The Uni-Vibe guitar effect pedal was used on some of the most classic guitar recordings of all time by guitar players. It was made by the “Univox” company (hence the name Uni-vibe). They created the Uni-vibe pedal to emulate the sound of rotating speaker Leslie effect, like on a Hammond B3 organ. Did you know that the Uni-vibe guitar pedal was used on the following classic guitar songs?

Jimi Hendrix – Machine Gun, Star Spangled Banner, Hear my Train A Comin’
Grand Funk – Locomotion
Robin Trower – Bridge of Sighs, Day of the Eagle, Too Rolling Stoned
Breathe – Pink Floyd
some say it’s on “Who’s That Lady” by the Isley Brothers
Stevie Ray Vaughan has used it on some recordings for Hendrixy tones

Some songs like the Locomotion used the Uni-vibe on only the solo, the Robin Trower used it on nearly his entire album! Univox no longer makes the Uni-Vibe pedal. But sometimes you can find an original one on eBay – they’re a pricey, because they’re vintage effects. If you want the original equipment that Hendrix and Trower used, this is the only way to go (find used Univox Univibes).

Here’s what’s on eBay right now for original Univox Uni-vibe pedals:

Having said that – there are may other reissue uni-vibe pedals, made by both mainstream and boutique guitar effects and pedal manufacturers. I’m going to show you some of the most popular ones.

The Dunlop Uni-vibe pedal gives you the classic chorus and tremelo sounds, the ones that will take you back decades. Here’s an image of the original Dunlop Uni-Vibe guitar pedal, the one that most people buy the controller foot pedal for (looks like a wah or volume pedal). Dunlop makes a stereo version that looks like this, model UV1SC.

This is what the non-stereo version of the Dunlop uni-vibe pedal (UV1) looks like. The chorus sound is a lot like the leslie rotating speaker effect. It’s more of a thick phased kind of sound. The tremelo (vibrator) moves the tone up and down in a cool combined way that is like no other effect.

Here are Dunlop uni-vibe pedals currently on eBay:

Dunlop UV-ISC Uni-vibe Stereo Chorus
	USD 125.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 19:10:07
Dunlop Uni-Vibe Control Pedal UV1FC Univibe Foot Pedal
	USD 89.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 01:22:58
Dunlop 18v power supply ECB-04 Uni-Vibe stomp box pedal
	USD 7.50 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 23:31:09
Dunlop Univibe UV-1FC Uni-Vibe Foot Controller Pedal
	USD / 97.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:42:58

One of the highest rated uni-vibe pedals on the boutique guitar pedal market right now is the Voodoo Lab “Micro Vibe” pedal. I haven’t heard a bad review of it yet. It gives unbelievable Gilmour Pink Floyd sounds. Some people like the fact that (unlike other vibe pedals) there are just 2 controls to fool with, making it less complex to use.

You can find it at the following places:
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe at Musicians Friend
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe at Amazon

Here are some current Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe pedals on ebay right now:

Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe Uni-Vibe Guitar Effect Pedal, great condition with box!
	USD 78.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 19:52:23
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe Uni-Vibe Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 85.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 00:16:25
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe
	USD 50.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 20:00:26
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe Effects Pedal
	USD 85.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 04:21:26
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe
	USD / 49.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 04:00:22
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe
	USD / 75.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 15:43:04
Original Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe (vintage Rotary Speaker Pedal)
	USD 119.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-03-01 01:25:31
EHX Micro Q Tron Filter, Stereo Pulsar Tremolo & VOODOO LAB Micro Vibe Uni-Vibe
	USD 189.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 03:18:28
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe Flat Rate Shipping
	USD 149.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 23:15:35
Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe Guitar Pedal-Used In Great Condition-With Original Box
	USD / 50.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 03:50:01

BBE makes a vibe pedal called the “BBE Soul Vibe” pedal. The Voodoo Lab micro vibe pedal is awesome, and probably my favorite – but it runs $149 nearly everywhere. I understand sometimes people want something “as good”, if they can get it for a cheaper price. You can get it for about $80 bucks at Musicians Friend, and about the same on Amazon. It has an internal trim pot that you can use to tweak your sound, some reviews I’ve read say that you can get great sounds without needing to use it, and others say you have to use the trim pot to get the best sound. I guess results may vary.

Here are some BBE Soul Vibe pedals currently on eBay:

BBE SOUL VIBE rotary speaker guitar pedal No Reserve
	USD 46.99 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 04:25:07
BBE Soul Vibe Analog Guitar Effects Stomp Box
	USD 89.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 15:13:29
New BBE Soul Vibe Rotary Speaker Emulator Pedal
	USD 92.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 03:29:18
BBE Soul Vibe Rotary Effect Pedal with Power Supply
	USD 129.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-03-01 02:53:55
~BBE Soul Vibe Rotary Effect Pedal with Gift~ BRAND NEW from Dealer!
	USD 129.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 16:45:18
Store Demo BBE Soul Vibe Guitar Effect Pedal w Power Supply
	USD 79.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 19:38:49
BBE SOUL VIBE ANALOG UNI-VIBE TRUE BYPASS FX PEDAL
	USD 129.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-03-01 01:34:39

DLS Effects makes a pedal called the “Versa Vibe”. It’s the reverse of the BBE Soul Vibe, and if you’re looking for a vibe that has tons of customization controls, like the original Univox Uni-Vibe, this may be just what you’re looking for. Lots of people say this is a great one to get lots of analog sound, without clipping – like the vintage gear. It’s also got some new controls, like Wet-Dry, Bass Throb, etc. It even boasts the ability to get vintage Magnatone amp vibrato!

