
Kikagaku Moyo are (left to right) bassist Kotsuguy, guitarists Daoud Popal and Tomo Katsurada, drummer Go Kurosawa, and sitarist Ryu Kurosawa.
The effects-crazy, THC-fueled Japanese psychedelic rockers, led by guitarists Tomo Katsurada and Daoud Popal, have called it quits, but not before one last album and tour.
The core of Kikagaku Moyo, a psychedelic quintet from Tokyo, Japan, is group improvisation. Collaborative synergy and interplay are embedded deep within the band’s collective subconscious, and their live shows—as well as their studio recordings—are often spontaneous acts of creation.
“It’s a lot of eye contact and a lot of concentration,” Tomo Katsurada, one of the band’s two guitarists, explains while discussing the group’s approach to “instant composition,” a term borrowed from one of their primary influences, Krautrock pioneers Can. Although, in his telling, the emphasis is on the concentration. “I smoke so much weed before the show—we all smoke so much weed and we go so high. But it’s crazy. We’ll have a long improvisation—maybe that’ll even be 25 minutes on one song—and I’ll use up all my THC from my brain and I’ll be completely sober. It’s crazy to realize how much concentration goes into instant composing on the stage. There’s a lot of control that we have by way of concentration while improvising.”
But that intense hyperfocus—the byproduct of relentless touring and rehearsing—took a forced hiatus once the pandemic brought the world to a halt. That pause was particularly difficult for Kikagaku Moyo. By the time Covid hit, two members of the band had relocated from the Tokyo area to Amsterdam; a third would soon follow. So, the recording of Kumoyo Island, the group’s latest and final release (more about that in a minute), was particularly hampered because of the lockdown. They couldn’t travel to jam, let alone get together in a studio, which meant that a lot of the album was done piecemeal—either via swapping files online or by one member taking the lead producing a particular track.
Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island (Full Album-2022)
That approach comes out in the record’s overall sound. For example, “Cardboard Pile,” which is still very much a trippy, psych-type groove, is cut up and self-sampled in a style that’s more reminiscent of DJ Shadow than anything normally associated with the psychedelic canon. “Gomugomu” takes a complete left turn and oozes a warbly, off-kilter country music vibe. There’s also the more atmospheric, ambient feel of songs like “Daydream Soda” and “Maison Silk Road.” Not that the album is lacking for Kikagaku Moyo signature bangers. “Field of Tiger Lilies” and the almost—should we call it “funk?”—“Dancing Blue” leave a lot of room to blossom when played in front of an audience, which may be the craziest thing about Kumoyo Island.
When the band finally reconvened to tour in support of the new album, the soundcheck—which took place three hours before their first performance—was the first time they played any of these new songs together.
Not that it mattered.
“It worked,” Katsurada says, unfazed. “We’ve been playing music together for so long that it’s really fast for us to create the groove or find the vibe of the song. And the rest of the parts we can improvise.”
“I love to stomp a red-color pedal when I engage the fuzz and overdrive. Visually it makes me feel like I am ready to fuzz out.”—Tomo Katsurada
“We always value that first energy, that primitive energy,” Daoud Popal, Kikagaku Moyo’s other guitarist, says about those early 2022 soundchecks. “Those first few times, we had no idea how the songs go. Of course, now we can play them better, but those early primitive versions of those songs were also great.”
In a sense, for the members of Kikagaku Moyo, recording a song in the studio isn’t so much about creating a completed, final product as much as it is about bringing it into the world. From that point forward, how it evolves is anyone’s guess.
“Songs get older and grow up,” Katsurada says. “They grow up together with how we grow up. After we record a song, we bring it on tour, and it grows as we tour. We still have so many ideas from inside the song, and that makes it not boring when playing shows every day. It’s always challenging, and it’s always growing.”
“A song [when it was recorded] may have been a version that was very true to ourselves a few years ago,” Popal adds. “But now, a few years later, it maybe sounds unnatural to us, like we don’t have that kind of feeling anymore. But when we add some jamming parts, that always updates the songs to our current feelings.”
Kikagaku Moyo’s twin guitar lineup is augmented with an electric sitar that’s played by Ryu Kurosawa (his brother, Go, is the band’s drummer). His background is in Indian classical music, and he’s had to adjust his thinking and approach to better define his role and place in the band. That was particularly important, because while the group wanted the colors and broad palette the instrument offered, they didn’t want it to become a gimmick.
