Maynar O'Lion

Let's get this straight out of the gate, this amp offers three objective things: a) An excellent clean channel b) A great rhythm channel voiced for rock and metal. c) Excellent portability either for the head (9 kg) or the combo (18 kg) With 2-fully adjustable channels that do not share any controls and 2 voices for each channel, the amount of tones you can dial with this amp is surprisingly versatile. I originally got this amplifier because I always relied upon my old Mark IV to get some dirty tones, but needed to scale my rig down due to some slight back issues. Imagine my surprise when I started playing with the clean channel and got really varied tones just out of the "pushed" voicing on the clean channel. It honestly made me just want to buy it for that sweet, Fender-esque tone I was able to dial with no problems whatsoever on the "clean" voicing. The meat and potatoes for me, though? The 2nd channel. You can get some downright mean tones out of the "Vintage" voicing for the 2nd Channel and the "modern" tone makes no bones about the need to punch some faces in with his savagery. Both channels take very well to overdrive, distortion and Equalization pedals, so don't be afraid to get a little weird. The only downside for both the combo and the head is that, despite having a pretty good reverb, it only includes a one-stomp foot-switch for the channel change and it requires an additional foot-switch for the reverb. I think that, if this ever gets an update, it'd be good if they consider a 2 stomp foot-switch (a third stomp to change voices would make this, but I can understand this being a bit difficult to engineer for actual on-field use) Other than that, it's an incredibly versatile amp tone-wise, with the bonus of being easy to carry. Even after getting my back fixed, I seldom go back to my Mark IV, which I prefer to leave at the studio. Word of advice: The head is perhaps a little louder than what you'd look for in a bedroom amplifier for, even considering that the multi-watt design should facilitate it said function when in 10-watts.

I use this for cleans. It can do distorted just fine, especially if you have the required pedals (by itself it can do Stoner / Hard Rock easily, but if you want to go Full Metal, a dirt box will come in handy) but this is the amp I go for when I need either super clean or sweet syrupy melodies. The fact that I got it for as cheap as I did was a great stroke of luck and I am honestly grateful. I used to have a Fender Twin Reverb, and make no mistake, I LOVED that amp, but it was a back-breaker, so much so that I actually had a small issue with my back (which was eventually fixed, thank goodness). After getting the Mesa Boogie Recto-Verb 25 head, I decided that perhaps low-wattage was the way to go, and once my doctor gave the go-ahead to carry heavier weights, I started looking for a reasonably-sized combo. After testing this for 20 minutes, I was absolutely sold, just for the clean channel. The fact that the reverb control is in front is also a godsend, as it's far easier to switch things around. The 4 stomp foot-switch also makes this a fairly versatile all-in-one when you need to change your sound in subtle ways. I don't see myself selling this amp any time soon.

This is a Clone of the Ibanez Tube Screamer. This also costs US$70 and it's available absolutely everywhere. If you want to push an amp harder to give you that filthy goodness, this does the exact same thing as the Tube Screamer you would otherwise pay a few dollars more. Sometimes, you gotta shop smart. Well-played, Electro-Harmonix.

I love this little fella, it's versatile as you wouldn't believe and I do believe it's does enough on its own to not be just another "Tube Screamer plus a Boost". Only complaint is that the buttons are a little flimsy, especially the compression switches. Otherwise, sonic paradise.

As a left-handed player, I was more than a little shocked to see this first become available back in early 2016, but as soon as it became available to do so, it was a no-brainer to pre-order it. This was the first extended-range guitar I ever bought and, despite the initial growing pains of getting used to a bigger neck, it's soon became an incredibly fun guitar to play. The Fishman Fluence Pickups included are also very fun to play with, as the 4 voices in total that they give between the two pickups will provide an even more varied palette of sounds at your disposal. Thanks to the extended 27 inch scale, it also handles the heavier strings incredibly well, with the 2 tuning choices I've tried so far (Drop F# and Standard F#) offering no intonation problems whatsoever. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of a perfect score is that, for people with smaller hands, this might be a bit more challenging to find your footing. I have relatively large hands and chunky fingers, and it still took a few weeks to get used to the neck. Once you break it in, though, it's endlessly fun to play, especially given how fun it is to throw down some bass/flamenco style slap & pop and finger picking techniques that the dropped tuning facilitates.

These came included with the SC-607b LTD I bought back in 2016. The difference between the 2 voices in each pickup is fairly noticeable and will often have you reaching for the push-pull on your guitar. If I grab another 7-string, I would be very inclined to install this set of pickups on said guitar.