Best guitars, amps, and effects from 2015

 Best Products To Buy from the 2015 lineup is a hard thing to dive in to, but at the same time really interesting. During 2015 I bumped in to a whole bunch of really interesting stuff, especially if  you're a guitar aficionado like myself. I love everything about guitars. It´s pretty hard to pick out the best guitars, amps, effect pedals or even a guitar pick, because the market is flooded with great things nowadays.  This is my conclusion of what is recommended when looking back in to the year of 2015. As the products of 2016 is in stores now, you can make yourself a good deal on the 2015´s menu. Enjoy

Best buy PRS Guitars
When I first came over a PRS guitar, the brand was a completely new experience to me. During the year of 2015 I tested a whole bunch of models in my home over a long period of time. I must admit that they are really fine instruments. The consistency all the way from the SE series up to the high ends are quiet unique. The quality are just flawless. The top three are:

1. PRS SE Zach Myers.
A guitar worth much more than the pricetag says. Great sounding guitar. Buy here
2. PRS SE Custom Mark Tremonti.
Another great guitar in the SE series. A tone monster that not rob your wallet. Buy here
3. PRS Signature Mark Tremonti.
The high end version with great tone a stunning playability.  Buy here

Best Buy Fender Stratocaster
Fender continous to impress with their playability, especially the strats, and I´m glad to say that they once again have straightened up in details. There are still som models that do need some improvements but overall they're back in business, especially the Mexican ones.



1. Stratocaster Jeff Beck Signature A great strat with fabulous tremolo. Great playability. Buy here
2. Stratocaster Roadworn 50´s. The best mexican made Strat ever made. Buy here
3. Stratocaster Custom Shop 70´s Relic. Fabulous looks and a great player. Buy here

Best Buy Gibson Les Paul
The innovative touch of the 2015-series did not impress me at all, but there is one guitar that I think stands out from the others. A good price to if you want a classic Les Paul.

1. Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 2015.
A representative model with great feel. Buy here

Best buy Amplification
The choice of best amps is based on how they actually sounds och Marshall really stands out here in my opinion. The Kemper thing is climbing up at top three due to the growing amount of good profiles available on the market. If you need a variety of quality sound, the Kemper is your thing. The three at the top is:


1. Marshall JVM Joe Satriani 100 w Head.
Best sounding Marshall amp in years. It practically delivers whatever you like to hear.  Buy here
2. Kemper Profiling Amp.
The best digital amp ever, way ahead the other stuff on the market. Buy here
3. Marshall 1555X Silver Jubilee.
The reissue of the long loved classic. It really sounds like that the original. Buy here

Best buy new innovative products
1. Pykmax Guitar Pick
An new interesting new way of using a guitar pick. Buy here
2. BeatBuddy -Drummachine in a pedal.
Using this pedal as your rehearing companion at home is true happiness for sure. Easy to use and it contains close to every beat you'll ever need. Great for songwriting. Buy now



Best buy guitar effects
There was tons av pedals and these two stands out in my opinion.

1. Korg SDD 3000. The pedal version of the best delay ever.
Buy here
2. Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. A classic on every pedalboard.
Buy here


Stay Zombied !

JOYO JF-09 Tremolo - A cheap and great sounding pedal (Video-Clip)

The Chinese company Joyo has a whole flood of pedals, mini pedals and other musical accessories in its range. They define themselves as a company that "focuses on the production of digital music oriented tools". It is an interesting company but for most guitarists it´s probably "just another clone-company". And it is true that they are making cheaper clones, but they also show tendencies to go towards a more innovative path.

It's not unusual for Chinese companies to draw the bow as hard as they can and at the same time look ahead to innovative world domination. The point is that many of them has a fair chance to be successful in a global perspective. To make clones in collaboration with other partners in the music industry is a smart and easy way to learn the basics and then when the timing is right take off to more innovative products. To ignore of these actors are both clumsy and stupid intimidation as they already have good stuff to offer.

The JOYO JF-09 tremolo is exactly such a product. In fact, it is a really good tremolo, from barely noticeable sweeping rate (speed) to fast and even large span of "intensity".

