oedipoes's Reviews

The gold standard?

I bought my TU-12 chromatic tuner in a musical instrument shop near Denmark Street in London back in 1994. It wasn’t cheap: £110 would be £216 today! Rather unsellable price that! But it survived until today. It has been in my rehearsal BCB-6 pedal board, standalone at home, then hanging from the lid between my Marshall head stacked on my Orange box for years, gig after gig after gig. Sure it has some battle scars, but it still looks rather mildly used rather and far from ready for the trash can. These BOSS products are built like a tank. Plastic, yes, but thick and sturdy enough not to break under abuse. I have other tuners now, yet this one is still in daily use after 28 years! PS: how many times have I drained the battery because I forgot to switch it off. Tip: let it plugged in the AC adapter, there is no auto-off function.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

It’s a T.Rex Replica

T.Rex made this “Vintage” line of pedals for TC Electronic. Obviously they sound exactly the same: a case of “badge engineering”. I don’t mind. The Vintage Delay is rarer and sounds incredibly good. The only thing I miss in hindsight is a dotted 8ths setting.

Less is more

Incredible tone for a ridiculous price tag. How did TC do it? Getting such a great crisp and cutting digital delay tone with so wide variations in pots out of such a tiny price? This is a metal pedal casing, not a compromised plastic thing. Also on the inside everything is produced in a very tidy way. No cutting corners. There really is only one disadvantage for me (very personal). In one of my songs I strike a chord and immediately push the delay to make it echo in a sharp, crisp way for 3 to for times, then I strike the next chord etc. at that first chord when I engage it, the pedal is a tiny bit too slow. I’d have to kick it just before the chord, but the risk of messing it up is just too big. So I traded it for a Trem Jr, because I already have 3 other delay pedals (MXR CarbonCopy analog delay, TC Vintage Delay - which is a T.Rex replica rebadged -, and a BOSS DD-3 MIJ).

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Absolute top tone

This cabinet contains 4 10" speakers and sounds like nothing else. Bi-Amp capable, it is the best companion of Gallien-Kruegers bi-amp amplifier heads. It allows you to create a "growl" from the woofers without destroying your tweeters like you would in full range. What more do you want? No compromise. I'm in love with this cabinet. I'd like to pair it with a 115 RBH to create a full stack of pure tone.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Doesn’t get any better than this

The Gallien-Krueger 2001RB is the best amp in the RB series. It has some professional features that allows you to hook several of these amps ik a master-slave mode so you only power on the master, which then powers on all slaves in a controlled sequence to avoid power peaks and other issues. Incredible. This solid-state amp has 2 channels that can be either bridged (for more power) or switched (for more tonal variety). It has front to back cooling airflow as opposed to top cooling for the 700 cables and 1001 RB, that way it doesn’t require a free slot in a 19” rack flight case. Tonally this is as good as it gets. The 700 sounds good, but this packs even more tone. I tried it with a 410 RBH at rehearsal and with two Neo 4x12’s in the shop tryout room. To my complete surprise, it absolutely dwarfed all competition that I could A/B it with: Ampeg SVT-CL Classic, Ampeg SVT4Pro, Eden, Aguilar DB751 &ToneHammer, Orange AD200B, Glockenklang SteamHammer, Darkglass Alpha Omega, Hartke LH1000. Guitars used: Music Man StingRay Old Smoothie reissue limited run & a Music Man StingRay 5. Nothing sounded even close to the intensity of the 2001RB. I didn’t even care for the eq or other settings. I had just put everything (except volume) a little under 12 o’clock and it sounded excellent right away. The only one that could seduce me was the all tube Ampeg Clasic SVT reissue, albeit for a very specific rock sound, not for anything else. Waw. I did not expect that. I really hope GK releases the new RB series soon and with bi-amp please. Nothing sounds like it. It has an excellent DI built in that sounds awesome as well. This, blended with a mic’ed sound is more than you ever wished for live or in the studio. Top notch!

