Slash’s tone is often regarded in gear circles like buried treasure—elusive, highly coveted, and shrouded in the mystique of modified vintage Marshalls and “Holy Grail” '59 Les Pauls. For most aspiring players, achieving that sound feels unattainable due to the specificity of the gear and the level of precision required to capture his Appetite for Destruction-era tone. In the first installment of a new video series, Blueprints, PG contributor Tom Butwin demonstrates that the "blueprint" isn't a locked vault; it’s a set of principles you can follow using modern, accessible tools.
Epiphone
IGC 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue, Double Gold
An Inspired by Gibson Custom reissue of the classic humbucker-equipped ’57 Goldtop –
1957 was the year that the Les Paul™, as most players think of it today, truly came into its own. It was the first full year that it had Patent Applied For humbucker™ pickups installed. The humbuckers, along with the ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic™ bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece that first appeared on a Les Paul with the introduction of the Les Paul Custom in late 1953 and on the Goldtop in late 1955, were defining features that many players still prefer over the earlier models that had a wraparound bridge/tailpiece and P-90 pickups and made the Les Paul into a true fire-breathing rock icon. Now, Epiphone, in collaboration with Gibson Custom, is very proud to introduce the 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue, a stunningly authentic Inspired by Gibson Custom reissue of those early humbucker-equipped Les Paul Goldtops that delivers vintage Les Paul looks and performance at an accessible price. The 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue isn’t just a guitar; it’s a bridge to a symphony of possibilities, willing and ready to help you make your own mark on music history.
What sets the Problem Solver apart is its thoughtful array of features, carefully curated to empower your creativity. The AGE switch lets you tailor your tone stack to different eras – whether you crave the cutting-edge brilliance of 1963, the aggressive bite of 1966, the mid-heavy roar of 1981, or the warmth of 2023, it's all at your fingertips.
The Mid Boost switch elevates your highs and mids, ensuring your solos cut through the mix with unparalleled clarity. The Depth control allows you sculpt the low-end frequencies. And the revamped EQ controls provide a logical, intuitive layout, ensuring that you can sculpt your sound effortlessly, straight out of the box.
In the end, the Problem Solver Amplifier isn't just an homage to the past—it's a celebration of timeless tone, reimagined for the demands of today's musicians. Join us on this journey and discover a new era of sonic possibilities. Plug in, play, and let the music do the talking – the Problem Solver has arrived.
The Slash Octave Fuzz combines searing fuzz with a sub octave grow and an array of controls for fine-tuning your sinister sound.
This pedal can be powered by a 9-volt battery, a Dunlop ECB003 9-volt adapter, or the DC Brick™, Iso-Brick™, and Mini Iso-Brick™ power supplies (not included).
Limited-Edition Slash Signature Strings Set .011-.048
Ernie Ball introduces a limited-edition set of custom-wound Slash signature Slinky strings. Slash’s signature string sets are the culmination of over three decades of Slash and Ernie Ball’s ongoing pursuit to create strings that provide more durability and tuning stability without sacrificing tone or feel. These sets consist of Slash's preferred 11-48 gauge Slinkys wound with Paradigm core wire and plasma-enhanced nickel-plated steel wrap wire, while the Paradigm plain strings are constructed with a heavier brass wire reinforcement at each of the ball ends for better tuning stability and strength. These limited-edition string sets are highly collectible and conveniently packaged in a three-pack embossed tin for easy storage.
The groundbreaking DC7 has a one-inch (25,4mm) profile and weighs 1.1 pound (500 grams) thanks to the pure 2-stage switch-mode technology inside. The profile may be low but the power ratings are certainly not – the DC7 puts out a maximum of 48W and allows the user to connect multiple high-current effects such as devices from Effectrode, Line 6 and Eventide without noise of any kind.
SOL is the ultimate solution for bringing life to a small to medium-sized pedalboard setup, especially if you are using power-hungry pedals. SOL is the smallest mains-powered switch-mode power supply we make at CIOKS (no wall-warts here) and the no-frills design plus massive power will leave you free to focus on your creative spark.
