Engl Thunder 50
A powerful mini stack from the home of BMW and Mercedes
Engl…a tribute to Englebert Humperdinck per chance?
An unsettling obsession with David Hasselhoff aside, German musical tastes aren’t quite that bizarre. We seriously doubt it’s a reference to the perma-tanned, moustachioed crooner. Certainly, the sound this amp produces has no place in MOR – it rocks! Engl may not be too well known in this country, but the company’s been making amps in its native Germany for some time now, picking up some prestigious users along the way (notably, Ritchie Blackmore, who has a signature model).
The Thunder 50 is a solidly built 50-watt all-valve guitar head, which in this instance is paired with an equally solid 2×12 cabinet to make a funky-looking mini stack. That particular combination is not set in stone, however, as the 50 head has speaker output connections that allow it to be used with plenty other types of cab. There are two sets of speaker outputs: parallel 8 ohm output jacks for connecting one 8 ohm cab or two 16 ohm cabs, and two jacks at 16 ohms connected in series to accommodate one 16 ohm cab or two 8ohm cabs. There’s also a 1×12 combo version of the Thunder that comes equipped with reverb.
What do you mean by solidly built?
Brick shithouse, mate! Quality Teutonic workmanship. The wooden cabinets are made of thick birch ply, and protection at the front for the valves and the speakers is by a chunky basket-woven metal grille. If Mr Townshend were to try to clobber the speaker cones in this one he’d turn his Strat into matchwood before leaving as much as a scratch on the grille.
Is it a twin-channel amp then?
Well it’s more of a three-channel jobbie. There are lead, crunch and clean channels, all of which utilise the common bass middle and treble knobs, with a master volume switch setting the overall output level. Right at the front of the circuit is the gain knob which adjusts the input sensitivity and effectively sets the volume of the clean channel. Then there are separate volume knobs for the crunch channel and the lead channel which is great for setting the relative signal boost when you kick in with a solo. When the lead or crunch channel is active the gain knob serves to control the amount of preamp distortion.
Switching between channels (in the absence of a footswitch) is undertaken by a pair of front-panel push switches that work in conjunction.
The clean/lead switch (equipped with a red LED to show its status) either switches between the clean and lead channels or between the clean and crunch channels, depending on the position of the crunch/lead switch. If that sounds confusing, think of it is as a two-channel amp with a clean and distortion channel, the distortion channel having two switchable modes: lead and crunch.
Although the front-panel switches allow easy setting up of sounds, no-one’s realistically going to use them at a gig. In a live situation a footswitch is a practical necessity and Engl’s double footswitch does allow you to switch between clean, crunch and lead sounds with ease. Unfortunately, Engl only supplies one as an optional extra and, although it’s well-built, at �65, it ain’t exactly cheap.
What about connecting my effects?
If you don’t want to plug them between
guitar and amp – or want to place your time-based effects (eg, delay, phaser) in their own separate chain – there’s an effects loop between pre and power amp stages with send and return jack connections on the back panel of the head and a balance knob that can blend in the amount of effects signal in parallel with the pure amp signal. At one extreme of the knob’s travel you get the dry amp signal only, while at the other extreme the whole signal passes through the effects.
So does it sound any good?
Oh yes, there’s nothing like a warmed-up valve amp at full throttle and this one certainly does the business, seemingly capable of pumping out both familiar vintage-style sounds and those of a more modern tonality. This is a great amp for rock and metal with all shades of distortion available in the crunch and lead channels, but it also has a lovely clean tone that begins to dirty up ever so nicely with the gain knob turned up.
The crunch channel is ideal for cranking out chordal rhythms and riffs and can provide some stinging lead tones while the lead channel takes things one stage further for some sustaining single-note stuff and fully saturated chords. Oh, and it’s loud.
Is it for me?
Could be. The Thunder 50 and 2×12 is a cool combination for gigging and provides plenty of versatility in a recording situation.
Vox Valvetronix AD60VT
Looks like half an AC30…
Sure does, you can spot that classic Vox styling a mile off. It might look like half an AC30, but in fact there are two AC30s in there: a standard and a top boost model, plus two AC15s. Not the real things, you understand, but digitally modelled emulations of them along with 12 other modelled amps. The Valvetronix AD60VT (along with its bigger brother, the AD120VT) couples parent company Korg’s state of the art REMS digital modelling technology with Vox’s guitar amp expertise resulting in a neat combo with a valve in the power stage pushing out up to 60 watts through a 12-inch Celestion speaker.
60 watts with just one valve? No way!
Well, the valve is used as a push/pull power amp that puts out about one watt, but that’s then further amplified through a solid-state ‘variamp’ power circuit unique to Vox. Without getting swamped in all the technical details, the whole setup is designed to produce a greater dynamic range than you’d find in a more conventional solid-state amp or digital modelling unit and create more of the tactile playing experience you’d find in an all-valve amp. What’s more, there’s a switch on the back panel which allows you to choose your output level from 1, 15, 30 or the maximum 60 watts, so you can push the amp at lower volumes and use it for a bit of quiet practice as well as for gigs. For really quiet practice there’s a headphones socket.
So am I stuck with preset sounds or can I dial up my own?
You get the best of both worlds with the Valvetronix. Every aspect of the amp is controlled from the knobs and switches on the top panel, but whatever sound you dial up using these can be saved as a patch and recalled. There are 32 patches in eight banks of four, all of which have been preprogrammed by Vox with a killer range of tones that cover loads of styles based on the signature sounds of many famous players. Every one of these, however, can be overwritten with your own edits. If you don’t want to use the preset sounds you can simply flick the amp into Manual mode and twiddle the knobs to your heart’s content.
Besides the Vox amps what others are modelled?
Oh, all the usual suspects. There’s a 16-way switch that selects from various Fenders and Marshalls plus a Rectifier, Soldano, and a couple of Dumbles (Californian boutique amps you’d have to take out a mortgage on). The models do sound close to the real thing and there’s plenty more control available in the form of gain, volume, treble, middle, bass and presence knobs.
