Wampler Pedals’ latest creation is an amp-in-a-box designed to harness the cranked tones of a mid-60s Fender-style amplifier. The Black ‘65 Overdrive was born after a good nine months on the breadboard – and some trials by guitarist Brent Mason. The pedal sports Volume and Gain knobs as well has a three-band EQ allowing for the player to adjust lows, mids and highs to taste. A mini-toggle switch can be thrown to get a gain boost taking the pedal beyond the traditional cranked Fender sound. Take a look at the walk-thru and demo video we shot at last week’s Nashville Amp Expo after the jump!

Electroplex Amplifiers had their new Rocket 22 combo on full display at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo last weekend. The all-tube, two-channel Rocket 22 is a 6V6-powered, 22-watt dynamo has its share of punch and chime, with a pinch of tweed thrown in. The channels are foot-switchable and each boast a unique tone circut. The Rocket 22 also has two independent effects loops, Accutronics spring reverb and line-level output. The amp features a half-power switch for operations at 12 watts for more intimate settings. The Rocket 22 is available in multiple configurations – both head and combo – and boast speaker options from Celestion, Tone Tubby, Jensen, Weber and Eminence.

Brian Wallace of Wallace Amplification had his reissued Fuzz Ace pedal on display at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo last weekend. As the name implies, the Fuzz Ace is Wallace’s take on the classic Fuzz Face, tweaked to obtain a richer tone. For those unfamiliar with the Fuzz Ace, it was originally made in the early 1990s in numbers in the 200 to 300 range, and were mostly sold to Japan. During 2009, Brian had said the new Fuzz Ace would look the same as the original – the same sized enclosure with art work done by the original artist. However, the box would be smooth and the graphics not as bright… and here’s the proof! The Fuzz Ace is available now!

The US distributor for Cornell Amplification showed off a new prototype pedal from the UK-based builder at the Nashville Amp Expo. Texas-based Boutiquetronics had just recevied the first version of Cornell’s new Pedal Amp – an interesting beast designed for apartment players looking for great tones at lower levels. The Pedal Amp sports a single EL84 power tube and two 9v outputs to power up effects pedals. The proto also sports a headphone jack allowing players to jam with rousing the neighbors and a 1/4″ speaker out. Knob controls include Gain, Bass, Treble and Output. A second footswitch engages a boost. Will it hit the market? We’ll have to await and see.

Fresh from their TightDrive and TightDrive Bass offerings, Amptweaker is back with a new stomp coming soon – the TightBoost. The TightBoost is a lower-gain model built on the successful TightDrive platform. The pedal includes a special Mid control that gradually adds a parked wah tone into the mix as its rotated clockwise. Other features the new pedal share with its TightDrive brother include the battery switch, effects loop with pre/post switch, magnetic battery access door and the Tight control. Amptweaker is taking pre-orders for the unit now. Full pricing and availability to follow! Stay tuned!

We ran into Greg Walton (our neighbor from nearby Deer Park, Texas) at the Nashville Amp Expo this past weekend where he had a few new pedals to show – including a new production model of the Atomic Overdrive. The Atomic Overdrive is a cascading JFET-fueled distortion pedal that can get you some of those early era Van Halen tones. The pedal boasts Level and Gain controls as well as a three-band EQ to allow player to dial in tones to taste. A three position mini-toggle injects three levels (Lo, Hi, Mid) of Mids into the mix. Greg has the boards ready to go and is awaiting the finished enclosures. The Atomic Overdrive should be available soon!

Jon Cusack of Cusack Effects was kind enough to give us a quick run down of his new Tap-A-Delay pedal this past weekend at the 2010 Nashville Amp Expo. The new pedal is slated to be released in a few weeks and have a price point of around $250. It sports the standard Mix, Delay and Modulation controls of most delays, but what makes this pedal unique are the ‘other’ features… such as ’sound brake’, ’snap back’ and ‘bounce back’. What the heck are we talking about?! We’d better to let Jon tell you. Check out the video walk-thru after the jump!

If you want style, Gothenburg’s got it in spades. Sweden’s second city is the epicentre of Scandinavian hipster cool – the threads are sharp, the Converse are old-school, the trouser cuffs high enough for a flash of colour-co-ordinated sock, every moustache is waxed. Gothenburg’s dudes are so laidback they’re almost horizontal. But the veneer is thin. When Stooges’ legend James Williamson lets rip with the opening riff from Raw Power, the world-weary facade cracks – and the gaggle of too cool for school middle-aged Gothenburg hipsters crowding up against the stage barrier burst into tears.

It’s been 11 years since Pavement imploded after a final, miserable gig at the Brixton Academy in London. Even at their peak, Pavement were mercurial. The band would break your heart delivering a show so sublime, so perfect you would swear never see them live again because it couldn’t possibly get any better. The next time? They would grind the shards of your heart underfoot with a gig so disastrous, so sour and bad tempered that – once again – you would vow never to see them again. Last week at Oslo’s annual Øya Festival, more than 6000 ageing slackers clutched their pints, breath caught in their throats, collectively willing Pavement to rise above every bum note they ever played and repay their battered faith.

The crew at Rockett Pedals and fuzz guru Paul Trombetta have teamed up to offer a new fuzz pedal that will get its debut at this weekend’s Nashville Amp Expo. Not many details right now on this co-designed pedal, but if you know Texas-based Rockett and PTD then you know we’re all in for a treat. If you’re not familiar with either we’d suggest you check out Rockett’s Blue Note or Animal overdrive… or the new Josh Smith signature Dual Tremolo. For Paul, give a listen to the Mini-Bone or hit up Bobby D’s video on his custom Uber-zela fuzz. We’ll bring you more details from the show. Stay tuned!

The winning name in the Psionic Audio name that pedal contest is… Telos. The Telos is a soon-to-be-released buffer/clean boost/overdrive combo stomp made from a secret mix of new Mosfet and old germanium technologies resulting in natural overdrive and sustain. The stomp will boast six knob controls – independent Level, Tone and Gain knobs for the overdrive and boost sections. Lyle is expected to reveal the final art for the pedal soon. Pricing and availability to follow. Congratulations to contest winner Mark Cuthbertson who suggested the name and will receive Telos #001.

Over 100 vendors from the boutique amp, pedal and guitar world will descend on Nashville, Tennessee next weekend as part of the second Nashville Amp Expo. Organized by Creation Audio Labs, the show has attracted top quality builders from all over – companies like Mad Professor, Electroplex Amps, Nice Amps, Swamp Works, Satellite Amps, Cusack Effects, Rockett Pedals, Hip Kitty and the list goes on. We’ll be there covering the festivities. If you see us, say ‘Hi’ and grab a koozie, sticker or guitar pick. Don’t forget about the cool series of pro audio/engineering seminars that will run throughout the show! Check out all of the details here!