The Komet 19 can be summed up as such: small amp, huge tone.
When I was growing up, my parents told me to eat my vegetables and that good things came in small packages. To me it sounded more like a public service announcement for boring food and crummy gifts than good advice. Like many things your parents teach you that don’t sound so good at first, over time you realize there is more than a grain of truth to them—like when broccoli actually started tasting pretty decent, and carting around heavy stacks of amps became a drag. Mom and dad were on the right track! In the spirit of good things coming in small packages, the company responsible for giving us the Komet 60 and Constellation 30 brings us the Komet 19.
The Package
Looking a lot like the little brother of the Komet 60, the Komet 19 head measures a compact 17”x9”x8” and weighs just 25 pounds. It comes in a wide variety of colors, including Black, Baltic Blue, Emerald Green, Purple and Red, and it features the same high-quality components and construction as all Komet products. That means custom-designed output and power transformers, a laser-cut chassis made with solid 1/8” welded aircraft grade aluminum and military- grade 2W potentiometers. The relatively simple front panel consists of an input, a 3-way Bright Switch, Volume, Saturation and Tone controls followed by a jewel pilot light and Standby and Power switches. On the back, there’s an IEC power input, mains and HT fuses, a 4/8/16-ohm impedance selector and two speaker outputs. The Komet 19 is cathode biased and comes stock with Sovtek tubes, 2 EL84s and a pair of 12AX7s.Download Example 1
2008 Fender Strat with Sheptone pickups. Various pickup positions.
Komet 19 controls - Volume: 2 o’clock, Saturation: 10 o’clock, Tone: 11 o’clock. Bright Switch: off (center position)Download Example 2
2003 Les Paul R8 (Murphy) with Fralin P90 in the neck.
Komet 19 controls - Volume: 1 o’clock, Saturation: 11 o’clock, Tone: 12 o’clock, Bright Switch: down (position 1)Download Example 3
Reissue Danelectro 59 with stock pickups. Using neck pickup.
Komet 19 controls - Volume: 10 o’clock, Saturation: 1 o’clock, Tone: 12 o’clock, Bright Switch: down (position 1)Clips recorded with Pro Tools HD3, Chandler LTD-1 preamp, SM57 (Mercenary Edition) 1” from center of cone. Speaker cab is a Krank closed-back poplar 1x12 with mid-'70s tan Celestion 25. A small amount of Altiverb on all clips.
What’s Inside
Pulling the chassis out of the head box revealed some pretty astonishing workmanship. I was expecting to see a neatly wired turret board on par with most high-end modern amps, but instead the entire assembly is literally point-to-point construction: the components are directly mounted to the pots, jacks and tube sockets. There is no circuit board at all, which makes it clear that the folks at Komet spent a great deal of attention on the layout and design. It’s really a work of art.
Are you the little guy making that big noise?
Even though 19 watts doesn’t sound like that much power, it actually can produce a lot more volume that most people expect. Since the Komet 19 lacks a Master Volume, I contacted Komet and asked for a little background on their design philosophy to better understand what they were trying to achieve. According to Michael Kennedy and Holger Notzel, “Komet makes amps that are intended for live use. The amp must be capable of delivering a full range of tones from clean to singing leads, all controllable from the guitar via guitar volume control settings and pick attack, in a band setting. Master volume controls can be useful in achieving one (overdriven) sound at a given volume level, but they limit the highly dynamic interaction between guitar and amp that we strive for. Master volume amps just don’t clean up as well from the guitar, and when they do the clean volume is too low. In limiting the amount of drive delivered from the preamp to the power amp, the distortion now has to be created inthe preamp, with the power tubes mostly just amplifying that signal. Komets are designed to clip in a very specific way, beginning with the output stage. We feel that this gives the most dynamic response and control.” That makes sense. Let’s take a look at how it performs.
