans are already making some jokes about his pattern of hopping between bands. Over on Richardson’s Facebook post sharing the same news, one fan even humorously notes that, yet again, “Born of Osiris need a new guitarist”.
Another has also joked about Richardson’s departure of All That Remains will leave the band unable to perform the tracks he helped write on 2025’s Antifragile record. “My man left them with an album no guitarist is gonna be able to play,” one commenter jokes.
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A guide to the best Big Muff-style pedals, from classic reissues to boutique oddities
The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff is one of those rare pedals that’s kept the collective imagination of guitarists engaged ever since its debut in 1969. Thanks to its frankly absurd sound (and, lest we forget – name) it remains one of the most recognisable and infamous distortion devices out there. Versions of it exist today as both official reissues, boutique recreations and greatly modified takes on the circuit from builders big and small. But which is right for you? Should you swing for a fancy boutique recreation or will one of the regular ol’ reissues have you covered? Let’s explore all things Big Muff.
Already au fait with the circuit, or just want to dive straight into some pedals? Click here to go straight to the best Big Muff-style pedals you can buy right now.
What makes a Big Muff circuit a Big Muff?
First things first – we’re going to be talking about a lot of the different parts of the base Big Muff’s actual circuit, so before we get completely lost in a haze of solder – let’s do a quick refresh as to how the Big Muff actually works.
While there are many different versions, most of the differences boil down to having different values into a consistent circuit. This is basically just effectively four gain stages stacked one after another, with a tone stack before the output. One gain stage sets the level of distortion. The second two boost and distort, and the final sets the output volume.
Most Big Muff-style pedals are based on a schematic of this general structure, with some additions and modifications to component values.
Input gain stage
This is a basic transistor-based amplifier that boosts and buffers the input signal, and removes some extraneous frequencies. It’s also where you’ll find the gain control, which works by controlling the level of signal going into the next part of the circuit.
Clipping stages
The next two transistors are used in (normally) identical configurations to distort the signal twice in a row. Two diodes are placed back-to-back in the feedback loop of each stage, creating soft clipping. But because of the extremity of the gain and the fact that it’s happening twice, the result is a hell of a lot of distortion, to the point where it’s as harsh and sharp-edged as any hard-clipping circuit.
The clipping diodes that are used here are a common modification for both DIY’ers and boutique variants. If you have a standard, large-box through-hole Big Muff, swapping the diodes out is a great way to experiment with modding! Try red LEDs for an open, less compressed sound – or Germanium diodes for a squishier, more compressed sound. Due to how the circuit works, though, it’s really only the second diode clipping stage that’s worth modifying – adjusting the first one won’t have much impact.
Some pedals also offer the option of removing one or both of the clipping stages entirely. This doesn’t remove all of the distortion, as there’s still some coming from overloading the transistors, but it does make for a much more boost-like sound and a big jump in output volume.
Tone stack
The classic Big Muff tone stack uses a potentiometer to create two different filters (one high-pass and one low-pass) and blend the result. Turning the tone control down mixes in more of the low-pass filter. Turn it up, the high-pass filter. In the middle, the two filters are combined – however on a stock Big Muff, both the high- and low-pass filters still affect the midrange when the knob is at 12, leading to that signature “scoop”.
The tone control’s use of a dual-filter design is also what allows it to be much more impactful than other passive tone stack designs – maybe too powerful, depending on the rest of your rig. A Big Muff on full treble can be a bit like having a jar of wasps chucked at your head, and on full-bass settings, it can easily overwhelm smaller amps. And while an overwhelmingly bassy distortion sound can be huge and awesome by itself, it can mean that you’re competing for sonic real estate with your bassist. Because of this, and the midrange scoop, the tone control is where you’ll see a lot of the ‘boutique’ Big Muffs make modifications.
Output stage
The Big Muff’s output stage is effectively an LPB-1 – this simply boosts the signal level back up after it gets cut down by the tone control’s filters. How much of a boost Big Muffs provide really varies – Muffs have used plenty of different transistors and component values across the years, meaning that some will give you a really hefty boost, while others will remain pretty close to unity gain. This is also something that ‘boutique’ big muffs can offer a little more control over.
The best Big Muffs you can buy right now
There are plenty of awesome options for fans of this venerable circuit still on the market. We’ve rounded up everything from the reliable classics to our favourite boutique oddities – so let’s jump in!
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
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Electro-Harmonix still makes the standard, big-box Big Muff Pi. While it’s affordable and reliable, it’s also a rather inconvenient size – this thing really earns the Big part of its name. It has a certain cool factor, for sure, but if you want it in a more sensibly-sized box, you can check out the standard Nano Big Muff Pi. Keep in mind, though, that this modern variant of the circuit is famously a little more bright and scooped in the midrange than the more vintage-voiced circuits. This style of Muff was used to great effect by Jack White in the White Stripes with a scything, sharp sound.
