Shnobel Tone has introduced the latest addition to its line of premium guitar effects. The new Dumbbell Driver combines the company’s acclaimed Daily Driver Overdrive with the recently launched Dumbbell Boost into a single, super flexible pedal.
The Dumbbell Boost and Daily Driver circuits are identical to the standalone versions of these pedals. Both the overdrive and boost circuits are completely independent and can be used together or separately, activated by their own dedicated true-bypass footswitches. A two-position toggle switch allows you to assign the order of the effects when both circuits are in use: Boost>>Overdrive or Overdrive>>Boost are available, providing a huge range of sonic options. Setting the toggle to the right places the Dumbbell Boost in front of the Daily Driver.
The pedal offers an intuitive 6-knob control set. The four knobs on the left side of the pedal control the Daily Driver circuit with Volume, Gain, High frequency and Low frequency EQ. The Daily Driver controls on the left side also include a three-position toggle switch for added EQ flexibility: the switch offers two different high-cut settings, along with a flat setting in the center position, so you can dial in the perfect overdrive sound with any amp.
The two knobs on the right side of the pedal control the Dumbbell Boost circuit. The Input knob adjusts the input impedance and acts as a supplemental tone control: when turned all the way to the left it gives you a brighter, less bassy sound; turned all the way to the right it delivers a full range sound with rich harmonics reminiscent of a Dumble-style circuit. The Level knob controls the Dumbbell Boost’s output level.
Sporting gloriously retro-flavored chrome-skirted knobs and available in either Black or White, Shnobel Tone’s Dumbbell Driver includes these features:
Six control knobs: Four knobs on the left side for adjusting the Daily Driver overdrive; and two knobs on the right side for adjusting the Dumbbell boost.
Three-position “Hi Cut” toggle switch affects just the Daily Drive portion of the circuit (not the Dumbbell boost).
Two-position toggle selects the order of effects when both circuits are engaged
Two true bypass foot switches for activating each circuit
Pedalboard-friendly top mounted power and in / out jacks
Hand-built with top quality through-hole components
Standard 9v center negative power – no battery compartment
Shnobel Tone’s Dumbbell Driver carries a street price of $329 and can be purchased at shnobeltone.com.
Ahead of Spiritbox’s recent show at Nashville’s Pinnacle, PG’s Chris Kies spent some time with the Canadian alt-metal giants’ guitarist Mike Stringer and bassist Josh Gilbert to get the story on their down-tuned mayhem. See about the highlights below, and watch the full Rig Rundown for more.
Stringer’s signature Aristides STX guitars, like this 7-string, are the first axes he reaches for. Inspired by Kurt Cobain’s Jag-Stang, the STX comes in 6-, 7-, and 8-string configurations, as well as multi-scale options. In lieu of traditional guitar woods, Aristides’ proprietary Arium material works perfectly for Stringer’s needs—it can hit any “stupid-low” tuning with ease and clarity. The guitar is loaded with Stringer’s signature Bare Knuckle Halcyon pickups and an EverTune bridge. The 7-string STXs are in F-sharp tuning, with Ernie Ball Custom Paradigm strings (.010–.074).
Ocho Loco
Stringer calls this 8-string Aristides the “prototype,” since it was the first one produced. It’s employed on “Fata Morgana.”
PVH vs. EVH
Stringer uses a Fractal Axe-Fx III, favoring a PVH 6160 model based on the EVH 5150 Stealth. It shares rack space with an ART Pro Audio SP4X4 power distribution system, Shure AD4Q, and Radial JX-44.
Mike Stringer’s Pedalboard
<p>Stringer’s buddy at Omilion Audio built out his onstage boards. Along with a Fractal FC-12 Foot Controller, RJM Mastermind PBC/6X, and a Radial SGI-44, Stringer’s board carries a Peterson StroboStomp tuner, <a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/tag/boss?utm_source=website&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Smartlinks">Boss</a> DD-6, Electro-Harmonix Freeze, a pair of DigiTech Whammy Ricochets, Line 6 DL4 MkII, Chase Bliss Mood and Generation Loss, EarthQuaker Devices Sunn O))) Life, a pair of EarthQuaker Rainbow Machines, and a Hologram Electronics Microcosm.</p>
Charvel Shredder
Modeled on Charvel’s San Dimas bass, this multi-scale (34-37") 5-string is tuned to F-sharp, and has Nordstrand pickups and a Darkglass B2M2 Tone Capsule onboard preamp. The custom-gauge strings come from Kalium Music.
Four-String Friend
This Fender Precision bass is also on hand, tuned to B-A-D-G. It takes Ernie Ball strings.
Axe and Block
<p>Along with his Quilter Bass Block 800, Gilbert, too, uses a Fractal Axe-Fx III, nestled in his backstage rack alongside a Shure AD4D and a Radial JX 42. Like Stringer, he uses a 6160 model for his dirty tones; a Darkglass B7K model is also in the mix. Gilbert’s tonal “scene changes” are handled in Ableton.</p>
Beloved and influential Los Angeles trio Failure – Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards, and Kelli Scott – announce Location Lost, their seventh studio album and fourth since reuniting in 2014 after a 17-year-hiatus, along with a spring North American tour. The LP features nine new tracks that showcase a focused, modern and ever-evolving vision of Failure’s utterly unique sound, led by first single "The Air’s on Fire."Location Lost will arrive April 24th as the first release under Failure Records/Arduous Records/Virgin Music Group.
Recorded after the completion of the recent Hulu/Disney+ documentary Every Time You Lose Your Mind, Location Lost doesn’t arrive as a victory lap or a nostalgia exercise. Instead, it sounds like a band actively negotiating where — and who — they are now. “It’s very different,” Edwards says plainly of the follow-up to 2021’s Wild Type Droid. “There are sounds and parts that really don’t have any precedence within the Failure world.”
