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Billy Morrison Takes A Deep Dive Into His Psyche With His Single “Hollow”
Press Release
Source: SRO PR
Billy Morrison takes a deep dive into his psyche with Hollow, the title track of the British guitarist, singer, and songwriter’s album of the same name out August 7 via TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group.
The sonically explosive and lyrically gripping single is released today (June 12) along with an artful and eye-popping lyric video that traces Morrison’s previously unhinged life. View the Mike Savage-directed video HERE and listen to the autobiographical song, highlighted by Morrison’s deeply felt vocals and sweeping lead guitar runs, HERE.
“The title track to my new album was inspired by the life that I led when I was homeless and addicted to heroin,” says Morrison. “Begging for money on the streets and being the guy that people crossed the street from, I would watch people’s faces as they walked towards me, gradually realizing they had to walk past me and being disgusted at how dirty I was, or that I was begging for change. That leaves an indelible mark on your soul and the song is about slowly crawling out of that hollow life.” Read the full Q&A about the track and video below.
Morrison is now lighting up the rock charts with Hollow’s first single “Becoming” [feat. Sully Erna of Godsmack & GRAMMY® Award winner Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme]. It has surged at rock radio, hitting #20 this week on Billboard’s “Mainstream Rock” chart. Revolver dove into the track headfirst with an extensive feature interview, going on to note that “Morrison and Fuel member Brett Scallions co-wrote the song before sending it over to Erna, who delivers an impassioned and raspy set of lines. Bettencourt rises to the occasion and rips pure hellfire on his guest solo.” Listen to the song HERE and watch the video HERE.
Throughout an illustrious career, Billy Morrison has played live in front of millions of fans, collaborated with every A-list rockstar under the sun (even notching a #1 single with the late Ozzy Osbourne), sold his paintings in galleries on multiple continents, and logged hundreds of hours on-air as a radio host for SiriusXM. And yet—some folks wonder, “Who the F%@K is Billy Morrison?” Which is the title of a new short film that answers the question. Directed and edited by Mike Savage, it tells his story through punchy editing, candid footage, and new interviews with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, mixer/engineer/producer Barry Pointer, and Morrison himself. Watch the six-minute documentary HERE.
Two years ago, Billy Morrison released The Morrison Project via TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group. It marked his third solo album (and first since 2015) and produced the #1 Active Rock Song (Mediabase) in America: “Crack Cocaine” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens and co-written by all three artists. A deluxe edition of the album followed in 2025 and bonus track, “Gods Of Rock and Roll (Orchestral)”—another seismic collaboration with Osbourne and Stevens—landed in the Active Rock Top Ten (Mediabase).
Hollow will follow the success of The Morrison Project format with 12 songs, half sung by Morrison and half sung by a handful of Morrison’s friends. Guests include Dexter Holland, Marilyn Manson, Chuck D, B Real, Duff McKagan, Steve Stevens, DMC, and the above-mentioned Sully Erna and Nuno Bettencourt, among others. “Forgive Me,” “The Tailor,” “No Suspects,” “Another Day,” “Leave No Trace,” and “Becoming” are among the song titles.
Hollow Single/Video—Q & A with Billy Morrison:
•“Hollow” is an intense and poignant song about personal desperation, with a reference to a “narcotic embrace.” Can you tell us what inspired the song?
Morrison: The title track to my new album, Hollow, was inspired by the life that I led when I was homeless and addicted to heroin. Begging for money on the streets, and being the guy that people crossed the street from ……. I would watch peoples faces as they walked towards me, gradually realizing they had to walk past me and being disgusted at how dirty I was, or that I was begging for change. That leaves an indelible mark on your soul and the song is about slowly crawling out of that hollow life.
•Looking at your career overall, you’ve been known primarily as a rhythm guitar player. “Hollow,” with its soaring, stadium-sized guitar lines, especially shows how much you’ve developed as a strong and confident lead guitarist. Can you tell us about your development?
Morrison: I think it was only a matter of time before I somewhat “graduated” as a guitar player into the category known as “lead guitarist.” Basically playing so much guitar for so many years, it was a natural learning curve for me. I would never stand next to any of the greats, but I can clearly play what’s needed in my own music, and that would be primarily due to the encouragement and belief of Steve Stevens, who has always allowed me to stretch in the Billy Idol band. I also gravitate to the kind of lead and solos that are musical, not necessarily a thousand notes a second. So that helps!
•This is so much more than a lyric video—artful and eye-popping—following right in line with your previous standout videos. It mixes black and white urban footage from the UK with colorful, surrealist imagery. It’s a fantastic visual vehicle for the song. Can you tell us how it all came together and who directed it?
Morrison: I definitely wanted to utilize the technology we now have available to us, even though this is “just” a lyric video! So I had a conversation with Mike Savage (who made the “Who the F%@K is Billy Morrison?” mini doc) and it turned out he was dabbling with all kinds of crazy tech and agreed to try a few things for this lyric video. I had no idea how it would turn out, but the brief was: “London, homeless, begging for change, being judged and criticized, Alice In Wonderland choruses.” And look what he came up with from just that brief description! I’m very happy.
Hollow – Photo credit: Jane Stuart @JaneStuartPhotos
ABOUT BILLY MORRISON:
Billy Morrison is a British guitarist, singer, and songwriter, widely known as Billy Idol’s rhythm guitar player for the past 17 years alongside lead guitarist Steve Stevens. He is also a solo recording artist in his right having released three albums including the successful and acclaimed The Morrison Project in 2024 via TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group. His fourth solo album, Hollow, will arrive in August 2026, also on TLG | ZOID distributed by Virgin Music Group. Morrison is also a former member of The Cult and Circus Diablo and currently also performs with the superstar cover band known as The Royal Machines. In addition, Morrison is a contemporary fine artist whose Warhol-inspired work has been shown at top galleries. He also has a regular show, “Influenced,” on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard (ch. 38), where he delves deep into the dynamic relationship between art and music.
Podcast 554: Alex Amen
Today’s podcast episode is with songwriter and guitarist Alex Amen, who has a new album out today on ATO Records.
In this conversation, we talk about Alex’s Texan roots, mountaineering, living on a California commune, and the musical influences found on his new album.
Above image: Jackie Domi
Join us at our 2026 Fretboard Summit in Chicago (August 20-22, 2026) for three days of guitar demos, concerts, workshops and live podcasts with some of our favorite artists: https://fretboardsummit.org
This year’s Summit has over 80 luthiers and brands showcasing their new and prototype gear! 2026 speakers include Josh Scott (JHS), Mark Stutman (Folkway Music), Chris Martin IV (Martin Guitars), Fender historian Terry Foster, and many other fretted instrument luminaries.
Join us at our 2026 Fretboard Summit in Chicago for three days of guitar demos, concerts, workshops and podcast tapings with some of our favorite artists: www.fretboardsummit.org.
This year’s Summit has over 80 luthiers and brands showcasing their new and prototype gear!
