I recently bought a Palmer PCABM.
What do I think of it? Here are my first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Palmer PCABM”First Impressions: Palmer PCABM
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.
Continue reading “Marshall Origin 20H in 2026: Planning The Long-Term Review”2025 Review: Home Studio Gear
2025 Review: Pedal Platforms & Other Amps
Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I do a rundown of what amps I’m using for pedal platforms, and why – along with other amps I’m using at home with both electric and acoustic guitar.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021] [2022] [2023] [2024]
Continue reading “2025 Review: Pedal Platforms & Other Amps”#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5F1 Tweed Champ Reference Tone For 2025/26
Regular readers may have noticed that most of the tweed amp in a box pedals seem to be chasing either the legendary 5e3 Tweed Deluxe or the sublime 5F6-A Tweed Bassman sound.
But every now and then, I get a pedal that chases the sound of a 5F1 Tweed Champ. And I think it would help if I had a reference tone to compare those pedals against.
So let’s see what I can put together in the Axe-FX 3.
Continue reading “#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5F1 Tweed Champ Reference Tone For 2025/26”New Arrivals: November 2025
Traditionally, November is a quiet month for me. With Christmas on the horizon, I normally hold off on buying things, in case I end up accidentally buying something that Kristi’s decided to get me.
Not this year 😁
Admittedly, the haul looks a lot bigger than it was, as I bought a guitar that came with three free pedals. But still. There’s plenty in here to keep me busy well into 2026.
Continue reading “New Arrivals: November 2025”First Impressions: Blackstar Debut 100RH Amp Head
I recently bought a Blackstar Debut 100RH amp head.
This is going to be an additional pedal platform amp. Read on for my first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Blackstar Debut 100RH Amp Head”#TweedTone: Is A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Valve Amp Right For You In 2025?
Last week, I published an updated Tweed Amp Rig price comparison, looking at how much it would cost (here in the UK) to build a Tweed Deluxe rig for home use in 2025.
There was one answer that was too long to fit in that blog post: is it worth you spending that amount of money on a Tweed Deluxe rig for home use?
Today, I’m going to try and answer that question.
Continue reading “#TweedTone: Is A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Valve Amp Right For You In 2025?”#TweedTone: The Cost Of A Tweed Deluxe Amp In September 2025
Back in September 2023, in a blog post called “You’ve Got To Be A Huge Fan Of Tweed Tone To Get A Real Fender Tweed Deluxe Amp In 2023“, I looked at the costs of buying a real 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp here in the UK.
Two years later, I’m wondering: what has changed? How has the price changed … and how have my feelings on the price changed?
Continue reading “#TweedTone: The Cost Of A Tweed Deluxe Amp In September 2025”First Impressions: Origin Effects Deluxe55 Tweed Recreation
Back in June, I bought a Deluxe55 amp-in-a-box pedal by Origin Effects.
What do I think of it? Here are my first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Origin Effects Deluxe55 Tweed Recreation”