Best & Worst Gear Of 2023

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FORTIN EVIL PUMPKIN, FENDER TONE MASTER PRO, WARM AUDIO OD BOX, ENGL SE FOUNDERS EDITION...

[@justinlonghofer]

Thanks for your hard work on your channel man. I appreciate you giving us quality content on all these gear subjects.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

My pleasure! Thank you so much for commenting

[@chapperbone]

The sound you got with the Red Seven was freakin great!! Cheers man!

[@catalyzed8457]

Thanks for all your honest reviews this year had a great time watching them 👍🏻

[@jasonrogers7318]

MAN! Your mixes sound great 👍. They remind of late 80s Vinnie Moore + Steve Vai + Tony McAlpine. Great video man, love what you're doing. Happy Holidays 🎉🎉🎉

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you so much! That really means a lot. happy holidays to you and yours as well

[@davidtguitar]

Just wanted to jump in and say i really dig the JP tonex capture. Sounds amazing!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you so much!!

[@joeylizotte7537]

I would go with the "Evil Pumpkin".. but at $4,000, it should come with a built-in Fortin "Zuul" (and a footswitch). If I can add a Zuul PCB to my Randall SATAN heads, I know they could've easily integrated one in the EP..

[@BrianClem]

Never really heard the engl before That is completely amazing.

[@jrlee243]

I am really curious about the new ampx by Thomas blug. I use his amp1 everywhere, local and out of town. Specifically, the IRs and what he did differently than your typical IR.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I can't wait to see that unit when it comes out. I think it'll be released in 2024 at NAMM

[@paweposzaj6784]

I've watched a lot of your videos, but I think you sound incredibly good on this Engl SE FE

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you so much! I really want to get this amplifier and add it to my collection. hopefully some day…

[@dalejacksonmo]

Great demos and reviews...happy holidays brother

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you. happy holidays to you and yours as well

[@The_resurrected1887]

Hey Jarrod . Just wanted to wish u Happy Holidays and thank u for the best demos and reviews . Honest and Accurate . U saved me tons of money and helped me get the best gear !

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you very much. happy holidays to you as well. I really appreciate the kind words. I'm so glad that you found my videos helpful. that's what this channel is all about

[@hyperbolekid]

Sooo I ended up having the chance to play through the new Fortin Evil Pumpkin and it was freaking amazing!!!! Lol. I fully expected it to sound like crap after seeing your video. Maybe you were not in the right headspace when you had it. I highly recommend one day down the road to try it again. Just like Kyle Bull, there are many amps he went back to and ended up loving bc the first time he did not dial them in properly/spend enough time with them. The Evil Pumpkin does not need a boost either, especially on the EP channel. The KK channel sounds great with boosts though💪🔥🔥🔥. The clean channel is surprisingly incredible and nobody is talking about it. I am totally buying the EP and prob the ENGL SE too 👍

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed the amplifier. I have no problem with giving it a second look if I get the chance.

[@BAND-MAID-USA]

Another thing ppl should take from this video is his seated position with the guitar. Learning to play with the guitar on your left knee, ( if right handed, ) is a very important thing to do. The guitar is in the same position as it will be when you stand up. If your have it in this position every time you’re seated, you’ll be surprised how it makes all the difference in the world when you stand up. Very important thing to start doing immediately. Another thing. Why are the screws on the Kraken rusted lol?

[@david-no]

Ok

[@BrianClem]

Interesting. I never thought of it that way.

[@jconner3891]

Happy holidays Jarrad and family. ❤

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you. Happy Holidays to you and yours too

[@BradRocker]

Man that JEL20 sounds so thick and rich. Diggin it !!

[@mhoff7722]

The tone of that Brent Hinds Tiny Terror actually sounded pretty good through the speakers on my end lol. DEf agree that the Kraken V4 was no bueno. Dark and lifeless compared to the tube amps you review.

[@JimmyStrain1]

despite your condition back then, i still think your review on Evil Pumpkin was pretty good. i bet Fortin sounds better in person, and i like NATAS pedal a lot, but i'm thinkin' of having a Bad Cat Lynx. i mean that amp sound just great in every review..

