General Interest

Based on Younge's personal Custom Shop build, the limited-edition Masterbuilt model nods to the past while departing radically from convention

PG contributor Tom Butwin walks us through a rugged, pedal‑board‑friendly delay that lets you shape time, feedback, and blend entirely with your foot. The Roto Echo features warm, gritty analog‑style echoes, intuitive real‑time control, and a design tough enough for full body weight. It sounds great on its own, but this wheel‐driven innovation opens up worlds of expressive possibilities.

Black Mountain Roto-Echo

Third Man Hardware and Black Mountain are excited to announce the innovative Roto-Echo delay pedal. Instead of tweaking delay parameters with your fingers, the pedal’s
Freewheel® Technology allows players to change them with their feet in real-time as they play –
a small change that leads to tons of creative possibilities.
The Roto-Echo is built tough and players can put their full weight onto the pedal with no
problem. It’s the same size as a regular Boss-style guitar pedal, and fits on any pedal board.

Key Features
● Foot-Controlled Adjustments: Change Time, Feedback, or Blend while you play.
● Analog-Style Delay: Warm, gritty echoes up to 600ms.
● Rugged Build: Built to handle full body weight on stage.
● True Bypass: Keeps your tone pure when switched off.
● Play Sitting or Standing: Built for performance.
● 9V, Center Negative Power
● Morph feedback from short to infinite repeats
● Ramp wet/dry mix for dramatic effect
● Sweep delay time to bend and warble pitch, and so much more

Voltage Cable Co.® has introduced a new hardware option to its best-selling Voltage Vintage Coil® V2: a long-frame right-angle “Tele” plug by G&H USA. Purpose-built for recessed Tele guitar jacks and vintage-style guitars, this new plug ensures a tighter fit and improved seating depth - solving a long-standing problem for players using standard short right-angle connectors.

Each cable continues to feature Voltage’s hallmark component stack: 21 AWG spiral-shielded conductors, Cardas Quad Eutectic silver solder, and the patented ISO-COAT® hermetic seal, now officially granted under Australian Standard Patent No. 2024204464 as of June 26, 2025. The result is an elite-class instrument cable with lifetime-grade durability and signal reliability, built specifically for working musicians.

The Voltage Vintage Coil® V2 is available in seven vintage-inspired colors and ships globally.

Available now at $99 USD MAP: voltagecableco.com/products/coiled-guitar-cable-voltage-vintage-coil-v2

Fender’s Custom Shop had a precarious start in the mid-1980s, but the story of its formative years is full of big ideas, some bizarre instruments, and a queue of famous guitarists

I've dug through the whole sale to find the best savings before anyone else gets to them

The Gibson Pickup Shop Artist Collection pickups are created in collaboration with some of the world’s most influential artists, including legends who shaped the sounds that built the foundation of modern music, as well as some of today’s most innovative players who continue to shape the sound of music across genres and influence musicians worldwide. Gibson is proud to continue its partnership with Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist of Black Sabbath, with the launch of the Tony Iommi Signature Humbucker™, available worldwide on www.gibson.com.

Tony Iommi’s legendary guitar work, powerful sound, and groundbreaking albums laid the foundation for heavy metal and inspired countless other genres. His music and his legacy are celebrated across the globe, and in the late 90s, Gibson teamed up with Tony to create their very first signature pickup. Today, that original Gibson signature humbucker makes its long-awaited return.

The Tony Iommi Humbucker features an exclusive configuration of powerful ceramic and Alnico 2 magnets, along with unique windings, that give it the incredible tone and sustain that have helped make Tony’s work with Black Sabbath instantly recognizable. Thunderous tone and incredible sustain, with crystal clarity, even in full distortion, the Tony Iommi Humbucker is fully wax-potted and epoxied for absolute protection against unwanted feedback. The 4-conductor wiring allows for series, parallel, and split coil operation.

“I’m really excited that Gibson’s bringing back my signature humbucker, they were getting pretty hard to find!” says Tony Iommi. “This pickup came about after a lot of time spent in Nashville, just experimenting with different setups to get that perfect tone and sustain from my favourite guitars. We had to make sure it worked with my light gauge strings and low tunings, but still pack a punch, and the result has got some serious output. They're on my signature guitars too, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out."

