Tag: features

Once wildly popular among everyone from drawing-room dilettantes to road-hardened bluesmen shuffling the dusty byways, parlor-sized guitars fell out of favor mid-century when popular ensembles demanded the volume better provided by big-bodied dreadnoughts.

The last several years, however, have seen a rebirth of the parlor segment – everything from well-built econo boxes that appear ripped from the pages of old Monkey Ward catalogs to luthier-crafted customs. While the Fender PM-2 Parlor’s price falls closer to the econo side, its materials and build might leave some silently wondering if the bean-counters in Corona forgot a digit.

Out of its included hardshell case, the all-mahogany PM-2’s most noticeable features are its satiny open-pore solid top and sides. The finish is billed as Natural, but owing to the mahogany, it’s a dark hue wonderfully accented by checkered purfling and rosette, and abundant aged white binding from body to headstock, the latter of which is tastefully tarted up with a mother-of-pearl “Fender” logo and decorative inlay and open-gear tuners.

The PM-2’s playability lives up to all those good looks. The comfortable C-shape neck (also mahogany) boasts rolled edges, and its rosewood fingerboard is kitted with Fender’s skinny “vintage-style” frets.

The PM-2 arrived with a light, buzz-free action all the way down its 24.75″ scale, from the bone nut to the neck’s junction with the box at the 12th fret. It also gave lie to the old saw that parlors are diminutive of voice; no doubt that light finish helps.

Characteristic of many parlors, the PM-2 is midrange-forward, but fingerpickers and front-porch strummers alike will easily drive the top end and get plenty of volume out of those tasty low-string runs and hammer-ons. In all, an incredible value.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

At first glance, the Strymon Riverside Multistage Drive doesn’t look much different from the rest of the herd. But dig deeper and you’ll find this is not just another overdrive pedal.

For controls the Riverside features quite an array: multistage Drive knob with a Low/High Gain toggle; output Level knob; Normal/Mid Push switch; Bass, Middle, and Treble EQ; three-position Presence switch; true-bypass (via relay) On/Off footswitch; and Favorite footswitch.

Connections are made via mono ¹/4″ input and output jacks and TRS ¹/4″ jacks for external Boost footswitch and expression pedal. Power is via a standard 9-volt DC input jack with either the included AC power supply or pedalboard power supply (no internal battery option). As with other Strymons, certain features – like Noise Reduction Threshold, Bypass Mode Selection, Boost Mode, and Expression Pedal Mode – are accessed by holding down multiple switches simultaneously and manipulating controls.

The Riverside was tested with a couple of 1×12 tube combos and both single-coil- and humbucker-equipped guitars.

The Riverside delivers a very musical overtone-saturated overdrive, thick with layers of complicated tube amp-like harmonics while remaining remarkably articulate even in the highest gain/drive settings. It responds nicely to pick attack and guitar volume changes, cleaning up easily with no loss to clarity or losing high-end sparkle.

The Riverside’s EQ circuit is well-voiced, offering up optimal post-drive tone control without over-coloring its transparent characteristics. The pre-drive midrange boost Push switch is ideal for a smooth bump to the midrange and a bit more percussive overdrive. The Favorite switch is another great go-to – just hold it down for a few seconds and it saves all current settings, including the noise reduction.

The Strymon Riverside is an easy-to-use high-quality overdrive with a useful set of controls. Best of all, it sports a very musical overdrive tone, rich with complex overtones.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

For the past few years, builder Bruce Clement of BC Audio has been getting attention for his killer-sounding and meticulously wired tube heads and matching cabs. New for 2017 is his first two-channel head, the Grand Prix 100.

The amp has an all-tube signal path and point-to-point wiring. Tube-o-philes will further dig the paper-bobbin transformers, zinc-coated steel chassis, and the overall heavy-duty construction, ready for the harshest gigs. There’s also a series effects loop for time-based and modulation stompboxes, including preset Send and Return levels for pedals – just plug ’em in and go. And not only does the Grand Prix 100 have two channels, it has a Dual Power feature that doubles the output from 50 to 100 watts at the tap of a footswitch. Those who play solos, will see the obvious allure.

Inside there are three 6SL7 preamp tubes of an eight-pin “octal” design. Clement likes octals because they’re rugged and behave more like power tubes when they’re pushed. Rather than merely adding distortion, they transition from clean to dirty in a smoother, more organic way. 

