If you are ever in Los Angeles in early October you should check out the L.A. Amp Show at the Airtel Hotel. If you love to A/B top gear (and who doesn’t?) this is the place. It’s the next best thing to NAMM. Actually, it’s such a niche that in a way it’s better. Here are a few of the product demonstrations. More videos to follow.

Geek Speak: How does an optical compressor work? It alters the dynamics of audio signals with a light element and optical cell. An increased audio signal increases the amplitude. When that happens, the light element gets brighter which makes the optical cell attenuate the amplitude of the output signal.

What happens in layman’s terms; the signal gets squished, shimmery, pumped, sustained, boosted or limited depending on how you have tweaked the compressor.

A Different Kind of Animal
I just got hold of the new Joemeek FloorQ optical compressor pedal for evaluation and it’s not what I anticipated. The only time I have ever used an optical compressor was in the recording studio so I was thinking it might still sound somewhat like other VCA-based compressor pedals. Wrong. FloorQ is different kind of animal.

This was in fact quite a departure from other compressor pedals I have tried, including the Carl Martin compressor/limiter I have used for the last several years. If you are looking for a tremendous change in your sound, go buy another pedal. However, if you dig the sound you already have, then this pedal will only enhance it.

First Impressions
Like a child on Christmas morning I was panting with anticipation as I opened the sturdy box the FloorQ came in. Ah, the smell of new gear. As I extracted the pedal from its box I understood why the packaging was so heavy-duty. This British racing green-colored pedal is built like a tank and it has a moderately sized footprint. Although not huge, it’s not Keeley-small either. I was thinking that it had better sound great to chew up my valuable pedal board real estate.

The case is heavy and the knobs feel high-quality when you turn them. I like the slight incremental click the controls make as you turn the dial. Details like this instill confidence by exuding quality before you plunk your first note.

Get Tweaked
Here’s what the knobs do:

Input: Sets the gain pre-amp
Slope: Sets compression ratio to applied signals above threshold
Compress: Sets the threshold above which the signal starts to be compressed
Attack: Sets how quickly the compressor responds to peaks above the threshold
Release: Sets the time taken for the signal to return to normal size after compression

Tone Tour
The best way to describe the tones the FloorQ produces are “audiophile” and “transparent”. Aside from the obvious input and output knobs, this pedal works it’s magic subtly. You might not be that aware when it is on, (aside from the very-cool blue LED), but you can sure tell when it is off.

This could be used as a set-it-and-forget-it pedal, because the FloorQ sweetens up your sound without monkeying with it. I stopped thinking about it as an effect pedal and began to think of it as a stealthy sound-enhancement device.

If you turn up the compress knob to 10, you still don’t kill your dynamics. The attack knob does not dull your sound when turned up fully either. The FloorQ really performs like a beautiful rack compressor built into a pedal just as Joemeek claims. I played around with various settings and could NOT get the FloorQ to sound bad. The unit loves guitar frequencies.

The Cool Stuff
This pedal is not picky about what kind of power supply you use either. If it gets juice, it’s happy. It comes with a regulated 12VAC power supply, but I plugged it in to my T-Rex Fuel Tank and I was ready to go. You can also use this pedal for line input matching and to overdrive a tube amp. I already have various overdrive pedals, but the idea of a high-end pre-amplifier built into an optical compressor is very appealing. The pre-amp is low-noise, Class-A, super high-quality and is always working, even when the pedal is off. This pedal is quiet as a church mouse and you can’t say that about most compressors.

Like any high-quality compressor, the pedal worked well with my other pedals. The sound of my Gibson ES-335 going through my 1966 Blackface Fender Princeton Reverb with the FloorQ, Fulltone Choralflange (set to a frosty chorus setting) and then through a touch of TC Electronic Vintage Delay was heavenly. It sounds great without the FloorQ, but it sounded even better with it. Really delicious.

Final Take
The FloorQ is quite different from most of the other high-quality compression pedals out there. Would I buy one? Well, I told the folks at PMI Audio Group (the manufacturer) I can’t send it back. It’s already been velcro’d to my pedal board.

The Floor Q has a Gotta-Guit-It Rating of: 5 GUITARS

Gotta-Guit-It Rating System:

Rating System: From 1 to 5 Guitars

1 Guitar: Toss it into the dumpster
2 Guitars: Back to the drawing board
3 Guitars: Adequate… and that’s about it
4 Guitars: Pretty cool gear
5 Guitars: Purchase without hesitation – Gotta-Guit-it

Do you own a tube guitar amplifier? Have you ever been at a gig and under pressure when your amp stops working? What do you do? How can you keep your amp in tip-top shape and prevent a disaster? What part of your amp repair can YOU do, and what should you leave to a pro?