Here’s a link to the Versa Vibe on Amazon.

Here are Versa Vibe auctions currently live (if there are any):

DLS Effects Versa Vibe - NEW free shipping Auth Dealer
	USD 279.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 22:44:53

The Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe unit’s are about as pro as it gets. The Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe is the choice of both Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. These units have a chorus, tremolo, AND vibrato! This is an incredible vibe effects unit, but keep in mind it’s pro grade – and be prepared to drop $400-500 for one.

Here are Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe’s currently on eBay (if there are any):

Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe+ New Version! FREE INT'L S&H!!!
	USD 599.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-03-01 01:24:10

Fulltone is a BIG player in the boutique guitar market right now, and tons of guitarists revel in the dirt of their OCD distortion box. They make a pedal called the “Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe” that is purportedly a completely faithful reproduction of the Univox Univibe circuit! Another thing that unique is the fact that this is a 9 volt pedal, but the original univibe by Univox was an 18 volt circuit. Full tone uses a voltage doubling technique in it’s circuit so you can use a standard 9 volt adapter (or battery) – and it turns it into 18v!

I’ve seen 3 versions of the Fulltone Deja Vibe, one stereo, one not – in normal pedal fashion. But the MDV-2 version is different because it’s in the style of a volume/wah pedal – with the vibe controls on the side. Can you say awesome?!

Here are Fulltone Deja Vibe pedals currently on eBay now:

Fulltone MDV Uni-Vibe Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 170.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 20:16:16
NEW FULLTONE MDV MINI DEJA VIBE PEDAL NOW IN STOCK !!!!
	USD 233.75 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 16:51:54
Fulltone Black Box Power Supply 9 volts Deja Vibe Wah Fuzz Pedal Rare Mint
	USD 479.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 05:51:47
Fulltone MDV2 Mini-Deja Vibe 2 Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 150.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 20:26:49
New Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe ((Stereo)) Pedal Univibe
	USD 314.10 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 00:27:51
Fulltone MDV-2 Uni-Vibe Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD / 190.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 22:31:56
Fulltone MDV Uni-Vibe Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 46.00 (6 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 04:18:07
FULLTONE MDV2 Mini-Deja'Vibe 2 Guitar Effects Pedal
	USD 259.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 02:30:29
Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe Pedal With Box
	USD 199.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 23:06:24

I wanted to write a review for this “Sanyo Pedal Juice” unit I got at the end of December. Sanyo was nice enough to send me one to review, and it’s pretty cool. It’s a rechargeable lithion ion battery to power your guitar pedals. The unit I tested can power up to 2 pedals, but they make another version that can power up to 3 pedals.

Here’s the official web site: Sanyo Pedal Juice

The Pedal Juice unit is just about the size of a guitar pedal, and takes about 3 1/2 hours to charge. Once fully charged, it can power your pedals for up to 50 hours. After I charged mine I made a 5 minute video while hooking it up:

As I showed in the video, you get a carrying case, the power adapter to charge it, 2 cords to power 2 pedals, and one reverse ground adapter. The Pedal Juice model I have is the KBC-9V3U which powers up to 2 guitar pedals. The black pedal juice model that debuted at NAMM last week is supposed to power up to 3 pedals.

I think the Sanyo Pedal Juice is going to be pretty popular because I’ve never seen anything like it on the market. There are all kinds of power supplies for effect pedals, but none of them are a rechargeable battery like this one. If you’re a guitar player you can appreciate this product because your pedal board is in front of you on the stage. If you are using AC adapters or a powered pedal board, you have to run a cord all the way back to the wall behind your amp for power. The only other thing you can do is keep your pedals stocked up with batteries.

But there are 2 reasons that people use 9 volt batteries. The first is because guitar effects pedals don’t come with an adapter cord – you have to pay an extra $20 to get one – or have an expensive board that has it’s own connection cords. The second is because many people believe that the power from the wall can infect the guitar signal by introducing noise. Believe it or not there are many pro players that have batteries in their gear on stage for this very reason.

The Pedal Juice will solve this problem for a lot of people, because it provides clean filtered juice to your gear. You can use it on multi-effect pedals and recorders too. Great to just throw in your gear bag to take to the jam space, and it’s great for gigs too. 9-volt batteries were about $5 each last time I checked. By the time you buy 25-30 batteries, you could own this! And that doesn’t include gas, your time spent to buy them, and the odd-gig where you forgot to buy them and ran out of batteries!

You should check one out.

You can find the Sanyo Pedal Juice at Musicians Friend:

So PRS has come out with a “strat killer?” You may have seen the Paul Reed Smith 305 in magazines as of late, and snapped your head back to take a look.

First let’s take a step back and talk about the previous PRS “semi-strat” copy – the 513.

The Paul Reed Smith 513

The image above is the PRS 513. Notice how it has “5″ single coil pickups. They’ve stacked both the neck and bridge with 2 single coils so you can roll as a humbucker, or use the electronics to split it down to one. Pretty cool I guess, and if you’ve always wanted a PRS with single coil pickups – then voila, problem solved!

It must’ve been only an “ok” solution, because now we have the “305″ by PRS. I’m going to show you the stock picture of it, and then the pic on their homepage with Buddy Guy playing one. As far as I can tell they had him play one at their “Paul Reed Smith Days” open house deal, but he’s not actually endorsing one. Like he’s gonna give up the bucks that Fender pays for his sig model strat anyway, LOL.

