Accutronics spring reverb, and uses a
12AX7, 12AT7, three 12AX7AC, and four
EL84 tubes. Other features include a 12”
Eminence speaker, specially designed by
Fryette, enclosed in a Baltic birch cabinet.
The coolest feature of this amp is the ability to change or re-order preamp tubes easily from the front panel—no need for gloves
or a cool-down period, because the tubes
are housed above a vent that pushes air by
means of speaker movement.
MSRP $2200
fryette.com
TV Jones P- 90 in Soapbar Mount
Known for their hot, rockabilly twangin’
pickups, TV Jones introduces their take on
the classic soapbar P- 90. These pickups
crank out a sound that represents the traditional P- 90, but with a classic TV Jones bite.
They designed specific pickups for the neck
and bridge positions. The bridge pup has
thicker highs and more defined lows than
what is commonly heard from other P-90s.
The neck offers clarity with fullness and is
considerably less boomy than regular P-90s.
Standard-sized alnico IV bar magnets are
used in the neck position, contributing to
its clarity and warmth. Larger pole screws
are used on both neck and bridge models
to help increase inductance. Both versions
are available in Black and Cream.
MSRP $95 (one pickup)
tvjones.com
Hanson Guitars
Chicago’s Hanson Musical Instruments,
which made a name producing modern and
vintage-style pickups, is unveiling a new
full line of guitars intended to bring quality
and cool, retro-inspired designs to working musicians at prices they can afford. The
first two models, available in August, recall
the Italian electric solidbody aesthetic of
the late fifties and early sixties: the Cigno,
a set-neck triple P- 90 design, and the
Firenze, a triple mini-humbucker with bolt-on neck. The other members of the line,
the Gatto with its mahogany body, set-neck
and dual Hanson classic humbuckers, and
the semi-hollowbody, mini-humbucker-equipped Chicagoan will be available in
October. All models are available with
either Bigsby vibrato or stop tail piece.
MSRP $799–$1160
hansonguitars.com
Bob Kilgore’s Harmonic Capo
Invented by fingerstyle guitarist Bob
Kilgore, the Harmonic Capo is unlike conventional capos. Rather than pressing down
on the strings, it barely touches them. It sits
on the guitar’s neck with a strap and a pair
of adjustable supports, and six adjustable
soft rubber pads rest gently on the strings.
Place it over a harmonic point and it turns
open strings into harmonic tones, opening
entirely new possibilities of note combinations and progressions in your playing.
What’s more, it won’t prevent you from
playing normally above or below it.
MSRP $34.95
weaseltrap.com
FEATURE
Electro-Harmonix 22 Caliber
Power Amp
How’d you like to fit an ass-kicking amplifier into your front pocket? That’s what
you can do with the Electro-Harmonix
22 Caliber power amp—it’s the size of a
small pedal, no kidding. Okay, technically
the power supply (18V 1.66A) is built into
a power cord, much like that of a laptop
computer, but still—we were knocked out
by what the 22 Calliber puts out, pound-per-pound. This little beast is 22 watts and
very loud. It handles 4, 8, and 16 ohm
speaker loads automatically. The 22 Caliber
covers a lot ground with just a bright switch
and a volume knob. The diminutive amp is
expected to cost about $100.
MAP $99
ehx.com
Olympus LS- 11
It’s almost to the point where it’s hard to
imagine being a musician and not having a
digital recorder.
The quality
and features
keep getting
better and the
prices keep
going down.
Olympus rolled
out their new
LS- 11, which
is an update
to their LS- 10.
Improvements
include 8GB
of memory (up
from 2GB),
the ability to
transfer files
between the
hard drive and
an SD card, 23 hours of battery life (up
from 14 hours) and a mono feature, handy
for recording small size files when you know
you’re going to be emailing them.
MAP $399
olympusamerica.com
Hagstrom
Hagstrom has been making guitars again
for several years now since taking a 20-year
hiatus. Their Ultra Swede has a basswood
body with a flamed maple top. The 24. 75”
scale guitar comes with custom-wound
humbuckers and the company’s ultra-thin
UltraLux neck. An Ultra Swede with a spalt-ed maple top was shown at NAMM.
