We revisited setups for Anthrax, Megadeth, Guthrie Govan, Bonamassa, and others, introduced ourselves to Cory Wong's and Wolf Van Halen's gear, but who's guitarsenal got the most clicks? Watch to find out!
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10. Cory Wong
John BohlingerThe Grammy-nominated high minister of funk guitar and host of PG’s Wong Notes podcast take us through his spare but carefully tailored setup.
9. Anthrax
Perry BeanCheck out the signature models (and more) that Scott Ian, Jon Donais, and Frank Bello are rocking on the thrash masters’ 40th anniversary tour.
8. Def Leppard
John BohlingerNearly 40 years after their breakthrough album, Pyromania, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell are still setting the world afire with their hot-rod gear.
7. Marcus King
John BohlingerThe 26-year-old roots guitar titan shows off his prime stage axes, including his signature ES-345 and a vintage parts Les Paul, plus he reveals the secrets of his personal MK Ultra.
6. The Smashing Pumpkins
John BohlingerThirty-one years after Gish, the Smashing Pumpkins are still exploring the architecture of sound in their often explosive and unpredictable songs. For their current Spirits on Fire Tour, Billy Corgan leads with his Reverend signatures and a few other carefully culled guitars, and Jeff Schroeder lends support with his fleet of Yamahas.
5. The Aristocrats' Guthrie Govan
Chris KiesGuthrie Govan reveals a new signature Charvel and experiences the digital modeling bath. Plus, bass behemoth Bryan Beller reconnects with old friends and displays his “low - rent” Geddy Lee setup.
4. Megadeth
Chris KiesThrash-metal icon Dave Mustaine details his signature Gibson Vs and why it’s the best body shape. Plus, Brazilian shredder Kiko Loureiro dishes on his signature Ibanez speed demons.
3. Mammoth WVH
Chris KiesWolf Van Halen and longtime master builder Chip Ellis discuss prototypes for EVH’s SA-126 and Wolfgang bass. Plus, the rest of the band show off their rockin’ wares.
2. Joe Bonamassa
John BohlingerOn a summer tour supporting his Time Clocks album, Joe Bonamassa unveils some new 6-strings and old favorites, and plays through what’s arguably the most covetable collection of onstage tube amps ever assembled.
1. Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett
Chris KiesA Fender Tele Deluxe “Cleaver,” a not-so-golden ’57 Les Paul, a few gifts from Grohl, and a pedal playground help “Shifty” find some sonic space.
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The MXR Layers Pedal blooms with rich, organic sustain that imbues every strum and pluck with resonance and depth. With a versatile suite of controls, this pedal can be as simple or complex as you need. Whether you want to lengthen single notes or generate multi-layered soundscapes rich with ambience, the MXR Layers Pedal will extend the creative potential of your instrument. Pull off chord voicings you never thought possible, compose transcendent melodies, orchestrate harmonic ensembles, create lively stereo pads, and more—all from a standard MXR housing.
MXR Layers Pedal highlights:
- Versatile suite of controls opens new frontiers to plug-and-play maestros and tonal tinkerers alike
- Up to three layers of sustain, each with its own status LED
- Trigger layers with footswitch or playing dynamics
- The Mix knob adjusts the wet signal level; in other words, the volume of your layers
- Trig knob sets the sensitivity of auto-trigger function
- Attack knob adjusts the fade-in time of each layer, while Decay knob sets the fade-out time
- Sub Oct switch adds fat subterranean vibes
- Advanced features such as expression pedal and tap switch control or additional parameter tweaks offer even more intricate customization
- Build richly detailed soundscapes that elevate musical expression to new heights
The MXR Layers Pedal is available now at $219.99 street/$314.27 MSRP from your favorite retailer.
For more information, please visit jimdunlop.com
The plexi-in-a-pedal format won’t work for players that need every amp and effect model under the sun. But if you relish Marshall tones, the Lion ’68 is a brilliant solution for tracking or gigging when the stack can’t make the trip. It offers an expansive tone palette, too. Super Bass and Super Lead models have ample headroom and reproduce the rich, underrated clean sounds of those amps as easily as they kick out Ramones walls of grind or Jimmy Page lead sizzle. The Lion ’68 exhibits lifelike dynamic response. It also reacts to gain devices as hectic as a Super-Fuzz with authenticity. The three amp models, six speaker cabs, and room ambience control offer scads of tone and dynamic variations. You can even jumper the two channels with realistic results. I still think I’d feel weird blasting MC5 riffs through a coffee house PA with the Lion ’68. But I would certainly try it in a bigger room and wouldn’t hesitate to record with this impressive plexi stand-in.
