Year: 2014

For decades, guitar players have known the name Epiphone. Renowned for making great-sounding jazz boxes like the Zephyr and Emperor Regent, which have been seen in the hands of major artists, and models like the Texan and Casino were key to the sound of The Beatles. Even blues legends like John Lee Hooker flocked to the Sheraton.

Sometimes overlooked, though, is the heritage behind the company’s bass line, including its early B4 model uprights. That heritage makes its presence known – loud and proud – with the new Zenith bass.

A culmination of classic and modern concepts, the Zenith looks more like a vintage jazz box than a contemporary bass. Finished in Translucent Black or Antique Natural on the fretted models (the fretless is available only in natural), it employs exceptional finish work and detail for a budget import bass.

The body is acoustically-chambered mahogany with a laminated flame-maple top. The body and its f-holes are bound in faux tortoiseshell – a classy touch. And kudos to Epiphone for binding the f-holes – a detail often overlooked. The body is attached to a five-piece neck of hard rock maple and walnut. The 34″-scale D-shaped neck has a satin finish and attaches to the body with a deep-set five-bolt plate designed to give the instrument a richer tone with better-than-average sustain. The package is rounded out with a classic Epiphone logo and a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays on the fretted version, and lines on the fingerboard of the fretless. The makings of a classic are reinforced by details like the upright-bass-inspired rosewood bridge, but with contemporary twists like electronics.

Taking ideas from custom builders, the electronics of the Zenith are versatile and conceptually sound. The neck pickup is an Epiphone NanoMag that attaches directly to the base of the fingerboard for a sleek look. The other pickup is Epiphone’s NanoFlex low-impedance type under the saddle. These are controlled by a master Volume and a blend, rounded out with a dual-concentric setup of individual Bass and Treble controls for each pickup. Taking it up even one more notch are mono and stereo outputs. How cool is that?

Quality construction is immediately apparent on the Zenith, and closer inspection reveals that not only are its concepts worthy, but execution lives up to its full potential. These basses have a unique blend of retro and modern, and fill a distinct void in the market; there just aren’t any budget-minded options that will give an upright-like sound without breaking the bank.

The sound of these basses can be summed up simply – it’s monstrous! The chambered body resonates well, with little or no feedback issues. Traditionally, one has had to either throw down serious coin to get a similar sound, or use an acoustic and simply learn to fight the feedback. But with the Zenith, electric players who want an upright vibe have another choice.

Beyond the sheer girth of the Zenith’s tone, perhaps most impressive is the fact this is no one-trick pony. The NanoMag and NanoFlex are quite different from each other, sonically. For instance, rolling the blend control to run just the neck gives an old-EB-0-type vibe that would be great for punk and rock players. In the same regard, the soloed bridge pickup would be cool for soloists, especially in jazz. The magic lies in blending the two and tweaking the EQ of each pickup to find a unique sound. And no matter where you set the controls, there is no unwanted noise – just gobs of usable tones.

The only potential hitch with the Zenith is its weight. Think “’70s P Bass” and you’ll know what to expect… Also, you may want to experiment with strings on the fretted model. It ships with stainless-steel strings, which have a lot of zing and may not be to the taste of most. The fretless ships with nylon tape-wound LaBellas, which would probably sound fine on the fretted version.

Speaking of, the fretless excels. It has that wonderful midrange growl, and the nylon strings are comfortable yet still have plenty of attack. You can get that upright attack and woof with ease, but still use low action. The lines help, as intonation with nylon strings can be tricky.
This is a very cool instrument, and one few likely saw coming from Epiphone, and definitely not at this price point.

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Epiphone Zenith Bass
Price: $1,332 (fretted, retail), $1,415 (fretless, retail).
Contact: epiphone.com.

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

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For nearly 20 years, Victoria Amplifier Company has been making head-turning retro-styled amps. Mark Baier and his crew recently introduced the Silver Sonic, a lower-watt version of their popular Golden Melody amp that pulls together a host of features and circuit cues from the golden era of tweed amps.

