FOR THOSE WITH even a passing interest in the amp-modeling world, the Line 6 Helix needs no introduction. Released in 2015, it is arguably one of the pieces of gear that made digital amplifier modelin

When I recently showed a cassette tape to my 11-year-old daughter, she looked genuinely baffled. ‘What is it?’ she asked. My first thought was that I’d failed as a parent, but then I realised there’s

LATE-FIFTIES OIL CAN echoes are fascinating pieces of gear. Imagine a rotating disk submerged in oil and built-in pickups that work in tandem to recreate the delay. Sounds a little wacky, right? But s

‘We’re going to have a tonal centre and tap our feet, and that’s the way it is.’ Steve Reich is in full flow, talking to me from his home in New York. ‘The big break, the knife down the line, was betw

I’ve been surprised by how much time I’ve spent listening to this great little CD player. The design is simple, stylish and, thanks to the scrolling volume knob, lovely and tactile. The walnut sample

ON THE SURFACE, guitar trends in 1986 looked downright wild and perverse — a weird parade of shred-happy virtuosos, anthemic power pop heroes, dirtbag metalheads and eccentric alt-rock outsiders. But