Acorn Amps Solid State Preamplifier
The preamp section of the studio's secret weapon solid state amp — in a pedalboard-friendly box at half the price. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Acorn Amps Solid State Preamplifier takes center stage — featuring a Frank Brothers guitar loaded with Righteous Sound Gazing 1991 Pickups, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" cabinet via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Watch the original Acorn Solid State demo here: [LINK TO PREVIOUS ACORN DEMO]
The backstory: in a 2021 interview, a relatively overlooked 10-watt Peavey solid state practice amp was revealed to be a studio secret weapon for achieving wiry, aggressive tones for guitar, bass, drums, and vocals — the Peavey Decade. The buzz was enough for Peavey themselves to reissue it. Acorn Amplifiers, based in Atlanta, went further: they built the Solid State, a faithful recreation of the Decade's full circuit including a power amp section capable of driving a real speaker cab from a 9V power supply. This is the preamp-only version of that pedal — same tone, smaller enclosure, half the price.
The Solid State Preamplifier features the Normal and Saturated channels of the original Decade as foot-switchable tone modes. Normal is wiry, sparkling clean drive — the Decade's famous studio character, bright and cutting, with complex harmonic response that behaves like a pushed tube amp even though there's not a tube in the circuit. Saturated is harsher, more aggressive gain — what happens when you push the Decade hard.
Five knobs cover Pre (input gain), Post (output level), and a three-band EQ. The Thick toggle adds heavy low end, additional gain, and a signal boost — and critically, this feature is not available on the original powered Solid State. It's an exclusive addition to the preamp version. The translucent backlit logo indicates which channel is active — Normal or Saturation — at a glance on a dark stage.
The Righteous Sound Gazing 1991 Pickups are designed around the shoegaze era — the early '90s studio recordings made famous in part by solid state amp distortion. The name says it all. Into the Solid State Preamplifier, they're exactly the right pairing.
True bypass. 9-18VDC, higher headroom at 18V. Under 100mA current draw. 1590B aluminum enclosure.
🎛️ Acorn Amps Solid State Preamplifier: https://www.acornamps.com/gear/solid-state-preamplifier
🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar | Righteous Sound Gazing 1991 Pickups
🎛️ Acorn Amps Solid State Preamplifier | Normal + Saturation Channels | Thick Switch | 3-Band EQ | 9-18V
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer Select
The most versatile Klon-style overdrive ever made — seven clipping diode options, a direct output with cab sim, and all the Archer DNA intact. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer Select takes center stage — featuring the Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop with Righteous Sound Monte P90s, into the Benson Amps Monarch. No direct tones in this demo — this is the Archer Select straight into the amp, the way it deserves to be heard first.
The Archer is J. Rockett's faithful interpretation of the Klon Centaur — the most mythologized overdrive in history. The Archer Select takes that foundation and adds two meaningful upgrades: a selectable clipping diode system with six additional options beyond the stock OA10 germanium, and a DI output with a built-in British 4x12 cabinet simulator for direct recording or FOH.
The clipping diode system is the centerpiece. The right footswitch is the main bypass — standard Archer behavior. The left footswitch engages whichever diode is selected on the Clipping rotary dial. With the Clipping switch off, you get the stock OA10 germanium diodes — the same warm, sweet compression of the original Archer. Engage the switch and you access the rotary, which moves from lowest to highest output: 1N270 (germanium, NOS), 1N695 (germanium, NOS), 1N34A (germanium, NOS — the same diode Bill Finnegan used in the original Klon Centaur), D9B (germanium, NOS), D9E (germanium, NOS), and Red LED (highest output, least compressed, most aggressive). The differences between the germanium options are subtle — this is a clipping circuit, and at Klon-typical low gain settings you may not hear much. At higher gain the character differences open up. The Red LED is the outlier — significantly louder and less compressed, usable as a volume boost or a genuinely different second channel.
This demo is explored in two primary modes: gain mid-to-maxed with the clipping diodes swapping in and out to hear the character differences, and low gain with level pushed hard into the Benson Monarch — the classic Klon use case, where the pedal is driving the amp's input stage rather than generating its own clipping.
🎛️ J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer Select: https://jrockettaudiodesigns.com
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop | Righteous Sound Monte P90s
🎛️ J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer Select | 7 Clipping Diodes | OA10 + 5 NOS Ge + Red LED | DI + Cab Sim
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Lollar Pickups High Wind P90
Episode three of the Lollar P90 series — this time with a mixed-wind configuration that solves one of the great P90 balancing challenges. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Lollar High Wind P90 (bridge) paired with the Lollar Standard Wind P90 (neck) take center stage in the Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop, into the Benson Amps Monarch with Benson 2x12" Celestion G12H cabinet.
