Mort, Death's Apprentice: Brutal Death Metal Riffs - Feb. '19 Ex. 3
Line 6 introduces the Catalyst CX family of guitar amplifiers, featuring Amp Voicings from the award-winning Helix processor.
The three dual-channel Catalyst CX combos perform like traditional guitar amps, while providing the increased versatility of modern amplifiers.
“Catalyst CX amplifiers expand upon our original Catalyst amps,” said Rick Gagliano, Director of Product Management, Line 6. “They double the number of available Amp Voicings from six to 12, and you can also now load any of the 24 effects into either of the two dedicated effects slots.”
The Catalyst CX family comprises the 200-watt Catalyst CX 200 2x12, the 100-watt Catalyst CX 100 1x12, and the 60-watt Catalyst CX 60 1x12. The amplifiers offer 12 Amp Voicings—ranging from pristine clean to modern high-gain—and each Amp Voicing is matched with a custom Boost type. There are also 24 HX-quality effects spanning four effects categories. Additional features include sturdy construction, a Tap/Tuner button, an XLR line output, an effects loop, a Power Amp input for using Catalyst CX as a powered speaker, MIDI functionality, a 2-channel USB recording interface, and power output options.
Line 6 Catalyst CX 200 200-watt 2 x 12-inch Combo Amplifier
Catalyst CX 200-watt 1x12 ComboThe free Catalyst Edit app for desktop and mobile devices provides deep editing capabilities. Add an optional LFS2 footswitch for even more flexibility, and an optional cover to protect your combo. From the 200-watt Catalyst CX 200, capable of holding its own on nearly any stage, to the 60-watt Catalyst CX 60, which is perfect for practice, recording, and performing in small venues—there’s a Catalyst CX amp for every player.
Pricing & Availability
Catalyst CX 200 $499.99 USD (MSRP)
Catalyst CX 100 $399.99 USD (MSRP)
Catalyst CX 60 $299.99 USD (MSRP)
Available now.
For more information, please visit line6.com.
Monstrous sounds from a Muff with a buzzy op-amp twist.
Big, big, Big Muff tones with a buzzy, midrange blast. Massive-sounding, full-frequency tone bypass mode. Beautiful construction.
Op-amp sizzle could put off fans of creamier Sovtek and Ram’s Head sounds.
$324
Wren and Cuff Eye See ’78
wrenandcuff.com
It was only a matter of time before Big Muff wizard/scientist Matt Holl built a big-box version of his Eye See '78 V4/V5-style op-amp Big Muff. It is worth the wait. I’m not sure I even knew how much I loved this circuit. A good friend had one that he blasted through a Twin Reverb (yikes!) and it sounded memorably amazing. But I always stayed within my own Big Muff safe lane—sticking with familiar Sovtek tones and chasing canonical, definitive Ram’s Head sounds. The Eye See ’78 is most certainly different than those circuits. It’s aggressive, with a buzzy mid-forward voice that tops out with an acerbic, searing, almost giant Tone Bender-like character when you crank up the treble. It’s not a subtle pedal, and it is definitely most satisfying when it’s setting an amp on fire and exploding with jet roar and gritty harmonics.
Though the Eye See ’78 circuit is essentially based on Holl’s V4 specimen (V4s are the rarest and most coveted), it offers a tone bypass switch that is a feature of V5 versions. Though I loved the white-hot extremes of the fuzz fetched at the toppiest tone-dial settings, the full-frequency—and freaking loud—push from the tone bypass setting should probably be measured in seismic terms. Like all Wren & Cuff pedals, it’s a high-quality, beautiful piece. And though not inexpensive, its nearly $325 price will probably be more than covered by the fuzz pedals you ditch in the Eye See ’78’s wake.
If you can’t figure out how to play Joe Bonamassa’s solo from “Blues Deluxe,” don’t worry. Neither can Chris Shiflett. But it all changes when Shifty sits down with Bonamassa for this special episode of Shred With Shifty. No surprise that both of them reach for their Les Pauls, and Bonamassa even reveals why he switched from Strats to Gibsons in the early 2000s.
Bonamassa is known for his dazzling collection of vintage guitars—which he says has become a target for haters—but he explains that you don’t need a ’58 Les Paul to get the goods. “It’s also the mystique,” he says. “If Jimmy Page played a Tokai, everyone would want a Tokai.” A guitar made two weeks ago, he says, is just as good as a classic.
Bonamassa’s lightning-quick soloing style, which conjures a hurricane of major and minor pentatonic notes with some phrygian flair, is the stuff of legend, and his tricks on “Blues Deluxe” are plenty. Even though he tries to adhere to a “divide by two” rule to simplify his phrasings, he still stumps Shiflett with a volume swell trick he learned from Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton.
This solo is no walk in the park. Any brave takers up for giving it a shot? Share it and tag us so Shifty can have a look! Most importantly, remember to have fun. “Do whatever you want with the damn thing,” says Bonamassa. “It’s just a guitar.”
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editors: Dan Destefano and Addison Sauvan
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.