RatingsPros:Beautifully made. Authentic early Floyd tones. Loves fuzz pedals. Cons: Limited tonal range. Original Selmers might cost less. Street: $1,849 Balthazar Film Noir 50 balthazaraudiosystems.com
| Tones:  Ease of Use:  Build/Design: Value: |
Since the ’60s, Pink Floyd has exerted a profound influence on guitarists’ gear choices: Big Muffs, Echorecs, black Strats, Hiwatt amps.… You get the picture.
But those items were all popularized by David Gilmour. We don’t hear as much about the gear favored by the band’s original guitarist and frontman, Syd Barrett, who left the group in 1968 due to severe mental illness. You can buy a zillion replicas of Gilmour’s Big Muff, but as far as I know, the only folks regularly reproducing Barrett’s (alleged) fuzz pedal, the Selmer Buzz Tone, are Jext Telez, a boutique company from Michigan. And you generally don’t hear gearheads rhapsodizing about the Selmer Truvoice Treble ’N’ Bass 50, the amp Barrett used on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Floyd’s sole pre-Gilmour studio album.
Keeping It Weird
Thanks to Chicago-based amp maker Balthazar de Ley, we have a chance to revisit this historic yet largely forgotten model. Balthazar, who for years maintained the mountains of gear owned by the Smashing Pumpkins, based his Film Noir 50 head on the Syd Selmer. It’s not a pure clone—the original had both treble and bass channels, and only the former is replicated here. De Ley added a master volume control and a Vox-style treble-cut knob in the power stage. He also re-voiced the preamp to, in his words, “warm it up a bit and make it more pedal-friendly.”
Like early-’60s Marshalls, the Treble ’N’ Bass is more than a little “inspired” by Fender’s Bassman. Yet de Ley retained Selmer’s oddest deviation from the Fullerton template: a power-supply section the employs a choke the size of an output transformer. “For reasons I can only guess at,” notes Balthazar, “they made the unusual decision to set up the amp’s power supply with all of the so-called B+ voltage passing through the amp’s choke. The result is a particular kind of sag and bloom that I think defines the amp. Normally the choke is the smallest transformer on your amp, but in this case it has to handle so much current because of the oddball design, and has to be as large as the other transformers. It’s heavy, it’s expensive, and at NAMM shows it leaves other amp designers shaking their heads.”
I’ve never played an original, and didn’t know much about the amp till now. For example, when I unboxed the review model, I wondered why Balthazar covered it in a faux-alligator material reeking of ’90s hair metal. That shows you how little I knew: The early-’60s originals were also garbed in similar mock-’gator. So, for reference, I plugged in and played along with The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
Oh yeah! Film Noir 50 definitely nails the Syd sound.
Interstellar Overdrive
Film Noir’s core voice is rough-edged and throaty. The amp doesn’t have vast reserves of clean headroom. It can get clean, but not ultra-sparkly. Its distorted tones, while attractive, max out well short of meltdown, at least without upstream distortion. (More on that in a moment.) The idiosyncratic power supply circuit does indeed add saggy warmth. It’s a cool and distinctive sound, if not a particularly versatile one.
Two EL34 tubes provide Film Noir’s power, with a pair of 12AX7s in the preamp section. The rectifier tube is a GZ34. Inside and out, the workmanship is top-notch. The amp is handwired. The small caps and resistors are tidily assembled on turret board. The wire routing is neat. The soldering is stellar. This amp looks like it will last a long time, and it’ll be easy to service should something go wrong. The parts—including Classic Tone and Hammond transformers—are top-drawer.
Tones can be a bit on the wooly side compared to early-’60s Marshall, Fender, and Vox designs, but rolling back the bass control adds clarity. You might not even notice the absence of dedicated midrange knobs. Between the treble dial and the added top-cut pot, you’ve got much control over the highs. For the first audio clip, I plugged a DIY guitar with vintage-style PAFs directly into the amp. The clip includes maximum-clean and maximum-dirty examples.
Take Up Thy Fuzz Pedal and Squawk
Film Noir’s high-gain settings may be relatively restrained, but that leaves a lot of room to shape tones with fuzz pedals. I auditioned Film Noir with a stack of fuzz boxes, and the flavor of each pedal came through loud and clear, as heard in the second audio clip. For the first minute of audio, I play a DIY clone of a Selmer Buzz Tone clone—a primitive design with three germanium transistors that runs at three volts via a pair of AA batteries. The remaining examples feature an assortment of homemade fuzzes.
Film Noir is definitely not “a clean platform for effects,” in the usual sense of that contemporary tone cliché. It’s too dirty and saggy for that. But damn, it interacts with distortion pedals in endlessly cool and fascinating ways, spawning an unholy menagerie of splats and squawks. This amp loves fuzz.
The Verdict
The Film Noir 50 is a cool and quirky amp. You’ll find no fault with Balthazar’s expert craftsmanship.The question, really, is whether this oddball speaks your musical language. (Hint: If you dig vintage psychedelia and fuzz sounds unfit for polite company, you’re likely to love it.) Yeah, you can probably pick up a functioning original for less than the price of this boutique spinoff—early Selmers are not über-collectible. (Not yet, anyway.) But Film Noir offers improvements on the original design, with greater range and superb build quality. The price isn’t over the top for a fine and unique handwired amp.
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.