The Test Rig
To test it out, I ran the Komet 19 through a variety of guitars and cabs to best mimic what players might end up using. Cabs included a Krank 1x12” with an Eminence V12 Legend, a Mojave 2x12” with a pair of ‘60s Celestion Blues and a late ‘60s Marshall Basketweave 4x12” with original G12H- 30s. Guitars were a 2008 Fender American Standard Strat, 2003 Gibson Les Paul R8 Standard and a variety of Danelectros, Airlines, Schecters and Epiphones. Plugging the Les Paul direct into the 19 and running the Krank 1x12”, I set the amp with all the knobs at 5 and was immediately treated to an astonishingly accurate AC/DC “Back In Black” tone. The amp responded to the pick with an explosive attack and didn’t compress the way I’m used to with EL84-based amps. It reacted like the power and punch of a Marshall Superlead mixed with the chime and sparkle of an AC30. And it was loud and incredibly dynamic, with the loudest strums nicely breaking up into great a crunch tone. Rolling off the volume or picking lightly brought the amp back to sparkling clean territory, with just enough harmonic distortion to sound complex.
Curious about the Saturation control, I cranked it up to 10 and laid into a big, open G chord. Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about… this is where the amp lives! According to the manual, the Saturation control adjusts the amount of signal going into the second gain stage, so lower settings allow for more headroom in the preamp and higher settings yield a more saturated, compressed overdrive character. It is this control that really sets the Komet 19 apart from other designs. I found it to be very versatile, especially when swapping out guitars that had different pickup types. With the Les Paul, it brought the amp into beautiful, blooming overdrive that sang and sustained effortlessly and worked very much in tandem with the volume control. Obviously, at the lower volume settings it didn’t break up like a master/ volume configuration, since it isn’t designed that way. But it did allow for a huge variety of sounds to come out of a single guitar. It also proved that a simple and effective design is paramount in letting the true voice of a guitar come through. The Les Paul sounded every bit like a Les Paul, and the Strat…
Plugging in the Strat, I decided to change cabs to the 2x12”. What a combination! The AlNiCo speakers combined with the single coil pickups brought the amp into a totally different sonic territory. Since the Celestion Blues really focus in on a specific midrange frequency, I found the tone control and bright switch very helpful in dialing up killer lead and rhythm sounds. The 3-way Bright switch is off in the center position and offers a normal bright boost in the bottom and even more brightness in the top position. With the Strat I had to watch for it in the brightest position, because it tended to push beyond the comfort zone and got a bit “ice-picky” on the top. However, rolling back the volume cleaned it up, and it sparkled so nicely that it made me realize that there wasn’t a bad sound to be gotten out of the 19. In a band situation that extra bite might be just what’s needed to sit on top of the mix. The lower bright position with the tone set at about 2 o’clock seemed to be the best balance for my taste; it offered all the chime and clarity you could ever ask for.
To round out the testing I ran the 4x12” cab in a bigger room with a variety of guitars and settings. The 19 had no issue pushing the cab and sounded nearly as loud as my 50-watt non-master Marshall. It sounded massive with an Epiphone Sheraton on the neck pickup with the volume and saturation cranked, and once again it showed how well the true voice of the guitar came through. With a flick of the bright switch I was able to roll back the volume and get into Kinks territory with a barking and authoritative spank. Wrapping up the guitars, I also played a Danelectro ‘59 DC through the 19 into the Krank 1x12” and was able to pull out some beautiful cleans reminiscent of Jimmy Page’s “White Summer/ Black Mountainside,” as well as the gritty “Kashmir” vibe. Amazing stuff.
The Final Mojo
While there’s no master volume, channel switching or effects loop on the Komet 19, it’s easy to forget about that when you experience the pure tone of this monster. It belies its size with a gigantic range of tones that let your instruments’ true personalities sing. It’s quiet, efficient and simple to operate and a testament to great design. What’s more, Komet informs us they will soon release a combo version, as well as a very cool 1x12 extension cab with a Celestion Heritage G12H30. For the choices Komet made in designing this amp, I cannot think of a single thing not to love about it.
Buy if...
you want a portable powerhouse with versatility and killer tone that showcases the personality of each instrument.
Skip if...
you need a lot of bells and whistles.
Rating...
MSRP $2295 - Komet Amplification - kometamps.com |
Orange Amplification announces the arrival of its new Babies: the newly analogue designed Dual Baby, Tour Baby and Gain Baby guitar amps, plus the O Tone combo.
The Babies
Each lightweight, studio grade 100W, twin channel, Class A/B, solid state amp weighs only 3kg and is compact, reliable and tour ready. Watch the launch video here.
