CP Thornton Guitars has posted the Tone Quest Report magazine from August 2007 (PDF), which features a dissection of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘64 Vibroverb amp. SRV’s amp tech Cesar Diaz had done quite a few modifications to the amp, including changing the caps, adding a larger transformer as well as many other mods. It’s interesting to read how the amp was modified to help give SRV his massive tone.

(via TGP)

Below are a couple of videos of Eric Johnson discussing his amp setup. In the videos, he explains the types of amps he’s running and how he uses them. He also discusses the effects he’s using with the amps.

Here’s part 1:

And, here’s part 2:

The other day I was watching an episode of the Discovery Channel’s How It’s Made series, and one of the features in the episode was about how guitar amplifiers are made. Traynor Amps was the featured manufacturer, and it was really interesting to watch the process they use to make their amps. Of course, the video was on YouTube, so I’ve embedded it below.

Fender has recently posted a video to YouTube of Eric Johnson playing the G-DEC practice amp. EJ apparently uses the G-DEC to warm up before a show. I have a G-DEC, too, but I think I got a defective one. When I play mine, it doesn’t sound as good as Eric’s.

Watch Eric Johnson demo the G-DEC:

I was recently in the market for a practice amp to play around the house. My main purpose for the amp is to have something to play around with that won’t bother my wife or my neighbors too much. Thus, my search involved checking out amps in the 5, 15, and 30 watt ranges. Also, I wanted something that would offer a little extra fun for practicing. Many of the modern practice amps have quite a bit to offer. For example, the Vox Valvetronix amps come with quite a few effects built into the amp, and they also provide amp modeling for quite a few types of amps. As a result, the Vox amps were among my top choices for a practice amp.

However, during my search, I tried out the Fender G-DEC amps and came away very impressed. Like the Valvetronix amps, the G-DEC offers many different tonal varieties through amp modeling and a lot of built-in effects. The thing that sets the G-DEC series apart from most other practice amps is that the G-DEC includes a series of bass and drum loops that you can play along with. This was intriguing to me because I rarely get a chance to play with other players, especially drummers. You can even change the pitch of the bass backing track to match whatever key you want to play in.

In addition to the backing tracks, there are 50 preset sounds to choose from covering all styles of music, from jazz to reggae to metal. In total, the Fender G-DEC provides 17 amp types, 29 effects, 10 reverbs, a built-in tuner, as well as the ability to pick and choose to create your own unique sounds. There’s even a phrase sampler that you can use to create your own guitar loops to play along with.

After considering all of the options, as you’ve probably guess by now, I ultimately decided to get the G-DEC based on its myriad capabilities, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. I purchased the 15-watt version, but a 30-watt model is also available for those with the need for more power. Furthermore, there’s a Fender G-DEC Junior model that is 15 watts and provides a simpler user interface, albeit at the cost of some functionality.

All in all, I’m very pleased with my decision to purchase the G-DEC. I’ve had the amp for about a month now, and it is every bit as versatile and fun to play as I hoped it would be. If you’re in the market for a practice amp, you can’t go wrong with the Fender G-DEC.