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Gear Review: KASHA Overdrive

Posted in buying gear, effect pedals, Effects, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, overdrive, pedals, Tone, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2009| 7 Comments »

5 Tone Bones - Gear has stellar performance, value, and quality. This is definitely top of the class, best of breed, and it's a no-brainer to add this to your gear lineup!Kasha KA-ODP-A KASHA Overdrive

Summary: Just about the most amazing overdrive pedal I’ve ever had the privilege to play!

Pros: 4 “channels” provide different and amazing overdrive voices that add “spice” to your tone. No line noise from this pedal at all! Super simple operation.

Cons: None.

Features:

  • 4 channels with separate voicing and gain structure
  • Analog design
  • 10 dB clear boost
  • True bypass switching
  • Very low power consumption (3mA and runs on a single 9V battery)
  • No tone change, only enhances sound
  • Compact standard aluminum chassis (4 3/8″x2 1/4″ x 1 1/4″)
  • AC power jack (uses standard Boss DC power supplies)
  • High gloss mirror black powder coat
  • Hand made in the USA
  • Low noise
  • Crystal Blue LED (high intensity)
  • Weight: 1.5lb

Price: $200 direct from KASHA Amplifiers

Tone Bone Score: 5.0 – I’ve played through enough overdrive pedals to fill a large trunk, and the KASHA Overdrive is simply one of the best I’ve every played!

If you’ve read this blog with any regularity – and I know I’ve said this in the past – I just can’t get enough of overdrive pedals. I just love ’em! But over time, and as there are so many overdrive pedals being released on a regular basis, I’ve started to limit what I take a deep dive into researching. Lately, I’ve only focused on overdrive pedals that offer a “twist” on the overdrive, and not clones. One such pedal that I recently discovered (and now has a permanent place on my board) was the GeekDriver, that while based upon the classic ColorSound Overdriver, has a sound all its own!

And wouldn’t you know it, I came across the KASHA Overdrive, and its simplicity intrigued me so much that I just had to check it out! Here was an overdrive pedal that required no EQ control! For me, that’s a HUGE thing because the implication is that the pedal’s circuit doesn’t require you to compensate for tonal changes that often get introduced with other pedals.

In any case, if you don’t want to read any further, let me just say this, and have it done with:

The KASHA Overdrive kicks ass, and I will be adding it to my pedal board! Even if you’re not in the market for a new overdrive, you owe it to yourself to give this pedal a serious look!

Four channels, Two Knobs, One Switch and a TON of Ways to Enhance Your Tone

Notice I didn’t say, “tweak” or something similar that would imply that your tone changes once the KASHA OD is engaged. The reason for this is that KASHA built the pedal from the perspective of “voicing” much like an amplifier. Each “channel” on the pedal represents a different “voice.” It’s almost as if you have four amps in a box. In light of that, your input EQ remains the same; but just like plugging into different amps, the KASHA OD offers different kinds of “voicings.”

But it doesn’t just end there with the channels. The gain knob is incredibly expressive and just like an amplifier, provides different characteristics depending upon where you set the sweep. It’s f-in incredible! It’s also really difficult to verbally describe the effect. The closest I can get to an explanation of turning up the gain knob is that it is very similar to turning up the master volume on your amp and the effect that has as more juice is fed into the power tubes. Like I said, it’s hard to articulate…

And then if you didn’t think that the standard gain profile is enough, the “Turbo” switch will kick your amp’s ass even more by giving you a 10dB boost! 10dB may not seem like much, but sonically, it’s HUGE!

How It Sounds

So how does the pedal sound? In a word AMAZING, even when it’s on and you’re not playing anything, because unlike a lot of overdrive pedals, the KASHA Overdrive is dead quiet electronically. No hums, no buzzes, not a single electronic tick. The only noise it makes is when you play your axe through it.

I’ll let you read the documentation on the KASHA web site that describes the different channels – it’s pretty accurate. In lieu of that, I’ll write about my own perceptions of each channel as I experienced them. By the way, I played the pedal through a Fender DRRI and a Fender Princeton Studio, using my Saint Guitars Goldtop Messenger.

Smooth Channel

This channel is a simple boost stage, which ups your gain about 3dB. It’s an ideal channel to use if your amp is already at the edge of breakup, and you want to push it just over the edge to get a little extra bite. Of course, if you add the Turbo, then you get a full 13dB to start really working your pre-amp tubes. The impressive thing about this channel is that it demonstrates the pedal’s transparency. Setting the gain to unity, and switching the pedal on and off, there is absolutely no tonal change whatsoever. Quite nice.

Classic Channel

I loved this channel most of all, and as soon as I made my first strum on this channel, I was completely sold on the pedal. I didn’t have to hear any more. This channel is voiced brightly, and sounds like a friggin’ low-wattage EL-84 amp with all the chimey goodness that kind of amp has to offer. But at the same time, you don’t lose your lows. In fact, the full spectrum of your EQ is retained, but you get this incredibly dreamy, top-end chime that just works its way through your entire body! When I was playing through this channel, I just closed my eyes to listen to that sweet chime.

Hot Channel

Need even more grind? Now you have it. This channel slams your front-end with 11dB of gain, and gives you an added bass shelf. The tone from this channel is absolutely HUGE! And even with the big bass, you never lose any clarity at any time. Do a big power chord, and you’ll rip right through any mix. Pluck a single note and dig in, and that note will sustain – like Santana sustain, baby! And the cool thing is that at no time does your signal compress as often happens with other pedals, and we’re talking starting to get into some serious-ass gain when you’ve got the gain knob and guitar volume completely cranked! Then you hit the Turbo button, and WHOA! Singing sustain that just floats in the air and doesn’t come down!

