In the early days of boutique-amp building, there were but a few contenders on the scene. One of the strongest amplifiers in those days was made by Budda. First released in 1995, the company’s Twinmaster presented 18 watts of raw tone that made it a no-brainer buy for many, and it soon found its way into clubs, arenas, and recording studios. In the years to follow, the market was flooded with boutique combos, still, early Buddas retain a cache. After leaving the market for awhile, it recently returned. Yet, as with all reissues, the primary question is, “How does it stack up to the original?”
The Twinmaster is refreshingly simple and easy to use. It has twin inputs, one for normal gain, and a second with an extra gain stage. Handily, the amp is wired so that the user can use an A/B switch to switch between the two sides, creating a pseudo channel-switching setup. Topside, there are controls for volume, treble, and bass, along with on/off and standby switches. On its underside are jacks for a passive effects loop, speaker output, slave output, and an impedance selector switch for 8- or 4-ohms. The slave out is identical to the speaker out, except it’s padded and EQ’d to be line-level friendly. This feature is good for recording direct with an amped tone or plugging into effects and a stereo power amp for a wet/dry/wet rig. Also underside are the tube complement – two 12AX7s in the preamp, two EL-84s, and a 5U4 rectifier. The speaker is a Budda Phat 12, while the black-vinyl-covered cab is made from pine. The
Twinmaster is also a gig-friendly 42 pounds, thanks to an aluminum chassis that, we should add, is handwired in the U.S.A. Visually, the Twinmaster is also a fine-looking amp, with clean, top-mounted controls, and only a tasteful “Budda” logo on the front of the speaker grill.
For our tests we used a Gibson ’59 Les Paul Historic reissue, and a Stratocaster. Plugging the Strat into the Twinmaster’s normal-gain input, we dialed in a robust clean tone. The amp’s midrange push gave our Strat a certain weightiness that gave its normally weak bridge pickup some added heft. To boot, even single notes from the Strat seemed to carry more authority. Turning the tone controls provided interesting tonal development, but always with its midrange thrust – a Twinmaster trademark.
Turning up the Volume knob makes the amp louder without adding much hair until it passes the halfway point. For more oomph, shifting to the high-gain input makes single-coils bark with the Volume control barely turned up. With its added gain stage, this input is a high-gain beast, even with the mild 6k-output pickups in our test Strat.
A Les Paul into the high-gain input takes you straight to Rock City, creating creamy, robust distorted tones that clean up nicely for chunky rhythm riffs (by dialing it down to about 7 on the guitar’s Volume knob). Switching back to the low-gain input cleans things up, but the Twinmaster could never be considered a clean machine when using a humbucker-equipped guitar like the ’59. The amp is very pedal-friendly, as well. While some amps’ input stages will cringe at boosts, and various gain pedals, the Budda’s handled them all.
How does the new Twinmaster compare to the original Budda? Quite well, actually. Kudos to the company for not reinventing the wheel and staying close to the original amp produced 16 years ago. Furthermore, it doesn’t try to sound like a Vox or a blackface Fender; it sounds like a Budda, and that’s a significant victory right there. The Twinmaster has always had its own sound, due to its fatness and pleasant midrange emphasis, and this speaks to both the circuit design and a well-chosen speaker. It’s a very solid amp, both in construction and tone, and excels as a grab-and-go amp for club gigs or rehearsals. If you’re in the market for a new combo with a tone that is “phat” and soulful, the Budda Twinmaster fits the bill.
This article originally appeared in VG September 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Doug Doppler recalls how, at age five, his first swimming lesson fell on the same day as his first guitar lesson. Beyond mere coincidence, there is no connection between the two. Nonetheless, these days, Doppler is “swimming” in guitars – specifically, vintage Ibanez.
Doppler is an L.A.-based musician and great example of how a guitarist can make a living playing even if they don’t regularly perform on huge stages with superstars at their side. In the ’90s, he released an instrumental album called Ground Zero on Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label, and more recently recorded parts for the Guitar Hero video-game series. He also produces audio and video demos for manufacturers including Dunlop, Orange Amplifiers, Line 6, and Tech 21. He is also a former student of Joe Satriani, which might explain why Doppler is one very hardcore Ibanez guy.
“When I released Ground Zero, I reached out to Rob Nishida, who was the head of artist relations at Ibanez for many years,” he said. “He sent me a 540S, and soon after, I started putting together an arsenal of S-series instruments.”
The guitar offered enough intrigue that Doppler dug a bit deeper into the company’s lineage. His first vintage Ibanez was a model 2351 straight from the “lawsuit era” of the ’70s. “I bought it in 2003,” Doppler recalled. “From there, it was a slippery slope!”
