
PG corrals a half-dozen of the market’s most compelling 8" replacement speakers, from budget delights to high-end heavyweights.
Everyone questions their existence, yet we all hold out hope for a sighting of our own. No, I’m not talking about yetis or UFOs. I’m referring to the phenomenon of stumbling across big-name vintage gear being sold at a decent price. For most of us, stories about finding, say, old Fender or Gibson gear at anything other than multiple times its original price is nothing short of urban legend. But I’m here to tell you this stuff does still happen.
My story isn’t about an amazing score of a $200 ’67 Jaguar or anything, but finding a silverface Fender Vibro Champ for significantly less than six or seven bills is still unusual. Unusual enough that I was tempted to dismiss the Craigslist ad with a single blurry photo and an asking price of $400. Was it real? Was it busted? Was it ruined by a stupid mod?
When I showed up to test the little 1x8 combo, Telecaster in hand, the owner led me to his garage and proceeded to relate how he got the amp: A friend had purchased a repossessed cabin still stocked with the previous owners’ contents—including a Fender M-80 combo in pretty bad shape, and a Peavey amp that they’d decided to throw in a bonfire with other junk they determined wasn’t worth a drive to a second-hand store. (I was tempted to ask if alcohol was involved in this careless, dangerous decision, but I bit my tongue.) Neither guy played guitar, but the nice fellow I was dealing with had recognized the Fender brand name, figured he could make a little money, and stopped his buddy from burning the M-80 and Vibro Champ.
The 6V6-powered combo was dusty, scuffed, and pretty dirty, but to my great surprise everything functioned properly when I plugged in, strummed, and twiddled the knobs. Flipping the cab around, I examined the tube chart and serial numbers, quickly cross-referencing online tools to determine that it was built in 1976. As I noodled for a few more minutes to make sure it didn’t fart-out under consistent use or heavy playing, the only thing I couldn’t figure out was why it was so much quieter and less dynamic at full-bore than the silverface VC I’d (stupidly) sold years before. So I took a closer look at the speaker and discovered it was a cheapo replacement that looked like something a budget-strapped teenager might throw into a makeshift extension cab for his car stereo.
I explained to the owner that the horrible speaker wasn’t original, he knocked $50 off the price, and I headed home with the grimy little thing—crossing my fingers that the speaker was the only real issue. Not being remotely qualified to open it up and diagnose its health, I then sent my “new” Vibro Champ off to amp guru Tim Schroeder at Schroeder Amplification in Chicago. A few days later, Tim called to say the amp checked out fine and was all stock—he’d simply cleaned it up a bit, upgraded the power cable, and swapped out a 12AX7. It was now ready for our voyage into the adventures of speaker replacement.
The Methodology
Replacing an 8" speaker isn’t remotely as daunting as looking for a new 12" speaker. The total number of models from all mainstream manufacturers is a tiny fraction of what a single big company offers for full-size amps. Even so, we didn’t have the resources to test every compelling 8" on the market and were forced to narrow it down to six 4-ohm models.
Each speaker was installed in the ’76 Vibro Champ—which features a tube complement of a single 6V6 in the power section, two 12AX7s (one for the preamp, one for the tremolo circuit), and a 5Y3 rectifier—and tested with a Telecaster and a Schecter Ultra III. The Tele is outfitted with vintage-voiced Curtis Novak pickups (a traditional Tele unit in the bridge, and a Jazzmaster neck unit), while the Ultra III has a TV Jones Magna’Tron bridge pickup and Duncan Designed mini humbuckers in the middle and neck positions. I tested each speaker at various settings, but to streamline the sound samples I recorded each speaker at two settings: with volume, treble, and bass all at 5, and then with them all at 10. The samples were captured with a Royer R-121 dead center on the speaker and up close to the grille. For much of the playing, I also used a J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer (with output and treble at noon, and gain at minimum) to push the amp a little. I also used Catalinbread Topanga and MXR reverb pedals, and at times engaged a Jordan Fuzztite.
Jensen P8R
Specs:7-oz. alnico magnet
25 watts
Clip 1—Schecter Bridge + Fuzztite & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 2—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 3—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 4—Tele Bridge + Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 5—Tele Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Since being original equipment on the very first Bassman, Deluxe, and Twin Reverb amps (among others), Jensen speakers have become practically synonymous with vintage Fender tone. And the P8R reviewed here has a pedigree that goes back just as far: While Fender’s most popular blackface and silverface Champs and Vibro Champs used Oxford 8EV speakers, the company’s first 1x8 combo, the Champion 800 (released in 1948), featured a P8R.
