Guitar Journal: Tall Bird Plus Tube Powered Reverb & Tremolo
Classic Tube Effects, Cool Signature Basses & Iconic British Guitar Strings Rebrand!
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This week, we look at the new Benson Amps Tall Bird Plus Reverb and Tremolo vintage flavour tube effects. Then we check out the new EBMM Pino Palladino StingRay Bass Collection. Finally, we take a peek at the all-new Rotosound string packaging, as the iconic British guitar strings launch a new design!
Tall Bird Plus Reverb and Tremolo
Benson Amps has just introduced their new flagship tube effect unit: the Tall Bird Plus Reverb and Tremolo. This unit marks a significant leap in vintage-style spring reverb and optical tremolo, just with a modern design.
They state they have tackled the common noise and technical issues of classic units, all while pushing the boundaries of what these circuits can achieve. The Tall Bird Plus is, therefore, musical, quiet, and incredibly flexible according to Benson Amps.
Wet & Dry
Featuring separate Wet and Dry controls, the Tall Bird Plus boasts an EL84-driven transformer-coupled reverb.
Its “Size” control shapes the reverb character from splashy to cavernous, while the “Dwell” control manages the signal sent to the tank, ranging from short decay to full saturation.
Classic & Harmonic Modes
Tremolo options include “Classic” and “Harmonic” modes, with the harmonic mode possibly being the sole tube-driven optical version on the market. Reverb and tremolo can be independently bypassed via the included 2-button footswitch.
EU Restriction
Unfortunately, the Tall Bird Plus is not available in Europe due to EU materials regulations, as its optical cells contain cadmium. However, Benson Amps anticipates having a European Union-friendly reverb alternative available within the next year.
MSRP – Starting from $1899
Pino Palladino StingRay Bass Collection
Ernie Ball Music Man has released the new Pino Palladino StingRay Bass Collection, and it consists of multiple models. The collection features two Pino Palladino Artist Series StingRay Basses, offered in both fretted and fretless versions.
Exclusive Icon Series
Additionally, there’s the highly exclusive Pino Palladino Icon Series StingRay Bass, a faithful recreation of his original 1979 fretless StingRay, with only 15 available worldwide. These appear to have already sold out worldwide!
’79 Burst
Inspired by Pino Palladino’s iconic original fretless StingRay, the Artist Series models capture the very essence of his signature tone, feel, and style. These basses boast a poplar body with a ’79 Burst finish, a dark-tinted hard rock maple neck, and a rosewood fretboard. Plus, their custom asymmetrical neck carve ensures a comfortable and authentic playing experience.
To perfectly capture the warmth and detailed sound that defines Pino’s iconic basslines on countless records, these basses are equipped with a vintage-style Alnico pickup and a hand-wired 2-band preamp. The preamp is meticulously voiced with a 500k treble pot, just like Pino’s original.
1979 Fretless
The Pino Palladino Icon Series StingRay Bass truly earns its name as an exacting recreation of Pino’s beloved 1979 fretless model.
Every single detail has been painstakingly reproduced, from the authentic nitrocellulose lacquer finish and genuine late-’70s bridge plates (bearing era-correct serial numbers) right down to the exact positioning of the headstock decal and string tree.
EBMM Pino Palladino Artist Series MSRP – £3699/€4199 each
Pino Palladino Artist Series StingRay and Pino Palladino Artist Series StingRay fretless at Thomann
Rotosound Repackages
British string manufacturer Rotosound has announced a fresh redesign of its electric and acoustic guitar string packaging.
The new look is clean and modern, while also paying homage to the brand’s rich legacy of serving music’s rebels and pioneers. This updated packaging is rolling out this month with the Rotos product line, with other lines to follow in the coming months.
British Strings ’60s Heritage
At the core of the redesign is a celebration of Rotosound’s storied heritage. Created in-house using the company’s archives, the artwork draws directly from designs dating back to the 1960s. For instance, the Jumbo King, Tru Bronze, and Super Bronze sets repurpose graphics from some of the company’s earliest string packs.
The aesthetic also takes inspiration from early British rock and punk visuals, including Decca Records album art and bold typography, linking the new look to a lineage that includes The Who, Pink Floyd, The Clash, and The Damned.
A key goal of the refresh was to improve product differentiation. Previously, many Rotosound string sets shared similar visual identities, making it hard to distinguish between different lines. The new designs give each line a unique visual identity, making it easy for players to quickly find what they need.
Colour Coded
Gauge-specific colour coding now links sets across different lines. For example, all 10–46 gauge sets share a yellow theme, while 9–42 sets are pink.
Rotosound’s packaging remains one of the industry’s most eco-friendly, using airtight foil pouches with 90% less material than other methods.
Expect the new packaging to start showing soon, and it should be a lot easier to spot your gauge from a distance!
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