Electric Guitar Review

Guitar World Reviews The Hand-Wired Marshall 1974X

Video Demo: Marshall’s New Class5 Combo

Cary — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:25:16 +0000

Peavey’s ValveKing 212 Combo Takes Guitar World’s Gold Award

Epiphone Giving Away A Les Paul Studio!

Gibson Giving Away Tickets To Les Paul Tribute Concert, Plus A Les Paul Studio

Cary — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:46:02 +0000

Sweet… according to Gibson this morning the company will be giving away ten pairs of tickets to the upcoming Les Paul Tribute Concert –– to be held November 19th at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN –– with one lucky winner receiving a grand prize of not only two tickets to the concert, but also a wine red Les Paul Studio.

The concert, commemorating the music legend, recording innovator, and namesake behind Gibson’s iconic guitar, will feature Les’s band The Les Paul Trio as house band, along with musician Steve Miller –– they’ll apparently be playing a mixture of Les Paul’s music and instrumentals.

According to Gibson––

Joining Steve Miller for the show will be rock’s elite including Ace Frehley, Zakk Wylde, Charlie Daniels and Jennifer Batten. Joining them will be contemporary artist Josh Kelly and Nashville’s own country hit-makers John Rich, Emerson Drive, JD Souther and Steve Wariner…

While the company doesn’t give official specs for the guitar they are giving away, a photo at the bottom of the official Gibson Les Paul Tribute Concert Giveaway page suggests the instrument will be a standard Les Paul Studio in wine red finish, decked out in gold hardware… Good luck!

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PRS 25th Anniversary Guitars Now Online

Cary — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:31:11 +0000

Just a quick note for all you rabid PRS fans –– the company’s recently announced 25th Anniversary line of limited edition guitars is now online and ready to be ogled.

There are a bunch of gorgeous instruments here, but stand-outs for me are the 25th Anniversary Carlos Santana model (check out the purfling on that figured maple top,) 25th Anniversary Mira 245 Soapbar, and of course the over-the-top but still wonderfully iconic 25th Anniversary Dragon.

You can check out the entire list here.

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And The Winner Is…

Hey, We’re Giving Away A Custom Slide Hand-Made By George Thorogood!

One Year Later: Epiphone Introduces Music Rising Les Paul

Epiphone Debuts New Limited Edition ‘59 Les Paul “Burst”

Cary — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:35:40 +0000

In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, Epiphone has announced yet another beautiful reissue of the classic 1959 Les Paul Standard “burst” — this time in a strictly limited run of 1,959 instruments.

The guitar looks to be highly accurate to its nearly royal lineage, boasting a whole host of appointments you’d expect from a ‘59 LP, including a solid mahogany neck with that fat ’50s “baseball bat” rounded neck profile, a deep-set long neck tenon (for increased sustain and better tone,) solid mahogany back, hard maple cap, and the whole thing topped with a premium-grade AAA flame maple veneer.

If you ask me though, the real goods are going to be in the electronics, with the ‘59 Les Paul Standard sporting what is easily my favorite humbucker coming out of Gibson these days — the BurstBucker; a modern re-creation of the company’s highly sought-after PAF pickups. The guitar will be armed with a BurstBucker-2 (wound similar to a ‘57 Classic) in the neck position, and BurstBucker-3 (over-wound and hotter) at the bridge.

Other stand-out specs will include a set of Mallory-150 tone capacitors, a Switchcraft brand 3-way pickup switch, amber top-hat knobs w/metal pointers, Epiphone’s LockTone tune-o-matic stopbar bridge and tailpiece, a blank trussrod cover, and the guitar’s serial number stamped into the headstock back.

The Epiphone Limited Edition ‘59 Les Paul Standard will ship with a Lifton-style replica hard shell case (brown exterior, pink interior,) and the instrument will be available in your choice of Faded Cherryburst or Faded Iced Tea finishes. Street price is expected to run around $900.

Epiphone Unveils New Limited Edition Wildkat Deluxe

3 comments

Video Demo: Fender’s ‘65 Twin Reverb Reissue

Cary — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:09:02 +0000

REVIEW: Fender’s Reissue Blues Deluxe

Video Review Of Seymour Duncan’s Twin Tube Classic Overdrive

Epiphone Announces Suped-Up Emperor “Swingster” Hollowbody

Audio Samples: Hear Epiphone’s New Emperor Swingster In Action

Cary — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:43:56 +0000

Emperor Swingster Demo from Epiphone Company on Vimeo.

