
It’s Time To Crash Your Component Stash!
Does the uncertainty of tariffs provide an opportunity for builders who’ve been collecting vintage, rare, and favorite electronics to turn them into cool, premium pedals?I’ve been thinking recently about the state of electronic components as it pertains to imports and tariffs. Now, before you get turned off, this will be from a manufacturing perspective and not a political one. This is actually in line with my very first article about supply-chain issues, from the March 2022 issue.
I feel pretty confident saying that most of us pedal manufacturers are collectors and enjoyers of components—especially vintage and rare ones. Quite possibly to the extent that it encroaches on pack-rat behavior. I’m no Analog Man, but I have personally accrued components for a variety of reasons: discontinued models, overstock, vintage coolness, and even wishful thinking. These components typically sit dormant, patiently waiting for their chance to be called up to the big show, all the while looking on from the sidelines as standard production components rule the roost.
So, how do these components play a role in the conversation as it pertains to tariffs? Well, as we monitor the rollercoaster that is import tariffs on foreign goods, it makes me think about looking internally. Now, that’s not me subtly implying a “make the stuff in America” ideology. It’s more about taking stock of the component collections already here and creating what we can with what we have. It’s the practice of creating when working within limitations—the antithesis of option paralysis. When you’re given limitations, it often breeds creativity in a healthy and productive way.
Up until a few years ago, I had been collecting a bin of special parts. This bin ranges from cool transistors to germanium diodes to bags of my personal favorites, tropical-fish capacitors. These are caps that I scrub through internet marketplaces to procure. They aren’t prominent in any current products, but for me they fall into that aforementioned “wishful thinking” or “one of these days” categories. It’s the equivalent of a hutch or cabinetry to accommodate a fine china collection—those plates you never use because your mom was saving them for special occasions, and now they’re yours.
As much as I appreciate the idea of a special occasion, that concept can lead to an idea or project being placed on the back burner indefinitely—shades of the saying “perfect is the enemy of done.” There may never be an occasion that is deemed special enough. Let’s also remember that we are the givers of value and one person’s mundane is another’s special occasion. “When you’re given limitations, it often breeds creativity in a healthy and productive way.”You’ve probably heard enough philosophical cork-sniffery from me for one article, so let’s get back to pedals and components! Now the joy for these components is not just the province of builders; it’s also often important to players. To reference Analog Man again, when looking at ordering options for a Sun Face fuzz from their website, I was presented with 18 transistor options. This helps corroborate the idea that players get on the same nerd level as builders. Both share a joy for these little electronic components. Choosing your pedal-to-be’s transistors is the same thing as your friend that’s a car nut ordering custom parts from a small body shop.
Creativity is something I would categorize as an unstoppable force. Much like how Dr. Ian Malcolm said “life finds a way” in Jurassic Park, I say creativity demands an outlet. Suppression is futile. So let’s bring it back to those fancy dinner plates in the hutch. They’re screaming to be used and not just left on a trajectory of an unfulfilled future.
The thought of this unfulfilled future is something that sticks in my head. It makes me take that image of plates and replace it with that bin of components. That, compounded with import difficulties, leads me to more aggressively entertain the idea of moving forward with that bin of parts and bring something fun to life. Perhaps these tariffs are the catalyst us pack rats need; perhaps we’re ready to take that fine china out of the hutch.

Video Premiere: Morgue Terror – ‘Cryptid Skin’
Horror-themed death dealers Morgue Terror showcase their style in a new music video.