Check out the other Lollar P90 demos in this series:
Standard Wind P90s: https://youtu.be/5TbV5Rpt4Uk
'50s Wind P90s: https://youtu.be/QxMUNq2VIjw
Full Lollar Pickups Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLY1KzQHoiH1bv3cF5-4U0VSgQhj7BpNe
The entire Low/Standard/High Wind family shares the same Alnico 5 magnets and the same wire. The only variable is wind count — fewer turns for the Low Wind (cleaner, brighter, more articulate), more turns for the High Wind (hotter, more aggressive, more compressed). The Low/Standard/High Winds are all more midrange-forward with more of the characteristic P90 growl compared to the '50s Wind, which is brighter with more chime.
The High Wind in the bridge position specifically addresses one of the core P90 challenge: the neck position P90 naturally produces more output and warmth than the bridge, creating volume and tonal imbalance between positions. Pairing a Standard Wind neck with a High Wind bridge compensates — the High Wind's additional output brings the bridge closer to the neck in overall level, while the added upper-mid presence keeps the bridge cutting without sounding thin. The middle position parallel blend of both becomes a genuinely useful third voice.
The middle pickup position — High Wind Bridge and Standard Wind Neck blended in parallel — is explored in significant detail in this demo. The tonal variation from picking over the fretboard versus near the bridge while keeping the knobs set the same is explored at 05:50.
🎸 Lollar High Wind P90: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop | Lollar High Wind P90 (Bridge) + Standard Wind P90 (Neck)
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Celestion G12H 2x12"
Recording: UA Apollo x4 | Royer R121 & R10 + SM57 + Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Lollar Pickups Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers
A new Frank Brothers Arcade — gorgeous aging, nitro checking, tortoise pickguard, multi-ply binding — and the Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers to match. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers take center stage in a dedicated guitar pickup demo — in a new Frank Brothers Arcade with a stunning aged aesthetic, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" cabinet via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.
The Low Wind Imperial is based on the lower-output PAFs often found in vintage semi-hollow guitars — 335s, 345s, and ES-175s. It boasts a brighter overall tone compared with the standard Lollar Imperial, resulting in exceptional definition for any chord voicing and great presence for cutting through the mix. The bottom strings hold together noticeably longer without distorting than most humbuckers.
Alnico 2 magnets in the neck, Alnico 5 in the bridge, both degaussed to specific levels unique to their positions. Neck: 7.0K DC resistance. Bridge: 7.9K DC resistance. Wax-potted to control microphonic feedback while preserving harmonic complexity. The Low Wind is ideal for guitars with darker tones in general, or for amps heavy in the mid-range — ideal for a clear, tight bass response and a brighter top end than a standard Imperial provides.
The maple-top mahogany Frank Brothers Arcade with 25" scale is precisely the guitar this pickup was designed for. The maple contributes brightness and articulation, the mahogany body contributes warmth and sustain — the Low Wind Imperial lets both elements speak without the added output of a hotter humbucker compressing the character away.
The aged nickel covers on this set match the guitar's nitro finish checking and aged hardware throughout — a remarkable pairing aesthetically and tonally.
🎸 Lollar Low Wind Imperial: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade | Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers (Aged Nickel) | Maple Top
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: UA Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Sennheiser E906 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 11
O.C.E. Pedals Wrench Fuzz
The Wrench Fuzz caught fire after The JHS Show — and I grabbed the last one in stock. Absolutely worth the hype. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the O.C.E. Pedals Wrench Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" cabinet via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.
O.C.E. Pedals is Chris Evans of Burbank, California (not the actor, as the internet keeps noting). His stated goal: build pedals with personality. The Wrench delivers completely on that. The Wrench is an evolution of a 2021 two-transistor fuzz circuit, modded for lower noise and more modern build techniques. The 2N2222A silicon transistors give it an aggressive sound that shines with humbuckers without losing the cleanup quality expected with classic two-transistor fuzzes.
The circuit is Fuzz Face topology — two transistors, Volume and Fuzz knobs, true bypass. But the implementation matters. An internal bias trimpot allows setting the effect's voltage, with a default at 4.5V — dial it back for spit and splat, push it for a tighter, more aggressive fuzz character.
What defines the Wrench is how it responds to the guitar volume knob. Fuzz maxed with guitar volume dimed: enormous, sustaining, full-range Fuzz Face destruction — everything Hendrix, Clapton, and Page used this topology for. Roll the guitar volume back to 3 or 4: the transistors clear up into glassy, wiry, scraping lead tones with complex harmonic texture. That cleanup transition is the Wrench's signature. In this demo it's explored at every point in the sweep, in every pickup position.
All O.C.E. Pedals are built with lead-free solder and quality components.
🎛️ O.C.E. Pedals: https://ocepedals.com
🎸 Giordano Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/_giordanoguitars_/
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model
🎛️ O.C.E. Pedals Wrench Fuzz | 2N2222A Silicon | Fuzz Face Topology | Internal Bias Trimpot
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Royer R121 & R10 + SM57
Origin Effects M-EQ Driver
A faithful reimagination of the UA 610 preamp — applied to guitar overdrive. Origin Effects is back on the channel. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Origin Effects DCX Boost takes center stage — alongside the Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact and Deluxe61, all featuring the Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.
