Guitar.com

Neil Young has provided residents of Greenland with full access to his entire music catalogue for free as a gesture of peace.

Young’s decision to do so follows US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland for “national security reasons”. Young, who often speaks out on political issues, is a prominent critic of Trump, and has previously taken legal action to prevent him from using his music at campaign rallies.

• READ MORE: The guitar gear used by Neil Young on the classic Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Greenlanders who wish to take Young up on his offer will need to provide their name, email address and phone number to get free access to his complete archive for 12 months. In a statement shared via his Neil Young Archives website, the Canadian-American musician writes, “As a gesture of kindness and respect, we stand with you along with a strong majority of Americans.

“I would like to offer a free one-year subscription to all Greenland residents. I hope my music and music films will ease some of the unwarranted stress and threats you are experiencing from our unpopular and hopefully temporary government. It is my sincere wish for you to be able to enjoy all my music in your beautiful Greenland home, in its highest quality.”

He concludes, “This is an offer of Peace and Love. All the music I have made during the last 62 years is yours to hear. You can renew for free if you are in Greenland. We do hope other organisations will follow in the spirit of our example.”

Last year, Young played at Glastonbury Festival after originally withdrawing due to involvement from the BBC. He headlined its mighty Pyramid stage and brought out some of his most iconic instruments, including Hank Williams’ 1941 D-28, his Bigsby-loaded ’54 Goldtop and of course, his famous Old Black.

Find out more and sign up via the Neil Young Archives website.

The post “This is an offer of Peace and Love”: Neil Young gifts his entire catalogue to residents of Greenland appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The intersection of heavy metal and guitar YouTube has proved to be a verdant ground for innovative new guitar companies to bloom. Alongside Rob Chapman’s Chapman Guitars, Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars has been another key success story in this area.

Now nearly 10 years later, Solar is a widely revered guitar company catering to the heavier inclined, but what prompted Englund – who was with Washburn at the time – to do his own thing in the first place?

• READ MORE: Guitar.com Magazine: how to get your copy of the January/February 2026 issue

As he explains in the new issue of Guitar World magazine, Englund felt disillusioned with the speed at which his designs with Washburn became available to the public, and was inspired to start his own brand instead.

“I had a successful model with Washburn,” he says. “I brought them my designs, they released it and it did very well. But being a social media, YouTube guy. I know the world moves so fast now and people’s attention spans are so short.

“I felt that Washburn’s business model; was too slow. There was a bureaucracy behind everything – the making of the guitars, selling to dealers and getting them to distributors.

“It’s such a long process before an actual customer gets to see the guitar – like, about a year – and I was so frustrated because I knew people wanted the guitars but had to wait a long time before they could get them.”

Englund – who has nearly 1 million YouTube subscribers, and also plays guitar in bands The Haunted and Feared – explains that upon the expiration of his three-year contract with Washburn, he was faced with a decision: either renew for another three years, or take matters into his own hands.

“After my three-year contract ended, I figured I could stay there for another three years, but I knew I could do so much better if I could find some people to do a new company with me,” he continues. 

“The guy I worked with at Washburn had just left the company, so I gave him a call and we decided to create a model that went straight from us to the consumer because we know exactly what the audience wants. They tell me.

“I took my designs out of Washburn, and we formed Solar. We launched in late 2017 and had 300 guitars to sell and ship immediately. We’ve grown very fast.”

In other news, Extreme guitar legend Nuno Bettencourt made waves in the guitar industry late last year when he followed in Ola Englund’s footsteps, ending his 35-year relationship with Washburn to start his own guitar company, Nuno Guitars.

The post “Washburn’s business model was too slow – I was so frustrated”: Why YouTube star Ola Englund launched his own company, Solar Guitars appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

When news of Rush’s 2026 Fifty Something reunion tour surfaced, prog fans were in a frenzy – the ‘rush’ for tickets lead to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson expanding the sold-out tour within days, announcing a further 17 dates. Now, Rush are giving fans another reason to get excited: new music may be on the horizon

In a MusicRadar interview, Lee reveals that he and Lifeson have been brainstorming new Rush tracks. However, fans will have to wait until after tour before anything is finished. “My intent, before we got into this celebration of Rush’s history, was to put some music together,” he says [via Blabbermouth]. “I assumed I would be doing that on my own, not with Alex. When we started jamming, I started seeing the possibility of doing something. But that went on hold, because there’s too much work.”

