Contact: Musamaailma
Tokai LS-100F Pearly Gates – The Kitarablogi-video
Testi tulossa +++ Working on a review +++ Tokai LS-200F-5A
TOKAI LS-200F-5A
• Very limited edition
• Handcrafted in Japan
• AAAAA flame maple top
• Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbucker set
• Push/push switches in tone controls for coil-splitting
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Demo Track
• Rhythm guitar – both pickups in split mode
• Lead guitar – starts with split neck pickup; second pass with full neck pickup
• Amp used – Juketone True Blood (handwired 5F1 Champ-clone)
• Recorded with a Shure SM57
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Contact: Tokai Guitars Nordic
Testi tulossa –– Review coming soon –– Tokai LS-100F Pearly Gates
Tokai LS-100F Pearly Gates
• Handcrafted in Japan
• Les Paul Standard replica
• Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickup set
• Case included
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Demo Track
• All guitar tracks recorded with the Tokai LS-100F Pearly Gates
• Amps used: Blackstar HT-1R & Juketone True Blood
• Effects used: Boss SD-1, Joyo Analog Chorus, Morley M2 Wah/Volume
Contact/Lisätiedot: Musamaailma
Testipenkissä: Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 Combo
Kuvitellaan, että olemme läsnä Fender vahvistinosaston aivoriihessä lämpimässä Kaliforniassa, syksyllä 1966. Sessiossa on tarkoitus ideoida uutta vahvistinsarjaa.
Yksi osallistujista sanoo: ”Hei, tyypit. Jotenkin alkaa tympiä se, että teemme koko ajan vain vahvistimia country-kitaristeille ja tylsille viihdyttäjille. Miten olisi, jos tekisimme sarjan kitaravahvistimia, joissa olisi vähän enemmän ’munaa’ Blues- ja Rock-väelle? Kuulin pienestä englantilaisesta firmasta, joka rakentaa tuunattuja Bassman-kopioita, ja jengi tykkää. Meilläkin pitäisi olla tällaisia hot-rod-vahvistimia!”
Tällaista kokousta ei koskaan pidetty…
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Uusi Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 -kombo (suositushinta: 799 €) olisi voinut olla tämän kuvitteellisen aivoriihen tulos.
Fenderin Bassbreaker 18/30 on kuin se olisi ilmestynyt jostain rinnakkaistodellisuudesta, jossa firma olisi 60-luvun lopulla päättänyt valmistaa amerikkalaisia putkivahvistimia selvällä ”brittikorostuksella”.
Uutuus on kahdella 12-tuumaisella elementillä varustettu Fender-kombo uudella, tyylikkäällä Gray Tweed -päällysteellä. Kaiutinkotelo on rakennettu laadukkaasta koivuvanerista, minkä ansiosta isokokoisen kombon paino jää alle 23 kilon.
Bassbreakerin mallitunnus ”18/30” viittaa siihen, että kombon kaksi kanavaa ovat käytännössä kaksi erillistä vahvistinta:
Ykköskanava (Channel One) perustuu Fender Blackface Deluxe -vahvistimeen, ja sen pääteteho on 30 wattia. Kakkoskanava (Channel Two) sen sijaan on kevyesti modattu versio hieman aikaisemmasta, ruskeasta Deluxesta. Kakkoskanavan pääteteho on 18 wattia.
Uusi Bassbreaker on A/B-luokan täysputkivahvistin puolijohdetasasuuntajalla.
Etuaste on rakennettu kahden 12AX7-putken ympärille, kun taas pääte saa tehonsa neljästä EL84-putkesta. EL84 mielletään yleisesti brittivahvistimiin – perinteisesti Fenkuissa, kuten muissakin jenkkivahvistimissa, käytetään 6V6- tai 6L6-pääteputkia.
Takapaneelista löytyy lisäkaappilähdön ja linjalähdön (päätevahvistimen jälkeen) lisäksi myös jakki pakettiin kuuluvalle jalkakytkimelle.
