RatingsPros:Excellent core voice and useful clipping options. Wet/dry knob enhances versatility. Cons: Might present more decision-making duties than some players prefer. Street: $199 Walrus Audio Ages Overdrive walrusaudio.com | Tones:  Ease of Use:  Build/Design: Value: |
Multi-mode overdrives became a popular stompbox design direction over the past decade. Walrus Audio’s addition to those ranks is called the Ages. It derives many of its varied voices via a switch that moves between LED and silicon diodes in hard- and soft-clipping modes. But the Ages adds other features to ensure that it’s more than just another green screamer clone. Chief among these are a parallel-path topology that enables blends of the clean signal with effected path, and a boost/cut low-frequency control that’s wired before the gain stage to enhance clarity.
In a Mode
Controls include gain, volume, bass, and treble, plus a dry control for the clean-signal blend. Another dial, mode, selects from five clipping states arranged in ascending gain levels: low-gain silicon soft clipping, low-gain LED soft clipping, high-gain silicon soft clipping, high-gain LED soft clipping, and high-gain silicon hard clipping.
Build quality is rugged and confidence-inspiring, and it’s all packed into a 4.75" x 2.65" x 1.65" enclosure that won’t take up a ton of space relative to the available tone options—especially given the top-mounted inputs and output. Walrus Audio recommends use of an isolated supply to connect to the standard center-negative 9V DC input, rather than a daisy-chained power solution.
Rock of Ages
With tweed Fender- and Marshall-style amps, and humbuckers and single-coils, the Ages proved beguilingly versatile. Yet it retains a strong fundamental voice at most settings. There are hints of Tube Screamer in that voice, and it ably delivers much of the naturalistic thickness and extra fur that makes so many players treasure the timeless TS—particularly when you can’t crank an amp to get it there by itself.
The first two mode settings are best described as subtly different flavors of boost. Both are more textured and fattening than linear or transparent, and position 1 is a little more compressed, where position 2 reveals a little more shimmer. Proper overdrive happens at position 3, while positions 4 and 5 are thicker and more complex, with plenty of sweet, singing saturation on tap as you advance the gain knob.
Though the wealth of clipping voices creates many cool overdrive shades, a lot of tone-shaping power comes from the dry knob, which enables the player to determine how clear, articulate, and attack-forward the overdrive sounds. That’s not to say the Ages is lacking in articulation in pure overdrive positions. Completely saturated settings can still generate dynamic overdrive sounds. But the ability to blend in sharper pick attack and more transparency with the dry knob helps shape the output in very specific ways to suit a band mix or song arrangement—and makes the Ages exponentially more versatile.
The only tricky part of using the Ages—and this is something I’ve experienced with most multi-mode overdrives—is that you may be tempted to stick with a single mode in performance rather than constantly flick between modes in the middle of a tune. That can make you feel like you’re underutilizing the many available options. But it’s hard to complain much when you’re trying to craft a just-right overdrive tone in isolation or in the studio.
The Verdict
The Ages is a well-built overdrive with an appealing core voice, super-useful clipping options, and the capacity to concoct ideal blends of grit, clarity, and pick attack from the clever dry control. The ability to more readily switch between the clipping variations would really maximize the Ages’ potential. But chances are, you’ll pick a setting, play it, and smile.
Watch the Demo:
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LR Baggs Align Reverb Acoustic Reverb Pedal
The Align Series Reverb was built from the ground up to complement the natural body dynamics and warmth of acoustic instruments that we love so much. The circuit seamlessly integrates the wet and dry signals with the effect in side chain so that it never overwhelms the original signal. We shaped the reverb with analog EQ to reflect the natural voice inherent in acoustic instruments. Additionally, the tone control adds versatility by sweeping from warm and muted to open and present. The result is an organic reverb that maintains the audiophile purity of the original signal with the controls set in any position.
Epiphone Firebird I
When Gibson debuted the Firebird I and Firebird V in 1963, the design was as innovative as it was radical. Like the Flying V and Explorer, the Firebird seemed Martian—or at least like a work of futurist art, with its offset body shape, extended lower and upper bouts, reverse headstock, and through-body neck.
