
You could WIN a Star Eater from Pigtronix in today's Stompboxtober giveaway! Enter below:
John Petrucci, St. Vincent, James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Tosin Abasi, Cory Wong, Jason Richardson, Fluff, and more are donating instruments for contributors, and contributions are being accepted via this LINK.
The L.A. wildfires have been absolutely devastating, consuming more than 16,200 structures, and tens of thousands of peopleāincluding many members of the LA music communityāhave been displaced, as well as 29 persons killed. Historic gear company Ernie Ball has stepped up with a large-scale fundraiser, for MusicCares and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, to assist those impacted by the fire and responders on the front line. The company kicked off the initiative with a $50,000 donation.
āWe are absolutely crushed by the devastation Los Angeles has endured over the past few weeks,ā CEO Brian Ball said in a statement. āAs a California-based company with origins as a small retailer in LA County, seeing the impact of these fires in our community is heartbreaking.
Message from Tim Henson
Tim Henson is donating one of his own Ibanez TOD10N guitars for the cause.
āThatās why weāre partnering with our family of artists to give back in a unique way. In addition to our donation, Ernie Ball artists are stepping up to donate personal guitars and gearātruly one-of-a-kind pieces that money canāt buy. Hereās how you can help: Donate any amount and we will randomly give these items away. Every dollar goes directly toward helping those affected by these devastating fires. If you canāt donate, sharing this message can still make a huge impact,ā Ball declared.
The fundraiser will continue until February 14.
Message from Steve Vai
The author found this one-of-a-kind tremolo/vibrato/sound-altering modulation box at Quattro Music Company in Thomas, West Virginia.
Producer and roots-guitar veteran Michael Dinallo pens his unabashed love letter to tremolo, with fond recollections of vintage Fender and Gibson amps, Dunlopās TS-1, and a one-of-a-kind mystery modulator.
Tremolo is my favorite effect to modulate a guitarās sound (and I love vibrato, too). I love it so much that itās part of the moniker of the production team I had with the late Ducky Carlisleāthe Tremolo Twinsāas well as our Trem-Tone Records label. You might recognize Ducky from his many engineering credits, including Buddy Guy, or our work together on albums like Stax veteran Eddie Floydās heralded Eddie Loves You So, from 2008.
For me, the golden period of tremolo was the early 1960s. The brown-panel Fender amps of that period have astounding harmonic tremolo, as do the Gibson amps from that period. I have a 1963 Gibson GA-5T Skylark that has a tremendous tremolo circuit. I used that amp for all the guitar parts I cut on my new album, The Nightās Last Dance,as well as all the records Iāve worked on over the last four years, either as producer or player. My favorite, though, is the 1963 2x10 Fender Superāalso a brown-panel amp. It can be so soupy that, if multi-tracked, it can almost induce seasickness.
But there are so many choices and classic sounds. The Magnatone and Lonnie Mack jump to mind, or the use of a Leslie cabinet for guitar, which is another sound I love as both player and producer. Two of the most distinct and famous uses of tremolo, to my ears, are Link Wrayās āRumbleā and Reggie Youngās arpeggiating opening chord on āThe Dark End of the Streetā by James Carr. There is a shimmery quality to big chords drenched in a slow tremolo, especially if the part is doubled. From a production standpoint, it adds depth to a track, even if itās mixed way in the back.
Letās talk about doubling a tremolo part. Once in a while you can get lucky and have the amp cycle the wave at just the right time as you hit the record button. But most often not. Usually this is not a big deal and adds to the depth of the bed part being recorded. Sometimes, though, it has to be a tight double. Thatās when Iāve spent much time guessing at the cycling and trying to hit it just right. Itās a blast when you do.
One of my favorite experiments with tremolo was setting up two ampsāa brown-panel Fender Vibroverb and a brown-panel Fender Concertāin a V-shape. The amps were set to the same volume and approximately the same tone settings. Using a stereo mic in the middle of the V, we recorded it to one track. We had to keep tweaking the individual tremolo settings in an effort to not have them cancel each other out. But what a huge, lush sound!
āThere is a shimmery quality to big chords drenched in slow tremolo, especially if the part is doubled.ā
There are many tremolo pedals and recording plugins these days, and theyāre all good, but nothing quite captures the sound of an internal tremolo circuit. You can avoid chasing their cycles, too, if a pedal has a tap-tempo function. But what fun is that?