”Brittipäätteen” lisäksi Bassbreaker 18/30 -kombossa myös kaiutinvalinta on ei-perinteinen. 60-luvun Fendereistä tuttujen Jensen- tai JBL-kaiuttimien sijaan uutuusvahvistimeen on asennettu pari 12-tuumaista Celestion V-Type -kaiutinta.
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Ykköskanavan (”Blackface”) enimmäkseen puhtaita soundeja varten on varattu kolmialueinen taajuuskorjainosasto, kun taas kakkoskanavasta (”Brownface”) löytyy ainoastaan yksi Tone-säädin.
Tärkein asia ensin – Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 on uskomattoman kovaääninen! Kyseessä on aito non-master-volume-putkikone, joka liikkuu samassa teholuokassa esimerkiksi Marshall 1962 Bluesbreakerin tai Vox AC30:n kanssa.
Kerrostaloasuntoon 18/30 ei todellakaan sovi, koska kakkoskanavan herkulliset särösoundit heräävät henkiin vain kovalla volyymillä. Ja tämä vaikka kombo toimiikin silloin ainoastaan kahdella pääteputkella, minkä vuoksi teho laskee 18 wattiin ja päätevahvistimen puhdas headroom on hyvinkin rajallinen.
Jos Bassbreaker-mallisto kiinnostaa, mutta tämän kombon äänekkyys ei tunnu sopivan käyttötarkoitukseen, kannattaa kokeilla saman sarjan Bassbreaker 15 -komboa, jossa on mm. master volume -säädin.
Pienillä Volume-asetuksilla molemmista Bassbreaker 18/30 –kanavista saa puhtaita soundeja. Channel One on kaksikosta se helisevämpi ja kirkkaampi, kun taas Channel Two on hieman pyöreämpi ja rouheampi. EL84-pääteputkien ja Celestion-kaiuttimien ansiosta uutuuskombon perussoundi ei ole pikkutarkka kopio firman vanhoista klassikkomalleista, vaan todella herkullinen sekoitus 1960-luvun Fender-soundeista ja perinteisten brittikombojen keskialueen murinasta ja potkusta.
Tässä lyhyt pätkä puhtailla asetuksilla (molemmat volume-säätimet kello yhdeksän ja kymmenen välillä), vaahterakaulaisella Fender Stratocasterilla soitettuna:
Demobiisissä soi kaksi komppikitaraa – Gibson Les Paul Junior (Channel One, oikea stereokanava) ja Fender Telecaster (Channel Two, vasemmalta) – sekä Epiphone Les Paul Standard -kitaralla (vintage-tyylisillä EMG HZ -mikrofoneilla) soitettu soolokitara (Channel Two, volume-säädin kello kolme):
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Fenderin Bassbreaker 18/30 on oikein mainio ja kovaääninen putkivahvistin sellaisille Blues- ja Rock-kitaristeille, jotka tietävät miten non-master-volume-vahvistimien kanssa tullaan toimeen. Uudessa 18/30:ssa yhdistyvät 60-luvun Fender-kombojen parhaat ominaisuudet ja saman aikakauden brittiklassikkojen lihaksikkaan rouhea asenne.
Bassbreaker 18/30 -kombo ei sovi olohuoneen harjoittelukumppaniksi, ja myös kotistudioon se voi osoitauttua liian kovaääniseksi. Tämä on pro-luokan putkivahvistin, joka on tarkoitettu livekäyttöön sellaisissa paikoissa (ja bändeissä), joissa kitaristia ei alituiseen kehoteta soittamaan hiljempaa.
*****
Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 Combo
suositushinta: 799 €
Lisätiedot: Fender
Paljon kiitoksia DLX Musiikille testivahvistimen lainaamisesta!
Plussat:
+ työnjälki
+ tyylikäs ulkonäkö
+ kotelo koivuvanerista
+ soundi
+ isotehoinen
Miinukset:
– isotehoinen
Review: Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 Combo
Imagine a brainstorming session at Fender R&D in sunny California, sometime in late 1966. The brief of the day is to come up with a new guitar amplifier.
