City Island, NY (April 3, 2013) -- COLBY Amps, a new line of boutique guitar amplifiers created by accomplished guitarist, amplifier aficionado and industry veteran Mitch Colby and renowned guitarist Jim Weider (The Band), announces the launch of its product line. The first two offerings are the dual-channel dtb, “dual tone booster”™ heads, the dtb50 (50 Watts) and dtb100 (85 Watts), along with two matching speaker cabinet options. These heads, with their pure tube and meticulously prepared signal path, have a rich feature set that will rightly place COLBY Amps at the peak of a short list of boutique amp manufacturers from around the globe.
When designing the new dtb50 and dtb100 heads, Mitch Colby drew upon his 30+ years of experience in the industry, where he helped guide the direction of two legendary amplifier brands, VOX and Marshall. As a collector, gear expert and technician, he has stayed at the forefront of the state of the art of guitar amps his whole life, with an insatiable curiosity and drive to search high and low for the perfect tone. And as a set of ears, he is second to none. COLBY Amps are the result of his lifelong pursuit of the ideal amp (aesthetically, structurally, feature-set-wise, and of course, tonally), which led him to create this new line of uncompromising hand-wired boutique units.
The two models took over two years of tonal development before they were finalized. The main goal was to build (in Colby’s words) “tone-to-the-bone” channel switching amps with two channels, each with its own dedicated tone controls suitable for any playing situation, whether recording, live or at home. Colby and Weider carefully sourced and selected components critical to the tone including resistors, capacitors, transformers, chassis and tubes, so that the amps perfectly reflect the sounds of sparkle, fullness, compression, body, focused gain, smooth feel and touch sensitivity that they had in mind. Weider’s involvement was so crucial that Colby decided to have him put his signature on the back of each unit.
COLBY Amps are built to the absolute highest quality standards and are 100% hand-built and reflect the highest quality in amplifier design and manufacturing.
Dual Tone Booster Feature Set:
- Two channels with independent tone controls, so you can dial in your sound for each channel
- Separate tone shift switches for each channel
- Separate bright switches for each channel
- Two boosts on channel 2, full range and mid focused
- Tube buffered FX loop with Send and Return level controls (Colby: “Forget external loops! This loop is voiced specifically for the amp so that your effects work perfectly and the tone is not compromised.”)
- Three-way footswitch with detachable and easily replaceable cables, control Channel selection, Boost 1 and Boost 2 for five gig-ready tones
- Front panel LEDs so you always know which channel is selected
- Clean channel, full bodied and clear, works perfectly with pedals
- OD channel goes from a bold, full bodied clean to articulate and focused gain, to mid boosted mean
- Two speaker outputs with 4 and 8 ohm selectable impedance (8 and 16 or 4, 8 and 16 also available)
- Available with two (dtb50) or four (dtb100) 6L6GC output tubes depending on your requirements and preferences, as the circuits are voiced differently (also available with appropriately tweaked circuits for EL34s or 6550s for different tonal and power options)
- Back panel bias jacks and trim control so you can easily keep the output tube biased at the optimum setting as your tubes age
- Custom power and output transformers
- All components selected for TONE!
dtb50 Head Specs:
- All components selected for TONE!
- Power: 50 watts with 6L6GC
- Tubes: five 12ax7, two 6L6GC
- Front panel controls and switches:
- Clean channel: Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Bright, Mid Shift
- OD channel: Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Gain, Master, Bright, Mid Shift, Bass Boost, Gain Boost 1, Gain Boost 2
- Common: Channel Switch, Presence
- Back panel controls and switches:
- On/Off, Standby, Bias jacks, Bias trim pot, Impedance selector, two speaker outputs, FX send and Return level controls, FX Send and Return jacks, Foot switch jacks
- Dimensions: (W) 21.5”, (H) 10”, (D) 9.5”
- Weight: 40 lbs.
dtb100 Head Specs:
- Power: 85 watts with 6L6GC
- Tubes: five 12ax7, four 6L6GC
- Front panel controls and switches:
- Clean channel: Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Bright, Mid Shift
- OD channel: Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Gain, Master, Bright, Mid Shift, Bass Boost, Gain Boost 1, Gain Boost 2
- Common: Channel Switch, Presence
- Back panel controls and switches:
- On/Off, Standby, Bias jacks, Bias trim pot, Impedance selector, two speaker outputs, FX send and Return level controls, FX Send and Return jacks, Foot switch jacks
- Dimensions: (W) 21.5”, (H) 10”, (D) 9.5”
- Weight: 45 lbs.
