Tech Talk - Paul Daniel McGill MKS Custom

This wonderous beast was custom built by Paul McGill using scrumptious Cocobolo Rosewood and some 40 year old German Spruce that Paul found years ago. The Headplate, heelcap, backstrip and rosette feature rare burled Box Elder with superb figure and colors. The headstock and top are bordered with Abalone. The voice is all McGill, big, bold projection thanks to Paul's unique bracing that incorporates internal struts add strength and allow for lighter top bracing. The trebles just leap out of this guitar and the bass is resounding. This is a real room filler and it's rich and beauitiful across the spectrum. This is a very special custom McGill Guitar.

Measurements
Body Size: Medium
Scale: 25.25 in. (641 mm)
Nut Width: 1 3/4 in. (44.45 mm)
String Spacing: 2 1/4 in. (57.15 mm)
Body Length: 19 3/8 in.
Upper Bout: 11 3/8 in.
Lower Bout: 15 1/8 in.
Serial #: 7
Body Depth @Neck Heel: 3 5/8 in.
Body Depth @Tail Block: 4 in.
Frets to body: 12
Woods & Trim
Back/Sides: Cocobolo Rosewood
Top Wood: Bearclaw German Spruce, 40 years old
Fingerboard: Ebony
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Bridge: Ebony with Dual Saddles
Rosette: Burled Box Elder and Abalone
Binding: Koa
Fingerboard Bindings: Ebony
Headplate: Burled Box Elder
Headstock Bindings: Koa
Headstock Inlay: Builder Logo
Top Trim: Abalone
Back Strip: Burled Box Elder
Fret Markers: None
Tuners: Nickel open-backed Gotohs
Tuner Finish: Nickel


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Tech Talk - LaPlante Classical - Concert, Classical, Nylon String Classical Guitar

David LaPlante is a well respected Luthier who is approaching his 100th instrument, a testament to his experience and love of the craft. LaPlante guitars are played by Muriel Anderson and other prominent concert artists. This particular LaPlante is a powerful guitar that will fill any hall. This is a great example of what aged and mature Spruce sounds like. Every note is articulate and bold with great expression and limitless power. The body is crafted from dark, rich Brazilian Rosewood for lush warmth as well.
Measurements
Body Size: Medium
Scale: 660 mm (26 in.)
Nut Width: 2 3/64 mm (2.05 in)
String Spacing: 2 13/32 mm (2.4 in)
Body Length: 19 3/8 in.
Upper Bout: 11 3/8 in.
Lower Bout: 14 3/8 in.
Serial #: 35
Body Depth @Neck Heel: 3 3/4 in.
Body Depth @Tail Block: 3 3/4 in.
Frets to body: 12
Woods & Trim
Back/Sides: Brazilian Rosewood
Top Wood: Spruce
Fingerboard: Ebony
Neck Wood: Mahogany, 1 Piece
Bridge: Brazilian Rosewood, String Through
Rosette: Mosaic
Binding: Rosewood
Fingerboard Bindings: None
Headplate: Brazilian Rosewood
Headstock Bindings: None
Headstock Inlay: None
Top Trim: Violin Lines
Back Strip: Lines
Fret Markers: None
Tuners: Sloane
Tuner Finish: Gold With Ebony Buttons


"I have developed my guitars after decades of building, utilizing time honored and traditional aesthetics joined with my own perception of optimal design and construction. My plantilla is based on an amalgam of Torres, Hauser and Romanillos as well as my own earlier designs. The #90 guitar is illustrative of this plantilla.

I use a domed construction technique which was developed by Torres and further refined through the work of and taught to me by Jose Romanillos. This allows for a solid natural spruce top, very thin, light, flexible and extremely responsive. Bracing is all aged German spruce in a pattern based on traditional Torres design with the modern addition of a treble bar. The addition of a single angled cut off bar, my own innovation, enhances a bright loud treble response and eliminates the problem of boomy unfocused bass.

