Check out the Bad Cat Amps Jet Black! PG's Tom Butwin takes you along as he explores the tonal options offered by this all-new 38-watt amp.
Bad Cat Jet Black 1x12 38W Tube Guitar Combo Amp
The new Jet Black brings the Black Cat’s trademark sound to players who need more volume but delivers so much more besides. With a second pair of EL-84s doubling its output, common sense suggested it’d be louder and tighter, but no one was quite prepared for the tones the Jet Black would unleash.
Wide open and gloriously unrestrained, the Jet Black packs a visceral gut punch. It feels BIG yet it’s still agile, responsive, and dynamic – you’re in complete control using nothing more than your pick attack and the volume control on your guitar. An unashamedly joyous amp to play, the Jet Black will have you flashing a wicked sideways grin, every time you plug in.
The straight-forward design features 38 watts through a quartet of EL84s, two channels, tremolo, and reverb.
The reimagined first channel presents a forward, in your face personality. Sharpened up and bolder, cleans ring with authority, those magical in-between sounds swirl with harmonics and clarity, and for those who need it the amp is easily provoked into delivering healthy amounts of gain. All this from a single channel.
The second channel is something special, and all new. To cut to the chase – whatever you’re looking for in a rock-oriented amp, there’s a very good chance that the Jet Black will nail it – hard. It spans decades of landmark tones, while retaining a unique personality. It’s the perfect combination of nostalgia and modernity with its own unmistakable swagger.
Guitarist Tom Butwin demos two all-new pedals from Warm Audio: the ODD Box V1 and the Mutation Phasor II.
Warm Audio ODD Box
The hard-clipping, op-amp-based circuit of the ODD delivers all of the sounds of a cranked, saturated tube amp made famous in legendary recordings. True to its inspiration, the ODD is perfect for adding a little breakup to an otherwise clean tone, or dramatically transforming your clean pedal-platform amp into a punk-rock powerhouse. To accurately deliver this popular modern tone, the ODD is built like an iconic pedalboard staple with through-hole construction using premium components, including a TLO82CP Op-Amp, 2N7000 transistors, & hand-selected capacitors & resistors.
Featuring classic-inspired controls and sounds, including a UK/US Switch, the ODD can quickly flip personalities. Engaging the UK setting distorts earlier, bumps the upper-mids, and increases volume - giving this setting more of a cranked, "chimey" amplifier tone. The US setting has a little more clean headroom, allowing the ODD to act more like a boost at first, and better aligns with traditional tweed-based "edge of breakup" amplifier tones
Warm Audio Mutation Phasor
The Mutation Phasor II features the electro-optical phase shifting, variable rate, and ultra-analog feedback controls of the 70s legend. Delivering all of the vintage vibes of the original phaser pedal, Mutation Phasor II allows you to add depth, wobble, swirl, or “instant funk” to guitar, keys, bass, or anything you can dream of. To deliver a true-to-spec recreation of the circuit, the Mutation Phasor II is built with premium components including classic RC4558P op-amps,vintage-style diodes, carbon resistors, and film caps. Housed in an ultra-tough steel case, the Mutation Phasor II delivers lush studio sound in a road-worthy build.
To deliver the authentic, experimental experience, the Mutation Phasor II brings back all of the original controls. For ultra-rich swirly phase shifting, the “Depth” control allows you to vary the width of the sweep range - delivering deep modulation expected from a vintage all-analog pedal. Increasing the depth control adds width to the frequency range of the effect, impacting higher highs and lower lows. Easily change the speed (or rate) of the phase-shifting effect to create more or less “wobble” in your tone - from 1/10th sweeps per second (slowest) to 18 sweeps per second (fastest). Increasing the “Feedback” control adds electric feedback to the “wet” phase-shifting signal. Increasing the feedback control creates a more intense phase sound with a particular emphasis on the sweeps, especially noticeable at slower rate settings.
DIY supply specialist StewMac sell a wide variety of parts and kits. In this episode of PG Plays, our resident lab rat John Bohlinger takes a deep dive with the company’s Ghost Drive. It’s the most popular among StewMac’s pedal kit offerings, which include overdrives, fuzzes, boosts, modulation effects, and more. The Ghost Drive is inspired by the famed Klon Centaur, and uses 1N34A germanium diodes, like the original. It provides saturated tube tone at reasonable volumes, but can snarl, too. And it comes with detailed instructions so even beginners can build this pedal. Our man JB takes the Ghost Drive for a cruise with humbuckers and single-coils, and it's smooth (over)driving all the way.
StewMac Ghost Drive
More than a "klone"—it's the closest we've ever seen to the real thing! Few pedals reach mythical status like the Klon Centaur Professional Overdrive. We scoured the world for the EXACT right components to recreate this "holy grail" circuit.
Considered the finest transparent overdrive ever, the original Klon is shrouded in mystery, epoxy, and hype—but amazingly, it delivers. It's a guitar player's dream come true: saturated tube tone from your amp at a reasonable volume. It doesn't change the character of your amp, you get just the right amount of overdrive without losing your unique tone. It's relied on by countless players like Joe Perry, Mike McCready, Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Nels Cline and more.
Shop the Sennheiser microphones we use: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ZdP1A0
Watch John Bohlinger demo the Montreal Premiere Pro from Godin Guitars in Arctik Blue! A lively and versatile guitar for jazz, blues, and rock players alike.
Montreal Premiere Pro Arctik Blue
Introducing the Montreal Premiere Pro Arctik Blue—a feature-rich, lively, and versatile guitar for jazz, blues, and rock players alike! The Montreal Première features an innovative and uniquely sculpted center block, allowing the body to resonate like no other guitar in its class!
The Montreal Premiere Pro models boast pickups usually only found in custom shop guitars. The Arctik Blue version is equipped with a pair of made-in-the-USA Seymour Duncan pickups. At the neck, the Seymour Duncan Antiquity provides a rich, articulate, sweet treble attack with a warm, full sounding low-end, serving up the elusive tone of a vintage P.A.F. un-potted humbucker. At the bridge, the ever-popular Seymour Duncan JB delivers high gain for full low-end crunch and crisp, powerful vocal-like highs, sought after by guitarists of all genres for decades. Both are controlled by a 3-way switch and volume and tone knobs.
Made in Canada, the Montreal Première Pro Arctik Blue is perfectly complemented by a Tune-o-matic style bridge with a brass tailpiece for optimal sustain and precise tuning.
Shop the @sennheiser microphones we use: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/ZdP1A0
Offered as a buildable kit and inspired by the Analog Man King of Tone, this 2-in-1 boost/drive offers warm and gritty sound you're after without the five-year wait.
StewMac Two Kings Boost Pedal
Inspired my Analog Man's King of Tone (without the 5 year wait!) this 2-in-1 pedal boost/overdrive is something completely different. It's transparent but still warm and gritty, with a full range of frequencies available without completely overtaking your tone. StewMac made this kit so anyone can build this incredible pedal without breaking the bank. The two sides of the pedal are completely independent. Knobs for gain, volume, and tone get anything from simple boost, gritty overdrive, to distortion. Two internal controls and DIP switches let you get deep to shape the sound. It won't overpower the unique tone of your guitar and amp—it just makes it better. The full color detailed step-by-step instructions are written for the beginner, and StewMac is there to help if you have any trouble with your build. Choose white or bare enclosure, includes custom labels.