Doppler has indeed taken the slide, amassing one of the baddest Ibanez collections around, complete with the highlight pieces lusted after by all Ibanezheads, including the much-ballyhooed “korina trio.”
We recently spoke with Doppler about the fine points of collecting what are arguably the preeminent Japanese-made electric guitars.
How did you teach yourself all you needed to know about Ibanez instruments before you started collecting them?
I’ve been a member of the ibanezcollectors.com forum for some time, and those guys really know their business. There’s a great culture there and people are happy to help if I have a question, which is not the case with all forums. Also, there’s a massive collection of vintage Ibanez catalogs available online, which I use to double-check model numbers, features, and hardware.
1)This ’74 2408-1 Artwood Dragon was one of three instruments Ibanez produced in very limited numbers and used in a 1974 catalog alongside the Black Eagle bass. Rumor has it approximately 30 instruments were sent to China to receive the carved tops.2)This ’74 2408-2 Artwood Cornucopia was another member of the trio of instruments sent to China to receive the top carving. Doppler found it in South Africa.3)The rarest instrument in his collection, Doppler won this doubleneck – which bears no model number or serial number – after what he calls a “…furious bidding war between myself and a French collector who has since become a dear friend.” After bidding crossed the $5,000 mark, Doppler bowed out. A few months later, the Frenchman found something he had to have and asked whether Doppler was interested in buying the guitar. Though someone added a second output jack and changed the knobs, the original vibrato bar and bridge cover are stowed in the case. “This model was featured in a photo, but not actually offered in one of the 1976 Ibanez catalogs, making it the most rare vintage Ibanez I know of,” said Doppler.4)For the diehard collector, this 2662 hints at what was to become the Artist series.5)This model 2364 was the Ibanez take on Dan Armstrong’s Lucite guitar. Another very rare example, Doppler found it in Austria.
What drew you specifically to the Ibanez lawsuit-era instruments?
The company produced a remarkably wide offering of designs, some that easily rival their Fender or Gibson counterparts. And they’re collectible because of their uniqueness; they have always been undervalued, I think. Unlike other copycat brands, Ibanez is relevant, which means they’ll become more collectible and significant. From a player’s perspective, a number of them are personal favorites.
When you started collecting, were you looking for anything specific, or maybe a handful of potential models to buy?
Pretty much from the beginning, my goal was and is to own every lawsuit-era instrument they made. As much as I love the early Artists, the guitars I’m passionate about collecting are those, shall we say, “borrowed” designs.
6)When Doppler got this pre-serial-number 2352 Custom, it was all-stock but missing its bridge cover. He swapped the pickups for DiMarzios.7)The big headstock and three-tone sunburst on this ’77 Silver Series 2375 exude the era’s vibe. The stock pickups were swapped for a set of Fender SCNs and Doppler used this instrument on a video to demonstrate Orange Amps’ Rockerverb.8)Though it has a two-tone sunburst and a bullet truss rod – which isn’t right – this ’78 Silver Series 2375 remains one of Doppler’s favorite players. He used on a number of Guitar Hero sessions, including the remake of Iron Maiden’s “Wrathchild.”9)Though this ’78 Silver Series 2375 is a refin, “I had to have it,” said Doppler. The pickups have been changed.10)Hoshino used several brand names in its distribution territories. Doppler found this all-stock ’75 Mann 2348 in Canada and has used it extensively on Get Killer Tone.
Do you have any personal rules or guidelines you follow when you find a guitar you’d like to add to the collection?
I’m careful to always follow my Rule of Ten, which reflects the fact that although these instruments may be valued at one tenth of their inspirational counterparts, I believe the value drops more, percentage-wise, if they do not have all the original parts. There are a lot more instruments on the market these days, but many of them are the most common ones or are not original. Buying now is about being smart and making each purchase count.
Why are pre-serial-number guitars more desirable?
Generally speaking, they were made at the very beginning of a model run, and possibly got a bit more attention in manufacture compared to those that followed. It’s generally thought that there were fewer of these instruments than when a production run got up and running, but given the number of pre-serial-number instruments I own, that logic may not be the case for all models.
11)Doppler found this ’75 model 2351M in Canada. Note the mismatched Standard fingerboard inlays with the Custom headstock inlay and truss-cover badge.12)Unlike the ’75 2351M, this ’77 version has the matched Standard neck inlays and truss cover, along with original tuners.13)“As a true testament to how crazy the collecting thing can get, I decided to pick up this lefty,” Doppler said of this ’77 2350L. “I later discovered the middle pickup was not original, but it’s still a cool piece, and it’s in great shape.”14)The stock pickups in this 2351 were exceedingly microphonic, which forced Doppler to swap them for a set of DiMarzios.15) This all-stock model 2343 is one of Doppler’s favorites.
