special featured stories

Dip a toe in the jazz-blues pool with these simple chord subs.

Read MoreShow less
How to Install and Maintain Your Guitar's Pots
Photo 1 — Photo courtesy singlecoil.com

When it comes to cosmic tone, it’s critical to have functional potentiometers. Here’s how to install them correctly and keep them ship-shape afterward.

(Originally published March 27, 2020)

Over the last few years, we've discussed the construction of potentiometers and diagnosed several potential problems with these essential, yet sometimes pesky, electric guitar components. (If you missed these, check out “The Trouble with Tribbles" and “Dealing with Knobs and Pots.")

Read MoreShow less
Isolated power supplies like this 1 SPOT Pro from Truetone helped silence the groans, whines, and ticks once common to pedalboards.

All 9V blocks are not created equal. Here's what to look for to avoid hiss, hum, and crackle.

(Originally published April 22, 2020)

At the dawn of the guitar-effects age, powering pedals was relatively simple. If an effects pedal didn't take a standard 9V battery like your AM transistor radio, it plugged into the wall like your avocado-green toaster. Forever dissatisfied, guitar players eventually grew weary of changing batteries, and plugging stuff into the wall was kind of a drag, too.

Read MoreShow less