While there are several stellar and very practical solid-state or digital modeling amp options on the market these days, there’s still nothing quite like the robust sound and dynamic response that a good bassist and a great tube amp can produce together. And for players who revel in that type of tube-driven glory, the 300-watt Verellen Meatsmoke head is one of the most compelling new bass amps to come along in the last couple of years.
Unfortunately, at $2,500, the Meatsmoke also commands a price as hefty as its tone—a price that puts it out of reach for most budget-conscious players. But with the recently released Meatsmoke pedal, Verellen has essentially taken the amp's entire preamp circuit and packed it into a stomp-able enclosure. That beefy Meatsmoke tone—from brawny, glassy cleans to articulate grind to savagely overdriven roar—can now be had for well under a grand.
Where There’s Smoke …
The Meatsmoke is built of thick, industrial-grade
steel and Baltic-birch side panels, and
that’s a good thing, because there’s a pair of
JJ 12AX7 preamp tubes to protect in there.
At more than 10" wide, the Meatsmoke
takes up more space than most effects, so
be prepared to shove a few stomps on your
pedalboard out of the way to make room.
The Meatsmoke’s top panel features a 3-band EQ, controls for gain and master volume, and a pair of footswitches—one for engaging the boost and a true-bypass one for the preamp. Around back, there’s also a ground-lift switch, a high/low toggle for setting the level of the non-filtered 1/4" output jack—low for use in front of an amp, or high for use with a power amp or in an amp’s effects return—and a dedicated 1/4" line-level output with speaker simulation. Personally, I would have preferred to see the latter as a balanced XLR jack to avoid hum and signal-degradation issues.
Slow-Roasted Tone
I tested the Meatsmoke with a Fender
American Jazz bass, a Gallien-Krueger
400RB head, and an Ampeg SVT-410HLF
cabinet. I started by setting the output
switch to low and routing the signal
through the G-K’s main input. This configuration
delivered an instantly noticeable
difference in the midrange and lows, with
deliciously pummeling clean tones and
a warm, dynamic response that’s rare to
encounter when tubes aren’t part of the
equation. And I could shape the tone in
ways well beyond what the amp’s controls
could do on their own.
The Meatsmoke’s EQ has a huge range, and even slight adjustments make a big difference. I didn’t need to stray too far from 12 o’clock settings to dial in a wide array of rock, jazz, and blues tones. Pushing midrange to about 1 o’clock gave the G-K a raunchy, punchy sound, and inching the bass knob higher expanded the amp’s lows considerably. However, the Meatsmoke’s treble voicing was less pronounced, so if I wanted a brighter, snappier tone—say, one more apt for slapping and popping—I had to go beyond 2 o’clock to get there.
Because the Meatsmoke is capable of delivering a lot of output—even with the output switch set to low—I had to be careful with volume and gain settings. Too much caused the G-K to fart out rather easily, especially under heavy attack. And sometimes when I engaged the boost— which delivers a huge jump in volume that’s, unfortunately, not adjustable—the amp had an even harder time discerning the lows from the mids, resulting in a garbled, muddy overdrive. Coincidentally, and by popular request, Verellen has announced that next-generation Meatsmoke pedals will feature independent, footswitchable channels for normal and boost, each with its own gain, EQ, and volume settings.
Ratings
Pros:
Adds tube warmth to stiff-sounding rigs. Superb overdrive. Tough construction. Gets very close to Meatsmoke amp tones for considerably less money.
Cons:
No XLR direct out. Needs careful tuning to sound full and detailed with some bass amps. No dedicated gain control for boost.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$699
Company
verellenamplifiers.com
As nice as the Meatsmoke’s tones were running through the amp’s input, the results were nothing short of amazing when I ran it through the effects return. Suddenly there were incredible details and harmonics in the rich, deep clean tones, and overdrive sounded gargantuan—with endlessly sustaining low end and sweet midrange when I engaged the gain boost.
I A/B’d this rig with a full-sized Meatsmoke amp and—other than the added presence and detail in the lows and highs from the Meatsmoke amp’s set of 6550 power tubes—the two setups sounded strikingly similar. The response was somewhat quicker through the solid-state G-K, but the overall tone was definitely in the same ballpark.
While the Meatsmoke pedal is designed primarily for bass, it provides great tones for guitar, too. Its EQ boosted a Gibson Les Paul Custom’s midrange and low end exceptionally well, and added a cool, gravelly texture to the highs. The Gibson’s hotter Tom Anderson pickups didn’t push the gain in the same grinding way as the Jazz bass, but they did yield a thick, glassy overdrive reminiscent of an old Sunn Model T or a Hiwatt.
The Verdict
With the Meatsmoke preamp, Verellen
Amplification has managed to stuff most of the
best traits of its beastly bigger brother into a
tough, compact package. It works very well as
a tone-shaping front-end tool, but really shows
off its abilities when used as a preamp paired
with a separate power amp. The only real bummer
is that the boost circuit would be more
practical with a dedicated gain control, but
with Verellen’s next incarnation of the pedal,
that should no longer be a gripe. The price
is rather steep, but when you consider how
similar its tones are to those from the stellar,
all-tube Meatsmoke head, it feels a little more
reasonable. All in all, pound for pound, it’s an
excellent tool for rock and metal players.