Anyone who collects more-traditional brands knows that when you delve into old guitars, you have to be on the lookout for things that affect originality – changed parts, refinishes, etc. Given that Ibanez instruments came of age at a time when modding guitars was commonplace, do collectors have to be all the more wary?
Surprisingly, few of the guitars I’ve seen come to market have major modifications, which, considering the era, is pretty remarkable.
What are the most commonly replaced parts, and why were they swapped?
In the ’80s, a lot of people thought different pickups and tuning gears were an improvement. Most of the time, I’ll swap pickups because the originals have gone microphonic and I’d have to take them out, anyway. Since these instruments are not as valuable as Gibsons or Fenders, I’m not as concerned about the wiring harness remaining untouched.
16)This pre-serial number 2377 is all-stock and Doppler has used it on a number of Orange Amps videos.17)This ’77 model 2387 has its original tuners and pickups.18)Doppler found this ’78 2355 on Craigslist. “I showed up to find a nearly original instrument with a small neck crack the seller did not mention in advance,” he said. “So I got it at a great price, and I’ve used it a ton.”19)This pre-serial-number 2402 has original tuners and pickups.20)Doppler calls this ’76 2404, “A neat, all-stock piece.”
You’ve scored most of your guitars via internet auction. What do you advise people about that process?
The “freshman” collector buys first, then learns what they did wrong second. There are enough of these instruments on the market that if you miss one, you’ll most likely find another. I almost never bid on an instrument when the seller has less than 99 percent positive feedback or has less than 25 transactions. I also don’t trust people who charge too much for shipping, and I’ll pass on a guitar where the seller thinks they’re going to make an extra buck for packing it and dropping it off at FedEx or UPS. It reeks of “freshman,” and those are deals to watch out for.
When you talk to someone about getting into collecting Ibanez guitars, what advice do you offer?
First, I tell them that they need to know the market before pulling out their wallet. It’s easy to think you’ve made a huge local score on some website only to find out you’ve been had. A smart collector knows what they’re looking for before it comes up, and they know how much they’re willing to pay.
21)The cutout on the headstock of the 2409B Black Eagle bass is typically broken because the piece on the treble side was left quite thin after the rout. This one is from ’75.22)An all-stock ’76 2387B-CT.23)This pre-serial number 2366FLB is one of two Doppler has ever seen offered for sale. It’s all-original.24)Doppler says this awkward-looking 2030 has wonderful tone. “It’s completely stock, in great condition, and the only one of its kind I’ve seen,” he said.25)One of Doppler’s first vintage Ibanez basses was this 2366B. “The stock pickup was dead, so it has been replaced,” he said.26)This pre-serial-number 2357DX is one of Doppler’s crown jewels. “I scoured the globe and tracked it down in Germany,” he said. “It sounds and plays like a Höfner and is ultra-rare in this condition.”
How did your connection develop with Satriani and Vai?
When I was in high school, I studied with Satch for 31/2 years. When I got ready to head to GIT, he gave me Steve’s phone number. Flash forward a couple decades, and Joe kindly sent Steve my newly mixed Nu Instrumental disc, which he released on his Favored Nations label.
27)“This poor instrument has been through hell and back,” Doppler said of this 2387B. “I stripped most of the matte-black paint to reveal the original finish, and it came with all-original components.”28)This all-stock 2369B has the pickup combination with three-way toggle.29)The cracks in the finish and bits of missing binding are testimony that this pre-serial-number model 698MS has been well-played. “There is little information on the acoustics from this era, but I’m fairly certain the pickup is stock, and it still works like a charm,” Doppler said.30 and 31)“Though I don’t really play mandolin, I thought these would make a great addition to the collection,” Doppler said of this model 511 and 513, both pre-serial-number.
So where might we have heard you use some of these instruments?
I used two of the Silver Series 2375 models on the Guitar Hero sessions; the two-tone sunburst on the classical intro to Extreme’s “Play With Me” and one of the rhythm parts on Iron Maiden’s “Wrathchild” and the three-tone sunburst on the solo for White Lion’s version of “Radar Love.” I also do a ton of video work for Orange, and I love to get them in the mix. I’m always happy to see the positive comments about them on YouTube.
What projects do you have in the works where you’re using your Ibanezes?
In June, I’ll be releasing a DVD where I demo 100 modern and vintage time-based effects. It’s called Get Killer Tone: Delay/Looper/Reverb. And there’s more in the works.
“Korina” Trio
Though their bodies weren’t actually made with Korina – they’re probably a Japanese wood called sen – Doug Doppler says the Ibanez guitars made to look like Gibson’s famed korina instruments are highly desirable because their finish work was outstanding, “And they play as good as they look!” he said. “The Rocket Roll Sr., Destroyer, and Futura are probably the most collectable because they do a brilliant job of paying homage to what were some of the finest instruments Gibson ever – and never – made.”
