Premier Guitar

Dave and Tom were so excited about this episode with Mr Big and Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert that they almost fainted right before taping, leaving a very unamused Cindy to host it alone. It takes a lot to fluster an Axe Lord, but the prospect of talking to Paul Gilbert about designing his Fireman guitars, getting a guided tour through his collection of vintage Ibanez treasures, and finding out how to properly rig a power drill for speed picking is almost more than any fan of highly technical guitar wizardry could stand.

Gilbert, who is promoting his rifftastic new concept album WROC - based on the George Washington-penned tome Washington’s Rules of Civility, is also the first, but hopefully not the last, Axe Lords guest to introduce cosplay to the show. To whit, he appears sporting a revolutionary war-styled Tricorn hat, the perfect accessory for schooling us not just in arcane bits of American history but also in the finer points of high-stakes shred protocol.

Axe Lords is presented in partnership with Premier Guitar. Hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge.

Follow @axelordspod for updates, news, and cool stuff.

Follow @paulgilbert_official

Soyuz Microphones has launched the V1 Dynamic, the first dynamic mic from the acclaimed boutique manufacturer.

For over a decade, Soyuz Microphones has been known for original, handcrafted condenser microphones that blend classic character with modern innovation. Equally at home on stage and in the recording studio, the new V1 Dynamic provides an open, condenser-like clarity and the punch, control, and forgiveness that make dynamic microphones essential.

Named after the spacecraft that carried the first human into space in 1961, the V1 reflects Soyuz’s push into new creative and technical territory.

The V1's naturally extended top end, balanced midrange, and focused low end deliver a smooth, articulate response that sounds right from the start, needing no EQ to "come alive." The controlled proximity effect allows instruments and performers to work close to the grille for full-bodied tone without muddy buildup.

"The V1 Dynamic is an important milestone for us," said David Brown, President and Co-Founder of Soyuz Microphones. "We had always considered building a dynamic mic someday, but we held off until we could create something truly unique that felt genuinely like a Soyuz in both sound and design. It's durable, musical, and simple. It's a dynamic sounding dynamic."

Like all Soyuz products, the V1 is 100% original from concept to construction. Every element is carefully designed and engineered in-house to create a dynamic microphone that sounds as remarkable as it looks.

At the core of the V1 is a custom Soyuz transformer for a hint of color that retains detail. The precision-machined headbasket goes beyond aesthetics, serving as an acoustic component carefully shaped to refine the sound before it even reaches the capsule. The mic’s body is designed to feel balanced in hand and command attention on stage.

SEE THE DEMO VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/C_fs4nENjeA

The V1 was developed through hands-on testing and direct feedback from major artists across diverse genres, including Beck, LCD Soundsystem, My Chemical Romance, and many more, during extensive tours and studio sessions.

The V1 Dynamic is engineered to endure the demands of modern recording and real-world performance night after night.

The Soyuz V1 Dynamic carries a street price of $279. For more information, visit soyuzmicrophones.com/v1-dynamic.

Abasi Concepts and Córdoba® announce the release of the Abasi® Stage 7, a purpose-built nylon string electric guitar engineered from the ground up for electric guitarists seeking authentic nylon tone without the traditional limitations of classical instruments.

Designed with Abasi Concepts on its Larada ergonomic platform and built upon Córdoba’s proven Stage solidbody nylon-string concept, the Abasi Stage 7 redefines what a nylon-string guitar can be in a contemporary performance environment. Rather than adapting a classical instrument for stage use, it was conceived specifically for electrified performance, extended-range clarity, and seamless transition from electric guitar technique.

“At its core, this guitar exists to remove barriers,” said Abasi Concepts. “Electric players are often drawn to the sound of nylon, but held back by feedback, ergonomics, string spacing, or playability. The Abasi Stage 7 was designed to eliminate those obstacles entirely.”

The Abasi Stage 7 features a thin, resonant, extensively chambered mahogany body with custom internal bracing that balances acoustic character with controlled stage performance. This construction minimizes feedback at higher volumes while preserving the organic response expected from nylon strings. Built on the ergonomic foundations of the Larada platform, its sculpted contours and streamlined body depth integrate naturally with the player’s body, whether seated or standing.

Unprecedented for this category, the Abasi Stage 7 offers full 24-fret access with exceptional upper-register reach, enabling modern phrasing, extended techniques, and fluid lead playing rarely associated with nylon-string instruments. Its 7-string multiscale design, tuned B to E, delivers piano-like depth and articulation on the low string while maintaining elasticity, precision, and expressive control on the treble side.

String spacing is intentionally narrower than that of a traditional classical guitar, allowing electric players to transition instinctively without relearning hand mechanics. The result is a nylon-string instrument that feels immediately familiar while opening new sonic territory.

All Abasi Stage 7 guitars are equipped with a bespoke Stage pickup system co-developed by Córdoba and Fishman®. Combining an under-saddle transducer with internal body sensors, the system delivers a natural, balanced nylon-string tone while eliminating the piezo “quack” commonly associated with amplified nylon guitars. A professional-grade preamp with side

mounted Volume, EQ, and Body Blend controls provides precise tonal shaping for live and studio use.

Each model features Córdoba’s Exotic Top design, pairing a solid spruce top with an ultra-thin premium exotic wood veneer to achieve an ideal balance of tone, resonance, and visual depth.

Additional features include a side-mounted oval soundhole, a mahogany flat C-shape set neck with rosewood fingerboard, black top purfling, a Fusion Fan headstock with rosewood overlay and inlaid Córdoba and Abasi logos, a rosewood bridge with bone saddle, and a bone nut.

This collaboration unites Abasi Concepts’ forward-looking design language with Córdoba’s deep expertise in nylon-string construction, manufacturing, and its Stage platform. Together, the two brands have created an instrument that defines a new class of nylon-string guitar, delivering professional-level performance at a price point designed to expand access to this evolving category.

© 2026 Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Córdoba and the Córdoba logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions.

Abasi and Larada are trademarks of Abasi Concepts.

Fishman is a trademark of Fishman Transducers Inc.

KEY FEATURES

• Designed on the Abasi Concepts Larada ergonomic platform
• Córdoba Stage nylon-string construction
• 7-string multiscale design for optimal balance of tension and playability
• Thin, chambered body for reduced feedback and enhanced resonance
• Full 24-fret access for modern phrasing and lead work
• Narrower string spacing for seamless transition from electric guitar
• Custom Fishman Stage pickup system with body sensors for live performance • Side-mounted Volume, EQ, and Body Blend controls for live and studio tone shaping • Solid spruce top with exotic wood veneer
• Ships with Córdoba Abasi gig bag

SPECIFICATIONS

• Body: Chambered solid mahogany with custom internal bracing
• Top: Solid spruce with ultra-thin exotic wood veneer
• Neck: Mahogany set neck, flat C-shape
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Scale Length: Multiscale
• Frets: 24 fanned frets
• Fingerboard Radius: Compound 16"-24"
• Nut: Bone
• Bridge: Rosewood with bone saddle
• Headstock: Fusion Fan with rosewood overlay and inlaid logos
• Pickup System: Stage pickup system with under-saddle transducer and internal body sensors
• Controls: Side-mounted Volume, EQ, and Body Blend • Tuners: Córdoba brushed brass tuners
• Finish Options: Acacia, Ziricote, White Burst

Alex Lifeson and Lerxst, in collaboration with legendary pedal innovators Morley, announce the release of the Lerxst ATWAS (All The World’s A Stage) Wah / Volume Pedal available now for $299 as a limited-run of 500 pedals exclusively through the LERXST Reverb Store. For more information and to purchase, please click here.

Designed for expressive live performance and uncompromising tonal integrity, the ATWAS combines Morley’s iconic optical Wah with ultra-smooth optical Volume control and an onboard Wah Boost—delivering a versatile, stage-ready tool built for modern players who demand feel, reliability, and tone in equal measure.