The DCX Boost is Origin Effects' translation of the Universal Audio 610 recording preamp into a guitar pedal. The 610 is one of the most prized studio tube preamps in existence — famous for adding vintage analog color and harmonic richness to anything run through it, at any gain level. Push the level and you get rich harmonic saturation of the kind that makes analog hardware a must-have in present-day studios.
Four knobs: Level, Drive, LF (Low Frequency), HF (High Frequency). Two switches: Mode (EQ or OD) and Voice (Dark, Flat, Medium treble rolloff).
In EQ mode, Origin's Adaptive Circuitry keeps the top end completely flat when the signal is clean, with a subtle treble rolloff that progressively increases as the pedal begins to overdrive — responding to playing dynamics and guitar volume knob changes for a seamless transition between warmer overdrive tones and sparkling cleans. In OD mode, the treble rolloff is always active regardless of dynamics — a more consistent, higher-gain voicing.
The LF and HF knobs give precise control over bass and treble at frequencies specifically chosen for electric guitar, designed to deliver powerful EQ shaping without sacrificing low-end clarity or overemphasising upper harmonics. Boost bass without mud. Boost treble without harshness. Fully flat at noon on both controls.
The gain range spans clean boost through direct-to-console color through edge-of-breakup to quasi-fuzz at maximum Drive — the full sweep of what a cranked studio preamp can sound like. This demo explores the OD mode in depth, then the EQ mode, and then the DCX slamming both the Deluxe61 and the Revival Drive Compact.
🎛️ Origin Effects DCX Boost: https://origineffects.com/product/dcx-boost/
🎸 Giordano Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/_giordanoguitars_/
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model
🎛️ Origin Effects DCX Boost | UA 610 Inspired | EQ + OD Mode | Adaptive Circuit | LF/HF EQ
🎛️ Also: Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | Origin Effects Deluxe61
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Fralin Pickups P90s
A dedicated guitar pickup demo with the Fralin Stock P90s — clean through cranked, then a killer pedalboard. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Lindy Fralin Stock P90 Soapbar Pickups take center stage in the Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop, into the Benson Amps Monarch across four gain levels, followed by an extended pedalboard section covering the Origin Effects M-EQ Driver, R2R Electric Supa MKII Fuzz, Meris LVX, Cornerstone Gladio SC, and Walrus Audio M1 Vibrato/Vibe.
This is the first video in a Fralin P90 series — the Fralin Noiseless Stock P90s are coming in a future episode.
The Fralin Stock P90 uses USA-made Alnico 4 magnets for aggressive tone and output. Strong and bold — lots of midrange and snarl. Bridge wound to approximately 10,000 turns, neck wound to approximately 9,000 turns using vintage-style dark enamel coil wire. Hand-wound with Fralin's Sectioning technique — a proprietary scatter-winding method that spaces turns across the bobbin in sections rather than layer by layer, producing a more three-dimensional tone with complex harmonic content. RW/RP on the neck pickup for hum-canceling in the middle position.
Single notes are punchy and clear without sounding tinny. Chords break up with a tight compression that pushes an amp. The Fralin Stock P90 is all Gibson in character — full, thick, warm midrange with percussive treble string response. Not the Fender sparkle of the Alnico model — this is the snarly, grinding P90 that a maple-top goldtop with a Benson Monarch wants.
Recording rig update: The Lauten Audio LS-208 Condenser has replaced the SM-57 as the primary close mic — spectacular clarity and off-axis rejection. Running alongside the Royer R-121 and R10 on front and back of cab, plus the Sennheiser E906 for air and grit. Universal Audio Apollo x4, Ableton Live 11.
🎸 Fralin P90 Soapbar: https://www.fralinpickups.com/product/p90/
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop | Fralin Stock P90 Soapbars | B5 Bigsby
🎛️ Origin Effects M-EQ Driver | R2R Supa MKII | Meris LVX | Cornerstone Gladio SC | Walrus M1
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Recording: UA Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R-121 & R10 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Walrus Audio Fable
Granular resampling meets delay — and it grabbed me immediately. The Walrus Audio Fable is a genuinely different kind of pedal. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Walrus Audio Fable Granular Soundscape Generator takes center stage — featuring the Frank Brothers Signature with Lollar '50s Wind P90 (neck) and Lollar Low Wind Imperial (bridge), into the Benson Amps Monarch cranked with guitar volume for cleanup, Fable running in the effects loop of the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Also: first appearance of the Lauten Audio LS-208 Condenser in the recording rig — immediately hooked.
Granular synthesis is a digital technique where audio is sliced into tiny fragments called grains, manipulated individually (reversed, pitch-shifted, time-stretched, randomized), and reassembled. The Fable applies this to a dual-DSP delay architecture where your signal passes through two separate effects in series — independently controlled by the Feedback and Regen knobs — and then recirculates through both chips again. The result ranges from smooth lush ambience to organic reverberance to chaotic glitchy swarms, depending on the program and the Feedback/Regen relationship.
