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Joe Bonamassa calls out the guitar community’s “armchair quarterbacks”
Joe Bonamassa has criticised “armchair quarterbacks” for damaging guitar culture.
The blues hero believes those most critical of guitar players ought to pick up an instrument and play rather than put down those who are hard at work.
In a recent interview with Guitar Interactive Magazine [via Guitar World], he explains: “In the US, we have this term called ‘armchair quarterback’, right? I could sit in my chair and say to Tom Brady, ‘I could have thrown that ball better than you.’ No, you can’t.”
Bonamassa, a blues veteran who has opened on numerous occasions for BB King, says there needs to be more empathy – not judgement – when it comes to live performers. He points to a viral incident from the ACM Country Awards in 2016, in which Nick Jonas messed up a guitar solo, only for it to be immortalised on camera. The incident was so traumatic for Jonas that it sent him to therapy.
“That one that caused this guy to go into therapy,” says 49-year-old guitarist Joe Bonamassa. “We’ve all done that. Everybody’s done that.
“You know, like, ‘I didn’t even know what I was thinking!’ But the vitriol. What do you want him to do? Burn his guitar in effigy? Like, jump off a cliff? The guy had to go to therapy! What’s wrong with people?”
“Kenny Wayne Shepherd and I have been on stage a lot together, the last five, six years. It’s not a competition. We don’t look at it like that,” he continues. “Warren Haynes and I, we’re on stage a lot. We’re having fun.
“But what do they expect? A trophy at the end? A cash prize? A judge that goes, ‘I declare the winner!’ like a fucking boxing match.”
Bonamassa is set to tour across North America and Europe this year, with dates scheduled for Radio City Music Hall in New York City on October 1, and at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany, on October 30. He will return to Germany next year for the Tollwood Summer Festival in July.
See his official website for a full list of upcoming dates.
The post Joe Bonamassa calls out the guitar community’s “armchair quarterbacks” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Buzzing Bugs Bolster review – is this the ultimate dual fuzz pedal?
£179, buzzingbugsfx.com
If you name a fuzz pedal after an evil scary giant, it’d better be pretty frickin’ fearsome. To that end, the Buzzing Bugs Bolster has been designed with a scorching high-gain circuit on one side… and an even more scorching one on the other.
- READ MORE: Teaching Machines FuzzBillion review: is this the most ambitious and unique dirt pedal ever made?
The giant in question is a figure of Cornish legend – and that’s no coincidence, because the UK’s southernmost county is where this smart-looking pedal is made. But while the original Bolster apparently terrorised villages, ate children and was very inconsiderate to his wife, this one only wants to spook your eardrums.
Image: Richard Purvis
What is it?
I spent a good half-hour noodling away with the Bolster before I realised something quite important: the ‘more’ side isn’t just an extra dose of gain to add to the main business on the right, but a whole separate fuzz circuit in itself. So this is a classic double stomper, offering instant access to two individual sounds plus an apocalyptic ‘both’ option.
The right-hand fuzz is a silicon transistor type, with controls for gain, tone, output level, volts (for bias-tampering effects) and shift (for thinning out the bass at the input stage). The left channel skips all of that and keeps things simple with a single level knob for its extra-feisty op-amp fuzz. This could get brutal.
Image: Richard Purvis
Sounds
“Could get brutal”? It starts brutal! The right-hand channel is up first, and it’s a blast. Keep the volts knob set at noon for normal biasing, and what comes out is the very nicest kind of thick, smooth, aggressive fuzz, with a good balance between body and clarity.
If you want to change that balance, you have two options. Turning down the shift knob brings a leaner, more focused sound – a great match for humbuckers that are at risk of succumbing to flub – while the standard tone control turns out to be… well, not exactly standard. Crank it up and, rather than opening up the very highest frequencies, it gives a boost in the bitey upper-mids zone. Neither of these knobs will dramatically transform the tone of the Bolster, but between the two of them you’ve got an awful lot of tweaking power.
The one-knob fuzz isn’t entirely different in character but feels more open, with a distinctly mids-scooped voicing. On its own it sounds properly gigantic… and when you use both sides together, it somehow gets even bigger in a way that can make it difficult to persuade yourself to stop playing.
What’s really cool about ‘both on’ mode, though, is what it does to the volts knob. Without the left circuit engaged, pushing this in either direction brings familiar results: things become increasingly jerky and spluttery as the signal-killing gate effect gets more and more strict. But with both LEDs ablaze you get a softer, more forgiving kind of gating on the clockwise half of the dial – and, at maximum, a pinched buzzing effect that’s somewhere between a Zvex Fuzz Factory in velcro mode and an analogue synth. It’s fiendishly cool, and Bolster the Cornish giant would surely approve.
Image: Richard Purvis
Should I buy one?
There’s no such thing as a single fuzz pedal that can do it all, but if I had to pick one for an open-ended residency on a desert island then the Buzzing Bugs Bolster might well be it.
As a single pedal, the right half is superb – a classic high-gain dirt machine with elements of Big Muff, Tone Bender and Fuzz Face. When you then add in the smart tone controls and the biasing tricks, and pair all of that with a second circuit that’s even more potent, it becomes something really quite special.
Image: Richard Purvis
Alternatives
Not many people would be daft enough to put two separate high-gain fuzzes in one box, but there are plenty of one-channel options with a second footswitch that unlocks an extra level of rage. These include the Great Eastern FX Co. Focus Fuzz Deluxe (£299/$349), the Silktone Fuzz+ ($269/£279) and the ThorpyFX Field Marshal (£219/$269).
The post Buzzing Bugs Bolster review – is this the ultimate dual fuzz pedal? appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
These are the best deals at Guitar Center this week
We all know Gear Acquisition Syndrome is real, but it hurts a whole lot less when you’re saving a few hundred bucks. If you’ve been waiting for the right excuse to upgrade your rig, Guitar Center’s latest sale might just be it. From American-made Fenders and affordable Epiphones to gig-ready Yamahas, we’ve rounded up the deals actually worth your attention.
Starting with the electrics…
Fender American Professional II Telecaster (was $1,839.99, now $1,639.99)
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If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to invest in an iconic US-made Fender, Guitar Center has knocked $200 off the American Professional II Telecaster in classic Sunburst, bringing it down to $1,639.99. Packed with V-Mod II single-coils, a smooth Deep C neck profile and a sculpted heel for easy upper-fret access, this is an absolute workhorse for gigging players looking for high-end Fender playability.
Epiphone J-45 EC Studio ($399, $359.99)
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If you’re after an affordable acoustic-electric, the Epiphone J-45 EC Studio is now $359.99 (down from $399). With a solid Sitka spruce top, sloped-shoulder cutaway body and onboard Fishman electronics, it’s a solid choice for players looking to move between the sofa, the studio and the stage.
Yamaha APX600 Thinline Acoustic-Electric ($369.99, $329.99)
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Electric players after an acoustic that feels immediately familiar should take a look at the Yamaha APX600 Thinline, now going for just $329.99 (down from $369.99). The guitar’s thin-line cutaway body is designed for comfortable live performance, while the built-in pickup system and onboard tuner make it ready for gigs straight out of the box.
Martin D-12E Road Series ($1,079.99)
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Want classic Martin tone without stepping into the brand’s higher-end price bracket? Guitar Center has knocked nearly $270 off the D-12E Road Series. Built with a solid spruce top and koa fine veneer back and sides, this dreadnought delivers plenty of projection and warmth, while onboard Fishman MX-T electronics make it ready for the stage.
The post These are the best deals at Guitar Center this week appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Alex Lifeson spent years “fighting for guitar rights” after this Rush song: “It’s a strong song, it’s just the mix that I didn’t like”
Rush’s embrace of synthesisers in the ‘80s may have helped redefine the band’s sound, but it also left Alex Lifeson fighting to keep his guitar heard.
Looking back on the recording of Subdivision, the iconic opening track from 1982’s Signals, Lifeson says the song’s mix marked the start of what he jokingly describes as years spent “fighting for my guitar rights”.
