Scorching distortion meets vintage cleans in a lunchbox that's featured filled, light, and easy on the pocketbook.
Light package, heavy sounds. Interesting variety of brutal to vintage-y clean sounds. Handy features.
Clean-channel volume can't always match dirty channel's. Slight scratchiness in dirty channel gain control.
$1,250
Ugly Amps "Lil" Ugly
uglyamps.com
In approach, if not aesthetic, Steve O'Boyle of Ugly Amps got his start much like the folks at now-defunct Analog Outfitters. Like A.O., Ugly Amps initially used parts salvaged from vintage PA systems—thus the tongue-in-cheek company name. These days, he stocks his small-batch designs with all-new parts. His latest offering, the 5881-powered, 20-watt "Lil" Ugly, puts a high-gain channel alongside a clean channel whose tones are a welcome departure from many amps in this category—all at just 12 pounds.
Home-Brew Vs. Frugal?
Visually, "Lil" Ugly's vibes veer toward spartan, even DIY. But a closer look reveals why: It packs a lot into a compact, remarkably lightweight design. Where many two-channel "lunchbox" designs sacrifice space for a shared EQ, "Lil" boasts independent controls for both. The "ugly" (dirty) side has three bands plusa mid-shift knob and a mid-boost button. The clean side, meanwhile, has bass and treble controls. Each channel has its own master and gain controls (the latter marked "volume" on the clean side). Around back are a global presence control, a series effects loop with send- and return-level knobs, dual speaker outputs (with 3-way impedance selector), a channel-selector button, a loop-engage button, and a jack for the included footswitch that controls the two latter functions.
Construction feels solid, and the transformers are impressively hefty for an amp in this weight class. But the top corners of the folded-steel housing are just sharp enough to draw blood if you're not careful. Inside, the two large PC boards are neatly traced and wired, though the tube sockets and control pots are mounted to them rather than the chassis. Meanwhile, control pots feel well attached and appearto be chassis mounted, a factor that could affect longevity or ease and cost of repair.
Enjoyin’ the Ugly
I tested "Lil" with my baritone Eastwood Sidejack with Curtis Novak JM-WR humbuckers, routing the amp through a variety of speaker and cabinet types: a large 1x12 with a 50-watt, ceramic-magnet Weber Gray Wolf, a small 1x12 with a 35-watt alnico Celestion Ruby, and a 2x10 with a 40-watt alnico Celestion G10 Gold and a 75-watt, ceramic Warehouse G10/S. I shouldn't have been surprised at how big a difference each cab and speaker combo made, but part of it goes back to the Ugly's unique clean channel.
O'Boyle has pulled something lovely and interesting here. "Lil" cleans are fat, warm, and cushy, a little reminiscent of a lower-powered vintage Super Reverb (minus the reverb).
On many high-gain heads, especially more affordable ones, the clean channel sounds like a lower-gain version of the lead side, often yielding clinical or brittle cleans. But O'Boyle has pulled off something lovely and interesting here. "Lil" cleans are fat, warm, cushy, and a little reminiscent of a lower-powered vintage Super Reverb (minus the reverb). Because the clean channel has ample bass and leans toward the dark side, I preferred parking bass at 9 o'clock, treble at 2 o'clock, and volume (gain) at 10 o'clock for just a smidge of grit.
Given its 20-watt power rating and the fact that 5881s typically break up sooner than the 6L6s they're interchangeable with, it's no surprise that "Lil" doesn't have a lot of clean headroom. In fact, to compete with my favorite gain-channel settings, I had to push the clean master volume to max. At extreme drive-channel settings, you're unlikely to switch channels without a noticeable decibel drop or not-so-clean cleans.
Keeping the ugly channel's gain at almost 3 o'clock and master at about 11 o'clock feels like the magic recipe—availing tones seething enough for extreme metal, while ranging to Fender-y cleans in the other direction. Dirt is classically British—very Marshall-esque, but with more available saturation. Even at ferocious settings, note separation is distinct and articulation crystalline. What's more, the ugly channel responds very dynamically to pick attack, providing wide mellow-to-aggressive response without guitar-volume manipulation. To boot, the ugly channel's EQ range is generous—particularly the vast midrange, which spans honky to thin and nasal, scooped, and razor sharp.
