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True guitar chronicles…

How Thomas V. Jones followed his dream and became the craftsman we The Player’s Guide to Ultimate Tone TM know today as $15.00 US, June 2014/Vol.15 NO.8 Report TV Jones

5 TV Jones Fated 20th Anniversary Limited Edition humbucker Who knows why we do what we do… We mean you, us, and everyone else in the world. From birth 6 Another affordable to death and the journey between the two, how can we explain the paths we take in life? One man keeper… becomes a criminal, another man a judge… Mothers send their precious children into the world The Epiphone 335 with love, hope and dreams of happiness, yet no philosopher, priest, or fortune teller can predict Pro the course their lives may take. Are we brought into the world as unformed clay or creatures with coil taps of destiny? How does life work? If the creation of life is a miracle, and it surely is, how can we understand and comprehend the miracle of the lives we live? Well, backtracking seems to work if 7 you are inclined to discard the concept of fate. Fate is the more convenient and mythical explana- ‘60s Surprise tion, but fate begs the question of who or what determines fate for each of us. Is our fate written 1964 in the stars, numerology, or designed by a celestial multi-tasker perhaps, and a busy one at that. Gibson GA-19RVT Backtracking seems to make more sense. Here’s how it works… Falcon

9 Chuck Dean’s new Retro King ‘Master 50… kinda like a JCM800 but better…

11 Mitch Colby’s new Park amps…

13 An overview of the original Park amps & the new Park Top Mount 45 Limited Edition We can all point to a mere handful of events that have dramatically affected and determined the 15 course of our lives. Using a personal example, if the husband of my mother’s sister hadn’t been Not your stationed in Indianapolis, my mother wouldn’t have moved there, the place where I spent the first average clone… The RecPro Audio 21 years of life. If not for a road trip through Atlanta in 1974, Atlanta wouldn’t have become my 5E3 Deluxe preferred destination to escape sleepy Naptown. As a struggling musician in 1984, if I hadn’t an- swered an ad for employment with an Atlanta publishing company, I would never have met my wife 18 at a publishing conference in Washington D.C., and had I not worked for a publishing company, Dunlop it is highly likely that I would not be writing the words you are reading now. So there you go… Eric Johnson A military posting, a road trip and a single help wanted ad set in motion a series of events that Signature Fuzz Face shaped a life. Yeah, but you could have done something different… Yeah, but I didn’t. www.tonequest.com cover story

Thomas V. Jones got a hold of the Beatles White Album and it taken apart in no time. My dad changed his life. Whatever he may have been thinking about found out, and asked what I at the time suddenly took a backseat to what he heard on the was doing and after explaining Beatles record, and like a great cosmic trip wire, his course what I was after, he suggested in life was not only changed, but consumed by the sound, look some other cool ideas (now and feel of the electric guitar. This was deeper than a mere luv that I think about it, I will have fest with a pop band. In time he acquired enough knowledge to ask him to explain one of his and skill to be hired at a guitar repair shop in Southern Cali- ideas in more detail). It was so fornia where the guitar guy for a big time rock & roll guitar exciting to learn how simply player took the big time rock & roll guitar player’s guitars the electric guitar worked. I to be fixed, and they just happened to be Gretsch guitars gave up on wiring the guitar equipped with Filter’tron and Dearmond pickups. As Thomas in stereo, put it back together, V. Jones became intimately acquainted with these pickups, an and from then on played as Dan Erlewine invitation was issued for pickup winders to build their best ef- much as I had time for. While fort at reproducing a Gretsch Filter’tron for the very same big in high school, I bought my first serious guitar – a used time rock & roll guitar player’s signature guitar. The pickup 1973 Strat. I became very interested in modifying (thanks to Thomas V. Jones wound was selected as the best, and at that Edward Van Halen) and repairing my guitars, so I eventu- moment in time, TV Jones was born. His personal story is a ally purchased Dan Erlewine’s repair videos through Stewart study in how we humans can become so inspired by music that MacDonald. If I may, I’d like to send a heartfelt “thank you” we find a way to make it our life’s work. The guitar business to Dan Erlewine and Stew-Mac. I was completely hooked! I is rich with such stories, and whether you are a believer in performed fret jobs, replaced pickups, did custom paint jobs, fate or the rewards mined from raw determination, innovators and even started to build my first guitar, and ironically, never like TV Jones offer real world glimpses into the wonder of finished it. I should have started with a simple design, but for the human spirit that can inspire us all. You surely know the some reason I had to make a double neck guitar/mandolin and name, and now it’s time you met the man. It is our pleasure to painted it in a checkerboard pattern... introduce you to TV Jones. Enjoy… After that, I decided to learn and TQR: Tom, can you describe how you first became polish my craft as a luthier, so in interested in guitars, pickups and pickup winding? the early 1990s I applied at The How did your initial interest evolve and result in World Of Strings in Long Beach, the eventual creation of the TV Jones company we California. WOS was a violin/guitar know today? shop that lasted over 50 years. I was instructed there by owner Jon Peter- Early on, I son, a violin maker and upright bass became seri- specialist, and worked with my great ously inter- friend Saul Koll (of Koll Guitars). ested in the Other luthiers to come out of WOS guitar while are Jim Foote (South Bay Music listening to first guitar Works), Chris Hill (CB Hill Guitars), The Beatles Chris Flemming (Fender Custom Shop), Glenn Mers (Glenn White Mers Custom Guitars), and many more. After almost three Album. I was years at WOS I was forced to tend to my growing business at convinced I home in Whittier, California. had to learn how to play the electric guitar. Actually, It was either the bass, TV Jones Guitars was started in November of 1993. I repaired or the guitar – it didn’t matter, as long as it had strings and it and built guitars for the next 8 years in Whittier. I special- had to be plugged it into an amp. At 14, I talked my mom into ized in building six and seven string jazz guitars, for which I taking me to the local pawn shop to buy my first guitar. It was decided to compliment each of those custom instruments with a lower-end solid body electric with a sunburst finish. My dad, their own custom pickup. Each pickup was built and wound who has an amazing musical ear, showed me a few riffs on to bring out the best in each individual guitar. Many of my the low E string, and that was it – I was hooked. Being a huge guitars at this time were similar in design, but being that they Chuck Berry fan, I moved up to a green Aria Diamond hollow were made with organic materials, they all had a life of their body. My goal was to try and wire it into a stereo guitar, like own. During this period I learned a lot about guitar pickups. I Chuck Berry’s Gibson ES-355 and I got right to it. I had it experimented for hours, took notes, had pickups and materials -continued- 2 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 cover story

analyzed, and used my ears, parts (pole screws, touch, and intuition for my magnets...) were used creations. In the summer because Gretsch had of 1998, Brian Setzer was to get guitars out the interested in a new reis- door any way they sue Filter’tron pickup for could just to meet his new Gretsch Hotrod demand. Later in the guitar. A few famous pickup 1990s, I worked on makers got in the mix, and Brian’s 1956 Silver later I found out that Brian Jet (used on his Dirty Powertron chose my pickup in a blind Boogie CD). This is a test. That October I received special guitar, so what better guitar to analyze? I must say that I a phone call from Fred have been very fortunate to have had these and other incred- Gretsch and the rest is history! ible guitars at my work bench. After analyzing and producing a ‘59 Filter’tron and a ‘56 DeArmond, I made bridge versions TQR: You have long been recognized as the ultimate of these pickups (vintage pickups didn’t originally come in alternative for classic Filter’Tron and DeArmond neck and bridge positions – just one pickup for both positions). tones in a wide variety of flavors… Describe the I then came up with our TV Classic Plus, Power’tron and amount of R&D that was required for you to ulti- Magna’tron. – I thought thinner magnet wire would thicken up mately create the entire line of TV Jones pickups. the stock Filter’tron a bit, and came out with the TV Clas- Did you find that vintage sets of Filter’Trons, for sic Plus bridge pickup. Then I designed the Power’tron with example, varied in terms of their power, brightness taller bobbins, so and overall character? Did you follow those varia- I could wind as tions as a guide in designing the Magna’tron,Classic much magnet wire Plus and Super’Tron pickups, or were these more on the bobbin as a the product of your own imagination? Gibson humbucker. A few months after I was lucky to know Rich that, Billy Gibbons Modica (Brian Setzer’s gave me a call and guitar tech). I met him we produced the while working at the Power’tron Plus World Of Strings, and (slightly more he brought in Brian’s wire and a slightly guitars for various work. thicker tone) with his input. Billy has a really knowledgeable He also brought in Lee mind and passion for tone. The Magna’tron was thought of Rocker’s upright basses while I was rewinding a Fender pickup for a client. I wanted to for Jon Peterson to work create something with less inductance via the use of cylinder on. Rich supplied me with a perfect 1959 PAT. APPLIED FOR magnets, rather than a bar magnet and 12 pole screws (less Filetr’tron. I was able to have the screws, magnet, back plate inductance equals less power but with more clarity). and pickup cover analyzed at a local metallurgical testing laboratory, and best of all, I played, and worked on most of The Super’tron came about with the help of Paul Yandell. Brian’s “cream of the crop” 1959 Gretsch 6120s. I remember (Paul played beside Chet Atkins from 1975 to the late 1990s plugging into his rig at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles for and is widely known as Chet’s “right hand man” and one of a sound check at stage volume, playing Zeppelin’s Immigrant his closest friends). Paul asked me to produce a Super’tron Song! The drum tech sat in on drums. The tone was over the with solid steel blades, like the one used by Chet around 1960 top. I could really feel the response of the pickups – the guitar in his famous 1959 growled!! I found the late ‘50s Filter’trons to be the most 6122. Coincidentally, consistent, as far as build quality and tone. the Filter’tron’s inven- tor Ray Butts built the I have played vintage Gretsch guitars from the early to mid- first Super’trons with 1960s and learned how different Gretsch pickups sounded dur- solid steel blades. Solid ing that period of time. Following the Beatles’ first performance steel blades produce a warm, smooth tone. The later mid ‘60s on the Ed Sullivan Show, Gretsch guitar production was heavy. Super’trons had laminated blades, and laminated blades help During that time period, a wide variety of alternate pickup produce more natural treble. I eventually designed a bridge -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 3 guitars

Super’tron with slightly more power, and solid steel blades USA. To ensure this with a 12” radius. Most of my recent efforts since then have high-level of consisten- been used to develop various mounting options, so our pick- cy and to maintain our ups can fit into most guitars. There are many more to come...! high standards, we have hundreds of thousands TQR: To what extent has artist feedback played a role in of screws made at a the development of your pickups over the years? time, because finding the proper alloy proper- There are so many great players we have heard from over the ties isn’t always easy years – we get feedback all the time. I am constantly tinker- (not just the stock alloys, but the correct alloy properties). ing, listening and studying. I love it when someone takes the We are using all-American made parts, and it’s frankly more time to send us a clip with expensive, but much closer to the original parts used 50-60 one of our pickups in their years ago. I am also fortunate to have acquired thousands of instrument – many times vintage pickup parts from the family of Ray Butts (inventor “non traditional.” That’s and original patent holder for when you see someone the Gretsch Filter’tron pickup). making it their own, which I will do something special with is really what it’s all about, these parts in the future, and will right? As far as something include Ray’s family. The parts formal, we just released our include pickup covers, bobbins, first-ever signature pickup magnets, pole screws, back – the TV Jones Brian Setzer Signature Pickup. It has Brian’s plates, slugs, and magnet wire. name on it and it has been extremely well received. We’ve been in the process of making sure all are analyzed and TQR: This is an arcane subject, but what are your documented, and we will put thoughts on the extent to which the materials used aside some unused parts to be to make pickups in the ‘50s and ‘60s such as wire, stored for future generations. wire coatings, magnets and steel are different from those available today? How have these differences TQR: You now offer a P90, and last year you developed a affected your design and production processes when Limited Edition 20th Anniversary humbucker. Can chasing ‘classic’ tones of the past? In other words, you describe how you developed the humbucker is it a challenge milking ‘vintage’ tone from pick- in terms of the tone you were seeking for the neck ups made with modern materials? and bridge, and how you got there in regard to con- struction and materials? Materials are a huge factor when building I have played many late-1950s Gib- high-end pickups. son guitars with PAF humbuckers I’ve been using the over the past 30-plus years and a few same USA magnet were very special. I noticed how the manufacturer since neck pickups in these special guitars 2000 (they were didn’t “fart out” in the bass frequen- used by Gretsch dur- cies, and how the treble in the bridge ing the golden era). pickup had a smoother top. My goal The price of our with the latest humbucker design Filter’tron bar mag- was to mimic these special guitars. Amy nets are priced much Over the years I have been able to analyze many pickup parts, higher than imported bar magnets, but I won’t compromise. yet I was never able to get any detailed analytical information I have tried different versions of the same magnet material, on these “special” guitars. I had to remember what I felt while made by different foreign and domestic magnet manufactur- playing them. After figuring out the combination of materi- ers, and noticed a subtle difference. Too many subtle differ- als to get the results I needed and a few new tricks, if you ences can add up in a bad way, so I like to use positive subtle will, I was completely satisfied. It took a year to get that one differences that add up and work in my favor. Our magnets right. Results though, cannot be achieved only by duplicating add a “bloom” to the note after the attack. Our pole screws, all-original parts all the way down to the plastic bobbins, or like so many of our components, are custom made in the wooden shims, etc. It’s much deeper than that. -continued- 4 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 guitars

TQR: Some people may not be aware that you have also screws, created a very useful knowledge base on your web which are site with excellent guides for things like install- shaped ing pickups in a semi-hollow guitar, or in different more like a Gretsch models that require subtle tweaks. What’s cylinder. I ahead for TV Jones, Tom? What would you most found that like to accomplish in the future? the string- to-string One of my first goals is to organize and clean house – to im- separation plement a “touch it once theory”. The plans and goals to come was better with the Fillister head poles screws. I did a test after reorganization are exciting. A cleaner, more simplified where I removed the pole screws for the B string on the stock web site and shop- factory pickup and by removing the pole screws, I saw that ping cart with more pole screws from the G and the E string still picked up the helpful videos, an B string almost at full volume. I did the same test with the improved and more Fillister heads and I heard a great drop in volume. All USA- efficient pickup made, and every time I have these parts made they’re all in- production floor to spected before they go help keep overhead into the pickups. I have cost in check, (and every part analyzed… hopefully make I have metallurgists it possible not to check everything out. I raise prices), along with organizing the guitar shop with our may be a little insane… new Luthiertool CNC machine – maybe a TV Jones Custom We keep the prices Shop – who knows? I have a full guitar shop that has been in down by ordering larger hibernation since 2001, so the future is very exciting. Hon- quantities of parts. estly, I hope and try to share the excitement and my passion Being all made in the USA, it’s hard to keep prices down, but for anything guitar related, as I have from the very beginning. so far we’ve been able to do that. That main thing is that the quality doesn’t suffer.