If it uses digital modelling, there must be effects on board.
Yup, this amp’s got the lot. There are two effects sections really. The first is the pedal effect that comes before the preamp and the second is a virtual effects loop between preamp and power amp that covers, in three sections, a range of modulation effects, delay and reverb. All the effects have adjustable parameters.
The pedal effects are selected using a rotary switch and include compressor, acoustic guitar simulation, octave divider, treble boost, pedal wah and auto wah, univibe, fuzz and a pair of overdrives modelled on a Tube Screamer and a Rat.
In the virtual effects loop you can select modulation effects from a choice of tremolo, flanger, chorus, rotary speaker, phaser, add in either spring, plate or room style reverb and choose straight digital delay or a simulation of a single head or multiple head tape echo. In addition to all this there’s a real rear panel effects loop where you can add more (external) effects of your own.
It’s okay having all those effects, but how do I switch them onstage?
Well, there’s three choices: you can take your hands off your guitar momentarily to switch things (risky), you can train a helper monkey to do the switching for you (possibly illegal), or you can buy the optional VC4 foot controller. The VC4 is essential really if you intend to use the amp onstage. It’s got a treadle for controlling the wah, univibe speed or modulation effects speed and a bunch of switches for either switching patches or turning the individual effects on and off.
So do I trade in my amp and stompboxes for a Valvetronix now?
This may just be the do-it-all amp you’ve been waiting for. There’s a whole world of sounds available from this versatile combo, making it ideal for recording (directly through the line output if needed), practising and gigging. Try one out and see if you’re not impressed.
Recording Guitarist: Becoming Self-Reliant
by Jon Chappell
Last month we talked about getting that clean country sound: bright, tight, and spanky. This month, I’ll detail just what can happen to your sound–or any sound–when it’s set up in isolation and brought out into the real world. I’ll also relate some warnings about using gear in your own studio versus someone else’s.
First of all, I’ve discovered that as a recording guitarist, you’re expected to have your sound together effects-wise. That may seem obvious for things like distortion and flangers, but not so obvious for things like EQ and reverb. Many engineers will tell you to leave off your crappy-sounding reverb because they’ve got a much better one, and besides, they don’t want to “print” with effects. That’s legitimate, except if you’ve tailored a reverb to be an integral part of your sound. Then it’s necessary to have a discussion with the engineer to make sure you understand each other.
EQ is an even dicier situation because engineers don’t usually see it as an effect, but as a means to correct deficiencies in the instrument itself, or to better highlight a signal in the mix. If you start telling the engineer how to set the knobs on his board in the control room from your chair out in the studio, you are exhibiting chutzpah bordering on arrogance. Better to put a graphic or parametric EQ in-line than to tell the engineer how to use his own gear. Have your sound together so that when it hits the board with the EQ flat, it sounds exactly like you’d expect. Any corrective measures from the board are for “big picture” considerations, not because you gave the control room a dull and lackluster guitar signal. As usual, I came to this knowledge the hard way.
Since I was used to recording in my own studio, I would cavalierly change whatever element I wanted, because I owned the board (and the room) as well as the guitar gear. Not enough highs? Just turn a board knob to get back some sizzle. Too much trouble to bend over the stompbox or enter the multieffect’s edit menu. Well, I don’t do that anymore. I realized that while my guitar gear traveled with me, my board did not. And every board has its own character, especially with regard to EQ. Even if you nominally dial in the same parameters on another board, you can never be guaranteed the same sound.
After I had recorded all the tracks for my country riffs book and CD project (discussed in detail last month), I decided to mix at my friend’s studio. I did this for two reasons. One, he had better gear than I did. We’d use his near-field monitors, his reverb, his compressor. The second reason was that I wanted to use not only my friend’s gear but his ears. I trust him implicitly anyway, but especially with regard to my own stuff where I’ve (by now) lost all objectivity. I always worry about creating something from start to finish in a vacuum. I was pretty sure I had recorded everything so that with the faders at zero, the EQ flat, and a touch of ambient reverb sitting on top, I would be 95 percent there.
Boy, was I wrong. To my horror, the lead on the first cut–a medium tempo ballad with lots of bends–was out of time. Out of time! I was extremely embarrassed, to say the least. Because I had my gear with me, my friend said, “No biggie, just set up and re-record it. I’ll run the board and we’ll have it done in a jiffy.” Trouble was, we couldn’t match my sound to the tone in cut #2. We even matched the EQ on his board to what I had on mine, but it didn’t work because my friend’s board (being a better one) had a subtler EQ effect, and no attempt we made could nail the original. We decided there was something “extra” going on in my board’s EQ and pre-amp that gave my sound a “sizzle.” Because I had employed the one “effect” that I didn’t bring–my mixing board–we couldn’t match the lead sound. I began to despair.
We ended up solving the problem by having me run home, unhook my board, and bring it back to the studio. It worked. We joked around about how I should put the mixer in my stompbox chain and bring it to club dates with tiny stages. This was not so absurd as it first seemed, though, when we realized that many guitarists–including Eric Johnson, who works with an old Neve console–will go through a board just to use the mic pre-amps.
There’s an old saying that goes: “If you learn by your mistakes, then I must be Einstein.” But in this situation I did learn two valuable lessons. I learned to get my sound from my gear and not to rely on a board, which I used to think of as a neutral element in the signal chain. I also learned that better equipment does not necessarily make better sound. My board of inferior quality actually made my guitar sound better than the higher-quality board, even though we finally concluded it was because of distortion. All of which proves–again–that you must go by your ears and not by the spec sheet.
Taken from June 1997 issue of Guitar Mag
Introduction of the Gibson Goldtone
Musical Instruments has looked to the past — the 1950’s , to develop the new Gibson Goldtone Series. The Gibson Goldtone amps are faithful reproductions of the Gibson “S” Amplifiers from the 1950’s, which set the standard for versatility, quality and sound. They utilize true, Class A all-tube technology with the celebrated 12AX7 preamp tubes, EL84’s in the power amp, and the ultimate in contemporary guitar amplifier design.
