New models include the Nano+, the three-model Metro Series, the three-model Novo Series, the refined Classic Series and its new large-format flagship pedal board, Terra 42.
Nashville, TN (January 16, 2015) -- Pedaltrain, the worldās most popular pedal board brand, has reinvented its product line for 2015 and beyond. In a private meeting with some of Nashvilleās top professional guitarists and bassists, the company revealed its new product range to resounding applause.
New models include the Nano+, the three-model Metro Series, the three-model Novo Series, the refined Classic Series and its new large-format flagship pedal board, Terra 42. All will be released in early Spring 2015.
āWe are true pedal-junkies,ā says Pedaltrain President John Chandler, āwe are deeply invested in our community and the needs of musicians who trust Pedaltrain to support, enable and protect their valuable gear. Our commitment is demonstrated in what we believe are absolutely the best Pedaltrains weāve ever made.ā
Pedaltrain highlighted unique design improvements like its new modified rail system, which improves the stability of smaller-sized pedals. The company also demonstrated its portable grab-and-go Metro series and the true-bypass-switching-friendly Novo Series.
The companyās vastly improved soft cases and new strength-weight optimized tour cases were a big hit, especially when it was revealed itās new professional-grade cases now weigh up to 35% less than previous models.
āWe enjoy a close relationship with our customers - from the touring professional to the student jamming in a garage band,ā says Chandler. āOur new products incorporate their valuable feedback; each new model meets specific player needs. Only Pedaltrain has this deep domain expertise.ā
For more information:
Pedaltrain
Warm Audio introduces the Fen-tone, a modern ribbon microphone inspired by a classic 50s Danish design.
Warm Audio, the industry-leading manufacturer of classic-inspired professional recording products, microphones, and guitar pedals, today introduces the Fen-tone, an instrument ribbon microphone inspired by a classic 50s Danish design, but built with modern components to deliver powerful bass & rich midrange, true to the sound profile of the most sought-after small-format ribbon microphone. Premium components, including a custom Japanese ribbon, Neodymium magnet, and CineMag USA transformer, along with a 26 dB JFET in-line preamp that enables active use with low-gain preamps ensure that the Fen-tone captures the most popular tones heard on guitars, overheads, horns, and more. The Fen-tone is available as a single mic ($699 | 749 ⬠incl. VAT | £639 incl. VAT) and stereo pair ($1199 | 1349 ⬠incl. VAT | £1159 incl. VAT), available now at authorized retailers worldwide.
āThis style of microphone has been around for a long time and the tone has evolved since the original, we're excited to deliver an affordable version of its most contemporary tones,ā said Bryce Young, founder and President of Warm Audio. āWeāre all familiar with the body style of this mic, but not everyone knows it originally comes from a design from the 1950s. While other B&O-inspired designs have used upgraded ribbons & components like ours to deliver that guitar tone we all know & love, weāve also upgraded the original switch that cycled between various modes for āTalkā, "Music", and āOrchestraā, to now being an active inline preamp to offer even more value. We revived the trademark to keep it authentic to its history while bringing the Warm formula of premium components to the build to deliver todayās most sought-after guitar & instrument tones.ā
Like the original design, the Warm Audio Fen-tone recreates the popular, pencil-style design with ventilated sides that can easily be placed in crowded recording environments. Unlike the original 1950s mic, the Warm Audio Fen-tone features modern upgrades including a custom Japanese ribbon, rare-earth Neodymium magnet, and custom CineMag USA transformer to deliver the iconic ribbon tones made popular in contemporary music.
The Fen-tone, with its Figure-8 polar pattern, excels on loud sources that require detail while handling high SPLs, like electric guitar cabs, overheads, and horns. The upgraded components in Fen-tone deliver intricate midrange detail that helps guitars shine in dense mixes. In addition to the bass and midrange emphasis, Fen-tone shows off its warm āforgivingā tone by taming top-end harshness above 15 kHz for smooth presence without exaggerated sibilance or harshness.
The Warm Audio Fen-tone takes the value a step further by adding an all-analog 26 dB JFET in-line preamp, allowing for active use. This feature is critical for those users who plan on plugging their ribbons directly into audio interfaces or inferior preamps without volume, tone, and frequency loss. This active circuit is true bypass and does not impact the integrity of the passive ribbon mic circuit.
The Fen-tone is available as a single mic ($699 | 749 ⬠incl. VAT | £639 incl. VAT) and stereo pair ($1199 | 1349 ⬠incl. VAT | £1159 incl. VAT), available now at authorized retailers worldwide.
For more information, visit warmaudio.com.
Our columnistās bass, built by Anders Mattisson.
Would your instrumental preconceptions hold up if you don a blindfold and take them for a test drive?
I used to think that stereotypes and preconceived notions about what is right and wrong when it comes to bass were things that other people dealt withānot me. I was past all that. Unfazed by opinion, immune to classification. Or so I thought, tucked away in my jazz-hermit-like existence.
That belief was shattered the day Ian Martin Allison handed me a Fender Coronado while I was blindfolded in his basement. (Donāt askāitās a long story and an even longer YouTube video if you have time to kill.) For years, I had been a single-cut, 5-string, high-C-string player. That was my world. So, you can imagine my shock when I connected almost instantly with something that felt like it was orbiting a different solar system.
