
A powerful tone-carving tool that helps you transform a tired sonic recipe fast.
Intuitive operation. Streamlined design. Easy to dial in transformative sounds.
No dedicated footswitch for boost/overdrive.
$280
API TranZformer GTR
apiaudio.com
When it comes to underappreciated pedals, it’s hard to top the humble EQ. Yet these superficially unexciting stomp pedals can enable reproduction of elusive recorded sounds, salvage an unruly fuzz or amp, enliven a dull-sounding rig, or radically transform it from tune to tune. Why EQ pedals aren’t a more regular pedalboard fixture is puzzling. But the API TranZformer GTR underscores the immense potential of using a good one—particularly when you throw a nice preamp in the mix.
Kind of Blue
If the GTR looks familiar, it’s because you might have run across one of its rack-mounted antecedents in a studio. Anyone who has ever worked with a 550-series rackmount EQ on a recording project will recognize the API’s signature cut/boost knobs, the peak/shelf switch (which on the GTR works with the 5kHz band), and the same basic 3-band structure as the 550 series. The TranZformer circuit is based on the vintage 553 Program Equalizer, and by using similar, familiar controls and functionality, the GTR achieves the same intuitive feel that makes the 550 easy to work with in a studio.
Detents in each tone knob make tuning by feel and ear fast and easy. And the boost input gain knob starts at true 0 dB of boost, so you can dial in an initial EQ profile free of preamp color, add gain, and adjust the EQ again to taste in a natural, incremental process. It’s a great layout for finding tones fast—and even committing them to muscle memory.
There are three toggles situated below the EQ and preamp gain knobs. The rightmost toggle activates a -20 dB pad, which is critical if you want to utilize the full range of the pedal’s gain knob. The middle toggle switches between shelf and peak EQ settings for the high-frequency range. The peak setting, which emphasizes a specific section of the EQ curve, sounds airier in most positions, but it’s instructive to switch between the two at a given EQ setting to hear how shelved and peaked 5kHz-range settings interact with various settings in the other two bands.
A little extra treble and midrange, and a dash of overdrive-mode distortion, gives a Fender amp a cool, unmistakably Vox-y edge.
Switching into overdrive mode gives the pedal’s preamp an extra push. In low gain settings, the differences between overdrive and boost modes aren’t always wildly different. But the distortion gets meaner with just a dollop of extra midrange, and adding gain reveals an organic, growling tonality that feels direct and dovetailed with amplifier tones.
Room to Wiggle
The GTR’s EQ and gain controls give you many means for matching your guitar and pedals to unfamiliar amps. Better still, it helps you surgically shave, carve, recast, and bolster tones from the amps and pedals you already know. I love the sound and feel of the Telecaster/Tremolux tandem I used for most of this test. And I was pretty impressed at how the API could make the black-panel Tremolux sound like a bigger, more excited version of itself without compromising the amp’s personality. A little extra treble and midrange, and a dash of overdrive-mode distortion, gives the Fender amp a cool, unmistakably Vox-y edge. At even more advanced mid, treble, and bass settings, the pedal coaxed tweed-leaning voices when I tweaked the amp tone just right. All these colors were easy to find quickly and intuitively. And in a studio situation, where you like to keep things moving at a steady clip, I would probably much rather try to fine-tune a drive sound using a simple amp and the API than switch between a half-dozen overdrives to find some just-right tone recipe. If your amp is in decent working order, the GTR is likely to unleash some bigger, fatter, meaner, or more vibrant alter ego.
The Verdict
I love the GTR’s simplicity. And the high-quality build and low noise are evidence that API didn’t cut corners. Still, for $280 some might expect a second footswitch for the boost/overdrive section. And though the analog purity of the GTR is also awesome, I’m sure a lot of players will hear the breadth of extra colors the GTR enables and crave presets. On the other hand, the GTR is effectively three pedals in one, which makes the price look a lot more palatable. Plus, considering the way the GTR makes you less inclined to chase a new amp, perhaps you can consider pennies saved in the cost as well. The TranZformer GTR may not totally succeed in making EQ sexy, but its streamlined design, utility, and capacity to give new life to tired tone recipes are creative gold.
