Edge of Breakup
Video Categories
Emerson Custom Blender 5-Way Strat Prewired Kit — Best Guitar Mod for Your Stratocaster
The Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Strat returns — this time with the Emerson Custom Blender 5-Way Prewired Kit installed. Here's what a wiring upgrade actually sounds like. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Fender Custom Shop 1960 Journeyman Relic Stratocaster returns with its stock Texas Special pickups now paired with the Emerson Custom S5B Blender 5-Way Strat Prewired Kit, into the Benson Amps Monarch via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, R2R Electric Si Distorter TFK, and Effectrode Tube Vibe feature in the second half.
Get the Emerson Custom Strat 5-Way Blender Kit here: https://emersoncustom.com/products/s5b-blender-5-way-strat-prewired-kit?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
Treble Bleed Mod: https://emersoncustom.com/products/2017-treble-bleed-circuit-volume-mod?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
All Emerson Prewired Kits: https://emersoncustom.com/collections/prewired-kits
Emerson Custom wiring is in nearly every guitar on this channel — the exceptions are vintage instruments I don't modify. The quality of components matters enormously: CTS pots built to Emerson's exact specifications and tolerances, paper-in-oil capacitors, and a Treble Bleed mod on the volume pot that maintains high-frequency content as you roll back the volume knob. Stock Strat wiring bleeds treble as the volume decreases — the Treble Bleed keeps the tone present and articulate throughout the entire volume sweep, which is explored extensively from 07:19 onward.
What the S5B Blender Kit adds beyond a standard upgrade: the secondary tone knob becomes a Blender — a continuous knob that blends the neck pickup into the bridge, bridge into neck, neck into bridge/middle, or bridge into neck/middle combinations depending on where the 5-way selector is positioned. A knob rather than a switch means every point between the extremes is accessible — subtle blends, partial blends, and the extreme positions are all dialed in continuously. The global tone knob governs all pickups. The result is a Strat with significantly more pickup voice combinations than a standard 5-way, with no visible modification to the pickguard or controls.
This is a direct comparison to the stock Journeyman wiring covered in the previous video — same guitar, same pickups, same amp chain. The improvement in volume knob response alone is immediately apparent.
🎛️ Emerson Custom: https://emersoncustom.com
🎸 Fender Custom Shop: https://shop.fender.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Relic Strat | Faded Aged Surf Green | Texas Special Pickups | Emerson Custom S5B Blender 5-Way Kit | P/O Cap | CTS Pots | Treble Bleed
🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Si Distorter TFK | Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 12
Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird
Josh Williams Guitars makes its channel debut with the Mockingbird semi-hollow in Pelham Blue — an instrument that absolutely delivers. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird takes center stage — loaded with Tone Specific Bloombucker PAF Humbuckers and a stop tail, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo also feature.
Josh Williams builds in Vista, Southern California — a small dedicated team, every guitar a custom order built individually to the player's specifications. Josh trained at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and apprenticed under Latvian master luthier Yuris Zeltins at The Blue Guitar in San Diego, and that foundation shows in the level of finish work and construction detail his instruments are known for. Players including Ariel Posen, Joey Landreth, and Josh Smith have made Josh Williams guitars part of their working rigs.
The Mockingbird is Josh's refined take on the classic 1960s ES-style semi-hollow: pressed maple top, back, and sides around a carefully selected centerblock — the pressed maple construction adding openness, shimmer, and a sweeter upper-mid response compared to solid maple, while maintaining the warmth and bloom of a great semi-hollow. Every centerblock is individually weighed and chosen to keep the instrument lively and balanced. 16" lower bout. Mahogany neck. Rosewood fingerboard with MOP split parallelogram inlays. 24.75" scale. Bone nut. Kluson tuners with pearl buttons. Cream binding throughout. 2 Volume / 2 Tone / 3-way Toggle. Stop tail on this build.
The Tone Specific Bloombucker is a PAF-voiced humbucker built around the specific quality found in original 1950s Patent Applied For humbuckers that most boutique winders struggle to replicate: the "bloom." Vintage PAFs had a particular way of sustaining and opening up after the initial attack — notes swell rather than decay linearly, giving chords a three-dimensional quality immediately recognizable in recordings from that era. Warm but not muddy, dynamic but not harsh.
🎸 Josh Williams Guitars: https://joshwilliamsguitars.com 🎸 Tone Specific Bloombuckers: https://www.tonespecific.com/products/bloombucker-p-a-f-humbuckers 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird | Pelham Blue | Pressed Maple Semi-Hollow | Mahogany Neck | Tone Specific Bloombuckers | Stop Tail | 24.75" 🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🎛️ Also: Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo 🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 12
Bilt Guitars DK Ultra Series — Relevator & S.S. Zaftig Models
BilT Guitars makes its channel debut with something genuinely special — the DK Ultra Series, built from 300-year-old wood pulled from the walls of their own building. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode both DK Ultra models take center stage — the Relevator and the S.S. Zaftig — each loaded with Lollar La Prima Mini-Humbuckers, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Origin Effects, R2R Electric, and Effectrode also feature.
Purchase a DK Ultra: https://biltguitars.com/dk-ultra/
Follow BilT: https://www.instagram.com/biltguitars
BilT Guitars is built by hand in Des Moines, Iowa — no CNC machines, every guitar made one at a time. Tim Thelen and his team have been building custom electric guitars by hand since 2009, with a design philosophy informed by deep experience in guitar repair and restoration. The DK Ultra is a limited series — 12 Relevators and 12 S.S. Zaftigs — and the material is the story: the bodies are carved from reclaimed old growth pine taken from the structural support beams of the BilT Guitars headquarters building itself. This is 300-year-old wood that has been part of a single structure for generations, now chambered and hollowed for acoustic resonance and light weight, finished in BilT's lo-gloss "Worcestershire" nitrocellulose stain.
Old growth pine is a fundamentally different material from modern plantation pine. Trees that grew over 200+ years develop a tight, dense grain structure — more resin content, harder wood, significantly different resonant properties than fast-grown modern lumber. The chambered and hollowed construction takes that acoustically lively material and opens it further, giving the DK Ultra guitars a voice that is lighter and more resonant than their solid counterparts. It is also a piece of BilT history — the building that housed the shop where these guitars were developed.
