Cory Wise

Since I started playing over 15 years ago, I've owned four guitars: 1. 2006 Schecter C-1+ (my 1st; and most prized possession) 2. 2009 Dean Razorback V-255 3. 2002 Fender Stratocaster MIM 4. This one. I've played countless others over the years as well; including some Les Paul's & PRS's in the $5K-$6K range. That being said, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this Jackson is BY FAR the finest guitar I have ever owned, and ever played. The craftsmanship on this thing is second to none. So solid, the perfect weight, and every little detail; from the tailpiece up to the tuners are just perfection. The features are exactly what I wanted. I'm a rhythm player, so having 22 frets is just right. To piggyback on that, I did NOT want or need a tremolo; they're a giant pain in the neck. I was so excited to see a high quality King V with an anchored tailpiece. So cool, and kinda unique for the King V. Plus, for anyone who doesn't know, this is actually a James Hetfield guitar; in a way. James recorded most of Master Of Puppets on a King V very similar to this one. However, James had to modify a few things on his; like the position of the tailpiece and the location of the toggle switch. Jackson apparently was paying attention to those mods though, because this guitar is configured exactly like James's after the modifications he made. James is my favorite player of all time, but I don't care for any of his signature ESP's; just not my style. This Jackson checked literally every box. I couldn't be happier. I’d give this guitar 10 stars if I could.

This was the first guitar I ever bought at the age of 25 (38 now); and I had never even held a guitar when I bought it. I just knew I had to have it. Little short (long) story: I had known that I wanted to play a guitar ever since I was 10 and heard "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for the first time. When I finally decided to pull the trigger, I knew a couple things: 1) This was not going to be a temporary interest; this was a true passion that had never been realized. Which leads to number 2) I didn't want a crappy beginner guitar that I would outgrow (or get bored with) in the first year or two of playing. I couldn't afford (or justify) buying a high-end guitar for a beginner, however I knew it was a good idea to get something that was not only simple enough to learn on, but was good enough to grow into; and preferably something that looked cool too. I couldn't have made a better choice. On pure aesthetics alone; this guitar is both beautiful and brutal. The black cherry flame-top is just killer, and rosewood fingerboard adds some elegance and refinement. In addition, IMHO, the inlays on the C-1+ are the coolest ones that Schecter has ever done. As far as build quality, I couldn't be more pleased. Solid construction, amazing sustain, very comfortable to play. The only complaint I have is that the bridge feels like it could maybe be a little more secure; but that could be my fault for not adjusting it properly. I swapped out the Duncan Designed HB-102 passive humbuckers for the active EMG JH Set, and now it gets better tone than any guitar I’ve played with the 81/85 combo. In a nutshell, this is a professional quality guitar for an extremely reasonable price. This was my first guitar, and will always be my favorite. Definitely keeping this one forever.

I now understand why EVH amplifiers are used by so many of my favorite players. I’ve had it for about a week now and I’m still playing around with the EQ a little, but I am EXTREMELY impressed. Background: I played an Orange Micro Dark for many years, and I loved it, but I always had to run an overdrive on the front just to open it up a little bit. Some years back, I bought a 6505 MH, but Musician’s Friend ended up sending me a demo model that was in disrepair and wouldn’t make it right. I gave up trying to mess with it and I went back to the Orange. I have been wanting the EVH for several years though, and I knew it would be good, but I didn’t know how good. I’ve never really had a true (functional) high gain amp before, so when I first got the EVH up and running, I just assumed that I would need that overdrive on the front. That is NOT the case. This thing has so much gain on tap that running an OD was over saturating the preamp. Sounded awful. I turned off the OD… BOOM! THERE IT WAS. The tone I’ve been wanting forever is finally at my fingertips! Don’t let its smaller size fool you, this sucker gets LOUD, and it’s absolutely amazing.

SOLID. Great dynamics. Every piece of EVH gear I’ve ever bought have exceeded expectations, this cab is no exception.

I play bedroom metal. The best clean tones from my favorite records came from the 120 watt big brother of this bad boy. Why would I settle for anything less? I got my Radial BigShot ABY switcher in place for just such an occasion: Roland JC-22 for clean, Peavey 6505 MH for dirty. And tons of goodies in between...OMG my setup is so sweeeeet.