This article originally appeared in VG June 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
In the ’60s, Gibson strived mightily to meet the demands of players of all levels while also working to maintain its image as industry leader. One of its primary attempts at the latter involved the Firebird guitars and Thunderbird basses introduced in ’63. Marked by innovative neck-through construction, unique features and looks, the Thunderbird’s full-size scale (a first for a Gibson bass), and a coinciding push of Gibson’s new custom-color finishes, one would think the story of the ’Birds would include the phrase “gloriously successful.” But one would be wrong! The truth is, as with so many models, neither instrument was a runaway success.
Firebird I (reverse) One mini-humbucking pickup, wrap-around bridge, unbound rosewood fretboard, dot fret markers.Firebird I (non-reverse) Two black P-90 pickups, vibrato, unbound rosewood fretboard, dot fret markers.Firebird III (reverse) Two mini-humbucking pickups, vibrato, unbound rosewood fretboard, dot fret markers.Firebird III (non-reverse) Three black P-90 pickups, vibrato, unbound rosewood fretboard, dot markers.
Maybe they were too unique or too fancy for the era, but for whatever reason, midway into 1965 – the models’ third year – Gibson implemented dramatic revisions; gone was the funky “reverse” body shape, replaced with a more-conventional silhouette. The headstock of the Firebird acquired standard tuners in place of its rear-projecting/banjo-style machines, and its pickups, pickup layout, and pickup selector were changed from a standard toggle to a slider switch. Both models were given more-traditional glued-in necks and unbound fingerboards, and dot markers. The Firebird was given a side-pull vibrato tailpiece, validating the notion Gibson was pursuing cost-savings in its manufacture.
Firebird V (reverse) Two mini-humbucking pickups, deluxe vibrato, bound rosewood fretboard, trapezoid-shaped fret inlay.Firebird V (non-reverse) Two mini-humbucking pickups, deluxe vibrato, unbound rosewood fretboard, dot fret markers.
The Thunderbird’s electronics, hardware, and layout were left unchanged in the transition. The single-pickup Thunderbird II kept its Volume and Tone controls, while the two-pickup Thunderbird IV still had two Volume controls and a master Tone (with no toggle). Control layout changed slightly from three evenly spaced knobs to a slight space between the two Volume knobs and the Tone on the non-reverse variant.
For all of their ho-hum aesthetics compared to the original, the ergonomics of non-reverse versions make both guitar and bass more balanced and comfortable, because the weight of the larger body quadrant housing the controls tends to place the neck in a more-upright position when strapped on.
Firebird V (reverse) Two mini-humbucking pickups, deluxe vibrato, bound rosewood fretboard, trapezoid-shaped fret inlay.Firebird VII (non-reverse) Three mini-humbucking pickups, deluxe vibrato, unbound rosewood fretboard, dot inlay, gold hardware.
The non-reverse versions have always had their fans. In the ’70s heyday of Roxy Music, guitarist Phil Manzanera gigged with reverse and modified non-reverse Firebirds fitted with full-size humbucking pickups. More recently, Warren Haynes has used newer non-reverse Firebirds onstage with Gov’t Mule. Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson (1952-2001) often staged a non-reverse Thunderbird.
Noted guitar authority and author Tom Wheeler once compared the original Firebirds and Thunderbirds to Errol Flynn in terms of their aesthetic appeal, while pronouncing the non-reverse versions the fretted-instrument equivalent of Elmer Fudd. Most collectors agree with (and laugh at!) the assessment. But for some, the non-reverse versions are nonetheless a comfortable, easy-to-play collectible.
This article originally appeared in VG October 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Cimarron Guitars has being making custom instruments since 1978 in the dry, mild climate of southwest Colorado.
The company’s Model P guitar gets its name from its parlor-guitar-sized body (“parlor” guitars were popular in the late 19th/early 20th century, when small social events often occurred in parlors where music was played; the instruments typically were small, inexpensive pieces). It has rosewood back and sides with a solid Sitka spruce top, a three-piece, dovetailed, set maple neck with a double-action, adjustable truss rod. Two graphite rods ensure stability, and the neck is topped with an ebony fingerboard. Other details include a slotted headstock, adorned with Gotoh tuners that give the guitar a classic look. The bridge is ebony, which gives a nice aesthetic matched to the ebony fingerboard. Its look is finished with a tortoise pickguard and classic binding and a nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
The Model P is quite small, even for a parlor guitar. Its upper bout measures 8.25″ inches, while the lower bout is 12.25″. Thickness at the heel is 35/8″. But at first strum, it’s apparent this little guitar has big attitude. An open G chord impresses with its low-end response and volume. Granted, it’s no Super Jumbo, as it does relay a bit of that boxy small-body tone, but still, many preconceptions about size fade as one becomes engulfed by the sound of this little guitar.