This is it — the granddaddy of Pedalboard series. The MONO Pedalboard Large is a pro-sized and -featured pedal solution that won't weigh you down in size or cost. The Pedalboard Large is cut from a single piece of anodized aluminum for superior strength, light weight, and an elegant textured surface. Cutouts along the surface hide pedal jumpers and power cables for a streamlined, professional look. Rubber feet on the bottom absorb shock and prevent the Pedalboard Large from sliding across hard surfaces as you stomp.
Built for musicians chasing studio-grade clarity, the MONO Studio Instrument Cable delivers pure tone and zero compromise. Inside, 150 strands of 0.08 mm oxygen-free copper give you detailed highs, tight lows, and everything in between. Precision insulation keeps your signal clean from the first take to the final mix.
Among the many fuzz pedals to carry theTone Bender name, the MkII might be the one that rips the most. And though not as common as the Vox Tone Benders that American psych-punk fans wrestled with for decades—which were generally Mk1.5 or MkIII versions—it might have been the Tone Bender version that people experienced the most thanks toJimmy Page. As Page superfans and fuzzspotters outed the MkII as the sound of Led Zeppelin, it came to embody what a Tone Bender should be. Consequently, a lot of builders jumped on the bandwagon.
There is a practical, musical upside to the MkII that transcends the Jimmy Page associations. Some desert, doom, and stoner rockers, for instance, love its ability to sound huge and evil while occupying less mix space than a Big Muff. And while not as sweetly sensitive to input dynamics as the Fuzz Face (or the very Fuzz Face-like Tone Bender Mk1.5 and first-generation Vox Tone Bender), its germanium transistor topology makes it responsive to guitar-volume attenuation.EarthQuaker’s new take on the MkII, the Barrows, shares all these attributes. And between its very convenient size and refinements that make it less noisy, Barrows represents a ceratin sonic, functional, and practical ideal of what a vintage-style germanium fuzz can and should be in 2025.
Savage, Sassy, and Sweet
Doctrinaire thinking around germanium fuzz usually states that it sounds good only at maximum volume and gain levels and that any variation must come from the fingers and guitar controls. The Barrows reveals the cracks in this view. While the Barrows is positively searing at wide-open settings, and most receptive to input dynamics at these levels, it shines at many different gain and level settings. There are heaps of cool, smoky, more subdued fuzz sounds lurking in the middle third of the gain range that can be useful for simultaneously creating mystery and generating menace and mass in a recording situation without blowing the room apart with volume. The Barrows is not as touch-sensitive here, but guitar-volume adjustments can create dark, compelling fuzz voices that are equally interesting with a 50-watt amp and a 2x12 cabinet or a practice amp.
MkII Tone Bender-style circuits have always been regarded as second-best to the germanium Fuzz Face when it comes to gnarly-to-clean range. That dictum remains mostly true in the Barrows, at least as far as clean tones go. But if the Barrows can’t quite equal a Fuzz Face’s capacity for airy clean sounds at reduced guitar volume, its near-clean sounds still have abundant clear, bell-like resonance and detail that will suffice for most. The Barrows’ dynamic range is most evident in its touch sensitivity. You can generate many beautiful, spooky, and smoldering gain shades just by varying picking intensity. It’s especially impressive if you ditch your pick and use your fingers to generate these tone variations. And if you want to go super old-school and string up your guitar with flatwounds, the Barrows reveals many beautiful, round, and vocal fuzz colors. More than once, I was moved to think that if Sinatra was a psych-punk he would have adored the atmospheric, verge-of-exploding moods Barrows can produce in these environs.
“If Sinatra was a psych-punk he might have adored the atmospheric, verge-of-exploding moods Barrows can produce.”