Although current-production P8Rs retain old-school design elements such as an alnico slug magnet covered by a U-shaped, bent-steel cover, the model has, of course, evolved a bit over the ensuing decades. It originally sported an unfinished stamped-steel frame with teardrop-shaped cutouts, whereas today it features a deep green finish and elongated vents running parallel to the outer edge. According to Jensen reps, however, the company has made extensive efforts to manufacture modern P8Rs so that they sound as close as possible to what a vintage specimen would’ve sounded like new. These efforts include using the same materials specifications—including paper-pulp formulas used for cones in the ’50s and ’60s—and employing various mechanical treatments to produce the frequencies measured from vintage reference speakers. The biggest difference between current and vintage Jensens, the company says, is that early models used a cellulose-based composite glue that tends to dry out, disintegrate, and lead to decreased treble response, whereas current models use glue not prone to this degradation.
Installed in our silverface Vibro Champ, the P8R delivers the types of tones one would expect, reinforcing its reputation as a solid choice for this style of amp. With volume and EQ all parked at 5, the VC and P8R delivered classic “American” tones in all Telecaster pickup positions. Middle-position tones were soulful and nicely compressed, great for old-school rock, blues, or jazz, while the neck pickup sounded reassuringly warm and round. The bridge pickup, too, yielded useful tones, although aggressive pick attack, even at moderate amp settings, did tend to elicit a strident response.
Dialing in pleasing tones with the amp’s volume and EQ knobs pushed to their upper regions was a bit more problematic. With soft or moderate attack, you still get a nice range of nuanced sounds, but digging in with aggressive attack (either with the Tele or the Schecter’s old-school humbuckers) results in a fizzy, fuzz-like response. To be sure, it is a perfectly viable tone for certain applications—but it’s likely not what’s sought by players looking for bedroom-volume overdrive similar to what larger, more powerful amps yield when pushed. That said, if you’re looking for a range of clean-ish tones faithful to the early Leo years, this historic design should yield a lot of satisfaction.
Ratings
Pros:
Good range of vintage-style tones. Solid build, with dual wire-lead tabs for each polarity.
Cons:
High volumes yield fizzy overdrive. Can sound harsh with heavy attack from bridge pickups. Expensive.
Street:
$91
Jensen P8R
jensentone.com
Jensen C8R
Specs:10-oz ceramic magnet
25 watts
Clip 1—Schecter Bridge + Fuzztite & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 2—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 3—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 4—Tele Bridge + Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 5—Tele Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
With its prominent gold-and-orange label, the P8R’s younger cousin looks a lot more like the speakers we’ve been seeing in the back of Fender combos for decades now. The C8R has the same power rating as its elder relative, but a big difference here isn’t just that its magnet is three ounces heavier and a ring instead of a slug—it’s also made of ceramic rather than alnico. This is key to its tonal differences.
Of all the speakers in our roundup, the C8R may well be the most compressed and hi-fi-sounding—but not in a sterile or lifeless way. On the contrary, at moderate volumes the C8R is sweeter and livelier than the P8R, with a slightly leaner but more focused low-end response that yields snappy sounds great for funky rhythms or chewy, hybrid-picked country lines. Yet when you bring up the amp’s volume or EQ a bit, you get a nice, articulate grittiness, with bass frequencies that open up and a responsiveness that sags under heavier attack in a very organic way. At more extreme amp settings, the C8R does get less distinct as it begins to growl, sometimes teetering on the edge of unwanted nastiness (particularly with a bright bridge pickup), but when maxed out it never veers into the harsh, fizzy sounds of its vintage-pedigreed cousin. In all, the C8R has a lot going for it—especially considering its reasonable price.
Ratings
Pros:
Lively and organic sounding, with a lean but focused low end. Dual wire-lead tabs for each connection. Nice price.
Cons:
Can get slightly harsh and indistinct when pushed to extremes with a bridge single-coil.