• READ MORE: “I like grabbing something that I don’t think is the ‘right’ thing and seeing how that works”: Why Alex Lifeson still reaches for the $57 Japanese guitar his parents got him

“If we manage to survive the tour, go back to Canada, and have a rest, who knows what will happen,” he teases. “But I suspect some music will eventually come out.”

Following on from drummer Neil Peart’s death in 2020, it seemed the Rush days were over; Lifeson was adamantly “not interested” in a Rush reunion back in 2024. Hell, even last January Lifeson told Classic Rock that he didn’t want to reunite and tarnish Rush’s “legacy” by sounding like a “bad Rush tribute band”.

Considering how adamant Lifeson seemed to oppose a reunion, it made the news of the 50-year celebration an even greater surprise to fans – news of new music is just an extra cherry to top things off.

While Peart’s iconic shoes are impossible to fill, German drummer, composer and producer Anika Nilles is stepping up to the plate to join the remaining Rush duo on tour. And, according to Lee, she might even be involved in crafting new Rush tracks.

“It would be fun to see what [Nilles] can do in a creative situation,” he tells MusicRadar. “That would be fun. But it’s all speculation until it isn’t, so…”

When news of Nilles joining the band broke, Lee and Lifeson emphasised how challenging it was to find a drummer that would honour Peart’s memory. “Life is full of surprises, and we have been introduced to another remarkable person; an incredible drummer and musician who is adding another chapter to our story while continuing her own fascinating musical journey,” they explained.

“Her name is Anika Nilles, and we could not be more excited to introduce her to our loyal and dedicated Rush fanbase, whom, we know, will give her every chance to live up to that near impossible role… No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable.”

The post “If we manage to survive the tour, who knows what will happen”: Geddy Lee says new Rush music could be on the cards soon appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

JBL has launched its new line of BandBox Bluetooth speakers/practice amps – and with on-board AI-powered stem separation technology, they might just supercharge your guitar practice sessions.

While the BandBox line – comprising the Solo and more powerful Trio – will no doubt find an audience among Bluetooth speaker fans and general audiophiles, onboard stem separation makes them an alluring prospect for musicians looking to upgrade their practice. Ever wished you could remove the solo from your favourite track so you can play along yourself? With BandBox, you can.

• READ MORE: Looking for an affordable floor-based amp modeller? This one from Harley Benton is now under £200

That’s the general principle, but let’s dive a bit deeper into the specs on offer with both the BandBox Solo and Trio.

BandBox Solo

Aimed at individual musicians looking for a raft of practice-friendly features, the 30W BandBox Solo features a single guitar/mic input, and allows guitarists to stream songs via Bluetooth, and use JBL’s Stem AI feature to reduce or even completely remove specific elements of a track.

The Solo also sports a built-in looper, pitch shifter, tuner and integrated LED screen, as well as a range of amp models and effects including phaser, chorus and reverb, all controllable via the companion JBL ONE app.

There’s also a headphone in for quiet practice sessions, plus a USB-C output for recording straight into your DAW.

BandBox Trio

The 135W BandBox Trio offers a more powerful option, with four instrument inputs, as well as a 6.5” woofer and two 1” tweeters.

Perfect for group sessions of band setups, the four-channel mixer allows you to balance levels while crafting tones and applying effects, while a replaceable battery means you can undertake longer practice sessions without fear of running out of charge.

As with the Solo, the Trio is loaded with a built-in tuner, metronome, looper and integrated LCD colour screen, as well as steam separation capabilities, JBL ONE app compatibility and a USB-C output for DAW recording.

“JBL BandBox is created with musicians’ needs in mind, and made possible by cutting-edge technology,” says Carsten Olesen, President of Consumer Audio at HARMAN, JBL’s parent company. 