Tremolo, unlike Vibrato, creates variation in loudness (amplitude) which means that raises and lowers the volume. This technology has been around for vintage amps since the 50's. Vibrato on the other hand varies the pitch as you may already know. Anyway, Tremolo is a classic and very useful effect that throws pure or soft crunched sound back to the vintage mode. I think the best effects stays in the background and highlights the guitar without taking over. This pedal is outstanding on just that, it lifts the whole and it creates a good old fashioned vintage sound if you do not exaggerate settings, and it doesn't suck tone at all, at least not by my standards.

- True Bypass
- Built like a tank
- 9v battery or eliminator
- Light that indicates the rate

I made a little demo here which gives a hint of how it sounds. The pedal is connected in the effects loop on a Marshall JVMJS on the clean channel orange mode and the guitar is a Jeff Beck Stratocaster. There is a reverb there too, a TC Electronics "Hall of fame".

You can get one for $28 on Amazon and eBay, which is very cheap for this kind of quality pedal.

A tap tempo to easily change rate between songs had been great, but at the same time you may lose a bit of the vintage feeling.

Rating:
4.5 zombies (5)

Bill Kelliher Mastodon, "The Tone Chaser" (Interview )

One of the most interesting progmetal bands of today is Mastodon. The band played a few days ago here in Stockholm and I had the opportunity to see them. Mastodon is one of my favourite bands when it comes to guitar players in the metal genre. Complicated and beautifully created riffs all the way and the four band members are as tight as you hear them play on the albums. 

Bill Kelliher is, in my opinion, the best rhythm guitar player i the business and he is also a very talented soloist. I was asked to meet Bill for an interview just before soundcheck and I didn't hesitate long. Bill is known to be very particular about his tone, a tone chaser, and I asked him how it all started.

Foto: The Guitar Zombie

When did you become a "tone chaser"?
A good question actually, and I can't speak för everyone, but, what ever you do in life you always try to do it the best you possibly can. I have always been interested in recording and when I hear a guitar player on a record that sounds awesome I instantly want to catch that tone or sound. Thats where my addiction with starts actually, to find that tone that cuts through and sound fucking awesome.

Which guitar player was the first one to catch your interest?
It all started with Eddie Van Halens tone, and he is still to this day a tremendous guitar player. A clear tone with not to much distortion. Its funny because when you start playing you always try to collect as much distortion boxes as possible, and thats not what this thing is about at all.

Foto: The Guitar Zombie

What amps did you start out with?
I started out with Peavey Butcher and the VTM60 from the 80s, amazing amps. It was basically like a JCM800 but way cheaper. I also had a Chandler Tube Driver, the big yellow thing, for just a tiny extra overdrive. The thing is that after 20 years i the business I saw one of these VTMs on craigslist and bought one just out of curiosity to hear how it sounds today as myself and technology has developed. I was surprised that it still sound amazing... It struck me that I´ve had my tone since beginning and still chase for better all the time and I actually returned to the same spot.

Foto: The Guitar Zombie

But you are a Marshall guy?
Yeah, I have used Marshalls for a long time since then and they have always sounded good for me. But when I heard Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains and his awesome tone a while ago I was stunned.

What was it about his tone?
You know I was on the backside of the stage every evening and could hear his guitar from that isocab and it was so clear,  you could hear every single beautiful note he played, and that guy is a great guitar player. I asked him "what the hell are you playing through?" Whatever it is I got to have it. He said he had a Friedman "Marsha", a Marshall clone basically, and an isolation box with Celestion Creambacks. He said that he had an head one I could borrow on the tour.

Foto: The Guitar Zombie

So that was it?
Yeah. His guitar tech had a couple of guitar pickups called Motorcity Pickups that Cantrell use and he installed it in my guitar and I got his tone, or at least his sound. A couple of years later I bought a Friedman Head which I now use on tour back in America, they are way to heavy to move over to Europe.

What is the best thing with this Friedman head of yours?
I have two, one of modified Jerry Cantrell signature and one HBE. The thing is that you don't need that much distortion, once again, cause it blurs up stuff between the notes to much. I use to roll back the gain and turn up the mids, but I´m still out on the hunt and I have millions of distortion pedals but at the same time I like less of everything. I like it the best when the guitar goes right in to the amp. Once you start adding chains of this and that and wireless and stuff and you suddenly get confused and loose the things you´re actually chasing. I want it to cut through and define my playing the way I want it to.

