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The GAS (Music Gear) Thread


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Don't forget the Supro amp (right?)

I remember when you could get these things for $40-50 used off Buylines (early 70's). Baseball bat necks and tinny pickups :). Wish I bought a passel to sell off now !

I think a Strat was about $150 brand new then (and I bought my LP Custom from Manny's for $290 brand new with every penny I had)

Teles (since '48) are a huge piece of electric guitar history

 

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Holy $%#$

Got this yesterday and set it up today. For only $99 too! This thing is tiny in size (like the size of a pedal) and HUGE in tone. Played for an hour and a half straight through the board  without any effects at all. First time playing without any FX since I got my first one (Univox Fuzz) in '69.  Had the gain maxed and it was very musical. Some new tube technology. I am most impressed. 

Thinking of pairing it with my TC Nova and a Fulltone Clyde and getting the matching speaker cabinet for next gig .

Anyone else have one of these ?

MV50 Rock.jpg

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Ive had 2 roland ekits in the past. I liked em because they were great  to record with and the volume was manageable. 

Never had a drummer that cared much for them. They tolerated them. 

Just sold one in my latest jam room because after playimg one myself for fun it even got under my skin. The hh didnt trigger quite right and the toms sounded fake. The kick and snare were solid though. 

I replaced it with one of those mini sonor martini jazz kits. Bucked up for K's as well

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  • 2 weeks later...
13 hours ago, The Crimson King said:

Great, now I have to try playing with coins. I figure a dime or penny could work better than the bigger coins.

Meanwhile, any of you who see a great Black Friday deal online, please post here? 

LOL.  Right?  Also, you get props for using Tarkus cover as your screen art.

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Didn't want to start another sparsely attended music thread but I have been asked to sink to the low of lows ,,,, join a wedding band.

One of the guys that I play with from time to time met these two girls who have been singing in clubs (they are both GREAT vocalists, hot as heck and way younger than us) who are tired of not making any money in the local clubs (so little of those gigs around here these days and they pay next to nothing). Now I haven't been to many weddings on recent days but from what I did see the standard are DJ "bands" that played dance hits on a PC and had members that were there to "enable" the crowd. Do bands actually get jobs?

Assuming this is doable and could be marketed on the basis of the singers (they are both that good), this could be interesting

Bad news is that I would figure on no fusion, prog rock, hard rock, blues or jazz so no guitar or synth or even harp for me. To cut down on the number of members, they want me to play bass. This could be a blast and probably somewhat easier, just bass and amp, no FX (got an old Fender Jazz to dust off), songs not pieces, etc. No pressure. 

So the question is, what are the standard songs one needs these days? I would guess that the Moon River and Hava Nageela of the old days have thankfully passed into obscurity and that the catalog needs to be constantly updated.

Sounds worth a try just for the giggles (and maybe really get paid for this?).

Any advice? Information? Insight? Jokes?   

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2 hours ago, The Crimson King said:

Didn't want to start another sparsely attended music thread but I have been asked to sink to the low of lows ,,,, join a wedding band.

One of the guys that I play with from time to time met these two girls who have been singing in clubs (they are both GREAT vocalists, hot as heck and way younger than us) who are tired of not making any money in the local clubs (so little of those gigs around here these days and they pay next to nothing). Now I haven't been to many weddings on recent days but from what I did see the standard are DJ "bands" that played dance hits on a PC and had members that were there to "enable" the crowd. Do bands actually get jobs?

Assuming this is doable and could be marketed on the basis of the singers (they are both that good), this could be interesting

Bad news is that I would figure on no fusion, prog rock, hard rock, blues or jazz so no guitar or synth or even harp for me. To cut down on the number of members, they want me to play bass. This could be a blast and probably somewhat easier, just bass and amp, no FX (got an old Fender Jazz to dust off), songs not pieces, etc. No pressure. 

So the question is, what are the standard songs one needs these days? I would guess that the Moon River and Hava Nageela of the old days have thankfully passed into obscurity and that the catalog needs to be constantly updated.