The post Video Premiere: Morgue Terror – ‘Cryptid Skin’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Al Nesbitt & the Alchemy Drop Latest Single “The Lost Night” as Part of “Live in Seattle” EP
Trending instrumental guitarist Al Nesbitt and his all-star band deliver their newest track to fans everywhere.The band announced its latest independently-released single is an original composition penned by Nesbitt that includes memorable melodies—all captured and mixed byGrammy award recipient, Steve Smith. An all-new music video accompanies the single and can be found on the band’s YouTube Channel.Nesbitt comments, “Steve’s work has been just beautiful. Everything has its own space in the mix, but each track becomes very cohesive and big when it needs to be.”The legendary “Fretless Monster” Tony Franklin of The Firm, Blue Murder, Kenny WayneSheppard, David Gilmour and Kate Bush fame provides world class bass lines with his signatureFender Fretless Precision Bass.Completing the rhythm section is ace studio drummer, Curt Bisquera. Kirkee B as he is also known, has played with notable artists including Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, Elton John and ChrisIsaak. Bisquera and Franklin lock in a solid foundation for Nesbitt’s nylon string solos and hooks.Keyboardist extraordinaire, Jonathan Sindelman completes the four-piece ensemble and has contributed to the music of GooGoosh, Alan White Band, Furious Bongos, Element Band. Sindelman’s impressive solos are featured throughout the “The Lost Night” as well as the “Live in Seattle” EP.Follow Al Nesbitt and the Alchemy on Facebook and Instagram. “Live in Seattle” including “TheLost Night” and first single “Room 53” can be streamed on Spotify.
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Marty Stuart: Outside of Nashville and Into the Cosmos
In the pantheon of popular country music artists, Marty Stuart has always been both an anomaly in Nashville and one of the genre’s biggest champions. How else to define the man who scored a 1992 hit with “Now That’s Country,” a twangy paean to the virtues of a simple rural life, while the same year humorously eschewing the Nashville signifier of the day, the cowboy hat, on his No Hats Tour with Travis Tritt?Meanwhile, behind the scenes he was quietly amassing the largest known private collection of country music memorabilia in the world—which, of course, includes more than a few cowboy hats alongside rhinestone-studded Nudie suits, handwritten song lyrics, classic musical instruments, and a century’s worth of ephemera.And despite earning bulletproof bonafides by serving as a sideman to country-music pillars Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash, tours of duty that occupied more than a dozen years and turned him from a teenage prodigy to a touted major-label artist, his interests outside of Nashville have become a large part of his musical life.On his first full album of instrumental songs, the new 20-tune collection Space Junk, recorded with his longtime co-conspirators the Fabulous Superlatives, Stuart shows exactly why he was never fully Nashville’s guy in the first place. “In my original record collection, there were several records by the Ventures and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass,” Stuart says of his adventurous early musical loves, both of which left a sizable sonic imprint on Space Junk. In the ’60s, instrumental groups were common on the charts, and Floyd Cramer’s wordless 1960 hit, “Last Date” was a mainstay in Stuart’s childhood home in Philadelphia, Mississippi, alongside the bluegrass he was devouring and quickly mastering. “Instrumentals were just part of the language that I grew up listening to,” he says.Marty Stuart’s GearGuitars1954 Fender Telecaster with B-bender (“Clarence”)1956 Gretsch 61201967 Fender Kingman (Nashville tuning)1939 Martin D-45
AmpsFender Deluxe with power boost mod
Strings and PicksD’Addario NYXL or Nickel Wound, various gauges (electric)D’Addario Phosphor Bronze, various gauges (acoustic)Fender medium tortoise shell picksKenny Vaughan’s Gear GuitarsRS Guitarworks Kenny Vaughan modelFender Mike Campbell Red Dog Telecaster1961 Fender Jazzmaster1999 Martin HD-281983 Fender Squire Stratocaster1993 Rickenbacker 360/12V64
AmpsFender PrincetonMarshall JMP PA20“The minute I stepped out of chasing one record or one style of record down two streets in Nashville and got back into being a world-class musical citizen rather than just being a hit-chasing hillbilly, it opened up the sky.”With a lifetime’s worth of musical range already percolating, Stuart entered the trade himself at age 12 as a mandolinist in the employ of bluegrass pioneer Flatt. Instrumental flair was part of the set in those days, encouraged by the marquee names themselves. “Everybody knew that Johnny Cash was a star and Lester was a star, but there was a turn every night where everybody had their moment,” Stuart says. He took the experience as training, and the Superlatives—guitarist Kenny Vaughan, multi-instrumentalist Chris Scruggs and drummer Harry Stinson—have carried on the tradition from day one. “Everybody can step up and run the show without breaking a sweat, and it spoils me to pieces to have people like that around me.”
