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| Watch the video review: Click for full-size video |
The SanGreal acoustic amp is a smokin’ 400 watts (bi-amped, 200 watts per low-frequency and high-frequency driver) with two input channels that can be customized for your specific applications. Since I sing while playing the guitar, the folks at SanGreal gave me an instrument channel with line and instrument inputs, and one channel with both XLR and instrument inputs—and the XLR in has phantom power. Both channels have input Gain, three-band EQ, and multi-mode Reverb. Channel one includes a narrow-band notch filter, and our review unit had the optional vacuum tube, which adds some additional warmth. Master and Monitor volume controls and an FX loop complete the control section.
The beautiful acoustic tone comes from the combination of a neodymium-powered ribbon driver and an advanced low-frequency driver. The cabinet is monitor-shaped, made of birch multi-ply with a handle at one end and a speaker pole mount on the other. It is hefty at 42 pounds, and a little bulky at 24”x16”x19”, but if killer tone is your thing, you probably won’t care. There are three reverb modes, mediumlength bright, medium-length warm, and short-length bright. The medium warm is nice and really useful for guitar and vocal.
Turn it up ‘til your ears bleed
Without spending any time to get to know what I was working with, I plugged in a Tanglewood TSR2 (also reviewed in this issue) which has an active B-Band pickup, and started turning up. And up. And up. I had the Gain and the Master both at 3 o’clock before I couldn’t take anymore— but there wasn’t even a hint of feedback or distortion. If I’d had earplugs, I could have dimed it (wow—there’s a word I never thought I’d get to use in a review). My windows were rattling, and my ears were about to bleed.
So far so good! I took it with me to a gig at a small, L-shaped venue. No problem getting sound everywhere and hearing myself. However, the sound seemed a little too bright in some parts of the room. I was playing the Tanglewood, which is a very bright guitar, so I beefed up the bass a bit to compensate and dialed back the highs just a bit. A friend plugged in a Kirk Sand nylonstring guitar, and it sounded spectacularly beautiful. Every detail was audible, every frequency seemed utterly balanced with all the others.
In a live situation, you can lay it flat on the floor in front of you like a conventional amp, or set it on a speaker stand behind you, where it can serve as main and monitor all in one. On a speaker stand, the ribbon driver spreads the sound over a very wide area, filling large rooms easily. In addition, the ribbon driver technology keeps the volume from dropping off as dramatically as a conventional speaker. Usually you lose 6 dB every time you double the distance away from the speaker. With the SanGreal, you only lose 3 dB. Handily, the SanGreal has a monitor input on the right side panel, allowing it to be used as a floor monitor. Now, this is not just a simple monitor function— this allows you to turn your guitar up as loud as you want and then mix in the rest of the band, so you hear you as much as you want, and the rest of the band is perfectly balanced to your needs. For a small-to-medium sized gig, this could become indespensible.
To the Guitarsenal!
At home again, I pulled out my trusty Gallagher GA-70 (rosewood grand auditorium) with an LR Baggs iMix, which my ears knowbetter than any other guitar. I spent some time just playing chords and listening to the balance across the spectrum. I turned up loud again—not as loud as before, but loud enough so I was hearing more amp than guitar. With the Mix knob on the guitar turned to iBeam only, a hint of brittleness crept in, but I was able to shave the highs back and compensate. With the Mix rolled all the way to just the ribbon transducer, it was much warmer and woodier. With the Mix knob in the middle, the tone was warm and incredibly detailed. There is nothing missing from the mix, nothing harsh or nasal or muddy about it.
So here’s the big newsflash: The SanGreal gives you exactly what you give it, in much the same way a Bose L1 does. If your guitar sounds like crap, it’s not going to do you any favors. If your guitar sounds great, turn it up! Then again, if your guitar sounds like crap, you’re probably not going to be interested in a high-end boutique amp.