“When they were introduced in the 1950’s, Gibson amps set the whole standard,” says Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. “If you listened to rock, jazz, country or blues at that time, chances are that it was being played through a Gibson “S” amp. We are excited to reintroduce the Gibson amplifier, and are extremely proud of this Goldtone Series.”
The new series includes the GA-15 (15 watts Class A; 10 inch Celestion Vintage speaker; bright switch), the GA-15RV (15 watts Class A; 12 inch Celestion Vintage speaker; Triode/Pentode switch; Accutronics reverb; bright switch), and the stereo combo GA-30RVS (15 watts per side, dual 12 inch Celestion Vintage speakers; Accutronics reverb, stereo effects loop; stereo external speaker out; footswitchable gain boost; bright switch). Each amplifier is handcrafted in the U.K. and features a striking gold metallic grill and brown leatherette finish.
What is Class A? With Class A the full electrical current passes through the tubes, whereas with other classes, only a small portion actually goes through the tubes. The resulting sound is breathtakingly rich in harmonic content, warmth and sweetness. Even the distortion is musical. It is a harmonic distortion created by the tubes and Class A design.
And don’t be confused by the low wattage, a requirement of the Class A technology. Aside from their unbelievable tone, these amps are real powerhouses. Add an extension cabinet and look out.
Gibson Goldtone FAQ
Q. What kind of speakers are in there?
A. Celestion Vintage 10 and Celestion Vintage 30 for the 10″ and 12″ amplifiers, respectively.
Q. What does the triode / pentode switch do?
A. This switch shuts off the screen grid in the power tube. Changing the EL84 from a pentode to a triode. This allows distortion to be introduced into the signal more quickly.
Q. Is 15 watts enough to do gigs with? (referring to the GA-15 and GA-30RV)
A. Absolutely, this amplifier is modestly rated at 15 watts RMS and is voiced specifically to “cut through” when being used in a live situation.
Q. What kind of tubes are in there?
A. 12AX7’s in the preamp and EL84’s (6BQ5’s) in the power amp.
Q. If I choose to use an extension speaker, will the internal speaker be disabled?
A. Yes.
Q. What is meant by, ” Class A “?
A. Class A amplifiers are biased so that their tubes are drawing full current without any signal being applied to them (unlike class AB). The power tubes will also conduct 360 degrees of the signal without resting (unlike class AB). The result is a sweet sounding amplifier very rich in harmonic content especially at higher volumes.
Vox Cambridge 30 Guitar Combo
Who would have guessed that when accordion playing music store owner Tom Jennings and electronics whizz Dick Denny gave birth to the first Vox guitar amp at the tail end of the fifties that they’d end up defining the sound of an era. More recently, the Brit sound – with bands like Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene and Cast – has renewed the excitement of that sound used by the Beatles, Stones and The Shadows in the sixties.
But not everyone can stomach the expense of a genuine AC30 re-issue. With this in mind, a new series of Korean-made Vox combos have evolved. The range includes the dinky Pathfinder and Cambridge 15 which are now joined by this pair: the Cambridge 30 Reverb and T25 bass amp. They’re loosely based on Vox models of yesteryear, but with more than a few changes, for the better.
Cambridge 30 Reverb
This combo’s half-closed MDF cabinet is neatly covered in authentic basket-weave vinyl but unlike the AC30 that it stylistically apes, the combo has no corner protection, just rubber. But a combo of this type is likely to be carted around a mate’s house and rehearsal rooms so it could do with being a bit tougher.
Behind the dapper, diamond speaker-cloth and sexy gold and white piping lies a custom designed, 10-inch Celestion Bulldog speaker. Dr Decibel, Celestion’s technical guru, said: The speaker was built exclusively for Vox, and designed for the new Cambridge amp.
The original sample was made when the amp chassis was still on the engineer’s desk, and then the amp and speaker were fine- tuned together.”
If you’ve never played a Vox amp before, the first thing you have to get used to are the topsy-turvy knobs. With the amp facing you, the maroon control panel is upside down. The single input, now to your right, is logically positioned next to the clean channel controls of volume, treble and bass. For channel selection, a push button sits before the drive channel – it can also be remotely operated via a footswitch.
The drive channel features just gain, gain boost, treble, mid-range boost, bass and finally volume control.
Both channels enjoy the in-built tremolo effect which you can dial in via the self-explanatory speed and depth controls. With just a reverb knob, a footswitch jack and the power switch remaining, the top panel is hardly likely to induce techno-fear.
As well as the top panel features, the Cambridge’s studio and stage prowess is enhanced by a quartet of jacks on the rear.
A headphone socket, eight ohm speaker output and line output cover practice, recording and stage applications while a second footswitch jack improves the Vox’s versatility, allowing on/off control of reverb and gain boost. A handy extra if you want complete control over all of the Cambridge’s features.
Sounds
Here is an amp caught in a sonic time-warp. Firstly, the clean sound is just beautiful, the Celestion Bulldog speaks eloquent and with an accent that is unmistakably Vox. It’s warm, full, rich, punchy and responsive all at once – and clean. It can give your rhythm playing anything from funky finesse to thick crunchy overdrive as you crank the volume beyond halfway. The tremolo effect – which has the pleasant by-product of fading to a harmonic – like the clean channel, is generally very musical, incapable of producing a nasty tone even with extreme settings.
The drive channel does a perfect Paul Weller, a great Peter Green and has blues tones on tap from the three Kings to Robben Ford, especially with that midrange boost in. The gain boost elicits a fuzz-tone which is sublimely smooth and services both Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page sounds well.
