GuitarVibe.com

Slash Appetite for Destruction Les Paul

This is a guest post from GnR fan and guitar enthusiast Steven Williams from England.

The Slash 'Appetite for Destruction' Les Paul absolute beauty is not just a guitar; it’s a limited edition piece of history. There are only 100 in the world of these perfectly crafted instruments, which not only look amazing, but sound amazing too. Well Slash wouldn’t settle for anything less would he?

Only the finest materials make up this Gibson Les Paul guitar with a Grade AAA maple top and weight-relieved mahogany body, it is then coated in nitrocellulose laquer that replicates a faded vintage Les Paul Standard. But don’t forget it has to sound as good as it looks so the maple-mahogany combination and thin nitro finish help to get the most out of them in terms of looks and sound.

The neck and a headstock are shaped in the classic tradition of the 1958-’60 Les Pauls, which is always a good thing. Crafted from quarter-sawn mahogany and topped with a rosewood fingerboard. Gibson’s lauded 17-degree back-angled headstock is incorporated which adds to the guitars resonance and sustain.

To Slash’s personal specifications, the Appetite for Destruction Les Paul has a set of Seymour Duncan Signature Series Alnico II Pro Slash humbucking pickups, which are crafted in the image of the original Gibson PAF humbucking pickups. But the range in tonal versatility is the truly impressive feature from a rich throaty wail at the neck to a muscular roar at the bridge, which we come to expect from the Les Paul. This is then transmitted via a Switchcraft selector switch, high-quality potentiometers with Orange Drop tone caps, and a robust Switchcraft output jack. 

In the image of the Les Paul Standards of the 1958-’60 the Slash Appetite for Destruction Les Paul has a classic set of hardware. All suited to Slash’s very high standards. A TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece offer uncompromising resonant coupling between strings and body, while a set of Kluson-style tuners combine an authentic vintage appearance with the performance of modern guitars.

As you can probably imagine the signed Appetite for Destruction model doesn’t come cheap at around £10,000 (around $14,000 USD) or half that for the VOS (vintage original spec) version.  But given the rarity of this instrument, it's value will likely increase with time; it’s not just a guitar it’s a piece of art hand signed by a rock legend. If there’s anything worth buying as a collector’s item then this is it. However if you are brave enough to take it out of the glass case and play it, then it really is something special. Whether it’s worth the money is your decision but what better way to cure the dreaded mid-life crisis --and it's slightly cheaper than that Ducati you've been thinking about.

Steven Williams works at Dawson's, a fine musical instrument store in Warrington, Cheshire, England.  If you're in the area and want to get your paws on the Slash signature Les Paul or any other fine gear they have on offer.  Thanks Steve!

Behind the Scenes at Lapstick

A couple of years back, I posted a write up and interview with Phil Neal, creator of the Lapstick travel guitar.  Here's a great video Phil has posted that talks about his background and how it led to the creation of the Lapstick, the most compact travel guitar ever.  Also some great scenes of Phil in his workshop working on various classic guitars.  The video is in dutch with English subtitles.

Hopefully, we'll also eventually see other variations on the Lapstick, including the long-rumored medium-scale version.  I'd love to have a Lapstick with a 22" scale, but I'm not sure Phil agrees.

• Lapstick: Home, Specs, Press,  Details, FAQ, Forums
• YouTube: Summertime, Live at Syndicaat
• GuitarVibe: Interview with Phil Neal

Zoom G3 Multi-Effects Pedal

 
Next on my list of recent purchases is the Zoom G3 mult-effects pedal.  This replaces my Line 6 JM4 Looper.  While it's in no way a substitute for all the fancy backing tracks of the JM4, I found I wasn't really using those capabilities.  And adding new backing tracks to the SD card was a pain in the neck on the JM4, at least compared to the Boss Micro BR-80.  

