guitar amp

ZT Lunchbox Amp Review

November 21, 2011

in uncategorized

The ZT Lunchbox Amp is a compact and extremely portable guitar amp that still manages to produce a great sound. In the video review below, Guy Fenocchi will show you the control knobs, inputs, and outputs on the top and front panels of the amp. We’ll take a brief look at the handy carrying case and then show you the Lunchbox amp in action. We’ll demonstrate the amp using a microphone, direct out to a board, and using both of those techniques together. In the video, Guy is soloing over the backing track 6/8 Blues in D from the Let’s Jam! Jazz & Blues.

MP3: 6/8 Blues in D (right click or control click on the link and select “save”)

ZT Lunchbox Amp Top Panel

The sturdy handle is just another aspect increasing the portability of this amp. The Ambience Control simulates an open back cabinet sound. Which allows you to adjust the fullness of the sound. The Tone Control is very versatile and has a lot of range. The Volume and Gain knobs are a good way to affect the cleanness and power of the tone.

ZT Lunchbox Amp Back Panel

The versatility of the back panel is what really sold Guy on this amp. It works for the studio, home recordings, practice, headphones, etc. The detachable IEC power cable makes everything less bulky and easier to pack and transport. The voltage selector is a useful addition for anyone who is going back and forth between the US and Europe. The Speaker Out and Speaker On/Off switch make it easy to use the Lunchbox as a head for a cabinet. The headphone level and jack provides a variety of options. You can run it straight to a board, recording gear, or headphones. For the last few months on Guy’s video shoots for freeguitarvideos.com we’ve been running from the Lunchbox straight to the board. Guy also used the Lunchbox while recording the Let’s Jam! Jazz Standards tracks. The Auxiliary input can be used to plug in a iPod or similar device so that you can play along with pre-recorded music.

Finally, the carrying bag for the Lunchbox is easy to throw over your shoulder and take with you to practice, a gig, or on vacation. Watch the demo to hear the ZT Lunchbox as Guy puts it through the paces. You can also hear the amp in the jazz solo lesson below. In the video, Guy is using a Gibson 1959 ES-335 Dot Reissue Guitar, a ZT Lunchbox Amp, and a Hermida Reverb Pedal.

Tagged as: guitar amp, guy fenocchi

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Goodsell Amps: Interview and History

March 9, 2011

in guitar links

Atlanta Magazine has a great interview with Richard Goodsell of Goodsell Amps. The article discusses the history and popularity of his amp line. A few excerpts

The start:

In 1994, Goodsell had quit his job as an ad salesman and was running sound at a club when he got a call from R.E.M. The band was recording Monster and had heard that Goodsell stockpiled vintage keyboards such as Wurlitzers, Clavinets, and Minimoogs; they wanted to buy everything. When R.E.M. went to Los Angeles to finish the record, they requested a duplicate set of instruments for their West Coast studio. Goodsell left Atlanta in a half-empty pickup truck with a U-Haul. Along the way he scoured pawnshops and used-instrument stores. By L.A., the order was filled

Getting into amps:

One day seven years ago, Goodsell wired a jack into a Hammond and plugged in a guitar. The first A chord played through the rigged amp was crude but “magical.” He built 150 more amplifiers with leftover Hammond chassis and transformers, and after running out of vintage parts, he found a company that would make components to his specifications. In the beginning it took him three weeks to perfect the amps; now he averages three a week and will soon hit number 1,000

Last year our own Jody Worrell did a series of demo videos for Goodsell amps. Below is Richard and Jody discussing the Dominatrix 18.

Tagged as: guitar amp, jody worrell

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How to Use Your Amp’s Drive & Master Controls

April 29, 2010

in guitar lesson, uncategorized

Jody Worrell explains how to create different tones by adjusting the Drive and Master controls on your guitar amp. Create a clean sound with the Master know set higher and the Drive know lower. To get a distortion, set the Master low and Drive high. Of of course, you can go for something in-between.

Tagged as: guitar accessories, guitar amp, Guitar Technique, jody worrell

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How Powerful and Loud of Amp Do You Need?

March 4, 2010

in uncategorized

Billy at 300 Guitars answers the question “how many watts should my amp be?” Like most things, the answer depends on how you will be using the amp. Performance at a noisy club? Practicing at home? Luckily, Billy provides a quick primer on the basics of amps and gets you started on the right path of picking out what works best for you.

“From the above definitions watts and decibels are two different things. You can have a relatively low powered amp that is very loud and would be able to keep up with a drummer on a stage with no problem. Just because you have more watts does not always mean you are going to be louder and the watts increase is not directly proportional to the decibel increase. Take for example two Marshall heads. Let’s say one is rated for 50 watts and the other 100 watts. By looking at the watts you would think that the 100 watt head would be twice as loud because it has twice the power right? Wrong! The loudness difference between the 50 watt amp and the 100 watt amp is only 3 decibels (dB) which is not really a drastic difference. It would take 10 times the power of the 50 watt head to be twice as loud as the 100 watt head which is 500 watts! Ouch…..!”

(photo by the yankee quido)

Tagged as: guitar amp, guitar blogs

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Fender Champs

February 25, 2010

in uncategorized


One of the great things about the internet is the ability to reach a niche audience. Earlier this week we talked about Vince Gill decorating his studio in the style of an old tweed Fender amp. Turns out, there is an entire website devoted to Fender Champ amplifiers. From wikipeida:

It was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1982. [1] An updated version was introduced in 2006 as part of the “Vintage Modified” line. The Champ had the lowest power output and the simplest circuit for all of the Fender tube amps. The Champ had only one power tube, which meant that the circuit is single ended and class A. Five watts and the simple toneful circuit allowed the Champ to be used easily and often in recording studios.”

My Fender Champ is chocked full of information about these highly adored amps. You can learn the basics about tubes, electronics, and amps in general. Of for owners or interested buyers, you can figure out how old a Fender Champ is by using this serial number guide. I love sites like these. Years ago I was given an old acoustic Guild Guitar and I’ve also bought an old junky Harmony flat top acoustic. By finding sites like these, I was able to figure out the year, make, and models of those guitars with serial number guides.

Tagged as: fender, guitar amp, guitar blogs

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