A SMART MAN LEARNS FROM HIS MISTAKES.
A WISE MAN LEARNS FROM OTHERS MISTAKES.
THE EXTRA JUMBO LARGE AWAITS YOU
DANGER UNDER CONSTRUCTION
THE BASIC SETUP
The input is on the 'Sidecar' which is flat on the floor for expression pedals that must be operated manually like a Wah.
The first tier serves as a bypass. With out any of the loops of the Boss Switcher turned on ...the signal goes from the gate on the input straight past the Pads and into the switcher ...then to the TC Electronics always on reverb and finally to the Steel String Clean Drive ...really an always on fixed EQ and booster ...then it is straight out to the amp.
The first tier serves as a bypass. With out any of the loops of the Boss Switcher turned on ...the signal goes from the gate on the input straight past the Pads and into the switcher ...then to the TC Electronics always on reverb and finally to the Steel String Clean Drive ...really an always on fixed EQ and booster ...then it is straight out to the amp.
To simplify each of the tiers is a loop of 'alike' pedals ...Low gain overdrives...medium gain overdrives then high gain overdrives then Fuzz. Then finally through the top tier's second half ...which are all the FX.
Each of these 4 groups are in there own loop. HENCE there are 4 loops.
So there are just 4 separate loops. I choose what I want for a tune from each loop ...some times a single pedal sometimes more. So I may pick an OD for an intro and for some bridges from one loop and a low gain OD for the verse on another loop...and on still another a fuzz for the chorus I can assign the FX loop to any one as well. For example I may wish a delay on the fuzz. So switch 3 has Loop 3 and 4 assigned to it.
I have an unused 5th loop that I am keeping to fix the worst of any compromise is in my system.
Right now just having the Digital delay on it to move around from Fuzz to OD's in a tune could be very useful.
I have an unused 5th loop that I am keeping to fix the worst of any compromise is in my system.
Right now just having the Digital delay on it to move around from Fuzz to OD's in a tune could be very useful.
All loops have there own Pad/level ...there own compressor and their own gate. These are always on.
So it is like they are not there.
If you do not have a a loop switcher you do a tune on one song with your one OD...you set the OD for that tune...on the next tune you may stop and change the setting on the OD. I am simply picking a different OD instead of tweaking a single OD. How I use my board is actually quite simple.
To work it you simply hit the switch on the downbeat of say a verse...you hit another on the chorus and it simultaneously turns off the first one etc. So you can get on with your playing.
This rig is simpler then only 6 pedals but no switcher, With that setup you are double even triple switching to go from verse to chorus.
Trust me...if you had all this you would love it. If you have been thinking that you would be far happier with more pedals. YOU ARE DAMN RIGHT!!!!
The only frustrating thing is getting the right ones. You will make a few bad choices. Do not beat yourself up ...we all do it ...it is just a learning process.
You will find that a single pedal that does one thing perfect is easy. Pedals with 2 switches are great if you do not have a switcher ...because they act as a switcher. BUT later they use up room for a switch you do not need.
Many players do things my way... they have decided it doesn't mater if you can even see the pedal let alone what the knobs are set to. I like the security of being able to see and touch or change anything.
I will go thru every pedal following the signal flow from left to right going up thru each tier. I will name each pedal...and explain what is special about it.
Go ahead put your mouse over the Pic and give it a click...have a good look with a bigger clearer picture.
Note: the little terra cotta coloured ...Nano board is plate steal. It self anchors itself by it's weight.
It is for 'Expression' pedals that you need free standing and flat on the floor. You do not want your foot wavering in the air an extra inch or more to operate these and play at the same time. Ideally you would like your heel on the floor with only your toes raised ready to push down on a switch or move a treadle.
Tier 0 also known as the Sidecar is virtually the ground for expression pedals like the Wah that need to be flat to trigger with your foot in real time. Tier 1 is too high for that.You will find that a single pedal that does one thing perfect is easy. Pedals with 2 switches are great if you do not have a switcher ...because they act as a switcher. BUT later they use up room for a switch you do not need.
Many players do things my way... they have decided it doesn't mater if you can even see the pedal let alone what the knobs are set to. I like the security of being able to see and touch or change anything.
I will go thru every pedal following the signal flow from left to right going up thru each tier. I will name each pedal...and explain what is special about it.
Go ahead put your mouse over the Pic and give it a click...have a good look with a bigger clearer picture.
Note: the little terra cotta coloured ...Nano board is plate steal. It self anchors itself by it's weight.
It is for 'Expression' pedals that you need free standing and flat on the floor. You do not want your foot wavering in the air an extra inch or more to operate these and play at the same time. Ideally you would like your heel on the floor with only your toes raised ready to push down on a switch or move a treadle.
THE LAYOUT
Tier 1 has an input gate that cleans up the guitar hiss. It has the switcher and a pad for each loop. Then on the left is the output side are any FX that would not fit on Tier 2 but are patched into 2. an always on reverb and a fixed preamp OD...and a Speaker simulator is the signal then heads out to the amplifier.
Tier 2 is basically for the low gain OD's and treble boosts. My 12 string simulator and a second compressor as the 12 string and a Vox treble booster are compressed both in and out to get a Tom Petty/Roger Mcguinn sound.( I will soon have a Fender with a Rickenbacker PU in the neck location
Tier 3 has the JCM 800's to the right and all the Plexi pedals are to the left with JTM's in the center.
Tier 4 is home for the Fuzz section and on the right. On the left are the various FX.
THE PEDALS
________________________________________________________________________
Tier 0 ...Expression Pedals
________________________________________________________________________
Sitting flat on the floor all need to be triggered on and off while playing ...the most obvious being the wah.
TC ELECTRONICS Quintessence
A true harmonizer. Pick the key you are in ...pick the scale you want. Done. Perfect tracking ...perfect voicing and a real harmony not a parallel 'wanna be' effort that ALL other harmonizers are!!!!
A MUST HAVE PEDAL that you can get a damn lot of use out of !!!
ELECTRO-HARMONIX Synth 9 Synthesiser Machine
An analog preset synth. It has all the classic 60's thru 80's best synths and a perfect 'best of' patch of each.
It triggers perfectly from your guitar. You can run it guitar/synth or just the synth. It is impressively good. If you do not have a keyboard player in your band it is a 'MUST HAVE' pedal.
I love it!!!! In a trio...F__king perfect!!!
DIGITECH FREQ OUT
Pedal makers have been trying to get a pedal that creates the kind of acoustic feedback when an amp is at tinnitus levels pushing the guitar signal from the amp to the speaker then back into the pickup and in an endless loop cause the sound to sustain ...it often exaggerates the harmonics especially the second harmonic and makes it sustain even louder then dropping the fundamental and only leaving the harmonics ringing on their own. Digitech has achieved this feat and can do this regardless of how loud the signal from the amp.is. Having said that it works much better if a there is a little little natural feedback created by the amps level. A 20 watt amp or better works best. In short the level used at rehearsal or small clubs is more then adequate. At bedroom volumes it has a bit of a struggle.
TC ELECTRONIC Phrase Looper
A simple but effective idea...a player can press a button and record up to 12 minutes of music then turn it off. To stop the recording then turn the pedal on...thus being able to play a second part accompanied by the first part. I do not like to rely on it for anything that will weaken the tune if it was not on. I use it here and there as icing on the cake.
AMT Japanese Girl Wah
A nano Wah. The very first and the smallest. Built like a tank. I believe the fit and finish are second to none!!! It has the classic Crybaby wah sound nailed. But you get another 2 sounds as well. It has a small LED on each side to tell you when it's on.
The LED on other pedals are badly placed and near impossible to see. Top that off it is like a Morley it works off of light not a scratchy cheap pot that wears out.
It has the fulcrum point at the perfect ergonomic spot so it feels like a full size Crybaby under your foot. The competition is crap for this !!! You have to piss around forever to learn to get the sweet spot for your foot!
Buy it direct from a store in Russia and it is only a hundred bucks!!!
It sometimes get's a bad rap. I feel that is a combination of American patriotism and a contempt for the Russian leader and his corrupt cronies. Hardly an unfounded emotion. But hell the guys that make these things are not politicians just guys like us ...players and creative people. We stick together and help each other ... We set the example not the rules! So check it out. It is a total Steal!!!
_________________________________________________________________________
Tier 1 ...The BYPASS
___________________________________________________________
Rocktron MICRO Hush noise silencer
Not technically a noise gate ...but that's what it does.It was originally designed to get rid of hum coil noise and it does this flawlessly. If you turn it just a bit pass this to about one o'clock it tightens up the whole sound just right yet leaves it really natural sounding.
MOGOO Signal Pads
There is one for each loop so balancing out all 3 levels is easy. It allows you to keep your hands off the guitar volumes. It is enough to just be changing loops without that too. They are cheap but surprisingly cleaner then the pots on any of the guitars.
BOSS ES-5
A 5 channel loop switcher. The manual is crap and it is a bitch to program. But it has Bosses reliability and you do not want a switcher to die with 50 pedals to deal with.
If you get one go to YouTube
INTRODUCING ROLAND ES-5 SWITCHING SYSTEM- How to create and modify a patch- A guide
SONIC RESEARCH Turbo Tuner
A state of the art strobe tuner. Once you have your guitar 99.9 % in tune which the TC Electronics does just fine ...this thing is still telling you to keep trying. You soon learn where in tune is and work around this 1000% accuracy sh_t. Save your money get the Mini TC Electronic.
________________________________________________________________________
THIS PEDAL IS WIRED INTO TIER 2
A/DA/ PBF Flanger
It is an update of the original. Still the very best analog Flanger EVER! You can even change the delay time to that of a chorus and get the shimmer of a Flanger and the fat sound of a chorus. I feel it is the best Flanger on the planet yet at a couple of hundred of your hard earned it is still cheaper the many other high end choices. My clean sounds come via Tier 2 and I love a bit of Fanger on my clean sounds
as in Andy Summers use of it with the Police.
I can not stress enough about the integrity and quality of build all of A/DA's product.
The VALUE FOR MONEY of their product is second to none!
The company has history going back to the 70's and has always had a culture that brings in new staff with a desire to only make the best!
_________________________________________________________________________
TC ELECTRONIC HOF mini reverb
It is a high spec one sound reverb for an always on sound. You can download any on of dozens of the 'Hall of Fame' sounds and even edit them on your PC. I find when I go from the crazy sounds on the Neunaber Reverb on say a middle eight type bridge that when I go back to the amp's spring reverb it sounds too damn drastically dry and subtle.
I figure a nice small hall sound could transition the change and not be too drastic as an 'always on' sound.
.
VERTEX STEEL STRING Clean Drive
A simple concept that actually works.???
Vertex took a Dumble Steel String Stinger apart to see why this Dumble sounds like a Dumble.
First it is no secret that Dumble built his first basic amp from the schematics of several Fenders. He then added,changed and improved it over many years until he nailed it. Well Vertex added the bits that were missing...obvious in the preamp stage and tested it on the various Fender amps that the Dumble is based on.
They added a filter you can sweep the mids into whatever range needed to zero in on the part of the Dumble sound that is missing on the model of Fender you have. To over simplify you could buy a NEW Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb and by driving it with this pedal with a few tweaks of the 3 knobs on the Vertex you would instantly have a Dumble.
OK...it sounds too simple But I bought one. I plugged it into my amp which designed for the clean sound to sound like a Fender. I gave it a a few tweaks. Then tried it out.
I JUST COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EARS!!!
My clean sound came to life. The harmonic content of the sound became more detailed and there was a definite definition to every note. A keeper!!!
I do not push it hard so it just becomes part of my clean sound. what it does is very noticeable on a Tele right out of the box. Once your ears get tuned to it over a few weeks you can not turn it off no matter what PU is going thru it!!!
Think of it as a cure for amplifier acne. LOL
Sitting flat on the floor all need to be triggered on and off while playing ...the most obvious being the wah.
TC ELECTRONICS Quintessence
A true harmonizer. Pick the key you are in ...pick the scale you want. Done. Perfect tracking ...perfect voicing and a real harmony not a parallel 'wanna be' effort that ALL other harmonizers are!!!!
A MUST HAVE PEDAL that you can get a damn lot of use out of !!!