Stuart has made a habit of being an enthusiastic collaborator. When his solo recording career took off with his 1989 album, Hillbilly Rock, the first in a three-album run of Gold-certified records, he followed it by co-writing the Grammy-winning “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin,’” which he and Tritt recorded together in 1991. The duo repeated the trick on “This One’s Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time)” the next year.
But after pursuing hits, Stuart aimed for another level of expression and storytelling with The Pilgrim, an ambitious concept album built around a love-triangle narrative. While the project was one of his least commercially successful endeavors, it marked the arrival of a new regimen for Stuart. “The minute I stepped out of chasing one record or one style of record down two streets in Nashville [a reference to the city’s home of industry, Music Row] and got back into being a world-class musical citizen rather than just being a hit-chasing hillbilly, it opened up the sky,” he says.
What pulled him out of the morass was scoring All the Pretty Horses, the 2000 film adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel, which he credits with teaching him about painting without words. “The visual and the sonic worlds have to dance together,” he says. “It all comes down to whether it moves somebody or it doesn’t. It comes from the heart or it doesn’t.”When Stuart assembled the Fabulous Superlatives to back him on the 2003 album Country Music, he found the band that could fully express his vision of a boundless group rooted in country but willing to explore the outer limits of their sonic tapestry. To wit, Space Junk wasn’t conceived in a conventional series of studio sessions. Rather, it shows how deeply down the rabbit hole the band members were willing to go from the jump.
“We really didn’t set out to write an instrumental record,” Stuart explains. “We just kept making up songs that made us smile and we enjoyed playing on stage. It turned us back into kids with our first Fender guitars, and that’s the truth.”
The songs on Space Junk predate both 2023’s cosmic country-rock Altitude—recorded after backing the Sweetheart of the Rodeo 50th anniversary tour with the Byrds’ Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn—and 2017’s trippy, high-desert hallucination Way Out West. Informed by his childhood influences, many of which he shares with his bandmates in the Fabulous Superlatives, Space Junk cracks open the cinematic sweep of Stuart’s musical universe.
Opening the album with a reverb-rattled surf lick, “The Graveyard” begins the immersion into the group’s interplanetary soundscape. Stuart gets out further with the mindbending leads on “Bat Patrol” and pulls high drama into the wide-open Western skies of “All the Pretty Horses.”
“I get up and see what [the guitar] has to say that day, and it’s always wonderful to learn a new lick or a new chord that actually works somewhere,” he says. “Songs are what bring those things about easily for me.”“We just kept making up songs that made us smile and we enjoyed playing on stage. It turned us back into kids with our first Fender guitars.”The Vaughan-penned tunes “The Surfing Cowboy” and “The Ballad of the Lonely Surfer” are opposite sides of the same coin. Although both are rooted in Ventures-style surf music, the latter is built around a tremulous chord progression and melody while the former is an upbeat tune with bright, Byrdsian passages bookending leads by Vaughan and Stuart, who played a 1967 Fender Kingman in Nashville tuning. Stinson and Scruggs also contributed songs to the project, with Scruggs playing the prominent pedal steel on closer “Waltz of the Waves” and lead guitar on “Slipnote Serenade,” both of which he wrote, and Stinson writing and arranging strings on the title track.
“The thing I admire about this record is that it’s really melodic in a world where there’s a thousand notes a minute flying at you from the hottest guitar players in the world,” Stuart says. “And trust me, everybody on this bandstand can slay you with 1,000 notes a minute. But something that shows a lot of wisdom and a lot of maturity as a player is air, and there’s a lot of air on this record, and the melodies are hummable.”
Irony is a certified guitar slinger who owns a vast collection of country-music artifacts but only keeps “a couple of acoustics” at his home, like the pre-war Martin D-28 with “a real skinny neck that sounds like a cannon” that Stuart often picks up. His only amplified rig around the house isn’t even for a guitar. It’s a Buck Trent electric banjo and Sho-Bud amplifier.
