Check out our special coverage of Amps to go along with the August 2016 issue of PG.
Hughes & Kettner
TubeMeister Deluxe 20
Small enough to comfortably carry on a plane as hand luggage, TubeMeister Deluxe 20 takes you from pure, pristine clean tones to an authentic brown sound and devastatingly powerful modern-day high gain at the tap of a footswitch. Other groundbreaking made-in-Germany Hughes & Kettner features – like a power soak for enjoying amazing tube sounds at any volume, and the FRFR-ready Red Box AE DI that lets you connect your guitar direct to your recording setup or the PA – make the Deluxe 20 your ideal amp partner whether you Rock on Stage, Play at Home or Record at Night!
CHANNELS Two: Clean and Lead (+ Boost)
POWER 20 Watts
POWER SOAK 5, 1, 0 Watts
TUBES 2 x EL84 (power amp), 2 x 12AX7(preamp)
EFFECTS LOOP Serial
DI OUTPUT Red Box AE
SPEAKER OUTPUTS 1 x 8-16 Ω
DIMENSIONS 14.02 x 6.14 x 5.91”
WEIGHT 11lbs
PROTECTIVE COVER Included
Street Price: $699
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Two-Rock Amplification
Cardiff
A 15-watt EL84 amp with minimal compression and a fuller/fatter midrange and stout low end, Cardiff reflects the perfect marriage of British heritage and Two-Rock performance. Cardiff lets you dial in your own tone via a single input jack, bass, treble and volume control, a Contour Control, and a passive effects loop. Cardiff is available as a head with a matching 1 x 12 cabinet loaded with a Two-Rock 12-65B Speaker or 1x12 Combo.
Street Price: $1595 Head, $595 1x12 Cabinet
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Tone King Amplifiers
Royalist 45 MK II Combo
The Royalist MKII captures the essence of early British tones ranging from JTM45 to Plexi/Super Lead. It features a single channel preamp, an all-tube signal path with three 12AX7A preamp tubes, and two EL34 output tubes. Its series-wired effects loop is tube buffered for superb transparency. A built-in Ironman-II power attenuator uses a reactive load circuit and sophisticated compensation circuitry to deliver the genuine tone and feel of a "raging stack", even at bedroom volume.
Street Price: $2,995
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Fishman
Loudbox Acoustic Instrument Amplifiers
The industry’s best-selling acoustic instrument amplifiers, Fishman’s Loudbox series offers the power and features that musicians demand. Each model provides ultra-clean acoustic power, two channels featuring Fishman’s legendary preamp and tone control designs, digital reverb, feedback-fighting Phase control, ¼” and XLR inputs, and balanced XLR D.I. outputs. Loudbox acoustic instrument amplifiers deliver the tonal quality that has made the Fishman name the standard for great acoustic sound.
Starting at: $329.95
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Henriksen Amplifiers
The Bud
If you play, you need a Bud.
The Bud is the without question the smallest, TRULY GIGABLE guitar amplifier on the market with unmatched tone quality! At 9x9x9 inches, 17 pounds and 120 watts of analog power, you won't believe the volume and tone coming from either your electric or acoustic guitar, or any stringed instrument with a pickup for that matter, and with a feature set that allows you the versatility to cover almost any kind of gig, this is a MUST HAVE piece of gear for the working musician.
Starting at: $1,099
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Fryette Amplification
Valvulator® GP/DI
Introducing The Fryette Valvulator® GP/DI, Desktop Recording Amplifier. This is is an ALL-TUBE low-power guitar amplifier, pre-amplifier, direct box, and all-around low-volume-playing solution. The GP/DI is specifically designed to work in situations where you can't or don’t need to play loud, such as late-night playing and recording, headphone practicing, and recording straight into the board live. It is the first all-tube guitar amplifier designed to do that without any additional equipment and a minimum of trouble.
• One Watt all-tube Amplifier with integrated reactive load.
• Extremely broad tonal range, from clean to high gain.