Foto: The Guitar Zombie

On the European leg of the tour you use Marshall heads?
Yeah, JCM800 2203, one reissue and one original from like 2003 or something. Great amps too, and if something breaks a use a Blackstar for backup.

You have Creambacks in your isocab?
Yeah but I´m not the guy who can easily explain how stuff sounds, I just now when it sound great,  but they´re awesome. They are like Vintage 30´s which I have in my stage cabs but a bit more aggressive maybe.

When I was growing up I always had 20 watt speakers to use less distortion on the amp and distortion pedals and let the speakers do the job but the seems to have shorter life as I run them pretty hard. But then i found the Celestion 65 watt Creambacks that sounds great, somewhat in between 75 and 20 and when I cracked it up it sounded so good.

Foto: The Guitar Zombie

You have a signature Gibson Les Paul...
Yes, Gibson Les Paul "Halcyon" with my own designed pickups made by Lace called "Dissonant Aggressor". A beautiful guitar with Mahogany body, gold and black burst, mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. On this tour I also have a 82 Les Paul Custom wine red and a white 1977 Les Paul Custom.

What about effects then?
I have moved on from the effect pedal stuff now and I use Fractal AxeFX II and a MFC 101 instead. I still use normal amps you know so I´m just half way in to the modern era. I´m not using the amp modelling thing yet.

How does your guitar tech  handle your "changing all the time" regarding your tone chasing?
Yeah ha ha he´s a bit frustrated sometimes but I am actually my own tech. He knows how to set things up but I want the last hand on everything to be satisfied. I use this Fractal thing for some stuff, and he doesn't have a clue about that sort of stuff. But its ok, cause I know how it sounds when it sounds good, you know what I mean... He basically keeps the guitars i tune and stuff. I want to problem shoot things myself and I am really anal about it, you would hate work for me...

I don't know about that.... 
Ha ha well I´m a nice guy but I now my stuff you know and I know exactly how I want it.

Looking forward to the show and to hear you play...
Your welcome

Thanks for letting me talk to you...
Thank you, it was fun talking about "tone chase"...

Tomorrow I will publish the Bill Kelliher Rig Rundown.... 12 minuets of pure nerd activity....

Stay Zombied.....

Review of Marshall JVM410HJS, Joe Satriani model - Best Marshall amp in years...

A while ago I made a "rig rundown" with Fredrik Åkesson from the progressive metalband Opeth. The rundown made me interested in his amplifier, the Marshall JVM410JS "Joe Satriani model". After buying it a couple of days later I realised that it´s the best amplifier Marshall have made in years. Now don't fall into the trap to think it´s the same amp as the first JVMs, because this is something completely different.

Maybe it has to do with increased experience at Marshall's development department, or that more efforts are required from the market in these "digital times" or that they finally started to look at what all the "modders" has done since 1980 or so. Most of the great guitarists have had modded Marshalls through the years and it feels like the focus now has shifted at Marshall, to once again take the customer perspective. A perspective they were so good at until 1973 or so, when the forces of customer demand took over and they had to compromise.

Anyway, this amp is a collaboration between Santiago, amp developer at Marshall, and Joe Satriani. Now, don't fall not in the next obvious trap, namely, the conclusion that this amplifier "just replicates Joe Satrianis tone". It can certainly do that, but the outcome of this collaboration has accomplished more important things than that. It´s a very versatile amp for pretty much every kind of guitar genre, from sparkling clean blues to heavy chunky riffs and outrageous high-gain lead tones.

The front panel probably scares the shit out of many vintage purists with its 28 knobs, but it's really not complicated at all. It´s actually quite intuitive, and I didn't  have to use any manual at all.

I've recorded a short demo for those of you who want to get a hint about how it might sound. Clean Orange mode with little effects, Crunch in Orange mode and OD in Red mode. I have shorten it down focusing on how the amp sounds. My suggestion is that you read this full review before you listen.

4 channels
The amplifier has 4 EL34 and 5 EC83 hard working tubes and delivers 100 watt pure guitar tone. It has 4 channels: Clean, Crunch, and 2 identical OD channels.

Noise-Gate
Each channel has its own noise-gate, which has replaced the reverb in the origin JVMs. These noise-gates are really good, Fredrik Åkesson pointed out it´s "musicality" and that they doesn't "eat" any tone at all, like many other amps do. The tone becomes tight and completely studio-silent. If you don't like it, just turn it off.