TV Jones Tone Another issue with the stock factory pickup was that the bridge pickup wasn’t tall enough. That’s crucial with the Our October 2005 issue of TQR featured an in depth interview Filter’Tron – you want to get the bobbins close enough to the and review of the entire range of TV Jones Filter’tron pickups strings for maximum growl. You also want to have a balanced mounted in a current production Gretsch Jet Firebird. Recom- output with the neck pickup. So I went ahead and designed mended reading for anyone contemplating classic Gretsch a completely independent bridge pickup. The shape of the tones. Here is an excerpt of Tom’s interview in which he bobbin, the way it’s wound, the pole screw alloy, wider pole describes the specific methods he used to improve the tone of to pole spacing… it’s a completely different pickup. Many Filter’Trons… guitar manufacturers over the years have always had just one pickup that they put in all positions. … I try and do a lot of TQR: What were the “shortcomings” in vintage or reissue little things that add up and make a big difference in the end. production pickups that you set out to eliminate and how? TQR: You also used a different technique that was vastly different from how Gretsch was winding them. The big problem I saw with the current Gretsch Filter’Tron was that the pickup cover was almost twice as thick, which The pickups made dampened the fidelity, and the use of ceramic magnets versus in the ‘90s and Alnico magnets. That was a big problem. The ceramic mag- early 2000 era nets are too hot and the trebles are kind of bright and brittle were wound with compared to the Alnico, which are smoother. As a player, I thinner magnet find I have more musical control with Alnico magnets. I can wire, so it’s going control dynamics and overall tone, depending on how light I to generally have a pick or how hard I dig in. Another problem I found with the darker tone with a reissue Filter’Tron was that the pole screw heads were spheri- little more output. cal. The original Filter’Tron pickups had Fillister head pole The ceramic mag- -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 5 guitars

net was used to bring out the treble and give it some sparkle. overwound ‘PAF’ style (supposedly) pickups. Like the neck They sound pretty cool at low volume, but you really hear the pickup, the bridge produces complex harmonic overtones difference when you play with a band or at stage volume with and a spatial dynamic effect that is both percussive and airy the Alnico pickups. The use of ceramic magnets helped keep without sounding tight or too compressed. Again, what you the cost down in production. hear seems to be a direct reflection The bottom line is this – Tom has systematically improved and of Tom Jones’ enhanced the Filter’Tron pickup while developing variations deliberate efforts that include the Filter’Tron Classic, Classic Plus, Magnatron, in voicing this Powertron, Powertron Plus and Supertron. And now we can pickup with a very include a Limited Edition TV Jones humbucker as well… specific target in mind. In all respects, it’s clear that he succeeded. TV Jones 20th Anniversary Limited These humbuckers possess a vocal character that is as unique Edition Humbucker as any we have ever heard, and far different than most in a You would expect gloriously good way. Recommended. a set of Gibson- style (Filter’Trons Please note that the 20th Anniversary humbuckers are are humbucking, shipped without covers. $300 per set. Recommended sources too) humbucking for true nickel silver covers (no brass!) include RS Guitar- pickups created by works, Stew-Mac, and Allparts. T Q TV Jones to sound www.tvjones.com, 360-779-4002 good, but they are better than that. It doesn’t take long to appreciate how EPIPHONE these pickups have been voiced, in fact, if you pay attention you really can hear ES-335 Pro what Tom Jones was after when he designed them. Starting with the 6.74K neck pickup, all we can say is whatever guitar Our review of the cherry Epiph- you put this pickup in is going to sound better, but there is one DOT 335 in the September more to it than that… Close your eyes and you can hear a big, 2013 “Hangin’ with Elvin” issue expensive jazz guitar – some kind of semi-hollow body with inspired many of you to throw depth, clarity and a big voice that is richly animated, complex down $399 and discover just how and interesting. We are not surprised by the low resistance good the Epiphone 335 really is. reading, because the best sounding PAFs we have heard in We are still enjoying ours, and yes, the neck position read the same. Mounted in a ‘58 Gibson His- it remains one of the best 335s we toric Les Paul, we found this pickup to be captivatingly com- have ever owned on all counts. plex with excellent treble presence on the plain strings as well. The problem with a $399 335 is There is simply more to the tone than the typical humbucking that some players will ‘see’ cheap- neck pickup – something extra that is difficult to describe and ness where none exists simply hard to let go. because the price paid prevents them from believing such a guitar really is as good as it appears. To them, it can’t be, and The 8.13K bridge they will surely find fault in the desire to demonstrate their is extremely bal- shrewd ability to assess quality. This is the kind of stuff you anced, bright and can read in forums online, which is why we don’t go to chat cutting with per- rooms. Well, except this one. fect midrange and remarkably strong Among the many different archtop models built by Epiph- bass response that one, the Limited Edition 335 Pro offers an upgrade to the remains solid, DOT 335 with the same exceptional playability, finish, 3-ply but without the maple/birch construction, and the added versatility of Epi gritty grind of -continued- 6 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 amps

Alnico Classic humbuckers The neck hum- with coil taps for push/pull bucker is smooth single coil tones. All the fea- and jazzy with tures we admire in the DOT decent treble 335 are present in the 8.2 lb. presence on the Pro, further enhanced with a plain strings and a bound neck with cream bind- bassy vibe on the ing, small block fingerboard wound strings that inlays, Wilkinson Vintage isn’t muddy played Classic tulip tuners, and our through a clean amp. We would describe the tone of the neck Pro is finished in a beautiful pickup as being very sophisticated and dressy, smooth and vintage sunburst finish. Like rich with character like an old pair of diamond cuff links. the DOT 335, the neck shape Pull the volume knob and the single coil tone becomes very is described as a ‘1960s slim Fender-like with a tight percussive response to pick attack taper,’ but we would call it a and an animated, woody voice that is lively and cool. You’ll D shape that is much more like it, too. In fact, we found nothing not to like about the substantial than the typical pickups in the 335 Pro. They sound that good. Hard rockin’ slim taper necks found on early ‘60s Gibson 335s. You get the tones played through an overdriven amp are equally pleasing, same expertly dressed medium jumbo frets, dark rosewood full and rich on the bridge with excellent sustain. The neck fretboard with 12” radius, and we’ll say this again – the ap- is a rumbler, bluesy and fat, and you can get some very cool pearance of the sunburst finish is simply outstanding – deep variations by jacking up the treble control on your amp. You amber in the heart of the burst turning to a hint of ruby red and do use the tone controls on your amps, don’t you? For breezy then to a dark brownish black. Perfect. No one is going to look rhythm tones both pickups mixed together work well in either upon your Epiphone Pro and say, “What… you couldn’t afford full humbucking mode or single coil. Basically, you get the a real one?” tones of two guitars in one, and for anyone tasked with play- ing a wide variety of styles in a cover band, the Epiphone Pro could well be the ultimate workingman’s tool. Perhaps that’s Tones why they chose to call it the Pro… Currently reduced from Coil taps on humbucking pickups are nothing new, but in our $499 to $399 online. Now bust a move and Quest forth…T Q experience the results have been mixed. It seems that some pickups that sound very good as humbucking double coils don’t work as well in single coil mode, sounding weak, timid 1964 Gibson and thin. The Alnico Classics are not plagued with these short- comings – they sound very good in either mode – good enough that we would hesitate to replace them. Sure, we replaced the GA-19RVT Falcon original Alnico Classics and wiring harness in our Epiphone Dot 335, but they seem to work so well as humbuckers and Gibson built a single coils in the Pro that swapping them for another brand of whole lot of amps 4-wire humbuckers would be a bit of a crap shoot at best. Let’s throughout the not fix what isn’t broken. So how do they sound? ‘50s and ‘60s and the biggest seller Better than you may expect, but that’s OK, we understand of them all based why you might be skeptical with an ‘affordable’ guitar… Well, on production prepare to be very pleased if not pleasantly surprised. We love totals (13,914) was the sound of humbucking bridge. It is bright enough to cut, but the GA-19RVT this pickup also produces excellent midrange balance and some Falcon, Gibson’s of the best low end we can recall in a bridge humbucker. Mea- answer to the De- suring 8.16K output is strong, but not to the extent that it will luxe Reverb, followed by the little GA-5 Skylark. Undoubt- push your favorite amps into premature distortion. It doesn’t edly created to compete with the Fender Champ, the GA-5 quite produce the clarity of our vintage early ‘60s Gibson possesses a unique Gibson growl that is darker and more pickups, but then few other pickups do. In single coil mode the threatening than a Champ. In fact, nearly all Gibson amps bridge sounds very Fendery, percussive, plucky and bright, but were intentionally voiced to sound darker than Fender amps, not wimpy or weak, although the output in terms of volume is but in this respect, the Falcon is a definite exception. lower than full humbucking mode. You’ll like it.

-continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 7 amps

In 1964 Fender’s dominance of the guitar amplifier market bark’ covering that changed to black near the end of produc- was settled. Growing up in Indianapolis, we can’t recall ever tion. The chassis layout consists of a small tag board filled noticing Gibson amps at either of the two major music stores with Allen Bradley carbon comp resistors and caps that are in town, although both were heavily stocked with Gibson flown rather than mounted on the board. In our amp the two guitars. We were probably just so focused on Fender that we electrolytics had been replaced with Illinois caps, and the rest failed to notice the Gibson amps, although Ampeg Rever- of the circuit remained untouched. The reverb circuit features berockets and B15s were also very popular with local bands in an Accutronics reverb tank, but the reverb design is differ- the late ‘60s. Ted McCarty certainly devoted a lot of resources ent from that used by Fender, tapping the signal before the to Gibson amps, but volume and tone controls. The reverb can also be mixed for a they were also rel- 100% wet signal by turning the volume all the way down. The egated to the base- reverb effect is less splashy and intense than a typical Fender ment of the building amp, but very good with a vivid 3-D quality that seems in Kalamazoo, and unique to this amp. guitars remained the number one The tremolo is very cool, psychedelic with a heavy throb and priority that paid a wide range of speeds. The Intensity knob seems to achieve the rent. To be bru- full tilt well before you reach ‘6’ on the dial, and at faster tally honest, most of speeds the jitterbug effect almost sounds like a Leslie whirl Gibson’s amps de- and warble. This amp would be worth keeping in the studio signed and built in the early to mid ‘60s absolutely suck. They solely for the tremolo effect. sucked when they were new and they suck today. The engi- neers at Gibson didn’t seem to understand the growing fascina- Fender players will tion with distortion that was overtaking popular guitar-oriented need to rethink music, and while Fender was also striving to achieve more their usual ap- headroom and power, the way Gibson went about it produced proach to the single amps that sounded dull, shrill, under-powered and curiously tone control on the one dimensional. We are referring to the various Crestline and Falcon… Casually Epiphone models that were ‘improved’ from earlier and far looking at the knob superior ‘50s circuits. Gibson also introduced bizarre and very you might assume complicated new models like the Crestline Tuck-a-way with that treble will be- heads that stored inside the cabinet, the GA-90 with six 8” gin to audibly increase once you reach 12 o’clock - 2 o’clock. speakers (harp players just kill yourselves…) and the com- In fact, the numbering on the panel reads zero at 12 o’clock, pletely neutered GA-77 Vanguard RVT. In hindsight it seems 1-5 left on the bass side and 1-5 right on the treble side. On that the problem with the Gibson amp program is that no one zero or 12 o’clock EQ is not flat as you might expect, but could decide what they wanted to be, or how they should extremely bright. At first we set the tone control at 12 o’clock be perceived in the market. McCarty was quoted as saying and the Falcon sounded way too bright with very little low that they were not interested in the brash “Fender sound” but end or mids. It wasn’t until we turned the tone control way Gibson guitars invariably sounded best when played through left to 3-5 on the bass side that the true, full tone of the amp the amps made by their foremost competitor. Seriously, what was revealed. If you are accustomed to setting tone controls sounds better than a Gibson through a Fender? the ‘normal’ way that won’t work too well with the Gibson.