Among his storied collection are Johnny Cash’s personal gloss-black Martin D-35, A.P. Carter’s 1936 Martin 000-28, a rosewood Fender Telecaster owned by Pops Staples and given to Stuart by daughters Mavis and Yvonne Staples, and guitars that once belonged to Carl Perkins, Charley Pride, and Merle Haggard. But while Stuart, one of Nashville’s great sidemen-turned-stars, may own an army of guitars, he only used a handful of his workhorses to make Space Junk. Arguably, the most historic guitar he owns is the one most associated with him now, the 1954 Fender Telecaster modified by Gene Parsons and Clarence White with the first B-bender.“Every time I pick it up, there’s something to learn,” he says, “and that guitar still knows a hell of a lot more about me than I know about it. But I love playing it; I love the sound of it. I love the way it feels. But to tell you the truth, every time I think I’ve really got something going on, I hear some tape or some record that Clarence played on. Then, ‘No, back to the woodshed.’ It’s amazing to think that he died when he was 29 years old and he really had it on the run.”
Stuart also used a 1958 Gretsch 6120 hollowbody and a 1939 Martin D-45 to complement Vaughan’s RS Guitarworks signature model, a 1983 Squier Strat, a ’61 Jazzmaster, and a Mike Campbell signature model Telecaster.
“My rig is as straight ahead as Willie Nelson’s rig or Bill Monroe’s mandolin,” Stuart says. “I have a silverface Deluxe amp, and it has a power boost on it and an EQ that I couldn’t operate if my life depended on it.” For Stuart, the magic is in the guitars themselves. “If you plug that Clarence White guitar into any amp on planet Earth, it’s still gonna sound great. If you plug that Gretsch 6120 into any amp on planet Earth, it’s still gonna sound great. My sound is those guitars.”
Now in his sixth decade as a professional musician, his formerly black mane a shock of textured grays, Stuart is still reliably inclined to zag when the industry zigs. Having a band of virtuoso players on his side helps when he’s ready to make his next move.
“Being a part of this band, there’s nowhere they can’t go, legitimately,” he says. “If you can think it up, it can get played here. It makes the world a whole lot more interesting.”YouTube ItMarty Stuart and Kenny Vaughan tear it up in a vintage appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Kenny Vaughan—Stuart’s 6-String FoilLongtime Superlative sideman Kenny Vaughan isn’t your typical country guy who geeked on the Nashville sound as a kid. But on exploratory records like Space Junk, where versatility and imagination are part of the gig, his background has been a boon.“I grew up listening to jazz [and took lessons from Bill Frisell], and then I got into Frank Zappa records and all kinds of stuff that has nothing to do with country music,” he says. Yet, Vaughan developed a soft spot for honky-tonk tunes during his childhood in the late ’50s and early ’60s. “I’ll never forget the first time I heard Ernest Tubb. My head exploded. I was like, ‘This guy is from outer space.’”By the time he picked up a guitar, the AM radio airwaves were awash in instrumental music. “They would always play an instrumental right before the news report at the top of the hour, so you’d hear ‘Rumble’ by Link Wray or ‘Walk Don’t Run’ by the Ventures,” he says. His first performance was a neighborhood recitation of surf tunes with other local kids, and later, when he formed a band of his own, they would open shows with the Ventures’ “Cruel Sea.” Vaughan took his own circuitous route to Nashville, arriving in 1990 just as the hat acts—superstars like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson—rose to prominence. He eventually found his place in the rowdier rooms of Lower Broadway and toured with Lucinda Williams before hooking up with Stuart in 2002. For more than two decades now, Vaughan and his Fabulous Superlatives bandmates have built up a mutual trust working within Stuart’s expansive musical landscape.“Everybody in the band brings a lifetime of in-the-studio experience to the table, so when we work up tunes it’s pretty easy to fall into playing the right parts,” he says. “Every song is different, and rarely will we use the same starting point.”The songs on Space Junk are a case study in how the group functions. All four musicians contributed songs and collaborated across its 20 tracks, and no one was uptight about taking cues from the others. On a few occasions, when Vaughan dialed up the “stratosphere tuning” made famous by Jimmy Bryant—a 12-string-specific configuration in which the doubling strings are tuned up a third instead of an octave—Stuart, with his encyclopedic knowledge of country-music instrumentation, was there to help guide his parts.“Marty helped me work out the solos, because none of the notes were where they’re supposed to be,” he says. “When you play that tuning, you have to relearn the neck and compose your solo. I’d sit in the control room, and he’s sitting right next to me and saying, ‘No, play this.’ It was done on the fly, but he kind of produced me.”Challenges sometimes came from his own tunes, like “Malibu Dawn,” which uses polychords. “I heard it in my head,” he says, “and I took a couple of days to work it out to where I could present it to the guys and walk them through the whole idea.” The band learned and mastered the tune, then put it on tape. “Some tracks play themselves, and boom, it’s done,” he says. “Others take a lot of work.”