One of the guys speaks up: ”I’m kinda bored of sparkling TV cowboys and clean-cut entertainers. How about we design an amp for the Blues and Rock players? I’ve heard some little company in England has been doing a sort of Bassman-on-steroids thing, and it seems to catch on. We should try to come up with something that really rocks, too!”
In reality that meeting never took place, but what if it had?
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The new Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 Combo (list price in Finland: 799 €) could well have been the result of our imaginary R&D session.
The Bassbreaker 18/30 is like a visitor from a parallel universe, in which Fender has taken a turn in the mid-Sixties to design guitar amplifiers with a distinctly British accent.
This is a 2 x 12 Fender combo with a cool new trim, called Gray Tweed. The cabinet is built from birch ply, resulting in a combo with a still-manageable weight of just below 23 kg.
The Bassbreaker 18/30’s model name hints at the fact that this amp features two different Fender designs in one package:
Channel One of this two-channel amplifier is based on a Blackface Fender Deluxe and gives you 30 watts of output power. Channel Two on the other hand has been lifted from the earlier brown version of the Deluxe combo, and puts out 18 watts.
The Bassbreaker is an all-valve guitar amp with solid-state rectification, and it runs in Class A/B.
The preamp section is designed around a pair of 12AX7s, while the power amp uses a quartet of EL84s, instead of Fender’s more traditional 6V6 or 6L6 power tubes.
The back panel sports jack sockets for the channel-switching footswitch (included, as is an amp cover), external speaker cabinets, and a post power amp line level output.
In addition to the more ”British accent” of the Bassbreaker 18/30’s power amp valves, Fender has also opted for a pair of chunky 12-inch Celestion V-Type speakers, instead of the Jensen and JBL models the company favoured in the 1960s.
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The 18/30’s Channel One – the Blackface channel – offers you a full three-band EQ-section for your clean tones, while Channel Two (”Brownface”) is more spartan with its single tone control.
First, let me stress that the Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 is really very loud! This is a non-master volume tube combo, which lies in the same ballpark as similar amps, such as the Marshall 1962 Bluesbreaker or Vox AC30 combos, when it comes to sheer sound pressure levels.
The 18/30 really isn’t meant for living room use, because you need to raise Channel Two’s volume substantially, if you want to enjoy the combo’s tasty dirt. And this is despite the fact that this Bassbreaker combo shuts off two of its power tubes, whenever you engage Channel Two, in order to drop the amp’s headroom so it will distort earlier.
If high volume is an issue, but you still want a piece of that Bassbreaker action, I’d suggest you check out the Bassbreaker 15 combo, which comes with a master volume control.
At low volume settings both Bassbreaker 18/30 channels will give you clean tones, with Channel One having a brighter and more chimey voice, and Channel Two sounding a bit earthier. Thanks to the EL84 power amp, this isn’t your traditional Fender combo, but rather a mix of Fender character and UK-style mid-range growl and attitude.
Here’s a short clip of both channels set to clean (volumes between 9 and 10 o’clock) and played with a maple neck Stratocaster:
The demo song features two rhythm guitars – a Gibson Les Paul Junior (Channel One, stereo right) and a Fender Telecaster (Channel Two, stereo left) – and a lead guitar part, that has been played on an Epiphone Les Paul Standard with vintage-type EMG HZ-pickups through Channel Two (volume at 3 o’clock):
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Fender’s Bassbreaker 18/30 is a great-sounding guitar combo for the Blues and Rock guitarist, who knows how to coax great tones from an in-your-face non-master valve amp. The 18/30 manages to combine the best aspects of 1960s Fender amps with the chunk and grit usually associated with British designs.
The Bassbreaker 18/30 is too loud to be used as a bedroom or home studio amp. This combo has been designed as a professional tool for the gigging guitarist, who doesn’t have to ”turn it down” all the time.