Sounds worth a try just for the giggles (and maybe really get paid for this?).

Any advice? Information? Insight? Jokes?   

I have no advice on the music per se BUT for me personally, my free time is so valuable, I couldn't/wouldn't do it.  There is a band that plays around Charlotte that is a bunch of guys(4) playing Tom Petty, Eagles, Steely Dan  and a ton of 60's to 80's music.  They are very talented and were telling me on some nights they only get $300-400.  Just sounds like a LOT of work to play say 2X a week and split say $500-$1,000 between 4 to 6 people.

I joined a band about 5 years ago to give it a try. Lasted about 9 months.  4 professionals, different tastes, schedules etc. Drummer had a huge ego and wouldn't rehearse certain days and said you guys get up to speed with me etc. 

That experience brought back all the BAD memories of playing and made me FULLY appreciate how a band like RUSH can stay together so long.

 

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

I have no advice on the music per se BUT for me personally, my free time is so valuable, I couldn't/wouldn't do it.  There is a band that plays around Charlotte that is a bunch of guys(4) playing Tom Petty, Eagles, Steely Dan  and a ton of 60's to 80's music.  They are very talented and were telling me on some nights they only get $300-400.  Just sounds like a LOT of work to play say 2X a week and split say $500-$1,000 between 4 to 6 people.

I joined a band about 5 years ago to give it a try. Lasted about 9 months.  4 professionals, different tastes, schedules etc. Drummer had a huge ego and wouldn't rehearse certain days and said you guys get up to speed with me etc. 

That experience brought back all the BAD memories of playing and made me FULLY appreciate how a band like RUSH can stay together so long.

 

 

 

 

Having retired over 13 years ago, got plenty of free time. I highly recommend doing that as soon as possible. Frees up all sorts of possibilities :)

Egos and money are what always ruined the whole experience. A recording contract and TV made it even worse. Way worse. That's why they invented MIDI, digital multitrack and personal studios. I would have refused to play with that drummer anyway, sounds real bad

I have strong doubts that this can be done anyway as I see no way to compete with the DJ Gangs but would love to try. Bass can be a lot of fun and both the instrument (as a regular) and type of music would be a new challenge for me. A few bucks every so often would go nicely towards some more pedals and such. The pile isn't quite up to the ceiling yet. 

Plus, these girls are amazing enough to even put up with the songs that I was given as the initial assignment to practice:

  1. Boogie Ooogie Oogie
  2. I Will Survive (All I will think of is the Replacements on this one)
  3. At Last
  4. Ooh Baby Baby
  5. Ain't No Stopping Us Now
  6. Rolling in the Deep (check out Aretha's version versus Adele's, holy geez)
  7. 24k Magic
  8. I Love It
  9. Shut Up and Dance
  10. We Found Love
  11. Teenage Dreams
  12. Wagon Wheel
  13. Timber
  14. A thousand Years

Ha ! Guess I have to save the good stuff for another time. Anyone have any opinion on that list other than "shoot me now please"? 

 

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2 hours ago, The Crimson King said:

Having retired over 13 years ago, got plenty of free time. I highly recommend doing that as soon as possible. Frees up all sorts of possibilities :)

Egos and money are what always ruined the whole experience. A recording contract and TV made it even worse. Way worse. That's why they invented MIDI, digital multitrack and personal studios. I would have refused to play with that drummer anyway, sounds real bad

I have strong doubts that this can be done anyway as I see no way to compete with the DJ Gangs but would love to try. Bass can be a lot of fun and both the instrument (as a regular) and type of music would be a new challenge for me. A few bucks every so often would go nicely towards some more pedals and such. The pile isn't quite up to the ceiling yet. 