ELECTRO-HARMONIX Synth 9 Synthesiser Machine
An analog preset synth. It has all the classic 60's thru 80's best synths and a perfect 'best of' patch of each.
It triggers perfectly from your guitar. You can run it guitar/synth or just the synth. It is impressively good. If you do not have a keyboard player in your band it is a 'MUST HAVE' pedal.
I love it!!!! In a trio...F__king perfect!!!
DIGITECH FREQ OUT
Pedal makers have been trying to get a pedal that creates the kind of acoustic feedback when an amp is at tinnitus levels pushing the guitar signal from the amp to the speaker then back into the pickup and in an endless loop cause the sound to sustain ...it often exaggerates the harmonics especially the second harmonic and makes it sustain even louder then dropping the fundamental and only leaving the harmonics ringing on their own. Digitech has achieved this feat and can do this regardless of how loud the signal from the amp.is. Having said that it works much better if a there is a little little natural feedback created by the amps level. A 20 watt amp or better works best. In short the level used at rehearsal or small clubs is more then adequate. At bedroom volumes it has a bit of a struggle.
TC ELECTRONIC Phrase Looper
A simple but effective idea...a player can press a button and record up to 12 minutes of music then turn it off. To stop the recording then turn the pedal on...thus being able to play a second part accompanied by the first part. I do not like to rely on it for anything that will weaken the tune if it was not on. I use it here and there as icing on the cake.
AMT Japanese Girl Wah
A nano Wah. The very first and the smallest. Built like a tank. I believe the fit and finish are second to none!!! It has the classic Crybaby wah sound nailed. But you get another 2 sounds as well. It has a small LED on each side to tell you when it's on.
The LED on other pedals are badly placed and near impossible to see. Top that off it is like a Morley it works off of light not a scratchy cheap pot that wears out.
It has the fulcrum point at the perfect ergonomic spot so it feels like a full size Crybaby under your foot. The competition is crap for this !!! You have to piss around forever to learn to get the sweet spot for your foot!
Buy it direct from a store in Russia and it is only a hundred bucks!!!
It sometimes get's a bad rap. I feel that is a combination of American patriotism and a contempt for the Russian leader and his corrupt cronies. Hardly an unfounded emotion. But hell the guys that make these things are not politicians just guys like us ...players and creative people. We stick together and help each other ... We set the example not the rules! So check it out. It is a total Steal!!!
_________________________________________________________________________
Tier 1 ...The BYPASS
___________________________________________________________
Rocktron MICRO Hush noise silencer
Not technically a noise gate ...but that's what it does.It was originally designed to get rid of hum coil noise and it does this flawlessly. If you turn it just a bit pass this to about one o'clock it tightens up the whole sound just right yet leaves it really natural sounding.
MOGOO Signal Pads
There is one for each loop so balancing out all 3 levels is easy. It allows you to keep your hands off the guitar volumes. It is enough to just be changing loops without that too. They are cheap but surprisingly cleaner then the pots on any of the guitars.
BOSS ES-5
A 5 channel loop switcher. The manual is crap and it is a bitch to program. But it has Bosses reliability and you do not want a switcher to die with 50 pedals to deal with.
If you get one go to YouTube
INTRODUCING ROLAND ES-5 SWITCHING SYSTEM- How to create and modify a patch- A guide
SONIC RESEARCH Turbo Tuner
A state of the art strobe tuner. Once you have your guitar 99.9 % in tune which the TC Electronics does just fine ...this thing is still telling you to keep trying. You soon learn where in tune is and work around this 1000% accuracy sh_t. Save your money get the Mini TC Electronic.
________________________________________________________________________
THIS PEDAL IS WIRED INTO TIER 2
A/DA/ PBF Flanger
It is an update of the original. Still the very best analog Flanger EVER! You can even change the delay time to that of a chorus and get the shimmer of a Flanger and the fat sound of a chorus. I feel it is the best Flanger on the planet yet at a couple of hundred of your hard earned it is still cheaper the many other high end choices. My clean sounds come via Tier 2 and I love a bit of Fanger on my clean sounds
as in Andy Summers use of it with the Police.
I can not stress enough about the integrity and quality of build all of A/DA's product.
The VALUE FOR MONEY of their product is second to none!
The company has history going back to the 70's and has always had a culture that brings in new staff with a desire to only make the best!
_________________________________________________________________________
...a continuation of the Tier 1 bypass
TC ELECTRONIC HOF mini reverb
It is a high spec one sound reverb for an always on sound. You can download any on of dozens of the 'Hall of Fame' sounds and even edit them on your PC. I find when I go from the crazy sounds on the Neunaber Reverb on say a middle eight type bridge that when I go back to the amp's spring reverb it sounds too damn drastically dry and subtle.
I figure a nice small hall sound could transition the change and not be too drastic as an 'always on' sound.
.
VERTEX STEEL STRING Clean Drive
A simple concept that actually works.???
Vertex took a Dumble Steel String Stinger apart to see why this Dumble sounds like a Dumble.
First it is no secret that Dumble built his first basic amp from the schematics of several Fenders. He then added,changed and improved it over many years until he nailed it. Well Vertex added the bits that were missing...obvious in the preamp stage and tested it on the various Fender amps that the Dumble is based on.
They added a filter you can sweep the mids into whatever range needed to zero in on the part of the Dumble sound that is missing on the model of Fender you have. To over simplify you could buy a NEW Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb and by driving it with this pedal with a few tweaks of the 3 knobs on the Vertex you would instantly have a Dumble.
OK...it sounds too simple But I bought one. I plugged it into my amp which designed for the clean sound to sound like a Fender. I gave it a a few tweaks. Then tried it out.
I JUST COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EARS!!!
My clean sound came to life. The harmonic content of the sound became more detailed and there was a definite definition to every note. A keeper!!!
I do not push it hard so it just becomes part of my clean sound. what it does is very noticeable on a Tele right out of the box. Once your ears get tuned to it over a few weeks you can not turn it off no matter what PU is going thru it!!!
Think of it as a cure for amplifier acne. LOL
Tier 2 ...OD's/Treble Boosters/12 string FX
MOOER YELLOW COMP compressor
An optic compressor . A Diamond CP1 clone. Mooer got this one dead on right down to the nice treble boost. For those that hate compressors but love the sustain and fullness this can be the answer.
I find it sounds really good on clean sounds too. Mooers best pedal ...period! ...and I have owned most of them.
ANANASHEAD BYRD SOUND treble booster
A custom made reproduction of the Vox treble booster of 1966 that was discontinued when it was built into the Vox AC 30 amp. The originals go for $500.00 USD.
Tom Petty used one on his Ric 620 Fireglo.
Roger Mcguinn has his built right into his Rickenbacker.
I can team it up with my Digitech 12 string pedal and the Ric pickup in my Duo Sonic and get a damn good Byrds sound.
DIGITECH MOSAIC 12 string emulator effect
It turns your 6 string into a 12!!!
I love the Roger McGuinn Byrds sound...a treble booster pushing the Mosaic with the level on full and the tone at 9 o'clock ...and then a compressor going in to the booster and another compressor coming out just after the Mosaic.
Elaborate but this nails the McGuinn and the Tom Petty thing.
Surprisingly when pushed into a medium gain Marshall pedal you get a very useful Brian May/Queen type sound.
WAMPLER EGO Compressor
Yet another beefed up Ross style compressor. It is designed to be neutral almost invisible. It keeps your guitars tone intact and just gives you some fat sustain
It has too many bells and whistles so I found it an SOB to set up ...until I found a really easy answer. Brian Wampler does a video of it himself. I just froze the vid at a key spot and stole his settings. LOL.
I did not buy this for the Byrds compressor thing ...even having these pedals lined up in a row is just a coincidence. I only found out about McGuinns tone after I had these on the board.
BUT the 2 compressor thing actually works.
BEAR FOOT Model G
This does an impressive 50's, 60's type Gibson combo sound. It gives you a very clean transparent type sound for slashing chord work played in an aggressive and even fast rhythm. Nothing does this better...in fact nothing comes even close. It is in a league of it's own. One of the best low gain pedals ever!!!
SUPRO DRIVE
Analog modeling of a Supro Amp. This thing sounds great on single coils especially a Tele.
WARNING: It is not great on humbucking pickups.
OK I admit it...I run the above Sola Sound & Rangemaster clones into this with my Silvertone (made by Dano) with a Lipstick Tube P.U. and I get a Zep sound. My Tele thru it gives me another Zep sound.
You will not believe it... but I was NEVER a Zep fan. When they were hot I was listening to King Crimson.
In conclusion do not give this pedal a quick pass. It is quite an impressive OD in it's own right.
I for one ...passed over it thinking it was a company making pedals to cash in on a Retro fad. I could not have been more wrong!!!
If all you play is a Tele and only wanted one OD...this is it! A Tele to a Supro is like a Les Paul is to a Plexi. A guitar amp combination that are meant to be together,
No wonder the first 3 Zep albums were Page on a Tele with a small Supro amp.
GUYOTONE HDm5 Hot Drive Distotion
A ten year old design. Guyotone are the grandaddy of Japanese pedals.The pedal uses the standard FETS for it's basic 'voice' but puts in an OP AMP to let you add as much growl to the sound as you want.
Wide open it becomes a FUZZ. It sounds amazing on a Strat! Put it on the center PU and listen.
WOW this is so sweet!!! The Strat bell like sound is not destroyed as it often is on most OD's. If you put a hummie on it you get a quite usable sound but for hummies I can name a dozen better choices.
JHS AT @ (Angry Charlie)
This is the brown box red knob v.2 Angry Charlie with the addition of 2 more voices. besides the Marshall JTM 45 sound you get a 25 and 100 watt added to the 45 watt of the 'Charlie'.
It was in with my high gain pedals but I find it better in here for a vocal backups that need some aggression. It teams up with the Pal 800 a JCM 800 emulator.
The Pal doing riffs on bridges etc. that fall between the verses and chorus's.
LAWRENCE PETROSS LPD SIXTY8 Drive
A dead accurate '68 100 watt Plexi. A gem! A treat to play!!! Yes and with a Sola Sound/Rangemaster it covers the classic late 60's package nearly all Brit pro's used.
It lets anything you stack in front keep it's own character but it sweetens the sound with it's beautiful harmonics and overtones.
I have recently come to the conclusion that players for lack of a better term love Fusion. I will define it as Jazz Rock are more Rock Jazz. Well this is truly a Rock Jazz pedal. It has a great Marshall tone but it has that etheral quality that Fusion fans expect.
On it's own it has a trance like tone that is undefinable. Words just do not do this pedal justice.
The damn thing is simply magic! BUY ONE!!!
Go ahead pull out your flexible friend and get one now!
CELMO Pimento Sardine
So this French made pedal has been around for a few years but without promo it died Stateside. It has a nice cult following in Europe. It sounds like a beat up old stock All low end and mids PLEXI with a heavily under-powered transformer and nasty rectifier tube. The sound can best be described as grungy! The tone is nasty and thick. It is predicatably good with hummies but it works great with single coils as it supply's lots of low end. I use my Fender Duo Sonic with Duncan's 55 Tele hand-wound bridge PU. It has a limited sustain but is great for giant thick heavy chords. Damned if it isn't great fun to play in spite of a few major setbacks. I love it!!!
The bass player came up with punchy groove and after a few hours jamming we had the basis for a great tune. After that my opinion of it leapt up a notch or two.
Since then I amusing my DeArmond/Guild a poor man's Less Paul Custom... I just can't get enough of this pedal. The most fun you can possible have and still keep your clothes on.
MOOER RADAR speaker cab simulator
I bought this so I could create a Marshall stack for my OD's to go thru. in short it did not work out. BU
T! The Fender Twin Black Face sound is to die for so it is now part of my clean sound. It teams up with the Steel String Drive and NAILS the Dumble SSS sound!!! Perfect!
In fact there are a number of great sounds in it. The Vox AC30 ...should go good with my Tom Petty set up.
TC ELECTRONIC SENTRY smart gate
Not only a noise killer but the ultimate pedal to tighten your dirt sounds.
You set up the pedal and on some tunes you can tweek the Decay knob to tighten the sound to perfection!!!
It is hands down the best noise gate you can buy. I have and when I build my new board I will add a 3rd to my Fuzz loop. Right now I am using a ISP Decimator ...no contest the TC is better!
