Just received the AMT M1 preamp, which integrates jfet circuitry inspired by the Marshall JCM 800. Lets check how it sounds :
Signal Chain :
Gibson Les Paul
AMT M1
Two Notes Torpedo Live
AMT R1 Typical Tone
R1 is yet another jfet preamp in a pedal format from AMT. Its delivering a tone close to a Mesa Boogie Rectifier. From what i experienced so far (as i also own a Mesa Boogie Rectifier Recording Preamp), this pedal is not even close but almost IDENTICAL to the real thing, impressive !!!
As a an evidence of how close it sounds like the original, here is a tone match between the pedal and its reference :
Amazing, isn't it ??
AMT P1 Typical Tone
The AMT P1 pedal is a awesome pedal, designed to sound like a 5150 amp. I do not own a 5150 so i can't tell how close it is, but one thing is sure, this pedal sounds killer, and is surprisingly very versatile with tones that goes from bluesy crunch sounds to higain total mayhem! This one really impressed me, and is now by far one of my favorites preamp all time.
Check how it sounds :
In a studio context, with my DIY Les Paul :
AMT E1 Typical Tone
AMT E1 live sound and typical tone:
In a studio context :
Thoughts on PI-FREE (Two Notes Free Version of PI-101)
Being Following Two Notes products for a while (torpedo loadboxes), I was glad to know that they've released a plugin version of their amp and cabinet modeling technology.
PI-FREE is the free version of PI-101, a plug in which offers several poweramp topologies and cabinets models involving Impulse response processing. The Free version seems limited to only 2 poweramp topologies with EL34 tubes, and one cabinet (4x12 Brit through a Shure SM57). It comes with several processing abilities, such as an EQ, comp, exciter, and others...
PI-FREE VST Plugin intregates easily in my Cubase SX2 Setup
I think it actually sounds great, as the only cab matches well my tube preamp (Engl E530). If you don't touch the overload knob, the CPU usage is very low, and there's no audible latency with this plugin. However, with this free version, you won't be able to save your presets, and even worse, Cubase SX2 do not save the plug-in configuration, so every tweaking is lost when quitting workspace, making the free version difficult to use on a big project.
But these are only user experience flaws that do not alter the audio processing. And the sound is good, really good, with a lot of tweaking possibilities. I enjoyed the sound of this plugin and created this small clip you can hear above. What's noticeable with this clip is how articulate guitar sound is (hear riffs around 0:45, lots of palm-mutes with bare notes, but everything is tight and audible), and how chords are defined and not muddy unlike others I.R. plugins.
Signal Audio chain was Guitar > ENGL E530 (ISP Decimator in FX Loop) > PI-FREE
PI-101 and PI-FREE can be found at following addresses :
I recently bought that thing, Electro-Harmonix .22 Caliber.
Thought I was sceptic about its promises, but the thing totally changed my mind when I had a chance to try it.
Here is the picture : Imagine a poweramp that would be so small that it fits in a pedal format. Imagine that this tiny poweramp is loud enough to easy overwhelm the volume created by a metal drummer. Here it is, the .22 caliber poweramp.
That .22 Caliber actually replaces my HD147 amp head on rehearsals !
This poweramp has a single chanel, and is equipped with a normal/bright switch which adds additional brillance to the amplified signal. Its can be hooked to any cab rated 4 to 16 ohms. Now the key question : is this loud enough to make its place in a rehearsal or even in a show? The thing is designed to deliver 22 Watts.
That was my only concern when I bought this unit : I remember playing on 22Watts combo amps when I learned to play guitar, and there was no way to compete with my drummer in term of loudness. However, I found the super-light weight of the .22 caliber to be really convenient when used with small guitar preamp such as pods or my engl e530, so I decided to give it a try.
On a rehearsal with my band Beyond The Pain, I made several tests : I hooked my guitar directly into the .22 Caliber, which was connected to my Line6 Vetta II 2x12 Cab. First thing : Wow this is loud, I mean very loud. With the volume knob raised to 9 o'clock, I can play with my drummer without any definition or hearing problem. I made several tries with it, and never had to raise the volume knob upper than 11 o'clock.