“This is the first speaker to feature an on-device Stem AI algorithm capable of removing vocals or instruments, without the need for cloud processing or an internet connection. With this breakthrough, it’s easier than ever to practice, improve and enjoy playing music either on your own or with friends.”

Pricing and availability

Available from February, the BandBox Solo is priced at £199, while the BandBox Trio is £529.

For more info, head to JBL.

The post These Bluetooth practice amps from JBL have AI stem separation – and might just change the way you practice guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The first Guitar.com Magazine of the year is out this week – and comes in a bundle with NME Magazine! Here’s how you can get a copy of the January/February 2026 issue.

Last April, we announced the relaunch of the Guitar.com print edition after a four-year hiatus, featuring Mateus Asato and Yvette Young on the covers of the first two issues. This Thursday, you’ll be able to get your hands on the third issue of Guitar.com Magazine, featuring unmissable features and reviews, which comes with a copy of the January/February 2026 issue of NME Magazine.

Mark your calendars for Thursday January 29 at 2pm GMT – that’s when the cover stars of both magazines will be revealed and the mags go on sale exclusively via retailer Dawsons. The waiting room is open, so check it out now.

Besides Guitar.com, MusicTech has also returned to print. Guitar.com, MusicTech and NME are sister publications under NME Networks. The new Guitar.com and MusicTech print editions alternate with every bi-monthly edition of NME Magazine – which itself was relaunched in 2023 – meaning three print editions per calendar year for each brand.

Subscribe here for more information about Guitar.com Magazine and to receive an exclusive queue jump opportunity, where readers can get their hands on a copy before anyone else. Guitar.com will send out queue jump tickets shortly before the magazine goes on sale to subscribers on the mailing list.

The post Guitar.com Magazine: how to get your copy of the January/February 2026 issue appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It’s Mei Semones’ world and we’re all just living in it. Well, it certainly feels that way when you’re at one of her concerts and the room erupts in a vortex of jazz, indie pop, accompanying scat singing and threads of bossa nova. It’s funny, feeling so overwhelmed by the technical prowess blasting from stage yet melting totally into its magnetism.

• READ MORE: “My job is to imagine things worth existing, and then making them real as an artist”: Jacob Collier is championing a new way to play guitar

But this Brooklyn-based guitar enthusiast embodies genre fusion in its truest form, wielding her usual PRS McCarty 594 to produce spellbinding jazz-adjacent songs that build from the foundation Chet Baker laid down. And with her full-length debut album Animaru a raging success, this Berklee alumna is well on her way.

“One of the things I love about jazz is that it values the individual voice of a musician, and you really need to have your own voice and your own sound,” Semones tells us from her home in New York. “It’s a tradition that people are learning from, and transcribing what other people have played and taking that language to make it your own… I don’t know, I just really like that part of it.”

But it wasn’t always jazz guitar for Semones. In fact, it wasn’t always guitar at all. At four years old she’d picked up the piano – a gift from Grandma to Semones and her sister. But it didn’t feel quite… right. “I switched to guitar when I was 11,” says Semones.

“I just wasn’t enjoying piano as much anymore, and I watched this movie called Back to the Future.” A sly smile tugs knowingly on her lips before she continues: “There’s that scene where Marty McFly plays a Chuck Berry song and I thought it was really cool. I wanted to play electric guitar because of that.”

Shining Light

Still, it took a little longer to find the area of guitar where Semones now feels most comfortable. Although she’d expressed a new interest in learning guitar, she first had to try nylon-stringed models, classical guitar and rock before she settled on jazz in high school. “My school had a really good jazz program, so that’s when I got into it and started writing my own songs,” she says. Her songwriting and immediate talent for the instrument shone right through, earning Semones a place at Berklee shortly afterwards, which is when she moved from her home town in Michigan to New York to start a blossoming music career.

When Guitar.com speaks to Mei Semones now, she’s just finished a busy tour in Europe and is gearing up to perform in Japan before ending the show run in the US. One of the things her fans adore about her style is how you can hear grains of rock and chamber pop in every third or fourth bar when Semones’ PRS and her bandmate’s drums marry at just the right volume and ferocity. But the next bar might fall into this intoxicating jazz scale that Semones effortlessly mimics with her weightless, dainty vocal. In truth, you never know what you’re going to get at a Mei Semones gig.