“I’d personally installed these on one of my Gibson guitars 15 years ago, and I was blown away with the distinct Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath sound I was able to get out of them,” explains Cesar Gueikian, President and CEO of Gibson. “They have such a great, clean look with the unique pickup cover, and we are excited to bring the Rifflord’s signature humbucker back as we continue to pay tribute to Tony.”

“It’s great to have the first signature pickup from Gibson back, and there really isn’t a more fitting artist than Tony Iommi,” says Lee Bartram, Head of Commercial and Marketing EMEA at Gibson. “Tony is synonymous with the Gibson SG™, but now the volume, presence, and overall power he produces through his playing can be experienced in other models too, whether at home, in the studio, or on stage. Thanks to Tony for his continued support and trust; these pickups are the result of our constant collaboration, and we look forward to what’s next for our partnership.”

Jack White’s Third Man Hardware and Black Mountain Designs have teamed up to release the Roto-Echo, a new delay pedal designed to give guitarists hands-free control over their delay parameters, in real time, while they perform.

At first glance, the Roto-Echo looks like a familiar-sized delay stompbox. It’s a foot-controlled delay pedal built for the stage and easily fits on a standard pedalboard. On top of the pedal, there’s a roller wheel—smooth, weighted, and spring-loaded. The player can assign that wheel to control blend, feedback, and delay time via a three-way toggle switch. The core delay circuit is based on the PT2399 chip, offering warm, gritty echoes from 60MS a slapback to roughly 588MS repeats.

What makes the Roto-Echo different is how those parameters can be shaped in the moment. The roller wheel responds to foot motion, and with practice, players can perform swells, shifts, or rhythmic changes in their delay sound as they play—no need to crouch down or dial knobs mid-song or rely on presets. Sound manipulation typically reserved for the studio is now easy to perform live.

Specs at a glance:

• Delay Time: 30ms to ~600ms (PT2399-based)

• Roller Wheel: Assignable to Time, Feedback, or Blend. Rated for full body weight.

• Power: 9V DC (center negative)

• Current Draw: <100mA

• True Bypass

• Compact design, pedalboard friendly

The new Roto-Echo pedal carries a street price of $279. For more information visit blackmountainpicks.com.

Mayer's most recent album, Sob Rock, was released in 2021, and was four years in the making

First introduced in 1961 – initially as the Les Paul SG – the Gibson SG has since been adopted by guitarists across a wide range of rock subgenres, notably including AC/DC’s Angus Young, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and more recently, Jake Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet and Mirador.

So besides its rockier looks courtesy of its double-horn body design, what exactly sets the SG apart from other classic Gibson models like the Les Paul, Explorer or Firebird?

• READ MORE: Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka says his bandmates are “very critical of guitar things” and have rejected some of his best riffs for the band

According to Jake Kiszka, it’s that its design allows the player to feel “every nuance” of the notes they play.

Asked what a good SG should be in the latest issue of Guitarist magazine, Kiszka explains: “The early ‘60s ones – which were [branded] Les Pauls at first – with the thinner neck are highly microphonic.

“If you tap anywhere on the body and it’s making that sound, it’s just very thin lacquer. Mine’s basically been sanded off [by playwear] entirely.

“So the thing about an SG that differentiates it from other Gibson guitars is that it’s really microphonic, and you can feel every nuance of the guitar.”

Kiszka explains that this nuance is “highly important” to him as he likes to play guitar as if it’s a “full-body thing”.

“I really like to play with my body,” he continues, “and even pulling the neck slightly back and moving things and tapping on it. It’s responding in more than just one way. It’s not just the strings and the connection between that and the pickup.”

While Greta Van Fleet’s sound has been compared extensively to that of Led Zeppelin, Ghost frontman Tobias Forge recently leapt to their defence, urging fans to embrace GVF as the modern-day flag-bearers of rock music.

“I don’t wanna hear anything about Greta Van Fleet now, because I think that their intentions are true,” he insisted. “They just happened to sound like someone else, but that’s not their fault! So, stop it.”

The post “You can feel every nuance of the guitar”: Jake Kiszka on what sets SGs apart from other Gibson guitars appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

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The Prize: Fender Vintera II '60s Telecaster Electric Guitar - Sonic Blue

Revive the timeless sound of the '60s with the Vintera® II '60s Telecaster® and experience the iconic looks, inspiring feel and incomparable tone that only a Fender can deliver.

