Saturday, June 18, 2016

UNIVOX SUPER-FUZZ...IS THERE A PERFECT CLONE


THE UNIVOX SUPER-FUZZ

...if you are like me you have never heard of the damn thing...LOL

By the late 60's the Vox Brand amplifier was selling faster then Univox could make them.
Thanks to the Beatles...The Rolling Stones and other Brit bands who were having an unprecedented world wide success...business was booming.
Univox soon began selling Vox guitars and organs as well but had run out of room in their facilities to expand further. They found they could sell accessories very easily just by licensing rebrands of other producers. When they decided to enter the pedal market the first pedal was a Fuzz. The Fuzz was a rebranded Solasound Tonebender. Later the Shin-Ei FY-6 Fuzz from Japan that had been rebranded under many names became another choice.
Yes just glue on a different sticker before you pop it into it's box and like magic you have got a brand new pedal!!!!

before

after


The Univox Super-Fuzz quickly became popular. It was the favourite Fuzz of Pete Townsend. The 'Live at Leeds' album made The Who the ultimate live band. It also turned the pedal into a "must have' for thousands of musicians. Soon  many other high profile guitar players were hitting the stores to get one. It had 2 sweet sounds..one was screaming faux octave highs...but the best was with the click of a switch it produced a huge spludge of a low end sound. Thicker and heavier sounding then any other Fuzz at that time.

At about this time Vox partnered with another company in order to expand....when a short time later
it failed ... both companies went into receivership. Without the original team running the company...Vox lost it's way under the new management.  The point being Vox no longer sold the Super Fuzz. etc.


The Videos are all over the map. Everything from tight controlled sounds...to straight out noise and everything in between. The pedal's design allows the user to take the sound to the edge or even past that if you wish.



By today's standards this thing is a Gourmet pedal. It was away ahead of it's time. Pedals like the Big Muff  that followed it were pretty tame by comparison.

With Radio Head,  Blurr and the Jesus and Mary Chain bringing a new generation of players into the hunt...prices have left the galaxy!!!

At $800.00 or more a pop for a hard to find used one ....I would expect clones.

THE SUPER-FUZZ CLONES

Get ready there are more Super-Fuzz clones then Klon pedals!

 Tym Super Fuzilla, Black Cat Super Fuzz, MJM China Fuzz, Trave's Sludge,  Mikes Gear Garage Slant6Super, Creepy Fingers Harakiri, CBC The Super Fuzz, William Watson Super Fuzz and the Watson EFY-6 Fuzz, The B.Y.O.C. Leeds, R3D Super Fuzz, Maxon FA-10 Elements Air....last and my fav... the Ananahead FX BCN Super Fuzz

OK..quite a list...and I found others that freely said they were influenced by the EFY-6 circuit but took it and blah...blah...blah.
Add to that some other names have closed their site...out of biz I assume.
Not to mention I have likely missed some???

 Oh...one...but it is not a clone...it is the company that bought the licence...to call it  the UNIVOX SUPER-FUZZ....it doesn't sound like a EFY-6 either  LOL

 As for prices the most popular cheapie is the B.Y.O.C Leeds..at $110.00.....but I did not find it convincing in the low end. 
The one that gets all the buzz is the....

WATSON SUPER FUZZ
Nice looking box...great demo
....they recently got sued for using the name...SUPER-FUZZ

Current Price $200.00 USD



Post Lawsuit Box with a name change! 







They now have a cheaper version...using a printed circuit and a simpler standard box...

The new EFY-6 budget version has more control Current Price $150.00 USD

The Watson stuff is a beautiful made and great sounding product. The cheaper FFY-6 perhaps strays away from a true Super-Fuzz...but the sound is great in it's own way.
Their original Super-Fuzz..with or without Super-Fuzz on the label...sounds very close to the original but cleaned up.
For me it is the cleaning up that spoils it. It is tighter...the old Shin-Ei has a bit of slop in the sound..even some mush in the low end...but its that low end sludge that makes it feel that a power chord has just dumped a thousand tons of musical hot lava on you!

