by Marc Johnson for TheToneKing.com 

To Zachary Vex of Z.Vex Effects pedals, every pedal is a work of art, and each pedal sounds as good as it looks. Offering many of their pedals in either the original hand painted enclosures or the Vexter Series versions, as well as the newer Vextron Series pedals, Z.Vex goes beyond esthetics with eclectic twists put to some of our favorite sounds.

After hearing about these guys, we here at The Tone King brought in some of their premier distortion pedals for a Shoot-Out.

The Box of Rock is Z.Vex’s first “distortion” pedal. It was created to recreate the sound of a JTM45 with everything pushed to 10. Most of the controls on the pedal aren’t anything unusual, but what is unusual is that, unlike many other distortion pedals where the knobs just seem to be eye-candy, the controls in the Box of Rock actually work. Any subtle manipulation of any of the controls really has a big effect on the sound. The big bonus on the Box of Rock, though, is that it contains a unity-to-50X gain booster with nominal input impedance and low hiss.

The Distortron is described as the “little sister” to the Box of Rock. It’s basically the same deal as the Box of Rock, except broken down a bit. It omits the Boost feature of its big brother and instead replaces it with a Sub-Switch and a Hi/Lo Gain switch.  The Sub-Switch lets you choose between a setting of (3), the same as on the Box of Rock, and two other lower levels of subs depending on the needs of your amp.

On its surface, we thought the Mastotron was a simple fuzz pedal, but then we saw all these crazy controls and knew we were wrong. Like the Distortron, the Mastotron has a Sub-Switch, but it also has a Relax/Push knob that lets you control weather your signal goes in to the pedal raw or whether there is an impedance to soften it. This is killer for people with active pickups that sound too harsh. The coolest thing is a Pulse Width control gives you control over a square wave to more of a narrow pulse. 

The Box of Metal is simply a beast. Like its namesake states, it’s an aggressive high-gain pedal with a true bypass switch. Probably the best feature is the switchable gate, which has its own settings that can be changed with the turn of a knob.

In addition to pedals, Z.Vex has one of the worlds smallest tube amps. Stay tuned for more from The Tone King on that one! From what we’ve seen so far, Z.Vex definitely knows what they are doing with pedals. With original controls, every pedal has its own character that is as unique as each hand-painted cover. 

Watch The Tone King’s ZVex Sound Sample by clicking here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzxTods9Yf4, or, click PLAY to watch below : 

TTK finding his tone at the ZVex booth at NAMM 2010 :

by Marc Johnson for The ToneKing.com

Like father like son. The son of the founder of B.C. RICH Guitars, Bernie Rico Jr. is following in his father’s footsteps and building killer guitars. The idea behind Rico Jr. Guitars is limited guitars produced with attention to detail, and the Hybrid Vixen is a great example of that.

The Hybrid Vixen is a neck-through 24-fret guitar with an Original Floyd Rose Tremolo. Rico Jr. Guitars that are all made to order and part of a limited run. So, when you get one, it’s yours and you will probably never run into anyone else with the same guitar. The version that we ordered at TheToneKing.com had the high-gain Seymour Duncan Blackouts, but you could opt for EMG 81 and 85s if you prefer.

For everyone that knows us at TTK, knows that this guitar is right up our alley. It’s a rocker’s guitar, plain and simple. The neck-thru design gives the guitar great resonance that really works well with the high-gain pickups.

Rico Jr. Guitars is not limited to rock guitars and builds guitars to accommodate every type of musician from Jazz to Metal and everything in-between. There are essentially three types of guitars that they build; these include, Hand-Made Neck-thru, Hand-Made Bolt-on, and the Rico Jr. Hybrids.

The Hybrids are specifically offered to those who want custom guitars at not-so custom prices. The Vixen cost us a little above a grand. To give you an idea, most guitars with a neck-thru design and an Original Floyd Rose trem will usually start well above the thousand-dollar mark and very rarely offer you any other options at all. The wood for the Rico Jr. Hybrids are cut overseas, but, then, they’re shipped to, built, and set-up in their Custom Shop with the same precision as every other guitar that Rico builds.

It’s not surprising to find that the son of one of the greatest guitar luthiers building guitars. It is surprising, though, to find that Rico Jr. work rivals that of his fathers.

Watch The Tone King’s video review of the Rico Jr. Hybrid Vixen on TTK Channel by clicking here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUrLn6rhNvU, or simply click PLAY below!  Thank you & ROCK ON!

