RatingsPros:Three excellent amp models. Simple amp-style interface. Supports third-party IRs. Cons: No XLR outputs. Stores only one favorite setting without optional footswitch or MIDI. Street: $399 Strymon Iridium strymon.net
| Tones:  Ease of Use:  Build/Design: Value:  |
Today's guitarist can choose from a dizzying array of amp replacement tools, from freeware software plug-ins to gargantuan modelers and profilers. Meanwhile, Strymon slips through the side door with Iridium, an amp modeler in pedal form that melds a simple stompbox interface with a small but superb collection of amp models.
Iridium only does a few things, but it does them extraordinarily well. It offers three amp models based on a blackface Fender Deluxe, a top-boost Vox AC30, and a Marshall plexi. It has no effects other than a short room reverb. It comes with nine cabinet impulse responses and includes software for loading third-party IRs. The controls mimic those on simple analog amps, with a few useful extras. But there's nothing approaching the deep editing of, say, a top-shelf device from Fractal, Line 6, Kemper, or HeadRush.
Streamlined Scenarios
While Iridium has modest user options relative to flagship modelers costing two to four times its price, its core tones rank with the best. The pedal's heart is a super-powerful SHARC chip—the same processor used in many full-featured modelers. The programming is uniformly excellent. Modeling is a surprisingly subjective art, and tastes vary. But to my ear, Iridium's Fender, Vox, and Marshall models can hold their own against any rival products.
That makes Iridium a superb solution for many studio and stage scenarios, especially if a big modeler is overkill for your needs. If you do most tone creation on your pedalboard, these simple but excellent amp emulations may be all you need. It's an obvious choice for travelling-light tours and backline gigs. Hey, if I were playing a big festival with shared backline, I'd opt for a direct Iridium signal over “take your chances" in a heartbeat.
Scoop, Sparkle, and Slam
One switch chooses from three amp models, while another selects between three cabinet IRs per model. The three amps share the same controls: drive, treble/mid/bass, and master volume, though their behavior varies from model to model. You can also add varying amounts of simulated tracking-room reverb. The results sound like real amps in real rooms. But it's not a do-it-all 'verb, and it probably won't replace any of your other ambient effects.
In Fender Deluxe mode, the bass and treble knobs perform as on the original amp, which has no mid control. So the mid pot at noon replicates the original spectrum. Raising it brings mids forward for more tweed-like tones, while dialing it back further deepens the amp's signature mid-scoop. In Vox mode, the mid control is a low-pass filter directly before the simulated power amp, replicating the topology of a top-boost AC30. (Nice detail: When you max out the gain, the model automatically siphons off some lows, maintaining bite and definition at the dirtiest settings.) In plexi mode, the available gain range exceeds the original, providing hot-rodded grind when cranked.
In short, the models are nuanced and authentic. Their dynamic response is convincingly amp-like, and they respond realistically to upstream effects, as heard in my demo clips. The first clip features only guitar and Iridium, with no additional processing. In the second clip, I introduce a grab-bag of effects.
The nine included IRs are excellent. The choices are straightforward. (For example, plexi mode offers IRs from Marshall 4x12, 2x12, and 8x12 cabs.) The bundled Strymon Impulse Manager software (for Mac and PC) can load third-party IRs. You can even select different cabs for the left and right outputs for double-miked stereo effects.
The Ins and Outs
Iridium's rear panel isn't quite as simple as it seems. There's a mono input jack and 1/4" stereo outs, but the input jack accepts stereo signals via a TRS cable, so you can preserve the stereo imaging of upstream effects. Nearby is a USB jack for loading IRs.
There are three ways to use the 1/4" expression-in jack. A standard expression pedal becomes a volume pedal when connected, trimming level either before the amp/cab modeling, or after. It can also morph between a stored favorite patch and an alternate set of parameters. The jack is also a MIDI input for remote program changes. With Strymon's $129 MultiSwitch Plus connected (not tested), you can toggle between three favorite settings. (Iridium can also recall up to 300 patches via MIDI.) There's also a 1/8" headphone jack on the front/side panel. You can definitely have a satisfying practice session with just your guitar, an Iridium-equipped pedalboard, and headphones. Iridium runs on standard 9V power, but requires 500 mA (adapter included). There is no battery compartment.
Many users will master Iridium in minutes without cracking the manual. But it's still worth reading, because of some welcome secondary-function tools when you boot up in “Live Edit" mode. These include adjustable input/output levels and reverb room size, and the specifics of MIDI and controller behavior.
The Verdict
To my ears, Iridium's tones hold their own against any current amp modelers. Yeah, the tone menu may be restricted to vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, but it's still damn good ice cream. There's little to no learning curve—it works like an amp. Iridium's cost isn't crazy, given the R&D it required and the presence of a spiffy SHARC processor. Still, for nearly 400 clams, I'd have liked XLR output jacks (for, say, playing clubs without needing two direct boxes or ¼" adapters). It would also be nice to have access to more than one saved sound without connecting additional hardware. Still, Iridium will be a perfect faux-amp solution for many players.
Watch the First Look:
Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
