Guitarsite News

G&L Kiloton Bass

G&L unveils the Kiloton Bass, a surprisingly versatile single humbucker pickup equipped bass, thanks to its split/series/parallel switching. Related Feature:Best Bass Guitar Brands This bass guitar features Leo Fender’s Magnetic Field Design bass humbucker, packed into G&L’s SB-2 model, and routed to a modern circuit that allows for various combinations of the two coils within the humbucker. The Kiloton Bass starts off with the familiar double cutaway body shape that Leo developed further for G&L. The wood used for the body will depend on the finish, solid finish versions will have an alder body, while the premiere finished models will feature a body crafted from swamp ash. For the neck, G&L went with the familiar, using hard rock maple carved into a medium C shape. The company will let you pick between maple or rosewood for the fingerboard, but the measurements will follow standard specs, including a scale length of 34″, 1.5″ nut width and 9.5″ fingerboard radius. It has a total of 21 medium jumbo frets that are made from Jescar 57110 18% nickel silver, while the headstock follows G&L’s subtly different shape. The most interesting feature of this bass guitar is its MFD (Magnetic Field Design) bass humbucker

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Eastwood Guitars Search for the World’s Ugliest Guitar

Help Eastwood Guitars find and recreate the World’s Ugliest Guitar, from among some odd looking vintage instruments. Known for their unique and unconventional designs, Eastwood goes against the norm again by planning to recreate an instrument that others would consider as ugly. To help them make their decision, they have put up an interactive voting system where in you can pick your favorite(or least favorite), from a bunch of weird looking instruments. The voting page will let you pick from among eight instruments that Eastwood considers to be “extreme mistakes” in mass produced guitars from the past 50 years. This collection of vintage instruments represent the worst (or best) of the kooky retro vintage era, and it includes instruments like the 1969 EGS-650 dubbed as the “Soviet answer to the Telecaster”, the 1970 Jolana Star IX dubbed as the “Czechoslovakian rocker”, and the Wandré Sacrabeo, a unique guitar design from Italian guitar maker Antonio Pioli. The guitar with the most votes at the end of May 2013 is to be recreated in a limited production run of 24 numbered guitars. And one lucky voter will win their own copy of this Eastwood “World’s Ugliest Guitar #1”, or their choice of

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Eastwood Marksman 5

Eastwood Guitars releases the Marksman 5, a tribute to the now rare Paul Bigsby designed 1957 Magnatone Mark V. Related Feature:Eastwood Airline Jupiter Pro The guitar mimics the look and sound of the original while implementing intonation and playability improvements. Since the ultra-rare 1957 Magnatone Mark V is currently selling for around $7,500+ in the vintage market, Eastwood decided to make a more accessible and affordable replica. The result is the Eastwood Marksman 5, a classic looking guitar that would look nice in a glass display and at the same time be gig-worthy, thanks to its modern durability and playability improvements. To start off, the guitar’s curved double cutaway mahogany body is tone chambered to make it lighter and more comfortable to carry and play. It comes in a vintage sunburst finish that wraps the guitar with a vintage appeal. The guitar features a set mahogany neck with a 24.75″ scale length. It is topped by a rosewood fretboard with 22 frets. This combination of mahogany body and set neck is commonly found on expensive LP style guitars with humbuckers, but this guitar has two single-coil pickups – allowing for a distinct bright vintage sound. The tone is delivered through

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Eastwood Airline Map in Sunburst Finish

Eastwood Guitars release limited run Airline Map electric guitars in Sunburst finish, with only 16 made in production. Related Feature:Eastwood Airline Jupiter Pro This new finish contrasts the flashy colored finishes that are currently available, providing a classic looking alternative. The Eastwood Airline Map is based on National Map Guitars that were produced by Valco in the USA from 1958-1964 and sold through Montgomery Ward. To be specific, this guitar is a tribute to the National Newport Guitar from 1962. Although not as popular as other guitar designs, the Map has been played by the likes of White Stripes, David Bowie, The Cure and many more. It is said that condition vintage Res-O-Glass Map models now sell for $3000 to $5000. The Eastwood Airline Map makes this design more affordable and accessible for working guitarists that are looking for unique looking instruments. The new Sunburst finish Airline Map comes with tone chambered mahogany body carved into a peculiar cutaway shape. It is then paired with a bolt-on maple neck with Rosewood fretboard. The guitar has a shorter scale length of 24.75″ and a nut width of 1.687″. It gives you 22 frets to play with and features a “zero fret”

