While Dingwall Designer Guitars’ Super J bass is unquestionably inspired by the Fender Jazz, it’s separated from the typical clone by several things, including its use of the Novax Fanned Fret system and a list of high-end components and proprietary features. In the Super J, Dingwall starts with the basics – a resonant, lightweight alder body…

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For the last 37-plus years, Electro-Harmonix has been a prolific innovator and manufacturer of effects pedals and other preamp devices. A few times each year, E-H president Mike Matthews offers up something different and unexpected, but it always sounds great, offers gig-proof durability, has that all-important retro vibe, and has a high bang-for-the-buck factor. The…

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Save for its singular single-knob control panel in bright red finish, a quick glance at the new Vox AC30 Brian May Custom Limited Edition amplifier reveals little if anything that separates it from the typical AC30. With its familiar brown-diamond grillecloth, black tolex, white and gold piping, trio of carrying handles, and full-radius plastic corners,…

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Peterson Electro-Musical Products may not have invented the strobo-tuner, but since the early 1950s, it has been a major player in the electronics field as it relates to instrument tuning devices. In the late ’60s, its Model 400 strobo-tuner was one of the most popular tuners on the scene, and appeared on stage with the…

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The Twintone is the Netherlands-based Koch Guitar Electronics company’s mid-sized guitar amp, a 1×12″ combo that, like the entire Koch line, uses top-quality components including cold-lacquered transformers, fiberglas-reinforced PC boards, and heavy duty potentiometers. The Twintone’s all-tube circuit features a matched pair of Ruby EL34s housed in a punched-steel cage (to protect against breakage from…

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Just a couple of years ago, music stores were having a hard time selling a new Danelectro guitar – the Dano reissue craze had run its course and dealers were selling them at cost. Then, Danelectro quit making guitars, opting to run with its line of effects pedals. Perhaps as a result, the once lowly-regarded…

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The latest creation from Dan Butler, of the Chicago-based Butler Custom Sound, is the Kingston. Available in 18- and 30-watt configurations, the Kingston is 1x 12 combo that features a Tone Tubby Brown Soun 12″ speaker, long-tank spring reverb, and has the ability to use a variety of output power tubes. The Kingston has inherited…

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One look Fender’s latest Frontline catalog and you’ll see a huge array of models – Custom Shop N.O.S., Closet Classic, and Relics, artist signature models, American Strats, Mexican-made Strats, vintage reissues, Deluxe, Squires… the list goes on. To some this may seem unnecessary or even a bit over the top, but as a self-proclaimed Stratocaster…

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In 1995, Budda Amplification made its debut with the Twinmaster Ten, a stripped-down, no-frills 18-watt combo designed to keep up with full stacks in terms of tone and volume. The amp made a triumphant first appearance at a NAMM show, when 65 units were ordered despite the fact that company founders Jeff Bober and Scot…

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