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Roland GR-S V-Guitar Space

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Roland GR-S V-Guitar Space at MusicRadar.com

For players willing to embrace it, Roland's V-Guitar system offers an awful lot - it can deliver many sounds that are simply not available from a conventional pedal and amp setup. Now the GR-S V-Guitar Space offers a portion of V-Guitar technology in a Boss Twin Pedal chassis.

Roland's V-Guitar system is not exactly a budget buy, and requires the use of a guitar equipped with a divided pickup, such as Roland's GK-3, and its 13-pin connection - a further investment that can put many off.

That may have been the end of the matter at one time, but not any more: if you'd like some of those sounds without shelling out for a full-blown VG-99 or would like access to them from a conventional electric guitar, Roland has made it possible with the release of a new pedal, the GR-S V-Guitar Space.

Build

It has a divided-pickup guitar input, but also has a pair of standard jack inputs, plus outputs to connect to an amp or pedals.

If you're using a standard guitar, you simply connect it to the L (mono) input and use the jack outputs for either stereo or mono operation. Roland does point out, though, that you won't be able to enjoy the full potential of the GRs using a conventional guitar, since the signal from each string can't be processed individually.

"The GR-S creates its sounds by applying independent processing for each guitar string"

If you are using a GK pickup, there's also a Guitar Out socket, so you can send the normal clean pickup signals of the GK-compatible guitar to another device - perhaps an effects unit, the output of which can then be connected to the GR pedal's jack inputs in a send/ return scenario, if desired.

The pedal features four different sounds that you can select and tweak manually. Besides this manual mode, you also get four user memories that store and recall any sound you create, regardless of how the knobs are physically set. These are cycled with a single button or accessed by the patch up and down buttons if you're using the pedal with a GK pickup.

The GR-S creates its sounds by applying independent processing for each guitar string. It has a tone knob that brightens the sound, and a Color knob that has a different function for each of the four effects: crystal, rich modulation, slow pad and brilliant clean.

The right-hand footswitch operates a freeze effect, which creates an instant loop of the sound and sustains it for as long as you hold it down, letting you solo over it.

Sounds

With a conventional guitar, the GR-S is basically a fancy chorus pedal - you get four different flavours of modulation and pitch effects combined with ambience, each with Color knob adjustment, which brings in metallic resonance, more modulation or the like. Use a divided pickup (like the one on our Roland GK-3-equipped Yamaha Pacifica), though, and it comes to life with more detail and depth.

This is typified by the slow pad effect, a lovely evolving sound, which has an attack that swells in according to the setting of the Color knob, a feature absent with a normal axe. The other sounds provide crystalline modulation with an icy metallic edge, very spacious chorusing and faux 12-string (or even 18-string) sounds...

We do like the idea that Roland has equipped this pedal to make some part of its VG and GR sounds available to anyone playing a regular guitar. However, that is not the primary focus here - while this pedal can certainly add something a little different to your tonal palette and still fit into your basic pedal setup, their full sonic potential is not realised in this way.

"With a divided pickup, buying this pedal makes much more sense"

What's more, it's a lot pricier than conventional stompboxes, and although that probably reflects the fact that it's filled with more expensive electronic gubbins than most, you'd have to have a good listen and think very hard about adding it to your 'board.

With a divided pickup though, buying this pedal makes much more sense. This pedal really does respond differently and provide a deeper, more stunning range of effects if you're using a GK pickup.

Not only will you will get optimum use out of it in that scenario but it offers an ideal opportunity to buy into the V-Guitar world for a lot less than shelling out for a VG-99. It could be a worthwhile buy if you already have a guitar fitted with a GK pickup or are thinking of adding one to your guitar and dipping your toe in the VG/GR water.

Read more about Roland GR-S V-Guitar Space at MusicRadar.com

Gretsch Roots Collection G9220 Bobtail Round-Neck AE

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:52:00 GMT

Read more about Gretsch Roots Collection G9220 Bobtail Round-Neck AE at MusicRadar.com

Gretsch's Roots Collection is allowing the firm to don a new guise as a folk-friendly brand. One of the first off the line is the G9220 Bobtail Round-Neck AE resonator.

Word-association time. Think Gretsch, and you'll picture candy- coloured archtops with oversized f-holes; gleaming Bigsby vibratos; Eddie Cochran and Brian Setzer; and Beatle George changing the world on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Well, the new Roots Collection swaps Gretsch's typecast Cadillac-and-Cherry Coke vibe for a down-home pickup truck and moonshine range of acoustics, resonators, mandolins and other folky instruments. The launch of the range comes at a time when roots instruments are enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity.

Build

If resonator guitars didn't already exist, some steampunk fanatic would have knocked one together eventually. Those guys love over-engineered parts; and the resonator in our G9220 Bobtail is basically a mechanical speaker cone spun from 99 per cent pure Eastern European aluminium, which helps project the sound and gives the guitar its unique tone.

"In the case of the Bobtail, laminated mahogany provides a more rigid base for its resonator cone"

You might be surprised to learn that an acoustic guitar with a 500-plus quid price tag is made from laminated mahogany. While solid tone woods undoubtedly add some glamour to an acoustic guitar's spec list, in the case of the Bobtail, laminated mahogany provides a more rigid base for its resonator cone.

The Bobtail is available in Square- and Round-Neck formats. Square-Neck resonators rest face-up on your lap. They feature a very high action and are used exclusively for slide - usually by bluegrass players. Round-Neck models can be played like conventional acoustics, and are very popular with the blues fraternity.

That said, 'Round-Neck' is actually a bit of a misnomer for our Bobtail. The glued-in mahogany neck has a V profile that comes to more of a pronounced taper than the softer profile of, say, a Martin 'modified V' neck. The playability of the neck is further enhanced by its 400mm (15.75-inch) radius rosewood fingerboard and 19 beautifully finished medium-jumbo frets.

The Bobtail comes loaded with a Fishman Nashville pickup. Developed in association with star luthier Paul Beard, the pickup is discretely attached to the resonator cone. A combined jack socket/strap button sorts the output.

The Bobtail has plenty of vintage-style appointments. The nickel-plated Poinsettia-design resonator cover plate, Grover Sta-Tite tuners and Art Deco soundholes are crowned by a pearloid headstock fascia lifted from the classic Gretsch Synchromatic archtops of yore.

Sounds

"A resonator has always been the easiest way to bag some classic Delta blues and bluegrass tones"

A resonator has always been the easiest way to bag some classic Delta blues and bluegrass tones; the Bobtail just makes it more affordable. We did compare the Bobtail to the new G9240 Alligator Biscuit Roundneck model, and while the Alligator pumps out a swampy twang that's not far from the sound of a banjo, the Bobtail is more well-rounded (a bit more Romeo And Juliet) with less of the strangulated note decay of the Alligator. You'd be advised to try the entire Roots Collection range to make sure you get the tone you need.

While some might struggle with the V profile neck, it's worth persevering. In our experience, the Bobtail's neck felt like an old friend remarkably quickly and thw action worked great for both fingerstyle and slide.

The onboard pickup does a pretty good job of reproducing the sound of the resonator, but it is passive. And although Fishman does offer an active version, you'd have to remove the cone to replace the battery, so we'd recommend an external preamp if the passive pickup doesn't do it for you.

The Bobtail is definitely inspiring. The quality of tone, playability, construction - and, yes, serious eye candy - make it the best resonator in its class, in our opinion. In summary, Gretsch might be best known for rock 'n' roll machines, but it has nailed the rustic stuff with this Roots Collection.

Read more about Gretsch Roots Collection G9220 Bobtail Round-Neck AE at MusicRadar.com

Roland GR-D V-Guitar Distortion

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:44:00 GMT

Read more about Roland GR-D V-Guitar Distortion at MusicRadar.com

For players willing to embrace it, Roland's V-Guitar system offers an awful lot - it can deliver many sounds that are simply not available from a conventional pedal and amp setup. Now the GR-D V-Guitar Distortion offers a portion of V-Guitar technology in a Boss Twin Pedal chassis.

Build

It has a divided-pickup guitar input, but also has a pair of standard jack inputs, plus outputs to connect to an amp or pedals.

"The GR-D offers four effects types: VG Distortion 1, VG Distortion 2, Poly Distortion and Synth"

The GR-D offers four effects types: VG Distortion 1, VG Distortion 2, Poly Distortion and Synth. There are gain, Color and tone knobs, the functions of which change depending on the selected effect. For the distortion effects, the gain and tone knobs offer what you'd expect - adjusting the amount of distortion and brightening the sound respectively - but for the Synth sound their functions adjust the synth waveform and the synth's filter cut-off frequency. The Color knob does something different for each effect, and the right-hand footswitch offers a useful boost to the sound for soloing.

Sounds

With a conventional guitar, you get four different distortion effects, covering a wide range of sounds that go beyond the 'overdriven amp' style. It's obvious this isn't a conventional distortion pedal - noise is absent when not playing, even with loads of gain, and there's a nice individual string clarity.

Using a divided pickup with its 'humbucker for each string' configuration and plugging in via the 13-pin connection with a Roland GK-3-equipped Yamaha Pacifica, though, it's clear the pedal is optimised for this type of operation.

