Carvin R600 Redline Series II Bass Amplifier

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Ibanez Artstar AS50 Semi-Hollow Guitar

The Ibanez AS50 semi-hollow guitar was a sweet addition to the Artstar Series. The AS50 features laminated maple top, back and sides, two Powersound humbuckers, a bolt-on maple neck and die-cast chrome tuners. The AS50 is available in the following colors; Butterscotch Transparent and Brown Sunburst finishes.

Average used price for the Ibanez Artstar AS50 Semi-Hollow Guitar; $200-$250

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Victoria Amplifiers with Jensen Speakers

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Tech 21 CompTortion Effects Pedal

Tech 21’s CompTortion combines compression and distortion effects are voiced to complement each other and are independently adjustable. The CompTortion’s range of sounds extends from totally clean to light distortion to smooth overdrive, with compression levels from zero to completely squashed. The CompTortion can also be used for a clean boost up to 12dB. Controls include level, tone, Tortion and Comp. The pedal runs on one 9-volt battery or an optional power supply.

Approx used street price for the Tech 21 CompTortion; $35 - $45 used.

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Ibanez Ergodyne EDC Basses

Ibanez’s Ergodyne EDC basses are better balanced than typical basses, thereby freeing the fret hand from the effort of holding up the neck. The basses were built of Luthite, a material formulated specifically for electric string instruments. Luthite’s low cost let Ibanez create most bass shapes at a fraction of the cost of carved wood bodies. This flexibility allows Ibanez to give the Ergodyne EDC basses an extended upper horn that contributes to the instruments’ balance and a special design that keeps tone and volume controls from interfering with right-hand movements. Other features include Vari-Mid Hi-Fi Active EQ with sweepable midrange, Ibanez SFR passive pickups, Accu-Cast bridge and a die-cast jackplate which improves contact and eliminates cutoffs.

Average street price used; $150.00

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Kramer's Baretta model features alder bodies with Canadian hard-maple necks. The FX404S guitar comes with two Quad-Rail humbuckers, three-way pickup selector switch and master volume and tone knobs, plus a coil-tap that switches the pickups to Dual-Rail mode. The Baretta 5-string comes with two Dual-Rail humbucker pickups, neck and bridge volume control, master tone control and a five-way rotary pickup selector that changes the tone from “funk” to “fat.” Both instruments are built Kramer tough.

Attention. Gear-Vault Shoppers: the next time you bid on a Maestro Filter / Sampler & Hold pedal, you may find yourself up against Bush’s Nigel Pulsford. Be prepared—when it comes to gear, the man is one serious shopper.

“I’ve go this obsession with old Maestro pedals,” says Pulsford. “I own one of their Filter/Sample & Hold stompboxes, which I used on The Science of Things. But they must not have made a lot of them, because I’m having trouble finding a second one.” The vintage pedal, designed in the Seventies by synthesizer builder Tom Oberheim, employs two circuits familiar to most synths: a resonant filter that accentuates frequencies, and an analog sample/hold circuit that allows the user to create and play samples in real time. The box is equipped with one knob to control the filter cutoff and another to control the sample/hold rate. “It’s very unique,” says Pulsford. “There isn’t anything else quite like it.”

For the making of Science of Things, Pulsford went all out in his search for “loads of old crap!” Among his finds was a WD Orange Squeezer compressor, a small, orange-colored device that plugs directly into a guitar’s input jack. “It has just a beautiful compression,” says Pulsford, “especially with the clean tones. It was especially good for this album because I tried to play more clean guitar this time. I was board with the overdriven sound, and I found that if you stick a clean sound on top of a big old rock tone, it really comes through. So I used the Orange Squeezer a lot.”

Pulsford also mad a good use of a vintage Ibanez Auto-Filter—essentially an auto-wah—employing it extensively on “Jesus Online.” “It gives you this great, piercing tone, which can be completely horrible or extensively on “Jesus Online.” “It gives you this great, piercing tone, which can be completely horrible or completely wonderful. You just have to mess around with it a bit.”

Among his most prized finds was a small, vintage Guild amp. “It has the most amazing tremolo on it,” says Pulsford. “It’s extremely fast, and as the effect speeds up, it tends to chop the sound off a bit more drastically. I think it’s due to the classic problem of old amps working inefficiently. That’s what makes all the vintage amps great—they’ve got really old, fucked-up valves.” The effect can be heard distinctly at the intro of “Prizefighter.”