- The Most Powerful Pedal? - Premier Guitar ›
- API Announces API Select TranZformer Pedals - Premier Guitar ›
- API TranZformer LX Review - Premier Guitar ›
- API TranZformer CMP Guitar Pedal Review - Premier Guitar ›
Cool compression profile that yields blooming and nasty fuzz with fangs. Simple. Excellent value!
Not a ton of variation in the fuzz’s simple controls.
One big, bad, and very boss no-frills fuzz.
On the surface, fuzz is an almost barbarian concept—a nasty sound that’s easy to grasp in our imaginations. But contrast David Gilmour’s ultra-creamy Big Muff sounds with James Gurley’s free and visceral fuzz passages from Big Brother and the Holding Company’s Cheap Thrillsand you remember that two different fuzzes, in the hands of two different players, can speak very different languages. The latter artist concerns us here because Gurley did his work with a Jordan Boss Tone, which is the inspiration for the Ananashead Spirit Fuzz.
Ananashead’s Pedro Garcia has a knack for weirder 1960s fuzzes. HisMeteorite silicon Fuzzrite clone, for instance, is a knockout. This take on the two-transistor Boss Tone is equally thrilling, and genuinely idiosyncratic when it runs at full tilt. It exhibits tasty inherent compression, and transient notes ring out as pronounced and concise before blooming into full viciousness—a quality that shines when paired with neck-position humbuckers (and which probably made the original circuit appealing to Spirit’s Randy California, another 1960s Boss Tone devotee). That tone profile gives the Spirit Fuzz meatiness that stands out among ’60s-style two-transistor circuits, and the sense of mass, combined with the pedal’s intrinsic focus, makes it superb for tracking. The Spirit loves humbuckers, which coax real sweetness from the circuit. But it was just as happy to take a ride with a Jaguar bridge pickup and an old Fender Vibrolux with the reverb at 10. Sounds painful, right? On the contrary, it was one of the most haunting fuzz sounds I can remember playing.
A hyper-versatile algorithmic reverb with a new and groundbreaking Ensemble engine for generating orchestral-inspired pads is now available for your DAW.
Strymon Engineering has announced the release of the Cloudburst ambient reverb plugin. A direct code port of their award-winning hardware pedal of the same name, the Cloudburst plugin offers a vast library of reverb sounds and orchestral-inspired synth pads, all easily controlled by a simple and elegant user interface.Initially based around the Cloud algorithm from Strymon’s iconic BigSky, Cloudburst refactors the reverb at every position on the Decay knob, allowing it to be used not only for the other worldly dreamscapes that Cloud is known for, but also for hyper-authentic rooms and halls that complement any recording style or genre of music.Controlled by a single knob, the new Ensemble engine creates synthetic pads by analyzing 48frequency bands in the source audio and then generating corresponding upper harmonic partials of what it finds in each band. The result is harmonically rich and organic synth pads that closely follow the source audio, adding complexity and dimension to any sound it’s applied to.
Cloudburst Plugin Official Sound Samples | Strymon
“One of the fun things about using a plugin version of a hardware product you know very well isthe surprise and delight that come from using it differently in a session for the first time”, saidSean Halley, Strymon’s Head of Marketing and long-time recording professional. “The first timeI tried it on tracks I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face - I put it on classical violins and guitars, drums, percussion and synths, and in every instance it could stay out of the way and remain infinitely professional, or it could change the genetic makeup of the sounds if I wanted it to.Even though the interface is very clean and simple, there is a virtual sonic universe in there to explore.” Gregg Stock, Strymon co-founder and analog circuit guru said “we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. We’re hoping that being able to easily run multiple Cloudbursts in a session really changes what users feel is possible, sonically. We’re looking forward to hearing the music!”
The Cloudburst plugin is available now directly from Strymon and from dealers worldwide for $79 US.
From devastation to celebration, Lari Basilio comes out on top with her latest album, Redemption.
The Brazilian guitarist’s soaring new instrumental record chronicles her recent journey from tragedy to triumph.
“The journey of this album actually coincides with my motherhood journey,” says Lari Basilio, speaking about her newest release, Redemption. “When I started writing the songs, I had no idea that I was pregnant. It was always a dream of mine to become a mom.”