Five programs, all explored in this demo:
Program I — Reverse Delay into Reverse Granular. Unique ping-pong effects as grains reverse and then re-reverse with feedback building.
Program II — Forward Delay into Octave Up Granular. Exaggerates pitched effects with the feedback parameters — shimmery, ascending.
Program III — Analog-Style Delay into Octave Down Granular. Dense and low, with the delay's analog character feeding the pitch-down granular engine.
Program IV — Multi-Tap Granular into Multi-Tap Granular (Grain-Verb). Time in this program controls time-stretching of both algorithms, changing the length and tonal character simultaneously.
Program V — Forward Delay into Randomized Pitch Granular. Each grain is played back at a randomly selected speed and direction — pitched up, pitched down, normal, forward, or reversed from grain to grain. The X knob controls the rate of randomized pitch modulation.
Eight knobs total: Feedback, Regen, Mod, Mix, X, Time, Tone, Program. Tap tempo. Trails on bypass.
🎛️ Walrus Audio Fable: https://www.walrusaudio.com/products/fable-granular-soundscape-generator
🎸 Frank Brothers Signature: 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 Signature | Lollar '50s Wind P90 (Neck) + Low Wind Imperial (Bridge)
🎛️ Walrus Audio Fable | Granular Soundscape Generator | 5 Programs | Dual DSP
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch (Effects Loop via Boss Waza TAE)
Recording debut: Lauten Audio LS-208 Condenser
Chase Bliss Gravitas Tremolo
The Chase Bliss Gravitas with a Telecaster and the Benson Vincent — clean and dirt — is exactly as good as it sounds. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Chase Bliss Gravitas Analog Tremolo takes another run through its paces — this time with a Telecaster loaded with Lollar Pickups, into the Benson Amps Vincent clean and dirt channels.
If you missed the first Gravitas demo, the short version: the Gravitas is 100% analog signal path, built around Analog Devices AD823 op-amps, with a digital brain controlling every parameter for a depth of modulation control that purely analog circuits can't achieve. It is discontinued — find one used.
This demo goes deeper into two specific features that weren't fully explored in the first video.
Waveform mixing. The Gravitas lets you set the initial waveform shape and the end waveform shape independently — the tremolo morphs between them over the cycle. Sine to Sine is the classic smooth tremolo. Both to Square is the choppy, gated stutter. But Sine to Square, Triangle to Sine, or any combination in between creates hybrid tremolo characters that are genuinely their own sounds. Fast Square-to-Sine mimics reverse guitar attack — the note starts with a sharp cut and releases softly, the opposite of natural guitar decay. That's at 05:05.
The Ramp knob. When assigned via dipswitch to Rate, the Ramp causes the tremolo speed to change gradually over time — it accelerates and decelerates on a curve set by the Ramp knob. The result at moderate settings is an ebb-and-flow tremolo that breathes on its own schedule, independent of your playing. When assigned to Tone, the Ramp cycles the tonal shaping across the amplitude tremolo — harmonic tremolo character appearing and disappearing at a rate separate from the main Rate control. The exploration from 09:31 onward is where this gets genuinely strange and useful.
This pedal is discontinued. Find one while you can.
🔍 Search for Chase Bliss Gravitas on Reverb: https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=chase+bliss+gravitas
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Telecaster | Lollar Pickups
🎛️ Chase Bliss Audio Gravitas | Analog Tremolo | Waveform Mixing | Ramp | Dipswitches
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent
R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44
The pedal version of the best Rangemaster I've ever played — this time with OC44 black glass germanium transistors. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this short demo the R2R Electric R2RGeMaster Treble Booster (pedal format, OC44 black glass version) takes center stage — running with the Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop loaded with Lollar Mini Humbuckers, into the Benson Amps Monarch.
I demoed the amp-top-box version of the R2RGeMaster a few months ago and loved it immediately. The amp-top version featured NOS Philips/Mullard AC107 black glass transistors with a 6-position NOS input capacitor switch. This is the standalone pedal format version — and Chris has built this one around OC44 black glass germanium transistors, a different but equally exceptional NOS device with its own character. The OC44 is a particularly sought-after transistor for treble booster circuits — tight in the low end with a cutting, glassy top that opens up the high-mid harmonic content of whatever guitar signal it receives.
The Lollar Mini Humbuckers installed in the Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop are a genuinely interesting pairing for a treble booster — the Mini Humbucker sits tonally between a full humbucker and a single coil, with a clear, bright top end that reveals the R2RGeMaster's character clearly at every gain position of the guitar volume knob. The glassy setting explored at 01:52 is the one I keep coming back to.