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Impressive entry level amp of the high end of a top brand

As a guitarist I was always interested to learn the bass and especially the slap technique. As a big RHCP fan, Gallien-Krueger was the way to go. I knew the Ampeg SVT series sounds great, but this bi-amp function on the RB series blew me away. Never looked back. Only when my bass player decided to get a 2001RB, I understood that mine was but the entry level of the high end series of a top brand of amps. Initially, I set the amp up with lots of boost from the bi-amp to get the growl. But it doesn’t need that. Instead of rolling the bass back, I now boost the bass preamp with bass and treble, middle flat, and then roll most of the knobs on the amp a bit back. Then the amp comes alive with your finger technique. Love it. Can’t believe this thing is solid state. No tubes involved. That is a big step for a tube amp guy: admitting it doesn’t need tubes :-)

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Great metal speaker!

This speaker is a custom speaker design from Steven Fryette from Fryette Amplification (until 2009 formerly known as VHT). The speaker is produced by Eminence. It has a particularly direct response and tightness to it, very suitable for heavily distorted rythmic breaks. But it is not a one trick pony either. Well balanced and characterful speaker! I was looking for a speaker that had good tight highs and lows. I was using a (not very tight) Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier head through a 90ies Orange 4x12 with G12T-75‘s. It sounded good obviously, but I was looking for something brighter and a lot tighter for the heavier rythmic stuff (drop D, to drop B & A). Orange cabs are dark sounding and I couldn‘t get the Mesa to sound treble enough to my liking, without compromising on heavy lows. Same story with a PPC 212-OB and later a PPC212 with closed back. Until I found a used VHT FatBottom at a great price (cheaper than a used PPC212!) that I gave a try. I fell in love. The distorted sound is rich and heavy in the lows, but the mids are controlled and highs are accentuated. The speaker is also very „short“. I play with lots of breaks and mutes that need to be silent, and that is where the speakers are at their best. Listen to any heavy song on a Helmet album and you hear what I mean. Page Hamilton of Helmet plays VHT/Fryette since the 90ies. Back at home I started having doubts, and tried some drop B and drop A stuff. I could dial the treble and presence back because I now had trebles from the FatBottom and P50E‘s! I connected my PPC212 and that is a magic combination. The dark Orange with UK V30’s plays the role of a bass/low mid cabinet and gets enriched by the more treble VHT/P50E’s. But still the bottom end remains tight and thick as I wanted it. Highly recommended speaker!

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Great buffer, keeps signal very crisp

Great buffer, keeps signal very crisp through the signal chain. Never expected it to be so spectacular. Highly recommended!

Another great Fender design

Leo Fender outdid humself again on this guitar. It’s a slap machine, but can fo all styles and all types of playing. Louis Johnson and Flea are my personal heroes.

Great sound in compact form

Great Orange tone in a portable format. Sounds really big. I prefer the closed back cabs for my style (raprock/metal). But I can imagine someone preferring this over a closed back. Built like a tank, only the corners could be more robust. Chinese V30’s sound just as good as any UK V30.

Very well built underestimated beast

3-channel beast of an amp. With 6L6’s the cleans are Fender clean. The 2nd channel is signature persona non grata’s sound (Urban Dance Squad). The boost channel is darker and less my thing. In an attempt to improve the 3rd channel I swapped the 6L6’s to EL34. That made it sound a lot more British, but also made the Fenderishly great clean tone disappear for a more crunchy clean. Preferences. Can’t have both. The distortion channel is a lot less dark now.

Value for money

Purchased this new for around 450€ incl a 100€ softshell case. I only wish it had solid sides and back. The guitar plays and sounds better than average. But it doesn’t inspire me to keep playing it like a Martin or Gibson acoustic can. It doesn’t thrill me. It is a practice workhorse. Well built and finished with lots of craftsmanship, but not an inspiring creative tool.

Who cares that it is MX?

This is a great Stratocaster. It says MX, but in direct comparison to a 1972 Strat and a 1964 Jaguar, this ons holds its ground. After a good tune-up it played just as well as the vintage Fenders. Of course the sound is no where near the originals. The poplar veneer seems awkward to me, it didn’t need it at all imo. The coil split humbucker disappoints as humbucker, convinces as single coil. The bridge pickup is great. All in all, I think the guitar is good, but not awesome, hence one star down. When I have the opportunity, I’ll buy a better strat maybe. For now this will do just fine for home practicing.

