The Vox AC30C2X and AC15C1

The AC30C2X is a 30-watt, 2×12 combo loaded with Celestion Alnico Blue speakers (there’s another version of this amp with Celestion G12M Greenbacks – take your pick). There are two channels – Normal and the famous Top Boost, which adds more grit and presence. There are also High and Low input jacks for each channel, offering more options for guitars with different pickups. With three 12AX7 tubes in the preamp, there are a myriad of tone controls here, as well. While the Top Boost channel has its own Treble and Bass controls, the Normal channel does not; fortunately, there’s a Tone Cut knob in the master section that can help you find the right tones for both channels. The reverb circuit also has its own Tone knob for dialing in brighter or darker ’verb flavors. No question, the AC30C2X is a tone-tweaker’s dream come true. And aside from reverb, there’s a Tremolo circuit for adding all sorts of wavy, pulsating effects to your guitar tone. For more, plug your pedals into the amp’s effects loop, and there’s also a footswitch jack to turn the reverb and tremolo on and off. There’s a jack for an external cab, as well.

Powered by four EL84 tubes, the AC30C2X packs a nice punch for a 30-watter – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by it’s big, beefy sound. Using a Strat and a Les Paul, the amp is suitably retro, giving plenty of tonal options. Sure, you can get all the bright, chimey George Harrison sounds you want, but the AC30C2X is just as much a great blues, rock, and country amp. And with the built-in reverb and tremolo, surf guitarists are going to love it – the brawny tube tones combined with these essential ’60s-instro effects are not to be missed. It also packs nice overdrive tones, but if you need more, an overdrive pedal on the front will deliver your favorite Stevie Ray/Bluesbreaker sounds. And if you want more old-school vibe, you can “jump” the two channels with a short cable, essentially linking the Normal and Top Boost sections for even more drive. All told, this is one amp whose charms are hard to resist. The only potential pet peeve is the upside-down control labels – which while they may be more authentic, require standing behind the amp to read, which is a minor annoyance. At 73 pounds, it’s also a weighty beast, but that’s fairly common for a 2×12 tube amp.

Its smaller sibling, the AC15C1, is a 15-watt/1×12 combo with a three 12AX7s and a pair of EL84s in the power section. Accordingly, the amp isn’t as loud as its bigger brother, nor does it have the big low-end. But the effects sound killer, especially for surfy sounds.

This amp would be great for club gigs with a PA, or rehearsals. Or, just set it up in the living room for your own retro riffing.

Because these amps are made in China, their prices are quite affordable. You may think they lack the requisite British mojo because of that, but they’re good-sounding boxes, with vibe out the wazoo – especially the 2×12 AC30C2X. No doubt, John, Paul and George would say, “Check ’em out, mates!”

Vox AC30C20X/AC15C1
Price: $2,000 list/$1,249 street (AC30C2X); $900 list/$599 street (AC15C1)
Contact: voxamps.com.

This article originally appeared in VG January 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

ValveTrain 205

Rick Gessner is a tweed amp enthusiast who has more than made a splash since entering the fray in 2005.

His versions of tweed-era Fender classics (with subtle refinements), along with his Spring Thing reverb unit, have been making waves with players from Pat Travers to Brad Paisley.

The ValveTrain 205 is Gessner’s interpretation of the venerable F52A tweed Princeton circuit from 1955. While the tweed Champ has gotten much more attention in the under-five-watt camp, the tweed Princeton has some desirable features that were worth revisiting. First, the F52A had a bigger output transformer than its little brother, helping to give the amp more low-end response. Also, the Princeton had a Tone control on its top-panel, which for most players certainly comes in handy.

The 205 uses a solid pine cabinet with a hand-wired chassis, lacquered tweed covering, a distressed tweed for you “relic” lovers, and two-tone tolex, for those who like a little more flair. The workmanship in the covering application is second to none – clean, clean, clean. The top panel hosts controls for Volume and Tone, along with an on/off switch and yellow pilot light. Looking under the back panel reveals a Groove Tubes 12AX7M in V1, followed by a cathode-biased 6V6 and a 5Y3 rectifier. The final piece of the five-watt amp’s tone puzzle is an alnico-magnet Weber Signature Series 8″ speaker. And because it weighs in at a very svelte 17 pounds, you could fit this amp in your backpack!

With a Crook Custom Guitars single-cut with Kinman Broadcaster pickups plugged in, and with the volume set low, the 205 offered that transparent, acoustic quality for which tweed-era amps are known. Very nice! With the Volume cranked up a few notches, it shifted to a chunky, compressed distortion, thanks in part to the Weber alnico-magnet speaker, but mostly you hear just good ol’ amp distortion.

With an early-’80s Ibanez semi-hollow thinline equipped with high-output humbuckers, the 205 was hard to keep clean – not surprising given that again, this is a five-watt amp. Substituting a 12AY7 in the preamp (position V1 on the tube chart) reduced the gain considerably, and with the amp’s Volume set at about 2 o’clock, the 205 synched right up with the Ibanez, while remaining quite nice to the Tele. A 5751 in V1 produced the richest tone, with more gain than the 12AY7.

Overall, the 205 performs very admirably. Its small, resonant cab and proximity of speakers to tubes makes for a very minor tube rattle when the amp is driven very hard, but it’s hardly troublesome.

So, what can one do with this, or other five-watt terrors on the market today? Well, you could sit in your underwear at home and get some very fine edgy tones at lower volumes. But wonderful as that can be, the 205′s real magic comes into play in the studio. No groundbreaking news, of course – we’ve all heard about our favorite guitar tones coming from tiny tweed terrors. But consider another recording situation; say you just laid down some robust guitar tracks on a song and decided to add an additional guitar part, but the engineer is telling you there’s no room in the mix. The answer, play the part through the 205, and listen as it cuts through without getting in the way of your other tracks! That single-ended 6V6 and 8″ speaker keeps your guitar heard, with its tighter, more focused sound, all while staying out of the way of your main guitar tracks.