Nice… as I noted a few weeks back, Epiphone has updated its long-standing Emperor line of jazz archtops with the new Emperor Swingster, and this morning the company published a short audio demo of the instrument, including a diagram of all the settings used, and sound samples of what the guitar sounds like in and out of coil-tapping mode.

At first blush, Epiphone’s new SwingBucker pickups sound pretty nice, and the Swingster may just prove to be versatile as all get-out considering the sheer number of parallel/series wiring options available (each pickup can be individually set.)

Too bad they didn’t include any overdriven samples. I’d love to hear how this thing sounds with some creative distortion applied. ;)

Hear The Fender Super-Sonic 112 In Action!

It’s Chop Shop Time! Building The BYOC Optical Compressor

Hey, Follow Us On Twitter!

Cary — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:05:27 +0000

Hey everybody, I just wanted to write you all a quick note that you can now follow Electric Guitar Review via Twitter.

Rare Find: Myrareguitars.com

Electro-Harmonix Beefs Up XO Line With Q-Tron+ & Octave Multiplexer

Creepy Halloween Effects Using Nothing But Electro-Harmonix Pedals

Cary — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:36:47 +0000

Hah!… with Halloween right around the corner I just had to share this video with you all. It’s Chicago musician Bill Ruppert showing you how to make a bunch of old-school monster movie sound effects using nothing but an electric guitar and a bunch of Electro-Harmonix foot pedals.

My particular favorites are the creepy “Voices from the Other Side,” and the very authentic sounding Theremin, though the theme music from The Exorcist is pretty cool, too. Check it out!

Yes! Electro-Harmonix Nano Pedals Now In Stores

Tube In A Box: VOX Debuts Cooltron Duel Overdrive Distortion Pedal

REVIEW: Seymour Duncan’s Twin Tube Classic Overdrive

Cary — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:39:12 +0000

It’s the holy grail of the armchair guitar-god isn’t it? –– an overdrive pedal capable of producing searing, creamy, tube-driven distortion reminiscent of the great classic amp heads, but at a reasonable price-point and with a small footprint.

Add in a dose of seriously sturdy construction, dual overdrive channels, military-grade vacuum tubes, and true-bypass circuitry, and you’ve got a pedal that’ll really go the distance –– that’s the Twin Tube Classic.

Like most long-time electric guitar players, I’ve owned at least a dozen or more distortion pedals over the years, and I’ve spent real “quality time” with at least a few dozen more, but nothing has ever scratched my itch for the rich, warm, organic sound of a vacuum tube being pushed to the breaking point like Seymour Duncan’s Twin Tube does… it’s just that good.

Creamy High-Voltage Goodness

Running off a 16-volt AC adapter (as opposed to the more common 9-volt DC,) the Twin Tube Classic is pumping some serious voltage through a set of subminiature military-spec 6021 vacuum tubes, and producing a high-quality overdrive that will leave your ears truly satisfied and your fingers itching to play.

The controls couldn’t be much easier: there’s an ON/BYPASS footswitch (with true bypass circuitry) for turning the device off and on, a CHANNEL SELECT footswitch for moving between the two overdrive channels (Rhythm and Lead,) separate VOLUME and GAIN knobs for each of the channels, and a single set of BASS and TREBLE knobs for setting your desired tone. The back panel is as simple as simple can be: Input, Output, that’s it.

With two channels on-board, plus a bypass footswitch in easy reach, the Twin Tube Classic essentially gives you access to three different pre-sets –– your amp’s clean tone, the pedal’s Ryhthm overdrive channel, and of course the Lead overdrive channel… what more are you really looking for?

Seymour Duncan has managed to create one highly usable pedal in the Twin Tube Classic: the unit’s Rhythm overdrive channel easily produces anything from a slightly muddy slur to a full-on clipped and crunchy distortion, while the Lead channel can be set to produce just about anything you like –– from just a slight tweak in volume all the way up to buttery smooth wailing and crying.

Pounding Townshend-esqe power chords? Check!

Vocally expressive Warren Haynesian blues riffs? Check!

It’s ultimately an entire tube pre-amp in a floor pedal.

And I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that the Twin Tube Classic performs equally well with both singlecoils and humbuckers –– heck, the tone this thing produces when matched with P-90s (my Gibson ‘67 SG Special) is nothing short of guttural and gorgeous.

In fact, perhaps the only thing this pedal won’t do is screeching modern high-gain distortion –– Seymour Duncan built a pedal just for that: the Twin Tube Mayhem –– but when it comes to classic tube distortion, you really have to hear this thing to believe it… the Twin Tube Classic is quite simply one of the most expressive overdrive pedals I’ve had the pleasure to play, and both my Strat and SG are thanking me for sinking one of these orange beauties into my pedal board.

