This modeling amplifier comes in two colors (White, Black), each of which is paired with its own carefully curated selection of preamp models.
The modulation dial can be adjusted to choose between chorus, phaser, and vibrato effects, whereas the delay dial facilitates analog, tape echo, and digital delay. Also, the reverb unit includes room, hall, and church emulations, making sure that there is an atmosphere and effect chain that works for any practice scenario.
A unique feature of this amplifier is how it can be used in two modes: โLiveโ and โPresetโ mode. When using Live mode, guitarists will be able to browse the device's built-in preamp tones, which they can then enhance if they wish to throw the effect units. In contrast, the "Preset" mode allows users to save these effects and dynamic parameter changes into each preset, enabling them to customize them without overwriting the originals.
As any good amplifier should, the Hornet 15 Li is complete with industry-standard features, such as three-band EQ adjustment dials, volume and gain dials, a 1/4" guitar input, and both an auxiliary input and headphone output. However, MOOER has gone above and beyond to pack the amplifier with several special features; for example, this modeling amp boasts separate tap-tempo buttons for both the modulation and delay units, in addition to a dedicated tuner button and function, allowing guitarists to use the device's screen to ensure their guitar tuning is precise. What's more, the Hornet 15 Li also supports Bluetooth input, meaning that any guitarist can stream their favorite songs and backing tracks directly to the amplifier, making practice sessions and rehearsals easier than ever.
Arguably, the most impressive feature of the Hornet 15 Li is the fact that, in addition to being powered by a mains supply, it can also operate on battery. The device is built with an integrated 4000mA.h lithium battery, empowering guitarists to practice guitar on the go for hoursโeven when thereโs no power source nearby. Combining this with how the amp weighs just 2.9kg and comes with a built-in handle, itโs clear that MOOER had portability and convenience in mind when designing this product.
Features:
- Available in 2 colors (White, Black), each with its own selection of classic preamps
- 9 high-quality preamp models, each captured through MOOERโs MNRS technology (controllable through the 9-way tone rotary switch)
- Modulation effects unit (chorus, phaser, vibrato) and dial
- Delay effects unit (analog, tape echo, digital) and dial
- Reverb effects unit (room, hall, church) and dial
- Three dials for three-band EQ adjustment (treble, mid, bass)
- Gain and master volume dials
- Live/Preset mode toggle switch
- Tap tempo buttons and features for modulation and delay effects
- 15 watts of rated power, ideal for practicing
- Digital screen for displaying functional and tuning information
- Built-in digital tuner
- ยผโ guitar input
- 3.5mm auxiliary input
- 3.5mm headphone output
- Bluetooth support for high-quality audio input playback, perfect for backing tracks
- Convenient handle for easy transportation
- Rechargeable 4000mA.h lithium battery for portable play
- Power switch for easy on/off control
The Hornet 15 Li is available from distributors and retailers worldwide now.
A Galloup guitar made from paulownia.
Guitars priced between $1,500 and $4,000 typically utilize domestic woods or other widely accessible alternatives that provide excellent value. However, in recent years, sustainability has become an increasingly critical concern regarding the sourcing of these natural resources. We are committed to ensuring that the materials we select not only deliver superior sound but also align with sustainable practices, helping to preserve the environment for future generations of musicians.
Over the years, Iโve encountered difficulties with alternative, sustainable soundboard options. That is, until I took part in the paulownia experiment initiated by World Tree, an environmental organization โfocused on nature-based solutions to some of our biggest global challenges.โ This project highlighted wood from the fast-growing paulownia tree, which was cultivated by former President Jimmy Carter. Initially, the prospect of using paulownia appeared impractical. Yet, upon further analysis, we recognized its potential as a viable substitute, though some of its material property characteristics, such as damping and admittance, still require further testing.
Many luthiers understand traditional soundboard materials well. Despite this knowledge, integrating new tonewoods into our repertoire can be an arduous process. Fortunately, advancements in wood testing technology have significantly expedited the evaluation process. Currently, for the assessment of wood, I use the Acousonix Sonic Calculator, a handheld application that enables me to input various wood-property parameters for a thorough evaluation. Upon entering the data, the application delivers a precise rating, considers multiple factors, delineates the wood's sonic characteristics, and then specifies its best use applications.