For output, there are four EL34 tubes, which are the crux of the Dual Power function. When the Grand Prix is in 50-watt mode, two of the EL34s are on. Kick it to 100 watts, and all four spring into action, delivering an extra three dB of output, which is substantial.

On the front, look for tools to shape volume and tone, but perhaps not in a familiar sequence. From Power and Standby on the far left, you move into the power section. Use the Presence and Depth controls to jimmy the tone of the EL34s in the higher and lower frequencies (Depth, for example, can give a thin-sounding guitar more beef or make a smaller cab sound larger). Further right are each channel’s master volumes, followed by a three-band EQ. Finally, at far right, two Gain knobs deliver the preferred clean-to-crunch ratio. Above are two switches: Modern and Vintage for channel 2, and Crunch and Clean for channel 1. There’s also a simple, all-metal footswitch to jump between channels and – most crucially – to flip on those aforementioned EL34s.

Plugged in, the Grand Prix 100 is a serious but absurdly fun amp. There are a lot of power-amp tones inside, specifically that stacked-flavored “thump” that can make the hair on your arms tingle. Better still, there’s everything from pure clean to California crunch in here, plus all the classic British amplification one could ask for. On the heavier side, channel 1 delivers authentic Angus and Keith overdrive, while channel 2 takes you well into Eddie and Kirk saturation – and then some.

You can certainly introduce an overdrive pedal if you like, but really, the Grand Prix doesn’t require any external help in the gain department. It will cover any gig imaginable. And the 50/100-watt function works great at all volume levels. You can even use 100 watts at lower volumes for super-crunchy sounds that won’t wake the neighbors. (Keep in mind that the amp defaults to 100 watts when the footswitch is unplugged.)

The Grand Prix 100 joins the rest of BC Audio’s line as a tour de force design. Sure, it’s priced on the higher end, but this is a hand-wired, premium tube head. Tone this sumptuous is worth every penny.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

From Johnny Winter and Stephen Stills to Scott Holiday, the Firebird has been turning heads since the early ’60s. Builders Sander de Gier and Ewout Nijman out of the Netherlands are two guitar freaks with a jones for old-school looks and modern appointments. They have a thing for Firebirds too.

Their first series for Volt Electrics is a tribute to that venerable guitar. The #004 Reverse features the same cool backward Ray Dietrich design, but with some nifty modifications. The review model came in Shoreline Gold Metallic with light aging. Rock solid, its flawless nitrocellulose lacquer finish, retro styling, and workmanship, will encourage hours of boutique-level quality note density. The guitar’s light weathering and cracking is subtle. Tiny scratches and dings on its mahogany body and an aged matte patina on the nickel hardware give the #004 a mature appearance. 

Its bolt-on one-piece maple neck comes equipped with a small wrench, and the rosewood fretboard, 22 Jescar 55090 frets, and Gotoh tuning pegs combine to make this a special instrument. With its clean block inlays, compound radius, medium C neck, 25.2″ scale length, and 1.67″ at the nut, the Reverse #004 is geared for players who like a handful. It sports a Master Volume knob, two Tone controls, three Lollar Firebird pickups, and an ABM tune-o-matic bridge. A black headstock gives the overall look a finished appearance.

Running through a variety of rigs, the Reverse yields classic colors with a mix of nasal spankiness and bite. It runs the gamut from hard rock to jazz, and the upscale pickups have enough complexity to handle any measure of saturation. The three-pickup configuration offers a plethora of tonal variation, and the overall feel is solid, consistent, and inspiring. From ’60s rock to modern heavy rock, the Volt Reverse is a special guitar that improves upon an already great design.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Take a look at your pedalboard. You probably have three or four overdrives and fuzzes hooked up – and are looking to find the cash and real estate to add more. Hold your horses and consider instead Swedish maker Elektron’s Analog Drive.

Yes, it’s large and needs 12-volt power. But then again it holds eight separate analog overdrive circuits, with the ability to adjust input gain and output level, plus dial in and EQ your sound – and then save up to 100 favorite presets.

Oh yeah, not to mention options to run MIDI as well as expression pedals for midrange and gain.

You can operate the Elektron manually – using one of the eight overdrive circuits, then setting and adjusting all your levels – or with the presets. The options are almost endless, and the eight circuits include: Clean Boost, Mid Drive (think Ibanez Tube Screamer), Dirty Drive (from a gated sound at low volumes to old-school fuzz at high), Big Distortion, Focused Distortion, Harmonic Fuzz (read, full-throttle fuzz), High Gain, and Thick Gain (as in truckloads of gain).