Street:
$39
Jensen C8R
jensentone.com
Mojotone American Vintage AV8C
Specs:16-oz. ceramic magnet
15 watts
Clip 1—Mojotone American Vintage AV8C Review
Clip 2—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 3—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 4—Tele Bridge + Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 5—Tele Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Mojotone has built a name for itself by offering guitar and amp parts that aim for the looks, vibe, and sound of big brands at a fraction of the price. But it’s not just budget shoppers who dig the North Carolina outfit’s wares—a lot of boutique amp builders use Mojotone-built cabs, and plenty of DIY nerds dig the company’s amp kits. Even so, you don’t typically hear guitarists talking about Mojotone aftermarket pickups and speakers as much as you do more marquee brands. My guess is that this is at least partly due to the fact that many of us think you’ve got to spend a lot to sound really good.
In fact, I’ll admit that, despite the company’s admirable track record, I was skeptical that a $28 speaker—one of the most affordable 8" models on the market—could possibly be remarkable. I’m now happy to say my cynicism was grossly unfounded: The American Vintage AV8C’s magnet may not look robust, and the oval cutouts in its somewhat shallow, stamped-steel frame may be a bit reminiscent of a budget car speaker, but, hooked up to the Vibro Champ, the AV8C’s seamless paper cone consistently wowed me.
The AV8C’s voice is possibly the brightest of the bunch, and with the VC set at high volume and EQ settings, the Tele’s bridge pickup (and to a lesser extent, the Schecter’s bridge humbucker) sometimes yielded a spiky response that staid, traditional players may find excessively harsh. But otherwise the speaker exhibited a shockingly clear and sweet character. With more moderate amp settings and soft or medium attack, the Tele’s bridge unit had respectable snap for chicken-pickin’ tones, the middle position yielded everything from bell-like chime to spunky compressed sounds great for funk and nasty rock, while the neck pickup gave up round, bluesy resonance that was still wonderfully clear and free of flab. In sum, it’s tough not to say that, pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the AV8C is one of the industry’s better-kept secrets.
Ratings
Pros:
Springy, lively response great for nuanced playing. Sweet, bell-like highs and midrange, with punchy, articulate low end.
Cons:
Gets ragged and a little harsh when maxed out. Somewhat loose-fitting wire-lead tabs.
Street:
$28
Mojotone American Vintage AV8C
mojotone.com
Tones:
Build/Design:
Value:
Warehouse American Vintage G8C
Specs:18-oz. ceramic magnet
20 watts
Clip 1—Schecter Bridge + Fuzztite & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 2—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 3—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 4—Tele Bridge + Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 5—Tele Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Over the last few years, Kentucky-based Warehouse Guitar Speakers (WGS) has emerged as one of the biggest success stories in the face of longtime industry dominators, offering American- and British-voiced replacement speakers (as well as bass and P.A. designs) that rival the big guns—often at a significantly lower price.
Although the American Vintage G8C reviewed here is Warehouse’s only 8" model, it packs serious punch—especially considering its ultra-reasonable $39 price tag. It sports both a unique, classy aesthetic and super-solid build quality.
How would I describe the G8C’s tones? In a word, rich. In two words, rich and loud—the loudest of this bunch. Might I add fantastically flexible? The “vintage” descriptor gets tossed around rather liberally in the guitar-gear industry, but in the G8C’s case the label really is apt: It sounds broken-in straight out of the gate. Even with the Vibro Champ’s controls maxed and my Tele’s bridge pickup soloed, the WGS went from firm and in control under delicate fingerpicked attack to absolutely raging—in all the right ways—sans icepick-y drawbacks. In the Tele’s middle position, moderate EQ and volume settings yielded remarkably round and characterful tones perfect for old-school R&B and funk. Meanwhile, Tele neck-pickup tones were surprisingly fat, and Jordan Fuzztite-fried TV Jones tones tore out of the G8C without sounding undesirably nasty.
In all, the G8C offers superb enjoyment for at-home playing and, with a quality mic, yields tones so grand that many listeners will balk when told they come from such a small speaker—let alone one that’s brand new.
Ratings
Pros:
Wonderfully responsive to dynamics. Great range of tones—from warm and fat to twangy, chimey, gritty, or nasty and aggressive. Dual wire-lead tabs for each polarity.
Cons:
Can sound slightly mushy when pushed to its limits—though many will consider this a boon, not a shortcoming.
