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Speaker Geeks

When Louis Cato received this Univox LP-style as a gift in high school, it needed some major TLC. A few years later, it got some practical upgrades and now makes regular appearances with Cato on The Late Show.

Photo by Scott Kowalchyk

The self-described “utility knife” played drums with John Scofield and Marcus Miller and spent time in the studio with Q-Tip before landing on Stephen Colbert’s show as a multi-instrumentalist member of the house band. Now, he’s taken over as the show’s guitar-wielding bandleader and is making his mark.

It’s a classic old-school-show-biz move: Bring out the band, introduce them one by one, and build up the song to its explosive beginning. It’s fun, dramatic, audiences love it, and that’s how every The Late Show with Stephen Colbert taping starts.

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An aluminum dome looks pretty under stage lights, but it has an important job: protect the voice coil (left) and dissipate heat.

Image courtesy of Weber Speakers

Does the humble dustcap affect your sound? Here’s what you need to know.

“Hey man, I really like your guitar box thing."

“Oh, my amp? It's a '72 Fender Twin Reverb. I put new tubes in it, re-capped it, and modded the circuit for more—"

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