Vol. 27, No. 3
January-February 2026
Players, Gear & Sound — The Inside
This collection centers on the pursuit of touch, response, and musical truth—told through the builders, players, and tools that reward hands-on engagement. Anchored by an expansive exploration of Komet and the KAC30 amplifier, the issue traces Trainwreck lineage, EL84 power done right, and what it means for an amp to live on the edge of clean and broken-up tone, supported by a deep-dive review and dealer perspective from Ultra Sound Amplifier Sales. Guitar craft and component choices come into focus through the ToneQuest Triple Lindy builds, pickup philosophy with Pete Flynn, and real-world Telecaster insight from Jonn Del Toro Richardson. Design ingenuity continues with Black Mountain Picks, from spring-loaded picks to the roller volume pedal, while modern creativity and collaboration are explored with Michael Palmisano and the Teleport. Each piece is rooted in time spent playing, listening, and living with the gear—revealing how great design disappears beneath the fingers and invites players to shape sound with intention.
PLAYERS, GEAR & SOUND
The Inside
Komet Karma
By Scott Ulrichs. ToneQuest sits down with Mike Kennedy and Holger Notzel, the two founders and sole builders behind Komet Amplification, tracing the company's origins from a Ken Fischer mentorship and a tiny Baton Rouge guitar shop to the KAC30 and the long-awaited return of the Constellation.
ULTRA SOUND AMPLIFIER SALES
Twenty Years Of Dealing The Good Stuff
By Scott Ulrichs. Gene Sinigalliano has been running Ultra Sound Amplifier Sales in New York City for 20 years, specializing in small-production artisan amplifiers from builders like Two-Rock, Matchless, Bruno, Komet, and the highly sought-after Trainwrecks. We sit down with Gene to discuss his journey from rehearsal studios to boutique amp dealing, his work with Trey Anastasio, and the genesis of the Komet KAC30.
KOMET KAC30 REVIEW
Living Inside The Amplifier
By Scott Ulrichs. A five-week deep dive into the Komet KAC30 reveals an amplifier so immediate and connected that playing it feels like being inside one of its own vacuum tubes. Scott Ulrichs delivers a passionate assessment of one of the finest-voiced amps Komet has ever produced.
THE TALE OF THREE STUNNER GUITARS
The ToneQuest Triple Lindy
By Riverhorse. The ToneQuest crew documents the building of three dream guitars — two Telecasters (Blue and Blondie) and a Stratocaster (Sunny) — using heavyweight parts from Allparts, MJT, Callaham, Pete Flynn, Jason Lollar, and Ron Ellis, culminating in Sunny's spectacular 1963 Fender rosewood neck once played by SRV.
PETE FLYNN INTERVIEW
Buckers Sets: Duane Cherry Burst A3 & A2
By Riverhorse. Pete Flynn discusses his Duane Allman-inspired rough-cast A3 and A2 humbucker sets, tracing the research and listening that goes into replicating iconic PAF tones, followed by a hands-on review that praises the pickups' clarity, body, and historically correct pure nickel covers.
BLACK MOUNTAIN PICKS—THE INTERVIEW
Cole McBride’s Genius Designs
By Scott Ulrichs. Cole McBride, founder of Black Mountain Picks, talks about his journey from guitar teacher to inventor of spring-loaded thumbpicks, tungsten slide rings, roller-wheel volume pedals, and a revolutionary spring-embedded capo.
THE BLACK MOUNTAIN VOLUME PEDAL
Roll Away The Dew
By Scott Ulrichs. A field report on the Black Mountain roller volume pedal and its surprising suitability for seated players.
Jonn Del Toro Richardson And The Tele Pickup Rambles
By Jonn Del Toro Richardson. Jonn Del Toro Richardson puts Pete A. Flynn's Telecaster pickups through their paces, finding clarity, open woodiness, and pure Tele tone across every position. A rave review capped with an open invitation to come play the guitar on the road.
FEATURE INTERVIEW
Michael Palmisano - Guitargate
By Riverhorse. Michael Palmisano of Guitargate talks building a half-million-strong YouTube community, teaching guitar online to players in 185 countries, and the creation of the Teleport — a Wi-Fi-enabled looper, drum machine, and music-sharing device designed to help players connect, collaborate, and get better.
When you play this amp, you feel like you crawled up into the inside of one of the 12AX7s, and the sound envelopes you as if you were part of the circuit.
— Ron Ellis
© 2026 Mountainview Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. The ToneQuest Report® is presented as a collective work. Individual contributions may be separately protected by copyrights held by their respective authors.