In a recent interview with Classic Rock, the guitarist recalls sitting in on the mixing process for Subdivisions and growing increasingly frustrated as his guitar seemed to vanish beneath the synths.
“I was sitting there thinking: ‘I can’t hear guitar,’” he says. “I’m a very easy-going guy, but I thought: ‘This is not right.’ So I pushed that fader up.”
Producer Terry Brown, however, had other ideas.
“I do remember Terry turning to me and smiling, and reaching over and pulling it back down. I could barely hear my guitar on that mix, and that just screams ‘wrong’ to me.”
The mix went on to become a staple of Rush’s catalogue, and while Lifeson never quite made peace with the balance, he never doubted the material itself.
“It’s a strong song, it’s just the mix that I didn’t like,” he says. “I guess I just fought for my guitar rights for years after that.”
The story echoes comments Lifeson made earlier this year during an appearance on Rick Beato’s YouTube channel, where he admitted to feeling resentful as Geddy Lee’s keyboards began taking on a bigger role in Rush’s sound.
“When we got to the mid-’80s, when we were doing those dense keyboard records, it was really a challenge for me. ’Cause, when we recorded those records, the keyboards went before the guitar,” he said.
“I would sit around, waiting, waiting, and waiting to do guitar stuff. And the more keyboard stuff I heard, the more layers, it was almost impossible for me to figure out how am I gonna fit in here. And by the way, I’m the guitar player in this band. What happened?”
For all his frustrations, Lifeson says Rush’s willingness to evolve was fundamental to the band’s identity.
“I guess you could stay where you are and do the same thing over and over and over again, but that’s not the kind of band we are. Progress is important to us. We always need to go somewhere else. We always wanted to evolve.”
The post Alex Lifeson spent years “fighting for guitar rights” after this Rush song: “It’s a strong song, it’s just the mix that I didn’t like” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Joe Bonamassa on the greatest lesson he ever learned from one of his blues heroes: “It was him going, ‘Welcome to the big leagues, kid’”
Joe Bonamassa has looked back on one of the most intimidating moments of his early career, recalling how sharing the stage with blues legend and Telecaster master Albert Collins as a teen taught him some of the “greatest lessons” he’s ever learned as a performer.
Speaking on the No Cover Charge podcast, Bonamassa explains that Collins had a unique way of wielding the guitar not just as an instrument, but as a “weapon” capable of commanding a stage and keeping fellow players on their toes.
“Guitars are great, ‘cos you can use them to coddle people, but you can also use them as a weapon – and I love using guitars as a weapon,” says the guitarist. “You know who’s the best at that? Albert Collins. That was a weapon. They didn’t call him the Iceman for nothing. I mean, I was on the receiving end when I was a kid.”
That unforgettable lesson came at the Silver Lake New York Blues Festival in Hog Rose, where a 12-year-old Bonamassa was invited to sit in with Collins. A year earlier, the young blues prodigy had shared the festival stage with telecaster virtuoso Danny Gatton, where his performance had earned him another slot twelve months later with the Iceman himself.
“They convinced Albert Collins to let me sit in,” Bonamassa recalls. “And he taught me the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned on stage.”
Needless to say, sharing the stage with Collins in his prime was a daunting prospect.
“At the time, I worshiped all those records – the Showdown! record, Ice Pickin’, Frosty.. All that,” says Bonamassa. “So I got up on stage, and I had my little USA Strat with Lace Sensors, and my Sunn Beta Lead solid state 4×12 amp.”
“Debbie Davies was in the band and it was prime time Albert Collins. He had a Tele, a [Fender] Quad Reverb, and about a 150-foot cable because he would go out into the crowd.”
Bonamassa remembers Collins putting him to the test almost immediately.
“He stung a note… He did all that Albert Collins shit, but he kept stinging the note,” says Bonamassa. “I mean, he pointed the Tele like [he was pointing a gun] at me. I’m like this little kid in the cowboy hat. It was his way of saying, ‘Welcome to the big leagues, kid. I don’t care how old you are, being up here requires a certain amount of intestinal fortitude, and I’m testing you to see if you had it.’ So I did my best [plays note] Albert impression.”
Decades on, Bonamassa remains fascinated by the bluesman’s unconventional setup and technique.
“His thing was awesome, because he tuned to open F, and had a really primitive capo. It was kind of gnarly, and I don’t know how he was able to keep the strings from moving. He would bend and not have the strings just move into another position. I don’t know how he did it.”
Watch the full interview below.
The post Joe Bonamassa on the greatest lesson he ever learned from one of his blues heroes: “It was him going, ‘Welcome to the big leagues, kid’” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Fender Vintera III Mid ’60s Jazzmaster review: Mexican-made vintage-style offset bliss
$1,349/£1,149, fender.com
It’s strange to think that a few years back, what classed as a bad PR situation for Fender was them shipping the American Vintage II Jazzmaster with a not wholly vintage-correct headstock shape. Simpler times.
Here in 2026, you’d probably forgive Fender taking its eye off the ball a little given everything else that’s going on, but it’s worth remembering that the people actually making and designing these instruments are primarily focused on what they always have been: building the best-sounding, feeling and playing instruments they can at price points that suit pretty much every budget.
The aforementioned AVII headstock snafu was just the latest in a series of incidents where Fender was accused of not quite getting the offset thing by its invariably exacting devotees.
The first Player Jazzmasters, for instance, could have been the best-made guitars on the planet – they were never fully embraced by fans because they had slightly naff-looking open-coil humbuckers in them, and no rhythm circuit. And look, the guy in the demo video didn’t even touch the vibrato, nor did he put the thing through two reverse-reverbs and six fuzzes – do you think he’s even heard Loveless?
A lot has changed since then however, and Fender has done much to make up to the Jazzmaster faithful in the years since – things are undoubtedly better now across the board, but especially in Fender’s Mexico-made Vintera range.
In fact, so good has Ensenada got at making Jazzmasters now, that my colleague Josh felt emboldened to declare that the Road Worn Vintera II guitar he reviewed back in January was “the best all-round Jazzmaster proposition in the Fender range.”
What is it?
The Vintera III range is Fender’s latest attempt to do something that a huge cohort of players want and need the brand to do more than anything else – creating guitars with vintage specs, looks and sounds that don’t require you to take out a small business loan to afford.
It’s been just three short years since the Vintera II launched, however, and there was very little wrong with the old guard, so what’s changed? Well, Vintera III promises to give us an even more accurate take on the vintage JM thing – eschewing the loose decade-spanning scope of the old guitars and focusing on a specific inflection point in a guitar’s development, in this case the mid-1960s – aka the moment that Jazzmasters really started to get fun with custom colours, painted headstocks and the like.
The core sell of the Vintera range remains unchanged – this is a guitar with most of the ‘right’ vintage appointments that’s not so cheap you might as well just get a Squier, and not so expensive that it’s totally beyond the scope of many musicians.
That doesn’t mean it’s cheap, however – sticker shock has come for guitars in a big way over the last few years, and ‘mid-priced’ in Fender terms now stands for $1,349. That is no small number for anyone really, but it’s broadly in line with the guitar it replaced at least – there’s no wince-inducing global inflationary crisis gut-punch that saw hundreds of dollars added to the base price between Vinteras I and II.
While the improvement is clearly iterative with Vintera III, the offsets have changed more than most. Crucially, while the Vintera II Jazzmaster recreated a late-1950s instrument, for III we return to the mid-1960s style of guitar – similar to the first 2019 Vintera run.
As mentioned, that means we have more fun finish options than previous editions – Sonic Blue and Candy Apple Red for those who want matching headstocks, and an Olympic White option – our guitar for today – that comes with a plain headstock.
Image: Adam Gasson
The latter is a bit of a shame in my opinion as most real Olympic White Jazzmasters from the mid-60s also sported a painted peghead… at least it’s the right shape? Mid 60s also means that we don’t get the bound board with block inlays that came later in the decade – maybe Fender will save that for Vintera IV?
