Katana GEN 3

Was at Swee Lee (Star Vista) yesterday but not specifically there to check this amp out but it was there  - BOSS Katana GEN 3 50W ($399).

My immediate interest was to see if the new PUSHED mode is something potent in terms of distortion / gain. If you are looking for a saturated distortion with a hint of fuzz, then you might like it. If you own the pre-GEN 3 version of the Katana, you are not missing much in this aspect. 

Pics: BOSS

Katana discounts

These Katana amps are on discounts at Swee Lee. Katana are good amps, especially for the practicing musicians who would wanna focus on playing instead of tweaking knobs to find that perfect tone before everything starts. Anyway, I'm of the opinion that prices could be lower for the heads. Chances are a cab is required for these & players new to the scene are not prepared / willing to fork out more for an initial amp purchase. Either that or offer generous discounts for stand alone cabs to complement the purchase. Just saying. Offer ends 31 May.

Pic: Swee Lee web store

Magna-SLASH

This amp created quite a stir in amp-dom; did Slash leave the Marshall camp for good? Is this a part-collab? Is it a one-off? Whatever it is, it's USD4,899 head + USD2,699 cab & we have no clue who the Magnatone dealer is here (is there any to begin with)? Doubt if there's any strong demand for this other than the fanboys wanting one so badly. So, there.

Pic: Andertons IG

 

Had to

The audio wall panel at the new workplace does not facilitate a direct mic plug-in. Had to get this amp (used) to supplement my needs. Post-chemo, I could no longer project my voice for extended periods; would always lead to severe sore throat, even bleed at times.

Bad cats

Bad Cat amps are now available at Swee Lee. If you are into boutique tube cleans & maybe that pushed crunch, do check them out. Yes, expect boutique prices as well. The last impressive clean tones that I came across (this side of Fender) was a Two Rock back at Davis GMC. 

Pic: GC

Price watch (43)

Smarvo amps, in this make & colour scheme, are largely Marshall copies. This one here is an attempt to emulate the non-tube MG. I've tried this model before in a jamming studio once, a good copy I must say & sounds very close to the real thing. $210 for a 40W amp featuring a 12" driver - a very good consideration.

If you are in for a budget set up, maybe a standby or practice reference, check this listing out. The brand name is partially hidden but those might be a Vantage bass / guitar. Amps are priced at $50 each.

James

The latest in amp town - Blackstar's St James. Surprisingly, this amp is propelled on account of its unbearable lightness of being an amp. The 50W head is 6.7kg, the combo 12.8kg & the 2x12 cab 13.6kg. Drivers are Blackstar's collab with Celestion, a ferrite-based Zephyr. 

When an amp is being pushed on accounts of everything else but tone, what does that really tell you? For gigging musicians, this might be helpful but the pros have roadies & other handling mechanisms to see this through. Also, when you buy one for home use, chances are, it stays put at a spot. Lightest amp for your money - not quite the pivot for reputation. Amps are all about tone.

If Blackstar has a signature tone to be proud of, the Series One are the ones to pay attention to. This St. James series isn't a flagship tone as far as I am concerned, it's something a Vox can handle when it comes to a good, get-by tones. We also have Morgan & Two Rock if you don't mind paying silly money for this kind of tone. I need to try this one in person for its hidden magic. Maybe.

St. James amps are available at City Music

• 50W head: $1,395
• combo: $1,515
• 2x12 vertical cab: $630

Clean supplements (2)

For a good clean tone to happen, I still believe that the amplifier is it. It's the make / break component in making one's tone great. You'd be surprised that an appealing level of clean can be achieved with just the guitar & amp if your amp is worthy. OK, there's some controversy as to what makes a good clean tone when it comes to amps. My first & foremost reference is always a Fender.  When Leo started it all, he was working with cleans. Back in those days, the overdrive would take centerstage much later in guitar / amp developments. Cleans were pretty much it & Fender did it right from the start. Fender amps have that clean chime that's still very difficult to beat. In fact, the good amp names that are not Fender, presented their own iteration of good cleans instead of competing against the Fender standard. In the non-boutique realm, we can agree that Vox & Marshall did well in this aspect. 

As for my personal reference, the Fender name wins it because it goes well with reverb. I have no idea if this was Leo's intention back then but pair up a Fender amp & some dedicated reverb unit, say a Strymon BigSky, & you'd be lost in dreamscape for days. That goes to show how good the Fender clean is even with digital implements.

Mig

The MIG-50 is back. It's now the EHX interpretation of tone greatness.

Amp buffs here will know that the MIG-50 started out as a Sovtek. It's one of those amps in tone folklore that had much to offer but perished in the shadows of obscurity. 

Greatness here is defined by how the amp reacted superbly with a straight-through set up as well as a pedal laden line up. If you are looking for high gain fidelity, this won't serve your needs, it requires an external push in terms of pedals which is an easy discourse. In today's amp-speak, the MIG is a flat response amp that excels with lots of supplementary inputs, it's simply that kinda of amp very much in the likeness of a Roland JC & the absolutely under-rated Laney Lionheart. I'm happy to see this amp being available after countless teasing by the EHX camp in their pedals demo. However, those who thrive live might find it more useful than indoor dwellers due to the obscene amount of volume on offer. Let's hope the MIG gains enough popularity to be offered in smaller wattage format. Here's the MIG-50 in action:

Pic: EHX / Stompbox Sonic

HX

New amp by the PRS camp - the HX. IT's propelled as the Brit force that parallels what Hendrix played back in the day. It's an interesting interpretation, as you can see & wonder, where is that master volume control? With such amps, chances are you have to attenuate the volume projection as it will go into beast mode even at the lowest volume setting; it's meant to be loud & proud. This amp, being what it is, should serve as the manufacturer's unique offering but the Hendrix reference there might hint at some insecurity when it comes to familiar references, tone-wise. Those single coil tones sure sound sweet. Oh, there's a 100W version too.