ANANASHEAD FX BCN
SUPER FUZZ

It appears to be a good old fashioned warts and all clone. Made in Spain.  No updates...no fixes...but no loss of the magic tsunami of sound that made it famous either.

There is little or no info on Ananashead...just a few other products on u tube.They appear to specialize in hand made clones of discontinued classic pedals...primarily OD pedals and Fuzz pedals. The pedals use high quality modern parts for things like input jacks etc. things esential for a robust long wearing product...but where the sound is concerned they track down vintage inventorys of the parts of the original pedal being cloned. In short sonically it is a  part for part clone.
Many makers follow the original schematic but use a new part with the correct value. They do this to guarantee a constant of supply of parts....this of course compromises the sound. One day Annahead may not be able to get the parts and they will cease to make this truly vintage pedal.



In short. The little companies often have an exact sonic replica of the vintage pedal
The Big Guys are quite close and include modern  improvements in the use of... or even function of the pedal
.
Choose accordingly...
....a very crude but perfect sounding tone...
....or a problem free pedal with a strong rep...that often is an easy sell (who the Hell is Bananahead!!!                or  Ananahead or whatever it's called) LOL

OK...IS THIS THE PERFECT CLONE?  YES MAYBE NO...keeping in mind old pedals when new had at least minor variations in sound do to minor changes in design over the life of the pedal...the original parts were often crude by today's standard...and a new pedal is made copying an old even beat up used one can sound a bit different. In this pedal I was looking for what is best described as massive spludge' in the very low end...and a nice ringing faux high octave in the highs. The 'spludge' suggests the original brands were used for parts...the high end meant testing to make sure the transistors were matched...and the pedal sonically tested for sound...not just testing the circuit.

$90.00 USD

Bottom line...I listened myself stupid...and I am still impressed.
Soooo......
I just bought one!
The last one listed...but I expect another 10 or so will get listed very soon.

So the day after I get the standard Ebay note telling me it is shipped. One always gets the glib little thankyou form letter bit  from the sender.

But...not these guys .....no form letter crap...instead I get a little note from Pedro Garcia asking me if I have questions etc.
HELL!...I already like these guys and I don't even have my pedal.
If it is as good as I hope...I think a Post on Ananashead....could be really interesting. I will get Pedro
to give us the scoop on the history etc.


So once it has finished leaving the sunny beaches of Spain and arrives at my door...you will get the full blow by blow...and either I or the pedal will get knocked out. Yes I hope the pedal wins...I would love to be knocked out by it

Bottom line if it is as good as I think .You will have a chance to scoop up a gem!....cheap too...and before the small inventories of parts dry up.

....so today it arrived...easy to set up...the switch change the tone from a singing tone great for leads.....to a deep raspy tear your face off sound...I left that on for hours. In spite of it's heavy distortion all your notes are  beautifully defined...no mush
Just a great basic 'cover all the bases' Fuzz but with a lot more aggression then a Big Muff. Considering a Big Muff is virtually the same price wise...I would rather have the Super-Fuzz.

 ...this things a keeper! 

 Ananahead did a good job on this. I think I will explore more of their pedals.
9/18/2016 
I have had my ANANASHEAD SUPER FUZZ...for about 3 months now. I still love it. 

1/22/2017
So here I am in the new year...the damn thing seems to improve with age...when you play it you get all this crackle and pop..it always sounds like it is going to burst into flames at any second..lol
It is just too cool. a pedal with it's own personality and attitude..lol
I love using this in a chorus behind a singer playing power chords...it always lifts the vibe of the chorus 10 feet higher then the verse. great stuff
Listen...buy one...just buy one.
3/12/2017
Yesterday I was doing a tune where I use the SF on a chorus.
Beautiful!! I still get a buzz when I use this!
If you still have not got one. Why????

