Crate DX212 - "Still thinking about this gem years later"
Possibly the most fun I’ve had on gigs was with this thing. Not as good as a great tube amp, and technology has come a long way but it did what it claimed perfectly. The models it had were spot on in…
Fender Princeton 65 - "65w Fender Princeton combo amp"
I dated a divorced lady whose ex husband bought guitars and amps but couldn't play a note. When they split up he left this amp behind. No knowing it's true value I gave her the £100 she wanted for …
KSR Amplification Vesta - "Three Channels, Unique Voicings, and with a Thick and Robust Amp-Like Sound"
One-hundred percent made in the USA, KSR’s VESTA preamp brings forward incredible amp tones that only require a cab or IR to sound fantastic. I’ll address the sound more, and later on (also check out…
Meisel COM-90 - "Great for guitar, questionable for autoharp"
I've had my Meisel COM-90 for perhaps 12 years (?). It has, and continues to serve me well for tuning my guitars all that time. I recently bought an autoharp and as far as I can tell it won't work fo…
Hufschmid Guitars Walnut Special - "Unique Creation by a Master"
The Hufschmid Walnut Special is one of the most unique guitars I have owned. This is my 12th Hufschmid Guitar and the 5th with Alumitone deathbucker pickups. My amp use with these incredible guitars…
FOMOfx Virtual Jeff Pro - "Virtual Tremolo/Whammy for Guitar+"
Do you have a favorite guitar and wished it had a tremolo bridge? Do you have a guitar with such a bridge, but you find you are always tuning it after some whammy escapades? How about an instrument …
LiberaToe BearAss - "Dual Channel with Fuzz, Compression & Sustain options"
BearAss works for rhythm, lead, and bass guitars, primarily (e.g., certainly you can use the Compressor for vocals or the Fuzz for instruments). There are three aspects to this pedal, including Fuzz,…
Hufschmid Guitars 2mm Torlon 4203 - "Torlon 4203 : The Unbending"
I am lucky enough to own many plectrums Patrick HUFSCHMID made, in various sizes, shapes, thicknesses and materials. All of them are of the highest quality, speaking of craftsmanship, finish, and of …
Ibanez SZ520QM - "Great feeling guitar "
I haven't had the sz520 long, but it feels great! Very smooth and fast. I bought it used for 300 bucks. It sounds really decent. No complaints. The finish on it looks great. Especially considering it…
Hagerman Amplification Tsar Face - "Even Bias with real Soviet-Era Transistors"
For those who dislike fuzz or may be looking for an alternative, the TSAR FACE is an option. This is a low-gain germanium PNP transistor-based fuzz with a unique circuit design. Using two Soviet-era …
Hagerman Amplification Half Watt - "Big amp sound in a small package"
If you are a tube snob, then the Hagerman Half-Watt is an ideal practice and studio recording amp. This is a cleanish amp, although it has some growl and burn when cranked or when playing hard, runni…
Sonicake Matribox - "High-Quality Sounds on a Budget"
Of all the budget multi-effects modelers, the MATRIBOX is my favorite, and I would venture to say that some of the guitar tones (particularly hi-gain) sound impressive. They are ‘dry’ and sound decen…
Driftwood Amplifiers Purple Nightmare Preamp - "2W Amp + Preamp with Killer Tones from Rock to Metal"
Now and again, gear comes along that blows me away, and I am sure others have had that experience. The Purple Nightmare Preamp (based on Driftwood Amp’s flagship Purple Nightmare head) follows suit w…
Epiphone PR-200 - "The one I kept."
I travel as an electrician There's probably 6 or 8 times that I get to a job, check offer up or FB and find a cheap acoustic to play on my days off. I usually end up giving them away right before I l…
This Heavy Earth GRIM 3 - "From clean to hi-gain, Grim 3 makes any tone come alive incredibly well."
GRIM3 is a ‘sick’ pedal, and in a good way. What may throw off some people is that this is not a hi-gain pedal, despite the name or that it comes from its creator, This Heavy Earth. The function and …
LiberaToe ProudAnus (filter-fuzz) - "Dual Channel with Filter or Fuzz, or Filter + Fuzz (bass or lead)"
A fuzz and an envelope filter in one, and ideal for either lead/rhythm or bass. This may not seem unusual, but add to that a dual channel with various filter options, and you have a killer pedal for …
Ibanez QX54QM - "Easy Playing, Comfortable and with NINE Pickup Combinations"
I had headless guitars in the past, both of which were double the price as the Ibanez Quantum (QX54QM model). I found one brand stiff playing, whereas the other two had wiring or sound issues (that …
Universal Audio Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier - "Pure Fender Sounds in a Pedal - Authentic!"
I supposed I could joke about how this is a guitarist’s ‘Wet Dream,’ but the name Dream ’65 will suffice. Emulated from select 1965 Fender Super Reverb amps, as well as select speaker emulations, UA …
Universal Audio Del-Verb Ambience Companion - "Studio-Grade Reverb & Delay emulated from actual Vintage Gear"
The Del-Verb is impressive. It houses a Tape EP-III, a Deluxe Memory Man, UA’s own Precision delay, a 1965 Spring reverb, an EMT Plate reverb, and a Lexicon Hall reverb. Both delay and reverb have t…
LiberaToe Brever - "Dual Channel Spring Reverb + Enhancer (great sound and analog)"
NOTE: I bought a 'module' of the Brever, but it is available in a full-pedal format for about $150. Brever may be as close as it gets to an actual amp spring reverb. Now, I am basing my opinion on…
Universal Audio Ruby '63 Top Boost Amplifier - "Complete Amp-in-a-Pedal that Emulates Incredibly Well"
After having UA’s Woodrow ’55 (Fender Tweed amp emulation) for only a few hours, I knew I had to review the Ruby ‘63 (Vox AC30) and Dream ’65 (Fender Reverb Twin), the latter of which I will be done …
LiberaToe LiberaToe-4 Pedalboard System - "The Most Advanced & Cost Effective Pedalboard System!"
Late 2022, I saw an advertisement, likely in my Hotmail feed, for a ‘system’ that involved pedals, a pedalboard-type concept, as well as a switcher. I was intrigued immediately and looked into the Li…
Universal Audio Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier - "Finally, Real Amp Tones in a Pedal"
Off the bat, the Universal Audio’s Woodrow ’55 is not a simulation but an emulation; and this is as close to something other than an actual amp sounding like an amp. Woodrow ’55 is based on the Fende…
LiberaToe Boostequila - "Dual Channel Clean Boost with 'Muscle'"
Boostequila is a diverse beast! It is a dual-boost, which means two channels, one you can dedicate to a clean channel and the other a dirty channel, or one for rhythm crunch and the other lead, as t…
Kernom Ridge - "The Overdrive to End All Overdrives"
The KERNOM RIDGE is an award winner, and for good reason; and the engineers just established a new precent that surely will be followed. When most guitarists are thinking what drive may be the best f…