Street:
$39
Warehouse American Vintage G8C
wgs4.com
Tones:
Build/Design:
Value:
Weber Alnico Signature 8S
Specs:7-oz. alnico plug magnet
15 watts
Clip 1—Schecter Bridge + Fuzztite & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 2—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 3—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 4—Tele Bridge + Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 5—Tele Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
For the last two decades, Weber speakers have been the replacement speaker of choice for hordes of Fender amp owners. That’s because late company founder Ted Weber painstakingly analyzed the myriad materials and specs used in countless specimens in an effort to improve on the classics, as well as bring his own unique designs to market. The company has yet another distinction to brag about with regard to the subject at hand: No other manufacturer boasts a broader line of 8" replacement speakers—15 as of this writing.
The Alnico Signature 8S reviewed here is one of Weber’s most affordable models, and you can clearly surmise from both its looks and tones that early Jensen designs were heavy inspirations. It exhibits very similar aesthetics and construction style, though to my hands it feels heftier than the P8R.
Thrown into the Vibro Champ, the seamless cone of the 8S broadcasted impressive amounts of that old-school character, with a sweeter high-end response that was more forgiving to my Tele’s bridge pickup—though there was still some slight spikiness under heavy attack, even with all knobs at 5. Beyond that, the Weber reacted to middle-position rhythms with squishy, mid-scooped spankiness, while the Tele’s neck pickup had a pleasant woodiness and subtle grainy undertones. Like its inspiration, the 8S can sound a little scraggly with amp controls gunned and a Tele bridge pickup feeding it, but in contrast to the P8R the response is more gritty overdrive than fizzy fuzz. The Schecter’s Magna’Tron, meanwhile, sounded tough yet warm and well rounded, even with the amp maxed out.
Ratings
Pros:
Vintage tones with more forgiving treble and overdrive. Sturdy construction. Fair price.
Cons:
Can get spiky with a bridge single-coil and higher amp settings.
Street:
$45
Weber Alnico Signature 8S
tedweber.com
Tones:
Build/Design:
Value:
Weber 8A125
Specs:11-oz. alnico magnet 20 watts
Clip 1—Schecter Bridge + Fuzztite & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 2—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 3—Tele Bridge & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - Max
Clip 4—Tele Bridge + Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Clip 5—Tele Neck & Vibro Champ - Vol, Treble And Bass - 5
Spend some time on forums where avid gearheads discuss the best speakers for Champ-style amps, and you’re bound to come across a lot of players singing praises to Weber’s 8A125. Like its sibling in this roundup, the Alnico Signature 8S, it features a seamless cone and vintage-Jensen-like construction, but with an even heftier design—from all appearances, the most robust in this roundup.
But despite its visual similarities to the Signature 8S and P8R, the 8A125 has a decidedly different voice. In fact, the pricier Weber’s sound is significantly different from all the speakers in this roundup in that it has the richest, mellowest overall response. This darker shading enables it to handle a wide range of pickups with minimal harshness, regardless of volume. Even with my Tele’s bridge pickup and the Vibro Champ cranked, it was virtually impossible to get the 8A125 to sound piercing—yet it still had a nice, elastic snap that worked wonderfully with hybrid-picked country-ish lines. And with a brutal attack, it howled and groaned deliciously. Meanwhile, neck and middle positions had a warm roundness that actually made the amp sound and feel a little larger than its humble dimensions. The darker, bigger sound also enabled me to get looser, meaner, and more grooving sounds out of my Schechter’s humbuckers.
In all, the 8A125 is a fine choice for a variety of applications, provided you’re looking for a little more fatness and body and don’t mind sacrificing a little brightness and spank.
Ratings
Pros:
Rich, mellow, full tones that belie its size. Robust construction.
Cons:
Pricey. Might sound a tad dark to some players.
Street:
$85
Weber 8A125
tedweber.com
Tones:
Build/Design:
Value:
This legendary vintage rack unit will inspire you to think about effects with a new perspective.
When guitarists think of effects, we usually jump straight to stompboxes—they’re part of the culture! And besides, footswitches have real benefits when your hands are otherwise occupied. But real-time toggling isn’t always important. In the recording studio, where we’re often crafting sounds for each section of a song individually, there’s little reason to avoid rack gear and its possibilities. Enter the iconic Eventide H3000 (and its massive creative potential).
