Back in August, at Cory Wong’s Syncopated Summer Camp in Nashville, Wong hosted a late-night interview and hang session with Italian guitar hero Matteo Mancuso. If you weren’t there, you’re in luck: This week’s episode of Wong Notes features that exclusive rendezvous in its entirety, recorded live in front of an audience of camp attendees.Mancuso unearths his roots on the guitar, from starting on the electric guitar to learning Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix while using his father’s finger-picking style. “Later on, I discovered about the pick, but I was too lazy to start again,” says Mancuso, who shouts out other fingerstyle players like Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt.
Mancuso credits his unique playing vocabulary to his atypical approach to the instrument, which meant he had to “find some solutions to some technical problems” that he encountered while learning to play. What kind of warm-ups does he turn to when he wants to get his fingers and brain moving? Mancuso has a few thoughts, but it all has to be “goal-oriented.”
Mancuso and Wong, both veteran bandleaders at this point, swap advice and techniques on heading your own band, arranging, and writing, plus scores of other obscure tricks of the trade. Tune in and listen to get the goods.
GRAMMY® Award-nominated genre-defying songwriter, producer, podcast host, and guitarist extraordinaire Cory Wong has shared his new single, “Blame It On The Moon (Feat. Magic City Hippies).” The jazzy disco track in collaboration with the Miami-based indie-funk trio Magic City Hippies is the third song released from his upcoming album, Lost In The Wonder, set to arrive on February 3, 2026. “Blame It On The Moon (Feat. Magic City Hippies)” is streaming everywhere now.
“This is the first time that Magic City Hippies and I have worked together,” says Cory Wong. “I randomly met some of the guys in Japan during my last tour. They came out to one of my Tokyo shows and, at the end of the night, said, ‘We should do something sometime.’ That usually means something along the lines of, ‘I respect your artistry and think you’re cool, ’ but rarely means ever getting together to actually ‘do something sometime.’ I have made it a point in the last couple of years to really mean it when I say ‘let’s write together.’
“I got home from Japan and sent over a demo of a song I was working on. The guys in the band said, ‘Yep, we know what to do with this.’ They flipped the arrangement around and added new parts, and sent back what was the majority of what you hear in the final song. We did a few rounds of remote feedback on the writing, and I polished off the arrangement with some added horns and keyboards, and it was done! It’s always more fun to work in a room together on something creative like this, but it works really well to work on remote collaboration projects when both parties are really comfortable in their artistry and also the craft of recording/ collaborating. This, to me, felt like the pinnacle of remote collaboration.”
Lost In The Wonder was initially heralded with the release of the album’s hook-heavy and irresistibly catchy first single “Tongue Tied (Feat. Stephen Day).” The crisp yet dreamy mid-tempo title track, “Lost In The Wonder,” followed last week. A national headlining tour, featuring special guests Devon Gilfillian, Stephen Day, and Marc Scibilia, is set to begin in April, with confirmed performances in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Austin, and more. The full itinerary is below.
Lost In The Wonder spotlights Wong’s remarkable gifts as a producer, writer, arranger, band leader, and master of modern pop craftsmanship, while of course never losing sight of his trademark guitar virtuosity. The album further affirms Wong’s enduring love of musical collaboration, boasting a truly eclectic range of guest artists, including Taylor Hanson, Devon Gilfillian, Cody Fry, Yam Haus, Louis Cato, Ellis, Elysia Biro, Theo Katzman, and Magic City Hippies.
“There are lots of sides to me as an artist,” says Wong. “A lot of people know me as a guitar guy, or even more specifically, ‘rhythm guitar guy’. That’s an accurate description, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. I see the guitar as just one of the avenues for my music and creativity. It’s been an absolute joy to develop and form a signature sound as a guitarist, but a huge part of my artistry is in my production/writing/arranging/band-leading. I’ve worked on and honed those skills just as much as my guitar playing, so I wanted to make an album that really showcased that side of my creative expression. Does that mean there’s less guitar on this album than on others? No! It’s actually quite the opposite. I feel like some of my best guitar work is done on this album. There’s everything from my classic rhythm guitar sound to multiple layers of orchestrally arranged guitar to blistering solos when the music calls for it.
