Need a new Stompbox? Find your next effect in this month's Gear Finds!
VOX Valvenergy Pedals: Mystic Edge
Iconic amp sounds for your pedalboard. The Valvenergy series valve distortion pedals offer the warmth and harmonics of amp distortion in a compact pedal format. The all-analog signal path and Nutube allow for genuine overdrive and distortion tones with the feel of a real tube amp, while internally boosted voltage gives greater headroom and dynamics. Three output modes allow you to use this as a standard pedal, a line-level preamp, and a direct amp-sim using the built-in analog cabinet simulator.
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Acorn Amplifiers F#%k Face Fuzz
The F#%k Face is a triple gain stage fuzz with thick and meaty sustain that sounds huge in front of a slightly cranked tube amp. Baseball card collectors from the late 80ās will immediately recognize the infamous āerror cardā graphics of the same name. The circuit is based on the legendary Fuzz with a different Face, but with an additional silicon transistor gain stage and voiced to retain more useable and dynamic fuzz tones all along the sweep of the two controls. In the front of your pedal chain, the F#%k Face will add dynamic interactivity to the volume controls on your guitar which enable a sweep from slight grit to full ripping-velcro breakup.
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Blackstar Amplification Dept. 10 Pedals
Brought to you by Blackstarās R&D division responsible for blue-sky innovation and design, Dept. 10 are the most advanced valve pedals in the world. Meticulously designed and engineered by a team of musicians for musicians. At the heart of each Dept. 10 pedal is an ECC83 triode valve, running at more than 200V internally like a valve amp, which allows them to deliver organic tone, dynamics and break up. Dual Drive and Dual Distortion include Cab Rig, our next-generation DSP speaker simulator that reproduces the sound and feel of a micād up guitar cab in incredible detail. Deep-dive using our free software and capture the incredible tones via low latency USB, XLR D.I. out or headphones. Choose from Boost, Dual Drive or Dual Distortion to help you craft your perfect tone.
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Nobels ODR-mini
The ODR-mini delivers creamy, natural overdrive ā Everything from pushed clean amp tones to gain filled stacks! It has the same tones as its legendary brother ā the ODR-1. Youāll love the warm mid-gain tones for rock and blues, and the screaming hard rock sounds from the ODR-1 Mini. Plus the mini features true-bypass switching, the SPECTRUM pot with mid-click, fluorescent pointers on the āGitDā ā knobs (Glow-in-the-Dark). Guaranteed to be a BIG part of your sound while a small part of your pedal board.
Effect-Type: Overdrive
Analog
Mono/Stereo: Mono In, Mono Out
Control: Drive, Tone, Level
Bypass Modus: True Bypass
9-18 Volt, center negative
Consumption 25 mA
Dimensions (WxLxH / mm): 42 x 93 x 50
Weight: 175 gr
Country of origin: China
Solid metal housing
Low current consumption
Requires stabilized power supply 9-18 Volt DC, with min 100 mA, 2.1 mm plug, center negative, (not included)
Hear Audio
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Darkglass Electronics Alpha Omega Photon
Versatility, empowerment, limitless options, and ever-demanding tools at the disposal of every musician and composer are today on demand. A call for inventive devices continues to make musicians more inspired, clever and connected. The AlphaĀ·Omega Photon combines Darkglass' signature AlphaĀ·Omega parallel distortion with the versatile format of the Aggressively Distorting Advanced Machine. In addition to powerful distortion and studio-quality compression, the AlphaĀ·Omega Photon is capable as an audio interface via USB-C or an amp replacement using cab sim IRs and XLR DI output.
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George L's Effects Cable Kits
Enhance the tone and clarity of your pedalboard with award winning sound.
The George Lās effects kit.
The kit comes with 10ā of cable, 10 right angle plugs and 10 stress relief jackets.
Available in black, vintage red and purple.
As easy as 1, 2, 3 no soldering!
Cut, poke and screw your way to 47 years of sound excellence.