Plus, these girls are amazing enough to even put up with the songs that I was given as the initial assignment to practice:

  1. Boogie Ooogie Oogie
  2. I Will Survive (All I will think of is the Replacements on this one)
  3. At Last
  4. Ooh Baby Baby
  5. Ain't No Stopping Us Now
  6. Rolling in the Deep (check out Aretha's version versus Adele's, holy geez)
  7. 24k Magic
  8. I Love It
  9. Shut Up and Dance
  10. We Found Love
  11. Teenage Dreams
  12. Wagon Wheel
  13. Timber
  14. A thousand Years

Ha ! Guess I have to save the good stuff for another time. Anyone have any opinion on that list other than "shoot me now please"? 

 

Why are you doing it? Sounds like your not really interested, have the time but dont need the money so why?

bands can be annoying as hell. This pink floyd tribute i got, i do it for one reason: to satisfy my itch to play big shows and make believe im a rock star for a few hours. Yup pretty lame, but thats it. 

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11 hours ago, HighPitch said:

Why are you doing it? Sounds like your not really interested, have the time but dont need the money so why?

bands can be annoying as hell. This pink floyd tribute i got, i do it for one reason: to satisfy my itch to play big shows and make believe im a rock star for a few hours. Yup pretty lame, but thats it. 

To be honest, I really just want to play the bass for a bit. Sat in once for a friend last summer on similar material in a bar and it was a blast. If this was our kind of music I would never be able to do it as a) bass player needs to be really good and b) first guitar solo that came up, I wouldn't be able to take it, I'd bash him over the head and grab his axe to do it myself. 

These songs are way out of my experience and it never hurts to learn new things to stuff into your head. Also, the singers are really good and it might be a good idea to get to know them a bit (Ha ! No, not that way, Mrs. Crimson will be there at every practice)

Besides, like I said, I have serious doubts this makes it past a few practices. 

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12 hours ago, HighPitch said:

I would way rather get involved with a great, interesting original project with like minded dudes, but they are hard to find. Too bad you didnt live in tampa we could rock some prog fusion originals

Easy to do if you move to NY with the added attraction of being able to get Jets season tickets. Plenty of PSL's still available.

WInters are mild here and real estate is cheap (well compared to Anchorage and Malibu, respectively)

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20 hours ago, The Crimson King said:

Easy to do if you move to NY with the added attraction of being able to get Jets season tickets. Plenty of PSL's still available.

WInters are mild here and real estate is cheap (well compared to Anchorage and Malibu, respectively)

Just in case this works out for ya....  ;)  These books were my passion in college along with the Simandl book which all classical bass players use.

aaa.jpg

51Qxw-X8EhL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

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9 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

Just in case this works out for ya....  ;)  These books were my passion in college along with the Simandl book which all classical bass players use.

aaa.jpg

51Qxw-X8EhL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

wow that's like serious stuff

I just brought the Fender in for a set up. Figured that was enough work, I mean I had to drive a whole 15" to the place :)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 5:56 PM, The Crimson King said:

wow that's like serious stuff

I just brought the Fender in for a set up. Figured that was enough work, I mean I had to drive a whole 15" to the place :)

 

So just got the bass back and I ordered one of these little toys. I have the guitar version that I have been using for open mics (amazing sound if you tweak the patches and go direct through the mixer) because they actually work on batteries. So I ordered one for the bass as I do not want to invest heavily in bass stuff. I also have a Sansamp bass DI that sounds way better but this has so much more fun stuff like a 100 patches (some even useful) and a looper. So I got it his AM and have been playing along with the looper all day. Sounds way better than I expected. One can get quite creative making songs out of a few parts just using a bass. Now I gotta practice wedding band crap. You guys might be right and maybe this isn't such a good idea. Ha!

 

GT-1B.jpg

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What the heck happened to Carvin Guitars? 

Used to call it "California candy" because there were not bad guitars that you could custom design at really low, low prices (and virtually no resale value) and get shipped direct. We even saw stores when we were out there. Remember them? Steve Vai is an endorser and uses (used?)  their amps

Got a really nice DC-135 and a piece of carp Bolt (guess 50-50 was  the chance you took at these things) and need a cheap acoustic so I looked and found out that they are now Kiesel (the name of Carvin's late founder)  Guitars at three times the price for a lot of the same guitars.

