EMG-81 Chrome

QUICKTEST
MISCELLANEOUS
December 2010 Guitarist 131
Quicktest
Vox Joe Satriani
AmPlug
£46
Rothwell
Tornado
£139
A storming JFET stompbox…
Satch’s huge tone in a tiny package?
CONTACT: Rothwell PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk
Adding an AmPlug to
Joe Satriani’s signature
range is a no-brainer and
the fact that Vox has kept
the unit’s price the same as
the rest of the series is to
the firm’s credit.
The drive tone
here borrows
heavily from
the Satchurator
stompbox and there’s also a
second setting that includes a
medium length analogue-style
delay taken from the Time
Machine delay pedal.
Sounds
The first thing you notice upon
plugging in is how hissy the
unit is, far noisier than the
Metal AmPlug we compared it
to, even at lower gain and
volume levels. The basic sound
isn’t as immediate either, and it
bears only a passing
resemblance to Satch’s tones.
We used the auxiliary input to
play along with both Surfing
With The Alien and
Chickenfoot and, although the
drive is satisfying enough, it
really doesn’t mimic Joe’s tone
as accurately as expected.
There’s too much middle for
one, and any string separation
is lost in the maelstrom.
Cleaning the gain up and
using the delay setting is a far
happier experience, and
employing the neck pickup of
a Strat gives a reasonably
natural tone.
Verdict
As an addition to your
collection of AmPlugs, the
Satriani would be a worthy
purchase, and if you’re new to
the concept, it’d be a suitable
place to start. However, as a
short cut to Joe’s huge tone, we
fear you’ll need to keep looking.
For completists only. [SB]
The Bottom Line
We like: Valve-like overdrive;
useful focused tonal range
We dislike: Four-screw
battery access
The Bottom Line
We like: The red livery;
customary AmPlug simplicity
We dislike: Doesn’t sound
that much like Joe; noisy
GUITARIST RATING GUITARIST RATING
In the world of transistors, the
JFET (Junction Field Effect
Transistor) is regarded as the
type that displays electronic
characteristics most similar to
those of that guitar player’s
favourite, the valve. With that
in mind, enter Rothwell’s new
Tornado stompbox: made in the
UK, this overdrive pedal uses
JFETs throughout.
Rothwell says that the JFETs
give the Tornado an overdriven
sound that’s much closer to the
sound of a real valve amp than
that found in a typical overdrive
pedal. Let’s plug in…
Sounds
Robustly constructed and
immaculately finished, the
Tornado runs from a 9V battery
or standard adaptor and
features volume, gain and tone
controls. With the gain set to
minimum, the pedal functions
as a clean boost
with plenty of
extra volume on
tap to give your
amp a real kick.
Advancing the
gain control
increases the
overdrive for a very
valve-like sound, with a
natural dynamic feel and a
bottom-end that remains
comfortably focused and tight,
even at full gain settings.
Two different tonal f lavours
are available courtesy of the
shift button, which alters the
tone control’s characteristics.
One has a darker vintage vibe,
the other a brighter sound with
more mid-range scoop. In
either mode you can dial-in
sounds across a frequency
range that complements amp
tones perfectly.
Verdict
A naturally responsive
overdrive pedal with a sound
reminiscent of valve distortion
and a tonal range that can
focus on the sweet spot. [TC]
CONTACT: Korg UK PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.voxamps.com
GIT336.rev_quick 131 11/8/10 1:52:59 PM