
Digital approximations of analog modulation classics in an easy-to-use, compact package.
Super simple, compact design with solid digital approximations of hard-to-replicate analog sounds. Fair price.
Flanger could benefit from a little extra control.
$159
Mojo Hand FX Swim Team
mojohandfx.com
While it’s not a stated part of their mission, Mojo Hand FX seems to prize simplicity in their pedals. Many Mojo Hand pedals that could be more complex to take advantage of digital processing possibilities are just three knobs and a push button. And while this isn’t the only layout the company utilizes, it’s employed effectively on pedals like the Deluxe Memory Man-inspired Dream Mender to distill a more complex analog stompbox to its essence. The Mojo Hand Swim Team, a digital chorus and flanger inspired by the Electro-Harmonix Polychorus, Echoflanger, and Small Clone, uses the same 3-knob layout to make summoning classic and powerful modulation sounds easy.
Wade in the Water
The Swim Team’s graphics are a clear homage to Nirvana’s Nevermind. Mojo Hand also sells a limited negative-image, black-and-white “bleached” edition (though Bleach, Nirvana’s first LP, is graced by little if any chorus or flange effects). While Kurt Cobain didn’t use a lot of pedals, he was no stranger to chorus and flange. They helped define the sound of Nevermind and In Utero, in particular, and Cobain used the EHX Small Clone, Polychorus, and Echoflanger at various points in his career. Heck, I’d wager a generation of guitarists were turned on to the effect from the opening notes of “Come as You Are” alone.
Mojo Hand FX Swim Team Review by premierguitar
- Chorus setting: Mix & Depth at 1 o'clock, variable Rate
- Flanger setting: Mix & Depth at 1 o'clock, variable Rate
The Swim Team uses just three basic controls: depth, rate, and mix/feedback. The latter changes duties depending on which effect is activated with the chorus/flanger button. It’s simpler than a Polychorus or Echoflanger (forgoing the “tune” knob, “filter matrix,” and “double track” modes on those pedals), but simpler than a Small Clone. Simplicity does have some drawbacks: If you plan to change between the two effects in a live situation, there’s no visual cue to reveal which effect is employed. The bypass LED, for instance, doesn’t change color.
The Swim Team uses just three basic controls: depth, rate, and mix/feedback. The latter changes duties depending on which effect is activated with the chorus/flanger button. It’s simpler than a Polychorus or Echoflanger (forgoing the “tune” knob, “filter matrix,” and “double track” modes on those pedals), but simpler than a Small Clone. Simplicity does have some drawbacks: If you plan to change between the two effects in a live situation, there’s no visual cue to reveal which effect is employed. The bypass LED, for instance, doesn’t change color.
Shallows and Depths
The first thing I had to do when I plugged the Swim Team in was fish around for those eerie Nirvana sounds. Plugged into a ’60s Fender Bassman with a ’90s MIJ Fender Jaguar, the quivering tones of “Come as You Are” were easy to summon with all of the knobs between 12 and 1 o’clock positions and the chorus engaged. And if you want to coax the tones of Kurt’s famous live “anti-solo” freakouts, maxing out the rate and depth and pairing the pedal with a ProCo RAT does an excellent job. I also spent a lot of time trying to capture the chaotic warble heard on live renditions of the “Heart Shaped Box” solo. And though there are a lot of ingredients in the tone soup of any live recording, I couldn’t quite summon the thickness of a vintage Polychorus with the Swim Team and RAT alone.
My favorite tones in the flanger department came around with the rate in 9 o’clock territory and depth at noon, which generates a subtle rise-and-fall texture that gives power chords extra glow and single notes a little extra magic. The output starts to get a little chattering-elves crazy once you roll the rate clockwise past 3 o’clock. But most rate settings remain practical and easy to adapt to an existing guitar tone throughout the knob’s sweep. Part of this agreeability in flange mode (which is generally a good thing) makes the Swim Team less suited for over-the-top flange. And if you’re after pitchy, high-frequency peaks and outlandish jet-whoosh, you might want to look to more radical options. That said, I found humbuckers deliver a deeper, richer whoosh from the flanger— especially with lower rate settings. So be sure to try Swim Team with your own rig to see how they match up.
The Verdict
Mojo Hand FX’s Swim Team sells for $159, which is a pretty fair price for the two rich modulation voices that approximate classic, sought-after sounds in stable digital platforms. Both effects sound great in the kind of relatively straight applications you hear in vintage recordings. And the chorus, in particular, is lush and spirited. The flanger covers the basics with ease, but I did miss some of the idiosyncrasies that can make flangers sound so radical and unique, like the metallic bark from an old bucket brigade Electric Mistress. Then again, vintage analog units can be quirky and unreliable. And even their newer BBD counterparts can be pretty expensive. Given that, this compact and streamlined multi-modulator merits praise for offering a design that cuts the extra fat and extra expense.
