Supro announce three new tube amplifiers
Three stylish new combos from Supro.
US amp manufacturer Supro have announced three new-all tube amp combos.
The Supro Titan, a 50 watt 1x10 combo with reverb and tremolo, the Jupiter 1x12 combo with three position rectifier, and Rhythm Master a 1x15 combo with reverb and tremolo, have all joined their ever-growing stable of classic valve amp designs.
Titan (1642RT)
The Supro Titan (£1229) is a 50 Watt, 1x10" tube combo that features the Class-A Supro sound. Intended for the gigging guitarist who needs a small size, yet high-power, the Titan is a vintage flavored amp tube that can handle the output from a massive pedal board full of fuzz, delay and other stomp-boxes, without the need for an effects loop.
Combining the traditional, cathode-biased, 6L6 power section found in the high power Supro amps of the 60’s with the cabinet dimensions of Supro's award-winning Tremo-Verb model (with HP10 driver), the Titan delivers unrivaled definition and projection in a remarkably compact, gig friendly package. Never sterile or clinical sounding, the Titan has a huge, warm, full bodied sound with enough volume to play any size venue.
Tube driven six-spring reverb and output tube tremolo add depth and dimension to the Titan’s glorious sound. As with all Supro reverb amps, the tremolo is found after the reverb, creating a haunting, vintage-correct modulated reverb effect that is unique to the Supro range.
FEATURES
· Class-A (50 Watts)
· Independent BASS and TREBLE controls
· All-tube reverb
· Output-tube tremolo
· Silicon Rectifier
· 6L6 power tubes
· 1×10 Supro HP10 HEMP CONE speaker
· Blue Rhino Hide tolex
· Assembled in NY, USA
· Engineered by Bruce Zinky, Thomas Elliot and David Koltai
TUBE COMPLEMENT
· 4x 12AX7
· 1x 12AT7
· 2x 5881 / 6L6
Supro Jupiter (1668RT)
The Supro Jupiter (£1329) is a top-of-the-line amp intended for the performing guitarist who needs a vintage sound that handles the output from a complex pedal rig. The Jupiter amplifier offers headroom punch and stage volume without sacrificing the fundamental dynamics and tonal characteristics that have made Supro amps famous.
The Jupiter model features Supro’s unique switchable rectifier topology, allowing musicians to select 35-Watts (Class A) or 45 / 60 watts (Class AB) to suit the gig at hand. The 35 watt cathode bias mode uses the legendary Thunderbolt power amp topology for a harmonically saturated, tube-rectified sound that combines wonderfully with this 1x12” platform. The 45 and 60 watt grid bias modes provide more volume and headroom as well as the faster transient response associated with Class AB power amps.
The switchable power amp topology of the Jupiter not only allows for players to change the texture and output volume of the amp but it also provides two very different, all-tube tremolo effects depending on whether Class A (cathode bias) or Class AB (grid bias) mode is selected. The cathode bias tremolo is vintage Valco/Supro all the way, where the overall depth of the effect changes along with the dynamics of your playing. The grid bias tremolo is gives a much deeper, stronger and more pronounced throbbing effect. Since the tremolo is performed by modulating the bias of the output tubes, the reverb necessarily comes before the tremolo effect, for a mesmerizing combination of pure tube reverb and tremolo when both effects are combined.
FEATURES
· Switchable Class-A (35 Watts) or Class-AB (45 / 60 Watts)
· Independent BASS and TREBLE controls
· All-tube reverb
· Output-tube tremolo
· Tube or Silicon Rectifier
· 6L6 power tubes
· 1×12 Supro HP12 HEMP CONE speaker
· 5U4 Tube Rectifier
· Blue Rhino Hide tolex
· Assembled in NY, USA
· Engineered by Bruce Zinky, Thomas Elliot and David Koltai
TUBE COMPLEMENT
· 4x 12AX7
· 1x 12AT7
· 2x 5881 / 6L6
· 1x 5U4
Supro Rhythm Master (1675RT)
The 1675RT Rhythm Master offers the huge, bold sound of the 1x15” Thunderbolt amp, but need a lush, all-tube reverb to fill out their sound. Rooted in Supro tradition, this vintage inspired model is loaded with independent bass and treble controls, six-spring long pan reverb, output tube tremolo and switchable Class A / Class AB power amp wiring for 35, 45 or 60 watts of vintage American tone.
The Rhythm Master’s USA made custom 15” driver is the most accurate and true sounding 15” guitar speaker on the market, with a full, broadband sound that is never muddy. To create this signature speaker, Supro worked with Eminence to combine the best elements of classic 15” speakers with modern construction methods and materials to achieve a vintage voiced driver with superior power handling and juicy bottom end.