The idea of the G3 is simple: stomp box ease-of-use with multi-effects sophistication all for $200.  It looks like 3 old school stomp boxes stuck together in a durable gun-metal enclosure.  You've got 3 simple on/off buttons, one for each effect, as well as 3 knobs for each effect so can dial various parameters such as gain, delay etc.  Each stomp box can control any of the more than 100 built-in amps or effect simulations.  Hold down the left button and you can cycle through 10 banks of 10 preset sounds, some of which are classic sounds (like SRV, Surf Rock, US Blues, Marshall stack) some are weird and some are completely useless, as is the case with any modeling system.  Hold down the middle button and you get the built-in tuner.  Hold down the right button and you get the looper.  It's dead easy to operate and the LCD panels are bright and easy to read.  You can click on the image below to expand it. 

Typically you'll have the left-most pedal set to an overdrive, distortion or boost pedal, the middle to use a reverb, delay or chorus and the right-most pedal to one of 13 amps (Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Tweed, Marshall, Vox, HiWatt, Mesa-Boogie, Two Rock, Matchless, Orange, etc).  There are more than 90 guitar effects to chose from with oodles of overdrive, distortion, compressor, acoustic simulator, vibrato, flanger, phaser, auto-wah, chorus and delay models that you can set in just about any crazy way you want.  There are only a few limitations based on the amount of processing required for some effects.  There are seven twin effects that combined two common settings such as chorus/delay, compressor/overdrive, reverb/delay; which offers a decent workaround when you need to cram in one more effect.

The looper provides a 40 second looping capability and you can summon 40 basic drum tracks for Rock, Blues Shuffle, Balad, Metal, Punk, Thrash, Funk, Latin, Jazz, Pop etc.  They cover the basics but I would have liked to have had a few more variations on Rock and Blues and a few less for Dance and Metro. (Come on guys, who do you think your target market is?)

Unlike a lot of complicated loopers, the Zoom G3 is very easy to use.  When you have any of the backing rhythm  tracks going (including a basic metronome beat) the G3 is smart about starting and stopping loops on the beat.  This is great for someone like me who is rhythmically challenged.  Generally speaking, I can get the looping right 90% of the time, which is a big time saver compared to other pedals I've tried.  Jamming over loops with so many different effects to choose from can be a real blast.

While this is totally subjective, I found the quality of the amp and effects modeling of the G3 to be better than my old Line 6 JM4 Looper, Fender G-DEC amp, Korg Pandora PX5D or even my new Boss Micro BR-80.  That said, this is a constantly evolving market and I have not tested Line 6's recently updated HD pod.  But for basic blues and rock, this sounds and feels like the real deal.  In addition, it's a rugged unit that is both sturdy and easy enough to use in a live gig situation. 

The G3 runs on AA batteries and also includes an AC power adapter.  And it can operate as a USB interface to any digital recording software.  For $200 street price this is a great value multi-effects pedal with awesome sounds and a lot of extras built-right in.

• Zoom: G3 Multi-Effects Pedal, Specs
• Amazon: Zoom G3 Multi Effects Pedal

iPhone BackBeats App for Guitarists

This is a new application available on the iphone by Matthew Benney.  Finally a great set of drum tracks for guitar players.  You've got a range of styles (Rock, Blues, Reggae, Metal, Country...) as well as different times (4/4, 3/4 etc) and speeds.  Think of this as the best most fun metronome application you've ever had.  If you get bored with a standard metronome, this will get you more energized!

 

The only limitations to BackBeats are those inherent to any iPhone music app.  And that is, you can't have BackBeats playing it's drum tracks in the background while using a separate iPhone app such as AmpKit or Amplitube as your guitar modeling application.  

The long and short of that means that as useful as BackBeats is, you still need some other way to amplify your guitar.  If your amplifier has an input jack for an MP3 player, then that's a great solution.  Otherwise, I'm hoping that Matthew Benney can figure out a way to make his application play in the background.  Still, for under a buck, this is a great application and if you play guitar or bass, you should pick it up.

• BackBeatsApp: Web site, AppStore listing, View in iTunes

Boss Micro BR-80

Lately I've sold off a few less-used pieces of guitar equipment and bought some fancy new gear.  The first among these is the Boss Micro BR-80, technically known as the Boss Micro BR BR-80, presumably brought to you by Boss's department of redundancy department.  At any rate, the BR-80 replaces my trusty Korg Pandora PX5D.  The Pandora was a great unit and I loved it, but after a couple of years using the PX5D and it's predecssor, I was itching for something different.  

The Boss Micro BR-80 is similar in many respects:

• About the size of a portable cassette recorder
• Runs on AA batteries (or separate charger)
• Includes a hundred built-in guitar amps and effects
• Includes dozens of drum tracks and backing tracks
• Easily record or solo over the backing tracks
• Built-in tuner and metronome
• Goofy product name and model number

Where the Boss Micro BR-80 excels is:

• High quality Boss COSM guitar effects & amp models
• Includes the capabilities of the Boss eBand jam-along system
• You can add your own MP3 backing tracks
• Built-in multi-track recorder
• Stereo microphone for recording live music 
• Includes an SD card, USB interface and cable

Personally, I find the COSM modeling of guitars, effects and amps to be better than the PX5D.  You've got your basic amps (Fender Tweed, Blackface, Vox, Marshall), effects (Distortion, Overdrive, Delay, Chorus...) and dozens of presets.  Of course, this is just a personal preference and it greatly depends on the effects you use.  But the basic Rock and Blues settings are quite good and somewhat easier to tweak than the PX5D.  That said, you can easily spend hours fiddling with the effects rather than playing.  So best to pick a few settings add them to the user settings and get playing.

In addition, having the eBand capabilities and built-in jam tracks is great for practicing.  Some of the loops are quite short (a mere 40 seconds captures pretty much any 12 bar blues) and they are not as sophisticated as Line 6's JM4 Looper's "infinite Jams."  But they are decent and Boss has made a library of backing tracks available on their site.  More importantly, you can add your own backing tracks as MP3 or WAV files.  So if you've got a library of backing tracks from instructional books or CDs, this is great way to take them with you wherever you go.  

The Micro BR-80 also includes the eBand's "center cancel" technology that enables you to reduce the guitar and vocal tracks from standard MP3 files to create your own backing tracks.  While that sounds good in theory, I've found that the results are much less impressive.  You can eliminate some mid-range or high-frequency sound that might come from a solo, but you also lose a lot of the overall sound.  You can customize how this works to focus on left, center or right, or certain frequencies or depth, but the quality depends on just how isolated the sound is that you're trying to eliminate.  If it's a solo in the left channel at a high frequency, you have a good shot at it. But if you're trying to eliminate the rhythm guitar, it'll be much less effective.   

I haven't even tapped into the live recording or multi-track capabilities yet.  But even without those, I consider the Micro BR-80 to be a great device.  It's small enough to fit into any gig bag and easy enough to use that you don't need the manual.  Most of the time.

If you're looking for a portable device for guitar effects and backing tracks, I recommend the Boss Micro BR-80.  For around $300 street price it's not the cheapest device out there, but it's got some built-in capabilities that give it a lot of versatility.  

• Boss: Micro BR-80, eBand, Backing tracks
• Amazon: BOSS Micro BR-80

 

Guitar Gear for Sale

The following guitar gear is for sale.  It's all great, but I'm just not using these items right now.  All of them are listed on Craigslist, so if you want 'em come and get 'em quick.  Send me email or post a comment below.  Local delivery only on the amp and guitar.  Local delivery or mail for the other items.  Prices do not include shipping costs.  Happy to deliver locally in San Francisco, South Bay, Santa Cruz or East Bay depending on timing.

Hondo Lazer Headless guitar (PENDING)

• Rare black headless guitar as used by Johnny Winter
• Very fast neck, easy to play
• No brand markings on the guitar, but appears to be Hondo Lazer
• Hard shell travel case with old school red velvet interior
• Johnny Winter not included

 

   

Fender HOT 75 Watt amp $110

• Built-in drive, crunch modes, reverb and some other knobs
• 2 channel, plenty loud
• Retro grey fabric 

 

 

Line 6 JM4 Looper (SOLD)

• Multi-effects pedal with built-in looper and backing tracks
• Solid construction with included power supply and SD card
• 12 built-in Amp models (clean, blues, crunch, metal...)  effects (chorus, flanger, delay, reverb etc)
• More than 200 pre-set guitar tones by artist, song, style etc
• More than 100 built-in multi-instrument backing tracks and drum tracks
• Easy to loop and record your own music over any track or WAV file
• Easily slow down or speed up tracks, change key for versatility

Korg Pandora PX5D (SOLD)

• Portable multi-effects processor for guitar and bass
• About the size of an old school cassette
• Runs on 2 AA batteries or USB power
• Amp, cabinet and effects simulator
• More than 100 pre-set tones for classic rock, blues, jazz, metal, etc.
• More than 100 built-in drum beats can be used as backing tracks
• You can easily record rhythm guitar over backing tracks, then solo
• Great for musicians who travel

If you're interested, let me know via comments below, email or go directly to Craigslist.  Will consider swap for cash and/or low watt tube amp VHT ultra 6, Fender or similar. 

