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Bell Custom Guitars Jazzblaster Hot Rod
If hot-rodding your guitar’s body shape or paint job isn’t your thing, why not go with souped-up body material? The Bell Custom Guitars Jazzblaster Hot Rod features a maple/plexiglass
If hot-rodding your guitar’s body shape or
paint job isn’t your thing, why not go with
souped-up body material? The Bell Custom
Guitars Jazzblaster Hot Rod features a
maple/plexiglass body that has a different
tone from a guitar made of pure wood.
“The plexiglass addition isn’t just for
show,” Bell designer Paul Reid tells us.
“We feel that keeping the pickups, bridge,
etc. connected to the wood, then using
the plexi to compress and deliver the tone
created by the wood, you get more sustain
and a very focused tone, in addition to a
striking visual effect.”
This guitar is also loaded with hand-wound
Amalfitano pickups and user-controlled
LEDs that illuminate the plexi wings. The
Jazzblaster Hot Rod has a 25.5” scale
length, a rosewood fretboard and a 1.695”
width at the nut. It also features chrome
hardware and a machine-turned stainless
steel pickguard and truss rod cover.
Get ready to dive into the gear-head dream: we teamed up with our friends at eastside music supply and pedal-wizard Blair White to build a pedalboard inspired by Queens of the Stone Age. From fuzz to filter sweeps, octaves to tape echo, we traced the band’s signature sound and then assembled a stacked board you could win. Whether you’re chasing heavy riffs or sculpting atmosphere, this one’s for pedal lovers and riff monsters alike.
The groundbreaking DC7 has a one-inch (25,4mm) profile and weighs 1.1 pound (500 grams) thanks to the pure 2-stage switch-mode technology inside. The profile may be low but the power ratings are certainly not – the DC7 puts out a maximum of 48W and allows the user to connect multiple high-current effects such as devices from Effectrode, Line 6 and Eventide without noise of any kind.
The Whammy Ricochet lets you bounce your playing up or down in pitch in controlled or crazy shifts. A momentary switch and customizable independent rise and fall time ballistics, allow you to get the Whammy action you know and love without the use of a treadle. Just hold your foot on the footswitch and let the Ricochet do the rest. Seven pitch selections – 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, Octave, Double Octave, and Octave+Dry, as well as a toggle to select up or down for the selected pitch.
The Whammy Ricochet also has latching footswitch mode so you can rise or fall to pitch and stay there, and an LED ladder that shows your shift trajectory at all times.
All these controls combine to create classic Whammy pitch-shifting as well as new sounds never heard before.
We've brought back the most sought after Parametric EQ pedal with groundbreaking updates. We kept everything people loved about the original ParaEq and added more fidelity and control.
In late 2023, we had a cool idea for a compact pedal, based on a recording technique pioneered in the 1950's… This radical, yet deceptively simple technique elevated great recordings to downright incredible, enhancing the depth, character and tonality through a process called Double Tracking. This simple, yet elusive concept was initially executed by recording a track twice and overlaying the two [nearly] identical takes on top of each other.
Fast forward 70-some years and we can now create "double-tracked" sounds in real-time, delivering the full, rich and complex intensity that was once only possible by employing slick studio tricks during a session!
The 2023 compact DoubleTracker was an instant hit, and we received a ton of feedback and praise regarding the pedal, but there was a reoccurring theme within…
Make it STEREO!!
Well, it wasn’t easy, but we are VERY proud to say: we did it! And it sounds marvelous. (Literally marvelous, as in something one will marvel at/about.)
XPND is the pedalboard that adapts to you. With its patented telescoping technology, XPND lets you instantly change the size of your board and number of pedals – forever expanding your sonic potential. XPND also features a unique cable management system and comes fitted with loop Velcro, keeping everything neat, while making swapping pedals super easy. XPND 1 is built to accommodate one row of pedals and is expandable from 14" to 24" and XPND 2 is built to accommodate two rows of pedals and is expandable from 17"to 31".
