Amp Lab

Trying to achieve classic high-gain sounds at neighbor-friendly volumes is a chore. Unless you've got yourself a Marshall Class 5 all-tube guitar amp, that is. Owen cranks this 5-watt brute in this Gearwire Amp Lab video.  

If you feel the need. . . the need. . . for power tube saturation. . . but also feel the need to not get evicted from your rental unit, peep the Eminence FDM Maverick. It's one of two new speakers from the US-based manufacturer that feature variable passive volume attenuation built right in. Call the ball.  

This one goes to negative-9. Owen examines the new Eminence FDM Reignmaker, a 12" replacement guitar amp speaker with a knob attached to a screw attached to a ferrite magnet attached to your domestic partner's gratitude button.  

Those seeking the heaviest of metal tone at not-quite-godlike volumes, take heed. The Blackstar Amplification HT Studio 20 is an all-tube, 1x12 guitar combo capable of massive, Marshall-esque tone at ribbon-friendly levels, as demonstrated by Owen in this video walkthrough.  

So it ain't the newest bass amp around, so what? We finally got the chance to check one out, so here's Owen's video demo of the TC Electronic RH450 aka the RebelHead 450 aka Bass 2.0. Man, how are you supposed to Google this thing?  

Owen auditions the mighty Laney Lionheart L20T410, an all-tube, 20-watt, 4x10 combo amp. Lest you think that 20-watts doesn't sound like much, remember that Richard Plantagenet himself was commanding an entire army by the time he was 16. You might even say he was a prodigious shredder at an early age (apologies to the ancient empires of Islam).  

When you think "Marshall", you probably think "opposite of modeling." Normally we'd be with you, but this new hybrid tube / digital modeling amp from the UK-based amp legends had us all baffled. Until we turned it on and played it, that is. Turns out the Marshall JMD:1 is as great-sounding as it is easy to use.  

It's hard to go wrong with a classic design. That's why Marshall took their celebrated, medium-power tube amp design and added a digital effects section post EQ. OK, that doesn't really follow, but what does is a 13-minute demo / walkthrough of the Marshall MHZ40C Haze Combo.  

Owen gives the new Marshall MA100C 2x12 a listen. This all-tube, 100-watt guitar amp is manufactured in the Far East but designed entirely by Marshall in the UK, and defies all kinds of expectations as far as pricing is concerned. Watch this video to see if the tone defies expectations as well.  

There's a lot of gear out there. That's why we've hired a new video presenter to help us produce our video demos. Say hello to Leslie, and let him know how you like his demo of the Orange Amps Rocker 30 Combo.  

We put the Electro-Harmonix 22 Caliber Power Amp through its paces in the Gearwire studio. Sure, it looks like another EHX stompbox, but don't be fooled, or you might set something on fire (seriously, be careful and read the instruction manual before use).  

Owen dusts off the Fender '59 Bass Reissue LTD that's been hanging out in the GW studio for a closer inspection. See and hear why this bass amp quickly became a popular amplifier for six-stringers, and how the latest incarnation of the Fender Bassman stacks up to its own legacy.  

Owen's back with the last of the four epic demos that make up the Peavey Vypyr series. Here we have the Peavey Vypyr Tube 60. Blending the functional convenience of a digital amp and the old-school vibe of a vacuum tube power section, we have to wonder: does the Vypyr Tube 60 qualify as "steampunk"?  

Sometimes you can tell how much Owen likes something based on how often he adjusts his glasses while talking about it -- this video perhaps being one example. The Laney GH100L may keep it simple and avoid frilly doodads that belong on your pedalboard anyway, but some pretty nice sounds can come out of this thing, as Mssr. O'Malley is happy to demonstrate. You have almost ten luxurious minutes to decide whether you agree.  