"Poly Distortion is derived from the polyphonic distortion in Roland's early guitar synths"

String clarity is more pronounced, with separate distortion processing for each string eliminating the atonal harmonic artefacts of mono distortion - this is most apparent in the case of Poly Distortion, which is derived from the polyphonic distortion in Roland's early guitar synths, and designed to deliver distortion while letting chords ring and resonate.

VG Distortion 2 has an octaver effect that you don't hear with a conventional pickup, but the most acute sonic difference between using conventional and divided pickups comes when selecting the Synth sound.

This sounds like a proper analogue synth, complete with filter squelch, and raises the pitch an octave with the solo switch engaged. With a normal guitar, it sounds like a weird fuzzy distortion, with the solo switch simply making it louder. Overall, you get four different, focused sounds using the divided pickup, but your usual guitar will still give you a useful range of unusual distortion voices.

"With a divided pickup, buying this pedal makes much more sense"

With a divided pickup though, buying this pedal makes much more sense. This pedal really does respond differently and provide a deeper, more stunning range of effects if you're using a GK pickup.

Read more about Roland GR-D V-Guitar Distortion at MusicRadar.com

Peavey TNT 115 Tour Series

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Peavey TNT 115 Tour Series at MusicRadar.com

The Tour Series includes heads and cabs and a pair of combos: the TKO 115 (reviewed last month) and this new TNT 115 Tour combo. We were impressed with the TKO, but this is more powerful, with a few bells and whistles to allow you to manipulate your sound further. Fortunately, it's also just as friendly to transport, because it's lighter than many other high-powered units.

"Its pedigree is unmistakably Peavey, including those all-important reliability and road-worthiness factors"

From the curved metal grille, inset side handles, metal corner protectors and black covering, this is sturdily built and ready for action. Its pedigree is unmistakably Peavey, and that includes those all-important reliability and road-worthiness factors that the company is known and respected for.

Unlike many kick-back designs, only the lower rear of the cabinet is angled back, to allow more room for placement of the amp in the squared-off section at the top. It comes with a well-equipped control panel that includes a headphone socket, plus an effects loop, variable DI and Speakon connector for an extension cab.

The back is sealed, so the front baffle is ported to allow all the sound to be projected forwards.

Sounds

"Thanks to the clearly set-out control panel, good sounds are easily found"

The TNT 115 is seriously loud, so whether used in kick-back placement or 'straight up', you can be assured it has enough volume to get you heard. Once you've chosen between active or passive input, the sound options are numerous, but thanks to the clearly set-out control panel, good sounds are easily found. Using just the basic tone controls offers plenty of scope, but the unit really comes to life when engaging the graphic EQ section.

The bright switch adds some top-end boost for a touch more note definition, and crunch for some good-sounding front-end distortion. Between these two sound modifiers sits the contour switch, which provides a high- and low-frequency boost while reducing the mids to produce the popular mid- scooped EQ setting. These are convenient ways to shape your sound, but then things get even more interesting.

Either side of the main EQ section are the high and low shelving controls. These act like trimming pots that allow the sound to focus on a frequency and tonality selected by you. Punch in the graphic EQ and you can now modify this sound by degrees. It is an ideal way to eliminate or enhance the natural tones of your bass, and that is the true beauty of this design.

We also have the option to add variable compression, and whatever style of music you play there is a setting here that will provide added thump and delivery. If you can't get a good sound out of this, then something is wrong... and it's not with the amp!

The new TNT 115 Tour combo is as easy on the eye as it is on the ears. But as cool as it looks, make no mistake, this is one serious mother that will rattle your fillings and make your knees wobble. The 'instant sound' switches get you up and running fast, but the best results come with familiarity of the control panel, and there's no shortcut to achieving that.

However, perhaps the most impressive thing about the TNT 115 is its raw power as a standalone unit. Naturally, you will get even more distribution when using this amplifier with a second cabinet, but it's still very loud when operating just as a combo.

Read more about Peavey TNT 115 Tour Series at MusicRadar.com

Gretsch Roots Collection G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:37:00 GMT

Read more about Gretsch Roots Collection G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top at MusicRadar.com

The new Roots Collection swaps Gretsch's typecast Cadillac-and-Cherry Coke vibe for a down-home pickup truck and moonshine range of acoustics, resonators, mandolins and other folky instruments. The launch of the range comes at a time when roots instruments are enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity. Small acoustics, such as the G9500 Jim Dandy we have here, are attracting players looking for some Delta blues and old-school country tones.

Build

The Jim Dandy pays homage to the forgotten range of Rex-branded guitars that were produced by Gretsch in the 20s and 30s. Like those produced by Martin, Gibson and Stella - not forgetting the various cheap acoustic guitars sold through the Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogues - Rex instruments helped reduce the then-overwhelming domination of the banjo in popular music.

"The quality of the fretwork is the best we've seen on an entry-level acoustic"

Built in Indonesia (not Kalamazoo, Michigan, like the original guitars), the Jim Dandy features an agathis body that measures 330mm (13 inches) across its lower bout. The guitar echoes its ancestors' compact feel with a 610mm (24-inch) scale length.

The chubby, glued-in nato neck is topped off with a 305mm (12-inch) radius rosewood fingerboard studded with 18 vintage profile frets, 12 of which are free of the body. The quality of the fretwork is the best we've seen on an entry-level acoustic.

The guitar's unmistakable vintage vibe is cleverly achieved with a semi-gloss Sunburst finish, framed by the silk- screened body binding and simple soundhole rosette.

The oversized pearloid dot fingerboard inlays, white- buttoned nickel-plated open- gear tuners (plus the 'Steel Reinforced Neck' legend and 'Gretsch' and 'Jim Dandy' logos printed on the headstock) add extra sweetness to the retro eye candy.

Incidentally, 'Jim Dandy' is an Americanism that roughly translates into English as 'absolutely spiffing' or something similar. We'll soon see if it lives up to its name...

Sounds

"The Jim Dandy injects some much-needed fun and character into the typically bland entry-level acoustic market"

For those looking for some old-school Robert Johnson tone on a restricted budget, the Jim Dandy is the perfect guitar to pick down at the crossroads. It's bright, but there's just enough bottom-end to balance that out a bit. It works much better for fingerpicking than strumming in our experience; fingertips help to soften the top-end and release some of the guitar's inherent sweetness.

The supplied D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze 0.012 to 0.053 strings get the guitar's top moving, and work great for slide playing. Meanwhile, the chunky C profile neck proves sturdy enough to support open tunings without the need for truss rod tweaks; the action is low enough to comfortably play chords and licks, yet can still accommodate rattle-free slide work.

Okay, you're never going to mistake the Jim Dandy for a top-end Martin or Taylor, but it's really good fun to play. You should know that the guitar records very well, too, and it sounds bigger on 'tape' than you'd perhaps imagine.

The well-built Jim Dandy injects some much-needed fun and character into the typically bland entry-level acoustic market. It also reminds us that beyond our shed loads of expensive gear, we should be able to get a tune out of anything. You just know that Mark Knopfler or Joe Bonamassa could pick up a Jim Dandy and make it sing. Well, you can, too - this guitar isn't just for beginners.

Read more about Gretsch Roots Collection G9500 Jim Dandy Flat Top at MusicRadar.com

Faith Naked Series Mercury Parlour

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:43:00 GMT

Read more about Faith Naked Series Mercury Parlour at MusicRadar.com

Money is tight for us all, and last year Faith took the wraps - and quite a bit more - off the straightforward, clearly cost-effective 'Naked' range, of which we have an acoustic-only version of the Mercury Parlour on test here.

"With the Naked series the desire was to create real Faith guitars, made in the same Indonesian factory, by the same people, but simply more affordable"

Last year saw Faith claim the Music Industries Association's Best Acoustic Guitar award for its Venus HiGloss model, voted for online on MusicRadar.com. Established in 2002, and designed by Patrick James Eggle, one of the UK's foremost modern acoustic guitar builders, it's this very grassroots recognition that has seen Faith move from being just another acoustic brand to one that is increasingly desirable.

With the Naked series the desire was to create real Faith guitars, made in the same Indonesian factory, by the same people, but simply more affordable. The only way Faith could achieve this was to strip off everything other than the essentials needed to make a resonant all-solid wood instrument.

So, there's no case and no body binding. There's a thinner abalone rosette and rosewood, instead of ebony, headstock fascia and fingerboard. Crucially, Patrick James Eggle's design of these guitars is still reflected in the attention to detail and clean build quality.

Build

To many of us, ahem, more experienced guitar players, this 'value' aesthetic can often be a little too austere; we prefer to see binding and a gloss finish, offering more protection for the edges and a classier, or more classic, overall appearance.

"We were immediately impressed by the lovely shape and excellent build quality"

But when we pulled the Mercury Parlour out, our preconceptions changed - we were immediately impressed by the lovely shape and excellent build quality. The finish is superb, with the same two- stage satin finish on the neck as the body, giving the neck a smooth, easy-to-play feel. On this model, the solid Engelmann spruce top seems unusually pale, yet that tells us it will invariably darken down a little with age and use.

