Month: August 2013

MXR M87 Bass Comp and M234 Analog Chorus
Price: $318 (M87 Bass Compressor), $170 (M234 Analog Chorus).
Info: jimdunlop.com

For decades, players in virtually every musical genre have been familiar with MXR pedals; the name connotes a solid road-warrior stompbox associated with great tones from ’70s through today.

The Analog Chorus M234 is designed to capture the properties of a classic chorus pedal with a few perks. It has the Rate and Depth knobs found on most chorus pedals, but there’s also a Level control, and separate Low and High controls, which is markedly different in that both go from a significant cut of frequency when rolled completely off to an actual “flat” frequency response when both are turned all up all the way. Players who like to experiment will dig this, since chorus pedals tend to be harsh in either EQ curve. And single-coil guitars can be brittle-sounding with the wrong chorus, so rolling off high-end helps tame them. The opposite holds true in low-end response with hollowbody instruments and basses, which can turn to mush in a heartbeat with certain chorus effects.

Keeping the Analog Chorus straightforward and simple, MXR gave the pedal a small housing, used standard 1/4″ input and output jacks, along with an additional through output for dry signal.

With a few strums, the Analog Chorus offered the classic sonic signature for which MXR is known, most notably in terms of lushness. It’s hard to beat an analog chorus for warmth and tone shaping, whether you’re playing guitar, bass, or even a vintage synthesizer. From subtle to warble, the Analog Chorus will appeal to chorus junkies.

The Bass Compressor M87 offers a new approach to bass compressors in that it uses MXR’s Constant Headroom Technology (CHT), which incorporates the concept of a high-quality studio compressor in a compact box. Starting with a transparent signal – not always the case with some compressors, which significantly color tone – you have a five-knob setup with controls for Input, Output, Attack, Release, and Compression Ratio. It’s rare to have this much control in a compressor pedal. Even more impressive in this true-bypass gem are 10 gain-reduction-status LEDs that give an immediate warm-and-fuzzy visual to monitor the compressor’s function.

Plugged into a variety of instruments ranging from vintage basses to exotic active instruments and even an upright, the M87 did not color the tonal properties in any shape or form. Studio-grade compressors should only do the job they’re designed to do – even-out notes and add articulation and attack when needed. The Bass Compressor did just that without sounding squashed or unnatural, no matter the bass instrument.

Experimenting further with the M87’s claims of being studio-worthy, we put it through the paces with a variety of guitars and synthesizers. Again, the results fortified MXR’s mission; guitars smoothed out nicely while retaining their character and the ability to completely dial in the effect due to the five-knob layout is a knob-tweaker’s delight. Consider that it’s the size of a Phase 90, and it’s a package tough to beat.

This article originally appeared in VG December 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

There are plenty of affordable hollowbodies on the market, but Epiphone’s recent reissue of the Gibson ES-175 is almost a slam-dunk out of the box. Whether your guitar guru is Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, or Steve Howe, there’s a historical aura to the 175 design that transcends categorization. In that light, Epiphone has an instant advantage before you strum your first Gmaj7^#13 chord.

For materials and construction, the ES-175 Reissue has a laminated maple top, back and sides, along with a 24³/4″-scale mahogany neck. The fingerboard is rosewood and sports 20 frets, along with the 175’s classic “split parallelogram” inlays. The nut width is 1.68″, and both the body and neck are bound. The guitar’s hardware is chrome, including the tuners (while the Gibson has Kluson pearloid tuners), and the zig-zagged tailpiece is also a different design from the elegant original. Add to that the Epiphone headstock and the big Epi “E” on the pickguard, and you have most of the cosmetic differences between the two guitars covered. Other features of note are the Alnico V Classic humbuckers, gold tophat knobs (two Volume and two Tone) and a lovely vintage-sunburst finish.

Unlike some Epiphones, which can have chunky necks, the ES-175 Reissue’s is slim and fast. This, coupled with its low fretboard action and light strings, suggests the Reissue will appeal to rockers, while jazzers and blues players may install heavier flatwound strings in a jiffy. One cool aspect of the ES-175 design is its extra-deep body, which has a large heel at the 15th fret. This may seem like a disadvantage to rockers accustomed to soaring in the upper ranges, but actually, it encourages players to focus on the lower ranges where you can find sumptuously warm, woodsy tones. This is the ES-175’s sweet spot and, on the Reissue, works to perfection, especially on the neck pickup. The Alnico V Classic pickups are full and warm, too, adding to the jazz and blues vibe. Of course, the ES-175 also has a bridge pickup, which evokes a funky, twangy range of tones when coupled with the hollowbody design (for a demonstration of the 175’s bridge-pickup range, listen to Steve Howe on The Yes Album from 1971). Dial up the gain further and you’ll find some fat, commanding rock tones. Again, versatility is not a problem for this Epiphone.

As for construction, the ES-175 Reissue has generally good craftsmanship. As previously noted, the finish is stunning, though you may find one or two blemishes in the maple grain below. The binding looks good, but our test guitar had one sloppy glue joint in its binding by the cutaway tip. If this was a $3,500 Gibson, it would be a point of concern, but it’s not so much on a mid-price axe. Also, the guitar is a hair on the heavy side compared to other import archtops, but it’s only a consideration if you specifically have a physical issue or a preference for extra-light guitars.

The ES-175 Reissue is a classy, stylish guitar that says “vintage jazzbox” on the outside, but with its fast neck and punchy pickups, rock players will dig it, too.