So the images above are the 305. That’s more like it, huh! I mean the 513 didn’t have the slant pickup – well, it just didn’t have standard “strat” setup – or the obligatory 5 position switch. Also – this is one of the ONLY maple neck PRS guitar that I have (personally) ever seen. They may have made them with the 513 as well. I have to admit – this thing looks stellar. Supposedly 513 means 5 pickups, 13 tone options. 305 means 3 pickups, 5 tone options. They are making it in some cool colors too – like Grandma Hannon Pick, Seafoam Green, and some cool metallics and smokebursts.

You get 22 frets on a 25 1/2″ scale, bird inlays, and a cool “no pickguard” look. You also get the high quality PRS hardware,like the trem and tuners. The question is – what do they play like? What do they sound like? Well, they play like butter of course! Some say the sound is a more warm Strat sound, almost like somebody merged a Les Paul and a Strat into one guitar! I think of it as more of a ballsy, bassy strat sound – which to some might defeat the purpose of getting a strat in the first place (removing the signature squawky single coil sound!).

So – let’s see if we can show you a little bit about how it sounds…here’s Davy Knowles with a video PRS 305 demo actually at Paul Reed Smith’s factory:

He says in the video “love that sound – it’s so big and chunky”. I think that says it all. Even for single coils, it has a big chunky warm round sound. Then I’m thinking – well maybe a lot of that is the amp….so I took a listen to this video demo done at a guitar shop in the UK on a “private stock” version of the 305 through a Matchless:

That’s through a 15 watt amp with no pedals or effects, just the sound of the Matchless Avalon amp and the 305 through it. That was a bit more of the single coil sound that I was looking for. In the last part of the demo they did a good job showing how much better you can do the pinch harmonics on this guitar than a normal strat (because of the better intonation).

Then I watched this video with Mike Seeber, he’s playing through a Mesa. He got much closer to the sounds I thought the 305 would generate, my “strat-like” than anything else I heard:

Probably the best example I have is this one. In this PRS 305 video demo you see him switch from the 305 to a strat, and then back. That’s where you can just see the 305 really just has a voice of it’s own. It’s “strat-like”, and that’s about the best you can say.

Oh wait – before you think you might have made up your mind about how it sounds – listen to Buddy Guy wailing on a PRS 305:

Incredible – isn’t it? I’m going to show you a couple different places you can get one…

This first place is American Musical. The PRS 305 can run you $2,200-2,300 depending on where you get. Of course you can put that on plastic, but at American Musical they have a killer 3 and 5 month payment plan. You can buy the axe – have it shipped to you now, and have it billed to your card in either 3 or 5 payments (I hate to say it, but just like QVC or HSN). Please note, even though the pic below has Rosewood fingerboard, you can usually get either Rosewood or hard rock maple.

Here’s the same thing over at Guitar Center. Difference in price is only $1. Although here you either gotta have enough of a limit on your Visa or MC – or a GC credit card for this bad boy (note the Maple fingerboard in the pic, although you can get maple or Rosewood here too usually):

And if want to save some bucks, check out the Guitar Center used stock, right now they have this killer pink one for only about $2,800:

Last (but surely not least) – they always have some PRS 305′s in auction on eBay – here’s some auctions there for 305′s that are live right now:

PRS Paul Reed Smith 305, 2009, Absolutely Mint. Stunning Example
	USD 1650.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 23:44:04
PRS 305 - Smoked Amber (305, MF, Smoked Amber)
	USD 2329.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 02:29:48
PRS 305 (Smoked Amber) (305, MF, Smoked Amber)
	USD 2329.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 19:24:46
PRS 305 (Scarlet Smokeburst) (305, RF, Scarlet Smokeburst)
	USD 2411.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 19:24:39
PRS Private Stock 305 - Beautiful Orange Fade - NEW!
	USD 8259.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 23:56:15
PRS 305 Vintage Cherry MINT!
	USD / 1425.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 22:32:24
PRS 305 in McCarty Tobacco Sunburst - Brand NEW!
	USD 2329.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 20:50:29
PRS 305 - Scarlet Smokeburst (305, RF, Scarlet Smokeburst)
	USD 2411.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 02:29:45
NEW OEM PRS TREMOLO TREM ARM GUITAR PART TREMELO BAR 305 513 CE PAUL REED SMITH
	USD 45.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 02:28:35

About the BK Butler Real Tube Overdrive guitar pedal

The “Real Tube Overdrive” is a BK Butler guitar pedal manufactured by “Tube Works” back in the 70′s and 80′s. The image above shows my recently purchased Real Tube pedal case (disassembled), because in the video below I’m about to show you how to clean it.

The Tube Works Real Tube distortion overdrive pedal is near “legendary”, probably because Eric Johnson, Billy Gibbons, and Joe Satriani are known for using it. Since the design is no longer licensed to Tube Works (or they’re no longer making it), the devices have become sought after guitar pedals. Mr. BK Butler is still making these pedals today and his calls his real tube overdrive the “Tube Driver” pedal. You can find it here. You’ll also find that the Tube driver is $299 direct from BK Butler Audio, and the bias version is $434.

Now Butler says that the Real Tube overdrive pedals made by Tube Works from back in the day are unreliable. Supposedly he gets inquiries to fix them all the time – and won’t. I wouldn’t either if I was selling them new for $300-400 a pop. There were several models made, you might find the “Blue Tube” by Tube works, or the “limited Gold Tube Works overdrive” (I don’t know how limited that really was). I admit, there can be problems with pedals 20-30 years old, but the original ones that they made (like my picture) are built practically out of solid cast iron and wired to last a century. Unless it was dropped from a 10 story building, or put in a lake – I can’t see you having any problems with it (used), or being something minor you couldn’t fix on your own.

