January 2026 – HomeToneBlog.com

31st January 202629th January 2026

New Arrivals: January 2026

This month, I’ve mostly been looking at gear to solve problems I’ve run into (or questions that I want to answer) for my upcoming Marshall Origin 20H long-term review.

13th January 202611th January 2026

Quick Listen: Wampler tcd Distortion Pedal With A Gibson Les Paul

Quick Listen is where I capture and share guitar tones that I’ve dialled in. No exploration; little discussion – just a quick audio demo or two along with a documented signal chain.

Wampler’s tcd Distortion pedal on my pedalboard.

Today, I’ve made a quick recording of Wampler’s tcd distortion pedal into one of my Axe-FX 3 pedal platform presets. Click through to have a listen.

12th January 202611th January 2026

First Impressions: Palmer PCABM

I recently bought a Palmer PCABM.

This is a photo of the Palmer PCABM.

The top of the PCABM is visible, but facing away from us (so that the cables plugged into the PCABM are facing the back of my amplifier).

There are two cables plugged into the PCABM: one in the "Series In" input (from my amplifier), and one in the "Cab 1" output (to the Two Notes Captor).

At the very top of the photo, there is a blue tag around each cable. Yes, dear regular reader, I finally started labelling my cables! Why didn't I do this sooner?!? — The Palmer PCABM, sat on top of my Two Notes Captor.

What do I think of it? Here are my first impressions.

10th January 202610th January 2026

Studio Diary #63: Pros and Cons Debate: Exploring Amp/Cab Switchers

Pros and Cons is an irregular series where I do a deep dive into a decision that I need to make – normally about gear for a home hobbyist studio. Here, I share whatever problem I’m trying to solve, all the background reading on the various options, and a look at the pros and cons of each way forward. I find that this process helps me make a more informed – and less emotive – decision. If you’re faced with a similar decision, I hope it helps you too.

Are they overkill luxury, or a necessary expense for any home hobbyist who uses multiple amps into the same load box?

That’s the question I’m trying to answer for myself in this post.

5th January 20262nd January 2026

Marshall Origin 20H in 2026: Planning The Long-Term Review

Did you have a good Christmas and New Year?

I did: I spent a lot of time with my old Marshal Origin 20H amp and the Wampler tcd drive pedal. Great-sounding combination.

And that got me thinking about what I want to cover in my long-term review of the Marshall Origin 20H, and why I still want to write about this amp at all after nearly 8 years of owning it.

1st January 2026

New Arrivals: December 2025

Traditionally, December is a month where I try to avoid buying new (to me) gear, because Santa Claus (aka my wife Kristi) normally has something under the tree for me.

This year, though, I was forced into an emergency purchase, because I sat down one afternoon and discovered that my entire guitar rig was dead. Oh the (necessary) joys of using a power conditioner to power everything!