Green, Orange & Red modes
Furthermore, all channels has 3 modes: Green, Orange and Red. This means that the amplifier actually has 12 channels, which can be controlled from the pedalboard (foot-switch). Green is the starting position and the other puts each channel a step forward in to a different character.

There are also two master volume-sections with "resonance" and "precense" knobs, very handy.

Clean
The starting point for the clean chanel is the nice clean sound in the Marshall Anniversary 6100 and it´s just  incredibly good in the "Green mode", and it takes distortion pedals in an excellent manner. In "Orange mode" the clean is a bit more gained without cracking up and in Red mode it cracks up in a brilliant way without falling over in to distortion.  It all lands in one is exceptionally good tool for anyone who needs a clean sound with variety. This variation in clean tones makes it very easy to take advantage of different types of guitars and brings the best out of them.  Everything is controlled from the supplied foot-switch.

Crunch
The Green mode sounds like a JTM Plexi and Orange as a JCM800. Red mode turns it into a hot-rodded JCM800. This is the amplifier's most exciting channel, I think. Orange mode with the gain at 2-3 a´clock should fit any classic rocker and with the right effects it grows brutal.

OD 1 and 2
These channels are identical, which I think is a brilliant idea. Instead of adding another hi-gain characteristic chanel it gives the guitarist an ability to vary their own sound in the same "personal tone area". Maybe a bit more gain in OD 2 or some different EQ, it´s "sick clever" based on the ideas of individual tone consistency. Another great thing obut the ODs is that Marshall has found a really good metal amp here, which should attract even the most modern metalheads. There is more gain than you ever need, and the fact is that it sounds best when you are not utilizing its full gain capacity.

Mid Shift
Another great feature is the Mid Shift, a function that was developed to let Sammy Hagars vocals cut through better in Chickenfoot, but its allows you to compress the tone a bit, it allows your metal sound in to deliver really good "Chucka-Chucka-down-strokes".

Effects Loop
Another very nice feature is the incredibly great effects loop. I have never experienced such good effects loop before and pedals appear flawless compared to loops in other amps.

The fact that there is no reverb may seem strange, but given the extremely well-functioning effects loop it doesn't matter. The thing is that a mediocre reverb, or other modulation effects, actually sounds brutally nice in this amplifier, thanks to the new effects loop technology and the amps great "basic sound" in general.

Summary
This is one of the the best Marshall amps ever, for reasons as:

1. The basic sounds in the channels, which are spot on, and especially Crunch Orange Fashion
2. Effects loop, one of the best I've ever heard
3. The versatility that basically allows you to sell every other amplifier

The variety of sounds you can get out of this amp to and how easily you can switch between them is actually quite stunning. From shimmering cleans to cocky crispy Plexi-Crunch and powerful high gain makes it´s suitable for virtually all music genres.

An additional nice gesture from Marshall is that this tone monster doesn't rob you of 5000 dollars, as it actually should be worth. It´s yours for 2600 dollars. A bargain considering the value this tone monster will bring you.

A bestseller .... Period!
Buy here

Rating:
Zombies 5.0 (5.0)

Rig Rundown with Fredrik Åkesson Opeth

It's time for the first "Rig Rundown" as promised.  First up is Fredrik Åkesson, lead guitarist in the Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. The RR was recorded in Stockholm November 15, 2014 during soundcheck. Fredrik guides us through the rig he´s currently using, which is based on the PRS guitars and Marshall JVM 410HJS, an amplifier I will return to for a review later on.

Fredrik Åkesson is not only one of our most talented guitarist, he is also extremely careful about his tone. This becomes clear when you hear him play live. Every little detail is perfect and he knows his rig inside and out.

The actual rig is designed by Göran "LEO" Elmquist at Sound Of Silence in Stockholm. It is interesting to see how Frederik and Göran has created an advanced but controllable switching system for Frederik's very diverse playing and at the same time been able to secure tonality, ie the minimun loss of tone. The same challenges most guitarists face every day, mostly by long cables and signal chains that suck tone.

Those of you who knows your Opeth stuff may notice some new gadgets in the rig. In addition to the Marshall JVM Joe Satriani model there is a thing called Box of Doom and a Piezo system for acoustic sounds.

