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Review of the Aphex Aural Xciter Pedal - WIN this pedal in our competition here: http://bit.ly/Issue13_Competition
Michael Casswell reviews the Aphex Aural Xciter pedal & the Optical Big Bottom pedal in Issue 13 - read the FULL reviews here: http://bit.ly/Aphex_Pedal_Reviews

Guitar Interactive magazine is the free online magazine for guitarists the world over - Subscribe for free today http://bit.ly/Subscribe_GuitarInterac...

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Orange unveiled a revolutionary guitarist-friendly valve/tube tester on the first day of Winter NAMM 2013 today and Guitar Interactive's Tom Quayle had the first look.

Since the inception of the vacuum tube there has been a need for a valve testing device. They've been around as long as tubes have been in use and whilst you may have never used one yourself, they are extremely useful devices for those that work with tubes on a regular basis. The reason the regular consumer has never adopted them is because all of the existing testing products require a high level of technical knowledge or a masters in physics to operate. They're not meant to be used by the layman and definitely not by the average technophobe guitarist, yet we've all been in that scenario where we know we have a problem with one or more of the tubes in our amp but have no idea which one is the culprit so end up replacing the whole lot. Tubes are expensive and delicate objects so the ability to easily diagnose problem tubes and replace them with ease sounds like a very attractive proposition indeed.

Here's where Orange steps in with the revolutionary DIVO VT1000 Tube Tester, a compact, automatic, digital testing device that allows anyone to test tubes with the minimum of fuss. Orange is so confident of the VT1000's ease of use that it didn't even send us a manual, saying that we'd be able to operate the unit simply by turning it on and figuring it out ourselves! Well, the good news is that Orange was absolutely right. I'd go as far as saying it's actually harder to use this unit incorrectly and for a device that performs such a complex task, the user interface is pretty much foolproof.

The VT1000 performs a vast number of critical tests on both pre and power-amp tubes, giving you a complete health check and estimated remaining lifetime for each tube tested. The number of tests will make even the most tech-savvy users reel away in jargon horror but, take it from me, the VT1000 performs every test required to give you absolute confidence that your tubes are either good or bad.

The unit is housed in a solid metal chassis with three tube sockets that will accept pretty much every type of pre and power tube on the market. Operation is simplicity itself requiring the user to insert a tube into the relevant socket and use the left and right buttons to select the tube type from the onboard list. Once selected, a simple press of the 'start' button will run all the required tests and give you a 'Good', 'Worn' or 'Bad' result and a rating that allows you to match tubes together and reveals the estimated life left in that tube. The tests take between two and three minutes to complete and, considering how complex the procedure under the hood is, this is a remarkable achievement from Orange. We tested a number of pre and power tubes and the results were quick, consistent and very easy to interpret. Good valves can be kept in operation and the numbered rating allows you to create pairs and quads of matched power tubes. 'Worn' tubes can be kept in operation but should be replaced as soon as possible and 'Bad' tubes should be discarded and replaced immediately. This system is so easy to understand that a child could operate it - let alone a technophobe guitarist!

I can really see the VT1000 becoming an essential product. In terms of value for money it represents a huge potential saving in tubes and with the average amplifier using at least two or three preamp tubes and a couple of power tubes, a full replacement set can cost a lot of money. Being able to diagnose each tube independently and quickly would mean that the VT1000 would pay for itself in a fairly short period of time making it a very worthwhile investment indeed. For a guitar tech, or music shop, it's going to be absolutely indispensable! I for one will be getting hold of the VT1000 upon release and have a feeling that other companies will be looking with envy at Orange's ground-breaking technology.