John Bohlinger’s Last Call: Do Aliens Dream of Electric Guitars?
Is music the galactic language? Our columnist contemplates breaking down even the most far-out barriers with the power of song.In the 2015 animated film Home, the heroine, voiced by Rihanna, plays Rihanna’s “Dancing in the Dark” for Oh, an affable alien whose tribe, the Boov, have overtaken the world. Oh hates the song, claiming it’s “not even music.” Yet, as the beat hits, his body betrays him, twitching and gyrating to the groove. Oh cries, “You have tricked me into listening to a debilitating sonic weapon. I am not in control of my own extremities!” It’s a cartoon, sure, but it nails a truth: Music, whether you’re human or Boov, grabs you by the soul—or at least the hips.
Play the first few bars of Chaka Khan and Rufus’s “Tell Me Something Good” or AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” and bodies move—doesn’t matter if it’s Tokyo, Nashville, or a yurt in Mongolia. This is not an exclusively human response. We can see both domesticated and wild animals move to music. Even plants, without the benefit of ears or a nervous system, respond to music.
So if music is the international language of Earth, what about beyond our planet? Just a few years ago, if you admitted you believed in alien life, the general public would act like you were crazy. But in these James-Webb-Telescope, Space-Force days, most agree that there is probably a whole lot outside of our little rock. That being established, one has to ask: Will life forms outside our world dig “Bohemian Rhapsody?”
Here’s the rub: Space is silent. Sound needs a medium—air, water, something—in which to travel. Space is a vacuum, so your Marshall stack’s wail dies before it leaves the stratosphere. But sound isn’t totally absent out there. In rare spots, like plasma clouds or planetary atmospheres, vibrations can carry. But even if the vibrations carry, is there anything or anyone there, and do they have ears?
Humans hear sound through ears tuned to 20–20,000 Hz, but some theorize aliens might sense sound differently—not through ears but via skin, picking up vibrations like a cosmic bass drop. That’s not much of a stretch when you consider that plants in lab experiments respond to music via cells called mechanoreceptors, growing faster when serenaded with Mozart. If ferns can vibe, why not E.T.?Still, there’s no proof aliens have music or the brains to make it. Their sensory organs might be so alien that our 440 Hz-tuned melodies sound like static. Imagine a species evolved in a vacuum, communicating through light pulses like fireflies or electric fields like sharks. Or, if aliens have mastered sound waves to move pyramids or carve Petra in Jordan (as some fringe theories suggest), they might scoff at our use of music to shake our asses rather than build complex architecture.“If ferns can vibe, why not E.T.?”But here’s where it gets wild. Sound might not just be vibes—it could carry mass. A 2019 Scientific American article dropped a mind-bender: Phonons, the particles of sound, may have a tiny negative mass, like a hydrogen atom. In water, these phonons fall upward against gravity at a measly 1 degree over 15 kilometers. It’s barely measurable, but it hints at sound’s untapped power. If aliens use sonic waves to teleport (as abduction stories claim), time travel, or levitate stones, our Spotify playlists might seem like cave paintings to their sonic tech.
