Dipped in Tone goes live for the first time at Fretboard Summit 2026 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Rhett, Zach, and Addison open with the most interesting things they’ve found at the show: Addison is carrying a limited edition acoustic from a Quebec builder — only 15 made, Adirondack spruce top, maple back and sides, slotted headstock — and it plays warmer and more balanced than it has any right to. Rhett found a fully analog speaker cabinet emulator prototype at the Bartle Amplification booth that looks like it came out of an Abbey Road session circa 1964. Then comes the hot takes — John O’Keefe argues vintage guitars aren’t worth the premium over modern alternatives, a live audience member makes the compelling case that the true sound of rock and roll is amplification rather than guitar or drums, and a second live take on whether music notation is uniquely hard for guitarists gets a detailed rebuttal from Corey Congilio that actually settles it. Four rigs get dipped live: an ambient backyard board with vintage classroom projector cabs, a pristine JM and Alessandro Fiore combo that earns a rare ten, a “trigger warning” rig stuffed with headless guitars and a switcher, and Josh Scott’s expression-pedal-controlled monster board — built during mountain bike crash recovery — with two redacted upcoming JHS releases hiding in plain sight. Jonathan Stout closes the show with the best single take of the day: gear is simultaneously the least and most important thing.

Submit your hot takes: dippedintone@gmail.com Fretboard Journal: https://fretboardjournal.com Little H Collective (Steven’s music): https://littlehcollective.bandcamp.com

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

Timestamps: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:13 Live at Fretboard Summit 2026 00:01:37 Addison’s Favorite Find: The Quebec Acoustic 00:04:16 Rhett’s Favorite Find: Bartle Amplification Prototype 00:06:50 Hot Take: Vintage Guitars Aren’t Worth the Money 00:10:58 Live Hot Take: The Sound of Rock and Roll Is Amplification 00:13:45 How Technology and Music Move Together 00:14:45 Live Hot Take: Guitar Notation Isn’t Uniquely Hard 00:17:30 Corey Congilio’s Rebuttal 00:19:55 Rig Dip: Steven’s Ambient Backyard Board 00:26:19 Rig Dip: John’s JM & Alessandro Fiore Rig 00:31:31 Rig Dip: Matthew’s Trigger Warning Rig 00:36:22 Rig Dip: Josh Scott’s Expression Board & Redacted JHS Pedals 00:45:30 Should Rig Owners Be Present During the Review? 00:46:50 Jonathan Stout: Gear Is the Least and Most Important Thing

Affiliate Links Gear Dipped — John’s rig

Gibson Custom Shop SG → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/qWq20O ProCo RAT 2 → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/aNkWLQ Benson Amps Preamp Pedal → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/AgDEAD Catalinbread Belle Epoch Deluxe → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/Gb5ZQB EHX Deluxe Memory Man 1100-TT → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/VOW6Qk Universal Audio OX Amp Attenuator → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ZVDymW

Gear Dipped — Matthew’s rig

Fender Player II Stratocaster → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/X4qXrM D’Angelico Excel DC → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/B5Q2G4 Blackstar St. James EL34 112 combo → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/WOLG9n TC Electronic PolyTune 3 Mini → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/2R3WgG Wampler Belle → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/R0X6Yy Source Audio Nemesis Delay → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/4aYWRG Universal Audio UAFX Golden Reverberator → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/dyA73y JHS 3 Series Fuzz → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/qWq2kO

Gear Dipped — Josh Scott’s rig Boss JB-2 Angry Driver → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/PzZ6kM Keeley Octa Psi → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/enGAB6 Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/aNkW6q Boss RV-200 Reverb → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/n4z2BR

Gear We Use Universal Audio Apollo Twin X Duo Gen 2 → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/gRVWQg Shure SM7B → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/X4qX5G Universal Audio Volt 2 → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/oNWyao Mac Mini (M4) → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/B5Q2YB Sennheiser HD 280 Pro → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/WOLGPJ Mogami Gold Studio mic cable, 10ft → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/0G3dBO Gator Elite Series Main Desk, Black → https://sweetwater.sjv.io/n4z2eV

Today we're joined by friend of the show @coreycongilio A fantastic guitar player and educator with countless gigs under his belt, we dive into to preparing for early days of gigging. The guys walk through some of things you have to do before and during a gig to help be ready, battle nerves, and being a good hang.

