It’s hard for me to say this (because I’m 43), but remember the (now) “vintage” 84 Kramer Baretta guitar? The Kramer Baretta was the famed hockey stick neck one pickup, one volume pot Floyd Rose masterpiece played by Eddie Van Halen.

Remember the guitar magazine ads with EVH holding the Baretta like this?

There were actually a whole series of Kramer ads like that, there’s another one with him holding a Kramer Pacer like this:

So you’re probably wondering already why I’m lamenting about Kramer guitars of years gone by? Recently my wife picked me up a Kramer Focus 3000 from 1983-4 at a yard sale for a rediculous price with OHSC and stock pickups and floyd rose (and working coil tap). I’ll blog about that in another post.

What surprised me in a few google searches was the fact that Gibson now owns the Kramer name and has been reissuing various guitars, like the Kramer 84 Baretta, and the Kramer Pacer (among others). I can’t believe they did the reissue with the hockey stick necks (also AWESOME!). Note in the EVH pics above that one with Ed has the hockey stick neck, but the Pacer has the pointy headstock.

Check out this fabulous Kramer 84 Baretta reissue:

Either this thing must be so very new that not everyone has it (yet), because you can’t even get it at Musician’s Friend or Guitar Center. You can find it however at American Musical right now in stock. In fact they even have this new 8 payment plan (that I just used to get mine) so you can get this axe for just $84/mo if you do that deal (and have it to play in just a few days).

*UPDATE*: you can also now get the 84 Kramer Baretta at ZZounds for the same prices with 8 payments as well!!

They also have the Vintage Kramer Pacer dual humbucker model for sale too (in Tiger stripe!):

They also have the Kramer Pacer there too, which comes in a both a cool burst or “Tiger Stripe” version (AWESOME!). I like this Baretta because it has the maple fingerboard, and I prefer that to the rosewood. What version would you get?

You can also still find quite a few Kramer Baretta guitars on ebay now as well:

Kramer 1984 BARETTA Re-Issue Black & White Bullseye (NEW)
	USD 699.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 15:47:33
KRAMER BARETTA/VINTAGE 80s/FLOYD ROSE/SCHALLER GOLDEN 50
	USD 380.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 01:34:08
KRAMER 1984 BARETTA FLOYD ROSE SEYMOUR DUNCAN 78 TKL HARDSHELL CASE
	USD 500.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 18:49:33
Kramer Baretta American Guitar OFR Floyd Rose Duncan JB
	USD 405.00 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 01:00:56
Vintage 80's DIMARZIO Kramer Baretta Ash Lefty Body Relic U.S.A.
	USD 23.50 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 05:18:03
KRAMER- Baretta Limited Edition (Haleys Comet) Electric Guitar
	USD 1400.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 11:53:47
Kramer Baretta 1985 Reissue White - Van Halen Mars Lynch - Discontinued
	USD 1125.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 02:27:09
1987 Kramer Baretta USA Rare Klein "THE FLY" Graphic OHSC MINT+ Neptune,NJ
	USD / 811.00 (7 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 19:50:22
KRAMER AMERICAN NECK/FULLY BOUND/VERY RARE/VINTAGE 80s/BARETTA
	USD 149.95 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 18:10:07
Kramer Baretta "BEER KLINE" LOOK AT THIS RARE BEAUTY!!
	USD 1500.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 03:11:07

In the last few years boutique amps have fallen into favor quite a bit, but as a sub-segment of that “lunchbox” style amps have become even more popular with guitar players. When you think of a lunchbox style guitar amp the Vox Nightrain comes to mind, or the Mesa Transatlantic. But more than likely you’ve seen one of the little ZT amps, because they look just like a lunchbox with a speaker in it (basically the same size). These have been very popular little amps for a long time, and we’ve seen all kinds of manufacturers come out in the last year or two with little 5 watt amps now two. Kustom has a 5 watt stack, the Ephiphone valve junior has been around 5+ years, even Fender came out this year with a “pawn shop” series of amps.

The amp I’m reviewing today is one that just came on my radar – the ZT Lunchbox Combo. It’s basically the lunchbox amp concept taken to the next level. It’s a larger size, with a 12″ speaker, and the housing (the entire amp really) is just barely bigger than the speaker itself. This is a solid state amp boasting 200 watts, with just barebones features, treble, mid, bass, volume, and gain. It even has effects loop on the rear and 8 ohm supported speaker out.

If you read the reviews of this amp online you’ll find nearly everyone says that it’s very beefy sounding (which we found to be the case). This is despite the fact that it’s in very tiny metal housing and the entire unit is only 22 lbs. And yet at that size and weight it’s perfect (at 200 watts) for nearly any type of gig you might want to take it too.

Being a solid state amp, another thing you’ll find is that it’s VERY pedal friendly. I’ve heard some people say that this would make a good jazz amp, but I found it equally as useful for a country or rock guy in a working blues or wedding cover band. With the right pedals you can easily go from SRV to Judas Priest, and back to dance rock or Skynyrd. Some say that the covering on the metal starts to peel over time, but then again this thing is metal – and I haven’t owned a traditional amp that didn’t have some type of damage or tolex coming off in places.

