Channel Linking without the Fuss
Like Dr. Z’s Remedy amp, the Antidote achieves much of its versatility via creatively configured volume controls. Decades ago some inspired tone seeker found you could link two input channels on Marshall plexis and Hiwatts to blend the high and normal inputs. Dr. Z modifies the equation (and eliminates the need for that little 1/4" cable) by offering one input and utilizing two volume controls to mix channels. The high input knob adds top-end shine, while the normal channel has a darker personality.
The Antidote’s power section uses an ultra-linear output transformer and runs two Genalex Gold Lion KT66 power tubes (reissues of the clear glass originals). Purists may scoff at anything short of new-old-stock, gray-glass Genalex KT66s, but the reissues are powerful as hell and don’t cost a fortune. The preamp section utilizes three 12AX7s, and there’s a 5AR4 rectifier.
Another important feature is the front panel’s modern/vintage toggle. The vintage voicing tends toward tweed Fender Bassman rumble—fat with ample low end. Flipping to the modern setting focuses the midrange, enabling everything from Blue Cheer-style rage to more ’70s-style flavors. You control both voicings via a single tone section (3-band EQ plus a presence knob). You can also use a footswitch to bypass the EQ section for savagely loud high-gain lead sounds. There are separate outputs for 4 , 8 , and 16 cabs.
Like all Dr. Z amplifiers I’ve played, the Antidote is expertly crafted. It’s handwired at the company’s home base in Cleveland, Ohio, and my review model is covered in blonde vinyl. (Black and red are also available.) The 27-pound head is constructed from 1 1/4" birch. Its corners are reinforced with metal brackets, and it rests on four extra-large rubber feet. In addition to a jagged metal “Z” nameplate, this model is emblazoned with a serpent-entwined caduceus, a clever play on the amp’s medical-sounding name and an elegant match for the Antidote’s clean, uncomplicated aesthetic.
The Volume Man ComethFirst off, this thing is “holy $#!t” loud. If you seek bedroom levels with serious crunch, forget it. With no master volume, you need to crank the Antidote to get its 45 watts cookin’. That said, lower volume levels are more than suitable for clean tones, though you’ll still need to give the amp a fair bit of gas to get the fullest low-end tones. Pegging the normal volume at 10 o’clock with the high volume around 8 o’clock produces a clean-ish Marshall-type tone, albeit on the darker end of the spectrum.
The KT66 power tubes are often associated with Clapton’s Model 1962 “Bluesbreaker” sound, and the Antidote mimics that classic Marshall combo well. The picking response is exemplary—punchy with a resonant, bell-like attack that gets dirtier the harder you dig in. Keeping the toggle in vintage mode opens up room to explore these sonic regions, and pairing the Antidote with humbuckers helps nail those Clapton tones. Switching to a Fender Jaguar, I found myself rolling back the amp’s presence to accommodate the brighter single-coils. Setting both volume controls to noon summons tones akin to a driven JTM45 or Bassman. Expect crunchy clarity with well-defined bass heft.
Flipping the character switch to modern provides a significant mid boost that usually requires some EQ tweaking for both humbuckers and single-coils. The amp’s overdrive capabilities blossom in this setting, where you get an extra spoonful of output.
Ratings
Pros: Handwired, high-quality machine for fans of old-school amps. Simple and versatile control layout.
Cons:Live at Leeds tones require Live at Leeds volume.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street: $1,899
drzamps.com
Paired with humbuckers, the Antidote is a heart-stopping, Thin Lizzy-style hard-rock machine, rich with sustain and natural compression. Dirtier settings also yield smooth, singing sustain, but remain airy in the upper-mid frequencies, with an elastic picking response.
Both closed and open-back cabs work great with the Antidote, though I preferred the gloriously sharp snap of a 4x12 paired with the KT66s. Adding pedals to the mix showcases the Antidote’s clarity. Fuzz pedals are especially effective—even the chainsaw buzz of an EarthQuaker Devices Hoof Fuzz retains its unhinged but harmonically rich voice.
The Verdict
Dr. Z amps aren’t exactly cheap, but they’re beautifully built. Take care of the Antidote, and it’ll probably take care of you for a very long time. This 45-watter isn’t for high-gain freaks, but it delivers aggressive hard-rock tones and enough volume to sail over the loudest band. It will capture the hearts of vintage-Marshall and tweed-Bassman lovers. It rewards old-school overdrive methods—namely, working your guitar’s volume knob. The prismatic cleans turn on a dirty dime if you give it gas, with humbuckers providing a heavier crunch at lower volumes. If vintage Marshall tones have eluded you, or if you like the idea of JTM tones plus a little something extra, Dr. Z does indeed have the Antidote.