The Verdict
For a fuzz nut, the Barrows—for its small size and big sound—might as well be candy. Players that use fuzz more infrequently, though, will dig its simplicity, small dimensions, and the fuzzy classicism exuded by its punchy, straight-ahead voice. The pedal is intrinsically limited by the same factors that limit any germanium fuzz with 1960s lineage. And by the standards of modern gain devices that can be tuned in small increments to match very specific distortion needs, the Barrows can, at times, seem unruly and one dimensional. But if you’re willing to use guitar volume and tone and touch dynamics to re-shape the fuzz, you’ll uncover many less aggro tones ranging to light drive and near-clean sounds—applications made even more rewarding thanks to a low noise floor. Best of all, the petite Barrows comes with an equally petite price tag of $129. For germanium-fuzz newbies, that makes a plunge into the unknown a lot more palatable. But even seasoned fuzz and Tone Bender users are bound to be impressed by the quality and flexible vintage voice Barrows delivers for the money. PG
RC Davis Amplification, known for its award-winning boutique tube amplifiers, has launched their new higher-wattage amp series called the Performer line, debuting with a two-channel amp head dubbed The Beast.
Brandishing 65 watts of output power, The Beast features a clean channel with reverb and an overdrive channel, both with individual EQ controls and a 30dB tone stack. The amp’s clean channel offers a balanced, crisp tone with plenty of headroom, radiant reverb and rewarding note bloom. The amp’s footswitchable overdrive channel is capable of kicking out sizzling grind, harmonics, and presence. Dual EQ controls allow each channel access to the trademark RC Davis 30dB-sweep mid control, providing players with a wide spectrum of vintage-inspired tonality.
The new model showcases RC Davis’ knack for reimagining vintage tube technology to provide modern stage versatility. After creating an acclaimed series of lightweight tube combo models, Rob Davis developed the Performance line when players such as James DePrato, Ronny North, Joe Bergen, Carl Verheyen and Eric McFadden requested a more powerful amp that still featured the RC Davis signature tone.
65 watts of cathode-bias tube-driven power including (4) 6L6GC power tubes
Dual channel operation, selectable via footswitch: a clean channel (with reverb) and an overdrive channel, both with individual EQ controls
Hand-wired, point-to-point circuitry for improved tonality and reliability
Effects loop
4/8/16 ohm speaker out with load loop (use virtually any extension cab)
PRP/Dale resistors, Mallory 150 film capacitors, Vishay 716 film capacitors (orange drops) and solid core silver wire (PTFE) for optimum performance and longevity
Premium coverings and hardware
The Beast carries a $2995 street price and will debut at the January 2026 NAMM Show in Anaheim at the RC Davis booth #4447. For more information visit rcdavisamps.com.
ILIO, leading distributor of virtual instruments and audio processing software, and Overloud, renowned for their innovative audio plug-ins, are pleased to announce the release of AIR or "Amp In Room." This new feature is included in the latest version of THU, Overloud’s flagship guitar amp simulation suite. Available now as a free update for all THU users, AIR brings a new dimension to amp simulation by recreating the feeling of standing in front of a real amp in a real room, adding subtle reflections, room resonance, and air movement that go far beyond a close-mic’d speaker.
Whether you own a single Rig Library or the full THU Premium suite, AIR is included at no cost. This continues Overloud’s ongoing commitment to support the THU community with high-value feature updates without subscriptions.
Every Overloud purchase includes a perpetual license, free lifetime updates, and authorization on three computers, with no subscription required.
THU is already the most powerful amp simulator in its class. Now, with AIR, it includes a key feature for delivering a finished, authentic guitar tone in one plugin. By modeling how a speaker cabinet interacts with its physical environment, AIR introduces a sense of spatial realism, one that’s rarely captured through traditional cabinet IRs or static mic placements. The result is a tone that feels more lifelike, three-dimensional, and truly “in the room."
How to Use AIR
AIR lives in the Cabinet section of THU and includes:
- An AIR knob that controls the amount of room interaction and spatial detail. - A dropdown menu offering several ambience types in both Normal and Wide stereo modes. - Normal mode provides tight spatial cues while Wide mode expands the stereo field for an even more immersive tone - AIR is also integrated into the SuperCabinet, allowing users to apply room interaction while building their own custom IR blends. - AIR can be enabled globally from the Master Control section to apply across all presets. - Transformer: Authentic low-end thickening and high-end sparkle through accurate transformer emulation.
Our columnist with his preset designs for KIT Plugins’ BB A5 and BB N105.
In the modern DAW world, every plugin comes with a buffet of presets promising instant results: “Vocal Gold.” “Drum Bus Glue.” “Radio-Ready Mix.” The implication is that these settings are the magic sauce separating amateurs from professionals. Just load the preset, and you’re done. Right?
