Name: Russell Moser
Hometown: Sedro-Woolley, WashingtonGuitar: Warmoth Partscaster
I built this Warmoth Partscaster when I was a sophomore in high school (2010-11). I had an American Strat and a cool Squier Master Series Chambered Tele (still have them!), but I wanted a guitar tailored to my specs. After seeing Warmoth in the “Five Hot Rodders You Should Meet” article (January 2009), I chose them for my parts. It was a nice perk to discover that Warmoth is based about 90 miles south of my home in the Northwest corner of Washington State.
After saving a bunch of money (birthday, mowing lawns, etc.), I ordered a pewter Stratocaster body and a Warmoth Pro compound radius neck, Schaller locking tuners, a 2-post Fender tremolo, and a set of DiMarzio Strat-sized humbuckers (Tone Zone S in the bridge, Choppers in the neck and middle). I wired the guitar’s neck and bridge pickups to the same tone control, but with a push-pull coil tap. I played it in my high school jazz band and it played well, but after two years the wiring gave out and the guitar was relegated to the corner of my room as I went off to college and had no time to fix it.
Fast-forward four years: I decided to revive the guitar during the summer of 2016. I replaced virtually all the wiring except two of the pots and the pickups. The guitar is now wired like an American Strat with no push-pull pot, and a no-load tone-bypass pot for the bridge and neck pickups. After a quick setup by the guitar shop, this guitar plays like a dream.
It looks like a run-of-the-mill Strat, but with the compound radius neck and DiMarzios, this guitar can do anything from blues to shred. It has surprised some of my metal-head friends on how well it plays (I’m personally a blues and classic-rock guy). It took six years to complete but was totally worth it!
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Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.