Skyraider SR-15 Sound Clips and Review by Doron Zor

Many thanks to Mack Endorsing Artist Doron Zor for creating these sound clips and writing the accompanying review.  Enjoy!

If the clips sound distorted (NOT good guitar amp distortion!), please 
update your version of Flash. 

The SR-15 is such a direct sounding amp.  Throughout the past months of playing with this amp, in live situations and studio setups, I found that you don't really need to crank the amp in order to be heard - even with tons of effects plugged in.  It seems like the amp knows to push the dry signal first and then create a beautiful mixture of wet signal to surround your dry tone.

Demoing the SR-15 in a variety of styles was an easy task.  I took the amp from a silky jazz sound to a slightly over driven tone. 

Then I turned around and got the big Larry Carlton/Lee Ritenour sound.

Finally, I easily achieved my own Dumble clone type of sound.

The Skyraider SR-15 is a user friendly amp, which is also pedal friendly.  What else can you ask for?

Unlike many other amps, where it doesn't matter what kind of a gain pedal you put in front of the amp because they all sound the same, I love the fact that you can put a subtle gain pedal in front of the SR-15 and get the true sound of that pedal.

On the other hand, you can hit the front of the amp with a high gain distortion pedal and still hear the true colour and definition of the pedal.

The control buttons are extremely simple to use.  You can think about it like this:

Gain Voicing Switch

Hot: Clean with more top end to the sound (due to the tubes not breaking up as much).

Burn: Clean but yet has something to it which makes you think "Does it sound like you have gain or not?"  The Burn setting is just so well rounded and so easy to play around with.

Melt: Don't let the title fool you. Melt is not a METAL kinda sound, although you can get that tone if you want.  This setting allows you to get a clean or dirty sound by pushing the output tubes.  Based on the amount of volume the amp is set to, you will add or reduce the amount of tube saturation in the signal.

Throughout the recording of these demo sound clips I noticed how nice the Melt setting reacts to pushing more air by adding a smooth low end to fatten the sound.

Tone Control

When set to 10 the tone control is off!  Roll back the tone and you will quickly notice the top end rolling off yet not to what I call the FUZZY zone.

How I Set Up My Skyraider SR-15

To keep things simple I will keep the volume control on 3.

I found at this volume level I have full control over the amp.  When I need the amp to breakup I can attack harder.  By the same token I can soften the attack to round the sound up.

If a louder volume is needed, but you are looking for the same tone with out getting into tube distortion, turn up the volume until you get to the necessary level.  Then roll your volume down on the guitar to 8.

By holding the pickups back from hitting the tubes you will achieve that smooth tone at a higher volume setting.

I adjust the tone knob for different tracks.

Skyraider SR-15 Sound Clips Notes 

Example one: LP neck pickup (Silky jazz tones)
Gain voicing: Burn
Tone: 4
(Clean with a touch of added lower end and a chime to the sound.)

Example two: LP (Blues)
Bridge pickup
Gain voicing: Melt
Tone: 1
(Just the right amount of gain with great control over dynamics.)

Example three: Strat (Funk rhythm)
Gain voicing: Burn
Tone: 5
(This to me is the perfect setting for a rhythm guitar that needs to pierce through the band.)

Example four: LP with MXR GT-OD pedal
Gain voicing: Melt
Tone: 3
(Notice how defined the amp sounds.  Miles of sustain.  Tons of rich tones and lots of soul in the sound.)

Recording Setup

• All sounds where recorded with a Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded and a Strat.
• Electro Harmonix Delay #1 running through Exotic pedal X Blender.
• Sennheiser 906 mic.  Different positions on different tracks - at most four fingers away from the grill.