New Video: "New Gear Episode 1: Kramer Baretta, Mesa Mark IV, Peavey XXX"

A few things lined up recently and several things I purchased all happened to arrive on the exact same day - so I took this opportunity to start a new series of videos. They will probably be a bit inconsistent since it depends on when/how often I get new gear, but I think it’ll be cool to do a more casual video whenever I get some cool new piece of gear and talk about it briefly before doing a comparison video or deep dive review.

Of course, this is a lot at once this time as I got both a guitar and two amps all at once. Here’s the video, but keep scrolling for some pictures and some other thoughts on the gear.

First item: a 1987 Kramer Baretta. This one sat on Reverb for a long time and had a few price drops, and I have to give the seller a lot of credit for an accurate representation of the guitar. It is playable, but the frets have been leveled and it is probably due for a refret job very soon. The body has some surface scratches made very clear by the black finish but no major damage, and the neck is really sharp. Sadly, the original JB is missing and replaced with a very cheap pickup from Amazon or similar, and the original floyd rose is missing too - but luckily it was just replaced with a more recent German made OFR. The pickup was wired very strangely - sounded like a single coil or like it had a short - so I swapped that out for a black/white SH-10 Full Shred that I’ve had waiting for a guitar just like this for a while now and it sounds fantastic.

Second: Mesa Mark IV… again. I’ve been really missing my Mk IV head, so I’ve been on the prowl for another. This was listed on Guitar Center used as a head, but sadly it is a combo on arrival - I’m a bit disappointed by that but in a rare act of customer service, the person shipping the amp at GC actually called me and let me know that it was a combo in advance and asked if I wanted to cancel the order! I really appreciate that but I went through with it anyway, since it was described to be in excellent condition.

And wow! That was not a lie either - it is in truly impeccable shape with the original cover too. Sadly the footswitch is missing - that’s very disappointing because they are pretty expensive to replace but we’ll see what I can do about that. This is the “short” combo which means some controls are on the rear panel (like the mid gain/harmonic mode switch) and the factory speaker is a Celestion Black Shadow. I’ve heard lots of praise for this speaker but never tried one - my initial impressions are very positive though. This particular amp also has a very high serial number, much newer than the head that I had, and puts the date closer to the 2008 end of things (likely this was made 2006-2007 or so). Mark IV production ended in 2008 so it’s nice to have one that is a full decade newer than the one I had before, as far as component life goes.

Last: I’ve been looking for a Peavey Triple X or JSX for a little while but waiting for the right deal to come up - these amps were regularly available for 250-350 bucks or so for years so I found it hard to justify paying the current prices of 500+ for them. Luckily, I spotted this one online for only $299, which is about as good as it is going to get amp shopping in 2022, especially for a USA made tube amp like this. I’ve only played it a little bit, but it is super gainy and sounds really great so far. Bang for the buck, this is hard to beat, and I’d argue that in the right hands a skilled player with an amp like this could sound just as good as any expensive boutique amp (within the limitations of what the amp is designed to do of course - high gain). The active EQ really broadens the range of the amp as well, and even though it’s super cheesey, the front panel “girls” grille has grown on me in more of an ironic/nostalgia kind of way (these amps were all over the place when I was first learning to play guitar).

New Video: Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverb (Model 4100 Reissue)

Another deep dive and completing my run of the JCM900 series, the dual reverb. This particular amp is a Reissue model made in 2013, but the circuit is the same as any normal production run JCM900 and is equipped with 5881 power tubes (as most DR’s were throughout the 90s). The tones of this amplifier are great for a certain type of music, but I can also see why some do not like this amp compared to more traditional Marshall circuits.

Additionally, there are LED clippers on the normal channel, and diodes on the gain channel too - as well as a multitude of opamp gain stages and some pre-EQing going on for the second channel. It’s certainly not as analog as other Marshall circuits and even if the diodes were clipped/removed, it’s still largely opamp powered - this amp only has one single preamp tube gain stage in it (amps like 2203’s have 3 for example). Still, I think it really rocks for 90s punk tones and other high gain, bright tone - but it wouldn’t be my first choice for classic rock or old school metal.

New Video: Charvel Predator

I was sad to let this one go, but it just wasn’t getting a lot of play time. It was the last guitar I owned with the great sounding Jackson J200R (Rails) version of the single coil pickup, and the 5-way switching really made this a great, versatile guitar. I’m attempting to thin down the collection though and ultimately, I like my Model 4’s a bit more and sent this one on to a new owner. Still, it’s a great guitar and I talk about it more in this video.