Firebirds came in three versions: The single-pickup Firebird I, the two-humbucker Firebird V, and the three-pickup Firebird VII, with the latter two featuring a Vibrola tailpiece, trapezoid inlays, and neck binding. The first time I saw a Firebird in action, it was in the hands of Johnny Winter, who gave no quarter as he ripped conflagrant solos from its fretboard, but Brian Jones, Clapton, Allen Collins, Paul Stanley, and Phil Manzanera also helped make the model a legend. Original ’60s Firebird V’s sell for as much as $35,000, and reissues peak at nearly $10,000 for the Gibson Custom Shop’s ’63 Firebird V. That’s a lot of dough to look badass on stage. But now, Epiphone—in collaboration with Gibson’s Custom Shop—has taken high-quality reissues of the 1963 Firebird I and V into a more affordable realm. They’re still pricey for an Epi’, at $1,299 and $1,699, respectively, but undeniably brimming with panache.
“I was surprised by how sweet and heavy Gibson’s Firebird Mini Humbuckers sound. There is nothing mini about their tone.”
An’ a I, an’ a V
Our review Firebirds arrived impeccably set up, with action low enough for speed, but high enough for slide—my comfort zone, coincidentally. They are handsome guitars too. The I is finished in gleaming cherry, while the V is decked out in vintage sunburst and a shiny Vibrola tailpiece.
The necks are the not-so-secret weapons on these models. They are 9-ply mahogany and walnut (original Firebirds have a 5-ply neck), sandwiched between mahogany wings, but both guitars are still fairly light. The I is 7 1/2 pounds and the V weighs about 9 pounds due to the additional pickup and bridge hardware. There are 22 comfortable, medium-jumbo frets, which allow easy navigation and elegant bends, a Graph Tech nut, dot neck inlays on the I and trapezoids on the V, a classic Gibson-scale neck length of 24 3/4", and an Indian laurel fretboard. The banjo-style Kluson Planetary tuners, as well as the reverse headstock, take time to get to use to, but contribute to the instruments sleek, clean lines. The Firebird I’s electronics are simply a master volume and tone, with CTS pots and Mallory caps inside, in service of a warm-to-cutting single alnico 5 Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker. The V offers more ways to shape your tone: The Vibrola is cool and vibey and there’s a classic four-dial Gibson control set (also routed through Mallory caps and CTS pots), a 3-way pickup switch on the lower bout, and a pair of those Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbuckers.
Epiphone Firebird V
Trial by Firebird
I was sure I would prefer the Firebird V playing experience, because I am typically a neck-pickup player, but both guitars revealed sonic charms through Carr Vincent and Telstar amps running in stereo, my vintage Marshall Super Lead, and a Positive Grid Spark.
Low-action setups on both accommodate everything from campfire chords to screaming single-note playing past the 12th fret, with the perfectly smooth fret ends and comfortable neck making it all a pleasure. The neck broadens to 2 1/4" at the body, from 1 3/4" at the nut, making it easy to hit high notes accurately. But what really excited me, besides how artful these guitars look, is the power and sound of the pickups.
I was surprised by how sweet and heavy Gibson’s Firebird Mini Humbuckers sound. There is nothing mini about their tone, whether slashing and growling through the Marshall or pouring thick honey out of the Carrs. And through the Spark, a highly pleasing snarl and juicy warmth were all on tap. Despite my predilection for neck pickups, I became really excited by the Firebird I. The simplicity and elegance of its look, streamlined controls, clean surface, and light weight made the I a joy to play, especially with the treble rolled to near-zero. There, early Clapton-esque tone was a cinch to find, and for blues and pseudo-jazz-licks (the best I can muster in that genre), the warmth and clarity were delightful. Despite its basic construction, the Epiphone Firebird I is assuredly more than a rock machine.
Sure, having the addition of a neck pickup on the Firebird V provides a wider selection of tones, but the voices achievable on the I were no less winning and, honestly, I could not find any pickup-and-dial configuration on the V that sounded all that different or better than those available on the I. But, ah, a Vibrola is a very nice appointment—not just for its grand appearance, which is like some antiquarian treasure, but for the subtle bends its enables. If atmospheric guitar tones from the Ventures to Hermanos Gutiérrez are your passion, you’d want the Vibrola, which stays remarkably in tune, given its relatively primitive design.
The Verdict
Make no mistake: With their uncommonly proportioned offset bodies and reverse headstocks, guitars like the Epiphone Firebird I and V require time to get acquainted. But if you’re unafraid to stand out from the crowd, these instruments will serve you visually and sonically. Both play well and offer a good scope of vintage tones—from aggressive to dark maple sugar—with simple dial adjustments. And while many other Epiphone models sell for less, these well-crafted copies of original Gibson designs provide custom-shop or boutique-builder quality at a much lower price. PG