The one tremolo pedal, for me, that comes the closest to an in-amp circuit is the now-vintage Dunlop TS-1. Thirty years ago, I needed a tremolo pedal for my road ampāat the time, a 1994 Fender tweed Blues DeVille. I found Dunlopās big, honking purple metal box with ātremoloā written across the front in wavy yellow letters. You can get wide, sweeping tremolo or set it to a hard, choppy setting where the volume completely disappears. Iāve used both applications effectively. The hard trem is great for the last chord of a song, especially live, hitting like a boxer sparring with a weighted, hanging bagāespecially if youāre diving into a psychedelic ending. And, of course, mixing in other modulation effects, such as flanging or phasing, adds another twist.
I found the most unique tremolo/vibrato/sound-altering modulation box I have at Quattro Music Company in Thomas, West Virginia. Itās not a pedal per se; itās circuitry housed in a cigar box with so many knobs and switches and variations that I still have not exhausted all the possibilities. Itās a one-off. I was told it was the only tremolo box the inventor made. Combining it with a front-end boost and diming an amp produces otherworldly sounds. Iāve used it on a couple of recordings: āNever, No More (A Reckoning)ā by Keith Sykes and me, and āTime Machineā by the Dinallos (where we were joined by Nashvilleās famed singing siblings, the McCrary Sisters). With the latter, itās most obvious as a tremolo device, and on the former itās as a sound-altering gizmo that enhances the guitar leads.
Of all the toys in the arsenal that guitarists have, Iāve gotta say, long live tremolo!
Taylorās all-new acoustic Gold Label Collection, developed by CEO Andy Powers, is designed to be unlike anything Taylor has ever offered.
Taylor Gold Label 814e SB
GOLD LABEL: A bold new Taylor acoustic collection.
Available in two models, each with an optional sunburst ā Gold Label 814e (natural top), Gold Label 814e SB, Gold Label 814e Koa (natural top), and Gold Label 814e Koa SB ā the collection blends traditional and modern elements in an inspiring new way and expands Taylorās musical palette to appeal to an even more diverse range of players.
The Gold Label Collection draws inspiration from classic 1930s and ā40s flat top acoustic guitars, delivering a warmer, fuller tone that blends a heritage voice with a new version of Taylor's award-winning V-Class bracing technology. The collection features several groundbreaking design elements, including the new Super Auditorium body style, a Fanned V-Class bracing pattern, and a long-tenon neck joint, all of which contribute to a richer, more resonant, more muscular sound. The collection also introduces two distinctive wood pairings: Honduran rosewood back and sides with a torrefied Sitka spruce top, producing exceptional harmonic richness, and figured Hawaiian koa coupled with torrefied Sitka spruce, delivering a more balanced, rounded tone.
Taylor Gold Label 814e
āThe harder you play, the louder the guitar gets,ā says Powers. āBut it naturally starts to compress the sound into a more controlled, focused tone rather than becoming mushy. Yet these guitars also respond to delicate articulation with a broadly rich voice. When you play a simple note softly, the guitar naturally amplifies it with surprising warmth and volume.ā
With its unique sound and aesthetic, the Gold Label Collection sits apart from Taylorās other premium lines, offering a guitar that combines the warmth and tonal character of traditional instruments with the playability and reliability Taylor is known for. The collection's craftsmanship extends beyond its sonic capabilities, with a fresh visual aesthetic that combines classic influences with modern artistry. The result is a guitar that will appeal to a broad range of players, offering a distinctive voice and performance that bring together the best of both old and new.
Whether for recording, live performance, or personal enjoyment, the Gold Label Collection provides musicians with a guitar that is as visually striking as it is sonically impressive.
Axis, Cutlass, Sting Rays, oh my! There were all those and more new stylings at the Sterling by Music Man & Ernie Ball both this year as we got a tour of all their affordable options that are out or will be coming out in 2025. We saw new stylings on signature sweets for James Valentine, Steve Lukather, Ryan "Fluff" Bruce, Pete Wentz, Tosin Abasi, Jason Richardson and more!
Sterling By Music Man StingRay Plus Electric Guitar - Black
The StingRay Plus takes the classic StingRay guitar to new heights with a roasted maple neck, versatile P90 pickups, and a built-in volume boost. A matching headstock and sleek block inlays complete the polished, old-school look. Experience the next level of tone and performance with the StingRay Plus.