• Analog Speaker Sim "Cab + Mic" section for direct recording.
• Built-in tube Direct Injection output, usable separately as a Tube Direct box , or together with the amplifier.
• Balanced XLR outputs for amp out or tube buffered D.I.
• Fully functional self-contained "Re-Amping" solution.
• Can drive a 1-12” cabinet
• Made in the USA
Starting at: $799
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Fryette Amplification
Pittbull UltraLead Head
The Fryette Pittbull® Ultra-Lead is a powerful, versatile channel switching amplifier suited for players of any style. Uncompromising personality makes it the choice of world-class players from all genres of music. The Ultra-Lead's KT88 power section provides stunning clarity and definition whether playing ultra-clean or maximum gain.
The FatBottom 212 low-profile cabinets feature Fane F70G speakers and mono/stereo input capability. Front mounted speakers produce a tight, focused low end and extended projection.
Starting at:
$3,799 (Ultra-Lead head);
$999 (FatBottom 212 F70G)
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Fryette Amplification
Power Station®
The Fryette Power Station® PS-2 is a reactive load coupled to a dual 6L6 vacuum tube power amplifier that allows you to attenuate a high powered guitar amp, or boost a low powered guitar amp.
• Perfectly preserves the tone of the attenuated amplifier.
• Maintains dynamic feel at any volume.
• Provides an effects loop.
• New Input Level sensitivity switch, rear panel Low Pass Filter Bypass switch, and Balanced XLR Line Output.
Street Price: $699
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Fane USA
Ascension F70
"FANE’S NEW ASCENSION RANGE OF 12" speakers was developed with input from Southern California amp designer Steven Fryette, and aims to capture the punchy, bold, yet harmonically complex and responsive performance that people love in the classic late-’60s and early-’70s speakers from this under-appreciated British maker. The Fane sound became legendary due to their use in certain Hiwatt guitar cabinets of the era, and Fane’s new models provide added versatility for the contemporary player." (Guitar Player, March 2016)
The Fane Ascension F70 offers a stunningly detailed top-end, rich mid-range and warm low-end with an intricate three-dimensional vintage crunch. The beauty of the F70 is that you need not even change your amplifier's setting to appreciate its ability to articulate delicate passages or manage pummeling abuse with ease. Whether your application is a head and cab or an open back combo, the F70 adds a welcome new dimension to existing rigs.
Street Price: $199
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Radial Engineering ltd.
Radial JDX Direct-Drive™
Emulates the sound of a guitar amplifier while doubling as a direct box. Unlike a typical DI that merely transfers the sound from guitar/pedals to the PA, the Direct-Drive simulates the tone and feel of an amp, producing much more realistic sound. With the Direct-Drive on your pedalboard, you can do a gig without an amp! A passive thru-put feeds a stage amp (if you want one) and a dedicated tuner output is buffered to eliminate pickup loading and tuner noise. Guitar signal goes through a series of carefully sculpted filters to create Radial’s signature 'Shure-SM57™-on-a-Marshall™- 4x12-cabinet' tone. 'Vintage Marshall™' and 'early Fender Twin™' alternate voicings can be further tailored with the 'presence' switch for extra sparkle. Output via ¼” guitar-level and balanced XLR to feed the PA. A 180° polarity reverse phase-aligns monitors/PA sound with stage amp and a 'Lift' switch eliminates hum and buzz caused by ground loops.
Street Price: $899.99
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Tube Amp Doctor
TAD STR-SERIES Premium Quality Tubes
Tube Amp Doctor's STR-TUBES are inspired by the most wanted NOS tubes of the golden age of tube manufacturing. They are produced to our exclusive designs and strict specifications.