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The post Podcast 554: Alex Amen first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
Letter from the Editor | Acoustic Guitar, Summer 2026 Issue 358
“I can’t tell who from who”: Death Angel guitarist on the problem with metal bands today
Death Angel guitarist Ted Aguilar believes that modern metal has an identity problem. He argues that while today’s players are more technically gifted than ever, many bands struggle to stand out from one another.
Speaking in a new interview with Pipeman, Aguilar says that unlike bands of the past, contemporary bands often lack the distinct identities that once defined the genre, even if the scene itself is more active than ever.
“There’s nothing against the metal bands of today, and the good thing about it is there’s a lot of them – maybe a little too much sometimes. It’s oversaturated. And they’re keeping it alive. They’re carrying the torch,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “But I grew up in a time where thrash metal, Anthrax sounded different from Overkill, Death Angel sounded different from Testament.”
“They had their own sound, but it was thrash. Of course, they were all influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and punk rock, and, of course, Metallica; everyone was influenced by Metallica and Exodus, ‘cause they were in the forefront.”
“But everyone just said, ‘We want that aggression, but our style.’ For example, [Death Angel singer] Mark [Osegueda] doesn’t sound like [Testament singer] Chuck Billy. Chuck Billy doesn’t sound like [Vio-Lence frontman] Sean Killian, and no one sounds like [former Exodus vocalist Steve Souza] Zetro.”
According to Aguilar, the difference isn’t a lack of talent. If anything, he says the technical ability of today’s musicians is “next level” compared to previous generations.
“My gripe about today’s metal, and this is just me and it’s no diss to these bands, I can’t tell who from who,” he says. “And I think metal nowadays, there’s some incredible players – like, oh my God, they could run circles around us, and they’re very talented.”
Unlike in the past where members of a band were often “figuring it out together”, many modern players arrive already fully formed individually, shaped by online learning and solo practice.
“[Back] then it’s just, like, you figured out your instrument together as a band: ‘Let’s write songs. Let’s do covers,’” he says. “In this day and age, and, again, there is no diss, ‘cause there’s amazing musicians out there. Incredible, like, oh, man, I wish I could do it. What’s in the water today that you could run circles around everyone? But it’s just the YouTubers and the influencers or whatnot, where then it’s just, like, you had to figure out, you had to be a band together.”
“There’s something about being in a room together, with everyone learning from each other, bouncing ideas,” says Aguilar, as opposed to players today who “are so used to being by yourself, you don’t know how to click with another musician.”
“That’s the organic way back then,” he continues. “It’s just, like, you get in a room, ‘let’s play’, and you go home and you kept playing. You write, you come back, ‘Hey, guys, I got this idea,’ and you work on it together.”
“Now… There’s pros and cons to everything. Like anything in life. You have the technology where you could write riffs and send it to somebody, they learn it, and you could record. But you still gotta get in a room… There’s a synergy where a human contact – you get to see someone’s face, how they feel about it, what they contribute, and maybe the disagreements or whatever.”
The post “I can’t tell who from who”: Death Angel guitarist on the problem with metal bands today appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“I can’t imagine where guitar players would be without Eddie. We’d be listening to electronic music”: Sammy Hagar says Eddie Van Halen “saved” guitar players
Sammy Hagar has said that Eddie Van Halen “saved guitar players”, and was, in his view, a “music god” whose talents extended far beyond the guitar.
The comments come as Hagar prepares to bring his Best of All Worlds tour – featuring Joe Satriani, bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Kenny Aronoff – back for a limited summer run.
In a recent chat with Guitar Player, the singer reflects on his years working with Van Halen and the guitarist’s enduring influence on rock music and his own musicianship.
“I can’t imagine where guitar players would be without Eddie,” Hagar begins. “He just took a fuckin’ hard left, man, and we’re going to outer space. There were great guitar players before him: Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix.”
“I mean, Hendrix kind of did the same thing – he got that whammy bar in there and changed everything. But Eddie took the whammy bar and the hammer and the frickin’ tapping.”
“But it wasn’t just the innovation of what he did; he was a great musician. He was a master. He was fuckin’ Beethoven – he was that unique. He belongs in that category.”
Hagar also argues that Van Halen’s impact wasn’t limited to his guitar playing alone.
“People call him a rock god – he’s a music god, in my opinion,” says Hagar. “When I bring keyboard players into the band now and they have to learn Right Now and some of his keyboard parts, they’re holding their heads in their hands and saying, ‘Fuck! This guy played keyboards just as unique as he played guitar.’ And on guitar, Joe [Satriani]’s going, ‘Wow, this chording!’”
“So I can’t imagine where guitar players would be without Eddie,” he continues. “I think they probably would’ve come and gone and we’d be listening to electronic music. I think Eddie saved guitar players – he saved us so we could continue and compete with those damn keyboards and electronic instruments and Pro Tools and all that crap.”
The singer also credits Van Halen for making him a “better musician” and expanding his “lyrical abilities”.
“I just loved working with him,” Hagar says. “Like when he was playing Love Walks In on piano – stuff came out of my mouth I would never have sung. The way his playing inspired a lyric and the words that fit melodically, rhythmically within the song, just writing with him was crazy.”
“I remember when we wrote Black and Blue – it’s the most syncopated lyric/guitar thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I would never write a song like that without Eddie.”
While early Van Halen records are often cited as the guitarist’s defining work, Hagar believes some of Eddie’s most ambitious writing came later.
“So many people think the early stuff was his best stuff,” he says. “Well, no, that was just the first time you heard him. It was so fresh and new when you heard Eruption or Spanish Fly or these intros on these songs.”
“Was that the best stuff? It was his simplest stuff.”
Pointing to Can’t Stop Loving You from 1995’s Balance as an example of Van Halen’s later writing, Hagar adds, “When we play that song now, Joe looks at me and goes, ‘Wow, what a piece of music! Every single bar is different. It just keeps changing.’ And this is Joe Satriani. This isn’t some kid that’s just learning how to play guitar.”
“It was an honour being able to play with Eddie,” he concludes. “It made me a better musician. It made me a better writer. It made me a better singer, without a doubt. I did my best vocals ever with Van Halen.”
The post “I can’t imagine where guitar players would be without Eddie. We’d be listening to electronic music”: Sammy Hagar says Eddie Van Halen “saved” guitar players appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow review – “wannabe alt-rock guitar heroes will be in heaven with this thing”
From £1,800 (£2,200 as reviewed), madocguitars.com
All the way back in 2012, I reviewed the Fender FSR Thinline Jaguar for this very publication. It was gorgeous, and left me asking myself why there weren’t more offset-type guitars with semi-acoustic bodies.
- READ MORE: Eastman Fullertone Offset ’62 review – “it has a unique sonic voice and retro feel all of its own”
Now I’m reviewing the Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow, it’s even more gorgeous, and I’m no longer asking myself that question – I’m yelling it at the sky like a maniac demanding answers from God.