Oh well, c'est la vie

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On 12/1/2018 at 5:13 PM, The Crimson King said:

What the heck happened to Carvin Guitars? 

Used to call it "California candy" because there were not bad guitars that you could custom design at really low, low prices (and virtually no resale value) and get shipped direct. We even saw stores when we were out there. Remember them? Steve Vai is an endorser and uses (used?)  their amps

Got a really nice DC-135 and a piece of carp Bolt (guess 50-50 was  the chance you took at these things) and need a cheap acoustic so I looked and found out that they are now Kiesel (the name of Carvin's late founder)  Guitars at three times the price for a lot of the same guitars.

Oh well, c'est la vie

A former bandmate had a custom carvin doubleneck built. 6 string guitar top 4 string bass under. He should have reversed it cus the first few frets of the bass were waaay far out there. He owed lots of back studio rent so we took it from him and ebayed it off lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

  Geddy-Lee-press-by-Richard-Sibbald-2018-

Rush's Geddy Lee has been a collector of many things in life -- from stamps and baseball cards to vinyl records and wine. He did not, however, build up a stockpile of his own instrument, the bass guitar, until the past few years. Now, Lee's whole-hog immersion, with a collection of more than 200 pieces, provided the impetus for the new Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass, which publishes on Dec. 18.

"I got caught by the bug and I started falling down the rabbit hole," Lee tells Billboard. His first step was the purchase of a Fender Precision bass from 1953, the year he was born, which "sort of put me in a reflective mode on the heroes that I had growing up and the kinds of basses they used and what else was going on at the time." A "modest goal" of accumulating maybe a dozen basses turned into a mania, but it further piqued Lee's historical curiosity.

"I realized there wasn't a sort of definitive book about the bass guitar," he says. "I felt the bass guitar was not only under-represented in terms of books, but the beauty of some of these instruments has never been properly captured. So that's when the idea of the book sort of came to me...as not only a rationalizing for why I collect all these basses but also perhaps a useful reference book for people looking to find a particular bass."

 

 

The 408-page, coffee table-style tome is certainly a treasure trove for any fan of the four-stringed (and occasionally more) instrument. Lee documents the history and characteristics of his basses, from mainstream Fenders, Gibsons and Rickenbackers to more obscure and lesser-known grails that pop up in his collection. The best part for Lee, meanwhile, was interviewing other players and collectors, including the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman, Metallica's Robert Trujillo, U2's Adam Clayton, Primus' Les Claypool and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, among others.

"Using this idea of the book as a calling card and some of those conversations became my favorite moments in the making of this book," Lee recalls. "I just liked the vibe of talking to these guys, other bass players and other people that have the disease of collecting and I loved hearing the stories. I just liked the vibe of talking to these guys because if you look at my history as a musician, being in the same trio for 40 years, it's a very small world. I'd come into contact with other players on tour, but in the last 10 to 15 years of my touring life we had no opening act, so the opportunities were limited. So it was nice to have the community of musicians open up to me in a different way. That connection was great."

Lee says meeting Wyman was particularly thrilling, though he discovered that the retired Stone "has so many outside interests the last thing he wants to talk about is the bass guitar, so I had to keep bringing him back to the reason I was sitting there with him." And while Tweedy's inclusion may raise eyebrows, Lee affirms that he, too, is "a fantastic collector of everything...And people forget he started off as a bass player, too."

 

 

Lee acknowledges that he put his own music-making aside to dive into the book, but with its publication at hand he's now ready to strap his bass back on for creative purposes. "I haven't really had brain space to look at doing any music," Lee notes. "I was playing (the basses) all the time and trying to keep my fingers sharp, and every once in awhile I would throw some riffs down on tape and walk away from it. So after I finish the promotion of this book I will figure out what my next step is going to be. I do miss playing, and I miss playing with my bandmates."

