Vol. 25, No. 7
May 2024
Players, Gear & Sound — The Inside
Mitch Colby, a legend in the industry with roots in Marshall and Vox, resurrects iconic amps like Jimmy Page's Supro Coronado and the Colby Elpico, a homage to rock's '50s heyday. Bob Palmieri's Duneland Labs revolutionizes pickups, boasting designs with 17 magnets, favored by pros like Nels Cline. Praised for their rich tone and versatility, Duneland's humbuckers are disappearing fast, endorsed by luminaries like Bill Frisell. Reviews rave about Duneland's latest 2024 model, celebrated for its expansive sound. Meanwhile, the vintage Fender Tweed Vibrolux, affectionately dubbed the Knotty Pinelux, enchants with its classic warmth and haunting tremolo, evoking a bygone era of rock 'n' roll magic.
PLAYERS, GEAR & SOUND
The Inside
Mitch Colby – Industry Legend Never Sleeps
By Scott Ulrichs. Industry veteran Mitch Colby — "Mr. Marshall" — traces his 45-year career from Electro-Harmonix and Unicord to collaborating with Jimmy Page on the Sundragon Supro Coronado replica, and introduces his new Colby ELPICO, a modern take on the tiny amp that inspired Dave Davies to invent distortion.
DUNELAND LABS
Interview Bob Palmieri
By Riverhorse. Bob Palmieri of Duneland Labs discusses his radical rethinking of humbucker pickup design — including a 17-magnet architecture — and the philosophy of response, magnetic string pull, and tonal exploration that drives his acclaimed Blackpole pickups.
REVIEWS DUNELAND LABS
Blackpole Humbuckers Sets 2021 and 2024
By Riverhorse. Bob at Duneland Labs has built something truly singular with his Blackpole humbucker sets — impossibly powerful, hyper-responsive, and utterly alive. Reviewer Riverhorse tests the rare 2021 original and the refined 2024 version in a Goldtop and finds both among the finest pickups encountered in decades of searching.
A 1957 FENDER
Tweed Vibrolux aka Knotty Pinelux
By Scott Ulrichs. A hands-on encounter with a beautifully worn 1957 5F11 Tweed Vibrolux — affectionately dubbed the "Knotty Pinelux" — traces its restoration journey from a bag of wrong caps and a mislabeled rectifier tube back to its original tweed glory.
In the days of my youth I was told what it means to be a man Now I've reached that age I've tried to do all those things the best I can No matter how I try I find my way to the same old jam
— Led Zeppelin
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