When it debuted in 1987, the H3000 was marketed as an “intelligent pitch-changer” that could generate stereo harmonies in a user-specified key. This was heady stuff in the ’80s! But while diatonic harmonizing grabbed the headlines, subtler uses of this pitch-shifter cemented its legacy. Patch 231 MICROPITCHSHIFT, for example, is a big reason the H3000 persists in racks everywhere. It’s essentially a pair of very short, single-repeat delays: The left side is pitched slightly up while the right side is pitched slightly down (default is ±9 cents). The resulting tripling/thickening effect has long been a mix-engineer staple for pop vocals, and it’s also my first call when I want a stereo chorus for guitar.
The second-gen H3000S, introduced the following year, cemented the device’s guitar bona fides. Early-adopter Steve Vai was such a proponent of the first edition that Eventide asked him to contribute 48 signature sounds for the new model (patches 700-747). Still-later revisions like the H3000B and H3000D/SE added even more functionality, but these days it’s not too important which model you have. Comprehensive EPROM chips containing every patch from all generations of H3000 (plus the later H3500) are readily available for a modest cost, and are a fairly straightforward install.
In addition to pitch-shifting, there are excellent modulation effects and reverbs (like patch 211 CANYON), plus presets inspired by other classic Eventide boxes, like the patch 513 INSTANT PHASER. A comprehensive accounting of the H3000’s capabilities would be tedious, but suffice to say that even the stock presets get deliciously far afield. There are pitch-shifting reverbs that sound like fever-dream ancestors of Strymon’s “shimmer” effect. There are backwards-guitar simulators, multiple extraterrestrial voices, peculiar foreshadows of the EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid and Rainbow Machine (check out patch 208 BIZARRMONIZER), and even button-triggered Foley effects that require no input signal (including a siren, helicopter, tank, submarine, ocean waves, thunder, and wind). If you’re ever without your deck of Oblique Strategies cards, the H3000’s singular knob makes a pretty good substitute. (Spin the big wheel and find out what you’ve won!)
“If you’re ever without your deck of Oblique Strategies cards, the H3000’s singular knob makes a pretty good substitute.”
But there’s another, more pedestrian reason I tend to reach for the H3000 and its rackmount relatives in the studio: I like to do certain types of processing after the mic. It’s easy to overlook, but guitar speakers are signal processors in their own right. They roll off high and low end, they distort when pushed, and the cabinets in which they’re mounted introduce resonances. While this type of de facto processing often flatters the guitar itself, it isn’t always advantageous for effects.
Effects loops allow time-based effects to be placed after preamp distortion, but I like to go one further. By miking the amp first and then sending signal to effects in parallel, I can get full bandwidth from the airy reverbs and radical pitched-up effects the H3000 can offer—and I can get it in stereo, printed to its own track, allowing the wet/dry balance to be revisited later, if needed. If a sound needs to be reproduced live, that’s a problem for later. (Something evocative enough can usually be extracted from a pedal-form descendant like the Eventide H90.)
Like most vintage gear, the H3000 has some endearing quirks. Even as it knowingly preserves glitches from earlier Eventide harmonizers (patch 217 DUAL H910s), it betrays its age with a few idiosyncrasies of its own. Extreme pitch-shifting exhibits a lot of aliasing (think: bit-crusher sounds), and the analog Murata filter modules impart a hint of warmth that many plug-in versions don’t quite capture. (They also have a habit of leaking black goo all over the motherboard!) It’s all part of the charm of the unit, beloved by its adherents. (Well, maybe not the leaking goo!)
In 2025, many guitarists won’t be eager to care for what is essentially an expensive, cranky, decades-old computer. Even the excitement of occasional tantalum capacitor explosions is unlikely to win them over! Fortunately, some great software emulations exist—Eventide’s own plugin even models the behavior of the Murata filters. But hardware offers the full hands-on experience, so next time you spot an old H3000 in a rack somewhere—and you’ve got the time—fire it up, wait for the distinctive “click” of its relays, spin the knob, and start digging.
The luthier’s stash.
There is more to a guitar than just the details.
A guitar is not simply a collection of wood, wire, and metal—it is an act of faith. Faith that a slab of lumber can be coaxed to sing, and that magnets and copper wire can capture something as expansive as human emotion. While it’s comforting to think that tone can be calculated like a tax return, the truth is far messier. A guitar is a living argument between its components—an uneasy alliance of materials and craftsmanship. When it works, it’s glorious.
