Year: 2014

Bare Knuckle Pickups’ PAT Pend, Flat ’52, and Mule
Price: $125-$340
Info: www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk.

From the ever-expanding world of boutique pickups comes a builder out of southwest England who creates a handmade, hard-hitting alternative – Bare Knuckle Pickups.

We received three sets of pickups from Bare Knuckle; the Mule (humbuckers), Blackguard Flat ’52 Series (for Teles), and the PAT Pend ’63 Veneer Boards (for Strats). All were installed in suitably styled instruments and tested through a smallbox 1969 50-watt Marshall, a ’66 Vibrolux Reverb, and ’65 Vox AC-30TB.

The Mule humbuckers are based on Gibson’s classic PAF design, meticulously copied down to the 42-gauge plain-enamel wire on each coil. The Mules have a medium output (neck is 7.04k, bridge 8.01k), perfect for blues, jazz, and classic rock-and-roll tones. Bass response is where it needs to be; mids are fat without being flatulent, the treble is prominent enough to give presence without screech. Not surprisingly, the Mules sounded best through the 50-watt Marshall, providing just the right amount of oomph to overdrive the preamp, conjuring classic crunch and clarity. A particular treat is using both pickups in the middle position, and rolling off both Volume controls slightly, which produced a full but clear tone perfect for both chordal work and cleaner leads. Through the Vibrolux Reverb channeled Mike Bloomfield tones.

For Telecaster tones, Bare Knuckle claims that before designing the Blackguard Series as a “vintage-accurate” collection, they conducted extensive research on early Tele pickups. Installed in our ’50s-reissue Telecaster, the Flat ’52s produced a very accurate twang with one nice surprise – the neck pickup is actually usable. Through all three amps, the guitar sounded very punchy and clear, and the neck pickup sounded very similar to the Strat neck pickup tone we all know and love, with a great bass response and deep tone. Coupled with the Vibrolux Reverb, the Tele simply sounded excellent, its bridge pickup sounding bright and full without the cloying icepick-to-your-ears effect. And while the output varied significantly (neck 5.13k, bridge 7.11), there was no significant volume difference when switching pickups.

Originally commissioned by Fender’s U.K. Custom Shop a few years back, the PAT Pend series (called ’59 Slab Boards and ’63 Veneer Boards) have a slightly hotter wind, which adds fullness.

A/B’d with vintage Fender Stratocasters from ’59 and ’63, the PAT Pends were closer, tonally to the ’59. In the pickup selector’s second and fourth positions, the PAT Pends produced pure Strat quack through both the Vibrolux and AC30, though the PAT Pends also sounded beautiful through the Marshall. The PAT Pends measure 5.7k (neck), 5.74k (middle) and 6.18 (bridge)

One minor nit is that the mounting screws included with the PAT Pends have round heads versus the oval-head screws used on Strats until the early ’70s. This is a non-factor, tonally, but something that might put off a true vintage nut.

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

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Music Man Game Changer
Price: $2,275 (street)
Contact: www.gamechanger.music-man.com

Since the introduction of the electric guitar, builders have sought ways to increase the variety of tones that can be had from an instrument; in 1959, Gibson created the Varitone circuit for its ES-345, and in the decades since, virtually every company has attempted some means of tonal tweaking.

Ernie Ball/Music Man’s first such effort, the Game Changer, is based on its Reflex guitar/bass but with an electronic memory designed to provide a quarter million – yes, that’s 250,000 – pickup and wiring combinations.

How does it work? The Game Changer’s tonal variations can be achieved through its pickups, pots, and switches, or by connecting to a computer using an included USB cable and logging on to a website dedicated to the instrument. While the cable doesn’t allow the guitar to be heard through the site, the guitar can simultaneously be plugged into an amp with a traditional 1/4″ cable; this method allows sampling of the actual tones produced by the variety of pickup configurations, all of which are graphically displayed on the site while simultaneously programming them into the guitar. Combining any order of the DiMarzio pickups’ coils in series, parallel, forward, or phase-reverse modes, the player can preview tones and save them to the instrument as pre-sets. The site allows comparisons with settings from a library of tones created for various genres, as well as others invented and uploaded by their players featured in the Artist section.

When connected, the USB powers the guitar (though it does not charge the batteries); when not connected, the guitar’s brain is powered by AA batteries. In our tests while plugged into a variety of low and high gain amps, the electronics were free of interference and background noise.