Inspired by Lifeson’s decades-long relationship with Wah and Volume pedals as tools of musical expression, the ATWAS is engineered to respond naturally to playing dynamics while preserving the player’s core tone. From subtle swells to commanding lead lines that cut through the mix, the ATWAS is built failsafe for real-world stages, studios, and sessions.

“All the world’s a stage, and how you control dynamics on that stage matters,” explains Lifeson. “Wah and volume pedals have always been essential tools for me, not just effects. With the ATWAS, we focused on creating something that feels completely natural underfoot, preserves your tone, and gives you control without distraction.”

At the heart of the ATWAS is Morley’s proven optical circuitry, eliminating the wear and tear associated with traditional potentiometers. A dedicated Wah / Volume mode switch allows players to select their preferred operation, while the Wah Boost control offers up to 20dB of additional gain—perfect for pushing solos forward without altering the fundamental character of the sound.

“The collaboration with Alex is always about purpose,” said Scott Fietsam of Morley. “The ATWAS isn’t about adding gimmicks—it’s about refining essential tools. Optical Wah, Optical Volume, premium buffering, and rock-solid construction. This pedal is designed to work night after night, exactly the way a professional needs it to.”

Housed in a cold-rolled steel enclosure with a chrome finish and Tel-Ray-style detailing, the ATWAS also features a glow-in-the-dark treadle grip for confident footing on dark stages. Like all Lerxst pedals, it is proudly made in the USA.

Lerxst ATWAS Specifications

• Wah / Volume Mode Switch
• Wah Boost Control (up to +20dB)
• Smooth Optical Wah & Volume Circuitry
• Premium Morley Buffer Circuit
• Glow-in-the-Dark Treadle Grip
• Cold Rolled Steel Enclosure
• 9V DC Center-Negative Power
• Made in USA

Asked whether the world really needs another Wah pedal, Lifeson offered the following perspective:

“All the world’s a stage… but you still need the right tools to play your part.”

For more information on the Lerxst ATWAS Wah / Volume Pedal, please visit: https://lerxstamps.com

Blackstar Amplification announces the launch of the new ID:X Digital Floorboard series, a powerful new family of advanced DSP floor modelers. Designed in Northampton, UK, the ID:X Floor range has been created for electric guitar, bass and acoustic guitar players who need professional sound, intuitive control and complete connectivity in a single, stage-ready unit. Blackstar set out to solve a familiar problem—how to combine the flexibility of a modern digital modeller with the immediacy and feel of a real amplifier and achieved it through advanced component-level modelling, authentic “In The Room” tone technology, simple, musician-focused controls and three carefully tailored models to suit every style of player.

At the heart of every ID:X Floor unit is a high-performance modelling platform that captures the true behavior and musical response of tube amplifiers rather than simply recreating their sound. The series delivers 12 authentic electric amp models alongside three bass amp models, two acoustic voices and an acoustic simulator, complemented by Blackstar’s patented ISF tone shaping and selectable EL84, EL34 and 6L6 power-valve Responses to recreate the feel of different tube architectures under the fingers. More than thirty-five effects are directly editable from the top panel, including drives, modulation, delays and reverbs, while exclusive “In The Room” technology allows players to experience the dynamic sensation of an amp moving air, whether using the floorboard direct to front of house, recording, or integrating into an existing rig. CabRig speaker and microphone simulation with room options is fully controllable from the unit, and 99 patches can be created, stored and recalled without menu-diving thanks to an intuitive control layout and clear OLED display.

The series introduces three distinct models. ID:X Floor One offers the core platform in a compact footprint, providing full amp modelling, effects, CabRig, USB-C audio interface capability, MIDI input, XLR outputs, tuner, streaming input and headphone connectivity. ID:X Floor Two builds on this by adding an onboard expression pedal that can control Wah, volume or expression parameters, making it ideal for players who want continuous real-time performance control while keeping the same sound engine, editing capability and connectivity. At the top of the range, ID:X Floor Three expands the concept further with MIDI IN and THRU, an effects loop for integration with external pedals, extended switching for patches and effects, and a larger chassis designed for more advanced stage use, while maintaining the same immediate, musician-focused workflow across the lineup. All three models support deep software editing and online patch sharing via Blackstar’s free Architect software, connecting players to a wider creative community.

In use, the ID:X Floor series is intended to feel like a real amplifier rather than a menu-driven processor. Blackstar’s component-accurate modelling, precision tone-stack behavior and carefully developed interaction between preamp, power section and speaker response contribute to a lively, responsive playing experience that reacts dynamically to touch. Combined with robust I/O, USB-C audio interface functionality and an emphasis on ease of use, the ID:X Floor range is positioned as a complete professional floor solution for studio, rehearsal and live performance alike.

For further information on the new Blackstar ID:X Floor range, including ID:X Floor One, ID:X Floor Two and ID:X Floor Three, please visit NAMM Booth #6802 or online at www.blackstaramps.com

Street Price:

ID:X Floor One $269.99 USD

ID:X Floor Two $319.99 USD

ID:X Floor Three $399.99 USD

Aguilar has announced the TLC DLX Compressor EQ, an expanded evolution of its trusted TLC Compressor pedal. Designed to give bassists complete control over dynamics while adding musical tone shaping inspired by classic studio workflows, the TLC DLX follows a simple philosophy: control dynamics first, then enhance tone. The result is transparent compression paired with broad, musical EQ in a compact, pedalboard-friendly format suited for both stage and studio use.

At the core of the TLC DLX is a comprehensive compressor control set featuring Threshold, Attack, Release, Ratio, Output, and Blend. These controls allow bassists to shape not just how much compression is applied, but how it feels—from subtle dynamic smoothing to firm peak control. An integrated LED gain-reduction meter provides clear visual feedback for dialing in consistent results, while the Blend control enables parallel compression, preserving natural feel and articulation while adding punch and consistency. The Output control compensates for gain reduction, making unity gain easy to achieve.

Beyond dynamics, the TLC DLX adds integrated tone shaping inspired by Aguilar’s DB 925 boost circuit. Broad, boost-only Bass and Treble controls enhance the instrument’s natural character, adding fullness, clarity, and presence without harshness. Used alongside compression, the EQ helps bass tones sit comfortably in a mix while remaining expressive and musical.

Designed as a compact channel strip for the pedalboard, the TLC DLX delivers studio-inspired dynamic control and tone enhancement in a format built for real-world bass performance. “The original TLC Compressor has been part of so many players’ rigs for years, and the TLC DLX is a natural evolution of that idea,” says Aguilar. “We kept the feel and musicality people love, but expanded on it by adding tone shaping inspired by our classic designs. The result is a pedal that still feels familiar, but gives bassists more flexibility and expression than ever before.”

For more information, visit NAMM Booth 6802 or online at www.aguilaramp.com

The TLC DLX Compressor EQ is available now with a street price of $329.99.

At the 2026 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Synergy will debut a patent-protected Machine-Learning power amp technology that combines the convenience, light weight, and power of class D, with the tone and feel of tubes, for a no compromise amplification solution. This revolutionary design is different than anything currently in the market!

Background - For decades, traditional tube amplifiers have remained the gold standard for guitarists seeking expressive feel, touch sensitivity and harmonic complexity. These qualities come from two critical factors: the inherent nonlinear behavior of the vacuum tubes and the complex real-time interaction between the amp and its speaker cabinet.

While Class D designs have improved in efficiency and portability, their inherent low-impedance output stage makes them an obstacle to recreating true tube amp tone.

Attempts to remedy this have consistently fallen short - often relying on static models and fixed impedance assumptions, resulting in a stiff and sterile tone and a

disconnect from the guitar player. Increasing the impedance outage stage has also failed, as doing so makes the amplifier inefficient or extremely unstable.

Until now!

Synergy’s invention takes a fundamentally different approach, combining high-efficiency, low-impedance Class D output stages, advanced digital signal processing and a proprietary, patent-protected Machine-Learning system that continuously measures voltage and current in real-time at the speaker output.