SurfyBear Metal Reverb Unit
The Holy Grail of guitar reverb effects, the FenderĀ®-style spring reverb, has been finally revisited with modern features!
Try it and discover why most surf guitarists and the truly reverb addicted are turning to SurfyBear.
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exclusive SurfyPan type-4 spring reverb pan by AccutronicsĀ® and Surfy Industries
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aluminium body with removable feet on the bottom side for better positioning on pedalboards
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clean boost to adjust the volume when the effect is on
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innovative dual-LED on/off button
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true bypass functionality to keep your signal intact when the effect is off
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external footswitch possibility though the dedicated 1/4" jack (footswitch not included)
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Q:Ā What is your New Yearās guitar resolution for 2023?
Jared James NicholsāGuest Picker
Photo by David McClister
A: I have one! Itās something Iāve been thinking about a ton. I want to slow down and be more in the moment with my playing. Now, donāt take me wrong, I donāt mean āslow downā in terms of speed or my career. I wanna live in my performances, treating every single note with focus, power, and intent. 2023 will be the year for me to sing through my guitar.
Jared James Nichols'Ā Current Obsession:
My current obsession is listening and jamming along with bootlegs from my favorite band, Mountain. I recently unearthed a treasure trove of bootleg concerts from 1969-1974. SO KILLER. Iāve been into Leslie Westās playing forever, but these shows have literally blown my mind. His playing, tone, and attitude are on a different level in this era. So inspiring!
Dominic De La CerdaāReader of the Month
A: One of my guitar New Yearās resolutions for 2023 is finally being able to start recording my guitar tracks on a new laptop. I bought a Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen interface in January this year and used it once. I also want to get into the 8-string world. I just found out that Harley Benton finally has a warehouse in the U.S. I watched a video about how you can order Harley Benton guitars from Reverb, to get them from the U.S. warehouse. If anyone has ever played the R-458, how comfortable is it?
Dominic De La Cerda's Current Obsession:
I bought a new rig back in July: a Line 6 Spider V 60 MkII. Almost bought the Catalyst 60, but wanted the Spider V 60 MkII, due to its built-in looper, drum loops, 128 presets, and more than 200 cab and amp models.
Kate KoenigāAssociate Editor
Photo by Seva Jagat
A: Itās my goal for 2023 (or, as soon as possible) to become comfortable with playing more elaborate fingerpicking songs onstage, which basically means getting over some fingerpicking-specific stage fright. Iāve been a lifelong fingerpicker, but donāt normally feature fast-paced, thoroughly picked songs in my performances, so Iāll be onstage and get so in my head that itās like Iāve never done it before. That would be a nice thing to get over ā¦ but I think Iām making progress!
Kate Koenig'sĀ Current Obsession:
My current obsession is a perennial one for me: Nick Drakeās CāGāCāFāCāE tuning. Itās been my ambition recently to write enough songs in this tuning that it would justify preparing a second guitar to be used in a set. Iāve also been trying to implement the fingerpicking pattern Drake uses on his cover of Bob Dylanās āDonāt Think Twice, Itās Alrightāājust a simple, handy picking template. However, I want to avoid overusing it, so Iāve been trying to research and possibly invent alternatives!
Jason ShadrickāAssociate Editor
A: Around this time each year I really try and recommit myself to the fundamentals: tone, time, taste, and touch. Those are the common threads that connect our favorite guitarists. I spend time quietly relaxing as much as I can while playing simple phrases where I can really connect with the notes. Maybe itās more of a musical meditation, but it works for me.
Jason Shadrick'sĀ Current Obsession:
While preparing to teach at Joe Satrianiās guitar camp, I went back through his catalog and rediscovered his self-titled album, which is about as close to a blues album as Satch has ever made. For years I would watch the documentary about this album before school. The band was incredible: Nathan East, Andy Fairweather Low, Manu KatchĆ©, and Glyn Johns producing. I learned a lot and still hear little nuggets that inspire me.