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Eastwood California Rebel

Eastwood Guitars bring back another classic design with the new California Rebel, a remake of a ’60s era surf guitar. Related Feature:Eastwood Marksman 5 The design replicates the now rare 1967 Domino Californian Rebel, it is described as a hybrid of the Vox Phantom, EKO Violin and Mosrite. Important details are faithfully retained while certain improvements have been introduced to make the instrument viable for modern day use. The uniquely shaped body of the guitar is the first thing that will catch your attention. It has a lightweight and compact tone chambered mahogany body that comes with a carved top. Completing the body’s distinct look is a full size wood grain pickguard on top of the body and a single f-hole to denote that it is chambered. The guitar is currently available in white or redburst body options. This 24 ¾” scale guitar has a 21 fret rosewood fingerboard on top of its bolt-on maple neck. The guitar measures 1 5/8” at the nut. To give the guitar its surf-friendly voice, Eastwood equipped the guitar with a pair of custom designed EW RTG Single Coil pickups. It is wired to a 3-way switch along with independent rhythm/solo switches per pickup,

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Eastwood Airline ’59 Newport

Eastwood Guitars bring back another classic with the new Airline ’59 Newport guitar, based on vintage ’50s era National Newport Val-Pro 88. Related Feature:Eastwood Airline Map Sunburst This retro looking guitar is brought to life with modern tonal flexibility, courtesy of the two mini-humbuckers and a piezo bridge pickup. The new Airline ’59 Newport starts off with a lightweight tone chambered mahogany body that follows the Airline series’ distinct shape. It is available in two finishes – Seafoam Green and Black. The guitar’s bound maple neck is bolt into the body for convenient maintenance and adjustments. The Rosewood fingerboard features zero fret and vintage style National inlaid fret markers. The scale length of the guitar is 24 3/4″, and has a nut width of 1 11/16″. Giving the guitar a wide variety of tones are two NY Mini Humbuckers and a Piezo bridge pickup. The mini humbuckers cover everything from surf to rock, while the piezo will give you the ability to conjure acoustic-like clean tones. Part of the guitar’s distinct look is the line of knobs just below the pickguard. The six smaller knobs let you control the volume and tone of the three pickups independently, while the bigger

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Eastwood Link Wray Tribute Guitar

Eastwood Guitars teamed up with UK based graphic artist Vince Ray to create and release the Link Wray Tribute guitar. Related Feature:Eastwood Airline ’59 Newport This instrument is a special tribute to Link Wray, described by many as the “Father of the Power Chord”, and hailed by many rock icons as a major influence to their music and playing style. Only 24 Link Wray Tribute guitars are scheduled for pre-production, scheduled for shipping on December 18, 2014 on a first come first served basis. Depending on the success of this pre-production line, more Link Wray Tribute guitars will be produced in April of the next year. The highlight of this guitar is the special tribute graphic artwork by Vince Ray. The top artwork features Link Wray’s face along with guitars, cards, a knife, a classic car and other ’50s style graphics. Also written between the bridge and tailpiece is the phrase “THE RUMBLE KING”, a tribute to his guitar instrumental called “Rumble”. The back side of the guitar is also used as an art canvass by Vince, along with the guitar case. Although not as well known as other guitar legends, many of the who’s who of rock guitar know

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Rivolta Combinata from Novo and Eastwood Guitars

Eastwood Guitars and Novo Guitars introduce the first guitar that they came up with, the new Rivolta Combinata. Related Feature:Best Electric Guitars for under $500 The first model to come out of this line is the Combinata, and it is a mass production version of one of Dennis’ boutique hand-built guitars. This joint effort aims to make Novo Guitars’ unique guitar designs more accessible to guitar players, by utilizing the production and distribution capabilities of Eastwood Guitars. The story goes that Dennis Fano was looking for a way to make his guitars widely available, and so he partnered with Mike Robinson of Eastwood Guitars. And the Rivolta line of guitars is the result of this collaboration, featuring the Fano’s unique shape designs, built and distributed by Eastwood Guitars. Dennis Fano explains, “I’m excited to partner with Eastwood to launch the Rivolta brand. These guitars will offer fans of Novo and my previous designs a chance to get the guitar they’ve always wanted.” The first model to come out of this new line of guitars is called the Combinata, a unique looking double cutaway guitar with a chambered mahogany body and a uniquely carved top. While it does have a double