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Marc Johnson and The Tone King  

In case you’ve been in a cave for the last forty-five years, Peavey is renowned for the most dependable and best sounding amps ever. Period. Recently, The Tone King met up with the man behind the name, Mr. Hartley Peavey, at winter NAMM and was floored by his earnest straight talk about his amps.“Guitar players, bless their hearts, want to believe in magic. They want to believe that somewhere there’s an old hermit that winds pickups by the light of the moon…and that’s why they cost so much. Well, that’s a bunch of BS. One of the things with Peavey, we’ve always told the truth.” While blunt, Mr. Peavey explains how Peavey keeps putting out great-sounding roadworthy amps at a reasonable price. They make amps that are as honest as he is.  

When TTK took their Classic 30 for a test drive here at TheToneKing.com, we loved the ride.  And it was Hartley’s hands-on coming-to-work-everyday work ethic that made the Classic 30 the amp that it is. When you talk to him, it’s obvious that he is involved in every decision with every amp that has his name on it.  

Like any good chef will tell you, the dish is only as good as the ingredients you use, and amps are no exception. Mr. Peavey understands that. Just listen to him as he explains how he uses a somewhat inexpensive 15” speaker in the Peavey Delta Blues on purpose because he wants to get that “cone cry” just like the early Blues amps had. Rather than trying to bump up the price of the amp with an expensive speaker, he opts for what sounds good.  

Mr. Peavey wants to build amps for players. He’s interested in how an amp “responds” to the player. This unique idea is why, while there are plenty of guys playing Peavey, there is no “signature” Peavey sound. The sound comes from the player and how the amp responds to what’s being played. Simply put, Peavey amps are about as close to a ‘pure’ sound as you can get.  

“If experience is the great teacher, I’ve been in the classroom longer than anybody in the US.” Like Mr. Peavey says, he’s been around a long time and has never sold his name. Even after 45 years, he still goes to work every day and is always trying to make his products better. Best of all, he keeps his gear and prices honest. What else would you expect from an honest man.  

Watch the interview here

January 15, 2010 – Winter NAMM 2010  

ENGL Fireball 100

Boys & Girls – Check out my review of the smoking hot ENGL Fireball 100 in BLACK (which is the newest model they offer)!!

Also, check out my footage from NAMM 2010. 

From the ENGL Website :

FIREBALL 100 E 635

The new ENGL Fireball design stresses the new sound character of the Fireball amp line. Compared to the E 625 60 Watts version, the NEW Fireball 100 features a darker, lower midrange focused tone. The new added Midrange Boost (which can be controlled via footswitch) plus the Bottom switch will add that special fire to your sound. Well dressed gain structures allow any sounds from crystal clear, cripsy crunch, fat Rock rhythm or Heavy Metal riffs to searing lead lines. With 100 Watts of pure 6L6GC power amp fury, the Fireball 100 delivers more punch than ever before and satisfies the needs of the modern guitar player – even on the biggest stages.

Front panel:

• Clean and Lead Channel featuring separate Gain controls
• Bright switch for the Clean Channel
• Bottom switch (Clean & Lead) that adds low end punch
• Passive EQ: Bass, Middle, Treble
• Lead Volume control for precise level tuning
• Mid Boost switch (Clean & Lead), remote controllable via footswitch
• Master A and Master B for two different power amp level settings, remote controllable via footswitch
• P.T.M. (Power Tube Monitor) system: failure indication via LED for each power tube
• Stand By s

Rear Panel:

• 2 x 1/4″ Stereo jacks for connecting a ENGL Z-4 footpedal: Clean / Lead (channel switching) & Master A / B, Mid Boost & FX Loop off / on
• Noise Gate Threshold controls the Gate’s attack
• FX Loop equipped with a Balance control, FX Loop off / on, remote controllable via footswitch
• Power amp Output 4 Ohms, 8 Ohms (2 jacks) and 16 Ohms
• 100 Watts tube guitar amp head equipped with a matched set of four 6L6GC power tubes
• Four ECC83 (12AX7) preamp tubes

by Marc Johnson for TheToneKing.com

One of the fastest up and comers in the amp building industry, BlackStar amps is seeking a place in every rocker’s arsenal with the HT Venue 100 head.  Powered by four EL34 valves, this three-channel amp provides something that most amps lack – versatility. Blackstar promises a ‘boutique’ style clean channel with both a ‘British Class A’ and a ‘Dynamic US’ mode.  The overdrive channels also include different modes and are both equipped with Blackstar’s own patent-applied for Infinite Shape Feature (ISF).