For a parlour size, the diminutive Mercury, which is only 340mm (13.36 inches) across its lower bouts, has a deep body - 110mm (4.33 inches) at maximum tapering down to 96mm (3.78 inches) by the heel. Like the top, the Indonesian mahogany back and sides are solid, which more than compensates for a slightly anaemic colouration.

Highly impressive, however, is the comfortable C-shaped neck profile, and the perfect setup. The frets are very well seated on the rosewood 'board, and well finished, too, with no sign - or, more importantly, feel - of any sharp edges. A nice touch that catches the eye is the neat rosewood truss rod cover, rather than the usual plastic we see on most affordably priced instruments. Nope, our first impressions are remarkably positive: this one is immediately playable straight out of the box, with a good volume, projection and sustain.

Sounds

Parlours can be tricky guitars to get right. Done correctly, the compact body should give quite a powerful, projecting tone, emphasising the midrange.

"Faith has managed to create the feel and tone of a much more expensive instrument"

We warm up our ears with a Collings 0002H parlour, and are immediately impressed with the Faith, especially considering we're making a comparison between a £4,000 instrument and a £400 one. Okay, we have to be honest and say that while the Faith has a very pleasant, sweet tone when played softly, when you really begin to dig in it tends to become a little harsh on the treble side and slightly wiry.

The Collings, however, is always articulate when played hard or soft, with a beautiful bell-like high-end. That said, we're left with the impression that Faith has managed to create the feel and tone of a much more expensive instrument. It's actually quite rich sounding, yet not boomy, while the thin satin finish really enables the top to breathe freely, enhancing projection. It's an ideal guitar for singer- songwriters, fingerpickers, blues and ragtime styles.

If the idea behind this Faith was to create a highly affordable, cost-effective guitar, then it's an unqualified success. Okay, as we've said, it does verge on the austere side of the tracks aesthetically - but if you find that too difficult to digest, Faith has an impressively large range to choose from, with numerous versions of this body style.

But aside from the clean design and impressive attention to detail, this all-solid wood guitar sounds good and plays exceedingly well - especially at the price. If it's sound and playability that you value over unnecessary appointments, this is a very good place to start your search.

Of course, it's not stage-ready - which accounts in part for the low price - but again it comes in a full electro version in Faith's other ranges. As an alternative, you could always fit one of the new-generation soundhole pickups when you play out. Either way, we doubt you'll be disappointed going down this naturist route.

Read more about Faith Naked Series Mercury Parlour at MusicRadar.com

Schecter Damien Elite Solo-6

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Schecter Damien Elite Solo-6 at MusicRadar.com

A bit of a beast, it feels like Schecter's Damien Elite Solo-6 has been putting lead in his cornflakes. Oh, its mahogany body is contoured in all the right places; it's a comfortable burden once you swing it up round your neck or get it onto the lap. But it is heavy. And it looks kinda mean.

Build

"Its mahogany body is contoured in all the right places, but it is heavy. And it looks kinda mean"

The Damien Elite Solo-6 is a light-absorbing metallic black monster, with the gothic abalone Stained Cross fret inlays the only aesthetic extravagance. Even the multi-ply binding is black. We're not too sure about the abalone, since it verges on overkill, but the Solo-6 looks like a guitar that knows what it was made for.

With an EMG 81 in the bridge and 85 in the neck, it means business. High-output active pickups are arguably essential for guitarists who operate at the frontiers of gain, and the EMG 81/85 pairing is a classic combo, favoured by the likes of Jeff Hanneman of Slayer for very good reason.

There's a slim maple neck that's bolted onto the body and left unfinished. The neck's not as satin smooth as we'd like, a bit 'Desperate Dan's chin' towards the headstock. We'll let that slide for now. With a 648mm (25.5-inch) scale and 24 jumbo frets, this certainly feels like a shredder's guitar. The Damien certainly leaves some rivals for dust when it comes to soloing.

Sounds

The Solo-6 has a voice that's perfect for metal - it's powerful, sure-footed and capable of handling severe amounts of distortion but still keeps itself in check. It has a range of cleans, from piano-ish definition in the neck pickup to glassy and sharp bite in the bridge. Both have a subtlety you may not have expected. But then, you're not looking for subtle, right?

With a longer scale and the clarity and punch of the EMGs, the Damien Elite Solo-6 can handle low tunings and thick gain, and still retain mahogany warmth.

Read more about Schecter Damien Elite Solo-6 at MusicRadar.com

Gibson Firebird V 2010

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Gibson Firebird V 2010 at MusicRadar.com

Firebirds occupy a curious niche in the electric guitar universe. Unlike Gibson's other iconic 'shape' guitars, the Firebird doesn't holler 'hard rock' from the rooftops. Its association with a mixed bag of artists such as Brian Jones, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton and Phil Manzanera lend its various incarnations leftfield art school and blues connotations and, dare we say it, a couple of extra notches of outsider cool compared with the stonewash and high-top-wearing midlife crisis hinted at by a Flying V or Explorer.

Build

The stunning reverse-bodied 1963-style Firebird V 2010 has a stop-bar tailpiece rather than the original model's Maestro vibrato and Lyre cover, and it also comes loaded with a nod to modernity in the shape of a sextet of Steinberger gearless tuners.

"Everyone in the office, from blues hounds to hard-rockers and jazz fusionistas began crawling Gollum-like towards it"

Providing a discreet substitute for the banjo-style tuners sported by original 'birds without disrupting the headstock's iconic lines, the Steinberger units are much smoother and altogether more precise in operation. They're a clever and welcome addition.

It's impossible not to be drawn to this guitar; the Classic White finish is simply gorgeous. On removing it from the Gibson hard case, everyone in the office, from blues hounds to hard-rockers and jazz fusionistas began crawling Gollum-like towards it, compelled by its flawless allure. This is about as good-looking a guitar as we've seen, and if you don't think that's important then, frankly, you're reading the wrong publication.

Of course, close inspection reveals that the Firebird V isn't flawless, but then Gibsons never have been, even in the 'golden era' between the late 1950s and the mid-1960s when the Firebird was born. It certainly didn't stop Gibsons featuring on probably more than half of the most important popular music recordings in history.

Here, there's a little binding shrinkage that causes a fractional lip to be perceptible along the treble and bass sides of the neck, but it's not so pronounced that you notice it in the heat of battle. In addition, there's a little bit of scruffiness to the finishing on the eye-catching headstock fascia, but it wouldn't be significant enough to discourage us from parting with a couple of monkeys for this deeply attractive instrument.

At seven pounds on the nose, it's one of the lighter off-the-shelf Firebirds available, perhaps surprisingly so, given the guitar's vintage-style nine-piece mahogany and walnut neck-through-body construction with glued mahogany 'wings'. Whether the next Firebird V off the production line in Gibson's Nashville factory is as light is debatable, but this example is a lovely weight and incredibly resonant when strummed acoustically.

The hybrid 50s rounded/60s slim-taper neck shape is a delight to play, and upper fret access is effortless across the 'board - no wonder, then, that Firebirds have proved so popular with slide players over the years. Strike a 1st-position chord and this guitar throbs as if it's straining at the leash, desperate to be plugged in and allowed to soar.

Sounds

"It's easy to see why these guitars are often regarded as the Gibsons that best suit Fender players"

The Firebird V's 495R (neck) and 495T (bridge) mini humbucker pickups have ceramic magnets that deliver a bright, twangy sonic palette. It's easy to see why these guitars are often regarded as the Gibsons that best suit Fender players, because it's possible to encroach on Telecaster territory, or even Jimi sounds with an appropriate fuzz pedal.

There's bite in spades, but it certainly isn't a flimsy sound, and judicious use of the tone controls allows you to get close to the warmth and fatness of regular 'buckers as and when required. All in all, it's an incredible, versatile-sounding guitar that begs to be strapped on and gigged.

Make no mistake, the Firebird V is the kind of guitar you'd save from a burning building. It looks the proverbial million dollars, and just feels and sounds a little classier than its brethren in Gibson's Firebird lineup.

Read more about Gibson Firebird V 2010 at MusicRadar.com

Pigtronix Infinity Looper

Tue, 07 May 2013 14:30:00 GMT

Read more about Pigtronix Infinity Looper at MusicRadar.com

If looping appeals to you, there's plenty of choice these days, starting from the no-brainer, plug-in-and-play simplicity of the TC Electronic Ditto Looper through to more complex machines capable of running multiple loops. The Infinity Looper from Pigtronix slots into the latter category, and offers two stereo loops that can be configured to work together in several ways.

"The Infinity Looper offers two stereo loops that can be configured to work together in several ways"

A major feature of the Infinity Looper is Sync Multi, which sets the length of loop two to be one, two, three, four or six times the length of loop one, so that they always have synchronised timing. There's also an option to turn the sync off so that you can have two independent loops of unrelated length and without synchronised playback.

There are two basic modes to configure how the pair of loops behave - they can be run in the normal parallel mode, where both can play together, or they can be set in a 'series' mode, where one starts as soon as the other stops - a great idea if you are using the unit for playing over verse/chorus song structures.