The Model P exhibits excellent craftsmanship, works very well for playing styles ranging from fingerpicking to chordal passages, and tracks very nicely in the studio.
If you’re into parlor or other types of small-body acoustics, you’ll want to check out this instrument. Beyond its cool appearance, it’s a convenient size for travel, offers dreamy playability, and sounds wonderful.
Cimarron Model P
Price: Starts at $2,500 ($2,700 as tested)
Contact: cimarronguitars.com
This article originally appeared in VG October 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
In addition to several significant shifts in style and presentation, for Fender, the transition of the late 1950s into the early ’60s represented a more concerted push into big-amp territory. Having introduced the 80-watt “high-powered” tweed 5F8 Twin (VG, March ’09) in ’58, this rapidly expanding Fullerton manufacturer sought another model to help take it more forcefully into the large dance halls and theaters in which the kids were congregating in greater and greater numbers to get jiggy to the new hormone-fueled music. Leo Fender had cut his teeth on the slightly tamer country-and-western scene of Southern California, but he needed a more-bombastic test bed for this ambitious new venture.
The West Coast’s burgeoning surf scene proved the perfect laboratory, and there was no better test pilot than the young Dick Dale, who was already pummeling his Strat through Fender creations in front of crowds at the Rendezvous Ballroom every weekend. What did Dale really need to take this live music experience over the top? He needed a Showman amplifier, and Fender was ready to burn the midnight oil to give it to him.
In blending the output stage of the high-powered tweed Twin and the preamp, tone stack, and tremolo effect of Fender’s first official Tolex-covered amp (the new Vibrasonic of 1959) the Showman was nothing entirely new. It was, however, Fender’s first piggyback amp, and therefore its first real leap from bandstand to arena stage. Also, it represented a depth of research and development that was perhaps more intense than that required by the majority of Fender’s new amplifier products, which were themselves no slouch in the R&D department.
Dick Dale has frequently spoken of his role in the development of the Showman, and boasts of having blown up nearly 50 amplifiers before Fender achieved a design that could take his heat. Whether or not the seminal surf guitarist exaggerates, his claims encompass the ambition of the Showman. The keys to creating the bigger, stronger, and louder amp required lay primarily in two major ingredients; a new output transformer (OT) and a new speaker cab design.
By the end of the “tweed era” of the ’50s, Fender had moved to Schumacher transformers for many of its amps. To make the Showman work, however, the company turned once again to Triad, and together they developed a super-robust OT with heavy iron for the kind of punch and tight low-end response this new Professional Series amp demanded. Often referred to as the “Dick Dale transformer,” this Triad unit (Fender part number 125A4A) helped give the new amp an abundance of girth.
The next requirement was to design a speaker cabinet that could take the wallop of four 6L6s through that mammoth OT. To do so, Fender put a lot more thought into the matter than the usual rectangular-box-with-speaker had ever required. The result – and the original partner to the Showman amp head – was an oversized closed-back cab with a 15″ speaker mounted on a “tone ring,” a circular metal mount attached to the rearmost of two wooden baffles. The system decoupled the driver from the front surface of the outer baffle, and served as a lens to focus and better project its sound.
A lot is made of Fender’s work with JBL to develop the ultimate driver for the Showman, and Dale frequently offered his two cents on the subject. But our example here is a very early pre-JBL Showman, loaded with a single Jensen P15N. This speaker, original to this amp-and-cab set, is an early-’59 model, alongside transformers with late-’59 date codes, so the amp is certainly among the earliest of Showmans built. Add it up, though, and you’re left with the slightly alarming fact that a speaker not rated to take the full power of the amplifier is indeed coupled to it – late-’50s P15Ns being rated at about 30 watts power handling, maybe 50 at most – but the enclosed cab does provide the speaker with cushioning air suspension, which could help keep it ticking longer. That said, this might just be one of the lucky amps that was spared the usual implosion wrought by Dale’s pounding surf riffage, and an exception to the rule that led Fender resolutely toward JBL. Available with two JBL speaker sizes in the early years as the Showman 12 and Showman 15, the amp would eventually go whole hog and receive a speaker cab that could sustain the fury. Around the time of the transition from brownface to blackface designs, Fender created a mammoth cab with two 15″ JBL D130F speakers, a rig that by 1963 would be known as the Dual Showman.
But let’s backtrack and examine our early-’60 Showman a little more closely. The impressive lineup of six preamp tubes along the back of the chassis tells us this Showman includes the beoved “harmonic vibrato,” a near-as-dammit emulation of true vibrato rather than mere amplitude-modulating tremolo, achieved by a circuit powered by two and a half preamp tubes (only one triode of the middle tube is used). It also retains the Presence control that would vanish by ’63. A look inside the chassis – which is every bit as pristine as its outside – shows a mix of the yellow Astron signal caps of the mid/late ’50s with a handful of the new blue Mallory “Molded” caps Fender used through much of the ’60s.