However, tragedy struck shortly after Basilio learned of her pregnancy. “A few weeks later, unfortunately, I had to deal with the miscarriage of my very first baby. It was actually one year ago,” recalls Basilio. “It was a very sad time. These songs kind of became the soundtrack for this period of my life. And everything that I lived—the emotions—ended up reflecting on my compositions. Basically, my day-to-day life ended up inspiring me to write my songs.”
The guitar proved to be therapeutic for Basilio. As she learned to cope with the loss, Basilio found solace in her 6-string. Many of the songs on Redemption like the title track, “New Chapter,” “Heartbeat,” and “Forever" have a nostalgic, reflective quality. “Music and the guitar are definitely a place of comfort for me. And I kept working and writing the songs and finishing the album,” she explains. While working on the record, Basilio was met with a surprise. “In the middle of the process, I found out that I was pregnant again! And at the end, we’re here. I’m about to release the new album, and I have my baby with me. It feels like my redemption moment, you know? Everything is summed up in this moment for me”
Basilio gave birth to her first child, Liam, just 20 days before our interview. The past few years leading up to this moment have marked other significant changes in Basilio’s life. Two years ago, she uprooted to Texas to live in a peaceful place where she could raise a family, after a six-year stint in Los Angeles that started in 2017. She had emigrated from São Paolo, Brazil, then to pursue her music career after gaining notoriety through her eponymous debut album and followup release, The Sound of My Room.
For her third album, 2019’s Far More, she recruited an ensemble of A-list session players like drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Nathan East, and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. This album also featured Joe Satriani (whom she met after he invited her to be an instructor at his 2019 G4 Experience) as a guest on the track, “Glimpse of Light.” Continuing this trend, Redemption, Basilio’s fifth original release, features a return appearance by Colaiuta, in addition to bassists Leland Sklar and Sean Hurley (both of whom previously recorded on Basilio’s 2022 release, Your Love), and keyboardist Mari Jacintho.
“Everything that I lived—the emotions—ended up reflecting on my compositions.”
Redemption is Basilio’s fifth full-length of original instrumental music, and her third since moving to the United States in 2017.
Lari Basilio’s Gear
Guitars
- Ibanez LB1 Signature with Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio pickups
- Ibanez Prestige AZ24047
Amps
- Laney Lionheart L20T-212
- Laney Cub-Super 12
- Laney Cub-Supertop
- Laney Ironheart IRT-SLS
- Laney Black Country Customs Ironheart IRT60H
Effects
- JHS The Violet Lari Basilio Signature Distortion
- Laney Black Country Customs Secret Path Reverb
- Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor
- GNI Music Delay
- TC Electronic Flashback Delay
Strings and Picks
- D’Addario Regular Light XL Nickel (.009–.046)
- Dunlop Standard Tortex Pick (1.0 mm and 1.14 mm)
While it can be intimidating to be in the studio with such legendary studio musicians, Basilio doesn’t really get nervous around them anymore. “I think I’m more relaxed now because we ended up becoming friends,” says Basilio who spent two days with them in Studio Two at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, then finished the guitars and postproduction later. “But they never cease to amaze me. Every time I’m in the studio with them I’m absolutely blown away. Every time. So this doesn't change, because they’re amazing musicians—the way they put their emotions and their personality into the songs, into the performances, it’s just brilliant. I give them total freedom to put in their ideas and do anything they want, and they're always so polite, and they ask, ‘Oh, can I do that?’ Or, ‘I hope you don’t mind that I tried that.’ And I would sit there and you know, I just can’t believe that these guys are there playing my songs and we’re having these amazing moments and creating these memories together in the studio. There’s only one Vinnie. There’s only one Leland. I hope that maybe one day I’m gonna be able to do a concert with all of them together.”
Though Basilio maintains her public persona of guitar hero, she is also a lawyer. In fact, she comes from a family of lawyers. Her dad, husband, and two brothers are lawyers, and her mom graduated from law school, although she isn’t a practicing attorney.
Basilio at EastWest with her collaborators, from left to right: Leland Sklar, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Mari Jacintho.
