Guitar Man Plug 'N' Play English Channel review

  • £17.95
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If you're patient, you can squeeze some good sounds out of the English Channel.

MusicRadar Verdict

If you're happy to go easy on the gain, it's worth a look.

Pros

  • +

    Gives some genuinely good tones, but…

Cons

  • -

    …it can take a while to find them.

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Any mention of English or British here means tones based around the EL34, which, in turn, usually means Marshall. The P'N'P range also includes a Super Lead unit, but here it's less about impact and more about these valves' squashy nature.

Sounds

Even at full gain, the tone is cleaner than expected, thus giving a rhythm sound that's closer to AC/DC than Van Halen, albeit without the depth of either. However, when using a humbucker with a decent output, the backed-off sound is expressive for those hard-hitting 12-bar riffs.

This unit suits tones requiring more subtle overdrives, but aside from the lack of gain, it's a perfectly useable option.

Simon Bradley

Simon Bradley is a guitar and especially rock guitar expert who worked for Guitarist magazine and has in the past contributed to world-leading music and guitar titles like MusicRadar (obviously), Guitarist, Guitar World and Louder. What he doesn't know about Brian May's playing and, especially, the Red Special, isn't worth knowing.