During initial operation, the amplifier learns your cabinet's impedance through controlled sweeps, then continues to monitor it in real-time. The Machine-Learning power amplifier dynamically adapts to recreate true tube amp voltage-current behavior, including sag, compression, frequency-dependent damping and harmonic richness.

The result is authentic tube amp feel and tone that translates naturally across different cabinets and playing situations, while retaining the efficiency, stability, portability and updatability of modern amplifier designs.

Synergy’s Machine-Learning power amp was designed from the ground up by guitar players, for guitar players, including modern features guitarists demand and consistent, stable and robust power across all speaker cabinet impedances!

To bring this revolutionary technology to life STMicroelectronics enabled SYNERGY as an alpha customer on their new advanced STM32V8 mcu series, which combines advanced 18 nm FD-SOI and ST’s phase-change memory (PCM) technology with a powerful 800 MHz Arm Cortex®-M85 core, delivering up to 6x faster Machine-Learning and DSP processing than previous product generations.

Legends Unite

Synergy has partnered with industry giants Brian Wampler and Dave Friedman in collaboration with Pete Thorn to bring this technology to life with the following products that will debut at NAMM:

Brian Wampler’s PEDALHEAD - a super-compact pedalboard friendly 240W (60 tube watt equivalent), stereo power amp with IR loader, MIDI and 6 power amp models.

Dave Friedman IR-LOAD, a collaboration with Pete Thorn, that is an all-in-one 360W (90 tube watt equivalent), stereo power amp/load box/attenuator/IR loader/MIDI.

These exciting new products will be demonstrated live at the 2026 NAMM Show at the Boutique Amps Distribution booth (#4626). Dave Friedman and Brian Wampler will be on hand for demonstrations, discussions, and media interviews throughout the show.

The grossest of ’em all rolls through Nashville.

When GWAR stomped through Nashville with the goriest gear of all, we had to take a look. PG’s Chris Kies caught up with the band at Marathon Music Works to hang with Grodius Maximus, Bälsäc the Jaws ’O Death, and Casey Orr (aka Beefcake the Mighty). The band rolls cab-free, armed with a stack of dangerously signature gear.

Sponsored by D’Addario

Totally Radical

Grodius Maximus’ rig is all about spectacle, aggression, and controlled chaos—designed to sound less like a guitar and more like a “big crazy animal.” His primary instruments come from Radical Instrument Products in Salt Lake City. His go-to is pointy, pink, and equipped with a locking tremolo and a single humbucker. He also carries a gold neck-through model loaded with a pair of humbuckers and a coil tap.

Inspired by Buzz

Rounding out the guitar lineup is an Electrical Guitar Company instrument—something Grodius was turned onto by Buzz Osborne of the Melvins. That guitar features dual humbuckers and a Mastery bridge, adding a slightly more refined edge to an otherwise savage setup.

Dark Favorite

Grodius calls the Orange Dual Dark 100 his favorite amp of all time. While it’s not being used onstage for this show, its DNA is still present via a Kemper, which houses a model of the Dual Dark that anchors his core tone.

All Sorts of Nasty

Effects are where things get truly unhinged. On his rack, a Line 6 Filter Pro handles “all sorts of nasty tones,” while a lineup of Bananana Effects pedals sit in reserve, ready to be unleashed when needed. Switching duties are handled by a Voodoo Lab Guitar Audio switcher, and he also shows off a Death By Audio prototype, alongside trusted staples like the DBA Echo Dream 2 and DBA Robot.

His actual pedalboard is deceptively compact but vicious: a Boss Chromatic Tuner, a Line 6 FM4 pedal, a Hotone expression pedal, DOD Gonkulator, Bananana Mandala, and an MXR Carbon Copy Bright, all powered by a Voodoo Lab supply.

Bälsäc the Jaws ’O Death - Blue Beast

Bälsäc’s rig blends modern metal precision with an openness to conventional and unconventional tools. His signature Schecter Bälsäc Blue Jaw model—soon to be released at what he jokingly calls “an exorbitant price”—is constructed using material from his actual costume. Finished in Antarctic crackle, it’s loaded with a pair of blue Fishman Fluence pickups, delivering clarity and aggression in equal measure.

Non-Metal Vibes

He also relies heavily on a Schecter PT Custom with a purple finish—a T-style guitar that initially raised eyebrows. “It’s surprising how much I love the PTs,” he admits. “It’s such a non-metal shape.” The guitar is outfitted with Fishman Fluence pickups and an Amptone XY MIDIpad, which wirelessly controls his Fractal Axe-Fx III.

Modeling Rig

The Axe-Fx handles amp modeling duties, often dialed in to a Mesa/Boogie-style sound. He also rocks the familiar purple Line 6 Filter Pro. Because Gwar performs to click tracks, all patch and effect changes are automated through Ableton, keeping everything locked tight.

Chaos via Kaoss

Bälsäc’s pedalboard is deep and experimental: a Chase Bliss Onward, Death by Audio Robot and Disemboweller, and a Meris Ottobit and Hedra. In the rack, he keeps a Korg Kaoss Pad, EarthQuaker Devices Data Corrupter, and an EHX C9 organ emulator, allowing him to blur the line between guitar, synth, and noise weapon. He even uses a Moog Theremini as an expression controller, further expanding his sonic vocabulary.

Casey Orr/Beefcake the Mighty - Slim Nikki

Handling low-end duties behind the scenes is Casey Orr, who you might better as Beefcake the Mighty. His primary instrument is the Schecter Casey Orr Beefcake Bass, which shares its electronics with the Riot 4, but features a Nikki Sixx–style body, slimmed down for comfort. The bass also sports a thinner neck, along with 24 frets, a kill switch, and a pair of EMG pickups—a combination Orr describes simply as “super comfortable.”

Backpack Rig

On the amplification side, the cornerstone of Orr’s sound is the Darkglass Alpha·Omega Ultra, which he calls the “missing link” in achieving the bass tone he’d previously been chasing—aggressive, articulate, and perfectly suited to Gwar’s controlled mayhem.

Bälsäc the Jaws ’O Death
Boss Chromatic Tuner
Darkglass Alpha Omega Ultra
DOD Gonkulator
Electro-Harmonix C9
EarthQuaker Devices Data Corrupter
Hotone Expression Pedal
Meris Hedra
Meris Ottobit
Moog Theremini
Schechter Purple PT Custom
Voodoo Lab Guitar Audio Switcher
Voodoo Lab Power

The new line of condenser microphones delivers premium, true-to-life audio capture with ultra-low self-noise in a sleek, modern design.

Shure, a leading manufacturer of audio solutions known for quality, performance, and durability, unveiled its new KSM condenser microphone line today—the KSM32C, KSM40C, and KSM44MP—at NAMM 2026. The new KSM series delivers lifelike fidelity and a thoughtfully engineered design, crafted for musicians and studio professionals.

Shure KSM microphones have delivered exceptional audio quality for decades. With the launch of new models, the KSM line once again sets the benchmark for professional recording by providing premium, true-to-life audio capture and ultra-low self-noise, all within a sleek, modern design.

The KSM line captures every nuance, from the warmth of vocals to the dynamic energy of instruments, with stunning realism. Each model features precision-engineered capsules for maximum control and accuracy, ensuring the source sounds exactly as intended. Whether you're a musician or engineer needing transparent voicing for natural reproduction, rich low-end presence, or multi-pattern flexibility, there’s a KSM microphone ready to elevate any session.

“At Shure, our mission has always been to empower audio professionals and artists with quality tools that deliver uncompromising sound,” said Eduardo Valdes, Associate Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management, at Shure. “The new KSM microphone line reflects this commitment by offering upgrades to both design and engineering, meeting the evolving needs of recording studios. Featuring circuitry upgrades from previous models, varied capsule options, and premium accessories, we designed every detail to help professionals capture precisely what they want. By making boutique-level quality attainable for both home and professional studios, we’re ensuring exceptional performance is within reach for all professionals."