Closest thing to a real 1958 original

The 1983 Explorer Korina Custom Shop differs in several ways from the original Korina Explorers. But it remains an excellent custom shop guitar. Well finished, well built, sounds the part and plays better than it looks. Also it can do lots of styles very well. Korina sounds a bit brighter than mahogany, yet retains most of mahogany’s good characteristics. This guitar is a big piece of wood and sustains solidly. Medium neck, very playable. Low action with no buzz.

Ibanez 7 string with mahogany body

Does one thing really really well: sounding like Korn in Drop A. I expected more from the mahogany body. For me it lacks something intangible compared to my beloved 93 Gibson SG. Maybe the K7 is too perfect? Lacks grunt to keep me playing. After a song or two I switch to an other guitar. That doesn’t happen on my SG or Explorer.

Flea’s signature pickup: epic

Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers played Modulus basses for a period of time. All his Modulus and Fleabass basses he used live at that time were modified with a Lane Poor pickup and Aguilar active electronics. Lane Poor stopped making the pickups (bankrupt or medical issues, not sure), but due to high demand from players and the Modulus company, a former employee started making them again, true to the original design and sound. Legacy Pickups was born, the Lane Poor pickup was reborn.
I bought this pickup in the USA (I’m in EU) via PlanetBass and had a USA relative bring it over. It was then professionally installed by my luthier/bass builder in my Fleabass Punk Bass and mated with Glockenklang cut/boost active electronics. The sound is phenomenal. Punchy, deep, growl, treble, attack, slap, groove. It does it all brilliantly. Even my luthier who has his own line of basses was surprised by this piece of art. Sure it is expensive, but it sure delivers too. Very very satisfied with my Fleabass transformation.

Good, but WH-1 and WH-5 sound better

The WH-4 sounds good, but not as good as the original WH-1. The closest thing to the original is the successor to the WH-4: the WH-5 that has true bypass because that is the biggest reason I don’t have this in my signal chain: it is a big tone sucker even when off. Only a good buffer or a non-linear pedalboard (ground control & the likes) can eliminate the tone drain.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Mid bark, brutal tone, yet sensitive and with lots of harmonics

I bought this head used as my first tube amp back in the early ‘90ies from a friend/show owner. I was looking for a JCM900 Hi Gain Dual Reverb, but tried this and I was hooked. A lot more bass available, and an epic signature mid bark that pops out even when you scoop the mids. Does almost every genre, only with a K7 tuned to drop A, it tossed the towel. It got muddy. I’ve used this amp live on all my gigs, through a mid 90ies Gibson era Orange 412 with G12T-75’s. Always too loud for rehearsals and stage. It is usable with gain and volume wide open and master between .75 and 1.5. It comes alive between 1 and 2. No need to dial the master up, it just brings more fizzyness and reduces the sensitivity. I had the blue liquid capacitors replaced recently (end of 2021) and that was the best thing ever: It really brought back the sound I remembered how it sounded back when I first tested and bought it. Absolutely killer amp. I don’t care that it has diode clipping. It sounds absolutely great!

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Top beginners slap bass

Got me a Fleabass as I’m quite the peppers fan. Well built guitar with good materials. For the price, this was excellent value. The electronics quickly got me bored, so I replaced them with a LanePoor (from Legacy Pickups) and a Glockenklang pre-amp (as the Aguilar only boosts, this one cuts too). It’s transformed this bass into an instrument that can hold up with my original MusicMan. Sad that Flea pulled the plug early. Go get one while they’re cheap.

1990ies Orange cab

Bought this new instead of a 1960A because Marshall had increased its price and the salesman suggested to try this one out first before pulling the trigger. Heard it and took it home. 1/3 lower price but sounds 2x as good as the Marshall. My main cab for 20+ years. Then found out it has G12T-75’s. I don’t care. It sounds GREAT.