Triangle Big Muff Reissue
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This pedal is a recreation of the earliest version of the Big Muff. Compared to the more modern circuits, it has a smoother, slightly less saturated sound at max settings, but it can absolutely still provide that huge violin-like sustain the pedal is known for as a whole. Given the age of the circuit it’s recreating and how pedals were made at the time, there’s not really one single Triangle circuit this pedal is based on, however it’s a faithful amalgam of various vintage units.
Ram’s Head Big Muff Reissue
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The Rams head recreates the 1970s v2 version of the circuit. It’s relatively similar, sonically, to the Triangle Muff, if a little louder in its output. If you’re gunning for a Gilmouresque lead sound, you can’t go wrong with either this or the Triangle. There’s also the J Mascis version of the pedal, a nod to the Dinosaur Jr. frontman’s affinity for the circuit, however keep in mind that this is only a cosmetic change over the regular reissue.
Green Russian Big Muff Reissue
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The Green Russian Big Muff recreates the version of the circuit made in EHX’s Russian Sovtek factory across the 1990s. It has a reputation as a bassy, more doom-appropriate version of the circuit with a bit more of a mid-push – and the reissue totally nails that sound. It’s a great pairing with an Orange amp, C-standard tuning and half a crate of beer.
Op Amp Big Muff Reissue
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The Op-Amp version of the circuit replaces the four transistors with two op-amps. The result is quite a different sound, one that you’ll immediately recognise if you’re a Smashing Pumpkins fan. This is also notably one of the Big Muff reissues with a tone bypass switch – this makes the circuit skip the dual-filter tone control, resulting in a more full-frequency, less scooped sound.
Evil Eye FX Warg
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Onto some non-EHX options! The Evil Eye FX Warg is one of the coolest new boutique Big Muff-inspired pedals I’ve checked out recently. Inspired by the Ace Tone FM-3, this pedal also offers a switch to go between the stock tone control values and a flatter midrange – perfect for getting your full-bore fuzz sound to fit better in a mix.
Check out my review of the Warg for more.
EarthQuaker Chelsea
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The first of three high-quality options from EarthQuaker Devices, the Chelsea is a cool variant of the Big Muff based on a unit owned and used by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. It’s voiced really well for both bass and low-tuned guitars, and includes a tone bypass switch for some extra versatility.
Check out my review of the Chelsea for more.
EarthQuaker Hizumitas
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Where the Chelsea is relatively restrained, the Hizumitas is less so. It’s one of the loudest Big Muff variants out there, which is unsurprising if you’ve ever heard Boris’ music. Wata’s Elk Sustainar unit – a rare Japanese clone of the Big Muff – was meticulously recreated here, and its enormous output and unique tone sweep allow you to tune down and drop out with the best of them.
EarthQuaker Hoof
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Rather than any one musician’s pedal, the third EQD option here is a very modified version of the EHX Green Russian. It uses a mix of germanium and silicon transistors for a more ragged, unpredictable sound, as well as some LED clipping diodes rather than the standard 1N4148s you’ll see more commonly used. If you’re looking for something totally original, rather than just a vintage recreation, this is a great option.
Black Arts Toneworks Pharaoh
One of the oldest doomed-up takes on the circuit, first launched back in 2011. The Pharaoh adds a separate highs control for more detailed EQ, as well as a three-position switch to choose between germanium, silicon or no diode clipping. That last option helps it sit well in a full rig based around pushing the front end of a tube amp for a thick, full-bore sound.
Keeley Electronics Moon
The Keeley Electronics Moon is an expanded version of the Op Amp Big Muff, featuring a three-position EQ switch for either scooped, flat or boosted midrange. It’s a pretty bassy version of the circuit overall, despite this added versatility – so make sure your rig is ready to handle the extra low-end! If it can, though, this is an awesome way to get that full-frequency Smashing Pumpkins-esque sound, or create a huge base-layer for shoegazey reverb. It’s also a killer option for bass guitarists.
KMA Machines Chief Disruptor
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Now we’re into the real weeds of totally weirding the standard Muff circuit. The KMA Machines Chief Disruptor features a bunch of added features, including three different gain modes, a pre- or post-EQ clean blend, an active two-band EQ, a foot-switchable, expression-controllable parametric midrange and a switchable top-boost. If the Chief Disruptor can’t find a place in your rig, perhaps nothing can.
Death By Audio Fuzz War
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The Death by Audio Fuzz War is an example of just how far you can take the circuit, but not necessarily by adding extra features. Version two of the Fuzz War shares some similarities with the Big Muff in the rough circuit topology, but the resulting sonics are totally out there – it’s extremely loud and very dynamic thanks to a single clipping stage. The Fuzz War is great for those looking to go all psychedelic freak-out mode as much as it is for those looking to summon monoliths of doom and destruction.