Sounds

While it's reasonably sized to fit onto the average pedalboard, the Infinity Looper still manages to sport three footswitches wide enough apart to ensure that you won't hit the wrong one by mistake. Operation is straightforward enough: the two footswitches to the right have identical record, play and overdub functions - one for loop one, the other for loop two.

The footswitch to the far left stops the loops running and can also be used for erase functions, plus there's the option of connecting another footswitch for overdub, undo and redo. Each loop has independent volume control via a pair of knobs, and you can control overall volume by plugging in an expression pedal.

"Once your first loop is recorded, the second loop can be armed and will start recording at exactly the start time of the first"

There is no onboard metronome to help your timing or a quantize function to fix mistimed loops, so you have to rely on your own sense of timing to get a glitch-free initial loop, but with practice, that can become second nature. Once your first loop is recorded, the second loop can be armed and will start recording at exactly the start time of the first.

It can be either the same length as the first or a multiple as set by Sync Multi, which offers plenty of flexibility - you don't have to fill the whole loop up with playing, so if loop one is, say, four bars long and you set the Sync Multi to x4, you can just play one simple phrase into loop two that will then appear every 16 bars. Overdubbing on either loop is straightforward, and you can build up loads of layers without noticing any loss of quality.

There are nine preset slots onboard to store your loops, along with control settings, and there's a USB connection, plus free software that lets you transfer loops to computer or upload digital audio files onto the looper. Ongoing firmware updates to add to the feature set will also be available via USB.

Pigtronix has obviously thought about how the looper is likely to be used, and included some very practical features, such as various modes that determine how a loop stops (stop dead, play to end, fade), and an aux output through which you can send looping audio to a separate destination from the main outputs - to a drummer's monitor, for example.

If you are using the looper in a hi-tech context with computer-based backing tracks, it will also take MIDI input to synchronise loop start and stop points with your DAW. In addition, two players can use the unit at the same time - an input split mode assigns input one to loop one and input two to loop two, for recording and overdubbing separate instruments on separate loops.

Some multi-loop loopers sport XLR inputs and the like, and are designed to appeal to a range of users. The Infinity Looper, however, with its pedalboard-friendly size and thoughtful features that help integrate it into various onstage scenarios, feels like a guitarist's machine through and through. Whether in front of an audience or at home on practice and compositional duties, it's intuitive to use and offers plenty of opportunity to get creative.

Read more about Pigtronix Infinity Looper at MusicRadar.com

Yamaha GL-1 Guitalele

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Yamaha GL-1 Guitalele at MusicRadar.com

If you've been in a guitar shop lately, you'll have noticed that ukulele fever is gripping the nation - in fact the uke is now Britain's best-selling musical instrument. But learning a new instrument is so much fuss... wouldn't it be great if you could just play all the guitar chords and songs you already know, but still be down with the uke kids? Enter the Yamaha GL-1, a six-string uke for guitar players.

The Guitalele was actually launched way back in 1997, but back then there wasn't a uke orchestra on every street corner, so it hardly made waves. But it wouldn't be the first time Yamaha has been ahead of the game, and so, 15 years late, we're writing about the GL-1.

"The six strings are tuned like a guitar, capo'd at the 5th fret"

The key thing here for guitarists is that, as well as having six familiar strings, it's designed to be tuned like a standard guitar, capo'd at the 5th fret. This means that, low to high, it goes ADGCEA - the top three strings are the same as a uke, the fourth string the same note but an octave lower. In practice, it means that when you play the chords of your favourite song on the GL-1, it will sound just the same as it does on your full-sized guitar, but a little higher.

Like most low-end guitars and ukes, the GL-1's body is made from all laminated woods - a spruce top and meranti back and sides. It's pretty tidy and made in Yamaha's own Indonesian factory where many of the firm's lower-end instruments are constructed.

For such a small guitar, it has a pretty wide nut width at 49mm. It's wider than a Fender Strat, for example, though tighter than a classical guitar. The outer strings sit some way into the fingerboard, however, and there's not a huge amount of room at the bridge should you fancy trying some fingerpicking.

"There's not a lot of oomph from the small body but like a uke it projects pretty well"

The nato neck, is a well-shaped handful and the flat fingerboard has 17 full width frets plus a half fret that sits on a slight extension over the soundhole. You might want to give the frets a bit of a polish and oil the rather dry- looking sonokeling fingerboard to make it a smoother player, but on the whole, it's okay.

As with any nylon-string guitar, we get a set of classical style 'roller' tuners at one end and a tie-block bridge at the other. This bridge is tidily made and the GL-1 uses standard nylon strings (just cut them to length), which tie-on - a technique that takes a little getting used to. The plastic bridge saddle is a tad high on our sample, but at least it's compensated, so higher position chords and noodles, in theory, will be more in-tune.

It sounds pretty good. There's not a lot of oomph from the small body but like a uke it projects pretty well, although it can be a tad annoying. That hasn't stopped the hordes of uke-ists to date, of course, but at least we have those lower strings to add a little depth. And as well as a choice of colours, the GL-1 even comes with a mini gigbag.

Read more about Yamaha GL-1 Guitalele at MusicRadar.com

Fargen Olde 800 MK II

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:15:00 GMT

Read more about Fargen Olde 800 MK II at MusicRadar.com

There are so many boutique amp builders around right now, it's more likely than ever that somewhere out there, somebody is already making your ultimate amp. And if your idea of 'ultimate' means a straight-up all-valve head that can cover most classic British rock tones from the 1960s to the 1980s, then we have a pretty strong candidate to look at right here. It comes in the shape of the Olde 800 from Sacramento-based Fargen Amplification, and is now available in the UK.

The Olde 800 certainly has the right visuals: the cabinet is high-quality birch ply covered in heavyweight black vinyl accented with gold piping and stringing, while the control panel has the familiar look of a vintage British head. Although the box is substantially larger than the chassis, the amp's proportions are pleasing and it looks the business when it's sat on top of a 4x12.

Its electronics live in a chassis made from neatly folded 3mm thick aircraft grade aluminium - an ideal material for an amp chassis, combining strength and light weight with anti- magnetic properties, which makes it easier to minimise induced hum. The Olde 800's electronic foundation is a substantial GRP eyelet board: a slab of fibreglass-reinforced plastic with small rivets pressed into it at strategic points, into which the component legs are soldered.

"Like some of the amps that inspired it, the Olde 800 is a single-channel design with minimal features and controls"

This is more of an American traditional construction method, compared with the turret board strips that are found in many vintage British amplifiers. But it's robust, and it's easy to service even without a schematic, because all the components and wiring are highly visible. Along with all the front and rear panel parts, the transformers and valve bases bolt to the chassis and are wired either directly to the main board or a couple of small tag strips that carry some of the power supply components.

Fargen uses seriously high quality components, including SoZo Mustard capacitors and custom carbon composition resistors. The valve heater filaments are DC-powered, further reducing the level of hum leaking into the audio circuit.

The all-important mains and output transformers are custom-made for Fargen by Mercury Magnetics, and the standard of wiring and soldering is as good as the very best we've seen, giving the Fargen a reassuring air of invincibility. Despite the heavy- duty cabinet and transformers, the Olde 800 is an easy one- handed carry, thanks mainly to that aluminium chassis, and balances nicely on its single carry handle.

Like some of the amps that inspired it, the Olde 800 is a single-channel design with minimal features and controls. Knobs for gain and volume, with traditional British tone controls, follow a lone input jack. One additional knob operates a Decade switch, which presets gain and EQ for classic Brit rock amp tones from the 60s, 70s and 80s - these loosely translate into JTM45, JMP and JCM800 voicings.

On the rear panel there are jack sockets for the Olde 800's simple series effects loop, speaker outlets for four-, eight- and 16-ohm loads and a pair of mains and standby toggles with associated fuse holders. Less visible, but very useful, is an external bias control and a test point, making it easy to fine- tune the Olde 800's pair of EL34 output valves. All in, the Olde 800 has the look, feel and even the smell of a seriously high-quality product, built and wired by people who know exactly what they're doing.

Sounds

First off, the amp fires up with practically zero mains hum and with only a tiny amount of background hiss. For our tests we used a pair of open- and closed-back 2x12 Celestion Vintage 30-loaded cabs and a variety of guitars, including our old faithful Strat, a PAF-loaded Gibson Les Paul Standard, and a '72 Les Paul Custom that has a fatter and warmer 70s Gibson rock tone. The amp's tone controls work smoothly and interact with no annoying peaks, making it quick and easy to dial in.

"The Decade control is this amp's secret weapon, changing gain and tone at a click to dial in on your favourite era"

The Olde 800 has a wide and almost exaggerated dynamic range and a superb voice that captures the classic vintage Brit rock vibe to perfection. The Decade control is this amp's secret weapon, changing gain and tone at a click to dial in on your favourite era. Select 60s mode, and there's just the right amount of glassy treble. Switch to the 70s mode, and the midrange is more prominent, with a flatter response and a cleaner overall tone, while 80s mode cranks up the gain and midrange for killer leads and crunch rhythm work.

