ToneQuest Report: July – August 2025 – Vol. 26, No. 9-10

The Inside:

Shape Your Signal. Refine Your Voice.

Daniel Steinhardt – The GigRig & That Pedal Show
—Riverhorse
From harmonizing in Brisbane to co-founding GigRig and That Pedal Show, Daniel Steinhardt reveals his tone-driven journey, pedalboard evolution, and game-changing rig innovations. Get inside his pedal order principles, gear picks, and how he became a modern tone architect admired by players like Noel Gallagher and Andy Timmons.

Pedal Placement Wisdom
—Riverhorse
Daniel Steinhardt breaks down the true art and science of pedal order. Beyond tradition, it’s about gain staging, tone stacking, and getting your rig to respond like an extension of your soul. An essential deep-dive for anyone chasing crystal-clear boosts to saturated vintage fuzz.

Duke Robillard Meets Soulshot Featuring Andy Bassford and Mark Berney: Two Guitars—One Sound
—Pete Prown
What happens when blues titan Duke Robillard joins reggae session legend Andy Bassford? A unique blend of rocksteady soul, vintage Fender tones, and joyful studio interplay. They break down every amp, guitar, and tone concept behind their genre-fusing collaboration with Soulshot.

Sarno Music Solutions – Brad Sarno The Mind Behind The Steel Guitar Black Box
—Scott Ulrichs
Builder Brad Sarno unpacks the origin and tone philosophy behind the Steel Guitar Black Box—a tube-buffered pedalboard savior that preserves clarity, warmth, and dynamics. Used by John Mayer and Umphrey’s McGee, this one’s built for tone obsessives who want their signal chain to sound alive.

The Sarno Black Box Review – Gotta Black Magic Woman
—Scott Ulrichs
The Black Box Mini gets road tested and delivers—quiet, warm, analog, and touch-responsive. Whether acoustic or electric, Sarno’s design brings out a guitar’s natural character and preserves tone integrity across long pedal chains. A must-know for players seeking better “feel.”

Jay Schreiber Niche Devices –The Humboldt Preamp
—Riverhorse
From drummer to pedal designer, Jay Schreiber created the Humboldt Preamp to solve everything he hated about over-squashed compressors. With optical compression, clean boost, and transformer warmth, the Humboldt is an always-on tone enhancer that flat-out inspires great playing.

Humboldt Preamp & Dakota Compressor Reviews
—Riverhorse
We road test the gold-painted Humboldt Preamp and discover clean headroom, fat Strat funk, and fat-feedback lead tones that bloom and soar. It flat-out makes everything sound better, with subtle transformer magic and player-friendly controls that dial in musical beauty fast.

Classic Rock Tone – Six Players Share Their Rig Tips
—Pete Prown
From Yardbirds’ Chris Dreja to Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and King Crimson’s Adrian Belew, six legendary players share the rigs, tones, and gear stories behind their iconic sound. Real-world wisdom and tone truth from players who defined decades.

Tommy Castro – Painkiller Blues
—Pete Prown
Bluesman Tommy Castro opens up about the gear and soul behind his latest album, Closer to the Bone. From vintage Strats to low-watt amps and toneful tremolo, Tommy keeps it raw, real, and irresistibly soulful. This is West Coast blues at its finest.

Jim Weider’s Masters of the Telecaster Camp 2025
—Scott Ulrichs
Jim Weider reflects on tone, Telecasters, and the return of his upstate New York Masters of the Telecaster Camp. Hear what amps and pedals he’s using now, and what players can expect from this year’s all-star lineup of Tele masters and immersive workshops.