Get out there and try one out. You won’t be disappointed.

REVIEW: Fender’s ‘65 Twin Reverb Reissue

4 comments

Custom Shop ’50s Thinline Telecaster Relic

Cary — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:01:53 +0000

Fender Telecaster 72 Thinline

Fender Introduces Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster

Premier Guitar Reviews The PRS Starla

Premier Guitar Reviews The VOX Night Train All-Tube Head

Cary — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:52:36 +0000

Well, if you’ve found yourself in the market for a reasonably priced, low-wattage, all-tube amplifier head, you might want to check out Premier Guitar’s new review of the VOX Night Train NT15H.

This rather diminutive amp (hey, it’s built to travel and even comes with a padded carrying case,) sports dual 12AX7 preamp tubes paired with a set of EL84 power tubes, all packed into a solid (not to mention damned sexy) steel chassis, and offering you the choice of either 7.5 or 15 watts of power. A BRIGHT/THICK toggle switch allows you to adjust EQ/Gain settings on the fly.

As always, Premier Guitar sets the bar for a highly readable but still informative gear review… hell, this one’s damned entertaining––

“Using the Les Paul Custom and flipping the switch to Thick, the amp shook off and shed the classic ‘60s vibe that I’d been enjoying. It snarled with an incredible Slash-esque bark. There is a very conspicuous volume increase with the switch set in this position, but in a good way. The Night Train breathes a bit better, and pushes more air. It was really strange standing in front of this little mini-stack and feeling like it was kicking me in the shins like a child in a temper tantrum.”

You can check out Premier Guitar’s accompanying video review here, or you might take a look at VOX’s own Night Train video demo.

The only thing missing from the Night Train for my needs would be a bit of on-board reverb… still, if the specs suit your needs it looks like a pretty nice unit for a rather surprising price: $499.99 at time of write-up.

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3 comments

Optimizing Gretsch’s G5120 Electromatic Hollowbody

Cary — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:24:25 +0000

Gretsch Announces The New Electromatic Hollow Body

Limited Edition: Gretsch Introduces JimmyC Custom Pin-Striped G5120

Gretsch’s Latest: The Limited Edition Power “Tenny”

Gretsch Introduces Gorgeous Country Club Hollowbody

Cary — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:12:38 +0000

I’m sorry to say I missed any kind of “official” announcement from Gretsch, but the company has apparently released two new models of their gorgeous Country Club Hollowbody –– one in two-tone smoke gray/metallic violet finish (shown here,) and the other in bamboo yellow/copper mist.

Both the G6196TSP-2G and G6196TSP-BY Country Club are decked out in gold hardware, and will sport laminated maple bodies, a two-piece maple neck with tapered heal (Modern Gretsch shape,) rosewood fretboard (12″ radius) with 21 Medium Jumbo frets, and a 25.5″ scale length.

Electronics are to include a pair of Gretsch’s DynaSonic pickups, individual Volume controls, a single Master Tone control, and 3-way pickup switching by Switchcraft.

More unique features will include a set of Gold Grover Imperial machine heads (150Gm with stair-step buttons,) Gold Synchro-Sonic bridge w/Bigsby B6G vibrato tailpiece, over-sized and multi-bound F-holes, vintage pearloid hump-block fretboard inlays, multiple fretboard/headstock bindings, and a pearl Gretsch logo inlaid on the headstock.

The guitars will ship with a Deluxe Hardshell case, and are expected to sell for a street price of just under $2900.00. They are due in stores before Christmas.

High-End Hollowbody: Gretsch Releases G6119SP Tennessee Special

John 5 Gets Another Signature Guitar: Fender’s J5 Triple Tele

Vintage Guitar Puts Fender’s G.E. Smith Tele Through Its Paces

Cary — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:10:38 +0000

When Fender first announced its G.E. Smith Signature Telecaster back in early 2007 I immediately attempted to get my hands on one for review, but alas, these beauties just aren’t that easy to come by.

I’ve been particularly intrigued by the instrument’s body-mounted bridge pickup, which should help mitigate traditional Tele feedback issues in high-gain situations (something I’ve wrestled with at times with my Tele Thinline,) while also adding a bit of mid-range thickness to this famously twangy guitar.

And hey, those lap steel-inspired fretboard inlays are pretty sweet too.

