Tom Butwin is back with round two of Pedalmania 2025!
First, he demos the versatile Chase Bliss Brothers AM, a collaboration with Analog Man that packs the beloved King of Tone sound into a compact powerhouse. Next, experience the unique and wild sounds of Eventide's Knife Drop, a collaboration with Third Man that delivers crushing distortion and synth tones. Finally, explore the simple but effective Rock N Roll Relics Stinger Overdrive, an old-school pedal with new old stock parts that offers a wide range of usable tones—from a clean boost to searing leads.
Revv Amplification set the standard for clean lunchbox amplifiers in 2019 with the release of the D20: a portable all-tube amplifier & the world’s first with Two notes Torpedo-embedded direct XLR for zero-compromise tone & feel without a cabinet. 6 years later, Revv saw fit to raise the standard with the D20 MK2, featuring a host of tonal and functional upgrades based on feedback from some of the most respected recording & touring guitarists in the world. Even better - Joey Landreth is once again lending his ears to a Joey Landreth D20JL, promising the same MK2 improvements with additional headroom & top end on tap (not to mention the exclusive JL colorway); similar to the fan-favorite D25JL released earlier this year. Both heads now come standard in a new tolex lunchbox enclosure for an ideal combination of looks & weight reduction. Complete with onboard reverb & an included 2-button footswitch, the D20 MK2 & D20JL are ideal for any player looking for a single-channel clean/edge-of-breakup amp with a touch-sensitive feel & record-ready tone.
“These new D20s feel like a step towards the next generation of Revv. Getting to introduce these to the world all over again with 6 years of tone tweaks & workflow improvements is a dream come true & getting to work with Joey is always super fun. I really look forward to seeing what guitarists do with these.” - Dan Trudeau, President & Designer Revv Amplification Inc.
The D20 MK2 features:
The award-winning D20 platform w/ new switching, reverb, & tonal updates 6 years in the making.
All-tube design w/ 2x 12AX7 preamp + 2x 6V6 power tubes. Switchable from 20w to 4w operation.
Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, Volume, Reverb, & Level controls + Treble & Gain Boost switches.
Perfect for clean & edge of breakup tones w/ an organic, touch-sensitive feel ideal for pedals.
Pristine digital reverb, transparent buffered effects loop, MIDI control, & more.
Two notes Torpedo-embedded reactive load & impulse response XLR out for direct performance & recording.
Special Joey Landreth Edition D20JL features tone tweaks & exclusive aesthetics inspired by the D25JL.
New standard tolex lunchbox design. 10” x 14.75” x 8.75” - 15.5lbs.
Manufactured in Canada to rigorous quality standards w/ 2 year limited warranty & included 2-button footswitch.
The street price for Revv’s D20 MK2 is $1349US, & $1499 for the D20JL. Both can be ordered immediately through many fine dealers worldwide or directly at www.revvamplification.com.
The cosmic-country cowboy touts a rig inspired by the greats and powered by a mix of vintage and modern-day gear.
Hot on the heels of his new record, Horizons, Daniel Donato took PG’s John Bohlinger on a trip through his live setup, which spans more than 70 years of electric-guitar history.
This Fender Custom Shop 1963 Telecaster has “everything that a great traditional Telecaster needs,” says Donato.
Jack of All Trades
This DGN Custom Guitars T-style, built by Dan Neafsey, is dubbed the Epoch. Donato wanted a Tele that he could play all night without tiring of the tones, so Neafsey assembled this do-it-all electric. Its body is an eighth of an inch smaller than a traditional Tele’s, and its flame-maple neck sports a compound radius. Neafsey wound the PAF-style pickups, which can be configured as overwound single-coils via a coil-tap function. The steel ashtray bridge was cut to fit a humbucker.
Donato plays Dunlop Jazz III picks, and loads his guitars with a .010–.052 set of Ernie Ball Slinky strings.
Pro Tip
This 1966 Fender Pro Reverb is the first black-panel amp Donato ever purchased. It’s been converted to a 2x12 configuration in place of the usual 1x15, and it’s loaded with Weber 12F150 speakers.
Daniel Donato’s Pedalboard
Donato says that while the Pro Reverb is the steak, the Fender Tonemaster Pro is the best thing to season it with. His effects run into this floor unit, which is set to a black-panel Twin Reverb program, through a Radial Highline, and out to the front of house at a clean, crisp level. Donato uses some of the Tonemaster Pro’s onboard effects, too, like a graphic EQ and tape echo.
The rest of the board, designed by XAct Tone Solutions, carries a Dunlop X Volume Mini and CAE Wah, Gamechanger Audio Plus, Greer Lightspeed, a Keeley Noble Screamer, Cosmic Country Phaser, and Rotary, a Strymon TimeLine, Walrus R1, Universal Audio Max, DigiTech FreqOut, and Eventide H90.
An EHX Hum Debugger, always on, rests on top of his amp to keep his Teles in line.
The Certified Guitar Player chats (and jams) with John Bohlinger about recording his new album Living in the Light, detailing his philosophy on tone and live sound, his focus on song arrangements and melody, hitting the onstage curveballs, and why he’ll never retire from being happy (performing).
