There’s never been a better time to record guitar. Here’s a look at the newest toys out there.
Every year, guitar equipment gets more studio-friendly. Small tube amps—many with USB ports—analog and digital preamps, effects, guitar amp plug-ins, and other recording-ready devices are now about as novel as NFL end-zone celebrations. But because they fit under the banner of “guitar gear,” we’ll save those for our normal product review and news sections. Instead, this roundup highlights a dozen recent items you won’t find next to the stompboxes and Finger-Ease—software, mobile apps, mics, monitors, controllers, and other tools ranging in price from free to $2,000. Dig in.
Ableton Live Suite 9.5
DAW SoftwareWith upgraded sampling and other under-the-hood improvements, the latest version of Ableton’s unconventional DAW may seem like it’s squarely aimed at beat making. And that it is. But Live’s clip-based workflow also makes it a great platform for guitar production—especially if you’re into writing riffs and manipulating guitar sounds—and the audio improvements help there, too. Live’s formidable set of plug-ins includes decent guitar and bass amp simulations, but its strengths are in more unconventional audio processing—try running an arpeggio through Grain Delay—as well as easy and versatile looping and exceptionally effective pitch and tempo manipulation. Plus, the pitch-to-MIDI feature introduced in version 9.0—coupled with a nice complement of software instruments and audio content—lets you turn guitar parts into synth and drum tracks. With a foot controller like Keith McMillan Instruments’ 12-Step, the program can be an onstage performance powerhouse for a looping guitarist. Version 9.5 also introduces a new Link feature that lets multiple devices sync across a network. Along with Live, Ableton announced a new version of its controller-cum-instrument Push, a nice alternative for non-keyboard players. If you don’t need all the content included with the Suite, you can opt for Live on its own ($449). A fully functioning 30-day demo is available.
$749-799 street
ableton.com
Shure MOTiV Series
Mobile Recording DevicesThe ubiquitous SM57 and SM58 dynamic mics have given Shure a well-deserved reputation for durable performance. So when the company used “durable” to describe its new series of mobile recording devices, it got our attention. The MOTiV line includes the MV5 Digital Condenser Microphone ($99), MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone ($149), MV51 Digital Large-Diaphragm Condenser Microphone ($199), and MVi Digital Audio Interface ($129), all of which work with the free ShurePlus MOTIV Mobile Recording App.
Of the set, the MV88 and MVi seem to be especially guitar-friendly. The former may be especially appealing to acoustic players; it can connect directly to any Lightning-equipped iOS device and has a mid-side microphone element mounted to a rotatable 90-degree hinge. It also lets you tailor the sound with five built-in DSP preset modes, a 5-band EQ, and stereo width control. The MVi—which can connect to a Mac, PC, or iOS device—has two inputs: an XLR for mics and a 1/4" for instruments. It also offers phantom power, its own quintet of DSP modes, a headphone jack, and more. Bells and whistles aside, if the series comes close to matching the near indestructibility of Shure’s stage mics, they should be more than capable of standing up to the rigors of recording in the field.
$99-$199 street
shure.com
iZotope Spire
Recording AppComputer software and mobile apps are great music-making tools. But for all their power, neither has quite managed to capture the elegant simplicity of the old cassette 4-track. Izotope’s Spire comes close—largely because the app doesn’t try to do too much, and doesn’t get bogged down in retro emulations. Using the touch screen to maximize efficiency, the program lets you record up to four tracks and mix by simply sliding each track around on your screen—up for louder, left or right for stereo placement. There are no effects, but the app does include a metronome and DSP processing on the input to improve the sound of your mobile device’s built-in mic. Mixes are easy to share, either as compressed AAC files (for emailing) or as full AIFFs in Google Drive and other cloud services. And did we mention it’s free?
Free
madewithspire.com
Audient iD14
InterfaceWhen you’re on the go, it’s nice to have an audio interface that can be powered from your computer’s USB port. But bus-powered and high-performance don’t always go hand in hand. Audient’s new iD14, however, boasts a few features that add some muscle to its bus-powered frame. In addition to two analog inputs with high-performance Burr-Brown AD/DA converters, the iD14 has an ADAT optical connection that lets you add eight digital inputs from an external mixer or preamp. The two phantom-powered mic preamps are borrowed from the company’s flagship ASP8024 console, while a switchable 1/4" instrument input has guitar-friendly JFET circuitry.