At just a snip over £200 the Cambridge 30 Reverb is bound to find its way not just into first-time-buyers’ bedrooms, but also into the music rooms of players hankering for nostalgia. It would make a great living-room amp for the guitarist with everything, and almost sounds like it’s Vox-full of toasty tubes despite having just a single 12AX7 preamp valve.
We liked everything about this combo from its style and portability to the surprisingly authentic sounds and ease of use. It’s not exactly a powerhouse in the volume stakes, but it can comfortably handle practice, smaller rehearsal situations and intimate performances. The Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb is guitar amplification with character at an exceptionally good price.
Orange AD30TC & AD140TC Amplifiers
It’s thanks largely to bands like Oasis and Manic Street Preachers who use them live, as well as relying on the amps’ cool stylings to add visual impact to videos and TV appearances that make the Orange amplifiers so popular. And beauty is more than skin deep where these amps are concerned. With brick outhouse build quality, Orange have an uncompromising approach to design and sound that makes them just as ’boutique’ as USA exotica like Bogner or Soldano.
One of Orange’s key features has always been their relative simplicity. But, sometimes, one channel just ain’t enough. So to tempt those of you who like to see at least one button on the floor that you can prod with a size nine, here’s the new twin channel range which made its debut earlier this year.
Apart from the lettering on the front panel, there’s no way to tell these amps apart unless you look around the back, or pick them up.
The AD30TC is based on the fabulous Class A valve-rectified AD30 circuit, which we’ve tested in reverb combo format and think is absolutely the biz for any pub/club player who wants that Britpop sound and more, in an eardrum-friendly and portable (by Orange standards) package.
The AD140TC is the dual channel version of the awesome (and we use the word advisedly) Custom Shop AD140 head – again tested by us a few months back – which delivers classic Orange sound at huge volume levels. There’s no valve rectifier on this one – it’s silicon for reliability and maximum dynamic range – but the four EL34 power valves are coupled to the biggest transformers we’ve ever seen on a guitar amp. And those enormous hunks of iron make the AD140TC, and the single-channel version, not only two of the loudest, but also the heaviest heads we’ve ever seen.
Definitely not for shrinking violets, this amp can deliver positively painful volume levels in smaller enclosed spaces. But for the lucky few who play the world’s biggest stages, it’s a dream come true. It’s capable of massive clean headroom and jaw-dropping dynamic punch – we really weren’t kidding about the AD140’s ability to set off car alarms at close range.
These differences aside, both TCs (which stands for Twin Channel in case you haven’t already guessed) have identical preamp stages with two sets of gain, bass, mid, treble and master volume knobs. A third toggle switch next to the mains and standby switches selects either channel with the usual satisfying mechanical ‘clunk’ that tells you it’s an Orange.
A minor disappointment is the lack of oversized gain and master volume knobs, which are another Orange trademark. However, although the front panel runs the full height and width of the cabinet, the chassis is conventionally dimensioned and space limitations mean there’s no room for them. Okay, it’s a small point, but Orange is about style just as much as anything else, and those big dials make a strong visual impact, as well as being easy to turn in a hurry.
The classic Orange styling continues on the back panels too. There are heavy-duty louvred steel grilles to protect the glassware from prying fingers – or crowbars, for that matter. Behind these, the orange powder-coated chassis are fitted with internal chrome grab handles – a real boon on the very heavy AD140. Functionally, there’s a jack for the footswitch, along with a choice of speaker outlets – the AD140TC also gets a slave output.
Both cabinets are perfectly built and covered. The two rows of gold piping are neatly inlaid into the orange vinyl, which has been cut around tricky corner details with expert precision. It’s details like these that separate professionals from amateurs, and Orange’s vinyl covering and woodwork is as good as it gets.
Sounds
With the orange jewel mains lights glowing brightly, and a selection of guitars to play with, the dual channel silent-switching preamp makes instant sense. Channel one is the moderate gain rhythm zone, channel two adds a massive boost for lead work. Because both channels are completely independent with separate master, gain and tone controls, it’s dead easy to set up just the right levels for both sounds, without one interacting with the other. Voicing seems to be identical, but the extra boost on channel two adds a more aggressive edge at higher gain settings.
Either way it’s typical Orange with a powerful mid-range and smooth treble response that leaves you in no doubt as to which side of the Atlantic these amps originate from.
The tone control’s range is relatively narrow, and works to fine tune the amp’s character rather than alter it – just as it should be on an Orange. We were more than happy with the amount of gain on tap from the lead channel, even low output single-coil guitars screamed and sustained without any problem. Conversely, we felt there was a little too much gain on the rhythm channel, which started to distort with the control only a quarter into its travel. However, substituting the appropriate ECC83 for a lower-gain valve can easily modify this.
We found a 5751 to be the perfect compromise between bell-like chiming clean and crunch, with a PRS McCarty just beginning to distort around the halfway mark.
At higher master volume levels, the power-stages of these two heads begin to add their own characteristics into the equation. The AD30TC’s valve-rectified quad EL84s smoothed things out for a deliciously raunchy-but-sweet lead tone. With feedback galore and a compressed dynamic response that makes every chord a power chord.
The AD140TC sounds punchier with an aggressive edge to the treble and a much more powerful low end. And, of course, it’s very, very loud. The dynamic range of this amp at full tilt is just beyond belief. With two 4 x 12s hooked up you literally feel air thumping you in the chest when you hit an open chord, while single note riffs leap out with enough velocity to stun a buffalo at 50 paces. Nothing else we’ve tried comes close – this is serious big-stadium stuff.
Every guitar player should experience the fun of commanding this kind of power at least once, but it has to be repeated that in anything less than a very large hall you really are going to damage someone’s hearing with an amp this loud.
It’s difficult to say whether the change from point-to-point on the single channel Custom Shop AD140 to PCB for the AD140TC has made any difference to the way the amp sounds. This one thrilled us just as much – especially with the lead channel’s extra gain – although at more realistic volume levels Orange’s big hitter was difficult to control, sounding a little too punchy, which is of course where the AD30TC comes in.