The unique power amp topology of the Rhythm Master not only allows for players to change the texture and output volume of the amp but it also provides two very different, all-tube tremolo effects depending on whether Class A (cathode bias) or Class AB (grid bias) mode is selected. The cathode bias tremolo is vintage Valco/Supro all the way, where the overall depth of the effect changes along with the dynamics of your playing. The grid bias tremolo is gives a much deeper, stronger and more pronounced throbbing effect. Since the tremolo is performed by modulating the bias of the output tubes, the reverb necessarily comes before the tremolo effect, for a mesmerizing combination of pure tube reverb and tremolo when both effects are combined.
FEATURES
· Switchable Class-A (35 Watts) or Class-AB (45 / 60 Watts)
· Independent BASS and TREBLE controls
· All-tube reverb
· Output-tube tremolo
· Tube or Silicon Rectifier
· 6L6 power tubes
· 1×15 Supro TB15 speaker
· 5U4 Tube Rectifier
· Blue Rhino Hide tolex
· Assembled in NY, USA
· Engineered by Bruce Zinky, Thomas Elliot and David Koltai
TUBE COMPLEMENT
· 4x 12AX7
· 1x 12AT7
· 2x 5881 / 6L6
· 1x 5U4
Cog Effects release T-16 Analogue Octave
Is this the smallest ever analogue octave pedal?
British pedal manufacturer Cog Effects have announced a brand new analogue octave pedal, the T-16.
Designed to provide huge octave down tones in a tiny enclosure, the T-16 is an ideal solution when space is tight but you can't compromise on tone. In addition to level controls for your clean signal and one octave down, a variable Filter control is included to adjust the voice of the octave down signal from buzzy and synthy through to fat and subby tones.
Each T-16 is hand-built one at a time and features true bypass switching, engraved aluminium enclosure and no PCB-mounted jacks.
The T-16 retails at £140 and is built in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. For more information, visit www.cogeffects.co.uk
JColoccia Guitars announces Id overdrive
A little, green tone machine.
JColoccia Guitars has announced the the Id overdrive, a low to medium gain overdrive designed for driving a dirty amp, or on its own.
Featuring a 3 band EQ, and active mid control, the Id is capable of focusing on those lower mid frequencies which really define guitar tone. In the centre position, the mid control can fatten up single coil pickups and bring clarity to humbuckers and P90s.
The 3 position voice control allows you to switch between a neutral, warm drive in the center position, with progressively brighter and more aggressive drives in the right and left positions. The voice switch and EQ are very versatile and powerful, but were designed with ease of use in mind.
The Id can be purchased online from JColoccia Guitars for the introductory price of $129.00, with free shipping anywhere in the United States – www.jcolocciaguitars.com
Electro-Harmonix Announce Crayon Overdrive
One versatile overdrive with two sets of artwork? Weird.
Electro-Harmonix have today unveiled a brand new pedal, the Crayon Full Range Overdrive. Hot on the heels of last week's announcement of the Cock Fight, a brand new filter pedal, the New York company revealed the new pedal with a demo video:
With separate treble and bass EQ controls, the Crayon offers a wide range of tones, and sounds like it would be a great all-rounder for those looking to slim down their overdrive collection.
Electro-Harmonix Unveil Cock Fight Talking Wah
Electro-Harmonix whip out a new cocked wah.
Electro-Harmonix have announced the Cock Fight, a brand new filter pedal. Featuring two expressive filters with tunable frequencies, the Cock Fight produces cocked wah tones, without the need for a rocker control. The built-in fuzz can be added pre or post filter, and ranges from full on fuzz to "dying battery", all controlled by the Bias control. Check out EHX's video demo below:
Blackstar Amplification Launches Artist Series
Brand new 15 and 30 watt valve combos from the British builder.
Blackstar Amplification have announced the Artist series, a new range of low-wattage valve combos. The Artist 15, a 15 Watt, 1x12" combo and the Artist 30, a 30 Watt 2x12" combo are both powered by 6L6 valves and feature Celestion V-Type speakers. Both models offer 2 channels, with a lower-gain second channel designed to be used with effects pedals. Blackstar have also included an effects loop, reverb and their unique tone shaping circuit.
The Artist 15 and 30 combos will be available early November 2015 at £649 and £849 respectively.
The Gear of ArcTanGent: Alpha Male Tea Party
A look into the unique and bizarre set ups of the bands responsible for pushing effects driven music into new territories. In this episode we take a look at Alpha Male Tea Party's Tom peters and his absolutely bonkers double amp set up.
Over the last 3 years ArcTanGent Festival has been responsible for uniting some of the most interesting guitar music being made. Technically there have probably been more effect pedals in one place over the ATG weekend than there are in a Boss Factory.
Following another amazing year of ATG I caught up with some of the most brilliant bands playing the festival and had a chat with them about their weird and wonderful gear.
AMTP make jagged, sugary, super-tight Math-Rock, filled with brilliantly subtle rhythm changes, clever little twists, and ridiculously catchy riffs. Over the last 2 years of ATG Festival the band have earned themselves one of the top podium spots for riff-masters of the festival, and rightly so.
