A Closer Look At Vintage Pickups

Vintage is a term that gets used a lot in the world of music gear. From classic guitars to iconic pedals, you don't have to go very far to bump into gear that prominently features the tag as a selling point. And the fact that new reissues keep coming out every year just goes to show how popular the vintage market really is. This is especially true when it comes to pickups. From Seymour Duncan to Lindy Fralin and more, there are a good amount of manufacturers out there that dedicate a lot of their resources into recreating some of the most iconic pickups ever made. Today, we're going to look at what exactly is a vintage pickup and few of the reasons why the original manufacturers went away from the classic formulas in the first place.

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Differences Between The Ibanez TS808, TS9 And TS9DX

The Ibanez Tube Screamer is easily one of the most influential effects pedals in music gear history, used by wide variety of guitarists across several genre of music from Brad Paisley to The Edge, John Mayer and -- most famously -- Stevie Ray Vaughan. It has also been outright cloned numerous times, used as the basis for hundreds of overdrive pedals from several manufacturers and also enjoys one of the largest modding communities around. Today, we're taking a look at what exactly made the Tube Screamer such a success as well as taking a look at the differences between three of its popular iterations: the original TS808, the TS9 and the TS9DX.

 

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Some Of Our Favorite Bass Lines

Whether it’s an undeniably great groove, a masterful showpiece in skill or simple a hands-down catchy hook, there’s just something about a great bass line that really hits. While there’s no substitution for a great guitar piece, a killer bass line can lift a good song into classic status. With so many memorable bass lines throughout the history of music, it was a tall order trying to narrow down five our favorites. With that in mind, the following are five of our favorite bass line:

 

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Brand Spotlight: Eminence Speakers

When former Magnavox and CTS loudspeaker engineer Bob Gault founded Eminence in 1966, his modest goal for the new company was simply to be able to manufacture the three speakers per day commissioned by Ampeg. Forty-nine years later, Eminence has become the largest speaker manufacturer in the world, producing over 10,000 speakers a day and used by professional and amateur musicians across the world. The key to their success was Gault’s loudspeaker ingenuity and knowledge, allowing Eminence to offer speakers known for their great tone and excellent value. Today, we're taking a look at five of their popular offerings.

 

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A Closer Look At The Reverb Effect

As one of the earliest effects in music, reverb has been highly influential in shaping the history of rock. What started as a way to make an instrument sound "bigger" has become an invaluable tool of countless genres and styles. From the Fender spring reverb amps to the old studio plate units and the many rackmounts, pedals and software plug-ins of today, reverb has evolved in many ways. While it might not be as widespread in today's music as high-gain guitar tones, reverb remains one of the most influential and popular clean effects around. Today, we're taking a look at what exactly reverb is, how it evolved and where it is today.

 

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GoPro Hero4 Silver Music Bundle Review

Unless you don't pay much attention to technology or recording devices in general, chances are you're well aware of the GoPro. This brand of tiny action cameras has become a hugely successful and transcendent piece of gear, essentially becoming the defacto device which all of its competition is judged by. If there's a point-of-view action sequence video online, chances are good that it was recorded with a GoPro. But what many might not have considered is that the GoPro is also an excellent tool for musicians. While photos and audio are a given, there’s no better way (short of a live performance) to show off what your groups is all about than with professional quality videos that are able to capture the music and moment with amazing clarity and definition. And with the GoPro Hero4 Silver Music Bundle, the company aims to conquer camera market among musicians as well.

 

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Brand Spotlight: Mad Professor Guitar Effects Pedals

There are probably a few of you out there unfamiliar with the Mad Professor brand and that’s completely understandable. Founded back in 2002 in Finland by Harri Koski and Jukka Mönkkönen, they are still relative newcomers to the effects pedal industry, especially when you consider guys like Dunlop and Boss have been at it for decades. In fact, they are probably better known for their popular amplifier line more than their pedals, but that hasn’t stopped a few of their effects from receiving a lot of mainstream popularity as of late. Today, we're taking a look at five of their most sought after effects.

 

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A Few Of The Best Tribute Bands Around

What probably started out as groups of buddies getting together in order to pay homage to their favorite band has grown into a music phenomenon all its own: the tribute band. While tribute bands tend to get a bad rap because of the underlying concept, which at its core is basically imitation, the following bands prove that just because you're not the "real deal" doesn't mean you can't rock just as hard. Whether its their uncanny resemblance and amazing reproduction of the original source material or their unique twist on the concept, these five groups rank among the best in the genre.

 

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Fender CD-60 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Review

While Fender is best known for their legendary electric guitars and basses, the company is no stranger to the world of acoustics, offering everything from a wide array of various ukulele models to the excellent entry level FA-100 and more. Today, we're taking a look at the CD-60, a dreadnought sized acoustic guitar that offers Fender's classic design aesthetics with quality construction, made to deliver great performance at a great price. While the CD-60 certainly won't replace your Martin or Taylor, the combination of price, build and sound quality make this the perfect "camp fire" guitar, an acoustic you won't be afraid to bring along on trips or a buddy's house.
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Five Songs Perfect For Thanksgiving

While many of us look forward to Thanksgiving for the food, the time with the family or the all-out street war that is a Black Friday sale, there's nothing like the perfect music to help get us into the spirit. Below are five of songs that should make great additions to your turkey day soundtrack. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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Brand Spotlight: Mono Cases, Bags And Straps

While they're still relatively young (officially launching in 2007 at the Winter NAMM expo), MONO's big debut was unanimous: artists, distributors and members of the music community were very much impressed with what they had to offer.  With some of the biggest names in music carrying around MONO bags and straps for their own gear -- such as the Roots, Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Brian Hardgroove of Public Enemy and Vernon Reid and Doug Wimbish of Living Colour, just to name a few -- they're the perfect accessory for the gigging musician.

 

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Why Guitar Speaker Size Matters

These days, it’s a becoming more widely understood by the average player just how important a role speakers play in their overall tone.  With that in mind, it's no surprise just how popular the upgrade speaker market has become. But with so many brands, styles and size combinations to choose from, it can be a difficult task trying to figure out which speaker is best for you. The most popular format is easily the 12-inch speaker, but with an increasing range of quality 10-inch and some interesting 15-inch speakers available, the best way to figure out which is best for you is by learning the role size plays in a speaker's overall tone.

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Simple But Effective Bass Tone Upgrades - Part 3

Welcome to the third installment of our multi-part bass tone upgrade feature! We've already covered pickups and electronics in our previous articles so now its time to move on to the next simple but effective upgrade: strings. While you should already be changing your strings regularly -- every month or so for average users or every other week if you consistently gig -- swapping out an old set for a new pair is the perfect time to experiment with the different tonal upgrade options strings can give your bass. It's actually pretty surprising just how much a different set can change your instrument's sound. Below, we'll be breaking down some individual aspects of bass strings along with some common tonal characteristics.

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Punk Rock Pickups For Guitar

Back when punk was still in its infancy, there wasn't any right combination of guitar, amp or pickups that you had to have in order to play  -- all you needed was a few friends and plenty of attitude. Since then, the genre that was birthed on the back going against the grain has matured and evolved into a versatile style with a wide range of sounds that are very different from one another. From the classic, single-coil tones of The Clash to the humbucker heaviness of The Misfits, if you have a certain style in mind you're going to need the right setup. While you still need plenty of attitude, these various pickups will help you get one step closer in your quest for that perfect punk tone in your head.

 

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