Here’s a video with some blues rock through the ZT Lunchbox combo amp:

Here’s another video review that shows the combo along with the extension cab and some pedals:

You can find all kind of versions of this amp (small and combo, new and used) on ebay right now:

ZT Lunchbox 200W 1x6.5 Guitar Combo Amp
	USD 299.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 19:00:09
D2F Padded Cover for ZT Club 112 Combo Amplifier
	USD 55.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 15:23:21

If you’re been reading any of the guitar magazines over the last few years, odds are you’ve seen that ad with the shirtless gentleman with a handlebar mustache about to bare knuckle fist fight. It’s a great logo, and “Bare Knuckle Pickups” is just about the greatest description for a brand I could think of. There’s really no thinking about what they well, or what their pickups sound like – it speaks for itself.

Today we’re going to review the “Mule” humbucker pickups because I’ve been researching some options for PAF ’59 pickups. There are so many options, Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio, and even original Gibson re-issue PAF ’59′s. PAF is the famous “patent applied for” name given the pickups first made famous in Les Paul guitars – and the SG’s and others. They had a 100% nickel silver baseplate, maple spacers, and nickel plated slugs, and Alnico magnets.

So the question is – could a modern pickup sound as good as the original ’59 PAF? I want you to see something that floored me, check out this video from a parts guitar with The Mule pickups installed:

here’s another video of The Mule installed in a ’59 burst replica:

I’ll warn you now – they cost about $300 (and they’re worth every penny).

Here’s some on ebay right now:

I’ve been buying expensive guitar effects pedals for years. Fulltone, Visual Sound, TC Electronics, Voodo, Boss, DOD – and I’ve always steered away from cheap pedals (like Axion, Yamaha, Danelectro, etc.).

So I’m surfing ebay earlier this year for new pedals, and I come across this pedal company called “Joyo” out of China I’ve never heard of and it caught my eye because it had a JRC4588 chip like the old TS808 Ibanez Tube Screamers (AND I was looking to replace my old Yngvie Overdrive by DOD).

I did some googling, and a half dozen videos and reviews later I had ordered the “Joyo Vintage Overdrive” for a paltry $38 + shipping (new). I figured if it sucks, for that money – I can’t go wrong. In the reviews I liked the tone, it was solid construction, with true bypass – and every review was stellar.

Even though it pisses me off (as an American) – I have to give it to those bastards in China, this GD pedal is every bit as good as any vintage Tubescreamer I’ve ever tried. The construction is every bit as good (if not BETTER) than the old MXR pedals from the 80′s – the thing is just quality.

So I plug this thing in on my pedalboard, and I use mainly my Visual Sound Route 66 for distortion, and then the Joyo Vintage Overdrive over it for leads. It just sings, and (in my opinion) it’s so much better than the Yngwie preamp overdrive was I’d had for years.

I also use it a LOT on it’s own. Say you want the stones dirty clean sound, run this pedal by itself with the volume rolled back a bit and your Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Woman all day long!

You can View the Joyo Company website here

Here’s a Video review of the Joyo Vintage Overdrive with a Strat and an Orange amp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLbBL365eic

Here’s a video of a Gibson SG Standard and the Joyo Vintage overdrive (excellent video!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u03sihuos_Q

Best place to find the Joyo Vintage Overdrive is on eBay (just like I did). Just know that because there are a lot of people wanting these now some people are overcharging. Beware buying directly from Hong Kong and China – you might get burned. There’s a guy I buy from San Diego called “Slide Meister” who’s the cheapest and in the US. If you’re international, there’s a buy in Australia who sells them for great prices, and always bundles free stuff with them.

Joyo JF-01 Vintage Overdrive Pedal "True Bypass" Free Priority Mail Shipping
	USD 43.79 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 21:59:13
Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Tubescreamer Pedal, Great Tone, Original Box. New! NR!
	USD 30.00 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 03:05:29

This is a video review and demo of my Butler Silver Hammer guitar amp – which is a PTP (point to point) hand wired Plexi style amp. It’s like a Marshall Plexi, but the difference is that this amp actually has 2 channels (one clean, one overdrive), AND this amp has a master volume control on BOTH channels!

In the video I do a full walk through, including the controls on the front and the back, before doing a demo on each channel (straight in), and then I demo it with my pedalboard. Sorry about all the banter (some people complain that they just want to hear the amp, not all the specs), but I wanted to be sure to include everything I could think of for somebody actually interested in buying one of the amps.

Here’s the video of the Butler Silver Hammer built by Max Butler of Eaton Rapids, MI. If you’re interested in seeing more about his amps, visit www.MaxButlerAmps.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiQ9M8lisQ

I used a DOD digital effects pedal for years on a solid state amp, and one day a friend came over to jam – and he had his pedal board with him. He plugged it into one of my amps and we were playing some classic rock, and he was using this overdrive pedal that looked like home plate on a ball field. Actually, it had some scratchy pots – and he asked me if I would clean it for him.

Cleaning electronics isn’t my favorite thing, but I agreed to do it mainly just to have the pedal to play around with for a week or so. The version he had was from the 80′s or 90′s I believe, and the pedal was built like a tank. It looked like this one:

All I really did was take the pedal apart, and then spray the volume pots with De-Oxit (to take the scratchiness out), and then I tightened the input jacks a bit, and bent them in a tiny bit (to make the connections tighter). Then it was time to fire it up and check it out!

