Wampler SLOstorsion Review - Save the Soldano
Written testAll experienced fans of long-haired distortion know the famous Soldano SLO-100 made in the 80's: this amp seduced big names in the guitar world — nobody less than Eric Clapton, Mike Landau, Lou Reed.…
EVH 5150III Review - Eddy Van Houten?
Written testWhen Fender launched a new amplifier featuring a new "EVH" logo and the traditional "F" next to the 5150 III logo, questions were certain to rise. Rumors said this new monster is made for metal. Ther…
Zvex Instant Lo-Fi Junky Review - The Phonograph Stompbox
Written testWe are living in strange times where innovation efforts are aimed at recreating "vintage sounds" instead of creating new sounds. On the other hand, after reign of digital technology in the 80's and 9…
How to Listen to and Care for Your Amp When It’s Sick - Diagnosing and Fixing a Tube Amp
LearningGuitar amps are, no matter how you cut it, black boxes. You may think you have control over them, but when it gets down to it, you can’t really see inside the black box, and even if you could, there …
Fender Super Champ X2 Review - The War of the Worlds
Written testIn the world of guitar amps, war is raging. The transistor forces from the digital world are fighting the tubes army. Turning itself into a peace dove, Fender tries to put an end to this war by intro…
Understanding Those Magic Boxes of Doom - Distortion… Clean and Simple
LearningSo the bad news is, it’s virtually impossible to tell what the distortion pedal sounds like without auditioning it personally.
Use digital delay to produce many more effects than jus… - The Many Uses for Digital Delay
LearningThe two most important effects in a guitarist’s signal chain are distortion and delay. And if you derive your tone strictly from the amp—whether it’s squeaky clean or buzzsaw nasty—then the digital d…
Orange OR50H Review - Back To The Future!
Written testThe OR50H is not a new product. It belongs to the "Pics Only" series launched in 1972. It's a legend in amplification history and its "so British" sound had a great impact in the destiny of the manuf…
Fender Machete Review - There Will Be Blood!
Written testThe Fender Machete represents a new direction for the manufacturer. It's not like they want to start to making cutlery but rather they want to enter the heavy distortion world. This strategical decis…
Of Polepieces and Magnetic Fields - How to Adjust Your Guitar Pickups for Best Sound
LearningIt occurred to me that for all the tweaking guitarists do with their tone — rolling tone controls up and down on both their guitars and amps — very few ever touch the pickups. Most guitarists I know …
Mesa Boogie Mini Rectifier Review - Small Amp Delivers To The Max!
Written testWe are living in an era of miniaturization, and guitar amp manufacturers aren't an exception. Many of them already offer compact amps and now Mesa Boogie presents its second small sized (and with red…
Yamaha FS740SFM Review - The Little One With a Big Voice
Written testThe sun is shining and the air is warm. Nice weather to sit down on the terrace, open the cardboard box and there it is... It's small, it's new and it's beautiful! Its half-jumbo size in vintage sunb…
Kemper Profiling Amplifier Review - The Thing!
Written testThe world of amp modeling is merciless. It's been a long way since the first 6U rack processors came out with their utterly obscene prices and a sound that would make every POD Mini owner laugh out l…
Yamaha Pacifica PAC611HFM Review - Let's Sail together!
Written testPacifica — a name that recalls the beach, the ocean, the sun. If you like sailing, following the wind for hours armed only with your courage and a fishing-rod, you'll be disappointed by the present r…
Gibson Les Paul Faded Blue Stain Review - Nice Les Paul You
Written testA soft launch last Christmas, the Les Paul Blue with roasted maple fingerboard caught our attention. Get your pick and come meet the beauty.