Yet, primitive or not, music hits us where it counts. It’s emotional, instinctual, universal. When Oh dances despite himself, it’s a reminder that music bypasses the brain and goes straight for the gut. That’s why we’ve sent it to the stars with the Voyager Golden Records, launched in 1977 with Voyager 1. Curated by Carl Sagan, it’s two copies of a gold-plated LP carrying Earth’s greatest hits: Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” Bulgarian folk music, Senegalese percussion, even whale songs. Sagan called it a “bottle into the cosmic ocean,” a hopeful bet that advanced aliens might spin it and get us. In 2008, NASA beamed the Beatles’ “Across the Universe” toward Polaris at 186,000 miles per second. Yoko Ono called it the dawn of interplanetary communication. And Vangelis’ Mythodea soundtracked NASA’s 2001 Mars mission, because nothing says cosmic like a synth symphony.
So, are we naive to think music’s our galactic handshake? Maybe. Aliens might hear “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and think it’s a distress signal. Or they might have no concept of melody, their culture built on silent pulses we can’t fathom. But I’m with Sagan—there’s hope in the attempt. Music’s our best shot because it’s us at our rawest: joy, pain, love, all distilled into a riff or a chord. If aliens don’t get that, they’re missing out.Maybe music’s not the galactic language—maybe it’s just ours. But if it makes us dance, cry, or feel alive, that’s enough. Here’s to the last call, when the amps are off, but the song’s still ringing in your bones. Raise a glass to the hope that somewhere, out there, an alien’s tapping its foot.

Peter Frampton and the Best Long Solo of the ’70s | 100 Guitarists Podcast
You already know about Peter Frampton’s use of the Talk Box and the wild success of Frampton Comes Alive. On this episode of 100 Guitarists, we’re celebrating those things, but we’re also getting into all the stuff that made Frampton so great, from Humble Pie to his Simpsons cameo. His smashing success often overshadows some of the other fun facts about his life, like how he once played in a band managed by Bill Wyman, or his long friendship—and musical collaboration—with David Bowie.Our very own Jason Shadrick tells the story of the time he played Frampton’s famous Les Paul and how that guitar got its very own standing ovation.Thanks to Our Sponsor, L.R. Baggs! LEARN MORE: www.lrbaggs.com
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Inhuman Condition to Release New Song, “Burial State,” via the Decibel Flexi Series!
You’ve got until Thursday July 31 to secure an active deluxe Decibel subscription to ensure that a copy of Inhuman Condition’s new ripper “Burial State” becomes part of your vinyl collection.
The post Inhuman Condition to Release New Song, “Burial State,” via the Decibel Flexi Series! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

IK Multimedia Announces Brown Sound Limited-edition Pedalsand More
Three custom TONEX ONE pedals to accompany IK’s exclusive three-part series of explosive tones, carefully researched and captured in multiple variations.IK Multimedia announces the Brown Sound Anthology, which includes three limited-edition TONEX ONE pedals and two new Signature Collections for TONEX, completing the three-part series of legendary recorded guitar. Covering the Brown Sound’s evolution across six groundbreaking albums in three TONEX Tone Model collections, the anthology fully captures an artist’s tonal journey as he changed rock guitar forever.A New Vocabulary for GuitarFew artists had a greater impact on rock music in the late 1970s and early 1980s than the young Dutch-born guitarist who entered Sunset Sound Studios in 1978 to record what would become known as the Brown Sound. He inspired and influenced countless guitarists to expand their vocabulary and pursue that unique sound, none more serious than the man behind IK’s Brown Sound Collection.Pursuing PerfectionTo create a comprehensive anthology of those historic tones, IK collaborated with Brown Sound tone guru Jim Gaustad. The result is 150 ultra-accurate Tone Models that feature both authentic recreations and thoughtful variations, representing different theories about how these legendary tracks were recorded. Every detail was explored, and no expense was spared, with no compromises made during production.A Genre-defining MomentReleased in May to rave reviews, the initial series collection, Brown Sound 78/79, captures not only the gear but also the attitude, feel, and raw sonic essence of a genre-defining moment in rock history. By combining confirmed and rumored setups, including alternative