Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Check Out 8 Unique Custom Shop Builds [Remastered]

Eight Frank Brothers guitars, one studio session, every tone from clean to cranked to full pedalboard. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Frank Brothers Guitar Company collection takes center stage — all three Frank Brothers models (Arcade, Signature, Ultra Light) across eight distinct builds, into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" with the Benson Tall Bird in the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander effects loop. The full pedalboard features the R2R Electric Supa MKII Fuzz Professional, Lauren Audio Aerocomet, Browne Amplification Protein, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Meris LVX Delay.

One of the hardest decisions when ordering a custom boutique guitar is knowing which direction to go — solid body, chambered, semi-hollow, pickup combinations, bridge style, finish, binding, tuners. It's endless and fun, especially when you're ordering without having played one first. This video is my attempt to give you as broad a picture as possible across the full Frank Brothers lineup.

Eight guitars explored — walkthrough of specs, direct amp tones, and full pedalboard tones for each:

Signature — Black with Silver Guards | TV Jones T-Armonds | MojoAxe Wrap Tail Bridge (01:32)
Arcade Thinline — Gold Burst | Lollar The Bird Humbuckers (08:31)
Arcade — Sage Green/Tort | Righteous Sound Gazing 1991 Pickups (15:30)
Ultra Light — Sonic Blue | Lollar El Rayo Humbuckers + Lollar Firebird (22:55)
Ultra Light — Amber Tint | Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbuckers (32:20)
Signature — Black | Lollar Low Wind Imperial Humbucker + Lollar '50s Wind P90 (42:07)
Arcade — Goldtop | Righteous Sound Monte P90s (51:32)
Arcade — Red, Korina | Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers (1:00:53)

If you're considering a Frank Brothers order, drop your questions and planned specs in the comments.

🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups
🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Giordano Guitars Tributo Korina Special

Giordano Guitars returns to the channel with the Tributo Korina Special — and the Sunbear '58 Reserve SB-PAF pickups in tarnished aged gold make this one a perfect 10. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Giordano Guitars Tributo Korina Special takes center stage — all-Korina body and neck, nitrocellulose lacquer with finish checking, Sunbear '58 Reserve SB-PAF Humbuckers in tarnished aged gold, into the Benson Amps Earhart head and Benson 2x12" cabinet with Scumback H75-PVC 65W speakers via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Expresso FX MK1.V Fuzz all feature.

Follow Giordano Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/_giordanoguitars_/
Follow Sunbear Pickups: https://www.instagram.com/sunbear_pickups/

The Tributo Korina Special is the Giordano family's tribute build — all-Korina construction, the same tonewood used in the late 1950s Gibson Flying V and Explorer, chosen for its lighter weight compared to mahogany and its open, resonant midrange character. Paired with the Benson Earhart's top boost circuit, the Korina's natural clarity and note separation come through with exceptional definition. The nitrocellulose finish checking and aged hardware make this instrument look every year of its references.

The Sunbear '58 Reserve (now the '58 Archive) SB-PAF set was originally inspired by Stuart Robson's time with guitarist Bob Wootton's original 1958 Burst — specifically its bridge PAF, which Stu considers one of the finest original PAFs he has encountered. The specifications — turns per layer, coil build and shape, internal coil start lengths, coil offsets, low-carbon steel parts — are all referenced from 1957/58 PAFs Stu has had in for repair and rewinds. The covers are reshaped in-house at Sunbear with direct reference to vintage examples and then aged to match. Bridge: Alnico II / 8.1K — rich mids, airy highs, rounded lows that respond dynamically to playing feel. Neck: Alnico III / 7.4K — classic open humbucker tone with expressive highs and satisfying low-end warmth. The tarnished aged gold covers against the aged hardware of the Tributo Korina Special are a perfect match.

The Expresso FX MK1.V from 11:05 is Sof's dual-transistor Tone Bender variant — sitting between a Fuzz Face and a full Tone Bender MKI in character. Thicker and wilder than a conventional Ge Fuzz, but less aggressive than the three-transistor Fuzz Bender. Built with two NOS Mullard OC75 and one NOS Mullard OC76 germanium transistors, Mullard and Philips caps, Allen Bradley carbon comp resistors.

🎸 Giordano Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/_giordanoguitars_/
🎸 Sunbear Pickups: https://www.sunbearpickups.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Lollar Jaguar Pickups

Lollar Pickups returns to the channel with the Jaguar set — and it's a night and day upgrade over the Custom Shop pickups in the Journeyman. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Lollar Jaguar Pickup Set takes center stage — installed in the 2022 Fender Custom Shop 1963 Jaguar Journeyman Relic in Taos Turquoise, wired with an Emerson Custom Kit and Treble Bleed and fitted with Mastery Bridge and Tremolo, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" with Scumback speakers via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Expresso FX Ge Fuzz, Octave Fuzz, and Ge Boost, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo feature throughout.

Order Lollar Jaguar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-other-single-coil-pickups/jaguar Follow Lollar Pickups: https://www.instagram.com/lollarpickups/

The original Fender Custom Shop '62 Jaguar Flat Magnet pickups in the Journeyman are a faithful recreation of the early '60s originals — inherently scooped, bright, and glassy. For players who love the Jaguar's circuit flexibility and short-scale feel but want more bass fidelity, definition, and body from the pickups themselves, the Lollar set is the answer.