Get on the R2R Electric mailing list — it's the only way to get one: https://www.r2relectric.com/how-to-order
Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/djlavalamp/
🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Mini Humbucker: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop | Lollar Mini Humbuckers | B5 Bigsby
🎛️ R2R Electric R2RGeMaster Treble Booster | OC44 Black Glass | Pedal Format
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
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
Telecaster Tone from a Plugin?! Benson Chimera Collection Plugin (Mixwave)
Killer Telecaster tone from a plugin — and 16 free EoB presets to download. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
Download my 16 free Edge of Breakup presets for the Benson Amps Chimera Collection plugins here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6kiapwgesh3ne51/Benson%20Mixwave%20Chimera%20Plugins%20-%20Edge%20of%20Breakup%20Presets.zip?dl=0
This is the second video in my Benson Chimera Collection Plugin series — this time with the Nash T63 Telecaster with Lollar Pickups and Emerson Custom Treble Bleed. The first video featured the Frank Brothers Arcade with P90s.
This video is a rare departure from the channel's usual real mic'd cab recordings — but the Benson Chimera Collection earned the exception. Here's why: I own a Benson Vincent 2x12", a Monarch head, an Earhart Head and 1x12", a Vinny Reverb Combo, the original Vinny with 1x10", and a Tall Bird. I know what Benson amps sound like better than almost anyone outside of Portland. This plugin does the Benson thing. Chris Benson himself has stated publicly that he was fooled during a listening comparison between the plugin and the real amp.
Five Telecaster-specific presets from my pack in this video: Tele Beautiful Clean, Boostin the Bird, Juicy Breakup, Velcro Cleanup, and Velcro. All 16 presets in the download cover Strat, Tele, 335, and P90 contexts.
The Chimera Collection is a component-modeled plugin suite covering the full Benson signal chain: Germanium Boost, Germanium Fuzz, Preamp, the Chimera Amplifier, and the Tall Bird Spring Reverb. Built on Kontakt Player, available as VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone.
Plugin: https://mixwave.com/products/benson-chimera-collection
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Nash T63 Telecaster | Lollar Pickups | Emerson Custom Treble Bleed
🎛️ Benson Amps x MixWave Chimera Collection Plugin
Note: This video is a rare direct/plugin exception — all other Edge of Breakup videos are real mic'd cab, no IR, no digital.
Cornerstone Imperivm Dual Overdrive | Humbucker Tones
Second run with the Cornerstone Imperivm — this time with humbuckers and a Firebird in the mix. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Cornerstone Imperivm takes center stage — the new successor to the Gladio Double Preamp — featuring the Frank Brothers Ultralight with Lollar El Rayo Humbuckers and Lollar Firebird in the middle position on a Blender Pot, into the Benson Amps Monarch.
Watch the first demo with the Giordano '60s S-Model single coils here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNSjUADdqz4
The Imperivm combines the Gladio SC (Dumble-inspired) on the right and the Antique (TS808-inspired) on the left — each with their own footswitch and a stacking Order switch. Both sides are explored individually and stacked in both directions in this demo.
The El Rayo Humbucker is a particularly compelling pairing with the Gladio's Dumble-voiced circuit. The El Rayo is itself designed for single-coil-like clarity in a humbucker format — Alnico 5 magnets, 3.5K neck / 4.0K bridge, percussive attack — so the combination with the Gladio's compressed, harmonically rich voicing doesn't get muddy the way a hotter humbucker might. The Clean knob on the Gladio side does significant work here, blending the dry signal to preserve the El Rayo's native character under the drive.
The Lollar Firebird in the Blender Pot middle position adds single-coil clarity and mid-forward brightness to either or both humbucker positions — a significant tonal resource throughout this demo, particularly useful for cutting through the Gladio's compression.
The Antique side in this demo benefits from the Mids switch and Presence knob being explored in more detail — the higher-output humbucker context reveals how the Antique's TS-derived mid hump stacks differently than with single coils.
🎛️ Cornerstone Imperivm: https://www.cornerstonemusicgear.com/product/imperium2/
🎸 Frank Brothers Ultralight: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar El Rayo & Firebird: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
#Cornerstone #Imperivm #Gladio #Antique #DumbleOverdrive #TubeScreamer #FrankBrothers #LollarPickups #BensonAmps #GuitarPedals #GuitarTone #GuitarDemo #BoutiqueOverdrive #Humbucker #EdgeOfBreakup
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🎸 Frank Brothers Ultralight | Lollar El Rayo Humbuckers + Lollar Firebird (Blender Pot)
🎛️ Cornerstone Imperivm | Gladio SC (Dumble) + Antique (TS808) | Stackable | Order Switch
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Righteous Sound Monte P90s
The EoB debut of Righteous Sound Pickups — and some of my favorite pickups ever. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Righteous Sound Pickups Monte P90s take center stage in the Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop, alongside an extensive pedalboard demo covering the JAM Pedals Rooster Treble Booster, Chase Bliss Habit, Strymon Deco, Boss RE-202, Greer Lightspeed, LPD Seventy4 Deluxe, and JAM Pedals Ripply Fall — into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson Tall Bird, Benson 2x12" cabinet via the Boss Waza TAE.