The Vintera® II '60s Telecaster® features an alder body and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard for classic Fender tone that's full of punch and clarity. The early-'60s "C" shape neck is based on a classic '60s profile for an intuitive and inviting feel, while the 7.25" radius fingerboard with vintage-tall frets provides vintage comfort with ample room for big bends and expressive vibrato. Under the hood, you'll find a pair of vintage-style '60s pickups that deliver all the crystal-clear chime and raw, steely twang that made Fender famous. The vintage-style 3-saddle bridge with slotted steel saddles offers authentic '60s twang, while vintage-style tuning machines provide classic looks with a finer gear ratio and enhanced tuning stability to complete the package.

Experience the unmistakable vintage feel and unmatched sound of a classic Fender with the Vintera® II '60s Telecaster® today and start making music history!

The music retail giant has just dropped its Labor Day sale a few days early, and it includes insane discounts on the likes of Fender, Gibson, Schecter, Music man, and more

Frank Zappa once gave a rather huge compliment to a young and budding guitarist, who went on to become a guitar legend in his own right – Steve Vai.

According to Vai, who played in Zappa’s band for a brutal stint during the 1980s, the late musician usually refrained from commenting on other artists and their skills, so his one-off compliment took him by surprise.

• READ MORE: “I always described it as the battle between the chicken and the spider. It’s not a comfortable way to play”: Dweezil Zappa on his father’s strange guitar playing style

Speaking to the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan on his Magnificent Others podcast (via Ultimate Guitar), Vai says, “There was only one time he ever commented on my future, and I’m reluctant to mention it… We were in the studio, just him and me. We’re playing Sleep Dirt. It’s just two guitars, it’s an arpeggio, and I was brand new.

“Frank would look for special things in a musician; something that they could do that’s kind of quirky, interesting. He would find something. The great thing about Frank was, he had this intuitive ability to recognise your potential even better than you did. And then, he would pull it out of you, and use it as a colour in his palette. That’s why all of his records sound so different. And for me, I was into the weird abilities [needed] to play these hard melodies.”

He goes on to recall that very jam session with Zappa, sharing, “I remember just stopping, because I was stunned. He started playing rhythm, and I was starting to solo. And just some months before that, I was in my bedroom in Long Island, listening to his records. I had a moment of, ‘What’s going on?’ It was almost like an existential crisis or something…

“He goes, ‘You okay?’ I said, ‘Frank, I don’t know what I’m doing here. How did I get here?’ And he said, ‘Well, how many Tommy Marses [Zappa’s keyboard player], are there?’” Zappa went on to list further examples, including his drummer Vinny Colaiutas, before asking, “‘Well, how many Steve Vais do you think there are?’

“I didn’t understand that, because I didn’t see myself as anything special whatsoever. I thought about it, and then he said, ‘I think you’re a genius in ways that have yet to be discovered.’ And I just thought he was being nice,” says Vai. “I think he saw my potential to do something obscure. But everybody is a genius when they find what they love and they throw themselves into it without any excuses.”

You can check out the full podcast below:

The post The guitar legend that Frank Zappa claimed was “a genius in ways that have yet to be discovered” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Vintage spirit and looks live in a Telecaster and Stratocaster with contemporary refinements at every turn.

Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage 50s Telecaster

Representing the pinnacle of innovation and craftsmanship, Fender American Ultra Luxe sets the benchmark for premium electric instruments. The new American Ultra Luxe Vintage series takes it a step further, showcasing the finest of Fender heritage – where timeless classics meet uncompromising modern refinement. The American Ultra Luxe Vintage 50s Telecaster features premium ash with carved contours that complement the aged Heirloom™ lacquer finish. Built for precision performance, the quartersawn maple neck with a Modern ‘D’ shape and Ultra rolled edges features medium jumbo stainless- steel frets, Luminlay side dots, and a Graph Tech TUSQ nut. Each instrument features a tapered neck heel to ensure unparalleled access to the higher register. Under the hood, Pure Vintage ’51 Tele pickups deliver classic Fender tones, from sparkling cleans to rich, expressive leads. Performance hardware includes a precision-engineered 6-saddle string-though-body bridge with brass block saddles and deluxe locking short post tuners for quick string changes and superior tuning stability. The American Ultra Luxe Vintage 50s Telecaster delivers flawless modern performance with distinctive classic design. Available in Butterscotch Blonde and White Blonde.

Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage 60s Stratocaster

Representing the pinnacle of innovation and craftsmanship, Fender American Ultra Luxe sets the benchmark for premium electric instruments. The new American Ultra Luxe Vintage series takes it a step further, showcasing the finest of Fender heritage – where timeless classics meet uncompromising modern refinement. The American Ultra Luxe Vintage 60s Stratocaster features premium alder with carved contours that complement the aged Heirloom lacquer finish. Built for precision performance, the quartersawn maple neck with a Modern ‘D’ shape and Ultra rolled edges features medium jumbo stainless- steel frets, Luminlay side dots, and a Graph Tech TUSQ nut. Each instrument features a tapered neck heel to ensure unparalleled access to the higher register. Under the hood, Pure Vintage ’61 Strat delivers classic Fender tones, from sparkling cleans to rich, expressive leads. Performance hardware includes a precision-engineered 2-Point American Ultra synchronized tremolo with polished stainless steel block saddles, cold rolled steel block, and deluxe locking tuners for quick string changes and superior tuning stability. The American Ultra Lux Vintage 60s Stratocaster delivers flawless modern performance with distinctive classic design. Available in Ice Blue Metallic and Surf Green.

This year, Major League Baseball made “The Vedder Cup” official – and honored the Pearl Jam icon who inspired the name by awarding the winning team a guitar trophy

Session guitarist Brent Mason believes there are two core things that players should master in order to make it as a successful session player.

Mason is one of the most recorded guitarists in history, and has played guitar on over 1000 records. Having been discovered by Chet Atkins, who invited him to play on his Stay Tuned album, Mason is certainly the kind of guitarist worth taking advice from.

• READ MORE: “I realised if the drums and the bass are not right, even if my guitar is right, it’s gonna suck!”: Mateus Asato on the difference between session work and making his own album

Though not the most exciting or glamorous elements of playing guitar, Mason believes that timing and dynamics matter most if you want to become an esteemed session player. He tells Guitarist, “When I first started doing sessions in Nashville, you needed to have a great sense of timing.

“I remember a lot of times, I was working up things and didn’t have a metronome – and we all hate metronomes [laughs]. It’s just clicks that are uninspiring. But now, you can set up in your hotel room and practise, so it’s about timing.”

He adds, “When I first started doing sessions, I found out that I was speeding up a little bit, and guys would go, ‘Hey, you’re on top of the beat, man.’ I always heard that and now I know that it’s about timing and dynamics. Those two things, timing and dynamics, without even bringing up melody or notes, it’s about those things.”

Asked about common pitfalls that session players usually come up against, he replies, “You gotta watch out when you go in there. Studio musicians like to play a song, jam and get loosened up to check and see if everything is clicking. But sometimes you can play too much.

“You’ve really gotta listen to the vocalist and mark down on your chart where the fields go, make sure you’re off the vocal point and make sure you understand what the artist wants.”

To find out more about Mason – including his gear, virtual lessons, and his history as a player – head over to the Brent Mason website.

The post Veteran Nashville session guitarist on the “two things” that are most important in the studio – and neither are the melody or notes appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The late heavy-metal icon did not, could not, play guitar. Yet his contribution to the scene – whether giving a platform to fledgling gunslingers or igniting their talents – was inestimable

Producer Andrew Watt has worked with a growing list of legends, and even managed to get Paul McCartney to play on The Rolling Stones’ latest record.

Watt – who has also worked with Elton John, Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osbourne, and more – landed his production gig on the Stones’ 2023 album Hackney Diamonds thanks to McCartney, who recommended him to Ronnie Wood.

• READ MORE: “We’ve just written this one but we’re not sure about it…” How The Beatles turned to the Shadows legend Hank Marvin for advice about an iconic song

Watt and McCartney had bonded over tea following his Producer Of The Year Grammy Win in 2021. The pair also jammed together, and Watt picked his brains over his favourite Beatles song, Blackbird. Speaking to Mojo for its latest print issue, Watt says of their bond, “Paul McCartney got me the gig for The Rolling Stones! I mean, that sounds like a fake-ass dream.”

As sessions began for the record, Watt ended up playing bass on a number of tracks as well as co-writing three: Angry, Get Close, and Depending On You. Of his bass contributions, he explains, “It’s not me pushing in and just inserting myself. Sometimes there wasn’t a bass player present.”