The company’s product page notes a few differences as to how it’s going about the whole “vintage” thing this time around – no real revolutionary changes, but just an overall upping of the focus and detail – the headstock decals are now being applied over the finish, and we’ve got a period-accurate round-laminated rosewood fretboard rather than a slab board, clay-coloured fretboard dots rather than modern white ones, and a real bone nut instead of a synthetic one.
Hardware, electronics and the neck profile are all now “era-based” rather than “decade-based”, which makes sense, given that a “mid-’60s Jazzmaster” can mean a hell of a lot of different things. Fender doesn’t go as far as to put a year on it, but the specs and finish options add up to something approximating, at the latest, a ‘64 Jazzmaster, as bound necks would be introduced in 1965, and the big block inlays/big headstock combo would follow in 1966.
There’s still one major concession to price, in that the finish is poly rather than nitro – no authentic ageing experience for you here. Maybe, like with Vintera II, Fender will wait a year or so and then roll out a road-worn variant with a lightly-aged nitro finish for a little more cash, but until then, we’re strictly in polyurethane town.
Not that the poly finish looks bad, by any means – the Olympic White example I’ve got here is a lovely deep off-white – the white Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster next to it in my guitar rack looks as rich and inviting as a sheet of printer paper in comparison.
As a whole the guitar presents very well, and small as they are, those vintage-correct details do have a cumulative effect. The clay dots, for example, really bring the look of the neck together, especially given the rosewood ‘board. On our review example, this rosewood is a chocolate colour so rich and deep I am more than a little tempted to take a bite out of it. Even the three-dimensional nature of the headstock decal being placed over the finish – a detail that seems comically minor on paper – adds a bit of vintage panache to proceedings.
Image: Adam Gasson
Build quality and playability
I spend a lot of my time playing fairly modern-feeling necks – not quite multi-scale Strandbergs, but at the very least 9.5” boards and jumbo frets. And so getting my mitts around this mid-60s C-profile neck, with its 7.25” radius and vintage-tall frets, is a surprisingly refreshing affair. It is, of course, no slim shredder, but no less comfortable because of this. There’s enough heft to reassure me that I’m actually holding something, but it still allows for some relatively fast movement.
And while it may not be the perfect playground for sweep arpeggios, leads of a less flashy breed are still a hell of a lot of fun – the vintage tall frets are, well, tall, and are therefore great for digging into the side of a string when bending. Down by the headstock, the more curved surface is a lovely affair when fretting big whole-neck chords.
The setup and fretwork in general are great, with no dead spots to speak of and a nice low action. Fender has also continued its trend of gently rolling its fretboard edges, which makes for a supremely comfortable feel, especially when you launch into a big bend that requires hanging onto the neck for dear life, or land on a big open G with less than perfect positioning – the fretboard edges just melt out of your way.
That’s the left hand – at the right hand, the vibrato is the star of the show, as you’d hope from a classic-spec’d Jazzmaster. I find its factory setup pretty dead-on, with a smooth action for some nice woozy pitch-wobbling and just the right amount of tension on things to make it feel responsive and tactile rather than stiff and unwieldy. The rocking bridge also does its job of keeping things in pretty good tune, even after veering into some over-egged wanging on the bar. The push-in arm also stays where I want it, and if I want to move it out of the way, I can do so silently – it does not, as some bars do, creak like the gates of a gothic castle as you move it about.
Image: Adam Gasson
The one big caveat is this: even sticklers for vintage accuracy would be happy to ignore the anachronism if Fender just admitted defeat, and put a Jaguar bridge on this thing. The threaded saddle bridge has its adherents, but let’s be honest, quite a substantial chunk of offset players will replace theirs by default. There’s a reason the aftermarket Jazzmaster bridge world is absolutely chock-full of options. Fender even makes its own relatively decent mid-priced barrel-saddled option.
We’ve already made one concession to modern player comfort over vintage accuracy, in that these guitars come with 0.010s rather than the heavier strings that work best with the Jazzmaster’s rocking bridge/vibrato combo – so why not just take that extra step, save everyone a few quid, and avoid dooming the stock bridge to rot in a drawer somewhere?
Luckily it’s not a total write-off – the threaded sample example found here does at least function with the factory setup… mostly, as I still occasionally push the low E out of its slot. I’ll put it like this – if I was aiming to make this my main gigging guitar, I’d still seek to replace the bridge as soon as I could, but I wouldn’t shy away from playing the guitar live while said replacement was in the post.
One final gripe – the knobs are still set wrong. When I look down, and the guitar’s on full, I see 4, 5, and 6 – seemingly to let the “volume” and “tone” labels be parallel to the neck. I’ve no idea why they ship like this, because unless you’re playing it like a lap steel you’re not going to see those labels. Everyone else seems to agree that when you look down at a guitar, you should see the number 10 to indicate that you’re on 10. Is this splitting hairs? Yes, but it’s hair-splitting that does actually affect your out-of-box playing experience – if we’re caring about headstock decals being under or over the finish, we’re caring about this, too, Fender!
Image: Adam Gasson
Sounds
The pickups and electronics are fairly straightforward – no noiseless pickups or fancy switching here, unless you count the near-70-year-old rhythm circuit as a fancy addition. The lead circuit provides all of the spank and the punch you’d want from a Jazzmaster, with a bridge pickup that’s nice and bright but by no means an aural ice-pick, and a rounded, warmer neck pickup that’s got quite a present upper midrange.
The output here is relatively low – perhaps not as low as you might expect from some true vintage examples, but far from any sort of modern, hot pickup output. This does mean that there’s a good amount of dynamic range to be had on clean to lightly-overdriven sounds, even if you’ll want to up the preamp gain somewhere along the chain to compensate – and, on the other end of the spectrum, there’s a surprising amount of breadth and clarity when throwing stacked fuzzes, reverbs and delays at both lead positions.
And speaking of such an activity, the rhythm circuit does its thing, which you will find either unusably muddy or an excellent combination with the aforementioned wall of fuzz and delay, depending on your Jazzmaster preferences. Divisive it may be, it’s still a Jazzmaster, and for many it wouldn’t be complete without it – even for those who dislike it, masking off the switch can be part of the ritual. At this point, a couple of inches of electrical tape should come in the case alongside the vibrato arm…
Personally I find the rounded character of the neck pickup makes the rhythm circuit a pretty usable proposition for both smooth leads and messy Kevin Shields impressions, but for pretty much everything else the brighter, clearer sounds of the lead circuit are more likely to do the trick.
Image: Adam Gasson
Should I buy one?
If you own a Vintera II Jazzmaster and you like it – I wouldn’t be in a rush to add an extra ‘I’ to the proceedings, unless you’re desperate for a switch to the 60s spec. However, it’d be wrong to expect Vintera III to totally reinvent the Jazzmaster wheel – that’s not really the point of a new range of Vintera guitars. There are only so many ways to skin the particular cat of an 1964-ish Jazzmaster for this price, and with this in mind it’s very nice to see the focus being placed on sharpening the vintage details. These details are packaged up in an extraordinarily well-constructed instrument, one that successfully builds on the successful points of the Vintera II JM.
Even with that upwards shift of the definition of a “mid-priced guitar”, the Vintera range remains a very good bang-for-buck proposition within Fender’s lineup. If you can get over the poly finish, this is as accurate and as playable as you’re going to get if you want a vintage-spec’d Jazzmaster for anywhere this side of £2,000. Or quite a bit more for the real deal. Of course, that accuracy is both better and for worse, perhaps, in the case of the bridge, but hey, what would a Jazzmaster be without a little obtrusiveness?
