
Run by Tavo Vega out of his shop in Southern California, Nocturne Amplification is one of the few outfits today specializing in 6G6-B Bassman-based designs.
Considering how many players have been influenced by rockabilly/swingjazz icon Brian Setzer and his twangtastic Gretsch-through-a-Bassman rig over the last 30 years, it’s shocking how few companies are making clones of the Fender 6G6-B version he favors—especially when you consider how rare it is (the blonde heads he uses were only in production from 1962–64). Never mind how many amp manufacturers take huge cues from so many other vintage Fender designs.
Run by Tavo Vega out of his shop in Southern California, Nocturne Amplification is one of the few outfits today specializing in 6G6-B Bassman-based designs. While the company also offers other products intended to help you replicate key aspects of the Stray Cats frontman’s tone (including the Dyno Brain and Atomic Brain pedals, which mimic the tonal characteristics imparted by a Roland RE-301 Space Echo’s preamp section), the Blondeshell represents the pinnacle of Vega’s Setzer love. Based on the normal channel of a 6G6-B Bassman, it aims to capture the coveted amp tones on Brian Setzer Orchestra albums. For those who don’t have a collection of Space Echo units, it also includes built-in spring reverb for ambience (period-correct 6G6-Bs don’t have it).
Interestingly, the Blondeshell (and all other Nocturne products, for that matter) are built through co-op partnerships Vega has established with other craftsmen throughout the US. The amp’s custom aluminum chassis and fiberglass-epoxy eyelet circuit boards—which use Mercury Magnetics transformers, Sprague Orange Drop coupling capacitors, and Mallory 150-series caps—are built by Ron Williams, and then Vega assembles the final product in a Mojo Musical Supply cab.
Behind the Sparkle
The 50-watt Blondeshell runs of a pair of
Tung-Sol 5881 power tubes, and it uses two
Ruby Tubes 12AX7s—one each for the preamp
and phase inverter—as well as a Tung-
Sol 12AX7, which drives the long-spring
MOD reverb tank. The front panel includes
normal and lo inputs, five knobs—volume,
treble, bass, reverb, and presence—and a
white jeweled power indicator. Around back,
notable features include super-handy bias
points for the power section, 8 Ω and 4 Ω
speaker outs, and a Plank/F-Hole voicing
toggle. More on that later.
One of the biggest differences between pre-6G6-B Bassman circuits—including ’50s tweed models and the first blonde 6G6 model produced from ’61-’62—and Setzer’s preferred circuit is that the latter has a solid-state rectifier rather than the 5UR4G used throughout the ’50s, and the GZ34 used in the first blonde heads. The Nocturne is faithful to that vintage spec, which yields a more robust tone with less squishiness in the overall response.
Our review unit arrived with a rebelliously cool, if somewhat puzzling, mix of aesthetic touches: The blackface-style chassis is secured to a housing covered in Westernthemed, faux-tooled vinyl, while the front panel is covered in silver-sparkle vinyl, and the plastic nameplate features a font that seems more gothic or metal than retrobilly. That said, the craftsmanship was solid and well executed, although the chassis didn’t quite fit the cabinet—under the control panel, you could see through to the back of the cab, and there were 3/8" and 1/8" gaps on the left and right sides, respectively.
Dropping the Bombshells
To test the Blondeshell, I paired it with a
closed-back Bogner 2x12 cab loaded with
Celestion Vintage 30s (Setzer’s speaker of
choice), and plugged in a variety of guitars—a Gretsch Electromatic G5120 loaded with
TV Jones Classics, a Squier ’50s Classic
Vibe Tele with a Fender Custom Shop Jim
Campilongo bridge pickup, a mahogany
Hahn T-style guitar, and a Schecter Ultra III
with Duncan-designed mini-humbuckers.
