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PG contributor Tom Butwin features the all-new Hotone Verbera. The dual-engine reverb pedal blends IR realism with algorithmic creativity and adds the ability to clone your favorite reverb effects. Hotone Verbera Convolution Reverb Pedal

Verbera Convolution Reverb Effects ProcessorEver imagined your sound echoing through a sold-out stadium? Or reverberating off the metallic walls of a NASA spacecraft hangar? What if your guitar fell into a cosmic white hole… or drifted through the vaulted ceilings of a centuries-old cathedral?Welcome to Verbera — where imagination meets reality. This is not your typical software convolution plugin. Verbera is a standalone, hardware-based convolution reverb pedal — with Instant IR loading, stunning tweakability, and boundless sonic range. Whether you’re recreating iconic spaces, vintage hardware, or crafting otherworldly reverbs never heard before, Verbera gives musicians and engineers a powerful new tool for both live and studio setups.

Surf’s up—it’s summertime. On this episode, we’re talking about the most legendary, well-choreographed, reverb-drenched surf rockers of all time, the Ventures. They not only created the template for instrumental guitar music, they influenced just about every classic rock guitar hero you can think of. And their catalog is truly epic, so where do you get started? That’s what we’re discussing. From “Walk, Don’t Run” on, the Ventures made a splash. Let’s look at their hottest hits, and maybe a few odd choices along the way.Thanks to our Sponsor, Traveler Guitar!Listeners of the pod can save 15% off anything at TravelerGuitar.com when they use code 100Guitarists at checkout

Co-designed with low-end professor and tone connoisseur Ian Martin Allison, the MXR Bass Synth will turn your bass into a filthy funk machine, delivering a range of monophonic synth tones that call back to hits from Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Parliament Funkadelic, and more. This pedal is ready made for intergalactic grooves, capturing vintage analog-style vibes with killer tracking and sustain to serve up thunderous sub-octave, expressive envelope, and lush modulation effects with the flexibility and control that modern players demand. A full, player-friendly suite of controls allows you to shape not just the aforementioned effects but every other detail of your bass synth tone: blend dry and wet signals, sculpt filter sweeps from rubber-band bounce to syrupy slow-motion, adjust filter cutoff and resonance for extra punch, switch between triangle, sawtooth, or square waveforms, and add harmonically rich oscillators for more complex textures.Or you can skip straight to the groove with eight presets that Ian crafted, inspired by iconic tracks from Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, and more. And for tone chasers who love to dive deep, the Bass Synth offers advanced parameters, stereo capability, and flexible rig integration to take your sound anywhere you want it to go.Whether you’re replicating pop hits in a cover band, holding down the low end at church, or touring the world, this pedal gives you instant synth bass magic. Get down on the one with the MXR Bass Synth. “Over the years, I have tended to make synth sounds either with individual pedals or with blocks in a multi-FX unit, and while those sounds can be super cool and get close to legit synth sounds, the MXR Bass Synth gets closer and, in some cases, even totally indistinguishable from an incredible keys rig,” Ian says. “We worked tirelessly to make this thing as perfect as we possibly could—to tweak every single parameter, to get every aspect of how the knobs turned and what effects they controlled just right—and especially the latency and tracking. I wouldn’t relent until we got it perfect. This is perfect.”MXR Bass Synth highlights:Intergalactic grooves and vintage analog-style vibes reminiscent of your favorite funk hitsDesigned in collaboration with Ian Martin AllisonThunderous sub-octave, expressive envelope, and lush modulation effectsKiller tracking and sustainEight different presets to plug you straight into the grooveThree different waveforms, additional oscillators, tap and expression control, and moreAvailabilityThe MXR Bass Synth is available now at $269.99 street from your favorite retailer.

Carcass make the ultimate comeback with Surgical Steel.
The post Carcass – Surgical Steel appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Hear Euro doom crushers Anchorite lay the lumber on new single, “Devil on the Throne,” featuring a guest solo from Michael Denner (ex-Mercyful Fate).
The post Track Premiere: Anchorite – “Devil on the Throne” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

“Before, it was me just trying to beg the world: ‘Please listen to me. Please look in my direction, I make music and I promise it’s good enough for you listen to,’ and now we truly have an audience.”
The post Interview: Kaonashi Talk Touring, Songwriting and New Album, I Want to Go Home appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