The Lollar La Prima was originally developed as a miniaturized version of the El Rayo humbucker — and while it shares the El Rayo's touch sensitivity and responsiveness, the tonal character is distinctly its own. Sweet chiming highs, scooped mids, tight low end. Neck 3.3K / Bridge 3.8K. No typical humbucker compression — the La Prima responds to subtle changes in picking technique and guitar volume in the way a well-voiced single coil does, while still canceling hum. In chambered old growth pine bodies, the La Prima's articulate open character has unusual space to develop.
The Relevator is BilT's offset design inspired by the never-produced Fender Marauder. The S.S. Zaftig is a semi-solid offset drawing from Jazzmaster and Jaguar lineage. Both use roasted maple necks with rosewood fingerboards, 25.5" scale, Mastery hardware.
🎸 BilT Guitars: https://biltguitars.com/dk-ultra/
🎸 Lollar La Prima: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 BilT DK Ultra Relevator + S.S. Zaftig | 300-Year-Old Reclaimed Pine | Chambered | Lollar La Prima Mini-HB | Mastery Hardware | Hand-Built in Des Moines IA
🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 | Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Prisma Guitars Mattsonia
Prisma Guitars returns to the channel — this time with the Mattsonia, one of the most visually and tonally distinctive guitars I've had in my hands. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Prisma Guitars Mattsonia takes center stage — Lollar Imperial PAF Humbuckers, Emerson Custom 500K pots, and Paper/Oil cap, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" with Celestion G12H speakers, with the Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 Germanium, Effectrode Tube Vibe, Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander, and Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo.
In-stock models: https://www.prismaguitars.com/collections/ready-to-ship
Custom shop orders: https://www.prismaguitars.com/products/custom-guitar
Follow Prisma: https://www.instagram.com/prismaguitars
Prisma Guitars is the work of luthier Nicholas Pourfard and his team, building in California. Every instrument is one-of-a-kind with a serial number — no production runs, no duplicates. Prisma's signature design element is reclaimed skateboard hard rock maple used as a top material, with each top being a unique 1/1 original skateboard deck. The result is visually unlike anything else in guitar lutherie — compressed, dyed, graphic hard rock maple laminated over the body, with the skateboard's colors and graphics visible under the finish. This Mattsonia has a Sherwood Green body with flake nitrocellulose lacquer, cream pickguard, and a skateboard maple top that produces an almost psychedelic color layering against the green.
Nicholas Pourfard's material choices are equally considered on the acoustic side. Spanish Cedar body — tonally similar to mahogany but lighter and more open in the midrange, the same wood used in classical guitar construction for its resonance. Brazilian Walnut fingerboard reclaimed from the Coney Island Boardwalk — dense, stable, with its own tonal contribution and a genuinely remarkable origin story. Mahogany neck (C 87-97 profile). 25.5" scale. 1 5/8" bone nut. 6105 nickel frets. Aged clay fret markers. TonePros wraparound bridge. Unpolished nickel hardware. Staggered vintage inline tuners. Emerson Custom 500K pots with a .022 paper/oil cap — the wiring that lets the Lollar Imperials breathe.
The Lollar Imperial PAF Humbuckers are Lollar's take on the original 1950s Patent Applied For pickup — drawing from the long-revered qualities of the originals while improving frequency balance and giving a slight output boost to the bridge. The combination of Imperials, Emerson Custom 500K pots, and a P/O cap in an all-nitro, Spanish Cedar/mahogany/Brazilian Walnut build is exactly the kind of wiring and tonal foundation this demo explores thoroughly across clean, pushed, and cranked amp tones.
🎸 Prisma Guitars: https://www.prismaguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Imperial PAF: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Prisma Guitars Mattsonia | Skateboard Maple Top | Spanish Cedar Body | Brazilian Walnut Fingerboard (Coney Island Boardwalk) | Lollar Imperial PAF | Emerson Custom 500K | P/O Cap | Nitro
🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 Ge | Effectrode Tube Vibe
🎛️ Also: Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Celestion G12H | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Kauer Guitars Super Chief
The Kauer Super Chief makes its channel debut — and it is an absolute dream machine. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Kauer Guitars Super Chief takes center stage — outfitted with a Lollar Firebird Neck and Lollar Mini-Humbucker Bridge, into the Benson Amps Monarch with the Benson Amps Germanium Preamp, Caroline Guitar Company Arigato Phaser, and Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo.
🎸 Kauer Guitars Super Chief: https://www.kauerguitars.com/instruments/super-chief
The Super Chief is Doug Kauer's personal favorite model in the Kauer lineup — a 15.5" wide semi-hollow with Kauer's proprietary I-beam internal construction, the largest body they build. The I-beam keeps the top and back from vibrating against each other while still allowing the chambers to resonate, producing a sound Doug describes as unrivaled in the lineup for clarity and punch. He has five of them himself, which says everything.
This particular build is a genuinely special configuration. Taos Turquoise on the front, natural back, sides, and neck — white body binding with tortoiseshell purfling. Maple top over roasted flame maple back with Spanish Mahogany core and neck. Wenge fretboard. Full specs:
Maple top / Roasted Flame Maple back / Spanish Mahogany core and neck. White binding with Tortoiseshell purfling. Taos Turquoise front finish, natural back/sides/neck. Standard C neck profile (0.86" at nut / 0.91" at 12th fret). 1.70" nut width. Wenge fretboard, 22 Jescar 47095NS frets, 12" radius. Keystone inlays. Sperzel Open-Backed Locking Tuners. Descendant bridge. Mastery Vibrato. Plek'd.
The pickup configuration is Kauer's signature Lollar Kauer Mini's setup: Lollar Firebird in the neck and a custom Lollar Mini-Humbucker in the bridge with a blank chrome faceplate — styled to look uniform from the front. The Firebird's mid-forward bark and the Mini-Humbucker's tighter, more articulate bridge character cover the full range of what the Super Chief's large semi-hollow body can do. The middle position blends them in parallel throughout the second half of the demo.
