Gear & Rigs
Deep-dive into the setups that define rock and metal. Guitars, amps, pedals, pickups, and full signal chains — analyzed, explained and recreated. Learn exactly how the pros built their legendary tone.
The Smallest Fireball in the Room: Fender Tone Master Princeton Reverb Decoded
DSP-modelled blackface Princeton Reverb at 20 lbs. Six attenuation levels, XLR cab-sim output, v2 firmware. No tubes, no maintenance, pure Fender tone.
The Pics-Only Monster: Inside Orange’s OR15H Lunchbox Head
Orange OR15H guide: full specs, Pics Only history, circuit analysis vs Tiny Terror, verified famous players, tone recipes, buying advice and ownership notes.
Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25 — Six Legendary Modes, Sixteen Pounds, Zero Excuses
Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25 packs IIC+, Mark IV and Xtreme modes into a 16.5-pound EL84 head. Specs, verified players and tone recipes inside.
The Lunchbox That Grew Up: Orange Rocker 15 Terror Reviewed, Dissected, and Honestly Appraised
Orange Rocker 15 Terror: 15-watt EL84 lunchbox head, two channels, four power settings. Full specs, honest player history, and tone recipes.
The Swiss Army Amp That Wears a Fender Badge: Fender Mustang GTX100
The Fender Mustang GTX100 packs 40 amp models, 73 effects and 200 presets into a 22-lb combo. We dig into who it's really for and who should look elsewhere.
One Channel. No Excuses. The Friedman Dirty Shirley 40 Head and the Art of the Honest Crunch
Hand-wired 40W single-channel boutique head based on a modified JTM 45. Complete specs, verified famous players, tone recipes, and buying advice.
The Amp on Every Stage You’ve Ever Played: Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 IV
The world's most-requested backline amp: 60W, two Celestion speakers, three channels. Specs, verified artists, tone recipes, and why the Normal channel wins.
Silver Swagger and a Bassman Heart: The Fender ’68 Custom Princeton Reverb Is the Princeton That Plays Dirty
Twelve watts, silver-and-turquoise cool, and a Bassman tone circuit that eats pedals for breakfast. The '68 Custom Princeton Reverb explained.