Throwback Thursday: Musicians Institute & Putter Smith

Throwback Thursday: Musicians Institute & Putter Smith

Today’s Throwback Thursday is about some really helpful lessons I got when I was at Musicians Institute that I still value to this day. When I was gong to BIT, there was a fantastic teacher name Putter Smith.  He was an upright player and at first, since I didn’t play upright, I thought there was not much I could gain by sitting in on his classes. I thought since I was so busy, I would just skip him on the schedule and head to a practice room and do my Racer X practice. Boy was I wrong.

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Curtis Novak Bi-Sonic Pickups: Part One

Curtis Novak Bi-Sonic Pickups: Part One

Hello! Jonathan here with something a little different; today we're investigating an often overlooked or taken-for-granted element of one's signal path: the pickups. More specifically, this is the first of a few segments focusing on the bad-ass Curtis Novak Bi-Sonic pickup.

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Demo: Malekko Scrutator - Sample Rate & Reduction Pedal

Demo: Malekko Scrutator - Sample Rate & Reduction Pedal

Not often does a pedal come across the Pedals And Effects track that gets bumped to the front of the queue! The Malekko Scrutator demanded we shoot a video as soon as I got it! This pedal is the best designed bit reducing pedal yet! So many reasons but overall, the most synthesizer like bit reducer I have come across and here is why!

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Guitar Gear & Earthquaker Devices present: Juan Alderete in Mexico

Guitar Gear & Earthquaker Devices present: Juan Alderete in Mexico

This past month I had the absolute honor of going to Mexico to hold some clinics on behalf of Earthquaker Devices. We partnered up with the Guitar Gear stores and held three clinics at their Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City locations. It was a blast being in Mexico, and meeting so many awesome people. Guitar Gear was gracious enough to film my entire time there, and put together a video of the clinics I did!

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Vintage Pedal of the Week: Lovetone

Vintage Pedal of the Week: Lovetone

And we’re back with another Vintage Pedal of the Week entry! This week we’re covering LovetoneLovetone was started in the 90’s and was responsible for creating a small line of only seven pedals. For such a small line of pedals they all managed to be large in size and sound while remaining very versatile, psychedelic and now, highly coveted. 

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Demo: Earthquaker Devices Zap Machine

Demo: Earthquaker Devices Zap Machine

It's no secret that I love Earthquaker Devices, I'm proud to work with them, and I'm honored to have done clinics all over the world to spread the good word of their innovative gear. I realized recently that some of my demo boards don’t have one of my favorite pedals Earthquaker Devices makes…the Zap Machine! 

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Pedal Combo: Chase Bliss Audio’s Warped Vinyl and Walrus Audio’s Descent Reverb

Pedal Combo: Chase Bliss Audio’s Warped Vinyl and Walrus Audio’s Descent Reverb

Sometimes combining pedals can be easy, or it can be frustrating since all pedals have their own quirks and issues. But I think I found a winning combo and wanted to share it! I have been raving about The Warped Vinyl by Chase Bliss for some time now and I liked how shimmering the Walrus Audio Descent’s reverb gets which sparked an idea once I started playing through it.

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Throwback Thursday: Deltron 3030 Tour and the Food We Eat!

Throwback Thursday: Deltron 3030 Tour and the Food We Eat!

When I first joined Deltron 3030 back in 2014, I was hoping someone in the band would love food as much as me.  It turned out Dan The Automator is a huge foodie, and knows more good restaurants around the globe than anyone I have met. I have been fortunate enough to have hit some pretty spectacular spots while on tour with The Mars Volta but the food journey game had been upped by joining the Deltron.

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Demo: Shift Line Astronaut Multiverb Space Unit featuring Nathan Latona

Demo: Shift Line Astronaut Multiverb Space Unit featuring Nathan Latona

Today we're joined by unique bassist Nathan Latona to go over a unique pedal! In case you weren't familiar Nathan is the bass player extraordinaire for Tera Melos! NickNathan, and I got to spend some time with the Astronaut Multiverb Space Unit by Shift Line, sent to us all the way from Russia! I love it for its simplicity, compact size, multiple reverb/shimmer options, and the lush sounds it can create. 

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