D’Addario’s Custom Series Flat Patch Cables optimize pedalboard space by allowing you to place pedals closer together while accurately transferring all the subtle details of your playing. Utilizing the latest in high-quality instrument cable manufacturing technology, these cables feature an oxygen-free coaxial copper conductor with two layers of noise-rejecting shielding, formulated for extremely low capacitance and handling noise. The lower cable capacitance allows your instrument’s brilliance, presence and character to be transmitted with the utmost transparency. The Flat Patch Cable plugs feature the patented Geo-Tip™, ensuring a secure connection in any instrument, pedal, or amplifier. Additionally, encapsulated soldering points and molded strain relief combine to deliver the ultimate long lasting, high-performance patch cable.
A warm grittiness to the warble, a rippling, wooshing, bubbling irregularity to the modulation and a dynamic response to your picking are all hallmarks of the true vibe experience.
Thicker and chewier than any chorus, earthier than any phaser and uniquely magical in front of a driven amp, the perfect vibe pedal moves you to dig in and play without inhibition.
This feeling has been difficult to find outside of large and expensive fully-analog boutique units, but the search for that elusive experience is now over.
Delivering vintage vibe tone that’s second to none with simple and powerful controls for instantly obtaining a rich variety of captivating sounds, UltraViolet is the vibe pedal you’ve been looking for.
The StroboStomp Mini™ delivers the unmatched 0.1 cent tuning accuracy of all authentic Peterson Strobe Tuners in a mini pedal tuner format. We designed StroboStomp Mini around the most requested features from our customers: a mini form factor, and top mounted jacks.
Introduced in 1974, the Roland RE-201 Space Echo stands among the most legendary and sought-after effect units ever produced. This tape-based classic remained in production for over 14 straight years, and its distinctive rhythmic echo sounds, warm character, and highly playable sonic quirks still inspire musicians, producers, and audio mixers over four decades on.
Backed by intensive R&D and our latest innovations, the RE-202 faithfully delivers the authentic sound and behavior of the Space Echo like never before. Built by the company that designed the original, this advanced pedal captures the RE-201’s magic in flawless detail, from the magnetic tape and motor properties to the vibrant spring reverb and colorful preamp circuit. And to take things even further, we’ve expanded the vintage Space Echo experience with lots of new features tuned for today’s music.
The Dispatch Master is a hi-fi digital Delay & Reverb Device that combines independent delay and reverb effects into one space-saving enclosure, so you can keep deep ambient echoes (or just a quick slapback) on speed-dial.
The best-selling EarthQuaker Devices pedal just got bester [sic] with new Flexi-Switch® Technology! Want to dip into ambient delay and reverb sounds for just one note? Press and hold the footswitch for as long as you use the effect, release it when you’re finished, and resume your regularly scheduled dry sound. To use the Dispatch Master as a normal effects pedal, press the switch once to activate and again to bypass.
Yesterday Effects Private Military Auditor - Eastside Exclusive
The Private Military Auditor is a collaboration between Yesterday Effects and us, your favorite real life music store in the whole world, eastside music supply.
What we got here is a highly tuned, 2-in-1 fuzzstortion + filter. One knob a piece, with the optional expression port out to sweep the frequency of the filter if you should choose to do so!
Left side of the pedal is the fuzz, the knob controls the volume. That's all you need because this baby is DIALED. Harmonically rich, with great note definition and insane sustain. The volume cleanup is killer and reminiscent of how fuzz faces feel. Plays well with every pickup combo we've thrown at it. And gives a surprisingly large amount of tonal variation depending on your pickup/volume/tone situation. Just a really great fuzz/distortion on it's own.
Right side of the pedal is the filter, the knob controls the sweep of the frequency. Kick this baby on when you're ready for your leads to stand out, or just to give yourself that gnarly parked wah tone.
this is an analog preamp inspired by the Decade practice amp, which was the secret to the bassist of Stone Temple Pilot‘s tone. Get that on your board and secure the crunch for whatever you run through it! Works with 9v or 18v (for a more amp-like response).
Packed with knobs that let you control everything from tight, radically fuzzy sounds that gate off instantly when you stop playing, to intermodulating oscillations that fight for control of your guitar as your notes decay, to shortwave radio sounds, ripping velcro and octave-like fuzz. Includes an on/off LED and center-negative DC power jack.
The Argonaut is a no frills pedal offers a clean-ish octave up sound. Using it alone offers you a gnarly, ring mod-esque sound that is pretty funky. The fun begins when you combine it with your favorite overdrive or fuzz pedals. Once combined all the iconic octave tones we know and love begin to jump out of your signal. It’s very touch responsive, weird, and fun all rolled into a small little package. The Argonaut uses a pair of Hand matched NOS Germanium Diodes, this gives the most prevalent octave up effect that is present all over your guitar neck. Unlike traditional octave pedals the octave effect can be heard up and down the guitar neck, so get ready to get weird once you add this bad boy to your setup.
We like the Argonaut after a fuzz pedal but before an overdrive. Like all things though, your mileage may vary and there is no right answer with guitar tones. Experiment and you’ll find what works best with your setup and hands.
he Echodriver Limited-Edition Reissue has been the core distortion sound of Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age), delivering a harmonically rich, mid-scooped voice with the clarity and power to cut through any mix over his last few years of touring.
The tone stack uses a notch-style filter, similar to classic fuzz circuits, offering a broad sweep of EQ flexibility. The Tone control scoops mids at center, rolls off low end when turned down, and rounds off highs when pushed up—letting you shape the pedal’s response to your guitar and amp with surgical precision.
Clipping is handled by a dynamic combination of MOSFET and NOS Germanium diodes, producing warm, touch-sensitive gain. A right-side toggle engages Silicon clipping for a more aggressive, compressed response. The left toggle bypasses the tone stack completely, delivering a full-range, unfiltered drive straight to your amp.
Thanks to some key years working at a celebrated music store, this band of brothers has the goods.
The Band Royale, the Chicago-based brotherly “yacht metal” outfit, know a thing or two about gear—guitarists Joel and Zach Bauman, plus bassist Marc Najjar, all worked at Chicago Music Exchange, one of the premier music shops in North America. PG’s Chris Kies traveled deep into the band’s bunker in Chicago for this Rig Rundown with Najjar and the Bauman brothers.
This 1972 GibsonLes Paul Custom was Joel’s first “real” guitar, which he bought from CME. It’s all original except for the tailpiece, and weighs in at a whopping 11 pounds. Joel keeps it in open D6 tuning.
Mock Mockingbird
Someone brought this fake Mockingbird into CME one day, and Joel decided he had to have it. It boasts neckthrough construction with maple and mahogany, a Bill Lawrence dual blade pickup, brass nut, and heftier .012-gauge strings. The original builder must’ve liked the sticker he added to the body; it’s underneath the lacquer.
Warming Up
While Brian Carsten was still an amp tech at CME, Joel bought this Carstens Amplification Warm Machine off of him—the first he ever made. It’s designed around a master-volume, 50-watt Marshall head circuit, with a bit more warmth. Joel has had this one for over two decades now, and runs it through a Fender Bassman 2x12 cab with Celestion Creamback speakers.
He’s also been experimenting with a Quilter Overdrive 200 for a lighter solution, which he runs through a Bergantino 2x12 cabinet—Joel calls the cab and Quilter combo a “game-changer.”
Joel Bauman’s Pedalboard
The jewel of Joel’s board is a 1981 Ibanez Tube Screamer, gifted to him by Josh Klinghoffer. There’s also a Durham Electronics Sex Drive, EHX Micro POG, Xotic EP Booster, Friedman BE-OD, Boss CE-2W, Strymon El Capistan, and Strymon Flint, plus a Korg Pitchblack Advance tuner.
