Handmade in Japan, this bass features a bolt-on hard maple neck, alder body, VolaJS5-N neck and Vola JS5-B bridge pickups, and a Vola ATR-I Active 3-band EQ. Experience top-quality craftsmanship and tonal potential with the ZVA 5 Bass.
The tried-and-true ZVA bass is back, this time with additional range! The all-new 5-string version maintains its most prominent features while providing players with an expanded scope of tonal potential. Its bolt-on hard maple neck is equipped with 21 frets, a rosewood fingerboard, a 34.5” scale, and a Duracon nut for optimal performance. The modern C-shaped neck allows for easy access to the entire fretboard while maintaining perfect comfort. The body is made of alder, offering a balanced playing experience. From a hardware standpoint, the nickel components were manufactured by Gotoh, including the machine heads and a string-through bridge setup. The bass is equipped with VolaJS5-N neck and Vola JS5-B bridge pickups, coupled with a Vola ATR-I Active 3-band EQ and a handy mini switch for seamless transition between passive and active modes. Overall, the ZVA 5-string carries on its predecessor’s legacy with extended range and accessibility for every type of bassist.
Features Include
- Country of Origin: Handmade in Japan
- Construction: Bolt-on neck
- Body: Alder
- Neck: Maple/Rosewood, Vola Modern C shape (bass) 1F(21.5mm)/ 12F(24mm)
- Fingerboard: Maple, 9.5" Radius
- Inlays: Classic dot inlay
- Nut: 47.6mm Duracon nut with Zero Fret
- Frets/ Scale: 21 Frets/ 34.5"
- Pickups: Vola JS5 neck, Vola JS5 Bridge
- Electronics: 1 Volume, 1 Balance, Vola ATR-I Active 3band EQ, 1mini switch(passive/active)
- Hardware: Gotoh 303 SJ 5 Bass bridge w/String thru the body, Gotoh 404SJ-5(4:1) Tuners
- Strings: Daddario EXL-170-5SL 45-65-80-100-130 Super long
- Misc: 4mm Allen key for truss rod adjustment
- Country of Origin: Handmade in Japan
- Case: Vola Custom Series bass Gig bag
The Vola ZVA 5Bass is the culmination of Vola’s dedication to designing top-quality instruments for demanding players, without sacrificing the beauty that invites a closer look. Visit their website or your local Vola dealer for a closer look at the Vola ZVA 5 Bass. The Vola OZ Supernova has a street price of$1,189 USD. Vola Guitars now sells direct!
For more information, please visit volaguitars.com.
Introducing: The All-New ZVA 5 Bass - YouTube
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Positive Grid unveils Spark EDGE, a multi-channel smart amp & PA engineered for musicians demanding portability, versatility, and pro-level sound.
Positive Grid unveils Spark EDGE, a multi-channel smart amp & PA engineered for musicians demanding portability, versatility, and pro-level sound. Designed for everyone from singer-songwriters and buskers to acoustic duos and electric players, Spark EDGE packs 65 watts of studio-quality sound, built-in effects, and a looper into a lightweight, compact design. Capable of serving as an amp, PA, or personal monitor, Spark EDGE offers flexible connectivity for electric and acoustic guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, and more. With optional battery power (sold separately), Spark EDGE delivers the freedom to perform anytime, anywhere.
Pro-Level Sound with Advanced Audio
Powered by Sonic IQ Computational Audio, Spark EDGE enhances every note with precision. Its tech-driven system features a dedicated computational audio chip that refines dynamic range, boosts vocal clarity, and deepens bass. The result? Precise, immersive sound in any setting. Complemented by an advanced speaker design—featuring a woofer, tweeter, and reflex ports—Spark EDGE delivers rich, full-bodied sound that brings any performance to life.
Seamless Multi-Instrument Connectivity
Featuring four versatile channels, Spark EDGE offers seamless connectivity for multiple instruments:
- Channel 1: Equipped with 36 amp models and 50 effects for electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, and vocals.
- Channel 2: Tailored with dedicated amp models and effects for vocals, bass, and acoustic guitars.
- Channels 3/4: Stereo input channels designed for keyboards, drum machines, and other instruments.
All the Gear in One App
The Spark App transforms Spark EDGE into a performance powerhouse:
- 36 Amps: Instant access to guitar, bass, and acoustic amp models
- 50 Effects: A comprehensive selection of built-in effects for any instrument
- Creative Groove Looper: Layer, loop, and experiment with over 100 drum patterns
- Spark AI: Automatically generate the ideal tone with AI-powered suggestions
- Smart Jam: Create dynamic backing tracks that adapt to any playing style
- Auto Chords: Real-time chord display for millions of songs
- 100,000+ Tones: A vast library of downloadable tones, created by musicians worldwide
Ready for the Road
Lightweight yet rugged, Spark EDGE is built to go anywhere. Featuring an ergonomic handle for easy carrying and a durable design that withstands the rigors of travel, Spark EDGE offers two listening angles—upright or tilted. In addition, an optional rechargeable battery (sold separately) offers up to 10 hours of playing time per charge.