Next up was my Gallagher A-70 (rosewood auditorium), which has a passive K&K Western Mini pickup. I was treated to the aural equivalent of melted dark chocolate—rich, dark, smooth and irresistible. I played for a long time, just listening to what sounded exactly like my guitar only bigger and louder, every detail of it. I didn’t have to dial anything in or out, the EQ stayed flat.
I pulled out a nylon string next, a JD Guitars Double Forte with a spruce top and rosewood back and sides. It also has a K&K Western Mini installed. Again, I left the EQ flat and found myself swimming in lovely, rich acousticy goodness. Clear, present, detailed, warm but lively, yet clean as an operating room.
Most acoustic amps are nearly worthless for playing electric guitars through, but this one had me curious, so I plugged in my Telecaster. The neck pickup was warm and smooth, a very useful tone for ballads or jazz. The bridge pickup was a little too harsh for my ears, but maybe just fine for others. The blend between the two was a little midrangey for my taste, too, but it was not a bad sound. But this is an acoustic amp, so that’s not exactly a minus. SanGreal’s design team leader, Gene Juall, says there are some artists now touring with this amp, an acoustic and a Telecaster. I believe it.
Out of pure curiosity, I grabbed my electric fiddle, a Yamaha Silent Violin. Yes, I know this is not Premier Fiddle, but stick with me here, there’s a real method to my madness. If the SanGreal can take a very nicely sculpted stick of wood with a pickup and no body and make it sound like an old master, we know we’ve got something wonderful. And it’s not bad, not bad at all. Considering I never practice, it sounded pretty darn good. I dialed out a little harshness, boosted the bass, which added some body and creaminess, shaved the mids back and found a really nice woody-bright tone that kept me fiddlin’ until my bow arm threatened to fall off.
Last but not least, my son plugged his digital piano in and treated me to some Harold Bud and Brian Eno-style ambient sounds, which I have to say was a wonderful and relaxing way to finish writing this review. It sounded like a very nice small grand piano, really very live and woody. He didn’t think the reverb was quite dramatic enough, so he plugged a Fishman AFX Reverb into the effects loop, which allowed him to dial in a beautiful cathedral verb.
The direct out on the unit is real slick. The speaker is so accurate and colors the sound so little that you can send exactly what you are hearing to the board and have the audience hear you exactly as you want to be heard. This kind of control and flexibility is remarkable. There is an extension cab available now, and Gator makes a bag that fits the SanGreal like a glove, the GPA-700, with wheels and a retractable handle, for a reasonable street price.
The Final Mojo
This is a versatile piece of gear, and extremely user friendly. All of the guitars I own (and two I don’t) sounded fantastic through it. If you are a multi-instrumentalist, you could use this for pretty much every acoustic instrument you play, including keys and fiddle. Singers will have no complaints about the vocal channel, either—let me assure you, the headroom can take it from a whisper to a scream. With 400 bi-amped watts that seem extremely efficient, there aren’t a lot of gigs this puppy won’t handle. Yes, at 42 pounds it’s not a contender for easiest piece of gear to deal with, but it’s a hell of a lot more convenient than lugging a complete PA system around for a single artist, and it’ll do the job at least as well.
Buy if...
versatility, pure tone and serious power are important to you.
Skip if...
you need more than two inputs or never play any gigs where you need this kind of power. Rating...
Retail $2695; Optional tube preamp $495 - Mattrixx-N - mattrixx-n.com |
At 26, Blu DeTiger is the youngest musician ever to have a signature Fender bass guitar. The Fender Limited Player Plus x Blu DeTiger Jazz Bass, announced in September, pays tribute to the bassist and singer’s far-reaching impact and cultural sway. She’s played with Caroline Polachek, Bleachers, FLETCHER, Olivia Rodrigo, and more, and released her own LP in March 2024. In 2023, Forbes feature her on their top 30 Under 30 list of musicians. So how did DeTiger work her way to the top?
