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

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 a...

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...

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 pers...

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...

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 kid...

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 ...

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 forehea...

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 S...

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 won...

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 - you...

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 predict...

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 tec...

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 Bl...

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 commandme...

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 edite...

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...

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...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 621 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - String secrets, Brian gets a surprise gift, and sniffing out the fakers Brian goes all ASMR and Richard and Blake experience some potentially extraterrestrial weather coincidences. Richard gives us an update on his new Silver Sky. TLDR: He loves it but is an idiot. Brian suggests that he may need to use a Ford F-150 for stretching strings. We touch on "that" cease and desist story once more because there is a bit...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 620 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - New guitar day, Seymour Duncan's Telecaster, and the story that just won't quit... We cannot avoid a further dip into the Fender C&D shenanigans as a rather famous name in the guitar world comes firmly into the crosshairs of their crack legal team despite our previous baseless conjecture. Brian suggests that the fairest way to sort this out is the old-fashioned way - wrestling. Richard confuses pounds and oun...

Brian and Richard are joined by Phillip Carter of the 40 Watt Podcast for Episode 619 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - 40 Watts of Fender dilemma and do you have to be rich to start a band? Blake has caught a dose of the quattro formaggi quickstep and so we have the mighty Phillip Carter of the 40 Watt Podcast stepping into his cubic shoes for this episode. What an episode it proves to be... There can be only one starting point and that is the Fender legal issue that continues to rumble on and i...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 618 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - The all new Fender agenda and will the real Josh Scott please stand up? Brian has got some things to say about AI slop following a great reaction video from Josh Scott of JHS which resulted in him surveying some fluffy junk from the dark recesses of a random YouTube channel. It's an interesting debate as the guys have strong views about the source video, its complete lack of reliable facts, and the damage i...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 617 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - The maple-topped Martin Dragnet, Hellbent for Denim, and songs of death in the key of A We come in banging with some definitions from the old country and you will need to hang on to your hat as it gets wild pretty quick. Must've been something in the water. Friend of the show Mr. Henning Pauly put out a new video and it made Richard stop and think about the nature of social media usage. Somehow this turns into st...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 616 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Taste the Pain with special guest Michael Beinhorn - a look into the production of some absolutely massive albums The guys are joined by a true legend of the production world, Michael Beinhorn, who has produced some of the greatest records of all time. We are talking Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hole, Marilyn Manson, Korn, and we are talking Herbie Hancock too! We start at the beginning and find out ...

Blake and Richard are back for Episode 615 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Random amp joy, the great Kindle swindle, and Telecaster heresy Brian is somewhat unexpectedly out of town on business so Blake and Richard take the helm - apologies for the different music and the quality of the hosts. Richard got to play his first real amp when he found the same model he had as a kid in a recording studio. It did not cure his GAS and he stakes a claim to being one of the most professional mediocre guit...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 614 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Are two heads better than one? The great stereo amp debate and the magic number of knobs! Brian opens up with some multilingual greetings while Richard and Blake have some serpentine interactions. The guys talk about a new Strymon fuzz pedal, and Blake tells us about a dealer's event he went to at NAMM where leakage was discussed. Would you pay for a pedal with a subscription element? Brian has plans. Richard dig...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 613 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - who is the world's smallest pedal builder, and has Blake finally submitted to the dark side? We open with a tribute from Brian and some sausage recommendations, and there is a bit of bro-love as we look at the hot topics in the guitar world this week. There was some sad news in the gear world, and it has led Richard into some new GAS for a classic amplifier. Ross Pedals has relaunched - again - and the guys...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 612 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Travis Feaster plays the blues, LED fretboards, and there is fuzz on the internet Brian goes full Talladega Nights. He's been playing a lot more guitar recently, and that's the most sensible piece of information I have for you. Brian has dipped his toes into a new venture with Travis Feaster and tells us all about it - you may need shades and a hat. Richard makes a grave mistake. Have you ever suffered fro...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 611 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Pointy-headed guitars, vintage cabs, and German ambient weirdness. Someone is at Maximum ET as the guys get misty-eyed about handheld computing devices from the late 1990s. Richard has found a pointy-headed guitar and is trying his very best not to buy it, but the guys aren't having it and are pushing him in the other direction. Have you ever used more than one expression pedal at once? The guys discuss the...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 610 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Are gigantic pedalboards back in fashion and what is the cure for a bad band practice? Brian opens up with possibly the most Martinsville story ever and it confuses everyone before Richard attempts to steer the conversation back to music and reveals a sick burn that got him. He then overshares something he really shouldn't and has also nearly bought a Charvel. Have you ever worked at a music store? The guys remin...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 609 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - You can't put handlebars on an amplifier, the world's most expensive guitar, and happy birthday to the Telecaster! Blake has returned from his truck driving days and Richard is in an argumentative mood, while Brian is wistful for the days of CB radios and dreams of flying in his own personal drone. Guitar Pedals? Us? Nah... Brian has a new two-wheeled vehicle and is excited to customize it as we wrap up the trans...

Brian and Richard are back for Episode 608 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Vintage amps, wooden samplers, and Fender's bender agenda. There is a lack of Blake in today's episode as he has gone trucking, and Richard has the GAS bad once again for a pointy-headed guitar. Meanwhile, Brian is dreaming of creating a Wampler Sports brand. Richard wonders if he has entered a new midlife crisis but is soon distracted by a Fender bender. Is the concept of an auto-tuning guitar completely dead in the wat...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 607 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian invents a new form of reverb and are guitar magazines dead? Brian is in a chipper mood, whereas for Blake it's been a busy week - someone gets fired live on air, and there is a long neck involved. Meanwhile, Richard has been playing fancy guitars and has some views that he struggles to articulate. He has also fallen in love with a piece of wood, and Brian has Camperlust. When was the last time you bought a ...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 606 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - The Art of the Stompbox, Blake has ghosts, and Brian falls down another rabbit hole. The guys open with cartoon-based nonsense, plenty of questions, and an update from the British King of Fuzz. Meanwhile, a book celebrating the art behind some of the world's most iconic pedals has just been released - and it features a section on Wampler, which left Richard simultaneously proud and bemused. Brian has been deep do...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 605 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - We are the weird ones and is this the ultimate collection of gear ever? Blake tells us about his CB radio close calls and Brian ponders whether he should be training monkeys and cats. Richard has been playing with AI music generation and is both impressed and depressed at the same time. Somehow a Trans-Am and various wild predictions are involved. Brian admits he is not the typical guitar player and ...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 604 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian drops some more big hints, confuses everyone, and is a kind of chilled out entertainer The episode opens up with complete unabashed gibberish from Brian and Blake and Richard is totally confused and somehow Adam Sandler is involved. Brian has been watching TV and it confuses everyone. Meanwhile the British king of fuzz received a package and it contained a Pedalhead which he dutifully tested with multiple p...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 603 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - A royal declaration, a new guitar is needed, and Brian is a workaholic It's apparently been an uneventful week as we open up and Richard makes an important royal announcement which makes him incredibly happy. Meanwhile Brian shakes his fist at the clouds. There is also an urgent need to buy a new guitar and Blake's friends have car / tree interface issues while Brian turns to Workaholicism. Brian was...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 602 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - More Pedalhead talk, NAMM is snow joke, and you cannot resist the power of the Dork Side! The guys have returned from NAMM with some smooth talk for your listening delight and Richard asks the difficult questions early on. Brian and Blake got to hug it out at NAMM while our British friend cried into his tweed pillowcase. Meanwhile the North American weather caused some sticky moments for the Stringjoy crew ...

