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Simplicity sings in an elegant Electra Distortion-derived overdrive.

Stupidly simple. Dynamic and touch responsive. Beautiful distortion profile that mixes a creamy core with sizzle around the edges.

Bridge-position single coils can sound crispy.

$125

Ananashead Cream Amp
ananashead.com

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If you’ve ever considered a monkish withdrawal from pedal maximalism, Ananashead’s Cream Amp is a fine place to start your journey. It’s a low- to mid-gain distortion derived from the legendarily simple Electra Distortion, a gain device built into Electra guitars in the 1970s, which later found favor among DIY pedal builders and modders. In this Barcelona-built take on the circuit, it’s easy to hear why this simple circuit maintains such enduring appeal.

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Simon Saz: Gabriel Marin and some of the tools he uses to play Muğam, the classical music from Azerbaijan.

Photo by Dena Gold

Fretless guitar virtuoso Gabriel Marin of instrumental rock trio Consider the Source joins editors and reader Dan Lynch to talk about them changes.

A: Lately, I find myself writing melodies over the 1–b3–b7–B6 [Editor’ Note: Am7-Cmaj7-G7-Fmaj7] progression in a minor mode with all diatonic seventh chords. The voice leading within the chords is super smooth and I can write melodies of a few different moods over the same chords.

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Now the world’s best-known 6-string duo, Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sánchez have long-reaching roots that extend from metal to Irish folk music and distill into their unique take on nylon-string-acoustic-guitar music.

Photo by Ebru Yildiz

On their new album, In Between Thoughts… A New World, the acoustic duo goes half-electric, plumbs programmed beats, adds slide guitar, and explores nondualism—following a creative path that opened due to the Covid shutdown.

Grammy Award-winning guitar virtuosi Rodrigo y Gabriela started recording what would become their latest album, In Between Thoughts… A New World, in February 2021. At the time, crafting a new album wasn’t the catalyst for making new music. They really just wanted to write, jam, and record without an agenda while locked down during the pandemic.

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