As you probably figured out, the rearpanel Plank/F-Hole toggle is meant to accommodate solidbodies in the former position, and semi-hollow or hollowbodied guitars in the latter. Naturally, I chose F-Hole and tried out the Gretsch first—t’would be blasphemous otherwise.
One of the first things I noticed was that, until you get the Blondeshell’s volume up past 9, the amp has less oomph than its 50-watt rating might imply. The tones felt anemic and somewhat one-dimensional when the volume wasn’t up high. For that reason, no matter which guitar I used with the Nocturne, I found that the best variety of tones was available with the volume pretty much cranked.
While the treble, bass, and presence knobs yield a lot of different tones, it was slightly difficult to find the sweet spot. I eventually settled on 7.5, 6.5, and 6, respectively (setting treble or presence any higher than that really thinned out the sound, sometimes painfully so). What about the reverb, you ask? I cranked it! (What can I say, I’m an ambience addict.) Though the long-spring tank isn’t quite surfable at its highest settings, it sounds really, really good—it’s definitely not on of those that bums you out and makes you wonder why they even bothered to include it.
Dialed in thusly, the Blondeshell came alive with my Gretsch, imbuing the bridge pickup with bristling harmonics, snarling mids, and serious punch. It proved a great combination for an authentic rendition of Setzer’s “Rumble in Brighton.” For Travisor hybrid-picking numbers in the vein of Setzer’s “Let’s Live It Up” or “This Old House,” I engaged both TV Classics, backed the neck volume off about a third, and eased up on my attack to get a glorious blend of sparkle and well-rounded body. Meanwhile, soloing the neck pickup and bringing its volume back up yielded super-fat, harmonically rich tones that could’ve kept me busy writing boogie-rock riffs all night. I was also really impressed when I engaged the Gretsch’s “mud switch” to roll off some high end and boost mids—it instantly inspired slippery, chromatic jazz phrasing.
Ratings
Pros:
Quality parts and overall construction. Very
useful Plank/F-hole voicing switch. Nice range of
rootsy tones. Lovely reverb.
Cons:
Expensive. EQ response needs fine-tuning.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build:
Value:
Street:
$2,250
Nocturne
thenocturnebrain.com
Set to plank mode and paired with the Teles, the Nocturne really surprised me, though I suppose it shouldn’t have—after all, they’re the original planks. In many ways, the Teles seemed a better match for the Blondeshell. Their solidbodies yielded more pristine highs and dynamic thump than I could manage with a hollowbody, even with the help of the girthadding F-Hole mode. The results were a lot of fun for everything from Stones-y comping (think “Under My Thumb”) to seething indie rock or alt-country fueled by slamming bridge-pickup tones, and Tom Morello-style riffing with the neck pickup. And riffs and complex chords channeled through the bridge pickup of my D-standard-tuned Schecter sounded downright brawny and tough.
The Verdict
Once you find the Nocturne Blondeshell’s
sweet spot, you soon realize you can use the
amp for just about any rootsy or rocking
style that thrives on grit and girth (the phrase
“cranked vintage Marshall” crossed my mind
a few times), and yet it still cleans up enough
to be used in jazz settings that someone like
John Scofield might approve of. While the
responsiveness of the EQ may be vintage
correct, given how many other ways the amp
diverges from the original Fender recipe, I
would’ve liked to see the controls more finely
tuned to be usable throughout their ranges.
However, considering that it’s fundamentally
based on a 50-year-old amp, the Blondeshell
pumps out a very satisfying array of versatile
sounds—provided you’re adept at getting
those sounds using subtle nuances in technique
and attack.
Whitman Audio introduces the Decoherence Drive and Wave Collapse Fuzz, two innovative guitar pedals designed to push the boundaries of sound exploration. With unique features like cascading gain stages and vintage silicon transistor fuzz, these pedals offer musicians a new path to sonic creativity.
Whitman Audio, a new audio effects company, has launched with two cutting-edge guitar pedals, the Decoherence drive and Wave Collapse fuzz. Combining science and art to craft audio effects devices, Whitman Audio aims to transcend the ordinary, believing that magic can occur when the right musician meets the right tool.