Like all Showmans, this early one has the solidstate rectification that helped make it bold, tight, and loud, and boasted heavy power filtering from a whopping set of electrolytic capacitors mounted in the “doghouse” on the underside of the chassis.
This half-century-old beauty marks both the small step Fender took from the tweed years of the ’50s to the guitar-boom Tolex years of the ’60s, and the company’s giant leap into the big-arena shows that would define rock for the coming decades. We can only be thankful that this is one Showman Mr. Dale apparently didn’t get his hands on.
This article originally appeared in VG October 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
For five decades after he built his first guitar amp in 1952, Jim Frenzel designed tube and solidstate equipment for the military, FAA, and Texas Instruments. But it wasn’t until 2001, after his retirement, that he returned to tube guitar amps.
Frenzel’s philosophy is pretty straightforward; he designs and builds amps that easily dial up “tones you know” while allowing room for customization. One prime example is his FM-DP1 Tube Preamp.
A dual-channel dedicated guitar preamp for stage and studio use, the FM-DP1 is part of Frenzel’s Inspired line and is designed to give classic tones inspired by vintage Fender- and Marshall-style amps with some of Frenzel’s modifications.
The preamp uses two 12AX7s with DC on the filaments to control noise. The first 12AX7 is wired as a dual-input preamp for the channels, labeled Type F and Type M. Each is then controlled by individual Gain controls. The second 12AX7 is wired as a common-voltage-type amplifier with a cathode follower to drive the tone stack. The three-band tone stack has knobs for Bass, Mid, and Treble, with an optional push/pull Deep Bass Boost switch (on the Bass knob) to capture more of a classic Bassman vibe. Add in a Master Gain knob and you have the basics for a very usable workhorse preamp.
The FM-DP1 is like all of Frenzel’s products in that it is hand-wired, with no printed circuit boards. A feature common in higher-priced boutique amps, here it’s a surprising addition. Another cool design feature is a trim knob on the rear panel for setting output gains.
Also cool is how the signal goes into the FM-DP1 as high-impedance and comes out low-impedance, which makes the preamp usable as an extra gain stage, to overdrive an amp, or as the front end of a recording rig.
Using a single-coil guitar plugged into the Type F input and with the FM-DP1 running into the power-amp section of a 40-watt open-back combo driving a Celestion Vintage 30, the tone was instantly recognizable – classic Bassman vibe, with an overall warmth that made notes full with just-right midrange snap. The Treble control dialed in pleasant-but-not-overbearing top-end. Players looking for a chimier tone may need to crank the Treble to get that extra bite from the Type F channel. Fortunately, it doesn’t produce much hiss when dimed.
Jazz and bass players should take notice of the optional Deep Bass Boost switch that can be added to the Bass control. In Type F, this helps the Frenzel morph into a full-figured rig with lots of low-end. Hollowbody guitars sound thunderous in the neck position, and basses capture the sort of old-school bass tone still used in numerous applications. There is no extra charge for this upgrade, so it’s a no-brainer.
The multiple personality of the FM-DP1 is made complete with the addition of the Type M channel. Here, the EQ section and voicing take on a new personality; mids and highs shimmer and the Gain control helps push the Frenzel to searing rock tones worthy of any stage. Humbucker-loaded solidbodies, in particular, take on the mass and girth of a classic amp.
Other than the lack of a LED power indicator, there’s little to complain about with the Frenzel FM-DP1. Its stripped-to-the-essentials, open-chassis design is great for dialing up the sounds of classic amps, for the same cost as certain boutique pedals.
This article originally appeared in VG April 2010 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Xaviere is a company that imports its guitars from China, sets them up in its Massachusetts shop, then sells direct.
The company’s XV-JT90 Offset Hybrid is a solidbody with a body shape reminiscent of a Jazzmaster, yet it has a bridge pickup more like you’d find on a Telecaster, making it more adaptable for everything from surf to twang. The Xaviere-branded GFS pickups are the Alnico Fatbody 10k in the bridge and a Mini Crunchy mini-humbucker in the neck. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard and graphite nut. It has 21 frets and a curvy, old-school radius of 71/2″. In that vein, the 251/2″-scale neck is pretty beefy, much like a vintage Fender – no skinny shred neck here. The body is alder, constructed of several laminated pieces.