The Elektron’s presets definitely offer benefits. With its Gain and Level controls, the Elektron has a lot of variability and each of the eight circuits “likes” different settings; so, if you want to seamlessly move between circuits and maybe bypass the drive for a song segment, presets are a great benefit to maintaining a consistent output level. Plus, with footswitches, you can move between presets, going from, say, a mellow verse to an all-out, full-attack solo.

In addition, the Elektron’s EQ is eminently flexible, with Low, High, and dual Mid controls, providing fully parametric midrange, and you can dial in tone to your heart’s content.

Indeed, the Elektron may just be only overdrive pedal you need. It takes care of business.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

In 1985, Heritage Guitars took over a certain factory space at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former owners decided to move production to Nashville. Since then, Heritage Guitars have continued to craft instruments in the mold of those classic six-strings that first made Kalamazoo famous to guitarists worldwide. Their H-157W is a limited edition of their classic single-cutaway “Custom” model, and it features premium woods, upgraded electronics, high-end pickups, and deluxe hardware. In fact, the H-157W is limited to just 50 instruments: 25 with a quilted maple top, and 25 with tiger-stripe maple.

The Heritage H-157W’s deluxe appointments include an ultra-premium western maple top, TonePros locking bridge and tailpiece, a set of ThroBak KZ-115 PAF-style pickups, and top-of-the-line ThroBak pots and Luxe capacitors. The guitar is available in Honey Lemon with nickel hardware and Fireburst with gold hardware, and it features mutli-layer binding on the front and back of the body.

The fingerboard is a beautiful select piece of ebony that leads to an actual bone nut before reaching the single-bound headstock with its matching maple cap overlay and shadowed Heritage logo. As not to skimp on anything, the H-157W is strung with ThroBak Pure Nickel Hex Core strings for a vintage touch and tone. The instrument ships with a hardshell case and an individualized certificate of authenticity.

With a guitar like this, it comes down to the builder’s execution of a well-proven design, and Heritage has done a stellar job. Many who buy similar guitars will subsequently spend a small fortune upgrading pickups, hardware, and electronics to get the instrument “just right” – all because a manufacturer skimped in certain areas. Here there is no need for upgrades; Heritage took the time, expense, and research to optimize the H-157W right out of its case.

Plugged into a reissue Deluxe Reverb, the snap and clarity of the pickups is truly startling – like a great example of actual PAFs. This is no surprise – the ThroBak pickups are painstakingly wound with the same type of wire and bobbins and on the same machine that resided in the Parsons Street factory in the 1950s. Clean, these pickups have that almost P-90 quality that every winder strives for. Depending on touch and pickup selected, one can easily cover any style asked. Turning the Deluxe’s Volume knob to 8 produces the perfect level of hair on the notes, which never fall apart in any way. From clean and clear to very driven tones, this guitar holds its own.

The fretwork and setup are silky smooth, with well-dressed frets, a nicely cut nut, and a bend-friendly 12″ fingerboard radius. The gorgeous book-matched quilted maple top and beautifully straight-grained mahogany back and neck are expertly finished and very much the veritable cherry on top on an incredibly well-built top-shelf instrument.

With its exemplary fit and finish, premium woods, and the addition of the ThroBak pickups, the Heritage H-157W is a real stunner both visually and tonally. A finely made single-cutaway instrument crafted in the factory that made them famous – and it doesn’t need to have the hardware, pickups, or electronics upgraded. Heritage has taken the time to make it right the first time.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Supro’s Comet 1610RT just may be the perfect desert island amp – a high-gain, low-watt 1×10 combo that maybe doesn’t do it all, but does most everything you’ll ever need on your balmy isle paradise.

Think ’30s Gibson EH-150, ’50s Fender tweed Champ, or ’60s Supro Bantam. The Comet is a small amp with big ideas about tone, but it also has a couple of modern tweaks that will have you reaching for it before those vintage choices.

The assembled-in-the-U.S. Comet has a single-ended Class A power amp with one Sovtek 5881/6L6WGC power tube plus three 12AX7 and one 12AT7 preamp tubes. The signal runs into a single 10″ custom-voiced Supro CR10 speaker. 

This is where things start to get even more interesting. The Comet has switchable power, letting you opt between six and 14 watts at the throw of a toggle. Plus, it features Supro’s highly lauded tremolo and reverb (yes, they’re tube-driven).