A unique sequence of tests, our burn-in process and our sophisticated and genuine bias-matching, carried out by our highly experienced staff, make TAD's STR-TUBES the finest and best selected premium quality tubes currently in the market. Here are only some of the benefits - everything for the one and only goal – the ultimate tone:
• Better overall response
• Increased, dynamic headroom
• Superior tone and performance
• Maximum reliability, consistency and sturdiness
• Designed and tested in Germany
• All tubes tested individually
• Power Tubes are matched by Ia (PC) and Gm (TC) with lowest tolerances
Street Price: varies
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Tube Amp Doctor
TAD CAPACITORS
Handmade TAD MUSTARD CAPS produced with the authentic film-to-foil alu/PE design, exclusively for TAD!
TAD Audio Caps feature the authentic flat-foil design and will refine tone with excellent overtones and rich details.
TAD Gold Caps are available in radial and axial shape - high temperature resistant, vintage correct sizes and specifications.
TAD Vintage Oil Caps complete our premium line of foil capacitors, vintage correct specs and values, for a smooth, natural and harmonically delightful tone.
Street Price: varies
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Tube Amp Doctor
TAD Reverb Cans
Our high-quality, classic TAD REVERB CANS bring back the stunning reverb sound of the 60s. The ideal drop-in replacement and upgrade for vintage and modern amps!
Street Price: varies
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ProCo Sound
Evolution Silent Instrument Cable 20ft
We could say that evolution cables are the best sounding cables on the market....except they don't sound at all. An unnoticeable, uninhibited link in an audio chain so often bound by the constraints of inadequate cables. A Sonically Superior design combined with the truly evolutionary Softtouch jacket, Evolution will change how you feel about cables and revolutionize the way you connect to YOUR world.
Pro Co EVOLUTION Instrument Cable Features:
100% oxygen-free wire for long life and great sound
Noiseless dual-shielded design rejects outside noise
Neutrik black and gold connectors for a solid, clean connection
Silent Switch eliminates amp pops when removing cable
Supple soft touch jacket
Street Price: $73.99
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Bergantino Audio Systems
Bergantino B|Amp
The B|Amp is an incredibly flexible, easy to use, state-of-the-art Bass Amplifier, delivering maximum performance in a compact package. The B|Amp takes a new approach by including the speaker cabinet’s response as part of the signal path. No other bass amplifier on the market has the ability to manage speakers and overall system performance like the B|AMP. This is accomplished through our Proprietary Profile EQ system. The B|Amp is a game changer in Bass Amplification!
Street Price: $1,399 ProNet
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Swart Amplifier Co.
MOD84
The MOD84, Swart’s first EL-84 offering, is 15w of 100% hand-wired, turret board construction, USA made with 3-way interactive EQ, top controls, tube reverb, tremolo, and rectification. It has some of the most soulful cleans with the ability to intertwine some fur and angst with push/attack. It's got that Swart harmonic richness while still being open and transparent, featuring excellent touch sensitivity. This is really a do it all amp that can cross musical genres.
Street Price: $1,750 w/Celestion Creamback
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GURUS Amps
5015 Head
5015 is our Single Channel + iChannel™ 50W head in a lunchbox size. Thanks to its easy 3 controls you can sculpt your tone to reach best performances in every situations, from your home to a big stage. You can obtain a totally clean sound with lot of headroom to use as a platform for your pedals rig, and/or choose to get it to compression of both stages, preamp or power section using its separate controls volume and master to obtain stunning vintage or modern tone.
With the SexyTone™, you can manage the EQ curve of your amp simply with a single knob which works on 3filters simultaneously, moving the entire tone-stack curve for best result and as a fine tuning of your final tone, matching the right cab etc..
It is equipped by a tube buffered Serial loop and has 3 out on 4,8 and 16Ohms.