Fig. 1
My Acousonix analysis of paulownia indicates that its 11.3 sonic rating makes it unexpectedly well-suited for use as a soundboard (see Fig. 1). As my builds with this material progressed, the results were exceedingly promising. Paulownia features well-rounded tonal characteristics, exhibiting a rapid response with a seemingly high admittance, which indicates a lower damping factor. Another noteworthy aspect of paulownia is its sustainability: The tree reaches full maturity in approximately 12 years. Upon harvest, a new sapling can be replanted in the same root system, allowing for accelerated mature growth in around seven years. This cycle can be repeated multiple times, establishing paulownia as a highly renewable resource. But unlike typical spruce, which commonly yields eight to 11 growth rings per inch, paulowniaโs growth rings come in at around three to four per inch. But donโt let this fool you. Despite its non-traditional appearance, paulownia has a reputation for being stable and warp-resistant (see Fig. 2).
Fig. 2
โAnother noteworthy aspect of paulownia is its sustainability: The tree reaches full maturity in approximately 12 years.โ
While testing paulownia for guitar making, we observed that this species yields a highly responsive instrument. It offers a fast musical response similar to many late-1930s Gibson J-35s I have played. It exhibits a quick response with a lower fundamental and a pleasant decay. But, due to its lightweightโaround 5 grams per cubic inchโit tends to exhibit lower headroom. Thus, despite being a powerful and enjoyable guitar to play, it tends to distort when pushed to higher volumes. In its defense, most players commonly donโt play hard enough to reach these limits.
Ultimately, the tests I conducted affirm its potential as a substitute tonewood for guitars, possessing desirable acoustic properties. While paulownia has historically been utilized in instruments like the Japanese koto, it stands to reason that the acoustic guitar market should explore this avenue further. To prove a point, we used paulownia for the top, back, sides, bracing, and neck, with the total price tag for all tone woods used coming in at around $70. So, given its low cost, stability, availability, and the grower's commitment to environmental sustainability, paulownia is a resource deserving of serious consideration.
For more information about World Tree, visit worldtree.eco, and to learn more about the Acousonix Sonic Calculator, visit acousonix.com.
Andy Powers has been working with electric guitars his whole life, and heโs been slowly collecting all the ideas that could go into his own โsolo project,โ waiting for the right time to strike.
As CEO, president, and chief guitar designer of Taylor Guitars, Andy Powers has an unimaginable amount of experience sifting through his ideas and, with a large production mechanism at hand, efficiently and effectively realizing them. He knows that there are great ideas that need more time, and rethinking electric guitar designโfrom the neck to the pickups to how its hollow body is constructedโdoesnโt come quickly. His A-Typeโwhich has appeared in Premier Guitarin the hands of guitarists Andy Summers and Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizardโis the innovative flagship model of his new brand, Powers Electric. And itโs the culmination of a lifetime of thought, experience, and influences.
โSouthern California is a birthplace of a lot of different things. I think of it as the epicenter of electric guitar.โ
โIโve got a lot of musician friends who write songs and have notebooks of ideas,โ explains Powers. โThey go, โIโve got these three great verses and a bridge, but no chorus. Iโll just put it on the shelf; Iโll come back to it.โ Or โIโve got this cool hook,โ or โIโve got this cool set of chord changes,โ or whatever it might beโtheyโre half-finished ideas. And once in a while, you take them off the shelf, blow the dust off, and go, โThatโs a really nice chorus. Maybe I should write a couple of verses for it someday. But not today.โ And they put it back.โ
Thatโs how his electric guitar design spent decades collecting in Powersโ head. There were influences that he wanted to play with that fell far afield from his acoustic work at Taylor, and he saw room to look at some technical aspects of the instrument a little differently, with his own flair.
The Powers Electric A-Type draws from Powersโ lifelong influences of cars, surfing, and skateboarding.
Over the course of Powersโ โlong personal historyโ with the instrument, heโs built, played, restored, and repaired electric guitars. And, having grown up in Southern California, surrounded by custom-car culture, skateboarding, and surfingโall things he lovesโhe sees the instrument as part of his design DNA.
