A review of the Electro-Harmonix Cock Fight pedal - A Chicken in Every Pedalboard
Written testWah pedals are useful for more than just the standard “wah wah” effect. Sweeping the pedal’s filter to find a cool tone and then leaving it static as you play is also very effective. Known as the “co…
A review of the Electro-Harmonix Key9 Electric Piano Ma… - EP Sounds in a Stompbox
Written testElectro-Harmonix has followed its B9 and C9 Organ Machine pedals with the logical next step: the Key9 Electric-Piano Machine. This new stompbox uses the same technology as those organ pedals, and off…
A review of the Boss SY-300 guitar synthesizer - The Guitar Synth Redefined
Written testIn the past, trying to find a guitar synth that tracked accurately was akin to searching for the Holy Grail. No product, whether it was a guitar synth or MIDI guitar controller was able to accurately…
Beyond Passive Pickups - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 5
LearningAn active pickup is a normal pickup ─ but active. Got it?
A video trip to D'Angelico's NYC headquarters - Video: Audiofanzine Visits D'Angelico Guitars
LearningWe recently visited the D'Angelico showroom in midtown Manhattan and got a chance to see and play both electric and acoustic guitars. In addition to all the guitars, D'Angelico has a fully setup stag…
Pickup Formats - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 4
LearningUp to now we have been talking about what's inside the pickups, but today we'll deal with the physical appearance.
About Single-Coils, Dual-Coils and More - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 3
LearningTaking the pickup concept we've seen so far (the combination of one or several magnets surrounded by a coil), you get so-called single-coil pickups. This type of pickup produces a characteristic soun…
What Are Guitar and Bass Pickups Made Of? - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 2
LearningIn this second article of our series dedicated to guitar and bass pickups, we'll take a look under the hood.
Why Your Guitar Won’t Play or Stay In Tune - How to understand and deal with tuning and intonation issues
LearningWhat is there to say about being in tune? You turn on the tuner, tune up, and you are in tune. Would that it were so easy. The truth is, any experienced guitarist or repairman will tell you there is …
How Magnetic Pickups Are Built and How They Work - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 1
LearningAn essential part of electric stringed instruments, pickups are surrounded by a mysterious aura, lots of rumors and charm. For some, the instrument's wood and craftsmanship are at the core of its sou…
If You're Thinking About Getting a Pedalboard - Part 2 - Pedal order, powering, and securing effects to the pedalboard
LearningIn the second and last installment, we’ll cover three main issues that you need to work out order to get your pedalboard up and running: The order of the pedals, how to get power to them, and how to …
If You're Thinking of Getting a Pedalboard - Part 1 - Whether you're buying or building a pedalboard, here's what you need to know
LearningWhether you’re upgrading to a new pedalboard, switching over from an all-in-one digital unit, or getting your first pedalboard, there are endless options. The aim here is to give you the info you nee…
TC Electronic PolyTune Clip Review - A Gripping PolyTune
Written testYou all know the PolyTune, right? The pedal that revolutionized the tuning world five years ago by providing a polyphonic mode that allows you to see the pitch of all strings at once? Well, after int…
Review of the Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork - A Devilishly Clever Pitch Shifter
LearningThe Pitch Fork is a powerful and clean-sounding pitch shifter with some smartly designed features. It can produce shifts of plus or minus 3 octaves, which can make for some pretty cool and unusual so…
Classic Gear Spotlight: The Les Paul - Part 2 - And the Guitar Was Born!
LearningThe telephone rings. Pegg's back suddenly stiffens, she adjusts her glasses before picking up the phone. She can tell by the timbre of the voice that asks for Ted McCarty that it's bad news for her b…
Take Your Pick - Alter your tone for pennies by changing to a different pick type
LearningIf you are like most guitarists, you are on a continual quest to improve your tone and/or discover additional tonal options. This can involve spending thousands of dollars on amps, guitars, pickups, …
Classic Gear Spotlight: The Les Paul - Part 1 - History of the Les Paul
LearningThe tale begins in Winter 1951.
The best overdrive pedals for electric guitar - The gritty details on our five favorite overdrive pedals
LearningWith over 100 overdrive pedals listed on just one gear-shopping website, how does one choose the top five? The first order of business is to define the terms: An overdrive pedal should have enough vo…
Kurt Bloch talks setup and maintenance for electric gui… - Advice from a Guitar Tech
LearningKurt Block knows electric guitars. He has been working on them for three decades. He started out working on guitars in the bands he was in, and nowadays maintains the guitar collection at Gibson’s en…
A review of the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Big Muff Pi - Pi in Your Face
Written testFor many guitarists, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the term “fuzz box” is the Big Muff Pi from Electro-Harmonix. With the new Deluxe Big Muff Pi, the company has added some cool a…
Talking about guitar building with the man who designs … - Video: Andy Powers - Taylor's Master Builder
LearningAndy Powers is Taylor's guitar design guru, tasked by company founder Bob Taylor to create new models, and in some cases, revise existing ones. In this video interview, Powers talks about how he rede…
A video journey through the Taylor Guitars factory comp… - Video: Taylor Factory Tour
LearningAudiofanzine recently visited the Taylor Guitars complex in El Cajon, California, and we shot a lot of footage during a tour of the factory. We put together this video to give you an up close look at…
The Living Colour guitarist on film scoring, DAWs, amp … - Vernon Reid Talks Tech
LearningWhen you hear the name Vernon Reid, your first thought is probably of his work with Living Colour, featuring his speedy and inventive guitar playing. But Reid is also an accomplished composer, scorin…
Basic Guitar Chords - Guitar essentials for writing songs and playing with other musicians
LearningSome people may just want to learn the basic guitar chords to impress girls (or boys) on the beach or to modestly accompany themselves when singing. Whatever your reasons, here are some basic chords …
Avoiding Feedback with an Acoustic Guitar - Tips for Playing Acoustic Guitar Live - Part 1
LearningCommonly used by electric guitar players, especially to liven things up, feedback is the worst enemy of acoustic musicians. In this series of articles we'll look into the solutions to play a relaxed …
