Guitarsite News
Yamaha Limited Edition Pacifica 612VII
Yamaha introduces the Pacifica 612VII, a limited edition SSH configuration guitar with Seymour Duncan pickups. Related Feature:The Best Electric Guitar Brands The company describes this guitar as a premium model, equipped with upgraded name-brand hardware from the neck, to the bridge, and down the electronic components. The Yamaha Pacifica line was first launched in 1990, and were designed to meet the needs of session players in California in that era. Since session cats have to switch musical styles and tones quite a lot in one sitting, the Pacifica were designed to provide the flexibility they need, while having the durability and consistency that the pros required. As expected, the Pacifica line grew to have a diverse number of instruments in a number of different configurations, to appease guitarists of all levels and styles. The Limited Edition Pacifica 612VII is the latest to come out of this production line, and this one is meant to sit with the more premium guitars that the company assembled and built. For the most part, this guitar stays true to the Pacifica design, sporting a double cutaway beveled “super strat” shape alder body and a bolt-on maple neck. The neck is topped by a rosewood
Duesenberg Johnny Depp Artist Series
Duesenberg introduces the Johnny Depp Artist Series Guitar, with the actor/musician’s tattoos as graphics on the finish. Related Feature: Duesenberg Peter Stroud Dragster DD2 Multibender You probably know him for his eclectic roles, playing memorable characters like Edward Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka and others. His successful acting career however downplayed his other passion, and that is to play guitars! He is actually a capable musician that owns an enviable collection of vintage instruments. “Music has always been my first love,” says the accomplished actor, and he doesn’t just say it – he backs this up by playing with a number of big name artists including Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, The Black Keys, Alice Cooper, Oasis and many more. Depp is said to be a fan of the German guitar manufacturer, and have purchased a number of Duesenberg guitars. This led to a collaboration that resulted in the new Johnny Depp Artist Series Guitar, which will be unveiled at the upcoming Winter NAMM Show. Nathan Fawley of Duesenberg USA says: “In working with Johnny on this project, which took over one full year, we wanted to do something that was about Johnny on a personal level, and if there’s
ESP LTD Alex Skolnick AS-1FM LB
The upcoming LTD AS-1FM LB is an affordable version of Alex Skolnick’s ESP signature, featuring a flame maple top with lemon burst finish. Related Feature:ESP USA Guitars – Coming Soon! Typically associated with modern style guitars, ESP has been breaking this stereotype by satisfying vintage guitar enthusiasts like Alex Skolnick, as proven by this great looking traditional style guitar that earned the artists seal of approval. Like some of us who aren’t into the super-strat “pointy” guitars, Alex himself was skeptical when ESP first offered to build his signature instrument. To his surprise, ESP proved that they are capable, resulting in a collaboration that produced a serious signature guitar that bears Skolnick’s name. Unfortunately for us mere mortals, the ESP Alex Skolnick Signature’s premium features and looks are matched by its premium price tag. Thankfully, Alex also approved an affordable alternative version with the LTD label, bearing the same vintage style design principle but at a more affordable price range. Particularly eye catching is the AS-1FM LB with its lemon burst finish. The body of the guitar is made of mahogany with a flamed maple top, carved into a familiar single cutaway shape. The neck is also made of mahogany,
Jackson 30th Anniversary Soloist
Jackson celebrates three decades of super-strat shred with the upcoming Limited Edition 30th Anniversary Soloist. Related Feature:Jackson Mark Morton Dominion This limited edition guitar pays tribute to the classic design of the first Soloist guitars in 1984, while adding contemporary design elements. The Soloist was created for guitarists that wanted to play better and faster while retaining the double cutaway shape and scale length of traditional instruments. Thanks to its comfortable compound-radius fingerboard and sharp looks, it continues to be the axe of choice for metal and shred guitar players. It can be argued that many of today’s modern guitars resemble (if not imitate) the Soloist design. Now Jackson is paying tribute to the Soloist by releasing a 30th anniversary limited edition. To ensure the quality of his limited run guitar, each one of them is going to be hand-built by longtime Jackson Master Builder Mike Shannon. This means that the quantity will be limited, with some speculating that only 30 will be built with each one commanding a hefty price tag. According to the press release, the double cutaway body is going to be carved from poplar wood, and it will be joined with a three-piece quartersawn maple neck.