The KSM Studio Lineup

Built for precision and performance, the new line includes a range of expertly engineered and hand-crafted capsules, from compact ¾" to robust 1" designs, offering exceptional off-axis rejection, clarity, and creative flexibility for vocals, instruments, ensembles, and beyond. Thoughtful details like lightweight, all-metal construction, advanced shock mounts, and curved magnetic pop filters ensure durability and ease of use, while premium accessory options complete the professional package.

• KSM32C—SMALL CAPSULE. BIG SOUND.

The KSM32C is a large diaphragm condenser microphone that delivers a smooth, balanced response and exceptional low-frequency performance. This microphone is ideal for vocals, instruments, drum overheads, and ensemble work, and is available in a stage and studio bundle.

• Precision engineered ¾" capsule
• Exceptional off-axis rejection
• Flattest voicing in the KSM line
• Exceptional flexibility for vocal and instrument recording
• Premium materials and compact design

• KSM40C—WARMTH YOU CAN FEEL. DETAIL YOU CAN HEAR.

The KSM40C is a versatile, large diaphragm condenser microphone that delivers natural, detailed audio with enhanced proximity effect and natural high-frequency boost. An ideal microphone for capturing rich nuances in vocals and instruments, including upright bass, guitar amps and kick drum.

• 1” capsule delivers natural, detailed audio with rich low-end
• Uniform cardioid polar pattern for predictable placement
• Extremely low self-noise
• Sleek, modern design with premium materials

• KSM44MP—STUNNING REALISM. EXCEPTIONAL VERSATILITY.

The KSM44MP offers unparalleled versatility in a sleek, dual-diaphragm design that maximizes sensitivity and stabilizes pattern consistency, improving off-axis control at low frequencies. A multi-pattern microphone with natural clarity and smooth, airy detail, this mic is ideal for vocals, pianos, stereo techniques, distant miking, and ensembles.

• Selectable polar patterns: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, and Bidirectional
• Flat response with subtle high-frequency emphasis
• Optimized polar consistency and low-frequency rejection
• Ultra-low self noise
• Sleek, modern design

“The new KSM microphones look elegant, and have great, low-profile appearance, which is always a nice aesthetic in the studio (and live) environment,” said Greg Norman, Engineer, Electrical Audio. “One of the most immediately striking features is their impossibly low self-noise, so low, in fact, that while tracking a very quiet vocal, I found myself double-checking to confirm the mic was even active. This level of noise performance is seriously impressive.”

What’s Included

• KSM32C/HM—Cardioid Condenser Microphone (Stage Kit) ($659): Includes a KSM32C Cardioid Condenser Microphone, Premium Flocked Foam Windscreen, Premium Zippered Carrying Case, Swivel-Mount Mic Clamp (Hard Mount), Threaded Adapter
• KSM32C/SM—Cardioid Condenser Microphone (Studio Kit) ($729): Includes a KSM32C Cardioid Condenser Microphone, Shock Mount, Magnetic Pop Filter, Premium Zippered Carrying Case, Set Replacement Shock Mount Bands (8), Threaded Adapter
• KSM40C Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone ($879): Includes a KSM40C Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone, Shock Mount, Magnetic Pop Filter, Premium Zippered Carrying Case, Set Replacement Shock Mount Bands (8), Threaded Adapter
• KSM44MP Large Diaphragm Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone ($1,099): Includes a KSM44MP Dual Diaphragm Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone, Shock Mount, Magnetic Pop Filter, Premium Zippered Carrying Case, Swivel-Mount Mic Clamp (Hard Mount), Set Replacement Shock Mount Bands (8), Threaded Adapter

Availability

The KSM line will be available this spring and is on display at the Shure Booth (#15608) at NAMM 2026 in Anaheim (January 22- January 24).

For more information about the KSM microphones, visit these web pages:

• KSM32C Cardioid Condenser Microphone
• KSM40C Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone
• KSM44MP Large Diaphragm Multi-Pattern Condenser Microphone

Genzler® Amplification is proud to announce the new MAGELLAN®ULV series of ULTRA * LIGHT * VERTICAL bass cabinet designs. With decades of cabinet design and build expertise, these new models are by far the lightest, most compact bass cabinets Jeff Genzler has ever offered.

These great sounding cabinets are tuned and ported to reproduce the depth and clarity of any bass instrument, with tight low-end support, vocal, mid-range definition, and available top-end shimmer.

The MG-ULV cabs are all vertical designs, with a minimal stage footprint, and are constructed from a new ultra-light, multi-layer, poplar plywood, for its warmth, density and strength, and all cabinets feature full internal acoustic dampening.

The MG-ULV series features:

• **All vertical cabinet designs, front ported for better projection and depth
• **High-powered Neodymium speakers and tweeters
• **Ultra-light, multi-layer, poplar plywood construction
• **Small, compact stage footprints
• **Full, internal acoustic dampening
• **12dB/octave crossover with Tweeter Level control

The series consists of 3 models with exceptional

weight to performance ratios.

MG-ULV-112T

• NEO—1X12” w/Tweeter, 350W, 8 ohm
• WT: 19.5 LBS
• DIMENSIONS: 18 1/8”H x 14 ¼”W x 14”D
• USA MAP: $1,099.99

MG-ULV-210T

• NEO-2X10” w/Tweeter, 600W, 8 ohm
• WT: 25 LBS
• DIMENSIONS: 26 1/8”H x 14 ¼”W x 14”D
• USA MAP: $1,359.99

MG-ULV-212T

• NEO-2X12” w/Tweeter, 700W, 4 ohm
• WT: 35.5 LBS
• DIMENSIONS: 29 ¾”H x 14 ¼”W x 14”D
• USA MAP: $1,599.99

GENZLER AMPLIFICATION staying in tune with the player community has responded with the new MAGELLAN® ULV series; addressing player’s needs for the lightest weight, most compact bass cabinets possible, without sacrifice in tone, power, warmth, and durability.

PRODUCTION SHIPPING---EARLY FEBRUARY 2026.

EBS has introduced two new lines of high-performance cables: the CurlySquare and Regular Square instrument cable.

The EBS CurlySquare coiled instrument cable features a bold design with jumbo-sized curls and square-shaped cable. The innovative shape performs an important function: its square shape prevents the cable from turning into a mess due to cable memory, and the heavy-duty insulation makes it extra durable and protected.

These cables feature a unique design by EBS called WaveGrip, which means the 1/4” contacts have annular grooves spaced along the shaft that lock the contact in the jack. That means the risk of stepping on the cable and losing signal because it pulls the plug out of the jack is eliminated.

The CurlySquare cables are available in two lengths: 4.6 m (15 ft) and 7.6 m (25 ft), and configurations with straight/straight or straight/angled contacts.

If you prefer a more discreet design but still want the heavy-duty insulation and square-shaped cable, pick the EBS Regular Square edition, a straight instrument cable version available in 3.8 m (12.5 ft) and 6.8 m (22 ft) lengths, with the same contact configurations as the CurlySquare cables.

The CurlySquare name and WaveGrip design both have pending patent applications in Europe and the USA.

For more information visit www.ebssweden.com.

Today at NAMM 2026, Shure introduced the SLX-D+ Wireless Microphone System, the next evolution in its renowned wireless portfolio. Building on SLX-D’s proven success, SLX-D+ delivers a powerful combination of advanced features and ease-of-use, now accessible to audio professionals and experienced volunteers in live performance, houses of worship, education, content creation, electronic newsgathering (ENG), broadcast, and video industries.

SLX-D+ empowers users with greater flexibility, reliability, and control, making wireless audio management easier than ever. With wide tuning across all components, users benefit from simplified setup, seamless deployment in any environment, and reduced inventory complexity. Remote system management, AES-256 encryption and automatic feedback suppression further streamline operation, ensuring clear, secure, and uninterrupted performance.

