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Snark Crazy Little Thing Clip-on Tuner
- Clip-on all-instrument headstock tuner — perfect for guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, and more
- Ultra bright, rotatable display for easy viewing in any stage or studio environment
- Onboard 440Hz, 432Hz, and 442Hz pitch calibration for spot-on tuning accuracy
- Super compact design fits in any gig bag or your pocket
- Included comfort cap for easier attachment to your instrument
- Rechargeable battery via USB-C — onboard battery indicator for an immediate visual of your device's status
- Snark Announces the Silver Snark All-Instrument Tuner ›
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- Snark SN-10S Tuner Review ›
It wasn’t long ago that LA LOM—guitarist Zac Sokolow, bassist Jake Faulkner, and percussionist Nicholas Baker—were cutting their teeth together as the house band at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, playing poolside for guests. Now, with eight EPs and a full-length record (2024’s The Los Angeles League of Musicians) since 2021, they’re a full-blown sensation, celebrating and interpreting instrumental tropical guitar traditions.
The trio played Nashville’s The Basement back in December, where PG’s John Bohlinger caught up with Sokolow and Faulkner to see what road rigs they use to bring their psychedelic cumbia and Peruvian chicha dreams to life.
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This vintage National Val-Pro, circa 1960 to 1962, belongs to Faulkner, who received it as his very first electric. When he switched to bass, the Val-Pro took a backseat, so Sokolow had been more than happy to borrow it long-term. All the controls are disconnected except for the volume knob. Sokolow strings it with a .012–.052 gauge set of roundwounds, and he’s partial to D’Andrea Pro Plec 1.5 mm picks.
Leader of the Pack
Sokolow’s other sidekick is this Kay Style Leader from 1960. Each of the three pickups has a volume and tone control. The body’s been mostly routed out, so it lends the resonance and darkness of a semi-hollowbody.
Live and Loud
While he’ll often play through Fender Deluxe Reverbs at home, Sokolow trusts the Twin Reverb to get the job done in performance settings. The stage volume is loud enough that he and his bandmates often don’t need monitors: They can just listen to each other’s instruments onstage.
Zac Sokolow's Pedalboard
From his guitar, Sokolow’s signal runs through a spicy-red Voltage Cable Co. coil cable into his board. A TC Electronic Polytune 2 starts things off, followed by a Fulltone Full-Drive 3 for just a hint of dirt, then a Boss DM-3 delay, followed by a Catalinbread Topanga spring reverb. A TC Helicon VoiceTone handles some more echo work along with the DM-3.
Flight-Friendly Upright
Jake Faulkner’s traveling upright is thisJohnson bass, which has been modded by Tom at Fantastic Musical Instruments in Pasadena, California. Tom gave the upright a bolt-on neck that comes off easily, making it a perfect travel mate. For amplification, Faulkner uses pickups from Underwood, based in Palm Springs. On a tip from Tom, he glued a small piece of wood to the side of the pickups to reduce noise issues, and two sound posts have been installed inside the body to reduce feedback concerns.
Thumbin' Through
For electric needs, Faulkner uses this Fender Vintera II ’60s Precision Bass; he’ll switch between the two basses depending on what he feels best suits the song. He uses a thumb pick from time to time to accentuate certain rhythms.
Lightweight Low End
Faulkner’s been converted to this Ampeg Venture V12, a compact bass head weighing less than nine pounds—a godsend for sore-backed bassists. It’s set for a pretty neutral, SVT-style sound and runs into a Fender Bassman 410 Neo cabinet, which has four neodymium-loaded speakers.
Jake Faulkner's Pedalboard
Rather than at the start of his chain, his Korg Pitchblack Advance tuner goes at the end, with everything running out of it to the Venture V12. An Origin Effects Bassrig Super Vintage lends color and tone to the V12, then the Fire-Eye Development Red-Eye Twin acts as an A/B switch to maintain output and gain between the Johnson and the P-bass. An MXR Ten Band EQ helps balance out the upright’s tone.
Xotic XW-2 Wah Pedal
The Xotic XW-2 Wah Pedal is a high-quality, versatile stomp that creates a ’70s-style “throaty” wah sound.
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Sonicake FlipWah
The FlipWah combo pedal combines a classic wah and active volume pedal in one, with a footswitch to select between the two modes. A Q knob adds even more versatility.
sonicake.com
$79 street
McCon-O-Wah McWah
The McWah-2B delivers classic tone with modern upgrades. Handwired, adjustable, and durable, it features a custom pot and true bypass for optimal sound. Inspired by the original, legendary wah pedal.
mcconowah.com
$428 street
Dunlop Jerry Cantrell Rainier Fog Cry Baby Wah
This Cry Baby signature model complements Jerry Cantrell’s sound with a dark, punchy voice, a wide sweep, and a control on the side for fine-tuning the toe-down frequency.
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Dunlop CBJ95 Cry Baby Junior Wah Pedal
The Cry Baby Junior Wah features front-mounted jacks and an 8" housing for clean configurations on the world’s most popular boards.
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Dunlop Cry Baby Daredevil Fuzz Wah Pedal
A collaboration with Daredevil Pedals, this Cry Baby Wah combines the bright, aggressive vocality of a modded Cry Baby Wah with a custom fuzz circuit that’s downright gnarly.
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