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Gallery: Riot Fest 2015

Chicago’s other 3-day festival hosts an eclectic group of artists that span all of pop music.

Pennywise’s Fletcher Dragge

Hands down the biggest punk rocker to take the stage at Riot Fest was Pennywise’s 6-stringer Fletcher Dragge and because of his six-foot-eight-inch frame, he uses a custom-built Ibanez that’s 1.25 the size of a normal RG420.

Blair White, a pedal consultant to the pros and owner of Nashville’s Eastside Music Supply, shares his favorite contemporary pedals for recreating—and reimagining—the gnarliest sounds of the past.

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Legendary shredder Joe Satriani was the first ever guest on Wong Notes, so it makes sense that he’s the first returning sit-in with Cory Wong.

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Very diverse slate of tones. Capable of great focus and power. Potentially killer studio tool.

Sculpting tones in a reliably reproducible way can be challenging. Midrange emphasis may be a deal breaker for some.

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Bold-voiced, super-tunable distortion that excels in contexts from filtered boost to total belligerence.

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Paul Reed Smith also continues to evolve as a guitarist, and delivered a compelling take on Jeff Beck’s interpretation of “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” at the PRS 40th Anniversary Celebration during this year’s NAMM.

After 40 years at the helm of PRS Guitars, our columnist reflects on the nature of evolution in artistry—of all kinds.

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