Ultimate Gear Guide - Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Maestro And Mesa Boogie - video Dailymotion

Guitar World

Gibson continues to roll out new and exciting equipment – and not just under the Gibson name, but also via its other brands, including Epiphone, Kramer, Maestro and Mesa Boogie. To get a handle on just some of this great gear, Guitar World’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput shined a spotlight on five products from the Gibson family.

Transcript

00:00You know, here at Guitar World, we get to feast our eyes and ears on a lot of great new gear.

00:06That's right, Paul. And nothing gets us more excited than when that new gear is Gibson gear.

00:11Well, Alan, hold on to your hat, even though I know you're not wearing one,

00:16because we've got not one, not two, but five great new products from Gibson to take a look at today.

00:22And this includes everything from guitars to pedals to amps from top brands under the Gibson

00:27brand's umbrella, including Epiphone, Kramer, and Mesa Boogie. Without further ado, let's dive in.

00:37Every budding rock star dreams of putting their hands around a Les Paul or SG when they grow up.

00:43Well, you no longer have to wait that long. Epiphone's Power Player series of guitars

00:48take these iconic shapes and presents them at the right size for the younger player

00:54with the quality and specs inspired by their Gibson counterparts.

01:13The Power Player's guitars are trimmed down versions of the Les Paul and SG models

01:18with a 22.73-inch scale length and slightly smaller mahogany bodies,

01:24making them easy to play and an excellent choice to learn on for younger guitarists.

01:28You also get a bolt-on mahogany neck with a sculpted heel for improved upper fret access

01:33and a pair of Epiphone 650R and 700T ceramic humbuckers for rich, full tone.

01:39And they're not just for kids. The Power Players are also a great travel guitar choice

01:44for more experienced guitarists, and they sound better and stay in tune longer

01:48than other student model guitars due to their high-quality components

01:51and excellent build quality.

01:54Sporting totally rockin' finishes and packaged with a gig bag, strap, picks,

01:58and a guitar cable, the Power Players are the perfect guitarists

02:02to get you playing now and forever.

02:04Forever? It's a long time.

02:05It's a mighty long time.

02:07So are you looking to get your shred on? Well, look no further.

02:10The first name in 80 shred machines, Kramer, is back.

02:26The brand is updated.

02:28It's built for speed guitars with 21st century construction and detail.

02:34Nowhere is this more evident than on the new Kramer Stryker,

02:37part of the Kramer Modern Collection of Guitars.

02:41These high-performance shred-ready axes feature a satin-finished maple neck

02:45with a Kramer K-Speed Slim Taper C profile

02:49for fast, easy, and incredibly comfortable playing.

02:52Electronics-wise, you get three Alnico 5 pickups,

02:55a zebra-coil bridge humbucker, and two single coils

02:59for everything from sparkling cleans

03:00to hard-rockin', heavily-overdriven humbucker crunch.

03:04Hmm, a lot of adjectives there. I love it.

03:07There's also a licensed Floyd Rose locking vibrato

03:10for all your dive-bombing desires,

03:12a variety of hot finishes,

03:14and an optional hard-shell case.

03:17Ready, shreddy? Go.

03:19Nowadays, it seems like there's a million and one pedals on offer

03:23from just as many different manufacturers,

03:25but only one brand was there first.

03:28Maestro.

03:34Introduced in the early 60s,

03:54the Maestro name became synonymous with guitar effect pedals,

03:58debuting with the FZ1 fuzz tone,

04:00the sound of the Rolling Stones' satisfaction.

04:03Who can forget that?

04:04In 1962.

04:06And now Maestro is back

04:07with the all-new original collection series,

04:10headlined by the new Maestro Fuzz Tone FZM,

04:13an updated version of that iconic pedal.

04:16The all-analog FZM offers up an FZ1-inspired fuzz sound.

04:22But that's not all.

04:23The pedal features an innovative mode toggle switch

04:26that provides two-in-one functionality

04:28for both classic fuzz and a thicker, more modern tone.

04:32Its three-knob control layout gives you intuitive control

04:35with an attack knob that allows you to dial in

04:38just the right amount of fuzz,

04:40and a tone control to adjust the timbre

04:41from bright and raspy to warm and woolly

04:44and anywhere in between.

04:46And a level knob to set the output volume.