Limited Edition Grilles
Limited-edition grilles (sold separately) allow for personalization, with bold designs like Sunburst and On the Edge offering a distinct, eye-catching look before the first note is even played.
Essential Extras
- Bluetooth® Streaming: Stream music directly through the amp and blend tracks with live performances using onboard volume control
- WiFi: Over-the-air firmware updates ensure seamless improvements, with no computer required
- Send stereo outs to the PA and use Spark EDGE as a monitor while maintaining tone control
- Compatible with Spark accessories including Spark Control X, Spark CAB, Spark LINK and more
With pioneering advancements in pickups and electronics, the AEG-1 is designed to offer exceptional acoustic sound and amplification.
The LR Baggs AEG-1 represents a highly versatile, forward-thinking approach to acoustic guitar luthierie. It sports a streamlined body shape with built-in electronics and pickup/microphone settings, providing a wide range of tones suitable for different playing environments and musical styles.
"The reason for AEG-1’s groundbreaking performance is its patent pending integrated neck support system that frees the guitar’s top and back from the need to support the neck. This allows Baggs unprecedented freedom to voice the top and back of each guitar to maximize the acoustic response, achieving a full-bodied sound from a slim and comfortable design. With greater structural integrity, more string energy is driven into the top, resulting in a wider dynamic range, greater tonal depth, enhanced low-frequency response, and improved tuning stability."
The AEG-1’s electronics feature an all-discrete studio grade preamp with a multi-pole crossover system that seamlessly blends the HiFi Pickups and Silo Mic for an inspiring feel and sound in any position – ranging between direct and natural to open and airy,and everywhere in between. As with all LR Baggs electronics, you can expect wonderful warmth, purity, low noise, and long battery life. The system’s three-knob side-mounted controls offer quick access to master volume, pickup/mic blend, tone shaping, phase inversion, and a battery life indicator.
Features
- Three different gloss-finished options for top wood: Torrefied Sitka Spruce, Natural Engelmann Spruce, or Sunburst Sitka Spruce
- Indian Rosewood back, with composite poplar frame body
- African Mahogany neck wood carved in a slim “C” shape
- Indian Rosewood fretboard with 16” radius, 25-5/8” (651mm) scale length and 20 frets
- Indian Rosewood bridge with composite saddle
- Nut width is 1.7” (43mm)made of composite material, with closed back tuners
- Onboard electronics/pickup system: Custom HiFi Duet with HiFi Pickups and Silo Microphone
- Full-sized body similar to a dreadnought-style guitar with scalloped X bracing, slim profile 2-1/2” body depth, and carved beveled armrest for extra comfort
- Utilizes single 9-volt with approximately 120-hour life
The Baggs AEG-1 Acoustic Electric Guitar is the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to high-performance acoustic amplification, all rooted in the craftsmanship of a luthier. Our founder and master luthier, Lloyd Baggs, began his journey as a guitar maker, creating instruments for artists like Ry Cooder, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, and Janis Ian. His deep respect for the guitar evolved into a quest to faithfully amplify his own instruments for live performance.
After years of studying the physics of acoustic instruments and pioneering advancements in pickups and electronics, the Baggs AEG-1 is the realization of everything we’ve learned about acoustic sound and amplification. Lloyd’s dual expertise as a luthier and a pickup designer allowed us to craft a guitar and its electronics in harmony, finely tuning the system for this instrument.
Lloyd Baggs, founder of LR Baggs and Baggs Guitars, describes the journey that has led to his newest creation: “My desire to faithfully amplify the acoustic guitars I was building as a luthier led to the creation of our pickup company. It became my life’s work to eliminate every obstacle to playing live acoustic guitar easy, inspiring, and fun. The AEG-1 is the realization of this philosophy and I’m incredibly proud of this instrument. I hope it brings you inspiration and joy for years to come!”
Designed in California and manufactured in South Korea, the Baggs AEG-1 carries a street price of $1599.
For more information, please visit lrbaggs.com.
Trey Hensley | Baggs AEG-1 First Listen - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.LR Baggs AEG-1 Acoustic-electric Guitar - Torrefied Spruce Top
AEG-1 Acou Elect Guitar, TorrefiedA 26 1/4" scale length, beastly pickups, and buttery playability provoke deep overtone exploration and riotous drop-tuning sounds.
A smooth, easy player that makes exploring extra scale length a breeze. Pickups have great capacity for overtone detail. Sounds massive with mid-scooped fuzz devices.