You can see in the image above that the Route 66 is actually two pedals in the same unit. You have an overdrive distortion pedal on the left, and a compressor on the right. Even though both pedals are in the same box, you just have one input and one output jack, and 3 separate pot controls for each, in addition to a switch.

First off, I want to point out that this pedal is still being made new (by Visual Sound) today, and it looks nearly the same, with the exception of the the raised backplate, and the broader foot control switches (that look like smushed mushrooms):

You can see in the image above that all knobs and controls are the same in both versions. I plugged the pedal into my tube amp, which at the time was a Carvin Legacy. I started with the overdrive side, and the drive and tone at about 2 o’clock, and the volume at 10 o’clock.

I have to say I immediately fell in love with the overdrive side of this pedal. Since testing this pedal, I have bought one for my own pedal board, and the settings are the exact same to this day. There is a “bass boost” switch (which I never use). You can swing the gain up or down and get from Tom Petty and ZZ top sounds, all the up to Metallica, Judas Priest, AC/DC – you truly have nearly every single American “classic rock” sound covered. With the volume you can choose to use it only as a straight overdrive, or to boost the signal for a lead / overdrive. Generally I use it as an distortion overdrive only – and I’ll tell you why next.

The other side of this pedal is a “compressor”. A compressor is an effect that “compresses” the signal and makes it louder. You can think of it as a boost, but it also gives it a bigger, fatter, rounder character as well. The compressor also has it’s own sustain, tone, and gain knobs. The switch is whether the tone is on or off. The sustain knob controls how compressed the signal is, the higher it is the longer the notes “sing”. The gain isn’t exactly an overdrive, but it does make the signal more dirty. So you can choose if the compressor is more of a dirty or clean boost for your signal.

The reason that this pedal is so unique, is because you can just use the clean channel on your amp, and then use the compressor to get a rolling stones type dirty sound. It’s also great for country, and even blues. On the other hand, you can use the overdrive side for an entire song “on”, and then hit the compressor for leads. This is great for that “little change in your pocket, going jang-a-lang-a-lang” type songs, or even heavier stuff. I also own a Tubeworks Realtube pedal that I use a lot that is more Bluesbreaker-ish – and I like to play with that on blues songs, but then use the Route 66 overdrive (with the Tubeworks pedal still on) for just searing, stinging leads.

I think it’s unbelievable that you can get the Route 66 for only $149 brand new, and compared to all the boutique pedals on the market, this thing is priced quite affordably for what you get. I’m a pedal addict, but I can’t get rid of this one no matter what I find. It just blends with any amp I use (solid state or tube), it sounds great with every guitar I own, and combines well with all other pedals I try it with. In the future I’ll review the other Visual Sound pedal that’s on my board.

You can get the Route 66 Pedal at Musician’s Friend:

Visual Sound V2 Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-4683
	USD / 110.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 17:54:06
Visual Sound RT66 Route 66 Overdrive and Compression Guitar Pedal
	USD 90.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 00:47:29
Visual Sound V2 Route 66 OD / Compression Guitar Effects Pedal PD-5718
	USD / 100.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 18:17:24
Visual Sound Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-4995
	USD / 95.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 12:10:12
Visual Sound Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-4869
	USD / 96.25 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 19:55:05
Visual Sound V2 Route 66 OD / Compression Pedal PD-5077
	USD / 113.75 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 20:23:46
Visual Sound V2 Route 66 Overdrive Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD / 125.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 15:47:33
Visual Sound Route 66 Effects Pedal
	USD / 222.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 01:52:49

This is my new Fender Thinline 72 RI (reissue):

The image is stock, I’ll post one of my playing it soon. I used to be a Gibson man, and I was kind of “anti-Fender”. I liked classic rock, metal, 80′s hair bands, modern rock. But the last couple years I’ve been heavy into the blues. It’s funny sometimes – as you age you learn to appreciate different types of music more. For the first time in my life I pretty much (now) understand how and why players use different configurations of Fender and Gibson guitars and amps. Now I use my volume knob (on the guitar), and I used to just play on “10″, and the only use the amp volume. Then again – I used to have solid state amps, and now I have really good boutique tube amps.

I like the Telecaster sound, by my main instrument for awhile now has been my Mexican Tele with a Seymour Duncan little ’59 in the bridge, and a single coil in the neck. There’s something about that configuration that just suits me. It’s not too light, dirty when I want it, but not muddy like a Les Paul. It’s great for nearly any type of music.

Last week I saw a guy on the local Craigslist had a ’72 RI Thinline Tele for sale, but he was willing to trade for the right guitar. One of the guitars he wanted was a Reverend, and I just happened to have one that wasn’t getting much use. In 1972 Fender put out a Thinline Telecaster (that I’ve been able to find) in 2 different types – “deluxe” and “custom”. The deluxe ’72 Tele is unique because it has 4 knobs (like a Gibson), 2 volume, and 2 tone – in addition to 2 “wide range” humbuckers. That, and the fact that the thinline has the signature F-hole tonebox on top for a slightly brighter sound.

