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.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Guitar Player.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Guitar Player.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TRANSCENDENTAL MAN
Luther Dickinson interpreted a priceless work of art in music. In the process, the blues guitarist wrote his own next chapter.
THE BEAT GOES ON
Together with Tony Levin, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai join forces for a Robert Fripp-endorsed revival of King Crimson's groundbreaking 1980s music.
I'M 100 PERCENT HAPPY WITH THE WORK I'VE DONE WITH PINK FLOYD. BUT...'MY FOCUS IS DIFFERENT RIGHT NOW'
Leading a rock group and being a solo artist were \"not what I asked for,\" David Gilmour says. For Luck and Strange, he assembled a team that shared the weight of his creative efforts. The result? \"The best album I've made since The Dark Side of the Moon.\"
DOUG GILLARD IS INDISPENSABLE
His six-string genius has proved vital to the music of Guided by Voices, Nada Surf and other indie-rock favorites. But all he really wants is to make good music.
Sol Salvation
The genius of Sol Hoopii is preserved in 16 timeless cuts on Master of the Hawaiian Guitar.
Pickup Artist
With its Wide Range humbuckers, the 1970s Fender Telecaster Thinline scores better than most of its contemporaries.
MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS
Joe Walsh's Jazzmaster, Billy Cobham's bass line... As Bush head out on tour, Gavin Rossdale reveals the history behind a handful of their best tunes
TIPSHEET
We asked Brian Ray for his advice on playing Beatles tunes. After all, he learned from the best.
MAN AT WORK
A juke joint just wasn't in the cards. So Cedric Burnside turned the old building into a studio for his hardcore blues workout, Hill Country Love.
MADE IN THE SHADE
The Gibson Custom Shop created just 59 examples of the Jason Isbell \"Red Eye\" 1959 Les Paul Standard. We got our hands on one of them.
