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Bob Tekippe
The Framptone Talkbox
Do You Feel (Like Frampton)?
The Framptone Talkbox When you hear the words “Do you feel,” what comes to mind? If you’re of a certain age demographic, you know how ubiquitous Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive was in the 1970s. It made Frampton an international mega-star. Commercial success aside, Frampton’s abilities with the guitar are somewhat underappreciated. He wrote great…
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Bob Tekippe
Louis Electric KR M12
Ready To Roll
Lou Rosano, founder and namesake of Louis Amplifiers, was one of the first of what has since become dozens of “boutique” amp builders, having first produced a Fender tweed clone back in 1992. In April, 2005, we tested his Swing King 210. Like most indie builders, Rosano spent his share of hours with his…
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Bob Tekippe
The Vox AC15 Custom Classic
A Classic Improvement?
Vox AC15 Custom Classic. In the lore surrounding Vox Amplification, the AC30 is the king of the hill, the alpha male, the one that first springs to mind. But history reminds us that when they were introduced in the late 1950s, the AC15 actually preceded the AC30 by almost a year, which makes it the…
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Bob Tekippe
Zemaitis GZ-3200DF
One For the Rest of Us
Looking to score one of those legendary guitars made by the late British luthier Tony Zemaitis? Yeah, so are we. But given that Tony’s work today occupies its own unique space in the “axe strata,” chances are it won’t happen for any of us anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get close –…
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Bob Tekippe
Martin D-18VE
Bring It On, Pre-War D!
The C.F. Martin Company has been around longer than any instrument manufacturer. It’s an icon whose guitars have consistently set the standard by which production (and often custom) acoustics are judged. And if you’re into vintage acoustics, you know that few guitars make a collector perk up like an old Martin. It’s that vibe that…
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Bob Tekippe
Smit Boosted Classic and Bucker Lite pickups
PAF Plus? S
Smit Boosted Classic/Bucker Lite Being a guitarist for more than 30 years, Kevin Smith learned much in his quest for great tone. For years he has dissected pickups while devising his own “recipe,” and today he builds pickups for a living in a one-man shop that specializes in a line of production and custom-wound humbuckers.…
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Bob Tekippe
Reverend’s Stage King Series Charger 290
Set to Out-Do
Reverend Charger 290 Guitar Reverend Musical Instruments’ luthier/boss Joe Naylor singlehandedly designs every Reverend guitar, and chooses their components and materials. And in some cases, Naylor provides specs for “external” builders who produce instruments for his company. One example is the company’s new Bolt-On series of guitars, which is built in Korea and consists of…
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Bob Tekippe
DST MarWatt and UV6 amplifiers
Small-Watt Punch
DST MarWatt/UV6 Bob Dettorre and Jeff Swanson are longtime gearheads who played in bands starting when they were just kids. As adults, one went to college and worked a “real” job, while the other tackled life as a working musician. A couple years ago, they established Dettorre/Swanson Thermionics (DST) Engineering. Dettorre, the son of a…
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Bob Tekippe
Bixonic Expandora 2000R
Full-Range Distortion
Bixonic Expandora 2000R. Bixonic introduced the Expandora distortion/fuzz pedal in 1995, and it quickly became popular among guitarists the likes of Billy Gibbons, Joe Satriani, Megadeth, and Bootsy Collins. The original Expandora was loved, but had its drawbacks, such as having its DIP switches inside. It was also a little thin-sounding. In ’01 we saw…
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Bob Tekippe
Sweet Swingin’ Royalty
Louis Rosano, proprietor of Louis Electric Amplifier Company, has been building and repairing guitar amps for 15 years. After spending a great deal of time digging around in the inventions of Leo Fender and Jim Marshall, in 1993 he began building his amps completely by hand, using the best components, including his own hand-wound transformers…