*****
Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 Combo
MSRP: 799 €
Contact: Fender
A big thank you to DLX Music Helsinki for the loan of the review combo!
Pros:
+ workmanship
+ design
+ birch-ply cabinet
+ sound
+ high volume levels
Cons:
– high volume levels
Now on SoundCloud: Fender Bassbreaker 18/30
Fender Bassbreaker
• Two-channel all-valve combo with solid-state rectification
• Channel 1 – 30 watts Blackface Deluxe-style
• Channel 2 – 18 watts Brown Deluxe-style
• Two 12″ Celestion V-Type speakers
• Two 12AX7 + four EL84
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Demo Song
• Rhythm guitars: Fender Telecaster on channel 2 (left) & Gibson Les Paul Junior on channel 1 (right); both channel volumes at 10 o’clock
• Lead guitar: Epiphone Les Paul Standard with vintage-style EMG HZ-pickups; channel 2, volume at 3 o’clock
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Clean Sounds
• Maple-neck Fender Stratocaster (middle + bridge PUs); both channel volumes at 9 o’clock
Contact: Fender
Review: ESP LTD Thinline TL-6Z, TL-4Z + TL-6N
Playing an acoustic guitar live on stage in a Rock/Pop-band setting is not as easy as one might think. A large acoustic body that has a floor monitor pointing straight at it is a recipe for howling feedback.
There are ways to lessen the danger of feedback, like applying equalisation in strategic frequency bands or using a mechanical sound-hole plug, but the easiest road to pursue, by far, is using a thinline (or even solid-body) acoustic guitar onstage.
ESP offers a model range for just this purpose, called LTD TL (TL = Thinline):
The steel-string acoustic guitar goes by the model name TL-6.
The bass guitar is called TL-4.
And there’s the TL-6N, a nylon-string acoustic guitar.
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Kitarablogi received the bass and steel-string models in their most visually stunning versions – the ESP LTD TL-6Z (650 €) and the LTD TL-4Z (682 €).
Both instruments sport zebrano tops. Zebrano is an African hardwood with a very striking wood grain that is reminiscent of a zebra’s stripes (hence the name). Zebrano has been in use since the 1990s in some boutique-grade bass guitars, but it has recently been adopted for more and more acoustic guitars and ukuleles, too.
The TL-6 is also available in a plainer, maple-topped version (in natural or black).
The nylon-string LTD TL-6N (625 €) comes with a maple top, either with a gloss natural or a piano black finish (as reviewed).
These instruments aren’t super shallow acoustic instruments, instead LTD’s TL-range features genuine thinline construction.
The bodies are based on solid mahogany backs, which have large areas routed out from the front before the top is glued into place. A ”centre block” is left standing from beneath the bridge all the way to the end of the body.
A body chamfer next to the neck heel makes reaching the top frets a little easier.
The mahogany neck is glued together from three long side-by-side strips.
All TL-instruments come with quality tuning machines:
The steel-string instruments use Grover machine heads.
LTD’s TL-6N sports a set of open Hauser-style tuners.
On the TL-6Z the strings are fed through the back part of the rosewood bridge, which makes for much faster and easier restringing than a traditional pin bridge.
We find through-body stringing (with back ferrules) on the TL-4Z bass.
It’s traditional knot-stringing for the nylon-string version (TL-6N).
All top nuts and compensated bridge saddles on these TL-Series instruments are made from Graph Tech’s high-quality NuBone material, a man-made alternative to bovine bone.
Both the TL-4Z and TL-6Z come with a Fishman under-saddle-transducer and a TL-3 preamp.
The Fishman TL-3 features a built-in chromatic tuner and a three-band EQ section.
For the nylon-string guitar ESP has chosen B-Band’s T7 system, which features a tuner, a three-band EQ section, and a feedback-reducing phase reverse-switch.
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Our review sample of the TL-6Z was the lightest guitar of the trio. Its thin body (5 cm) makes it sit nicely in your lap. This guitar’s strapped-on balance is also very good.