 

Line 6 JM4 Looper

 

In my quest to play along to some backing tracks that go further than the basic MIDI files included in the Fender G-DEC Combo Amp I picked up a Line 6 JM4 Looper pedal recently.  In effect, this is the "brains" of Line 6's Spider Jam amp in a 5 pound package without the amp, speaker and cabinet.   The whole thing measures about 12" x 7" x 2.5", or about the size of four single-purpose effects pedals. 

If you're looking for a simple gig-ready looper pedal to lay down some rhythm guitar and then play some riffs on top of it, the JM4 Looper may or may not be the right thing.  But if you'd like to make things more interesting with drums, backing tracks, built-in amp models and effects, then the JM4 Looper has a lot going for it. 

There are 350 (!) different pre-set tones covering an even broader range of songs, artists and styles.  Want the exact tone for Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" solo? It's there.  Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall" solo?  Check.  AC/DC's "Back in Black?"  Got it.  Ozzy Osbourne's "Barking at the Moon"?  Hey, there are three different tones for that one.  There are so many tones built in here it can be pretty overwhelming: Joe Satriana, Albert Collins, The Police, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Guns 'n' Roses, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rush, White Stripes, Maroon 5, Slipknot, to name a few.  The tones are organized into different banks (for various eras, artist styles etc) but it can still take a while to go through all the choices.

But the real power of the JM4 Looper is the backing tracks.  There are around 100 jam tracks in various styles (rock, blues, metal, country, jazz).  Admittedly, with so many choices in both backing tracks and tones, you may never use all of them.  But with the approach Line 6 has taken there's something for everyone. 

There are great blues tracks, metal songs, country jams, stadium rockers and more.  Because these are recorded by professional session musicians, even songs outside your favorite genre have an energy and sound to them that makes it easy to play along.  There's also an "endless jam" capability that makes it easy to jam to the songs without it feeling completely repetitious.  And you can speed up or slow down the tracks or modify the key.  However, when you do, the audio distorts a bit.  So if you want to change something from the key of E to F, that's ok.  But if moving it more than two half steps, the percussion starts to sound very artificial.  So you're probably just better off learning how to play these songs in the proper key.

Recording and practicing to the backing tracks is dead easy.  You select a backing track using the Songs button, or if you want it bare bones, just select the Drums button.  Rotating the big dial button lets you scroll through the choices of songs or drum tracks.  The JM4 Looper will automatically dial in an appropriate tone.   Then click the record button and you'll get a 4 beat countdown to start.  You can record multiple layers or, as I often need to, hit the "undo" button to start again from a clean slate.  To transfer the song to your PC, press the save button and then select "Mix down to WAV file" option.  You can then use iTunes or other programs to compress the WAV file into a standard MP3 file.

Sample MP3 Files

If you click on the MP3 link below, you'll hear a backing track of "The Thrill is Gone" in Bm with some simple Pentatonic solo riffs. I've also experimented a bit with some of the delay capabilities, though honestly I don't think I did the effects justice.  Still you can get a sense of the quality of the backing tracks and the built-in tones.

The Thrill is Gone (MP3)

I also recorded a riff from the Metal Method instructional DVDs with more of a hard rock feel to it.  In this case, I played a simple rhythm part (G7, C7, D7) over a built-in 70's Groove drum track and then dialed up the Laguna Coil - Pizza  solo tone and hit record.  The solo uses the G Minor Pentatonic scale.

Metal Method Riff (MP3)

Note: Some readers have had trouble with the embedded MP3 player above.  You can also click on links to the MP3 files The Thrill is Gone or Metal Method Riff directly to open them in a new window or right click save them to your computer.  Also, for some reason, the Metal Method Riff recording has a lot of pops and clicks. I'm trying to figure out the problem on this...