Holesome
Zach Bauman isn’t bothered by the gaping hole in his 1990 Gibson SG; it gives the guitar a whole lot of character. This guitar has a Gibson T-Top Burstbucker in the bridge, and has been modded to have just two pots for master tone and volume. Zach strings it with .011–.052s.
Painted Paul
Zach snagged this 1979 Les Paul while working at CME, and scraped off a nasty previous paintjob with a card before getting to work making it his own. A friend painted the headstock, and another made him this custom pickguard. It’s also got T-Tops in the neck and bridge.
Mig Buff
Zach loves his Sovtek Mig 60 head, which he plays through a cab he built himself at a pipe-organ shop in Denver. Every glue joint is lined with thin leather for maximum air tightness, and it’s stocked with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers.
Zach Bauman’s Pedalboard
On Zach’s board, we find a Klon clone, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Boss VB-2W, Ibanez Mini Chorus, Strymon Flint, and Strymon El Capistan, along with a Dunlop Volume (X) pedal and a TC Electronic PolyTune.
Bergantino’s Best
Najjar has deep love for Holly and Jim Bergantino and their Bergantino Audio Systems products. He plays with both a Forte and Forte HP Ultra—a 2000-watt prototype—through a Bergantino HDN112 cab and special 3x10 cab.
Bass for Babies
Najjar’s Sandberg Forty Eight finished in shoreline gold, nicknamed the “golden baby,” was the first of its kind.
Going to California
This Sandberg California TT4 has ’70s-style J-bass pickups and a 34” scale. Najjar gets a “Geddy Lee-style” vibe from it.
Marc Najjar’s Pedalboard
Najjar’s tone temple is topped off with a Bergantino Super Pre brass preamp into his Neural Quad Cortex.
The in-demand gunslinger brings a load of silverware to arenas across the world.
Devon Eisenbarger, session ace and touring shredder for stars including Chappell Roan and One Direction’s Zayn Malik, met up with PG’s Chris Kies at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena before hitting the stage with Katy Perry to show off the sleek 6-string rig she’s using on Perry’s Lifetimes tour.
Eisenbarger cut her teeth on a Stratocaster, and its sonic character still feels like home. She filmed a demo for Fender using this American Professional II Strat with a coil-splitting humbucker in the bridge—the best she’s heard so far. This one and all other electrics run D’Addario strings (.010–.046).
Fiery Fiore
Eisenbarger just scored this PRS Fiore before this tour. It has a beefier, slightly more midrange-y sound than the Strat.
Silver Surfer
This Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II, designed in collaboration with Cory Wong, was made for Eisenbarger just before this run of shows.
Saintly Signature
Eisenbarger uses this Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent Signature for “I Kissed a Girl.”
Taped-Up Taylor
This Taylor 814ce, wrapped in silver tape, comes out for a mid-show acoustic set.
Devon Eisenbarger’s Rack Setup
Eisenbarger runs an all-digital rig, contained in this rack backstage. The key pieces are a Radial JX42, two Shure AD4Ds, a Kemper Profiling Amplifier, and a Fractal Axe-Fx. The Kemper runs a SELAH SOUNDS pack of profiles and impulse responses.
With no onstage monitors, Eisenbarger’s signal runs only to in-ear monitors and front of house.
The cosmic-country cowboy touts a rig inspired by the greats and powered by a mix of vintage and modern-day gear.
Hot on the heels of his new record, Horizons, Daniel Donato took PG’s John Bohlinger on a trip through his live setup, which spans more than 70 years of electric-guitar history.
This Fender Custom Shop 1963 Telecaster has “everything that a great traditional Telecaster needs,” says Donato.