CUSTOM TONES ETHOS TWE-1 Train Wreck Express
This is quite literally the best shredder on the planet. A high gain OD with an endless range of programming any OD sound you want and then tweaking it to perfection. It has the natural sag of both a problem rectifier and an under powered transformer add to that amazing touch sensitivity. You can not only hear this from the pedal but feel it under your finger tips just like a real tube amp. Thrown in a choice of open back or a 2x12 cab or even a 4x12 and you have all the bases covered. The basic sound is very JTM45.
PedalPalFX PAL800 GOLD OVERDRIVE
This is the cousin to the PAL 800 JCM Emulator which is clone of the actual amp. It takes the licence
of the Gourmet amp boys that pumps up the original preamp with another preamp tube or as in the case of a pedal another transistor. It is a very good but predictable Brit sound.
Where it gets cool is like the Celmo Pimento it does the amp SAG thing. Not only that but it adds a 3 way switch to give you 3 levels of response of the effect. It not only sounds great you can affect a real overkill drama to your playing. A bit melodramatic but both fun and dead flash if used well.
My only beef is that all 3 of their killer pedals take up the same space as an average MXR size pedal and a mini pedal together.
On one hand it is fun to solo with but this is a medium gain pedals so you do not get that cool long sustain where you can lean into your amp for 'lift off'
KHDK Dark Blood Distortion
The object of this pedal was to cover Metallica's sound from the inception of the band to the present.
It's strongest asset is nailing the sound of the early decade of the band. The 'true' Modern Metal sound is covered but it is done leagues better by CKK's Desruction Drive.
Henning Eytsch the video reviewer openly claims to hate Metal pedals says he loves this one. WHY?
As he says "It's got TONE!!!" It has great tone!!! All else is forgiven!!! So buy both Metal pedals and you have the best Metal sound for any situation you need one
ALEKS K. PRODUCTION Red Scorpion Distortion
A hot rod Plexi ! Demolition with tone. I believe it is the very best shredder ever made for those that want to take the Marshall sound to the edge of metal but not go over it and loose that Marshall tone. Doing this is very subjective but for me this has got it nailed.The winning key is it's incredible full sound. It is just F-ing HUGE!!! It eats Friedman BE-OD's for breakfast for fullness and tone.
I only wish I could blend it's formula with that of the ETHOS TWE-1.
So like a mother's 2 children both are loved as much!!! LOL
PedalPalFX PAL 959 Plexi Emulator
This is so new the paints wet. Two years ago PetalPalFX did a dead on perfect JMC 800 Emulator that NAILED the sound of a real Marshall JCM 800. They have done it again. Neither are high gain pedals because the REAL AMP only did a very healthy medium gain. Players get fooled by the early recordings made with it because they included a Fuzz pushed thru it or in the classic cases you are hearing a Boss DS-1 Distortion as part of sound. I am talking about 'thee' sound. The sound that launched a total new era in what is consider the sound of a 'Rock' guitar.
If you want to capture that sound $50 or less will get you a used Boss DS-1 to stack on it!!!
LAWRENCE PETROSS LPD Don't Call Me Dirty
It is in many ways like Shirley too. LOL The big difference is that the LPD has absolutely rich and sumptuous overtones. It is the kind of pedal you can find yourself late at night jamming on for hours in your own private heaven. Definitely a life time keeper. You can never tire of it's exquisite tone.
MR. BROWN JDS-50 Overdrive
It is meant to nail Malcolm Young of AC/DC fame's sound. The sound of a Marshall 100 watt Super Lead Plexi. The amp in question is set with every knob on 4 (yes on 4) this is just before breakup.
the sound get's naturally heavily compressed by the amp's design but it is still CLEAN. The pedal does this dead on perfect!!!!
It also knocks off the Hendrix clean sound just as well!!!
How many times is your dirt sound too excessive and your clean too wimpy on a tune??? I will tell you . "TOO OFTEN TO COUNT !"
It works as a stellar clean boost. You can stack it before or even after another OD and it gives it a nice clear clean snap to the sound
This pedal is great work horse.
HOTONE XTOMP Mini
A digital pedal with a very high resolution. It has no sound of it's own? You go online and download
one of over 60 pedals. Want a good Reverb? an OD, maybe a Ibanez ts etc. Well what I wanted was a dead on Marshall 4x12 1960A cabinet to stack my many Marshall OD thru to complete the package.
Yes you can have your small open back single 12 combo amp sounding like a stack. How cool is that???
TC ELECTRONIC Sentry smart gate
Yes a much needed second one.
Another Ross clone. It comes with all the bells and whistles even some DIP switches inside.
If you like the MXR/Ross sound with the guts of it left in tack then this the pedal to go for.
You can tweak it for hours to suit your slant on it. What I like is this thing has punch and lots of sustain. If I want to push my Fuzz boxes beyond insanity I switch it on!!!
RAINGER Freakenstein Dwarf Bitch Fuzz
A gated Fuzz boosted and compressed to the extreme.It comes with a pressure pad that opens up the highs and the gain that works a bit like a wah. Very cool!!!
It sustains forever but when it stops ...it does so abruptly and then the pedal starts to crackle and pop like it has just had the circuit blown up and fried! Dead cool. It works best on single notes of intervals in the low register and it is best to work out I nice little riff or two that 'works' with it's unruly character.
You don't need one. It is a luxury buy ...but what great fun!!!
ANANASHEAD Super-Fuzz
A part for part new old stock replica of the UNIVOX Super-Fuzz. Unlike all other clones it has not been cleaned up. It splutters and crackles just like Townsend's did on the Live at Leads recording. I just love it. Hand made in Spain by Pedro Garcia...and only $90.00USD. A true steal. One day the new old stock will dry up. Get one while you can. It has a switch with it's 2 famous settings ...a low one with a deep growl and the high one with the octave overtone. I prefer the low one and like using a bit of my POG sub octave with it.
It's current offering just got a cosmetic update. The pedal is painted a nice orange and the logo is on a plaque posted on the end of the pedal.
I said ...get one while you still can!!!! lol Do it! ...why are you still just sitting there? Get one!
There is now a modded one offered. Same sound twice as fat. F.ing awesome ...your choice!
PedalPalFX PAL800 JCM Emulator
They quite simly took a schematic of the actual Marshall amp changed the tubes to transisters and with clever then refined and tuned the pedal to perfectly clone the sound to match the amp to perfection!!!
They utterly suceeded. My favourite pedal. Not my most used but where it fits in my song writing.
It raises the bar to what is possible with a dirt box to a whole new level!!!
FENDER/MOOER Micro EQ
A nice little 5 band EQ perfect for scooping or boosting some mids on the Fuzz pedals.
ELECTRO- HARMONIX Mini POG Octave Generator
The very best of all the octave pedals!!!
Compare it beside any make of octave pedal and in seconds you will be surprised at how real and organic it sounds.All others sound electronic.
The new EH Nano is supposed to sound the same.
BULL!!! Get this one ...already a classic. Bullet proof!!!
ISP DECIMATOR noise reduction
The very best single end noise gate money can buy... I set it for a hard gate. The tone of the signal is altered but in a really great way.
BUT...nothing beats the TC electronic Smart gate... I may yet buy a 3rd one.
An optic compressor . A Diamond CP1 clone. Mooer got this one dead on right down to the nice treble boost. For those that hate compressors but love the sustain and fullness this can be the answer.
I find it sounds really good on clean sounds too. Mooers best pedal ...period! ...and I have owned most of them.
ANANASHEAD BYRD SOUND treble booster
A custom made reproduction of the Vox treble booster of 1966 that was discontinued when it was built into the Vox AC 30 amp. The originals go for $500.00 USD.
Tom Petty used one on his Ric 620 Fireglo.
Roger Mcguinn has his built right into his Rickenbacker.
I can team it up with my Digitech 12 string pedal and the Ric pickup in my Duo Sonic and get a damn good Byrds sound.
DIGITECH MOSAIC 12 string emulator effect
It turns your 6 string into a 12!!!
I love the Roger McGuinn Byrds sound...a treble booster pushing the Mosaic with the level on full and the tone at 9 o'clock ...and then a compressor going in to the booster and another compressor coming out just after the Mosaic.
Elaborate but this nails the McGuinn and the Tom Petty thing.
Surprisingly when pushed into a medium gain Marshall pedal you get a very useful Brian May/Queen type sound.
WAMPLER EGO Compressor
Yet another beefed up Ross style compressor. It is designed to be neutral almost invisible. It keeps your guitars tone intact and just gives you some fat sustain
It has too many bells and whistles so I found it an SOB to set up ...until I found a really easy answer. Brian Wampler does a video of it himself. I just froze the vid at a key spot and stole his settings. LOL.
I did not buy this for the Byrds compressor thing ...even having these pedals lined up in a row is just a coincidence. I only found out about McGuinns tone after I had these on the board.
BUT the 2 compressor thing actually works.
BEAR FOOT Model G
This does an impressive 50's, 60's type Gibson combo sound. It gives you a very clean transparent type sound for slashing chord work played in an aggressive and even fast rhythm. Nothing does this better...in fact nothing comes even close. It is in a league of it's own. One of the best low gain pedals ever!!!
SUPRO DRIVE
Analog modeling of a Supro Amp. This thing sounds great on single coils especially a Tele.
WARNING: It is not great on humbucking pickups.
OK I admit it...I run the above Sola Sound & Rangemaster clones into this with my Silvertone (made by Dano) with a Lipstick Tube P.U. and I get a Zep sound. My Tele thru it gives me another Zep sound.
You will not believe it... but I was NEVER a Zep fan. When they were hot I was listening to King Crimson.
In conclusion do not give this pedal a quick pass. It is quite an impressive OD in it's own right.
I for one ...passed over it thinking it was a company making pedals to cash in on a Retro fad. I could not have been more wrong!!!
If all you play is a Tele and only wanted one OD...this is it! A Tele to a Supro is like a Les Paul is to a Plexi. A guitar amp combination that are meant to be together,
No wonder the first 3 Zep albums were Page on a Tele with a small Supro amp.
GUYOTONE HDm5 Hot Drive Distotion
A ten year old design. Guyotone are the grandaddy of Japanese pedals.The pedal uses the standard FETS for it's basic 'voice' but puts in an OP AMP to let you add as much growl to the sound as you want.
Wide open it becomes a FUZZ. It sounds amazing on a Strat! Put it on the center PU and listen.
WOW this is so sweet!!! The Strat bell like sound is not destroyed as it often is on most OD's. If you put a hummie on it you get a quite usable sound but for hummies I can name a dozen better choices.
JHS AT @ (Angry Charlie)
This is the brown box red knob v.2 Angry Charlie with the addition of 2 more voices. besides the Marshall JTM 45 sound you get a 25 and 100 watt added to the 45 watt of the 'Charlie'.
It was in with my high gain pedals but I find it better in here for a vocal backups that need some aggression. It teams up with the Pal 800 a JCM 800 emulator.
The Pal doing riffs on bridges etc. that fall between the verses and chorus's.
LAWRENCE PETROSS LPD SIXTY8 Drive
A dead accurate '68 100 watt Plexi. A gem! A treat to play!!! Yes and with a Sola Sound/Rangemaster it covers the classic late 60's package nearly all Brit pro's used.
It lets anything you stack in front keep it's own character but it sweetens the sound with it's beautiful harmonics and overtones.
I have recently come to the conclusion that players for lack of a better term love Fusion. I will define it as Jazz Rock are more Rock Jazz. Well this is truly a Rock Jazz pedal. It has a great Marshall tone but it has that etheral quality that Fusion fans expect.
On it's own it has a trance like tone that is undefinable. Words just do not do this pedal justice.
The damn thing is simply magic! BUY ONE!!!
Go ahead pull out your flexible friend and get one now!
CELMO Pimento Sardine
So this French made pedal has been around for a few years but without promo it died Stateside. It has a nice cult following in Europe. It sounds like a beat up old stock All low end and mids PLEXI with a heavily under-powered transformer and nasty rectifier tube. The sound can best be described as grungy! The tone is nasty and thick. It is predicatably good with hummies but it works great with single coils as it supply's lots of low end. I use my Fender Duo Sonic with Duncan's 55 Tele hand-wound bridge PU. It has a limited sustain but is great for giant thick heavy chords. Damned if it isn't great fun to play in spite of a few major setbacks. I love it!!!