Strictly speaking, this isn’t even an offset – the waist of the body is more or less symmetrical, rather than being swept forward on the top side like a Jaguar or Jazzmaster – but it is a two-pickup guitar with Fender-style construction and a Mastery vibrato, so that’ll do for me.
What really matters, semantics aside, is the ‘even more gorgeous’ bit – because that’s pretty good going for a new UK maker that most people have probably never heard of.
Image: Adam Gasson
Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow – what is it?
Come with me to the beautiful English county of Worcestershire, famed for its gently rolling hills and unpronounceable (if you’re American) sauce. This is where Luke Roberts builds his guitars under the Madoc name.
The Wyre is his only model for now, but it’s all about custom orders and the spec options are wide open – starting at an undeniably reasonable £1,500 for a one-pickup solidbody with a hardtail bridge.
Not everyone is going to love the distinctive body shape, which has a hint of “Look what the shark did to my surfboard”, but I find it strangely appealing… aided by the fact that my review instrument is finished in the king of all guitar colours: burgundy mist.
That’s just the ash top, though – the sides and back of the chambered mahogany body have been left with a natural oiled finish, along with the roasted maple neck. Completing the main specs in timber terms is an unbound ebony fretboard with a 25.5-inch scale and 12-inch radius.
But it’s in the hardware that this premium-specced sample really stands out – the Mastery tailpiece/bridge combo is a mighty expensive indulgence, adding £400 to the price. Still, it is a proven game changer in terms of tuning stability and reliability.
And that just leaves the pickups, which have the unmistakable look of Filter’Tron types. These are made by Manchester-based Green Pickups – another fairly new name but already one with a certain amount of pedigree, as the Tele pups fitted to the Ancoats Granada I reviewed last year were excellent. These humbuckers promise “definition, dynamics, and that classic Gretsch sparkle” – and who doesn’t want that?
Image: Adam Gasson
Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow – build and playability
One spec detail I didn’t mention above is the compound neck profile: the Madoc site says it morphs from a modern V at the 1st fret to a modern C at the 12th. The effect is subtle, but what you’re getting is a moderately rounded neck that feels slimmer on the upper frets even though it isn’t.
That might be one reason why this guitar is so luxuriously playable; the other is its impeccably high standard of fret work and general build quality.
There are a couple of cosmetic details that could be considered imperfections – a visible join in the binding just above the bridge pickup, and a headstock decal that looks greyly opaque when it catches the light – but you might just as easily call those evidence of authentic artisan construction.
The important thing is that it’s a pleasure to hold and even more of a pleasure to play. Now all it needs to do is sound good.
Image: Adam Gasson
Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow – sounds
There are two build factors pulling this guitar in opposite tonal directions: on the one hand, you’ve got the inefficient bridge design that gives offsets their fast, twinkly response; and on the other, you’ve got a semi-hollow body slowing everything down and adding airy warmth.
I’m pretty sure that combination was the secret of the Thinline Jaguar, and here the longer scale length and beefier pickups just make the tone even fuller and smoother.
Mind you, ‘smooth’ is hardly the word for the bridge pickup through a clean amp. I’ve got a Godin hollowbody with TV Jones Filter’Trons and the Wyre actually out-twangs it – the tone is unashamedly bright, with oodles of surfy character.
The neck pickup, in contrast, is pure jazz – albeit still with more treble than most humbuckers in this position – while the middle setting does a sterling job of combining the best of both, and sweetens the whole thing up with some classic phasey chime. The responsiveness to playing dynamics, with either pickup or both, is sublime.
The tone control doesn’t do much until it’s down to at least halfway – which is about as close to a disappointment as I can find in this guitar – but not to worry, because knocking back the volume a notch or two instead is extremely effective at softening down the edges when required.
That’s unlikely to be on your mind once you stomp on the nearest overdrive pedal, though: with high gain, that trebly response translates to a nicely articulate attack for expressive lead work… which is made all the more appealing by the speedy smoothness of the neck.
And of course, a chambered body with humbuckers plus a supremely well-behaved whammy bar is the perfect recipe for controlled feedback. Wannabe alt-rock guitar heroes will be in heaven with this thing – and yes, that is coming from a wannabe alt-rock guitar hero.
Image: Adam Gasson
Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow – should I buy it?
For readers in the UK at least, it’s hard to think of many reasons not to buy a Wyre Semi Hollow – because even if there’s something about the specifications of this one that you don’t like, all you have to do is change it.
Personally I’d love to try a guitar exactly like this – including the burgundy mist finish, obviously – but with slightly less feisty pickups.
If the price is out of your range, the hardtail and solidbody options will bring it down… but then you’re talking about a quite different guitar. Mind you, if all Madocs are put together as well as this example, then you’re still going to be getting a pretty fantastic instrument.
Image: Adam Gasson
Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow – alternatives
You’ll notice that the prices below all start with the word ‘from’ – bear in mind that the numbers will go up once you specify semi-hollow construction and a whammy bar. British alternatives include the Trent Model 1 (from £2,095) and Ancoats NQ (from £1,099), while a highly rated American contender is the Jennings Voyager (from $2,845/£2,399). Or you could just go for a factory standard model like the Duesenberg Starplayer TV (€2,599/£2,399).
The post Madoc Guitars Wyre Semi Hollow review – “wannabe alt-rock guitar heroes will be in heaven with this thing” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 166
Before talking amps, we talk life! Longtime friend of the show John Vanderslice (Tiny Telephone) joins us to talk about moving to the Netherlands, the life of an expat, the equipment that he moved to Europe (and didn’t), staying curious with your gear, and so much more.
Around 50 minutes in, we get the answer to last episode’s Baffler, field various questions and do the usual TAVA amp troubleshooting.
Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars; and Amplified Parts / Mod Electronics.
Some of the topics discussed this week:
:00 Special guest: John Vanderslice!
50:28 Our sponsors!
51:47 What’s on Skip’s bench: A Supro Galaxy
1:01:19 The O.W. Appleton guitar (link)
1:02:33 The answer to episode 155’s baffler: Two types of hum
1:07:03 The high and low power switch on a Music Man HD150
1:10:34 How can I swap the speaker on my 1949 Spiegel 79-C, pre-heating cast iron
1:14:35 Ranch Style beans, Herdez guacamole salsa, Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 mic-pre, Peavey Valverb, using an iso cabinet, using both jacks in a Princeton
1:24:37 Terry Foster at the 2026 Fretboard Summit
1:26:11 How many speakers can a Silverface Champ drive safely? Why did Fender keep changing the Princeton schematic?
1:31:13 Skip at the Fretboard Summit?
Above and below: Listener Bernie’s Spiegel amplifier.
Want amp tech Skip Simmons’ advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too.
Want to support the show? Join our Patreon page to get to the front of the advice line, see exclusive pics, the occasional video and more.
Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal.
The post The Truth About Vintage Amps, Ep. 166 first appeared on Fretboard Journal.
San Dimas returns to its roots: Charvel introduces the made-in-California American Neo-Classic San Dimas series
Charvel has unveiled the American Neo-Classic San Dimas series, comprising two guitars based on the brand’s classic San Dimas blueprint, and built in Corona, California.