Jackson Soloist SLX 2014
Jackson Soloist SLX gets updated for 2014, featuring the same classic super-strat looks and modern playability, with expanded color options. Related Feature:Jackson 30th Anniversary Soloist As part of Jackson’s X Series, the guitar still features neck-through-body construction, high-output humbuckers, compound-radius fingerboards and the brand’s distinctive shark-fin inlays. Instead of using basswood, the updated model now has a nato body, with the same neck-through-body construction as the previous iteration. The guitar comes in three new colorful finishes that include Metallic Red, Slime Green and Taxi Cab Yellow. The neck is made of maple and is topped by a compound-radius 24-fret rosewood fingerboard. For improved playability, the fretboard is designed to curve dramatically at the nut area for easy chords, and it flattens out at the higher frets to make bending easier. Graphite reinforcement is used to ensure the reliability of the neck. Two Duncan Designed pickups were used to give the guitar its amplified voice – a ceramic HB103N humbucker for the neck and a high-output alnico HB102B humbucking pickup for the bridge. The HB-103N is patterned after the SH-6 Duncan Distortion, with coil windings that deliver what the brand describes as high output tone with lots of crunch and harmonics.
Tech 21 VT Bass 500 Amp Head
Tech 21 introduces the VT Bass 500, featuring an all-analog SansAmp preamp paired with a 500 Watt power amp. Related Feature:Portable Bass Amps This amp is based on the SansAmp Character Series, having the same intuitive voice changing feature. It is designed to be a versatile, compact, lightweight and cost-effective mobile amp head for bassists. This is basically a compact amp version of the VT SansAmp DI pedal, carrying over its main features and adding in a Class D poweramp 500 Watt section, along with additional tone shaping controls. The result is a small amp that can go loud or can go low volume, while still retaining the tone character that you want. Weighing in at just 6.5 lbs, this lightweight amp head comes with a very nifty feature, called the Character control. It will let you adjust the entire sonic structure of the resulting sound as you adjust the knob, giving you the different bass amp voicings that were popular from the ’60s to the present. It starts off with vintage style warm tone and goes up to funk bass, from classic tube bass amps to modern overdriven tones, and you can make these simple adjustments via a single
TC Electronic BG250 Bass Combo
The BG250 Bass Combo is a lightweight amplifier with 1×15″ speakers that features TC Electronic’s TonePrint Technology. This Bass amp combines portability with advanced tone flexibility in a sturdy great looking combo amp package. Overall look and control settings seem simple enough, that is until you get into the amps TonePrint capability. This technology gives you a flexible effect slot that you can change at any time by simply downloading TonePrints into the amp. The amp comes with the SCF Chorus TonePrint by default, you can then change it to whatever your music needs – be it compressor, distortion, overdrive, octaver, flanger and vibrato. And to make it more exciting there are effects and presets available that are made by popular bass players. With the BG250, you can get signature tones from an expanding list of great bass players like Roscoe Beck (Of Eric Johnson and Robben Ford), Charles Cave(of White Lies), Nathan East(of Toto and Eric Clapton), Michael Shuman(of Queens of the Stoneage), Gail Ann Dorsey (of Lenny Kravitz, Seal and David Bowie), Mark King(of Level 42) and many more. And the good news is that all these signature tones are yours free of charge, turning your amp into
Peavey MiniMega Bass Amplifier Head
Peavey releases the MiniMega, a lightweight and portable 1000 Watt bass amplifier head that weighs in at just 9 lbs. This new compact amp head packs in a lot of power for something so small and light, designed to deliver genuine Peavey bass tone without the bulk. The company claims that the technology they used to miniaturize this amp is not available in other amps. For something so light, this amp head is not only about power, because it comes packed with a wide variety of amp features. And since it’s from Peavey, price is kept to a reasonable range, making this powerful amp not just portable, but also affordable. Related Feature:Peavey Classic Series Updated The front panel of the amp head is packed with 8 knobs, multiple switches and interface lighting, which is quite impressive for its size. It has a gain knob with crunch button, 4-band EQ with punch and bright switches for tone shaping, and there’s even semi-parametric control with narrow Q adjustments for even finer shaping of the sound. Other controls include a defeat switch for the optical compressor and it comes with a master volume with mute switch. Interestingly, you can personalize the control surface
Peavey Headliner 1000 Bass Amplifier Head