Here’s the thing – the Tube Works BK Butler Real Tube Overdrive guitar pedal was built with a 12AX7 tube inside for a British tone. A very heavy, very distorted, and in my opinion very muddy tone. It’s nice, if you want that 70′s “Black Sabbath” sound – but IMHO, that’s all you’re gonna get. In the video you’ll see I purchased a NOS 12AU7 tube online, and installed it in the pedal. While I had it apart – I used DeOxit to clean all the volume pots, and the thing is stellar! It sings for blues, with a few adjustments on either the pedal or guitar volume, I can be SRV, Tom Petty, AC/DC – the thing is simply amazing! The most beautiful thing of all is that you can get this sound on any amp solid state, or tube – and at any volume! I have a lot of pedals, but I can tell that the Real Tube Overdrive will be in my collection for many years to come!

Real Tube Overdrive Video Review

Find yourself a “Real Tube Overdrive” on eBay today!

TUBE DRIVER -NEW LIMITED PRODUCTION direct from BK Butler - The REAL CLASSIC!!
	USD 299.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 09:00:47
Real Tube Tubeworks pedal
	USD 50.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 01:31:40
B.K. Butler Tube Works REAL TUBE REVERB RT-921 Stereo 12 Spring reverb
	USD 699.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-03-01 03:31:33
AMT Tube Magnum, REAL TUBE INSIDE! Small size; Great sound! LOOK
	USD 69.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 19:00:42
INFO-TUBE Literature Dispensers Realtors Real Estate Business Owners Office More
	USD 9.50 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 13:47:22
Real Carbon Fiber CIGAR CASE TUBE TRAVELER & BUILT-IN HUMIDIFIER FREE Engraving
	USD 46.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 19:54:52
BK Butler Tube Works Real Tube Reverb RT 921
	USD 271.99 (8 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 23:06:55
AMPEREX 6LF6 Tubes Tested @100+% NOS - Heavy Duty Real Nice Rare Matched SET
	USD / 135.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 17:11:58
Tube Works Real Tube spring reverb unit TubeWorks RealTube
	USD 575.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 02:06:19
WWI RPPC US Navy Torpedo Leaving Tube Real Photo
	USD 14.89 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 19:51:16

You may also enjoy my Polytune guitar pedal review

This is the *Official* Max Butler Amp Review page. I’m proud to say that this is the first EVER video interview placed online with the legendary Max Butler, the master guitar amp builder located in Eaton Rapids, Michigan (MI). I’m providing this interview series so musicians can finally hear commentary directly from this master amp builder. So often online, what you can find are only blog reviews and forum posts from musicians. I want people to be able to hear directly from Max Butler himself commentary about his amp builds. If you provide comments and questions below, I’ll add more interviews with him in the future to answer those questions as well.

There are many cookie cutter amps to be had at Guitar Center, and the great bulk of the moderately priced ones now come straight from China. If you decide to buy a nice “boutique amp” from a master amp builder, odds are you’re probably going to have to pay $3,000+.

Max Butler has been building amps for 28 years, and for the entire duration has barely charged enough to cover the cost of parts alone. That’s right – he’s not even making a profit. He hand wires the amps point-to-point style, and hand builds the cabinets, installs the speakers, and covers them in the tolex covering of your choice. His love of musicians, and passion for amp-building is very evident.

Max Butler doesn’t have a web site, he has never advertised in any way – he has been building amps for 28 years out of his Eaton Rapids basement shop merely by the word of mouth. And during that time he has almost always consistently had orders for new amps. He estimates he’s built between 300-400 amps to date. I own one currently – and another is on order.

Max Butler builders 2 kinds of tube-based guitar amps, the “Silver Hammer” (based on a 50 watt Plexi), and the “Swamp”. In the Part 1 of my interview with Max he talks about the Silver Hammer amp and how it began – because he wanted a Plexi with a Master volume. It’s a 2 channel amp with clean and distortion channels, reverb, and footswitch. It has 1 volume and 1 master per channel, in addition to presence, bass, middle, and treble controls. Max has built Silver Hammer amps for Eric Johnson, CC Deville, Billy Gibbons, and other famous players.

Max Butler’s newest guitar amp, the “Swamp” is his newest creation – which he talks the most about in Part 2 of the interview. The “Swamp” amp comes in 15, 30, and 50 watt configurations of a standalone head on top of a speaker cabinet. I say “newest”, because he’s built about 60 of these (out of the 400) over the last 6 years or so.

I currently own a Silver Hammer 50 watt amp (which I will review here soon), and I have a 30 watt Swamp on order (which I will review when I receive it as well). When I pickup my Swamp, I plan to interview Max again and ask him to (re)tell the stories of amps he’s built for famous players, as well as to provide some commentary about various tubes.

Harmony Central Reviews of Butler Amps

Lasing State Journal print interview with Max Butler from 2006

I bought my Silver Hammer amp off Craigslist from another player who had way too much gear. I bought it on sight alone after reading the online reviews – which led me to do some research to find the man who built it. I made the 90 minute trip to meet Max Butler in person last summer, so I could have him give it the once-over and make sure it was in tip-top shape. Not only did I meet probably the nicest man I’ve ever met, he was very gracious – and we talked guitars and amps for a few hours. Once he had my amp for a week, he found there was a problem with the transformer – and he replaced it with a Bassman transformer, replaced the power tubes and one preamp tube, AND recapped the amp for $127.00!! Unbelievable!! He even replaced one tube socket he thought was flaky. Just about all his amps are $1,000, you simply can’t buy boutique amps of this quality ANYWHERE for that kind of money.