First introduced in 1979 after Jackson founder Grover Jackson bought out Wayne Charvel’s guitar business in the late ‘70s, the San Dimas later became a defining guitar of the ‘80s hard rock and heavy metal scenes.
Now, Charvel’s new American Neo-Classic San Dimas series pays homage to one of heavy metal’s most enduring guitars, while bringing a number of performance upgrades for the modern player.
The American Neo-Classic San Dimas series features two guitars: San Dimas SD1 HH FR MPL, and the San Dimas SD1 HH HT MPL. The naming convention of electric guitars is notoriously difficult to follow, but there’s actually pretty little that separates the guitars in this case.
Credit: Charvel
Both models sport a classic versatile Seymour Duncan JB/59 double-humbucker pickup configuration – for a warm tone in the neck position with the ‘59 and a high-output in the bridge position courtesy of the JB. Controls are kept streamlined, with a singular volume control and a five-way blade switch.
They also feature stainless steel jumbo frets for a smooth playing experience across the length of the neck.
Crucially, what sets both guitars apart is the bridge; as the keen-eyed amongst you may have noticed, the SD1 HH FR MPL features a Floyd Rose bridge, while the SD1 HH HT MPL sports a Charvel Hardtail bridge.
Each guitar comes in four distinct colourways: the SD1 HH FR comes in Robin’s Egg Blue, Ivory Blitz, Gloss Black and Racing Red; while the SD1 HH HT comes in Gloss Black, Racing Red, Velvet Midnight and Ivory Blitz.
To celebrate the launch, Charvel has tapped Dweezil Zappa – son of the legendary Frank Zappa – to take the American Neo-Classic San Dimas for a spin in a California skate park. Check it out below:
“Charvel was born in California and so was this guitar,” says Jon Romanowski, VP of Product at Charvel. “The American Neo-Classic San Dimas is a direct line back to where it all started, the shop, the craft, the obsession with making instruments that players actually want to play.
“Building it in Corona feels like coming full circle. The JB/59 pickup pairing delivers on every level, and the finishes feel as iconic as the guitar itself.”
Go behind the scenes at the Charvel factory to see how the new American Neo-Classic San Dimas is built:
Price-wise, the American Neo-Classic San Dimas Style 1 SD1 HH FR MPL clocks in at $2,799.99 / £2,399, while the San Dimas SD1 HH HT MPL is priced at $2,749 / £2,249.
Learn more at Charvel.
Credit: Charvel
The post San Dimas returns to its roots: Charvel introduces the made-in-California American Neo-Classic San Dimas series appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
This new range of guitar cleaning products has everything you need to keep your instrument in pristine condition
Nashville-based string manufacturer Stringjoy has unveiled a sprawling new line of guitar cleaning and care products, designed to keep your instrument in tip-top condition.
After its founding in 2014, Stringjoy has become a big player in the guitar strings market, and its String Conditioner has for years been a choice for guitarists looking to maximise the longevity of their strings. Now, the brand expands into a full range of guitar care products, including a fretboard conditioner, guitar polish, all-in-one instrument cleaner, and a cloth for wiping away all that stubborn fingerboard grime.
“For years, customers have trusted our String Conditioner to help extend the life and performance of their strings,” says Scott Marquart at Stringjoy.
“Expanding into complete instrument care was a natural next step, but we knew we had to do it the right way. From the beginning, we weren’t interested in taking an existing automotive polish or generic cleaner and simply putting a guitar on the label. We wanted to create products specifically for guitars, from the ground up.”
Marquart reveals the team at Stringjoy “worked closely” with guitar techs, repair shops, and working musicians to land on a range of guitar care products they’d use themselves.
“The result is a complete care lineup designed to clean, protect, and maintain guitars without compromise. We’re excited to finally share it with players everywhere.”
You can view details and prices for all the products in Stringjoy’s new guitar care range below:
- All-in-One Instrument Cleaner ($13.99): Erases fingerprints, dust, sweat and other buildup
- Guitar Polish ($11.99): Deep-cleans and restores clarity to finishes and hardware
- Fretboard Conditioner ($11.99): Cleans, restores, and rejuvenates unfinished fretboards
- String Conditioner ($14.99): Cleans, protects, and prolongs strings’ vibrance and playability
- Microfiber String Cleaning Cloth ($4.99): Instantly removes oil, grime, and buildup
Learn more at Stringjoy.
The post This new range of guitar cleaning products has everything you need to keep your instrument in pristine condition appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Converge’s Kurt Ballou on “disappointing the gear heads” by choosing digital gear live: “It makes it about the songs”
Kurt Ballou of Converge has opened up about his use of digital modelling gear on stage and the reaction it sometimes gets from gear enthusiasts expecting more traditional rigs.
Speaking on the Garza podcast with host Chris Garza, the metalcore guitarist discusses his use of the Line 6 Helix Stadium, explaining how it helps streamline his approach to tone and keep the focus on the band’s performance.
“I kind of love it when people show up expecting me to have JMPs and V4s and other vintage stuff, or boutique amps,” he says. “I played Bad Cat for a long time. I still do play the cabinets. I love that company.”
While he acknowledges the appeal of traditional amp setups, Ballou says going digital helps remove distractions and keep the focus where he wants it: on the song itself.
“There’s something about disappointing the gear heads with using this modeler, “ says the guitarist. “I don’t necessarily want to disappoint them, but it’s cool that it makes it about the songs, is what I’m getting at.”
“I think this thing sounds sick. It lets me focus on the song,” Ballou continues. “All the gear in the world – that’s cool and stuff, but how many times have you gone to see a band and watched them set up their full stacks and massive pedalboards, and then they just suck? Or everything is breaking all the time and it’s detracting from the show?”
“Let’s just get to the songs, because that’s the thing that I really care about,” says Ballou. “This lets me do that.”
He adds that using a modeller also brings practical benefits when touring, particularly in maintaining consistency across different venues.
“This thing lets me go to a festival and plug into whatever they have as house backline and get my stage volume that way,” he explains. “I can have my sound that I’ve worked hard to craft in my studio every single night. It’s consistent.”
Ballou is far from alone in his support for digital gear. While once seen as a divisive alternative to traditional tube setups, digital modelling is now increasingly finding its way into the arsenals of players who built their reputations on analogue gear.
Vintage amp and gear collector Joe Bonamassa is one such example. Known for housing one of the largest private collections of classic tube amps across his Nerdville East and West studios in Nashville and Los Angeles, the blues guitarist might not seem like an obvious candidate for digital adoption.
But Bonamassa has recently been exploring Fender’s Tone Master range on tour – a fully digital line designed to replicate classic tube amp tones.
“It’s honestly really amazing what they did digitally,” he said, revealing in April that he has been “beta testing” the amps on the road.
