$25.00
Celebrate the art of tone with The ToneQuest Report®—a year-end tribute to the builders, tinkerers, and serendipitous discoveries shaping modern sound. Dive into Ron Ellis’s Frisell and Bette humbucker sets, CJ Landry’s NASA-honed pedal restorations, and Riverhorse’s hunt for thunderous ’50s Tweed Deluxes. Rediscover practice discipline in “The Intervention,” then explore Maynard Madsen’s Custom GE Boost, marrying NOS germanium magic with heirloom-grade circuitry. Fender’s Rick Heins reflects on three decades of Blues Junior evolution, while Edward Zawadzki’s accidental P90 swap proves tone sometimes emerges by chance. From repair bench to stage, every story honors the living conversation between player and gear.
As the year closes, The ToneQuest Report® celebrates the enduring spirit of tone chasers and builders shaping tomorrow’s sounds from yesterday’s wisdom. Ron Ellis defines precision with his new Frisell and Bette Sets; CJ Landry bridges NASA engineering and analog mastery; and Maynard Madsen reignites the lost art of the germanium boost. Fender’s Rick Heins reflects on three decades of the Blues Junior legacy, while Riverhorse rediscovers Tweed magic and the discipline behind tone. Each story honors the sacred balance between player and gear—reminding us that whether repaired, reinvented, or discovered, tone is a living conversation.
Riverhorse
Ron Ellis shares the design evolution behind his acclaimed Frisell Signature and Bette humbucker sets. With insights into magnet blends, wire tension, and tonal clarity, Ellis reveals how note-to-note balance transforms feel and harmonic bloom. From jazz nuance to rock authority, his pickups deliver an unmistakable vintage clarity that sings with depth and dimension—an engineer’s art turned musical revelation.
Riverhorse
From NASA’s high-tech labs to vintage pedal resurrection, CJ Landry’s life story is a masterclass in applied passion. Revered by Analog Mike and countless tone veterans, Landry’s meticulous repairs restore the magic of Deluxe Memory Mans, Octavias, and flangers long thought gone. His deep knowledge of circuits and sound preserves analog history for the modern player, ensuring that every repaired pedal still tells its story in tone.
Riverhorse
Riverhorse chronicles a quest to track down two elusive 1950s Tweed Deluxes—and restore their thunder. With Soursound transformers and organ-pulled Jensens, the amps roar back to life in glorious midrange warmth and bloom. Paired with a Les Paul Junior and an Echoplex, the result is pure, dimensional tone alchemy. A nostalgic yet technical dive into what makes Tweeds timeless—and why they still move hearts and air today.
Riverhorse
After too many late-night jam sessions and tone experiments, Riverhorse turns the mirror inward for a creative “intervention.” Assigning himself five classic songs to master note-for-note—from Pink Floyd to Vince Gill—he rediscovers discipline, expression, and purpose. More than a reflection on practice, this short piece reminds us that tone isn’t only in the gear—it’s in the time, intent, and the player’s heart.
Scott Ulrichs
Builder Maynard Madsen shares the philosophy and painstaking process behind his Custom Shop GE Boost. From sourcing NOS germanium transistors to designing “heirloom-grade” circuits, Madsen blends audio precision with vintage soul. His pedal embodies saturation and clarity rather than sheer volume—delivering harmonic lift and focus that inspire artistry. Built for players chasing touch sensitivity, tone integrity, and a lifetime of musical resilience.
Scott Ulrichs
The Madsen GE Boost earns its place among tone essentials. Its simple layout hides deep versatility—three tonal voicings that add dimension, articulation, and harmonic sparkle. From tight stage mixes to studio warmth, it transforms clean and overdriven tones alike. Ulrichs explores how germanium magic, minimal circuitry, and a player’s touch can elevate a signal chain into a living, breathing voice of its own.
Pete Prown
Fender’s Rick Heins discusses the evolution and endurance of the Blues Junior line. Thirty years on, the compact tube combo continues to define working-player tone. Heins details its refined circuits, solid-state rectifier, and enduring appeal to those craving tube warmth without compromise. From home studios to stages worldwide, the Blues Junior’s reliability and musical voice prove that great design never stops evolving.
Pete Prown
Pete Prown test-drives Fender’s 30th Anniversary Blues Junior IV, revealing how its revoiced preamp, Celestion Creamback, and EL84s create a sound bigger than its size. It’s pure Fender—crystal clarity, dynamic warmth, and touch sensitivity that rewards every nuance. A faithful evolution of a modern classic, reminding us that great tone is as much about restraint as it is about firepower.
Edward Zawadzki-Our Guest in the Quest.
Guitarist Edward Zawadzki recounts how a simple pickup upgrade in his 2025 Ronin Junior, built from 500-year-old redwood, led to an unexpected tonal breakthrough. Intending to install an Ellis P90, he didn’t check the package closely and later discovered an Ellisonic had been installed instead. The result was Roy Buchanan territory tone that reshaped the Ronin into a uniquely expressive instrument. Rather than correct the mix-up, Edward embraced the discovery, reminding us that some of the most inspiring tones in the quest emerge through pure serendipity.