Articles by Joe Charupakorn
EVH 5150III 1x12 50W 6L6 Combo Review
July 10, 2018
Improvements to this 6L6 combo mean tone variation and versatility that transcend Van Halen sound templates.
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Orange Brent Hinds Terror Review
May 14, 2018
The Mastodon mayhem lord’s signature amp dishes killer clean tones as readily as filthy ones.
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Subdecay Vector Review
April 6, 2018
Analog dirt tones and digital control equal a crunchy to fuzzy to metallic distortion jack-of-all-trades.
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Hagstrom Fantomen Review
February 7, 2018
A legendary Swedish axe maker teams with Swedish metal merchants Ghost to deliver a thunderous and surprisingly adaptable solidbody.
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Epiphone Les Paul SL Review
December 22, 2017
Epi’s bargain-basement solidbody is full of surprises and inspiration.
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Mike Stern: Spirit Is Everything
December 7, 2017
After an unfortunate fall left him with two broken arms and a mangled right hand, the jazz-guitar maestro got up and turned his bad trip into an uplifting new album.
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Quick Hit: Mayones Hydra Elite
November 19, 2017
A headless Hydra? Yep! And with tones that kill.
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HeadRush Pedalboard Review
October 11, 2017
Intuitive design sets this impressive, powerful multi-effects unit apart from the pack.
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Henretta H-Bomb Trembrato Review
September 14, 2017
Vintage-hued analog modulations are married in an elegant and easy-to-use stomp.
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Meris Mercury 7 Review
September 3, 2017
An elegant ambient reverb machine with powerful sound-shaping capabilities.
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Seymour Duncan Andromeda Review
August 26, 2017
A deep and dynamic delay that’s an instrument as much as an effect.
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Keeley Filaments Review
August 24, 2017
Keeley’s first metal-oriented distortion excels—even beyond heavy realms.
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Line 6 Variax Shuriken Review
August 8, 2017
A whole universe of guitar tones awaits in a modern metal-oriented modeling axe.
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Hughes & Kettner GrandMeister Deluxe 40 Review
July 16, 2017
Tube potency meets programmability in a super-flexible 40-watt monster.
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Deep Purple’s Steve Morse: 'InFinite' Mastery
June 27, 2017
The guitar kingpin discusses the band’s new album, playing Ritchie’s licks, and his prodigious picking technique. He also offers two tips for every guitarist.
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Strymon Riverside Review
May 10, 2017
A hybrid JFET/DSP gain machine invites creative, unorthodox playing and defies preconceptions about digital distortion.
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Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher Channels Pain and Gain
April 28, 2017
With hearts plagued by sorrow, new amps that go to 11, and a new ESP Sparrowhawk signature model, the 6-string riff-master and his bandmates made the powerful—at times elegiac—new album, Emperor of Sand.
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Allan Holdsworth: 1946–2017
April 19, 2017
The 6-string innovator brought a deeper, more fully realized vision of guitar playing to the worlds of jazz and prog rock, and expanded the instrument’s sonic vocabulary.
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Marshall 2525C Mini Jubilee Review
April 4, 2017
A legendary brute is reborn as a bantamweight bruiser.
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Eric Gales: 'Middle of the Road' Full Album Premiere
March 6, 2017
Hear the untraditional blues-guitar beacon’s new collection of inspirational songs, which includes collaborations with Gary Clark Jr. and Lauryn Hill.
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