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Ernie Ball, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium guitar strings and accessories, proudly announces the launch of the all-new Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings. Developed in close collaboration with Grammy Award-winning guitarist JohnMayer, Bell Bronze strings are engineered to meet Mayer’s exacting performance standards, offering players a bold new voice for their acoustic guitars.Crafted using a proprietary alloy inspired by the metals traditionally found in bells and cymbals, Earthwood Bell Bronze strings deliver a uniquely rich, full-bodied tone with enhanced clarity, harmonic content, and projection—making them the most sonically complex acoustic strings in the Ernie Ball lineup to date.
“Earthwood Bell Bronze strings are a giant leap forward in tone, playability, and durability. They’re great in any musical setting but really shine when played solo. There’s an orchestral quality to them.” -John Mayer
Product Features:
- Developed in collaboration with John Mayer
- Big, bold sound
- Inspired by alloys used for bells and cymbals
- Increased resonance with improved projection and sustain
- Patent-pending alloy unique to Ernie Ball stringsHow is Bell Bronze different?
- Richer and fuller sound than 80/20 and Phosphor Bronze without sounding dark
- Similar top end to 80/20 Bronze with richer low end than Phosphor Bronze
Milkman’s Jerry Garcia-style JG-40 combo.
Grateful Dead-inspired gear from Milkman and Scarlet Fire helps to keep the guitarist’s sound alive.
Guitar players wanting to catch the Grateful Dead’s particular lightning in a bottle exist along a spectrum. Some are content to take inspiration from Jerry Garcia’s playing but make their own way regarding guitar choice and signal path. Others strive to emulate Garcia’s sonic decisions down to the most minor details and create signal paths as close to Jerry’s as possible. In recent years, an ecosystem of gear has developed around fostering Jerry Garcia’s electric tone, including everything from guitars, amps, and stompboxes to on-board preamps and speakers.
Entire books about the Grateful Dead’s gear have been written, so we can’t cover it all here. Garcia tinkered with all facets of his sound from about 1971 until 1978, when his signal path reached stability. By then, his On-Board Effects Loop—an innovation he developed to control how much signal reached his effects—was dialed in, his backline firm, and his choice of effects pedals solidified. Even then, adjustments were made, especially when MIDI arrived or when technology like in-ear monitoring was used. Here are some basics.
Scarlet Fire’s recreation of Garcia’s Wolf, originally built by Doug Irwin.
It starts with guitars. For players wanting to get their Jerry on, there’s a wide range of Garcia-esque instruments—with just as wide a range of prices—out there. Recreations of the Doug Irwin guitars and the Fender Alligator Strat abound. China-built models from companies likePhred Instruments can go for as little as $700 or so. Luthier Thomas Lieber apprenticed with Irwin long ago, and his Lieber Guitars will deliver a copy of a variety of Garcia models. Leo Elliott’sScarlet Fire Guitars out of Dallas, Texas, takes things in another direction. Elliott builds Doug Irwin replicas that start at $20,000 and go up from there, with a current wait time of about 18 months for an instrument. He’s outfitted many of the top Garcia guitarists today, including Tom Hamilton Jr. and Jeff Mattson. Elliott says, “I’m a self-taught luthier; I didn’t really build my first guitar until 2010. I understood a little bit about woodworking before I got started, but I learned by reading books and through trial and error. I started building replicas of Doug Irwin’s Wolf guitar right away, which is sort of like building a car and starting with a Ferrari. I didn’t know any better. Then, eventually I got to know Doug Irwin and collaborated with him. So, I got to hold Garcia’s Tiger guitar and get to know it really well, and by 2015, I had built replicas of that guitar. There’s one guy who helps me around the shop, but otherwise, I am building these guitars on my own. I’m collaborating with Doug Irwin on a new series of Tiger guitars, which will retail for 50 grand each.” That’s one way to get your Jerry going.
The JBL-inspired Milkman K-120.
Garcia’s choice of amplifiers is another matter. He preferred Fender Twin Reverbs loaded with JBL Alnico speakers, which were popular amongst many rock bands in the 1970s. The details get complicated; Garcia’s amps were heavily modified, and the Fender Twin served as a preamp that ran to a McIntosh MC-3500 power amp.
It’s hard to find vintage JBL speakers today—at least ones in good shape. San Francisco’s Milkman Sound, founded by Tim Marcus, has created a faithful reproduction of those classic JBLsthey call the K-120. They’re coupling those speakers with a Garcia-style recreation of his Fender Twin that Marcus named the JG-40. “I think 75 percent of Jerry’s tone is in the JBL speakers,” Milkman’s founder says. “But when you start to analyze the other 25 percent, you kind of have to start withDon Rich. [Editor’s Note: Rich was the guitar player in Buck Owens’ band, pioneers of the Bakersfield Sound.] That’s Jerry’s tone, too, but the difference is Garcia’s midrange was a bit throatier. It sounds clean, but really, it’s not clean at the same time. Especially his tone in the late ’70s. There is something about running that Fender Twin Reverb through the McIntosh that would just completely blow out the tone in a really interesting way.”
Garcia colored his tone with off-the-shelf effects. This was, after all, long before the days of boutique pedals. By 1978 and beyond, you’d hear him playing through an MXR Distortion+, an MXR Analog Delay, and an MXR Phase 100. He often used auto wahs, preferring the Musitronics Mu-Tron envelope filter as well as a Mu-Tron Octave Divider and a Mu-Tron combination volume and wah pedal.