The Benson Amps Germanium Preamp is the sole gain source here — its servo-biased germanium transistor stage providing warmth and harmonic complexity from clean boost through edge-of-breakup. No additional fuzz or overdrive in the chain.
🎸 Kauer Guitars: https://www.kauerguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Firebird + Mini-Humbucker: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Kauer Guitars Super Chief | Taos Turquoise | Lollar Firebird (Neck) + Lollar Mini-HB (Bridge) | Mastery Vibrato | 15.5" Semi-Hollow | Plek'd
🎛️ Benson Amps Germanium Preamp | Servo-Biased Ge Stage
🎛️ Also: Caroline Guitar Company Arigato Phaser | Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic
A 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historical — clean, pushed, cranked, and fuzz. And the beginning of a mod series. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic Model takes center stage — clean tones across all three pickup positions, pushed and cranked amp tones through the Benson Amps Monarch, and Fuzz Face tones with the R2R Electric Si Distorter TFK.
Get the Edge of Breakup x Emerson Custom Les Paul Prewired Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/eob-les-paul-prewired-kit-premier-pro?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
I picked this one up used on Reverb, reworked the action and intonation, and now it's time to go deep. A series of videos is coming with this guitar — changing wiring and pickups, experimenting with what a historically significant platform like the R8 Historic can do when you start making thoughtful modifications to the signal chain. What would you change first? Drop it in the comments.
The R8 designation refers to Gibson Custom Shop's historical recreation of the 1958 Les Paul Standard — the sunburst Les Pauls from 1958, 1959, and 1960 are considered by many the most valuable and tonally significant solid-body electric guitars ever built. Gibson's Historic program began in earnest in the 1990s and these early 2000s R8s are well-regarded in the collector and player community for their construction quality — hide glue neck joint, long tenon, weight relief-free solid mahogany body with a carved maple top, hand-wired stock electronics. This 2002 example is in the thick of the period when Gibson's Custom Shop was producing some of the best Historics to date.
The stock Gibson Les Paul wiring is the starting point of this series. The volume and tone knob behavior explored from 06:18 onward — particularly the interaction between the tone knobs and the middle position on a two-humbucker Les Paul with stock components — is exactly the kind of baseline that reveals where the modifications will make the biggest difference. CTS pots, Sprague or Mallory capacitors, stock pickup winding heights all feed into what you're hearing.
🎸 Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Les Paul Prewired Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/eob-les-paul-prewired-kit-premier-pro?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic | Stock Gibson Humbuckers | Standard 2-Vol/2-Tone/Toggle Wiring 🎛️ R2R Electric Si Distorter TFK | NOS Telefunken Silicon | Fuzz Face Topology 🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Stratocaster
A Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Strat just landed — and I want to know what you think needs changing. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Fender Custom Shop 1960 Journeyman Relic Stratocaster takes center stage — clean tones across all five pickup positions, gain tones with the Meris Mercury X, and Fuzz Face tones with the R2R Electric Si Distorter TFK through the Benson Amps Monarch.
As we all know, I love to mod guitars. What does this one need? What do you think I'll change first? Drop it in the comments.
The Journeyman Relic is Fender Custom Shop's middle ground in the relic lineup — less aggressive than the Heavy Relic, more broken-in than the NOS or Closet Classic. The goal is a guitar that looks and feels like it's been played seriously for 30+ years: aged finish, worn hardware, slight checking and fading, but still solid construction and no damage. The Faded Aged Surf Green nitrocellulose lacquer finish on this one is exactly that — the color has shifted and faded from what Surf Green looks like new, and the body has the kind of subtle checking and age marks that come from decades of temperature cycling.
Full specs: Light weight Alder body. Quartersawn Maple neck — quartersawn for dimensional stability and a slightly brighter, stiffer neck feel. Dark AAA Rosewood fretboard, flat lam. 21 Jumbo 6100 frets. 60 Style Oval C neck back shape. 9.5" radius. 1.650" nut width. Hand Wound Texas Special Pickups — the same overwound single coil voiced for clarity and output that became famous as Stevie Ray Vaughan's pickup of choice. Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity middle pickup for hum cancellation in positions 2 and 4. American Vintage Relic bridge. 3-Ply Green/Black/Green pickguard. Vintage clay dot position inlays. Limited Edition engraved neck plate. Limited Edition headstock decal.
The wiring configuration is the most interesting detail for Strat players: 5-Way Selector, 1 Volume, 1 Tone, and a Blender knob — the third knob blends the neck and bridge pickups together, giving access to pickup combinations not available on a standard Strat 5-way. Neck + Bridge blend is a thick, complex voice with the neck's warmth and the bridge's snap combined — explored in the demo throughout.
🎸 Fender Custom Shop: https://shop.fender.com/en-US/guitars/stratocaster/ 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Relic Strat | Faded Aged Surf Green | Texas Special | Blender Pot | Alder / Quartersawn Maple / AAA Rosewood 🎛️ R2R Electric Si Distorter TFK | Meris Mercury X 🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Moon Guitars Moonburn Deluxe
Moon Guitars makes its channel debut — and this Burn Deluxe is one of the most striking instruments I've had in my hands. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Moon Guitars Burn Deluxe takes center stage — featuring Lambertones Lamber'Tron Filter'Tron-style pickups, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander, with the R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 Germanium slamming the amp from 09:00.
Learn more and start a build: https://www.moon-guitars.com Follow Moon Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/moonguitars/
Moon Guitars LLC is the work of luthier Kyle Wolfe — founded in 2017 in New Jersey as a repair shop, evolved by 2020 into a dedicated custom build operation. Kyle's philosophy: exceptional instruments don't require impossible price tags, but quality and honesty are non-negotiable. Every Moon guitar is built with what Kyle calls "honesty, ambition, and versatility" — for players who chase tone seriously.
