Tone. At Home.
Synergy have just released the Tone King Imperial MKII preamp module.
I found one in stock here in the UK the day after launch, and ordered it straight away.
Now that it’s here in a very dusty Hermit’s Cave, what do I think of it? Here are my (very positive) first impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Tone King Imperial MKII Synergy Preamp Module #TweedTone”They say buses come in threes. After a quiet couple of months, I’ve had three new (to me) tweed-tone preamps all arrive within 48 hours of each other.
Sadly, I won’t be keeping them all …
Continue reading “New Arrivals: May 2025”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.
Continue reading “#PlexiTone: Synergy Plexi Module + Axe-FX 3 For Reference Marshall Plexi Tones”Recently, I posted about my latest attempt at creating a reference tone for my 5e3 Tweed Deluxe reissue amp. I’m still wrestling with creating a similar 5e3 reference tone purely in the Axe-FX 3. Sadly, I’m nowhere near ready to write up my promised comparison of the two.
I decided to take a break from that, and work on another reference tone that I’m going to need for future #TweedTone blog posts: capturing the mighty 5F6 Tweed Bassman sound.
Here’s how I got on. There’s audio demos to listen to, and a full breakdown of the signal chain that I used, with plenty of photos / screenshots to show you everything.
Continue reading “#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5F6 Bassman Reference Tone For 2025”Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m going to do a rundown of what amps I’m using for pedal platforms, and why. And, this year, I’m expanding it to talk more about using amps for more than just pedals.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021][2022][2023]
Continue reading “2024 Review: Pedal Platforms & Other Amps”Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m going to do a rundown of what amps I’m using for pedal platforms, and why.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021][2022]
Continue reading “2023 Review: Pedal Platform Amps”Back in January 2023, I picked up something a bit different: a pedal that’s designed (amongst other things) for boosting tweed amps.
Read on for my (overdue!) First Impressions, with audio examples too!
Continue reading “(Overdue) First Impressions: Lazy J Cruiser Deuce Boost Pedal”Normally, I try to pick up something memorable in January, to celebrate another year of running my own business. It doesn’t always happen, but the idea’s always in the back of my mind when I’m looking at what’s around on the second-hand market.
This month, I picked up just the one item … but it turned out to be very special to me.
Continue reading “New Arrivals: January 2023”I’ve had a lot of success – and a lot of joy – using my Axe-FX 3 to record guitar pedal audio demos. Heck, it sounds so good, it’s my go-to pedal platform all the time now.
Can I do the same with my Synergy rig? Instead of running my Synergy modules through the SYN-5050 power amp + attenuator, can I run them straight into the Axe-FX 3 instead? Can the Axe-FX 3 add a bit of that power amp tonal magic?
I’m going to experiment, and find out.
Continue reading “Studio Diary #37: Can I Use The Axe-FX 3 As A Power Amp For My Synergy Rig?”Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m doing a rundown of what home studio gear I’ve used this year, and why.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021]
Continue reading “2022 Review: Home Studio Gear”