Earlier today, I popped round my local guitar shop to try Blackstar’s new Studio 10 combo amps. I came away with the 6L6 version firmly on my list of amps to buy.
Continue reading “On My Wishlist: Blackstar’s Studio 10 6L6”New Arrivals For January
The turning of the year can be a great time to hunt for new (to you) guitar gear. The second hand market is normally flooded with folks who are moving on gear they no longer want – or sadly can no longer afford to keep. And there’s Winter NAMM, where brands large and small drop announce new products.
I’ve been lucky enough to pick up some stuff that I’m interested in, and I thought I’d share it with you. Some of it is new to me, and some of it is me taking a second look at things I’ve had before but didn’t gel with. And there’s a few very special items too.
I’m going to do full articles on each of them, once I’ve had a bit of time with them. For now, here’s the very first impressions for you.
Continue reading “New Arrivals For January”Wampler Launches The Pantheon – Their King of Tone Alternative
It’s finally here – the Wampler Pantheon overdrive pedal. Based on the original Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal circuit, it aims to be an alternative to that legendary pedal: Analogman’s King of Tone.
As well as Brian’s own demo (above), there are plenty of demos from the YouTube pedal demo community and several retailers.
As is usual with Brian, he hasn’t made a straight-up clone on the King of Tone. There’s an extra – and active! – bass EQ knob, and external switches both for the amount of gain and the kind of clipping available.
The Analogman King of Tone is possibly second only to the Klon when it comes to restricted supply and hype-fuelled demand.
The KoT is still in production. To buy a new one, you have to send an email to Analogman to join the waiting list. Unfortunately, they don’t send acknowledgements, so you’ve no way of knowing if you’re actually on the list or not. Then you have to wait until you’re at the front of the queue. At the time of writing, the queue is around two years long.
As a result, there’s definitely demand for a KoT-type pedal that is easy to obtain, and easy to replace if it stolen or otherwise lost.
Please head over to YouTube and leave a like and a supportive comment on the videos.
Slate Digital VRS8 Interface Launched
Slate Digital has launched the VRS8, their 8×8 recording interface for Thunderbolt-equipped Macs.
https://youtu.be/mP3IhLrnDW4
For home studio enthusiasts who want pro-level gear, there’s really only three ways to do it: Universal Audio Apollo, Slate Digital VRS and the Everything Bundle … or buy a standalone interface and collect your own plugins from lots of different vendors.
The UAD system relies on DSP chips in the Apollo hardware to run emulations of analog outboard gear. You have to buy these plugins separately, and they cost hundreds of pounds each. The results are fantastic, and not only well worth the money, but also far cheaper than buying (and maintaining!) the real outboard gear.
There’s just one problem, and it’s the reason why I haven’t bought any UAD plugins this year. The Apollo hardware is simply underpowered. It doesn’t take many plugins to max out the available hardware. And if you’re a home studio enthusiast, it’s a lot of money to move from the Apollo Twin up to the Apollo 8.
Enough money to consider looking at switching to something else.
Now Slate Digital has its own serious problem to take into account. It’s secured by an iLok key. Look at a modern Mac. Where the hell do you find a free port to plug the iLok into these days?!? One port is taken up by power, one by the external storage that the session is on, one by your audio interface, and one by your external monitor.
Yes, I know there’s a virtual iLok now. I live in the UK, where our broadband is about as reliable as a Trump tweet or a Brexit promise. I don’t want a (rare!) creative day ruined because of a broadband outage.
That said, the Slate Digital VRS looks really interesting. For pretty much the same price as the Apollo 8 Quad, you get 8 preamps and a year’s access to the Everything Bundle. (The equivalent UAD Ultimate Bundle is currently over £2,300 and doesn’t include all of the plugins). And your Mac will be able to run far more plugins at once than the quad-DSPs of the Apollo 8.
Thing is, if I’m going to use all 8 preamps, I’d want the Apollo 8p, not the Apollo 8. The difference? The extra Unison preamps, which model the electrical behaviour of whatever outboard gear you’re simulating. I’m a big fan, and a big believer that part of the organicness of a recorded tone comes from the interaction of the electrical circuit.
Question is, though: is it a difference that is noticeable in a final mix? And is it a difference that’s worth the extra money?
Jimi Hendrix Fender Custom Shop Guitars
Chappers and The Captain have taken a look at the new Hendrix Voodoo Child Stratocasters from Fender’s Custom Shop.
At £4000, they’re priced mainly for collectors of Hendrix memorabilia. They come with certificates, and some other official Hendrix-branded stuff … but at heart, they seem to be Journeyman Strats with reversed headstocks and a reversed bridge pickup.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
tBone IEM200 In-Ears Monitoring Demo
Henning Pauly has posted a behind-the-scenes look at the setup for his recent live band live streams, showing us the in-ear monitoring he’s been using for the live bands.
You probably won’t ever need an in-ear monitoring system for home playing or home recording. But if you’ve got a band that rehearses or plays live, you need something that’ll protect your hearing and let you hear everything that’s happening.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
JHS Bonzai Pedal Demo
Fluff has posted a demo of the JHS Bonzai pedal. 9 Tubescreamers in one pedal!
If you like to get your dirt from your amp, the Tubescreamer is an essential pedal circuit to explore. The TS features a mid-range hump that can give your amp a boost and lift your guitar out of a mix.
There’s been many TS designs over the years, and that’s without counting all the third-party circuits! The JHS Bonzai puts 9 of these designs into a single pedal. And, by all accounts, each circuit is a faithful reproduction of the original.
Why would anyone need a pedal like this? Especially as the differences can be very hard to hear in a YouTube demo? Basically, it gives you flexibility – the ability to pick the TS circuit that best suits the guitar, amp, and music genre. If your rig and genre is static, maybe it’s overkill.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Fearless Gear Review – Marshall CODE 25
Glen Fricker has posted his thoughts on Marshall’s CODE 25 amp. Given his infamous Line 6 Spider review, this should be good 🙂
I’ve heard the Marshall Code live, being demo’d by Marshall themselves. There were plenty of folks in the audience who not only liked what the CODE offers, they went out and bought one. There’s clearly an audience for this amp.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Fender Parallel Universe Troublemaker
Peach Guitars have posted a demo of Fender’s new Troublemaker Telecaster. It’s part of the Parallel Universe limited run.
A dual-humbucker Tele with the Les Paul bridge and control layout? Yes please!!! Oh, and it also comes in a very Les Paul-like sunburst finish? Take my money now!
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used Warmoth’s online custom guitar body and neck builders to spec up something just like this. In my opinion, the Les Paul bridge and control layout is perfection itself for dual-humbucking guitars.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Tuesday Talks: Falling Back In Love With The Guitar
Mary Spender’s latest Tuesday Talk is all about her ups and downs with the guitar over the years.
She also talks about the fast-approaching 100th episode of Tuesday Talks, and the special guest she wants on that landmark episode.
Watch the video to learn who she’d love to interview for the 100th episode, and join the discussion on YouTube to help Mary make it happen.