At the heart of this riff making machine is guitarist, Tom Peters, and his reassuringly unusual, obscure and complicated set up. I hooked up with Tom and got him to write down how on earth he goes about making his guitar tone so completely unique... and his answers were anything but simple:
Hi Gear Nerds. You’ve caught me in a somewhat transitional phase of my guitar rig having recently just acquired a Hayden Mofo 100 to replace my faithful but now sadly very ill Groove Tubes prototype plexi head thing and I’m also awaiting delivery of a brand new Boss ES8 switcher/looper for my board. As such, I’ll do this run down as if they are already in my setup, OK?
Walk me through your pedal board. What goes into what?
The most obvious place to start with my board is the Boss ES8 looper. I’ve been using looper/switchers for a while now (I’ve had a Carl Martin Combinator for the last 4 years or so) and this forms the main control surface for my board. I have quite a large amount of pedals and I’ve always hated tap dancing so having the ability to hit one button and engage several pedals at once, especially given how much I enjoy throwing myself around on stage, is pretty indispensable to me now. I decided to upgrade my current looper in favour of the Boss ES8 as it offers a ton more functionality which further cuts down on tap dancing and I’ll be using it’s MIDI control features to change patches and settings on the MIDI equipped pedals I have.
I’ll talk through each loop, like I said above this is purely hypothetical as it’s not even on my board yet!:
GUITAR IN > BOSS ES8
LOOP 1> DIGITECH WHAMMY 5
LOOP 2> BOSS OC2>EHX MICROPOG
LOOP 3> HERMIDA AUDIO ZEN DRIVE
LOOP 4> PAUL COCHRANE TIM
LOOP 5> AMP TWEAKER TIGHT METAL
LOOP 6> MXR SMART GATE>MXR 6 BAND EQ
LOOP 7> STRYMON TIMELINE
LOOP 8> STRYMON BLUESKY
It’s all then split stereo out of a Lehle P-Split box to my two amps. The P-split has a transformer isolated output to get rid of ground loops and also has a very handy phase flip on it which is great for getting the phase relationship right between my two amps.
The ES8 has a tuner out which runs to my Korg Pitch Black tuner.
What would consider the most important pedal on your board? If not a defining pedal, the one that gives your sound that edge.
I’d say that, whilst I have a lot of pedals on my board, my favourite sounds are just the straight up drive tones I use. A lot of my board is dedicated to different flavours of drive but at the core of ‘my sound’ (horrible term) is the Paul Cochrane Tim OD pedal. It’s an absolute beaut and I implore anyone to have a crack at one if they get chance, it’s just the best. I use it in conjunction with my Zen Drive pedal as my main drive tone and it’s the sound of those two pedals together that you’ll here the most in an AMTP set.
Interesting tones are so often the result of stacking rather than a single stomp box. Is there a selection of pedals that you find stack especially well to create something unusual?
As above really, the blend of the two drive pedals is what defines my tone but I also use a lot of octave pedals too, the POG with dirt is a favourite of mine. I also use in certain parts to get a really massive, swelly reverb tone a combination of the Bluesky set to a large room with the Timeline on a really fast pattern delay, it just gives a ton of extra depth in certain sections. I’m pretty conservative with my use of weirder effects in general although this is subject to change in the very near future...
What is your choice of amplification, what led you to this choice, and how do you make it your own?
I’ve run two amps for as long as I can remember. The basic premise behind this started when I realised my 20 watt Laney combo that I used to have just wasn’t loud enough on it’s own so I bought a head and started running stereo to give the verbs and delays and bit of extra oomph. The principle behind the way I set things up is to have one amp providing lots of sparkle and definition and the other providing girth, this is mostly necessary due to the choice of guitar I have which I’ll explain later.
My rigs changed loads of late and I’m very happy to say that I’m now endorsed by Hayden so my current setup is a Hayden Mofo 100 head with matching 4x12 and a Soldano Astroverb 16 2x12 combo. The Hayden is a heft monster and the Soldano is sparkly and gritty, it’s the blend of the amps which give me the punch and definition I like to hear. I adore the Soldano, it’s the most expensive thing I’ve ever bought but I don’t regret it one single bit. It’s an EL84 driven amp which means it doesn’t extend quite as low as something more hefty like the Hayden so the combination is spot on.
The Hayden has a pretty unusual valve combination by modern standards which is something I was drawn to; it uses two EL34s and two 6l6 valves in the output section which gives the Hayden has a pretty unusual valve combination by modern standards which is something I was drawn to; it uses two EL34s and two 6l6 valves in the output section which gives the amp a really unique character.
What is your choice of guitar, how did you come to play that guitar, and what makes you stick with it?