04:48And it's all controlled via a true bypass foot switch

04:51that, in a very cool touch, also triggers the LED lights

04:55in the bugles in the Maestro logo

04:57so that you always know when the pedal is active.

05:00Classic tone, modern features, expanded versatility,

05:03and advanced tone tweaking capabilities.

05:06Maestro is back.

05:07Bugles, for real?

05:09Bugles in the logo.

05:10All right.

05:10So, Alan, we've looked at some pretty hot guitars

05:14and cool pedals, but they won't do you much good

05:17without a killer amp to crank them through, right?

05:20That's correct.

05:22Well, and do we have that amp for you?

05:24Mesa Boogie's California Tweed 6V6-220.

05:35Introducing the most compact grab-and-go editions

05:38to our vintage expanded Tweed series of amplifiers.

05:42Own a vintage voiced amp, but don't struggle

05:44with all the setbacks and limitations of one.

05:47With included features like an all-tube-driven spring reverb,

05:50a buffered series effects loop, and a wide-ranging EQ section,

05:54it's clear to say that this amp strongly bridges the gap

05:57between vintage tone and modern capability.

06:00Thanks to our incremental multi-watt technology,

06:04go from 20 watts, 10 watts, and even down to 1 watt.

06:07Available formats include a 110 combo, a 112 combo,

06:11pedal, and even a head version that has power scaling capabilities

06:14and makes for a great pedal platform amp, look no further.

06:18Yes, the California Tweed 220 expands on the record success

06:26of Mesa's larger-sized and higher-powered California Tweed 6V6-440,

06:31which set a new standard of performance

06:33from simple vintage-inspired single-channel design

06:36by providing five power amp voicings and output levels

06:40from a simple multi-watt rotary switch.

06:43It's what Mesa defines as vintage-expanded.

06:46And that is expansive.

06:48So what makes the latest California Tweed 220 so special?

06:52Well, for starters, its ability to offer vintage voice tube amp sound

06:56and feel in a choice of 20, 10, or 1-watt power configurations.

07:02In addition to the three power levels,

07:04the multi-watt power amp boasts dual-class and dyno-watt technologies

07:08for two operating classes with three wiring options

07:12via a single three-way rotary switch.

07:16Other features include two 6V6 power tubes

07:18and a preamp stocked with 512AX7 and 112AT7 preamp tubes,

07:24a single channel with normal and low inputs,

07:27gain, treble, mid, bass, presence, reverb, and master controls,

07:32and vintage all-tube spring reverb

07:34with an external reverb switching jack for remote activation.

07:38Tweed tone in a single-channel design with modern flexibility,

07:41this Mesa, yes, it really does kick ass.

07:45Can I say that? Kick ass.

07:47Since this is Gibson we've been talking about throughout this video,

07:50why not wrap things up with the most iconic of Gibson designs,

07:55the Les Paul.

07:56Yeah.

08:02You won't get pigeonholed using a Les Paul.

08:18I put this thing through the paces and it stands up for sure.

08:22So for anybody looking to get into a real Gibson,

08:26this is a great place to start

08:27and quality all the way through.

08:30Really good.

08:36Yes, the Les Paul Tribute captures the vibe, feel, and tonality

08:40of a traditional Les Paul,

08:42but with a rounded maple neck profile

08:45and ultra-modern weight relief

08:47for super easy playability and comfort.

08:50Features include a mahogany body, maple top,

08:53and a pair of 490R and T,

08:55humbucking pickups with Alnico 2 magnets

08:57for classic tone, power, and sustain.

09:01And who doesn't love all three of those things?

09:03I love all those things.

09:05Yep.

09:05But you also get medium jumbo frets,

09:07an aluminum Nashville tun-o-matic bridge,

09:10and vintage deluxe tuning machines

09:12with keystone buttons.

09:14And in addition to satin honeyburst,

09:17the Les Paul Tribute is also available

09:19in three additional classic finishes.

09:21It's all the guitar you need and nothing less.

09:24Hell, that is a Les Paul.

09:26Absolutely.

09:27Well, until next time, head to gibson.com.

09:30And epiphone.com.

09:32Oh, and kramerguitars.com.

09:34And maestroelectronics.com.

09:36And mesaboogie.com for these and other great products.

09:40Check it out.

Ultimate Gear Guide - Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer, Maestro And Mesa Boogie

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