The bass player came up with punchy groove and after a few hours jamming we had the basis for a great tune. After that my opinion of it leapt up a notch or two.
Since then I amusing my DeArmond/Guild a poor man's Less Paul Custom... I just can't get enough of this pedal. The most fun you can possible have and still keep your clothes on.
MOOER RADAR speaker cab simulator
I bought this so I could create a Marshall stack for my OD's to go thru. in short it did not work out. BU
T! The Fender Twin Black Face sound is to die for so it is now part of my clean sound. It teams up with the Steel String Drive and NAILS the Dumble SSS sound!!! Perfect!
In fact there are a number of great sounds in it. The Vox AC30 ...should go good with my Tom Petty set up.
TC ELECTRONIC SENTRY smart gate
Not only a noise killer but the ultimate pedal to tighten your dirt sounds.
You set up the pedal and on some tunes you can tweek the Decay knob to tighten the sound to perfection!!!
It is hands down the best noise gate you can buy. I have and when I build my new board I will add a 3rd to my Fuzz loop. Right now I am using a ISP Decimator ...no contest the TC is better!
 |
| YES AN ANTIQUE PIC ...IT IS HERE TO SHOW YOU THE ACTUAL BOARD. I WILL SOON START A COMPLETELY NEW ONE MADE MOSTLY OF ABS PIPE NOT WOOD. IN FACT IT WILL BE 2 BOARDS ...3/4 THIS SIZE. IT WILL APPEAR TO HAVE 3 TIERS. TIERS 2 AND 3 WILL HAVE ANOTHER TIER UNDER THEM WITH 'ALWAYS ON' AND PEDALS THAT ONLY NEED SWITCHING ON FOR SOME SONGS. TIERS WILL BE HINGED TO MAKE MINOR OR PERIODIC CHANGES TO THE PEDALS BELOW. DELAYS, MODULATION PEDALS AND REVERBS NEED CHANGES SUITABLE TO FIT IF NOTHING ELSE THE TEMPO OF THE SONG. THEY WILL BE ON TOP AND ON THE 1st TIER THAT WILL BE NO MORE THEN A THIN WOODEN BOARD ON THE FLOOR. IT WILL BE FASTENED UNDER THE FRAME.NOT ON IT LIKE THE OTHER TIERS. THIS SET UP WILL HOLD ABOUT 35 PEDALS ON EACH BOARD. . |
Tier 3... OD/Distortion
PIGTRONICS Philosophers Tone Micro Compressor
These guys have been around since the late 90's. Early in the new century they offered a new and very novel compressor. Until this came along the only choices were the MXR Dyna Comp wannabes. The 'Pig' was the first optic compressor. It has no pop to deal with and 3 times the sustain.of it's competitors. Optic comps do suck up highs so they put in a treble boost. They got everything right. the thing sounds great.. or should I say ...it doesn't sound like anything but your guitar. Very transparent! This is their new mini and it virtually sounds the same. There was a 2 month waiting list for them.
These guys have been around since the late 90's. Early in the new century they offered a new and very novel compressor. Until this came along the only choices were the MXR Dyna Comp wannabes. The 'Pig' was the first optic compressor. It has no pop to deal with and 3 times the sustain.of it's competitors. Optic comps do suck up highs so they put in a treble boost. They got everything right. the thing sounds great.. or should I say ...it doesn't sound like anything but your guitar. Very transparent! This is their new mini and it virtually sounds the same. There was a 2 month waiting list for them.
MENATONE The King
You can dial up any Marshall sound from the 60's thru to the 70's or take something from each and
create your own sound. Open up the pedal and there is a rotary knob to choose the era.All the controls not only work great but small movements will change the whole sound. At first at bit bewildering but it soon gets to be fun.. It is the Swiss army Knife Marshall. In the end I choose a 70's sound then tweaked it to rip your face off. LOL.
If you are a hobbist you could have a different sound every night to play with
DEAD COOL!!!
I have messed with it until I got a very HiWatt tone. BUT damned if old Brian Mena hasn't gone and done just that... he has brought out a HiWatt pedal. Sooo...I may soon be moving this out and replacing it with the HiWatt!
CKK Destruction Drive
This made in China gourmet Metal pedal is not only a bargain but the first serious 'Modern' Metal pedal as it does not even try to cover the big ol' Marshall earlier Metal type sounds. It gives you the modern sound of an amp with a preamp filled with an extra 12ax7 or two for massive gain going into an amp but an amp with with really high headroom. All the sustain is from the pre. There isn't any serious transformer compression. It give you endless smooth sustain. I love it for powerful long sustaining power chords that seem to last forever.
You can dial up any Marshall sound from the 60's thru to the 70's or take something from each and
create your own sound. Open up the pedal and there is a rotary knob to choose the era.All the controls not only work great but small movements will change the whole sound. At first at bit bewildering but it soon gets to be fun.. It is the Swiss army Knife Marshall. In the end I choose a 70's sound then tweaked it to rip your face off. LOL.
If you are a hobbist you could have a different sound every night to play with
DEAD COOL!!!
I have messed with it until I got a very HiWatt tone. BUT damned if old Brian Mena hasn't gone and done just that... he has brought out a HiWatt pedal. Sooo...I may soon be moving this out and replacing it with the HiWatt!
CKK Destruction Drive
This made in China gourmet Metal pedal is not only a bargain but the first serious 'Modern' Metal pedal as it does not even try to cover the big ol' Marshall earlier Metal type sounds. It gives you the modern sound of an amp with a preamp filled with an extra 12ax7 or two for massive gain going into an amp but an amp with with really high headroom. All the sustain is from the pre. There isn't any serious transformer compression. It give you endless smooth sustain. I love it for powerful long sustaining power chords that seem to last forever.
CUSTOM TONES ETHOS TWE-1 Train Wreck Express
This is quite literally the best shredder on the planet. A high gain OD with an endless range of programming any OD sound you want and then tweaking it to perfection. It has the natural sag of both a problem rectifier and an under powered transformer add to that amazing touch sensitivity. You can not only hear this from the pedal but feel it under your finger tips just like a real tube amp. Thrown in a choice of open back or a 2x12 cab or even a 4x12 and you have all the bases covered. The basic sound is very JTM45.
PedalPalFX PAL800 GOLD OVERDRIVE
This is the cousin to the PAL 800 JCM Emulator which is clone of the actual amp. It takes the licence
of the Gourmet amp boys that pumps up the original preamp with another preamp tube or as in the case of a pedal another transistor. It is a very good but predictable Brit sound.
Where it gets cool is like the Celmo Pimento it does the amp SAG thing. Not only that but it adds a 3 way switch to give you 3 levels of response of the effect. It not only sounds great you can affect a real overkill drama to your playing. A bit melodramatic but both fun and dead flash if used well.
My only beef is that all 3 of their killer pedals take up the same space as an average MXR size pedal and a mini pedal together.
On one hand it is fun to solo with but this is a medium gain pedals so you do not get that cool long sustain where you can lean into your amp for 'lift off'
KHDK Dark Blood Distortion
The object of this pedal was to cover Metallica's sound from the inception of the band to the present.
It's strongest asset is nailing the sound of the early decade of the band. The 'true' Modern Metal sound is covered but it is done leagues better by CKK's Desruction Drive.
Henning Eytsch the video reviewer openly claims to hate Metal pedals says he loves this one. WHY?
As he says "It's got TONE!!!" It has great tone!!! All else is forgiven!!! So buy both Metal pedals and you have the best Metal sound for any situation you need one
ALEKS K. PRODUCTION Red Scorpion Distortion
A hot rod Plexi ! Demolition with tone. I believe it is the very best shredder ever made for those that want to take the Marshall sound to the edge of metal but not go over it and loose that Marshall tone. Doing this is very subjective but for me this has got it nailed.The winning key is it's incredible full sound. It is just F-ing HUGE!!! It eats Friedman BE-OD's for breakfast for fullness and tone.
I only wish I could blend it's formula with that of the ETHOS TWE-1.
So like a mother's 2 children both are loved as much!!! LOL
PedalPalFX PAL 959 Plexi Emulator
This is so new the paints wet. Two years ago PetalPalFX did a dead on perfect JMC 800 Emulator that NAILED the sound of a real Marshall JCM 800. They have done it again. Neither are high gain pedals because the REAL AMP only did a very healthy medium gain. Players get fooled by the early recordings made with it because they included a Fuzz pushed thru it or in the classic cases you are hearing a Boss DS-1 Distortion as part of sound. I am talking about 'thee' sound. The sound that launched a total new era in what is consider the sound of a 'Rock' guitar.
If you want to capture that sound $50 or less will get you a used Boss DS-1 to stack on it!!!
LAWRENCE PETROSS LPD Don't Call Me Dirty
It is in many ways like Shirley too. LOL The big difference is that the LPD has absolutely rich and sumptuous overtones. It is the kind of pedal you can find yourself late at night jamming on for hours in your own private heaven. Definitely a life time keeper. You can never tire of it's exquisite tone.
MR. BROWN JDS-50 Overdrive
It is meant to nail Malcolm Young of AC/DC fame's sound. The sound of a Marshall 100 watt Super Lead Plexi. The amp in question is set with every knob on 4 (yes on 4) this is just before breakup.
the sound get's naturally heavily compressed by the amp's design but it is still CLEAN. The pedal does this dead on perfect!!!!
It also knocks off the Hendrix clean sound just as well!!!
How many times is your dirt sound too excessive and your clean too wimpy on a tune??? I will tell you . "TOO OFTEN TO COUNT !"
It works as a stellar clean boost. You can stack it before or even after another OD and it gives it a nice clear clean snap to the sound
This pedal is great work horse.
HOTONE XTOMP Mini
A digital pedal with a very high resolution. It has no sound of it's own? You go online and download
one of over 60 pedals. Want a good Reverb? an OD, maybe a Ibanez ts etc. Well what I wanted was a dead on Marshall 4x12 1960A cabinet to stack my many Marshall OD thru to complete the package.
Yes you can have your small open back single 12 combo amp sounding like a stack. How cool is that???
TC ELECTRONIC Sentry smart gate
Yes a much needed second one.
Tier 4 ...Fuzz & FX
FUZZ
XOTIC SP compressorAnother Ross clone. It comes with all the bells and whistles even some DIP switches inside.
If you like the MXR/Ross sound with the guts of it left in tack then this the pedal to go for.
You can tweak it for hours to suit your slant on it. What I like is this thing has punch and lots of sustain. If I want to push my Fuzz boxes beyond insanity I switch it on!!!
RAINGER Freakenstein Dwarf Bitch Fuzz
A gated Fuzz boosted and compressed to the extreme.It comes with a pressure pad that opens up the highs and the gain that works a bit like a wah. Very cool!!!
It sustains forever but when it stops ...it does so abruptly and then the pedal starts to crackle and pop like it has just had the circuit blown up and fried! Dead cool. It works best on single notes of intervals in the low register and it is best to work out I nice little riff or two that 'works' with it's unruly character.
You don't need one. It is a luxury buy ...but what great fun!!!
ANANASHEAD Super-Fuzz
A part for part new old stock replica of the UNIVOX Super-Fuzz. Unlike all other clones it has not been cleaned up. It splutters and crackles just like Townsend's did on the Live at Leads recording. I just love it. Hand made in Spain by Pedro Garcia...and only $90.00USD. A true steal. One day the new old stock will dry up. Get one while you can. It has a switch with it's 2 famous settings ...a low one with a deep growl and the high one with the octave overtone. I prefer the low one and like using a bit of my POG sub octave with it.
It's current offering just got a cosmetic update. The pedal is painted a nice orange and the logo is on a plaque posted on the end of the pedal.
I said ...get one while you still can!!!! lol Do it! ...why are you still just sitting there? Get one!
There is now a modded one offered. Same sound twice as fat. F.ing awesome ...your choice!
PedalPalFX PAL800 JCM Emulator
They quite simly took a schematic of the actual Marshall amp changed the tubes to transisters and with clever then refined and tuned the pedal to perfectly clone the sound to match the amp to perfection!!!