All this is handily packed into a small-yet-sturdy package that weighs just six pounds – ideal when you have to hop into the SS Minnow’s life raft and get ashore.

Plugging in a ’54 Gretsch Duo Jet and switching on the handy Standby, the Comet sounds good from the get-go. The high-gain design offers solid, in-your-face tone. It’s sweet and clean up until about 12 o’clock on the Volume knob, providing fine rockabilly and vintage rock and roll sounds. Twist it past noon, and it offers a hearty crunch seguing into soaring overdrive at wide full open.

At six watts, the Comet is ideal for playing in your home, your practice space, or the studio. Boost it to 14 watts, and you have more volume for stage use – or to play as loud as you want on your new island real estate. Either way, the amp boasts ample note clarity and lovely dynamics for recording.

The tremolo circuit is built in the preamp, before the reverb (can you say, “vintage correct”?), for wide, deep, resonate effects that range from a subtle accent to far out.

Supro also offers its 1700 1×12 Supreme extension cabinet loaded with a BD12 speaker. Stack them up, and you have plenty of stage oomph.

Oh, and how about the Comet’s looks? It’s dressed up in 1959 Supro finery: impossibly tough black rhino hide tolex with stylish white welting and a chic gold faceplate. The complete package.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Ever wonder about that strange-looking guitar Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac has been playing all these years? The same one John Mayer has occasionally been spotted with as well? It’s the Rick Turner Model 1, and if you want the straight dope on this unique instrument, you’ve come to the right place.

Rick Turner, co-founder of the Alembic Company, met Lindsey Buckingham during the recording of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album. As a fingerstylist, Buckingham needed an electric guitar that offered the feel of an acoustic guitar, the warmth and sustain of a Les Paul, and the clarity of a Stratocaster.

During rehearsals for the Tusk tour, Turner brought Buckingham the third Model 1. Buckingham played it for three hours and afterward, according to legend, shouted to his guitar tech, “This is all I need. Leave the Les Paul, the Strat, and the Ovation at home!” The Model 1 allowed Buckingham to switch effortlessly between acoustic textures and electric sounds in a heartbeat. Thanks to improved technologies, today’s Model 1 Deluxe LB has evolved from the guitar originally given to Buckingham, but it still retains the original’s unique personality.

Weighing in at eight pounds, the Model 1 is no toy. Its solid mahogany construction features a maple set-neck with a multilaminate design. A scale length of 24.75″, a 12″ fingerboard radius, and a nut width of 1¹¹/16″, yield a beefy full C-shaped neck. The Model 1 comes with Gotoh tuners and bridge paired with Turner’s own tailpiece and hot-wound hum-canceling pickups.

Ergonomic despite its heft, and aesthetically pleasing, the Model 1’s most eye-catching feature is, of course, the rotating pickup that allows the player to emphasize the lows on the bass strings or the highs on the treble strings. There is also a Magnetic/Piezo Blender control that pans between the piezo and the magnetic pickups. Other controls include Master Volume, Sweep for quasi-parametric EQ, Boost Cut, and a toggle that activates the quasi-parametric circuit. There’s also a Tone control and push/pull coil tap for single-coil sounds. The compartment for the two block batteries that power the active electronics is located under the tailpiece.

Plugged into blackface combos and high-gain heads, this is no beater for neighborhood blues jams. The Model 1 is a high-end piece of art for the fastidious artist who requires complex sounds on the fly. With the piezo/magnetic blend turned clockwise, the tone is ultraclean yet strong, yielding smooth but muscular jazz lines with effortless feel. The control knobs mold the sound to the rig, while the toggle enables more bite. Warmer lows or edgy top-end is at the fingertips.

Blend the piezo with the magnetic pickup for a combination of acoustic and electric sounds or either one. The acoustic sounds are fabulous and will flatter fingerstyle playing with evenness and punch. Pull up the coil tap for sparkling Stratocaster land. Using distortion along with the toggle gives a little noise, but it can be dialed back using the Sweep control to voice the crunch to taste. The Model 1 can scream or purr.

The Rick Turner Model 1 Deluxe LB is a truly amazing musical instrument and a beautiful work of art. It has an innate rootsy flavor that can traverse acoustic, clean electric, and distorted terrains in a pinch. While the controls take some time to suss, the learning curve is easily overcome to create some of most beautiful guitar tones you’ll ever hear through an amplifier.

This article originally appeared in VG July 2017 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.