Melt Channel

Here we’re getting into metal territory as the voicing gets a big, but tight bottom end plus a few more dB’s of gain. And just as with the Hot channel, you don’t lose any tonal clarity at all – you hear every single note, which is all the more amazing in this channel because you’re absolutely slamming the front-end of your amp! You just get a beefy, hairy balls sound that’ll shake the rafters when you’ve got it cranked up! Yeah, “melt” is an appropriate term to be used here because the thick, liquid metal tone in this channel will certainly melt you; of course, in a very good way!

Overall Impressions

Dammit! I wish I had more time to play with the pedal to really take it through its paces, but the store was closing up, and we were playing a bit too loud for the tender ears of the senior citizen sales people, though gracious as they were to let us bring in our own gear. What amazed me the most was how absolutely HUGE the Fender Princeton sounded with this pedal. This is a little 15 watt amp that combined with the KASHA overdrive could be used in a club. No problem cutting through with the KASHA overdrive engaged!

Yeah, I was sold on the Classic channel alone, but I’m just completely twitterpated and ga-ga over this pedal. KASHA claims that not a single person to date has had a bad opinion or offered “improvements” to it, and this includes some very big names in the music business (sorry, not allowed to mention them yet by request of KASHA). Based on even my brief experience with the KASHA Overdrive, I totally believe the claim. THE KASHA OVERDRIVE WILL KICK YOUR ASS!

By the way, I hate KASHA Amplifiers!!! I thought I was temporarily cured of my recent case of GAS, and now the KASHA Overdrive has me salivating, slobbering, and frothing at the mouth with an f-in’ GAS attack!

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David vs. Goliath: The Aracom PRX150-Pro Fells the Ultimate Attenuator

Posted in amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, aracom amps, attenuator, buying gear, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, invention, Music, musicians, new gear, PRX150-Pro, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 24, 2009| 3 Comments »

Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the bout of the century! A truly momentous occasion in the vein of David versus Goliath! In the red corner we have a Goliath, the reigning King of Attenuators, the Ultimate Attenuator; self-proclaimed King of Transparency – Guaranteed! In the blue corner is the Aracom Power Rox PRX150-Pro, a virtual David, armed with only a transparency sling ! And here’s the opening bell!

The Ultimate Attenuator strikes first, tongue lolling, with bombastic claims of pure transparency. The agile Power Rox ducks, and moves away, its sling of true transparency whirring rapidly. Wait! It launches! It strikes the Ultimate Attenuator square in the head. It’s going down! Oh the humanity! Oh the humanity! The match was over before it was even begun!

I had the great opportunity this evening of testing the Aracom Power Rox and the Ultimate Attenuator in a head-to-head shootout to determine which was the most transparent attenuator. As you can tell from the somewhat facetious and fictitious pseudo-boxing match, you know who won: The Aracom Power Rox PRX150-Pro. Folks, it wasn’t even a contest. Even at the lowest attenuation levels, the Power Rox swept the floor with the Ultimate Attenuator!

My Test Procedures

Equipment: My test was conducted using a Replica JTM45 equipped with original Mustard Caps and a pair of  KT-66’s, into a 4 X 12 cabinet equipped with (2) Original 55Hz Greenbacks and (2) Custom Weber (75Hz) Greenbacks, with a ‘Gibson 57 Les Paul Historic Goldtop as my test guitar.

Clean Test

First, I started with the amp totally clean. I strummed a simple chord progression to get my base tone. Setting the Ultimate Attenuator at about half “volume,” I activated it. I immediately noticed a distinct loss in both highs and lows, as even at minimal attenuation, the bandwidth of my tone was severely narrowed. The full bottom-end and sparkly top-end of my clean tone were significantly reduced. The tone wasn’t that bad, mind you, but it certainly lacked the richness of my base tone – it sounded flat.

One thing that really bugged me was activating the UA, which required a strumming the guitar, then switching on the UA, as if the UA needed a signal to pass through it to even start working. What a pain! It’s amazing that users would even tolerate this.

I repeated the same test with the Power Rox, setting it at half attenuation on the 6-way switch. The result was a reduced volume, but no loss of bottom- or top-end at all.

Clean Test – Bedroom Mode

Same test as above with both attenuators. With the Ultimate Attenuator, can you say “tone sucker?” The tone was not at all pleasing! Even more narrow bandwidth, and non-existent dynamics. There was nothing even remotely good to like at this level with the UA. How the UA website can claim to be “the most transparent and safest tube amplifier attenuator on the market in the world. Guaranteed” is beyond me. Even my old Dr. Z Airbrake sounded better than the UA. So again, at this level, the Power Rox just kicked ass. Lower volume, but full retention of bandwidth and dynamics.

Dirty Tests

In my dirty tests, I ran the amp in its drive channel cranked up fully. 40 Watts through a 4 X 12 is LOUD!!! Especially when you’re standing right in front of the cab! Actually there’s nothing like feeling the SPL’s with an amp full-out! I ran the same tests as I did with the clean channel with both attenuators, and as expected got the same results: The Ultimate Attenuator really sucked my tone, while the PRX150-Pro retained tone and dynamics at all levels. The Plexi switch just made the tone even worse, acting like a treble booster, which made an already horrid tone even worse by just upping the highs. The tone was akin to an old transistor radio played at the volume of a loud TV. Not pleasing at all, and actually, it was a bit annoying, like cats screeching! YUCK!

The Power Rox, on the other hand, again just reduced the volume. The tone remained rich and full, and all the overtones and harmonics came through. It’s amazing what those subtleties do for your tone. You really miss them when they’re not there, as they provide depth.