I’m a very stubborn Telecaster man. I have a good few other guitars and only one Tele but it’s my favourite guitar and I use it on everything. It’s a 2004 Fender Highway One Telecaster in Daphne Blue. I love it like a family member. It’s a particularly bright Tele, I’m not overly sure why but I really love it that way, it’s got this incredibly unmistakable smack and crunch to it which I just need to hear whenever I play guitar now. I’ve not played another instrument that has the same whallop as it. I guess in a way, I just like it so much because it’s the sound I’ve become so used to hearing, I got it when I was 15 and have played it ever since and it just feels like home to me now.
I was drawn to the Telecaster in the first place largely out of bullishness; I kept hearing people say things like ‘you can’t play heavy music on Fender Telecasters’ and the more I heard that, the more I wanted to prove everyone wrong. Of course, it doesn’t have the same low mid thud of a Gibson or other humbuckery guitar but it’s got so much life and character that I don’t really care and I set my amps up to compensate for that. For me, it’s an absolute winner.
Alpha Male Tea Party's new single, released on Superstar Destroyer Records from the forthcoming album 'Droids'. FUN TIMES FOR ALL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8ukWMvZyE www.alphamaleteaparty.com @alphamaleTparty www.facebook.com/alphamaleteparty
MXR Announces EVH 5150 Overdrive Pedal
MXR's latest collaboration with EVH deliver a huge range of overdriven tones, but will it make Jamie cry?
MXR have announced a brand new collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, the EVH 5150 Overdrive pedal. This versatile drive combines multi-stage MOSFETs with a three band passive EQ section to deliver a wide range of tones, from vintage crunch to scooped thrash. The boost switch kicks in extra gain and compression, while the adjustable Smart Gate reduces unwanted noise. As with much of the MXR lineup, the EVH 5150 Overdrive features true-bypass switching.
Watch our First Look video demo of the MXR EVH 5150 Overdrive:
The Gear of ArcTanGent: Bear Makes Ninja
A look into the unique and bizarre set ups of the bands responsible for pushing effects driven music into new territories. In this episode we take a look at Bear Makes Ninja's resident Jagmaster wielding tap dancer.
Over the last 3 years ArcTanGent Festival has been responsible for uniting some of the most interesting guitar music being made. Technically there have probably been more effect pedals in one place over the ATG weekend than there are in a Boss Factory.
Following another amazing year of ATG I caught up with some of the most brilliant bands playing the festival and had a chat with them about their weird and wonderful gear.
Bear Makes Ninja make quintessential British Math-Rock. Their classic 3-piece format allows each instrument to shine in its own completely unique way. Their quirky rhythm section is as off kilter as it is solid, and gives the effect crazed guitar enough room to flail wildly about in a refreshingly poppy fashion.
I hooked up with James, the band's Jagmaster wielding tap dancer, and asked him a few super nerdy questions about his set up...
Walk me through your pedal board. What goes into what?
Firstly, the board itself....I made it from a wooden pallet! I took inspiration from Pedaltrain and this crazy thing I saw online with the holes to tidy the cables away. It's the third one I've made so far and seems to be holding together nicely! I plan on painting it soon too.
Set up wise, I have the guitar going into a Behringer Compressor. This stays on permanently and just neatens up my tone a little bit, providing a bit more clarity and punch and it sustains really well too! I've had a few Behringers and have been replacing them as time goes by. They're great for anyone wanting an introduction to pedals without the high costs, but tonally some of them do suffer when compared to higher priced pedals.
From the compressor into my TC Electronics Polytune 2. I find that having the compressor first just helps the tuner to be a little more accurate, cutting tuning times down a little. The polytune is great, nice and accurate with a screen that I've never had problems reading from. It also has a power in AND out, meaning that I can power more pedals from this too!
I currently have an Artec Powerbrick, which I've mounted under the board, which powers the 8 pedals I have on there at the moment, but I feel I will have to upgrade this at some point soon!
Next, we go from the tuner and into the EHX Pitch Fork. This is a great little octave pedal, I'm using it mostly on the 1 up and 1 down setting, allowing me to play 3 octaves at once, which is great for single note riffage! It's one of the best octave pedal I've played in terms of tracking and you can even plug an expression pedal into it so you can pretty much use it like a digitech whammy!
The Pitch Fork then goes into a Nux Mod Core. I bought this a couple of years ago for about £30, mainly because it has ton of effects, which are really tweakable with the addition of a 'deluxe' switch, which essentially doubles the amount of effects on the pedal by adding extra beats and sweeps in the effects. I'm using the Phaser setting at the moment in a couple of tunes. I just wanted to play around with a few different noises and on my tight budget this was a great find!
The NUX goes into a Behringer Digital Reverb. This is one of the first pedals I bought, again because it had the most effects to experiment with for the cheapest price. I tend to use the Cave setting the most, but the Room setting is nice too. The 'Space' setting is my favourite, which adds octaves to the reverb. Mmmm octaves! I'm aiming to replace this pedal soon though as I've noticed that whilst it was a great introduction for me into Planet Verb, it seems to suck a lot of tone from the original guitar sound, compared to others I've tried more recently. My favourite so far is the Line 6 Verbzilla, which I think the Behringer is based on as it has a lot of the same effects, but there's so much more clarity and warmth with the Line 6.
