Chasing Tone - Guitar Podcast About Gear, Effects, Amps and Tone

Brian and Richard are back for episode 641 of Chasing Tone - A vintage Marshall steals Brian’s heart, Richard’s fuzz hits the big stage, and stop getting Wampler wrong!

Brian’s George Metropoulos-modded 1974 Marshall JMP has arrived, and he’s so smitten he’s threatening to quit the pedal business. Not really - but it has shaken him and he has consumed his body weight in hotdogs to cope. The guys wonder why battered, well-worn gear suddenly looks better than anything shiny and new, and Brian admits to a burning itch involving Marshall-style circuits.

The Purple Ohm Fuzz did its thing on stage with the Boomtown Rats, right alongside a pair of Wampler pedals, and it has led to a new bucket list item. Meanwhile, Richard’s new DigiTech Drop, an out-of-tune “Basket Case,” and an under-rehearsed “Everlong” left him ready to hang up his guitar for good.

There’s plenty more too. Brian picks up a Reverend Drivetrain and loads PedalSpice with a library of classic pedal schematics. The guys dig into vibe-coded games, Suno’s new tricks, and neural models built on Brian’s pedals. They also ask whether tonewoods really matter and why Fuzz Faces hog so much pedalboard space.

Hot Dogs, Solar-powered Plexis, Magnetic flake paint, Nintendo cartridge pedals, Evertune bridges, Prototypes that never come home, and a black Turbo Tuner - it’s all in this week’s Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Check out PedalSpice: https://pedalspice.com/
Oliver Effects: https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Courses and DIY mods:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://bluesguitarmethod.com/https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

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Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for episode 640 of Chasing Tone - A neon green tone machine, Brian gets a new amp, and Josh Scott sells pedals!

PRS has just released the Tekton range, and the guys can’t look away. There are Floyd Rose-equipped models, seven-stringed behemoths, silky satin necks and finishes that make Brian feel all warm and fuzzy. Richard explains how a Silver Sky SE, a Whammy pedal, and a capo became his one-guitar answer to his band’s endless tuning changes.

The Purple Ohm Fuzz has landed with Brian and Blake, and Richard wants the honest verdict. Brian suggests the pipe-smoking guy on the box should smoke something different on every version. Meanwhile, PedalSpice moves to a buy-once, own-forever model, and somehow Revenge of the Mutant Camels is involved.

There’s plenty more too. Richard has finished listening to his UFO audiobook and the stories blew his mind. Brian has a George Metropoulos-rebuilt Marshall JMP on the way. The guys also mark the closure of Steve’s Music in Toronto with the story of a Les Paul.

Wedding Bells, Chicken in a can, Goats are strange, Richard’s 1986 diary, Glow-in-the-dark picks, the Chipmunks, and a mysterious 1967 offset - it’s all in this week’s Chasing Tone!

Check out PedalSpice: https://pedalspice.com/

Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://bluesguitarmethod.com/https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

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Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 639 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Two dimensional pedals, UFO revelations, and Blake visits "the Secret Room"

Richard is four chapters into a new book about UFOs written by a friend of the show and he’s hooked. Decades in the US military, the government’s UAP programs, Skinwalker Ranch and Project Blue Book all get a mention. Coincidentally, JHS has just dropped The Wanderer, a UFO-themed two-in-one pedal pairing Klon and Bluesbreaker-style circuits. Insert X-files riff here.

Blake takes us on a whistle-stop tour of Seattle’s independent guitar stores with his son riding shotgun. He is allowed into a magical place and takes a huge financial risk by juggling an expensive guitar or two in his beef-laden hands. Brian’s Way Huge pedal haul arrives but one of them got shipped by a music store in little more than a book mailer and he was lucky not to have mistaken it for a sandwich.

Richard’s confesses a teenage DS-2 obsession and Brian launches his 60-second circuit breakdowns for musicians rather than engineers. He also teases a PedalSpice feature that could bring old hand-drawn schematics back to life. Richard falls for new band Mary in the Junkyard, and Blake explains why most people don’t actually want 50s wiring in their guitar.

Behringer’s mini Klon, a 10-string BC Rich, Russian doll pedal packaging, a black pudding drawing, hidden messages in schematics, the Amiga’s first virus, and fluted knobs that sound rude - it’s all in this week’s Chasing Tone!