LR Baggs Align Reverb Acoustic Reverb Pedal
The Align Series Reverb was built from the ground up to complement the natural body dynamics and warmth of acoustic instruments that we love so much. The circuit seamlessly integrates the wet and dry signals with the effect in side chain so that it never overwhelms the original signal. We shaped the reverb with analog EQ to reflect the natural voice inherent in acoustic instruments. Additionally, the tone control adds versatility by sweeping from warm and muted to open and present. The result is an organic reverb that maintains the audiophile purity of the original signal with the controls set in any position.
Epiphone Firebird I
When Gibson debuted the Firebird I and Firebird V in 1963, the design was as innovative as it was radical. Like the Flying V and Explorer, the Firebird seemed Martian—or at least like a work of futurist art, with its offset body shape, extended lower and upper bouts, reverse headstock, and through-body neck.
Firebirds came in three versions: The single-pickup Firebird I, the two-humbucker Firebird V, and the three-pickup Firebird VII, with the latter two featuring a Vibrola tailpiece, trapezoid inlays, and neck binding. The first time I saw a Firebird in action, it was in the hands of Johnny Winter, who gave no quarter as he ripped conflagrant solos from its fretboard, but Brian Jones, Clapton, Allen Collins, Paul Stanley, and Phil Manzanera also helped make the model a legend. Original ’60s Firebird V’s sell for as much as $35,000, and reissues peak at nearly $10,000 for the Gibson Custom Shop’s ’63 Firebird V. That’s a lot of dough to look badass on stage. But now, Epiphone—in collaboration with Gibson’s Custom Shop—has taken high-quality reissues of the 1963 Firebird I and V into a more affordable realm. They’re still pricey for an Epi’, at $1,299 and $1,699, respectively, but undeniably brimming with panache.
“I was surprised by how sweet and heavy Gibson’s Firebird Mini Humbuckers sound. There is nothing mini about their tone.”
An’ a I, an’ a V
Our review Firebirds arrived impeccably set up, with action low enough for speed, but high enough for slide—my comfort zone, coincidentally. They are handsome guitars too. The I is finished in gleaming cherry, while the V is decked out in vintage sunburst and a shiny Vibrola tailpiece.
The necks are the not-so-secret weapons on these models. They are 9-ply mahogany and walnut (original Firebirds have a 5-ply neck), sandwiched between mahogany wings, but both guitars are still fairly light. The I is 7 1/2 pounds and the V weighs about 9 pounds due to the additional pickup and bridge hardware. There are 22 comfortable, medium-jumbo frets, which allow easy navigation and elegant bends, a Graph Tech nut, dot neck inlays on the I and trapezoids on the V, a classic Gibson-scale neck length of 24 3/4", and an Indian laurel fretboard. The banjo-style Kluson Planetary tuners, as well as the reverse headstock, take time to get to use to, but contribute to the instruments sleek, clean lines. The Firebird I’s electronics are simply a master volume and tone, with CTS pots and Mallory caps inside, in service of a warm-to-cutting single alnico 5 Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker. The V offers more ways to shape your tone: The Vibrola is cool and vibey and there’s a classic four-dial Gibson control set (also routed through Mallory caps and CTS pots), a 3-way pickup switch on the lower bout, and a pair of those Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbuckers.
Epiphone Firebird V
Trial by Firebird
I was sure I would prefer the Firebird V playing experience, because I am typically a neck-pickup player, but both guitars revealed sonic charms through Carr Vincent and Telstar amps running in stereo, my vintage Marshall Super Lead, and a Positive Grid Spark.
Low-action setups on both accommodate everything from campfire chords to screaming single-note playing past the 12th fret, with the perfectly smooth fret ends and comfortable neck making it all a pleasure. The neck broadens to 2 1/4" at the body, from 1 3/4" at the nut, making it easy to hit high notes accurately. But what really excited me, besides how artful these guitars look, is the power and sound of the pickups.
I was surprised by how sweet and heavy Gibson’s Firebird Mini Humbuckers sound. There is nothing mini about their tone, whether slashing and growling through the Marshall or pouring thick honey out of the Carrs. And through the Spark, a highly pleasing snarl and juicy warmth were all on tap. Despite my predilection for neck pickups, I became really excited by the Firebird I. The simplicity and elegance of its look, streamlined controls, clean surface, and light weight made the I a joy to play, especially with the treble rolled to near-zero. There, early Clapton-esque tone was a cinch to find, and for blues and pseudo-jazz-licks (the best I can muster in that genre), the warmth and clarity were delightful. Despite its basic construction, the Epiphone Firebird I is assuredly more than a rock machine.
Sure, having the addition of a neck pickup on the Firebird V provides a wider selection of tones, but the voices achievable on the I were no less winning and, honestly, I could not find any pickup-and-dial configuration on the V that sounded all that different or better than those available on the I. But, ah, a Vibrola is a very nice appointment—not just for its grand appearance, which is like some antiquarian treasure, but for the subtle bends its enables. If atmospheric guitar tones from the Ventures to Hermanos Gutiérrez are your passion, you’d want the Vibrola, which stays remarkably in tune, given its relatively primitive design.
The Verdict
Make no mistake: With their uncommonly proportioned offset bodies and reverse headstocks, guitars like the Epiphone Firebird I and V require time to get acquainted. But if you’re unafraid to stand out from the crowd, these instruments will serve you visually and sonically. Both play well and offer a good scope of vintage tones—from aggressive to dark maple sugar—with simple dial adjustments. And while many other Epiphone models sell for less, these well-crafted copies of original Gibson designs provide custom-shop or boutique-builder quality at a much lower price. PG
