DigiTech TimeBender Review
June 29, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
For years, effective echo and delay effects could only be created in a professional recording studio. Now you can duplicate your complete list of favorite record echo effects with the DigiTech TimeBender. But it does so much more than that. While modern guitarists appreciate those classic delay effects, they also want a delay pedal that lets them create their own new sounds. The Timebender has powerful and innovative technology that elevates it above simple delay pedals by including new types of delays, pitch-shifted repeats, ready-made delay patterns, a variation on tap tempo that lets you set tempo, key, and time patterns by strumming. I’ll get to those later, but first, the basics. Read more
Kyle Busch Smashes Guitar Trophy After NASCAR Win
June 23, 2009 by NAMM · 2 Comments
Busch Lied About Sam Bass Conversation
Sam Bass, the longtime NASCAR artist who painted the Gibson guitar smashed by Kyle Busch after the Nashville Nationwide Series race on Saturday night, said he was stunned and heartbroken to see his work destroyed in victory lane.
Though Busch immediately told Bass he meant no disrespect to anyone the artist, Gibson or the track Bass said Monday hes struggled to accept the incident. Read more
Paul Reed Smith SE Mike Mushok Baritone Guitar
June 15, 2009 by Mike O'Cull · Leave a Comment
Baritone guitars have a long history in rock and country, providing everything from extra low end to surfy twang to tic-tac bass (‘Six Days On The Road’ by Dave Dudley comes to mind). These days, they are most often used in heavier rock styles, as they emulate the low six strings of a seven-string axe very well without the player having to learn a new physical landscape. Read more
Vox Virage SC Guitar Review
June 8, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
Guitarists are always on the lookout for high quality guitars that are built to rock, but are still comfortable to play. Very few of us like to lug around that 15 lb. Block of wood that we call a guitar, let alone play a one and a half hour set with it hanging around our necks, paving the way to the chiropractor’s office at an early age. And while you can get a light guitar that sounds OK for dirt cheap, you still don’t get the sonic perfection that only comes with a quality built instrument. Read more
Blackstar Amplification Artisan 100 Half Stack
May 17, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
Are you looking for an affordable alternative to those expensive vintage amps that doesn’t fall short in the tone category? Generally, amps that mimic such classics as Marshall’s Plexi are hand-built boutique amps that use expensive components, and pass the cost on to the end user. While they may sound great, wouldn’t it be nice to find an amp that has classic tonality that is a bit more budget-friendly? Read more
ESP STEF-B7 Stephen Carpenter Signature Series Guitar
May 13, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
ESP STEF B-7–Inspired by rock guitarist Stephen Carpenter from the band Deftones was proud to add the STEF B-7 to his ESP Signature Series guitar arsenal. The guitar is stealthy looking 7-string baritone work horse. This is Carpenter’s fifth model that he collaborated with ESP and LTD to help create. Read more
Line 6 JM4 Looper Video Demo
May 11, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
Combining exhilarating jam tracks with sound-on-sound looping and a full arsenal of legendary Line 6 tones, JM4 Looper sparks inspiration in ways other looping pedals can only dream. Read more
B.C. Rich And Kerry King of Slayer Announce Firestorm of New Signature Guitars
April 24, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
B.C. Rich is back with a firestorm of new signature models created in collaboration with Kerry King, legendary guitarist for Thrash Metal titans Slayer. Four new models are available, each bearing finishes, features and tones approved by King himself.
Two models feature an intense new Kerry King graphic: The Kerry King V Flame Generation 2 depicts a two-tone tribal graphic over a flaming backgound image and the Kerry King V Metal Master Generation 2 shows this same graphic over a gloss Black finish. The Generation 2 images are based on the B.C. Rich Handcrafted guitars that King plays on tour with Slayer.
The V Flame features a Kahler X-Trem tremolo unit, 24-fret Ebony fingerboard, beveled body top, black hardware and B.C. Rich Active pickups for a street price of $569.99. The V Metal Master guitar utilizes a wrap-around bridge, 24-fret Rosewood fingerboard, beveled body top, chrome hardware and B.C. Rich BDSM humbucking pickups for a street price of $399.99.
Ushering in an all-new shape for B.C. Rich are the Kerry King Beast V models. These guitars mate the company’s fear-inducing Beast shape with its Speed V body style. The Kerry King Beast V NT [pictured] provides the classic B.C. Rich “Neck-Through-Body” construction that maximizes tone, sustain and long-term stability. Features include a Gun Metal finish, Kahler X-Trem tremolo unit, 24-fret Ebony fingerboard, beveled body top, black hardware and B.C. Rich Active pick-ups for a street price of $999.99.
To make this instrument affordable to more players, the standard Kerry King Beast V alters the recipe slightly. It offers Bolt-On neck construction, an Onyx finish, Tune-O-Matic bridge, 24-fret Rosewood fingerboard, chrome hardware and B.C. Rich BDSM pickups for a street price of $399.99.
“B.C. Rich and Kerry King have forged a strong alliance,” said Bill Xavier, vice president of Hanser Music Group, owner of B.C. Rich. “Kerry has an innate understanding of his fans and what they want in a guitar. With our design and manufacturing teams, we’re able to bring these products to life with the performance and prices required to be successful in today’s marketplace.”
Visit bcrich.com for more information.