“As we introduce SLX-D+, we’re not just raising the bar for wireless technology; we’re empowering our customers to push creative boundaries by removing complexity from their workflows,” said Nick Wood, Associate VP, Marketing and Product Management. “By making advanced features like wide tuning and remote management accessible to a broader audience, we’re making wireless more resilient to the most common challenges, streamlining the path to great audio, and shaping a future where audio professionals and volunteers alike can innovate with confidence.”

Wide Tuning: Simplified Deployment and Inventory

SLX-D+ features wide tuning across all components up to 138 MHz*, enabling seamless countrywide deployment and minimizing inventory complexity. Systems can operate across multiple frequency bands, reducing the need to own several product variants.

ShowLink® Ease: Effortless Remote Control

The new ShowLink Ease technology, inspired by ShowLink® on Shure’s premier Axient Digital wireless system, provides real-time, two-way communication between receiver and transmitter. Once synced, the transmitter remains paired to the receiver every time it is powered on. This allows for automated radio frequency (RF) set up, and remote parameter adjustments, eliminating the need for physical proximity and streamlining live management from performance to performance.

Interference Management: Enhanced Operation with Continuous Connectivity

Should interference occur, the SLX-D+ system can automatically scan for a new, clean frequency and deploy it to both the receiver and transmitter without requiring user interaction, ensuring enhanced operation and continuous connectivity.

Digital Feedback Reduction: Reliable and Clear Sound

SLX-D+ integrates advanced digital feedback reduction (DFR) algorithms to automatically detect and suppress audio feedback, delivering clarity and confidence in any environment.

Mobile Management with Wireless Workbench Applications: Flexible, On-the-Go Control

With robust mobile management via the Wireless Workbench (WWB) Mobile app, users can monitor and adjust their systems remotely using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which is available for the first time in SLX-D+ systems to improve workflow efficiency. Gain visibility and control over system gain, transmitter locking and unlocking, battery status, frequency scans and changes, and audio metering.

Backward Compatibility, Streamlined Design

SLX-D+ maintains compatibility with existing SLX-D systems and introduces a new half-rack dual receiver, supporting straightforward upgrades and flexible configurations.

RF Cascade and Audio Summing for Added Flexibility

RF cascading makes it possible for three SLX-D+ Quad Receivers to be linked together to create a twelve-channel SLX-D+ receiver system. This facilitates the ability to quickly scale up and condense the footprint of multi-channel wireless systems without requiring additional accessories.

SLX-D+’s audio summing feature on dual and quad receivers enables users to set and combine audio levels, then mix them down between one and two outputs, simplifying the process of managing wireless output levels and managing receiver outputs to best match open mixer channels.

Availability

Shure is showcasing the SLX-D+ Wireless System for the first time at NAMM 2026 in Anaheim, California at booth 15608. SLX-D+ components will be available in February 2026, with the option to select key wireless configurations for a variety of applications, including handheld bodypack systems and a portable system option. Rechargeable batteries and charging accessories are available separately.

*region dependent

It all started with a self-imposed time limit. Julian Lage, who at the relatively young age of 38 already stands near the pinnacle of artistry in jazz guitar, was preparing to enter the recording studio with producer Joe Henry and a formidable quartet of musicians: acoustic bassist Jorge Roeder, drummer Kenny Wollesen, and keyboardists John Medeski and Patrick Warren. He needed new original material for their two-day springtime session at Sear Sound in New York City, so he set a timer for 20 minutes and let his fingers do the fretboard walking, in concert with prompts from his personal spontaneous creative muse. When the timer beeped, the composition was done, for better or worse. Lage recorded a quick demo of what he came up with over the past third of an hour. Then he reset the timer and repeated the process again.

And again.

And again.

More than a hundred times.

At this point, Lage needs to clarify something. “It wasn’t always 20 minutes,” the soft-spoken guitarist explains via Zoom from his California home. “Sometimes it was 10. I guess it’s a way to have some parameter that’s different than, ‘Is it good?’ or ‘Is it bad?’ It’s more like, what can you do with this limitation? I’ve known many composers who do something similar, and typically it helps prevent you from dwelling on any one facet of the music, which I would say is beneficial if you’re trying to make a larger body of songs to pick from.”

Julian Lage's Gear

Guitars

• 1955 goldtop Gibson Les Paul
• Nacho/Gibson ’50s Les Paul reissue with Ellisonic pickups
• 1956 Gibson ES-225
• Nacho 1657 Tele-style with Ellisonic (neck) and Fatpups Blackguard (bridge) pickups
• Collings Julian Lage 470 JL
• 1932 Gibson L-00 acoustic (borrowed from wife Margaret Glaspy)
• Collings Julian Lage OM1A JL acoustic
• 1939 Martin 000-18 acoustic

Amps

• Austen Hooks Filmosound 385
• Standel 25L15
• Magic Amps Vibro Deluxe
• 1959 and 1960 Fender tweed Champs

Effects

• Strymon Flint tremolo and reverb
• Shin-ei B1G 1 preamp gain boost
• Sonic Research ST-300 Turbo Tuner Mini

Strings & Picks

• D’Addario Flatwounds (.011–.049) for electrics
• D’Addario Nickel Bronze (.012–.053) for acoustics
• Dunlop Tortex .88 mm picks

That was exactly what Lage was after. Over a period of several months, from 100 or so quickly assembled fragments of melody, harmony, and rhythm, emerged the nine evocative tunes that make up Scenes from Above. Of course, the guitarist himself would be the first to acknowledge that these nine tracks aren’t entirely his work. From the start, he was writing with particular musicians in mind—one of whom, Medeski (best known as a cofounder of Medeski Martin & Wood and a longtime collaborator with John Scofield, among many others), he’d never recorded with before, although they’ve known each other for years. In a manner similar to one of his heroes, Duke Ellington, Lage was intentionally underwriting, trusting his colleagues to flesh out the music as only they could.

“Individuality and freedom of expression are really paramount to the whole experience,” he explains. “It’s not so much, ‘Well, I wrote it, so you’ve gotta play it.’ I don’t feel that kind of attachment to this music, and I think that was reflected in how it went down. There were songs where I thought pretty quickly, ‘Yes, you could justify doing this if we had the time to rehearse and workshop it, but we don’t, so we’re gonna go for the ones that are clear from the start.’ And that’s a nice place to be, going into a recording date.”

“Individuality and freedom of expression are really paramount to the whole experience.”

As intended, that clarity is greatly enhanced by the contributions of the other musicians. This is apparent from the opening track, “Opal,” in which Medeski shades Lage’s wistful, unpretentious melody with ghostly layers of Hammond B-3 organ and piano, while Roeder and Wollesen establish a bottom so spacious that you feel it more than you hear it. The sense of effortlessness that runs through the piece becomes more remarkable once you learn what a struggle it was getting Scenes from Above made to Lage’s satisfaction.

“I had so many guitars at that session, man,” he recalls with a shake of the head, “and none of them worked. We were in midtown Manhattan, right near the Empire State Building, and for whatever reason it was just, like, hum central. I was planning to use my ’55 Les Paul goldtop with P-90s”—a guitar given to Lage by its previous owner, comedy legend and Spinal Tap co-creator Christopher Guest, emblazoned with Les Paul’s own signature— “but with the whole electricity situation in the studio, I just couldn’t use anything with single-coil pickups. And even amongst multiple humbucking guitars, the only one that was usable was a Nacho Les Paul”—a Gibson ’50s reissue brought up to period-correct specs by Spanish luthier/wizard Nacho Baños—“with Ron Ellis pickups. There was a lot of work done later to make that sound more single-coil, because it wouldn’t be what I’d naturally gravitate towards.” That later work largely involved re-amping Lage’s performances: taking the tracks he’d already recorded and running them through different amplifiers to capture new tones.

