I just brought home a brand new VK Royal 8 I got for my fiance's nephew. Paid 120 dollars out the door and got a korg tuner heavy duty ten foot cable and set of Ddarrio nine's strings thrown in free.

Tested the amp and it is awesome with both the Fender strat and the Michael Kelly Rockfield direct mount humbuckers. Great little practice amp, close my mini colossal and brighter than my Blackheart Little Giant on three watts, cranked thru my stock Epiphone So. Cal. 4 by 12 Emminence loaded cabinet.

I must say, however, that my closed back little Marshall MG15CDR sounds just as good and has a better clean sound due to the clean channel, but it is not a tube amp and the Royal 8 is an all tube amp and has that sweet tone and can be adjusted for a lot of different driving tones and has that inherent tube vibe and charisma that some of us seek and rever. I'm sure the eleventh grader will love it along with his white with gold trim AL2000 that I just ordered him. I'll set everything up before I send them to him. He will be very happy and his mother has already arranged for lessons and it will be a big surprise birthday present.

I will review my new Fender Special Edition FMT Telecaster HH when it arrives, with its Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge and 59 in the neck, in deep cherry burst. This should sound interesting with its solid mahogany body with maple veneer and mahogany set neck.