It’s evident that the Power Rox’s Speaker Reactance Thru technology is far superior at any application. For me, the Ultimate Attenuator company can make all the claims it wants about transparency, but that’s all they are: claims. And while it doesn’t sound all that bad at low attenuation levels, the marked difference in tone between the UA and Power Rox at any attenuation level relegates the UA – at least to me – to the junk heap. You couldn’t get me to put this in my rig if you paid me.

I realize that the UA was the best game in town for quite awhile, and I am sure that at the time it came out, it outperformed the THD HotPlate, which I have also tested, and didn’t like. I also realize that I’m being fairly harsh – much more harsh than I’ve ever been with a product – but all the claims of the UA being truly transparent are mere exaggerations, and not backed up by any discussion of its technology. In fact, all the hyperbole surrounding the UA is quite irritating!

If you knew what went into a UA, you’d have serious concerns, not the least of which is the 32 ohm fixed resistor, which essentially flattens out your impedance, and creates a mismatch so high that you could fry your amp! Adding insult to injury, the solid-state amplifier is what is really running your speaker. Transparent? Hell no! Not electronically, and definitely not audibly.

And mind you, I’m not the only person who feels this way. One new PRX150-Pro user, who is also a former UA user was so impressed with the Power Rox and disgusted by the UA’s tone compared to the Power Rox, that he bought two Power Rox’s! That says quite a bit.

For more information about the Aracom Power Rox PRX150-Pro, visit the Aracom Amps PRX150-Pro product page!

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Gear Review: Fane Medusa 150 12″ Speaker

Posted in buying gear, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitarists, Guitars, inspiration, Music, musicians, speakers, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 23, 2009| 1 Comment »

4.5 Tone Bones - Very solid performer, and has almost everything but just missing a couple of thingsFane Medusa 150 Fane Medusa 150 12″ Speaker Summary: If you’re looking for a speaker with a big bottom end, while retaining the clarity of your mids and highs, this is the speaker for you.

Pros: Huge bottom end on this little beasty. Played clean, it’s very acoustic-sounding and quite pleasing. With a sensitivity rating of 103, this speaker puts out some volume!

Cons: With the prevalence of the lows, this speaker really belongs in a 2 X 12 cab, balanced out by a more mid-rangy speaker.

Features:

Nominal Chassis Diameter 12″
Impedance 4 /8 /16 Ω
Power Rating (AES) 150 w
Sensitivity 1w – 1m 103 dB
Chassis Type Pressed Steel
Voice Coil Diameter 2” / 50.8mm
Coil Material Copper
Magnet Type Ferrite
Magnet Weight 50 oz
Usable Frequency Range 80 Hz – 6.2 kHz
Resonance FS Hz 84
RE Ohms 6.3 Ω

Price: $209 direct from Tonic Amps

Tone Bone Score: 4.5. I really dig the sound of this speaker, but as I mentioned above, it really belongs in a 2 X 12. Granted, I say that within the context of the type of music I play, which leans towards classic rock and blues.

Fane has been around awhile, providing the classic British tone of the Hiwatt and Orange amps of the 60’s and 70’s, and their speakers have helped define the sound of rock and roll, having at one time provided up to 75% of all loudspeakers in England. They’ve been around since 1958, so they know their speaker technology.

The Medusa 150 is one of their most popular models. With its ferrite magnet, it pumps out HUGE bottom end, but amazingly retains the overall clarity of sound throughout the entire EQ range.

How it sounds

Played clean, the Medusa 150 has a very acoustic-like response. This has a lot to do with the big bottom end that helps to give the clean tone a much bigger sound. Here’s an example:

I played this clip in the neck pickup of Goldie, my Saint Guitars Goldtop Messenger, which is a Duncan Custom Custom, which is usually put in the bridge position because it’s a pretty hot pickup. Despite that, I still got a real acoustic response that was VERY pleasing.

Turning up the gain on my amp, and getting lots of power tube distortion really brings out the true character of the Medusa 150. In this next clip, I’m able to cop a pretty close Neil Young:

That’s a fairly simple progression, but I chose it because it’s a good test of how clear the speaker would be in a high-gain situation playing low on the fretboard, which almost always has the potential of muddying your tone when you use speakers that aren’t well-defined. A lot of speakers wouldn’t be up to the task, and would definitely “flab” out. Not the Medusa 150.

Overall Impressions

For my style of playing, which leans toward the classic rock and blues, this is a speaker that I’d pop into a 2 X 12 with a brighter, more mid-rangy speaker, like my Jensen P12N, or if I was to use a Fane, I’d mix it with an Axiom Studio 12L or an Axiom AXA-12 Alnico. But for much heavier metal, this speaker would be ideal, especially for detuned songs.

I actually gigged with the speaker tonight. The only beef I had was that the bottom-end made the general tone a bit too close to the bass, so I was getting a little lost in the mix and had to crank up my amp a bit more, much to the chagrin of my other guitarist. 🙂 But overall, the speaker performed quite well.

For more information on how to obtain Fane speakers here in the US, go to the Tonic Amps web site.

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Gear Review: GeekDriver by The Original Geek

Posted in booster, buying gear, clean boost, distortion, effect pedals, Effects, fuzz, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar effects, guitar gear, guitar pedals, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, overdrive, pedals, Tone, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2009| 5 Comments »

5 Tone Bones - Gear has stellar performance, value, and quality. This is definitely top of the class, best of breed, and it's a no-brainer to add this to your gear lineup!

GeekDriver by the Original Geek

 The GeekDriver by the Original Geek

Summary: Is it a booster? Is it an overdrive? No! It’s the GeekDriver.