Delivering a solution for musicians looking to explore a wide range of sounds, each pedal offers a unique path to finding your own voice. The Decoherence drive injects a universe of unique saturation into your music arsenal while the Wave Collapse fuzz takes you to uncharted sonic territories.
Decoherence features include:
- Cascading stages (Gain A > Gain B) each with a unique sound and saturation character
- Gain A - Medium to high gain stage with a mid focus for clear articulation and punch
- Gain B - Low to Medium gain with a neutral EQ that compliments and expands Gain A
- G/S Toggle - Selects the clipping diodes for Gain B (NOS Germanium or NOS Silicon)
- Tone Knobs (H & L) - Tuned active Baxendall style EQs that boost or cut Highs and Lows
- True bypass switching, accepts standard 9V DC power supplies (does not accept battery)
Introducing: Decoherence Drive - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.Wave Collapse features include:
- Vintage Silicon transistor fuzz that goes from vintage clean to doom metal mean
- Buffered input and pickup simulation ensure it sounds great anywhere in your chain
- Bias Knob - Allows for a huge range of texture and response in the pedals gain structure
- Range and Mass Toggles - Provide easy access to three diverse bass and gain ranges
- Filter Knob - A simple-to-use tilt EQ enhanced by the Center toggle for two mid responses
- True bypass switching, accepts standard 9V DC power supplies (does not accept battery)
The Decoherence drive and Wave Collapse fuzz pedals carry retail prices of $195.00 each.
For more information, please visit whitmanaudio.com.
Introducing: Wave Collapse Fuzz - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.With authentic stage-class Katana amp sounds, wireless music streaming, and advanced spatial technology, the KATANA:GO is designed to offer a premium sound experience without the need for amps or pedals.
BOSS announces the return of KATANA:GO, an ultra-compact headphone amplifier for daily jams with a guitar or bass. KATANA:GO puts authentic sounds from the stage-class BOSS Katana amp series at the instrument’s output jack, paired with wireless music streaming, sound editing, and learning tools on the user’s smartphone. Advanced spatial technology provides a rich 3D audio experience, while BOSS Tone Exchange offers an infinite sound library to explore any musical style.
Offering all the features of the previous generation in a refreshed external design, KATANA:GO delivers premium sound for everyday playing without the hassle of amps, pedals, and computer interfaces. Users can simply plug it into their instrument, connect earbuds or headphones, call up a memory, and go. Onboard controls provide access to volume, memory selection, and other essential functions, while the built-in screen displays the tuner and current memory. The rechargeable battery offers up to five hours of continuous playing time, and the integrated 1/4-inch plug folds down to create a pocket-size package that’s ready to travel anywhere.
KATANA:GO drives sessions with genuine sounds from the best-selling Katana stage amp series. Guitar mode features 10 unique amp characters, including clean, crunch, the high-gain BOSS Brown type, two acoustic/electric guitar characters, and more. There’s also a dedicated bass mode with Vintage, Modern, and Flat types directly ported from the Katana Bass amplifiers. Each mode includes a massive library of BOSS effects to explore, with deep sound customization available in the companion BOSS Tone Studio app for iOS and Android.
The innovative Stage Feel feature in KATANA:GO provides an immersive audio experience with advanced BOSS spatial technology. Presets allow the user to position the amp sound and backing music in different places in the sound field, giving the impression of playing with a backline on stage or jamming in a room with friends.
The guitar and bass modes in KATANA:GO each feature 30 memories loaded with ready-to-play sounds. BOSS Tone Studio allows the player to tweak preset memories, create sounds from scratch, or import Tone Setting memories created with stage-class Katana guitar and bass amplifiers. The app also provides integrated access to BOSS Tone Exchange, where users can download professionally curated Livesets and share sounds with the global BOSS community.