The Uncooperative Nature of Wood
For me it all starts with the wood. Not just the species, but the piece. Despite what spec sheets and tonewood debates would have you believe, no two boards are the same. One piece of ash might have a bright, airy ring, while another from the same tree might sound like it spent a hard winter in a muddy ditch.
Builders know this, which is why you’ll occasionally catch one tapping on a rough blank, head cocked like a bird listening. They’re not crazy. They’re hunting for a lively, responsive quality that makes the wood feel awake in your hands. But wood is less than half the battle. So many guitarists make the mistake of buying the lumber instead of the luthier.
Pickups: Magnetic Hopes and Dreams
The engine of the guitar, pickups are the part that allegedly defines the electric guitar’s voice. Sure, swapping pickups will alter the tonality, to use a color metaphor, but they can only translate what’s already there, and there’s little percentage in trying to wake the dead. Yet, pickups do matter. A PAF-style might offer more harmonic complexity, or an overwound single-coil may bring some extra snarl, but here’s the thing: Two pickups made to the same specs can still sound different. The wire tension, the winding pattern, or even the temperature on the assembly line that day all add tiny variables that the spec sheet doesn’t mention. Don’t even get me started about the unrepeatability of “hand-scatter winding,” unless you’re a compulsive gambler.
“One piece of ash might have a bright, airy ring, while another from the same tree might sound like it spent a hard winter in a muddy ditch.”
Wires, Caps, and Wishful Thinking
Inside the control cavity, the pots and capacitors await, quietly shaping your tone whether you notice them or not. A potentiometer swap can make your volume taper feel like an on/off switch or smooth as an aged Tennessee whiskey. A capacitor change can make or break the tone control’s usefulness. It’s subtle, but noticeable. The kind of detail that sends people down the rabbit hole of swapping $3 capacitors for $50 “vintage-spec” caps, just to see if they can “feel” the mojo of the 1950s.
Hardware: The Unsung Saboteur
Bridges, nuts, tuners, and tailpieces are occasionally credited for their sonic contributions, but they’re quietly running the show. A steel block reflects and resonates differently than a die-cast zinc or aluminum bridge. Sloppy threads on bridge studs can weigh in, just as plate-style bridges can couple firmly to the body. Tuning machines can influence not just tuning stability, but their weight can alter the way the headstock itself vibrates.
It’s All Connected
Then there’s the neck joint—the place where sustain goes to die. A tight neck pocket allows the energy to transfer efficiently. A sloppy fit? Some credit it for creating the infamous cluck and twang of Fender guitars, so pick your poison. One of the most important specs is scale length. A longer scale not only creates more string tension, it also requires the frets to be further apart. This changes the feel and the sound. A shorter scale seems to diminish bright overtones, accentuating the lows and mids. Scale length has a definite effect on where the neck joins the body and the position of the bridge, where compromises must be made in a guitar’s overall design. There are so many choices, and just as many opportunities to miss the mark. It’s like driving without a map unless you’ve been there before.
Alchemy, Not Arithmetic
At the end of the day, a guitar’s greatness doesn’t come from its spec sheet. It’s not about the wood species or the coil-wire gauge. It’s about how it all conspires to either soar or sink. Two guitars, built to identical specs, can feel like long-lost soulmates or total strangers. All of these factors are why mix-and-match mods are a long game that can eventually pay off. But that’s the mystery of it. You can’t build magic from a parts list. You can’t buy mojo by the pound. A guitar is more than the sum of its parts—it’s a sometimes unpredictable collaboration of materials, choices, and human touch. And sometimes, whether in the hands of an experienced builder or a dedicated tinkerer, it just works.
Two Iconic Titans of Rock & Metal Join Forces for a Can’t-Miss North American Trek
Tickets Available Starting Wednesday, April 16 with Artist Presales
General On Sale Begins Friday, April 18 at 10AM Local on LiveNation.com
This fall, shock rock legend Alice Cooper and heavy metal trailblazers Judas Priest will share the stage for an epic co-headlining tour across North America. Produced by Live Nation, the 22-city run kicks off September 16 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, MS, and stops in Toronto, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping October 26 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, TX.