In addition to the Guild, Pulsford used Mesa/Boogie amps and a new Bob Bradshaw-designed amp for Custom Audio. His guitars on the album were a Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson Les Paul Junior, a Fender Standard Strat with a maple body and neck and Seymour Duncan pickups. “It’s got a great, bright sound,” Pulsford says of the maple Strat. “A lot of the guitar sounds on The Science of Things are that guitar through the Bradshaw.”

Pulsford occasionally played in drop D tuning on the album, and he crated his own open C# minor tuning [low to high: C# G# C# G# C# E] for “The Disease of the Dancing Cat.” While he adds, “I want to start going back to using .011s again. I used to play them years ago, and you just get a much better sound.”

While Pulsford favors old an dworn-out effects for their unique sounds, Bush frontman and guitarist Gavin Rossdale ahs his own philosophy when it comes to gear: “I’m cheap,” he says. “I just go for what sounds right and feels good.”

Case in point: his guitar. “Everybody talks about the [Gibson ES-] 335, and how great it is,” he says. “I tried one out, and it cost about $25,000! So I excused it by saying, ‘Well, it’s a bit twangy for me.’ Then tried an ES-330 that cost, like $1,500. Fell in love with it. Bought that.” Rossdale also made use of his Fender Jazzmaster and Pulsford’s all-maple Strat for The Science of Things.

His amps on the record include the Bob Bradshaw amp, a Fender Bassman and a Fender Tremolux. For effects, Rossdale picks a mix of vintage Electro-Harmonix and Morley pedals, and SIB Varidrive overdrive/distortion pedal, a Boxonic Expandora distortion box and Fulltone pedals. “Just funky stuff,” he says. “The funkier, the better.”

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Laney Pro Tube PT-Series Tube Amps

The Laney PT Series amplifier is a high-gain, low-noise version of the late Sixties British amplifiers, with modern features. A buffered effects loop provides a line-level signal to users effect unit, and a post-effects loop direct output allows the user to go direct into mixing consoles. Power amps, and other outboard processing equipment.

Average used price for the Laney PT-Series is around $200 - $400 (depending on amp wattage)

Modeling amps shouldn't be just for the rich, at least that’s the way Johnson Amplifications feel. The JT50 Mirage was a rockin’ member of the Johnson family. Keeping in the tradition of designing amps for the real working guitarist, the JT50 focused on giving complete flexibility over tone and effects.

Let’s start with the 12 modern and vintage amp models. The JT50’s exclusive V-Tube digital technology delivers the warmth and dynamic response you would think only possible for a real tube amplifier.

Accurate EQ points closely emulate some of the most sought after amps in the industry. To compliment your tone, a comprehensive effects section gives you 3 effects at a time. Select from one of the 6 Mod/Pitch effects, Delay, and 2 reverb types, each with individual controls that allow you to tailor your sound to your needs.

The JT50’s speaker compensated headphone output provides the means for practicing when running a speaker may not be desired or can be used as a stereo direct out simultaneously. A stereo FX loop keeps your favorite effects processors from gathering dust. The 21 user presets locations give you plenty of room for your own creations. And with a respectable 50-watts of power, you are assured of having enough juice for any live situation. Average street price; used for around $150.00.

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Gibson LPB-3 Les Paul Standard Bass Guitar

Styled and constructed after the Les Paul Standard, Gibson’s designed LPB-3 Les Paul Bass features a carved maple top and chambered mahogany neck, 20-fret ebony fingerboard, pearloid trapezoid inlays, three-point bridge and Dual TB Plus humbuckers. The LPB-3 was available in Heritage Cherry Sunburst, Honeyburst and Vintage Sunburst. The average price for a used Gibson LPB-3 range from $700 - $900

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The Squier Stagemaster (born in 1999) featured a hardwood body, maple neck, reverse Strat headstock, die-cast machine heads, rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, master volume and tone controls, a white/black/white pick guard and a Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo. The guitar is available in three pickup configurations: the HSS features a humbucker in the bridge position, two single-coils in the neck and middle positions and five-way switching; the HH features dual humbuckers and three-way switching; and the HSH has dual humbuckers in the neck and bridge position and a single-coil in the middle. The Stagemaster were available in black, frost red, polar white, cobalt blue metallic and galactic purple. Street price for a used Fender Squier Stagemaster range from $75 - $125.