Lollar's Jaguar pickup is wound to sound similar to original early-'60s Jaguar pickups, but with targeted improvements: improved bass fidelity and definition in the neck position, and a fuller, fatter tone in the bridge position. The glassy Jaguar character remains intact — the Lollar set doesn't transform the Jaguar into something it isn't — but the low-end clarity and overall fullness are substantially improved. Neck: Alnico 5 / 5.8K. Bridge: Alnico 2 / 6.3K. Vintage-style cloth covered lead wires. Chrome-plated metal claws. Wax potted. Recommended pots: 250K or 1 meg. Recommended cap: 0.047μF.

The Mastery Bridge and Tremolo replace the stock Jaguar floating bridge and tremolo — the Mastery's superior intonation accuracy and break angle keep the Jaguar in tune through the tremolo far more reliably than the original design, and the bridge saddles eliminate the string buzzing that vintage-style Jaguar bridges are known for.

The Strangle switch explored at 05:15 and 09:33 — the Lollar pickups' improved bass response makes the Strangle switch's treble cap bypass more musically useful, as there's more low-mid content to contrast against when the high-frequency content is fully unleashed.

The Expresso FX Triple Fuzz from 05:43 — all three built by Sof in the UK with NOS components: Ge Fuzz (dual CV7005 Newmarket germanium transistors, Fuzz Face-style), Octave Fuzz (Ge diodes switch up / Si diodes switch down, explored at 13:44), and Ge Boost (AC107, Rangemaster-style, explored from 15:04).

🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-other-single-coil-pickups/jaguar 🎛️ Expresso FX: https://expressofx.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Best Vintage Guitar Mods! — '67 Gibson ES-335 Gets Stainless Steel Re-Fret & Emerson Treble Bleeds

The 1967 Gibson ES-335 is back from the shop — stainless steel refret and Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds on both volume pots. Would you mod a vintage guitar? Let me know in the comments. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the 1967 Gibson ES-335 takes center stage — freshly refretted with stainless steel and fitted with Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds on both volume potentiometers, into the Benson Amps Earhart 2x12" with Scumback speakers via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Effectrode Tube Vibe, Echo Fix EF-X3 Chorus Echo, and three Expresso FX pedals — Ge Fuzz, Octave Fuzz, and Ge Boost — feature from 09:33 onward.

Grab Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds: https://emersoncustom.com/products/2017-treble-bleed-circuit-volume-mod?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
Grab an Emerson Custom ES-335 Prewired Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/335-prewired-kit?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG

Two mods, same philosophy. The stainless steel refret replaces the original worn frets with stainless steel wire — harder than nickel silver, meaning the frets will outlast any standard refret by a significant margin with a smoother, more consistent playing feel across the entire neck.

The Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds are the more tonally significant mod. Original 1967 ES-335 wiring bleeds treble progressively as you roll back the volume pots — darkening the tone as you clean up. The Treble Bleed mod keeps high-frequency content present through the entire volume sweep. Both volume pots have independent Treble Bleeds, so the neck and bridge controls each preserve their own high-frequency response independently. The difference is explored throughout from 04:54 onward across all three pickup positions.

The Expresso FX triple stack from 09:33 — all three built by Sof in the UK with NOS components:

Ge Fuzz: Fuzz Face-style, dual CV7005 Newmarket germanium transistors. Warm, touch-sensitive, glassy cleanup.

Octave Fuzz: switchable diode clipping — switch up is germanium diodes (warmer, more vintage octave character), switch down is silicon diodes (tighter, more aggressive). The Ge vs. Si diode comparison explored directly at 11:57 and 12:52.

Ge Boost: AC107 germanium transistor, Rangemaster-style boost. OC141 replaced with AC107 on this build. Into a cranked Earhart from 14:25.

🎸 Emerson Custom: https://emersoncustom.com
🎛️ Expresso FX: https://expressofx.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars High Horse VI

Is this the coolest Bass VI ever? Tone Ranger Guitars returns with the High Horse VI — Jeff Mark Leavitt's Bass VI built on the High Horse offset platform, from urban black walnut, with TV Jones pickups and Mastery hardware. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Tone Ranger Guitars High Horse VI takes center stage — into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The R2R Electric Rangemaster and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/
Order a Tone Ranger Guitar: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

Also watch: the full 6-model Tone Ranger Guitars showcase: https://youtu.be/p8X-BwI4pdw

In Jeff's own words: "Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards — now rescued by arborists such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. You're a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin'."

The High Horse VI takes the High Horse offset body — Jeff's late '50s space-age design — and re-voices it as a Bass VI at 30" scale. The result is an instrument that sits between guitar and bass, capable of everything from Ventures-style tremolo lead tones to baritone rhythm work to Cure-style bass lines, all in a lightweight offset package that plays like a guitar. Full specs (Serial #1002524):

Urban black walnut body and neck. Reclaimed Indian rosewood fretboard. Soft V neck profile. 30" scale. 22 frets, 12" radius. Jescar 55090 medium/highest nickel silver frets. Bone nut. 8.6 lbs. TV Jones Super'Tron neck pickup. TV Jones Classic Plus Filter'Tron bridge pickup. 2x CTS 500k audio taper volume pots. 2x CTS 500k audio taper tone pots with 22nf Mallory caps. Centalab 3-way toggle. PureTone multi-contact jack. Mastery M1 bridge. Mastery OMV tailpiece. Grover Sta-tite 18:1 tuners. Nickel hardware. Witch hat knobs. Turquoise fret markers. Copper side dots. Cream pearloid pickguard. Hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish. Silkscreened headstock logo. Made in Los Angeles, California.

🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars Double Barrel

Tone Ranger Guitars returns with the Double Barrel — Jeff Mark Leavitt's double-cut two-pickup build with 24 frets, a Bigsby B5, and TV Jones Ful-fidelity pickups built from urban elm and reclaimed walnut. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Tone Ranger Guitars Double Barrel takes center stage — into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The R2R Electric Rangemaster and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/
Order a Tone Ranger Guitar: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

In Jeff's own words: "Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards — now rescued by arborists such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. You're a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin'."

The Double Barrel is a double-cut, two-pickup solid body — 24 frets and a Bigsby B5 giving it a reach and shimmer that other double-cuts can't match. From punk to funk it'll ride shotgun with you anywhere your musical trail takes you. The TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-fidelity set is one of TV Jones' most faithful recreations of the original Filter'Tron design — the pickup Seth Lover of Gibson called his own favorite design. Full specs (Serial #0401124):

Urban elm body with reclaimed walnut top. Urban elm neck. Urban Indian rosewood fretboard. Urban black acacia headcap. Soft V neck profile. 24.75" scale. 24 frets, 12" radius. Jescar 55090 medium/highest nickel silver frets. Bone nut. 8 lbs. TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-fidelity set. CTS 500k audio taper volume pot with treble bleed. CTS 500k audio taper tone pot with 22nf Orange Drop. Switchcraft 3-way toggle and output jack. Tone Pros T3BP Tune-o-matic bridge. Bigsby B5 tailpiece. Grover Sta-tite 18:1 tuners. Gold hardware. Mother of pearl fret markers. Copper side dots. No pickguard. Hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish. Silkscreened headstock logo. Made in Los Angeles, California.

Also watch: the full 6-model Tone Ranger Guitars showcase: https://youtu.be/p8X-BwI4pdw

🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars Rodeo Queen

Tone Ranger Guitars returns with the Rodeo Queen — Jeff Mark Leavitt's S-style with a set neck, 24.75" scale, and seven pickup configurations built from urban California redwood. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Tone Ranger Guitars Rodeo Queen takes center stage — into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The R2R Electric Rangemaster and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/
Order a Tone Ranger Guitar: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

In Jeff's own words: "Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards — now rescued by arborists such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. You're a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin'."

An S-style guitar was Jeff's first guitar, and the Rodeo Queen represents his most personal take on the design. The set neck and 24.75" scale immediately differentiate it from a conventional Stratocaster — the shorter scale and glued joint add a different resonance and feel while the Lollar pickup selection covers the full tonal range you'd want from an S-style. The push/pull volume pot adds the bridge pickup to any position for seven total pickup configurations. Full specs (Serial #0401324):

Urban California redwood body and headcap. Urban black walnut neck. Urban Indian rosewood fretboard. Soft V neck profile. 24.75" scale. 22 frets, 12" radius. Jescar 55090 medium/highest nickel silver frets. Bone nut. 7.4 lbs. Lollar Blonde Stratocaster neck and middle pickups. Lollar Special Stratocaster bridge pickup. Bourns 250k push/pull volume pot with treble bleed (pull to add bridge pickup). CTS 250k audio taper tone pot with 47nf Orange Drop. Oak-Grigsby 5-way switch. PureTone multi-contact jack. Mastery M1 bridge. Mastery MV tailpiece. Grover Sta-tite 18:1 tuners. Nickel hardware. Turquoise fret markers. Copper side dots. Hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish. Silkscreened headstock logo. Made in Los Angeles, California.

Also watch: the full 6-model Tone Ranger Guitars showcase: [LINK]

🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars High Horse

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars here: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/

Order a Tone Ranger Guitar here: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

Follow / Subscribe to Edge of Breakup here: https://www.instagram.com/edgeofbreakup/ https://www.threads.net/@edgeofbreakup https://www.youtube.com/edgeofbreakup

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So stoked to welcome Tone Ranger Guitars to the channel, with 6 smokin' models! Jeff Mark Leavitt is a helluva builder, operating out of Southern California as a one-man shop.

In his words:
"Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. As one of Ken Layne’s Holy Rangers and a disciple of Edward Abbey, I set out to create an instrument that is not only a part of the West itself, but also allows myself and players of my guitars to be stewards of the land. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties, yielding tonewoods with a unique sonic brilliance all their own. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards, but are felled due to storms, disease, or normal senescence. In the past, these trees would’ve been chipped on site and sent to landfills, but they are now rescued by arborists, such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber, who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. Using wood from our municipal forests helps reduce our carbon footprint as these trees aren’t factory-farmed, nor do they contribute to deforestation. This guilt-free wood grew in our local neighborhoods and communities, and is a beloved part of our history. You’re a part of that history now as this wood continues its life as your creative partner wherever the trail may take you. You’re a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin’" - Jeff Mark Leavitt

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star

Tone Ranger Guitars returns with the Desert Star — Jeff Mark Leavitt's take on the T-style, built from reclaimed old-growth Douglas Fir and urban black walnut. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star takes center stage — into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The R2R Electric Rangemaster and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/ Order a Tone Ranger Guitar: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

In Jeff's own words: "Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards — now rescued by arborists such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. You're a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin'."