Next up is another Behringer. This one has been my favourite and probably the most important pedal on my board. It's called an 'Ultra Shifter Harmonist' and the setting I bought it for is called 'Trem Bar'. With this, you can make your guitar sweep up or down an octave, or any note in between at a whole range of speeds, from siren-slow, to pretty much instantly. For a mere £35, it's provided me with loads of fun and although the other settings aren't really that great tracking-wise, sometimes that can provide an interesting, crapped-out sort of effect in itself! It's the pedal I mostly get asked about after we play at gigs.
From there is a Boss Mega Distortion, which gives me loads of distortion, but not too much that it goes into chuggy metal territory. I wanted a distortion that was nice and clear when playing 4, 5, or 6 note chords with high gain and this does the job well! For recording, I use a Wampler Slostortion, which is a bit more difficult for me to use live, but is a tad more versatile and has a bit more clarity in tone.
The last pedal is a Boss RC-30 Loopstation. This I use for live looping some guitar parts and also as a riff bank. I'll record ideas into it and save them on it's memory for practice sessions etc. You can also plug it into a computer and load samples onto it, or copy your saved loops onto your computer. Last Halloween, we loaded horror movie themes onto it and played them in between songs at a show we played!
Interesting tones are so often the result of stacking rather than a single stomp box. Is there a selection of pedals that you find stack especially well to create something unusual?
I've been using the Trem Bar setting on the Harmonist with the pitchfork for some meaty 3 octave sweeps and the Reverb and Mod Core pedals stack up nicely to create a 'Phasey cave' sound. Both of these feature quite a bit on the newBear Makes Ninja album we've just recorded and hope to release in March next year.
What is your choice of amplification, what led you to this choice, and how do you make it your own?
My current amp is one I've had for many years. It's a 100w Laney TF300 Valvestate combo, but I wasn't quite getting the power I wanted from the single 12" speaker that was supplied, so I bought a Kustom 4x12 cab and started running the combo through that. It was loads louder and clearer now, so I had no need for the single 12" speaker and promptly chopped it out, effectively making it a head unit and ultimately taking up less space in the van/car/train/bus/ferry! I then painted the wood I had used to make a new shell and fitted it with some old denim and some handmade glow-in-the-dark knobs! Ahhhh, pretty!
My favourite feature of this amp, and probably the reason I haven't upgraded yet is the 'Vibe' switch on the far right. I have no idea of the technicalities behind this switch, but it just makes everything more better! Without it, the distortion sounds fuzzy, but with it on, it's a lot tighter, and it just makes the cleans a lot fatter sounding too!
I did borrow a mates Marshall JCM 900 for a while, which was awesome so when I have the pennies I may have to invest in something with valves!
What is your choice of guitar, how did you come to play that guitar, and what makes you stick with it?
The Jagmaster has been my long time guitar of choice. It was a present for my 16th birthday, back when I worshipped grunge! I've had many guitars since, including a more recent remake of this model, but nothing has compared so far! I can't really pinpoint it as its half rusted out, half replaced, knocked and banged about, but I guess it's the feel of it. I've bought higher priced guitars that I thought would be similar, only to be disappointed and return to this one! The next guitar I hope to try out is a Vintage Modified Squier Jaguar HH. It's the closest thing I can find to my Jagmaster as Fender don't even make a version!
I mainly use the neck pickups on this guitar and I find the factory fitted humbuckers on this model produce a nice thick bluesy tone, whilst the bridge pickups have clear mids and highs without being too raspy.
Red Witch announce Zeus Bass Fuzz Suboctave
Red Witch are well known for great pedals....but this is incredible!
This is an incredibly exciting announcement for bass players everywhere! Red Witch have for a long time been responsible for some absolutely mind bogglingly dynamic effects. Their contribution to the fuzz world has been especially awesome; back in 2005 they introduced the Fuzz God II, a fuzz pedal so brilliantly quintessential of everything a guitar player wants from a fuzz pedal that bass players started trying to use it as well. Sadly, as is the case with a lot of effects designed for guitar, the Fuzz God just didn't have the range to deal with bass, and those stubby lows ended up compressed to buggery and disappearing in the mix.
As it turns out this is something that a lot of bass players mentioned to Red Witch, so much so that chief designer, Ben Fulton was coerced into building a pedal more suitable for those soupy lows. Behold, the Zeus Bass Fuzz Suboctaver. That's right, I said Suboctaver, because Ben didn't stop at making a brilliant fuzz pedal specifically designed with the bass player in mind, he went and chucked in a second effect into this box of goodness!