Based on the production numbers, the GA-19RVT Falcon We also felt that the was a very successful and popular amp for Gibson – a 15 watt original Jensen C12R 1x12 utilizing three 6EU7s and a 6C4 preamp tube, dual 6V6s wasn’t really capable of and a 5Y3 recti- adequately reflecting what fier. Falcons were the amp could do. If you originally shipped want to use a speaker that with a Jensen P12R is dimensionally deeper or CTS ceramic than a C12R (and most speaker. The cabinet are), you won’t be able is typical Gibson to slide the chassis past the magnet and back into position construction – solid with a deeper speaker frame and magnet. The only option redwood throughout is to remove the chassis and speaker, then remove the six with brown ‘tree screws holding the baffle board and mount the new speaker -continued- 8 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 amps to the baffle while it is out of the cabinet. Then reinstall the amplifiers while chassis first and screw the baffleboard back on with your new creating his speaker mounted. We tried a Warehouse 15W Black & Blue own versions Alnico and a ‘60s Jensen C12Q before pulling out a Celestion of classic Mar- G12H30 70th Anniversary Hellatone, which turned out to be shall amps. His the best by far. The big magnet and motor on the Hellatone new Master 50 immediately enhanced the perceived power and fidelity of the model is based on a JCM800 with some key enhancements, Falcon. If you acquire one of these amps consider a speaker and our review follows Chuck’s interesting comments on the upgrade to be essential, and don’t be concerned about pulling amps he knows best. Enjoy… the baffleboard. Gibson used some short, nifty screws and combined washers that make safely removing and reinstalling TQR: Just about all of us are at least familiar with music the baffleboard very easy. recorded with the classic Marshall amps from the JTM 45, Plexi and the metal panel eras, but Despite what we we’re betting that most players today have never had read online actually torched a vintage JTM 45, Plexi or those about the sweet that followed from ‘69-’72 before Marshall went ‘overdriven’ tone to PCBs... Chuck, can you please provide a brief of the Falcon, overview of the most significant differences in our amp doesn’t design and sound between the original Plexi amps produce much over- and the 50W and 100W heads that followed? driven tone even fully dimed on 10. The first JTM45s were made to emulate the original tweed Maybe a hint of woolliness in the mids, but more or less clean, Bassman, but they didn’t have access to or use the same parts yet the clean tones are very complex and musical – exception- as Fender. They used Radiospares transformers, and they ally so. The clean nature of the Gibson also makes it… you started off with tube rectifiers and power transformers that guessed it – the ultimate pedal amp. We alternately ran the put less than 390V on the plates, which is quite a bit less than Falcon with our Bob Burt clean boost (Z Vex SHO knockoff), the amps they built later. The JTM 45 is actually only about the Xotic Effects RC Booster and Xotic EP Booster with tre- 32 watts. mendous results. If there is a better sounding amp paired with overdrive effects we have yet to hear it. With a good pedal TQR: I have played through one early JTM45 and it was the Falcon acquires a lush character with a rippin’ attitude quite a bit cleaner than what most people would that defines the quintessential sound of rock & roll guitar, yet associate with the Marshall sound. one that is not so easily pegged as being in the Fender or the Marshall camp. There is some Vox lurking in the Falcon – not Back then the chimey jangle, but an upper mid tone that lives right in the the cathodes heart of an electric guitar. When you hear it, you’ll quickly on both understand why this quirky, under-rated and downright cheap channels Gibson relic is absolutely one of the last affordable vintage shared the amps truly worth pursuing. Add the freaky tremolo, the same bypass exceptional reverb, and you’ve got a Kalamazoo classic that cap and will deliver you to places your other amps cannot go. We paid the same $400 for our Falcon, footswitch included, and there are plenty resistor. of them to be found. Quest forth…T Q That made it sound cleaner, and they were using the same values as the components in the Bassman. The very first Plexis were pretty much the same story – the first ones were tube rectified with shared cathodes on the first stage. The first 50 watt still had Retro King Master 50 a tube rectifier, but they split the cathodes, which changed how fast the amp distorted and the level of headroom. Then they changed the slope resistors, which changed the upper You may recall our December 2010 interview with Retro King midrange and high end response. Next they went to solid state amps founder Chuck Dean and our review of the Retro King rectifiers and beefed up all the filter caps which made the 18 watt. Chuck has spent much of his career as a builder and amps sound tighter in the late ‘60s. The metal panel amps had tech working on, restoring and optimizing vintage Marshall some values changed to increase the high end by using low -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 9 amps

value coupling caps that gave it more gain and more high end. On a lot of the Marshall amps they had a .68 cap on the second TQR: And they kept making changes throughout the stage. The 50W amps had it, but ‘70s… sometimes they would leave it out. It adds a little more gain and Yeah, and a lot of people upper midrange with that second will pay extra money for the stage cathode cap in play, so if handwired amps but they all you are playing a 335 or a hum- have the potential to be really bucker that is a little darker it is a good – even the early ‘70s amps nice thing to have. with printed circuit boards. I’ve owned them all and I have TQR: What types of power tubes can be used in the worked on them all, and maybe Master 50 and how will different tubes affect the one in ten would be a really sound? good one. They had poor wiring skills, inductance and noise, poor The best tubes to use are EL-34s because the primary imped- grounding schemes… It seems ance of the output transformer is 3.4K, and that’s optimum as if it depended on who did the for that tube. You can use 6L6s or 6550s but they like to see a work. It wasn’t just a matter of tone, but noise and inductance. higher primary impedence, so you would need to change the output transformer. TQR: So either they didn’t know any better, or they knew and just didn’t care… TQR: How would you compare the tone, power and dynamic character of the Master 50 with your Probably a little of both. They would put an amp together RK45 and Plexi 50? a certain way, and the windings on the transformers weren’t all that consistent, so it was a crapshoot, and every once in It has more gain. You can get a nice overdriven sound at a a while you would get an amp that sounded really good. It reasonable volume level, but it will also take pedals well. I seemed like an accident, though. was getting requests for an amp from guys that play heavier rock, so this is my answer to that, but I wouldn’t call it a TQR: In addition to the Plexi 18, RK45 and Plexi 50, you metal amp by any means. are now building the Master 50 that we received for review. In terms of features and tone, where does TQR: This is a physically big head – is it also available this new amp fit within your other Retro King mod- as a combo? els and does it have anything in common with amps built by Marshall in the past? I am eventually going to make a I modeled it combo and also a after the first 100 watt head. The JCM800, so it head you have was has the single made for a 4x12 channel with a cab, but I can make low and high it smaller for a 50 input. It has watt combo with all the gain of the JCM800 but with the fat tone of the earlier one or two 12s. It sounds great with a Strat or a Les Paul and Marshalls, and a lot less noise. I consider the Master 50 to be I try to voice my amps so they work well and sound great my ultimate rock amp, but smoother with more harmonic con- with all kinds of guitars and pickups. tent. It’s not woofy and it takes pedals much better. It also has an effects loop. Basically, I used all the things I have learned TQR: What’s ahead, Chuck? What do you have planned and refined from people bringing me original JCM800s to for the future? make them sound better. The new bass amp that is coming out is all done. I’m having TQR: Describe the function of the mini toggle switch on a special transformer built for it by Mercury Magnetics, the Master 50. and I had to have an output transformer that mounted tall to the keep the size of the amp down and not weigh a ton, yet -continued- 10 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 amps handle low frequencies really well. It’s rated at 60 watts but faster levels of smooth it’s way cleaner and louder than 60 watts using 6550s. I’m distortion in the style getting every bit of headroom and bass response available out of a JCM800. We ran of it, and it’s switchable from 2, 4, and 8 ohms for different the Master 50 through cabinet configurations. I named it after a friend of mine that our straight front 4x12 just passed away and it’s called the Cassell Super Bass. cabinet loaded with British Greenbacks ac- quired years ago from Midtown Music, and our birch-ply cabinet has been enhanced with genuine reproduction Bluesbreaker pinstripe grill cloth made by Eric Collins. It isn’t cheap, but the original formula Retro King Master 50 does make a significant difference in tone. The fabric acts as a baffle that creates a unique tone while attenuating volume. Nothing See www.bluesbreaker-pinstripe.com/. The Master 50 sounds sounds huge through the 4x12, but the volume and master volume quite levels can be mixed for slightly cleaner tones with the master like a up and volume set lower, or opposite settings will deliver Marshall, more intense distor- and the tion and overdriven Master tones. This amp 50 clearly delivers a carefully crafted classic Marshall vibe also sounds very and voice in a modern package that is road ready. Prices for good at lower ‘70s Marshall 50 watt amps have come down a little, not that volume levels, with none of the thin preamp distortion fizz sellers aren’t still trying to get two grand or more for them, but you may have heard in some master volume amps. The pres- by and large it ain’t happening. We have seen a few 4-input ence, bass, midrange and treble controls shape tone very well ‘70s Marshall 50 watt heads sell for as little as $1,200 recently, when switching from different guitars, and our Telecaster but it is rare to find one that hasn’t been modded… There are and Strat sounded great through the Master 50 with some a lot of ‘70s Marshall heads and ‘80s JCM800s in circulation, EQ and volume adjustments. Chuck was also correct when but as Chuck Dean correctly observed, buying a used Marshall he commented that this amp sounds good with overdrive presents a big crapshoot – even new these amps varied wildly pedals, especially with the Master 50 controls set cleaner – in tone and by now you can expect to spend some money with Master volume higher than Volume, right? We also used the your amp tech to get an old Marshall sounding right. Some- Wampler Faux Tape Echo and our Fender reissue reverb unit times they never do. with outstanding results, and the effects loop really makes all the difference. For those about to rock, the Master 50 is The Master 50 a truly great amplifier – big enough to sound like only a big offers a con- amp can, yet user friendly and fully capable of sounding like venient detour a big Marshall at far less than full tilt boogie. Recommended, from the road to $2,200 as reviewed. T Q restoration and www.retrokingamps.com, 315-673-3435 it delivers au- thentic Marshall tones at variable volume levels with a very useful effects loop. Build quality as pictured far surpasses the typical Marshall circuit circa 1980, meticulously TheThe ReturnReturn ofof ParkPark AmplifiersAmplifiers handwired with premium trannies, a tone stack that actually works, and an effective master volume that gives up the goods Mitch Colby’s long without blowing down the house. What a great idea… The association with toggle switch for the .68 cap is also a very cool and useful Unicord and Korg feature that can add brightness, definition and a slight volume USA, the exclusive boost to darker pickups. distributors of Marshall and Vox This isn’t one of those Marshall ‘clones’ that pretends to be amplification in the a vintage JTM45 or Plexi… You can expect more gain and Ken Bran & Mitch Colby USA culminated -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 11 amps

in the creation of Colby Amplification in 2012. In addition to having worked for decades with Marshall and Vox, Mitch is a lifelong guitar player, an avid collector of vintage amplifiers, and he was a key member of the team that developed both the 1970 Park 75 Vox and Marshall handwired series. We previously reviewed Mitch’s Jim Weider Signature Tone Booster in the November When 2013 issue of TQR, and we recently received a new Colby we first Park Top Mount 45 Limited Edition head for review. What’s a acquired Park, you ask? We asked Jim Marshall the same question in our 1970 our September 2002 interview… Park 75 from TQR: Park amplifiers are coveted by certain players who Midtown feel that they have a very unique sound. How do Music we they differ from Marshall amps of the same time knew very little about it, other than it sounded exceptionally period? fine. We had recently reviewed a Roccaforte amp and know- ing that Doug was a big fan of Park amps, we asked him to Park amps were explain in our September 2002 issue of TQR: made mainly for John Jones of TQR: How similar are the circuits in the Park amps to Jones and Cross- the Marshalls that were built during the same time land, Birmingham period? (a very influential English There were some changes, but the earlier Parks, and even the dealer in the ‘70s) ‘75’ you sent me are basically the same circuits as the Plexi at a time when amps. The circuit layout is a bit different, and the location of my business was the tube sockets are a bit closer than the Marshalls. I’ve seen being severely limited by a 15-year contract I’d signed with a few Park amps with different circuit values – nothing super a distribution company called Rose Morris to sell Marshall significant – but we saw this in the ‘60s Marshall amps, too. exclusively. The Park models were very similar in sound to Marshall, and the differences were mainly cosmetic. We did, TQR: The Park 75 is basically a Plexi? however, offer some unusual configurations so Rose Morris couldn’t complain. For example, the first Parks we made were Yes, if you put this amp next to a Plexi from 1968-70, it’s the 75 watts instead of our usual 50 watts or 100 watts. identical circuit. You can tell by the increased feedback loop. It’s a Plexi with a little hotter transformer. TQR: How did the Park name come about? TQR: Uh, oh… now you’ve done it. Ken Bran and I were out for Well, there are plenty of people running around looking for dinner one them now, anyway. They sell a lot of these amps out of Eng- evening with land, but you need to be very careful… John and his wife, Margaret, TQR: Was the Park line extensive? and I’d been trying to think of a suitable name for the amp I was going to Oh, yeah… they made make for him. I told John that I can’t call it a Jones amp and PA amps, 8x10 cabi- I also can’t call it Bran, because people would say, “I’ve got nets, 4x12 cabinets, a Kellogg’s amp or something!” Then, I just happened to say combos – the Park to Margaret, “What was your maiden name?” She said “Park” line was huge, which and I said, “That’s it! That’s a word used everywhere in the was pretty typical for world for something or the other, just like Marshall is.” Marshall. One of the things I really like TQR: Common but classy… about the Parks are the cosmetics, especially the grill cloth they used on the speaker Exactly! cabinets. It’s typical British stuff, and hats off to the British -continued- 12 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 amps amp builders, because they had the coolest coverings and stock, and cloth – the Elpicos and Fenton Weil amps, for example. Park I’ll change also made an 8x10 ‘V’ front cabinet, 15” cabs, 18” cabs… the feed- back loop TQR: We’ve never seen any of those. over to the more mod- It’s like the ern value, WEM stuff… which will most of it is open up all overseas, the power amp gain and gives it more balls. I think Mar- but some shall decreased the feedback loop in the early ‘70s for that of it has reason. I haven’t spoken to anyone who was at Marshall at made it over the time, but I suspect they listened to the amp and decided here. A friend that it sounded better this way, and in my opinion, it does. of mine who Even when I have a Plexi in here and the owner doesn’t want is a guitar anything changed from stock, I’ll do it anyway. They’re al- tech for a ways blown away by the sound of the amp before and after. It superstar guitarist buys many of these rare English amplifiers, loosens up the power amp and you get a much fuller sound. If and I have repaired about 100 of them for him. The Jennings you go too far, the tone will become muddy and flappy. That AC40s I serviced for him were the end-all of AC30s. They was the point of the feedback loop in the first place – to keep are another example of this fine grill cloth and a look that is the speakers from flapping in the wind. The feedback circuit so cool. There’s an entire other side of the British amp history can totally change what any power amp does. that most people in the U.S. have never seen before. How would you ever know? The Watkins amps like the Joker, or TQR: When we turned on the Park, it had that sound. Clubman – you play one and think, “My God, where the hell has this been hiding?” If you could have heard it brand new, off the floor, it would have sounded much brighter and sharper because the caps TQR: Back to the Parks… What types of tubes were were brand new. When you restore these vintage amps, some- originally shipped in them? times you have to compensate for new parts. Otherwise, you might wind up with a really sharp tone that no one will like. The early amps were shipped with KT66s, and later, KT88s It happens with a lot of these Fender guys who take their or EL34s. amps to a tech who doesn’t compensate for new parts that are brighter and more efficient. Then the amp comes back sound- TQR: And you could use KT88s now, correct? We’ve ing worse than before. heard that the Chinese KT88’s are pretty good.