Tomo Katsurada's Gear
Tomo Katsurada, like Daoud Popal, plays just one guitar: a Gibson Les Paul Junior Special with two P-90 pickups.
Photo by Sara Amroussi Gilissen
Guitars
Amp
- Fender Twin Reverb
Effects
- Boss PV-1 Rocker Volume
- Xotic XW-1 Wah
- Xotic Super Clean
- Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi V4 (Op Amp)
- Carlin Compressor
- Carlin Phaser
- Catalinbread Pareidolia
- ZVEX Octane 3
- Lovetone Big Cheese Clone by Thomas Graham
- Dawner Prince Boonar Multi-Head Drum Echo
- Danelectro Back Talk Reverse Delay (V1)
- Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water
- Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano
- TC Electronic PolyTune 3
Strings
- Unknown brand of strings that have been on his guitar since early 2022
Picks
- Dunlop Tortex .60 mm
“Once he customized his acoustic sitar to electric sitar, he had more opportunity to explore the electric sounds with the pedals,” Katsurada adds. “Me and Daoud are always experimenting with pedals, but sometimes guitar pedals don’t work with sitar. Some fuzz pedals don’t sound as good. It was trial and error until he found a good fuzz pedal for the sitar.”
When it comes to sculpting tones—and, judging from the array of awesome sounds they’ve concocted over the years, both guitarists are bonafide tone fiends—pedals are where the action is. They don’t vary their guitars. Katsurada plays a Gibson Les Paul Junior, and Popal plays a Vox Mirage II, and that’s basically it. Their arsenal of amps is similarly one-dimensional: They have six Fender Twin Reverbs in Amsterdam that everyone uses (except bass), and another three in the U.S.
The band’s final album was also the first they recorded via file sharing and distanced production, due to Covid.
Katsurada relies on an assortment of vintage tape echoes, like a 1970s-era Japanese-made Kastam and an aged Binson Echorec, although these days he won’t take either of those on the road. “I am too scared to carry that,” he says. Nowadays, he uses a digital copy of the Binson. “It’s not the same, but that’s more for myself. It’s a micro-difference for the audience, but it is different. The right echo unit makes me feel so much better when I play.” He also uses a variety of fuzz boxes, like a Big Muff and a Carlin Compressor overdrive, and he’s particular about the color, too, which helps with the live show, both in terms of practicality as well as the vibe. “I love to stomp a red color pedal when I engage the fuzz and overdrive,” he says. “Visually it makes me feel like I am ready to fuzz out.”
Popal isn’t as picky. “I use a Fuzz War by Death by Audio, but to be honest, I am not a gear geek. Many times, I use pedals and have no idea what they are. Tomo gives me something and says, ‘You should use this.’ I say, ‘Okay,’ and I use it. For example, the Foxx Tone Machine is a pedal I got it from Tomo.”
“We’ll have a long improvisation—maybe that’ll even be 25 minutes on one song—and I’ll use up all my THC from my brain and I’ll be completely sober.”—Tomo Katsurada
He does, however, have a penchant for expression pedals. “I love to play with my feet, like wah—I like that a lot. Usually, the guitar is played with two hands only, and the wah is a very unique addition. With a foot pedal, it’s like playing guitar with three hands. I use other expression pedals connected to two of my pedals. One is delay—a Roland Space Echo—and I change the delay time with my expression pedal. That same pedal—it has two outputs—is also connected to the tremolo, so, again, I can change the tremolo’s BPM with my foot.”
But great tones and incredible chemistry aside, after a decade together—and five full-length albums in the can, plus many other releases—Kikagaku Moyo has called it quits. They spent most of 2022 on the road, and their final show was in Tokyo on December 3.
Daoud Popal's Gear
Daoud Popal is transported by his band’s “instant composition” at the 2022 Desert Daze festival, held in Riverside County, California, in late September.