Though former Stones bassist Bill Wyman famously made a return to contribute to the record, Watt also enlisted some external contributors, including Gaga and his good friend Macca, who played bass on the track Bite My Head Off.

“He got to just be the bass player in the band, and he fucking loved it,” shares Watt. “As I was walking Paul out of the studio, he said, ‘I just fucking played bass in The Rolling Stones, and I’m a fucking Beatle!’”

Listen to the track below:

Last year, Watt explained how he manages to work with so many of his heroes: “Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John, Eddie Vedder – they’re fully capable of producing an album by themselves,” he told Variety. “They understand song structure, mix, a good snare drum sound, they’ve done this forever. So none of them need a producer – but they are choosing to hire a producer.”

On how he’s managed to attain such an impressive list of collaborators, he added: “Just ask. When I asked Paul McCartney to play bass on a Rolling Stones song: silence for 10 seconds, then ‘Yeah, I’d love to.’ Just ask the question! The worst that can happen is no.”

The post “He got to just be the bass player in the band, and he f**king loved it”: Why Paul McCartney loved playing bass on The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds album appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Do vintage guitars always sound and feel objectively better than their affordable counterparts? Not necessarily, as many high-profile guitarists have discovered.

Back in 2021, Mike Rutherford revealed he was using a $200 Squier Bullet Tele while playing live with Genesis, saying: “I just love it. It’s got a life to it.” Naturally, a band of Genesis’s calibre would have been able to get their hands on pretty much any instrument they desired, so Rutherford’s evangelism of his affordable Squier was even more potent.

• READ MORE: Why Harley Benton’s new DNAFX AmP20 is the “perfect practice amp”

Now, former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has voiced his love of cheap guitars, reflecting on the time he spent $140 on a Squier Telecaster which he thought sounded better than its ‘58 vintage counterpart.

In a new interview with Guitar World, he recalls the Squier Tele being the most recent guitar he bought for himself.

“I buy a lot of guitars for veterans’ charities and stuff like that,” he explains. “But let’s see… the last guitar I bought for myself, I think, was a Squier Telecaster that has a Jazzmaster pickup installed for rhythm. It’s a great guitar. I bought it just for the hell of it.”

He continues: “I saw it and thought, ‘Wow, a Jazzmaster pickup,’ and it was put in at the factory. I played it and really loved it, so I told the guy at Guitar Center, ‘Pull down that ‘58 Telecaster you have up there,’ which cost about a bazillion dollars, and I spent about an hour setting up the [Squier] guitar.

“They had a guitar repair guy there, and I asked if I could use his tools and set up the guitar myself. And very quickly, I compared the two, and the $140 Squier Telecaster, to me, sounded better, so I bought it. I said, ‘Yep, gonna have one of these,’ so I think that’s the last guitar I bought.”

You might think $140 is a solid deal on a guitar in any case, but Baxter also notes how he recorded his parts for Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff on a $35 six-string.

“In terms of value for money, that would be a Burns Baby Bison guitar that I bought for 35 bucks. I ended up using it on the Donna Summer album and also started playing it in the studio as well as playing it live. It was a hell of a deal.”

Vintage guitar collecting tends to be a rich person’s game, with many instruments commanding thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands. So the availability of far cheaper budget versions of these guitars – which sound and feel high-quality for their price point – means more guitarists are discovering they don’t need to spend loads to get a solid instrument.

And even vintage guitar enthusiasts often emphasise that there’s no need to shell out more money than you can afford to get a great guitar setup.

Recently, blues maestro Joe Bonamassa – a big-time vintage gear collector – said guitarists don’t need to spend loads on an amp to get a great sound.

“You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a great sound, and it doesn’t have to be overly complex,” he said.

The post “I compared the two, and the $140 Squier Telecaster, to me, sounded better”: Jeff “Skunk” Baxter on the time he chose a budget Squier over its ’58 vintage counterpart – which cost “about a bazillion dollars” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Hinds, Mastodon's co-founder and co-leader for a quarter century, died last week following a tragic motorcycle accident

The 24-year-old explains how he merges prog and glam, and escapes the “originality ordeal” of an ancient instrument by hopping between Fender, Gibson, PRS and Ibanez (even if he prefers to write on cheap knock-offs)