So, I decided to setup an appt for a guitar swap – and the guy like my Reverend, and I liked his Tele. It had a C shaped neck a little fatter then my Mexican Tele, but was actually easier to play (for me). So I took it home and cranked it up, and if there’s anything I’ve learned the last few years it’s the fact that every guitar is different. The guy I bought it from said that he switched the pots out for 500K because it was (in his opinion) too “dark”. I don’t know about dark, but I like guitars with the 500K mod because the gain rolloff is different than with standard 250K volum pots.

On my Tele with the lil ’59 Seymour pickup it starts to get dirt around 5 or 6, and progresses up all the way to 10 until it’s full bore. On the new Thinline 72 I don’t start to get dirt until about 8 (on the same rig and pedals), and the sound at “10″ on the volume is a bit different (slightly more harsh). The “widerange” humbuckers are not what you’d expect. You’re not going to get a Gibson sound, but it’s not a single coil either. It’s not exactly like a P-90 (or as dark). The best way to describe it is a humbucker that has more clarity (and is more defined). The bridge is really bright, the neck pickup is really deep and ambient.

I love my Tele with the little ’59, but the thing about this Thinline is I can set the bridge pickup at one volume, and the neck pickup at another. Then I can go from neck rhythm to bridge leads with ease. With my other Tele it’s one volume for all.

There’s another Thinline back on the market now called the Thinline 69 RI:

You can see in the image above that the Thinline ’69 is a traditional Tele in both pickups and controls. It has the F-hole cutout, but the neckplate is a 3 bolt (where the ’72 RI is a 4 bolt neck).

I’m grateful to have this as a new addition to my guitar collection, you can find it at musicians friend for about $800 bucks:

Check Musician’s Friend Price for ’72 Thinline RI Deluxe

There are some decent auctions on the Thinline as well:

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe - Black Transparent
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 12:27:54
Fender Telecaster Thinline or Deluxe Bridge Plate,Owned Since 1982,Never used!!
	USD 19.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 18:33:20
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe (Black Transparent)
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 12:22:09
New Fender ® Modern Player Telecaster Tele Thinline Deluxe, 3-Color Sunburst
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 20:33:04
Fender Electric Guitars - Modern Player Telecaster(Tele) Thinline Deluxe
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 22:32:19
Fender Classic Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe - Tele Guitar (Black), NEW!
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 19:42:36
1972 FENDER TELECASTER CUSTOM/DELUXE/THINLINE GUITAR PICKUP SETH LOVER TELE USA
	USD 645.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 16:41:32
New Fender ® Classic Player Telecaster Tele Thinline Deluxe, Black
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 20:15:55
Fender Electric Guitars-Modern Player Thinline Deluxe Tele (Telecaster)-Sunburst
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 18:27:22
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe Elec 3 Color Sunburst Maple
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 06:06:07

Fender Thinline Telecaster '69 reissue MIM
	USD 470.00 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 01:30:53
Fender Special Edition Thinline Jaguar Electric Guitar Rosewood Fretboard Black
	USD 1499.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 15:08:24
Fender Telecaster Thinline Natural Electric Guitar Reissue 2005-2006 Mexico
	USD 299.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 21:56:15
Fender Modern Player Telecaster Thinline Deluxe - Black Transparent
	USD 449.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 12:27:54
Fender Jaguar Thinline Special Edition Great Price !
	USD 999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 21:32:57
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster® Thinline Ebony
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 16:27:02
Fender 2011 Licensed Allparts Maple Telecaster Thinline Neck
	USD / 88.99 (15 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 00:00:28
1972 VINTAGE FENDER TELECASTER THINLINE SUNBURST 1 OWNER GUITAR OHSC TELE
	USD 5595.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 14:45:04
Fender Telecaster Thinline ' 69 Reissue WITH Heavy Duty Case!
	USD / 525.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 01:53:50
Fender Squier Vintage Modified Thinline Telecaster Electric Guitar
	USD 249.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 04:09:17

To practice guitar quietly you need a “headphone guitar amp”.  In the privacy of your own bedroom or basement you can have an entire Marshall stack between your ears!  There are bunches of headphone guitar amps on the market right now, and many are just, well….very cheap!  That’s why we recommend a couple different units for you to check out..

It’s not just a chinsy personal guitar amp, it’s a “modeling” headphone amp.  It’s got effects that include Reverb, Chorus, and Delay.  It even has Phaser, Tremelo, and Wah!  In as far as amp models you can get a jazz combo all the way up to balls out metal crunch. 

The Vox Amplug

The first one is the “Vox Amplug“. The first time I saw this a friend brought it band practice. He actually had purchased a Vox amp, and got this headphone amp for free with it. He lived about an hour away from our practice space, and he came right from work to practice. His work was 30 minutes from his house, so he didn’t want to go home and load up all his gear (traveling one way in the car) and then double back to practice (traveling another way in the car). And he didn’t want to leave his amp his car all day. So he used to leave one guitar in the practice space, and then bring this headphone amp in his pocket.

I thought it was pretty funny, actually, at first. He would plug his guitar into the Vox Amplug, and then we’d use a 1/4″ to 1/8″ converter and plug it directly into the PA. Guess what – it worked just fine! I was always amazed with the preset channels how easy it was for him to just plugin and go. He could sound like Red Hot Chili Peppers one minute, and Metallica the next. This unit I personally recommend for bedroom practice or situations like the one we had at practice. It’s nice because it plugs directly into your guitar, and you plugin the headphones into that. As an added bonus, it has a mp3 or 1/8″ aux input – so you can plug your mp3 or CD player and practice alone with the music!