 6/25/2017
I now use both of the 2 settings...the heavy crunch bottom heavy is my fav but i recently got to like the high octave jobbie!
I sold my $400.00 monster and then yet another Big Muff NYC
So my main fuzz is this one.
No regrets... I actually feel kind of stupid wasting money on the other fuzz boxes.

 4/21/18/18
WOW time does fly!!!
Since being here I have bought to new Fuzz pedals .Amazing ...great pedals ...LOL
Imust have been bored. I sold them both.
So the only Fuzz I have is this one. If any one touches it !!! There dead!!!
Just kidding but damn it! This pedal is unreal.
So many people have got one now that Pedro decided to have some fun with his own beefed up
take on this pedal. It is hard not to love it too.
Checkout Fuzz- Ananashead Super Fuzz v.2
You better buy one or the guitar fairy will come in the night and steal your guitar
she doesn't like guys that can't shred a  note because they don't have a serious dirt pedal. LOL

7/28/18
So I have ordered fittings to turn my Jumbo board into 2 smaller twins...the Jumbo holds 54 pedals
crushed together and weighs over 60 pounds. F@CK!!! My new ones will hold 30 plus each about 60 to 65 pedals.
I have added a few more Fuzz pedals and have one on order ....and my Ananashed???
Still number ONE!!! It is just so wonderfully disgustingly gritty!!! I still love it.
There are now several Posts on Ananashead product!!! READ 'EM ALL!

Check out the BYRD SONG treble booster ...Pedro Garcia 'is' Ananashead... to get the exact design he all but killed to get hold a real copy of the original Vox Schematic for the V806. It was only made for a year. Tom Petty used one forever and Roger Mcguinn Byrds 12 string sound was based off of it
in fact he had it built into his Ric to keep it a secret!!!
It can do so many cool things beyond this. Turn a medium gain OD into a Vox better then any pedal made to be a Vox.. it can give your Strat a Brian may sound that you will not believe. Read the Posts
or get smart just order it together with the Fuzz. 
I can wait for the thank you note from you so enjoy both for a few weeks before sending it. LOL

IF YOU HAVE NOT GOT YOUR'S YET ...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???


This the old style casing.

  

     START THE AUDIO TRACK AT 7:31...
       ...listen for about 15 seconds...
             convincing!!! and cheaper then hundreds of
                  crap  fuzz boxes!!!



                   
DEC 21/18
I have been really busy lately.
In the last year the ProCo has been selling RAT 2 by the truck load.
Everyone wants a slice of the pie. Two weeks ago Electro-Harmonix brought out the Flatiron they even admit it is a knock off! The new and improved Rat!  LOL LOL LOL

It reminded me... maybe Pedro does one?

HELL YES! He does and it is another part for part version of coveted first Rat known affectionately as the 'Big Box Rat' the one with the discontinued D308 chip !!!!
Well nor discontinued for Pedro!!!

Holy SH@T guys it is another killer!!!!  .... with that huge crushing low end missing from the
ProCo v.2

ANANASHEAD D308 FUZZ
















                                Compare the real Rat to PG's clone


 Once again I warn you, The NOS chip can not last forever!
Buy know or weep later!!!
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Saturday, June 11, 2016

OCTAVE PEDALS ...



OCTAVE PEDALS

TRACKING

 The original Octave pedal were analog and tracked very poorly. Tracking is their ability to correctly change the guitar's notes to an octave above or below the note played ...and to hold onto those notes and not be confused by the overtones. The overtones are related to but are often a different pitch then the fundamental.
In other words...perhaps you play an... A note and an overtone that is an... E makes the pedal go searching for an...E
This may last a split second but the 'tracking' heads for the...E. The...E overtone quickly fades away and with only the...A  ringing..... the tracking goes back to the...A.
The result is a mess...called flutter.
Any string buzz or clatter or an open string ringing sympathicly confuse the pedal.

All modern pedals track very well at a moderate tempo. The best track well at blistering speeds.
The pedal must 'hear' the note first in order to know what to play. All modern pedals are very good at containing the stability of the note played and there is very little if not any flutter.