Originally, I had bought the Marshall MG15CFXMS with the head and two 10" speaker cabinets. I upgraded the factory speakers with Celestions, but I was still not satisfied with the tone from the solid-state Marshall. I am just a bedroom jammer, so I wanted something small and portable, but still something that wouldn't disappoint on tone. So I got ahold of an Orange Micro Dark. This thing is small in size, but HUGE in tone, and the buffered effects loop is the icing on the cake. Fantastic little amp. BUT HERE'S THE RUB: Only a single speaker output. I'm not an amp technician of any kind, so I had no desire to go in and start splicing wires and daisy-chaining stuff on the chance that I did something wrong. I did NOT want to fry my newly acquired amp, or the speakers. A good six months worth of research led me to the Radial CabLink. This little indestructible box creates a safe parallel or series connection (depending on your setup) to run multiple cabinets from a single output. My Orange is now powering both cabinets, and it is nothing short of pure crazy gain-filled awesomeness. Can't say enough about this. As is the case with all of Radial's products, this thing is built like a tank, and is more than roadworthy. Love my Bone!

Absolutely amazing little device; and I use the term "little" very loosely. The power, sound, and overall tone character coming from this thing is anything but little. This is definitely one of those instances where great things come in small packages. From squeaky clean and bright to serious crunch, and everything in between, this thing ain't just a one-trick pony. The tone shape knob is probably one of the most clever controls ever. Some of the cleanest clean tones I've ever heard, and the gain...ohhh...the gain...face melting gain, but still provides amazing articulation even at the highest gain settings. The FX loop is a great feature as well. Works with 8 ohm-16 ohm speakers, and definitely has enough power to rock a 4X12. This thing should be called the Micro Beast! Don't take my word for it, pick one up and check it out!

I bought these to replace the factory speakers in Marshall 10" cabs that came with the MG15CFXMS package. Definitely an improvement over the factory speakers; however I definitely still have my eye on the G10 Vintage as they are essentially the 10" version of the Vintage 30's. I don't have any 12" speaker cabs; nor do I see myself getting one anytime soon.

Perfect for practice. Pairs great with the Micro Dark or Micro Terror. Great tone characteristics. Definitely too small to get any true bottom end out of it, but that's not really what guitars are supposed to do, is it?!

UPDATE As time has gone on, I’ve grown very disappointed with this amp. First off, the FX loop doesn’t work worth a damn. I’ve tried two different reverbs, a delay, and my 10-band EQ; and it doesn’t play nice with any of them. It’s almost like it overloads or something. I’m not an electrician, so I wouldn’t have the slightest idea where to start. Second, the sound quality has diminished. It’s muddy, and I can’t seem to get my high end mids to make any sort of impact. Even though I run a Maxon OD-9 on the front; level 75%, drive 10%, and tone at 1 o’clock, it doesn’t seem to make much difference. I’ve tried every EQ setting I can think of on both channels: I’ve tried pushed mids, scooped, presence and resonance adjusted accordingly, and I just can’t get a good, sharp tone. I’m sure this is nothing more than a tube issue; I just can’t afford to replace them right now. Furthermore, Musician’s Friend kinda screwed me on this because I found out they actually sent me a demo model, still charged me full price, and didn’t do anything about it. I’m assuming that some of my problems are related to this. I’m hoping I can find someone who can help me with this sometime soon. Because of these issues, I can’t do better than 3 stars. I’ll update this again after I’ve had a chance to get it looked at by a professional. _______________________________ I can’t say enough about this little 20W beast. I never believed it was possible to achieve truly professional tones on a bedroom setup until now. I’m thrilled that I have finally joined the 6505 club! Peavey somehow figured out a way to pack all the features (and a few more) of the 120w 6505 into a small package that can be utilized at lower volumes without sacrificing any tone quality, and has an affordable price tag. The bright switch creates clean tones that are way better than most people give it credit for; and the crunch voicing is seriously cool too. The lead channel is hotter than napalm when the gain is dialed in at 50%; but it is pure Armageddon when it’s dimed. This thing is the real deal and is very much a true 6505. I love the onboard attenuator; it really makes this thing amazing for home players like myself. It really pushes the EL84’s to the sweet spot. This thing truly is a fire breathing beast from hell!

Exactly what it looks like: Extremely basic micro amplifier. I actually bought it as a desk decoration to sit next to my Funko Pop James Hetfield figurine. (YES; I'M VERY AWARE THAT PAPA HET DOES NOT PLAY THROUGH MARSHALL's) I have plugged it in many times however, and I'm still impressed at the tone it can actually produce. The OD setting leaves something to be desired, but it takes pedals very well; believe it or not. Pretty cool little amp.