The Desert Star is Jeff's T-style with features uncommon to Telecaster designs — a set neck and 24.75" scale, giving the guitar a different feel and resonance character than a bolt-on 25.5" Telecaster while keeping the essential T-style DNA. Full specs (Serial #1200423):

Reclaimed old-growth Douglas Fir body. Urban black walnut neck and headcap. Bocote fretboard. Soft V neck profile. 24.75" scale. 21 frets, 12" radius. Jescar 55090 medium/highest nickel silver frets. Bone nut. 8.4 lbs. Lollar Regal "low-wind" neck pickup. Lollar Alnico 3 Telecaster bridge pickup. CTS 500k (neck) and 250k (bridge) audio taper pots with treble bleed. 15nf and 22nf Orange Drop tone caps respectively. Switchcraft 3-way switch and output jack. Kluson ashtray bridge with gold-plated compensated steel saddles. String-through tailpiece. Grover Sta-Tite tuners. Gold hardware. Turquoise fret markers. Copper side dots. Decoboom Redtail pickguard. Hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish. Silkscreened headstock logo. Made in Los Angeles, California.

Also watch: the full 6-model Tone Ranger Guitars showcase: [LINK]

🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars Show Pony

Tone Ranger Guitars makes its channel debut with the Show Pony — Jeff Mark Leavitt's Gretsch-inspired solid body built from Los Angeles urban tonewoods. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Tone Ranger Guitars Show Pony takes center stage — into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The R2R Electric Rangemaster and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/ Order a Tone Ranger Guitar: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

In Jeff's own words: "Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards — now rescued by arborists such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. You're a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin'."

The Show Pony is Jeff's take on the Gretsch solid bodies of the 1950s — the Nashville Sound, the Bakersfield Sound, and your sound. Full specs (Serial #1002724):

Urban black acacia body and neck. Urban Indian rosewood fretboard. C neck profile. 24.75" scale. 22 frets, 12" radius. Jescar 55090 medium/highest nickel silver frets. Bone nut. 9 lbs. TV Jones Super'Tron neck pickup, TV Jones Classic Plus Filter'Tron bridge pickup. 2x CTS 500k audio taper with treble bleed. 2x CTS 500k audio taper with 22nf Orange Drops. WD 3-way switch. PureTone multi-contact jack. Tone Pros T3BP Tune-o-matic bridge. Bigsby B5 tailpiece. Grover 18:1 Sta-Tite tuners. Gold hardware. Turquoise fret markers. Copper side dots. Three-ply cream pearloid pickguard. Hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish. Silkscreened headstock logo. Made in Los Angeles, California.

Also watch: the full 6-model Tone Ranger Guitars showcase: [LINK]

🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Tone Ranger Guitars — 6 Smokin' Models! — Sustainably Built Guitars with Killer Tone!

Tone Ranger Guitars makes its channel debut — six models, all built from Los Angeles urban tonewoods, one man's shop. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode six Tone Ranger Guitar models take center stage — into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.

Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/
Order a Tone Ranger Guitar: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com

In Jeff's own words: "Tone Ranger Guitars grew from my love of the West: the culture, the environment, the music, and the history of the western American deserts and forests. Lovingly hand-crafted in my one-man shop in LA with the finest components and pickups, Tone Ranger Guitars are made entirely from sustainable, local, urban trees from Los Angeles and her surrounding counties. These trees lined our city streets, shaded our parks, and grew in our backyards, but are felled due to storms, disease, or normal senescence. They are now rescued by arborists — such as Street Tree Revival and Angel City Lumber — who choose to repurpose these beautiful trees and give them a second life. You're a Tone Ranger now. Keep on truckin'."

Six models, six serial numbers, all hand-signed by Jeff Mark Leavitt:

Show Pony (#1002724, 05:35): Gretsch solid body-inspired. Urban black acacia body and neck, Urban Indian rosewood fretboard, C neck profile, 24.75" scale, 22 frets, 9 lbs. TV Jones Super'Tron neck, TV Jones Classic Plus Filter'Tron bridge. 2x CTS 500k w/ treble bleed. Tone Pros T3BP Tune-o-matic, Bigsby B5. Turquoise fret markers, copper side dots, cream pearloid pickguard.

Desert Star (#1200423, 12:18): T-style with a set neck and 24.75" scale. Reclaimed old-growth Douglas Fir body, Urban black walnut neck, Bocote fretboard, 21 frets, 8.4 lbs. Lollar Regal "low-wind" neck, Lollar Alnico 3 Telecaster bridge. Kluson ashtray bridge with gold-plated compensated steel saddles, string-through tailpiece. Decoboom Redtail pickguard.

High Horse (#1002924, 19:21): Offset design, late '50s space-age inspired. Urban California redwood body, Urban black acacia neck, Jatoba fretboard, 24.75" scale, 22 frets, 6.2 lbs. Lollar Staple P90 neck, Lollar '50s Wind P90 bridge. 2x CTS 500k w/ treble bleed, 47nf Orange Drops, Centralab 3-way toggle. Mastery M1 bridge, Mastery OMV tailpiece. Aged white pearloid pickguard.

Rodeo Queen (#0401324, 25:52): S-style with set neck, 7 pickup configurations via push/pull volume pot. Urban California redwood body, Urban black walnut neck, Urban Indian rosewood fretboard, 24.75" scale, 22 frets, 7.4 lbs. Lollar Blonde Stratocaster neck and middle, Lollar Special Stratocaster bridge. Bourns 250k push/pull w/ treble bleed (pull to add bridge pickup). Oak-Grigsby 5-way, Mastery M1 bridge, Mastery MV tailpiece.

Double Barrel (#0401124, 34:23): Double-cut LP Jr-inspired, 24 frets, Bigsby B5. Urban elm body with reclaimed walnut top, Urban elm neck, Urban Indian rosewood fretboard, Urban black acacia headcap, 24.75" scale, 8 lbs. TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-fidelity set. CTS 500k w/ treble bleed, 22nf Orange Drop. Tone Pros T3BP Tune-o-matic, Bigsby B5. Mother of pearl fret markers, gold hardware.