The Silver Sonic sports an elegant late-’40s/early-’50s vibe, with a masterfully executed black/tan Tolex over a finger-jointed pine cabinet (a black/sonic blue covering is also available). There’s a speckled silver/gray control panel with white chickenhead knobs, and a leather handle. The cabinet houses a 12″ Eminence Legend speaker mounted to a traditional 3/8″ hardboard baffle. The circuit layout follows the classic 5F6-A design of the Fender Bassman, with the addition of reverb and tremolo. It includes a Sovtek GZ34 rectifier tube, a matched pair of Tung-Sol 6V6 power tubes producing 14 watts, and a mix of Tung-Sol 12AX7 and NOS 12AT7 preamp tubes. Under the hood of the Silver Sonic is a point-to-point wired circuit with custom Orange Drop capacitors, U.S.-made resistors, cloth-covered wire, and custom-wound transformers, all meticulously installed on eyelet boards in a steel chassis. The workmanship is admirable.

Given a run with a recent-reissue Fender Jaguar and Strat, the Silver Sonic’s three-band tone stack offered very musical control over the amp’s sound without over coloring the natural tone of each guitar; this makes it quick and easy to dial in a sound for each. The sound is saturated with overtones and complex harmonics, with a natural chime to the highs and punchy mids and lows. The front end of the amp is very sensitive to touch and pick attack, which lets players dig in for a bit of bark and overdrive at lower volumes, and thick overdrive with the Volume turned up and the power amp section starting to sag. The Eminence Legend is a great choice for this amp, hearty enough to handle the punchy low-end without getting flabby, yet still articulate and transparent enough to reproduce the amp’s complex mids and highs.

Whether with the Strat or the Jag, the amp’s tone was natural, allowing the neck pickups to exhibit their natural, throaty tone, the bridge pickups to be bright and punchy without being harsh, and middle positions to jangle. The front end of the reverb circuit made a nice, wet slap, then trailed off with good saturation that just begged for surf licks. While the reverb sound was big and in-your-face, there’s a sweet spot on the control where we were able to dial in a splash, just to add ambiance. The Harmonic Filter Vibrato circuit didn’t take a back seat to the reverb; it, too, had a spacious sound with a warm, thick swell and a three-dimensional pitch-shifting quality (accomplished by inverting the phase of the highs from the lows via a filtering circuit in the tremolo). The amp’s lower-wattage Bassman-style circuit (using 6V6s instead of 6L6s) further allowed dialing in a big sound with attitude at a lower volume.

The Victoria Silver Sonic offers a bevy of features and sounds from classic ’50s and ’60s amps, wrapped in one high-quality combo. With its harmonically rich tone, big reverb, thick tremolo, and killer aesthetic vibe, it’s an intoxicating package.

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

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Sebago Sound DT50
Price: $1,999
Contact: sebagosound.com

The DT50 is the 50-watt version of Sebago Sound’s acclaime d Double Trouble amp line. Its mission? To capture classic Texas tone – and then some.

The DT50 is packed with many high-end features that complement the quality tube tone provided by its circuitry.

From left to right across the front panel, the first features one sees are two input jacks; Normal connects the guitar directly to the first tube stage, while the FET input inserts a transistor gain stage before the first tube. The FET can be used to add gain to either the clean or Overdrive channel, while also providing the extra gain some piezo-electric guitars need. Most of the time, however, Normal will serve just fine. It should be noted that the DT50 employs four cascading gain stages fueled by three 12AX7 preamp tubes and two 6L6 power tubes. The first two stages are used for the clean channel and, when the Overdrive channel is activated, these first two gain stages are fed into the final two gain stages, for maximum crunchola.