When I asked Jeff Mattson, Bella Rayne, and Tom Hamilton Jr. exactly how orthodox they are about using the kind of gear that Garcia did, I got three different answers.
Mattson tells me that because Dark Star Orchestra is doing something very specific, he really has to tailor his sound as carefully to Garcia’s as he can. “Some folks get too hung up on small things, like what kind of cable to use and things like that, and I don’t go that far. But it’s important for Dark Star Orchestra to get Jerry’s sound right because we are covering different eras and different shows. In 2022, for example, we went to Europe and recreated shows from the Dead’s famous Europe ’72 tour, so you have to pay close attention to what kind of gear they were using to do that right.”
Hamilton works differently. He’s always preferred a higher-gain signal than Garcia ever did, landing in more of a British or heavy metal tone. (Randy Rhoads was a big influence.) “I’ve always approached it like, ‘What’s the new information we can put into this thing?’” he says. “Not just recreate but pushing in a forward direction. And anytime I’ve played with the guys who played with Garcia back in the day, they always said to me, ‘You’re here because you’re here. Don’t try and do what we did back in 1978 or do it because Garcia did it that way.’ They’ve always encouraged me to be myself.”
Bella Rayne is just wrapping her head around what it really means to try to sound like Garcia. “Besides Jerry, I’m influenced by guitarists like Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks, so my tone tends to be a bit heavier and bluesy,” she explains. “I’m generally running a Stratocaster through a Fender Twin Reverb. But recently, I was doing a show, and a buddy of mine set up a Jerry rig for me, and that was so cool: JBL speakers, McIntosh head, the whole setup. I had never played through one. I didn’t know what the hype was all about. I plugged in, and it was just amazing; there was such a snap, and I was really commanding the band. I can see myself keeping my current rig but adding a Dead-rig to experiment. But honestly, anything is fine; I am not picky. I just want to play the best that I can.”
Brent Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ’90s country superstars. So, whether you know it or not, you’ve likely heard Mason’s playing.
Professional transcriber Levi Clay has done the deepest of dives into Brent Mason’s hotshot licks. At one point, he undertook the massive project of transcribing and sharing one of Mason’s solos every day for 85 or so days. Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ’90s country superstars. So, whether you know it or not, you’ve likely heard Mason’s playing. Levi shares the insight he gleaned from digging deep, and he tells us what it was like when they shared a stage last year. Plus, Levi plays us some great examples of Mason’s playing.
PRS Guitars today launched five new three-pickup, 22-fret models across the S2 and SE series. The S2 Series release includes the S2 Special Semi-Hollow and S2 Studio, while the SE Series welcomes the SE Special Semi-Hollow, SE Studio, and SE Studio Standard.
“The distinctive pickup configurations of these five guitars deliver a versatile tonal platform, whether you’re exploring subtle textures or pushing the envelope. The deep dive into our Narrowfield technology is obvious with this launch. With both the S2 models made in our Maryland factory and the SE models made in Indonesia, our goal has been to create guitars that will inspire you and spark creativity, all at an exceptional value,” said PRS Guitars COO, Jack Higginbotham.
S2 Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow features a pair of 58/15 LT humbuckers in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield in the middle. A 5-way blade switch and two mini-toggles allow players to tap the humbuckers, creating twelve distinct pickup combinations for sonic exploration. The carved maple top and mahogany back encompass a semi-hollow body that adds a natural airiness and depth to the guitar’s tone while enhancing sustain.
S2 Studio
The PRS S2 Studio delivers a wide range of sonic possibilities through its distinctive single-single-hum configuration. Featuring two proprietary PRS Narrowfield pickups in the bass and middle positions and a 58/15 LT humbucker in the treble position, the S2 Studio offers a palette of sounds from single-coil clarity to vocal humbucker tones. This model also has a 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control.
SE Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow is designed with the versatility of a hum/“single”/hum setup, bringing PRS’s Narrowfield DD pickup design to the SE Series in a classic maple-top guitar. The semi-hollow construction also enhances sustain and resonance, while the f-hole adds a classic aesthetic. The coil-tap switching system unlocks a wide range of tones through a pair of 58/15 LT “S” pickups in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield DD “S” in the middle.
SE Studio
The PRS SE Studio’s “single”/”single”/hum pickup configuration provides a wide range of tonal options. This combination of PRS Narrowfield DD “S” bass and middle pickups with a PRS 58/15 LT “S” treble humbucker offers humbucking warmth, single-coil sparkle, and everything in between. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control further enhance its versatility.
SE Studio Standard
The only bolt-on neck in this release group, the PRS SE Studio Standard brings the tone, playability, and versatility of the Studio model to the SE Series and into an all-mahogany design with a vintage-style pickguard aesthetic. At the heart of the SE Studio Standard is its versatile trio of pickups: an 58/15 LT “S” humbucker in the treble position with two Narrowfield DD “S” pickups in the middle and bass positions. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control allow for an array of pickup configurations.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year.