āThe first one I put my signature on the back of the headstock, I had to sit and look at it for a little bit, taking it in.ā
Oddly enough, until now, some of the finer details about Alligator and its extensive modifications remained improbably unknown. A quick visual inspection will catch the brass control plate and unique bridge assembly, and maybe even the brass nut. The details of what lies inside, however, have been less reported. So, when Fender set out to create a Custom Shop Jerry Garcia Alligator Stratocaster, master builder Austin MacNutt took on the monumental task of analyzing the finest nuances of the original in order to painstakingly recreate each and every one.
Master builder Austin MacNutt joined the Fender Custom Shop team in March 2022.
Photo by Han-Su Kim
When he took on the project, MacNutt was already familiar with Alligator and some of its unique attributes. āIāve seen pictures of it,ā he says, ābut not detailed shots. Thereās not a lot of great pictures of it from back in the day.ā MacNutt was given one day to spend with the guitar and collect all the necessary data. āThat day when we brought it in,ā he recalls, āwe opened it, and the room was just silentāeveryone taking it in for a good minute or two before anyone even touched it. We pulled it out, put it on the table, and started taking it apart. To get to disassemble it is such an honor.ā
MacNutt knew he had his work cut out for him. āThereās a lot of strange stuff on it,ā he says. āItās one of a kind, for sure. It was definitely a work in progress, like a test bed, where theyāre trying out different things.ā He took extensive notes and photos on everything from the guitarās boost circuit and the unique metal bar that serves as a string retainer, to more refined details, like the scalloping on the brass nut and unique hammer-pattern on the control plate. āI was writing down how thick this thing is, what size this screw is, how long is this screw,ā he explains. Surprisingly, when he disconnected the neck joint, MacNutt discovered that Alligatorābelieved to be a 1957 Stratāwas actually assembled by ground-floor Fender employee Tadeo Gomez back in 1955.
āThat day when we brought it in, we opened it, and the room was just silentāeveryone taking it in for a good minute or two before anyone even touched it.ā
Over the course of a couple months, MacNutt set about creating a prototype for a limited edition run of instruments. When we talked in mid-November, the production of those guitars was under way, and MacNutt sat at his computer with a rack of six in-progress Alligator builds behind him. When MacNutt talks about the process, his face lights up. Itās not lost on him that the Alligator model is a full-circle project with deep personal roots.
Growing up in a musical family in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, both of MacNuttās parents played country music. His older brother is also a guitarist and helped Austin find his way to classic rock when he got started playing around the age of 11. While MacNuttās first guitar was a Hondo Paul Dean II, it wasnāt the Loverboy guitaristās signature model that really inspired him. It was his dadās 1963 Fender Jaguar that was often laying around the house. He says he felt that the Jaguar was special even before he started playing.
MacNuttās first build was a Tele copy with a Jerry Garcia-style flourish. Here, he works on an actual Fender Telecaster.
Photo by Han-Su Kim
āMy dad tinkered on his stuff a lot,ā he reminisces. āHe worked in a music store. When I was real little, I have faint memories of being in the basement where all the parts are. It was always fascinating to me.ā Austin took to tinkering at a young age and, after high school, he decided to attend the Guitar Craft Academy in Hollywood.
During the program, he built his first guitar, a Telecaster-style instrument with some auspicious modifications. He explains, āThe bottom horn was kind of like some of Jerry Garciaās Alembic builds, with the little thumb. Three P-90s, a wraparound bridge, the big Strat headstock on it, ebony build with no face dots. It was a lot of weird stuff. A lot of times, peopleās first guitars are filled with strange choices.ā
The folks at the Guitar Craft Academy must have noticed something special in Austinās work, because once he finished the program, they offered him a job. āBefore, I was working at a grocery store, saving up money to go there, and I didnāt know what I was gonna do next,ā he explains. āAt the end of itāhonestly, I wasnāt even sure I was gonna stay in L.A.āthey offered me a job.ā
The painstakingly detailed Custom Shop Jerry Garcia Alligator Stratocaster prototype.