Righteous Sound Pickups is built by Josh out of Texas — boutique, hand-wound, built to order. The Monte is their late-1950s-inspired P90 design. Inspired by late '50s P90 designs, the tone is aggressive and raw. High frequencies sing with sustain. Mids are thick with presence and grind. The lows stay tight and chunky — a perfect combination of humbucker and single coil tones.
For a maple-top mahogany Arcade with a Bigsby — a guitar that can tend toward brightness — the Monte's tight, chunky low end and grind-forward mids is a genuinely ideal pairing. The combination of warmth and brightness the Monte brings to this specific guitar is unlike anything that's been in this guitar before. Clean through fully cranked Monarch, these pickups respond with something new at every gain level.
The pedalboard in this demo is extensive and exploratory — this is what the Righteous Sound Montes sound like through a full range of gain and modulation contexts. The treble booster stacking, Chase Bliss Habit tape echo, Strymon Deco saturation and doubletracking, and LPD Seventy4 are each explored in context and combination.
We will be doing much more with Righteous Sound Pickups on this channel.
🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups Monte: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com
🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop | Righteous Sound Monte P90 (Neck & Bridge) | B5 Bigsby
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson Tall Bird | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Royer R121 + SM57 + Royer R10 + Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Browne Amplification Atom Overdrive
Browne Amplification is back on the channel with their latest standalone overdrive — and it's the other half of the Protein. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Browne Amplification Atom Nashville Overdrive takes center stage — with the Browne Carbon also on board for stacking, plus the Universal Audio Starlight, Strymon Lex, Caroline Guitar Arigato, and JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase all explored in the later portion of the demo — into the Nash T63 Telecaster with Lollar Pickups, Benson Amps Monarch and Benson Tall Bird, Benson 2x12" cabinet via the Boss Waza TAE.
The Atom is the "green side" of the Browne Protein Dual Overdrive now available as a standalone pedal. Pairing it with the Carbon (the "blue side") gives you the exact equivalent of the Protein, but with the freedom to put effects between the two circuits, reverse the stacking order, or place them across a larger pedalboard where the Protein's footprint might not fit.
The Atom takes the Nashville drive pedal — the Nobels ODR-1 — as its starting point, incorporating tonal ingredients from the Ibanez Tube Screamer: the smoother, fuller-bottomed nature of the ODR-1 combined with the more mids-focused snarl of TS-type circuits. Browne lowered the gain across the full sweep, adjusted the EQ section to be less scooped, restored midrange, and tightened the low end — adding the right amount of low-mid beef without muddiness. The redesigned power section makes it feel more like a tube amp being worked hard.
The result is an overdrive that makes a quiet or thin-sounding amp feel like it's pushing air and has real weight behind the notes. Three knobs: Volume, Gain, Tone. Soft switching, adjustable startup state, top-mounted jacks. Flat Dark Earth matte powder coat.
Stacked with the Carbon later in the demo — Atom into Carbon, then Carbon into Atom — the two circuits reveal a dramatically different character in each direction.
🎛️ Browne Amplification Atom: https://browneamps.com/the-atom
🎛️ Browne Amplification Carbon: https://browneamps.com/thecarbon
🎸 Nash Guitars T63: https://nashguitarsusa.com
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Nash T63 Telecaster | Lollar Pickups
🎛️ Browne Amplification Atom | Nashville Overdrive | ODR-1 + TS Hybrid | Standalone Protein Green Side
🎛️ Also: Browne Carbon | UA Starlight | Strymon Lex | Caroline Arigato | JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson Tall Bird | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Royer R121 + SM57 + Royer R10 + Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Kingtone Bluebird J1 Pickups — Jesse Davey
The best Stratocaster pickups I've ever played — and a full demo of the KingTone ecosystem in one video. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the KingTone Blue Bird J1 Pickups take center stage in the Nash S63, alongside the KingTone SRV Switch installed in the secondary tone position and a dedicated mini pedalboard of KingTone pedals — Vintage Fuzz, Vibe 1968, and The Duellist v1 — all into the Benson Amps Monarch.
KingTone Guitar is the work of Jesse Davey out of Canada. Jesse has devoted his career to designing the ultimate vintage Stratocaster pickup and the boutique pedals that complement it. The BlueBird J1s were designed in 2006 and have maintained precise, exacting specifications throughout production — meticulously designed to get as close to the Stevie Ray Vaughan tone as possible.
Specs: Neck 5.8k / Middle 5.7k / Bridge 5.6k. Staggered Alnico V magnets. Vintage spec Heavy Formvar 42 AWG wire. Scatter wound on custom winding machines. Hand-bevelled pole pieces. The bridge pickup is voiced specifically to deliver full, playable tone without the harshness associated with overwound pickups — bright without ice-pick, extended in the low end without mud.