Learn more about Corey's Lessons Here https://workingclassguitar.com/

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro 00:07:30 Mythos Enclosures 00:08:38 Thanks so much Patrons! 00:12:35 Hot Take 00:16:34 Heritage headstock or Gibson headstock? 00:23:13 Main Topic 00:25:00 The best place to start as a gigging musician 00:27:35 Being prepared 00:30:00 Understanding your gear 00:31:30 Having a pedalboard professionally built 00:33:50 Cable routing 00:35:00 Can you get by with less? 00:37:10 Listen back to your performances 00:42:15 About your attitude 00:45:30 Have fun! 00:47:03 Smile through every mistake 00:48:45 John Osborne mistake 00:50:30 Battling nerves 00:57:28 Rig Dip 01:10:55 Thanks again Patrons! 01:11:05 Big thanks to Corey Congilio!

Rhett and Zach catch up while Rhett is on tour with The Midnight. We dive into all that's going on and go deep on why Zach want's a Pearly Gates Les Paul now that they are coming back. We touch on why Collings are some of the best guitars in the world and much more.

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

Time Stamps 00:01:24 Zach’s Update 00:03:00 Mythos 3.0 00:04:25 Dental Talk 00:05:00 Rhett’s Update 00:08:19 Zach got a truck! 00:10:19 Thanks Patrons! 00:10:51 Merch Plug 00:11:28 Hot Take 00:17:58 WE NEED YOUR HOT TAKES & RIGS! 00:18:40 Pearly Gates 00:23:23 Shout out to Reverb 00:26:00 Flipping... who deserves these guitars? 00:27:27 Why does Gibson do this? 00:31:50 Nobody else does this quite as well 00:35:20 On Fender 00:39:20 Spending this amount of money on some else’s guitar 00:42:07 Collings Guitars 00:55:50 Zach is getting a laser cutter! 00:57:00 Rig Dip 01:07:05 Rhett’s Shill

On today's episode, we test out YouTube's new Gemini-powered AI thumbnail generator on a clip of Rhett — and the results are so uncanny that we go on the record: any channel using AI-generated thumbnails or AI B-roll gets an instant "do not recommend" from us. Plus a quick follow-up on the D'Addario/Suno AI controversy, a spicy hot take on whether Stratocasters or Telecasters are more versatile, and an announcement that Fretboard Summit rig-dip submissions are now open to anyone attending in person. Then we get into the real stuff: Addison, Zach, and Rhett each walk through their actual current rigs — Addison's in-ear-monitor church gig board built around a Quad Cortex Mini, Zach's stripped-down Marshall JCM800 and modified Flying V, and Rhett's elaborate Axe-Fx III touring rack built to sound like his records live. We close it out by rating a viewer's wet/dry rig submission from Renan.

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

00:00:00 Intro 00:00:30 Addison’s Update 00:01:45 Do you like trains? 00:03:53 Rhett’s Update 00:10:18 Thanks Patrons! 00:11:13 Come see us in Chicago at Fretboard Summit 00:11:58 SUBMIT YOUR RIG - dippedintone@gmail.com 00:13:10 AI Thumbnails 00:20:05 D’Addario - let’s move on… 00:23:35 Hot Take 00:34:19 Main Topic 00:35:22 Addison’s Summer Rig 00:51:32 Zach’s Summer Rig 00:58:17 Rhett’s Spring/Summer Touring Rig 01:07:20 Rig Dip 01:20:29 Join us on Patreon!