Check out PedalSpice: https://pedalspice.com/

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://bluesguitarmethod.com/https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

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It's just the two of us this week as Brian and Richard hold the fort without Blake for episode 638 of Chasing Tone - Two is the magic number for dumbness, Brian has a Fat Sandwich, and drunk testing the PedalHead

Brian lifts the lid on PedalSpice, the browser-based circuit simulator he's wanted to build for years. Slider-driven calculators spit out component values in seconds, saved circuit blocks drop straight into new designs, and neural amp models let you hear your circuit through a real amp before you've warmed up a soldering iron. Richard takes it for a spin, pitches a rival product called "Pedal Salt," and the guys get candid about building software with AI and why good results still take hard graft. And make your brain bleed. So. much. bleeding.

Meanwhile, Richard has found a deeply suspicious internet list of the top 10 reasons to move to Indiana. Gas stations with gum, cities with friendly names like Gary, a state supposedly named after a dog - Brian sets the record straight. Then Brian confesses to a Reverb spree on Way Huge pedals and goes digging for the schematic of the discontinued Fat Sandwich live on air.

Richard invents the thermic distortion drive. Stu Mac teams up with Scotti Hill of Skid Row on a Rangemaster-style boost kit, prompting a live investigation into a mystery chip. Brian has been trying to destroy the new PedalHead.

Jim Unnay, Gibson's new Ghostburst, Keeley's new germanium pedal, YouTube drama fatigue, a candy parcel reduced to glittery dust, too many tunings - it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

Check out PedalSpice: https://pedalspice.com/

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 637 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - The worst time to start a pedal company, a Guitar Summit gear haul, and Fender cancels hum

Could you realistically start a pedal company and clear $50k in your first year? A Reddit thread and a 60 Cycle Hum livestream posed the question, and the guys have thoughts. Short version: this might be the worst possible moment to launch, but it doesn't matter if you love guitar gear. Speaking of falling in love with gear, Blake shows off a gorgeous player-worn 1965 Fender Mustang in Daphne Blue, and Richard gets genuinely misty-eyed over a 1992 Zoom 9002 ad that made him feel fifteen again.

Then it's a proper Guitar Summit gear haul from Mannheim. Top of the pile is the Wampler Pedalhead, now tweaked and sounding mighty fine, alongside the upcoming Tone King Royce. The Boss EX-4 FX Expander gets the guys excited as a clever sidecar for small rigs - four effects at once, slow gear and slicer included - while the Two Notes Torpedo Captor X Pro is basically a Captor X thats been training with Arnie as it is pumped. There's also a jaw-dropping demo room that ping-pongs between sixteen heads and sixteen cabs at the flick of a switch - which Brian now needs in his life.

Fender has announced it's "solved" single-coil hum with a secret metal plate under the pickguard - which, the guys note, looks an awful lot like a dummy coil that's been around for years (a humbucker plus twenty percent, as Blake puts it). Brian makes a heartfelt pitch for a full retro mode on the Wampler website, complete with visitor counter and dancing baby Gifs.

Knobless pedals, a skunk that smells like a Willie Nelson concert, missing out on both Google and Bitcoin, the BlackBerry movie, and Brian defending America's spelling one Reddit comment at a time...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 636 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian meets one of his guitar heroes, the YouTube drama llama, and a groundhog the size of a dog

Never meet your heroes - unless you're Brian, who finally got to hang out with George Lynch this week. Even better, Brian handed George a Terraform to cover chorus duty, and George promptly threw it straight into his chain and out onto the stage before a gig, leaving Brian sweating bullets that his own duct-taped personal unit would pick that exact moment to misbehave. It didn't, the crowd loved it, and the guys land on a new mantra: distortion plus chorus equals glorious. That opens up a wider chat about meeting your idols...

Then Richard breaks out the drama llama. A guitar-YouTube storm has been brewing around negative reviews, clickbait, and undisclosed business interests, and it's snowballed into a whole situation. The guys pick it apart thoughtfully: whether building a brand on negativity is a slow-motion soul-crush, why you have to be upfront about the companies you're tied to once you're a public figure, and how algorithmic slop (Richard's phrase, and he's sticking to it) rewards exactly the wrong instincts. Blake offers the brand's-eye view - you pay a creator for their time, skills, and audience, never for a glowing review - and Richard, naturally, invents a website called Guitar Mafia to fix the whole thing. He's joking. Mostly. But definitely.