โSouthern California is a birthplace of a lot of different things,โ Powers explains. โI think of it as the epicenter of electric guitar. Post-World War II, you had Leo Fender and Paul Bigsby and Les Paulโall these guys living within just a couple of miles of each other. And I grew up in those same sorts of surroundings.โ
Those influences and the ideas about what to do with them kept collecting without a plan to take action. โAt some point,โ he says, โyou need the catalyst to go, โHey, you know what? I actually have the entire guitarโs worth of ideas sitting right in front of me, and they all go together. I would want to play that guitar if it existed. Now is a good time to build that guitar.โโ
โI started thinking, โIf I had been alive then, what would I have made?โ Itโs kind of an open-ended question, because at that point, well, thereโs no parts catalogs to buy stuff from. A lot of these things hadnโt been invented yet. How would you interpret this?โ
The pandemic ultimately served as the catalyst Powersโ electric guitars needed, and that local history proved to be a jumping-off point necessary for focusing his long-marinating ideas. โI started thinking, โIf I had been alive then, what would I have made?โ Itโs kind of an open-ended question, because at that point, well, thereโs no parts catalogs to buy stuff from. A lot of these things hadnโt been invented yet. How would you interpret this? As a designer, I think thatโs really interesting. Overlay that with understanding what happens to electric guitars and how people want to use them, as well as some acoustic engineering. Well, thatโs pretty fascinating. Thatโs an interesting mix.โ
Tucked away in his home workshop, Powers set about designing a guitar, building โliterally every little bit other than a couple screwsโ including handmade and hand-polished knobs. Soon, the prototype for the Powers Electric A-Type was born. โI played this guitar and went, โIโve been waiting a long time to play this guitar.โ A friend played it and went, โI want one, too.โ Okay, Iโll make another one. Made two more. Made three moreโฆ.โ
The A-Typeโseen here with both vibrato and hardtailโis a fully hollow guitar that is built in what Powers calls a โhot-rod shopโ on the Taylor Guitars campus.
From there, Powers recalls that he started bringing his ideas back to his shop on Taylorโs campus, where he set up โessentially a small hot-rod shopโ to build these new guitars. โItโs a real small-scale operation,โ he explains. โIt exists here at Taylor Guitars, but in its own lane.โ
The A-Typeโcurrently the only planned Powers Electric modelโhas the retro appeal of classic SoCal electrics. Its single-cut body style is unique but points to the curvature of midcentury car designs, and the wide range of vibrant color options help drive that home. Conceptually, the idea of reinventing each piece of the guitarโs hardware points toward the instrumentโs creators. That might get a vintage guitar enthusiastโs motor running, but itโs in the slick precision of those partsโfrom the bridge and saddle to the pickup componentsโwhere the A-Typeโs modernism shines.
โItโs a real small-scale operation. It exists here at Taylor Guitars, but in its own lane.โ
Grabbing hold of the guitar, itโs clearly an instrument living on the contemporary cutting edge. The A-Typeโs neck gives the clearest indication that itโs a high-performance machine; itโs remarkably easy to fret, with low action but just enough bite across the board. Powers put a lot of thought into the fretboard dynamics that make that so, and he decided to create a hybrid radius. โYou have about a 9 1/2" radius, which is really what your hand feels, but then under the plain strings, itโs a bit flatter at 14, 15-ishโitโs so subtle, itโs really tough to measure.โ Without reading the specs and talking to Powers, I donโt know that I would detect the differenceโand I certainly didnโt upon first try. It just felt easy to play precisely without losing character or veering into โshredder guitarโ territory.
The A-Type looks like a solidbody, but youโll know itโs hollow by its light, balanced weight. That makes it comfortable to hold, whether standing or sitting. But its hollow-ness is no inhibitor to style: Iโve yet to provoke any unintended feedback from any of my amps. Powers explains thatโs part of the design, which uses V-class bracing, similar to what youโll find on a modern Taylor acoustic.
