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Review: Blackstar ID:Core 20 + 40
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Earlier this year, Blackstar Amplification have released their new ID:Core series, which comprises three stereophonic practice amps (at the moment of writing).
Blackstar’s ID:Core combos are powered by the same modelling technology used in the company’s full-blown ID-series. The ID:Core amps simply take this technology to a smaller format.
Kitarablogi had the pleasure of testing the new series’ middle model – the ID:Core 20 (2 x 10 W) – as well as the largest member of the ID:Core family – the ID:Core 40 (2 x 20 W).
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The Blackstar ID:Core 20 (current price in Finland:149 €) comes equipped with a pair of five-inch speakers.
The larger Blackstar ID:Core 40 combo (current price in Finland:195 €) uses two 6.5-inch speakers to get its message across.
Except for the differences in power amp-, cabinet- and speaker-sizes, the rest of the specifications are identical…
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Review: Tokai ES-138/SR • ES-145G/BB • ES-162/TB
Tokai Guitars have a well-earned reputation for making high-quality electric guitars and basses, often “inspired” by vintage designs. This time we got three semis from the very top of Tokai’s Japanese model range for review.
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The Tokai ES-138 (current price in Finland: 1.368 €, incl. hard case) is the company’s version of a 1958 Gibson ES-335, available in either see-through red or piano black.
Tokai’s ES-145G(current price in Finland: 1.431 €, incl. hard case) is a lightly updated variation on the theme, which comes equipped with gold-coloured hardware and a black finish.
The Tokai ES-162(current price in Finland: 1.628 €, incl. hard case) is the most expensive model of the three on review. The ES-162 comes with post-1962 style small block markers, brass bridge saddles, and a light aluminium stopbar. The icing on the cake is this models’ vintage-style nitrocellulose finish – you can choose…
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Review: Roland Cube-10GX
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The new Roland Cube-10GX approaches the company’s popular Cube-concept from a slightly different angle.
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The 10-watts Roland Cube-10GX (Finnish price approx. 125 €) slots into the model range right between the 3-watt Micro Cube GX and the 20-wattCube-20GX combo.
Despite its very affordable price, the 10GX is built as sturdily as the larger Cube models, featuring chunky corner protectors, and the metal grille typical of this series.
An eight-inch speaker has been installed into the closed-back, front-ported cabinet.
The backpanel sports connections for DC In (the PSU comes included), Aux In, as well as a combined line level output/headphones jack.
The Cube-10GX combo’s architecture differs somewhat from the rest of the GX-models:
The 10GX doesn’t feature a built-in tuner or an i-Cube-Link, like the rest of the GX-models, but offers a much more open way of offering its COSM-generated amp models.
The Cube-10GX lets…
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Review: DigiTech HardWire Supernatural
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Digitech’s new Hardwire Supernatural reverb pedal lays seven genuine Lexicon-reverb algorithms at your feet.
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The Hardwire Supernatural (Finnish street price approx. 140 €) is Digitech’s newest digital reverb in pedal form.
The pedal sports three controls:
Mix is used for setting the mix of the dry and wet signals in the output. Liveliness lets you adjust the reverb’s treble content and brilliancy. The length of the delay is controlled using the Decay-knob.
The Supernatural can be used monophonically (mono signal in –> mono signal out), as well as in stereo (mono or stereo signal in –> stereo signal out). The pedal automatically detects which jacks are used at any given time and puts itself into the correct mode of operation accordingly.
In addition to the manual, the box also includes a glow-in-the-dark sticker to put on the switch, Hardwire’s Stomplock rubber cover (which protects the controls…
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Review: Hotone Audio Skyline pedals
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Some of the cuddliest pieces of equipment at this year’s Frankfurt Musikmesse came in the guise of Hotone Audio’s ranges of micro-sized effect pedals and amplifier heads.
The special eye-catcher with the Skyline-series pedals is the transparent Gibson-style control at their front end.
Two coloured status-LEDs behind the transparent knob light up, whenever the effect is switched on.
Naturally, you cannot fit a nine volt battery inside such a tiny pedal, which is why Hotone Skyline pedals have to get their juice from a power supply (9 V, negative centre – not included).
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The dark blue Hotone Blues (current price in Finland:65 €) is an overdrive pedal specialised in producing juicy Blues tones by using a pair of overdrive circuits wired up in series.