The Zeus allows unique control of each effect, meaning that this Fuzz has a second level of punch; tapping in that Suboctaver will add a layer of girth to the already bonkers sonic grit of the Zeus Fuzz. Truly unique, truly brilliant, a great addition to an already sterling selection of pedals from a great pedal brand!
Magnetic Effects introduces the White Atom MkII
A new versatile fuzz from the UK-based manufacturer.
UK-based manufacturer Magnetic Effects has introduced the White Atom MkII fuzz pedal. This versatile fuzz uses silicon and germanium transistors to create a wide range of sounds, from growly amp tones to 8-bit glitchiness. The MkII now features a tweaked tone control and top mounted jacks and power socket.
FEATURES:
Volume, Gain, Tone and Texture controls
- High input impedance and low output impedance
- Selected and tested Silicon and Germanium transistors
- 9V battery or 9V DC centre negative adapter powered
- True Bypass switching
- Reverse polarity protection
- Top mounted Jacks and DC socket
- 100% handmade
The White Atom is available now for £109.
Gibson Announces Billy Gibbons Ultimate SG
The girls go crazy for a sharp dressed guitar.
Gibson has announced a brand new collaboration with ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, the Ultimate SG. Crafted in the Gibson Custom Shop, the Ultimate SG takes inspiration from class car design and features a two-tier top, gold hardware and a '61-style vibrato unit. The two Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbuckers, dual volume and single tone control deliver characteristically raw tone.
The included hard case is hand painted by artist James Willis, and every guitar comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Billy Gibbons himself.
The Incredible Bass VI Pt. 1: Reintroduction and Reaction
The first in a 4 part series on the reintroduction and application of the Fender Bass VI in the instrument world and modern music.
In January of 2013 Fender did something to alter the landscape of the guitar manufacturing world, they introduced the Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI. The instrument didn't blow the roof off of anything, Gibson didn't go out of business off the back of it, Ibanez CEO's didn't throw themselves from buildings, but it did change things, more a rippling undercurrent than anything else, but probably the most influential release Fender had made in 20 years.
The Pawn Shop Bass VI was a hot-rodded take on the original 1961-75 Fender Bass VI that defined Tic-Tac, and was used so effectively by George Harrison on the Let It Be recordings. The Pawn Shop series wasn't especially mainstream for Fender, more Fender designers dipping their toes into a weirder line of models than they would attempt normally. So it must have come as something of a surprise to Fender when the range sold so prolifically. Certainly in the first few months of the instrument's release it was virtually impossible for Guitar Shops to stock the model so quickly were they being sold. Even the demo video that I did on the instrument had sold and was due to be shipped out as soon as I'd finished recording.
The success of the Pawn Shop Bass VI led to Fender quickly introducing a Fender Japan Model, Custom Shop model, and most importantly, a Squier Vintage Modified Bass VI. The latter was by far the most important, it ticked all the boxes that this bass needed to tick; it was a true reissue of the original, complete with the rubbish bridge, individual pick up selectors and 3 single coil pick-up arrangement, but most crucially, it was incredibly affordable, and maybe that was the point.
The Bass VI is such a unique instrument; too twangy for traditional bass players and with a tuning too low for guitarists to play open chords; taking a punt on an instrument that won't be suitable for all situations meant that, even though everyone wanted one, no-one wanted to shell out over £500 for one. The Vintage Modified version gave people an affordable entry point into what is essentially a completely new instrument.
It was the Squier model that truly changed everything. Sure enough shortly after it's introduction everyone was on it. Ibanez released an SR model, Eastwood, Warmoth. These days it has become simply part of the landscape, with no risk of being discontinued, the Bass VI has finally found its place in the instrument world...
...but what is that place, what do people actually use them for, and how can they integrate into a traditional band format without stepping on the toes of either a standard bass or guitar?
Dean Dimebag Signatures Now Fitted With DR High Voltage
The pointiest guitars now come fitted with the voltageiest strings.
Dean Guitar models such as the Dimebag, Razor Bolt, Razorback and Stealth Floyds will now ship with DR’s Hi-Voltage series, Dime’s strings of choice. Released in 2003, DR’s Hi-Voltage were the first guitar strings to utilize a protective wire treatment for longevity, durability and strength without sacrificing edge or tone.
Vinnie Paul, Darrell’s brother and band mate in Pantera and Damageplan, welcomes the partnership. “DIME knew the importance of every aspect of playing the guitar. That’s why he used DR, the best strings out there!!”
TC Electronic announce HyperGravity Compressor Pedal
A remarkably versatile Compressor from TC Electronic.
Today TC Electronic have unveiled another new pedal addition to their successful TonePrint series, and continuing recent form it's an absolute corker.
Introducing the TC Electronic HyperGravity compressor. Inevitable, I know, as it was just about the only standard line effect that TC hadn't bothered to put in a stomp box, but despite the predictability of its production it is, in fact, a wonderfully unique pedal within the world of single stomp box compressors.