Presently I’m using genuine German spruce for the top. This is a very special aged (30-40 years) material of which I have a limited supply. Backs and sides are Indian rosewood or Spanish cypress. Brazilian rosewood is also used on a limited basis. Necks are Spanish cedar with “V” joint headstock construction, a feature seen on only the finest guitars. The traditional bridge features the new 18 hole design. The highest quality tuning machines are fitted to all instruments and depending on price and aesthetic may vary. My typical favorites include Rodgers, Reischl and Sloane.

All guitars feature hand made rosettes of my own traditionally inspired design and execution as well as marquetry purflings to match on the more elaborate examples. Each guitar is individually concepted and built to be an extremely responsive and unique musical companion for the discriminating player. "
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How Guitars - Ladder Braced Grand Concert 00/Parlor

John How builds superb vintage style instrument inspired by the old Oscar Schmidt guitars. This one is a ladder braced Grand Concert that is the size of an L-00 Gibson. It has the wonderful woody sound that ladder bracing provides and it excels at blues, rags and bottleneck slide. For this one John How chose premium Curly Koa for the body and Lutz Spruce for the top. It sports a mustache bridge and Curly Maple bindings on the body, neck, and slotted headstock.

Model: Ladder Braced Grand Concert (00)
Back/Sides Wood: Curly Koa
Top Wood: Lutz Spruce
14 3/4" wide
25.4" scale
12 fret dovtail neck
1 13/16" nut
2 5/16" saddle
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Tech Talk - Collings Guitars, DS-3

This is the original 12-fret dreadnought shape, first designed as an oversized Hawaiian guitar almost a century ago. We've retained the shape and wide neck with slotted headstock from that bygone era, but our DS models are thoroughly modern guitars with a unique sound all their own. The longer body, with the bridge closer to the center of the lower bout, delivers an open, airy tone with smoothness and warmth not typically found in modern, 14-fret dreadnoughts. Whether flatpicked or played fingerstyle, these guitars have lots of headroom and the wide dynamic range invites everything from mellow accompaniment to biting leads.

Features Include:

Select Sitka spruce
East Indian rosewood back and sides
Grained ivoroid binding
Black/white wood strip purfling
Multi-color mosaic back strip
Select abalone rosette
Pre-war scalloped bracing
Tortoise-style pickguard
High gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Mahogany neck
Bound fingerboard and double bound peghead
Slotted peghead with Rosewood overlay
Inlaid Collings Logo
Ebony fingerboard and belly bridge
No fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Bone nut and drop-in saddle
Ebony bridge pins and end pin
Gold Waverly slot-head tuners
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Tech Talk - Alastair Greene Guitar Lessons In The Garage 1st Lesson E minor pentatonic lick

Guitarist, Singer, and Songwriter Alastair Greene has been a mainstay of the Southern California music scene for over 2 decades. Alastair was born April 18th, 1971 in Santa Barbara, CA. He discovered music through his mother's piano playing at home and whose record collection included classics by The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John, while his father's tastes at the time leaned toward Bach and Beethoven. Alastair was inspired to pursue music as a career by his grandfather, the late Chico Alvarez, who played trumpet as a member of the Stan Kenton Band in the '40s and '50s. Growing up, Alastair took piano lessons and played the saxophone before discovering the guitar in High School. He received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied for two years before returning to southern California to begin playing with Blues and Rock bands
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Tech Talk - ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons Rig Rundown

If anyone likes guitar gear more than me...it's Billy Gibbons. Here's a rare chance to look at a bunch of Billy's current gear. Elwood Francis who gives us a look at ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons' array of guitars, including the famous fur guitar, and lets us in on how Billy has everything set up for their tour.
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Tech Talk - 1960 National 1210 Twin-Tone Amplifier Demo

