Joe Bonamassa has posted a promo video for his new signature amp: the 59 Twin-Amp from Fender.
Several years ago, Joe famously switched his amp back line to vintage Fender amps. And now Fender has created a limited run of reissue amps, recreating the classic dual twin amp – and its unique tone – in great detail.
It feels like Fender is really on a roll this year, holding the spotlight at a time when arch-rival Gibson is all but invisible and fighting for its very existence. So I did chuckle at seeing Joe play a Les Paul in a promo for a Fender product 🙂
If you want one, they’re only available through Joe Bonamassa’s website. I have to wonder if he financed this limited run. If he did, well done Joe for bringing this reissue to life.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Joe’s video.
Pete Thorn has posted a demo of Seymour Duncan’s Silver Lake Reverb pedal.
When you think of Seymour Duncan, you probably associate them with decades of pickups. In recent years, they’ve been branching out into effects pedals. The Silver Lake Reverb is the latest to hit the streets.
I like how this is a true stereo pedal. Mono reverbs have their place – mainly for amps that don’t have a built-in reverb of their own. Beyond that one use case, I think mono reverbs just fall flat as a feature effect. Reverb needs to be in stereo if you want it front and centre in a soundscape.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Pete’s video.
Brian Wampler has posted a video of what it’s like to run drive pedals into a clean amp, and what it’s like to run the same pedals into a Dirty amp.
He’s picked an Orange Rockerverb 50 Mk 2 for this. It’s an interesting choice, as it isn’t your typical Fender-voiced or Marshall-voiced amp.
If you’re interested in running pedals into an Orange amp, hopefully you’ll find it useful.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Brian’s video.
Ola Englund has posted a demo – as only he can – of Suhr’s Reactive Load box, and compared it to the Two Notes Torpedo Reload.
It’s a really cool demo that shows how different load boxes do sound different. Neither one sounds bad. It’s simply a case of choosing the one that you like best.
Please head over to Ola’s channel to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Ola’s video.
Mike Hermans has posted a demo of One Control’s Baby Blue Overdrive pedal.
This is a pedal designed by Bjorne Juhl. If you haven’t heard of him, you might have come across BJF or BJFe designed pedals from Mad Professor or Bearfoot FX. The guy’s a legend in the pedal community, and arguably one of the top pedal circuit designers of all time.
I’ve got plenty of his designs on my own board or close to hand in my pedal cupboard. Whether it’s the Sky Blue Overdrive, Sweet Honey Overdrive, or the Uber Bee, his pedals have been at the heart of my guitar tone for many years now.
So what about the Baby Blue Overdrive?
This reminds me a lot of the Amber Overdrive – a fuzzy overdrive pedal trying to sound like a cranked Fender amp. [The Amber Overdrive is actually chasing the sound of a vintage fuzz into a cranked Marshall stack – Ed] Both designs need to be first in your signal chain, like an old-fashioned fuzz pedal. In practice, the Amber Overdrive is challenging to dial in. I haven’t found that sweet spot yet on the two examples that I’ve owned.
The Baby Blue looks like it might be a little more forgiving. Had to say for sure without trying one. Speaking of which …
Elsewhere in the same forum thread, Bjorn says that this new version of the Baby Blue OD is built using modern components (the original ones were built using NOS components that he can’t get any more). As a result, it does sound different, and he thinks it’s closer to the sound in his head than ever before.
Unfortunately, I can’t find one to buy just yet. I’ll keep looking. I really want to put this side by side with the Amber Overdrive to see how they compare.
Shane’s posted a demo of the new-for-2018 dual humbucker Squire Contempoary Series Telecaster. Check it out.
A Squier with a satin finish neck? That alone is likely to make it a popular choice. Squier necks are known for having thick glossy finishes that can be a little sticky for some players.
It’s hard to say how good this guitar sounds. The clean tones, and the dirt tones with the volume rolled down sound nice and clear. The full fat tones? Not so much. Shane does say that he thinks the guitar does sound clear, so maybe what we’re hearing is the effect of YouTube’s audio munging.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Shane’s video.
Hunter has just posted his demo and thoughts on the Brent Hinds signature Orange Terror amp.
This has a lovely softness to the attack that really appeals to me. Don’t get me wrong – I love crunchy tones. I just like a slightly soft pick attack even more 🙂
One really cool feature about this amp – it has both a built-in attenuator, and a nifty ‘headroom / bedroom’ toggle switch. Together, they allow you to play at home volumes without losing the tone that you bought the amp for in the first place.
Please head over to YuTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Hunter’s video.
Henning has posted his full demo of the Chase Bliss Audio Warped Vinyl HiFi Pedal. I was intrigued by his mixed track demo from earlier. How will the pedal fare in a detailed demo / review?
It’s a long review, because this pedal has a lot of ways to shape the effect. Far more, it turns out, than Henning has time to go into. Not only are there more controls than your average chorus pedal, there’s a lot of dip switches on the top edge of the pedal to shape things even more.
This is definitely a pedal for those of you who are adventurous and willing to put in the time to explore just what this pedal can do.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Henning’s video.
Andertons are back with a world exclusive! After PRS took a Fender Strat and stuck a PRS headstock on it, Fender are hitting back with new signature models from Slash and Carlos Santana. After all, if PRS can take an iconic guitar and slap a new headstock on it, why can’t Fender slap one of the most iconic headstocks of all time on a PRS guitar too?
This is an April Fools’ joke from Andertons, based on how the guitar community has reacted to the PRS Silver Sky. The two guitars in the video do exist, and are currently being auctioned on eBay for charity. Full links are in the video description on YouTube, so click through if you fancy bidding on either of these instruments!
