Somewhere, Clement Clarke Moore may be scoffing, but our columnist’s tone-crazy Santa brings all the goodies!
’Twas the night before New-Gear Day, when all through the house
Not a Pro Co RAT was stirring, not even a Blue Mouse;
Two microphones were hung by the 4x12 with care,
In hopes that no phase issues would ever be there;
The pedals were nestled all snug on their boards;
While visions of Sugar Drives danced in dream chords;
With my bandmates in bed, to enjoy decompression,
We’d just settled our brains from a long recording session,
When, coming from the studio, there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to the console for an EQ that’s flatter.
Away to the kit to make room for a splash,
I tightened up the snares and polished the crash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a sparkle and shine to my bluegrass banjo,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature Timmy, and the Lightspeed from Greer,
In a sleigh with a Driver so lively and thick,
I knew in a moment this was Gear St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his work-coursers came,
As he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Supro! Now, Marshall! Now Fender with Jensen!
On, Strymon! On, Empress! On Morgan and Benson!
To the Top Boost of the Vox! To the reverb of the hall!
Now dash away! Nash away! Bash away all!”
As bell-tones emerged from his wild Parker Fly,
They met shimmer and bloom from a tailing BigSky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of gear, and the Gear Santa, too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The sustain and the shake from his EarthQuaker Hoof.
As I plugged in my combo, and was turning around,
Down the chimney came St. Nick, to hear its ’53 tweed sound.
My tone was dressed up in fuzz, from a Stomp Under Foot,
And he dug all the layers of overdrive soot;
He left a bundle of cables, instrument and patch,
And power tubes that were rigorously matched.
My eyes—how they twinkled upon the sight of fresh strings!
And the joy that a Caroline Kilobyte brings!
With my mouth stuck agape by a Pedal Power 3,
I quickly stomped a new Honey Bee OD;
My excitement and joy was sure to wake those asleep,
So to the Iridium I routed, to make not a peep;
New Beyerdynamics would cover my ears
But out the corner of my eye, my bandmates appeared. With my sticksman enthralled by a brand-new kick drum,
My smiling bassist strapped on a JetGlo 4001;
With a check of the mic as I turned a tuning key
A song began as St. Nicholas did flee.
The room had been filled with the gear we did crave,
And the walls were now painted with fresh new soundwaves; Just like the snow, a pristine track was laid
Using Ableton Suite, our dreams had been made.
As we hung up the axes and flipped down the switches,
A stillness and calm o’er our fairytale wishes,
We retired to our beds and turned out the light:
“Happy New-Gear Day to all, and to all a good night!”
- State of the Stomp: Do I Need a Loop Switcher on My Pedalboard ... ›
- State of the Stomp: In Defense of Version 2 - Premier Guitar ›
- State of the Stomp: Build a Preset Volume Box - Premier Guitar ›
Metallica's M72 World Tour will be extended into a third year with 21 North American shows spanning April, May, and June 2025.
The M72 World Tour’s 2025 itinerary will continue the hallowed No Repeat Weekend tradition, with each night of the two-show stands featuring entirely different setlists and support lineups. These will include the band’s first Nashville shows in five years on May 1 and 3 at Nissan Stadium, as well as Metallica’s return to Tampa after 15 years on June 6 and 8 at Raymond James Stadium. M72 has also confirmed its much anticipated Bay Area hometown play, to take place June 20 and 22 with the band’s debut performances at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
In a new twist, M72 2025 will feature several single shows bringing the tour’s full production, with its massive in-the-round stage, to venues including two college football stadiums: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York on April 19, and Metallica's first ever visit to Blacksburg, Virginia, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies. The May 7 show at Lane Stadium will mark the culmination of 20+ years of “Enter Sandman” playing as the Hokies take the field.
In addition to playing football stadiums across the nation, the M72 World Tour’s 2025 itinerary will also include two festival headlines—the first being the opening night of the run April 12 at Sick New World at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. May 9 and 11 will then mark a festival/No Repeat Weekend combo as Metallica plays two headline sets at Sonic Temple at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Support on M72’s 2025 North American run will come from Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies and Ice Nine Kills. See below for specifics.
Additionally, M72 2025 will see Metallica’s long-awaited return to Australia and New Zealand.
M72’s 2025 North American leg is produced by Live Nation and presented by new sponsor inKind. inKind rewards diners with special offers and credit back when they use the app to pay at 2,000+ top-rated restaurants nationwide. The company provides innovative financing to participating restaurants in a way that enables new levels of sustainability and success. Metallica fans can learn more at inkind.com.
Citi is the official card of the M72 tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, September 24 at 10am local time until Thursday, September 26 at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program.
Verizon will offer an exclusive presale for the M72 tour in the U.S through Verizon Access, just for being a customer. Verizon Access Presale tickets for select shows will begin Tuesday, September 24 at 10am local time until Thursday, September 26 at 10pm local time.
* Citi and Verizon presales will not be available for Sick New World, Sonic Temple or the Toronto dates. Verizon presale will not be available for the Nashville, Blacksburg or Landover shows.
As always, a portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to local charities via the band’s All Within My Hands foundation. Established in 2017 as a way to give back to communities that have supported Metallica over the years, All Within My Hands has raised over $15 million – providing $8.2 million in grants to career and technical education programs including the ground-breaking Metallica Scholars Initiative, now in its sixth year, over $3.6 million to combat food insecurity, more than $3.5 million to disaster relief efforts.
