Gear Reviews

Egnater 60 Vox AC15 ‘Twin’ Dreamscape Mini 58 Armageddon Versatile little valve 72 John Petrucci’s signature Bruce delivers... again combo for the studio modulation pedal, smaller

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Every issue, we review the latest electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, effects, basses, recording kit and software – for buying advice you can trust

Ratings explained Electrics 48 Fender Johnny Marr Our review process starts with & 50 Anniversary a multi-point QC checklist to Jaguars assess basic build quality and 54 Godin Core P-90 & materials, before conducting a Core HB thorough play test. When attributing ratings, we focus on the product’s target market Amps and direct competition. We ask: Who is this product aimed 58 Egnater Armageddon at and what else is available for 60 Vox AC15 ‘Twin’ a similar price? 64 Hayden HGT-A40, Our reviewers are chosen for HGT-A20 & 2x12 their expertise in specific cabinet product areas – experience and knowledge gained over decades of repairing, retailing, Effects playing, buying, collecting, researching and writing about 68 Line 6 POD HD Pro guitars. We play the vast Rack majority of new instruments as 72 TC Electronic the they’re released and bring you Dreamscape Mini the inside line on product and technological developments. Bass 74 Fender Modern OUTSTANDING: player Jaguar Bass Far exceeds expectations in every respect Recorders COMMENDABLE: Olympus LS-100 Very good, recommended 76