TC boast that it'll, "make any guitarist's tone go from good to great" which is about the most uninspiring tag line I've ever read, but nonetheless it's true, if anything it's a gargantuan understatement, for the Hyper gravity isn't just an ordinary compressor, it's a multi-band compressor, the circuit is meticulously designed after TC's very own MD3 compression algorithms featured in the widely popular studio processor System 6000, so they're not lying when they say that it really is probably the most advanced compression circuit ever to be put into a stomp box format.
It features 3 modes; TonePrint and 2 very individual compression types. A vintage mode that allows the player to dial in a very dynacomp-cum-Boss CS-2 muddy, dark sounding squash; exactly the sort of compression a lot of classic and rock players look for. The second is a more modern truly dynamic mode that allows you to compress each frequency range independently much the same as you would be able to using an in studio compressor/limiter rack unit.
It's this mode that really sells the pedal. A lot of players looking for that classic compression will no doubt stick with brands that demonstrate a little more rock and roll kudos than TC. The dynamic mode is far more aimed at funk, country and a player looking for true sonic definition, clarity and transparency; exactly the sort of thing session players will have been gagging for, and of course this has always been more TC's market place.
As always the TonePrint feature is there allowing players to try out compression presets designed by some great players (mostly session), upload your own, and of course, it gives you access to the TonePrint Editor app, a great addition for players looking to really sculpt their tone, the App allows the manipulation of quite a few control ranges and presets, letting you get right down to the nitty-gritty.
The HyperGravity is all in all a very dynamic and wonderfully unique addition to the compressor world. If that wasn't enough it looks like it's going to hit shelves at around £99: critically cheap.
Marshall enter the smartphone market with "London"
Dual headphone jacks and global EQ make the London perfect for rock and roll fans on the go.
Traditionally known for their guitar amplifiers, Marshall have been making moves into the personal audio market with their extremely popular headphones and Bluetooth speakers. Now, the Milton Keynes based brand have partnered with Finnish firm, Creoir, to produce their first smartphone.
Billed as "the phone for music lovers" runs Android on a Snapdragon 410 chip (1.4GHz, quad-core), and utilises a Wolfson DSP. 16GB of internal storage, expandable via an SD card, should leave you with plenty of room for all the rock and roll you might want.
London also includes two headphones jacks, allowing you to share your tunes with a friend, as well as proprietary app that combines all your music sources (Spotify, music collection etc.) into one place, along with a global E.Q and support for audiophile-friendly FLAC files.
SUMMER NAMM 2015: TC Electronic unveil BodyRez
An Acoustic Pickup Enhancer for the masses.
From the press release:
The sound of resonating wood is what gives an acoustic guitar its particular sonic allure – something that doesn’t always translate well when you amplify an acoustic instrument using a piezo pick-up system.
Based on the very same unique technology first available in TC-Helicon’s Play Acoustic, BodyRezis designed to sweeten the tone of an acoustic guitar’s piezo pickup making it sound much more natural and realistic: the way a beautiful full-bodied instrument rightly deserves.
Just like having a sound engineer in a box, BodyRez is housed in a truly simple-to-use and compact pedal that’s perfect for every electro-acoustic performer.
Main Features
Studio-quality live acoustic guitar tone
Restores natural playing feel
Built-in feedback suppression
Simple to use and ultra-compact design
Complete with region specific 9V power supply
SUMMER NAMM 2015: Boss announce DD-500 Delay
Boss extends their delay range with a new triple pedal unit.
From the press release:
Hamamatsu, Japan, July 8th, 2015 — BOSS is proud to introduce the DD-500, the most powerful and versatile digital delay pedal ever made. Filled with newly developed BOSS technology, this amazing stompbox offers 12 distinctive delay modes and extraordinary audio quality, along with deep editing controls, a graphic display, patch memories, MIDI, and much more. Small in size and massive in creative potential, the DD-500 allows musicians to create any delay sound they can imagine, and then some.
The DD-500 delivers its sophisticated sound-making capabilities in a compact design that fits easily on any pedalboard. Each delay mode has been carefully crafted for a unique sonic personality and highly musical tones at every setting, realized by high-powered DSP running at 32-bit/96 kHz.
Included among the DD-500’s 12 modes are basic delays, warm analog and tape echo types, pattern-based effects, and complex modern delay lines that employ pitch shifting, filtering, and other unique processing. The pedal’s Vintage Digital mode offers BOSS’ first emulations of sought-after classics from the 1980s, including the legendary SDE-2000 and SDE-3000 rack units from Roland and the BOSS DD-2, the first stompbox digital delay.
Hands-on knobs allow users to quickly shape essential parameters and create great sounds right away. Each delay type also includes a semi-parametric four-band EQ, modulation, ducking, and many other parameters, enabling a huge range of tonal refinement. The large, integrated LCD fully supports the DD-500’s immense capabilities, providing clear visibility of delay time, patch ID, and more on one screen, plus intuitive navigation for detailed parameter tweaks, naming, and system management.