Vintera III Jazzmaster Alternatives
If you want a similar experience but fancy that nitro finish, some Road Worn Vintera II 50s Jazzmaster models ($1,699/£1,399) are still available in a few places. If you are an offset fan of a slightly different stripe, Vintera III has also arrived with a Jaguar offering ($1,34.99/£1,129). If you want to save a bit of cash, the Player II Jazzmaster offers a relatively authentic but no less enjoyable Jazzmaster experience for very decent price ($879.99/£759), and if you want to go the whole hog and nearabouts double the price tag, you can look at the American Vintage II 1966 Jazzmaster ($2,799/£2,379) now with the right headstock.
The post Fender Vintera III Mid ’60s Jazzmaster review: Mexican-made vintage-style offset bliss appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Marcus King partners with Epiphone to revive the El Dorado acoustic: “This guitar means the world to me”
Everyone remembers their first guitar – it’s by your side through thick and thin, no matter how ear-splitting your chord progressions may sound to your peers. For some, that first axe can be a gateway to a beloved hobby… or, in the case of Marcus King, learning the ropes on a 1963 Epiphone El Dorado Acoustic essentially kickstarted a Grammy-winning blues career.
Now, King has partnered with Epiphone to reimagine his legendary first guitar. The result is the limited edition Epiphone Marcus King El Dorado, which serves as yet another way King has honoured the most important, formative guitar in his musical history.
Originally, King’s father gifted him the 1963 Epiphone acoustic when he was just four. King was instantly keen to master the instrument, and he’s always speaking about the importance of the El Dorado throughout his journey. Even his 2020 debut, El Dorado, is named in honour of his all-important guitar.
“This guitar means the world to me,” he says in a press release. “My first El Dorado was a gift from my father, and it carried me through some of the earliest and most important moments of my musical journey. It has always represented family, home, and the songs that shaped me.”
While the guitar has shaped King, this comes as his chance to shape the guitar in return, as well as sharing its vintage charms with the next generation of guitarists. While the guitar’s design captures that feel of ‘60s and ‘70s era El Dorado acoustics, King’s signature sits proudly on the headstock. “Partnering with Epiphone to share that feeling with players around the world is an incredible honour, and I hope this guitar inspires people to write their own stories for years to come,” he adds.
Available in Antique Natural, the Epiphone Marcus King El Dorado sits at 25.5” in scale and is built with all-solid tonewoods. The woods in question consist of a square-shoulder dreadnought body, rosewood back and sides, a spruce top and a C-profile mahogany neck, There’s also a custom pickguard modelled after the one on King’s vintage El Dorado guitars.
Credit: Epiphone
In terms of the headstock, alongside King’s autograph, the design draws inspiration from 70s MIJ-era and include a bone nut, Epiphone Deluxe tuners, and a mother-of-pearl Epiphone logo. Further down, the fingerboard is rosewood, with 20 frets and rounded-corner mother-of-pearl block inlays. The acoustic is also kitted out with L.R. Baggs Element Bronze under-saddle pickup and preamp.
King recently released Darling Blue / No Room For Blue back in May, and the blues rocker is also set to embark on a tour across North America this August.
The limited edition Marcus King El Dorado is available now for £949. For more information, head to Epiphone.
The post Marcus King partners with Epiphone to revive the El Dorado acoustic: “This guitar means the world to me” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
“It’s basically a Gibson Les Paul jammed into a Fender Telecaster”: This is one of Joe Bonamassa’s favourite vintage guitars – and why hybrids can be “the best”
Joe Bonamassa is one of the most prolific collectors of vintage guitars. But he doesn’t possess the purism you might expect from a vintage collector. In fact, one of his favourite guitars is a heavily modified 1968 Fender Telecaster loaded with Gibson PAF humbuckers…
Blues ace and owner of one of the world’s greatest collections of vintage instruments – housed at Nerdville East and West in Nashville and LA, respectively – Joe Bonamassa has hundreds of guitars. But this guitar remains one of his favourites, and it’s precisely because it’s a hybrid, he explains in a new interview with Guitar Center.
“These are PAF humbucking pickups from Gibson,” he says. “I bought this guitar from a guy in Daytona Beach, Florida about 15 years ago. It wasn’t a lot of money. And I plugged it in and it was magic. Sometimes a hybrid can turn out to be the best.”
The Tele, he explains, is fitted with 500k potentiometers – which let less high frequency content bleed resulting in a brighter tone.
“It’s basically a Gibson Les Paul jammed into a Fender Telecaster,” says Bonamassa. ‘But the difference is you have a maple neck and an ash body. And they sound great. And that’s the beauty of a Fender Telecaster: you can pretty much do anything to it.
“Now, do I suggest going out there and buying a very expensive vintage Telecaster, taking a pin router to it and jamming a whole bunch of pickups in there? No. If they’re already modified, then that’s the beauty of it. And you can save yourself some money and have literally just a utility plank that can play anything.”
Of course, one of JoBo’s favourite guitars has obviously seen its share of stage use…
“I’ve used this guitar for jazz fusion gigs, I’ve used it for rock gigs. I’ve used it for everything, because it has so much flexibility.”
He might be a vintage guitar collector, but his love of hybrid guitars isn’t the first opinion that might poke at the gear purists. Increasingly so lately, he’s been touting his love of digital amp modellers.
Recently admitting that he “wanted to hate” amp modellers, he explained: “I was wrong about the fact that no modeller will replace a tube version, I think they’re gonna get there and surpass.”
The post “It’s basically a Gibson Les Paul jammed into a Fender Telecaster”: This is one of Joe Bonamassa’s favourite vintage guitars – and why hybrids can be “the best” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
This is why your guitar’s scale length actually matters
Scale length is one of those items on the spec sheet that I always saw, for many of my early years before I ever knew what it actually was or what it meant. I would hear terms like “Fender scale” or “Gibson scale” and politely smile and nod.
There were so many differences between a Les Paul and a Telecaster that I never thought much of the scale, but it does have quite an effect on the playability of the models. In this article, we’ll explain what scale is and why it matters – and how you can use that to choose a guitar with the right scale for you.
What the number actually means
Scale length is the working length of the string, measured from the nut to the saddle. The simplest way to find it is to simply measure it. A 25.5-inch scale length has 25.5 inches of string free to vibrate on every course, and that’s all the number tells you on its own. Everything worth knowing comes from what it forces the rest of the instrument to do.
A lot of electric guitars you’ll pick up will sit in one of two camps. Leo Fender built the Telecaster and Stratocaster around 25.5 inches, and that became the standard for Fender and for the mountain of guitars built to copy them. Gibson went with 24.75 inches on the Les Paul, SG and ES-335. If you’re wondering why it is measured in inches instead of metric, its simply because Fender and Gibson were based in the US and the specs fell into that unit of measurement.
Three-quarters of an inch sounds like a rounding error, and as a measurement, it nearly is. A few builders split the difference on purpose. PRS landed on 25 inches, reaching for a bit of Fender’s tightness and a bit of Gibson’s give in the same neck. Other guitars exist outside the 25.5-24.75 thresholds. We’ll get to them later in the article.
Why a longer scale length guitar fights back
Bringing a string up to pitch takes a set amount of tension, and a longer string needs more of it to reach the same note at the same gauge. The relationship isn’t gentle, either. Tension climbs with the square of the scale length, so swapping a 24.75-inch guitar for a 25.5 with identical strings and tuning piles on roughly six per cent more tension across every string.
Six per cent doesn’t read like much, but your fretting hand will feel it. The longer Fender scale pushes back against your bends and snaps to pitch faster. It stays firm when you dig in. It’s a big part of why players coming off a Les Paul onto a Strat so often drop string gauge from 10s to 9s, just to get the old slack back. A shorter scale does the reverse. It’s looser and more forgiving, and bends come without a fight. Plenty of blues and rock players build their whole feel around that softer response.
What scale length does to your tone
Tension shapes the sound as much as the feel. A tighter string speaks with more clarity and top end. There’s more harmonic content sitting under the note, and the low end holds firmer, which is a chunk of that bright, almost piano-like attack baked into the classic Fender voice. A looser string leans harder on its fundamental and comes back warmer and rounder, with the highs pulled off the top. So crediting Gibson warmth entirely to mahogany and humbuckers leaves something out. The short scale is in there doing its share.