Companion Speaker Cabinets:
The companion 1x12 and 2x12 speaker cabinets were developed and voiced at the same time as the dtb heads so that they work together to produce the ultimate tone. The speakers were chosen specifically for the sound the amps produce. The 1x12 is appropriate for the dtb50 and the 2x12 will work with both the dtb50 and dtb100. The 2x12 can be used horizontally or vertically. Colby adds, “We chose pine for its tonal properties and light weight. The sizes make them easy to transport, but big enough to produce big tones.”
Companion Speaker Specifications:
1x12 Cabinet
- Speaker: Celestion G12-65, 8 ohm
- Dimensions: (W) 21 5/8", (H) 19", (D) 10.5"
- Weight: 33 lbs.
- Wood: 3/4"; pine, 1/2"; birch ply back panel, 1/2"; birch ply baffle
2x12” Cabinet
- Speaker: Two Celestion G12-65s, 16 ohm each, wired in parallel for a total of 8 ohms
- Dimensions: (W) 21 5/8", (H) 30", (D) 11" (vertical orientation); or (W) 30", (H) 21 5/8", (D) 11"; (horizontal orientation)
- Weight: 45 lbs.
- Wood: 3/4" pine, 1/2" birch ply back panel, 1/2" birch ply baffle
For more information:
Colby Amps
Guitarist Dave Harrington concedes that while there are a few mile markers in the music that he and musician Nicolas Jaar create as Darkside, improvisation has been the rule from day one. The experimental electronic trio’s latest record, Nothing, which released in February on Matador, was the first to feature new percussionist Tlacael Esparza.
Taking the record on tour this year, Darkside stopped in at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, where Harrington broke down his complex signal chains for PG’s Chris Kies.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Express Yourself
Harrington bought this mid-2000s Gibson SG at 30th Street Guitars in New York, a shop he used to visit as a kid. The headstock had already been broken and repaired, and Harrington switched the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan model used by Derek Trucks. Harrington runs it with D’Addario NYXL .010s, which he prefers for their stretch and stability.
The standout feature is a round knob installed by his tech behind the bridge, which operates like an expression pedal for the Line 6 DL4. Harrington has extras on hand in case one breaks.
Triple Threat
Harrington’s backline setup in Nashville included two Fender Twin Reverbs and one Fender Hot Rod DeVille. He likes the reissue Fender amps for their reliability and clean headroom. Each amp handles an individual signal, including loops that Harrington creates and plays over; with each amp handling just one signal rather than one handling all loops and live playing, there’s less loss of definition and competition for frequency space.
Dave Harrington’s Pedalboards
Harrington says he never gives up on a pedal, which could explain why he’s got so many. You’re going to have to tune in to the full Rundown to get the proper scoop on how Harrington conducts his three-section orchestra of stomps, but at his feet, he runs a board with a Chase Bliss Habit, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV, Eventide PitchFactor, Eventide H90, Hologram Microcosm, Hologram Chroma Console, Walrus Monument, Chase Bliss Thermae, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, JHS NOTAKLÖN, two HexeFX reVOLVERs, and an Amped Innovations JJJ Special Harmonics Extender. A Strymon Ojai provides power.
At hip-level sits a board with a ZVEX Mastotron, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral, EHX Pitch Fork, Xotic EP Booster, two EHX 45000 multi-track looping recorders, Walrus Slöer, Expedition Electronics 60 Second Deluxe, and another Hologram Microcosm. A Live Wire Solutions ABY Box and MXR DC Brick are among the utility tools on deck.
