PREMIER GUITAR MAGAZINE March 2011 -- Unless you've purposefully dodged guitar-related forums or YouTube product demos for the past couple of years, you've likely beheld the work of madman guitarist Phil X. With millions of views of hundreds videos to his credit, Phil X is an online guitar-culture fixture who plays and showcases the stunning collection of vintage guitars available for sale at Fretted Americana in Calabasas, California. Every episode is chock full of ripping guitar, renditions of classic rock songs, and Phil's gregarious humor and encyclopedic love of music. And typically he's plugged into a '60s Vox AC30 or his beloved-but-rare 1950s Magnatone Tonemaster 1x12 combo—the inspiration for Fretted Americana's first amp offering, the Evil Robot.

The decision to build the Evil Robot was prompted by demand from Fretted Americana viewers wanting to know more about the mighty little Tonemaster, an amp that was originally made for accordion. Recognizing an opportunity to resurrect a great design and meet a burgeoning demand (and the reality that Phil's ancient Tonemaster might not live forever), Fretted Americana brought in engineer John Kasha to design and build an updated version of this classic. Enter the Evil Robot!