Blonde Sound™ II: Over the Edge
Was Eddie Van Halen’s blonde Bandmaster behind Van Halen II? We test the VG204D with Celestion blackbacks and Kurt Müller cones, plus new Blonde Sound…
Music Made by Metal Machines
Nobody has ever agreed on why Lou Reed made Metal Machine Music—a purge, a contractual middle finger, or, as he insisted to the end, an…
The Tuning Fork: A≡440Hz?
A look at why every tuner ships set to A=440 Hz, why pianos are tuned off the grid on purpose, and how guitar offsets work…
Soul in a Machine
From R2-D2 to WALL-E, a look at how science fiction and video games gave machines a voice—and why the ones that feel alive hide a…
The Blonde Sound™
Everyone credits Marshall for Van Halen’s brown sound. We don’t think so—meet The Blonde Sound, the Fender Bandmaster hiding behind the legend.
What’s That Smell? Nevermind Tone
Nirvana’s Nevermind guitar tone: the Fender Bassman, the DS-1, the Big Muff, and the Small Clone chorus, rebuilt by ear in AmpStamp.
Fun House Tone: Garbage Bin Overdrive
The Stooges’ Fun House guitar tone: the amp, the wah, the fuzz, and plate reverb, built by ear in AmpStamp.
Void Your Warranty: Circuit Bending on an iPhone with SynthStamp
Circuit bending on an iPhone: SynthStamp’s B500 models the Casio SK-1, a lo-fi ’80s sampler with patchable analog, digital, and clock sections for feedback and…
Wheels of Fire Tone: Live, Loud, and Fully Blown
Cream’s Wheels of Fire guitar tone: a cranked Marshall Plexi, an off-mic’d 4×12, and a wah, built by ear in AmpStamp.
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