Kevin Wagg, the owner of Ampendage Industries, contacted me several weeks ago to let me know about his line of amp stands. I’ve long thought about getting an amp stand, but I never really liked the ones that I saw in guitar stores. As a result, I’ve never really used one. Kevin was kind enough to send me a review unit, and I’m really impressed with what he’s building.

Ampendage offers three different models, two of which are solid hardwood and one is made of 3/4″ density MDF. As you can see below, the solid wood models look fantastic. The picture below shows the Teak model, which looks really nice in my music room; a Maple model is also available. The MDF stand has a black finish.

One of the nice things about amp stands is that they angle the speaker more towards your ear, which can be nice if you’re on a stage and want a more direct sound from your amp. I, however, don’t gig, but wanted a way to decouple the speaker from the floor. The angle of the stand pushes the sound right at my head, so I get a clearer picture of my tone.

Kevin advertises a small footprint with these stands, and I can agree. With a width of 14″ and a height of 12″, the amp stand stays out of the way enough to make it usable even in relatively small spaces. Yet, it’s also big enough to handle not only a 12″ combo, but my Mesa TA-15 lunchbox head/12″ cab configuration. I wouldn’t put a large head/cab configuration on the stand, but if you have a small one like the Mesa TA-15, I think a stand like this would work fine.

One downside of the Ampendage stands is that they don’t fold up like other stands. Kevin includes a built-in handle to make it easier to lug around. However, since the stand doesn’t fold up, carrying around the stand can be a bit of a hassle if you’ve got a bunch of other gear to carry.

The stand seems pretty durable, but I can’t attest to how gig-worthy it is. The pieces connect together well and are held together with some solid screws, so I would be surprised if it couldn’t stand up to most types of gigs.

If you’re looking for an amp stand, I think Ampendage is worth a look. Starting at $59.95 and going up to $89.95 for the solid wood models, they aren’t the cheapest stands around, but they are some of the nicest looking ones I’ve seen and seem to be solidly built.

This sounds interesting:

PRS Custom Amp Designs (CAD) is your opportunity to explore nearly limitless, personalized amplifier options. Since the inception of the program, PRS Amp Designer Doug Sewell and Paul Reed Smith have worked shoulder-to-shoulder to provide the most personalized amps ever offered by PRS. Through CAD, amplifiers can be built with specialized colors, speakers and components and can even bring discontinued models back to life.

It sounds like you can create customized versions of any of the amps that PRS offers or has ever offered. Here’s Paul Smith discussing their amp and CAD program:

In this video, Paul Reed Smith demos the SE range of amps, including the SE 20, the SE 30, and the SE 50:

I’ve yet to hear one of these in person, but they seem pretty versatile based on Mr. Smith’s demonstration.

(via Jon Bloomer)

Anthony Stauffer of StevieSnacks.com recently posted an extensive demo/review of the Samamp VAC 40 Series 2, which I’ve embedded below. I had a chance to play and also to hear Anthony play this amp at the Nashville Amp Expo last year, and I thought it sounded fantastic. It’s an evolution of Sam’s VAC 23 design; it includes all the features of the VAC 23 and adds a new gain channel.

Check out Anthony’s awesome review below:

Also, if you want to learn blues in the style of Albert, Freddie, or B.B. King, I recommend checking out Anthony’s latest premium blues lessons. I’ve reviewed his lessons in the past, and I have also gotten to know Anthony a little and know how much thought and detail he puts into them.

In this video, Eric Johnson talks about the thinking and design behind his new Eminence EJ1250 guitar speaker. He also samples some of the different sounds from the speaker:

This is an interesting BBC documentary about Vox Amps and about how they got started in Dartford, Kent, UK:

Part I:

Part 2:

Orange Amplification have added a new model to their “Terror” line of amplifiers, the Orange Micro Terror and PPC108 cabinet:

Orange Amplification launches at Winter NAMM the Micro Terror – their smallest Terror ever! Building on the winning recipe of the rest of the popular Terror series, the Micro Terror retains the beautiful unpretentious design, delivering a classic Orange sound way bigger than it looks, with a size and weight making it the most portable Terror yet!

The Micro Terror has a single 12AX7 pre-amp tube with 20 watts RMS of solid-state output. It is powered via a 15 volt DC supplier (international PSU included), features auxiliary input for MP3 player or CD, and can be plugged into to any speaker cabinet with 4 ohm or greater impedance (even a 4 x 12) and you will be ready to rock.

With a high tensile steel case it is built to the same rugged specifications as the other members of the Terror family and is incredibly compact and highly portable. This is a true Orange Amp classic, with masses of vintage British character, clean crunch and full-on overdrive sounds.