speakers, these Tone Models offer exceptional accuracy and creative flexibility. This collection comes with every limited-edition TONEX ONE (a $/€99.99 software value).The Dark and Moody TonesBrown Sound 80/81 captures the darker swagger and heavier edge that marked a milestone in the guitarist’s development. Carefully crafted to match the recorded tones of two albums, this collection features 50 detailed Tone Models, including amp-only captures. With everything from raw rhythm crunch to fiery lead tones, these models faithfully recreate a sound that continues to inspire generations and redefine what the guitar can be.New Depth and DetailBrown Sound 82/84 is the third and final installment of the series. This collection features 50 carefully crafted Tone Models, including amp-only captures. As the push for radio-ready hits grew stronger, the Brown Sound became tighter, more refined, and more polished without losing its iconic edge. Users will experience firsthand the evolution of the legendary guitarist’s tone during this exciting period of increased studio precision and musical ambition.TONEX ONE Limited EditionAvailable in three colors, each limited-edition TONEX ONE comes pre-loaded with 20 carefully crafted presets using Tone Models from all three Brown Sound collections. Additionally, each pedal unlocks the Brown Sound 78/79 collection and a choice of one other Brown Sound Signature Collection (a $/€199.98 software value).Collector’s Limited EditionAvailable in only 200 units, the Brown Sound Anthology box set includes all three pedals (white, red, and yellow) plus all three collections (78/79, 80/81, and 82/84), delivering the complete Brown Sound experience. From the raw energy of the early years to the refined power of later tones, every era is vividly brought to life in one versatile and exceptional bundle.Pricing and AvailabilityThe Brown Sound Anthology limited-edition TONEX ONE will ship in August and is available now for pre-order from IK authorized dealers worldwide, and through the IK Multimedia online store, along with the Collector’s box set, and the new collections at special pre-order pricing as follows:TONEX ONE Brown Sound Limited Edition – $/€249.99* – Available in white, red, or yellow. Includes Brown Sound 78/79 and a choice of one other Brown Sound collection (a $/€199.98 software value). Existing Brown Sound 78/79 users will receive a $/€50 discount at the IK store.TONEX Brown Sound Anthology Collector’s Limited Edition – $/€599.99 – Box set includes all three colors of TONEX ONE (white, red, and yellow) plus all three Brown Sound Signature Collections (78/79, 80/81, and 82/84). 200 units available worldwide.TONEX Brown Sound 78/79 – $/€99.99 – Includes 50 Tone Models.TONEX Brown Sound 80/81 – $/€79.99 pre-order (reg. $/€99.99) – Includes 50 Tone Models.TONEX Brown Sound 82/84 – $/€79.99 pre-order (reg. $/€99.99) – Includes 50 Tone Models.*Pricing excluding taxes.For complete details and information about the Brown Sound Anthology collections and pedals, and to hear the tones, please visit:www.ikmultimedia.com/tonex-brown-sound
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IK Multimedia Announces Brown Sound Limited-edition Pedals and More
Three custom TONEX ONE pedals to accompany IK’s exclusive three-part series of explosive tones, carefully researched and captured in multiple variations.IK Multimedia announces the Brown Sound Anthology, which includes three limited-edition TONEX ONE pedals and two new Signature Collections for TONEX, completing the three-part series of legendary recorded guitar. Covering the Brown Sound’s evolution across six groundbreaking albums in three TONEX Tone Model collections, the anthology fully captures an artist’s tonal journey as he changed rock guitar forever.A New Vocabulary for GuitarFew artists had a greater impact on rock music in the late 1970s and early 1980s than the young Dutch-born guitarist who entered Sunset Sound Studios in 1978 to record what would become known as the Brown Sound. He inspired and influenced countless guitarists to expand their vocabulary and pursue that unique sound, none more serious than the man behind IK’s Brown Sound Collection.Pursuing PerfectionTo create a comprehensive anthology of those historic tones, IK collaborated with Brown Sound tone guru Jim Gaustad. The result is 150 ultra-accurate Tone Models that feature both authentic recreations and thoughtful variations, representing different theories about how these legendary tracks were recorded. Every detail was explored, and no expense was spared, with no compromises made during production.A Genre-defining MomentReleased in May to rave reviews, the