- Places to buy: Musiciansfriend
- Press Release by: Harmony-Central
- Buy – Sell – Trade at GEAR SEARCH
Bugera 1960 Classic Guitar Amplifier
April 13, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
Bugera is probably one of the biggest buzz in the amp world: Made by Behringer, which is known for its wide range solid-state gear at amazingly affordable price, has entered the heavyweight tube-amp arena with a loud- and promising-explosion. Bugera amplifiers are made in Behringer’s sprawling factory complex in Zhongshan, China. Bugera produces 17 different models: six highpowered heads, one 55-watt boutique-style vintage head, seven combos amps, a slant-front 4×12 speaker cabinet and two bass amp heads.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Bugera 1960. The Bugera 1960 Classic boasts 150-watts of hi-gain valve power with British design (Marshall clone).
The Bugera 1960 Classic Guitar Amplifier Head features the Vintage preamp design from the ’60s, with 3 x ECC83 valves for terrifying punch and mind-blowing gain.
From an online video, Joe Delany talks about the Bugera 1960 (scroll down to watch the video)
Summary:
This is a 150-watt all-tube amp, very simple, very basic, classic designing. The amp ships with EL34s, comes with an effects loop
Basic EQ: Presence, treble, mid, bass. Also you have two separate volumes; volume 1 and volume 2. When you jump the channels via a 1/4 jumper cable – volume 1 acts as your treble channel and volume 2 acts as your bass channel. What’s even more interesting, is that you can take the two volume channels and blend them to your personal taste.
This amp is very powerful at 150-watt amp, so basically what you have is a “loud – fat – clean” sound system, which is also perfect if you use a processor, modeler or a pedal board. The 1960 Classic is the perfect power solution to take out live so you can use your current aforementioned rig set-up, or take to the studio because it’s a sound engineer’s dream machine.
Another way you can use the 1960 Classic is the old-school way, just crank it up! The Bugera 1960 is an extremely quite amp with both the volume 1 and volume 2 cranked-to-the-max, the amp had absolutely no noise or hiss, this is because the Bugera engineers designed the amp with built-in internal wiring and components to prevent any noise.
The Bugera 1960 Classic Features Include:
- Hand-built 150-Watt hi-gain amplifier driven by 4 x EL34 valves
- Vintage preamp design from the ’60s featuring 3 x ECC83 valves for terrifying punch and mind-blowing gain
- 4 input connectors allow channel 1 and 2 to be linked via patch cable to mix the different tonal characters of each channel for ultimate tone
- Vintage Equalizer section with dedicated Bass, Mid, Treble and Presence controls
- Impedance switch (4, 8 and 16 Ohms) to match virtually any speaker cabinet
- FX Loop with dedicated Level switch and true Bypass function
- High-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction ensure long life
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Gibson USA Raw Power SG Guitar
April 5, 2009 by NAMM · Leave a Comment
Inspired by the popular Raw Power Les Paul of 2000-2001, the newly revitalized series of 2009 includes both the Les Paul Studio Raw Power and SG Raw Power, both in the dressed-down styling and meaty performance package that so many players loved in the original release, but with notable added features to update the theme.
The new Raw Power guitars follow the ethos of Gibson’s Studio series, and their down-to-business looks are packed with performance features that the modern musician will appreciate. These are grab’n’go workhorse guitars for tone-conscious rock and blues artists. Both the Les Paul Studio Raw Power and SG Raw Power feature unbound solid maple bodies, with a traditional carved top on the former. This sturdy tonewood offers a clear, well-defined sonic response, as well as looking great with minimal cosmetic treatment. Their solid mahogany necks are topped with unbound maple fretboards, which are dressed with simple dot position markers, and graced with a traditional trapezoid marker at the 12th fret.
A Natural Satin finish denotes the cornerstone of the series (with smoky acrylic pickguard to enhance the natural elements in these guitars’ tops), but both models are also available in a range of finish options, including Satin Gold, Satin Yellow, Satin White, Satin Blue/Platinum, Satin Trans Ebony, Satin Aquamarine, and Gloss Platinum. Furthermore, the Les Paul Studio Raw Power is available in either chrome or gold-plated hardware.
Loaded with a pair of 57 Classic humbucking pickups offer a broad appeal for a wide range of playing styles. One of Gibson’s most popular pickups of all time, the 57 Classics employ Alnico II magnets, vintage enamel coated wire, nickel-plated pole pieces, nickel slugs, maple spacers and vintage-style, two-conductor, braided wiring, just like the legendary PAFs that they are based on. In a variation from the majority of original PAFs, however, the ’57 Classics’ coils are wax potted to combat microphony and feedback squeal at high volumes so, while vintage voiced, they are also suited to high-gain playing.
The legendary Gibson Tune-O-Matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece pairing aid tuning stability and enhance sustain, while green-key Grover Kluson-style tuners add subtle vintage elegance to their superior performance. A Corian nut helps to ensure excellent resonance and sustain, as well as hitch-free performance. Both guitars feature glued-in necks and are built to Gibson’s traditional 24 3/4″ scale length, with a neck width of 1 11/16″ at the nut. All Raw Power Series guitars come equipped with a Gibson gig bag.
The new SG Raw Power from Gibson USA adds another dimension to Gibson’s most popular model of all-time. Everything about the SG Raw Power still screams SG. But take a closer look at the new colours, the new upgrades – and the new nice price – and you’ll see it’s more desirable than ever before. Above all, the most inspired design in guitar-making history is now available in solid maple. It creates a fresh, brilliant tone previously unheard of from a standard SG. And for the first time the SG is available with a three-piece solid maple neck, topped with a maple fingerboard. Notes are vividly clear, and chords are purely expressive. It was hard to improve the world’s best-playing neck, but we did. The SG’s signature look also gets a facelift with a new palette of satin nitro finish colours, and a pair of Gibson’s ’57 Classic humbucker pickups gives it a brand new power plant. Legendary ‘PAF’ tone in a totally contemporary format.
Read about the all-new Gibson Les Paul Studio Raw Power here.
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