Tap-dancing, noise-rocking Donna Diane conjures lightning and thunder by layering her Kurt Ballou-designed Craftsman guitar over a Moog Minitaur bass synth.
Facing a mandatory shelter-in-place ordinance to limit the spread of COVID-19, PG enacted a hybrid approach to filming and producing Rig Rundowns. This is the 27th video in that format.
For two people, Djunah deals a lot of volume. The Chicago-based duo is abrasive, angular, visceral, and brash—making them a perfect candidate to carry the flag of ’90s Windy City underground icons like Shellac, The Jesus Lizard, and Slint that all made a home at Chi-town’s indie Touch and Go Records.
When previous projects for Donna Diane (Beat Drun Juel) and drummer Nick Smalkowski (Fake Limbs) crumbled, they combined their volcanic tendencies and formed Djunah. Smalkowski has the tireless duty of propelling the song forward while maintaining its backbone. Donna Diane handles all the rest—she sings, plays guitar, and stomps bass notes with her feet thanks to a Roland-and-Moog hybrid command center.
After honing their kerranging, kinetic combo through rehearsals and tours, the pair traveled to Salem, MA, to record their 2019 debut Ex Voto with Converge guitarist and GodCity Studio overlord Kurt Ballou. (Ex Voto was mastered by Shellac bassist Bob Weston.)
Carving out some rock time, Donna Diane virtually welcomed PG’s Chris Kies into her jam room in Chicago. In this Rig Rundown, the ambitious, self-admitted neurotic musician opens up about crafting a singular sound with two instruments, how having a leg for a bass player is therapeutic, and extracting as much gear info from Kurt Ballou as possible. (Be sure to check out Donna’s channel for videos from her series Can I Touch Your Gear? including this episode with Kurt Ballou.)
A few years ago Kurt’s gear-tinkering lore started catching a buzz when he was handing out circuit-board business cards at NAMM. He’s since developed several pedals (some assembled, some in PCB form) and he’s now producing guitars all under God City Instruments. He’s officially released two models and the one above is his first design—the Craftsman Series 1.
This result is Donna Diane’s first “new” guitar she’s gotten in a long time. She preordered it online and recently scored it during quarantine. The first guitar model Ballou designed features a chambered mahogany body (something Donna says gives it unending sustain at high volumes), wenge top, set maple neck, wenge fretboard, Graph Tech hardware, and a single GCI Slugjammer that’s overwound to a spicy 13k.
During the Rundown, Donna admits to preferring single-coil tones, but has been enjoying the single humbucker as it provides her a moodier, cutting tone that isn’t lost when her guitar-and-synth setup is raging. Both her guitars take D’Addario NYXL .010–.046 strings.
“I’m in love with this P-90,” declares Diane. “It’s superhot and hits my amp unlike any other pickup.” Here is a 1967 Gibson SG that Donna first rocked in her previous band Beat Drun Juel. She found the ’60s player-grade axe at Rock N Roll Vintage in Chicago.
So why would someone already singing and playing guitar look to further complicate things by adding bass-guitar duties to one’s feet? In short, when Donna Diane’s previous band’s demise was apparent, she started plotting how she could continue into greener pastures by performing solo while still representing full bass tones. The experiment went well enough that she recruited Smalkowski on drums.
The solution is in the above collage: Top photo is the brains of the operation—Moog Minitaur Analog Bass Synth—while the bottom photo shows the controller—Roland PK-5A MIDI Pedal—that is engaged by Diane tap dancing on the key levers. Some of the programming and modding she’s done to the units are adding in an octave-up coating and slowing the filter sweep that provides a fuller, thicker, constant roar. (Not pictured: She also built an on/off switcher that brings in/out the sustain circuit on the Minitaur.)
And as for simultaneously pulling off singing, playing guitar, and tapping out bass notes, Diane says “I’m sometimes a person that is very over analytical that gets in my own head a lot and overthink things a lot,” admits Diane. “This actually is good therapy for me because when you overload the system with so many tasks you have to let go and it becomes an out-of-body experience.”