Follow Fredrik around his rig anno 2014 and enjoy some totally stunning solos recorded during soundcheck at Münchenbryggeriet 15/11 2014.

Enough said! Zombies....Please enjoy:

There will be more "Rig Rundowns" in the future and I will return as I said with a review of the Marshall JVM 410HJS, an amplifier that is not unimportant in this context. Not at all the same as the first JVM series, even if they look identical.

Thanks to Fredrik Åkesson and Darren Edwards for giving me the opportunity to do this "Rig Rundown".

Stay Zombied...

// The Guitar Zombie

Ceriatone makes affordable amps that sounds unbelievably great ...

Are you constantly searching for a guitar sound based on one of the classic Marhall or Fender amps, but never been able to find the cash needed? Then handmade point to point from Asia may be your thing. Imagine a great sounding Marshall Plexi, JCM800, Fender Blackface or Hower Dumble Series for a pittance in the context? Asia is a big area and knowledge is developing rapidly in today's globalized world. I think we should get used to the idea that stuff from Asia can be as great as stuff from USA or Europe. 

A while ago I interviewed Tobias Egge from the Swedish band "Imperial State Electric", the interview will be published soon. He was kind enough to let play one of his amps from Asia. It was a clone of the iconic Marshall Plexi. I was totally stunned, the amp sounded absolutely magical. It was warm, had a great bottom and a great "string separation". Tobias told me that he and Nicke Anderson had ordered them because they were quite affordable, I think they paid $ 600 each or something like that.

The manufacturer, Ceriatone, creates affordable "boutique clones" of classic amplifiers without compromising on quality. When I checked it out thoroughly, it appeared that Ceriatone, founded by entrepreneur Nik S Azam, started to make hand-built amplifiers back in 2000. Now they're exporting to 70 countries, mostly to EU, USA, Japan and Australia. But very few people seems to know about these guys, which is odd considering that their amps sound so good.

Admittedly, prices have gone up a bit since Tobias bought his, but the prizes are still less than half of the prize for a new new Marshall Plexi reissue or a used "vintage" on eBay.

But more interesting is actually their really classic models, which most of us can't find at all. Ceriatone do not work in the vintage market, they are more of an alternative to the "digital stuff", for people like myself who don't have $ 100 000 for a 35 year old Fender.

Ceriatone makes in total over 40 amp models, mostly based on the Fender and Marshall, and all are hand made point to point with the only goal to make amps with high quality rather than trying to compete on price. The competition from China is a fact, but Ceriatone has found its niche and the reviews are overwhelming. So really, you could say that they actually compete with the major manufacturers' quality and stronger brands. The firm is small, 20 employees, and they don't  have a major marketing account. They sell almost solely on "mouth to mouth" by appreciative customers in various forums on Internet.

Ceriatones capacity is 100-200 amps per month, which is exactly where they want to be. A bigger business is often equal to lower quality in the long run. Nik is smart and passionate about guitar tones...

Their Overtone Special Series (OTS) is based on Howard Dumble series, one of the most sought after and most expensive boutique amplifier in the world. Dumble Amps are clones of the Fender Tweed and Blackface, and this is of interest. Because if you make clones and crave shameless amounts of money for it, then it is more appropriate than if you do equally great clones but prizing them low.  Then it becomes a "copy" in peoples minds. Weird....

According to the reviews, OTS sound very similar and authentic to Dumbles, but with one the major difference,  it costs about $ 1600 dollars compared to a Dumble Overdrive Special that runs loose in between $ 20,000 to $ 50,000 dollars. As you can't patent a circuit board, you just have to tweak it a bit, there is no issue of copying here. Ceriatone is not a "copy cat", they use their own brand inspired by others, just like everyone else...

Ceriatone OTS is one of the more expensive amplifiers they make, but most of them goes for $ 1,000 for fully working amp and with starting prices of $ 300- $ 500 if you're willing to do some of the work yourself.

I contacted Nik and asked if I could asked him for an interview, and if I maybe have the opportunity to buy an amplifier for testing later on. There is a long queue to get the hands of one and it takes a while to build stuff by hand.

How did your work actually start, and what is your background as an amp builder?
It was really just a hobby for me. I play the guitar, and of course the gear hunting bug got to me. I started tinkering and repairing vintage tube amps, and before you know it, it got a bit serious. I started by offering turret boards, and from there, I added things, including complete amplifiers. I am ECE by training (Electrical/Computer Engineer), as well.