With its freely assignable controls, the DD-500 offers unmatched creative expression and performance flexibility. By default, the A, B, and TAP/CTL switches provide control for two patches, bypass, bank selection, tap tempo, and more. However, they can be customized to operate in alternate ways, such as providing top-level access to three different delay patches, or controlling various real-time functions like Warp, Twist, and many others. Additional parameters can be controlled via an optional expression pedal or external switches, and MIDI I/O opens up even more options with advanced setups.
Along with its other capabilities, the DD-500 includes an independent Phrase Loop function with up to 60 seconds of stereo recording time (120 seconds in mono). USB is on board as well, providing a simple computer connection for patch backup and MIDI control with DAW software.
SUMMER NAMM 2015: Roland announce Jazz Chorus JC-40
The 40 watt amp to celebrate 40 years of lush tone.
From the press release:
Hamamatsu, Japan, July 8th, 2015 — In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the iconic Jazz Chorus guitar amp series, Roland is proud to present the all-new JC-40. Compact and gig-ready, this 40-watt stereo amp features the famous “JC clean” tone and signature Dimensional Space Chorus effect respected by guitarists for decades. The JC-40 also includes evolved features for modern players, including enhanced onboard effects and a front-panel stereo input for stereo pedals, multi-effects, and amp modelers.
First introduced in 1975, the Jazz Chorus series has earned legendary status among pro players as the benchmark in clean guitar tone, and its sound can be heard on generations of popular recordings in every genre of music. The amp series is equally revered for its integrated stereo amplification system and Dimensional Space Chorus effect, which delivers unique dimension and depth that’s unattainable with any other single amp.
With the JC-40, guitarists can enjoy this genuine, industry-standard tone in a scaled-down amplifier with innovative modern refinements. Two independent power amps and custom-designed 10-inch speakers deliver punchy stereo sound that won't get buried in the band, while durable, road-tough construction ensures years of reliable operation on stage and in the studio.
The onboard effects in the JC-40 are all newly refreshed for enhanced performance. The Dimensional Space Chorus now offers selectable fixed or manual modes for increased tonal range, and renewed vibrato and reverb operate in stereo for rich, deep performance. There’s built-in distortion as well, updated with a smooth, satisfying tone that’s great for all types of music.
In addition to a normal mono input, the JC-40 features a true stereo input that allows players using stereo effects devices to achieve wide, inspiring sound without having to carry around two separate amps. The rich JC clean tone is a perfect palette for external stereo pedals like delays, reverbs, and various modulation effects. It’s also ideal for advanced gear that employs amp modeling, multi-effects, and/or synth capabilities, such as the GT-100, GP-10, and ME-80 from BOSS and GR-55 guitar synth from Roland.
The JC-40’s rear panel is outfitted with all types of connectivity. The effects loop works with mono or stereo devices, and offers selectable serial or parallel operation. Line Out jacks provide a convenient mono or stereo feed to a mixing board or recorder, while the headphones jack is great for quiet practice. Users can also connect optional footswitches to turn the JC-40’s chorus/vibrato, reverb, and distortion effects on/off while performing.
SUMMER NAMM 2015: Boss announce RV-6 Reverb
A new reverb from Boss? WHAT?
From the press release:
Hamamatsu, Japan, July 8th, 2015 — BOSS is pleased to announce the RV-6, an all-new compact reverb pedal with studio-grade sound. Powered by cutting-edge technology and the legendary tone expertise of BOSS engineers, the RV-6 makes it simple for guitarists to dial up inspiring reverb tones for any song or style.
With its high-end audio quality, wide-ranging versatility, and ease of use, the RV-6 takes stompbox reverb to a new level of performance. Users can select among eight distinctive reverb types, which feature newly developed algorithms driven by the latest BOSS DSP.
Reverb types include standards such as Room, Hall, Plate, and Spring, providing a broad selection of tones to complement any musical genre. Also on hand are powerful Modulate, Dynamic, Shimmer, and Reverb+Delay types, which offer the lush, expansive reverb sounds sought by many modern players.
Using the RV-6 is quick and intuitive—just select a sound mode, tweak the Time, Tone, and Level knobs to taste, and play. But despite its simple operation, the RV-6’s sound is rich and sophisticated. Each mode includes a huge range of detailed internal reverb parameters, all perfectly tuned for guitar by BOSS with direct input from pro players and sound engineers. Even as the selected mode is adjusted with the Time and Tone knobs, many parameters are simultaneously balanced inside to create the ideal voicing for every setting.
The RV-6’s convenient auto-switching jacks support mono, mono-to-stereo, and stereo-to-stereo operation, allowing users to integrate with any pedal chain. And by plugging into the B input only, the RV-6 outputs a 100-percent wet sound, great for working with more complex rigs that employ parallel processing chains and mixers. There’s also a jack for controlling the effect level in real time via an optional expression pedal.