Both amps can work with a variety of cabs, although the full-on Orange experience demands the Celestion Vintage 30-loaded PPC 412, which not only looks the part but sounds it too. As well as being, arguably, the coolest-looking 4 x 12 ever made, just beware when you lift it. Like everything Orange it’s built to last, and that means it’s seriously heavy. It’s also worth pointing out that the AD140TC needs loudspeakers capable of handling a good 300 watts – and preferably closer to 500 if you plan to use that power stage to its full potential. This means you’ll be hooking up not one, but two of these cabs for maximum sonic and visual impact.
The AD30TC’s lesser output opens up a wider range of speaker choice for those prepared to mix and match. When we tested the Orange AD30R, we experimented with several speaker permutations. The AD30R’s Celestion Vintage 30s sounded excellent but purists, with deep wallets, should consider the Celestion Alnico Blues, which are the perfect complement for the AD30’s EL84 Class A power stage.
Having mentioned this in passing, the PPC412’s Vintage 30s define all the tones you’d expect from a company whose heritage goes back to the electric guitar’s golden age: a throaty, humbucker-flattering upper mid-range growl and a sweet top end mixed with the low thump only a 4 x 12 gives you. But it may be nice to see Orange offer the Alnico alternative for AD30 users.
Getting Effects out of your Electric Guitar: 25 Tips
E-Bowie
The E-Bow is an electro-magnetic device that creates a magnetic field around the guitar string causing it to vibrate.This creates endlessly sustained notes,and was used to great effect on tracks such as David Bowie’s Heroes. Using the same principle of persuading the string to vibrate without plucking it, try holding an electric razor against the string while holding down notes on the fretboard.Even more extreme sounds can be created using the motorised wheel of a battery-operated toy car.
Plucking frenzy
Striking the strings with a plectrum creates a very different sound to using your fingers, but why not experiment with different things? Almost any material can be rhythmically rubbed or tapped against the strings, providing different and unusual textures. Try a nylon scouring pad, a piece of copper tubing, a piece of sandpaper… basically whatever you have lying around. However, bear in mind that jam sandwiches don’t tend to give very good results, and while sawblades and files can create some evil sounding scraping effects, they do have a tendency to cut through your strings! Time to go tapping mad.
Baby sitar
Set up a digital delay with about 80% feedback, 70% mix, no filtering, and a delay time of 9ms, then play single-note lines in the key of A, or A minor. Because 9ms is, near as damnit, the equivalent of 110 cycles per second (the pitch of your open fifth string), the delay will resonate a sitar-like note of A under everything you play. Throw in some music theory by using the A Mixolydian mode (A B C# D E F# G A) for maximum sitar-hero effect. JB
Delay tripper
While you’ve got that delay unit to hand, think about the delay time in relation to your track. One fave studio guitarist trick is to set the delay to 1.5 times the speed of the song. The maths works like this: if your tempo is 120bpm, that’s two beats a second, or an 8th note every 250ms. So a delay time of 375ms means that for every 8th note you play, you get a 16th note in the gaps. Use a lowish mix setting (around 25% level, 20% feedback) for a subtle trippy feel to the groove. Turn up the level and feedback to experience mind-bending chaos!
Sax and violins
One of the reasons a guitar sounds so distinctive (and sometimes clichéd) in a mix is thanks to the ‘twang’ at the front of its attack envelope. You can reduce it with a compressor, and flatten it completely with heavy distortion, but you can effectively make your lead guitar sound like another instrument with creative use of a noisegate. Set the attack time to between 30ms-400ms, and pluck single notes, stopping each one before you play the next. Each note fades in, violin-like, at the speed of your gate’s attack. This is how products like the Boss GT-6 achieve the ‘Slow Gear’ effect.
Trigger-happy audio
The guitar usually generates its own pitch and amplitude envelope, and we take this for granted. But with a simple bit of sidechaining, you can chop your guitar envelope up with a hi-hat, snare or even vocal line. Record a straight guitar part using long, sustained chords (go for as much delay and compression as you like). Then apply a noisegate with the fastest attack and release available, but set it up with a sidechain so it’s triggered by another instrument; you’ll need to fiddle with the threshold to get it exactly right. Your guitar will have an trance-style ‘chopped’ sound in rhythm with the other instrument.
Whale noises
This is a tricky technique, but well worth it if you want to impress people by making your guitar sound like a whale. Set up your effects in this order – distortion, chorus, and delay – with all the guitar’s tone controls up full, and its volume at zero. Use a delay time of around 400ms, feedback at 30%, and the level at 80% or above. Put your little finger on the volume control, pluck the note, then bring in the volume slowly as you bend the string up as far as you can. When the volume’s at full, release the bend (with the note still ringing on), then take the volume back down to zero.
Try it on the fifth and sixth strings, pitchshifted by two octaves, for sperm, blue and humpback (though you’ll need to add a pulse wave LFO and some digital clipping to achieve the distinctive call of the dwarf minke found off the Great Barrier Reef). 15th fret on the D string gives you porpoises.
Drive on
Using too much drive is traditionally a no-no but, with a spot of tangential thinking, can be used for musical purposes. For example, most multi effects units provide an effects loop into which pedals and so on can be patched, so try slapping a fuzzbox into an already distorted sound. The noise may be overwhelming, but the inter-modulation distortion can create some excellent squeaks and squalls.
Windy city
Flangers and phasers can be easily edited for full-on ‘wind’ effects. Set the resonance to eight or nine and the rate to around half, then stand well back. If the resonance is too high – which depends on the idiosyncrasies of the specific unit you’re using – you may lose some clarity but this is a simple yet useful effect.
Sample simple
These days, many of the multi effects units you see on the market possess a certain amount of sampling time and, although the quality and quantity are hardly likely to concern Akai, E-mu and all the rest, a bit of thought can provide a selection of ambient effects at the press of the Play button.