Pros: From gorgeous, slightly fat boost to searing, face peeling overdrive with tons of overtones and harmonics, this pedal does it!

Cons: None.

Features:

  • Hand-wired and soldered in the US
  • Volume, Treble, Bass and Gain Controls
  • Neutrik and Switchcraft jacks
  • True Bypass

Price: $205 direct

Tone Bone Score: 5.0. I’m absolutely blown away by this pedal! I can’t say for sure, but this is a pedal that I’d almost always have on.

I don’t give 5 Tone Bones away lightly. I have to be so totally blown away by some gear that I have to give it my highest rating. When I first heard the GeekDriver on Geek’s Premier Guitar Video, I immediately became intrigued. Then when I finally met the Geek himself at the shop he shares with Tonic Amps, and he demonstrated the GeekDriver in person, I knew I had to have one, so I told him I wanted one, and tonight I picked it up.

What exactly is the GeekDriver?

As the Geek will tell you, the GeekDriver is based upon the ColorSound Overdriver that was popularized by Jeff Beck. At its core, it’s a clean booster, but the Gain knob changes the game significantly, giving you anywhere from mild breakup to ugly, snarling dog overdrive, replete with tons of overtones and harmonics. At high gain levels, it’s like the ugly dog that’s so ugly you can’t help but love it, if you catch my drift.

One thing’s for sure, it’s not transparent, nor is it meant to be. When active it adds a slight compressive fat boost at all volume levels. The effect is incredibly subtle, almost visceral, in that  you “feel” that coloration more than you hear it. This aspect alone made me give this pedal the 5 Tone Bones. The effect is so sensual and appealing. I know I’m using a lot of flowery adjectives here, but it’s because it’s so hard to articulate the emotional effect that compressive boost has on me. When I get that feeling, I know I’m onto something good.

Then you turn the gain up, and in addition to that colored boost, you get layers of overdrive which become this ugly fuzz as you increase the gain that’s total ear candy. But despite the cacophony of distorted signals, the tone is still incredibly defined and articulate. Unlike a pedal like the OCD which can get pretty muddy when you crank the gain, the GeekDriver just oozes thick fuzz, but never gets muddy. Nice.

How it sounds…

In a word, it sounds awesome. It is very hard to describe what it actually sounds like. It’s like a colored overdrive with fuzz attached. In any case here are a couple of clips (BTW, both clips were recorded at bedroom level using my Aracom PRX150-Pro attenuator. That thing ROCKS, retaining all my tone and dynamics):

In this first clip, I was just noodling, switching back and forth a couple times between the clean tone of my amp and the GeekDriver. Note that I set the Gain pretty high on the GeekDriver on the first section to show how ugly it can get – I love that sound!

In this next clip, I start the solo out only with the GeekDriver, with a very light pick attack. In the second part of the solo, I add my Abunai 2 to the chain to demonstrate how delicious the GeekDriver sounds when another overdrive pedal is stacked on top of it.

I believe the GeekDriver was meant to be stacked. I placed it first on my board, then ran my Tone Freak Effects Abunai 2, and my Creation Audio Labs Holy Fire after it. With both pedals, the GeekDriver just FREAKIN’ ROCKED THE HOUSE!!! Oh, it’s sounds f-in’ awesome by itself, but used as a “base” pedal in front of another OD or distortion pedal, and the mix is like nothing you’ve experienced!

Overall Impressions

As you can tell, I freakin’ love this pedal! I’m not surprise why Jeff Beck dug the original ColorSound Overdriver. This is definitely Geek’s unique take on that classic pedal, and what a unique take that is! It may not be for everyone, especially if you’re looking for a transparent boost. But if you’re looking for something totally different from your typical boost or drive pedal, the GeekDriver has a voice all its own. Like I said, it freakin’ rocks the house!

About the Original Geek

Meeting Geek was pure serendipity. I originally was going to Tonic Amps to meet Darin Elingson about his cabs and Fane speakers. I didn’t know the Original Geek shared a shop space with him. That’s serendipity for you.

For those who are familiar with Jeff and his creations, he is known as “GeekMacDaddy,” and for years, his pedals have been by GeekMacDaddy. But his company has gone through a recent name change, and is now known as the “The Original Geek.” But who cares about the name? I certainly don’t. I just know his pedals kick f-in’ ass!

For more information, and to order one, go to http://www.geekmacdaddy.com.

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Gear Review: Aracom Amps Power Rox PRX150-Pro Attenuator

Posted in amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, announcements, aracom amps, attenuator, buying gear, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, PRX150-Pro, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2009| 10 Comments »

5 Tone Bones - Gear has stellar performance, value, and quality. This is definitely top of the class, best of breed, and it's a no-brainer to add this to your gear lineup!
Aracom Amps PRX150-Pro Attenuator		 Aracom Power Rox PRX150-Pro Attenuator

Summary: This is hands-down the best attenuator on the market! I’ve played a lot of attenuators, and no other has been able to retain tone and dynamics at high attenuation levels as the Power Rox!

Pros: The Power Rox isn’t just an attenuator. It packs extra features that’ll just blow you away, making a it versatile part of your stage or studio rig!

Cons: None.