Street Price: $900
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Roland
Blues Cube Hot
GIG-READY BLUES CUBE “TUBE LOGIC” TONE IN A PORTABLE COMBO AMP
• Performance-ready 30-watt compact combo guitar amplifier with authentic tube tone and touch response
• Roland’s comprehensive Tube Logic design delivers the interactive tonal behaviors of famous fine-tuned vintage tube amps, including preamp and output tube saturation characteristics, power supply compression, and much more
• Master volume, three-band EQ, and onboard reverb, plus footswitchable Boost for natural crunch and Tone for bright presence
• Four-way Power Control (0.5 W, 5 W, 15 W, Max) allows for cranked-up tones at any volume
• Classic open-back design with custom 12-inch speaker and poplar cabinet for enhanced presence on stage
• Stylish, modern look with a vintage vibe
• Efficient, lightweight design provides easy portability without sacrificing tone quality
• USB output for high-quality direct recording to a computer
• Available in two color variations: Vintage Blond and Black
Street Price: $499
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Friedman Amplification
Runt-50 Combo
• 50-Watt all tube amplifier / Two channels
• 2 x EL-34 power tubes / 4 x 12AX7 preamp tubes
• Clean channel with Volume, Bass, Treble and ? Bright switch
• Lead channel with Volume, Gain, three-band EQ ? and a boost switch.
• XLR Cab Simulated output with Ground Lift, Axis ? and Level switches.
• Ultra transparent series FX loop
• 4, 8 and 16 ohm impedance selector
• Single button footswitch
Street Price: $1,999.99
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Morgan Amplification
MVP23 combo
• Power: ¼ - 23w variable (tube)
• Hand-wired in the USA
• 2x EL-84 power tubes
• 2x 12AX7 preamp tubes
• Celestion G12H75 Creamback
• Power Level control
• Gain
• Volume
• Treble
• Mid
• Bass
• 2x8 ohm 1x16 ohm outputs
• Limited lifetime warranty
Street Price: $1,749.00
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Celestion
Neo Creamback
The Neo Creamback delivers all the magical tone you’d expect from a traditional Creamback. The difference is the neodymium magnet, which makes this speaker around half the weight of a traditional guitar speaker. You still get the low end punch, warm midrange and sweet highs the Creamback is famous for: push it hard and enjoy the ‘race-car growl’. But pick up a cab loaded with Neo Creambacks and see what makes this speaker truly different.
Street Price: $169
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MESA/Boogie®
JP-2C™
Inspired by their long-standing relationship with John Petrucci, MESA/Boogie® is proud to introduce the JP-2C™. The model is MESA’s first unlimited-build signature amplifier and joins the MARK Series as a next generation re-issue of the legendary MARK IIC+™. With modernized features, benefitting from over three decades of R&D, the JP-2C delivers three channels, two assignable EQs, 60/100 watts, MIDI, Cabclone™ DI and the legendary IIC+ tone that so many recording artists and MESA enthusiasts covet.
Street Price: $2,499
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Revv Amplification Inc
Generator 120
The Generator 120 watt amplifier, is a 4 channel variable gain, all tube amplifier designed to be everything the touring musician, or the weekend warrior, will need in an amplifier. From beautiful warm sparkling cleans, vintage style crunch, to deep metal rhythm or searing leads, this amplifier does it all and more.
Street Price: $2,499
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Park Amplifiers
Park Little Rock 18
The Park Little Rock 18 a finely tuned classic rock amp. It features the same preamp as higher powered Park amps plus switchable cascaded channels for higher gain and a power amp capable of using a number of power tubes (6V6, 6L6, EL34 for 14 to 24 watts). The amp produces beautiful clean tones plus overdriven blues and classic rock tones all at playing levels that are suitable for the bedroom, studio or small club.
Street Price: $2,499
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TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik
Black Diamond Series Vaccuum Tubes
TELEFUNKEN vacuum tubes have been the benchmark of excellence in all audio applications for many decades. This rich history continues with the introduction of new production tubes from TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik.
Each tube is meticulously measured for all critical parameters of performance including transconductance, gain, noise, and microphonics. In addition to the rigorous testing procedure, all new TELEFUNKEN tubes are cryogenically treated to ensure durability, and subjected to an extended burn-in period to ensure superior stability.
