The Guitar Magazine – July 2019

1

This most iconic

of solid-state

amplifiers is

still going strong

today, thanks in no

small part to the huge

list of star players who

have fallen for the Jazz

Chorus since it was first

launched back in 1975.

The JC-120 really hit

its straps in the 1980s,

when hitmakers from

all ends of the spectrum

relied on the amp’s

idiosyncratic, crystalline

cleans – from Andy

Summers and Robert

Smith to Kirk Hammett

and James Hetfield.

3

Boss might not

have a huge

pedigree when it

comes to guitar

amps, but the Japanese

pedal giant has made up

for that in recent years

with its digital Katana

range. The variety and

quality of the Katanas’

sounds, combined

with their portability

and affordability, has

made the amps a hit

with guitarists of many

stripes, but this top-line

Artist model utilises

Waza Craft expertise

in the shape of the

12-inch Waza Craft

G12W speaker.

4

Blackstar’s

ID:Core range

has become a go-

to for entry-level

players looking for great

tone and versatility on

a budget. The ID:Core

Stereo 100 takes the

smaller amps’ six built-

in voices, Super Wide

Stereo sound, digital

effects, deep editing

and patch storage via its

Insider software, USB

recording and reamping

• and puts it in a loud,
  light and giggable
  100-watt combo.

5

Orange’s Crush

range represents

some of the best

bang-for-buck

fun in all of guitardom,

and over the years,

the Brit company has

continued to refine

and improve the line

to ensure the authentic

Orange experience isn’t

limited to classic looks.

The giggable 35RT is a

wonderful case in point

• offering classic British
  rock tones, with its
  built-in reverb and tuner
  making it an even more
  impressive proposition.

ROLAND JC-120

JAZZ CHORUS BOSS KATANA ARTIST

BLACKSTAR

ID:CORE STEREO 100

ORANGE CRUSH 35RT

THE RUNDOWN

TUBE-FREE TONE KINGS

WORDS JOSH GARDNER

Once upon a time, tube tone was all that mattered to guitar

players. But in 2019, there are many ways to sound great

without a glass bottle in sight, whether at home or on the stage...

2

Marshall has

produced solid-

state and hybrid

amps consistently

over the decades, but

the amp giant took its

time getting into the

modelling game, not

testing the waters until

2016. When the CODE
      series finally arrived, it
      came with a selection
      of classic Marshall
      tones onboard and a
      wonderfully simple,
      user-friendly interface.

MARSHALL CODE 100

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