DeTiger opens up on this episode of Wong Notes about her career so far, which started at a School of Rock camp at age seven. That’s where she started performing and learning to gig with others—she played at CBGB’s before she turned 10. DeTiger took workshops with Victor Wooten at Berklee followed and studied under Steven Wolf, but years of DJing around New York City, which hammered in the hottest basslines in funk and disco, also imprinted on her style. (Larry Graham is DeTiger’s slap-bass hero.)
DeTiger and Wong dish on the ups and downs of touring and session life, collaborating with pop artists to make “timeless” pop songs, and how to get gigs. DeTiger’s advice? “You gotta be a good hang.”
Wong Notes is presented by DistroKid.
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Rob McNelley spends a lot of time at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville. When he says, “I live here,” he’s only half kidding. McNelley has recorded with country superstars like Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Luke Combs, and more, and he’s performed with Wynonna Judd, Delbert McClinton, Bob Seger, and Lee Ann Womack—and that’s on top of his own solo releases. He’s probably listened to his rig with headphones more than without.
McNelley ditches the headphones when PG’s John Bohlinger pays him a visit at Sound Stage for this Rig Rundown. Check out McNelley’s choice gear below.
Brought to you by D’Addario.A Golden Trade
McNelley traded a 1962 Gibson SG to bassist Victor Krauss in return for this 1953 goldtop Les Paul—which did, admittedly, have a broken headstock at one point. In addition to the Music City bridge, which keeps great intonation and holds strings over their pole pieces, another novelty is the height of the tone and volume knobs, which stand taller than most stock knobs from the era. McNelley uses D’Addario .010s on this axe.
Ready for Petty
This pre-CBS 1963 Fender Stratocaster went out on the road with McNelley when he played with Bob Seger. Besides a refret, it’s totally stock and gives McNelley a perfect Tom Petty tone thanks to its unusually balanced bridge pickup. It takes D’Addario .011s.
Green Donkey
This metal baritone by Mule Resophonic Guitars made its way into Luke Combs’ song “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” for this summer’s blockbuster movie Twisters. For this and other guitars, McNelley uses Dunlop Ultex picks—.88mm for leads, .73mm for rhythm.
Old Man, Look at My Life
McNelley’s father, a guitarist himself, bought this Telecaster at Gruhn Guitars in 1981 while working on some records in Nashville. When a young McNelley saw it, he was enamored—but the guitar disappeared, and when McNelley’s father passed, it wasn’t in his collection. Years later, McNelley discovered that the guitar was in the possession of Paul Worley, the producer of the records his dad was working on. McNelley met with him and said that if he ever wanted to sell it, McNelley wanted first dibs. A few months later, a mutual friend invited McNelley over. There was the guitar, in a brown tolex case, just as enchanting as it was years before—Worley wanted McNelley to have his dad’s old guitar. That was nearly 30 years ago.
Aside from a refinished body, this one is all-original, too.
Bought from Buk
McNelley got this rare totally stock 1959 Gibson ES-355 Mono, complete with PAFs, from Tom Bukovac—one of many acquisitions from the player over the years.
Also in McNelley’s studio stable are a Gibson Rick Nielsen “Collector’s Choice” Les Paul with Tom Holmes pickups, and a rehabbed Silvertone acoustic. A friend of McNelley’s cleaned it up and installed a humbucker and rubber bridge—a popular Nashville trend these days. It takes flatwound strings.
Rob McNelley’s Studio Amps
McNelley maintains a collection of amplifiers at Sound Stage, but his number-one is his 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb, with a mod by tech Nick Rose at Jeff Hime’s shop to make it gainier—a trick Rick Nielsen allegedly did to his Deluxe Reverb.
A Hime-modded Marshall SV20H Studio Vintage MK II gets him big-stack tones in small recording rooms, and a pair of Fender Bassmans are on hand, too. The final piece is an early Matchless SC-30 combo, but all amps go through McNelley’s Carr cabinet—an open-back 112 with a Warehouse ET65 speaker.
McNelley likes to switch amps by hand rather than with a switching system; it gives him time to think about what he’s going to play next.