AVERAGE: Perfectly acceptable and fit for purpose

BELOW PAR: Should be better

POOR: Serious problems: avoid

GUITARIST CHOICE An excellent buy – highly recommended

GUITARIST GOLD 5 stars in all categories earns this rare award

Guitarist 47 Egnater armageddon $3,395 egnater armageddon $3,395 amps amps

couple of twists. First, Bruce Egnater’s fascination with tone Test Gear The Bottom Line has led him to build what looks like a slant quad but with a ’62 Fender Strat, Anderson We like: Quality tones, easy straight baffle, eliminating any Strat (all maple; EMGs), to use and super-well built. phase issues associated with Fender Tele, Godin Icon We dislike: (Still thinking…) adjacent drivers mounted on Convertible, Gibson 335, Guitarist says:This is a different planes. Second, he’s Gibson Les Paul, Gibson serious amp for the player built into the cab a fairly Firebird V, Gretsch White who wants classic tones and comprehensive DI arrangement Falcon (Filtertrons), Boss then some. with microphone and speaker DS-1 and DN-2, Hermida emulation, level and ground lift Audio Zendrive, MI Audio switches, even a mike axis Crunch Box, Suhr Shiba selector, and an XLR to connect Drive, Suhr Riot. to the system. All that aside, it sounds great: two Celestion Elite 100s and two G12T75s do their thing with ease and (identical channels with shared triggers from the guitar signal Gibson honk in channel 3, with Egnater produce robust cleans, plenty of EQ but separate pre- and and not the level at the gate, so the same gain settings. The Armageddon crunch when required and a post-EQ gain structures), the it’s very sensitive to the touch. P-90s in our Godin Icon were good deal more body than the vibe is immediately rockier Usually, you won’t need it for particularly comfortable with Price: $ 3,395 usual suspects. with oodles of gain on tap and the clean channel but it can be a this arrangement. Origin: China an EQ circuit that ticks all the godsend for those noisy guitars The Armageddon’s other Type: All-tube amp Sounds right boxes in terms of why we or effects boards. AND, it’s global controls are Presence Output: 120w The clean channel is just that, if love this stuff. It has midrange footswitchable – turn it on and (high treble), Density (bass Valves: 6L6 x 4, 12AX7 x 6 you want it to be. It has loads of presence without being honky; off whenever…cool! thickness) and Main (master Channels: Three body and harmonic content, it has a rounded treble that isn’t A fabulous feature in the volume). The series effects Footswitch: Seven button and doesn’t sound at all thin or overly bright; it has a bottom Master section is called, simply, loop is channel assignable and, Dimensions: 711.2mm/” 28”(w) x lifeless. It has real “substance” end that thumps with Midrange. These two knobs, because it’s footswitchable, 228.6mm/9” (d) x 254mm/10” (h) (a word that kept coming up as authority…and then we used Depth and Volume, offer a can be a handy clean boost Weight: 17kg/46lb we wrote this review) and that word again: substance. The continuously variable curve (volume is set by the send/ Egnater Armageddon $ 3395 / reminded us of a really good tone doesn’t buzz or thin out from hump to scoop at any return levels), if you’re running Armageddon AR-412A $1895 Twin Reverb but with a bigger when the preamps are pushed. volume, providing a wonderful a gadget-free system. CMC Music bottom end. Dialing in some Even at extreme high gain range of mid colours for that 02 9905 2511 reverb (annoyingly on the back settings, it’s easy to dial in some featured solo or to retune the Verdict www.cmcmusic.com.au panel), the sound was decidedly “substance” that allows the response of any channel or the The Armageddon offers plenty “Californian” with that lovely notes to stay defined and full of whole amp to a particular of subtlety for the more refined Accutronics-style ambience – character. Our EMG-loaded guitar. Dial in the amount of player and loads of solid grunt very smooth and very even. Anderson Strat and our Les boost or cut with the Depth for the rest of us. Even with all There’s no bounce in this Paul produced smooth, control (12:00 is flat) and then the options, we found it a very reverb, so you won’t be playing articulate drive with a touch- adjust the Level. As a midrange simple amp to negotiate – and any surf gigs with the sensitivity that cleaned up very effect it works fine but in the all those little LEDs kept us Armageddon (although, I’d love quickly. Backing off to just 8 on real world it can also be a very abreast of what was doing to see that!), but it offers a really the guitar, the tone was still useful solo boost because (1) it what and when. At 17 kilos sweet spatial dimension that driven but with a little more can boost the mids only, (2) it (near 40 for the cab), the transports you to a different openness and a little less dirt. In can boost the level only, (3) it Armageddon is not a light- environment. Feature alert: the fact, we were happy to use just can boost both, and (4) it’s weight amp from any reverb tails out through the the one gain setting (Gain 2 at 7, footswitchable. This is one of perspective. But this is a real channel change, so there’s a Volume 2 at 4) and work the the coolest features we’ve seen tube amp with a real output very natural transition – not an guitar volume knob to produce on any amp. Single coils work transformer and a heavy duty Egnater Armageddon $3,395 original idea but superbly “high gain” to “almost clean” great with a lot of positive power transformer, all built to executed with no glitches or sounds for rock and modern Depth and a bit of Level; withstand years of road work This new Egnater workhorse has tonnes of personality level changes. blues. humbuckers need less Depth and produce some glorious If you’re not into pristine “But what’s this Decimator and Level. Actually, the guitar tones. It will produce and oodles of tone by Steve Henderson cleans, you can push the clean thingy?” I here you asking. humbucker character can heavy Brit-inspired crunch, big channel by flipping the Gain There’s always noise associated change dramatically: we gave Californian clean sounds, and switch for some organic with high gain amps and some our 335 and Les Paul plenty of smooth American drive. Bruce ruce Egnater has a fun. But that’s not the problem, chain. It also has a buffered crunch, which can turn into a pickups accentuate this more negative Depth for a scooped has managed to cram some problem. He keeps either. The problem is, he loop with in and out controls, a solid grind by tweaking the two than others. The ISP Decimator sound and then pumped the great options into a well-laid B coming up with new makes them all just so damned reverb control for each channel, volume knobs. Any flubbiness G-String Noise Reduction (er… volume back up to a usable level out, large format amp that ideas that are really practical, good. a speaker-compensated XLR can be tempered with the Tight ISPDGSNR…nope, that didn’t – and we had ourselves a great covers a whole lot of sonic and then releasing them into The Armageddon head is a line out, MIDI, and a footswitch and Bright switches (the Tight help!) circuit is basically a noise rhythm sound in channel 2 but territory – from shred heaven the market in cool-looking 120 watt powerhouse that has with 7 buttons that accesses all switch really focuses the suppressor or smart gate that we could switch to that familiar to hard rock to dirty blues to Test results boxes that are both rock ‘n’ roll three channels, two tone sets, the important stuff and response), and the interactive (dare I say it?) spanking and refined… a neat trick. But various gain and voicing connects with any old mike EQ dials. The Density knob will A real tube amp with a real output country. Even the clever Build quality that’s not the problem. His switches, a half power switch, a cable. Best of all, and in spite of also tame the looseness but this features are simple and are Features amps have facilities that you smart gate, various global tone all of the above, the is global and is really designed and power transformer, all built to there for a reason – to produce Sound don’t see anywhere else, shapers and loads of volume Armageddon is easy to use. to affect the cabinet withstand years of road work and great tones, tones that you can Value for money facilities that make this guitar knobs to access the gain at The Armageddon speaker characteristics. use, tones that have…er… playing caper just a bit more various points in the signal box is a mono/stereo 412 with a Switching to channel 2/3 produce some glorious guitar tones substance! Guitarist rating

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