If you are interested in playing a guitar through a laptop this is a great series from modern guitarist/polymath Christopher Willits. I embedded Episode 2 because 1 is basic nuts and bolts about getting your sound into the computer, essential if you are just starting but 2 might be of interest to more advanced players as well.
Veteran pedal pushers will be interested in the Toggle pedal by Molten Voltage. It features programmable and dynamic channel switching. Its seven modes let you switch between two different effect chains, either by tapping in a tempo, or based on the intensity of your playing. In the four Tap modes the “on” time for each channel can be set independently to create a swing effect. It can also be triggered using an external audio signal, like a keyboard or microphone. It doesn’t create any sound of its own but rather controls other pedals in loops in ways that could help you reimagine the way you use your current effects.
AmpliTube remains my favorite amp and effect modeling software. I even wrote a book about it. They have offered an iOS version for a while now, along with iRig, an elegant mobile guitar interface. This month sees the release of new versions of both: iRig HD and AmpliTube 3.0, featuring AmpliTube Studio.
The Particle is a granular delay/pitch shifting pedal that offers some effects previously available only in DAW plug-ins. It chops the signal into small grains and then modulates the sound, using the techniques of granular synthesis in real time. Results range from radical pitch and delay modulation to shimmering repeats to stutter/glitch sounds.
Unveiled at Winter NAMM 2013, these delicious morsels from Dunlop let you add the classic Fuzz Face sound to your pedalboard without displacing two or three other pedals. This video from designer Jeorge Tripps and Voodoo Labs VP/excellent guitarist James Santiago is not just a demonstration of the three fuzz flavors available in this configuration, but a terrific education in the difference between silicon and germanium fuzz tones.
Here is something that should get the creative juices going. String Jacks can be placed under any number of strings anywhere on the neck to allow the equivalent of bending behind the nut, Koto-type sounds, and other effects. Rich Eberlen sells them for a reasonable $28 on his site where he also shows how he makes very cool music with them.
I don’t know how Piotr Zapart’s creations have escaped my radar for so long, but thanks to a David Torn Facebook post I checked out the HEXE Guitar Electronics website. Torn mentioned the HEXE Revolver pedal, which looks to be the perfect glitch machine for creating Torn/Stian Westerus type glitch loops and much, much more. Hope to get one in for review, but until then, the website is full of great demo videos. Also, here is a link to an interview with Piotr .
There is no pricing on the website but you can contact Piotr at pzapart@gmx.net
In an effort to keep Guitar Moderne free to you the reader, I have decided to go with advertising as a business model. I know when I read the classic guitar magazines, I find the ads are what I turn to after I have worked my way through the content (sometimes even before). It is my feeling that if I can keep them relatively unobtrusive and curated toward gear of interest to the modern guitarist they will add (no pun intended) rather than detract from the Guitar Moderne experience.
In the morass of analog and digital delays on display at the January 2013 NAMM show, the Ibanez Echo Shifter’s ($150 Street) retro styling made it stand out from the crowd. An old school sliding fader to adjust delay time? —Cool! The Oscillation switch too aroused curiosity. It only remained to get one in and see if it was as interesting sonically as it was visually.
The most impressive distortion pedal at the 2013 NAMM show, as far as modern, experimental guitar (or bass) playing goes, was Loud Button’s WTF. A great demo by Jimmy Rolle for Effects Bay.