The 2-channel, Tour Baby guitar amp is incredibly versatile in a variety of playing situations. The onboard studio grade VCA compressor of Tour Baby’s refined clean channel, offers pristine clean tones with active or passive pickups. It provides a consistent dynamic range and low noise in extreme settings without the need for separate pedals. It includes precise bass and treble EQ controls.
The naturally voiced dirty channel of this tone machine allows players to easily get that sought after ‘point of breakup’ sound . A custom voiced presence control and powerful 3-band EQ control means the Tour Baby’s tone can be shaped to cut-through the mix. Add to that a footswitchable volume control, that provides a stage-friendly volume boost option for live applications. Watch the Tour Baby video here.
The Gain Baby clean channel is the same as that of the Tour Baby with its integrated VCA Compressor to alleviate the need for an additional stomp box and incorporates bass and treble EQ controls to dial in a desired frequency. The compressor provides smooth, transparent compression for dynamic control without compromising tone.
Four distinct stages are available on the high gain channel allowing players to dial in their preferred level of crunch and saturation. Like the Dual Baby, Gain Baby’s Tight Switch operates as a bright switch, boosting the upper mid at lower gain levels, to give shredding solos a little something extra. Volume control is footswitchable, the buffered FX allows effects from pedals to be patched in and the onboard 3-band EQ allows tone to be tweaked even further.
With multiple output options such as a balanced XLR output with no Cab Sim, as well as dual speaker outputs, the Gain Baby is equally comfortable on stage or in the studio. Watch the Gain Baby video here.
The Dual Baby is a powerhouse in a pint-sized package. It’s simple A and B channel design offers duelling tones and alternating rhythm opportunities. Channel A mimics the rich responsive tones of the Orange flagship Rockerverb amps in a reliable solid-state design. From clean to classic crunch to full-on saturation, there is no shortage of Orange mojo. The brand-new Tubby Switch, which boosts the bottom end early in the signal path, offers a much ‘rounder’ tone when playing clean or when searching for just the right ‘dirty-clean’ sound.
Channel B allows players to dial in the desired level of grit, with ample saturation and a valve-like high-gain tone, unheard of in any other solid-state unit. The ‘bright boost’ of the Tight Switch gives the amp spring and bounce and raises the top end at lower gain levels for players who want to tighten up, shred and play blistering solos with plenty of cut. The 3-band sweepable EQ presence control allows frequencies to be tweaked, shimmer added and mids that sit perfectly in the mix to be dialled in. Watch the Dual Baby video here.
Pack or rack any of the three Baby amps with included gig bag or an available rack ear kit. Each Baby is a mighty unit that delivers100-Watts into 8 ohms or 70-Watts into 16 ohms, to power any full-sized guitar amp with ease!
Check out the triplets, Dual Baby, Tour Baby and Gain Baby and all the other Orange products at
https://orangeamps.com/
The O Tone 40 Combo Amp
Watch the launch video here.
The single channel, 40-Watt Class A/B solid state combo has onboard tremolo and reverb controls, a buffered effects loop and plenty of punchy volume. With a distinctive clean tone, it is an ideal amp for any pedal set-up or a small venue workhorse for guitarists who are fond of warm, vintage tones.
The amp’s bias-wobbled, single-ended JFET tremolo circuit offers huge depth and breadth, delivering everything from grand sweeps to a staccato sonic character via insistent, whirling helicopter patterns. The effect is footswitchable, allowing for even more adaptability during performances.
Modelling a classic spring reverb, the O Tone 40 incorporates a digital reverb module to add a warm spaciousness to sounds, ranging from subtle shimmer to ethereal trails.
The combo’s fully buffered, low-impedance FX Loop allows for any number of effects and cables to be patched between the amp’s input and output sections without sacrificing tone, making it an excellent pedal platform.
The powerful volume of the 12” Voice of the World speaker, combined with the amazingly sweet tones and harmonic chimes of the new O Tone 40, makes it ideal for rock, country, blues and so many more music genres. A direct output is included to facilitate studio and live non-miked situations.
The amp is finished in trademark Orange Tolex with Orange’s signature basket- weave grill and Crest badge. Check out the O Tone 40 and all the other Orange products at https://orangeamps.com/
The Los Angeles League of Musicians—LA LOM for short—brought the vintage vibe with them on the road last year.
