ZOOM AC-3 Acoustic Creator
This acoustic-focused DI adds a bit of digital-modeling mojo to help shape the sound of your guitar to one of 15 target models. Also in the mix are a handful of useful modulation effects, compression, and a boost.
$299 street
zoomcorp.com
Audio Sprockets Tone Dexter
Rather than just plugging in and dialing some knobs, you train this inventive DI by miking up your guitar and allowing the unit to learn about any missing aural info. Once the wave map is saved, you can pull it up on the gig.
$399 street
audiosprockets.com
Mesa/Boogie Rosette
The focus is on massaging those pesky frequencies with a sweepable midrange control, a 4-band EQ, and a powerful filter section. Dual outputs and an effects loop round out this acoustic picker's playground.
$379 street
mesaboogie.com
Tech 21 Acoustic Fly Rig
Building upon the company's line of slim multi-effects units, this version comes with a special notch-filter equipped SansAmp, reverb, compressor, XLR output, and much more.
$299 street
tech21nyc.com
Radial AC-Driver
This compact preamp only delivers the most essential features for acoustic instruments, with streamlined EQ controls, a tuner out, and a customizable notch filter—making this high-quality circuit a pedalboard space saver.
$149 street
radialeng.com
L.R. Baggs VoicePrint DI
This tech-heavy stomp uses the power of your phone to leverage a custom impulse response to improve your tone. With a few strums and taps, the Voiceprint learns all it needs to know about your guitar and what frequencies it needs.
$399 street
lrbaggs.com
Fishman ToneDEQ
This pro-level DI also adds a handful of modulation effects into the mix, including reverb, delay, tremolo, and flanger, for your more cosmic acoustic adventures.
$319 street
fishman.com
Boss AD-10
If you only can pack one pedal for the gig, the AD-10 offers a wealth of features for the solo singer/songwriter, including an 80-second looper to cop those Ed Sheeran vibes. Dual inputs, stereo outputs, and an effects loop make Boss' flagship acoustic stomp hard to beat.
$359 street
boss.info
BBE Acoustimax
A medium-sized mothership that offers all the essential EQ controls that acoustic pickers value. Bonus features include tuner out, effects loop and line out, plus an XLR output.
$169 street
bbesound.com
Grace Design Felix2
This sleek all-in-one preamp is a dream machine for those who need minute control of every wave of their tone. The latest iteration sports variable phase control, more EQ, and a built-in headphone amp for easy practicing.
$1,075 street
gracedesign.com
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Sterling Vermin RAT
The Sterling Vermin was born from a desire for something different — something refined, with the soul of a traditional RAT pedal, but with a voice all its own.
Built in small batches and hand-soldered in ACT’s Jackson, Missouri headquarters, the Sterling Vermin is a work of pure beauty that honors the brand legacy while taking a bold step forward for creativity.
The Sterling Vermin features the LM741 Op-Amp and a pair of selectable clipping diodes. Players can toggle between the traditional RAT silicon diode configuration for a punchy, mid-range bite, or the BAT41 option for a smoother, more balanced response. The result is a pedal that’s equally at home delivering snarling distortion or articulate, low-gain overdrive, with a wide, usable tonal range throughout the entire gain spectrum.
The pedal also features CTS pots and oversized knobs for even, responsive control that affords a satisfying smoothness to the rotation, with just the right amount of tension. Additionally, the polished stainless-steel enclosure with laser-annealed graphics showcases the merging of the pedal’s vintage flavor and striking design.
From low-gain tones reminiscent of a Klon or Bluesbreaker, to high-gain settings that flirt with Big Muff territory — yet stay tight and controlled — the Sterling Vermin is a masterclass in dynamic distortion. With premium components, deliberate design and a focus on feel, the Sterling Vermin is more than a pedal, it’s a new chapter for RAT.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