Under that board rest Harrington’s beloved Line 6 DL4—his desert-island, must-have pedal—along with a controller for the EHX 45000, Boss FV-50H volume pedal, Dunlop expression pedal, Boss RT-20, a Radial ProD2, and another MXR DC Brick.
Announced at the 2025 NAMM show, Cory Wong’s new collaboration with Ernie Ball Music Man scratched an itch—namely, the itch for a humbucker-loaded guitar that could appease Wong’s rock-and-R&B alter ego and serve as complement to his signature Fender Strat. Inspiration came from no further than a bandmate’s namesake instrument. Vulfpeck bassist Joe Dart has a line of signature model EBMM basses, one of which uses the classic StingRay bass body profile. So, when Wong went looking for something distinctive, he wondered if EBMM could create a 6-string guitar using the classic StingRay bass body and headstock profile.
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II ReviewErnie Ball Music Man StingRay II ReviewDouble the Fun
Wong is, by his own admission, a single-coil devotee. That’s where the core of his sound lives and it feels like home to him. However, Wong is as inspired by classic Earth, Wind & Fire tones and the pop-punk of the early ’90s as he is by Prince and the Minneapolis funk that he grew up with. The StingRay II is a guitar that can cover all those bases.
Ernie Ball has a history of designing fast-feeling, comfortable necks. And I can’t remember ever struggling to move around an EBMM fretboard. The roasted maple C-shaped neck here is slightly thicker in profile than I expected, but still very comfortable. (I must also mention that the back of the neck has a dazzling, almost holographic look to the grain that morphs in the light). By any measure, the StingRay II’s curves seemed designed for comfort and speed. Now, let’s talk about those pickups.Hot or Not?
A few years ago EBMM introduced a line of HT (heat-treated) pickups. The pickups are built with technology the company used to develop their Cobalt and M-Series strings. A fair amount of the process is shrouded in secrecy and must be taken on faith, but EBMM says treating elements of the pickup with heat increases clarity and dynamic response.
To find out for myself, I plugged the StingRay II into a Fender Vibroverb, Mesa/Boogie Mark VII, and a Neural DSP Quad Cortex (Wong’s preferred live rig). Right away, it was easy to hear the tight low end and warm highs. Often, I feel like the low end from neck humbuckers can feel too loose or lack definition. Neither was the case here. The HT pickup is beautifully balanced with a bounce that’s rich with ES-335 vibes. Clean tones are punchy and bright—especially with the Vibroverb—and dirty tones have more room for air. Individual notes were clear and articulate, too.
Any guitar associated with Wong needs a strong middle-position or combined pickup tone, and the StingRay II delivers. I never felt any significant signal loss in the blended signal from the two humbuckers, even if I could use a bit more midrange presence in the voicing. The midrange gap is nothing an EQ or Tube Screamer couldn’t fix, though. And not surprisingly, very Strat-like sounds were easy to achieve for having less midrange bump.
Knowing Wong’s love for ’90s alt-rock, I expected the bridge pickup to have real bite, and it does, demonstrating exceptional dynamic range and exceptional high-end response that never approached shrill. Nearly every type of distortion and overdrive I threw at it sounded great, but especially anything with a scooped-mid flavor and plenty of low end.
The Verdict
By any measure, the StingRay II is a top-notch, professional instrument. The fit and finish are immaculate and the feel of the neck makes me wonder if EBMM stashes some kind of secret sandpaper, because I don’t think I’ve ever felt a smoother, more playable neck. Kudos are also due to EBMM and Wong for finding an instrument that can move between ’70s George Benson tones and the hammering power chords of ’90s Blink-182. Admittedly, the nearly $3K price could give some players pause, but considering the overall quality of the instrument, it’s not out of line. Wong’s involvement and search for distinct sounds makes the StingRay II more than a tired redux of a classic model—an admirable accomplishment considering EBMM’s long and storied history.
Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay II Cory Wong Signature Electric Guitar - Charcoal Blue with Rosewood Fingerboard