After viewing the online Tutorial (highly recommended), operating the guitar was a piece of cake. The Tone control is a push/pull pot that selects between Bank A and Bank B, each of which have five pickup selections, and the toggle switch on the upper horn gives access to 15 pre-set pickup selections (called Bank Z). We had the most fun playing the guitar straight into a reverb-equipped tube-driven 1×12 combo and experimenting with the sounds from the three banks. Our favorite variations were created by employing coil-splitting and single-coil combinations, which gave unique and useful tones. Favorite tones can be saved by holding down the Volume knob for two seconds. Pressing down the Volume for 10 seconds reverts the system to its factory presets – a very useful feature. One small nit: when not connected to the website, there is no way of identifying which combination of pickups one has saved to the guitar unless they’re physically accessed via the switches and pots. For iPad users, an app for the Game Changer allows access to pickup configuration functions.

Electronics aside, the Game Changer is a well-built, 22-fret instrument weighing just under eight pounds and sporting a comfortable neck, typical of Music Man guitars. Our tester had a rosewood fingerboard and a vibrato of chrome-plated/hardened steel with steel saddles (the guitar is available as a hardtail, with an piezo bridge, and with two humbuckers).

A great asset for studio and stage, the Game Changer is easy to use and does a great job delivering on its promise to deliver a variety of sounds.

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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.

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Divided By 13 BTR23C
Price: $2,800
Info: www.dividedby13.com.

After years of repairing and modding amps for himself and pals like Lyle Workman, Joel Shearer, and Corky James, guitarist Frederic Taccone began building amplifiers from the ground up to better meet his needs and those of his friends. Divided By 13 thus evolved with the philosophy of hand-building high-quality amplifiers one at a time with a keen focus on detail and craftsmanship. The philosophy seems to have worked out – today, the short list of Divided By 13 users includes Ron Wood, Billy F Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney.

One of latest additions to the Divided By 13 lineup, the BTR23 is based on the Rusty Anderson RSA23. Brian Ray, Anderson’s mate in the Paul McCartney Band, liked the RSA23, but suggested a few mods that Taccone decided were substantial enough to make it a Ray signature model.

“What I was looking for was a 50-watt Marshall small-top metal front circa ’69,” Ray explains, “but with a good musical master volume and lower wattage. What Fred came up with was genius! Featuring big-bodied KT88s, it has that gut-punch concussive bottom you get from a Marshall, good natural compression, and plenty of definition and British pedigree. It has sweet high-mid, bell-like tones when you back off the guitar’s volume, and it cleans up great. You can set it to be beastly aggressive at any volume with the Master, and the push/pull Volume knob gives it another stage of gain.”

At 22-watts the BTR23C 1×12 combo is a handsome point-to-point-wired Class AB1/A amp with KT88 power tubes; 12AX7 preamp tubes; two discreet channels; 4-, 8-, and 16-ohm output; and a G12H Celestion speaker. The adjustable chicken-head knobs are labeled Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, and MV (Master Volume), with the Volume knob offering a push/pull feature for more gain. Weighing in at a portable 56 pounds, the eggshell-cream tolex exterior is striking, and the amp comes with a black protective slip-on cover. (The BTR23C can also be ordered in forest green, pistachio, black, purple, pippin green, navy blue, plum, red, orange, gold, powder blue, and silver.)

We tested the BTR23C with a boutique “superstrat” and a ’78 Yamaha SG2000. Chords played through the neck pickup of the SG2000 exhibited smooth articulation, warmth, and clean upscale headroom. With the Volume and MV controls set around 3 o’clock, it’s a loud 22 watts. Experiments in raising the Volume control and lowering the MV elicited some very nice low-volume dirt. Successive cleaner variations of grit were available in spades as the Volume control was decreased.

Careful tweaking offered sweet low-maintenance tonal options with the best qualities of an AC30, a cranked Deluxe Reverb, and a cleaner Marshall. The lack of reverb was never a factor. The amp inspired old-school dirty-rock chord work, as well as single-note Brit-rock blues in the Paul Kossoff and Mick Ralphs vein. A warm low-end with a silky treble offered just the right amount of sustain from single notes to make them feel like they had been worked for. The speakers were tight, clean, and punchy, and offered some fab early-Beatles jangle.

