A quick run through of this Jet City amp, in this case the 22 watt 1x12 Combo, but shares the same basic design and circuit as the JCA50/100 models. This amp punches well above its weight especially for the price, and the EQ section feels very interactive and can get you a wide range of tones. Additionally, the simple design makes it a great platform for modding so if there is a tone you can’t get stock, you can probably get it through modding, and it’s also a great amp to learn some simple mods and circuit changes on.
New Video: Marshall JCM900 Mk III and SLX Review
An in-depth discussion of these two different amps - that share the same model numbers! I go over the model range briefly and explain some of the circuit differences before getting into some sound samples and riffing.
New Video: Kramer Flip Flop Colors Comparison
I thought it’d be cool to just quickly show the differences between the four Kramer “flip flop” finishes in the same room, with the same lighting. Especially FF Pink and FF Red seem to get confused a lot, and FF White is barely indistinguishable from faded white and cream colored Kramers so I wanted to show how they are different.
New Video: Kramer Nightswan Reissue Review
Here’s my video talking about the current production (2020+) Kramer Nightswans and comparing them both to vintage Swans as well as other models in the current Kramer lineup. I really think this was close to being an excellent offering but just fell short due to small details, like the nut width and lack of a Full Shred pickup in the bridge position. Those changes would’ve brought it in line spec wise to the real ones and I would be much more likely to buy more of them if that were the case.
New Video: Kramer Focus 2000 Review + Collector's Guide
In this video I play the only Focus I still own and talk about some of the feature changes over the years and just how great they are in terms of bang-for-buck. Especially the beak models like this one, the neck feels nearly identical to the USA Pacers of the same era, which makes sense because both model’s necks were made by ESP in Japan.
New Video: 1986 Kramer Pacer Imperial
Here’s a quick video showcasing this transparent blue Pacer Imperial. It’s hard to discuss these without some context so there’s a bit of a guide at the start of the video as well on identifying American series Kramers. Enjoy!
New Video: Marshall 1987X Plexi
Showing off the classic Marshall 1987 circuit, in reissue form. Modified with a master volume across the FX loop to make it a little more manageable at home - and the “one-wire” mod which cascades the gain stages. What a beast!
New Video: 2018 Splawn Street Rod
A little more detail after the comparison between the different circuits of Splawns I’ve owned. I loved this amp but it was just a bit too big for my studio, it’s the largest 1x12 I’ve seen! Great tone though - a bit brighter and bassier than previous circuit iterations. Overall a fantastic amp.
In this video, I play a 1989 Kramer Baretta in Snakeskin finish
New Video: Mesa Mark IV Overview
A long-form video detailing some of the history, circuit design, features, and tones this iconic amp can produce. Took a while to finish this one and it is very long at 38 minutes but I think it came out pretty well!
New Video: Splawn Comparison
While it’s not secret that Splawn Amps have gone through a number of revisions and circuit changes over the years, I haven’t seen many direct comparisons. Since I have three from a wide range of years, I thought I’d record some clips of the amps at different settings to show how different they sound.
First up, the 2006 Quick Rod. This amp has the offset input jack and 3x 12AX7 preamp tubes. The clean channel gets dirtier if the overdrive channel’s gain is turned off, so I turned it way down for this video. It’s a bit of a quirk of this amp, but you can’t have a pristine clean and a high gain sound footswitchable - you have to sacrifice your clean tone for the high gain overdrive tone. That said, this is still my favorite of the three.
Second, a 2008 Quick Rod, which has a much darker/smoother circuit and an additional preamp tube for the clean channel, bringing the total to 4x 12AX7’s.
Last, a 2018 Street Rod, while a slightly different design and lower wattage than the QR’s it is an almost identical circuit and the most up-to-date version I have.
Enjoy!
In this video, I play this sweet Charvel Model 4 in Rainbow Crackle finish