initial series collection, Brown Sound 78/79, captures not only the gear but also the attitude, feel, and raw sonic essence of a genre-defining moment in rock history. By combining confirmed and rumored setups, including alternative speakers, these Tone Models offer exceptional accuracy and creative flexibility. This collection comes with every limited-edition TONEX ONE (a $/€99.99 software value).The Dark and Moody TonesBrown Sound 80/81 captures the darker swagger and heavier edge that marked a milestone in the guitarist’s development. Carefully crafted to match the recorded tones of two albums, this collection features 50 detailed Tone Models, including amp-only captures. With everything from raw rhythm crunch to fiery lead tones, these models faithfully recreate a sound that continues to inspire generations and redefine what the guitar can be.New Depth and DetailBrown Sound 82/84 is the third and final installment of the series. This collection features 50 carefully crafted Tone Models, including amp-only captures. As the push for radio-ready hits grew stronger, the Brown Sound became tighter, more refined, and more polished without losing its iconic edge. Users will experience firsthand the evolution of the legendary guitarist’s tone during this exciting period of increased studio precision and musical ambition.TONEX ONE Limited EditionAvailable in three colors, each limited-edition TONEX ONE comes pre-loaded with 20 carefully crafted presets using Tone Models from all three Brown Sound collections. Additionally, each pedal unlocks the Brown Sound 78/79 collection and a choice of one other Brown Sound Signature Collection (a $/€199.98 software value).Collector’s Limited EditionAvailable in only 200 units, the Brown Sound Anthology box set includes all three pedals (white, red, and yellow) plus all three collections (78/79, 80/81, and 82/84), delivering the complete Brown Sound experience. From the raw energy of the early years to the refined power of later tones, every era is vividly brought to life in one versatile and exceptional bundle.Pricing and AvailabilityThe Brown Sound Anthology limited-edition TONEX ONE will ship in August and is available now for pre-order from IK authorized dealers worldwide, and through the IK Multimedia online store, along with the Collector’s box set, and the new collections at special pre-order pricing as follows:TONEX ONE Brown Sound Limited Edition – $/€249.99* – Available in white, red, or yellow. Includes Brown Sound 78/79 and a choice of one other Brown Sound collection (a $/€199.98 software value). Existing Brown Sound 78/79 users will receive a $/€50 discount at the IK store.TONEX Brown Sound Anthology Collector’s Limited Edition – $/€599.99 – Box set includes all three colors of TONEX ONE (white, red, and yellow) plus all three Brown Sound Signature Collections (78/79, 80/81, and 82/84). 200 units available worldwide.TONEX Brown Sound 78/79 – $/€99.99 – Includes 50 Tone Models.TONEX Brown Sound 80/81 – $/€79.99 pre-order (reg. $/€99.99) – Includes 50 Tone Models.TONEX Brown Sound 82/84 – $/€79.99 pre-order (reg. $/€99.99) – Includes 50 Tone Models.*Pricing excluding taxes.For complete details and information about the Brown Sound Anthology collections and pedals, and to hear the tones, please visit:www.ikmultimedia.com/tonex-brown-sound
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Bergantino Audio Systems Proudly Introduces the NV410T
Bergantino Audio Systems proudly introduces theNV410T, a limited-edition bass cabinet inspired by the iconic NV610T. Designed byfounder Jim Bergantino, the NV410T captures the sonic character of its predecessor ina more compact, stage-friendly, and portable format.Jim Bergantino shares:“The NV410T is the perfect cab for anyone who loves the NV610T tone but wantssomething smaller and lighter. It’s a win-win!”Built with lightweight Italian poplar and a Baltic Birch baffle, the NV410T features fourcustom 10” ceramic woofers, an adjustable high-definition tweeter, and a customcrossover. Its sealed design delivers tight lows, smooth mids, and articulatehighs—ideal for both large venues and smaller stages.A shallow 13” depth, top-mounted handle, tilt-back wheels, and protective glides ensureeasy transport. Available in Black Bronco or Black Cherry Tolex, this cabinet offersboth rugged performance and standout looks.Key Specs:• 1000W RMS @ 4 ohms• 48Hz–12kHz frequency response• 101.5dB sensitivity• 79 lbs; 39.5”H x 18.5”W x 13”D• MSRP: $1795Pre-orders are now open at bergantino.com/nv410t-bass-guitar-speaker-cabinet/Shipping begins August 2025. Supplies are limited.
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