detail I heard with the Telecaster remained
intact, albeit with more growl, sustain,
and thickness. The dual coils drove the
Mudshark into overdrive with the Volume
at about 10 o’clock. As I moved the knob
higher, the volume increased until about
one o’clock. Beyond that, it just piled on
more grit and sustain. When I flipped to
the Greco’s neck pickup position, the tone
remained solid in the low end and sharp in
the highs, reminiscent of the smooth tones
of early Chicago. I’m certainly no Terry
Kath, yet hearing what the amp was capable
of at those settings made me want to rip in
that style like never before.
With humbuckers, I found that setting both controls at 1 o’clock offered the
most balanced tones and still allowed me to
achieve cleaner tones by easing up on my
attack and dropping the guitar’s volume ever
so slightly. With Tone set any higher than
2 o’clock, the amp became too bright and
slightly brittle sounding. Past 4 o’clock, it
was prone to feedback, too. One other thing
worth mentioning is that, since the amp is
based on a non-master-volume circuit, an
attenuator might be in order for those who
would like to play at lower volumes while
still taking advantage of the amp’s overdrive.
It’s only 20 watts, but they’re loud watts—
loud enough to gig with.
If you’re a lover of the aggressive, but
smooth and harmonically rich, tones of
classic-rock albums of the late ’60s and
early ’70s, the Satellite Mudshark should
absolutely be on your radar. It’s not the
most versatile amplifier ever, but not having extra bells and whistles is part of the
allure of this type of design—the simplicity affords certain raw, in-your-face tones
that can’t be had from more sophisticated
circuits. The Mudshark’s back-to-the-basics
topology works like a time machine back
to early ’60s. Whether you’re looking to
snatch some of Page’s early Zep mojo or
find your own straightforward tone, the
Mudshark is an amazingly inspirational
place to begin.
Buy If...
you’re passionate about authen-
tic and authoritative late-’60s and
early-’70s rock tones.
Skip If...
you need more flexible features such
as a Master Volume, an effects loop,
and/or a 3-band EQ.
Satellite
Amplification
Street $1450
satelliteamps.com
or use a mobile device to watch a
video review of the amp at
CLICKHere…
premierguitar.com/jun2011
Randy Lutz Elite small luthiers, hand crafted instruments. Personal attention to every order. Instruments that stand the test of time. Owner BEYOND THE EXPECTED
Super Glide Almighty
by Saul Koll
b3 Wood
by Gene Baker
RB6
by Dennis Fano
Infinity Guitars 12520-B Westheimer Rd., Houston TX www.infinityguitars.com 281-759-4040