The iD14 also introduces a feature called ScrollControl, which lets you use the unit’s volume encoder (that’s “knob” to you and me) as a mouse-like scroll wheel. It can adjust the iD14’s mixer app as well as your DAW host software, plug-ins, and more. Other highlights include a low-latency DSP mixer, a pair of speaker outputs, and an independent headphone output with software-controlled monitoring, all packed into a small but rugged all-metal enclosure.
$299 street
audient.com
Etymotic ER•4 microPro
EarphonesHeadphones are crucial in many recording situations, and while we love conventional cans, there are also times when we say “stick it in your ear”—in the nicest possible way. Etymotic, a company that makes a wide range of hearing protection and safe-listening devices, has a solid reputation for combining high fidelity and hearing safety, which is why its ER•4 earphones make this list. When inserted correctly, ER•4s are designed to block outside noise and provide a balanced sound with plenty of bass. The logic is that, because you don’t have to crank up to overcome outside noise, you’ll listen at a safer volume, so if you’re recording in a room full of amps, next to a loud drummer, or mixing in the outside world, these should have you covered. Each set comes with a number of ear-tips, but if you have the budget for the optional custom-molded ear-tips, they’re said to improve the noise-blocking seal. If the ER•4s are too rich for your budget, you might check out the lower-priced hf3s ($149).
$299 street
etymotic.com
Eventide Anthology X
Plug-in SuiteEver wonder why your stompboxes never quite matched the creamy chorus and shimmery pitch shifting of Frank Zappa or Eddie Van Halen? More likely than not, that sound was provided by an Eventide Harmonizer. The Anthology X bundle is designed to capture the company’s classic hardware in native plug-in form, while adding what they’re calling “future classics.” A number of the 17 plug-ins emulate vintage hardware with serious guitar bona fides, including the H910 Harmonizer (favored by Frank Zappa), Omnipressor (Brian May), H949 and Instant Phaser (both used by Jimmy Page), and the H3000, a late-’80s multi-effects powerhouse that was the first device to boast diatonic pitch shifting. The set also sports Eventide effects of more recent vintage, including UltraReverb (which has nine algorithms) and Octavox (an eight-voice diatonic pitch shifter using technology from the company’s H8000 hardware)—as well as EQs, channel strips, mastering plug-ins, and more. If the Anthology’s asking price is out of reach, you might opt for the H3000 Factory ($349), which recreates most of the effects found in the original. Demo versions are available by request.
$1,195
eventide.com
Radial Engineering Headload Prodigy
DI and AttenuatorIt’s no secret that power tubes can be shy about unveiling their charms unless you push them a bit. It’s also no secret that “loud amp” and “good recording” rarely go hand-in-hand: Even if you don’t have neighbors to worry about, a loud amp in a small room can be a nightmare to mic, and often ends up sounding thin. Radial’s rugged new Headload Prodigy lets you tackle both problems at the same time. A smaller, more affordable version of the Headload ($899), the Prodigy is housed in a 14-gauge steel chassis and combines a speaker load box with a DI output, letting you reduce the volume going to your amp’s speaker by 50 percent (for miking) and simultaneously send the power amp’s output directly to a mixing console or recording device. The Prodigy has custom-made, cement-encrusted resister coils, and it can handle up to 100 watts RMS and also operate as a full “dummy” load, allowing you to safely disconnect your amp’s speaker and record in silence. Depending on the output you choose to connect, you can take the amp’s tone “dry” or with EQ and an emulation of a 4x12 half stack miked by a Shure SM57. Other highlights include an XLR output with switchable polarity and ground lift, a 2-band front-panel EQ, and a headphone jack with its own volume control.