Features:

  • Rotary Switch provides (6) Step Attenuation Levels, plus
    the Variable Mode allows continuous variable control of “bedroom” level adjustment
  • 33dB attenuation range
    * Attenuates 100 watts down to well under 1 watt (0.05 watt).
  • 150 watt (continuous average) power rating
  • Independent Input Impedance Switch: 2, 4, 8, 16 ohm
  • Independent Output Impedance Switch: 2, 4, 8, 16 ohm
    * Uniquely allows mismatched amplifier and speaker impedances to be used.
  • Attenuator Bypass Switch
  • Load Mode
  • Line Out with Level Control
  • 2 Speaker Jacks (wired in parallel)
  • Passive design, does not require AC power
  • Rugged, black anodized aluminum housing
  • Heavy duty, steel reinforced handle
  • Handwired and Handcrafted in the USA.

Price: $649 direct

Tone Bone Score: 5.0. Jeff Aragaki of Aracom Amps never ceases to amaze me with the stuff he comes up with! This time, it’s an attenuator invention that blows away the competition in safety and tone and dynamics with its patent-pending Speaker Reactance Thru (SRT) technology, plus extra features that make it unmatched in versatility and usability.

I’ll admit it: As much of gear nut that I am, I’m also a huge techno-geek. I dig new technologies and the engineering behind them; and when someone comes up with some new approach to something, with completely awesome engineering, it’s hard to control my GAS. I just have to have it.

I recently took delivery of a brand new attenuator invented by Jeff Aragaki of Aracom Amps, called the Power Rox PRX150-Pro. This, by far, is the best attenuator I have ever used, and will be a fixture in my rig for years to come. That’s right. This will always be in my chain. But not just because of its ability to transparently attenuate an amp signal. This attenuator has features that no other attenuator has such as two speaker outs, and a Line Out that you can use to go direct into a DAW, or even another amp! Talk about versatility. Not only that, because you can match impedance in both the input AND the output, combined with Jeff’s patent-pending Speaker Reactance Thru (SRT) technology, you can squelch down the power of your amp and not worry about ever blowing our your tubes and ruining your amp. The SRT technology just kicks ass!

Talking the Talk AND Walking the Walk: Speaker Reactance Thru Technology

Jeff is a very humble man, so he’d never say anything like this, but I’m not nearly as humble, so I will say it: There’s not a better attenuator than the PRX150-Pro. Even if Jeff didn’t include all the extra features you get with the Power Rox, this attenuator simply kicks the shit out of all the attenuators I’ve ever tried – and I’ve tested several, including the Ultimate Attenuator that seems to be the most popular attenuator; and with respect to safety, tone and dynamics, all others simply pale by comparison.

Where other manufacturers make bold claims (read: brag) about their attenuators’ transparency, not only can Jeff Aragaki make the claim (in his quiet and humble way), he backs it up with detailed discussions of his SRT technology and the engineering behind it and what makes it so transparent. Jeff’s SRT technology is absolutely incredible. At any level of attenuation, the Power Rox retains your tone and dynamics. This is because instead of just dealing with amp power reduction through a series of resistors or a dummy load, which also have the added effect of flattening out the impedance curve and changing tone, the SRT technology ensures that reactance between the amp is maintained throughout the entire spectrum of attenuation; hence, the name “Speaker Reactance Thru.” This means that the impedance curve is kept intact so that the continuity of reactance between the speaker and the amp are maintained. Jeff discusses this in a detailed article about the advantages of the PRX150-Pro.

Let’s talk a bit about safety…

As I mentioned, the PRX150-Pro will not burn out your amp. You can crank your amp up all the way, getting that wonderful power tube drive, and not worry about your amp blowing a tube, or worse yet, frying some circuits from flyback voltage. We’ve all heard the horror stories about people using attenuators, cranking their amps, and blowing power tubes. A lot of this has to do with impedance mismatching. Some manufacturers have added options to match impedance from one direction, but the Power Rox has impedance matching in both the input and output jacks! But the point of this is that with impedance matching on both sides, you don’t have to deal with any type of mismatch. That is very comforting to know.

I’ve actually been playing with the Power Rox for the last couple of months regularly before it hit the shelves, and to date, I haven’t had any power tube problems. And we’re talking running my amps down to less than a watt for a few hours straight. I could never do that even with my Dr. Z, which is one of the more safe products out there. I’ve burned out power tubes using my Dr. Z by cranking power too much. It’s not pretty, and I’ve been lucky so far that only my tubes got burned out. It could’ve been a lot worse.

This ain’t yer Daddy’s Buick…

When Jeff first spoke to me about the Power Rox, I thought, “Okay, it’s another attenuator. I’m sure it’ll be great considering what a whiz Jeff is…” But when he delivered the unit, I couldn’t believe what he had added! I was already impressed that it had both input and output impedance matching. That was simply awesome. But he added some awesome features that I was not at all prepared for:

  • Bypass Switch – This is a mechanical bypass that completely bypasses the attenuation circuit.
  • Line Out – This one thing is just so cool! I used it to go both direct into my DAW, and also used it to re-amp into my Hot Rod Deluxe! Talk about versatility! For a test, I ran a cable to my 1 X 12 cab, then ran another cable to my Hot Rod. I could’ve easily just run direct into my Hot Rod without going out to another speaker as well, but you can see how useful this is. I could get my amp’s tone and combine it with the Hot Rod’s tone. So cool!
  • Two Speaker Outs – This is yet another cool thing. You have multiple cabs that you want to drive with a single amp? This makes it easy.
  • Input AND Output Impedance Matching – No other attenuator matches impedance in both input and output, but the Power Rox has it. It’s all part of the package to ensure continuous reactance between the amp and the speaker.

So as you can see, the added features make this oh so much more than just an attenuator, and it’s a testament to Jeff’s creativity!

