MUSIKMESSE 2015: Boss SY-300 Guitar Synth and PW-3 Wah
The granddaddys of pedals release a compact wah and synth powerhouse.
With Roland mainly focusing on new pro audio tech (and some additions to the Blues Cube lineup), Boss' MUSIKMESSE guitar lineup is slim but rather intriguing. The granddaddys of the pedal market are showing off two brand new products, the SY-300 Guitar Synthesizer and PW-3 Wah Pedal.
The SY-300 is billed as a "true analogue-style synth for guitar" and, crucially, does not require any special pickup to operate. Taking a regular 1/4" jack input, the SY-300 delivers latency free response and comes pre-loaded with 70 ready-to-play patches. It is also compatible with Boss' Tone Studio software, allowing the user to create, edit, store and transfer up to 99 custom patches via the USB. Boss claim that the SY-300 also works with bass, making it a possible competitor for the Mark Bass Super Synth, which uses similar USB edit technology.
The SY-300 is listed at £499.
Boss also unveiled the new PW-3, an all-analogue wah in rugged housing. Designed to save precious pedalboard real estate, the PW-3 has a compact form factor and is build out of die-cast aluminium. Interestingly, the PW-3 also gives you some different sonic options by including Rich and Vintage modes, switchable on the back panel. Rich gives a fuller tone and avoids some of the low end roll-off present with many wahs, while switching to Vintage puts you back in familiar traditional territory.
The PW-3 is listed at £95.
MUSIKMESSE 2015: Marshall Astoria Series
A brand new all-valve series from the UK legend.
British amplification legends Marshall have unveiled a brand new, all valve line. Constructed in the Marshall factory in Bletchley, England, the Astoria range features three all-valve, 30 watt models with each available as a combo or head and matching 1x12 cabinet.
Marshall's website describes the three distinct models:
"The Astoria Classic is a single channel amplifier that will appeal to purists who want loud, clean valve tone, and to boutique pedal enthusiasts who will find it the perfect pure-valve foundation for their sound.
The Astoria Custom is a single channel amplifier for tone seekers who want it vintage but with the convenience of contemporary features and switching: footswitchable valve driven FX Loop, tone shaping pull switches and footswitchable gain boost.
The Astoria Dual, with two footswitchable channels, goes from vintage pure-valve cleans, to dirty-sweet overdrive, to higher gain harmonic distortion. Combine this with footswitchable FX Loop and extended tonal shaping for added performance flexibility."
The boutique styling and UK build make the Astoria series a very promising proposition. With availability listed as Summer 2015, these are certainly an Amp Of The Year contender.
MUSIKMESSE 2015: TC Electronic Ditto Stereo Looper
TC Electronic have announced the Ditto Stereo Looper, an evolution of their wildly successful Ditto Looper. This new iteration adds stereo inputs and outputs, plus an import/export function for getting loops in and out of the pedal for editing or storage on your Mac or PC. Launched alongside the Stereo Ditto, TC's new Star Jam library provides backing tracks from Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci, Greg Koch and more, all of which can be imported to the pedal via the USB connection.
Visual Sound Becomes Truetone
The US manufacturer announces name change and new products.
After 20 years of producing high quality guitar pedals, Visual Sound have changed their name to Truetone. In a statement on the company's website, company president Bob Weil explains:
“The name of the company was derived from the first product I invented, Visual Volume;
the volume pedal with a 10 LED scale to indicate volume level. That was the product that
launched Visual Sound at the beginning of 1995. While Visual Volume was the
cornerstone of the company back then, it became a secondary product over the past 20-
years. Now, we are best known for our effects pedals, including Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66
and H2O. In addition, our 1 SPOT power supplies and accessories have become the
industry standard. Our company motto has always been Real Tone for Real People,
which underscores our approach to making reliable, high-quality products, at a fair price.
With this in mind, we feel that our new name, Truetone, clearly states our vision in one
word.”
The site goes on to explain that the first Truetone branded products will be new Jekyll & Hyde V3 Overdrive and Distortion, and the as-yet-unseen 1 Spot Pro power supply.
Line 6 Announce Relay G70 Wireless Guitar System
The Calabasas-based manufacturer expand their digital wireless offering.
In the past few years, Line 6 have been making great strides into the digital wireless market. Their Relay G30 and G50 have become one of the go-to systems for semi-pro and professional guitars since their launch. However, with stiff competition from the like of Shure's GLX16D, the Calabasas-based brand have had to work hard to keep up.
Introducing the Relay G70...