Less than 5 minutes with the instrument, and it was all over. The bass stayed in Ianās basement. (I did not.) I returned home to Los Angeles, but I couldnāt stop thinking about it. I kept playing my beloved semi-chambered single-cut 5-string, but I sent its builder, Anders Mattisson, a message about my recent discovery. I asked if there was any way we could create something with the essence of a Coronado while still suiting my playing and my music.
Thatās when everything I thought I knew about bassāand the personal boundaries I had set for myselfācame crashing down.
When we started talking about building a bass with a fully chambered body, much like the Coronado, I was adamant about two things: It needed to have active electronics, and I would never play a headless bass.
Fast-forward three months to the winterNAMM show in California. Anders arrived for dinner at my house, along with a group of incredible bass players, includingHenrik Linder. I was literally in a chefās apron, trying to get course after course of food on the table, when Henrik said, āHey, letās bring the new bass in.ā
He came down the stairs carrying something that looked suspiciously like a guitar caseānot a bass case. I figured there had been some kind of mistake or maybe even a prank. When I finally got a break from the chaos in the kitchen, I sat down with the new bass for the first time. And, of course, it was both headless and passive.
I should mention that even though I had made my requests clearāno headless bass, active electronicsāI had also told Anders that I trusted him completely. And Iām so glad I did. He disintegrated my assumptions about what a bass āhas toā or āshouldā be, and in doing so, changed my life as a musician in an instant. The weight reduction from the fully chambered body made it essential for the instrument to be headless to maintain perfect balance. And the passive nature of the pickups gave me the most honest representation of my sound that Iāve ever heard in over 30 years of playing bass.
Iām 46 years old. It took me this long to let go of certain fundamental beliefs about my instrument and allow them to evolve naturally, without interference. Updating my understanding of what works for me as a bass player required perspective, whereas some of my most deeply held beliefs about the instrument were based on perception. I donāt want to disregard my experiences or instincts, but I do want to make sure Iām always open to the bigger pictureāto other peopleās insights and expertise.
Trusting my bass builderās vision opened musical doors that would have otherwise stayed bolted shut for years to come. The more I improve my awareness of where the line between perception and perspective falls, the more I can apply it to all aspects of my world of bass.
Maybe this month, itās playing an instrument I never would have previously considered. Next month, it might be incorporating MIDI into my pedalboard, or transcribing bass lines from spaghetti Westerns.
No matter what challenges or evolutions I take on in my music and bass playing, I want to remain openāopen to change, open to new ideas, and open to being proven wrong. Because sometimes, the instrument you never thought youād play ends up being the one that changes everything.
Joni Mitchellās rich, colorful altered-tuning chord voicings have set her work apart in its own musical universe, where the rest of us guitarists either scratch our heads in wonder or have to do dissertation-level research to unpack just how she gets her sound.
Joni Mitchellās rich, colorful altered-tuning chord voicings have set her work apart in its own musical universe, where the rest of us guitarists either scratch our heads in wonder or have to do dissertation-level research to unpack just how she gets her sound. Dawes guitarist and songwriter Taylor Goldsmith gained firsthand experience with Mitchellās songs when he joined her on stageājust check out 2022ās āJoni Jamā from the Newport Folk Festival, which also included Brandi Carlile, Blake Mills, Jon Batiste, and others.
Goldsmith joins us on this episode of the 100 Guitarists podcast. Together, we talk about Mitchellās chord voicings and progressions, her tunings, what itās like to share a stage with her, and Goldsmith wonders: Was Bob Dylanās āTangled Up in Blueā a nod to the songwriterās 1971 album?
When we wrap up our conversation, we cover a new release of energetic, forward-leaning guitar cumbia by Los PiraƱas and an album of Bach Partitas for Telecaster by guitarist Noel Johnston.
This episode is sponsored by L.R. Baggs.
Slayer announces a one-night-only show just added to the bandās handful of headline concerts set for this summer. Marking the bandās only U.S. East Coast performance in 2025, Slayer will headline Hershey, PAās 30,000-seat Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
The concert will be hosted by WWE Superstar Damian Priest, a well-known āmetalheadā and a long-time Slayer fan. Priest's signature āfinisherā is Slayerās āSouth of Heaven,āand Slayerās Kerry King provided guitar for Priestās āRise For The Nightā Theme.
This exclusive concert brings together a multi-generation, powerhouse line up:
Slayer
Knocked Loose
Suicidal Tendencies
Power Trip
Cavalera (performing Chaos A.D. - exclusive)
Exodus (performing Bonded by Blood)
All confirmed Slayer 2025 concert dates are as follows:
JULY
3 Blackweir Fields, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Line-Up: Slayer, with Special Guests Amon Amarth , Anthrax, Mastodon, Hatebreed and Neckbreakker
5 Villa Park, Birmingham, UK ⢠Black Sabbath ⢠Back to the Beginning
6 Finsbury Park, London
Line Up: Slayer, with Special Guests Amon Amarth , Anthrax, Mastodon, Anthrax, and Neckbreakker
11 Quebec Festival d'ƩtƩ de QuƩbec City, Quebec
Direct Support: Mastodon
SEPTEMBER
18 Louder Than Life @ Highland Festival Grounds, Louisville, KY
20 Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA