(Reuters) - Rock band Jane’s Addiction said Monday it has parted ways with its latest bass player, former Guns N’ Roses member Duff McKagan?, five months after announcing his addition to the oft-vacated post.

McKagan, 46, performed a few concerts with the band, and worked on new material for its first album in seven years, but musical differences cut short his tenure.

“Hey we wanted to thank Duff for helping us write songs for our new record,” the band said via email. “We love the songs we worked on with him – and the gigs were a blast – but musically we were all headed in different directions. From here Duff is off to work on his own stuff so we wish him all the best.”

Jane’s Addiction has been through five bass players since it formed in 1985, while the rest of the quartet’s lineup is unchanged. Original member Eric Avery has come and gone twice, most recently replaced by McKagan? in March after an Australian tour.

McKagan is best known as a founding member of Guns N’ Roses, contributing such songs as “Paradise City” and “It’s So Easy” to one of the biggest bands of the early 1990s. But as with some of the group’s other members, drugs and alcohol got in the way, and McKagan? almost died after his pancreas ruptured in 1994. He sobered up and quit the band a few years later.

After studying business at Seattle University, he joined forces with two other Guns alumni to form Velvet Revolver in 2002. The band released two albums and won a Grammy before crumbling in 2008.

McKagan last year recorded and toured with his new band, Loaded. According to a Twitter message from Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, McKagan? plans to issue a follow-up album and return to the road in the fall. A spokesman for McKagan? was not immediately available.

Jane’s Addiction emerged from the Los Angeles rock underground in the 1980s, distinguishing itself from other post-punk groups with Farrell’s sexually ambiguous stagecraft and the musicians’ deft ear for melodic tunes. They recorded just three albums and scored radio play with such songs as “Been Caught Stealing” and “Jane Says.”

premierguitar.com

The Tornado overdrive uses JFETs and a Shift control to produce flexible, tube-like overdriven tones.

Lancashire, UK (September 2, 2010) – Rothwell Audio Products has released their latest pedal, the Tornado. The Tornado is a class A, single-ended overdrive that uses JFETs throughout to effectively act as a pre-amp in the classic guitar amp format, but running from 9 volts rather than 200-300 volts as a standard amp does. The result is an overdriven sound that is much closer to that of an amp but with pedal convenience.

The pedal features Volume, Gain, and Tone controls, and adds a Shift button that alters the response of the tone control, shifting the midrange content and altering the turnover frequency for vintage and modern tone flexibility.

The tornado is priced at £139 (approximately $214).

For more information:
Rothwell Audio Products

Source: press release and manufacturer website

premierguitar.com

All-tube amp line offers classic designs with hand-wired turret board construction.

Melville, NY (September 2, 2010) — VOX Amplification has announced an entirely new lineup of hand-wired AC15 and AC30 amplifiers. The Hand-Wired Series includes innovations to satisfy the versatility a modern player needs. Included are four combo models, plus a head and matching extension cabinet.

The ultimate take on the VOX classics, these amplifiers make use of high quality components, an all-tube design, hand-wired turret board construction, and over 50 years of VOX AC15 and AC30 refinements.

Finished in fawn-colored vinyl reminiscent of the 1960s AC amplifiers, the birch-ply cabinets feature solid, tight bracing and a natural high frequency diffuser. Matched Ruby Tubes are used throughout for an extended dynamic range. All models provide three 12AX7/ECC83 preamp tubes. The AC30 models are equipped with an EL84 quartet in the power stage and a GZ34 rectifier. Inside the AC15 models, a duet of EL84 tubes drive the power stage, while an EZ81 is used for the rectifier. The 12-inch speaker choices include the Celestion GM12 Greenback or Celestion AlNiCo? Blue.

The models in the VOX Hand-Wired Series utilize the traditional VOX two-channel design, offering a Normal and a Top-Boost channel, with High and Low inputs provided for each. A number of important features have been added to allow modern versatility. The Normal channel is equipped with a BRIGHT switch for added brilliance. The HOT/COOL switch (also accessible via the included VFS1 footswitch) allows the Top-Boost channel to achieve even more gain. In true “old-school” fashion, the MV/BYPASS completely bypasses the Master Volume section. Finally, the Output Power (OP) switch will cut the amp’s output power in half, making it easier to balance the need for gain against a range of listening levels. A custom-fit dust cover is included with every model.

The VOX Hand-Wired Series begins shipping October 2010 and includes:
AC15HW1 Hand-wired combo amp with Celestion G12M Greenback, MSRP $1600
AC15HW1X Hand-wired combo amp with Celestion Alnico Blue, MSRP $2000
AC30HW2 Hand-wired combo amp with two Celestion G12M Greenbacks, MSRP $2200
AC30HW2X Hand-wired combo amp with two Celestion Alnico Blues, MSRP $2600
AC30HWH Hand-wired head, MSRP $1750
V212HWX Hand-wired extension cabinet with two Celestion Alnico Blues, MSRP $1500

For more information:
Vox

Source: Press Release

premierguitar.com

The 2-watt Lil’ Night Train weighs under 5 pounds.

Melville, NY (September 2, 2010) — VOX Amplification has added the new NT2 Lil’ Night Train to its Night Train amplifier lineup. Lil’ Night Train is an all-tube lunchbox-style amp that comes complete with a matching 1x10″ Celestion speaker cabinet. Weighing in at less than five pounds, the Lil’ Night Train is truly little, making it excellent for effortless portability.

Sharing many cosmetic elements with the original VOX Night Train, the new Lil’ Night Train features mirror-finish metal exterior, cut with the distinctive VOX diamond pattern. Inside, it features two 12AX7 vacuum tubes in the preamp stage. A single 12AU7 power amp tube delivers two watts of power into the matching V110NT? cabinet.

Unlike most all-tube amplifiers, the Lil’ Night Train can be run without a speaker cabinet. The headphone/line output features an emulated speaker response, making it ideal for practicing silently while enjoying all-tube tone, or for direct recording with no cabinet mic-ing required.

The preamp section features both Gain and Volume controls for adding an overdrive edge at a range of listening levels. With the Bright/Thick switch in the Bright position, the two-band EQ is engaged. In the Thick position, the EQ is bypassed for a thicker sound with increased gain.

The Matching V110NT? cabinet houses a ten-inch VX speaker from Celestion. A premium (16 AWG) VOX speaker cable is included for connecting the head and cabinet while preserving superior audio quality. A polishing cloth for the Lil’ Night Train head is also included.

The VOX NT2 head and matching V110NT? cabinet are sold together as the Lil’ Night Train set, which will be available in October 2010 with a U.S. MSRP of $650.

For more information:
Vox

Source: Press Release

premierguitar.com

The PS-6 combines four pitch-shift effects and three-voice harmony in one pedal.

Los Angeles, CA (September 1, 2010) — BOSS U.S. is pleased to announce the PS-6 Harmonist, combining four intelligent pitch-shift effects and three-voice harmony in one compact pedal. Equipped with a powerful, custom-designed DSP chip for superior performance, the PS-6 provides superb sound quality, ease of use, and professional pitch effects all under one hood.

Housed in the road-tested BOSS compact pedal chassis, the PS-6 offers four different effect modes: Harmony, Pitch Shifter, Detune, and the all-new Super Bend. An astounding amount of effects control over the four modes is possible with the easy-to-use, four-knob interface.

Super Bend creates wild three- and four-octave pitch sweeps, and pedal-bending effects. The automatic behavior of Super Bend is easily adjusted with SHIFT, RISE TIME, and FALL TIME controls. For realtime control, users can connect an optional BOSS FV-500L/H or Roland EV-5 expression pedal and use the PS-6 as a foot-controlled pedal-bend effect.

With the PS-6, it’s fast and simple for players to create rich three-voice harmony by selecting the desired major or minor key, and turning the SHIFT knob to 3-VOICE. In Pitch Shifter mode, players will enjoy extremely high-quality pitch shifts over a wide, +/- two-octave range. Detune mode provides chorus-like effects, which can be used in conjunction with three-voice harmony if desired.

The PS-6 will be available in September with an MSRP of $241.50.

For more information:
RolandConnect.com

Source: Press Release

premierguitar.com

The ST-2 emulates the sound and feel of a cranked stack tube amp.

Los Angeles, CA (September 1, 2010) – BOSS U.S. is proud to announce the addition of the ST-2 Power Stack to its industry-leading compact pedal lineup. The ST-2 is a unique type of BOSS distortion pedal, one that gives guitarists both the sound and feel of playing through a large, cranked-up, stack-style tube amplifier. This is accomplished through BOSS’ years of meticulous research in amp modeling, and represents a bold step forward in stompbox design.

As with all BOSS compact pedals, the ST-2 is very easy to use and built to last. The ST-2’s key control is the SOUND knob—with this single knob, players can dial in three distinct stack tones, from fat crunch to punchy drive to ultra-high gain distortion, and every color in between. BASS and TREBLE knobs let the user add sweetening detail, while LEVEL controls the effect’s overall volume.

The ST-2 has an extremely versatile range of distortion tones and authentic stack-amp feel, and is ideal for guitarists of all playing styles, from classic rock and blues to raging metal. It’s perfect for players looking for a wide range of distortion sounds from a single stompbox, and for combo-amp and multi-effects users that want to add some real tube-stack mojo to their rig.

The ST-2 will be available in September with an MSRP of $162.00.

For more information:
RolandConnect.com

Source: Press Release