The design of Tuck ‘N Roll amps and cabinets are based on the thick-padded gear for which Kustom was famous in the Seventies. The company’s three featured amps are the 50-watt and 100-watt 6L6 tube amps, which have three-spring reverb, and the 400-watt solid-state tube preamp bass head. Kustom’s four featured cabinets include Eminence speakers and are configured as 150-watt 2x12, 300-watt 2x15, 200-watt 4x12. All Tuck ‘N Roll products feature stitched and rolled padded vinyl in black, red sparkle, blue sparkle or charcoal sparkle.

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Roland’s GT-3 guitar effects processor features new effects, like Audio Riff, which lets players trigger a complete musical riff from a single note, and Slicer, which produces a rhythmic “chopping” effects in the guitar’s output. In addition, the GT-3 offers many essential guitar effects, including 11 types of analog overdrive and distortion, chorus, flanging , delay, reverb, tremolo, panning, wah, intelligent harmonizing, acoustic guitar simulator and guitar synth effects. The unit’s COSM-based pre-amp allows the GT-3 to simulate 14 types of preamps and cabinets, all of which can be edited by the user. The GT-3 is housed in an all-metal chassis. Reviews on Roland Boss GT-3.

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Designed for guitar students in their first or second year of study, Beginning Guitar, Book 1 presents more than 200 lessons in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format and prepares students for further studies in the remaining of the comprehensive RPM Guitar Method series. The book includes rhythm and solo guitar pieces in the syles of Robert Johnson, Albert King, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Chuck Berry, Bob Marley and others. The 382-page book is supplemented with these CD’s that feature audio representations of each lesson. Beginning Guitar, Book 1 provides lessons on reading rhythms and scales and improvising, slurring, picking and fingerpicking.

DOD’s FX66 “Flashback Fuzz” pedal has a sound reminiscent of the vintage fuzz stomp boxes of the Sixties. Housed in an all-metal chassis and featuring a psychedelic paint job, the FX66 features controls for volume, low (low frequency adjustment), tone (high frequency adjustment) and fuzz (level). The unit operates via either 9-volt battery or DOD’s optional PS200R power supply. All DOD FX pedals are covered by a full, three-year warranty. List price: $50.00

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We have blistered our fingers, cried into our empty whiskey jars and played for lost love. Yes, we have lived the blues, and all thanks to those wonderful Starlicks people, whose batch of instructional guitar videos explore the work of the finest blues masters to ever slide, bend or swing.

While traditional transcriptions can provide a good deal of essential information about a song, they can’t demonstrate the many nuances of phrasing and rhythm necessary to accurately perform the material. This is where Starlicks’ videos do their stuff. The hour-long tapes, each dedicated to a major figure of the genre, make use of a split screen to capture both the fretting hand and strumming hand, while each video’s accompanying booklet explains the finger points and patterns crucial to the player’s style.

The First video to “woke up this mornin’” is Muddy Waters Guitar Style. Hosted by the brilliant monikered “Steady Rollin’” Bob Margolin, this tape makes light work of one of the heaviest bluesmen in history. Steady is the perfect teacher for this release, having enjoyed seven-year tenure in Muddy’s band, during which he learned from the master himself. From his comfy back-stoop stage set, he begins by introducing Waters’ trademark open-G tuning, then expands to include slide work and picking and slide tutorials in standard tuning. Steady’s authentic solo renderings of songs—including “Rollin’ and Tumblin’,” “Blow Wind Blow” and “Kind Hearted Women”—are made all the more enjoyable through his detailed explanations, fascinating anecdotes and dry-wit delivery.

T-Bone Walker Guitar Style and Freddie King Guitar Style are both hosted by the amazingly versatile Duke Robillard, who has recorded more trade styles than you can shake a mojo at. Robillard is particularly adept at serving his T-Bone well-done, with authentic dishes like “You Don’t Love Me,” “T-Bone Boogie” and “I Get So Weary.” Starting with a detailed look at T-Bone’s idiosyncratic choice of blacking chords, Duke lays the foundation of the electric pioneer’s style. Subsequent lead examples are played against these rhythms, highlighting T-Bone’s inventive use of simple scales in basic position.

