en http://en.audiofanzine.com An online magazine for musicians (keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, DJ...) and sound engineers (home studio, DAWs, Live Sound). News, videos, MP3, tests, tutorials, tips, user reviews, classified ads and forums. 2000-2008 AudioFanzine http://en.audiofanzine.com/xtras/news_sur_site.php Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:34:30 +0200 http://en.audiofanzine.com/img/logo_rss_audiofanzine.png http://en.audiofanzine.com An online magazine for musicians (keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, DJ...) and sound engineers (home studio, DAWs, Live Sound). News, videos, MP3, tests, tutorials, tips, user reviews, classified ads and forums. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:05:13 +0200 http://guitar-combo-amplifier.dr-z.en.audiofanzine.com/products/user_reviews/index,idproduit,133947,review_drz_stang_ray_2x12_combo.html The Stang Ray is a liberal interpretation (neither a clone nor a radically original design) of the pre-top-boost Vox AC30 -- the one with the EF86 pentode preamp. In addition to the EF86 there is a 12AX7 phase inverter and a quartet of EL84s. The GZ34 tube rectifier rounds out the power section. There are three controls, Volume, Tone, and Cut, the last of which can either boost or cut high frequencies, like a presence control. I got this amp when I was playing lead guitar in a two-guitar band for the first time. I wanted my lead lines to sit on top of the other guy's chords in the mix, without drowning him out, and my Fender amp (great for chords) didn't really have enough crispness or chime. I wanted something that was going to give me a frequency range that was not too shrill, but was still higher than the chords coming out of the other amp. I at first looked at a Mesa Lonestar Special, which had lots of knobs. It was fun to play with, but it didn't give me exactly the sound I was looking for. The guy at the place told me to try the Stang Ray and I was blown away! It's exactly the right match. The people who designed this amp managed to make it as treble-heavy as they could without crossing the line into unpleasant or shrill frequencies. Any less treble and it wouldn't cut through the way I wanted it to, but any more treble and it would start to get harsh sounding.