[@barrygomez5968]

That take with the Friedman pedal was super tight bro

[@barrygomez5968]

Also, maybe something you like about that kiesel is the scale length. Isn't it 26.5 a little longer than the JP

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you!

[@lesstalkmoretone3274]

That SE sounds great!!!

[@WilliamZuest]

Two Friedman. You're makin' me proud, bud. *laugh*

[@NickySayahSina]

Have you checked out the NRG Nuclide? That amp looks really good... so good, in fact that I preordered it and I never preorder amps.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I've never heard of that amplifier. thanks for the heads up, I'll have to do a search on it

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Yeah they've extensively updated the headrush cloning feature

[@brianbevers892]

Do you prefer the 2 gian channels on the Engl SE FE or the 2 channels of the Leviathan with channel 1 in hot mode?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Oh boy, that's a tough one. I'd say they're pretty equal

[@brianbevers892]

Thanks. I want to see a video of thr new RedSeven Hybrid.

[@michaelgallegos8811]

I thought I was losing my mind I kept seeing the EVH EL34 100 watter then it was gone?🤔 then DuaLipa's song Hudini started in my mind 😂 great video thanks Jarrod..🤘🎸🍻☃️

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting. yeah I have to fill that hole with something. hopefully something good comes along and I can't resist buying it. keeping my eyes peeled

[@michaelgallegos8811]

Hey Jarrod how's it going ?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

It's going well thank you. how about you?

[@NINERS8able]

What do you think about the RP 255 by digitech?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Sorry I haven't played that unit yet. I'll have to look into it

[@WallofSounds5317]

Most of this stuff you mentioned is over expensive. That's why I go for cheapest I can find. Nobody wants to be price gouged at the store.

[@tylerjames460]

I vote the MT100 get a spot! We've been waiting so long and you nailed the demo!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks so much for commenting. I can't believe I totally forgot about that amp when I was shooting the video.

[@TheCyberMantis]

Nah, MT100 was kinda "meh".

[@david-no]

​@TheCyberMantis probably why he forgot to mention it lol.

[@TheCyberMantis]

I think the new Kraken VX Mk-II deserves an honorable mention. I knew the Fender TMP was going to be in the "wait and see" category. I don't think it needs to profile. I just think they need to fix the bugs, add more amps and effects, include an expression pedal, and stick a $999 pricetag on it. I agree about the "Fortin Mediocre Pumpkin". It's kinda meh. 😒 I also agree about the ENGL SE/FE. Killer amp. 🤑💸 Warm Audio ODD box is nice. I think if you have a OD808, a Boss SD-1, and a ODD box, you got your bases covered. The LYNX brought-out some of your best playing. You were on-point that day. A lot of sweepy-tappy stuff! 🤘🏼🐺🤘🏼

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I wish I had the chance to review the Kraken MKII. Hopefully soon... Thanks for commenting

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@TONEWARSgearshow Oh, my bad. I thought you did review it. So many KZbinrs reviewed it when they officially released it. I watched several really positive reviews on it. It sounded great, and it has a lot of good features. ( And it's not made in China. ) Maybe people don't care, but I try to avoid stuff made there. For several reasons that I won't mention here. ( Which is another reason why I am not excited about the Fender TMP. )

[@benburnett8109]

@@TheCyberMantis where was the boss katana manufactured? Asking for a friend.

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@benburnett8109 Thanks for asking. On the back of my Boss Katana head, it says: "Made In Malaysia". Designed in Japan. Hamamatsu Shizuoka. Roland Corporation.

[@philfort7886]

Victory kraken is mk1 is great. To get the most of it you need an overdrive and an eq in the loop. The MK II seem to fix the issue with the presence knob and the missing clean channel.

[@AdrianNWB]

I have to say that I agree with you on Fortin. Every demo I’ve heard of their amps just doesn’t sound all that special.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting. I just think his amps are for a very specific type of player. And that player is definitely not me LOL

[@nicholaskname7735]

Jarrod, you can play a guitar like ringing a bell.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you!!

[@tonekilltech]

no love for the 6505 1992?

[@TheCyberMantis]

It's not really "new for 2023". It's a re-issue of a classic design.