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Suhr Rufus ReLoaded Fuzz

Suhr Guitars further expands their line of effects with the new Rufus ReLoaded, a fuzz pedal with octave-up effect. Related Feature:Suhr Reloaded Pedals This pedal carries over the EQ versatility and multi-function switch of its predecessor, the original Rufus Fuzz. As part of the “Re|Loaded” line, Suhr added an extra feature, along with circuit improvements. Just like the first Rufus, this new pedal provides a wealth of fuzz effects that you can shape to your liking, and it does so while providing amp-like dynamics and feel. I would describe the pedal as a fuzz pedal that can double as an overdrive/distortion, able to have clean and transparent tones, contrasting traditional fuzz pedals that are usually harsh sounding at higher gain settings. By simply playing with the fuzz knob, you get a wide variety of fuzz tones, described by the company as going from the historic late ’60s fuzz tones to the more aggressive sounds of the Grunge era. Complementing the fuzz control are three knobs that control the bass frequencies, mid frequencies and the output level. The bass and mid knob lets you shape guitar sound to give you tones that cover modern scooped mid distortion to angry vintage style

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Effectrode Helios Vaccum Tube Fuzz Pedal

Effectrode is now selling the new Helios Fuzz pedal, featuring tube gain stages followed by a crystal diode circuit. Related Feature:Effectrode Tube-Vibe Pedal Described as “Sunshine in a box”, this stompbox is designed to provide versatile fuzz tones that retain tube driven clarity. Helios Fuzz is built around hand-selected space-grade pencil tubes, which are then paired to N.O.S. point-contact crystal diodes. This allows the pedal to combine tube gain stages with a crystal diode asymmetric clipping circuit. The resulting is described as “incredibly warm and rich fuzzed guitar tone whilst preserving clarity and string-to-string definition.” The Pencil tubes, also called Subminiature tubes, were designed to control missiles during World War II. They had to be extra-ordinarily tough and manufactured to meet stringent inspections for reliability and safety. Since the tubes were built to survive severe shock, vibration, high altitude and high temperature – Effectrode knew that it could endure the typical punishment received by pedals. Effectrode further elaborates: “The Subminiature tubes represent the pinnacle of tube technology and offer more consistent musical performance than the early NOS germanium transistors. Effectrode is now utilizing these little tubes for peaceful purposes – to create extremely compact and tough little effects pedals!” To

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Keeley Sojourner Fuzz Verb

Keeley Electronics releases the Sojourner Fuzz Verb, a fuzz and multi-reverb effect pedal in one stompbox package. Related Feature:Keeley Aurora Reverb Described as having a fat fuzz tone complemented by reverb soundscapes, this special combination is designed to provide players with a way to conjure unique dreamy tones and sonic textures. Fuzz and reverb is an interesting combination that goes beyond the usual partner for reverb, which is overdrive. To make it more interesting, the company also opted for a more complex and versatile type of reverb and instead of the usual basic reverb found on overdrive/reverb combo pedals and on amplifiers. According to the press release, Chief Engineer Robert Keeley and his team created a “first-in-class fuzz/reverb pedal that would allow players to create dreamy soundscapes of texture, color, and emotion with unique and innovative reverb sounds not heard before.” The new Keeley Sojourner’s two effect sections are based on one of their other pedals, albeit with some changes to better complement the mixing of fuzz and reverb for guitar. The fuzz circuit of the Sojourner Fuzz Verb is based on the company’s “Psi Fuzz” pedal, carrying with it Keeley’s highly modified take on the Op Amp Pi. The

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JHS Muffuletta Distortion/Fuzz