Following the two input jacks on the front panel is the preamp’s Volume knob succeeded by three mini-switches and three EQ knobs; Treble, Middle, and Bass. The first mini-switch is a Bright switch, which boosts the top end. The second is a Mid boost, which bumps up mid frequencies. The final is a Mode switch, which chooses between Jazz and Rock voices. When the Rock mode is selected, there is a boost in the mid frequencies. As a result, the Bass and Middle knobs become less responsive, because the boost in gain is achieved by partly bypassing the tone stack. Jazz mode is considered the norm, while Rock is activated only when a higher degree of gain is needed.

On the back of the DT50 are a standard on/off switch, standby switch, and two speaker outputs wired in parallel. A selector switch allows the user to choose between 4, 8, and 16 Ohms. There’s also an unbuffered effects loop labeled Signal Access. By connecting the Preamp Output jack to the input of an effects signal chain and the Power Amp Input jack to the output of that signal chain, a user is able to insert effects between the preamp and power section, which is particularly useful for time-based effects, which can sound mushy when plugged into an overdriven amp. Finally, there are two mini-switches and the input jack for the DT50’s pedal. The switches select whether or not the Boost and Overdrive functions are activated manually via the front panel or using the footswitch.

We tested the DT50 with a Strat and Les Paul through a 2×12 cabinet. Playing with DT50 in Jazz mode on the clean channel, the clean tone was reminiscent of Fender blackface combos, without the overwhelming brightness sometimes associated with those amps. The clean sound was full, rich, and responsive to pick dynamics. The Bright and Mid mini-switches are effective for precisely dialing in tone. The Overdrive channel was also impressive. The Drive and Volume knobs provide a range of possibilities ranging from gritty blues-rock tone in Stevie Ray territory to hot-rodded distortion. With the Drive at about 3 o’clock and the Volume dimed, we got tones eerily close to Paranoid-era Tony Iommi. And with the Drive maxed out and the Volume and Mids scooped a bit, the amp can do convincing metal sounds.

We were happily surprised at the versatility and dynamic tone offered by the DT50. It’s a powerful workhorse.

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

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New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8
Price: $2,999
Contact: neworleansguitar.com

For over a decade, the New Orleans Guitar Company has been producing handcrafted electrics with an attention to design and detail possible only in a small shop. The vision of sculptor/luthier Vincent Guidroz was most eloquently conveyed in his Voodoo Custom and JB Custom guitars, with their figured tonewoods, neck-through construction, and fancy inlays.

But in the real world, less can lead to more. And when dealers and players started asking Guidroz for a high-quality New Orleans Guitar at a lower price, he devised the Model 8.

Made with the help of the modern luthier’s assistant – the CNC machine – the Model 8 has a four-bolt neck, six-on-a-side headstock, flat top, various pickup configurations, and a hardwood armrest. Holdover construction details include prime tonewoods for the top and back, a stainless-steel zero fret, multi-laminate neck, and an impressive polished finish.

Our Model 8 test guitar had a tobaccoburst, urethane finish that enhanced the grain of its one-piece ash top, bound in black. The three-piece korina back was untinted and the neck lightly shaded to amber, while the maker’s signature was visible under the finish at the back of the headstock. The circular lower bout has slightly offset waists and a graceful cutaway (with a barely perceptible point), attesting to the tasteful aesthetic of the guitarmaker.

Looks aside, the Model 8 design represents an opportunity to observe the fundamentals of guitar design. The body is hollow on the bass side, reducing weight and enhancing resonance, while the figured-maple neck is assembled from grain-aligned quartersawn stock, promoting stability and sustain. The headstock is tilted back 10 degrees, eliminating the need for string trees. The zero fret sits 3/8 of an inch from the expertly cut and beveled bone nut. The 22 German nickel-silver frets are medium jumbo sized and sit on a 251/2″-scale rosewood fingerboard with a 12″ radius.

Chrome Grover tuners, and matching Tone Pros tune-o-matic-style bridge and stop tailpiece are standard. DiMarzio pickups are mounted on the body with two screws through a black-plastic pickguard. Knurled chrome flat-top knobs, a three-way toggle, and an on/off mini switch for the middle pickup complete the visible hardware. Inside, a shielded control cavity houses carefully wired 250k CTS potentiometers with a 0.033-mF capacitor for the tone pot.