Her guitar signal runs into this 40-watt 1970s Traynor YSR-1 Custom Reverb that has a set of EL34s. In a live setting, she would blast that through an Emperor 2x12 loaded with Eminence Wizard speakers (underneath the Beta Lead head in the video), but for the Rundown she routed it through a Two Notes Torpedo Captor X Load Box/DI. (Here’s another nugget pulled from Ballou who guided her in this direction when during quarantine she asked him advice on how to build an iso box.)
“I originally tried the Moog Minitaur through several tube heads, but it didn’t sound good at all,” says Diane. “The 100-watt solid-state Sunn Beta Lead really accentuates and adds texture to the growl.”
Here are the five stomps that add filth and mystique to her guitar-and-bass tsunami. (Clockwise from top left) JPTR FX Add Violence Planetary Disorder Unit (a Univox Super Fuzz spin-off she runs with the synth), custom-built Bright Onion Pedals switcher (allows her to independently toggle her separate effects loops in/out for guitar and bass), God City Brutalist Jr. (she built the pedal around the circuit board sold by Kurt Ballou and digs its “darker, characterful gain”), GCI Badder Larry (another Ballou invention) was instrumental on Ex Voto for guitar distortion, and the EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job is set for a clean boost that equalizes the volume/tone differences between the Craftsman and SG.
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D'Addario XT Strings:https://www.daddario.com/XTRR
Empress Effects is proud to announce the release of the Bass ParaEq, a bass-specific parametric EQ pedal.
Building on the success of their acclaimed ParaEq MKII series, which has already gained popularity with bassists, the Bass ParaEq offers the same studio-grade precision but with features tailored for bass instruments.
Basses of all types – including electric and upright basses with active and passive electronics – can benefit from the Bass ParaEq’s tone-sculpting capabilities.
The new pedal follows the success of the Empress Bass Compressor and ParaEq MKII Deluxe, which have become some of the company’s best-reviewed and top-selling products. The Bass Compressor’s popularity confirmed what Empress had long suspected: bassists are eager for tools built with their needs in mind, not just adaptations of guitar gear.
The Bass ParaEq retains the line’s powerful 3-band parametric EQ and studio-style features while introducing a bass-optimized frequency layout, a selectable 10MΩ Hi-Z input for piezo-equipped instruments, a dynamically-adjusted low shelf, and automatic balanced output detection—perfect for live and studio use alike.
The Bass ParaEq also offers an output boost, adjustable by a dedicated top-mounted knob and activated by its own footswitch, capable of delivering up to 30dB of boost. It’s perfect for helping your bass punch through during key moments in live performance.
Whether dialing in clarity for a dense mix or compensating for an unfamiliar venue, the Bass ParaEq offers precise tonal control in a compact, road-ready form. With 27V of internal headroom to prevent clipping from even the hottest active pickups, the Bass ParaEq is the ultimate studio-style EQ designed to travel.
Key features of the Bass ParaEq include:
- Adjustable frequency bands tailored for bass instruments
- Selectable 10MΩ Hi-Z input for upright basses and piezo pickups
- Auto-detecting balanced output for long cable runs and direct recording
- Three sweepable parametric bands with variable Q
- High-pass, low-pass, low shelf, and high shelf filters
- Transparent analog signal path with 27V of internal headroom
- Buffered bypass switching
- Powered by standard 9V external supply, 300mA (no battery compartment)
The Bass ParaEq is now shipping worldwide. It can be purchased from the Empress Effects website for $374 USD and through authorized Empress dealers globally.
PG contributor Tom Butwin reveals his favorite songwriting secret weapon: the partial capo. Watch how the Shubb C7 and C8 can simulate alternate tunings without retuning your guitar—and spark fresh creative ideas instantly.