The Vintage Fuzz features four transistors — both AC128 and NKT275 Germanium transistors accessible via two switches, selectable and mix-and-matchable across the two gain stages. AC128 for smooth, softer fuzz with lower gain; NKT275 for brighter, more aggressive fuzz. External bias adjustment. Battery simulator for DC power supply.
The Vibe 1968 is a dual-channel Uni-Vibe with independent Rate and Depth on each side, switchable between Chorus and Vibrato modes, with an A/B channel footswitch.
The Duellist v1 is Jesse's two-channel overdrive — one side is String Singer (Dumble-voiced), the other is Heavy Hand (Bluesbreaker-voiced) — explored here both independently and stacked.
The KingTone SRV Switch replaces the secondary tone control and provides six additional tonal positions for treble bleed and filter configurations voiced specifically for the BlueBird J1 pickups.
🎸 KingTone BlueBird J1 Pickups: https://www.kingtoneguitar.com/product/bluebird-j1-guitar-pickups/
🎸 Nash Guitars S63: https://nashguitarsusa.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Nash S63 | KingTone BlueBird J1 Pickups | KingTone SRV Switch
🎛️ KingTone Vintage Fuzz (NKT275/AC128) → KingTone Vibe 1968 → KingTone Duellist v1
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Ground Control Audio Bread Oath Overdrive
The hits keep coming in 2023. Ground Control Audio's Bread Oath is a thoughtfully evolved overdrive that earns its place on the board immediately. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Ground Control Audio Bread Oath Overdrive takes center stage — featuring the Frank Brothers Signature with Lollar '50s Wind P90 and Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbucker, into the Benson Amps Monarch.
Built around the foundation of Ground Control's very first pedal — 2016's Blood Oath — the Bread Oath retains the character that made the original unique while offering revised filters, tighter tonal response, and over six years of user feedback incorporated into the design. Ground Control is a Montreal boutique builder — the Bread Oath is the evolution of company owner Sébastien Vézina's original signature circuit.
An opamp-based, low-to-mid gain overdrive designed to push an amp into breakup and add flexible flavors of diode clipping. Four controls: Volume (output), Gain (main clipping stage), Tone (rolls off highs entering the clipping stage), and Pre (controls the secondary preamp stage gain).
The key feature is the dual clipping architecture. A top-mounted toggle selects between silicon diodes (tighter, more modern, more compressed character) and germanium diodes (more open, rawer, vintage character). These aren't radical differences — they're the subtle textural shift that makes a real difference in context, particularly with the Frank Brothers Signature's ability to blend a P90 and a humbucker simultaneously.
A separate pre-gain stage can be engaged via the left footswitch. This stage sits before the clipping diodes, driving them harder for additional bite and saturation. A low-pass filter between the two gain stages shaves high-end harmonics from the pre-gain stage to avoid harsh distortion. The Pre level is set independently with its own knob — dial it in for just a touch of extra cut during leads, or max it for significantly more gain and presence.
Built in Canada. True bypass. 9V DC center negative, no battery.
🎛️ Ground Control Audio Bread Oath: https://www.groundcontrolaudio.com
🎸 Frank Brothers Signature: 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 Signature | Lollar '50s Wind P90 + Lollar Low Wind Imperial
🎛️ Ground Control Audio Bread Oath | Opamp OD | Si/Ge Clipping | Pre Boost Footswitch
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch
Thorpy FX Boneyard Fuzz
Has ThorpyFX created the perfect Tone Bender? After spending time with this pedal, I think Adrian Thorpe might have. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the ThorpyFX Boneyard Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Frank Brothers Arcade with Lollar '50s Wind P90s, into the Benson Amps Vincent and Benson 2x12" cabinet.
The Boneyard packs tones from classic Tone Bender circuits MK I through MK IV into one stompbox using three germanium transistors. Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX describes it as a vanity project — his interpretation of what the ultimate Tone Bender would sound like after years spent playing, testing, and obsessing over every era of the circuit. Limited to approximately 250 units due to the scarcity of suitable germanium transistors — only a very narrow band is appropriate for the circuit, and finding enough took years.
Four controls, all extremely interactive in the manner of a Zvex Fuzz Factory — micro-adjustments at the intersection of all four knobs unlock sweet spots unavailable at any single setting.
Level controls output volume. Attack is the fuzz gain control — from lighter fuzz through to searing sustain. Tone controls treble and bass response — counterclockwise for smoother sounds, clockwise for brighter. Feed acts as a master bias control, adjusting the voltage to the pedal — choke it for sputtering, gated fuzz, or open it up for a smoother, more polished character.
The left footswitch bypasses the Tone stack entirely — removing the treble shaping from the circuit for a different tonal response and greater overall output. The central toggle switches between three-transistor mode (MK II through MK IV voicings — the classic saturated bender character) and two-transistor mode (MK I and MK I.V — closer to a Fuzz Face character, drier, more direct). 1% metalfilm resistors, Wima and Panasonic capacitors, Neutrik jacks, gold-plated PCB with dust-sealed potentiometers throughout.