But other than checking off on archival projects, don't expect Lee to wind up doing anything musical with Rush mates Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart. "I would say it's highly unlikely," he notes. "Neil has retired and has no interest to play anymore. Alex and I...it's possible. We'll see. I'm sure something else will come along for me to do."

geddy-lee-book-of-bass-cover-2018-billboard-embed.jpg

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8490235/geddy-lee-book-bass

Not gear exactly.  But Geddy's book looks amazing.

EDIT:  It's kinda long (that's what she said).  But here is a link to a Rolling Stone article on the book which also includes a Geddy interview.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rush-geddy-lee-bass-book-interview-767961/

 

 
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52 minutes ago, Creepy Lurker said:

I’m at a point where I think I have everything that I need for now actually......until I get a new bass to round out my setup. 

Here 'ya go:

https://reverb.com/item/14334754-alembic-stanley-clarke-brown-bass-flamed-walnut-not-pre-owned?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkM2viZCr3wIVAaeGCh3TCA-iEAQYASABEgJ32PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&pla=1 '

short scale bass, good for guitar players

too bad it costs more than some used cars :)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 11:28 AM, The Crimson King said:

Didn't want to start another sparsely attended music thread but I have been asked to sink to the low of lows ,,,, join a wedding band.

One of the guys that I play with from time to time met these two girls who have been singing in clubs (they are both GREAT vocalists, hot as heck and way younger than us) who are tired of not making any money in the local clubs (so little of those gigs around here these days and they pay next to nothing). Now I haven't been to many weddings on recent days but from what I did see the standard are DJ "bands" that played dance hits on a PC and had members that were there to "enable" the crowd. Do bands actually get jobs?

Assuming this is doable and could be marketed on the basis of the singers (they are both that good), this could be interesting

Bad news is that I would figure on no fusion, prog rock, hard rock, blues or jazz so no guitar or synth or even harp for me. To cut down on the number of members, they want me to play bass. This could be a blast and probably somewhat easier, just bass and amp, no FX (got an old Fender Jazz to dust off), songs not pieces, etc. No pressure. 

So the question is, what are the standard songs one needs these days? I would guess that the Moon River and Hava Nageela of the old days have thankfully passed into obscurity and that the catalog needs to be constantly updated.

Sounds worth a try just for the giggles (and maybe really get paid for this?).

Any advice? Information? Insight? Jokes?   

A) BASS

So it has been about 6 weeks of this and I want to apologize to every bass player who has ever lived for thinking that this is easy. Like for real. My $%^$ hand HURTS !

Had to nail Ain't No Stopping Us Now and the %^$% drummer plays it too fast so I am breaking my arse trying to keep up, then have to do it over (and over) again because the drummer screwed up and the BL has it out for him (for like 50 yrs !). It is a lot of notes. Nothing like guitar of course but those darned strings are so thick and wide apart that it is haaaaard. Did I mention that my hand hurts? Some stuff is easy like Happy, Rolling the Deep and even Boogie Oogie but even those are harder when your HAND HURTS ! BTW:  Good Times by Chic makes up for all of this, Whatta blast to play !

Thinking of maybe getting a short scale bass to make this easier, anyone have any experience with one?

Meanwhile we are moving to one of those studios for full practice this weekend to start folding in the divas, I get to play a full stack SVT. Stand Back !

2) ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Been taking one of the electrics to a regular open mic with a looper and a multi FX and doing stuff like Birds of Fire, Wurm, 21st Century Schizoid Man, instrumental originals, etc.. Getting a lot of strange looks, especially since the gig moved to a bar with a younger crowd,, although they do love Schizoid Man and make me repeat it. So I took the one acoustic that I have (about a 20 yo Ovation) that I never used and am having it set up and the preamp replaced. This should be a new challenge to just use that,  A question and a request in that regard:

Q: Any recommended FX or should I just plug in and play? I plan on doing actual songs and may even write a few. If course, one needs to mix in You Know, You Know once in a while but I will try to restrain myself.