$399 street
radialeng.com
PreSonus R65
Active MonitorWhen it comes to mixing guitars, the low to low-mid frequencies are often a battle zone. You want to preserve your axe’s bottom without cluttering up territory rightfully claimed by the bass and kick drum. Small monitors—especially when they’re underpowered—can cloud this crucial frequency range, but with 100 watts going to a 6.5" coated Kevlar woofer—and another 50 going to a custom Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter—the R65 Active Monitor is designed to handle lows while responding to transients as well as anything of its size and price point. Offering a 50 Hz to 25 kHz frequency response, the monitor can be adjusted with a set of Acoustic Tuning switches, including Acoustic Space (designed to compensate for the bass boost that can occur when a monitor is placed near a wall or corner) as well as settings for the tweeter and for use with or without a subwoofer. There are both balanced (XLR and 1/4") and unbalanced (RCA) connections for use with pro and semi-pro recording gear. The R80 ($499.95) offers similar features with an 8" woofer, extending the low-end response down to 45 Hz.
$399 street
presonus.com
Steinberg UR22mkII
InterfaceIf you’re new to digital recording or want a portable audio/MIDI interface for both computer and iOS devices, Steinberg’s new UR22mkII might be a good fit. Picking up where the original UR22 left off, this compact device offers two analog inputs with phantom power via Neutrik combo 1/4"-XLR connections, along with 1/4" monitor outputs and a headphone jack with its own volume control. One of the UR22’s two class-A D-PRE microphone preamps can be switched to high-impedance mode for use with guitar and bass. Like the original UR22, the mkII offers audio resolutions of up to 24-bit/192 kHz, fast USB 2.0 connectivity, and an onboard mix control that lets you dial in zero-latency monitoring. The mkII version adds a class-compliant mode for mobile use (you’ll need an optional adapter) and comes with free “lite” versions of Steinberg’s flagship Cubase DAW: Cubase AI (for Mac or PC), and Cubasis LE for iPad. With a rugged metal casing and a loopback function (which lets you combine your live performance with computer audio and stream your music to the internet in real time), the unit seems especially well suited to live recording and computer-aided gigging.
$149 street
steinberg.net
Behringer X-Touch Compact
Control SurfaceWhen you’re a guitarist, mouse jockeying and track padding are more than inconvenient—they can be damaging. We know more than a handful of player-producers who blame their carpal tunnel on the constant slide-and-click movements required to run a DAW. A control surface, therefore, is a worthy investment. There are many from which to choose, but the price, size, and features of the X-Touch Compact make it especially appealing. With Mackie Control emulation, it’s designed to work with just about every DAW and/or software instrument on the market, and its “dual layer” mode lets you quickly toggle between DAW and instrument parameters. It has nine automated, touch-sensitive 100 mm (think “full-sized”) faders, 16 rotary controls with LEDs to indicate each knob’s position, and 39 illuminated buttons (the latter group includes a full tape-style transport section). A pair of 1/4" inputs lets you add a footswitch and/or expression pedal—helpful when you need to punch in and out while playing your axe. The X-Touch comes pre-configured for a number of popular programs, but there’s also free downloadable editor software if you want to customize the controls. Once connected to the computer via USB, it can even serve as a MIDI interface, and multiple units can be ganged together for extended control. A three-year warranty doesn’t hurt, either.
$399 street
music-group.com/brand/behringer/home
Avid Pro Tools 12
DAW SoftwareWhen Pro Tools 12 was unveiled at the 2015 NAMM Show, it made news—and not just because it added important features to an already powerful program. The bigger story—which has implications beyond the DAW itself—was that Pro Tools would now be available via subscriptions, as well as through the outright purchase of a $599 “perpetual license.” Subscribers have two options: month-to-month ($29.99) and annual (12 monthly payments of $24.92). Every subscriber gets access to the latest version of the software, and each time there’s an update, it becomes accessible. If you do decide to buy, you still subscribe to future updates for $99 per year. This “subscription” upgrade path is intriguing because it removes the developer’s incentive to hold new features until a future major upgrade, instead making them available as soon as they’re ready.
By the time we went to press, Pro Tools was already up to version 12.3, and since the initial release, the software has added more tracks, new plug-ins, and some significant operational enhancements, including a new “commit” feature that can be used to free plug-in resources. There’s also a free remote iOS app that lets you control the software via touch screen—great if you’re manning the guitar and don’t want to be near your computer.