Jack of All Trades
This DGN Custom Guitars T-style, built by Dan Neafsey, is dubbed the Epoch. Donato wanted a Tele that he could play all night without tiring of the tones, so Neafsey assembled this do-it-all electric. Its body is an eighth of an inch smaller than a traditional Tele’s, and its flame-maple neck sports a compound radius. Neafsey wound the PAF-style pickups, which can be configured as overwound single-coils via a coil-tap function. The steel ashtray bridge was cut to fit a humbucker.
Donato plays Dunlop Jazz III picks, and loads his guitars with a .010–.052 set of Ernie Ball Slinky strings.
Pro Tip
This 1966 Fender Pro Reverb is the first black-panel amp Donato ever purchased. It’s been converted to a 2x12 configuration in place of the usual 1x15, and it’s loaded with Weber 12F150 speakers.
Daniel Donato’s Pedalboard
Donato says that while the Pro Reverb is the steak, the Fender Tonemaster Pro is the best thing to season it with. His effects run into this floor unit, which is set to a black-panel Twin Reverb program, through a Radial Highline, and out to the front of house at a clean, crisp level. Donato uses some of the Tonemaster Pro’s onboard effects, too, like a graphic EQ and tape echo.
The rest of the board, designed by XAct Tone Solutions, carries a Dunlop X Volume Mini and CAE Wah, Gamechanger Audio Plus, Greer Lightspeed, a Keeley Noble Screamer, Cosmic Country Phaser, and Rotary, a Strymon TimeLine, Walrus R1, Universal Audio Max, DigiTech FreqOut, and Eventide H90.
An EHX Hum Debugger, always on, rests on top of his amp to keep his Teles in line.
OC Pedal Co. was formed in 2024 by Santa Ana native Evan Haymond, a session ace who toured with Jack Russell of Great White in the 2010s. Not surprisingly, OC Pedal Co.’s U.S.A.-made LA HABRA Hard Clipper evokes many of the crunchy sounds from that era.
Less is More
The LA HABRA’s control panel is minimal, with just two knobs—volume and tone. There’s no gain knob, instead you get a gain switch that lets you choose between two clipping profiles. In the right position the pedal employs op-amp clipping. Set it to the left and a set of LED diodes are activated. With humbuckers, the gain switch set to LED mode, and the tone knob at 11:00, the LA HABRA produced a toothy sound that, sure enough, produced power chord sounds that sounded more than a little like Great White’s cover of “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.”
Though the lack of a gain knob may leave some players feeling limited, the tone knob is a powerful tool for shaping the characteristics of the distortion, and with the tone knob at its darkest setting, the LA HABRA still delivers ample definition. Move the tone knob up to around 3:00, though, and there’s enough clarity and treble detail to make leads sizzle. To my ears this is where the pedal shines, and bumping the tone knob all the way up (with the gain switch still set to the LED clipping mode), the sound is super aggressive without being over-saturated.
In general, with the gain switch set to LED clipping you get a high-end boost and hear and feel more compression. Op-amp clipping tames some of the highs yielding a more balanced output, which is particularly noticeable when the tone knob is set to 3:00 and above. I generally preferred the gain switch set to op-amp clipping but each clipping mode yields sounds that can work in many contexts.
The Verdict
The LA HABRA has plenty of definition for melodic parts and is tough enough for bluesy riffs. For legato shred-type playing, there were times when I wished the pedal had a little more gain. But LA HABRA has a knack for feeling amp-like, particularly in terms of dynamics and touch sensitivity—much more so than many pedals that occupy this mid- to high-mid-gain category.
Zach loves his Sovtek Mig 60 head, which he plays through a cab he built himself at a pipe-organ shop in Denver. Every glue joint is lined with thin leather for maximum air tightness, and it’s stocked with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers.
![Devon Eisenbarger [Katy Perry] Rig Rundown](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/youtube.jpg?id=61774583&width=1245&height=700&quality=70&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