Coming off the second leg of their Invincible Shield Tour and the release of their celebrated 19th studio album, Judas Priest remains a dominant force in metal. Meanwhile, Alice Cooper, the godfather of theatrical rock, wraps up his "Too Close For Comfort" tour this summer, promoting his most recent "Road" album, and will have an as-yet-unnamed all-new show for this tour. Corrosion of Conformity will join as support on select dates.
Tickets will be available starting Wednesday, April 16 at 10AM local time with Artist Presales. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, April 18 at 10AM local time at LiveNation.comTOUR DATES:
Tue Sep 16 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Thu Sep 18 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre*
Sat Sep 20 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Sun Sep 21 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
Wed Sep 24 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Fri Sep 26 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Sat Sep 27 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
Mon Sep 29 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Wed Oct 01 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Thu Oct 02 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Sat Oct 04 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Sun Oct 05 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Fri Oct 10 – Colorado Springs, CO – Broadmoor World Arena
Sun Oct 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue Oct 14 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Wed Oct 15 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
Sat Oct 18 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sun Oct 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Wed Oct 22 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Thu Oct 23 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
Sat Oct 25 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sun Oct 26 – Houston, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
*Without support from Corrosion of Conformity
MT 15 and Archon 50 Classic amplifiers offer fresh tones in release alongside a doubled-in-size Archon cabinet
PRS Guitars today released the updated MT 15 and the new Archon Classic amplifiers, along with a larger Archon speaker cabinet. The 15-watt, two-channel Mark Tremonti signature amp MT 15 now features a lead channel overdrive control. An addition to the Archon series, not a replacement, the 50-watt Classic offers a fresh voice by producing retro rock “classic” tones reminiscent of sound permeating the radio four and five decades ago. Now twice the size of the first Archon cabinet, the Archon 4x12 boasts four Celestion V-Type speakers.
MT 15 Amplifier Head
Balancing aggression and articulation, this 15-watt amp supplies both heavy rhythms and clear lead tones. The MT 15 revision builds off the design of the MT 100, bringing the voice of the 100’s overdrive channel into its smaller-format sibling. Updating the model, the lead channel also features a push/pull overdrive control that removes two gain stages to produce vintage, crunchier “mid gain” tones. The clean channel still features a push/pull boost control that adds a touch of overdrive crunch. A half-power switch takes the MT to 7 watts.
“Seven years ago, we released my signature MT 15 amplifier, a compact powerhouse that quickly became a go-to for players seeking both pristine cleans and crushing high-gain tones. In 2023, we took things even further with the MT 100, delivering a full-scale amplifier that carried my signature sound to the next level. That inspired us to find a way to fit the 100's third channel into the 15's lunchbox size,” said Mark Tremonti.
“Today, I’m beyond excited to introduce the next evolution of the MT15, now featuring a push/pull overdrive control on the Lead channel and a half-power switch, giving players even more tonal flexibility to shape their sound with a compact amp. Can’t wait for you all to plug in and experience it!”
Archon Classic Amplifier Head
With a refined gain structure from the original Archon, the Archon Classic’s lead channel offers a wider range of tones colored with gain, especially in the midrange. The clean channel goes from pristine all the way to the edge of breakup. This additional Archon version was developed to be a go-to tool for playing classic rock or pushing the envelope into modern territory. The Archon Classic still features the original’s bright switch, presence and depth controls. PRS continues to stock the Archon in retailers worldwide.
“The Archon Classic is not a re-issue of the original Archon, but a newly voiced circuit with the lead channel excelling in '70s and '80s rock tones and a hotter clean channel able to go into breakup. This is the answer for those wanting an Archon with a hotrod vintage lead channel gain structure without changing preamp tube types, and a juiced- up clean channel without having to use a boost pedal, all wrapped up in a retro-inspired cabinet design,” said PRS Amp Designer Doug Sewell.
Archon 4x12 Cabinet
As in the Archon 1x12 and 2x12, the mega-sized PRS Archon 4x12 speaker cabinet features Celestion V-Type speakers and a closed-back design, delivering power, punch, and tight low end. Also like its smaller brethren, the 4x12 is wrapped in durable black vinyl and adorned with a British-style black knitted-weave grill cloth. The Archon 4x12 is only the second four-speaker cabinet in the PRS lineup, next to the HDRX 4x12.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40 th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, X, and YouTube.