“There are other worlds (they have not told you of). They wish to speak to you.” —Sun RaMiddle Eastern or Mediterranean guitar music is an entire musical world with its very own guitar heroes, legendary solos, coveted gear, mysterious deaths, and (of course) some wigs as well. As the ’60s arrived with a fresh wave of guitar madness, musicians worldwide chose the electric guitar as their voice, working it into their region’s musical vocabulary, which was often based on the local folk instruments. Guitarists like Omar Khorshid and Aris San created guitar history as they infused their regional influences with their new love of the electric guitar and brought a new style of playing to life. To me, these two legends are the Middle Eastern equivalents of the Western guitar world’s beloved Jimi and Jimmy.A little bit about our stars: Omar Khorshid of Cairo, Egypt, took part in monumental recordings, often with Strat in hand. He played with Oum (also known as Umm) Kolthum, one of the most renowned vocalists in Arabic music. His collaborations with Hany Mehanna are pure Middle Eastern psychedelia. He has an extended list of covers of western tunes (including “Popcorn” and The Godfather theme), and his music goes everywhere from soloing along with huge orchestras to trippy tunes with just synths and drum machines. Khorshid’s playing is always spot on, tasteful, and with the melody as the top priority. Full lesson playlist on YouTubeAris San is from Greece, and his life story makes those of Elvis, Hendrix, or Cobain seem mundane by comparison. With an incredible voice and an ability to bring bouzouki chops to the electric guitar, San’s style is second to none. Shifting from various random European guitars, Aris eventually championed the Gibson ES-335 and turned himself into a musical powerhouse with a massive recording catalogue. At one point he even had his own music club in New York (donning the aforementioned wig). After a few encounters with the New York underworld, he returned to Europe and rumors abound. Let’s dive into some of the techniques and tools that make this music so special. The more you practice and study them, the more you can add to your own music and enrich your style.Scales of Choice Here’s one interesting scale out of a vast melodic world of Middle Eastern music. It’s a great place to start as you’ll quickly realize this scale is used everywhere, which is why it has so many names. This scale appears in many a Kirk Hammett solo, as well as in Eastern European klezmer music. It’s the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale and is also called Maqam Hijaz, Ahava Raba, and Phrygian Dominant. Check out Ex. 1 and then listen to Aris San’s “Mish Mash.”Ex. 1Ex. 2 is reminiscent of Khorshid’s take on the tune “Habbina Habbina,” written by Farid El Atrash. Ex. 2GlissandoThe Middle Eastern guitar style features guitarists who can play melodies with a deep vocal quality and a round, lyrical feel to their phrasing. A glissando, or slide, is an expressive tool that is often used in that way. Ex. 3 is similar to what Khorshid played with Oum Kulthum, keeping it classy as he takes his solo with the orchestra.Ex. 3Here’s another example (Ex. 4) by Yehudah Keisar, an incredible guitarist from the generation of musicians who followed the rise of Aris San. Keisar made a big contribution to the repertoire.This is from the hit song “Basbusa” by Shariff, which was produced and played by Keisar.Ex. 4The 1980s era of recordings incorporated more drum machines and had a guitar tone consistent with 335’s plugged right into the PA with a short digital delay on them. That gave the player a quick, tight sound that worked perfectly for these melodies.Right Hand Rhythmic Picking Percussion and rhythmic elements play a central role in Middle Eastern music. That’s why you would sometimes see Khorshid playing with three percussionists on the bandstand. Here’s one example of that amazing line up:Check out the rhythmic opening guitar part and how it sits perfectly together along with the percussion, and then try Ex. 5.Another example of tight rhythmic playing is on the opening bars of Aris San’s “Dam Dam,” which you can find in Ex. 6.Ex. 5Ex. 6Harmonizing Harmonized guitar parts were always a great device to strengthen melodies, long before the days of arena rock or the Eagles. Here’s the traditional Greek song “Afilotimi” in Ex. 7 to showcase that technique. You can play this with another guitarist, multitrack it, or even dare to play both intervals at once.Ex. 7Trills and EmbellishmentsTrills give the music its nuanced accent and dialect. Some are easy to pick up while others are a little trickier. This last piece is by Moshe Ben-Mosh, another pivotal guitarist who recorded and produced many hits with an emphasis on his Yemenite-Jewish roots. Here’s the title track from the Haim Moshe album Ahavat Chayai which was released in 1982. Our final example, Ex. 8, covers the points we went over about trills. Notice how many of our examples are played across a single string, which echoes the regional folk instruments, such as bouzouki, oud, and baglama. It’s a doozy, but taking the time to learn it slowly and gradually will help to internalize all the techniques listed here. Practice slowly and make sure you dance to the music!Ex. 8

It’s a week of towering legends with the latest in metal releases from Sodom, Lord Belial, Deadguy and more!
The post Five For Friday: June 27, 2025 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