The Valvetrain 502 is a well-built amp that makes some fine tones. It won’t do big clean tones, but it wasn’t designed to. And without some kind of 9-volt gain monster in front of it, the amp will also never produce shred tones. But if you’re looking for a great-sounding little amp that can produce Stonesy rhythm sounds, and gnarly, compressed lead tones, the Valvetrain 205 might just be your ticket.

ValveTrain 205

Price $1099

Contact ValveTrain Amplification, LLC, 1119 Robie Ave, Mount Dora, FL 32757; phone: (407) 886-7656; www.valvetrainamps.com.

This article originally appeared in VG September 2007 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The guitarist’s greatest quests is most often that of the tone that resides within their heads. That quest drove guitarist Ken Doles to design his own amplifier.

The tone in his head was a mix of vintage sound with new ideas, and the result is the DoleSonic Vintage 108. A hand-wired, Class A combo in a deftly crafted pine cabinet, it’s aesthetically reminiscent of an antique radio or armoire, with an amber-tinted finish and hand-assembled internal bracing that denotes a commitment to detail. A ³/4″ birch baffleboard, leather handles, and vintage-inspired grillecloth further enhance its class.

The Vintage 108 is set apart in another way – speaker configuration. At first glance, it looks like a single-speaker combo, but inside are two Jensen Vintage Series speakers – a C10Q in an unusual combination with a C8R. The amp can be used with both on or, due to the angle in which they fit in the cab, you can disengage either for a low-watt fiesta.

The cathode-biased, 8-watt R.M.S. amp treads into more new territory with its use of tubes. The stock model uses a pair of JJ 6V6s, a single JJ 12AX7, and a 5Y3 N.O.S. rectifier. Tube selection, alone, would serve most playing styles, but the customization options on the Vintage 108 allow for the use of a single 6L6, single 6V6, or a single EL34 with minor modifications from a qualified technician. While these features may seem complex, in some ways, the Vintage 108 is a straightforward amp; controls include a single Volume and Tone, and components are high-grade throughout, with point-to-point construction and a two-way switch for choosing between 4 and 8 ohms output.

Live and in the studio, the Vintage 108 rendered a surprising variety of tones given that it has only two knobs. Plus, its combination of 8″ and 10″ speakers give it a different voice – warm, full-range, and useful for a variety of styles. Its diversity goes even further when one experiments by unplugging either speaker. Using the 10″ speaker alone produces a robust low-end; changing the impedance and running the 8″ alone makes the amp sound a Fender Champ on steroids.

At the end of the day, the Vintage 108 achieves Doles’ goal – it’s an amp made with vintage inspiration, but is ready for a variety of musical situations and genres.

DoleSonic Vintage 108 Woody
Price: $1,299 list
Contact: tremcaster.com

This article originally appeared in VG September 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

We understand how you might react. “Another drive pedal?” There are so many… a lot of them similar, or nearly identical? But then again, some are different…

(Cue Captain Kirk voiceover…)

Prepare, then, gearhead followers, to embark on a journey of drive, fuzz, and distortion unlike anything you’ve experienced before! Just step aboard (okay, on) the Improbability Drive by Effector 13…

(Okay, Kirk, go home.)

Part guitar effect, part physics experiment, the Improbability Drive is the product of the active imagination of Ever Was, the 24-year-old proprietor of Effector 13, a company he founded after becoming enamored with the great fuzz players of the late ’60s through the early ’90s, everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Billy Corgan.

After earning a degree from Arlyn Studios in Austin, Texas, Was fired up the Guitar Pedal Archive website, and shortly thereafter began experimenting, building pedals from parts purchased at Radio Shack. After many hours, the Krackle Fuzz was born. That pedal would evolve to become the Truly Beautiful Disaster pedal, his first market-ready unit.

Then, feeling there was something missing in the fuzz world, Was began working on the Improbability Drive (which gets its name from The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). An over-the-top, Hendrix-inspired pedal, it’s offered in the same free-spirited manner that was epitomized by Jimi. While most gear is shipped with an instruction manual/sheet, because the Improbability Drive was so new, Was’s instructions to us were handwritten in red and green marker on a piece of 81/2″ x 11″ paper.

“I suggest giving it to try out, to someone with a long coffee break who likes to experiment!” it says. “There are lots of ‘sweet spots,’ so move the knobs gently.”

“Well, we can do that,” we thought, grabbing our ’72 Fender Stratocaster with stock pickups and mid-’80s Peavey Butcher head with 2×12″ cab.

The top of the hand-wired Improbability Drive has five knobs, two mini-toggle “mode” switches, and a true-bypass on/off stompswitch. The keys to piloting the unit are in the three knobs along the top edge, labeled simply I, II, and III. A few minutes of experimentation had us hearing knob I manipulating the tone and adding a bit of boost, while II and III are gain controls. Mode switch A adds a bit of darkness to the signal. And Mode B? Well, we couldn’t tell what it was doing, so we turned back to knob I, which, when set between 0 and 9 o’clock, produced a very dark, muffled sound. After 9 o’clock it added a bit of boost/drive, and a touch more treble. The effect of control II was more obvious. Past 9 o’clock, we got very fat gain with a meaty low-midrange boost. The gain peaked at about 2 o’clock, and past 3 o’clock, it tapered off.

At 10 o’clock, control III adds the same meaty low-mid gain, peaking at 12 o’clock. Playing with controls II and III yielded a variety of gain structures with several sweet spots. With control I dialed back, we heard a muffled, ultra-smooth vintage fuzz tone. The low, meaty, midrange was prevalent throughout all settings and pickup positions. With the gains at max, single notes jumped and screamed; definite Hendrix tones, especially in the neck and middle pickup positions.