Actually, the Chinese tubes have come a long way, but all of LIMITED EDITION the new KT88s have big problems. We could write another issue on this. Some of them make a decent 6550 replacement, Park Top Mount 45 but they act really funny when operated at the voltages that you normally run with real KT88s. The closest I’ve found Thanks to Mitch Colby we received one of his new Park heads are the EH 6550s that they call KT88s. That tube is very for review, and we asked him to comment on the development close, but it has bias drift problems at 650 volts to 800 volts. of his new line of custom-built Park amps… They just give it up. I’m not a KT88 fan for guitar anyway. EL34’s are my favorite tube, period. 6L6s for mellow, round, TQR: In addition to your deep experience with Unicord and compressed tone are great, and 6V6s are OK, but you and Korg, you have an extensive amp collection. get into 6550s and KT88s for guitar and it’s not a very What kinds of Park amps did you have access to, friendly overdriven tone. and aside from the obvious cosmetic differences, how were the original Park amps different from TQR: Describe what you’ll do with our Park 75. Marshalls from the same time period?

Replace all the coupling and filter capacitors, play it, and go Over the years, my collection has seen many Marshalls but from there. I’ll probably tune it to be a pedal amp so that it relatively few Parks. The vintage Parks from the 1960s and won’t be as trebly and sharp on the top end as it would be 1970s that are now collectible were mostly sold in the UK -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 13 amps

and didn’t into the effect of different components on amp tone I have make it to come to the conclusion that component selection, transformer the US until design and tube selection are key to getting an amp to sound Marshall col- the way you want. lecting became popular and When mak- people realized ing new that Parks were versions of very similar the vintage and identical Park amps I Mitch & Eddie Kramer in some cases. had to do it I have had five including a Park 50 with tube rectifier, early right or not Park 75 with black panels (used to belong to George Lynch), at all. That later Park 75 with silver panels (that George borrowed for meant doing recording), Park 100 (early one with 3” power transformer) the detailed and a Park 50 combo. I also had access to a number of other work of finding out what combinations of capacitors, resis- Parks which were in friend’s collections. There is a relatively tors, transformers and tubes would produce the sound I was famous red Park 45 head you will see on the cover of most of after. As it turns out, there are some new parts that when the Groove Tubes books. That is an amazing sounding amp properly combined sound great. And not necessarily the that is now in a friend’s collection. ones that are more expensive. As far as the NOS parts for the limited edition amps, I have been buying them from sources Early Parks were basically the same as early Marshalls. That I have found all over the world. I had some from years of goes for the 45s with KT66s and the early tube rectified 50s collecting but not the quantities I needed to build 25 of the with EL34s. In order to differentiate Park from Marshall limited edition versions. I will build 20 LTD heads and 5 they later switched to KT88 output tubes and called the amps LTD combos. The costs of these parts are much higher but 75s and 150s when the output power was really 50 and 100. the sound is worth it. One of the reasons the old amps sound The sound was different because of the beefier KT88 tubes. so good is the use of these specific components. There is an The circuits in these amps remained true to the early designs almost magical quality to the right combination of parts. I am whereas the equivalent Marshalls became brighter and more also using Merren transformers in the LTD amps which in my aggressive. opinion are the best sounding Marshall style transformers.

The Park 50 combo (which is now in someone else’s collec- Review tion) was one of the best sounding Bluesbreaker style 2x12 While combos I ever heard. The size is smaller and there are some Park circuit differences. I plan on doing a spot-on reissue. ampli-

fiers may TQR: You are using NOS and vintage components in the have been limited edition amps... How do you source things originally like that these days in quantities large enough to conceived build even limited editions, and how important are as a hedge these components to the tone of the amp? to expand sales be- Every- yond the limitations of Marshall’s agreement with Rose Mor- thing ris, they have become extremely collectible and highly prized mat- by fans of Marshall amps. They are also comparatively rare, ters. and Mitch Colby has carefully recreated select Park models in I first the image of the originals. learned that Our 1970 Park 75 50 watt head was a truly great amp in almost 45 years ago when fixing my blonde Tremolux when the style of a typical handwired Marshall 50 watt. Like the changing only one component made a difference to the sound. ‘69 50 watt Marshall head we also owned, the Park actually When helping develop reissue Marshalls it became apparent possessed great clean tones and headroom, as well as an ex- that it isn’t simple to get new amps to sound like the vintage quisite overdriven sound above 6 on the volume control. We treasures we love. Over the last three years of deep diving -continued- 14 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 amps

loved us- vintage ing both amp. amps Colby’s with an Park head outboard sounds as Fender if it were a reverb virgin time unit for capsule blues, or pushed into distortion at higher volume levels for from Mar- heavier rock. Both amps also sounded very good set cleaner shall history. Highly recommended for the ultimate Marshall with overdrive and distortion pedals, and the tone was un- tone. $3500.00 and worth it. mistakably classic Marshall – middy, rippin’ and roarin,’ or cleaner with smooth and subtle sustain. The same top mount 45 amp is also available as a compact 2x12 combo weighing 50 .lbs, with dimensions of (H) 19.75”, The new Park Top Mount 45 Limited Edition is a meticulous- (W) 28”, (D) 10.5”. Additional models include the tube recti- ly designed and built 35 watt head utilizing Piher and Allen fied dual EL34 Park 50 head, and the Park 45 standard head. Bradley resistors, Lemco and Mustard capacitors on a brown The unique Park 4x12 cabinet is angled slightly upwards from paxolin circuit board with split turrets, and custom Merren the bottom of the cab to the top producing the depth of tone clone power and output transformers. Colby is also optionally associated with a straight 4x12 and the projection and clarity using Eric Collins’ authentic reproduction pinstripe grille cloth on stage of a traditional 4x12. Both cabinets are available noted in our review of the Retro King Master 50 with our with black covering and standard blue/black basket weave pinstripe 4x12 cabinet. We used the same rig for evaluating grill cloth. EC Collins reissue Park pinstripe grill cloth is the Park 45, and to put it plainly, the Park vividly recreates the available at an extra charge. See Park web site for more sound of our old ‘69 Marshall and 1970 Park amps. information and pricing.T Q www.parkamplifiers.com/ The Park uti- lizes a GZ34 rectifier and dual KT66 output tubes, and the tone RecPro Audio 5E3 Deluxe is very old- school vintage If the Stratocaster and rich. The 2-channel/4-input design allows you to select is the most copied the brighter Channel 1 or warmer Channel 2, and as in the electric guitar in past we really liked the tone we created using both channels history, the Fender jumped and mixed with a Hosa Y cable. Mixing the two chan- 5E3 tweed Deluxe nels plugged into the #1 inputs produces a huge tone and drive may be the most that can be blended with the volume controls for a brighter or copied guitar heavier sound. The Park stays more or less clean up to about 6 amplifier of our on the volume control, and steadily builds sustain and classic time. Easy on the British distortion from 6-10. You have the ability to explore all ears and the back, the tones of a vintage Marshall 45, from clean (cleanest with the Deluxe has been single coil pickups) to beautifully overdriven with a heavy used on countless musical grind on 10, pedals not required. In terms of fidelity, recordings and in 2014 it continues to meet the needs of many dynamic feel, harmonic complexity and variable sustain, the players in terms of its size, volume and outstanding overdriv- Park exhibits all the qualities of a truly exceptional vintage en tones. Yes, it may be limited to one or two seminal sounds Marshall, enhanced by a better tone stack and a very useful (kinda clean and dirty) but it works. A straight up little amp Brightness control. Best of all, this amp delivers absolutely that cooks. It is also simple and easy to build, making it a authentic vintage tone with none of the headaches that come favorite of custom amp builders… with finding, tweaking and restoring a vintage Marshall, most of which have been modified. We can’t say why, but it seems When builder Ron Damiani contacted us about a review of his that more old Marshalls have been hacked with master volume RecPro Audio tweed Deluxe we said, “Sure, why not?” Who circuits and drastic component replacements than any other -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 15 amps

doesn’t like a tweed Deluxe? We have reviewed a few replicas Vintage-Series is from Fender, Victoria and Clark as well as a vintage ‘59 and an exact duplicate, the muscled up Lazy J built in London by our pal Jesse. So down to the ground we were happy to see the RecPro Deluxe arrive from Sanibel, straps on the sock- Florida, although if you have been to beautiful Sanibel, it is ets. The Studio-Se- hard to imagine getting much work done there… ries is very similar but voiced for top To our surprise performance. The Ron’s amp turned P2P is a Studio- out to be a surprise, Series that is wired beginning with the true point-to-point, much like the old Valcos where very little nekkid pine cabinet wire is used. I sometimes install vintage output transformers painted black with in the P2P as well, making it even more retro-authentic. The hot rod detail- P2P represents the best I offer. ing. The surprises continued when we TQR: Are you using NOS caps as well? noted a full set of NOS RCA tubes, With the P2P series I employ new old stock capacitors ex- and a chassis layout that was definitely a departure from clusively (save for the big electrolytics), otherwise a mix of standard Fullerton practice as drawn in the original 5E3 NOS and new production caps from today’s top vendors are layout. We contacted Ron with a few introductory questions utilized. As a rule I always use NOS resistors, octal and noval about his background and the 5E3, and our review follows his sockets, and other NOS components when I can source them. comments: TQR: Are there any other significant differences in the TQR: Please briefly describe your background and how circuit versus a traditional 5E3? you became involved in building amplifiers. No, absolutely not. I stay A guitarist as close to the original 5E3 for more schematic as possible, seeking years than I only to bring out the best of care to admit, the circuit through tuning. I built my My objective is to provide an first Tweed amplifier that delivers true Deluxe back vintage Tweed Deluxe perfor- in 2001; mance out of the gate. however, unhappy with the response and tone of the stock assembly I TQR: We noted that you shipped our review amp with continued to break down and rebuild the amp using different NOS RCA tubes and you offer them as an option. components and various modifications over several years, Is this ‘subject to availability’ or do you have an until finally arriving at the sound I originally anticipated from adequate supply to meet demand? They do sound the circuit in the first place – that of the classic recordings better... from (among others) Larry Carlton with Steely Dan, Neil Young and Don Felder. After having decoded the “DNA” for I keep enough vintage tonal success, in the spring of 2010 I decided to offer NOS tubes on my 5E3 re-creations to others likewise in search of authentic hand to sat- performance and opened the Speed Shop. isfy demand. For chassis and TQR: We notice that the layout for the 5E3 amp we have combo customers here looks entirely different than the typical tweed I assemble each Deluxe with a lot of components ‘flown’ rather than tube complement, soldered to a traditional Fender-style board. Please matching them elaborate… for a performance bogey while audi- I offer three variants of Fender’s original 5E3 circuit. The tioning the amp.

-continued- 16 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 amps

TQR: We like the theme of the painted and uncovered horrible when we got it, but when we took it to Jeff Bakos we pine cabinet. Do you also offer various covering found that quite a few of the caps were way out of spec and options like traditional tweed and tolex? Are there the electrolytics were dimpled and shot. We’ll be develop- any other options we should note? ing an article about the ‘60 Deluxe when we get the cabinet back, but the point we want to make here is that for the amp to Tweed is cool, and that’s mostly what my clients want, but sound as good as it possibly could, we chose to replace three personally I prefer something more unusual. Bare wood with electrolytic caps and four additional caps rather than leaving a flat Rat-Rod type finish is my favorite as this platform opens the amp in original condition (although we did save all the up the possibility of further expression by way of adding original caps). Sometimes, you can’t keep these things stock pinstripes, graphics or other treatments. This “de-tweeding” and expect them to sound good. might be effecting resonance in a positive way as well. I’ve also built a few “Kustom” Deluxes with wood cabinets shot On the other by auto body shops in real-deal, multi-stage, Hot-Rod finishes hand, Ron such as Candy Apple Green and Tangelo Metalflake. Folk Art Damiani is another form I’d like to do more with in the future. 2x12 is building cabinets are another option I like to use to mix things up a bit. new amps with new old TQR: We also like the tone of the Greenback – is that stock parts your favorite speaker in this amp and if so, why? as an option, including In my the amp we opinion, the received for review. Obviously, we can’t A/B his amp with Celestion NOS and more common contemporary components, but we G12M Heri- can tell you that the RecPro 5E3 P2P Deluxe sounds extraor- tage (English) dinarily good as replica Deluxe amps go… Compared to our speaker is a ‘60 Deluxe plugged into an heirloom pine 1x12 cabinet loaded great match with an Eminence Alnico Red Fang 12, the Rec Pro isn’t quite for the Nar- as loud and rowdy, but the Red Fang is a loud Alnico speaker. row Panel Our old Deluxe possesses a little more clarity, and the original Deluxe. It compresses beautifully and does the “Little Wing” output transformer makes the amp sing with an old and thing with a Strat, yet with humbuckers will just kill “Cross- complex tone that really can’t be duplicated. Still, the RecPro roads.” It covers both sides of the spectrum and the ground Deluxe has a smooth voice that is both warm and bright in in-between equally well; Royal Scam, Eagles, Neil Young, ZZ a pleasing way, clean ‘til about 5 on the volume control, but Top, early Frampton, etc., it’s all there; and with a little sag and tweed Deluxe ‘clean,’ which isn’t the same as ‘blackface’ a neck humbucker you’re in Savoy Brown territory. Regarding clean. The Normal channel is warmer and more subdued than my favorite, it’s a toss-up between the Celestion and the vintage the Bright channel. Once again the Celestion Heritage Green- Jensen P12Q (with original cone). The Jensens can vary a bit back seems to be so in response, but they’re always very good with the best of them perfectly matched being just fantastic. with a moderately powered amp like Review the Deluxe – not too dark or bright As a point of reference, we happen to have a 1960 5E3 Deluxe – just right. You’ll chassis perched atop our Super Beater Reverb as we wait for also get a kick Gregg Hopkins to finish his recover of a recover of the origi- out of the keyed nal cabinet. When we bought the Fender back in September it ignition switch on remained in the RecPro Deluxe, the standby switch labeled Ground, the 100% origi- big vintage knobs, and in our case, the hot rodded cabinet, nal condition although that particular theme is optional. We do kinda like with the the idea of paint with no covering on the pine cab, but whether exception of it makes a significant sonic difference we can’t say. the cabinet recover. It Overall the RedPro Deluxe is a very solid reproduction 5E3 didn’t sound with great tone, and a look that won’t be confused with -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 17 effects

anything else on the planet. Very cool and recommended. TQR: How did the idea of creating an Eric Johnson signa- 5E3-P2P with NOS tubes, Celestion G12M Heritage and Rat ture Fuzz Face first come about? Rod cabinet as reviewed $2520. With standard tweed cabinet, $2020.TQ When I started at Dunlop in 2006, Jimmy was just finishing www.recproaudio.com up with the EJ Jazz 3 and said I should try and make Eric a Fuzz Face. Soon after, Eric was in Los Angeles for a show and I went down with a camera and a number of measuring DUNLOP tools and took apart his #1 red Fuzz Face.