Conversely, with the Volume control set to 3 o’clock, and the MV cranked, clean voluptuous headroom made an onstage ’70s funk gig sheer pleasure. Full-bodied, strident, and dirt-free Nile Rodgers-style cleanliness erupted, empowering the Strat’s single-coils with substantive kick, thickness, and copious dynamics. The BTR23C has a very luxurious but no-nonsense sound full of complexity. It shines as a standalone amp with very user-friendly EQ chicken-head knobs, and the touch response is a wet dream for guitarists who ride their guitar’s Volume knob for tone and level management.

Plugged into a medium-sized pedalboard, there were no compatibility issues. Time-based effects, wah, and various overdrive pedals made a seamless transition to the BTR23C. Single-coils sparkled and humbuckers barked while never sounding flabby or saggy. It’s a muscular, bold-sounding amp that can be easily adjusted for harder or softer applications.

Engaging the push/pull gain feature on the Volume control is the icing on a very tasty cake, conjuring up snarling Keith Richards impersonations as well as a buffet of grittiness ranging from ZZ Top sizzle to AC/DC clang and filthy Chicago blues, with only a smidgeon of extra boost in the bass.

The Divided By 13 BTR23C is a great amp for the player who relies on feel. It’s also great for the nuanced, expressive rock guitarist who plays on the verge of overdrive, and wants a plug-in-and-go amp with an English flavor.

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This article originally appeared in VG July 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Gibson 1941 SJ-100
Price: $3,868 (list)/$2,999 (street)
Info: www.gibson.com

Sporting a unique “stair step” headstock, the first Gibson SJ-100s began trickling out of the Kalamazoo factory in 1939. This original design lasted only two model years before it was replaced in 1941 with a second version that was itself soon discontinued, this time due to Gibson’s war effort, making it one of the rarest Gibson flat-tops. According to guitar historian A. R. Duchossoir, only 177 were produced. Good luck finding one on the used market.

As part of its reissue series, Gibson Montana has resurrected the 1941 SJ-100 design with a new guitar called, appropriately, the 1941 SJ-100. This (re)incarnation features a jumbo body shape like the SJ-200; unlike the SJ-200, which usually has maple back and sides, the 1941 SJ-100 has a mahogany body. The top is Sitka spruce with thin braces, while the mahogany neck, with its bound rosewood fretboard and standard-pattern 4497 frets, is connected to the body at the 14th fret. Unlike many vintage Gibsons with fretboard binding raised to meet the fret ends, the 1941 SJ-100’s fret ends extend over the top of the binding all the way to the edge of the fretboard.

One almost unique feature (shared by just one other Gibson) is the SJ-100’s bridge shape. In place of the moustache bridge found on SJ-200s and most SJ and J-100 reissues, the 1941 SJ-100 has a diamond-shaped bridge of the sort that was used only on the SJ-100 and the J-55. This rosewood unit features three mother-of-pearl dot inlays and curved, beveled edges. It also houses a Baggs under-saddle pickup with a built-in battery. There’s a mini volume knob inside the upper edge of the soundhole.

Available in sunburst and natural finishes, the SJ-100 sports a vintage-style fire-stripe pickguard, Gotoh tuners with white plastic buttons, a bone saddle and nut, five-ply top binding, three-ply back binding, a multi-ply rosette hole pattern, and a vintage-style mother-of-pearl script logo headstock inlay. In terms of overall quality of workmanship, the 1941 SJ-100 ranks among the cleanest and most carefully finished new Gibson acoustics, the most egregious flaws in the test model being a slightly rough finish on the top edges of the headstock and a slight misalignment on the seam of three-ply binding on the back.

The factory setup was slightly on the high side, especially at the nut. But since Gibson expects its dealers to do a final, adjusted setup on new acoustics, this wasn’t a flaw as much as the Gibson way of doing things. (Gibson dealers who don’t perform a final setup before putting a guitar on the show floor or sending it to a customer simply aren’t doing their job.)

Even with the slightly high action, the 1941 SJ-100 played easily with a nice springy feel. Compared to, say, a 2002 Advanced Jumbo, the SJ-100’s action is a trifle soft, with less string resistance on the neck and the pick. Although the SJ-100 has a longer 251/4″ scale, its softer feel was closer to that of a J-45 True Vintage, which has a shorter 243/4″ scale length.