Duke’s Freddie King flick is equally impressive. Arguably one of the riffiest, groovies blues virtuosos, King cut the template for hook-laden rock that humbled fledgling greats like Eric Clapton. Robillard offers real insight into King’s spectacular style, providing detailed explanations of King’s rhythm and lead work played over his preferred chord voicings. Highlights include a full break-down of the signature instrumental “Hideaway,” and the classics “The Stumble” and Sen-sa-shun.” In case you’d forgotten how hip this cat was, there’s also some rare footage of him working his magic.

While the above videos cover the work of clearly departed bluesmen, Delta Blues Guitar features a living legend. David “Honeyboy” Edwards has quite a tale to tell and one helluva soundtrack to go with it. His thick Mississippi accent is a testament to his Delta

blues upbringing, which reached a crossroad when, at the age of 21, he met Robert Johnson. Edwards tells this story and provides his eyewitness account of Johnson’s death. More spectacular is watching Honeyboy demonstrate his laid-back style: inventive roosty blues played in standard tuning with a bare thumb, a few finger strokes and 83 years of experience. Honeyboy offers finger and slide examples of his own work, alongside those of historical players like Johnson and Big Joe Williams, who actually taught him to play. Any closer to the ‘sippi Delta and you’d have mud between your toes.

As blues instructional videos go, Starlicks have produced a collection of high-quality, well-placed and inspiring lessons by talented players. Some say you have to live the blues to learn the blues, but these tapes offer an irresistible shortcut to the legacies of these great guitarists. Just don’t go makin’ no crazy deals down by the crossroads, y’hear?

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Controls for the Guitar channel include compressor, notch filter to eliminate feedback, phase switch, pre-amp gain, active tone controls, mid shift, and a unique Blend control to mix in the desired amount of SansAmp(TM) Tube/Microphone Emulation circuitry. This proprietary technology removes the harsh harmonics associated with piezo pickups and delivers a natural warmth and presence. The Mic channel has 3-band active tone controls, an individual level control, gain, and a separate reverb mix control to adjust the ratio of the full-length, 3-spring Accutronics® reverb between the two channels. Tech 21’s special design 12” speaker and high-frequency horn are housed in a handsome cabinet covered in brown crocodile embossed vinyl complemented by a custom grill covering and decorative piping detail.

The U.S. suggested retail prices are $645 for the Bronzewood 60 and $395 for the extension cabinet.

ESP was one of the first large shops to cater to the “Super Strat” customer. By focusing on the features most beloved by headbangers and setting fire to “vintage values,” they quickly established themselves as a first-class custom shop with the ability to translate the needs of heavy metal-influenced players into solid, yet glitzy instruments.

Upon first glance, the LTD H-300 is a remarkably understated guitar, with features from both the Fender and Gibson schools of lutherie. The Strat-inspired shap and 25-1/2-inch scale length are decidedly Fender, while the mahogany body with carved maple top, slanted 3 + 3 headstock, dual humbuckers and stop tailpiece grow from Gibson’s roots. But any good instrument will be more than the sum of its parts, and ESP delivers with abundance.

The design of the H-300 is very pleasing, and the finish and workmanship are virtually flawless. The arched top fluidly flows into the horns of the cutaways, and the curves of the headstock tastefully echo the body curves as well. Flip the H-300 over and you’ll see a beautifully sculpted heal area and a “comfort contour” which, once again, follows the body design beautifully. The H-300 has a three-piece mahogany neck constructed in “neck-through” fashion, with matching mahogany body wings. The wood grain is so well matched that the various seams are just about impossible to see. The deep maroon finish (ESP calls it See-Thru Black Cherry) enriches the grain of the maple top, which is subtly framed with an unstained pseudo-binding border strip.

The attention to detail extends to the setup and playability as well. The rosewood fretboard boasts 24 jewel-like frets of wide, nearly jumbo portions, each of which is crowned and buffed to perfection. The action on our model was remarkably low, yet stray buzzes were nonexistent. The construction, scale length and setup all combined to creat a feeling of precision and impeccable response.

Controls for the dual EMG-HZ pickups include a master volume, a well-voiced master tone and a three-way selector switch. The pickups are exceptionally clear and of moderate output, avoiding the upper midrange “honk” of many overwound humbuckers while delivering plenty of bottom. Picking dynamics translated beautifully, and upper harmonics had an exciting zing. What’s more, the electronic cavity is nearly coated with shielding paint to further minimize hum—a conscientious touch that I much appreciated.