The overdrive/fuzz was notably smooth in all settings, as well. We set the input and output volumes very low, to balance with the bypass mode, then pushed the Peavey into overdrive to get a lot more gain. The pedal retained its unique, fat tone.

Pushing the input volume to full revealed the pedal’s true ability to produce gain. Simultaneously pushing the output volume to full sent our signal clean over the top, like mixing fuzz with overdrive. It was noisy, but that much gain can’t be any other way. So we backed off the input gain, and keeping the output gain to full, we got a crystalline enhanced tone, which was pure, but again somewhat noisy. Noodling with the two volumes, we dialed in a host of in-between gain/fuzz tones.

Backing off the Butcher’s gain, and pushing the input volume revealed a gritty, obnoxious – but very usable – fuzz. A person could play with this pedal for days and not tap all the possibilities. Better yet, go Gibbons on it and line up a half-dozen of them!

The Improbability Drive is the most unique drive/fuzz/distortion pedal we’ve tried. It requires time to unlock its potential. The more we played with it, the more we loved it. If your signal chain is in need of a shot of something new, the ID may be what it’s looking for.

Effector 13 Improbability Drive
Features Hand wiring, input/output volume control, true-bypass on/off switch with LED indicator, Switchcraft input and output jacks, cast-aluminum casing.
Price $255.
Contact www.effector13.com.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s January 2005 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Effector 13 Improbability Drive Demo + Registry

At first glance, the D&S Avenger looks like a long-lost prototype from Leo’s shop, with its offset-waist shape and familiar pickup/hardware/control setup.

The Avenger’s two-piece alder body sports a well-executed tobacco-sunburst finish and deep contours. Its one-piece 25.5″-scale bolt-on maple neck has a vintage C profile, aged/tinted poly finish with modern 9.5″-radius fretboard and Dunlop 6105 frets. The hardware has many classic elements, including a box-style chrome bridge, brass saddles, chrome control plate, knurled chrome-dome knobs, Kluson-style vintage tuners, and a single-ply pickguard. The Avenger’s Joe Barden bridge, while classic in design, uses compensated brass saddles and a cutout on its treble side for better string/control access. Electronics include a pair of U.K.-made Wizard Velvet single-coil pickups with Alnico II magnets, master Volume and Tone controls, a three-way blade pickup selector, and an Electrosocket output jack.

Acoustically, the Avenger exhibits very good natural tone, thanks to its resonant alder body and precise neck joint. In fact, fit and finish on the Avenger was great, from the meticulously fitted polished frets to the clear, flaw-free finish. And setup was top-notch, with a dead-straight neck, nice, playable action, and spot-on intonation. Its playability was outstanding, and loaded with vintage feel and vibe. Its body is bigger than the Fender that inspired its design, but at 8.25 pounds, it’s not heavy, and its deep contours make it comfortable to play whether sitting or standing.

Through a Fender ’65 reissue Super Reverb (12AX7/6L6) 4×10″ combo, the Avenger’s bridge pickup produced classic twang, with snappy highs and punchy lows, but with a smoother, more-even upper midrange and rich harmonic tone. The neck pickup had slightly less output (typical of most such setups), but with a throaty quality that blended well with the bridge pickup to produce a nice jangle in the middle position. The neck pickup came to life through a PRS H2 (12AX7/6L6) 1×12″combo, with its more-aggressive tone and overdrive channel; the tone was meatier and jumped more than it did through the Fender. The bridge pickup also liked the 1×12″, offering a very articulate, aggressive overdrive with a lot of natural sustain – without having to pile on preamp gain. The Tone control was well-tapered and very useful, darkening the neck pickup for a thick jazz/blues tone, or simply taking the high-end edge off of the bridge pickup, for a less-cutting rhythm sound. The Avenger’s resonance was evident through both amps, as it rendered a nice, complex harmonic signature and a killer fat sound. But it really shined through the PRS’ overdrive channel with a bit more attitude than through the Fender.

The D&S Avenger is a cool mix of vintage vibe and modern playability; it’s a well-crafted axe that begs to be plugged in and played.

D&S Avenger
Price: $2,095 (direct, as tested
Contact: drewandsebastian.com

This article originally appeared in VG August 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The Empire may look like old-school, but of course, looks can be deceiving. Close inspection reveals its three-piece body with maple center and poplar wings, and 243/4″-scale bolt-on mahogany neck with 12″-radius rosewood fingerboard and 111/16″ nut. The satin-finished neck has a broken-in feel with real vintage vibe. Vintage-style chrome-button tuners and a wraparound bridge complete its basic-is-better nature, along with a master Volume, single Tone control, and basic three-way pickup selector. Tones come courtesy of a Godin single-coil pickup in the neck and vintage-voiced humbucker in the bridge. Finally, the one-ply pickguard and traditional shades of finish (black, cream, or natural) help it transition smoothly from garage to stage.

Sporting the heart of a rocker with more spirit, the Empire’s maple/poplar body and mahogany neck yield interesting sonic results. Notes are consistent all over the neck, with focused low-end that responds very well when playing low rhythm chords.

Plugged in, it’s easy to forget the Empire is a intermediate–grade instrument; overall construction screams of Godin’s influence, but with a garage-band sort of twist. Its electric tones are somewhere between a cool old Danelectro and an old Les Paul Special. The single-coil in the neck is similar to an old TV ’Tron pickup with a hint of a lipstick-tube-pickup vibe. The bridge-position pickup offers just the right amount of grit – not overly hot, but with ample windings to render good overdriven tones.