Fret spacing is the most visible effect. You cant just move a Fender neck .75 inches further into the body and have it work as a Gibson scale – the fret spacing is different. A longer scale stretches the frets apart, which keeps notes separated but asks more of your hand down near the nut. A shorter scale brings them in tighter, friendlier for small hands and fast chord work, though it can feel cramped once you’re past the body/neck joint.
Non-traditional scale-lengths
Step outside the Fender-versus-Gibson norms and builders start reaching for scale length on purpose. Short-scale guitars like the 24-inch Mustang and Jaguar, or the old Danelectros, play slinky and run a little dark, which is half of why indie and garage players love them. Basses follow the same logic. A 34-inch scale keeps a low E from going to mush, while 30-inch short-scale basses trade some of that tightness for warmth and an easier reach.
Baritones are usually defined as having a scale length of 27 inches or more. The whole point is to tune well below standard without the strings turning to wet noodles, since the extra length holds the tension together down in low drop tunings.
Fanned-fret guitars chase the same fix from another angle. Ralph Novak’s Novax designs run a longer scale under the bass strings and a shorter one under the trebles, with the frets angled so the geometry lines up. The low strings hold their tension and the high strings stay easy to bend. That was the idea behind fanned frets.
So, which scale is right for you? That’s not for me to say. My advice is always to get your hands on as many guitars as possible and see which ones feel and sound best to you. That’s why I love guitar stores where you can pick a guitar up and test it out. It allows you to know what you’re looking for when buying a guitar.
You might prefer the look of Fender guitar but the more compact dimensions of a Gibson – that’s what I realised, and it’s why I build Fender-style necks with 24.75-inch scales for my guitars. Warmoth and other aftermarket companies make these sorts of conversion necks as well if you’re set on the look of one body shape but prefer a different scale length.
Few players can tell the difference by looking at it, but the feel is undeniable. That’s why scale length is such an important part of any guitar equation.
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“My intent was to talk about how technology can help artists and players learn and grow”: Fender CEO responds to his previous comments on AI
Back in May, Edward “Bud” Cole likened AI to “cover music” in an interview with T3, noting that the act of learning and adapting another artist’s songs and techniques is like a form of “analogue AI”. Now, the Fender CEO is keen to clarify his comments.
In a new statement shared with Fast Company, Cole explains that he hadn’t “fully conveyed” his perspective on AI during his T3 interview. “My intent was to talk about how technology can help artists and players learn and grow,” he explains.
He goes on to explain that, while AI can help a player grow, that will never take away the human spirit that keeps the guitar community thriving. “Music is an inherently human experience, and great songs are born out of people’s lives, their creative energy and the countless hours spent learning their instruments – something no machine can ever replicate,” he writes.
“Many of the concerns people have about AI are real,” the CEO continues. “Conversations need to happen about how to advance AI while protecting artists and upholding respect for their work.”
To round off, Cole asserts that he still believes that AI is a supportive tool for guitarists of all levels. In his mind, it serves as a way of opening new doors to “explore, refine and experiment with their own creative ideas”. But “music starts and ends with people, and it always will”.
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Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele likens AI music tools to a “really smart guitar pedal”
Recently, backers of the pro-AI movement are taking a new approach when defending its use in the studio. Instead of addressing on the plagiaristic realities of AI training, musicians are focusing on how it improves musical productivity.
The latest artist to proclaim AI as a useful “tool” in the studio is Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele. In an interview with iHeartRadio Canada, the singer said that AI technology is the same as using a “really smart guitar pedal” that can “empower artists that know how to use it” [via Consequence Of Sound].
Steele is aware of the fact that AI’s steadily increasing influence in the music industry could result in artists falling to the wayside. “I think you’ve got to be careful, you know?” he notes. “‘Cause [AI] is so powerful… it’s going to empower artists that know how to use it, and they’re going to become unstoppable… [if you don’t keep up], it’s going to come and swallow you like a boogie monster at night.”
This isn’t the first time the singer has spoken out in support of AI. In fact, back in April, Steele told Clash Magazine that AI was an “amazing breakthrough in the world”, and explained what AI tools Empire Of The Sun were actively using in the studio.
“I think it’s a breakthrough for artists, too because it’s such a powerful tool…” he said. “We’ve been building out of Base44… [we are using] this thing we called Song Mountain, [which is] like a lyric maker that has all the different tongues of different kinds of words from scriptures to ancient American-Indian Quotes, to different flavours of taxi conversation, it can all be used to kind of help craft different ways lines and verses are written.”
It’s a vastly different approach to the artists standing against AI. Recently, both Sophie Burrell and Sophie Lloyd have spoken out about AI plagiarising their music and likeness, while Rhett Shull has also spoken out about AI ripping off his content.
In terms of artists in the opposing camp, Boy George comes as one of the latest to wave the AI flag. Last week, he proudly asserted that he used AI to write a pro-Israel track, We Will Dance Again. Earlier in the year, George also sunk AI’s praises on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, explaining that it AI technology has “really helped [him] as a lyricist”.
In the days following We Will Dance Again’s release, Bandcamp quickly took it down, with a spokesperson telling NME: “The track was removed based on violation of our Acceptable Use & Moderation Policy, which in specific regard to this case, prohibits music and audio that is wholly or in substantial part created, composed, or generated by artificial intelligence”.
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Slash says his decades-long feud with Axl Rose wasn’t personal: “It really had to do with other people”
A full decade ago, Guns N’ Roses surprised the rock world by announcing they would be reuniting to perform at 2016’s Coachella Festival. Considering Slash and Axl Rose had previously been caught in a decades-long feud, it was a wonder that the pair could stand performing together again – and then, in another shock, they even decided to keep the band going for another ten years.
However, despite Slash and Axl being at one another’s throats in the past, Slash insists that it’s all water under the bridge now. In a new interview with Rolling Stone Australia, the guitarist even says it was “easy” to move on from any bitterness once the pair had a proper heart-to-heart about their issues.
- READ MORE: Slash admits that he was getting tired of the “very predictable Marshall sound” in his music
Before Coachella was even on the cards, Slash reveals that Axl reached out to him to mend old wounds. “I was on the road with The Conspirators in South America, and I got a call from my management saying that Axl’s management wanted to get in touch,” he recalls. “That wasn’t even about Guns N’ Roses getting back together… that was really about mending the fences, so to speak.”
“When I got off the road, he and I had dinner, and then everything just sort of blossomed from there…” he continues. “It was always a bummer to me that it went the way that it went… it was nice to get together with him and talk about it, and realise that all these issues were really on the surface and superficial and stupid.”
As Slash puts it, his issues were never with Axl directly. The problem was more to do with people interfering in their relationship. “The actual issues between Axl and I weren’t insurmountable,” the guitarist admits. “It really had to do with other people that had gotten involved – that sort of exacerbated the issues that we had. It caused a lot of issues. So without [those people], it was really easy for me and Axl to just get past it, you know.”
In fact, the Guns N’ Roses legend even explains that mending the relationship instantly left him with a “warm, fuzzy family feeling” in his gut. “And we haven’t had one fucking fight the whole 10 years that we’ve been together this this this time around!” he announces proudly.
Not only has their renewed bond allowed them to carry on rocking for another ten years, but it’s also allowed Slash to help Axl meet one of his heroes – namely the Prince of Darkness. “I got Axl back there to meet Ozzy Osbourne for the first time [when we played Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning show], because they’d never met each other,” Slash remembers.
“Axl obviously was always a fan of Ozzy, but what Axl didn’t know was Ozzy was a huge fan of his!” he adds. “It was nice to see them actually meet.”
Now, Guns N’ Roses are slowly working towards the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s Chinese Democracy. “There’s a lot of writing going on with Guns,” Slash reveals. “So after I get back from [touring with The Conspirators], we’ll see if [Guns N’ Roses] can start putting some stuff together and getting in the studio.”