First amp I ever bought before I knew anything about music gear. Decent starter amp. Onboard effects include basic reverb, delay, flanger, and phaser; these effects are all built into a single knob; thus revealing the limitations of a basic practice amp. That being said, it takes effects pedals pretty well considering its size. Good quality construction though; mine has been through hell and is still running. Definitely needs a new input jack socket, but it still works like new. Great starter amp.

If you view the rest of my board, you can see that I have two amp heads and two speaker cabinets: First, I have the Marshall MG15CFXMS 15w solid-state head, which came with two 10” speaker cabinets. The Marshall head has two speaker outputs; which obviously were specifically designed to pair with the cabinets. I also upgraded the factory speakers to 30w Celestions rated at 16 ohms each. I loved the clean tones on the Marshall, but I was less than satisfied with the overdrive settings, so I got the Orange Micro Dark for my crunch tones. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the Micro Dark is a single channel, 20w, hybrid valve amp with a single output. Overcoming the single output was my first challenge because I wanted to run both cabinets. I was able to use the Radial CabLink to safely split the output and run it through both cabs; and it worked flawlessly. Here is the reason why I bought the Radial Headbone SS: Prior to buying it, I was only able to use one of the heads at a time, so I was using the Orange almost exclusively because I play the crunch tones more often. Here’s the issue: Since the Orange is only a single channel amp, doesn’t have the ability to seemlessly switch between a clean and crunch setting. If I want a clean tone, I currently have two options: I can either A) walk over and manually adjust each knob on the Orange and then manually adjust my pedals, or B) completely power everything off, unplug the Orange, and connect the Marshall. Obviously, neither of these options are practical. The Headbone SS allows me to actively switch back and forth between the Orange and the Marshall. This way, I can get the tube driven overdrive from the Orange, and still get the chorusy cleans from the Marshall with the click of the pedal; and the Radial CabLink still lets me run both cabinets with whichever head I select while playing. Pretty sweet little device. Really opens up a new world of possibilities. And of course; like all other Radial products, the Headbone SS is built like a tank. Once again, love my bone!

I would like to start this by letting everyone know that I’m the one who submitted this piece of gear; so I figured I should probably write the first review. I am also going to take this opportunity to clear up any confusion on what was submitted here. PLEASE NOTE: these speakers were not sold individually or even as a pair. The only way to get these cabs was to purchase the Marshall MF15CFXMS package; which obviously included the cabinets; and (unfortunately) the dinky solid-state MG15CFX head. Therefore if this gear submission appears incorrect or misleading, my apologies. Now that all that’s out of the way, here’s my ACTUAL review: As we all know, 10” speakers are usually discussed in hush tones (no pun intended lol). Upon upgrading the factory speakers, I discovered that these cabs may be small, but their quality can’t be overstated. Staying true to Marshall’s legacy of top quality products that can handle anything you throw at them (both metaphorically and literally in some cases lol) these cabs can definitely handle the road if needs be. They’re solid as hell, versatile, portable, and yet very mighty. And although it’s just a fake wrap, the carbon fiber look is ALWAYS cool. Period.

Perfect solution. Does exactly what it’s supposed to. Solid MXR quality construction, and consistent.

Works so seamlessly! I use this to switch between my JC-22 for cleans and my 6505 MH for dirty tones. So awesome. It allows you to phase both amps simultaneously as well; so effing cool. Love it.

The strum feature is really cool for those of us who can’t tune by ear. It displays how all your strings are tuned relative to one another simultaneously. If you’re flat or sharp somewhere, the strum feature finds it for you immediately without having to go one by one. It has more features than I use, but they’re easy to access should I ever need to.

HANDS DOWN the best EQ and tone carving tool I’ve ever used. There’s a small learning curve going from a graphic EQ to a parametric, but once you figure it out, you’ll never go back to a graphic EQ. For those unfamiliar with the EQFH, here’s the background: EQFH stands for “EQ FROM HELL”. It was designed and modeled after the rackmount Furman PQ3 used by Dimebag Darrell during the Cowboys From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power era. The EQFH is my secret weapon. The folks at Master Effects have created an absolute MASTERPIECE with this pedal. I’ve been slowly upgrading all my gear over the last two years (new guitar, new head, new cab, new board, etc), and this was the final piece. It’s been so inspiring and fun to play. My days of tone chasing are over. This thing has brought the tones I’ve always heard inside my head to life. I’ve had it for about a year, and I haven’t changed a single thing on my rig since I got it. I broke through a five year learning plateau, and my chops continue to improve everyday now. This thing is NEVER leaving my board.