Other options
There’s no way we could ever cover all of the Big Muff-inspired pedals out there – it is, after all, one of the most revered, cloned and modified circuits within the world of pedals. There are countless small builders doing everything from heavily-adjusted versions to faithful vintage recreations!
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“Maybe some young kids will be like, ‘Wow, I saw that movie. I like what he played. I wanna try that’”: Buddy Guy’s cameo in Sinners was to “help the blues”
Genres are often revived and reshaped in the image of new generations, often in unexpected ways. Just look at country music’s popularity right now, as the likes of Beyoncé, Post Malone and Lana Del Rey have tried their hand at the genre, rather successfully in all cases, we might add.
Another genre that’s hinting at a revival is the blues, thanks to it being a central feature of Ryan Coogler’s horror film Sinners. Playing a cameo role of Sammie in his later life, blues veteran and multiple Grammy winner Buddy Guy used the film as a platform to “help the blues”.
During a recent phone interview with Press Democrat, Buddy Guy reveals how he struck an agreement with B.B. King and Muddy Waters, that whoever lived the longest had to keep flying the blues flag. Now at 89 – today (30 July) is his birthday, in fact – and 70 years into his journey as a musician, Guy is one of the last original Chicago blues men to keep playing.
Driven by this life mission, Guy hopes that Sinners’ celebration of the genre could help it to became more popular with younger people: “Maybe some young kids will be like, ‘Wow, I saw that movie. I like what he played. I wanna try that.”
Guy is confident that the blues still resonates plenty of people, even younger children, who often come up to him after his performances. Modestly, he puts this down to the power of the genre rather than his own skill: “[It’s] not me – the blues,” and goes on to say that “When they hear it, they love it.”
So what’s stopping the blues from having that level of hype country music has? Guy thinks FM radio stations are to blame for it flying under the radar: “The blues has been treated like a stepchild,” Guy tells Guitar Player. “Your big FM station don’t play our music anymore…” While he celebrates the fact that satellite radio plays the blues more often, they “don’t play the deep stuff”.
This means that Guy is not thinking of retiring as a blues player quite yet, even though he told Guitar Player that he has “thought about retiring twice.” The guitarist is in good spirits about it though, in his own words: “My health ain’t doing too bad, so… I just try to play the best I can”.
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“The bond we shared with him ran far deeper than music”: Pantera cancel tour dates as Zakk Wylde says they need “time to grieve” Ozzy Osbourne’s death
![[L-R] Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Ozzy-and-Zakk-Wylde@2000x1500.jpg)
In light of Ozzy Osbourne sadly passing away on 22 July, Pantera have announced that they will be postponing and cancelling a slew of upcoming tour dates to mourn the Black Sabbath icon’s death.
The heavy metal unit – comprising Phil Anselmo, Zakk Wylde, Rex Brown and Charlie Benante – share the news on Instagram.
“Ozzy wasn’t just a legend who shaped the very foundation of heavy metal and inspired Pantera from the beginning – he was family,” the band write. “A mentor, a brother, and a constant presence in our lives both on and off the stage. The bond we shared with him ran far deeper than music.”
“In light of this profound loss, we need time and space to grieve – to be with our families, our crew, and each other as we process and honour the life of someone who meant so much to us,” the post continues. “Out of respect, and to allow members of our team the time to mourn, we will be rescheduling the following shows.”
In order to allow themselves this “time and space to grieve” Pantera will be cancelling three of their upcoming tour dates. Their 19 July show in Gilford, NH will no longer be happening, as well as their 8 September and 10 September shows in Birmingham, AL and Virginia Beach, VA.
Not every change is a cancellation, however; two shows will be pushed forward to September. The band’s 28 July Saratoga Springs show will now be taking place on 9 September, while their Holmdel show on 31 July has been rescheduled for 8 September.
Pantera held a deep respect for Ozzy’s work, even performing Sabbath cut Electric Funeral in New York on 26 July in his honour. However, touring guitarist Zakk Wylde held an incredibly personal connection with the late star. Not only was he the lead guitarist of Ozzy’s solo band, but Wylde has spoken about their close relationship on multiple occasions.
Wylde even shared a heartfelt tribute to the late Prince of Darkness. “Oz was just the best,” he tells Guitar World. “I have my father, who was a World War II veteran; and then Ozzy, who was almost like an older brother. There was almost a 20-year age gap between us. With our relationship, there was the fun drinking – but if I ever needed advice, I could talk to him.”
“Ozzy is the godfather of our oldest son,” he writes. “Whether I was playing with him or not, if Sharon [Osbourne] called me and my wife up and said, ‘Guys, can you watch the house while we’re away on a business trip?’ I’d do it. It’s like, ‘If you need me to bring milk and eggs over, I’ll do it.’”