While the JM4 Looper is cheaper than the full-blown Spider Jam amp, it's a significant investment.  The street price is typically $330, though you can occasionally find it for less.  Still, right now, this is the best device there is when it comes to providing a combination of high-quality jam tracks, built-in effects and tones and easy recording capabilities.  And not only is it a blast to use, but the more you use it, the better you'll play. 

 

• Amazon:  BOSS Micro-BR, Zoom G2, Line 6 JM4 Looper
• GuitarVibe: G-DEC Combo Amp, RiffWorks, Roland Cube
• Line 6: Main site, JM4 Looper, Pocket Pod, Pocket Pod Express

Boss eBand JS-8 Review

I'm always keen to try out new guitar gear to see if it will help me improve my playing.   Boss came out with their eBand JS-8 Audio Player with Guitar Effects a while back.  On paper, it sounds like the ideal device for me:

• Hundreds of built-in backing tracks & drum tracks
• Hundreds of guitar tones with easy-to-use interface
• Modeled amps, cabinets, effects pedals
• One button recording capability
• USB, SD card interface
• Ability to jam along and record over built-in tracks or any MP3 or WAV file
• Center channel cancel to reduce vocals and guitar on MP3 files
• Built-in stereo speakers, headphone jack
• De-caf espresso maker

Ok, it desn't really have an espresso maker, but it has everything else you could dream of.   It's easy to use and BOSS continues to create new backing tracks that you can add.  

Unfortunately, the sound quality from the built-in speakers is pretty weak; It sounds much better with headphones.  Still, it's great for use in an office, bedroom or dorm where you wouldn't want to crank up a full-blown amp. 

Here's a quick and dirty video I shot of the eBand JS-8 to demonstrate the built-in tones and backing tracks.  This was shot using the iPhone 4 low-res VGA camera.

Bottom Line:     It's a good product for any aspiring amateur that wants to practice to backing tracks to improve their playing.  But it's not a professional quality device and not something you could use in a live gig or professional recording situation.  

As with any of modeling devices from Line 6, Fender, Korg, etc., some of the tones are better than others.  And while the backing tracks are decent, you'll definitely outgrow them at some point. So its good that you can add your own MP3 and WAV files.

• Amazon: eBand JS-8,  KORG PX5D, BOSS Micro-BR, Line 6 JM4 Looper
• GuitarVibe: G-DEC Combo Amp, RiffWorks, Roland Cube
• Roland Boss: Main site, Micro BR, User Group

RiffWorks Makes You a Better Guitar Player

I've written briefly about RiffWorks before but I thought I'd provide a bit more detail in this review.  What is RiffWorks?  In a nutshell, it's the world's simplest guitar recording software.  You can select from standard drum tracks, set a tempo and then record multi-track guitar parts with different stomp pedal effects visually dragging and dropping sections to make up a song.  It's so easy that you can download it and be up and recording in 15 minutes. 

Here's a version of the Stranglers song "Hanging Around" that I recorded. RiffWorks provided the drums, and I played the bass, rhythm and lead parts.  While I don't think my playing is particularly good, it shows that you can create some fairly sophsticated arrangements easily.

Hanging around 2011-03-17

Line 6 sells a version of RiffWorks called  RiffTracker for use with their GuitarPort package and you can also buy it directly from Sonoma Wireworks.  The standalone version of RiffWorks works equally well with GuitarPort or any other input device whether from Line 6, M-Audio, Digidesign, Presonus, Tascam or most others. 

Sure, there are other more complicated recording packages, but if you want to focus on your playing as opposed to futzing around, RiffWorks is a great way to get started.   If you don't have the opportunity to play with a band, there are plenty of advantages to having the RiffWorks Instant Drummer lay down a track. 

Playing in time is one of the most important skills a guitar player can learn and it only comes from hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours of practice with a drummer.  Of course there are advantages to having a real drummer, but you can also be sure that RiffWorks Instant Drummer won't drink all your beer.  With Instant Drummer, you just pick the tempo, set the drum style you want (Basic, Chorus, Verse, Latin, etc.) dial up or down the intensity and variation and you're ready to go.  The controls work in real time, so it's easy to experiment; just turn the nobs and decide what fits your mood.   Sonoma WireWorks also offers additional drum packs for $9.99, so if you want to add specialized sounds, you can do that. 