They utterly suceeded. My favourite pedal. Not my most used but where it fits in my song writing.
It raises the bar to what is possible with a dirt box to a whole new level!!!
FENDER/MOOER Micro EQ
A nice little 5 band EQ perfect for scooping or boosting some mids on the Fuzz pedals.
ELECTRO- HARMONIX Mini POG Octave Generator
The very best of all the octave pedals!!!
Compare it beside any make of octave pedal and in seconds you will be surprised at how real and organic it sounds.All others sound electronic.
The new EH Nano is supposed to sound the same.
BULL!!! Get this one ...already a classic. Bullet proof!!!
ISP DECIMATOR noise reduction
The very best single end noise gate money can buy... I set it for a hard gate. The tone of the signal is altered but in a really great way.
BUT...nothing beats the TC electronic Smart gate... I may yet buy a 3rd one.
FX
Ibanez Micro Chorus
it is virtually a clone of the famous CS-9. It is the only serious analog chorus in the mini format.
MODTONE MTM-FL Flanger
Modtone started as a small gourmet company making handmade pedals. They then teamed up with Belmont a Chinese manufacturer that seems to be firmly into making all sorts of dull but sturdy musical equipment for the small time Mom & Pop stores. Well that died and they went independent again.
Then ...Then I do not know what...LOL. I believe they are no more!!!
So the pedals about are what's left. So if you want one ...get rockin'.
The pedal really is a good sounding Flanger. Full sounding with glassy highs.
Definitely as good as most of the 'big' boys.
Hard to find & definitely overpriced but if you find one in a small Mom and Pop store
new old stock you could get one for $50.00 USD the original price.
MXR Phase 95 Mini Phaser
It does a good Phase 90 sound a passable Phase 45 and it does a pretty good Script impression.
I only use the Phase 90 sounds. The difference between this and a vintage original is totally negligible. You can not beat this pedal for value. A true pro sound for just under a hundred!
it is virtually a clone of the famous CS-9. It is the only serious analog chorus in the mini format.
MODTONE MTM-FL Flanger
Modtone started as a small gourmet company making handmade pedals. They then teamed up with Belmont a Chinese manufacturer that seems to be firmly into making all sorts of dull but sturdy musical equipment for the small time Mom & Pop stores. Well that died and they went independent again.
Then ...Then I do not know what...LOL. I believe they are no more!!!
So the pedals about are what's left. So if you want one ...get rockin'.
The pedal really is a good sounding Flanger. Full sounding with glassy highs.
Definitely as good as most of the 'big' boys.
Hard to find & definitely overpriced but if you find one in a small Mom and Pop store
new old stock you could get one for $50.00 USD the original price.
MXR Phase 95 Mini Phaser
It does a good Phase 90 sound a passable Phase 45 and it does a pretty good Script impression.
I only use the Phase 90 sounds. The difference between this and a vintage original is totally negligible. You can not beat this pedal for value. A true pro sound for just under a hundred!
EMPRESS EchoSystem
Quite simply state of the art as its more popular competitors that use tech that is over 5 years old and built using what is already very old technology. LOL
The digital to analog converters are stellar. The speed of the processor has taken the old light speed tech and moved it to instantaneous. LOL
Even the finish is a stunning 3 stage base/mica/clear coat. The knobs are metal ...not plastic.
The Empress does a take on the Strymon big hall. With the Strymon the sound is like standing at the entrance of the gates of heaven's entrance hall. The Empress sounds like your standing in the middle of that same hall. LOL
The thing that startled me when I played thru it is that it felt like I was listening to a beautifully produced CD and I was merely miming to prerecord parts. WOW...it just doesn't get better then that!!!
For the quality of sound ...the ease of programming and it's clever compact design it can not be beat
It is the very best of the very best.
FINAL NOTE: a lot of you guys watch THAT PEDAL SHOW ...since it started the Strymon Time Line was on the board. It is now the EMPRESS that sits on that spot.
Quite simply state of the art as its more popular competitors that use tech that is over 5 years old and built using what is already very old technology. LOL
The digital to analog converters are stellar. The speed of the processor has taken the old light speed tech and moved it to instantaneous. LOL
Even the finish is a stunning 3 stage base/mica/clear coat. The knobs are metal ...not plastic.
The Empress does a take on the Strymon big hall. With the Strymon the sound is like standing at the entrance of the gates of heaven's entrance hall. The Empress sounds like your standing in the middle of that same hall. LOL
The thing that startled me when I played thru it is that it felt like I was listening to a beautifully produced CD and I was merely miming to prerecord parts. WOW...it just doesn't get better then that!!!
For the quality of sound ...the ease of programming and it's clever compact design it can not be beat
It is the very best of the very best.
FINAL NOTE: a lot of you guys watch THAT PEDAL SHOW ...since it started the Strymon Time Line was on the board. It is now the EMPRESS that sits on that spot.
MIGHTY SOUND (made by Caline) M5 analog delay
This pedal was in a best of 5 delays run off. It deserved it too. Yet it is only $23.00...LOL
How did they do it. Well the best analog delay chip is made by Panasonic ...it is relatively cheap too.
Everyone uses that chip. So an over $200.00 pedal may have more then one of these chips but...the big deal is how a few bits and pieces of other hardware can sweeten up the sound. Get that right and you have a winner. All I need is a good sounding unit. Some clever American's designed the Mighty Sound pedals. The M5 is one they nailed. So why pay big money. What is more it sounds so good I can not see why I would ever change it.
I have it sitting right beside something that is 18 times more and this little pedal holds it's own!!!
I find that about a third of the time I want a delay I use this over the digital.
Must I remind you? It is only $23.00 USD
You could spend $200.00 and end up with nothing more then a sexy brand name slapped on it's box.
As noted it made by Caline but it was designed in the States for Cherry Music in China.
It occurred to me recently that the Mighty Sound M5 is the best bargain for any pedal of any kind on the planet. It sounds amazing ...it is well made ...it even looks totally pro and it is cheaper then dinner for 2 at McDonald's LOL ...do yourself a really big favour ...buy one!
NEUENABER Immerse Reverberator
What's not to like they took the most popular sounds of the Strymon Big Sky and the tech hardware ...chips etc. are actually better then the Strymon. Put it beside the Big Sky and it easily sounds as good.
The only luxury they put on it is they made it stereo ...yes true most players do not use stereo. But you do not want to find that you go into a stdio to lay down some tunes AND FIND YOU WILL NEED IT!!!
Just a B size pedal too.
In short half the price... and a sound to die for.
I LOVE IT!!!
MARSHALL ORIGIN 50-H AMPLIFIER
Ever since I sold my late 50's 50 watt PLEXI
I have been disappointed about the sound of every amp
I have owned. Some times not right away but eventually I had to admit I blew it!!!
Replacing it with an original is not realistic.
So along comes Marshall with a 50 watt PLEXI
'wanna-be'. How does it stack up. well I owned my original for 10 years or so. I know what a PLEXI
should sound like. I have had this amp for months now
and my mind is always filled with new gear. But as for amps I never think about them.
The best compliment I can give the ORIGIN 50 is I take it for granted! LOL
...a set of pine boards the Home Depot cut to length
...4 pine boards make the outer sides
...4 one inch wide and about and an eighth of an inch depth of pine door stop attaches to the edge of the inside.This increases the strength and makes the sides look an eight inch thicker and the one inch depth gave me something to but the inside baffle against.
...the baffle is not a conventional flat square board with a big round hole in it.( the hardware stores only cut straight cuts)
It is simply a frame ...a dead simple picture frame. If you look hard at top and bottom corners the very dark triangle shape it is thin air...you are actually looking into the cabinet. I sprayed the inside of the cab with flat black paint to keep it dark and with the outside of the frame etc. painted the same black it completes the illusion.
In short you end up with a smaller lighter cabinet to haul around.
The side handles are trunk handles ...the little L shaped brackets are meant to used to help hold together 2x4 framing lumber etc. used to frame homes, garages and sheds.
The cover for the speaker is from a company that makes hardware for home hobbyist making woofers to put in a car trunk...$12. These are identical to the Pro hardware ones but are a third the price. lol The conventional strap handle hidden by the amp are $3.00.
The handle is fastened in just the right spot to align and hold the amp in place. I nice touch as the amp
is a hair bigger then the top. It allows me a quick set up, perfect alignment and a bit of accident proofing all in one.
I used some regular carpenters glue and tapped in small straight type finishing nails.
The point is except for some spray paint (which you can do outdoors) everything can be put together in a typical apartment. You need a hammer...maybe a multi head or a couple of screw drivers.
I used a mitre saw and mitre box to do a few of my own smaller cuts...easier then getting some of the cuts for the inside pieces to work and a used old power drill...$15 that I got at a 'thrift store'
It cost me just a bit over $100.00. Plus the speaker. If you are very patient getting each little bit assembled carefully the cab can look quite pro.
As simple as it is it is quite strong and can the take normal banging about.
It does take a long time and I would do just a few hours a day or your patience and focus will vanish. ...LOL...you will rush..or take short cuts etc. give yourself a couple of weeks with 2 to 4 hours a session.
ADA GCS -2 GUITAR CABINET SIMULATOR
Well the package is great. A real PLEXI cheap and a classic sounding speaker that is in a small light cab to move around. But a PLEXI without a Marshal 1960A 4x12 cab is worse then a day without sunshine!!!
Enter a box that 'actually' fixes the problem. It is not 'just' a speaker simulator for recording.
This like a few others does that well. But putting at the end of your pedal chain before going out to your amp WORKS ...I have owned and tried others. THEY ALL SUCKED BIG TIME. The secret is this box is ALL ANALOG the others are digital.
KILLER!!!
How did they do it. Well the best analog delay chip is made by Panasonic ...it is relatively cheap too.
Everyone uses that chip. So an over $200.00 pedal may have more then one of these chips but...the big deal is how a few bits and pieces of other hardware can sweeten up the sound. Get that right and you have a winner. All I need is a good sounding unit. Some clever American's designed the Mighty Sound pedals. The M5 is one they nailed. So why pay big money. What is more it sounds so good I can not see why I would ever change it.
I have it sitting right beside something that is 18 times more and this little pedal holds it's own!!!
I find that about a third of the time I want a delay I use this over the digital.
Must I remind you? It is only $23.00 USD
You could spend $200.00 and end up with nothing more then a sexy brand name slapped on it's box.
As noted it made by Caline but it was designed in the States for Cherry Music in China.
It occurred to me recently that the Mighty Sound M5 is the best bargain for any pedal of any kind on the planet. It sounds amazing ...it is well made ...it even looks totally pro and it is cheaper then dinner for 2 at McDonald's LOL ...do yourself a really big favour ...buy one!
NEUENABER Immerse Reverberator
What's not to like they took the most popular sounds of the Strymon Big Sky and the tech hardware ...chips etc. are actually better then the Strymon. Put it beside the Big Sky and it easily sounds as good.
The only luxury they put on it is they made it stereo ...yes true most players do not use stereo. But you do not want to find that you go into a stdio to lay down some tunes AND FIND YOU WILL NEED IT!!!
Just a B size pedal too.
In short half the price... and a sound to die for.
I LOVE IT!!!
MARSHALL ORIGIN 50-H AMPLIFIER
Ever since I sold my late 50's 50 watt PLEXII have been disappointed about the sound of every amp
I have owned. Some times not right away but eventually I had to admit I blew it!!!
Replacing it with an original is not realistic.
So along comes Marshall with a 50 watt PLEXI
'wanna-be'. How does it stack up. well I owned my original for 10 years or so. I know what a PLEXI
should sound like. I have had this amp for months now
and my mind is always filled with new gear. But as for amps I never think about them.
The best compliment I can give the ORIGIN 50 is I take it for granted! LOL
CELESTION NEO CREAMBACK vs. VINTAGE 30
I wanted a classic Celestion vintage sound which is the Vintage 30. I also wanted at least 50 watts (this is 60 watts) as the amp is already twice that ...for both weight, size and tone nothing can touch this.DIY CAB WITH CELESTION NEO CREAMBACK
I designed a KIT. Think of it as an Ikea guitar cab. LOL...a set of pine boards the Home Depot cut to length
...4 pine boards make the outer sides
...4 one inch wide and about and an eighth of an inch depth of pine door stop attaches to the edge of the inside.This increases the strength and makes the sides look an eight inch thicker and the one inch depth gave me something to but the inside baffle against.