Using increased levels of overdrive with the H-300 brought out a delightful range of bright yet punchy sounds, and the dynamic dimension and note-to-note clarity was awesome. Add all the overdrive you want to your signal, and the EMG-HZ pickups will continue to deliver definition and punch without breaking a sweat. Encouraged by its firm bottom, I dropped the H-300’s low E down to gut-rumbling C#, where I discovered notes as tight as those of a Steinway piano.

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Blast From the Past

Two guitars that have been added to Washburn’s Dimebag Darrell Signature Series: full-sized version of the 332 and the 331, a smaller, more lightweight version, both with bolt-on neck, “stealth” tailpiece and 24-3/4” scale neck. The Buzz Feiten Tunign System was available on select models. List prices for the Dimebag Darrell 332 was $399; Dimebag Darrell 331 was $349.

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Modulus Genesis 3

Thumbs up to Modulus. The California company is among the most eco-friendly of guitarmakers, crafting its instruments from ecologically sustainable, properly harvested exotic softwoods. While some softwoods have excellent tonal properties, their use in guitar building is usually limited to the carefully braced, delicate soundboards of acoustic instruments. Which is why Modulus combines their softwoods with aerospace-grade composites that lend both tonal character and long-term stability.

For the Genesis, Modulus employs a double-cutaway body (available in cedar or soma) protected with a dense and glassy polyurethane finish. Our example featured the optional flamed-maple top, which smoldered through the exceptional cherryburst finish. The Genesis 3’s full-bodied, 22-fret softwood neck is a unique creature altogether, comprising a graphite spine molded to a graphite layer beneath the fingerboard. (Using graphite to carry the string tension allows Modulus to select neckwoods for tone rather than for strength.) This graphite structure runs from the tip of the headstock to deep inside the body and includes traditional a truss rod, with the adjustment bolt exposed at the body end to facilitate tweaking. The neck is glued into the cutaways and offers unbridled upper-fret access. The fully adjustable, combined bridge offers a great set-up, with a snag-free spread providing by the Straight-pull extended tuners. All of this is aided by some very slick fretwork.

The DiMarzio PAF Classic humbuckers on the Genesis produce a tone that compares favorably with that of a Les Paul, although it is perhaps a little more smooth and redefined. Modulus have opted for an unusual five-way selector switch that allows the humbucker to be split and used as single coils in various series and parallel configurations. Considering the construction of the Genesis 3, it’s not surprising that the latter pickup selections don’t come close to those on a Strat; all the same, they do offer some fine lightweight jangles and hollow clucks.

While the massive guitar superpowers engage in a high-profile battle for world domination, it’s easy to overlook the fact that there are hundreds of smaller manufactures making their own equally important contributions to the world of electric guitar. Perhaps because their products don’t have to sell by the gazillion, these companies can afford to create more specialized—and even quirky—instruments that incorporate usual materials and have far-out finishes and daring designs that speak to the needs of flashy individualists, vintage, zealots and hellbent rabble-rousers.

This month’s assemblage of manufactures embodies the intrepid spirit that keeps the world of guitar fresh and vibrant—Ampeg’s faithful reissues of their Dan Armstrong acrylic guitars appear as bold today as they did several decades ago—and remind us all the craftsmanship stripped of conformity can yield glorious results. Viva la difference!

Godin LGXT

Godin’s electric and electric acoustic guitars are a first-rate example of the ingenuity and advanced thinking that typically emanate from the hotbeds of small guitar manufactures. The Canada-based luthier emerged in the Eighties as a builder of replacement necks and bodies for the electric market. Since then, Godin has put their expertise and subcontractors to the biggest guitar companies to use their own line of instruments. The Godin LGXT shows how far the company has quickly progressed, not only in their impeccable construction but in their advanced electronics as well.

The LGXT features a light maple body capped with carved hard maple for improved response. Our model was beautifully finished in a flattering high-gloss black, which echoed by the headstock’s black-trimmed locking machines. The slim and silky 22-fret mahogany neck is capped with an ebony fingerboard, and the plateless, four-bolt joint fits deep into the sleek rear contours of the arch-top body for maximum energy transfer. Typically of Godin’s electric guitars, the LGXT is idiosyncratically acoustic in its feel and tone. The guitar has a vibrant and clean playability, and there is a satisfying resonant snap and jangle in its tone rather than the high-action bark and buzz typical of electric guitars.