Epiphone ES-175 

Price: $832 list (approx. $500 street)

Contact: Epiphone.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.

Most everyone has seen a department-store-catalog guitar (or two!) from the ’60s or ’70s. With their funky, cool body shapes and smorgasbord of knobs and switches, their looks grabbed ya’. Trouble was, they were usually plagued with cut-rate hardware and electronics, low build quality, and crude playability. The latest creation from Eastwood, the Airline Bighorn, pays homage to one of those department-store classics while leaving to history all of its shoddier elements.

The Bighorn stays true to its roots, with features like a cool, ’60s-style slab-cut basswood body (available in Green, Sunburst, or Red), bolt-on maple neck with rosewood fretboard, large dot inlays, retro pickguard and knobs, and classic Airline headstock and logo. Gone is the short-scale neck with its tiny (and poorly installed) frets, open-strip tuners, non-adjustable bridge, thin-sounding single-coil pickups, and funky slide switches. In their place is a 25¹/2″-scale neck with large, polished/leveled frets, Kluson closed-back tuners, a hardtail bridge with height and intonation adjustments for all six strings, a pair of high-output Airline Argyle Diamond pickups, and a three-way pickup selector.

Eastwood head honcho Mike Robinson found inspiration for these pickups in the original DeArmonds used in guitars that carried brand names like Kay, Airline, and Silvertone, and updated them with wax potting to control squeal and feedback. The Bighorn offers excellent playability, with low, buzz-free action, a comfortable C neck shape, and a nice body chamfer that makes it comfortable on the forearm, while the neck heel is less bulky. Its longer scale and hardtail bridge make it comfortable to play compared to the short-scale vintage pieces, which also typically used archtop-style/floating bridges.

Plugged into a Fender reissue Super Reverb (12AX7/6L6) 4×10″ combo with a Homebrew Electronics Power Screamer overdrive pedal, the Bighorn’s pickups had a classic, crystal-clear single-coil tone – punchy in the bridge and throaty-sounding at the neck. Engaging both produced lush jangle, and the well-voiced Volume and Tone controls for each allow good flexibility when dialing in tone, falling between traditional Strat pickups and P-90s, with snap, sizzle and stronger output/midrange punch. Even though the pickups are true single-coils, they are surprisingly quiet and hum-free, even with the overdrive pedal engaged. The 1³/4″ thick basswood body  (³/4″ thicker than most of the bodies on old-school catalog guitars) along with the tight, well-fitted neck and hardtail bridge gave the Bighorn a surprisingly resonant tone acoustically and electronically, with a bigger, bolder sound than expected.

Anyone whose first guitar came from a department-store catalog in ’60s or ’70s will be especially impressed with the Airline Bighorn. It’s a funky retro axe with great tone, excellent build quality, easy playability… it’s just plain fun!

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Eastwood Airline Bighorn
Price: $399 (street)
Contact: eastwoodguitars.com

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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.

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When Vanilla Fudge helped pioneer the progressive-rock movement in the latter half of the ’60s, bassist Tim Bogert played more than one Fender Precision – and usually installed Telecaster Bass necks on them.

Bogert preferred the chunkier feel of the Tele Bass neck, which reminded him of ’50s P-Basses. And for him, one instrument, in particular, became a favorite for nearly three decades as he used it during stints with the Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert and Appice. Like many dedicated musicians, through the years, he refined it as parts became worn or when he felt the need to experiment. From the top down, it epitomizes a perpetually viable piece of gear.

The maple neck, for example, is its third, and was bought from a parts supplier that let Bogert search its inventory until he found one that looked and felt right. It has a plethora of birdseye figure markings, and he installed a brass nut and had a ’50s Precision Bass decal added to its headstock.

Sharp-eyed Fender aficionados will note the lack of holes on either side of the pickup, where an arched handrest/pickup cover would normally be installed. Nor are there holes on either side of the bridge. That’s because the body is also a replacement!

“It’s a body Fender gave me in the late ’80s,” Bogert recounted. “The earlier maple body had been chewed up over the years, and I asked for a new one; I’ve always liked a maple neck and maple body.”

“The only original parts left on the bass are the tuning pegs, bridge, and neck plate,” Bogert said. “I was always f***ing around with it!”

The two small chrome caps on the pickguard cover a spot where switches were once installed to control a two-pickup setup he used with a previous body. “One was an on/off, the other was a pickup select,” Bogert recalled.

Though not an original part, he considers the bass’ pickup it’s “…most important part, because it came off a ’57 Fender I got in ’68 or ’69, when we played the Hollywood Bowl with Jimi Hendrix.”

The finger rest, which was installed between the pickup and the bridge instead of the typical location on the pickguard, helped him manipulate the strings.

“In ’65 or ’66, when I started working with the Pigeons, we would do these crescendos. But the volume on Fenders back then would drop off really quickly if you tried working the Volume control. So instead, I would brace my thumb on that rest and work the strings to make the crescendos smoother. I learned to do that very precisely.”

In the late ’80s, he acquired a new body for the bass and installed the original bridge and ’57 pickup. But because by then he had begun playing basses with more than four strings, the warhorse was mostly relegated to storage. Today, he primarily plays contrabass.

In the late ’90s, Bogert sold this vital piece of prog-rock history to New York music producer/collector Randolf Pratt, who also owns Fudge guitarist Vince Martell’s Gibson ES-335 (VG, April 2011).

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.