THE TIMBRE or SOUND

 Most Octave pedals have a similar tone. the tone is best described by the sound of the Sub Octave tone. They sound dense...dark and heavy and with little or no high end content. Think of a Fender P
bass with the tone knob turned back to full bass. Then think of that tone as a bit synth like sounding.

The big exception is the Electo -Harmonix POG....It sounds very much like a Acoustic Bass guitar. Perhaps a bit like a impression of  that sound...but very impressive. It has become the standard to which all other pedals are compared.

THE CHOICES




TOM'SLiNE
AOS-3
OCTPUS
Yes as usual yet another of Mooers Rebrands....Mooer has recently stopped selling  this under their own name as they now have a new pedal to replace it.
The Tender Octaver. A simple octave above or one below can be had on it's own or blended with the guitar signal.
This setup is becoming the new 'norm'. Pedals with multiple octaves to choose from have fallen from favour. Octaves over or under an octave tend to sound like crap sometimes simply because a guitar speaker was never designed to perform outside of the guitar's range. Sometimes because of the restrictions of the technology.
More important is that in a band context other instruments will compete with these ranges.
In short...forget about it...they do not cut it in a band...and do not sound great anyway LOL
The important...tracking is acceptable. Usable but not great.

Current Price $55.00 USD



 MOOER
TENDER OCTAVER
Same set up as the Tom'sline...The tracking is better but still not tops. It is a CLONE of the EH POG
The sound is quite close...but perhaps a bit thinner & darker then the new POG NANO...but considering the upgrade over all budget Octave pedals and a few mainstream pedals.
....it is a killer!!!!
If money is a problem...save up for it even if you use it only occasionally...it will be a 'KEEPER'
you could well find it sitting on your board years later.
I have a friend at a major music store...he has access to
all the pedals...and he bought this one.

Most sites are asking $100.00 USD and getting it.
So...the $59.00 USD price on Ali Express is a steal!!!
Do not wait too long if you want the pedal.

                                                  ...THIS THING IS A STEAL AT $59.00 USD

ELECTRO-HARMONICS
MICRO POG

This is the EH master piece! It is the pedal to beat. Fat and very rich sounding...easy to use.
The sound is not only great...but so distinct that you will listen to a recorded tune you have heard before and it will jump out. In fact if you noticed it before you may not have thought it came from a guitar!!!
There is now a new version the NANO POD. The company swears up and down that it sounds the same as the MICRO POD.

 IT DOESN'T

 The pedal is so new that someone has not done a simple  comparison on the low octave to show you in 2 seconds that the MICO POG blows the NANO POG out of the water!!!!

There are actually a lot of players that use a finger style using a POG often blended a bit back behind the guitar sound to give an orchestrated effect. The NANO sounding thinner and perhaps tighter may even work better.

But the MINI...works very well doing this too.
If used for single note riffs or power chords...especially distorted...the MICRO is KING...simply MASSIVE!!!! I just cannot exaggerate how good it is.

 The NANO is said to track better. BUT...tracking means accuracy...my guess is it is just faster.
Is that good. In this case maybe not. If you are running a guitar signal blended with the octave...a micro second delay causes an automatic double tracking effect. Your ears tell you that you are hearing the octave sound being played by a second player. Cool!
Two players always sound fatter then one. Double Cool!!!


THE ORIGINAL POG








FULL SIZE....POG 2





THE KING!!!

THE MICRO POD

Current Price $215.00 USD











                                        

                                                                        4 inches wide ???? LOL








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MULTI-FX Processor....is there even one worth owning?


A BETA postings .....June 11....may need some tweaks and updates but reads ok

DIGITAL MULTI-FX PROCESSORS

In 2006 I bought a Line6 POD rack mount multi FX unit for my studio.

We all know what it 'feels like' to play our slab of wood guitar thru a cranked tube amp...you can 'feel' every note and every chord you play. You can totally eliminate the whole world and you find yourself living in the moment.
Bliss!!!
YES....this is the world of analog.