“We tracked everything with a black-panel [Fender] Deluxe Reverb,” Lage continues. “When we re-amped, we went through two amps. One was a Benson … and not a new Benson. [20th-century session guitarist extraordinaire] Howard Roberts had this guy [Ron Benson] years ago in L.A. who made him a few amps. There’s really not many of them, but a friend of mine has one, and I think it might be the one that Howard Roberts used on a bunch of film scores. Kind of like a Magnatone style, shallow body, 12" speaker, beautiful built-in tremolo, not loud, but we used it in combination with a 100-watt [Fender] Bandmaster head that [Two-Rock Amplifiers founder] Bill Krinard had done something on years ago through a Marshall half-stack. And that’s the sound, with those two amps running simultaneously, not in series. The clarity and the life force comes from the [Fender/Marshall combo], and the unusualness comes from the Benson.”

“People I studied with said, ‘Hey, have you really considered what it takes to play a note on the guitar, or are you just squeezing it for dear life?’”

From what’s in the grooves, however, you’d never suspect how much post-production tweaking went on. And even when Lage’s melodies are at their most circuitous, the music always feels direct. The album’s peak comes five tracks in, on “Night Shade,” a rootsy, soulful, slow-building ballad that’s highly reminiscent of the Band. Its focal point is a simple series of hammer-ons and pull-offs on the Les Paul’s high-E string, over G and C major chords. The first couple of times through, Lage alternates between a melodious seventh-fret B and an open E; the third time around, the B becomes a B-flat, creating a nasty tritone interval with the E that he emphasizes repeatedly, with obvious glee.

“That’s an older song,” Lage notes. “I think I wrote it for [2016’s] Arclight, and I used to play it in the trio with Kenny Wollesen and [bassist] Scott Colley as an encore. But I remember thinking, well, it’s kind of slow and we need more ‘up’ tunes. So that was always just sitting in the background. That feature of it, the pull-off/hammer-on business, I didn’t anticipate that it would have the impact it had. But in this group, I quickly realized that it’s a nice and super-guitaristic way to interrupt this steady groove. The quartet orchestration reveals that this feature is, in fact, a feature.”

A similar harmonic surprise lurks within the chord structure of “Solid Air,” titled in tribute to British folk great John Martyn’s 1973 song and album of the same name, but dissimilar to them in all other ways. Lage’s “Solid Air” is in the key of E major, and for most of its duration employs chords firmly rooted in that scale. Then, at the end of the head arrangement, with little warning, the music descends chromatically from E flat to A before rising back up to D—the flat seven of E major—and resettling on the tonic. This strange but gratifying move is the indirect result of some deep historical listening.

“When I think of someone like Willard Robison, who wrote ‘Old Folks’ and some other really cool songs,” Lage says, “or pre-1930s writers before the Great American Songbook era of Broadway musicals, or I listen to Nick Lucas’ ‘Picking the Guitar,’ or ‘April Kisses’ by Eddie Lang, they’re these pieces that have unexpected shifts to different keys. They happen all the time, and they’re not terribly subtle, you know? Now we’re here, now I moved up a half step, and now I’m back down a half step. Do I feel like going up a minor third? Okay, I’ll go up a minor third. There’s nothing clever about it. If anything, it’s rather inelegant—which can be really what the doctor ordered. Aesthetically, I’m drawn to that. The impact of it excites me.”

“It’s all a miracle. It doesn't feel like it when you can’t play like you used to. But it really is miraculous, what’s going on.”

Lage’s battle with the sinister forces of hum during the Scenes from Above sessions was certainly not the first time he’s faced major challenges with his chosen instrument. A little more than a decade ago, he basically had to relearn how to play the guitar. In 2013, after experiencing a scary succession of left hand and arm spasms, he was diagnosed with focal hand dystonia, a neurological disorder brought on, or at least worsened by, years of incessant practice from an early age (a child prodigy, Lage began playing when he was five). In sum, the connection between his brain and left hand had been overused to the point of burnout, and needed to be repaired.

“There’s so much sense of identity that’s wrapped into playing,” Lage acknowledges. “And if something interrupts that, there can be a tremendous amount of embarrassment or shame, or a feeling of, like, ‘I thought I was doing well, why is this happening now?’ It was the first time I had to consider that the techniques I’d been employing since I was a little boy weren’t appropriate for an adult-statured human. They could have been perfect for 20 years, but now you’re not that height, you’re not that weight. There’s a reckoning to be done, and a reconfiguration. When I started talking about it to people, I quickly became aware that I’m not alone, that a lot of people struggle with similar stuff. It could be focal dystonia, it could be tendinitis, it could be anything, but the point is there’s something going on with the material form that is trying to get our attention.”

Working with fellow guitarists like Jerald Harscher and Juanito Pascual and studying the Alexander Technique, a therapy developed to help treat stress-related chronic conditions, Lage gradually rewired his reflexes to be kinder. “People I studied with said, ‘Hey, have you really considered what it takes to play a note on the guitar, or are you just squeezing it for dear life?’ Entering into a dialogue about that was healing. I mean, how do you even talk about tension without just pointing to it and saying it hurts? Well, there are these mechanisms. The head/neck relationship dictates a lot of your reflexes. Are your knees locked? Are your hips locked? Are your ankles locked? Are you breathing? What’s your vision like? There’s a pretty holistic approach to how you can unpack an injury. So I just jumped in. There was no other choice, right?”

Looking back on this fraught time from 10 years onward, fully recovered and getting ready to hit the road with Medeski, Roeder, and Wollesen in support of Scenes from Above, Lage marvels at what it all took, and takes. “There’s this great quote by an Alexander teacher, Patrick Macdonald. He said that people often think their bodies are disobedient, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Typically, we’re not aware of what we’re asking our system. I was asking a lot of my system, practicing guitar endlessly, and my body was doing the best it could until it just couldn’t anymore. … I guess I’m saying it’s all a miracle. It doesn’t feel like it when you can’t play like you used to. But it really is miraculous, what’s going on.”

The tweed Deluxe circuit sets the gold standard in tone for many of us. And for good reason. It’s simple and responsive, with a warm, compressed, midrange-forward voice that’s perfect for jazz and country lines at low to moderate volumes—and a distinctive, saturated gnarliness in the upper reaches of its output that’s hard to beat for rock. If that’s the sound you hear in your head, many would say a vintage model is still the one to have.

If anyone could top that with a true “tweed killer,” I’d put my money on George Alessandro. That’s not just because his clientele reads like a Mount Rushmore of guitar tone—David Gilmour, Derek Trucks, and Warren Haynes are just a few who’ve cited Alessandro in current gear lists in PG. It’s the combination of his deep firsthand knowledge of the history of guitar amp circuits and his tireless quest to source the finest components that not only land him those rock-star devotees, but easily place his name among mythical amp wizards like Alexander Dumble and Ken Fisher, and make him the guy for the job.

I’ve had the good fortune to play one of Alessandro’s 5E3 copies, and it was so familiar, it felt like what I imagine one of those amps must have sounded like fresh out of the factory in the late ’50s. With his new combo, The Dane, he’s used that circuit as a jumping off point—with a nod toward Dumble as well—and optimized it for a modern pedal-using player. Not only does the 14-watt The Dane deliver the same sonic hallmarks as the 5E3, it offers more headroom and an even wider range of touch-sensitive response.

Do the Evolution

Despite all the tweed Deluxe talk, the Dane is no clone. Instead, it’s inspired by the 5E3 circuit and a Dumble Tweedle Dee—that legendary amp builder’s own tweed Deluxe mod—that landed on Alessandro’s bench for service. From there, Alessandro evolved the design, creating a unique preamp circuit, which uses a pair of ECC83MG/12AX7s. On the user end, the most recognizable change might be the inclusion of a 3-band EQ. Alessandro paired his preamp with a ’50s-style output section that employs a pair of 6V6s. Together, and in conjunction with Alessandro’s signature Eminence GA-SC59, they evoke a vintage vibe, achieving the tube compression and harmonic complexity tweed Deluxe players know well, but with more clean volume.