Feel the tremors
If your guitar is loaded with a locking tremolo system, all manner of effects are attainable. Experiment with various delay settings with extra feedback or wah effects to add a certain something to dive-bombs.
Ring the changes
An increasingly wide selection of units have standalone ring modulation options. Korg and Zoom machines are usually good for this, and the effect itself – which resembles a couple of aliens chatting on a cyberphone – can really make your audience sit up and take notice, especially if used sparingly. SB
No strings attached
Try getting sounds and noises from your guitar without actually touching the strings. Pluck the area behind the nut, rake your pick down the trem springs (if relevant), tap the pickup pole pieces with a screwdriver and add some delay.
Turn the knobs
If you have a Les Paul type guitar (like the beauty you can see above) – or any with more than one volume control – try turning one of the pots off and quickly switching between pickups. This will give a ‘morse-code’ staccato type effects and it sounds especially great with loads of overdrive.
Model combos
Many contemporary effects units feature a wide selection of amp and cabinet models, but try marrying off-the-wall combinations. For example, putting a Marshall model through a 1 x 8 cab sim, or a Fender amp through a 4×12 can give unusual sounds that can be exaggerated with the EQ sections.
Whammy mammy
Digitech guitar effects units almost always feature a selection of their Whammy effects, and there’s much detuning shenanigans to be had, from subtle country bends to all out bomb-drops. Heap on the reverb and compression for added character.
The real thing
A unit like the GT-6 covers a lot of ground by putting loads of effects in one box, but why go for a digital simulation when you can have the real thing? Actual stompboxes, originally designed for guitarists, are available and used by many engineers and producers to add a bit of character to the sounds in their recordings. The advantages are that individual pedals can be easily mixed and matched and the knobs can be grabbed and twisted at will, but mainly it’s the warts’n’all lo-fi quirkiness created by that old analogue circuitry that appeals.
Simulations can be damn good, but there are some down and dirty sounds that can really only be attained from the original pedals themselves.
Effects order
A machine like the Boss GT-6 allows you to alter the order of effects in the signal chain and that is obviously something you can do using separate effects pedals. Changing the order of effects can change the sound dramatically. The conventional order is compressor, EQ, distortion, modulation, echo/delay then reverb with the shorter of the time-based modulation effects coming earlier in the chain, ie, phaser before chorus.
The logic behind this particular chain is that compressing the signal before the distortion gives a smoother distortion; boosting EQ before distortion allows you to choose which frequencies will distort most; and the subtleties of the moduation and delay effects are better heard after any harmonic alteration caused by the distortion. However, convention is there to be turned on its head when necessary, so for the maximum sonic variation, be sure to experiment with your effects order.
Battery vs mains
If using a stompbox always make sure it’s got a fresh battery in or, better still, run it from a 9V AC adaptor. Some pedals, and in particular digital delays, can use up a PP3 in no time at all with the sound degrading very quickly. The antithesis to that is that a PP3 that is on the way out can quite easily change the character of the sound in a way that may be musically valid when used in a fuzz/distortion/overdrive pedal.
Know your noise
Guitar pedals dedicated to providing a distortion effect, generically known as fuzzboxes, are undoubtedly more numerous than all the other types of pedal. These pedals are generally marketed as either overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedals but, arguably, the terms are interchangeable as all of these pedals work by clipping a signal to a greater or lesser degree.
If you’re confused by the distinction between fuzz, distortion and overdrive as applied to these pedals, here’s my rough guide:
Overdrive is a smoother, less harsh distortion more akin to driving the valves in an amp into soft clipping, it is more likely to maintain the character of the original sound.
Distortion is a more aggressive crunchier and grittier effect that can alter the basic character of a sound.
Fuzz is a distinctive harsh and buzzier sound associated with clipping the signal so that it more resembles a square wave. And if that still doesn’t make sense, see me after class.
With or without?
It’s fairly standard recording studio practice to record sounds dry and add any effects and ambience at the mix stage. This is because once a particular type and amount of ambience is recorded, you are stuck with it and it could prove difficult to blend into the mix. However, in the situation where a guitarist uses spring reverb from their amp and/or specific guitar effects pedals as an integral part of their sound, it makes sense to record the overall sound, as it would be otherwise difficult to duplicate. One thing to be aware of though, is that a full-on effect that works great in a live gig situation could possibly be a bit grating when heard over and over again on a recording, so think about toning the effects down a touch.
E-Bow
To get a continually sustained sound from a guitar you can use the E-Bow. It’s a small electronic device that, in lieu of picking, is held over one string to induce continuous sustain, similar to using a bow on a cello or violin. E-Bows are very useful for creating background drones in a track, and can be used quite effectively to play the root notes of any chord being played, which when sat in the mix and reverbed can add an eerie depth to a track.
Weird and wonderful
The E-Bow works like it does because guitar pickups respond to any electrical field placed near them, so any electrical device placed close to the pickups will be amplified. For more sonic mayhem and creating all sorts of shrieks and whoops, try a battery-powered children’s toy near the pickups, or the electric razor trick, and see what happens. Add all your effects to taste.
The chopper
You can turn your rhythm guitar playing or some sustained feedback into something extremely tight and rhythmic that would not sound out of place alongside quantised music from a sequencer by using a noisegate to cut up the guitar signal. This will make it sound like a sequence of staccato notes or a radical tremolo effect. The guitar signal (either while being played or previously recorded) can be fed through a noise gate and a repetitive rhythm pattern from a drum machine or sequencer can be fed into the gate’s key input causing the gate to open and close in a rhythmic fashion and chop the guitar signal into segments.
Tape up your strings
If you are using a guitar with a loud overdriven amp and distortion pedals to create feedback in a particular key or to play power chords made up of just two notes or multiples of those two notes, the other strings can have an adverse effect on the sound if not muted. One easy way to mute the strings without using your fingers is simply by removing the strings you don’t need while recording a particular part. An alternative method, which doesn’t affect neck/string tension, is to use gaffer tape or suchlike to tape up the strings you don’t need and stop them ringing.