Live and in the studio, the Empire is a cool sonic option. Its low-end is simply fun, and it has a cool retro spank thanks in part to its wraparound bridge. The body resonates really well, which helps the fullness of the chordal work. The neck pickup is useful for blues, punk, and even surf, and responds favorably to overdriven tones.

The Empire’s bridge pickup has a just-right amount of bite without being overly aggressive – more early-PAF than hot rocker, which maintains the garage-band nature of the instrument.

Richmond guitars keep getting cooler. The company’s line is relatively small, but offers a great mix of well-conceived instruments, useful in a variety of applications.

Richmond Empire
Price: $639 (list)
Contact: RichmondGuitarsCanada.com.

This article originally appeared in VG January 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Hugely popular in its native Canada, Traynor amps are a formidable force from north of the 49th parallel and its line includes a variety of quality tube amps. The company’s latest “lunchbox” amp is the Dark Horse DH15H, little brother to the company’s Iron Horse model.

The Darkhorse has a cool, old-school public-address-amp vibe, with a matte-gray-finished steel chassis, exposed transformers, perforated tube cage, and vintage Bakelite-style knobs. The DH15H has a small footprint – 11¹/2″ x 5″ x 6″  – and weighs 11 pounds. Its tube complement includes a pair of JJ Electronics 6V6s (producing 15 watts in high-power mode), a single Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 power tube (producing two watts in low-power mode), and two Sovtek 12AX7 preamp tubes.

The front-panel layout is straightforward; there’s a ¹/4″ input jack, controls for Gain, Bass, and Treble, a three-way Mode switch, Master Volume, jewel light, Standby/6V6/12AU7 switch, and a Power switch. The three-way tone switch has a Brit setting that positions the tone stack after the second tube stage and before the phase splitter, with a midrange boost. The USA setting positions the tone stack between the first and second tube stages and, lastly, the Pure setting bypasses the tone stack entirely. The rear panel has a standard power socket, a single ¹/4″ 16-ohm jack and a pair of ¹/4″ 8-ohm jacks. Also notable is the easy-access tube cage – just remove four thumb screws and remove the cage for access to all five tubes.

We tested the Darkhorse with a Fender Custom Shop 1960 reissue Strat with the stock pickups and a Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus with Burstbuckers. We also used a variety of speaker cabinets, among them, a open-back 2×12″ loaded with a pair of Celestion Vintage 30s, an open-back 1×10″ loaded with a Celestion G10 Vintage 10 and a Randall 4×12″ closed-back cab loaded with Celestion greenbacks.

With the Mode switch set to USA and the Strat plugged in, the Darkhorse hit the Fender mark nicely when using either of the two open-back cabinets. The amp delivered a clean, punchy tone with a round low-end and the mids slightly pulled back. The two-band EQ is voiced well and offers just enough depth to quickly dial in tone without having to noodle too much. Even with the Gain control dimed and the Master pulled back to about 12 o’clock (still in the USA mode), the amp presented clean, thicker overtones with just a hint of overdrive. Cranking the Master volume along with the Gain control and pushing the power tube, however, results in a thick, smooth overdrive at a fairly loud volume; this little amp has more horsepower than one would expect.

The overdrive gets boosted when you switch into the Pure Mode (completely bypassing the tone controls) and, thanks to Burstbucker humbuckers in the Les Paul, the Darkhorse produced a classic crunchy distortion with a respectable amount of sustain. We wouldn’t, however, classify the DH15H as a high-gain amp, since the preamp section is on the tamer side and needs the power section to be driven hard for higher-octane distortion. Since the amp relies on its power tubes for a good portion of the overdrive, the Darkhorse has a more natural, open overdrive sound with none of that thin, buzzy top-end you can get from too much preamp clipping. The only downside is the overall volume may be a bit loud for some situations, while the low-power setting with the single 12AU7 – which brings the volume down to a nice apartment/practice level – does suck out a bit of that punchy 6V6 sound. But pairing the DH15H with the 4×12″ closed-back cabinet helps it get a thicker, trashier sound with a bit of thump to the low-end in both the USA and Pure Modes. Clearly, there are a lot of tonal possibilities with this amp.

The Traynor DH15H Darkhorse is a compact, lightweight head with a surprisingly big punch and a range that covers a fair amount of territory from the U.S. to British tube tones. And of course, there are plenty of fat, toasty Canadian tones, too.

Traynor’s Darkhorse DH15H
Price: $649
Contact: traynoramps.com

This article originally appeared in VG October 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The new Emperor Swingster is based on the popular Emperor Regent, with a few noteworthy differences. The Swingster has an arched spruce top and laminated/triple-bound maple body with maple veneer. The neck is three-piece maple and is also bound, then capped with a rosewood neck and block inlays. The look carries over to the headstock, with binding and Epiphone inlay.

What makes the Swingster “swing” is its electronics, coupled and a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece with a custom arm ideal for serious floating action. A roller bridge helps make its use and sound fluid, and helps keep the instrument in tune.

Epiphone created its new SwingBucker pickups for this instrument. With Alnico V magnets, they offer a blend of warmth and twang. Better yet, two push/pull pots on the Tone knobs allow for series/parallel function of both pickups. Throw in a standard two Volume/two Tone control configuration and a three-way switch, and you’re ready to rock the roadhouse.

Overall build quality of the Chinese-made Swingster is impressive. It has no construction issues, and the binding is expertly crafted. Most striking is the finish work on the flame-maple laminate. Playability is also impressive; the setup on our tester was comfortably low, and the wide neck had a slight roundness to the profile reminiscent of classic archtops. It plays well and access to the upper register is easy. The Bigsby and the “pinned” rosewood base with roller tune-o-matic saddles are not typically found on budget-level entries, and makes a world of difference on the Swingster. Vibrato effects are smooth, with no awkward jumpiness you usually get with a roller bridge.

