Toe-to-Toe
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the gear world, however,
emulation rather than imitation is often a more challenging form of appreciation. It takes a lot to produce something that emulates a classic piece of gear
and that stands up not as a copy, but as an equal. Below are the best classic
gear emulators of 2009.
Watch the video review
on premierguitar.com/video
2009
Soultone Amplification 1986ps SuperPlexi
At some point, just about every amp maker tries to achieve the qualities of the famous Marshall guitar amps from the ’60s and ’70s. Yet
not that many have attempted the Marshall Bass head, which by some
accounts is one of the most underrated amps around. Soultone Amps
began to change that with the introduction of its 1986ps SuperPlexi
(May 2009). “Soultone has taken the iconic nature and characteristics
of this sound and created their own interpretation, rife with new features and impeccable craftsmanship,” wrote reviewer Jordan Wagner,
who spent way too much time standing in front this “raging, healthy
British tube monster.”
Price $2199
soultoneamps.com
Click here to read the full review
OohLaLa Soda-Meiser
OohLaLa Manufacturing’s Soda-Meiser fuzz pedal (July 2009)
is more than just your usual environmentally safe electronic
creation. “Fans of big, fuzzed-out stoner rock sound will love
the Soda-Meiser,” said our reviewer, Brian Barr. It lets you
dial in your favorite Big Muff-type fuzz, but it also provides a
boost and a “chaos” mode that turns the Soda-Meiser into a
tiny purveyor of “sonic cruelty.” To top it off, it’s eco-friendly,
being hand-built using lead-free solder, and hand-painted using
water-soluble inks. I mean, what more could you want?
MSRP $225
oohlalamanufacturing.com
Click here to read the full review
Way Huge Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MKII
Jeorge Tripps was a legend before his time. The original
creator of Way Huge pedals back in 1992, Tripps sailed
off into the sunset at the arrival of the boutique effects
boom of the late ‘90s, only to be recently reawakened
through the help of gear pioneer Jim Dunlop. The
Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MKII pedal is … well, a reincarnation of itself, but only better! It was the cream of
the Way Huge crop in the early 1990s, and the new version (marked MKII) is very much worthy of all comparisons to its legendary predecessor—with a few improvements. Reviewer Jordan Wagner (January 2009) raved,
“The Swollen Pickle MKII has all of the punch of the
original, and a massive tonal range. There is a very hi-fi
quality to this pedal, but in a surprisingly musical way.”
Street $150
wayhuge.com Click here to read the full review
Elrick Expat Series New Jazz Standard
Built in the Czech Republic from US components, with
close attention to detail and well appointed with elegant touches and thoughtful improvements on a classic archetype, Elrick’s New Jazz Standard (September
2009) rose above a crowded field of variations on the
famous predecessor to win praise from reviewer Dan
Berkowitz for quality, playability and tone. As he put
it, “takes a longstanding design in the bass world—a
contoured body and sleek neck with a pair of single-coil pickups—and brings it into the new millennium.”
Street $2199
elrick.com
Click here to read the full review
110 PREMIER GUITAR DECEMBER 2009
www.premierguitar.com