High Horse VI (#1002524, 41:29): Bass VI format on the High Horse offset platform. Urban black walnut body and neck, Reclaimed Indian rosewood fretboard, 30" scale, Soft V neck profile, 22 frets, 8.6 lbs. TV Jones Super'Tron neck, TV Jones Classic Plus Filter'Tron bridge. 2x CTS 500k, 22nf Mallory. Mastery M1 bridge, Mastery OMV tailpiece, Centalab 3-way toggle. Turquoise fret markers, copper side dots, cream pearloid pickguard.

All six guitars share the same hallmarks: Jescar 55090 medium/highest nickel silver frets, bone nut, Grover Sta-tite 18:1 tuners, PureTone multi-contact output jack, hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish, silkscreened headstock logo. Made in Los Angeles, California.

🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Browne Carbon X — Dual Bluesbreaker Overdrive

Browne Amplification returns to the channel with the Carbon X — a dual Bluesbreaker overdrive born from a collaboration with David Ryan Harris. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Browne Amplification Carbon X Dual Bluesbreaker Overdrive takes center stage — into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.

In Browne Amplification's words:

"The Carbon X was born from a simple question posed by David Ryan Harris — 'Can this be done?' The answer ('probably?') led to a journey of innovation and experimentation that resulted in the Carbon X. Imagine the fusion of two blue sides, the classic Carbon sound elevated to new heights. Stripping the right side of some of its sheen and headroom, we unleashed its grittier, raw essence and added a touch of sag, letting it unleash its barbaric yawp into the world of tonal richness. To perfect the art of stacking and gaining it up, we introduced a high cut to the left side, taming the top end with surgical precision."

The Carbon X is a dual overdrive housing two distinct variants of Browne Amplification's Bluesbreaker-circuit Carbon overdrive in one enclosure with two independent footswitches.

Right side: the grittier, rawer Carbon voice. Stripped of some headroom and sheen compared to the standard Carbon, with added sag — a looser, more pushed, more organic character. This is the more aggressive of the two sides, explored from 01:47.

Left side: the more refined Carbon voice, with the addition of a 3-way high-cut switch for surgical control over top-end content. The three high-cut positions allow the left side to be voiced from its natural brightness down to a mellowed, more vintage character — essential for controlling harshness when stacking. Explored from 04:49.

Both sides stacked from 08:01 — the architecture intentionally designed for stacking, with the right side's sag and grit feeding the left side's high-cut refinement. Into a pushed Benson Vincent from 09:21. Additional features: soft-switching, adjustable startup state (which side or combination is active when the pedal is first engaged), and an internal switch for use with a looper.

David Ryan Harris has worked with John Mayer, India Arie, and numerous other major artists. His request and collaborative refinement across multiple prototypes shaped the final Carbon X voicing.

🎛️ Browne Amplification Carbon X: https://www.browneamplification.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Thorpy FX Peacekeeper Low Gain Overdrive

ThorpyFX returns to the channel — this time with the Peacekeeper Low Gain Overdrive, their benchmark low-gain dirt pedal. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the ThorpyFX Peacekeeper Low Gain Overdrive takes center stage — featuring the Kauer Guitars Super Chief with Lollar Firebird Neck and Lollar Mini-Humbucker Bridge, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 07:21.

Get a ThorpyFX Peacekeeper: https://thorpyfx.com/en-us/collections/thorpyfx-pedals Follow ThorpyFX: https://www.instagram.com/thorpyfx/

Adrian Thorpe designed the Peacekeeper with one specific architectural insight that separates it from most low-gain overdrives: the Presence/Mids control sits before the gain stage, not after it. This changes what the control actually does. On a conventional overdrive, an EQ control after the drive stage shapes the tone of the overdriven signal. The Peacekeeper's pre-gain Presence control shapes what frequency content gets driven in the first place — turn it up and the mids get amplified before hitting the gain stage, producing a mid-humped, vocal, Dumble-adjacent character. Turn it down and the mids are scooped before the drive, producing a smoother, glassier, more open gain texture. The character of the overdrive itself changes, not just its tonal balance.

Post-gain, active Treble and Bass controls then shape the overdriven signal — wide-ranging, interactive with each other, and explored in depth from 03:49 and 05:35. The combination of pre-gain Presence shaping and post-gain active Treble/Bass gives the Peacekeeper a genuinely wide tonal range for a low-gain overdrive. Five controls total: Volume, Gain, Presence, Treble, Bass.

Premium components throughout: 1% metal film resistors, Wima and Panasonic capacitors, Burr-Brown op-amp, gold-plated PCB, Neutrik jacks, dust-sealed Alpha potentiometers. Stainless steel laser-etched centre console in Adrian Thorpe's signature enclosure. Top-mounted jacks. Recessed knobs. Built like a tank. 9V DC centre negative.

🎛️ ThorpyFX Peacekeeper: https://thorpyfx.com/en-us/collections/thorpyfx-pedals 🎸 Kauer Guitars Super Chief: https://www.kauerguitars.com/instruments/super-chief 🎸 Lollar Firebird + Mini-Humbucker: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Templo Devices Incandescent

Templo Devices makes its channel debut with the Incandescent Fuzz — and the Model 66 Vibrato/Phaser joins the party. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Templo Devices Incandescent Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Grez Guitars Mendocino Junior with P90 pickups, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Templo Devices Model 66 Stereo Smooth Vibrato/Phaser joins from 08:06.

