
Photo 1: The perceived lowest periodicity is shown as a dotted line, named as "greatest common divisor." The audible effect of a phantom fundamental strikes most often when combining a fundamental and its fifth.
You might recall that funny test in 2018, which invited (and divided) listeners to see which name they heard in a clip. Let's explore phantom frequencies.
"Yanny or Laurel" was the name of a famous auditory illusion that came up in 2018. An auditory illusion is the equivalent of an optical illusion, where the listener hears something that is either not there or even technically impossible, due to a false perception or bias.
In the case of "Yanny or Laurel," listeners voted on which of the names they heard when listening to a specific audio clip. (You can listen to it on Wikipedia.) The results were so extremely divided that several college professors chimed in and The New York Times even offered a spectrographic analysis of the short spoken clip. In the end, both camps are right, but the result depended on their focus on a frequency range or their ears' capability to detect higher frequencies, as the clip had both words mixed simultaneously: Laurel in the lower frequency and Yanny in the higher spectrum.
It would be interesting to see the separate results for this test among bass players and guitarists. Would bass players hear "Laurel" and guitarists hear "Yanny"?
Do you think you could play a real low B on a standard E–A–D–G tuned 4-string? We usually think of a string's fundamental to be the lowest possible frequency that is accompanied by a set of higher harmonics. But playing two notes at a time can lead to an effect called the phantom, or missing, fundamental.
Try fretting the lowest possible B on the 3rd string and an F# on the 4th string. Play them simultaneously by hitting the strings softly around the 12th fret. The reason for the 12th fret soft plucking is that it enhances the low fundamentals and thereby boosts the effect. The perception is because our brain is interpreting existing repeating patterns in the resulting waveform. In other words, and as shown in Photo 1: The two fundamentals overlay in a form that they produce another and initially nonexistent periodicity of an even lower frequency with the resulting pitch being the greatest common divisor of the frequencies present. It's worth noting here that some explanations and basics of the effect are still discussed. One is an autocorrelation within our brain filling harmonic patterns with said fundamental.
Playing two notes at a time can lead to an effect called the phantom, or missing, fundamental.
The effect has been used for audio software since the late 1990s, a patented algorithm for Waves Audio's MaxxBass plug-in, as well as for small speaker devices reproducing frequencies they're not usually capable of, by adding synthesized harmonics.
Historically, the MaxxBass plug-in, and even more so the L1 Ultramaximizer, are said to have heavily contributed to the "loudness wars" of the 1990s. And, as always, the dynamics and clarity of the bass range are the first to suffer from this.
There are lots of other psychoacoustic effects that are worth taking a look at, while the phantom or missing fundamental is the one that most influences our bass range.
Another one worth mentioning here is the McGurk effect, which refers to a perceptual interaction between hearing and vision. The original research publication was titled "Hearing Lips and Seeing Voices," issued in Nature (December 1976). The McGurk effect occurs when the audio component is combined with video of a different sound, whereby the mouthed visual component changes the audible content a person hears, sometimes even altering to a third variation. This effect has a lot to do with knowledge and training and therefore also affects experts, sometimes even more.
As bassists and trained listeners to our instrument, we can have our own version of the McGurk effect and it can cost us severe amounts of money. Having test-played lots of different basses teaches us an unconscious preconception of judging gear by its visuals. It's not only the classic perception of a pink P bass as a funk machine and the very same sunburst model as a soul version. The effect also applies to connecting an instrument's ornamentals or veneered tops with an elegant, complex boutique tone.
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The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).
PRS Guitars celebrates 40 years with the limited edition McCarty SC56. Featuring vintage-inspired design and modern innovations, this single-cutaway guitar pays tribute to Ted McCarty and his impact on the industry. With only 400 pieces available, this instrument is a must-have for collectors and performers alike.
PRS Guitars today announced the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition. With a classic PRS single-cutaway body shape and carefully chosen specifications, the McCarty SC56 is both a tribute to tradition and a reliable tool for the modern performer. Only 400 pieces will be made.