Street Price: varies
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Goodsell Amplifiers
Mark IV Series Custom Amplifiers
Goodsell's Custom Mark IV Series amps feature a cathode-follower 3-way tone stack, offering more control over Goodell's sumptuous tube-driven sonics. Available with reverb and award-winning bias-vary tremolo. Configurations include 1x12 combo shown here; 2x10, 2x12 and 1x15 combos; and head-only versions built to order. Call Richard Goodsell today to discuss your next custom build.
Street Price: $1,499
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Dusky Electronics
D₂O Amplifier
The Dusky Electronics D₂O Amplifier is an all new, original design, vacuum tube musical instrument amplifier. The D₂O combines a classic, short signal path architecture with modern refinements for low noise and high reliability, to produce an amplifier that feels like an extension of yourself—an exquisite tool for seamlessly conveying your artistic intent. This is no clone. The D₂O delivers enormous clean sounds or wicked breakup with a musical feel you must try for yourself.
Street Price: $1,500
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3 Monkeys Amps
Nashville Howler
Designed in conjunction with Grammy Award winning songwriter, musician, and producer Gordon Kennedy, The Nashville Howler has plenty of clean headroom and a Marshallesque tone stack making it the ideal bedroom and small venue amp.
Described by Gordon as a "Tweed Deluxe with a British accent!"
Controls are VOLUME, TREBLE, MIDDLE, BASS, and PRESENCE. Two cathode biased 6V6 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes combine for about 15 watts of power.
Street Price: $1,849
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TOTO, CHRISTOPHER CROSS, and MEN AT WORK will embark on a North American tour in Summer 2025, produced by Live Nation. The tour kicks off on July 18 in West Palm Beach, FL, with tickets on sale December 13 at totoofficial.com. Citi cardmembers can access presale tickets starting December 11.
The run commences on July 18 in West Palm Beach, FL, and will stage several dozen appearances prior to the final event on August 30 in Ridgefield, WA. The general on-sale begins Friday, December 13 at 10AM local time here: totoofficial.com. Citi is the official card of this tour. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets in the U.S. beginning December 11 at 10AM local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details, visit citientertainment.com. Additional performances not cited below will be forthcoming shortly.
Steve Lukather shares, “I am thrilled about this tour. Christopher and Colin have been close friends of mine for a long time. This is a tour that musically works, and brings a fresh new Summer tour package to the circuit. I could not be more thrilled an idea that germinated months ago was able to take flight and become a reality.” Colin Hay offers, “The mix of Christopher, Steve with Toto, and Men At Work rings true to me. I think it will make for an exciting night of music for old and new fans alike. Let’s go!!” Christopher Cross states, “I’m honored to be sharing the stage during the summer of 2025 with my dear friends Toto and Men At Work.”
Toto has celebrated one accomplishment after the next throughout 2024. The song “Africa” has been certified DIAMOND for sales of TEN MILLION copies by the RIAA in The United States. Current cumulative sales now exceed 10.5M. Additionally, “Hold The Line” has been certified triple platinum for sales of three million copies, while “Rosanna” hit the milestone of double platinum with sales of two million copies. Both “Africa” and “Hold The Line” have reached the milestone of a BILLION streams on Spotify. Cumulative Toto album sales now exceed 50 MILLION copies, while the band’s repertoire is played more than THREE MILLION times daily on Spotify alone by an audience that continues to get younger month to month. Consistently, over 50% of the band’s streams are from those 34 years or younger. Total streams now exceed 4 BILLION at Spotify, and 6 BILLION across all platforms.
Individually and collectively the band’s family tree can be heard on countless Grammy Award winning albums across all genres. Toto are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles while continuing to remain relevant. Joining Steve Lukather (guitar/vocals) and Joseph Williams (vocals) are Greg Phillinganes (keyboards / vocals), Shannon Forrest (drums), John Pierce (bass), Warren Ham (horns / percussion / vocals), and Dennis Atlas (keyboards / vocals).