The post Converge’s Kurt Ballou on “disappointing the gear heads” by choosing digital gear live: “It makes it about the songs” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Kiss’s Paul Stanley says bands should play hits “the way it became famous” and not ‘minimise’ fans: “The idea of going on stage with a sold-out audience and showing disrespect by fulfilling some need in me is unimaginable”
For every musician who can’t wait to dust off a forgotten deep cut, there’s a fan who just wants to hear the song that changed their life.
Paul Stanley has little patience for bands who grow tired of their most famous songs, arguing that live shows should prioritise audience expectations over an artist’s desire to reinvent familiar material.
In a new interview with Vulture, the Kiss frontman dismisses the idea that playing a band’s biggest hits should ever feel like a burden.
Asked to name a song his guitar has a “love-hate relationship” with, Stanley replies: “This may sound corny, but I’ve never, ever found playing any of those songs a chore. They made me what I am and I love them all dearly.”
Stanley’s latest comments feed into a long-running debate over what fans should expect from live shows. While some artists use concerts as an opportunity to reinvent older material or spotlight deep cuts, others argue audiences are primarily there to hear the songs that defined a band’s career.
For Stanley, moving too far from those original versions risks undermining the experience.
“When I would go see a band and they were bored and would rearrange a heavy rock song and do it as a reggae tune, I was terribly disappointed and felt minimised,” he says. “I paid to hear the song that I loved, the way I loved it.”
He adds that personal boredom should never take precedence over the expectations of a paying audience, particularly when it comes to the songs that built an artist’s career.
“The idea of going up on stage with a sold-out audience and showing disrespect by fulfilling some need in me, or boredom, is unimaginable,” Stanley says. “Play it the way people know it, the way it became famous, and show the respect you had for it when you wrote it.”
“You’re only deviating because you’re bored and that’s irrelevant as far as I’m concerned. The worst I can say is if you win the lottery, you shouldn’t complain about taxes.”
That said, not everyone agrees with the sentiment. Metallica frontman James Hetfield has previously spoke about the importance of “challenging” fans with deeper cuts from the band’s catalogue, while Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows has argued that leaning too heavily on hits can leave artists feeling creatively stagnant.
“There’s bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden that continually play new stuff and reinvent themselves,” Shadows said. “And it pisses people off, but it allows them to be interested in what they’re doing.”
By contrast, Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx has voiced support for hit-heavy setlists as a way of meeting audience expectations. Speaking to Utah’s 103.5 The Arrow, he explained that audiences generally want to hear the songs they already know.
“I hate it when a band goes out and doesn’t play their hits,” Sixx said. “I just remember [David] Bowie doing that, and I was like, ‘He’s one of my favourite artists. I don’t want to go hear a bunch of C and D tracks off of records that I love. I want to hear songs like Rebel Rebel.”
The post Kiss’s Paul Stanley says bands should play hits “the way it became famous” and not ‘minimise’ fans: “The idea of going on stage with a sold-out audience and showing disrespect by fulfilling some need in me is unimaginable” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Dean Guitars’ parent company Armadillo files for bankruptcy
Armadillo Enterprises, parent company of Dean Guitars, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a turbulent few years for the company.
Court filings made yesterday (9 June 2026) reveal that both Armadillo and its investment partner Concordia have filed jointly. Armadillo has estimated its assets to be between $1 million and $10 million, however its liabilities range up to $50 million. The bankruptcy petition indicates that Valley National Bank – which had previously threatened Armadillo with foreclosure over millions in unpaid debt – now holds an unsecured claim of around $3.3 million – the largest claim held by a creditor.
The filings come after several years of legal trouble for Dean and Armadillo, most notably a high-profile and lengthy trademark lawsuit brought by Gibson regarding several guitar shapes. Armadillo was found to have sold infringing guitar designs, and was ordered to stop marketing and selling its V and Z instruments. After a lengthy appeal, a similar verdict was found.
Given the scope of the gulf between Armadillo’s assets and liabilities, the future of Dean Guitars again is unclear. It has already been hit with a string of losses and internal challenges. Following the legal loss to Gibson, the jury found that Dean must pay Gibson just $1 in damages – but also around $170,000 in legal fees. On top of this, the ruling also stated that “all costs of court spent or incurred in this cause are adjudged against Armadillo” – it’s unclear just how much this second figure could be, or what the full effect of yesterday’s bankruptcy filing may be on the final stages of this case.
In a statement released today, Armadillo CEO Pamela Keris-Rubinson remains optimistic, saying: “This is a proactive step to strengthen our financial foundation and position these iconic brands for long-term success. Resolving the financial pressures of recent years allows us to focus fully on growing what we’ve built. We remain fully committed to our customers, our dealer network, and our employees. Dean, Luna, and ddrum are strong brands, and this process will allow us to emerge as a more resilient organisation.”
The statement also notes that “Armadillo wishes to assure both its retail and consumer partners that all existing orders, dealer relationships, and customer commitments will continue to be honored without interruption.”
In other news, Dean was awarded a victory in a trademark filing from the estate of late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, relating to the alleged unlawful use of guitar designs Darrell made in collaboration with Dean. Darrell’s estate announced its intention to appeal the ruling just this week.
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Epiphone celebrates Rush’s return to the stage with a faithful recreation of Alex Lifeson’s legendary 1976 ES-355
Epiphone has partnered with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson on an Inspired by Gibson reissue of his Alpine White 1976 ES-355.
Described as a “stage-ready, Custom Shop-inspired recreation” of the prog rock legend’s famous white guitar – which appeared on every Rush record and during countless Rush shows, before being sold at auction in 2022 for $384,000 – the Alex Lifeson 1976 ES-355 Reissue arrives right on time for Rush’s highly anticipated Fifty Something reunion tour, which kicked off Sunday, 7 June at LA’s Kia Forum.
Featuring a five-ply semi-hollow body constructed from layers of maple and poplar, along with a multi-ply binding on the top and back, the guitar also sports a solid maple centerblock for enhanced sustain the reduction of unwanted feedback.
Credit: Epiphone
Meanwhile, the instrument boasts a three-piece maple neck which mirrors Lifeson’s original ‘76 ES-355, with a Slim C neck profile, 22-fret ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl large block inlays, and a Gibson-style open book headstock with premium die-cast tuners and a Graph Tech nut. A stylish aesthetic touch comes via a truss rod cover engraved with Alex Lifeson’s name.
Elsewhere, the guitar features gold-finished hardware, a Tune-O-Matic bridge and gold pickup covers, which cover a pair of USA-made Gibson T-Type humbucker pickups, wired to individual volume and tone controls with CTS potentiometers and Mallory capacitors, and a three-way toggle switch.
The tonal palette is further expanded by a mono Varitone switch, while a dedicated mini toggle allows the Varitone circuit to be engaged or bypassed as desired.
The guitar ships in a custom hardshell case with a black exterior and a reproduction of Alex Lifeson’s signature, with a plush red interior and gold hardware.
Credit: Epiphone
“The ES-355 has always been a really special guitar for me – it’s got this incredible balance of elegance and power,” says Alex Lifeson.
