The MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay first hit pedalboards in 2008, captivating guitar players the world over with its rich bucket-brigade warmth and elegant simplicity. Today, it’s the go-to standard for players who want a well-rounded, easy-to-use delay pedal that sounds incredible.

Since then, the Carbon Copy name has practically developed into a sub-brand of its own. In 2015, we released the Carbon Copy Bright Analog Delay, a limited edition pedal that gave players all the functionality of the original but with a brighter sound. In 2017, we released the Carbon Copy Deluxe Analog Delay for those players who love the sound and user-interface of the original but want to exercise more control over their Carbon Copy Delay experience with more options for tone and performance. The year 2019 sees another join the fold in the form of the Carbon Copy Mini Analog Delay. It’s a must-have for players who need more freedom over their pedalboard real estate.

That makes three Carbon Copy Delays currently on offer, so you might be wondering which one is right for your needs as a player.

Let’s find out.

Shin Suzuki is the most celebrated amp and pedal designer in Japan, renowned by tonechasers the world over for his ability to faithfully recreate some of the most elusive sounds in music history. As proprietor of Shin’s Music in Tokyo, he has cultivated an unfailing ear for incredible tones. In 2016, Shin collaborated with the MXR Custom Shop to create the Shin-Juku™ Drive, a pedal widely praised for the way it captured the raw sonic complexity of a rare amplifier with a legendary reputation.

Shin and the MXR Custom Shop have come together once again to create the MXR Raijin Drive, a pedal that reinvents two iconic Japanese stompboxes—an overdrive and a distortion—with greater tonal range and usability so that those beloved sounds can keep up with the modern tone chase.

We sat down with Shin to talk about this new creation, what inspired him to design pedals, and more.

Despite the overwhelming consensus that compressors are one of the most indispensable studio tools, compressor pedals can be one of the most misunderstood effects. Some players swear by them, others avoid them. But if you need sustain without distortion or want to tame aggressive peaks and even out dynamics, a good compressor is the ticket. And when guitarists think about compressor pedals, they think about a little red box called the MXR® Dyna Comp® Compressor.

Released in 1972, the Dyna Comp Compressor featured simple, straightforward controls—labeled Output and Sensitivity—to govern the volume and compression levels, respectively. Inside, it contained the coveted CA3080 metal can integrated circuit, which remains a key component to its sound and vibe.

We recently changed up the packaging for Dunlop Strings, so we thought we’d take a few minutes to show what that means for you as a Dunlop Strings user. And yeah, we’re just talking about packaging in this article, but we think that even the little things matter.

We’ll use a pack of Performance+ Strings to show what you can expect when you buy your next set of Dunlop Strings.

We’ve been exploring the possibilities of pick design since day one, always asking what else is possible and what more can be done to provide an improved playing experience. Tortex® Picks embody that pursuit—their bright, crisp attack and grip-enhancing matte surface are the result of a special treatment process painstakingly developed by Jim Dunlop more than 30 years ago. But we continue to ask what more is possible with Tortex Picks.

One way we’ve explored that question is through the expansion of available shapes. That’s because using a different shape can drastically change how a pick feels in your hands and interacts with your guitar strings. Today, Tortex Picks come in 13 different Tortex Pick shapes, more than any of our other pick lines. Here’s what each has to offer.