South African Music Magazine
Ashdown are one of the premier names in British bass amplification and their products can be seen on countless stages around the world. Yet, despite their prominence they haven’t stopped improving their existing models. This is certainly the case with the feature-laden ABM 500RC EVO III rack-mountable head, which boasts improved headroom, EQ and power-amp Read More »
The Stagg name is a ubiquitous presence in the entry-level guitar market, offering a wide variety of very affordable instruments. While their price makes them generally attractive to beginners, they also offer plenty to the more seasoned player. Recently they released a range of solid top acoustics under the James Neligan name which cater particularly Read More »
While some guitar companies loudly pursue new market trends in a tough economic climate, Washburn have quietly and confidently continued to produce their usual high-quality instruments. Lately however, these workhorse guitars have taken on some unique and luxurious looks to go with their solid, no nonsense tones. The above-entry-level WD45SCE is a striking dreadnaught acoustic Read More »
While many guitar manufacturers are happy to churn out another variation on the dreadnaught styled acoustic, British owned guitar makers Tanglewood pay homage to various classic designs from the 1930’s and 40’s with their mid-priced Sundance Historic series. “The smaller body is quite comfortable compared to standard sized and seems to make me want to Read More »
Washburn HB32DM Washburn’s HB32DM is a mid-priced guitar that pays homage to Gibson’s archetypal semi-hollow body, the ES-335, capturing elements of the original sound but with its own unique look. Semi-Hollow body guitars are typically lighter and more resonant than their solid body counter-parts, providing a great alternative for electric players looking for something different. Read More »
Their SE (Student Edition) range Custom 24 model has received a bit of a facelift this year, making it more consistent with the updates made to PRS’s Maryland made line. This narrows the gap in quality between their premium and mid-to-lower priced instruments, which is already considerably smaller than that of some other brands. Paul Read More »
“You’ll never have to sweep for the sweet spot again.” It can be notoriously difficult to capture the broad range of sound of an electric guitar, often also so dependent on the style of music. There are frequencies you want and others you can usually do without. It’s a careful balancing act, often requiring Read More »
“People are emailing me saying they’ve recorded entire albums using only these mics, which is nice to hear.” When guitar gods Joe Bonamassa, Greg Wurth (Steve Vai, LA Guns), and huge bands like Dream Theater, Aerosmith and Crosby, Stills & Nash started raving about an amazing dedicated electric guitar amp microphone, I was intrigued. When I found out Read More »
Blackstar have come to prominence over the past few years with a slew of great sounding amps and pedals that are being used by some big name players. The HT Series of amps sees the company incorporating their highly regarded HT tube preamp pedals into amp form. To date Blackstar have primarily made mid- to Read More »
Revered metal and hard rock guitar-smiths, Jackson, promise great value for money with their new X-Series Soloist, a sleek beast of a power tool. Built for speed and oozing sustain, this machine is ideal for extreme performance and a true workhorse. “Overall I felt I was able to push my playing to the limit without Read More »