The proof is in the pudding…

Unfortunately, doing sound clips of an attenuator’s effect is fruitless, because it is difficult to hear the changes, and moreover, it is difficult to describe the change in dynamics on a recording. However, the Power Rox was tested side-by-side to a number of popular attenuators, and even at low levels of attenuation, compared to Power Rox, all the other attenuators had an effect on tone and dynamics. To date, several people have performed head-to-head comparisons between different attenuators and the Power Rox, and they all come to the same conclusion: The Power Rox is truly transparent; not just the most transparent of the lot, but truly transparent. To me, this box sets the standard by which all others must be measured now.

I used my own transparency test procedure to compare attenuators, but Jeff has also provided a very detailed, and in-depth transparency test that you can view on his site.

I know, I must sound like a twitterpated schoolgirl with how I’m raving about this product, but for the very first time, I’ve been able to record my amps fully cranked without pissing off my family and neighbors, and more importantly, without having to worry that I’m going to blow a tube. Even with my Dr. Z, I’ve had to settle with less drive on my recordings for fear of burning out my amps. But with the Power Rox, I can crank my amps and get that wonderful power tube drive! And even better yet: I can trust that my tone and dynamics will not change, no matter the volume!

For more information on the Power Rox PRX150-Pro attenuator, go the Power Rox Product Page!

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There’s a New Sheriff In Town: The Power Rox PRX150-Pro Attenuator

Posted in amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, announcements, aracom amps, attenuator, buying gear, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, PRX150-Pro, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 15, 2009| 1 Comment »

PRX-front-543You ever have an itch you can’t scratch? Well, it has been like that keeping my mouth shut about the Power Rox PRX150-Pro. Ever since I played with the early prototypes, I’ve been completely blown away by this attenuator! This is a totally new take on attenuator technology, folks, and I’m hoping it takes the industry by storm. Why? Simply because what we’re talking about with the Power Rox is true transparency in tone when this is in your signal chain; not “almost” transparent, but truly transparent.

Check out the Power Rox PRX150-Pro page at Aracom Amps!

Most comparisons between attenuators revolve around what’s the “most transparent” attenuator, indicating that really none of them are transparent, so people pick the best of the lot. And frankly, I’ve tested out several attenuators and ended up with the Dr. Z Airbrake, as I felt it was the most transparent out of the ones I tested. But nothing could have prepared me for the transparency of the Power Rox.

I could go on and on, but I won’t. In fact, I had already written a significant amount of text, but decided to just point you in the right direction. Go to the product page. Read through the product description, but more importantly, read the supplementary documentation behind the links at the bottom of the page. Jeff Aragaki has graciously provided some very in-depth articles on how attenuators work, and also provides a high-level explanation of the technology behind the PRX150-Pro.

Other manufacturers may brag about the safety and transparency of their attenuators, but none is willing to back up their claims with the engineering behind their attenuators (and if you knew what some were doing, believe me, if you care about your tone and the safety of your amp, you’d get worried). If you’re interested in or even use an attenuator, you owe it to yourself – and your tone – to check this unit out!

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The ONLY Transparency Test That Matters

Posted in gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 5, 2009| 1 Comment »

Guitar_shop_by_Stockholm__Syndrome Lots of people – manufacturers and end-users alike – boast about the “transparency” of a particular device. Manufacturers like to use that buzz-word as a marketing ploy, but after spending the last few years evaluating tons of gear, I’ve learned to be very wary of manufacturers,’ and especially end-users’ claims of a device’s “transparency.” So to test out their claims, I’ve come up with a little test that doesn’t require measuring voltages or impedance curves or force you to perform complex mathematical analyses to prove a device’s transparency.

In fact, the test is so simple that when I tell you how to perform it, you’ll probably laugh! But believe me, to me this test is the ONLY transparency test that matters!

First off, let’s establish what we mean by “transparency” so we have a common reference from which to build. What seems to be the prevalent perception about transparency is that it is a function of both tone and dynamics; that is, a device’s transparency means that when it is engaged, you still hear your original tone, and you feel or perceive the same or similar dynamics of your original signal. Notice, no calculations or measurements. And mind you, I’m not just making this up. Go to any gear discussion board and search on transparency, and invariably the descriptions you will be given will be based upon what people hear. So given that reference point, let’s get into the test, shall we?

The Transparency Test

  1. Attach your device where it is supposed to sit in your signal chain, but do not engage it.
  2. Play a simple riff or strum a chord and remember what you just played with the device disengaged to establish your base tone.
  3. Engage the device.
  4. Play exactly what you played in Step 2 in exactly the same way.
  5. Make a note – either mentally or by writing it down. Are your tone and dynamics retained?
  6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 with a variety of settings on the device.

The test is so simple, you may be chuckling right now. But once you’ve done the test, if you’ve detected an audible difference in tone and dynamics, then the device isn’t transparent. I’m sorry, but there’s no arguing that. But lack of transparency is not necessarily a bad thing. But what we’re really talking about then is what’s acceptable tone, and there is a HUGE difference between what’s acceptable and what’s transparent.

Take, for instance, the Ultimate Attenuator. I hate to keep on picking on this device, but I’ve always had problems with the manufacturer’s and user’s claims of the Ultimate Attenuator’s transparency. This is an incredibly popular attenuator – probably the most popular out there. People love it, and as you know, I will never fault people for purchasing gear that sounds pleasing to them. So if the tone that the UA produces is acceptable and pleasing to you, keep on using it!

But let’s be clear here: The UA is NOT transparent. There is no way it can be transparent simply because once you hook up your amp to the UA, you are immediately hit with a non-reactive, 30 ohm, fixed resistor that essentially flatlines the load that your amp sees. This is compensated for by the UA’s built-in solid state amplifier, but that is the amp that is now reacting with your speaker. All the original amp is doing at that point is providing a base signal that is then re-amped with the solid state amplifier to produce the output signal. An amp’s tone is a function of its reactance with the speaker. In the case of the UA, it is the solid state amplifier that is providing the reactance with the speaker. But hey! The UA sounds good to lots of people, so I won’t knock the device itself. But what I’m illustrating here is the difference between acceptable tone and transparent tone.