Photo by Debi Del Grande
Guitar
- Vox Mirage II
Amps
- Fender Twin Reverb
Effects
- TC Electronic PolyTune 3
- Xotic EP Booster
- Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano
- Catalinbread Belle Epoch
- JAM Pedals Big Chill
- Boss AC-2 Acoustic Simulator
- Boss RE-20 Space Echo
- Electro-Harmonix Stereo Clone Theory Analog Chorus/Vibrato
- J. Rockett Archer Ikon Boost/Overdrive
- ZVEX Instant Lo-Fi Junky
- Dunlop MC404 CAE Wah
- Death by Audio Fuzz War
- Foxx Tone Machine
- Two Boss Expression Pedals
Strings
- Ernie Ball (.010 sets)
Picks
- Dunlop Tortex .60 mm
“We decided at the end of 2021, after we came back from a West Coast tour, that this tour is going to be the last one,” Katsurada says. “It is better for us to finish up this project and to archive our project together. That’s the healthiest way for us to keep a good relationship, and friendship. I am going to keep playing music. I have a radio program that I am doing with my partner, and I have many music projects that I am interested in doing. Maybe I’ll make my solo music and just keep making music, but not as a band. Now, I am interested in working with people I’ve never worked with, and I want to explore my creativity in music. It is really good to collaborate with other people I have never worked with. I feel I can find myself more.”
“The last two years, since Covid, two of us—and now three—were already separated and living in Amsterdam,” Popal adds. “Naturally, under Covid we couldn’t do much touring, and so I started my own projects in Japan. I believe I will continue with those.”
To drive the point home, and as a special gesture for the final tour, Katsurada was attempting to play every show throughout 2022 on the same set of strings. “I still haven’t broken any yet,” he says, somewhat amazed. “We’ve never missed a show in 10 years, never canceled; so we don’t want to cancel any shows and I don’t want to break any strings. That’s the goal.”幾何学模様 (Kikagaku Moyo) - Green Suger @ SHIBUYA全感覚祭
Kikagaku Moyo play “Green Sugar” for the Japanese channel Space Shower TV at Tokyo’s Shibuya Public Hall. Note how the tune evolves and shifts gears rhythmically and sonically as the performance unreels.
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Some musical moments—whether riffs, melodies, or solos—bypass our ears and tug at our heartstrings.
It had to be in the early part of 1990, and I don’t know how or why, but I purchased Steady On, the debut album from singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin. Upon my first listen I knew it was something very special. By the time the third track, “Shotgun Down the Avalanche,” came pouring from my ancient Dahlquist DQ10s, I was a fan. The song features an instrumental break—not a guitar solo per se, but more like a stringed-instrument vignette that cascaded seamlessly through a number of sounds created by guitarist-songwriter-producer John Leventhal. I’ve listened to it dozens of times since, and I still marvel at the emotion it stirs in me.
You see, I’m a sucker for a musical moment that seems to bypass my ears and tug at my heart. It could be a simple phrase with an extraordinary tonal personality or just a few well-chosen notes that say more than any flurry ever could. My subconscious (and probably yours) is chock full of these snippet moments—and they guide and soothe us in our musical journey. Somehow, they all swirl around in my pea brain like some David Lynch fever dream—morphing and coalescing fragments that are always informing my taste and guiding my fingers. I’ll share a few with you now.
Like so many of my generation of guitarists, the Ventures figured prominently. Their powerful interpretation of the Richard Rodgers song “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” is brimming with pre-Neil Young-esque 1960s distortion. But I’m also drawn to the melancholy, ultra-clean, reverb-drenched tones of “Lonely Girl” from their 1965 album Knock Me Out. The nostalgic reprise in my imagination occurs in Young’s “No More” on his celebrated Freedom record—with its wash of reverb and mangled fuzz tickling my musical funny bone and warming me like the soft glow of a winter fireplace.
Now, imagine it’s the mid ’70s and Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” is battling with AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” for airplay when you drop the needle on the Tony Williams Lifetime track “Red Alert,” found on the Believe It album. Allan Holdsworth’s angular note choices and driving rhythm give way to a tour de force of legato fusion fury. When I first encountered Allan Holdsworth’s solo on the track “Wild Life,” I thought it was a saxophone. Holdsworth mimics the breathy attack of a reed instrument, complete with slow-wavering vibrato. Although it sounds a little dated now, it’s interesting to note that Van Halen was still a few years away.“I know I’ll get hate mail for downplaying his early solos, but Van Halen’s rhythmic drive and superb timing were really the heart of his craft and the soul of the band.”
Speaking of Van Halen, as spectacular as Ed’s soloing was, it’s his rhythm work that I find most inspiring. I know I’ll get hate mail for downplaying his early solos, but Van Halen’s rhythmic drive and superb timing were really the heart of his craft and the soul of the band. Interestingly, some of that feel has crept into my own playing, which does not make me unique. Who can deny the importance and influence he had?