Matching the new Micro Terror is the launch of the new PPC108 cab, ideal for building your own mini-terror stack and a perfect partner for the Micro Terror. The scaled down cab, is available to purchase separately and its 8”speaker delivers a punchy tone and sound that has to heard to be believed. Like all Orange speaker cabs it is built to last, with rugged construction and attractive styling Orange’s Tolex and basketweave grill cloth, complete with the legendary crest and badge.

In celebration of their 50th anniversary, Marshall have introduced a new line of 1-watt amplifiers that model popular amps from each of Marshall’s 5 decades. The JTM1 is based on the popular bluesbreaker amps of the 60s. The JPM1 is based on the plexi amps from the late 60s and 70s. The JCM1 is based on the popular JCM 800 amps from the 80s. The DSL1 is based on the JCM 2000 models from the 90s. The JVM1 is based on the JVM series from the 2000s. The amps come in head or combo models.

Premier Guitar met with Marshall at the NAMM show to demo the new amps (which I think sound pretty good):

Fender have introduced a new series of amplifiers called the Pawn Shop Specials. The series currently has two models: the Excelsior and the Greta:

Meet Greta™ and Excelsior™, Fender’s new and coolly unconventional Pawn Shop Special amplifiers. The two stylish amps resemble the esoteric finds you might discover in a pawnshop or second-hand store, and make for the most distinctive addition to any musician’s collection.

Housed in the playfully diminutive form of a vintage tabletop radio, the Pawn Shop Special Greta model is quite possibly the most unusual Fender tube amp ever (in fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find the name “Fender” anywhere on it). It’s a charming two-watt tabletop beauty with a 4” Special Design speaker, old-school VU meter with “clean to overload” indicator display, simple volume and tone controls, and a 1/8” back-panel auxiliary input perfect for iPod or other media player use.

Its vintage-style enclosure has front and rear wood panels finished in bright red, gold-finished metal top and sides for increased shielding, “Greta” script badge on the front panel and tabletop feet. Under the hood and on the back panel, Greta features a single 12AT7 output tube and 12AX7 preamp tube, with a ¼” instrument jack and ¼” line out jack (for preamp use with another amplifier).

Undoubtedly one of the most distinctive tube combo amps produced in Fender history, the alluringly refined Pawn Shop Special Excelsior harbors tones from polite, to raw and raucous. Its brown textured vinyl covering, smartly stylish “E” grille design and bold crossed-swords front-panel badge convey a decidedly stately vibe with a marked air of cold-war cool.

The 13-watt Excelsior elegantly encloses a single 15” Special Design speaker, with bottom-loaded primary chassis and top-loaded control chassis for operating convenience and low noise (powered by two 6V6 output tubes and two 12AX7 preamp tubes). Distinctive features include “instrument,” “microphone” and “accordion” inputs that each have individually optimized circuitry; tremolo circuit with speed control, bright/dark tone switch (for treble or bass emphasis), volume control and ¼” internal speaker disconnect that lets the amp drive an external speaker enclosure.

For playing at home, smaller gigs and studio sessions, the Excelsior is a class act that brings a fresh and unconventional new vibe to your playing.

I love the look of these new amps, and they’re priced right with the Excelsior having a street price of $299 and the Greta having a street price of $199. Premier Guitar is at the NAMM show and was able to get this demo video of the amps:

The Machete combo amp is an interesting new amp from Fender:

Fender proudly introduces the all-new Machete combo amp. With tremendous versatility and performance-oriented features, this high-end, sonically powerful combo is an essential companion for the discerning musician.

The 50-watt, dual-channel Machete combo boasts a completely new high-gain channel, an extremely clear-sounding clean channel that can be pushed into aggressive rhythm guitar territory, and onboard digital reverb. Its heavily robust enclosure construction and single 12” Celestion® speaker deliver full, rich and pummeling response, with midrange notch control, adjustable speaker damping for finely tuned performance, XLR output with switchable speaker muting and cabinet emulation, and push-pull pots for bright boost and gain boost on the rhythm channel.

Serious guitarists and amp connoisseurs who are both meticulous and adventurous about even the finest details of their sound will find the Machete a formidable new member of their arsenal. The turbo-charged combo’s distinctive cosmetics include vinyl covering with inlaid white piping and gray vinyl “steering wheel grip” accents, new Black Silver Strand grille cloth, heavily knurled chrome knobs and all-new corners and hardware. Four-button footswitch and fitted cover included.

For more information, and to locate a dealer near you, go to www.fender.com.