Peavey announces the availability of their new Headliner 1000 Bass Amplifier Head, a lightweight 1000-watt rack-mountable bass amp. Related Feature:The Best Bass Amplifiers This new compact bass amp head is designed with power and portability in mind, having as much as 1000 watts of power at your disposal while weighing in at just 10 lbs! It has now started shipping to the company’s various dealers and distributors worldwide, and should be available for purchase. In the world of amplifiers, portability is usually associated with compromise in power, quality and more notoriously, lack of tone shaping controls. Thankfully, Peavey thought otherwise and designed the Headliner 1000 to be as powerful as possible without compromising quality and sound control features. They also successfully miniaturized the circuit enough to fit everything in a compact rack-mountable profile that’s super light. Speaking of controls, the Peavey Headliner 1000’s most prominent feature is its seven-band graphic EQ. It is said to be spaced at optimized frequencies tuned specifically for bass guitars, with each of the 7 sliders giving you 15dB of boost or cut, for in-depth control over your sound. From subtle tweaks to smoothen rough edges and add low-end thump, to modern scooped settings, this
Ampeg BA-112 and BA-115 Combo Bass Amps
Ampeg announces the worldwide availability of their redesigned combo bass amplifiers, the BA-112 and BA-115. Related Feature:Ampeg V-4B All-Tube Bass Head The newly redesigned amps are said to come with more practice friendly features, while still retaining the reliability of the original. The all-new BA bass combos sports a modern looking and sleeker exterior, but it’s not just the looks that were changed. A notable feature found on both combo amps is the true 60-degree sound-reinforcement monitoring angle. This makes it easier to position the amp in a way that lets you clearly hear your own playing in both live performance and practice settings. Ampeg equipped both the BA-112 and BA-115 with front-facing controls for quick setting adjustments while facing the amp. The control section are backlit to make it easier to see your amp settings in darker locations. Tone shaping is provided for by the included 3-band EQ and master volume. The controls compliment the expanded monitoring angle to provide convenience, reliability and quality sound. Another nifty feature that was mentioned on the press release is the Bass Scrambler overdrive circuit. It is designed to add some muscular grit and grind that are commonly heard on modern rock music.
Orange Crush Bass Series – Redesigned for 2016
Orange updates their the entry-level bass combo amplifier line with the redesigned Orange Crush Bass Series. Related Feature:The Best Bass Amps This upgraded line of combo bass amplifiers come with improvements to the amps’ sound quality, speaker performance and cabinet design. Practice friendly elements are also added into each amplifier to make them more student friendly. The new Orange Crush Bass Series currently includes three amplifiers, the Crush Bass 25, Crush Bass 50 and Crush Bass 100. As their names imply, the three amps cover three different levels of power and shapes, from the smallest CB 25, to the medium sized CB 50 and finally, the biggest CB 100. The most notable update to the new Orange Crush Bass Series is the addition of parametric EQ circuits. This addition was inspired by the bigger 4 Stroke series bass amps, and are meant to give bassist better fine tuning control over the resulting sound of the amp. This translates to easier integration of extra gear, room adjustments, and the flexibility to complement the different sounds of various bass guitar types. Tone flexibility can also be achieved by playing with the EQ controls. The analogue circuitry of the amplifiers in this line
ESP Bill Kelliher Signature Guitars – 2016 Summer NAMM
Mastadon guitarist Bill Kelliher joins ESP Guitars’ roster of artist endorsers, co-designing two new namesake guitars. Related Feature:Best Electric Guitars under $500 The main production line guitar is called ESP Bill Kelliher Signature, while an affordable version is also available called the LTD BK-600EC. Both are scheduled for release later this year, and will be on display at the upcoming 2016 Summer NAMM. After having his signature guitars made by Gibson for a while, it appears that Billy Kelliher now switched to ESP and have unveiled two new signature guitars. The core design of this two new guitars follow after traditional LP style single-cutaway shape, but as expected, both come with hot-rodded specs to meet the demands of Bill Kelliher’s metal guitar style. Both guitars feature a body crafted from mahogany that follows the size of traditional LPs with no waist cut. It is wrapped in a distinctive military green sunburst satin finish that gives the guitar a stand out appeal. The body houses two Lace Sensor “Dissonant Aggressor” humbucking pickups that was co-designed by Billl Kelliher himself, meant to reproduce the tone, sustain and dynamic response that he prefers. The neck is crafted from three-piece mahogany that joins the
Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Micro
Pigtronix introduces the Philosopher’s Tone Micro, a compact version of their trademark compressor pedal. Related Feature:Top 10 Compressor Pedals This pedal brings with it the same noiseless clean sustain of the original Philosopher’s Tone, and packs it all inside a micro-size pedal, with the goal of providing quality while saving on precious pedalboard real estate. Because of the Philosopher’s Tone pedal’s popularity, Pigtronix have introduced a number of variations to the original design to meet the needs of today’s players. The latest to join this lineup is the Micro version, which incorporates the best features of the original inside a compact box with the following dimensions: 3.75” x 1.5” x 1.75”. Just like the original, this new pedal has the clean sounding sustain of the original, utilizing parallel optical compression to achieve the same results but suing smaller circuits and components that will fit its compact profile. The Philosopher’s Tone Micro has four knobs which allow for a variety of compression settings. The first two let you adjust volume and sustain, staple parameters that need to be adjusted in many other compression pedals. In addition to those two, the PT Micro pedal has a parallel blend knob that lets you
Buffalo FX Germanium Fuzz V2
Buffalo FX updates the Germanium Fuzz to version 2, featuring improved control over transistor voltage and pre-gain. This new pedal follows up on the success of the limited edition original, and addresses some of the quirks inherent with fuzz pedals. Like the original, the new Germanium Fuzz V2 is inspired by the iconic Fuzz Face pedal, replicating its classic sound while implementing features to correct problems and provide improved tone control. To reproduce the classic fuzz sound of the late ’60s and ’70s, the pedal comes equipped with two gold lead NOS Texas Instrument 2N404 transistors. The 2N404 was chosen because it provides plenty of punch and it cleans up nicely as you lower the guitar volume down. These transistors are first matched for gain and selected by ear in a simulator pedal. Only those that sound good together is to be utilized on the pedal. Steve from Buffalo FX commented: “The response to the V1 was great, everyone loved it. After they all went I was getting emails asking if I could build some more so I started looking for transistors that would work well and finally settled on the Texas 2N404’s. They have great clean-up, and plenty of
Mooer Yellow Comp Micro – An Optical Compressor Pedal
Mooer expands their micro pedal series with the Yellow Comp, an optical compressor that’s only three times as long as a guitar pick. More Mooer!:12 Mooer Micro Pedals According to Mooer, the pedal offers traditional compression effect with smooth attack and decay. This compressor pedal compresses its entire circuitry a very tiny stompbox housing with a width that is just a little over 1.5″. This makes the Yellow Comp very easy to integrate into your rig, saving precious pedalboard space. Matching its small size, this pedal also comes with straightforward controls. It has a smaller volume knob for controlling the output volume, more prominent knob for controlling the compression effect, and another small knob that controls the EQ. Though seemingly simplistic, the controls let you use the pedal as if there are three effects in the package – a subtle booster, EQ pedal and a compressor, all in a very tiny package. Contrasting the pedal’s tiny footprint, the big compression knob allows for a big range of compression levels. You can get anything from subtle compression to add some punch or go over the top for squishy and exaggerated compression sounds. Mooer describes the Yellow Comp as a pedal that
TC Electronic HyperGravity Compressor
TC Electronic expands their TonePrint line of pedals with the new HyperGravity Compressor, a versatile and compact compressor pedal. Related Feature:TC Electronic BodyRez This new compressor pedal features two modes, a modern multiband compressor for studio-grade precision control and a vintage style compressor that offer the classic squash and squeeze of old compressor stompboxes. The new HyperGravity Compressor is based on the MD3 multi-band compression algorithm found in System 6000, the company’s popular studio production system. It is meant to provide a variety of compression tones and does so without complicated tweakery. From basic transparent to musical compression tones as found on high-end studio racks, HyperGravity is meant to tackle them all and do so in a compact pedal form factor. For over 10 years now, TC Electronic’s System 6000 continues to be in demand as a dynamics tool in professional studios. Now the same multi-band compression technology found in System 6000 is made available for guitarists in stompbox form, allowing for indepth tone shaping options. With the HyperGravity, you can tailor fit the compression effect to the type of guitar and pickup that you’re using. Interestingly, they were able to implement this with just four knobs and a switch,
