| Hughes & Kettner Ships Switchblade Combo Amps
Switchblade guitar amps were introduced at this year's Winter NAMM Show and combine real tube tone with the sound flexibility of fully programmable amps. The new combos complete the Switchblade line-up with a 1x12 50W and a 2x12 100W model. Like the Switchblade head, the combos provide 4 fully programmable tube channels, on-board digital multi- FX and include a MIDI-board for instant access to 128 user presets. The combos' four channels are optimized to cover a wide range of tones from California clean to British crunch and classic rock to contemporary American nu metal. The FX-section provides considerable effects power and features three independent blocks that all work simultaneously (delay, modulation and reverb). The amps' front panels offer classic tube amp look & feel - but are fully programmable for a total of 128 different tube tones at the touch of a button.
Frampton comes alive with Pops at Riverbend
When Cincinnati Pops trumpeter Doug Lindsay started to play the "talkbox" melody in Peter Frampton's "Show Me the Way" Saturday night, the Riverbend crowd objected. "You're playing it very well, but not here," Frampton said, grinning, as he took over with his twangy talkbox. It was a gentle gag, but it pointed out that the Pops was mostly superfluous in the rock 'n' roll icon's orchestral debut. This was a Frampton lovefest. The thousands who watched clapped, danced and sang along with '70s hits from the best-selling live album of all time, "Frampton Comes Alive!" .
Strictly Acoustic
Surf's up this Saturday at Leonesse Cellars in Temecula's Wine Country when the Duo-Tones perform surf guitar music straight from the '60s. Paul Johnson was 15 when he cut his first record, "Mr. Moto," with the Belairs in 1961, and Gil Orr has played with the Chantays since the mid '60s. Their number one hit, "Pipeline," is still popular at surf music concerts. The two have formed a partnership in the Duo-Tones and perform the music they love. Their sound, like that of most original surf guitar, is unique in that there's no amps, no drums and no bass. It's strictly pure acoustic guitar which fits right in with the 100-person venue at Leonesse Cellars. Johnson has been playing rock instrumental music for more than 40 years. He started with the Belairs in 1961 and continued playing with some of surf music's biggest names, including the Galaxies.
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