 Unfortunately playing a tune using a great amp etc.
produces results once recorded will have little or no
Improvement over a well modeled amp in a digital processor.

So back to the POD. I was impressed by the quality of the representations of the amps. What I could not get over was...the playing experience.

...lets say you play a verse of a tune. Then....put on your guitar...unplugged and play the exact same part note for note along with the recording. Yup...that's is what it feels like playing these things. You feel that removed from the playing experience.

 OK...OK...I know it is not 2006. What is more important is that you can keep your 'dry' signal analog.
This way you only have your FX digital. Yes...this does work very, very well.

Line 6 offer many new and better multi FX pedals...and they even stick them into an amp.
I am not a fan. Why...they still sound like you are playing a recording...  

OK...is that the end of my rant? YES.
Would I ever buy a digital multi FX processor....BIGGER YES!!!!

Ok let me explain. In order to make anything great it can not be compromised. Most of the offerings by these companies are built to a price point. In short the power of the processing is limited to less then the best digital hardware in order to make an affordable product.

BUT WHEN THERE ARE NO COMPROMISES A DIGITAL PEDAL CAN BE A MIND BLOWER!!!

Let me qualify that. I am talking about FX...not digital amp modeling. Analog amp modeling is convincing. So when the best all digital modulating FX ...like the Phaser...Chorus...Flanger etc. are state of the art....they are mind blowing!

NOT THE BEST BUT SOME OF THE BEST USE IT  !!!


LINE 6 MM-4


All the standard modulation pedals in one box. This Digital Box has been around for awhile. When there wasn't something better it was a fav of many pros. Most pro's have moved up but many have hung onto these old 'friends' and got one of the new high end boxes sitting beside it.

$350.00 USD

The delay has n even higher status. It has been around since 2000 . A bit dated.  A bit gritty. A few good cheap analog pedals sound better.

$325.00 USD


THEY BOTH SOUND A BIT THIN AND TRASHY

I CAN SEE HOW THERE IS A BENT APPEAL TO THE TRASHY SIDE OF THEM.
THERE ARE LOTS OF GOOD CHEAP ANALOG PEDALS THAT ARE AS CLEAN...YET FULLER AND RICHER SOUNDING.
IF YOU LIKE THE FUNKINESS OF THEM THERE ARE LOADS OF USED ONES
GOING CHEAP.

THE VERY BEST OF THE BEST

THE STRYMON MOBIUS

This is the very best digital Modulation FX unit I have ever heard....perhaps the best sound FX period!

NOTHING IS PERFECT
I do not like that I cannot simply take a one FX and then stack it with another. I do admit...there are
dozens of great FX that are already so busy and complex...and for that matter amazing that I may not want to...or need to etc. But I would hate to find I needed 3 of these to get what I want. LOL

The first vid is just the chorus...I put it first just to demo something we are all familiar with...and can there fore evaluate the sound quality of the unit. The second vid is a comprehensive walk thru of the unit. The third is bit of everything from basic to the unlistenable.


Current Price $600.00 USD



THE STRYMON TIMELINE

The only obvious omission on the Mobius is a delay. Strymon do it separate as many all analog players make an exception with delay  Stymon like to maintain simplicity and to keep the price of both boxes credible. There is a fine line between expensive but worth the stretch....and "Are you F-ing crazy...Forget  IT!!!" LOL

Current Price $600.00


I have zero complaints with this delay...as in NONE!






So...$600.00 is a big OUCH!...

In comparison to buy the very best analog modulation pedals between $300.00 and $400.00.
Chase Bliss have this market to themselves.

I will do a post on these.

The bottom line is spending about the same money...gives you all the modulation pedals in one box...or 2 FX in 2 boxes.
One gives you choice and variety...the other gives you layering of 2 sounds.

tough call...