🎛️ ThorpyFX Boneyard: https://thorpyfx.com
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar '50s Wind P90: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade Goldtop | Lollar '50s Wind P90 Soapbars
🎛️ ThorpyFX Boneyard Fuzz | NOS Germanium | MK I–IV | Feed Bias | 2/3 Transistor Toggle
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Royer R121 & SM57 on cab | Royer R10 on rear
Greer Amps Black Mountain Crunch Drive
Brand new from Greer Amps — and it's one of the most natural, amp-like crunch drives I've played. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Greer Amps Black Mountain Crunch Drive takes center stage — stacked with the Greer Moonshot Treble Booster for the second half of the demo — featuring the Frank Brothers Ultralight with Lollar El Rayo Humbuckers and Lollar Firebird on a Blender Pot, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" Celestion G12H cabinet via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.
Nick Greer of Greer Amps built the Black Mountain around a specific tone quest — the sound of one particular modded Marshall amp he encountered visiting a close friend, from the post-Plexi era metal panel period that came just after the great Plexiglass-panel amps of the late '60s. From simply adding crunch to getting that famous midrange snarl and growl of those metal panel amps, the Black Mountain gives up the goods in a way that has a natural, amp-like crunch to it. The whole thing was developed with The Darkness' Permission to Land blasting in the background — prime British crunch territory.
The two clipping diodes responsible for the drive in this circuit are purposefully imbalanced, selected to impart the proper texture and crunch. This intentional mismatch is what gives the Black Mountain its characteristic asymmetric bite — crisping up even at relatively low gain settings in a way that symmetrical clipping simply cannot produce.
Three knobs: Volume, Gain, Tone. Can be powered from 9V to 18V for additional headroom. The pedal is used here in two very different contexts: into a breaking-up Monarch (where the Black Mountain adds texture and character on top of amp-derived distortion), and as the sole gain source into a clean amp (where it drives every note of the distortion on its own).
The Greer Moonshot Treble Booster enters later in the demo, pushing the Black Mountain's input from the front for additional gain, midrange emphasis, and focus.
🎛️ Greer Amps Black Mountain: https://www.greeramps.com
🎸 Frank Brothers Ultralight: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar El Rayo & Firebird: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Frank Brothers Ultralight | Lollar El Rayo Humbuckers + Lollar Firebird (Blender Pot)
🎛️ Greer Amps Black Mountain Crunch Drive | Imbalanced Diodes | 9-18V | 3 Knobs
🎛️ Greer Amps Moonshot Treble Booster (stacked)
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Celestion G12H 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Royer R10 & R121 + SM57 + Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
Cunningham Amps ZONK MKI Fuzz — Strat Tones — Lost in Crystal Canyons
Three demos, three completely different guitars. The ZONK | MKI sounds different every time. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
This is the third Lost in Crystal Canyons x Cunningham Amps ZONK | MKI demo on the channel — this time with the Nash S63 Stratocaster into the Benson Amps Vincent with Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander for reverb.
Previous demos:
With Frank Brothers Arcade / P90s: https://youtu.be/4QP_uT-XDXU
With 1967 Gibson ES-335 / Humbuckers: https://youtu.be/w_CSIo9B5i8
The short version of the pedal: two fully independent NOS germanium circuits — a Zonk Machine (left toggle) and a Tone Bender MKI (right toggle) — in a solid steel enclosure with NOS knobs and a battery kill switch. Two knobs: Fuzz (left, gain) and Level (right, output). Single-digit production drops. Built by Tim Cunningham in Auckland, New Zealand. Designed by Robert Hart of Lost in Crystal Canyons.
What the Nash S63 single coils bring to this pairing that the P90s and humbuckers don't: a tighter, clearer initial transient that makes the NOS germanium transistors' response feel more immediate and touch-sensitive. The Fuzz knob has more usable range across the full sweep. The guitar volume cleanup — particularly in the neck/middle position — is extraordinarily linear and musical. The Benson Vincent's clean headroom keeps everything open and three-dimensional in a way that rewards the single coil's frequency response.
The comparison between the Tone Bender MKI and Zonk Machine circuits is explored in detail in this demo — both at full crank, both cleaned up, and both with the level inverted as a volume control while the gain acts as the character adjuster.
Robert Hart: https://www.instagram.com/lostincrystalcanyons/
Tim Cunningham: https://www.instagram.com/cunninghamamps/
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
🎸 Nash Guitars S63: https://nashguitarsusa.com
Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.
🎸 Nash Guitars S63 Stratocaster | Lollar Pickups
🎛️ Lost in Crystal Canyons x Cunningham Amps ZONK | MKI | NOS Germanium | Zonk Machine + Tone Bender MKI
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent
Recording: Royer R121 & SM57 on cab | Royer R10 on room