EDIT 2: Got it back. Thank God... EDIT: I am the world's biggest idiot for selling this thing... A little tough on the initial setup if you don't know what you're doing (which I didn't when I bought it), but once you learn how it works, you'll learn why this is one of the best noise gates on the market.

EDIT: After a couple months, I now truly understand why it’s so much better to have a high gain amp and a little green beast boosting the front as opposed to relying on a dirt pedal through a clean channel. I LOVE this pedal. _______ Just got this little green monster. Haven’t had a chance to really dig into it yet, but I plugged it in and found a setting I loved within 30 seconds! To be fair; I had a vague idea going into it where I wanted to dial in, but I was so impressed with how much it tightens up my tone. I can’t wait to do a deep dive on this thing! Anyone who knows anything about the history of music equipment knows the importance of the Tube Screamer. That being said, why would anyone settle for anything less than the one that set the standard in the first place? Pick one of these up and discover for yourself why this pedal is a must have for everyone who plays electric guitar!

There's something special about the Roland/Boss Chorus tone. My best friend has had one of these for many years, so I knew what it sounded like; but of course I didn't bother to check his settings. So I'm still playing with the settings, but I have yet to find a setting that I don't like. Sure; companies like Empress, Strymon, and Earthquaker all make extraordinary pedals, but this is definitely another example of why Boss STILL commands respect in the world of guitar effects. Boss is still an industry standard to this day for a very good reason.

I want to preface this by saying I really don't know a whole lot about delay pedals. I know basically what they do, and I know they are an essential part of anyone's pedalboard, but I've never had one to play with. The Carbon Copy continually pops up in almost every top 10 list, and I've seen so many of my favorite musicians rant and rave about this pedal, so it seemed like a no-brainer. I already know how awesome the MXR Reverb pedal is, and I thought the Carbon Copy would be a good compliment to my existing setup. I'm still learning how to use it, but so far, I've already found at least one setting that I really like. It really fattens up the tone when I'm doing chugging riffs. So far, I'm very impressed. (Don't judge me on this LOL) As I'm typing this, I'm reading an article about the best ways to use this pedal, and the effect that it can have on a rock/metal tone. I'm just now reading about something called "slapback delay", and the dial settings to achieve it. Oddly enough, the settings I've stumbled upon by accident and have been using thus far are not that far off from the recommended settings. I can't wait to get home and try this out again!

I’m not gonna waste everyone’s time with a lengthy description. Just do yourself a favor and add this to your pedalboard. It covers every type of reverb you could possibly want, and does them all WELL. The long/short toggle switch gives you even more flexibility. Get the HOF. It’s all you need. It’s awesome, and it has permanently replaced my MXR M300!

EQ’s are probably the most overlooked effect for guitarists. That being said, this one is awesome. Good upgrade from the 7-band I’ve been using for the last twelve years.

**EDIT TO BELOW** OK. Let's make two things perfectly clear: 1) This is an AMAZING PEDAL; it is a true amp in a box. 2) This is NOT an overdrive pedal; this is a distortion pedal. This is a full dirt pedal for anyone looking to "replicate" Eddie's legendary brown sound. HOWEVER; it is just a pedal. It is not capable of truly replicating the tube-driven tone that Eddie was famous for. _____ Very similar to my prior purchases, I bought this thing before I understood anything about how tone is truly carved. I bought it on a recommendation from a gentleman at Guitar Center as a replacement for my Boss Metal Zone and my MXR Fullbore Metal. I noticed right away that it was different than the other pedals I had been using up until then; it had a warmth and clarity to it that the others didn't have, and it didn't have that same horrible hiss that those other pedals had when the gain was increased. It was then that I began to hear the difference between overdrive and distortion. Mind you; at this point, I was still doing the "clean channel/cheap drive pedal/all the gain/no mids/SLAYER!!!" approach on a little 8" practice amp. Not long after that, I bought my first mini stack and my first tube head, and began to educate myself on how overdrive is used properly in conjunction with a tube-driven amplifier and a proper effects loop. I learned about the importance of midrange frequencies, and how to use them correctly. Having a three band passive EQ at the very front of the amp is very useful; just don’t scoop out your midrange at this stage (or any stage for that matter). The gain boost is cool, but I personally don't use it; this pedal delivers more than enough gain without it. The coolest feature is the amazingly user-friendly adjustable noise gate. All these controls give you endless tone shaping abilities; from the clean Malcolm Young style overdrive all the way to the face melting gain of a 5150. *DISCLAIMER: NO PEDAL ON EARTH can fully replicate or substitute the gain from a true EVH 5150 tube amplifier (or JVM, Dual Rec, you get the idea) That being said however, this pedal can at least get you in the ballpark. Great for boosting as well. Today, I have the EVH5150OD placed at the front of my Orange Micro Dark in a similar fashion to a tube screamer with a seven band EQ pedal placed first in my effects loop, and it works wonderfully. Definitely different from the golden standard tones from TS9's and OD808's, however it is a great option for folks who are looking for a little more dirt and grit while still retaining warmth and articulation. To sum up: You'd be doing yourself a disservice by not at trying it out at the very least.

