Fender has announced three new special edition versions of their popular G-DEC 30 amp. The three new models include a country-focused model, a blues-focused model, and a metal-focused model. Here's what Fender says about the new amps: Like the standard 30-watt blackface G-DEC 3 Thirty, all three new FSR models come equipped with 100 presets, a wealth of CD-quality backing … [Read more...]
Blackheart Little Giant Combo
Low-watt amps have become quite popular over the past few years as people have tried to find great tone at lower volumes. Low-watt amps are not new, though. Fender introduced the 5-watt Champ amp in 1948, and many other manufacturers have offered low-watt amps since. However, it seems that more companies are offering low-watt amps than ever before. Blackheart Engineering is a … [Read more...]
Grid1 Battery-Powered Tube Amps
Kevin Frazier from Grid1 recently let me know about his company's new product: a 60 watt lithium battery-powered tube amp called the G1 BPT212. The amp was launched at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim about a week ago. It features 2 12" speakers, a lithium rechargeable battery, two footswitchable channels, and your choice of wood cabinet. The company claims to get 4-6 hours per … [Read more...]
SRV’s ’64 Vibroverb Dissected
CP Thornton Guitars has posted the Tone Quest Report magazine from August 2007 (PDF), which features a dissection of Stevie Ray Vaughan's '64 Vibroverb amp. SRV's amp tech Cesar Diaz had done quite a few modifications to the amp, including changing the caps, adding a larger transformer as well as many other mods. It's interesting to read how the amp was modified to help give … [Read more...]
Eric Johnson Discussing His Amp Setup
Below are a couple of videos of Eric Johnson discussing his amp setup. In the videos, he explains the types of amps he's running and how he uses them. He also discusses the effects he's using with the amps. Here's part 1: And, here's part 2: … [Read more...]