EricEric JohnsonJohnson SignatureSignature FuzzFuzz FaceFace TQR: Can you describe the initial R&D process? We would imagine that at some point you had access We can vaguely to a number of EJ’s favorite Arbiter Fuzz Faces to remember when the evaluate? Maestro Fuzz and the Arbiter Fuzz The first thing I Face were the only did was to fully high octane options measure every available to teen aspect of two of bands, and since Eric’s favorite “Satisfaction” and Fuzz Faces… later, “Inagoda- Both were 1969 davida” were set – one was red list essentials, we (his main one); owned both. The deal with “Inagodadavida” was that you the other was could stretch it out with a long drum solo fortified with a black. I also took psychedelic strobe light on the drummer, and the only way you a look at a blue could carry the repetitive riff on guitar was with a Fuzz Face. Fuzz Face Eric Hendrix must have sold a ton of Fuzz Faces, as well as fully would sometimes Eric with Jeorge elevating them to classic status among early guitar effects. use. After that, I Hindsight tells us that the Arbiter fuzzes were ridiculously started building prototypes and sending them to Eric. Over the simple, unruly and crude devices plagued by noise and wild course of six years I handbuilt close to 50 prototypes. variations in sound from one unit to the next. And in 1967 no one noticed or cared… TQR: There aren’t a lot of components in a classic Fuzz Face, yet the old ones seemed to vary quite a bit During the past in sound... What did you find interesting about the 40 years the fuzz old fuzzes in terms of the components used, their has been copied design, and the extent to which they varied? and recreated by dozens of compa- Since there are so few parts, every part in the Fuzz Face nies, yet perhaps makes a sonic difference. The original Fuzz Face used 10% to the most famously 20% tolerance parts which is part of the reason they all sound afflicted tonef- different, plus the older types of parts used would drift in reak of our time, actual value over time. So some would drift into a good sound Eric Johnson, has over time and some the opposite. The other interesting thing steadfastly held is that the originals would vary in the actual parts used – some on to a handful of have carbon resistors, carbon film, Erie large carbon film, and his favorite vin- some have a combination. Capacitors vary too… tropical fish tage Fuzz Faces, no doubt culled from many inferior pretend- seem to be the type people focus on, but there were a handful ers over the years. Curious, we contacted the folks at Dunlop of others used as well. There were only five models of transis- with a request to review the Eric Johnson Signature Fuzz tors ever used in original vintage Fuzz Faces – NKT275, Face. Dunlop Director of Product Development, Electronics, BC183, BC108, BC130 and BC209. Another thing to remem- Jeorge Tripps sent us an EJ fuzz for review, and we asked him ber, is they didn’t test or match the transistors in the old days. to explain how the development process unfolded. Our review They just soldered them in. So it really was a crap shoot to get follows Jeorge’s interview… a really good sounding unit back in the day. -continued- 18 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 effects

TQR: How did you approach the challenge of creating a transformed into such a massive sound with a handful of com- signature fuzz for Eric using modern components? ponents. It also isn’t difficult to appreciate the results Jeorge Was it simply a combination of finding the right Tripps and Eric Johnson achieved from building nearly 50 parts and tweaking the values? Please explain. prototypes. We don’t get to hear the near misses, but hearing the final product leaves vivid clues as to what they wished to Exactly! The achieve – a EJF1 was based low noise on Eric’s favorite threshold, two 1969 first smooth drive issue silicon Fuzz and sustain, Faces, then I just and tones from dialed in all the all 6 strings values until it was that are pleas- where Eric liked ing and clear, it. We used the void of disso- same vintage style nant, clashing layout and wiring overtones, as a JHF1 and a vintage Fuzz Face. We also use high toler- muddiness or sharp, jagged edges. Mission accomplished. We ance parts to keep each new unit as close to spec as possible. really can’t imagine a better sounding fuzz that offers a fairly wide range of volume and intensity levels and quiet opera- TQR: Do you have any final thoughts on what makes a tion. We have experienced two vintage Fuzz Faces in the past great fuzz like the EJ Signature sound so musically ten years used by the late Michael Burks, and another used pleasing? by Stevie Ray Vaughan and modded by Cesar Diaz, and they shared a raw and throaty intensity that was rougher and in There isn’t one part that is more important than another in this our opinion, less agreeable for the long haul than the EJ fuzz, circuit – they all interact. I find that every time I make a new which sounds more even and balanced. Since the Dunlop version of the Fuzz Face it’s an adventure. Fuzz Faces are has been created in the image of the original circuit design the coolest! They’re fat and woolly and interactive, each with using hand-selected BC183 silicon transistors, despite the their own charms. fact that it is true bypass we suggest you place it first in your signal chain when using a Fuzz Tone pedalboard, as you would Jeorge got it right – fuzzes are fat and woolly, and the Dunlop with a vintage Eric Johnson Signature Fuzz Face oozes thick, musical and wah. True to muscular fuzz and sustain equally well with single coil and form, power humbucking pickups. Of course we began our evaluation of is supplied by the EJ fuzz on the bridge pickup of our Roadworn Stratocast- an internal 9 er. The tone of the bridge pickup is typically trebly, bright and volt battery certainly not what you might call ‘powerful’… step on the only, and Fuzz Face and yes, you are the tone turns welcome to thick, heavy experiment with different types of 9 volt batteries, or even use and penetrating those that have lost a little juice and measure say, 6-7 volts on with a strong a multi-meter. They will sound different and you may like the upper midrange difference. In our experience we like the old school Ever- emphasis, ready Black Cat carbon zinc heavy duty batteries over modern great lows and alkaline alternatives. The external hammertone Dunlop case singing, soar- is a work of roadworthy art with vintage style ‘60s knobs, and ing sustain. It if you are ready to get your fuzz on we can’t recommend a is really quite better choice at $199.99. Fuzz forth… amazing how TQ the Strat bridge pickup can be www.jimdunlop.com

TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 19 Resource Directory

speakers, a comprehensive selection of Several Sunface versions are available for guitar and amplifier replacement parts that germanium or Silicon fuzzface sounds, include, pickups, effects, bridges, saddles plus the Astro Tone, Peppermint, and Sun and tuners, potentiometers, capacitors and Bender fuzz pedals. The Beano Boost is Don’t miss your opportunity to save 10% our exclusive MOD authentic, vintage-cor- a crunchy treble booster and is also avail- on selected products offered by members rect reverb tanks, plus tools and supplies able along with a Sun Face in the Sun Lion of your ToneQuest Resource Directory! for amp and guitar repair and maintenance, pedal. The Bad Bob booster is now made reference books, and accessories. by Analog Man. The King of Tone dual Look for exclusive ToneQuest discount overdrive has been incredibly popular and offers in gold and reference TQR when We believe that every musician is unique, a Prince of Tone was developed in 2012 for placing your order. and deserves easy access to the equipment, better availability. The ARDX20 dual ana- tools and resources necessary to create his/ log delay is also available with a tap tempo/ her own tone. Amplified Parts is dedicated modulation/preset controller for the most to helping you sound your very best. features in any analog delay. The BIG-T AllParts: Top players and guitar builders www.amplifiedparts.com Telecaster pickup was developed with Jim rely on Allparts for the right guitar and bass Weider and is available at Analog Man. parts they need, in stock and ready to ship. AllParts offers a complete range of finished Other hand-made pedals available from and unfinished guitar bodies in a variety of Analog Man include FOXROX, Teese premium tone woods, including alder and Analogman (Mike Piera) is one of the pre- RMC wahs, Z Vex, Black Cat, and Sweet swamp ash, with optional highly figured mier guitar effects dealers and manufactur- Sound, plus production pedals from Boss, maple tops. Finishes include all of the most ers serving professional players worldwide. Dunlop, MXR, Wah Huge, EHX, Eventide, popular vintage col8.5ors, including see– Analog Man is unique, since it manufac- VOX, Xotic, etc. Power supplies for through blonde! Premium necks are also tures, modifies, buys, sells, and repairs nearly any effect are available, plus cables, available with maple, rosewood, and ebony vintage and new guitar effects and acces- pedalboards, and other accessories. Mike fingerboards in a variety of neck shape sories - they have everything you need maintains excellent relationships with these profiles, with or without binding. Custom between your guitar and amp. Specializing manufacturers to insure that quality and design your next guitar with AllParts, in vintage and high-end effects, you won’t service standards are high. Please check including tailpieces, tuning keys, bridges, find cheap Taiwanese “happy meal” style, the web site for more information. nuts and saddles, pickups, pickguards (that toy effects there. Analog Man is dedi- Analog Man, Bethel, CT really fit), knobs, hardware, and electronics cated to helping you successfully pursue for many popular models. Bass players and your quest for tone, and every customer Analog Man, Bethel, CT lefties can also find the parts they need at is treated as a prospective friend. There www.analogman.com, buyanalogman.com AllParts! You can also rely on Allparts for are now Analog Friends all over the world 203–778–6658 hard to find parts, along with vacuum tubes with the common interest of vintage guitars and amplifier hardware. and effects. Analog Man can meet all your AllParts, Houston, TX effects needs, including: Buying and sell- www.allparts.com 713–466–6414 ing vintage, new, and custom built effects, and modifying pedals to sound and func- Callaham Vintage Guitars & Amps New tion better. A full repair service, including from Callaham! Check out the new billet referrals to specialists. They specialize in steel ABR-1 style ‘tune-o-matic’ bridge: creating the best new effects with vintage Bill Callaham is a builder of exceptional values. FREE help with effects problems electric guitars that exceed the original Amplified Parts was created to serve musi- by e-mail, plus professional consultation quality, tone, and beauty of the vintage cians who wish to optimize their sound and technical services. models that inspire his work. “ Better or simply repair, restore or optimize their than vintage” is an apt description for the amplifiers and guitars. Amplified Parts is a Analog Man was the pioneer in pedal Callaham “ S” and “ T” model electric gui- new entity itself, but as a DBA of Antique modifications for Ibanez and Maxon Tube tars that feature premium lightweight ash Electronic Supply, LLC (tubesandmore. Screamers and several Boss pedals (TR-2, and alder bodies, custom hand–shaped rock com), it is backed by over 25 years of GE-7, SD-1, DS-1, BD-2, DD3, etc). They maple necks, and cryogenically treated experience serving the electronic hobbyist also modify DOD overdrives and Fuzz Lindy Fralin pickups specially wound to market. We are a member in good standing Faces to vintage specs and do true bypass Callaham’s specifications for true vintage of the Better Business Bureau. mods on many effects. They also build tone. Bill also offers cryogenically treated, custom switch boxes with effects loops, pre-wired vintage pick guards for Strat Amplified Parts is intended to serve the AB switches, buffers, channel switchers, style guitars, and his exclusive formula for needs of the musician who may not pos- tuner switches, etc. Analog Man hand-built cold–rolled steel alloy tremolo blocks con- sess a technical background, but wants to pedals include chorus pedals, compressors, tinue to delight players around the world create his/her own sound or tone by modi- distortions, delays, and fuzz pedals. Three with improved resonance and sustain. fying their existing amplifier or guitar. Our chorus pedals are available, with several Callaham vintage saddles also improve wide range of products include JJ, TAD, options. Five versions of compressors are sustain while minimizing string fatigue and Electro-Harmonix and Winged C vacuum available, based on the Ross style and/or breaks. Additional Strat parts include stain- tubes, Jensen and Celestion replacement the Orange Squeezer style of compression. less steel trem arms, string ferrules, bridge -continued- 20 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 Resource Directory

plates and mounting screws, and string Raleigh – Three watts, three knobs, two ated for those who are absolutely dedicated retainers. Attention Tele Players! Callaham personalities. The Raleigh is a stylish and to the pursuit of true Vintage tone. now offers a complete line of custom Tele versatile practice and recording amp. parts. Please visit their web site for infor- For high-volume OEMs, Celestion mation on pre–wired control plates with The Viceroy – The 33/7 watt Viceroy is Originals represent outstanding value for premium pots, capacitors, and cloth–cov- our newest dual 6L6, classically American money. We have the specialist experience ered wire, specially wound and cryogeni- amplifier designed to deliver a full range coupled with the most advanced, high-vol- cally treated Fralin vintage Tele pickups, of clean and overdriven sounds for home, ume manufacturing techniques to deliver compensated brass bridge saddles, bridge stage, and studio. Celestion tone, quality and brand appeal at plates, knobs, jacks, tuners and string trees! Mercury – With selectable power from 8 extremely competitive prices. The only thing better than Callaham parts watts down to 1/10th of a watt, the single is a Callaham guitar. We said that, and you EL34 powered Mercury is ideal for apart- Celestion International Ltd can take it to the bank. ments, studios, and intimate performance www.celestion.com venues. For OEM Enquiries, contact Andy Farrow Callaham Guitars, Winchester, VA at Celestion America, 732-683-2356 www.callahamguitars.com 540–678–4043 Rambler – Our flagship amp. With its Retail & distribution enquiries, contact high headroom, the 28/14 watt, dual 6L6 John Sanchez at Celestion America, 732- Rambler delivers rich, clean tones at levels 683-2356, [email protected]. suitable for home, clubs, and studios.