You might be able to find one used on eBay too:

VOX APTW AMPLUG TWIN HEADPHONE AMP "NEW" AMAZING TONE IN TINY PACKAGE!!
	USD 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 02:18:47

VOX AMPLUG APMT METAL HEADPHONE GUITAR AMP AP-MT
	USD 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 18:03:18

VOX AMPLUG AC30 PORTABLE HEADPHONE GUITAR AMP APAC
	USD 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 18:04:38

Vox amPlug Cabinet
	USD 29.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 15:06:16

Vox amPlug Cabinet
	USD 29.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 07:23:48

VOX AMPLUG METAL PLUG IN COMPACT GUITAR HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AUXILARY JACK NEW
	USD 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 00:35:14

Rockman Guitar Ace

My next choice would be the Rockman Guitar Ace. I don’t know how long they’ve been making this model, but I can remember Rockman headphone amps as far back as the 80′s. I don’t know for sure, but they might have been the first to make a guitar headphone amp. In any event, these are awesome units, they remind of of an 80′s walkman tape player. The only caveat here is with the Rockman you don’t have as many settings as the Vox Amplug. You get compression, volume control, and clean, or semi or heavy distortion.

ROCKMAN - Metal Ace, Headphone Amplifier
	USD 74.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 01:47:51

ROCKMAN GUITAR ACE headphone practice amplifier amp new
	USD 104.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 22:54:06

Tom Scholz of Boston rare Rockman Guitar Ace Portable Amplifier SR&D Made in USA
	USD 199.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 01:53:31

ROCKMAN GUITAR ACE PORTABLE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER TOM SCHOLZ SR&D AMP 3 SOUNDS USA
	USD 36.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 17:58:33

C Tech Pocket Rock-It S1

The last recommendation is the C Tech Pocket Rock-It S1 headphone amp. It’s a little cheaper than the rest, and it has a 1/4″ jack right on the back so it plugs right into your guitar. The advantage of this is that you can now plug your headphones into that, and you don’t need a cord at all to practice. It has the least features of the 3, but you do get one clean and 2 dirty channels, with EQ sliders for highs and mids. It’s a good deal for about $35 new.

If for some reason you didn’t like one of those 3 – like I said there are cheaper headphone amps out there, and you can get good deals on most of them on eBay – check out these auctions too…

NEW GUITAR HEADPHONE AMP & HEADPHONES - CLEAN TO METAL
	USD 23.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 03:37:31

PEAVEY TRANSTUBE RAGE 158 W/ HEADPHONES & VOICING FEATURE ELECTRIC GUITAR AMP
	USD / 24.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 00:00:41

NEW HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER FOR GUITAR & BASS FREE SHIPPING
	USD 29.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 23:40:38

VOX AMPLUG AC30 AMP PLUG COMPACT PLUG IN GUITAR HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER AUX JACK
	USD 35.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 01:06:18

VOX APTW AMPLUG TWIN HEADPHONE AMP "NEW" AMAZING TONE IN TINY PACKAGE!!
	USD 39.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 02:18:47

Practice Amp Studio Use Overdrive Headphone Out REAL AUCTION Starts at 1 CENT
	USD 0.01 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 03:29:07

NEW HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER WITH HEADSET HEADPHONES GUITAR OR BASS CLEAN TO METAL
	USD 23.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 00:46:51

VOX Amplug Headphone Amp Classic Rock Version
	USD 10.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 16:09:40

FENDER HEADPHONE AMP AMPLIFIER GUITAR Hello Kitty new & cheap!
	USD 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 02:10:10

Vox AC30 amPlug Headphone Amp
	USD 11.50 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 15:04:45

Seems like everyone and their brother has a “signature guitar” anymore. You seem them from time to time in Guitar Center or the latest Musician’s Friend catalog, but never all at once. The kind of seem to come and go. I decided to list my favorite signature guitar models all at once for you to check out. These are my favorites from Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, Michael Schenker, Tony Iommi, Zakk Wylde, George Lynch, Kirk Hammett, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, Slash, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Randy Rhoads, John Petrucci, Angus Young, and Steve Morse. I wish I had them all!

Van Halen Wolfgang Signature Guitars

EVH Wolfgang Special Stealth Hard Tail Satin Black with HSC HT Van Halen USED
	USD / 590.00 (23 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 17:52:25

EVH Wolfgang Special HT Electric Guitar Basswood Birdseye Maple FB Black
	USD 1099.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 19:59:29

EVH Wolfgang Special Gloss Black, FR,DTuna,Case,mint
	USD 575.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 15:21:21

1999 PEAVEY WOLFGANG EVH ARCHTOP RED FLAMED D-TUNA GUITAR & CASE EDDIE VAN HALEN
	USD 1599.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 15:41:40

Dave Mustaine Signature Guitars

DEAN GUITARS ZERO DAVE MUSTAINE - ANGEL OF DETH II ELECTRIC GUITAR
	USD 279.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 19:51:11