This Moon Burn Deluxe (completed 02/05/2024) is a genuinely unusual tonal combination. Tempered Swamp Ash body with Figured Myrtle top — Swamp Ash for the punchy, airy characteristic that made it Leo Fender's preferred body wood, Myrtle for the visual drama and its own bright, focused tonal contribution. Aged Honduran Mahogany neck with dual action truss rod and titanium reinforcement — a warmth and sustain counterbalance to the bright top wood pairing. Indian Rosewood fingerboard, 14" radius, 22 Jescar Jumbo Stainless Steel frets, bone nut, Hipshot locking tuners, Hipshot flat mount bridge with titanium Moon block. Thin C neck profile. 25" scale. Natural Natura Onecoat oil finish throughout, charcoal stained figured Myrtle top. Glow in the dark fret dots with matching side dots.
The Lambertones Lamber'Tron is a vintage-correct Filter'Tron-size pickup with custom AlNiCo cast magnets (Neck AlNiCo IV / 3.55k DCR, Bridge AlNiCo VIII / 4.35k DCR), injection-molded bobbins, and nickel-silver baseplates — designed to bring the full-range articulation and dynamic response that standard Filter'Tron-style pickups typically compress away. This is not a Gretsch-on-a-Strat construction; the Lamber'Tron's Filter'Tron character on an Ash/Myrtle/Mahogany combination is its own specific voice that this demo explores thoroughly.
🎸 Moon Guitars: https://www.moon-guitars.com 🎸 Lambertones Lamber'Tron: https://lambertones.store/products/the-lambertron 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Moon Guitars Burn Deluxe | Tempered Swamp Ash / Figured Myrtle | Aged Honduran Mahogany Neck | Lambertones Lamber'Tron | 25" Scale | Stainless Jescar Frets | Hipshot 🎛️ R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 Germanium 🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Kauer Guitars Banshee Standard
A second Kauer Banshee Standard on the channel — this time in Taos Turquoise with tortoise purfling, and one of the most striking finishes I've seen on any guitar. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Kauer Banshee Standard takes a second run — Lollar Firebird Neck and Middle pickups, stealth Lollar Mini Humbucker in the bridge styled to match the Firebirds perfectly, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon, Meris Mercury X Reverb, and Echo Fix EF-X3 all feature.
Watch the first Banshee Standard demo here: [LINK TO GOLD TOP VIDEO]
Full specs for this build — Serial #632:
Spanish Mahogany back and neck. Brown Mahogany finish on back and back of neck. White binding with tortoise purfling. Taos Turquoise top finish. Standard C neck profile (0.89" at 1st fret / 0.99" at 12th fret). Nut width 1.70". Wenge fretboard, 24.75" scale, 22 frets, 12" radius, Jescar 47095NS fretwire. Cornerstone inlays. Cocked Wah switch. Middle Pickup on/off switch. TonePros Nashville Tune-o-matic. TonePros Stop Tail. Rickard Banjo Tuners. 2 Volume / 2 Tone / 3-way Toggle. 6 lbs 9 oz.
The pickup configuration is the same as the Gold Top build: Lollar Firebird neck and middle with a Lollar Mini Humbucker in bridge position — aesthetically matched to the Firebird covers. This demo goes deeper into the Cocked Wah switch territory and cleanup comparisons between the neck Firebird and bridge Mini Humbucker that the first video touched on, as well as more extended ambient tone exploration with the Echo Fix EF-X3 and Meris Mercury X from 14:51.
The two Banshee Standards together illustrate how much the finish and weight affect perception — the Taos Turquoise at 6 lbs 9 oz vs. the Gold Top at 7 lbs 4 oz is audible in the resonance character, and the tortoise purfling on the binding gives this build a very different visual personality while the maple and mahogany construction underneath is the same.
🎸 Kauer Guitars: https://www.kauerguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Firebird + Mini Humbucker: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Kauer Banshee Standard | Taos Turquoise | Lollar Firebird (Neck + Middle) + Lollar Mini HB (Bridge) | Cocked Wah | Stop Tail | Serial #632
🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon | Meris Mercury X | Echo Fix EF-X3
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Kauer Guitars Gripen — NAMM 2024 New Product Debut
NAMM 2024 new product debut — the Kauer Guitars Gripen makes its world premiere on the channel. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Kauer Guitars Gripen takes center stage for its debut — outfitted with three Wolfetone Kauerbuckers, into the Benson Amps Monarch, with the R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Echo Fix EF-X3 Tape Echo.
🎸 Kauer Guitars Gripen: https://www.kauerguitars.com/instruments/gripen
The Gripen is the first truly new Kauer Guitar design in nearly eight years — a joint creation between Doug and Max Kauer that's simultaneously the most angular, cubist guitar the brand has ever made and completely, unmistakably Kauer at its core. Named for the Swedish word for "awesome" (and for a mythical winged creature — the Gripen shares neck-through construction with the Banshee, their other winged guitar), the Gripen replaces every curve in the Banshee's outline with deliberate angles. The result is a guitar that looks like origami and plays like a dream.
The neck-through Spanish Mahogany construction is the foundation — the same material and construction method that makes the Banshee feel as it does, and anyone who has played a Banshee will find the Gripen sits similarly in the lap and plays similarly in the hands. Stop tailpiece for maximum sustain and resonance. Fully Plek'd in-house at Kauer's Elk Grove, California facility for frictionless, flawless fretwork. Hipshot locking tuners. Beveled body edges for comfort despite the aggressive geometry. Weight under 7 lbs.
Full specs: Spanish Mahogany neck-through and wings. 24.75" scale. Wenge fretboard with Gripen-specific crown inlays. Standard C neck profile (0.87" at 1st fret / 1.01" at 12th fret). Width at nut: 1.70". White binding.
This unit is loaded with three Wolfetone Kauerbuckers — custom-wound humbuckers designed specifically for Kauer guitars by Wolfetone in Ireland. The five-pickup-position demo across all three pickups and their parallel combinations is the core of this video, revealing how much tonal range the Gripen's pickup configuration delivers before a single pedal is engaged.