It wasn’t long ago that LA LOM—guitarist Zac Sokolow, bassist Jake Faulkner, and percussionist Nicholas Baker—were cutting their teeth together as the house band at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, playing poolside for guests. Now, with eight EPs and a full-length record (2024’s The Los Angeles League of Musicians) since 2021, they’re a full-blown sensation, celebrating and interpreting instrumental tropical guitar traditions.
The trio played Nashville’s The Basement back in December, where PG’s John Bohlinger caught up with Sokolow and Faulkner to see what road rigs they use to bring their psychedelic cumbia and Peruvian chicha dreams to life.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Red Rider
This vintage National Val-Pro, circa 1960 to 1962, belongs to Faulkner, who received it as his very first electric. When he switched to bass, the Val-Pro took a backseat, so Sokolow had been more than happy to borrow it long-term. All the controls are disconnected except for the volume knob. Sokolow strings it with a .012–.052 gauge set of roundwounds, and he’s partial to D’Andrea Pro Plec 1.5 mm picks.
Leader of the Pack
Sokolow’s other sidekick is this Kay Style Leader from 1960. Each of the three pickups has a volume and tone control. The body’s been mostly routed out, so it lends the resonance and darkness of a semi-hollowbody.
Live and Loud
While he’ll often play through Fender Deluxe Reverbs at home, Sokolow trusts the Twin Reverb to get the job done in performance settings. The stage volume is loud enough that he and his bandmates often don’t need monitors: They can just listen to each other’s instruments onstage.
Zac Sokolow's Pedalboard
From his guitar, Sokolow’s signal runs through a spicy-red Voltage Cable Co. coil cable into his board. A TC Electronic Polytune 2 starts things off, followed by a Fulltone Full-Drive 3 for just a hint of dirt, then a Boss DM-3 delay, followed by a Catalinbread Topanga spring reverb. A TC Helicon VoiceTone handles some more echo work along with the DM-3.
Flight-Friendly Upright
Jake Faulkner’s traveling upright is thisJohnson bass, which has been modded by Tom at Fantastic Musical Instruments in Pasadena, California. Tom gave the upright a bolt-on neck that comes off easily, making it a perfect travel mate. For amplification, Faulkner uses pickups from Underwood, based in Palm Springs. On a tip from Tom, he glued a small piece of wood to the side of the pickups to reduce noise issues, and two sound posts have been installed inside the body to reduce feedback concerns.
Thumbin' Through
For electric needs, Faulkner uses this Fender Vintera II ’60s Precision Bass; he’ll switch between the two basses depending on what he feels best suits the song. He uses a thumb pick from time to time to accentuate certain rhythms.
Lightweight Low End
Faulkner’s been converted to this Ampeg Venture V12, a compact bass head weighing less than nine pounds—a godsend for sore-backed bassists. It’s set for a pretty neutral, SVT-style sound and runs into a Fender Bassman 410 Neo cabinet, which has four neodymium-loaded speakers.
Jake Faulkner's Pedalboard
Rather than at the start of his chain, his Korg Pitchblack Advance tuner goes at the end, with everything running out of it to the Venture V12. An Origin Effects Bassrig Super Vintage lends color and tone to the V12, then the Fire-Eye Development Red-Eye Twin acts as an A/B switch to maintain output and gain between the Johnson and the P-bass. An MXR Ten Band EQ helps balance out the upright’s tone.
100 watts of clean-to-dirty power in a slim, light, 2-channel, tour-ready design that's as easy on the billfold as your back.
The 2-channel, Tour Baby guitar amp is incredibly versatile in a variety of playing situations. The onboard studio grade VCA compressor of Tour Baby’s refined clean channel, offers pristine clean tones with active or passive pickups. It provides a consistent dynamic range and low noise in extreme settings without the need for separate pedals. It includes precise bass and treble EQ controls.
The naturally voiced dirty channel of this tone machine allows players to easily get that sought after ‘point of breakup’ sound . A custom voiced presence control and powerful 3-band EQ control means the Tour Baby’s tone can be shaped to cut-through the mix. Add to that a footswitchable volume control, that provides a stage-friendly volume boost option for live applications.