Immaculate Conception … and Execution
Like the original LG-2, the American Eagle is a compact guitar—just 14.25" wide at the bass bout. It features a classic, all-solid tonewood combination of Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, a mahogany neck, and a rosewood fretboard and bridge. Some very attractive pieces of wood were selected for the guitar, too. The top has a fine, even grain, and the mahogany has a rich pattern with a hint of almost curly figuring on the back and sides.
Much like its vintage antecedent, the LG-2 has a tastefully restrained demeanor. Simple mother-of-pearl dot markers adorn the fretboard, and a pair of similar dots is inlaid on the signature Gibson belly-up bridge. A simple rosette, multi-ply top binding, and single-ply back binding, as well as the same headstock logo that first appeared on late-’40s LGs tie the new LG-2 to its modest mid-century beginnings. But there are deviations from tradition, too. The American Eagle does away with a pickguard, and the more squared-off headstock looks more like that of a 1930s Gibson AJ. Further, while the original LG-2 was finished exclusively in sunburst, the new LG-2 is available exclusively in natural—just like the original LG-3 (which makes us wonder why the new guitar isn’t called the LG-3 American Eagle).
Regardless of nomenclature, the LG-2 is made at Gibson’s acoustic shop in Bozeman, Montana. This shop has put out guitars of superlative quality over the last several years, so it came as no surprise that our review guitar featured top-notch craftsmanship from stem to stern. The 19 frets are immaculately dressed and seated, and the Tusq nut and saddle are all tidily notched. All of the binding is perfectly flush with the body, and the nitrocellulose lacquer finish is remarkably thin, absolutely even, and rubbed to a beautiful gloss. On the interior, the scalloped top bracing is smoothly sanded and there’s not a trace of excess glue to be found.
Little Tone Machine
Small and light, the LG-2 is easy to get acquainted with and a joy to hold. Equipped with light-gauge strings and a factory-set action of 4/64" on the first string at the 12th fret, and 6/64" for the sixth, the guitar feels pretty close to perfect right out of the case. The neck has a traditional-feeling V shape but feels a lot less cumbersome and more playable than the baseball-bat-like profiles on some originals. The slightly shorter 24 3/4" scale will be familiar to players who favor Gibson electrics and most of the company’s acoustics, and the 1.725" nut—while not a fingerstyle-ideal 1.75"—provides ample room for fingerpicking while also being hospitable to chords with thumb-fretted bass notes.
If you’re accustomed to the sound of a larger-bodied flattop, the LG-2 can seem a bit muted and tame at first. But it doesn’t take much strumming before the excellent balance between the bass, mid, and treble registers become apparent—the first hint that this guitar could bloom into something extraordinary as it becomes more seasoned. Excellent sustain and a natural, rich reverberative quality reinforce that notion.
The LG-2 excels in its most natural and obvious settings—country-blues fingerpicking and Travis picking—but its balanced, pianistic qualities also make it a great fit for styles you might not associate with steel-string—like arrangements of piano pieces by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. In these classical settings, the note separation and tonal balance—essential qualities for harmonically and melodically complex pieces—are superb, and they’re further highlighted by the guitar’s dynamic, detailed responsiveness.
Ratings
Pros: Superb tonal balance. Excellent playability. Classy, minimalist styling. Streamlined electronics.
Cons: Some fingerstyle players will crave a 1.75" nut.
Tones:
Playability:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$1,899 (with hardsell case)
gibson.com
Despite lacking the power of a good dreadnought or jumbo, the LG-2 has a nicely defined and surprisingly present low end, and it responds well to rhythm styles that rely heavily on an articulate bass, like boom-chuck, Carter strumming, and fragmentary four-to-the-bar, Freddie Green-style rhythms. But the guitar soars in single-note settings, too: Florid improvisations and bluesy meanderings that make plentiful use of open strings sound warm, sweet, and super defined whether you use a flatpick or fingerpicking techniques.
One of the biggest differences between the American Eagle and its forebears is that it’s equipped with an L.R. Baggs Element pickup. The system is more inconspicuous than most: It has a 1/4" endpin jack and a single volume knob tucked discreetly inside the soundhole. The pickup is sonically unobtrusive, as well. Plugged into a Fender Acoustasonic amp or a DAW, the guitar sounds full and organic and has little of the noise and artificiality that tends to plague many undersaddle pickups. The bass sounds ample with-out being tubby, and the trebles clear and present.
The Verdict With the LG-2 American Eagle, Gibson has successfully revisited one of its entry-level flattops, respectfully incorporating many of its original constructional and cosmetic de-tails while making it friendlier to the modern player. While it’s an absolute peach of an instrument by any measure, it’s also a pretty reasonable deal by Gibson standards—particularly given how original specimens of this onetime sleeper have escalated in value.