...the baffle is not a conventional flat square board with a big round hole in it.( the hardware stores only cut straight cuts)
It is simply a frame ...a dead simple picture frame. If you look hard at top and bottom corners the very dark triangle shape it is thin air...you are actually looking into the cabinet. I sprayed the inside of the cab with flat black paint to keep it dark and with the outside of the frame etc. painted the same black it completes the illusion.
Note:
The open space in the front does not hurt the sound. It is an open back cabinet just like even some gourmet cabs. A sealed cab uses the back pressure to tune and boost the sound. An open back cabinet makes virtually the same sound as no cabinet at all. It only serves to keep the speaker protected and to direct the sound forward. A closed back can add a little punch but it is directional. If you are not in front of it...bad news. Drummers love them too. They can hear the sound out the sides. On small stages they are heaven as you can easily hear them anywhere. It is much easier to keep your volume levels balanced with the band but still right for you. They are much lighter because they use less wood then closed backs. Closed backs need more space for tuning it and the extra wood for the back.In short you end up with a smaller lighter cabinet to haul around.
The side handles are trunk handles ...the little L shaped brackets are meant to used to help hold together 2x4 framing lumber etc. used to frame homes, garages and sheds.
The cover for the speaker is from a company that makes hardware for home hobbyist making woofers to put in a car trunk...$12. These are identical to the Pro hardware ones but are a third the price. lol The conventional strap handle hidden by the amp are $3.00.
The handle is fastened in just the right spot to align and hold the amp in place. I nice touch as the amp
is a hair bigger then the top. It allows me a quick set up, perfect alignment and a bit of accident proofing all in one.
I used some regular carpenters glue and tapped in small straight type finishing nails.
The point is except for some spray paint (which you can do outdoors) everything can be put together in a typical apartment. You need a hammer...maybe a multi head or a couple of screw drivers.
I used a mitre saw and mitre box to do a few of my own smaller cuts...easier then getting some of the cuts for the inside pieces to work and a used old power drill...$15 that I got at a 'thrift store'
It cost me just a bit over $100.00. Plus the speaker. If you are very patient getting each little bit assembled carefully the cab can look quite pro.
As simple as it is it is quite strong and can the take normal banging about.
It does take a long time and I would do just a few hours a day or your patience and focus will vanish. ...LOL...you will rush..or take short cuts etc. give yourself a couple of weeks with 2 to 4 hours a session.
ADA GCS -2 GUITAR CABINET SIMULATOR
Well the package is great. A real PLEXI cheap and a classic sounding speaker that is in a small light cab to move around. But a PLEXI without a Marshal 1960A 4x12 cab is worse then a day without sunshine!!!Enter a box that 'actually' fixes the problem. It is not 'just' a speaker simulator for recording.
This like a few others does that well. But putting at the end of your pedal chain before going out to your amp WORKS ...I have owned and tried others. THEY ALL SUCKED BIG TIME. The secret is this box is ALL ANALOG the others are digital.
KILLER!!!
WILL I CHANGE OUT OR ADD A PEDAL
SKS Musiwewe Orange Overdrive
So a small Plexiglas box made in China that sells for $40.00 USD but was designed in Australia and given a silly name. But it is a well made well above average Plexi.
It has a very rich sound and enough gain to push it from a usable mild low gain drive up to a high gain drive. It's best tonal range definitely in it's medium gain area.
Yes of course the 'novelty' value of it grabbed me right off. But the versatility and actual tone knocked me over. A good thing too because if I wasn't I soon would have been when I read the price, lol
Well I recently got the pedal it exceeded my expectations. In short
this easily equal to hundreds of full priced OD'd.
Right now I have it teamed up with my practice amp. It is such an 'everymans'
Marshall it does a nice job any tune I am working on,
BARONI LAB GD Germanium & DG Island
The GD is the latest one. Baroni Lab has put all their pedals into the industry standard cast metal boxes they also put their ancient Island pedal in one but renamed it. If you get one now a few stores are blowing out the old very cheap or you may find a used one since there are lots out there.
So a small Plexiglas box made in China that sells for $40.00 USD but was designed in Australia and given a silly name. But it is a well made well above average Plexi.It has a very rich sound and enough gain to push it from a usable mild low gain drive up to a high gain drive. It's best tonal range definitely in it's medium gain area.
Yes of course the 'novelty' value of it grabbed me right off. But the versatility and actual tone knocked me over. A good thing too because if I wasn't I soon would have been when I read the price, lol
Well I recently got the pedal it exceeded my expectations. In short
this easily equal to hundreds of full priced OD'd.
Right now I have it teamed up with my practice amp. It is such an 'everymans'
Marshall it does a nice job any tune I am working on,
BARONI LAB GD Germanium & DG Island
The GD is the latest one. Baroni Lab has put all their pedals into the industry standard cast metal boxes they also put their ancient Island pedal in one but renamed it. If you get one now a few stores are blowing out the old very cheap or you may find a used one since there are lots out there.
The usual OD uses FET transistors but this has a pair of matched antique 50's type germanium ones in itso you get that Hendrix sounding massive but very rude sound but in a modern OD design. It borders on a high gain FET pedal but a Fuzz at the same time.
Bottom line a very organic sounding Metal pedal. Fat? Damn right!!!
On the first day I had it I ended up writing a great Metal tune with it.
I have no room on my board for it so it's sitting on the floor. LOL
On the first day I had it I ended up writing a great Metal tune with it.
I have no room on my board for it so it's sitting on the floor. LOL
SINE EFFECT ELECTRONICS Disphoria
If you are a big Strat fan I bet you wished that like a few of the better
low gain pedals that never mess with that chime like near chorus like sound could come thru on a high gain pedal???
It can ...it does and your looking at it >>>>
KILLER PEDAL!!!
ART TPatch Patch Bay
Nothing earth shattering but necessary. It has all the bells and whistles of a good patch bay. You have normal, half normal balanced or not etc.
I have just bought 2. Simple ...I am making a replacement for the Extra Jumbo Large with new smaller but Twin Pedal Boards ...and I need to attach the audio-path together. A patch bay is neat, tidy and practical. It is meant to take pulling out the linking cables thousands of times without f.ing up,
They are well made and very small ...about the size of a 2 standard standard B size pedals like
2 MXR Phase 90 sitting beside each other. The PB's allow me to place either board in front or beside me or even one a few feet away if necessary
I was surprised to find they were only $40.00 USD each. They have 16 input/output jacks ...it cost more to buy 4 good jacks & then you need a Hammond style box to build them in.
COMING OR GOING ???
If you are a big Strat fan I bet you wished that like a few of the better
low gain pedals that never mess with that chime like near chorus like sound could come thru on a high gain pedal???
It can ...it does and your looking at it >>>>
KILLER PEDAL!!!
Handmade in Glasgow Scotland with quality parts and build!
the clincher is it is only $125.00 USD!!!!
you read right :-)
ART TPatch Patch Bay
Nothing earth shattering but necessary. It has all the bells and whistles of a good patch bay. You have normal, half normal balanced or not etc.I have just bought 2. Simple ...I am making a replacement for the Extra Jumbo Large with new smaller but Twin Pedal Boards ...and I need to attach the audio-path together. A patch bay is neat, tidy and practical. It is meant to take pulling out the linking cables thousands of times without f.ing up,
They are well made and very small ...about the size of a 2 standard standard B size pedals like
2 MXR Phase 90 sitting beside each other. The PB's allow me to place either board in front or beside me or even one a few feet away if necessary
I was surprised to find they were only $40.00 USD each. They have 16 input/output jacks ...it cost more to buy 4 good jacks & then you need a Hammond style box to build them in.
COMING OR GOING ???
On a final note I must admit I have run out of room on my board and some pedals are stored and others are on the floor. I have finalized the design of a pair of new pedal boards. Two ... 31'x21" each
with 3 tiers open and a 4th under the third one for always on or pedals that never need a knob adjusted. I can hold about 30 pedals in each yet they have a smaller foot print and are much lighter.
I have ruthlessly edited out 14 pedals that I find I do not use. Nothing wrong with them but my writing has settled down to basically 3 overall approaches after writing 10 songs with a goal of 20.
I realistically will expand my approach within the parameters of the first 10. I tend to rite primarily with medium gain pedals with all else blended and contrasting with that in the same song. Like a Byrds style verse with a Metal chorus etc.
I do a lot of medium gain verses,chorus bridge things. Several Metal anthem like things ...mostly on a chorus. Last ...a few things in a finger style with a Tom Petty/ Roger Mcguinn (Byrds) Vox/treble booster sound. As I said all my approaches act as contrasts in a single song.
I not only like this approach but it gives me a recognizable style.
Some pedals just do not knock it out of the park . I have 21 ...yes 21 OD's on my board! A couple of those are borderline. The Sine Effect may either replace 3 but I may find stacking with those 3 sounds best. I do not and never will sound like Hendrix but my approach to moving between chords single note lines and ornamental arpeggio's in a single song has got damn similar. I think I have morphed into this over the last year as it works so damn well in a trio. I always played in 5 piece bands and always with a keyboard player armed with several synths.
You do that for years and years and you do not play like you do in a trio. I do not miss the 5 piece. LOL ....I love doing the trio!
with 3 tiers open and a 4th under the third one for always on or pedals that never need a knob adjusted. I can hold about 30 pedals in each yet they have a smaller foot print and are much lighter.
I have ruthlessly edited out 14 pedals that I find I do not use. Nothing wrong with them but my writing has settled down to basically 3 overall approaches after writing 10 songs with a goal of 20.
I realistically will expand my approach within the parameters of the first 10. I tend to rite primarily with medium gain pedals with all else blended and contrasting with that in the same song. Like a Byrds style verse with a Metal chorus etc.
I do a lot of medium gain verses,chorus bridge things. Several Metal anthem like things ...mostly on a chorus. Last ...a few things in a finger style with a Tom Petty/ Roger Mcguinn (Byrds) Vox/treble booster sound. As I said all my approaches act as contrasts in a single song.
I not only like this approach but it gives me a recognizable style.
Some pedals just do not knock it out of the park . I have 21 ...yes 21 OD's on my board! A couple of those are borderline. The Sine Effect may either replace 3 but I may find stacking with those 3 sounds best. I do not and never will sound like Hendrix but my approach to moving between chords single note lines and ornamental arpeggio's in a single song has got damn similar. I think I have morphed into this over the last year as it works so damn well in a trio. I always played in 5 piece bands and always with a keyboard player armed with several synths.
You do that for years and years and you do not play like you do in a trio. I do not miss the 5 piece. LOL ....I love doing the trio!
THE GUITARS
Like my board for practical reasons I have decided 6 is enough. Room on stage itself is a problem.
Fortunately I only will need about 18"x10" for my amp. Being a 3 piece is a bonus too.
So I have 8 guitars. Two have got o go. Which will be decided by my writing. With 10 tunes done that could be soon.
All but my PRS have pickup changes. Some pedals work amazing with some guitars or pickups where others work better with other combinations.
As for pickups...I have a PAF, Soap Bar, Gold Foil, Strat, Tele, Ric and even a late 50's Magnatone to choose from.
(the only classic's missing is a Gretsch and a lipstick Tube).
To me coil taps etc. are a terrible compromise. If I want a single coil I am going to have one. Better still the 'right' one for the tune.
Having a variety of different guitars with different PU's, woods, neck lengths and shapes all leads to inspiring me and challenging me to play better.
Fortunately I only will need about 18"x10" for my amp. Being a 3 piece is a bonus too.
So I have 8 guitars. Two have got o go. Which will be decided by my writing. With 10 tunes done that could be soon.
All but my PRS have pickup changes. Some pedals work amazing with some guitars or pickups where others work better with other combinations.
As for pickups...I have a PAF, Soap Bar, Gold Foil, Strat, Tele, Ric and even a late 50's Magnatone to choose from.
(the only classic's missing is a Gretsch and a lipstick Tube).
To me coil taps etc. are a terrible compromise. If I want a single coil I am going to have one. Better still the 'right' one for the tune.
