The list of artists scheduled to appear at Sweetwater’s GuitarFest has been finalized. GuitarFest is taking place Saturday, September 27, on the company’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, campus. Music legends, industry leaders, and more than 70 top brands will welcome guitar lovers to this all-day event scheduled from 9AM to 5PM.
As the nation’s leading online retailer for music makers, Sweetwater has a full day of activities planned for GuitarFest attendees. Renowned guitar brands such as Gibson, Fender, Marshall, and many others will have booths, giving guitar enthusiasts the chance to speak directly with brand experts about their favorite brands. Guitar lovers will be able to get up close to thousands of guitars on display, including an entire section of unique and one of a kind guitars only available at Sweetwater.
GuitarFest will also feature appearances by major artists and other music industry notables. Confirmed artists for this year’s GuitarFest include PhilX, Yvette Young, Ariel Posen, Rob Scallon, Courtney Cox, Reeves Gabrels, Ken Susi, Freekbass, Fluff, Danish Pete, Chris Holt, Bella Perron, Bakithi Kumalo, Al Joseph, Beau Burcell, and Phil Demmel. You can see the full list of artists appearing at Sweetwater.com/guitarfest/.
Sweetwater will showcase legendary gear from the exclusive Rock & Roll Hall of Fame collection. The gear on loan includes Nita Strauss’s personal Signature Series Ibanez from her Wrestlemania tour, Slash’s Appetite for Destruction prototype that was used live from 2011 to 2025, Zakk Wylde’s iconic Gibson Les Paul, and Joe Satriani’s 1997 Ibanez JS Series Chromeboy.
“We will have something for everyone,” said Samantha Hunter, Director of Artist Relations and Campus Events at Sweetwater. “We are creating an unforgettable celebration for music lovers. You can check out the booths from all our partner vendors, meet some amazing artists, see some amazing gear, as well as save some money with the fantastic deals we have planned.”
This year’s GuitarFest will feature the return of DealZone, a popular destination from previous events. Attendees can enjoy exclusive, in-person savings of up to 70%.
Registration for this free event is available now at Sweetwater.com/guitarfest/, where visitors can stay up to date on all the planned activities. Registrants will also be entered for a chance to win a $2,500 Sweetwater giveaway.
This event is family friendly and takes place on Sweetwater’s state-of-the-art campus located at 5501 US Highway 30 West in Fort Wayne. The Sweetwater campus includes the largest music store in the United States and other attractions for visitors to enjoy.
There are more flexible means for mashing up fuzz and delay thanBenson’s Deep Sea Diver. And in a time of preposterously low-priced pedals, there are more economical methods, too. But there’s no guarantee that a more traditional and cost-conscious path will yield results as interesting—or inspirational—as those offered by the Deep Sea Diver. It’s a pedal that often serves up zigs where you seek zags—depending on your sense of adventure and creative latitude, it can feel versatile, forgiving, and full of exciting surprises.
Bathyspheric Battiness
The Deep Sea Diver was developed withJessica Dobson, who fronts the band that shares the pedal’s name—and for whom more unusual applications of the fuzz/delay equation are a sonic cornerstone. The basic architecture of the Deep Sea Diver makes a great departure point for any player keen to ply the odder corners of that stompbox formula. It’s hard to know firsthand exactly what that architecture is—Benson flipped the circuit board so that you don’t see components, but rather a stylized representation of Dobson’s face in silhouette. (For the record, the solders you can see all look exceptionally tidy).
Chris Benson says that the 3-transitor fuzz section of the circuit uses a mutant mix of the 2-transitor Tone Bender MK 1.5 and the 3-transistor Tone Bender MK 2.0 as a foundation. Dobson says she envisioned a less hectic version of the ZVEX Fuzz Factory—a relation borne out here by the gate and bias controls. The delay section, meanwhile, is built around a PT2399 chip. This is a device many builders have put to creative use in spite of first turning up in karaoke machine delays. Its sonic signature—lo-fi, hazy—can be similar to that of bucket brigade delays, but still occupies a different lane than the analog EHX Memory Man and Diamond Memory Lane devices that underpin Dobson’s rig. As a whole then, the Deep Sea Diver doesn’t really replicate any particular part of Dobson’s tone recipe as much as it adds a new color formed in the spirit of where her playing has been and where it might be going.