Hot pickups can obscure some nuance that the wealth of overtones begs for.
$1,499
Reverend Billy Corgan Drop Z
reverendguitars.com
No matter how strong your love for the guitar, there are days when you stare at your 6-string and mutter under your breath, “Ugh … you again?” There are many ways to rekindle affection for our favorite instruments. You can disappear to Mexico for six months, noodle on modular synths, or maybe buy a crappy vintage car that leaves you longing for the relative economy of replacing strings instead of carburetors. But if you don’t want to stray too far, there are also many variations on the 6-string theme to explore. You can poke around on a baritone, or a 6-string bass, or multiply your strings by two until you reach jingle-jangle ecstasy.
Or you can check out the Reverend Billy Corgan Drop Z. At a glance, the Drop Z may not look like much of a cure for the 6-string doldrums. But pick it up and you’ll feel the difference fast. The Drop Z is built around a 26 1/4" scale and a 24-fret neck that makes this Reverend feel like a very different instrument. Designed and optimized for use with drop tunings, it opens the doors to whole palace ballrooms full of new musical possibilities.
Beastly Blue and Easy To Use
If the feel of the Drop Z alone doesn’t dislodge you from a guitar rut, there’s a good chance that its pretty profile would compel you to pick it up and play. It’s a handsome instrument. The conservatively chambered alder body (it’s routed at the bass and treble horns) is clad in a very pretty twilight-blue-meets-ocean-turquoise glossy finish, which is complimented perfectly by the brushed-aluminum pickguard. The chambered body definitely helps with the weight; the Drop Z is a little less than eight pounds. It also helps the guitar feel very balanced. There’s not a hint of neck dive. And if it weren’t for the discernibly longer stretch you make to reach the first fret, it would feel as familiar and comfortable as a nice Stratocaster.
The medium-oval neck, which is satin-finished maple with a maple fretboard, is a pleasure. It feels substantial and fast, and getting around its expanse is facilitated by a perfect setup. The 12" fretboard radius and jumbo frets also add to the Drop Z’s easy-breezy feel. Big bends require little more effort than they would on a normal scale, and I never felt the urge to squeeze a note to compensate for the weird intonation issues big frets and long scales can cause. From first fret to 24th, playing the Drop Z is an easy glide.
The Drop-Z pickups are a modified version of the Railhammer Billy Corgan Z-One pickups in his other Billy Corgan signature Reverends. The pickups’ impedance is rated at 14.5 ohms, which suggests a pretty hot unit. In this incarnation, the Z-One pickups are tuned for even more output and smoother treble. That’s a good idea for a pickup designed with heavy musical settings in mind.
Fangs on Cue, but Mellon Collie, Too
Though the Drop Z is easy to play in a getting-around-the-fretboard sense, plugging and turning up may take adjustments in approach and attitude. As the pickups’ impedance rating suggests, the Railhammer Z-Ones have a lot of hop, and as the expansive lengths of string resonate impressively, you’ll hear a lot of very present treble overtones. I spent most of my time with the instrument in a C# modal tuning or C–G–D–G–B–B, and in each tuning the Drop Z rumbled impressively (particularly through a late-’60s Fender Bassman head, which is a beautiful, burly match for this instrument). But unless I wanted to linger among the peaky resonances of the highest two strings (and I often did), I needed to attenuate both tone controls.
The good thing is that each of these controls has a very nice range. And while the guitar can start to feel stripped of its essence with too much tone or volume attenuation, there is wiggle room for softening transients and taming unwanted overtone blooms. These pronounced peaks are easy to hear in both the neck and bridge pickup, depending on your approach. I worked a lot more with open strings and drones than Billy Corgan might on songs like “Zero,” which the guitar was tailored for. But for those keen to explore the mellower side of the Drop Z’s personality, the combined pickup setting is a magic bullet. It’s airy, open, and makes it easy and rewarding to navigate slow-moving chord changes with strong bass foundations. It’s also fun to take advantage of the fretboard’s whole expanse in this setting—darting and dashing from toppy treble-note clusters to growling bass harmony notes—and enjoying the detail and string-to-string balance. By the way, the Drop Z, as you might guess, sounds positively massive with distortion, though you should be careful to choose your gain device carefully. The pickup’s midrange emphasis will make a similarly mid-heavy distortion sound harsh. A Sovtek-style Big Muff, with its scooped midrange and round low-end resonance, is an ideal fit if you want to get extra large.
