Decimator II
Decimator II Noise Reduction pedal boasts the most advanced, state-of-the art technology with two new pending patents covering innovative improvements over the original Decimator design. A 1/8 phone cord allows two pedals to directly track the instrument, offering the same tracking performance of our professional ProRack G system. This allows players to use one block of Decimator between the guitar and amplifier and a second in the effects loop. The Decimator II also features improvements in the expander tracking with our new linearized Time Vector Processing™. This improves the smoothness of the release response of the expander and provides the most transparent release response of any noise reduction system available, virtually eliminating any release ripple for incredibly smooth decay of notes.
ISP Technologies
$135.82
This model, designed in 1972 and released in '73, was the first collaboration between guitar- and pickup-designer Bill Lawrence and Gibson. The idea was to make a very inexpensive solidbody electric that could compete with more costly models—and especially with Fender's highly successful offerings. That's a pretty simple concept, but the L6-S is not a simple instrument. It has a complex pickup-control system, built into Gibson's first solid-maple-slab guitar, with a 3-piece, two-octave set neck, with 24 frets—Fender style—rather than the company's usual 22.
This Gibson really sticks its neck out. In the interest of competing with Fender, it's got 24 frets instead of the company's usual 22.
Until it was discontinued in 1980, more than 18,000 were made, and it's considered one of the finest instruments from Gibson's notorious Norlin era. Instead of the usual 3-way pickup selector, the L6-S uses a 6-way rotary switch to control its tones. The pointer on its chicken-head knob faces down, and rolls from right to left (or bottom to top), looking down the guitar's front. In position 1, both pickups are active and in series. Position 2 fires up only the neck pickup. Spot 3 runs both pickups, in parallel. Position 4 puts both pickups in parallel and out of phase, with the neck pickup's bass limited by a capacitor. (The sonic result is similar to the 2 and 4 slots on a Strat pickup selector.) Spot 5 is the bridge pickup alone, and position 6 is both pickups in series and out of phase.
This is where the action is on a Gibson L6-S Custom. The 6-way selector handles pickup configurations for a wide variety of core tones, while the dials are (top to bottom), master volume, midrange, and bass/treble. And there's the bridge Super Humbucker, which was wound a tad hotter than the neck pickup.
Note the manufacturing quirk on this guitar's headstock. While the guitar is properly designated the L6-S, the nameplate here reads L-6S.
In Lawrence and Gibson's estimation, a guitar this different also required a different set of control dials. The one highest up on the body is a master volume, with a midrange control as the center dial, while the lower dial is a tone control that affects treble and bass, with 10 providing the most treble. The L6-S Custom sported Lawrence's pickups, of course—a pair of his ceramic-magnet Super Humbuckers, with 4-conductor split-coil wiring to accommodate all those tonal variations. At their introduction, these pickups were about as hot as they got, although competitors like DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan were also entering the game. The bridge for the guitar is supposed to be a standard Tune-o-matic, but our model has a Gibson harmonica-style bridge, named for its distinctive shape. Since this L6-S is from the final year of production, that harmonica bridge is likely what was available in the parts bin at the time.
Instead of the usual 3-way pickup selector, the L6-S uses a 6-way rotary switch to control its tones.
The L6-S's debut price was $495, which climbed to $649 in its final production year. In 1980, a new Fender Strat had a list price of $995, so this guitar remained an able competitor. Two more L6-S models evolved from the line. In 1974 Gibson issued the L6-S Midnight Special, with a bolt-on neck, a Schaller harmonica bridge, a strung through-body, and a 3-way pickup toggle with master volume and tone dials. At the same time, Gibson also issued the set-neck L6-S Deluxe, with the same controls as the Midnight Special, but with two of Lawrence's ceramic "tar back" pickups, which got that name due to a black epoxy potting—their primary difference from other Super Humbuckers.
With relatively little back wear, this guitar either had a careful owner or owners, or saw little action. If that's the case, it's a pity, but the L6-S seems ready for anything.