There's plenty more where that came from: PRS rolling out Land Rover Defender-inspired Silver Sky guitars, Guitar Summit season descending on Germany, a tiny new Vox AC mini amp begging to live in a camper van, and an Electro-Harmonix Echoflanger with Adrian Belew's name on it. There are also rumblings of new amps on the horizon that we can't say too much about just yet...

Tiny Terraform typefaces, groundhog day, skunk squatting, Shatner of puppets, a Tesla driver busted for shredding, and the great A-Team van color debate...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 635 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Killer guitar songs, app overload, and the mixing trick that shouldn't work

The guys kick off with the hardest songs they've ever had to learn as Richard's wrestling with The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," a deceptively simple arpeggiated riff up at the 17th fret that turns out to be an absolute finger-twister at 150 BPM. He panics when his pro-guitarist mate describes the song using a four-letter word unfit for any broadcast medium. Brian reminisces about slinging down a Steve Vai song at a high-school band tryout and never going back.

Blake digs into some Bullet for My Valentine, and everyone marvels at Geddy Lee somehow playing wild Rush bass lines while singing a completely different melody on top. Then the guys look at this week's big debate: are apps ruining guitar gear? Richard makes the case that the moment an app sits between you and the pedal, it kills the experience - a pedal has five knobs, so why reach for your phone? Modelers, amps and power amps get a pass, but single pedals should just work under your feet.

There's talk of younger players going more analog than the hosts - buying tapes, old cars and Boss pedals - and whether modern rock has tipped into full cosplay, from Greta Van Fleet to costumed acts like Castle Rat, Ghost and Sleep Token, where the image increasingly outweighs the music. Richard geeks out over a production trick he found via Matt Berry on That Pedal Show.

James Blunt, Flanders and Swann, The rest is a monopoly, the jet engine turning 100, and dancing widdershins round the maypole...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

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Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 634 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Marcus King melting faces, the great acoustic guitar rabbit hole, and Ola Englund's Pedalhead preview

Brian's hair may have entered a new era, so naturally the guys workshop his new mullet before anyone's allowed near a guitar. Once they get there, Richard is buzzing about Atomic Habitz at the Newport Jazz Festival - how could you not love Marcus King ripping through Funkadelic's "Red Hot Mama?" Turns out the kids really are gonna be alright.

Then it's down the acoustic rabbit hole: jangly Taylors, warm Gibsons, giant SJ-200s, and why buying an acoustic is a far more personal affair than grabbing a Strat online - though Richard's happy with his Acoustasonic Jazzmaster for now. His new, rockier, punkier band has also left him with an actual blister on his picking finger from blasting Green Day's "Basket Case" at 170-plus BPM, which of course means a proper chat about Helter Skelter, Ringo's blisters, and whether that little band from the UK ever amounted to much.

Gear-wise, Ola Englund's tasty preview of the Pedalhead has everyone chomping at the bit, the new ToneX board gets a bigger screen, and there is Bullshine talk. Richard also somehow bends his high E clean over the pickup, and the eternal "how many guitars do you take to a gig" debate rages on. Brian gives us his signature hotdog eating impersonation.

The demented Tele, your custard is our pudding, 50p Oreos, Stevie Wonder, Shotguns fired...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 633 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Nashville Bound: Brooks and Dunn, Musical Deepfakes and Eternal Glitter

Brian is Nashville-bound to record his debut album, hang out at a Brooks and Dunn rehearsal, but the big question is whether he can get through it without kicking over another microphone (like he did with Brad Paisley). Before he sets off, the guys get into AI deepfakes, after a friend cloned Brian into saying unspeakable things about country music.

That leads into discussion of a new guitar innovation - a guitar with an integrated fold-out kickstand - clever engineering, or a solution in search of a problem? Richard then confesses that he let Gemini set up ten presets on his floor modeler and came away a little shaken by how good the results were, which reopens the big question of whether outsourcing your tone quietly kills the fun of chasing it.

The guys look at accessible guitars with Braille-friendly controls, Brian shows off a fake Marshall he insists on calling a "farshall," and Richard makes the case for the seatbelt guitar strap that 100% needs to exist. Also Brian is plagued by eternal glitter that still haunts his garage six years on.