“Writing this way comes pretty naturally to me,” says Semones after a pause. “I’m not necessarily thinking about blending different genres to go from bossa nova to rock, say, because I don’t really think of that. I just happen to enjoy these different types of music and they’re also my influences. That’s what I’ve listened to and that’s what I’ve studied, so what comes out is just a blend of those things together.”

Tools For The Job

But as much as you can credit the songwriter and performer for creating such charismatic music, the player must also pick the right instrument and equipment that works best for their style to get the most attuned result. Semones is no exception to this rule:

“My primary guitar is the PRS McCarty 594, semi hollow body, mostly because of how it feels to play, the tone and how comfortable it is. But my first electric guitar was an Epiphone Les Paul, which my dad got me. Not long after that I went to a guitar building camp and made my own Stratocaster-style guitar, which was my second one. Then I got my first acoustic steel string guitar, which was a Hohner, and I still have it now.

“My dad then got me an Ibanez Artcore guitar for high school jazz before I got my PRS for college as a professional-grade guitar. We picked it up from Sweetwater at their headquarters in Indiana, which we drove to from Michigan, and we were there for around eight hours because I tried out so many guitars.

“At first, I didn’t like the bird inlays on the neck of the PRS because I thought it was a bit too flashy. But I just fell in love with it as soon as I played it. Now, it’s probably my favourite guitar I’ve ever had.”

It’s no wonder Semones loves her PRS so much – it’s taken her from being a humble college student to a rising innovator, known for writing original work orchestrated to fit both English and Japanese lyrics.

Since her debut EP Kabutomushi came out in 2024, it’s been clear the 25-year-old is brilliant at conveying feelings of platonic love in both languages. “Both feel pretty natural, because I feel like I’ve been writing songs with lyrics in both languages for a good while now,” she says. “Whatever pops into my head first or fits the melody better in that moment is what I go for.”

Everything Semones releases feels entirely original, and it’s pretty difficult to find another artist she directly sounds like. And when that’s the case with a musician, it can be pretty hard to guess who their inspirations were growing up.

Semones has a good think about her answer for this question before she delves into one: “When I was younger, it was definitely Nirvana for me,” she begins. “But when the Smashing Pumpkins came about, I’d say they were the first band I got into that were directly similar to my own taste. But other than that, I listen to a lot of jazz grades. I really like [Thelonious] Monk and Charlie Parker and Wes Montgomery. There are those classic [musicians] that a lot of people love like Jim Hall or Wayne Shorter as well, but on the flip side I really enjoy João Gilbertoi who’s a Brazilian artist and a huge influence for me.”

Needless to say, there’s certainly an amalgam of inspiration swirling around the music industry. There are the classic trailblazers Semones so aptly credits, plus new performers alike who are inventing their own pocket of genre, but it’s hard to imagine any jazz performer or similar going without crediting Chet Baker at some point. In 2025, Semones contributed towards a collaborative album, Chet Baker Re:imagined, which featured various other young, inspirational musicians like Matilda Mann and dodie covering some of Baker’s greatest hits.

“It was great because I actually love Chet Baker so much,” says Semones of her experience covering My Ideal for the record. “In terms of vocal inspiration, Chet Baker is one of the big ones. Alongside Gilbertoi, they’re my two main vocal inspirations, I would say. So, I was so happy when they reached out to me about [contributing to this record]. I had three options for the songs I wanted to pick, and My Ideal happened to be one of them. It’s actually my favourite song on Chet Baker Sings, so I was really happy about that.”

Having achieved so much in her short career so far, Semones wants to continue reaching for the stars. But, at the same time, she doesn’t have too many expectations as of yet. “I just want to keep going this way and developing as a songwriter,” she says. “I guess the main focus and my long-term goal would be to continue practicing guitar and getting better at it. I want to be the best guitarist that I can be in my lifetime. Hopefully one day I’ll get to the point where I’m good enough at guitar to record a jazz trio album or something like that, because I would love to do that. Or, although it’s definitely not time yet, maybe one day I’ll get to do a jazz standards album and have friends come on and feature on it with me.

