From Elvis to Extreme Metal: A Chat w/ Taylor Danley

Ricky Sutton of Arcana Pickups rolls in to talk metal, hand-wound voodoo, and why the word “influencer” sounds like something you catch at a gas-station bathroom. He grew up in rural Tennessee, moved to Portland, and in 2016 decided metal deserved its own pickup company. Now he winds coils that make your amp behave like a caffeinated raccoon and dresses his guitars like they’re headed to war. We get into the black-metal aesthetic—yes, actual armor, hoods, spikes, swords—and his band Cavisum. Every Cavisum track has Arcana pickups on it, so if you want to hear what scatterwound fury does inside a mix, that’s your field test. We also wade into the eternal “art vs content” swamp and see what we can drudge up. This is a fun, surprisingly deep, and metal filled episode. Dive on in! Find Arcana arcanapickups.com • IG/YouTube/FB: @arcanapickups RAPIER20OFF for 20% off through September 30, 2025. Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Metal YouTuber and fellow Oregonian Taylor Danley shows up with riffs, opinions, and a tube-amp habit that could brown out a neighborhood. We trace the path from Elvis ukulele kid to extreme-metal lifer, then get into the real fight: cranked amps vs. modeling. We make the case for the Boss Tube Amp Expander (turn it up, keep your lease), why an Axe-Fx is the smartest carry-on, and how millimeters of mic placement beat a mile of copy-paste presets. We talk producers who actually make bands sound like bands (Adam D., Will Putney), the charm of leaving one or two “human” wobbles in the take, and why the Boss Katana is still the new-player cheat code. Gear heads get the goodies: Orange OR80, old Marshalls, NS-2 doing unglamorous hero work, the Metal Zone used tastefully (yes, it can be done), and the story behind Taylor’s Obsidian Audio boost plus a new preamp on the way. There’s record-store nostalgia, kids discovering Sabbath, a Corolla-vs-’69 Camaro tone analogy, and a very Portland pizza detour to land the plane. Good laughs, useful takeaways, zero gatekeeping. (Well, excpet for noisegates.) Check out the goods on the Obsidian Audio Website HERE https://www.obsidianaudiofx.com/ And Taylor's YouTube Channel HERE https://www.youtube.com/c/TaylorDanley Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mojotone has been “that place that has everything” for decades—but how did a parts house become an OEM powerhouse? Blake talks with Mojotone’s Andy Turner and Michael McWhorter about the wild ride from surplus pallets and a borrowed warehouse to building cabinets and amps for the biggest names in guitar. We dig into the early Mojotone years, why turning on an old 1-800 number suddenly flooded them with Fender calls, the ZZ Top/Billy Gibbons stage builds (banana-leaf wraps, anyone?), and how amp kits evolved from one-off requests into a full product line. The guys trace their OEM leap (hello, Gibson Goldtone era), the pickup journey from undercover “Custom Wound” to Quiet Coil noiseless singles, and the three-year quest to make a soundhole acoustic pickup that doesn’t, well, suck—plus the low-mid notch that changes everything. Also on deck: tubes vs. modeling, why passion beats spreadsheets in the musical-instrument (MI) world, and the classic Tone Mob lightning round... Boss favorites and pizza opinions included. Check them out on their website HERE https://mojotone.com/ Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some kids take apart toys. Jay Sasseen popped the backplate on a red Squier and never looked back. That curiosity turned into Parottdice Guitars, a Multnomah Village spotwhere weird gear and rad people hang out. We talk about the "gear flipping hustle" that became a real-deal guitar shop with a simple creed that actually works: fix things well, price things fair, remember names. Then we go treasure hunting. Melody Makers that sing, MIJ Fenders that convert haters, Firebrand oddballs, 80s Gibsons that rip, a Hondo rifle-shaped contraption with a trigger pickup selector, and Blake’s rat-rod EB-0 turned Bass VI that should not work but does. This is a very fun episode and there is something for everyone who loves the guitar, the MI industry, and weird dudes shooting the breeze. Check them out on their website HERE https://www.parrotdiceguitars.com/ Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Parker plays bass like a guy who read the manual and then set it on fire for warmth. We talk the strange magic of the Bass VI: why the new Squier Classic Vibe fixes the old headaches, and which mods turn wobble into weapon. Matt rolls through rigs like a responsible maniac: Ashdown heads into a 6x10 for moving air, the LB-30 with built-in load for civilised neighbors, and a Valeton GP-200 LT fly rig that costs less than a boutique patch cable yet somehow slaps. We rant about in-ears and keeping your hearing, praise vintage instruments for having the good kind of problems, reminisce about the Metal Zone, and argue whether the Hofner looks classy or like a violin cosplaying as a lunchbox. There is also pizza. Of course there is pizza. Bass VI as desert island instrument, studio Swiss Army knife, and riff enabler. Come for the bass. Stay for the sustain. You are gonna love this one! Give Matt a follow HERE https://www.instagram.com/mattparkerbass Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Vincent (a.k.a. DJLavalamp) joins the podcast to tell the story of how a punk kid with a busted guitar wound up building some of