The amp's relatively high gain levels mean it isn't as good for big, fat clean tones, but for earthy touch-sensitive chording the Olde 800 is one of the best we've ever played through. There's a seductive growl on lower strings that really flatters the Strat for Hendrix-style doublestops and chops. However, if you really want to hear the Olde 800 sing, then you need a good Les Paul, and our borrowed '72 Custom proved to be this amp's perfect companion. Used in 80s mode, the Fargen not only sounded great at full throttle, but it also cleaned up superbly with a simple twist of the guitar's volume controls, retaining plenty of the clean volume that's needed to cut through with a live band.

"The Fargen Olde 800 really typifies what a great small-production 'boutique' amp is all about"

The Fargen Olde 800 really typifies what a great small-production 'boutique' amp is all about. It's designed to deliver a particular set of sounds and dynamic responses, in this case classic Brit rock tones that totally hit the bullseye for us.

Like many boutique amps out there, this one is not cheap, but heads that deliver this kind of tone are rare - together with the Olde 800's exceptionally high construction standards, we think that just about justifies the price tag. Competition is harder to find than you'd think - there are many great amps available on the market for similar money, but only a few that do what the Fargen does so effortlessly.

The amp's sounds are more idealised than accurate, meaning that it keeps all the best sonic characteristics and leaves out the bits that were less memorable. It will resonate with many players who remember those sounds from the first time around, as well as younger players who want to discover what it was like back in the days when stompboxes barely existed and a good guitar with a great amp was all you needed. This take on some of the most popular British amps made during that era is a strong reminder that while modern digital modelling has got better, it will only be a facsimile at best. The Fargen, meanwhile, is the real deal - and then some.

Read more about Fargen Olde 800 MK II at MusicRadar.com

Cort Z-Custom 1

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:24:00 GMT

Read more about Cort Z-Custom 1 at MusicRadar.com

With its mahogany body, quilted maple top and sunburst finish, the Z-Custom 1 is clearly making a play for the traditionalist's heartstrings, but when you get your hands on it there's a feeling that it's all been a big ruse. It might not have the sci-fi quality of, say, the self-tuning Gibson Robot Guitar, yet the Z-Custom nevertheless feels modern.

Build

"It feels modern and built for speed. Never mind where it took its design cues from, this is a guitar for now"

It's light, for starters - great news for your sciatica - with a slimmer, more contoured body profile than its sexagenarian design muse. The jack input is carved into the front of the body as opposed to mounted on the side. The glued neck joint is immaculate and ergonomically accommodating for upper-fret access; the three-piece maple neck, too, is whippet slim.

Pickup-wise, the Z-Custom is fitted with a pair of Seymour Duncan humbuckers - a JB in the bridge and '59 in the neck - with a coil-tap on a master tone pot, which allows you to access some Strat-style spank.

Cort fits a three-way toggle switch positioned down by the bridge instead of the customary mounting on the shoulder. This guitar feels modern and built for speed. Never mind where it took its design cues from, this is a guitar for now.

Sounds

The spec sheet is impressive, the price modest, but the Z-Custom fails to fully convince. Sure, it's a breeze to play and the high-gloss finish good enough not to gum up when you sweat, while the TonePros bridge is a solid unit, and its clean tone is nice and bright - brighter still when the coil-tap is engaged.

But when the amp's gain is being throttled, the Z-Custom's voice is just a little too bright, a little brittle and hard to tame. Rolling back the tone helps to keep things under control, and it's not such an issue when the neck's '59 is selected, but for a lot of players, particularly those with a proclivity for thick distortion, the Z-Custom's tonal sweet spots can be pretty hard to find.

Also, maddeningly, the three- way pickup selector is configured back-to-front, which might catch a few people out, especially since rote intuition says that it should select the pickup that it's pointing towards. Having it mounted by the bridge only exacerbates matters, making on-the-fly pickup changes a risky business.

These bugbears are frustrating, because the Z-Custom has a lot of potential. It's hard not to love its playability and range of clean tones, many of which are great for chicken-pickin' and blues, and with the amp just overdriven, the Z-Custom has a great, gnarly classic-rock voice. But its gelded high-gain voice... well, that might just be the deal-breaker.

Read more about Cort Z-Custom 1 at MusicRadar.com

Inspired Instruments You Rock Guitar

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:56:00 GMT

Read more about Inspired Instruments You Rock Guitar at MusicRadar.com

It looks like an upmarket Guitar Hero controller - and it can actually be used for that - but the You Rock Guitar/MIDI controller offers much more. It's a serious instrument for practising and recording guitarists, and might even work onstage, too.

"It's not a guitar as we know it, but if you're a guitarist, you can play the You Rock"

The plastic-bodied instrument comes in two parts for transport, with a neck that easily slots into place. It's not a guitar as we know it, but if you're a guitarist, you can play the You Rock. The touch-sensitive neck has a fairly normal fret spacing, but the frets are made of a rubbery substance, as are the 'strings', which are fixed to the fretboard - that's some low action!

Your other hand gets a more conventional span of strings, with adjustable tension to pick or strum. You have four connecting options: a standard jack socket and a headphone output for internal sounds, USB for computer control, and a MIDI socket to connect to compatible sound modules.

Playing it takes a bit of getting used to - but you'll get past the eccentricities in no time. You can't bend strings for one, but waggle the whammy bar and you'll get a similar effect, while the joystick offers vibrato-style modulation. There are also a few switchable modes: Tap unsurprisingly lets you play by just tapping on the fretboard, and Slide lets you move smoothly between notes.

"Through MIDI, you can also use the You Rock Guitar to play a connected synth or sampler"

The onboard sampled sounds are stored in presets, and there are 15 guitar sounds and 15 synth sounds that can be layered together. Through MIDI, you can also use the You Rock Guitar to play a connected synth or sampler. The notes track very well like this, because you're sending a direct MIDI signal rather than converting a real guitar sound as you would with a MIDI guitar pickup. You can also use the instrument to control software by configuring the fretboard as an array of switches.

All that's pretty advanced, however, and you could keep yourself amused for some time just using the onboard backing tracks and built-in recorder, plus the instantly switchable open tunings. In fact, there's loads here that we just don't have room to fully describe, but there's more than enough to keep you entertained.

Computer recording has given us all the opportunity to create our own unique tracks, but if you don't want to use samples, putting backing tracks together using MIDI data can be painstakingly slow using a keyboard or your computer's keys.

If you're more at home with a guitar neck, the You Rock Guitar could be a relatively affordable way to make the process less of a slog - it's not bad as a practice tool, either. And given that it easily fits into a backpack, simply partner it with a set of headphones and you can get those fingers working anywhere. All that, and it never needs tuning!

Read more about Inspired Instruments You Rock Guitar at MusicRadar.com

SubZero Tube-H5 5W Mini Stack

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:20:00 GMT

Read more about SubZero Tube-H5 5W Mini Stack at MusicRadar.com

One hundred and eighty nine pounds and ninety nine pence? No, that's not a typo. That's how little this valve cutie values itself. Self-esteem aside, though, the once fresh and hip five-watt table is beginning to get pretty crowded, so we're keen to see what SubZero can bring to it.

A quick glance at the spec sees it do okay: two channels with a shared two-band EQ, pumped through a single EL84 valve on its way to a pair of 10-inch speaker cabs each housing a name-brand Celestion Tube 10 speaker.

But hang on, where's the emulated output? The on-board power soak? The footswitchable channels that we've come to expect? Well, with great reductions in price should come greatly diminished expectations, and at £189.99 you're already saving a couple of hundred pounds on the ticket price of five-watters from big-name brands like Vox, Marshall and Blackstar.

Looks

Visually, the Tube-H5 punches above its weight. Blue Tolex, weave baffle and grille cloth, and retro chickenhead controls are accompanied by the vintage-style leather handle and tidy chrome corners.

The only letdown is that the channel switch on our review model poked through the hole on the panel slightly off-centre. It didn't stop it from functioning at all, but it is a giveaway sign of the amp's price.

Sounds

Plugging in, then, you'll be surprised at the grunt of the Tube-H5. Five watts might not be enough to gig with, but it's still loud enough to upset your neighbours if you crank it.

However, unlike its more powerful brother, the Tube-10W, the Tube-H5 is quite manageable for a 'bedroom' amp, and while the inclusion of two larger speakers will offer greater dispersion and low end, in this case it's not overpowering.

The clean channel benefits from the added bass response, adding character to the toppy tone and making it great for playing jangly strummed rhythms, as well as cleaner blues licks. Push that wonky channel switch and you'll find a smooth overdrive.

The top end of the Tube-H5 can be a bit shrill and fatiguing, particularly with single coils, so rolling back the treble will help. If the pure driven tones of melodic rock bands like Foo Fighters and The Gaslight Anthem float your boat, you'll be in your element here.

Likewise, flipping to a neck humbucker and venturing towards the business end of the neck will yield some cool, weeping blues and classic rock leads. Metal fans will want to add a pedal or keep walking, as that single 12AX7 tube in the preamp just isn't going to cut it. That said, tuning down can get some of that doomy Black Sabbath feel.