One of the two electric guitars I play most is my beloved and battered 1952 Les Paul. Seventy-three years ago, it was cutting-edge. First, it’s a solidbody guitar. Although the solidbody concept debuted with the Rickenbacker A-22 “Frying Pan” in 1931, and notched up with the Fender Broadcaster in 1950, the Les Paul started with Les’ the Log, built in 1939. As Les accurately predicted, the tone was purer than hollowbodies, sustain improved, and feedback was no longer an issue.My ’52 was later upgraded with innovations like the then-new Bigsby vibrato (introduced in 1951), a Tune-o-matic bridge (1953 technology), and a humbucker in the bridge position (circa 1957). Numerous other guitar innovations have emerged over the past seven decades. And some stuck, including:The compound radius fretboard, pioneered by luthier Denny Rauen in 1978.Locking tremolo systems, invented by Floyd Rose in the 1970s and widespread by the 1980s.Hybrid acoustic/electric designs that blend electric pickups with undersaddle piezo pickups. (With a toggle flip, my PRS can shift from angry distorted humbucker to a convincing, warm acoustic sound—or blend both.)Other innovations fared less well, like Gibson’s ill-fated Firebird X, of 2011. This ambitious, controversial solidbody electric guitar aimed to modernize the iconic Firebird with digital technology. Originally priced at $5,570, its standout features included three FBX mini-humbuckers, a piezo pickup, and onboard effects (reverb, delay, distortion) via a pure analog DSP engine, controlled by complex toggle pots, sliders, and a gear shift knob. It also had robot tuners with 11 preset tunings, Bluetooth footswitches, and a G-Node USB interface, with software (Guitar Rig 4, Ableton Live Lite) for recording and patch creation. While some praised its innovation, many players saw it as a betrayal of Gibson’s heritage. The model performed so poorly that Gibson reportedly destroyed over half the Firebird Xs with an excavator.Legacy companies like Gibson face a dilemma in evolution. Gibson’s bold innovation made it iconic, giving us the Les Paul, ES-335 (and 330, 345, 355), Flying V, Explorer, Firebird, and SG. Today, most players crave those classic guitars designed 60 to 70 years ago. This raises the question: What will the 2052 Gibson Les Paul, marking its 100th anniversary, be like?“Nano-humbuckers might blend PAF warmth, single-coil snap, and synth-like capabilities, with AI tweaking tones in real-time to nail vintage or futuristic textures.”I’m an original-recipe guy and have no clue what the future holds, so I asked AI for its prediction. Here’s what it envisioned: The 2052 Les Paul will likely retain its single-cutaway swagger, solid body, and maple cap, but sustainability will dominate—think lab-grown timber or carbon-neutral composites to address 21st century mahogany scarcity. Nano-coatings could offer self-healing sunbursts or holographic finishes that shift for stage flair, though, given the popularity of Murphy Lab relics, I suspect players will prefer keeping their dings and scratches but enjoy the ultra-thin finishes. AI-optimized chambering could trim weight to a svelte 6 to 7 pounds, paired with a slim-taper neck with a 10″–16″ compound radius for easy playability. Hardware will be feather light. (I’ve been loving the TonePros Tune-o-matic, which is light and sounds great, but I suspect it will get lighter).Electronics are where the 2052 Les Paul goes sci-fi. Nano-humbuckers might blend PAF warmth, single-coil snap, and synth-like capabilities, with AI tweaking tones in real-time to nail vintage or futuristic textures. The 1/4″ cable will eventually be obsolete, replaced by quantum wireless systems or direct neural interfaces. Solar-powered circuits could keep the guitar eco-friendly.Even crazier are ideas like haptic feedback, which uses touch sensation, like vibrations or pulses, to guide beginners or sync tempos. Augmented reality could overlay patterns on your fretboard to steer your fingers, turning your instrument into a Guitar Hero game where you are actually playing music.Other potential innovations include features like biometric integration sensors that could monitor hand fatigue or heart rate, adjusting playability for long sessions—ideal for touring musicians. There could also be holographic pickguards with interchangeable designs, offering visual flair without physical changes. Also on the table are climate-adaptation sensors that will adjust string tension and electronics for humidity or temperature changes, ensuring reliability in diverse venues.
Here’s where it gets a bit Black Mirror for me. AI predicts that within 40 years guitars may use neural interfaces that would allow players to control effects, tone, loops, amp settings, recordings, and more via thoughts. Or you can ditch the guitar entirely and just use brain-computer interfaces (like Neuralink, already in trials) that would enable musicians and nonmusicians to compose music directly from thoughts. Electrodes might translate neural patterns into melodies, bypassing physical instruments so you can imagine “playing” a Les Paul riff in your mind and sounding just like Jeff Beck, Joe Bonanamassa, Paul Kossoff, or anybody else, with AI rendering it as a perfect studio track.
In 28 years, my goldtop will be 100 years old and I’ll be my father’s age. When I get to this imagined future, I can’t imagine the thrill of composing in my head can come close to the sensation of that old ’52 goldtop vibrating against my body when I hit the low E.