🎸 Kauer Guitars: https://www.kauerguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Kauer Guitars Gripen | 3x Wolfetone Kauerbuckers | Neck-Through Mahogany | 24.75" | Wenge Board | Stop Tail | Plek'd
🎛️ R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon | Effectrode Tube Vibe | Echo Fix EF-X3 Tape Echo
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Kauer Guitars Banshee Standard
One of the finest goldtop finishes I've ever seen on an electric guitar — and a pickup configuration that opens up tonal combinations most guitarists have never explored. The Kauer Banshee Standard makes its return to the channel. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Kauer Banshee Standard takes center stage — three Lollar pickups, a Cocked Wah switch, a middle pickup on/off switch, and more tonal variables than any three-pickup guitar I've played — into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon, Meris Mercury X Reverb, and Echo Fix EF-X3 all feature.
The pickup configuration is the headline. Lollar Firebird neck and middle, with a Lollar Mini Humbucker in the bridge — aesthetically styled to match the Firebird covers so all three pickups look identical from the front. The Mini Humbucker's tighter, more articulate character in the bridge sits distinctly against the Firebirds' mid-forward bark, and the middle Firebird pickup's on/off switch allows blending it with either the neck or bridge independent of the standard 3-way toggle — an unusual and genuinely versatile pickup routing explored in depth from 08:38 onward.
The Cocked Wah Switch is a custom Kauer feature: a fixed wah-position tone cap that simulates a wah pedal parked at a specific frequency — engaged at 12:22 across various pickup combinations, then combined with the Rangemaster for a particularly expressive set of textures at 21:33.
Full Banshee Standard specs: Spanish Mahogany back and neck. Brown Mahogany finish on back and back of neck. White binding. Gold Top finish. Standard C neck profile (0.87" at 1st fret / 1.01" at 12th fret). Nut width 1.70". Wenge fretboard, 24.75" scale, 22 frets, 12" radius, Jescar 47095NS fretwire. Keystone inlays. TonePros Nashville Tune-o-matic. Bigsby tremolo. Rickard Banjo Tuners. 3 Volume / 1 Global Tone / 3-Way Toggle. 7 lbs 4 oz. Serial #625. Built 04/10/2023.
🎸 Kauer Guitars: https://www.kauerguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Firebird & Mini Humbucker: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Kauer Banshee Standard | Gold Top | Lollar Firebird (Neck + Middle) + Lollar Mini HB (Bridge) | Cocked Wah Switch | Bigsby | Wenge Board | Serial #625
🎛️ Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon | Meris Mercury X | Echo Fix EF-X3
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Wide Sky Guitars P125C
The Wide Sky Guitars P125C — one of the best guitars I've ever played. Full stop. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Wide Sky Guitars P125C Cutaway takes center stage — featuring Curtis Novak P90s and Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander, with the Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact, Echo Fix EF-X3 Tape Echo/Analog BBD Chorus, Meris Mercury X Reverb, and R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon.
Watch the Wide Sky Guitars Tawa demo with Curtis Novak Humbuckers: https://youtu.be/rqPKY1MYA-M?si=e9qQ2QUnwtInF8sH
Follow Wide Sky Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/
Wide Sky Guitars: https://www.wideskyguitars.com
Patch Rubin builds Wide Sky Guitars from Hawaii's Big Island — one at a time, by hand, as sculptures that sing. The P125C is his signature model: a single-cutaway semi-hollow inspired by the cross between a vintage ES-125 and a Les Paul. Carved maple top over chambered mahogany body. Mahogany neck with 12" radius ebony fretboard. Contoured neck heel for full upper-register access. Trapeze tailpiece. At 6.8 lbs it plays and resonates like an acoustic guitar while responding like an electric — full low-end projection, woodiness in the fundamental tone, and detail and clarity that emerges clearly on volume knob rolloff. The Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds on both volume controls are explored in depth at 10:38 — essential for keeping high-end detail through the full cleanup sweep. Notable P125 players include Gary Clark Jr.
The R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon is Chris Vincent's (@djlavalamp) silicon version of the Dallas Rangemaster circuit — built around a 1960s Mullard OC202 metal can silicon transistor rather than a germanium device. Silicon is temperature-stable at any ambient temperature — no warm-up, no drift on hot outdoor stages. The OC202 version uses a 6-position rotary input capacitor switch with a selection of paper-in-oil and mylar audio grade capacitors, plus vintage CTS potentiometer, NOS West-Cap paper-in-oil output capacitor, and Piher and Allen-Bradley carbon comp resistors. The 6-position switch is the creative feature: each input cap changes the frequency content sent to the transistor, shifting between tighter treble-focused boost and fuller, darker, more fuzz-like character — explored in detail from 16:50 onward.
Get on the R2R Electric mailing list: https://www.r2relectric.com/how-to-order
Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/djlavalamp/
🎸 Wide Sky Guitars: https://www.wideskyguitars.com
🎸 Curtis Novak Pickups: https://www.curtisnovak.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Wide Sky Guitars P125C | Curtis Novak P90s | Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds | 6.8 lbs
🎛️ R2R Electric Rangemaster OC202 Silicon | 6-Position Cap Switch | Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact
🎛️ Also: Echo Fix EF-X3 | Meris Mercury X
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R-121 & R-10 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Wide Sky Guitars Tawa
The Wide Sky Guitars Tawa debut on the channel — and what a debut. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Wide Sky Guitars Tawa takes center stage — the largest semi-hollow in Patch Rubin's lineup, fitted with a special set of Curtis Novak Humbuckers, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander with the Echo Fix EF-X3 running in the TAE effects loop for analog tape delay, spring reverb, Echoplex-style preamp, and analog BBD chorus. Three Origin Effects pedals — DCX Boost, Deluxe '61, and Revival Drive Compact — feature in the second half.
Wide Sky Guitars is Patch Rubin, operating from Hawaii's Big Island. Patch trained at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles and worked for two years at Andy Brauer's legendary Studio Rentals business, servicing instruments for countless major-name artists. Ten years of touring followed, alongside work as a jeweler, carpenter and custom furniture maker, before he established Wide Sky Guitars in Taos, New Mexico in the mid-2010s — then relocated the business to Hawaii. His goal, in his own words: "I want to make sculptures that sing." Notable players associated with Wide Sky Guitars include Gary Clark Jr. and Thom Yorke.