Pic: PRS

Fender 2021: Amplifying

A couple of new Fender amps for 2021 - '68 Custom Pro Reverb (L) & '68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb (R). 

The Vibro Champ is a re-interpretation of its late '60s black face sibling. This version sports a Celestion Ten 30 speaker & new extras - reverb & trem. 

The Pro Reverb is a 40-watter also featuring a Celestion speaker; a Neo Creamback. Neo here refers to the neodymium magnet in use which possesses serious strength when it comes to tone & drive manifestations. However, we don't invest in either amps for drive-related purposes as both are single channel units with a clean reference as default, a rather obvious implication. But we do know how Fender amps react to external drive sources; things tend to get a little exciting to say the least. 

I foresee a keen interest in the Vibro Champ should these amps make it here in the near future (these are slated for Spring). The current Fender staple among players here is the Blues Junior which is similar to the Vibro Champ in terms of features. The latter has an upper hand for its reverb & trem. 

Small SLO

I am an amp person more than a pedal person. This release by Soldano is indeed a welcomed one. If you are into menacing distortion, the SLO-100 is one of the standards to beat. What kept many of us away from it is the size & that excessive wattage. However, joining the PRS SE Hollowbody II Piezo, it's something we are keen to own but not at the asking price. This SLO-30 is listing for USD2.7K, this amount of money could get you a proper 100W amp from a different brand name. It's good to see Soldano joining the smaller make (aka lunchbox) amp to appease the home fans but we are expecting the lunchbox price bracket. 

Mark his words

I would usually give such headlines a careless glance but this one kinda perked me up a bit. Not much but still good. I own the PRS MT15 head in the meantime & the distortion is menacing. It's not equal to an EVH/ Peavey 5150 in this light but it's in the same ballpark for sure. The Tremonti has an above average clean & that's quite an upper hand for high gain amps. I'm wondering if the 100W version would actually extend the distortion threshold to maybe surpass the 5150 standard. Now that would be something. Sure hope they provide some kind of internal attenuation this time round because the MT15 is currently performing beyond its demure specs. For your reading pleasure if you can spare the time: MT15 review

PIC: GW

Selling: Amps

Since I have no plug-able acoustics any more, it's time to move on so the Fender Acoustasonic (severely under-played) will be let off for a good price. That Laney LX-35 there belongs to Beez, who is letting it go as well due to unforeseen circumstances. Putting up a good word for him since I've tried the amp & it's definitely worth the asking price.

Fender Acoustasonic 15 (15W practice amp)

• 15W practice unit in 8.5/10 condition
• Self-collect @ CCK mrt stn
• No reservations/ trades
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $100 (final, non-nego)

Item SOLD 😁 7/12/2019

Laney LX-35 (35W combo)

• 35W practice combo in camo finish
• 8/10 condition
• Self-collect @ Beez's workshop (Excelsior Shopping Center)
• Contact: 9-77-326-33
• Price: $100

Selling: Laney IRT Studio (15W) (SOLD)

Also on the to-go list, my Laney IRT Studio. 15W of power but actually sounds louder. One of the best cleans coming from a high gain amp type.

• Laney IRT Studio (15W)
• Included: Bag, power plug, footswitch
• Condition: 8.5/10
• Self-collect: CCK mrt stn
• Queries/ reservations: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• No reservations/ trades
• Price: $380 (FINAL, non-nego)

Item SOLD: 21/9/19 😎

Air in stock

If you wish to go wireless, be informed that the BOSS Katana Air is now in stock at Swee Lee ($600+/- price bracket). As for me, I don't need the amp, I just need the technology. Waiting 😎

Let down

Some things are just unreliable. The input jack of the amp you see above gave way after I unplugged the cable. The entire unit just caved in. A closer look revealed a worn thread, the washer & nut simply couldn't stay put to keep things in place. Granted the amp was still functional, using it was bothersome.

Nux's Drive Force- it's supposed to be one of my most reliable pedal for a no nonsense performance but yesterday, it decided to quit. The pedal kept re-booting itself after a few minutes or so, despite a fresh replacement battery in use. When I brought it home, it manifested the same issue while running on PSU. Like the saying goes- all good things must come to an end. 

Putting things in perspective, the Epi amp you see here is my cheap office gear. It was in 5/10 condition when I bought it for $30 😁 We shouldn't put too much trust into stuff that are on the verge of expiry, yes? The Drive Force is also an office standby. The thing with digital products- there is a tendency to implode & it's all about the software. 

Little Joy(o)

We're in the midst of unboxing this- will get back to you in due time 👌

Fishy

Brought this home a couple of days ago. Been a while since I own a hybrid amp but I know how good Peavey is in this turf. 

El-cheapo Epi

Cheap, pre-loved Epiphone amp. Bought for office use- missing washer, loose fittings, crackling pots; all attended to. 😁