THE VINTAGE-REPRODUCTION format has long formed a significant part of the boutique guitar and amp market, and if you've already proved your mettle at one, why not take a shot at the other? Long respected for its outstanding '50s- and '60s-evoking bolt-neck guitars, K-Line has released a line of golden age-inspired amps, and they're just as delectable as we would have hoped.
However good you may be at crafting vintage-inspired guitars, hand-wired amps patterned after the best of the original '60s offerings are another kettle of capacitors. Chris Kroenlein, the man behind K-Line's popular guitars, recognized this and brought in as his partner Dustin Sterling, the amplifiers' sole designer and builder. Both have expressed a deep love for the small-to-medium-sized vintage combos, which the new K-Line amp range expresses via its debut trio of the Bevo, Manchester and Parkmoor Reverb. I'm looking at the first two in this issue, while the third is an homage to the world's favorite black-panel 12-watt 1x10 combo of the mid '60s.
"The guitar is only half the instrument. The amp is the other," Sterling tells us. "Small combos allow you to crank up the volume and get into what the amp's circuit and tubes can do. A light touch of the strings gives shimmering cleans, while an aggressive sweep will make the amp growl and sustain."
Regarding K-Line's pitch for quality, Sterling tells us, "We use eighth-inch G10 turret-board construction and premium parts, like SoZo vintage-reproduction capacitors. We are after the vintage tone, with improved performance and a few minor changes to reverb and tremolo." All amps are meticulously hand-wired and hand assembled, and rendered with a stylistic touch that stays true to the originals.
この記事は Guitar Player の July 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Guitar Player の July 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Steel of a Deal
Jerry Byrd’s Steel Guitar Favorites packs a heap of American styles in one outstanding disc.
The Knockoff That Became a Knockout
Forced to stop copying U.S. guitars, Ibanez launched the all-original Artist line and took America by storm.
UNCOMMON FOLK
He grew up in a folk music haven. As he celebrates his latest album, Wide Open Light, Ben Harper shares sights and memories of his childhood home.
WILD SIDE
After Lou Reed's Berlin concept album bombed, guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner helped him get his groove back. The result was Rock 'n' Roll Animal, the live classic that redeemed his spirit and saved his career.
'THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR BAND IS TWO GUITARS'
Sleater-Kinney were making bass-less records long before the White Stripes and the Black Keys came along. Says co-leader Carrie Brownstein, \"The power comes from the conversation the guitars are having with each other.\"
YOUR INFLUENCES STICK WITH YOU
Scott Henderson spent lockdown training his ears and building improv skills. As Karnevel! shows, his jazz chops flourished, but his blues-rock roots remain as strong as ever.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Erstwhile blues-rocker Hannah Wicklund finds her true self with an album of songs she calls the most authentic I’ve ever written.”
'I PLAY LESS NOTES THESE DAYS, BUT THEY ALL MEAN A LOT MORE'
On Broken, Walter Trout packs his licks for maximum impact as he testifies to the hope that can save our divided world.
TIP SHEET
Think effects are a crutch? Reeves Gabrels has a few choice words and good advice) for you.
WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE
As he releases One Deep River, Mark Knopfler reflects on the guitars he's loved, the music that keeps his passion youthful... and how he'd like a do-over on that Dire Straits Rock Hall induction.