Grammy Award-winning rock band Men At Work formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1979 and are best known for the breakthrough hits that include the billion streamed "Down Under," alongside "Who Can It Be Now?," "Be Good Johnny," "Overkill," and "It's a Mistake." The band achieved a global success as a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum selling act before disbanding in 1985. Due to demand, members Colin Hay and Greg Ham reunited in 1996, and revived Men At Work, touring the world until 2002. Following the death of Greg Ham, and while touring Europe as part of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band in 2018, Colin Hay again entertained the idea of touring once more as Men At Work and has continued to do so since 2019. The band’s current touring line-up features Jimmy Branly on drums, Yosmel Montejo on bass, and San Miguel on guitar, all originally hailing from Cuba. On sax, flute and keyboards is Scheila Gonzalez, and Cecilia Noël performs harmony vocals and percussion. Steve Lukather and Colin Hay are close friends who have wanted to tour together for a long time. They are both members of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.
Special guest Christopher Cross and the members of Toto have been friends and collaborators for more than four decades. On September 1, they appeared with one another in front of a capacity crowd at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. In February, Cross will tour Europe with Toto on a run that will stage performances in front of a potential quarter million fans. Joining Cross are Francis Arnaud (drums), Kevin Reveyrand (bass), Jerry Leonide (piano), Andy Suzuki (winds & keys), and vocalists Lisbet Guldbeck, Chrissi Poland and Nicky Richards.
Christopher Cross burst onto the music scene with his 1980 self-titled debut album winning five Grammy Awards, including – for the first time in Grammy history – the “Big Four” most prestigious awards: Record of the Year (for the single “Sailing”), Album of the Year, Song of the Year (“Sailing”), and Best New Artist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Cross has sold more than 12 million albums. His music has garnered five Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, an Emmy nomination and five Top 10 singles.
For more information, please visit totoofficial.com.
- 7/18 West Palm Beach, FL iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
- 7/19 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
- 7/21 Birmingham, AL Coca-Cola Amphitheater
- 7/22 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
- 7/24 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake
- 7/25 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
- 7/26 Boston, MA Leader Bank Pavilion
- 7/28 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion
- 7/30 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
- 8/01 Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
- 8/03 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
- 8/05 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
- 8/06 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
- 8/08 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center
- 8/09 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
- 8/11 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
- 8/13 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
- 8/14 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
- 8/15 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheater
- 8/17 Oklahoma City, OK The Zoo Amphitheatre
- 8/18 Irving, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
- 8/21 Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre
- 8/23 Las Vegas, NV Fontainebleau
- 8/24 Inglewood, CA Kia Forum
- 8/25 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord
- 8/27 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
- 8/29 Puyallup, WA Washington State Fair (On-Sale Coming Soon)
- 8/30 Ridgefield, WA RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
Carlos Santana will hit the road for additional dates of the Oneness Tour in 2025.
Santana will perform songs from their fifty-year career, including fan favorites from Abraxas to Woodstock to Supernatural,and beyond.
The US portion of the tour kicks off in Highland, CA at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel on April 16 making stops in Phoenix, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; San Antonio, TX; Sugar Land, TX; Thackerville, OK; Tulsa, OK; and Nashville, TN.
The Europe and UK portion of the tour begins on June 9 in Lodz, Poland with stops throughout Europe and the UK, ending in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 11. Full tour dates are below.
Tickets will be available starting with a fan presale beginning on Wednesday, December 11 at Santana.com. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning on Friday, December 13 at 10am local time at Santana.com.
The tour will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. Packages vary but include premium tickets, exclusive merchandise item & collectible laminate.
For more information, please visit santana.com.