R: How about some good songs to play? I do not have a very sweet voice and am prone to bluesly growling but I need something these kids will notice. Willing to try anything I can get on Ultimate Guitar Tabs and learn on You Tube 

 

Did I note my sincere apologies to our bass brethren, certified or otherwise? Guess I won't be learning that solo to After The Cosmic Rains soon.

 

 

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Also, don't forget NAMM is Jan. 24-27. I expect the appropriate reporting. failure will result in  … uh .. well nothing … but always some fun stuff to jones over. So far, a nice Epi double cut and a whole bunch of new Ibanez. Godin is coming out with an acoustic Iine.  I expect that software will rule the roost again

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Today, Fender announced that it has acquired Bigsby and its assets from Fred Gretsch Enterprises.

In a press release, Fender said that Bigsby will continue to operate as a standalone business under the Fender Musical Instruments Corp’s (FMIC) Speciality Brands umbrella, which also includes Jackson, Charvel, EVH Gear and Gretsch.

“We are excited to acquire Bigsby and add to our esteemed portfolio of specialty brands.” said Jeff Cary, senior vice president of FMIC Specialty Brands. “There is such a rich history with the vibratos, and a mystique around the guitars, pedals and steel instruments that is fascinating. Fred and Dinah Gretsch have been wonderful owners and we look forward to working with them to ensure a smooth transition.”

“Paul Bigsby, Ted McCarty, Dinah and Fred Gretsch and Fender Musical Instruments Corp. all have one thing in common, an unquestioning dedication to product excellence over the long haul,” said Fred Gretsch. “We congratulate team Fender on this strategic acquisition.”

Gretsch, which frequently features Bigsby vibratos on its guitars, entered into its own relationship with Fender back in 2002.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Once. I mentioned FX for the harp. Not much of a chance that anyone here much cares but just for the record for when aliens come after the fall of mankind and are researching human history …

I have an RP360xp sitting around in the pile that I never use, A fellow by the name of Richard Hunter does patches for harp for a bunch of processors, including this one.

Here's his website:

http://www.hunterharp.com/

It was only 50 bucks and cheaper than a pedal so I downloaded them. He replaces the entire user bank (100 Patches) although a third of them are just a construct to do your own. I played with them all day today and they are just fantastic.  No noise, hum or feedback and just the right amount of choices (delay, reverb, grit whatever) to make a mediocre player sound like a slightly better mediocre player. It really made a huge difference and a lot of fun.

Also, just in case you are an alien in the future, the music was killed by disco (look it up) and the football team in question in the pages here sold it's soul to the devil in early 1969 which is why they didn't win another championship until 2022  

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Jimmy Page has unveiled the Sundragon amp, a collaboration between the Led Zeppelin guitarist, Perry Margouleff and Mitch Colby. The Sundragon is touted as a faithful recreation of the amp he used on the Led Zeppelin album and the solo to “Stairway to Heaven,” among other recordings.

According to the Sundragon website, Page’s original amp “started out life as a Supro Coronado. After falling out of the back of the band’s van during an early pre-Zeppelin tour, the amp was restored and modified in significant ways. Jimmy realized that the sonic palette of his amp had changed to something new and unique. After being shrouded in mystery for more than 50 years, Jimmy has decided to share this extraordinary amplifier with the world.” 

Said Page, “I had been impressed with the forensic analysis both Mitch and Perry had put into the research of the sonic reproduction of the original Supro amp to arrive at the Sundragon.”

A limited edition run of 50 Sundragon amps will be hand-built by Mitch Colby and signed by Jimmy Page throughout 2019, with a standard production run available later in the year.

For more information, head over to sundragonamp.com.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/namm-2019-jimmy-page-unveils-the-sundragon-amp

WUmcevSBmYjn57wFSgQdfc-320-80.jpg

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