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Tom Guerra
Tx-Watt Flagship
Tone Big as Texas
For more than three decades on the Texas roadhouse circuit, guitarist Jack Kay’s love of vintage Fender and Marshall tones often had him using both amplifier brands at the same gig. Envisioning one capable of producing American and British sounds, the founder of Tx-Watt embarked on a quest to build the ultimate amp. After 10…
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Tom Guerra
TWA Triskelion MK3 Harmonic Energizer
Functional Filter
Based on the Systech Harmonic Energizer pedal made famous by Adrian Belew, Frank Zappa, and Greg Lake, the TWA Triskelion MK3 is a third-generation mid-boost that combines the features of the manufacturer’s MKI and MKII editions in a smaller pedal. A simple pedal, it has three knobs; Energy sets the peak in the frequency to…
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Tom Guerra
Way Cool Version: Newman Guitars’ Honeycomb Chambered Jr.
Following Ted Newman Jones’ passing in 2016, protégé Jeff Smith took over Newman Guitars and is furthering the vision, using the same offset body as Jones’ original guitars but employing modern methods. Their latest is the Honeycomb Chambered Jr. Sporting a 1 7/8″-thick laminated mahogany body with chambers, the Jr. is light and solidly built;…
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Tom Guerra
Keeley Electronics Loomer
Tone Weaver
As effects pedals proliferate, so do multifunction boxes. Case in point: Keeley Electronics’ Loomer, combining three reverbs with a raging fuzz unit, each side triggered by a separate footswitch. The Loomer’s reverb modes are activated by a microswitch. Focus mode summons a lush reverb accentuated by secondary delay. The switch’s center setting, Reverse, produces a…
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Tom Guerra
The PRS HX 50 and HX 2×12 Cabinet
Jimi Jam
Paul Reed Smith has earned a reputation building guitars of the highest quality. It wasn’t until just over a decade ago he tried his hand at building amps, pairing with Texas amp guru Doug Sewell. Smith and Sewell more recently traveled to Seattle to blueprint one of Jimi Hendrix’s Marshall 100-watt heads, purportedly an amp…
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Tom Guerra
The Legendary Tones Lynch Mod
No-mod Hot Rod
Designed for guitarist George Lynch, the Lynch Mod introduces an additional, non-permanent gain stage to the classic Marshall circuit. The device uses two 12ax7 preamp tubes on a base that fits snugly into the V2 socket of classic Marshall amps, including JMP and JCM 800, as well as several reissues. It was Lynch’s idea to…
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Tom Guerra
The KW Cabs ST-220T SSB
Who Woodn’t?
Like you, Kurt Wyberanec knows that good extension cabinets, like acoustic guitars, serve their player as resonant sound chambers. Those he builds go the extra mile with artful design, sturdy construction, and unique functionality. Wyberanec’s company, KW Cabs, recently introduced the ST-220T SSB, an update of the cab that put the company on the map…
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Tom Guerra
Pop ’N Hiss: Brian Setzer’s The Knife Feels Like Justice
Cat Out of the Bag
Changing genres after achieving great success can be a risky career move for a musician. But after making it big with Stray Cats, Brian Setzer did just that. With fellow Long Islanders Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom, Setzer formed Stray Cats in 1979 based on a mutual love of rockabilly and early rock and…
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Tom Guerra
Rory Gallagher’s Photo-Finish
Legend’s Best
The year 1977 saw upheaval in rock and roll, from the death of Elvis Presley and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash to the emergence of new music styles including disco, new wave, and punk rock. Propelled by simple, frenetic songs, punk renounced the self-indulgence of mainstream rock and put the world’s biggest bands on notice. At…
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Tom Guerra
Big Al Anderson
Pawn Shop Guitars
Since last spoke to him, songwriter and master of the Telecaster Al Anderson has been extremely productive. More than a dozen of his songs appear on Vince Gill’s new These Days, and Anderson recently toured as part of Vince’s band. In between his songwriting and touring responsibilities, Big Al has managed to put together a…