Pairing KATANA:GO with a smartphone offers a complete mobile solution to supercharge daily practice. Players can jam along with songs from their music library and tap into BOSS Tone Studio’s Session feature to hone skills with YouTube learning content. It’s possible to build song lists, loop sections for focused study, and set timestamps to have KATANA:GO switch memories automatically while playing with YouTube backing tracks.
The versatile KATANA:GO functions as a USB audio interface for music production and online content creation on a computer or mobile device. External control of wah, volume, memory selection, and more are also supported via the optional EV-1-WL Wireless MIDI Expression Pedal and FS-1-WL Wireless Footswitch.
For more information, please visit boss.info.
In our third installment with Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover, the master luthier shows PG's John Bohlinger how his team of builders assemble and construct guitars like a chef preparing food pairings. Hoover explains that the finer details like binding, headstock size and shape, internal bracing, and adhesives are critical players in shaping an instrument's sound. Finally, Richard explains how SCGC uses every inch of wood for making acoustic guitars or outside ventures like surfboards and art.
We know Horsegirl as a band of musicians, but their friendships will always come before the music. From left to right: Nora Cheng, drummer Gigi Reece, and Penelope Lowenstein.
The Chicago-via-New York trio of best friends reinterpret the best bits of college-rock and ’90s indie on their new record, Phonetics On and On.
Horsegirl guitarists Nora Cheng and Penelope Lowenstein are back in their hometown of Chicago during winter break from New York University, where they share an apartment with drummer Gigi Reece. They’re both in the middle of writing papers. Cheng is working on one about Buckminster Fuller for a city planning class, and Lowenstein is untangling Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmann’s short story, “Three Paths to the Lake.”
“It was kind of life-changing, honestly. It changed how I thought about womanhood,” Lowenstein says over the call, laughing a bit at the gravitas of the statement.
But the moment of levity illuminates the fact that big things are happening in their lives. When they released their debut album, 2022’s Versions of Modern Performance, the three members of Horsegirl were still teenagers in high school. Their new, sophomore record, Phonetics On and On, arrives right in the middle of numerous first experiences—their first time living away from home, first loves, first years of their 20s, in university. Horsegirl is going through changes. Lowenstein notes how, through moving to a new city, their friendship has grown, too, into something more familial. They rely on each other more.
“If the friendship was ever taking a toll because of the band, the friendship would come before the band, without any doubt.”–Penelope Lowenstein
“Everyone's cooking together, you take each other to the doctor,” Lowenstein says. “You rely on each other for weird things. I think transitioning from being teenage friends to suddenly working together, touring together, writing together in this really intimate creative relationship, going through sort of an unusual experience together at a young age, and then also starting school together—I just feel like it brings this insane intimacy that we work really hard to maintain. And if the friendship was ever taking a toll because of the band, the friendship would come before the band without any doubt.”
Horsegirl recorded their sophomore LP, Phonetics On and On, at Wilco’s The Loft studio in their hometown, Chicago.
These changes also include subtle and not-so-subtle shifts in their sophisticated and artful guitar-pop. Versions of Modern Performance created a notion of the band as ’90s college-rock torchbearers, with reverb-and-distortion-drenched numbers that recalled Yo La Tengo and the Breeders. Phonetics On and On doesn’t extinguish the flame, but it’s markedly more contemporary, sacrificing none of the catchiness but opting for more space, hypnotic guitar lines, and meditative, repeated phrases. Cheng and Lowenstein credit Welsh art-pop wiz Cate Le Bon’s presence as producer in the studio as essential to the sonic direction.
“On the record, I think we were really interested in Young Marble Giants—super minimal, the percussiveness of the guitar, and how you can do so much with so little.”–Nora Cheng
“We had never really let a fourth person into our writing process,” Cheng says. “I feel like Cate really changed the way we think about how you can compose a song, and built off ideas we were already thinking about, and just created this very comfortable space for experimentation and pushed us. There are so many weird instruments and things that aren't even instruments at [Wilco’s Chicago studio] The Loft. I feel like, definitely on our first record, we were super hesitant to go into territory that wasn't just distorted guitar, bass, and drums.”