As a tweed Deluxe player who also loves pedals, I’ve often found myself a little bit conflicted. There’s a weird imaginary line I feel like I cross every time I plug a fuzz—or even worse, a digital pedal—into my 1949 5A3. But if I want to use my prized amp on as many gigs as I do, it’s a necessity. With The Dane, not only is there no conflict, it actually feels more welcoming to pedals. That’s not just about headroom, though that certainly helps—the 3-band EQ really goes the distance when it comes to shaping your sound.

Much like the dynamic interplay between the tone and volume controls on a vintage Deluxe, each of The Dane’s EQ controls seems to shape the whole of the sound. I found this to be especially helpful with dialing in dirt tones. Over the course of a few sessions with The Dane, I plugged in a wide range of gritty pedals, including a Klon KTR, Analog Man King of Tone, EHX Ripped Speaker (there’s some comedy here in using a fuzz that’s supposed to sound a little broken), and an Analog Man Sun Fuzz. In each, I found that I was able to shape their tones with the EQ more than I would ever expect from other amps. And that goes for using those to push The Dane into overdrive as well, which, as ruthlessly delightful as it is to do on a tweed Deluxe, is not especially sculpt-able. With the KTR adding some gain and heading into cranked volume territory, the mid control alone added a heft to my Creston JM-style that felt resolutely heavy and thick—much more so than I would expect from JM-style pickups. And at more polite volumes, I could use the pedal alone to get my overdrive, while still preserving the character and voice of the amp.

Full Control at Your Fingertips

While reviewing The Dane, there’s a quote that kept coming back to me from when I interviewed Alessandro a few years ago: “If I can make it a limitless journey, then I did my job right.” With The Dane, he’s managed to take the tweed Deluxe sound and remove the limits.

I think there are a lot of ways Alessandro gets there, and one of those is through his next-level component sourcing. With the fervor of a hi-fi aficionado, Alessandro has most of his components custom built, with quality control that goes well beyond the consumer-grade level.

The result is that The Dane, like every Alessandro amp I’ve played, responds like a performance sports car: It runs silently, has an ultra wide dynamic range, a broad frequency range, and is fast and articulate, all of which keeps control in the player’s hands. That might be daunting if you’re used to an amp that heavily colors your phrasing by limiting the window of control (though pedals can help with that). But if you want to keep that window wide open, The Dane will get you there.

What, exactly, does that mean? The response, dynamics, and EQ keep the controls in your hands. Playing intensity and attack have more noticeable results. Sustain is there when you need it. In short, The Dane is a thrill to play.

The Verdict

As a devoted tweed Deluxe user, I’m genuinely taken by The Dane. Alessandro has preserved the character of the original while opening it up with more dynamic range, control, and possibility. But it goes beyond that, because The Dane isn’t just a 5E3-style amp—it’s a solution. Whether you’re playing clean articulate lines (I didn’t have an archtop handy, but I can assure you this amp would be the perfect transparent companion for jazz hits) or cranking with abandon, The Dane has the harmonic range and firepower for the gig. Its 14 watts are not only bold and powerful, this combo maintains its composure through its entire output, making it fully usable at all levels. At $3,000, The Dane, handmade by one of the ultimate legends of amp building, is an unrivaled feat.

Reader: Andreas Schwartau

Hometown: Hamburg, Germany

Guitar: Schwartocaster #1

1974. Picture a boy in his PJs in front of a black-and-white idiot box with eyes and mouth wide open, staring at the outrageous glittery costumes, risky platform boots, and over-the-top makeup of glam rock bands the Sweet, Slade, T. Rex, and Sparks. Today, when I watch these clips from the German TV show Disco on YouTube, I still get excited by the music these bands made and how they looked. I also understand why my parents were horrified and worried for the mental health of their 11-year-old firstborn. I imagine their faces when I asked for a guitar for my birthday as they considered how the urge to create these crunching, screaming, chugging noises on a shiny axe had gripped me.

Thanks to an intervention by my grandma, I was allowed to buy an acoustic, though I had to scrape together half of the 130-Deutschmark cost for a Framus Wanderlust, which I still play today! Just one year later, I had my first electric—a used and very worn ’60s Hopf Telstar Standard with an already badly warped neck. I played it for a few years, though the many pickups, switches, and pots confounded me. In an attempt to fix the neck, I tore out the frets, sanded the fretboard flat and played it as a fretless for a while, then left it lying around for almost 50 years. In the intervening years, Arias, Ibanezes, Fenders, and Gibsons came and went. Yet the ruined Hopf stayed and settled dust. I’m sure more than a few Premier Guitar readers can relate why I kept it, right?

“What a glorious moment it was when I first strung it up to ‘feel the noize’ of the still pickup-less body and neck for the first time in decades!”

Last year I decided to either throw it out or Frankenstein it. I can do some easy repairs on my own guitars and those that belong to friends, but I’m not a luthier by any stretch. Anyhow, I accepted the challenge. Removing the bolt-on neck was hard, because a previous owner had applied glue. I read Irish luthier Gerry Hayes’ recommendable newsletter and found out how to steam it off, which took days and a lot of patience. Everything else was relatively easy though. I found a sort of T-style neck from a flea market, some half decent tuners, and a pickguard blank. And because the original selection of pickups and switches was confusing anyway, I made the move to a single Seymour Duncan Mustang-style pickup, and two pots. A lot of measuring, sawing, and drilling ensued, and I’ll admit I drilled through the fretboard once. I also did a lot of manual sanding to fit the neck into the narrow pocket. I feared I would have to relocate the bridge posts since the Hopf neck was a shorter scale, but it ended up working fine. What a glorious moment it was when I first strung it up to “feel the noize” of the still pickup-less body and neck for the first time in decades!

Sure, the Telstar is far from a professional-grade guitar. The tuning stability could be better and the narrow spacing of the neck bolts—typical for German guitars of that era—makes the neck a bit wobbly. Maybe I’ll fix this at some point. But even now my Schwartocaster #1 is great fun to play. It’s lightweight and balanced, it intonates well, and the single pickup has a husky, jazzy voice. I still marvel at how I pulled it off, but I’m glad I tried, and I’m glad it worked out.

Several years ago, after releasing a trio of well-received stoner-doom albums, the core members of Blackwater Holylight—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Allison “Sunny” Faris, guitarist/bassist Mikayla Mayhew, and drummer Eliese Dorsay—left their hometown of Portland, Oregon, and took off for Los Angeles. News of the move filled some of the band’s fans with dread: Would the blissed-out, carefree Cali lifestyle result in a lighter and friendlier Blackwater Holylight? Would the band start writing—yikes!—happy music?

“Not a chance,” Faris scoffs. “I think our music is more depressing than ever.”

“We needed to get out of the physical gloom of Portland, but I guess we took a little bit of that with us,” Mayhew says. “It’s not like we came to L.A. and everybody went, ‘Yay, you’re here!’ We had to start all over in a lot of ways—meet a bunch of new people, find different opportunities. It was hard. It would have been easy to stay where we were, but I think we needed to grow to keep the band sounding fresh.”

“Fresh” might be a relative term when discussing Blackwater Holylight’s songs—there’s no frothy singalong choruses and nary a trending dance beat to be found—but there’s a looseness and a recklessness to their new album, Not Here Not Gone, that feels like something of a breakthrough. It’s there in the woozy, fuzzed-out guitar rhythms on bulldozers like “Bodies” and “Spades,” which come at you gritty and grimy, yet with a disarming playfulness to the dissonance. Another track, “Heavy, Why?” is rooted in thick layers of distorted sludge, but boasts plenty of kinetic sass and swagger—and when Faris swoops in with her ethereal, almost angelic vocals, complemented by former bandmate Sarah McKenna’s feather-light synth lines, the effect is transcendent. The capper to it all is the mini epic “How Will You Feel,” in which Mayhew’s scarifying, Iommi-esque guitar tones seem to take flight when the band locks in for a wicked, post-grunge jam.