Where the LGXT breaks ground is in its electronics, which combine electric and acoustic sounds with guitar-synth tracking capabilities. The guitar’s electric output comes from two Seymour Duncan humbuckers with master volume and tone and a five-way selector that provides various humbucker/single-coil variations. The acoustic sounds and synth access are provided by custom L.R. Baggs undersaddle transducers located in the tremolo bridge and governed by a separate preamp (with volume, treble, mid and bass sliders) subtly mounted on the face of the upper bout. A 13-pin output allows the bridge transducers to double as a hexaphonic pickup to power any of the Roland GR series and, in magnetic mode, VG-8 guitar-synth systems. And additional three-way switch allows you to select between magnetic and bridge pickups, synth only or everything at once.

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It appears that more and more good people are developing intense frustration with eBay. The reasons are clear, eBay is taking full advantage of the American unstable economy. They know that people are more likely to dig up things to sell to raise extra money. EBay’s response? Raise the final value fees to over double, doubling the listing fees and raise store fees to over $5. Not to mention the featured listing options have sky-rocketed.

Even after the fee hike, eBay couldn’t stop there… they had to take away the sellers feedback, leaving sellers vulnerable to buyers. While all eBay’s recent changes are detrimental and immoral, this change is downright absurd. Taking away sellers right to leave feedback opens the door for scandalous buyers to extort. And they do! Do a quick search online, it pulls up numerous examples of how buyers are undermining eBay’s new policies.

Some examples are;

Bait in switch (this is where a buyer will buy an item, then claim it was ‘defective‘, the buyer will then return a similar item that is broke, but not the one they purchased from the seller)

A buyer will demand a partial refund or shipping charge returned after the item is received.

After winning an item, demand express shipping on sellers expense.

Above are just a few examples of how a dishonest buyer will use the feedback policy to their advantage. In addition, buyers also know how to use PayPal to their advantage too. PayPal is owned by eBay. There is an alternative to PayPal as well, namely, Google checkout. Another great highlight about Google checkout is they’re fees are half as much as PayPal. This sounds great for you sellers, doesn’t it? If you use eBay, don’t get too excited. Ebay doesn’t allow Google checkout as a form of payment at all, try and list this form of payment in your listing, and eBay will have your account suspended quicker than you can say “wha…?”.

This leaves us ‘honest’ and ‘hardworking’ class of people to find alternatives to eBay to fit our needs. For example, Gear-Vault is a free classifieds/auction site exclusive for musical equipment. For general items there is ebid.com, which is another great site to use, though not free, yet cheaper and safer than eBay.

Whatever your venture may be, there are alternatives to eBay within one click away.

Though the size of floor multi-effects processor is decreasing, the features and capabilities of these units continue to grow. Although the Boss ME-30 is only slightly larger than an average hard-bound book, it can create a multitude of sounds that once could only be achieved with a huge rack and a gaggle of stomp boxes. Add in sampling capabilities and you’ve got a serious contender in the maximum banger-per-buck race.

The ME-30 packs 16 different effects into its small frame. You can use up to nine of them at once, and any one of four can be assigned to the built-in expression pedal. The ME-30 comes loaded with 30 factory presets, and the large, user-friendly LCD dispay makes loading in another 30 of your own an easy task.

On board you’ll find some very flexible effects and sound-sculpting tools, including compression, seven types of overdrive and distortion, a three-band equalizer, phaser, noise gate, digital delay with up to two seconds of delay time, chorus, flanger, pitch shifter, tremolo and reverb.

The pedal-assignable effects consist of volume, wah, “tremolo arm” (similar to a Whammy pedal) and ring modulator. There’s a global guitar amp simulator that emulates an amplifier’s tone when you’re playing through headphones or recording direct to tape/cd/hardrive. And in addition to all these effects, the ME-30 has a built-in chromatic tuner.

What really sets the ME-30 apart from most other multi-effects pedals, however, is its value as a learning tool. It has an auxiliary input, which allows you to plug in a CD or tape player, put on your headphones and jam along. When you get to a part you just can’t figure out, put the ME-20 into “phrase trainer” mode and sample up to 12 seconds of the recorded music. You can loop it and slow it down to as much as ¼ the original speed without altering the pitch, allowing you to analyze the 32^nd-note run with the greatest of ease.