[@tonekilltech]

@@TheCyberMantis valid point. I thought the playing field was gear he reviewed in 2023. 🤘

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@tonekilltech You might be right. Maybe it was gear he tried out in 2023. Never-the-less... the 6505 1992 is just an old block-letter re-issue 5150. Everyone knows what those are.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Good question. this video was getting pretty long so I had to trim it down to just the main stuff that I tried this year.

[@yikelu]

I don't get it, everything you said sounded terrible seemed to sound fine to me in the clips you posted. LOL, who knows.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting. we all have different tastes.

[@yikelu]

@@TONEWARSgearshow yeah no doubt! Cheers.

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

I went to your site for some Headrush captures. 😢 Why would you do this to me, Jarrod?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for asking. I will look into this in the near future

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

@TONEWARSgearshow please do. I think you might be surprised at how much better the cloned sound and feel. They've reduced latency massively and improved accuracy.

[@BazonBlades]

Jarrod brother, you are going to have to try some stupid cheap budget gear this coming up year. That way I may see some of my gear in your next year roundup. Because I am stupid cheap.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting. I'll see what I can do

[@BazonBlades]

@@TONEWARSgearshow, thanks brother. Did you ever do anything with the Marshall DSL20 head? I just got one in and it is surprisingly good. It holds its own with my MT15 and 50 watt Stealth.

[@markjohnson2937]

got to agree with you on the fishmans. youtube guitarists are bandwagon jumpers and all jump on the same shit. prefer duncans or emgs.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting. I just don't get the hype regarding the Fishman moderns anyways. To each their own. I really love my Dimarzio sonic ecstasy pickups.

[@BazonBlades]

​@TONEWARSgearshow , everything I heard out of the Fishman Moderns sounds very sterile and cold. Granted, I haven't tried a set in my own space yet, so I can't say 100% that I don't like them. But nothing I have heard so far makes me want to try them. If I ever go back to actives it will be with my trusted EMG 81/85 set at 18v, in reverse position. Some of the best tone I ever had was with an 85 in the bridge position.

[@david-no]

​@TONEWARSgearshow the signature pickups are much better than the Moderns. The Devin Townsend pickups are my favorite active pickups. Moderns are poo poo.

[@artistofshred1767]

You had that evil pumpkin dialed in so wrong that’s why

[@benburnett8109]

I went to your channel and looked for your " Artist of Shred dials in The Evil Pumpkin video" and didn't see it?? Is it still uploading? Something to think about. Jarrod used to have an amp called the "Sweet Potatoe." It is a high gain 3 channel monster. SInce sweet potatoes and Pumpkins are from the same fruit group, Jarrod used those settings to dial in the Evil Pumpkin. It's just proof you can't make a goofy amp sound good. Jarrod Got rid of his "Sweet Potatoe amp" and got a real amp, The Crate Blue Voodoo 60 Watt.

[@TheCyberMantis]

I watched that video. He spent a lot of time turning knobs. And no matter what he did... it sounded "meh". It certainly did not sound like $4,000. It sounded more like $900.

[@benburnett8109]

@@TheCyberMantis Word!!! Cyber Mantis be spittin the truf(truth)! Some people just are simps for their gear. I know this guy who simps for Line 6 Helix all the time. That guy is crazee!!! All he does is simp for Line 6...............LOL Thanks for being you. Love your thoughts and comments---Ben

[@hyperbolekid]

@@TheCyberMantisone thing I have learned is to test out an amp yourself to truly know. I went to a buddy’s studio who has the evil pumpkin and it was f’ing amazing. Jarrod even admitted in this video he was stressed that day. It happens. Happens to Kyle Bull often over the years. Would be cool to see Jarrod revisit the Evil Pumpkin. It pairs really well with a marshall 4x12 w greenbacks. Definitely sounds killer! I want that amp and the ENGL SE FE. 🔥🔥

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@hyperbolekid The ENGL SE/FE is a worthwhile investment. But I don't think the Evil-Pumpkin is. I kept getting "EVH Iconic vibes" from that Evil-Pumpkin. I do agree with what you said, it is important to test-drive the amp yourself. KZbin videos can only tell you so much. But most of us will never have the opportunity to try these things out. I actually don't think the Evil-Pumpkin is bad, I just don't think it is worth the asking price. I think a lot of these things are way overpriced, but that's where the economy is now, sadly.