“I just hope everyone can listen to and enjoy my music. What makes me really happy is seeing kids at my show who are there with their parents, because I think that’s really sweet. And sometimes I’ll get to meet fans who are learning the guitar and say my music is inspiring them to do it, and that makes me really happy. Music can be interesting to everyone, of all ages too, and I just love it.”

The post Meet Mei Semones, the jazz-founded guitar virtuoso whose genre-defying music knows no bounds appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The amp modeller market is ever-expanding, especially hot on the heels of NAMM, but their high cost means a large number of players are often priced out of getting their hands on one.

Harley Benton offers a super-affordable amp modeller unit, and you can get one for just under £200 via Thomann. The DNAfx GiT Pro offers over 50 amp models, more than 40 effects, and 31 IR cab sims that can be configured and stored as patches in up to 200 memory slots using its colour display.

• READ MORE: Boss makes a splash ahead of NAMM with new GX-1 and GX-1B multi-effects units, plus a new busker-friendly Roland Cube Street amp

Now just £199, this Pro version is the flagship model in Harley Benton’s DNAfx GiT line, which also features a standard version and streamlined core version, both of which are also reduced over at Thomann down to £111 and £77 respectively. It’s low price point and wide array of tones make it great for beginners or those looking to try out a modeller for the first time.

The 51 amp models included with this Pro version offer reproductions of a wide range of well-loved rock amplifiers, from the warm, clean sound of Californian vintage amps and to the rugged overdrive of British amps, and more. These can be combined with its cab simulations and effects such as a compressor, EQ, wah, distortion, reverb, and delay.

Its five inch display is accompanied by five controllers located directly below the screen, which allow users to create and organise their patches, control a built-in looper, and check the tuning of their guitar with the integrated tuner.

Hear it in action below:

Shop this deal and more via Thomann.

The post Looking for an affordable floor-based amp modeller? This one from Harley Benton is now under £200 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

It’s been a landmark few days in the world of heavy metal, as genre titans Megadeth have just dropped their final-ever album. As you might expect, Dave Mustaine’s swansong is chock-full of abrasive riffs and searing solos (try Let There Be Shred on for size).

One of the biggest things that’s got people talking in the runup to the album’s release, though, is the inclusion of Ride the Lightning, a cover of the Metallica classic which Mustaine helped write all the way back in the early ‘80s.

• READ MORE: NAMM 2026 is done and dusted – and loads of the gear debuted is already available at Sweetwater

But Mustaine helped write a number of Metallica songs before he was fired in 1983, including a selection from the band’s debut album, Kill ‘Em All. So why did he choose Ride the Lightning for Megadeth’s final record?

“We were working on the album and my son, Justis, said, ‘Why don’t you do a Metallica song, Dad?’” he recalls in a new interview with Record Collector.“I thought, ‘I don’t think so.’ 

“Then I thought about it more and the idea just felt good, so I agreed. I wanted to close the circle and pay my respects to James [Hetfield, Metallica frontman] and Lars [Ulrich, Metallica drummer]. I personally have always thought James was an excellent guitarist, so I think it was the right thing to do.

“Panic [Mustaine’s first band] was never solidified as a real band, so my first real band was Metallica. Now that I’m going into retirement, I think it’s the right way to pay my respects.” 

While it was important to pay his respects to his former band, Mustaine says he was also conscious not to make the cover too similar to the original.

“When the time came to actually do the song, we thought, ‘Do we want to make it a little longer? Do we want to make it a little fast? Do we want to extend the solo section?’ We started working on it and everything came together nicely. We did speed it up a bit and we did try to do a couple of things a little different from the original version. It was a great song to play.

“Because I wrote music in that song, it just makes sense. It’s not a cover song. It’s a song that I wrote part of, and it just feels different. It doesn’t feel like we’re doing a song by another band.”