ESP call the neck profile a Thin U – I’d say the neck feels very comfortable, with a nicely rounded, not-too-thick cross section.
You can’t say anything negative about the workmanship on this guitar – this is a cleanly built guitar with a great feel, not least because of the smooth fret job.
Played unplugged, the TL-6Z isn’t very loud. In terms of volume it is on a par with an ES-335-style semi.
Plug the TL-6Z in, though, and it really comes alive. This is what this LTD is meant for, and the guitar delivers a quality piezo sound with plenty of dynamics:
The LTD TL-4Z-bass is a well-made quality instrument, and plays great.
The TL-4Z’s neck profile is similar to that of a Jazz Bass, but the LTD’s jumbo frets and flatter-than-vintage fretboard radius take this bass into a much more modern direction.
The basic amped-up sound of this bass is fantastic. Our review sample suffered from a mild volume reduction in the g-string’s output level, though. Usually, problems like this one are caused by a tiny piece of wood, caught between the underside of the bridge saddle and the surface of the piezo pickup, which prevents the bridge saddle from making full contact with the pickup. In most cases this is very easy to remedy.
As a builder of thinline classical guitars you have the choice between two options:
Some manufacturers equip a guitar of this type with an electric or steel-string neck, to make it easier for an occasional nylon-string user to switch between different types of guitar.
ESP has gone for the second option, namely for making a thinline instrument with a neck that feels like the neck of a full-blown classical guitar. The LTD-6N has the wide and flat neck profile so typical of most traditional nylon-string acoustics. In my opinion this is a good choice, because the neck profile has a bearing on how you approach and play such a guitar. This is a thinline classical that feels ”real”.
Because of the much lower string-pull of nylon strings – when compared to steel strings – the TL-6N is the quietest instrument of this trio, when played unplugged.
The TL-6N will win you over with its tasty amplified voice, though. The B-Band pickup system is a fantastic choice for a nylon-string guitar, because the B-Band pickup – which works similar to an electret microphone – won’t give you any of that infamous piezo quack, which tends to make nylon-string guitars sound rather annoying.
Here are two different versions of the demo song:
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In my view, ESP’s LTD TL-Series is a great choice if you want to add acoustic guitar tones to your onstage arsenal.
The TL-Series features instruments that combine stylish looks, great playability and quality electronics into instruments, which will give you a fine range of acoustic tones in a live setting, combined with a far lower susceptibility to feedback.
****
LTD Thinline TL-6Z, TL-4Z + TL-6N
TL-6Z: 650 €
TL-4Z: 682 €
TL-6N: 625 €
Finnish distributor: Musamaailma
****
Pros (all models):
+ stylish design
+ workmanship
+ playability
+ amplified sounds
Cons (TL-4Z only):
– slight volume drop on g-string
Fender Offset – Uutuussarja tuo firman ”oppilassoittimet” takaisin
Fender Guitars tuo nyt firman vanhat ”oppilasmallit” 1950-luvulta ja 60-luvulta takaisin päivitettyinä versioina. Uutuussarjan nimi on Offset Series.
Offset-sarjassa on tällä hetkellä neljä kitaramallia, sekä yksi basso. Kaikissa soittimissa on lyhyemmät mensuurit kuin Fender-soittimissa yleensä. Kitaroissa mensuuri on 24 tuumaa (58,8 cm) ja bassossa luku on 30 tuumaa (76,2 cm). Kaikissa Offseteissä on nykyaikaiset medium-jumbo nauhat, sekä helppokäyttöinen, virtaviivaistettu elektroniikka.
Kuvassa näkyy vasemmalta oikealle:
Fender Offset Mustang, Mustang P90, Duo-Sonic, Duo-Sonic HS ja Mustang Bass PJ.
Offset-sarjan soittimet ovat nyt saatavilla Suomessa.
Kitarablogi.com – Finland's premier Guitar and Bass blog 