New Video: Mesa Mark V Review

It’s been a long requested video - especially after doing a deep dive into the Mark IV - but it’s finally here! In this video I do a similar deep dive into the Mesa Mark V circuit and talk about some of the unique features it has (such as the tube rectifier and Mk I mode) as well as some of its drawbacks in comparison to classic Mark circuits. I definitely miss my Mark IV, but the V definitely has some great tones in it an is a little easier to live with with a very good sounding reverb and arguably better crunch channels.

New Amp: Mesa Stiletto Trident V2

I had been eyeing this Trident on Reverb for quite some time when I finally decided to take the plunge and made an offer. I’ve really wanted to try a Stiletto but really hated the standard headshell’s reptile-skin look, so this beautiful wine red tolex and weave front grille unit really appealed to me.

Sadly, yet another UPS shipping debacle came about with this amp as it was carelessly dropped from so far that it shattered several of the power tubes and all 3 rectifier tubes, as well as cracking the headshell on the bottom side. Talk about a BIG let down!

Luckily Reverb came in and set things straight with a partial refund to cover the damages, but it’s really a shame UPS isn’t being held more accountable. I know I move a lot of gear around but it’s astounding to me just how much of it is damaged! That said, I would’ve packed this amp a little differently than it arrived - I pack my outgoing gear with the assumption that IT WILL be dropped, instead of hoping it won’t be.

Now the issue is waiting for Mesa to make a new headshell - when I called, they weren’t even taking new orders because they are so behind on custom cabinet orders and materials. For the time being, I’ve clamped and glued the box pretty well and at least made it workable, although I’m not sure I’d trust it out on the road - fine for my studio use though.

As for the tones, it’s quite good as expected, with that core Rectifier type DNA to the tone but with a little more attack in the palm mutes. I haven’t had much time to sit with it since I was basically holding it waiting to see if I’d need to mail it back to Reverb - but now that things are all set straight I’ll get to dive in more soon. A part of me expected to hear some similarities to my Triple Crown but it’s really quite different so far - definitely less “British” than that amp. Of course, I still need to order a lot of tubes - with 6 power tubes and 3 rectifier tubes, it’s going to be a very expensive retube job!

New Amp: ENGL InVader 150

I snagged this first-generation InVader 150 from Guitar Center’s used listings, which included the very fancy Z-12 MIDI footswitch. I’ve been looking at ENGL’s for a while but I’m a bit unsure of what they all should sound like - but the Invader, SE, and Savage are all at the top of my list to try, especially after my positive experiences with the Raider 100 combo amp.

I haven’t had much time to open it up, but so far my impressions are very positive. There is a lot of online chatter that does not praise this amp - many players say to go get a Savage instead. I certainly plan to add a Savage to the collection, but it’s hard to say much bad about this amp.

It has four channels, and each is voiced very differently and I think that’s one of the things that works against this amp in the “initial impressions” phase. Most players who leave comments online have usually only played the amp in question for a few minutes in a store or with a friend and that’s not really an informed opinion - I know because I did the same thing before I started spending more time with my gear (a privilege not everyone has, of course). If I found this amp in a store and just wanted to check out its metal tones, I’d probably go to Channel 4 and start ripping, and I might walk away thinking it was a bit flubby and loose, with the feel of something like a Rivera Knucklehead without the aggressive growl. It’s a killer lead channel though, very thick and full for solos. And that’s exactly what the amp designer was after - channel 4 is built for thick, middy lead lines! Channel 3 is the aggressive, punchy metal rhythm tone!

So after ripping on Channel 3 and playing with the very dynamic EQ, I see why some might feel like Channel 4 isn’t their thing - if you took both of these channels and stuck them into two different amps, they might’ve sold better.

I also saw another misconception about the bright switch online, where it only works on channels 1 and 2. This is not true - it works on all channels, but the written manual is not clear about this. I contacted ENGL directly to confirm this and it’s true - on channel one, it’s clean, and the bright switch makes it… brighter. But on channels 2, 3, and 4, they described it as more of a “tone” or “mid boost” switch. The way it changes the tone of those channels is completely different - i.e. it’s not boosting the same frequencies, it is different per channel you are on.

And that’s probably the best way to talk about the switching - with the Z12 MIDI footswitch, you can store your settings for each channel - which includes if the bright switch, hi gain mode, fx loops, master A or B, etc are all on. Since that footswitch has lots of buttons, you can get 8+ different sounds from the same amp - you’re just stuck with the same EQ for the 4 main channels. That’s pretty cool - versatile AND a great sound.

Overall, I’m very impressed with this amp. I see that in the V2 they have renamed the bright switch on the front panel to “tone” - I’m not surprised, and if I had to guess there are only marginal circuit differences in that amp. I still plan to add a Savage and maybe a few others - so far I haven’t had an ENGL I didn’t love.

