ShowBox is a battery-powered all-in-one performance rig that gives users total control over their live sound, combining a portable PA, acoustic guitar amp, 6-channel mixer, effects rack, and USB-C interface into a single device they can carry in one trip from the car.
Mackie, the legendary leader in professional live sound and recording products, announces Mackie ShowBox, a game-changing development for gigging musicians and buskers.
Mackie ShowBox delivers up to 12 hours of powerful live sound made possible by a 400W amp, custom drivers, and the included battery. With six input channels for mics and instruments, ShowBox empowers singer/songwriters and small bands to set up and sound fantastic with minimal effort. Just hook everything up to ShowBox and show them what you’ve got.
Of course, ShowBox is more than a “set it and forget it” speaker — it’s a truly interactive live performance rig, thanks to the innovative breakaway mix controller. Connecting to ShowBox through the included (lengthy) fabric-covered Ethernet cable, the mix controller mounts directly to a mic stand and gives musicians total control over levels for mics and instruments as well as ShowBox’s built-in effects, tone shaping, user snapshots, looper, tuner, and recording controls. Let’s see a speaker do all that!
ShowBox replaces amps and PA systems in equal measure thanks to switchable “amp” and “PA” voicing modes, plus settings for indoor and outdoor performance. It’s also a sound-shaping powerhouse, featuring two layers of dynamic effects for vocals and instruments, including essential guitar effects like fuzz, overdrive, tube amp, acoustic amp, and tremolo, plus a variety of other modulation and reverb effects. And with the separate FX loop for pedals, guitarists don’t have to part with their carefully curated pedalboard. There’s even 3-band parametric EQ and single-knob compression on each channel, all in the box.
Mackie designed ShowBox to meet all the needs of today’s live performers, and that means expanding the connectivity to go beyond in-person performance. ShowBox connects the musician with their audience wherever they are via a built-in USB-C audio interface for streaming online or recording. ShowBox can also record straight to an SD card, and Bluetooth® allows for streaming backing tracks and fill-in music between sets.
ShowBox combines all the tools for great performances and live streams into one system that’s easy to manage and carry in one trip — it even fits inside a custom backpack (sold separately), so performers can literally put the show on their backs. It’s gigging, solved.
Mackie ShowBox will be sold on Mackie.com and at participating retailers with a MAP of $799.99. Availability beginning January 2024.
For more information, please visit mackie.com.
The Ariel Posen Signature String Set from Stringjoy
Ideal for B Standard, Open C, and other lower tunings, this set offers exceptional tone and feel for players who want to explore new sonic territory while maintaining their guitar's unique voice.
Each string in this set is built with Stringjoy’s trademark quality: wound at tension with high compression winds for maximum output, durability, and smooth playability. The result? Strings that hold up under pressure while delivering a natural, expressive voice—perfect for hybrid playing and expressive slide work.
Ariel Posen Signature Set Specs:
• .014 – .018p – .026w – .038 – .050 – .062
• Wound 3rd string
“If you didn’t know these were 14-62 gauges, you’d swear they were just 11s tuned down,” said Ariel Posen. “They feel like home and preserve the sound of the guitar, even in lower tunings. That’s the biggest thing—it still sounds like guitar.”
“We’ve spent ten years experimenting and testing together to find the right combination,” said Scott Marquart, Stringjoy Founder & President. “This release is more than just a new product—it’s the culmination of a shared journey between friends and musicians. Ariel’s set is uniquely him, and I think players will love how it feels and responds.”
Stringjoy’s Ariel Posen signature string set carry a street price of $13.99. Learn more at at stringjoy.com.
There’s nothing subtle about Billy Idol, so it tracks that there’d be nothing subtle about the guitars used onstage by his longtime guitarist, Steve Stevens. Famous for his guitar work with Idol and the Grammy-winning symphony of sustain “Top Gun Anthem,” Stevens brought a brigade of eye-popping signature electrics and some choice other jewels out on the road with Idol this spring.
The tour touched down at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville in May, and while Stevens was jetting into town, PG’s John Bohlinger met up with tech and guitar builder Frank Falbo to learn the ins and outs of Stevens’ rig.
Brought to you by D’Addario
Cherry Pie
This cherryburst is one of a score of single-cut Knaggs Steve Stevens signature models in Stevens’ arsenal. He plays with heavier Tortex picks and uses Ernie Ball strings, usually .010–.048s.
More, More, More (Sustain)
This Knaggs Steve Stevens Severn XF, complete with a Sustainiac pickup system, was designed to mimic the look of one of his old guitars, and the stage lights make this finish go insane. It comes out for three to four songs in any given set, including “Rebel Yell.”
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge
This Knaggs Steve Stevens, finished in silver sparkle, is outfitted with a killswitch, push-pull control knobs, and Fishman Fluence pickups. Falbo was on the R&D team that helped design the Fluences.
Other guitars backstage include a red sparkle Knaggs with PAFs, a Godin LGXT with piezo saddles and Seymour Duncan pickups that sends three signals (synth, electric, and piezo), a pair of piezo- and MIDI-equipped Godin nylon-string guitars, a dazzling Gibson Les Paul with stock Gibson pickups, a Suhr T-style electric, and a Ciari Ascender for travel and dressing-room rehearsal.
Tube Heart, Digital Brains
Stevens runs through a pair of Friedman heads—a B100 and Steve Stevens SS100, plus a third backup—with each panned hard to either the left or right. Both signals run through a Neve 8803 rack EQ into two RedSeven Amplification Amp Central Evo loadboxes, and through their impulse response programs to front of house. A Neural Quad Cortex is on hand as a backup and for fly dates.
Steve Stevens’ Pedalboard
Stevens’ pedal playground is masterminded by an RJM Mastermind GT, which lives on its own board alongside a Fractal FM3 MK II. He orchestrates most of the changes himself, but Falbo is ready to flip switches backstage in case Stevens is away from his board for a key moment.
The centre hub, built on a Tone Merchants board, carries a TC Electronic PolyTune2 Noir, Xotic Effects Super Sweet Booster, Vox wah, Ernie Ball volume pedal, Mission Engineering expression pedal, DigiTech Whammy Ricochet, Suhr Discovery, JHS Muffuletta, DigiTech Drop, ISP DECI-MATE, Walrus Voyager, Suhr Koji Comp, Zvex Super Ringtone, DryBell Vibe Machine, and Ammoon EX EQ7. An Ebtech Hum Eliminator, two Strymon Ojais, and a Strymon Zuma keep the wheels greased.
The board to the right carries a Boss RV-500, Fender Smolder Acoustic OD, Lehle Dual Expression, Boss GM-800, Empress Bass Compressor, Grace Design ALiX preamp, Fishman Aura, and a Peterson tuner. Utility boxes include an Ernie Ball Volt and a Radial J48.