“What I love about this Epiphone ‘Whitey’ recreation is how faithfully it captures that original spirit while still feeling fresh and alive in your hands. It’s a guitar that invites you to explore, to take chances, and to find your own voice. I’m genuinely thrilled that players everywhere will have the chance to experience it and make it part of their own musical journey.”
The Inspired by Gibson Alex Lifeson 1976 ES-355 Reissue is available now for £1,199.
For more information, head to Epiphone.
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Outlowd by Ed Sheeran: Orange officially partners with Ed Sheeran on the megastar’s first-ever line of signature amps
After teasing his brand-new signature Orange amp during an impromptu busking gig in his hometown of Ipswich last week, Ed Sheeran has officially launched his new Outlowd by Ed Sheeran ES Series range of guitar amps and Bluetooth speakers.
The launch arrives as part of Play It Home, a new global initiative by Sheeran and Orange to celebrate grassroots musicians, emerging talent, and giving something back to the communities from which they hail.
Ed Sheeran busked a six-track setlist at the Ipswich harbour on Friday 5 June to a crowd of around 2,000, alongside local musician and songwriter Lianne Kaye. The megastar teased the gig just a day before by posting a Google Maps pin for location on Instagram, tagging Orange Amps in the post.
A heartwarming moment came when Sheeran gifted a nine-year-old boy named Felix the signature Orange amp he used during the set. Orange also reveals Felix’s next 12 months of music lessons will be fully funded as part of the initiative.
Credit: Orange
The Play It Home initiative will now travel globally via a series of sessions hosted by Orange Amps and a selection of their retail partners, with towns and cities including Guildford, Toronto, Paris, Sydney, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Bamberg. Each city will enjoy local music initiatives through equipment donations, youth music programmes, rehearsal space support and other direct funding for community projects.
So what about the new Outlowd by Ed Sheeran amp line? It consists of three models in total, the flagship 100W ES100, the 60W ES60 and the smaller, practice amp-sized 3W ES3.
The ES3 is, as you’d expect, the smallest and most portable model in the lineup, with a USB-C rechargeable battery, reverb control, full-range 4″ speaker, Bluetooth playback and a leather carry strap.
At the other end of the spectrum sits the ES100, a “fully professional acoustic solution” made for “larger performances and demanding live environments”. It features a 12″ Celestion full-range neodymium driver paired with a neodymium Celestion HF tweeter.
“Music doesn’t start in arenas or on streaming platforms,” says Ed Sheeran. “It starts in bedrooms, youth clubs, pubs, schools, parks, living rooms and street corners. That’s where I found my voice. I think tiny venues are super important to learn how to perform and busking teaches you not to sweat the big stuff.”
He goes on: “I wanted this project with Orange to feel honest to that – celebrating local musicians, local communities, and the idea that anyone can start somewhere.
“Playing music is a really fun thing to do and it should always be fun. It should feel like an escape. Now I’m in my 30s, I just want to do things that I enjoy and get excited by. With this collaboration, it was like, would I use this? Is this something that I need in my life as a musician? And the answer was yes.”
Credit: Orange
“What made this collaboration feel right from the beginning was that it came from a very real place,” says Sarah Yule, Managing Director of Orange Amplification.
“Before streaming numbers and stadium tours, Ed’s music started in community spaces and street corners. That’s still true for others today and is an important beginning – that with nurture – feeds the whole music ecosystem. The ES Series was designed around that journey; products that feel approachable, inspiring and genuinely useful for musicians at different stages of their musical lives.”
“It’s a real pleasure to work with Ed,” adds Cliff Cooper, Founder and CEO of Orange Amps. “He is such a talented and caring person who does so much to introduce people into music.”
Pricing for the Outlowd by Ed Sheeran ES Series is as follows:
- ES3 – £149 / €179 / $199
- ES60 – £499 / €599 / $699
- ES100 – £1,099 / €1,299 / $1,499
Both the ES3 and ES60 are available now, while the ES100 is available now for preorder, and will ship from 10 September.
All three amps are available directly from Orange and from selected retail partners.
Learn more at Orange Amps.
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How to Revamp a Chord Progression to Spark New Arranging and Songwriting Ideas
The best eight-string guitars for all styles and budgets
The world of extended range guitars is no mystery here at Guitar.com, having previously taken a detailed look at baritones and seven-string guitars. Believe it or not, there are more strings to be had – although an essential guide to nine-string guitars is not (currently) on our features idea board, as eight is really the limit before you get into completely niche djent oddities.
Much like our guide to seven-string guitars, the applications of an eight-string guitar are overwhelmingly stacked towards the metal world, so a big proportion of the guitars we’re highlighting will be geared towards that genre. That’s not to say that a lot, if not all of them, couldn’t be used for other genres, but some of the hardware will be chasing tones that are very metal-centric.
Is an eight-string guitar right for me?
Progenitors of the eight-string guitar movement like Meshuggah and Deftones have been bolstered in the last 10-15 years by the likes of Periphery, Animals As Leaders and the explosively popular Sleep Token. Hell, even Muse entered the ring with 2025’s Unravelling. Regardless of your route to eight-string guitars, it’s important to make an informed choice before adding one to your collection.
We’ll start by saying that “I just want to go lower,” is not the best reason for an eight-string, especially if it’s one string stuff you’re primarily playing in that register. Baritones and multi-scale fretboards across six and seven-string guitars can help achieve the low tunings you’re craving. Equally, pitch shifting down has gotten so good, that many bands use it on six and seven-string guitar, while also automating downtuned sections/songs using MIDI when touring live.
As well as your needs, there’s also your comfort. The jump to an eight-string can be incredibly jarring. The shift in ergonomics, most notably the wider fretboard and profile of the neck can be a big roadblock, especially if you skipped playing a seven-string guitar.
That being said, an eight-string can be a fantastic creative tool, allowing you access to another register of bass notes to create new voicings and change the flow and feel of a composition. While the leap from a six-string can be daunting, that challenge and leaving your comfort zone is very appealing to a lot of players, and can often result in some previously untapped inspiration.
As always, our best advice is to play as many as you can before making a purchase and really hone in on what you want from an extended range guitar before assuming an eight-string is the answer.
What is a multi-scale guitar?
As most of the guitars in this guide are multi-scale, it’s worth giving a little refresher on what this means before continuing. A multi-scale neck ‘fans’ the frets so that each string has a different scale length; applying heavier tension to the lower strings, allowing extreme detuning without sacrificing intonation, while applying lower tension to the higher strings, allowing for easier playability. It can look intimidating, but actually takes very little time to get used to.
When you look at a multi-scale guitar, you will notice they all have a ‘neutral’ fret – a position in which the fret is level across all strings. The location of the neutral fret changes how extreme the fret fanning is across the fretboard. If your playstyle is centered on low, chuggy riffing, a neutral fret around the 7-9 mark is the sweet spot, whereas a neutral fret at 12 is more comfortable for shredding higher up the neck. This is by no means a universally accepted opinion, but it’s another aspect to be aware of and research when shopping for an eight-string guitar.