JHS Pedals pay tribute to classic dirt pedal circuits with the new Muffuletta, a six-in-one distortion/fuzz effect unit. Related Feature:The Best Fuzz Pedals This pedal lets you conveniently switch between five modes that are based on classic Big Muff circuits, a sixth mode is also available featuring an original JHS fuzz voicing which further expands the tonal capabilities of this pedal. The Big Muff has definitely etched its mark in guitar history, and as such even competing manufacturers can’t help but to try to clone its sound. The latest of which is the Muffuletta, although this one brings with it an interesting twist where it packs multiple classic Big Muff tones. Instead of merely providing digital representations of the original tones that it is emulating, the Muffuletta utilizes all-analog circuitry that does not undergo any digital signal processing or emulation. This means that choosing a mode actually re-routes your signal to real components with actual settings and parameters based on the original units. According to the company, this non-digital approach results to more authentic sounding representations of the five classic Muff pedals that are simulated in this pedal. JHS chose five of the most sought after Big Muff circuits, featuring

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Greer Super Hornet Octave Fuzz

Greer Amps announces that it is now shipping their new NOS-based circuit octave fuzz pedal called Super Hornet. Related Feature:Best Fuzz Pedals This pedal is based on a vintage “Foxx Tone Machine”, an old pedal that provides a distinct fuzz tone with octave effect, only this one is tweaked to the taste of the Greer Amps team. It is said that for a long time, the company has been looking to build a workhorse-worthy modded version of the original. And now that they have actually finished the design and production, they are happy and proud of the result. While it is indeed inspired by a vintage Foxx Tone Machine, Greer amps started from the ground up by taking the building blocks of the vintage circuit and tweaking it to their liking. This means that this pedal is not a mere replica, rather a modern reproduction with Greer’s own distinct twist to the design. Speaking of twists, the new Greer Super Hornet pedal features NOS BC-107B transistors, specifically added into the design to give this pedal a distinct voicing that’ll make it viable for today’s players, while still retaining the fuzz tone of the original. The company describes the resulting sound

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BAE Audio Hot Fuzz

BAE Audio releases the Hot Fuzz pedal, a two channel pedal with ’70 style fuzz tone and a top boost circuit. Related Feature:Best Fuzz Pedals This release marks the company’s first ever production line guitar stompbox, an interesting break from their current line of DI boxes, equalizers, compressors and preamplifiers, all of which are built to old school specifications. The story goes that this pedal is the result of the personal quest of the company’s CEO, who himself is a guitarist who loves great guitar tones. Since he loved the sound of vintage treble boosters and ’70s era fuzz, he designed a way to combine the two effects in a compact stompbox that’s easy to use and operate. At first, Mark focused on getting the fuzz sound similar to the tones heard on songs from the ’70s. To do this he studied ’70s era fuzz circuits and developed a way to replicate their sound with a bit of polishing. The press release mentioned that they were able to pin point the actual components that give these old fuzz pedals their distinct voice, and this includes specialized transistors of which Loughman and his team have now found a way to replicate.

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PRS 30th Anniversary SE Floyd Custom 24

PRS continues their 30th anniversary celebrations with the release of the new Commemorative SE Floyd Custom 24, equipped with Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo. Related Feature:PRS McCarty 2015 This expands the company’s popular and ever growing SE line, adding more shred and progressive style options to their already extensive line up of instruments. PRS has been coming up with more guitar lines, expanding their guitars to cover more affordable price points. In the midst of this expansion, the company does not neglect adding to the very popular SE line, especially since it helped the brand reach more guitarists and gain worldwide recognition, enabling them to compete with older and bigger guitar manufacturers. The 30th Anniversary SE Floyd Custom24, adds a commonly requested feature to their popular SE Custom 24 model, the Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo. This continues the company’s challenge to other affordable Floyd Rose equipped guitars that are available from metal and shred style friendly brands. They do so without going beyond their specialty, which is maintaining the aesthetic and sonic appeal of the PRS Custom 24 model. PRS SE Line Business Manager Doug Shive said, “The SE line continues to provide players worldwide with an affordable guitar

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PRS SE Custom 22

PRS Guitars expand their popular SE guitar line with the SE Custom 22, providing vintage tone and feel at a more accessible price point. Related Feature:PRS SE Floyd Custom 24 This is part of the two latest SE guitars to come out of their production line, both of which follow after their popular 22 fret Custom 22 model, with the other one being a semi-hollow body version. The PRS SE line of instruments helped the company better propagate their brand by making their products accessible for players who are limited by their budgets. This gave the average guitarists a chance to own many of the company’s more popular guitar designs at a more modest price point. This time around, PRS has released the SE Custom 22, a more streamlined and cost-effective version of the popular Custom 22 model. According to the company, this guitar continues their legacy of ensuring each instrument meets their quality standards, while also fulfilling their current drive to provide more accessible alternatives for their main US-made guitar line. Like the original Custom 22, the SE version sports the same double cutaway shape that the company has made its own. The body is crafted from mahogany and