Dean USA Dave Mustaine Series Double Neck NAMM 2012 TMS AUDIO|CNY - AUCTION!
	USD 1999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 17:15:00

ESP LTD DV8-R DAVE MUSTAINE Electric Guitar
	USD 695.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 02:22:58

Dean Dave Mustaine VMNT Signature Fear Flying V Electric Guitar with Case
	USD 649.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 22:36:44

Dimebag Darrell Signature Guitars

Dimebag Darrell tribute art guitar by Ace Frehley
	USD 25000.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 17:38:11

WASHBURN DIMEBAG DARRELL SIGNATURE MODEL DIME MODEL 333 (466)
	USD 699.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 18:31:42

MARCH 2005 GUITAR WORLD -DIMEBAG DARRELL ABBOTT TRIBUTE-MAGAZINE & CD-NEW IN PK
	USD / 30.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 02:53:10

Dean Razorback Dimebag Darrell Electric Guitar Floyd Rose Lone Star w Case
	USD 499.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 00:38:42

Michael Schenker Signature Guitars

DEAN MICHAEL SCHENKER V "STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT"
	USD 449.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 18:38:08

Dean Guitars Michael Schenker Strangers In The Night Electric Guitar
	USD 339.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 15:55:30

New Dean Michael Schenker Standard in original box, with all access.Never played
	USD 299.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 15:29:30

Dean Michael Schenker Strangers In The Night Electric Guitar w Set Mahogany Neck
	USD 599.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 16:53:12

Tony Iommi Signature Guitars

2011 Epiphone Tony Iommi Signature G-400 Electric Guitar- Excellent! (4167)
	USD 332.45 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 21:00:57

2001 Gibson Tony Iommi Signature SG w/ HSC
	USD 500.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 22:11:25

TONY IOMMI G400 GIBSON SG MOP Guitar Decal Inlay Set
	USD 19.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 04:11:24

Gibson Melody Maker SG Custom Electric Guitar Black Sabbath Tony Iommi Ozzy New
	USD 499.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 19:47:17

Zakk Wylde Signature Guitars

Epiphone Les Paul Zakk Wylde Camo Bullseye Guitar w/ Hardcase
	USD 400.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 00:02:30

Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul w/ Epiphone Case!
	USD 650.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 12:38:13

Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul WEE Guitar *REPAIR
	USD 49.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 02:12:05

GHS ZAKK WYLDE ELECTRIC GUITAR STRINGS LOW 11-70 3 SETS
	USD 11.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 16:26:36

George Lynch Signature Guitars

George Lynch Reh Guitar, Quilt top, DeMartini Performance Guitar Maple Neck
	USD 1800.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 17:03:54

ESP/LTD George Lynch Tiger GL200MT
	USD 350.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 00:40:52

DOKKEN GEORGE LYNCH GUITAR PRINT AD
	USD 5.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 23:13:50

ESP Neck - Reverse Headstock - George Lynch - Never Mounted 42mm nut width
	USD 510.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 14:27:07

Kirk Hammett Signature Guitars

2011 ESP Kirk Hammett Signature KH-2 Vintage Guitar
	USD 2999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 13:14:58

METALLICA KIRK HAMMETT Signature ESP / LTD Electric Guitar
	USD 535.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 23:49:12

Gibson Custom Shop Kirk Hammett Aged and Signed Flying V Only 50 Made !!!
	USD 6350.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 22:49:57

NO RESERVE... New MEtaLLica Kirk Hammett Junior w/Softcase
	USD 52.00 (14 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 05:00:19

Buddy Guy Signature Guitars

Fender Buddy Guy Stratocaster Polka Dot w/ Gig Bag
	USD 579.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 07:31:04

Fender Artist Series Buddy Guy Stratocaster USA-Made Honey Blonde - MINT
	USD / 1400.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 03:21:14

BUDDY GUY! 2008 TOUR GUITAR ARMY GREEN T-SHIRT XL NEW!
	USD 13.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 17:42:57

Fender Buddy Guy Stratocaster Electric Guitar
	USD 52.00 (14 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 21:03:59

Eric Clapton Signature Guitars

Fender® Eric Clapton Stratocaster Mid Boost Preamp Kit #0057577000 Brand new
	USD 54.89 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 19:05:07

FENDER ERIC CLAPTON SIGNATURE STRATOCASTER WHITE!! MINT W/NOISELESS PICKUPS
	USD 1080.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 01:21:11

Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster Olympic White Maple American made NEW w Case
	USD 1475.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 19:44:30

Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster Olympic White Strat w/ Tweed Case
	USD 917.51 (21 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 00:00:35

Eric Johnson Signature Guitars

Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Strat Rosewood FB Lucerne Aqua Firemist Mint
	USD 1539.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 19:07:11

Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster electric guitar case included, no reserve
	USD 984.00 (8 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 00:30:48

Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Strat Electric Guitar
	USD 1699.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 18:49:40

Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Rosewood Bound Fingerboard Strat Palomino! NR!
	USD 910.00 (13 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 00:23:51

Jeff Beck Signature Guitars

Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Jeff Beck 1954 Oxblood Reissue Aged,Signed Played
	USD 17450.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 21:03:31

Fender USA Deluxe Artist Series Jeff Beck Stratocaster Body No Reserve!
	USD 250.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 21:36:09