Pedal Coin, the Tupac case, GTA 6, cowboy boots on Broadway, Married with Children reruns, the windiest gig ever played...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 632 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian gets attacked by a country legend, bats in the belfry, and a sad farewell

Blake returns from the Fretboard Summit in Chicago which may have become his favorite city. He has a suprise but very welcome Chris Martin history lesson and a Mexican-Japanese omakase he can't stop thinking about, which somehow leads to skateboard-wheel pedal toppers and the world's longest string. Then Brian takes one on the forehead when a Garth Brooks water bottle finds its mark from twenty feet.

The guys also pause as news breaks about the passing of Dolly Parton which genuinely shocks the guys and they struggle for words. Richard shares a couple of goosebump moments including an out-of-the-blue call from a guitarist who played on the first Bowie single he ever bought, and a lovely tale of David Gilmour personally helping hunt for lost gear at an eclipse-watching party.

There's plenty more to get through, too. Richard reckons he has bats living in his chimney, JHS have shrunk the Andy Timmons into a curious new mini enclosure, and King Gizzard have turned up with an amp destroyer of a pedal. The guys also tease a Friedman release.

Brian's Yoghurt Factory, The World's shortest string, Weeks versus days, RIP Frank Beard, Mini pedals...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian and Richard are back for Episode 631 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - The cheat code for tonechasers and Brian get's heated and drops an f-bomb

With Blake away eating pizza at the Fretboard Summit, Brian and Richard are left holding the baby, and swear they won't open with AI...yeah, right....Richard professes that a possibly-AI peppered piano playlist pervaded his daughter's wedding (say that after a couple of ales), and Brian floats a theory about record labels, capitalism and the Dark Side of the Pop Tart.

From the enshittification of everything to personalized audio recommendations, the guys land on the big question: if a machine just hands you Gilmour's tone from a single prompt, have you cheated the whole game? This somehow turns into a conversation about Brian's very specific coffee tastes. Brian also swears as he becomes heated and blows a gasket.

Richard shares a genuine "they're using my stuff" moment as his Fuzz pedal gets complements from a band that Richard covers in his own band and he also discovers a piece of hardware that Brian needs to own.

The Illuminati, self-leveling frets, a Bass VI worth selling a kidney for, and the reason Brian should never set up his own guitar...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 630 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Why do some people fake playing guitar, AI stupidity, and That Pedal Show made us do it

The heat is on, Brian may or may not have melted into a puddle of tiny miniature Brians, and the guys are wrestling with the big question: is AI going to save music or just set the whole planet on fire a bit faster? In gear terms it all loops back to captures: NAM A2 models are coming to affordable floor modelers, which is wonderful news...just please don't buy a boutique pedal, capture it, and send it back. It's on the street...

Richard unveils his new guiding philosophy, the Rule of Tens - everything makes you ten times less than you hoped and takes ten times longer than you feared - survives his very first return with all the grace of a wounded schoolboy, and reminds everyone that this industry is pure, unglamorous hustle. Meanwhile Keeley has dropped a new tube-based pedal - and yes, it sold out before Blake could get his wallet out.

Elsewhere, it is not a great week to own a YouTube channel. Friend of the show Henning Pauly got hacked and watched his entire channel vanish into a live crypto webinar, which sparks a proper rant about why the platforms that hand out shiny silver plaques cannot be bothered to protect the creators who earn them... And then there is the D'Addario AI debacle: after denying it, then producing receipts, they have now admitted the guitars in that video were faked with Suno.

Skynet 3000, Justice for HP42, Tube-Based Vapes, Richard's Withered Plums, Buy It, Capture It, Send It Back...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

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Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 629 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Oh, it's just another Tube Screamer, and do vintage parts make a difference or do we just want to believe in magic?

Blake opens up with a traffic report before the guys jump into a most luciferous episode about pedal schematic similarities. The guys somehow manage a full ten minutes on nothing but pedals and schematics before anyone checks they're on the right podcast. Brian explains how one humble skeleton - your 808, your OD-1, your DOD 250 - can be filtered into a fuzz, a distortion or very nearly anything in the dirt realm, while Richard tinkers with pedal number two for Oliver FX.

This leads straight to the vintage-versus-modern-components hill Richard is prepared to die on, well maybe, a cautionary tale about the '69(ish) fuzz face he sold for peanuts, and exactly why germanium is still a nightmare to build with.