OK....now a step further


EVENTIDE X 9 MAX

One thing I like about Stymon...if you have owned the most modest of modulation pedals you can understand...even program a Stymon. It is what you have and know pushed to the limit.
Eventide is a whole different deal.
The company has been around since the 70's. The core business was to make the very best effects for the professional recording studio environment. The studio's had neither the time nor skill to go into multiple layers of programming to create a sound. They wanted these complex artificial environments but they wanted them as simple tweakable presets. I find that this is still the case with their pedals too.

So...what does this mean. Well you get for example a chorus sound that has elements of delay pitch change regeneration with a touch of reverb and phased alternatively from the low notes to the lower mids back to the highs then reversed then split into 2 different pitches and moved across the stereo field at ever increasing speeds. Yup ...no kidding.


Just kidding but you get the idea.
NOW... although it will be the most exciting sound you ever heard. They will give you a few tools to tweak it...but you will be working with an elaborate preset.
So what's wrong with this.
Simple the first time someone uses it noticeably on a big hit record...that sound becomes part of that record and belongs to that artist.
Think of some insipid pop star whose music you hate. If that super jumbo extra big chorus sound was on their record. Could you...or would you ever use that sound. Worse yet what if that sound was used by you just recently on your Indy record.

How many of you have heard of A Yamaha Dx7 keyboard Synth...surprisingly few...how many of you of heard of the Mini Moog...or are aware of Analog synths?

You can buy a nice analog synth today...you can not buy a DX 7 Frequency Modulation synth.. My point is...when the DX  came out it wiped out the market for the analog synth...but no one could program it...everyone who had an analog synth could do enough gut level good guess tweaks and come up with what was often a great sound. So once the exiting new presets on the DX7 went no further then everyone using them...it all became very boring.
My point is......is the Eventide a DX7 ????


There are many lesser pedals each with it's own box...the x9 series. The H is both the 'best of' and it is expandable. For a fee you can download new algorisms. You can even buy the H9 with less then the 47 algorithms and 99 presets. You can expand the entry level or mid priced one up to a MAX.



This thing is impressive...but first does the music you play support the use of it. Do you love a bit of tech...or does that kind of thing leave you cold. Musical tools are there to support and help your creativity. For some this might...for others it will only smother their music.

This is the only unit I have run into that I feel the need to sit on the fence. Those that read here regularly know I am an overbearing self appointed judge of what pedals are great...and what are crap!!!

I will stop here. I will explore and add more here later. At the moment all other multi-units I have heard are waste of your time...they cannot do every separate pedal they do right. They do not get better by cobbling both the good the ok and their crap in one box.


CODA

So what is the verdict.
I bought the Mobius and sold off all my effects.

THE SOUNDS

WHAT'S IS GREAT!

The tonal quality of the sounds is superb. I can not fault them. The pedal is big but not even close to buying a sepate box for all it does.

WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE. 

Well first the cost. But you get what you paid for.
The pedal is so full of functions for every sound but you only have a tiny 'window' display to see what is going on.The pedal should have an attachment to link it to a PC so everything is laid out on a big screen so you can quickly do and undue anything you change to program you patch (sound).
In short it is a bitch to work with.

Although the sounds are great there are many pedals out there for as little as $35.00 USD that are analog and sound as good. You can cover the basic classic modulation pedals...a phaser , flanger and chorus in a mini pedal format for $100.00 USD each. All 3 are stellar sounding with zero compromise in their classic function
Any unit by any company has  'A Sound' to it. There is an overriding EH sound to a EH pedal...an overriding MXR sound to an MXR pedal etc. If you can buy for example 3 different pedals by 3 different manufacturers your overall tone is much more varied. So with one pedal making all your sounds you can not escape this. Also with the Mobius you can not stack the sounds. With 3 separate pedals you can stack them and use all 3 at once if you wish.
The other problem is that 9 times out of 10 you usually want a simple and usable sound but with
the Mobius and Eventide type pedals you have dozen of things to wade thru just to get a great basic sound. For recording these pedals are great for a crazy sound here and massive noise there. But if you already wrote a nice tune and then thought wouldn't a little nice ambiance be terrific then anything more then a bit of average 3 knob modulation little pedal is unusable.