One Deep Sea Diver feature that is a fixture of Dobson’s tone is a delay that is situated before the fuzz—except for when it isn’t. By holding down the bypass switch while powering up, you can reverse the order of the effects. If you’ve never experimented with switching fuzz and delay, the results can be revelatory.
Submarine Flip Flops
Given how interesting it is to move between the order of effects on the Deep Sea Diver, it’s a shame that you can’t make the switch without powering off the unit. Obviously, that’s not the most complicated process, but it’s also not one you’ll attempt in the middle of a song or set. Many pedals enable effect-order switching via a toggle or alternate footswitch input. In this case, the latter possibility was difficult for good reason, as pressing and holding the footswitch activates an endlessly entertaining runaway oscillation effect.
To a passively listening bystander, a switch in fuzz/delay effects order isn’t always glaringly obvious. In a very general sense, fuzz before delay results in greater clarity, and vice versa. But on the Deep Sea Diver, situating the delay before the fuzz lends a gauzy, foggy smear around the edge of transient notes and the repeats that you feel as much as hear. Comparing the Deep Sea Diver to a bucket brigade delay and a ZVEX Fuzz Factory, you can hear why Chris Benson employed the PT2399 chip. There’s a slightly more lo-fi blur to the Deep Sea Diver’s delay signature, which, to my ears, lends extra mystery.
One Deep Sea Diver feature that is a fixture of Dobson’s tone is a delay that is situated before the fuzz—except for when it isn’t.
But it’s the fuzz section of the Deep Sea Diver that really expands its performance envelope. The gate and bias controls both have impressive range and work together pretty seamlessly to broaden the pedal’s fuzz voice. There are lots of collapsing, fractured fuzz-on-the fritz and dying-AM-radio sounds made more appealing by the smoky delay signal. You’ll find many shades of super-cool mid-1960s buzz, too. But it’s also capable of unique, punchy drive sounds that hit hard and are easy to compose with, and situate in a mix without sounding entirely unhinged. The Deep Sea Diver will happily go bonkers if that’s what you’re after though, and as you get a feel for the way the gate and bias controls interact you might not even miss the conspicuously absent gain level control—which, I venture, would complicate matters significantly.
The Verdict
I played the Deep Sea Diver next to a few different fuzz/delay combinations, and there is an audible cohesiveness in the two effects at the Benson's core. Furthermore, the resulting dovetailed fuzz/delay voices lend the Deep Sea Diver a truly individual voice at many settings. Though it falls short of mimicking the butter-smooth sustain of, say, a Big Muff and a Boss DD-5, it can still dish many rich fuzz tones in that spirit—just a bit filthier. The Deep Sea Diver is most certainly eccentric, just as its creators no doubt intended. But it’s not exclusively weird. There are plenty of sounds here for classicists, even if the Deep Sea Diver tends to beckon the player toward more unorthodox ends.
On this episode, James Bay joins Cory Wong from backstage at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. (It takes Wong all of 10 seconds to recognize and name the green room.) Bay is still supporting his fourth full-length record, Changes All the Time, and Wong picked up on a different guitar approach on the new album. Bay walks him through how his playing matched the collection’s title.
Bay also reveals the first solo he learned to play (or, rather, failed to learn to play; it’s a Bon Jovi hit), and how Jack White’s philosophy of struggle against his instrument has shaped Bay’s relationship to his own guitars. As bandleaders, Wong and Bay both have plenty of experience hiring players to join them in studio and on the road, so what do they look for when selecting colleagues? Tune in to find out.
It wouldn’t be a chat with a Minnesotan guitarist without some Prince talk, so stick around to learn the appropriate etiquette for covering The Artist when touring his home state.
Realistic vintage-like wear on the neck and body of this rock-solid P-Bass make it feel as familiar as a favorite sweater.
