Focusrite iTrack Solo

February 2013 Guitarist 129
QUICKTEST
MISCELLANEOUS
CONTACT: TheGigRig.com PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.thegigrig.com
CONTACT: IK Multimedia PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.ikmultimedia.com
IK Multimedia
AmpliTube 3.9 £various
Four new amps for AmpliTube
The Bottom Line
We like: Three juicy Oranges
and a Carvin amp and cab
available in software
We dislike: We’d like the
amps to be more affordable
GUITARIST RATING
TheGigRig QuarterMaster £149
Simple solution to multiple true-bypass loop switching
TheGigRig has a deserved rep
for pro pedalboard solutions.
Its new QuarterMaster is a neat
strip of separate loops that gives
you independent true-bypass
switching over whatever is in
each. That could be as simple as
keeping problematic pedals
completely out of your signal
chain when you’re not using
them, or you could set up
separate groups of pedals in
single loops to suit your needs.
The QuarterMaster is available
in various config urations; we
The Bottom Line
We like: Simple to use; high
quality; space-efficient
We dislike: Nothing
GUITARIST RATING
The latest AmpliTube update
offers general reliability
improvements and also fixes an
issue on the Fender Tape Echo
model – but the biggest news is
that it adds new, officially
certified amp and cab models
from Orange and Carvin, which
you can try out and purchase
from the Custom Shop (credits
cost from
€0.45 to €0.75
depending on quantity bought).
In Use
As well as three new Orange
Bass Cabinets (five credits
each), three Orange amps make
their debut – the OR50 head,
AD200 Bass Mark III (20
credits each) and the Dual
Terror (30 credits). Where the
OR50 dishes up tasty classic
rock crunch, the two-channel
Dual Terror offers a range from
clean to Tiny Terror outrage.
Carvin isn’t exactly a
household name among UK
guitarists, but it does have
widespread US usage. Here we
get a three-channel V3M guitar
head (30 credits) and matching
2x12 cab (five credits). With one
clean and two lead channels,
reverb and comprehensive EQ,
there’s a versatile range of
tones, particularly some heavy
rock sounds, with plenty of
sustain and rich harmonics.
Verdict
It’s always good to get a new
selection of amps and cabinets
have the six-loop option (£169),
but see TheGigRig’s website for
other sizes and custom orders.
In Use
The relay switching and bright
blue status LEDs require a
nine-volt mains supply with a
Boss-style adaptor. There’s a
bracket kit (£6) for Pedaltrain
’boards; we’d opt for a rubber
pad (or Velcro) and cable ties
for anything else.
We used the QM6 for our
recent Dunlop Fuzz Face
comparison video (issue 361),
and it coped admirably: no
ground loop hum, no pops and
bangs, just reliable, instant
switching. In another setup, we
assembled a main, everyday
collection of drives, modulation
and delay using four loops, but
had two completely separate
chains of pedals on the
remaining two loops – one
broadly Hendrix-inspired, the
other slightly harder rock.
Those extra loops would cause
all sorts of issues were they all
in one great big line – here, the
segregation means it’s more like
having three small pedalboards
in one, with no problems.
Verdict
Professional-quality pedal
switchers don’t come much
more straightforward and
affordable than this. If you
want simple, neat true bypass
switching control over an
unruly collection of
stompboxes, you want
QuarterMaster. [MT]
to add to your rig, and these
ones from IK Multimedia will
certainly let you freshen it up
with new sounds. With the
Orange Dual Terror and the
Carvin V3M priced between
£11 and £18 each, though, you
may only see them as value for
money if you really can’t do
without them. [TC]
GIT364.rev_quick.indd 129 12/21/12 11:02 AM