Apologies to Mr. O’Neal
XTS built McNelley’s main board, but Rob has made a few adjustments as pedals have conked out, so it’s not as seamless as it once was—don’t be mad, Barry! McNelley’s guitar hits a Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200 before going into Basic Audio Scarab Deluxe, Xotic RC Booster, Ibanez MT10 Mostortion, ARC Effects Klone, Analog Man King of Tone, Electro-Harmonix POG2, Analog Man Boss GE-7/Pro, Boss VB-2w, Strymon TimeLine, Strymon Mobius, Strymon Flint, and a Mission Engineering Expressionator. A Diamond Memory Lane sits just off the board, and other goodies out of sight include a BSM RW-F Treble Booster, FXengineering RAF Mirage Compressor, and Analog Man Sun Bender MK IV.
Shop Rob McNelley's Rig
1953 Gibson Les Paul goldtop
1955 Fender Telecaster
1963 Fender Stratocaster
Mule Resophonic Guitars Mulecaster
Gibson Rick Nielsen “Collector’s Choice” Les Paul
FX engineering RAF Mirage Compressor
Diamond Memory Lane
Strymon Mobius
Strymon TimeLine
Analog Man King of Tone
Boss VB-2w
Strymon Flint
Mission Engineering Expressionator
EHX POG2
Ibanez MT10 Mostortion
Xotic Effects RC Booster
Basic Audio Scarab Deluxe
Dunlop Volume X pedal
ARC Effects Klone
Apollo Approved Audio Devices Sawdust
AmpRx BrownBox
Fender Bassman
Marshall SV20H MK II
Fender Deluxe Reverb
Warehouse ET 65 speakers
There are very few guitars that can claim to be as instantly recognizable and iconic as Jimmy Page’s 1969 EDS-1275 Doubleneck. The photos of him playing it on stage with Led Zeppelin are indelible to rock ’n’ roll history. While Gibson has been making doubleneck electric guitars since 1958, Jimmy was the player who defined the EDS-1275 from the day it was delivered to him. Introducing the Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Doubleneck VOS, now part of the Gibson Custom core lineup and built to the exact specifications of Jimmy’s iconic EDS-1275 Doubleneck.
The Jimmy Page EDS-1275 features a double-cutaway one-piece mahogany body that provides exceptional access to the full length of both the12-string and six-string mahogany necks. Both necks have long tenons and are hide glue fit, and the neck profiles are recreated from 3D scans of the necks on the original guitar. The necks are both capped with bound Indian rosewood fretboards. Each fretboard is equipped with 20 authentic medium jumbo frets and adorned with aged cellulose nitrate parallelogram inlays. The fretboards of both necks have a 12” radius, which is perfect for both playing chords as well as for string bending while soloing. The 18 tuners are Kluson double line, double ring style, just like those found on the original guitar, and even the headstocks feature the correct 17-degree angle and specific logo stylization found on Jimmy’s EDS-1275. The electronics are just as authentic and deliver all of the sonic character of Jimmy’s legendary EDS-1275. Two uncovered Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Custombuckers with double black bobbins and Alnico 5 magnets are used for the two six-string pickups, while a covered pair is installed on the 12-string neck. Of course, the two volume and two tone controls use CTS potentiometers and period-correct ceramic disc capacitors, and the pickup select switch, neck select switch, and output jack are all from Switchcraft.
Here is your opportunity to own a clone of Jimmy Page’s famous EDS-1275, identical to how it appeared on the day that Jimmy first received the guitar. A Gibson Custom hardshell case is included, along with a vintage leather strap, and a certificate of authenticity with a photo from famed photographer Barrie Wentzell.
Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Doubleneck VOS '69 Cherry
Recreation of the EDS-1275 used by Jimmy Page made using 3D scans of the original guitar, one piece mahogany body, mahogany six and 12-string necks with custom Jimmy Page profiles, Indian rosewood fretboards, Jimmy Page Custombucker pickups with Alnico 5 magnets and double black bobbins, Gibson Custom hardshell case