Slant 6V – With four 6V6 power tubes, Carr Amplifiers Like you, all of us at full/half power modes, and two footswitch- Carr Amplifiers are guitarists. We share able channels - clean and overdrive, the 40 your love of the guitar, and we feel very watt Slant 6V is our most versatile stage Collings Guitars: Bill Collings’ story fortunate to build amplifiers for a living amp. provides a classic example of what can at our shop in Pittsboro, North Carolina. be achieved with an engineer’s brain, a And although we are understandably proud We sincerely appreciate your interest in machinists’ hand and an experienced repair- of our unique circuit designs, meticulous Carr Amplifiers, and as you consider the man’s eye. After dropping out of medical point-to-point construction, premium com- models described in detail on our web site school in Ohio to work in a machine shop, ponents and hand-crafted cabinets, our suc- or in a dealer showroom, we invite you to ColliRDngs moved to Texas in the mid cess has ultimately been the result of one contact us personally here in Pittsboro to 1970’s where the experience he gained simple fact; discerning guitarists continue assist you in choosing the best Carr amp repairing and restoring guitars guided his to enthusiastically embrace the tone, reli- for your needs. design of the first Collings guitars. His ability and versatile nature of our ampli- understanding of the flaws and shortcomings fiers. Perhaps it’s because we view guitar Steve Carr, Founder found in production instruments was instruc- amps as being as much an instrument as the Carr Amplifiers, Pittsboro,NC tive, and he set out to eliminate those short- guitar itself, and we truly believe that an www.carramps.com 919–545–0747 comings with the very first Collings guitars amplifier should become a personal exten- Collings instruments have grown to include sion of every player. To that end, we strive 32 different acoustic guitar models includ- to design and build amps with a distinct ing the famed dreadnought and OM models, character and sonic personality, and the seven award-winning mandolin models in flexibility and practical features that will Celestion Ltd. Nobody knows more than both lacquer and varnish finishes, three arch- inspire you to create your very own signa- Celestion about guitar loudspeaker design top guitars, and a new line of seven electric ture sound at volume levels appropriate for and manufacture. Think of your all-time instruments crafted to inspire rock, blues, home, studio and stage. Models include: favourite guitar riffs and solos, chances are, jazz, country, and your music, too. they were played through Celestion guitar The Bloke – Macho 70s to 80s overdrive loudspeakers. For the last fifty years - since Bill Collings work is respected by profes- with a stripped-down, super-usable feature the birth of the Celestion Blue (the first sional and amateur musicians alike… set. For those who crave honest, dynamic ever purpose-built guitar loudspeaker) - our anyone on the quest for quality. Some of tube crunch with firm low end, we salute magical mix of metal paper and magnets these include artists: Keith Richards, Lyle you! has formed an essential part of the sound Lovett, Pete Townshend, Emmylou Harris, of guitar music. Andy Summers, David Crosby, Chris The Sportsman – Inspired by mid ‘60s Hillman, Joni Mitchell, Don Felder, John American reverb-type amps, the Carr Some of the greatest speakers available Sebastian, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Tim Sportsman is a versatile performer in a today are part of the Celestion Classic O’Brien, Pete Huttlinger, Kenny Smith, compact and portable package. Series. Over the years, we’ve applied our Brian May, Joan Baez, John Prine, Nigel design expertise to build a range of speak- Tufnel of Spinal Tap, and Steven Spielberg Artemus – Archetypal EL84 tone meets ers that will give you classic Celestion to name a few. We invite you to play a 21st century innovation. The Artemus will tone, no matter what style you play. The Collings today. expand your notion of what the British Alnico Series and the Heritage Series, both AC-inspired amp can do. More dynamic, hand-built in Ipswich, England, are the For more information on the complete line more expressive - simplicity redefined. result of meticulous attention to detail, cre- of Collings instruments and dealer loca- -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 21 Resource Directory

tions, please visit our web site. is hand selected from private reserves for ity. To locate genuine Eminence dealers in the most stable, consistent and toneful your area, please visit their web site or call Collings Guitars, Austin Texas blend for each specific model. Currie also Eminence Speakers. www.collingsguitars.com, 512-288-7776 supports and works with custom pickup winders such as Curtis Novak, Arcane Eminence Speaker LLC, Eminence, KY Pickups and Jerry Amalfitano in creating a www.eminence.com 502–845–5622 Dave’s Guitar Shop: Dave’s Guitar Shop dynamic voice and personality that clearly Contact: Chris Rose offers guitars by Fender, Gibson, PRS, set Echopark guitars apart as both works National, Taylor, Gretsch, Ernie Ball, of art and exceptional musical instruments. Fishman: Widely recognized as the premier Rickenbacker, Martin, Santa Cruz, Suhr, The highest quality accessories and elec- designer and manufacturer of acoustic Collings, Tom Anderson and many other tronics only work to enhance the individual amplification products, Fishman is com- fine new and used instruments, plus new characteristics of each guitar. From the mitted to making acoustic musicians heard and used amplifiers such as Fender, Line tree to the stage, in the studio or as part of while faithfully maintaining their own 6, Matchless, Victoria, Bad Cat, and Dr. Z, a coveted collection, Echopark heirloom natural tone, for the best possible sound. plus hundreds of guitar effects, and after- guitars represent Currie’s lifelong passion market pickups from Joe Barden, Seymour and respect for handcrafted quality in the The Fishman product line began with the Duncan, and more. Due to their inventory quest for pure, unchained tone. BP-100(tm) acoustic bass pickup, original- of over 1,000 guitars, amps, and acces- For detailed information on the 13 ly developed to meet founder and president sories, Dave’s is an excellent resource for Echopark models currently offered, options Larry Fishman’s own jazz performance top of the line Custom Shop and Historic and to view our image gallery, visit our needs. With a track record of quality engi- reissues, to intermediate new and used gear. web site at: neering, reliability, functional simplicity Unlike some dealers’ out of date stock lists www.echoparkguitars.com and - most importantly - the natural tone it on the web and in print, Dave’s inventory 626-536-3317. enables, Fishman firmly established a repu- is updated daily. The selection of new tation of excellence that consumers have and used instruments is truly exceptional, come to expect from the brand. and you can often select among several models of the same new guitars to find For acoustic guitar, Fishman offers the that special instrument that was meant for Eminence Eminence is proud to present flagship Acoustic Matrix(tm) Series active you. Dave’s staff is friendly and extremely the Patriot and Redcoat series of guitar pickup system, the Rare Earth(tm) Series knowledgeable about the instruments and speakers. Incorporating both British and active magnetic soundhole pickups, and gear that they sell, because they are players, American cone technology into speakers the Neo-D(tm) magnetic soundhole pickup, too. Please check the web site for current that we manufacture in the USA gives as well as passive undersaddle, classical, inventory, and you are welcome to call for us the ability to provide you with virtu- archtop, and resophonic guitar pickups. more information or an accurate, in-hand ally any tone you desire. Be it British Fishman’s new Ellipse(tm) series combines description. or American, clean or dirty, big bass or the Acoustic Matrix(tm) pickup with our screaming highs, we have a speaker that industry leading preamp design. Designed to Dave’s Guitar Shop, LaCrosse, WI will allow you to “ Pick Your Sound.” fit in the guitar’s soundhole, the Ellipse(tm) www.davesguitar.com 608–785–7704 Choose from one of seventeen new mod- system provides volume and tone control at els! Eminence has been building speakers your fingertips and easily installs without to custom specifications for nearly every any modification to your instrument. major manufacturer of guitar amplifier and sound reinforcement products since Fishman pickups are also available for 1967. Their new Legend Series of gui- banjo, mandolin, harp/piano, violin, viola, The Echopark Guitar, Los Angeles tar speakers captures the essence of the cello and acoustic bass. In addition, the Echopark Guitars are uniquely designed, vintage American and British speaker Concertmaster(tm) amplification system handcrafted instruments that vividly reveal designs that are held in such high regard for violin and the Full Circle(tm) upright the vision, skill and experience of master today by so many discerning players. The bass pickup offer two elegant and cutting- luthier Gabriel Currie. Following the storied Legend Series includes classic British and edge string amplification solutions. tradition of luthiers who have collectively American designs for 6,” 8,” 10,” 12,” and defined the modern electric guitar, Gabriel 15” speakers utilizing ceramic and AlNiCo Utilizing cutting-edge Acoustic Sound has attracted a loyal following in the magnets, British or American cones, and Imaging(tm) technology, Aura(tm) features the American boutique guitar market among Kapton polyamide voice coils for superior most innovative acoustic amplification tech- some of the most discerning and influential heat dissipation and durability. Best of all, nology available today. This stompbox-sized artists today. Dedicated to preserving and because Eminence has been successfully unit captures your instrument’s true acoustic enhancing the tradition and culture of competing for years with other speaker sound with stunning, studio microphone qual- American craftsmanship, Echopark Guitars manufacturers as an OEM supplier, the ity. Anytime, anywhere. Aura(tm) eliminates offers a definitive line of custom instru- Legend Series speakers are priced far the boundaries of conventional acoustic ampli- ments ranging from the revered Clarence below those of many other popular manu- fication and gives the most natural, realistic models, to the Downtowner family and the facturers of “ reissue” and custom speak- amplified acoustic instrument sound available Ghetto Bird. Cut, carved, shaped and craft- ers. The Eminence Legend Series delivers - both on stage and in the studio. ed by hand, there are no limits to Gabriel’s all of the tone and durability you need, at a exceptional creativity. Each piece of wood lower price, with no compromises in qual- Joining the award-winning Loudbox(tm) -continued- 22 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 Resource Directory

and Loudbox Pro(tm) acoustic instru- for specific speakers based on the specifica- upon request. Minimum order quantity for ment amplifiers, the new Loudbox tions and information you provide. pre-cut frets is 2000 pieces. Performer(tm) completes Fishman’s popu- lar, highly-acclaimed family of acoustic For detailed information on the entire line CAUTION: Jescar Fretwire will improve amplifiers and represents the size, power of Jensen Vintage, Jet, MOD and Neo the tone and playability of your guitar. and features that musicians demand. speakers and a list of dealers, please visit Setting a new standard in acoustic ampli- our web site. www.jescar.com 877-453-7227 fiers, the Loudbox(tm) series feature a powerful tri-amped system that delivers www.jensentone.com, 480-820-5411 sweet highs and undistorted lows-even at tremendous volumes. Just Strings.com: Now more than ever, guitarists are reaping the benefits of techni- As Fishman celebrates its 25th year as the Jescar Fretwire Securely pressed into the cal innovations in string making that have leader in acoustic amplification, the com- fingerboard, the fret wire is the gateway led to the widest selection of guitar strings pany continues to redefine the benchmark between the musician and the instrument. ever available. JustStrings.com is dedicated of acoustic sound. For more information, It is one of the most critical components to providing guitarists with the largest please visit www.fishman.com. in the playing quality of the guitar. The selection of acoustic, roundwound, and interaction between the strings and frets flatwound strings, complimented by excep- Fishman Transducers Inc. determines the feel of the neck as much as tional personalized service and outstanding Wilmington, MA the neck contour, fingerboard material, or value. Trying different types of strings often www.fishman.com 978–988–9199 finish. results in amazing new discoveries that not only improve the sound of your instrument, There are many different fret wire profiles but dramatically enhance your playing available, from small to large, low to high, enjoyment. From traditional hand–crafted Jensen Loudspeakers Changing speakers narrow to wide, oval to round to triangular, strings to high–tech exotics, JustStrings. in your amplifier is the easiest and often all affecting the playing characteristics com exists to help you get the most out the most effective ‘modification’ you can and feel of the instrument. Brass frets of your instrument. Try a new set today, do yourself in the quest for inspiring guitar from days past have given way to today’s or order your favorite acoustic or electric tone. standard material, 18% nickel silver, also sets and SAVE! Juststrings.com offers the called “German Silver.”Our highly refined best prices on all of the major and specialty The complete range of Jensen speakers nickel silver consists of 62% copper, 18% brands, promptly delivered to your door. reflects the heritage of the vintage C and P nickel and 20% zinc. But even with 18% Shop online at JustStrings.com, or place series ceramic and alnico speakers used in nickel silver, there are differences in hard- your order by: so many classic amplifiers from the ‘50s ness, tensile strength, surface quality, grain and ’60s, as well as the modern Jet, MOD size, and other metallurgical properties fax at 603–889–7026 603–889–2664.. and Neo Series that offer a variety of tones that influence a fret’s quality, performance JustStrings.com, Nashua, NH and power ratings to suit virtually any type and feel. [email protected] of music and application imaginable. You will also find Jensen speakers in all the Beyond 18% nickel silver, new alloys have sizes used today for electric and acoustic been employed in the production of mod- guitar amplification, including 5, 6, 8 10, ern fret wire that dramatically improves the 12 and 15 inch models. performance and aesthetics of the guitar. Keeley Electronics – Check out the new With so many excellent choices available Our stainless steel, with its greater hard- Keeley Katana Preamp! ToneQuest sub- to guitarists today, we also understand that ness and tighter grain structure has much scribers receive 10% off on all pedal mods choosing the right speakers for your unique higher wear resistance for greater fret and the Keeley Comp, Java Boost and Time needs can be a complex, and even daunting life. In addition, string bending is much Machine boost: Keeley Electronics recently decision. To assist you in making the right smoother without the friction or grinding won a Guitar Player Reader’s Choice Award choice the first time, our web site offers a felt with traditional fret material. We have and Keeley is now the exclusive distribu- comprehensive library of sound files for selected a stainless steel alloy that provides tor for Framptone! Robert Keeley’s Time each speaker, video demonstrations, user the best combination of fret life and instal- Machine Boost, Keeley Compressor, and reviews, a detailed tone chart, and wiring lation ease. his custom, state–of–the–art modifications diagrams for virtually every speaker con- for vintage pedals continue to receive rave figuration used in combo amplifiers and Most fretwire is manufactured in coils for reviews from guitarists around the world. extension cabinets. Best of all, you may ease of installation. Our FW39040 and Keeley pedals are used by Aerosmith, also utilize our exclusive Tone Generator FW37053 are only offered in 24” straight Abbey Road Studios, Steve Vai, legendary program to determine the best speakers for lengths to prevent twisting if coiled. producer Bob Rock, George Lynch, Peter your needs. Simply enter information such Pricing is based on orders of one pound Frampton, James Burton, and many, many as the rated power of your amplifier, the minimum quantity per size, plus shipping more guitarists and music pros around number of speakers and size, playing style via UPS, FedEx, or USPS. Gold colored the world. The Time Machine Boost is a and musical taste, volume requirements EVO wire is available on selected sizes versatile 2 channel, 3 mode pre–amplifier and other relevant factors and the Tone only. Individual frets cut to size, straight designed to drive your amplifiers into over- Generator will develop recommendations cut or cut and notched tangs, are available drive or saturation. The two channels are -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 23 Resource Directory