The Valco 1210 is a simple 3 tube amp (5Y3, 6V6, 12AX7) with volume and tone controls, 3 inputs, and a pair of Rola 6" x 11" speakers. While about comparable to a Fender Champ in wattage, the Valco built amp has significantly more grit and growl thanks to a Grid leek bias design. The 4 ohm speakers are wired in series which offers a lot more power handling than you'd expect to find in a small amp. Sure, you'll need to mic it for band volumes, but if you're looking for killer small amp tone for guitar or harmonica this on is a perfect choice.
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Tech Talk - Fender Bandmaster (1965)

Model/Circuit Number: AB763

Era: Blackface
Configuration: Piggyback (reviewed with alternate speaker cabinet)
Controls: Black forward facing w/ white labels
Knobs: Black skirted w/ chrome center, numbered 1 - 10

Faceplate

Front: Normal: In, In, Bright Sw, Vol, Treb, Bass - Vibrato: In, In, Bright Sw, Vol, Treb, Bass, Speed, Intensity - Pilot Lamp
Rear: AC Outlet, Ground Sw, Fuse (2A), Power Sw, Standby Sw, Speaker Jack, Ex. Speaker Jack, Vibrato Jack

Dimensions: Head: 8'' x 24'' x 9''
Hardware: Head: Chrome Corners, Large Chassis Straps 5 5/8'', Side Bar Clips. Cabinet: 16'' Tilt-Back Legs, Black Strap handle, Thumb screws, Thumb screw receptacles
Handle: Black strap handle
Feet: Glides
Corners: Chrome Corners with Lip
Tolex/Tweed: Black Tolex
Grill Cloth: black white silver grill cloth

Logo: Grill mounted, raised, chrome & black, script with tail
Weight: 49.5 lbs.

Effects: Tremolo
~Watts: 40 watts
Tubes
Pre amp: 2 x 7025 and 12AT7
Power: 2 x 6L6GC

Bias: Fixed bias adjustment pot
Rectifier: Solid State
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Tech Talk - Dynacord MV 15 (1957)

Difficult to find much more info on this 15 Watts

Tech Talk - Peavey Backstage Plus (1984)

Solid State about 25 Watts
10" Emenince speaker

Tech Talk - Dynacord Twen II (1974)

2x6V6 power tubes 17 Watts
12" speaker

Tech Talk - Masco MA-17N PA System (1950)

PA amps are the hidden gold of amplifiers. Old Marshall PA amps as well as Hiwatt PA amps are the steal of the century. Here we have a Masco PA and we know how I feel about Masco!
17Watts 2x6L6 Power Tubes
2x 10" Jensen speaker

Tech Talk - Fender Bassman 5E6-A (1956)

Model No: 5E6-A (55-57)

Config:
Combo

Control Panel:
Chrome top facing w/ white screened labels, controls numbered 1-12

Conrol Layout:
Ground Sw, Fuse (3A), Power Sw, Standby Sw, Pilot Lamp, Presense, Bass, Treb, Vol, Vol, Normal In, Bright In


Knobs:
Black pointer

Cabinet:
Narrow panel, closed back w/ 2 ports, 23" x 22½" x 10½" (58.4 x 57.2 x 26.7 cm)

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Tech Talk - Fender Super Amp (6G4) (1960)

Model No:
6G4

Config:
Combo

Control Panel:
Brown forward facing w/ white screened labels, controls numbered 1-10

Front Conrol Layout:
6G4: Normal: In, In, Bass, Treb, Vol - Bright: In, In, Bass, Treb, Vol, Speed, Intensity - Presense - Pilot Lamp

Rear Conrol Layout:
6G4: Ground Sw, Fuse (3A), Power Sw, Standby Sw, Speaker Jack, Vibrato Jack

Knobs:
Brown round

Cabinet:
18" x 24" x 10½" (45.7 x 61 x 26.7 cm)

Cab Covering:
Pinkish Brown Tolex

Cab Hardware:
Brown strap handle, 5½" chassis straps, glides

Grille:
Brown

Logo:
Grille mounted, flat, chrome & black script "Fender"

Weight:
47 lbs (21.3 Kg)

Speakers/Load:
2 x 10"/4 ohms (8 ohms each in parallel)