Our favourite budget eight-string guitars
Our first recommendation is Harley Benton’s R-458 BK, especially if an eight-string is something of an experiment for you. It’s available with either a 26.5” straight-scale length (£156) or 25.5-27.2” multi-scale (£175). We favour the multi-scale, as it ensures those low tunings sound full, without sacrificing playability on the higher strings. Yes, you’ll want to change out the stock pickups and do a proper setup, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an eight-string guitar that does this much for so little.
For £100 more, Gear4Music offers their very own eight-string, the 529 Pro (£279). While it does suffer from some build quality/finish issues and not the most expressive pickups, it plays like a £500+ guitar. Clean and distorted tones perform well with a little dialing in of effects (pedals or digital signal chain), and the multi-scale fretboard and single saddle bridge mean consistent tuning and intonation. One word of warning, you may need custom strings for the low end as regular eight-string sets aren’t quite long enough for the level of tension required for those lower tunings.
Our favourite midrange eight-string guitars
Starting at the low end of the price scale is the Ibanez RGMS8-BK. Costing less than £600 and rocking the iconic RG shape, this is an excellent entry point to the world of eight-string guitars. While the neutral fret at 12 can be a little uncomfortable for certain playstyles, the stock pickups perform fantastically across distorted, overdriven and clean tones. A more colourful version is available – the Cosmic Blue Stardust – however, it’s almost £150 more and the hardware is exactly the same.
Just under £800, Cort’s KX508MS packs a punch, both in high gain and clean tones, thanks in no small part to the Fishman Fluence pickups, and remains the 9/10 we gave it in our review back in 2022. “Even though the KX508 is not in the current entry-level price range for eight-string models, it rivals guitars three times the price and as such represents a great investment for newcomers and beyond,” said Darran Charles in his review. “You can now satiate any extended range fantasies you’ve been harbouring at a relatively affordable price for the quality this delivers.”
At the top end of the scale, we have the Schecter Omen Elite-8 MS (£869). We recommended the Omen Elite-7 in our last guide, and the Elite-8 features the same excellent Diamond Heretic pickups, poplar burl top and eye-catching colour options. However, the addition of the multi-scale really elevates this into a supremely versatile guitar.
Our favourite premium eight-string guitars
We’re into the big leagues now and we mean that literally with our first recommendation; Ibanez’s M80M Meshuggah (£1,399). This mammoth eight-string has a 29.4” scale length rather than a multi-scale neck, so it’s more like playing a Bass VI. While that scale length may take a little getting used to, it means you can use a lighter gauge string and still intonate well on these low tunings. You will however need to hunt down a special set of strings to meet the scale length. The Lundgren M8P Humbucker is super clear and bright, so even at your lowest, the notes are clearly articulated. The fixed bridge and nut make restringing and custom tuning changes unnecessarily fiddly, but it’s the only real downside of this guitar.
Sticking with signatures – and enormous necks for that matter – there’s Stephen Carpenter’s signature SC-608 Baritone from ESP LTD (£1,899). Drenched in supercar yellow, there’s heaps of diversity in tones here, thanks to Steph’s updated 3-voice signature Fluence pickups. This is really bolstered by neck-thru construction and really elevates the playability and delivers fantastic resonance. It’s a massive guitar, so definitely try it out before buying if you can, even if you wouldn’t consider yourself to have small hands.
Lastly, we have Strandberg’s Boden Standard N2.8 (£1,859). Immediately recognisable, Strandberg’s dedication to ergonomics is what drives their striking appearance, and for the most part those design choices pay off. The EndurNeck may not be to everyone’s tastes, but if you gel with it, it’s a pretty special instrument to play. The resonance and haptic feedback from the titanium rods in the neck is like nothing we’ve experienced before. While the neck is chunky, it’s one of the less ‘out there’ multi-scale fretboards – of this list and eight-strings in general. We really love the passive Seymour Duncan Pegasus/Sentient pickups, which are fantastic for both heavy and clean tones.
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Höfner has reportedly been saved from bankruptcy by Thomann and GEWA music
Following the news in December that Höfner, the maker of Paul McCartney’s iconic Violin Bass, had filed for bankruptcy, it appears the company has been rescued, according to a press release obtained by YouTuber and guitar industry journalist KDH.
While few details about Höfner’s financial woes were made public when it was revealed it had filed for bankruptcy at the Fürth District Court in Bavaria in December, it was revealed that an insolvency administrator had been appointed, tasked with rectifying debts over a three-month period.
Beatles legend Paul McCartney – with whom the Höfner brand became most commonly associated – called the news of the company’s bankruptcy “very sad”
Now, YouTuber KDH has apparently uncovered big news regarding the company’s future.
Upon discovering that the contact information on the Höfner website had recently been updated to Thomann’s contact details, KDH reached out to the German retail giant for further information. He says the company sent him back a statement apparently confirming it had acquired the storied musical instrument brand.
If the press release obtained by KDH is legitimate, it confirms a “successful investor solution”, which will ensure the “continuation” of Höfner’s headquarters in Baiersdorf, Germany.
“The transaction not only secures the long-term preservation of the globally renowned brands Höfner and Paesold, but also the preservation of the Baiersdorf site and 24 jobs,” the statement continues.
The document reveals Höfner “most recently employed a staff of 52 producing stringed instruments, bows, guitars and basses and marketing them internationally”, so if the details are legitimate, that could mean the layoff of 28 employees.
It is revealed that GEWA music GmbH took over the operational business operations of Höfner’s Baiersdorf headquarters on 1 April, 2026. Meanwhile, Streetlife GmbH, a subsidiary joint investment company of Thomann’s and GEWA’s has taken over and acquired the trademark rights for Höfner and Paesold.
“This ensures that both brands will survive and be further strategically developed in the long term,” the document reads, adding that distribution rights for the Höfner brand in Europe will be “held exclusively” by Thomann GmbH, and outside of Europe by GEWA music. GEWA holds distribution rights for the Paesold brand.
“Höfner instruments, including the legendary Beatle basses, string instruments and bows, will continue to be manufactured in Baiersdorf,” the statement goes on.
“As part of the transaction, 24 jobs were also preserved at the Baiersdorf site. In addition, it has been possible to place some of the remaining employees in new positions. All in all, this represents a very pleasing result – especially against the backdrop of the challenging market situation in the musical instrument industry.”
“In a complex and demanding process, we have succeeded in reaching a solution that ensures both the continued existence of the Baiersdorf site and the future viability of the Höfner and Paesold brands in the long term,” says insolvency administrator Dr. Hubert Ampferl.
“The [fact] that operations can be continued seamlessly and jobs are preserved at the same time are an important signal for the location and the region.”
Founded by Karl Höfner in 1887 in the then-Austrian-Hungarian town of Schönbach – now Luby in the Czech Republic, Höfner grew to one of the largest suppliers of stringed instruments in the region in the following decades. Operations were scaled back during World War II, when its facilities were repurposed for making supplies for the German army.
Germany’s postwar reconstitution meant Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia, and Höfner relocated to West Germany, opening a new factory in Bubenreuth in 1950.