DDyna Music announces the BASS10 Compressor Pedal
EQ, compression and switchable overdrive in a double wide die-cast box, the BASS10 packs in plenty of tone versatility for bass and guitar players alike. As the first effects pedal in our 'GainShaper Series', it features 4-Band, 18dB/octave crossover EQ filters, musically soothing, relaxed squeeze compressor with auto-return to 0dB sustain, plus a switchable 2 level limiter overdrive with depth control for dialing just the right amount of distortion. Of course, is pure analog and true bypass. Operates from 12-18VDC (adapter included). Specifications: Switching: True Bypass (TPDT) Input Impedance: 300K (min) Input Jack: Neutrik ¼ Inch Phone Jack Output Impedance: 4K (max at 5Hz) Output Jack: Neutrik ¼ Inch Phone Jack Current Consumption: (Operating): 60mA @ 18VDC (Max) and (Standby): 54mA @ 18VDC Power: 12VDC AC Adapter(Supplied); Voltage Range: 12.0VDC-18.0VDC and Connector: 2.1mm x 5.5mm, Tip Positive Dimensions: 4.87(W) x 3.72(D) x 2.25(H) Weight: 0.92 lbs. For more information, please visit www.ddynamusic.com This is a Press Release Related News: Guitar Compressor Pedal Guide Bass Guitar Pedals Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone Micro Origin Effects SlideRig and Cali76 Compressor Pedals
Origin Effects SlideRig and Cali76 Compressor Pedals
British effects manufacturer Origin Effects introduces two new studio-grade FET compressor pedals, the SlideRig and Cali76. SliderRig These pedals mimic the dynamic response of the UREI 1176, a ’60s era FET compressor that has been used in countless records. With these pedals, Origin Effects hope to bring studio quality compression within the reach of guitarists, housed in a pedalboard-friendly, 9v powered chassis. According to the press release, these pedals follow the motto of Origin Effects which is purity of tone. They describe the pedal design as having a fully Class-A discrete signal path, with old-fashioned, high-end circuit design ensuring incredibly low noise and the widest possible frequency bandwidth. The boutique effects manufacturer believe that this old-school design results in a full low end, sparkling highs and wonderfully transparent compression, with a bright, clean attack and tons of natural-sounding sustain. Cali76 The Origin Effects SlideRig Compressor pedal features two FET compressors chained together in one pedal for even more sustain and sensitivity. The Origin Effects Cali76 on the other hand is a straight forward compressor that offers a full range of studio compressor controls including attack, ratio and release knobs along with a VU-style gain reduction meter. While both pedals are
StageTrix Wah Fastener
StageTrix expands their pedalboard management products with the new bottom-mount Wah Fastener. EHX Crying Tone Wah:Wah that rocks with zero moving parts! Wah Fastener lets you firmly mount traditional Cry Baby-shaped wah wah pedals directly to your pedalboard. StageTrix produces some really nifty contraptions that help in pedalboard management. The Pedal Riser lets you increase the heights of certain pedals on your board for emphasis, the Setting Saver is a pen that lets you clearly mark knob settings, and the Pedal Fastener helps better secure your pedal to your board. To easily incorporate wah pedals, they tweaked the Pedal Fastener’s design to make it wah friendly. The Wah Fastener follows the same objective of simplifying pedalboard management and organization, only this one is designed to secure your wah wah pedal into your pedalboard. This product is designed to easily replace the rubber feat found on Vox and Cry Baby wahs. Each package feature two improved soles that are meant to easily fit on your existing wah pedals. Installing is straightforward and easy, just remove the screws that secure the default rubber feet and replace them with the Wah Fastener. It is designed to instantly fit your pedal’s existing screws, so
Arteffect releases Bonnie Wah
Israeli based pedal company, Arteffect, has released Bonnie Wah – an authentic and accurate recreation of the Clyde McCoy Signature wah pedal. Arteffect said Bonnie offers today's guitar player the same sound and response that a new 'Signature' wah would offer back in the 60's while enjoying the benefits of modern construction and engineering. “We feel confident that you'll instantly notice that Bonnie is not like any other wah pedal on the market today. It's accurately redesigned down to the smallest detail; be it the board layout, ICAR taper potentiometer, transistors, Halo Replica inductor (ArielFX) or the exclusively produced Tropicana capacitors – everything is authentic” Arteffect writes on their website. Bonnie is handcrafted by Tom & Dan of Arteffect in Haifa, Israel. It's covered under our two year warranty. Cost is $219.00 (which I'm guessing is USD but I could be wrong). Check it out. If your like me, you dig finding these new FX companies from all over the world. Website: http://www.art-tone.com/item.asp?id=41 Related News: Converse All Wah – Sneakers with Built in Wah Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone Wah