Some of those instruments have since developed cult followings, though. And one of the biggest fans of the Rampage was—and is—Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who purchased his first one while working at a music store when the guitar was new. Its simple design and rock-solid reliability soon made it Cantrell's go-to guitar. Eventually, G&L and Cantrell would team up to release his own signature Rampage model, and more recently, a Superhawk reissue built in his honor. Cantrell's new Superhawk Deluxe has the same dual-humbucker setup as the original Superhawk, but a slightly different bridge configuration, a subdued flamed-maple top (available in transparent blueburst and blackburst finishes), and an even simpler control layout.
Hawk Rawk
The basic building blocks of the 25 1/2"-scale Superhawk Deluxe don't deviate much from the Rampage’s. The body is built from soft maple, which is dense enough to make it heavier than, say, a Stratocaster, but not as massive as something like a Norlin-era Les Paul. Its beefy hard-rock maple neck is bolted to the body and sports a 22-fret ebony fingerboard with Plek-dressed medium-jumbo fretwire.
Our review model arrived with an eye-catching blueburst finish. While the darker areas around the burst and the back of the guitar look jet black from a distance, shining a light on them reveals deep purple shades. Close inspection of the fit, finish, and build quality revealed no construction flaws or cut corners.
Cantrell has never been into guitars with excessive frills, so it makes sense that the Superhawk Deluxe's hardware and pickups follow a no-nonsense approach: The floating Kahler bridge that used to be a mainstay on the Rampage has been replaced with G&L's non-floating Saddle Lock bridge, which enhances sustain by locking the saddles against each other, eliminating undesirable vibration and making the unit resonate more like a one-piece saddle.
A Seymour Duncan JB, long a favorite of Cantrell's, sits in the bridge position, and a lower-output '59 model is situated in the neck position. Both are controlled with a volume knob, a tone knob, and a 3-way switch. This setup works wonderfully for players who share Cantrell's penchant for a straightforward controls, but it limits those who like to use independent tone controls to move from treble-heavy to bassier, rolled-off tones with a simple flip of a switch.
Predatory Tone
Judging by the Superhawk Deluxe's lively unplugged resonance, G&L put a lot of thought and effort into making the guitar sustain as much as possible. And as I tuned the guitar, I noticed an impressive amount of vibration transferring to my body—and that’s usually the sign of well-built instrument. Even so, the resonance of the Superhawk Deluxe was extra remarkable.
Combined with a Bogner Ecstasy Red preamp pedal running into the power amp of a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, the Superhawk Deluxe unleashed mammoth rhythm tones rich with lows and detailed mids. The guitar's maple body and neck seem to give the output a bright edge and quick attack, which goes well with amps that have darker voicings. The 25 1/2" scale also brings out the presence and a snappy attack, which is especially noticeable when you flip to the bridge pickup. Even with tons of gain, the guitar demonstrates impressive note-to-note separation. And if the attack is too strong, dropping the tone control to about a third pulls back the intensity without losing the bubbly midrange and expansive lows. With the right amp settings and a controlled picking hand, the output takes on a feel, sound, and vibe eerily similar to Cantrell's.
Ratings
Pros: Superb build quality, resonance, and sustain. Simple, intuitive controls. Handles clean, gritty, and high-gain tones with aplomb.
Cons: Bridge pickup can sound harsh with brighter amps. Simple control set limits switching versatility.
Tones:
Playability:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street: $1,999
glguitars.com
Playing overdriven leads on the Superhawk Deluxe is also a treat. It's pretty easy to dial in a tone that slices right through the mix. The Duncan JB is well known for its ability to cover a lot of tonal ground, and depending on your amp rig and settings, the Superhawk's bridge pickup can easily cover everything from treble-heavy shred to burly, Kyuss-like single-note melodies. Too much treble can make the JB a bit fatiguing to the ear, so you may have to watch for that with high-end-emphasizing rigs.
Given that Cantrell's style has strong southern rock roots, it makes sense that the guitar also handles clean, low-gain tones with aplomb. Arpeggiated clean passages played in the lower registers with the '59 neck pickup ring out with surprisingly effervescent highs and sustain. Country leads played above the 12th fret kick with a snappy, stinging attack. The '59's legendary sensitivity and dynamic range naturally work well with lower gain settings and varied picking intensity. And when you use the JB and '59 together, mid-gain tones take on a very Jimmy Page-like vibe with a rubbery low end and slightly hollowed mids that growl harder when you really dig in.
The Verdict
If you're one of the many players obsessed with capturing Jerry Cantrell's wailing guitar tones, the new signature Superhawk Deluxe might be right up your alley. Its resonance and build quality are excellent, the simple controls and stable tuning make it satisfying to play, and the versatile pickup set can cover hard rock, metal, classic rock, country, and blues. And while fans of the original Superhawk might scoff at the absence of separate tone controls and floating Kahler bridge, the Superhawk Deluxe is bound to impress most heavy rock players—especially those looking to get a taste of the tones that made Jerry Cantrell a living legend.