Fender Jeff Beck Hot Noiseless Loaded Pickguard White / Aged White
	USD 199.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 22:40:20

1991 Fender JEFF BECK ARTIST STRATOCASTER with Strat Plus Body; Huge, Fat Neck
	USD 1250.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 01:40:00

Steve Vai Signature Guitars

*THE REAL DEAL = IBANEZ STEVE VAI JEM w/SCHON FERNANDES/DIMARZIO SUSTAINER SETUP
	USD 2100.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 20:12:26

99 Ibanez Universe UV777 w Hardshell Case Steve Vai 7 String
	USD / 1249.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 04:19:10

Ibanez UV777 Steve Vai Universe 7 String Guitar UV-777 w/ OHSC
	USD 1479.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 17:42:01

**BRAND NEW**2011** IBANEZ JEM 7V PRESTIGE***STEVE VAI SIGNATURE W/HARD CASE***
	USD 1800.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 04:16:35

Joe Satriani Signature Guitars

IBANEZ JS20TH Joe SATRIANI 20th Anniversary Guitar Ltd Ed w/ Flight Case + Candy
	USD 3999.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 00:34:15

Ibanez JS100 Joe Satriani Electric Guitar - USED IN GOOD CONDITION!
	USD 499.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 01:00:41

Ibanez JS100 Joe Satriani - Electric Guitar (Transparent Red Finish) NEW!
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 16:39:35

Ibanez Joe Satriani Crystal Planet Guitar Limited with Case Super Shape
	USD 5699.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-23 16:07:58

Randy Rhoads Signature Guitars

Epiphone Demon V Electric Guitar Limited Edition U01060342 Randy Rhoads Red
	USD 15.50 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 02:30:39

2000 JACKSON RR7 RANDY RHOADS 7 STRING @ RARE @ CANDY BLUE @ SHRED MASTER @ OHSC
	USD 499.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 15:12:51

JACKSON USA VINTAGE!! randy rhoads guitar
	USD 2800.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-20 07:31:58

JACKSON RANDY RHOADS Electric Guitar with FLOYD ROSE
	USD 499.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 02:23:13

John Petrucci Signature Guitars

Sterling Music Man JP60 John Petrucci Guitar PRB used
	USD 544.50 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 20:07:10

*********2012 JOHN PETRUCCI**** music man JPX 6***** NEW UNPLAYED*********
	USD 1899.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 04:17:44

Music Man John Petrucci JP12 7-string in Cherry Sugar w/OHSC: Brand New!
	USD / 2590.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 22:44:01

Ernie Ball Music Man JP6(John Petrucci 6) Mystic Dream Piezo Bridge
	USD 1525.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 01:24:00

Steve Morse Signature Guitars

Ernie Ball Musicman Steve Morse SM-Y2D Floyd Rose USA Made Sunburst Flame Top
	USD 1599.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 14:46:47

Ernie Ball MusicMan Music Man Rare Steve Morse Dargie Delight guitar
	USD 2099.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 03:01:04

20th Century Guitar Magazine (June 2004) Steve Morse
	USD 6.36 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 23:05:15

Guitar Player MAY 2002 STEVE MORSE ERIC SARDINAS JUCIFER THE WORD - VERY GOOD
	USD 4.80 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-24 00:53:30

John 5 Signature Guitars

*NEW* Fender Fender John 5 J5 Acoustic guitar Black
	USD 629.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-25 15:29:07

Marilyn Manson John 5 Autographed Signed Guitar & Proof PSA UACC RD COA
	USD 437.40 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-18 23:33:46

Fender John 5 J5 Triple Tele DELUXE NECK LOCKING TUNERS
	USD 369.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 01:29:04

2003 Gibson Custom Shop Charlie Christian pickup for es 350 L7 L5 John Lennon LP
	USD 410.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 14:26:33

Angus Young Signature Guitars

ANGUS YOUNG LIGHTENING BOLT MOP Guitar Decal Inlays
	USD 19.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 20:50:21

Gibson SG Angus Young Model
	USD 1600.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-19 13:40:50

GUITAR SCHOOL MAGAZINE AC/DC ANGUS YOUNG JAN. 1991 RARE
	USD 4.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-22 19:37:58

GIBSON SG ANGUS YOUNG (MADE IN USA) SIGNITURE GUITAR w/ ORIGINAL ACDC CASE
	USD 1350.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-05-21 02:35:16

This is the information I wish I would have had about new fangled guitar modeling pedals versus traditional stomp boxes (before I burned up 2 amps!).

I’m 39 years old, and I grew up in the 80′s when effects mainly consisted of a Boss Distortion and maybe a chorus or a flanger. I knew guitar players that had more money that maybe had a delay or something, but many of us just plugged straight into the amp. Most of us had Peavey or Crate amps, there was only one guy who had a Marshall – and he was the local “guitar god” if you know what I mean. When I was 25 I quit playing and sold my equipment to pursue family, career, and the American dream.

Fast forward to 2003 when, at the age of 35 – I decided it was a good time to get back into music. At first I had a cheap guitar and a practice amp. Not much different than when I was a kid I guess. Then I bought a Marshall (Valvestate) 65W combo amp and just played straight through that. It had some built in chorus and reverb effects – so it wasn’t so bad. It even had an overdrive channel.