Powers says the A-Type that is now being produced is no different than the prototype he built in his home workshop: โI have the blueprint, still, that I hand drew. I can hold the guitar that weโre making up against that drawing, and it would be like I traced over it.โ
โCoupling the back and the top of the guitar matter a lot,โ he asserts. โWhen you do that, you can make them move in parallel so that they are not prone to feeding back on stage. You donโt actually have that same Helmholtz resonance going on that makes a hollowbody guitar feedback. Itโs still moving.โ
On a traditional hollowbody, he points out, the top and back move independently, compressing the air inside the body. โItโll make one start to run away by re-amplifying its own sound,โ he explains. โBut if I can make them touch each other, then they move together as a unit. When they do that, youโre not compressing the air inside the body. But itโs still moving. So, you get this dynamic resonance that you want out of a hollowbody guitar; itโs just not prone to feedback.โ
What I hear from the A-Type is a rich, dynamic tone, full of resonance, sustain, and volume. I found it to be surprisingly loud and vibrant when unplugged. Powers tells me thatโs in part due to the โstressed spherical topโ and explains, โI take this piece of wood and I stress it into a sphere, which unnaturally raises its resonant frequency well above what the piece of wood normally could. Itโs kind of sprung, ready to set in motion as soon as you strike the string. So, it becomes a mechanical amplifier.โ The bridge then sits in two soundposts, which Powers says makes it โalmost like a cello.โ
โLiterally every little bit other than a couple screwsโ on the A-Type is custom made.
The single-coil pickups take it from there. Theyโre available in two variations, Full Faraday and Partial Faraday, the latter of which were in my demo model, and Powers tells me they are the brighter option. Their design, he says, has been in progress for about seven or eight years. The concept behind the pickups is to use the โparamagnetic quality of aluminumโโfound in the pickup housingโโto shape the magnetic field โฆ which functions almost like a Faraday cage.โ And he complements them with a simple circuit on the way out.
I found them to run quietly, as promised, and offer a transparent tone with plenty of headroom. They paired excellently with the ultra-responsive playability and feel of the guitar, so I could play as dynamically as I desired. If a standard solidbody with single-coils offers the performance of a practical sedan, this combo gave the A-Type the feel of a well-tuned racecar. At low volumes and with no pedals, it felt like I was simply amplifying the guitarโs acoustic sound, and I had full control with nothing but my pick. (Powers explains that the pickups have a wide resonance peak, which plays out to my ear.) Add pedals to the mix, including distortion and fuzz, and that translates to an articulated, hi-fi sound.
Now up to serial number XXX, the Powers Electric team has refined their production process. I wonder about that first guitar, the dream guitar Powers built in his house. How similar is the guitar Iโm holding to his original vision? โItโs very, very, very close,โ Powers tells me. โLiterally, this guitar outline is a tracing. Itโs an exact duplicate of what I first drew on paper with a pencil. I have the blueprint, still, that I hand drew. I can hold the guitar that weโre making up against that drawing, and it would be like I traced over it.โ
โItโs one of those things you do because you just really want to do it. It puts some spark in your life.โ
Playing the guitar and, later, talking through its features, Iโm left with few questions. But one that remains has to do with branding and marketing, not the instrument: Why go to all the effort to create a new brand for the A-Type, which is to say, why isnโt this a Taylor? For Powers, itโs about design. โAs guitar players,โ he explains, โwe know what Taylor guitars are, we know what it stands for, and we know what we do. The design language of a Taylor guitar is a very specific thing. When I look at a Taylor acoustic guitar, I go, โI need curves like this, I need colors like this, I need shapes like this.โโ
Those arenโt the same curves, colors, and shapes as the Powers Electric design, nor do they mine the same influences. โThereโs a look and a feel to what a Taylor is. And that is different from this. I look at this and go, โItโs not the same.โโ
Of course, adding the A-Type to the well-established Taylor catalog would probably be easier in lots of ways, but Powersโ positioning of the brand is a sign of his dedication to the project. It feels like a labor of love. โTheyโre guitars that I really wanted to make,โ he tells me enthusiastically. โAnd Iโm excited that they get to exist. Itโs one of those things you do because you just really want to do it. It puts some spark in your life.โ
โItโs like a solo project,โ he continues. โAs musicians, you front this band, you do this thing, and you also like these other kinds of music and youโve got other musician friends, and you want to do something thatโs a different flavor. You try to make some space to do that, too.โ