This month's guitar comes in Gibson's classic tobacco burst finish, but the L6-S Custom was also available in natural, ebony, silverburst, and cherry sunburst. The asking price is $1,495, which falls on the more affordable side of today's range of about $1,400 to $1,700 for the model. Our L6-S Custom is a charmer to play. It balances extremely well, with a lower bout of about 13 1/2" across and 1 1/4" thick. And the neck feels better than of lot of Norlin-era necks, with a thin taper below the headstock that gradually widens. For hot vintage Gibson sounds from the '70s, it's hard to beat the L6-S Custom.
The Supro Lexington sports one volume dial and two tone knobs, plus a complex series of "tone-shading" switches.
For instance, in the late '50s, Valco coated guitars in a plastic "no-mar" finish which prevented wear but deadened the sound. If a guitar was getting too heavy, they simply drilled relief holes in the back and covered them up with a plastic cover. Even the pickups used on most Valco guitars were different. They looked like humbuckers, but were actually single-coils that had unique dimensions, so simple pickup swaps were just about impossible. And while other manufacturers were experimenting with different tonewoods, Valco went with fiberglass guitars—later popularized by Jack White. In a lot of ways, Valco was one of the most interesting guitar makers from the heyday of electric guitars, and there are rare gems to be mined from those days of odd.
Now, Valco might not be a household name to many of you, but the Supro, National, Oahu, and Airline brands might ring a bell. Similar to many of the Japanese companies back in the day, Valco rebranded its guitars based on who sold them and where they sold. Supro is probably the most popular and most common of these brands, and their instruments are where I started to love the logo with the lightning bolt.
Sure, they look like humbuckers, but this guitar is actually loaded with three single-coil pickups.
See, many years ago, I saw this 1968 Supro Lexington and really became entranced. This looked sort of like a Stratocaster but had three humbucker looking things! In my mind, that made for one mean-looking guitar, and, at 16 years old, I was all about that. People always talk about yard-sale finds, but this guitar was probably my one and only cool yard sale find, ever!
This model first appeared in the 1965–'66 Supro catalog and was simply called a "shaded"—instead of "sunburst"—No. S545. A few catalogs later, these were dubbed Lexingtons and always came in three-, two-, and one-pickup varieties. Retailing at around $200, they were pricey but didn't compare to any other guitar from the time. Rather than having adjustable truss rods, almost all Valco guitars had "Lifetime Kord-King" necks, which sported a rather robust metal U-shaped rod that extended through the neck. The design worked pretty well, but if the neck wasn't set up properly at the factory, the guitar was going to have lifetime issues!
Is there a cooler logo than Supro's vintage lightning bolt design?
Additionally, these Lexingtons sported a rather complex control system called "tone shading," which was like a high/low tonal option for each pickup. But all the tone shading really covered up some amazing tones from the in-house-made Valco pickups and rendered just about all tonal options … well … kind of blah. Fortunately, these guitars can really be saved by removing all those tone-sucking caps and wiring everything point-to-point, which allows this model to shine. The Valco pickups were always hot and added a bit of sizzle that Fender single-coils could never really produce. The controls are one volume and two tone knobs, plus two rocker switches for each pickup—one for on-off and one for high-low tones.
A good way to date these guitars is to look at the vibrato units. If there is a separate bridge and vibrato, then it's an earlier model, but if there is an all-in-one unit, it's from the later '60s. Interestingly, the all-in-one unit was designed and made by the old Japanese Matsumoku factory, and I suspect that Valco was sourcing the wood bodies from Matsumoku as well, in typical cost-cutting Valco fashion. Either way, if you can get your hands on an old Lexington and get the electronics sorted out, then you might get a bit of that tingly feeling I had back in the day. Ah, to be 16 again!
1968 Supro Lexington Guitar Demo #3
Hear guitarist Mike Dugan play through all of the Supro Lexington's wild and woolly tones.