Where are you stationed with your workshop?
We’re located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What is your own preference, when it comes to music and amps?
I grew up with classic rock, and old school metal. So, it’d be the Fender and Marshalls, pretty much. That’s all we had, back then, really.

Even though your amps are inspired by other well known amps, you build them from scratch don't you?
Yes, we do build them from scratch. We draw/design our own chassis, boards, faceplates, etc. And the builds all start from the raw ingredients.

The average customer do they buy a kit and assemble them by their own or do they buy "whole amps"?
We actually sell more complete amps than kits.

I know that you are very truthful to quality, is there a thin line between less quality, by using cheap components, profit and sound experience in the business in general?
There is no silver bullet to kill all demon types. A component deemed not so great, might work excellently in certain parts of a certain amp. Plus, if you look at it, the passive components do not really cost much, esp in bulk. A Mallory 150 coupling cap, for example, is less than a dollar, while Sozo and such, they don’t go for more than five. 
And transformers?
Same thing with transformers. We use own own transformers for all the builds. They do cost less than bigger names, but that’s because it’s made here, where labor is cheaper. It is not the case that we haven’t opened up many vintage  transformers, to see how it’s done. The parts do contribute, as they have their own sounds, but the designer needs to hone his own ears as to what works best. Having said that, more percentage of quality is about quality control, including the testing of the amps. I test the amps personally, and I usually test them very loud, over long periods of time. Plus, we also burn in our amps, to ensure no infant death occurring.

Can you describe you quality process?
Our process is, I test the amps for voltages, functions, tone. And then, we burn in for abt 15-16 hours total, over 3 days. Ie, about 4-6 hours a day. Then, I test it again. The chassis is then put into the cabinet, and I test again, before shipping. Other than that, I really emphasize on the execution of the wiring, especially soldering. There is an art to it. It's not complicated, but it's time consuming for sure. 

The best amp you have ever built?
There is no best amp, it depends on what you want to achieve, your moods, etc. I could be happy with an OTS, and I could be happy with my Champ Ultra.

The best amp you have ever heard, and who played it?
We have noticed that for a given vintage amp X model, some are good, some are not, and a couple are just perfect. I think, our S&M OTS (which is ODS based, but tweaked), when the magic happens, is just perfect. The S&M was actually our first OTS. Having been accustomed to Fenders and Marshalls, it was very hard to get used to the Dumble ODS sound, especially the OD. I think lots of people find this as well, you need to adjust your playing to accommodate that, in a way. So, the S&M is more like, at the time, a culmination of my experience and influences, expressed through an ODS platform. 

Does any well known players use Ceriatone?
There are. But understand this: Endorsement deals is something we do not do, it is how we conduct business. I do understand, endorsement or the potential for endorsement is something that could mean revenue for the artist. So, I usually don’t name names, because we did not pay the artist to advertise our stuff, and we do not want to hurt their chances to get one, from another company.  I think that’s fair... Of course, if the artist wants to tell, it’s our honor and pleasure. We’re about trying to make the best amps, with the lowest possible price.

Tell me a little about the Yeti stuff?
The Yeti is the Jose Arredondo type of mod done to Marshalls, which were very popular in the 80s rock/glam scene. Of course, I have added our own tweaks to it, to suit my tastes. 

On the #35, did you built in out of the sound or did you look in to AFD100?
We had some info on the circuit, and went from there. I do not think it’s possible to just hear an amp, and a circuit comes on like a light bulb in your mind. There are so many ways to tweak, and the original SIR #36 definitely had weird things going in it (hindsight is always 20:20, of course).

It´s PPIMV in that one, is that the power scaling used by AFD100?
Usually, I refer/compare our amps to the vintage/ real issue. The PPIMV was added as a feature for low volume playing. The reissue AFD has some sort of power scaling, it’s not the same. Power scaling allows for the voltages to go down, in tandem with scaled biasing. PPIMV is simpler.

How well do you think Marshall nailed the AFD tone?
I haven’t played the reissue.

Is there any differences in the #35 tone compared to the "original" on the album.
You’d definitely get in the ballpark, but there are other things than just the amp involved. Post production, for one, and you cannot really buy that in the store.