2025 Oneness Tour North American Dates:
- Wednesday, April 16, 2025 - Highland, CA - Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel
- Friday, April 18, 2025 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
- Saturday, April 19, 2025 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
- Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theatre
- Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - Sugar Land, TX - Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
- Friday, April 25, 2025 - Thackerville, OK - Lucas Oil Live at WinStar
- Saturday, April 26, 2025 - Tulsa, OK - River Spirit Casino Resort *ON SALE 2/18/25
- Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - Nashville, TN - The Pinnacle
2025 Oneness Tour Europe & UK Dates:
- Monday, June 9, 2025 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
- Wednesday, June 11, 2025 - Budapest, Hungary - MVM Dome *ON SALE 2/13/25 AT 1PM
- Friday, June 13, 2025 - Berlin, Germany - Uber Arena
- Sunday, June 15, 2025 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclays Arena
- Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - Glasgow, UK - OVO Hydro
- Thursday, June 19, 2025 - Manchester, UK - Co-op Live
- Saturday, June 21, 2025 - London, UK - The O2
- Monday, June 23, 2025 - Paris, France - Accor Arena Paris *ON SALE 1/10/25
- Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
- Thursday, June 26, 2025 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
- Saturday, June 28, 2025 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion Zürich *ON SALE 4/11/25
- Monday, June 30, 2025 - Vienna, Austria - Wiener Stadthalle
- Wednesday, July 2, 2025 - Mantua, Italy - Piazza Sordello – Mantova
- Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - Rosenheim, Germany - ROSENHEIM SOMMERFESTIVAL 2025, Mangfall Park
- Friday, July 18, 2025 - Montreux, Switzerland - Montreux Jazz Festival
- Saturday, July 19, 2025 - St. Julien, France - Guitare en Scène *ON SALE 12/19/25
- Monday, July 21, 2025 - Nimes, France - Festival de Nîmes
- Wednesday, July 23, 2025 - Monte-Carlo, Monte-Carlo Summer Festival *ON SALE 12/18/25
- Friday, July 25, 2025 - Marciac, France - Jazz à Marciac Festival
- Sunday, August 3, 2025 - Marbella, Spain - Starlite Occident Festival
- Friday, August 8, 2025 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena
- Saturday, August 9, 2025 - Hanover, Germany - ZAG Arena
- Monday, August 11, 2025 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
Nile Rodgers Put Rhythm Up Front (and Cory Wong Listened)
Funk-guitar wiz and Wong Notes host Cory Wong flips the script and sits in the 100 Guitarists guest chair.
Funk-guitar wiz and Wong Noteshost Cory Wong flips the script and sits in the 100 Guitarists guest chair. Wong cleared his schedule to talk about one Nile Rodgers’ work on the Halo 2 soundtrack. We were lucky that got him to return our call, but we did move on quickly.
Wong is a scholar of all things rhythm guitar—and that means all things Nile. We talk about how the Hitmaker voices his progressions—“You hear Nile play a chord progression … and it’s that song”—and the role of rhythm guitar in general. Cory delivers his list of best Nile performances, tips for direct guitar sounds, and most surprising Nile collabs.
Ever wonder what it would sound like if Nile Rodgers produced David Lee Roth covering Willie Nelson? Give a listen and drop us a know when you check it out for yourself.
This episode is sponsored by JAM Pedals.
More info: https://www.jampedals.com.
A menu of vintage-voiced, modulated, harmonic, and reverse delays makes an intriguing smorgasbord of echo textures.
An imaginative array of wild to rich and familiar echo textures. Darker EQ profile lends authenticity to tape-like effects. Smart, if somewhat cramped, control layout.
Harmonic delay mode can be cloying at most settings.
$249
Diamond Dark Cloud
diamondpedals.com
The art of using and building delays is, at this point, a discipline populated by a thousand little cults. Vintage-minded analogists, digital micromanagers, and seekers of chaos all live under this strange umbrella. What’s refreshing about Diamond’s Dark Cloud is the way it spans so many points on the echo spectrum without 30 push-buttons and an enclosure the size of a cigar box.