Nora Cheng's Gear
Nora Cheng says that letting a fourth person—Welsh artist Cate Le Bon—into the trio’s songwriting changed how they thought about composition.
Photo by Braden Long
Effects
- EarthQuaker Devices Plumes
- Ibanez Tube Screamer
- TC Electronic Polytune
Picks
- Dunlop Tortex .73 mm
Phonetics On and On introduces warm synths (“Julie”), raw-sounding violin (“In Twos”), and gamelan tiles—common in traditional Indonesian music—to Horsegirl’s repertoire, and expands on their already deep quiver of guitar sounds as Cheng and Lowenstein branch into frenetic squonks, warped jangles, and jagged, bare-bones riffs. The result is a collection of songs simultaneously densely textured and spacious.
“I listen to these songs and I feel like it captures the raw, creative energy of being in the studio and being like, ‘Fuck! We just exploded the song. What is about to happen?’” Lowenstein says. “That feeling is something we didn’t have on the first record because we knew exactly what we wanted to capture and it was the songs we had written in my parents’ basement.”
Cheng was first introduced to classical guitar as a kid by her dad, who tried to teach her, and then she was subsequently drawn back to rock by bands like Cage The Elephant and Arcade Fire. Lowenstein started playing at age 6, which covers most of her life memories and comprises a large part of her identity. “It made me feel really powerful as a young girl to know that I was a very proficient guitarist,” she says. The shreddy playing of Television, Pink Floyd’s spacey guitar solos, and Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan were all integral to her as Horsegirl began.
Penelope Lowenstein's Gear
Penelope Lowenstein likes looking back at the versions of herself that made older records.
Photo by Braden Long
Effects
- EarthQuaker Westwood
- EarthQuaker Bellows
- TC Electronic PolyTune
Picks
- Dunlop Tortex 1.0 mm
Recently, the two of them have found themselves influenced by guitarists both related and unrelated to the type of tunes they’re trading in on their new album. Lowenstein got into Brazilian guitar during the pandemic and has recently been “in a Jim O’Rourke, John Fahey zone.”
“There’s something about listening to that music where you realize, about the guitar, that you can just compose an entire orchestra on one instrument,” Lowenstein says. “And hearing what the bass in those guitar parts is doing—as in, the E string—is kind of mind blowing.”
“On the record, I think we were really interested in Young Marble Giants—super minimal, the percussiveness of the guitar, and how you can do so much with so little,” Cheng adds. “And also Lizzy Mercier [Descloux], mostly on the Rosa Yemen records. That guitar playing I feel was very inspiring for the anti-solo,[a technique] which appears on [Phonetics On and On].”This flurry of focused discovery gives the impression that Cheng and Lowenstein’s sensibilities are shifting day-to-day, buoyed by the incredible expansion of creative possibilities that setting one’s life to revolve around music can afford. And, of course, the energy and exponential growth of youth. Horsegirl has already clocked major stylistic shifts in their brief lifespan, and it’s exciting to have such a clear glimpse of evolution in artists who are, likely and hopefully, just beginning a long journey together.
“There’s something about listening to that music where you realize, about the guitar, that you can just compose an entire orchestra on one instrument.”–Penelope Lowenstein
“In your 20s, life moves so fast,” Lowenstein says. “So much changes from the time of recording something to releasing something that even that process is so strange. You recognize yourself, and you also kind of sympathize with yourself. It's a really rewarding way of life, I think, for musicians, and it's cool that we have our teenage years captured like that, too—on and on until we're old women.”
YouTube It
Last summer, Horsegirl gathered at a Chicago studio space to record a sun-soaked set of new and old tunes.