Please enjoy the following interviews with legendary master amp builder Max Butler.

Max Butler Amps Interview Part 1

Max Butler Amps Interview Part 2

If you own a Max Butler amp – please comment below. If you would like to comment on his interviews, or ask Max a question please comment below as well.

If you would like to contact Max directly, please Use My Contact Form – and I’ll reply with his phone number so you can call him.

Max – if you read this, thanks again – for the interview, for your amps, and for all you do for musicians!

I hope that by reading my “Bugera v55 Review” – you might be convinced (as well) that these are some of the crappiest budget amps on the market today. Go on down to your local guitar center and you’ll find a new budget priced amp on the all called “Bugera”. Looks like it’s a German company – but the amps are made in China. I’ve nothing against Chinese made equipment, if it’s made right. They’re doing pretty good at making guitars now (Ibanez), some Korean makes are better. I haven’t yet, however, seen a good Chines made tube amp (of nearly ANY kind).

Here’s the story…I have a Carvin Legacy 100w Steve Vai head that is awesome. I wanted a backup amp (and something new to play with). I had already tried an Egnator (that crashed and burned – story for another day), and I didn’t want a Crate, a Peavey, yet another Marshall, or a Fender. What does that leave besides oddball used crap at GC – just this new Bugera thing. I plugged in at Guitar Center with an Ibanez Artcore, and the Bugera v55 head was on top of a cheap Crate 4×12 half stack – and I fired it up through those speakers.

The clean channel was pretty stellar, the overdrive wasn’t the greatest – but I honestly thought it was the sh*tty Crate speakers! It was only $349, so I bought it up and took it home. I plugged the v55 Bugera head into my Avatar 2×12 cab with 2 Greenbacks – and tested the thing for several hours.

It’s a 55 watt head (hence the “v55″), and supposedly a Fender clone. It has 3 – 12AXT’s in it, who woulda thought you could mess that up? I started with the clean channel and some reverb. It was ok, but didn’t break up very well at high volumes. Pedals didn’t help much, distortion, overdrive – I didn’t like any of the combo’s, and when I ran through the effects loop instead of the front, it was even worse – like a volume drop or something.

You get the standard mid, treble, and bass controls + presence. I switched over to the overdrive channel and that’s where I just started to hate this amp altogether. I couldn’t get a decent sound from the overdrive channel NO MATTER WHAT! I didn’t matter, more mid, less bass, all presence, low or high volumes – the overdrive channel SUCKS on this amp! It’s muddy – there’s no clarity AT ALL, there’s no definition in the notes. I expected the amp to be not as good as say a Mesa or Fender because it’s cheap, but I didn’t expect it to be “Wal-Mart First Act” bad!! I would buy a solid state Vox, or even (God forbid) one of the cheaper Marshall MG solid state models before I ever touched a Bugera amp again! I forgot to mention that I took the “footswitch” pedal out of the box to test it when I tried the amp (to switch from clean to dirty channels), and that thing was the cheapest piece of plastic garbage I had ever seen! It wasn’t metal at all, and the button for switching looked like some kind of 80′s organ pedal or something. Such awful cheap garbage!

So the last part of this story is – I took it back to Guitar Center for a refund later that week – and the clerk (who happened to be the manager) told me that the #1 returned item to the store was Bugera amps, and the #2 was Egnator amps (BOTH Chines made tube amps!)

I have since moved on to custom made amps hand built by a local builder in my area. My advice to you is – if you want an amp in this price range that doesn’t suck, there’s quite the buzz around “Jet city” amps – check them out:

Jet City 333 JCA100HDM 100w Watt Guitar Amp Amplifier Head NEW!
	USD 749.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 21:34:14
Jet City JCA20H guitar amp with 2 master volumes & gain boost
	USD 103.50 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 23:00:39
Jet City 333 PicoValve 5 Watt Gutar Amp Head Designed by Soldano
	USD 165.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 03:33:59
Jet City JCA50H Minty! Fully Loaded And Customized!! Tube Amp Head Soldano
	USD 349.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 02:26:31
Jet City JCA2212C Amp -1x12 Combo Version Of The JCA22H
	USD 599.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 23:37:54
Jet City JCA5212RC 2x12'' All-Tube Guitar Combo Amp
	USD 799.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 22:15:55
Jet City JCA2112RC 20 Watt Tube Guitar Amplifier - GREAT AMP, GREAT PRICE!
	USD / 289.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 16:15:42
Jet City JCA100H 100 Watt Guitar Amp Design By Soldano
	USD 699.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 19:03:54
Jet City 333 Pico Valve All Tube Guitar Amp Head MINT
	USD 180.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 22:26:03
NEW JET CITY AMPS JCA20H GUITAR HEAD!!
	USD 299.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 20:33:52

If you were wondering whether to get the older version PODxt Live or the newer POD X3 Live, hopefully my review will give you crucial information you can use to make a more informed decision.

After some careful debating, online research, and consideration I took the plunge and bought a PODxt Live. This is my review of how I bought it, what I think of it, and how I think it compares to the POD X3 Live (which is the newer more expensive version.

Line 6 has revolutionized “modeling pedals” and the ways guitarists get tones and sounds. They make many different produts, the most famous of which is the kidney bean shaped “POD” that many of us either love or hate. That has evolved into many different versions, including a rack mounted POD, and the floor version for the live stage – which are the original “Podxt Live” and the newer “Pod X3 Live”.