Line 6's latest entry into the Relay series features a receiver packed into a pedal-sized housing, making it perfect for guitarists with an established pedalboard setup, and supports connection to multiple transmitters, allowing for seamless switching between instruments. These instruments can then be routed to two different outputs, meaning that an acoustic instrument could be sent to a PA system and eliminating the need for an A/B switch. At under 1.5 milliseconds, Line 6 claim the G70 to have the lowest latency of any digital wireless system available today.
For more information, check out the Line 6 website.
Gibson Release $2,000,000 Eden Of Coronet SG
Who wouldn't want an SG made out of diamonds?
Hot on the heels of Fender's Custom Shop Pine Cone Strat, Gibson Brands have announced the Eden Of Coronet SG guitar. A collaboration with jewellery designer Aaron Shum, the Eden Of Coronet SG is covered by more than 400 carat diamonds and about 1.6 kilograms of 18k gold.
Speaking at Baselworld 2015, an event that usually showcases luxury watches, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz described the Eden Of Coronet as a step towards the brand's expansion into the luxury market: “The creativity comes from the process of blending ideas and cultures from different industries, which further solidifies Gibson beyond just a guitar brand. All along we’ve been striving to expand our business to different sectors of the consumer market and ‘Eden of Coronet’ is definitely an important milestone for what we target to achieve.”
Marshall Launch Class 5 Roulette Range
The legendary UK builder returns to one of their most popular models.
Marshall Amplification has announced a new Special Edition Class 5 Roulette series. Produced by Marshall's new Design Store, the Class 5 Roulettes are based on the C5-01 combo and the Class 5 Head, two of the most popular low-wattage valve amps of recent years. The head, cab and combo are handmade in the UK and are available in red or black.
The Class 5 Roulette combo features a specially designed 10” Celestion G10F-15 speaker, two ECC83 double triode preamp valves, a single EL84 pentode output valve, a three-band EQ and 5 watts of class A output power. Also included are a low power switch and headphone and speaker outputs.
The Class 5 Roulette sticks to the same specification as the combo, with the 16 ohm matching cab being open back for different tonal characteristics.
Chase Bliss Audio Announce Gravitas Analogue Tremolo
The Minneapolis boutique builder enters the world of tremolo.
Minneapolis based effects manufacturer Chase Bliss Audio have announced the Gravitas, an analogue tremolo pedal. Combining a standard volume modulation and a Brownface-inspired harmonic tremolo, the Gravitas uses an analogue signal path supported by digital controls.
The Gravitas retails for $299 and is listed as coming soon.
Electro-Harmonix Launch Holy Grail Neo Reverb
EHX add to their reverb lineup with the new Holy Grail Neo.
Adding to their already extensive reverb selection, Electro-Harmonix have launched the Holy Grail Neo. This new model uses the same housing as the ubiquitous Holy Grail Nano and replaces the spacey Flerb with a slightly more traditional plate reverb. As with the Nano, the Neo features a three-way selection switch and a reverb wet/dry control. Check out EHX's own demo below:
PRS Guitars Announce SE Alex Lifeson Thinline Acoustic
The Rush guitarist's latest signature model sports a slimmer thinline body.
PRS Guitars have announced a brand new signature model for Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson. Built to be road-ready, this new model includes some of the unique looks of Lifeson's Private Stock Angelus model and pairs them with a slimmer thinline body. Also included is an under-saddle pickup with volume and tone controls to perfect your on-stage tone.
Discussing his new signature model, Lifeson said "I was very pleased when PRS presented me with my SE Angelus acoustic, a beautiful guitar of stunning quality. It was in response to the challenge of building a guitar that shared the integrity and attention to detail that the Alex Lifeson Private Stock Angelus possesses in a package more broadly accessible. The SE Alex Lifeson Thinline is that model. Carefully selected materials, expert craftsmanship and a smart approach to concept resulted in a guitar that is beautiful to look at and rewarding to play."
More details are available on the PRS Guitars website.
Billie Joe Armstrong to open guitar store
Green Day frontman announced new Broken Guitars retail store.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has announced his his plans to open a guitar store with longtime collaborator, and Pinhead Gunpowder cohort, Bill Schneider. Named Broken Guitars, the store will open on April 3rd at 423, 40th St, Oakland, California. According to Schneider, the shop will open with around 75 guitars on display, with many culled from the collections of the proprietors. The store will also offer amplifiers and will have a technician on staff for repairs.
Epiphone announces new EON app
Epiphone have announced the brand new EON app aimed at fans of Epiphone guitars.
Epiphone have announced a brand new app aimed at fans of Epiphone guitars. The Epiphone Owner's Newsletter, or EON, app includes breaking news on Epiphone artists, in-depth interviews, steals and deals, video demos, a chord library, tuner and more.
Available for iOS and Android, the EON also includes an archive of vintage photos and catalogue excerpts that are sure to be a nice bonus for vintage guitar nerds.