Tone. At Home.
I recently bought a KAT Load*Star speaker attenuator, to use with my 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp.
I’ve only had this for 24 hours, and it’s already in the running to be my best purchase of 2026. Why? Read on for my first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Using The KAT Load*Star Speaker Attenuator With My 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Amp”Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m doing a rundown of what guitars I’ve had my hands on, and what I’ve learned from the experience.
This post covers guitars that I play at home for fun. I’ll cover the guitars that I gig with tomorrow.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021] [2022] [2023] [2024]
Continue reading “2025 Review: Guitars For Home Playing”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”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”I recently bought a brand new NUX 59 Bassguy overdrive pedal.
What do I think of it so far? Read on for my First Impressions.
Continue reading “#TweedTone First Impressions: NUX 59 Bassguy Overdrive Pedal”I recently bought another Sweet Honey Overdrive pedal.
What do I think of it? Read on for my First Impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive (Hand-wired 2025 Edition)”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?”One regret I have over the years is missing out on “limited edition” guitars (especially the early Gibson Collectors’ Choice Les Pauls). I’m not interested in getting one as a collector, and in the past either the timing hasn’t been right or I haven’t known enough about the guitars to feel confident in getting one.
Not this month.
Although, frankly, it sure was made easier because I didn’t have to find Gibson Collectors’ Choice money to get one …
Continue reading “New Arrivals: 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”I’ve just bought myself one of the new Road Worn 60’s Telecasters.
Now that I’ve had it for a full week, what do I think of it? Does it live up to the hype? Read on for my first impressions of my new guitar, which I’ve named Jody.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60’s Telecaster In Blonde”