It must be said that this reporter does not have an abundance of hair, nay, it may even be said that I have a dearth of hair. Even so, I was impressed by my recent visit to Emperor Cabs, a Chicago outfit that builds cabs specifically for "heavier music," as the resident gentlemen succinctly put it. After a brief but sincere runthrough of the specs, I was treated to a personal shredfest. Enjoy it with me now.  

Just when you thought the Peavey Vypyr Guitar Combos had enough features already, Owen has to go and whip out the pedals. The Peavey Sanpera Pedals I and II not only let you get faster access to features you normally have to dial in, and get you into that sweet looper -- they also predict the future and open garage doors from a distance. Not really.  

Back at his second home (the Gearwire studio), Owen continues his detailed analysis and presentation of the Peavey Vypyr Guitar Combo. When you finish watching this demo series, you will receive a certificate in the mail, qualifying you to teach Vypyr Guitar Combo demos at your local junior college. Just send us your address.  

Down-home at Gearwire, we like to pick and grin and blast you away. Today this is facilitated by Owen and the perspectively-enhanced Peavey Vypyr Guitar Combo, a versatile amp with effects and a tomes-worth of tones that shakes us up in a very pleasing way. Hear the tones and see the knobs, right here.  

Joel Jones and Marc Ford started Simple Amps in California a little less than two years ago. Their designs are all tube-based, and their aesthetics are original.  

Simple Amps designer Joel Jones comes from a hacking background, but as this interview will show, he also knows his tubes pretty darn well. A year and a half ago, Jones and partner Marc Ford set out to make some amps that were based on the Magnatone circuit, but capable of getting quiet enough that they wouldn't interfere with the most delicate of bell choirs on a Sunday morning.  

It's not just a teaser headline -- Simple Amps' Joel Jones really does attribute at least part of his designs to help from a Higher Power. Clearly, it also has to do with his extensive knowledge of how to build a better amp, a process that started with the challenge of how to keep a good, loud amp quiet when it needed to be . . . not just bar-quiet, but church-quiet.  

Owen O'Malley has strange feelings about swine. Nevermind that, just watch this video demonstration of the Pignose Hog 20, a punchy little guitar amp that runs off of rechargeable batteries and slop. SoooooEEEEEEEEEPIGPIGPIGPIGPIGPIG!  

As bass modeling amps go, Line 6 has introduced a fine one. Owen majored in bass in college, with a minor in comparative physics, so he should know.  

Double-O'Malley's choice of tone descriptors frequently takes the world by storm, tying up the phone lines here at Gearwire HQ with angry and/or ecstatic fans, or anyway it would, if we had phones. The Laney VC30-212 caused many unique descriptors to fall from the mouth of our own Irish Rogue. Or it would, if we had rogues.  

Have you ever met that perfect someone, only to be devastated by their one fatal flaw? That's really nothing like what went on between Owen and this amp, but if you've ever wondered what Owen's like when he's miffed, now's your chance. Not pretty.  

J. Irving-Giles is back for the final installment of this epic demonstration of the Bogner Alchemist 212. Here, he sets up his chops for the reverb.  

Although we at Gearwire do not recommend eating guitars at any time, even when you're hungry, the subtle complexity and hint of Italian elegance lent to your axe by the Bogner Alchemist may make that imperative hard to follow. Can you tell it's lunchtime?  

While playing a pointy guitar made out of rotten wood, J. Irving-Giles proves that the punch switch in the Bogner Alchemist's Mercury Channel can indeed double as the Philosopher's Stone, or maybe just give your tone more clarity.  

Gearwire's resident Mysterious Hairy French Fry, Monsieur Irving-Giles, displays his transformative prowess with a deceptively earthbound-looking amp. If he only had a giant pair of scissors, he could fly.  

We at Gearwire were very pleased that Fender was finally supporting our staunch "Death To Pythons" stance by releasing the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Python guitar combo amplifier. That is, until we learned it wasn't real Python skin. What's next, the Jaguar-Cruelty-Free Jaguar Bass? Stupid animal-huggers.