“The Air’s on Fire” embodies this sense of disorienting unfamiliarity. Almost immediately after finishing editing the documentary, Andrews suffered a serious back injury that required surgery. The operation was technically successful; the recovery was not. The single is the album’s most literal confrontation with Andrews’ medical trauma, its oppressive atmospherics and crushing bottom end mirroring his struggle to breathe on his own. “That song is directly about my surgery and waking up,” he explains. “I basically coded. Everything was spinning. I kept saying, ‘Turn the air on. I’m fine—just take me home.’ I was definitely not fine.”
Listen to “The Air’s On Fire” HERE and watch the video for the track, directed by Sean Stout, HERE.
WATCH & SHARE “THE AIR’S ON FIRE” OFFICIAL VIDEO
At the opposite emotional pole is the largely acoustic, straight-up breakup song “The Rising Skyline” featuring Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams, an artist whose longtime public admiration for Failure has unquestionably helped introduce the band to an entirely new generation of listeners. The album also delivers dose after dose of Andrews, Edwards and Scott’s signature creative and instrumental interplay, from the warning bell-like guitar chimes on propulsive opener “Crash Test Delayed,” to the elastic, bass-driven groove of “Halo and Grain” and the grinding, methodical wall of sound on “Solid State,” which wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 1996’s all-time-classic Fantastic Planet. Other songs such as the slow-burning, dream-inspired closer “Moonlight Understands” and the stuttering “Someday Soon” emerged from singular, unrepeatable moments.
Failure will premiere material from Location Lost on their spring headline North American tour, kicking off with an album release show on April 21 at Zebulon in Los Angeles and wrapping in Toronto on May 20th. All Under Heaven is supporting all headline dates starting May 3. Their run of shows also includes festival appearances at Las Vegas’ Sick New World, Chicago’s SPACE ECHO @ Radius and Daytona Beach’s Welcome to Rockville. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, February 20th at 10am local time. For tickets links and more information, visithttps://www.failureband.com.
Failure’s musical communion has intrigued critics, fans, and peers for more than three decades. Following Comfort and Magnified, the trio created what is largely considered one of the ‘90s most influential and innovative albums, 1996’s Fantastic Planet. The 17-track collection earned rave reviews and onboarded a trove of new fans and also led the band to headline Lollapalooza’s second stage and craft one of the era’s most recognizable videos, “Stuck on You.” After a 17-year hiatus, Failure returned with The Heart Is a Monster in 2015, followed by 2018’s In the Future Your Body Will Be the Furthest Thing from Your Mind and 2021’s Wild Type Droid.
‘LOCATION LOST’ TRACK LISTING
01 - Crash Test Delayed
02 - The Rising Skyline ft. Hayley Williams
03 - Solid State
04 - The Air's on Fire
05 - Halo and Grain
06 - Someday Soon
07 - Location Lost
08 - A Way Down
09 - Moonlight Understands
FAILURE TOUR DATES
Apr 21 Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon (Album Release Show)
Apr 25 Las Vegas - Sick New World Festival
May 02 Chicago, IL - SPACE ECHO @ Radius
May 03 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
May 05 Nashville, TN - Basement East
May 06 Atlanta, GA Masquerade - Hell
May 08 Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome To Rockville Festival
May 09 Asheville, NC - Eulogy
May 10 Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
May 12 New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
May 13 Cambridge, MA - Sinclair
May 14 Hamden, CT - Space
May 15 Washington, DC - Union Stage
May 16 Harrisburg, PA - Arrow at Archer Music Hall
PG Editorial Director Richard Bienstock has interviewed Slash more than a few times throughout the last couple decades. So, we’ve called on him to join us in celebrating the Guns N’ Roses guitarist as we discuss his sound, his riffs, and his look! Tune in to find out about the time the two went guitar shopping and when Slash showed up at Richard’s desk.
The Grand Ole Opry, George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars,and Martin Guitar have partnered to create a limited-edition Martin HD-28 Grand Ole Opry 100th Anniversary guitar. Opry member Vince Gill was the first artist to ever play the one-of-a-kind instrument when the guitar was introduced to the public for the first time and played it on the 100th Anniversary Opry show on November 28, 2025.
To purchase the limited edition Martin HD-28 Grand Ole Opry 100th Anniversaryguitar click HERE.
The Martin HD-28 Grand Ole Opry 100th Anniversary is a one-of-a-kind instrument handcrafted to honor a century of music, storytelling, and unforgettable moments on country’s most iconic stage. For generations, Martin guitars have been in the hands of countless artists who shaped the sound of country music from the Opry’s hallowed ground—heard by millions and woven into the very history this guitar celebrates. Built on the foundation of Martin’s legendary HD-28, it delivers the bold, balanced Dreadnought tone players have long trusted: powerful bass, clear trebles, and rich overtones shaped by forward-shifted scalloped X-bracing and time-honed craftsmanship.
To mark the Opry’s 100th anniversary on November 28, 2025, Martin’s artisans added exclusive details found only on this guitar. The headplate features a custom inlay of the historic WSM microphone rendered in mother-of-pearl and abalone, a tribute to the broadcast that carried country music nationwide. A matching commemorative inlay theme continues along the ebony fingerboard, celebrating a century of Opry history and the artists and moments that defined the genre from this storied stage.
Handcrafted with a solid spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, bold herringbone top trim, and elegant antique white binding, this special HD-28 also features a comfortable Golden Era Modified Low Oval neck that feels effortless in the hands. Together, these elements blend Martin tradition with Opry heritage in a single, remarkable instrument. It’s a playable piece of history made for those who keep the circle unbroken.