The Xaviere XV-585 Chambered Mahogany Carved Top single-cutaway has a GFS Alnico VEH Zebra humbucker in the bridge and a Alnico Soapbar P90 pickup in the neck slot. Its mahogany neck has 22 frets on a rosewood fingerboard with 243/4″-scale and 12″ radius. The body is also mahogany, and has a chambered back and carved top – most likely, this is one of the most affordable guitars on the market with this kind of construction. Not surprisingly, the body is also very light, weighing a mere 6.2 pounds. And as with the XV-JT90, the bodies are constructed from several pieces of wood.
Plugged in, the guitars sound good, with both guitars displaying a useful mix of twangy and humbucker-ish tones. The necks were set up reasonably well, but there were some fretted-out notes on the XV-585 around the 17th fret. I also heard crackling when trying to engage the P-90 neck pickup with the three-position selector, suggesting a weak solder joint (the company does offer excellent customer service.) Ultimately, both guitars would be acceptable for younger players, though many pro bands also use them. They could also serve as a backup or one set up for slide. Considering their ultra-low prices, you might even look at them as a subject for your own guitar experiments, swapping out necks, pickups, tuners or whatever you have in mind.
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.
Players who love a hotrod Lincoln, a good drive-in, or a rocking retro guitar are familiar with Reverend Guitars, a brand that builds instruments that all but ooze vintage style mixed with modern amenities. And Reverend models like the Rumblefish have long been meeting the needs of session and touring bassists.
Reverend’s latest bass, the Thundergun, has the heart of a classic… or three! Its body has raised center sections (in probable homage to Gibson’s Thunderbird), while its five piece korina/walnut neck is glued to the body, its medium-oval-shaped 2″-radius neck is fat enough for players more into a Fender Precision, but fast enough for fans of the Jazz Bass, and its tilted/reverse headstock adds flair. Binding and block inlays add bling to its rosewood fingerboard.
The Thundergun is more than a hip T-bird-inspired beast. Its pickups – Reverend’s Thick Brick in the bridge and Split Brick in the neck – will have your eyes telling you to expect P-Bass-/Music Man-type tones. And its control palette, with knobs for Volume, Tone, and a pickup-pan, hint this is a serious workhorse.
Our test bass had Reverend’s Vintage Clear finish, which is one of three finish options (with Black and Cherry) and looked stellar, its amber tint accentuating the Korina body. The black pickguard and matching headstock nicely round out the overall look.
Of course, finish and construction is irrelevant if an instrument can’t deliver, sonically, and the Thundergun doesn’t disappoint. Its pickup configuration may seem odd at first, but really, it nicely fills a niche. The approach adds oomph and attack the standard P/J setup. A nice touch would have been the push/pull control Reverend normally uses with the Thick Brick. Reverend’s versions of these pickups are passive, an interesting choice. Their overall tone has a vintage warmth and depth, but with plenty of definition for more-modern styles. The Split Brick has a stronger ’70s/P-Bass vibe, partly because Korina is a brighter-sounding wood. On our test run, it worked great both live and in the studio, playing various styles and genres. The pickup-pan blend was a great choice, too, since blending in just a taste of the Thick Brick gives extra grit that worked well for picked lines, and especially overdriven parts.
The Thick Brick is a slappers delight, though that form isn’t the first thing you think about looking at the Thundergun. Being passive, it tends to not have the overwhelming high-end tonal response associated with summarily styled pickups, and is more open-sounding than some.
The Thundergun shines most brightly when it comes to sheer playability, thanks mostly to its body shape. The neck is plenty fast for solo players, yet retains the girth low-slingers love. Access is great all the way up the fingerboard, and those with advanced techniques can use the Thundergun in a variety of situations with virtually no limitations.
In all, the Thundergun plays very well, looks awesome, and sounds killer.
This article originally appeared in VG September 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Blackstar Amplification is known for its successful Artisan, Series One, and HT amp lines. Its new HT effects line includes boxes for delay, reverb, modulation, distortion, drive, and boost.
All pedals in the series use a heavy-duty 6.25″ x 4.75″ x 2.25″ die-cast chassis with top-mounted controls, side-mounted 1/4″ jacks, tube window, on/off stompswitch with LED indicator, 16-volt power supply, and 12AX7/EC83 tubes. A 1/4″ speaker-emulated output jack sends signal to a mixer or recording device without having to mic a speaker cabinet.
Blackstar sent the HT line’s three overdrive/distortion pedals, which we put to the test with help from a Gibson Les Paul Standard plugged into a DST Marwatt (12AX7/EL84) 2×12″ combo with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
Placed atop the food chain is the HT-Distortion, which has controls for Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Level, and Blackstar’s Infinite Shape Feature (I.S.F.) controls, a highly adjustable tone shift that changes the characteristics of the Bass, Middle, and Treble. The HT-Distortion offers massive gain that is butter-smooth and thick as a brick, nearly infinite sustain that morphs into nice, controllable feedback, even at lower volumes. I.S.F. does a great job moving the center frequencies of the Bass, Middle and Treble controls from tight and bitey to smooth and scooped, allowing for a variety of distortion sounds. All three tone controls are well-voiced; the Bass adds tight, thumpy lows, Middle adds sweet, smooth overtones, and Treble keeps the crispness in check. Unlike other pedals with tubes that are more about window dressing than tone, the HTs’ EC83s work like they do in an amp – producing a lot of dynamic valve harmonics and overtones.
