Do 5-watt amps suck? In the latest gearpocalypse, Catalinbread's Mini Fuzz is out here shrinking the Mosrite Fuzzrite's splattery '60s psych-freakery into a pedalboard bullet that turns your riffs into incense-scented chaos—because who needs room for nuance when you've got garage-rock napalm? Meanwhile, G&L Guitars just slammed the factory doors shut, auctioning off Leo Fender's late-life toys to the corporate overlords at Fender, proving once again that even guitar gods get swallowed by the beast for a quick buck. And if that's not enough existential whiplash, Strymon drops the Olivera in Big Shiny Tones episode 8, that oil-can delay wizardry slinging modulated echoes so oily and organic, it'll make your tones shimmer like a '50s lounge lizard's greased-back regrets. On top of all that, we need to know... do 5-watt amps suck?

Catalinbread Mini Fuzz, G&L Guitars Closing, Strymon Olivera - BIG SHINY TONES

Welcome to Big Shiny Tones, where we polish the tarnished tales of music history with a side of snark!

Catalinbread Mini Fuzz, G&L Guitars Closing, Strymon Olivera - BIG SHINY TONES

JAY LEONARD J & JONATHAN LINDSAY - BIG SHINY TONES