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If you are a tube snob, then the Hagerman Half-Watt is an ideal practice and studio recording amp. This is a cleanish amp, although it has some growl and burn when cranked or when playing hard, running two tubes: 12AY7 and 12BH7. Its functions are very simple, with Bass, Treble and Volume knobs...

Bass drives are tricky. When you add drive to a guitar, you get a push… a crunch… a pleasant breaking up; but when adding drive to a bass (due to its frequencies), too much drive turns into sputtering notes or fizzy mess. I prefer a growl and some punchiness, and the LiberaToe Bentham delivers...

Of all the budget multi-effects modelers, the MATRIBOX is my favorite, and I would venture to say that some of the guitar tones (particularly hi-gain) sound impressive. They are ‘dry’ and sound decently authentic without that high-end fizz that often exists with other modelers. The cleans also...

Now and again, gear comes along that blows me away, and I am sure others have had that experience. The Purple Nightmare Preamp (based on Driftwood Amp’s flagship Purple Nightmare head) follows suit with incredible sound and indispensable features. Do understand that although marketed as a...

No idea what the company is up to. It's an effect... you could use it with vocals, keys, bass, etc. It's like any other delay in that respect... use it for whatever instrument you like.

Alter Ego is LiberaToe’s re-creation of a warm vintage Tape Echo delay, although with more transparency and less coloration. This analog pedal is both a stand-alone that anyone can buy and use, but also, it’s a module for the LiberaToe pedalboard/switcher system or platform. Since it has a dual...

Maybe too much gain, although set half-way. I have one, so in real life, that's what it sound like at my end. Maybe email BluGuitar and ask why my unit is like that.

I was thinking of getting that one... now AMP X is coming out. As if I need more gear, lol.

My new 'always on' pedal:

GRIM3 is a ‘sick’ pedal, and in a good way. What may throw off some people is that this is not a hi-gain pedal, despite the name or that it comes from its creator, This Heavy Earth. The function and breadth of this pedal makes it very usable in so many situations, but I will address the hi-gain...

A fuzz and an envelope filter in one, and ideal for either lead/rhythm or bass. This may not seem unusual, but add to that a dual channel with various filter options, and you have a killer pedal for $150 USD (half that price if you buy the ProudAnus module for one of the LiberaToe...

I had headless guitars in the past, both of which were double the price as the Ibanez Quantum (QX54QM model). I found one brand stiff playing, whereas the other two had wiring or sound issues (that could have been rectified at a cost). With tastes being different, I would place the Ibanez...

I supposed I could joke about how this is a guitarist’s ‘Wet Dream,’ but the name Dream ’65 will suffice. Emulated from select 1965 Fender Super Reverb amps, as well as select speaker emulations, UA got as close as possible to a real amp that I have heard. And that goes for their Woodrow (Tweed)...

Pascal is a dual-channel (Green & Red) modulation pedal (it also is a module for the LiberaToe pedal/switcher systems). In effect, you have a separate set of controls for each channel. A channel can be turned on or off as usual (fast click via the footswitch), but if you hold the footswitch down...

The Del-Verb is impressive. It houses a Tape EP-III, a Deluxe Memory Man, UA’s own Precision delay, a 1965 Spring reverb, an EMT Plate reverb, and a Lexicon Hall reverb. Both delay and reverb have their own independent sides of the pedal, with stereo ins-and-outs for that true ambient...

Brever may be as close as it gets to an actual amp spring reverb. Now, I am basing my opinion on other reverbs in my studio, although all are digital and not analog, like Brever. As with other LiberaToe pedals, Brever is dual channel, which can mean a few things. First, be aware that this also...

After having UA’s Woodrow ’55 (Fender Tweed amp emulation) for only a few hours, I knew I had to review the Ruby ‘63 (Vox AC30) and Dream ’65 (Fender Reverb Twin), the latter of which I will be done soon. These are a true joy to use because they sound so authentic, which makes it fun to review...