Speaker Model:
Jensen P10R, Jensen P10Q or Oxford 10K5

Effects:
Tremolo

Output:
40 Watts

Preamp:
Normal: 7025
Bright: 7025

Power:
6G4: 2 x 6L6GC

Bias:
Fixed Bias, nonadjustable

Rectifier:
GZ34

Phase Inverter:
7025 (long tailed)

Other:
Tremolo: 2 x 7025 (6G4) or 12AX7, ½ 12AX7, and 7025


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Tech Talk - Kinder HarpKing 4X10

70 watts of pure Blues tone
54 pounds
23 ¼" tall
3-12AX7 pre amp tubes
2-KT-88 power tubes
4-10" Eminence speakers

Color choices: Red, Purple or Blond new with matching silk-screen on faceplate. All of the HarpKings come with gold sparkle grille cloth

Tech Talk - Brunetti Singleman (2010)

Specifications:

ONE-CHANNEL PREAMP: VOLUME, BASS, MIDDLE, TREBLE, REVERB controls
BRIGHT manual switch
SMOOTH, FAT TWEED manual switch
BOOST manual switch for medium frequencies
AMPLIFIER: class A 16W (6V6GT tubes) or class AB 35W (6L6WGC tubes)
POWERLIMIT®: FULL, MODERATE, QUIET manual switch which operates
on the final stage reducing power to 1/4 and 1/16
REVERB: Accutronics spring, excluded by remote switch
EFFECTS LOOP: send return suitable for rack/stomps, could be excluded by manual switch (true bypass)
LOUDSPEAKER: 12” cone Celestion V30 (16 OHM)
EXTERNAL SPEAKER: rear output, 16 Ohm for add-on speaker
TUBES: 2X 12AX7/ECC83 + 2X 6V6GT (autobias) or 2X 6L6WGC (trimmed bias)
STRUCTURE: chassis and panels iron/stainless steel laser cut
ELECTRONICS: “Red Series” MKP WIMA capacitors, sealed relays, low noise film resistors
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: L 465 mm, H 500 mm, D 270 mm - L 18,3”, H 19,7”, D 10,6”
WEIGHT: 18 Kg - 39,7 lbs
BOX CONTENT: power cable, reverb switch, owner’s manual, and waterproof cover

Tech Talk - Multivox Bass Amp #45

MODEL # 45
15 WATTS
1 12 INCH SPEAKER
TUBES ARE 1 7591 OUTPUT[GE]
1 12AX7 PREAMP [MULTIVOX]
1 6AV6 TREMELOE [MULTIVOX]
SPEAKER CODE PA-12-8,2857644
LOUDER THAN A CHAMP
CABINET SIZE 19 INCHES TALL, 19 INCHES WIDE,8.5 INCHES DEPTH

Tech Talk -Steelphon Mustang (Mid 60's)

Steelphon Mustang (mid 60's) Made in Italy
10-15 Watts 4x8" speaker

Tech Talk - Sonny Jr. 410 (2006)

# Raw explosive power, punch and volume without feedback
# Bench tested at 45 Watts
# 55 lbs.; 22.5W x 23H x 9.5D
# Unique speaker blend for a wall of tone–4x 10″
# Stock gritty, nasty tone–no need for tube subs
# Same pure tone at all volume levels
# Crystal mic hot input
# Unique paper-in-oil capacitors
# Bias pot for perfect idling of the power tubes
# Gorgeous seven-layer tint with clear coat tweed with sturdy, thick leather handle
# Available with 120V / 240V power transformer at no extra charge

Tech Talk - Victoria "Victoriette" (2007)

20 Watts of Power
Tubes: 1-5AR4, 2-6L6 or 2-EL84, 3-12AX7, 1-12AT7
Reverb and Tremolo
Speaker: 1-Jensen P12Q speaker or 2- Jensen P10R speakers
Cabinet size (HxWxD) - Two cabinet configurations: 2x10 18.5 x 22 x 10.5 and 1x12: 18.5 x 22 x 10.5