jeremy_crockett's Reviews

Superb Monitors

I have been using the Kali Audio LP-6 monitors for four years now, and they have held up exceptionally well. Excellent sound reproduction and clarity.

Apparently, Kali is onto "Version 2", but mine are the first version, and I have zero complaints.

Superior Bass Practice Amplifier

Ampeg has always been my favorite brand for bass amplification. This little 8" 30-watt guy is no exception. The SGT circuit is usable but not outstanding.

It's well-made and loud enough for practice without disturbing your entire household. The headphone jack is a definite plus.

It's not fancy but it's solid.

Great Practice Amp

I have never been big on "modeling" amplifiers. I've tried two different Fender Mustangs and a BOSS Katana and found them lacking.

Despite this being a modeling amplifier, the fact that it is a hybrid puts it in a different class, at least in my book it does.

The three best "amp models" are 1 (early Fender "Tweed"), 4 (vintage Fender Blackface), and 15 (Fender JazzKing).

The built-in effects of note are the Tremolo with three (3) rate settings and the Vibratone with two (2) speed settings.

I replaced the Fender OEM speaker with a Jensen C8R, and it was a huge improvement.

This is now discontinued but worth seeking out if you want a quality bedroom or practice amplifier with no menu diving. Far better than Mustang or Katanas in my view.

Another Example of Fender Excellence

I've always fancied myself a Fender "Passive Only" kind of guy, and for quite some time now, I have been looking for a Jazz bass to replace the Vintera '70s I came to regret selling.

The Player II Active Modified with 18-volt electronics and noiseless pickups was quite the unexpected instrument for me. Sweetwater had an open-box bass listed at $260 below "Street Price", and I jumped on it.

This color is what Fender calls "Dusk", which is the deepest metallic purple that "reads" as black 99% of the time. It's subtle, and I think it's amazing.

Given the number of fiddly knobs, it definitely has a "learning curve", but that's okay. It also comes with Fender's high-mass bridge. A nice touch, I think.

18-volt active electronics. I don't know what that means exactly, other than I've doubled my battery costs. It does have a mini-toggle for active/passive modes. So, that's cool as well.

I've never had a bass with "Noisless" pickups before. There is no single-coil hum out of the box.

Everything feels top-notch; the fretwork polished and perfect. It plays very smoothly and is extremely versatile in the sounds it produces.

What a Surprise!

I had extremely low expectations with this one, given the age of the amplifier and the fact that it is the first generation of the BA series from Ampeg.

My last experience with a "practice amp" was a 15-watt Fender Rumble in 2020. It's not that the Rumble line is bad; it's excellent. It's the fact that 15 watts is, in my opinion, next to useless even for practice. There just is not enough wattage to produce a useful, convincing bass tone.

So when I plugged my Squier CV Precision into this little fella, I was amazed at the bassiness of the tone despite the 8-inch speaker. It's full, round, and the EQ knobs provide enough variation to make a real difference in your output.

I managed to snag mine for $40, making it a great value to boot.

If you are looking for a practice amp that does not sound like a toy, GET THIS ONE!

Overdrive Pedal that Delivers

Not being heavily into the "Pedal Scene", I don't understand the Klon-Mania, so that association with this pedal did not mean anything to me. I was looking for a reasonably-priced overdrive that sounded "vintage".

The Soul Food is exactly what I was looking for. Simple controls and excellent sound.

I have no complaints and would recommend this to anyone not wanting to spend a fortune on their rig.

Sturdy, Basic, Analog Chorus.

This is an extremely simple pedal that sounds great.

With one knob and one switch, you don't get a ton of options, but you do get outstanding sound.

Again, EHX makes (in my opinion) some of the best-looking pedals because they have a natural "Retro" non-flair about them.

They're currently (November 2025) being offered at $70, which makes them even sweeter.

I think you'll dig this one. I sure do!

Weird and Wild Phaser From EHX

Another fantastic Electro-Harmonix pedal that's built to last.

This Phase Shifter is great. It produces more variations in sound than I'll ever need or use. But it's there "just in case".

I picked mine up because EHX had a great price reduction ($58 at the time of this writing) and did not want to spend a ton of money on a pedal I might not like. The good news is that I love this thing, and you probably will too.

Analog Delay Goodness

Full disclosure: I am NOT a "Pedal Guy".

I barely understand them; I'm not clever enough to get out of them what they are capable of. But they are fun and make some really cool noise.

After reading about this pedal and looking at YouTube videos, I decided on the MXR Carbon Copy. It has enough controls to satisfy my curiosity. It's an awesome-looking pedal with a bass boat sparkle green finish that I love, and it is built like a tank. It's a very dense, heavy-feeling pedal.

If you're looking for an analog delay pedal, I think it's worth getting.

It's the EHX Big Muff Pi - What Kind of Headline Would You Expect?

If you are looking at one of these, you already know what it is. You understand what it does.

Go buy the thing!

Yamaha - THE Brand to Consider for Entry-Level Acoustics

What a great instrument!

When looking for a quality, entry-level acoustic guitar, Yamaha kept coming up as the top contender. So, when Guitar Center had this on sale for $220, I could not pass it up.

It sounds amazing, clear and articulate for such a reasonably priced guitar, far better than I had expected.

The Tobacco Burst finish is beautiful, not cheap or middling.

The fretwork is perfect, with no sharp fret ends.

If you're toying with the idea of having an affordable but first-rate acoustic, the FX335C will not disappoint; in fact, it will exceed and excel.