The neck shape on the 1941 SJ-100 isn’t the baseball bat found on some reissues. Gibson chose a midrange shape that should appeal to many players – not too big and not too shallow, with a soft, even oval curve that makes it as easy to play in third position as in first.

In both size and sound, the SJ-100 certainly deserves to be classified as a jumbo-bodied guitar. And while it looks more like an SJ-200 than an Advanced Jumbo, the sound is closer to an Advanced Jumbo than a SJ. Not only is it hyper-responsive, with the sound jumping out even when strummed lightly, but it also holds up well to aggressive right-hand attacks. Instead of bottoming out or buzzing when picked hard, the SJ-100 just gets louder with very little compression or muddiness. In terms of sheer volume the SJ-100 can be ranked right up there with the loudest new acoustics.

The SJ-100 offers excellent sustain, string definition, and “portable piano” tone that combines sustain and harmonics to give big chords a satisfying rumble. Few new guitars achieve this quality as well as the SJ-100.

Players who are in the market for a big-bodied guitar like a J-200 but who want something less ornate and more suitable for soloing and purely acoustic work should audition the 1941 SJ-100. It’s loud, comfortable to play, and has that unmistakable big Gibson sound.

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This article originally appeared in VG July 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine
Price: $283.60 (retail); $212.70 (street)
Contact: www.ehx.com

Building on the success of its Freeze Sound Retainer (a.k.a. the world’s shortest looper), the Electro-Harmonix Superego Synth Engine is a “short” sampler pedal, but with more control and options.

The Superego not only allows the player to capture or freeze notes and chords on the fly, but manipulate them with synth-style attack/release controls. The Superego uses EHX’s familiar metal chassis, with four chassis-mounted controls, one three-way toggle switch, one heavy-duty footswitch, chassis-mounted 1/4″ in/out and effect loop jacks, and a 9-volt power adapter (included) jack. The controls consist of a Speed control to set the attack and release (it doubles as a Layer volume control in Latching mode), a Gliss control (similar to a portamento control on a keyboard, allowing the player to glide into notes), a Dry mix control to set the volume of the uneffected guitar signal, and an Effect mix control to set the level of the frozen note or chord.

The three-way toggle selects among Latching, Momentary, and Auto modes. In Latching mode a note or chord is frozen when the footswitch is stepped on and released; step and release the switch again and layer a new note or chord on top of the first, controlling the balance between them with the Speed/Layer control. In Momentary mode a note or chord is frozen only as long as the foot switch is depressed, while in Auto mode, when notes or chords reach a set threshold, they are automatically captured and sustained until the next note or chord is played. In Auto mode the footswitch does double duty, turning the effect on and off with a momentary step, or spotting and freezing the current sample when the footswitch is held down.

Running the Superego with a Fender Tele Custom reissue, a tube-driven 1×12″ combo, and a host of other E-H effects (Stereo Pulsar tremolo, Memory Boy delay, Big Muff, and Micro POG) patched into the Superego’s loop, we found a short learning curve when it came to capturing and freezing notes. Unlike a looper pedal, with which the player hits the footswitch as soon as they play the note or chord, the Superego works better if the footswitch is hit when the note or chord is in “full bloom,” resulting in a stronger, louder sample. It does take a bit of experimentation to set the Speed and Gliss controls just right for the type and style of note or chord to be frozen, but the real secret to unlocking the potential of the Superego is inserting a pedal or multiple pedals into its effects loop. The Superego’s loop applies the effects in the effects loop to the wet signal only, allowing the dry signal to remain unaffected. This allows manipulation of the “captured” note or chord with anything from tremolo for a pulsating low-frequency oscillator effect, to overdrive for a square wave effect, to delay and pitch for a sci-fi effect. In combination with the ability to control attack and release via the Speed and Gliss controls, this produces a real synth-style sound, texture, and control like one would get from a traditional keyboard synth. From using a polyphonic octave generator in the effects loop for a soft organ-style undertone, to inserting the Pulsar and Big Muff for a fat overdriven isolating sound, the Superego added several new dimensions and textures. A board could be filled with pedals just for the effects loop on the Superego – the combinations are endless.

The EHX Superego Synth Engine probably won’t make many “desert island” pedal lists, but its straightforward design and the vast possibilities of its effects loop make it a great tool for experimenting with synth sounds and textures – and rediscovering some of those dusty old pedals.

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This article originally appeared in VG June 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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