With the guitar directly connected to the unit, I find the sound to lack a bit of brillance, even with the bright switch engaged. Luckily, with my PodXT connected on it, there's no problem at all, and the whole thing is just fine. I also had the chance to try it with my tube preamp (engl e530), and sounded excellent to my ears.
Who needs a preamp? You can even run your pedal rig directly to the .22 Caliber!
But the best thing is that with this unit you do not need to have a preamp. you can easy connect it directly to your pedal rig and go direct in a guitar cab.
I really like the universal design of the .22 Caliber, as it can be connected to almost any guitar cab (4 to 16 ohms), its size and weight(it has found its place in my guitar case, so that I always have it if needed), and its sound (it can sweetly overdrive when volume is raised past 12 o'clock).
Some home-made pics !
Seymour Duncan Blackout 8
When i finally received and tested my latest 8 string guitar, an Ibanez RGA8, I've been very disappointed by the set of stock pickups. For some reason, Ibanez decided to put its new LZ-8 pickups on it, instead of the couple of EMG 808 (as for the RG2228 ).
Futhermore, the RGA8 was equipped with an EQ switch based on a +3V circuitry (2 1.5V AA batteries are used by the RGA8, housed in a cavity on the back of it). The thing is that the stock pickup are extremely muddy, and sounded very poor, compared to my other metal-dedicated guitars.
I decided to purchase a pair a new pickups and finally installed a couple of Seymour Duncan Blackout 8 on it. Installation was pretty simple as the blackouts 8 have the same dimensions as the stock pickups, which are also the same dimensions as EMG's 808.
I had to remove all the old circuitry as it was functioning with a voltage of +3V. By chance, there was enough room in the existing cavities to place the +9V battery required by Blackouts pickups, and i finally kept the EQ switch, transforming it in a kill switch.
Close-up of the neck pickup : That soap-bar is huge ;p !
I really enjoy the way the guitar sounds now, even thought I find it to be a bit more sensible to electromagnetic noise than before. Blackouts have a vintage feeling compared to EMGs, more warm, but still with very defined highs, which is absolutely necessary for me. Blackouts have also a great response with bass, which might require some tweaking when riffing at low tunings.
Here is an example of what I can get from this pickup (my rig was RGA8->Pod XT Pro->DAW)
Hello, Je vends mon ampli Kustom Quad FX 100. C'est un combo transistor en 2x12, de 100Watts , équipé de 2 haut parleurs Celestion Super 65 en 12 pouces(en gros c'est un peu comme le V30, mais avec des basses plus en avant, et une dispersion un peu meilleure).
Il dispose d'une petite section d'effets (reverb/chorus/flanger/delay) et est largement suffisant pour couvrir n'importe quel batteur.
C'est une configuration à deux canaux, lead et rythm, avec un switch de brillance pour le canal rythm, et un switch de type de préamp (UK type Marshall / US type mesa) pour le canal lead.
Cet ampli a un peu voyagé, et a quelques concerts et repets à son actif, mais son état cosmétique est très bon, et il fonctionne parfaitement.
Coté son, cet ampli a une réponse très neutre, qui le rend idéal à l'utilisation avec des pédales d'effets, modélisateurs d'ampli ou préamp à lampes. La disto de l'ampli est très utilisable, même si elle se cantonnera au registre rock à gros rock, poussée à son maximum. Au niveau connectique, on a une entrée guitare, une entrée auxiliaire niveau ligne, une sortie D.I. en XLR, une boucle de retour (send/return), un connecteur pour HP externe (en 8ohms), un connecteur pour footswitch. Voici le manuel de l'ampli au format pdf :
Je le vends 150 euros sur Paris et RP. Il est essayable dans les Yvelines ( 78 ) à la maison. Pour me contacter, voir mon email sur la rubrique contact, ou par téléphone au 06 12 23 54 39 (Steve).