For Everything Else, You Need an ES-335.

My headline is stolen from a Five Watt World video about the instrument, and I think it sums up the guitar in the best possible way.

This specific model is beautiful and well-made. I had no idea who Jim James was, but apparently, he likes owls, as there is one on the OEM case and on the back of the headstock.

The '70s Walnut finish is very dark but does show the grain under brighter lights.

It has upgraded Kluson "waffle" machine heads and electronics.

The Probucker pickups are excellent and sound great. No push-pull "coil splitting" which I don't have much use for anyway, but I did want to mention it.

Another spec that might matter to some is that the neck profile is markedly thinner than any other Epiphone ES-335 that I have owned. It's not bad, but it's different.

I love 335s and I love this one too.

Excellent Cables, Priced Fairly

I have several of these in various lengths. They are durable, classy-looking, and reasonably priced when compared to Fender, Ernie Ball, and others.

If you are looking for cost-effective alternatives to the "big names", you will NOT be disappointed with GLS cables.

An Ideal Cabinet

I generally do not care for 15" bass cabinets. In the past, I have found them to be blubbery with too much low-end. In fact, I've been using an Ampeg BA-210v2 for the last five years and have been more than happy with it.

This cabinet is different. It's made to be paired with the PF-20T, and it is exceptional in tone and quality.

No flabby lows at all. The construction is solid, and the casters make it very agile to move.

It's a great cabinet! You will not be disappointed.

Ampeg: THE Sound of Electric Bass

While I have zero first-hand experience with the vaunted Ampeg B-15, it has been reported that the PF-20T is about as close as one can get without spending big money on a vintage head. So when a complete Portaflex rig came up on FB for the astoundingly low amount of $400, I had to buy it.

Wow! I am so glad that I did. I've never owned a Valve bass amp before, and I'm completely stunned by this one.

This IS the sound we've heard on hundreds of recordings. This is amazing!

There was a bit of low-frequency buzz, so I replaced the OEM Ruby tubes with JJs, and that fixed the problem.

This head is perfect. Totally, completely, and absolutely perfect.

Another Fender Homerun

Behold the simple, stalwart, solid-state Champion 100.

It is not fancy, it is not complicated, and although it gets classified as a "Modeling Amp", the magic of this bad boy rests in its clean channel.

To clarify, the onboard effects are extremely usable and simple enough. There is no menu diving necessary. Rotary knobs activate simple combinations of effects, and the amp models are good.

However, I'm a "Clean Tone" guy, and in my opinion, no other amplifier can approach the Fender Clean sound.

The construction is super solid without weighing a ton. And the included footswitch is built like a tank.

At 100 watts, this will easily compete with an acoustic drum kit. The fact that it's solid state makes it usable at lower volumes, but it is not quite a "bedroom" amp. Meh, who cares!

I love, LOVE this amp. I fell in love with the sound of it in 2020 and it's taken me five years and about four different amps to finally get what I've wanted all along.

If you're considering a solid-state amplifier, the Fender Champion 100 deserves your serious consideration.

The Perfect 15-watt Tube Amplifier

A couple of years back, I had purchased a used, USA-made, first-generation Blues Junior (1997).

It was a good amp, but at the time, I was not using it much. I did, however, find that I was missing the tone that only a valve amplifier can produce. And so when I saw a 2019 Limited Edition pop up on Facebook, I watched and waited.

Eventually, the seller dropped the price to $325 and I jumped on the deal.

One of the major selling points for me was the fact that Fender used a Jensen C12N instead of their usual "Fender Designed" speaker. I'm not bashing the FD speakers; they are excellent, but the Jensen pushes anything into what I think is sonic perfection.

It has a spring reverb tank, which will always beat an FX pedal. Always.

Finally, the tweed covering is the icing on the Fender cake.

I know that some folks complain that these amps are "boxy" sounding, but, to my hearing, I cannot say that this is true. This little guy sounds amazing.

If you have been considering a tube (valve) amplifier, I would recommend this one every time.

Nothing is Like a Gretsch. No... Thing...

True to form, I "discovered" the great Chet Atkins later in my life. And (apart from his stellar playing), one of the first things I noticed was that he used Gretsch guitars throughout most of his career.

Gretsch's Professional line is far too good and far too expensive for an amateur such as myself. But their Electromatics are, indeed, superior instruments. Thus, when I found one of these G5420Ts WITH an OEM Gretsch case for a mere $475, I jumped at the opportunity.

Now, I know having a Gretsch won't make me play like Mr. Atkins. But it feels great knowing that I'm using a spectacular guitar with an unmatched history.

A Step Up from EH's Micro Q-Tron

Yes! It truly is.

The reason is the additional "Volume" control knob. This single difference helps remove the "ice pick" in your ears that the Micro Q-Tron can produce. Every other control is the same.

If you're looking for classic funk or Jerry Garcia tones, this is the pedal that you absolutely MUST have.

It's built here in the U.S.A. and is solid. It works great with both guitars and basses.

A Step Up from EH's Micro Q-Tron

Yes! It truly is.

The reason is the additional "Volume" control knob. This single difference helps remove the "ice pick" in your ears that the Micro Q-Tron can produce. Every other control is the same.

If you're looking for classic funk or Jerry Garcia tones, this is the pedal that you absolutely MUST have.

It's built here in the U.S.A. and is solid. It works great with both guitars and basses.