“The SC56, signifying Singlecut and 1956, model is our most recent tribute to my late mentor Ted McCarty and his impact on the guitar industry. We started with our take on a classic late ‘50s singlecut body. 1956 marks the year that Ted first had guitars made with his newly coined 'humbucker' pickups. It also happens to be the year I was born. Bringing vintage design into the modern era, we loaded this model with our McCarty III pickups, meticulously designed to deliver warm, clear, vintage tone with exceptional note separation and dynamics,” said PRS Guitars Founder & Managing General Partner, Paul Reed Smith.
Anchored by a maple top and mahogany back, the 24.594” scale length and 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck work with Phase III non-locking tuners and PRS two-piece bridge to promote its musical sustain. The PRS McCarty III pickups are controlled by a simple layout — two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle on the upper bout.
Single-cutaway guitars are known to be heavier than their double-cutaway counterparts. The McCarty SC56 Limited Edition design incorporates weight-relief, decreasing the weight of the guitar by about 2/3 of a pound, while maintaining several points of attachment between the guitar top and back to eliminate the “hollow” sound of the cavities and promote tone transfer.
With appointments like binding on the fretboard, classic bird inlays, and a vintage-inspired nitrocellulose finish, the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition blends heritage and innovation into a timeless instrument.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025.
For more information, please visit prsguitars.com.
40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition | Demo | PRS Guitars - YouTube
Belltone Guitars has partnered Brickhouse Toneworks to create a one-of-a-kind, truly noiseless Strat/Tele-tone pickup in a standard Filter’Tron size format: the Single-Bell pickup.
The Single-Bell by Brickhouse Toneworks delivers bonafide single-coil Strat and Tele tones with the power of a P-90 and no 60-cycle hum. Unlike typical stacked hum-cancelling designs, Brickhouse Toneworks uses a proprietary ‘sidewind’ approach that cancels the 60-cycle hum without sacrificing any of the dynamics or top-end sparkle of a Fender-style single coil.
Get the best of both worlds with clear bell-like tones on the neck pickup, signature quack when combining the neck and bridge pickups, and pristine twang in the bridge position backed with the fullness and power of a P-90. Push these into overdrive and experience the hallmark blues tone with plenty of grit and harmonic sustain — all with completely noiseless performance.
Key Features of the Single-Bell:
- Cast Alnico 5 Magnet, designed to be used with 500k pots
- Voiced to capture that signature Fender-style single coil tone without the 60-cycle hum
- Lightly potted to minimize squeal
- Made in the USA with premium quality materials
The retail price for a Bridge and Neck matching set is $340.00 and they’re available directly and exclusively through Belltone® Guitars / Brickhouse Toneworks at belltoneguitars.com.
Designed for players who demand flexibility without sacrificing tone, the Aquanaut fuses the rich warmth of classic analog delay with the extended range and clarity of modern digital designs. Featuring up to 600 milliseconds of delay time, the Aquanaut easily covers everything from tight slapback echoes to lush, ambient textures and rhythmic soundscapes – all with a simple, intuitive control layout.
Unlike many digital delays that can sound sterile and detached, the Aquanaut retains an organic, analog-inspired voice. Repeats are smooth and musical, gently fading into the mix to create depth and dimension without overwhelming your dry signal. Whether you’re chasing vintage tape echo, adding subtle space to your solos, or building massive atmospheric layers, the Aquanaut keeps your tone clear, present, and inspiring.
Berserker Electronics Aquanaut Delay/Echo
Key features include:
- Up to 600ms of delay time for expanded creative possibilities
- Analog-voiced digital architecture for warm, natural-sounding repeats
- Ambient-style echo that enhances, not distracts from, your core tone
- Simple, intuitive controls for delay time, feedback, and blend
The Aquanaut is available direct at www.berserkerpedals.com and Reverb at a $149 street price.