“Yeah, that’s how I’ve always looked at it. Ozzy is the godfather of our oldest son. Whether I was playing with him or not, if Sharon called me and my wife up and said, ‘Guys, can you watch the house while we’re away on a business trip?’ I’d do it. It’s like, ‘If you need me to bring milk and eggs over, I’ll do it.’”
Wylde even opens up about the last exchange he had with Ozzy – which, unfortunately, was just a text message. “Everybody and their mother were in the backstage dressing room [at the Back To The Beginning show] and I just wanted to give him a break,” Wylde reveals. “I figured we’d see him later on – the next day or whatever. But no.”
“The last text I got from Oz was saying, ‘Zakky, sorry, it was like a madhouse back there. I didn’t see you.’ He goes, ‘Thanks for everything.’ It was just us talking, saying, ‘I love you, buddy.’ That was it.”
Wylde closes off his tribute on a note of utmost respect: “If I didn’t have Oz, without a doubt, I’d continue playing… but it’s how Ozzy would say what The Beatles did for him, you know? What he gave me with Sabbath, and then with Randy and Jake, it’s a beacon of light. It gives you purpose. So even if I hadn’t played with him, he gave me purpose to be a musician. And without a doubt, that’ll always be with me.”
Today, Ozzy’s funeral procession is set to run through Birmingham’s Broad Street at 1pm ahead of a private funeral.
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Neural DSP’s new Nano Cortex update introduces a Tap Tempo mode and other “highly requested” enhancements
Neural DSP has launched a brand-new update, NanOS 2.1.0, for its Nano Cortex mini amp modeller.
The game-changing brand has introduced this new update rather swiftly after the last upgrade, which arrived back in April this year and introduced a customisable signal chain, 47 new effects and utilities, plus new workflow tools. Stepping things up once again, this update ticks off a list of more highly-requested features.
NanOS 2.1.0 brings a plethora of new enhancements, including Incoming MIDI CC, Tap Tempo, IR Loader Bypass for a specific output, MIDI Thru, and other improvements for better usability and performance.
Tap Tempo is a welcomed feature, and can now be accessed by holding Footswitch I to enter the Tap Tempo mode. The LED will blink at the current tempo, and you can set the tempo you want by simply pressing the footswitch. You can exit the mode by pressing Footswitch II, and you can even operate it through the Cortex Cloud app too.
Also, Nano Cortex can now receive MIDI CC messages for bypassing individual device slots, controlling the expression pedal position, Tap Tempo, and Tuner On/Off. Users can also mute the direct monitoring path of an analogue input, “essential for re-amping workflows to hear only the processed signal from your DAW”, and mute analogue outputs to prevent signal doubling when monitoring within the DAW.
As well as all these newbies, the update brings some bug fixes too. Critical issues that could cause Nano Cortex to crash or freeze, particularly when downloading a Neural Capture or when left idle for an extended period, have been resolved. A bug that would result in no audio passing through the Nano Cortex if a preset was loaded that used a deleted Neural Capture is also fixed.
To view the full list of new features and fixes, head over to Neural DSP.
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If you’re as excited about the Line 6 Helix Stadium as we are, you’ll be pleased to know you can now hear it in action
As we continue to edge closer to the release of Line 6’s incredibly hyped-up Helix Stadium amp modellers, the brand has released some more content revealing what they sound like, and what they’re capable of.
The new Stadium line was announced in early June, promising the “most powerful and most flexible” Helix yet. The range includes the flagship Helix Stadium XL Floor and a streamlined version, both of which will be arriving this year in autumn/winter.
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Not only will these new additions bring highly-anticipated upgrades, including new cloning capabilities and high-resolution touch screens, but they also introduce an entirely new modelling methodology called Agoura.
Agoura replaces Helix’s former HX modelling tech for improved authenticity when modelling physical amps, as well as offering increased accuracy when it comes to how amps respond to you. And, until now, we’ve not really heard how these new floorboard modellers actually sound.
As we grow closer to the drop, Line 6 has been releasing a number of tour videos on its Youtube channel. In a new sound sample video, you can hear its Marshall-inspired ‘Brit Plexi’ amp, which is played through a ‘jumped’ channel and hooked up to two virtual 4×12 Greenback30 cabs and runs through an LA2A Studio Comp, a delay pedal, and a Dynamic Plate reverb – all of which are displayed on its new, snazzy screen.
Hear it below:
Other recent demos include a tour of its search field to show you how to locate models, presets, and more, plus two wider tours on both the touch screen – in this one, you can hear a little bit more of the Brit Plexi in play via the background music – and the range of Agoura models available at launch.
To view more details about the Helix Stadium amp modellers, head over to Line 6.
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