Shubb C8b Partial Capo for Drop-D Tuning - Brass
The C8 covers five of the six strings, leaving either the low E or high E string open, depending on how it's positioned.
- Standard setup: Placed on the 2nd fret while leaving the low E string open, it simulates Drop D-style sounds—except you're still in standard tuning (key of E). You get that big, droning bass feel without retuning.
- Reverse setup: Flipping the capo allows the high E string to ring, giving you shimmering drones and new melodic options across familiar chord shapes.
- A flexible tool that lets you simulate alternate tunings and create rich sonic textures—all while keeping your guitar in standard tuning.
Shubb C7b Partial Capo for DADGAD Tuning - Brass
The C7 covers three of the six strings—either D, G, and B or A, D, and G—depending on how it's flipped.
- Typical setup (D, G, B): Creates an open A chord shape at the 2nd fret without needing your fingers. This frees you up for new voicings and droning notes in the key of A.
- Reversed setup (A, D, G): Gets you close to a DADGAD-style tuning vibe, but still keeps you in standard tuning—great for modal, spacious textures often found in folk or cinematic guitar parts.
Use it alone or stack it with the C8 for wild, layered effects and truly out-of-the-box inspiration.
PRS Guitars celebrates 40 years with the limited edition McCarty SC56. Featuring vintage-inspired design and modern innovations, this single-cutaway guitar pays tribute to Ted McCarty and his impact on the industry. With only 400 pieces available, this instrument is a must-have for collectors and performers alike.
PRS Guitars today announced the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition. With a classic PRS single-cutaway body shape and carefully chosen specifications, the McCarty SC56 is both a tribute to tradition and a reliable tool for the modern performer. Only 400 pieces will be made.
“The SC56, signifying Singlecut and 1956, model is our most recent tribute to my late mentor Ted McCarty and his impact on the guitar industry. We started with our take on a classic late ‘50s singlecut body. 1956 marks the year that Ted first had guitars made with his newly coined 'humbucker' pickups. It also happens to be the year I was born. Bringing vintage design into the modern era, we loaded this model with our McCarty III pickups, meticulously designed to deliver warm, clear, vintage tone with exceptional note separation and dynamics,” said PRS Guitars Founder & Managing General Partner, Paul Reed Smith.
Anchored by a maple top and mahogany back, the 24.594” scale length and 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck work with Phase III non-locking tuners and PRS two-piece bridge to promote its musical sustain. The PRS McCarty III pickups are controlled by a simple layout — two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle on the upper bout.
Single-cutaway guitars are known to be heavier than their double-cutaway counterparts. The McCarty SC56 Limited Edition design incorporates weight-relief, decreasing the weight of the guitar by about 2/3 of a pound, while maintaining several points of attachment between the guitar top and back to eliminate the “hollow” sound of the cavities and promote tone transfer.
With appointments like binding on the fretboard, classic bird inlays, and a vintage-inspired nitrocellulose finish, the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition blends heritage and innovation into a timeless instrument.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025.
For more information, please visit prsguitars.com.
40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition | Demo | PRS Guitars - YouTube
The Future Impact V4 is an incredibly versatile pedal with an exceptional range of sounds. In addition to producing synthesizer sounds such as basses, leads and pads, it can function as an octaver, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, envelope filter, traditional wah-wah, tremolo, reverb, etc., and even has a built-in tuner. It can potentially replace an entire pedalboard of dedicated single-effect pedals.
The very powerful signal processor of the Future Impact V4 is able to replicate the various oscillator, filter, amplifier and envelope generator blocks found in classic synthesizers. In addition, it contains signal processing blocks more traditionally used for processing the sound of an instrument such as a harmonizer block and audio effects such as chorus, distortion and EQ. These architectures complement each other in a very flexible way.
Setting the standard for the bass guitar synth pedals since 2015, together with an enthusiastic community and long line of great artists, the Future Impact V4 is the guitar synth platform for the next decade.