Under the old system, any or all of the above might have been saved for a “version 13” release sometime down the road, and owners of the old version would have to decide when and if to pony up for its replacement. As for the software itself, it’s as robust and guitar-friendly as ever. If you’ve never used Pro Tools or haven’t gotten your hands on a recent version, you can get a feel for it with the free-yet-effective Pro Tools | First version. But as for our early point about the wider implications of Pro Tools new pay-to-play options, Avid wasn’t the only music developer to launch a subscription plan in 2015: EastWest did so with Composer Cloud ($29.99/month) and Noteflight scoring software also offers subscription plans starting at $49 a year.
$24.92-29.99/month, $599 (plus $99 per year for updates)
avid.com
Royer Labs R-122 MKII
MicrophoneNo wish list would be complete without at least one high-ticket item. At an MSRP of nearly two grand, Royer’s new “MKII” version of the venerable R-122 ribbon microphone definitely qualifies. Once an endangered species, ribbon mics are now among the most popular choices for guitar duty, handling both cabinets and acoustic guitars with equal grace. And if one company is responsible for the ribbon revival, it’s Royer, which introduced the original R-122 back in 2002. It was the first phantom-powered, active ribbon mic to hit the market, and its real-world versatility has been winning converts ever since. The R-122 MKll increases that versatility with a switchable -15 dB pad and a switchable bass-cut filter. Put in guitar terms, they’re both “true bypass”—when they’re off, the MKII functions like an original R-122. Sweet.
$1,850 street
royerlabs.com
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Walrus Audio Fundamental Series Distortion
- Controls: Gain, Tone, Volume
- Modes: Dark, Silicon, LED
- Power Requirements: 100mA minimum
Positive Grid Spark Mini 10W Portable Smart Guitar Amp & Bluetooth Speaker
- Portable guitar amp & Bluetooth speaker with powerful, multi-dimensional sound. Rechargeable battery delivers up to 8 hrs of listening or play time.
- Free accompanying smart app included (iOS or Android) with Auto Chords, video creation & access to 50,000+ tones and more for never-ending inspiration.
- A mini guitar amp that jams along with you: All-new Smart Jam Live uses machine learning technology to build bass and drum backing tracks based on your playing style.
D'Addario Guitar Strings - XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings - 10-46 Regular Light, 5-Pack
- BESTSELLING SET – XL Nickel are our best-selling electric guitar strings, revered by players since 1974.
- VERSATILE, BRIGHT TONE – Nickel-plated steel wrap wire provides a bright, versatile electric guitar tone, great for a variety of musical genres.
- FOR THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE – Like all D’Addario electric guitar strings, XL Nickel are made with our proprietary Hex-Core, ensuring perfect intonation, consistent feel, and reliable durability.
Fender Squier 3/4-Size Kids Mini Strat Electric Guitar - Surf Green Bundle
- 3/4-size body; 22.75" scale length
- Ideal size for children ages 6 to 12 years
- Three single-coil Stratocaster pickups with five-way switching, and vintage-style hardtail Stratocaster bridge
- Bundle includes Guitar, Amplifier, Instrument Cable, Tuner, Strap, Picks, Fender Play Online Lessons, and Austin Bazaar Instructional DVD
Dunlop MXR Micro Chorus
- All analog circuitry with bucket brigade technology
- Rich chorus textures
- True bypass
Fender Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar - Sunburst Bundle
- This guitar also features scalloped "X"-bracing, mahogany neck.
- It features a durable dark-stained maple fingerboard to give you an instrument that looks as good as it sounds.
- With its slim, easy-to-play neck and full-bodied dreadnought tone, the SA-150 is an ideal choice for all rookie strummers.
STRICH TSUNAMI Overdrive
- WARM & HOT OVERDRIVE MODES: Easily switch between warm and hot overdrive tones. Warm mode delivers rich, bluesy overdrive, while Hot mode offers more aggressive drive.
- PRECISE CONTROL: Dial in your perfect sound with VOL, GAIN, and TONE knobs for volume, distortion level, and tone
- COMPACT & PRACTICAL: Utilizes an aluminum alloy sturdy, tough, and stable casing. The compact cigar-box design saves pedalboard space and facilitates portability for performances.