Not quite.
Presets can be powerful tools, but only if you understand what they really are: starting points, not finish lines.
I’ve spent years inside some of the best studios in the world, working with world-class players, gear, and engineers, and I’ve seen how subtle context drives every EQ, compressor, and fader move. That experience shapes how I approach presets—and how I think they should be used.
Designing Presets with KIT Plugins
I’ve had the privilege of working closely with the team at KIT Plugins almost since their beginning—as an early beta tester and collaborator on nearly every product they’ve released. When they asked me to design some of the included presets for the BB A5 (a modern interpretation of a 96-channel Legacy API console, $199 Street) and the BB N105 (modeled after Blackbird Studio’s world-famous Neve 8078 console - $99 Street), I felt genuinely honored.
I’d spent years recording and mixing through those very consoles and EQs at Blackbird, and now I had the chance to help translate that analog DNA into the digital world.
When creating my presets, I didn’t approach them as “ready-made sounds.” Instead, I thought of them as guides—compass points that could help an engineer or musician quickly find a tonal direction. Each one reflects a real-world scenario from my own sessions: a slightly edgy vocal that needed midrange presence, a bass guitar fighting for space in a dense mix, a snare that needed to punch through without losing body.
Every preset I made came from that practical place. My goal was to share a bit of the process—how I think about frequency balance, gain staging, and energy within a mix—not to hand anyone a “paint-by-numbers” result. That distinction matters.
The “Preset Mismatch”
Imagine: you open a plugin, scroll through the options, find something like “Vocal Gold,” and think, “Perfect, that’s exactly what I need.” You load it—and suddenly your vocal sounds worse.
What happened?
Every preset, whether it’s mine or someone else’s, was born in a very specific context. Maybe the original source was a male singer with a soft top end and a ragged low midrange. Maybe he was singing into a vintage Neumann U67 through a Neve 1105 preamp, hitting a “Blue Stripe” 1176, inside a mix stacked with distorted guitars and busy drums.
But if you’re recording a lo-fi shoegaze female vocal with an SM57 in a bathroom through an Apollo X2, that same EQ curve will likely make your singer sound potentially worse. (Or will it?)
“Every preset, whether it’s mine or someone else’s, was born in a very specific context.”
The preset didn’t “fail”—it just wasn’t meant for your signal chain.
There are layers of invisible context behind every EQ decision: the performer, the instrument, the mic, the preamp, the compressor, the room, the genre, and the emotional target of the mix. When you remove a preset from that ecosystem, you have to re-interpret it. Otherwise, you’re comparing apples to lava lamps.
How to Use Presets the Right Way
Presets are at their best when you treat them as teachers. Here are four ways to get the most out of them:
Start, Don’t Stop Load a preset, listen, and then move a few knobs. Ask yourself why it sounds the way it does. Does it bring clarity, weight, excitement? Or does it tilt things too far? You’ll learn more by adjusting than by accepting.
Reverse-Engineer the Intent Solo each band or section. If it’s an EQ, sweep the frequencies. If it’s a compressor, change the attack and release. Try to imagine the sound that inspired those moves. That’s how you train your ear.
Ignore the Labels “Vocal Gold” might be perfect on a snare drum. “Drum Bus Glue” might breathe life into an acoustic guitar. Don’t let the category box you in. Think in terms of function, not title.
Trust Your Ears Over Everything No preset designer, even the most experienced one, can hear what you’re hearing in your room with your monitors. The final call always belongs to your ears.
The Value of Presets
When I sit down to make presets, I’m not trying to predict your sound—I’m trying to invite you into the process. A well-made preset can accelerate learning, spark curiosity, and remind you that every mix decision has a reason behind it.
They’re saying, “Here’s how I started; now make it yours.” Used that way, presets become more than convenience—they become education. They let you peek over the shoulder of another engineer for a second and understand why a particular setting works.
So, the next time you load one of my KIT Plugins presets, don’t treat it like a rulebook. Twist the knobs, push it too far, pull it back, and most of all, listen. Because presets aren’t prescriptions—they’re invitations.