While I’m on the subject of influence, it’s hard to overlook the swath that Jeff Beck cut through the guitar world. In my estimation, his pioneering sound and concepts were the godfather masterstrokes that propelled an entire genre of guitar-based rock. The first Jeff Beck Group recording, Truth, contains too many important guitar moments to list. One of my touchstones is the opening riff on “Let Me Love You” where Beck mangles the guitar, producing a head-scratching puzzle of sound before two seconds have passed. The next half-minute is a blueprint lesson in blues-rock style that many have studied, yet few have equaled. As a young guitarist in 1968, I was ready to throw my instrument down a flight of stairs after witnessing “I Ain’t Superstitious.” We’d heard the wah pedal before, but not like this. Beck impersonates a black cat—Clyde McCoy, eat your heart out. It’s worthwhile to note that Beck’s style and direction continued to evolve throughout the decades without destroying the validity of his earlier work.
I suppose I could go on, but I’m running out of space, and I’ve tortured you enough—until next month. The good news is that we have this seemingly unscalable mountain of amazing guitar sounds to discover, inspire, comfort, and rock us down the road. From Charlie Christian and Tiny Grimes right up to the host of great players today, as students of sound, we have a long, lovely path to hike.
An all-analog ’60s-inspired tremolo marries harmonic and optical circuits that can be used independently or blended to generate phasey, throbbing magic.
Spans practical, convincing vintage trem tones and the utterly weird. Hefty build quality.
Big footprint. Can’t switch order of effects.
$299
Jackson Audio Silvertone Twin Trem
jackson.audio
Almost any effect can be used subliminally or to extremes. But tremolo is a little extra special when employed at its weirder limits. Unlike reverb or delay, for instance, which approximate phenomena heard in the natural world, tremolo from anything other than an amp or pedal tends to occur in the realm of altered states—suggesting the sexy, subterranean, and dreamy. Such moods can be conjured with any single tremolo. Put two together, though, and the simply sensual can be surreal. Modify this equation by mating two distinctly different tremolo types, and the possible sound pictures increase manifold.
The all-analog, U.S.-built Jackson Audio Silvertone Twin Trem accomplishes this by combining a syrupy harmonic tremolo—the likes of which you’d hear from an early-1960s brown-panel Fender amp—and an optical tremolo like that in a Silvertone 1484 Twin Twelve amp or black-panel Fender. Both effects can be used independently, but it’s when the two are blended that the Twin Trem shines.
Doppelganger Effect
The Twin Trem’s optical and harmonic circuits are obviously not identical twins, but each is operated via its own 3-knob array consisting of speed, depth, and a smaller volume knob that will boost or cut the output of the individual circuit. Both tremolo types modulate at speeds slower than what you hear in amplifier equivalents. I don’t have a Silvertone Twin Twelve tremolo on hand for comparison. But the slowest speed from a mid-1960s Fender optical tremolo matched the rate of the Twin Trem’s optical circuit at about the midpoint of its range. At its slowest, the optical side will cycle through minimum and maximum volume in just a little under a full second, which feels molasses-slow, stretching and enhancing the ramping effect. Maximum speeds on the Twin Trem are closer to the maximum on the old Fender. But that’s still a pretty rapid modulation rate and the Twin Trem’s range-y depth controls make fast modulations sound extra alien.
If you’re sensitive to such things, the dedicated volume controls are great for overcoming the perceived volume drop that goes with any tremolo. There’s much more gain available than what you need for that purpose, and slathering on the volume gives the pulses a burly quality that’s tough but can obscure some nuance. The ability to create disparate volumes for each circuit means you can slightly foreground one tremolo type or the other, opening up an even wider tone palette and highlighting unique interrelationships between modulations.
Double Shots Make Dizzy Daze
The Twin Trem’s optical tremolo side (if you open up the back you can watch the pulsing diode that activates the opto-resistor) exhibits the throbbing tendencies one associates with black-panel Fender amplifiers. In fact, the Twin Trem sounds uncannily like the old Vibrolux I used for this test, but with more speed, range, and intensity. On its own, it’s a convincing stand-in for a 1960s Fender, Gibson, or Silvertone circuit.
One of the coolest things about the harmonic tremolo is how it often doesn’t sound like tremolo at all. In a harmonic tremolo circuit, high and low-frequency bands are split and volume-attenuated out of phase from each other, creating a bubblegum elasticity in the modulations. At slow speeds the harmonic tremolo’s phasey attributes take center stage (clip 1). And though the modulation texture is less swirling than what a simple phaser produces, the more vowel-like pulses lend a sleepy, mysterious aura to the modulation.