Fender Professional Series Tweed Instrument Cable, Daphne Blue, 18.6ft
- 8mm outer diameter wire jacket
- 22 AWG
- 95% OFC spiral shielding
- Nickel-plated connectors
Sennheiser Professional e 609 Silver Super-Cardioid Instrument Microphone
MOOER GE100 Multi-Effects Guitar Pedal
72PCS Guitar Tool Kit
- 【Multifunctional Use】Available for changing strings, setting intonation, adjusting action or checking string height, perfect for stringed instrument cleaning, maintenance and repair.Dedicated to the most common guitar repairs and adjustments.
- 【Widely Application Area】72 Pcs tool set is a superb choice for most guitar repairs.Ideal for electric guitars, basses, mandolins, banjos, Hawaiian ukuleles, and other stringed instruments for necessary measurements and adjustments.
- 【Tool Bag Included】 Assortment of necessary tools are in one bag. We not only provide a large package, we also provide each accessory with a small individual package. You can protect and store these tools well to prevent loss and mess.
LAVA ME AIR Portable Carbon Fiber Electric-Acoustic Guitar, Travel Guitar for Beginners
- htweight at 4.3 lb, thin and portable
- Capable magnetic pickup, clear sound & low feedback
- Customizable digital knobs and presets
In our annual pedal report, we review 20 new devices from the labs of large and boutique builders.
Overall, they encompass the historic arc of stompbox technology from fuzz and overdrives, to loopers and samplers, to tools that warp the audio end of the space-time continuum. Click on each one to get the full review as well as audio and video demos.
DigiTech JamMan Solo HD Review
Maybe every guitarist’s first pedal should be a looper. There are few more engaging ways to learn than playing along to your own ideas—or programmed rhythms, for that matter, which are a component of the new DigiTech JamMan Solo HD’s makeup. Beyond practicing, though, the Solo HD facilitates creation and fuels the rush that comes from instant composition and arrangement or jamming with a very like-minded partner in a two-man band.
Click here to read the review.
Warm Audio Warm Bender Review
In his excellent videoFuzz Detective, my former Premier Guitar colleague and pedal designer Joe Gore put forth the proposition that theSola Sound Tone Bender MkII marked the birth of metal. TakeWarm Audio’s Warm Bender for a spin and it’s easy to hear what he means. It’s nasty and it’s heavy—electrically awake with the high-mid buzz you associate with mid-’60s psych-punk, but supported with bottom-end ballast that can knock you flat (which may be where the metal bit comes in).
Click here to read the review.
Walrus Monumental Harmonic Stereo Tremolo Review
Among fellow psychedelic music-making chums in the ’90s, few tools were quite as essential as a Boss PN-2 Tremolo Pan. Few of us had two amplifiers with which we could make use of one. But if you could borrow an amp, you could make even the lamest riff sound mind-bending.
Click here to read the review.
MXR Layers Review
It’s unclear whether the unfortunate term “shoegaze” was coined to describe a certain English indie subculture’s proclivity for staring at pedals, or their sometimes embarrassed-at-performing demeanor. The MXR Layers will, no doubt, find favor among players that might make up this sect, as well as other ambience-oriented stylists. But it will probably leave players of all stripes staring floorward, too, at least while they learn the ropes with this addictive mashup of delay, modulation, harmonizer, and sustain effects.
Click here to read the review.
Wampler Mofetta Review
Wampler’s new Mofetta is a riff on Ibanez’s MT10 Mostortion, a long-ago discontinued pedal that’s now an in-demand cult classic. If you look at online listings for the MT10, you’ll see that asking prices have climbed up to $1k in extreme cases.
Click here to read the review.
Catalinbread StarCrash Fuzz Review
Although inspired by the classic Fuzz Face, this stomp brings more to the hair-growth game with wide-ranging bias and low-cut controls.
Red Panda Radius Review
Intrepid knob-tweakers can blend between ring mod and frequency shifting and shoot for the stars.
