Gear Reviews

  As you are browsing across the web looking for a brand new pedal to add to your board, you might have bumped into noise gates. Sure, the name itself should tell you what they are used for but it still leaves many questions for many of us out there. Below, we take a quick look at how Noise Gate pedals work along with a few great suggestions.   Continue reading →

  While they often get mixed up or even lumped into one hybrid stompbox, a true boost pedal is different from an overdrive. A true, clean boost pedal is meant to give your signal an extra boost of power while keeping the natural tone uncolored, pretty much like an expanded volume knob. And though many players use boost pedals in order to send their amp into overdrive, it is up to the amp and not the booster to craft your tone. But that's not to say we don't appreciate when manufacturers add a few extras, as long as they don't get in the way of the pedal's true job! With that in mind, we'd like to share with you four fantastic boost pedals that get the job done and then some! Continue reading →

A great guitar amp for classic rock can be hard to find. There are just too many choices, varying specs and price points available today. With that in mind, I'd like to share five of my own personal picks of amps that I have personally tried out and found that work amazingly well with classic rock tones. I also made sure to pick five amps that should appeal to a wide spectrum of classic rock players, with different tastes and budgets in mind.     Continue reading →

  While Seymour Duncan will always be primarily known for their huge catalog of pickups, they have quietly amassed an impressive lineup of guitar effects pedals in recent years. From the Catalina Chorus to the Dirty Deed Distortion, and a whole lot more in between, Duncan's effects display the same sensibility as their pickups -- great quality and construction with a unique twist thrown in from time to time. Today, we're taking the 805 Overdrive for a spin, an OD pedal inspired by the legendary Ibanez TS808 and TS9 Tube Screamer. Does the 805 Overdrive live up to the legacy of the Tube Screamer (or the Ducan name, for that matter)? Read on to find out.   Continue reading →

  Born out of a garage in Petaluma, California, Mission Engineering is a modern audio tech company known for their high-quality expression pedals, effects, amps, and cabinets. Since they began in 2009, they have moved out of the garage and expanded to multiple locations, even acquiring Stagecraft in 2015. Since then, they have only kept growing. Today, we wanted to share with our visitors a few of our favorite pieces of gear from Mission Engineering. If you have never had the chance to check one of these in person, you're definitely missing out on some of the best modern expression pedals and cabs around!   Continue reading →