Do you work with the power supply when you develop gain, or what philosophy do you have?
Yes, that’s quite critical, you have to know your PS.  But I don’t really have any philosophy behind it, as you can tweak so many parts of the amp.

Which amp is the best selling and best reviewed by users?
We sell lots of the Yeti and Chupacabra amps, as well as the OTS series. Now, we have the OTS lunchbox, and they do sell real well.  We will have more lunchbox type amps in the future – easy to make, sell, and ship.

Have any big company tried to get close to you to buy you out?
No, actually. I am not sure if they even know Ceriatone exists. On a personal basis, Playgirl approached me, but I tastefully declined.

Do you have any "idols" in the business, who build awesome amps beside you?
Leo Fender and Jim Marshall, they started it all!  But I think all builders are cool. A lot of times, it’s labor of love. Nowadays, I don’t tend to mod or make custom 1 offs that much, because of time constraint. But the amps are made with lots of care, lots of testing, each of them. I am sure it’s the same with other small time builders, so it takes lots of dedication.

Do you have any new amp models coming out soon?
Yes, we do release new models from time to time. We’d lunchbox the Yeti, and we’d do a modern type high gain amp as well. You know, for those drop tuned 20 string guitars. 

Thanks for talking to me and letting me borrow some of your time...
My pleasure...

I will get back when I have a review of the the Chupacabra 50...

Meanwhile.....Stay Zombied

Marshall SL5 Slash Combo, a surprisingly well built Marshall

A while ago a Marshall SL5 Slash combo landed at the Zombie Crib. It is a practice amp that i said to deliver the sound that has become the hallmark of Slash. At the same time SL5 is not to be seen as just a signature amp, it is one of the better Marshalls in a very long time. 

The SL5 is the younger brother of the Slash signature AFD100 head. In 2010 Marshall came out with AFD100, a 100 watt head. The amp got fantastic reviews virtually everywhere, mainly because it ´s stunning basic sound and a really tight bottom. A rock-amplifier with two dirty channels. One that will remind you of the Frank Levi modded JCM800 (# 34-mode) and one based on the modded amp that Slash used on Appetite for Destruction called #36 (AFD mode), also modded by Frank Levi.

And that is what AFD100 is about, to replicate the two hilarious sounds of #36 and Slash´s sound from Use Your Illusion (# 34). Inside the shell of AFD100 you will find 5 piece ECC83 tubes in the pre-amp and 4 x 6550 output amp and a power scale that allows you to reduce power from 100 watts down to 1 watt. If it nails the Slash sound? Well, not in every sense but still very close. The lack of gain, at least to my ears, made me modify it.

This new one, a combo, changeable from 5 watts down to 1 watt, by a switch on the backside of the amp. It will do great for rehearsals with your band actually as well  for bedroom volume.

Inside you´ll find 3 ECC84 in the pre-amp and 1 EL35 output tube.

It has a 12" Celestion V30 speaker, and thats a good decision because of it´s warm sound, especially when it comes to clean tones. This amp is doing really well for cleans, better than you may think, at least compared to the AFD100 which is not a clean amp at all.

When it comes to dirty sounds SL5 is awesome, warm and "bity" and a very good choice. Not because it nails the Slash tone, because it does not. This is a real deal Marshall sounding thing. The 5 watts may sound weak but the truth is that it serves you very loud. If you drive the amp it will break up stunningly och answer your playing as an expert amp. It takes the path down from busy crunch to high gain vintage and firmly rips the Blackstar HT-5 apart avery day in the week. With that said, the HT-5 is a remarkable amp in its own way. One of my favorite small amps.

If you have a guitar with low output you can choose the input jack nr 1, that will give you +6db. If your output on your guitar is normal och very high you can choose input jack nr 2.

The EQ is a well functioning "treble, "mid" and "bass", which gives you a wide range of dialing. The EQ works very well in combinantion with the "presence".

AFD100 does not have reverb, but the SL5 has one. Dialed at 10 a´clock its suits in perfect with clean tones and dirty ones too, depending of your taste. The reverb is not a cheap one kicked in, its a very good and balanced one.

The lack of effects-loop is a bit of a problem for me, and that´s the reason for not landing on top result.

But this is a good amp, one of the best in many years from Marshall.

Grade:
4,9 Zombies (5)