Electro-Harmonix LPB-3 Linear Power Booster and EQ Review
Descended from the first Electro-Harmonix pedal ever released, the LPB-1 Linear Power Booster, the new LPB-3 has come a long way from the simple, one-knob unit in a folded-metal enclosure that plugged straight into your amplifier. Now living in Electro-Harmonix’s compact Nano chassis, the LPB-3 Linear Power Booster and EQ boasts six control knobs, two switches, and more gain than ever before.
JFX Pedals Deluxe Modulation Ensemble Review
This four-in-one effects box is a one-stop shop for Frusciante fans, but it’s also loaded with classic-rock swagger.
Origin Effects Cali76 FET Review
The latest version of this popular boutique pedal adds improved metering and increased headroom for a more organic sound.
JAM Fuzz Phrase Si Review
Everyone has records and artists they indelibly associate with a specific stompbox. But if the subject is the silicon Fuzz Face, my first thought is always of David Gilmour and the Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii film. What you hear in Live at Pompeii is probably shaped by a little studio sweetening. Even still, the fuzz you hear in “Echoes” and “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”—well, that is how a fuzz blaring through a wall of WEM cabinets in an ancient amphitheater should sound, like the sky shredded by the wail of banshees.
Fishman EchoBack Mini Delay Review
As someone who was primarily an acoustic guitarist for the first 16 out of 17 years that I’ve been playing, I’m relatively new to the pedal game. That’s not saying I’m new to effects—I’ve employed a squadron of them generously on acoustic tracks in post-production, but rarely in performance. But I’m discovering that a pedalboard, particularly for my acoustic, offers the amenities and comforts of the hobbit hole I dream of architecting for myself one day in the distant future.
RJM Full English Programmable Overdrive Review
Programmability and preset storage aren’t generally concerns for the average overdrive user. But if expansive digital control for true analog drive pedals becomes commonplace, it will be because pedals like the Full English Programmable Overdrive from RJM Music Technology make it fun and musically satisfying.
Strymon BigSky MX Review
Strymon calls the BigSky MX pedal “one reverb to rule them all.” Yep, that’s a riff on something we’ve heard before, but in this case it might be hard to argue. In updating what was already one of the market’s most comprehensive and versatile reverbs, Strymon has created a reverb pedal that will take some players a lifetime to fully explore. That process is likely to be tons of fun, too.
JHS Hard Drive Review
JHS makes many great and varied overdrive stomps. Their Pack Rat is a staple on one of my boards, and I can personally attest to the quality of their builds. The new Hard Drive has been in the works since as far back as 2016, when Josh Scott and his staff were finishing off workdays by jamming on ’90s hard rock riffs.
Keeley I Get Around Review
A highly controllable, mid-priced rotary speaker simulator inspired by the Beach Boys that nails the essential character of a Leslie—in stereo.
Cusack Project 34 Selenium Rectifier Pre/Drive
The term “selenium rectifier” might be Greek to most guitarists, but if it rings a bell with any vintage-amp enthusiasts that’s likely because you pulled one of these green, sugar-cube-sized components out of your amp’s tube-biasing network to replace it with a silicon diode.
Vox Real McCoy VRM-1 Review
Some pedals are more fun than others. And on the fun spectrum, a new Vox wah is like getting a bike for Christmas. There’s gleaming chrome. It comes in a cool vinyl pouch that’s hipper than a stocking. Put the pedal on the floor and you feel the freedom of a marauding BMX delinquent off the leash, or a funk dandy cool-stepping through the hot New York City summertime. It’s musical motion. It’s one of the most stylish effects ever built. A good one will be among the coolest-sounding, too.
A familiar-feeling looper occupies a sweet spot between intuitive and capable.
Intuitive operation. Forgiving footswitch feel. Extra features on top of basic looping feel like creative assets instead of overkill.
Embedded rhythm tracks can sneak up on you if you’re not careful about the rhythm level.
$249
DigiTech JamMan Solo HD
digitech.com
Maybe every guitarist’s first pedal should be a looper. There are few more engaging ways to learn than playing along to your own ideas—or programmed rhythms, for that matter, which are a component of the new DigiTech JamMan Solo HD’s makeup. Beyond practicing, though, the Solo HD facilitates creation and fuels the rush that comes from instant composition and arrangement or jamming with a very like-minded partner in a two-man band.