Asked whether he’d ever consider recording covers of the other Metallica songs he had a writing credit on, Mustaine replies: “Not anymore. No. I think I said what I wanted to. Unless something gigantic happens, I don’t know that I’ll be going into the studio again. If I do, it probably won’t be for a very long time.

“With my hands the way that they are, it’s hard to sit in the studio all day long and play guitar. Nine months we were in the studio working [on Megadeth], every day, from the morning hours up until seven o’clock at night. My hands got roasted.”

Megadeth’s last-ever album is out now. The band will embark on a massive final world tour from February. See the official Megadeth website for tickets and details.

The post “It’s not a cover song. It’s a song I wrote part of… It doesn’t feel like we’re doing a song by another band”: Dave Mustaine on Megadeth’s Ride the Lightning appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

Have you ever dreamt of a pedal with Dr. Phil’s face on it? Maybe you’d enjoy a Fuzztin Bieber or a Splitney Spears? Well, look no further than this bizarre lineup of stompboxes from Celebrity Pedals that are straight out of a fever dream.

Handmade and all-analogue, these pedals take inspiration from celebs and meme stars, and have incredibly great punny names and designs. Not just for laughs, these weird delights have been used by some pretty huge musicians who have played with artists like Beyoncé, John Mayer, Phoebe Bridgers, Miley Cyrus, and more.

• READ MORE: RhPf Electronics Mosrawr review – a noise-bringer that’s designed for post-rock and shoegaze

Rated five stars on Reverb no less, the Celebrity Pedals catalogue includes some real highlights, one being the Taylor Shift octave pedal, which is available in three variations. Also right at the top of its listing is the Millie Wah-bie Brown: a wah inspired by Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown and her character Eleven, complete with glowing eyes.

This one is an envelope filter loosely based on the Mutron with an added volume knob to prevent the volume boost that sometimes occurs with old school envelope filters. It also has a low pass switch to keep the warmth and bass frequencies present, and a handy sensitivity control.

View this post on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

Some of these celeb names work just great – you can also get an Adam Driver (yep, an overdrive) or a Distorsean Paul distortion pedal, both of which are priced at £160 respectively. Most pedals are priced between £100-300, though there are some great deals across the Celebrity Pedals range.

The Djent Reznor – described as a combination of a BB Preamp and a Tube Screamer, with symmetrical and asymmetrical clipping switch – is now reduced to £150. You can also grab a Hocktave (based on the ‘hawk tuah’ meme) with 21 percent off, or a Splitney Spears II signal splitter for just £89.

Find out more or shop now via the Celebrity Pedals Reverb shop. 

The post Djent Reznor and Millie Wah-bie Brown: check out these unhinged celeb-inspired pedals appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

The Guitar.com team is heading home after an action-packed visit to the Anaheim Convention Center for NAMM 2026. This year’s show saw groundbreaking new guitar gear innovations and exciting launches from Gibson, PRS, Neural DSP, and so many more, and loads of that gear is already available to buy at Sweetwater. So if you wanna stay ahead of the curve, well, now you can…

One of the biggest launches from NAMM came from Neural DSP, when the brand launched a downsized version of its flagship amp modeller with the Quad Cortex Mini. It offers the full sound and processing power of its flagship Quad Cortex amp modeller in a significantly smaller unit, measuring just 22.8 x 11.8 x 6.5 cm, and weighing just 1.5 kg. You can order it right now through Sweetwater, and you’ll even get a free Eminence IR Sampler Pack thrown in.

[deals ids=”5fnT7eeWJnc5H7fKGSRasA”]

Also listed on Sweetwater is the new PRS Silver Sky Limited Edition Wild Blue model, and Ed Sheeran’s new PRS SE Hollowbody I Piezo Baritone in Cosmic Splash (the latter is available for pre-order). This limited signature model features eye-catching artwork created by Sheeran himself, and there are only 1,000 available worldwide.

• READ MORE: In pictures: check out the coolest new guitars from Gibson and Epiphone at NAMM 2026

Yamaha’s new single-cut Pacifica guitars are also listed, and its new Chris Buck signature Revstar. Developed in close collaboration with Buck to faithfully reproduce the sound and feel of his custom REVSTAR, it features P90 style pickups tuned to his preferences, a wrap-around bridge, a chambered body and a carbon-reinforced neck.