Though I did not use the pedal in stereo, I did utilize the effects loop, inserting a delay between the harmonic and optical tremolo, creating a little extra wash in the harmonic tremolo sweeps (clip 2). You can go crazy with possibilities here: How about inserting a multiple-tape-head-style delay for maximum syncopated mayhem? But the most traditional application for the effects loop is to simulate the reverb-into-tremolo order found in many mid-1960s amps. Again, it’s a great option when you need ’60s reverb/tremolo combo amp vibes and there’s no such animal around.Audio clip 2, which showcases the Twin Trem’s effects loop, also captures the two tremolos working together. And even at this fast-twitching speed you can hear the phaser-like wash softening the front end of the harder optical pulses that are situated downstream. Some dual-trem settings can produce chaos. But the best ones are thick, eerie, and propulsive in ways that can completely transform a song’s ambience.
The Verdict
The Twin Trem is just short of 300 bucks, and it’s easy to rationalize such a significant expense when you consider that you get two distinct tremolo sounds that you can mix, match, and switch between very readily. Maximizing the investment probably requires a little extra thirst for the unusual. Not all combined settings are money. Some rhythmic syncopations will drive you batty, and without the benefit of digital control you can disappear down little rabbit holes trying to find an elusive, perfect subdivision between modulation tempos or replicating a texture you found the previous week. It’s also too bad that you can't switch the order of the circuits. These are very minor traps, however. In general, the Twin Trem is forgiving and easy to use. And if you get in a meditative place with the pedal, and let it do the driving from time to time, the riffs will practically write themselves.
Bonnaroo announces its 2025 lineup featuring Luke Combs, Hozier, Queens of the Stone Age, Avril Lavigne, and more.
This year features headline performances from Luke Combs on Thursday, Tyler, The Creator on Friday, Olivia Rodrigo on Saturday, and Hozier on Sunday. Further highlights include John Summit, Dom Dolla, Avril Lavigne, Glass Animals, Vampire Weekend, Justice, Queens of the Stone Age, and the first-ever Roo Residency with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard performing three sets over three days. In addition, Remi Wolf will lead the “Insanely Fire 1970’s Pool Party” 2025 SuperJam, Bonnaroo’s legendary tradition. The complete Bonnaroo 2025 lineup is below.
Bonnaroo tickets go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, January 9 beginning at 10 am (CT) exclusively via bonnaroo.com. Guaranteed lowest-priced tickets are available during the first hour of sales, from 10 am - 11 am (CT). 2025 ticket options include 4-Day General Admission, 4-Day GA+, 4-Day VIP, and 4-Day Platinum, along with a variety of camping and parking options starting at just $25 down with a payment plan.
The 2025 festival will offer some exciting new features for Bonnaroovians, including the “Closer” RV and Primitive Camping accommodations that guarantee closer proximity to Centeroo, regardless of which day fans choose to enter The Farm. Among this year’s most exciting additions will be The Infinity Stage, a brand-new, one-of-a-kind venue – presented in partnership with Polygon Live – boasting spatial sound, synchronized lights, and an unprecedented three-dome, open-air design to create the world’s largest, most immersive, 360° live music experience.
Bonnaroo also offers upgraded ticket types for those who prefer an elevated experience. GA+ tickets include unlimited access to the Centeroo GA+ Lounge, with relaxed seating, dedicated food for purchase, air-conditioned restrooms, and hospitality staff to assist with all festival needs; a private bar with drinks for purchase plus complimentary soft drinks; complimentary water refill station; a dedicated premium entrance lane at both gates into Centeroo, and more. VIP and Platinum guests will enjoy the same perks plus additional exclusive upgrades, including dedicated close-in and on-field viewing areas; unlimited access to VIP and Platinum Lounges; express lanes at the Festival Store, commemorative festival gifts, and so much more. To learn more about VIP and Platinum, please seehttp://www.bonnaroo.com/tickets.
A wide range of Camping & Parking options will be available in Outeroo including Primitive Car Camping, Glamping, RVs, Backstage Camping, Accessible Camping, Groop Camping, Community Camping, and more. Premium Outeroo Camping Accommodations include pre-pitched Souvenir Tents, cool and comfortable Darkroom Tents, weatherproof Luxury Bell Tents, and spacious 2-person Wood Frame Safari Tents for the ultimate Bonnaroo camping experience. Cosmic Nomads On-Site Daily Parking passes will be available for ticketholders not camping. For details on all accommodation options, please visitwww.bonnaroo.com/accommodations.