Loopers can be complex enough to make beginners cry. They are fun if you have time to venture for whole weeks down a rabbit hole. But a looper that bridges the functionality and ease-of-use gap between the simplest and most maniacal ones can be a sweet spot for newbies and seasoned performers both. The JamMan Solo HD lives squarely in that zone. It also offers super-high sound quality and storage options, and capacity that would fit the needs of most pros—all in a stomp just millimeters larger than a Boss pedal.
Fast Out of the Blocks
Assuming you’ve used some kind of rudimentary looper before, there’s pretty decent odds you’ll sort out the basic functionality of this one with a couple of exploratory clicks of the footswitch. That’s unless you’ve failed to turn down the rhythm-level knob, in which case you’ll be scrambling for the quick start guide to figure out why there is a drum machine blaring from your amp. The Solo HD comes loaded with rhythm tracks that are actually really fun to use and invaluable for practice. In the course of casually exploring these, I found them engaging and vibey enough to be lured into crafting expansive dub reggae jams, thrashing punk riffs, and lo-fi cumbias. Removing these tracks from a given loop is just a matter of turning the rhythm volume to zero. You can also create your own guide rhythms with various percussion sounds.
Backing tracks aside, creating loops on the Solo HD involves a common single-click-to-record, double-click-to-stop footswitch sequence. Recording an overdub takes another single click, and you hold the footswitch down to erase a loop. Storing a loop requires a simple press-and-hold of the store switch. The sizable latching footswitch, which looks and feels quite like those on Boss pedals, is forgiving and accurate. This has always been a strength of JamMan loopers, and though I’m not completely certain why, it means I screw up the timing of my loops a lot less.
Many players will be satisfied with how easy this functionality is and explore little more of the Solo HD’s capabilities. And why not? The storage capacity—up to 35 minutes of loops and 10 minutes for individual loops—is enough that you can craft a minor prog-rock suite from these humble beginnings. Depending on how economical your loops are, you can use all or most of the 200 available memory locations built into the Solo HD. But you can also add another 200 with an SD/SDHC card.Deeper into Dubs
Loopers have always been more than performance and practice tools for me. I have old multitrack demos that still live in the memory banks of my oldest loopers. And just as with any demos, the sounds you create with the Solo HD may be tough to top or duplicate, which can mean a loop becomes the foundation of a whole recorded song. The Solo HD’s tempo and reverse features, which can completely mutate a loop, make this situation even more likely. The tempo function raises or lowers the BPM without changing the pitch of the loop. As a practice tool, this is invaluable for learning a solo at a slower clip. But drastically altered tempos can also help create entirely new moods for a musical passage without altering a favorite key to sing or play in. Some of these alterations reveal riffs and hooks within riffs and hooks, from which I would happily build a whole finished work. The reverse function is similarly inspiring and a source of unusual textures that can be the foundation for a more complex piece.
HD, of course, stands for high definition. And the Solo HD’s capacity for accurate, dense, and detail-rich stacks of loops means you can build complex musical weaves highlighting the interaction between overtones or timbre differences among other effects in your chain. I can’t remember the last time I felt like a looper’s audio resolution was really lacking. But the improved quality here lends itself to using the Solo HD as a song-arranging tool—and, again, as a recording asset, if you want a looped idea to form the backbone of a recording.
The Verdict
With a looper, smooth workflow is everything. And though it takes practice and some concentration in the early going to extract the most from the Solo HD’s substantial feature set, it is, ultimately, a very intuitive instrument that will not just smooth the use of loops in performance, but extend and enhance its ability as a right-brain-oriented driver of composition and creation.
Three thrilling variations on the ’60s-fuzz theme.
Three very distinct and practical voices. Searing but clear maximum-gain tones. Beautiful but practically sized.
Less sensitive to volume attenuation than some germanium fuzz circuits.
$199
Warm Audio Warm Bender
warmaudio.com
In his excellent videoFuzz Detective, my former Premier Guitar colleague and pedal designer Joe Gore put forth the proposition that theSola Sound Tone Bender MkII marked the birth of metal. TakeWarm Audio’s Warm Bender for a spin and it’s easy to hear what he means. It’s nasty and it’s heavy—electrically awake with the high-mid buzz you associate with mid-’60s psych-punk, but supported with bottom-end ballast that can knock you flat (which may be where the metal bit comes in).