So let’s circle back a bit. The point of this article is that you should be wary of people’s claims of a device’s transparency. If you do the test above, and find that the device really isn’t transparent, then you have to ask yourself if the tone it produces is acceptable to you? If it is acceptable and pleasing to you, that’s really all that matters!

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Custom Colors: Another “Reason” the Bambino Is SOOOO Cool!!!

Posted in 6AQ5, amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, announcements, buying gear, GAS, gear, gear announcements, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, Music, musicians, new gear, reason amps, reason bambino, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 27, 2009| 2 Comments »

I was perusing The Gear Page this morning, and saw one of Anthony’s postings of the colors the Bambino comes in. CHECK IT OUT!!!

bambino_colors

I have the blue tolex model shown at the bottom right. It is SO cool looking.

BTW, if you missed the sound clips, here they are again:

Clean fingerstyle in neck position of my Strat:

Clean, blues progression, with Strat in neck/middle position with just a minute amount of breakup:

All out, wide open with channels 1 and 2 dimed and StackMode volume at 3pm. I’m playing my Prestige Heritage Elite with ‘buckers in the bridge position:

This little amp has created quite a buzz on the forums, and at $699, it’s a deal. It has been so popular, that they haven’t been able to keep up with the demand, and that’s a good thing! To place an order or to get some information, contact the guys directly at info@reasonamps.com.

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Gig Report: Reason Amps Bambino

Posted in 6AQ5, amplifiers, amps, Amps/Amplification, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, guitarists, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, performing, playing live, reason amps, reason bambino, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

bambinoDid my weekly church gig this evening and took the Reason Bambino along. Didn’t bring a pedalboard; just a 1 X 12 cabinet and a couple of cables. I wanted to test out the amp in its pristine state, with no added accoutrements. I also wanted to test the balanced line out to see how it worked with the building’s PA.

I have to tell you, Obeid Kahn being a noted Strat guy, even though the Bambino sounds killer with a guitar with ‘buckers, this amp seems to just love a Strat. It really makes it come alive. Whether I played fingerstyle or funky, the Bambino really made my Strat sing. Well… nothing helps to inspire me to play better than great tone. Like I mentioned in my review, the tone of the 6AQ5 sits right between an EL-84 and a 6V6, and that tone seemed to bring out the best of my Strat. The cleans were classic Strat, and the drive, oh yeah, the overdrive was open and bright, and just floated in the air. I may have been in worship, but I was also in tone heaven!!!

As for the balanced line out, oh man! The tone coming through my church’s PA was great! We have a pretty nice PA system, and the tone, whether clean or dirty, didn’t sound any different than what was coming through my cab. That was a concern for me because I’ve played through amps with line outs that just didn’t sound like the amp. The Bambino’s line out is very transparent, and that’s especially important with this amp because it’ll give you plenty of volume to monitor your tone on stage, but the line out going into your PA will ensure that it’ll get out faithfully to the audience. Make no mistake. This amp may only have 8 Watts, but it has plenty of volume to be used as a stage amp. I suppose it’s another way to approach performance. Especially in a church setting where lower stage volume is critical, having the ability to keep your stage volume down but knowing that it’ll get out to your audience is just so awesome. The Bambino rocks in this department!

***Quick Update*** I just spoke with Anthony this morning and he nor Obeid didn’t anticipate the DI to be plugged directly into a PA, so he was pleasantly surprised to hear my application of it. Note that I went direct out and into my cab at the same time! This amp has versatility written all over it!

And if ever the 8 watts isn’t enough, the Bambino can be used as a reference amp to define your tone, and with the line out, you can re-amp into another amp or a power amp to boost your output power. I’ve tried this, and it works great. I can’t wait until I get to try this at a real gig!

So what’s the verdict? The Bambino rocks – plain and simple.

To get a Bambino…

I don’t think Anthony and Obeid anticipated the popularity of the Bambino, and the positive response has been enormous. If you’re interested in getting this $699 tone monster, contact the guys directly either through e-mail at info@reasonamps.com. They also hang out at the Gear Page (http://www.thegearpage.net/board). Search for “bambino” or find the users “Reason” or “OKahn” and send a private message. There will probably be a bit of a wait time to get the amp as it has create quite a buzz and they’re already getting orders. The amp is just out of prototype and review for goodness’ sake! It’s amazing!

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Gear Review: Reason Amps Bambino

Posted in 6AQ5, amplifiers, buying gear, GAS, gear, gear reviews, guitar, guitar gear, Guitars, Music, musicians, new gear, reason amps, reason bambino, Tone, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2009| 6 Comments »

5 Tone Bones - Gear has stellar performance, value, and quality. This is definitely top of the class, best of breed, and it's a no-brainer to add this to your gear lineup!
Reason Amps Bambino		 Reason Amps “Bambino”
Summary: Don’t let its diminutive size fool you. This 14lb amp packs tone for days! Capable of sweet cleans to massive overdrive, the Bambino is sure to keep you rockin’!

Pros: Even at 8 Watts, this amp will give you stage volume for small venue gigs. 2 Watt mode gives you the same tone as the 8 Watts, but will keep your family and neighbors happy.

Cons: None.