labeled “ Vintage,” and “ Modern,” with the Recently, Jason was acknowledged by Next-generation guitar amplifier trans- “ Vintage” side inspired by rare germanium gonzo pedal steel player Robert Randolph formers. The Axiom series are in a class boosts like the Dallas Rangemaster. The for having wound the pickups in his two by themselves. We’ve taken our advanced “ Modern” channel is a new +23dB gain, custom Fessenden pedal steels. And the knowledge of modern transformer design dual JFET transparent signal amplifier. The list doesn’t end there – Jason has wound and mated it with historically best-sound- Keeley Compressor is a superb audiophile pickups for guitar greats such as Billy F ing designs of the past. Axiom trannys are and studio grade compressor with true Gibbons, Peter Stroud, Kevin Russel, Rick hybrids that take vintage tone to the next bypass switching and premium metal film Vito, Elliot Easton, Duke Robillard, and level! More bloom, more overtone color, resistors and capacitors for the cleanest Ross the Beasty Boys, among others. and awesome tonal depth. If you ever clone compressor ever available. Available Jason is always happy to personally con- needed convincing as to how outstanding with a standard Ibanez/Boss style adapter sult with his clients via phone and e–mail transformers affect your sound, Axiom jack and/or battery power, you can say to determine the pickups that are right trannys will astonish you. goodbye to that old red Dyna Comp! for each player, and TQR recommends Lollar pickups without exception. His Robert Keeley pedal mods include 2 ver- Lollar Special Strat pickups are standard Mercury Vintage™ Transformer Service: sions for TS9’s – the TS808 mod, and the “ equipment in our custom built ToneQuest Most vintage transformers have already Baked TS9” for searing hot Tube Screamer guitars. outlived or are nearing the end of their tone. Keeley uses the original TI RC4558P life expectancies. That’s the bad news – chip that appeared in the early TS808’s, Call Jason or check out all the options now for the good… Mercury will restore, while increasing the bass response and available on his web site. rebuild or rewind your valuable original overdrive range. The result is a perfectly transformers. Or, we can clone your origi- voiced 808 that’s cleaner when turned www.lollarguitars.com, 206–463–9838 nals so that you can continue to play your down and produces twice the drive/gain old amp without fear of further “wear and when turned up, with all of the stock 808 tear.” character in the middle. The Keeley mod- ded BD–2 is not a fuzz pedal but has the Free Transformer Testing And Evaluation best characteristics of a fuzz pedal, and it’s Mercury Magnetics: The basis of every Service: Do you think there might be much smoother and more realistic sound- tube amp’s characteristic sound is the something wrong with your transformer? ing. Other exclusive Keeley modifications unique design of its transformers. Mercury Send it to us. We’ll test it in our lab and include the Boss Blues Driver BD–2 Tube transformers are legendary for their stun- report back to you. Our evaluation proce- Mod, the PHAT Switch BD–2 Mod, Rat ning tonal superiority, build quality, con- dures are thorough, complete and reliable, Mods, Boss DS–1 Seeing Eye Mod, Boss sistency, and reliability. We believe in old- and always free. The only transformers SD–1, and Boss Chorus CE–2. For detailed world customer service and single-minded that come with a 10-year Manufacturer’s specs, user comments, dealer information, focus. Transformers are our only business, Warrantee and a Money-Back Tonal sound clips, and ordering information, allowing us to concentrate on providing Guarantee. Made entirely in the U.S.A. please visit the Keeley Electronics website. you with the best-sounding guitar amplifier trannies in the world. Mercury Magnetics Keeley Electronics, Edmond, OK www.MercuryMagnetics.com 405–260–1385, www.robertkeeley.com If your amp is suffering from bland and [email protected] unexciting tone, then it’s time for a trans- 818-998-7791 404–325–0515 former upgrade or repair. Here are your options:

Lollar Custom Guitars & Pickups: According to Jason, he never really set out RS Guitarworks: You can depend on RS to become a custom pickup designer and ToneClone™: Best-of-Breed Series Guitarworks as your source for the finest builder. Jason Lollar is a guitar builder on Transformers: Behind every great-sounding custom guitars, expert guitar finishing, Vashon Island, Washington (near Seattle) vintage guitar amp is a piece of transformer refinishing and aging, complete guitar who originally began building pickups for history. Within any amp line there are usu- assembly and repair, custom electronic his own guitars and a few friends when ally a large number of transformer variations, upgrade kits, pickups, pickup covers, hard- he couldn’t find the tone he was after. The inconsistencies and just plain ol’ building to-find hardware, and more. word spread, and now Jason custom builds errors that affect their sound (good or bad). over 30 different pickups, including Strat, At Mercury, we seek out, study, blueprint Located in Winchester, Kentucky, RS Tele, humbuckers, P90’s, custom steels and replicate only the best-of-breed trans- Guitarworks began as a small repair and and Charlie Christian–style pickups, all former designs (including their all-important shop in 1994. As the word spread among persoanlly designed and wound by Jason. anomalies) and add these discoveries to guitarists, business rapidly grew for RS, He is especially well known for his P90, our catalog. And we make these incredible and today they receive guitars from around Imperial Humbucker and Tele replacement tonal selections available to you through our the world for restoration, finishing, aging pickups, but he has also designed pickups ToneClone™ line. and custom voicing with specialty compo- for many unusual applications… nents and exclusive pickups wound to RS Axiom® Series Next-Gen Transformers: specs by Lindy Fralin. -continued- 24 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 Resource Directory

RS’s Old Friend, SolarFlair, Stepside and RS Guitarworks Swart Amplification: Long before the first custom guitars can be seen in the hands of 859-737-5300, www.rsguitarworks.net Swart amp ever appeared, Michael Swart many top players, and offer build quality had been playing through vintage amps for and hardware second to none. Every guitar decades at live gigs and recording sessions RS Guitarworks builds is meticulously as both a guitarist and recording engineer in crafted with wood personally selected Wilmington, NC. by RS,finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, assembled with premium components, and Stewart MacDonald: Stewart-MacDonald Despite his access to countless vintage individually voiced in final assembly as a offers a complete line of hard–to–find Fender, Vox, and Ampeg amps, Swart true custom instrument. tools, parts, accessories, instructional vid- always felt the quintessential small record- eos and books for building, repairing, set- ing/home use amp had yet to be built, RS Guitarworks also offers many hard-to- ting up, and optimizing the playability and thus begin the quest for the best tone via a find aged, vintage replica parts and other tone of stringed instruments. Whether you small, manageable package. After a slew specialty accessories for vintage Fender, are just getting started or you’re a seasoned of suitcase amp wannabees, emerged the Gibson and many other guitars that in luthier, you’ll find everything you need in original Space Tone 6V6se, a Class A, 5 many cases are exclusive to RS. the Stew–Mac catalog, including: fret wire, watt, Single-Ended, tube rectified beast with finishing supplies, glues and adhesives, an über simple circuit revolving around the The RS Guitarworks Premium Wiring wood, bodies, necks, binding, tuners, nuts soulful 6V6. The amp delivered big sound Kits offer a dramatic improvement over and saddles, inlay, bridges, tailpieces, with unmatched musicality along with amaz- the factory electronics found in even the electronics, pickups, and free informa- ing distortion. The 18w Atomic Space Tone most expensive guitars. During extensive tion sheets and professional advice! Their soon followed to wide acclaim, and Swart research and development in creating RS friendly customer service and technical amplifiers were quickly embraced by work- Premium kits, they tested over 20 differ- support staff are trained to help you make ing pros and guitarists who shared Swart’s ent tone capacitors and nearly every type the best product choices, and they also appreciation for truly exceptional guitar tone. of potentiometer made before developing offer an Unconditional Return Guarantee. the RS SuperPot™. All the RS upgrade If you’re not satisfied with an item for any Today, six different Swart models are kits feature measured RS SuperPots™, reason, simply return it. hand-built to serve the needs of guitarists that have a 5% tolerance for volumes, and for live performance and recording: CTS™ audio pots within 10% of their Stew-Mac is the leading supplier of innova- specified value for tone controls. Also in tive products for guitarists and repair pros, Space Tone 6V6se - The amp that started the RS kits are a wide variety of tone caps and every thing they make is guaranteed to it all. 5w, Class A, Single-Ended, Tube for single coil and humbucking pickups work well, because every product is tested Rectified, 8” Weber, finger-jointed, lac- made by Jensen and vintage-correct replica by the professional luthiers at Stewart quered tweed pine cab. Amazing caps by Luxe. RS Guitarworks™ also MacDonald first! The master builders and STR-Tweed - Another BIG Class A, feature caps made here in the USA exclu- repairmen on staff include Dan Erlewine – Single-Ended 5w w/extra stage, Swart sively for RS called well–known author of guitar repair books reverb, and 12” speaker. Atomic Space and magazine articles, member of the Tone - Perhaps the amp that REALLY put GuitarCaps™. RS Guitarworks wiring ToneQuest Report advisory board, and a Swart on the map. Considered one of the upgrade kits impart a fuller, clearer tone regular contributor to TQR. Dan and all finest made. 18w 6V6 or 6L6 with tube than standard factory components, with a of the experienced luthiers at Stew–Mac reverb & tremolo AST Pro: AST circuit w/ smoother, more even and responsive taper personally develop and test every product slightly larger cab, recessed knobs, 12” of from each pot. Additionally, each potenti- the company offers, and they are also dedi- choice AST Head MKII - AST in a head ometer is tested on a digital meter, checked cated to education. The Stewart MacDonald w/defeatable master volume and choice for the proper sweep pattern, sorted and catalog is packed with helpful tips, and the of cabinets Super Space Tone 30 Head labeled as a neck/volume, neck/tone, company produces an extensive series of (SST-30) 30w of soulful 6V6/6L6/EL-34 bridge/volume or bridge/tone control. training videos at their facility in Athens, mother of tone beauty. Richer than choco- Ohio. late. Matching, custom tweed 2 x 12 Space Wiring Upgrade Kits are available in Tone Cabinet Head to Swart Online for Vintage, Modern and Reissue styles for For more information on the entire range the latest news, rants, photos, raves, artists, various Les Paul type guitars, as well of products available, please visit the events, and dealer locations. Michael answers as 335/345/355, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Stewart MacDonald web site. In addition every call. Kelly responds to every mail. PRS guitars, and Explorer and Flying V to their free online help service, your tele- Personal service is #1 priority. types in both kit and pre-wired versions. phone call is also always welcome. Custom wiring and nearly any other con- Swart Amplifier Co., Wilmington, NC figuration can also be built by calling RS Stewart MacDonald www.swartamps.com, 910-620-2512 Guitarworks™ directly at (859) 737-5300. www.stewmac.com, Please call or visit the RS Guitarworks web 1–800–848–2273 site for complete information on finishing, refinishing, restoration and aging of new and used guitars custom wiring kits, vin- Toneman: Veteran working guitarist tage repro parts, pickups and repairs. Don Butler is an experienced tech who specializes in servicing, restoring JMI- -continued- TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 25 Resource Directory