Once you've put down the drum track, you can record a riff.  I usually record a rhythm guitar track and then double track with slightly different effects or pickup settings to get a richer sound.  You can record multiple layers with different effects, pan to the left or right speakers and so on.  Just press the big red record button.  If you don't like it, delete it and try again.  Once you've got a few riffs recorded, you can drag and drop them to arrange a sequence that makes up a song.  It's dead easy.  Assuming you've got a microphone input into your PC, you can add vocals.

I find myself using RiffWorks just about every day.  I'll put down some basic drums and rhythm guitar and then loop them for hours trying out different solos as a way to experiment.  Believe me, this is much fun than practicing scales. 

RiffWorks also has its own built-in effects.  These include distortion, modulator, delay, reverb as well as a pretty cool auto-wah and compressor for getting great sustain.  I usually use the effects in my Line 6 GuitarPort, which sound a bit better to me, but for those who don't use the Line 6 gear, it's nice that RiffTracker has the basics built-in.  You can also use the the built-in effects to tweak the sound after it's recorded which is a nice bit of added flexibility.

Once you've recorded your masterpiece, you can save it as a WAV or OGG Vorbis file and, if you like, post it to RiffWorld, Sonoma Wireworks' community site.  (You'll need to use iTunes or another program if you want to convert it to MP3 format.)  RiffWorld lets you collaborate online to create songs and share them on the web. It's pretty amazing to hear original songs as well as tributes to classic rock songs with all the parts.  This is the best testament to the power of RiffTracker.  You can find rock, metal, pop, ska, funk --you name it.   And if it's good enough for Todd Rundgren on his latest CD Arena, it's probably going to to work for you.

If you're still not sure about RiffWorks, get the Free Download of T4, a slightly cut down version of RiffWorks, from the Sonoma Wireworks web site.  It doesn't have all the features of the full version, but it has enough to get you going and make sure everything's working.   RiffWorks is available on both Windows and Mac and costs $129.  For that modest investment, you get some great tools that will not only make you a better player, you'll have a lot of fun to boot!  There's also a RiffWorks purchase promotion going on right now.  You can save $30 with their online promo code, getting the whole thing for just $99.  Considering the hours you'll get out of it RiffWorks, this is truly a bargain.  Take a look  at their latest newsletter for more information. 

Finally, here's a quick overview video showing RiffWorks working with Line 6 GuitarPort.  You can also find quite a few videos on Sonoma Wireworks site and on YouTube. 

• Sonoma Wireworks: Products, RiffWorks, Newsletter, Videos, Free Download, FAQ
• RiffWorld: Home, How-to Guide, RiffCaster songs
• Amazon: GuitarPort, RiffTracker
• Line 6: GuitarPort, RiffTracker

Roland Cube: A Million Strong

 
I recently picked up a small battery-powered Roland Micro Cube amp to take with me to some guitar lessons.  I wanted something light, portable and battery powered.  Despite my skepticism about such a small amp, I've come away impressed with the Micro Cube.  

Apparently, I'm not alone: Roland has sold more than a million Cube amps since it's introduction.  There are whole range of Cubes from the lightest Mobile Cube (which oddly enough is not cube shaped) to the big honking Cube 80X, an 80 watt beast with a powerful 12" speaker.  All of them share a common heritage and built-in modeling derived from Roland's COSM technology that provide a range of sonic choices: acoustic simulator, JC (Jazz Chorus) Clean, Black Panel, Brit combo, Classic Stack, high-gain R-fier etc.  Higher-end units have more features and more models such as Tweed, Metal and so on.  And there are also built in effects including Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser and Tremolo.

