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Rig Rundown: Melvins' Buzz Osborne [2015]

King Buzzo details his love for aluminum guitars and solid-state amps.

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Although linked to backbreaking Les Pauls since the ’80s, King Buzzo currently tours with a trio of less traditional Electric Guitar Company axes. This all-aluminum, chrome-finished model is slightly heavier than Osborne’s Les Pauls.

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The Warg is a modern revamp of the Ace Tone “Fuzz Master” FM-3, designed to offer uniquely aggressive high-gain options.

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A closeup of a trusty ol’ tap-tempo switch.

Our columnist makes an argument against the usefulness of tap tempo footswitches. Should we really be bothering with them?

The ability to tap in a tempo on pedals is a fairly new concept, especially compared to the amount of time that stompboxes have existed in our world. I would venture to guess that this is due in part to the availability of, and need for, digital ICs. Then, being able to code them and apply them to effects circuits appropriately.

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Orianthi joins forces with Orange Amplification for her signature combo, the Oriverb, based on the classic Rockerverb MKIII 50 NEO Combo.

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A scalpel for carving out huge but controlled reverb spaces.

Makes huge reverb blooms possible in tight spaces. Adds ghostly character to metal, shoegaze, psychedelic, and pop riffs and hooks. Fun tool for tightening arrangements.

Controls can feel elusive in early experimentation.

$199

Catalinbread CBX Gated Reverb
catalinbread.com

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For music fans of a certain age, gated reverb can conjure conflicted, even hostile, feelings. Though there are myriad uses, in the 1980s it was employed to drive snare drums to migraine-inducing levels in mixes. But as the Catalinbread CBX proves, gated reverb needn’t be an ice pick or bludgeon. In fact, the CBX works best as a scalpel of sorts—enabling the player to fit big reverb sounds in very confined and specific musical spaces.

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