the most coveted point-to-point, vintage style guitar pedals on the planet. We get into the weird alchemy of germanium transistors (spoiler: they melt if you look at them sideways), scavenging tubes out of dead reel-to-reels, and why boutique pedals sometimes feel more like contraband than consumer goods. Chris also gets into on the pedal community’s kindness, how running your own business is equal parts dream job and nervous breakdown, and why chasing tones is like chasing the world’s best slice of pizza—you’ll never stop, and that’s the point. Check out his stuff on his website HERE https://www.r2relectric.com/ Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re dusting off a true gem from the Tone Mob archives! My 2019 conversation with Mike Mitchell of The Kingsmen. Recorded live in a Portland cigar bar, this one dives into the chaotic birth of garage rock and the most famous three chords in history: Louie Louie. Mike tells the story of how the band cut the track in a one-hour, $36 recording session — and then somehow wound up under FBI investigation because nobody could understand the freakin' lyrics. (Imagine J. Edgar Hoover, in a suit and sensible heels, spending taxpayer money trying to figure out if a bunch of teenagers were singing about naughty, naughty things. You can’t make this stuff up.) We also get into the invention of Sunn Amps, how their pants-blowing stage volume influenced Hendrix, The Who, and the Stones, and why some folks consider The Kingsmen the accidental godfathers of punk. The Kingsmen's FBI story has been making the rounds on the internet lately, and I thought it fitting to have folks hear it from the man himself. It’s a reminder that rock ’n’ roll has always been loud, messy, a little stupid, and that’s exactly why it’s beautiful. So crank this one up, blow your hair back, and enjoy some history from the loudest living room in America. RIP Mike Mitchell. Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hold on to your hats folks! Morgoth Beatz is back, and yet again, he's got a whole lot more than just a cool name. After a couple of years off, the man behind Seven Hours After Violet talks about going from studio wizardry to touring the globe with the likes of Korn, Slipknot, and Avenged Sevenfold. What started as a small project with Shavo from System of a Down has exploded into one of metal's newest heavyweights, and Morgoth's here to spill the beans. They get into the gritty details of how this all came together, the weird evolution of the band’s name, and the musical blend that’s heavier than your grandmother's 1979 Cadillac. But hey, if you're looking for just the music, this episode's not for you. We're talking pedals, production hacks, and why a bass six might just be the best thing since sliced bread. And, as always, we finish strong with a deep dive into the important things in life: smash burgers. Lets get into it! Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do world-class pizza and handbuilt guitars have in common? More than you'd think! On this episode of The Tone Mob Podcast, Blake sits down with Ian Galbraith, owner of Carlson Block—an incredible pizzeria tucked in the tiny town of Wilkeson, Washington. Ian shares the story of how he left photography behind to restore a 1910 building, build a life in a town of 500, and create pizza that people will drive hours for. But that’s just half the pie. The other half? Guitars. Lots of them. Ian talks about falling in love with the instrument, assembling his own custom builds, and his obsession with working on guitars just as much as playing them. There’s gear talk, shoutouts to boutique pickup winders (like Sunday Handwound), Boss pedals, and a heartfelt conversation about balancing passion and burnout. Also: brisket, pastrami, what makes a perfect New York slice, and the emotional power of nostalgic pizza joints. Check out all the deets on Ian's website HERE https://www.carlsonblock.com/ Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew Patrick of The Carolyn joins Blake to talk tone, songwriting, and the joys (and occasional heartbreak) of Les Pauls that refuse to stay in tune. They get into the band’s humble beginnings, Andrew’s early love for whiny punk-pop, and why their latest record Pyramid Scheme of Grief nearly didn’t sound the way it was supposed to (spoiler: the Kemper got benched). Also covered: • The Milkman Amp that saved Andrew’s rig • Embracing “the suck” as a guitarist • Internet trolls and why none of them are Steve Vai • The difference between a good tone and a good mix • Tube screamers, Blues Drivers, and the underrated OD-1 • Why music doesn't have to be your job to matter Plus: gear chat, writing dynamics, keeping your amp happy with a Brown Box, and a shared appreciation for greasy New York pizza that borders on insanity. Support The Show And Connect! The Text Chat is back! Hit me up at (503) 751-8577 You can also help out with your gear buying habits by purchasing stuff from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/reverb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/sweetwater⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or grabbing your guitar/bass strings from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/stringjoy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Release your music via DistroKid and save 30% by going to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tonemob.com/distrokid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices