Vol. 25, No. 6
April 2024
Players, Gear & Sound — The Inside
Mark Bartel, after over 30 years of dedication, has crafted three guitar amplifier models: the Sugarland, Starwood, and Roseland, each offering distinct tones and features. Bartel's amps provide options for players, ranging from '60s Fender sounds to Plexi crunch, focusing on harmonic richness and natural touch responsiveness. Fane speakers, particularly the A60, complement Bartel's amps, favored by musicians like Luis Maldonado. Pete A. Flynn, a seasoned musician and pickup maker, has developed exceptional humbuckers, including the Flynn Low Wind A2 Bucker Set and Flynn A5 Bucker Set, praised for their vintage tone and reasonable prices.
PLAYERS, GEAR & SOUND
The Inside
Mark Bartel's Masterbuilt Guitar Amplification
By Scott Ulrichs. Mark Bartel has spent more than 30 years designing and handbuilding tube amplifiers and cabinets in a historic Baltimore warehouse, pursuing tones he heard in his head since his days listening to Aerosmith and Hubert Sumlin. ToneQuest sits down with the founder of Bartel Amplification for a deep dive into circuit design, cabinet tuning, speaker selection, and what comes next.
BRITISH GOODNESS OF A DIFFERENT KIND
Fane Ascension Series Designer Fouad Abidi
By Scott Ulrichs. ToneQuest sits down with Fouad Abidi, designer of the Fane Ascension Series speakers, to explore the design motivations behind the A60 and the classic Fane tone that has graced recordings by Dave Gilmour, Rory Gallagher, and Mark Knopfler. A bonus conversation with Foreigner guitarist Luis Maldonado rounds out the picture with a player's-eye view of what makes the A60 special.
FOREIGNER AXEMAN
Luis Maldonado Weighs In On Fane
By Scott Ulrichs.
Pete A. Flynn
By Riverhorse. Pete A. Flynn — musician, vintage guitar dealer, and founder of P.A.F. Pickups — talks about his decades-long quest to crack the code of late-1950s PAF and Broadcaster tone, and how he finally built the pickups that convinced players with the finest vintage collections that he'd done it.
PETE A. FLYNN
Pickup Reviews
By Riverhorse. Pete Flynn's handcrafted PAF-style humbuckers — reviewed in two sets, the Low Wind A2 and the A5 — deliver stellar vintage character at remarkably reasonable prices, earning high praise after more than half a year of real-world evaluation.
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