It was Blake's birthday, which somehow means two boxes of Katz's pastrami, a proposed rebrand to Chasing Food, and a heartfelt happy birthday from Brian that lands with the opposite of the intended effect. Trigger warning - he does a Marilyn Monroe impersonation. The D'Addario AI saga finally gets a verdict, Richard coins the snark reflex, and NAM turns up everywhere...

Random string packs, the great vinyl-versus-CD debate, desk maxing, a fill-it-yourself color-changing guitar, and one very unlucky arrested guitarist...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 628 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - AI ad scandals, Hot pink Les Pauls, and silent camping confessions

A big manufacturer may have landed themselves in hot water by allegedly using AI-generated music in an ad, and the guys weigh in on whether they actually did or whether the internet jumped the gun. This leads to a broader conversation about the commoditization of creative work - from vinyl to Kindle to AI - and Richard makes a bold prediction about the future value of software. He is probably wrong as he is a raging buffoon.

The Billy Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr has arrived in what Richard insists is hot pink and Brian would quite like to turn into a Les Paul Standard. Richard has been rediscovering his P90 Telecaster and is loving life in drop tuning, while Blake claims ownership of Drop Q. The guys take a nostalgic trip through spirit duplicators, Spy vs Spy, Outrun soundtracks, and the lost art of the music fanzine before debating whether Brian should launch a Bob Ross-style breadboarding channel.

Brian confesses to watching silent camping videos before bed, Blake likes horror movies, and Richard watches people paint. The G-Wagon business death indicator is established as peer-reviewed science, and the golden rule of luxury cars is laid down: if you can't afford two, you can't afford one. Unless it's pedals, in which case borrow money and buy three.

Spirit Duplicators, The Ecosystem Trap, Happy Little Op Amps, Shlinkedin Shminkedin, Out Run... it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

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Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 627 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Experimental backing tracks, Fender vs the entire planet, and robot rock stars

Brian has been experimenting in his secret laboratory and reveals that AI-generated backing tracks are getting scarily good. The guys explore how far this technology has come and their conclusions may surprise you. This leads to a deep and heartfelt conversation about why playing music matters, why it can never truly be replaced by technology, and whether robot rock stars performing on stage could actually become a thing. There are also some sad farewells to Jennifer Finch of L7 and Wayne Charvel, who both passed away.

Brian has been renovating his studio with LED-lit pedal shelves and proper sound panels, and he has some new Bigler pickups to try. Meanwhile, the Fender legal saga has somehow gotten even worse - they're now going after Thomann, Yamaha, and an Australian secondhand guitar retailer. The guys are genuinely baffled and discuss whether Fender have managed to pull off the most spectacular act of brand self-destruction in guitar history. Richard has a PRS-shaped solution.

The Rolling Stones have a new album out and Richard highly recommends it, Anthrax have a cracking new single, and the World Cup halftime show featured Madonna flanked by two footballing legends dressed as Teletubbies. Richard reveals that an Iron Maiden guitarist was fired for listening to the Eagles on the tour bus, and the guys debate the merits of mystery pedal boxes.

Headstock Socks, The Defenderiser, Eastern European Clown Music, Brad Womp, Breaking the Fourth Wind...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 626 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - We were wrong, Blake has beef, and the world's greatest nonsense show ever

We were wrong about who the first great 2026 pedal merger participants were - it was Ernie Ball and Source Audio - and Blake has beef with a pedal legend. Do you use a volume pedal in your rig? It used to be critical, but Richard is pondering why he no longer feels the need to use one.

Richard tries to explain the World Cup to Brian and Blake and fails miserably. He is also very upset with streamers. There was a new "drop" of UFO material from the Pentagon and the guys consider whether it is more of a drip. Meanwhile, Richard has discovered a new alien-related TV show thanks to a recommendation from a listener.

Brian has been editing theme tunes and a listener has picked up on it. Let him have his fun! Do you ever use a string conditioner on your guitar? The guys discuss why perfectly clean strings and fingers aren't always optimal. Blake has borrowed a vintage guitar and tells us all about it.

People Get a Little Weird, Buc-ees, Secret Basil, Richard Is a Serial Killer, Fingerease... it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 625 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Hot industry gossip, scary British villains, and Strymon level up.