It’s obvious where Epiphone was going with its SwingBucker pickups. The Alnico V magnets give a “best of both worlds” vibe to their tone, with the neck pickup sounding typically warm and round, perfect for jazz, big-band swing, and blues. The bridge pickup is arguably the crown jewel – if you need twang, it can deliver.

Another seldom-seen option on guitars of this style at this price point are series/parallel potentiometers. It’s certainly a plus when you can get a single-coil-type sound out of a box like this – almost like a hollowbody Tele. The only nit to pick is that the Swingster is wired with the parallel portion of the tone with the knobs in the “pulled” position. This means you have to pull up on the knob to get your big boomy tone and push it in for your quasi-single coil vibe. Traditional wiring would have had these flipped. For some, this may be an issue, but it’s probably not a deal breaker.

The Swingster is an impressive offering for the money. Its playability is good, its vibrato is smooth, and it sounds great. Epiphone knows its niche.

Epiphone Emperor Swingster

Price: $1,165 (MSRP)

Contact: epiphone.com.

Musicvox Space Cadet 12
Price: $899 (direct)
Contact: musicvox.com

As you may have read in Michael Wright’s profile of the Spaceranger guitar (September ’11), Musicvox started producing kooky, retro-styled solidbody guitars in the ’90s and was prominently featured in the comedy film Austin Powers. The company was on hiatus for a decade and recently returned with new models including the Space Cadet 12-string. We asked, and Musicvox was happy to let us twang this thang.

Made in Indonesia, the guitar is an attention-getter with its swank, vintage look. It has an old-school tobacco sunburst finish and single-cut body shape sporting a large treble-bout horn (tamed down, size-wise, compared to earlier Musicvoxes like the Spaceranger!). The swingin’ ’60s décor continues with a sexy, sweeping white pickguard, large dot inlays, and a rare open-face headstock for the tuning machines (six on the side, six on the rear).

Other features include a mahogany body, a 251/2″-scale bolt-on maple neck with a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, chrome hardware, master volume and tone, a three-way pickup selector, and two black P-90 pickups that match the truss-rod cover. The bridge is a tune-o-matic type, while the simple bolt-on tailpiece is a top-loader – handy for 12-strings.

One thing you can say for that large horn is it makes the guitar sit snugly on your lap and helps balance the Space Cadet (a feature useful with headstock-heavy 12-string axes!).

Using a tube combo and a solidstate acoustic amp, the Space Cadet 12 proved likeable. In the hand, its maple neck has a big C profile that feels much like an acoustic. The super-flat fingerboard and wide nut (17/8″) further evoke that acoustic vibe.

It might take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the Space Cadet’s six side-facing machines and six rear-facing ones, but once you become accustomed to the instrument, it can be tuned up as quickly as a six-string. Overall, the Space Cadet’s tuners are decent, though they have a lower gear ratio than most guitars (which means you have to turn them more to change pitch). Once in tune, though, the Space Cadet holds it well. If you plan on gigging heavily with this guitar, it’s something to keep in mind.

Sonically, the Space Cadet 12 is not a one-trick guitar. Using the bridge P-90, you can find plenty of classic ’60s tones, from the Byrds to the Beatles and everything in-between. It’s a thinner, brighter, chimey sound with folk-rock nostalgia mixed in. In the center and neck pickup positions, you get a fuller tone, of course, along with more-bell-like flavors. The guitar sounded good through the tube combo, but took on a whole new personality through the acoustic amp, which added tons of sparkle (keep in mind, acoustic amps aren’t just for acoustic guitars!). The Space Cadet sounded very different through different amps, and simply invites experimentation. Also keep in mind, compression is a important ingredient for ’60s jangle, so you might try the Cadet with the comp pedal of your choice.

Whether you want to jangle like Roger McGuinn, George Harrison, or Marshall Crenshaw, this Musicvox fits the bill. Yes, there are cheaper electric 12s on the market, but many have tuning issues. This guitar sounds and looks hip, is fun to use for everything from open chords to big barre chords to ethereal, ringing arpeggios, and does a good job staying in tune. If you want a blast from the past, jump into this chime machine and enjoy the ride.

DGN custom guitars paragon standard
Price: $3,000 (base)
Contact: DGNcustomguitars.com.

For the past few years, luthier Dan Neafsey has been making a name for himself from his small workshop in southern Connecticut, and for good reason. The instruments from DGN Custom Guitars are customized, hand-made, and of very high quality. One of his newest models is the Paragon, a Les-Paul-inspired single-cut that is actually a semi-hollowbody that is miraculously light and boasts several custom variations.

The Paragon Standard has classic features; Honduran mahogany body and neck, figured maple top, Indian rosewood fingerboard, and Kluson vintage-style tuners. Its neck and body are all made from single pieces of wood, not laminated. Neafsey is particular about the components in the Paragon, so it’s dressed with a Graph Tech nut, Switchcraft pickup selector and jack, Mojo CTS 500k pots, Jupiter paper-beeswax .022 capacitors, and a hip aluminum wraparound bridge from ATB. The parade of features doesn’t stop there – the luthier winds his own pickups, here a set of PAF-style humbuckers that are “low-wind” to create better body/resonance mojo (in contrast to high-output winds that emphasize more magnet than wood).

Another cool element is the Paragon’s water-based finish, applied on our tester over a tasty cherry sunburst. From grain filler to clearcoat, it’s all safe and environmentally friendly. The coatings are as thin and durable as traditional nitrocellulose, but have a smoother feel and are less prone to weather-checking. Not only is this water-based finish beautiful, it’s not toxic and, Neafsey says, safer for the luthier who applies the lacquer. Other accouterments include an inlaid, almost-3D mother-of-pearl DGN logo on the headstock, as well as cream binding around the top and fingerboard, again reminiscent of its Gibson archetype.