Yamaha DG60FX-112 Amplifier
The marriage of the Stomp pedal with a 60 Watt amp
Just like little Pinnochio, who got transformed from puppet to real boy for being good, Yamaha’s DG-Stomp has undergone a similar metamorphosis. The DG-Stomp is handsomely rewarded in this case with an amplifier and speaker, just like a real amp. So the new combo is basically a grown-up version of the DG-Stomp pedal, but with a 60W power amplifier, a single 12-inch speaker and plenty of footswitching facilities. Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that…
Comparing the DG-Stomp with the preamp section of this combo, things look pretty similar. The only real difference between the two is that the on-board footswitches of the DG-Stomp have been separated from the main unit and now appear as a floorboard, with its own special DIN cable. You’ll be pleased to know this footswitch unit is included in the price of the combo. Apart from a ‘power amp in’ socket, allowing direct access to the combo’s clean power stage, and two input sockets which replace the DG-Stomp’s single switchable-sensitivity input jack, the units are identically equipped.
In typical Yamaha fashion there’s nothing about the constructional integrity of the DG60FX-112 that warrants criticism. After all, Yamaha didn’t get where they are today by building shoddy cabinets. Our sturdy enclosure features chromed metal corner protectors, heavy-duty strap handle, tough nylon speaker cloth and non-slip rubber feet.
As far as the actual control layout is concerned, this unit follows the DG-Stomp’s successful formula precisely. We get display, patch and mode buttons to the left and the effect on/off buttons and parameter controls on the right-hand side, above a familiar array of tone and gain controls laid out in traditional guitar amp fashion. These are preceded by a selection of eight different amplifier types located on a rotary selector.
Rather than hint at the origins or mimic specific amplifier models (like Line 6, for example) Yamaha’s selection of lead, drive, crunch and clean (there are two of each) are more of a guide for you to create your own tones. Experienced players will prefer this freethinking ‘build-your-own-tone’ ethos. Think of it more as a painter’s palette with infinite blends, as opposed to the paint-by-numbers approach found on most other modelling units. To that end the DG60FX-112 is ideally suited to live applications, where you can view it as an eight-channel amplifier, if you prefer.
The separate four-buttoned footswitch operates in the same way as the footswitches on the DG-Stomp. Put simply, you have a choice of either your three pre-programmed patches in any given bank, or individual effects on/off control. In addition, a multi-function tap tempo button controls the effect speed and doubles, or rather triples, as a bank select and tuner button. How long you hold your foot down on this switch determines which of the three functions it will perform.
To toggle between effect control and patch control you’ll have to enter the DG’s deeper editing functions via the utility button and amp selector knob. The amp is not quite the no-brainer it first appears, so you’ll definitely need to refer to the manual to fully exploit its hidden talents. Once the utility button has been pushed, the amp select knob turns into a scrolling menu for altering the parameters of the footswitch unit, MIDI functions, external control settings and expression pedal settings. This is also the way to access the DG’s 16 speaker simulations which range from 2 x 10-inch to 4 x 12-inch cabs of both US and British persuasions. Another useful DG function is that you can switch off the speaker simulator ‘globally’, across all patches simultaneously.
The unit’s 180 patches are divided into 10 groups, each with three banks of three patches. To differentiate between the user patches and presets, the three-digit display features a tiny dot between the bank and group digits, denoting factory preset status. Not that you’ll need to look at your amp once you’ve programmed it, but if you should need a quick glance, the easy-to-learn layout lets you know instantly what effects are on, via integral green LEDs above the individual push buttons. It’s a shame there’s not an alphanumeric display allowing the naming of patches on both the amp and controller. It would’ve made remembering your sounds a lot easier. It becomes hard remembering that patch number 232 is great for metal.
Sounds
From the moment you plug in, the DG’s sounds are instantly satisfying. The bass is tight and beefy, with more warmth, punch and attack than you’d expect from an open-back cabinet. Playing through a few random presets reveals a fullness and depth of the tone that will make you beam.
The clean sounds in particular benefit from the DG’s authoritative speaking voice. Glassy, spacious and incredibly musical, their refined character is extremely impressive. These waxy sounds work brilliantly for chord melody or jazz fingerstyle and with plenty of EQ on tap to fiddle with, you can conjure up pretty much any clean tone you’d ever need.
From shimmering hi-fi ballad sounds to mellifluous, leather upholstery jazz, the Yamaha cuts it. Don’t forget, of course, you can embellish the rich basic tone of the Yamaha with easy-to-tweak lush choruses and rich reverbs.
The effects work excellently as far as ease of use and transparency are concerned, and are laid out in a logical manner. The chain begins with a compressor featuring a single control capable of squishing the sound nicely for some attempted Adrian Legg-style fingerpicking or just fattening up your rhythm work. The compressor can also help to add a more valve-like response to overdrive and hi-gain settings.
The built-in collection of modulation effects is impressive, including chorus, flanger, phaser, rotary speaker emulation and tremolo. These five effects share a pair of controls for speed and depth and their LEDs double as a display for the built- in chromatic tuner, accessible via the footswitch. The DG60FX-112 has a wonderful three-dimensional tone to start with, and once the effects enter the fray, things just get bigger and better all round.
Verdict
The best thing about this amp is the way it responds to your guitar’s volume control and playing attack – some other modelling amps, seem to output the same feel regardless of what’s happening with your guitar. Also, there’s a real sense of musicality about the DG60FX-112, which is sometimes missing in some of the hi-tech equipment we review. However, that said, the multi-function foot-controller does take a little getting used to.
At the end of the day this amp is up against some stiff competition in this price bracket, but stands good comparison to anything else out there. Even when fully cranked up, it handles itself well – it was perfectly happy alongside a drum kit in rehearsals.