“Our last album [2021’s Silence/Motion] was pretty much written and recorded during the Covid pandemic,” Mayhew says. “We couldn’t tour or go out that much, and we didn’t have a lot of time to work on material. With this album, we took a lot of time to write. Some of the songs were written years ago, so we had time to demo and play around with them.”

Kicking up Blackwater Holylight’s kind of apocalyptic racket (Mayhew calls it “sensually murderous”) means that neither Faris nor Mayhew is epoxied to a guitar or bass—live and in the studio, the two alternate instruments. “There’s no set formula,” Faris says. “I might write a guitar part and have a melody, and I’ll bring it to practice and Mikayla will play bass to it. And sometimes she’ll have a guitar part, and I’ll play bass and start singing to it. We’re flexible.”

Occasionally, a different scenario unfolds. “I might bring in a guitar part, and we’ll start playing and I’ll go, ‘You know, maybe I should play bass on this,’” Mayhew says. “I think our skills are pretty equal on bass and guitar, and nobody has a big ego about who plays what.”

The two share a love of “heavy music,” though their distinct influences differ wildly. Faris sings the praises of My Bloody Valentine and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, while Mayhew cites Nirvana, the Beatles, and Black Sabbath as her essential references. Asked to assess her bandmate’s playing style, Faris says, “Mikayla is a lot more forward in terms of lead lines. She’s better at being kind of noodly. I think that helps to balance us out, because she can do more of a shreddy, cruising-around-the-fretboard thing, and I can play more rhythm stuff.”

Describing Faris’ strengths, Mayhew says, “Sunny has more of a folky background, so she’s really good at fingerpicking, which I think is cool. She’s got the rhythm down, and her bass playing is great. Sometimes she plays guitar like a bass.”

Their amp preferences—and, significantly, how they crank up the walloping distortion—present more examples of sonic divergence. Mayhew relies on the vintage clean tones of a Music Man HD-130 through a 4x12 cabinet, with all dirt conjured via pedals. “My main one is a Fuzz War by Death By Audio,” she says. “I absolutely love that pedal. I also like to use a [EarthQuaker Devices] Terminal fuzz and a Big Muff. And, of course, I gotta use a Tube Screamer.”

For her part, Faris stands by her Sovtek MIG100H, a Russian-made amp favored by metal and stoner rockers for its Marshall-like high-gain firepower. “I borrowed one from a friend a few years ago, and I just fell in love with the sound,” she says. “They’re not too easy to find, but I did locate a guy selling one in Eugene, Oregon, and I was like, ‘I’m buying this!’”

She adds, “The Sovtek is a killer guitar amp, but we also use it for the bass. Normally, we run our basses through an Ampeg SVT, but the Sovtek really comes through. We like to flip-flop what we use.”

They do agree on one key aspect of their approach to ultimate heaviness: Standard tunings are out, alternate tunings are in. “I don’t remember how we got there. I think we started using alternate tunings by accident and they just sort of stuck,” Mayhew says. “We have a couple of tunes where we tune down to D, and we have a few that are in DADGAD. Most of the tunes on this record are in open C minor—that’s C–G–C–G–C–Eb—and we even go down to open B minor.”

Before recording Not Here Not Gone, the band had only performed “Heavy, Why?” live, but they promise that their upcoming spring tour will feature a healthy dose of new tunes. “We’ve got a lot to learn, but it’ll be fun,” Faris says. “I’m really proud of what we accomplished on the new album, especially the way we’re experimenting with dynamics and how things can be crushing and heavy, but also soft and beautiful. When you think about it, that’s what life is.”

Sunny Faris’ Gear

Guitar and Bass

Gibson SG Custom

Gibson SG Standard bass

Amp

Sovtek MIG100H

Ampeg SVT

Ampeg 8x12 cabinet

Effects

Death By Audio Fuzz War

EarthQuaker Devices Terminal

Tech 21 Boost RVB

Tark Audio Morty’s Fuzz Drive

Boss GEB-7 bass equalizer

Strings, Picks, & Cables

“I’m not sure what strings I use. They’re thick, though.”

Dunlop Tortex .73mm

“Cheap cables”

Mikayla Mayhew’s Gear

Guitars and Bass

Gibson SG Custom

Guild S-60

Gibson SG Standard bass

Amp

Music Man HD-130

Music Man 412 GS cabinet

Ampeg SVT

Ampeg 8x12 cabinet

Effects

Death By Audio Fuzz War

EarthQuaker Devices Terminal

Ibanez Tube Screamer

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff

Hologram Electronics Microcosm

Strymon Cloudburst

Tech 21 Boost RVB

Tark Audio Morty’s Fuzz Drive

Strings, Picks, & Cables

Ernie Ball Power Slinkys

“I can’t remember the bass strings. It’s been so long.”

Dunlop Tortex .73mm

Ernie Ball cables—“If I want to splurge.”

We recently traveled an hour from our shop to a small town (and down at least half a mile of actual dirt road) to the hilltop home of Buford, a man interested in selling a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Junior, a gift from his mother to his father back when it was new. We had seen snapshots, but were unprepared for the glory that awaited us when he opened the original alligator grain chipboard case. Even a spotlight couldn’t have made the glossy, unfaded, cherry-red lacquer finish shine much brighter. We have seen, played, and even owned a lot of Les Paul Juniors—single cutaway, double cutaway, 3/4, sunburst, cherry, TV yellow, refinished, lacking any finish at all, wraparound tailpiece, Bigsby, you name it. To collectors, they aren’t and haven’t ever been the brightest-shining Gibson star of the 1950s. While very well made, the variations of this model were built simply and offered at an affordable price. It has always been an underrated, championship-level workhorse, but once these instruments transitioned to being “used” guitars, they found their way to clubs more often than arenas.

But in addition to being well cared for and clean as a whistle, this particular guitar has a combination of specs many players (and collectors, who admittedly may also be players) want. This Junior’s six-digit serial number shows it was made in late 1959 (a stamped 9 xxxx with a space between the 9 and other 4 digits would have been done earlier in the year). The mahogany body is lightly and very deliberately contoured, unlike the slab mahogany with squared-off edges that this model would have had the year prior. It has a nice chunky neck paired with larger frets than would have been found on most made before 1960. Plus, it has a surprisingly robust “dog-ear” P-90, probably due to it saving up all its energetic magnetism for the 21st century. Unlike many Juniors, the bridge posts are tip-top straight, and the tortoiseshell pickguard is flat, with no cracks, chips, or even, well, picks. The buttons on the Kluson single-line tuners are still a stark white and every piece of metal looks virtually new. The red anodyne dye Gibson used back then reacts to being exposed to both light and hands, but the neck on this Junior is just as cherry red as the body. The vintage strings (a wound third!) didn’t even have the appearance of being played.

That all being said, just because a vintage guitar is in near-mint condition doesn’t mean it’s great overall. Some are super clean because they must have always been somewhat uninspiring. We’ve played stunningly beautiful bursts that didn’t have “the thing,” and over the years we’ve come to realize that some of the guitars that have been played to within an inch of their lives are like that for a very distinct reason: They brought out the best in the people who owned them.

In this case, it seems both Bufords were hardworking men who just plain didn’t pick up the guitar and play it. Buford Sr. kept it safe (it was a gift, after all), and then Buford Jr. did the same because it was his dad’s. Considering this particular Gibson era, Buford Jr.’s mother could have just as easily purchased a 1959, 1960, or even a “brand-new” 1958 Les Paul Standard. Seeing such a clean, glossy, bright cherry Junior gives us hope that one of those Standards is still waiting in a closet somewhere, barely played and awaiting its second life in someone else’s hands (and preferably not in their closet, or sitting unused in a display case). To us, uncirculated vintage guitars, and more particularly the stories from the people ready to part with them, really are the most interesting vintage guitars these days. The pleasant drives out in the country are a nice bonus, too.