In the mean time, a new record from the The Conspirators is set to drop in February next year after Guns wrap up their tour. It’s set to be the first record from the project since 2022. “It’s it’s good for me just to have all these musical outlets, so I can constantly be playing,” Slash says.
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“Almost nobody can afford a 1959 Les Paul”: Mark Agnesi on why Gibson wants to make the most vintage-accurate guitars possible
The price tag of a proper original 1959 Gibson Les Paul puts it firmly out of reach of the vast majority of guitar players. Only 643 Les Paul Standards were ever shipped in 1959, so their extreme scarcity – and legendary status in the rock world – means these guitars, when they hit the market, command six-figure price tags most budgets would wince at.
So how can guitar companies give players on more typical budgets the feeling of landing a vintage instrument without having to sell their house in order to do so?
The vintage guitar market remains strong, with many guitarists seeking instruments that look and feel like they’ve been extensively played in. But again, real vintage guitars are pricey, so many companies offer pre-aged models – guitars that are brand-new but made to look old.
Gibson, for example, has a dedicated division, the Murphy Lab, which specialises in artificially aging its electric and acoustic guitars.
“We don’t relic guitars; we age guitars and we try and age them to specific levels of wear with real examples that we see in the wild,” Gibson’s Director of Brand Experience Mark Agnesi tells Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto in a new podcast episode.
“Anything you can do to make a new guitar feel like – we call it the vintage guitar ownership experience. The feeling like I have a $700,000 ‘59 Les Paul in my hands, but when I open the case, I feel like this is the one. That’s the feeling.”
Agnesi says owning a real original ‘59 Les Paul is “unobtainium for almost everybody”, so the brand looks to create a similar experience for a fraction of the cost.
“Not everyone can afford it,” he continues. “Almost no one can afford an original 1959 Les Paul… So what you do [is] try and give the most amount of people the experience of when they open that case, they go, ‘Holy shit.’ That’s what the GIbson Custom Shop, and specifically the guitars coming out of the Murphy Lab, that’s what they’re trying to do. And I think they’re doing a phenomenal job.”
Agnesi says he himself has been fully converted to vintage-accurate guitars: “It’s all that I can own now. Once you get a couple of them, it’s like I need to get rid of all [of my old guitars] and replace them with the exact same thing [but aged].
“After playing vintage guitars for a decade, it’s hard to not have the feel of the neck [where] that binding has been rolled by somebody’s thumb going over it. Or that feel and texture of lacquer checking on the back of the neck.
“To me, it’s a lot more to do with the feel of the back of the neck than how cool it looks or how much paint got taken off the body. For me, it’s about the feel of the neck, and the binding roll – there’s no crisp edges anywhere. It just feels like putting on your old blue jeans. To me, that’s the most important part of an aged guitar.”
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“I don’t want to disappoint anybody”: Why Don Felder refuses to improvise when playing the Hotel California solo
Is there any guitar solo in existence more iconic than Hotel California?
Sure, there are certainly some strong contenders, but Don Felder’s outro solo on the title track from the Eagles’ landmark 1976 album of the same name will go down in history as one of the greatest lead guitar moments ever committed to record.
- READ MORE: Two of Eddie Van Halen’s Kramer guitars are up for auction – accompanied by his used cigarette butts
And as such, Don Felder makes sure to treat the solo with the utmost respect when performing the track live, in that he’ll never deviate from the notes on the record as an obligation to fans.
“I’ve played it so many times – like, every show I’ve played as a solo artist I have played Hotel California,” Felder tells Ultimate Classic Rock in a new interview. He notes how he continuously practices Hotel California despite playing it hundreds of times over the last five decades.
“The one thing I do at every show, before I go on stage, is work on Hotel California because I don’t want to disappoint anybody,” he explains. “Everybody knows every note in that solo, and I’m afraid if I started jamming on it people would go, ‘What is he doing? That’s wrong! That’s not the solo! Is he having a moment? Or maybe he’s just too old to remember it?”
“I think people want to hear it as they remember it from 50 years ago. So I do my best to play that, and it really takes the most amount of intense concentration to execute that solo over and over and over and over. You never want to just go on autopilot with it.”
Of course, Hotel California remains the Eagles most defining song, and is a staple of the band’s live show to this day. For his big moment each set, Don Felder uses his trusty Gibson EDS-1275 double neck guitar, as he has for decades.
Eagles continue to perform, and have just announced a new run of dates for their massive residency at the Las Vegas Sphere.
In September last year, Don Felder spoke about Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride), his 1981 solo track he re-recorded for his album The Vault – Fifty Years of Music. While the track ultimately became one of his solo songs, he had initially envisioned it as the ultimate guitar showdown between him and bandmate Joe Walsh – one that would even eclipse their twin leads on Hotel California.
“It was going to be a follow-up on The Long Run,” he said. “It had a real kind of heavy hand to it and I wrote it so that Joe and I could play even harder than we did – or edgier than we did – on Hotel California, against each other. It had harmony parts, trading-off solos and a much harder rock edge.”
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Source Audio Pathways review: “a pedal that sits comfortably between the worlds of modernity and tradition”
$349/£349, sourceaudio.com
Everybody loves a good reverb pedal, and right now it feels like we’re living through a golden age of ambient effects. Whether you’re after a subtle plate, a cavernous hall, or some otherworldly wash of galactic ambience, there has never been a shortage of options. If anything, today’s market is almost spoiled for choice.
That said, not every player is chasing increasingly expansive soundscapes. For many guitarists, the magic still lies in the tried and true sounds of vintage spring reverb and pulsing tube tremolo. It’s a classic combination that has shaped countless recordings for decades, and one that continues to inspire players today.
Enter the Source Audio Pathways. On paper, it promises to bring those timeless reverb and tremolo sounds into the modern era, combining both effects into a single compact enclosure. Of course, whenever two effects share the same pedal, there’s always the question of compromise. Does combining them result in the best of both worlds, or does convenience come at the expense of performance?
What is it?
Source Audio’s description of the Pathways is pretty straightforward. At its core, it’s built around one of the most beloved effect pairings in guitar history: reverb and tremolo. Given Source Audio’s reputation for creating some wonderfully esoteric soundscaping machines, you might be expecting me to explain how this pedal takes these two classics and gets weird, but no – this is very much the peanut butter and jelly of guitar effects, presented without any gimmickry.
That’s not to say this is lacking in options sonically. The Pathways packs seven onboard reverb and echo algorithms: Slap, Echo, Spring, Tank, Room, Plate, and Hall. Those are paired with three tremolo voices: Harm, Opto, and Bias, along with three selectable note subdivision options. The result is a broad range of sounds that can cover everything from old school surf and vintage Americana to the kind of cavernous ambience that makes you immediately feel like a Slowdive record.
Image: Press
Build quality and usability
Physically, the Pathways is a noticeable departure from the larger enclosures used for pedals like the Collider and Dimensions. Instead, it shares a footprint much closer to the Source Audio Artifakt. In other words, it’s smaller than what many of us have come to expect from Source Audio. Good news for anyone whose pedalboard is already one new purchase away from violating local zoning regulations.
When it comes to controls, Source Audio has continued its recent trend of keeping things refreshingly simple. The pedal features six knobs, with the top row dedicated to reverb duties: Reverb Time, Tone, and Mix. The bottom row handles tremolo controls, including Speed and Depth, while the center knob in the second row serves as the mode selector and will likely be the control you’ll interact with most often.
Of course, this is still a Source Audio pedal, which means there’s considerably more happening beneath the surface than the control layout initially suggests. MIDI support, USB-C connectivity, and integration with the Neuro 3 app also potentially expand the pedal’s capabilities dramatically – offering deeper editing, preset management, and a level of customization that power users will undoubtedly appreciate. And speaking of preset management, you have four onboard presets to switch between sounds.