View the full range of NAMM launches now available through Sweetwater, or catch up on all the biggest highlights from our live blog.

The post NAMM 2026 is done and dusted – and loads of the gear debuted is already available at Sweetwater appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

CHF149/€159/$179, rhpfelectronics.com

Some people believe guitar pedals sound better when they’re pink. Some believe they sound better when they have dinosaurs on them. These theories require further research, but if they’re both right then things are looking seriously good for the RhPf Electronics Mosrawr.

Vibrantly pink and fiercely dinosaury, this compact fuzz box is handmade in the cauldron of rock’n’roll that is Basel, Switzerland. It’s an original circuit, designed in collaboration with Loopy Demos, and claims to be the ultimate summoner of mids-focused rage.

• READ MORE: Gamechanger Audio Motor Pedal review – a radical synth pedal for sonic extremists

RhPf Electronics Mosrawr – what is it?

According to RhPf, this MOSFET-powered pedal “delivers dense walls of fuzz” and “speaks the language of shoegaze, noise rock and post-rock”. This tells us two things: firstly, that it’s not just another Fuzz Face or Big Muff clone; and secondly, that it’s been designed to work with other pedals for creating layered textures of immersive noise.

RhPf is a fairly new operation and this is the first of its pedals I’ve tried. The others in the range look very nice too, but the graphic design by Sketchy Pedals has given the Mosrawr a distinct lift… that is, as long as you’re OK with cartoony artwork and candy-store colours. You won’t want to look at it too long while hungover.

RhPf Electronics Mosrawr – what does it sound like?

The first challenge is to get a handle on the controls. They seem simple enough – basically gain, level, bass, middle and treble – but the way they work is not always predictable. For a start, it never gets very bassy even with ‘low’ at maximum, and it never gets very dark, even with ‘hi’ at minimum. The good news is, it sounds glorious with everything set to halfway so that’s a safe place to start.

Used on its own as a simple fuzz, the Mosrawr lives up to the second part of its name (in the sense of both ‘raw’ and ‘roar’) with the force of a hungry Jurassic carnivore ripping the bars off your protective cage. In EQ terms it’s something like a Tone Bender, but high gain and a pronounced lack of headroom give it an edge of splatty delinquency, almost like an extra-gnarly octave fuzz.

RhPf says this pedal can go from sticky velcro tones to something much more smooth and open; in practice it doesn’t get very far along that road, but that’s no tragedy as a million other fuzzes cover that stuff already. What you can do is manipulate the controls to accentuate the features that are already present: the biting treble, the lower-midrange grunt, the soaring sustain.

For the real test, though, this lonely dinosaur needs to find some friends. My live pedalboard includes a phaser, a flanger, a Leslie simulator and two delays (one of them set to reverse mode), and the power that’s unleashed when they all join forces with the Mosrawr is really quite spectacular. It sounds enormous, just as you’d expect, but also has a midrange focus that keeps it commandingly present in a band mix. If you think fuzzy soundscapes have to be soft and washy, this pedal might make you think again.

RhPf Electronics Mosrawr – should I buy it?

First things first: if you’re a classic rock or blues player looking for velvety fuzz textures, please turn back, you’re lost. But for those of a more shoegazey disposition, things get a little more complicated.

The Mosrawr will be too boisterous for some tastes, even within the parameters of alternative rock – it is a great textural tool, but the textures in question are more gravel than silk. Where it will find a place – at least, where it certainly deserves to find one – is on the pedalboards of noise-scapers with attitude.

RhPf Electronics Mosrawr alternatives

The Fender Shields Blender ($346.99/£235) is a multi-layered distortion unit with My Bloody Valentine pedigree; or if you want to get your whole wall of noise from one box, try the combined fuzz and reverb of the Keeley Loomer ($299/£315). Just need to make wild noise? It doesn’t come any wilder than the Ritual Devices Grimalkin Fuzz (£195).

The post RhPf Electronics Mosrawr review – a noise-bringer that’s designed for post-rock and shoegaze appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.