Here’s both versions:

Line 6 POD XT Live Guitar Multi Effects Pedal Standard Rugged steel construction. 11 channel select and effect on/off footswitches. Built-in wah/volume/tweak pedal. 84 pro-quality stompbox and studio effects. 36 amp models. 24 cab models. 4 mic models. Award-winning technology and sounds from the Vetta II amp. 128 programmable channels. Variax digital input. USB digital I/O. Line 6 Edit software for computer editing and direct digital recording.

Line 6 POD X3 Live Guitar Multi Effects Pedal Standard Inputs & Outputs. 1/4" Instrument Input (w/ Normal/Pad Switch). XLR Microphone Input (w/ Trim Adjust). USB 2.0 for Computer Recording & Tone Editing. S/PDIF Stereo Digital Audio Output. Stereo 1/4" Line Outputs (with Amp/Line Pad Switch). Stereo XLR Balanced Line Outputs. 1/4" Stereo Effect Loop. Variax Digital Connector. 1/4" Expression Pedal Input. Midi In & Out/Thru. 1/4" Stereo Headphones Out. FBV Connector for optional Pedal Controller. 1/8" Stereo (CD/MP3) Jam Along Input. Controls. Expansive Backlit LCD Display. 8 Chrome "Amp Control" Knobs: Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Reverb, Tone Volume, Master Volume. 5 Metal Stompbox On/Off Footswitches: Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, Comp/Boost. Built-in Heavy-Duty Wah/Volume/Expression Pedal. Metal Tap Tempo/Tuner Footswitch. Dedicated Bank Up/Down & A/B/C/D Metal Footswitches for Preset Selection. Dedicated "Dual Tone" Control Metal Footswitch. 5 Context-Sensitive Pa

Pod XT Live and Pod X3 Live Comparison

Here are the main differences between the two units that I’ve observed:

• XT is $399 retail, X3 is $499 retail
• XT has 36 guitar amps, X3 has 76
• XT has 84 stompbox and studio effects, X3 has 98
• XT has no vocal preamps (or vocal input), X3 has 6
• XT is USB 1.1, X3 is USB 2.0 (faster) conneciton
• XT can do one tone at once, X3 can blend 2 patches together
• XT has a smaller LCD display, X3′s is nearly double the size
• XT has traditional out, X3 has S/PDIF and XLR out in addition to 1/4″ jacks

When I first decided to get the “Live” Pod I was going to get the X3 Live since it was the newest version. And if money is no object – you should as well. But I wanted to get a “gently used” one on eBay so I poured over auctions for a day and snagged up a Buy it Now auction for $265 for what I thought was the X3. Later that day I realized I hadn’t paid attention and I’d bought an POD “XT” Live. I was angry at first, but realized most of the X3′s were selling from $380-$450, so price wise I feel I had gotten a good deal. What I didn’t know was feature wise whether or not I should re-sell it and get an updated X3 or not.

What I didn’t know about Line 6 and Pod’s…

I think Line 6 has got some great products, but what they also have is a cash cow. With and “POD” product there is always “more” to buy. With my Podxt Live, the Line 6 Monkey software ( to update it ) is free, and Line 6 Edit Software ( to edit the patches using a computer ) is free as well. But Line 6 has “add-ons” that are kind of essential that cost money.

Model Packs
My Podxt Live came with 36 guitar amps and the X3 has 76. There are 2 amp packs you can buy “Metalshop” and “Collector Classics” and each is $49.95. Metalshop gives you 18 additional amps, and this pack I did purchase – and it was worth it for the Bogner and JCM-900 amp models alone. The collector classics packs has 18 additional amps as well. This means that there are 4 amps in the X3 you can’t get any other way, but you can upgrade your XT with these 2 packs and get nearly all the amps in an X3 – it’ll just run you $99 to get them. I don’t have the Collector Classics pack – I don’t know if I’ll ever have a need to get it.

Gearbox
Gearbox is an application that gives you an additial way to edit and store your tones, but also it has a “plugin” that allows you use your PODxt Live (or other POD’s) for digital recording on your computer. So, if you have Pro-Tools, Steinberg, Cubase, Cakewalk, or other recording software, you won’t be able to record using your POD and it’s tones without this Gearbox plugin – which is $99.

So depending on what you need to use your POD for, you might need to spend some extra $$ right out of the box!

Buy the POD XT or POD X3 Live?

Now that I own a PODxt Live, I am VERY happy with it and it gives me some of the most awesome tones! I use it for metal, pop, country, blues, and modern rock sounds. I have read reviews of the X3 live that say the footswitch buttons (on some early units) are either faulty or break easily. There have also been many reports of issues with the Variax and microphone inputs. Many units have had to be replaced, but many say that the newer versions are updated without these issues. I have heard of none of these issues with the Pod XT.

If you are trying to make a decision on which to buy – I would say that it pretty much depends on the money (how much you are willing to spend) and whether or not you care about the digital outputs. The two-tone blending of the X3 would be nice, but is not a “must-have” for probably 95% of guitarist out there. I think what I’ll do is probably use the XT for another 6 months or more, and then buy an X3 – and keep the XT as my backup.