Before it’s even plugged in, the Paragon grabs attention, thanks to its naturally resonant body. And Neafsey can customize the neck to any dimension or profile the customer prefers, ensuring individualized playability. Our tester was set to his preference – a beefier neck, a la ’50s Gibson, set with low action.

Running through various settings on a tube amp and software modeler, you can feel the vibe of this guitar as it reacts; rock and blues are the obvious go-to style, from Bluesbreakers-era Clapton to modern-hero stuff like Joe Bonamassa.

Sure, the Paragon Standard has all kinds of vintage attributes – and intentionally so. But the attention to detail in its build is amazing. Neafsey’s work here is darn impressive – and he builds everything from acoustics to nine-string electrics and, in his spare time, knocks out a few tube amps and stompboxes!

This article originally appeared in VG August 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Saint Blues Bluesmaster/Blindsider
Price: $2,399 (Bluesmaster); $2,550 (Blindsider)
Info: saintblues.com

St. Blues’ history stretches back to the days when its founders customized guitars for the likes of Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, and Duane Allman as their tours passed through Memphis. Today the company has a storefront just a few yards from the legendary Sun Studio, and in a nearby factory builds their top-of-the-line Workshop Series, which includes the Bluesmaster and Blindsider models.

The Bluesmaster is St. Blues’ cornerstone design, first created by merging elements of an Esquire and a Les Paul. The unlikely pairing yielded a real looker; the slightly undersized body features soft curves and a squared-off tail, with a bolt-on maple neck (available with maple or pau ferro fretboard). The model sent for our review had an ash body with a gorgeous Honeyburst finish (also available in Tobacco), which St. Blues lacquers with six to 15 coats coats of nitrocellulose. At about 71/2 pounds, and well-balanced for playing while seated or standing, a Bluesmaster is more comfortable to hold and play than either of its predecessors right out of the box.

Despite the mixed heritage, the feel, tone, and electronics of the Bluesmaster are unmistakably from the Tele school. A three-way pickup selector controls a pair of Lollar pickups, with coil cuts available on the push/pull volume and tone knobs. These Lollars are a great match with the Bluesmaster since both preserve some of the best features of classic guitars while providing the refinements of a boutique design. Played clean through a 33-watt tube combo, both pickups offered lead tones that were round and buttery, with a big bottom end and excellent string separation allowing every note in a strummed chord to be distinguished. For more overdriven sounds, the neck pickup drove the amp a little harder than the bridge, which is fitting for a guitar with a tonal sweet spot in the mid-to-low range and highs that never get too brittle or biting. With a rich bottom and soft top, the Bluesmaster tone is more in the range of an Arlen Roth than, say, Roy Buchanan, though with the coil cuts and a nice throw range on the tone pot it’s not at all difficult to dial in a tone with teeth. Also, hybrid-picking players, in particular, will appreciate how the Bluesmaster seems to have a bit more range available for right-hand dynamics than most guitars do; even after hitting that compressive Tele slap, there remains headroom for harder or softer attacks. On balance, this guitar captures the finer qualities of a high-end Tele while throwing off the clunkier physical and tonal aspects of that workman’s axe. The Bluesmaster is a class act.

Like the Bluesmaster, the Blindsider plays beautifully. It’s shaped more like a Strat but without the rounded edges, save a rear contour cut on the upper bout for comfort. The maple neck is available with maple, Pau Ferro, or rosewood fretboard, and the alder body can be finished in Honeyburst, Blueburst, or Tobacco. A distinctive design choice on the Blindsider is that the five-way switch and the knobs for volume and tone are housed in a Tele-style control panel rather than in the pickguard, which lends a nice hybrid touch. The model we tested had a “super strat” setup – two Vintage Blackface single-coils and one Imperial Humbucker from Lollar – though the guitar is available with three Lollar singles (St. Blues also offers the Blindsider outfitted with pickups from Lindy Fralin). The bass and middle pickups are wired together and the push/pull cut on the tone knob splits the humbucker into a single coil, multiplying the tonal possibilities on what is already a very diverse guitar.

Saint Blues Delta Blues Box
Price: $275 (Delta Blues Box)

We could hardly take our hands off the Blindsider’s neck, which was flawless from the nut to the 22nd fret and had an accessible higher end that allowed unobstructed chording on inside strings even way up at 18th position. The uniform resonance of all six strings, evident when playing unplugged, contributed to the Blindsider’s complex overtones and impressive sustain when amped. Between the pristine neck and the Lollars, the guitar was uniquely responsive to nuances from both hands. The trem system is tightly sprung, and demands a little technique to get a nice waver going; this is no whammy bar for greasy kid’s stuff. We found that when the arm was pulled upwards, all strings remained sharp by a few cents after the bar was released. But without rear routing this trem’s intended range is all downwards from pitch, and following a down-scoop with the arm we were back in tune.

Both of these Workshop Series guitars feature a 25.5″ scale, six-on-a-side Sperzel tuners (locking tuners on the Blindsider), genuine bone nut, Jescar medium-jumbo frets, Dunlop strap buttons, Bourns pots, ABM bridge (strings-through), oil-filled caps from Mojotone, nickel-plated hardware, and an electrosocket jack mount. Each guitar comes with a form fitted, custom case from TKL.
For an extra shot of fun, St. Blues also sent us a four-string Delta Blues Box, which president Bryan Eagle says was initially produced on a lark after a trip to the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Tuned to open G and ideal for sliding, this featherweight box has a dark and gutsy piezo tone and is more fun than a bottle of moonshine. The narrow, flat-back neck makes it a great starter instrument for young players, if you could bring yourself to hand it over, and is also available in a three-string model with dulcimer fretting (no sharps or flats).