On today's episode, Rhett gives an update on the AI channel that was impersonating him — it's been taken down, but the bigger story is what's happening across YouTube right now: a cycling channel getting its video ripped off nearly scene-for-scene with AI voiceover, deepfake channels targeting female guitarists, and real creators quietly slipping AI-generated B-roll into otherwise genuine videos. Then a viewer hot take — "guitar culture and music culture aren't the same thing" — kicks off a real, personal conversation about hobbyist vs. professional identity, why we all feel pressure to monetize our passions, and why keeping something just for yourself might be the healthiest thing you can do. Plus a Patreon Q&A on how to find people to jam with if you're not on social media, a round of new music recommendations, an update on our live show at Fretboard Summit in Chicago, and we rate a viewer's genuinely wild daw-less synth-and-guitar rig.

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:18 Did you know we have Merch - dippedintone.com 00:01:22 Join us at Fretboard Summit! 00:02:11 Addison has a last name? 00:02:31 Thanks to all our Patrons! 00:03:00 AI still sucks, but Rhett’s imposter is gone 00:10:17 Addison’s Update 00:11:17 Zach’s Update 00:16:00 Hot Take 00:28:35 Taking care with our passions/hobbies 00:31:30 Zach’s got a new project coming 00:32:28 Wes Borland Masks 00:36:35 Patron Question - finding people to play music with 00:43:33 A quick conversation about Jazz 00:48:57 Radiohead? 00:50:03 Lyric or Melody? 00:54:09 What we’re listening to right now 01:00:27 Rig Dip! 01:10:35 Thanks again Patrons! 01:10:48 And don’t forget to join us live in person in August at Fretboard Summit 01:11:06 Merch Merch Merch! 01:11:21 What do you want us to talk about in the future? Drop your comment below!

BUY COOL GEAR (Affiliate Links): Universal Audio Enigmatic - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/o42Mve Fender Triple Caster - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/qzRMvq Suhr Classic S Antique - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEomG Benson Delay - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeEb4b Boss Roland DM-101 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/K0Nj5A TC 2290 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/e1oz26 Universal Audio Volt 876 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeko9M Boss Katana 50 Gen3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEom5 Shure 545 (new production) - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ravMyj Echo Fix EFX3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/APzZMK Helix Stadium - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/LKVnJa

On today's episode, Rhett, Zach, and Addison tackle a hot take that gets genuinely spicy: do all guitars actually sound the same? Then Rhett opens up about having his channel ripped off by an AI slop account (and what that's revealed about how broken YouTube's copyright system is), before the three of them dig into the state of the guitar store industry — why local shops are struggling, how Fender's direct-to-consumer push is undercutting its own dealers, the disappearing amp-repair trade, and what shop owners can actually do about it. Plus, an update on our live show at Fretboard Summit in Chicago, and we rate a viewer's rig — Gibson Flying V, Les Paul Jr., Dr. Z amps and all — to one of the highest scores we've ever given.

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:24 Zach’s Update 00:04:46 Addison’s Update 00:06:23 Rhett’s Update 00:11:00 HOT TAKE 00:22:42 How to hear the details better 00:30:23 Thanks Patrons! 00:30:38 Come join us LIVE at Fretboard Summit 00:32:52 Main Topic 00:44:11 Repair tech? Maybe it’s your new job! 01:02:10 Our unsolicited advice to local guitar stores 01:08:20 Rig Dip

BUY COOL GEAR (Affiliate Links): Universal Audio Enigmatic - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/o42Mve Fender Triple Caster - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/qzRMvq Suhr Classic S Antique - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEomG Benson Delay - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeEb4b Boss Roland DM-101 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/K0Nj5A TC 2290 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/e1oz26 Universal Audio Volt 876 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeko9M Boss Katana 50 Gen3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEom5 Shure 545 (new production) - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ravMyj Echo Fix EFX3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/APzZMK Helix Stadium - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/LKVnJa