Having played and reviewed most of the micro valve amps on the market, we were surprised by the Tube-H5. It came out swinging and delivered some tones that have no right to be found on a mini stack priced at just shy of £200 (£89.99 if you just buy the head). Yes, it's devoid of some features, but something has to give, and at this price it's well worth a look.

Read more about SubZero Tube-H5 5W Mini Stack at MusicRadar.com

Fret-King Black Label Country Squire Semitone De Luxe

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:19:00 GMT

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Country Squire Semitone De Luxe at MusicRadar.com

The Fret-King Black Label range gets another string to its bow in the form of the tonally versatile Country Squire Semitone De Luxe.

Once upon a time, finding one guitar that scratched the itch of all of your tonal requirements likely involved chiselling the hell out of some poor old Tele or Strat to cram an overwound humbucker into its ravaged body.

These days, thanks to the likes of British hardware and pickup guru Trevor Wilkinson, you can take your pick from countless modified classics without troubling your toolbox. Which brings us to our review...

Build

"The Semitone De Luxe takes an established design and goes all Inspector Gadget with the spec sheet"

One of the new additions to Wilkinson's well-respected Fret-King Black Label range, the Country Squire Semitone De Luxe takes an established design and goes all Inspector Gadget with the spec sheet. The story begins with a two-piece centre-jointed, semi-hollow alder body bolted to a slim C profile maple neck. The neck itself has a 254mm (10-inch) radius rosewood 'board and 22 well-finished medium jumbo frets.

So far, so unremarkable... but here's where it gets interesting. Unlike the American classic that inspired it, the Country Squire has a vibrato unit. Instead of the six- saddle format, the Wilkinson WVT vibrato has three vintage-style brass blocks to retain some of the T-type vibe. At the other end of the guitar, you'll find Wilkinson's E-Z Lok machineheads with staggered shaft heights to avoid the need for string retainers.

The Semitone De Luxe adds to its Swiss Army Knife-like versatility with a Wilkinson WHHB humbucker in the bridge position, a WHS single coil in the middle, and a WDG mini-humbucker at the neck. The wiring loom consists of a master volume, a concentric tone and Vari-coil control, and five-way pickup selector switch. Let's back up a little. 'Concentric' means that the tone and Vari-coil are stacked. The tone is the large knob on the bottom; the Vari-coil is the smaller knob on the top. What's a Vari-coil? It's a variable coil-tap that shuts off a proportion of a humbucker's windings to produce single coil-like output and tone as you turn the control down - handy.

Sounds

Plugging in, we find that while the bridge humbucker is all bright and spunky Dr Jekyll through a clean channel, stepping on the gain unleashes its filthier Mr Hyde persona. Winding down the Vari-coil reveals a tone that's closer to the sweet sound of a Strat than a brash Tele, despite the clever bridge saddle setup.

Combining the coil-tapped bridge or neck 'bucker with the middle pickup draws out sweet Hendrix rhythm and lead tones. We also like the clarity of the neck mini-humbucker. It's just the thing for blues noodling, where you want plenty of dynamics without typical full-size humbucker slush.

The Semitone De Luxe's looks might be more Nashville session ace than tattooed metal obelisk, but it easily covers that wide tonal remit - and all points in between.

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Country Squire Semitone De Luxe at MusicRadar.com

Fret-King Black Label Series Ventura

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Series Ventura at MusicRadar.com

Trevor Wilkinson's Fret-King Black Label Series Ventura is a surfin' bird with a love it or loathe it body shape. It also includes Trev's Vari-coil control, which enables you to dial out a proportion of each pickup's windings to help pull single coil-like tones from those humbuckers. Let's take a closer look.

Build

"The upper bout of its American alder body echoes the offset design of a Fender Jaguar"

The Ventura that strays pretty far from its inspiration. While the upper bout of its American alder body echoes the offset design of a Fender Jaguar, albeit with an extended top horn, the unconventional squared-off lower bout looks like it's been caught in a mangle, making the Ventura, visually at least, a bit of an acquired taste.

There is plenty of good news. Playability is first class thanks to a slim-profile bolt-on maple neck, 254mm (10-inch) radius rosewood fingerboard and 22 superbly finished medium jumbo frets. The Wilkinson WVP vibrato has a reassuringly chunky baseplate, not so unlike that of a PRS, while Wilkinson's WJ05 E-Z Lok tuners keep the pitch in check. Power comes courtesy of a bridge-position Wilkinson WHHB humbucker and two Wilkinson WDG 'Focusfield' mini-humbuckers.

Sounds

"The Vari-coil control expands the tonal palette brilliantly"

The Ventura's powerful bridge Wilkinson WHHB humbucker is perfect for full-on rock, punk and metal stuff. Conversely, the alder body/bolt-on maple neck construction renders the middle- and neck-position Wilkinson WDG 'Focusfield' mini-humbuckers with a lighter touch than you'd expect from those installed on a Les Paul.

For instance, there's very little loss in clarity when you flick the switch to the neck position. The Vari-coil control expands the tonal palette brilliantly, especially when you want to back off the heat for more clarity in your overdriven moments.

It gives the bridge humbucker the opportunity to impress with a classic surf tone, too. On full power, the in-between positions are much fatter sounding than those of Fender's finest, but judicious twiddling of the Vari-coil gets you pretty close.

Trevor Wilkinson doesn't so much reinvent the wheel as give it a retread, whack on some shiny rims and then make sure it handles as good as possible. It's an approach that's working. Some of the best affordable new guitars that have been through our hands in the past year or so have had the Fret-King name etched on their headstocks.

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Series Ventura at MusicRadar.com

Fret-King Black Label Esprit I Bass

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Esprit I Bass at MusicRadar.com

This latest model in the Fret-King bass portfolio, the Espirit I, would surely have appealed to John Entwistle - it's not a million miles away from his infamous Fenderbird amalgamations!

"The pickup works like a dream: clean and jazzy when wound back, full and punchy when humbucking"

It sports a great offset look, and an oversized scratchplate that takes the eye directly to the heart of this bass: the stunning new WJM pickup, designed, of course, by Mr Wilkinson.

This is a fabulous-looking instrument, and it's medium weight with a keenly contoured and honed satin-feel maple neck bolted onto an agathis body. The surface-mounted controls, chrome-finished WBBC bridge and open-gear tuners all contribute to this stylishly vintage-like persona.

Sounds

"The pickup is basically a Music Man-style coil added to a Jazz-style, coupled together as a humbucker and wired down as a Vari-coil," Trevor tells us.

"Turn the Vari-coil back and the MM factor is lost into a Jazz sound, but when it's wound back up as a humbucker it takes on the aspects of the Music Man: fat but focused."

With controls for volume, tone and Vari-coil, the pickup works like a dream, producing distinct aspects of both basses: clean and jazzy when wound back but full and punchy when humbucking, giving a unique sound.

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Esprit I Bass at MusicRadar.com

Boss DA-2 Adaptive Distortion

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Boss DA-2 Adaptive Distortion at MusicRadar.com

The idea behind Boss new compact stompbox, the DA-2 Adaptive Distortion, is to give you distortion tones determined by wherever you play on the guitar neck, in effect giving you the ideal tone for each register.

Knobbage is pretty much the same as any distortion pedal, with controls for output level, distortion, and low and high EQ.

Sounds

"The DA-2 offers distortion over a wide range, from a mild crunch to a ferocious dirtfest"

It seems conventional on the surface, but Boss says that it employs multiple distortion processors to overcome some of the inherent drawbacks of 'normal' distortion pedals, which process the entire guitar signal with one effect.

The aim of the pedal seems to be to lose mush or muddiness where it's not needed, and to promote a distortion sound with plenty of clarity and punch. Sensitive to dynamics, playing through the DA-2 feels a little different to using a conventional analogue diode-clipping pedal, and it offers its distortion over a wide range, from a mild crunch overdrive through to a ferocious dirtfest that could suit metallers.

The two tone knobs are wide-ranging, and combine to put the sound where you need it in the frequency spectrum, but they're also able to make it really extreme - the top-end gets particularly fizzy and vicious.

Overall, though, the sound is tight and well defined wherever you play on the neck, with individual notes making their presence felt within a chord, low-string riffs possessing real weight and dusty end leads cutting through as they should.

This is a valid choice alongside all the others on the market if you are looking for a distortion pedal. There may be a lot of jiggery-pokery going on under the hood but, hype aside, it's a distortion pedal with its own voice and feel, which may be just the sort of sound that you are looking for.

Read more about Boss DA-2 Adaptive Distortion at MusicRadar.com

Taylor Grand Orchestra K28e

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Taylor Grand Orchestra K28e at MusicRadar.com

We take a look at the high-end Koa-bodied K28e, one of several new guitars to feature Taylor's overhauled Grand Orchestra shape.

The new Taylor Grand Orchestra (GO) is an imposing piece. At 425.5mm (16.75 inches) across its lower bout and 524mm (20.625 inches) long, it's bigger than Taylor's Grand Symphony (GS) (412.75mm/16.25 inches wide and 508mm/20 inches long) - and it's deeper, too (123mm/ 4.84 inches compared with 117.5mm/4.625 inches).