With these cigar-box guitars, St. Blues threads the needle on the low-cost guitar market and stays true the company’s genuine Delta roots – without sacrificing the high-class craftsmanship that marks St. Blues’ full-bodied instruments.

Overture JS-Session
Price: $ 1,499.
Info: overtureguitars.com

When designing a new guitar, builders often face a quandary. Some go to extremes to be original, while others tend to “re-create” the same ol’ thing. The Overture Guitars JS-Session is a departure; not a simple reissue or copy, instead, its body contours and edges give it a comfortable modern appeal while touches like an offset-double-cut style and lacquer finish offer a vintage feel.

The JS-S (named for guitarist Jeff Sheetz) can be purchased with one of two seven-piece necks – one mahogany, the other maple – laminated with accent woods. Overture offers several fretboard variations, as well; our tester had a 24-fret/251/2″-scale maple ’board with mother-of-pearl dot inlays and a Overture Cross inlay at the 12th fret.

Electronics on the JS-S make this guitar well-suited to session work or any player who needs a guitar that covers all the bases. Venturing from the norm, Overture uses a Lindy Fralin Blues Special single-coil in the neck position, a DiMarzio PAF humbucker in the middle, and a PAF Pro humbucker in the bridge. They’re controlled with a standard five-way switch with two Volumes and a master Tone.

Hardware on our tester included locking tuners and a Wilkinson VS-100 vibrato bridge; Overture offers options including a Ghost piezo. Among Overture’s many other options on the JS-S is a selection of body woods. Our tester’s maple body was a bit heavy, but as is usually the case, that weight equates to tone; the maple neck and fingerboard gave each note a healthy amount of snap and articulation. The D-shaped neck was easy to adapt to and overall playability up and down the fretboard was very good.

Plugging in, the DiMarzios added the right amount of drive and attitude whilst throwing in a dash of vintage flair. Dialing the Fralin pickup into the mix added clarity for rhythm and clean parts. Blending it and the middle P.A.F. gave way to blues tones, and stomping on a boutique overdrive with the PAF Pro Di-Marzio took the JS-S from smooth and rootsy to sonic domination.

A number of manufacturers have tried to marry modern and new. Overture’s is a valiant, effective effort.

Mike Lipe Virtuoso
Price: $4,000
Contact: lipeguitars.com; phone (818) 352-6212

Mike Lipe has built guitars for top players and guitar companies (notably heading up the Ibanez Custom Shop in the ’90s). In 2000, he struck out on his own. His Virtuoso model is a solidbody that takes a familiar theme but lifts it up to custom, handmade heights.

In essence, Lipe’s Virtuoso is an upscale refinement of the classic “superstrat” configuration. The figured top of the guitar is made from mango wood, which lays upon a korina body. The 251/2″ neck is constructed of quartersawn korina (quarter sawing gives a piece of wood greater stability and often, distinct figure) with an Indian rosewood fingerboard, abalone inlays, and a mango headstock overlay. The Virtuoso is outfitted with Hipshot locking tuners and vibrato bridge, Graphtech nut, Dunlop strap locks, 6155 fret wire, and powered by two single-coils and a humbucker wound by Amalfitano Pickups, mounted directly into the mango top. Some builders feel direct mounting derives a more powerful, immediate tone from the pickups. Control of them comes from a single Tone and Volume and a five-position pickup selector.

From the moment you pick it up, it’s clear the Virtuoso is a superbly crafted instrument. Lead guitarists will enjoy the fast feel of the neck – its slim profile is built for speed and the satin finish feels natural to the touch. Fretboard action on our test guitar was swift and buzz-free, thanks to a 12″ radius and an immaculate setup. The body of the Virtuoso is surprisingly light, as well as attractive, while the headstock has a shape vaguely reminiscent of a Telecaster but with a mango overlay that matches the guitar’s top. Other touches include a smooth neck heel that facilitates upper-string bends.

Through various tube and digital modeling amps first set to clean, the Virtuoso supplied punchy tones in the bridge position, while the neck pickup displayed dark, jazzy tones. It sounded especially excellent on ringing arpeggios and open chords. The Virtuoso really takes off when played with distortion, where it offers immense power and depth. It sounds great with palm-muted chugging and rocking riffs, bringing every line and chord tone to life. It’s equally impressive for lead tones, maintaining fullness even into the upper register, without becoming screechy. Blues and shred tones are easy to coax; the neck and middle pickups have warm, fat tones that ably cover the Hendrix/SRV/Clapton spectrum. And the low fretboard action allows for easy tap/sweep combinations and all other types of shred lickology. One improvement compared to a vintage shredder axe is the lack of a locking nut, thanks to excellent hardware (most notably, locking tuners) and construction that bypasses the need for the cumbersome devices of yesteryear.

So, who’s going to want a Lipe Virtuoso? Presumably, it’ll end up in the hands of a player raised on the stun-guitar heroics of the ’80s and ’90s, but two decades later has acquired a taste for excellent materials and workmanship. It might have been fun to whiz around back then in a red Pontiac Fiero or Dodge Viper, but today’s more-mature rocker wants a Porsche or Audi with the same sexy vibe, but immensely better workmanship. That’s where Mike Lipe steps in – the Virtuoso acknowledges the slinky guitars, tones, and lines of the past, but combines it with upscale materials and quality build you associate with the fine guitars in life. And in that respect, Lipe nails it with the Virtuoso. This is a handsome guitar that gets it right in every way.

Gretsch G5191BK Tim Armstrong Electromatic

Few punk-rock guitarists have made their mark like Tim Armstrong. Through his work with renowned punkers Rancid, Armstrong has torn it up on stages worldwide, and key to his presence is the fact he prefers hollowbody guitars. He recently teamed with Gretsch to design and build a new signature model.

