Tag: features

For 25 years, Jon Kammerer has been on an evolving pursuit to design a comfortable guitar with superior tone and playability. His designs employ eye-catching body shapes and his new Tone Pod Series of interchangeable pickups lets the user tailor their sound.

The Tone Pod concept is a throwback to the late-’60s Ampeg “see-through” guitars created by Dan Armstrong. Kammerer’s version ships with two pickup sets chosen by the player; options include the Seymour Duncan Jazz neck and JB bridge, Vaughn Skow Massive Passive Hot Set, Skow 52 Velvet Tele Custom Coil-Tapped, Seymour Duncan 59 set, Kent Armstrong Custom Series Grinder Super High Output set, Skow Custom P-90s, and a Skow Filtertron Kammerer Custom. At customer request, pods can be matched to the body or fretboard.

 

The Scorpius Deluxe guitar is available as a solidbody or with chambers. It has a red heartwood top and a hard maple back. The C-shaped neck is bookmatched maple and has a compound-radius (12″-16″) ebony fretboard (with medium frets and mother-of-pearl markers), Gotoh bridge, locking tuners, and a Graph Tech nut. It’s incredibly comfortable to play, and our test model shipped with the Skow Filtertron Kammerer Custom and Duncan 59 and JB pickup sets. With the former installed and running through Fender and Marshall combos, it produced an airy resonance with woody overtones. The neck yielded effortless chording and easy access to higher frets. Overall, the guitar’s light weight, slim body, and smooth neck make it a serious performer’s axe.

The Tone Pods, of course, offer the ability to hear different pickups, and swapping them (done from the back) is a breeze. All options bring something unique, and it’s easy to dial up a tasty assortment of texture, sizzle, and density thanks to the differences in output, EQ, density, and tonal aesthetics. Specifically, the Duncan 59/JB set in the test guitar supplied chunkiness and muscle that stood obviously apart from the breeziness of the Skow Filtertrons.

In a live setting, the Scorpius Deluxe could make for a handy Swiss Army Knife of tones, but no matter how employed, it’s a solid platform on which players can create their own voice.

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This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

In the mid ’80s, Swiss multi-instrumentalist Stephan Schertler decided to follow his passion for electronics and created the Schertler brand of pro audio products. Realizing the demand for small but professional studio/practice amps, Schertler’s high end acoustic guitar amp designs were quickly praised by players around the globe. The Giulia X Acoustic combo may be the smallest amp in Schertler’s current lineup but the sound is far beyond what you would expect.

Our test amplifier is a compact, 70-watt/two-channel solid state combo with XLR mic input (with 24-volt phantom power), 1/4″ input with switchable 10-volt power, Master Volume, and DI out. The three-band EQ, Reverb and Warm switch are universal. There’s also independent Gain controls for each channel and an effects insert.

With a Taylor 214CE plugged in, the Giulia’s EQ and Gain readily dialed-in a clear, balanced tone with a touch of warmth. Its two-way speaker (1.5″ tweeter, 5.5″ woofer) and ported bass-reflex design exuded a big sound capable of filling a much larger room than you would expect from such a small amp. Tones were musical, vibrant and spacious, especially with a touch of reverb. With an SM58 plugged in, dialing-in good vocal and guitar tone was a challenge with the shared EQ, and we got better results by dialing-in the mic, and using the Taylor’s onboard EQ to fine-tune its sound. With the Warm switch engaged, highs are rolled off considerably with more pronounced lows and mids. This could be useful for acoustic bass or overly bright guitars.

The Giulia X is a compact, full-featured amp with just enough volume for small gigs, but excels as a high-end practice/studio amp. With the DI going to a PA, it could be played on any stage or venue with world-class tone.

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This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Forty-odd years beyond when AC/DC first hit American airwaves, the band still inspires multitudes of guitarists with intoxicating riffs, mesmerizing grooves, and a head-banging blues-adjacent ethos.

Much of the power behind the original group was rhythm guitarist/co-founder Malcolm Young, who passed away in 2017. Gretsch is honoring him with its new G6131G-MY-RB Limited Edition Signature Jet. Nicknamed “The Red Beast,” it pays tribute to Malcolm, his rock-steady rhythm playing, and his trusty ’63 Gretsch Jet Firebird.

Designed in collaboration with Malcolm’s nephew, Stevie Young, the Red Beast reflects the earliest version of Malcolm’s guitar, used in the studio and onstage from 1973 to ’75, before he started modifying it (guitarhead fans know that eventually those mods gave a unique look).