The Verdict
The Korea-made Drop Z is a beautifully crafted instrument and a silky, easy, balanced player that will make you forget, in moments, about the expansive fretboard and extra scale length. It feels completely natural and effortless. How you relate to the tones here will depend on your musical mission. The hot pickups make it a perfect fit for outsized, aggressive tones. I, for one, would prefer to explore the wealth of overtones this well-constructed instrument generates via less aggressive pickups. But players like me will still find much to love in the combined pickup settings and the pickups’ impressive capacity for detail, which, depending on the tuning you use, can highlight harmonic interplay between notes and chords that would be much less prominent and less fun to explore in a more conventional guitar.
Reverend Billy Corgan Drop Z Signature Electric Guitar - Pearl White
Billy Corgan Drop Z, Pearl WhtA familiar-feeling looper occupies a sweet spot between intuitive and capable.
Intuitive operation. Forgiving footswitch feel. Extra features on top of basic looping feel like creative assets instead of overkill.
Embedded rhythm tracks can sneak up on you if you’re not careful about the rhythm level.
$249
DigiTech JamMan Solo HD
digitech.com
Maybe every guitarist’s first pedal should be a looper. There are few more engaging ways to learn than playing along to your own ideas—or programmed rhythms, for that matter, which are a component of the new DigiTech JamMan Solo HD’s makeup. Beyond practicing, though, the Solo HD facilitates creation and fuels the rush that comes from instant composition and arrangement or jamming with a very like-minded partner in a two-man band.
Loopers can be complex enough to make beginners cry. They are fun if you have time to venture for whole weeks down a rabbit hole. But a looper that bridges the functionality and ease-of-use gap between the simplest and most maniacal ones can be a sweet spot for newbies and seasoned performers both. The JamMan Solo HD lives squarely in that zone. It also offers super-high sound quality and storage options, and capacity that would fit the needs of most pros—all in a stomp just millimeters larger than a Boss pedal.
Fast Out of the Blocks
Assuming you’ve used some kind of rudimentary looper before, there’s pretty decent odds you’ll sort out the basic functionality of this one with a couple of exploratory clicks of the footswitch. That’s unless you’ve failed to turn down the rhythm-level knob, in which case you’ll be scrambling for the quick start guide to figure out why there is a drum machine blaring from your amp. The Solo HD comes loaded with rhythm tracks that are actually really fun to use and invaluable for practice. In the course of casually exploring these, I found them engaging and vibey enough to be lured into crafting expansive dub reggae jams, thrashing punk riffs, and lo-fi cumbias. Removing these tracks from a given loop is just a matter of turning the rhythm volume to zero. You can also create your own guide rhythms with various percussion sounds.
Backing tracks aside, creating loops on the Solo HD involves a common single-click-to-record, double-click-to-stop footswitch sequence. Recording an overdub takes another single click, and you hold the footswitch down to erase a loop. Storing a loop requires a simple press-and-hold of the store switch. The sizable latching footswitch, which looks and feels quite like those on Boss pedals, is forgiving and accurate. This has always been a strength of JamMan loopers, and though I’m not completely certain why, it means I screw up the timing of my loops a lot less.
Many players will be satisfied with how easy this functionality is and explore little more of the Solo HD’s capabilities. And why not? The storage capacity—up to 35 minutes of loops and 10 minutes for individual loops—is enough that you can craft a minor prog-rock suite from these humble beginnings. Depending on how economical your loops are, you can use all or most of the 200 available memory locations built into the Solo HD. But you can also add another 200 with an SD/SDHC card.Deeper into Dubs
Loopers have always been more than performance and practice tools for me. I have old multitrack demos that still live in the memory banks of my oldest loopers. And just as with any demos, the sounds you create with the Solo HD may be tough to top or duplicate, which can mean a loop becomes the foundation of a whole recorded song. The Solo HD’s tempo and reverse features, which can completely mutate a loop, make this situation even more likely. The tempo function raises or lowers the BPM without changing the pitch of the loop. As a practice tool, this is invaluable for learning a solo at a slower clip. But drastically altered tempos can also help create entirely new moods for a musical passage without altering a favorite key to sing or play in. Some of these alterations reveal riffs and hooks within riffs and hooks, from which I would happily build a whole finished work. The reverse function is similarly inspiring and a source of unusual textures that can be the foundation for a more complex piece.
HD, of course, stands for high definition. And the Solo HD’s capacity for accurate, dense, and detail-rich stacks of loops means you can build complex musical weaves highlighting the interaction between overtones or timbre differences among other effects in your chain. I can’t remember the last time I felt like a looper’s audio resolution was really lacking. But the improved quality here lends itself to using the Solo HD as a song-arranging tool—and, again, as a recording asset, if you want a looped idea to form the backbone of a recording.
The Verdict
With a looper, smooth workflow is everything. And though it takes practice and some concentration in the early going to extract the most from the Solo HD’s substantial feature set, it is, ultimately, a very intuitive instrument that will not just smooth the use of loops in performance, but extend and enhance its ability as a right-brain-oriented driver of composition and creation.