The HT-Drive has controls for Gain, Tone, and Level, while the HT-Boost has Boost, Bass, and Treble, as well as High and Low output jacks that cater to whatever is being plugging into it – other pedals that don’t want a ton of gain or the front end of a valve amp that likes to be pushed hard. As you step down the HT food chain, gain and tonal control options decrease, as well, but still offer better-than-average performance with the same thick, smooth valve overtones. While the HT-Drive sports only a single Treble tone control, it cuts a big swath over the high-frequency response, tailoring the aggressiveness of the overdrive.
The HT-Boost’s active Bass and Treble controls are well-voiced and allow for boosting and cutting of highs and lows, or are taken out of the circuit in their center positions.
Plugged directly into a pair of JBL Control reference monitors, the Speaker Emulated output jacks on the HT-Distortion and HT-Drive worked very well, with thick, natural tones. Blackstar uses a 300-volt circuit in all three HT pedals that gives a warm valve tone, even if dialed down for a clean sound.
The Blackstar HT Series pedals offer a boatload of smooth, thick gain, flexibility, and real valve tone and dynamics.
This article originally appeared in VG August 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Fender “tweed” guitar amplifiers – the Twin, Deluxe, Bassman, Champ, etc., from the 1950s – are the most sought after amps in the annals of guitardom.
Whether it is Leo’s legendary circuit design, their tweed covering, top-mounted controls, or just killer tone, the “tweed” amp is a true industry standard that has been copied, reissued, and modified by major manufactures (i.e. Fender, Peavey, Carvin.) and boutique builders alike. And today, the values of vintage Fender tweed amps simply put them out of the reach of many players.
Fender’s new reissue ’57 Twin Amp and ’57 Deluxe are built just like they were when Leo was at the helm – with hand-wired/point-to-point circuits on eyelet boards, finger-jointed pine cabinets, lacquered tweed covering, and Alnico-magnet speakers. The ’57 Deluxe has two channels (one Mic, one Instrument) each with two 1/4” jacks and individual Volume controls, as well as a master Tone control and power/standby switches. The Deluxe’s late-’50s 5E3 circuit uses a matched pair of Groove Tube 6V6 power tubes producing 12 watts, a 5Y3 rectifier tube, two high-gain 12AX7 preamp tubes, and a original-spec Jensen P-12Q 12” Alnico speaker. The ’57 Twin also has two channels, one bright and one normal each with two 1/4” jacks and individual Volume controls, as well as passive master Bass and Treble tone controls, a Presence control, and power/standby switches. Valve and speaker layout in the Twin includes a pair of 5U4 rectifier tubes, a matched pair of Groove Tubes 6L6GEs producing 40 watts, four 12AX7 preamp tubes, and two Ted Weber-designed Fender 12” Alnico speakers.
Fender ’57 Twin Amp
With a Fender Custom Shop Robert Cray Stratocaster and a humbucker-loaded Guild Bluesbird, the ’57 Deluxe offers up a bright, full tone with a very generous serving of musical overtones. The simple, straightforward single Volume and Tone layout allow both guitars’ personalities to shine, with chiming bell tone from the Strat and a lush, fat, articulate humbucker sound from the Bluesbird. This is one of those amps where a reverb circuit isn’t really missed; the thick, saturated sound of the amp needs no help, as its lively, midrange response and clear top-end are very well-balanced. The amp started to break up nicely about halfway on the Volume control, and rolled into a smooth, crunchy overdrive as it heads to full volume. The amp responds well to pick attack and changes in the guitar’s volume controls, making it easy to clean up the sound right at the guitar.
The Deluxe’s combination of light weight (it goes about 25 pounds) and big sound make it an ideal choice for studio work or small-to-medium gigs.
Fender ’57 Deluxe
Plugged into the Bright channel of the Twin, the Cray produced a shimmering classic Fender-6L6 clean tone with thick, round bottom and crisp highs. It took very little tweaking to find the sweet spots using the amp’s Bass, Treble and Presence knobs. The well-voiced passive tone controls, along with Presence and the Normal/Bright inputs, make it easy to dial in great, natural sounds, whether you play single-coils or humbuckers.
The ’57 Twin is a real powerhouse, with a loud, full clean sound and a thick, harmonically rich overdrive sound, especially with a high-quality overdrive pedal in front of it.