The VT100 will have an MSRP of £349 (UK) and $499 (USA)

Guitar Interactive Star Rating - four and a half stars

http://bit.ly/ADA_preamp_review Review of the ADA Pre Amp with Tom Quayle featured in Guitar Interactive Magazine Issue 12 - Our Steve Vai Issue.
Tom Quayle reviews this ADA Pedal and runs through all the settings on the unit so you get an idea of what it can do.
For full specs and the write up on this pedal head to http://bit.ly/ADA_preamp_review

Guitar Interactive Magazine is packed full of gear reviews - check out more on http://bit.ly/GuitarInteractive_Reviews

Guitar Interactive Magazine is the FREE online magazine for guitarists subscribe today for free; http://bit.ly/Subscribe_iGuitar_magazine

http://bit.ly/Gi_Issue_14 Guitar Interactive Magazine Issue 14 Out Now!
Interviews with Richie Kotzen, Free legend Andy Fraser and Steve Hackett + Exclusive footage from the Annual LA Amp and Custom Guitar Show!

The latest issue of Guitar Interactive, the free digital guitar magazine has been released and it's loaded to the brim with new video interviews, interactive guitar lessons and reviews of all the latest guitars, amps and pedals. Also, after the success of last month's offer, every Guitar Interactive subscriber can still claim a FREE copy of the brilliant TAB editing software package Guitar Pro 6!

American guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen is this month's cover star with an in-depth interview at his LA home studio and a special 'Kotzen Masterclass' lesson from Tom Quayle. Other interviews include Free bassist Andy Fraser and Guitar Interactive favourite Steve Hackett returns to talk with Michael Casswell about his new album 'Genesis Revisited ll' and to perform an exclusive live session!

There's more exclusive material on offer as Guitar Interactive are invited to the annual LA Amp Show to sample the latest products and find out what's new in the world of Amplifiers. Pedals and Guitars. With a whole host of interviews with the brains behind the gear you love including Fractal Audio, Matrix Amplification, Suhr Guitars, Eganter + More....

There's lots of prizes up for grabs in the competitions section of the mag... Gi are giving away two Wampler pedals and two copies of the new Randy Rhoads biography + find out which lucky reader bagged the Ibanez Steve Vai JEM70V Guitar!

Don't miss the column features as Andy James, Tom Quayle, Rick Graham, Michael Casswell and Giorgio Serci all continue their technique lessons including tips, tricks and licks to help make you a better guitarist and starting this month, Guitar Idol winner Don Alder joins the Guitar Interactive teaching team to begin his 'Acoustic Percussion' series.

Included in the magazine is full downloadable tab for all of the lessons in the usual PDF format and now our new Guitar Pro 6 format so you can start using your FREE software right away (For details on how to claim your copy, visit the downloads page in the magazine).

The rest of the issue is jam packed with reviews including the new Tony Iommi Signture T-100 Laney Amp, Washburn, Rickenbacker, PRS, Hiwatt, Wampler, TC Electronic, Danelectro, Stonebridge and an exclusive review of the new Ibanez Roadcore RC230 Guitar!

If that's not enough, Gi brings you a Quiet Room special with the new 'Rise Of The Super-Ukes' feature -- Ukelele expert John Howlett explains why the Ukelele is conquering the world and reviews the best models on the market.

All this is available now and it's completely FREE! Visit http://www.iguitarmag.com/issue14 to read it now!

Guitar Interactive is the Free online magazine for guitarists - Subscribe for free today head to; http://bit.ly/Subscribe_GuitarInterac...

http://bit.ly/AndyFraserFree Jamie Humphries chats to Free bass-man Andy Fraser in Issue 14 of Guitar Interactive Magazine, available to read for FREE here http://bit.ly/GiIssue14

To watch the complete interview click here http://bit.ly/AndyFraserFree

Legendary Free bassist and songwriter Andy Fraser was one of the stars at the recent Marshall 50th celebrations in London. In the latest issue of Guitar Interactive Magazine our very own Jamie Humphries sits down with Andy to discus Free and many of their classic hits, such as 'All Right Now' and his reinvention as a music entrepreneur.

Subscribe for free to Guitar Interactive Magazine and read Issue 14 today www.iguitarmag.com