Brian and Richard are back for Episode 601 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian reveals the all new Wampler Pedalhead power amp and another pedal is leaked! It's a Pre-NAMM podcast and Brian and Richard drop firefighting duties to bring some really exciting news to you while Blake flies off to Anaheim. Meanwhile Brian details his revolutionary new product which gets a big reveal at the show this year and the levels of excitement are palpable as it does something really neat that we...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 600 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - The legend of goat mountain, Brian wants a new Les Paul, and behold - the Human Riff! We join the guys in a bizarre stand off as they convene for the annual "No Richards" party at NAMM and there is a mysterious portent. Meanwhile the guys come up with a new idea for a business and it is swiftly erased from memory. Blake has a special British guest on Tape Spaghetti this week and spills all. Brian has GAS fo...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 599 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Blake's cougar encounter and the ultimate tune-able tube screamers It's a new year and Bri goes straight to the resolutions and nonsense, predictably, ensues before he makes a massive revelation and interrogates Richard's brain. Meanwhile he has been dreaming of adding a bender to his Les Paul and the guys were impressed by Brian's impersonation of Keith Richards. Richard get's all nostalgic for MTV ...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 598 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Get off the stage, pedalboy - it's the New Year's Eve Special 2025! Brian is playing a New Year's Eve gig, Beyonce is a billionaire. and Blake is a cuboid hulk that is composed of 110% grass fed beef. Richard assumes too much and regrets asking Brian about what he's been up to before talking about some technobabble. Richard discusses the guitar related gifts he received, the one he didn't receive, and the g...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 597 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - It's the Most Wonderful Gear of the Year! The guys are back for this Holiday Special episode of the Chasing Tone Podcast and Brian and Blake come in strong with some singing. I think that's what it is. It has been quite the year for gear, and so the guys take a festive goosey gander at Reverb's top pedals of 2025. The guys attempt to coax some form of festivity from Brian with mixed results and then l...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 596 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - I could fall asleep at night as a Rock and Roll star...and JHS make history Brian starts flexing his biceps and immediately Richard brings the tone down before admitting his ego has very much got the better of him. He has finally got to gig with his band and those that have followed the tale for the last, err, two years may be interested to hear how it went. Brian managed to spark panic with his pre-gig advice. R...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 595 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian gets a new pedal and what advice got you through your first gig? Richard is about to play his first real guitar gig and he is somewhat nervous, so the guys give him advice on how to make it though like a pro. There is plenty of actual advice for a gig novice and there are also amusing stories and many red herrings. Somehow a new pedal is invented. Speaking of pedals, Brian has got a new pedal that he has ne...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 594 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian breaks the Internet as Wampler debut The Compulsion Drive Brian has turned into Pedal Santa and Richard has been making new friends by daring to try something experimental on the Internet and the guys discuss it. Fair warning - there may be some ranting as there was a bit of a pile-on and our intrepid British King of Fuzz had to fight them off at the drawbridge (insert trumpet sound here). Wampler rel...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 593 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Terrible analogies, Dirty-T, and Brian teases a new pedal release! Blake opens up with a revelation about a new pedal and Richard is immediately forced to make a legal disclaimer. He also has the worst business idea ever and Brian dreams up a new rap name. Fractal engineering have released a new modeling unit and the guys think it is cool but have little else to offer. Richard finally got...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 592 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - What's happening to the price of US guitars, the rise of the robots, and Brian's goth phase Blake has a wallet bursting conundrum as not one but two of his favorite bands are on the same bill and he needs help which Brian and Richard are more than happy to not give. Richard bores Brian to near death with Pink Floyd related updates and then talks about his new old music discoveries. Richard has AI bas...

Brian and Richard are back for Episode 591 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Did JHS just break a pedal paradigm and has Brian invented a new type of electric guitar? Blake has traveled back in time to the land of 56kb Internet so Brian and Richard are back in control. Brian has caught the illness that everyone else has and Richard has a remedy. Did you see the new JHS "Troika" delay pedal? The guys are really keen to discuss some of the unusual and interesting features and design choices. ...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 590 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian wrecks another guitar and ponders what it is like to be knobyfied! Brian once again eschews the uniform requirements for the podcast much to the chagrin of Richard and Blake and he now looks 20% scarier. Dave Mustaine is in the news for covering a Metallica song as a bow out on his final Megadeth album and the guys are all for it. Meanwhile Richard is unwell and has discovered his father ...

Brian, Blake, and Richard are back for Episode 589 of the Chasing Tone Podcast - Brian's ears are burning and introducing the Wampler Mini EGO 76 Brian discovers someone has been talking about him and then breaks down a little bit of knowledge about his latest miniature marvel, The Wampler Mini EGO 76 . He also discovers words are difficult when trying to describe pedals. There is some questionable electronics discussion which you should definitely avoid. The British King of Fuzz is outraged ...