Aldo is a French musician based in London. He gets some unique sounds by processing his guitar through a Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synth. At $499, it is not cheap, but it is no more than many multi effects pedals and way cooler. Check out his video channel for interesting guitar tones in an electronic context.
The Jesus Lizard and Tomahawk guitarist, Duane Denison provides an introduction to some classic prepared guitar techniques for those new to the process.
Whether or not you are a fan of the band Sunn O))), this unique distortion/boost/fuzz/octave pedal by EarthQuaker is worth checking out if you are in search of heavy-osity.
Danelectro’s president, Steve Ridinger, got his start in the 70’s by manufacturing the fOXX Tone Machine, the now coveted octave fuzz sound used by players like Peter Frampton, Adrian Belew, and Beck. The 3699 fUZZ is a faithful recreation, and a tribute (“3699” spells out “FOXX” on the telephone keypad, and that was the last 4 digits of the company phone number back in the day).
Despite an increasing number of great recordings coming over my transom, three guitarists, Anthony Pirog, David Torn, and Mike Baggetta, dominated this year’s picks with two records each. In addition to being brilliant players who have produced stellar examples of their work on these albums, all the guitarists featured here are out in the trenches preforming live on a regular basis. In no particular order.