On today's episode, Rhett, Zach, and Addison dig into a stack of Patreon questions: how to properly gainstage your drive pedals into an amp without going harsh and farty, whether the Jazzmaster's bridge design cost it the throne from the Stratocaster, and the non-gear skills every guitar player should be building (learn to solder, learn to play bass, record yourself). Plus, an update on our live show at Fretboard Summit in Chicago, and we rate a viewer's rig — and it does not go well./

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

00:00:00 Intro 00:00:35 Directionally challenged 00:05:30 E-Bikes 00:06:25 Addison Update 00:07:47 Zach Update 00:10:10 Rhett Update 00:11:48 We’re going to be at Fretboard Summit! 00:15:16 Thanks so much Patrons! 00:16:23 HOT TAKE 00:24:20 Gain Staging Overdrives 00:30:24 Being careful with wet effects 00:36:23 In a recording situation 00:37:04 When things get harsh 00:39:56 Learning your gear 00:40:50 Overlooked skills guitar players should work on 00:43:30 Troubleshooting 00:44:10 Learning to setup your instrument 00:45:25 Listen to your bandmates 00:46:16 Learn how to solder 00:48:09 Get a bass! 00:49:45 Rig Dip 01:00:52 Zach’s Shill 01:01:51 Rhett’s Shill 01:04:16 Addison’s Shill 01:06:51 Join us on Patreon

BUY COOL GEAR (Affiliate Links): Universal Audio Enigmatic - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/o42Mve Fender Triple Caster - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/qzRMvq Suhr Classic S Antique - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEomG Benson Delay - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeEb4b Boss Roland DM-101 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/K0Nj5A TC 2290 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/e1oz26 Universal Audio Volt 876 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeko9M Boss Katana 50 Gen3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEom5 Shure 545 (new production) - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ravMyj Echo Fix EFX3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/APzZMK Helix Stadium - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/LKVnJa

On Today's episode, Rhett & Zach address one of the biggest questions in tone: does one really need an always on pedal in their rig?

Big thanks to the sponsor of today's episode, Sweetwater! Make sure to check out all the gear we use here and more: https://www.sweetwater.com/shop/dipped-in-tone/

JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/dippedintone MERCH: https://www.dippedintone.com/merch FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/dippedintone

DIPPED IN TONE IS: Rhett Shull https://www.rhettshull.com Zach Broyles / Mythos Pedals https://mythospedals.com & https://highvoltageguitars.com Produced & Edited by Addison! https://www.instagram.com/addisonsauvan

00:00:00 Intro 00:00:13 Artificial Intelligence (a real human wrote these timestamps, I promise) 00:07:37 Thanks Patrons!! 00:08:04 Thanks to today’s sponsor, Sweetwater! 00:10:18 Life is hard 00:09:22 Rhett’s Update 00:12:02 Zach’s Update 00:17:08 Hot Take 00:21:40 MAIN TOPIC: Always On Pedals 00:33:36 Let’s rant about amp modelers 00:38:50 BBE Sonic Maximizer 00:40:36 Always on EQ pedals 00:43:15 Always on compressors 00:46:19 Somebody make this man a Distressor in a pedal! 00:49:28 Always on overdrives 00:54:00 Learn the fundamentals of gear! 00:56:51 Who wants to see a High Voltage “Amp Day”? 00:57:48 Rig Dip 01:07:30 Zach’s Shill 01:09:41 Thanks again Patrons 01:09:48 And thanks again to Sweetwater for sponsoring today’s episode

BUY COOL GEAR (Affiliate Links): Universal Audio Enigmatic - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/o42Mve Fender Triple Caster - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/qzRMvq Suhr Classic S Antique - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEomG Benson Delay - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeEb4b Boss Roland DM-101 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/K0Nj5A TC 2290 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/e1oz26 Universal Audio Volt 876 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/jeko9M Boss Katana 50 Gen3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/DyEom5 Shure 545 (new production) - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ravMyj Echo Fix EFX3 - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/APzZMK Helix Stadium - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/LKVnJa