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

There are a lot of DIYers out there that want to take their hobby to the next level and start their own pedal company. But where do you start? How do you market yourself in the social media marketing age? How do you build relationships with potential customers? And how do you balance the demands of answering emails, designing new product, and pushing numbers? Brian and Blake discuss the ups and do...

Brian catches up with Andy Martin, formerly of Pro Guitar Shop and the Tone Report, now with Reverb after his first NAMM. Get to know Andy as Brian asks him about his beginnings with PGS, his gear, his influences and his favorite pedal of all times. Just a heads up, this interview was recorded at the Earthquaker Party and there is quite a bit of background noise, but the conversation comes through...

In this bonus edition of Chasing Tone, Blake and Brian discuss artist endorsements. Does a big name equal big sales? Not in every instance. The guys explain. Andy Martin of Reverb, formerly of PGS, just experienced his first NAMM and had a sitdown interview with Brian. That is in an upcoming episode stay tuned. And it seems, if you are listening to this podcast you may not be watching us on the Yo...

Blake and Brian decompress after their return from NAMM. What they saw and a few of their favorite things. It’s Lyft Vs Uber, Brian had an experience. And Blake tried to carjack an Uber ride from a big name in the gear industry. Another company brought hand sanitizer?? Brian tried to crash a post prom party, and a shake up in the social media world shake up. All in this weeks Chasing Tone Podcast....

It’s a reunion of the original Chasing Tone Cast as Brian catches up with Travis and Max. You go to a gig knowing you will not be able to use your amp on stage. What choices do you have? The guys talk about options for going direct in. Brian educates Travis and Max on what impulse responses are, how they are used, and why they need them in their lives. And what gear are you longing for? Max, Travi...

It’s a reunion of the original Chasing Tone Cast as Brian catches up with Travis and Max. Max and Travis discuss how being in the industry changed their perspective on gear. And how that has changed now that they are out of the business The guys share what is on their pedal boards. Travis’ board has a theme. Travis shares his C.C. Deville story and what really drives Brian to do what he does. All...

A reviewer took one of our competitors to task over using surface mount in their pedal design. Brian sets the record straight on why it is necessary and the differences between the two. There are some “cheap” pedals on the market, but that does not mean they are necessarily bad. In fact some have some pretty good circuits under the hood. Brian and Blake discuss a few. Some things are released befo...

Ibanez just came out with a tube based tubescreamer based on Korg’s new Nutube technology. Brian and Blake discuss the new pedal and the tech behind it. It is easy to feel like you know the podcasters you listen to. Makes it cool when you meet them in person, but what is it like for the podcaster? And speaking of tubescreamers. The guys discuss the differences between the TS9 and the TS808. Is a C...

Happy New Year! Brian and Blake are ready to kick off 2018 with their gear resolutions. What are some of yours? Christmas break at the Wampler shops gives Brian a chance to decompress. Find out how he unwinds. Brian reveals his new online venture complete with some DIY kits you can get. And speaking of DIY, he has a Book update! Acoustic Guitars, nostalgic gear, Skype tone and military time all th...

Brian recently released a video about differences in Tubescreamers. How there really isn’t any. It started a firestorm on the social medias. He and Blake rip the band-aid off the wound. People asks why some “simple circuit” pedals cost so much. But there are a lot of layers in the cost of making a pedal or any gear. The guys talk about it. Blake is not a fan of tube based pedals AND he is getting...

There was a recent article claiming that Apple would be ending their downloading service in favor of a streaming platform. Blake and Brian discuss what this could mean for the music industry and how it could influence the gear market. Money in the music industry seems to be loaded in favor of the labels, leaving artists struggling even when successful. The guys talk about how deals are struck and...

Stereo rigs can be awesome. But they have some issues to overcome as well. Brian and Blake talk about working through it. You see gear reviews and demos on YouTube, but do you understand the difference between the two? The guys talk about how it all works. Listening to Rush on the way home from the gym got Brian lamenting the future of music. Will there be another Rush? Blake tries to assure him t...

Delays are useful. But how long of a delay do you really need? How long is too long? Blake and Brian look at it. Brian has a drummer issue. Why won’t his software drummers “play along”? The guys discuss how the digital world mirrors the real world. Blake got a baritone guitar. He shares the tones he is getting through his fuzz pedals. Beard talk, Boutique Strings, and Wampler’s impending release....