The Tawa is Patch's largest semi-hollow model — a fully chambered body with genuine acoustic resonance and depth that behaves differently from a traditional thinline. The extra size means more air volume inside the body, which translates to fuller low-end projection, a slower attack bloom, and more wood character in the fundamental tone than smaller chambered guitars. With Curtis Novak Humbuckers installed — a pickup maker known for vintage-accurate winding and exceptional sensitivity to pickup height and volume knob position — the Tawa's natural acoustic complexity becomes the foundation for an extremely dynamic electric instrument.
This demo covers the full range: all pickup selections, volume and tone knob exploration, amp-derived gain cleanup, then Origin Effects pedals into the amp, then Echo Fix tape effects.
Learn more: https://www.wideskyguitars.com
Follow Wide Sky: https://www.instagram.com/wide_sky_guitars/
🎸 Curtis Novak Pickups: https://www.curtisnovak.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Wide Sky Guitars Tawa | Curtis Novak Humbuckers | Handmade in Hawaii by Patch Rubin
🎛️ Origin Effects DCX Boost | Origin Effects Deluxe '61 | Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact
🎛️ Echo Fix EF-X3 | Analog Tape Delay / Spring Reverb / Echoplex Preamp / Analog BBD Chorus
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Which Mule to Get? Mulecaster or Mavis — Mule Resophonic
Two Mule Resophonic guitars, back to back — the Mulecaster and the Mavis — clean, pushed, and through a full pedalboard. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Mule Resophonic Mulecaster and Mule Resophonic Mavis go head to head — both into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander with the Benson Tall Bird for reverb. The pedalboard features the R2R Electric Supa MK Fuzz Pro, Lauren Audio Aerocomet, Browne Amplification Protein, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Meris LVX.
Matt Eich of Mule Resophonic Guitars in Saginaw, Michigan has been building instruments that defy easy categorization since the beginning — and the Mulecaster and Mavis are proof that two instruments can share a builder's DNA and spirit while being fundamentally different objects.
The Mulecaster is Mule's bridge between the resonator world and the electric guitar world. Hollow steel body — single or double cutaway, Strat and Tele-inspired outlines — with no resonator cone at all. 25" scale length. The hollow steel body gives the Mulecaster its characteristic three-dimensional resonance and singing sustain — a quality distinct from both a conventional solid-body electric and a traditional resonator. Mule Tomthumbucker mini-humbucking pickup, set up like an electric guitar. Available in standard and baritone tuning across a range of powder coat colors.
The Mavis is the most ambitious and unusual instrument in the Mule lineup. Matt Eich describes it himself as part archtop guitar, part electric guitar, part resonator, and something completely different to the ear. Solid roasted wood construction — carved roasted pine arched back with roasted maple top, bolt-on roasted maple neck, ebony fingerboard with 20" radius, 21 medium frets, biscuit bridge over a single resonator cone. Single Mule Tomthumbucker mini-humbucker, master volume and tone. Where the Mulecaster delivers electric guitar playability with resonator overtones, the Mavis delivers resonator acoustic projection in a solidbody that responds like an electric. The difference is immediately audible — and this demo puts both in the same signal chain so you can hear it directly.
Artists who have gravitated to Mule guitars include Jeffrey Foucault, Joey Landreth, Ariel Posen, and Celisse Henderson.
🎸 Mule Resophonic Guitars: https://www.muleresophonic.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Mule Resophonic Mulecaster (hollow steel, no cone) + Mule Resophonic Mavis (solid wood, single cone) | Mule Tomthumbucker Mini-Humbuckers
🎛️ R2R Electric Supa MK Fuzz Pro | Lauren Audio Aerocomet | Browne Protein | Effectrode Tube Vibe | Meris LVX
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson Tall Bird | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Frank Brothers Signature
The dedicated debut demo of my Frank Brothers Signature — the most resonant and versatile Frank Brothers guitar I've played. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Frank Brothers Arcade Signature takes center stage — loaded with a Lollar '50s Wind P90 in the neck and Lollar Low Wind Imperial in the bridge, fitted with a MojoAxe Trap Wrap compensated wraptail bridge and Emerson Custom Treble Bleed, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" cabinet. The pedalboard features the R2R Electric Pre-Amp, Caroline Guitar Co. Arigato Phaser, Spruce Effects Tone Bender, Meris Polymoon, Origin Effects Deluxe61, and Mythos Wildwood Vipera.
Frank Brothers Guitar Company was built on the Signature Model — their original design, predating the Arcade and Ultralight. The Signature's defining construction feature is inverse chambering: a partially hollowed solid mahogany core with a bookmatched bigleaf curly maple top and back press-laminated over it. There is no f-hole. The chambering is internal — the treble side is semi-hollow, the bass side solid — giving the guitar a voice that blends semi-hollow resonance and acoustic projection with solid-body sustain and attack. At around 7.5 lbs, it's noticeably lighter than the Arcade and sounds meaningfully different: richer, more balanced EQ, with a natural acoustic complexity in the note that no fully solid guitar can produce. The double-bound body with seamlessly bound heel is the most premium presentation in the Frank Brothers lineup.
This specific build pairs two Lollar pickups from different families in the same guitar — the '50s Wind P90 (Alnico 2, lower output, brighter and more chime-forward, from the Sean Costello '53 Goldtop spec) in the neck, and the Low Wind Imperial humbucker (Alnico 2 neck / Alnico 5 bridge, 6.1K-7.4K, the semi-hollow voicing) in the bridge. The middle position blends them in parallel — a genuinely unique tonal combination not available with any matched P90 or matched humbucker set.
The MojoAxe Trap Wrap is a compensated wraptail bridge — a thoughtful upgrade over a standard wraparound tailpiece that adds individual saddle compensation for accurate intonation per string, while retaining the wraptail's distinctive warmth, sustain, and string feel. The Emerson Custom Treble Bleed on the volume pot preserves high-end detail through the entire volume sweep — essential for fuzz and overdrive cleanup.
🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Signature | Inverse Chambering | Lollar '50s Wind P90 (Neck) + Low Wind Imperial (Bridge) | MojoAxe Trap Wrap | Emerson Treble Bleed
🎛️ R2R Electric Pre-Amp | Caroline Arigato | Spruce Effects Tone Bender | Meris Polymoon | Origin Deluxe61 | Mythos Wildwood Vipera
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Frank Brothers Ultra Light
A new Frank Brothers Ultralight — natural finish, semi-hollow, Low Wind Imperial humbuckers — and a killer pedalboard to explore what it can do. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Frank Brothers Ultralight Semi-Hollow takes center stage with Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers, into the Benson Amps Monarch — first as a direct amp demo, then through an extensive pedalboard covering R2R Electric Pre-Amp, Spruce Effects Tone Bender, Meris Polymoon, Caroline Guitar Arigato Phaser, Origin Effects Deluxe61 Revival Tremolo, and Mythos Wildwood Vipera.
This Ultralight build: Macassar ebony fretboard and headstock. Mahogany neck. Maple top over genuine mahogany core and back. Light Amber finish with walnut-toned mahogany core. Nitro gloss top with satin back, neck and sides. Solid black double binding. Hipshot Classic Open Tuners. Bone nut. Stainless Jescar frets. ABR-1 bridge. FBGC Floating Tailpiece. Black witch hat knobs. Multi-ply black pickguard. 1 11/16" nut width. 12" radius. 25" scale. Classic Medium C neck (.860"–.940").
Electronics: Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers, CTS 500K pots, NOS Soviet-era 0.015mf caps. Master Volume, Master Tone, 3-Way Blade Switch. The Low Wind Imperial is Lollar's most articulate humbucker — Alnico 5, low-wind count, designed to behave like a PAF that leans toward single-coil clarity without losing humbucker body. For a semi-hollow with natural finish, this is the right pairing.
The pedalboard explored in this demo: R2R Electric Pre-Amp (Chris Vincent @djlavalamp) for input coloring. Spruce Effects Tone Bender (the Yeti Machine Fuzz — a Tone Bender MK1 / Zonk Machine-derived germanium fuzz). Meris Polymoon for multi-tap modulated delay. Caroline Guitar Arigato for phaser. Origin Effects Deluxe61 Revival Tremolo. Mythos Wildwood Vipera (Side A: MOSFET Herculean V2, Side B: op-amp asymmetrical silicon).
🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Low Wind Imperial: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Ultralight Semi-Hollow | Natural Finish | Lollar Low Wind Imperial | NOS Soviet Caps
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
My 2023 Pedalboard — feat. Baum Guitars Wingman
A year's worth of pedal demos, condensed into one board. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
This is the first 2023 pedalboard — a medium-sized build using a selection of the best pedals that came through the channel in 2022. Seven pedals. The Baum Guitars Wingman. Into the Benson Amps Monarch. Here's what's on it and why.
Lost in Crystal Canyons x Cunningham Amps Zonk | MKI — two fully independent NOS germanium circuits in one solid steel enclosure: a Zonk Machine (left toggle) and a Tone Bender MKI (right toggle). Single-digit production drops. The fuzz on this board.
Fish Circuits Model One — natural amp-like overdrive. N mode: open, high-headroom, treble booster character. B mode: compressed, clipping-diode engaged, almost fuzz-like at max gain. Body switch controls low-frequency content at the input. The always-on tone shaper.
Horrothia Effects Berkeley Uni-Vibe — four hand-matched Vactrols, NOS 2SC828 transistors, Mylar caps, carbon comp resistors. Three internal trimpots for deep voicing. Expression input. The modulation voice.
Cornerstone Imperivm — Gladio SC (Dumble) on the right, Antique (TS808) on the left, each with their own footswitch and a stacking Order switch. The dual-channel overdrive heart of the board.
Browne Amplification Carbon — the "Blue" channel of the Protein Dual Overdrive. Bluesbreaker-inspired, JFET circuit, three knobs, enormous range. The amp enhancer.
Walrus Audio Eons Five-State Fuzz — five fuzz voices (silicon, germanium, LED) and a voltage knob from 3V to 18V. The chaos option.
Meris LVX — modular delay system. 2540ms of dual delay, processing elements including Polymoon, Hedra, Enzo, and Ottobit Jr., all placeable in four positions in the signal path. The stereo ambient dimension.
🎸 Baum Guitars Wingman: https://baumguitars.com/en-us/collections/wingman
🎛️ Lost in Crystal Canyons: https://www.instagram.com/lostincrystalcanyons/
🎛️ Fish Circuits Model One: https://fishcircuits.com/products/model-one-overdrive
🎛️ Horrothia Berkeley: https://www.horrothia.com/berkeley
🎛️ Cornerstone Imperivm: https://www.cornerstonemusicgear.com/product/imperium2/
🎛️ Browne Amplification Carbon: https://browneamps.com/thecarbon
🎛️ Walrus Audio Eons: https://www.walrusaudio.com/products/eons-five-state-fuzz
🎛️ Meris LVX: https://meris.us/product/lvx/
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Baum Guitars Wingman | Goldsound Jabmaster Pickups
🎛️ LCCX Zonk | MKI → Fish Circuits Model One → Horrothia Berkeley → Cornerstone Imperivm → Browne Carbon → Walrus Eons → Meris LVX
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Baum Guitars Wingman feat. 29 Pedals EUNA & OAMP
Dream guitar day. The Baum Guitars Wingman arrived the same day as the 29 Pedals EUNA and OAMP — and the pairing was immediately extraordinary. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Baum Guitars Wingman, 29 Pedals EUNA, and 29 Pedals OAMP take center stage together — into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" cabinet via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.
The Baum Wingman is a modern offset solid body from Aarhus, Denmark — winner of the Gold Award at the London Design Awards for a design that is immediately identifiable without borrowing from anything already on the market. Mahogany body at 36mm — thinner than most offset builders use, which on this body shape does specific work in weight and resonance. Roasted maple neck with satin finish. Goldsound Jabmaster single coil pickups — in-house engineered and custom-wound since 2016, delivering clear highs, warm mids, and plenty of punch. Bigsby vibrato. Baum ships every guitar direct from Denmark with a 45-day home trial.