The layout of the black DiMarzio pickups has been thoughtfully considered; the middle is reverse-wound in reverse polarity to create a humbucking effect when added to the mix. The bridge pickup is mounted 17/8″ from the high-E saddle, allowing for plenty of bite but greater exposure to the singing part of the string. The bridge pickup is stock-wound, the middle is five percent under-wound and the neck pickup is 10 percent under-wound, creating a balanced output.

Strumming the Model 8 unplugged produced a gratifying ring, and plugging it into a late-’50s Ampeg Jet with a reissue Jensen speaker made a nice sonic platform.

Played clean, the neck P-90 is warm, yet articulate, and the bridge pickup rings with authority for blues and rock leads. But the secret weapon of this design is the middle pickup; kicking in the third P-90 unleashes the guitar’s inner twang. The frequency cancellation achieved with the middle pickup engaged in any combination brings out voices suitable for country chicken pickin’, funk rhythm, and rockabilly sizzle. Employing the full roar of an Ibanez TS-9 in-line, big chords pulsed with audible harmonics, and the taper of the Volume pot allowed for effective volume swells.

The New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8 offers a broad aural spectrum of satisfying, serviceable tones. Its weight and balance make it comfortable hanging on a strap, while the offset waist helps it rest well on a knee. The soft-shouldered D-profile neck is easy on the hand, and the setup makes for a pleasing playing experience. Designed for the working guitarist, it’s actually much more.

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

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Cort Z44
Price: $569 list/under $400 street
Contact: cortguitars.com

Just about everywhere you look these days, manufacturers are devising new spins on the single-cutaway solidbody. Cort has been a player on the import scene for decades and, with its Zenox-series Z44, shows it’s serious about being a player in the world of the single-cut.

The Z44 is a stylish, modern take on the Les Paul archetype. It has a beefier cutaway, a slightly elongated upper bout, and it adds modern flair with a stylish headstock that has a natural-wood “scoop” at its tip and minimal ornamentation on the fretboard, aside from a composite/mother-of-pearl Z inlay at the 12th fret. Black EMG pickups, natural-wood faux binding, an array of recessed knobs and an unusual, slanted cable-jack insert give it a sleek look and feel. The body is contoured with a gently arched top and back, and comfort cuts provide an ergonomic feel.

This Cort has a set-neck construction and an almost-seamless heel. Materials include a mahogany neck and body, rosewood fingerboard with 22 large frets and a 12″ radius, and a Gibsonesque 243/4″ scale. Other treats include a bridge licensed by Tone Pros, a string-through-body setup, die-cast tuners, and two Volumes, plus a Tone knob with a push/pull coil-tap function. The EMG HZ-H4 is a passive humbucker, unlike its active-powered cousins.

Plugged into a tube head and 2×12 cabinet, the Z44 proved a hard-rockin’ guitar. Its neck is flat and wide, like an ’80s shred axe, but where you might have paid over $1,000 for this guitar 25 years ago, you can get a Z44 with a similar setup for under $400. It’s impressive, and further evidence of the triumph of mid-priced Asian guitars (the Z44 is built in Indonesia). Certainly, it’s made for the heavy rock/metal crowd and performs extremely well in that context. The humbuckers do their job and, with the liquid-fast fretboard, shred runs and drop-D riffing are a breeze. Bring on your favorite metals riffs!

The guitar’s debits are minor; some rough finish edges around the input jack. The coil-tap’s effect is modest – don’t expect real single-coil twang; it’s more just a simple midrange cut. Also, the guitar has a bit of heft, but that’s to be expected from a single-cut. All told, the Cort Z44 is a fine guitar, especially considering its affordable price. Add its killer looks and hairy tones, and you have a winner.

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

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