Fast forward to October 2009, and Vintage Guitar Magazine has managed to publish a full online review of the G.E. Smith Telecaster over on their website, including an insightful interview with Smith himself discussing the details of his Signature Tele––

What was the inspiration behind the unique features of your signature Telecaster?
I think a lot of it was playing my ‘48 Fender lap steel. I was looking at it one day, and I could just see how Leo could have looked at that, and birthed the Telecaster from it. The pickup, knobs, and finish in many ways make it look like a little Tele. That’s where it all started. Playing the ‘48 and just digging its sound – very fat.

You can find the interview with Smith, along with the review of Fender’s G.E. Smith Telecaster in its entirety, over at Vintage Guitar’s impeccable website. Check it out.

Twang With A Bit Of Punch: Fender’s ‘72 Custom Telecaster

Another Fine Archtop From Epiphone: The Joe Pass Emperor ii

Epiphone Announces Suped-Up Emperor “Swingster” Hollowbody

Cary — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:18:54 +0000

Epiphone this week announced the resurgence of their classic Emperor Hollowbody in a new suped-up package officially dubbed the Emperor Swingster.

The guitar (shown here in Wine Red) is expected to feature a newly updated set of pickups designed specifically for the Swingster (Epiphone SwingBuckers?) along with a push/pull tone knob for tapping standard and parallel wiring schemes, a “pinned” tune-o-matic bridge with rosewood base and roller saddle, and an old school Bigsby B60 vibrato tailpiece armed with traditional-style “wire” arm.

The Emperor Swingster will also sport a short 24-1/2″ scale length, for easier fingering of unwieldy jazz chord inversions, a fairly flat 14″ neck radius (arguably a boon for quick jazz comping,) and the whole thing will apparently be topped off with 5-ply headstock, body and neck binding.

Standard features will include an arched top made of select spruce, body of laminated maple & birch, a three-piece maple neck, rosewood fingerboard with 20 medium-jumbo frets, and electronics including dual volume controls, dual tone controls, push/pull coil tapping, and 3-way pickup switching.

The Swingster will be available in three different polyurethane finishes: Wine Red, Sunrise Orange, and Translucent Black, and is expected to sell for a street price of just under $700.00, sans case.

Epiphone Unveils New DOT Studio

Epiphone Giving Away A Les Paul Studio!

Just Three Days Left To Get In On Gibson’s MLB Les Paul Studio Giveaway

Cary — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:53:27 +0000

Hey all you Major League Baseball fans, I just wanted to give you a quick reminder that you’ve got only three days left if you want to get in on a chance to win this MLB branded Les Paul Studio from Gibson.

Now, I dug around a bit, and unfortunately there’s really not much info to be had about the guitar’s specific features (I’m assuming it’ll sport the standard specs of a Les Paul Studio — plus that outrageous paint job of course,) but I’m thinking it would definitely make a nice addition to my collection… I mean, who doesn’t need a baseball-printed guitar, right?

Anyway, if you think you’re interested in winning this thing be sure to check out Gibson’s Official MLB Les Paul Studio Sweepstakes page for the full skinny… Good Luck!

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Rare Find: Moonlander Stereo Drone-Guitar For Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo

Fender’s Thurston Moore & Lee Ranaldo Jazzmasters Due In Stores Soon

Cary — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:22:14 +0000

I have to admit that as a long-time Sonic Youth fan I’m kind of bummed that I was missing in action when Fender finally got around to officially announcing the release of their new Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo Jazzmasters.

Rumors had been going around for well over a year, and to be honest, I really enjoy it when I manage to break big news here at EGR. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

The good news though is that both of these instruments is due in stores soon — by the end of the month as far as I can gather — and just in time for the Holiday season (hint, hint.)

The fact that anyone from Sonic Youth (a wonderfully noisy and chaotic band if there ever was one,) has been rewarded with a “Signature” type instrument from Fender is just one more sign of the times. Truth is truly stranger than fiction. Anyway, I can’t think of two musical innovators who deserve it more.

While the two instruments look similar, they are fairly massively altered to match the preferences of Moore and Ranaldo — among other things Moore’s Jazzmaster will feature a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity II for Jazzmaster pickups and an Adjusto-Matic bridge, while Ranaldo’s “Jazzblaster” sports a Mustang-style bridge and a set of
re-voiced Wide Range Humbuckers.

Both instruments have also had all extraneous controls removed (they feature just a 3-way pickup switch and a single Master volume speed knob for pickup control,) and have been finished in satin lacquer with a black painted headstock and black anodized aluminum pickguard to boot. The guitars are expected to sell for just under $1500.

Fender Unveils J. Mascis Signature Jazzmaster