The DG60 is a flexible, great-sounding amp with plenty of features and editing to keep you satisfied. In live use the patches change instantaneously, with no glitching, and as a studio companion the DG earns its keep superbly. If you don’t like the playing-by-numbers modelling approach, the DG60 could just be the one for you.
Peavey Transtube Amplifiers: Rage and Blazer
As Peavey’s Transtube range of guitar combos gets an overhaul, we take a close look at the smallest pair from the range
Peavey’s Transtube series of guitar amplification has remained a popular choice due to its promise of performance, portability and price.
This deserved longevity looks destined to continue, thanks to this refreshing face-lift. Always keen to act on customer feedback, Peavey has yet again improved the quality and sound of the range, in order to further widen its appeal.
Of course, the name Transtube could be misconstrued, as there is no tube involved anywhere within these amps’ circuitry.
However, the solid-state sounds produced have the warmth and tonal quality normally associated with a valve preamp, and that’s what Peavey are referring to here. Whatever, their worth has been proven time and again as a reliable and classy sounding option, with the more powerful units being ideally suited for gigs of all sizes, as well as practice and rehearsal.
For this review we’re taking a close look at the two smallest models in the range: the Blazer and the Rage. Naturally, these are the most pocket-friendly of the bunch and as they’re fitted with additional ‘practice’ features, are also highly suitable for the first-time buyer.
There are two channels to choose from, but just a single input socket, so a switch is provided for selecting between clean or lead. The volume control works only on the clean channel, used for setting the desired level. The lead channel is furnished with both a Pre gain control, to set the required amount of distortion, and a Post gain to set the overall level of this channel. There is no master volume on either Rage or Blazer, as it seems superfluous to requirements.
The EQ section consists of the usual low, mid and high rotaries, but, as these can be switched between Modern and Vintage voicings, the tonal range is greater than you would imagine. This feature offers a pleasingly different slant to the sound and produces a tighter delivery when switched to Modern – a most welcome extra on such small models. Both these combos also feature a headphone socket and a CD/tape input, which is why they’re so ideally suited to home practising. In fact, with power rating, speaker size and overall dimensions being identical, the only difference between the two models is the inclusion of reverb on the Blazer.
Look alike, sound alike
Peavey amplification has a long history of reliability and excellent sound quality and the good news is that, small as they may be, both these good looking combos are perfectly capable of living up to that standard.
The Rage and the slightly more expensive Blazer are equipped with the basic ingredients to provide the tonality and delivery that you expect to find from a Peavey amplifier… albeit in rather less quantity.
If there are any limitations at all then it’s purely due to their physical stature – hence the lack of control panel frills – and the size of speaker housed within the compact enclosures. So what can you expect to hear from this pair of mini-beasts?
In both combos, we found the clean sounds to be full in substance and clarity, offering a practical level of distortion-free output. There’s some serious bite available here and, even when working with the slightly brighter aspects of the Vintage setting on the EQ, delivery still somehow manages to avoid becoming too shrill, in spite of the modest-sized speaker.
Switching over to the lead channel produces a raunchy, full-bodied front-end distortion that offers plenty of girth with a touch of edginess for clear note definition. It can be surprisingly smooth too, ideal for those Clapton-with-Gibson sounds of the sixties that are just as popular with today’s guitarists. But whatever your preferred sound may be, the controls on this channel will keep the degree of distortion and the volume firmly in check.
Background noise on both channels is remarkably good too. The two distinct voicings available for the three tone controls are particularly effective – the Modern option being a more compressed sort of sound with slightly less harmonic overtones. This is the sound that you would normally associate with small contemporary guitar combos and that’s what makes the alternative Vintage voicing so refreshing. The slightly toppier delivery and more open feel that it brings will be the deciding factor for many buyers.
The Blazer, of course, has the additional reverb circuitry that most players like to see in primarily home-based amps. It provides yet another pleasing dimension but, curiously, comparing the two models setting for setting, the Rage has just a bit more oomph. It’s louder, has better tonal substance and offers a little extra all-round grunt… for want of a better description! Of course, this may well be a quirk of fate and isolated to this particular pairing, but it’s obviously worth trying out a few of these if you’re thinking of buying one. There may be one particular combo in the store that stands out above the rest.
Verdict
So there you have it. Practice, they say, makes perfect and these little babies are perfectly suited to assist. In theory there’s not much to choose between the two models and providing the extra cost is not the deciding factor, you can take it with reverb or without.
The ability to feed in a sound source from a CD or a tape machine is a real bonus when trying to learn a particular song. Better still, if you use the headphone facility as well – so that only you can hear the same lick over and over again – buying one of these could save your relationships with family and friends. With such low noise levels they’re ideal for home recording too, hence appealing to the more experienced player as well as the novice.
It’s a pity that there’s no DI or extension speaker outlet; these are always useful and increase the applications with minimal addition to the overall cost. Still, hardly a reason not to investigate one of these diminutive starter combos.
Unknown Amps from the Past: The 100 watt Torque T1002GR
| Torque T1002GR | |||||
| A UK-made 100 watter with all the trimmings. No models, but it’s still a looker… | |||||
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The T1002GR combo possesses all the basic features a player requires from a contemporary amp, but for reasons we’ll get into, chances are that it’ll be dismissed out of hand without even being plugged in. It’s not as good as a Marshall. How can it be? Come closer dear boy… This is a wholly solid-state, 1 x 12″ combo with sleek modern lines, 21st century livery and, although the debate extolling the virtues of tubes against transistors will never die – let’s hope! – the benefits of the latter configuration should not be underestimated. The most musical facet of valves is dynamics; how the amp reacts to what you do, and the fact the tone improves with volume. So unless a solid-state amp features some sort of DM, it’s often perceived as inferior and thus not even worth considering by many folk. Not so. Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell – to name but one – could use any amp he wants to whip up his aural storm, but he opts for a wholly solid-state rig, something that mutated into the range of signature Warhead amps from Randall a few years back… think on!
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Guitar Tube Amplifiers 