EQ's are one of the most important, and probably one of the most overlooked pieces of a rig. This pedal probably isn't the best one, but it's definitely good enough for what I use it for, and it's built like a tank. Truly helps to hone in on certain frequencies of your sound and really help bring your tone to life.

I cut my teeth using this pedal. It's got tons of parameters to play with. It's because of this pedal that I wanted to learn about tone...mostly because the tone on this pedal is horrible, and I never want to hear another used ever again. Because it inspired me to play, I will give it more than one star. But I won't give it more than two because of how badly it sounds without mods.

Take the 81/60's and give them steroids. These pickups truly do what James Hetfield himself has said: Gives you the punch of the passive humbucker, but the warmth and power of the active. I've played an 81/85 combo, and trust me: The JH bridge pickup is NOTHING like an 81. In my opinion, it puts the original 81 to shame.

Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of picks. And I keep coming back to this one. I only have two complaints: 1) After a couple hours of playing, there is a noticeable decrease in the friction between the edge of the pick and the strings. Have to grab a new one almost every night. And 2) It needs a grip. I use a razor blade to carve a grip into every one of these I use. I’ve tried the max grip, but they’re not very springy, and they slip across the strings with very little friction. The tortex gives the right amount of that friction. Nothing beats tortex. If Dunlop could make the pitch black jazz III tortex with a grip, it would be the best pick ever.

Got this probably at least six years ago just because I didn't feel like paying for a tuner pedal. I use this in conjunction with the TC Electronic Polytune app on my iPad and it works great. I downloaded the full Amplitube app later on, and got the Mesa Boogie add-on, and it's pretty cool. I'm actually able to connect my guitar to my Beats Pill+ with this thing and use it as a small, portable amp.

Durable, warm, sturdy, and high output. Definitely good.

Perfect solution. Does exactly what it’s supposed to. Solid MXR quality construction, and consistent.

It's an amazing guitar, very well built, and designed to Dime's specs. But the neck on the razorbacks is very awkward when you're used to playing a thin neck, and the floyd rose is a pain in the neck if you don't have a guitar tech to do the work for you. Great tone, but awkward to play. More of a collector's piece for me.

Tons of power in a tiny package. Several different amp profiles, onboard fx, and cordless. Onboard fx can be utilized with larger speakers by using the 1/8" output to a 1/4" adapter. This only works if connected to a powered speaker. Very cool little product. I actually had to get rid of this for another piece of gear, however definitely worth noting.

I bought this because it is more evil than the Boss MT-2, and has more parameters to adjust. When I discovered that overdrive is dynamically superior to distortion, I sold it.

Definitely a good pedal for certain applications; metal not being one of them. Furthermore, I wasn't really ever able to figure out how it worked at the time. I know how it works now, but when I had it, I never could get it to sound the way I wanted.

This amp is good for hobbiests who want semi professional quality tone and either can't afford, or don't have the room for a couple 4X12 stacks. 15w head, cool onboard fx, four channel, and plenty of volume. The only reason this doesn't get five stars is because Marshall's official product documentation on this amp is extremely inaccurate. The spec sheet states that the factory speakers are rated at 8 ohms when in fact both speakers are rated at 16 ohms. I found this out after I swapped out the factory speakers for a pair of Celestion GTEN30s. Overall very happy with this amp though.

The TS9 and the DS-1 in one pedal with expanded range?! Hell yeah, I’ll take eight! Very good pedal. The only thing that’s a little tough is that it takes manual adjustments depending on what you’re looking for. Tough to adjust in a live environment. But very awesome tones!!!

Definitely a must have. All digital, but gives the feel of analog. Spring setting feels 100% authentic. Pad setting is particularly cool; it gives really cool shimmery tail effect. I've mainly been using the Plate setting, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Truly authentic analog sound, extremely user friendly, and very versatile. Definitely love this one.