So many of us depend on tube guitar amps to get us through the rehearsal, gig or recording session while delivering the sound that only a tube amplifier can deliver.
It’s so easy to get caught off guard and find yourself in a nightmare scenario with humming, popping or smoke emanating from your prized amplifier ten minutes before the downbeat. Relax. I went to the effort to seek out an expert who knows tube guitar amps inside and out; Rick Marshal.

Rick has worked on tube amps for years at Carruthers Guitars in Venice, California. In case you don’t already know, John Carruthers builds amazing handcrafted guitars that are played by world-famous guitarists and musicians that demand the best. So when musicians take their vintage tube amps to the Carruthers shop, the bar is set very high.

While there is some emphasis on vintage Fender amps in this series of videos, this video series focuses on tube amplifiers as a general category. If you watch this four-part series and don’t learn something important, you are probably qualified to be a department head at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA, just like John Carruthers .

So kick back while you listen to the voice of experience on how to prepare for the worst and how to prevent the worst from happening in the first place.

by David Caris

Video 1 – Tube Amp Survival Guide With Rick Marshal

Video 2 – Tube Amp Survival Guide With Rick Marshal

Video 3 – Tube Amp Survival Guide With Rick Marshal

Video 4 – Tube Amp Survival Guide With Rick Marshal

WANT TO CONTACT RICK FOR  REPAIR WORK?

VISIT WWW.CARRUTHERSGUITARS.COM

Rick went through my 1966 blackface Princeton Reverb and re-capped it. The amp sounds spectacular and I will never sell it. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

The latest creation from the folks at Matchless has their recognizable tonal characteristics in a more affordable package. The Matchless Avalon 30 can be ordered in numerous configurations to suit just about anyone’s taste. Here, chief designer Phil Jamison plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard with TV Jones humbuckers and a G&L Legacy at a variety of volumes and dynamics to demonstrate the tonal spectrum of this new amp.

The latest Matchless masterpiece which is as-yet without an official name. However, they are now shipping this amp.

I recently made a visit to Matchless Amplifiers in West Los Angeles and met with their chief designer Phil Jamison to discuss their unique products. If you have been reading and watching GuitarBandDVD.org, you know I only interview musicians and gear makers that are top-notch. Matchless is no exception.

The product-pride and the laid back, but highly-professional demeanor made it clear that these people are very focused on being the best while loving what they do.

Granted, you can buy a much cheaper good sounding amp, but Matchless has never targeted the lower-end customer. You certainly get what you pay for however. You can’t use the best components and hand-craft amplifiers that sound like a Matchless, and be the low-priced leader.

If you need an amplifier to cover up sloppy chops, this would not be a good choice. This amp line has characteristic shared by every model they make; clarity and nuance. Guitarists can build a style around Matchless gear. This will make you a better player and bring out your true sound.

Phil and I started by discussing the new more-economical amp they are starting to ship (which is as-yet unnamed). In the interview(s) we cover what goes into a Matchless, some of the components and design that make these amps sound the way they do, and gain insight into the technology utilized in the new designs.

For what it’s worth, I have owned a Matchless SC30 since 1992 and I can honestly say, this is the ONLY amp I have never had for sale. I have owned a dozen other high-end amps since then, but sold them all. I never, for a moment considered selling my Matchless.

by David Caris

The term “overbuilt” really applies towards Matchless Amplifiers. You can tour the world with their gear without fear…and many people have.
Click on these pictures to enlarge the details.

The man behind the amps, Phil Jamison.

This is part one of the interview with Phil Jamison

Notice the exceptional craftsmanship and highly figured woodgrain. The guitars come in maple and mahogany. They sound as good as they look. Clearly a great deal of planning went into these before production. The truss rod cover is a wood strip with magnets that allow the player to make quick adjustments without requiring a screwdriver to remove it. Very clever.

CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Tim playing an Epiphone once owned by the late, great guitarist/educator Howard Roberts (click to enlarge)

A closer view of the front. By the way, this axe has been tweaked by John Carruthers and “plays like butta” with great articulate tone.

The bookmatched maple back of the Guild Artist Award. Sweet. Now stop drooling!

A late 30′s Gibson Tim bought at Sam Ash. Funny story: the clerk said it was real old…probably from the 70′s. What does that make me? I guess I am an antique too.

-David Caris

The back and sides of Howard Roberts personal Epiphone is walnut. (click to enlarge)

Click on image to enlarge.

He’s been building guitars for decades and his client list reads like a who’s who list of some of the biggest and most talented players in the world. His designs have been responsible for some of the most sought-after guitars by players and collectors worldwide. He earned his stripes as a consultant for Fender, G&L and Yamaha (to name a few) and he has been quietly building some of the most responsive, ergonomic and advanced guitars out of his Venice, CA shop for more than 30 years.

I have know John for years and have learned more for from him about what makes a guitar “magic” than anyone else I know. In this video he shows two of his recent designs and we discuss his experiences from being a columnist for Guitar Player Magazine to his current position as a department head at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood and owner of Carruthers Guitars. If you are into guitars, this interview is both entertaining and educational.