Complete Lineup
THURSDAY, JUNE 12
Luke Combs
Dom Dolla
Sammy Virji
Marcus King
Green Velvet
2hollis
Insane Clown Posse
Joey Valence & Brae
Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country
Wilderado
Max Styler
Azzecca
The Lemon Twigs
Wisp
Sofia Isella
Kitchen Dwellers
Dogs In A Pile
Die Spitz
Hey, Nothing
The Droptines
FRIDAY, JUNE 13
Tyler, the Creator
John Summit
Glass Animals
Tipper
Goose
The Red Clay Strays
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Megadeth
Wallows
Foster the People
Slightly Stoopid
Flipturn
Of the Trees
JPEGMAFIA
Marina
Tape B
MJ Lenderman
BossMan Dlow
INZO
Levity
Mannequin Pussy
Leon Thomas
Cults
Aly & AJ
Matt Champion
Detox Unit
Rachel Chinouriri
Eater
Ginger Root
Bebe Stockwell
Effin
SATURDAY, JUNE 14
Olivia Rodrigo
Avril Lavigne
Justice
Nelly
GloRilla
Mt. Joy
RL Grime
Beabadoobee
Tyla
Jessie Murph
Modest Mouse
Gorgon City
Flatland Cavalry
Hot Mulligan
Action Bronson
Crankdat
Dope Lemon
Gigi Perez
Wave to Earth
Claptone
Jade Cicada
What So Not
Daði Freyr
Ziggy Alberts
ROSSY
Destroy Boys
The Stews
Thee Sinseers & The Altons
AHEE
SUNDAY, JUNE 15
Hozier
Vampire Weekend
Queens of the Stone Age
LSZEE
Remi Wolf
Raye
Royel Otis
Dispatch
Role Model
Barry Can't Swim
Treaty Oak Revival
Big Gigantic
Jack's Mannequin
ATLiens
Bilmuri
Saint Motel
James Arthur
Alex Warren
Zingara
Natasha Bedingfield
Alexandra Kay
Goldie Boutilier
Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge
GorillaT
YDG
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Roo Residency: 3 Sets, 3 Days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
Remi Wolf’s Insanely Fire 1970’s Pool Party Superjam (Saturday)
Enhance your Ratio Machine Heads with Graph Tech's new Barrel Knobs. Designed for comfort and style, these barrel-shaped tuning buttons offer a fresh look and feel to your instrument. Available in chrome and black finishes, these knobs are the perfect way to personalize your guitar.
Graph Tech Guitar Labs has introduced the latest addition to their Ratio Machine Head family: Barrel Knobs. These barrel-style tuning buttons bring a fresh look and feel to the Ratio system, offering players a new way to personalize their instruments – and an easy-to-grip alternative to more traditional tuner knobs.
Available in two different finishes – chrome and black – the new barrel knobs can be ordered as a standalone option. If you already own Ratio Machine Heads, simply order the Barrel Knobs and swap them out – the process is easy and only takes a few minutes. Best of all, there is no need to replace the entire Ratio tuner system.
The new Barrel Knobs were developed at the request of guitarist Thomas Nordegg, known for his work with rock legends like Frank Zappa and Steve Vai. A longtime fan of Graph Tech’s Ratio machine heads, Nordegg saw an opportunity to enhance the system’s ergonomic design and approached Graph Tech with the idea of creating barrel-style tuning buttons to provide an alternative option for players seeking a fresh look and feel. Designed to integrate seamlessly with the Ratio system, these knobs combine ergonomic comfort with understated style, giving players another way to personalize their instruments.
More and more players are option for Ratio Machine Heads on their instruments. Ratio Machine Headsare designed with gear ratios that are uniquely calibrated for each string, making tuning consistent andpredictable across the fretboard. This innovative system simplifies fine-tuning and alternate tunings, saving time and improving accuracy.
Here’s what the new Barrel Knobs offer:
- Refined Functionality: Barrel-shaped design for a natural grip and precise adjustments.
- Timeless Aesthetic: A sleek, modern look that complements any guitar style.
- Perfect Fit: Designed specifically for Ratio Machine Heads, ensuring flawless compatibility.
- Available in chrome and black to suit a variety of instruments and player preferences.
Graph Tech’s new Barrel Knobs are available for $3.00 each and are available in chrome and black finishes.
For more information, please visit graphtech.com.