In any event – you can use the links above for new retail versions of the POD XT Live and POD X3 Live, or follow these links to get a bargain on a gently used one on eBay in live auctions right now…

Line 6 Pod XT Live Multi-Effects Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 199.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 18:07:34
Line 6 Pod XT Live Multi Effects Guitar Pedal PD-4456
	USD / 250.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 21:21:34
Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live Pedal
	USD 180.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 00:27:47
Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live Multi-Effects Pedal PD-4667
	USD / 257.50 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 20:09:48
Line 6 POD XT Live pre-amp/effects pedal
	USD 105.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 13:19:15
Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live Pedal
	USD 75.00 (7 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 19:43:34
Line 6 Pod XT Live Multi Effects Guitar Pedal PD-1925
	USD / 245.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 18:40:54
***!!!Check This Out!!!***(BlackWhite&Chrome) Line 6 Pod XT Live
	USD 120.00 (5 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 21:59:34
Line 6 Pod XT Live Multi Effects Guitar Pedal PD-4486
	USD / 250.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 21:49:30
Line 6 Bass Pod XT LIVE
	USD 150.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 23:51:59

Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi Effects Processor PD-4119
	USD / 330.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 19:13:13
Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi-Effects Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 199.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 17:09:46
Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi Effects Processor PD-4235
	USD / 345.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 18:21:24
Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi-Effects Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 280.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 18:56:33
Line 6 POD X3 Live
	USD / 359.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 22:04:15
Line 6 POD X3 Live Multi-Effects Guitar Pedalboard - Original Packaging
	USD 325.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 01:19:48
Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi Effects Processor PD-4265
	USD / 370.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 21:40:46
Line 6 Pod X3 Live with pilot's Handbook
	USD 219.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 03:39:29
Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi Effects Processor PD-4151
	USD / 340.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 22:08:29
Line 6 Pod X3 Live Multi-Effects Guitar Effect Pedal
	USD 125.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-28 13:53:35

This is my “HSS Strat Review” – or “What I Hate Standard Strats!”

I never used to to think I was really either a “Gibson” or “Fender” kinda guy. The first guitar I became really partial to was my Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow body. Well, now that it’s rewired with “Pearly Gates” pickups in both the neck and bridge – maybe that’s why! I had quite a few before this that I got rid of for one reason or another. There are two things I look for in a guitar, and they are “tone” and “versatility”. A standard strat (to me) has NO tone whatsoever in the bridge position, the neck is great for jazz or blues, but all positions lack…..well for lack of a better term – “balls”.

I play a wide variety of music from pop, to rock, southern rock, country, blues, classic rock, dance, disco, a bit of everything. When you’re talking about versatility, I tend to think that humbuckers are the way to go because you can go “balls out” if you need to for say “Gimme 3 Steps”, but cut it down for a very bluesy “Fool For Your Stockings”. You’re good for either “Brickhouse” or “Free for All”.

On the other hand, I saw a guy in a bar not to long ago with a great rig playing the hell out of a standard strat on a Pink Floyd cover and he sounded great! Then the next song was “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC, and my jaw dropped when I heard the tinny, trebly, horrible fake-distorted sound of that strat! There’s just no way that guitar could EVER sound heavy enough for that (or any other) hard-rock based sound.

In addition – I even owned (and paid $900 for) an “official SRV signature” strat from Fender’s custom shop last year. I finally sold it (digusted) a week later, because (while very playable) it just wasn’t versatile enough (sound-wide) for me at the time. Now fast forward to last month, when I was in my local GC, and I checked out 2 or 3 of the HSS (humbucker, single coil, single coil) “fat” strats, both American and Mexican made. I plugged these into a Vox, 3 different Marshalls, a Peavey, a Fender, and a Line 6. I have to say – I wish I would have bought one of these a long time ago…

The HSS or “fat strat” gives you a humbucker in the bridge position, and then 2 single coils. So if you want to belt out Pink Floyd on the neck with chorus and bad-ass delay, great! But you can go “balls-out” in bridge with your AC/DC and Angus impressions no problem! Now, to be sure – I STILL wouldn’t recommend this for death metal or anything (check out the Ibanez ART300 for that), this type of strat is probably the only kind that can handle most types of hard rock. I had forgotten how many of these there were back in the 80′s, and that would probably explain why I hadn’t seen many of them in the store over the years (again) until now. Back in the 80′s in the land of hair metal – these were called “heavy metal strats”, and those are kind of rare to find today.

Here are some great deals on HSS Fat Strats on eBay right now, the retail for a mexican made strat is about $399, and American Made is $799+. You can get great deals both new and used on eBay for these guitars.

1999 Fender American HSS Stratocaster! Fat Strat! Candy Apple Red/Maple! w/ OHSC
	USD 725.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 22:52:45
Fender 2011 American Special Stratocaster Black, HSS, RW. Mint Strat Guitar!
	USD 739.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 22:05:02
Fender HSS Strat Stratocaster - includes SKB Hardshell Case - NO RESERVE!!!
	USD 222.50 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 21:00:06
2003 MADE IN USA Fender honeyburst HSS strat stratocaster with new case GORGEOUS
	USD 899.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 22:59:11
FENDER STRAT HSS
	USD 100.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 23:54:32
Fender Standard Strat HSS Electric Guitar With Gigbag
	USD 150.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 07:22:23
Fender Stratocaster American Standard Preowned HSS Strat Guitar Free Shipping
	USD 899.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 19:46:12
SUHR S2 PRO SERIES STRAT STRATOCASTER HSS ELECTRIC GUITAR PRISTINE!!
	USD 1450.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 17:11:49
2011 Fender® Custom Shop Pro Stratocaster® HSS - Strat Electric Guitar
	USD 2425.50 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 17:13:42
Fender Squier Strat HSS
	USD 50.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 19:14:30