Photo by Han-Su Kim
He found teaching to be a great experience. āIt was a perfect opportunity,ā he says with a warm, appreciative tone. āNot only did I get to work there, I kind of got to continue my education by continuing to keep the rate at which I was doing all that stuff up.ā But that wasnāt the only opportunity that came from working at the Academy.
āWe brought Ron Thorn [of L.A.ās Thorn Custom Guitars] in for a day, and heād go over inlay workāheās a master of inlay,ā he says of the esteemed luthier. The two hit it off and Thorn invited the up-and-comer to join him at his shop. Starting first as a part-time employee, MacNutt eventually moved on after five years of teaching to join Thorn Custom Guitars full time. In the small, dedicated shop, MacNutt gained loads of new experience. āI was resawing wood, fretting, truing boards, picking the wood, gluing body blanks, whatever needed to get done,ā he says. āI got to learn a lot of skills under the whole umbrella of guitar building.ā
But in 2018, Ron Thorn took a job at Fender and closed his shop. MacNutt moved on to Xotic and also began running his own shop, where he focused on repair work. Along the way, he stayed in touch with his old boss. And when there was a position available in the shop, Thorn gave him a call. āI jumped at the chance,ā MacNutt says.
āA lot of times, peopleās first guitars are filled with strange choices.ā
Last March, MacNutt joined Fender as a master builder and says there have been āwhirlwind aspects of it, definitely diving in and just getting the lay of the land.ā Itās not lost on him that, like many builders, his first build was a Telecaster copy, and now he gets to build the real thing. āThe first one I put my signature on the back of the headstock,ā he says, āI had to sit and look at it for a little bit, taking it in.ā
By the time we spoke, about eight months later, MacNutt estimated heād built about 100 Fenders. In the shop, he spends his days bouncing between various builds and says he gets to work on a nice variety of instruments. āItās a good mix between spec piecesāthings I want to buildāand something a customer or a dealer has ordered,ā he points out.
His favorite spec piece so far was a special one: a copy of his dadās ā63 Jaguar. āI pitched it to a dealer, and they loved it,ā he enthuses, āand they wanted me to go ahead and do it. I had my dad take pictures and send them to me. Nobody else knows that guitar, but it was special to be able to do that.ā He adds that it was weird to play a copy of the guitar heās admired for his entire life. āThereās a few paint chips on the back that I remember noticing when I was a kid. To see the paint chips on there, theyāre strange.ā
MacNutt and longtime Grateful Dead crewmember Steve Parish take a close look at the Alligator prototype.
Photo by Han-Su Kim
The Alligator project drew on the same inspired, detail-oriented skills. āWhen that opportunity came up, I knew the guitar,ā he exclaims. āRon pitched it to me, and immediately, I was on board.ā While MacNutt was the expert on his dadās Jaguar, he turned to former Grateful Dead crew member Steve Parishāwho made some of the guitarās modificationsāto give his Alligator prototype an enthusiastic thumbs up (and thereās a video to prove it).
Re-creating the iconic Alligator has a unique angle. āTo see a vintage Strat like that heavily modified, youād never see that now,ā he says, shaking his head. āBut in the early ā70s, it was just an old guitarāāLetās hack it up, letās customize it.āā And reproducing his reproduction is another endeavor. āUp until this point,ā he says, āIāve been building different guitars, and I relic them however I want them to look. Whereas with these, Iāve got a template that I stick to. Thatās been a new experience. Itās fun the whole way through.ā
Looking ahead, MacNutt sees a lot of builds in his future and is plotting out some new spec pieces. But he feels like the Alligator will loom large for quite some time. āI know that guitar pretty well at this point. Iāll come across a picture of it on a random Instagram post now, and itās like, āHey, there it is!ā It feels strangely like a part of me now.ā