It does many of the things detail-minded sound crafters demand of their delays, like tap tempo and creating precise subdivisions fast. And while it’s a digital delay, it seems very carefully designed and EQ’d to feel very analog, vintage, patinated, and moody. Indeed, in many situations it proves worthy of its name.
Crafted for Controlled Chaos
The sturdy, Canada-built Dark Cloud is a nice study in design efficiency. While there are enough tightly packed controls and switches to make some players nervous, the Dark Cloud does a lot with four knobs, a mini-toggle, and two footswitches. The toggle doubles as a mode selector when you click down and a subdivision switch when you click up. Footswitches serve the function of tapping out tempo, instantaneously or momentarily doubling delay rate, or setting up the harmonic delay mode for octaves or fifths. And though the four knobs for delay time, mix, feedback, and modulation rate are ordinarily enough, each functions quite differently depending on the mode, making the Dark Cloud deceptively simple.
Softly Spoken Expansiveness
Tape mode is, needless to say, well suited for the Dark Cloud’s darkish tone profile. Repeats drift and dissolve into mist as the echo signal degrades, and in traditional sorts of tape delay settings (short-to-medium-length delays, a 50/50 mix, and anywhere from two to five repeats), the Dark Cloud maintains a responsiveness and a not-too-overbearing presence that are simultaneously spacey and subdued. But the tape setting is also fantastic at more extreme settings. Fast repeats mated to speedy modulations and maxed-out feedback levels yield results that sound like Joe Meek wrestling a Space Echo, and you can create many accelerating/decelerating oscillation effects that suggest the old Roland tape delay standard-bearer if you engage actively and in real time with the controls.
“Fast repeats mated to speedy modulations and maxed-out feedback levels yield results that sound like Joe Meek wrestling a Space Echo.”
Harmonic and octave-up effects paired with reverbs and delay have a way of generating polarizing effects. I am generally on the side of those who find that a little goes a long way, and that too much is a saccharine tone nightmare that evokes being eaten alive by Smurfs. If you want to be devoured by wee cannibals, that’s your business, and the Dark Cloud will go there, particularly if you run wild with the feedback control. But the pedal also makes space for mellower applications. I had great luck with slapback delay times, fast decay, moderate mix levels and modulation rates in the ballpark of a Leslie’s whirl. In this setting, the harmonic delay took on the feel of an old Vox or Farfisa organ tracking my chord melody. If you stray from the Duane Eddy zone on the fretboard, single-note melodies tend to bring out the harmonic delay’s more cloying side. However, if you dig the shimmering qualities associated with these effects, you’ll find the Dark Cloud is a rich source for them, especially if you tinker with the harmonizing fifth setting on the pedal.
The Dark Cloud’s reverse delay mode is the one where the dark and cloudy facets of its personality become really intriguing. Like the tape mode, it’s a great match for drive effects from mellow boosts to gnarly fuzz—whether you situate it upstream or downstream from the pedal. But using the effect in clean settings reveals a lot about how the pedal’s EQ emphasis and duskier repeats make reverse echoes more seamless, organic, and something closer to the effect of reverse tape, especially when you keep the modulation and feedback to a minimum. In this way, the Dark Cloud’s reverse delay betters that of many of its peers and makes echoes sound less like they were grafted on as an afterthought. The reverse-echo textures can also range to more mangled extremes. If you’re a fan of Daniel Lanois’ warped-echo-and-melting-tweed-Deluxe sounds, adding fuzzy gain and attenuating your guitar tone generates a spiraling, hazy distorted signal that sounds a little like a reel of 2" coated in dust and molasses. (There’s an audio sample of that kind of thing attached to the online version of this review.)
The Verdict
If I’d had my way, I would have nixed the Dark Cloud’s harmonic delay mode, stuck with the very nice tape and reverse modes, and charged a little less. Still, a lot of players will love the many strange high-pitched and pixilated sounds available via the harmonic mode. And together, the three modes add up to a uniquely varied echo unit that can see a player through many moods—from deeply psychedelic to hyperactively effervescent.