“I think anyone who’s a great producer/writer/arranger also really likes to collaborate with other people because it gives you different colors and textures to ‘paint’ with. My aim is to showcase different sides of my artistry by putting several collaborators in front of the music and having me build the world that it lives in.”
Wong – who just wrapped up a series of historic live performances in China and South Korea – will celebrate Lost In The Wonder with a non-stop global live schedule that includes headline shows, top-billed festival sets, and more. Highlights include performances in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Austin, as well as a one-night-only concert event at Toronto, ON’s Koerner Hall at The Royal Conservatory of Music backed by the Royal Conservatory Orchestra (December 11); a headline performance at Tucson, AZ’s historic Fox Tucson Theatre as part of the annual Tucson Jazz Festival (January 24, 2026); Dave Koz and Friends at Sea 2026, an eight-night musical cruise adventure making stops in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina (March 22-30, 2026); a co-headline festival appearance alongside Snarky Puppy at Charlotte, NC’s The Spring Mix (April 26, 2026); and a visit to San José del Cabo, Mexico for Goose’s three-day destination festival, Viva El Gonzo (May 7-9, 2026). Additional dates will be announced.
After a devastating theft in 2021, the metal band’s guitarist rebuilt his tone empire around some life-changing loans.
Chicago post-metal band Russian Circles had to battle their way back to gear heaven. In 2021, the bulk of the band’s gear was stolen while on tour, leading to a years-long rebuild. As a result, many of the items you might’ve seen in guitarist Mike Sullivan’s Rig Rundown back in 2017 are long gone.
PG’s Chris Kies recently met up with Sullivan at the band’s Chicago practice space, where they’ve resided for nearly 20 years. Check out some highlights from Sullivan’s new, resurrected rig below.
Sullivan has been favoring Dunable guitars of late, borrowing one from tourmate Chelsea Wolfe after his other guitar was nabbed. The green one is based on the Dunable Narwhal, with a more Gibson-like scale—comparable to Sullivan’s old Les Paul. This Narwhal has a mahogany body and neck, maple top, and a coil-tap function for the two humbuckers: a DiMarzio PAF 26th Anniversary and a DiMarzio Joe Duplantier Fortitude signature. Vibrating atop those pickups are D’Addario strings—a set of .011–.056, with the low E swapped for a .058. Sullivan uses a number of different down tunings, all with D-A-D-G-A-D as a starting point.
The white Dunable has a maple neck, a 25.5” scale, and is tuned lower, with a .062 for the low E string. It’s used for drop-A tunings, and has the same DiMarzio pickups.
Gettin’ Hi
Sullivan was turned onto Hiwatts after acquiring some on loan in the wake of the gear theft, and he hasn’t turned back since. The cabinets are loaded with Hiwatt Octapulse speakers.
Mike Sullivan’s Pedalboard
Sullivan runs two pedalboards. The first includes a Peterson tuner, Shure P9HW, Dunlop CBM95 Cry Baby Mini, DigiTech Drop and Whammy Ricochet, and MXR Phase 95.
The motherboard carries a Dunlop DVP3 volume pedal, a Friedman BE-OD Deluxe, Strymon Dig, TimeLine, and Flint, a T-Rex Image Looper, DigiTech JamMan Stereo, MXR CAE Boost/Line Driver, Foxrox Octron3, Electric Eye Cannibal Unicorn, Maxon Apex808, Fortin-Modded Ibanez Tube Screamer, and a Radial Shotgun Guitar Splitter and Buffer.
The monkey is out of the cage, and this time, it’s a little bit meaner. DigiTech’s cult-favorite Bad Monkey® overdrive pedal has swung back into the spotlight—not as a simple reissue, but as a fully evolved creature from DOD®: the Badder Monkey™. With the original Bad Monkey circuit still at its core and two brand-new circuits named Behaved and Badder joining the fray, this pedal gives players the power to go from mild-mannered overdrive to mischievous, unpredictable tones that are downright bananas.