Photo by Eduardo Orelha
Having a background in law, however, doesn’t mean Basilio strictly follows the rules on everything—least of all guitar. She sometimes employs an unorthodox fingerstyle technique where she keeps the pick tucked into her palm by using her right hand’s ring finger, while keeping the thumb, index, and middle finger free to pluck. Basilio says, “I think this is one of the things that came naturally. Every player has to try to find what is natural for them.”
This approach can be heard on tracks like “Seasons,” where Basilio plays percussively with her fingers. “I love playing fingerstyle. I play a lot both with a guitar pick and fingerstyle, and I kind of developed my own way to play fingerstyle out of the necessity of looking for new tones and new dynamics,” she explains. “And I love to incorporate it into my songs, to get those percussive sounds and lots of ghost notes. It’s so much fun.”
Redemption closes with the beautiful “Forever,” which showcases Basilio’s fingerstyle technique. The song also demonstrates her strong background in music theory, which she built thanks to the organ lessons she started at age four before her father, Jesonias, handed her a nylon-string acoustic guitar and showed her open C and D chords when she was around eight years old. “Forever” is Basilio’s first solo unaccompanied guitar recording, though she has performed that style many times in public over the years.
“This is something that I always did for my videos, for my YouTube channel, but I haven’t had a full song written that way,” Basilio explains. “I just sit down and try to play by myself, just me and my guitar. And I think it was about time for me to have a song written that way, and I’m happy I could do it for this album. It’s so much fun to try to develop it because at the end of the day, this songwriting process and style of composition is something that you develop by practicing. Some people might think that you don’t have to practice songwriting and composition, but I think it comes from practice as well.”
Flanked by her trusty Laney amps, Basilio wields her signature Ibanez LB1-BK.
Photo by Eduardo Orelha
YouTube It
Lari Basilio uses her unique fingerstyle approach to perform a delicate and ethereal unaccompanied intro to her composition “Running to the Other Side.” Once the band kicks in, she goes all out from precision picking to right-hand tapping to display her jaw-dropping chops.
Fall Headline Tour Scheduled to Kick Off October 31st with Special Guest Myles Kennedy GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Wolfgang Van Halen is back with the latest single from the band he masterminds, Mammoth.
Mammoth: The End (Official Video)
“The End” is an adrenaline-driven rocker that kicks off with a signature lead guitar riff that has become a fan-favorite element in Wolfgang’s music. The anthemic build of the intro gives way to the driving verse melody with each part carefully created and performed by Van Halen and his returning collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. The chorus is driven by the unforgettable vocal melody as the message of “Take your hand in mine and watch the end with me.” The song is now available for pre-save via all digital service providers here.
“I’ve had the tapping idea on the intro for ‘The End’ since before Mammoth. I was able to fit it into this world. It’s still over-the-top and shreddy, but it’s also melodic and controlled. Overall, I was doing some different things on the record, and I knew this was going to be a big step. Once we finished ‘The End,’ it felt really special to me,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.To coincide with the single release, Wolfgang and Mammoth have released a music video for “The End” that is one for the history books and something rarely seen in music videos anymore. Wolfgang teamed up with legendary director Robert Rodriguez to do a modern-day interpretation of Rodriguez’s 1996 hit film, From Dusk Till Dawn. The video tells the story of a rock band that is booked to play a show at a dive bar and given an ominous warning from the club owner portrayed by Danny Trejo. Mammoth decides they know better, and things quickly turn dire for the band before a surprising revelation during the final moments tie the complete video lore from the band together. Friends of Mammoth including Slash, Myles Kennedy and Wolfgang’s mother Valerie Bertinelli all show up throughout the short film. Horror effects icon Greg Nicotero offered his talents to the video to create zombies, werewolves and vampires that all bring a deadly end to the attendees of the show.
With a short run of May dates creating excitement for a Mammoth tour, the band is announcing a Fall headline run. The End Tourkicks off on October 31st and runs for 5 weeks before it wraps up on December 7th. The tour will make stops in Las Vegas, NV (November 1), Atlanta, GA (November 8), Montclair, NJ (November 14), Chicago, IL (November 26) and Tempe, AZ (December 6) to name a few. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy will be the special guest on the run. Tickets will be on sale starting May 5th via artist presale and on sale to the public on Friday, May 9th. More information on all tickets and VIP passes can be found at www.mammoth.band