The ME-30 is also exceptionally well suited for use in home studios. Many functions are accessible only with the keypad, but most of the ones you might want to access in live performance, such as the sampling function, are accessible via foot control. The LCD is unlit, but it glows in the dark for several hours when exposed to light for a brief period. A bright single-digit LED displays which bank of settings you’re in, but whether this is a factory preset or your own creation is shown only in small letters on the LCD.

Anyone familiar with Boss’ excellent array of stomp box flavors will love the ME-30’s sounds. The flanger is particularly good, and the ring modular (a metallic, industrial timbre that can turn the simplest phrase into wickedly unrecognizable bleeps, squeals and grunts) is a welcome surprise, especially when you consider that most ring modulators available today cost as much as this entire unit.

Its status in the six-string universe is legendary, but Gibson guitar corporation has never made a real impact in the bass-guitar market. Since the Sixties, Gibson has developed and marketed basses that, for one reason or another, just didn’t catch on. Although they were an alternative attempt to Fender’s popular basses, Gibson’s four-string were plagued by limited tonal range, top heavy, and baseball bat-like necks. Of course, there were a few Gibson models that contributed greatly to the history of rock and roll: the EB-3 bass used by Jack Bruce (Cream) and Free’s Andy Fraser, and Gene Simmons’ notorious Ripper bass. But, for the most part, Gibson basses had a limited appeal. However, with the introduction of entirely line of 4-and 5-string Les Paul basses, Gibson’s stature in the rock-bottom market stands an excellent chance of changing for the better.

When designing the LPB-2, Gibson use the woods responsible for the classic sound of the Les Paul guitar: mahogany and maple. Balancing the rich, warm tone of mahogany neck and body with the clearly defined highs of a maple by the top, the LPB-2 Las Paul bass possesses a tonal diversity much like that of its six-string predecessor. However, Gibson has departed from its traditional use of a rosewood fingerboard, using ebony instead. The order would gives the bass extended brightness.

The first and most crucial test of any bass is to your hear how it sounds unplugged. After playing just a few notes on the LPB-2, I felt the instrument’s warmth and resonance buzz through my hands and up my arms. I took the bass through its paces, playing a number of styles; it sounded and felt great on everything from slap to playing with a pick. A bass that sounds this good without an amp couldn’t fail to please when plugged in.

Due to the absence of a rear-body contour, the LPB-2 looks as if it may be uncomfortable to play. Surprisingly, the bass sat perfectly in both sitting in standing positions, with none of the top-heavy-ness of Gibson’s older basses. The 20-fret, 34-inch scale, glued-joint neck meets the body at the 17th fret, and the uppermost notes are easily accessed through a lower-body cutaway. For those who like the feel of a thin neck, Gibson’s exclusive thin taper design (1.625 inches at the nut) allows for easy, comfortable playing. The fretwork and neck finish on the review model were extremely smooth and almost flawless, except for a small amount of glue which had leaked from the fingerboard/neck joint. This unsightly goo yielded no perceivable negative effects on playability or tone.

The LPB-2 possesses a perfect electronic system for the practical/working bassist—sufficient for maximum playability, but not too complex as to be confusing on stage. A simple control layout (volume, bass, treble and pickup blend) coaxes a myriad of tonal variations from the Bartolini TCT active circuitry and two Bartolini humbucker pickups: thunderous lows, controllable highs and a wide midrange. Even with all the settings on flat, the LPB-2 sounded great. I played the bass in a number of different gigging situations and only had to make a few eq adjustments—this instrument truly speaks. And while the blend control doesn’t allow for both pickups to be full-open simultaneously (it can only be set to 50-50, 60-40, etc.), it does offer a wide range of sonic possibilities. The nine-volt battery that powers the TCT on-board preamp rests in a fully shielded rear-body cavity, and I found all the soldering connections to be spotless.

All the LPB-2’s hardware (including the traditional Gibson “speed” knobs) are exclusive to Gibson. A three-way adjustment bridge (string height, length and spacing) offers easy adjustments to players who prefer to vary their string spacing, but the bass was good to go right out of the box—no tweaking was needed to fix action or intonation. The LPB-2 stayed consistently in tune through a number of live performances and some extremely aggressive playing.

