Vol. 27, No. 8
June 2026
Players, Gear & Sound — The Inside
Join us on a journey into the living language of guitar tone across five player-driven features shaped by player experience, great gear, and the endless pursuit of inspiring sound. Ryan Wariner plugs into Dylan Kennedy’s Underdog Amplifiers while reflecting on touring with Heart, vintage Marshalls, Hiwatts, Greenbacks, and the realities of stage tone. Dylan Kennedy follows with insights into tweed simplicity, hardwood cabinetry, and amplifier craft shaped by Leo Fender’s original spirit. Riverhorse then goes deep with Ron Ellis on the Ellis 54S and FP 64S pickups, vintage Strat DNA, and the elusive sweet spot serious players chase for years. Mojotone’s Anthem speakers are explored through their vintage Jensen-inspired voice and later pushed hard inside a 100-year-old Pogreba pine 4×10 cabinet loaded for serious tone chasing. And… The ToneQuest SoundBetterPlayBetter® Resource Directory.
PLAYERS, GEAR & SOUND
The Inside
Plugged In With Underdog Amplifiers
By Scott Ulrichs. Guitarist Ryan Wariner talks touring with Heart, chasing vintage Hiwatts and Marshalls, and spending quality time with Dylan Kennedy's Underdog Amplifiers — handbuilt Tweed-inspired creations that left a serious impression.
UNDERDOG AMPLIFIERS
Dylan Kennedy On Craft, Simplicity And Tweed Tone
By Scott Ulrichs. Dylan Kennedy, grandson of Nashville legend Jerry Kennedy and son of producer-guitarist Gordon Kennedy, talks about founding Underdog Amplifiers and his passion for handcrafted tweed-circuit amps built in hardwood cabinets with aerospace-grade components.
RON ELLIS: THE SWEET SPOT
The Strat 54S & FP 64S Pickup Reviews
By Riverhorse. Ron Ellis sits down with ToneQuest to discuss the 54S and FP 64S Strat pickup sets — Alnico 3-powered early-Fender magic and flat-pole perfection that have left the reviewer utterly unwilling to pull them from his guitars.
INSPIRATION FOR THE ANTHEM SERIES SPEAKERS
Mojotone's Michael McWhorter And Andrew Simmons
By Scott Ulrichs. You've heard us mention our luck in acquiring a 100+ year-old recycled pine 4x10" cabinet that Larry Pogreba made from an old bar in Dry Creek, Montana. We weren't on the lookout for one, but when our good friend and local amp repairman, builder, and large NOS tube stash owner, CW saw the cover of the November 2025 Tonequest Report and remarked that the cabinet happened to look a lot like a Larry Pogreba cab, we confirmed that it was indeed the case.
MOJOTONE 10" ANTHEM SERIES
The Pogreba 4x10 Rocks!
By Scott Ulrichs. The Mojo Anthem speakers loaded into Larry Pogreba's handbuilt 4x10 cabinet deliver early breakup, creamy midrange, and zero-fizz grind that holds its own against vintage Jensen C10Ps. A detailed listening session with Park, Benson, and Germino amps reveals these affordable drivers to be exceptional performers.
© 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.