Technically, the guitar it replaces, the Taylor jumbo (JM), was bigger still - 432mm (17 inches) wide and 533mm (21 inches) long, but with the same GS depth of 117.5mm. The GO appears more Taylor- like in style, too, in comparison with the previous JM: its upper and lower bouts are slightly trimmer with a less waspish waist. It appears like a slighter larger version of the Bob Taylor designed GS, introduced in 2006. The new GO, however, was conceived by Taylor's new master builder, Andy Powers.

Build

Along with Taylor's numbered 100 to 900 series, there are two other mini ranges available: the Presentation and the Koa. The K28e falls into the latter. The model's first digit, in this case a '2', means that the top is the same wood as the back and sides: Hawaiian koa.

"The top has a fine 'fiddleback' flame that sits at perfect right angles to the longitudinal grain stripes"

It's certainly a looker. The top has a fine 'fiddleback' flame that sits at perfect right angles to the longitudinal grain stripes. It has a shaded edge burst that subtly darkens the outer edges, which are picked out with a maple purfling inside the rosewood edge binding. Like the top, the back is centre- jointed and bookmatched with a strong curve to the figure; the sides are again heavily figured. We get to see plenty of spectacular pieces of wood, but this selection is up there with the very, very best.

Even the 'island vine' fingerboard inlay on the unusual rosewood-bound ebony fingerboard doesn't offend like some vine-style inlays do. It uses inlaid blackwood and maple, and the muted browns really suit the chocolate lustre of the koa; it's the same deal with the head logo and rosette. Classy.

A set of antique gold 510 Gotoh tuners - probably the best-looking modern tuner there is - look fabulous, and smooth is the word for their action. As with the Presentation and 900 series, a bone nut (with no sharp edges like the Tusq nut of the 518e) and a compensated bone saddle are standard.

The 'e' suffix denotes that the guitar features Taylor's Expression System (ES). Its discreet forward shoulder-placed and centre-notched bass, treble and volume controls give a surprisingly wide array of colours. Hidden from view are the two sensors - one is placed to the bass side of the bridge, and you'll find the other buried within the neck joint. Mounted on the preamp's circuit board is a small slide switch that allows you to turn the body sensor on or off.

Sounds

"When it comes to koa, people talk of a high-end-y sound that needs some time to mellow and open. Well, that's not what we are hearing"

When it comes to koa, people talk of a high-end-y sound that needs some time to mellow and open. Well, that's not what we are hearing. The K28e has balance and powerful projection, but there's a little more fundamental in the lows, and what we might call an old sound - perhaps, a little less hi-fi than spruce-topped acoustics. Strummed, it sounds even and quite 'clicky', and would certainly make for a great rhythm bed, even though that low-end is really moving into bass guitar territory.

You wouldn't imagine a big guitar to be that fingerstyle friendly, but this guitar excels, especially if you use a lot of basslines in your style. Played with the flesh, rather than nail of your thumb, the low E and A sound really bass guitar-like, and, by design, you don't have to dig in too much to get your sound out. There's a much more 'small body' response in that regard, and the dynamic range is very impressive.

Pulling out a couple of dreadnoughts (a Martin and an old Tacoma) to compare, it's rare that a dread sounds deficient in the low-end, but they really do. The Martin, especially, provides that typical upper-mid thrust, but the GO just seems more tonally balanced. We can't stress this enough. Listening to a smaller-cutaway PRS Angelus, it matched the GO for low-end, but to our ears the lows sound a little over-egged.

A recording test - using the ES output - definitely narrows the game a little, especially with other instruments at play in the track, and through a variety of amps the relative smoothness of the ES really suits this guitar. Likewise, the two-band EQ can tighten the low-end - which certainly might be necessary live - or tame or enhance the highs, depending on your taste.

This Grand Orchestra leaves us with a quandary: who, exactly, is it designed for? As a big, bold strummer, it's an easy fit for the soloist, less so for ensemble use (especially if you have a bassist), because it really does take up so much sonic space.

For the fingerstyle player or the hybrid picker, this model is surprisingly rewarding, especially if you have the ability to voice bassline, chords and melody and/or use dropped tunings. It might be an unusual statement, but we could hear these in the hands of a jazzer, or even a bossa nova stylist who's more accustomed to nylon strings.

Conversely, the GO excels as a huge-sounding 'rock' acoustic: big open-string chords just sound fantastic, and there's a good tonal body for lead lines and solos. Can you see our dilemma?

But our overriding thought is about the tonal balance. Plenty of big guitars give you low-end, but fewer are quite as well balanced as the GO. It has a superb balance, and for such a big guitar it's surprisingly dynamic, powerful and responsive. You really don't have to dig in hard to get the sound out. Put another way, if big guitars aren't your thing, it's time to change your opinion. It's not quite an orchestra, but it's damn close.

Read more about Taylor Grand Orchestra K28e at MusicRadar.com

Fret-King Black Label Series Corona GWR Gregg Wright Model

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:38:00 GMT

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Series Corona GWR Gregg Wright Model at MusicRadar.com

In his quest to build a guitar for, um, absolutely everyone, Trevor Wilkinson has had his wicked way with a classic design and tweaked it to snag punters that value performance over branding. The latest addition to his intermediate Fret-King Black Label Series is a tweaked replica of an 80s hot rod, the Corona GWR.

The guitar is fitted with Trev's Vari-coil control, which enables you to dial out a proportion of each pickup's windings to reduce the output of the WP90 single coils and pull single coil-like tones from humbuckers. Let's take a closer look.

Build

"The perfectly finished medium jumbo frets and 'flat' fingerboard make for superb buzz-free playability"

Back in 1984, bluesman Gregg Wright was a hired gun in Michael Jackson's Victory Tour band. Before packing his suitcase to head out on the road with the King Of Pop, Gregg ordered a custom-made guitar, which now hangs on the wall at a Hard Rock Cafe; and it's that guitar, sorely missed by Gregg, that Trev Wilkinson used as the starting point for the new Black Label Corona GWR Gregg Wright model.

"It has the exact same neck width and radius as the original," says Gregg of the 80s-era instrument cryptically described as a "sought-after guitar hero custom brand" on the Fret-King website. Now, it doesn't take Bergerac to realise that the guitar now dangling over diners at some Hard Rock Cafe is a white Charvel with a rising sun graphic.

If you were around back then, you'll know that not all 80s rock guitars had lollipop stick-thin necks. The Corona GWR's maple example, bolted to a three-piece American alder body via a beautifully sculpted heel, reminds us of those wonderfully chubby Charvel necks of yore.

The 22 perfectly finished medium jumbo frets and 'flat' 432mm (17-inch) fingerboard radius make for superb buzz-free playability. And don't write this guitar off as a shred machine. Anyone who likes effortless string bending should give it a test drive. Remember, Gregg Wright plays blues on his.

Sounds

"The WP90 offers bags more warmth through a clean channel than most humbuckers"

While the feel and looks of the Corona GWR transport us back to an era when men had hair like Tina Turner and root vegetables were a fashion accessory, we were surprised to see a Wilkinson WP90 stacked single coil, colour-matched to that vibrant solar graphic, instead of a humbucker.

A few amplified minutes later and we get it. The WP90 conspires with the two regular single coils to produce a fat Fender Strat-like vibe, while the bridge pickup delivers enough power and raunch to satisfy the staunchest humbucker junkie.

Better still, the WP90 offers more clarity when distorted, and bags more warmth through a clean channel than most humbuckers. While the middle and neck single coils have a modern, punchy presence, dropping their output a touch with the volume control dials in a more vintage tonality; think surf, Hank, Jimi and plinky funk.

Winding down the Vari- coil transforms the tone of the bridge pup from a porky P-90 to something closer to a classic, wispy single-coil voice.

Gregg Wright, for one, is well chuffed with his Fret- King signature, and considers it a big improvement on the guitar he gave away. In other words, if you haven't done so already, the time has come to see what all the fuss is about.

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Series Corona GWR Gregg Wright Model at MusicRadar.com

Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone at MusicRadar.com

The remit of Boss' new MO-2 Multi Overtone stompbox is to use your guitar's harmonic characteristics to create a wide range of new sounds.

Build

There are standard knobs for setting the balance of the dry sound to effect and tweaking the overall tone, plus a detune knob for adjusting the depth of a detuning effect, which is delivered via three selectable modes.

Sounds

"There's plenty of effected weirdness on offer to make your guitar sound un-guitar-like"

What's going on with the MO-2 is similar to a harmoniser or octave pedal but with a modulation twist. With the detune knob at minimum, we get an almost unadulterated, albeit synthesised, extra note.

The three modes each deliver in a different register and seem equivalent to an octave up, unison and octave down. With the upper octave and minimum detune we can dial in a touch of 12-string jangle.

Start advancing the detune and the effect gets, er, more effected. We are not sure exactly what's happening in technical terms, but there's more modulation going on, and it's like adding a bucketload of swirly chorus that can sound like multiple guitars playing or a particularly raucous rotary speaker. It's quite musical most of the way up the range, although at the far end of the travel, the pitch changes might be too overdone for some players.