Image: Press
Sounds
To really see what the Pathways was capable of, I reached for what felt like the obvious choice, a Jazzmaster. After all, few guitars are better equipped to cover the sonic ground this pedal is aiming for, from drip-soaked surf rock to the kind of lush ambient soundscapes that make you want to spend an afternoon pretending you’re in Sigur Rós.
I wanted an amp that didn’t have any onboard reverb or tremolo to see how it enhanced the overall package, so I plugged into a Milkman Beekeeper combo – there was truly nowhere for the Pathways to hide. Every bit of ambience and modulation coming through the speaker was entirely its own doing.
It didn’t take long for the Tank setting to win me over. It’s wonderfully bouncy and absolutely dripping with character, delivering an immersive warmth that immediately felt familiar. More importantly, it captures that vintage spring reverb magic without feeling like a sterile recreation of the past. Each chord rang out with the kind of wet articulation that instantly transported me back to the classic outboard tanks and amp reverbs of the 1960s. There’s a depth and dimensionality here that reminds you exactly why guitarists fell in love with spring reverb in the first place.
The rest of the reverb offerings are equally impressive in their own right. In particular, I found myself repeatedly gravitating toward the Hall setting and its gloriously indulgent wall-of-sound ambience. It’s the kind of reverb that practically asks you to play slow chords and make questionable life decisions. Likewise, if your tastes lean more toward traditional Room or Plate reverbs, there’s a level of attention to detail here that makes each algorithm feel thoughtfully voiced rather than simply included to pad out a spec sheet. Then again, when it comes to reverb, did we really expect anything less from Source Audio?
Image: Press
Admittedly, I’m not the world’s biggest tremolo enthusiast, which meant that side of the Pathways had a tougher job winning me over than the reverb section did. That’s not to say the tremolo sounds aren’t good. Quite the opposite, actually. While all three voices are more than serviceable, I found myself spending most of my time with the Bias mode. There’s something about the way it adds movement and depth without overwhelming the front end of your signal. Each note carries a warm, pulsating warble that feels far more organic than I expected, making it both rewarding and surprisingly addictive to play through.
However, it’s the interaction between the reverb and tremolo engines that ultimately becomes the Pathways’ biggest selling point. Combined, they create some genuinely gorgeous textures that can move effortlessly between dream pop soundscapes worthy of Cocteau Twins and the subtle surf-inspired pulse of Dick Dale. A feat that I thought nearly impossible outside big-box offerings like Eventide’s H90.
Oddly, the only shortcoming I found with this pedal was the Neuro 3 app integration. While it’s one of the best apps I’ve encountered in terms of technological integration and implementation, with Pathways I never really gave it much thought and would posit that most people who purchase this pedal are still best served by what it’s immediately capable of. In some ways I can’t help but wonder if that will come as a detriment to the Neuro 3 app, or if people will completely forget that it’s there.
Should I buy one?
The Pathways feels like Source Audio has managed to thread a very difficult needle. It captures the tonal character that made vintage reverbs and tremolos so beloved in the first place while embracing the flexibility and convenience that modern players have come to expect.
Is it perfect? No. While the Neuro 3 app is genuinely powerful, I suspect a lot of players will spend most of their time enjoying the pedal straight out of the box rather than diving deep into its expanded functionality.
Likewise, if your primary goal is creating massive ambient soundscapes that could double as a film score, you’re probably better served by some of Source Audio’s more ambitious offerings, such as the Dimensions.
On the flip side, if you’re a diehard traditionalist looking for a near one-to-one recreation of the classic reverb and tremolo sounds of yesteryear, the Strymon Flint remains one of the category’s standard bearers thanks to its simplicity, feel, and remarkably authentic sounds.
The Pathways sits comfortably between the worlds of modernity and tradition. More importantly, it accomplishes all of this without feeling like a compromise. Whether you’re chasing surf rock drip, Americana warmth, dream pop textures, or ambient soundscapes, the Pathways feels equally at home. That’s not an easy balancing act to pull off, especially in a compact enclosure. But for anyone curious, it’s not only worth the financial investment, but it’s also worth the creative possibilities it begs you to explore.
Like this? Try these alternatives
Strymon’s Flint ($349/£329) is a wonderfully simple and great-sounding reverb/tremolo, and the V2 version adds MIDI control and the ability to store up to 300 presets. Robert Keeley’s Zoma ($229/£289) is the effects guru’s attempt to create a stripped-down and no-nonsense take on Fender amp-style trem and reverb, and it’s very good. Fender’s effects pedals don’t often get enough mention, but the Tre-Verb ($359/£219) is a very good stereo reverb and tremolo.
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Remember when we thought Greta Van Fleet were breaking up? Well, they’re not – and they’ve just announced new music
Panic is over for Greta Van Fleet fans, as they’ve just announced that a new album is on the way despite break-up rumours flooding the internet earlier this year.
Back in May, GVF posted a cryptic social media video thanking their fans for a “wild ride”, featuring clips of the band throughout their 14-year run. Shortly after, the Michigan quartet calmed speculation with a studio clip showing the members working on new material.
The band then went on to release a new single titled Play Your Games, and even performed at a one-off intimate show in New York City. Now, Greta Van Fleet have announced their fourth album Palace For The People, landing on 9 October 2026, and have already shared a new single Saw You Stand. It will mark their first album since 2023’s Starcatcher.
According to a press release (via Louder), the record’s title was inspired by famous London music and sports venue Alexandra Palace (aka Ally Pally), which they headlined in 2022.
“A friend explained that the elaborate grandeur of this Victorian-era ‘palace’, originally named ‘The Palace Of The People’, was created as a gathering place for the public,” a statement on the album explains.
“Unlike most lavish buildings of the time, this one wasn’t created for the Monarchs nor the wealthy aristocrats of the day, but for everyone to ‘escape and wonder’, a truly modern concept for the time. Fast forward to 2026, Greta Van Fleet began to wonder: what would a palace for the people mean today? And how do we get there?”
Guitarist Jake Kiszka describes it as a “very modern record”, despite it still being rock ‘n’ roll at its core, while drummer Danny Wagner states, “the minute the four of us step into a room with the shared goal of creating, there is very little that can stop us.”
Listen to new single Saw You Stand below:
“I can’t tell you how many people have come up to me and said, ‘This is my best friend. We met through your music or at your show.’ We realised, the music is our palace!” adds bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka.
Josh Kiszka continues, “We love each other just as much as ever, if not more, because we’ve got to spend quality time together off of the road. We’ve grown closer, and we have more to say and share than ever.”
Palace For The People from Greta Van Fleet is available to pre-order now.
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Two of Eddie Van Halen’s Kramer guitars are up for auction – accompanied by his used cigarette butts
Two Kramer guitars that belonged to Eddie Van Halen have gone up for auction, with a unique additional offering: both come accompanied by used cigarette butts that are tucked under the strings on the headstocks.
The models up for grabs are a 1986 Zeke Clark Customised 5150 and 1987 Zeke Clark Customised 5150. Both are listed with a minimum bid of $50,000 each, and are being sold via Backstage Auctions.
The guitars have been “meticulously maintained” and put up for sale by Eddie’s lead guitar and amplifier technician, Randall ‘Zeke’ Clark, according to the auction website. Each one includes a signed letter of authenticity from Clark, who worked with Van Halen from 1985 to 1993, maintaining the band’s gear through the 5150, OU812, and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge eras.
The 1986 model is the first he custom built for Eddie. It is described as in “raw, production-used condition” and is stamped with EV5150 on the rear back plate. It also features nine authentic guitar picks from the 5150 tour and, of course, retains the “stage-used cigarette”.
The lucky buyer will also receive a number of memorabilia, including an Ernie Ball EVH-branded leather guitar strap, three sets of vintage 5150-branded strings, a blue Van Halen-branded golf divot tool, an original fan-made EVH button, a Zeke Clark decal, a photo of Clark with the guitar, his personal business card, and more.
