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| $150.00 USD |
WAMPLER
|MOXIE
In the last few weeks I have revisited established sites and ones with new builders where I scanned everyone of their products for not just the new pedal they had given me a heads up on that day but for something worthy of your attention I may have missed in the past. Without fail they all made a Tube Screamer. Last week even the King of high end pricey pedals Origin brought out a ts.
With any OD the designer needs to amplify the signal coming from the guitar. The old fashion way is to use discrete transistors pushing one through the other basically cascading them just like a real tube amp. The results like a tube amp can be nearly as exceptional The very best MIAB pedals are made this way.
The Rat and the Tube Screamer changed much of that. If you use a chip called an OpAmp all that is done for you. You simple add clipping diodes to the circuit to distort the signal. There are different ways to assemble such a circuit but the Tube Screamers topography is simple, effective and I admit even elegant. Even Boss ripped it off for their famous SD-1 OD.
Makers basically 'breadboard' a ts circuit then trial and error different clipping diodes and/or add EQ to shape the sound into something they want.
If you own 3 OD's it is unlikely one isn't a Tube Screamer. Yes it has a funny name on it. The ts is the 'Wheel' and these guys can not re-invent it with a few small changes and a new graphics on the enclosure.
On the other hand everything we own is morphed from the past. Some of which is very pleasing to listen to warts and all. The ts is not a cure for the bits that don't work but it is such a good band aid that it's here to stay and we will all, including me continue to buy this stuff, LOL.
BRIANS PEDAL
Brian based his ts from the third variation. He used the ts10 as his model.
You get the standard level gain and tone. One toggle can switch on some presence to give the tone more clarity and definition and another fixes the missing lows and lack of any serious highs of the original. Nothing new at all. On pedals that want you to think they are selling you something special this is often done but without a switch. If they didn't and you thought it was a ts you might say "but i already have one?" One of my two ts pedals was sold to me as miracle booster. It has a good high pass filter in it which I fined very useful. I stack this pedal on OD's and fuzz pedals if they need to be tightened up.
CONCLUSION
Sounds pleasing. My Caline Emerald Night sounds pleasing too. It has a FAT & Normal switch as well. It is in a more pleasing shade of green. It is $30.00 USD. I find that too ..more pleasing
CONSIDER
The bigest selling ts on the planet is the current $99.00 USD Ibanez ts9. It does not use miracle vintage parts. It uses current off the shelf good quality but relatively cheap parts. Cheap enough for Caline to use. So, when I say that when you dial in the same settings on a Caline and the two pedals are compared you will definitely have a WTF moment. It is only fir to comment if already have a Tube Screamer, and all but love it but have one or two small niggles than the Moxie is worth considering.
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