The Micro Cube is at the low end, but it's surprisingly powerful for it's size.  To be clear, this is not an amp you can use for a live gig competing against a drum kit. It's a 2 watt practice amp with a 5" speaker, so the emphasis is on portability. Think of it as a Pignose amp updated for the 21st century.  It's small enough that you can take it places where you wouldn't have AC power: a day at the beach, a cabin by the lake, front porch, etc.  You can also use it for mic'd recording. The Micro Cube runs for about 20 hours on 6 AA batteries and also includes a 9 volt AC adapter.  Unlike the original Pignose amp, the Micro Cube has a variety of amp models and effects that give you a pretty wide range of tones from clean to classic blues crunch to full-on Marshall stack.  Despite it's small size, it can crank quite surprisingly loud when the gain is turned up. With a street price of around $130, the Micro Cube is a good value.  You can also find them used for well under $100.  Heck, you can spend more than that on a single effects pedal.  

I tested out the Micro Cube alongside my Fender G-DEC, which is a 15 watt modeling amp.  The Micro Cube held its own in terms of volume with the acoustic simulator clocking in at around 75 db and maxing out at just under 100 db with full gain on the Stack amp model.  Volume alone doesn't tell the full story, but the tones on the Cube are as good or better than the G-DEC, though less varied.  Of course, the G-DEC also has other features like MIDI backing tracks and a built-in tuner, but in terms of sonic quality, the Micro Cube measures up nicely.  

Roland has also introduced an upgraded model, Micro Cube RX, which adds a range of drum tracks (rock, blues shuffle, country, funk, etc) an on-board electronic tuner, additional amp models and two sets of stereo speakers and 5 watts total power.  While still portable, the Micro Cube RX is slightly larger and several pounds heavier.  So if budget or portability are the primary concerns, you might prefer the original Micro Cube.  Otherwise, the Micro Cube RX is a significant upgrade and worth the extra $100.  There's also a Street Cube model with dual amps and speakers that's ideal for the guitar player trying to make some extra money busking.

Any of these Cube models make a great first amp or an additional amp for times when you need portability.

• Roland: Official site, Micro Cube, One-in-a-million contest
• Amazon: Roland Micro Cube, Micro Cube RX, Pignose amp 
• GuitarVibe: Fender G-DEC Modeling Amp

ZT Lunchbox : The Loudest Little Amp

 
I was starting to look around at various low-wattage tube amps from Bugera, VHT and the Fender Champ when I stumbled across the ZT Lunchbox amp.  While it's solid-state rather than a tube amp, it fit the bill for me combining a great tone in a small package.  And despite it's lunchbox size, this thing puts out an incredible 200 watts (135 RMS).  I've jammed with it and it can keep up against a drummer, bass player and a guitarist with a 100 watt Marshall amp. In fact, it's got room to spare.

Just how loud is a ZT Lunchbox?  Well lets just say it's loud enough for ZZ Top so it'll probably be good enough for you.  You can see two ZT Lunchboxes in the photo below, just below the drum riser.

 
Despite it's small size (6.5" speaker) and diminutive weight (under ten pounds) this thing cranks!  And the tone is excellent.  While the controls are a bit different than what you're used to (ambiance instead of proper reverb, gain works a bit different) the tone you get is rich and tube-like.  And if you want a bit more crunch, just put a Boss Overdrive or Tube Screamer in front and you'll have an easy to transport setup that you can use in the home, studio or on stage.

You can find these at some shops or online at Amazon and elsewhere for around $260 for the Lunchbox or $460 for the larger Club model which has a larger 12" speaker and comes in around 22 pounds.  

Update:
 Here's a short video I shot that demonstrates the ZT Lunchbox.  However, the sound conditions were not ideal.  The true test of the Lunchbox is when you see it holding its own in a live gig situation.

• ZT Amplifiers: Main site, Lunchbox, Club
• Amazon: ZT Lunchbox, ZT Club

Fender G-DEC Modeling Amp

 
With all of what Line 6 has done to promote amp and effects modeling, it's no surprise that the big guys are taking note.  A while back, Fender launched a low-end practice amp called the Fender G-DEC (you don't want to know what it stands for) and followed up with a lower-end G-DEC Junior and a slightly more powerful G-DEC 30. 