New Guitar: 1987 Robin Medley

I picked up this early Robin recently for a great deal. I’ve been on the lookout for some early Robins - I really have the hots for an RH-1 or RH-2 right now (early Tokai made models) but for now, this ESP-made Medley will have to do. The body shape is a bit smaller than USA made Medleys that came later, but this has the same cool reversed-pointy headstock as those, painted black as was the style of the time, with a bold white logo.

Despite the body having a rear trem spring route, these guitars came stock with a Kahler 2700 series tremolo mounted on the top, similar to ‘86 Charvel model series guitars. It’s quite strange to have the trem route and see the underside of that Kahler bridge but it doesn’t get in the way at all - just unique. This is my first 2700 bridge and I like the ease of adjustment to saddle height and even string spacing it allows without too much effort, unlike a double locking bridge.

The pickups sound great, although the bridge humbucker appears to be wired in parallel instead of series - and attached to a push-pull coil tap on the tone pot (probably not factory). After moving around a few wires, it’s back in action and sounding as full as ever. The pickups are Japanese made OEM pickups - not any familiar Dimarzios or Duncans to compare to, but it’s very middy and high output as expected for a more “shred” oriented guitar like this one.

The neck also shares the same 3-piece maple configuration as Kramer necks of the time (also made by ESP) but this one is well worn in and not as glossy - but it’s hard to say if there was any difference since I don’t have any other Robins from this era to compare to. Either way, a great feeling neck with a familiar shape to me as a Kramer collector and a great change of pace with the Kahler bridge. I hope to find a few more to add to the collection!

New Amp: VHT Pittbull 45

Recently, I’ve been trying to get rid of combo amps and focus more on heads. With my studio setup, it’s easier to collect and stack the heads and just run long speaker cables to a cab positioned by my mics than move around combos - so one amp I never thought I’d own is a Pittbull 45. When this head popped up on Guitar Center’s used section, I jumped on it - only 165 or so head versions were ever made of this amplifier.

This one dates from 1996 and is actually amp #0007 made - James Bond would be proud (even if it has an extra zero). This means it’s very early in the run and uses an EL84 powered spring reverb circuit - very cool. It is definitely one of the most lush and amazing sounding reverbs I’ve heard in an amp but it has one major drawback - it clearly affects the tone when engaged, even if the mix is turned down. Luckily it’s footswitchable but there is enough of a volume and tone change I think it’d be hard to really make the best of live. I’m just recording at home and can work around it no problem - but it’s no surprise to see that later Pittbull 45’s had a revised tube reverb circuit powered by an EF86 tube - likely similar to my 50/CL’s EF86 tube reverb.

In addition to the EL84 for the reverb, this amp is powered by a quad more EL84’s (for 5 total) and sports a 5AR4 tube rectifier. The feel of this amp, especially the clean channel, is just plain inspiring. Later models had a Class-A mode switch on the rear but this particular amp is restricted to Class-AB. I would love to play one of these in A mode but I really find it hard to believe it could get much better than this.

The drive channel is much less like the modern VHT/Fryette tone you might expect - it’s warm, bright, and full with incredible touch sensitivity. With the gain rolled down, the footswitchable “boost” has a more pronounced effect too - great for punchy solos or even enough gain for classic metal. This is a pretty stark contrast to my 50/CL which can hit metal tones right off the bat, and adding the boost is only a small push further. That amp is also far darker and tighter - still one of my all time favorite tones - but certainly less capable of accurately portraying some classic rock tones.

One other surprise is that this amp is VERY loud, and hard to tame. There is no overall master volume unlike my 50/CL (which sounds great even at low volumes), only the channel volumes which really only open up in the first quarter turn - which is quite loud at that point. Luckily, squeezing a volume box into the FX loop makes it much more manageable and keeps the volume tamed for home recording just fine.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected from this amp but the lower gain and brighter tone really blew me away - another one of those “best kept secrets” and probably an amp very few would realize makes such a perfect vintage rock machine (especially with the “Pittbull” line being mostly considered to be “metal” amps). I can’t wait to find even more tones in this one.

New Video: Jet City JCA22 Review

A quick run through of this Jet City amp, in this case the 22 watt 1x12 Combo, but shares the same basic design and circuit as the JCA50/100 models. This amp punches well above its weight especially for the price, and the EQ section feels very interactive and can get you a wide range of tones. Additionally, the simple design makes it a great platform for modding so if there is a tone you can’t get stock, you can probably get it through modding, and it’s also a great amp to learn some simple mods and circuit changes on.

New Video: Marshall JCM900 Mk III and SLX Review

An in-depth discussion of these two different amps - that share the same model numbers! I go over the model range briefly and explain some of the circuit differences before getting into some sound samples and riffing.