For more information, please visit metallica.com.
Metallica M72 North America 2025 Tour Dates
April 12 Las Vegas, NV Sick New World @ Las Vegas Festival Grounds
April 19 Syracuse, NY JMA Wireless Dome *
April 24 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre *
April 26 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre +
May 1 Nashville, TN Nissan Stadium *
May 3 Nashville, TN Nissan Stadium +
May 7 Blacksburg, VA Lane Stadium *
May 9 Columbus, OH Sonic Temple @ Historic Crew Stadium
May 11 Columbus, OH Sonic Temple @ Historic Crew Stadium
May 23 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field +
May 25 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field *
May 28 Landover, MD Northwest Stadium *
May 31 Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium *
June 3 Atlanta, GA Mercedes-Benz Stadium *
June 6 Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium +
June 8 Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium *
June 14 Houston, TX NRG Stadium *
June 20 Santa Clara, CA Levi's Stadium +
June 22 Santa Clara, CA Levi's Stadium *
June 27 Denver, CO Empower Field at Mile High +
June 29 Denver, CO Empower Field at Mile High *
* Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies support
+ Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills supp
What are Sadler’s favorite Oasis jams? And if he ever shares a bill with Oasis and they ask him onstage, what song does he want to join in on?
Once the news of the Oasis reunion got out, Sadler Vaden hit YouTube hard on the tour bus, driving his bandmates crazy. The Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit guitarist has been a Noel Gallagher mega-fan since he was a teenager, so he joined us to wax poetic about Oasis’ hooks, Noel’s guitar sound, and the band’s symphonic melodies. What are Sadler’s favorite Oasis jams? And if he ever shares a bill with Oasis and they ask him onstage, what song does he want to join in on?
Check out the Epiphone Noel Gallagher Riviera Dark Wine Red at epiphone.com
EBS introduces the Solder-Free Flat Patch Cable Kit, featuring dual anchor screws for secure fastening and reliable audio signal.
EBS is proud to announce its adjustable flat patch cable kit. It's solder-free and leverages a unique design that solves common problems with connection reliability thanks to its dual anchor screws and its flat cable design. These two anchor screws are specially designed to create a secure fastening in the exterior coating of the rectangular flat cable. This helps prevent slipping and provides a reliable audio signal and a neat pedal board and also provide unparalleled grounding.
The EBS Solder-Free Flat Patch Cable is designed to be easy to assemble. Use the included Allen Key to tighten the screws and the cutter to cut the cable in desired lengths to ensure consistent quality and easy assembling.
The EBS Solder-Free Flat Patch Cable Kit comes in two sizes. Either 10 connector housings with 2,5 m (8.2 ft) cable or 6 connectors housings with 1,5 m (4.92 ft) cable. Tools included.
Use the EBS Solder-free Flat Patch Cable Kit to make cables to wire your entire pedalboard or to create custom-length cables to use in combination with any of the EBS soldered Flat Patch Cables.
Estimated Price:
MAP Solder-free Flat Patch Cable Kit 6 pcs: $ 59,99
MAP Solder-free Flat Patch Cable Kit 10 pcs: $ 79,99
MSRP Solder-free Flat Patch Cable Kit 6 pcs: 44,95 €
MSRP Solder-free Flat Patch Cable Kit 10 pcs: 64,95 €
For more information, please visit ebssweden.com.
Floyd Rose introduces new USA-made Original saddle sets in various configurations, crafted from premium hardened tool steel with precision CNC machining. Available in chrome and black finishes now.
The new facility offers immediate availability of the legendary Floyd Rose Original saddles in multiple radius configurations for the first time. Engineered to perfectly match specific fretboard curvatures, these saddle sets provide a range of radius options without the need for individual saddle shims. Alongside the classic 12” radius, Floyd Rose has unveiled 8”, 10”, 14”, 16”, and 17” radii saddle sets. Crafted from premium hardened tool steel with precision CNC machining and finished with durable, smooth plating, these saddles are built to withstand the demands of intense performances. Chrome and black sets of USA-made Floyd Rose Original Saddles in various radii are available now at the company’s website, followed by gold and black nickel finishes in the 4th quarter of 2024.
The new Floyd Rose manufacturing center in North Carolina was designed to meet growing demand while ensuring the highest quality available using modern high-tech processes. Bringing production in-house enhances control over every aspect of the process including engineering, material selection, quality control, and scheduling. The facility features four Haas VF-seriesCNC machines, delivering precision machining fine-tuned for high efficiency and clean surface finishes. Alongside machining, the company has established a state-of-the-art metal finishing department and acquired stamping equipment with new capabilities added monthly.
At the heart of the Floyd Rose USA manufacturing center is a dedicated team of engineers and technicians who excel in their craft and are deeply passionate about the legendary product line. With decades of collective experience, the company’s experts meticulously craft each component to exacting standards.
“We are ecstatic to be making these new Original saddles in the USA, giving us better control over quality and production times while offering more robust options like these new radii,” said Andrew Papiccio, longtime president of AP International Music Supply / Floyd Rose and an original owner of Kramer Guitars. "With this new state-of-the-art facility, we are poised todeliver unparalleled quality and performance to musicians worldwide. As we integrate newproducts into this facility, we are expanding our commitment to ‘Made in America’ craftsmanship.”
The company plans to ramp up production of parts and innovations at their USA factory forFloyd Rose and their new AxLabs Hardware division.
For more information, please visit floydrose.com.