The Verdict
Ugly Amps' "Lil" Ugly has so much going for it that the name risks undercutting its credibility. The execution may not be quite as refined as big brands, and some features might seem superfluous in big pedalboard age (presence and mid boost, for example). And the wide dirty-to-clean range mean taking extra care to find a speaker that lets both sides shine. But for the money I'm not sure there's much out there with a 1-2 punch quite like the "Lil" Ugly. Well done!
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The final day is here! Enter Stompboxtober Day 31 for your last chance to win today’s pedal from Keeley and finish the month strong!
Keeley Octa Psi Transfigurating Fuzz Pedal with Polyphonic Pitch Shifting
Meet the OCTA PSI Transfigurating Fuzz – The Ultimate Combination of Pitch-Shifter, Octave Generator, and Tri-Voiced Analog Fuzz! Key features include: Instant Effect Order Switching, Flexible Output Configuration, Momentary or Latching Octave/Pitch, and more! Each pitch shift mode includes an up, down, and dual setting, resulting in 24 different modes.
Developed specifically for Tyler Bryant, the Black Magick Reverb TB is the high-power version of Supro's flagship 1x12 combo amplifier.
At the heart of this all-tube amp is a matched pair of military-grade Sovtek 5881 power tubes configured to deliver 35-Watts of pure Class A power. In addition to the upgraded power section, the Black Magick Reverb TB also features a “bright cap” modification on Channel 1, providing extra sparkle and added versatility when blended with the original Black Magick preamp on Channel 2.
The two complementary channels are summed in parallel and fed into a 2-band EQ followed by tube-driven spring reverb and tremolo effects plus a master volume to tame the output as needed. This unique, signature variant of the Black Magick Reverb is dressed in elegant Black Scandia tolex and comes loaded with a custom-built Supro BD12 speaker made by Celestion.
Price: $1,699.
Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine is one of the loudest guitarists around. And he puts his volume to work creating mythical tones that have captured so many of our imaginations, including our special shoegaze correspondent, guitarist and pedal-maestro Andy Pitcher, who is our guest today.
My Bloody Valentine has a short discography made up of just a few albums and EPs that span decades. Meticulous as he seems to be, Shields creates texture out of his layers of tracks and loops and fuzz throughout, creating a music that needs to be felt as much as it needs to be heard.
We go to the ultimate source as Billy Corgan leaves us a message about how it felt to hear those sounds in the pre-internet days, when rather than pull up a YouTube clip, your imagination would have to guide you toward a tone.
But not everyone is an MBV fan, so this conversation is part superfan hype and part debate. We can all agree Kevin Shields is a guitarists you should know, but we can’t all agree what to do with that information.
This episode is sponsored by Fender.
Learn more: https://www.fender.com./
Introducing the Martin M-6 and M-7 Johnny Marr signature guitars, featuring a unique seven-string configuration to honor Marr's sound.
The standout feature of the Martin M-7 is its unique seven-string configuration, adding an octave G string to the mix. This design delivers Marr’s unmistakable jangle, making it perfect for replicating the lush, intricate sounds of his most iconic tracks. Also available as a standard six-string model, the M-6, and designed in close collaboration with Marr, these guitars feature a genuine mahogany neck with a full-thickness profile and slightly thinner width at the nut for a unique feel, allowing for fluid transitions and complex chord structures.
Wide like a Jumbo with the thickness of a 000, its Grand Auditorium (0000/M) body size ensures plenty of comfort and projection while offering a precise distinction between the treble and bass. Equipped with LR Baggs Anthem electronics, these guitars ensure your sound is perfectly captured on stage or in the studio with volume, mix, mic level, and phase controls.
“I've now got my own signature guitar that makes me sound like in the studio when I've put this really great old compressor on it with a great mic and a little hint of the high string in there,” says Marr. “All of these things that I do on record using a few guitars, I've all got it in the one guitar that I can carry around with me, and if I go play with a pal or go and guest with someone, I sound like me.”
Marr’s history with Martin guitars is storied – his beloved 1971 D-28 has been the backbone of several classic Smiths songs, including “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and “Cemetry Gates.” The M-6 and M-7 pay homage to that legacy while ushering in a new era of sonic possibilities. A hardshell case and exclusive Souldier™ strap are included.
For more information, please visit martinguitar.com.