era and modding Korg era Vox Amps to Visual Sound a market leader in the guitar its V2 and V3 series of pedals. vintage specs. These, of course would be effects pedal arena, is pleased to announce valve (tube) amps. As well as servicing & the release of a new and improved version Bob Weil, founder and president, explains upgrading any `62-`89 era valve Marshall of their much-beloved H2O Chorus & Echo it this way: “We’ve worked hard for many amps. He also services most other Golden pedal. years to make our products not only sound era British valves amps like HiWatt, great, but also hold up to the demands of the Selmer, Orange , Laney’s and Sound City The new V3 H20 is more than a mere re-boot working musician. The test procedures and ’s. Also included are Tweed , Blonde, of one of the finest dual pedals of all time: it quality control standards that R.G. Keen and Brown and Blackface era Fender Amps. is a carefully thought out complete redesign. I have developed are extremely thorough. On top of that, we designed our switching Don offers a number of standard mods for Available late March, 2014, the V3 H20 system to pretty much last forever, and we’re reissue Vox, Fender and Marshall amps to boasts some amazing features. First off, It’s very picky about our critical parts suppli- bring them into “Vintage Spec” and achieve an extremely versatile analog Liquid Chorus. ers, too. When it comes down to it, we hate that original tone/sound that reissues sadly The user has full control to create Stereo to have our gear go down in the middle of lack. These have earned him a solid reputa- Chorus, Vibrato, or their own blend. Light, someone’s gig, so we’ve gone over the top tion throughout the country for dramatically lush, Leslie, or pulsating out-of-this-world with reliability. To prove it, we’re now offer- improved, authentic Vintage Tone from effects are all within reach. On the Echo side, ing a lifetime warranty on most of our pedals. reissue amplifiers. Don has used the hand- the V3 H20 offers warm, natural delay. The And since we’ve been around since 1995, made Mercury Magnetics Axiom/Tone high quality delay that Visual Sound is known you can be confident we’ll be around to sup- Clone transformers for over 20 years along for is only a stomp away. port that warranty.” with vintage spec Sozo Premium caps (both the Iskra/”mustard caps” replicas and Blue Other highlights includes a Pure Tone buffer This “covered for life” promise extends to Molded Fender types) and Carbon Comp on/off and separate Input and Output for each all V2 pedals, as well as to the still new (and resistors in the signal path to bring reissue channel. This allows you to change order growing) line of V3 pedals, which currently amps to Vintage specs. We also mod reissue of effects, patch in a loop, or use a switch- includes the Dual Tap Delay and Tap Delay Vox and Cry Baby Wah Wah’s to original ing system. True Bypass is a much desired pedals and, now the V3H2O and VS-XO 1967 specs, Ibanez TS-9’s and Upgrade feature for today’s guitarists, the H20 has Vox “Valve Tone” pedals. reliable and silent True Bypass with Visual Expect to hear about more additions to the Sound’s proprietary custom designed Forever V3 Series in the very near future! Don is equally at home working on Gibson Footswitch™ rated for 10 million hits. Historics and Standard Production gui- We’re also happy to say that we continue to tars, Fender guitars, Rickenbacker, and of This follows on the heels of the release in receive excellent reviews from Collectible course, Gretsch Guitars. This applies to November, 2013 of the VS-XO Premium Guitar, Guitar Player, Guitar World, Premier both Vintage models and current produc- Dual Overdrive. The right channel has Guitar, ToneQuest Report, and Vintage tion guitars, electric and acoustic. Anything pronounced mids without being honky. In Guitar magazines, as well as continuous from re-frets & fret dressing, rewiring, etc. addition to Drive, Tone, and Volume knobs, compliments online, by phone, e-mail, and to simple set-ups and adjustments. it also has a 3-way Clipping (diodes) switch, postal mail, for our unparalleled customer a 3-way Bass switch, and a Clean Mix knob. service and tech support. Don was also the first dealer for German The left channel also has Drive, Tone and made Pyramid Strings, starting in 1995. Volume knobs, along with a Bass knob, but To find out more about all of the pedals and Don does attends the NAMM Show and with flat mids, making it sound very amp-like. 1SPOT power supplies, and for more infor- the Frankfurt Musikmesse for Pyramid. The VS-XO is a tone-experimenter’s dream mation about Visual Sound, sound samples, Providing his input, Pyramid has re-intro- pedal. The sound options are nearly endless. videos, artist endorsers and product informa- duced the Round Core, pure nickel flatwound On top of that, the VS-XO is the first Visual tion, please visit the Visual Sound web site, “Pyramid Golds” and the exceptional Round Sound pedal to incorporate True-Bypass, but Facebook page, Twitter, or contact Bob Weil core/round wound “Nickel Classics” . All done the Visual Sound way. Bob Weil invent- personally. Pyramids use a silver plated core of German ed the foot-switches which look traditional, Steel and pure nickel wire wrap. All plain but interact with gold-plated relays, and will Visual Sound strings are pure silver plated German Steel. last forever. RG Keen invented a circuit to www.visualsound.net keep them quiet. You also have the choice www.facebook.com/visualsoundpedals Also available now are the Bronze Wound/ of internally switching the Pure Tone buffer www.youtube.com/visualsound.usa Round Core Acoustic “Pyramid Western onor off with each channel. 931-487-9001 Folk”. These strings are reminiscent of the strings from the `50’s & `60’s before Founded in 1995, Visual Sound continues to most manufacturers went to Hex cores and grow and expand, while remaining true to smaller wrap wires. Strings can be ordered their core commitment of “real tone for real securely online through the website! people”. Wampler Pedals: There are a lot of pedal makers around that are just very ordinary. An Toneman is open 10 am to 6 pm (Pacific That commitment has become more than just overdrive, a distortion, maybe a fuzz thrown Time), Tuesday thru Saturday! a marketing slogan or mission statement: In in, but nothing that really stands apart from 661-259-4544, [email protected], 2012 Visual Sound was proud to announce the rest of the gear world. Maybe there’s noth- www.tone-man.com its revolutionary Lifetime Warranty for all of ing terrible about being ordinary. Ordinary is -continued- 26 TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 Resource Directory

safe and ordinary is comfortable, but the cost the world. When an OEM speaker manu- in the niche we created in 1978. We have of being ordinary is living inside a box with facturer needed to clear warehouse space manufactured thousands of pickguards and all the other ordinary companies and builders in 2006, WGS was born and began manu- if you need a replacement or something who are doing the same old ordinary things facturing and selling American-assembled you envision yourself we can make it hap- and selling you the same old ordinary tones. guitar speakers to the public. pen. For many years WD® Music has also But who wants to be ordinary? More impor- carried a full line of replacement parts for tantly, who wants to sound ordinary? Today we build a wide range of high-qual- just about any stringed instrument. ity and reasonably priced 10 and 12-inch Wampler Pedals makes effect pedals that Alnico and Ceramic magnet guitars speak- WD® Music is proud to continue the leg- are anything but ordinary. Guitarists like ers that celebrate and reprise the golden era acy of Kluson® tuning machines, one of Wampler Pedals because they want to of speaker manufacturing in the USA and the most respected OEM and replacement sound extraordinary. They want something England during the ‘60s and ‘70s, includ- tuners for decades. Replace or restore your that inspires them… to play better, create ing the 15 watt Alnico Black & BlueTM, vintage instrument with genuine Kluson® music better, and sound better. 50 watt Alnico BlackHawkTM,60 watt tuning machines from WD® Music. We Veteran 30TM, 25 watt Green BeretTM, 80 stock Kent Armstrong® pickups, L.R. While other builders play it safe sell- watt British LeadTM, 65 watt ET65TM, 30 Baggs® acoustic gear, Q-Parts® custom ing products they’ve been making for watt ReaperTM, and 75 watt Retro 30TM, knobs and accessories, Bigsby® tailpieces, decades, some of them reissuing designs among others. WGS also builds high-power Graph Tech® products, Wilkinson® that deserve the label “antique,” Wampler bass and PA speakers, and we are constantly bridges, Grover® tuners and accessories, has constantly pushed the envelope with developing and adding new speaker models Big Bends® maintenance supplies, Guitar new and exciting products designed to to meet the demands of today’s guitarists. Facelifts, effects and much more. inspire guitarists to break out of the safety of the ordinary and into true excellence. Why should you consider buying WGS History is repeating itself with genuine Providing extremely high quality com- speakers? At a time when speaker manufac- Kluson® tuners, continuing with WD®’s ponents and genuinely forward-thinking turers have moved production to Asia, com- customer service, and…Stromberg® Jazz designs at prices that compete very well promising quality and reliability while prices Guitars. No one can attempt or claim to with anybody in the boutique industry, continue to increase, our speakers are proudly reproduce the prestige of the original arch- Wampler Pedals has a product to fit virtu- assembled in the USA by a team with decades top Stromberg® guitars. But with history ally every need. of speaker design and building experience, at in mind WD® is also proud to distribute a reasonable price. Our employees take pride Stromberg® Jazz Guitars. With six models Brian Wampler didn’t invent the distortion in building the very best speakers available to satisfy everyone from the serious work- pedal, but anyone who has used a few of anywhere. Selling direct via the Web enables ing jazz musician to the rockabilly king his products can tell you he has done at us to keep prices low without compromising Stromberg® offers an affordable, quality least as much as anyone to make sure that quality. You buy direct from the manufacturer, instrument for almost any taste or style. the sound in your head can come out of and we proudly stand behind our products Stromberg® jazz Guitars is a small, limited your speakers. Best of all, it doesn’t stop with fast shipping and exceptional customer production archtop guitar company whose with what’s available. With Brian Wampler service. For information on the entire range main goals are quality, playability and continuing to wield the soldering iron like of WGS guitar and bass speakers, please visit affordability. Play one and see. an artist’s paint brush, the future has some our web site today. serious tone in store. Wampler Pedals WD® Music Products. Thirty years rocks today, and will rock tomorrow as Warehouse Guitar Speakers of knowledge, service, quality parts new tonal options continue to be made www.WarehouseSpeakers.com and accessories waiting to serve you. available: definitely affordable, certainly 270-217-0740 Everything from pickguards, tuning competitive, and tonefully extraordinary. machines, pickups, electronics, necks, bod- ies, bridges, prewired assemblies and hard Wampler Pedals to find hardware—if your guitar or bass www.wamplerpedals.com needs it, chances are WD® Music has it. Brian Wampler WD Music Products: As a special offer Old fashioned customer service, genuine [email protected] WD® Music Products, Inc. is offering a Kluson® tuners, classic Stromberg® Jazz 10% off coupon to Tonequest readers… Guitars, and so much more. Visit us at www.wdmusic.com and enter coupon code TQWD at checkout. Please 877-WDMUSIC note: Coupon good for wdmusic.com web www.WDmusic.com orders only, offer not valid on wdbiz.com Warehouse Guitar Speakers® LLC: is an orders. Internet-based retail speaker supplier and manufacturer based in Paducah, KY – an For the past thirty years WD® Music area of the country with a long history in Products has been providing quality ser- speaker manufacturing that includes the vice and parts to satisfied working musi- original CTS company, Credence Speakers, cians, discriminating builders and OEMs. Voice Communication Coil, and Hawley WD® pioneered the field of aftermarket Products – the oldest cone manufacturer in pickguards and continues to lead the way

TONEQUEST REPORT V.15 N.8 June 2014 27 the PERIODICAL POSTAGE ToneQuest PAID AT PO Box 717 Decatur, GA. 30031-0717 TM DECATUR,GA Report AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES

ToneQuest TotheneQuest ReportTM Editor/Publisher David Wilson Associate Publisher Liz Medley Graphic Design Rick Johnson

EDITORIAL BOARD

Analogman Billy F. Gibbons Greg Martin ZZ Top The Kentucky Headhunters Tom Anderson Tom Anderson GuitarWorks Joe Glaser Richard McDonald Glaser Instruments VP Mktg, Fender Musical Instruments Mark Baier Victoria Amplifiers Tom Guerra Joe Mloganoski Mambo Sons Co-Founder K&M Anaslog Designs Jeff Bakos Bakos AmpWorks Johnny Hiland Todd Money Manager Gibson Repair & Restoration Dick Boak Gregg Hopkins CF Martin & Co. Vintage Amp Restoration Justin Norvell Sr. Mktg Mgr, Fender Guitars Joe Bonamassa Mark Johnson Delta Moon James Pennebaker Phil Brown Artist Relations, Fender Musical Instruments, Phil Jones Nashville Dan Butler Gruhn Guitars Butler Custom Sound Riverhorse Acquire Your Personal Copy Mark Karan Don Butler Bob Weir & Ratdog Tommy Shannon of the 1999-2013 TQR Archives The Toneman Double Trouble Robert Keeley Steve Carr Robert Keeley Electronics Todd Sharp Carr Amplifiers Nashville Amp Service NEW SALE PRICE Gordon Kennedy You know you want it… you know you need it… Erick Coleman Tim Shaw Stewart-McacDonald Ernest King Fender Musical Instruments Corp. In celebration of our 14th year of publication Gibson Custom Shop Larry Cragg Randall C. Smith you can now acquire the complete ToneQuest Neil Young Chris Kinman Designer & President, Mesa/Boogie Ltd. Kinman AVn Pickups Archives on CD for just $219.00 shipped. Jol Dantzig John Sprung Jol Dantzig Guitar Design Mike Kropotkin American Guitar Center You will receive every issue of TQR spanning KCA NOS Tubes November 1999-April 2014 in PDF format, Ronnie Earl Peter Stroud Sonny Landreth keyword searchable for easy reference with a Dan Erlewine Buddy Whittington Albert Lee complete Back Issue Index in MS Word. Save Stewart-MacDonald John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers Larry Fishman Adrian Legg Greg V these files to your PC or tablet for access to Fishman Transducers Los Angeles every review article and interview. Dave Malone Bill Finnegan The Radiators Lou Vito Klon Centaur Order now online at www.tonequest.com using Jimbo Mathus Mike Voltz Lindy Fralin R&D / Product Development, Gibson Memphis the coupon code TQXCD at checkout or by Shane Nicholas phone at 1-877-MAX-TONE (629-8663). Offer Peter Frampton Sr. Mktg Mgr, Fender Guitar Amplifers expires July 1, 2014, so don’t delay! Greg Germino René Martinez Germino Amplification The Guitar Whiz

The ToneQuest Report™ (ISSN 1525-3392) is published monthly by Mountainview Publishing LLC, P.O. Box 717 Decatur, GA. 30031-0717, 1-877-MAX-TONE, email: [email protected]. Periodicals Postage Paid at Decatur, GA and At Additional Mailing Offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to:TheToneQuest Report™, PO Box 717, Decatur, GA. 30031-0717.The annual subscription fee for The ToneQuest Report™ is $89 per year for 10 issues. International subscrib- ers please add US $40. Please remit payment in U.S. funds only. VISA, MasterCard and American Express accepted. The ToneQuest Report™ is published solely for the benefit of its subscribers. Copyright © 2014 by Mountainview Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any form or incorporated into any information retrieval system without the written permission of the copyright holder. Please forward all subscription requests, comments, questions and other inquiries to the above address or contact the publisher at [email protected]. Opinions expressed in The ToneQuest Report™ are not necessarily those of this publication.Mention of specific products, services or technical advice does not constitute an endorsement. Readers are advised to exercise extreme caution in handling electronic devices and musical instruments.

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