Michael Brown

The Slammi joins EHX's unique Next Step range of expression pedals without moving parts

Electro-Harmonix Slammi

By Michael Brown published 20 March 14

Promising to revolutionise foot-controlled pitch shifting

In pictures: Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 10 unboxed

By Michael Brown published 18 March 14

Compact stereo combo outta the box

The ValveKing Combo 50 gives you two channels (clean and lead), each with its own three-band EQ

Peavey ValveKing Combo 50

By Michael Brown published 17 March 14

Big on features and big on tones: it's the return of the 'King

Guitar Amps

The pack comprises 50 presets, based on impulse responses and modelling of classic high-gain amps

Toontrack Metal Amps EZMix Pack

By Michael Brown published 12 March 14

Ready-made mix-friendly tones

The Echo Shifter's slider control allows you to adjust delay time with your feet

Ibanez ES2 Echo Shifter

By Michael Brown published 7 March 14

Shift your expectations with this analogue delay

In pictures: Fender Pawn Shop Special Vaporizer unboxed

By Michael Brown published 4 March 14

The Big F gets retro amp fever

That matt black finish feels great, as does the lightly matt-finished mahogany bolt-on neck

DiVill By Italia M100

By Michael Brown published 20 February 14

Trevor Wilkinson's new sub-brand presents a fresh batch of guitars from the Italia time machine

In pictures: Boss OD-1X & DS-1X unboxed

By Michael Brown published 19 February 14

Two new sparkly stompers

Some baritones offer guitar-like 648mm (25.5-inch) scale lengths, but this is a traditional 'tone, with a scale of 755mm (29.75 inches)

Danelectro '56 Baritone

By Michael Brown published 17 February 14

Get into the spirit of '56 with this 'tone-laden beast

In pictures: Fender Jim Root Jazzmaster unboxed

By Michael Brown published 12 February 14

A stripped-back signature for the Slipknot/Stone Sour man

In pictures: Ibanez ES2 Echo Shifter unboxed

By Michael Brown published 4 February 14

Old-school sounds, modern features

In pictures: PRS SE 'Floyd' Custom 24 unboxed

By Michael Brown published 28 January 14

A cut-price Floyd Rose-loaded Custom

In pictures: Gibson 2014 Les Paul Futura unboxed

By Michael Brown published 23 January 14

The LP gets a revamp for 2014

Operation is simple: tap once to record, again to play; repeat to overdub, then double-tap to stop the loop

DigiTech JamMan Express XT

By Michael Brown published 23 January 14

Lightning-fast looping with a 'Man of action

Given Purple Haze contains one of the best known octave-fuzz tones, La Machine's colour is appropriate

MXR CSP203 La Machine

By Michael Brown published 22 January 14

New to MXR's exotic Custom Shop range is this unhinged octave fuzz

The HT Metal 5H is a great option for recording metal tones - and it'll see you right in practice sessions, too...

Blackstar HT Metal 5H

By Michael Brown published 21 January 14

Available in both combo and head form we check out Blackstar's dark new offering

Guitar Amps

Three footswitches give you instant access to three presets at a time - you can store up to 300 of them across 100 banks

Strymon BigSky

By Michael Brown published 20 January 14

A torrent of big ideas from one skyscraping reverb pedal

The tiny size means that there's no battery power, but this pedal is made for 'boards - there's even a hunk of Velcro in every box

Hotone Trem

By Michael Brown published 20 January 14

Proving good pedals can come in small footprints

In pictures: TC Electronic Ditto X2 Looper unboxed

By Michael Brown published 17 January 14

TC dittos the Ditto

The enclosure is made of plastic, but the bottom plate and footswitches are metal, for gig-ready durability

DigiTech Element XP

By Michael Brown published 17 January 14

The secret to good multi-effects? Why, it's elementary...

We've been impressed by the build quality of Hotone's mini Skyline range - the Grass overdrive is well up to spec

Hotone Grass

By Michael Brown published 16 January 14

Does this tiny overdrive offer the green, green grass of tone?

It's only got an eight-inch speaker, but the HT Metal 1 is capable of some pretty fearsome tones

Blackstar HT Metal 1

By Michael Brown published 15 January 14

UK firm Blackstar's new range is all about throwing the horns

Guitar Amps

The top knob is LED-lit, while the Echo and Fat knobs glow in the dark - helpful in 'atmospheric' lighting situations

Hotone Eko

By Michael Brown published 14 January 14

Need a delay that's easy on the wallet and doesn't hog your 'board? Look no further.

This UK-only TE-212 utilises two single coil pickups, as opposed to the usual single coil/humbucker combo

LTD TE-212 UK

By Michael Brown published 10 January 14

LTD treats the Brits to a limited edition take on the T-type