Featuring a variety of vintage colors finished in Road Worn® aged nitrocellulose lacquer, the Vintera II Road Worn ‘60s Precision Bass recreates the look and feel of a well-played classic. The limited Road Worn models are enhanced with a new subtle aging process combining light checking, gentle wear patterns and a semi-gloss finish, while maintaining the authentic broken-in feel players love about vintage Fenders. The ‘60s “C”-shape maple neck with 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard and vintage-tall frets provides supreme comfort and outstanding feel. Under the hood, you’ll find a vintage-style ‘60s split-coil Precision pickup that delivers all the warm, dynamic and powerful tone that made Fender famous. The vintage-style 4-saddle bridge and vintage-style tuning machines provide classic looks with enhanced intonation and tuning stability to complete the package. Options include Rosewood Fingerboard in Fiesta Red and Charcoal Frost Metallic.
Today,Taylor Guitars, the leading global builder of premium acoustic guitars, announced the expansion of its Gold Label Collection with three new models: the Gold Label 514e, Gold Label 714e, and Gold Label 817e. The launch follows the success of the Gold Label Collection 814e introduction in January and Grand Pacific models in June, reflecting strong market demand for the heritage-inspired line. The new models bring the Gold Label collection to 18 total models, offering players more options within Taylor's premium acoustic range that delivers a rounder, warmer, more robust flavor of acoustic tone. The models are available at authorized Taylor dealers worldwide and on taylorguitars.com.
Three Defining Innovations
The Gold Label Collection showcases three key innovations that set it apart from traditional Taylor offerings. Fanned V-Class® Bracing features a fan-like arrangement of braces in the soundboard's lower bout, delivering on the original promise of a flexible voicing platform that gives these models a warmer, more resonant, more powerful sound. The patented Action Control Neck® features a long-tenon neck joint that extends deeper into the body to boost low-end resonance while maintaining a slim, fast-playing profile. It also enables quick, precise string height adjustments with a turn of a bolt through the soundhole without the need to remove the neck or strings. Completing the package, the collection's Heritage-Inspired Aesthetics draw from old banjos and mandolins, early Taylor designs, and Powers' pre-Taylor archtop work, featuring his modified headstock shape with an angled back cut and a script-style Taylor logo inlay and unique pickguard shape.
Gold Label 514e Super Auditorium
Solid mahogany back and sides paired with torrefied Sitka spruce deliver a rich, earthy midrange character with woody response and powerful projection. Available in natural, blacktop or golden-brown sunburst finishes with cream-colored "Crest" inlays and cream body binding.
Gold Label 714e Super Auditorium
Indian rosewood and torrefied Sitka spruce showcase rosewood's characteristic deep lows, rich trebles and blooming overtones with impressive dynamic range. The model features understated appointments that channel the collection's workhorse spirit.
Gold Label 817e Grand Pacific
Honduran rosewood and torrefied Sitka spruce offer harmonically rich tone with inspiring old-school sonic character. The Grand Pacific body shape, with 3/8-inch of extra depth at the soundhole, provides greater volume, warmth and low-end expansiveness that are ideal for robust strumming and dynamic flatpicking.
Stage and Studio Acclaim
The Gold Label Collection has earned praise from both recording professionals and touring crews for its distinctive sound and innovative features. Producer/engineer Ben Moore, who has recorded guitar players for over 30 years, noted the collection's unique sonic character: "When a client opened the case and I saw a Taylor, I already had a sonic shape in mind before they strummed a single chord. The Gold Label guitars sound nothing like those guitars. The harmonic complexity
and midrange voice are nothing like any Taylor I have heard before. Microphones LOVE them.”
The Gold Label’s practical innovations have also won over touring professionals. "Having the 517e out on the road was such a treat,” said Matt Yankovich, Guitar Tech for Balance and Composure, and Mom Jeans. “The Action Control Neck is a touring guitar tech's dream come true — finally having the ability to quickly make action adjustments on the fly to keep things comfortable without needing to sand down saddles is an absolute game changer in the world of acoustic guitars."
The Gold Label 514e, 714e and 817e models are available now at authorized Taylor dealers worldwide starting at $2,599. All models include Taylor's Deluxe Hardshell Case and feature LR Baggs Element VTC electronics. For more information about the Gold Label Collection, visit TaylorGuitars.com.