The G5191BK is the latest addition to Gretsch’s Electromatic import line, a budget series that offers surprisingly high quality.

The G5191BK has classic Gretsch styling with some of Armstrong’s particular requests well-represented. Aesthetically, it’s just plain cool – oozing a rock vibe reminiscent of a hip old hot rod, it looks retro in its flat-/matte-black finish and gold hardware. It has a simple appeal; no crazy wood combinations or gawdy flash.

Fully hollow, it has a laminated maple body with a one-piece maple neck. Its 24.33″-scale neck has 22 jumbo frets with block acrylic inlays on a rosewood fingerboard and a graphite 111/16″ nut. The neck and headstock are triple-bound, the latter adorned with a pearloid Gretsch logo inlaid on its black overlay. The truss rod cover has an engraved signature and the headstock is rounded out by a set of gold Grover tuners. This is all attached to the four-ply bound maple body with single-ply bound f holes finished in an über-cool flat-black urethane.

Underneath the 17″ top are parallel tone bars and a soundpost that helps the body resonate extremely well and project louder than most hollow instruments. Fine touches include a gold rosewood-based Adjusto-Matic bridge, gold harp tailpiece, and traditional Gretsch knurled strap retainers.

To power the raucous riffs sure to be played on the G5191BK, it’s fueled by a pair of Black Top Filter’Tron pickups. The black/gold combination help round the basic, striking look of the guitar, and they’re controlled by a standard three-way switch with individual Volume and Tone controls for easy, effective tone tweaking. In typical Gretsch fashion, there’s a Master Volume on the cutaway so you can use the individual controls for tone shaping while having a quick, efficient way of cutting overall output volume. This feature is priceless once you get in the habit of using it.

Plugged in, the G5191BK does not disappoint. Its tone bars and soundposts give an acoustic projection and help it really drive the Filter’Tron pickups. It has the classic jangle and resonance one would expect from a Gretsch, while all that projection is a godsend for styles not necessarily associated with the brand.

In terms of build quality, this could be the best Electromatic to date. Playability is exceptional and overall tone rivals some instruments with considerably higher price tags. Detail work is clean, from the wiring down to the complete lack of finish or binding flaws.

After pushing the G5191BK through a variety of tube amps, it’s apparent the mission here was to build an affordable rocker. But Gretsch fans needn’t worry that this is strictly a rock machine. In fact, the added output can make for a much cleaner sound, especially when it comes to recording. And the twang inherent in hollowbody guitars will keep country and surf players happy. The only drawback is the requisite tendency to feed back, but again, the design helps reduce that at least a little bit.

Fans of classic Gretsch can be hard to impress. But for the money, there is very little to gripe about with the G5191BK. Its construction is solid and its sound is good for a number of musical styles. Purists may balk, but for the sheer fact this is a budget-level hollowbody with serious tone and character. Is it a classic ’60s Gretsch? Nope. Will it rock your socks off? Without fail.

Gretsch G5191BK Tim Armstrong Electromatic
Price: $1,650
Contact: gretsch.com.

This article originally appeared in VG August 2010 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Roland Micro Cube
Price: $130 (street)
Info: www.rolandus.com.

Every once in a while you have to pinch yourself and thank your lucky stars to be a guitarist in the 21st century. The Roland Micro Cube is a good illustration of this phenomenon; a dinky, portable amp that runs on AA batteries, it weighs just over seven pounds and measures less than 10″ x 10″ x 7″. But why such jubilation? Let’s find out.

We all remember the venerable Pignose from 40 years ago – a simple one-knob mini amp that virtually invented the portable-amp category. Today, Roland takes the concept of the portable amp and adds oodles of features that would have been unimaginable all those decades ago. For basic specs, the Micro Cube is a two-watt amp with a 5″ speaker that runs on six AA batteries (20-hour life span) or the supplied AC adapter. To make things interesting, the designers also put in DSP effects and a few of Roland’s noted COSM amp models. There’s also a digital tuning fork that provides an audible A, Ab or G note through the speaker for tuning, as well as line in/out jacks (including headphone outs), and a cute little carrying strap. The amp also has heavy-duty plastic corner guards and a metal grill, giving it something of a military vibe, but also plenty of toughness for bringing it outdoors to jam. The Micro Cube is available in black, red or white finishes, but again, given its Army-radio feel, an olive-green or camouflage finish might be a cool idea down the road (think “Combat!” or “Rat Patrol”).

For amp models, Roland provides you with seven sonic choices, including Acoustic, JC Clean (for a Roland JC-120 sound), Black Panel, Brit Combo, Classic Stack, R-fier, and Mic. As you might guess, these presets go from clean-and-sweet to progressively dirtier degrees of overdrive and crunch. For effects, you’ll find an EFX knob offering your choice of chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo, while the Delay/Reverb knob lets you set the amount of each of those effects. The Micro Cube’s top panel is completed with Gain and Volume controls, letting you set the amount of grit you want.

The amp emulations, in particular, are a blast. An acoustic/electric guitar sounds really good through the Micro Cube – almost shockingly so, especially when you dial in some sweet chorus and reverb. On the other end of the spectrum, the R-fier heavy-metal crunch is too much fun in an amp of this size – you can easily do a full Metallica set while sitting on the beach and that’s not an overstatement. Or dial down to Brit Stack for a medley of Kiss or Zep favorites while camping or hiking. Then again, there’s a line-out jack, so if you’re playing a real gig, go ahead and send that output to the P.A. and you’ll be in business.

At the end of the day, the Roland Micro Cube is a small miracle of 21st-century gear technology. With so many features in such a tiny package, the Micro Cube will make any guitarist glad to be a living, breathing picker.