SmallAxeMusic.com Blog

There are certain products and designs that are so radical, innovative and revolutionary -- providing a step change in performance and quality -- that it becomes clear to the consumer and the world at large that they are witnessing something special and unique. An idea so futuristic that it is easy to imagine it leaving the past behind and standing the test of time. Maybe people had that reaction when they saw the first Airstream trailer, or Mercedes Gullwing, or the first laptop computer. I’m only guessing but I am betting that might have been the case with the first...

Peavey Delta Blues....Great amp. Great value. In 1997, I strolled into a Pawn Shop in Arlington, Texas – halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth. I was on my fairly regular pawnshop tour. Not to make myself sound outdated, but that was back when you could almost always find cool guitar stuff in good, old-fashioned pawnshops. That’s much harder to do today, in my personal opinion, due to the proliferation of numerous online marketplaces. Back to the First Cash Pawn, which was unremarkable in its fluorescent-bulb-infused pallor. The store had a Peavey Delta Blues tube amp for sale. It was tweed,...

Are you suffering from performance anxiety at home? Can't crank the volume without your spouse/partner, child or neighbor (or dog) getting on your case? Can't overdrive your tubes at lower volumes? Well, you are not alone. And there might be a simple solution to your problem that doesn't require a doctor or cost a lot of money. You might just need a low-watt tube amp. Seriously, when playing at home, even a 15-watt tube amp can be too loud for the domestic surrounds. Over the past decade or so, however, a slew of amp manufacturers have flooded the market with...

If you are into vintage, classic guitar pedals, chances are you have run into the debate over "Script" versus "Block" MXR pedals. MXR, of course, is the legendary maker of an array of high-quality pedals behind a lot of great music and artists in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Randy Rhoads (Distortion +), Jerry Garcia (Distortion +, Phase 100, Analog Delay), Jimmy Page (Phase 90), Eddie Van Halen (Phase 90), David Gilmour (Phase 90), and the list goes on. You get the picture. While the MXR brand is still around and quite relevant, like many pedal companies over the past...