Having a variety of different guitars with different PU's, woods, neck lengths and shapes all leads to inspiring me and challenging me to play better.
FENDER CUSTOM SHOP STRAT (2006)
Back in 2006 one could phone Fender and get both info and many choices of a Strat...you could pick out the neck ...the colour etc. 'Custom' meant custom. Now if you like everything but the colour you can not even choose that.The price is now up by about $4200.00 USD. OUCH!!!!!
It now has a drop in Duncan Little 59. It is a nano hummie voiced to sound like a PAF.
I have owned 3 Strats over the years and always hated the bridge pickup. The Little 59 sounds great and it just drops in so I can return it back to stock.
(This is a recording only guitar. It is too prone to theft at gigs)
LES PAUL SPECIAL 59 reissue.
I dropped a real PAF in the bridge. A Duncan 'Pearly Gates' a pickup that is mildly overwound and has the fattest mids of any PAF. Sound wise it probably my best guitar. I left the Soapbar in the neck. I am not fond of them. They are very harsh. But since it now goes thru my new Plexi I have changed my mind. The damn pickup sounds great !!!
This is my best sounding guitar.
( It is joining my Strat as a recording only guitar)
NOTE: Both the Strat and LP are bragging rights guitars.
My other guitars sound as good or better. So do not get conned. Nice guitars to have BUT ya do not need one!!!
Anyhow money wise I could not really justify even this guitar . So I just kept checking Reverb and made silly lowball half price offers ...then after doing this forever one to my amazement came thru.
This vid gives you a really good idea of the basic
similarity of the sound.
Keep in mind that any 3 LP's will sound as different or the same as these 2 guitars.
In short if you had 10 LP's one would sound identical to the PRS.
This is my best sounding guitar.
( It is joining my Strat as a recording only guitar)
NOTE: Both the Strat and LP are bragging rights guitars.
My other guitars sound as good or better. So do not get conned. Nice guitars to have BUT ya do not need one!!!
PRS SE 245
I really wanted a Les Paul Standard but I could not justify it. Like you I obviously love electric guitars so for personal enjoyment I follow a few video reviewers. The general consensus is they too just can't get over over the vibe of Gibson. Many of the best players in the 60's and 70's were playing an LP when these reviewers were learning from their records. Even so the general agreement is that Paul Reed Smith's ...PRS is much better designed and built guitar. So I have been persuaded to get my LP 'fix' from the PRS single cutaway LP wanna be. LOL If I can not have a 59 LP in cherry sunburst then the PRS is a no-brainer.
Unlike many LP 'wanna-bees' the 245 has a maple cap over the mahogany body. It is however patterned off of a 70's LP not the thicker 50's. The neck is however the correct classic medium C shaped mahogany. Most other guitars have an all mahogany body and a D profile mape neck.
The PU's are PAF style with a very full open sound and a medium high output. Just a tiny bit overwound. Many of the wanna be's sacrifice good tone by overwinding the pickup for an in your face Metal like sound. Even the cheaper Gibson LP's do this same 'cheat' on the body and neck. The maple on their top is a paper thin veneer. The wrap around bridge is a minor cheat to the LP Std. It was however used on the Special and the Jr. It has a lot more sustain then the Tune-o-matic. The down side is if you use a extra light or odd or heavy gauge strings the intonation can be a hair off. The PRS is optimized for 009 and 010 strings.
One very important feature or all PRS guitars is that the wood is kiln dried down to 4% The same moisture content of a '59 LP! Gibson air dries to 20% moisture, It takes decades to dry out to 4%.
First it stabilizes the wood so there is no shrinkage but most important it affects the tone big time!!!
How would it stack up against a 59? It is slightly fatter and rawer sounding in tone and a lot more open.
The LP is tighter and sweeter. It's 'family resemblance is quite good you can hear it's heritage.
It is slightly more expensive than a MIM Fender or a Chinese Epiphone. The difference in quality rivals
the American made instruments so when it comes to tone and fit and finish ...the PRS is a steal!!!
The PU's are PAF style with a very full open sound and a medium high output. Just a tiny bit overwound. Many of the wanna be's sacrifice good tone by overwinding the pickup for an in your face Metal like sound. Even the cheaper Gibson LP's do this same 'cheat' on the body and neck. The maple on their top is a paper thin veneer. The wrap around bridge is a minor cheat to the LP Std. It was however used on the Special and the Jr. It has a lot more sustain then the Tune-o-matic. The down side is if you use a extra light or odd or heavy gauge strings the intonation can be a hair off. The PRS is optimized for 009 and 010 strings.
One very important feature or all PRS guitars is that the wood is kiln dried down to 4% The same moisture content of a '59 LP! Gibson air dries to 20% moisture, It takes decades to dry out to 4%.
First it stabilizes the wood so there is no shrinkage but most important it affects the tone big time!!!
How would it stack up against a 59? It is slightly fatter and rawer sounding in tone and a lot more open.
The LP is tighter and sweeter. It's 'family resemblance is quite good you can hear it's heritage.
It is slightly more expensive than a MIM Fender or a Chinese Epiphone. The difference in quality rivals
the American made instruments so when it comes to tone and fit and finish ...the PRS is a steal!!!
Anyhow money wise I could not really justify even this guitar . So I just kept checking Reverb and made silly lowball half price offers ...then after doing this forever one to my amazement came thru.
This vid gives you a really good idea of the basic
similarity of the sound.
Keep in mind that any 3 LP's will sound as different or the same as these 2 guitars.
In short if you had 10 LP's one would sound identical to the PRS.
Also keep in mine it is all about the correct wood & PU's. Science not Voodoo!
FENDER DUO-SONIC
Ever since having my '66 Mustang and Music Master stolen I have wanted a replacement.After checking out the new Duo-Sonic and finding the workmanship flawless I new I had found one. The bridge is probably technically a bit cheaper alloy then an American grade model but the difference in sound I doubt is measurable by ear after all it is not an after market high tech model used in either. The same goes for the tuners. In short to say they are both serviceable is an understatement. As for the electronics and PU's I simply gutted the whole thing pick guard and all.
Awhile back after hearing a few hundred pedal reviews using a Tele I wanted one to try out. I bought a cheap and cheesey Chinese fake. It was crap but I found i did like the basic Tele sound. I sold it and made $50.00 profit so it all worked out fine.
So putting a Tele bridge PU in the Duo was a given. I also always wanted a Rickenbacker 620 so it was a given for a Ric high gain (Townsend) PU.
It has worked out well and covers a few bases in style!
.
I got a Duncan hand wound '55 (made by their custom shop) pricey and it took 3 months to get. I got the Ric PU straight from Ric...handmade scatterwound on the original machine and believe it or not by the same lady who did the first'66 for Townsend. In her 80's now. LOL
A new pickguard had to be cut to accommodate the PU's. I went with a nice tortoiseshell jobbie. I had seen a guy in a wedding band with a 50's P. bass with that same in Capri orange.Total retro look. I love it!!! I even use a red guitar strap that matches the knobs. Childish but it really all looks cool. My 'fans' love it. Unlike us creative types they are not so conservative in their tastes.
 |
| FENDER DUO SONIC RICKEN-CASTER |
The guitar plays great! It sounds awesome!!! With the alder body and maple neck the difference and it and a real Tele is ironically minimal. Plus I have edge of a stellar PU.
Townsend put his Ric thru a Plexi stack and it sounded great. I am amazed how the Ric PU which was designed for him in '66 has been overlooked. It sounds amazing clean or dirty and putting one in a lot of guitars neck position is ideal. This guitar has really come to life with my Plexi.
The guy that works on my guitars does restoration work for international alumni like Pink Floyd.
He loves what he does and cares big time about small attention to detail. Even updates are carefully selected with not just the best new parts but wherever possible he finds parts that look period correct.
In short the look is as important as the workmanship. Hence my guitar looks like it could have been factory made the way it now is. Not CHEAP! But worth every pennyA little artistic licence... I got these...I saw a 40's bass guitar with red knobs and it looked dead cool ...and only $10 a pair.
SILVERTONE 1449
'63 reissue
This guitar was sold by Sears in 63. It was very popular and started hundreds of players with their first guitar.
Surprise ...surprise it was made by Dano.
They just modded their '63 Hodad
They changed the headstock and the pickguard & slapped on the Silvertone moniker!
Samick kept the Silvertone name and now do the Dano styled 1449.
they guitar is solid mahogany with a modern Metal type neck. It has a heavier bridge with Fender bent steel saddles.
Samick have been around over 50 years and their main product has been piano's later they added guitars. many are OEM and are made for other brands. Their main plant is in Indonesia.
The specs say a mahogany body (more of a center block claims my tech but wide enough to sub.) It also has a mahogany neck with a Gibson scale 24 3/4".
It has a center block so it is not hollow like a Dano but semi hollow like a Gretsch or Gibson 335.
I once again dropped in a Duncan PAF. The guitar now sounds a lot like a Gibson SG.
I had the a Gretsch PU cover put over the PAF and a chrome bezel put around it. It looks factory. My guitar guy is all into trying to match the vibe of the look of a guitar if hot rodded. It paid off big time.
I had the a Gretsch PU cover put over the PAF and a chrome bezel put around it. It looks factory. My guitar guy is all into trying to match the vibe of the look of a guitar if hot rodded. It paid off big time.
I recently had a Q 64 Strat PU put in the neck position. It's wound to nail the Hendrix PU.
With the hummie I can get a really decent AC/DC tone out of it too. I recently got the Mr. Black
JDS-50 pedal that was designed to nail Malcolm Young's tone.
The stacked vol/tone chrome knobs is a nice touch. The bridge is much heavier then the Dano Hodad and uses the 50's Fender saddles. The fit and finish is far superior to other guitars in this price range
.
Unfortunately Samick feel their customer is an older American who remembers this guitar when they were younger and were toying with idea of getting one to take up learning to play etc. The bottom line is this guitar is not available outside the U.S.
Note:
...I use all of my guitars live. Needless to say taking all of them is a hassle, then add to that trying to keep them from the bumps and scrapes compounds the problems ...a bang on my Custom Shop Strat would knock off a couple of hundred on re-sale ...worse yet the Strat is a prime candidate for theft. So for now it is in semi retirement.
I have only been using my Strat on a couple of tunes ...but I love the sound ...especially the sound of the neck PU. I use the Silvertone on a couple of tunes but I only use the Duncan bridge PAF PU and I have not found a tune that benefits from the Lipstick Tube. So I am going to pop it out and put in a hand-wound 64/65 Strat PU in it's place.
This is the PU you hear on the Hendrix recordings.
I scoured the world and in Germany I found nickel plated open faced PU cover to better marry this to the guitars ascetics.
A 50's Gretsch PU cover over the PAF completes the
illusion.
So...ironic a guitar that looks 50's is voiced 60's but is modded to work well in the present. LOL
JDS-50 pedal that was designed to nail Malcolm Young's tone.
Between the two PU's I get the two most iconic sounds heard during the late 60's and early 70's.
The stacked vol/tone chrome knobs is a nice touch. The bridge is much heavier then the Dano Hodad and uses the 50's Fender saddles. The fit and finish is far superior to other guitars in this price range
.
Unfortunately Samick feel their customer is an older American who remembers this guitar when they were younger and were toying with idea of getting one to take up learning to play etc. The bottom line is this guitar is not available outside the U.S.
Note:
...I use all of my guitars live. Needless to say taking all of them is a hassle, then add to that trying to keep them from the bumps and scrapes compounds the problems ...a bang on my Custom Shop Strat would knock off a couple of hundred on re-sale ...worse yet the Strat is a prime candidate for theft. So for now it is in semi retirement.
I have only been using my Strat on a couple of tunes ...but I love the sound ...especially the sound of the neck PU. I use the Silvertone on a couple of tunes but I only use the Duncan bridge PAF PU and I have not found a tune that benefits from the Lipstick Tube. So I am going to pop it out and put in a hand-wound 64/65 Strat PU in it's place.This is the PU you hear on the Hendrix recordings.
I scoured the world and in Germany I found nickel plated open faced PU cover to better marry this to the guitars ascetics.A 50's Gretsch PU cover over the PAF completes the
illusion.