In mode two, you get frequencies that can thicken the signal, while mode three is for those who like to get heavy. If you want to add some weight and girth to your guitar as well as the modulation, or go for a 'church organ of doom' sound, then this is the way to go.

Every mode on the pedal tracks polyphonically, so you can use the effect on chords as well as single notes and, while there's plenty of effected weirdness on offer to make your guitar sound un-guitar-like, with subtle setting of the mix knob you can add an underlying extra something to enhance your standard sound in a pleasing way.

Read more about Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone at MusicRadar.com

Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone at MusicRadar.com

The remit of Boss' new MO-2 Multi Overtone stompbox is to use your guitar's harmonic characteristics to create a wide range of new sounds.

Build

Sounds

"There's plenty of effected weirdness on offer to make your guitar sound un-guitar-like"

What's going on with the MO-2 is similar to a harmoniser or octave pedal but with a modulation twist. With the detune knob at minimum, we get an almost unadulterated, albeit synthesised, extra note.

The three modes each deliver in a different register and seem equivalent to an octave up, unison and octave down. With the upper octave and minimum detune we can dial in a touch of 12-string jangle.

Read more about Boss MO-2 Multi Overtone at MusicRadar.com

Taylor Grand Orchestra 518e

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:44:00 GMT

Read more about Taylor Grand Orchestra 518e at MusicRadar.com

It's fair to say that there's a something of a trend for vintage-style instruments in the acoustic world right now. Full marks, then, to Taylor for doing - as ever - its own thing and coming up with a new design. Okay, it may have started as a revoicing of its classic jumbo shape, but a quick strum on the 518e reveals that this is no Taylor we've ever heard before. But we're getting ahead of ourselves...

"The Grand Orchestra (GO) is an imposing piece - bigger and deeper than Taylor's Grand Symphony"

The Grand Orchestra (GO) is an imposing piece. At 425.5mm (16.75 inches) across its lower bout and 524mm (20.625 inches) long, it's bigger than Taylor's Grand Symphony (GS) (412.75mm/16.25 inches wide and 508mm/20 inches long) - and it's deeper, too (123mm/ 4.84 inches compared with 117.5mm/4.625 inches).

Build

The model's third digit, in this case '8', indicates the GO body style. Taylor's standard 500 series marries solid tropical mahogany back and sides with either a solid Engelmann spruce or red cedar top.

Here, though, the top is Sitka spruce and almost 3D-like in its grain structure - cleanly bound with a mostly deep-brown faux tortoiseshell. Mahogany isn't known for its 'figure', rather its mid-brown colouration. But the back and sides of this beast are beautiful, with black grain flecks and an almost burnt orange colouration.

"One of the foundations of the Taylor empire is very inviting playability"

Mind you, the abalone centre of the rosette seems a little out of place here compared with the engraved pearloid 'deco diamond' fingerboard inlays and simple white stripe between the tortie binding and dark ebony 'board.

Likewise, the satin-finished rosewood headstock facing seems a little at odds on this model, contrasted by the unfinished rosewood truss rod cover. Even the 'Italian acrylic' headstock inlay appears a little out of place, and isn't the brighter tortie pickguard a little too, well, bright? Subjective, yes.

Cosmetics aside, it's the voicing of the GO that's the big departure from previous Taylor designs. "On a basic level, the bracing is quite similar to our other guitars," says Andy Powers. "It's still an X-braced guitar, but on a deeper level it's substantially different, because the bracing is more like a combination of what a modern maker might call a 'parabolic' bracing and a scallop.

"Essentially, instead of building in little stiff spots with those peaks on a scalloped bracing, all the curves are more like a suspension bridge, or a leaf spring design, where these higher tops move as one unit - a really low-mass design. So, what I've ended up with is a top that's set in motion very easily."

One of the foundations of the Taylor empire is very inviting playability. Here, the 14-fret neck, joined to the body by the adjustable NT neck system, has a subtle, soft 'V' profile in the lower positions. This smooths out to a more rounded 'C' section (21.5mm/0.85 inches deep at the 1st fret, 22.5mm/0.89 inches at the 10th) as you move up towards the elegant, sharp-nosed heel with, as usual, that additional treble side-placed strap button.

These first models all feature Taylor's 'long' scale length, the Fender-standard 648mm (25.5 inches). Likewise, nut width (44.5mm/1.75 inches) is the broadest that Taylor offers.

Sounds

A quick strum on the 518e confirms that it really does sound huge - it's like switching from a 1x12 combo to a half-stack, where the 4x12 adds a cushion of low-end. The low-end on bigger-bodied guitars can be overcooked, leaving the mids and highs sounding a little soft. Here, the balance - often a Taylor strong point - is frankly superb.

"You wouldn't imagine a big guitar to be that fingerstyle friendly, but this guitar excels, especially if you use a lot of basslines in your style"

Pulling out a couple of dreadnoughts (a Martin and an old Tacoma) to compare, it's rare that a dread sounds deficient in the low-end, but they really do. The Martin, especially, provides that typical upper-mid thrust, but the GO just seems more tonally balanced. We can't stress this enough. Listening to a smaller- cutaway PRS Angelus, it matched the GO for low-end, but to our ears the lows sound a little over-egged.

Conversely, the GO excels as a huge-sounding 'rock' acoustic: big open-string chords just sound fantastic, and there's a good tonal body for lead lines and solos. Can you see our dilemma?

Read more about Taylor Grand Orchestra 518e at MusicRadar.com

Fret-King Black Label Series Esprit III

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:31:00 GMT

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Series Esprit III at MusicRadar.com

The latest addition to Trev Wilkinson's intermediate Fret-King Black Label Series is a beautiful take on a 60s classic, dubbed the Espirit III.

Build

"The Esprit III is not a direct copy. Its three-piece agathis body is a fair bit deeper than that of the 60s 'birds"

You don't have to be a crime scene investigator to detect a trace of Gibson Firebird/Explorer DNA on the Esprit III. We're talking specifically about the non-reverse 'birds that flew out of the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan between 1965 and 1969.

The Esprit III is not a direct copy, though. With its altered profile, the three-piece agathis body is a fair bit deeper than that of the 60s 'birds, giving this guitar a robust feel when it's hanging from a strap.

The Esprit's gloriously deep yet supremely comfortable D-profile neck is glued to the body and topped with a rosewood fingerboard studded with 22 medium jumbo frets. The 'board's 254mm (10- inch) PRS-standard radius puts it between the feel of a modern Fender (241mm/9.5 inches) and a Les Paul (305mm/12 inches).

The power trio of Wilkinson WP90 single coils are stacked to reduce hum and, as with the other two guitars in this review, wired to a five-way lever pickup selector switch, a master volume, master tone and Trev's smart Vari-coil control.

The icing on the Esprit III's cake is the Gibson Maestro Vibrola-style vibrato unit, aligned with a chunky chrome Wilkinson bridge with six roller saddles to help with tuning stability.

Sounds

"The bridge unit sparkles when clean and roars when overdriven"

Wilkinson's take on the classic P-90 has found the perfect home on the Esprit III. The bridge unit sparkles when clean and roars when overdriven. The in-between positions work great for blues noodling and sweet slide phrases, and we love the unexpected psychotic reaction of the middle position, especially in conjunction with some nasty germanium-fuelled fuzz.

The Vari-coil adds some interesting tonal options to an already highly versatile guitar. Notorious plank swapper Mike Campbell of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers could play a whole gig with the Esprit III...

We can now welcome the Esprit III to our good books. It scores big in looks, tonal range and playability. In other words, if you haven't done so already, the time has come to see what all the fuss is about.

Read more about Fret-King Black Label Series Esprit III at MusicRadar.com

Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Bass

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Read more about Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Bass at MusicRadar.com

Fender's much-loved short-scale Mustang bass design retains plenty of its original DNA in the new Pawn Shop version.

Build

"This may be a fairly simple upgrade, but it's an absolute masterstroke"

The Pawn Shop Mustang Bass has a separate chromed control plate, large baseplate on the bridge, black finger rest and a custom 'competition' stripe. This is now referred to as a 'racing' stripe but, whatever you call it, in Lake Placid Blue, it looks cool.

The Mustang bass has always benefited from having strings that pass through the body, as here, but now the original mini split-coil pickup has been replaced with a substantial-looking humbucker.

The pearloid scratchplate is another traditional feature; collectively, it makes for a busy appearance, especially for such a small-bodied instrument, yet it somehow still manages to work.

Sounds

The humbucker upgrade has made a phenomenal difference to the sound of this Mustang. The original downsized split-coil always looked and sounded a bit dull compared with this larger and more dynamic version.

Back off the volume a tad and we get pretty close to the original sound (although it's distinctly brighter), but wind her up and this baby starts to get nasty in a most pleasing manner. Growl is now on the menu, as well as fuller and warmer sounds that aren't usually associated with a Mustang.

It's a good call: the Mustang should now appeal to a much wider selection of players. This may be a fairly simple upgrade, but it's an absolute masterstroke.

Read more about Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Bass at MusicRadar.com