Posts filed under 'Amps'
We are pleased to announce that the ninth issue of The Fretboard Journal (a.k.a. our Spring 2008 issue) is out. Subscribers have begun to receive their copies and stores should have them by now. As always, you’ll see plenty of music heroes and world class guitar porn in its 128 pages. Acclaimed Clapton’s Guitar author Allen St. John interviews singer-songwriter Richard Thompson for this issue’s cover story. Also inside: Alanna Nash interviews Vince Gill; Dave Hunter talks to Mark Baier of Victoria Amps; an in-depth feature on Fred Walecki and Los Angeles’ Westwood Music; a photo essay on the “guitar town” of Paracho, Mexico; luthier Kim Walker’s Solo Novo archtop; and much more. It’s not too late to subscribe and start with this issue (and land a nice discount over the newsstand price). Just head on over to our Subscription page.
March 1st, 2008
We get a lot of press releases here at the magazine (and we usually ignore most of them) but this one caught our attention. Carr – the acclaimed tube amp company featured in our new Fall issue – has just announced an even smaller version of their already compact, enormously versatile Mercury amp. The Mini-Mercury uses a 10″ Eminence “Lil Buddy” hemp cone speaker (instead of the Mercury’s 12″ speaker), but still features all the reverb, output settings (from eight watts down to 1/10th of a watt) and hand wiring of its bigger brother. Powered by a single JJ E34L. No mention of it on the Carr site just yet, but you can contact them for details. We can’t wait to try it out.-JV
September 7th, 2007
On Saturday afternoon, the Collings Guitars crew assembled in a conference room to show off some of their electrics. On hand were pickup winder Jason Lollar and Austin guitar tech Ed Reynolds, each of whom have helped Bill Collings match his vision of what an electric guitar should sound like. Demonstrating each of the models was acclaimed Berklee School of Music professor Jim Kelly; he did a great job of putting each guitar through its paces using a Fender amp and then a new Austin Tone Lab amp. (Kelly was also a special guest at the Collings’ Continental Club party on Saturday).
As you may have read, Collings tried out a lot of pickup manufacturers before settling on the Lollars they now all use. One thing I hadn’t seen previously was this prototype electric guitar that Collings made so that they could quickly try out different pickup combinations and A/B several without a ton of installation work.
Weirdly enough, minutes after I admired the Collings prototype above, I noticed this over at the TV Jones booth: a similar guitar with removable pickups. Great minds think alike!-JV
July 30th, 2007
Greg Hansen takes inexpensive, recently built guitar amps and makes wonderful new cabinets for them. Make sure you check out his Museum of Amps, which features loads of photos of his past creations.-MJS UPDATE: I was curious to see what models Greg makes so I checked in with him and it turns out they’re pretty much one of kind. Here’s what he says: “Each amp is different. I’ve actually tried to make production runs of the same idea, but the darn things seem to always insist on a life of their own. It’s really some kind of therapy. I truly enjoy it. Again, thank you very much and please keep checking back since I am always tinkering.” So, if you see one you like, you’d better grab it becausde there may not be another one.
December 14th, 2006
Here’s a useful site that features loads of info about Fender amps. Well, it’s useful if you’re looking up info about Fender amps.-MJS
December 5th, 2006
This is either a very cool or very scary prospect (or both). We just learned that First Act Guitars and Volkswagen have teamed up. The result? “Beginning October 3 and continuing through December 31, any customer that purchases or leases a designated Volkswagen model from the new 2007 line - including Jetta, Jetta GLI, GTI, Rabbit, New Beetle and New Beetle Convertible, as well as select 2006 models – will receive their own completely customized First Act GarageMaster electric guitar that will play seamlessly through the car’s existing audio system.”
But wait, G.A.S. victims, there’s more! “Each electric guitar will display the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the owner’s Volkswagen vehicle and will also have custom colored pick guards complementing the exterior of the car. The guitar will feature the traditional Volkswagen logo and “V Dub” inlay, a guitar strap made of safety belts, VW knobs, a prominent blue indicator light that matches the trademark instrument panel lighting of Volkswagen vehicles, VW logo guitar picks and a carrying case to take the music anywhere. Volkswagen owners can now create a concert in their garage, play for the entire tailgate party or shred in the beach parking lot.”
Head on over to this website explaining it all to get the specs. The site was informative but I couldn’t figure out if there was a tube amp version of the Jetta; if the speedometer goes up to 11; or find out if the gas pedal also doubles as a wah-wah. Oh, well. Just remember, kids, don’t shred and drive! -JV
October 3rd, 2006
The NAMM Show is all about new and shiny so it was a bit of a shock to run across this battered old Tele in the Talos Amp booth to remind us that guitars are meant to be played. It belongs to Bill Kirchen, who is one of the great Telecaster pickers. He’s best known for twanging it up on Commander Cody’s “Hot Rod Lincoln” and he said that this guitar has been his constant companion in countless roadhouses and honky-tonks for more than thirty years.-MJS
July 18th, 2006
In our second issue I wrote about the cylinder top guitar that Shelley Park made for Andy Marshall. She did a great job with the unusual guitar, but Park is best known for the Selmer and Maccaferri-style guitars she builds, like those in the photo on the left (I remember meeting her years ago when she was getting started and was toying with the idea of calling her guitars Shelmers and Parkerferris, which I thought a great idea.) Anyway, Park’s guitar was based on an old Vega that was restored by Tim Huenke at Superior Guitar Works, a shop that does very nice work. Oh, and with his last name, it was probably ordained that Andy Marshall would make amplifiers. Since that name was already taken, though, he uses the name THD.-MJS
June 1st, 2006
Lots and lots and lots of tube amp schematics. And I mean lots.-MJS
April 25th, 2006
So said Brooks Stevens, the man who designed the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile. He also designed the uselessly aerodynamic but fabulously named Toastalator. (It’s a toaster. Why does it need to be shaped like a rocket ship?) Which brings us to Hottie Amps. Which are made from toasters. This concludes today’s toaster update.–MJS
February 18th, 2006
We are pleased to announce that the ninth issue of The Fretboard Journal (a.k.a. our Spring 2008 issue) is out. Subscribers have begun to receive their copies and stores should have them by now. As always, you’ll see plenty of music heroes and world class guitar porn in its 128 pages. Acclaimed Clapton’s Guitar author Allen St. John interviews singer-songwriter Richard Thompson for this issue’s cover story. Also inside: Alanna Nash interviews Vince Gill; Dave Hunter talks to Mark Baier of Victoria Amps; an in-depth feature on Fred Walecki and Los Angeles’ Westwood Music; a photo essay on the “guitar town” of Paracho, Mexico; luthier Kim Walker’s Solo Novo archtop; and much more. It’s not too late to subscribe and start with this issue (and land a nice discount over the newsstand price). Just head on over to our Subscription page.