The standard G-DEC is a 15 watt practice amp with about 50 built-in tones, ranging from Lefty-Haze (Jimi Hendrix) to Hammer-of-the-Gods (quazi-zeppelin). (Aside: Why do the modelled amps and guitars always have these quaint innuendos instead of just coming right out and saying what they are modeling?).  There's a nice range of sounds from a slightly overdriven Chicago Blues sound to insanely distorted nu-metal settings with a few oddballs (Reggae-wah?) thrown in to boot.

With each built-in setting you get pre-set amp modeling, effects and so on, as well as an optional backing track of bass and drums.  These built-in jam tracks are a great way to improve your playing.  You can select the standard Rockin in G-DEC track, for example, and get a distorted rock guitar through a VOX style British amp sound with a steady 4/4 beat at 120 beats per minute in the key of E.  There are backing tracks in various Blues, Classic Rock, Pop, Country, Jazz and Heavy Metal styles.  While the sounds is good, they are MIDI loops and they do get a bit repetitious after a while.  Still, you can easily change the tempo or the key, or change up the amp and effects settings, making practicing Pentatonic scales a whole lot more fun than just using a metronome.  Because the tracks are MIDI, they play perfectly in any key or at any tempo; there's no distorted sounds from speeding up or slowing down.  Best of all you can wail away doing solos for hours without anyone else in the band missing a beat or drinking your beer!

If you want to lay down a short rhythm guitar looop, you can record that and then play it back with the backing track and then improvise your heart out playing lead guitar. The G-DEC makes it as easy as its gonna be to try out different musical styles without having to spend hours futzing to get the exact tone you want. In fact the manual is barely a dozen pages and the controls are all easy to use.

Of course, you can futz around for hours if you want to customize any of the built-in presets. You can change the effects, the amp model parameters, the drum track and save it as one of your own 50 custom settings. The user interface is quite easy once you learn it. Just press a button (Amp, Fx, Drums) and rotate the big knob known as the "Data Wheel". (Ok, I must admit, I had to read the manual before I totally figured this out.)

You can also plug in directly to a midi-based PC or pull in tracks directly from a CD player or MP3 player. In fact the amp has a flat top making it convenient to put a CD Player (or beer) on top. Instead of the traditional built-in handle, there's a carrying strap.
As a practice amp, its got a decent sound, but you're never gonna mistake it for a tube amp. The G-DEC puts more emphasis on heavily distorted metal tones than on clean ones and while its unlikely you're going to be thrilled with all of the tones, there's still plenty to choose from.  For the price and size, it's quite a good value, especially if you estimate the cost of a typical practice amp and one or two effects pedals or a Line 6 Pocket Pod, KORG Pandora PX5D or similar amp modeling device. Since it's all built-in, its very easy to use and there's no weird distortion of the backing track when you apply guitar effects. It's also got a great one-button electronic tuner that makes tuning up a snap.

However, at 15 watts, the G-DEC is definitely underpowered. It sounds like and feels like a beginner's amp, which of course it is.  If you're looking for an amp that will get you practicing more, the G-DEC series is worth investigating.  The G-DEC 30 gives you a bit more power with 30 watts, a bigger speaker, and more jam tracks. The G-DEC Junior (shown to the right) cuts out some of the bells and whistles in favor of simpler user interface with fewer tones and backing tracks.  

Street price for the G-DEC is around $260 in the US, slightly higher elsewhere.  The G-DEC 30 costs around $310 and the G-DEC Junior around $160, providing a range of choices depending on your budget and needs.  One other thing to keep in mind, there is a big community of G-DEC users out there with all kinds of resources ranging from forums, mods, more backing tracks, etc.  Below is a short video showing some of the features, tones and backing tracks of the Fender G-DEC.

Line 6 is the only other company offering a modeling amp with built-in backing tracks with their Spider Jam amp.  That definitely goes far beyond the G-DEC with more tracks, more customization (and more complexity).  But its only available in a 75 watt model with a price of around $500.

• Amazon: Fender G-DEC Combo Amp, G-DEC 30, JM4 Looper, Pandora PX5D
• Fender: G-DEC, G-DEC 30, G-DEC Junior
• Line 6: Main site, JM4 Looper, Spider Jam
• GuitarVibe: Headphone Amps with Jam Tracks
• G-DEC Wiki: Main, List of presets
• Fender Forum: G-Dec Posse
• MyGDEC: Main, Forum, File Repository