Get an Incandescent Limited Edition: https://templodevices.com/products/incandescent-limited-edition Follow Templo Devices: https://www.instagram.com/templodevices/

Templo Devices builds in Los Angeles — a small operation making unique, genuinely different circuits that don't fit neatly into standard effect categories. The Incandescent is described by the builder as "not quite a tube-amp-in-a-box, not quite a fuzz pedal — its own thing." The architecture backs that up: a MOSFET preamp is blasted into the front end of a CMOS amplifier with a built-in compressor or expander circuit. The result is a fuzz-adjacent dirt pedal that adds dynamics to the distortion rather than compressing them away.

Bias controls the voltage bias of the fuzz stage — at lowest settings it produces almost-clean drive with bite when you dig in, then gets aggressive quickly as it's turned up without sacrificing clarity.

Expand/Contract switch selects between two distinct dynamic voices. Expand: crisper, clearer distortion that swells slightly with pick attack — the opposite of a compressor. Great for cutting through a mix or searing lead tones. Contract: slightly more overdriven with a subtle pick-responsive compression similar to tube amp sag — warmer, more organic breakup with natural squash. Both modes explored thoroughly across the demo, compared directly at 13:43.

Volume has a very large range — unity at most settings is well below noon. Slamming the amp from 05:32 explores what the full output range can do to a Monarch on the edge of breakup.

The Templo Devices Model 66 Stereo Smooth Vibrato/Phaser is the stereo evolution of the beloved Model 33. Analog vibrato using a sinusoidal LFO — no delay involved, pure pitch modulation from ultra-slow warble through ultra-fast pulse. The Phase pot blends in dry signal to crossover from vibrato into phaser territory. Red light jewel pulses to the vibrato speed. 9V DC center negative, stereo I/O with dual XLR output.

🎛️ Templo Devices: https://templodevices.com 🎸 Grez Guitars: https://www.grezguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Curtis Novak Strat-TB Cojones Bridge & Strat-V High Wind Pickup Set — Fender Stratocaster Upgrade

Curtis Novak Pickups returns — this time with the Strat-TB Cojones in the bridge, paired with Strat-V High Wind neck and middle. The most powerful bridge pickup configuration in the Journeyman Strat series yet. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Curtis Novak Strat-TB Cojones Bridge + Strat-V High Wind (Neck + Middle) take center stage — installed in the Fender Custom Shop 1960 Journeyman Relic Stratocaster with Emerson Custom S5B Blender 5-Way Wiring Kit and Treble Bleed, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. Effectrode Tube Vibe, R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44, and Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact all feature.

Get the Strat-TB Cojones bridge: https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/strat-tb/ Get the Strat-V High Wind neck and middle: https://www.curtisnovak.com/shop/strat-v/

This is the fourth bridge pickup configuration explored on the Journeyman Strat in this pickup series: Strat-V High Wind (all three positions), Strat-TB standard, Strat-V Cojones, and now the Strat-TB Cojones — Curtis's most powerful bridge pickup option in a Strat form factor.

Two variables are in play here simultaneously. The Strat-TB format puts a Telecaster bridge pickup coil geometry into a Strat bridge routing — the Telecaster construction adds midrange body and thickness that a conventional Strat bridge single coil doesn't produce. The Cojones wind then adds output on top of that, making the Strat-TB Cojones the highest-output and thickest-sounding option Curtis offers for the bridge position in a Stratocaster.

The practical result: the bridge position no longer sounds like a Strat bridge pickup. It sounds like a Telecaster bridge pickup with more output — full, present, thick, capable of driving an amp hard without the thin or brittle quality that makes conventional Strat bridge pickups difficult at higher gain settings. The bridge/middle position (02:59, 08:36) with the Strat-V Middle's vintage character next to the Strat-TB Cojones is the combination that makes this configuration most versatile across all five positions.

Get the Emerson Custom Strat Blender Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/s5b-blender-5-way-strat-prewired-kit?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG Treble Bleed: https://emersoncustom.com/products/2017-treble-bleed-circuit-volume-mod?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG

🎸 Curtis Novak Pickups: https://www.curtisnovak.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

🎸 Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Relic Strat | Curtis Novak Strat-V High Wind (Neck + Middle) + Strat-TB Cojones (Bridge) | Emerson Custom S5B Blender + Treble Bleed 🎛️ R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 | Origin Effects Revival Drive Compact | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Moon Guitars Moonburn Deluxe — Feat. Fish Circuits Lunatique

Moon Guitars and Fish Circuits return to the channel together — the Lambertones-loaded Moon Burn Deluxe meets the Lunatique Fuzz. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Fish Circuits Lunatique Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Moon Guitars Moon Burn Deluxe with Lambertones Lamber'Tron Filter'Tron-style pickups, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.

Get a Fish Circuits Lunatique: https://fishcircuits.com/products/lunatique-fuzz Follow Fish Circuits: https://www.instagram.com/fishcircuits Order a Moon Guitars: https://www.moon-guitars.com Follow Moon Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/moonguitars

Also on the channel: the Fish Circuits Lunatique demo with the Wide Sky Guitars Tawa and the Moon Guitars Moon Burn Deluxe debut with the R2R Electric Rangemaster.

The Fish Circuits Lunatique is a gated fuzz with two distinct fuzz circuits blended by the Chaos knob, plus a low-pass filter on the same control. Noon is the warmest, most balanced point. Counterclockwise from noon pushes toward a classic gated fuzz character — bright, biting, Tone Bender-like, increasing top end presence the further left you go. Clockwise from noon introduces ring modulation and octave-up content that builds progressively — simultaneously the low-pass filter cuts high frequencies, mellowing the top end while the octave and ring modulation take over the mid and upper-mid presence. Four controls: Chaos, Level, Body toggle (full bass vs. rolled-off low-end), and Fuzz toggle (lower vs. higher gain — upper position removes the gate entirely).