While the brand has manufactured countless different instruments throughout its nearly-150-year history, it’s undoubtedly most known for the 500/1 bass guitar – the Violin Bass – long championed by Paul McCartney.
Guitar.com has reached out to Thomann to verify the legitimacy of the press release provided to KDH.
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“Otherwordly reverbs in a compact package”: Meet the Electro-Harmonix Pico Shimmer Cosmic Reverb
Electro-Harmonix has expanded its lineup of mini pedals with the pocket-sized Pico Shimmer Cosmic Reverb.
Boasting a tiny footprint that’ll be at home on even the most crowded pedalboards, the Pico Shimmer Cosmic Reverb is inspired by the Shimmer settings on EHX’s much-loved Canyon Delay and Oceans 11 Reverb, and offers three settings: Intergalactic, Off-World and Etherdust.
- READ MORE: EHX Pico Intelligent Harmony Machine review: impressive tracking hampered by inevitable compromise
Each of these combines a different blend of reverb, delay and modulation effects, as well as an octaves and string synth engine, EHX says.
Intergalactic is described as a “classic shimmer” made up of polyphonic octaves, reverb, modulated delay and compression, plus a string synthesis engine. “Morph between plate reverb, classic shimmer, and ethereal strings to create cinematic atmospheres beyond time and space,” the brand says.
Meanwhile, Off-World is a more mellow shimmer effect with enhanced delay modulation, while Etherdust is a glitch shimmer effect in which the delay time is randomised, offering stutters ranging from “short granular sparkles to distinct glitch echoes”.
Credit: Electro-Harmonix
Controls on the pedal include a Blend knob for setting the overall wet/dry mix, a Tone knob sets the brightness of the effect, Time, which controls decay time, a Voice knob for morphing the reverb character, and a Scene mode button for toggling between the pedal’s three main settings.
The Pico Shimmer Cosmic Reverb ships with a standard EHX 9V power supply, and is available now for $149.
Learn more at Electro-Harmonix.
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Answered: Even More Technical Guitar Questions You Were Too Afraid To Ask
Chances are none of us really know as much about guitar as we think, or that we’d like to. That being said, it can still be awkward or embarrassing to ask our bandmates, friends, guitar techn or local shop assistants about stuff that we feel like we should know by now but don’t.
If that’s you, don’t fret – after rattling through two full articles of common guitar queries already, we’re back with another tranche from you, the reader. Read on and learn!
How often should I change my guitar strings?
Does the gunk keep the funk? For many guitarists, the question of when is an appropriate time to change your strings is a key one to their overall sound. Answers can range from “as often as you can afford” to “when they break,” and both are valid answers. But from a tone perspective, there is a certain sound that you get from old strings, and it works really well for certain genres of music.
James Jamerson – the Motown bassist whose fingerprints are on more classic records than most people realize – used to go absurdly long stretches without changing his strings. His whole explanation was four words: “gunk keeps the funk.” Whether that’s a philosophy or just a guy who couldn’t be bothered, you can’t really argue with the catalog he built on those nasty strings. Jeff Tweedy has basically said the same thing about his preference to record with old guitar strings.
What’s happening physically is pretty straightforward. New strings are bright – they have lots of overtones, lots of sustain, very alive. Then you sweat on them, dead skin cells fill up the windings, they stretch out and stop holding tension evenly, and eventually the whole thing just kind of… settles into itself. Less sparkle, more thud. For some genres of music, that sort of sound works very well.
Funk bass is a good example. You want a tight, punchy fundamental – overtones and ringing sustain are actually in the way. Dead strings aren’t a flaw in that context; they’re doing exactly what the music needs. So, sometimes not changing your strings isn’t laziness. Sometimes it’s just the right call.
What Makes a Guitar Feel “Fast”?
I hear a lot of people use the term “fast” to describe a neck and as far as I can gather, a “fast neck” is a neck that feels effortless to play. Again, this is something that is the result of several different factors, and since we’re talking about “feel” different necks will feel different to different players. That being said, there are a few factors that universally result in effortless playing for the vast majority of hands.
One major factor is string action. Lower action means the strings sit closer to the fretboard, so your fingers don’t have to press as far to fret notes. That alone can dramatically change how effortless a guitar feels.
Neck shape also plays a role. A thinner or flatter profile may feel quicker to some players because it allows the hand to wrap around the neck more easily. Others actually prefer chunkier necks because they provide more support for the thumb.
Fret size can influence the sensation as well. Larger frets reduce the amount of fingerboard your fingertip touches when you press down a note, which can make bends and vibrato feel smoother.
Finally, the fingerboard radius affects how chords and single-note lines feel across the neck. Flatter radii often make bending easier, while rounder ones can feel more comfortable for chord playing.
Put all of those factors together and you get something players loosely call a “fast neck.” But in practice, what feels fast to one guitarist might feel awkward to another.
Do Heavier Guitars Have More Sustain Than Lighter Guitars?
The short answer here is no. While there might be some heavy guitars that sustain very well, correlation does not equal causation. There are plenty of light guitars that sustain as well if not better than their heavier counterparts. The real determining factor in a guitar’s sustain is far more complex than just overall weight. It has much more to do with the wood itself, the neck and body stiffness, neck joint design, bridge and hardware, and pickups and amplification.
If sustain the most important quality you’re looking for in an instrument, the best way to test it is to simply play the guitar before you buy it – something I would always recommend anyway. You can always record a guitar into a DAW and watch the waveform, but I find it much more fun to just play it and see if you like the way it feels and sounds.
What’s The Best Way To Power Your Pedalboard?
Power adapters are one of those things that seem simple until they’re not. The basics: an adapter takes AC power from your wall outlet and converts it to the lower DC voltage your pedals run on. Most pedals use 9V DC, though some require 12V, 18V, or higher – and that difference matters more than people think. Some pedals don’t come with an adaptor, or if you’re buying used pedals, it’s worth knowing a bit about adaptors before plugging things in.
The plug itself has a polarity, either center-positive or center-negative, which just refers to whether the inner or outer contact carries the positive charge. Grab a random adapter from the hardware store and you’re gambling – wrong voltage, wrong polarity, or AC instead of DC and you’ll likely kill the pedal outright. Too little voltage and the pedal may not turn on, or will run noticeably degraded. It’s not a forgiving system.
The other variable worth understanding is current draw, measured in milliamps (mA). Digital pedals tend to pull more than analog ones, sometimes significantly more. To figure out what your board needs, just add up the mA rating for each pedal – usually printed on the bottom or in the manual, and easy to look up if not – and make sure your power supply can handle the total. If you’ve got a tuner pulling 35mA, a fuzz at 5mA, an analog delay at 150mA, and a few other pedals in between, you might be looking at 300mA or more just for a modest board. A supply rated above that total gives you headroom and keeps everything running cleanly. Match the voltage, match the polarity, and give yourself enough current – and you’ll mitigate the risk to your pedals, which, as we all know, are expensive.
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