The instrument is housed in its original plush-lined hardshell case, described as “heavily weathered” and decorated with fifteen authentic backstage passes.
The 1987 version is in the same condition, and is also stamped with EV5150 on the rear back plate. This one comes with ten vintage white guitar picks, each printed with OU812 on one side and Eddie’s printed signature with 5150 on the other.
Other goodies included are: a notarised letter of provenance directly from and signed by Zeke Clark, two 8×10 colour photos of Zeke with the guitar, two full sets of strings, one incomplete set, and a guitar strap. It also has its original plush-lined hardshell accompanied by a rare 1988 Monsters of Rock Staff laminate.
Further Van Halen items are up for auction, including some as bizarre as a stage-used Frankendrill. Find out more in the video below:
To view all lots, head over to Backstage Auctions.
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“I wanted to hate it!”: Joe Bonamassa admits he was wrong about modelling amps
Joe Bonamassa has once again clarified his stance on amp modellers and the growing digital market, and feels that modellers may well replace tube amps in the future.
Despite Bonamassa previously questioning the coolness of digital gear, he has since spoken out on a flurry of platforms about his new-found love of all things digital. While he admits there are still aspects of traditional gear that cannot be emulated at this point – such as the pushing of air – he does feel that tonally, they’re on the mark.
Speaking on the No Cover Charge Podcast, he says, “The biggest revelation of them all, I still use two [Fender] High-Powered Tweed Twins, but they’re now Tone Master versions. I wanted to hate it! I know a lot of people who are like, ‘but in 2017, you said this…’ I’m like, ‘go fuck yourself.’
“I say a lot of things, okay? Have you ever been to a restaurant and you’re like, ‘the chicken parm is killer,’ and you’re trying to sell it to your friend, and then you go, ‘I’ll just have the caesar salad.’ I just wasn’t in the mood or I was wrong, and in this case I’m a little bit of both!”
He goes on to add, “The in-path, not the sound, the in-path of moving air into a microphone, they can’t do that yet. When you are about to break things like speakers, and you’re moving air, there’s a difference. So, I’m right about that, I was wrong about the fact that no modeller or digital anything will replace a tube version, I think they’re gonna get there and surpass.”
Bonamassa also recently spoke to MusicRadar about the Fender Tone Master range. First launched in 2019 at NAMM with two amp models that promised tubeless tube tone, the Fender Tone Master Pro multi-effects and floorboard modeller then followed in 2023 after a four-year period of research and development.
He said, “I still have my other tube amps behind me. It’s just that the [Fender ‘59] High-Powered Twin is now a Tone Master. When I first plugged into it, I realised this shit’s good. I wanted to dislike it, I really wanted to dislike it! But I couldn’t.
“My production manager, my sound tech, even my other guitar player Josh Smith – they were all telling me it sounds better and feels right. And I was like, ‘I know!’”
Check out the full No Cover Charge Podcast episode with Joe Bonamassa on YouTube below:
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Design and take home your own ’59 Les Paul Standard at the Gibson Garage Las Vegas, coming in 2027
Gibson has announced the opening of the fourth Gibson Garage location – this time in Las Vegas – following the success of similar brick-and-mortar retail stores in Nashville and London, and ahead of the opening of the upcoming Gibson Garage Miami in September 2026.
Set for its grand opening on 10 September 2026, Gibson Garage Las Vegas is situated at the Miracle Mile Shops shopping mall on the Las Vegas Strip, and is said to be Gibson’s “boldest expression yet of experiential retail, music culture and live performance”.
Occupying 9,000 square feet, the new Gibson Garage will house the “full family” of Gibson brands, including Epiphone, Kramer, MESA/Boogie, Maestro, KRK, Gibson Amps and more. This gear will sit in a “highly interactive environment created for musicians, collectors, artists, music fans, tourists, families and first-time players from around the world”.
Interactivity is one of the key selling points of the Gibson Garage as a concept, and visitors to the new Las Vegas location will be encouraged to pick up and play guitars including limited-edition and collector’s models.
Gibson says the new store has “soaring ceilings, dramatic architecture, expansive rooms and an immersive stage and sound environment” for live performances and events, all “built to match the scale, spectacle and spirit of Las Vegas.
Credit: Gibson
Additionally, Gibson Garage Las Vegas will feature an Acoustic Murphy Lab Collection Room, offering visitors the chance to get up close with some of Gibson’s most astounding acoustic instruments.
The premises will also feature the first-ever Les Paul ‘59 Experience Room, an environment dedicated to celebrating the iconic 1959 Les Paul Standard, including a special area where visitors can design and build their own ‘59 Les Paul to take home.
“Las Vegas is one of the most exciting entertainment destinations in the world, and the Gibson Garage Las Vegas will be designed to meet that energy at full volume,” says Anne Rohosy, Interim CEO of Gibson.
“This will be much more than a place to buy a guitar – it will be a place to play, discover, perform, connect and experience the Gibson legacy in a way that can only happen in Las Vegas. Building on what we’ve created in Nashville, London and Miami, Gibson Garage Las Vegas will take experiential retail, artist culture and music to an entirely new level.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Gibson Garage Las Vegas to Miracle Mile Shops,” adds Robert Buchanan, Vice President and General Manager of Miracle Mile Shops.
“Gibson is one of those brands that needs no introduction, and what they’re bringing to Las Vegas is more than a store. With live music, artists, history, and immersive experiences built into the space, Gibson Garage will give people a reason to visit Miracle Mile Shops just to be part of it. There couldn’t be a better city for Gibson Garage than Las Vegas, or a better location in Las Vegas than Miracle Mile Shops.”
Learn more at Gibson.
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“I put him above Ozzy”: This is metal’s greatest frontman, according to DevilDriver’s Dez Fafara
![[L-R] Ozzy Osbourne and Dez Fafara](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ozzy-Dez-hero@2000x1500.jpg)
Few names carry more weight in heavy metal than Ozzy Osbourne. But for DevilDriver and Coal Chamber vocalist Dez Fafara, there’s one frontman who sits even higher on the list: Pantera’s Phil Anselmo.
During an appearance on the Garza Podcast with Suicide Silence guitarist Chris Garza, Fafara spoke at length about Anselmo, calling him the greatest frontman metal has ever produced.
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“Phillip – for me – I would say is the top frontman in the world, period, end of story,” Fafara says [via Ultimate Guitar]. “I love Ozzy, but I put him above Ozzy. That’s just cause…fuck, I don’t know, man. Plus, he’ll beat your fucking ass. He’s real. He’s a real fucking deal – Holyfield [referencing American boxer, Evander Holyfield].”
Fafara says Anselmo’s appeal goes far beyond his commanding stage presence, praising both his songwriting and Pantera’s enduring influence on heavy music.
“He’s an amazing frontman, amazing writer, and obviously one of the biggest bands in the world. Influenced everybody. I don’t think there’s anybody not influenced by Pantera. I wish I would have found him earlier, I would have got influenced vocally. But that just never happened.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Fafara reveals how a chance meeting with Anselmo on Melrose Avenue eventually blossomed into a close friendship.
“I have a crazy story. When I was in Coal Chamber, I was walking down Melrose Ave. and Coal Chamber was just about to get signed, and I saw Phillip,” he says. “And I said, ‘Hey man, I love your shit. I’m listening to your shit.’ And he put his bags down, he’s like, ‘Cool, man.’ He signed something for me. I’m like, ‘One day, I’m going to tour with you.’ And he goes, ‘You know what, man? Bad ass. I hope you will.’”
Just a year later, that prediction came true.
“We pull up to a Pantera tour in my bus. Nobody’s on the bus but me. I hear the door knock and I answer it, and it’s Anselmo. And he goes, ‘Get your shit.’ I thought it was getting kicked off the tour.”
“I’m like, ‘OK.’ I got my bag and I go up on his bus. And he’s like, ‘This is my bunk, that’s your bunk below me. Throw your shit in – you’re living with me.’ And that’s how we became friends.”
Watch the full interview below.
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