The 29 Pedals EUNA (Elite UNity Amplifier) lives at the front of the chain. An input driver designed to replace conventional buffers, EUNA protects and conditions the instrument signal with three sweetening circuits — Harmonics (tube-like chime in the air band), Bright (high-end enhancement), and Low (subtle low-end restoration). Its effects loop activates when EUNA is OFF — designed for use with vintage or vintage-style fuzz pedals sensitive to buffering. WHATEVER power supply accepts 7.5–35V AC or DC in either polarity.
The 29 Pedals OAMP (Output AMPlifier) lives at the end of the chain. Up to 29dB of clean output gain via two toggleable gain stages with a Level control between them. A Presence knob adds or subtracts sparkle. The alt path insert loop is active when OAMP is OFF for pedalboard channel-switching. Handbuilt in California with 1% thin-film resistors, WIMA film capacitors, and audiophile-grade components throughout.
Together — EUNA first in chain, OAMP last — the improvement in feel, snap, and harmonic richness is immediate and significant.
🎸 Baum Guitars Wingman: https://baumguitars.com/en-us/collections/wingman
🎛️ 29 Pedals EUNA: https://www.believableaudio.com/products/29-pedals-euna
🎛️ 29 Pedals OAMP: https://www.believableaudio.com/products/29-pedals-oamp
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Baum Guitars Wingman | Goldsound Jabmaster Pickups | Bigsby | Mahogany | Roasted Maple
🎛️ 29 Pedals EUNA (Input Buffer/Sweetener) + 29 Pedals OAMP (Output Amplifier/Boost)
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model
The finest single-coil guitar I've ever played — and it's handmade in Italy by one person. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
Today is the debut of the Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model, which is now my flagship Stratocaster-style guitar on the channel. Nicolas Giordano builds every guitar himself in Italy, obsessing over every detail until the instrument is exactly right. The result is something genuinely special — a '60s-voiced S-type that captures the bell-like clarity, quack, and bloom of the great pre-CBS Stratocasters without any of the compromises of a production instrument.
The '60s S-Model features a Blender Pot modification — a circuit addition that blends a selected secondary pickup into any pickup position, allowing combinations not available on the standard 5-way switch. In this video you'll hear the Blender Pot activated across multiple pickup positions including bridge-into-neck-middle — a combination that produces a full, complex, almost Telecaster-like character unique to the blended configuration.
The amp is my Benson Amps Monarch — all the way from clean and pushed on 7 to fully cranked on 10, covering the full range of what this guitar wants to do. Halfway through, the R2R Electric R2RGeMaster Treble Booster (built by Chris Vincent, aka @djlavalamp) enters the signal chain, transforming the Monarch's clean headroom into the singing, scrape-and-bloom NOS germanium character that makes a great single-coil guitar reveal everything it has.
DM Nicolas on Instagram to start your build: https://www.instagram.com/_giordanoguitars_/
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch: https://www.bensonamps.com/amps/monarch
🎛️ R2R Electric R2RGeMaster: https://www.r2relectric.com/how-to-order
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model | Handmade by Nicolas Giordano in Italy | Blender Pot
🎛️ R2R Electric R2RGeMaster Treble Booster | NOS Germanium
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Other R2R Electric videos you might like:
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/the-best-nos-fuzz-face-r2r-electric-geface-deluxe
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/r2r-electric-uniform-fuzz
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/electric-machine-fuzz-r2r-electric-zonk-machine
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/1959-fender-tweed-deluxe-5e3-vintage-amp-showcase
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/r2r-electric-pkiii-fuzz
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/r2r-electric-mki-pro-fuzz
https://www.edgeofbreakup.studio/latest-videos/r2r-electric-pre-amp-vintage-wah
How to Install the Kingtone Switch - The Best Guitar Mod You Can Make to your Strat!
So you want to know how to install the Kingtone Switch? I've made a brief video detailing the process with my Stratocaster. Full walk-through of the guitar tones is now live here: https://youtu.be/uNhDonLO5Mo
Phenomenal tones across all pickups, and a granular ability to customize the amount/character of the treble bleed when you turn your guitar volume down via the 4 dipswitches on the Kingtone Switch.
Full Demo Coming Soon! Grab a Kingtone Switch here: https://www.kingtoneguitar.com/product/king-tone-switch-srv/
The Stratocaster bridge pickup has a reputation problem. Too bright, too thin, too harsh. The KingTone SRV Switch fixes it — and this is the video that proved it to me. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode, I'm installing the KingTone Guitar SRV Switch into my Nash S63 in Sonic Blue, loaded with Lollar Vintage Blonde pickups on the neck and middle and a Lollar Special Strat Bridge, to show you exactly what this thing does to a single-coil Strat in the real world.
The KingTone SRV Switch is a passive replacement for the lower tone control on a Stratocaster — the one most players never touch. Designer Jesse Davey built it around a core insight: the standard Strat tone circuit is a blunt instrument. The KingTone replaces it with a six-position switch offering tonal settings focused specifically around SRV, Albert King, and BB King-style voicings, paired with 16 treble bleed configurations built in — all passive, no battery required, no PCB, just two wires and a world of new tone. The treble bleed circuit is always active in the SRV version, meaning your top end stays present and clear through the full sweep of the volume knob. Every position adds a tubey, hollow, fundamentally richer quality to the signal — fatness, warmth, and edge in exactly the right proportions. String bending becomes more articulate. Vibrato tracking improves. And the bridge pickup — the one you've probably been avoiding — suddenly sounds like the best pickup in the guitar.
That last part is what this video is really about. The bridge pickup on a single-coil Strat is often underused because it can be unforgivingly bright and thin. The KingTone SRV Switch changes that equation completely. In position 2, you get authentic SRV-voiced warmth and bite — the same round, thick, biting character that Stevie got by running heavy strings, low action, and cranked blackface Fenders. Passive. Instant. Reversible if you hate it, though you won't.
The Nash S63 in Sonic Blue is one of the great modern Strat platforms — aged alder body, medium C neck, and Nash's commitment to getting the vintage vibe right without overcooking the relic work. The Lollar Vintage Blonde and Special Strat pickups are perfectly matched for this application — pre-CBS voiced, scatter-wound, dynamically expressive. Together with the KingTone SRV Switch they form a genuinely complete single-coil tone package.