We are coming in hot this week with scurrilous gossip about a new industry merger and the guys prove that they have none of the clues but all of the speculation. Richard gets a unique and frankly very disturbing look into Brian's mind. There is some random Apple loving and there are skincare tips.

Blake has transgressed one of the sacred commandments of the guitar and regales us with his bard's tale and the guys consider homemade pickups. Richard has managed to fix some issues with one of his guitars and he feels as if he has been imbued with the power of a mega luthier. He hasn't.

How much would you pay for the best delay pedal? Richard is impressed with the new Timeline MX but it's quite the investment and also his brain has melted for a second time this year. Brian will never be one of those funny types. Gibson appear to have been trolling Fender.

Waliver FX, Tom Quayle, Nut sauce, Amish cooling secrets, Funk and Wagnalls ...it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian and Richard are back for Episode 624 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Two decades in the pedal trenches, pitch-shifters, and the JHS Dumble nut crumble

Blake is playing with dune buggies and Brian is feeling invincible so the guys dig into some of the serious topics of the day. We cannot avoid talking about the AI theft of Rhett Shull's material which introduces an altogether unwelcome turn to the AI thievery theme. Brian wants to know Richard's deep dark secrets.

Richard has finally edited and uploaded his first ever pedal demo - and it was not something he found easy. Brian looks at his own journey through the pedal industry and tells us how things have changed over time. If you are interested in running or starting a business in the music industry, Brian has a lot of wisdom to share. Richard, on the other hand, maybe not so much.

Something unexpected happened in Richard's musical life and it made him sad despite it being the right move. Meanwhile, a CEO of one of the biggest guitar companies in the world stepped aside and it caused a gasp, and a new collaboration with two of the world's biggest retailers takes the guys by surprise...

Fan Pants, The Hoff, Brianna Wambler, SquonQulator, Brian's Hot Takes... it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 623 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian's birthday flamethrower bonanza and Stratgate continues.

It's Brian's birthday as we record this and the chaps sing "Happy Birthday" in two different keys while Blake tells us all about his former meth lab renovation life and Brian shoots trees with fire. We have to talk about Fender again as Thomann, one of the world's largest music retailers, have fired a legal salvo in retaliation to the cease and desist letter situation.

Blake considers destroying a guitar and it opens up a new dimension to the great Fender debate and Richard exaggerates. Have you ever used a string bender? The guys discuss how to approach playing with a B bender. Robert Keeley has teased a new tube-based pedal and the guys dig it.

The Cure have headlined the Isle of Wight Festival and Richard has observations, and GAS for Reverend guitars. The guys debate whether festivals are still something they enjoy or whether those days have passed. It's Prime Day again and the guys are not too impressed. They were impressed with a new magnetic pedalboard design however.

Nitro Surge, Marketers Ruin Everything, Red Mild Chili Poppers, Angine de Poitrine, Brian Is a Diva... it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://bluesguitarmethod.com/
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Support the show

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 622 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - So you want to be a guitar YouTuber? Start here...

Blake dreams of marketing, lycra, and broken tables in what is probably the most unhinged introductions in at least a week. Meanwhile, Brian and Blake bring their not inconsiderable experience to bear as Richard prepares to film his first pedal demo video and there are some super useful tips.

Have you ever owned an artist-signed pedal? Richard discovered a cache of wild Wampler pedals and tells us of his big day out in London and also talks about the setup of his new PRS. Somehow Leisure Suit Larry gets mentioned for the second time ever on this show.

Social media rears its ugly head and the guys discuss the current lay of the land. Meanwhile, Brian is GASsing for a new pedal and he has a request for all listeners to help him in his quest.

Something something Fender, A gig in every country, Marshall Jukebox, PSA - Smoking is bad, The Screaming AbDabs... it's all in this week's Chasing Tone!

We are on Patreon now too!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chasingtonepodcast)

Courses and DIY mods:
https://www.bluesguitarmethod.com <- Check out Travis Feaster's new course!
https://www.betterguitartone.com/https://www.wamplerdiy.com/https://www.guitarpedalcourse.com/

Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@chasingtonepodcast

Find us at:
https://www.wamplerpedals.com/https://www.instagram.com/WamplerPedals/https://www.facebook.com/groups/wamplerfanpage/

Check out Oliver Effects:
https://oliverfx.co.uk/

Support the show