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PRS SE 277 Semi-Hollow Soapbar

PRS Guitars introduces a new baritone electric guitar, the new SE 277 Semi Hollow Soapbar. Related Feature:PRS SE Standard Santana This chambered guitar is tuned B to B, which is two and a half steps below standard, giving it access to notes that sit between a bass guitar and a standard tuning guitar. The common use for electric baritone guitar in this age is to satisfy the down tuning needs of modern rock and metal players. Instead of having to tune down a few strings of a standard guitar, the SE 277 Semi-Hollow comes with low tuning by default and a thicker string gauge to compensate, giving you access to lower notes without the need to move away from familiar fingering. Since Baritone guitars are designed for low tuning, they have a different playing feel and easily stand out in a mix. PRS demonstrator Bryan Ewald expounds, “Guitarists can play them to add a different sound to the mix and to fatten up rhythm tracks. Bass players can use them to create texture and tonal tenacity.” And it’s not just limited to Baritone tuning because the guitar can work with various alternate tunings, specifically ones that require lower notes which

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PRS CE 24

PRS continues to expand their electric guitar line with the new CE 24, featuring traditional bolt-on neck joint. Related Feature:PRS McCarty 2015 This guitar is part of Paul Reed Smith’s attempt at attracting guitarists who prefer the feel and response of bolt-on neck guitars, while still retaining the distinctive appeal and build quality that has made the brand popular. It’s interesting how the bolt-on neck design, which is found on so many electric guitars, is not a familiar sight on the PRS lineup. Looking at their current catalog, the CE 24 is just one of two bolt-on neck models, the other one being the Brent Mason signature. The original PRS CE was introduced back in 1988, and is only now making a come back after nearly a decade of being out of production. PRS Founder Paul Reed Smith said, “After 30 years of guitar making, we’ve learned a lot, and we have used all that knowledge to update our original CE bolt-on model. Most notably we updated its sound by adding our new 85/15 pickups which have more musical high end than the original ‘HFS’ pickups, and we also made it slimmer so it is very comfortable to play.” The

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Vox SoundBox Mini

Vox introduces the SoundBox Mini, a portable multimedia player and instrument amplifier in one retro style package. Related Feature:Best Practice Amps This compact multi-purpose amplifier packs in a lot of features including built-in effects, multimedia and multi-instrument compatibility, and the ability to run on battery power. Although it looks more like an old school boom box than an amplifier, SoundBox Mini is a true portable guitar amp with a wealth of features. The amplifier section gives you up to 11 amplifier models that cover a variety of input sources. It covers essentials from clean tone to distorted sound for electric guitars and it includes modeled amps for acoustic guitar and bass. Flat response amplifier models are also available for plugging in keyboards and other audio devices. You can pick from a wide range of settings for whatever you want to plug-in. Aside from amp models, the new SoundBox Mini comes with a host of practical effects including compressor, flanger, chorus and tremolo. There are also four types of delay/reverb effects available and they come with a tap tempo switch. It even comes with a basic “E” note tuner for added convenience. Adding to the instrument input is an Aux in

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Orange Dual Dark Amplifier Series – NAMM 2014

The new Dual Dark Amplifier is Orange Amps’ latest high-end offering, available in 50 Watt and 100 Watt versions. Related Feature:Orange Amps Blog As Orange puts it, these new amps showcase their innovative side, with features that include a built-in attenuator and a channel with a brand new voice. They were part of Orange’s big announcements at the 2014 NAMM Show. As expected, the dual channel amps carry the brand’s reputation for creating British tones, however Orange decided to shake things up by introducing a channel that has a completely new voicing never before heard on their lineup. Channel A reproduces this new sound, while Channel B takes with it the “Dark Terror” tone. The two channels can go from clean to crunch at lower gain settings, and can go higher with four stages of gain. The new Dual Dark series is said to provide the highest levels of gain that this brand has ever offered! Aside from the new voicing and extended gain, Dual Dark comes with footswitchable attenuators for playing at lower volumes while still driving the tubes. Dual Dark 50 can be switched to 25 or 50 Watts, while Dual Dark 100 offers more options – 100,

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