Here’s a Pair for the comically inclined. The Musicvox gold-topped, 12-string Space Cadet lathers up some sweetly clean tones from its soapbar pickups. Although the trademark elephantitis headstock is exchanged for a compact Rickenbacker-style tuner arrangement, the overstuffed lower horn maintains Musicvox’s geek appeal. The vintage-style neck is fast and easy, and it effortlessly accommodates those extra strings, which sound fat and happy through the vibrant pickups. Low action, gold hardware and a thick, lush jangle make this the foxy 12-string you thought you couldn’t afford.

And what better accessory for a Space Cadet than the equally sparkle-tastic Kustom Tuck ‘n’ Roll? Part ottoman, part Huggy Bear hi-fi, this little guy is a must-have. Twelve watts and a six inch speaker deliver some surprising grunt from the closed-back cab. Enjoy some private moments via the headphone jack, or unleash the Tuck ‘n’ Roll’s rock and roll. The switchable gain and contour master tone let you achieve everything from lean cleans to fat or scooped fizz. Best of all, your girlfriend has something comfy to perch on while you practice.

The Hipshot Vibrato bridge features a self-aligning, hardened, ball-bearing pivot system that replaces the knife-edge pivot found on conventional tremolo units, like Floyd Rose Locking trem. The system provides smooth, friction-free rolling action to ensure longer wear and pitch accuracy. Each bridge is individually designed, hand polished and hand plated using top quality finishes. Priced at about $100 for chrome, Black is about $110 and gold is about $120.

Boutique amp builders are insane. Each and every one of them are crazy. They are, without a doubt, the most single-minded musical madmen with whom I have ever had the pleasure of talking shop. They eat, sleep and breathe tone, and I suspect that if they were X-rayed, you'd find vintage Jensen speakers where their vocal cords should be, new old-stock Mullard tubes glowing in their cranial cavities and massive power transformers pumping current, not blood, through their Tolex bodies.

Although the boutique amp niche is a relatively small one, the competition is fierce, and one would have to flirt with being labeled insane to jump into such a cut-throat market. Generally, an average customer won't be willing (or able, in some cases) to blow a couple thousand dollars on an amp, especially one that is sub-par. Those who choose to get into the boutique amp 'arms race' cannot afford to be slack in their work. They must find what works for them, do it 10x better than anybody else, or be eaten alive. In this market, you have to prove you have what it takes to survive.

Are they worth it? To answer this question, we've been checking out amplifiers from some of America's most notable boutique builders. Should you put your money where their mouth is?

Insane is just what the doctor ordered. The crazier, the better, that’s how boutique amps get built here in America. Have you heard of Monster Factory Amps? Hoyt, the owner of MFA is the mad scientist of boutique Monster “Bone-Yard” series amplifiers. Rated by Gearwire, Harmony-Central and Gear-Monkey as a mind blowing piece of equipment. …Read More…

Guitarists and keyboard players may forever battle over who gets to play the longer solo during “Whipping Post,” but they do agree on one point: there’s nothing like the rich, swirling sound of an instrument plugged into a big old Leslie cabinet, with its whooshing, rotating horn and speaker.

Problem is, who wants to cart around a mammoth cabinet that contains two speakers and a motor? That’s where the Voce Spin II comes in. Orange and dangerous, this stereo, AC-powered stop box produces an admirable simulation of the sound produced by the horn and lower-rotor speakers of a Leslie cabinet.

Unlike low-rent boxes of the same ilk, the Spin II provides speed controls for each of the two simulated speakers, as well as adjustable acceleration that lets you regulate how quickly the effect ramps up when kicked from slow to fast speed. These nifty features allow for and almost infinite number of tweakage as possibilities, and make it a snap to dial in the desired amount and character of swirl. Other features that put the Spin II at the top of its class include a selectable line-level/high-impedance input switch and an adjustable output level.

While the Spin II sounds good when used mono, the unit truly comes alive when operating in its full, stereo glory. Plugged simultaneously into a Marshall Super Lead and a Fender Vibro-King (both cranked to high heavens), the Spin II produced an uber-Leslie sound so full and rockin’, I dare say it outdid and certainly outmaneuvered our old Leslie cabinet.