The big knob is for gain adjustment, while the two noctilucent (meaning: they glow in the dark) knobs deal with tone…
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Review: Tech 21 Fly Rig 5
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Tech 21 NYC is the company behind many groundbreaking products, such as the SansAmp range of amp modelling stomp boxes, the Bass Driver DI or the all-analogue modelling guitar amps of the Trademark series.
What all these products have in common is that they’re no-nonsense tools to make the life of the gigging and recording guitarist (and bassist) easier.
Tech 21’s newest product is designed to do away with the need to hire a guitar amp for fly-in gigs. It’s an ultra-compact and sleek, pedalboard-style device called the Fly Rig 5.
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As you can see from the picture at the start of this review, the Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 (current price in Finland: 299 €) is extremely compact. It will fit in the pouch of a gig bag, as well as in the accessories compartment of many guitar cases. Just pack your guitar, the…
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Review: Albion TCT35C
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Albion Amplification is a new name on the Finnish market, even though the brand has been in existence since 2010.
Albion’s main man is genuine amp guru and bonafide living legend Steve Grindrod. Mr Grindrod left an indelible mark in the field of amplifier design as Marshall’s chief designer for over 20 years. In the beginning of the Noughties, after leaving Marshall, he also worked for Vox for a few years.
Albion was founded in 2009 as a joint venture between Grindrod and Chinese audio specialists IAG Group. Albion’s guitar and bass amplifiers are produced in their own plant in China under the direct supervision of Steve Grindrod, who has moved there from the UK.
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The Albion TCT35C (recommended retail price in Finland: 865 €) is part of the company’s TCT-series, which is aimed directly at the guitarist who needs a versatile amp.
The TCT-series offers…
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Review: Warwick LWA 1000
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German maker Warwick is offering a wide range of different bass amplifiers alongside their famous basses.
One of their newest products is the Warwick LWA 1000 – an ultra-compact, yet very powerful amp head.
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The Warwick LWA 1000 (current price in Finland: 789 €) is small and lightweight enough (2.75 kg) to fit into many gig bags. Optionally, you can also get a rack installation kit or a padded shoulder bag for this head.
As hinted at by its name, the LWA 1000 offers you up to 1,000 Watts of power (into a 4 Ohm cabinet, 500 W into 8 Ohms). Warwick have managed to squeeze this all into a compact package by using a Class D power amplifier.
Warwick’s two-channel preamp has been transplanted from their Hellborg-series, and promises to offer audiophile sound quality from its low-noise Class A circuits.
The two channels of the LWA 1000 are identical, and they…
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Review: EBS FuzzMo
The good people of EBS Sweden are now bringing a healthy dose of fuzz to the bassist’s toolbox.
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The EBS FuzzMo (current price in Finland: 169,90 €) is a fuzz-type high gain distortion developed especially for bass.
This stompbox is made in China to the EBS’ exacting standards. It’s a sturdy pedal with very positive feeling controls.
The FuzzMo can be powered in three ways:
If you use an EBS amp from the Drome-, Gorm-, HD- or TD-series, you can use a TRS-cable (aka a stereo cable) to feed phantom power from the amp to the effect pedal.
The FuzzMo pedal also runs off a standard 9 V battery, but you will need a screwdriver to take off the base plate first.
The third alternative is to employ a Boss-type power supply (9 V DC, centre negative) to fire up the stompbox.
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Even though the EBS FuzzMo looks somewhat similar…
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Review: Marshall DSL5C
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Marshall’s DSL5C combo is the newest – and smallest – member of the DSL-series.
The DSL-range has its roots in the year 1997, when Marshall introduced their – now legendary – JCM2000 Dual Super Lead -head. The JCM2000 was the first Marshall amp that combined a vintage-voiced Plexi-channel and a modern Ultra Gain -channel in one chassis.
The production run of the original DSL-series was discontinued in 2007, with the JVM-range superseding it. The new DSL-series offers the company’s most-affordable all-valve amps to date, which are produced at Marshall’s own facility in Vietnam.
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As you can easily guess by its name, the Marshall DSL5C (current street price in Finland around 520 €) is a five-Watt, two-channel combo.
In terms of its looks and the quality of its finish, this is a genuine Marshall. Quality control at the Vietnamese factory seems to as stringent as in Britain, and the combo looks great and feels well-made and sturdy.
The DSL5C comes with…
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