The Lambertones Lamber'Tron is a Filter'Tron-size pickup with custom AlNiCo cast magnets (Neck AlNiCo IV / Bridge AlNiCo VIII), injection-molded bobbins, and nickel-silver baseplates. Filter'Tron-style pickups interact with gated fuzz circuits differently than PAF humbuckers — the Lamber'Tron's more scooped midrange and articulate high-end response gives the Lunatique's Chaos knob a wider apparent sweep, and the gate behavior responds more dramatically to the Filter'Tron's specific impedance characteristics.

The Moon Burn Deluxe is Kyle Wolfe's build from Moon Guitars in New Jersey — tempered Swamp Ash body with Figured Myrtle top, Aged Honduran Mahogany neck, Brazilian Walnut fingerboard, 25" scale, Jescar Jumbo Stainless Steel frets, Hipshot hardware throughout.

🎛️ Fish Circuits: https://fishcircuits.com 🎸 Moon Guitars: https://www.moon-guitars.com 🎸 Lambertones: https://lambertones.store 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Horrothia Effects Lutz Fuzz

Horrothia Effects returns to the channel with the Lutz Fuzz — the most feature-packed fuzz pedal Tom Oakes has ever built. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Horrothia Effects Lutz Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Grez Guitars Mendocino Junior with P90 pickups, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.

Follow Horrothia Effects: https://www.instagram.com/horrothia_effects/ Get a Lutz Fuzz: https://www.horrothia.com/

Also on the channel:

Horrothia Triage Ge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W88EC9NrCOo&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvVNIhJvXBU&list=RDKvVNIhJvXBU&start_radio=1&t=2s

Horrothia Berkeley Uni-Vibe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAyNQVsQdSg

At its core the Lutz is a two-transistor fuzz — the simplest, most archetypal circuit in guitar electronics. Tom Oakes' approach on the Lutz is to take that minimal circuit and add every meaningful control variable a fuzz player could want without adding a single feature that doesn't serve the tone.

Two 12-way high-pass filter switches — one pre-fuzz, one post-fuzz — create a 144-way filter matrix. Every combination of input and output filter settings produces a distinct frequency balance feeding and leaving the fuzz stage. Explored from 05:02 with the full range covered.

Two "curly cable simulator" switches on the top edge add the dulling capacitance of a curly cable — to the left simulating a shorter cable, to the right a longer cable, center position off. These subtle tone changes interact with the filter matrix and pickup impedance in musically useful ways.

The Bias knob sets the voltage bias of the fuzz transistors — start at 50% for the most musical range. Lower bias gives broken, spluttering, distressed textures (explored from 06:36 and 13:30). Higher bias gives more gain and sustain.

The Voltage Sag control lowers the voltage and current fed to the circuit — simulating a dying battery. It rolls off top end and adds compression and squash, explored from 07:59 and 12:22 as a creative tone tool rather than just a malfunction simulator.

Three footswitches: Bypass (relay), Buffer (switches a JFET input buffer in/out — boosts gain and sustain when on, explored from 15:10), and Cap Defeat (removes the power capacitor from the circuit, allowing the circuit to self-oscillate at some settings for drone notes and sound design textures — explored from 06:36 and 15:41). Volume control has enormous range — unity at most settings is around 25%.

Sold out within hours. Check the Horrothia website for future batches.

🎛️ Horrothia Effects: https://www.horrothia.com 🎸 Grez Guitars: https://www.grezguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

Walrus Audio Voyager MKII

Walrus Audio returns to the channel with the Voyager MKII — the Klon-inspired overdrive that started the company, now massively expanded. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Walrus Audio Voyager MKII Preamp/Overdrive takes center stage — featuring the Grez Guitars Mendocino Junior with P90 pickups, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 15:42.

Get a Voyager MKII: https://walrusaudio.com Follow Walrus Audio: https://www.instagram.com/walrusaudio/

The original Voyager was Walrus Audio's first pedal in 2011 — a three-knob Klon-style overdrive that found its way onto the boards of Joe Bonamassa, Ed O'Brien, and Nels Cline. The MKII keeps everything that made the original work and adds a five-way clipping mode selector and a footswitchable parametric mid-frequency EQ — features that make the Voyager MKII a fundamentally different tool from the original.

Five clipping modes via rotary switch, explored from 07:32 onward:

Mode 1: Classic 1N34A Germanium Diodes — the original Voyager sound. Most compressed, warm, smooth character. Mode 2: Classic 1N34A Germanium Diodes with bass boost — the same germanium warmth with additional low-end body. Mode 3: Symmetric Silicon Diodes — tighter, more focused, slightly brighter than the germanium modes. Mode 4: Asymmetric Silicon Diodes — open, less compressed, more dynamic response to pick attack. Mode 5: Asymmetric Silicon Diodes with bass boost — the least compressed mode, most open and driven, with added low-end girth.

The footswitchable parametric mid-frequency EQ is the other headline feature. The Freq knob selects the center frequency for boost or cut, ranging from 250Hz to 2kHz. The Mid knob then boosts or cuts that selected frequency by up to ±12dB. Stomping the Mid footswitch engages or bypasses the EQ section independently of the main bypass — explored from 07:32 and at 15:42 with the Tube Vibe. The combination of all five modes with the parametric mid EQ gives a near-infinite range of available sounds from a fundamentally transparent Klon-style foundation.

