In the fuzz realm, there’s an allure to the circuits of the ’70s that attracts a very obsessive crowd. They prowl for that perfect, sinewy, buzz-saw sustain that’s graced the work of everyone from Pink Floyd to the Isley Brothers—the tones of silicon Fuzz Faces and the legendary “triangle” and “ram’s head” versions of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. These pedals and their counterparts regained popularity in the ’90s when a new breed of guitar misfits from Mudhoney to Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. reclaimed the tone for their own, and the resurgence in popularity sent price tags for what were once junk-shop relics sky high. Given the hundreds of dollars those originals now fetch, many fuzz-cult devotees have given up the Craigslist and eBay runaround and turned to boutique gear for their fuzz fixes.
For some such characters, the Caroline Guitar Company may have the answer. After achieving success with its homage to op-amp excellence, the Wave Cannon OD/Fuzz, the Columbia, South Carolina, company set its sights on a classic transistorbased fuzz. And as the name suggests to fans of the Melvins, Nirvana, and other fuzz-freak bands, the Olympia traces a line back through the Pacific Northwest of the ’90s with filthy grace. With some help from the Kickstarter.com fundraising platform, Caroline Guitar Co. far exceeded their monetary goal to push the Olympia into the testing and production phases. Now available internationally, this stompbox touts a wide breadth of color that’s certain to please the pickiest old-school fuzz fans.
Blues for the Sun
The Olympia’s fuzzed-out chaos is managed
through manipulation of volume (indicated
by a speaker symbol) and gain (a bolt from
Zeus, of course). The knobs are placed perfectly
for quick foot-control during a gig—
tight, but not too tight, and right up at the
top of the pedal.
Within the blueberry-colored enclosure you’ll find a lesson in compact design. No space is wasted in accommodating the 9V battery, 3DPT true-bypass setup, jacks, and circuit board. Shielded jacks protect 1/4" input and output cables from interference, and should you choose to go with a battery over an adapter, it will rest securely below the footswitch with little to no movement. On the whole, the Olympia feels tough and ready for real gigging and a lifetime on a working player’s pedalboard.
Amber Waves of Gain
With both knobs at high noon, a
Stratocaster plugged into its input, and
a 50-watt Bassman stocked with four
Celestion Vintage 30s at the other end of the
line, the Olympia growls with grungy lead
tones. Background noise, however, is virtually—
and most impressively—nonexistent.
Power chords at these settings had the Bassman positively booming and burning (figuratively, of course). If you’re looking for a more aggressive J. Mascis or Mudhoney tone, you’ll want to kick gain up to 2 or 3 o’clock. At this level, the Olympia delivers whiplash lead tones with a heap of bass presence, a sweet, sharp high end, and a responsiveness that coaxed nuances from both sides of the spectrum, depending on picking intensity. It’s clearer—more transparent even—than the suffocated, almost synth-like output that Big Muff-based pedals sometimes have.
With a Les Paul driving the works, you can delve further into woolly regions like those on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Maxing the gain gives you those aggressive Iommi tones without sacrificing picking dynamics, while backing off the gain increases the detail in note-to-note interplay and gives you the bark and bite you associate with Jimmy Page’s more stinging moments form the first four Zep LPs. You may want to kick up the volume a tad if you’re sticking with humbuckers, as the difference between a clean signal from a hot humbucker and the Olympia with everything at noon is less than pronounced. Even so, there’s more than enough headroom to help you rise to bombastic levels when you kick the pedal on.
Ratings
Pros:
wide range of fuzz tones. Great harmonic clarity.
Cons:
may not have enough hair for fans of extreme muff
and Fuzz Face tones.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build:
Value:
Street:
$145
Company
carolineguitar.com
If you’re yearning for a more ethereal lead tone, the Olympia also works great with a high-headroom, open-back amp like a Fender Twin Reverb. In these airier environs, the Olympia’s lower frequencies blend exceptionally well with the brighter tones— especially in loud, live settings. Against a fuzz-saturated bass and a second overdriven guitar, the Olympia cut without the aid of a separate overdrive. And with the gain raised near full mast, you can achieve the opulent, round, and raging sound of a Sovtek-built Big Muff without giving up any clarity. Stack some reverb on top of this roar, and you’ll be deep in shoegazing bliss—teetering on the edge of outlandish feedback and squealing harmonic overtones, especially with single-coil in the blend.
The Verdict
Searching for the right fuzz can lead to a lot
of pedals that do one thing really well. But
the Olympia provides both authentic Muff
and Fuzz Face tones. Even better, it actually
has more clarity and broader harmonic content
than what you’ll find in many Muff and
Fuzz Face specimens, which means it can
cover a lot of ground and suit multitudinous
combinations of guitar and amplifier. The
fact that Caroline Guitar Co. has managed
to build a classic-sounding fuzz that excels in
terms of fidelity and versatility at a reasonable
price, suggests the Olympia is bound for
more than a few fuzz freaks’ short lists.
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.