I started a cover band and that setup was ok at first, but in a cover band there are so many songs in different genres that you need a lot of different tones and sounds to make it sound right. I was in the store looking for some new stompboxes when the owner showed me a Digitech “modeling pedal”. He explained that the little computer chip inside contained nearly all the effects one could ever need – it was like 50 stomp boxes in one. He also talked about 50 “amp models” – something I really didn’t understand. It seemed like quite the deal for $89 (basically the price of a single stomp box) – so I bought it and took it home.

At first this was a real piece of work, I plugged my guitar into the box and ran it out into the effects loop in the back of my Marshall. Most of the preset effects were awful, and just made my amp feedback and squeal no matter what I did. The way these units work, there are preset “patches” with loaded sounds you can try. My digitech unit had 64 patches, 32 – each loaded twice. You were supposed to program over a set of them with your own preferences. When I started creating my own patches, I just set some up with individual effects, like chorus, delay, reverb, trememlo, etc.

After about 6 months of playing that way I discovered some of the “amp models”. I found that if I took the one that emulated a Fender Hot Rod Deville amp and cut the volume (in the pedal) down to about half, and through the effects loop of the Marshall ran the effects blend volume at 60% I could get an absolutely awesome classic rock sound! About a month later I added an overdrive pedal and connected the digitech to that, so I had both running together through the effects loop of the Marshall.

I had a lot of intermittent problems with my Marshall for the next 6-12 months. Sometimes it would quit working and it would “come back” minutes later – and sometimes I would have to turn it off and back on before it would. After about a year it just died, and when you turned it on it either squealed or just had nearly no volume at all. I bought a Marshall (Valvestate) head and a 4×12 bottom and began to use that instead. After a few months it started giving me trouble too. I took it in and had all the pots cleaned (which helped), but then it started cutting out and clipping a lot. I took it back in and they said they fixed something, but when I took it home and plugged everything in to practice it started to smoke big time! I turned it off just before it appeared to nearly catch on fire. When I took it back the next day – they replaced all the main transistors.

I didn’t play it as much for awhile, and took my Valvestate combo back to have it revived from the dead. The amp tech told me the preamp was burned out and needed to be rebuilt – so I had that done. When I went to pick the amp up I started asking questions about whey the preamp would go out and described my setup to the tech. It was during that conversation that I realized I had blown up 2 amps – and didn’t even know it.

A traditional effects pedal or stompbox can be used in an “effects loop” or direct through the front of an amp. Straight through the front the effect is just added to the total sound. But by using the “effects loop” you add the effect to only the pre-amp, and you can choose the level of the effect before it gets to the main portion of the amp. This is great if you want to choose how mild or harsh the effect will be added into the total sound. What I didn’t know and what the “modeling pedal” (and Marshall) instructions failed to say was that – modeling pedals aren’t meant to be run through effects loops – EVER! Modeling pedals are supposed to go straight into the front of the amp – ONLY!

The problem is this, in a modeling pedal the “patch” contains both an amp model and effects. These together, going through an effects loop “drive” (or overdrives) the pre-amp before the signal even gets to the main part of the amp. The end result sound is great, but too much for the amp (slowly burning out the preamp!). In a tube amp, it would just get hot and start clipping. Once you turn it off and it cools down, you could turn it back on and do it again over and over without damaging the amp. But my (Valvestate) amps are solid-state, and while there’s a governer in the main part of the amp that protects it from burning up during clipping, the pre-amp doesn’t have one. Hence the reason I burned up my pre-amp!

So, once I learned this when I went home I plugged my digitech modeling pedal straight into the clean channel of my Marshall and started to play around. All the pre-set effects now sound great with no squealing! I even downloaded some patches from the Digitech forum and using the amp models was able to get some great Van Halen, Weezer, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Ozzy, and U2 sounds!

After doing some research online about modeling pedals, and now having gone through the good bad and the ugly with them – I can honestly say that as a guitar player they take a lot more getting used to than a traditional stomp box. With stomp boxes (other than the settings for each box) they are either “on” or “off” and that’s it. In a modeling pedal you have a “patch” that is basically a pre-set that can contain your amp model, an amp cabinet (speakers), the intensity of the amp model, the volume of the patch, any effects (chorus, delay, reverb, etc), and even some EQ – like bass, mid, or highs. You may have to setup a dozen patches for sounds you like, one for lead, one for rhythm, one for clean, etc. I found that I had 2-3 for different classic rock songs, some for harder rock, and quite a few for clean.

Guitar modeling pedals take TONS more time to setup at first, but are much more versatile in the end result. The CON is that if you love the natural distortion or tone of your amp – you won’t get to hear it using the modeling pedal. Having said that – having a good amp with quality speakers is kind of key to getting a good sound with a modeling pedal. If you have a cheap amp with cheap speakers, a modeling pedal will not make it sound good. You’ll just have a good sounding model through tinny speakers. So you still need a quality amp, it’s just not as important that you have a $3,000 Mesa Boogie or Bogner, a lower end Marshall or Fender will do just fine.

There are dozens of options for modeling pedals, and in the coming posts I will review them all – starting with the end all be all of live modeling rigs – the POD XT Live and POD X3 Live – which I now use, all coming up in the next post.