Six controls: Volume, Tone, Gain, Mid, Freq, Mode. Two footswitches: Bypass and Mid. True bypass. 9V DC 100mA. Designed and assembled in the USA.

🎛️ Walrus Audio Voyager MKII: https://www.walrusaudio.com/products/voyager-preamp-overdrive-mkii 🎸 Grez Guitars: https://www.grezguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26 Edge of Breakup . 7/26/26

R2R Electric PKIII Fuzz

R2R Electric returns to the channel with a new limited release — the PKIII Fuzz, an homage to a very specific variant of the Tone Bender MKIII. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the R2R Electric PKIII Fuzz takes center stage — featuring the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone with Lollar JM Pickups and Mastery hardware, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 14:09.

Follow R2R Electric: https://www.instagram.com/djlavalamp/
R2R Electric mailing list: https://www.r2relectric.com

Chris Vincent (@djlavalamp) builds every R2R Electric pedal in Los Angeles using exclusively NOS and vintage components — hand-selected, tested, measured, and matched. Every R2R build is unique in its specific component selection but verified for tonal consistency before shipping. Get on the mailing list — drops go extremely quickly.

The PKIII Fuzz is Chris's take on the Tone Bender MKIII, and more specifically it's based on a particular vintage unit that Chris had on loan from @themadcap1. The Tone Bender MKIII was the third iteration of the Sola Sound Tone Bender family, produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s — three transistors, a circuit that bridges the rawness of the MKI with the more refined saturation of the MKII, adding Tone and Gain controls to the two-knob format of earlier Tone Benders.

One important note on the control layout — the PKIII runs counterclockwise on both the Tone and Gain knobs. Turning the Tone knob counterclockwise from noon adds brightness. Turning the Gain knob counterclockwise from noon adds gain. The Volume knob behaves conventionally — clockwise for more output. This is explored throughout the demo, particularly the Tone knob range from super bright (05:45) to darkest possible (07:55).

As with all R2R vintage fuzz builds: place first in signal chain before any buffered bypass pedals. These are true to vintage circuit design and do not work with buffered inputs.

Get on the R2R Electric mailing list: https://www.r2relectric.com/how-to-order
Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/djlavalamp/

🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago: https://blackbobbin.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Righteous Sound Pickups Opal Road Stratocaster Pickups — Feat. Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster

Righteous Sound Pickups returns to the channel with a new model — the Opal Road Stratocaster Set. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.

In this episode the Righteous Sound Pickups Opal Road Set takes center stage — installed in the Fender Custom Shop 1960 Journeyman Relic Stratocaster with Emerson Custom S5B Blender 5-Way Wiring Kit and Treble Bleed, into the Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 and Effectrode Tube Vibe feature in the second half.

Get a set of Opal Road pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com/product-page/opal-road-set Other Righteous Sound models: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com/ More Righteous Sound demos on the channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLY1KzQHoiH3u9yublDURkjZf-zGMBtnS&si=NMy7cYv7era2_vMe

The Righteous Sound Opal Road is a hybrid of two existing Righteous Sound Stratocaster families: the Opal and the High Road. The Opal is Righteous Sound's '60s-voiced Strat set — bright, chimey, vintage character. The High Road is their higher-output option — more drive into the amp's front end, more girth in the bridge position. The Opal Road combines the magnet specifications of both into one calibrated three-pickup set.

Neck and middle pickups are wound to Opal specs — the '60s vintage character and bloom in the positions where Strat players spend most of their time. The bridge pickup is available in either High Road spec (more output, more push into the amp for players who want a hotter bridge) or Opal spec (traditional Strat bridge voicing, consistent with the neck and middle character). The magnet combination means the Opal Road spans '50s and '60s Strat tones across the full five-position sweep — a wider tonal range than either the Opal or High Road sets deliver on their own.

🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers

Subscribe for more boutique tone explorations.

🎸 Fender Custom Shop '60 Journeyman Relic Strat | Righteous Sound Opal Road Set | Opal (Neck + Middle) + High Road or Opal (Bridge) | Emerson Custom S5B Blender + Treble Bleed 🎛️ R2R Electric Rangemaster OC44 | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Monarch 2x12" | Boss Waza TAE

Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12

Edge of Breakup
Video Categories

All The Frank Brothers Guitars // Check Out 8 Unique Custom Shop Builds [Remastered]

Giordano Guitars Tributo Korina Special

Lollar Jaguar Pickups

Best Vintage Guitar Mods! — '67 Gibson ES-335 Gets Stainless Steel Re-Fret & Emerson Treble Bleeds

Tone Ranger Guitars High Horse VI

Tone Ranger Guitars Double Barrel

Tone Ranger Guitars Rodeo Queen

Tone Ranger Guitars High Horse

Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star

Tone Ranger Guitars Show Pony

Tone Ranger Guitars — 6 Smokin' Models! — Sustainably Built Guitars with Killer Tone!

Browne Carbon X — Dual Bluesbreaker Overdrive

Thorpy FX Peacekeeper Low Gain Overdrive

Templo Devices Incandescent

Curtis Novak Strat-TB Cojones Bridge & Strat-V High Wind Pickup Set — Fender Stratocaster Upgrade

Moon Guitars Moonburn Deluxe — Feat. Fish Circuits Lunatique

Horrothia Effects Lutz Fuzz

Walrus Audio Voyager MKII

R2R Electric PKIII Fuzz

Other R2R Electric videos you might like:

Righteous Sound Pickups Opal Road Stratocaster Pickups — Feat. Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster

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Other R2R Electric videos you might like:

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