Victorian Era
Victoria Amplifier Co.
Electro King
Naperville’s Victoria Amplifier Company‘s new amp, the Electro King, was a labor of love re-creation of the 1950s-era Gibson GA-40. The Eisenhower-era cathode-based 6V6 tubes supply a modest 15 watts of power, which make it suited for small-club and recording environments. The Electro King’s 5879 preamp circuit offers rich distortion and natural tube compression at any volume. Victoria also claims the Electro King is “singularly suited to slide guitar styles with its expressive open tones.” Like the GA-40, tremolo is achieved with the aid of a NOS 6SQ7 oscillator tube and is a driver-modulated volume-style tremolo. Bo Diddley would be proud. The Electro King comes loaded with a Jensen P12Q alnico speaker for accurate vintage tone, Victoria’s new Radio-lectric logo, and two-tone tolex covering. Like any handmade/hand-wired amp, it’s priced accordingly: Retail is $2,495. Visit www.victoriaamp.com for complete details.
Dunlop
Maintenance Station Neck Cradle
Adjusting the hardware on any guitar is not for the squeamish, but the Dunlop Maintenance Station Neck Cradle makes bass and guitar setup and repair a little easier for the average repairman. This self-aligning cradle rotates on an axis to provide full support to the back or front of the neck for increased stability during repairs or general upkeep. In the “up” position the cradle can accommodate a wide range of body thicknesses while holding the bass or guitar securely in place – face up. In the “down” position the cradle is able to let you work on electronics usually located on the back of the instrument. Its neoprene pad keeps the guitar from moving and protects the frets from damage. The Neck Cradle was developed by renowned guitar builder and master inlay artist Ron Thorn. List price is $44.95. More information is available at www.jimdunlop.com.
Alfred
George Lynch DVD
Former Dokken guitarist George Lynch’s ’80s-era chops were right up there with Randy Rhoads and Whitesnake’s Adrian Vandenberg, and of course nobody could match his pouty face and perpetual suntan. Alfred‘s new DVD doesn’t come with bronzing lotion, but it reacquaints us with Lynch’s best vibrato techniques, tapping, string skipping, whammy-bar effects, and many of his favorite licks, as well as personal lessons on some of his famous solos. The DVD also features vintage moments of Lynch in a Los Angeles recording studio creating solo overdubs for Lynch Mob’s debut album, Wicked Sensation, and footage of Lynch playing his acclaimed solo from “Street Fightin’ Man.” Included is a PDF booklet that features note-for-note transcriptions in standard music notation and tablature. Retail price for the Lynch DVD is $24.95 – with summer coming you can work on your tan and your chops. For more information, visit www.alfred.com.
– David Gedge
