Studio2
EAST Amplification
Rating:
you’re tired of wrestling with
a stack in the studio or need
high-gain tones on a small stage.
Buy If...
Skip If...
you need super-clean tones
at high volume.
with High, Middle, and Bass knobs follows,
and then Presence and Master controls.
EAST Amplification
Street $1350 (Studio2 head),
$425 (1x10 cab)
eastamplification.com
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clips of the
guitar at
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Though it’s plain that the Studio2 is built
for business, it’s a good-looking amplifier, too. It’s dressed up in a quasi-paisley/
yin-yang patterned vinyl covering, and the
cab also has a cool sparkle grill cloth that’s
reminiscent of the earliest Ampeg stacks.
The inside of the amplifier is immaculate
and looks more like a super high-end home
audio component than a guitar amplifier.
Bigger Than the Sum of Its Parts
To get to know the Studio2, I switched
between a ’90s Les Paul Studio, a Fender
Stratocaster with a Seymour Duncan mini
humbucker in the bridge position, and an
’ 86 Fender “E” Series Stratocaster. Trying
to dial up a tone somewhere between
clean and gritty, I set the Gain at 2 o’
clock, Volume at 12 o’clock, and Master to
3 o’clock. In this configuration, the Studio2
loved the cutting qualities of my Strat’s
Firebird-style mini humbucker, and my sin-
gle-note leads were slicing, well defined,
and harmonically even. At the same set-
tings, the ’ 86 Stratocaster’s bridge pickup
coaxed a rich, treble-heavy snap out of the
Studio2—evoking and inviting a satisfying
stab at the funky opening to Jimi’s “You
Got Me Floating.” The Studio2 really came
alive when my Les Paul’s bridge pickup hit
the front end. While whole chords were
Sonic Singularity; Abalone Opulence; Island Influences!
One of 24 built for the great Hawaiian music market in 1935 Martin 1935 Style 00-40H
629 Forest Ave.• Staten Island, NY 10310
718-981-8585 • mandolin@mandoweb.com
mando
web.com
244 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2010
www.premierguitar.com