Blake is back and ready to talk gear with Brian. A listener asks where to put an amp-in-a-box pedal in their rig? Near the guitar? Near the amp? Somewhere between? The guys share their thoughts. Blake got some new gear. A new guitar with an innovative twist and a pretty cool reverb pedal, and Brian talks about his Black Friday dilemma. Brian’s Les Paul is breaking his heart? Mushrooms in Chili? An...

Brian sits down and answers some of your questions. Ever wonder why someone hasn’t put out a pedal tailored to a specific Amp? One listener has, and gets Brian’s perspective on the idea. Do we think cheap pedals sound less than they should, just because they are cheap? Brian discusses the “placebo” effect and how it can lead some players astray. We hear about pedals or amps that are low, medium, o...

Brian sits down and answers some of your questions. A DIY’er wants Brian’s opinion on circuit components. Polyester vs Tantalum capacitors. What affect the orientation of components has on the tone of the circuit. Brian breaks open the breadboard with some insight. A listener wants advice on what the best overdrive and distortion pedals that will work best with his rig. Would the Tumnus or Pinnacl...

Joe Bonamassa blew up the internet with some derogatory comments about effects and players who use them. Was it a tongue in cheek moment? Was it taken out of context? Brian and Blake discuss the rant. Blake has a new amp, and it has no tubes?? The guys talk about Blake’s journey into the solid state world. Brian has an update on his second revision of his DIY book. And you won’t believe the latest...

If you have ever wanted to see how the “boutique” gear market worked in it’s earliest inception you will want to find and read “The Goose, The Middle Man, The Idol Maker, and the Gomer Pyle” It is an eye opening read that Brian and Blake try to break down and bring you the highlights. They also discuss the differences in the gear market today. You can find a copy of the original post at the websit...

Blakes back from Fear the Riff in NYC and Brian is land locked by a local community festival. Seems like a good time to do a podcast. The Goose, The Middle Man, The Idol Maker, and the Gomer Pyle. An amazing article about the origins of what we know today as the Boutique Gear market. Brian and Blake talk about it. Brian recently went to a Garth Brooks show. That takes Blake down memory lane to his...

Blake joins Brian in this week’s podcast. Common question with no common answer. “Suggested settings” to get “that” tone. Is there a baseline? Is there a true “this is that sound setting” that works for every player? The guys talk about it. Their is a gear show coming up in NYC. Who is going and what is it about? The workday is done, your significant other is off doing what they do and you find yo...

Our Wampler teammate, brother in arms, grumpy friend from across the pond, Jason Wilding joins Brian for this weeks tone adventure. So we here at Wampler put a lot of thought and strategy into releasing a new pedal. From social media to demos and the like, it should be a fine oiled machine. But when someone outside our control decides to release a pedal early? Brian and Jason share their frustrati...

At the 2017 Winter NAMM we sat down withsome Amp and Pedal Builders to get their insights onthe Tone industry, it's future, and what their companies are doing to advance the pursuit of tone. We talked to - Dave Friedman - Friedman Bruce Egnater - Egnater Amplification Joe Morgan - Morgan Amplification Josh Scott - JHS Pedals Roger Smith - Source Audio Aen Hinz - Dwarfcraft Devices Brian Neuna...

One of the most common questions we get through our website is this:"How should I set my _____ pedal to get the sound from this song ______ ?” Unfortunately, that's something that we can't really answer. It depends on a myriad of different things including but not limited to what amp you're playing, how you have it set, what guitar you're playing, how loud you're play...

Travis calls in and catches up with Brian on what he is up to lately. The Doctor is in and Brian and Travis talk about it’s origins and when Travis plans to order his. Travis is putting down the Strat picking up his Les Paul and playing some 90’s covers. He talks about how he got better tone out of his Humbuckers. Impulse response is becoming a thing, just don’t tell Travis. He still writes and re...

Brian and Blake discuss their podcast setups and how much they enjoy listening to themselves(not) Brian is at it again. This time he gets to hang out with Warren Haynes of Govt Mule. He discusses a Wampler pedal that tries to capture that “Haynes Sound”. And more proof that tone is in the hands. And the question came up, “What is one widely loved band that you personally cannot connect with?” Bria...