class-a-b

A supremely versatile two-channel pedal platform.

Players who like pedals will love Fenderā€™s new Hot Rod DeVille ML 212, a 60-watt, 6L6-powered 2x12 combo designed in collaboration with session ace Michael Landau. Design changes to satisfy Landauā€™s predilections make this a very different DeVilleā€”and a fantastic platform for effects.

Hot Rod DeVille ML is part of Fenderā€™s ā€œInspired Byā€ series, a product family based on real-world modifications to Fender gear by pro players. Landau, a tone colorist, used a stock DeVille for years as a canvas for his pedals. But to Landau, master volume controls sound ā€œartificial.ā€ Heā€™s also no fan of channel switching, contending that an EQ setting for one channel doesnā€™t always work for a second channel using the same tone circuit. So instead of switching between two channels, the ML 212 enables switching between two volume settings on a single channel.

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Can you turn a vintage Fender Vibrolux Reverb into a mini Super Reverb?

This month I've decided to forgo answering a questionā€”not that I don't have plenty, and thank you for that, loyal readers. Instead we'll explore a mod to a blackface Fender Vibrolux Reverb and the thinking behind it. It's an easy and completely reversible that yields what I consider to be a more versatile amp.

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Improved reverb and scalable power make an Orange stalwart more versatile than ever.

Orange amplifiers have long attracted the worship of high gain freaks. Yes, the ampsā€™ show-stealing visuals make them objects of desire among a wide cross section of players (not to mention great stage dressing), but itā€™s the massive, gooey crunch that keeps heavy players crawling to Orange like ants to the sugar jar.

In 2003 Orange launched their Rockerverb seriesā€”versatile dual-channel heads with reverb and effect loops. The third incarnation, reviewed here, is the 50-watt Rockerverb MKIII, a muscular mid-powered head with improved reverb and scalable power.

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