The Warm Bender dishes these sounds with ease and savage aplomb. Outwardly, it honors the original MkII—a good way to go given that the original Sola Sound unit is one the most stylish effects ever built. But the 3-transistor NOS 75 MkII is only one of the Warm Bender’s personalities. You can also switch to a 2-transistor NOS 76 circuit, aka the Tone Bender MkI. There’s also a silicon 3-transistor Tone Bender circuit, a twist explored by several modern boutique builders. Each of these three voices can be altered further by the crown-mounted sag switch, which starves the circuit of voltage, reducing power from 9 to 6 volts. From these three circuits, the Warm Bender conjures voices that are smooth, responsive, ragged, mean, mangled, clear, and positively fried.
The Compact Wedge Edge
Warm Audio, quite wisely, did not put the Warm Bender in an authentically, full-size Tone Bender enclosure, which would gobble a lot of floor space. But this smaller, approximately 2/3-scale version, complete with a Hammerite finish, looks nearly as hip. It’s sturdy, too. The footswitch and jacks are affixed directly to the substantial enclosure entirely apart from the independently mounted through-hole circuit board, which, for containing three circuits rather than one, is larger and more densely populated than the matchbox-sized circuit boards in a ’60s Tone Bender. Despite the more cramped quarters, there’s still room for a 9V battery if you choose to run it that way. Topside, there’s not much to the Warm Bender. There’s a chicken-head knob for output volume, another for gain, and a third that switches between the NOS 76, NOS 75, and silicon modes. Even the most boneheaded punk could figure this thing out.
A Fuzz Epic in Three Parts
Most Warm Bender customers will find their way to the pedal via MkII lust. If you arrive here by that route you won’t be disappointed. The Warm Bender’s NOS 75 setting delivers all the glam-y, proto-metal, heavy filth you could ask for. It sounded every bit as satisfying as my own favorite MkII clone save for a hint of extra compression that falls well within the bounds of normal vintage fuzz variation. My guess is that when you’re ripping through “Dazed and Confused” you won’t give a hoot.
“There’s more color and air in the NOS 76 mode.”
If the NOS 75 circuit suffers by comparison to anything, it’s the 2-transistor friend next door, the NOS 76. The lower-gain NOS 76 mode is, to my ears, the most appealing of the three. It’s the most dynamic in terms of touch response and guitar volume attenuation and delivers the clearest clean tones when you use either technique. There’s more color and air in the NOS 76 mode, too. Paired with a neck-position single-coil, it’s an excellent alternative for Hendrix and Eddie Hazel low-gain mellow fuzz that’s more like dirty overdrive. The silicon mode, meanwhile, lives on the modern borderlands of the ’60s-fuzz spectrum. It’s super-aggressive and focused, which can be really useful depending on the setting, but lo-fi, spitty, and weird when starved of voltage via the sag switch. It’s deviant-sounding stuff, but extends the Warm Bender’s performance envelope in useful ways, particularly if you hunt for unique fuzz tones in the studio.
There’s a widely accepted bit of wisdom that says most germanium fuzzes sound lousy unless you turn up everything all the way and use your guitar controls to tailor the tone. This is partly true, especially with a Fuzz Face. But in general, I respectfully disagree and present the Warm Bender as exhibit A in this defense. The gain and volume controls both have considerable range and fascinating shades of fuzz within that can still rise above the din of a raging band.
The Verdict
Some potential customers might balk at the notion of a $199 vintage-style fuzz made in China—no matter how cool it looks. But the Warm Bender looks and feels well made. The sound and tactile sensations in the three circuits are truly different enough to be three individual effects, and $199 for three fuzz pedals is a sweet deal—particularly when consolidated in a stompbox that looks this cool. There is a lot of variation in old Tone Benders, and how these takes on the circuits compare to your idea of true vintage Tone Bender sound will be subjective. But I heard the essence of both the MkI and MkII here very clearly and would have no qualms about using the Warm Bender in a session that called for an extra-authentic mid-’60s fuzz texture.