Made in Japan, the Red Beast is a 2″-deep double-cut in Vintage Firebird Red with a mahogany body and maple top. Its set mahogany neck has a standard U shape with 12″ radius, 22 jumbo frets, bone nut, ebony fretboard, and 24.6″ scale length. It’s a beautiful reproduction that includes aged neck binding, body binding, and inlays. The pickups are TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity near the bridge and neck positions, and a TV Jones Ray Butts Starwood Humbucker in the middle. There are individual Volume controls, a Master volume, three-position Standby switch, three-position pickup toggle, and a three-position Tone control. Touches include an Adjusto-Matic bridge, black pickguard, and gold hardware.

The Red Beast delivers the raw sound (and nuances) that AC/DC guitar aficionados appreciate when they drop the needle on High Voltage, ,Let There Be Rock and other early classics. It’s a lively, acoustically resonant instrument even without an amp, and sits comfortably seated or with a strap. The chambered body, in cahoots with the breathy sound of the TV Jones pickups, yields a rugged-yet-airy quality one cannot achieve with a PAF Les Paul or Strat. It’s also sonically in line with the classic Gretsch sound and feel; through a distorted amp, guitarists can easily achieve Malcolm’s prized rhythm tone. While sussing the Volume and Pickup controls might take a minute, plugging in will nail the guitar sound that launched a million bands. Power chords project unfettered, with meaty substance, grit, old-school flavor, and sustain, while single-note lines produce a retro ambiance, thickness, and attitude, perfect for everything from rockabilly, blues, jazz, or your local AC/DC tribute band.

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This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

The EHX String9 String Ensemble lets guitar players create electronic-string sounds, in full polyphony and without requiring a special pickup – just plug in and you’re on your way to orchestral maneuvers.

Like other pedals in EHX’s 9 series, the String Ensemble has nine pre-sets offering variations on the theme. There are independent Volumes for the Draya guitar signal and wet Effect level, while Control 1 and 2 let you tweak parameters for each preset. There’s also a Dry output to maintain unaffected guitar tone, as well as three Freeze functions that mimic holding keys down indefinitely.

Among the famous sounds and keyboards replicated are Symphonic (lush strings), June-O (’80s strings), Floppy (think Mellotron), and AARP (polyphonic synth with built-in phase shifter). The three freeze options are especially cool, furthering the potential for expression; playing technique is important, as clean fretting and a crisp picking attack will make the String9 sound substantially better.

Sonically, the String9 reflects some of the lo-fi aspects of vintage string keyboards, but that’s historically accurate – even the iconic Mellotron was rather noisy. For several pre-sets, it’s worthwhile to increase Dry volume and mix it with the strings, which gives a bigger, better tone.

If you like proggy strings, EHX’s String9 could be an indispensable part of your pedalboard – and you could fire your keyboardist!

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This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

In a sea of inexpensive, feature-laden digital modeling amps, Fender is doubling down on its simple all-tube Pro Junior IV with a new SE version that increases control while lowering the price.

A first impression of the Pro Junior IV SE starts with remarkably sturdy construction for an amp in this price range, from its 3/4″ particleboard cab to the black tolex and aged silver grillecloth. The circuit board is neatly laid out with space between components, with the tubes separated altogether (to prevent their heat from causing damage) and nestled in a protective metal cage; power tubes held in place with high-quality retainers. The transformer is beefy for a 15-watt amp, and the handle could lift four amps of this size and weight at one time.

With the new SE, Fender set its sights on improving the Pro Junior’s progression of breakup and keeping low-end tight when the amp is overdriven. Using traditional Strat single-coils, the amp’s sound stayed fairly clean with the Volume control up to 6 (max is 12). From there, it broke up very gradually, making it remarkably easy to dial in a tasty amount of overdrive or distortion. The two Groove Tubes 12AX7 preamp tubes and two GT EL84 power tubes and 10″ speaker are fairly loud for a 15-watter, and offer all the chime and midrange scoop that are Fender’s trademarks. Even at the upper ranges on the Volume knob, low-end was flub-free.

The Pro Junior has been one of Fender’s most popular amplifiers since its introduction in 1993, and the Pro Junior IV SE, at $100 less than the tweed-covered model, is the most functional – yet cost-effective – version yet offered.

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This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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