Live it is just not practical to lean over and give your sound a quick tweek. With a standard stomp box this is a 2 second fix between tunes or even during a tune.

VERDICT

I have my Mobius for sale on Reverb. LOL
I will by 3 small basic modulation boxes...an MXR Phase 95 (buttons and one knob) it is the 
Script writing MXR phase 90... good enough when Eddie uses it to impress any one LOL.
A TC Electronic Corona chorus .that has been pushing past ones costing double the price because it is so good...and the mini sounds exactly the same and the TC Electronic Vortex Flanger that has been doing likewise.


For as often as I use them these are quite adequate.
Sonically they are cutting edge analog...which makes them rubbing shoulders with the clarity of digital but with the richness of a good analog pedal.

What Else???

Well I have been using my TC Electronic Flashback Delay consistently. It is the delay that works for me ...not the brand.
The best delays...or 5 Star candidates are again the Strymon and Eventide products.
fortunately Empress products have entered the picture. Pricing is about the same. Empress has 2 things going for it. User Friendly ...no silly windows to deal with. Just 8 memory spots to store your fav's not hundreds...so thy are easy to flip thru. Last but not least the sound is as detailed but it has a near analog warmth to it.
.





CONCLUSION

Stick with the separate pedals where possible. Trust in analog.
For reverb and delay...use digital... but unless your music dictates
a sonic abstract to convey it or you are a whiz with manipulating software ...keep it simple.

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Sunday, June 5, 2016

ACCOUSIC GUITAR...restore tone...kill feedback

TC ELECTRONIC BODYREZ

The piezo pickup is still the only practical way to get a mic like tone for your acoustic guitar. Big improvements in onboard acoustic electics have improved the EQ to get back more of the original
overall tone of your guitar. BUT...the pickup can only grab the sound of the strings and a tiny area around the bridge. The other big downer is the acoustic feedback problem. The sound of the entire band is going in the sound hole and vibrating the top of the guitar...so you get that big honking feedback.

To the rescue comes the Bodyrez. It restores and or creates the lost body resonance. Best of all it at least makes the guitar usable by killing the feedback. The function is dead simple...dial in some resonance to taste and your done. The box takes care of the feedback...no need to even tweak a second knob for that.


     Current Price $85.00 USD



v
                                                                                                                                                                                           If you have a full body guitar you will find a little goes a long way.....too much and the tone and finger noise gets nasty. Still for feedback alone this is a 'keeper'
Hell this thing even improves on my Martin.

If you use a funky old guitar...for a blues or folk thing ...perhaps an old Stella, Kay or Harmony it can improve the tone.

 Gretsch make a very nice cheap Parlor guitar the Jim Dandy. Like old pedals...the Stella etc. are getting pricey and harder to find. Perhaps you have a very old Martin or other guitar from the 20's or 30's and you do not want to 'carve it up'. The Jim Dandy is perfect...slap in a piezo...get a Bodyrez and you are ready to got
Plus you get all the 'Mod Cons'...better bridge...better neck...with adjustable truss rod...comfortable shape and low action. Nice!


The whole package is cheap enough to get you to add some acoustic playing for your band.
The old Gretsch  funky look and sound has the same cache as an expensive Martin. Let alone the fact that most guitars that have prices that fall in between have a zero 'cool' factor.
Not bad. Yes the tone is funky...but both the tone and the guitar are Pro!






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Saturday, June 4, 2016

______OVERDRIVE- ANALOG MAN... KING OF TONE______


KING OF TONE

IS THIS PEDAL ALREADY A CLASSIC?