1999 Fender American HSS Stratocaster! Fat Strat! Candy Apple Red/Maple! w/ OHSC
	USD 725.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 22:52:45
Fender Hot Rod American Fat Strat Texas Special Stratocaster
	USD 800.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 17:21:51
Squier Stop Dreaming, Start Playing Guitar Pack - Fat Strat w/G-DEC Jr Amp, Blue
	USD 159.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 03:03:25
2002 Fender Fat Strat with JB and Hard Shell Case MIM
	USD 379.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 23:31:02
Squier Stop Dreaming, Start Playing Guitar Pack - Fat Strat w/G-DEC Jr Amp, Blue
	USD 149.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 03:05:56
Custom built fat strat distinctive Maroon color burst
	USD 475.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 06:17:20
Fender Standard Stratocaster Fat Strat Humbucker HSS MIM 100% Mint! Unplayed
	USD 465.49 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 02:55:35
Fender STRATOCASTER Graffiti TV Yellow Special Limited Edition FAT STRAT Guitar
	USD 359.99 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-24 17:28:10
AXL BADWATER SRO DISTRESSED FAT STRAT ELECTRIC GUITAR
	USD 199.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 23:49:45
Gitano Electric Guitar Fat Strat Solid Basswood Prosetup Black
	USD 69.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 05:02:15

Here’s the latest auctions on eBay for “HM” or “Heavy Metal” strats, there are usually under 6 or so for sale at any given time (there are getting rarer by the day).

1988 or 89 Fender Strat HM
	USD 200.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 23:29:57
Fender Heavy Metal Stratocaster HM Strat Neck Plate
	USD 98.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:03:54
fender USA HM strat
	USD 200.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 04:42:10
Fender Heavy Metal Stratocaster HM Strat Cavity Cover
	USD 89.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:02:51
SUPER HOT ! Dimarzio DP117 HM3 Strat Pickup, Parts, Project
	USD 77.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 19:30:09
Kahler 2720 Spyder tremolo USA Made posts(NIP), bar, nut,+more Fender HM Strat
	USD 200.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 17:47:28
Fender Heavy Metal Strat HM Humbucker PU Ring Pickup
	USD 69.69 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:01:18
Near MINT Fender 'F' Logo Guitar Knob Fits Fender HM Strat & Others NO Reserve
	USD 25.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-27 13:48:45

Guitar neck 25-1/2" scale Aluminator rosewood heavy metal fits Strat
	USD / 39.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 01:51:51
Fender Heavy Metal Stratocaster HM Strat Neck Plate
	USD 98.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:03:54
Fender Heavy Metal Stratocaster HM Strat Cavity Cover
	USD 89.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:02:51
Fender Heavy Metal Strat HM Humbucker PU Ring Pickup
	USD 69.69 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 16:01:18

The Ibanez ART300 is a killer guitar at a VERY affordable price, excellent looks, and awesome playability. This is my ART300 guitar review.

I picked up the Ibanez ART300 at my local GC because it had this weird scalloped textured top that looked like it had been hand carved, with deep black slick paint on top. I mean it didn’t exactly scream “death metal” (although it could have), so I plugged it into a Marshall to see what came out. The guitar was pretty light, like 5-6 lbs, the action was low and the stock “LoZ” pickups were suprisingly bright and crisp (but not too hot). The neck pickup was nice and warm – and I did play this on both clean and lead settings. I had no problems playing some tasty jazz and blues licks, and this thing really started to sing in bridge position on lead mode through the Marshall for killer ZZ Top, Skynyrd, and even Ozzy tones. I had the gain way up and down, and this guitar could easily play thrash, goth, death metal, classic rock, southern rock, blues, SRV, hair metal, and anything in between from uber-crunch to rhythm backup to Jenny 867-5309. I recommend this guitar – especially at the $399 retail price, you can’t beat this kind of quality and sound in that price range. I’ve seen both brown and grey tops for this model, but I prefer the slick black!

Here’s a younger guitar slinger with his brand new ART300 Ibanez axe on YouTube playing through a Peavey bandit with a few effects.

Getting Daddy a Guitar Gift for Father’s Day, Birthday, or Christmas? I recommend getting him this guitar and a personalized guitar strap!

ART300 Ibanez at Guitar Center

Ibanez ART300 Electric Guitar Black Caiman Mahogany body. Scalloped maple top. Set-in ART neck. Bound rosewood fingerboard. 22 medium frets. Ibanez LoZ-N (neck) and LoZ-B (bridge) original active humbuckers, 2 AA battery operation. 24-7/10" scale. Gibraltar III bridge. Diamond inlays.

ART300 Ibanez at Musician’s Friend

Ibanez ART300 Electric Guitar Black Caiman The ART300 single cutaway offers a modern variation on the set-neck Artist theme at an unprecedented low price. With a set neck joint, mahogany body, beautiful textured maple top that suggests reptilian hide, and Ibanez original active pickups, this sucker's built for the heavy rocker. For over 30 years, the classic Artist design has provided a real, high-quality alternative to the other famous mahogany double humbucker."

ART300 Ibanez on eBay

Ibanez ART300BNC Guitar - "Bonus" Hardshell Ibanez Case FREE with purchase - New
	USD 279.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-25 00:56:40
Ibanez ART300-BKC Electric Guitar
	USD 249.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-23 20:29:05
Ibanez Art 300 Caiman Brown with Active Pickups Diamond Inlays metal shredder
	USD 299.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-26 22:47:58
Ibanez Art 300 Guitar Scalloped finish Excellent w/ case
	USD / 299.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-29 00:57:01