The real magic happens with DOD’s patent-pending 360-degree Barrel Control, which lets musicians blend any two circuits at a time, resulting in hundreds of unique overdrive combinations. And if that’s not enough monkey business, a three-position toggle adds even more tonal tricks. In the UP position, the Bad circuit plays nicely in-phase with the others; DOWN, it flips out-of-phase to create wild harmonic shenanigans; and CENTER activates Troop Mode, where all three circuits pile on at once. In Troop Mode, the Barrel Control steps aside, letting the full troop roar together.
The Badder Monkey™ also introduces DOD’s patent-pending reversible StagePlate™, a simple but brilliant way to keep your pedal grounded—or attached to your board. The skid pad side keeps it from sliding off the stage; while flipping it over reveals a hook pad that locks onto your pedalboard in a snap. Switching between the two is as easy as removing four screws, flipping the plate, and tightening it back up—a simple solution for every rig and stage setup.
From the gain knob’s subtle creep to full-on roar, and with EQ controls named Grunt and Screech, the Badder Monkey™ offers a sonic playground for guitarists and bassists of all skill levels. True Bypass ensures your tone stays pure when the pedal is off, while a modern 9V DC input keeps it compatible with any rig.
From light, cheeky breakup to heavy, chest-thumping distortion, the Badder Monkey is ready to swing onto stages and pedalboards worldwide, delivering a jungle of tones without ever letting go of the vine. The Badder Monkey is the next step in the evolution of Cage-Free DOD.
Seymour Duncan, a leading manufacturer of guitar and bass pickups, effects pedals, and pedal amps, is proud to announce the Dino Cazares Machete Signature Humbuckeris now available to order from seymourduncan.com and from authorized Seymour Duncan dealers.
Dino Cazares Machete Signature Humbucker
Dino Cazares doesn't compromise, and neither does his signature Machete humbucker. This active pickup in a passive mount combines high-output coils with a custom preamp circuit to unleash ferocious attack with surgical precision. Whether you're hammering out brutal rhythms or cutting through with lead work, the Machete delivers the relentless clarity and thickness that fuel Fear Factory's punishing sound, now available to power your heaviest riffs.
Dino Cazares' signature Machete humbucker now available worldwide
Active pickup in passive mount for modern metal
Aggressive clarity with crushing low-end definition and articulation
Available in 6-string (in colors Black, White, and Red) and in 7-string (in colors Black, White, and Zebra)
Hand-built in Santa Barbara, CA
MAP pricing: 6-string $149.00
MAP pricing: 7-string $159.00
Fear Factory's Dino Cazares has spent decades defining the sonic assault of industrial metal, and his tone continues to evolve. The Machete, previously exclusive to Dino's signature Ormsby® guitars, is finally available everywhere from Seymour Duncan. This active humbucker in a passive mount delivers aggressive clarity and crushing power, engineered for players who demand articulation and low-end definition without sacrificing organic feel.
The Dino Cazares Machete Signature Humbucker delivers the razor-sharp attack and punishing crunch his music demands. Built on the foundation of the acclaimed Retribution model, the Machete channels that articulation into a distinct new voice. Treble bite and low-mid thickness combine for an immediate, aggressive attack perfect for machine-gun picking, tight chugs, and searing leads. The Machete retains an organic character that responds dynamically to your playing, delivering punchy aggression with definition.
If you've been craving fierce, articulate power that cuts through the heaviest mix while maintaining note clarity, the Machete delivers. It's the pickup that powers Dino's relentless riffing on Fear Factory's latest material, and now it can power your playing. Load it into your guitar and discover the sound that drives one of modern metal's most uncompromising players
![Rig Rundown: Russian Circles’ Mike Sullivan [2025]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/youtube.jpg?id=62303631&width=1245&height=700&quality=70&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