Features:

  • Preamp Tubes: Three 12AX7’s
  • Power Tubes : Two 6AQ5’s in a push-pull configuration.
  • Output Power: 8 Watts, switchable to 2 Watts
  • Channels: Normal (Push-pull Fat Boost), Bright (Push-pull Treble Boost), StackModeTM
  • Built-in Speaker Load Box Simulated Line Output with Level Control
  • Separate Headphone Output

Price: $699.99

Tone Bone Score: 5.0. The Reason guys did it again! This amp simply rocks the house! Yeah, I know, I’ve only had the amp for a day, but I’ve been playing with it since this morning, and I just had to write about it! It’s spectacular!

Having the gift of gab is not a very good thing when you want to talk about something and can’t. I mentioned in previous posts that I knew about this amp when it was in the planning stages months ago, but Anthony Bonadio asked me not to mention it until it was ready. So imagine wanting to blab about this new amp, and not being able to! Oh well… At least I know I can keep a secret! 🙂

A little history…

When I first talked to Anthony about the amp (it didn’t even have a name yet), he mentioned that it was going to be a 1-Watt bedroom/practice amp for under $700. But Obeid Kahn (Reason’s genius amp designer) being who he is, thought the better of it and decided to create a voltage-switchable amp that could be used in and out of the bedroom. I’m glad he decided to go that route, because even with my very short experience with the Bambino, it has versatility written all over it. Don’t let the 8 Watts fool you at all. 8 Watts is plenty for stage volume in small venues and churches. Keep in mind 1 Watt at 3 meters through a 1 X 12 is as loud as a jackhammer!

When Anthony mentioned they were ready to launch the Bambino, I got real excited, and was even more excited to be able to get a test unit to evaluate. As I mentioned in my previous post about the Bambino, I just got it yesterday, but haven’t been able to keep myself from playing it today. I’ve probably logged about 8 hours on the amp between late last night and today.

Fit and Finish

What can I say? Reason Amps are freakin’ gorgeous. There are no voids in the tolex and the cabinet is quite sturdy. The control panel is easy to manipulate and very easy to figure out. Hell! There are only seven knobs! The test unit I got sported navy blue levant tolex, just like my Aracom amps! Lined up together, it looked like a color-coordinated set! HA! The beige front panel really creates a nice contrast to the blue tolex. The Bambino just looks great. But, of course, it’s following the pedigree of its bigger siblings.

How It Sounds

As I mentioned in my first impressions article, tonally, the Bambino, with its 6AQ5 power tubes, sits right between the EL-84 and the 6V6. Its cleans aren’t as glassy as the EL-84, and not as fat as 6V6. It truly does reside in the middle. Overdrive is more like a 6V6, with an open and airy quality that retains note clarity, even at high-gain settings. I’ve heard mention that the Bambino sounds like a couple of different amps, but from my perspective, the 6AQ5 has a voice all its own.

The Normal channel is the clean channel, and it’s actually tough to get breakup on this channel until you get the volume past 2pm. I love playing a Strat through this channel. You get that classic Strat tone, but expressed completely differently by virtue of the power tubes.

The Bright channel is actually not that much brighter than the Normal channel, though it does have that treble booster to get more top-end sparkle, and instead of a single tone knob, you have treble and bass knobs, so you can tweak the voicing a bit more. In this respect, the Bambino’s channels are set up very similarly to Reason’s SM40, where the two channels are fairly similar in tone.

StackMode, which combines the two channels in series and adds an extra gain stage is just simply to die for! The StackMode volume acts as PPIMV, so you can absolutely crank the first two channels and not blow out your ears. But when you have the ability to really open up the amp in StackMode, very very cool things happen with respect to overtones and high-order harmonics. The amp really comes alive when you’re running a lot of juice through the tubes!

Here are some clips I recorded of the Bambino (all were recorded in 8-Watt mode):

Clean fingerstyle in neck position of my Strat:

Clean, blues progression, with Strat in neck/middle position with just a minute amount of breakup:

All out, wide open with channels 1 and 2 dimed and StackMode volume at 3pm. I’m playing my Prestige Heritage Elite with ‘buckers in the bridge position:

OMFG! I love that last clip. The harmonics are incredible, and as you can tell from the clip, even though the overdrive is absolutely snarling and the gain is way over-the-top, the clarity of the notes is just amazing! Obeid had mentioned that good things start to happen when I could play the amp all out, and based upon my experience, he was right on the money. This amp just sings when you can let it breathe!

Sorry, I don’t have anything in between clean and in your face overdrive – I’ll record some more later.

Re-amp Anyone?

I also tested the balanced line out with the Bambino, running it into my Aracom VRX18, then into a 1 X 12 cabinet. Talk about a great, bright tone. The VRX18 “inherited” the grind from the Bambino, then added its own voice! The result was incredible. In fact the VRX18 helped to smooth out the highs from the Bambino. I’ll see if I can record some clips with that. But in any case, it really demonstrated the possibilities of how you can use this amp!

Overall Impressions

The Tone Bone score of 5 says it all. This is a great amp, period, and I will soon be adding it to my growing collection of low-power amps. Yeah, it’s a low-power amp that may not work for medium to large venues, but for small venues and for recording, this amp is spectacular. And at a street price of $699, it’s definitely a great value proposition to boot!

Okay, I want one… How do I get a Bambino? It’s not even listed on their site yet!

Contact the guys directly either through e-mail at info@reasonamps.com. They also hang out at the Gear Page (http://www.thegearpage.net/board). Search for “bambino” or find the users “Reason” or “OKahn” and send a private message. There will probably be a bit of a wait time to get the amp as it has create quite a buzz and they’re already getting orders. The amp is just out of prototype and review for goodness’ sake! It’s amazing!

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