_______________________________________________________________________
JAN. 17, 2022
This Post is nearing 6 years old. The wait time to get this pedal is now doubled 
to 4 years. 
The pedal is literally a Marshall Bluesbreaker clone, much modified and 
then 2 are built into in one box.
There are know 5 or 6 other pedal brands that have made a double pedal 
with at least one Bluesbreaker in it. 
All are very pricey. All have not only big sales but often waiting lists 
and a league of followers. 
The KOT not only created a prized pedal but even a 
different way of doing business.
___________________________________________________________________

There are 3 classic Overdrive pedals. The first is the Ibanez  TUBE SCREAMER with its light overdrive and mid range boost. The Boss BLUES DRIVE with a bit more aggression and a mid scoop and the KLON with a light overdrive and a flatter EQ.

In the last few years the Analog Man KING OF TONE has entered the picture. Its basic overdrive core has not changed  since it's introduction in Nov. 2003.. It has sold in a very steady manner increasing in an even gradual but healthy manner every month.
The company makes everything by hand using obsolete hard to find parts. The waiting time is now___one and a half years___and can only take longer.


 Current Price $265.00 USD
 without options.

WAIT TIME FOUR YEARS!


On-line used ones are already hitting...
    $1275.00 USD.

The current model is said to be the last. In the beginning it was in the companies mind the "perfect Overdrive' but endless requests asked for more bells and whistles to make it the best solo distortion. There were many attempts to improve it and 4 versions to follow.

Adding an overdrive with just a gain knob did not 'DO IT'


Still No!

How about more? Is more of everything better?  NO!!!
BUT!  Nothing was 'doing it'. Fortunately the  original circuit and knobs for the overdrive function were always left in tact. The great overdrive sound was never lost or polluted. Finally the perfect solution was found. Put 2 KOT's in one box. If you need more? 

Just  stack one thru the other. It works wonderfully.
  This is Ver. 4...Analog Man says there will never be a Ver. 5. Smart!!! If it's not broke do not fix it. Why follow the history of other companies...and blow your own foot off???  LOL
There are several custom options available. The only one recommended is to have more gain in the second unit...to treat it as the Boost channel. A good idea since no one runs the first unit lower then 4...so having each the same only means turning the boost side down if you wish to match the gain on both units.

WHAT's THE BIG DEAL

 The basic sound is very warm and very thick. The level of distortion is just below amplifier breakup.
The EQ is very flat. It sounds good thru any amp because it is neither scooped like a Blues Drive or has the mid range boost of a Tube Screamer. My first impression was that it had a huge massive sound...but magically it did not sound muddy. I instantly wanted one because it was as big as the biggest Fuzz box...but had zero fuzz...in fact it does not even have an annoying fizz
I think the really big deal only happens when you play one. It must have a ridiculous amount of head room because the transient response is mind blowing.
In plain English that means when you hit a chord or a string the sound returns to your ears instanously. With 99% of the dirt pedals out there there is a delay which kills off the attack of the notes before your amp shoots them back to you. With the King you feel a physical connection to every note you play.
Now that is an amazing connection to have while you are playing!!! Totally addictive.





BEST CLONE
 68 PEDALS KING OF CLONE 



 Read the Post!
Part for part the same! 
$115.00 USD

 Buy it...now
Buy the KOT and wait.
Sell the looser.
If it is the KOT you will make enough to pay for the KOC
and still put money in your pocket.
IT IS A WIN ...WIN solution!


MY FAVORITE BLUESBREAKER
BROWNE AMPLIFICATION CARBON OD

$200.00 USD
price from Jan. 2022
It stays closer to the original. The sound is brighter and much more crisp and detailed than the KOT. The KOT is really is at it's best using a Fender guitar especially a Strat and putting it thru a Fender amp. It tends to sound muddy thru something like a Marshall and with Humbuckers. The Carbon works with anything. If the gain is pulled back a bit it can easily act as an always on pedal making a modest amp sound like pricey one. I like it for my Strat, Tele and my semi as I find it perfect for flatpicking as it fills out the sound yet has incredible definition and lots of headroom. It has enough sustain to weave single note riffs between the chords. It is more than nice extra OD to have. It is a necessity.
 









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