So...ironic a guitar that looks 50's is voiced 60's but is modded to work well in the present. LOL
AIRLINE H44 DLX
Made by Eastwood this is actually a repro of a 1954 Harmony H88 Stratotone Doublet
Note the upper bout on the airline is the same size as the Les Paul. The rear bout of the Airline is the 3/4 the size of that on the Les Paul. This is a very small guitar. The body is solid ash with a set maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The original pickups were DeArmond Hershey Bar single coils. A repro of these do not exist. Eastwood put in mini Hummies? I replaced the neck PU with a Harmony Gold Foil which came in the 58 Stratotone. These are still available.On it's own I am not impresed but with a Vox 608 treble booster this thing is stellar!!!
The bridge PU is a Duncan PAF. It has a period correct Rickenbacher PU cover that I feel blends with the retro look better. The rosewood bridge is correct. But it will not accurately intonate the guitar and it sucks up the sustain. I replaced it with a 64 Mustang. Like all Fender bridges since the 50's Tele it is made of a flat piece of metal bent into shape. So it keeps with the ascetic of this guitar .I changed the switch tip to a top hat and the knobs to Harmony cup cakes. As these are correct to the 54. It weighs one ounce more then a 59 LP.
The small size makes the guitar balance beautifully. It puts the chords near the nut right under your hand without moving your arm. A treat to play.
Faults? Yes. The neck is enormously fat..playable but it takes time getting comfortable with it. One bonus is that fat necks create more sustain so this has a longer sustain then my Gibson.
The old style frets are small. If you have a heavy right hand you will ruin the tone.
How does it sound? So close to an average LP as to be indistinguishable.
The gold foil is a killer sounding PU especially when I boost it with a Vox V-806 treble booster clone.
The Ananashead BYRD SONG. It is my favourite guitar. The damn thing has a charisma...without even thinking about it you just want to pick it up. LOL And the yellow? As they say in Brit."the punters love it!"
GODIN RADIATOR
There was market for Retro guitar in their arsenal. Rather then start from scratch they decided to use a very little known 50's guitar as the template. The Megatone MKIII.
They have been discontinued for a few years now.
But occasionally one comes up for about $300.00 USD
So I scooped up a black one with a maple neck recently. A very fast neck!!!!
Except that Ibanez uses a 25 1/2 " Fender scale it is otherwise similar.
There are 2 notable important exceptions.
It uses a Gibson 24 3/4 scale with a shallow D profile.
The fit and finish rival the very best American made Fenders!
The pickups have there own sound ...single coils with a sound very much like a 'Toaster' Ric PU a sound as fat as a hummy and with a really nice sparkle in the highs.
The neck pickup clean is just beautiful for busy acoustic guitar style chord work ...arpeggios ...finger picking...and it has great dynamics. It works well with my Vox 806 treble booster clone and my Digitech Mosaic 12 string simulator FX.
On it's own the bridge is passable but I miss not having a PAF.
So it I got another Duncan.
So I decided on a Duncan Pegasus. Designed for Progressive Metal. It is a high gain PU ...it can clean up to a pristine clean but it takes
a good Metal overdrive to new heights!
On the down side it doesn't like medium gain
or even high gain Marshall style OD it seems to
puree the tone of them like you put it thru your mother's blender !!!
I feel a toaster style cover borrowed from the 50's Rickenbaker keeps the look period
correct and Retro.
There was market for Retro guitar in their arsenal. Rather then start from scratch they decided to use a very little known 50's guitar as the template. The Megatone MKIII.
They have been discontinued for a few years now.
But occasionally one comes up for about $300.00 USD
So I scooped up a black one with a maple neck recently. A very fast neck!!!!
Except that Ibanez uses a 25 1/2 " Fender scale it is otherwise similar.
There are 2 notable important exceptions.
It uses a Gibson 24 3/4 scale with a shallow D profile.
The fit and finish rival the very best American made Fenders!
The pickups have there own sound ...single coils with a sound very much like a 'Toaster' Ric PU a sound as fat as a hummy and with a really nice sparkle in the highs.
The neck pickup clean is just beautiful for busy acoustic guitar style chord work ...arpeggios ...finger picking...and it has great dynamics. It works well with my Vox 806 treble booster clone and my Digitech Mosaic 12 string simulator FX.
On it's own the bridge is passable but I miss not having a PAF.
So it I got another Duncan.
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So I decided on a Duncan Pegasus. Designed for Progressive Metal. It is a high gain PU ...it can clean up to a pristine clean but it takes
a good Metal overdrive to new heights!
On the down side it doesn't like medium gain
or even high gain Marshall style OD it seems to
puree the tone of them like you put it thru your mother's blender !!!
I feel a toaster style cover borrowed from the 50's Rickenbaker keeps the look period
correct and Retro.
I must confess I love seeing a fellow guitar player's jaw drop when he see's one of my Retro guitars knock out the back wall with a power chord assuming my guitars are all tinker toy retro!!! LOL
DeArmond M-70
In the early 80's Guild went out of business. Fender on a buying spree bought Guild as well as DeArmond and Steinberger.
put the Guild name on the truss rod cover :-)
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| DeArmond/Guild M-70 with DeMarzio Super distortion PU which replaced the DeArmonds as the factory OEM. |
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| GUILD BLUESBIRD M-75 Designed in 1970 to compete with the Les Paul Patterned after the LP Custom for sound but changing the body style slightly'. Perhaps using the 50's Supro Coronado (below) for the body style.  |
The Guild Bluesbird M-75 became the the DeArmond M-70, M-72 and
M-75 The 70 for example was without the block markers or the binding.
The first ones used DeAramond Guild OME PU's but soon they switched to DiMarzio's Super Distortion since they were 'hot' at the time. The Guild quality and tonewood spec was strictly adhered too. In the mid 90's Fender still had not produced the Guild America models so they sold the company and the rights to the designs. So the Korean models had to be discontinued.
Just recently cutting edge collectors discovered the DeArmonds and buying them for around $200.00 USD. These guitars that have a fit & finish and the same grade A mahogany used on the Les Paul Customs since 1957.
Drop a pair of quality PAF pickups and you have a $4000.00 USD sound!!!
This bargain basement price will not last ...rumor is already talking of a thousand dollar price just around the corner.
So I snapped up this beauty for $130.00 USD. Mine came with the DiMarzio's.I will swap them out for OEM Duncan SH-1 PAF's that I scooped up via AliExpress for $15.00 USD each. >>>>
These are definitely 'Grey' market PU's as Duncan only sells the U.S. made ones to the consumer not the OEM Korean made ones. There is zero difference in the spec. or the quality of build. If you buy a Charvel or any other better brand that is made in the east you get MIK Duncan PU's.
So for $160.00 USD I have a $4000.00 USD sound!!! How cool is that???
Ironically the latest company that has the Guild name makes the Bluesbird in Korea. They are also now using OEM Duncan a Duncan SH-1 and an SSH-4.
Other then that the Bluesbird has not changed since 1970.
The guitar has rich full mids and quite bright with a really lone sustain. It is solid mahogany throughout so the guitar is very heavy but if it wasn't you would not get tha '57 Les Paul Custom sound.
Having the odd small nasty thing to fix on a guitar this old is usual. I found nothing wrong with it outside of a cleaning, The action is very low without so much as a feather buzz on one of the frets.
My brand new Fender Custom Shop Strat was not even close to this when I got it. It is a damn impressive guitar. My advice ...GET LOOKING!!!
I think I will retire this guitar but not sell it. I have to get my live arsenal down to 6.
IBANEZ JET KING JTK30
A 2009 Ibanez based off of a late 50's ...Guyotone LG70 body
for the first few year Ibanez did not make any guitars they just sold re-branded Guyotones
The first of the updated reissues started in 2006 but they changed specs on the model every year or two. Most had hummies.
The 2009 had Soapbar P90's with chrome covers. They looked and sounded more like the Guyatones. With a solid mahogany body and 3 piece maple neck this thing is no retro toy.
The PU's are 'hot' noiseless P90's They are as fat as hummies but have the thick, rough and balzy sound that will tear your face off. The clean sound is OK but it sounds crude going thru light overdrives ...in fact unusable!
But used in a tune with medium gain or high gain it will make a Les Paul sound like a toy!!!
I have both ...so trust me this is a monster!!!!
MORE GUITARS ????I keep having a look out for a cheap Gibson SG that I do not need
I always wanted a Supro Belmont!!! A new one for
$300.00 USD came up but the guy would not ship it ???
The Guyatone Feather LG-50 made now by Eastwood
was also sold as an Ibanez is on sale for $445.00 USD.
Below are the Eastwood...the original Guyatone and one made for Ibanez.
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LET'S MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL!!!
PEDALS? GUITARS?
EVEN AMPS!!!!
First I am not an 'old timer' reliving the past with retro guitars and by covering every sound possible from 1964 to the present. THE THOUGHT MAKES ME PUKE!!!!
Today's cutting edge idea's are coming thru the Indie Alternative scene.
It is borrowing ideas from 1964 to today but the most important aspect of it is ...
THE IDEAS ARE HOMOGENIZED QUITE OFTEN PRESENTED IN A SINGLE SONG,
Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and the Beatles approach to music can be put in the same tune.
Today with pedals you can have the verse of your tune sound like a Vox with a Ric then ...
go to Plexi Stack with a Strat for the chorus then blow a solo with a JCM 800 and the last verse thru a 50's Gibson amp and finish off with the coda thru a Dumble.
go to Plexi Stack with a Strat for the chorus then blow a solo with a JCM 800 and the last verse thru a 50's Gibson amp and finish off with the coda thru a Dumble.
So my approach is to have guitars that can do all this. This usually means one PU that nails a dirt sound and one that nails a cleaner sound
The 8 types of PU's covered are ...Gibson PAF ....Rickenbaker high gain ...Fender Strat ...Tele ...Harmony Gold Foil ...Dano Lipstick tube, & 50's Megatone Mk.3
So the only PU I have yet to acquire is a Gretsch Filtertron ...fortunately it is not so glaringly distinctive as to really handicap a tune as it sounds half hummie and half Rick. A joy to have in it's own right but not critical. But I will never say never!!
Most amp sounds are cover by the pedals...the Supro, a 50's Gibson. All 3 classic Marshall amps are there with 2 to 4 choices of each.
A HiWatt would by cool and finding the illusive ideal Vox has been difficult but it is await and see for it.
A HiWatt would by cool and finding the illusive ideal Vox has been difficult but it is await and see for it.
So I hope you can see that there is some purpose to all my madness!
ALTERNATIVELY I COULD BE A MORON WITH TOO MUCH MONEY!!! ...LOL
BE SURE TO REVISIT THIS POST ...A CHANGE AT ANY TIME IS...
>>>POSSIBLE
>>>POSSIBLE
AND FROM MY PAST HISTORY
>>>PROBABLE!
>>>PROBABLE!
CODA
At some point you will choose between your acquisitions being a hobby... a part time job or a career,
If it is a hobby...anything goes.
If it is part time job... you will be buying 'tools'.
If it is career...your tunes and your writing will make your choices for you.
Yes ....you will really have little to say what you buy...the tunes are "GOD" and you will obey. LOL
Yes ....you will really have little to say what you buy...the tunes are "GOD" and you will obey. LOL
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| Selfie |
OH! ...I almost forgot
...the answer to that question you all
asked about the pedals ...$10,000.00 and growing.
DONE! for now ...Thanks for coming.
LAST THOUGHTS
On a final note all this sh_t is useless if you can not write and play well.
Both are a learnable craft.
I recommend Hendrix for both.
You do not need to learn his tunes.what you need to do is listen very carefully and deconstruct them.
When to go from single notes to chords and how to use short phrases , hammer ons and glisses
for ornamentation.
Get back to your major and minor scales and learn a mode or two. Melodic minor is good as it
transfer to a pop rock format, Santana is a master of it.
Get a daily schedule happening. By applying it to your own original tunes it becomes very stisfying
and not a discipline.
I have after decades of neglect brought my 'chops' up to so much more then I could ever imagine.
The key is to relax and ignore your sloppy playing and you will get better then you can imagine.
If you do not you will freeze up your muscles and soon give up as your own body/mine will kill your success.
Just enjoy it. Concentrate not on the playing but making your tune sound cool.
Damn it guy!!! It F.ing works
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