I took it for a test drive and right away I was blown away by the gain that this amp offered. This was the first amp that I didn’t need to max out my gain knob to get my neck harmonics and pinches to ring out.  As I rolled the gain, it was like I was rolling through a library of tones that included everything from Zeppelin to Metallica. 

The ISF technology on the amp adds to its versatility by bringing out its British tones.  For those who have owned a Marshall in the past, you’ll know and understand the midrange circuit in the older JCM series amps, which is harmonically so much more than a simple Mid. With the ISF technology, the HTV100 nails Marshall tones with ease.

The clean channel isn’t a joke either. While the clean channels on most amps is just, well, there, while the clean on the HTV100 is warm and clear. I was quickly able to dial in to David Gilmour by just adding a bit of reverb.  The ‘British Class A’ mode gave the clean channel clarity without sounding chimey, while the ‘Dynamic US’ mode beefed it up a bit without letting it get muddy.

Overall, this is a killer amp. Brutal gain and a warm clean become only more versatile by the inclusion of different the modes, and the innovative ISF makes it easy to nail the tones of a British gain amp.  With all these features, Blackstar’s HTV100 is definitely going to be a quick addition to The Tone King’s own arsenal. 

Watch The Tone King’s Review :

by Marc Johnson for TheToneKing.com

As most of you know, The Tone King only checks out gear that can be bought by a player whose pay is usually soaked in beer.  So when an affordable 100w all-tube head walked through the door, we had to check it out.  We were blown away when we heard that it was an amp with Soldano designed circuits.  

Any player can tell you that the Soldano sound is one of the dominant sounds in rock. With musicians ranging from Eric Clapton to Warren Haynes and from bands ranging from Ratt to Van Halen, the Soldano sound tore through the 80s and slammed head first through the turn of the century. Now, Jet City Amps is launching their “Design by Soldano” lineup and the JCA100H is their “flagship” piece.

Co-founded by Mike Soldano, Jet City is boasting a true “all-tube signal path” for a meatier tone. The amp has two channels, neither of which is a “true” clean channel. This may be different for some players but will feel right at home for those players that like the dynamic of using their guitar’s volume knob to move from clean to crunch.

The “Normal” channel acts like any single channel amplifier. You can push the output to get a pounding gain, roll your volume back to get a warm clean tone, or keep it in-between for a bluesy boost. The “Overdrive” channel takes over where the other leaves off and gives you that extra gain for a really meaty punch or blistering leads.

The Soldano gain was easy to find and didn’t take to much time to dial in. Probably the thing that surprised us at TTK the most was how dynamic the amp was. The JCA100H easily gave us every sound that we would’ve expected from a Soldano amp.

Watch The Tone King’s Video Review here :

by Marc Johnson for TheToneKing.com

Players love to play. Although we may work in other facets of the industry, such as founding one of the largest manufactures of music products in the world, we still wait for those euphoric moments where we are able to meet, or even play with, someone who we recognize to be one of the greats. Uli Behringer, founder/chairman of Behringer amps and friend of The Tone King, recently experienced this type of euphoria when he had a chance to perform with Lee Ritenour. 

Lee “Captain Fingers” Ritenour is not only renowned in guitar player circles, he is considered to be one of the most important pioneers in the ‘smooth-jazz’ and ‘jazz-funk’ genres. After starting session playing at the age of sixteen, he has recorded over forty albums.

Mr. Ritenour signed on for 2010 to use Bugera amps’ 333XL (check price).  In addition to using the Boutique-Style 120-Watt 3-Channel Valve Amp, Lee is also working with Bugera to build a signature amplifier. During NAMM 2010, Lee closed out the Behringer kickoff party with a performance and asked Uli to join him.

In spite of the fact that Uli is a classically trained pianist, Uli grinned like a kid when he was asked to play with Mr. Ritenour. When he took the stage, an intent look of concentration came over him as he expertly performed “Street Life” with his musical hero of over thirty years. Even after the show had ended and he was saying goodbye to Anaheim for the year, Uli, with a giddy smile on his face, remarked that playing with Lee was his “personal highlight” of all of NAMM. 

While we players may be happy to be part of other parts of the industry, nothing makes us happier than when we get to play. And who better to play with than our heroes. Congrats Uli!

The Tone King 

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