Gibson – HomeToneBlog.com

6th April 20265th April 2026

Studio Diary #64: Chasing The Amp That Got Away

‘Studio Diary’ is an occasional series where I talk about building a home recording setup for hobbyists and enthusiasts like us. I share my personal experiences, and the thinking behind some of the decisions that I’ve made along the way.

Many of us have tales of “the one that got away” … a guitar or an amp that we’ll always regret not buying at the time. This is one of those tales, and the story of how I’ve recently reproduced something similar in my Axe-FX 3.

And it’s all thanks to That Pedal Show.

23rd February 202621st February 2026

(Belated) First Impressions: Gibson USA Les Paul Junior Double Cut in Dark Walnut

Late last year, I bought a brand-new Gibson USA Les Paul Junior, in that delicious dark walnut finish.

What do I think of it? Read on for my first impressions.

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.

28th December 202525th December 2025

2025 Review: Guitars For Home Playing

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]

30th November 202527th November 2025

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.

28th July 202527th July 2025

First Impressions: BJFe Honey Bee OD Retro

Earlier this month, I picked up one of my holy grail pedals: a Honey Bee OD made by BJFe.

This is a photo of three guitar effects pedals on the author's pedalboard.

On the far-left, is the BJFe-in-your-hand series Honey Bee Overdrive by One Control. It's a distinctive warm honey colour, with four control knobs on the top surface.

In the middle is the BJFe Honey Bee OD Retro, by BJFe. This pedal is a lighter shade, almost yellow. It has three control knobs on its top surface.

On the right-hand side is the Klone v2 by Arc Effects. This pedal has a metallic gold finish. It spots the Klon's distinctive control knobs.

What do I think of it? Read on for my First Impressions.

8th July 20255th July 2025

First Impressions: One Control Honey Bee OD 4K Mini Standard

I recently bought the Honey Bee OD 4K Mini Standard, from One Control.

This is a photo of three mini-sized guitar effects pedals on my pedalboard

On the left, in blue, is the One Control Blue Bee OD 4K Mini (BBOD4K-mini for short).

In the middle, in yellow, is the One Control Honey Bee OD 4K Mini Standard (HBOD4K-mini-standard for short). This review is about this pedal.

On the right, in a crimson red, is the One Control Honey Bee OD 4K Mini Custom (HBOD4k-mini-custom for short).

Each mini pedal has four control knobs, for Volume, Gain, Bass and Treble.

Although all part of the same family, and based on the same circuit design, all three pedals sound quite different.

What do I think of it? I’ve made my photo of it the wallpaper on my phone …

6th July 20255th July 2025

#CoffeeAndKlon 42: Can I Learn To Love My RYRA The Klone?

#CoffeeAndKlon is my (irregular!) Sunday morning magazine series, where I talk about whatever’s on my mind right now. There’s always coffee, and there’s normally chat about the Klon and its many competitors.

I’ve had my RYRA The Klone pedal longer than this blog’s been going, so why haven’t I featured it at all until now? Why hasn’t it had the love from me that its fan base says it deserves?

And is that about to change? Can I learn to love my RYRA The Klone?

26th March 202525th March 2025

#PlexiTone: Synergy Plexi Module + Axe-FX 3 For Reference Marshall Plexi Tones

After last week’s success with my Synergy BMan module, I decided to see if the same approach would work with my Synergy Plexi module and the Axe-FX 3.

This is a bit more of a quick and dirty effort. But hopefully you’ll agree that the results are, at the least, very promising.

15th January 202510th January 2025

Quick Listen: Plexi-Style Amp with a 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.

Today, I’ve dusted off the plexi-style amp that I bought back in 2019, and paired it with a Gibson Les Paul and Celestion Creamback impulse responses. Have a listen.